Samsung has launched its business and consumer lineup of high-resolution monitors, and this year, all 12 of them support HDR. The S8 flagship lineup comes features two 27-inch (S80A and S80UA) and one 32-inch model (S80A), all with 1 billion color (10-bit) IPS panels and 3,840 x 2,160 (4K Ultra HD) resolution. While Samsung calls these displays HDR10 compatible, they don't meet the minimum VESA certified DisplayHDR spec of 400 nits of brightness, as they only put out 300 nits. However, they will give you the benefit of the wide color for content creation and streaming services like Netflix.

The S8 monitors have a flat borderless design with slim bezels and support 10Gbps data via USB-C, along with a USB hub. One of the 27-inch models, the S80UA, even supports 90W charging, which could be handy for USB laptops or for quick smartphone charging. Other features include full swivel and tilt functions, a relatively quick 5-millisecond response time for gaming, DisplayPort 1.2 input and HDMI 2.0.

Samsung

The S7 series features two models, the 27-inch S70A and 32-inch S70A. Both have flat-screen 4K displays with HDR10, 1.07 billion (10-bit) colors, a slim-bezel design and tilt adjustment. The S6 lineup features six models ranging from 24 to 34 inches, all of which offer 2,560 x 1,440 QHD resolution. The exception there is the S65UA, a 34-inch curved design with UWQHD (3,440 x 1,440) resolution (above). All of the S6 models feature HDR10 with 1.07 billion color (10-bit) support, and Samsung's spec sheet indicates they use VA panels with 300 nits of brightness.

The fact that all of these monitors support HDR shows that Samsung thinks the tech is important for the future of PCs and Macs, even for the average user. Though panel brightness doesn't actually conform to the HDR spec, these displays are still brighter than typical consumer and business models and content creators will benefit from the extra color gamut. Samsung has yet to releasing pricing or availability.
ALBANY  Albany County officials are pushing the state to expand vaccine eligibility as the race continues to get shots into arms before more-contagious variants of coronavirus have a chance to spread.

Albany County Executive Daniel McCoy and county Health Commissioner Dr. Elizabeth Whalen on Monday said they wanted to see people age 50 and older, as well as more public-facing workers, become eligible for vaccination and would be calling on the governors office to expand eligibility to these groups.

Less than two hours after they issued that plea, Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo fulfilled one of those wishes by announcing that people 50 and older would become eligible starting Tuesday. The vaccine was initially eligible to people age 75 and older, then 65 and older, then 60 and older.

In terms of eligibility I believe that this will be opened up in the near future, but at this point it couldnt be soon enough, Whalen said. What we really want to do is be able to concentrate on getting as many vaccines out as we possibly can, so to have an expanded eligibility for some of the populationswill be very helpful.

While 20- to 29-year-olds have accounted for the largest share of coronavirus cases in Albany County, almost all coronavirus deaths in the county (99 percent) and the vast majority of hospitalizations (82 percent) have been among those 50 and older. Specifically, people age 50 to 74 have been the single-most likely age group to wind up hospitalized in the county and the second-most likely to wind up dead. They are the most likely group to wind up in intensive care, as well.

McCoy also called on the state to "broaden the definition of what they consider an essential employee. There are still too many people risking their health and wellbeing by going into work and keeping our economy running."

Meanwhile, efforts to vaccinate people who have a tough time leaving their home continue in the county. The county last week redistributed over 400 single-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccines to EMS teams in Colonie and Guilderland for the effort, as well as Marras Pharmacy in Cohoes, Eddy Senior Center and Eddy Visiting Nurse and Rehabilitation Center.

The county is also notifying people who were scheduled to receive a second dose of vaccine at the Times Union Center in Albany on Thursday Saturday and Monday, March 29 that the venue has been changed to the Albany Capital Center at 55 Eagle St. Individuals will be notified of the change by email, Whalen said.

Coronavirus cases rising

Coronavirus cases are trending up in Albany County but so far the county is not seeing a corresponding increase in hospitalizations and deaths, McCoy said Monday.

The county confirmed 50 new cases of the virus overnight Monday and the county is now averaging 62 cases of the virus a day over a seven-day average. This is up from 54 a week ago.

The good news, however, is that there were no new hospitalizations or deaths to report overnight. It was the first time since Nov. 26 that the county has been able to report no new hospitalizations in a 24-hour period and it was the ninth day in a row that the county has had no new deaths to report.

Similar trends are being seen across the region: the seven-day average for new daily cases has risen in the past week from 190 on March 14 to 200 on March 21, while hospitalizations appear to have plateaued. No deaths have been reported across the eight-county region for five days now. The last time the region went that long without a death was September.

Hospitalizations and deaths frequently lag behind an increase in diagnosed cases, but the recent rise in vaccinations may help curb that. As of Sunday, nearly 31 percent of Capital Region residents had received a first dose of vaccine and 15 percent had been fully vaccinated.

Speaking with reporters Monday morning, McCoy said he's "a little worried" about spring breakers bringing the virus back to the area after mass congregations of young people were reported in Miami and other parts of the country.

"I can assure you Dr. Whalen and I do not want a third wave and we dont want to take a step back with hospitalizations or anything like that or the huge spikes that we were getting before," he said.

Earlier: New York coronavirus cases stagnate while deaths drop - but variants are out there

Officials also warned of the rise in more-contagious variants of coronavirus. Over the weekend, a more-transmissible variant first discovered in Brazil was detected in New York City. The state has already seen variants from the United Kingdom and South Africa.

"The concern with those particular strains is that they are much more highly transmissible," Whalen said. "So this is why its very important for people to continue to use the mask in public and to continue to avoid large scale gatherings and to social distance."

Australia and New Zealand have backed sanctions imposed by the United States, Britain, Canada, the European Union on four Chinese officials for human rights abuses in Xinjiang amid growing international concern over Beijings treatment of Uighurs.

The countries - which all have Magnitsky laws allowing for the sanctioning of individuals for human rights breaches - announced sanctions overnight on four high-ranking officials for their role in Beijings forced labour camps in the far-western province.

One of the centres housing Uighurs in Chinas Xinjiang region. Credit:AP

The Australian government will introduce to parliament its own Magntisky laws later this year, suggesting it could follow the four other blocs of countries in sanctioning the Chinese officials including a top security director.

Countries with the laws - named after Sergei Magnitsky - occasionally sanction human rights offenders jointly to ensure they are appropriately punished and to lessen the blowback against any one country.
The residents of Colorado did their part just by being here. Voters did their part two years ago when they passed amendments Y and Z. Now the two independent commissions are charged with turning data into democracy by drawing new political districts for Congress and the state legislature.
In what could be seen as a revival of public private partnership (PPP) in highway sector, private developers have offered a premium for two projects tendered recently by the National Highways Authority of India on build, operate and transfer (BOT-toll) basis - a mode of private funding for national highways lying defunct for close to a decade now.

The projects in question are six-laning of Panagarh-Palsit (67.75km) at a capital cost of Rs 2,021 crore and six-laning of Palsit-Dankuni spanning 63.8km, requiring a capital cost of Rs 2,193 crore. Both the projects are in West Bengal and are part of the Bharatmala Pariyojana.

The request for qualification process of the two projects began in December last year and the financial bids were opened early this month.

"We have received a very good response from the private developers for the two BOT-toll projects tendered this year. Both the projects have fetched premium for the NHAI. In case of Panagarh to Palsit, an upfront premium of 11.5 per cent of the capital cost of the project has been offered, while in the case of Palsit-Dankuni an upfront premium of 10.8 per cent has been offered to the NHAI," an official in the Ministry of Road Transport And Highways (MoRTH) told Business Today.

The source added that both the projects will be awarded soon.

With this, the total premium offered to the NHAI from the private sector for the two projects comes at around Rs 469.25 crore. It is believed that highway construction companies like IRB Infrastructure, GR Infraprojects and PNC Infratech have submitted financial bids for the projects.

In the BOT-toll projects, the traffic risks are borne by the private sector bidder implementing the project. The government awards the project with a concession period during which the concessionaire earns toll revenues to recover its investment in the project. The bidders make a bid with lowest viability gap funding. However, in case of projects offering lucrative returns, bidders may offer premium to the government to bag the project.

BOT-Toll -- one of the key highway construction models -- took a backseat with the government awarding most of the projects either on EPC basis or on a hybrid annuity model, in which the government undertakes the entire funding as well as the traffic risk. The private sector simply works as a contractor and not as a developer.

The government has introduced changes in the model concession agreement for the highway projects to incentivise the private sector to come forward for the BOT-toll projects. As per the revised provisions, the revenue potential of a BOT-toll project will be revised every five years during the concession period against ten years earlier. Post the reassessment of the revenue potential, the concession period of the project will be reworked to ensure adequate cash flow to the concessionaire.

Also, projects will be awarded only after 90 per cent of the land needed for the project has been acquired.

Sources have indicated that more BOT-toll projects will be bidded out in the next financial year.

Also Read: Manufacturing sector to rebound in Q4FY21; investment outlook improves

Also Read: Hyderabad's Virchow to produce 200 million doses of Russia's Sputnik V vaccine

Also Read: One year of lockdown: 5 reasons why COVID-19 panic has decreased in India
Credit: CC0 Public Domain

The Welsh countryside may see a major increase in forest cover within a decade due to the effect of Brexit on sheep farming, new research suggests.

In a paper published in Land, a team from the University of Reading modeled how the UK leaving the European Union would affect economic conditions for sheep farmers, and the resulting changes in land use.

Looking at five potential scenarios, the researchers concluded that there could be between 35,000 and 313,000 hectares of additional broadleaf forest cover in Wales by 2030 and a proportionally similar boost to conifer forests. The modeled scenario most resembling the current situation is based on the signature of UK Trade and Cooperation Agreement with the EU, and would lead to a 20% increase in broadleaf forest and 18% increase in coniferous forest, equivalent to around 85 million more trees.

The increase would be largely due to the reduction of land being used for sheep grazing, as well as increased activity in commercial forestry due to a proposed adoption of a form of Environmental Land Management payment scheme in place of the EU-wide Common Agricultural Policy (CAP).

Professor Martin Lukac from the University of Reading's School of Agriculture, Policy & Development said: "The impact of Brexit will be felt for years to come, shifting economic forces and changes to policy around agriculture will inevitably change the way we use land in the UK.

"With this study, we have analyzed past trends of land use change and made some conservative assumptions about the effect of trade conditions and proposed Environmental Land Management schemes.

"What is clear is that the Welsh countryside will change over the next ten years due to Brexit, and that will have both positive and negative effects for different actors. On the one side, our most conservative models suggest that we could see around 85 million more trees in Wales through a combination of planted coniferous forest and natural regeneration of broadleaf woodlands. The benefits that this will have for our natural environment would be significant for carbon sequestering and for biodiversity of woodland habitats.

"However, the net gain of millions of trees will be at the cost to the Welsh sheep farming industry, which could suffer due to additional export friction with the EU and increasing competition from other export markets such as Australia and New Zealand as the UK pursues free trade.

"Of course, these are just models. Political decisions will make significant differences to how the Welsh countryside will look in 2030, but it's safe to say that whatever does happen, the landscape and the rural economy of Wales will change."

Five possible scenarios following Brexit were considered, and in each scenario, the research team considered how new regulations would affect grants and subsidies available as well as the trade environment for Welsh farmers.

The study was conducted prior to the UK reaching a free trade agreement with the EU and modeled the possible outcomes if the UK reverted to other trading rules.

Following a 'Business as Usual' model in which Basic Payment Scheme subsidies from the EU's CAP support are replaced like-for-like, there would still likely be a 20% increase in forest cover in Wales, equating to 200 extra hectares of trees. This is a reflection of changes observed in the recent past.

At the other end of the scale, the team modeled the possibility of an extreme free trade approach, which would lead to a significant impact on domestic beef and sheep prices making many farms financially unviable. In this extreme case, the effect on land use would be dramatic with a potential increase in coniferous and broadleaf forests of around 200,000 ha and 313,000 ha respectively, resulting in more than half a billion more trees.

First named author Dr. Syed Amir Manzoor from the Department of Forestry & Range Management, Bahauddin Zakariya University Multan in Pakistan conducted the research while based at the University of Reading. Dr. Manzoor said:

"Our modeling really shows the pronounced impact that the EU has already had in supporting certain economic conditions for land use. It should be remembered that the iconic pastoral, sheep-grazed hillsides of Wales only look like that because taxpayers have been paying for sheep to graze. Overall, Welsh sheep farmers received between 45-80% of their turnover from EU subsidies prior to the UK leaving the EU.

"As a result, changes to the conditions for farmers to receive subsidies and grants, such as Wales' proposed Sustainable Farming Scheme, are going to provide incentives to farmers to be more mindful of the environment.

"It is clearly a good thing to try and mitigate against man-made climate change and natural defense such as forests will help. But there could be wider economic and cultural costs to pay for such widespread landscape changes, not least in the livelihoods and traditional ways of life for Welsh farming communities."

Explore further Sheep farmers could profit by shifting to forest, research shows

More information: Syed Amir Manzoor et al. The Return of Wooded Landscapes in Wales: An Exploration of Possible Post-Brexit Futures, Land (2021). Syed Amir Manzoor et al. The Return of Wooded Landscapes in Wales: An Exploration of Possible Post-Brexit Futures,(2021). DOI: 10.3390/land10010059
"At Remy Martin, celebrating cultures of excellence is deeply rooted in our heritage," said Tina Reejsinghani, Vice President at Remy Martin Americas. "With our long-standing relationship with the music world, we recognize that within music there is poetry. We are honored to team up with the Harlem Writers Guild to support this community and amplify local voices and artists."

Through curated content, poems from iconic African American poets of the early 20th century are read by Harlem poets of today. Featured is Gift to Sing, Mother to Son, Harlem Wine and My Little Dreams, each with a unique sound but similar origin story; all with roots in Harlem, New York. The backdrop to the poet's voices are four different musical melodies created by Grammy-Award winning producer Jermaine Dupri, as tribute to the golden age of African American arts that has deeply inspired his personal journey as a musical artist.

"To me, poetry is a form of rap music because it allows you to express yourself at the highest level without boundaries," said Jermaine Dupri. "I'm thrilled that Remy Martin and the Harlem Writers Guild involved me in this project so that I could use my personal form of expression through music to build upon the power of these legendary words."

The explosion of artistic excellence during the Harlem Renaissance sparked a movement that significantly shaped American culture from that point on, and the root of it all can be drawn back to the streets of Harlem. Remy Martin's commitment to celebrating the best that communities and cultures have to offer, mirrors the Harlem Writers Guild's ambition of amplifying the voices of local artists in Harlem. This physical ground of the Fine Champagne region of Cognac, France has cultivated Remy Martin's legacy and spirit for nearly 300 years, and it is the reason the Cognac house stands firmly behind its terroir.

"It is important for us at the Harlem Writers Guild to reach younger generations because we want to pass along this extraordinary, historic art form in a way that young people recognize and can build upon using their own voices today," said Diane Richards, Executive Director of the Harlem Writers Guild. "Teaming up with Remy Martin on this project allows us to nurture African American literary legacy and inspire voices of the future."

Remy Martin has made a donation to the Harlem Writers Guild as a commitment to preserving cultures of excellence and amplifying African American voices.

For more information visit RemyMartin.com and follow along on social media at:

Instagram @RemyMartinUS | Twitter @RemyMartinUS | Facebook RemyMartinUSA

ABOUT REMY MARTIN

Since 1724, the House of Remy Martin has produced premium spirits that consistently appeal to the world's most discerning connoisseurs. A profound love of the land, a continuity of family ownership and a passionate commitment to excellence has sustained Remy Martin for nearly three centuries. As a result of its masterful production and generations of tradition in Cognac, the House of Remy Martin today produces Fine Champagne Cognacs, including Remy Martin XO, Remy Martin Tercet, Remy Martin 1738 Accord Royal and Remy Martin V.S.O.P. For additional information, visit www.RemyMartin.com.

ABOUT HARLEM WRITERS GUILD

The Harlem Writers Guild presents the experiences of Black people through the written word. We create and publish compelling literature of all genres reflective of the African American and African Diaspora experiences of struggle, survival and success, using our art to embrace, promote and sustain Black voices, young and old. With an active membership of passionate, determined writers, the Harlem Writers Guild is a forum where African American writers can develop their craft. With over 70 years of literary excellence, the Harlem Writers Guild is the oldest literary organization dedicated to Black writers. www.TheHarlemWritersGuild.org

ABOUT JERMAINE DUPRI

With over 400 million records sold to date, Jermaine Dupri, a member of the Songwriters Hall of Fame is one of most successful producers in the music industry. Dupri has established a prolific career as a hip-hop artist, producer, songwriter, author, DJ, and CEO of So So Def, which he founded in 1993. He is one of only a few producers in music history to garner four positions in the Top 10 on Billboard's Hot 100 chart at one time and have the Song of the Decade as one of his credits. He is also the first recipient of the Billboard Otis Redding Excellence Award for his achievements both in and outside the studio. Jermaine Dupri is exclusively managed by Melinda Bell of Straight Up Entertainment Group.

SOURCE Remy Martin
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New Delhi, March 22 : India recorded 46,951 infections in the last 24 hours, highest so far in the last four and half months, taking the total tally to 1,16,46,081 on Monday.

According to the Health Ministry, Maharashtra, Punjab, Kerala, Karnataka, Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh are exhibiting a steep rise in daily cases.

With death of 212 more people in the last one day across the country, the toll reached 1,59,967. The active caseload in country has mounted to 3,34,646.

A single-day spike of 47,905 new infections were recorded on November 11. The country has been registering an increase in cases for the last 12 day continuously.

With the discharge of 21,180 patients in a day, a total of 1,11,51,468 persons have so far been discharged. A total of 8,80,655 tests left hospitals on Sunday.

So far, 4.50 crore doses of corona vaccine have been administered in the country since the drive began on January 16 after approval for 'Covishield' and 'Covaxin'.

The central government is closely monitoring and actively engaging with states and union territories over the rising cases in the country.

Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19)

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
The 21-year-old man accused of killing eight people, mostly women of Asian descent, at three Atlanta massage parlors last week has been removed from the membership of his church as the congregations leaders say they can no longer affirm that he is truly a regenerate believer in Jesus Christ.

Crabapple First Baptist Church in Fulton County released a statement announcing that it has completed the process of church discipline to remove Robert Aaron Long from membership.

We want to be clear that this extreme and wicked act is nothing less than rebellion against our Holy God and His Word, the statement reads. Aarons actions are antithetical to everything that we believe and teach as a church. In the strongest possible terms, we condemn the actions of Aaron Long as well as his stated reasons for carrying out this wicked plan.

Seven of the eight people Long killed last Tuesday were women, and six were of Asian descent. Two of the victims were white.

Source:The Christian Post
County library to unveil story walk project in Vanderbilt

The Otsego County Library is hosting a ceremony Saturday to formally open the latest story walk project.
NEW DELHI: After a gap of nearly two years, the top officials of India and Pakistan will hold a two-day meeting beginning March 23 to discuss the Indus water sharing between the two nations.

According to reports, a high-level team from Pakistan will arrive in India via Atari-Wagah Border on Monday. The meeting, which is an annual affair between the two countries, is being held after two years. During their meeting, the officials of the two sides will discuss concerns over Indus water-sharing and related issues.

India has recently given a go-ahead to several hydropower projects in Ladakh which is being opposed by Pakistan. Pakistan had earlier said that its delegation of water experts would visit India to attend the meeting of the Permanent Indus Commission and discuss various water-related issues between March 23-24.

The 116th meeting of the Permanent Indus Commission will be held in New Delhi on March 23 and 24, Foreign Office spokesperson Zahid Hafeez Chaudhry said earlier.

Pakistans Commissioner for Indus Waters Syed Muhammad Meher Ali Shah will lead the delegation while the Indian delegation will be led by India's Indus Commissioner PK Saxena with his advisors from the Central Water Commission, Central Electricity Authority and National Hydroelectric Power Corporation.

Under the provisions of the Indus Water Treaty, both the commissioners are required to meet at least once a year alternately in India and Pakistan.

This will also be the first meeting between the two commissioners after the nullification of special provisions under Article 370 that gave special status to Jammu and Kashmir. The state was later carved into two union territories - Ladakh, and Jammu and Kashmir.

Indus Waters Treaty

India and Pakistan signed a treaty for sharing river waters of the Indus drainage system in 1960. The agreement was mediated by the World Bank and named the Indus Waters Treaty.

Under this treaty, Pakistan got a favourable division of waters of the six rivers of the Indus system. Pakistan was given rivers that had greater volumes of flowing water.

India was allocated the waters of the Sutlej, the Beas and the Ravi the three less voluminous eastern tributaries of the Indus. More voluminous rivers, the Indus and its western tributaries, the Jhelum and Chenab went to Pakistan.

The distribution of river waters gave India a share of about 20 per cent or about 3.3 crore of 16.8 crore acre-feet of estimated water in the Indus system. India has never utilised a full share of the Indus waters allocated to it.

(With PTI inputs)

Live TV
The man was shot in the head and pronounced dead at the scene later that night. The medical examiners office early Monday said he was identified as Kelvin Edmonson, 23, of the 700 block of North Leamington Avenue. He had been sitting in the drivers seat and an 18-year-old woman was sitting in the SUVs passenger seat, Bartoli said.
One of the UK's most notorious killers, who raped and strangled two schoolgirls, could be freed from jail.

The Parole Board has met to decide whether Colin Pitchfork is eligible for early release.

He was jailed for life after strangling 15-year-olds Lynda Mann and Dawn Ashworth in Leicestershire in 1983 and 1986.

Colin Pitchfork was jailed for life for the killing of 15-year-olds Lynda Mann and Dawn Ashworth in Leicestershire in the 1980s

He became the first man convicted of murder on the basis of DNA evidence and was given a 30-year minimum term when sentenced at Leicester Crown Court in 1988.

He was eventually caught after the world's first mass screening for DNA - where 5,000 men in three villages were asked to volunteer blood or saliva samples.

Pitchfork pleaded guilty to two offences of murder, two of rape, two of indecent assault and one of conspiracy to pervert the course of justice.

His minimum term was cut by two years in 2009.

Although he was denied parole in 2016 and in 2018, Pitchfork was moved to an open prison three years ago.

It is understood a decision on the latest Parole Board review could take up to 14 days to be made due to the complexity of the case.

A Parole Board spokesman said: 'The panel will carefully examine a whole range of evidence, including details of the original crime, and any evidence of behaviour change, as well as the harm done and impact the crime has had on the victims.'

Conservative MP for South Leicestershire Alberto Costa spoke to the Parole Board about the case.

He said: 'While these crimes took place over 30 years ago, the heinous and abhorrent nature of Lynda and Dawn's tragic murders continue to live long in the memory of residents in South Leicestershire.

'Many are still deeply worried about the prospect of Pitchfork ever being released back into normal society.

'If he had committed these heinous crimes today, it is highly unlikely he would ever be released.'

The hearing was supposed to be made last November but was postponed.

Now the decision is due to be made public on April 7, Mr Costa said.

Both of the girls' families have said on a number of occasions they still believe Pitchfork is a danger to the community.

Picture of Lynda Mann, 15, who was raped and murdered by Colin Pitchfork in November 1983

Picture of Dawn Ashworth who was also murdered when she was 15 in July 1986. Both of the girls' families have said on a number of occasions they still believe Pitchfork is a danger to the community

The killings sparked the largest manhunt in the history of Leicestershire Police.

More than 5,000 local men were asked to volunteer blood or saliva in a bid to match samples taken from the crime scenes.

None were found until in 1987, a bakery colleague was overheard boasting he had been given 200 for giving a sample while posing as Pitchfork.

After this was reported to the police, Pitchfork was arrested a month later.

Pitchfork pleaded guilty to the rape and murder of Lynda and Dawn in 1988.

Pitchfork changed his name to David Thorpe in jail and four years ago he was let out of HMP Leyhill in Gloucestershire to go shopping alone.

A source told The Mirror: 'He really thinks he'll be out by the summer because he's completed all the courses successfully and he was also allowed out in the local community before lockdown.

'The trips from prison went without any hitch.'
Image: Canva

Ive written before on the Equality Act. As one who believes that all people are worthy of dignity and respect, I believe that we need to advocate for the civil rights of everyone religious and irreligious, all races and creeds, and (as I wrote in my article) the rights of people who identify as LGBTQ+. Yet, I believe that the Equality Act fails do to this very thing. And, today, Ive asked my old friend David Dockery to explain why.

H. R. 5, known as The Equality Act, was introduced in the United States Senate Judiciary Committee last week. The legislation would amend the Civil Rights Act of 1964 to prohibit discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity in employment, housing, public accommodations, public education, federal funding, the credit system, and jury duty. H. R. 5 seeks to create a new protected class for people experiencing same-sex attraction or gender discordance from discrimination of any kind. At the heart of this effort is an attempt to dismiss ontological sexual differences as unimportant by redefining gender as only a matter of social construct.

The Equality Act, which has an appealing name, does not actually support equality for everyone. To the contrary, it targets people of faith for whom human sexuality is not merely a matter of personal opinion. Several advocates for The Equality Act claim that the proposal allows both sexual freedom and religious freedom to coexist, doing so by understanding faith primarily, if not entirely, as a private expression in ones heart. Under this law, religious faith is limited to a narrow, personal, subjective, and privatized understanding of faith. For years, the brilliant sociologist Peter Berger insightfully and prophetically reminded us of the trends in our culture not only toward secularization and pluralization, but toward the privatization of faith.

Fellow citizens who hold positions of religious faith, however, understand that ones faith is both objective and subjective, vertical and horizontal, as well as personal and communal. Faith possesses certain public dimensions that should not be outlawed simply because of changes in a public opinion poll. Human dignity must remain vital for every person since all humans are created in the image of God. Thus, all persons, regardless of their religious beliefs, should be treated with compassion and respect without regard to race, ethnicity, religion, or biological sex.

Unjust discrimination or harassment must never be tolerated in a pluralistic society and the desire to protect people from such unwelcomed actions is commendable. Where genuine unjust discrimination and harassment exists, all Americans, regardless of religious identity, should work together in a pluralistic society to seek to address such actions. As a nation founded with a commitment to principled pluralism, we want to honor every persons right to gainful employment and to basic goods and services needed to live and flourish. People of faith want to work with others, demonstrating neighbor love, to ensure that these basic rights are protected and that nondiscrimination principles are protected. We want to see this take place, however, without confusing ontological differences between male and female.

When sexual freedom conflicts with religious freedom, The Equality Act devalues religious freedom, stating that The Religious Freedom Restoration Act of 1993, which was sponsored in the House of Representatives by then Congressman Chuck Schumer and in the Senate by Senator Ted Kennedy, and passed almost unanimously by Congress before being signed into law by President Bill Clinton, shall not provide a claim concerning, or a defense to a claim under, a covered title, or provide a basis for challenging the application or enforcement of a covered title. This language removes traditional religious freedom protections that have characterized Constitutional discussions since the days of the Bill of Rights. Appearing to target those who might disagree with the ideas put forth in the legislation, it effectively brings an end to the kind of dialogue that has long been important for a pluralistic society.

The Equality Act would become the first major piece of legislation in the history of the United States to exclude protections for religious freedom. The bill does not even recognize the sacred rights of religious congregations, communities, or denominations. In fact, it would discriminate against people of faith by adversely affecting religious schools, benevolence organizations, womens sports, sex specific facilities, and conscience rights. If religious freedom entails the ability of people on their own to reach conclusions about their religious beliefs and to live out those beliefs in the community, the marketplace, and the public square in an unhindered way, then the so-called Equality Act will violate the religious freedom of millions of people in this country.

H. R. 5, which was passed in the House of Representatives this past month, and which President Biden has promised to sign into law, reveals the divisions in American culture. President Biden commented that every person should be treated with dignity and respect, and this bill represents a critical step toward ensuring that America lives up to our foundational values of equality and freedom for all.

Yet, this legislation has been called the most invasive threat to religious liberty ever proposed in America because of its intent to mandate understandings of sexual orientation and gender identity as expectations for all aspects of society. Anyone who maintains a traditional understanding of human sexuality, gender identity, and marriage will no longer be allowed to disagree out of good will and commitment to ones beliefs but will treated as one guilty of discrimination. The bill also addresses abortion by including the language of pregnancy, childbirth, or a related medical condition as that which is forbidden by law. By including this language in the discussions of sexuality, anyone who refuses to perform an abortion would be guilty of sexual discrimination

As others have observed, The Equality Act, which reaches far beyond its basic goals, fails to differentiate between views that are morally repugnant from those that are culturally disfavored. It should be recognized that this would not just affect one particular religious group. This legislation moves against people represented across the entire landscape of the United States, all of whom cherish historical protections for the diversity of religious convictions.

Beliefs regarding sexual ethics held by Muslims, Jews, Roman Catholics, and Evangelical Protestants are supported by centuries of tradition, reason, and natural law, as well as by teachings viewed as special revelation by these various faith communities. The proposed legislation pushes against these perspectives and seeks to contain them in certain legal spaces deemed appropriate by public law. By doing so, it delegitimizes diverse points of view held by people of good will. Looking ahead, these perspectives will be viewed to represent malevolent ill will, labeled as a form of discrimination similar to racism.

Religious communities have also maintained an anthropological understanding that the human person is a unity of body and soul, a whole person. They have maintained that a persons identity is not separable from ones body. Sexual difference is a sacred dimension of human life and the beautiful complementarity between male and female should be celebrated. The Equality Act would thus burden people who have religious-based questions about the gender ideology movement.

If passed by the U. S. Senate, this legislation would create a hostility toward religious ethics in the court of public opinion resulting in the narrowing of opportunities for people of faith to serve in the areas of education, social work, counseling, healthcare, as well as other spheres. Extending beyond the impact of the Obergefell (2015) and Bostock (2020) Supreme Court decision, the missional, legal, financial, and cultural impact of The Equality Act on religious schools, non-profits, and benevolence organizations would be immediate and wide ranging.

Raising the LGBTQ community to a protected class at the federal level would greatly affect hiring rights, behavioral expectations, federal funding, and accreditation. Moreover, it would change the way that graduates of religious colleges are viewed when it comes to graduate school opportunities, job placement, and internships, making it more difficult for these schools to carry out their mission in a faithful manner, limiting their ability to serve society at large. Frankly, the bill is so pervasive, almost nothing would escape its sweeping influence, having implications for private businesses and individuals as well.

The Equality Act expands the meaning of public accommodations in ways that would violate the privacy of women and men, forcing a gender ideology not only on schools, but healthcare organizations and those who provide benevolence and charitable services. Some entities that would not normally be classified by law as public institutions will be considered such by H. R. 5. As a result of this legislation, if a Jewish synagogue, for example, rents its banquet hall for certain events, then they would be mandated to host events that they may consider immoral in their facility.

The Equality Act is anything but a step toward ensuring that America lives up to its foundational values of equality and freedom for all. With no ability to appeal to the Religious Freedom Restoration Act, the protection of conscience and religious liberty will be lost. People of faith, while recognizing that they now live as a cultural and cognitive minority, will need to work together, exemplifying conviction as well as civility and kindness, to support religious freedom issues as a first priority, recognizing the broad implications for many areas of private and public life in what Charles Taylor has rightly called our secular age.

David S. Dockery serves as president of the International Alliance for Christian Education and as distinguished professor of theology at Southwestern Seminary.
Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain

German group Curevac said Monday it will broaden its mRNA COVID vaccine trials to include new virus variants as it aims to file for EU approval in the second quarter.

The decision was taken because of the "rapid distribution of new variants" in European and Latin American countries where phase three trials have been in progress since late 2020, according to a statement.

The aim is to "determine efficacy of the vaccine candidate for select variants", the company said.

"Our goal is to offer the public and especially the vulnerable older age groups the best possible protection," said Ulrike Gnad-Vogt, interim chief development officer for Curevac.

The company is discussing the expansion of trials with the European Medicines Agency (EMA), which is already evaluating the vaccine, it said.

Curevac also reaffirmed its intention "to file for formal marketing authorisation within the second quarter", or from April through June.

Curevac said earlier this month it has signed a deal with Novartis for the Swiss pharmaceutical giant to help in its production of its vaccine.

The Swiss giant will make up to 50 million doses of the mRNA vaccine by the end of 2021 and up to 200 million doses in 2022.

Curevac also has a separate agreement with German chemicals giant Bayer to make the vaccine from 2022.

The European Commission has signed a contract for up to 405 million doses of the mRNA vaccine.

The EU has approved four vaccines so far: mRNA vaccines from Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna, and AstraZeneca and Johnson & Johnson's so-called viral vector vaccines.

It started a rolling review of the Curevac jab in February and is also examining Novavax's protein-based vaccine and Russia's Sputnik V.

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

 2021 AFP
BROOKFIELD, Wis.  Sen. Ron Johnson incited widespread outrage when he said recently that he would have been more afraid of the rioters who rampaged the Capitol on Jan. 6 had they been members of Black Lives Matter and antifa.

But his revealing and incendiary comment, which quickly prompted accusations of racism, came as no surprise to those who have followed Johnsons career in Washington or back home in Wisconsin. He has become the Republican Partys foremost amplifier of conspiracy theories and disinformation now that Donald Trump is banned from social media and largely avoiding appearances on cable television.

Johnson is an all-access purveyor of misinformation on serious issues such as the pandemic and the legitimacy of American democracy, as well as invoking the etymology of Greenland as a way to downplay the effects of climate change.

In recent months, Johnson has sown doubts about President Joe Bidens victory, argued that the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol was not an armed insurrection, promoted discredited COVID-19 treatments, said he saw no need to get the coronavirus vaccine himself, and claimed that the United States could have ended the pandemic a year ago with the development of a generic drug if the government had wanted that to happen.

Last year, he spent months as chair of the Senate Homeland Security Committee seeking evidence that Biden had tried to pressure Ukrainian officials to aid his son Hunter Biden, which an Intelligence Community report released Monday said was misinformation that was spread by Russia to help Trumps reelection.

Johnson has also become the leading Republican proponent of a revisionist effort to deny the motives and violence of the mob that breached the Capitol. At a Senate hearing to examine the events of that day, Johnson read into the record an account from a far-right website attributing the violence to agents-provocateurs and fake Trump protesters. On Saturday, he told a conference of conservative political organizers in Wisconsin that there was no violence on the Senate side, in terms of the chamber. In fact, Trump supporters stormed the chamber shortly after senators were evacuated.

His continuing assault on the truth, often under the guise of simply asking questions about established facts, is helping to diminish confidence in U.S. institutions at a perilous moment, when the health and economic well-being of the nation relies heavily on mass vaccinations, and when faith in democracy is shaken by right-wing falsehoods about voting.

Republicans are 27 percentage points less likely than Democrats to say they plan to get, or have already received, a vaccine, a Pew Research Center study released this month found. In an interview, Johnson repeatedly refused to say that vaccines were safe or to encourage people to get them, resorting instead to insinuations  theres still so much we dont know about all of this  that undermine efforts to defeat the pandemic.

The drumbeat of distortions, false theories and lies reminds some Wisconsin Republicans of a figure from the states past who also rarely let facts get in the way of his agenda: Sen. Joseph McCarthy, whose witch hunt for communists in and out of government in the 1950s ruined lives and bitterly divided the country.

Wisconsin voters love mavericks, they really love mavericks  you go way back to Joe McCarthy, said Jim Sensenbrenner, a long-serving Republican congressman from the Milwaukee suburbs who retired in January. They do love people who rattle the cage an awful lot and bring up topics that maybe people dont want to talk about.

For Democrats, who have never forgotten Johnsons defeat of liberal darling Russ Feingold in 2010 and again in a 2016 rematch, regaining the Senate seat in 2022 is a top priority. Although he has yet to announce whether he would be seeking a third term, Johnson recently said that the fury that Democrats had directed his way had made him want to stay in the fight. Still, he has raised just $590,000 in the past two years  a paltry sum for an incumbent senator.

Johnsons most recent provocation came March 12, when he contrasted Black Lives Matter protesters to the Trump supporters who love this country and stormed the Capitol, the carnage resulting in 140 injured police officers and more than 300 arrests by federal authorities. During an interview with a right-wing radio host, Joe Pagliarulo, Johnson said, Joe, this will get me in trouble. Had the tables been turned and President Trump won the election and those were tens of thousands of Black Lives Matter and antifa protesters, I might have been a little concerned.

Research on the protests against racial injustice over the summer showed that they were largely nonviolent.

In an interview with The New York Times, Johnson rejected comparisons to McCarthy. And he insisted he had no racist intent in making his argument.

I didnt feel threatened, he said. So its a true statement. And then people said, Well, why? Well, because Ive been to a lot of Trump rallies. I spend three hours with thousands of Trump supporters. And I think I know them pretty well. I dont know any Trump supporter who would have done what the rioters did.

On Sunday, Sen. Roy Blunt, R-Mo., denounced Johnsons distortion of the events of Jan. 6. We dont need to try and explain away or come up with alternative versions, he said on the NBC program Meet the Press. We all saw what happened.

Johnson, in the Times interview, also faulted the federal government for what he called its tunnel vision pursuit of a COVID-19 vaccine while not more deeply studying treatments such as hydroxychloroquine  the anti-malarial drug promoted by Trump that the Food and Drug Administration says is not effective against the virus. That strategy, he said, cost tens of thousands of lives.

Conspiracy theories and a defiant disregard of facts were a fringe but growing element of the Republican Party when Johnson entered politics in 2010  notably in the vice presidential candidacy of Sarah Palin two years earlier. But under Trump, the fringe became the mainstream. Fact-free assertions by the president, from the size of his inaugural crowd in 2017 to the big lie of a stolen election in 2020, required Republican officials to fall in line with his gaslighting or lose the support of the partys base voters.

Johnson proved himself remarkably adept at adopting the misinformation that increasingly animated Fox News commentators and right-wing talk radio.

Through the years, as the party has morphed into a muscular ignorance, QAnon sect, hes followed along with them, said Christian Schneider, a former Republican political operative in Wisconsin who embedded with the Johnson campaign in 2010 to write a glowing account for a local conservative magazine. Now hes a perfect example of that type of politics.

Johnson was the CEO of a plastics company started by his wifes family when he first ran for the Senate in 2010. He campaigned as a new-to-politics businessman concerned about federal spending and debt, and he spent $9 million of his own money on the race.

But there were signs in that first campaign of Johnsons predilection for anti-intellectualism. On several occasions, he declared that climate change was not man-made but instead caused by sun spots and said excess carbon dioxide in the atmosphere helps the trees grow. He also offered a false history of Greenland to dismiss the effects of global warming.

You know, theres a reason Greenland was called Greenland, Johnson told WKOW-TV in Madison, Wisconsin, back then. It was actually green at one point in time. And its been, you know, since, its a whole lot whiter now, so weve experienced climate change throughout geologic time.

In the interview Thursday, Johnson was still misinformed about the etymology of Greenland, which got its name from explorer Erik the Reds attempt to lure settlers to the ice-covered island.

I could be wrong there, but thats always been my assumption that, at some point in time, those early explorers saw green, Johnson said. I have no idea.

Just as Trump would later use Fox News to build a national political persona, Johnson did so on Wisconsins wide network of conservative talk-radio shows. His political rise would not have been possible without support from Charlie Sykes, then an influential radio host in Milwaukee who once read an entire 20-minute speech by Johnson on the air.

Sykes, who since 2016 has been a harsh critic of Trump-era Republicans, said last week of Johnson, I dont know how he went from being a chamber of commerce guy to somebody who sounds like he reads the Gateway Pundit every day. Hes turned into Joe McCarthy.

This month alone, Johnson has made at least 15 appearances on 11 different radio shows.

On Tuesday he appeared with Vicki McKenna, whose right-wing show is popular with Wisconsin conservatives. She began by attacking public health guidance on wearing a mask and maintaining social distance, arguing it is a Democratic plot to control Americans. Johnson agreed with McKenna and her assessment that public health experts in the federal government are misleading the country when they promote the coronavirus vaccine.

Weve closed our minds to all of these other potentially useful and cheap therapies, all on the holy grail of a vaccine, he said. Dr. Anthony Fauci, he added, is not a god.

In the interview, the senator said it was not his responsibility to use his public prominence to encourage Americans to get vaccinated.

I dont have all the information to say, Do this, Johnson said.

His false theories about the virus and the vaccine are reminiscent of other misinformation that Johnson has amplified. During a 2014 appearance on Newsmax TV, he warned of Islamic State group militants infecting themselves with the Ebola virus and then traveling to the United States. In 2015, he introduced legislation directing the federal government to protect itself against the threat of an electromagnetic pulse, a conspiracy theory that has long lived on the far-right of U.S. politics.

Last years monthslong investigation by Johnsons Homeland Security Committee into the Bidens and Ukraine concluded with the GOP majority report finding no wrongdoing by the former vice president. An Intelligence Community assessment declassified and released Monday concluded that Russia had spread misinformation about Hunter Biden to damage his fathers campaign and to help Trump win reelection.

Johnson, who was not named in the assessment, was adamant that his work was not directly or unwittingly influenced by Russians.

Read the report; show me where theres any Russian disinformation, he said. Anybody who thinks I spread disinformation is uninformed because I havent.

For weeks after the November election, Johnson refused to acknowledge Biden as the winner while echoing Trumps false statements about rampant fraud. He convened his committee in December to air baseless claims of fraud and mishandling of ballots, even as dozens of claims of fraud made by the Trump campaign were being tossed out of courts across the country.

In a cascade of interviews with friendly conservative outlets, Johnson has lately portrayed himself as a victim of the radical left that is waging a scorched-earth campaign to flip his Senate seat.

The best way to maintain power is to destroy your political opposition, and theyre targeting me, he told Oshkosh, Wisconsin, radio host Bob Burnell on Tuesday. This is obviously a vulnerable Senate seat in a swing state, so they think Id probably be the target No. 1. And I am target No. 1.

Johnsons defenders say he is fighting the liberal medias attempts to silence him.

I see the same thing happening with Sen. Johnson that the media did with Donald Trump, said Gerard Randall, chair of the Republican Party of Wisconsins African-American Advisory Council. I know Sen. Johnson personally, and I know that he is not a racist.

If Johnson seeks a third term, the race is likely to be decided in the Milwaukee suburbs, which used to deliver Republican landslides but have moved away from the party since the Trump era.

The city of Brookfield, for example, backed Trump by a margin of just 9 percentage points in November after voting for him by 20 points in 2016 and President George W. Bush by 39 points in 2004.

There was a lot of eye-rolling about Johnsons recent comments about the Capitol siege, said Scott Berg, a conservative who has served as a Brookfield city alderman for 20 years. If I were in the leadership of the Wisconsin Republican Party, Id be out shopping for candidates for the Senate in 2022, he added.

Still, in 2016, Johnson ran 10 percentage points ahead of Trump in Brookfield. Voters there suggested the suburb might not be drifting from Republicans as fast as some Democrats had hoped.

Im a Johnson supporter  I voted for him twice  but I think hes going down a rabbit hole I dont want any part of, said John Raschig, a retiree who was leaving a Pick n Save supermarket. Its sort of like Trump: Id vote for him because the other sides awful, but Id prefer somebody else.

This article originally appeared in The New York Times.
ITS been a long time since the last Line of Duty. Covid-19 halted production from March to September last year, meaning theres been a two-year gap between season five and season six, which finally hit BBC1 last night.

However time hasnt stood still in the fictional Line of Duty universe while weve been out here in the real one, waiting impatiently.

Its 18 months on from the shock news  discovered in a Morse code message tapped out by the fingers of the dying DI Matthew Dot Cottan all the way back in season three  that there wasnt just one corrupt copper codenamed H in cahoots with the organised criminal gang (OCG), but four of them.

As we rejoin the AC-12 team, none of them is in a good place. Ted Hastings (Adrian Dunbar), whos been in reduced financial circumstances for years, is now suffering reduced career circumstances. While he was vindicated in season five, questions still loom.

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What was really on the laptop he had destroyed: embarrassing porn, as he claimed, or something incriminating? What was the true nature of his relationship with murdered undercover cop John Corbetts mother back when he was an RUC man in Belfast?

Ted, who conceivably could still be the fourth H, remains in charge of AC-12, just about, but hes lost his senior colleagues trust and his authority is being undermined. He turns up for a high-level meeting and discovers he has been excluded.

Sorry, Ted, youre not on the list this time, says a superior, explaining why he didnt receive an email about it and intimating some people on the force believe hes lucky to still have a job.

Teds protege Steve Arnott (Martin Compston), the one who spotted Dot Cottans message hiding in plain sight while re-examining the old camera-phone footage, is disillusioned and disheveled, his normally immaculately trimmed beard looking bushy and unkempt.

Ive reached the end of the line in anti-corruption, he tells on/off girlfriend Nicola Rogerson (Christina Chong). Im bored. I need a new challenge.

Steves never been quite the same since being savagely beaten and thrown down several flights of stairs by one of the Balaclava Men in season four.

His excessive use of painkillers appears to have turned into a full-blown addiction. His kitchen cupboard groans with ibuprofen and codeine tablets, bought from multiple pharmacies in the same evening. He swallows fistfuls of them, washed down with Corona beer (a cheeky in-joke by writer Jed Mercurio?).

If Steve is itchy to get out of AC-12, the biggest surprise is that Kate Fleming (Vicky McClure) has already made the break. Shes moved on to the murder investigation team  or in the acronym-heavy world of Line of Duty, the MIT  something thats left Ted feeling betrayed.

Its Kates new job that provides the link to this seasons AC-12 quarry: her boss, the unreadable DCI Joanne Davidson (Kelly Macdonald), whos heading the investigation into the murder of a high-profile journalist.

While leading a heavily armed convoy to arrest a chief suspect in the case, Davidson somehow notices a robbery in progress down a side street. Given the speed at which the convoy is travelling, this is a near-superhuman feat.

Rather than just calling it in and carrying on with the operation in hand, Davidson bizarrely diverts the whole team to foil the raid, resulting in one raider being shot dead.

After the other three raiders are unmasked (theyre wearing balaclavas, inevitably), theyre discovered to be terrified teenagers; stooges with no criminal records who have been manipulated by the OCG.

Valuable time is wasted. When Davidsons team finally show up, the supposed suspect they encounter is none other than Terry Boyle (Tommy Jessop), the young man with Downs syndrome whose flat the crime syndicate previously used for criminal purposes.

When word of Davidsons suspicious behaviour reaches AC-12, Ted is reluctant to make contact with Kate, who would be the obvious insider in an investigation, so Steve takes it upon himself to covertly get the wheels turning.

While lacking the gut-punch shocks of some Line of Duty openers (Jessica Raine being thrown from a window in season two, for instance), this was a compelling start that spun a satisfyingly tangled web to be unpicked in the remaining six episodes.

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In the process of further settlement of the Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict, a lot depends on relations between Russia and Turkey, General Sergey Shoigu, Defense Minister of Russia, said in an interview to Tengrinews.kz.

He noted that Russia is a multireligious and multinational country where many Turkic speaking peoples live, and a difficult but fruitful joint work goes on in relations with Ankara. According to the minister, on the one hand, the fact that Turkey is a NATO member is a disadvantage, but, on the other hand, it is a unique experience to find common grounds, carry on joint operations, and find compromises. We search for alternate solutions. For example, take Idlib zone of de-escalation. In general, establishment of de-escalation zones in Syria is a new page and a new mechanism of settling such conflicts. We need to establish de-escalation zones for people to communicate. Today, Russia and Turkey jointly patrol North East of Syria. We fight terrorism together as well. We work together, frequently, we do it in the air area. We regulate and control many points of crossing and deal with refugees together, Shoigu said.

The Defense Minister of Russia paid special attention to cooperation with Turkey in the sphere of settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict: It is a very difficult operation. A lot of arguments, elements, and reasons were used there. It is hard when two brotherly nations, two close neighbors, those who used to live and, I hope, will live together further in peace, agreement, and friendship, fight.

Our president made giant efforts to orange this [signing of the Trilateral Statement on Ceasefire on November 9-10th, 2020]. Moreover, we had to convince everybody. We convinced our colleagues, Defense Ministers. We talked to our Turkish colleagues. Today people dont kill each other anymore. Now its time for Armenia and Azerbaijan to move on to bilateral contacts and to communicate. A lot depends on relations between Russia and Turkey, of course, Sergey Shoigu stated.
From the day he took office, Donald J. Trump had Americas historians on high alert, as they took to news programs, Op-Ed pages and social media to help contextualize every norm-busting twist and turn (and tweet).

But last Friday, a group of 17 historians sat down for a calmer, more deliberate project: taking a first cut at writing a scholarly history of the administration.

Before convening via Zoom for two days of discussion, the members had submitted chapters on topics including immigration, foreign policy, race, party politics, media, disinformation and impeachment. After revisions and editing, the work will be published next year by Princeton University Press in a volume called The Presidency of Donald J. Trump: A First Historical Assessment.

That might seem like an incongruously dry title for a summation of four years that ended with a violent assault on the United States Capitol. And before the discussion began, Julian E. Zelizer, a professor at Princeton and the projects organizer, laid out a basic difficulty.
Intelligent.com, a trusted resource for online degree rankings and higher education planning, has announced the Top 50 Master's in Accounting Programs for 2021. The comprehensive research guide is based on an assessment of 186 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 186 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.

Students who pursue any one of these programs can expect to gain employment much quicker in comparison to candidates without a degree. In addition to accessibility and cost, the steady job growth in this market is one of the many reasons Intelligent.com researched and ranked the Top Master's in Accounting Programs. To access the complete ranking, please visit: https://www.intelligent.com/best-masters-in-accounting-programs/

2021 Master's in Accounting Programs featured on Intelligent.com (in alphabetical order):

Arizona State University

Auburn University

Bentley University

Boston College

City University of New York, Hunter College

College of William and Mary

Colorado State University, Global Campus

Columbia University

DePaul University

Emmanuel College

Florida International University

Florida State University

Georgia Southern University

Indiana University

Liberty University

Loyola Marymount University

Michigan State University

Missouri State University

New York University

North Carolina State University

Ohio State University

Oklahoma State University

Pennsylvania State University

Rider University

Texas A & M University, College Station

Texas Tech University

University of Alabama

University of Arizona

University of Connecticut

University of Florida

University of Georgia

University of Houston

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

University of Maryland

University of Michigan

University of Mississippi

University of Missouri Saint Louis

University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill

University of Notre Dame

University of Scranton

University of South Carolina

University of Southern California

University of Tennessee, Knoxville

University of Texas, Dallas

University of Tulsa

University of Virginia

University of Washington

University of Wisconsin, Madison

Villanova University

Wake Forest 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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A court in Algeria issued arrest warrants Sunday for outspoken exiled activists, accusing a former diplomat, a blogger and a journalist of seeking to turn a protest movement to violence

Algiers, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 22nd Mar, 2021 ) :A court in Algeria issued arrest warrants Sunday for outspoken exiled activists, accusing a former diplomat, a blogger and a journalist of seeking to turn a protest movement to violence.

The warrants come as Algeria's anti-government protesters, the Hirak movement, are boosting weekly rallies ahead of June elections.

The warrants target former diplomat Mohamed Larbi Zeitout, blogger Amir Boukhors, who writes under the name "Amir Dz", and journalist Hichem Aboud.

Zeitout, 57, who founded the outlawed Islamist movement Rachad in 2007, lives in exile in Britain.

Rachad is accused of gathering former militants from the Islamic Salvation Front (FIS) to infiltrate the pro-democracy Hirak protest movement and lead it to violence.

Zeitout is wanted on charges of the "management and financing of a terrorist group", as well as forgery and money laundering, according to the official APS news agency.

Boukhors, 38, has released several videos critical of the government, while Aboud, 65, reported to be a former member of the Algerian secret services, was sentenced last year in absentia to seven years in prison.
Taiwan fighter pilot killed in suspected collision

The US-built F-5 fighters first entered service in Taiwan in the late 1970s and have mostly been retired from front-line activities. File image: Shutterstock
Online education cannot fully replace in-person teaching at universities

The pandemic and anti-coronavirus measures inspire innovative education.

The Technical University of Kosice held its graduation ceremony at an untraditional place - a stadium. (Source: TASR)

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Universities are the natural hubs for scholars, scientists, developers and promising students. Thus it is no surprise that they have coped with the challenges of online and distance learning, to which they were forced to switch, with no major problems. Universities have gone even further and joined the fight against the novel coronavirus. Their teachers and students have participated in various pandemic-related research projects, as well as the design and production of protective equipment, including face shields and even an emergency ventilator. Each crisis is an opportunity, Jozef Ristvej, vicerector for international relations and marketing at Zilina University (UNIZA), told The Slovak Spectator. The importance of scientists and researchers, whose expertise and results fundamentally contribute to coping with the coronavirus crisis, are even more apparent now.

Despite the advantages of online education, universities admit that face-to-face interaction between students and teachers is irreplaceable. They plan to resume in-person education after the pandemic is over while retaining proven innovations in the learning processes.

We will continue to use online and distance learning methods after the pandemic, but only where it is justified and where they bring benefits, Ervin Lumnitzer, vicerector for education at the Technical University of Kosice (TUKE), told The Slovak Spectator.

Switching to online education

22. Mar 2021 at 9:32 | Jana Liptakova
PHILIPSBURG:--- The United Nations (UN) reports that over 3000 to 5000 children are born with Down Syndrome every year worldwide and goes on to say that down syndrome has always been a part of the human condition and commonly results in variable effects on learning styles, physical characteristics, and health. St. Maarten therefore, recognizes that there are many persons living on St. Maarten who are classified as being born with down syndrome and therefore have special needs. We recognize, appreciate, and validate you as key stakeholders in our society for which we must ensure your rights are met and you are included.



Within our community, on St. Maarten, we have members of our community who are special and unique. However, we observe and respect their differences. On March 21, 2021, World Down Syndrome Day is celebrated. World down syndrome day brings awareness on the well-being and the need for inclusion for persons with down syndrome, but also to celebrate their individuality.

Sadly, individuality is not always respected, which is why I would like to take the opportunity to remind our citizens to join in the fight to eliminate all forms of discrimination against people with down syndrome and all who have special needs and requirements to participate fully in our society.

Let us join the international community in their fight for recognition and respect and independence of down syndrome. We must ensure that our society is beneficial and conducive for all members of our community to thrive and prosper.

I would also like to take this opportunity to highlight the work of the White and Yellow Cross Care Foundation, Sister Basilia Center, and Prince Willem Alexander School for Special Education. These institutions selflessly dedicate their time and support for persons with Down syndrome and their families as well as all other institutions that help to integrate them in their mainstream care, assisting in the preparation of persons with down syndrome to be productive members of society and allow them to feel included in our community.

On behalf of the government of St. Maarten, Happy World Down Syndrome Day.
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South Carolina reported 603 confirmed cases of the coronavirus as well as 25 deaths on March 19.

Here's the latest on the pandemic in South Carolina.

COVID-19 cases continue to decline, but SC health officials warn another surge could happen Just because new COVID-19 cases and deaths are declining in South Carolina and an increasing number of residents are getting a vaccine, the possibility of another wave of coronavirus disease has health officials on guard.

2:45 p.m.  Dr. Jane Kelly said despite nine weeks of a continuing downward trend, she is concerned about cases rising after the Easter and Passover holidays, as well as spring breaks from school. During the past year, cases have sharply risen following holidays, in South Carolina and everywhere else. Read more.

2 p.m.  Under new rules posted by the state Department of Health and Environmental Control, nursing homes and assisted-living centers must allow indoor visits unless fewer than 70 percent of their residents have been vaccinated and community spread is high. Read more.

Columbia mayoral candidates outline priorities as city to receive $26M in COVID-19 relief Federal dollars for COVID-19 relief are flowing into Columbia, and city policymakers are already making their thoughts known on how they feel the money could be best utilized.

12:08 p.m.  Federal dollars for COVID-19 relief are flowing into the city, and policymakers are already sharing thoughts on how they feel the money could be best used. Read more.

CDC changes school guidance, allowing desks to be closer NEW YORK  Students can safely sit just 3 feet apart in the classroom as long as they wear masks but should be kept the usual 6 feet away from

11:46 a.m.  Students can safely sit just 3 feet apart in the classroom as long as they wear masks but should be kept the usual 6 feet away from one another at sporting events, assemblies, lunch or chorus practice, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said. Read more.

Charleston County School District to host in-person graduation ceremonies The Charleston County School District released dates, times and locations for 15 graduation ceremonies. Parents hope the ceremonies will allow students to invite as many guests as they want.

10 a.m.  Charleston County School District announced this week that all high school graduations will be held in person in June. While officials have outlined dates, times and locations, plans on capacity and COVID-19 restrictions are still being ironed out. Read more.

Greenville schools staff vaccinated as decline of COVID infection rate lags behind county The higher infection rate of coronavirus within Greenville County Schools compared to the county as a whole underscores the importance of getting front-line school workers vaccinated as quickly as possible.

Thursday, 7:15 p.m.  Even as Greenville County Schools undertook a massive vaccination effort for thousands of employees March 18, the rate of coronavirus infections inside the district had for the first time all year was higher than the countys rate.

The two-week rate of infections within schools  302.8 cases per 100,000 as of March 10  is the lowest since Thanksgiving and a quarter of what it was when students returned to classes after Christmas. But that decline, while precipitous, has been outpaced by an even steeper decline in cases around the county as a whole, which were at 287.5 per 100,000 on March 10. Read more.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will launch the "Jal Shakti Abhiyan: Catch the Rain" campaign on the World Water Day on Monday.

The historic MoU to implement the Ken Betwa Link Project, the first project of the national perspective plan for interlinking of rivers, will also be signed by Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh chief ministers at the event.

The PMO said in a statement that the campaign will be undertaken across the country in both rural and urban areas with the theme "catch the rain, where it falls, when it falls".

It will be implemented from March 22 to November 30 - the pre-monsoon and monsoon period in the country.

It will be launched as a 'Jan Andolan' (public movement) to take water conservation at the grassroot level through people's participation. It is intended to nudge all stakeholders to create rainwater harvesting structures suitable to climatic conditions and subsoil strata, to ensure proper storage of rainwater, the PMO said.

After the event, gram sabhas will be held in all gram panchayats of each district (except in poll-bound states) to discuss issues related to water and water conservation. Gram sabhas will also take 'Jal Shapath' (oath) for water conservation, it added.

The Ken Betwa link project agreement heralds the beginning of inter-state cooperation to implement the vision of former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee to carry water from areas that have surplus water to drought prone and water deficit areas through the interlinking of rivers, the PMO said.

This project involves transfer of water from Ken to Betwa River through the construction of Daudhan Dam and a canal linking the two rivers, the lower Orr project, Kotha barrage and Bina complex multipurpose project.

It will provide annual irrigation of 10.62 lakh hectare, drinking water supply to about 62 lakh people and also generate 103 MW of hydropower.

The PMO said the project will be of immense benefit to the water starved region of Bundelkhand, especially to the districts of Panna, Tikamgarh, Chhatarpur, Sagar, Damoh, Datia, Vidisha, Shivpuri and Raisen of Madhya Pradesh and Banda, Mahoba, Jhansi and Lalitpur of Uttar Pradesh.

It will pave the way for more interlinking of river projects to ensure that scarcity of water does not become an inhibitor for development in the country, the PMO said.

Also read: Big win for India! UK extradites drug racket kingpin Kishan Singh to the country
[March 21, 2021] Airly raises $3.3m from marquee tech investors to address the air quality health crisis

- Problem: More than 10 million people die each year from air pollution - Solution: Airly's sensors and software provide ultra-local, accurate, predictive air quality data to help control air pollution across the world - Traction: Revenue increased over 200% outside the home market in 2020 with Airly deployed in 600 cities collecting more than 20,000 data points as users passed 2 million - Expansion: Airly to open offices in the UK and US as it doubles staff count LONDON, March 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Cleantech business Airly, Inc . today announced it has raised a $3.3m funding round to scale its AI-powered air quality platform globally. Airly's customers comprise over 600 local governments and cities including Hong Kong, Jakarta, Oslo, Granada, corporates such as Philips, Virgin, Innogy, PwC, Veolia and Skanska. Airly will open offices in the UK and US as it doubles staff count. The funding round was led by firstminute capital, an early-stage venture fund based in London, which is led by Brent Hoberman CBE and backed by over 70 unicorn tech founders. Leading angel investors also participated, including: Uber founder Garrett Camp via Expa, Bolt CEO Markus Villig, founding Editor-in-Chief of WIRED David Rowan, Pipedrive founder Ragnar Sass and Ferry Heilemann, co-founder of Leaders for Climate Action. Previous investors, including Sir Richard Branson Family Office and Henkel board member Konstantin von Unger who also participated in the round. Existing investors include Giant Ventures and Sir Ronald Cohen's family. Airly provides actionable insights about air quality with its AI-driven algorithms that predict air pollution for the next 24 hours with a verifiability of up to 95%. Airly gives customers across the globe an environmental intelligence platform by installing networks of sensors that track all the key pollution markers - particulate matter (PM1, PM2.5, PM10) and gases (NO2, O3, SO2 and CO). Airly's R&D department is also partnering with mobility companies to roll out sensor-equipped cars & scooters to track air quality with even higher resolution.



More than 10 million people die each year from air pollution, according to a new study  far more than the number of people who will ever die from Covid-19. Exposure to air pollution increases the risk of stroke, dementia, heart disease, lung cancer and chronic respiratory diseases, with children particularly vulnerable. Recent research by Airly shows a high correlation between air-borne particulate matter and deaths per capita related to Covid-19. The first person in the world to have air pollution exposure listed as a cause of fatality on her death certificate was announced in December 2020, when nine-year-old Ella Adoo-Kissi-Debrah died as a result of acute respiratory failure, severe asthma, and exposure to air pollution. Airly CEO and co-founder Wiktor Warchalowski commented: "Polluted air is a plague on our health - it's like a pandemic in slow motion. Improving air quality needs to be at the core of the world's post-pandemic rebuild and Airly is the first step to pollution-free cities. With this funding, we can expand our global footprint to support even more cities, enterprises and communities to repair the air and empower them with data and actionable insights."

With 62% of the world's governments sharing no real-time air quality data, Airly provides accurate, ultra-local, predictive data for governments, media and businesses to tackle the issue of air pollution head-on. Airly's platform acts as a warning system for pollution at street level and in real time with greater accuracy and at lower cost for cities & enterprises. firstminute capital Co-Founder and Executive Chairman Brent Hoberman said: "With public and political awareness of the air quality crisis reaching a tipping point - from California fires to the landmark cause of death case in London - air quality data will become a key utility for consumers, companies and policymakers. Thanks to their technology, which is orders of magnitude less expensive than incumbent solutions, Airly provides greater density and 95% accurate AI-driven prediction. At firstminute capital - we believe that the company has the potential to become a single source of truth for air quality globally." In addition to improving its environmental intelligence platform and algorithms, Airly will use the money to expand its team with the addition of sales, marketing and engineering talents in several countries. The company will approximately double its current 35-person staff by the end of 2021. Notes to the editor For further information please contact the Airly press office: Marcin Gnat, PR Manager at m.gnat@airly.org or +48507416727 About Airly Founded in 2016 is a cleantech startup that provides ultra-local, accurate, predictive air quality data to help tackle air pollution globally. Airly enables governments, companies and individuals to reduce air pollution globally. For more information visit www.airly.org or follow us on Twitter , Linkedin , Facebook , Instagram . About firstminute capital

firstminute capital is a seed fund co-founded by Spencer Crawley and Brent Hoberman CBE, investing across Europe and the US, backed by over 70 unicorn founders. The fund was founded in 2017, and today has $240m AUM across two funds. The team is 18 people across London, Berlin and Stockholm. Their mandate is sector agnostic, and their typical ticket size is between $1-2m. In Europe they like to lead or co-lead, in the US they co-lead or follow. https://www.firstminute.capital SOURCE Airly, Inc.

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I-24 Open in Trigg County After Weekend Semi Fire

By West Kentucky Star Staff

TRIGG COUNTY - The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet announced Sunday that all lanes of I-24 in Trigg County are open after a weekend semi fire.The fire on Saturday morning at the 58 mile marker in Trigg County was extinguished before noon, but residual oil that the truck was hauling reignited Saturday afternoon and created a delay in the environmental cleanup process.Traffic was routed off of I-24 around the accident site until Sunday afternoon.
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The ruthless official policy of opening up the economy at both the federal and state level has led to a huge increase in infection rates throughout Germany. On Friday, the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) reported 17,482 new infections, about 4,600 more than a week ago. Two-hundred-and-twenty-six people died of COVID-19. On Saturday, the seven-day incidence rate rose to over 100 per 100,000 people, the highest level since the beginning of February. A week ago, the incidence rate was 69.1.

There has been a particularly dramatic increase in the federal states where the Left Party participates in the state administration. The premier of the state of Thuringia, Bodo Ramelow, is a leading member of the Left Party, and Thuringia currently leads the way nationwide for infections, with a seven-day incidence rate of 201.

The state of Saxony is in second place, with an incidence rate of 134. In Bremen and Berlin, where the Left Party rules in coalition with the Social Democratic Party (SPD) and the Greens, the seven-day incidence rates are 97 and over 100, respectively, according to the RKI.

Classroom in Dortmund, Germany, August 13, 2020 (AP Photo/Martin Meissner, File)

Infection rates and deaths are also rising rapidly in these three federal states. On Saturday, the RKI reported 867 new infections in Thuringia, 893 in Berlin and 107 in Bremen. This means that a total of 86,588 people have been infected with the coronavirus in Thuringia, 137,918 in Berlin and 19,526 in Bremen. According to the RKI, the number of deaths has risen to 3,188 (Thuringia), 2,984 (Berlin) and 391 (Bremen).

These numbers will continue to explode over the next few days, with leading virologists warning of a further round of mass fatalities, with some 1,000 coronavirus deaths per day over the Easter holidays in a weeks time. These casualties are a direct result of the federal governments reopening policy, which is also being aggressively pursued by the Left Party. In recent weeks, in common with all other governing parties and against the vast preponderance of scientific advice, the Left Party has systematically reopened schools and scaled back pandemic protection measures.

In Bremen, primary school pupils were forced to return to in-person teaching on 1 March. From the fifth grade upwards, pupils study in alternate classes wearing masks, but this has not stopped the rapid spread of the virus. With an average class size in Germany of 18 children, there are still nine children per class, with teachers moving back and forth between classes, meaning they are both potential carriers and potential victims of the virus.

In Berlin, classes for grades one to six and 10 to 13 have been attending school in alternate classes since 17 March, and day-care centres have been open without restrictions for at least seven hours a day since 9 March. Only classes for grades seven to nine have not yet resumed in the German capital. According to the mayor of Berlin, Michael Muller (SPD), this is due to take place immediately after the Easter holidays.

In Thuringia, the end of the lockdown for schools and day-care centres was enforced in several stages. Since 22 February, grades one to four have been back in school. On 1 March, all other grades followed. Officially, this was described as a limited regular operation, but this is no more than window dressing. Despite the high incidence of infection, the state government is putting pupils, teachers and their families at greater risk.

On 12 March, the Left Party-led health and education ministries once again expanded the scope for easing lockdown measures and have since recommended closing schools and kindergartens only when the incidence rate reaches 150. In other words, even in the case of a sharp increase in infections that far exceeds the official coronavirus emergency figure of 50 or 100, districts can decide in consultation with the state to keep schools open or reopen them.

In the district of Schmalkalden-Meiningen, for example, where the incidence rate is over 300, schools are to open on 22 March. The district office announced Thursday evening that children in grades one to six will be able to attend school. Home schooling could not be a permanent solution, declared district administrator Peggy Greiser, explaining the decision. Greiser, who ran as a candidate for the SPD and the Left Party in 2018, is quoted by Mitteldeutscher Rundfunk as saying, There has to be an end at some point to the permanent burden placed on working parents.

In fact, Greisers overriding concern is not to ease the burden on parents, but rather to ensure their ability to work. In order to secure corporate profits and underwrite the gigantic sums in the form of emergency coronavirus aid handed out to the financial oligarchy by the German government, with the support of the Left Party, parents are to work and their children are to go to school despite the spread of the deadly pandemic. This is taking place under conditions where even a rudimentary testing capacity is lacking, let alone an effective vaccination programme.

In a revealing comment, Thuringias education minister, Helmut Holter (Left Party), went on record to reveal that his government had not even ordered long-promised coronavirus tests. If we want to have the tests in schools and kindergartens, then the state must procure them now, he said. For that we need the money and central logistics. He warned that any hesitation would mean we will be without tests after Easter.

The policy of the Left Party is an integral part of the murderous strategy of the entire ruling class. Following the last federal-state summit on coronavirus policy, Ramelow explicitly spoke out in favour of talking about herd immunity.

Last autumn, he praised the Swedish model, thereby underlining the basic unity of the supposedly left bourgeois policies with the openly right-wing parties in pursuing a policy that knowingly sacrifices hundreds of thousands of lives by rejecting measures, including serious lockdowns, that infringe on the economic interests of the capitalist ruling elite.
More than two dozen colleges and universities across the state have adopted test-optional admissions since 2005, according to the Partnership for College Completion, a Chicago-based organization that advocates for low-income, first generation students and students of color. The PCC has called for all schools in Illinois to drop testing requirements in the wake of COVID-19, saying inconsistent practices will limit less-resourced students chances to attend selective institutions.
The current dispute among members of the British Royal Family goes far beyond private family matters concerning Queen Elizabeth II, Meghan Markle, Prince Harry, and the Cambridges. It is about more than personality differences, hurt feelings, and tears about flower girl dresses.

The current battle royale is a symbolic and real struggle between opposite worldviews. On the one side is the constitutional monarchy of Britain, headed by Queen Elizabeth II and all that the monarchy and the commonwealth stand for: lineage, history, tradition, and nation. On the other side are arrayed converts to "woke" ideology who are committed to modernism embracing radical change, egalitarianism, and supranational global interests.

Tellingly, among the allies supporting the Sussexes' rebellion against the queen, the prince of Wales and the Cambridges are progressives who also have considered the Trump presidency and his supporters illegitimate: Oprah Winfrey; Hillary Clinton; Michelle Obama; and Joe Biden, who called Meghan Markle's charges against the Royal Family an act of "courage."

It seems the attempt is being made by Meghan and Harry to portray the royal leaders of the commonwealth as irretrievably racist. The Sussexes' insinuative comment about someone in the Royal Family pejoratively mentioning son Archie's skin color  if indeed such a comment was made at all  became a means for a general condemnation of British royalty. The "firm," as Markle called the Royal Family, has been judged as systemically racist.

The alliances so carefully held together by Elizabeth II are seen as infected by systemic racism that needs to be cleansed by the infusion of fresh blood, by those who will eradicate the remnants of racist colonial oppression by completing the decolonization of the British commonwealth.

The Sussexes' accusations of racism among the Royal Family, if they succeed in being taken seriously, would effectively delegitimize the British monarchy and the commonwealth.

No weapon against the Royal Family could have been more successfully forged or so cleverly and manipulatively employed. That is because racism is seen by progressives as ubiquitous as original sin and therefore as infecting every act and word of the royal family, no matter how seemingly charitable. Since racism is systemic, it does not require proof. It just is there and is removed only by the newly "woke," who see it clearly and who, as the true heirs to the throne, will eradicate it. It may only be exterminated by a replacement of the entire order.

The battle is essentially a religious and political fight, as fights for the throne have almost always been. The contest is just as significant as the centuries' long fights among Protestant and Catholic monarchs, one of which was the struggle between Elizabeth I and Mary, Queen of Scots.

The irony is that Meghan Markle and her husband Prince Harry, while clinging tightly to royal titles and privileges, apparently are true believers in the current egalitarian democratic movement that is anti-monarchical and anti-hierarchical in general. Progressivism reflects the influence of the anti-monarchy radicals of the French Revolution. Liberte, egalite, fraternite demanded freedom from all hierarchical restraints, monarchical and religious.

The difference is that the Sussexes give every indication of wishing to retaining the power and wealth of the monarchy but imitate Evita Peron or Imelda Marcos. Retain the designer wardrobe, the 3,000 pairs of shoes and the popular influence, but ditch traditions and protocol. In short, embrace the "woke" idea of equality: access to all the privilege and wealth without retaining the history of the nation, the monarchy, or the church.

Their rebellion also may be seen as an attempt to take advantage of the global reach of the commonwealth and to put its remaining influence under the banner of globalist progressivism. The "woke" routinely seek to eliminate present day "rulers," and to elevate themselves by means of an omnipotent media and partisan mobs that seek to overshadow what crowns still survive. They ignore the words of B.G. Niebuhr, who wrote, "Our hereditary dynasties are our good fortune, which we will realize once we have lost them."

Ironically, some royals like Prince Charles already have some rather progressive but apparently insufficiently radical beliefs, and are considered unqualified by the Sussexes to lead the nation and commonwealth in a more radical direction. The goal may be not to totally destroy the institution, but to retain the riches and privileges while changing the ideological direction and employing the structure of the monarchy and the commonwealth as an instrument of globalism.

No one should be surprised about the current battles royal. The same battles are being fought in every Western institution, including academia, the media, and the churches.

It is noteworthy that the University of Leicester has announced that it may stop teaching Geoffrey Chaucer's work and other medieval literature in favor of courses on race and sexuality. As the Daily Mail has reported, England's foundational texts like The Canterbury Tales and the Anglo-Saxon epic Beowulf would no longer be taught under proposals to scrap medieval literature altogether as a part of decolonization. Scholars who have spent a lifetime on research and teaching would be replaced. The halls of the University of Leicester would not be torn down, but they will, if the plan is implemented, be occupied by new order courtiers who will utilize academia to promote "woke" ideology.

Last and not so incidentally, the Sussexes have mounted an attack on the Church of England. Queen Elizabeth is the head of the church, which for good or ill has been allied with royal authority since the time of Henry VIII. Markle dissociated herself from the wedding ceremony of the Church of England, which numbers some 85 million members around the globe, by insisting she and Harry were married privately and that the lavish ceremony was just a public spectacle.

One can scarcely avoid the conclusion that the archbishop of Canterbury was seen as a bit player to be moved onto a backyard stage set. But it appears Welby is unwilling to be moved about like a Hollywood extra, entering stage left to perform sacred rituals on command. While he has demurred from accusing the duo of falsehoods, officials of the church have made it known no such wedding took place and that the archbishop believes that the established protocol and liturgy surrounding marriage was properly observed.

The Church of England deals with the gospel of wokeness with varying degrees of success and failure on an almost daily basis. However, it appears unwilling to subject itself to leveling pretenders who are ignorant of the church's history, talking of it with arrogance, and superficiality in order to subject it to lower ends.

There is an answer to the problems the "woke" Sussexes present to the throne of England and the commonwealth.

The anti-hierarchical ideology they promote while seeking to retain royal privilege and wealth should be utterly repudiated by the British monarchy. They also should be given the freedom they continually have asked for: release from any royal title or role and freedom to be merely private citizens.

Otherwise, the English crown will remain uneasy as it is continually beset by rebels against it.

Fay Voshell holds an M.Div. from Princeton Theological Seminary, which awarded her the prize for excellence in systematic theology. An anglophile, she has admired Queens Elizabeth I and II since childhood. She may be reached at fvoshell@yahoo.com.

Image: Mark Jones via Flickr, CC BY 2.0.
Burma When Myanmars Police Joined Civil Disobedience Movement 75 Years Ago

Myanmars police after independence. / The Irrawaddy

Yangon  In stark contrast to the way their successors protect the military regime by killing protesters today, members of Myanmars police once stood with the people by refusing to work for the then British colonial government during the independence struggle in September 1946.

Police officers, who had helped prop up the colonial authorities, replaced their crown badges, the imperial symbol, on their caps with peacock badges, the symbol of Burmese sovereignty and anti-colonialism. It was an unprecedented event in colonial Myanmar (then Burma).

The main sit-in strike by the police was staged at Shwedagon Pagoda in Yangon (then Rangoon), calling for total independence and the establishment of an interim government of peoples delegates.

The move by the police  who were often seen as colonial stooges  to stand by the citizens was hugely popular.

The All Rangoon Buses Union announced that it would charge half fare for striking officers traveling within the city and towards Pyay (then Prome) and Mandalay. Newspapers carried extensive coverage of the strike with papers selling fast as the news spread.

The federation of government unions followed the police on strike with postal staff, dockers, miners, government publishers and rail and factory workers joining the strike. The colonial administration and businesses were brought to a halt after about a month.

Major General Sir Hubert Elvin Rance, the last colonial governor, was forced to hold talks with Gen. Aung San to end the strike. Rance, who understood the will of the people, asked Gen. Aung San to form a government. The formation of the cabinet ended the strike and the situation returned to normality.

There were only a few cases of theft and muggings and no serious offenses while the police were on strike, said U Ba Swe, who would become prime minister in 1956.

An outcome of the strike was that U Ba Maung was appointed the inspector general of police, the first Burmese national to hold the position under colonial rule.

The countrys police officers, who once took a stand for freedom, have helped defend the military regime since the Feb. 1 coup, torturing and murdering innocent civilians, much to the disgust of the public.

You may also like these stories:

Myanmar Regime Troops Shoot Eight People Dead in Mandalay Night Raid

Firmly on the Regimes Enemies List, Myanmar Journalists Continue to Document Its Atrocities

Two More Australians Arrested by Myanmar Military Regime
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[March 22, 2021] Assante Advisor Tina Tehranchian is First Woman and First Canadian Named Senior Wealth Advisor of the Decade by the International Association of Top Professionals

CI Assante Wealth Management ("Assante") congratulates Tina Tehranchian, Senior Wealth Advisor in Richmond Hill, Ontario, on being named Senior Wealth Advisor of the Decade for 2021 by the International Association of Top Professionals ("IAOTP"). She is the first woman and the first Canadian to receive this honour. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210322005484/en/ Tina Tehranchian, Senior Wealth Advisor, CI Assante Wealth Management (Photo: Business Wire) "This is well-deserved recognition for a truly outstanding advisor," said Sean Etherington, President of Assante. "Tina is a leader in our industry, highly committed to serving her clients and the community through education and charitable endeavors. Her long record of success is an inspiration not only to advisors, but to all professionals." The IAOTP recognized Ms. Tehranchian for her achievements, dedication and the pursuit of excellence in every aspect of her business over three decades as a professional advisor. She is one of just two people to have received this award in the history of the organization. Ms. Tehranchian was also selected as Top Senior Wealth Advisor of the Year by the IAOTP in 2020. "I am truly honoured to receive this recognition from the IAOTP," said Ms. Tehranchian. "Being named the Top Senior Wealth Advisor of the Decade is a huge honour in itself but being the first woman and the first Canadian to receive this distinction is a truly humbling experience for me, especially as 2021 marks my 30th year in this business. I do look forward to the day that we can have as many female advisors as we have male advisors. I believe this is an exceptional career for women and not only Canada, but the entire world would benefit from more representation by women in this field." A financial advisor since 1991, Ms. Tehranchian specializes in assisting business owners and self-employed professionals grow their wealth and develop sound financial and estate plans. She is also an expert in devising charitable tax planning strategies and helping philanthropic Canadians multiply their bequests to charities while reducing their taxes and leaving greater inheritances for their beneficiaries. Ms. Tehranchian lends her time and expertie to supporting the community, serving as Planned Giving Consultant for The Donor Motivation Program, as a member of the Fundraising Advisory Board of The Princess Margaret Cancer Foundation and as chair of the ONE LIFE gala committee, a fundraiser in support of the Foundation. Since 2000, she has helped raise over $2 million for various charities and has served on the boards of The McMichael Canadian Art Collection, the Mackenzie Health Foundation, the Fort York Foundation, Seneca College, Art Canada Institute, and the Encyclopaedia Iranica Foundation, among others. She has taught personal financial planning at Centennial College's Centre for Entrepreneurship for over 10 years and is often interviewed by major media outlets on her areas of expertise.



Ms. Tehranchian' s accomplishments have been recognized through numerous awards, including: Women's Executive Network's Canada's Most Powerful Women: Top 100 (2020) - Winner

CanadianAdvisor of the Year Award - Wealth Professional Awards (2020): Silver Winner

Financial Adviser of the Year Award - Women in Finance Canada (2019): Winner

The International Alliance for Women (TIAW) World of Difference Award (2019): Winner

Assante Community Leadership Award (2019): Winner

Brilliant (News - Alert) Minded Women Foundation's Award for Supporting the Arts (2017): Winner

Iranian Canadian Council's Inaugural Simorgh Award for outstanding contribution to the Iranian Canadian community (2016): Winner

Businesswomen Network of York Region's Award in Community Engagement and Philanthropy and Literacy (2016): Winner

Senecans of Distinction Award (2013): Winner

Distinction - FP Canada Fellow (formerly Fellow of FPSC) - Ms. Tehranchian is among the first-ever group of Certified Financial Planner (CFP) professionals in Canada to receive the Fellow of FPSC distinction from the Financial Planners Standards Council in 2011. This is a distinction that formally recognizes individuals who have helped advance FPSC's vision of seeing Canadians improve their lives by engaging in financial planning. About IAOTP

The International Association of Top Professionals is an international boutique networking organization who handpicks the world's finest, most prestigious top professionals from different industries. These top professionals are given an opportunity to collaborate, share their ideas, be keynote speakers and to help influence others in their fields. This organization is not a membership that anyone can join - members must be asked by the President or be nominated by a distinguished honorary member. For more information, please visit www.iaotp.com. About Tina Tehranchian Tina Tehranchian is Senior Wealth Advisor at Assante Capital Management Ltd. with three decades of experience in assisting business owners and self-employed professionals in building wealth and developing sound financial and estate plans. She specializes in providing creative and customized solutions to financial planning dilemmas and challenges faced by successful entrepreneurs and philanthropists, and in charitable tax planning strategies and helping philanthropic Canadians multiply their bequests to charities while reducing their taxes and leaving more money for their heirs. For more information, please visit: www.tinatehranchian.com. About CI Assante Wealth Management Founded in 1995, CI Assante Wealth Management is one of Canada's largest firms providing wealth management solutions. Assante's 900 professional advisors, located in communities throughout the country, have approximately $51 billion of Canadians' family wealth under their care (as of February 28, 2021). Assante is a subsidiary of CI Financial Corp. (TSX: CIX, NYSE: CIXX). For more information, visit www.assante.com. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210322005484/en/

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Glenmark and Bausch Health join together to commercialize RYALTRIS nasal spray in Canada

Mumbai, Mar 22 (UNI) Pharma major, Glenmark Pharma on Monday said that its subsidiary Glenmark Specialty SA in Switzerland and an affiliate of Bausch Health Companies Inc. have entered into an exclusive licensing agreement for the commercialization of Glenmarks innovative nasal spray RYALTRIS under review by Health Canada.

Under the terms of the agreement, Glenmark will be responsible for regulatory approvals and supply of RYALTRIS for the Canadian market. Bausch Health, Canada will be responsible for the commercialization of RYALTRIS in the Canadian market, following regulatory approval.

Glenmark will receive an upfront payment, launch & sale based milestone payments in addition to royalties and supply price from sales of RYALTRIS .

RYALTRI (Olopatadine Hydrochloride 665 mcg and Mometasone Furoate 25 mcg), is currently under review by Health Canada with a proposed indication for the treatment of seasonal allergic rhinitis in adults and children over 12 years of age.

Commenting on the agreement, Mr. Sanjeev Krishan, President & Business Head  North America, Glenmark Pharmaceuticals, said, We are pleased to partner with Bausch Health Canada, and recognize their strong foothold in the prescription and OTC market in Canada. This agreement will help us reach a larger patient population and extend the multiple benefits of RYALTRIS to a significant market. Glenmark continues to build a strong portfolio in respiratory medicine, and RYALTRIS marks our first true global brand launch till

date.

We are pleased to add Ryaltris to our allergy product portfolio and eager to make it available to Canadian patients suffering from allergies, said Richard Lajoie, President of Bausch Health, Canada.

In Canada, allergic rhinitis is estimated to afflict 25 pc of the population, and can have a significant impact on sleep, work and school performancei. When approved in Canada, RYALTRIS will offer a fixed dose combination of two different classes of medications in a convenient nasal spray presentation. A combination of intranasal antihistamines and intranasal corticosteroids may be beneficial and provide an additive effect on efficacy, resulting in superior relief of seasonal allergic rhinitis symptoms compared with monotherapyii.

UNI JS SB 1142
A widely viewed and shared video on social media of a hardline Muslim woman spewing hatred and threats against Malaysian Christians is now under police investigation.

The woman identified as Puteri Mujahidah Wan Asshima Kamaruddin posted on Facebook her 12-minute hate-filled rant over the Malaysian court's decision allowing non-Muslims to use "Allah," the Arabic equivalent of "God" in reference to the world's Maker. The video was disconcerting because of its language inciting violence against Christians in the country.

"We don't want to share the word 'Allah' with people from other religions," said Kamaruddin in her video rant last week which had gathered 650,000 views and 8,000 shares per UCA News report.

Her rationale, along with other hardline Islam adherents, is that they as Muslims would "lose their sole right to the term" because "heathens" were "allowed to use the word 'Allah' in their own utterances." She said that this "would make her feel 'threatened.'"

Huzir Mohamad, an official at the Federal Criminal Investigation Department, agreed that several elements in Kamaruddin's video "incite racial and religious hatred" which is a violation to Malaysian's law on religious tolerance. Her statement "please don't make me come and destroy the Christian community" is among the said elements.

Such a statement is dangerous because it's reflective of the deep-seated hate in the hearts of radical Islamists that puts the 13% Christian population in Malaysia at greater risk of persecution.

Brief Background of the Conflict

On March 10, Malaysia's High Court ruled that non-Muslim Malaysians can use "Allah" to pertain to God. This drew the ire of many radical Muslims.

According to the International Christian Concern, "Christian communities in Malaysia have long argued that the word 'Allah,' which entered the Malay language from Arabic, has been widely used to refer to God for centuries and that the previous ban violates their rights."

The Malaysian government itself appealed the High Court's ruling on Monday. It ended with the court's decision acknowledging Christians' claim as legitimate.

Politicians Attack Christianity

Seen and taught as "a corrupted religion" by radical Islamists, Christianity has been targeted by several Muslim politicians who used their government positions as platforms.

According to UCA News' additional sources, a politician named Nik Muhammad Zawawi Salleh devoted his time in a parliamentary session last year to malign Christians' integrity in their efforts to propagate Jesus's teachings. He argued that the New Testament texts "had been corrupted by Christians over the centuries and therefore no longer reflected the true teachings of Jesus."

The news outlet added that in 2016, Abdul Hadi Awang, president of the Malaysian Islamic Party, reportedly "used the platform of the party's official mouthpiece to accuse Christian missionaries of exploiting the gullibility of poor and uneducated people in their bid to convert them to Christianity."

"They [Christian missionaries] have spread their religion not by using knowledge and reasoned argument but by baiting their targets with money and other forms of aid. This is transgression in the name of religion. It is a danger that must be fought," said Hadi.
A court in Minsk has upheld an extension of the pretrial detention of Belarusian opposition figure Maryya Kalesnikava, who faces national-security charges after she urged people to protest against a disputed presidential election that left Alyaksandr Lukashenka in power.

"The Minsk City Court rejected Maryya Kalesnikava's appeal. [Kalesnikava's pretrial] term in the detention center was extended until May 8. Support Masha with letters, express solidarity," a would-be Belarusian presidential candidate Viktar Babaryka, who himself is on trial on corruption charges that he denies, said in a statement on Telegram on March 22.

The appeal came after Kalesnikava's pretrial detention was extended in early March.

Kalesnikava is a key member of the Coordination Council, a body set up by the political opposition in Belarus to try to facilitate the transfer of power in the country following a presidential election in August 2020 that the opposition says was rigged and the West has refused to accept.

Kalesnikava was arrested in September 2020 and charged with calling for actions aimed at damaging the country's national security via media and the Internet -- namely calling on people to protest against the election results.

In February, Kalesnikava was additionally charged with conspiracy to seize power and creating and leading an extremist group.

Kalesnikava, who rejects the charges as politically motivated, could be sentenced to up to 12 years in prison if convicted.

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.

Babaryka, a former Belarusian banker whose bid to challenge incumbent Lukashenka in the election was halted by his arrest on corruption charges, reiterated his not guilty plea as his trial resumed on March 22 following an almost one-month break.

After he announced his intention to run for president, Babaryka, a former senior manager at the Russian-owned Belgazprombank, was arrested in June 2020 along with his son Eduard on charges of money laundering, bribery, and tax evasion.

Mass demonstrations have swept across Belarus since the disputed August 9 vote that gave Lukashenka a sixth consecutive term.

Lukashenka has directed a brutal postelection crackdown in which almost 30,000 have been detained, hundreds beaten, several killed, and journalists targeted.

Lukashenka, who has run Belarus since 1994, and top officials have been slapped with sanctions by the West, which refuses to recognize him as the legitimate leader of the former Soviet republic.

A Canadian national detained by the Chinese authorities days after the arrest of Huawei executive Meng Wanzhou stood trial in Beijing on Monday for "spying."



Michael Kovrig, a former diplomat detained amid allegations of stealing state secrets more than two years ago, stood trial behind closed doors at the No. 2 Intermediate People's Court in Beijing.



"The Beijing No. 2 Intermediate People's Court on March 22, 2021 held the trial of Canadian national Michael Kovrig for spyaing and stealing state secrets on behalf of a foreign power ... behind closed doors," the court said in a statement on its website.



"The trial was attended by Michael Kovrig and his lawyer," it said. "The [court] will select a date according to law to announce the sentence."



Kovrig's trial came three days after that of fellow Canadian detainee and businessman Michael Spavor in the northeastern city of Dandong.



Police cordoned off an area outside the Beijing court, while diplomats from Canada and 23 other countries were denied entry and turned away from the scene, Jim Nickel, the charge d'affaires of the Canadian embassy in Beijing, told reporters.



"We made repeated requests to attend the trial of Michael Kovrig, but these were rejected," he said. "Now we see that the court process itself is very opaque."



The court issued a statement after a day-long trial, saying the trial was over, and that it would announce the verdict at a later date.



"Diplomats at the Michael Kovrig trial today are from the US, UK, Netherlands, Estonia, Sweden, Denmark, Finland, Australia, Germany, France, Switzerland, the EU, Czech Republic, Italy, Ireland, Latvia, Spain, Austria, Norway, Lithuania, New Zealand, Belgium and Romania," Nathan Vanderklippe, Beijing correspondent for Toronto's Globe and Mail newspaper, said via his Twitter account.



A court official told AFP that nobody was being allowed in because the trial was a national security case.



China's foreign ministry hit out at the presence of large numbers of diplomats at the scene.



"This is a form of interference in China's judicial sovereignty... and not something that a diplomat should do," foreign ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying told a regular news briefing in Beijing on Monday.



The espionage charges are deemed "particularly serious" by state prosecutors, meaning that Kovrig, 50, and Spavor, 44, could face sentences of anything between 10 years and life imprisonment.



Kovrig is accused of using an ordinary passport and business visa to enter China "to steal sensitive information and intelligence through contacts in China since 2017," Chinese state media have reported.



Spavor's charges rested on the allegation that he was "a key source of intelligence" for Kovrig, according to the Global Times newspaper.

Foreign diplomats gather near the Beijing court where Canadian national and former diplomat Michael Kovrig is being tried on charges of spying, March 22, 2021. Credit: Twitter / Nathan VanderKlippe

'Hostage diplomacy'



Kovrig and Spavor were detained days after the arrest of Huawei Technologies' chief financial officer Meng Wanzhou in Vancouver on Dec. 1, 2018, sparking criticism that the move was a form of "hostage diplomacy" on the part of Beijing.



Neither has been allowed access to a lawyer hired by their families or the embassy, and they have had visits only from consular staff, which have been suspended since the start of the coronavirus pandemic.



Meng, the daughter of Huawei founder Ren Zhengfei, lost a legal bid to avoid extradition to the United States to face bank fraud charges, though the case isn't likely to be decided finally until May.



China has repeatedly called for her release, and has warned Canada that it could face consequences for aiding the United States in her case.



Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said earlier this month that the spying charges against Kovrig and Spavor were trumped-up, warning that Ottawa won't give in to political pressure from Beijing to release Meng.

Foreign diplomats arrive at the No. 2 Intermediate People's Court to attend former diplomat Michael Kovrig's trial in Beijing, Monday, Sept 22, 2021.





Reported by Fong Tak Ho for RFA's Cantonese Service, and by the Mandarin Service. Translated and edited by Luisetta Mudie.
[March 22, 2021] Now in Legal Strike Position, CUPE 3902-1 Pledges to Continue Negotiations, Urges Campus and Community to Show Support and Solidarity This Wednesday

CUPE 3902, the Union representing nearly 11,500 academic workers at the University of Toronto, called on all members of the campus community today to show their support for the members of Unit 1 at a socially-distanced, COVID-19-safe solidarity event taking place this Wednesday, March 24 from 1 to 3 p.m. Unit 1 consists of about 8,000 teaching assistants, course instructors, peer assistants, and exam invigilators. "While we are in a legal strike position at this time, our goal remains to achieve a negotiated settlement without having to withdraw our labour. To facilitate discussions towards a settlement, we have agreed to not exercise our right to strike until at least March 25th," said Amy Conwell, Chair of CUPE 3902 and a U of T Course Instructor. Both U of T and the Union have been in a legal position to impose a lockout or strike action since March 21. "We are prepared to strike if necessary. Our working conditions are ultimately the working, learning, and living conditions of students, faculty, and every other member of our campus community. That is why members of Unit 1 are coming out Wednesday to prepare signs, rehearse chants and choose picket locations in an event called "Prepare to Strike Day" she added. Students, faculty and members of the broader community are urged to show their support byparticipating in the Unit's e-action, which can be found at https://weareuoft.com/e-action/.



All members of Unit 1 are encouraged to attend one of 10 outdoor Strike Prep locations across the city and help prepare Unit 1 for job action by making picket signs and get familiarized with picketing protocols under pandemic conditions. Those who can't join are invited to bring signs bearing expressions of support and solidarity to the south exit of the John P. Robarts Research Library, located near the intersection of Harbord, St. George and Hoskin Streets. The Strike Prep event is taking place on Wednesday March 24 from 1 to 3 p.m., and the 10 locations are listed on https://weareuoft.com/prepare-to-strike-day/. Unit 1 members will collect all signs from the 10 locations and use them to decorate Robarts Library, a University landmark. The 'sign forest' will then stand as an expression of the broad support for Unit 1 members and their bargaining goals.

Unit 1 members identified hiring practices, pandemic-related working conditions, and sick days for all as key priorities for this round of bargaining. Conwell said that while the two sides have made progress throughout the more than 28 days and 160 hours of negotiations that have taken place between the parties, "that progress has been painstakingly slow." She added, "Our Bargaining Committee continues to believe that we can achieve a timely and fair agreement provided both parties continue the hard work of negotiating in good faith." lf/cope491 View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210322005667/en/

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They have been married since 1997.

And on Sunday, Sarah Jessica Parker wished her husband Matthew Broderick a very happy birthday on her Instagram.

The star of stage and screen turned 59 and his famous wife shared a photo of his birthday cake complete with candles.

Special day: Sarah Jessica Parker posted a sweet tribute to her husband Matthew Broderick on Sunday as he celebrated his 59th birthday

'Happy birthday Husband,' SJP wrote.

'We love you and we are oh so happy, grateful you were born. XXX, your SJ and 3 besotted young Brodericks.'

The couple are parents to son James, 18, and 11-year-old twin daughters Tabitha and Marion.

It's quite a week for Sarah Jessica as she also has a birthday, turning 56 on Thursday.

So in love: The two stars, who live in New York City, have been married since 1997. They're pictured at a Broadway opening in November 2019

Heartfelt: SJP shared this photo of the candles blazing on her hubby's birthday cake and added a gushing message of love to the actor

Happy together: Parker and Broderick are parents to son James, 18, and 11-year-old twin daughters Marion and Tabitha. The family is pictured together in April 2017

Parker is about to reprise her most famous role as fashionista Carrie Bradshaw in a Sex And The City reboot for HBO Max.

She's reuniting with her original co-stars Cynthia Nixon and Kristin Davis for 'And Just Like That' and the trio will earn $1 million each for each of 10 30-minute episodes.

The actress starred on Sex And The City from 1998 to 2004, and reprised the role in two big screen movies released in 2008 and 2010.

In 2016, she returned to HBO as the lead in the dramedy Divorce which ran for three seasons.

And while Broderick has had huge success on Broadway, as well as in film and television, the couple have managed to keep their private lives out of the public eye and their careers separate.

However, right before the COVID-19 pandemic hit, the pair had been preparing to make their their joint stage debut in a Broadway production of Plaza Suite.

The show had to be put on hold because of the coronavirus crisis but the couple have remained keen to do the project once conditions permit.
The Israeli domestic security service Shin Bet revoked Palestinian Foreign Minister Riyad al-Maliki's VIP status when he returned to the West Bank from Jordan today, Axios has learned from Israeli officials.

Why it matters: According to the officials, the unusual act was retaliation for al-Maliki's push for an investigation against Israel in the International Criminal Court. The card allows easier movement and access inside the West Bank and at border crossings.

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This is the first time Israel sanctioned a Palestinian official since the decision by an ICC prosecutor to open an investigation regarding the situation in the West Bank and Gaza.

The Israeli government has worked for years to avoid any ICC judgment against its actions in the West Bank or Gaza Strip.

Driving the news: Al-Maliki and his aides were held up by Shin Bet when they entered the West Bank from Jordan on Sunday.

Israeli officials say Al-Malikis VIP status, which was issued by the Israeli government, was revoked this time and could stay revoked if Al-Maliki continues his actions.

Between the lines: Al-Maliki was returning after a visit to the Hague, during which he met with Fatou Bensouda, the International Criminal Court's chief prosecutor.

According to a statement by his office, al-Maliki asked the prosecutor to accelerate the investigation against Israel, which she announced several weeks ago.

Al-Maliki told the prosecutor the Palestinians support the work of the ICC and will cooperate with the court and its staff regarding the investigation.

What they are saying: A senior Israeli official told Axios Al-Maliki is spearheading the Palestinian actions in the ICC that are meant to harm the freedom of movement of Israeli officials and threaten their security.

Such actions are in line with the current relationship between Israel and the Palestinian Authority. This is why we decided there is no reason Al-Maliki enjoys privileges when he passes through border crossings, the official said.

The Palestinian foreign ministry said in a statement it is going to notify several of its partners around the world about the Israeli sanctions.

Story continues

This proves Israel is a vengeful country that is unable to solve its problems in a lawful manner and has to use threats and sanctions, the statement said.

Behind the scenes: Israeli officials told Axios Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu approved the move.

It was one of a series of retaliatory steps Israel will take against the Palestinians for their actions to push for an investigation.

A week ago, the director of Shin Bet met with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in Ramallah and stressed the Palestinian moves in the ICC crossed the line and warned of retaliation.

The state of play: Two weeks ago the ICC prosecutor sent a formal letter to Israel and the Palestinians, announcing the investigation. Both parties have 30 days to respond and tell the prosecutor if they want to hold their own investigation before the ICC weighs in.

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Campus News

UB to hold in-person, outdoor commencement ceremonies

UBNOW STAFF

Despite very trying circumstances, you have met this moment with exceptional resilience, perseverance and ingenuity. Throughout, you have remained committed to your studies and steadfast in the pursuit of your lifes goals. I, for one, couldnt be prouder  and I suspect our entire UB community shares this sentiment. 

President Satish K. Tripathi today announced plans for the university to safely hold in-person, outdoor commencement ceremonies to honor students graduating from UB this academic year.

The ceremonies will be held April 30 through May 16 at UB Stadium and at another outdoor space on the North Campus, to be named later. Seventeen commencement ceremonies will be held over the three-week period at the two outdoor venues, with mandatory mask-wearing, physical distancing and compliance with UBs weekly testing requirement in effect for all students, faculty and staff at all ceremonies.

UBs full commencement schedule is available here.

A decision on whether guests will be permitted to attend the ceremonies will be made by the university at a later date, in consultation with the county and state departments of health. All ceremonies will be live streamed.

In an email to the university community, Tripathi told students  and 2021 graduates in particular  that he knows how challenging the past 12 months have been, both academically and personally.

Yet, despite very trying circumstances, you have met this moment with exceptional resilience, perseverance and ingenuity, he said. Throughout, you have remained committed to your studies and steadfast in the pursuit of your lifes goals. I, for one, couldnt be prouder  and I suspect our entire UB community shares this sentiment. Read Tripathis full message.

More than 9,000 undergraduate and graduate students are expected to earn degrees from UB this academic year. The university anticipates as many as 6,000 students will choose to participate in commencement ceremonies this spring, based on participation rates in previous years.

Under current state guidelines on the size of gatherings, seating capacity within UB Stadium will be 2,900. Under normal conditions the capacity is 29,000. UBs second outdoor venue is expected to seat about 500, in accordance with state guidelines.

Beginning with the fall 2020 semester and throughout the spring 2021 semester, UB has offered modified in-person instruction, which has included a mix of in-person instruction and online courses. More than 9,500 students have been on campus regularly throughout the spring semester. They have been required to participate in weekly on-campus testing for the coronavirus. UBs COVID-19 positivity rate has remained at less than 1% for the entire semester.

According to UB officials, the university still intends to offer on-campus, in-person celebrations at a later date for graduates of the Class of 2020, for whom commencement ceremonies were held virtually last spring after the onset of the pandemic forced UB to transition to fully remote instruction and activities.

U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin (C) reviews an honor guard at the presidential palace in Kabul, Afghanistan, March 21, 2021. /AP

U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin completed an unannounced visit to Afghanistan on Sunday, the Pentagon said, just weeks before Washington is due to withdraw the last of its troops under a deal struck with the Taliban last year.

Austin held talks with President Ashraf Ghani less than a week after U.S. President Joe Biden said it would be "tough" to meet a May 1 deadline for a complete troop withdrawal.

Austin would not be drawn for comment on the deadline.

"That's the domain of my boss," he told reporters. "That's the... decision that the president (Biden) will make at some point in time, in terms of how he wants to approach this going forward."

Asked about the Taliban warning that Washington would face consequences if the deadline wasn't met, Austin said he was sure U.S. forces could cope. "I have great confidence and in his ability to protect our troops," said Austin, referring to General Austin Miller, commander of U.S. and NATO forces in Afghanistan.

Under the deal thrashed out between the Taliban and Washington, the insurgents pledged to engage in peace talks with Afghan government negotiators, but little progress has been made and fighting has only worsened.

Kabul was the last stop on a whirlwind tour of Asia for the new Pentagon chief, a former career soldier who served in Afghanistan as a division commander from September 2003 until August 2005.

The visit comes as the U.S. seeks to inject fresh impetus into a peace process that has dragged on in Doha since September, with feuding parties unable even to agree on an agenda.

Russia hosted an international conference on Thursday aimed at reviving the peace process. In a joint statement signed at the conference, Russia, China, the United States and Pakistan urged Afghanistan's warring sides to reach an immediate ceasefire.

The Afghan government and the Taliban agreed on Friday to try to accelerate peace talks after the Moscow conference, according to a senior Afghan official.

A broader conference on Afghanistan led by the United Nations is expected to be held in Istanbul, Turkey on March 27, several Afghan media outlets reported. But the date has not been confirmed officially.
This Oncotarget study had significantly lower mutation rates in ASXL1 and SETBP1, and a higher rate of muTET2/wtASXL1

Oncotarget published "Cytogenetic and molecular landscape and its potential clinical significance in Hispanic CMML patients from Puerto Rico" which reported that one hundred and eleven Hispanic CMML patients from Puerto Rico were diagnosed in our institute from 2009 to 2018. Karyotypes were available in one hundred and seven patients.

Compared to previously published data, Hispanic CMML patients in this study had significantly lower rates of overall cytogenetic abnormalities and trisomy 8.

Among one hundred and eleven Hispanic CMML patients, 40-gene myeloid molecular profile tests were performed in fifty-six CMML patients.

Previous studies indicated that mutated ASXL1, DNMT3A, NRAS, RUNX1, and SETBP1 may associate with an unfavorable prognosis and muTET2/wtASXL1 may associate with a favorable prognosis in CMML patients.

Compared to previously published data, Hispanic CMML patients from Puerto Rico in this Oncotarget study had significantly lower mutation rates in ASXL1 and SETBP1, and a higher rate of muTET2/wtASXL1. The findings raise the possibility of a favorable prognosis in Hispanic CMML patients.

Dr. Jie-Gen Jiang from The Rutgers University said, "Chronic myelomonocytic leukemia (CMML) is a clonal hematopoietic malignancy with the presence of sustained monocytosis in peripheral blood alongside myelodysplastic and myeloproliferative characteristics."

The clinical and pathological features of CMML are highly heterogeneous and variable with wide differences in survival and risk of disease evolution into acute myeloid leukemia or acute myelomonocytic leukemia.

Clonal cytogenetic abnormalities are found in about 20% to 30% of CMML patients, but none are specific.

Associations between these somatic mutations and disease phenotype or prognosis have been suggested, e.g., co-occurrence of TET2 and SRSF2 mutations is common in CMML and specific for myeloid neoplasms with monocytosis ; the mutations in ASXL1, NRAS, RUNX1, or SETBP1 are associated with an unfavorable prognosis , whereas mutated TET2 with wild type ASXL1 is associated with a favorable CMML prognosis.

However, there are no published studies on the racial disparity of cytogenetics and genomics in Hispanic CMML patients.

The aim of this study is to define the cytogenetic and molecular landscapes of Hispanic CMML patients from Puerto Rico and explore their potential clinical significance.

The Jiang Research Team concluded in their Oncotarget Research Output, "we examined cytogenetic abnormalities and mutation frequencies in one hundred seven (107) and fifty-six (56) Hispanic CMML patients from Puerto Rico, respectively. These CMML patients had a significantly lower rate in cytogenetic abnormalities, significantly lower mutational rates in ASXL1 and SETBP1, and a significantly higher rate in muTET2/wtASXL1. Since the cytogenetic and molecular profiles were suggested to be prognosis-associated, our current cytogenetic and molecular profiling data in Hispanic patients from Puerto Rico raise a possibility of a better prognosis in Hispanic CMML patients. To our best knowledge, this is a first study of cytogenetic and molecular abnormalities and their potential clinical significance in Hispanic CMML patients. It is uncertain if Hispanic CMML patients from other areas in the United States have similar cytogenetic and molecular features. Further studies are warranted to clarify this phenomenon."

###

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DOI - https:/ / doi. org/ 10. 18632/ oncotarget. 27824

Full text - https:/ / www. oncotarget. com/ article/ 27824/ text/

Correspondence to - Jie-Gen Jiang - jj688@njms.rutgers.edu

Keywords - chronic myelomonocytic leukemia, Hispanic, cytogenetic abnormality, gene mutation

About Oncotarget

Oncotarget is a bi-weekly, peer-reviewed, open access biomedical journal covering research on all aspects of oncology.

To learn more about Oncotarget, please visit https:/ / www. oncotarget. com or connect with:

SoundCloud - https:/ / soundcloud. com/ oncotarget

Facebook - https:/ / www. facebook. com/ Oncotarget/

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Reddit - https:/ / www. reddit. com/ user/ Oncotarget/

Oncotarget is published by Impact Journals, LLC please visit https:/ / www. ImpactJournals. com or connect with @ImpactJrnls

Media Contact

MEDIA@IMPACTJOURNALS.COM

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[March 22, 2021] Hexaware Technologies Announces a Work Integrated Learning Program for Freshers

MUMBAI, India, March 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Hexaware Technologies, a leading global IT consulting and digital solutions provider, has announced that it is offering a Work Integrated learning program for outstanding graduate talent (BSc/BCA) in India. Under this program, the BSc/BCA candidates selected by the Company will be fully sponsored for a 4-year, 8-semester M.Tech program while working on exciting real-world projects. This program enables graduates in Science/Computer Applications an excellent opportunity to earn a prestigious Master's degree in engineering and grow their career in the field of Information Technology. Additionally, this program also offers an attractive stipend and the opportunity to join Hexaware as a full-time employee in their third year, subject to adherence to high academic and performance standards. "We are very excited with the career path we are enabling for outstanding B.SC/BCA graduates. They will get an excellent working environment and technology exposure at Hexaware while simultaneously earning a Masters from BITS, PIlani, leading to exciting opportunities for them in the IT industry." said Senthil Nayagam.K, Chief Learning Officer Hexaware Technologies.



The students selected for this program will be enrolled into the Work integrated learning program of Birla Institute of Technology and Science (BITS) Pilani, a prestigious University in India. Hexaware is currently recruiting bright graduate talent (BSc/BCA) in India for this program.

For more details and registration please visit: https://www.firstnaukri.com/careers/customised/landingpage/hexaware/index.html About Hexaware Hexaware is the fastest growing next-generation provider?of IT, BPO and consulting services. Our focus lies on taking a leadership position in helping our clients attain customer intimacy as their competitive advantage. Our digital offerings have helped our clients achieve operational excellence and customer delight by 'Powering Man Machine Collaboration.' We are now?on a journey of metamorphosing the experiences of our customer's customers by leveraging our industry-leading delivery and execution model, built around the strategy- 'AUTOMATE?EVERYTHINGTM, CLOUDIFY EVERYTHINGTM, TRANSFORM CUSTOMER EXPERIENCESTM.' ?We serve customers in Banking, Financial Services, Capital Markets, Healthcare, Insurance, Manufacturing, Retail, Education, Telecom, Hi-Tech & Professional Services (Tax, Audit, Accounting and Legal), Travel, Transportation and Logistics. We deliver highly evolved services in Rapid Application prototyping, development and deployment; Build, Migrate and Run Cloud solutions; Automation-based Application support; Enterprise Solutions for digitizing the back-office; Customer Experience Transformation; Business Intelligence & Analytics; Digital Assurance (Testing); Infrastructure Management Services; and Business Process Services. Hexaware services customers in over two dozen languages, from every major time zone and every major regulatory zone. Our goal is to be the first IT services company in the world to have a 50% digital workforce. Learn more about Hexaware at ?http://www.hexaware.com Logo : https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/453147/PRNE_Hexaware_logo_Logo.jpg

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Echoing President Joe Bidens recent address to the nation on COVID, Gov. Ned Lamont recently used the term underserved to describe his urban constituents. Reaching our underserved communities remains a priority of my administration, the governor claimed, and we will do everything we can to get as many vaccines administered as we can in the coming weeks.

Underserved is an odd choice of words for Gov. Lamont and fellow Democrat leaders to use when describing urban residents, as by doing so they are publicly accusing themselves of failure.

After all, Democrats have controlled Connecticuts legislature and major cities for decades. If urban communities remain underserved after all these years, Democrat leaders have only themselves to blame.

At a grassroots event organized to facilitate vaccinations in Fair Haven last weekend, Kica Matos, vice president of Initiatives at the Vera Institute of Justice and a former deputy mayor of New Haven, called out state leaders by saying, Just yesterday, Governor Lamont admitted that the state has failed Black and brown communities miserably when it comes to COVID vaccinations. But we have a plan to fix it, and that is why we are here today.

Hoping to prioritize those with underlying health conditions and first-responders, Matos contacted the governor and state health department to request a waiver so that all Fair Haven residents could make vaccination appointments, not just those in the currently eligible age bracket. She was denied.

Matos went on to say that she had invited the Lamont administration to take part in Saturdays community event so they could learn from the organizing effort and replicate it in other communities. The answer from the governors office once again was a firm, No.

If Governor Lamont and his administration are truly concerned about helping these communities, perhaps they should find some time to listen to them. U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal, U.S. Rep. Rosa DeLauro and New Haven Mayor Justin Elicker all participated in the event, though their motives raised some eyebrows when later walking through the neighborhood Senator Blumenthal was heard commenting We should be registering them to vote.

Admittedly, lip service and self-interested politicians are not exactly headline news in Connecticut. Broken promises, however, are a more serious offense. And when it comes to pledges from Democrat leaders to improve our cities, the list of broken promises is long.

Remember when Governor Lamont campaigned on the promise of a $375 million property tax cut? That plan was abandoned once he took office. Or, how about the hundreds of millions of dollars in sales tax revenues that state leaders have been promising to share with cities since 2015? Postponed again with this years budget, this time indefinitely. What about the PILOT grants our cities depend on to offset their losses from non-taxable property? That program has been underfunded since its inception in 1969.

A study released by WalletHub shows that Connecticut residents have the second highest tax burden in the entire nation. With a proposed $50 million tax on healthcare insurance premiums, a $90 million mileage tax on trucks, and a 17 cents per gallon gas tax it looks like Democrats are trying their best to get to number one.

But the deceptions dont end there.

After receiving less than 30 percent of what the state promised them in PILOT grants last year, 28 leaders from across the state penned a joint letter to the governor this January, asking him to boost funding for the program and prioritize assistance for municipalities in the worst shape.

With the pressure on, Governor Lamont allocated an additional $100 million to distressed municipalities in his budget proposal. The sleight of hand, however, was that the funding will come from the federal Coronavirus Relief Fund  a $1.9 trillion package to bail out mismanaged blue states across the country under the guise of a pandemic response. But the program is a one-time giveaway. What will happen to city finances once the gift goes away?

The Lamont budget does the same thing to education. The headline reads that school districts will see a 10.5 percent increase in funding over the next two years  but it will also be paid for with one-time federal money and therefore be temporary.

And finally, the latest in a long line of whoppers, Governor Lamont is promising municipalities 50 percent of future tax revenue from soon-to-be-legalized marijuana. Perhaps he should deliver some of the sales tax money cities have been waiting for since 2015 before making new pledges.

The truth is, Democrats will have to keep breaking promises, raising taxes and leaning on every penny of relief they can get from their pals in Washington if theyre to have any hope of camouflaging the financial disaster that is heading Connecticuts way.

Instead, we should recognize this bailout for what it is  a one-time stimulus that could help us fundamentally restructure Connecticut if used properly. But that would require some tough decisions like reducing discretionary spending, restructuring the state pension plan to protect the retirement security of our employees and rooting out the waste, fraud and abuse in places like Connecticuts Port Authority.

Democrat leaders have been failing our cities for years  but they remain ever confident in urban residents loyalty. Public service should be about others, not the self. And in the middle of a pandemic their focus should be on vaccinations rather than votes.

Bob Stefanowski was the 2018 Republican candidate for governor of Connecticut
The folks at Marijuana Moment have this new lengthy piece, headlined "Biden AG Pick Restates Pledge To Respect State Marijuana Laws, In Writing," reporting on AG Merrick Garland's written responses to questions from Senators about marijuana enforcement. Here are some highlights:

President Joe Bidens nominee to serve as U.S. attorney general has reiterated in written testimony to multiple senators that he does not feel the Department of Justice should be using its resources to prosecute people who are acting in compliance with state marijuana laws....

I do not think it the best use of the Departments limited resources to pursue prosecutions of those who are complying with the laws in states that have legalized and are effectively regulating marijuana, he said in response to a question from Ranking Member Chuck Grassley (R-IA) about how he would navigate the federal-state marijuana policy conflict. I do think we need to be sure, for example, that there are no end runs around the state laws by criminal enterprises, and that access is prohibited to minors.

That view is consistent with policies put into place under Obama  known as the Cole memorandum  and then rescinded by President Donald Trumps first attorney general, Jeff Sessions.

Pressed on whether he generally supports efforts to decriminalize or legalize cannabis, the attorney general nominee didnt give a specific answer but gave an answer focused solely on the harms of current punitive policies.

Criminalizing the use of marijuana has contributed to mass incarceration and racial disparities in our criminal justice system, he wrote, and has made it difficult for millions of Americans to find employment due to criminal records for nonviolent offenses....

But while Garlands responses reflect a friendly attitude toward cannabis policy as far as advocates are concerned, he did say in response to a question from Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) about prosecutorial discretion that the Executive Branch cannot simply decide, based on a policy disagreement, that it will not enforce a law at all.

Another Grassley question noted Bidens ongoing opposition to federal legalization and support for decriminalizing cannabis possession and expunging prior marijuana records. He asked whether Garland sees any contradictions in that policy stance.

As I testified at my hearing, it is important to focus our attention on violent crimes and other crimes that greatly endanger our society, and prosecutions for simple marijuana possession are not an effective use of limited resources, the judge replied. As I testified, we have seen disparate treatment in these prosecutions that has had a harmful impact on people and communities of color, including stymied employment opportunities and social and economic instability.
DAYTON, Ind. (WLFI) -- The Indiana Department of Transportation wants your input in a new proposed project. The agency is hosting a public hearing on Monday, Mar. 22 to discuss plans to update part of S.R. 38.

The hearing will be held at Dayton United Methodist Church located at 7201 Wesleyan Drive, Dayton, IN 47941. That's because the proposed project will mainly impact travelers in the Dayton-Mulberry area.

During the meeting, INDOT leaders will be laying out the design plan for parts of the road. It includes an asphalt overlay and structural replacement. They're hoping the new pavement will help increase the longevity of the roadway and the structural replacement will improve pedestrian access through the Town of Mulberry.

"That's a huge thing definitely for safety and riding for the motoring public and improving the shoulder-width is going to improve the safety out there so there's just a lot that takes in this project," said Debbie Calder, the INDOT-Crawfordsville communications director.

This project will cover 11 miles of road starting just at just one mile east of I-65 to the S.R. 38 and U.S. 421 intersection. The informal session will start at 6 p.m. and a formal presentation will begin at 6:30 p.m.

"We like to hear from people this is directly going to affect and if there's anything that we can do to improve the experience for them while we're actually in construction that's always good to hear as well," said Calder.

The project's maintenance and traffic plan will also be discussed at tonight's meeting. Those in attendance are required to wear a mask and practice social distancing.
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The Standard, Huruvalhi Maldives, the brands newest resort and first property in Asia, is offering a getaway for spring and summer travel with one-of-a-kind excursions and cultural programming.



The two new packages  Happy Hideaway and Villa So Chill'a  include delicious Maldivian cuisine, soothing spa treatments, and luxury accommodations at excusive rates.



Travelers are eager to explore and reunite with their friends and families again, but it can be difficult to find a location that allows for easy social distancing. The Standard, Huruvalhi Maldives naturally spacious layout and private villas offer peace of mind and a picturesque setting for memorable moments at an exclusive price.



Guests can create their own neighborhood of loved ones in the Maldives to celebrate missed milestones and events with the Happy Hideaway offer, which provides travelers a special rate of $250 when they book five or more villas. Ideal for anyone hoping for a change of scenery, the Villa So Chill'a package allows travelers to choose any private overwater or beachside villa for a starting rate of $350.



Whether its an overwater villa floating in the resorts crystal-clear lagoon or settled on a pristine sandy beach front, each of the 115 villas feature their own private lounge deck, plunge pool and one or two bedrooms for maximum comfort. The dreamy two-bedroom Ocean Beach Villa is one of the propertys largest rooms and gives groups a little bit of everything with 306 square meters of space, two king-sized beds and a prime location steps away from a white sand beach perfect for sunbathing or stargazing.



Traditionally seen as a couples destination, The Standard has taken a fresh approach to its island retreat, offering relaxation at its full-service spa, adventurous activities and vibrant cultural experiences that welcome not only couples but groups of friends and singles looking to reset and recharge in paradise.



Visitors can choose from a variety of excursions, including indigenous basket weaving, private sunset boat trips to uninhabited islands and undiscovered reefs, along with day and night fishing and private destination dining. The Standard, Huruvalhi Maldives also has some of the most experienced guides for snorkeling and diving excursions through the resorts protected house reef and local waters.



Six unique restaurants cater to every taste and preference, including GUDUGUDA. The first of its kind in the Maldives, the restaurants seafood-driven menu pairs perfectly with its waterfront location, where guests can dine under the expansive sky surrounded by the calming sounds of the Indian Ocean and the warm evening breeze.



GUDUGUDAs chefs have all been trained by local Maldivian aunties  the women who carry on the tradition of this remarkable cuisine. The menus showcase locally caught, fresh seafood dishes, flavourful coconut milk curries, regional fruits and vegetables, aromatic rice dishes and freshly baked breads.



The Happy Hideaway and Villa So Chill'a packages are available for stays between now and December 23, 2021.  TradeArabia News Service


Just-retired Justice of the Supreme Court, Olabode Rhodes-Vivour, on Monday, amended his previous pronouncement that human rights can be suspended whenever national security is threatened.

Mr Rhodes-Vivour, who bowed out as a Justice of the Supreme Court after clocking the mandatory retirement age of 70, on Monday, had expressed the opinion as a judge of the Court of Appeal in the case involving former leader of Niger Delta militant groups, Asari Dokubo, in 2006.

The retired jurist who spent a total of 27 years as a judge of three levels of court, including the Supreme Court, delivered the lead judgment of a three-man panel of the Court of Appeal which denied bail to Mr Dokubo on the grounds that he constituted a threat to national security.

The Supreme Court, in a decision delivered on June 6, 2007, upheld the judgment by also denying Mr Dokubo, bail.

Incidentally, the judge who delivered the lead judgment of the apex court over 12 years ago is now the current Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Tanko Muhammad.

The Muhammadu Buhari administration has adopted the judgment as justification for the continued detention of even persons that have been granted bail by courts.

Mr Rhodes-Vivour was seated to the righthand side of Mr Muhammad, while reviewing his opinion about the judgment on Monday.

The retired judge said on Monday that no ones right should be denied unless national security is visibly threatened, a departure from his previously held view that such rights can be threatened even with real likelihood of a threat to national security.

He argued that no one should be deprived of his rights on the whims and fancy of anyone on authority.

He said, In Dokubo-Asari v FRN (2006) 11NWLR (Pt. 991) p324, as a judgment of the Court of Appeal, I said that: When national security is threatened or there is real likelihood of it being threatened, human rights or the individual rights must be subjected or well taken care of.

National security must be visibly threatened before anyone can be denied his rights.

No one should be denied his rights on the whims and fancy of anyone in authority.

Corruption, election petitions, other issues

Mr Rhodes-Vivour also addressed other issues of national importance, include corruption, elections, criminal convicts, governor violating laws on tenure of elected local government tenures, among others.

On the issue of corruption, Mr Rhodes-Vivour, cited Genesis 6:12 of the Bible to back his argument that corruption exists in all the countries of the earth, including Nigeria, but added that what should be done quickly is to reduce it drastically through the building of credible and transparent systems.

On election matters, Mr Rhodes-Vivour suggested that due to the difficulty petitioners encounter in proving electoral fraud, the Electoral Act should be amended to put the burden of proving the legitimacy of an election on the Independent National Electoral Commission.

He said, Elections in Nigeria are protracted. The stakes are too high. Consequently most elections are usually resolved by courts, simply because most politiians are never satisfied with the results announced by the regulatory body charged with the conduct of elections(INEC).

He recalled his previous opinion in Udom v Umana 2016 case where he stated that the petitioner is always saddled with difficult requirements and procedures.

On the basis of that, Mr Rhodes-Vivour said on Monday, It is suggested by me that the Electoral Act should be amended to shift the burden of proof to INEC to prove that it conducted a fair and reasonable election.

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Some convicts sentence should be suspended until Supreme Court judgment

The jurist also argued that some convicts sentence should be suspended until they exhaust their right of appeal.

Mr Rhodes-Vivour, however, did not explain how to determine in which case the convicts sentence is to be suspended.

I am of the view that certain convicts should be allowed to serve their prison terms only after their appeals are exhausted, he said, adding that the reason being that some convicts serve several years in prison before their appeals are heard and decided.

Their appeal may be found to be meritorious. They are then released. No companies paid for the time spend in prison, he said.

Supreme Courts docket full to breaking point

Representative of the Body of Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), Adegboyega Awomolo, noted at the valedictory court session on Monday that the Nigerian Supreme Court is perhaps the most laboured in the world.

The docket of the Supreme Court is full and almost at a breaking point. In the last few months every workday, all the justices of the court have been stressed out with a view to clearing the backlog of appeals from 2010 to 2020, he said.

Mr Awomolo therefore called for a review of the condition of service and welfare of justices of the court with a view to motivating and boosting their morale.

He specifically suggested that Justices of the Supreme Court should be given a modest accommodation in Abuja or any state capital of their choice upon retirement, after all governors who served for only eight years are by law entitled to a house in Abuja and their state capitals.

He also called for the amendment of the Constitution to reduce the number of appeals that are filed at the apex court.

The appeals coming to the Supreme Court of Nigeria must be with the leave of the court as it is the practice in the United Kingdom, Canada, Austria, India and South Africa.

He added, It is sad that every frivolous and unimportant political issues still occupy and waste the precious judicial time of this court. All political and such minor unimportant matters must end in the Court of Appeal.

He also called on the CJN to amend the rules of the Supreme Court to enable the court to deal with interlocutory applications in chambers and through electronic mediums without necessarily taking them in the open court.

Eulogies for Rhodes-Vivour

The CJN led others to praise Mr Rhodes-Vivour who ended his 45 years of legal career, 27 years of which he spent as a judge, on Monday.

Mr Muhammad said Mr Rhodes-Vivour has diligently and meticulously offered unquantifiable services to his fatherland and the generality of humanity in different capacities for several decades.

The CJN added, He is physically energetic and never gets frightened by any form of challenges that may confront him.

His amiable disposition and reticent outlook have literally made him a gentile tiger in the temple of justice.

The Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF), Abubakar Malami, who was represented by the Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Justice, Dayo Apata, said the retired jurist demonstrated the virtues of focus, patience and hard-work in handling al the undertakings in which he found himself a participant.

He added that as result of this, the retired judge was conferred with the prestigious National Merit Award of the Commander of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, as a mark of his renowned fame and excellence.

On his part, Mr Awomolo said Mr Rhodes-Vivour worked patiently with humility, climbed the ladders of ranks in the Ministry of Justice in Lagos State till he reached the zenith of judicial career as a Justice of the Supreme Court of Nigeria.

Profile

Born in Lagos Island on March 22, 1951, Mr Rhodes-Vivour retired at 70 years old on Monday bringing down the number of Justices of the Supreme Court from 19 to 18.

Mr Rhodes-Vivour obtained his law degree from the University of Lagos in 1974 and proceeded to the Nigerian Law School after which he was called to bar in 1975.

He stated his legal career at the Lagos State Ministry of Justice as a pupil counsel in 1976 and later state counsel in 1976.

He was Director of Public Prosecution in the Lagos State Ministry of Justice between 1989 and 1994.

He was appointed Lagos High Court judge on February 18, 1994.

He was appointed Justice of Court of Appeal on April 25, 2005.

He became a Supreme Court judge on September 16, 2010.

[March 22, 2021] Municode in Business for Seven Decades

TALLAHASSEE, Fla., March 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Municode, the leading provider of cloud-based digital engagement software solutions specifically designed for local governments, announced its 70th Anniversary today. Municode's founder, George Langford, was drafted into the United States Army and served in Patton's Third Army as a combat engineer. Surviving the invasion of Normandy, Langford helped lead the Allies across the battlefields of France and ultimately on to victory. With his G.I. Bill in hand, Langford attended the University of Virginia, receiving his Bachelor's and Law degree. During his summers, Mr. Langford worked for the Mickie Company's City Code Division and learned the basic structure for codes of ordinances. Seeing a better way to build code books and provide ongoing service, Langford founded Municipal Code Corporation with the idea of making the books loose-leaf so that new ordinances could be added without having to reprint the entire volume. The company was incorporated March 21, 1951. The first client was Tallahassee, Florida, but when the newly-formed Florida League of Cities invited Langford to speak at their conference, the number of clients quickly grew. Today, that small family-owned codifying company, known as Municode, has grown to be the nation's leading codifier, hosting online the largest collection of codified law and original ordinances in the country, featuring over 3,900 local government codes and 190,000 individual ordinances. "Municode is still driven by the entrepreneurial spirit of our founder, which has enbled us to push new boundaries and consistently expand our offerings for over 4,250 local governments across our nation, potentially reaching more than 200 million people," said Eric Grant, President and CEO.



"It's amazing that a paper and ink legal publisher like Municipal Code Corporation could evolve into a vibrant provider of software solutions," said Lawton Langford, Chairman of the Board. "It's as if we are a 70-year-old startup! Our success has always been built upon a dedication to customer service, an openness to new ideas and technology, a willingness to challenge the status quo and leading with a servant's heart." Over the last few decades, the company's suite of product offerings has expanded beyond codification in response to their local government clients' evolving needs for digital engagement solutions. They developed a unique integrated software platform, The Circle of Governance, which brings together five crucial civic management areas: Codification Services, Public Meeting Management, Public Document Archiving, Policy and Procedures Publishing, and Website Design.

"As we celebrate this milestone, we would like to thank our valued clients for trusting Municode over the last 70 years with such an important part of democracy," says Woody Estep, Vice President of Marketing at Municode. "We achieved success through the hard work, passion, and dedication of our team members who have served the company throughout our history, and our culture of customer service that exists. Throughout 2021, we will be looking back at where we started, what we have achieved, and what our plans are for the future." About Municode: For 70 years, Municode has worked with over 4,250 local governments, creating integrated technology solutions purpose-built to provide new levels of efficiency and transparency for any size local government. Our solutions include Codification Services, Meeting & Agenda Management, Website Design & Hosting, Self-Publishing Software, Policy & Procedures Software, and a Document Archival Tool. Our industry-leading solutions can work independently or together as The Circle of Governance. To learn more about Municode, visit www.municode.com . Contact Information:

Woody Estep, Vice President of Marketing

850-692-7030

305696@email4pr.com View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/municode-in-business-for-seven-decades-301253027.html SOURCE Municode

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A new batch of Pfizer / BioNTech vaccines - 345,150 doses - will arrive in Romania on Monday, according to AGERPRES.

According to the National Committee of Coordinating Activities regarding Vaccination against COVID-19 (CNCAV), the vaccines will be shipped via air, on the Bucharest-Otopeni, Cluj-Napoca and Timisoara airports.

"Transportation towards the storage centers is ensured by the manufacturing company, including by land. The vaccines are transported in optimal security conditions, in special containers, with dry ice and airtight foil," CNCAV says.

Starting with March 29, 167 new offices have become operational for scheduling those who wish to vaccinate with the vaccine produced by Pfizer / BioNTech, in 13 counties throughout the country and at the level of Bucharest Municipality. The vaccination process itself will begin as of Tuesday, March 23.
A San Francisco man was driving back to his home in the Portola neighborhood after visiting a cemetery Friday afternoon.

He had cleaned up his loved ones graves at the cemetery in Colma, only to find that his car was broken into. But the real horror began when he arrived back home.

According to KGO, his house was torn apart, pillowcases taken as makeshift bags to store the thousands of dollars in cash  American, Korean and Chinese currency  and camera equipment that were stolen. And inside the bathroom was his cousin, hiding from the thieves who were in the house. Neither were identified by the news outlet.

She was in the midst of an online class when one of the robbers grabbed her by her shirt, dragging her into the bathroom, her cousin told KGO.

In pencil, she wrote on the bathroom wall next to the light switch, fearing her safety: Help  robbers! Fortunately, the little girl was not hurt.

A GoFundMe has been set up for the family. A relative said in the GoFundMe that the robbers were able to enter the house by stealing a garage remote with the address printed on it from the man's car.

San Francisco police are currently investigating the incident under the department's burglary detail. Anyone with more information can contact the police tipline at 415-575-4444.
One countrys loss is anothers gain. On February 1, Myanmars military took over the country in a coup sending shockwaves throughout the region. The move undermined Myanmars progress and economic reforms since 2011 when it first held parliamentary elections. Recent media reports have stated that the military coup in Myanmar has forced investors to re-think their investments in the country and a large part of foreign investment may be headed to Vietnam and Cambodia.

For the purposes of this article, we will focus on Vietnam. The likelihood of this happening is high given that businesses prefer a stable political environment and market-led free trade environments. Vietnam has been at the forefront of this, registering high growth, establishing free trade deals, and liberalizing its economy. This trend however has been ongoing for the past decade with Vietnam recording increasing levels of FDI.

High growth recorded until coup

Southeast Asia in general has been recording high growth. More specifically, the Cambodia-Laos-Myanmar-Vietnam (CLMV) subregion has recorded an annual gross domestic product of approximately 6 percent, higher than other parts of Southeast Asia while FDI inflows into the region also grew 6.3 percent in 2019. In fact, Myanmar registered the highest growth at 55.9 percent though Vietnam was the highest in terms of value at US$16.1 billion.

This shows that both Myanmars and Vietnams economic growth were rapid in recent years as FDI poured in. Myanmars coup, at least in the short-term, will halt this growth. DealStreetAsia reported that several foreign businesses that had plans to invest in Myanmar will rethink their plans of investing with countries around the region benefitting from Myanmars crisis.

Foreign investors obligated to reconsider investment

US-based Capria Ventures which was scheduled to make an almost US$8 million investment in Myanmar is set to go to Vietnam while also looking at Bangladesh, Cambodia, and Nepal. In addition, Japanese and Singaporeans firms are also seen to terminate contracts with companies linked to the Myanmar military.

Japan has been a large investor in Myanmar with companies including Toyota and Mitsubishi having operations there, however they may now look at options in Vietnam. Recently the Japanese government encouraged Japanese companies to diversify their supply chains out of China with government-provided incentives. With Vietnams government encouraging the automotive industry in Vietnam, Japanese auto manufactures can use this opportunity to further their presence in Vietnam.

Myanmar also risks sanctions by western nations with might further scare investors. At present sanctions have been imposed on the military. In addition, the US Commerce Department has imposed trade sanctions restricting exports on Myanmars Ministry of Defense and Home Affairs as well as two businesses associated with the military. Any further violence could further deteriorate the situation which is not something investors will be comfortable with.

Vietnam remains a strong contender in the medium to long term for global investment firms as it has already benefitted from companies moving or diversifying operations from China and is thus high on their radar.

As per the World Bank, Singapore was the largest investor, followed by Hong Kong in 2020 in Myanmar. Due to the pandemic, the figures might be even lower this year. Investors have also indicated their plans to divest their investment in Myanmar firms. Businesses are also under pressure for activist groups to cut ties with businesses linked to Myanmars military.

Is Chinese investment an option?

Another option is that if investors flee in droves, Chinese investment could move in as Myanmar would need investment and sets its sights on FDI elsewhere. However, this can be tricky as China may have apprehensions about countries that have political uncertainty. In addition, at least 10 Chinese-financed factories were set on fire by protesters recently in Myanmar, putting China in a dilemma.

There is a caveat however; the military has stated it will remain in a period of power for a year following which it will arrange new elections. If a civilian government is appointed after this period, we could see investments back on track. Nevertheless, the chances of this happening at this stage are low.

Factors supporting FDI from Myanmar to Vietnam

While Vietnam is consistently on track to record high economic growth, we look at factors that are likely to come into play for investors having a rethink on Myanmar and looking at countries like Vietnam.

Governance: One of the top reasons for investors moving to Vietnam is its strong governance. The country has a relatively stable government that provides strategic direction and decides on all major policy issues. It hasnt seen any coups and remains a market-oriented economy.

Proximity to China: Vietnams close proximity to China is further helping it to become a manufacturing base while being viewed as a China plus one destination.

Transport networks: Vietnams location close to regional shipping routes and position in Asia allows manufacturers entering Vietnam to focus on exports.

It has an approximately 3,200 km long coastline with around 114 seaports. The three largest seaports in Vietnam are in Hai Phong (North), Da Nang (Central), and Saigon (South).

Free trade agreements: Over the past few years, Vietnam has been active in signing bilateral trade agreements with countries throughout the world.

Its membership in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) also makes it a party to several FTAs that the regional bloc has signed while the recently signed EVFTA and UKVFTA allow it to expand as an exporting base.

GDP and FDI inflows: Over the last few years Vietnams GDP and FDI inflows have been increasing rapidly. It recorded one of its lowest GDP of 2.91 percent in 2020 due to the pandemic, but this was still a net increase beating China. Myanmars FDI and GDP fluctuated and had a record high in FDI investment in 2015 but since fluctuated with market reforms not keeping pace with the level of investment.
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DETROIT -- A 9-year-boy was killed Saturday after he was hit by a car while riding an ATV, according to the Detroit Police Department. Police were called to the scene in the 19600 block of Andover around 2:50 p.m. When police arrived they discovered the boy was fatally injured.

The victim was identified by family as MaiJuan Calderin.

Police did not report any other information on the incident, but WXYZ Detroit reports the driver of the Dodge Charger that hit Calderin and a passenger in the car were arrested. According to WXYZ, witnesses said the male driver of the car was speeding the wrong way down the road when he hit Calderin.

The driver of the Charger attempted to leave the scene according to witnesses, however others used their cars to block in the driver until police arrived.

READ MORE:

Man allegedly stealing property shot dead by Michigan homeowner, police say

Jackson woman killed in shooting Saturday night

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[March 22, 2021] New TargetAlpha App Gives People Data-Driven Wisdom, Finding The World's Best Performing Stock Market Analysts

TEL AVIV, Israel, March 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- App Publishing House AppCentral joined forces with developers of pioneering fintech technologies at Tipigo to create TargetAlpha, a new mobile app that seizes the wisdom of the best market analysts. These insights can help investors make better decisions and take action on their stocks to succeed in the market with the best insights from the best people. One of the biggest challenges for any investor, professional or amateur, is the access to the right data, from the right analyst, at the right time. While there are thousands of expert opinions, and recommendations from top analysts, filtering this data to select the most relevant and is extremely hard. TargetAlpha algorithm is designed to filter out from an "ocean" of professional analyst ratings published every day, delivering the most relevant ratings to the user, so it matches the best analyst's data to their preferences, their interest, and their portfolios. The app was aptly named TargetAlpha, since Alpha (a) is a term used in investing to describe an investment strategy's ability to beat the market and often referred to as an "abnormal rate of return". Key features of TargetAlpha include: 1. High quality rtings: real-time stream of the best analysts in the world with custom insights, alerts, and buy/sell recommendations to create your very own All-Star team with the industry's most successful brains.



2. Focused News & Personalized Watchlist: create and manage your own watchlist. Receive the latest personalized news related to your interests and your portfolio. 3. On-time Market Data, Alerts and Notifications: up to date macro and market data and reviews, including real-time charts. Get notifications about new ratings for your target market.

Nadav Brandsater, CEO or AppCentral said: "Investment apps are experiencing a real boom. TargetAlpha takes out the pain of sifting through thousands of financial analysts, with technology that analyzes data and performance from thousands of top analysts so users can find the insights they specifically need to beat the market." Nechemia Bor, Co-Founder & Chief Strategy Officer at Tipigo added: "Tipigo builds customized investment portfolios that get excess returns (Alpha) over relevant benchmarks. We are excited to make this unique technology available at everyone's fingertips, via the new TargetAlpha app." You can download the TargetAlpha app here . About Tipigo: Tipigo is an Israeli-based fintech startup focused on smart investment decision-making tools. Tipigo's technology is based on a big-data collection (fundamentals and analyst's data) processed by our dynamic decision-making engine. Based on this unique technology, we build customized investment portfolios that get excess returns (Alpha) over relevant benchmarks. Learn more about us on tipigo.com View original content:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/new-targetalpha-app-gives-people-data-driven-wisdom-finding-the-worlds-best-performing-stock-market-analysts-301252830.html SOURCE AppCentral

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NAIROBI, Kenya  The nurse lay in bed this month, coughing, wheezing and dizzy with fever.

It was three months after rich countries began vaccinating health workers, but Kenyans like the nurse, Stella Githaiga, had been left behind: Employed in the countrys largest public hospital, she caught the coronavirus on an outreach trip to remote communities in February, she believes, sidelining her even as Kenya struggles with a vicious third surge of infections.

Ms. Githaiga and her colleagues are victims of one of the most galling inequities in a pandemic that has exposed so many: Across the global south, health workers are being sickened and killed by a virus from which doctors and nurses in many rich countries are now largely protected.

That is just the most visible cost of a rich-poor divide that has deepened in the second year of the pandemic. Of the vaccine doses given globally, roughly three-quarters have gone to only 10 countries. At least 30 countries have not yet injected a single person.

Scientists have long warned that such unfair treatment could not only haunt poorer countries, but also rich ones, if the continued spread of the virus allows it to mutate in ways that undermine vaccines. But the greatest human costs will almost surely be borne by less wealthy nations.
Melbourne councils say land has become so expensive they cannot afford to provide enough open space for their residents.

Yarra Council alone calculates it would need $894 million to adequately accommodate its residents.

Melbourne, Yarra, Moonee Valley and Port Phillip councils on Monday addressed a Victorian parliamentary committee hearing on community access to parks, open space and sporting fields.

Cambridge Street Reserve in Collingwood, which has very little open space and a growing population, on a rainy Monday. Credit:Eddie Jim

City of Melbourne told the hearing there was a shortfall of at least 40 hectares, despite between $60 million and $70 million in open space payments from developers yet to be spent.
When trainer Ron Burke suggested to David Miller that Miller spend the winter at Floridas Pompano Park driving several horses for him, Miller decided against it, opting to remain in New Jersey and compete at The Meadowlands.

After the first full week of January, Miller reconsidered.

The first night it got down below 20 (degrees) I called Ronnie up and said, you know what, Ill go to Florida, Miller said with a laugh.

Miller had spent several previous winters in Florida but drove infrequently during his visit. In his previous five winters in the Sunshine State, Miller raced a total of 29 times. This year at Pompano, Miller has made 356 starts, winning 92.

Wally Hennessey leads the driver standings with 161 wins during Pompanos winter meet, which began in November. Since the start of this year, Miller tops the list with his 92.

I didnt know what to expect when I got here, said Miller, who was third in the winter standings at The Meadowlands when he departed for Florida. People asked if I was going to drive every day, and I was like, yeah, I guess. Ronnie has like five horses here and I knew I was going to drive them. Ive picked up drives and its gone really well, way better than I expected. Its been a lot of fun.

In addition to racing, Miller has had the opportunity to spend time with his daughter Devan, who is working for Burke in Florida, as well as his daughter Leigha and 20-month-old grandson, who live in Florida.

Millers stay in Florida will conclude at the end of March.

Its been fantastic, he said. Ive really enjoyed it.

Wendy Ross, the U.S. Trotting Associations social media coordinator, recently caught up with Miller in Florida. Watch their Down the Stretch conversation here.

(USTA)
[March 22, 2021] PRODUCT UPDATE: iShares Morningstar U.S. Equity Style Box ETFs

BlackRock implemented a series of product enhancements to the iShares Morningstar Style Box (News - Alert) ETFs today. The style box suite, composed of nine ETFs, underwent benchmark changes, ticker changes, and expense ratio reductions. Three of the funds also had updates to their fund names and investment objectives. The suite is positioned as the lowest cost style box line-up in the industry. In addition, BlackRock announced forward share splits for the nine ETFs for shareholders of record as of April 14, 2021, payable after the close of trading on April 16, 2021. These splits will lower the share price and increase the number of outstanding shares. The total value of shares outstanding is not affected and the total value of a shareholder's investment in the fund is not affected by the forward share split.







Current Ticker New

Ticker Current Fund Name New Fund Name Current

investment

objective New

investment

objective Former

Underlying Index New

Underlying Index Former Expense Ratio New Expense Ratio Forward Share Split Ratio for

Record Holders

as of April 14, 2021 JKF ILCV iShares Morningstar Large-Cap Value ETF

Inception Date: June 28, 2004; NAV as of 3/17/21: $647.3m iShares Morningstar Value ETF The ETF seeks to track the investment results of an index composed of large-capitalization U.S. equities that exhibit value characteristics. The ETF seeks to track the investment results of an index composed of large- and mid-capitalization U.S. equities that exhibit value characteristics. Morningstar US Large Value Index Morningstar US Large-Mid Cap Broad Value Index 0.25% 0.04% 2-for-1 JKD ILCB iShares Morningstar Large-Cap ETF

Inception Date: June 28, 2004; NAV as of 3/17/21: $874.6m iShares Morningstar U.S. Equity ETF The ETF seeks to track the investment results of an index composed of large-capitalization U.S. equities. The ETF seeks to track the investment results of an index composed of large- and mid-capitalization U.S. equities. Morningstar US Large Core Index Morningstar US Large-Mid Cap Index 0.20% 0.03% 4-for-1 JKE ILCG iShares Morningstar Large-Cap Growth ETF

Inception Date: June 28, 2004; NAV as of 3/17/21: $1.81b iShares Morningstar Growth ETF The ETF seeks to track the investment results of an index composed of large-capitalization U.S. equities that exhibit growth characteristics. The ETF seeks to track the investment results of an index composed of large- and mid-capitalization U.S. equities that exhibit growth characteristics. Morningstar US Large Growth Index Morningstar US Large-Mid Cap Broad Growth Index 0.25% 0.04% 5-for-1 JKI IMCV iShares Morningstar Mid-Cap Value ETF

Inception Date: June 28, 2004; NAV as of 3/17/21: $450.7m No change The ETF seeks to track the investment results of an index composed of mid-capitalization U.S. equities that exhibit value characteristics. No change Morningstar US Mid Value Index Morningstar US Mid Cap Broad Value Index 0.30% 0.06% 3-for-1 JKG IMCB iShares Morningstar Mid-Cap ETF

Inception Date: June 28, 2004; NAV as of 3/17/21: $878.6m No change The ETF seeks to track the investment results of an index composed of mid-capitalization U.S. equities. No change Morningstar US Mid Core Index Morningstar US Mid Cap Index 0.25% 0.04% 4-for-1 JKH IMCG iShares Morningstar Mid-Cap Growth ETF

Inception Date: June 28, 2004; NAV as of 3/17/21: $1.56b No change The ETF seeks to track the investment results of an index composed of mid-capitalization U.S. equities that exhibit growth characteristics. No change Morningstar US Mid Growth Index Morningstar US Mid Cap Broad Growth Index 0.30% 0.06% 6-for-1 JKL ISCV iShares Morningstar Small-Cap Value ETF

Inception Date: June 28, 2004; NAV as of 3/17/21: $439.4 No change The ETF seeks to track the investment results of an index composed of small-capitalization U.S. equities that exhibit value characteristics. No change Morningstar US Small Value Index Morningstar US Small Cap Broad Value Extended Index 0.30% 0.06% 3-for-1 JKJ ISCB iShares Morningstar Small-Cap ETF

Inception Date: June 28, 2004; NAV as of 3/17/21: $258.9 No change The ETF seeks to track the investment results of an index composed of small-capitalization U.S. equities. No change Morningstar US Small Core Index Morningstar US Small Cap Extended Index 0.25% 0.04% 4-for-1 JKK ISCG iShares Morningstar Small-Cap Growth ETF

Inception Date: June 28, 2004; NAV as of 3/17/21: $834.5 No change The ETF seeks to track the investment results of an index composed of small-capitalization U.S. equities that exhibit growth characteristics. No change Morningstar US Small Growth Index Morningstar US Small Cap Broad Growth Extended Index 0.30% 0.06% 6-for-1

About BlackRock BlackRock's purpose is to help more and more people experience financial well-being. As a fiduciary to investors and a leading provider of financial technology, we help millions of people build savings that serve them throughout their lives by making investing easier and more affordable. For additional information on BlackRock, please visit www.blackrock.com/corporate | Twitter (News - Alert) : @blackrock | LinkedIn (News - Alert) : www.linkedin.com/company/blackrock About iShares iShares unlocks opportunity across markets to meet the evolving needs of investors. With more than twenty years of experience, a global line-up of 900+ exchange traded funds (ETFs) and $2.67 trillion in assets under management as of December 31, 2020, iShares continues to drive progress for the financial industry. iShares funds are powered by the expert portfolio and risk management of BlackRock, trusted to manage more money than any other investment firm.1 Carefully consider the Funds' investment objectives, risk factors, and charges and expenses before investing. This and other information can be found in the Funds' prospectuses or, if available, the summary prospectuses which may be obtained by visiting www.iShares.com or www.blackrock.com. Read the prospectus carefully before investing. Investing involves risk, including possible loss of principal. The iShares Funds are distributed by BlackRock Investments, LLC (together with its affiliates, "BlackRock"). The iShares Funds are not sponsored, endorsed, issued, sold or promoted by Morningstar, Inc., nor does this company make any representation regarding the advisability of investing in the Funds. BlackRock is not affiliated with Morningstar, Inc. iSHARES and BLACKROCK are registered trademarks of BlackRock, Inc., or its subsidiaries. All other marks are the property of their respective owners. ___________________________

1 Based on $8.68 trillion in AUM as of 12/31/20 View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210322005482/en/

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YEREVAN.  There is no legal case; Onik Gasparyan has been relieved of his post, whereas Artak Davtyan has been appointed to the corresponding position. Minister of justice Rustam Badasyan told this to reporters in parliament on Monday, referring to the prime minister's statement earlier that Davtyan is now considered to be appointed, by force of law, Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Armenia.

"I would advise to analyze, within the framework of constitutional security, what is meant by a decision that has entered into force by virtue of law, or any event following by virtue of law. () and I believe it is inappropriateand is in the field of speculationan interpretation there that it is possible to suspend a process or 'review' an already completed process by securing the lawsuit," Badasyan added.

On March 18, it became known that the Administrative Court had granted Onik Gasparyan's claim and apply a means of securing his lawsuit. According to his lawyer Artur Hovhannisyan, this means that Gasparyan continues to remain the Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces.

Commenting on the aforesaid court decision, the minister of justice said, however, that Gasparyan could not be reinstated to the abovementioned position. "I say very clearly, and the Office of the Prime Minister also has responded to it very clearly with a corresponding statement, interpreting the constitutional provisions. Moreover, the executive power has no right not to implement what is envisaged by the Constitution; that is, it cannot change its will because the Constitution has provided for a clear procedure, and its completion is regulated by decisions that enter into force," he explained.

The judicial act exists in reality, but according to Badasyan, it has no impact on the process. "We will see what will happen in the future during the trial. "You know that the provisions of the relevant law are being challenged in the Constitutional Court; what impact it will have on the administrative case, we will see the results by following the trial," the minister of justice added.
From time to time, whether motivated by politics or articulating a misinformed position, commentators will seek to claim Trinidad and Tobago is a failing state.

I take serious umbrage to that because when one understands what a failing state or economy looks like, it is clear we are very far from that. In fact, by independent measures, we are closer to the opposite side of that spectrum.
WILMINGTON, Mass., March 22, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Security Innovation, an authority in software security assessment, announced that its upcoming Ed TALKS panel will feature three global CISOs as they discuss how to implement metrics and measurement vehicles to better understand their cybersecurity posture.



High performing InfoSec programs are critical to protecting sensitive data, securing systems, and maintaining compliance, said Ed Adams, CEO of Security and Ed TALKS host. These three accomplished executives will explain leading indicators they track to gain clear insight and flag potential problem areas.

What : Are we there, yet? Measuring effectiveness of InfoSec programs

: Are we there, yet? Measuring effectiveness of InfoSec programs When : March 25, 12:00 p.m. EDT

: March 25, 12:00 p.m. EDT Register https://www.brighttalk.com/webcast/16345/476687/are-we-there-yet-measuring-effectiveness-of-infosec-programs

https://www.brighttalk.com/webcast/16345/476687/are-we-there-yet-measuring-effectiveness-of-infosec-programs Panelists : Florence Mottay, SVP Information Security & Global CISO, Ahold Delhaize Sherron Burgess, SVP & CISO, BCD Travel Sandra Dunn, CISO, Blue Cross Idaho



:

Launched in 2020, Ed TALKS features experts from organization such as Accenture, Red Hat, Microsoft, Equifax, DHS, Millicom, Alcon, Salesforce.com, CITGO, and others. It tackles current cybersecurity topics to offer insight and advice for those tasked with building, operating, and defending IT systems. Learn more by reading the Ed TALKS 2020 Retrospective blog or viewing previous panels in the BrightTalk content syndication platform:

About Ed TALKS  Real and Diverse Security Discussions

Led by Ed Adams, CEO of Security Innovation, Ed TALKS is an engaging, practical discussion of security in practice and the real challenges being faced. Mr. Adams invites industry luminaries and practitioners to discuss approaches and challenges to securing our digital world: complex tech stacks, evolving threats, motivated attackers, mounting regulations, and unsettling skill gaps.

ABOUT SECURITY INNOVATION

Security Innovation is a pioneer in software security and literally wrote the book on How to Break Software Security. Since 2002, organizations have relied on the companys assessment and training solutions to secure software wherever it runs. Recognized 6x on the Gartner Magic Quadrant for computer-based security training, CMD+CTRL Training combines role-based courses with hands-on cyber ranges to build skills that stick. With over 3.5 million users, CMD+CTRL helps all software security stakeholders address the risk of todays tech stacks  flawed design, defenseless code, expanded attack surface, and misconfigured deployments. For more information, visit https://www.securityinnovation.com/ or connect with us on LinkedIn or Twitter.

Media Contacts:

Maureen Robinson

mrobinson@securityinnovation.com
NEW DELHI: The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) is conducting raids at multiple locations in connection with its ongoing probe into the Saradha Ponzi scam or Saradha chit fund scam on Monday.

According to reports, the CBI raids are being conducted at 6 locations - the residence and office premises of three senior SEBI officials - in Mumbai.

CBI is conducting raids at 6 locations - the residence and office premises of three senior SEBI officials - in Mumbai, in connection with Saradha Ponzi scam. The officials' role came under the scanner during their posting in Kolkata offices during 2009-2013. Details awaited.  ANI (@ANI) March 22, 2021

The three high-ranking SEBI officials have come under the scanner for their alleged role in the scam during their posting in the Kolkata office between 2009-2013, the CBI sources said.

The Saradha scam, also known as Saradha Group financial scandal, was a major financial scam that surfaced in 2013. The investigation into the multi-crore Ponzi scheme has been on since then.

The scheme, run by Saradha Group (an umbrella company with 200 private players), was launched in the early 2000s by businessman Sudipto Sen. Aimed at small investors, the scheme became popular in a very short time as it promised high returns. The money was collected through a wide network of agents, who were paid commissions of over 25 per cent.

The Saradha Group raised about Rs 2,500 crore in a few years' time. The scheme soon expanded to Odisha, Assam, and Tripura, and the number of investors reached close to 1.7 million.

Over a dozen TMC MLAs and MPs, including ministers, have been questioned by CBI in connection with the scam. Many of these leaders were directly involved in the group's operations, the agency alleged.

Live TV
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Michigan hosting next virtual town hall about COVID-19 vaccine for older adults

Discussion to focus on vaccine effectiveness, community access

Michigan hosting next virtual town hall about COVID-19 vaccine for older adults

Discussion to focus on vaccine effectiveness, community access

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

March 20, 2021

Contact: Angela Minicuci, APR, 248-765-0558

LANSING, Mich. - Recognizing that Michigan residents have questions about the COVID-19 vaccine, the State of Michigan is hosting the next in a series of community town halls. The March event will focus on older adults, as they are currently eligible to receive the vaccine.

This virtual discussion will be held from 4 p.m. to 5 p.m., Thursday, Mar. 25. This builds upon the previous town halls with faith-based leaders and communities of color, about the safety, efficacy and importance of the COVID-19 vaccines for safely reopening Michigan. In the coming months, Michigan will host additional town halls in partnership with public health and community leaders. Events are live streamed at Facebook.com/MichiganHHS.

"Even as the COVID-19 vaccine eligibility expands, it's important that older adults understand the safety and efficacy of the authorized vaccines, so that they can get scheduled as soon as possible if they haven't already received the vaccine," said Dr. Alexis Travis, PhD, senior deputy director of the Aging and Adult Services Agency within the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services. "Michigan's older residents have a higher risk of severe illness and death associated with COVID, so increasing their immunity will help protect our communities overall."

Moderated by Dr. Travis, the panel also will feature:

Zaneta Adams, Director, Michigan Veterans Affairs Agency

Maureen Taylor, Chair, Michigan Welfare Rights Organization

Rev. Horace Sheffield, Pastor, Detroit's New Destiny Christian Fellowship

Dr. Brenda Surae Eaton, MD

Mark Hornbeck, AARP Michigan

Dr. Herbert Smitherman, MD, Detroit Receiving Hospital

"As a veteran who knows firsthand what protecting others looks like, I truly believe that wearing a mask and getting the COVID-19 vaccines are some of the simplest things we can do to protect our veterans from COVID-19," said MVAA Director Zaneta Adams. "There are more than 550,000 veterans in Michigan, many over the age of 50 with preexisting conditions, ages, and experiences can make them more at risk for potentially deadly illnesses like COVID-19."

The goal of the town hall series is to address the safety and efficacy of the vaccine by answering questions within vulnerable communities. The vaccine distribution plan has prioritized older adults as the risk of severe illness from COVID-19 increases with age. This is why vaccine distribution guidance from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommended that adults 65 years and older be one of the first groups to receive COVID-19 vaccines.

Ahead of the discussion, attendees are encouraged to submit their questions for the town hall about the COVID-19 vaccine. Any questions that cannot be answered during the town halls due to time constraints, will be reviewed and added to the State of Michigan COVID-19 vaccine frequently asked questions.

It is important to note that, while supplies are increasing, there remains a limited amount of vaccine available, so there may be a waitlist for available appointments. As more vaccine becomes available, the state will continue to move more quickly through the priority groups. MDHHS follows the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommendations for prioritization of distribution and administration of COVID-19 vaccines. CDC recommendations are based on input from the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, the federal advisory committee made up of medical and public health experts who develop recommendations on the use of vaccines in the United States.

Even with the increase of COVID-19 vaccinations, residents are encouraged to continue to practice preventative measures such as properly wearing masks, social distancing and frequent handwashing to reduce the spread of the virus until the vast majority of people have been vaccinated.

Michigan residents seeking more information about the COVID-19 vaccine can visit Michigan.gov/COVIDvaccine. Information around this outbreak is changing rapidly. The latest information is available at Michigan.gov/Coronavirus and CDC.gov/Coronavirus.

# # #
Minister of Defense of Ukraine Andriy Taran discussed with Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Slovak Republic to Ukraine Marek Safin bilateral cooperation.

The meeting was held on March 22, the Ministrys press service informs.

The state and prospects of bilateral cooperation were discussed. In particular, the Minister of Defense of Ukraine confirmed the interest in intensifying cooperation between the defense ministries of the two countries. The agreement between the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine and the Ministry of Defense of the Slovak Republic on military cooperation of April 12, 2011, should become a more effective tool for mutual interests in this area, the minister noted, reads the statement.

Slovakia is our neighbor, a good friend and a reliable partner. We are united not only by a common border but also by sincere aspirations for safety for the citizens of our states and the region as a whole. Relations between Ukraine and the Slovak Republic in the defense sphere are of a strategic nature with significant development prospects, Andriy Taran said.

He informed the Ambassador about the ambitious program of reforms of the Defense Ministry of Ukraine. In this process, according to Andriy Taran, one of the important factors is the establishment of mechanisms for democratic civilian control over the military sphere, the implementation of which will make the transformation of the domestic defense sector irreversible in accordance with the best practices of NATO member states.

The defense minister also stressed that NATO EOP status, granted to Ukraine in June last year, provided for the introduction of new mechanisms for cooperation with both NATO and individual members.

Marek Safin reaffirmed the invariability of the Slovak Republic's policy to support Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity, noted the progress made in reforming the Ministry of Defense and assured of support for Ukraine's efforts to strengthen its defense capabilities, adopt Euro-Atlantic approaches and standards.

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ALBUQUERQUE, N.M.  New Mexicos oil patch is still gushing, with production growing another 10.5% in 2020 to a record 366.6 million barrels, despite the pandemic.

But growth last year was markedly slower than in 2018 and 2019. And going forward, industry leaders say the record booms of the last five years will be hard to sustain, given the regulatory uncertainty now engulfing fossil fuel production, societys accelerating march to a low-carbon economy, and a new producer emphasis on slower growth that focuses more on profitability than unbridled expansion.

That local production reached a new record during the industrys worst crisis in decades demonstrates the world-class yields that spring from the shale-oil formations in the Delaware Basin, an oval-shaped geological area that straddles the border between southeastern New Mexico and West Texas. The basins upper section, which stretches north into Lea and Eddy counties, is considered one of the most productive oil plays in the world, attracting huge investments by some of the largest companies over the past decade, including ExxonMobil.

Those investments drove New Mexico production to unprecedented heights starting in 2015, when annual output surged to 148 million barrels, or 16% more than the states previous all-time record of 128.1 million in 1970.

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Production fell slightly to 146.6 million in 2016, when low oil prices caused a brief lull in activity. But since then, its grown another 150%, with spectacular spurts that reached 44.4% in 2018 and 33.3% in 2019.

Last years growth rate declined to about a third of the level achieved in 2019, after the pandemic cut global consumption to record lows, sending oil prices into free fall last spring. Local production screeched to a near standstill in May, when most producers shut in their wells and stopped drilling new ones to await better prices.

However, as prices rebounded over the summer, producers reopened the spigots and completed drilling and hydraulic fracturing on wells that were begun before the pandemic hit. As a result, with the exception of May  when production declined by about 6%  output surpassed 2019 levels for every month last year, according to the latest statistics from the state Oil Conservation Division.

That continued growth generally reflects the productivity of wells drilled prior to the coronavirus, said Raye Miller, mayor of Artesia and president of oil company Regeneration Energy Corp.

Significant capital expenditures were budgeted to drill wells in early 2020, Miller said. Last years record production points to how prolific those wells are.

But very few fresh wells are now being drilled, despite the rebound in prices, said Gregg Fulfer, owner of Fulfer Oil and Cattle Co. in Jal.

The production uptick comes from what we already had in place, Fulfer said. New investment is much lower now.

Robust yields from existing wells and higher prices have greatly improved government finances, generating $388 million in new money for the states fiscal year 2022 budget, which begins in July, according to the latest projections in February from the Legislative Finance Committee.

But going forward, production will likely grow at a much slower pace, if at all, since companies arent replacing older wells fast enough to maintain current output.

On the one hand, that reflects industry uncertainty over forthcoming regulations under President Joe Biden, said Ryan Flynn, who until this weekend was executive director of the New Mexico Oil and Gas Association.

I hate predictions, but Id be shocked if production in 2021 climbs above last years levels, Flynn said. Thats driven largely by concern over federal and state policies.

On the other hand, producers are working to rebuild their balance sheets following the pandemic before committing to major new investments.

Its all about profitability and stability now, not just rapid growth, Flynn said. People will be more cautious on large-scale projects and investment compared to before.


Sheringham church launches community fridge

North Norfolk charity Yesu is launching Sheringhams first Community Fridge in a growing effort to tackle food waste and fight food poverty in the local area.

The fridge, located at the Yesu Centre, 15 High St, Sheringham, will be open Tuesday to Friday to enable residents and businesses to share surplus food, and for anyone to help themselves to quality food that would otherwise be wasted.



Yesu, which is run by the towns Life Church, is calling on local food businesses in Sheringham and surrounding areas to donate surplus food from April 12 onwards. Once Covid restrictions have been lifted allotment holders and individuals will also be able to donate to the project.



Food waste is a big issue in the UK. Media reports claim that the average household throws away 700 worth of food every year whilst 4 million people in the UK are living in food poverty. The reports say that much of that food waste is avoidable, and could have been eaten, had it been better managed.



Leon Egmore, Store Manager at Sheringham Tesco, said Community Fridges are fantastic examples of how food waste can be reduced and used as a resource to share among the community. Community fridges make the most of what we have, and bring people together too. Its also very encouraging to see our employees take initiative and get involved in supporting their local community in practical ways.



Sadie Houghton, Yesus Community Fridge coordinator, said: Were really excited to be able to do our bit to tackle these important issues. Many people have guided and helped us, including Bridget Grimsey and Peter Atthill from Aylsham Community Church, Rachel Sidell at Merchants place in Cromer, and Kate Haselton-Glee at NNDC.



The fridge will open at 12 noon on Monday April 12 with an outdoor ribbon cutting ceremony by Sheringhams Mayor Madeleine Ashcroft. It will then be open to the public Tuesdays to Fridays from 10.30am to 3.30pm.



The fridge is one of a growing number opening up across the UK. The concept first arrived in the UK in 2016. Now over 50 projects are running across the country. Amanda Jermy at Norfolk County Council is compiling a network for the different fridge projects in Norfolk.



To find out more about the Sheringham Community Fridge, donate or volunteer visit:

www.yesu.co.uk

Or email sadie@yesu.co.uk ; tel  07752275086



The picture, above, of Sadie Houghton at Sheringham Community Fridge is courtesy of Yesu.

Do you have a news story or forthcoming event relating to Christians or a church in North Norfolk?

If so, e-mail tony.rothe@networknorwich.co.uk with details and, if possible a suitable picture.

Tony Rothe, 22/03/2021
Karnataka: Adoption of advanced technologies critical to spur growth in Indias fisheries sector

by Jaideep Shenoy

March 22,2021 | Source: The Times of India

As the Indian Government prioritises the rapid development and modernization of Indias fisheries sector with policy reform measures, including the transformative Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojna (PMMSY), the Centre for Strategy and Leadership (CSL), a leading Indian think-tank, has released a whitepaper on the adoption of modern digital technologies to spur growth in this important sector. The CSL whitepaper IoT in the fisheries sector in India discusses the importance of new technologies for India to realize optimal green growth in the fisheries sector. This is especially important as digital advancements, such as the Internet of Things (IoT), evolve and impact broad economic and social sectors. The whitepaper focuses on how technologies like IoT optimise management of scarce resources and increase productivity of Indian fisheries industry as a whole. The fisheries sector provides livelihood to approximately 160 lakh (1,60,00,000) people at the primary level and almost double that number along its entire value chain. India is the second largest fish producer in the world, contributing 5.43% to world fish production, while fisheries is one of the most committed agricultural and cooperative sectors in the country.



Unfortunately, at this time, the fisheries sector faces three major challenges: ensuring fishermen safety while out at sea, maintaining national security by monitoring international borders, and prioritising fisheries as a robust economic activity. Unless digitisation and advanced technology are deployed consistently, these challenges will remain and continue to be barriers to productivity, growth and safety long term. On the findings of the whitepaper, Vikas Sharma, Director and Chief Executive, Centre for Strategy & Leadership, said, India, which has 65% of its population under the age of 35 years, makes it the worlds most enviable workforce pool. As per studies, the IoT sector will boom to grow to a more than $20-billion market by 2022. We believe Indias fisheries sector currently in the middle of a transformation would derive great benefits by the adoption of modern technologies such as IoT when compared to other areas." Therefore, bringing IoT to the centre of the sectors growth model should be prioritized. This will also show the way to create an inclusive strategy of public and private partnerships with an eye on creating millions of job opportunities in the fisheries and IoT-led sectors along with auxiliary industries, Sharma noted. The whitepaper also points out that disruptive technologies, such as those being provided by Skylo, the worlds most affordable end to end solution connecting machine and sensor data via satellite, are critical to meet the demands of fishermen, boat owners, and regulators as industries innovate according to the Prime Ministers initiatives.



Such technologies provide the much-needed edge to keep fishermen safe, enable higher productivity, and help monitor national borders for safety. Skylo is being deployed throughout India and has proven useful to the fisheries sector. Parthsarathi Trivedi, co-founder and CEO of Skylo, said, Digitization and connectivity are key to achieving our Prime Ministers goal of doubling fisheries production under the Blue Revolution. Technology will transform the fishery sector in three main ways: safety, productivity, and sustainability. At the heart of this transformation is access to data and cloud-based analytics for unconnected fishing vessels and aquafarms - there is an immediate need to prioritize the adoption of modern digital technologies in the sector. The future of fisheries management depends on technological innovation. Improvements in digital technologies now allow innovative monitoring tools to manage fish stocks better at every phase of the value chain. Technology adoption in such situations is still limited primarily due to high cost, therefore presenting challenges for fishery management authorities to adopt the best in data-sharing and communications systems. The fact that there are also just a few people trained to handle such devices and technologies has made the process further complex. These challenges in the fisheries sector can be overcome through a uniform use of technology, making it easy and affordable for fishermen to deploy solutions. The paper suggests that all value-chain stakeholders need to be involved in the decision-making process, from fishermen to boat owners to government organizations. New technologies need to be applied in a progressive manner to better adapt to changes.

 2021 Bennett, Coleman & Co. Ltd.
Documents filed with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reveal that Porsche was informed of the problem on February 9th. Fast forward to February 24th, and thats when the safety committee was presented with the first results of the worst-case tests. The potential implications after 20,000 kilometers (12,427 miles) of driving were too great, which is why the German automaker decided to take precautionary action.According to the filed documents, a hexagonal flange nut is the culprit. This nut is used to affix threaded connections on the front and rear suspension. A loose threaded connection might cause movement beyond a components intended position, which may lead to suspension failure without warning.The threaded connections will be replaced with a new nut and bolt, said Porsche, and tightened to the original specification. Additionally, surrounding components will be checked for any consequential damage. If the service tech finds premature wear, these parts will obviously be replaced.As for the planned notification date for dealers and owners, safety recall 21V-157 will begin on May 9th. Produced for the 2021 model year, affected models include the Taycan 4S, Turbo, Turbo S, 911 Carrera, Carrera S, 4S, Turbo, and Turbo S, and the 718 from the base variants to the Cayman GT4 Animated by a mid-mounted four-cylinder turbo, the 718 Cayman is the most affordable of the lot at $59,900, excluding destination charge and extras. At the other end of the spectrum, the 911 Turbo S Cabriolet and 911 Turbo S Coupe are the most expensive at $216,300 and $203,500, respectively. Porsche s number for this recall is AMA3, and in the meantime, owners can call 1-800-767-7243 or the nearest dealer for further information.
French mobility major Alstom will deliver 14 high-power locomotives to the Indian Railways from its Madhepura plant by end of this month in addition to the 76 locomotives already delivered to the Indian government. The company is also exploring options to export the locomotives from India to other markets.

Madhepura Electric Locomotive Private Ltd is a joint venture between the Indian Railways and Alstom, and will supply 800 heavy haul locomotives of 12,000 horsepower capacity to the Indian Railways as per the contract signed in 2015.

Speaking exclusively to BusinessToday.In, Ling Fang, president, Alstom Asia Pacific said, "We have already delivered 76 locomotives to the Indian Railways and have successfully ramped up the capacity of the Madhepura locomotive factory. We will deliver 14 more locomotives to the Indian Railways by the end of this month". "Since the capacity ramp up of the facility has been completed, the Madhepura facility will be able to deliver 20 locomotives in month, which is almost double the earlier capacity," Fang added

ALSO READ: Fact check! Indian Railways denies cancelling special trains till March 31

Being asked whether the company would like to export the high-power locomotives manufactured in India, Ling confirmed that the company was looking forward to the opportunity. She, however, did not divulge more details on the export plans related to the Madhepura locomotives.

The Madhepura locomotive plant in Bihar set up by the JV is a greenfield unit spread across 250 acres. The unit will manufacture the first 800 locomotives for captive use of the Indian Railways.

The 12,000 HP locomotives are capable of hauling 6,000 tonnes at a top speed of 120 kmph and will be utilised on the dedicated freight corridor being developed by the Indian Railways.

ALSO READ: Piyush Goyal dedicates 88 Railway projects to nation worth Rs 1,000 crore

The locomotives delivered earlier have already been pressed into service by the Railways on the recently inaugurated sections of the dedicated freight corridor - the 351 Km Khurja-Bhaupur section of the Eastern Dedicated Freight Corridor (DFC), and 306 Km Rewai-Madar section of the Western DFC.

As per the contract, the JV will also conduct maintenance of the locomotives for a period of thirteen years.

ALSO READ: Indian Railways to never be privatised: Piyush Goyal

ALSO READ: India's first AC railway station to function in Bengaluru
Oman Air, the national carrier of the Sultanate of Oman, today (March 21) celebrated the 28th anniversary of its first ever flight, which took place between Muscat and Salalah in March 1993.



The inaugural flight, operated by Boeing 737-300, saw the beginning of the airlines regional footprint in Oman, and launched four months ahead of its first international flight to Dubai in July the same year.



Oman Air has come a long way since our beginnings as a regional carrier, remarked Abdulaziz Al Raisi, CEO of Oman Air. From connecting local communities here at home, weve since expanded our reach to connect Oman to the rest of the world, uniting families and loved ones for 28 years. Its a milestone that were proud to celebrate, and we look forward to continuing our remarkable journey in the years ahead.  TradeArabia News Service


RIVERS  Another display of aurora borealis graced Westman during the weekend, with a scene of green and purple seen dancing across the sky early Saturday.

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RIVERS  Another display of aurora borealis graced Westman during the weekend, with a scene of green and purple seen dancing across the sky early Saturday.

Just outside Rivers, away from urban light pollution, the northern lights vibrancy peaked shortly after 2 a.m. and appeared directly overhead at one point.

MATT GOERZEN/THE BRANDON SUN Brandon Sun reporter Tyler Clarke and editor Matt Goerzen stand silhouetted against the northern lights early Saturday.

The display is growing in prominence as the approximately 11-year solar cycle slowly ramps up, Brandon University astronomy Prof. Tyler Foster said.

According to NASA, a solar minimum occurred in December 2019, which marked a lull in solar activity and the start of a new solar cycle.

The slow upswing in solar activity is expected to peak at its solar maximum in 2025.

The last solar maximum occurred in June 2014.

"These are normal charged cycles of the sun  this is how sunspots appear on the sun," Foster said. "Were lucky here in Canada, we see these things so often."

MATT GOERZEN/THE BRANDON SUN A shower of northern lights are seen over the train trestle at Rivers in this time-lapse image.

The Earths magnetic field diverts much of the resulting solar wind made up of charged particles around the planet, but some are diverted to the north and south magnetic poles.

These particles reaction with the Earths upper atmosphere causes the glowing colours we see on Earth, with oxygen gas resulting in green colouration, while both red and purple represent nitrogen.

Its not only the solar cycle thats on an upswing, with interest in astronomy currently growing in prominence at Brandon University.

Foster said an informal program wherein telescopes are loaned out to students has never seen greater interest.

"Its becoming a more common hobby," he said, adding hes getting phone calls from students all the time expressing interest in astronomy.

 tclarke@brandonsun.com

 Twitter: @TylerClarkeMB
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The latest report by the United Nations childrens agency (UNICEF) has painted a grim picture of acute lack of potable water in Nigeria and its direct consequences on the health and growth of children.

The report was released on Monday in commemoration of World Water Day which is observed on March 22 every year, designated so by the UN to measure the worlds progress towards providing everyone with clean water for drinking and hygiene.

The annual event seeks to focus attention on the global water crisis. People and organizations mark World Water Day every year by taking action to tackle the water crisis in different ways.

In Nigeria, over 26.5 million children are extremely vulnerable to water-related diseases and antimicrobial resistance, the report found.

These children live with their families in vulnerable communities that face the double-edged sword of coping with high water scarcity levels while having the lowest water services, making access to sufficient water especially susceptible to climate shocks and extreme events.

According to the report, these communities depend on surface water, unimproved sources of water, or water that can take more than 30 minutes to collect.

Nigerian situation

According to the United Nations, by 2050, at least one in four people is likely to live in a country affected by chronic or recurring shortages of freshwater.

While the world is currently battling the outbreak of COVID-19, washing of hands, and other hygienic practices in Nigeria and other developing countries have become a difficult challenge as clean water is often in short supply.

Nigerias water minister, Suleiman Adamu said state governments through the state water boards are responsible for providing potable water for the public.

Despite billions invested in water supply over the years, a large population of Nigerians live in homes without running water.

Last September, the Nigeria Health Watch in partnership with EpiAFRIC conducted a survey in over 60 Primary Health Centres (PHCs) in Abuja and Niger State. The survey revealed the acute challenges of water in health facilities across Nigeria.

Vulnerable children are among the victims who suffer most from shortage of potable water.

UNICEF said over 100,000 children under-five die from water-borne diseases annually in Nigeria due to lack of access to clean water.

The worlds water crisis is not coming  it is here, and children are its biggest victims, said Peter Hawkins, UNICEF Representative in Nigeria.

When wells dry up, children are the ones missing school to fetch water. When droughts diminish food supplies, children suffer from malnutrition and stunting. When floods hit, children fall ill from waterborne illnesses. And when water is not available in Nigerian communities, children cannot wash their hands to fight off diseases, said Peter Hawkins

UNICEF report

The report, part of the Water Security for All initiative, identifies areas where physical water scarcity risks overlap with poor water service levels.

According to the report, more than 1.42 billion people  including 450 million children lack access to clean and potable water.

The UNICEF data showed that children in more than 80 countries live in areas with high or extremely high water vulnerability.

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Eastern and Southern Africa has the highest proportion of children living in such areas, with more than half of children  58 per cent  facing difficulty accessing sufficient water every day.

It is followed by West and Central Africa (31 per cent), South Asia (25 per cent), and the Middle East (23 per cent). South Asia is home to the largest number of children living in areas of high or extremely high water vulnerability  more than 155 million children.

Children in 37 hotspot countries face especially dire circumstances, in terms of absolute numbers, the proportions of children affected, and where global resources, support and urgent action must be mobilized. This list includes Afghanistan, Burkina Faso, Ethiopia, Haiti, Kenya, Niger, Nigeria, Pakistan, Papua New Guinea, Sudan, Tanzania, and Yemen.

Last year, the Nigerian Government and UNICEF released a WASH NORM study which showed that while there has been some progress, thanks to efforts by the Ministry of Water Resources and its partners to strengthen the sectors planning and monitoring  there is still much more work to be done in the country to ensure that all Nigerians have access to adequate and quality water and hygiene services.

Although about 70 per cent of Nigerians are reported to have access to basic water services, more than half of these water sources are contaminated. And although 73 per cent of the countrys population has access to a water source, only nine litres of water on average is available to a Nigerian daily.

At the current rate, the country will miss the SDG targets on peoples access to water, unless there is a strong commitment and appropriate action taken by all stakeholders, the report noted.

We have to act now both to address the water crisis in Nigeria to prevent it from getting worse and if we want to meet the SDGs, said Peter Hawkins. We can only achieve water security for every Nigerian  including the Nigerian child  through innovation, investment, and collaboration, and by ensuring services are sustainable and well-managed. We must act  for the sake of our children and our planet.
A huge funding boost has been announced to develop tourism in the Slieve Blooms.

A total of 770,000 has been announced this Monday to improve signage and walks in the Slieve Bloom Mountains.

Most of the grant from the Department of Rural and Community Development, is for the Offaly side of the mountains.

Offaly has also received funding for a project called 'Rediscovering Castle Bernards Historic Bridges.

There is to be 500,000 given to create a route from Kinnitty village to the starting point of the Slieve Bloom Mountain Bike Trails, and to build a new Kinnitty Woods Novice-Grade mountain bike trail loop.

In Laois, a project called 'Destination Slieve Bloom' will receive 270,000 to design and install new road signs directing visitors to the Slieve Blooms, and interpretative signs in the mountains.

The project "seeks to develop an integrated programme by all stakeholders for the Slieve Bloom area under the Slieve Bloom Development Partnership.

In all over 6 million has been announced in Ireland for 14 large-scale projects under Measure 3 of the Outdoor Recreation Infrastructure Scheme, by Minister Heather Humphreys TD.

The investment involves a significant development of popular outdoor amenities such as trails, walkways, cycleways, and blueways.

The funding will benefit 14 projects with investments of up to 500,000 each.

It is in addition to the 9.7 million approved for 212 small and medium projects earlier this year, and is being funded in partnership with Failte Ireland.

Other examples of the projects awarded funding include:

 Co. Galway  Improvements to the Connemara Trails and Eurovelo Route, including the replacement of two bridges along the Western Way and an upgrade to the mountain bike trail at Derroura Oughterard: 500,000.

 Co. Wicklow  Development of the Blue-light Blueway from Bray along the coast of Wicklow to Wexford: 499,338.

 Co. Limerick  Upgrade to the Limerick Greenway (Abbeyfeale, Newcastle West, Rathkeale and surrounding areas): 418,662.

 Co. Roscommon  Investment in the Mote Forest Park Outdoor Recreation Trail Experience and Cycle Link to Beara Breifne Way: 500,000.

 Co. Carlow - Connecting the Wicklow Way with the South Leinster Way: 371,250.

 Co. Monaghan  Significant enhancements of Hollywood Forest Park, which include the provision of a quality freshwater bathing site: 276,385.

 Co. Donegal  Letterkenny to Burtonport Greenway  The Muckish Railway Walk enhancement: 500,000.

 Co Cavan  Improved access to the new Killykeen Way, a 12km cycle and walking trail linking Killykeen Forest Park and Killeshandra.

 Cos. Cork, Mayo, Leitrim & Galway - Improved safety and sustainable access at four angling locations, including wheelchair accessible platforms: 500,000.

Announcing the funding, Minister Humphreys said:

I know how important our outdoor amenities have been to everyone during Covid-19. Thats why one of my main priorities as Minister for Rural and Community Development will continue to be investing in the great outdoors: Our greenways blueways, trails, cycle paths and forest walks.

The Outdoor Recreation Infrastructure Scheme has provided invaluable investment for outdoor amenities and facilities in rural areas over the past five years. In fact, since 2016, my Department has supported almost 1,000 projects.

I am delighted to announce the allocation of a further 6 million for 14 projects large-scale projects today. These projects will support the development and expansion of significant outdoor amenities and trails throughout the country which will benefit local communities and visitors alike. The investment will also have major spin-off economic benefits for our rural communities.
Singapore: A former ambassador to Myanmar has expressed concern at the apparent targeting of Australians trying to leave the strife-torn south-east Asian nation, describing the latest detention of an Australian couple at their home in Yangon as a very big worry for us.

Friends of Matthew OKane and Christa Avery, a Canadian-Australian, reacted with alarm at news they had been ordered back to their home in Myanmars largest city after being stopped from boarding a relief flight out of the country on Friday.

Matt OKane and Christa Avery, two Australians blocked from leaving Myanmar.

The military regimes move followed the arrest of Australian economist Sean Turnell on February 6, a key adviser to deposed civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi.

OKane and Avery have lived in Myanmar for 10 years and run a business consultancy in Yangon, while Avery also writes a blog documenting agriculture innovation in remote areas of the country including in Shan and Kachin states.
Samsung Electronics' Galaxy M smartphone / Captured from Samsung Electronics India webpage



By Baek Byung-yeul



Samsung Electronics has signed a contract with BOE to use smartphone displays made by the Chinese manufacturer as part of its effort to reduce production cost and consequently retain its leading position as the world's top smartphone maker, according to industry sources, Monday.



Under the contract, the sources said, Samsung is scheduled to adopt OLED panels from Chinese display maker BOE for its new budget Galaxy M smartphones, which will be released in the second half of this year.



This is the first time for BOE to supply its flexible OLED panels to Samsung, though the Chinese maker previously supplied its LCDs. OLEDs are considered more advanced compared to LCDs as they are much brighter and have a faster response time.



The deal took place as BOE has been desperate to find new customers while Huawei, one of the biggest clients of the display maker, has decreased smartphone production after being hit by the U.S. government's sanctions banning the company's supply of components made with U.S. equipment, software and designs.



Samsung has long been procuring its flexible OLEDs for smartphones from its display-making affiliate Samsung Display. But when it comes to producing the less-pricey Galaxy M series devices, which are designed to help Samsung retain its smartphone sales volume, the company's decision to use cheaper BOE panels appears to be a rational move, said industry officials.



At a time when the smartphone market has entered a matured stage, Samsung has been struggling with sustaining momentum in the handset business. According to data by market researcher Strategy Analytics, the company could retain its status as the world's largest smartphone maker by sales volume with a 19.5 percent market share in 2020, but this was the first time for the phone maker's share to drop below 20 percent since 2011.



The group-wide cost-cutting effort is in line with Samsung's mobile chief Roh Tae-moon's effort to find a breakthrough in the saturated smartphone market. Roh, who was named CEO of the company's smartphone division in January 2020, has been increasing smartphone production outsourcing to better compete with Chinese rivals that have launched quality low-priced products.



Thanks to Roh's efforts, the operating profit of Samsung's smartphone business in 2020 was at 11.47 trillion won ($10.15 billion), up 23.7 percent from 2019 when it was at 9.27 trillion won. The 2020 performance was the second-highest one during the past five years, following 2017 when it was at 11.83 trillion won.



Regarding the contract, a Samsung Electronics official declined to comment, saying, "The company doesn't reveal where it secures components for its smartphones."



A Samsung Display official also refused to answer beyond saying, "We don't answer questions related to our client companies."


Nielsen hired Grace in 2004 as vice president of communications and community affairs to rebuild its tarnished relationships with Blacks and Hispanics, taking advantage of her connections to Chicago civil rights leaders and elected officials, the lawsuit alleged. She was promoted to senior vice president of communications for the companys packaged goods division in 2007.
UW in the News

State, national and international media frequently feature the University of Wyoming and members of its community in stories. Here is a summary of some of the recent coverage:

The Casper Star-Tribune (CS-T) reported that UW will continue to offer in-person learning after students return from an abbreviated spring break later this month. The decision is based on the ongoing decline in COVID-19 cases and the growing availability of vaccines to protect against the virus among the campus community. Oil City News, Wyo4News and Y95 Country published UWs announcement.

UW economist Rob Godby was interviewed for an article that appeared in Coal Zoom, titled Whats In Store for Wyoming Coal Under Bidens Executive Orders? The article originally appeared in The CS-T.

Outdoor Life noted that the Wyoming Game and Fish Department collected more than 4,000 teeth from big-game animals submitted by hunters during the 2020 season. The ongoing research -- which includes UW personnel -- will be used to compile information on population dynamics and decisions about management strategies.

UW atmospheric science Assistant Professor Jeff French was interviewed by E&E News about eight states that are conducting cloud-seeding experiments in hopes of producing more moisture. Cloud-seeding research represents the cutting edge of weather and climate science, according to the E&E News article published by Scientific American.

The Laramie Boomerang noted that UW, along with community partners Ivinson Memorial Hospital and Albany County Public Health, is back on schedule administering COVID-19 vaccines to area residents after last weeks winter storm caused delay of shipments.

Bethann Garramon Merkle, the director of the Wyoming Science Communication Initiative at UW, discussed with Wyoming Public Radio on how scientists can better communicate their research for public consumption.

noted the water bear research of UW Assistant Professor Thomas Boothby. Boothby is researching how the microscopic animals, known as tardigrades, can withstand extreme conditions.

Laramie Live and Hits 106 published UWs release announcing the opening of The Lodge, a spacious, heated tent on UWs Fraternity Mall with cozy seating options, games and activities, and other amenities for students.

The UW College of Business is among 12 Daniels Fund Ethics Initiative Collegiate Program consortium schools hosting a screening of the popular Netflix docudrama The Social Dilemma next week. KGAB Radio published UWs announcement.

The Powell Tribune and Sheridan Media published UWs release noting that Deer 139, a documentary produced by the UW Haub School of Environment and Natural Resources, premiered online last week.

An informational session for students to learn more about the 2021 Fisher Innovation Launchpad is scheduled by UWs IMPACT 307 this week. The Rocket Miner published UWs release.

WyoToday.com published UWs release noting that 20 students in the Wyoming WWAMI (Washington, Wyoming, Alaska, Montana and Idaho) Medical Education Program received their white coats in a recent ceremony.
Pashinian explained that the appointment has come into effect by virtue of law.

The premier visited the Defense Ministry today to introduce Davtian to the staff. He expressed his confidence that Davtian will continue his mission at the same high level that he did before his resignation as chief of the General Staff in June 2020 for reasons not related to service.

Pashinian said that the army remained politically neutral during the early parliamentary elections in December 2018, expressing confidence that the same situation will be observed during upcoming early elections that he announced for June 20.

Lets agree that the principle of the army remaining depoliticized should be sacredly observed. It is necessary not for me, not for any specific individual or group, it is an important principle that is necessary for the Armed Forces themselves in the first place, the prime minister underscored.

In a statement issued today Davtian reaffirmed that as an entity that reports to the government and is under civil control the armed forces will continue to maintain political neutrality.

The Armenian premier named Davtian as new army chief earlier this month against the backdrop of a standoff with the leadership of the Armed Forces General Staff and its head Onik Gasparian who was dismissed shortly after he and four dozen other high-ranking officers demanded that Pashinian and his cabinet step down in a joint statement issued on February 25.

Gasparian and other generals and senior officers accused the government of putting Armenia on the brink of collapse after last years war in Nagorno-Karabakh.

Pashinian rejected the demand as a coup attempt and petitioned that President Armen Sarkissian sign a decree relieving Gasparian of his duties.

Sarkissian refused to sign such a decree on February 27, saying that it appeared to be unconstitutional and would deepen the unprecedented political crisis in the country. Pashinian criticized the refusal as unfounded and resent his motion to Sarkissian in another attempt to get him to fire Gasparian.

Sarkissian again refused to sign the decree drafted by the prime ministers office. But he made it clear that he would not ask the Constitutional Court to invalidate it within the timeframe envisaged by the legislation, effectively paving the way for Gasparians removal.

Under Armenian law, the president can keep blocking the prime ministers decisions only by appealing to the court.

The president eventually turned to the Constitutional Court, but he contested a provision of the law On Military Service and the Status of Servicemen on the basis of which the prime minister submitted the draft decree on Gasparians dismissal rather than the draft decree itself.

The entire process took place amid continuing street protests organized by a coalition of more than a dozen opposition parties called the Homeland Salvation Movement demanding Pashinians resignation over the defeat suffered by Armenian forces in the 2020 war against Azerbaijan.

Thousands of opposition supporters blockading a central boulevard in Yerevan voiced their solidarity with the military top brass and support for the generals call for Pashinians resignation.

Later, Pashinian named Davtian as a new candidate for the post of the chief of the Armed Forces General Staff. Davtian already occupied the post in 2018-2020.

Sarkissian initially also challenged Pashinians new pick for the army chief, but eventually indicated that, while not signing it, he would not take the prime ministers draft decree to the Constitutional Court either.

Meanwhile, on March 17, an administrative court accepted Colonel-General Gasparians lawsuit against his dismissal, effectively granting his request to be considered chief of the General Staff before the case is heard in court.

The prime ministers office, however, insisted that even though the president did not sign the decree on Gasparians dismissal he was still considered to be relieved of his duties by virtue of law. It said that the constitution does not provide for a reverse decision in such cases.

Gasparians lawyer Artur Hovannisian as well as a considerable number of legal experts and opposition parties and groups consider, however, that after the administrative courts decision Gasparian continues to service in his official capacity as chief of the General Staff.

Hovannisian said on March 22 that his client would file a complaint against Davtians appointment.

Relevant statements on this crime will be sent to authorized bodies, the lawyer said.
On Monday, the House of Representatives Oversight and Reform Committee held a hearing on H.R. 51, a bill that would grant statehood to the District of Columbia. The House already passed the measure in 2020, the first time a D.C. statehood bill passed either chamber of Congress, but it died in the Republican-controlled Senate. Now that Democrats control the Senateand Joe Biden, a statehood supporter, sits in the White Housethey hope they can finally grant D.C.s 712,000 residents full representation, voting rights, and control over their own criminal justice system.

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That last goal is often left out of the statehood debate, and received little attention at Mondays hearing. On Friday, however, Bidens Department of Justice underscored D.C.s lack of authority over criminal prosecutions, a direct consequence of its lack of state sovereignty. In a court filing, the DOJ confirmed that it would continue the Trump administrations policy of charging certain firearm offenses in federal court instead of D.C. courtexposing defendants to far lengthier prison sentences. This initiative is a painful reminder of the discrimination and inequities that district residents face even when a Democrat occupies the White House.

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Like all 50 states, the District of Columbia has elected representatives who pass laws regulating conduct within its borders. Unlike a state, though, D.C. does not have its own prosecutors who are empowered to charge felony offenses under those laws. Instead, the U.S. Attorneys Office for the District of Columbia prosecutes felonies under the D.C. code and charges felonies under federal criminal law. The D.C. Council may pass criminal laws, but it must rely on federal prosecutors to enforce them. And D.C. residents have essentially no say in who that person is; the Districts U.S. attorney is nominated by the president and confirmed by the Senate, in which D.C. residents have no voting representation.

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This arrangement regularly wreaks havoc on the limited amount of home rule that Congress has already granted D.C. The District can pass its own criminal laws, but federal prosecutors get to decide how theyre implemented. For instance, U.S. Attorney Jessie Liu, a Donald Trump nominee, routinely declined to charge acts of bias-motivated violence as hate crimes under the D.C. code, even as such violence surged. These prosecutors can also interfere with the lawmaking process itself: In 2019, for example, Liuwho did not even live in the Districtlobbied against a criminal justice reform bill up for consideration by the D.C. Councils democratically elected leaders.

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That perverse crusade ultimately failed. But that same year, Liu successfully implemented a far worse assault on D.C.s criminal justice system. In February 2019, her office announced that it would begin to charge many felon in possession cases in federal court rather than D.C. Superior Court. (These cases involved people convicted of felony offenses who were found with a firearm.) It is illegal under both federal and D.C. law to possess a gun if you were previously convicted of a felony. But the penalties for the federal offense are much harsher: The defendants sentence may be twice as long if they are prosecuted under federal law instead of D.C. law, thanks in part to different sentencing guidelines in the two jurisdictions. Shortly before Liu introduced the program, the D.C. Sentencing Commission had reduced the range of sentences for felons in possessionover the opposition of the U.S. attorney. Rather than accept defeat, federal prosecutors engaged in an end-run around democracy by shunting these cases into federal court.

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By denying statehood to D.C., Republicans subject 712,000 people to the whims of unelected federal prosecutors.

Liu initially defended her initiative on the grounds that it would allow the District to use federal resources when investigating gun crimes. When the Impact Defense Initiative at Harvard Law School contested this reasoning, her office admitted that its actual goal was simply to secure longer sentences for firearm offenders. Although Liu initially won support from D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser, D.C. Attorney General Karl Racine strongly opposed the policy, even arguing against it in court. So did the D.C. Council, which noted that Liu had undermined home rule as well as the councils efforts to reduce incarceration rates and racial disparities in the Districts criminal justice system.

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Actually, the initiative didnt just produce racial disparities; it was, in itself, racist. Prosecutors were not enforcing the initiative District-wide, as they claimed, but only in predominantly Black neighborhoods, the Washington Post revealed in September 2020. CNN also reported that Black prosecutors within the U.S. Attorneys Office had protested the enforcement of the program almost exclusively against Black people, to no avail. Following these revelations, Bowser distanced herself from the policy, describing it as yet another example of why D.C. needs local control of the judicial system, including the ability to hold its prosecutors accountable.

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Without statehood, though, D.C. could not hold anyone accountable. The best the District could do was hope that Biden would appoint a U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia who would abandon the program. Civil rights advocates were heartened when Biden named Channing Phillips, a proponent of home rule, as acting U.S. attorney for D.C. Their hopes were dashed on Friday, when Phillips informed a federal judge that he would maintain the program. Phillips suggested that his office had solved the racism problem by applying the policy District-wide, but there is no doubt that it will still reflect the broader racial disparities that infect D.C. policing. After all, Black people make up around 47 percent of the Districts population and 97 percent of those charged with being a felon in possession.

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Andrew Crespo, a Harvard Law professor and head of the schools Impact Defense Initiative, speculated on Monday that Phillips position might be a mistake, pointing out that several key Biden nominees to the DOJ still havent won Senate confirmation. Crespo highlighted Vanita Gupta and Kristen Clarke, two civil rights luminaries, are awaiting a vote; once theyre confirmed, they may reassess a broad range of criminal justice policies, including this one. A Justice Department fully staffed with Biden appointees may overrule Phillips and demand an end to this holdover policy from the Trump years.

Of course, District residents should not have to just hope that federal officials let them exercise control over their own criminal justice system. Mondays congressional hearing on H.R. 51 largely focused on the disenfranchisement of hundreds of thousands of racial minorities, but there are so many other indignities and injustices that flow from the lack of statehood. By denying self-determination to the people of D.C., Republicans do not just preserve taxation without representation; they subject 712,000 people to the whims of unelected federal prosecutors, spurning the right of citizens to determine the appropriate punishment for local crimes.

When other countries subvert basic democratic principles to jack up punishments against disfavored minorities, we call it tyranny. When it happens in the District of Columbia, we call it business as usual.
A state air quality monitor at Nederland High School could be moving as construction on campus continues.

The Nederland City Council on Monday will consider a resolution to grant permission to the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality to use some land relatively nearby to install a new monitoring station.

City Manager Chris Duque said the land in question, site of the former municipal water plant at 17th and Canal Avenue, is across the street from the current plant. The new station would likely stay there, if approved, he said.

The proposed site wouldnt be that far from the existing one, Duque said. I dont know if it will be a permanent move, but they havent given any indication in their proposal that it would be relocated at some point.

TCEQ says it started planning the move after Nederland ISD officials informed the agency that the station would be in the way of new construction at the campus.

Voters in May 2019 approved a $151.1 million bond issue to construct a new high school and make upgrades to two middle schools and four elementary schools.

Construction started last summer, although the pandemic has slowed progress.

The current air monitoring station has been operational since 2006. A second Nederland monitor was added at Jack Brooks Regional Airport in 2008.

The monitors are a part of a network of at least 15 stations in Southeast Texas that collect and report ambient air data. TCEQ uses them to track air quality and warn residents of potential breathing hazards.

TCEQ spokesman Brian McGovern told The Enterprise that the relocation could be finished as soon as August.

The new station will measure the same pollutants currently measured at the high school location: nitrogen oxides, ozone, volatile organic compounds by automated gas chromatograph (autoGC), and meteorological conditions, McGovern said in an email.

The Nederland City Council will meet at 4:30 p.m. Monday at Nederland City Hall.

jacob.dick@beaumontenterprise.com

twitter.com/jd_journalism
As we look ahead to the all-important United Nations Climate Change Conference of the Parties (COP26) in Glasgow later this year, we hope Powerhouse technology can be championed as a part of the solution to the worlds environmental challenges

s ( ) executive chairman has outlined his long-term vision for its technology, announced good progress in Poland and welcomed a significant new shareholder.

On Friday, the AIM-listed companys Turner Pope Investments placed 142mln existing shares with institutional investors, including Janus Henderson-managed 1798 Volantis Fund, and other high-net worth clients.

The sale of these shares by three former shareholders of Waste2Tricity Limited, which was acquired by Powerhouse last July, removes a potential share sale overhang.

Speaking at the Gabelli Environmental Services Symposium last week, Tim Yeo said the companys prospects are very promising and progress in Poland has been so satisfactory that the first plants there may be commissioned within a similar time frame to those in the UK.

Last November, the sustainable hydrogen company signed a preliminary agreement with Hydrogen Utopia International Limited (HUI) with a view to granting HUI an exclusive non-transferable licence for the application of its DMG technology in the country.

Revealing Powerhouses international ambitions, Yeo said the company intends to examine market conditions in other east and Central European countries later this year.

He hopes the project in Poland will be the first of many international projects for Powerhouse Energy, where it would adopt a similar business model to that envisaged with Peel NRE in Britain and HUI in Poland.

However, Yeo stressed that the firms immediate priority remains to ensure its first hydrogen facility, based at Peel NREs Protos site, meets the target of being commissioned and operational by the end of the first quarter in 2022.

The clean energy firm also confirmed that 77 sites have been identified as potential locations for Powerhouse plants in the UK.

As we look ahead to the all-important United Nations Climate Change Conference of the Parties (COP26) in Glasgow later this year, we hope Powerhouse technology can be championed as a part of the solution to the worlds environmental challenges, Yeo said in a release.

I am delighted that TPI were able to place these Powerhouse shares with a significant institutional shareholder and a small number of other investors. This materially advances the boards strategy of strengthening our long-term investor base.
Chinese authorities have summoned local social media companies to help them crack down on the use of voice-changing software amongst activists to uphold "national security."

The Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC) has released a notice on Thursday ordering local social media and technology companies to bolster security assessment of emerging internet-related technologies and applications such as voice-changing software and deep-fake technology. These efforts are in line with the Chinese authorities' recent tightening of regulations on internet companies and platforms that include those in tech and finance sectors.

China's efforts of clamping down on voice-changing software, which are often used by activists to speak out anonymously, is part of the move by the Chinese Communist Party to "strengthen the security management of Internet-based information services" and "[safeguard] national security and social order," Chinese state-run propaganda outlet Global Times reported.

Among the 11 Chinese internet companies that were summoned by the CAC were the world's largest video game vendor Tencent, multinational electronics company Xiaomi, video-sharing mobile app company Kuaishou, ByteDance, which is the developer of TikTok and its Chinese counterpart Douyin, e-commerce giant Alibaba, streaming service NetEase Music, and digital audio content company Ximalaya.

Part of the CAC's efforts on clamping down on voice-changing software and deep-fake technologies are what they call "on-spot inspection," which will force companies to comply with strict Chinese laws on "[safeguarding] internet transmission order."

Wang Peng, an associate professor at the Gaoling School of Artificial Intelligence at the Renmin University of China explained that deep-fake technology and voice-changing software have a "high potential to deceive" and can be used in a variety of applications, "which can cause a lot of problems." Wang argued, "By leveraging the deep-fake technology, it is difficult for law enforcers to identify whether audio and video content is true to become evidence."

Wang believes that voice-changing software and deep-fake technology have "a negative impact on the society" and said the investigation into these Chinese multinational companies is "overdue" as their actions can pose a threat to public safety, the rights and interests of consumers, and market order.

According to Radio Free Asia, the Chinese authorities' clamping down on voice-changing software is a move to bolster already existing government censors. An internet technician with the last name of Zhan shared that voice messages sent through Douyin and other platforms are stored in the company's servers, which can be accessed by Chinese police. He added that public wi-fi networks also have a "mirror port," which is controlled by police. Any data sent or received through this port can be accessed by authorities. This poses several privacy issues.

An internet activist with a surname Ding mused that the government is once again trying to demonstrate control over the country's biggest tech companies and the social media platforms they run, some of which are used by activists to speak out on the CCP's abuses. She said, "They are tightening controls yet again. Their next step will be to go after Tencent, and then to nationalize Alibaba."

Republic World reported that last year, Alibaba founder Jack Ma criticized Beijing's economic policy, causing the Chinese government to bar its parent company, Ant Group, to make one of the biggest IPO debuts in the world with $37 billion.

China's latest move against voice-changing software removes one of the protections that people speaking out against the Chinese Communist Party's excesses. The CCP is known to have been targeting different groups of people in recent years, including, in particular, Christians and Christian churches, human rights activists, and Uyghurs.
China has been accused of bombarding an MP with intimidating messages on social media after a parliamentary committee on which she serves issued a critical report on Beijings treatment of Uighur Muslims in Xinjiang.

The House of Commons Business Committee last week released a report which said thatBritish firms should be subject to sanctions if they cannot show they are not complicit in the use of forced labour in the region, where China faces allegations - which it denies - of repression of the Uighurs.

Conservative MP Nusrat Ghani told the Commons today that the publication was followed by a flood of hostile messages.

And she was backed by international trade minister Greg Hands, who said that the apparent targeting of her by anybody in an intimidatory way, including by foreign embassies, is totally unacceptable.

Ms Ghani, who has been a vocal critic of Beijings activities in Xinjiang, told the Commons: Officials from the Chinese Embassy in London are accusing Members of Parliament, the committee - and, I therefore believe, the House - of lies.

She said she had been bombarded with tweets, including accusations suggesting that some politicians choose to believe the lies made up by a few or choose a dance with anti-China elements in their clumsy dramas and stating that by getting involved in frivolous and preposterous farces aiming to discredit and smear China MPs will only end up undercutting their own reputation as a laughing stock.

Read more:

One tweet suggested that this could result in them facing the reckoning of justice, she said.

Ms Ghani asked deputy speaker Rosie Winterton to rule on whether an accusation of a committee report being full of lies could be viewed as contempt of Parliament.

And she said: This goes against the grain of allowing MPs to conduct their work without fear. Whether accusing a select committee report of being full of lies is also contempt of Parliament.

Colleagues have noted, to me that the language used publicly that Ive been subjected to could be considered as threatening

I hope that you agree with me we should not allow foreign interference to challenge the house, or any select committees or any MP, doing what theyve been elected to do.

Ms Ghani was backed by the chair of the Intelligence and Security Committee, Julian Lewis, who called on the Speaker to make representations to the Chinese Embassy.

Somebody attached to a foreign embassy sending an electronic message directly to the Twitter account of a parliamentarian would make anybody feel intimidated, said Dr Lewis.

Ms Winterton responded: It is clearly unacceptable that members of committees of this House should feel in any way threatened as a result of the views they express.

Any kind of intimidatory behaviour directed at members of a committee is wrong and this House should take it very seriously.

Ms Winterton said that she understood that the official involved has stated that he is not seeking to be threatening but said Ms Ghani should raise the issue with the House authorities if she does not feel the matter is resolved.

Mr Hands said he would raise Ms Ghanis complaints with foreign secretary Dominic Raab.
Three of President Biden's top border officials are traveling to Mexico today and then Guatemala to meet with top foreign government officials about solutions to migration surges at the U.S. border, two senior administration officials told reporters Monday morning.

Why it matters: The administration is scrambling to handle the skyrocketing numbers of migrant kids and families crossing from Mexico into the country. The majority come from the Northern Triangle  traveling through both Guatemala and Mexico to cross the border into the U.S.

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75% of family members and unaccompanied minors who crossed into the U.S. last month came from Honduras, Guatemala and El Salvador, according to agency data.

Exclusive photos shared with Axios from inside a U.S. Customs and Border Protection temporary overflow facility in Donna, Texas, reveal the crowded, makeshift conditions at the border.

Rep. Henry Cuellar (D-Texas) provided the photos to Axios to raise awareness about the situation. He did not take the photos himself and said they were snapped over the weekend.

Because the Biden administration has restricted media coverage at housing facilities, images like these offer a rare window into conditions.

Photo: Courtesy of Rep. Henry Cuellar (D-Texas)

Photo: Courtesy of Rep. Henry Cuellar (D-Texas)

Photo: Courtesy of Rep. Henry Cuellar (D-Texas)

The details: Southern border coordinator Roberta Jacobson, the National Security Council's senior director for the Western Hemisphere Juan Gonzalez and the State Department's recently-appointed Northern Triangle special envoy Ricardo Zuniga will travel to Mexico today to meet with the foreign secretary, deputy foreign secretary and other officials.

Gonzalez and Zuniga will then travel to Guatemala to meet with Guatemalan officials, including President Alejandro Giammattei and Foreign Minister Pedro Bolo.

The trip "builds on the administrations focused work on addressing the root causes of irregular migration as a cyclical regional issue that neither starts nor stops at the southern border of the United States," a senior administration official said on the call.

Due to technological difficulties, officials did not take questions.

Between the lines: The officials indicated the focus will be on how the U.S. can help alleviate corruption, violence, economic devastation and effects of climate change in parts of Central America  key drivers of migration.

Story continues

Immigration experts and the Biden administration have long considered U.S. investment in Central America to be the best long-term strategy for mitigating surges at the border.

"Really, the only way to sustainably address the root causes of migration is to make sure that you're promoting job creation in places like Guatemala," one official said.

Biden has touted a four-year, $4 billion plan to address the root causes of migration from Central America  including help for parts of southern Mexico.

Officials also said they are working with Northern Triangle countries to create legal pathways for migration to avoid migrants having to make the perilous trip.

The big picture: On a March 4 call, Biden and Giammattei agreed their teams would meet to begin work on a plan to address migration. The Biden administration also has been "in constant dialogue" with Mexico, according to one official, but wanted to meet in person.

The U.S. has already reportedly been asking Mexico for help to get the border numbers under control, including taking in more migrant families.

The day after reports that the Biden administration would send 2.5 million doses of the coronavirus vaccine to Mexico, the country's immigration agency announced that it would be sending additional immigration law enforcement to its southern border with Guatemala, citing child trafficking concerns.

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ALBUQUERQUE, N.M.  The West Side will be getting a little sweeter with the opening of Crepes & Waffles in April.

Owner Menny Esquivel said he believes his new restaurant, at the corner of Coors and Rio Bravo SW, will be the only restaurant in the city to serve exclusively crepes and waffles.

I think this is gonna be something delicious for everybody, he said.

Esquivel, who has a background in media and currently works as a Spanish media specialist for New Mexico United, said he got the idea to enter the food industry last year and wanted to bring in a new concept to Albuquerque.

We were like, We need to open something that is going to be, like, the only place in Albuquerque to go and eat and have a good time,' he said. And we decided to go with the crepes and waffles.

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Esquivel said crepe restaurants are very popular in Mexico, and he thinks that popularity will transfer over with a West Side location.

I love that community because I grew up over there on 98th and Central when I came here from Mexico, he said. I just felt that we had to open up the crepes and waffles over there on that corner.

The menu will consist of several crepe options and two waffle options with the ability for customers to add additional toppings.

Customers will also be able to view the crepes through a window while they are made.

While the prices for the menu arent set yet, Esquivel said he expects the prices to range from around $6 to $10 per plate.

Avanyu Plaza progress

Construction has started on several buildings at the Indian Pueblo Cultural Centers Avanyu Plaza, according to a release.

Our development at Avanyu Plaza also provides terrific economic opportunities for Pueblo and local communities and continues to transform the 12th Street corridor into a vibrant, thriving area in which both residents and visitors can eat, shop, learn and discover, Mike Canfield, president and CEO of IPCC and Indian Pueblos Marketing, said in a news release.

Once completed, the Indian Pueblo Opportunity Center at Avanyu will have an additional three buildings with more than 20,000 square feet of retail space, spokeswoman Yvette Perez wrote in a news release announcing the construction.

Perez said tenants will include the new 12th Street Tavern, a wellness collective with a retail shop and spaces for massage therapists and other self-care and healing-focused service providers, classrooms and a meeting space.

Construction is expected to finish this fall.

Avanyu Plaza is located on 12th Street north of Interstate 40.

Southwest Composite Works expands

Manufacturing company Southwest Composite Works has expanded with a move to a much larger facility in southeast Albuquerque, according to a news release.

We needed a space that matched our drive to expand and grow as a company, company owner John Groth said in the release.

The new space, at 509 General Chennault SE, is nearly four times the size of the previous location and will allow the company to expand its business.

Southwest Composite Works, which was founded in 1994, specializes in manufacturing compression molding and carbon fiber forging, according to the release.

Wingstop comes to the SE Heights

Popular chicken wing restaurant Wingstop flew into the Southeast Heights with the opening of a new location at San Mateo and Zuni.

Like other locations of the restaurant, the new site at 5555 Zuni SE features a menu of bone-in and boneless wings along with chicken tenders and more, according to the companys website.

Orders can be placed for carryout or for delivery.

The new location is open Sunday through Thursday 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. and Friday and Saturday from 11 a.m. to midnight.

Pilar Martinez covers retail and commercial real estate for the Journal. She can be reached at pmartinez@abqjournal.com.
Campus News

With pandemic looming large, public health school sees significant bump in applications

Sarahmona Przybyla, assistant dean for undergraduate public health programs in the School of Public Health and Health Professions, teaches a class in Diefendorf Hall. Applications to UBs bachelors program in public health have increased 168% compared to last year. Photo: Meredith Forrest Kulwicki



By DAVID J. HILL

Frankly, its not a discipline that is that well known in the general public. Most students I interact with dont say to me When I was in kindergarten, I knew I wanted to pursue a career in public health.  Sarahmona Przybyla, assistant dean and director of undergraduate public health programs School of Public Health and Health Professions

Katherine Connelly is an ardent advocate for public health. Seeing how the COVID-19 pandemic has ravaged every corner of the globe has only furthered Connellys fervor for the field. I just wish I knew about the profession sooner, says Connelly, a student in the master of public health program in the School of Public Health and Health Professions. Thanks to COVID-19, the profession is more front and center than its ever been. The phrase public health has been about as ubiquitous as social distancing over the past year. Many more people now understand what the field is, and the critical role these practitioners play in times of crisis, such as a global pandemic. The pandemic has shown the world the value of public health, says Jean Wactawski-Wende, dean of the School of Public Health and Health Professions, which has seen significant growth at both the undergraduate and graduate levels over the past several years. The growth in our public health programs is clear evidence that young people are heeding the call to join this meaningful field.

More undergrads pursuing major

Interest in the profession has been steadily building in recent years, but many public health schools have seen a bump within the past year in particular. Thats true in UBs School of Public Health and Health Professions, where applications to the bachelors program in public health increased by 70% compared to last year. Until recently, public health was viewed as a silent profession, says Sarahmona Przybyla, assistant dean and director of undergraduate public health programs in the School of Public Health and Health Professions. Frankly, its not a discipline that is that well known in the general public, she says. Most students I interact with dont say to me When I was in kindergarten, I knew I wanted to pursue a career in public health. Another challenge was that for a long time, few high school guidance counselors were aware of public health as an undergraduate course of study. They often advised prospective high school students who expressed an interest in the field to major in biology or another related discipline first, then apply to a graduate program in public health. What used to happen was students would come to UB planning to pursue a different major. They would take an intro to public health course because it met some requirement for that particular major, and then they would become interested in learning more about public health, Przybyla says. A lot of them would say they didnt know they could major in public health as an undergraduate. Parents also werent as familiar with it. Plus, they were concerned about the job and career prospects for their child after obtaining a degree in public health. The reality is, theres tons of job potential out there, Przybyla says. Traditional public health roles include working in health departments, hospital systems, governmental organizations and health-related research. Newer roles include working in community health by providing health education and health programing; developing interventions to address health inequities at local or national non-profits; planning and supporting healthy environments with access to parks, walking paths and bike lanes; and promoting healthy behaviors through wellness programs. Erie County Commissioner of Health Gale Burstein, agrees about the need for public health professionals. The COVID-19 pandemic exposed significant gaps in our public health infrastructure. We need every person considering a career in public health to step forward and be a part of this profession. There are so many ways in which to contribute to disease prevention and health promotion, adds Burstein, who holds faculty appointments in the Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences and the School of Public Health and Health Professions. Johnathan Lim, a junior biostatistics major, switched his minor from economics to public health as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Lim is from Singapore, and hes seen firsthand how different countries have handled the pandemic. Before COVID-19, public health was extremely overlooked, Lim says. After graduating, I hope to take a deeper dive and help out in any COVID-19 research that can contain the pandemic as soon as possible, then the world can focus on other issues such as leukemia, Alzheimers and prevention of future SARS-related pandemics, to name a few.

Growth in graduate programs
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Police Dept. Hiring 3 School Resource Officers

By Bill Hughes

PADUCAH - After getting funding through a federal grant program, the Paducah Police Department is accepting applications for School Resource Officers that will work in Paducah Public Schools.Last July, the city got a Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) Program grant to fund the majority of the cost to hire up to three SROs. The city and the school system entered into a formal agreement in January, in which they would split the 25 percent match portion of the grant until its fourth year. They would also split the full cost of retaining the officers beyond that time.Currently, the school system has only one SRO, who is based at Paducah Tilghman High School. One of the new hires would join that officer at PTHS, another would be based at Paducah Middle School, and the third would rotate between the three elementary schools.Chief of Police Brian Laird told West Kentucky Star, "We recognized there was a gap in school resource officers within the city, so (Superintendent) Dr. Donald Shively and I were having conversations about how we could get one officer in the middle school, and as those conversations were ongoing, this grant became available to allow us to apply for that and to be able to put three officers in the schools, so we jumped on that."Laird said the main goal for the program is the security of students, but it's also broader than that.He said, " To build stronger relationships with the kids that are in the schools and to be a resource for the students, for the teachers, and just help out where we can."One officer would Laird said when school is out, the officers would be involved in summer programs so they can maintain the connections they have made with many students.Starting pay for the positions is $54,211, which includes $4,000 state incentive pay. A comprehensive health and wellness plan, paid vacation, holidays and sick leave, and a uniform allowance are also included. More details about the job, including requirements and responsibilities, are posted on the department's Facebook page.Laird said the department would likely take applications for about 30 days. They hope to have the officers in place for the new school year, starting this fall.
Benedetto, good friends for years with Lavine, says his colleague is honest and keeps confidential what should be kept confidential. Its hard for me to believe that he hasnt been slowly training for this his entire life, Benedetto said of Lavines job as Judiciary Committee chairman overseeing the Cuomo impeachment investigation.

Blair Horner, executive director of the New York Public Interest Group, said Lavine "came in as an outsider and clearly has become an important member of the (Democratic) conference. I think they rely on him for his legal expertise. He's one of the nicest people in the Legislature and is always even-keeled."

DiNapoli, also close friends with Lavine, said he quickly saw in Lavine in 2005 a lawmaker who had some insurgent ideas but went out of his way to establish himself as a colleague first.

Hes someone I trusted immensely not just for his intelligence and political intuition, but his political style. Hes a deep-thinking legislator, DiNapoli said.

Now, Lavine has begun a process investigating Cuomo  with full subpoena-issuance powers  and no one knows how it might conclude.
The Manitoba NDP says it will delay a piece of Progressive Conservative legislation that proposes to restrict the rights of protesters.

The Manitoba NDP says it will delay a piece of Progressive Conservative legislation that proposes to restrict the rights of protesters.

Bill 57 (Protection of Critical Infrastructure Act) would allow owners or operators of "critical infrastructure" to apply to the Court of Queens Bench for an order to halt or limit protests.

Individuals who run afoul of the proposed law would face fines of up to $5,000 per day and/or jail time.

It would apply not only to protests around highways and pipelines, but to food-processing and packing plants, hospitals and medical clinics, courthouses, and waste disposal sites.

"Manitobans have a right to protest peacefully without fear of punishment," NDP MLA and justice critic Nahanni Fontaine said Monday in a news release. "Bill 57 gives the PC government total authority to silence the voices of those who oppose them and suppress dissent.

"Instead of picking fights with Indigenous peoples and environmental organizations, the Pallister government should listen to them and commit to creating policies that make life better for everyone in Manitoba."

The bill is expected to face a court challenge from Indigenous and environmental groups.

Rules of the legislature allow the Opposition to hold back five bills until the fall sitting.

The NDP announced earlier it will also hold back Bill 16 (Labour Relations Amendment Act) and Bill 35 (Public Utilities Ratepayer Protection and Regulatory Reform Act).
NASHVILLE  To highlight the states number one industry, Gov. Bill Lee has proclaimed March 23 as Tennessee Ag Day. The Tennessee Department of Agriculture invites citizens to join them in celebrating agriculture and forestry businesses and workers. This special day is set aside to help people understand how food and fiber are produced and the role farmers and foresters play in providing safe, abundant, and affordable products.

For many Tennesseans, Ag Day is every day, Commissioner Charlie Hatcher, D.V.M. said. Families across the state work hard to make sure we have a dependable food supply and premium lumber products. This is the second Ag Day during the COVID-19 pandemic and that environment spotlights the critical work and economic impact of the agriculture industry.

Virtual Ag Day on the Hill is the following day, Wed., March 24. Lawmakers in the House Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee will hear from a group of speakers that have a diverse history in the agriculture industry. The public can tune into this virtual event live at 2 p.m. CDT with the Tennessee General Assembly.

The National Ag Day theme is Food Brings Everyone to the Table. Whether families get their food from the farm, farmers market, or grocery store, meals are the perfect time to reflect on where quality food comes from and how purchases support local communities.

Agriculture industry partners statewide will celebrate Ag Day with online events, physically distant celebrations, and outdoor activities. To help cultivate the next generation of farmers and foresters, universities and K-12 schools will have a chance to promote the vast opportunities ag-related careers offer.

The Tennessee Department of Agricultures mission is to serve the citizens of Tennessee by promoting responsible uses of our agricultural and forest resources, developing economic opportunities, and ensuring safe and dependable food and fiber. Visit www.tn.gov/agriculture to learn more.
Line of Duty viewers were left very amused after spotting an actress who looked remarkably similar to Theresa May in Sunday night's episode.

The hit police drama kicked off its sixth series in typical dramatic style, however it was an actress with shoulder-length grey hair who got some chatting on Twitter.

Taking to social media, several people joked that the former Prime Minister, 64, had made a 'strong and stable' cameo in the extremely popular show.

Theresa, is that you? Line Of Duty viewers were left very amused after spotting an actress who looked remarkably similar to former Prime Minister Theresa May in Sunday night's episode

In the scene, the woman is seen stood up and taking notes while DI Kate Fleming [Vicky McClure] and her colleagues listen to a briefing from new character Detective Chief Inspector Joanne Davidson [Kelly Macdonald].

The actress, who is wearing a navy blue cardigan over a smart pink collared shirt, looks serious as she listens to the information in the murder investigation.

Several people commented on the lady's similarity to Theresa May, with them both having similar hairstyles and smart attire.

There she is: Several people joked that the former Prime Minister, 64, had made a 'strong and stable' cameo in the show (Theresa May is pictured in 2019)

One viewer wrote: 'Good to see Theresa Mays keeping busy with a strong and stable cameo in #LineOfDuty'

While another penned: 'Hello to the Theresa May taking notes in the middle #LineOfDuty'

And a third confused viewer added: 'Whats Theresa May doing there? #LineOfDuty'

'Strong and stable' was a phrase regularly used by May in the lead-up to the 2017 election and has since become popular in memes.

Reaction: Several people joked about the actress' similarity to Theresa May, with some joking that her appearance was 'the best plot twist yet'

Line Of Duty delighted viewers with several plot twists on Sunday and even taught a new acronym, with many hilariously mishearing it for something much cruder.

One of the stand-out new terms which was repeated many times by the cast was CHIS, which stands for Covert Human Intelligence Sources.

However many viewers revealed that they'd be hearing the much cheekier term 'jizz' for the majority of the intrigue-filled episode.

One particular scene with DCI Davidson and DI Fleming saw them repeat the phrase several times with the women asking another officer to 'help us locate your CHIS'.

One person tweeted: 'This is the jizz handler?' while someone else added: 'Ah it's CHIS... for half an hour I thought I'd been hearing JIZZ'

And another penned: 'Everytime they said CHIS in that episode, I heard JIZZ. And they said it A LOT. And I couldn't unhear it!'

It's back! Line Of Duty's hotly anticipated sixth season kicked off with a bang on Sunday night

Shady? New character DCI Joanne Davidson certainly left her mark on the show

The first episode of also saw several twists, perhaps most shockingly with the revelation that long-term AC-12 member Kate is now working with a new team.

While chatting to her new gaffer DCI Davidson, Kate says: 'I got fed upon nicking coppers, I'd rather go after the psycho who murdered Gail [Vella].'

But despite seeming confident in her new role, some viewers were left wondering if all was at it seems and theorised that Kate could still be undercover for AC-12.

While elsewhere Terry Boyle, who was used by the OCG in previous series and famously had a body hidden in his freezer, was reintroduced.

Oops! Several fans joked they'd been hearing the word 'jizz' rather than CHIS during the show

The character, who has Downs Syndrome, was arrested after a police raid on an address and mistakingly gave the wrong name to officers when questioned.

His involvement left many fans shocked at the development, with some saying they felt sorry for him being dragged back into the criminal activity.

Adding to the intrigue, the raid itself also became suspicious as DCI Davidson seemed to be delaying her team's arrival when she 'spotted' a robbery in place.

This potentially shady move tipped her as a 'bent copper' for most of the hour-long show but in true Line Of Duty style things got more complex at the end.

DCI Jo was then revealed as being romantically involved with one of her staff, Farida, who had earlier reported her to DS Arnott to look into as being corrupt.
Mumbai, Mar. March 22 : As the beleaguered Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government of Maharashtra reels under the 'letter-bomb' posted by former Mumbai Commissioner of Police Param Bir Singh, it has emerged that the high profile IPS officer has strong 'family ties' with leaders close to Opposition Bharatiya Janata Party.

Little known to many, the ace ex-Mumbai top cop's son Rohan P. Singh is married with Rupali S. Meghe, the grand-daughter of a respected senior BJP politician from Nagpur, Dattatraya R. Meghe.

Rupali is the daughter of Sagar Meghe, also an ex-MLC of BJP plus an academician and businessman-turned-wannabe politician whose career failed to ignite after he lost the Lok Sabha elections from Wardha in 2014 as a Congress candidate.

Currently, Sagar Meghe is understood to have a setup in Dubai handling the overseas affairs of the reputed chain of educational institutions founded by his illustrious father - a 3-time Lok Sabha and one-time Rajya Sabha MP - Dattatraya R. Meghe, an ex-Minister in Maharashtra Cabinet, now 85.

After spending four decades and flourishing with the NCP and Congress, in 2014, the Meghes migrated to the BJP and one of Sagar's siblings Sameer is now a BJP legislator from Hingna assembly seat.

Besides, Param Bir Singh also has another long-standing BJP buddy-link which, police officials claim, he loved to speak about in his long police career - he is said to be a college-friend of the pilot-turned-politico and former union minister, the BJP MP Rajiv Pratap Rudy.

Though Rudy hails from Bihar, he had studied at the DAV College in Chandigarh, where Param Bir Singh has his family roots, and the duo enjoys a great friendship going to the good ol' days.

Param Bir Singh also has a very cordial connect with the legendary Satya Pal Singh, a former Commissioner of Police of Mumbai, Pune and Nagpur - who was dreaded by the infamous Mumbai mafia and ensured their activities were virtually paralysed in the 1980-1990s with his band of gun-toting 'encounter specialists'.

Incidentally, a former union MoS, Satya Pal Singh once headed a Gujarat High Court appointed SIT to probe the fake encounter of a teenage girl Ishrat Jahan Raza, 19, of Mumbra, (Thane) and three of her friends in June 2004 by the Ahmedabad Police shooters claiming they were terrorists out to assassinate the then Chief Minister Narendra Modi, now the Prime Minister of India.

Last year, at the height of the TRP scam probe involving several television channels, Param Bir Singh's spouse Savita shot into the limelight for being a corporate czarina in her own right.

Presently, as the MVA leaders allege, Param Bir Singh is the newest-found darling of the state BJP which is virtually working against a 'next-month deadline' to oust the Shiv Sena-Nationalist Congress Party-Congress government led by Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray.

Political sources speculate that with a race against time, the BJP hopes that 'letter-bomb shell' could probably dislodge the MVA as Leader of Opposition Devendra Fadnavis gets mid-summer dreams about a third swearing-in ceremony.

(Quaid Najmi can be contacted at: q.najmi@ians.in)
New York, March 23 : In a joint Trans-Atlantic operation, the US, Canada, Britain and the European Union have imposed sanctions against Chinese officials they say are responsible for the human rights abuses against the Uighur people and Beijing retaliated with counter-sanctions.

US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken, who is travelling to Brussels, said on Monday, "We have taken this action today in solidarity with our partners in the United Kingdom, Canada, and the European Union." While the US has imposed sanctions on China for the treatment of the mostly Muslim Uighurs, this is the first joint action with its allies making President Joe Biden's attempts to get allies to act with it.

Its treaty allies in the Indo-Pacific, notably Japan, South Korea and Australia, which are geographically closest to China, however, did not join in imposing the sanctions.

"A united transatlantic response sends a strong signal to those who violate or abuse international human rights, and we will take further actions in coordination with like-minded partners," he said.

The US has accused Beijing of "genocide" against the Uighurs - a stand originally taken by former President Donald Trump's administration and now endorsed by President Joe Biden's administration.

Four Chinese officials and a Chinese company in the Xinjiang province were the targets of the sanctions.

The officials' and the company's assets are frozen under the sanctions EU citizens and companies are banned from transacting with them. The officials are also banned from visiting the EU.

China swiftly retaliated with its own sanctions against ten Europeans and four organisations accusing them of spreading disinformation and interfering in its internal affairs.

A Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson in a statement in Beijing asked the EU to "reflect on itself, face squarely the severity of its mistake and redress it. It must stop lecturing others on human rights and interfering in their internal affairs." The sanctions follow talks between high-ranking officials of the US and China last week which deteriorated into a bout of public name-calling.

Blinken and National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan met in Alaska with foreign minister Wang Yi and Yang Jiechi, who heads the Communist Party's foreign affairs commission.

Blinken's statement about China undermining global stability by its actions in Xinjiang, Hong Kong, Taiwan, the cyberattacks on the United States, and "economic coercion of our allies", brought a long, angry response from Yang.

He accused the US of human rights violations in having African Americans "slaughtered" and of obstructing normal trade and taking steps to "incite some countries to attack China".

Blinken is in Europe this week to meet with officials of the EU and with foreign ministers.

The US sanctioned two officials, Wang Junzheng, the secretary of the Party Committee of the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps, and Chen Mingguo, director of the Xinjiang Public Security Bureau, who were also sanction by the EU and Britain.

(Arul Louis can be reached at arul.l@ians.in and followed on Twitter at @arulouis)
A two-year-old child from Mali who was rescued at sea on Tuesday in critical condition and resuscitated by emergency workers has died in a hospital in Spains Canary Islands.

The toddler was found by Spanish sea rescue services on a boat carrying 29 women, 14 men and nine other children who had been out at sea for days after departing from Dakhla in Western Sahara. Rescue workers said many of the occupants showed signs of hypothermia and dehydration, and eight children had almost lost consciousness.

The two-year-old, whose identity has not been released despite initially being mistakenly identified as Nabody, was already unconscious when she was found, and Red Cross workers raced to revive her at the port of Arguineguin, on the island of Gran Canaria. She was then rushed to a childrens hospital in Las Palmas, where she remained in intensive care until her death on Sunday.

Another two-year-old who traveled on the same boat and was also taken to the hospital is now out of the intensive care unit.

A migrant child is taken off a Spanish Coast Guard vessel in the port of Arguineguin, on the island of Gran Canaria. BORJA SUAREZ / EL PAIS

Paula Atochero and Miguel Vela, two Red Cross workers who assisted the child at the port of Arguineguin, told EL PAIS about those critical two or three minutes while they fought to keep her alive until the ambulance arrived. When I saw her, the first thing I asked myself is Why is life so unfair?, explained Vela.

We placed her on the ground, we put on the gloves we had in our pockets, we snipped off her clothes and we initiated resuscitation, said Atochero.

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez and the main opposition leader, Pablo Casado of the Popular Party (PP), expressed their condolences on Twitter.

There are no words to describe so much pain. A heartfelt thanks to those who fought to the end to save her life. It is a wake-up call for everyones conscience, tweeted Sanchez, of the Socialist Party (PSOE).

A dangerous route

The toddler is the 19th migrant to die so far this year on the so-called Canary Islands route, a dangerous Atlantic Ocean journey that has become one of the main gateways into Europe following the crackdown on crossings via the Mediterranean.

So far this year 2,950 people have arrived in the Spanish archipelago on vessels departing from the African coast. This figure is twice as high as over the same period last year, although it is far below the September-to-December period, when there were peaks of over 8,000 arrivals a month.

This past week alone sea-rescue services have assisted 356 migrants, of whom three have died and more than 20 have been hospitalized.

PP leader Casado has called for a national pact on immigration that includes efficient border control and cooperation with countries that are a source of migration flows. Last year there were around 41,000 arrivals by land and sea in Spain, compared with 34,100 in Italy and 15,500 in Greece, according to figures released on December 28 by the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR).

More information Tensions rising in Spains Canary Islands over irregular immigration

The surge in boat landings in the Canary Islands, which are located off the northwestern coast of Africa, has evidenced authorities inability to provide adequate facilities or assistance, and far-right parties such as Vox have been using the crisis for political gain. The crisis was most visible in Arguineguin, a village of 2,500 residents that is part of the tourist town of Mogan in Gran Canaria. The villages port facility sheltered hundreds of migrants in overcrowded conditions for four months, until it was evacuated in late November.

Local and regional leaders have repeatedly complained about a lack of support from the central government, and in some coastal towns under migratory pressure, residents have been staging public protests for months. In February, prosecutors in Las Palmas announced an investigation into potential hate crimes by members of WhatsApp chat groups that tried to get organized to intimidate or assault immigrants living in shelters.

Errata An earlier version of this article identified the victim as being called "Nabody," as sources involved in her medical care had reported. The Hospital Materno Infantil, however, where the baby was being treated, confirmed that this was not her name, but also did not supply her actual identity.

English version by Susana Urra.




The Whatsapp chat between Republic TV's editor-in-chief and former BARC CEO were merely chats between two very close friends that had nothing to do with TRP manipulation, Goswami's lawyer told the Bombay High Court on Monday.

The submission was made by senior advocate Ashok Mundargi, the counsel for Goswami and ARG Outlier Media, the company that runs all Republic TV channels.

Mundargi was responding to the court's query on what was the most clinching evidence cited by the Mumbai police's crime branch in the chargesheet in the TRP scam.

"The highest evidence is these chats. However, please go through the entire chats because the police has taken these chats out of context to build its case," Mundargi said.

He then read out some of the Whatsapp chats between Goswami and Dasgupta and told the court that the two had merely been discussing some "persons, market trends" etc.

"This chat was between two very close friends. There is nothing, not one text, or one message, which shows that TRP manipulation was discussed. They were discussing topics that two friends might ordinarily discuss," Mundargi said.

A bench of Justices SS Shinde and Manish Pitale then asked if, as CEO of Broadcast Audience Research Council (BARC), Dasgupta had helped "tweak" the TRPs (Television Rating POints) in favour of Republic TV to help Goswami.

Mundargi responded saying while that was the police's case, it had not established the same in the two chargesheets filed in the case.

Mundargi was making his submissions on the pleas filed by Goswami and ARG media seeking several reliefs in the TRP scam case.

The main concern is that the police had filed two chargesheets but was yet to name Goswami and several other employees of ARG media as accused in the case, he said.

The police had merely named them as suspects and was prolonging the probe, resulting in their continued harassment, Mundargi added.

He said the court must ask the police not to go on with the probe indefinitely, and that it must grant Goswami and others protection from arrest till the investigating remained pending.

The HC, however, said there was no law that empowered a court to direct the investigating agency to complete its probe within a specific time.

"Even when the agency is using its investigation as a tool of oppression against someone, to what extent can the court comment? The investigating is the domain of the investigating officer in a case," the HC said.

It, however, added that a state or Central probe agency must not harass citizens.

The high court also asked what was the point of naming Goswami and others merely as suspects.

"If you (police) aren't going to name them as accused then, this divine exercise is a waste of time," the HC said.

Last week, during the hearing on the above pleas, the HC had said that despite the two chargesheets, the police had failed to show any incriminating material on record against Goswami.

On Monday, it asked if Goswami had been summoned for questioning by the police since the pleas had been filed in the high court, to which Mundargi replied in negative.

"150 other employees of ARG have been summoned so far. Five of whom are still named only as suspects," he said.

The HC also asked that since the Whatsapp chats claimed to be encrypted and safe, what would the police do if the parties in the case deleted the chats.

To this, state's counsel Deepak Thakare said the state Forensic Science Laboratory could retrieve even deleted Whatsapp chats.

"Then what was this whole 'halla' (noise) about privacy and end-to-end encryption about Whatsapp messages?" the HC asked.

Thakare told the judges that he will make a statement on March 25, the next date of hearing, on the time the police will require to complete its probe.

According to police, they possess the evidence to show that Goswami had connived with senior officials of the BARC to rig the TRPs of Republic TV.
The United States, Britain, and Canada have joined the European Union in announced sanctions against Chinese officials and companies over human rights violations against the mainly Muslim ethnic-Uyghur community in China's Xinjiang Province.

The concerted effort on March 22 were what British Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab called part of intensive diplomacy to pressure Beijing as evidence of rights abuses in the province grows.

Subscribe To Our New 'China In Eurasia' Newsletter It has become impossible to tell the biggest stories shaping Eurasia without considering Chinas resurgent influence in local business, politics, security, and culture. China In Eurasia is the new biweekly newsletter by correspondent Reid Standish in which he builds on local reporting from RFE/RLs journalists across Eurasia to give you unique insights into Beijings ambitions. It's sent on the first and third Wednesdays of each month. To subscribe, click here.

The EU sanctions were imposed on four Chinese officials and a construction company, prompting Beijing to slap retaliatory restrictions on 10 European officials.

Raab said the sanctions by Britain, the United States, and Canada will be imposed immediately and include travel bans and asset freezes against four officials.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a statement that a united transatlantic response sends a strong signal to those who violate or abuse international human rights, and we will take further actions in coordination with likeminded partners.

We will continue to stand with our allies around the world in calling for an immediate end to [China's] crimes and for justice for the many victims," Blinken said.

The EU's Official Journal on March 22 listed travel bans and asset freezes on Chen Mingguo, director of the Xinjiang Public Security Bureau and deputy chairman of the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region (XUAR) Peoples Government, former deputy head of the XUAR legislature Zhu Hailun, as well as Wang Mingshan and Wang Junzheng -- two high-level officials in the Chinese administration of XUAR.

Chen was guilty of "arbitrary detentions and degrading treatment inflicted upon Uyghurs and people from other Muslim ethnic minorities, as well as systematic violations of their freedom of religion or belief," the Official Journal said.

Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps Public Security Bureau (XPCC) was targeted with sanctions, the EU said. XPCC is in charge of implementing all policies "relating to security matters, including the management of detention centers," the Journal said.

In a tit-for-tat move, Beijing immediately announced sanctions on 10 EU individuals, including German politician Reinhard Buetikofer -- the co-chair of the European Parliament's Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China IPAC -- and four entities that it accused of seriously harming China's sovereignty and interests over Xinjiang.



China's Foreign Ministry also urged the EU in a statement to "correct its mistake" and not to interfere in China's internal affairs.

France's Foreign Ministry denounced the sanctions imposed by China and condemned "unacceptable comments" from the Chinese ambassador in Paris in recent days, including "insults and threats toward lawmakers and a French researcher."

Locked Up In China: The Plight Of Xinjiang's Muslims Radio Free Radio/Radio Liberty is partnering with its sister organization, Radio Free Asia, to highlight the plight of Muslims living in China's western province of Xinjiang.

It said the ministry would summon Ambassador Lu Shaye to remind him of "the elementary rules as set out by the Vienna Convention on diplomatic relations."

China, which denies any human rights violations in Xinjiang, has said internment camps for Uyghurs provide vocational training and education against extremism.

The move by the EU marked the first time that the bloc has sanctioned China since imposing an arms embargo in 1989 following the Tiananmen Square pro-democracy crackdown.

All 27 EU members agreed to the punitive measures. However, Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto called them "harmful" and "pointless."

Hungary is at odds with Brussels over rule-of-law violations and has sought closer relations with both Russia and China, including the acquisition of anti-COVID-19 vaccines.

With reporting by Reuters and AFP
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Press Release

March 21, 2021 Villanueva: Vaccine procurement must be made available for private sector, no exclusions; 'Goal is vaccines for all' Senator Joel Villanueva scored the proposal to exclude certain firms from the government's vaccine procurement program, saying such a move, if implemented, would hamper the efforts on speeding up the roll out of vaccines across the broader population. Villanueva referred to Section 5 of a draft administrative order by the Department of Health circulating in the public which stated that the DOH and the National Task Force would "ensure that private entities who will be part of the agreement are not in any way related to the tobacco industry, products covered under EO 51 series of 1986 or the "National Code of Marketing of Breastmilk Substitutes, Breastmilk Supplement and Other Related Products" or other industries in conflict with public health." "The supposed provision is inconsistent with our common goal of vaccinating our people so every worker can go back to work without fear of getting sick. Papaano bibilis ang pagpaparami ng stockpile ng bakuna kung sinasara natin ang pakikipagusap sa iilan?" said Villanueva in a statement. "Vaccines should be made available for all. No company should be excluded." "Sa huling tala noong March 15, 215,997 pa lang ang nabigyan ng first dose mula sa ating 1,125,600 na vaccine stockpile. Kailangan pa pong pabilisin ang rollout ng bakuna, at magagawa natin ito sa tulong ng pribadong sektor," he added. "Why are we discriminating against these industries? They are not asking for vaccine subsidies. They are legitimate businesses with a number of employees. If they are willing to vaccinate their employees for free, why stop them? We should encourage the private sector to vaccinate their employees so that the government can just focus on vaccinating the frontliners, including minimum wage earners and contractual workers, government workers and our teachers," Villanueva said. The lawmaker pointed out that private sector-led vaccine procurement should adhere to conditions set by the COVID-19 Vaccination Program Act or Republic Act No. 11525, as well as other local and international protocols, especially in administering the vaccine among its respective organizations. He said the private sector should not resell the vaccine, and only procure and give it to their employees for free, while some may distribute it at cost. "Our government should allow the partnership with the private sector without any hindrance or discrimination," he added. He expressed hope that the Department of Health would be prevailed to scrutinize its administrative order closely and rescind any provision that runs contrary to the efficient and massive rollout of vaccines. Villanueva likewise expressed concern on a provision calling for the digital issuance of the vaccination card, pointing out that it would only add to the government's backlog since it has yet to roll out an efficient contact tracing system. "Isang taon na po ang nakalipas, ngunit wala pa rin tayong maayos na contact tracing system. While it is a good idea, this might just delay the vaccination program. We cannot afford anymore delays," Villanueva said.
Nguyen Thi Phuong Thao - Chairwoman, Sovico Group We hope that the government believes in the private sector and in enterprises, and focuses more to develop these. It can support the formation of powerful private economic groups with strong national and international brands, and promote small- and medium-sized enterprises, as well as enterprises located in rural and agricultural sectors, and also startups. The government should create an equal business environment among all economic sectors and between enterprises. We also suggest it brings Vietnam onto a new level of international tourism with diversified services in entertainment, healthcare, culinary, and traditional culture. Together with these is to pour more investment into the infrastructure of inland routes, airlines, marine lines, and logistics systems. Vietnam also should become a new hub for supporting industries and a training centre of services for aviation, both regionally and globally. Thai Huong - Founder, TH Group Vietnam is expected to become a developed and fully civilised country by 2045 with a protected environment and a peaceful society. The strength of our people is our intelligence and our good health. Therefore we must develop green, clean, and organic agriculture to ensure the best foodstuff sources for the people. Apart from this, we must also develop traditional tourism in combination with eco-tourism and historical tourism. We suggest that the government promotes supporting industries that can assist farmers and enterprises in the development of agriculture-related services and products too. Also to further support the business community, the government also needs to have a transparent and detailed mechanism to help them develop and gain more achievements. Nguyen Thi Nga - Chairwoman, BRG Group By 2045 Vietnam will become one of the top leading economies in the region. There will be Vietnamese enterprises, both state-owned and privately owned, listed as leading global conglomerates. Right now we must create a solid foundation and wide enough space for future generations to become a high-income country, in accordance with the spirit of the latest National Party Congress. Vietnam has the opportunity to realise those targets. From an economic perspective, the private economic community has a strong business environment with keen encouragement from the government. Strong evidence is shown with the leadership of the government, and our effective combat with the pandemic has ensured the sustainable development of the countrys economy, with Vietnam named the only country in ASEAN to be upgraded in the Global Soft Power Index 2021 released last month. Tran Ba Duong - Chairman, Truong Hai Auto Corporation Despite being seriously affected by the coronavirus pandemic, Truong Hai Auto Corporations (THACO) car sales last year still reached more than 100,000 vehicles, accounting for more than 35 per cent of the domestic car market share. We also exported over 1,200 vehicles and more than $20 million worth of spare parts, reaffirming our position as the leading company in the domestic auto market and for export. In terms of the future, it is imperative to focus on investment and development of high-quality human resources for sustainable development. So far THACO has cooperated with many related agencies to develop human resources such as universities with training courses to meet the needs of enterprises; and also building a platform for administration and the use of digital technology. Nguyen Mai Thanh - Chairwoman, Refrigeration Electrical Engineering Corporation Vietnamese enterprises of all sizes need to focus on providing better services to consumers by improving product quality and enhancing their brands. The private sector in this country is the main provider that creates products and services supplied for the whole economy. Therefore it is worth it to be focused with more favourable incentives and policies. Furthermore, we need to see even more conditions created for development of the whole of the private sector. Through the current coronavirus pandemic we also must focus on environmental protection and supporting vulnerable sectors in which smaller enterprises are most impacted. At the same time, when setting up socioeconomic development indexes towards 2045, we need to focus on the happiness of people also  not just economic indexes. Dominic Scriven - Founder and executive chairman, Dragon Capital I think that here are three overarching issues which Vietnam can and should focus on right away in terms of its national development strategy moving forward over the next decades. First would be that of environmental sustainability in harmonisation with GDP, creating sectors to reach sustainable development for the whole economy. Secondly, Ho Chi Minh City must continue to become the leading economic automotive hub for the whole economy with a boost in sustainable infrastructure system improvement. Finally, it is of paramount importance to promote financial knowledge to the Vietnamese people so that they can make sustainable financial decisions as they get older. Do Minh Phu - Chairman, TPBank We hope that authorised agencies alter their mindset from management to servicing enterprises and people, taking the satisfaction of enterprises and people to be the measurement for the quality of their missions. When they are carrying out their mission, they must be fair between private and state-owned enterprises without any discrimination in all aspects, especially in capital access and human resources. We also suggest that the government does not criminalise economic and civil relations. The legal system must protect property rights and the freedom of business for private enterprises if they comply with the law. The private enterprise community meanwhile must focus on improving labour intensity and competitiveness, applying new technologies in manufacturing and management. Le Van Quang - Chairman, Minh Phu Seafood Corporation With an average growth rate of nearly 7 per cent per year, it is expected that by 2045, the total global shrimp production will reach 15 million tonnes. Minh Phu has developed a plan for developing a clean, organic, and carbon-balanced value chain. In particular, Minh Phu has combined AI technology and a blockchain platform to build a smart mobile application to manage shrimp farming. These solutions can turn Vietnam into the worlds top shrimp production and processing manufacturer, accounting for 25 per cent of the global shrimp market share with nearly four million tonnes of raw shrimp, worth $20 billion, by 2045. To achieve this, we need support from government and local authorities to create legal corridors as well as favourable mechanisms and policies to help projects get implemented. Tran Kim Chung - Chairman, CT Group In Vietnam, we have been most focused on some major targets across many areas. These include investing in low-cost housing, mobilising capital investment into railways linking Ho Chi Minh City to southwestern provinces, areas like fintech and flytech, working with local authorities in flood prevention and promoting eco-projects, and also developing a digital bank specialised in export. For success to be met in the future, the Vietnamese government is required to solve obstacles in various areas  such as administrative procedures; completing a legal framework for high-technologies like fintech, flytech, and digital banking; and creating additional investment infrastructure for transport and education for the Mekong Delta region. Dinh Ba Thanh - Executive chairman, DatVietVAC A cultural and innovative economy must be prioritised and supported by the government because at present, Vietnam does not have many clear policies or specific targets on encouraging those sectors. In this area, the country does have strengths in cuisine, fashion, handicrafts, and beverages such as coffee. More distinct features can also be developed towards crafting a more diverse cultural and innovative economy. Along with separate support policies to develop this, Vietnamese authorities need to craft strong mechanisms to handle areas such as copyright issues. This is because currently, violation of cultural products is becoming a major problem, causing great damage to Vietnamese enterprises of all sizes.


Whether you watch TV, films or just addicted to the digital medium off late, there is one name who has left his mark on all three mediums and its Karan Singh Grover. The brawny actor has time and again splashed on our screen through different mediums and doubled his fan-following. The actor who enjoys a large fandom thanks to his hot-bod and acting chops, talked recently about success and about love.



Today the actor exclusively spoke to E Times about his success, his performances and his love for ladylove Bipasha Basu. The actor recently had a blast on his birthday in Maldives with his wifey Bips by his side. The actors shared several hot and mushy clicks together and drove the internet crazy. Today when the actor was asked to give some love advice for the millennials, the actor had several things to share. He not just said that love is one thing that needs to be propagated the most, but he also added that Bipasha and him set out the best example about love.

Heres what he had to say to E Times, Love is the truest form of emotion; it is a forever emotion. And if by looking at our social media feed, people get inspired, it's good. We really find very few people who talk about love, and I dont think anything can spread faster than love. So, lets propagate love and be the ambassadors for it. If you havent found love yet, love yourself. Share it with people. He then adds about his love for Bipasha as an example, And hey, look at Bipasha and me, we look so hot together; we are smiling and are happy. It's the smile and the happiness that spreads across social media. So, all I want to say is propagate love as it saves all. Great word of advice to kickstart your weekday filled with love!
There was a big rally at Columbus Park in Chinatown today to show unity against attacks on New Yorks Asian community. [1010 WINS]

The NYPD has stepped up its counter-terror presence in Chinatown and other Asian enclaves in the city after the Atlanta shootings. [Channel 4]

Asian owned businesses struggle to deal with fear and anxiety as hate crimes and violence escalate. [Eater]

A profile of Leland Yu who is supporting his Chinatown community through running. [Runners World]

A former city bureaucrat, Ricardo Morales, claims he was fired for raising questions about the de Blasio administrations shenanigans around Rivington House. But a federal judge tossed his wrongful termination lawsuit. [Daily News]

New York County Supreme Court Judge Shlomo Hagler is giving notorious landlord Steve Croman more time to pay $2 million he still owes tenants. [The Real Deal]

The new documentary, Wojnarowicz is an electrifying movie experience a riveting recollection of an artistic eruption amid the crumbling ruins of New York Citys Lower East Side in the late 1970s.. [WBUR]

A tribute to 52 restaurants that closed during the pandemic, including some on the Lower East Side. [Eater]
Wheaton College to alter missionary Jim Elliot's memorial plaque to nix 'pejorative' wording

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Wheaton College announced its plan to rephrase dehumanizing wording included on a plaque honoring Christian martyr Jim Elliot and the four missionaries killed by the Waorani people in Ecuador due to pejorative language referring to the tribe as savage.

In a letter sent to students, faculty and staff last Wednesday, the Illinois-based evangelical higher education institution's president, Philip Ryken, said some individuals recently expressed concerns that the language on the plaque was offensive.

Specifically, the word savage is regarded as pejorative and has been used historically to dehumanize and mistreat indigenous peoples around the world, Ryken said in the letter obtained by The Christian Post. Any descriptions on our campus of people or people groups should reflect the full dignity of human beings made in the image of God.

The class of 1949 dedicated the plaque on Jan. 8, 1957, in memory of Edward McCully and James Elliot, both from the class of 1949. They were murdered while sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ to an unreached people group in Ecuador during "Operation Auca."

The plaque stated that Elliot and McCully and their colleagues went to the mission field, willing for anything  anywhere regardless of the cost. They chose the jungles of Ecuador  inhabited by the Auca Indians for generations all strangers were killed by these savage Indians. After many days of patient preparation and devout prayer the missionaries made the first friendly contact known to history with the Aucas.

The plaque further explains that on Jan. 8, 1956, Elliot, McCully and the three other missionaries were brutally slain  martyrs for the love of God by the Auca Indians, who speared them to death.

Elliots wife, Elisabeth Elliot and their three-year-old daughter, Valerie, went to live with the tribe that killed her husband to share the Gospel with them two years after his death, according to Bethany Global University. The Auca tribe finally accepted Jesus Christ as their Savior in 1960.

Joseph Moore, Wheatons director of marketing and communications, told CP in an email that the administrative cabinet decided to update the plaque to continue to honor the sacrificial witness of the five missionaries it honors while at the same time avoiding the unnecessary offense of pejorative stereotypes.

The college made a public statement to inform community members and practice transparency in decision making, Moore said.

This is especially important for a story that is central to our mission and identity  a story we want the world to know. Wheaton College will always honor Jim Elliot and Ed McCully  along with Nate Saint 50, Roger Youderian, and Pete Fleming  who died in service to spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, Moore wrote. In the 64 years since the College received this gift, we have also continued to grow in our understanding of how to show Gods love and respect to others.

Moore said feedback regarding this decision from former students who are missionaries or former missionaries has been extremely positive.

Wheatons senior administrative cabinet will appoint a task force to review the plaques wording and make a rephrasing recommendation by May 1. The ultimate decision lies with the cabinet in addition to the board of trustees.

The task force will consist of a faculty historian, a faculty missiologist, a representative from the Wheaton College Alumni Associations board of directors, a graduate student and an undergraduate student.

The reworded plaque will carry forward the memory at Wheaton College of brave missionaries and their sacrificial witness, while at the same time respecting the Waodani people with whom they shared the gospel of the love of Christ, Rykens letter expressed.

The plaque will return to the lobby of the Edman Chapel this summer once the wording is updated.
[March 22, 2021] SYNNEX INVESTOR ALERT By the Former Attorney General of Louisiana: Kahn Swick & Foti, LLC Investigates Merger of SYNNEX Corporation - SNX

Former Attorney General of Louisiana Charles C. Foti, Jr., Esq. and the law firm of Kahn Swick & Foti, LLC ("KSF") are investigating the proposed merger of SYNNEX (News - Alert) Corporation (NYSE: SNX) ("the Company") with Tech Data, which is wholly owned by funds managed by affiliates of Apollo Global Management, Inc. (NYSE: APO) and their co-investors. KSF is seeking to determine whether the merger and the process that led to it are adequate, or whether the merger undervalues the Company. If you believe that this transaction undervalues the Company and/or if you would like to discuss your legal rights regarding the proposed sale, you may, without obligation or cost to you, e-mail or call KSF Managing Partner Lewis S. Kahn (lewis.kahn@ksfcounsel.com) toll free at any time at 855-768-1857, or visit https://www.ksfcounsel.com/cases/nyse-snx/ to learn more.



To learn more about KSF, whose partners include the Former Louisiana Attorney General, visit www.ksfcounsel.com. Kahn Swick & Foti, LLC

1100 Poydras St., Suite 3200

New Orleans, LA 70163

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210322005823/en/

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Millions of elderly Americans are still hunting for appointments to get vaccinated against COVID-19. Millions of younger Americans are waiting impatiently for their turn in line.

But theres one group whose members are far more skeptical about the vaccine  and in some cases are actively refusing to get jabbed at all  Republicans, especially Republican men.

In a recent NPR/PBS/Marist survey, fully 49 percent of Republican men said they do not plan to get vaccinated  a higher share of refusers than any other demographic group. Among Democratic men, the number saying No was only 6 percent.

The finding, which has been confirmed in other polls, has confounded public-health professionals.

Weve never seen an epidemic that was polarized politically before, Robert J. Blendon, a health policy scholar at Harvard, told me.

For months, Blendon and his colleagues expected vaccine hesitancy to be a problem mainly among African Americans, whose history has been marked by neglect and abuse by medical authorities. But Black Americans, after some initial hesitance, now say they want the vaccine at the same rate as white people do.

Republicans, on the other hand, have become more resistant  especially since a Democrat became president.

They dont trust the federal government  and they trust it even less since Joe Biden came to the White House. They dont trust scientists, and they especially dont trust Dr. Anthony Fauci, Bidens chief medical adviser.

Many tell pollsters theyre worried that the vaccine might not be safe. Such fears have been fed by Fox News, whose star polemicist Tucker Carlson has frequently accused authorities of lying about the vaccines safety and effectiveness.

Blendon said he expects many of those Republican skeptics to come around once they see friends and relatives get immunized without ill effects.

We have to find a way to depoliticize this issue, he said. Instead of hearing Joe Biden or Tony Fauci tell them to take the vaccine, they need to hear it from physicians in their own states  people who have never worked in Washington.

Story continues

But some GOP politicians have decided to make resistance part of their political brand. As many as half of the 211 Republicans in the House of Representatives have refused to get vaccinated. So have at least four GOP senators.

A few, like Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky, have asserted that they dont need an injection because they contracted the coronavirus the natural way. (Scientists disagree, recommending that COVID-19 survivors like Paul get booster shots.)

In perhaps the least devastating insult of the year so far, Paul dismissed Fauci last week as a government worrywart.

Others, like freshman Rep. Madison Cawthorn of North Carolina, have defended the right not to be immunized as an exercise in individual freedom.nThe survival rate [from COVID-19] is too high for me to want it, Cawthorn, who is 25, explained.

But theres a flaw in that argument: The hazards of refusing the vaccine dont confine themselves to the individual refuser. Vaccine resisters are putting the rest of us in danger, too.

Unvaccinated people who contract COVID-19, even if they dont become seriously ill, can pass the virus to family and friends. And resisters are making it harder to achieve herd immunity, the point at which the virus can no longer find new hosts to infect. Thats when the pandemic will come to an end.

Herd immunity against the coronavirus will require between 70 percent and 85 percent of the population to be vaccinated, Fauci estimates. Its a new disease, so nobody knows the precise level, and new variants of the virus could push the number higher.

If a significant number of people do not get vaccinated, that would delay where we would get to that endpoint, Fauci warned recently.

And the longer it takes, the more people will get sick.

Paul, Cawthorn and their colleagues are casting themselves as courageous individualists. In fact, theyre acting as epidemiological moochers. Theyre free riders, relying on the rest of us to protect them by helping the country reach herd immunity.

Their relatives and friends, especially those 65 or older, should give them a wide berth. And their voters should treat them as what they are: dangerous to the health of their communities.

Doyle McManus is a columnist for the Los Angeles Times.

2021 Los Angeles Times
New Delhi, March 22 : Former Mumbai Police Commissioner Param Bir Singh has unleashed a barrage of allegations against Maharashtra Home Minister Anil Deshmukh in a petition in the Supreme Court, accusing him of adopting corrupt practices in posting or transfer of police officers to implicating BJP leaders in MP Mohan Delkar's suicide.

The petition said on February 22, Member of Parliament Mohan Delkar was found dead in his Mumbai hotel room, leaving behind a 15-page suicide note. Singh said that after initial inquiries and report, he initiated investigation in the matter and sought advice from the Police Department's Legal Cell.

"The petitioner was time and again pressurised by the Minister for Home, Government of Maharashtra to probe the role of certain leaders of BJP and somehow implicate them. It is submitted that there was tremendous pressure to give the entire episode a political angle. The petitioner however did not succumb to the pressure," he said in the petition.

He further accused Deshmukh of adopting corrupt practices in posting or transfers in police in addition with extortion of Rs 100 crore per month from various establishments.

Singh claimed that last August, Rashmi Shukla, Commissioner Intelligence, State Intelligence Department, through telephonic interceptions, brought out information about corrupt malpractices in postings or transfers adopted by Deshmukh. She brought it to the notice of Director General of Police, who in turn brought it to the knowledge of the Additional Chief Secretary, Home. However, Shukla was shunted out, instead of any firm action against Deshmukh being taken.

Singh said around mid-March, he had pointed out to the Maharashtra Chief Minister, Deputy Chief Minister and other senior leaders about the several misdeeds and malpractices carried out by the Home Minister. He said that the wrote a letter on March 20 to the Chief Minister.

"The petitioner thus apprised the Chief Minister of the true picture for consideration and corrective action, being fully cognizant to the retaliation that is likely against the petitioner for placing the true picture on record," said the petition. Later, he was transferred to from the post of the Police Commissioner of Mumbai to the Home Guard Department in an arbitrary and illegal manner without the completion of the minimum fixed tenure of two years.

He added that his transfer was a political move with oblique purposes and sinister motives. "It is submitted that the petitioner was leading various important investigations and was at the cusp of unearthing startling discoveries," he claimed in the petition.

Singh urged the Supreme Court to direct a fair CBI investigation into the acts of Deshmukh in abuse of his official position.

"The Government of Maharashtra has withdrawn the consent for investigations of offences by the CBI in the State of Maharashtra. Therefore, unless directions are issued by this court, there seems no possibility of unbiased, uninfluenced, impartial and fair investigation by the CBI in the corrupt malpractices of Anil Deshmukh, the Home Minister of Government of Maharashtra, before the evidence are destroyed," his plea added.
Lawmakers from both parties pushed the Biden administration to allow media in border facilities. The movement of the lawmakers is anchored on the transparency of the federal government to the Americans and disclose the real situation on the U.S.-Mexico Border.

The Biden administration has reiterated its promise to promote transparency and access to department operations even before President Joe Biden's inauguration. Homeland security officials are also part of this promise or vow, according to a CBS News report.

ALSO READ: Defense Department Halts Border Wall Building as It Reviews Biden's Order

Biden admin on Media in Borders

The Biden administration was urged to allow journalists and reporters to cover the facilities that house a growing number of unaccompanied migrant children in the borders of America. The movement of the lawmakers followed events of the administration restricting information to Media personnel.

Independent noted that when Homeland Secretary Mayorkas traveled to the border with a group of senators from both parties, journalists were not allowed to join them, even though reporters are usually permitted to join when members of the cabinet have trips like the recent one.

"The president promised things would be different," said executive Dan Shelby from Radio Television Digital News Foundation. Shelby added that the change the president has promised is insight. However, it is not the way "he had hoped."

The appeal to make the information in the borders public also follows the uptick of the humanitarian crisis on the southwest border. The crisis is rooted in the issues that Central America is facing like gang violence, economic devastation, climate change, and even political persecution.

"This should be transparent," said Senator Rob Portman, adding that he is amazed about the amount of information regarding what is going on the border, which was known by his constituents. Rob Portman is a ranking member of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee.

"The Trump administration allowed journalists into juvenile migrant detention facilities," said Shelley, adding that the Biden administration must fix the problem immediately.

Senator Chris Murphy, chairman of Senate Appropriations and subcommittee on Homeland Security, noted that media coverage should be highlighted to the administration as something they have "to do better on." Murphy was also one of the Senators who visited the U.S. - Mexico border with Mayorkas.

Biden Administration on Media

As of Saturday morning, more than 5,000 unaccompanied minors are detained in a CBP tent in South Texas and other stations along the borders of Mexico. On the other hand, about 10,500 unaccompanied children are in emergency housing facilities and shelters that are authorized by the States.

In a Twitter post, Murphy noted that the administration is trying its best to uphold the rule of law with humanity. Murphy added that the Biden administration would have to clean what the former administration has left them, but their intentions are true.

"We are working on a plan to provide access so that people could see what is going on at Border Patrol stations," said Mayorkas assuring the people and media on providing information. White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki noted that the media had not been allowed to the border facilities because of the COVID-19 restrictions. However, she emphasized that the Biden administration is committed to transparency.

RELATED ARTICLE: Immigrant Children at Border Have High Chance of Staying in the U.S.

WATCH: Migrants flood U.S. border with hope of looser immigration policies under Biden - from CBC News: The National




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The deadly rampage in Atlanta, in which a young man apparently unable to escape torments of guilt slaughtered eight human beings, shows the need for an understanding of the enormity of Gods grace.

Critics say what happened is an outcome of Evangelical fixation on sin and guilt. However, the deed perhaps was sparked by a poor comprehension of the enormity and extravagance of Gods grace.

For our own good, we must understand sin and its consequences just as we must be a Bridge Out! warning as we hurtle toward a roaring river. But that concern must be balanced by a rich appreciation of grace, or we drown in guilt.

This raises the possibility of taking others with us, as the Atlanta tragedy shows.

The enormity and extravagance of Gods grace seems too good to be true. Some of us are like Jesuss disciples who disbelieved for joy when they first heard of Christs resurrection. (Luke 24:11) Self-haters have a hard time believing that their sins have really been removed as far as the east is from the west, (Psalm 103:12) and plunged in Gods great sea of forgetfulness because of His grace through Christ. (Isaiah 43:25; Hebrews 8:12)

How enormous, even extravagant, is Gods grace?

It was sufficient for Nazi Field Marshal Wilhelm Keitel, second to Hitler himself in the Nazi military command.

In the wee hours of a dank October morning in 1946, Keitel faced execution by orders of the Nuremberg war tribunal. Keitel was trying to maintain stiff composure when Captain Henry Gerecke entered his cell. Gerecke was the chaplain selected to try to minister to the Nazi war criminals jailed in Nuremberg. He had visited often with Keitel, and the former German officer felt comfortable with him. Gerecke was carrying a Bible, and invited Keitel to join him in prayer.

The two men went to their knees. Gerecke, an American son of immigrants from Germany, prayed in German. Suddenly it seemed to hit Keitel that he was about to die. He trembled, and wept uncontrollably as he gasped for air. Just before he was hanged, Keitel received communion, served by Gerecke. Keitel turned to Gerecke, the chaplain remembered later, and with tears in his voice he said, You have helped me more than you know. May Christ, my Savior, stand by me all the way. I shall need Him so much.[1]

According to the Bible which reveals both sin and Gods grace, Keitel experienced the reality that where sin abounded, grace abounded much more. (Romans 5:20)

The tragedy of Keitel is that he did not receive the gift of grace earlier in life before the sins that weighed on him in the end had harmed masses of other people.

Grace is not only a gift to be received in all its fullness, but a lifestyle to be walked out. People who receive grace and its implications become willing to extend grace to others.

The human being, made in the image of God, is triune... a trinity. God is Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. The human is spirit, soul, and body. (1 Thessalonians 5:23) Soul, in New Testament Greek, is psuche, from which English gets psyche. We are justified the moment we receive the Son of God in our spirit through the indwelling Holy Spirit. That is an event the new birth. But if this new quality of life is to be lived out, we must enter the process of sanctification through which our whole being is filled with the character of Christ and His stunning grace.

The human spirit filled with the Holy Spirit is the zone of grace. Soul and body are zones of torment  the torments of temptation and the guilt when we yield. If we dont embrace the reality of grace all we have is the agonizing accusations of sin and guilt.

Without the recognition of the enormity of Gods grace we believe ourselves irredeemable and come to hate ourselves and those we believe facilitated our fall.

Gods grace is so rich that it can cover those who succumb to temptation and those through whom temptation comes.

This is why its called gospel  good news.

If only a tormented young man in Atlanta had understood before he pulled the trigger the enormity of Gods grace, he would have forgiven himself as God forgave him, and he would have extended Gods forgiveness and grace to those he viewed as the enablers of his behaviors.

Chuck Colson, my White House colleague, and, later, friend, came to understand the enormity of Gods grace. Jeb Magruder, another White House staffer, once described Colson as an evil genius who too often encouraged (President) Nixons dark side.

I visited Colson several times after he was incarcerated for Watergate-related crimes and watched the sunburst of Gods enormous grace rise upon him. Later, he would tell audiences that the real legacy of his life was not successes as a senior White House aide, but my biggest failure in being sent to prison. That, said Chuck, was the beginning of Gods greatest use of my life... He chose the one thing in which I could not glory for His glory.

Colson, who had once perhaps disdained the notion of sin received Gods enormous grace and walked it out.

If we learn nothing else from the grievous attacks in Atlanta and the lives lost in and through it, may it be the importance of receiving Gods grace, maintaining the balance of sin and grace in our teaching and practical lives, and the importance of walking it out in our behaviors and lifestyle.

[1] Tim Townsend, Mission At Nuremberg. (William Morrow/Harper Collins), 11. Emphasis added. Cited in Jonathan Sandys and Wallace Henley, God and Churchill (Tyndale House, 2015)
My sixth-grader is reading a young adult novel titled Prisoner B-3087, about a Holocaust survivor. Written by Alan Gratz, the book is based on the harrowing true story of Jack Gruener, who was just 10 years old when Krakow, Poland, fell to the Nazis. After his parents were murdered, he survived 10 concentration camps and two death marches before he was liberated at the age of 16.

Because the subject matter is so disturbing, I am also reading the book. I want to be able to talk to my daughter about the inexplicable hatred, the routine sadism, the depressingly random violence to which human beings were subjected by their fellow humans. Children  children  were slaughtered, too. The Nazis killed more than a million Jewish children and teenagers, according to historians.

As I read the stark but explicit details of Jacks (called Yanek in the story) captivity, I wondered whether the subject matter was appropriate for a relatively naive and sheltered 12-year-old like mine. Then I turned on CNN to catch up with the news, and I was greeted by the murders of eight people at spas in metropolitan Atlanta. Six of the victims were Asian women.

While authorities work to establish an explicit motive, this much is already clear: Asian Americans have been subjected to a terrifying increase in hate crimes since the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic. Last year, according to California State Universitys Center for the Study of Hate and Extremism, there were 122 incidents of hate crimes against Asian Americans in 16 of the nations most populous cities. That represents an increase of 150% over the previous year.

So, yes, my child needs to read the grim details of the Holocaust and the concentration camps. She needs to understand how bullying and racist rhetoric escalate into violent attacks and how violent attacks can come to seem routine and ordinary. She needs to know that unhinged political leaders can persuade their constituents that millions of their fellow citizens deserve to be exterminated just because of their race or ethnicity or language or religion.

As early as 2015, my mother, an amateur historian, was comparing the rise of Donald J. Trump to the rise of Nazism in 1930s Germany. As Trump was drawing adoring crowds of thousands to his rallies, where he disparaged Muslims and denigrated Mexicans, my mother stared at her television screen and said, This is how it starts.

She understood that an inexplicable suspicion of the Other lurks just beneath the surface of all diverse societies, that ordinary churchgoing citizens can rise up to slaughter their neighbors, that charismatic but crazed political leaders can provoke genocide. By the way, the impulse to hate and fear the Other is not restricted to white Americans or former colonial powers. This is an all-too-common human trait. (If you dont believe it, watch Hotel Rwanda.)

As Americans, we believe that we are different. We are the shining city on a hill, the nation that lectures others about the value of democracy and human rights and pluralism. We have cocooned ourselves in comforting myths about our history rather than confronting the disturbing truth: This nation was built on the genocide of natives and the enslavement of kidnapped Africans. Throughout its history, many of Americas white leaders have encouraged a violent oppression against people of color. As recently as World War II, Japanese Americans were rounded up and interred on the basis of ethnicity alone. Yet our triumph over the Nazis is a story often told without acknowledgment of American racism and anti-Semitism.

If we had confronted our history honestly, we might have been able to stave off the election of a racist demagogue who blamed Asians when he was slammed by a pandemic he didnt have the wisdom or the character to control. Trumps rhetoric at his political rallies was chock full of racist invective about the China virus and kung flu.

But we didnt confront our history. We didnt acknowledge our flaws. We allowed the racism to spread, to metastasize throughout the body politic. As my mother noted, Thats how it starts. My 12-year-old needs to know.

Cynthia Tucker won the Pulitzer Prize for commentary in 2007. She can be reached at cynthia@cynthiatucker.com.
Source: Xinhua| 2021-03-22 19:34:56|Editor: huaxia

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TUNIS, March 22 (Xinhua) -- The Tunisian satellite Challenge ONE was launched on Monday from the Baikonur base in south-central Kazakhstan aboard the Russian Soyuz-2.1a rocket which also carried other satellites.

On this occasion, Telnet Group, the owner of Challenge ONE, organized a ceremony at its headquarters in the capital Tunis to follow the live coverage of the event at the presence of Tunisian President Kais Saied.

"This event reflects the aspiration of Tunisia and young Tunisians to exceed the limits of the earth," Saied said in a speech broadcasted on State television Wataniya 1.

For his part, Mohamed Frikha, chief executive officer of Telnet Group, said, "It is the fruit of a whole generation of culture and knowledge as well as the work of 20 Tunisian engineers supervised by Telnet," adding that this satellite is only the first step towards space which will be followed by others.

Challenge ONE is a small satellite that weighs about 3 kg. It will be used in the Internet of Things technology.

This satellite, designed and developed by exclusively Tunisian skills, will allow communication and data exchange in many areas including control, transport, agriculture and logistics by receiving data and sending it to suppliers around the world. Enditem
BEIJING, March 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Newlink Group ("Newlink", "Company") announced that it has closed $200 million in incremental equity financing led by Bain Capital, a leading global multi-asset alternative investment firm. Existing investor Joy Capital also participated in the fundraising. The current round of fundraising came after another $100 million funding announced earlier this year, bringing Newlink's total fundraising to $300 million so far in 2021.

Newlink has attracted a diverse group of investors, which includes CMBI, CICC Capital, Xiaomi Corp, NIO Capital, KIP China, SME Development Fund and Hongtai Aplus.

Founded in 2016, Newlink is a fast-growing online technology platform that helps match drivers in China with the best gas stations and charging piles. The company's solutions also help both gas station and electric vehicle charging station owners drive incremental sales, reduce procurement costs, manage operations and grow profits.

Newlink is the undisputed leader in China's energy technology sector. Through its two leading apps "Tuanyou" and "Kuaidian", Newlink targets to serve the 400 million drivers in China, leveraging its network of 23,000 gas stations (20% of total number of gas stations in China) and 700,000 charging piles (90% of total number of EV charging piles in China) in 1,700 cities and towns across the country.

As a leading technology company that offers innovative solutions to promote digitalization in the energy ecosystem, Newlink made the list of 2020 Global Top 500 New Energy Enterprises. Newlink also ranked fourth in the country under Deloitte's "Technology Fast 50" China 2020 Programme. According to Analysys Qianfan, "Tuanyou" is the most widely used fueling app with the highest market penetration.

In line with China's commitment to tackling global warming and climate change, Newlink targets to become a net-zero emissions business and to support the transformation of other energy companies. Last year, China announced that it aims to become carbon-neutral before 2060. In the next five years, the nation will aim for a 13.5% reduction in energy consumption and a 18% reduction in CO2 emissions per unit of GDP by 2025. To help achieve this goal, the Company is fully committed to utilize its technologies and resources to support traditional energy companies to cut costs and reduce inefficiencies in the procurement process.

Zhen Dai, Founder and Chairman of Newlink, said, "Newlink is committed to bridging the gap and connecting all the dots in the energy value chain. We support gas and EV charging station owners with tools that cut costs and drive sales, while at the same time provide consumers with seamless and customized fueling and charging experience. The strategic partnership with Bain Capital is an important step towards realizing Newlink's ambition to transform the energy industry and build a greener society. Improved efficiency in the energy market will benefit producers, distributors and users from a cost perspective. It will also reduce carbon emissions, taking us a step further towards creating a more environmental-friendly society."

Bain Capital, the lead investor of this round of financing, is one of the world's leading private multi-asset alternative investment firms with approximately $120 billion in assets under management. In 2005, Bain Capital invested in FLEETCOR, the largest energy platform in the United States, and supported the company's listing on the New York Stock Exchange in 2010.

Drew Chen, Managing Director of Bain Capital Private Equity, said, "We are excited to partner with Newlink and its talented management team. Through innovative technology solutions, we hope Newlink can help accelerate the digitization efforts of China's energy ecosystem, and support China's transition to a low carbon economy by improving efficiency and promoting the shift to electric vehicles. We look forward to leveraging our deep operational expertise in the industrial sector globally to support and grow the company's businesses."

Joy Capital has been supporting Newlink since 2019 through its initial and subsequent investments in the Company. It values and shares Newlink's vision and ambition in transforming China's energy sector through digitization and environmentally sustainable solutions.

Erhai Liu, Founding and Managing Partner of Joy Capital, said, "China's energy revolution is accelerating, propelled by technology development and China's pledge to achieve carbon neutrality. Newlink will play an important role in this revolution. Joy Capital will always support Newlink's efforts to digitize the traditional energy sector to improve efficiency and promote low-carbon energy."

About Newlink

Founded in 2016, Newlink Group is China's leading provider of technology platforms and tech-enabled services to the energy value chain, principally serving gas and EV charging stations. The Company's broad offering of digital solutions include targeted online marketing tools, cloud-based SaaS systems and supply chain solutions that help merchants drive incremental sales, reduce cost, manage operations and grow profits. The company aims to improve the efficiencies across the value chain and transform the multi-trillion energy industry in the backdrop of China's policy commitment to achieving a carbon-neutral and environmentally friendly society. For more information, see http://www.newlink.com.

Media Contact

[email protected]

About Bain Capital Private Equity

Bain Capital Private Equity (www.baincapitalprivateequity.com) has partnered closely with management teams to provide the strategic resources that build great companies and help them thrive since its founding in 1984. Bain Capital Private Equity's global team of approximately 240 investment professionals create value for its portfolio companies through its global platform and depth of expertise in key vertical industries including healthcare, consumer/retail, financial and business services, industrials, and technology, media and telecommunications. Bain Capital has offices in Boston, Chicago, New York, Palo Alto, San Francisco, Dublin, London, Luxembourg, Madrid, Munich, Guangzhou, Melbourne, Mumbai, Hong Kong, Seoul, Shanghai, Sydney and Tokyo. The firm has made primary or add-on investments in more than 875 companies since its inception. In addition to private equity, Bain Capital invests across asset classes including credit, real estate, public equity and venture capital, managing more than USD 120 billion in total and leveraging the firm's shared platform to capture opportunities in strategic areas of focus.

About Joy Capital

Joy Capital is a leading Chinese venture capital firm with a focus on supporting the growth and development of innovative Chinese companies that bring unique technologies and solutions to create real impact and value across a range of industries. Joy Capital invests in early stage TMT and innovative consumption opportunities arising from the development of China's "New Infrastructure".

SOURCE Newlink Group
Emergency measures introduced during the coronavirus pandemic resulted in a rise in arrests for fake news, journalists being denied access to briefings or health officials, and news websites being blocked, media rights experts say.

A year after the World Health Organization declared a global pandemic, journalists in several countries are still feeling the impact of laws and regulations as governments sought to control the narrative or silence critical reporting.

Media rights groups say the restrictions have denied citizens access to news and information.

The pandemic presents a grave threat to press freedom, at a time when the dissemination of vital, factual information is vital to peoples lives, Amy Slipowitz, research manager for Freedom Houses annual Freedom in the World report, told VOA. Journalists have been subjected to arrests, violence, and intimidation, and governments have exerted control over content.

In its 2020 report, Democracy under Lockdown, Freedom House found that 91 out of 192 countries imposed some form of restriction on media as part of their official pandemic response.

Laws and measures were introduced to try to protect and promote safety, but in several countries the regulations were used to restrict or harass media.

The Vienna-based International Press Institute found that emergency measures often included provisions aimed at combatting fake news that were used to jail or limit free speech.

Some governments, especially authoritarian ones, apparently believe that the health crisis necessitates limiting press freedom and freedom of expression. The truth is the opposite: the health crisis has made press freedom more important than ever, Scott Griffen, deputy director at IPI, told VOA.

The tremendous impact and changes we have seen in so many parts of our society make it essential that journalism is allowed to perform its watchdog role, Griffen said.

New regulations are still being introduced one year into the pandemic. Malaysia earlier this month used expanded powers under emergency laws to impose tougher penalties for what the government deems false news, including jail terms of up to three years.

Such laws claim to be about combating disinformation but, in many cases, are actually about repressing critical speech, Griffen said.

The pandemic has given authoritarian regimes license to crackdown on dissent and critics, the New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists said.

Countries with poor press freedom track records like China, Egypt, and Turkey are certainly at the forefront when it comes to countries that have made every effort to stamp out journalism, Courtney Radsch, CPJs advocacy director told VOA.

Authorities retaliated against reporters just for doing their job and created conditions that made coverage near impossible, Radsch said, adding, [These countries] lead the world in the imprisonment of journalists, weaponizing public health or emergency laws and putting jailed journalists at deadly risk.

In its 2020 census of journalists jailed globally, the press freedom group recorded a record 274 behind bars, including several arrested over their coverage of the pandemic. At least two died from COVID-19, CPJ found.

CPJ is among the media and human rights groups that have called on governments to release journalists and political prisoners from custody because of the increased health risks from COVID-19.

Wed like to see all journalists released from prison, where the coronavirus could amount to a death sentence, Radsch said, adding that the CPJ also advocates for the roll back of oppressive legislation, and safeguards put in place for journalists who are on the frontlines of the pandemic.

Pandemic data

Over the past year, the IPI tracked more than 600 COVID 19-related press freedom violations, including arrests over false news accusations, website blocking, and journalists restricted from attending news conferences or speaking with health officials.

The Chinese governments actions to crack down on citizen journalists who were among the first to report on the virus and warn about its impact cannot be forgotten, Griffen said. [But] several other countries have stood out in terms of their heavy-handed response to journalistic scrutiny.

India, with 84 cases of journalists being brought in for questioning or charged over COVID-related coverage, topped the IPIs press freedom tracker, but Griffen said Russia also expanded fake news laws to target critical reporting and Zimbabwe stood out as one of the worst offenders in Africa, with several arrests, including of investigative reporter Hopewell Chinono.

Limited access to information and website blocking were the biggest issues in Latin America, where Venezuela was the most restrictive country, with the IPI documenting 66 violations.

Slipowitz, from Freedom House, said restrictive policies directed at the media were most acutely felt in struggling democracies and highly repressive states.

Cases that stood out for her included China in December sentencing citizen journalist Zhang Zhan to four years in prison for her reporting from Wuhan, and Egypt expelling a reporter from the British outlet The Guardian, because of critical coverage of the governments pandemic response.

Rights groups are now looking for signs that repressive laws ushered in as part of emergency measures will be rolled back.

IPI said from the beginning that any restrictions or interferences with journalists rights needed to be proportionate, necessary, and time-limited, Griffen said. We are concerned that new forms of interference with freedom of expression introduced during the pandemic will stay.
New Delhi:

Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi on Saturday accused the central government of "condemning" thousands of people to death due to poor health care system in the country.

He blamed the BJP-led NDA for the state of affairs in the public health care system and said ever since it came to power it has reduced the budget for the sector.

"The current government really does not care about health care in the country. That is a fact", he said in a video message in the wake of the deaths of several children in various state-run hospitals.

Gandhi said there is a view in the government, in fact among people, particularly those affluent, that the Indian health care system can be run by private hospitals.

"This is simply a lie", he said, adding, "in a country like India, where most people are poor, one simply cannot do without a public health care system. You simply cannot do away with public hospitals that are effective and efficient. This just will not work."

"You are condemning thousands and thousands of people to death because you do not have a public health care system that works", he said in the video message, posted on his official Twitter handle.

Read more: Cess on luxury cars hiked, 30 daily-use items cheaper under GST

Gandhi also accused the government of spending nowhere near the amount of money required in the sector and said when the Congress-led UPA was in power it spent a lot more to improve the public health care system.

He said every time he has been to Gorakhpur was due to encephalitis problem and categorically told Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the press that there was a problem developing in the hospital, as everybody, including doctors and patients, was complaining. He was apparently referring to the BRD Hospital in Gorakhpur, where several children had died in August.

Responding to criticism by the BJP that he went on a "picnic" when he visited the victims, Gandhi said, "The people who say this, that is how they conceptualise it for themselves. They view any show of empathy, any attempt at understanding people's pain, any attempt at trying to hold hands as a cynical exercise. That is how they think, that is their mind."

He said for him, as a political leader, visiting Gorakhpur when it was in pain, visiting the victim families was an extremely powerful experience.

"I was able to hold their hand and tell them that I am here with you. Much more importantly, they were able to tell me what they faced and they were able to explain to me that the government of India has let them down", he said.

For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps.
Lucknow: Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Sunday said some people for their "ulterior interests" are misleading farmers and asked them to be wary of such "selfish" elements.

CM Adityanath also said that after 70 years of independence, a government has come at the Centre which is committed to double farmers' income and ensure their welfare.

Interacting with farmers at a conference in Gorakhpur, Adityanath asked them to be wary of "vested and selfish elements" who always mislead farmers and use them for their "ulterior interests".

These are the same people who while in power did not do anything for the welfare of farmers, he said without naming any political party or person.

"Such elements used them (farmers) to make their own fortune and allowed farming communities to languish in penury and debt," he said while addressing the conference organised under the Mission Kisan Kalyan.

Adityanath apprised the conference of the work done by the Narendra Modi government at the Centre, and the BJP government in the state in the interest of farmers. He said that those who misled farmers have always been habitual liars.

"These people have spread a lie that farmland will be grabbed under contract farming, while Prime Minister Narendra Modi has already made it clear that contract farming is just another option, not an obligation and farmers have all the freedom to sell their produce anywhere to earn more profit from the market," Adityanath said referring to the new farm laws.

He also sought to allay fears that mandis will be closed. "Not a single mandi was closed since June 2020, when the farm bills were brought, but a deliberate misinformation campaign was run to misguide farmers," Adityanath said.

Farmers, mostly from Haryana, Punjab and Uttar Pradesh, have been protesting at Delhi's borders since November 28 last year demanding rollback of the laws.

They are protesting against the Farmers' Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Act, 2020, the Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and Farm Services Act, 2020 and the Essential Commodities (Amendment) Act, 2020.

The three farm laws, enacted in September last year, have been projected by the government as major reforms in the agriculture sector that will remove middlemen and allow farmers to sell anywhere in the country.

However, the protesting farmers have expressed apprehension that the new laws would pave the way for eliminating the safety cushion of MSP and do away with the mandis, leaving them at the mercy of big corporates. The Centre has repeatedly asserted that these mechanisms will remain.

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LONDON  Scotlands leader, Nicola Sturgeon, did not knowingly breach official rules or mislead the Scottish Parliament about an investigation of her predecessor, an inquiry concluded on Monday, effectively clearing her of allegations so serious that they had sparked calls for her resignation.

The investigation by a senior Irish lawyer, James Hamilton, followed months of infighting over Ms. Sturgeons role in a botched internal investigation into allegations of sexual misconduct made against Alex Salmond, a former close ally who preceded her as first minister of Scotland.

I am of the opinion that the First Minister did not breach the provisions of the Ministerial Code in respect of any of these matters, Mr. Hamiltons inquiry concluded, referring to the ethics code under which members of the Scottish government operate.

The report culminates a bitter feud between the two dominant figures of recent Scottish politics, a drama that has dented Ms. Sturgeons fortunes, prompting accusations that she had deceived lawmakers, broken rules and even conspired against her predecessor.
TOKYO (Reuters) - Toyota, Nissan, Honda and other Japanese carmakers scrambled on Monday to assess the impact on their production of a fire at a Renesas Electronics chip plant that could aggravate a global semiconductor shortage.

Renesas has said it will take at least a month to resume production at a 300mm wafer line at its Naka plant in northeast Japan after an electrical fault caused machinery to catch fire on Friday and poured smoke into the sensitive clean room.

The fallout on carmakers could spread beyond Japan to auto companies in Europe and the United States because Renesas has about a 30% share of the global market for microcontroller unit chips used in cars.

"We are gathering information and trying to see if this will affect us or not," a Honda spokesman said. Other automakers including Toyota and Nissan said they too were assessing the situation.

Two-thirds of production at the affected line is automotive chips. Renesas also has a 200mm wafer line at its Naka plant which has not been affected.

Concerns about the impact of the fire hit auto shares, with the big three, Toyota, Honda and Nissan, all closing down by at least 3.3%. Renesas shares tumbled as much as 5.5% and ended 4.9% lower. The benchmark Topix index shed nearly 1%.

"It will probably take more than a month to return to normal supply. Given that, even Toyota will face very unstable production in April and May," said Seiji Sugiura, senior analyst at Tokai Tokyo Research Institute. "I think Honda, Nissan and other makers will also be facing a difficult situation."

Semiconductors such as those made by Renesas are used extensively in cars, including to monitor engine performance, manage steering or automatic windows, and in sensors used in parking and entertainment systems.

GOVERNMENT PROMISES HELP

Nissan and Honda have already been forced to scale back production plans because of the global chip shortage resulting from burgeoning demand from electronic goods makers and an unexpected rebound in car sales after a slump during the early months of the coronavirus pandemic.

Story continues

Toyota, which has agreements with some parts suppliers to stockpile chips, has fared better so far.

"It could take three months or even half a year for a full recovery," said Akira Minamikawa, analyst at technology research company Omdia. "This has happened when chip stockpiles are low, so the impact is going to be significant."

European carmakers said on Monday they could not yet assess whether the fire would have any impact on global chip supplies. Germany's BMW said its plants were running even though semiconductor supply in general remained tight.

A spokesman for France's Renault said it was currently difficult to asses the volume impact "given the complexity of the supply chain of semi-conductors".

Volkswagen, the world's second-largest carmaker, confirmed it does not have direct supply agreements with semiconductor makers. "Of course every additional shortage in the sector further tightens global supply," it said.

Renesas said its customers, which are mostly automotive parts makers rather than the car companies, will begin to see chip shipments fall in about a month.

The company declined to say which machine caught fire because of the electrical fault or which company made it.

The Japanese government promised help for the auto industry.

"We will firmly try to help the Naka factory achieve swift restoration by helping it quickly acquire alternative manufacturing equipment," Chief Cabinet Secretary Katsunobu Kato told a regular news conference on Monday.

The latest incident at the Naka facility comes after an earthquake last month shut down production for three days and forced Renesas to further deplete chip stocks to meet orders.

The plant was closed for three months in 2011 following the deadly earthquake that devastated Japan's northeast coast.

(Reporting by Maki Shiraki, Eimi Yamamitsu and Noriyuki Hirata; Additional reporting by Christina Amann, Gilles Guillaume and Christoph Steitz; Writing by Tim Kelly; Editing by Muralikumar Anantharaman and David Clarke)
The mother (C) of a 15-year-old boy killed by Myanmar security forces grieves during his funeral in Mandalay, Mar. 22, 2021.

A 15-year-old boy and three adults were killed and more than 40 others were injured in a crackdown on anti-coup protests by security forces Monday in Myanmars second-largest city, amid warnings of increasing danger to children after seven weeks of harsh military rule, witnesses and charity groups helping the wounded said.

The killings in Mandalay came a day after at least three people, including another teenage boy, were killed, and about 25 others were wounded amid violence by police and soldiers in residential areas of the city, a major stage of protests rejecting the Feb. 1 coup that deposed leader Aung San Suu Kyi and her civilian government.

Besides targeting children among the protesters, security forces have been occupying more than 60 schools and universities in nearly all of Myanmars 14 states and regions, according to a joint statement issued March 19 by Save the Children, UNICEF, and UNESCO.

These incidents mark a further escalation of the current crisis and represent a serious violation of the rights of children, the statement said. Schools must be not used by security forces under any circumstances.

Police and soldiers also have forced children to perform labor by removing sandbags and other makeshift barricades set up by protesters, witnesses said.

Sundays melee in Mandalay began during a dispute between security forces and residents who were ordered to remove road barricades placed by anti-junta protesters days earlier, locals said. When six people were arrested, residents demanded they be released.

Soon after that we heard some gunshots, said a resident who did not provide a name. I didnt see the shooting, but I heard the shots from the other street. They brought in two more truckloads of police for reinforcement, who came into the streets challenging people to come out if they dared and said that theyd shoot. But nobody went out.

After security forces left the ward at about 2 p.m., a fight erupted in another area with gunfire heard from 5 p.m. until midnight, locals said. It is unknown if there were casualties.

We were worried they might show up again in our ward, but nothing happened, the resident said. We went to bed very late, and the next morning at about 9 a.m., they came in with bulldozers and guns blazing. No warnings were given.

The sound of automatic weapons fired at about 10 p.m. could be heard on cell-phone videos sent in by citizen journalists.

Despite the gunfire, residents in some wards held protests at dawn on Monday to avoid confrontations with police and soldiers.

More than 230 people have been killed nationwide since the military seized control of the government on Feb. 1.

The Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP), a watchdog group, said that as of Monday, 2,682 people had been arrested, charged, or sentenced in relation to the military coup, with 2,302 still being held or with outstanding warrants. The AAPP put the death toll at 261 people.

Myanmar residents set free balloons calling for R2P, the Responsibility to Protect principle that seeks international help to stop mass atrocities, in Yangon's Hlaing township, as security forces continue to crack down on anti-junta protestors. Credit: AFP/anonymous source





Western sanctions, calls for 'R2P'



The European Union imposed sanctions Monday on 11 people linked to the coup, and according to Reuters news agency, the EU will further target companies funding or generating revenue for the Myanmar military.

"The number of murders has reached an unbearable extent, which is why we will not be able to avoid imposing sanctions, the news agency quoted German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas as saying as he arrived in Brussels for a meeting with his EU counterparts.

Also on Monday, Washington designated Myanmar Chief of Police Than Hlaing and Bureau of Special Operations Commander Lt. Gen. Aung Soe, as well as two army units, the 33rd and 77th Light Infantry Divisions, for freezes of U.S.-based assets and a ban on commercial relations with U.S. citizens.

Under Than Hlaings leadership, the Burma Police Force has gone from attacking peaceful protesters with water cannons, rubber bullets, and tear gas, to using live ammunition, said the U.S. Treasury Department in a statement.

Aung Soe's troops who attacked peaceful protesters were armed with weapons meant for the battlefield, not police actions, demonstrating that lethal force is being used in a planned, premeditated, and coordinated manner against the anti-coup protests, it added.

In the heart of Yangon, Myanmars largest city, people drove around in cars honking their horns to protest against the military. In Hlaing township, residents sent hundreds of red balloons into the sky calling for R2P  an appeal to the Responsibility to Protect norm that seeks international help to halt mass atrocities  to save the country.

Soldiers and police forced civilians, including children, to remove barricades, sandbags, and other road blocks set up by anti-junta protesters in residential areas of Yangon, residents told RFA Monday.

A local resident said a teenage boy watching security forces as they entered his ward caught the attention of police and soldiers as he ran away to hide.

They threatened him to get him to come out, the resident said. He was told to join some other teens who were moving the sandbags. They were so young, and they couldnt do the job.

A resident of Yangons North Dagon township said that soldiers in military trucks arrived there at about 8 p.m. Sunday and tore down bamboo barricades the blocked the entrance to the street.

They knocked down all the barriers and told residents through loudspeakers that North Dagon is a martial law area, said the local who didnt provide a name. They said people must not bang pots and utensils or come out onto the streets. They said they would shoot anyone who violated the militarys rules.

A resident of Yangons Tamwe told a similar story, saying that security forces came onto the street where he lives two days ago and destroyed three CCTV cameras.

They came in again today and are now pulling down all the barricades, he told RFA Monday. They said they would shoot if they are set up again.

Anti-junta organizers in Yangon say its a life-or-death challenge to hold nighttime protests or vigils for those killed, with security forces rampaging through the streets shouting, arresting, and shooting people.

Residents said it is nearly impossible to participate in evening demonstrations with police and soldiers coming into residential wards at night, shooting at random, raiding houses, and making arrests.

A man runs past a road barricade and burning debris in Myanmar's second-largest city, Mandalay, March 22, 2021. Credit: Associated Press





NLD officials hearings begin

In the capital Naypyidaw, two detained lawmakers from Aung San Suu Kyis National League for Democracy (NLD) and the local party chairman appeared in court for the first time Monday to face charges of state defamation and sedition for allegedly encouraging civil servants to join the civil disobedience movement, defense lawyers said.

The trio is being detained in Naypyidaw Prison, they said.

Naypyidaw region chairman Min Thu and lawmakers Min Thu and Kyaw Min Hlaing had hearings in three different township courts.

Min Thu was brought to court at about 4:17 p.m., and his case was heard behind closed doors, said an attorney representing the three men, who declined to be named. Nobody except the court employees were allowed to go inside the courtroom.

The next court date for the two lawmakers has been set for March 30, he said.

Cho Cho Aung, wife of Thant Zin Tun, said that she was allowed to talk to the legislator for about 15 minutes.

He looks fine, and he asked for some religious books, she said. They only issued the remand today, and his transfer of power of attorney will be submitted to the court at the next hearing.

Pa Pa Aung, wife of Kyaw Min Hlaing, said her husband told her not to worry about him.

But it was sad to see him in handcuffs like that, she added.

Reported by RFAs Myanmar Service. Translated by Khin Myaung Nyane. Written in English by Roseanne Gerin.
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ALBUQUERQUE, N.M.  Virus-related hospitalizations continue to decline as more New Mexicans receive the COVID-19 vaccine, local hospital leaders said Monday.

That is taking some of the pressure off of our acute care delivery system, said Dr. David Pitcher, UNM Health System executive physician.

The state reported three additional virus-related deaths on Monday, including a San Juan County man in his 20s who was hospitalized and had underlying conditions. The deaths of a San Juan County woman in her 80s and a Lea County man in his 50s were also reported, pushing the statewide toll to 3,892.

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The state reported 167 confirmed COVID cases on Monday, including 67 in Bernalillo County.

There were 115 people with COVID hospitalized throughout the state on Monday. During the deadliest stretch of the pandemic in New Mexico, there were days in early December when hospitals were caring for more than 900 COVID patients.

At UNM Hospital and Sandoval Regional Medical Center, there are less than 20 patients hospitalized with COVID-19 on Monday.

Presbyterians 10 hospitals reported 31 patients with the virus, with five of those people on ventilators.

The four Lovelace hospitals reported between six and eight COVID patients for the last two weeks.

Six COVID-19 patients are hospitalized at Christus St. Vincent Regional Medical Center in Santa Fe. None are currently intubated or requiring intensive care.

Dr. Denise Gonzales, medical director at Presbyterian, said the state is in a race to vaccinate as many residents as possible.

There is still enough virus in the community that we could have another peak, Gonzales said. It is definitely not the time to back off and to give up and say that its a done deal.

A state vaccine dashboard on Monday showed that 38.8% of qualified New Mexicans have received at least one COVID vaccine shot and 23.6% are fully vaccinated.
Family members are grieving after eight people were killed and one seriously wounded in the shootings at three Atlanta area spas last Tuesday, but some are also struggling to suddenly organize funeral expenses while others are being forced to rebuild entirely after losing a parent.

Families of seven of those killed and one survivor have organized GoFundMe pages to allow the public to donate. NBC News verified the authenticity of these campaigns with the organizers and GoFundMe.

Image: Suncha Kim (GoFundMe)

Donation page established for Suncha Kim's family

A fund for Suncha Kim, 69, killed in the Tuesday attacks, was organized on behalf of her granddaughter, Regina Song, and her family. In a post written for the GoFundMe page, Song described her grandmother as an angel.

As an immigrant, all my grandmother ever wanted in life was to grow old with my grandfather, and watch her children and grandchildren live the life she never got to live, she wrote.

According to the page, Kim immigrated to the United States from Seoul to give her family a better life. She was a fighter, Song wrote, and would call her granddaughter on the phone once a week to tell her, Stay strong in life ... when youre happy, Im happy.

The funds will be used by the family to pay for Kims funeral and memorial expenses.

Image: Xiaojie Emily Tan (GoFundMe)

Donation page established for Xiaojie "Emily" Tan's family

Xiaojie Emily Tan, 49, was the only one from her family to move to the U.S. from Nanning, China, according to a GoFundMe page created by a family member to support her daughter, Jami Webb. Throughout her life, she worked to take care of her child and send money back home to support her mother and her sister in China.

My mom taught me the power of smiles and laughter, Webb said as part of the fundraiser. People noticed how happy she was. Please spend more time with your loved ones, like it could be your last day with them.

Webb will use the money to support herself through this time and to organize a trip to China with her mothers remains for a funeral service.

Story continues

Hyun Jung Grant worked at Gold Spa in Atlanta. (via GoFundMe)

Donation page established for Hyun Jung Grant's family

Hyun Jung Grant, 51, a single mom of two, was one of those killed at Gold Spa in Atlanta. She was the sole support system for their family, and her son, Randy Park, 23, organized a GoFundMe to take care of food, rent and bills for himself and his brother.

In an interview with NBC Asian America, Park remembered his mother.

She was a big kid, he said. She essentially behaved like a teenager.

Park said his mom would often stay overnight at the spa instead of making the 30-mile drive back home. She spent her whole life just existing for my brother and I, he said.

His highly-trafficked GoFundMe page has amassed more than $2.7 million since he posted it three days ago. He updated the page with a message to the donors over the weekend.

I don't know how any word I write here will ever convey how grateful and blessed I am to receive this much support, he wrote. My mother can rest easy knowing I have the support of the world with me.

Image: Yong Yue (GoFundMe)

Donation page established for Yong Ae Yue's family

Yong Yue, 63, made a weekly ritual of going to the grocery store and making a traditional Korean dinner. Accompanying her on those trips is something that her son, Rob Peterson, will miss the most after Yue was killed during the Atlanta attacks.

Mom was an amazing woman who loved to introduce our family and friends to her home-cooked Korean food and Korean karaoke, Peterson wrote on a GoFundMe page organized to cover the familys immediate expenses following Yues death.

The donations will be used to cover travel expenses for the memorial service, organizing Yues affairs and covering the funeral costs.

Wow, we are truly overwhelmed with the amount of support and comfort we have received from the various community members, family and friends, Peterson wrote in an update to the page Sunday. My mom would be so proud that my brother and I are not only getting along but surrounded by good spirits and uplifting her legacy.

Donation page established for Paul Andre Michels' family

Paul Andres Michels, 54, who was killed while at one of the spas Tuesday, was a U.S. Army veteran and married for 30 years, according to a GoFundMe organized by the co-worker of his wife, Bonnie Michels.

Michels was a business owner who moved to Atlanta from Detroit, where he grew up.

"My brother is a very hardworking, loving husband, a good brother," John Michels, his brother, told NBCs TODAY show. "A man who would do anything for someone if they needed it."

According to the GoFundMe page, the donations will be used to cover funeral expenses.

Image: Soon Chung Park (GoFundMe)

Donation page established for Soon Chung Park's family

A fundraiser for shooting victim Soon Chung Park, 74, was posted yesterday by her husband, Gwangho Lee, to cover rent and living expenses in the wake of her death.

I am currently unable to work due to the trauma I have experienced from this attack and from the death of my wife, Lee wrote on the GoFundMe page.

Delaina Yaun and her husband, Mario Gonzalez. (Family photo)

Donation page established for Delaina Ashley Yaun's family

Delaina Ashley Yaun, 33, was newly married with two children, including a 9-month-old, when she was killed during the Cherokee County attacks. Friends told an Atlanta NBC affiliate that she was a wonderful mother and friend.

A GoFundMe organized for her family is asking for donations to cover funeral expenses and support her young children and her husband during this time.

Image: Elcias Hernandez Ortiz (GoFundMe)

Donation page established for Elcias Hernandez-Ortiz's medical care

Elcias Hernandez-Ortiz, 30, is the lone survivor of last weeks Cherokee County shootings. He sustained a gunshot to the forehead and is in intensive care, according to a GoFundMe page set up by his wife, Flora Gonzalez Gomez.

The donations will be used to cover the costs of his surgeries and medical care.

Please pray for my family" and the families that were affected by the shooting, Gomez wrote. Anything will greatly help our family.
Zambia holds presidential and general elections in August this year. Its reputation as a peaceful country may be put to the test.

Paul Samasumo - Vatican City.

Zambias 2016 presidential elections were marred by widespread political violence. The countrys image as a haven of peace took a beating. Once again, the southern African nation will be going to the polls on 12 August. The elections will be held to elect the President and National Assembly. Christian Church leaders, over the weekend, issued a pastoral statement urging Zambians to shun violence and embrace tolerance.

Avoid donations from politicians

With campaigns starting to get underway, Zambias politicians, especially from the ruling party, have already been crisscrossing the country to make donations in various churches and parishes. Elections are almost never mentioned with the donations but it is understood that the gifts are meant to influence Christian voters to look favourably on their benefactor and political party. The donations are often accompanied by comprehensive coverage in the media.

All this has not been lost on the Bishops, who in the pastoral statement, tell members of the clergy that gifts from politicians might compromise the churchs prophetic mission to speak truth to power.

Remember that if we want peace, we must work for justice. As a conscience of the nation, the church must be non-partisan and avoid receiving gifts that have the potential to make it lose its prophetic voice. In the run-up towards the elections, the church remains committed to playing a reconciliatory and peacebuilding role, said the church leaders in a document jointly signed by President of the Zambia Conference of Catholic Bishops, George Cosmas Zumaire Lungu together with the heads of the Council of Churches in Zambia as well as the Evangelical Fellowship of Zambia.

It is a message that has been repeated several times before by the churchs leadership to their clergy. However, Zambias economy is in such dire straits that the Bishops message sometimes falls on deaf ears. The Covid-19 emergency has worsened what was already a difficult financial situation.

A new controversial Voters Register



Another challenge highlighted by the Bishops in their statement has to do with the decision of the Electoral Commission of Zambia (ECZ) to abandon the existing 2006 Voters Roll for a new one. The electoral body started a completely new Voters Register. It is a decision that has not gone down well with Opposition parties and civil society.

Opposition parties say that the new Voters Register is not comprehensive enough and has disenfranchised many potential voters in their strongholds. Fewer voters were captured in Opposition areas, they said.

The leaders of the Council of Churches in Zambia (CCZ), the Evangelical Fellowship of Zambia (EFZ), and the Zambia Conference of Catholic Bishops (ZCCB) have said in the pastoral statement that they are studying the new Voters Roll and will pronounce themselves on it later. We wish to inform the nation that we are currently studying the provisional register and analysing the data and will share our findings in due course. We are doing this because the Voters Roll is a very important document that determines the credibility of any election, said the Bishops.

The Church leaders nevertheless add, While we appreciate the work the ECZ has done so far in having the current register, we are of the considered view that there was room for improvement in terms of capturing more voters if proposals for a longer extension in the registration period as well as the deployment of extra staff and more registration kits were adhered to.

Concerns about the August election

A growing number of Zambians are beginning to air their concerns with the forthcoming August election.

A political analyst and academician, University of Zambia lecturer Sishuwa Sishuwa, fears that Zambias post-election scenario might be headed towards a turbulent period.

If Zambia descends into large-scale political unrest after the 12 August 2021 general election, there are three major factors that would have driven the country to that outcome. These include the publics increasing lack of trust in (and outright contempt for) formal institutions  like the Judiciary, the Electoral Commission of Zambia and the Police  as arbiters of the contest between those who wield state power and those seeking to acquire it, said Sishuwa. He also said the governing PF leadership and Opposition leaders see the August election as a matter of life and death and are likely to violently rebel against an outcome that does not favour them  especially if it lacks credibility.

Sishuwa also attributes the possible electoral crisis to the incriminating silence of international, mainly Western, institutions and actors who once spoke out against human rights violations and murderous attacks on democracy and exercised some kind of leverage on the actions of the political elites in power. A key reason for this quietness is the decline in funding to Zambia from major world powers, said the Zambian academician.

Political violence before and after elections is also a concern that runs through the recent church leaders pastoral statement.

Government assurances for free and peaceful elections

For its part, the Zambian government said it is determined to deliver free, fair, credible and peaceful 2021 elections. In a recent address to parliament, Zambian President, Edgar Chagwa Lungu said, I, therefore, call upon every Zambian, every political party and player, the church and the civil society to join me in assuring our people of peace and unity before, during and after the 2021 general elections. We are one Zambia, and indeed we are one nation, the president assured.
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TIPPECANOE COUNTY, Ind. (WLFI) - Throughout the state of Indiana hemp is now being grown as a commercial crop. This is due to the Indiana State Hemp Plan, which was created by the Office of Indiana State Chemist and approved by the USDA.

Previously, licensed hemp growers were only allowed to grow hemp as a commercial crop.

Seed Administrator for the Office of Indiana State Chemist, Don Robison, said there's definitely a difference between growing hemp as a commercial crop, rather than a research crop.

"It's much easier for the grower now," said Robison. "Within the law, they are fully on their own."

Previously, Robison said licensed hemp growers had to write a research proposal.

Then they had to have a university researcher who was willing to sign-off on their proposal and oversee the process.

"Then they had to grow the crop, write up a research report, submit it to our agency and complete a year-end survey of all of the research that they did, said Robison. So there were a lot of extra step for the research program."

But now that hemp can be grown as a commercial crop, growers do not have to work with a university.

They don't have to have the research proposal, they don't have to sign up with a researcher and who will oversee their research, said Robison. They don't have to do the survey at the end of the year."

Robinson said the Indiana State Hemp Plan had to be approved by the USDA, which includes standard operating procedures for inspections, investigations and lab work.

The owners of Halsema Hemp Farm in Tippecanoe County know what the process is like to become a licensed hemp grower.

""We grow it, we dry it, we process it and then we sell CBD goodies online for our client's wellness," said Halsema Hemp Farm Co-Owner and Authorization Agent, Leslie Halsema.

The Halsemas previously grew hemp as a research crop in partnership with Purdue University.

Halsema Hemp Farm Co-Owner and hemp grower, Mike Halsema, says the first year growing hemp as a research crop was a great learning experience.

"Our first year was a research crop, which let us know where we're at and how it all functions, said Mike. This year its going to be a little different because there will be people and farmers growing without the backup from the university.

Mike said he believes this could be an interesting year in the hemp growing industry.

I dont know if its going to be a good thing because theres going to be a lot of people out there who are going to try it this year, said Mike. Theyll realize theres a lot to do and its not as easy as you think.

The Halsemas not only grow hemp, but they extract CBD from the harvested crop to create CBD products to sell.

Were a licensed hemp farm in the state of Indiana, said Mike. All of our products are tested at a third-party facility and we follow all the protocols.

The Halsemas plant the hemp seed in the spring. Once the crop is fully grown, its harvested and hung-up to dry.

We take those flowers and process it into roslyn extract, said Mike. Thats when we take it and put it into edible products.

In order to be a licensed hemp grower, the Halsemas have strict regulations they have to follow.

After the plants have grown for a little while, we take a sample of that and send it into a lab, which is a third-party testing lab, said Mike. They test our products to make sure they comply.

THC levels cannot exceed 0.3%. Thats why the Halsemas have to follow strict testing requirements for their hemp crop.

Testing the hemp crop throughout the growing process allows the Halsemas to know where their crop stands with THC levels.

Mike said the THC levels gradually get stronger while the crop continues to grow.

As it gets close to the 0.3% THC level, well call the state in, said Mike. Theyll come in and give us an actual test and this is the one that actually counts.

Once the test is approved by the state, the Halsemas are given a certificate, which allows them to use the crop for the products.

We grow totally organic products here," said Mike. "This means theres no fertilizers and no weed killers."

The Halsema's were thankful to have a research year to begin with. Leslie said it really gave them the opportunity to learn a lot.

It was a fun experience, said Leslie. We learned a lot with Purdue Extension and all of the networking and just learning about the plant.

While the Halsemas are preparing for the 2021 hemp planting season, Robison said the Office of Indiana State Chemist has seen a decrease in the number of registered hemp growers.

"We saw an increase in hemp farmers in 2015, which was the first research year, through 2020," said Robison. "Every year we saw a nice increase percentage-wise and number-wise, but this year so far we've seen a little bit of a decrease."

Last year Robison said they had over 250 registered growers, but only about 105 actually grew.

Right now we are at 84 for this year, said Robison. People can continue to apply for a license all the way through the year, so we very well might hit the number we had last year.

Robison believes there are a couple of reasons for the decrease.

"Now that we have an approved plan, the regulations require our agency to charge fees to break even on the program," said Robison. "When it was a research program we did not have a way to charge fees, so we were just losing money every year doing it for free."

The seed administrator also believes the extensive background checks are another reason.

"Now the background checks are no longer an Indiana State Police Background check," said Robison. "The background check is now a federal FBI background check."

Robison says since the background check is extensive, it takes longer to get back.

The background check is taking 10-12 weeks to come back, said Robison.

Robison believes that could be playing a role in the decrease in registered growers for 2021.

We have seen a decrease at this point in 2021 and some of that is the background check, said Robison. But some of it could be the fees.

The Halsema family is planning to continue selling their CBD products.

They recommend anyone interested in becoming a licensed hemp grower to do their research and truly understand the industry.

"You really do need to do your own research, said Leslie. Even if you don't have to do the research year, you need to do your research. Understand your plants and understand what you're getting into.
CONCORD  After 25 years of failure, the state Supreme Court needs to step in and ensure schools are properly funded in the state, the lawyer 
Tourists enjoy tulips at a festival in Imja Island, South Jeolla Province, in this March 31, 2014, photo. The nationally famous festival has been canceled for the second consecutive year due to fears of COVID-19. Korea Times file.



By Bahk Eun-ji



Dozens of flower festivals and other springtime cultural events have been called off across the country for the second consecutive year due to the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic which is showing no signs of abating.



Local governments, residents and merchants of the affected regions are suffering as tourists' spending at these events had been their main source of finance.



Starting from the end of February, Sinan County of South Jeolla Province removed about 1 million tulips from Imja Island after deciding to cancel the nationally famous Shinan Tulip Festival there. Imja Island is the venue of the annual spring flower festival, but the county office decided to call off the event to prevent an influx of tourists.



"The local residents are very sorry for the cancellation of the festival, which was slated for mid-April," said Kim Jung-won, chairman of the festival promotion committee. "The tulip festival is a major event in Sinan, and I am already worried about the negative impact on the local economy," he said.



Local residents on Imja Island have shown a great sense of loss as the spring flower festival was a major source of income for them.





A pedestrian passes by cherry blossom trees around Seokchon Lake Park in Songpa District, Seoul, March 5. Yonhap

The tulip festival, started in 2008, drew more than 50,000 people from across the country in 2019 alone, and tourists used to buy local specialties such as green onions, salted fish and tulips during the festival period. Various fisheries products were also sold at nearby Songdo Public Market, but it will likely be canceled this year.



Merchants who used to make ends meet during the festival season have been suffering for nearly a year, with their hopes for this year's festivals disappearing.



For Kim Se-jung, who runs a food truck selling pizza in Seosan, South Chungcheong Province, his main source of revenue was visitors to local festivals held in the province. "Now without any festivals to visit, I have to sell pizza on the streets in the neighborhood, and my income has been cut to almost one 10th compared to before the pandemic," Kim said.



For many other festivals, local governments have decided to cancel them or limit the opening hours to areas where people usually gather to enjoy flower blooms.



The Goryeosan Mountain Azalea Festival held on Incheon's Ganghwa Island, which drew nearly 430,000 people in 2019 alone, was also canceled this year again, dashing residents' expectations for the festival to revitalize the local economy.





Azaleas bloom on a hill in Mount Goryeo on Ganghwa Island in this file photo. Korea Times file
Newtownards Magistrates Court heard the accused admitted three charges relating to her dog, a black and white Akita, attacking a person, allowing the dog to stray and keeping a dog without a licence. (David Young/PA)

A woman whose massive Akita dog attacked a teenager, her mum and an 86-year-old war veteran was today warned that if she didnt have the dog destroyed, she will go to jail.

Imposing a four month prison sentence but suspending it for three years, District Judge Mark Hamill told 44-year-old Helen Blackwood the whole basis of the suspended sentence is the dog being destroyed.

Mention this case again next Monday and I want confirmation that the dog has been destroyed, said the judge, warning Blackwood if I find it hasnt been destroyed I will bring you back and send you to prison for eight months.

Describing the case as one of the worst dog attack cases I have come across, DJ Hamill added that while he should be rewarding 3,000 compensation for each victim, she is a woman of straw...but there will be civil ramifications I would have thought.

At an earlier hearing Blackwood, from the Quarter Road in Cloughey, admitted three charges relating to her dog, a black and white Akita, attacking a person, allowing the dog to stray and keeping a dog without a licence, all committed close to her home on April 15 last year.

A prosecuting lawyer told Newtownards Magistrates Court how a 15-year-old girl was out for a walk with her mum when the dog attacked the teenager, biting her arm and then biting her mum when she intervened and managed to wrestle the dog off her.

The terrified mum and daughter fled to the nearest house having sustained numerous puncture wounds to their arms but a short time later, the dog attacked an 86-year-old Korean War veteran.

The lawyer said a passer-by tried to shout a warning to the pensioner but because he was rather short of hearing, he didnt heed the warning and the dog knocked him to the ground where it went for his throat, inflicting bite marks and bruising to the veterans chin and chest area.

He said that despite fighting in the Korean War, the veteran says the dog attack last April was the most frightening experience of his life.

He still gets flashbacks of the dog on top of him, drooling, said the lawyer, he really thought it was going to rip his throat out and kill him.

The court heard that some passers by were reluctant to help because of the size of the dog but eventually, a Good Samaritan grabbed it by the collar and managed to drag it off the pensioner while a District Nurse who came across the scene gave him first aid.

Enquiries and investigations led Ards and North Down Council to Blackwood who claimed then that she would get the dog put down but the court heard that coming up to 12 months from the attack, Blackwood still has the Akita chained up at her property.

While the PPS lawyer said he was applying for a destruction order for the dog, defence counsel Conan Rea revealed that Blackwood has an appointment with a vet today to have the dog destroyed.

The lawyer said he was also applying for Blackwood to be disqualified from owning or keeping a dog and for court costs of 296 against her.

Mr Rea confirmed there was no insurance policy covering the dog which had originally belonged to her brother, submitting that she had not been able to have it put to sleep due to Covid.

Its stating the obvious that it shouldve been put down and in the normal run of events, without Covid, thats what wouldve happened, said the lawyer who told the court Blackwood is very remorseful and apologetic for the very traumatic incident.

Describing the Akita as a monster of a dog, DJ Hamill said he was appalled that this dog is still alive and the fact that it was not licensed was the icing on the cake.

In addition to the suspended prison sentence, Blackwood was fined 100 and ordered to pay the 296 costs.




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Before the pandemic, the number of New Mexico minority-owned businesses had been growing considerably, with more added to the states top-performing independent companies every year.

But the onset of COVID-19 hurt this encouraging trajectory as Black-, Asian-, Hispanic- and Native American-owned businesses were disproportionately impacted by the prolonged pandemic both here and across the country. Sadly, one study shows that half of Black-owned businesses nationwide may not survive and only 6.7% of Hispanic-owned businesses reported being profitable.

Key to weathering the storms of 2020 was resiliency and flexibility navigating an evolving and uncertain business landscape, according to our 2020 Small Business Owner Report.

In response to the impacts from the pandemic, minority business owners retooled their operations, reinvented themselves by developing new products or services, and donated resources to support relief efforts in their local communities.

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While it may be challenging to predict what exactly our path to economic recovery will look like in the new year, we know that small businesses will play a significant role. Here are three steps to reignite growth and plan for financial success this year.

Reevaluate your business plan given todays environment: Due to changing landscapes and environments, its critical to evolve and adjust your business plan by mapping out key areas of need and growth and identifying any potential risk areas that you may have uncovered during the pandemic. Ask yourself, how did your business track last year against the projections you made heading into 2020? Are there successes from the second half of 2020 you can build on? What solutions worked best for your business as you managed the impact of the coronavirus? As were still in a time of uncertainty, err on the side of caution and ensure your plan allows room for evolution and adjustment as needed.

Explore your financing options: Our team at Bank of America is taking steps to directly engage with minority business owners to ensure they have access to the tools and resources they need to secure funding. Our small business bankers will continue to support business owners as they navigate the Paycheck Protection Program process  as well as to discuss traditional loan product options to fit individual needs such as purchasing inventory, refinancing debt or financing account receivables. When exploring financing options, a few questions to consider include: What goals have you identified in your business plan that require additional financing? Are you looking to boost your headcount? Did you have expansion plans that you held off on? Are any structural or technological enhancements needed in the coming year? Once you identify your goals for 2021 and beyond, sit down with your small business banker to determine the right financing solution for you.

Bankers can also help connect business owners who may not qualify for traditional bank financing to our network of Community Development Financial Institution partners across the country, that are working to increase access to capital for business owners who have historically faced barriers. Bank of America is the largest investor in CDFIs in the U.S., with more than $1.6 billion in loans and investments to over 250 CDFIs. We also recently committed $200 million to direct equity investments in Black- and Hispanic-Latino-owned businesses, to help supply growth capital as well as to invest substantially in programs to create future entrepreneurs.

Go digital: Businesses across the country have had to adjust aspects of their operations due to the public health crisis, including enhancing sanitation practices, changing primary revenue streams and shifting sales from brick-and-mortar to online. As we continue to adhere to social distancing requirements, consider banking digitally to limit in-person interactions, and free up time to remain focused on running your business. Connect with your banker on what digital options are available to you. For example, at Bank of America we offer a full suite of small business digital capabilities, including Cash Flow Monitor, a no-cost dashboard that provides an easy way to manage, track and project your business cash flow.

The pandemic created unprecedented obstacles for small business owners, challenging them to find new and innovative ways to meet the needs of their businesses, employees, customers and communities. Following the steps outlined above can help address whatever opportunities and challenges 2021 may bring for minority-owned businesses.

The news that is especially encouraging for the small business community in New Mexico is that our research found four in five entrepreneurs say that once were on the other side of the pandemic, they believe small business will return to being the backbone of the U.S. economy.

The executives desk is a guest column providing advice, commentary or information about resources available to the business community in New Mexico. To submit a column, for consideration, email gporter@abqjournal.com.
Two cargoes were heard transacted in the past week, with re-rollers heard purchasing at least 50,000-60,000 tonnes of HRC from major Indian steel mills.One transaction concluded at $775 per tonne cfr Vietnam for 20,000-30,000 tonnes of Indian HRC earlier last week, and another transaction concluded at $785 per tonne cfr Vietnam for a similar-sized cargo toward the latter part of the week.Major buyers were sourcing materials to feed strong downstream demand for hot-dipped galvanized coil exports to markets in the United States, Europe and Mexico.Indian steel mills had hiked their offers to $790 per tonne cfr Vietnam in the past week, citing the strong demand for the higher prices.

A major Chinese steel mill was also heard to have offered at...
(Left) Michael Spavor, director of Paektu Cultural Exchange, during a Skype interview in Yanji, China, on March 2, 2017. (Right) Michael Kovrig, an adviser with the International Crisis Group, a Brussels-based NGO, during an interview in Hong Kong on March 28, 2018. (AP Photo)

Chinas Denial of Consular Access to Canadians Trials Violates Pact, Expert Says

China has closed the trial of the second arbitrarily detained Canadian, while once again denying consular access to the hearing, a move that an expert says is a violation of a consular agreement.

Michael Kovrig, a former Canadian diplomat, faced a closed-door trial on March 22 on charges of spying into state secrets and intelligence for foreign entities, Beijings No. 2 Intermediate Court said in a statement. The court said a verdict will be issued at a later date.

Kovrigs hearing follows the March 19 trial of Michael Spavor, a Canadian businessman who faced similar charges of espionage. The Intermediate Peoples Court of Dandong in Liaoning Province, where Spavor was put on trial, also didnt announce a verdict.

Chinese officials denied Canadian consular access to both trials for the two Michaels, which is a clear breach of the Canada-China Consular Agreement, according to Donald Clarke, a Chinese law specialist and law professor at the George Washington University.

Jim Nickel, center, the deputy chief of mission for the Canadian Embassy in China, and foreign diplomats gather outside the No. 2 Intermediate Peoples Court as they arrive to attend former diplomat Michael Kovrigs trial in Beijing, on March 22, 2021. (Andy Wong/AP Photo)

In his article published last week, Clarke argued that Chinas attempt to justify the exclusion of Canadian diplomats from the hearing on the grounds that state secrets are involved wont hold, because any denial of access is a breach of the Agreement.

Clarke supported his argument, quoting the Consular Agreement Article 8 (5), which states, A consular officer shall be permitted to attend the trial or other legal proceedings.

Clarke also cited Article 8 (7) of the Consular Agreement, which states: A consular officer shall comply with the law of the receiving State in performing the functions provided for in this Article. Nevertheless, the application of the law of the receiving State shall not restrict the implementation of the rights provided for in this Article.

Its extremely important to understand that to say that Art. 8(5) doesnt apply because there are state secrets involved is like saying it doesnt apply because its Tuesday, Clarke wrote. There is simply no exception there, and Art. 8(7) makes it clear that China cant cite its own law as a justification for restricting the rights under Art. 8(5).

A man holds a sign with photographs of Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor, who have been detained in China since December 2018, as people gather for a rally in support of Hong Kong democracy, in Vancouver, British Columbia, on Aug. 16, 2020. (The Canadian Press/Darryl Dyck

Kovrig and Spavor have been in custody since December 2018, shortly after Canada arrested Huawei Chief Financial Officer Meng Wanzhou at the behest of the U.S. government.

U.S. officials want Meng extradited on charges of bank fraud and conspiracy, saying Meng and her company allegedly lied to multiple financial institutions, including HSBC, in an effort to evade American sanctions against Iran.

China has repeatedly denied wrongdoing in its treatment of Kovrig and Spavor, despite allegations that their detention was a hostile retaliation for Mengs arrest.

In a statement released on March 22, Canadian Foreign Affairs Minister Marc Garneau also condemned the lack of transparency in the Chinese court hearing process for Spavor and Kovrig.

As Minister of Foreign Affairs, securing the safe return to Canada of Mr. Kovrig and Mr. Spavor is my top priority. We are deeply troubled by the lack of transparency surrounding the hearings and we continue to work to end their arbitrary detention. Statement: pic.twitter.com/K5lugcjEwo  Marc Garneau (@MarcGarneau) March 22, 2021

Clarke noted that China has successfully tried this same trick in 2010, in the trial against Australian citizen Stern Hu.

Hu, a former executive of the Rio Tinto mining group, was detained by the Chinese regime in July 2009, on charges of stealing commercial secrets and accepting bribes. Hu was sentenced to 10 years in prison, while three of his colleagues were sentenced to 7 to 14 years in prison. He was released in 2018, after serving eight years.

In Hus case, rather than outright denial of the Australia-China Consular Agreementwhich is similar to the Canada-China Agreement in the part of consular accessthe Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs said at the time, according to Clarke: Please dont mix up the relationship between a countrys sovereignty, particularly its judicial sovereignty, and the Chinese-Australian Agreement on Consular Relations. The Chinese-Australian Agreement on Consular Relations must be premised on respect for Chinas sovereignty and judicial sovereignty.

The Australians acquiesced to this clear breach without a fuss, or at least without any public fuss, Clarke said. I dont see any reason for Canada to do the same.

At this point, it seems a little late in the day to worry about hurting the feelings of the Chinese people.

Clarke also warned the European Union, which is working toward an investment agreement with China, about Beijings repeated practices of abandoning international treaties.

China has already announced that it is not bound by any provisions of the Sino-British Joint Declaration on Hong Kong; now it is repeating through its actions its view that it is not bound by its consular agreements. I guess its not bound by any promises, he said.
State

Various Naga political groups celebrate Naga Republic Day

DIMAPUR, MAR 21 (NPN) | Publish Date: 3/21/2021 1:40:34 PM IST

Various Naga Political Groups (NPGs) celebrated the Naga Republic Day at their respective headquarters on Sunday.

NSCN (I-M): Underling the centrality of Framework Agreement, NSCN (I-M) chairman Q Tuccu has asserted that it was the meeting point of the two sovereign people.

In his 42nd Republic Day speech, Tuccu said sensible Nagas understood that the Framework Agreement (FA) was one of the options where Indians and Nagas could come closer to each other because it served the purposes of both the parties. Therefore, he cautioned that it would be a great loss for India if it betrayed the agreement or miss the chance. But as for the Nagas, we will keep the Framework Agreement, he added. After a long series of talks, Tuccu said Centre proposed FA as a formula of win-win solution. All successive Prime Ministers of India understood that Nagas would not merge with Union of India, but they were willing to coexist. Centre was also well informed that Nagas would not accept Indian constitution, but they were not opposed to sharing sovereign power with India, he added.

GPRN/NSCN: GPRN/NSCN celebrated its 42nd Republic Day at CHQ, Khehoyi designated camp where kilo (home) kilonser, Jack Jimomi hoisted the Naga national flag and read out the speech of GPRN/NSCN president M.B. Neokpao Konyak. In his speech Neokpao maintained that there should not be any excuse by any entity to delay solution as all negotiating entities accepted that talks had concluded as on October 31, 2019. Goal posts have been changed umpteenth times. Apex Naga tribal bodies and general populace at the grassroot have been misled for 24 years. The lies are exasperating. The much awaited Indo-Naga political agreement must be inked without delay!, he stated

NSCN (K): NSCN/GPRN (K) ato kilonser col. (retd) Isak Sumi said with the successful conclusion of the Indo-Naga peace process, the ball was now in the court of the GoI. We are but waiting finger-crossed only to sign the final agreement for which we leave the entire dispensations to Gods will, he said this in his 42nd Naga R-Day speech.

He urged every conscious Naga not to be swayed away by propagandas being generated by vested interested, who were keen to sabotage the much anticipated political solution but to demonstrate perseverance, patience and perfect understanding of the issue and exercise further caution lest our impulsiveness and immaturity destroy the hard-earned peace and imminent political solution at the behest of anti-solution elements.

NSCN (R): NSCN (R) president, Y. Wangtin Naga was optimistic that the long standing Naga issue will be resolved during Prime Minister Modis government. In his 42nd Naga Republic Day speech, Wangtin urged Nagas to come together by burying all minor differences for the common good, adding that the present peace process between GoI-NSCN (IM) and GoI-NNPG/WC moved positively edging to the final agreement.

FGN: Kedahge of Federal Government of Nagaland (FGN), brig (retd) S. Singnya on the occasion of the 66th Naga Republic Day reminded that the Naga nationalism was founded on courage, the courage to believe that Nagas were different and unique as a people and as a nation founded on the historical and political reality of the time.

We chose to determine, forge and shape our own destiny with freedom and dignity, he said in his speech while reminding that Nagas as a people have an ardent desire to live in peace and harmony and have always sought to live in peaceful co-existence with our neighbours.

NCC/GDRN(NA): NNC/ GDRN (Non-Accordist) president Kiumukam Yimchunger in his 65th Naga Republic Day speech said that the political leadership of India had recognized the Nagas right to self-determination, as reflected in the historic document Preamble/Agreed position signed between Government of India and the NNPGs working Committee on November 17, 2017

Heeding to the clarion call of Nagas for peace in Naga homeland, Kiumukam said seven different warring groups had come together in true Christian spirit of forgive and forget and formed the NNPGs working committee, and has been working tirelessly under one umbrella to bring about an enduring peace between Indians and Nagas and an honourable solution that is acceptable to the Naga people.
Supporters rally outside court as James Coates, pastor of GraceLife Church, attended a bail hearing, in a file photo. (Jason Franson/The Canadian Press)

Jailed Alberta Pastor to Be Released From Jail but Must Pay $1,500 Fine

STONY PLAIN, Alta.A judge has ruled a jailed Edmonton-area pastor can be released immediately but has to pay a $1,500 fine.

Judge Jeffrey Champion says James Coates, who preaches at GraceLife Church, has to pay the fine within 12 days.

Coates has been in jail for 35 days for not following a condition of his original bail release that he not hold church services.

He was charged after officials said the church violated public-health measures meant to help contain the spread of COVID-19.

Champion has agreed to all but one charge against Coates being dropped.

He is still charged under Albertas Public Health Act for holding services that allegedly broke a restriction on the size of gatherings, and a trial is to begin May 3.
WINDSOR, Australia  Kelly Miller stood in her doorway on Monday, watching the water rise to within a few inches of the century-old home where she runs an alternative medicine business. The bridge nearby had already gone under in some of Australias worst flooding in decades, along with an abandoned car in the parking lot.

Its coming up really quickly, she said.

Two massive storms have converged over eastern Australia, dumping more than three feet of rain in just five days. In a country that suffered the worst wildfires in its recorded history just a year ago, the deluge has become another record-breaker  a once-in-50-years event, or possibly 100, depending on the rain thats expected to continue through Tuesday night.

Nearly 20,000 Australians have been forced to evacuate, and more than 150 schools have been closed. The storms have swept away the home of a couple on their wedding day, prompted at least 500 rescues and drowned roads from Sydney up into the state of Queensland 500 miles north.

Shane Fitzsimmons, the resilience commissioner for New South Wales  a new state position formed after last years fires  described the event as another compounding disaster. Last year, huge fires combined into history-making infernos that scorched an area larger than many European countries. This year, thunderstorms have fused and hovered, delivering enough water to push rivers like the Hawkesbury to their highest levels since the 1960s.
WINNEMUCCA, Nev., March 22, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Paramount Gold Nevada Corp. (NYSE American: PZG) announced today that the Wildlife Resources Baseline Data Report (BDR) for the proposed high-grade Grassy Mountain gold mine in Malheur County, Oregon (Grassy) has been accepted by the Oregon State Technical Review Team (TRT).



Paramount CEO Rachel Goldman commented: The acceptance of the Wildlife BDR is an incremental positive for our permitting progress at Grassy. Following the approval of the tailings dam design and the receipt of the water use permit in 2020, the team continues to address the remaining items that will facilitate our goal of receiving all regulatory approvals necessary to advance Grassy into operation.

The Wildlife BDR incorporates ground and airborne surveys cataloguing wildlife over an expansive area that consists of the project area, the access road and a buffer zone around them.

To date, 20 baseline data reports have been accepted by state regulators, and of those remaining the Ground Water and the Geochemistry BDRs are expected to be filed in advance of submitting the revised Consolidated Permit Application (CPA).

The successful completion of a positive NI 43-101 Feasibility Study in September 2020 has provided several key inputs that will be included in the revised CPA and the amended Plan of Operations which the Company anticipates submitting in the summer of 2021.

About Paramount Gold Nevada Corp.

Paramount Gold Nevada Corp. is a U.S. based precious metals exploration and development company. Paramounts strategy is to create shareholder value through exploring and developing its mineral properties and to realize this value for its shareholders in three ways: by selling its assets to established producers; entering into joint ventures with producers for construction and operation; or constructing and operating mines for its own account.

Paramount owns 100% of the Grassy Mountain Gold Project which consists of approximately 8,200 acres located on private and BLM land in Malheur County, Oregon. The Grassy Mountain Gold Project contains a gold-silver deposit (100% located on private land) for which results of a positive Feasibility Study have been released and key permitting milestones accomplished.

Paramount owns a 100% interest in the Sleeper Gold Project located in Northern Nevada, the worlds premier mining jurisdiction. The Sleeper Gold Project, which includes the former producing Sleeper mine, totals 2,322 unpatented mining claims (approximately 60 square miles or 15,500 hectares). The Sleeper gold project is host to a large gold deposit (over 4 million ounces of mineralized material) and the Company has completed and released a positive Preliminary Economic Assessment. With higher gold prices, Paramount has begun work to update and improve the economics of the Sleeper project.

Safe Harbor for Forward-Looking Statements

This release and related documents may include "forward-looking statements" and forward-looking information (collectively, forward-looking statements) pursuant to applicable United States and Canadian securities laws. Paramounts future expectations, beliefs, goals, plans or prospects constitute forward-looking statements within the meaning of the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and other applicable securities laws. Words such as "believes," "plans," "anticipates," "expects," "estimates" and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements, although these words may not be present in all forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements included in this news release include, without limitation, statements with respect to the use of proceeds from the Offerings. Forward-looking statements are based on the reasonable assumptions, estimates, analyses and opinions of management made in light of its experience and its perception of trends, current conditions and expected developments, as well as other factors that management believes to be relevant and reasonable in the circumstances at the date that such statements are made, but which may prove to be incorrect. Management believes that the assumptions and expectations reflected in such forward-looking statements are reasonable. Assumptions have been made regarding, among other things: the conclusions made in the feasibility study for the Grassy Mountain Gold Project (the FS); the quantity and grade of resources included in resource estimates; the accuracy and achievability of projections included in the FS; Paramounts ability to carry on exploration and development activities, including construction; the timely receipt of required approvals and permits; the price of silver, gold and other metals; prices for key mining supplies, including labor costs and consumables, remaining consistent with current expectations; work meeting expectations and being consistent with estimates and plant, equipment and processes operating as anticipated. There are a number of important factors that could cause actual results or events to differ materially from those indicated by such forward-looking statements, including, but not limited to: uncertainties involving interpretation of drilling results; environmental matters; the ability to obtain required permitting; equipment breakdown or disruptions; additional financing requirements; the completion of a definitive feasibility study for the Grassy Mountain Gold Project; discrepancies between actual and estimated mineral reserves and mineral resources, between actual and estimated development and operating costs and between estimated and actual production; the global epidemics, pandemics, or other public health crises, including the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) global health pandemic, and the spread of other viruses or pathogens and the other factors described in Paramounts disclosures as filed with the SEC and the Ontario, British Columbia and Alberta Securities Commissions.

Except as required by applicable law, Paramount disclaims any intention or obligation to update any forward-looking statements as a result of developments occurring after the date of this document.

Paramount Gold Nevada Corp.

Rachel Goldman, Chief Executive Officer

Christos Theodossiou, Director of Corporate Communications

866-481-2233

Twitter: @ParamountNV
The death has occurred of John Smyth, Ballykeefe, Dooradoyle.

John, died (peacefully) on March 18th 2021.

Beloved husband of Teresa. Sadly missed by his extended family, friends and neighbours.

May He Rest in Peace

A private Funeral has taken place.

Messages of sympathy may be expressed through the condolence section on rip.ie or cards and letters of sympathy can be sent to Cross' Funeral Directors, Lower Gerald Griffin Street, Limerick.

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The death has occurred of Mary Roche (nee Roche), Dromelia, Murroe and formerly of Kilteely.

Peacefully at Milford Care Centre. Sadly missed by her loving husband Tadhg, brother Pat, brothers in law, sisters in law, niece, relatives and a large circle of friends.

Rest in Peace

Departing from her residence travelling via Powers Abington, 5 Cross Roads and Glenstal Cross on Thursday, 25th March, to arrive at the Holy Rosary Church, Murroe for Requiem Mass at 11.30 a.m. Burial afterwards in St. Nicholas' Cemetery, Adare. Please adhere to government guidelines regarding social distance and number of people.

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The death has occurred of Michael Purcell, Colbert Park, Janesboro and late Engineers Sarsfield Barrack's Limerick.

Michael, died (peacefully) at his residence. Very deeply regretted by his loving wife Mairead, stepdaughters Michelle and Jennifer, grandchildren Rebecca, Nicole, John and Allanna, great-grandson Ruben, sister Ann Kiely, brothers-in-law Kevin and Brian, nieces, nephew, other relatives and friends.

May He Rest in Peace

Michael's Funeral Cortege will depart his residence on Wednesday (March 24th) at 10.30am and will travel through McDermott Avenue, Janesboro, en route to Our Lady Queen of Peace Church, Janesboro, for 11am Requiem Mass. Funeral afterwards to Mount St. Oliver Cemetery.

In compliance with the current HSE guidelines, the funeral will be limited to 10 people. Please ensure social distancing and public health advice is adhered to.

Messages of sympathy may be expressed through the condolence section on rip.ie or cards and letters of sympathy can be sent to Cross' Funeral Directors, Lower Gerald Griffin Street, Limerick.

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The death has occurred of Rona Kiely, Granagh.

Peacefully at her residence on March 21st 2021. Sadly missed by her loving husband John, children Steven, Amy, Sharon, Daniel, Sarah and Jack, grandchildren Clodagh, Ella and Aaron, mother Kate, brother Jason, uncles, aunts, sons-in-law Danny, Liam and Cole, cousins, relatives, kind neighbours and many friends.

May Her Gentle Soul Rest In Peace.

Funeral service will take place for family only on Wednesday, March 24th 2021, at Shannon crematorium at 12 pm.

Sympathies may be expressed by using the condolence link on rip.ie or by post to O'Grady Funeral Directors, Ballingarry, Co. Limerick.

Thank you for your understanding during this difficult time.

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The death has occurred of William (Willie) Guiney, South Circular Road, Dublin, and formerly of Templeglantine.

Peacefully, surrounded by his loving family at home and in the wonderful care of the Palliative Care Team, Our Ladys Hospice Harolds Cross; beloved husband of Mary and loving dad of Margaret, Mary, Helen, Hillary, Martina and Paula. Sadly missed by his loving wife, daughters, brothers Dan and John, sons-in-law Ben, Liam, David and Eamonn, Paulas partner Philip, his 16 grandchildren Max, Harry, Ava, Noah, Ralph, Megan, Freya, Sam, Ben, Kate, Tara, Will, Laura, Emmett, Sara and Aaron, sisters-in-law, nieces, nephews, extended family, neighbours and friends.

May Willie rest in peace.

In line with Government/HSE advice and to ensure the safety of all Willies family and friends, a small private funeral will take place. Willies family would ask that over the coming days, everyone who knew him would take some time to light a candle or say a prayer in his memory. Messages of support can be left in the online condolence book on rip.ie

To view Willies Funeral Mass via Absent Friends Livestream on Wednesday, 24th March, at 12 noon please see following link:

https://livestream.absentfriends.ie/WilliamGuiney1

and also the link for burial at 1.30pm approximately please see

https://livestream.absentfriends.ie/WilliamGuiney2

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The death has occurred of Patricia (Patsy) Brosnahan (nee Conway), Drombanna.

Patsy, died (peacefully) in the wonderful Care of Milford Care Centre.

Beloved wife of the late Billy. Very deeply regretted by her sons Andrew, Declan and Paul, daughter-in-law Sharon, Andrew's partner Marie, Paul's partner Anna, grandsons Shane, Mark and Liam, brothers, sisters, brothers-in-law, sisters-in-law, other relatives and friends.

May She Rest in Peace

Patsy's Funeral Cortege will pass her residence at 11.45am en route for a private Requiem Mass, for family only, on Wednesday (March 24th) at 12.00pm in St. Patrick's Church, Donoughmore.

Mass will be streamed live to view click (Here)

Funeral afterwards to Donoughmore Cemetery.

In compliance with the current HSE guidelines, the funeral will be limited to 10 people. Please ensure social distancing and public health advice is adhered to.

Messages of sympathy may be expressed through the condolence section on rip.ie or cards and letters of sympathy can be sent to Cross' Funeral Directors, Ballyneety, Co. Limerick.

Family flowers only please. Donations, if desired, to Milford Care Centre

(To donate click here)
THE Zimbabwe National Army (ZNA) has warned members of the public especially the business community to be wary of fraudsters masquerading as ZNA procurement officers.

These fraudsters allegedly dupe potential suppliers that they take orders on behalf of the army thereby making unsuspecting suppliers to deposit money into unofficial bank accounts.

In a statement ZNA director public relations, Colonel Alphios Makotore advised potential suppliers that the army deals directly with suppliers and not middlemen.

The Zimbabwe National Army would like to alert members of the public especially business suppliers to the organisation that there are fraudsters on the prowl who are using the name of the organisation to dupe unsuspecting victims, he said.

The fraudsters purporting to be representing the ZNA Procurement Officers dupe potential suppliers that they take genuine orders on behalf of the Army and then coax them into depositing huge amounts of money into unofficial bank accounts. In the most recent cases, the bank accounts were purporting to belong to the Grain Marketing Board. However, there were also cases of these being from other suppliers of goods and services.

Potential suppliers and members of the public are therefore advised to be on high alert for these fraudsters. The Army deals directly with all suppliers and not middlemen. All its Procurement Officers would be carrying Identification Cards which members of the public may request.

He called on members of the public to immediately report suspicious characters pretending to be acting on behalf of the ZNA at their nearest Police Station or the Zimbabwe Military Police Investigations Branch, on cell phone number 0712 831 705 or landline (0242) 252 094.

Colonel Makotore warned the fraudsters that the long arm of the law will soon catch up with them. To date, there have been some arrests and due court processes are taking course. Herald
Michael Sherwin, the former acting U.S. attorney in Washington, D.C., told CBS News that evidence collected as part of the investigation into the Jan. 6 Capitol riot most likely support sedition charges.

"I personally believe the evidence is trending toward that, and probably meets those elements," he said during an interview with 60 Minutes that aired Sunday night. "I believe the facts do support those charges. And I think that, as we go forward, more facts will support that." Sherwin led the Justice Department's inquiry into the attack until Friday, when he returned to his role as a federal prosecutor in Miami.

Seditious conspiracy  conspiring to overthrow the government  is a rarely invoked charge. The last federal sedition case was in 2010, when members of a Michigan militia were charged with plotting to start an armed conflict with the government, The New York Times reports. The defendants were acquitted, and the judge said the Justice Department was unable to satisfactorily prove the militia members had entered "a concrete agreement to forcibly oppose the United States government."

Former President Donald Trump told supporters to attend the "Stop the Steal" rally on the morning of Jan. 6, and during a speech that day he repeated his baseless claims of voter fraud and a rigged election against him. Sherwin was at the rally, and he told 60 Minutes he saw people in "tactical gear" and "Kevlar vests" with "military helmets on. Those individuals, I noticed, left the speeches early. Where it was initially pro-Trump, it digressed to anti-government, anti-Congress, anti-institutional."

Sherwin told 60 Minutes he was alarmed when he saw people at the Capitol climbing the scaffolding and hanging flags, and thought, "This is going bad fast." Soon, the pro-Trump mob stormed into the building, trying to stop Congress from certifying the election results. So far, the government has charged more than 400 people in connection with the riot, Sherwin said, with many accused of trespassing and more than 100 charged with assaulting law enforcement officers.

"It's unequivocal that Trump was the magnet that brought the people to D.C. on the 6th," Sherwin said. "Now the question is, is he criminally culpable for everything that happened during the siege, during the breach? We have people looking at everything."

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New customs processes for imports arriving in Ireland from the UK have been branded illogical and disturbing at the Oireachtas Brexit committee.

Business groups and freight companies have warned that multiple shipments are being held up at Irish ports because of issues with a single item on a trailer.

But the same stringent rules are not being applied to imports coming by air or deep sea as they are at shipping ports.

The Irish Small and Medium Enterprise Association (ISME) said Revenues proposed solutions to the issue are not practicable.

If you have 40 different customers on your trailer, one shipment that has insufficient funds will hold up the other 39 customers' shipments from being delivered. Damien Roche, Roche Freight

TDs and Senators reacted with shock to the news, with Committee Chair Lisa Chambers saying she was gobsmacked and that the new system introduced post-Brexit was so illogical.

Damian Roche, of Roche Freight, explained that the issue relates to MRN numbers  unique customs identification numbers created each time a declaration is submitted for importing or exporting goods.

He told the Committee: You think you have your VAT or duty paid in advance, because youve got your MRN entry number.

But now what happens, 30 minutes out, Revenue are collecting the VAT and duty at that point. That could be after hours with ferries coming in after half six.

Mr Roche said this creates issues because while payments can be made at any time, customers or their representatives are often uncontactable outside of business hours.

He added: That means if you have 40 different customers on your trailer, one shipment that has insufficient funds will hold up the other 39 customers shipments from being delivered on the following day, because theyre held in customs until the money is paid.

Theyve changed the format, which is still in place for shipments coming in by air and by deep sea.

He added: If another person clears goods for the same customer to a different port, an hour earlier than you clear the goods, that person could take the money youve arranged with the importer.

I'm a bit gobsmacked actually hear that. That seems so illogical. Lisa Chambers

The revelation was greeted with shock by members of the Seanad Special Select Committee on the Withdrawal of the United Kingdom from the European Union on Monday.

Committee Chair and Fianna Fail Senator Lisa Chambers said: Im a bit gobsmacked actually hear that. That seems so illogical.

Just even the fact that youd have one customer, who might hold up everybody on the truck seems just bizarre, that that will be allowed to prevail as a long term situation.

Mr Roche said he had been told by Revenue that the system had been changed because of a Union Customs Code Directive made at EU level.

But he added: Clearly its illogical. Why cant we have the same system as we always had, and why does air freight and deep sea freight not have that system?

Fine Gael Senator Joe OReilly said: Its very disturbing to hear that the arrangements of the Revenue are not adequate.

That theres not a facility to work after hours, and that the proposed solution from the Revenue is not adequate.

I just think its disturbing disturbing and I think we need to respond to it in a very practical way.
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?

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Royal Caribbean International announced today that Nassau will be the homeport for Adventure of the Seas beginning June. Tweet this

We are proud to have worked and prepared diligently to safely welcome travelers back and are confident that our protocols, combined with the measures Royal Caribbean is implementing  including a requirement for all crew and guests to be fully vaccinated  will deliver an unforgettable vacation experience. In anticipation of Royal Caribbean's return to the islands, Bahamas Minister of Tourism & Aviation, the Hon. Dionisio D'Aguilar said, "Our destination is ready and waiting to resume its role as the region's go to place where travelers head to for escape and rejuvenation."

Full details related to Royal Caribbean's health and safety measures are available online, while testing and entry requirements for The Bahamas, including Bahamas Health Visa application and more, can be found on Bahamas.com/travelupdates.

With traveler confidence and vaccine distribution on the rise, the Bahamas Ministry of Tourism looks forward to the successful return of cruise travel to The Bahamas this summer.

ABOUT THE BAHAMAS

Explore all the islands have to offer at www.bahamas.com or on Facebook , YouTube or Instagram .

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Ukraine intends to invest about UAH 14 billion in the development of gas storage facilities until 2030, according to Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal.

It is planned to direct about UAH 14 billion of domestic investments to the development of the capacity of Ukrainian gas storage facilities until 2030," Shmyhal said in an interview with the German newspaper Handelsblatt, the text of which is available on the Ukrainian Government portal.

According to him, the Ukrainian gas transmission system has a technical possibility for provision of services of hydrogen transportation.

"Production and transportation of hydrogen to Europe is one of the main priorities for us, along with the digitalization of our economy. We are actively discussing this with the European Union," Shmyhal said.

He added that the production and transportation of hydrogen could become an important sector of the economy for Ukraine.

As reported, as of March 1, 2021, there was more than 18 billion cubic meters of natural gas in Ukrainian underground gas storage facilities, which is the highest volume registered in the past ten years.

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A Pakistani court has sentenced a Christian man to death for sending blasphemous text messages to Muslim clerics, according to a report.

The Lahore High Court in Punjab province has revised the 2013 sentencing of the Christian man, Sajjad Masih, from life in prison to death, according to UCA News.

Masih, a Seventh-day Adventist, was accused of sending blasphemous text messages from a mobile phone to Muslim clerics and others in Gojra. The 2013 verdict included life imprisonment and a fine of 314,500 rupees, the equivalent of about $2,000.

Masih, a resident of Punjab's Pakpattan district, was arrested in December 2011.

Source:The Christian Post
Oregon House Speaker Tina Kotek abruptly canceled several floor sessions in the chamber early Monday afternoon, after learning that someone who was in the chamber during sessions last week was diagnosed with COVID-19.

Initially, Kotek left open the possibility the House might resume floor sessions on Wednesday. But around 4 p.m., the speakers office announced lawmakers would cancel the in-person meetings for the rest of the week and return March 29 at the earliest.

An unidentified individual who was subsequently diagnosed with the virus was present on the House floor last week and might have exposed others on March 15 and March 16, according to a news release from the speakers office.

On advice from the Marion County Public Health Division, the Legislature is advising all symptom-free people who might have been exposed to quarantine for 10 days and anyone with symptoms to get tested for COVID-19 and quarantine for at least 14 days. Others who were on the House floor should also get tested, the speakers staff said. Committee meetings will continue to be held online.

The House was scheduled to hold morning and evening floor sessions for most of the week, in order to make headway on a backlog of mostly uncontroversial bills that Republicans have insisted be read aloud before final votes. The delay tactic means a clerk must spend hours reading the lengthier bills on the House floor.

Around 1 p.m., Kotek announced from the House dais that the chamber would adjourn until Wednesday morning. She did not explain her decision at the time, only cryptically asked her colleagues to think about why they are at the Capitol.

In a meeting with reporters later Monday afternoon, Kotek said she was notified while still on the House floor that there was a possibility House members had come in contact with a colleague who had tested positive for the virus. Kotek told reporters that lawmakers and staff had since been informed that a person who was on the House floor during a session last week had indeed tested positive.

One of the reasons that it was important to adjourn our floor (session) ... is we now have a reported case of someone who was interacting on the House floor last week that has been confirmed tested positive for COVID, Kotek said. We are still trying to figure out all the details.

Oregon House and Senate lawmakers and staff are required to wear face coverings at the Capitol and the Legislature has so far avoided outbreaks that interfered with business or even shut down other statehouses, including in Idaho. The Capitol remains closed to the public and legislative committees continue to hold online meetings only. Republicans in both chambers have pushed for Democratic leaders to reopen the Capitol to the public and conduct more business in person.

Kotek, a Democrat from Portland, told reporters her top priority is to keep lawmakers and legislative employees safe and she pointedly questioned why minority Republicans are forcing lawmakers and staff to spend hours in the House chamber to read aloud uncontroversial bills. As an example, she pointed to House Bill 2111 which would change the name of the Oregon Liquor Control Commission to the Oregon Liquor and Cannabis Commission in recognition of the agencys oversight of the recreational marijuana industry. Since the agency is referred to many, many times in state statutes, the bill is 170 pages long, and Kotek estimated it would take 10 hours for a clerk to read it. She asked to postpone a vote and associated reading of the bill on Monday but Republicans declined.

In recognition of the dangers the coronavirus poses, House Republican Leader Christine Drazan of Canby expressed support for canceling floor sessions for at least the rest of the week, if not longer.

Out of an abundance of caution, my immediate recommendation is for legislators and staff to minimize the risk of an outbreak in Oregons Capitol by returning home and quarantining for 10 to 14 days from the date of possible exposure per (Oregon Health Authority)s recommended guidelines and schedule testing, Drazan said in a statement. There are several elected members from the House with underlying conditions who have not had the opportunity to vaccinate yet. We need to do everything we can to keep everyone in the building safe.

-- Hillary Borrud; hborrud@oregonian.com; @hborrud

Subscribe to Oregonian/OregonLive newsletters and podcasts for the latest news and top stories.
by Sumon Corraya

Christians, Buddhists and Hindus held a rally to protest against an attack by Muslim radicals against the Hindu community in Sunamganj District. The mob desecrated a temple. One minority leader lamented the fact that the police and local authorities were silent on the day the country celebrated 50 years of independence and the creation of a secular state.

Dhaka (AsiaNews)  The Bangladesh Hindu Buddhist Christian Unity Council organised a rally on Saturday in front of the National Press Club in Dhaka to protest against an attack three days earlier against the Hindu community in Noagaon, a village in Shalla (Sunamganj District). About a hundred leaders from religious minorities took part in the initiative.

On Wednesday of last week, supporters of the Hefajat-e-Islam Group and other radical Islamists attacked Hindu homes. A mob of several hundred men from Noagaon and nearby villages came with hand-made weapons forced their way into the homes and looted them.

Following the incident, the police arrested a local official, Shahidul Islam Swadhin, who also heads the local section of the Jubo League youth organisation.

At the rally in Dhaka, participants condemned the attack in Sunamganj. Christian James Subrata Hajra, deputy secretary general of the Bangladesh Christian Association, said he was tired of having to protest the persecution of minorities.

We live in an independent country, he said. If the persecution does not stop, we minority groups will have to stage even bigger protests. He urged the government to arrest all those responsible for the attack on Hindus.

Buddhist leader Ushaton Talukdar, president of the Bangladesh Hindu Buddhist Christian Unity Council, is saddened by the indifference towards those who spread hate.

While Hindus were being attacked, the police and local authorities were silent. They could have protected them but didn't. In an independent country, we religious minorities shouldnt live in fear. I call on the government to ensure justice.

Hindu leader Neem Chandra Bhowmik stressed the importance of unity among minorities. Yesterday I visited the village of Noagaon, he said. I saw what kind of attack was carried out. Radical fanatics have destroyed not only houses, but also desecrated the Hindu temple. This is a very sad fact that requires exemplary punishment.

What makes the attack on a minority even more serious is that it coincided with the country's celebration of 50 years of independence. Protesters noted that Bangladesh was born in 1971 after a bloody war to set up a secular state in which people of all creeds could live together as brothers.
Residents of Donetsk and Luhansk regions affected by the conflict are currently in dire need of humanitarian assistance, and the restriction of the work of entry-exit checkpoints on the contact line has a negative impact on their livelihoods, UN Humanitarian Coordinator in Ukraine Osnat Lubrani has said.

"The measure intended to help save people's lives has hit hard the livelihoods of hundreds of thousands of conflict-weary people. The restrictions on movement are dividing families and exacerbating their conflict-induced depression, anxiety and stress," according to the statement of Lubrani, released by the press service of the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) in Ukraine on Monday.

"After 12 months of stringent movement restrictions, it is clear that the conflict-affected people are reaching a breaking point. They desperately need humanitarian assistance to hold on until life can return to some form of normality," she said.

According to Lubrani, today marks exactly one year since the almost complete closure of all crossing points in the Donetsk and Luhansk regions as part of measures to contain the spread of COVID-19. The closure has led to a drastic 97% decrease in the number of people able to cross the contact line compared with before March 21, 2020.

UN Humanitarian Coordinator also said that the humanitarian community in Ukraine continues its efforts to ensure that all people in need, wherever they reside, receive appropriate support and in a timely manner. "All relevant actors must facilitate the transit and delivery of humanitarian relief. On-going restrictions on the ability of humanitarian actors to assist people in areas beyond Government control prevent the people in need from getting the help they need and deserve," she said.

I count on the commitment of all actors to avoid politicization of humanitarian aid and ensure that all urgently needed critical assistance that is ready to be delivered, including life-saving health supplies, is permitted to reach those in need in accordance with International Humanitarian Law, she said.
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Copyright  2021 Albuquerque Journal

National debate over the future of leasing and permitting regulations on federal lands is rapidly intensifying, and New Mexico  more than any other state  is in the thick of it.

President Joe Biden ordered an indefinite pause in January on all new leases for oil and gas production on public land and water to allow the U.S. Interior Department to conduct a thorough review of federal policies. Interior, in turn, will host a first-ever nationwide forum Thursday to collect public input on how best to manage federal lands in the future.

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Its all part of a broad, unprecedented initiative by the Biden administration to elevate climate change and clean energy development to a top national security issue  possibly the countrys No. 1 priority. That includes wide-ranging policy proposals and programs that could fundamentally transform the national economy from the bottom up.

The future of oil and gas production and consumption, which accounts for the majority of all U.S. carbon emissions today, is squarely in the crosshairs as the country embarks on a new path to a low- or no-carbon economy. That transformation is already underway, but the speed and extent of disruption as the U.S. transitions to a carbon-free future will be largely determined by todays roaring national debate over new federal policies.

Credit for NM?

New Mexico will play a key role in shaping those policies, starting with the oil and gas leasing and permitting issue, because the state accounts for the majority of U.S. onshore production on federal lands. Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham asked to directly participate in the Interior Departments policy review in a letter sent to Biden last week.

The governor said she supports the transition to a clean energy economy but wants to ease the local impact of forthcoming rules and regulations by allowing New Mexico and other states to receive credit for local efforts to lower carbon emissions and pollution from fossil fuels. Thats critical for New Mexico as new federal policies take shape on oil and gas, which contribute about one-third of the states operating budget every year.

Under the governors leadership, the state has become a strong model for how to responsibly regulate the oil and gas industry, Governors Office spokeswoman Nora Meyers Sackett told the Journal in an email. We want to be sure that the state gets credit for the Lujan Grisham administrations solid track record of environmental protection and enforcement. New Mexico deserves a seat at the table, and we are optimistic that, working together, the state and federal administration can craft medium- and long-term policies that will ensure New Mexico is not punished for its high concentration of federal lands.

Lujan Grisham has pursued aggressive clean energy policies that exceed many, if not most, other states. That includes new rules and regulations now being finalized to reduce methane emissions from natural gas production by 98%. It also includes the states Energy Transition Act, which requires all local public utilities to transition their grids to 80% renewables by 2040 and 100% carbon-free generation by 2045.

Its unclear how a state credit proposal would work in practice. But in a March 10 webinar with the Greater Albuquerque Chamber of Commerce, Lujan Grisham said her plan is potentially tantamount to a waiver from federal requirements.

The basic strategy is  create a program that gives credit to states that are well beyond where the federal government and other states are in terms of climate change initiatives, cleaning up the environment, curbing carbon emissions and having an all-of-the-above energy effort, Lujan Grisham said. You do that, (and) New Mexicos going to get an exemption, a waiver. I feel as optimistic as I can that we win this. I just dont know what the win is exactly going to look like.

The governor said shes working with other western states to craft the proposal. But her public stance on the issue, plus her clout as a Democrat who Biden previously considered for a Cabinet post, is propelling her into a leadership role, said Daniel Fine, a longtime energy expert and research specialist with New Mexico Tech in Socorro.

Shes shaking things up by calling for the right of states to clean up the environment and decarbonize before the federal government steps in, Fine said. That position is more advanced than many other states, including Wyoming. It puts individual state rights above Washington bureaucracy.

Regulatory details

The governors position has earned praise from both Democrats and Republicans. But until Biden administration policies are clearly defined, industry leaders remain highly concerned and reluctant to make any new major investments in local oil and gas development.

Many fear that Bidens temporary lease pause could turn into a permanent ban on federal lands. Indeed, some environmental groups and liberal Democrats in Congress are pushing for that.

But newly confirmed Interior Secretary Deb Haaland said during Senate hearings on her Cabinet nomination that the pause will not become permanent. And many mainstream conservation groups are only seeking regulatory overhaul to better protect public lands and raise royalties and fees on industry activity as the country transitions over time from fossil fuels to clean energy.

Even if Biden did support a ban, hed need congressional approval, said Mary Greene, public lands attorney for the National Wildlife Federation.

Were pushing to reform the regulatory system to make it better, Greene told the Journal. At the end of the day, the Biden administration doesnt have the authority for an outright ban, which would have to come from Congress. That being the reality, we want to update a system thats been broken for decades.

Democrats have introduced new bills in the U.S. House and Senate for regulatory overhaul, indicating support for continued oil and gas production on federal lands under a modernized framework. That includes hiking royalty rates for onshore production from 12.5% to the offshore rate of 18.75%, and raising land rental fees, minimum bid amounts to obtain leases, and bonding rates for cleanup and remediation.

Environmental groups also want more federal lands reserved for things like parks and outdoor recreation, more restrictions on oil and gas production near sensitive natural and cultural sites, and more public input on leasing decisions.

The big thing we need is for taxpayers to get their fair share for the oil and gas industrys use of public resources, and a full accounting of the carbon costs and public health impacts from that activity, said Aaron Weiss, deputy director of the Colorado-based conservation group Center for Western Priorities. There will be a fundamental transition to a clean energy economy in the U.S., but that will take time. The question is, how long will it take, and how do we take care of local communities and citizens during the transition.

Carbon tax?

Rather than stopping federal land production, the Biden administration is seeking to monetize carbon emissions by raising the costs for oil and gas activity, Fine said. That likely includes the imposition of an economywide carbon tax, an idea thats now gaining momentum in Congress and even among major industry groups like the American Petroleum Association and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.

Those groups adamantly opposed the idea in the past. But they now support it as more acceptable than strict new federal regulations or mandates on carbon reduction that Biden could pursue as the U.S. reenters the Paris Agreement on climate change, Fine said.

Still, with the prospect of far-reaching policy changes coming fast and furious, uncertainty reigns in the oil and gas industry. Local producers say operators are already taking refuge in Texas, where, in contrast to New Mexico, most production occurs on private, rather than federal, land.

Answers to come

For better or worse, the regulatory uncertainty will diminish in coming weeks. The Biden administration is expected to define new U.S. goals under the Paris Agreement during a global summit the president will host on Earth Day next month.

And come what may, producers arent likely any time soon to abandon the Permian Basin in southeastern New Mexico, which holds some of the most productive shale oil fields in the world, said Raoul LeBlanc, vice president for nonconventional oil and gas at global consultant IHS Markit. Society will continue to consume oil and gas for many years to come despite the transition to non-carbon resources, and New Mexico will benefit.

The Permian Basin is one of the few places we continue to foresee significant growth going forward in the U.S., LeBlanc told the Journal.  It might not be the last one standing in the energy transition, but it wont be the first to go either.
This recognition acknowledges Hadar's innovative contributions to cybersecurity in the past few years. These innovations include the discovery of a number of Zero-Day vulnerabilities in widely-used Microsoft products and others that were featured in Forbes, Dark Reading, ThreatPost and other security-focused publications. In a widely hailed discovery in 2020, Hadar and his SafeBreach colleague, researcher Tomer Bar, revisited the Windows print spooler vulnerability used in the famed Stuxnet attack on Iran's nuclear infrastructure. Bar and Hadar discovered new ways to exploit weaknesses in the application design that allowed malicious actors to take admin control of Windows networks in ways that the original Stuxnet patch did not mitigate.

"I am honored to be named to such a select group of leaders by Forbes. I have been fortunate to enjoy tremendous research freedom at SafeBreach Labs and this has allowed me to pursue my passion for identifying new and critical vulnerabilities to make the world more secure," says Hadar.

A widely respected researcher, Hadar cut his teeth in the Israel Defense Forces cybersecurity units that have produced many noted security researchers and cybersecurity founders. He has collaborated closely with Microsoft and many other software vendors to help them remediate weaknesses and reshape the way they think about cybersecurity. Hadar has presented his findings at the Black Hat, DEFCON, iSecCon and SecTor conferences, among the world's leading cybersecurity research conferences.

Hadar is a member of the elite white-hat hacker team at SafeBreach Labs. A subsidiary of SafeBreach, this team works with the global cybersecurity community to explore novel attack types. SafeBreach Labs also suggests specific and systemic ways to shore up global cybersecurity by illuminating weaknesses in widely used software and networking products. SafeBreach Labs has identified dozens of critical vulnerabilities in the past five years.

"Our company goal is to radically improve global cybersecurity," says SafeBreach CTO Itzik Kotler. "Peleg and the team at SafeBreach Labs play a crucial part in that quest by keeping our products on the cutting edge of security and ensuring that they always push the envelope in adversarial simulation and continuous security control validation."

SafeBreach Labs contributes frequently to the industry-standard MITRE knowledge base . Running millions of security control validations and attacks each month, SafeBreach counts numerous Fortune 100 companies among its customers, including global Top 5 enterprises in healthcare, financial services, food manufacturing, networking equipment, and other technology categories.

About SafeBreach Labs

SafeBreach Labs is the research and development arm of SafeBreach. SafeBreach Labs delivers cutting edge vulnerability and cybersecurity research as well as novel product ideas. It's research and product work are driven by real-world insights and observations of "in-the-wild" attacks as well as detailed and frequent conversations with the world's leading cybersecurity researchers and CISOs. SafeBreach Labs compiles and maintains the SafeBreach Hacker's Playbook, the world's largest collection of attack methods numbering over 27,000 today and growing. SafeBreach Labs is dedicated to keeping customers informed on the latest attack types and offers the industry's only a 24-hour SLA on adding new attacks to our security platform. SafeBreach Labs researchers continuously identify new attack methods - before hackers discover them - and share research with the security community at leading conferences such as Black Hat, RSA and DEFCON.

About SafeBreach

SafeBreach is the world's most widely used continuous security validation platform in enterprise companies. The company's patented platform empowers CISOs and their teams to validate security controls, maximize their effectiveness, and drive down risk. SafeBreach provides a "hacker's view" of an enterprise's security posture by continuously validating security controls and presenting findings in customized dashboards to enable stakeholders to cleanly focus on the biggest risks to the organization. SafeBreach automatically and safely executes thousands of attack methods to validate network, endpoint, cloud, container and email security controls against its Hacker's Playbook, the world's largest collection of attack data broken down by methods, tactics and threat actors. Data from SafeBreach validations can improve SOC team responses and empower management teams to make smarter decisions to better manage risk and invest resources. Headquartered in Sunnyvale, California, the company is funded by Sequoia Capital, Deutsche Telekom Capital Partners, OCV Partners, DNX Ventures, Hewlett Packard Pathfinder, PayPal and investor Shlomo Kramer. For more information, visit www.safebreach.com or follow us on Linkedin.

Contact: Corinna Krueger, [email protected]

SOURCE SafeBreach

Related Links

http://www.safebreach.com


(Natural News) We all know that Amazon has grown into an e-tailer behemoth after starting out as just a humble online bookseller about 20 years ago, and now the company is obviously some sort of major player within the intelligence community as well.

One of the largest corporations on the planet, the Jeff Bezos-founded behemoth has branched out into providing web services for most of the civilized world as well as other high-tech solutions and products to the U.S. military and law enforcement, including facial recognition programs.

Now, according to The Intercept, the company is building out its security operation with over a dozen former FBI agents.

The question is: Why?

The company is rapidly hiring for positions at its Arizona-based global security center. Apparently, Amazon, as it expands, is facing a host of new challenges to its infrastructure but also from governments who are increasingly concerned about potential antitrust violations.

But, The Intercept notes, as counterfeiting issues along with pressure from worker activism both increase as well, Amazon is adding former FBI agents who will focus on security and intelligence-gathering ability.

Thats a problem, frankly, for what is left of our privacy in this digital age, where consumer info is bought and sold openly and freely by tech companies that harvest every detail about us from our increasingly online presence.

From 2017 to 2020, the $1.6 trillion technology behemoth hired 20 former FBI agents, at least two of whom appear to be responsible for monitoring the labor-organizing activity of its workers to keep unions out, The Intercept reported.

Former FBI agent Cindy Wetzstein, who was hired last October by Amazons security center, noted in her LinkedIn bio that shes an expert in both tactical and strategic intelligence production.

Meanwhile, Brian Brooks, who is a senior official at the one-time booksellers national security division, once served as a deputy assistant director at the FBI specializing in deployment of advanced electronic surveillance tools.

The expertise of just these two former agents speaks volumes about what Amazon is preparing for, or already doing.

The Intercept adds:

At least 26 ex-FBI agents and employees currently work at Amazon, holding positions in the security division, software development, human resources, and board of advisers, according to a review of LinkedIn. The companys earliest hires were in 2007 and 2008  for Deputy Chief Information Security Officer and VP of Security Engineering and Chief Information Security Officer, respectively  but hiring really started ramping up in 2019, when eight former law enforcement specialists were brought on board in security roles.

Granted, some of these former FBI agents are being hired for their expertise in being able to protect Amazons technology assets. For instance, one of Amazons divisions is Amazon Web Services, which has become one of the worlds biggest web hosts; the bureau hires and trains very good cyber security analysts and experts.

But, security division posts also include keeping an eye on employees  spying, in other words  activity that has, in the past, included monitoring for union activism, The Intercept notes. (Related: Situation Update, Feb. 12  Americas corporations transform into TERRORISTS against the people.)

Amazons hiring of one-time law enforcers follows a familiar path among other industries that have faced labor and activist pressure, the outlet reported.

A company spokesperson essentially downplayed the hiring of the FBI agents.

Like most companies, we have a longstanding team that helps prepare for and manage matters such as natural disasters, inclement weather, power outages, and events like concerts or parades that could disrupt traffic or affect the safety and security of our buildings and our employees who work in them, said the spokesperson.

Last year, it was revealed that Amazon was trying to hire two intelligence analysts who would be assigned to track labor organizing threats; eventually the company hired two FBI agents and four other people to fill those posts.

See more reporting like this at Cyberwar.news.

Sources include:

NaturalNews.com

TheIntercept.com
Kmart Australia has delighted home cooks with the launch of its fancy cast iron pan that looks almost identical to a high-end French version costing upwards of $640.

Shoppers can create slow-cooked meals, simmering stews and casseroles in the meringue-coloured French pan with an enamel coated interior for just $35.

The budget version is lower in price than the world-famous French label Le Creuset, which is widely considered as one of the best cast iron brands on the market.

If you've had your eye on a French cast iron but have been reluctant to spend hundreds of dollars, the cheaper pan is a perfect alternative for those who are on a budget.

Kmart Australia has delighted home cooks with the launch of its fancy cast iron pan (left) that looks almost identical to a Le Creuset version (right) costing upwards of $640

Kmart's pan can be cooked on all types of heat source - including oven, electric, gas, and induction - just like popular brand Le Creuset.

The three-litre pan also features heat retention for perfect slow cooking, and it comes with a dimpled lid to lock in moisture, keeping food succulent.

Earlier this year, Australian consumer experts from CHOICE praised a $29 cast iron casserole pot from Kmart that rivals Le Creuset's versions costing up to $529.

Despite a huge $500 price difference, the budget buy performed 'comparatively well' when the experts put market-leading cast iron pots to the test.

'Kmart's cast iron casserole pot was up there with big-name brands such as Le Creuset, Chasseur and Staub when we tested casserole pots and Dutch ovens,' the experts claimed.

The cheaper version scored a stellar 95 per cent in the bolognese sauce test.

'We use this to assess the Dutch oven's ability to slow cook while maintaining low temperature for a long period of time and its ability to brown meat evenly,' they said.

Earlier this year, consumer experts from CHOICE praised a $29 cast iron casserole pot from Kmart (left) that rivals high-end French brand Le Creuset (right) costing upwards of $529

What makes Kmart's $29 cast iron casserole pot special? With a $29 price tag, Kmart's cast iron casserole pot can be cooked on all types of heat sources just like world-famous brand Le Creuset. The budget buy has an 'exceptional heat retention' that allows slow cooking and keeping foods moist and tender. Other features include an enamel interior, easy cleaning and it's safe to use in ovens, and all types of cooktops. Advertisement

Choice's kitchen expert Fiona Mair offered her review after giving her Kmart dutch oven a 'good workout' over the past five years.

'I have noticed that after a year [it] did lose the smooth interior coating which helps to prevent sticking of food such as rice or pasta. If I'm cooking a soup or casserole I have to stir it constantly, even on a simmer, to ensure it doesn't stick,' she explained.

Fiona said over time, the staining becomes more obvious, making it trickier to clean.

But despite the downside, she said the budget pots are cheap enough to replace every few years - and they are recyclable.

Shoppers have been raving about the budget pot online, with one saying: 'I've used it nearly every day. For deep frying, pan frying, stews and even cooked a lovely risotto. Totally worth every cent. And so cheap.'

A second shopper added: 'Beautiful colour. Looks great in the kitchen. It's a little heavy, but it can also be used in the oven and suitable for gas. I'm very happy to purchase what I was looking for at such a reasonable price.'

One home cook who owned a Le Creuset pot was stunned after she made a 'fluffy and crusty' sourdough in a $29 casserole pot from Kmart (pictured)

The four-litre pot can be cooked on all types of heat sources - and it's lower in price than expensive brands - including world-famous Le Creuset (stock image)

After an 'unfortunate accident', one home cook decided to buy the Kmart version after her Le Creuset cast iron casserole pot was thrown out.

'I was pretty skeptical when I saw this $29 Kmart dupe, but it cooks wonderfully. Today I made an incredibly fluffy and crusty sourdough. For five percent the price of the Le Creuset, it's a worthwhile investment,' she said.

And another person wrote: 'Bought this beautiful cast iron pot to make sourdough bread with outstanding results but have also used it for casseroles. It's an asset in the kitchen - producing great results, is easy to clean and a lovely colour and shape.'

One shopper weighed in after owning both Kmart and Le Creuset pots.

'Both get used frequently, both hand-washed. The cheap Kmart one was chipped around the base, lid and rim within a few uses. It does the job but it's nowhere near the same quality as a Le Creuset - it's still perfect after 12 years.'

And if money is no object, the consumer experts explained why the Le Creuset or casserole dish is worth investing in.

'A high-end dutch oven can last you 20 years or more before it shows signs of wear and tear, even becoming a family heirloom,' they said.

'Products from brands such as Le Creuset usually come with lifetime guarantees, so you can always replace if you have issues.'
Watertown, NY (13601)

Today

Heavy rain early...then remaining cloudy with showers in the afternoon. High 69F. Winds SSW at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 100%. Rainfall around a half an inch..

Tonight

Cloudy skies. Low 59F. Winds SW at 5 to 10 mph.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, March 22)  If COVID-19 cases continue to increase and strain the healthcare system despite the two-week stricter quarantine controls, a "hard lockdown" may be imposed, a government official warned on Monday.

Department of the Interior and Local Government Usec. Jonathan Malaya said the stricter general community quarantine imposed on Metro Manila, Bulacan, Laguna, Cavite, and Rizal is needed to contain the spread of the virus as it limits non-essential movement in and out of the NCR Plus 'bubble'.

RELATED: Bulacan, Cavite, Laguna, and Rizal revert to GCQ until April 4 as COVID-19 cases continue to rise

READ: EXPLAINER: What you need to know about the NCR Plus 'bubble'

However, a "hard lockdown" remains an option especially if hospitals continue to be overwhelmed with COVID-19 cases.

"Kapag hindi makayanan ng ating healthcare system itong numero ng mga COVID positive, baka magkaroon ng hard lockdown," he said during a virtual briefing.

[Translation: If our healthcare system cannot cope with this number of COVID positive (cases), there may be a hard lockdown.]

Malaya did not elaborate on what a "hard lockdown" would entail.

The DILG official said while people are still allowed to move within the bubble setup, he urged the public to stay at home to lower the chance of getting infected with COVID-19.

"Ayaw natin ng (we don't want) super spreader events...We discourage even visiting family members who are not part of your immediate family," he said.

"Tulungan (natin) ang pamahalaan na mapababa ang surge na ito," the official added.

[Translation: Let's help the government in lowering this surge.]

Many industries are still allowed to operate during the two-week stricter community quarantine. But operations of food establishments would be limited to delivery, take-out, and outdoor dining at 50% capacity.

Establishments temporarily suspended during the period include driving schools, traditional cinemas and video- and interactive-game arcades, libraries, archives, museums, and cultural centers.

Social events at accredited establishments of the Department of Tourism will be limited, as well as tourist attractions, except if they are open-air.

Mass gatherings, including large religious activities, are also prohibited.
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Spain becomes 4th European country to legalize euthanasia, physician-assisted suicide

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Spain has become the fourth country in Europe to legalize the practices of euthanasia and assisted suicide.

The Spanish legislature passed a new law last Thursday that is set to be implemented in June to permit adults with "serious, chronic illness with no chance of recovery and with unbearable suffering" to opt to end their lives with either euthanasia or doctor-assisted suicide.

Before the bill's passage, assisting someone in death was punishable by up to 10 years in prison.

With a vote of 202-140 and two abstentions, lawmakers in the Spanish Parliament's lower house approved the bill's final passage. The law has reportedly been three years in the making.

The bill garnered wide support from left-wing and centrist parties and was celebrated by the nation's prime minister, Pedro Sanchez, who hailed the passage as a move that makes the country "more humane, fairer, and freer."

"Thanks to all the people who have fought tirelessly so that the right to die with dignity was recognized in Spain," he tweeted.

Meanwhile, political conservatives and religious groups in the nation opposed the measure.

The Spanish Catholic Church called the reform "a form of homicide," and the right-wing Vox party said it intended to set in motion an appeal to the Constitutional Court, according to EuroNews.

This law "violates the right to life, without which no other exists," protester Alexander Cuevas, 21, who was among approximately 100 people who demonstrated against the legislation outside Parliament on Thursday, was quoted as saying.

Some were dressed as Grim Reapers and deployed a banner that read "government of death" to the sound of funeral drums, EuroNews reports.

To qualify for euthanasia, a patient must be an adult Spanish national or a legal resident and be "fully aware and conscious" when they make the request.

The request must be submitted twice in writing, 15 days apart. Doctors can reject the request if the requirements are not met.

Requests must be approved by a second medical professional and an evaluation body, BBC reports.

The law provides that medical professionals can choose not to participate in euthanasia procedures on conscience grounds.

Euthanasia is also legal in Belgium, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Canada, Colombia and Switzerland. In October, New Zealand voters approved the legalization of euthanasia in a nationwide referendum. The new policy will go into effect on Nov. 6, one year after the official vote was certified.
Kochi, March 22 : The Kerala High Court on Monday refused to intervene in the decision of the Election Commission which rejected the nomination papers of two BJP candidates and one from its ally -- the AIADMK.

It was on Saturday during the scrutiny of nominations filed for the Assembly polls in the state to be held on April 6 that EC officials declared the nominations of BJP candidates N. Haridas from Thalassery and Nividetha from Guruvayoor, and the AIADMK candidate R.M. Dhanalakshmy as invalid.

These candidates then moved an urgent petition and the court took it up on Sunday and said it will look into the matter on Monday.

In the court on Monday, the EC counsel pointed out that once the election process has started it would not be in the fairness of things for the court to intervene. This was accepted by the court, which said that the petitioners can approach the court once the election process is over.

Reacting to the verdict, Haridas said, "What has happened is most unfortunate and we will continue to seek redressal in a higher court of law." This is going to be a huge setback in general for the BJP and for Union Minister of State for External Affairs V. Muraleedharan in particular, as he hails from Thalassery.

Nividetha said she was waiting for the details of the verdict before taking the next step.

Leader of Opposition Ramesh Chennithala said it was strange that a party like the BJP which claims to provide good governance is unable to even fill a nomination form properly.

Consequent to the emerging situation after the verdict, these three constituencies will now see a direct contest between the ruling Left and the Congress-led front.

It has come as a shock to the saffron party as Union Home Minister Amit Shah was scheduled to campaign in Thalassery.

In the 2016 Assembly elections, the BJP secured the maximum of 22,125 votes from Kannur district.

Guruvayoor constituency's BJP candidate Nividetha's nomination papers were found invalid after the State BJP president K. Surendran's signature was found to be missing. In the 2016 Assembly polls, the BJP candidate had secured 25,490 votes.

The third constituency where the nomination papers were found invalid was Devikulam in Idukki district and here it was the ally of the BJP -- AIADMK candidate R.M. Dhanalakshmy -- who finished third in the 2016 polls and bagged 11,613 votes.

In 2016, the AIADMK was not an ally of the BJP, but this time it is part of the NDA and is expecting to do well, as the constituency has a huge number of estate workers, who hail from Tamil Nadu.
STONY PLAIN, Alta. - An Alberta pastor who was kept in jail for violating a bail condition to comply with COVID-19 health orders was to be freed Monday without conditions.

Supporters rally outside court as Pastor James Coates of GraceLife Church appealed his bail conditions in Edmonton on March 4, 2021. Coates was arrested for holding services officials said were in violation of COVID-19 rules and for violating bail conditions. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jason Franson

STONY PLAIN, Alta. - An Alberta pastor who was kept in jail for violating a bail condition to comply with COVID-19 health orders was to be freed Monday without conditions.

James Coates of GraceLife Church pleaded guilty to a charge of breaching bail and was fined $1,500.

However, a judge said the 35 days Coates had spent in custody would count as credit for the entire fine.

Coates was charged in Februaryafter officials said the church west of Edmonton had violated public-health measures meant to help contain the spread of COVID-19.

Provincial court Judge Jeffrey Champion agreed to drop all but one charge against Coates. The pastor is to go to trial in May on a count under Albertas Public Health Act for holding services that allegedly broke a restriction on the size of gatherings.

Crown prosecutor Peter Mackenzie and defence lawyer Leighton Grey with the Justice Centre for Constitutional Freedom, a group representing the pastor, had suggested Coates be fined $100 for breaching the court undertaking.

The judge disagreed.

"I question whether $100 is a proper denunciation of the conduct of Mr. Coates as well as proper deterrence for others that might feel that 'I can violate the directions of the chief medical officer of health and get $100 fine,'" Champion said.

"It is an issue when someone makes a decision that can affect the health and the lives of thousands of people."

The judge said that when the pastor was arrested, the spread of COVID-19 was a serious concern and services at the church could have been "super-spreaders" of the novel coronavirus.

"Members of that (church) were going out into the community in general," said the judge, who noted that Coates has referred to himself as a shepherd.

"The shepherd ought to protect his flock," Champion said.

"Mr. Coates. you don't get to make that decision for everyone else, and your decisions could have affected the health and safety of so many of your fellow citizens."

The pastor, wearing an orange-and-black jumpsuit and taking a mask off his face, told the judge in a video conference that he wasn't trying to make a statement by not complying with his bail conditions.

"I realized that's the way society is going to perceive what's happening here. (But) I'm simply here in obedience to Jesus Christ, and it's my obedience to Christ that has put me at odds with the law," said Coates.

"The court is aware that I'm contesting the legitimacy of that law but please, make no mistake ... I'm not trying to make a point. I'm not a political revolutionary."

GraceLife has continued to hold weekend services while Coates has been in jail, including one this past weekend. Alberta Health Services said officials did not monitor the latest gathering.

Two weeks ago, the church itself was charged with violating health measures.

Provincial regulations restrict in-person attendance at churches to 15 per cent capacity and call for congregants to physically distance and wear masks.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 22, 2021.

This story was produced with the financial assistance of the Facebook and Canadian Press News Fellowship.

Note to readers: This is a corrected story. A previous version said Leighton Grey is a Crown prosecutor.
I have a wine recommendation for Kens Lamb Burgers and Best Roast Chicken, but first more on my holiday word, or wine, association. Holidays and certain occasions make me feel like having a particular wine. There could be a practical reason, maybe its purely emotional, maybe there are elements of both. Easter Wine I guess is both.

On Easter Sunday I want to drink fruity, fresh, and dry sparkling wine. I want straightforward deliciousness, as joyous as the spring day I expect well have. Rose sparkling is always nice and its Easter hue is lovely, but not required. Practically speaking, sparkling is my choice because its relatively low alcohol is better for early afternoon drinking and a productive evening. Emotionally, fresh fruity flavors and the alluring, rising bubbles are akin to new life, revival, and resurrection.

I stopped by the wine shop Back Room Wines in downtown Napa for a few fresh and fruity sparkling wine recommendations.
SUGAR LAND, Texas, March 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- QuVa Pharma, Inc., a leading national 503B outsourcing services company to U.S. hospitals, will host a discussion at the 4th annual Wall Street Journal Health Forum on Tuesday, March 23, 2021. QuVa joins other influential executives and experts from across the healthcare sector, to explore the continuing pandemic health crisis and issues for continuity of supply of critical medications.

"We are honored to participate in the WSJ Health Forum and discuss the pandemic health crisis' impact on the supply chain and U.S. hospitals and health systems," said Stuart Hinchen, CEO & Co-founder of QuVa Pharma. "At a time when hospitals desperately needed assistance in the supply of medication, our industry adapted and proved to be an essential part of the response to the health crisis. We are excited to talk about what this teaches of the path forward in evolving the health care delivery ecosystem."

During the pandemic, QuVa Pharma tripled production of some critical medicines and even developed new ones in very short order, that supported recommendations from the NIH and WHO, helping hospitals across the nation treat COVID-19 patients

"Given our national scope, we understand the impact the pandemic has on the health care supply chain of hospitals and the treatment of patients. We too had to adapt to surges in infections and hospitalizations, stressed pharmaceutical supply lines, and evolving treatment regimens" said Peter Jenkins, Chief Development Officer and Co-founder of QuVa Pharma. "In the face of those challenges, we continued to invest to increase capacity in order to create a more stable and resilient supply for hospitals."

To learn more about the online WSJ Health Forum or to register, please go to https://healthforum.wsj.com/

For more information, please visit www.quvapharma.com or follow QuVa on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/company/quvapharma-inc-/.

About QuVa Pharma, Inc.

QuVa Pharma is a national, industry-leading, FDA registered 503B outsourcing services company that provides hospitals with essential medications in ready-to-administer injectable formats that are critical for effective patient care. QuVa was purpose-built to change the 503B industry for the better and is leading the way with unmatched expertise in cGMP and sterile pharmaceutical manufacturing, and the highest quality and safety standards so hospitals can more confidently and reliably focus on patient care. While leading cGMP processes, broad sterile-to-sterile product portfolio, and expansive capacity of 300,000 sq. ft. across four facilities are the foundation of success, it is with customer-focused services, transparency, and a patient-safety orientation that we help hospitals better meet their patient care and operational needs.

For product ordering inquiries, please contact QuVa Pharma Customer Service at 888.339.0874 or via email at: [email protected].

For media inquiries, please contact:

[email protected]

SOURCE QuVa Pharma, Inc.

Related Links

http://www.quvapharma.com


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If you found yourself baffled by the police jargon in last night's episode of Line Of Duty then don't fret, you are certainly not alone.

Viewers took to Twitter to share their confusion as they struggled to keep up with a script peppered with dozens of acronym and abbreviations, some of which were integral to understanding what was going on.

The acronym that garnered most attention was 'CHIS', or covert human intelligence source, which was repeated throughout the episode - and was misheard by some fans as a much cruder word.

But there were plenty of others that had viewers flummoxed, including 'AFO', 'DIR' and 'PNC'.

Here, FEMAIL decodes some of the most important acronyms and abbreviations from last night's episodes in a Line Of Duty dictionary...

Viewers took to Twitter to share their confusion as they struggled to keep up with a script peppered with dozens of acronym and abbreviations. Pictured, Ted Hastings (Adrian Dunbar) and Steve Arnott (Martin Compston) in last night's series 6 premiere

AC-12: Anti-Corruption unit 12

The Anti-Corruption unit at the centre of the action in Line of Duty. Led by Ted Hastings, whose primary concern is 'catching bent coppers'.

DS Steve Arnott is one of his most trusted officers, although it looks like he might be ready to move on. DI Kate Fleming was a member of AC-12 until she left for the MIT (see below).

AFO: Authorised Firearms Officer

An authorised firearms officer (AFO) is a police officer who has been selected, trained, accredited and authorised by their chief officer to carry a firearm operationally.

'AFOs' frequently appear in Line Of Duty and were deployed at the start of the episode in an operation to arrest the suspect in the murder of journalist Gail Vella.

CHIS: Covert Human Intelligence Source

Within the opening minutes of the episode, DCI Joanne Davidson (Kelly Macdonald) is discussing 'intel' (intelligence, see below), provided by a CHIS - but left viewers confused when no further explanation was given.

CHIS stands for 'Covert Human Intelligence Source', or an individual who secretly provides the police with information that might help with ongoing cases.

Police ranks you need to know In ascending order of seniority: DC: Detective Constable DS: Detective Sergeant DI: Detective Inspector DCI: Detective Chief Inspector Det Supt: Detective Superintendent DCS: Detective Chief Superintendent ACC: Assistant Chief Constable DCC: Deputy Chief Constable CC: Chief Constable Advertisement

In the case of this episode, the CHIS was a 'rent boy' with information on journalist Gail Vella's suspected killer who later died.

DIR: Digital Interview Recording

A recording made of a police interview.

Occasionally interviewing officers will say phrases like: 'For the DIR, the suspect is nodding their head', in order to document a non-verbal response or event on the audio recording.

Handler: Police force point of contact for informants

A handler is a police officer involved in the day-to-day running of an informer or an undercover officer.

Last night's episode saw DCI Davidson and DI Fleming quiz the 'CHIS' handler', or the officer who liaised directly with an informant.

Intel: Intelligence

A simple abbreviation, 'intel' is used to mean 'intelligence' in police communications.

MIT: Murder Investigation Team

In the first episode viewers learned DI Kate Fleming had left AC-12 following the scandal that engulfed DCS Ted Hastings at the end of series 5.

She is now part of the MIT, or Murder Investigation Team, headed up by DCI Joanne Davidson.

OCG : Organised Crime Group

Line Of Duty has thus far focused on a long-term investigation into the links between senior police officers and an 'OCG' or Organised Crime Group.

How the current investigation ties into this overall story arch has yet to be revealed.

Op: Operation

Another abbreviation, 'op' is used to mean 'operation' in police communication.

The 'op' at the centre of series six is Operation Lighthouse, which is investigating the murder of journalist Gail Vella.

PNC: Police National Computer

The Police National Computer (PNC) is a system that stores and shares criminal records information across the UK.

Law enforcement agencies use it to access information that will support national, regional and local investigations.

DCI Davidson refers to the PNC in relation to trying to identify the suspect 'Ross Turner', revealing that the name who had brought up 'no hits', or there is no one with a criminal record with that name.

SIO: Senior Investigating Officer

In the police service a Senior Investigating Officer (SIO) is usually in command of a largely dedicated team of specialist trained and accredited officers, staff and experts from a Major/Serious Crime Unit/Division.

DCI Davidson is the SIO in charge of Operation Lighthouse. DI Fleming is the Deputy SIO.

SITREP (SitRep): Situation Report

During the operation to arrest the suspect in the Gail Vella murder, DCI Davidson repeatedly asked surveillance officers for a 'SITREP', or 'situation report'.

With this, she wants to know the most up-to-date information the officer has in order to inform her next decision.

UCO: Undercover Operative

Undercover Operatives are selected, vetted, trained and accredited to gather intelligence and evidence.

UCOs are deployed in an authorised investigation or operation as a relevant source, which is defined as somebody who establishes and maintains a personal or other relationship with a person in order to obtain or provide access to information to another person, or to covertly disclose information obtained by the use of or as a consequence of the existence of such a relationship.

DI Kate Fleming previously worked as a UCO.
The Technical Advisory Committee (TAC) appointed by Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) has questioned the management of National Stock Exchange (NSE) about the reason for the Exchange's failure to shift operations to disaster recovery (DR) site from primary site on 24th February.

On Monday, the TAC submitted its root cause analysis for the trading halt at NSE on 24 February 2021.

The TAC says, SEBI been advised to ask the board of NSE to determine why the management failed to shift NSE's operations from primary site to DR site within the time frame specified by SEBI and fix individual responsibilities for it. NSE has been asked to complete this task within 21 days, a release from SEBI says.

Further, both NSE and NSE Clearing Ltd (NCL) are asked to implement within 90 days, functionality of updation of collaterals at the slave system of NCL placed at data centres of BSE and Metropolitan Stock Exchange of India (MSEI) and connect trading system at primary site of NSE to the slave system of NCL placed at data centres of BSE and MSEI.

After due deliberations, TAC says from April 2021, it has decided to conduct unannounced live trading session from DR site of the market infrastructure institutions (MIIs) with a notice of four hours from SEBI before the start of the trading session.



Further, from July 2021, unannounced live trading session would be conducted from DR site of the MIIs with a short notice of 45 minutes from SEBI before the start of the trading session.



TAC says, "In the event of disruption in the 'critical systems' of the MII, the MII shall, declare that incident as 'disaster' within 30 minutes of incident from earlier two hours and take measures to restore operations including from DRS within 45 minutes as against two hours stipulated earlier from the declaration of 'disaster'."



TAC also asked MIIs to feasibility of intra-day shifting to DR site from primary site with a notice of 45 minutes from SEBI. "MIIs should prepare comprehensive testing plan and build sufficient redundancy in its systems in order to mitigate impact of any unforeseen technical glitch and to ensure failure of any subsystem of MIIs would not impact other critical systems of MIIs and continuous functioning of securities market. MIIs should constantly monitor the health and performance of various communication links and take corrective measures, as required," it added.



SEBI has also issued circular, on 22 March 2021, that says the recovery time objective (RTO), the maximum time taken to restore operations of critical systems from DRS after declaration of disaster, of 45 minutes. 'Critical systems' for an exchange and clearing corporation include trading, risk management, collateral management, clearing and settlement and index computation. 'Critical systems' for a depository would be systems supporting settlement process and inter-depository transfer system.



Recovery point objective (RPO), the maximum tolerable period for which data might be lost due to a major incident, has been reduced to 15 minutes from the existing 30 minutes.



SEBI says, "All MIIs have to incorporate clear and comprehensive communication protocols and procedures in business continuity plan (BCP) document for both internal and external communications from the time of incident till the rectification or resumption of systems and trading of MIIs."
More than 1 million people in Louisiana have received at least one dose of a coronavirus vaccine, according to data released Monday by the Louisiana Department of Health.

Since the rollout began in mid-December, 1,622,640 doses have been administered overall. Most of those shots are part of the two-dose regimen recommended for the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines, which is why the total number of people who have received at least one dose is lower, at 1,055,911.

The department of health releases new vaccine data twice a week.

Out of the entire population in Louisiana, an estimate 13.15% of people are fully vaccinated. An estimated 22.71% of the population has received at least one dose of a vaccine.

'A grim milestone': More than 10,000 Louisianans are now suspected of dying from COVID Louisiana has hit another milestone in the ongoing coronavirus pandemic: More than 10,000 people are now suspected of dying from COVID-19.

Monday's update includes more data than past Mondays because the Department of Health no longer releases new data on weekends.

"This Mondays update includes data for 3 days (3/20-3/22) because LDH no longer updates the dashboard on weekends."

As of this update, more than 10,000 people in Louisiana are suspected of dying from COVID-19. A total of 10,030 people are suspected of dying from COVID-19. Out of that number, 9,225 are confirmed to have died from the virus.

The Louisiana Department of Health reported 963 more confirmed coronavirus cases and 26 more confirmed deaths in its noon update Monday.

The number of hospitalizations increased by four, and the number of patients in need of ventilators increased by three.

These are another few key statewide statistics as of Monday:

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Total confirmed cases: 377,618

Total "probable" cases: 63,448

Total confirmed deaths: 9,225

Total probable deaths: 10,030

Patients hospitalized: 403

Patients on ventilators: 71

Vaccine series initiated: 1,055,911 (updated twice weekly)

Vaccine series completed: 611,494

Presumed recovered: 426,243 as of March 15 (updated weekly)

Note: The Advocate and The Times-Picayune staff calculates daily case count and confirmed death increases based on the difference between today's total and yesterday's total of confirmed coronavirus cases and deaths. The Louisiana Department of Health releases a daily case count on its dashboard that includes probable cases as indicated by a positive antigen test. That case count can be different than the one listed here.

Here are some of the parishes with the highest single-day increase in confirmed coronavirus cases, based on the Monday report:

East Baton Rouge: 100

Calcasieu: 89

Jefferson: 84

Rapides: 79

Lafayette: 56

Livingston: 46

Caddo: 42

St. Landry: 42

St. Tammany: 36

Ascension: 31

Orleans: 24

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.
The recent meeting of the 46th Session of the UN Human Rights Council broadcast a special video message by the Human Rights Defender (Ombudsman) of Armenia, Arman Tatoyan, that the Azerbaijani armed forces had pursued a policy of ethnic Armenian cleansing and genocide during the September-November 2020 war.

It was mentioned in the video message that there is a policy of Armenophobia in Azerbaijan, which is carried out with the assistance of the Azerbaijani authorities and encouraged by Azerbaijani public figures, and all this is based on objective evidence.

The video stresses that since September 27 of last year, the monitoring of both Azerbaijani and Turkish media and social media has recorded mass hatred and calls for killing, violence and torture, and these calls target Armenian children, too.

Ethnically-motivated crimes against Armenians are encouraged by the Azerbaijani authorities, and this is confirmed by the decisions of the ECHR.

P.S.: Only national human rights organizations with "A" international status can issue such a video message.
Ireland is in danger of facing another wave of Covid-19 cases, a senior health official has warned.

The HSEs lead for infection control, Professor Martin Cormican, described case numbers as stuck and possibly rising.

Sunday saw 769 new cases of Covid-19 confirmed by the Department of Health, the highest daily increase in cases reported since Friday February 26.

There were also two more deaths of people with Covid-19.

It makes no difference to the virus if it is a wake or a birthday party Professor Martin Cormican

Prof Cormican told RTE Radio 1s Morning Ireland programme: [Cases] are pretty much stuck, possibly going back upwards a bit. Theres a real danger of another surge.

We certainly all hoped to be in a better place than we are. We need to deal with the reality of where we are and we need to be very careful.

Mr Cormican described the increase in case numbers as disappointing and urged the public to continue in their social distancing efforts because the more people come together the more the virus spreads.

Thats really hard because whats got us through so far is that people have put up with a great deal of isolation and loneliness and burdened it as necessary to control the virus, he said.

Unfortunately it is still necessary because the new strain does seem to spread faster than the one we were used to. And that makes everything harder and makes it harder for everyone.

He added: The vast majority of people are trying really hard to adhere to the restrictions as much of the time as they possibly can.

Face coverings can help prevent the spread of #COVID19. But if you wear one, you should still do the following:

a social distancing

a covering your mouth & nose when you cough & sneeze

a washing your hands

a not touching your eyes, nose or mouth pic.twitter.com/2IRs1NVwtX  HSE Ireland (@HSELive) March 22, 2021

There are some people who are less careful and I suppose we continue to appeal to them and to explain to them that the risks that theyre taking is not just a risk for them, the risk that theyre taking is a risk for everyone they know and care about in the two weeks after they take that risk.

Prof Cormican said the situation in hospitals had improved and described schools as stable, but warned they were seeing a spread in infection in workplaces and other settings where people gather together such as birthday parties and wakes.

It makes no difference to the virus if it is a wake or a birthday party, he added.

His comments come as the countrys long-awaited mandatory quarantine system is set to become operational later this week.

People arriving from 33 countries flagged as high risk will have to quarantine in hotels for 14 days.

Mandatory quarantine will also apply to people arriving into Ireland without a negative PCR test.

Meanwhile, as of March 18, 654,251 doses of Covid vaccines have been administered in Ireland.

The latest figures from the Central Statistics Office (CSO) showed the vast majority of people are continuing to stay local to their homes.

An estimated 65.7% of the population stayed local (within 10km of home) during the week ending 12 March 2021 according to the Staying Local Indicator (SLI), a seven-day rolling averagehttps://t.co/mr9EPODULr #CSOIreland #Ireland #COVIDIreland #Health #SocialImpact pic.twitter.com/ZYlur7Qp91  Central Statistics Office Ireland (@CSOIreland) March 22, 2021

Some 65% of the population stayed local (within 10 kilometres of their home) during the week ending March 12.

All counties showed modest increases between March 5 and 12 according to the CSOs Staying Local Indicator.

These increases ranged from 0.5 percentage points in Leitrim to 2.5 percentage points in Donegal, Louth, Sligo, indicating some tightening of mobility behaviour.

Dublin continues to be the county with the highest percentage of the population staying local (80%) reflecting its urbanised nature and access to services compared with other counties, while Mayo had the lowest percentage of the population staying at home at 50%.

The propensity of people to stay within 10km of their home tends to differ by county, as movement is affected by local circumstances and conditions, such as access to services and levels of urbanisation.
David Arakhamiya, the leader of the Servant of the People faction, thanked the U.S. Congress members for supporting Ukraine in the field of security.

"We are grateful to our partners from the United States for bipartisan support for our country's policy and the actions of President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky. We are currently actively communicating on a number of other issues, U.S. military support for Ukraine, fight against corruption and strengthening sanctions against Russia," Arakhamiya stated, Ukrinform reports with reference to the Servant of the People partys website.

According to him, a group of senators of the U.S. Congress presented an updated Ukraine Security Partnership Act. It provides for financial assistance and strategic support. In particular, it stipulates a permit for military financing of Ukraine in the amount of up to $300 million a year. The document also calls for the appointment of a special envoy for Ukraine, who will represent the United States in the Normandy format peace talks.

Arakhamiya stressed that the document was a logical step in a set of measures to strengthen cooperation between Ukraine and the United States. There is also an agreement that communication with the U.S. Congress members will be regular, which will help create a united bipartisan front in support of Ukraine. To this end, the leader of the Servant of the People faction plans to hold online meetings with the U.S. Congress members and senators in the coming weeks.

As reported, U.S. Republican Congressman Brian Fitzpatrick said that the United States intended to continue strong financial, military, security and other support for Ukraine against the background of aggression waged by the Russian Federation.

A bipartisan group of lawmakers submitted to the Senate a bill to strengthen security cooperation with Ukraine. The bill describes the history of the occupation of the territory of Ukraine since 1919  from Soviet rule to the occupation by the German Nazis in the 1940s and by Russia in 2014.

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Share This: Laramie County (WY) Community Colleges decision to deactivate its automotive body repair program is raising concerns with some industry partners, who say its one more blow to an industry already struggling to find talent.

On March 17, the LCCC Board of Trustees voted to close the program at the end of this school year, citing low enrollment, the expensive nature of the program and lower starting wages than those in comparable technical fields.

Fewer than 12 students have enrolled in the auto body repair program since 2019, and only a total of four students have enrolled during the 2020-21 school year.

The decision comes months after the college made a $4 million reduction in its annual budget, which is part of Gov. Mark Gordons directive that all state agencies cut their budgets by at least 10%.

One full-time faculty member will lose their job as a result of the program closure.

LCCC President Joe Schaffer estimated deactivating the program will save the college roughly $200,000, which he said the college intends to reallocate toward building its manufacturing program offerings. Right now, the college does not offer a degree program in the area.

This is one part budget-related. But the other part is our interest in ramping up our advanced manufacturing programming, Schaffer told the Wyoming Tribune Eagle on March 19, lamenting the austere budget environment that has forced these decisions. Our plans at this juncture are to utilize [the auto collision repair] space to house the manufacturing programming, which aligns with the states and regions economic development goals.

David Robinette, the Northwest regional business development principal for the Inter-industry Conference on Auto Collision Repair (I-CAR), which has provided the curriculum to LCCCs program, said the deactivation is just one of several unfortunate auto body repair program closures hes seen across the Mountain West over the past few years.

We cant keep closing these schools, because were in a critical state in the collision industry with a shortage of new entry-level technicians coming in. Theyre not coming in as fast as the retirees are coming out, Robinette said. Every time one of these schools closes, were that much closer to an irretrievable problem.

Robinette believes a lack of recruitment and...
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Govt ad spends on print down 51 per cent from last year Print publications received a hard wallop with the outbreak of Covid2019 last year - circulation dropped, subscribers cut ties, and revenue dried up as advertisers tightened their purse strings. Now, it has emerged that the government, which is one of the biggest newspaper advertiser, slashed its spends on the medium by more than half during 2020. Read More...

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Next Billion Users head Caesar Sengupta quits Google Google's Next Billion Users head Caesar Sengupta is on his way out from the company after nearly 15 years, he said in a LinkedIn post on Monday. "After over 15 wonderful years at Google, I have decided to venture out and start on a new mission. Read More...

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MS Dhoni returns as Bijness Bhai to empower small businesses in India Web hosting company GoDaddy has launched a new integrated marketing campaign encouraging small local businesses in the country to create an online presence for their business. Aligned with the government's 'Vocal for Local' mission, through this campaign GoDaddy aims to support local businesses in India by helping them build their own website easily. Read More...

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Uber wants every opportunity to be 'Within Her Reach' Uber India and Dentsu Webchutney have launched a new campaign to double down on their commitment to make every opportunity #WithinHerReach  a conversation that Uber started last year in collaboration with the agency. It is based on the insight that the lack of remote-working options and rigid working hours have kept women away from the workforce. Read More...

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Ambrane India signs Ravindra Jadeja as its brand ambassador Mobile Accessories Brand Ambrane has signed on Indian cricketer Ravindra Jadeja as its brand ambassador. In a press release, the company said Jadeja seemed like a natural fit for Ambrane brand, exemplifying the same dynamism and energy as attached with the brand. Read More...

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Colgate's latest offering: A toothpaste for diabetics After experimenting with active salt and lemon, Colgate-Palmolive India has come up with a new toothpaste packing the power of Ayurvedic herbs  Colgate for Diabetics, specifically targeting people with diabetes in collaboration with dentists and diabetes experts. Read More...
COPENHAGEN, Denmark, March 22, 2021 - Bavarian Nordic A/S (OMX: BAVA, OTC: BVNRY) announced today that the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) has ordered IMVAMUNE smallpox vaccine to the national stockpile at a total value of USD 31.2 million.

Deliveries of the vaccines are expected to occur from the first quarter 2022 with anticipated completion in 2023. Hence this order, which is made under an existing contract with PHAC, will have no impact on the Company's financial guidance for 2021.



Paul Chaplin, President & Chief Executive Officer of Bavarian Nordic, said: "We are very pleased to continue our collaboration with the Canadian government in their efforts to secure protection for its citizens. This collaboration dates back to 2008 when we started deliveries to the Canadian Department of National Defence and was since broadened to include the Public Health Agency of Canada, who also recognized the need for establishing a smallpox vaccine stockpile for the general population."

About Bavarian Nordic

Bavarian Nordic is a fully integrated vaccines company focused on the development, manufacture and commercialization of life-saving vaccines. We are a global leader in smallpox vaccines and have been a long-term supplier to the U.S. Strategic National Stockpile of a non-replicating smallpox vaccine, which has been approved by the FDA under the trade name JYNNEOS, also for the protection against monkeypox. The vaccine is approved as a smallpox vaccine in Europe under the trade name IMVANEX and in Canada under the trade name IMVAMUNE. Our commercial product portfolio furthermore contains the market-leading vaccine Rabipur/RabAvert against rabies and Encepur against tick-borne encephalitis. Using our live virus vaccine platform technology, MVA-BN, we have created a diverse portfolio of proprietary and partnered product candidates designed to save and improve lives by unlocking the power of the immune system, including an Ebola vaccine, MVABEA, which is licensed to Janssen. For more information visit www.bavarian-nordic.com .

Forward-looking statements

This announcement includes forward-looking statements that involve risks, uncertainties and other factors, many of which are outside of our control, that could cause actual results to differ materially from the results discussed in the forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements include statements concerning our plans, objectives, goals, future events, performance and/or other information that is not historical information. All such forward-looking statements are expressly qualified by these cautionary statements and any other cautionary statements which may accompany the forward-looking statements. We undertake no obligation to publicly update or revise forward-looking statements to reflect subsequent events or circumstances after the date made, except as required by law.

Contacts

Europe: Rolf Sass Srensen, Vice President Investor Relations, Tel: +45 61 77 47 43

US: Graham Morrell, Paddock Circle Advisors, graham@paddockcircle.com , Tel: +1 781 686 9600

Company Announcement no. 10 / 2021

Attachment
ALBANY  Fab 8.2 may be only just the beginning.

A push by President Joe Biden to get Congress to approve a $37 billion federal subsidy program aimed at bolstering the domestic computer chip manufacturing sector against Asian competition could help GlobalFoundries pay to build a second chip factory at the company's Fab 8 campus in Malta.

But it could also help the state's Albany Nanotech complex on the SUNY Polytechnic Institute campus land a new federal computer chip research lab called the National Semiconductor Technology Center that would be the envy of the nation.

The end result could mean billions of dollars in federal, state and corporate semiconductor industry investment pouring into the Capital Region and other parts of upstate over the next decade.

"It's a perfect fit," said Doug Grose, president of NY CREATES, the non-profit entity that oversees the state-supported chip industry research operations at SUNY Poly and affiliated sites across upstate.

Grose told the Times Union that the NY CREATES advisory board, whose members come from a variety of industry and academic backgrounds, will meet next Monday, March 29, to discuss the best way to try and land the National Semiconductor Technology Center.

"We could start at time zero," Grose said, noting that Albany Nanotech is already considered the most advanced computer chip research center in the country with available chip production lines that could be expanded as needed.

"It would be phased in over time," Grose said.

Biden's $37 billion computer chip manufacturing initiative was actually started under the Trump administration in response to China's growing influence in the computer chip industry at the expense of the United States. The idea of China controlling key aspects of the semiconductor industry's supply chain and manufacturing output has worried the Defense Department for years as the U.S. chip industry has consolidated and outsourced more and more of its production overseas.

The coronavirus pandemic, which has disrupted the global supply chain for chips, triggering a ripple effect on the auto industry and others, has only made the issue more pressing.

GlobalFoundries, which employs 3,000 people at its Fab 8 chip factory in Malta, would be a likely beneficiary of the $37 billion fund that Biden is pitching Congress.

GlobalFoundries CEO Tom Caulfield recently told Reuters that GlobalFoundries would seriously consider building a second chip factory in Malta if Congress approves the program, which was originally spelled out  but not financed  in the Defense Department budget bill passed by Congress just before Trump left office in January.

The program was originally proposed by U.S. Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., now the Senate Majority Leader, under a bill called the CHIPS Act. That measure was eventually rolled into the Defense Department spending bill, although technically Congress must still approve the spending, which would provide subsidies to companies like GlobalFoundries to build new U.S. production facilities and launch the federal chip research lab.

Second chip fab in Malta only a matter of 'when,' Caulfield says

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."

Computer chip factories today cost between $10 billion and $15 billion. GlobalFoundries spent nearly $1 million during the last three months of 2020 lobbying Congress and the Trump administration on the CHIPS Act and other initiatives.

Grose said the National Semiconductor Technology Center would attract billions in federal, state and industry investment, which would make it far larger than any previous research labs created at the SUNY Poly campus. It would also likely involve a computer chip packaging center that NY CREATES operates in Rochester if New York was awarded the center.

Just last week, U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo met with representatives from the Semiconductor Industry Association, whose membership includes GlobalFoundries and other chip companies, to update them on Biden's plans.

"I believe we need to make strong investments in domestic manufacturing, research and workforce, and help strengthen Americas global leadership in semiconductor manufacturing and innovation," Raimondo said. "This is the beginning of what I believe will be an ongoing dialog between the Department of Commerce and industry leaders as we find innovative ways to invest in domestic manufacturing."

The hope that GlobalFoundries will land some of the CHIPS Act funding has already bolstered optimism in Saratoga County, where Fab 8 is located, says Shelby Schneider, president of the Saratoga County Prosperity Partnership, an economic development group.
Lucknow, March 22 : The Yogi Adityanath government has rolled out a wheat procurement policy allowing 'unlimited' purchase of the rabi crop from the farmers at the stipulated minimum support price (MSP) of Rs 1,975 per quintal in 2021-22.

The move is being seen as an attempt to placate the agitating farmers who have been expressing their apprehension about the government's intention of doing away with the MSP.

According to the government spokesman, "The purchase will be carried out till farmers continue to reach purchase centres to sell their produce." The policy document issued by the food and civil supply department said that the wheat procurement would start from April 1 till June 15. The centres will continue to operate on all days between 9 a.m. and 6 p.m. except Sundays and gazetted holidays.

The period may, however, be altered by the respective district magistrates after considering local situations.

The wheat procurement target in 2020-21 was 55 lakh metric tonnes. The actual purchase, however, was 35.76 lakh metric tonnes due to Covid-induced lockdown in the months of April-June.

The procurement would be done through 6,000 centres, of which a maximum of 3,500 would be those operated by the Pradeshik Cooperative Federation (PCF).

The marketing wing of the civil supply department would set up 1,100 centres, while UP Mandi Parishad, UP food and essential commodities corporation and UP Consumer Cooperative Sangh would operate 250 centres each.

The Food Corporation of India will operate 150 centres.

The purchase centres will be set up at the various tehsils and blocks in buildings of cooperative societies, mandi premises, agricultural marketing hub, rural infrastructure centres, panchayat bhawan, building of cane committees and fertilizer and seed selling centres.

The department can also set up purchase centres on rent on the main road for easy access to farmers.

The centres would be geo-tagged to allow farmers to reach there easily.

The policy empowers the food and civil supply department to add or remove the wheat procurement agencies. District magistrates will be the nodal officers overseeing procurement of wheat. They will have to appoint an additional district magistrate-level officer as district purchase officer to monitor the procurement process.

At the same time, a sub-divisional magistrate level officer will be required to supervise registration of farmers and oversee storage of wheat in coordination with the regional marketing officer.

The district administration will also appoint a nodal officer at all the purchase centres to ensure purchase of wheat as per the designated rules and regulations. The nodal officer would subsequently be required to submit a report of purchase done with the district marketing officer on a daily basis.
Project will create 600 new jobs at distribution center

NASHVILLE, Tenn.  Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee, Department of Economic and Community Development Commissioner Bob Rolfe and Gap Inc. officials announced today that the global clothing and accessories retailer will expand operations at its distribution center in Gallatin.

Gap Inc.s Gallatin operations currently service retail and online shopping orders. As customer demand for online shopping rises and Gap Inc. works to grow its online business to approximately 50 percent of revenue over the next three years, expanding its omni fulfillment network will allow the company to deliver a faster, more efficient shopping experience to customers across the country. This expansion will create 600 full-time jobs and represents an investment of $83 million.

Headquartered in San Francisco, Gap Inc., a collection of purpose-led lifestyle brands, is the largest American specialty apparel company offering clothing, accessories, and personal care products for men, women, and children under the Old Navy, Gap, Banana Republic, Athleta, Intermix, and Janie and Jack brands. The Gallatin expansion is part of Gap Inc.s long-term digital growth strategy.

Over the last five years, TNECD has supported more than 10 economic development projects in Sumner County, accounting for nearly 1,500 job commitments and $920 million in capital investment.

QUOTES

Businesses continue to choose to expand in Tennessee because of our skilled workforce. Gap Inc. has expanded their operations and distribution center in Middle Tennessee because of the hard-working residents of Sumner County. I congratulate Gap Inc. on this project and thank the company for its continued commitment to Sumner County.  Gov. Bill Lee

The pipeline in Middle Tennessee is booming and a contributing element in that momentum is Sumner County. Gap Inc.s continued investment and expansion at its Gallatin site is the perfect example of what makes Tennessee a great place to do business.  TNECD Commissioner Bob Rolfe

Gap Inc. has a long and prosperous relationship with the City of Gallatin that began over 20 years ago. As we work to give our customers the best experience wherever they are shopping and grow our digital business, we are thrilled to continue investing in our valued team members and community partners in Sumner County and create new jobs to support online fulfillment.  Kevin Kuntz, Gap Inc. senior vice president of Global Logistics Fulfillment

"Gap Inc. has been an integral corporate partner for more than 20 years. We thank them for their continued confidence in Gallatin to expand their operation and provide even more quality jobs.  Gallatin Mayor Paige Brown

TVA and Gallatin Department of Electricity congratulate Gap Inc. on its decision to expand operations and create hundreds of new jobs in Sumner County. We are proud to partner with City of Gallatin and Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development to support companies like Gap Inc. and celebrate their commitment to continued growth in the Valley.  John Bradley, TVA senior vice president of Economic Development

I am pleased Gap Inc. has decided to, once again, expand its operations in Gallatin. This move is a vote of confidence in Gallatins business friendly environment and dedicated workforce. The 601 jobs to be added is great news for our community.  Senate Speaker Pro Tempore Ferrell Haile (R-Gallatin)

Gap Inc. has been an exceptional community partner and valued employer in Sumner County for many years and this significant investment speaks highly of the working relationship we have, the quality of our workforce and local infrastructure. I congratulate Gap and its employees for their remarkable success, and I thank our local leaders who work hard to promote and advance our existing industries.  House Majority Leader William Lamberth (R-Portland)

TNECD Media Contact

Molly Hair, Public Information Officer

(615) 878-0063

molly.hair@tn.gov

About the Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development

The Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Developments mission is to develop strategies that help make Tennessee the No. 1 location in the Southeast for high quality jobs. To grow and strengthen Tennessee, the department seeks to attract new corporate investment to the state and works with Tennessee companies to facilitate expansion and economic growth. Find us on the web: tnecd.com. Follow us on Twitter and Instagram: @tnecd. Like us on Facebook: facebook.com/tnecd.

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If it seems like your stomach has a mind of its own, you're not wrong. University of Cincinnati assistant professor Ashley Ross says your body is full of neurons that regulate digestion, inflammation and a host of other biological processes. In her chemistry lab in UC's College of Arts and Sciences, she is studying the role they play in the immune system.

"I'm fascinated by the concept that immune system organs have neurons, too, and they're releasing neurotransmitters just like the brain to communicate to your immune cells," she said.

Ross is using one of two National Institutes of Health grants totaling $4 million to develop tools to detect and study chemical signals between the brain and immune system.

Brain signaling is incredibly fast. You blink your eyes, take a breath, your knee jerks -- all of that is controlled by neurons firing at a rapid rate. We want to capture that as it happens." Ashley Ross, Assistant Professor, University of Cincinnati

More than 3 million Americans have been diagnosed with inflammatory bowel diseases such as Crohn's, according to federal health figures. The diseases reflect an uncontrolled immune response to some trigger, but the exact causes are not completely understood. They are progressive, often lifelong afflictions with no known cure.

Hundreds of lymph nodes throughout your body filter germs and help fight infection. They are loaded with neurons that send signals to regulate your immune response. In her lab, Ross is developing new tools and sensors to record these messages in the gut. Using probes, she can measure signals at a very rapid time scale in the smallest tissue.

"That's really powerful because now we can look at the dynamics and mechanism of the transmission to understand what's going on," she said.

Ross is uniquely qualified to pursue these questions. She is an analytical chemist who has conducted extensive research in neuroscience. She holds a joint appointment in chemistry and UC's neuroscience graduate program.

"My lab is interested in inflammation and how neurons control the inflammatory response," she said. "Understanding how the nervous system plays a role could lead to new therapies."

UC professor and chemistry department head Thomas Beck said Ross has created a strong team of graduate students, postdoctoral researchers and undergraduates to tackle these questions in her lab.

"It's really fascinating science -- using ultra-sensitive detection methods to study neurotransmitters," Beck said. "There is a lot of attention being paid about the interaction between the gut and the brain. The biota in your gut can impact your mood and general health."

There is still so much to learn about the communication between the nervous and immune systems, Ross said.

"It's almost overwhelming," she said. "It's not well understood how these neurons function. Researchers haven't made measurements on this time scale in intact immune organs before."
Images of authorities in Miami Beach launching pepper balls into crowds to disperse them amid COVID-19 orders stole the spotlight in the United States over the weekend, but around the world, countries continue to struggle with the virus even with the emergence of vaccines.

U.S. officials continue to worry about a third surge as cases continue to spike in Europe, Brazil and India.

German chancellor Angela Merkel will meet with the federal state prime ministers Monday to discuss further tough restrictions in the country.

According to Johns Hopkins University, last week, cases in Germany reached highs that mirrored case totals in January.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel attends a debate of the German Parliament Bundestag about the coronavirus outbreak situation in Berlin, Germany, Thursday, March 4, 2021. (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber)AP

In Greece, officials are ordering doctors from the private sector to help the countrys strained public health system handle escalating coronavirus infections, according to CNN. On March 17, Greece reported its highest case total of the pandemic, according to Johns Hopkins University.

The same situation is playing out in Brazil, which saw its two highest case totals of the pandemic last week on March 17 and 19.

The South American country reported more than 90,000 new COVID cases on each day.

Brazil continues to struggle against the P.1 variant that originated in the country. Health officials have said the strain is more contagious and vaccines are less effective against it with an efficacy rate at about 50%.

According to CNN, the ICUs in 25 out of 27 states in Brazil are at least 80% full. Of those, 14 have an occupancy of more than 90%. Two states have reached capacity of over 100%.

Dr. Anthony Fauci said last week that the case totals in the United States have consistently followed Europes but occurred about three to five weeks after. Because of this, officials are concerned about a possible third surge, especially with events like Spring Break, Easter and Passover approaching.

Fauci said the United States has plateaued about 50,000 new cases per day. The number, he said, opens the U.S. up for another surge.

Why the US may be different

A dozen communities in southern Worcester county collaborated to open a vaccination site at McCloskey Middle School in Uxbridge.

The U.S. is different, though, in terms of its vaccine rollout. About 38 doses of the vaccine have been administered per every 100 Americans, according to the New York Times. That total ranks ninth in the world. Meanwhile, Greece and and Germany have administered 13 doses per 100 residents. Brazil has administered 6.4 doses per 100 people.

About 25% of the U.S. population has received at least one dose, according to the Times, while Greece, Germany and Brazil are below 10%.

Countries that have been rolling out the vaccine have seen cases plummet. According to the Times, Israel has administered 109 doses per 100 residents with 51% of the population having been fully vaccinated.

On Sunday, Israel reported 552 new cases, according to Johns Hopkins, a number that mirrored the case totals from last summer in the country and fraction of the totals that eclipsed 10,000 daily cases in December and January.

Every day we get 2 to 3 more million [vaccinations] and we get closer and closer to where we want to be, Fauci said last week. We dont really know what that magical point of herd immunity is but we do know that if we get the overwhelming population vaccinated, were going to be in good shape.

New eligibility in Massachusetts

In Massachusetts, Monday represents the latest checkpoint for a new group of people to become eligible to receive the vaccine.

Individuals who are 60 years old or older can now receive the vaccine. Monday also represented the first day employees who work in the sectors of transit, grocery, utility, food and agriculture, sanitation, public works and public health could receive the vaccine.

As of Sunday, more than 2.9 million residents in Massachusetts had received at least one dose of a vaccine with 1,069,768 being fully vaccinated.

AstraZeneca reports 100% effectiveness against hospitalizations

A vial of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine against COVID-19 at a hospital in Sofia, Bulgaria, on Sunday, Feb. 7, 2021.AP Photo/Valentina Petrova

On Monday, AstraZeneca announced that Phase 3 clinical trials of its vaccine showed a 79% efficacy rate in preventing COVID-19 symptoms and 100% effectiveness in preventing severe disease and hospitalizations.

Like the Moderna and Pfizer vaccines, AstraZenicas requires two doses. Trials show that the second dose can be administered up to 12 weeks after the first doses, the company said.

Evidence from the trials suggests, AstraZenica said, that administration of the second dose with an interval longer than four weeks could further increase efficacy.

The vaccines can also be stored, transported and handled in normal refrigeration temperatures at about 34 to 46 degrees for at least six months.

AstraZeneca said it is now preparing to submit the data to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for Emergency Use Authorization, which three vaccines - Moderna, Pfizer and Johnson and Johnson - have already received.

Related Content:
SAN FRANCISCO--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Today, VeriSIM Life (VeriSIM) announces the launch of its pharmaceutical subsidiary, PulmoSIM Therapeutics (PulmoSIM) with the mission to address the unmet needs in the treatment of rare respiratory diseases, with an immediate emphasis on pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) and idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF).

PulmoSIM is developing breakthrough therapies for rare and progressive respiratory diseases to improve patient outcomes and quality of life. PulmoSIMs approach modulates multiple biological pathways with a single agent, thus alleviating the need of combination therapies. With repurposing and repositioning already approved FDA drugs, PulmoSIM is targeting the underlying biology to effectively treat PAH and IPF.

We are thrilled to announce the launch of PulmoSIM as it demonstrates the indefinite capabilities of the VeriSIMs platform, BIOiSIM, in accelerating drug development by bridging the translational gap between preclinical and clinical phases. In contrast to working with pharmaceutical and biotech companies in developing their drug portfolios, the PulmoSIM launch will be the first of many assets we will be developing to solve the most challenging and unaddressed diseases impacting human-kind, said Dr. Jo Varshney.

Out of >7,000 rare diseases, many exist in hard-to-reach peripheral regions of the respiratory system. PulmoSIM aims to leverage the immense potential drug repurposing has to offer, to tackle at least a few of these rare diseases. Development of affordable, and commercially feasible therapies is one of the many ways to improve quality of life and compliance among the patients suffering from these indications, said the Scientific Founder, Dr. Vivek Gupta.

PulmoSIM is also pleased to announce the establishment of its Scientific Advisory Board: Dr. Eva S. Nozik, MD (Professor, Pediatrics-Critical Care Medicine, School of Medicine, University of Colorado, Denver, CO), Dr. Samir Mitragotri, PhD (Hiller Professor of Bioengineering and Wyss Professor of Biologically Inspired Engineering, Harvard University, Boston, MA), and Dr. Hugh Smyth, PhD (Alcon Centennial Professor of Molecular Pharmaceutics and Drug Delivery, University of Texas, Austin, TX).

Unlike current approaches that seek symptomatic relief, PulmoSIMs approach is novel as it targets the biology of the disease. Targeting the underlying disease mechanisms opens the path to effective and life-saving therapies, said Dr. Samir Mitragotri.

The launch of PulmoSIM is an exciting venture for VeriSIM, and is the next phase in leveraging their first-in-class artificial intelligence platform to predict the clinical efficacy of drugs and propel drug development innovation forward. The PulmoSIM team is well-versed in respiratory diseases, product development, and has the experience, expertise, and relationships to efficiently address further operational, clinical, regulatory, competitive, and financial risks as we propel to clinical proof-of-concept. To learn more about our pipeline, approach, and how we can partner - contact us at: press@verisimlife.com

About VeriSIM Life: VeriSIM is redefining the approach to preclinical and clinical drug development with an AI enabled platform that delivers bio-simulations and predicts the clinical outcomes of drugs before human trials. Our approach model is built to accurately translate, scale, and accelerate development; derisking R&D decisions and enabling pharmaceutical and biotech organizations with the insights to propel innovation forward. With our first-in-class, proprietary AI-enabled platform our team of scientists, modelers, chemists, and software engineers are your partners on a mission to advance human health.

About Dr. Jyotika Varshney: Dr. Jo Varshney, DVM, PhD in comparative oncology/genomics, is the founder and CEO of VeriSIM and its wholly-owned subsidiary, PulmoSIM. She is a visionary in the field of personalized disease models and artificial intelligence/machine learning led drug development. She is the inventor of the core technology that utilizes a unique approach of integrating AI/ML techniques into the modeling paradigm to enhance the scalability and security to advanced software systems and can capitalize or capture the early drug development market. Dr. Varshney is a dynamic and celebrated leader and additionally, she serves on several advisory boards to help other deep-tech companies commercialize their science and technology.

About Dr. Vivek Gupta: Dr. Vivek Gupta, PhD, is the scientific founder of PulmoSIM. Dr Gupta has 14+ years of experience in developing localized therapies for rare respiratory diseases including PAH and IPF. He also serves as an Assistant Professor of Pharmaceutical Sciences at St. John's University, NY, where his research group focuses on novel drug discovery and delivery for respiratory disorders.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210322005089/en/

PulmoSIM Therapeutics // VeriSIM Life Contact Information:

Alexandra Flecha-Hirsch, Senior Product Marketing Manager

info@verisimlife.com

415-991-3783

Source: VeriSIM Life
Syndicated and guest columns represent the personal views of the writers, not necessarily those of the editorial staff. The editorial department operates entirely independently of the news department and is not involved in newsroom operations.
ATLANTA, March 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Ursula Godoy-ArbelaezSenior Vice President, Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer of CatchMark Timber Trust, Inc. (NYSE: CTT), has been recognized in the 40 Under 40, Class of 2020, by the Georgia State University Alumni Association. The program recognizes the "most influential and innovative graduates who embody the values of Georgia State."

Godoy-Arbelaez attended Georgia State undergraduate and business schools, earning a B.B.A. cum laude in Accounting in 2001 and an MBA in 2008. She has worked at CatchMark, a leading timber REIT, since its listing on the NYSE in 2013, becoming CFO in 2020. She is responsible for CatchMark's financial management, risk management, and strategic planning. Her focus is on establishing and implementing company goals and objectives, monitoring and improving business performance, and promoting and overseeing control systems and metrics to protect company assets and ensure accurate financial reporting.

Douglas Rubenstein, Chairman of the Board for CatchMark, said: "Ursula has been a key member of CatchMark's management team, which is focused on assembling the highest-quality timberlands in high-demand mill markets and employing rigorous management practices to deliver sustainable harvest yields for the benefit of our shareholders. All of us at the company value her leadership skills, tenacity, and integrity in managing all aspects of the company's finances and strategic planning."

"Those recognized on the 40 Under 40 list are remarkable doers, creators, innovators, leaders and entrepreneurs  individuals making their mark in every imaginable field," said Christina Million, associate vice president of alumni relations at Georgia State.

About CatchMark

CatchMark (NYSE: CTT) seeks to deliver consistent and growing per share cash flow from disciplined acquisitions and superior management of prime timberlands located in high demand U.S. mill markets. Concentrating on maximizing cash flows throughout business cycles, the company strategically harvests its high-quality timberlands to produce durable revenue growth and takes advantage of proximate mill markets, which provide a reliable outlet for merchantable inventory. Headquartered in Atlanta and focused exclusively on timberland ownership and management, CatchMark began operations in 2007 and owns interests in 1.5 million acres* of timberlands located in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Oregon, South Carolina and Texas. For more information, visit www.catchmark.com.

* As of December 31, 2020

SOURCE CatchMark Timber Trust, Inc.

Related Links

http://www.catchmark.com


Celebrity Portia de Rossi is known for her performance in popular shows like Arrested Development. She has built a successful career and is worth millions of dollars. A while ago, the actor founded a company called General Public, which publishes and curates art. One impression de Rossi may give is that she is from the United States. However, her nationality is Australian.

Portia de Rossi | Jason LaVeris/Getty Images

Portia de Rossi is an actor and married to Ellen DeGeneres

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De Rossi was born in Horsham, Victoria, Australia, on January 31, 1973. She spent a part of her childhood without a father. The actors birth name was Amanda Lee Rodgers. However, she legally changed her name, and Shakespeares The Merchant of Venice inspired the name Portia.As a young girl, de Rossi wanted to become an actor and started modeling. She appeared in commercials and magazines. In 1994, de Rossi got her big break in the movie Sirens.

After her film debut, she moved to Los Angeles to continue her acting career. The show Ally McBeal gave de Rossi increased popularity. She portrayed Nelle Porter and starred opposite Calista Flockhart. The actors next big role was in the hit TV comedy Arrested Development. She played Michaels twin sister Lindsay Bluth-Funke.

In 2000, de Rossi met famed TV personality Ellen DeGeneres at a party. The rising star fell in love with DeGeneres the moment she saw her. In 2008, the two got married and have been together ever since.

Portia de Rossi is from Australia but dropped the accent

Portia de Rossi is joining "Scandal" Season 4 for a "top secret arc" pic.twitter.com/zIUQv0HppB http://t.co/0UahDfBlQd  HuffPost (@HuffPost) July 23, 2014

Actors often change their accents when taking on a role. Sometimes, an impression is so convincing that fans are shocked to learn that the star is from a different country. It can be strange listening to what they naturally sound like during interviews after hearing their constructed accent a lot in a show.

As mentioned before, de Rossi was born in Australia. She lived there for many years before moving to the United States. Not many people realized the actor came from another country. De Rossi has portrayed so many American characters that viewers assumed she was born in the United States.

It would seem that de Rossis accent has disappeared as she furthered her acting career. She practically adopted an American accent beyond her roles. De Rossi often sounds American even in interviews, but she can bring back her Australian voice when she needs to do so.

Portia de Rossi failed to land an Australian role

RELATED: What Does Portia de Rossis Scandal Casting Mean for Season 4?

Since de Rossi has lived in the United States for a long time, her American accent became a lot stronger. As a result, her native one began to fade. According to The Age, de Rossi had a challenge sounding Australian despite being raised there. It made it difficult to do roles requiring her to use an Australian accent.

When de Rossi went to Australia to film for The Night We Called It a Day, she had to play a character from the country. The role was a bit of a challenge since her Australian accent had faded. The star spent several years trying to drop it for her audience in the United States.

While it did not impact her career, de Rossi did miss out on a role because she did not sound convincing. De Rossi stated, Actually, I had an audition to play an Australian character five years ago and they turned me down because my accent wasnt good enough. Most people here dont even know Im Australian. Luckily, she relearned her natural accent for her part in Now Add Honey. While she still uses an American accent, Australian roles may not be as hard to do.
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Former Super Eagles midfielder and Lobi Stars team manager, Barnabas Imenger, is dead. His death was confirmed by Lobi Stars Media Officer, Austin Tyowua on Monday.

According to Mr Tyowua, Imenger died at the National Hospital in Abuja in the early hours of Monday morning after a protracted illness.

He described the demise of the Lobi Stars team manager as a huge loss to the team and the country at large.

The news is true, we have lost a rare gem at Lobi Stars and Nigeria as a whole, thanks for your concern, Mr Tyowua told PREMIUM TIMES.

Reports suggest Imenger has been in and out of the hospital for some months before his demise on Monday.

He was said to have been on life support at the Federal Medical Centre, Makurdi, Benue State, before he was referred to the National Hospital in Abuja.

Imenger was part of the Super Eagles in the mid-90s and was part of the team that played at the 1995 FIFA Confederations Cup (King Fahd Cup) in Saudi Arabia. He was the second-youngest member of that team at 19 years.

The year 2021 has witnessed the death of some former Nigeria internationals; including Joe Erico, Yisa Sofoluwe, and lately Jide Dina who died earlier this month after a protracted illness.
Day 7: Ruby Bridges

Born on September 8, 1954, Ruby was the oldest child born to Lucille and Abon Bridges, farmers in Tylertown, Mississippi. When Ruby was four years old, her parents moved their family to New Orleans, Louisiana in search of better work opportunities. Rubys birth year coincided with the US Supreme Courts landmark ruling in Brown v. the Board of Education of Topeka Kansas, which ended racial segregation in public schools. Nonetheless, southern states continued to resist integration, and in 1959, Ruby attended a segregated New Orleans kindergarten. A year later, however, a federal court ordered Louisiana to desegregate. The school district created entrance exams for African American students to see whether they could compete academically at the all-white school. Ruby, along with five other students, passed the exam and she was selected for enrollment at the citys William Frantz Elementary School. Her father was initially opposed to her attending an all-white school, but Bridgess mother convinced him to let Bridges enroll.

Of the six African American students designated to integrate the school, Bridges was the only one to enroll. On November 14, 1960, her first day, she was escorted to school by four federal marshals. Bridges spent the entire day in the principals office as irate parents marched into the school to remove their children. On Bridgess second day, Barbara Henry, a young teacher from Boston, began to teach her. The two worked together in an otherwise vacant classroom for an entire year. Every day as the marshals escorted Bridges to school, they urged her to keep her eyes forward so thatthough she could hear the insults and threats of the angry crowd she would not have to see the racist remarks scrawled across signs or the livid faces of the protesters. Undeterred, she later said she only became frightened when she saw a woman holding a black baby doll in a coffin. Bridgess main confidants during this period were her teacher and Robert Coles, a renowned child psychologist who studied the reaction of young children toward extreme stress or crisis.

While some families supported her braveryand some northerners sent money to aid her familyothers protested throughout the city. The Bridges family suffered for their courage: Abon lost his job, and grocery stores refused to sell to Lucille. Her share-cropping grandparents were evicted from the farm where they had lived for a quarter-century. Toward the end of the year, the crowds began to thin, and by the following year the school had enrolled several more Black students. Ruby graduated from a desegregated high school, became a travel agent, married and had four sons. She was reunited with her first teacher, Henry, in the mid-1990s, and for a time the pair did speaking engagements together. Bridgess bravery inspired the Norman Rockwell painting The Problem We All Live With (1963), which depicts the young Bridges walking to school between two sets of marshals, a racial epithet marking the wall behind them. Ruby later wrote about her early experiences in two books and received the Carter G. Woodson Book Award.

A lifelong activist for racial equality, in 1999, Ruby established The Ruby Bridges Foundation to promote tolerance and create change through education. More information on the foundation can be found at www.rubybridges.com.

BLACK HISTORY IS AMERICAN HISTORY!

By: U.S. Marine Corps Major Larry Black
Ferocious hostilities have broken out in Europe over the supply of COVID-19 vaccines.

For months, the European Union (EU) and the UK have been at loggerheads over the supply of vaccines from the UK-Swedish manufacturer AstraZeneca. Britain has insisted that its agreement with AstraZeneca was signed three months earlier than the EUs and that it receive priority over the EU for the vaccines on a first come first serve basis. At the end of January, the EU briefly announced a ban on vaccine exports to Northern Ireland, invoking Article 16 of the Northern Ireland Protocol that is a component part of the Brexit agreement.

A nationalist frenzy is once again being whipped up on both sides, with mutual accusations hurled. In the last week, the conflict has reached fever pitch with the EU and UK trading threats and making conflicting demands on AstraZeneca.

The European Commission, the executive arm of the EU, plans to vote at its summit this Thursday on whether to block exports of vaccines to Britain.

Last week, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen told Germanys Funke media group, We have the option of banning a planned export Thats the message to AstraZeneca: you must fulfil your contract with Europe first before you start delivering to other countries.

She warned, We will reflect on whether exports to countries, who have higher vaccination rates than us, are still proportionate. In other words, we want reliable deliveries of vaccines, we want to see increases in the contracts, we want to see reciprocity and proportionality in exports. And we are ready to use whatever tool we need to deliver on that. This is about making sure that Europe gets its fair share.

According to reports von der Leyen could invoke emergency powers, including seizing factories and waiving patent rights to boost vaccine supplies to the EU. Such draconian powers have only ever been used by the EU bloc on one previous occasionat the height of the world oil crisis in the 1970s.

On Sunday, UK Defense Secretary Ben Wallace told Skys Sophy Ridge that the UK could retaliate, warning Brussels, If contracts get broken  that is a very damaging thing to happen for a trading bloc that prides itself on the rule of law. A more bellicose statement from a senior UK insider told Politico Sunday evening that the EU proceeding with an export ban would be a terrible path for them to tread.

The crisis centres on a production plant in Leiden in the Netherlands, which along with a facility in Belgium produces ingredients for the AstraZeneca shot. The Netherlands plant is run by a Dutch sub-contractor, Halix, officially listed as a supplier of vaccines in contracts that AstraZeneca has signed with Britain and with the EU. Britain is demanding that Halix product first goes to the UKs vaccination programme, while the EU told Reuters, What is produced in Halix has to go to the EU.

An as yet unknown quantity of vaccines have already been produced at Halix and are being stockpiled. Until recent days, AstraZeneca had not sought approval in the EU for the Halix facility. Without approval, any vaccines produced at Halix cannot be used in the EU. However, an approval request has been made and approval from the EU is expected Wednesday.

The EU has also made requests that two plants in the UK, run by Oxford Biomedica and Cobra Biologics, send vaccine shipments to Brussels for distribution. Both UK plants are listed as suppliers to the EU in its contract with AstraZeneca. The UK plants have shipped nothing to the EU.

Von der Leyen stressed that this is despite Brussels sending 10 million doses of vaccine from the EU to the UKpart of at least 41 million doses of coronavirus vaccines exported from the EU to 33 countries since February 1.

Last week, Prime Minister Boris Johnsons Conservative government warned that although 50 percent of Britains population had received at least one vaccine dose, supply problems had emerged that would soon slow down the vaccination programme. This shortage appears to be the result of production bottlenecks at the manufacturers, primarily at AstraZeneca, and not a supply freeze by the EU. The main cause of the shortage, which is affecting the global rollout of the vaccine, is due to supply problems in India. More than 4 million doses due to be shipped from India to the UK next month are now blocked.

UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson holds a coronavirus press conference with June Raine, from the Medicine and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency and Chris Witty, Chief medical Officer for England in 10 Downing Street. 18/03/2021 (Picture by Simon Dawson / No 10 Downing Street-FlickR)

According to an analysis by the Guardian newspaper Britains Covid vaccine programme faces a two-month delay in the event of an EU export ban, derailing the governments plans to reopen the economy this summer. The Guardian commissioned data analytics company Airfinity who estimated that the banning the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine from export from Belgium and Germany to Britain would delay every adult receiving a first jab until August 5. The government intends to have reopened the economy fully on June 20.

In response, Johnson initiated frantic talks with individual EU leaders. Last week, he spoke to Netherlands Prime Minister Mark Rutte and Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo. On Sunday, he spoke to German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Emmanuel Macron.

Speaking Monday, Boris Johnson said he had been "reassured" that EU leaders "don't want to see blockades" on the export of COVID vaccines. He said later that London was getting on with our vaccination programme as fast as we can but a vaccination campaign and developing vaccines, rolling them outthese are international projects and they require international cooperation.

According to several sources, it was reported that Johnson, whose government has overseen around 150,000 Covid deaths and faces a growing number of strikes, would countenance a partial retreat. The Daily Mail reported Monday that the Dutch factory involved is believed to have enough raw materials for 5 million vaccine doses Senior Downing Street sources told The Times today the UK Government is willing to split the huge stockpile with the EU to avoid a full blown vaccine trade war.

Nothing is more disgusting than the sight of Johnson and von der Leyen competing for the moral high ground. Both are implementing trade war policies, and are concerned not with the catastrophic impact on public health that refusing to share vaccines would have, but that halting the vaccine rollout could delay fully reopening the economy and ensuring the corporations can continuing profiteering.

Leading EU figures openly advocate a vaccine ban on the basis that it will prove that the EU can be a major player in coming trade and military conflict. Speaking to Der Spiegel, Manfred Weber, a leading figure in Merkels ruling Christian Democratic Union and the head of the conservative parliamentary group in the European Parliament, said, The European Union should now consider a temporary export ban on all vaccines produced in the EU We need a little more EU first We as Europeans, with our capabilities, still have a chance to be among the first to stop the pandemic. But if we don't change our approach, the economic consequences will not only be substantial, because the Europeans will then lose massive economic power, while China and the USA are taking off.

Whatever the immediate outcome of the European vaccine crisis, it lays the basis for future trade and military conflict and further preventable loss of life to a deadly disease. On the continent that includes some of the richest capitalist countries on the planet, the EU brags that it has 55 factories producing vaccines. Yet there has not been a trace of co-ordination to ensure that the population is vaccinated.

Due to their refusal to put into operation any scientifically based plan to produce and distribute vaccines, only 13 out of 100 persons have been inoculated with at least one dose. As the virus begins its spring surge across Europe, more than 20 million doses are still sitting unused throughout the EU.

The only solution to the pandemic is an international solution fought for by the working class in the interests of humanity. This struggle must be based on a socialist programme that prioritises the interests of society against the profit lust of the corporations and the division of the planet into competing nation-states.
He's been compared to John Wayne, Tip O'Neill and even LeBron James. But, he also has been criticized as an opportunist, a political chameleon willing to ally with whoever is in power at the time.

Gov. Bobby Jindal's top political adviser, Timmy Teepell, described him as the top "franchise player" in the Louisiana Legislature, the type of person you build a whole political strategy around.

Senate President John Alario, R-Westwego, enters his 44th year in the Legislature as not just the longest-serving member of the Legislature but one of its most legendary. He is an effective lawmaker who has been associated with the good and the bad of Louisiana politics since the early 1970s.

"He knows the process better than anyone else, and if he is on your team, it goes well," Teepell said.

Since joining the Legislature in 1972, Alario has served as House speaker and Senate president each twice. The 72-year-old has eluded term limits and switched political parties. And despite recent questions about his use of political campaign funds to lease luxury cars and rent suites in Tiger Stadium, his Senate colleagues unanimously picked him last month as their leader again.

Alario's close affiliation with Edwin Edwards, a four-term Democratic governor who eventually served prison time for corruption, didn't stop Jindal, a Republican governor who touted ethics reform as a top priority, from backing him for Senate president in 2012.

Likewise, Alario's warm relationship with Jindal doesn't appear to have given Gov. John Bel Edwards, a Democrat who fought Jindal's agenda at every turn, any concerns either. Alario may have helped Jindal pass the state budgets that Edwards says landed Louisiana in its worst financial mess ever. But apparently, Edwards is not holding Alario responsible for the state's budget troubles.

In fact, it's hard to get anyone involved in state politics -- even people who are retired or on the fringes -- to say anything negative about Alario. Lawmakers who might have accused the Senate president of cronyism years ago, now demur when asked about Alario's faults.

The Senate president's most vocal critic is conservative talk show host Moon Griffon,who blames Alario, not just Jindal, for Louisiana's current budget deficit.

"John Alario is not the answer. John Alario is the problem and everyone is going back to John Alario," Griffon said last April. "He caused the mess."

You aren't likely to hear such open criticism around the Capitol. Alario isn't just the most powerful man in the state, he's also one of the most personable people in government. Both factors mean people who have to work around Alario are reluctant to say anything bad about him.

On the contrary, some of Alario's former political foes say they find comfort in knowing he will be among the small number of people calling the shots on how to solve the state's financial woes this spring.

Back in the 1980s, Gov. Buddy Roemer ousted Alario from the House speaker seat, as Louisiana faced a similar budget crisis. At the time, Roemer wanted his own political ally in the job, not someone associated with Edwin Edwards. But now even Roemer believes Alario is the best person to help the state figure out how to dig itself out of this financial hole.

"If I were governor now, I would trust John," Roemer said. "I suspect [John Bel Edwards] will come to John before he does anything momentous. That would be the thing to do."

The ultimate political insider started as an outsider

Alario's political career was the beneficiary of the 1960s Civil Rights movement and Voting Rights Act, which brought about new political boundaries in Louisiana.

In 1972, the state started using single-member districts for the Legislature in place of at-large seats. The change allowed for greater racial diversity in the statehouse, since it helped create majority-black districts. But it also allowed for more geographic representation in the Legislature as well.

Jefferson Parish traditionally had elected six House members at-large to represent it. But in 1971, the parish was forced to change its apportionment - and create six distinct House districts. The new system meant at least some House members would come from the West Bank for the first time.

Even with the new single-member districts, Alario almost didn't run during that election cycle. An initial map of the political boundaries split Westwego, Alario's hometown and power base. It wasn't until a court insisted the political districts be redrawn - and Westwego kept whole - that Alario jumped into the race, he said.

Alario said he was considered an "independent" in that first election. He wasn't aligned with either of the two major Democratic Party factions in Jefferson Parish, though he ended up beating their chosen candidates through two rounds of primaries.

A Democrat at the time, Alario also bested a Republican to win his first election. He shared a ticket with first-time gubernatorial candidate Edwin Edwards. And at 28 years old, Alario said he was the second youngest member of the House.

Alario said he first ran for office to secure money for a pipeline from shrimp processing plants at the southern end of Westwego to the Mississippi River. At the time, the plants were dumping shrimp waste directly into the Bayou - causing a smell in Westwego that was keeping other businesses and economic development opportunities at bay.

As a legislator, Alario said he got the state to chip in money for the pipeline - and that was just the beginning. As Alario gained stature in the Legislature, Westwego gained money for various improvements.

In recent years, the city has received money for Harvey Canal flood protection and a new facility for its Patrick F. Taylor Science & Technology Academy. The West Bank crime task force also received state funding. And of course, the troubled Alario Center - a former New Orleans Hornets practice facility that is named after Alario's father - is there.

Legislators often joke that the streets of Westwego are "paved with gold." It's also expected that services in the city are protected to a certain extent. When an outside consultant hired by the Jindal administration suggested Louisiana shut down the Office of Motor Vehicles branch in Westwego two years ago, several legislators broke out in laughter. Alario also cracked a smile.

Alario's three sons all have jobs linked to state government and politics. One is a river pilot, a high-paying position regulated by the state. Another works in the Jefferson Parish Assessor's Office, and the third is the executive director of the Liquefied Petroleum Gas Commission, which sets rules for the oil and gas industry.

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But Alario doesn't just look out for his own district. Part of what makes him politically successful is that he has a sense of what other lawmakers need and want to get on board with what Alario and the governor wants.

A piece for everyone

As Senate president and House speaker before that, Alario has a history of giving favored legislators a little piece of what they need - and giving the governor as much of what he wants as possible.

Alario doesn't say much in committee meetings or even private negotiations, according to several current and past legislators. He spends a lot of time observing other people. He learns what pressures they might be under - and what they might respond to.

"He is a really good listener," said Sen. Fred Mills, R-Breaux Bridge, the head of the Senate Health and Welfare Committee.

He doesn't seem to have much of an agenda of his own - other than doing what is good for his district. If he has an overriding political philosophy or ideology, his close friends and associates don't seem to know it. Opponents call it a lack of principles; allies say it is pragmatic.

A Democrat until he was 68 years old, Alario switched parties right before earning Jindal's backing to be Senate president. In an interview, Alario said he primarily joined the Republican Party because his Senate district was much more conservative than his House seat had been, and he thought his party affiliation should reflect those conservative values.

He never mentioned which political party he thought his personal political beliefs best lined up with. It almost seemed like an afterthought.

"I don't think John's partisan," said Charlie DeWitt, a former House speaker under Gov. Mike Foster who also sat next to Alario for a dozen years in the Legislature. "I think John does what John has to do to move this state ahead."

As House speaker during Edwin Edwards' final term, Alario aggressively pushed for gambling expansion in Louisiana. When Jindal was in office, he agreed to abide by a national "no tax" pledge, even though it put constraints on the state's finances.

Now, with John Bel Edwards in power, Alario has done an about-face on taxes. He supports the new governor's plan to raise some taxes and is trying to build support in the Senate.

"John Bel has no reason to want to change leadership," Edwin Edwards said in an interview. "John Alario will put on the John Bel jersey."

That close affiliation with governors has gotten Alario into trouble. He was on the outs with Roemer in the 1980s because his relationship with Edwin Edwards. When he ran for state Senate for the first time in 2007, the state GOP spent thousands of dollars trying to link him to Edwin Edwards' felony conviction over riverboat gambling licenses.

Several conservative Republican legislators elected on reform agendas have arrived in Baton Rouge over the years trying to distance themselves from Alario.

In 2012, Sen. Barrow Peacock, R-Bossier City, refused to vote for Alario for Senate president. In a recent interview, Peacock said he had made a campaign commitment at a public forum not to support Alario in a leadership position, which he wanted to keep.

But Alario has a way of winning legislators' hearts and minds. He may be backing the governor's agenda, but he also is interested in their priorities, which they quickly learn they need to get re-elected. Last month, Peacock enthusiastically supported Alario for president.

"I have had the benefit of serving with him. He has been very fair," Peacock said. "Every bill has a fair hearing, and we clear our docket. He knows how to get things done."

Alario is also patient, and doesn't hold a grudge. Alario gave Peacock a leadership role in 2016. The Bossier City senator is the new head of the Retirement Committee.

No lawmaker, Capitol staff member or lobbyist could recall a time Alario raised his voice or lost his temper with someone. He is even-keeled and mostly soft spoken. Some friends attribute that to the relationship he has with his daughter, Jan, who has developmental disabilities.

Jan is 48 years old, and since Alario's wife died in 2006, he has been her primary caretaker. He always picks up the phone when she calls, and he will spend as long it takes talking to her to get her to calm down or help her work through a problem.

Alario is entering his final four years as a state senator. Term limits would require that he run for his House seat again in 2020 if he wants to stay in the Legislature. He hasn't said he won't run, but he isn't ruling out retirement.

Alario said he had planned to leave the Legislature a few years ago, to enjoy more time with his family. But when his wife passed away, he decided to stay in elected office. Citing his Catholic faith, Alario said he has reached an age where he is thinking more about his personal legacy, than his political one.

"I'm more worried about the big term limit - the life term limit," he said.

********

Julia ODonoghue is a state politics reporter based in Baton Rouge. She can be reached at jodonoghue@nola.com or on Twitter at @jsodonoghue. Please consider following us on Facebook at NOLA.com.
London, March 22 : Another 5,312 people in Britain have tested positive for Covid-19, bringing the total number of coronavirus cases in the country to 4,296,583, according to official figures released.

The country also reported another 33 coronavirus-related deaths on Sunday. The total number of coronavirus-related deaths in Britain now stands at 126,155. These figures only include the deaths of people who died within 28 days of their first positive test, Xinhua news agency reported.

More than 27.6 million people in Britain have been given the first jab of a coronavirus vaccine, according to the latest official figures.

Britain broke daily jab record for the third day in a row with more than 873,000 people having received a jab over 24 hours, the data showed.

"In just one day we vaccinated the equivalent of the entire adult populations of Liverpool, Southampton and Oxford combined," said Simon Stevens, the National Health Service (NHS) chief executive.

However, NHS England has warned that Britain is going to face a "significant reduction" in vaccine supplies from March 29 onwards.

British Health Secretary Matt Hancock said Thursday that a need to retest 1.7 million vaccine doses as well as delays to doses arriving from India are the reasons why Britain is facing a "tighter" supply in Covid jabs next month. But the British government insisted that the country is on course to offer all adults a dose by the end of July.

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.

Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19)
 

Meetings with state and business leaders

Talks to focus on reforms to unlock investment and the post-Covid-19 recovery

EBRD has committed 2 billion to Ukraines economy over the past two years

In her first official, in-person visit to a country where the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) invests, President Odile Renaud-Basso will travel to Ukraine on 22 and 23 March for high-level meetings.

During her visit, President Renaud-Basso will meet Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal as well as other government and business leaders.

Her discussions will focus on the reforms needed to unlock investment by the EBRD and other investors, as well as the post-Covid-19 recovery. The EBRD expects the Ukrainian economy to grow by 3 per cent this year, though this will very much depend on how the pandemic evolves and the progress made on reforms.

In Kyiv, President Renaud-Basso will also speak at the virtual launch of the National Economic Strategy for Ukraine 2030.

She is expected to say: We are encouraged by Ukraines commitment to continue reforming the economy and the state administration. Citizens, as much as businesses, need a judiciary that is transparent, efficient and trustworthy. The fight against corruption at all levels is just as essential, as is the establishment of a level playing field with no oligarchic influence in the economic sphere. The EBRD is proud to have been able to make its contribution as an investor, as well as a partner, on policy reform.

Ukraine is a top three investment destination for the EBRD. In the past two years alone, the Bank has committed 2 billion to the economy. The investments are combined with support for policies that promote the fight against corruption, good governance of state-owned enterprises, structural reforms and a more transparent business environment.

The EBRD is also playing a key role in the transformation of Chernobyl. This year marks the 35th anniversary of the nuclear accident of 26 April 1986.
Scott Morrison has denied misleading Parliament after revelations the head of his department put a review of who in the Prime Ministers staff knew about allegations of rape in a ministerial office on hold two weeks ago.

Mr Morrison had asked his department head, Philip Gaetjens, to check on whether his office was alerted to the rape allegation made by former Liberal staffer Brittany Higgins after contradictory claims about when those close to the Prime Minister were notified.

AFP commissioner Reece Kershaw and Philip Gaetjens, secretary of the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen

However, Australian Federal Police Commissioner Reece Kershaw told a Senate estimates hearing on Monday he was concerned the inquiry being undertaken by Australias top public servant would hamper the police investigation into the matter.

Mr Gaetjens told a separate estimates hearing Mr Kershaw had advised him of these concerns on March 9, leading him to pause the review.
Colorado Politics senior political reporter

Joey Bunch is the senior correspondent and deputy managing editor of Colorado Politics. His 32-year career includes the last 16 in Colorado. He was part of the Denver Post team that won the Pulitzer Prize in 2013 and he is a two-time finalist.
French fashion brand Louis Vuitton's pop-up store at Shinsegae Department Store in Gangnam, Seoul, last Aug. 3. Courtesy of Shinsegae Department Store





By Kim Jae-heun



Naver and Shinsegae International plan to launch an online luxury boutique in June or July this year, seeking to gain an edge in the highly competitive e-commerce sector.



Naver told local analysts recently that it aims to open 1 million shops on its Smart Store shopping platform and account for up to a 30 percent share of the local e-commerce market over the next four years. Naver Shopping's share of the local e-commerce sector stood at 17.4 percent last year.



Naver said it anticipates demand for luxury goods to continue rising in Korea. The luxury goods sector was the least affected by the COVID-19 pandemic in Korea, with the country's top retailers  Shinsegae, Lotte and Hyundai department stores  reporting better-than-expected revenue results.



Shinsegae, which owns Korea's largest importer of luxury goods  Shinsegae International  is teaming up with Naver to sell more luxury goods through the country's dominant web portal. Shinsegae International imports global brands such as Maison Margiela, Diesel and Chloe.



According to NH Investment & Securities, 15 percent to 17 percent of total luxury goods sales in Korea were conducted online last year. The brokerage expects the rate to continue to rise until 2025.



Specifically, Naver is hoping the partnership with Shinsegae International will help strengthen its competitiveness in four major business areas  advertising, e-commerce, fintech and logistics  as the Shinsegae affiliate has strengths in terms of its abundant luxury product lineup.



"The fashion retailers' biggest concern is how it can streamline its logistics system. Naver could solve this issue by providing fulfilment platforms for the retailer to focus on selling selected items and marketing them," an industry source said.



Plus, Naver and Shinsegae are planning to combine their membership systems, according to sources involved with the matter. Both Naver and Shinsegae officials said some decisions have already been made regarding the possibility of the membership system integration. If it actually happens, the membership integration could let Shinsegae customers use their earned shopping points to save money when purchasing products on Naver and vice versa.



Shinsegae hopes its alliance with Naver will help lead to an increase in gross merchandise value. Its online business has been trapped within a range of 4 trillion won in annual revenue.



On a related note, Naver and Shinsegae-affiliated E-mart, which is the country's top discount store operator, agreed recently to swap stocks valued at 250 billion ($221 million). At the time of the agreement, Naver said it will purchase 100 billion won worth of Shinsegae International stocks, gaining a 6.85 percent stake.




Patna, March 22 : The district administration in Patna has denied permission to the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) to carry out it protest on Tuesay, scuttling the party's 'Vidhan Sabha Gherao' campaign.

The RJD had announced the protest a few days ago and all its leaders had been preparing for it since then.

The opposition RJD is protesting against rising crime, depleting health infrastructure and unavailability of jobs in the state.

Unfazed, RJD leaders threatened to organise the protest march at the scheduled time.

Chandrashekher Singh, DM of Patna said that the permission has been denied because of rising cases of Corona. Also, it could lead to deterioration in law and order in the city.

"We have a dedicated dharna spot at Gardanibagh in Patna where we are ready to give them permission. Apart from that place, we will not give permission to any political of civil organisation to organise a protest. We have informed the RJD about it in writing," Singh said.

Mritunjay Tiwari, the national spokesperson of RJD, said: "The Nitish Kumar government is disturbed over the scheduled protest by the RJD. Hence, on the directions of CM Nitish Kumar, the Patna administration has denied permission for the Vidhan Sabha gherao. We have openly challenged the NDA government to do whatever they want. We will hit the streets tomorrow."
SOFIA -- Bulgarias government has given two Russian diplomats 72 hours to leave the country, after the authorities uncovered the latest in a string of Moscow-linked spy scandals.

The Bulgarian Foreign Ministry declared the Russian diplomats personae non gratae on March 22 because they had carried out activities incompatible with their diplomatic status.

The Russian Embassy called the decision groundless and said that Moscow reserves the right to retaliate.

It expressed "regret that once again this unfounded action by the Bulgarian authorities will not contribute to constructive dialogue between Russia and Bulgaria."

Bulgaria has close cultural, historical, and economic ties with Russia, the country's main energy partner. But relations between Sofia and Moscow have been hit by several spy scandals in recent years.

On March 19, Bulgarian authorities in the NATO member state announced they had busted an espionage group passing military secrets to Russia.

Prosecutors said six people, including former and current military intelligence officers, were detained and charged for passing classified information about Bulgaria, NATO, and the EU to the Russian Embassy in Sofia.

The Sofia Military District Court has ordered five of them remanded in custody, while another suspect was released on bail, according to BTA news agency.

Since October 2019, the EU and NATO member state has expelled five diplomats and employees of the Russian Embassy accused of conducting intelligence work.
Whether an attorney alleging election fraud in Michigans Antrim County coordinated or communicated with former President Donald Trumps campaign or legal team, including Rudy Giuliani and lobbyist Katherine Friess, is irrelevant, a judge said Monday.

Youre looking for correspondence with any attorney associated with President Donald Trump, campaign staff, etc., said 13th Circuit Court Judge Kevin Elsenheimer said to state Assistant Attorney General Erik Grill. Obviously, youre trying to establish some coordination and my question to you is: lets assume hypothetically there was coordination ... how is that relevant?

Grill said he wanted to know if coordination is driving some element of this case and keeping it going long after a point that it really should have stopped.

Elsenheimer later ruled the plaintiff will not have to disclose its possible dealings with Trump or his team.

Officials in several northern Michigan clerks offices said they were visited by Trump operatives following the November elections, the Traverse City Record Eagle previously reported.

Lawyers appeared remotely via video feed Monday to discuss discovery issues arising in an unsettled election lawsuit filed in Antrim County. Both sides claim the other is withholding information thats delaying the case from moving forward. The lawsuit focuses largely on claims that Dominion Voting Systems tabulators and software cant be trusted.

Attorney Matthew DePerno, hired by William Bailey, the Central Lake Township resident who filed the lawsuit, previously presented analysis of the machines conducted by a team he hired that found they are intentionally and purposefully designed with inherent errors to create systemic fraud. Those claims have been heavily disputed by the company, Michigan election officials and an election systems expert MLive interviewed in November.

The Antrim County case is one of very few that continues following a flurry of litigation embarked upon by Trump and his supporters following the former presidents November loss.

Grill said he thinks the Antrim County case should likewise be dismissed.

We really dont understand how this case is not moot at this point when the elections results have been certified people have taken office, inaugurations have occurred and theres no longer any dispute really about the elections results in Antrim County, Grill said. The election results were certified and the hand tally that was conducted ... there was a variance of I think 12 votes total for the office of president, which had absolutely no effect whatsoever on the outcome in the county.

What are we still doing here?

While Grill wished for a dismissal, the scope of the case seems to be consistently widening since it was first filed in November.

Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson, who was not initially a defendant, filed to become one based on broad, statewide allegations made in the complaint.

At least three county clerks in Kent, Macomb and Oakland counties have been subpoenaed to provide their 2020 election records, including digital storage devices, paper ballots, reports, poll books and more.

Republican-leaning Antrim County on election night erroneously reported preliminary results indicating now-President Joe Biden won the county where nearly 62% of voters cast ballots for former President Donald Trump in 2016. The results were quickly corrected and eventually a hand count revealed Trump won with nearly 57% of the vote.

The mistake was attributed to human error, a failure by election officials to update software in response to certain ballot and candidate changes, thereby causing votes to be reported for the incorrect candidates. The Secretary of States office said it was not due to any inherent flaws in the software or malicious tampering and that the errors would have been caught by the canvassing process that matches precinct totals against tabulator results.

The plaintiffs attorney has requested a wide array of records from SOS Benson, including election spending documents and communications with big tech companies the plaintiff believes attempted to manipulate the election.

While Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg and his wife, Priscilla Chan, did donate nearly $400 million to help local election clerks across the nation facilitate election last fall -- including millions spent in Michigan -- the funds were given directly to local clerks by a nonprofit named the Center for Tech and Civic Live and not to the secretary of state, according to an investigation conducted by MLive.

I cant imagine for the life of me what his experts need with all emails (from Google), Grill said regarding some of the requested discovery. I dont know what his experts would need with all FOIA requests sent to the state of Michigan and the response to them. I know what his experts need with correspondence between the Secretary of State and news agencies, let alone a myriad of other requests, including one request Mr. DePerno pounded in which hes asking for information about the Secretary of States husband.

Attorneys for Antrim County and the state have filed a motion requesting the judge limit the scope of the discovery requests, which they believe is overly broad and tedious.

DePerno claims the state is withholding records the judge previously ordered it to turn over.

It is hard to imagine that considering the fraud that occurred in Antrim County, that not one person in the defendants office made one single cable to Antrim County, DePerno wrote in an email to Grill. Further, there is not one single correspondence, communications or document produced between defendant Benson and the Michigan House or Senate regarding Antrim County.

The debate over what records the state will be required to provide is expected to be ruled on during an April 12 hearing.

More on MLive:

Plaintiff claims SOS is withholding records

Zuckerberg and wife donated millions to Michigan election clerks

SOS ordered to turn over communications with big tech

Antrim County hand recount results in 12 new votes for Trump

Software isnt good at detecting human error

Election recount, legal challenges unlikely to overturn Bidens win in Michigan

Judge allows forensic investigation of Dominion machines

Michigan election software could be better at detecting human error
CARLINVILLE  Carl and Cynda Zeidler have pledged $500,000 to Blackburn College to create the Peter Slavish Endowed Professorship in Art at Blackburn College.

The gift honors Dr. Peter Slavish, a beloved art professor at Blackburn for more than 23 years.

Slavish was married to Cynda Zeidler until his death in 1996. After completing degrees at Penn State and Indiana State, and beginning his teaching career at Eastern Illinois University, Slavish was invited to Blackburn College to give a ceramics demonstration in the spring of 1973.

One can easily say his meeting with Blackburn was love at first sight, Cynda Zeidler said. The following year Pete left his tenured position at EIU and joined the Blackburn faculty in what would become a 23-year academic adventure.

Several pieces of his work are housed in the permanent art collection of the Illinois State Museum in Springfield and displayed at the Southern Illinois University School of Law in Carbondale. In addition to his legacy of enlightened students and artistic endeavors, Slavish at various points served as an advisor to Blackburns unique student-managed Work Program, Director of Auxiliary Services, and he even ran the campus bookstore.

No one was a bigger voice and proponent of the student work program, Cynda Zeidlar said. In spite of serious health problems, his devotion to Blackburn never faltered.

Blackburn president Mark L. Biermann expressed the schools gratitude for the pledge by Carl and Cynda Zeidler.

Pete Slavish is an incredible example of the impact Blackburn faculty can have on students and on our community, a community in which students build long-lasting relationships with faculty and staff members, and are mentored by experts in their field, Biermann said. This generous gift will help support outstanding faculty members and a remarkable Art program, and it will help to ensure that future generations of students can benefit from the transformational Blackburn education that meant so much to Dr. Slavish.

Receiving a kidney transplant on his 39th birthday gave Slavish the freedom and opportunity to acquire more education.

He spent a summer in Mexico studying earthenware and a summer in a Jesuit compound in remote Minnesota learning old concepts of firing and kiln building, Cynda Zeidlar said. He brought all of these experiences back to campus to be shared with his enthusiastic students, broadening their ideas and inspiring creativity.

I can only imagine what this endowment would mean to Peter, she said. Sharing art was his passion, and I think he would feel proud about this exclamation mark on his career and what this gift will provide to future Blackburn artists.

Founded in 1837, Blackburn College is a four-year Presbyterian-related, co-educational liberal arts college in Carlinville and one of only nine federally-recognized Work Colleges.
More than 100 people attended a candlelight vigil at dusk in Birminghams Linn Park this evening to remember victims of hate crimes against Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders.

The rally was one among many taking place around the U.S. this weekend, as organizers seek to bring attention to incidents of violence that they say have spiked in the last year and have been a fixture of American life for decades.

Were known to be quiet, but not anymore yall, not anymore, said Quang Do, an organizer at the event.

The group lit candles and recited the names of eight people - seven women and one man - who died in a series of shootings at spas in and around Atlanta March 16. Six of the victims were women of Asian descent. Police arrested a 21-year-old Georgia man for the crime.

But speakers said incidents of hate have increased since 2020 against Asian Americans because of racist associations and political rhetoric surrounding the coronavirus. Speakers also said the shootings were just another manifestation of persistent stereotypes of Asian women as subservient and exotic sex objects.

12 Candlelight vigil - March 21, 2021

This is the first step in starting a conversation thats long overdue for the Asian American community, said Jacqueline Le, one of the speakers.

Among those attending were organizers for Black Lives Matter, and the event speakers mentioned the movement which saw mass rallies last year as an inspiration and a focal point for connections between races.

Rebecca Seung-Bichley, a resident of Montgomery, said the shootings illustrate how Asian Americans are seen as perpetual outsiders. To stop Asian hate, people must identify it and act through working together, she said.

Im scared about what my children and myself will face when coronavirus restrictions are relaxed, she said. What more will it take for people to acknowledge us? If not a mass shooting in a neighboring state. And yet it feels like these deaths have barely registered here. Are we not Alabamians too?
During the 2016-2021 term, the State President signed decisions to promote 400 army and 174 police officers.

According to President Nguyen Phu Trongs report to the National Assembly on the work of the State President in the 2016-2021 term, there were changes of personnel for the Presidency during this time. After President Tran Dai Quang passed away, Vice President Dang Thi Ngoc Thinh became the Acting President from September 23, 2018 to October 23, 2018. On October 23, 2018, at the 6th session, the 14th National Assembly elected Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong as the State President.

State President Nguyen Phu Trong takes his oath of office on October 23, 2018. Photo: N.T

During the term, the President strictly followed the process of recommending the National Assembly to relieve from office and elect the posts of Prime Minister, Vice President, Chief Justice of the Supreme People's Court, Chief Procurator of the Supreme People's Procuracy, Vice Chairman and the Commissioner of the National Defense and Security Council.

Based on the resolutions of the National Assembly, the State President signed decisions to appoint five Deputy Prime Ministers, 21 Ministers and other members of the Government for the 2016-2021 term; coordinated with the National Assembly, the Government signed decisions to appoint a number of ministers, heads of ministerial-level agencies when there was a change in personnel.

Specifically, the Minister of Transport, Minister of Information and Communications, the Government Inspector General, the Minister of Health, the Minister of Science and Technology, and Governor of State Bank of Vietnam were appointed during this term.

The President also signed decisions to dismiss 24 and suspend one Government members from work.

The State President decided to award 370,896 medals; 27,249 State titles, including 20,472 Vietnamese heroic mothers, 314 titles of Hero of the People's Armed Forces, and 84 titles of Labor Hero in the renovation era.

Secretary General and State President Nguyen Phu Trong; Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc; National Assembly Chairwoman Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan and other leaders pose for a photo at a session of the 14th National Assembly. Photo: N.T

The State President sent letters of merit to a number of outstanding groups and individuals; sent Life Cards to 45,763 people with life expectancy of 100 years or more; and signed decisions to grant and re-grant Vietnamese nationality to allow 1,598 people and 24,370 Vietnamese citizens to renounce Vietnamese nationality.

The President also signed decisions to promote the rank of 400 officers of the Vietnam People's Army, including 319 officers from Colonel to Major General, Rear Admiral; 71 officers from Major General, Rear Admiral to Lieutenant General, Vice Admiral; 9 officers from Lieutenant General, Vice Admiral to Senior Lieutenant General, Admiral; 1 from Senior Lieutenant General to General.



The President signed decisions to promote the rank of 174 police officers, including 147 officers from Colonel to Major General; 26 from Major General to Lieutenant General; 1 Senior Lieutenant General to General.

The President decided to send 45 army officers to join the United Nations peacekeeping force in the South Sudan and Central African Republic missions and sent two turns of level-2 Field Hospital (126 professional officers and soldiers) to perform duties at the South Sudan Mission.

The President conferred the title of Ambassador to 55 officials of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and appointed 112 Ambassadors of Vietnam to countries around the world.

In addition, the State President received the National Letter of 115 foreign ambassadors and received 61 foreign ambassadors and heads of representatives of international organizations.

Thu Hang

Party Secretary General, State President Nguyen Phu Trong and determination to clean and purify the apparatus The disciplining of a series of high-ranking officials, including incumbent and retired ones, shows that the fight against corruption and wrongdoings in the last five years has been accelerated
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She's earned herself legions of fans over the past few months for her role as Elena Alves in hit HBO miniseries The Undoing.

And Matilda De Angelis was spotted enjoying some downtime on Sunday, as she took her pet pooch for a walk during a break from filming her upcoming movie Robbing Mussolini.

The Italian actress, 25, looked effortlessly stylish in a clean fleece jacket, which she teamed with loose-fitting blue bottoms and a pair of box fresh white trainers.

Walk: Matilda De Angelis was spotted enjoying some downtime on Sunday, as she took her pet pooch for a walk during a break from filming her upcoming movie Robbing Mussolini

Covering her chestnut brown locks with a black hat, the screen star concealed her face with a patterned mask, which she later removed as she took a phonecall.

In the midst of her stroll, the brunette beauty sat on the grass as she continued to chat on her phone, letting her adorable dog roam free for a few minutes.

Just weeks after wrapping Across The River And Into The Trees, Matilda De Angelis was seen embarking on filming Robbing Mussolini earlier this month.

Little has been revealed about her upcoming film Robbing Mussolini, but its likely to focus on the ruthless Italian dictator of the same name, who ruled over the country from 1922 to 1943.

Phone chat: Covering her chestnut brown locks with a black hat, the screen star concealed her face with a patterned mask, which she later removed as she took a phonecall

Forming the Fascist party in 1919, the journalist used his organised of ex-war veterans to  known as Black Shirts  to terrorise his political opponents, and after joining the coalition government in 1921, gradually took power as dictator.

Eventually, Mussolini was overthrown by Allied troops at the height of the Second World War, and after fleeing north, was captured by Partisans and shot in 1945.

Despite being buried in an unmarked grave in 1946, Mussolini's body was famously stolen by Fascists supporters before being recovered, missing a leg, four months later.

It's been an exciting few months for Matilda after she soared to fame at the end of last year due to her role as Elena Alves in HBO drama The Undoing, which also starred Nicole Kidman and Hugh Grant.

Relaxing: In the midst of her stroll, the brunette beauty sat on the grass as she continued to chat on her phone, letting her adorable dog roam free for a few minutes

More recently, the Italian actress was filming Across The River And Into The Trees alongside Liev Schreiber in Venice.

In the film, Matilda plays an 18-year-old Italian contessa called Renata. Liev's character Colonel Richard Cantwell falls in love with her.

Set in post WW2 Venice, US Army Col. Cantwell, haunted by the war, is a hero who faces news of his illness with stoic disregard.

Determined to spend a weekend in quiet solitude, he commandeers a military driver to facilitate a visit to some of his old haunts in Venice.

As Cantwell's plans begin to unravel, a chance encounter with a remarkable young woman begins to rekindle in him the hope of renewal.

Based on the last full-length novel by Ernest Hemingway, the movie captures a fleeting moment of immortality where time stands still.

Matilda has previously revealed that her first ever role was the lead in an Italian film after an open casting call and she got the part as the director was looking for a 'non-professional actress who had a specific accent from a specific region in Italy'.

The star said that she has never studied acting and has instead learnt on the job, which can be both 'great' and 'frightening'.
Corey Hasting, License Partner of Engel & Volkers Jacksonville Despite challenges presented by the COVID-19 pandemic, civil unrest and political uncertainty, our network persisted; and as a result, experienced tremendous growth. My team and I are very proud of their unwavering efforts, and are so glad we could recognize them in this way.

Engel & Volkers Florida hosted a virtual awards ceremony on Friday, March 19, 2021 in lieu of its annual Leadership Summit to honor select Engel & Volkers shops for their exceptional performance in 2020. More than 40 senior members of the regional network, which comprises 37 franchise brokerages throughout Florida, as well as over 100 real estate advisors, attended the virtual event via Google Meet.

2020 was a record year for Engel & Volkers Florida, said Timo Khammash, Managing Partner of Engel & Volkers Florida. Despite challenges presented by the COVID-19 pandemic, civil unrest and political uncertainty, our network persisted; and as a result, experienced tremendous growth. My team and I are very proud of their unwavering efforts, and are so glad we could recognize them in this way. We look forward to the opportunity for us to celebrate together in person again soon.

Typically, Engel & Volkers Florida hosts a conference in Naples, Florida for its regional network to reflect on the previous year, discuss best practices, highlight growth, strategize expansion plans, honor top performing shops with awards and celebrate. Award categories are based on the shops that demonstrate exceptional performance in real estate sales, talent attraction and exemplify the brands core values of competence, exclusivity and passion.

With a total transaction count of 697, conducted by 82 real estate advisors, the network was pleased to announce Engel & Volkers Jacksonville as its first place winner for Most Transactions in 2020, trumping their own previous performance of 474 transactions in 2019. Second and third place runners-up for the category were respectively Engel & Volkers 30A Beaches with a total transaction count of 459 and Engel & Volkers Olde Naples with 398 transactions.

Engel & Volkers 30A Beaches took home the first place award for Most Gross Commission Income (GCI), previously awarded to Engel & Volkers Wellington for four consecutive years. With a total GCI of over $11.9-million in 2020, Florida panhandle shop exceeded the previous years figure of nearly $7-million. Second and third place runners-up for the category included Engel & Volkers Jacksonville with a total GCI more than $6.7-million and Engel & Volkers Olde Naples who ended 2020 with a total GCI of over $6.6-million.

The Talent Attraction award went to Engel & Volkers Jacksonville for the second year in a row. Network wide, 300 advisors joined Engel & Volkers in Florida in 2020, totalling over $420 million in transactional volume. Engel & Volkers Jacksonville recruited 26 advisors, totaling more than $150 million in production.

The ceremony concluded with the companys Core Values award category; recognizing the shops who most exemplified competence, exclusivity, and passion in 2020. Engel & Volkers 30A Beaches was recognized for the third consecutive year, for Competence. Engel & Volkers Delray Beach was recognized for Exclusivity, for the second time. The final core value award, Passion, went to Engel & Volkers Jacksonville.

Excellence happens when the outcome is beyond the normal expectation, said Peter Giese, Chief Growth Officer at Engel & Volkers Florida. Our award-winning shop owners and management did exactly that. They delivered above market results, leading our growth rate in sales volume to exceed 52-percent higher than the previous year in the state of Florida.

Press contact:

Linzee Werkmeister, Junior Vice President, Marketing & Franchise Support

Email: Linzee.Werkmeister(at)evrealestate.com

Tel: (239) 348-9000

About Engel & Volkers:

Engel & Volkers is a global luxury real estate brand. Founded in Hamburg, Germany in 1977, Engel & Volkers draws on its rich European history to deliver a fresh approach to luxury real estate in the Americas with a focus on creating a personalized client experience at every stage of the home buying or selling process for today's savvy homeowner. Engel & Volkers currently operates approximately 225 shop locations with 4,500 real estate advisors in the Americas, contributing to the brand's global network of over 13,500 real estate professionals in more than 30 countries, offering both private and institutional clients a professionally tailored range of luxury services, including real estate, yachting and aviation. Committed to exceptional service, Engel & Volkers supports its advisors with an array of premium quality business services; marketing programs and platforms; as well as access to its global network of real estate professionals, property listings and market data. Each brokerage is independently owned and operated. For more information, visit http://www.evrealestate.com.

About Engel & Volkers Florida:

Engel & Volkers Florida is the Master License Partner of the global luxury real estate brand Engel & Volkers in the state of Florida. Recognized for uniquely recruiting, training and equipping some of the top professionals in the real estate industry, Engel & Volkers Floridas exclusive franchise model positions its license partners at the top of the premium market to gain market share and support their bottom line. The company represents franchise locations in: 30A Beaches, Amelia Island, Belleair, Boca Raton, Bonita Springs-Estero, Cape Coral, Clermont, Delray Beach, Destin, Fort Lauderdale, Fort Myers Downtown, Gainesville, Hollywood Beach, Islamorada, Jacksonville, Jacksonville Beach, Jupiter, Madeira Beach, Marco Island, Melbourne Beachside, Melbourne Central, Melbourne Downtown, Miami Coconut Grove, Neptune Beach, Olde Naples, Orlando, Orlando Downtown, Orlando-Winter Park, Palm Beach, Palm Coast, South Tampa, St. Augustine, St. Pete, St. Pete Beach, Stuart, Wellington, and Windermere.

Engel & Volkers Florida is continuing to strategically strengthen and expand its presence in premium real estate markets across the state of Florida. If you would like to know more about the Engel & Volkers brand or how to join its global networkwhich is known for demonstrating competence, exclusivity and passion, feel free to call our corporate office, located at 633 Tamiami Trl N, Suite 201, Naples, FL 34102 USA. Tel: +1 239-348-9000.

For more information about Engel & Volkers Florida, please visit http://www.florida.evrealestate.com
March 22 is World Water Day. Some experts predicted that the wars of the future would be water wars. In the Horn of Africa, there is no talk of armed conflict yet, but the tone is rising between Egypt, Sudan and Ethiopia. At stake are the waters of the Nile, which are at the center of an intense diplomatic battle as Ethiopia completes construction of its Renaissance Dam, the future largest in Africa. And it is determined not to be intimidated by Sudan and Egypt.

Ethiopia will carry out the second phase of filling the Renaissance Dam reservoir this summer during the rainy season, with or without an agreement. This statement by the Ethiopian water minister last week adds fuel to the fire of regional tensions with its two downstream neighbors on the Nile.

Indeed, Sudan and Egypt are desperate to negotiate a common mechanism to control the Niles waters, fearing that its flow will diminish, and with it all their agricultural activities. As a sign of the tensions, Khartoum and Cairo have just signed a military cooperation treaty.

As for the negotiations, Ethiopia firmly rejects the Sudanese request to use four mediators: the United States, the European Union, the United Nations and the African Union.
[March 22, 2021] Cygnet Infotech launches the latest version of Cygnature - an E-signing solution for all businesses

- Cygnature is an award-winning signing solution that securely authenticates signers, offers them a range of signature types for signing and protects the integrity of the document - Cygnature has added mobile authentication and digital signature features through UAE PASS to automate and simplify the management of digital identities, while availing online services DUBAI, UAE, March 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Cygnet Infotech, a global Technology Products & Services company announces the launch of its latest version of Cygnature  an electronic signing solution offering secure, legally valid e-signatures. The company has added a unique feature  the integration of UAE PASS, your secure national digital identity in the UAE, to support UAE based citizens to seamlessly use the digital signature solution for remote identification before consuming any online service. With UAE PASS, one can use different services across various sectors without the need to have multiple access credentials. UAE PASS is the Secure National Digital Identity and Digital Signature solution for the UAE. It automates and simplifies managing digital identity while availing online services. It is collaboration between Smart Dubai, Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (TRA) and Abu Dhabi Digital Authority. The UAE PASS signature is legally aligned with the federal law on electronic ecommerce and transactions, and it is equally valid to a written signature. Citizens and residents with a valid Emirates ID card are currently the only users eligible for UAE PASS. Commenting on the introduction of Cygnature's latest version, Mr. Niraj Hutheesing, Founder & Managing Director, Cygnet Infotech said, "Cygnet Infotech established the product Cygnature with an aim to promote seamless digital signing of documents. We have launched the new version of Cygnature where we have added the key feature of integrating UAE PASS for our UAE based citizens to provide them a single Digital Identity for local and federal entities." Cygnature offers a wide range of signature types, including 2 factor authentication, electronic signature, digital, national ID sign, biometric, LIVE, photo sign and others. Every signature tansaction captures the timestamp, IP address, Lat/ Long, the device used, and browser used, to maintain absolute transparency in the documentation. Cygnature also allows businesses to integrate the software into their system with the use of API. With the use of custom bots, companies can seamlessly automate repetitive document uploading which saves a lot of time and prevents manual errors while focusing on core activities and scaling up fast on demand.



With Cygnature, users can sign documents from anywhere, anytime using any device quickly and with Blockchain Security. Some of the strengths of the solution include providing highest security with encryption and blockchain. Further, it also tracks all the details of the signer like IP Address, Browser and Device details, Google Maps Location and Timestamp., ready APIs to Integrate into business systems such as web portals, applications, or website, on cloud and on-premise model, etc. Cygnature can be used across various Industries and across all business functions to sign documents. The target audience of the solution range from business in the field of Legal/Finance/HR/IT departments of all companies/organizations. ABOUT CYGNET INFOTECH:

Established in 2000 by Mr. Niraj Hutheesing, Cygnet Infotech works with clients across 35 countries with its 1000 strong engineering and consulting teams spread across 6 countries. The company's core strength lies in enabling the clients to digitize, scale and transform into high performing businesses. Cygnet's offerings range from IT services, products, digital consulting, and tax technology solutions. Cygnet is a 'Technology First' company that has been at the forefront of developing superior technology capabilities by investing early into the right emerging technologies and platforms. Cygnet Infotech's offerings in UAE include app development and product engineering. About UAE PASS: UAE PASS is the first secure national digital identity for citizens and residents of the UAE. The app enables all registered individuals to access more than 5000 government, semi-government and private sector entities' services through their respective websites and apps and allows them to digitally sign and authenticate documents and transactions. UAE PASS also enables users to request a digital version of official documents issued to their name and to use the same to request services. UAE PASS was launched during GITEX Technology Week 2018 as a joint initiative between the Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (TRA), Abu Dhabi Digital Authority and Smart Dubai. It is also supported by key strategic partners including the Federal Authority for Identity & Citizenship, the Dubai Electronic Security Centre, and all the digital authorities of the respective seven emirates of the UAE. In September 2019, the UAE Central Bank adopted UAE PASS initiative allowing banks around the UAE to use it in processing banking transactions. To enhance UAE PASS further and as part of the second implementation phase, UAE PASS now also enables users to request a digital version of their official documents, and to use them securely, to execute transactions and avail services from service providers when needed. This feature eliminates the need for paper and physical visits, saving you time and effort. It is also powered by blockchain technology, providing you with optimal traceability and security. The Federal Authority for Identity and Citizenship is the first government entity to have included key official documents in UAE PASS, including Emirates ID, passports for citizens and residency for non-citizens. Media contacts: media@smartdubai.ae Mr Aditya Babulkar

Contact: +971528305127

hello@cygnature.io; aditya.b@cygnetinfotech.com; Know about UAE PASS at www.uaepass.ae or call us on 600561111

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YEREVAN, MARCH 22, ARMENPRESS. The Foreign Ministry of the Republic of Artsakh has issued a statement on the 101-st anniversary of the massacre of Armenians of Shushi, the ministry told Armenpress.

The statement reads:

n this day 101 years ago, the authorities of the Azerbaijani Republic, together with the regular Turkish army and numerous armed gangs, organized the massacre of the Armenian population of Shushi, almost completely destroying the historical capital of Artsakh. The Genocide in Shushi was the first manifestation of the aggressive policy pursued against Artsakh by an artificially created state called Azerbaijan. As a result of this monstrous crime, thousands of Armenians were killed, tens of thousands were forced to leave the town, the Armenian cultural heritage was destroyed, the people's property was looted, and the sacred sites were desecrated.

This tragic event was a signal of what kind of policy Azerbaijan will adopt in the coming decades. The logical continuation of such misanthropic actions was the Armenian-phobia policy pursued by Azerbaijan since 1988 at the state level, accompanied by massacres, pogroms and ethnic cleansing.

The fact that the international community didnt give a proper assessment to the genocidal policy of Baku and Ankara and the criminals remained unpunished led to a new aggression unleashed by Azerbaijan against Artsakh on September 27, 2020 with the support of Turkey and the participation of international terrorists, resulting in the occupation of the town of Shushi.

The massacres in Shushi in 1920 and its occupation in 2020 do not only testify to the genocidal policy against Artsakh and the Armenian people, but are also crimes against the mankind and humanity, a gross violation of international law.

The Armenians of Artsakh will never accept the loss of Shushi. Shushi was, is and will be an integral part of Artsakh, and everything will be done to liberate the occupied territories of the Republic and restore the historical justice".
There was much controversy, before and after the United Kingdoms (UK) Brexit from the European Union (EU), in talk of it adopting a free trade and manufacturing model similar to Singapores.

The idea was dubbed as Singapore-on-Thames by the British media. Since the UK and EU trade and economic agreement (TEA) in December 2020, speculation over the UK becoming a supposedly regulation-light jurisdiction accessing the EUs Single Market, was effectively quashed by the TEAs restrictive conditions on aligning competition policy, commonly referred to as the level-playing field.

In contrast to Britains increasingly complex trading relations with the rest of Europe, Singapores role as a hub for UK companies, whether as exporters or investors accessing Southeast Asias and broader Asian dynamic economies, was elevated by the new UK-Singapore trade agreement (UKSTA) which came into effect on 1st January 2021. It is anticipated the UKSTA should provide more certainty and clarity in supporting the longstanding positive long-term growth trend in UK goods and services exports to Singapore.

These have steadily risen from 7.2 billion (US$10 billion) in 2010 to 10.3 billion (US$14.3 billion) in 2019, only interrupted by a sharp fall of -14.5 percent in 2020, due to the Covid-19 pandemic. The number of UK VAT-registered businesses exporting to Singapore also continues to grow; reaching 10,300 in 2019. The UK regions with the highest concentrations of goods exports, to Singapore, were the East Midlands accounting for 1.5 billion (US$2 billion) or 29 percent of the total, Scotland with 0.6 billion (US$835 million) or 11.5 percent, and the Southwest with 0.6 billion (US$835 million) making up 11.1 percent. London came in fifth place having exported 0.5 billion or 10.4 percent of the total. Given the large number of UK companies exporting to Singapore across a diverse range of British regions, the UKSTA should become an additional platform by which to enhance the UKs exports into Singapore.

The new bilateral trade agreement covers trade in goods and services, including provisions on rules of origin, quotas, and preferential tariffs. For UK exporters this will mean 99 percent of tariffs being removed by Singapore. According to a joint statement between two governments, the UKSTA will also provide lower non-tariff barriers in four key sectors: electronics, motor vehicles and parts, pharmaceuticals and medical devices, and renewable energy generation.

While the UKSTA is based on the 2019 EU-Singapore Free Trade Agreement thereby preserving pre-Brexit trading arrangements, various bespoke solutions have been added to ensure continuity in a UK context. This includes supporting UK companies regional operations and supply chains, in Singapore, by allowing for EU-27 cumulation  meaning the continued use of materials and parts sourced from the trade bloc in order to qualify for preferential tariff treatment.

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Following on from the conclusion of the UKSTA, both countries have committed to concluding a Digital Economy Agreement in 2021. It will be the first such agreement Singapore will negotiate with a European country setting modern rules on facilitating seamless digital trade and financial services between the UK and Singapore, by promoting cross-border digital connectivity and interoperability of digital standards and systems. The respective governments have also agreed to conclude a high-standard bilateral investment protection treatment, for businesses and investors, within two and a half years from 1st January 2021.

Moreover, the UKSTA should serve as a platform towards the UK joining the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP), as a gateway into the broader Asia-Pacific, where 95% of goods traded between members are tariff-free.

In recent years, UK companies have been expanding their presence in Singapore to support their burgeoning trade with the city-state and the surrounding region. In 2019, the total amount of UK foreign direct investment (FDI) in Singapore was 13.7 billion, up by 21.7 percent in 2018 and representing about one percent of UK global outbound FDI stock in that year. Some of the higher-profile British businesses which operate in Singapore include Dyson, GSK, Rolls Royce, Pearson, Standard Chartered, Unilever, Shell, BP, Aggreko, Arup, Barclays, Aberdeen Standard, BAE, Aggreko, BUPA, BT, Diageo, Rio Tinto, BPP, ACCA, Coventry University, Newcastle University, Aon, Smith & Nephew.

By Bob Savic, Advisor to Dezan Shira & Associates

Read More

This article was first published by AseanBriefing which is produced by Dezan Shira & Associates. The firm assists foreign investors throughout Asia from offices across the world, including in in China, Hong Kong, Vietnam, Singapore, India, and Russia. Readers may write to [email protected]
Lenders have urged Andrew Bailey to relax tough rules on small banks to unleash an extra 28billion of lending.

TSB, the Co-operative Bank, and Metro Bank are among those that have written to the Governor of the Bank of England, calling for the rules to be made fairer.

In the letter, seen by The Mail on Sunday, the banks warn that small lenders are hit hardest by the regulation, putting them at a massive disadvantage to their biggest high street rivals.

Plea: TSB, the Co-operative Bank, and Metro Bank are among those that have written to the Governor of the Bank of England

The rule requires banks to have a bigger capital safety net once they reach a certain size, in case they collapse, to avoid a repeat of the financial crisis. It means banks have to issue special bonds with high interest, making it expensive.

This kicks in once banks have made 15billion of loans or have more than 40,000 current accounts.

The letter, also signed by digital start-up Monzo, said the rules 'harm competition and the ability to deliver for customers and businesses'.

It said easing the rule slightly 'could unlock between 24billion to 28 billion in additional lending capacity over the next five years.'

The banks warn that the UK's regime is tougher than those in the US and Europe, making it less attractive to build a bank in Britain. They are urging the Bank of England and Treasury to ease the rule, and focus more on 'competition' to give customers choice in banking.
Regexploit: DoS-able Regular Expressions

When thinking of Denial of Service (DoS), we often focus on Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) where millions of zombie machines overload a service by launching a tsunami of data. However, by abusing the algorithms a web application uses, an attacker can bring a server to its knees with as little as a single request. Doing that requires finding algorithms which have terrible performance under certain conditions, and then triggering those conditions. One widespread and frequently vulnerable area is in the misuse of regular expressions (regexes).

Regular expressions are used for all manner of text-processing tasks. They may seem to run fine, but if a regex is vulnerable to Regular Expression Denial of Service (ReDoS), it may be possible to craft input which causes the CPU to run at 100% for years.

In this blog post, were releasing a new tool to analyse regular expressions and hunt for ReDoS vulnerabilities. Our heuristic has been proven to be extremely effective, as demonstrated by many vulnerabilities discovered across popular NPM, Python and Ruby dependencies.

Check your regexes with Regexploit

 @doyensec/regexploit - pip install regexploit and find some bugs.

Backtracking

To get into the topic, lets review how the regex matching engines in languages like Python, Perl, Ruby, C# and JavaScript work. Lets imagine that were using this deliberately silly regex to extract version numbers:

(.+)\.(.+)\.(.+)

That will correctly process something like 123.456.789 , but its a pretty inefficient regex. How does the matching process work?

The first .+ capture group greedily matches all the way to the end of the string as dot matches every character. 123.456.789

1 23.456.789

12 3.456.789

123 .456.789

123. 456.789

123.4 56.789

123.45 6.789

123.456 .789

123.456. 789

123.456.7 89

123.456.78 9

123.456.789

$1="123.456.789" . The matcher then looks for a literal dot character. Unable to find it, it tries removing one character at a time from the first .+ 123.456.78 9

123.456.7 89

123.456. 789

123.456 .789

123.456 . 789

until it successfully matches a dot - $1="123.456" 123.456 . 7 89

123.456 . 78 9

123.456 . 789

The second capture group matches the final three digits $2="789" , but we need another dot so it has to backtrack. 123.456 . 78 9

123.456 . 7 89

123.456 . 789

Hmmm it seems that maybe the match for capture group 1 is incorrect, lets try backtracking. 123.45 6.789

123.4 56.789

123. 456.789

123 .456.789

123 . 456.789

OK lets try with $1="123" , and lets match group 2 greedily all the way to the end. 123 . 4 56.789

123 . 45 6.789

123 . 456 .789

123 . 456. 789

123 . 456.7 89

123 . 456.78 9

123 . 456.789

$2="456.789" but now theres no dot! That cant be the correct group 2 123 . 456.78 9

123 . 456.7 89

123 . 456. 789

123 . 456 .789

123 . 456 . 789

123 . 456 . 7 89

123 . 456 . 78 9

123 . 456 . 789 Finally we have a successful match: $1="123", $2="456", $3="789"





As you can hopefully see, there can be a lot of back-and-forth in the regex matching process. This backtracking is due to the ambiguous nature of the regex, where input can be matched in different ways. If a regex isnt well-designed, malicious input can cause a much more resource-intensive backtracking loop than this.

If backtracking takes an extreme amount of time, it will cause a Denial of Service, such as what happened to Cloudflare in 2019. In runtimes like NodeJS, the Event Loop will be blocked which stalls all timers, await s, requests and responses until regex processing completes.

ReDoS example

Now we can look at a ReDoS example. The ua-parser package contains a giant list of regexes for deciphering browser User-Agent headers. One of the regular expressions reported in CVE-2020-5243 was:

; *([^;/]+) Build[/ ]Huawei(MT1-U06|[A-Z]+\d+[^\);]+)[^\);]*\)

If we look closer at the end part we can see three overlapping repeating groups:

\d+[^\);]+[^\);]*\)

Digit characters are matched by \d and by [\);] . If a string of N digits enters that section, there are (N-1)N possible ways to split it up between the \d+ , [\);]+ and [\);]* groups. The key to causing ReDoS is to supply input which doesnt successfully match, such as by not ending our malicious input with a closing parenthesis. The regex engine will backtrack and try all possible ways of matching the digits in the hope of then finding a ) .

This visualisation of the matching steps was produced by emitting verbose debugging from cpythons regex engine using my cpython fork.

Regexploit

Today, we are releasing a tool called Regexploit to extract regexes from code, scan them and find ReDoS.

Several tools already exist to find regexes with exponential worst case complexity (regexes of the form (a+)+b ), but cubic complexity regexes ( a+a+a+b ) can still be damaging. Regexploit walks through the regex and tries to find ambiguities where a single character could be captured by multiple repeating parts. Then it looks for a way to make the regular expression not match, so that the regex engine has to backtrack.

The regexploit script allows you to enter regexes via stdin. If the regex looks OK it will say No ReDoS found. With the regex above it shows the vulnerability:

Worst-case complexity: 3  (cubic) Repeated character: [[0-9]] Example: ';0 Build/HuaweiA' + '0' * 3456

The final line of output gives a recipe for creating a User-Agent header which will cause ReDoS on sites using old versions of ua-parser, likely resulting in a Bad Gateway error.

User-Agent: ;0 Build/HuaweiA0000000000000000000000000000...

To scan your source code, there is built-in support for extracting regexes from Python, JavaScript, TypeScript, C#, JSON and YAML. If you are able to extract regexes from other languages, they can be piped in and analysed.

Once a vulnerable regular expression is found, it does still require some manual investigation. If its not possible for untrusted input to reach the regular expression, then it likely does not represent a security issue. In some cases, a prefix or suffix might be required to get the payload to the right place.

ReDoS Survey

So what kind of ReDoS issues are out there? We used Regexploit to analyse the top few thousand npm and pypi libraries (grabbed from the libraries.io API) to find out.

regexes regexes ReDoS Libraries.io pypi / npm downloader regexploit-js Regexploit regexploit-py Triage

We tried to exclude build tools and test frameworks, as bugs in these are unlikely to have any security impact. When a vulnerable regex was found, we then needed to figure out how untrusted input could reach it.

Results

The most problematic area was the use of regexes to parse programming or markup languages. Using regular expressions to parse some languages e.g. Markdown, CSS, Matlab or SVG is fraught with danger. Such languages have grammars which are designed to be processed by specialised lexers and parsers. Trying to perform the task with regexes leads to overly complicated patterns which are difficult for mere mortals to read.

A recurring source of vulnerabilities was the handling of optional whitespace. As an example, lets take the Python module CairoSVG which used the following regex:

rgba\([

\r\t]*(.+?)[

\r\t]*\)

$ regexploit-py .env/lib/python3.9/site-packages/cairosvg/ Vulnerable regex in .env/lib/python3.9/site-packages/cairosvg/colors.py #190 Pattern: rgba\([

\r\t]*(.+?)[

\r\t]*\) Context: RGBA = re.compile(r'rgba\([

\r\t]*(.+?)[

\r\t]*\)') --- Starriness: 3  (cubic) Repeated character: [20,09,0a,0d] Example: 'rgba(' + ' ' * 3456

The developer wants to find strings like rgba( 100,200, 10, 0.5 ) and extract the middle part without surrounding spaces. Unfortunately, the .+ in the middle also accepts spaces. If the string does not end with a closing parenthesis, the regex will not match, and we can get O(n3) backtracking.

Lets take a look at the matching process with the input "rgba(" + " " * 19 :

What a load of wasted CPU cycles!

A fun ReDoS bug was discovered in cpythons http.cookiejar with this gorgeous regex:

Pattern: ^ (\d\d?) # day (?:\s+|[-\/]) (\w+) # month (?:\s+|[-\/]) (\d+) # year (?: (?:\s+|:) # separator before clock (\d\d?):(\d\d) # hour:min (?::(\d\d))? # optional seconds )? # optional clock \s* ([-+]?\d{2,4}|(?![APap][Mm]\b)[A-Za-z]+)? # timezone \s* (?:\(\w+\))? # ASCII representation of timezone in parens. \s*$ Context: LOOSE_HTTP_DATE_RE = re.compile( --- Starriness: 3  Repeated character: [SPACE] Final character to cause backtracking: [^SPACE] Example: '0 a 0' + ' ' * 3456 + '0'

It was used when processing cookie expiry dates like Fri, 08 Jan 2021 23:20:00 GMT , but with compatibility for some deprecated date formats. The last 5 lines of the regex pattern contain three \s* groups separated by optional groups, so we have a cubic ReDoS.

A victim simply making an HTTP request like requests.get('http://evil.server') could be attacked by a remote server responding with Set-Cookie headers of the form:

Set-Cookie: b;Expires=1-c-1 X

With the maximum 65506 spaces that can be crammed into an HTTP header line in Python, the client will take over a week to finish processing the header.

Again, the issue was designing the regex to handle whitespace between optional sections.

Another point to notice is that, based on the git history, the troublesome regexes we discovered had mostly remained untouched since they first entered the codebase. While it shows that the regexes seem to cause no issues in normal conditions, it perhaps indicates that regexes are too illegible to maintain. If the regex above had no comments to explain what it was supposed to match, who would dare try to alter it? Probably only the guy from xkcd.

Sorry, I wanted to shoehorn this comic in somewhere

Mitigations - Safety first

Use a DFA

So why didnt I bother looking for ReDoS in Golang? Gos regex engine re2 does not backtrack.

Its design (Deterministic Finite Automaton) was chosen to be safe even if the regular expression itself is untrusted. The guarantee is that regex matching will occur in linear time regardless of input. There was a trade-off though. Depending on your use-case, libraries like re2 may not be the fastest engines. There are also some regex features such as backreferences which had to be dropped. But in the pathological case, regexes wont be what takes down your website. There are re2 libraries for many languages, so you can use it in preference to Pythons re module.

Dont do it all with regexes

For the whitespace ambiguity issue, its often possible to first use a simple regex and then trim / strip the spaces from either side of the result.

Many tiny regexes

In Ruby, the standard library contains StringScanner which helps with lexical scanning operations. While the http-cookie gem has many more lines of code than a mega-regex, it avoids REDoS when parsing Set-Cookie headers. Once each part of the string has been matched, it refuses to backtrack. In some regular expression flavours, you can use possessive quantifiers to mark sections as non-backtrackable and achieve a similar effect.

Gotta catch em all 
Some of the 220 Chinese vessels reported by the Philippine Coast Guard are pictured at the disputed Whitsun Reef, claimed by Manila, in the South China Sea.

Updated at 4:25 p.m. ET on 03-23-2021

The Philippines has lodged a diplomatic protest with Beijing after spotting what it says are 220 ships manned by Chinese militia in its maritime territory, but a spokeswoman for Chinas foreign ministry said the boats were fishing vessels sheltering from rough sea conditions.

The Philippine government on Sunday accused Beijing of military provocation through the presence of Chinese boats at Whitsun Reef, which Manila calls Julian Felipe and is in the Spratly Islands, a chain in the South China Sea contested by China, the Philippines and other countries.

Philippine Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr. said he had fired off a diplomatic protest to Beijing, while Philippine Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana described the new development as a clear provocative action of militarizing the area.

We call on the Chinese to stop this incursion and immediately recall these boats violating our maritime rights and encroaching into our sovereign territory. We are committed to uphold our sovereign rights over the WPS, Lorenzana said on Sunday.

Philippine presidential spokesman Harry Roque on Monday confirmed that Manila had filed a diplomatic protest with Beijing over the boats in accordance with international law and on behalf of the president.

The Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs rejected the Philippine claims.

The ships at the reef in the Spratlys are fishing vessels, foreign ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said, in response to a reporters question during a daily press briefing in Beijing.

Niue Jiao is part of the Nansha Islands, Hua said, referring to Whitsun Reef and the Spratly Islands by their Chinese names, as Beijing claims the territory in addition to almost all of the South China Sea.

Chinese fishing boats have been fishing in the waters near the reef all along. Recently, due to [the] maritime situation, some fishing boats have been taking shelter from the wind near Niue Jiao, which is quite normal. We hope relevant sides can view this in an objective light.

In a statement on Monday, the Chinese embassy in Manila also denied that the ships gathered at the reef were manned by maritime militia. They were fishing vessels sheltering from rough sea conditions, the embassy said.

There is no Chinese Maritime Militia as alleged. Any speculation  helps nothing but causes unnecessary irritation. It is hoped that the situation could be handled in an objective and rational manner, the statement said.

A State Department spokesperson, meanwhile, said the U.S. shares the concerns of its allies in the Philippines.

The PRC uses maritime militia to intimidate, provoke, and threaten other nations, which undermines peace and security in the region. We note the Chinese foreign ministry claimed that some Chinese fishing boats have taken shelter from the wind near the Whitsun Reef, the spokesperson said, using an acronym for the People's Republic of China.

In truth, however, Chinese boats have been mooring in this area for many months in ever increasing numbers, regardless of the weather.

An armed attack against Philippine forces, public vessels or aircraft in the South China Sea "will trigger our obligations under the US-Philippines Mutual Defense Treaty, the spokesperson said.

Satellite images show groups of ships gathered at Whitsun Reef, March 20, 2021. [Image courtesy Planet Labs]

No actual fishing activities

According to Philippine National Security Adviser Hermogenes Esperon Jr., the 220 Chinese ships were seen moored at the large boomerang shaped shallow coral reef on March 7  and they were not fishing.

Despite clear weather at the time, the Chinese vessels massed at the reef showed no actual fishing activities and had their full white lights turned on during night time, Esperon said on Saturday.

Photographs of the 220 ships indicated they were maritime militia vessels, which were not involved in fishing activities, said Andrew Erickson, a professor of strategy at the U.S. Naval War Colleges China Maritime Studies Institute.

The photos from the Philippine Coast Guard and statement from Defense Secretary Lorenzana match verified information on Chinas Peoples Armed Forces Maritime Militia (PAFMM), he told BenarNews.

The ships photographed look and act very much like the 84 large steel-hulled vessels purpose-built at multiple shipyards by 2016 for the leading Sansha City Maritime Militia, as documented by both the U.S. Department of Defense and Office of Naval Intelligence.

Automatic identification system-data for the past few years had shown Sansha ships engaged in rotational forward deployments to China-claimed features and outposts throughout the South China Sea, he said.

Crewed by well-salaried fulltime personnel recruited in part from former PLA ranks, they appear not to bother fishing  the better to focus on trolling for territory, Erickson said, referring to Chinas Peoples Liberation Army.

Such vessels reportedly have weapons lockers, and official PRC photos depict exercises in which they are loaded with light arms.

The presence of these vessels conforms to Beijings established South China Sea modus operandi, Erickson added.

Two implications arise immediately: First, if not properly countered at Whitsun Reef, or elsewhere, PAFMM vessels could support further territorial seizure akin to what China achieved at Scarborough Shoal in 2012, he said.

In 2012, the Chinese seized Scarborough Shoal, a traditional fishing ground within the 200-nautical-mile Exclusive Economic Zone of the Philippines, after a two-month standoff with the Philippine Navy.

Second, if these [approximately] 220 vessels indeed belong to leading professionalized, militarized PAFMM units, they alone should significantly increase the U.S. governments sole public estimate of total PAFMM ship numbers  which may be excessively conservative at [approximately] 84 vessels total, a number projected to remain fixed through 2030.

Chinese vessels have been maintaining a consistent presence at the Whitsun Reef either with fishing boats or militia vessels, Gregory Poling, director of the Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, said last month.

Weve caught sight of vessels congregating around Whitson multiple times over the last year or two, Poling told BenarNews.

Poling expressed skepticism that the 220 Chinese vessels were fishing boats as claimed by the Chinese embassy in Manila.

Chinese diplomats in [the] region continue to deny the existence of a maritime militia even though Chinese state media has broadcast their exploits for years, Poling tweeted on Monday.

China claims nearly all of the South China Sea as its own despite an international arbitration court in 2016 ruling in favor of the Philippines in a case brought against Beijing over the contested waterway.

Six other Asian governments  Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan, and Vietnam  have territorial claims or maritime boundaries in the South China Sea that overlap with the sweeping claims of China.

While Indonesia does not regard itself as party to the South China Sea dispute, Beijing claims historic rights to parts of that sea overlapping Indonesias exclusive economic zone.

This story was updated to include comments from the U.S. State Department.
TREASURE VALLEY SCORE celebrates being a part of the local small business community for 50 years. Formed in April of 1971, the office was established as a volunteer organization and resource partner of the Small Business Administration (SBA) within the Idaho Regional SBA office. While the initial focus was on mentoring new businesses and providing information to help owners understand how to best organize their business for success, work has expanded to include group workshops and online webinars.

It is estimated that over the last 50 years, local volunteers have assisted more than 8,000 businesses and supported the formation and existence of more than 16,000 jobs. These services have been offered at no cost to business owners.

Treasure Valley Scores mission is to assist entrepreneurs, says TREASURE VALLEY SCORE Chapter Chair Lyra Manning. Each small business requires some assistance either at the start-up phase and/or as their business changes over time. We, along with the additional expertise of our national organization of Chapter members, help many businesses gain the footing needed to successfully establish and grow a small business. Our mentors assist these new businesses with HR matters, marketing, business management training, grants, developing business plans, and more.

Many of the chapter members are military veterans and in 2010, TREASURE VALLEY SCORE helped initiate the Boots 2 Business workshop program at Mountain Home Air Force Base. The two-day workshop provided business fundamentals to service personnel interested in starting a small business. The workshops were presented every-other-month until 2018. During that time, 720 service personnel attended.

This year, the national office of SCORE, Mentors to Americas Small Business, honors TREASURE VALLEY SCORE with the 4 star level for outstanding performance in 2020. The District 1087 - Idaho Chapter of the Year 2020 award recognizes TREASURE VALLEY SCORE for achieving the highest level of yearly national service excellence in support of local small businesses.

In 2020, the chapters volunteers provided free face-to-face mentoring and low-cost workshops and webinars for more than 600 aspiring entrepreneurs and small business owners. The office has expanded its offering to a full schedule of business webinars covering: the use of social media, website design, marketing, business plan preparation, and other business basics.

The former and current volunteers of TREASURE VALLEY SCORE are proud of their many contributions that have led to the growth and success of the Idaho Business Community as well as the recent award.

We are honored to receive recognition from the national office of SCORE, says Manning. Our 35 volunteers have a passion for business and more than 1000 years of combined and varied experience. They are committed to the success of western and central Idaho small businesses. I am extremely proud that our team has been able to have a positive impact on the community during these challenging economic times.

TREASURE VALLEY SCORE looks forward to the next 50 years and to helping additional businesses start, grow, and provide valuable employment opportunities throughout western and central Idaho. For more information about starting or managing a small business, call 208-509-5301 or visit TREASURE VALLEY SCORE online at https://treasurevalley.score.org.

About SCORE

Since 1964, SCORE has helped 11 million entrepreneurs to start or grow a business. SCORE's 10,000 volunteers provide free mentoring, workshops, and educational services to more than 260 chapters and 1,500 communities nationwide, creating 29,681 new businesses and 67,706 non-owner jobs in 2019 alone.

Funded in part through a Cooperative Agreement with the U.S. Small Business Administration. All opinions, conclusions, and/or recommendations expressed herein are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the SBA. For more information about starting or operating a small business, call 1-800-634-0245 for the SCORE chapter nearest you. Visit SCORE at http://www.score.org and http://www.score.org/women.

Follow @SCOREMentors on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter for information, updates, and small business news.
Dana Balter, former Democratic nominee for the 24th Congressional District, is worldview strategist for the Public Policy and Education Fund of New York, Citizen Action of New York.

Its time to celebrate. Democrats in Congress passed President Joe Bidens American Rescue Plan. This milestone achievement is a shining example of two truths about our country: One, in times of crisis we pull together as Americans and, two, government is an instrument of the common good.

This incredibly important legislation is a $1.9 trillion investment in the American people to make our communities healthier, safer, stronger, and more prosperous. Its the biggest investment in poor and middle class folks in generations and will turbocharge the economy. Hundreds of experts  economists, business leaders, labor unions, current and former officials  support the public investments in this package. They know theyre necessary, responsible and urgent.

The public supports it too, with a 70% majority favoring the package. This comes as no surprise because the American Rescue Plan, true to its name, contains many things that we desperately need to help us get through the ongoing Covid crisis. It starts with $1,400 direct relief payments to individuals and their dependents; a huge Covid testing, tracing, and vaccination program; and support for schools to fully reopen safely. But theres so much more.

The American Rescue plan will cut child poverty in half by expanding the Child Tax Credit. It will save jobs by providing new PPP loans and grants for independent restaurants  American Airlines already told 13,000 employees to tear up their furlough notices. It will make healthcare affordable for millions of Americans by capping Marketplace premiums, subsidizing COBRA premiums, and encouraging more states to expand Medicaid. And it will help save countless public services by giving more than $350 billion in aid to local governments, including hundreds of millions for us in NY24.

Thank you to every member of our community who raised their voice to demand this government action. Thank you to the Democrats in Congress for passing this bill (especially Sen. Chuck Schumer for getting it through the Senate). And thank you to President Joe Biden for signing it into law. Thank you to every member of our government who listened to us.

Unfortunately for NY-24, our representative didnt listen. He rarely does. John Katko voted against The American Rescue Plan. And as usual, his excuses dont hold water. He said it was partisan. The truth is the package has massive bipartisan support across the country, with 59% of Republican voters supporting it. Mr. Katko said Democrats didnt work with Republicans on the bill. The truth is President Biden tried to work with Republicans first but they made it clear they had no interest in working on a bill that would match the scope of the challenges facing us. Finally, Mr. Katko said the spending package was too big and would burden future generations. The truth is he voted for the Trump tax scam  a bill costing, wait for it  $1.9 trillion  with great enthusiasm. The difference between the two bills? The American Rescue Plan is a massive public investment in average people; the tax scam was a giveaway to the wealthy and corporations. You see, Mr. Katko doesnt really have a problem with government spending big; he just has a problem with government spending big on us.

This is why Im a Democrat. Democrats believe that its the governments responsibility to help people, to expand freedom for everyone, to ensure that every person has dignity, and to govern with empathy. When you elect Democrats, you get policy that reflects those values  policy like the American Rescue Plan. Heres to the beginning of a new era of health and prosperity that lifts us all.

Write to us: How to submit letters and commentary to Syracuse.com
A leading travel industry boss has condemned the latest holiday warning by a cabinet minister as completely reckless, completely irresponsible.

The care minister, Helen Whately, told BBC Breakfast: My advice would be to anybody right now, it's just to hold off on booking international travel.

The prime minister launched a taskforce looking specifically at international travel. That will be reporting back shortly. It just feels premature to be booking international holidays at the moment.

At present all overseas leisure trips from the UK are illegal.

The governments Global Travel Taskforce is due to report on 12 April with proposals to reopen international travel from 17 May at the earliest.

Ms Whately was speaking after a government adviser, Dr Mike Tildesley, warned: International travel this summer for the average holidaymaker is extremely unlikely.

Read more:

The University of Warwick epidemiologist told BBC Breakfast: If we bring more of those variants into the country, we really run the risk of undoing all the good that weve done with our current vaccination campaign.

The care ministers warning against booking foreign holidays echoed similar admonitions from the transport secretary, Grant Shapps, and the home secretary, Priti Patel.

Julia Lo Bue-Said, chief executive of the Advantage Travel Partnership, a consortium of travel agents, said: Its completely reckless, completely irresponsible. We know what timescales we are working to, we know the milestones.

Politicians should be working towards those and not making reckless comments that destroy businesses and create huge emotional tensions for consumers.

The pilots union, Balpa, tweeted: Another day, another minister throwing our industry under the bus. And undermining the work of the governments own Global Travel Taskforce to boot.

A spokesperson for Jet2, the second-largest holiday company, said: We are seeing increased confidence and bookings right across the board. It is clear that for many people, they want nothing more than to get away this summer.

In response to demand, we have just this week added more flights and holidays to a range of destinations in Greece, Cyprus, Turkey, Canaries, Spain and Portugal.

Airlines UK, representing carriers including British Airways and easyJet, is working on the assumption that, as the vaccine rollout accelerates both in the UK and abroad, a phased easing of restrictions should be achievable.

Tim Alderslade, the chief executive, said: We know that universal, restriction-free travel is unlikely from 17 May but under a tiered system, based on risk, international travel can meaningfully restart and build up, with minimal restrictions in time.

The governments roadmap says any decision to open up to international travel will depend on the epidemiological picture, the prevalence and location of variants of concern, the progress of vaccine rollouts and the impact on coronavirus transmission, hospitalisation and deaths.
Source: Xinhua| 2021-03-23 00:50:29|Editor: huaxia

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YAOUNDE, March 22 (Xinhua) -- Industrialization remains a key priority for the Central African sub-region despite the adverse consequences of COVID-19 pandemic, a senior official of the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) sub-regional office said on Monday.

Antonio Pedro, director of the ECA Sub-regional Office for Central Africa said the bloc has made some economic breakthroughs but needed to boost its industrialization progress.

"Central Africa's path to sustained development passes through industrialization. COVID-19 has revealed how dependent this region is on the import of essential goods such as food products as well as pharmaceutical products. The only way forward therefore is to produce and consume locally and this is done through industrialization," Pedro told Xinhua in an interview by phone as African Finance Ministers began meeting in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, to chart a way forward for Africa's industrialization and diversification agenda in the digital area amid COVID-19.

He said, quality projects, public-private partnership, dialogue and policy coherence are key to successful industrialization in the region.

"Financing can be reduced if we have quality projects and bankable projects. The region has the necessary endowments including renewable energy to pursue industrialization. Exploring these endowments therefore becomes a priority within the context of climate-friendly transition," Pedro added.

Countries should speed up the formulation and implementation of their national African Continental Free Trade Area strategies in a bid to benefit from advantages that will propel them to industrialization, he said. Enditem
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y.  High school students across New York City will return to campus on Monday, after months of learning remotely.

Students first went back to school for the first day of the 2020-2021 school year on Oct. 1  but high school buildings were soon shuttered just a month later when New York City closed all public schools due to rising coronavirus (COVID-19) cases.

The city prioritized returning its youngest and most vulnerable students to school buildings first, bringing back elementary school and District 75 schools, which serve students with disabilities, in December. Middle school students were the next to return on Feb. 25.

Due to the successful return of the citys youngest and most in-need learners, Mayor Bill de Blasio announced earlier this month that high school students would be able to go back to campus beginning Monday, March 22. School staff returned Thursday and Friday to prepare classrooms for students.

It will be the first time high school students will be in a classroom since mid-November.

We are ready to go, de Blasio said during a recent press conference. We have all the pieces we need to bring high school back and bring it back strong, and of course, to bring it back safely.

*** CLICK HERE FOR COMPLETE COVERAGE OF CORONAVIRUS IN NEW YORK ***

In-person learning

About 55,000 students who opted for in-person learning this school year are eligible to return to campus  representing less than 20% of all high school students citywide. And 17,000 staff members will return to buildings.

And about half of the citys 488 high schools will be able to offer five days a week of in-person instruction for all or most of their students.

With a 0.57% positivity rate, our schools are the safest place to be and we are ready to reopen schools for our high schoolers, said Schools Chancellor Meisha Ross Porter. Approximately half of our high schools will be offering in-person learning five days a week to all or a majority of their students. And we will continue to ramp that up the same way we did with elementary and middle schools.

Some to still learn virtually

Due to the complicated nature of scheduling classes, many high school students will still learn virtually from teachers while in a school classroom.

It will be similar to what some high school students experienced when they first went back in October. Students will be seated in a classroom, but tune into their lessons via a device. Students will still be able to receive in-person supports, like counseling, social work, and occupational and physical therapies.

Safety measures

Safety protocols at schools involve social distancing, face coverings and more. Desks will be placed six feet apart. Before entering school buildings, students and staff must fill out a daily health screening.

Students will be asked to wash their hands and use hand sanitizer more often. Social distancing markers will be placed throughout school buildings to remind students to keep their distance.

Coronavirus testing

Students are also required to consent to weekly coronavirus testing of 20% of the school population. Exemptions are only granted in certain limited cases. If you dont consent, the student will move to fully remote instruction.

There are two ways to submit the consent form:

New York City Schools Account (NYCSA): Log into your account, click your students name, click Manage Account, and when a dropdown menu appears, click Consent Forms. Read the page and choose the consent option at the end for your student.

Print and sign the form and bring it to your childs school on the first day he or she is back on campus. A printable PDF file is available in 10 languages at the DOEs COVID-19 testing page.

School buildings will only shutter if there are multiple confirmed cases. When a school closes or a classroom quarantines, students and teachers move to remote learning. The city Department of Education created a daily COVID case map that shows all known cases of coronavirus at public schools.

You can go here for a closer look at what happens if there are confirmed coronavirus cases in a school.

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:



FOLLOW ANNALISE KNUDSON ON FACEBOOK AND TWITTER.
Source: Xinhua| 2021-03-22 15:13:01|Editor: huaxia

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"China is a true strategic partner of Russia and a like-minded country," Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov told the press as he embarks on a two-day visit to China.

What else did Mr. Lavrov say about the ever-robust bilateral relations in a world shattered by the pandemic and unilateralism?

Click the video and find out!

Produced by Xinhua Global Service
Source: Xinhua| 2021-03-22 21:03:52|Editor: huaxia

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BEIJING, March 22 (Xinhua) -- China hopes that the United States could honor its words and take concrete actions to truly protect the legitimate rights and interests of ethnic minorities including Asians, foreign ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying said on Monday.

Hua made the remarks when asked to comment on the three shooting incidents in Atlanta, Georgia, on March 16 that killed eight people, six of them Asians.

Hua confirmed that one of the victims was a Chinese citizen, urging the United States to severely punish the killer in accordance with the law as soon as possible, and take effective measures to protect the safety and legitimate rights of Chinese citizens in the United States.

She said the Chinese Embassy in the United States is keeping a close eye on the progress of the case and will provide active assistance to the families of the deceased.

U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris condemned anti-Asian violence in the country on March 19, adding that racism, xenophobia and sexism are all "real in America" and have always been in existence.

Saying that systemic racism and white supremacy "are ugly poisons that have long plagued the United States," U.S. president Joe Biden added in a statement on March 21 that "we must change the laws that enable discrimination in our country, and we must change our hearts."

"The U.S. must not only have the courage to face the problem, but also the determination to solve the problem," Hua said.

She said it is hoped that the United States could do what it says, and truly safeguard the legitimate rights and interests of ethnic minorities, including Asians, protecting them from discrimination, attacks, or even threats to their lives.

The United States should earnestly fulfill its obligations under the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination, and respond to the concerns of the international community with concrete actions, Hua added. Enditem
LONDON (AP)  Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon did not mislead lawmakers or act improperly over sexual harassment allegations against her predecessor, a senior lawyer said Monday in his report into a scandal that has roiled Scottish politics.

James Hamilton concluded that Sturgeon did not breach the code of conduct for government ministers. Sturgeon would have faced intense pressure to resign if she was found to have broken the ministerial code.

Sturgeon welcomed the lawyer's finding and said, I sought at every stage in this issue to act with integrity and in the public interest.

Hamiltons probe centers on the Scottish governments handling of sexual harassment allegations against Alex Salmond, who served as Scotlands first minister before Sturgeon took office in 2014.

A second inquiry, by a committee of Scottish lawmakers, is due to publish a report on Tuesday. British media have reported that the committee voted 5-4 in favor of finding that Sturgeon gave an inaccurate account to Scotland's Edinburgh-based parliament about when she learned of allegations against Salmond.

The political and personal feud has pitted Sturgeon against her former friend and mentor Salmond, and is wracking Scotlands governing Scottish National Party.

In 2019, Salmond was charged with sexual assault and attempted rape after allegations by nine women who had worked with him as first minister or for the party. He was acquitted by a criminal court in 2020, and claims the allegations made by several women were part of a conspiracy to wreck his political career.

Scotlands highest civil court ruled in 2019 that the government acted unlawfully in its investigation of the claims against Salmond, and awarded him more than 500,000 pounds ($695,000) in legal expenses.

The political drama in Edinburgh could have major implications for the future of Scotland and the U.K.

Scotlands 2014 independence referendum was billed at the time as a once-in-a-generation decision. But the Scottish National Party says Brexit has fundamentally changed the situation by dragging Scotland out of the European Union against its will. A majority of Scottish voters backed remain in the U.K.s 2016 EU membership referendum. The U.K. as a whole voted narrowly to leave the bloc.

A Scottish Parliament election is due in May, and the SNP leads in opinion polls. Sturgeon says if she wins a majority, she will push for a new independence referendum and challenge British Prime Minister Boris Johnson in the courts, if his government refuses to agree.
The Covid-19 vaccination programme for health care workers and those medically vulnerable very high risk patients in cohort 4 across county Donegal has now moved to the newly established Vaccination Centre in the IT in Letterkenny.

The vaccination team at the centre in the IT will continue with this vaccination programme over the coming weeks and the team there will identify and resolve any minor issues that may arise before the centre will be used as a Vaccination Centre for the wider public.

Paul Hooton, chief director of nursing and midwifery at the Saolta Group which has overall responsibility for the vaccination programme across the west and north-west said at this point, they are confident that almost all healthcare workers in hospitals have received the vaccination (first dose) and many have now received their second dose.

"There are many thousands of frontline healthcare workers working outside of hospitals and over the last number of weeks we have been steadily nearing completion for this group, which includes workers from the public and private health services, those employed by the HSE and those employed by funded agencies.

"We have also commenced the vaccination programme for the next group identified, these are people aged 16 to 69 who are at very high risk due to their medical condition.

Commenting Paddy Rooney who is managing the Vaccination Centre at IT Letterkenny said they began vaccinating in Letterkenny IT on Thursday March 11 and they are continuing to vaccinate health care staff, and people who are vulnerable due to a debilitating medical condition aged 16-69 from cohort 4.

"We had been carrying out healthcare worker vaccinations in Letterkenny University Hospital and the Vestry in St Conals but eventually all of this category will have their second doses in the centre in the IT.

"We will continue to administer first and second doses of the Covid-19 vaccine to healthcare staff including hospital staff, community staff and other healthcare workers. Across the west and north-west, we have established six vaccination centres which will ultimately be used to deliver the vaccination programme to the wider public.

Here in LYIT, staff from Letterkenny University Hospital are administering the vaccine and we are recruiting additional staff, including vaccinators to ensure that we have the necessary teams in place to deliver the Covid-19 vaccination programme to the people of Donegal.

"This will be in addition to the vaccination programmes being carried out by CHO 1 in the disability and mental health services and of course the over 70s vaccination programme which is being rolled out by GPs.

Cara O Neill, head of health and wellbeing, CHO 1 who is leading on the vaccination programme on behalf of HSE Community Services added the residential care vaccination programme involved delivering over 12,000 doses of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine in 53 residential facilities for those aged 65 and over.

"Vaccination is nearly completed across the CHO 1 area, which includes counties Sligo, Leitrim, Donegal, Cavan and Monaghan.

"This was a mammoth operation - involving 11 vaccination teams with nurses, doctors, administrative staff and the National Ambulance Service.

"I want to acknowledge the commitment of all the teams who worked so hard to ensure that our most vulnerable older people are protected. This is really positive for residents, their families and staff who have all endured a really difficult year.

"This week also sees the reopening of visiting for residents in public and private residential facilities which is most welcome news.

"The vaccination programme for people under 65 years with a disability also commenced in the last two weeks, people will be invited and scheduled for vaccination over the next four weeks.

John Hayes, chief officer CHO 1 stated that across the CHO 1 area they will continue to work hard to deliver the vaccine to other priority groups.

"We are also conscious of the needs of people living in more remote locations including off shore islands and the more peripheral parts of our region and we will be flexible to make sure that everyone can get this vaccine as quickly and as efficiently as possible.

"While the ongoing vaccination roll-out is really positive, Covid-19 continues to be transmitted in our community and we all need to stick to the public health guidelines and keep up our guard at all times.



Tony Canavan, CEO of the Saolta University Health Care Group added this will be the single largest vaccination programme ever undertaken in the Irish state and it will require huge co-operation across the health services, and across a range of state agencies.

"To date we have been somewhat limited by the availability of vaccine. We expect that to change over the coming weeks. We currently have access to three different vaccines and expect others to come on stream.

"Centres like the one in IT Letterkenny will ensure that we have the infrastructure and teams in place and ready to deliver this vaccine to the wider community once we move into that vaccination phase, he said.
One of the lead proponents in the latest effort to reform the statute of limitations in Pennsylvania on Monday said he still has a few options at his disposal to secure more immediate justice for victims of child sexual abuse.

Rep. Jim Gregory, (R-Blair County) said he wasnt ready to announce those options. But time is running out on the Legislatures ability to meet a deadline in time for the May 18 primary elections. Lawmakers must approve a measure by March 24 in order to get a referendum on amending the constitution on the spring ballot.

Earlier Monday, Senate GOP leaders announced they would not advance use an emergency process to amend the state constitution to create a two-year window for victims to pursue civil suits. Gregory said he is weighing several alternatives.

None of us ask to be in this position, Gregory said on Monday. Its been a very difficult circumstance for all involved and while I dont apologize for pushing forward, my voice is the voice of victims. My job was to deliver something for them. Im determined to come up with a solution on how we are going to do that.

Senate Republicans said Monday they would not pursue an emergency measure designed to fast track a constitutional amendment to let voters decide if expired statute of limitations should be lifted so adults who were sexually abused as children can file civil suits.

Gregory is behind a similar option in the House, but on Monday a House Republican spokesman gave little assurance that such an option was viable.

Jason Gottesman, spokesman for state House Majority Leader Kerry Benninghoff, told PennLive not to expect any House action this week on a retroactive window bill.

Were not in the business of providing people false hope. At this point, all other options remain on the table, he said.

Asked if that included a bill to revise state law as opposed to a constitutional amendment, Gottesman said all other options remain on the table.

To be sure, time is running out on the ability of the Legislature to meet the March 24 deadline to get any measure on the spring primary ballot.

Gregory said he and Rep. Mark Rozzi, who has been working with him to reform the statute of limitations, continue to explore other options.

We will come up with a plan very soon, Gregory said.

Rozzi signaled confidence that he and Gregory are close to a solution with Benninghoff.

We just couldnt get a commitment out of them, said the Berks County Democrat. We were promised something before and it fell through. Now, the majority leader, I respect him and I know that hes working hard to try to bring us back together and try to find a path forward here. We just couldnt get the commitment out of them today. OK, when are you going to run it? If we do statutory when is it going to come out of committee. When are we going to vote on the floor? We want something firm.

Rozzi said he demands a confirmation on dates.

We are trying to possibly work a different angle here but until they give us confirmation that they are truly behind this, said Rozzi, one of the architects of statue of limitations reform. We want dates. When are you going to put it up? Once we get that, we can start moving forward.

In a written statement, Senate Majority Leader Kim Ward said the matter emergency measure did not meet the emergency status criteria and does not correct the failure by the Wolf Administration as it still does not properly vet this matter with the public.

Earlier this year, it appeared voters would get the chance to weigh in on amending the constitution to create a period for victims to pursue court claims. But the effort fell into disarray earlier this year when the Wolf administration announced that the Department of State had failed to fulfill all the legal requirements.

The department had failed to make the required public advertisements last year of a constitutional amendment. Typically, the General Assembly must approve measures to amend the constitution in two consecutive legislative sessions and then the measure can go to voters for their approval. The typical path to a constitutional amendment can take three years.

In light of the debacle over the failure to advertise the measure, some lawmakers pushed the rarely used mechanism of an emergency amendment in a last-ditch effort. But other lawmakers said the fast-track approach may not survive a court challenge and argued the most viable path is the longer, conventional method to amend the constitution.

Ultimately, Ward said Monday lawmakers will start over.

Shaun Dougherty, a victims advocate, excoriated lawmakers for reducing victims to pawns in a political gamesmanship.

Dougherty said lawmakers could simply pass a bill to change state law rather than the long road to amend the constitution. That approach, long fought by some lawmakers, is increasingly winning support ahead of a gubernatorial race, he said.

Politically speaking I see an opportunity for victims here, said Dougherty, whose sexual abuse by a priest was detailed in the 2016 grand jury report into widespread child sexual abuse in the Altoona-Johnstown Diocese. Two years later, a more sweeping statewide grand jury investigation uncovered even more widespread and systemic abuse of minors by hundreds of priests in Pennsylvania.

The grand jurors in both investigations recommended the Legislature suspend the statute of limitations for a short period to allow adult victims to seek justice.

The emergency measure wasnt intended for me to get justice, he said. It was for the eight-year-old being assaulted now but the person who could do something is timed out and cant come forward. That person could have come forward and that child can be saved today.

Senate Democratic Leader Jay Costa said his caucus strongly disagrees with the Senate Republicans conclusion that the measure did not rise to the level of an emergency.

He said the Legislature should pass a bill to create a window for victims to sue  rather than retry a constitutional amendment.

If Republicans are unwilling to vote on an emergency constitutional amendment, we have no choice but to enact a statutory two-year window with expedited jurisdiction to the PA Supreme Court, Costa said.

Gottesman stressed that the blunder on the part of the Wolf administration created the latest debacle.

If it was not for the Wolf Administrations gross incompetence in failing to advertise this amendment, this would be before the voters in May, he said.

Gottesman said Republicans continue to work towards a solution.

We are working in good faith to try to resolve this issue for the victims, he said. Putting artificial timelines on something within hours of the current avenue which we were seeking to address it being closed off only provides additional false hope and false expectations for the people who want to see this done.
TAIPEI (Reuters) - Taiwan Premier Su Tseng-chang received the AstraZeneca COVID-19 shot on Monday, having volunteered to be first in line to underscore government confidence in the vaccine's safety as the island began its inoculation campaign.

"I have just finished getting the injection, there is no pain at the injection site, and there is no soreness of the body," Su told reporters at National Taiwan University Hospital in central Taipei.

"The doctor told me to drink more boiled water and rest a bit. The first point I'll follow, and the second point may be more difficult. But I'll still try to rest as much as possible," he added.

More than a dozen European countries suspended use of the AstraZeneca vaccine last week amid concerns about its safety after reports of a small number of blood disorders. The World Health Organization's European director said on Thursday the benefits of the shot far outweigh any risks, and its widespread use resumed on Friday.

Taiwan's first vaccines - 117,000 doses of the AstraZeneca shot - arrived on the island earlier this month from a South Korean factory.

Health Minister Chen Shih-chung was also vaccinated at the same hospital as the premier, and was seen laughing and chatting with medical personnel in government-released footage of him getting the shot.

Around 60,000 people are in line to get the first vaccinations and Taiwan is prioritising health workers.

In December, Taiwan said it had agreed to buy almost 20 million vaccine doses, including 10 million from AstraZeneca.

Taiwan's government has played down concerns about the late start to the vaccination programme, saying that with such a low case rate there is not the urgency that exists in other countries where the pandemic remains rampant.

Only 33 people remain in hospital being treated for COVID-19 in Taiwan. The island has kept the pandemic well under control thanks to early and effective prevention, including largely closing its borders.

(Reporting by Ben Blanchard; Editing by Christopher Cushing and Lincoln Feast.)
Two local women who have used their talents, empathy and determination to make life more bearable for those in need were honoured by Hibiscus Coast Zonta Club on Monday, March 8  International Womens Day and Zonta Rose Day.

KidsCan and Pet Refuge NZ founder Julie Chapman and the woman who started the Yarnteeze knitting club, Trish Stewart, were both presented with yellow roses for their services to the community by recently elected Zonta president Jacqui Burnett.

Julie Chapman started the KidsCan charity for children living in poverty in 2005 and the organisation now works with 822 low decile schools and 50 early childhood centres. She said although the Governments new free school lunch initiative would help a little, Covid-19 had exacerbated the issue and KidsCan was currently helping 40,000 children a week. Her newest project, Pet Refuge, was designed to help women living with violence to leave abusive partners by providing a safe place for their pets.

We found 53 percent of women had delayed leaving because of pets. Pets are family, she said.

Julie is building the new refuge on rural land west of Silverdale and it is expected to open by July.

Trish Stewart is the founder of Yarnteeze, a knitting group that makes clothing, blankets and soft toys for babies and children of women who have endured violence, homelessness or poverty. The knitted and crocheted items are distributed via I Got Your Back Pack, Grandparents Raising Grandchildren, Love Soup and Woven Earth.

Trish said the groups name came from her childhood, when all the aunties would sit yarning over a cup of tea, and that everything Yarnteeze members knitted now was made with love and to bring dignity to those in need.

The group meets every Tuesday morning at The Coffee Club in Orewa and members are aged from their forties to nineties.

Info: Zonta Club of Hibiscus Coast, KidsCanNZ, PetRefugeNZ and Yarnteeze pages on Facebook.
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Armenia MFA information department chief: All deputy FMs carrying out their duties

Ardshinbank invited children to the cinema on International Childrens Day

Armenia judiciary to have 10 more judges

Armenia acting premier: We had recorded 40% increase in tax revenues according to 2019 results

Armenia acting PM on Artsakh war casualties bodies: We have 50 remains in which case DNA was not separated

Azerbaijan authorities plan to "squeeze" everything from "terrorist show" related to Armenian captives

Ameriabank Announces a Contest for Bank Card Design

108 new cases of COVID-19 confirmed in Armenia

Armenia parliament convenes special session

Armenia interim government holding Cabinet meeting

Catholicos of All Armenians heads for Syunik Province, Artsakh

World oil prices going up

Iran loses right to vote in UN General Assembly

Newspaper: Armenia authorities come up with new way of punishing unwanted characters

Newspaper: Russia army Southern Military District deputy commander to arrive in Yerevan Thursday

Lebanese Armenian man taken prisoner by Azerbaijan is hospitalized

Armenia ex-President Kocharyan: Are we getting under the burden? Then lets get under to the end

Armenia acting health minister on keeping fallen soldiers bodies in bags: What else should they be kept in?

Armenia acting health minister on citizens' demand for her resignation

Karabakh's new State Minister Artak Beglaryan on his appointment and future activities

Armenian, Russian and Azerbaijani representatives hold consultations in Moscow

2 Armenian soldiers receive slight injuries after incident with Azerbaijani servicemen in Armenia's Gegharkunik

Armenian boy weighing 5 kg born at Goris Medical Center

"Armenia" bloc representative presents purpose of participation in elections and plans

Isaac Herzog elected President of Israel

Rouhani: Main issues between Tehran, Washington resolved in Vienna

Charles Michel calls on Armenia and Azerbaijan to resume constructive negotiations

US Department of State responds to Pashinyan's proposal to deploy international observers on Armenia-Azerbaijan border

Head of Armenia 2nd President's Office: Robert Kocharyan's public meetings are held in warm atmosphere

Opposition "Armenia" bloc's representative on photos and videos showing bags of deceased servicemen's bodies

Armenia Ombudsman, AGBU President discuss war crimes committed by Azerbaijan during Karabakh war

Opposition "Armenia" bloc's representatives to hold briefings three times a week

Opposition "Armenia" bloc member: Blood-freezing photos and videos from morgue in Abovyan are authorities' reflection

Yerevan mayor receives Netherlands Ambassador

Armenia Health Ministry, Investigative Committee keep info about sending remains of dead soldiers abroad confidential

Armenia Prosecutor General's Office launches case regarding leaving sacs of servicemen's bodies/remains in basement

Peskov: Putin and Biden to discuss cybersecurity issues

Armenia's Pashinyan meets with Belgian PM Alexander De Croo

Armenia acting MOD receives Netherlands Ambassador

Armenia Police: 3 citizens apprehended during protest demanding acting health minister's resignation

NATO warns Minsk about further consequences of Ryanair incident

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


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Day 17: Ella Baker

Day 17: Ella Baker

Proof that visibility is not necessary to make an impact, Ella Baker is one of historys lesser-known civil rights heroes, yet one of the most important. If Martin Luther King Jr. was the head of the civil rights movement, Ella Baker was its backbone.

Ella Jo Baker was born on December 13, 1903, in Norfolk, Virginia. Growing up in North Carolina, she developed a sense for social justice early on, due in part to her grandmothers stories about life under slavery. As a slave, her grandmother had been whipped for refusing to marry a man chosen for her by the slave owner. Her grandmothers pride and resilience in the face of racism and injustice continued to inspire Ms. Baker throughout her life.

Ella Bakers maternal grandparents bought, lived on, and cultivated land that was formerly a part of the plantation on which they were enslaved. They bought the land for $250, which they paid off in installments. This purchase was the source of great pride for their family, and they went on to become successful farmers.

Baker studied at Shaw University in Raleigh, North Carolina. As a student she challenged school policies that she thought were unfair. After graduating in 1927 as class valedictorian, she moved to New York City and began joining social activist organizations.

In 1930, she joined the Young Negroes Cooperative League, whose purpose was to develop black economic power through collective planning. She also involved herself with several womens organizations. She was committed to economic justice for all people and once said, People cannot be free until there is enough work in this land to give everybody a job.

Ella Baker began her involvement with the NAACP in 1940. She worked as a field secretary and then served as director of branches from 1943 until 1946. Inspired by the historic bus boycott in Montgomery, Alabama, in 1955, Baker co-founded the organization In Friendship to raise money to fight against Jim Crow Laws in the Deep South.

In 1957, Baker moved to Atlanta to help organize Martin Luther King Jr.s new organization, the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC), through which she facilitated protests, built campaigns and ran a voter registration campaign called the Crusade for Citizenship. Baker grew frustrated at the lack of gender equality within the SCLC, and came close to quitting in 1960.

Baker found a new calling after a group of black college students from North Carolina A&T University refused to leave a Woolworths lunch counter in Greensboro, North Carolina where they had been denied service on February 1, 1960. Baker left the SCLC after the Greensboro sit-ins. She wanted to assist the new student activists because she viewed young, emerging activists as a resource and an asset to the movement. Miss Baker organized a meeting at Shaw University for the student leaders of the sit-ins in April 1960. From that meeting, the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee  SNCC  was born.

Adopting the Gandhian theory of nonviolent direct action, SNCC members joined with activists from the Congress of Racial Equality (CORE) to organize the 1961 Freedom Rides. In 1964 SNCC helped create Freedom Summer, an effort to focus national attention on Mississippis racism and to register black voters. Miss Baker, and many of her contemporaries, believed that voting was one key to freedom.

With Ella Bakers guidance and encouragement, SNCC became one of the foremost advocates for human rights in the country. Ella Baker once said, This may only be a dream of mine, but I think it can be made real. Ella Bakers influence was reflected in the nickname she acquired: Fundi, a Swahili word meaning a person who teaches a craft to the next generation. Baker continued to be a respected and influential leader in the fight for human and civil rights until her death on December 13, 1986, her 83rd birthday.

For more information on Ella Baker and her continuing impact today, visit: https://ellabakercenter.org/ or https://www.womenofthehall.org/inductee/ella-baker/

BLACK HISTORY IS AMERICAN HISTORY!

By: U.S. Marine Corps Major Larry Black
Representative Tom Reed , the Republican congressman accused of sexually harassing a young lobbyist in 2017, apologised on Sunday and said he would not seek reelection.

Simply put, my behaviour caused her pain, showed her disrespect and was unprofessional. I was wrong, I am sorry, and I take full responsibility, Mr Reed said in a statement.

The apology came just two days after The Washington Post published a story in which Nicolette Davis, who four years ago was a 25-year-old lobbyist for Aflac, alleged that Mr Reed inappropriately rubbed her back, touched her thigh, and unhooked her bra strap at a 2017 networking event in Minneapolis.

A drunk congressman is rubbing my back, she texted a friend at the time. HELP HELP.

Ms Davis eventually got someone at the event, which was held at a pub, to pull the New York congressman away from her and out of the restaurant.

Read more:

When the Post story broke, Mr Reed only commented, This account of my actions is not accurate.

On Sunday, he was more contrite.

Even though I am only hearing of this matter as stated by Ms Davis in the article now, I hear her voice and will not dismiss her, Mr Reed said in his statement. In reflection, my personal depiction of this event is irrelevant.

He went on to explain that at the time of the incident, he was grappling with alcoholism.

This occurred at a time in my life in which I was struggling, the congressman said. Upon entering treatment in 2017, I recognised that I am powerless over alcohol. I am now approaching four years of that personal lifelong journey of recovery.

Until thePost story broke, Mr Reed had been seen as a potential challenger to Governor Andrew Cuomo , who is mired in his own sexual misconduct scandal after several women accused him of harassing them . Mr Reed had said Mr Cuomo should be impeached, and was considering running against him in 2022.

On Sunday, that possibility appeared to come to an end. Mr Reed said he would not run for governor or even for reelection as a US representative, instead focusing on his recovery from addiction.

With the support of my wife, kids and loved ones, professional help, and trust in a higher power, I continue that journey day-by-day, he said. This is in no way an excuse for anything Ive done. Consistent with my recovery, I publicly take ownership of my past actions, offer this amends and humbly apologise again to Ms. Davis, my wife and kids, loved ones, and to all of you.

Ms Davis, now a second lieutenant in the US Army, told the Post she accepted the apology.

I am grateful for Congressman Reeds reflection on his actions, she said. I accept his apology. I hope that his words and actions will be an example for others who face similar allegations.
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Dubai's leading business setup consultancy, Creative Zone, has signed Swedish social media personality Estelle Berglin, as its new Global Brand Ambassador.

Having lived and worked in different parts of the world, Estelle will play a prominent role in promoting the unique 'Nomad Entrepreneur' campaign that Creative Zone has been running.

"We are thrilled to welcome Estelle to the Creative Zone family," said Lorenzo Jooris, CEO, Creative Zone. She has made a distinct name for herself at such a young age, which is tremendously inspiring to women worldwide, and her talent, warmth, and charm will bring new energy to the company."

Berglin is a 23-year-old entrepreneur and social media content creator from Sweden who chose Dubai to find her niche and grow her audience and, in a short period, has gained over one million followers on her channels. Estelle does regular endorsements for international brands such as Sephora, Bodyshop, Shein, Na-Kd, amongst many others and very effectively communicates with an interesting blend of Swedish and UAE audience.

"I am honoured to represent one of the top business setup firms of Dubai; coming here and setting up my business was always my dream, and with Creative Zone being my partners, I am in very safe hands. For social media content creators, Dubai is the place to be because it allows influencers to expand their followers beyond one ethnical community, as there are more than 200 nationalities living and working here, making the field bigger and better. The country's multi-cultural environment and high safety standards are commendable."

In the last decade, social media platforms have evolved from being communication networks into an integral part of nearly every aspect of daily life, and social media influencers are the new trendsetters who hold immense power in driving consumer behaviour.

"Social media influencers have a strong digital presence, a powerful voice and are viewed as a reliable source from a very wide audience; with Estelle on board, we will be able to reach a much larger global audience and efficiently exhibit the ease of setting up a business in Dubai," added Lorenzo.

When it comes to digital evolution, the UAE tops the list as more than 90% of the country's population has smartphones, and about 86% of people are active social media users who follow at least one social media influencer and are likely to base their purchasing decision on their advice. Dubai is also one of the first few countries to have issued a social media influencer licence, making social media influencing a valid and recognised business activity in the region. -- Tradearabia News Service
(Natural News) Meet the leading apologist for the vaccine industry poisons today. Known for his toxic RotaTeq rotavirus vaccine that he patented using a deadly porcine virus, Paul Offit has made millions of dollars selling his insidious, dirty vaccines to the CDC and recommending them for all infants, while he continues to bankroll off auspiciously sick children at his hospital known as C.H.O.P. (Childrens Hospital of Philadelphia). A vaccine that has never been proven to work, both Rotavirus vaccines contain a deadly porcine (pig) virus that has absolutely NO BUSINESS as an ingredient in a childhood vaccine, or any vaccine for that matter.

Why would a vaccine manufacturer put strains of a deadly animal virus in a vaccine thats supposed to help prevent children from getting bacterial infections that cause diarrhea? Nobody can answer that question, including CHOP-man Offit.

Back in 2008, vaccine industry puppet Offit pocketed millions of Pharma dollars for inventing this dirty vaccine. His ultimate goal is to have every infant in America injected with multiple strains of deadly pig viruses by age two. The striking similarities between the side effects from getting the Rotavirus vaccine and the health problems the oral vaccine is supposed to protect against are overwhelmingly congruent. Take a look.

The vaccine supposedly protects against rotavirus infection that causes fever, vomiting and diarrhea, leading to loss of body fluids, dehydration, hospitalization and death. Yet, the vaccine itself commonly causes diarrhea, vomiting, fever, wheezing, coughing, ear infection, severe stomach pain, blood in the stool and intussusception, where part of the intestine gets blocked or twisted.

Deadly pig virus infections cause the same critical health conditions as the deadly rotavirus vaccines  coincidence?

All of these horrible health conditions are listed on the vaccine insert as disclaimers and side effects, and reported to VAERS (Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System). Intussusception is deadly, and can occur days or weeks after vaccination, showing an increased risk at 3 weeks after the first dose of RotaTeq, and an especially high risk in the first week.

Other allergic reactions to the deadly pig virus-containing vaccine include face and mouth swelling, difficulty breathing, and wait for it Kawasaki disease, which affects the heart and can also be fatal for infants. Of course, doctors dont know what causes Kawasaki disease.

The deadly disorder called intussusception, most likely caused by Rotavirus vaccines, causes part of the bowel to slide into the next section, like a telescope

How can an evil doctor make the most money possible? Invent a vaccine that makes infants deathly sick, make a fortune off the patent, then pretend to treat all the sick kids for anything else but the real cause. In fact, when intussusception happens, the flow of fluids and food through the bowel gets blockaded, and the intestines swell and bleed. Sounds like a very lucrative treatment plan for Dr. Offit. It gets worse.

The child suffers intolerable stomach pain, as the blood supply to the affected areas of the intestine gets completely cut off. In time, that section of the bowel dies off. This results in a medical emergency that just so happens to be the MOST COMMON abdominal emergency in children under 2 years of age. Now, whats the title of the program that the insidious Dr. Paul Offit promotes nationwide? Its called Every child by two.

Again, American doctors can never criticize or blame vaccines for any health damage, so doctors are instructed by the AMA, FDA and CDC to pretend they have no idea what causes intussusception. They just blindly and vaguely point the finger at the common cold or flu and sling more toxic prescriptions at the family.

Worried about catching the deadly China virus? Avoid getting vaccines that contain deadly Chinese porcine virus strains

The theory on vaccines is simple. Give a child a tiny fragment or weakened strain of a virus, and that childs immune system will create antibodies to fight it, so in the future the body will quickly recognize the virus and be ready to win the battle. But what if the virus is secretly contained in a vaccine in order to make a child deathly sick for profit? Is that ethical? Is it legal? Can the vaccine industry start putting cancer strains in vaccines? Guess what  they already did. Read about the disturbing link between vaccines and pediatric cancer. In fact, one of the most famous vaccine developers in the world, who worked for Merck, admitted that vaccines ROUTINELY contain hidden cancer viruses derived from diseased monkeys.

Still, every doctor in America swears that every vaccine is 100 percent safe and 100 percent effective 100 percent of the time. Its scripted and regurgitated to every parent at every doctor visit. To top that off, Paul Vaccine Industry Puppet Offit says kids and adults alike could get 10,000 vaccines all at once and walk away just fine. Sure Paul. Sounds terrific. You should demo that first on live television to prove it.

Tune your internet dial to Vaccines.news and find out about more ingredients that cause disease and disorder in humans that the medical industry uses to keep children sick and make boatloads of cold hard cash from it. Choose natural health and clean medicine thats safe. This has been a public service message from Natural Health News.

Sources for this article include:

Vaccines.news

cdc.gov/vaccines

NaturalNews.com

KidsHealth.org

NaturalNews.com
Subscriber content preview

SEATTLE  As the DJC first reported in December, the Low Income Housing Institute had a deal to purchase a new seven-story, 76-unit apartment building at 600 E. Howell St. King County recorded the over $18.3 million sale last week.

Public records indicate an over $5.5 million loan from NEF Preservation Mortgage Loan Fund. The Washington State Housing Finance Commission also helped finance the purchase.





. . .
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Diplomatic ties between the UK and Russia are 'nearly dead', Russias ambassador to Britain Andrei Kelin stated on Sunday. In a televised interview with the broadcaster LBC, London, Kelin accused the UK of breach of international treaty obligations, citing the UKs stockpiling of the nuclear arsenal, which he alleged that harms "global security".

Britain has reversed its commitment to arms control after it ramped up 180 nuclear warheads to 260, significantly bolstering its nuclear weaponry and expanding the military framework, which Moscow said was "at odds' with international treaty commitments. However, lambasting Moscow, the UK in the foreign and defense policy review published on Tuesday said that Russia poses a "spectrum of threats" to the security of Euro-Atlantic region.

The Integrated Review was drafted within the UKs post-Brexit foreign policy, which outlined Britains commitment to ramp up its nuclear armament to 260 by 2030. The report also held Moscow accountable for the alleged poisoning of a former officer of the Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) Sergei Skripal, and the assassination of Alexander Litvinenko with a weapons-grade nerve agent, citing Britains top counter-terrorism officers probe. In 2018, the UK also accused Russia of having a role in the death of British woman Dawn Sturgess and her partner Charlie Rowley with novichok poisonings. Several such cases thwarted relations between London and Moscow. The UK, in the sensational report, also accused Kremlin-linked actors of hacking into the British coronavirus research labs and launching disinformation about coronavirus vaccines with a 'vaccine hesitancy' campaign.

UK 'rebuffed' dialogue efforts, says Russia

In his televised address, however, Kelin brought out these allegations against Moscow saying UK has rebuffed Russias attempts of dialogue for resolution of long-existing conflicts and differences. Furthermore, he lambasted UKs administrative officials, saying that their unsubstantiated allegations have effectively "demolished" bilateral relations between the two nations. The Russian envoy strongly reacted to the UKs goal of strengthening its military capacity, expressing shock as he said the agenda is to increase the number of warheads by 40 per cent, which he described, was the violation of the non-proliferation treaty. The plan is illegal, he said in the live-streamed televised interview that aired Sunday, whose partial transcript was released on the radio stations website.

The Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, which Britain has ratified, came into force in 1970. The UK government had previously stated that it will not beach the terms of the pact, the radio broadcaster translated Kelins exact statement.

Moscows top envoy was referring to his talks with UKs foreign minister Dominic Raab which he held around December 2019. However, the British press on Sunday quoted a government spokesperson as saying that UK was fully committed to strengthen and modernize UKs security and its NATO allies, with a careful and minimum nuclear deterrence.
EV

This project is intended to become the driver for the transformation of the Spanish automotive industry. The support of the Spanish Government and the European Commission is needed. We believe that its part of our responsibility to electrify Spain. 70 years ago, we put this country on wheels. Our aim, now, is to put Spain on electric wheels, Wayne Griffiths, the President of SEAT S.A., mentioned during the carmaker's 2021 Annual Press Conference.These are optimistic and promising words, yet we hope Mr. Griffiths has also taken into consideration the development of the market and the EVs that the competition will launch for the next four years. The Spanish company will enter a segment of EVs priced at around 20,000-25,000. However, for an urban vehicle, that doesnt sound really attractive. For the same kind of money or even less, you can already buy such a car today.The Renault Zoe is a bit bigger (probably) and its price list starts at 32,500. The Honda e is a typical urban car and it is available in Europe for 29,500. Finally, the Dacia Spring four-door urbanis coming soon at a basic price of about 12,300 in France, including state subsidies. For sure, there will be some significant EVs aimed at the European and American market coming from many Asian brands, Chinese included, during the next four years.Our ambition is to produce more than 500,000 urban electric cars per year in Martorell also for the Volkswagen Group but we need a clear commitment by the European Commission, Mr. Griffiths added. It seems they will also assemble some urban EVs from Volkswagen and Skoda there. It looks like the new Seat EV might be a proper replacement for the Seat Mii, VW e-Up! and the Skoda Citigo e iV minimalist trio of electric urban cars. Wise strategic thinking, if this is the case.
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She became an aunt again when her sister-in-law, Pippa Middleton, gave birth to a baby girl last week.

And Vogue Williams enjoyed some quality family time with her younger brother, Alexander Wilson, and son Theodore, two, on a low-key stroll in west London on Monday.

The Irish TV personality, 35, took a walk on the wild side as she stepped out in a pair of statement leopard print leggings and a black jacket.

Family outing: Vogue Williams enjoyed some quality family time with her younger brother, Alexander Wilson, and son Theodore, two, on a low-key stroll in west London on Monday

The Heart FM host kept comfortable in black trainers and accessorised with a pair of oversized black sunglasses.

Little Theodore looked cosy in a mustard yellow beanie and matching coat, while Alexander kept things casual as he led his sister's beloved pet dog Winston through the capital.

Vogue and husband Spencer Matthews, 32, have had plenty of reasons to celebrate in the past couple of weeks after her sister-in-law, Pippa Middleton, 37, gave birth to a baby girl named Grace last week.

Pippa - the sister of the Duchess of Cambridge - and her husband James Matthews, 45, are also parents to son Arthur, two.

Looking fierce: The TV personality, 35, took a walk on the wild side as she stepped out in a pair of statement leopard print leggings and a black jacket

Vogue's half-brother Alexander is a planning manager by trade, and works for Spencer's low alcohol-content drinks start up, Clean Co.

Spencer went teetotal shortly after he and Vogue got married at his family's estate in the Scottish Highlands in June 2018.

The former Made In Chelsea lothario went on to set up his company to produce low and no-alcohol gin as a healthy alternative to traditional spirits.

It was recently revealed that Spencer furloughed staff at his firm Clean Co, despite being worth an estimated 3million.

MailOnline learned that both Spencer and his older brother James have both been claiming taxpayers' money to furlough staff.

Hedge fund boss James is believed to have been using the government handouts to pay the six employees of his Scottish shooting estate, Glen Affric.

The state-funded Coronavirus Jobs Retention Scheme (CJRS), running since the first lockdown almost a year ago, is designed to help cash-strapped employers survive the lean months of the pandemic.

Vogue met and fell in love with Spencer in 2017 after appearing on Channel 4 reality show The Jump, with the couple going on to marry at Glen Affric in June 2018.

The couple welcomed son Theodore in September that year, while daughter Gigi, now eight months, was born in July 2020.
The African Development Banks Board of Directors has approved a $5 million investment in the SPARK+ Africa Fund to deliver clean cooking solutions to over two million households across Africa.

The European Commission will contribute an additional 10 million. The Banks investment, which will come from its Sustainable Energy Fund for Africa (SEFA), is expected to enable the participation of other interested investors. As an anchor investor, the Bank will channel first-loss equity from SEFA and the European Commission thematic blending facility.

In addition to delivering clean cooking technologies, the investment is expected to reduce carbon emissions by 15.9 Mt of CO2 equivalent, by cutting emissions from the use of inefficient stoves and open fires and forest degradation for wood fuel.

Switching to cleaner cookstoves reduces exposure to harmful cooking smoke and the time spent collecting firewood, a burden that falls disproportionately on women.

By investing in the rollout of clean cooking solutions to millions of households, the Bank is also contributing to womens empowerment, employment creation and reduced deforestation associated with charcoal production, said Dr. Kevin Kariuki, African Development Bank Vice President for Power, Energy, Climate and Green Growth.

The investment complements the Banks wider efforts to address the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, he said: Positive health impacts from the reduction of household indoor air pollution also contributes to resilience toward diseases attacking respiratory systems such as COVID-19.

Dymphna van der Lans, Chief Executive Officer of the Clean Cooking Alliance said: The Clean Cooking Alliance is very pleased to have collaborated with Enabling Qapital, the African Development Bank, and the European Commission to develop this ground-breaking investment facility. We believe the SPARK+ Africa Fund will have a tremendous impact in the market and accelerate clean cooking sector growth to positively impact the lives of millions of people in the years to come.

Xavier Pierluca, Managing Partner of Enabling Qapital stated: We have designed the SPARK+ Africa Fund to take an ecosystem approach to further the outreach of quality solutions to low-income communities by offering tailored investment instruments throughout the value chain from design and manufacturing companies to last-mile distributors.

SPARK+ Africa is a pioneering impact investment fund launched by Enabling Qapital and the Clean Cooking Alliance to channel debt and equity financing to enterprises that manufacture, distribute and finance clean cooking solutions across Sub-Saharan Africa. The Fund targets a capitalization of $50- 70 million.

The scale of the challenge of widening access to clean cooking in Africa remains daunting, in part because much-needed investment has been hindered by high perceived risks and, in many cases, a return profile insufficient to attract commercial investment. The SPARK+ Africa Fund is a direct response to this challenge and is a key component of the AfDBs response to the clean cooking challenge. The investment in the Funds first-loss tranche will directly address a critical financing gap and enable the participation of other interested financiers.

The Clean Cooking Alliance works with a global network of partners to make clean cooking

accessible to the three billion people who live each day without it. Enabling Qapital Ltd. is an impact investment advisory company with a track record in advancing financial inclusion and access to energy.

SEFA is a multi-donor special fund administered by the African Development Bank and anchored by the Governments of Denmark, the United States, the United Kingdom, Italy, Norway, Sweden and Spain  to support Renewable Energy (RE) and Energy Efficiency (EE) projects in Africa. The approval was made on November 24, 2020.
A taxi driver named as the prime suspect in the disappearance of Sharron Phillips in 1986 has also been accused of raping his sister-in-law, during the first day of the coronial inquest into the case.

The evidence mounted against Raymond Mulvihill, who died of cancer in 2002, with a cold case detective saying Mr Mulvihill was a prime suspect and that his son might have been involved.

Raymond Peter Mulvihill, a taxi driver who died in 2002, was named by police as the prime suspect in the disappearance of Sharron Phillips.

We believe Raymond Mulvihill played a significant role in [Ms Phillips] disappearance. Ian Seeley [his son] potentially played a role as well, Detective Sergeant Scott Chapman told the inquest on Monday.

Ms Phillips was last seen in Wacol, in Brisbanes outer south-west, late on the night of May 8, 1986.
New Delhi, Mar 22 (UNI) Afghanistan Foreign Minister Mohammad Haneef Atmar will arrive here on Monday on a three-day visit.

During his visit, Mr Atmar is expected to meet External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar.

Mr Atmar's visit holds a significant importance as US had recently announced the date May 1 as a deadline to remove all its troops from the war-torn Afghanistan, under an agreement signed with the Taliban last year.

Notably, US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin, in a bid to further the 'peace talks', touched down in Kabul on Sunday.

UNI JAL SB 1109
DIGITAL DIVIDE

STEPPING UP

GETTING AN APPOINTMENT

(TNS)  Dianne Kricheldorf was angry and frustrated."I am 87 years old. I do not have a computer and I have been trying to get numbers to call so I can get an appointment to get a vaccination for COVID-19," she said in a terse one minute, 47-second voicemail last week. "I go. I call the numbers and it gives me a computer method of getting an appointment. So if I don't have a computer, I can't get one. ... I think there's a lot of us seniors and people who cannot afford computers in this area that are being neglected."It's one of the ironies of the pandemic. Many of the people who are at the highest risk of getting severely sick or dying of COVID-19 are also the least likely to have the technological access and ability to get themselves an appointment for a COVID-19 vaccine. Without a computer, it's a struggle just trying to find where the vaccines are being offered. And it's difficult to actually book an appointment if you don't have a computer or smartphone. The state health department, county health departments and pharmacies all rely on online portals for people to find and make appointments. With demand at fever pitch, even those who have Internet access have struggled to find an appointment as they're snatched up within minutes if not seconds of being offered.Older people. Poor people. People of color. People who live in rural areas with limited or no broadband. People who don't speak English or can't read. They are all among the categories of people that government agencies say they want to make sure are included in the mass rollout of vaccinations. But they're being left behind. Kricheldorf is a perfect example.The retired Kenmore-Town of Tonawanda sixth-grade school teacher is by no means helpless, she explained to. She's driven across the country by herself many times. She mows her own lawn and does her own snow blowing. She even does her own plumbing and did all the wiring in a rental home she bought that she is slowly fixing by herself. She bought a computer many years ago, but it grew obsolete and she didn't want to spend $700 to $800 for a new one, in addition to the cost of Internet access. She doesn't like smartphones. Her nephew talked her into carrying a flip phone for which she buys 250 minutes at a time for $29 per card.Since January, when New York State opened up eligibility for the vaccines to people 65 and over, Kricheldorf has been trying to get an appointment. Without a computer, it has been tough. Anytime she saw a phone number to call about vaccines, she tried. Sometimes it just rang. Often it led to a recorded message. "And then you just get a computer referral," Kricheldorf said. She went to a local independent pharmacy and ended up on a wait list  with about 5,000 people ahead of her."They said we'll call you when it's your time," she said.The U.S. hit a significant milestone in the vaccine rollout process last week with 100 million doses administered so far. But there's no question the rollout has been a bumpy and frustrating one, especially for people with limited or no access to the Internet. The pandemic first exposed that digital divide for children as schools across the nation turned to remote learning. Then came the vaccine appointment process.At first, the 65-and-older population in New York could only get appointments at pharmacies and that often required getting online and constantly refreshing websites until an appointment became available. The state then began setting up "pop-up" vaccine sites to try to reach more people of color and populations that were seeing lower-than-average vaccination rates. But because those appointments were available to anyone in the state, there was no way to limit them to the people who actually live in the neighborhoods where the clinics were being held. Then more categories of people became eligible, including people with certain medical conditions.Both urban and rural communities have struggled. Earlier this month the state opened up a mass vaccine site at Genesee Community College. But within 90 minutes of the announcement, all 3,500 appointments were taken. Less than a quarter went to people who live in Genesee, Orleans or Wyoming counties. Half went to Erie County residents."With limited vaccine access and many of our residents with limited/no broadband or computers, it is difficult to access the online registration," said Orleans County Public Health educator Nola Goodrich-Kresse. Offices for the Aging in Genesee and Orleans counties have been trying to help people 60 and over make appointments. For those younger, she said right now they are referring them to libraries and urging them to seek help from friends and family."We understand this is a challenge and we are working with the state to help them understand the challenges many rural counties face, especially regarding Internet access and limited vaccine access," she said.Public health departments are aware of the issue and are trying to find ways to address it.The Erie County Health Department is preparing to turn the county's COVID-19 information hotline into a number where people can call to schedule appointments at county-run vaccination sites. In the meantime, the county has been screening the information line for people who are homebound to try to get them the county's limited supply of one-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine.Health Department spokeswoman Kara Kane said "plans are taking shape with ECDOH, the Erie County Department of Social Services, and the Erie County Office for People with Disabilities to partner with local groups for outreach to older adults and others who may not have Internet access or smartphones for appointments and education."Several branches of the Buffalo & Erie County Public Library also began offering in-person assistance in booking vaccines. Jericho Road Community Health Center, which has clinics on both the East and West sides of Buffalo, has been administering hundreds of vaccines every week.Unlike most vaccine sites, Jericho's staff are the ones who do the reaching out. "Hello, this is Jericho Road Community Health calling," said Dil Bhujel into a portable phone Thursday afternoon as she was seated with two other staffers at a long fold-up table at Jericho's clinic at 1021 Broadway."I'm calling people to make sure they show up," Bhujel explained. She and the other staffers also are making calls throughout the day to patients at the clinics to offer them the vaccine, schedule their appointments and then remind them to show up. They're also reaching out to residents of ZIP codes 14201, 14203, 14207, 14211, 14212, 14213 and 14215. They have an online portal too, but they know their patients and the people in the communities they serve may not be able to navigate a website, especially those whose first language isn't English."It's hard," said Laura Pearman, a community health worker who put together a spreadsheet of patients to determine who was eligible and who should be called. "A lot of people don't speak English. Sometimes they just hang up." Among those receiving her first dose of the Moderna vaccine Thursday afternoon was Tasheaka Jones, who does custodial work and lives in Buffalo. "I feel like I want to live," she said, as she prepared to get her shot. She rolled up her sleeve for the nurse, Danesha McLaughlin, who coaxed her into relaxing her left arm then expertly injected her. "You did it?" Jones said, when she realized it was over. "Girl, I didn't even know!"Last week after Dianne Kricheldorf left the message with, I called her back. "A lot of seniors do not have smartphones. They do not have computers," she told me. I told her about the state's COVID-19 vaccine number  833-NYS-4-VAX (1-833-697-4829). I had heard from other people I had interviewed that they had luck calling that one. She called me back to let me know that she was able to talk to a real person but was told there were no appointments at the time at any of the state-run sites nearby.Then I offered to see if maybe I could help. She agreed. I got her information and logged on to the state website and began trying, hitting refresh every few minutes. I knew from my colleague Tom Precious' account about getting a vaccine that the state's website tended to add new appointments at the bottom and top of the hour. I opened up a couple more websites for drug store chains. Refresh. Refresh. Refresh.Then suddenly on the CVS page  appointments were available in just two days.I began plugging in Kricheldorf's information but realized I needed more. I called her and the phone rang and rang and rang. My heart sank. Did she leave her house? Could she not hear the phone?Then she picked up. "I got an appointment!" I told her. And she was all set to get her first dose.
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Even before a pandemic stirred still-incomplete economic devastation, west-central Illinois was seeing geographic prosperity eroding in many counties, a new report says.

In its Distressed Communities Index report, Washington, D.C.-based Economic Innovation Group lists two west-central Illinois counties as distressed, and three more at risk.

Most counties are in the middle of its five-tier rating system, with only two counties  Sangamon and Jersey  considered comfortable.

Economic Innovation Group was founded in 2015 by several technology entrepreneurs. It mapped every ZIP code in the U.S. based on criteria that included poverty rate, adult unemployment, housing vacancies, median household income, percentage of population without a high school diploma, changes in employment and changes in establishments.

Each metric was chosen to capture a distinct aspect of economic distress. Combined, they provide a more complete assessment of a place than any single measure could in isolation. For example, a low-income community with a thriving small business sector where work is plentiful and homes are occupied and maintained is very different from a high-poverty neighborhood where attachment to the labor force runs low, homes are abandoned, and businesses are closing, the report authors said.

From those statistics, it assigned each county a distress score between 1 and 100. The lower the score, the better.

A deeper look The Distressed Communities Index assigns a rating of 1 to 100 based on key economic indicators and ranks them as prosperous, comfortable, mid-tier, at risk or distressed. Here are the ratings for towns and cities in the area: Arenzville | 31 (Comfortable) Ashland | 41.5 (Mid-tier) Barry | 73.3 (At risk) Baylis | 64.9 (At risk) Beardstown | 87.7 (Distressed) Bluffs | 76.4 (At risk) Brighton | 33.1 (Comfortable) Bunker Hill | 54.1 (Mid-tier) Carlinville | 56.1 (Mid-tier) Carrollton | 69.8 (At risk) Chandlerville | 39.9 (Comfortable) Dow | 30.6 (Comfortable) Elsah | 18.5 (Prosperous) Fieldon | 58.4 (Mid-tier) Franklin | 33.6 (Comfortable) Girard | 67.9 (At risk) Golden Eagle | 57.4 (Mid-tier) Grafton | 53 (Mid-tier) Greenfield | 80.7 (Distressed) Hardin | 90.5 (Distressed) Hartford | 78.5 (At risk) Jacksonville | 73.4 (At risk) Jerseyville | 60.5 (At risk) Kampsville | 82.1 (Distressed) Kane | 89.9 (Distressed) Meredosia | 94.3 (Distressed) Moro | 34.4 (Comfortable) Mount Sterling | 79.6 (At risk) Murrayville | 54.5 (Mid-tier) Nebo | 86.9 (Distressed) New Berlin | 37.7 (Comfortable) Palmyra | 70 (At risk) Pearl | 86.2 (Distressed) Pittsfield | 71.4 (At risk) Pleasant Hill | 88.5 (Distressed) Pleasant Plains | 10.4 (Prosperous) Roodhouse | 95.3 (Distressed) Rushville | 89.8 (Distressed) Shipman | 39.5 (Comfortable) Staunton | 47.6 (Mid-tier) Versailles | 23.2 (Comfortable) Virden | 53.6 (Mid-tier) Virginia | 50.9 (Mid-tier) Waverly | 51.4 (Mid-tier) White Hall | 94.1 (Distressed) See More Collapse

Tiers were determined in 20-point increments, going from prosperous to comfortable, mid-tier, at risk and distressed.

Make no mistake, there is much to celebrate about the past decade and the breadth and duration of the economic expansion that followed the Great Recession, which demonstrated the positive impact tight labor markets can have for low-income families. Yet, now that the music has stopped, it is clear that modest gains briefly enjoyed can slip away in an instant, while the foundations of prosperity for well-off people and places stand on much firmer ground, the report concluded.

The extended shutdowns of many businesses, particularly lower-wage service industries, during the past year will compound the problem, it said.

Places and households that were finally beginning to benefit from a long economic growth cycle now face a slew of new challenges, from housing insecurity to business failures and immense uncertainty about what the future may hold. The pandemic will test the fragility of the more equitable, more diverse prosperity that was taking shape across the country and threaten the modest progress made in Black communities since the turn of the century, according to the report.

Sixteen Illinois counties were determined prosperous, with Grundy County in northern Illinois rated the highest at 1.5. Fourteen counties were in distress, including Greene and Schuyler counties in west-central Illinois. Alexander County in far southern Illinois was rated lowest, at 97.1.

Greene County was at 86.4, according to the study, significantly worse than its 68.8 at-risk status in 2000.

While the nation averaged a 4.5% increase in businesses, Greene County lost 15.9% of its establishments, according to the report.

The largest economic disparities were in its housing vacancy rate, which was 16.8% compared to a national average of 9.4%, and median household income, which was $46,100, compared to the national average of $60,500.

Schuyler County was slightly lower at 80.5, although significantly higher than in 2000, when its distress score was at a mid-tier 50.8.

Its 21.4% poverty rate was well-above the 13.9% national average and its median household income of $46,200 was below the $60,500 federal threshold. Although its change in business establishments was and housing vacancy rates were closer to the national average, the percentage of adults not working  34.6%  was significantly above the national 23.5%.

Cass, Jersey and Calhoun counties were rated at-risk, with distress scores ranging from 63.7 in Cass to 74.7 in Calhoun. Pike was at 66.

Mid-tier designations were given to Morgan (58.6) Brown (59.2), Scott (59.8) and Macoupin (53.7), although some individual cities and towns within those counties fared better or worse.

This research is a sobering reminder that the United States has largely failed to translate national economic growth into tangible improvements for our countrys most vulnerable communities since the turn of the century, Economic Innovation Group President John Lettieri said. In the midst of the pandemic and economic crisis, policymakers move with greater urgency to lay the groundwork for a broad-based recovery  one that truly reaches the 50 million Americans living in distressed communities.

Statewide, 22.1% of Illinois residents live in economically distressed ZIP codes, the study found.
Toronto, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - March 22, 2021) - LevelJump Healthcare Corp. (TSXV: JUMP) (FSE: 75J) ("LevelJump" or the "Company"), a Canadian leader in B2B telehealth solutions, is pleased to announce that the Company's are now quoted on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange ("FSE") under the symbol 75J.

The European listing is a very strategic move for the Company as the Frankfurt Stock Exchange is one of the world's largest trading centers for securities. With a share in turnover of around 90 per cent, it is the largest of Germany's stock exchanges. This is also reflected in the structure of its participants, of which almost half are from European countries outside of Germany.

The Company is excited to be able to offer increasing liquidity options for its shareholders through additional quotation mediums in Europe.

Additional information about the Company can be found by visiting the Company's SEDAR profile at www.sedar.com.

About LevelJump Healthcare

LevelJump Healthcare Corp., (TSXV: JUMP) is building a national medical diagnostic imaging company and brand, primarily by providing teleradiology (remote radiology) services to its client hospitals and imaging centers. Additionally, JUMP plans to expand through the acquisition of independent healthcare facilities focused on diagnostic imaging as well as acquiring new disruptive imaging technologies.

ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS OF

LEVELJUMP HEALTHCARE CORP.

Mitchell Geisler, Chief Executive Officer

info@leveljumphealthcare.com

(877) 722-6965

CAUTIONARY STATEMENT REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING INFORMATION

This news release contains "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable securities laws relating to the Company's business plans and the outlook of the Company's industry. Although the Company believes, in light of the experience of its officers and directors, current conditions and expected future developments and other factors that have been considered appropriate, that the expectations reflected in this forward-looking information are reasonable, undue reliance should not be placed on them because the Company can give no assurance that they will prove to be correct. Actual results and developments may differ materially from those contemplated by these statements. The statements in this press release are made as of the date of this release and the Company assumes no responsibility to update them or revise them to reflect new events or circumstances other than as required by applicable securities laws. The Company undertakes no obligation to comment on analyses, expectations or statements made by third-parties in respect of the Company, Canadian Teleradiology Services, Inc., their securities, or their respective financial or operating results (as applicable).

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

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/78061
Hamilton County Schools announced Monday the launch of its new monthly podcast, Extra Credit, which will connect the community with whats going on at HCS and answer listeners most pressing questions.The first episode features Dr. Bryan Johnson and will rotate in teachers, staff, students, parents, community partners and more. The podcast is around 15 minutes long and will release toward the end of each month. Listeners can send any questions theyre interested in having discussed to communications@hcde.org.To listen and subscribe, visit https://linktr.ee/hamiltoncountyschools or go to www.hcde.org and click Listen to our Podcast at the top.
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New Delhi:

Rohingya militants, the world's most persecuted minority, have declared an immediate unilateral one-month ceasefire. Faced with the barbarity, about 10,000 Rohingya Muslims from Myanmar have rushed into Bangladesh for refuge.

Through twitter handle, the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA) has announced a temporary cessation of offensive military operations to allow humanitarian aid to reach the battered region.

In order to provide aid delivery to all victims of humanitarian crisis irrespective of ethnic or religious background, the group urged "all humanitarian actors" to resume the aid process.

It recommended Myanmar to "reciprocate humanitarian pause" in fighting, with huge numbers of displaced moving across Rakhine many believed to be in desperate need of help after over two weeks of violence.

Also Read| Rohingya Violence: Thousands of Rohingya refugees celebrate Eid in Bangladesh

Its Twitter page is often the first to publish ARSA statements or direct readers to videos.

Recent statement was signed by Ata Ullah, who purportedly commands the militants from jungle bases straddling the Bangladesh-Myanmar border.

On 25 August, ARSA has launched coordinated raids using hundreds of militants on around 30 police posts and state forces in northern Rakhine state. The kickback by security forces incited the Rohingya exodus.

Also Read| Suu Kyi on Rohingya Muslims: Need to differentiate between terrorists and innocents

The violence in Myanmar started on Aug. 25, when insurgents attacked Myanmar police and paramilitary posts in what they said was an effort to protect minority Rohingya. In response, the military started what it called "clearance operations" to wipe out the insurgents.

Recently United Nations (UN) has released data on Rohingya Muslims, according to that around nearly 60,000 Rohingyas have arrived in Bangladesh since the violence erupted on August 25.

For all the Latest World News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps.
The newspapers have reported that Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) has approached the Union government with a request to exempt independent directors from criminal liability under various laws. It is not the first time this issue has engaged the attention of business chambers. However, there has been no well-articulated effort on the part of the government to look at this issue in totality.

Recently, the ministry of corporate affairs (MCA) took some initiative to decriminalise some of the offences under the company law. This was certainly a good beginning.

However, it is quite essential to pick up this subject at a more holistic level to attempt a complete codification of the law and procedures so that the issue of accountability and liability is captured in a manner that due proportionality and sufficient deterrence is built into the law; and to have a salutary balance between punishment for culpability and eliminating witch hunt or using the law as an instrument of harassment for collateral objectives.

Independent directors should be clearly differentiated from non-independent directors and senior officers and executives in terms of role expectation and fixation of responsibility. The company law and more so other Central and local laws do not differentiate between directors. Notices as a routine are issued to all directors in the event of any alleged default.

For example, it is seen that for non-deduction of taxes the recovery notices and prosecution initiation routinely cover independent directors. So, do notices under pollution control or many other state laws.

It will be a Herculean task to get each of the states to amend the different laws in this regard. Hence there is a need to have an out-of-the-box approach to deal with this.

CII and other chambers should put their minds together and see if legally a solution is possible such that independent directors are brought under a distinct dispensation that gives them the necessary locus to play the oversight role expected of them but technically do not fall in the category of directors, the term, which becomes the reason for issuance of notices by various enforcement agencies.

Having made this point, it will be a travesty of fairness if independent directors, who occupy their position with a created expectation that they will ensure good governance and a fair treatment to all stake holders, do not hold any accountability at all.

This needs to be juxtaposed with the fact that independent directors in many companies draw an attractive remuneration beyond the statutory sitting fees.

Hence, there has to be a rational way to list out specific defaults that would cause an independent director to be indicted and rendered liable to punishment. It may be a contentious issue to have a finite list of defaults that would expose independent directors to punishment.

Nevertheless, the collective wisdom of legal experts and corporate secretaries should help attempt this.

While the punishment by argument will exclude a jail sentence as independent directors are entirely excluded from the ambit of criminal proceedings, the imposition of cost should have due proportionality to the remuneration earned. In a manner of stating this is like a disgorgement provision.

While codifying the law afresh, the balancing should be achieved with more clarity on the responsibility of the non-independent directors and senior executives, which term includes key management personnel as per the law.

It is worth considering if all fines and penalties paid by a company under any situation be mandatorily recovered from the concerned persons who failed to ensure proper adherence to the law.

Recently, a leading non-life insurance company was slapped with a significant fine by Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (IRDAI).

Non-banking finance companies (NBFCs) are exposed to payment of fines under the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) Act if there is a failure to adhere to the relevant regulations.

These are just limited examples and the list can be much longer. The justification to have this is to bring about greater accountability among top executives for due adherence to law which is a greater responsibility they carry even over business management.

The payment of fines and penalties should not be seen as just a cost of doing business that is factored in the way the enterprise prices its output.

For example, a regulated entity like an NBFC can routinely violate norms to achieve greater returns on its portfolio and view the fine as another debit item in the expenditure statement.

It is necessary to make the senior management accountable and the recovery of fines should ideally be more at higher levels like the managing director and other executive directors and it should not be thrust on the lower-level officers who normally execute instructions from the bosses.

To conclude, the system of making people accountable is very critical for a more ethical conduct of business and at the same time the responsibility should be fixed where it belongs.

(The author is a CA and CS and retired as a partner at EY, Chennai heading tax and regulatory advice.)
Protesting the coup d'etat in Myanmar

Members of the Burmese community of Indianapolis came to the Soldiers and Sailors Monument to protest the violent military coup that removed democratically elected members of Myanmar's government. The coup occurred on February 1, 2021. The protesters told stories of violence and prayed for their people back in Myanmar.

Andrew Kossack, the state director and counsel for Indiana senator Todd Young, presented the Burmese community with a message of support along with prayers for Myanmar.

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A promotion campaign has been introduced in Ho Chi Minh City with the aim of bringing United States agricultural products closer to Vietnamese consumers.

Named United Tastes, the marketing initiative is designed for the Vietnamese market and coordinated by the U.S. Consulate General in Ho Chi Minh City and the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

The program features agricultural products and ingredients originating in the U.S. as well as introduce different cooking recipes that consumers can prepare in the comfort of their home.

These products and recipes are brought closer to Vietnamese buyers via the campaigns official website, Facebook page, Instagram, and YouTube channel.

Consumers can also read stories and information on how the products are grown and processed in the U.S. to have a better understanding of their quality and safety.

Agricultural trade has been an important part of the U.S.-Vietnam relationship in the past 25 years, U.S. Consul General in Ho Chi Minh City Marie C. Damour said at the launch of the initiative on March 18.

By the end of 2020, the U.S. had exported US$3.7 billion worth of agricultural products to Vietnam, Damour continued.

Vietnam is now the seventh-largest agriculture market of the U.S., with soybeans, corn, pork, and beef being the main imports, said Robert Hanson, agricultural counsellor at the U.S. Consulate in Ho Chi Minh City.

The U.S. is also stepping up the export of apples, blueberries, and baking ingredients, Hanson added.

With increasing income, the Vietnamese people are paying more attention to safe and healthy products of clear origin, he continued.

They have adopted the habit of using social media to follow consumption trends, going shopping at supermarkets, and dining at restaurants.

U.S. farm producers have been focusing on product safety and diversity, Hanson stated, adding that consumers will be provided with information about the farming and processing of the U.S. produce.

Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam!
INCAs statement comes hot on the heels of UK regulator Ofcom revealing the results of its five-year market review of the telecoms sector and the UK governments Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport (DCMS) announcing the first phase of Project Gigabit: a 5 billion fund for rural connectivity. Yet, insists INCA, the regulator and Government re not aligned when it comes to the growing sector of independent digital infrastructure providers the so-called altnets, that the association represents.Indeed INCA stressed that altnet investment is desperately needed to hit government connectivity targets, even though it says the regulators market review statement dismissed the sectors concerns.It added that under plans to cover the hardest to reach areas, it appeared that the government fully expects a range of altnets to bid for contracts in the build out programme, alongside BT Openreach and increasingly substantial independent players like CityFibre which has grown substantially over the last twelve months. INCA noted that at Ofcom, whilst recognising that smaller altnets play an important role in providing fibre to rural areas serving rural communities at a time when Openreach has not been willing to extend its network, does not view the same altnets as capable of providing significant competition to BT - in the same hard to reach areas.While government recognises the importance of the competitive market, Ofcom seems fixated only on incentivising BT to invest, dismissing the majority of altnets as bit players, recognising few of their concerns in the market review statement, remarked INCA CEO Malcolm Corbett. If operators and their investors believe that the regulator is not willing to listen to their concerns and act on them it risks delaying deployment and undermining the government targets, particularly in more challenging rural areas.INCA said that many of its members have raised significant investment to serve communities throughout the UK, a figure it puts at around 9 billion. Given that the overall cost of renewing the UKs digital infrastructure is calculated to be 30 billion, INCA says that altnet investment is desperately needed alongside BTs 12 billion, up to 10 billion from V irgin Media and Government investment of 5 billion.
WASHINGTON  Justice Department officials have reviewed potential sedition charges against members of the Oath Keepers militia group who attacked the Capitol on Jan. 6, and they have been weighing whether to file them for weeks, according to law enforcement officials briefed on the deliberations.

The group members, including Thomas E. Caldwell, Jessica M. Watkins and Donovan Crowl, were indicted last month on charges of conspiring to obstruct Congresss ability to certify the Electoral College victory of Joseph R. Biden Jr., then the president-elect.

The Justice Department has rarely brought charges of sedition, the crime of conspiring to overthrow the government, and has not successfully prosecuted such a case in more than 20 years.

The decision about how to move forward has languished while Justice Department leaders go through the Senate confirmation process. The new attorney general, Merrick B. Garland, was sworn in on March 11 and is likely to have final say over such a high-profile case.
New international learning exchange programme announced after Erasmus+ withdrawal

This article is old - Published: Monday, Mar 22nd, 2021

A new international learning exchange programme for students at Welsh universities is to begin next year.

The move follows the UK Governments decision to withdraw from the popular Erasmus+ scheme.

The scheme will enable learners and staff, both from Wales and those who come to study or work in Wales, to continue to benefit from international exchanges in a similar way to the opportunities that flowed from Erasmus+, not just in Europe but also further afield.

The new scheme  which will run from 2022 to 2026  will be supported by an investment of 65m from the Welsh Government.





The Programme will provide funding to enable students, staff and learners across universities, Further Education and Vocational Education and Training, Adult Education, youth work settings and schools to undertake a period of structured learning or work experience overseas, as well as enabling strategic partnerships.

A fundamental principle of the programme will be reciprocity. Where necessary, the programme will fund costs related to the inward mobility of learners, teachers and young people from partner organisations abroad. This will enable existing partnerships which have been built up under Erasmus + to continue and help to create new ones, raising Wales international profile as well as offering opportunities to those who benefit directly.

The scheme aims to enable 15,000 participants from Wales to go on overseas mobility exchanges over the first four years, with 10,000 participants coming to study or work in Wales.

Cardiff University has agreed to take on the detailed development of the programme over the next 12 months, working with an advisory board of stakeholders from across the education and youth sectors, with funded activities getting underway in 2022/3.

While Welsh institutions will be able to participate in the UK Governments Turing Scheme in 2021/2, they will also continue to benefit from Erasmus+ exchanges deferred from last year due to the pandemic. The new programme will then fill the gaps Turing leaves, including, crucially, the commitment to long-term funding, the retention of the principle of two-way exchanges and the inclusion of youth work.

Kirsty Williams, the Education Minister, said: We have been clear that international exchange programmes, which bring so many benefits to participants, as well as their education providers and wider community, should build on the excellent opportunities that the Erasmus+ programme offered.

I am therefore delighted to announce today that the Welsh Government is investing in our future generations by launching an International Learning Exchange Programme for Wales.

Our students and staff are vital ambassadors for us overseas, promoting the message that Wales is an inviting destination for students and partners across the world, and their education and cultural awareness are improved in many ways as a result of spending time abroad  just as our education providers are enriched by students and staff visiting Wales to study and teach.

By investing in this programme now, we are investing in a strong, international and prosperous future for all young people in Wales.

The main beneficiaries of the new scheme will be young people in upper secondary, for whom the challenges of learning from home over the last year have been particularly profound. We owe it to this next generation of students and learners to have the same opportunities previous years had.

Mark Drakeford, the First Minister, said: Spending time studying, volunteering or on work placements abroad broadens horizons, expands key skills and brings benefits to communities and organisations here in Wales. We are determined to ensure that young people across our country benefit from these opportunities.

This is a down payment on our young peoples futures, offering opportunities to all, from all backgrounds. Securing these opportunities is particularly important in the context of the difficulties experienced by young people and learners across Wales as a result of the pandemic.

As we emerge from the pandemic, the Welsh Government is committed to ensuring Wales remains an outward-looking nation, which welcomes those who come to study or work here and embraces partnerships across Europe and the world.

Professor Colin Riordan, the President and Vice-Chancellor of Cardiff University, which has taken on the challenge of developing and delivering the programme, said:

Here at Cardiff University, we see first-hand how international experiences broaden our students horizons and open up a world of opportunities for their futures once they leave us. This is why we enable all of our students to study a language, for free, alongside their studies, and encourage them to volunteer, work or study abroad via our Global Opportunities Centre.

We are delighted to be entrusted with hosting and co-developing the new International Learning Exchange programme which secures the opportunity for global experiences for the next generation of students, across a wide range of learning settings. We are sure that the scheme will be of huge benefit both for the learners and for raising the global profile of Wales as a connected, open and inviting country.

Colegau Cymru Chair Guy Lacey said:

We are pleased to welcome todays Welsh Government announcement. The value of international exchange programmes has long been known in the FE sector, providing opportunities to broaden the horizons of its participants which in turn gives a positive impact on individuals, colleges and the wider community. This assurance will also allow us to maintain and build on our relationships with overseas partners.

Professor Iwan Davies, Vice-Chancellor of Bangor University and Chair of Global Wales. An outward-looking and competitive nation requires a skilled workforce with a global outlook. Providing opportunities for students to be internationally mobile through study or work is crucial to this, and we welcome the expanded opportunities that the new International Learning Exchange programme offers to both students and staff.

We also welcome the ongoing support for the Global Wales Programme  an initiative which builds fruitful partnerships around the globe, capitalising on the strengths of our universities and supporting Wales to define its role on the world stage.

As we emerge from the pandemic, this support will be crucial in enabling us to continue to build on relationships with our global partners, promoting Wales as an open and welcoming destination for students and researchers alike.

Professor Julie Lydon, Vice-Chancellor of the University of South Wales and Chair of Universities Wales, said:

We welcome todays announcement of a bold new international learning exchange programme for Wales.

Research shows that students who spend some time abroad working, studying or volunteering achieve better degrees and get better jobs, and that the benefits are even greater for participants from the least advantaged backgrounds.

This opportunity to increase student and researcher mobility will be of huge benefit, not only to the individuals concerned but to our universities and campuses, and the country as a whole.

The reciprocal nature of the new scheme will provide key benefits for Wales. International students, staff and researchers play an invaluable role in diversifying and internationalising our campuses and communities at a time when retaining an international outlook is more important than ever.
Denton, TX (76205)

Today

A mix of clouds and sun during the morning will give way to cloudy skies this afternoon. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. High 82F. Winds ESE at 5 to 10 mph..

Tonight

Mostly cloudy skies this evening will become partly cloudy after midnight. Low 63F. Winds SE at 5 to 10 mph.

The Nagol is Back! VTOs guide to this years Nagol, plus where to stay and play in south, central and north Pentecost.

A dedicated Oklahoma churchgoer hasn't missed a service since the pandemic started, tuning in every Sunday for virtual church.

But even though Dr. Laverne Wimberly, 82, has been attending Metropolitan Baptist Church in Tulsa online, she hasn't left behind her Sunday best, and dresses up to the nines every week to sit in front of her computer.

'I just decided at that point Im just going to get dressed as if I was going to church, so I would not get into the habit of just slouching around,' the chic worshipper told WVLT.

A dedicated Oklahoma churchgoer hasn't missed a service since the pandemic started, tuning in every Sunday for virtual church

But even though Dr. Laverne Wimberly, 82, has been attending Metropolitan Baptist Church in Tulsa online, she hasn't left behind her Sunday best

She dresses up to the nines every week to sit in front of her computer

'I just decided at that point Im just going to get dressed as if I was going to church, so I would not get into the habit of just slouching around,' the chic worshipper said

When Dr. Wimberly's Baptist church moved Sunday worship online last March 29, it was an adjustment  but there as no doubt that she'd be there.

Though many people who have been attending church, school, and work virtually in the past year have embraced the opportunity to do it all in pajamas or loungewear, Wimberly decided not to get into the habit of dressing down on Sunday mornings.

So every weekend before services started, the teacher, principal, and school administrator would dress up in a different snazzy  and color-coordinated  outfit, complete with a large matching hat, plenty of jewelry, and makeup.

What's more, she kept track of her outfits in a journal, so she wouldn't repeat any.

Dr. Wimberly is a loyal churchgoer, so when her Baptist church moved Sunday worship online last March 29, it was an adjustment  but there as no doubt that she'd be there

So every weekend before services started, the teacher, principal, and school administrator would dress up in a different snazzy  and color-coordinated  outfit

She also posted pictures of her outfits on Facebook every Sunday, along with words of encouragement

She also posted pictures of her outfits on Facebook every Sunday, along with words of encouragement.

'I wanted not only to keep myself motivated, but I wanted to help keep others motivated as well, to inspire them, encourage them, and kind of eradicate some types and forms of depression, isolation, fear and despair,' she said.

She kept a journal of what she wore so each day was different for every Sunday Facebook post.

Churchgoers and Facebook followers have loved it, as has Minister of Worship Merton Huff.

One week, she really got into the COVID theme and added a protective face shield and mask  both of which matched her outfit, of course

'I wanted not only to keep myself motivated, but I wanted to help keep others motivated as well, to inspire them, encourage them, and kind of eradicate some types and forms of depression, isolation, fear and despair,' she said

'As soon as the health officials and the scientists give us the green light that everything will be safe, Ill probably be the first one in the door,' she said

'I dont think she has missed a Sunday of just devotionals, encouragement. Its like she gives you a sermon before service even starts. It gives you something to focus on,' he said.

'And, you know, of course the dressing up, it made my kids get dressed.'

While some cities and states are already reopening, with churches offering in-person services, Wimberly says she will wait until experts say it's safe again  but when that time comes, she can't wait to be back.

'As soon as the health officials and the scientists give us the green light that everything will be safe, Ill probably be the first one in the door,' she said.
The Governor of Meghalaya, Satyapal Malik, has cautioned the government not to prolong the farmers agitation. His public speech in western Uttar Pradesh warned of dire consequences and, potentially, political assassinations, if the issue was not quickly resolved.

As a one-time member of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and an incumbent Governor, the tone and substance of his speech is, on the face of it, inexplicable. He suggested that concessions could be easily made by the government: You only have to give a legal standing to MSP and the whole thing will be over. Once this is ...
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The cotton market growth is attributed to government initiatives and support. However, the overconsumption of water due to poor management and water pollution might hinder the market growth. On the other hand, the strategic crop due to its versatility will present new opportunities in the coming years.

Governments across the globe are taking various initiatives to support cotton farming. For instance, the Indian government has come up with several export promotion policies. India's DRDO is helping to produce yarns and eliminate the dependence on the import of Chinese products and other foreign clothing for military uniforms. Furthermore, with two-thirds of developing countries dependent on the export of commodities, a core part of UNCTAD's work involves building countries' capacity to move up the value chain and diversify their exports. These factors will drive the cotton market over the forecast period.

"The growing use of cotton as prime material coupled with the support in economic growth and cotton as a source of livelihood will further boost market growth during the forecast period", says a senior analyst at Technavio.

Download a FREE Sample Analysis Report on the Cotton Market @

https://www.technavio.com/talk-to-us?report=IRTNTR70357

Key suggestions from the report:

Based on distribution channel, the offline segment held the largest share in 2020

APAC dominated the market in 2020 and is expected to maintain its lead over the forecast period.

85% of the market's growth will originate from APAC during the forecast period.

China and India are the key markets for cotton in APAC. Market growth in this region will be slower than the growth of the market in North America .

Major Three Cotton Companies:

Ambika Cotton Mills Ltd.

Ambika Cotton Mills Ltd. manufactures 100% cotton compact yarn counts varying from the 20s to 120s combed which goes for the manufacture of premium branded shirts and t-shirts globally.

Damodar Group

Damodar Group operates manufactures fancy yarn that involves creating different yarns but also playing, creating, and giving new life and colors to the fancy yarns by yarn dyeing.

Fazal Cloth Mills Ltd.

Fazal Cloth Mills Ltd. operates into Cotton Ginning, Ring Spinning, and Grieg Woven Fabric Manufacturing.

Read the 120-page report with TOC on "Cotton Market analysis report by distribution channel (offline and online) and geography (APAC, MEA, North America, South America, and Europe), and the segment forecasts during 2021-2025". Gain competitive intelligence about market leaders. Track key industry opportunities, trends, and threats.

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A pop-up event meant big business for small shops at Cornerstone Church in Downtown Fresno.

Video Transcript

VANESSA VASCONCELOS: A pop-up event meant big business for small shops at Cornerstone Church in downtown Fresno.

- Such an awesome opportunity for just, like, people to connect again and feel some type of normalcy.

VANESSA VASCONCELOS: The outdoor venue [? held ?] what hopes to be a seasonal pop-up event celebrating local female entrepreneurs.

ALANA LITTLE: For us or for women of faith to come together, be together, and just kind of be silly, and cut loose a little bit, and just to be in a safe, loving environment, it's so therapeutic, I think, for all of us.

VANESSA VASCONCELOS: Make Pie Not War owner and designer Alana Little typically does sales online, so FaceTime that wasn't virtual meant she could [? zap ?] and chat with her customers.

ALANA LITTLE: It's a custom welded bracelet that you don't take off. It's a really fun thing that most people have never seen before.

VANESSA VASCONCELOS: Having to cancel most of her shows because of the pandemic, the pop-up served as more than a business boost.

ALANA LITTLE: Just to be able to meet our customers and like, pour our love--

VANESSA VASCONCELOS: Jessica Waymire, founder of online prayer and study group, PUSH Women, organized what was supposed to be the first event last March, but the pandemic put those plans on hold.

JESSICA WAYMIRE: Everybody was excited. I think the community is ready for people to get together and get out and see each other.

- PUSH Women hopes to organize more events like this. Just head to our website for a link to future pop-ups.

JESSICA WAYMIRE: And I know that this is an up-and-coming trend because a lot of these businesses didn't have places to do business for so long.

VANESSA VASCONCELOS: In downtown Fresno, Vanessa Vasconcelos, ABC30, Action News.
U.S. Navy Cmdr. Thomas Nelson and Lt. Robert Roadfuss discuss proper procedures while performing a laparoscopic cholecystectomy surgery. Credit: U.S. Navy on Wikimedia Commons CC BY 2.0

A backlog of nearly half a million endoscopy procedures, essential for diagnosing gastrointestinal cancers and diseases, has built up during the COVID-19 pandemic, finds a new analysis of NHS England data led by UCL researchers.

The study, published in The Lancet Gastroenterology and Hepatology, shows the number of endoscopies being performed in April 2020, the month following the first lockdown, fell by over 90%.

By January 2021 researchers estimated the backlog was 476,000, and this figure could potentially rise to more than 870,000, should there be a further full or partial lockdown and/or a slow return to normality.

Clinicians are now calling on the U.K. government and NHS to implement a concerted mitigation plan, in order to prioritize patients in urgent need of an endoscopy and help reduce the health impact and consequences.

Explaining the study, lead author Dr. Alex Ho (UCL Division of Surgery and Interventional Science) said: "The COVID-19 pandemic has had a significant impact on NHS diagnostic services. This has included endoscopic services which are crucial in the diagnosis of gastrointestinal cancers and diseases, such as bowel, stomach and oesophageal cancer. In this study, we sought to quantify the national backlog of endoscopic procedures in England and assess how interventions may affect this backlog."

For the study, researchers analyzed the number of endoscopies (colonoscopies, flexible sigmoidoscopies and gastroscopies) performed across England, using NHS England's Monthly Diagnostic Waiting Times and Activity dataset.

To estimate the potential backlog they compared the number of endoscopies performed by month, from January 1, 2018, through to Oct 31, 2020, from 125 NHS trusts in England.

In April 2020, the month following lockdown, 10,476 endoscopy procedures were performed, representing 95% (or a 90.5% drop) of those done in April, 2019 when 110 584 procedures were done. Endoscopy procedures recovered to 105,716 in October, 202084.5% of the 125,072 done in October 2019.

As part of a modeling analysis, researchers concluded that even if endoscopy procedures reached 100% of pre-pandemic monthly totals from November 2020, the backlog in January 2021 would be 476,000.

Modeling against further interruption (i.e full or partial lockdown), researchers found a further two-month interruption would add an extra 15.4% or 73,000 to the backlog total, a four-month interruption would add an extra 43.8% or 208,000, and a six-month interruption (worst case scenario) would add an extra 82.5% to the potential backlogequating to 393,000 additional procedures (so a potential backlog of 870,000). However, researchers say, the vaccine rollout and lessons learnt from the first wave mean the higher figure will likely be reduced.

Assuming no further interruption (recovery phase), researchers modeled the backlog from January 2021 to January 2023, using the average number of procedures carried out in 'normal times' researchers estimated the backlog recovery at 90% of capacity through to 130%. If 90% of procedures took place the backlog by January 2023 would be 811,000. At 100% the backlog would be 476,000. To clear the backlog by January 2023, procedures would need to be conducted at 130%.

In a separate scenario researchers asked what would happen if the NHS used the FIT (fecal immunochemical test) to triage/prioritize people for colonoscopies. They found that even with nationwide FIT implementation it would reduce colonoscopy volumes to around 75% of usual levels, with the colonoscopy backlog not cleared until early 2022 at the earliest.

Corresponding author, Professor Laurence Lovat (UCL Division of Surgery and Interventional Science) said: "Our study highlights the scale the COVID-19 pandemic has had on endoscopic services on the NHS in England. Even with mitigation measures, such as FIT triaging, it could take much longer than a year to eliminate the pandemic-related backlog. Urgent action is required by key stakeholders, including individual NHS trusts, Clinical Commissioning Groups, British Society of Gastroenterology, and NHS England, to tackle the backlog and prevent delays to patient management."

Co-author Professor Mark Lawler, Professor of Digital Health, Queen's University Belfast and Scientific Director DATA-CAN, the U.K.'s Health Data Research Hub for Cancer said:

"These data provide yet more evidence of the disastrous impact of COVID on cancer services and ultimately cancer patients. The precipitous drop in endoscopic services nationally (to less than 10% of pre COVID levels) is extremely worrying.

"We need to address the enormous backlog that has accumulated as a matter of urgency, otherwise we risk significant increases in deaths from colorectal and oesophageal cancer over the next five years."

The number of extra deaths or serious illness caused by delays in endoscopy procedures and diagnosis, was not covered in this study. However several modeling studies have been published in this area.

Professor Lawler added: "In previous work, we have shown that a six month delay could lead to nearly 3,000 excess deaths in people with cancers of the gastrointestinal tract."

The UCL-led study was carried out in collaboration with researchers at Queen's University Belfast and Newcastle University.

Funded sources included, the Wellcome/EPSRC Centre for Interventional and Surgical Sciences (WEISS) at UCL, National Institute for Health Research University College London Hospitals Biomedical Research Centre, and DATA-CAN, Health Data Research U.K..

Gastrointestinal cancers and diseases includes bowel (colorectal), stomach (gastric) and oesophageal (gullet) cancer. Bowel cancer is the 2nd biggest cancer killer in the U.K., oesophageal is the 7th and stomach is the 15th(CRUK data).

In March 2020, in response to COVID-19, the British Society of Gastroenterology issued guidance, recommending a six-week pause in endoscopic activityso all but emergency and absolutely essential endoscopy should stop, including bowel cancer screening, allowing time to refine triage systems. In late April 2020 the BSG issued early guidance in the restarting of endoscopy services, acknowledging the additional challenges in delivering endoscopy services in the era of COVID-19.

Explore further New research reveals devastating impact of COVID-19 on the diagnosis of oesophageal and stomach cancer

More information: Kai Man Alexander Ho et al. Predicting endoscopic activity recovery in England after COVID-19: a national analysis, The Lancet Gastroenterology & Hepatology (2021). Kai Man Alexander Ho et al. Predicting endoscopic activity recovery in England after COVID-19: a national analysis,(2021). DOI: 10.1016/S2468-1253(21)00058-3
A Womens Equality Party (WEP) candidate will run in the upcoming Hartlepool by-election to demand action from other parties to tackle violence against women and girls.

Gemma Evans, a campaigner and abuse survivor, will run for MP in the potentially vulnerable red wall seat, but will step down if Labour agrees to campaign for the same policy demands.

A by-election was triggered after Mike Hill stood down as the Labour MP for the northeast town last week due to ongoing sexual harassment allegations.

Announcing her entry into the Hartlepool race, Ms Evans said: We have seen the huge outpouring of grief and anger over the last few weeks, after the tragic murder of Sarah Everard.

We all know that her murder was not the first, and unless we take action it wont be the last.

Read more:

The campaigner said she will stand aside and support Labours campaign if the partys leader agrees to key policy demands and to make a real committment to ending violence against women and girls.

But we cant let politicians get away with inaction any more. Women cant afford to wait, she said.

The WEP has called for Sir Keir to publicly apologise to women failed by Labours investigation process and to ensure MPs facing allegations of harassment or abuse cannot stand in elections.

The party also called for Labours leader to campaign for independent advisers and free legal advice for women who have experienced sexual violence or abuse, as well as the introduction of specialist units in every police force to rebuild trust and support survivors to get justice.

Ms Evans called male violence an epidemic that damages hundreds of thousands of lives each year, and accused the main political parties of not taking it seriously.

Labour announced that a frontline NHS doctor will run for the Hartlepool seat in a by-election likely to be held on 6 May, after Mr Hill, who had been the MP since 2017, suddenly stepped down last week.

He is facing an employment tribunal case over sexual harassment allegations against a former member of staff, which he denies.

Mr Hill was suspended from Labour during an investigation in 2019, when the allegations first emerged, but was reinstated to the party the following month.

He has claimed 2,000 as part of costs linked to the case.

Ms Evans said the WEP has been campaigning for other parties to do more to tackle violence, harassment and abuse over the past few years.

We have seen how they have rehabilitated MPs who have behaved inappropriately, failed to investigate allegations of abuse or harassment properly and held back from introducing any real consequences for those who are found guilty, she said.

These failures would be bad enough at any time, but when male violence remains so high across the country it is completely shameful. If abuse is not tackled within Westminster, how can we expect Westminster to tackle abuse elsewhere?

Labour has held its Hartlepool seat since the 1950s.

Mr Hill was re-elected in 2019 with a hugely reduced majority of 3,595, in an election which saw the Brexit Party win 10,000 votes in the northern town.

Labour has been approached for comment.


District Scale Cu/Ni Investment

Sydney, Mar 22, 2021 AEST (ABN Newswire) - Cobre Limited ( ASX:CBE ) is pleased to announce the signing of an Investment Agreement (Agreement) with Armada Exploration Limited (Armada), a Mauritian holding company, that owns 100% of Armada Exploration (Gabon) SARL, which is the owner of two exploration licences prospective for magmatic Ni-Cu sulphide situated in Gabon (figure 1*). Covering a total area of nearly 3,000km2, the licence holding presents a frontier district-scale exploration opportunity.Cobre has subscribed for 5,000,000 new ordinary shares at a price of US$0.15 in Armada for a total consideration of US$750,000, via a promissory note, with US$350,000 to be invested up-front and the balance of US$400,000 to be paid in monthly instalments of US$80,000 over the next five months.Cobre will also receive 3,333,333 options exercisable at US$0.225 with a 3 year expiry term to be issued within 5 days from the date of completion of the Agreement. In the event of a public listing, Cobre will need to settle any outstanding amounts under the promissory note in full at the time of the public listing. Following completion, Cobre will own 18.5% of the issued ordinary share capital of Armada. Cobre will be given the right to appoint a director to the Board of Armada (or equivalent top co) in the event of a restructuring as part of a listing.Highlights:- US$750,000 invested for 18.5% of Armada alongside RCF Opportunities Fund L.P. (RCF) and AIM-listed investor in natural resource opportunities, Metal Tiger plc.- Armada will have access to US$2.25m in PRE-IPO capital.- The Armada team were key members of the team that were awarded the 2015 PDAC Thayer Lindsley Award for an International Discovery, for the discovery of the world-class Kamoa deposit by Ivanhoe Mines.- >US$10m already spent targeting an initial area of >16,000km2, Armada is preparing to drill a multi-target project opportunity for magmatic Ni-Cu sulphides in the Nyanga area of southern Gabon.- Compelling geology at the district scale: the location along the Congo Craton margin with a complex regional-scale fault network has permitted extensive volumes of mafic melt to intrude into sulphide-bearing country rocks ("basement"), assisting the potential formation of magmatic Ni-Cu sulphide deposits.- Using a combination of regional soil surveys and mapping, existing airborne magnetic, radiometric and electromagnetic (versatile time domain electro-magnetic or "VTEM") geophysical survey data, Armada has delineated an initial 18 named targets, situated along this distinct basement corridor.- Copper and nickel sulphide occurrences have been mapped at surface at three top ranked targets (Libonga North, Matchiti Central and Doumvou).- Results from detailed whole rock geochemical studies have proven peridotite to gabbro fractionation suites at the Libonga North and Matchiti Central targets.- The 20km-long Libonga-Matchiti Trend (LMT) is drill ready.- A new high resolution 707-line km time domain electromagnetic (HTDEM) survey is in progress, using New Resolution Geophysics (NRG(TM)) Xcite(TM) airborne electromagnetic system at the Libonga North, Matchiti Central and Doumvou targets.- A drilling programme of 3,000m is planned to commence in the second half of 2021.- An IPO is targeted for 2021 coinciding with drill rig mobilisation.- Experienced leadership team with a serially successful track record of involvement in major discoveries as well as extensive operational experience in Central and Southern Africa.Martin Holland, Cobre's Executive Chairman and Managing Director, commenting in Cobre's investment said: "Myself and the Cobre Board see this early investment into Armada as a great opportunity to expand the Company's reach in the copper exploration space beyond our Western Australian and Botswana projects. With examples such as Noril'sk in Russia and Voisey's Bay in Canada, along with Nova-Bollinger and Nebo-Babel deposits in Western Australia, Magmatic Nickel-Copper sulphide deposits represent some of the world's most significant sources of base metals. Given Armada's experienced leadership team, who have a successful track record of involvement in major discoveries like the worldclass Kamoa deposit by Ivanhoe Mines, and proven operational experience in Central and Southern Africa, we are confident we have the right partners for success and look forward to the journey ahead".Background on ArmadaArmada was established to define new belt-scale discovery opportunities for key commodities (principally nickel and copper) in under-explored regions of Africa. With >US$10m spent targeting an area of >16,000km2, Armada is preparing to drill a multi-target project opportunity for magmatic Ni-Cu sulphides in the Nyanga area, southern Gabon. Armada is supported by a Board and Africa-based technical team both with a track record of successful African projects. Key members of the Armada targeting team were awarded the 2015 PDAC Thayer Lindsley Award for an International Mineral Discovery (as members of the Kamoa/DRC discovery team with Ivanhoe Mines).For the year ended 31 December 2020, Armada recorded a net loss of US$89,369 and, as at 31 December 2020, reported net assets of US$9,288,843.Technical SummaryArmada presents a first-mover advantage in the exploration for magmatic nickel-copper sulphide deposits in Gabon. Through its two exploration licences (G5-150 and G5-555 - see Table 1 below) Armada holds rights to 2,991 km2 of ground associated with the Congo Craton margin (figure 1). The basement within the licence areas have been intruded by a suite of mafic and ultramafic intrusions which represent the primary target for magmatic Ni-Cu mineralisation in this area (figure 2*).The craton margin setting of the Armada project area is considered to represent a region of relatively thin lithosphere which became the focus of strain during successive regional tectonic events resulting in the continued reactivation of potential crustal-scale fault networks which facilitated the emplacement of, potentially metal-sulphide rich, magmatic melts into the crust.Using a combination of existing airborne magnetic, radiometric and electromagnetic geophysical survey data interpretations and regional soil surveys, Armada has delineated an initial 18 named targets situated within this distinct basement corridor (figure 3*).The three highest ranking targets coincide with two parallel structural trends. The Libonga North and Matchiti Central targets sit along a 20km long north to northwest striking feature defined as the Libonga-Matchiti Trend (LMT). The LMT has been delineated from magnetic and radiometric datasets and is characterised by a series of mafic and ultramafic intrusive bodies.The top three ranked targets, Libonga North and Matchiti Central (LMT) and Doumvou were subject to field mapping, soil and whole-rock geochemical sampling and ground gravity geophysical surveys.The ground gravity surveys outlined gravity anomalies interpreted as dense bodies, whilst detailed Cr, Ni and Cu soil geochemistry further defined and confirmed areas underlain by mafic-ultramafic lithologies.The Libonga North target sits at the northern end of the LMT and is coincident with a gravity anomaly (a dense body), a VTEM conductor, and regional Ni-Cu (Cr) anomalism identified from geochemical soil sampling. The Libonga North target has been investigated by detailed field mapping with visible chalcopyrite occurrences identified in a number of field localities within the confines of the intrusion boundaries. Rock samples collected during the mapping programs were submitted for detailed whole rock geochemical assessment with results, interpreted independently, suggesting peridotite to gabbro fractionation suites, with the conclusion that the intrusions resulted from potentially multiple pulses of magma, bearing the potential for development of a mineralising system.Preliminary geological modelling of the Libonga intrusion points to a sill-like body which plunges gently to the northwest. Initially, two high priority drill holes are planned to intersect the highest conductors interpreted from the existing VTEM data where there is spatial overlap with dense bodies mapped from the gravity data.Plate modelling using Maxwell software and layered earth inversions of the NRG(TM) Xcite(TM) airborne electromagnetic data will be used to plan the drilling programmes.Planned Follow-up Work ProgrammesDetailed Geophysics and Drilling Programme- A 707-line km Xcite(TM) helicopter-borne time domain electromagnetic 'HTDEM' survey at 200m line spacing along the LMT and the Doumvou target is due for completion in March 2021. Layered earth inversions using Geoscience Australia code, inversions of magnetic data using Fullagar's VPmg code and plate modelling using Maxwell software is planned.- A minimum of 3,000m of drilling is planned across three targets, with holes planned to a depth of approximately 350m to the interpreted base of the intrusion. The drilling programme will be supported by helicopter.o Priority 1 Drill Target: Libonga North. NRG(TM) Xcite(TM) airborne electromagnetic survey and data modelling with a minimum of 1,000m of core drilling to test for potential sulphide trap sites.o Priority 2 Drill Target: Matchiti Central. NRG(TM) Xcite(TM) airborne electromagnetic survey and data modelling with a minimum of 1,000m of core drilling to test the denser and more conductive units interpreted from the data modelling.o Priority 3 Drill Target: Doumvou Target. NRG(TM) Xcite(TM) airborne electromagnetic survey and data modelling with a minimum of 1,000m of core drilling to test the potential prospectivity of an interpreted northeast- southwest trending fault suture.Regional Programme- Detailed mapping and rock grab sampling.- The NRG(TM) Xcite(TM) airborne electromagnetic survey may be extended out on a regional belt scale (dependant on drilling results).- Priority targets identified by the regional programme will be escalated for follow-on investigation.*To view tables and figures, 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.
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Calling it "a defeat for all," Catholic leaders are disheartened over Spain's new legislation that permits euthanasia and assisted suicide.

On Thursday, Spain's legislative body approved the bill by a vote of 202 in favor versus 141 against. The new law is expected to be promulgated in June.

In what the Catholic Bishops described as "abandoning the suffering," this law requires the National Health System to provide euthanasia on any "adult Spanish nationals or legal residents who suffer from a serious and incurable disease or a serious, chronic and incapacitating condition," says the Catholic News Agency's report.

"And while individual doctors can claim conscientious objection, medical facilities, even private, cannot object as institutions. Conscientious objectors will be listed on a registry," the report added.

In their commentary against the euthanasia bill, The Spanish Bishops' Conference pointed out how euthanasia could be carried out for reasons "unrelated to objective situations of uncontrolled and uncontrollable agony and pain."

Bishop Luis Javier Arguello Garcia, auxiliary bishop of Valladolid and secretary general of the Spanish Bishops' Conference, pleaded with doctors to exercise conscientious objection.

The Bishop also urged doctors "not to induce death to alleviate suffering," but to treat patients with "tenderness, closeness, mercy, encouragement, and hope for those people who are in the final stage of their existence, perhaps in moments of suffering that need comfort, care and hope."

Although the euthanasia law has just recently been approved, Bishop Arguello urged believers to not succumb to a "defeatist attitude." He urged fellow Catholic leaders and their parishioners to see the new law as an opportunity "to promote a culture of life" and "to take concrete steps to promote a living will or advance declarations that make it possible for Spanish citizens to express in a clear and determined way their desire to receive palliative care."

As demonstration, the bishops conference had made ready "a guide for patients to create a living will that specifies that appropriate treatments be administered to alleviate suffering." Euthanasia, of course, was excluded from the list of suggestions.

The rest of those opposed to the euthanasia bill highlighted "access to palliative care" as a more feasible alternative. They argued that this requires more attention than the passing of a law that legalizes "mercy-killings." In their research, they found out that "out of an estimated 120,000 patients, 50% of those in need of the said care do not have access."

How the Bill was Introduced

According to the Catholic News Agency, the bill was introduced by the Spanish Socialist Workers' Party. In February 2020, the Congress of Deputies approved it for deliberation which began on Sept. 10.

In October, the Bioethics Committee of Spain unanimously rejected the principles laid in support of the bill. This was supported by the 12-member CBE in their advice to the government " that the proposed law is not valid from an ethical point of view."

Other departments like the conservative Popular Party and the far right party Vox have also expressed their opposition for the added reason that the bill may "challenge the law in Spain's Constitutional Court."

Other countries which have also legalized euthanasia are Belgium, Canada, Colombia, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, and the Australian state of Victoria.
Day 16: Colonel Charles D. Young

As a soldier, diplomat, and civil rights leader, Charles Young overcame stifling inequality to become a leading figure in the years after the Civil War when the United States emerged as a world power.

Young was born to enslaved parents, Gabriel & Arminta Young, on March 12th, 1864 in May's Lick, Kentucky. That same year, his father escaped enslavement and, in February 1865, joined the 5th Regiment, U.S. Colored Heavy Artillery. Sometime after Gabriel's enlistment, young Charles and his parents relocated from Kentucky to across the river in Ripley, Ohio, seeking a new life in the river town which just happened to be the center of abolitionism. Charles flourished in Ripley in academics, foreign languages and in music. His public education was supplemented with generous amounts of help from his mother who was educated while she was a slave, a rarity for any slave during those times. At age 17, he graduated with academic honors from the integrated high school in 1881. After high school, Young taught at the African-American elementary school in Ripley for two years. He would continue to chase his thirst for knowledge and education while under the guidance and mentoring of renowned African-American abolitionist John Parker.

In 1883, Charles Young's father encouraged him to take the entrance examination to the United States Military Academy at West Point. Young scored the second highest on the exam and was not selected to the Academy that year. When the candidate ahead of him dropped out of West Point, Young would receive his opportunity the following year. He entered West Point on June 10, 1884 to become only the ninth African American to attend the Academy and only the third to graduate. The other two African-American graduates, Henry Ossian Flipper (1877) & John Hanks Alexander (1887), would earn their commissions but would only see short careers in the Army. Flipper would be drummed out of the Army over controversial and questionable charges of "...conduct unbecoming an officer..." In the mid-1990's, his descendants began a campaign to restore his name and clear his legacy of these charges. On February 19, 1999, President William Jefferson Clinton pardoned Lieutenant Henry O. Flipper of those charges. Lieutenant John Hanks Alexander would be a classmate of Charles Young at West Point and they would serve together at Ft. Duquesne, Utah for a few years before Alexander would leave to become a professor at Wilberforce University in Ohio. Young would be dispatched to Wilberforce shortly after Anderson died of a sudden heart condition in 1894.

As a cadet, Young encountered the same racial insults and social isolation from instructors and other cadets on a daily basis as those before him. Despite these indignities, he would persevere. After a dreadful first academic year, Young was faced with repeating his first year, or Plebe year, in order to continue his education. He would do so and did well over the next four academic years. Faced with a failing grade in an engineering class during his last semester, Young received tutoring from his instructor and was allowed to re-take the exam. This time, Young passed and was awarded his diploma and commission in the summer of 1889.

Because military leaders would not allow an African-American officer to command white troops, the Adjutant General's Office waited three months after Young's West Point graduation in 1889 before assigning the newly-commissioned 2nd Lieutenant to the 9th Cavalry at Fort Robinson, Nebraska. After a year, marked by isolation and hostility, Young transferred to Fort Duchesne, Utah, where the command and fellow officers proved more welcoming. Here, Young mentored Sergeant Major Benjamin O. Davis, Sr. who later became the first African American to attain the rank of General.

Between 1889 and 1907 Young served in the 9th Cavalry at western posts and rose to the rank of captain. He also taught military science, served as a military attache, and fought with distinction in the Philippine-American War, winning the praise of his commanders for his troops' courage and professionalism in and out of combat.

In the fall of 1894, Charles Young received a detached service assignment that wound up sending him to Wilberforce, Ohio. Young was to take over the planning and eventual teaching of the new Military Sciences & Tactics courses at Wilberforce University. The original choice to fill this teaching position, Lieutenant John Hanks Alexander, died suddenly in Springfield, Ohio on March 26th and Lieutenant Young was dispatched to take up for Alexander. Lieutenants Alexander and Young had roomed together for a few years while at the West Point Military Academy and they also served at Fort Duchesne, Utah together for some time, so Young was no stranger to Alexander. Eventually, Lieutenant Young would build the program to just over 100 cadets by the 1898 class. Additionally, Young also helped establish the Wilberforce University marching band. Music played an integral part of Young's life, so it was no wonder that he enthusiastically helped to create the university marching band since he had helped to teach and direct the band at his previous duty station in Fort Duchesne. Lieutenant Young remained at Wilberforce as a professor until early 1898 when the war with Spain had begun with the infamous sinking of the battleship U.S.S. Maine in Cuba. While Young did not re-join his troopers of the 9th Cavalry, he did wind up being appointed as Major and commander of the Ninth Ohio Battalion, U.S. Volunteers.

Lieutenant Charles Young became one of the distinguished professors at the university around the turn of the century, which included W.E.B. DuBois who would become a close life-long friend of Charles Young. By April of 1898, Young would be on the move away from Wilberforce as he mustered up and trained men for potential combat action in Cuba. However, Young had established himself at the university and in the city of Wilberforce and he frequently returned between his duty stations & assignments to visit and to purchase properties that he would call "home" for the rest of his life.

In the summer of 1903, Captain Charles Young would become the first African-American national park Superintendent when he and his troops were tasked to manage and maintain Sequoia National Park in northern California. Because the U.S. Army was tasked with protecting the national parks in these early years, the Army would send troops to manage, maintain and patrol them. Young and his troopers arrived in Sequoia National Park in the summer of 1903 and proceeded to construct roads and trails that other troops were unable to do in the years before them. As the leader of his troops, Young would inherit the title of Acting Superintendent of Sequoia National Park that year. He incorporated the local townsfolk to assist his troop's efforts and he and his troops' accomplishments from their summer of hard work were lauded by many throughout the area.

In 1904 Captain Young became the first Military Attache to Haiti and the Dominican Republic on the island of Hispaniola. Young joined 23 other officers (the only African American among them) serving in these diplomatic posts in the Theodore Roosevelt administration. He won President Roosevelt's praise through an introduction Roosevelt wrote for his monograph on the people and customs of Hispaniola. Young's experiences in foreign service and as a commander in the Philippines formed the basis of his book, The Military Morale of Nations and Races (1911).

From 1912 to 1916, he served as the military attache to Liberia, helping to train the Liberian Frontier Force. After returning from Liberia, he then served as a squadron commander during the Punitive Expedition in Mexico against Pancho Villa. He distinguished himself at the Battle of Agua Caliente, leading his men to the aid of a cavalry unit that had been ambushed. During the same period, Young won additional promotions, to Major in 1912, and to Lieutenant Colonel in 1916.

In July 1917, Young was medically retired. Young and his supporters, many of whom believed that medical retirement was racially-motivated to prevent him from commanding troops in France during World War I, asked for reconsideration of his retirement. To demonstrate his fitness to serve, Young, then 54, made a historic 500-mile horseback ride from Wilberforce, Ohio, to Washington, D.C. Afterwards, the Secretary of War gave Young an informal hearing, but did not reverse the decision.

Though medically retired, Young was retained on a list of active-duty officers as a Colonel. During World War I, the War Department sent him back to Ohio to help muster and train African-American recruits for the war. Days before the November 11th, 1918 armistice, Young was assigned to Camp Grant (Illinois) to train black servicemen. Shortly thereafter, at the request of the State Department, Colonel Young was sent once more to serve as military attache to Liberia, arriving in Monrovia, February 1920. While on a visit to Nigeria in late 1921 he became gravely ill and died at the British hospital in Lagos on January 8th, 1922. Due to British law, Young's body was buried in Lagos, Nigeria for one year before it could be repatriated to the United States for final interment.

In the year after his death, Young's wife and many other notable African Americans lobbied the U.S. to repatriate Young's remains from Nigeria so he could receive a proper burial in American soil. One year later, Young's body was exhumed and transported back to the U.S. After arriving back in the U.S. in New York City in late May of 1923, Young's body received a hero's welcome. Thousands upon thousands celebrated Young's life as he made his way to the Washington, D.C. area. On June 1st, 1923, Colonel Charles Young became the fourth soldier honored with a funeral service at Arlington Memorial Amphitheater before burial in Arlington National Cemetery. After the memorial service, he was buried alongside the thousands of other heroes in Arlington National Cemetery.

BLACK HISTORY IS AMERICAN HISTORY!

By: U.S. Marine Corps Major Larry Black
She's a proud mother to three children under the age of 14.

And Carrie Bickmore continues to leave fans baffled with her sexy ensembles and youthful appearance after turning 40 last year.

After wearing a chic off-the-shoulder number on Monday's episode of The Project, Carrie received many compliments from fans on Instagram.

'You look amazing Carrie!' Fans went wild over Carrie Bickmore's sexy new look on The Project on Monday, as the mother of three continues to look incredibly youthful in her forties

Carrie looked effortlessly stylish in a $140 black halterneck top by Viktoria & Woods, which showed off her svelte shoulders and decolletage.

Her Instagram comments section lit up with fire emojis, as fans said she was 'smoking hot', 'amazing', 'beautiful' and 'gorgeous'.

'You look amazing, Carrie!' one follower wrote, as many others remarked on how 'sexy' she looked on television.

Stylish: Carrie often looks chic in designer outfits on The Project, and even has a dedicated fan page that chronicles her wardrobe choices

Impressive: Carrie's Instagram comments section lit up with fire emojis, as fans said she was 'smoking hot', 'amazing', 'beautiful' and 'gorgeous'

'How do you always look so amazing [with] three children and your work commitments? Truly inspirational,' another added.

Carrie shares two daughters, Adelaide, two, and Evie, six, with her long-term partner, television producer Chris Walker.

She also has a 13-year-old son, Oliver, from her marriage to Greg Lange, who died of brain cancer in 2010.

New look: In October, Carrie debuted her dramatic hair transformation with a chic shorter bob

Family: Carrie shares two daughters, Adelaide, two, and Evie, six, with her long-term partner, television producer Chris Walker. She also has a 13-year-old son, Oliver, from her marriage to Greg Lange, who died of brain cancer in 2010 Carrie turned 40 in December, after the coronavirus pandemic forced her to cancel her plans for a Glastonbury Festival-themed party. She instead marked the big day by throwing a smaller shindig with her friends and family by her side in Melbourne. Carrie wore a pink dress as she posed next to a balloon with a rather cheeky slogan, and joked that she would stay 39 for another year because 2020 didn't count.
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The Lagos State Commissioner for Health, Akin Abayomi, has said 46,369 persons have been vaccinated in the state as of March 19, 2021, with Eti-Osa Local Government Area leads with the highest number of persons vaccinated.

Mr Abayomi made this known through his verified Twitter account @ProfAkinAbayomi, on Monday while giving the states COVID-19 Vaccination update for March 19.

He said 23,232 males and 23,137 females had been vaccinated across the 20 local government areas in the state.

According to him, the local government areas with the highest numbers of people vaccinated were Eti-Osa with 4,770; Ikeja has 4,262, Lagos Mainland has 4,191, Alimosho with 3,818 and Kosofe has 3,513.

Inversely, he said the local government areas with the least number of persons vaccinated include Ibeju- Lekki with 852; Badagry has 1,073, Agege has 1,086, Amuwo-Odofin has 1, 230 and Apapa with 1,289 persons.

The commissioner said 13,563 persons were vaccinated on March 19, comprising 6,720 males and 6,843 females.

Earlier, Mr Abayomi reassured residents on the safety of the COVID-19 vaccine, while asserting that the state government would ensure that residents get vaccinated.

He added that contrary to claims, none of the 46,369 people who had received the vaccine in the state had developed a blood clot.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the state started its COVID-19 vaccination exercise on March 15 in 88 health facilities, including military and police hospitals, which have been selected to provide vaccination across the 20 local government areas.

It officially flagged off the roll-out, distribution and administration of the COVID-19 vaccine on March 12, 2021 at the Infectious Disease Hospital (IDH), Yaba.

Gov. Babajide Sanwo-Olu, his deputy, Obafemi Hamzat; the state Commissioner for Health, some frontline healthcare workers, among other frontline workers, were vaccinated on March 12.

(NAN)
An international survey reveals different perceptions from science and practice regarding agricultural biodiversity, ecosystem services and decision-making processes . Credit: Free Pics/Unsplash/Ricardo Gomez Angel

To minimize negative impacts of agriculture on biodiversity and related ecosystem services, 'biodiversity-friendly' management is needed. Why scientific results are rarely translated into agricultural practice could be explained by their different perceptions of agricultural biodiversity, according to the results of a recent survey of European scientists and farmers. The study was led by Bea Maas of the University of Vienna and published in the journal Biological Conservation.

For the study, 209 farmers and 98 environmental scientists were asked how they perceive agricultural biodiversity and its management in Germany and Austria. "The results show that the perceptions of scientists and farmers on biodiversity, ecosystem services and management measures are very different," says Bea Maas, lead author from the University of Vienna. "Especially the diverging perceptions of information sources that are important for agricultural decisions show need for more cross-disciplinary collaboration in sustainable development processes," adds Maas.

The survey integrated transdisciplinary data and concepts and included demographic factors in the analysis of responses. Results showed that scientists rated biodiversity, agri-environmental programs and conservation measures as more important to agricultural production, ecosystem resilience and sustainability than farmers. "Scientists also valued scientific information as more important for agricultural decisions, while farmers valued government and agricultural sector information sources more," explains Anett Richter, co-author of the study from the Thunen Institute in Germany.

Richter adds, "Critically, female farmers and farmers with higher education, or utilizing organic farming methods, rated biodiversity and its conservation as more important than other farmers." Co-author Yvonne Fabian from Agroscope in Switzerland explains: "These different perspectives of scientists and farmers reveal crucial knowledge and communication gaps between agricultural research and practice." "Our findings provide new insights for the key challenge of better integrating research, agriculture and policy practice," concludes co-author Sara Kross from Columbia University in the US.

The authors provide four specific recommendations for action on how knowledge and experience can be shared and used more effectively between agricultural science and practice:

First, make scientific information more accessible to practitioners by promoting and establishing education and advise programs for farmers. Second, develop targeted approaches to agricultural research and practice that integrate diverse stakeholder perspectives in their design and application. Third and fourth, support inclusive and integrative collaboration between science and practice by actively promoting cross-disciplinary communication. These efforts require "partnerships and political commitment at the highest level to make inclusive approaches central to the development of sustainable agriculture" according to Maas and her co-authors.

Explore further Academies call for prompt action to protect biodiversity in the agricultural landscape

More information: Bea Maas et al, Divergent farmer and scientist perceptions of agricultural biodiversity, ecosystem services and decision-making, Biological Conservation (2021). Journal information: Biological Conservation Bea Maas et al, Divergent farmer and scientist perceptions of agricultural biodiversity, ecosystem services and decision-making,(2021). DOI: 10.1016/j.biocon.2021.109065
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The most shocking act is not permitting the Navodaya Schools to operate in Tamil Nadu because these schools teach Hindi language to the students.

by N.S.Venkataraman

Those living in Tamil Nadu in the age group of 65 plus , who have seen the type of quality governance that Kamaraj provided as Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, now constantly regret that Tamil Nadu governance has steeply fallen in the last six decades from the lofty level to which Kamaraj raised it.

During the last sixty years or so, Tamil Nadu has been under the governance of DMK and AIADMK alternately, with gradual and steady decline in the conduct and commitment of the ruling party and Chief Miniser in particular.

There have been many negative and disturbing developments with increase in corruption amongst the politicians and government machinery at all levels , the rapid spread of liquor habit amongst the people, particularly the youth threatening the safety of women and children and upsetting the economy of the poor families and caste ridden factions emerging all over the state .Tamil chauvinism was taken to near absurd level with anti Hindi phobia and deliberate and systematic spread of atheism becoming the central theme for a few political parties. Former Chief Minister M.G.Ramachandran and Jayalalitha tried to stem the spread of atheism to some extent but other negative aspects continued to flourish.

The most shocking act is not permitting the Navodaya Schools to operate in Tamil Nadu because these schools teach Hindi language to the students.

With the large section of people feeling extremely dissatisfied about the behavior of politicians , with many criminals and corrupt people entering politics and becoming leader of one political party or the other, the credibility of the politicians in the view of the people is now extremely low. Political parties have realized that they cannot get the votes in the elections, unless they would offer freebies and bribe the people in the lower income group.

Now, with the ongoing election campaign, the offer of freebies by various political parties have reached absurd and alarming level, with one party offering washing machines , writing off education loan, some parties offering lumpsum amount of Rs. 1000 and more per month for housewives etc. All this is happening even as the financial conditions of Tamil Nadu government are now at precarious level and has now exceeded the critical stage, with the present debt of the government being more than Rs. 8 lakh crore, and Tamil Nadu having to pay several crore of rupees every year as interest and with no possibility of repaying the loan.

Many discerning observers wonder where the Tamil Nadu governance would go from here and whether the chaotic governance would even become more worse in the coming days.

It is generally said that election gives an opportunity to the citizens to change the poorly performing party to what they perceive to be the better one. Unfortunately, the people are left with no choice , as it appears to be a case of jumping from frying pan to fire.

Unfortunately, in Tamil Nadu, the national parties, who are supposed to have all India outlook, have lost their relevance and vote share . Many local parties based on caste and region have emerged , with no particular policy programmes but with the sole objective of getting the gang leader to become political leader and win elections.

In the process, totally unprincipled alignments are taking place between the political parties with each one bargaining for more seats in a particular front and jumping from one front to another, to increase their seat share in the election. In the process, the political parties are not concerned at all as to what the people think about their unprincipled strategies.

People are really confused, as the accusation between political parties is now similar to the pot calling the kettle black.

Acharya Kripalani, a patriot par excellence, was reported to have said , a few years after India became independent and after seeing the process of democracy shaping in India, that there is unlikely to be a political party of lofty standards to the desirable level in future. In such conditions, when people still have to exercise their franchise in the elections, the only option for the people would be to vote for the least corrupt and least chauvinistic party. This is how the people of Tamil Nadu are now looking at the forthcoming state election.

In the last sixty years or so, Tamil Nadu has been under the leadership of politicians who hailed from cinema world, with little formal education . The only exception is now the present AIADMK government under the Chief MInistership of Edappadi Palaswami who has no cinema background.

While the Jayalalitha government, in which Edappadi Palaniswamy served as minister for several years, was steeped in corruption and was vitually under the control of friend Sasikala who was jailed on corruption charge and her group, the fact is that now Edappadi Palaniswamy has successfully got his party AIADMK from association with Sasikala and her group. To this extent, AIADMK has been cleansed to a little extent ! However, though there have been some improvement towards the focus for development activities, several negative aspects such as widespread corruption and hate politics continue unabated.

In the forthcoming state election, people have unenviable choice to make.

In all probability, whichever party that would win the election would do so by getting large share of negative votes rather than positive votes.

The lofty standards to which Kamaraj raised the governance in Tamil Nadu has now gone for a toss. It appears that Tamil Nadu would not see the governance standards of Kamaraj in the foreseeable future.
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Armenia MFA information department chief: All deputy FMs carrying out their duties

Ardshinbank invited children to the cinema on International Childrens Day

Armenia judiciary to have 10 more judges

Armenia acting premier: We had recorded 40% increase in tax revenues according to 2019 results

Armenia acting PM on Artsakh war casualties bodies: We have 50 remains in which case DNA was not separated

Azerbaijan authorities plan to "squeeze" everything from "terrorist show" related to Armenian captives

Ameriabank Announces a Contest for Bank Card Design

108 new cases of COVID-19 confirmed in Armenia

Armenia parliament convenes special session

Armenia interim government holding Cabinet meeting

Catholicos of All Armenians heads for Syunik Province, Artsakh

World oil prices going up

Iran loses right to vote in UN General Assembly

Newspaper: Armenia authorities come up with new way of punishing unwanted characters

Newspaper: Russia army Southern Military District deputy commander to arrive in Yerevan Thursday

Lebanese Armenian man taken prisoner by Azerbaijan is hospitalized

Armenia ex-President Kocharyan: Are we getting under the burden? Then lets get under to the end

Armenia acting health minister on keeping fallen soldiers bodies in bags: What else should they be kept in?

Armenia acting health minister on citizens' demand for her resignation

Karabakh's new State Minister Artak Beglaryan on his appointment and future activities

Armenian, Russian and Azerbaijani representatives hold consultations in Moscow

2 Armenian soldiers receive slight injuries after incident with Azerbaijani servicemen in Armenia's Gegharkunik

Armenian boy weighing 5 kg born at Goris Medical Center

"Armenia" bloc representative presents purpose of participation in elections and plans

Isaac Herzog elected President of Israel

Rouhani: Main issues between Tehran, Washington resolved in Vienna

Charles Michel calls on Armenia and Azerbaijan to resume constructive negotiations

US Department of State responds to Pashinyan's proposal to deploy international observers on Armenia-Azerbaijan border

Head of Armenia 2nd President's Office: Robert Kocharyan's public meetings are held in warm atmosphere

Opposition "Armenia" bloc's representative on photos and videos showing bags of deceased servicemen's bodies

Armenia Ombudsman, AGBU President discuss war crimes committed by Azerbaijan during Karabakh war

Opposition "Armenia" bloc's representatives to hold briefings three times a week

Opposition "Armenia" bloc member: Blood-freezing photos and videos from morgue in Abovyan are authorities' reflection

Yerevan mayor receives Netherlands Ambassador

Armenia Health Ministry, Investigative Committee keep info about sending remains of dead soldiers abroad confidential

Armenia Prosecutor General's Office launches case regarding leaving sacs of servicemen's bodies/remains in basement

Peskov: Putin and Biden to discuss cybersecurity issues

Armenia's Pashinyan meets with Belgian PM Alexander De Croo

Armenia acting MOD receives Netherlands Ambassador

Armenia Police: 3 citizens apprehended during protest demanding acting health minister's resignation

NATO warns Minsk about further consequences of Ryanair incident

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

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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

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OTTAWA COUNTY, MI  Three people were injured Sunday, March 21, in a rollover crash on the I-196 business loop near Homestead Drive in Zeeland Township.

Two of the three occupants were pinned inside and had to be freed by Zeeland Township firefighters. All of them were taken by ambulance to Holland Hospital for treatment of non-life-threatening injuries.

The crash was reported at 9:54 p.m.

Police said a 38-year-old Zeeland woman was driving a 2018 Nissan when she fell asleep. The car left the road and rolled multiple times, Ottawa County sheriffs deputies said.

Her passengers were a 76-year-old Holland woman and a 74-year-old Zeeland woman. The driver and the Holland woman used seat belts but the other passenger did not, police said.

Read more:

Teen girl, 15, missing in Ionia County

Man allegedly stealing property shot dead by Michigan homeowner, police say
TOKYO - Japanese prosecutors charged two Americans, Michael Taylor and his son Peter, Monday in the escape of former Nissan Chairman Carlos Ghosn to Lebanon, while he was out on bail.

FILE - In this Sept. 29, 2020, file photo, former Nissan Motor Co. Chairman Carlos Ghosn holds a press conference at the Maronite Christian Holy Spirit University of Kaslik, as he launches an initiative to help Lebanon that is undergoing a severe economic and financial crisis, in Kaslik, north of Beirut, Lebanon. Japanese prosecutors have charged two Americans, Michael Taylor and his son Peter, in connection with the escape of Ghosn to Lebanon. (AP Photo/Hussein Malla, File)

TOKYO - Japanese prosecutors charged two Americans, Michael Taylor and his son Peter, Monday in the escape of former Nissan Chairman Carlos Ghosn to Lebanon, while he was out on bail.

Tokyo District Prosecutors have been questioning the Taylors since they were extradited from the United States earlier this month. They have been detained at a Tokyo detention centre since March 2.

Prosecutors said the Taylors were formally charged with helping a criminal escape, although dates and other details of a trial were undecided. The prosecutors sought their extradition for months after they were arrested and detained in the Boston area last May.

Tokyo Deputy Chief Prosecutor Hiroshi Yamamoto said Monday was the last day the Taylors could have been detained without charges under Japanese law.

Now that they have been charged they can continue to be detained. A court will decide whether they will be granted bail.

Yamamoto said prosecutors are requesting continued detention on the grounds the two might flee or conceal evidence. He declined to elaborate on the Taylors' health and other conditions, but said appropriate procedures were being taken.

We continue to be grateful to the U.S. authorities for their co-operation and hope to proceed with the trial, he said, referring to the Taylors' extradition.

The Taylors were not immediately available for comment, as is standard in Japans criminal system, where more than 99% of those who go on trial are found guilty.

Ghosn, who led Nissan Motor Co. for nearly two decades, was arrested in November 2018 and later charged with under-reporting his compensation and breach of trust.

He jumped bail and escaped to Lebanon in December 2019. Ghosn says he is innocent. Japan has put Ghosn on Interpols wanted list, but Lebanon has no extradition treaty with Japan.

Yamamoto said Japan was still determined to see Ghosn put on trial.

Michael Taylor, 60, with the help of another man, George-Antoine Zayek, hid Ghosn in a large black box supposedly containing audio equipment, although they knew Ghosn was not allowed to leave the country while awaiting trial, according to the prosecutors.

The box passed through airport security in Osaka, central Japan, and was loaded onto a private jet that flew Ghosn to Turkey.

Peter Taylor, 28, is accused of meeting with Ghosn and helping his father carry out the escape. Authorities say the Taylors were paid at least $1.3 million.

The Taylors lawyers in the U.S. fought the extradition, saying they might be treated unfairly in Japan and subjected to mental and physical torture.

They also argued that jumping bail is not a crime under Japanese law. That is technically accurate, but most people who escape are easily caught in Japan.

Zayek is not in custody. Yamamoto declined to comment on Zayek's whereabouts.

Japanese prosecutors say they have enough evidence to convict the Taylors.

If convicted, the Taylors face up to three years in prison and a fine of up to 300,000 yen ($2,900).

Separately, Greg Kelly, a former Nissan executive vice-president, is on trial on charges of under-reporting Ghosn's compensation. Kelly, an American, says he is innocent as he did not know about such actions.

Nissan, as a company, is also standing trial. Nissan has acknowledged wrongdoing.

A verdict is not expected for months.

Yuri Kageyama is on Twitter https://twitter.com/yurikageyama
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Days Gone By: Images of peaceful protest from The Eagle's archives
Golden Globe nominee Ana de Armas sparked rumors she had rekindled her romance with Ben Affleck with a heart-filled selfie on Sunday.

The Cuban 32-year-old had donned the same exact half-heart pendant necklace she and the Berkeley-born, Cambridge-raised 48-year-old used to wear together back in May.

However, just six hours later, Ana backtracked by Instastorying a strongly-worded denial that she and Ben were back together.

Hearts galore! Golden Globe nominee Ana de Armas sparked rumors she had rekindled her romance with Ben Affleck with a heart-filled selfie on Sunday

BFFs: The Cuban 32-year-old had donned the same exact half-heart pendant necklace she and the Berkeley-born, Cambridge-raised 48-year-old used to wear together

De Armas (born Caso) was said to have ended her quarantine-heavy relationship with Affleck over the phone in mid-January.

The Estee Lauder model and the two-time Oscar-winning filmmaker - who met in November 2019 on the New Orleans set of Deep Water - were last pictured together on November 28.

It's Ana's first public relationship since divorcing Spanish actor Marc Clotet in 2013 after three years of marriage.

De Armas reunites with her Knives Out co-star Chris Evans in the Russo Brothers' The Gray Man, which started filming last Tuesday.

'I don't think so!' However, just six hours later, Ana backtracked by Instastorying a strongly-worded denial that she and Ben were back together

Ouch! De Armas was said to have ended her quarantine-heavy relationship with Affleck (L, pictured August 16) over the phone in mid-January

Life imitating art: The Estee Lauder model and the two-time Oscar-winning filmmaker - who met in November 2019 (pictured) on the New Orleans set of Deep Water - were last seen together on November 28

The $200M-budget CIA thriller - streaming next year on Netflix - also stars Ryan Gosling, Billy Bob Thornton, Alfre Woodard, and Rege-Jean Page.

'I'm doing with really intense, physical work, training and choreographies,' the Sergio actress told British Vogue earlier this month.

'I do it from 9am to 2pm and then I get a break  and then on the weekends I go to the shooting range and I practice shooting with firing arms that I have to use in the film. And some knife training, too. I enjoy it very much.'

Ana will then make her Bond girl debut as 'irresponsible' CIA agent Paloma in Cary Joji Fukunaga's No Time to Die, which hits UK theaters September 30 and US theaters October 8.

'Day 1': Ana reunites with her Knives Out co-star Chris Evans in the Russo Brothers' The Gray Man, which started filming last Tuesday

'#thegrayman': The $200M-budget CIA thriller - streaming next year on Netflix - also stars Ryan Gosling, Billy Bob Thornton, Alfre Woodard, and Rege-Jean Page (pictured last Friday)

The 25th installment of the 007 franchise reunited de Armas with her Knives Out co-star Daniel Craig.

'The experience was great,' the Night Clerk stunner - who learned English in 2015 - told the mag.

'I loved doing that movie and working again with Daniel and Cary Fukunaga, the director, who I had really wanted to work with for a long time. It was a really fun project to be a part of.'

No Time to Die also features Rami Malek, Lea Seydoux, Ben Whishaw, Naomie Harris, Jeffrey Wright, Christoph Waltz, Ralph Fiennes, and Billy Magnussen.

'Irresponsible': De Armas will then make her Bond girl debut as CIA agent Paloma in Cary Joji Fukunaga's No Time to Die, which hits UK theaters September 30 and US theaters October 8
If math is white supremacy, civilization is finished By Greg Strange

Two plus two equals four. No controversy there, right? Because in this universe, which happens to be governed by immutable laws of physics, which are expressed through unalterable mathematics, two plus two must always equal four, theres only one right answer. And no one could possibly quibble with that, right? Wrong! Reality-denying leftists insist that two plus two is deviously misleading and adds up to a whole lot more than four, if it even adds up to that. Its all part of the larger equation of  and you know whats coming  the dastardly, ubiquitous, never-ending, all-encompassing . . . drum roll, please . . . white supremacy! Its that invisible, incorporeal and malevolent something-or-other that only leftists and race hustlers can detect in present-day America, but which according to them permeates everything, including math and probably right down to the subatomic quarks, neutrinos and hadrons that constitute the fundamental particles of matter itself. If youre waiting for the woke insanity to burn itself out, you best not be too optimistic. There is no bottom in sight. And in line with the current woke spirit of the age, the left has now come for math and the state of Oregon, to no ones surprise (after all, it spawned Antifa), is totally onboard with that. The Oregon Department of Education, in an e-mail, recently suggested that teachers take a course called A Pathway to Equitable Math Instruction. Here are a few choice excerpts from that e-mail: The concept of mathematics being purely objective is unequivocally false . . . Upholding the idea that there are always right or wrong answers perpetuate objectivity as well as fear of open conflict. White supremacy culture infiltrates math classrooms in everyday teacher actions. The course itself has numerous helpful suggestions, such as: Identify and challenge the ways that math is used to uphold capitalist, imperialist and racist views. Expose students to examples of people who have used math as resistance. Provide learning opportunities that use math as resistance. Huh?! Did this drivel come out of Maos Red China? Will every first-grade arithmetic class in Oregon now become a Maoist struggle session? And how long before these suggestions become mandatory? The stupidity is unfathomable and the damage it does will be real. For instance . . . Lets say youre a young black kid who has the misfortune of living in the Peoples Republic of Oregon. And lets say you have a dream of becoming an aerospace engineer or maybe even an astronaut. In order to achieve that laudable goal youre going to need to learn a ton of math. But then one day in class you are informed by your teacher that math is white supremacy. What are you going to do then? Youre just a kid, you dont know anything about leftist politics. Youre not armed with the knowledge that would enable you to call this out for the garbage that it is. So what do you do? Being obviously ambitious, will you find a way to rise above this destructive ideology and go on to achieve your goals? Or . . . will your dreams be destroyed by this ideology because you get convinced that going for it would make you a shill for the white power structure and so instead, you become a revolution-fomenting BLMer who seeks to destroy rather than create? Its anybodys call, but one things for sure. That any American school would allow itself to be poisoned by this sick ideology that contends that math is white supremacy is unconscionable. If actual white supremacy was even one thousandth the significance that the left claims, blacks would still be picking cotton on plantations and serving mint juleps to their massa. Instead, though, here in the real world, they can do and achieve anything they want, including becoming president (and now vice-president*), without even the slightest opposition based on their race. (*See debate on whether or not Kamala Harris is really black  or black enough.) In reality, there has never been more support, promotion and encouragement for people of color from every institution (government, education, media, corporate, sports, medical, legal, etc., ad infinitum) in the history of mankind! But according to the left  which, by the way, happens to control all our institutions  white supremacy permeates everything, including math. Is there a building somewhere, some kind of headquarters, at least the size of the pentagon, where thousands of dyspeptic leftists sit around and try to come up with creative ways to slap a white supremacy label on virtually everything under the sun, now including math? It doesnt help when misguided, secular humanist billionaires like Bill Gates donate their wealth  in his case, one million dollars  to such unfathomable idiocy. Talk about money down a rat hole! Its his worst waste of money since Windows Vista and potentially far more destructive, but being a moral idiot, he actually thinks what hes doing is virtuous. Heres a question for Bill Gates and the entire pantheon of woke, race-obsessed do-gooders: If math is white supremacy, why do Asians excel at it, outperforming the alleged white supremacists who allegedly use it to keep nonwhites down? And furthermore, why couldnt black people do the same? To change one word in an expression coined by James Carville back in 1992, Its the culture, stupid. As we all know, Asians have a culture which places high value on academic achievement. Any other culture that wants to do the same, can. The only remaining question is, why dont some cultures? But thats for those cultures to answer. One thing is certain. Screaming white supremacy over every nonwhite failure, including math scores, will only keep them mired in failure for that much longer. Look, do you want anything to work, your cell phone, your GPS, your car, your microwave oven, your computer, your television, your electric tooth brush, anything at all? Then you better not be down with woke math which doesnt require right answers. Do you want airplanes to fall out of the sky, bridges to collapse, power plants to blow up? Then join Bill Gates in his twisted campaign against math and against sanity itself. And then stand back and watch countries like China mop up the floor with us. In fact, it would be shocking if China were not secretly funding woke programs on all fronts. In espionage lingo thats called subversion and its made all the more easy when the country you want to subvert is subverting itself like theres no tomorrow. If the lefts war against math and science and reality itself keeps up, were going to end up back in some kind of state of pre-civilization. Would that finally make them happy? Not likely. I can just hear them now: Fire discovered, then wielded as a weapon by white supremacists! Dawn of agriculture leading to the enslavement of people of color! Domestication of animals gives unfair advantage to whites! Invention of the wheel used to roll over the rights of BIPOC (black, indigenous and people of color)! Invention of the abacus exploits divide between technological haves and have-nots! As long as there is a political and/or cultural left that has a significant degree of power, sanity cannot prevail in any area of life. Math is no exception. Greg Strange can be reached at gpstrange30341@yahoo.com. (c) 2021 Greg Strange. Home
GUEST OPINION by Peter OConnor, Vice President Asia Pacific, Snowflake: With an increasing proportion of daily activity shifting into the digital realm, Australian businesses are finding themselves awash with data.

From communication with customers and suppliers to operational planning and financial reporting, the volume of data needing to be managed and stored is rising by the day. Many are seeking ways to streamline these tasks while also ensuring all data remains secure at all times.

For this reason, the topic of data governance has become a focus for senior management. Governance is defined as the orchestration of people, processes, and technology to best manage an organisations critical data assets. Its achieved by using roles, policies, and procedures to ensure data is accurate, consistent, and secure at all times.

There are five ways in which effective data security and governance can be achieved during the coming year. These ways are:

Begin with the right architecture

When redesigning your data infrastructure, which may incorporate a shift to a cloud platform, there is an opportunity to take a different approach when it comes to governance and security. Rather than having an infrastructure that is spread across multiple locations and storage silos, data can be migrated to a single location. This allows tools to be deployed that can streamline management and allow the organisation to extract maximum value from the data.

This new architecture should also make it as simple as possible to share the data, while at the same time having controls in place that monitor what data is being shared and with whom. This is vital if effective governance is to be maintained over the longer term.

Focus on data quality

Once all data is stored in a single location, focus can be applied to ensure its quality is as high as possible. A single store makes it possible to achieve a single version of the truth as all parties are working with the same data sets. Also, duplication can be removed, further streamlining data flows and improving productivity for users.

It also needs to be remembered that achieving data quality is not a one-off challenge. With large volumes flowing into and out of an organisation, ensuring the quality of those flows is high is an ongoing task. Sufficient resources will need to be allocated to this area to maintain required quality levels.

Build for end-to-end management

Its important to think about the way in which data moves throughout your organisation. Consider what applications and tools will be connected with your centralised data store and how the resulting data exchanges will be managed.

Attention also needs to be given to finding ways in which complexity can be kept to a minimum. Cost management is another important consideration as is having the ability to scale the data infrastructure to meet future increases in demand.

Dont take shortcuts with security

When reviewing data governance and management, its vital that security be considered from the outset. Rather than being something that is bolted on at the end, it should be a design element from the very beginning.

Your security strategy also needs to be flexible. Data collaboration is becoming much more prevalent across organisations and ensuring security measures can cope with this is increasingly important.

Future proof for regulation and compliance

It must be remembered that the regulation and compliance requirements that exist today will be different from what will be required in the future. Ensure your data governance strategy is flexible enough to cope with any changes that might be required in the years ahead.

By taking this approach to data management, enterprises can ensure their data is secure and compliant with all regulations and requirements. It also positions them well to be able to extract data from it that can be used to guide future planning.

Through embracing a data governance strategy, Australian businesses will be best placed to respond to the challenges that lie ahead in 2021.
Amaravati, March 22 : After Andhra Pradesh Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) President Somu Veerraju criticised the village and ward volunteer governance system launched by Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy, the ruling YSRCP has questioned the opposition parties for already accepting defeat in the recent Tirupati by-poll.

V. Vijayasai Reddy, a senior Yuvajana Sramika Rythu Congress Party (YSRCP) leader and Rajya Sabha MP, on Monday asked if the opposition parties have already accepted their defeat in the Tirupati by-poll or are attempting to pin the blame on the volunteer system after losing the election.

These people should stop crying over the volunteer system which is winning international accolades, he added.

"Jagan Mohan Reddy launched volunteer system won international accolades for taking government schemes to the people and people should not cry over those liaising agents," he opined.

Somu Veerraju alleged that 50 to 60 per cent of the volunteers were YSRCP activists.

He said the BJP has already put in a system, the 'Page Pramukh system', in all the states of the country where party 'karyakartas' (activists) work voluntarily without wasting public money.

"This 'Page Pramukh system' has been transformed into a volunteer system here." He challenged the YSRCP to appoint its activists without money and claimed that the volunteers are being used to threaten.

However, the volunteer system has received good appreciation from several quarters, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

During a video conference with the Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister a few months ago from Tirupati, Modi appreciated the village and ward volunteer governance system and told him that it is worth emulating.

Likewise, Karnataka government officials also visited Anantapur district to study the grassroots governance system.
A Houston institution

Regarding Houstons historic River Oaks Theatre prepares to close at months end, (March 15): The River Oaks Landmark Theatre has been an institution in Houston for decades. Please do not let this end. The culture, community and history of this city along with the River Oaks Shopping Center in particular have all been graced by this theater. It has added to property values and in pre-COVID times has brought people to shop and dine as well as be entertained by interesting films. Lets not let this arts institution die  please work out a solution that is amenable to both the landlord and the lessee. It would be terrific publicity for Weingarten and Houston if a positive resolution is reached that allows the theater to remain open; profits and community can co-exist if all parties so agree.

Andi Alberg, Houston

Goodbye, chief

Regarding Farewell to the chief, (A14, March 18): While you sung the praises of Art Acevedo in your editorial, had you based your editorial on his actual performance, you would rejoice at the departure of this failed department head. Houstonians are less safe now than when Acevedo took the job as police chief. The murder rate in Houston is the highest in years. Added to this is an atrocious clearance rate on murders during his tenure. The clearance rate dropped from above 80 percent to below 50 percent under his watch. While he shined in your estimation because his politics were aligned with yours, his tenure as the chief of police has been a disaster and his legacy is diametrically opposed to your farewell. My fervent hope is that the citizens of Houston will become more safe with a less political, and more competent police chief as we say farewell to the disastrous reign that Acevedo brought to our city.

Tom Isler, Kingwood

Public housing for all

Regarding Living Hell, (A1, March 14): As one reads about the terrible ordeals of tenants at the mercy of neglectful landlords, the entire concept of private property should be questioned. Should the most basic needs of tenants for decent living conditions be left up to profit seekers and investors who primarily care about the bottom line. Landlords, owners and investors (who may never meet a tenant, especially if its a private equity firm) cannot be depended upon to assure decent conditions. Perhaps it's time for government to not only inspect and regulate housing, but to own it, take care of it, and provide it to people at reasonable cost. The government will not have the negative incentive to cut corners. This will mean a greater likelihood of decent housing.

Shaun Smith, Houston
Tripoli, Libya (PANA) - Central Bank of Libya (BCL) Governor Seddik al-Kabir on Monday held talks with the Ministers of Planning, Finance and Communications of the Government of National Accord on the prospects for promoting the economy and harmonising policies in this area
Ramallah, March 22 : Palestine launched a mass vaccination rollout campaign against coronavirus in a bid to combat the fast-spreading virus across the West Bank and the Gaza Strip.

Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammed Ishtaye started the campaign in the West Bank city of Ramallah on Sunday, Xinhua news agency reported.

"The vaccination rollout will be carried out with full transparency, and anyone exceeding priorities regarding inoculating the vaccines will be held accountable," Ishtaye said at a press conference held in Palestine Medical Complex in Ramallah.

"Vaccination will be conducted according to the registration platform," he said.

Ishtaye added that Palestine is set to receive more vaccines, including a shipment of 100,000 doses of coronavirus vaccines from China.

On Wednesday, Palestine received the first batch of the coronavirus vaccine from the global COVAX program, which has some 62,000 doses, including 38,000 doses of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine and 24,000 of the AstraZeneca vaccine.

COVAX is a global initiative aimed at equitable access to coronavirus vaccines, co-led by the World Health Organization and its partners.

Meanwhile, Mai al-Kaila, the Palestinian health minister, said that launching the national vaccine campaign against coronavirus "is a new promising stage that requires everyone's efforts to reach the required immunity." "The health ministry has completed all technical and logistical arrangements related to launching the campaign, which will proceed according to a gradual plan," she said.

On Sunday, Palestine recorded 2,247 new coronavirus cases, 21 deaths and 1,753 recoveries in 24 hours, according to the Health Ministry.

Currently, 198 coronavirus patients remain in intensive care units, the ministry said.

Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19)
Myanmar: Lower Mekong nations seek more US support for tracking water data

by Viet Anh

March 22,2021 | Source: VN Express

Countries in the lower Mekong are seeking additional U.S. help to improve their water tracking capabilities and implementing a new basin development strategy. "We will continue to work with the U.S. and hope to have additional earmarked funding from Washington to implement our new strategy, especially in satellite technology use, and data and information visualization," Dr An Pich Hatda, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Mekong River Commission (MRC) Secretariat, said Friday. He was speaking at the opening plenary of Mekong- U.S. Partnership Track 1.5 Policy Dialogue, a four-day event hosted by Stimson Center and the International Union of Nature (IUCN). Hatda stressed that ensuring water flow and quality in the Mekong River was a crucial element in its basin development strategy until 2030. This, along with securing sediment transport and ecosystem services, contributes to the commission's number one priority: maintaining the ecological function of the Mekong River, he said. He said the Mekong River basin faces major challenges, including permanent modification of mainstream flow regime, substantial reduction in sediment flows due to sediment trapping, limited water infrastructure data and information sharing, continuing loss of wetlands, deterioration of riverine habitats and growing pressures on capture fisheries, and temperature and sea level rise due to climate change. He noted that growing populations and expanding economies in the region have put a lot of pressure on natural resources and generated considerable costs to the environment.



Remarkably, the hydrology of the Mekong is changing, with increased water flow during the dry season, and vice versa in the wet season. Difficulties are also created by hydropower facilities not operating in a coordinated manner. In addition, the basin's climate is changing, with experts forecasting that it will face higher temperatures and more extreme floods and droughts. "Water quality and fisheries reduction are what we are going to face in the future." In that context, the MRC's strategy document, which was approved in November 2020, set out how water and related resources of the Mekong River Basin should be used and managed from perspectives of the Lower Mekong countries (Cambodia, Laos, Thailand and Vietnam). Hatda noted that at the first Mekong-U.S. Partnership Ministerial Meeting in September 2020, the U.S. Department of State had pledged $1.8 million to support the MRC in sharing water resource data for policy planning. Ambassador Atul Keshap, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of State, Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs, U.S. Department of State, emphasized the important role of the Mekong Dam Monitor (MDM), a project using satellites to track and publish water levels in Chinese dams on the Mekong river. On March 16, MDM alerted local communities in Thailand and Laos of an impending 1.3 meter drop in river levels due to restrictions by the Jinghong dam in China's Yunnan province. It showed that advanced warning can be helpful for people's livelihoods. Jinghong is one of 11 operational dams that China has built on the Mekong River. Keshap said China should provide accurate, timely and essential data that Mekong region countries are calling for and should consult with its neighbors on its dam operations that severely impact water quality and water quantity downstream. The Mekong River flows 4,880 km from its origins in Tibet, 2,130 km of it in China, where it is called Lancang. The river flows south through Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam.
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A spring tree planting campaign has been launched in Turkmenistan with the participation of President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov. The nationwide action is timed to coincide with the National Spring Holiday - Novruz Bayram.

Early in the morning, the head of state arrived at the site near Karakum hotel in the northern part of Ashgabat, where a new park will be created. He was met by the Speaker of the Mejlis (parliament), deputy prime ministers, as well as heads of the ministries, departments, public associations, educational establishments, mass media and student youth.

The Turkmen leader planted the first tree in the new park, thus launching a nationwide tree planting campaign. Following the head of state, all the participants of the action planted trees there. Mass planting of trees also took place in all regions of Turkmenistan.

According to the decree signed by the President of Turkmenistan at an enlarged government meeting this February, a total of 30 million seedlings of deciduous, coniferous, fruit trees and grapes are to be planted in Turkmenistan in 2021.

 TURKMENISTAN.RU, 2021
The tuberculosis (TB) burden in the WHO European Region as a whole is decreasing, and is down 19% overall for 2015-2019, according to the latest WHO/European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) report Tuberculosis surveillance and monitoring in Europe 2021 (2019 data).

Regional TB mortality has gone down, declining by 9.4% between 2018 and 2019. This is notably higher than the average global decline in TB mortality (3.7%) and enough to have reached the End TB Strategy milestone of a 35% reduction by 2020 compared to 2015.

However, TB is second only to COVID-19 as an infectious disease that kills, and drug resistance is a major concern. There are also worrying indications that the COVID-19 pandemic may stall progress or cause significant setbacks in the fight against TB.

The uneven burden of TB

In 2019, there were an estimated 20 000 TB deaths in the WHO European Region - equivalent to 2.2 deaths per 100 000 people, and some 3560 TB deaths occurred in the European Union/European Economic Area (EU/EEA), equal to 0.7 deaths per 100 000. For 2019, in the European Region as a whole, there were some 216 000 new TB diagnoses, corresponding to 23.2 cases per 100 000.

Twenty-nine countries in the EU/EEA reported a total of 47 504 TB cases, which equates to a rate of 9.2 cases per 100 000. Across the EU/EEA, most country-specific rates continue to decline; however, the EU/EEA as a whole is currently not on track to reach the goal of ending TB by 2030.

TB is far from being evenly distributed in the European Region. Around 83% of estimated cases occur in 18 countries, where incidence is five times higher than the EU/EEA average. Five of the 18 high priority countries are within the EU/EEA, and 13 are in eastern Europe and central Asia.

COVID-19's impact on TB

The decrease in TB burden put the Region on course to reach the End TB Strategy milestone for 2020 and the regional action plan target for reduction of the TB incidence rate. However, there are grave concerns that the COVID-19 pandemic may jeopardise recent progress.

Negative impacts have already been observed in TB service delivery and notifications in high-burden countries, this is believed to indicate that fewer people have been tested, meaning that people with undiagnosed TB are not getting the treatment they need and run the risk of infecting others.

The findings of an ongoing assessment of the impact of COVID-19 on TB services and spread in the European Region, will be ready in Spring 2021.

Treatment outcomes remain sub-optimal

Despite universal access to quality-assured anti-TB drugs, treatment outcomes in the Region remain sub-optimal. Only 77% of patients successfully completed treatment in 2019, well below the global rate of 85%. Treatment success in the EU/EEA was lower still, with only 64% of all TB cases notified in 2018 being reported as having completed their treatment successfully.

Strains of TB that do not respond to commonly used treatment regimens are known as either multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) or extensively drug-resistant tuberculosis (XDR-TB). Just 59% of MDR-TB cases notified in the Region in 2017 were successfully treated, far short of the 75% target. As for XDR-TB cases in 2016, treatment success was only 43%.

Across the Region, treatment outcomes for MDR-TB remain suboptimal. Unsuccessful treatment is one of the factors that drives resistance, often due to lack of effective TB medicines in treatment regimens for drug-resistant TB, and low adherence to therapy.

Overall, in the Region, every third pulmonary TB patient has a drug-resistant form of the disease. Across the Region, a quarter of drug-resistant TB patients have XDR-TB, and 70% of the world's XDR-TB patients live in the European Region.

The percentage of newly notified TB patients tested using WHO-recommended rapid diagnostic tests increased from 45% in 2015 to 69% in 2019, but nonetheless remains below the global End TB Strategy target of 90%. Rapid diagnostic tests allow quicker diagnosis, resulting in minimisation of suffering, onward transmission and death.

People living with HIV are particularly susceptible to TB, and coinfection is common. In the European Region, only 52% of coinfected patients complete TB treatment successfully, far below the global rate of 76%. This means that in the European Region there is a lower probability of people with a coinfection being successfully treated and making a full recovery.

TB at centre of health agendas

Stella Kyriakides, European Commissioner for Health and Food Safety stated: "The decline of tuberculosis in recent years is positive news. But TB continues to be a threat to some regions in the EU and continues to affect the most vulnerable in our society. We know that there is still more work to do. Together with our agencies, the Commission is committed to playing its part to eliminate TB through, in part, funding, research and the fight against antimicrobial resistance. Prevention, early diagnosis and access to treatment and care will also play key roles in this regard".

ECDC Director Dr Andrea Ammon commented: "In the EU/EEA, the overall TB notification rate continued to fall in 2019, highlighting some progress towards the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). However, despite this progress, the EU/EEA is not currently on track to reach the goal of ending the TB epidemic by 2030. Further to this, across all cohorts, treatment success in the EU/EEA remains well below the WHO targets. The wide-scale disruption to TB services due to the COVID-19 pandemic will make it even more difficult for Member States to reach the SDGs and treatment targets, but now is the time for countries to accelerate their progress towards eliminating TB".

"How COVID-19 has drawn attention and resources away from TB services is of huge concern. I have no doubt that we'll get COVID-19 under control. But the price of that can never be losing hard won progress with other health threats, like TB. Today, the risk of drug-resistant TB becoming even more resistant is real, and it's not a risk we want to take. People need to realise this and understand the urgency of the action required and also know that we already have new opportunities and tools. Working towards ending TB is a crucial part of WHO's European Programme of Work and, having treated TB patients myself as a doctor, it is something that's very close to my heart. Great progress has been made in recent years, but challenges remain nonetheless. I therefore applaud the huge efforts made by countries in our region to overcome TB, a terrible and yet curable disease that causes great suffering," said Dr Hans Henri P. Kluge, WHO Regional Director for Europe.

###

Read the full report: https:/ / www. ecdc. europa. eu/ en/ publications-data/ tuberculosis-surveillance-and-monitoring-europe-2021-2019-data

Notes to editors:

The 18 high-priority countries are: Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Bulgaria, Estonia, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Latvia, Lithuania, the Republic of Moldova, Romania, the Russian Federation, Tajikistan, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Ukraine and Uzbekistan.

World Tuberculosis Day is observed on 24 March each year around the world. Its overall goal is to raise awareness concerning the burden of TB worldwide and the status of TB prevention and control efforts.

SDG target 3.3: By 2030, end the epidemics of AIDS, tuberculosis, malaria and neglected tropical diseases and combat hepatitis, water-borne diseases and other communicable diseases. The indicator is TB incidence per 100 000 population. The WHO End TB Strategy sub targets for measuring progress towards the SDGs are: TB incidence 80% lower in 2030 compared to 2015; the number of TB deaths 90% lower; and no family should face catastrophic costs due to TB.

The United Nations General Assembly high-level meeting on the fight against tuberculosis was held on 26 September 2018, resulting in a political declaration endorsed by Heads of State and Government outlining the key commitments that must be met for the world to end the TB epidemic by 2030, as called for in the SDGs.

The WHO European Region comprises 53 Member States with a population of over 900 million, of which around 517 million live in the EU/EEA (28 EU Member States plus Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and the United Kingdom in 2019).
New Delhi:

The External Affairs Ministry on Saturday said that it was monitoring the situation and communicating with the Indian diaspora in the US, Venezuela, France and the Netherlands in the wake of deadly Hurricane Irma.

The ministrys spokesman Raveesh Kumar said the Indian missions in the four countries were in touch with local government officials to provide assistance to the affected Indians.

Our missions in Venezuela, the Netherlands, France and the US are constantly monitoring the situation following destruction due to hurricane Irma. They are in constant touch with the Indian diaspora affected by Irma and with local government officials to provide all possible assistance, Kumar said in a series of tweets.

Irma, a category 5 hurricane with winds swirling at 260 kilometres per hour, barrelled towards Florida after making landfall in Cubas Camaguey Archipelago. It killed at least 19 people and damaged thousands of homes on the Caribbean islands.

ALSO READ: Donald Trump signs USD 15 billion hurricane relief package

France said at least 10 people have been killed across its Caribbean territories with seven more missing. Two people died on the Dutch side of the Saint Martin island.

The External Affairs Ministry spokesman tweeted telephone numbers for Indians to contact in case of emergency: Embassy of India, Venezuela (+58 4241951854/4142214721);

Netherlands (+31247247247); France (0800000971).

The Indian embassy in the Netherlands tweeted that they were in touch with the Dutch government.

The Indian embassy in Caracas in Venezuela was also monitoring the situation in Saint Martin and coordinating the welfare of all Indians living there.

ALSO READ: Hurricane Irma takes life of 14 in Caribbean islands; heads for Florida

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Overflowing creeks and dozens of road closures added to the risks for drivers in south-east Queensland as rain continued to fall for much of Monday.

Heavy rain hits Brisbane CBD as storms sweep across south-east Queensland. Credit:Matt Dennien

Emergency Services Minister Mark Ryan said the worst of the weather was expected to develop overnight.

There are some very heavy falls expected tonight and into tomorrow, falls in the vicinity of 169 millimetres over about six hours.

That will give rise to flash flooding in areas.
Summerville, SC (29483)

Today

Scattered thunderstorms this morning, then mainly cloudy during the afternoon with thunderstorms likely. High 78F. Winds SSE at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 80%..

Tonight

Scattered thunderstorms this evening becoming more widespread overnight. Low around 70F. Winds S at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 60%.
(@FahadShabbir)

:At least 40 people were killed in raids on villages near Niger's border with Mali, a zone notorious for terrorists attacks, local and security sources told AFP Monday

Niamey, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 22nd Mar, 2021 ) :At least 40 people were killed in raids on villages near Niger's border with Mali, a zone notorious for terrorists attacks, local and security sources told AFP Monday.

"Armed men arrived on motorbikes and shot at everything which moved.

They attacked Intazayene, Bakoarate and Wistane and surrounding areas" on Sunday, a local official said, in an account confirmed by a security source.

On March 15, 66 people were killed in the same region -- the so-called "tri-border area" where the frontiers of Niger, Burkina Faso and Mali converge.
All India Congress Committee general secretary in-charge for Rajasthan on Monday exuded confidence that the party will win the three assembly seats going to bypolls next month.

Maken said the Ashok Gehlot government has presented an "excellent" budget and the party will be benefited by it.

"Our observers, ministers in-charge and others have been working for several weeks. We are ahead in preparations and the party will win bypolls on all seats," he told reporters at the airport.

At a meeting with state Congress leaders and workers, Maken asked them to continue working on the ground to ensure that the party wins.

"We are confident that the party will deliver better results as compared to the BJP," he said.

After the meeting, Maken said party workers gave important suggestions which will be implemented.

On the alleged phone tapping issue raised by the BJP in the recently concluded assembly session, Maken claimed the most phone tapping was done in Gujarat when Narendra Modi was the chief minister.

"It is the BJP which has been blamed for phone tapping," he said.

Maken said he has asked state Congress chief Govind Singh Dotasra to forward the panel of names shortlisted so that it could be sent for approval to the party high-command for finalising candidates.

Bypolls will be held in Sahara (Bhilwara), Sujangarh (Churu) and Rajsamand assembly constituencies.

According to the election schedule, nominations will start with the issuance of notification on March 23.

Polling will be held on April 17, and counting will take place on May 2.

(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| 2021-03-22 09:50:46|Editor: huaxia

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TRIPOLI, March 21 (Xinhua) -- Libyan Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibah met with Italian Foreign Minister Luigi Di Maio here on Sunday, discussing the two countries' cooperation and the immigration issue.

The two sides talked about the establishment of a joint committee to reconnect their commercial ties, with Di Maio saying that Italy is willing to upgrade the bilateral relations to the level of strategic partnership, said a statement of Libya's new government.

Dbeibah said that illegal immigration is an international issue not related to Libya only and needs solidarity from the countries of the origin of immigrants to the countries of destination, according to the statement.

Libya has become a preferred point of departure for thousands of immigrants who attempt to cross the Mediterranean Sea to reach European shores, in order to escape insecurity and chaos that have plagued Libya since the fall of leader Muammar Gaddafi in 2011.

Di Maio has become the most senior Western official to visit the North African nation after the new Government of National Unity took power, according to the Associated Press. Enditem
Photo: The Canadian Press Meng Wanzhou, chief financial officer of Huawei, carries a binder of documents as she leaves her home to attend a hearing at B.C. Supreme Court, in Vancouver on Monday, March 22, 2021. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck

A lawyer for Huawei executive Meng Wanzhou says a retired Mountie's refusal to testify in the extradition case adds weight to an argument that the officer shared information about her devices with U.S. investigators.

Scott Fenton told a B.C. Supreme Court judge that former staff sergeant Ben Chang is the "most important witness" on the issue of whether electronic serial numbers were improperly shared with the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

The court has heard Chang was asked by the FBI for information about Meng's devices in order to enter a legal request to obtain them, although there is no direct evidence the information was sent.

Fenton says Chang retired six months after Meng's arrest, moved to Macau and refused to testify, beyond filing an affidavit saying he did not share the information.

The arguments are part of a hearing that will determine if Meng was subjected to an abuse of process by Canadian officials, and if proven the judge will decide whether extradition proceedings should be stayed against her.

Meng is wanted in the United States on fraud charges related to violations of U.S. sanctions against Iran, which both she and Huawei deny.

Fenton called the refusal of the former RCMP officer to submit to cross-examination "one of the more troubling elements in the case" and "unprecedented."

He urged the judge to give no weight to Chang's written testimony and instead to take an "adverse inference," or conclude that the cross-examination would have undermined the claims in his affidavit.
"Sensitive Skin Awareness Week is designed for today's digitally savvy and connected skincare consumer to have a more interactive dialogue on social platforms to help them meet their unique skin needs. Cetaphil has long tapped into social media to engage with our consumers and Sensitive Skin Awareness Week brings more science to this dialogue," says June Risser, Vice President and General Manager of Consumer Business at Galderma. "This initiative will provide our consumers with first-hand access to science-based sensitive skincare knowledge from some of the best dermatologists in the country, alongside product recommendations from their influential peers who have been able to test all the market has to offer and prefer Cetaphil as their brand of choice."

Through extensive consumer research, Cetaphil found that 70% of Americans self-diagnose as having sensitive skin1. While that number is a staggering majority, there is still confusion surrounding how to best mitigate their skin concerns. "My patients often don't realize that their sensitivity is actually due in part to how they are treating their skin, or the effects of the products they are using," says Oregon-based board-certified dermatologist, Dr. Laurel Geraghty.

According to Dr. Geraghty, when skin is in a more sensitive state, it may display one or more of the following five symptoms  dryness, irritation, roughness, tightness, and weakened skin barrier  all of which can range from mild to severe. Cetaphil offers specially formulated product solutions across its robust portfolio that defend against Five Signs of Skin Sensitivity.

Sensitive Skin Awareness week is a key initiative under the "Complete Care for Your Sensitive Skin" campaign that kicked off earlier this month and solidifies the brand's credibility, expertise, and more than 70 years of unwavering commitment to sensitive skincare. The fresh marketing effort will begin with a rollout of interactive digital programming across Facebook, Instagram and TikTok, including Instagram Lives and takeovers led by the very people who use and recommend Cetaphil daily, including:

Monday, March 22 at 6pm EST : Dr. Andrea Suarez and Edward Zo Instagram Live

Dr. and Edward Zo Instagram Live Tuesday, March 23 at 5pm EST : Dr. Camille Howard and Renee Chow Instagram Live

Dr. and Renee Chow Instagram Live Wednesday, March 24 at 3pm EST : Dr. Alexis Stephens will be taking over @CetaphilUS

Dr. will be taking over @CetaphilUS Thursday, March 25 at 3pm EST : Dr. Chris Tomassian will be taking over @CetaphilUS

Dr. will be taking over @CetaphilUS Friday, March 26 at 3pm EST : Dr. Jenny Liu and Melissa Alatorre Instagram Live

For all Sensitive Skin Awareness Week content and expert advice surrounding Five Signs of Skin Sensitivity, tune in daily at @CetaphilUS for a chance to be rewarded with product giveaways. Additional brand content can also be found on the campaign's dedicated page at https://www.cetaphil.com/us/sensitive-skin-awareness-week.

About Cetaphil

Over seventy years ago, a leading pharmacist created the first Cetaphil product  a gentle, yet powerful formula that would clean without stripping and moisturize without clogging. Today, Cetaphil is the #1 dermatologist-recommended facial skincare brand and is recognized around the world. With the help of leading global skincare experts, they continue to develop innovative skincare technologies sensitive skin that help restore, protect and maintain skin's health every day. For more information, visit www.cetaphil.com.

About Galderma

Galderma, the world's largest independent global dermatology company, was created in 1981 and is now present in approximately 100 countries with an extensive product portfolio of prescription medicines, aesthetics solutions and consumer care products. The company partners with health care practitioners around the world to meet the skin health needs of people throughout their lifetime. Galderma is a leader in research and development of scientifically defined and medically proven solutions for the skin. For more information, please visit www.galderma.com/us.

1Farage, Miranda A. "The Prevalence of Sensitive Skin." US National Library of Medicine National Institutes of Health, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6533878/.

SOURCE Cetaphil; Galderma Laboratories

Related Links

http://www.cetaphil.com


Ryan Gosling is forever grateful for his role as Noah in The Notebook. According to Gosling, the movie introduced him to one of the great loves of his life (aka Rachel McAdams.)

But while making the film, there was one passionate scene he wanted to add to The Notebook that never made the cut. What did Goslings ideal scene involve?

Ryan Gosling attends the 89th Annual Academy Awards | Christopher Polk/Getty Images

Ryan Gosling chose the method acting approach to get into character as Noah

At first, the Crazy Stupid Love actor was rather hesitant about taking the role of Noah in The Notebook. Before the film, Gosling had mainly starred in action films, and he was worried he wouldnt be able to play a romantic lead.

Yet, according to director Nick Cassavetes, Gosling was the perfect person for the role. Honored by the directors faith in him, Gosling decided to fully immerse himself into the part of Noah to give the character justice.

Ryan Gosling and Rachel McAdams winner of the Superstar of Tomorrow award | J. Vespa/WireImage

In fact, he was so committed to the role that he decided to use the method acting approach so he could fully transform into the Nicholas Sparks character.

According to Seventeen Magazine, Gosling spent two months before filming in Charleston, South Carolina, (where the character lives.) He spent those two months doing Noah things like building furniture and writing poetry. Gosling even built the table thats used in the dinner scene.

Ryan Gosling wanted to add a passionate scene to The Notebook that never got filmed

Actors Ryan Gosling (L) and Rachel McAdams pose at the premiere of New Lines The Notebook at the Village Theatre on June 21, 2004 in Los Angeles | Kevin Winter/Getty Images

RELATED: Ryan Gosling Says His Relationship With Rachel McAdams Was More Romantic Than The Notebook

In The Notebook, one of the most romantic scenes is when Noah builds Allie her dream house. His gesture is so romantic that Allie faints when she finds out. But according to Vanity Fair, Gosling really wanted his character to burn the house down in a state of passion. Why? He thought the gesture would be symbolic for Noahs character arc.

Yet Cassavetes thought this was a terrible idea. He immediately told Gosling that this additional scene didnt make any sense.

Gosling thought it would be appropriate for Noah to burn down what had become his characters lifes work, Cassavetes tells Vanity Fair. Ryan wants to talk to you about what hes going to do. He wants to go prepare for it, feel it, live it, explore other options for it. Hed come to me and say, Why cant I burn the house down? Id say, Because I dont even know what that means. And hed say, Cleansing my fire!

Gosling improvised one of the most romantic lines from The Notebook

"You can't live your life for other people. You've got to do what's right for you. Even if it hurts some people you love."  Noah #TheNotebook



Happy birthday @RyanGosling! Thank you for capturing Noah's love for Allie so perfectly. pic.twitter.com/I0Wly9U5CN  Nicholas Sparks (@NicholasSparks) November 12, 2019

Although Gosling never got to burn the house down, he did add a lot of interesting elements to the film that Cassavetes hadnt written in the script. For example, one of the most iconic lines from the romance movie was improvised by Gosling.

In the scene where he asks Allie once and for all, What do you want? this line was entirely improvised by the actor.

There was a scene at the end where Ryan improvised, What do you want? What do you want? And it became one of the most iconic things from the film [that] wasnt in the script, the director told VH1. He just knew it. Im a literary guy, I was a lit major in college, and I like words. But I also like improvisation, [so] thats fine. But he was so on it. We just let him go. They deserve all the credit in the world, those guys.
Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain

Pharmaceutical giant AstraZeneca said Monday that trials showed its COVID-19 vaccine was 100 percent effective in preventing severe disease, as a row simmered between Britain and the EU over much-needed supplies of the jab.

The AstraZeneca shot is cheaper and easier to store than many of its rivals, several countries in Europe and other parts of the world last week suspended its use because of isolated cases of blood clots.

It is also at the centre of a row between Britain and the EU, after Brussels threatened to ban exports to the UK unless the company delivers more of the 90 million doses it agreed to supply in the first quarter of 2021.

Irish prime minister Micheal Martin said such a move would be "a very retrograde step," while Britain's leader urged the European Union not to carry out its threat.

"We're all facing the same pandemic, we all have the same problems," Prime Minister Boris Johnson said on Monday.

"Developing vaccines, rolling them out, these are international projects and they require international cooperation."

The spat is mostly focused on a Netherlands factory that is still awaiting official EU approval, but which both sides claim as a future source of the AstraZeneca jab.

Exiting the pandemic

Vaccination drives are seen as crucial to overcoming the pandemic that has killed more than 2.7 million people since first emerging in China in late 2019.

They are also the most likely route out of lockdowns and restrictions that continue to paralyze economies around the world.

More than 430 million jabs have now been rolled out globally, mostly in wealthier nations while many poor countries have yet to receive a single dose.

The World Health Organization (WHO) director general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus on Monday slammed the "grotesque" vaccine gap, calling it a "moral outrage."

Even as demand for vaccines remains high, public confidence in the AstraZeneca jab in particular has taken a knock in Europe.

A survey by British pollsters YouGov showed Monday that a majority of people in the biggest EU statesincluding Germany, France, Spain and Italyview the vaccine as unsafe.

And on Monday, Iceland said it would not yet be resuming AstraZeneca vaccinations after halting them earlier this month.

The EU's medicines regulator and the WHO insist there is no evidence of linking the drug to blood clots.

And AstraZeneca said Monday that US tests on more than 30,000 people showed no increased risk of thrombosis.

It said the jab was 79 percent effective at preventing symptomatic COVID-19 in the overall population, 100 percent effective at preventing severe disease and hospitalization and 80 percent effective at preventing the disease in the elderly.

Putin hits back

A Russia-made vaccine, Sputnik V, has also met with skepticism in the West, because it was registered last year, before undergoing any large-scale clinical trials.

Some EU officials such as Internal Market Commissioner Thierry Breton continue snub the jab, saying on Sunday, "we have absolutely no need for Sputnik V".

But Russian President Vladimir Putin hit back against such comments on Monday.

"We are not imposing anything on anyone," the 68-year-old said, announcing he planned to get a jab himself this week.

According to his health minister, Mikhail Murashko, experts from the European Medicines Agency were set to visit Russia next month to review clinical trials of Sputnik V.

Other countries seem to have no such reservations.

The Russian Direct Investment Fund, which financially backed the vaccine, said it had signed an agreement with an India-based pharmaceuticals giant for the production of up to 200 million doses of the jab a year.

Until vaccine programmes are fully up and running, mass gatherings continue to cause governments headaches, with protesters taking to the streets against virus restrictions in countries such as Germany, the Netherlands, Austria and Bulgaria.

Mourning their dead

In the French Mediterranean port city of Marseille, roughly 6,500 peoplemostly young and mostly without maskstook part in a carnival parade, flouting a ban on public gatherings.

Politicians themselves are not immune to people's frustrations.

On a visit to China, Russia's Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov sported some decidedly un-diplomatic faceweara black mask with the inscription "FCKNG QRNTN."

State news agency RIA Novosti said that journalists travelling with Lavrov had given him the mask to mark his 71st birthday on Sunday, saying it "jokingly describes" attitudes towards quarantine measures imposed around the world.

While the pandemic continues to rage, some countries are mourning the anniversary of their first deaths from the virus.

Church bells rang out across the Czech Republic Monday to mark one year since the first COVID-19 fatality in the nation, which has the highest per capita death rate in the world, according to data collected by AFP.

And on Tuesday, Britain will mark the anniversary of the first coronavirus lockdown with a "National Day of Reflection", which will see parliament hold a minute's silence in tribute to the more than 125,000 people who have died.

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

 2021 AFP
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It's been reported that the summer series of Love Island could be filmed in Jersey due to travel restrictions surrounding the coronavirus pandemic.

However, Laura Whitmore has insisted that we need 'a little bit of sun,' in the upcoming season as she implied that filming in the UK would be 'miserable'.

Nevertheless, the pregnant TV presenter, 35, admitted on Dublin's 98 FM station on Monday that she doesn't know where the next Love Island show will take place as she discussed it's long awaited return.

Shoot in the sun? Laura Whitmore has insisted that we need 'a little bit of sun,' on the next series of Love Island after rumours circulated that it will be taking place in the UK or Jersey

She said: 'You probably know more than I do because every time I do an interview, there's a different article written saying, "oh it's in Jersey," or "it's in Greece," or wherever, and I'm like, "is it?"

'So many people work on Love Island. It's a huge production, I mean hundreds and hundreds of people, and they have been working on it for the last year since the previous series, so I mean, they know a lot more than I do.

'I feel like I just show up and swan in when they need me to.'

The summer series of Love Island 2020 was cancelled after production found it 'logistically impossible' to organise the show as the pandemic raged on.

Unsure: The pregnant TV presenter, 35, admitted on Dublin's 98 FM station on Monday that she doesn't know where the next show will take place as she discussed it's long awaited return

With vaccines being rolled out globally this year, the ITV2 programme - which usually takes place in Mallorca - is expected to return to TV screens later in 2021.

98 FM's Brendan O'Loughlin subsequently said he hopes for a 'miserable and grey' filming location in a seaside town to 'shake things up a bit,'

'You say that,' Laura responded. 'And then can you imagine ten minutes after watching that, I mean, that's all we've seen.

'I live in central London and in Ireland or wherever, we see a lot of grey weather. Let's just have a little bit of sun! I think we need a little bit of sun, a bit of escapism.'

Candid: Speaking of the next season's location, she said: 'I live in central London and in Ireland or wherever, we see a lot of grey weather. Let's just have a little bit of sun! I think we need a little bit of sun, a bit of escapism'

Changing topics slightly, she revealed her baby shower took place over a Zoom call as she talked about her pregnancy.

Laura said she feels 'very lucky' to be be able to work while expecting as she discussed resuming her presenting duties on Love Island.

It was previously reported that Jersey has been secured for filming this summer if production cannot take place in the show's usual location of Mallorca.

A source told The Mirror that bosses are hoping Jersey will be blessed with warm weather this summer should Love Island filming take place on the picturesque island.

They said: 'The Channel Islands get plenty of sunshine so it makes sense to hold Love Island there if we can't get back to Spain.

To be confirmed: ITV have kept under wraps the exact location of where this year's series will take place, due to the uncertainty of the pandemic (pictured the Love Island villa in Mallorca)

'Either way we're going to put out a belting series. Viewers have missed Love Island for the whole of 2020 and they're desperate to have it back. They're going to love what we do, wherever we do it.'

A representative for Love Island declined to comment when contacted by MailOnline.

It comes despite reports last month stating that Love Island bosses had been considering Devon and Cornwall as alternative filming locations.

A source told The Sun at the time: 'As a precautionary measure, producers have looked at several UK sites to hold the series, so if travel restrictions remain strict they have a back-up plan.

Exciting: It has been reported Jersey has been secured for filming this summer if production cannot take place in the show's usual location of Mallorca

'Cornwall has been optioned, as well as Torquay, the Isles of Scilly and even Barry Island, where Gavin and Stacey was filmed.

'ITV bosses are also worried about a fan backlash against the show if contestants are allowed to go away claiming work reasons but the rest of the country is still stuck at home.'

According to Laura, the hit reality show has been inundated with applicants, 'the most they've ever had' as she praised the casting team as 'brilliant' and said they are looking for 'great personalities' similar to Maura Higgins.

It was reported in February that bosses are hunting for 'brains as well as brawn' as they are keen to include a key worker in the line-up due to the recognition.

Future stars: According to Laura, the hit reality show has been inundated with applicants, 'the most they've ever had' as she praised the casting team as 'brilliant'

NHS doctor Alex George, 29, and pharmacist Anna Vakili, 30, were both hits with viewers after they appeared as contestants on the fourth series of the dating show in 2018.

Dr. Alex has been working tirelessly on the frontline throughout the pandemic, and was recently appointed as a Youth Mental Health Ambassador by Boris Johnson after speaking out following his brother's death last year.

A source told The Sun On Sunday: 'The team have had over 100,000 applications and have been looking for talent with a bit of edge.

'Some of the best contestants over the years have been those who don't just want to be famous - those with some real ambition, a solid career and a story to tell, especially of the key worker variety.'

The new series is rumoured to be the 'biggest in history', as excited ITV bosses gear up for the highly anticipated comeback later this year.
(Natural News) The Atlantic hurricane season doesnt officially start until June 1, but that may change very soon. A committee at the National Hurricane Center (NHC), part of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), has discussed whether the start date of the hurricane season should be moved to May 15.

Michael Brennan, a senior hurricane specialist at the center, noted that the change was part of the agencys effort to respond to the increasing tendency for storms to form ahead of the internationally agreed-upon start date.

For instance, over the past six hurricane seasons, named storms formed weeks ahead of June 1. Therefore, the change would only reflect the reality that the Atlantic hurricane season hasnt started in June in years.

Coincidentally, NOAAs Central Pacific Hurricane Center (CPHC) in Honolulu will also be issuing bulletins for storms that form in the Pacific Ocean beginning May 15. These bulletins will help keep the public, government officials and meteorologists informed about potential tropical systems, named storms and bigger storms.

Hurricane season could start earlier

Over the past 1015 years, named storms have formed prior to June 1 approximately 50 percent of the time. The date used to be a more accurate estimation in the mid-1960s when hurricane reconnaissance planes would conduct routine trips into the Atlantic to spot and monitor storm development.

But over time, the June 1 start date has become less reliable. Climate alarmists claim the shift is due to climate change, arguing that greenhouse gas emissions fuel the earlier formation of storms and more intense ones at that.

Although its true that storms are forming weeks earlier than the start date, experts have said that climate change is not to blame. During the 2020 hurricane season, the NHC had to issue 36 special forecasts prior to June 1. But weather scientists pointed out that how storms are defined and observed had changed significantly over time.

Dennis Feltgen, a meteorologist at the NHC, told BBC Weather that many of the storms that form weeks prior to June 1 are short-lived systems. Moreover, many of these short-lived storms are being identified more frequently because of better monitoring systems and policy changes that allow the naming of sub-tropical storms.

In other words, more storms arent forming ahead of the hurricane season, rather experts are now doing a better job detecting them.

There is also no real evidence that earlier storms are the result of a warming world. In its assessment last year, NOAA said in a statement that it is premature to conclude with high confidence that increasing atmospheric greenhouse gas concentrations from human activities have had a huge impact on hurricane activities.

Brian McNoldy, a hurricane expert at the University of Miamis Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences, notes that there was a 1219 percent increase in named storms, hurricanes and major hurricanes since the 1980s.

But there were also several inactive hurricane seasons between 19811990 and several active ones from 20112020. The shift from these two periods could explain the increase in the number of storms in recent times.

Even if the NHC were to push through with changing the official start date of the hurricane season, the heart of the Atlantic hurricane season will remain from August through October. Thats according to Phil Klotzbach, a research scientist in the department of atmospheric sciences at Colorado State University.

The forecasts for the 2021 Atlantic hurricane season have yet to be issued. Klotzbach said it could be an above-average season in terms of named storms and hurricanes that will form. (Related: Louisiana and parts of Texas evacuate residents as Tropical Storm Laura intensifies.)

Go to ClimateScienceNews.com to learn more about hurricanes and other kinds of tropical storms.

Sources include:

WattsUpWithThat.com

TampaBay.com
The Commission is looking to prevent jabs made on the continent to be delivered abroad because AstraZeneca is not meeting contractual obligations

Boris Johnson is expected to lobby EU leaders to halt the export ban on COVID-19 vaccines produced by PLC ( ).

Top politicians of the bloc are scheduled to meet on Thursday to discuss the ban, but Johnson plans to hold one-on-one phone calls before that, the BBC reported.

The Commission is looking to prevent jabs made on the continent to be delivered abroad while the UK is requesting batches produced at the Halix plant in the Netherlands.

However, AstraZeneca has not applied for EU approval on vaccines produces in Halix, so without the regulatory green light they couldnt be distributed. It is understood the company will soon issue a request.

The Commission said it is not seeking to ban exports but it wants pharma companies to meet their obligations.

"In that context, the president has said that, of course, we see that, actually, companies that manufacture doses in the EU have been exporting very widely - which is in itself a good thing - but that we want to see reciprocity and proportionality in these exports," a spokesperson told the BBC.

The FTSE 100 pharma giant previously admitted it would supply 30mln doses to the EU instead of the promised 80mln in the first quarter of 2020, and only 70mln instead of the agreed 180mln in the following three months because of supply disruption.

The UK is not to blame. The EU is not to blame, an EU official told Reuters. Its about everyone finding agreement with a company that has been over-selling its production capacity. AstraZeneca has to deliver doses to its EU customers.

???????? was smart to start funding vax research before #Covid19 even hit Europe. But they made a consequential choice by (apparently) making funding conditional to Brits getting doses of any resulting vaccine 1st.



???????? funded BioNTech but did not include any Europe 1st clause.  Dave Keating (@DaveKeating) March 19, 2021

The EU didnt negotiate a Europe first clause on its purchasing agreements, unlike the UK or the US.

So jabs produced on UK or US territory, by contract, are meant to be distributed locally instead of being exported outside of the country.

has massive production capacity in the US. If US law prevented any of those doses made on US soil from being exported, they would have to go to the US in any event.



The result can be seen in the supply chain. ???????? plants used to supply ????????, ???????? plants used to supply ????.  Dave Keating (@DaveKeating) March 19, 2021

Data suggests that if the deliveries are blocked, the UK could face a two-month delay in its vaccine rollout, which would then hit plans to reopen the economy.

However, the EU would only speed up its programme by a week, according to a research by Airfinity commissioned by The Guardian.

As of March 20, 44 out of 100 people in the UK had received a COVID-19 shot, compared to only 13 in Europe, as seen on the Our World In Data website.

Earlier on Monday, the firm announced the inoculation showed 100% efficacy against severe or critical disease and hospitalisation in late-stage trials.

Shares rose 2% to 7,246p on Monday at noon.
In Bengal, BJP at striking distance of fulfilling long-cherished dream

India

oi-Vicky Nanjappa

Kolkata, Mar 22: Riding on anti-incumbency and identity politics, BJP is sniffing a chance to capture the 'final frontier" and fulfil its long-cherished dream of coming to power in West Bengal, after being on the sidelines of its politics for decades.

The stakes are high for the saffron camp as the victory in Bengal will fulfill the long-cherished mission of expanding its ideological footprint in the 'trophy state', which till a decade ago was an impregnable red citadel.

Besides, a victory would also put the saffron camp in a better position to offset the anti-incumbency in states where it had bagged the maximum number of seats in the last two Lok Sabha polls.

Interestingly the party is in a win-win situation even if it loses the state election, which begins on March 27.

If voted to power in WB, BJP will ensure Durga, Saraswati puja held without hindrance: Amit Shah

This is because it will then have the chance to be in a better position to improve its tally of Lok Sabha seats in the state in 2024 by being able to avoid anti-incumbency and establish itself as a formidable political force by relegating the traditional Left and the Congress to the sidelines.

Issues of anti-incumbency, sharp communal polarisation, alleged large scale infiltration coupled with the absence of a strong opposition had helped the saffron camp increase its vote share by ten times in just eight years leading the party to win 18 of the 42 Lok Sabha seats in 2019.

On the flip side weak organisation, ongoing insider- outsider debate and lack of a CM face against the redoubtable Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee could well be its Achilles heels when it is at a "striking distance of coming to power," party insiders said.

BJP's vote share has grown from a mere four per cent in 2011, when Banerjee came to power, to a whopping 40 per cent in 2019.

The party is confident of snatching power in the state and has set a target of 200 pluse seats in the 294-member assembly despite being branded as a party of "outsiders" for its over dependence on its central leaders and for "not being in sync with the culture in Bengal".

"Winning West Bengal is a long-cherished dream and our party's mission since the days of Jan Sangh. It will be an important feat to expand our ideological footprint in a state that has eluded us very long. Bengal is the most important frontier in the east," West Bengal BJP chief Dilip Ghosh said.

Echoing him, senior BJP leader Tathagata Roy feels that if the party comes to power in West Bengal it will be more of an ideological victory than a political one, as the state was always considered a communist bastion.

Ironically for the party it was never reckoned as a potent political force in the state despite being the land of Syama Prasad Mookerjee, the founder of Bhartiya Jana Sangh which is BJP's forerunner.

Although opposition Congress and the Left Front have pinned the blame on TMC for the growth of the saffron camp in the state, which has 30 per cent Muslim electorate, a quick look at Bengal's socio-political history shows how the Hindu right wielded considerable influence in violence-scarred West Bengal in the aftermath of the Partition.

During the first assembly polls in 1952, the Hindu Mahasabha along with Bharatiya Jana Sangh had won 13 seats and garnered around eight per cent of the total votes.

With Mookerjee's death in 1953 and the rise of the Left in the late '50s the state saw a sharp decline in the political clout of the Hindu rightist organisations, which were relegated to the fringes and managed to win only one seat in the 1967 and 1971 elections.

After the BJP was launched in 1980, the saffron party hardly had any presence in the state and was ridiculed as the 'Party of Burrabazaar', Kolkata's trading hub which is dominated by people of the northern states.

During the 34-year-long Left rule in the state, BJP failed to make a breakthrough except in 1998 and 1999. During those two years the party in alliance with the then fledgling TMCC, managed to win two Lok Sabha seats and an assembly seat during a bypoll.

But things started looking up for BJP after TMC came to power by defeating the Left Front in 2011.

The slow and steady decline of the Left and Congress was directly proportional to the rise of BJP.

The saffron party first clinched 18 per cent votes and two seats on its own in 2014 followed by three assembly seats in the 2016 assembly polls and 11 per cent votes.

"If you look at the vote share in 2019 Lok Sabha polls, the overall vote share of 43 per cent of TMC did not go down.

Anil Deshmukh Corruption row: NCP says 'no need for resignation'| Oneindia News

It was the decline of the Left from 29 per cent to seven per cent and Congress from six to four per cent that propelled the growth of the BJP," a senior BJP leader said.

According to state BJP sources, apart from the rise in anti-incumbency in Bengal, alleged "appeasement politics" of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and the popularity of Prime Minister Narendra Modi have helped the party to position itself as the primary challenger of TMC in the state.

The BJP has over the years expanded its support base in tribal-dominated Junglemahal and in border areas that have a sizeable population of refugees from Bangladesh, especially the Matuas and Namshudras, which till few years back were considered the strongholds of the Left and the TMC.

Increase in RSS' activities and its affiliates in rural Bengal have also helped the BJP to strengthen its support base.

"Apart from the misrule of the TMC, rise of religious and political forces like Indian Secular Front of Peerzada Abbas Siddiqui will help in the consolidation of Hindu votes in the state," a senior BJP leader said.

The saffron party, which left its doors wide open for leaders from other parties as part of its poll strategy, reaped dividends by inducting several leaders, elected represetatives and cadres including political heavyweights like Suvendu Adhikari and Rajib Banerjee and created a perception of the TMC being a "sinking ship".

But there are odds stacked up against the saffron camp too as most of the reasons are intertwined with factors which are considered either its strength or strategy to defeat TMC.

The unchecked induction of leaders from various parties has led to infighting within the organisation, protests over ticket distribution and has diluted the party's "fight" against the corruption as several new recruits have graft charges against them.

The BJP's candidate list of 280 candidates has more than 70 turncoats and the party is now facing a tough time putting its house in order.

"The infighting over ticket distribution has not only brought disrepute to the party but is also a matter of loss of face before the polls and might have a cascading effect during the polls," another BJP leader said.

Although BJP hopes for a Hindu consolidation with the entry of the fledgeling ISF, the alliance of the Congress- Left-ISF can also be detrimental for the saffron camp as it may eat into the SHARE OF opposition votes, which for the last few years were with the BJP.

"ISF's entry is both beneficial and harmful for us.

Harmful because you can no longer brand only the TMC as a party for the Muslims and milk the issue of appeasement politics. Beneficial if it eats into Muslim votes of the TMC," a senior BJP leader said.

The saffron party still does not have a presence in nearly 20 per cent of the almost one lakh polling booths of the state.

Its attempt to cover up its "weak" state leadership by importing a battery of BJP leaders from the Centre and other states has helped TMCs persistent campaign branding it is a "party of outsiders".

Buoyed by the alleged positive response to its 'insider versus outsider' campaign, the TMC leadership has embraced 'Bengali pride' and created a poll narrative of sub- nationalism to counter the BJP's identity politics.

The publication of the final NRC list in Assam in December 2019, which excluded over 19 lakh people, including 14 lakh Hindus, gave TMC a golden opportunity to brand the BJP as an "anti-Bengali" party.

Sensing danger, the BJP has shelved its plan for a country-wide NRC and is only promising citizenship through CAA.

"But the delay over the implementation of the CAA has alienated a section of Matuas, who had voted for us in 2019," a senior BJP leader said.

The party is also on the back foot as TMC hopes to cash in on the anger among the people over the steep hike in fuel and LPG price. Banerjee has already hit the road in protest against it.

Political scientist Subhamoy Maitra feels a close defeat for the BJP will be a win-win situation for the saffron camp.

"BJP coming to power would be proportional with the revival of the Left-Congress, which would be a much bigger challenge for the saffron camp. So even if BJP loses the assembly election, it will not be really so as it will be in a better position for the 2024 parliamentary poll.

"It will not face anti-incumbency in the state then.

Secondly, it will be successful in holding back Congress-Left at the fringes," he added.

Another political pundit, Suman Bhattacharya said BJP's desperation to capture Bengal is driven by its cultural nationalism narrative which will not work till the cultural capital of the country (Kolkata) is captured.
Festive celebrations dedicated to the national spring holiday - International Day of Novruz  were held in all regions of Turkmenistan.

The main festivities took place on the banks of the Karakum river in Ashgabat. There was reproduced an old village with white yurts, craft workshops and an oriental bazaar which is famous for its stormy life and crowds of people. The festival featured a show of folk traditions and rituals, during which folklore groups showed how Turkmens celebrated significant events in the old days.

There was also held a concert of the country's art masters who performed literary-musical and folklore-ethnographic compositions, dances, folk and modern songs. The first day of Novruz celebration finished with the incendiary dance of Kushtdepdi.

Festive concerts and cultural events dedicated to the International Day of Novruz were held in all administrative centers of Turkmenistan.

 TURKMENISTAN.RU, 2021
Corporate Australias heaviest emitters are not spending the money investors say is required for them to hit their pledges of cutting greenhouse gases and achieve net-zero emissions.

In a first-of-its-kind analysis of the worlds top 167 greenhouse gas producers, a coalition of global investors has found that none of the 12 Australian companies assessed has disclosed how it will align future investment decisions with its stated emissions-reduction aims.

It also found no companys decarbonisation target to be fully aligned with the goals of the Paris climate agreement to limit global warming, and will raise demands for more aggressive targets to be set.

Top global investors will ramp up pressure on Australias heaviest emitters to spend more on decarbonisation vows. Credit:Jonathan Carroll

Climate Action 100+, a group of 545 investors managing a combined $70 trillion of assets, said its members would use the findings to step up pressure on Australias miners, oil and gas producers, airlines and manufacturers to align their capital spending plans with decarbonisation goals.
The product is now developed for commercial trials, with shipments ready for trial partners in China and Australia.

YPB has a long history in the field of tracer development and application, holding several patents in this field

YPB Group Limited ( ) has developed an evaporating tracer that can identify the presence of disinfectant on a surface for five hours after application.

This novel tracer allows a user to confirm that a surface has been disinfected within a fixed time period and easily indicates the need to re-apply disinfectant after the elapse of that time.

The development of the product to trial readiness follows the companys initial R&D in 2020, leading to the application for a patent with Chinas patent authority (SIPO) on December 31, 2020.

This product is now developed for commercial trials, with shipments ready for trial partners in China and Australia.

Certainty of disinfected surface is critical

YPB Group chief executive officer John Houston said: We are excited that our long history in tracer development could now impact the world in a way that we never envisaged when we commenced our quest to fight counterfeit.

I believe that the world has changed due to COVID-19 and that the certainty of a disinfected surface has become critical in many more situations than prior to the pandemic.

Invention

YPBs invention belongs to the field of sterilisation, in particular to a disinfectant with an indicative tracer function and its application.

This invention adds a luminescent tracer to the disinfectant to confirm whether the environmental surface has been disinfected and whether re-sterilisation is required.

The invention outlined in the patent is universal in nature and when combined with conventionally used disinfection solutions, can easily determine whether regular disinfection is in place and the need for any re-application.

A small inexpensive scanner can be used to identify the need for re-application of the disinfectant.

Initial trials

Initial trials with potential partners are expected before mid-year, initially targeting China and Australia.

Sufficient volume of product for trials is ready to be shipped from the companys research and development (R&D) hub in Beijing.

YPB Group will update the market on developments as they occur.

Global market

According to a report in PR Newswire, the global antiseptics and disinfectants market is expected to grow from present value by a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 20.8% from 2021 to 2028 to reach USD$105.4 billion by 2028.

History of tracer development

YPB has a long history in the field of tracer development and application, holding several patents in this field.

YPBs tracers have traditionally been developed for the anti-counterfeit market and this novel application in a tangential opportunity follows market feedback from potential customers.
Bridgerton star Phoebe Dynevor has 'grown close' to Ariana Grande's ex Pete Davidson  after he flew from New York to her hometown.

The actress, 25, who shot to international fame as Daphne Bridgerton in the hit Netflix series, and the US comedian, 27, are believed to have spent time together on both sides of the pond.

Phoebe visited New York, where the Saturday Night Live star lives, in February to film TV series Younger, while Pete was spotted by fans in Altrincham, Greater Manchester on Sunday.

New romance?: Bridgerton star Phoebe Dynevor has 'grown close' to Ariana Grande's ex Pete Davidson  after he flew from New York to her hometown

A Facebook page called Altrincham HQ shared an image of Pete wearing sunglasses and a black face covering as he posed with two fans who spotted the American in the UK this weekend.

The profile claimed Pete is 'staying over in Altrincham with friends' and said it was 'bizarre' for him to be in the market town.

In February, Phoebe shared a selection of images to her Instagram profile believed to be taken in Brooklyn, New York, alongside the caption: 'Grateful I got to be here for a hot sec' with a love heart emoji.

The actress was in NYC to film scenes for TV series Younger that she stars in alongside Sutton Foster, 46, and Hilary Duff, 33.

Phoebe's rep declined to comment to MailOnline when asked about the relationship.

Home visits: The actress, 25, who shot to fame as Daphne Bridgerton in the hit Netflix series, and the US comedian, 27, are believed to have spent time together on both sides of the pond

Pete is the ex-fiance of superstar Ariana Grande, 27, who he was engaged to for four months until October 2018 when they ended their relationship.

Ariana later referenced Pete in her song Thank U, Next with the lyric: 'Even almost got married, and for Pete, I'm so thankful.'

Phoebe is the daughter of Coronation Street actress Sally Dynevor, 57, who plays Sally Webster, and she first appeared on TV aged 14 with roles in Snatch and later Waterloo Road.

But she rose to prominence in Bridgerton, shooting raunchy love scenes with onscreen husband Rege-Jean Page, 31.

'Grateful': Phoebe visited New York, where the Saturday Night Live star lives, in February, while he was spotted by fans in Altrincham, Greater Manchester on Sunday

The show has already been recommissioned for a second series, but Phoebe's co-star Nicola Coughlan, 34, recently confirmed on Twitter the cast are yet to start filming.

The first became Netflix's most-watched original series ever after debuting in December with 82million households watching in its first 28 days.

In January, Phoebe was pictured alongside her mum Sally at a local farmers' market in Manchester after she moved back home amid the coronavirus lockdown.

Pete had a relationship with British actress Kate Beckinsale, 47, in 2019, and laughed off criticism over their 20-year age gap.

Netflix hit: Phoebe shot to prominence in Bridgerton, shooting raunchy love scenes with onscreen husband Rege-Jean Page, 31

Former lovers: Pete is the ex-fiance of superstar Ariana Grande, 27, who he was engaged to for four months until October 2018 when they ended their relationship (pictured in 2018)

He said: 'It doesn't really bother us. But then again, I'm new to this.

'So if you have questions about a relationship with a big age difference, just ask Leonardo DiCaprio, Jason Statham, Michael Douglas, Richard Gere, Jeff Goldblum, Scott Disick, Bruce Willis, Harrison Ford, Alec Baldwin, Sean Penn, whoever the president of France is, Mel Gibson, Jagger'

Pete also romanced Once Upon A Time In Hollywood actress Margaret Qualley, 26, daughter of Four Weddings and a Funeral's Andie MacDowell, and last year he dated Cindy Crawford's daughter Kaia Gerber, 19.

Phoebe's last relationship is thought to have been with Skins actor Sean Teale, 28, in 2017.
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BRUSSELS (AP)  The European Union, Britain, Canada and the United States on Monday launched coordinated sanctions against officials in China over human rights abuses in the far western Xinjiang region, provoking swift retaliation from Beijing.

The EU targeted four senior officials in Xinjiang. The sanctions involve a freeze on the officials assets and a ban on them traveling in the bloc. European citizens and companies are not permitted to provide them with financial assistance.

The 27-nation bloc also froze the assets of the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps Public Security Bureau, which it describes as a state-owned economic and paramilitary organization that runs Xinjiang and controls its economy.

British Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said the measures were part of intensive diplomacy by the U.K, the United States, Canada and the 27-nation EU to force action amid mounting evidence about serious rights abuses against the Uyghur Muslim people.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a statement that a united transatlantic response sends a strong signal to those who violate or abuse international human rights, and we will take further actions in coordination with likeminded partners."

We will continue to stand with our allies around the world in calling for an immediate end to the PRCs crimes and for justice for the many victims," Blinken said.

China responded immediately to the EU's move, slapping sanctions on 10 European individuals and four institutions that it said had damaged Chinas interests and maliciously spread lies and disinformation.

Initially, China denied the existence of camps for detaining Uyghurs in Xinjiang but has since described them as centers to provide job training and to reeducate those exposed to radical jihadi thinking. Officials deny all charges of human rights abuses there.

Xinjiang had been a hotbed of anti-government violence, but Beijing claims its massive security crackdown brought peace in recent years.

Story continues

Chinas Foreign Ministry denounced the EU sanctions as based on nothing but lies and disinformation as it issued its own retaliatory measures.

The ministry announced sanctions against 10 individuals and four institutions, saying that they and their family members would be barred from entering mainland China, Hong Kong or Macao and cut off from financial dealings with those areas.

Among those targeted was Adrian Zenz, a U.S.-based German scholar who has publicized abuses against minority groups in Chinas regions of Tibet and Xinjiang. China has said companies and individuals have petitioned to sue Zenz, but it wasnt clear who the plaintiffs were or how they would pursue legal action across borders.

Others targeted for sanctions include five members of the European Parliament: Reinhard Butikofer, Michael Gahler, Raphael Glucksmann, Ilhan Kyuchyuk and Miriam Lexmann.

The ministry did not say what measures would be taken against the organizations. They were listed as the Political and Security Committee of the Council of the European Union, where the 27 national envoys decide foreign and security policy; the EU Parliaments Subcommittee on Human Rights; the German-based Mercator Institute for China Studies; and the Alliance of Democracies Foundation in Denmark.

EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell, who chaired the meeting of foreign ministers, expressed dismay at China's reaction and said the EU's sanctions respect the highest standards of rule of law.

Rather than change its policies and address our legitimate concerns, China has again turned a blind eye, and these measures are regrettable and unacceptable," Borrell said.

There will be no change in European Union determination to defend human rights and to respond to serious violations and abuses, he added, and described the coordination between the EU, Britain, Canada and the U.S. as "perfect.

The new EU sanction system is similar to the Magnitsky Act  Obama-era legislation that authorizes the U.S. government to sanction those it sees as human rights offenders, freeze their assets and ban them from entering the United States.

As part of Monday's move, the EU also imposed sanctions over repression in North Korea, extrajudicial killings and enforced disappearances in Libya, torture and repression against LGBTI people and political opponents in Chechnya in Russia, and torture, extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions and killings in South Sudan and Eritrea," a statement said.

Those targeted in Libya were Mohammed Khalifa al-Kani, leader of Libyas notorious al-Kaniyat militia, and his brother Abderrahim al-Kani, a member of the same militia. Both are accused of committing extrajudicial killings and enforced disappearances between 2015 and June 2020 in the town of Tarhuna, which they had controlled for years.

Since their escape from Tarhuna last summer following a military defeat, dozens of mass graves have been discovered and attributed to al-Kaniyat militiamen. Last year, the U.S Treasury targeted al-Kaniyat and its leader over the same alleged crimes.

___

Christopher Bodeen in Beijing, and Noha ElHennawy in Cairo, Egypt, contributed to this report.
New Delhi, March 22 : A meeting of the Delhi Disaster Management Authority was held on Monday afternoon to discuss the alarming rise in Covid-19 cases in the national capital.

Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal chaired the review meeting that was attended by Delhi Health Minister Satyendar Jain and senior officials from different civic authorities.

Sources told IANS that the DDMA was likely to take a decision on continuing with the strategy of cluster-based surveillance and ramping up vaccine coverage with special emphasis on marginalised sections without access to digital platforms.

Sources also told IANS that the DDMA is likely to put some restrictions regarding the upcoming Holi festival and gatherings at marketplaces.

Earlier, talking to mediapersons before the meeting, Health Minister Jain appealed to the people people of Delhi to follow protocols during the Holi festival.

The national capital has witnessed a spike in Covid-19 cases with Delhi reporting more than 800 new infections for last two days.

On Sunday, the city recorded 823 news cases. The daily positivity rate has jumped to 1.03 per cent against 0.93 per cent last week.

Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19)
EU sanctions Libyan militia chief Kani and his brother Had controlled Tarhouna, where mass graves were found

(ANSAmed) - BRUSSELS, MARCH 22 - EU foreign ministers on Monday imposed sanctions on the commander of Libya's Kaniyat militia, Mohammed Khalifa Al-Kani, and his brother Abderrahim Al-Kani, who controlled the city of Tarhouna between 2015 and June 2020.



They are held to be responsible for extrajudicial killings and forced disappearances of people during their time in control of the city, according to the EU gazette.



Several mass graves were found in the city in June 2020, after the militia left it.



The Kaniyat militia held a parade in 2017 to underscore its control over the agricultural center about an hour by car southeast of Tripoli with a white pick-up truck carrying two lionesses cowering on the roof as a symbol of the fear that the Kani brothers intended to inspire.



A recent BBC report said that, until last summer, the militia had massacred men, women, and children to maintain their authority.



Several mass graves have been found that - according to a calculation made in January - include about 120 bodies of fighters that died in the conflict last year as well as of civilians, some of which show signs of torture.



An offensive by the Government of National Accord (GNA) had put an end to the control by, initially, seven brothers: three died in the conflict.



The GNA under then prime minister Fayez al-Sarraj had led the offensive as part of a counter push to an attack on the country's capital by General Khalifa Haftar.



Anti-Ghaddafi from the very beginning of the 2011 uprising out of resentment towards government-supporting cousins, the Kanis had left the Tripoli side and opened their 'doors' to Haftar in 2019, making Tarhouna one of the main bridgeheads for his failed attack on the capital. (ANSA).




These results are due to the solid performance of most business units, notably Highmark Health Plan's strong commercial and government business results, driven by continued focus on value creation initiatives; strong results in the Diversified Businesses due to continued positive performance in the dental business and sustained positive margins at HM Insurance Group. These positive results were offset by the negative impact on patient volumes at Allegheny Health Network, due to COVID-19 pandemic related government shut-downs, and other containment measures, as well as consumer reluctance to seek care.

Highmark Health maintained a strong balance sheet with about $11 billion in cash and investments and net assets of about $9 billion as of December 31, 2020.

"While COVID-19 has been everybody's number one priority, and will remain so, strong organizations must also constantly look forward and build for the future," said David Holmberg, president and chief executive officer of Highmark Health. "Our transformation strategy  Living Health  combines two fundamental concepts: payers and providers  along with other strategic partners and collaborators  united to better serve our customers and clinicians. We recognize that we need to re-engage people in their health, eliminate the barriers and cost that get in the way, and leverage technology as a key enabler. Living Health represents our shared purpose and commitment to actively making things better instead of being resigned to how things are."

"These consistently strong earnings through the COVID-19 pandemic reinforce that our blended health approach is working and enabled us to reinvest more than $750 million in the communities we serve through premium credits, provider and local community support, dental safety initiatives, and expanding access to care," added Saurabh Tripathi, chief financial officer and treasurer of Highmark Health. "In 2020, Highmark Health delivered strong results driven by positive operational performance primarily in our insurance businesses despite low Allegheny Health Network patient volumes due to the pandemic. Our financial position, coupled with these investments in communities we serve and unwavering commitment of our exceptional clinicians, positions us well to continue taking care of our patients and members through the current pandemic and beyond."

The Highmark Health Plan reported an operating gain of about $400 million for the 2020 fiscal year excluding a one-time gain, primarily driven by strong performance in the commercial and government business and a continued focus on clinical transformation activities.

These efforts resulted in savings for Highmark members through smaller year over year premium increases, or even premium decreases, for health plan products.

As a result, the commercial business experienced strong retention rates as customers in all regions continue to choose the exceptional value of Highmark coverage despite pressures related to the pandemic and recession. Core health plan membership remains steady with approximately 5.6 million Highmark members through year-end, with total commercial retention rates at 93 percent.

Highmark's diversified businesses reported combined earnings of approximately $370 million through December 31, an improvement of more than $180 million from prior year due to solid performance in dental and stop loss segments. This performance is largely driven by deferred patient care as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.

United Concordia Dental and our blue branded dental business continued to perform well, delivering an operating gain of $254 million. Highmark Health's stop loss business, HM Insurance Group (HMIG), reported an operating gain of $101 million.

HM Health Solutions, our information technology services company whose platform serves more than 10 million lives across the country, reported an operating gain of approximately $14 million driven by internal transformation initiatives.

Following three years of continued growth, Allegheny Health Network delivered an operating loss of $136 million through December 31, a decrease of $180 million compared to 2019 performance, due to volume declines associated with the COVID-19 pandemic and pandemic-related expenses.

For 2020, patient volumes decreased year over year in several key categories, including a 9 percent decrease in inpatient discharges and observations, a 2 percent decrease in outpatient registrations, and a 7 percent decrease in physician visits. AHN patient volume continues to recover and rebound to pre-COVID levels.

In summary, Highmark Health continued to deliver its financial commitments in 2020 despite the impact of COVID-19 on AHN volumes and reinvested more than $750M across the region to benefit patients, members, and the community.

About Highmark Health

Highmark Health, a Pittsburgh, PA-based enterprise that employs more than 35,000 people who serve millions of Americans across the country, is the parent company of Highmark Inc., a hospital system, and other businesses. Highmark Inc. and its subsidiaries and affiliates provide health insurance to more than 6 million members in Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Delaware and western/northeastern New York, as well as dental insurance, and related health products through a national network of diversified businesses. Allegheny Health Network is an integrated delivery network comprised of thirteen hospitals, more than 2,500 affiliated physicians, ambulatory surgery centers, an employed physician organization, home and community-based health services, a research institute, a group purchasing organization, and health and wellness pavilions in western Pennsylvania. HM Health Solutions is focused on meeting the information technology platform and other business needs of the Highmark Health enterprise as well as unaffiliated health insurance plans by providing proven business processes, expert knowledge, and integrated cloud-based platforms. To learn more, visit www.highmarkhealth.org.

1Excess Revenue Over Expenses = $1.0B including a one-time gain

SOURCE Highmark Health

Related Links

http://www.highmarkhealth.org


A Texas representative has released several photos showing a packed U.S. Customs and Border Protection temporary overflow facility.

The images released by Rep. Henry Cuellar (D-Texas) show adults, teenagers and children crowded in makeshift rooms and lying under silver blankets on padding in Donna, Texas.

BILL TO WATCH: Senate Bill 7 seeks to limit voting hours, mail-in and drive-thru voting

Cuellar first provided the images to Axios, telling the outlet that each of the "pods" near McAllen is meant to hold up to 260 people. However, Cuellar said one held more than 400 unaccompanied male minors as of Sunday.

The Biden administration has restricted media access to Customs and Border Protection facilities as they see a surge of migrants. The Houston Chronicle's Benjamin Wermund reports that Border Patrol reported a record 9,457 encounters with unaccompanied children and 100,441 encounters with migrants in February alone.

Cuellar told Axios that Border Patrol agents are "doing the best they can under the circumstances," but are "not equipped to care for kids" and "need help from the [Biden] administration."

Lawmakers from both sides of the aisle are calling for the administration to open border facilities housing unaccompanied migrant children to reporters and journalists.

Sen. Rob Portman (R-Ohio) is a ranking member on the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee and visited the border with Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas on Friday. CBS News' Nicole Sganga reports that Portman said he will "absolutely" push for more access for journalists at the border.

"This should be transparent," Portman on CBS News' "Face the Nation." "It's amazing to me how little my constituents know about what's going on down along the border. It is a situation spiraling out of control."

IN HOUSTON: Street racing crackdown leads to over 100 arrests over the weekend in Harris County

In Texas, Sen. Ted Cruz echoed the call to let journalists access overflow facilities such as the one in Donna in a letter to President Joe Biden. Cruz is set to visit the border on Friday, Wermund reports.

Denying the press the ability to observe, film, and report on the conditions at the border is not openness or transparency  it is hiding the truth from the American people, Cruz wrote. The press and the American people deserve more than denials and excuses from a podium. They deserve to see and understand the crisis for themselves with the help of reporters who are free and independent from your administration.
When Facebook kicked news websites off its platform last month, in response to a government plan to make social media giants pay for news, it arguably sent a shudder through some television shows.

Some shows, more than others, rely heavily on social media engagement, especially those that invite a conversation with their audience.

The Feed has screened on SBS (and SBS VICELAND) since 2013. With its predominantly young viewers and a limited promotion budget, social media has enabled it to cut through. Indeed, the show has previously noted its target audience was online not through linear.

But a Facebook ban (it has since been overturned, albeit temporarily) changes all that.

Presenter Marc Fennell tells TV Tonight, The Feed thankfully shifted its focus in recent years.

When Facebook changed their video algorithms to de-emphasise video about two years ago, we decided to move away from focusing on Facebook views as our metric. Thats also a big part of why the show was moved from the secondary channel to the main channel. Its also why we started doing more long-form stuff, more grown-up stuff. Because at that point, we recognised that we werent going to get the numbers on that platform that we once thought we were, he says.

Some things still performed, and still do perform really well on social.. the Comedy stuff still absolutely kills it on social platforms. In terms of long-form interviews and stories, we are now making them for the linear and on demand audience.

Last week the show drew 67,000 metro viewers in its 10pm linear broadcast, but Fennell maintains thats still bigger than when it was on VICELAND.

So far only Seven and Nine have forged a broadcaster deal with Facebook, but Fennell believes Facebooks action is a wake-up call to not rely on third parties.

I think what it does do is force everyone to invest in their news brands more heavily, so that people know to go to their website, and On Demand. I think that is a challenge for everybody, he continues.

Its clear that places like the ABC and Nine -together with the SMH and The Age, are in a very strong position. When I say Nine, they have a very strong, well-regarded presence as a news brand. That isnt necessarily true for every other media brand out there.

I actually think that will now need to be a renewed focus, because if we are now putting the the onus on the viewers and news consumers to go to a website, download an app, tune in a certain point- then all of the different media brands that have new services really need to message their value to consumers again.

I think thats going to be something that SBS and everybody in this marketplace will now need to do.

In late February Facebook reached an agreement with the Australian government that would see news returning to Australian users. As part of this agreement, Facebook and Google can avoid the News Media Bargaining Code adopted on February 25 if they reach a commercial bargain with a news business outside the Code.

I think long term, its probably not a not a disaster, Fennell suggests, because itll force us to retake our relationship with the public, as opposed to relying on a third party mediator who, as we discovered, can change that algorithm in a heartbeat without consultation.

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"A major piece of Farmers relentless focus on innovation and service is continuing to streamline and improve the customer experience, in this case utilizing Farmers.com and the Farmers Mobile App to bring a seamless option right to customers' fingertips," said Keith Daly, president of personal lines for Farmers Insurance. "This expansion to Louisiana builds upon Farmers commitment to strategic growth, making our competitively priced products available to more people across the United States."

Farmers is offering residents of Louisiana auto, home, condo, and renters policies that are customizable so individuals can select the insurance that fits their lifestyle. Consumers can get home and auto quotes in less than two minutes, with smooth, easy-to-use online and mobile experiences. Farmers policies have paperless billing, paperless policies, and automatic payment options available, and Farmers superior customer service is available online through chat support and phone, as well as 24/7 self-service through Farmers.com and the Farmers Mobile App.

Farmers has expanded access to its branded products into the southern and eastern U.S. including Florida, Connecticut, Georgia, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Kentucky and Mississippi since 2011. Louisiana joins Massachusetts as the two newest additions in 2021.

To learn more about customizable options available, visit Farmers.com .

About Farmers Insurance

"Farmers Insurance" and "Farmers" are tradenames for a group of insurers providing insurance for automobiles, homes and small businesses and a wide range of other insurance and financial services products. For more information about Farmers Insurance, visit Farmers.com, Twitter and Instagram, @WeAreFarmers, or Facebook.com/FarmersInsurance.

Contact:

External Communications

Farmers Insurance

818-965-0007

[email protected]

SOURCE Farmers Insurance

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www.farmersinsurance.com


Largest producer of uranium in the US

Leading producer of vanadium used in batteries, steel, and chemical industries

Recovering rare earth elements (REEs) at White Mesa mill in Utah

What Energy Fuels does:

Energy Fuels Inc ( ) ( ), headquartered in Colorado, is a fully integrated producer of both uranium and vanadium, and owner of the only operating conventional uranium mill at White Mesa in Utah.

It supplies uranium (U3O8) to major nuclear utilities and can also produce vanadium from some projects as market conditions allow.

The firm's White Mesa mill has a licensed capacity to produce over eight million pounds of uranium a year, and can generate vanadium when market conditions warrant. The mill is also licensed for the production of other minerals, including tantalum, which has made it onto the US government's 'critical minerals' list.

The White Mesa mill is also operating under a new processing deal to assist in the cleanup of a formerly producing, Cold war era abandoned uranium mine in New Mexico.

Energy Fuels has started to recover both light and heavy rare earth elements (REEs) at the mill, as well as uranium from certain natural ores and alternate feed materials.

Meanwhile, the group's Nichols Ranch ISR Project is in operation and has a licensed capacity of 2 million pounds of U3O8 per year. It is currently producing and has generated over 1.2 million pounds of uranium since 2014. The Alta Mesa ISR project is currently on standby

Energy Fuels also has one of the largest NI 43-101 uranium resources in the US and several uranium and uranium/vanadium mining projects on standby and in various stages of permitting and development.

How is it doing:

On May 14, Energy Fuels revealed that it ended the first quarter of 2021 with US$60.4 million in working capital as it gears up to expand its rare earths capabilities this year.

Energy Fuels reported that it holds around $28 million worth of inventory, including 690,800 pound of uranium and 1,672,000 pounds of vanadium  both immediately marketable, according to the company.

During the quarter ended March 31, 2021, the company posted revenue of $353,000 and a net loss of $10.91 million, compared to a net loss of $5.66 million for the first quarter of 2020, which Energy Fuels attributed primarily to an increase in its share price that resulted in a non-cash mark-to-market increase in warrant liabilities of $3.50 million. Development expenditures also rose by $2.69 million compared to 1Q 2020 due to its rare earths program ramp up.

Away from the numbers, in April 2021, Energy Fuels announced a non-binding memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Hyperion Metals Limited, in which Hyperion would send natural monazite sands from its Titan Project in Tennessee to Energy Fuels for processing.

Energy Fuels said it plans to produce mixed rare earth element (REE) products at its White Mesa Mill in Utah from the monazite sands it receives.

In addition to producing mixed REE carbonate, Energy Fuels is also evaluating the potential to develop US separation, metals, alloys, and other downstream REE capabilities at the White Mesa Mill or nearby.

The company added it hopes to increase its supply of monazite feed to approximately 15,000 tons per year for this initiative.

Energy Fuels also revealed recently that it has teamed up with Neo Performance Materials on a new US and European rare earth production initiative. The program will produce value-added rare earth products from natural monazite sands, which is a byproduct of heavy mineral sands mined in the southeastern US.

Energy Fuels will process the monazite sands into a mixed rare earth carbonate in Utah to use as feedstock for Neos rare earth separation facility in Estonia. The firm is also evaluating the potential to develop separation facilities in the US.

In December 2020, Energy Fuels announced that it is set to become the first US company in more than 20 years to produce a marketable mixed rare earth element (REE) concentrate ready for separation on a commercial scale.

This comes after the company reported that it has entered into a three-year supply agreement with The Chemours Company to acquire a minimum of 2,500 tons per year of natural monazite sands from the Offerman Mineral Sand Plant in Georgia.

Energy Fuels has started to process the monazite sands at White Mesa, while also recovering the contained uranium, which it believes represents an important step toward re-establishing a fully integrated US REE supply chain.

The goal is to process at least 15,000 tons of monazite per year for the recovery of REEs and uranium, which would represent about 2% of White Mesas throughput capacity.

Energy Fuels expects to gradually ramp-up production of an intermediate REE product called "mixed REE carbonate." This product will then advance to REE separation, which is the next stage in the REE value chain.

Upon successful ramp-up, the company plans to commercially produce an REE product at a stage more advanced than any other US company. Energy Fuels plans to sell its mixed REE carbonate to Neo Performance which will process the material at its facility in Europe and manufacture separated REE products available to US and European markets.

Energy Fuels currently is in negotiations with various parties to procure sources of monazite sands that can potentially be processed on a commercial scale at the Mill for the recovery of REE concentrate and uranium. In addition, it is carrying out ongoing discussions on the possible sale of REE concentrate produced at the Mill to an REE separation facility.

What the broker says:

In a note published on May 26 following Energy Fuels' 1Q results, analysts at Noble Capital said that while processing REE carbonate could generate tens of millions in cash flow, separating REE elements could be even more profitable.

The analysts said: We estimate that REE carbonate might sell for $50,000 per tonne with cost of goods representing 75% of revenues depending on the quality of the Monazite. Such an estimate would imply $30 million generated by Energy Fuels for producing 2,000-3,000 tonnes of REE carbonate as per guidance. That number would grow to $75 million if the company meets targets to eventually process 15,000 tonnes of Monazite (6,000 tonnes of REE carbonate).

Noble repeated a Market Perform rating on the stock.

Inflection points:

Commercially produce an REE product more advanced than any other US company

Update on government budget proposal

Uranium/vanadium price moves

What the boss says:

While nearly all current and future nuclear reactors are fueled by uranium, other clean energy and advanced technologies, including electric vehicles renewable energy and batteries, require other critical minerals that Energy Fuels produces," the company's CEO Mark Chalmers told shareholders recently.

"A robust market for responsibly produced, American clean energy products and technologies, made by American workers, is possible in the US ... Energy Fuels' White Mesa Mill in Utah can help this vision become a reality. To say these are exciting times for our company would be the understatement of my lifetime."

Contact Angela at angela@proactiveinvestors.com

Follow her on Twitter @AHarmantas
LOS ANGELES, March 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- GKUA Ultra Premium, the cannabis brand co-founded by Lil Wayne, the artistic giant and connoisseur of cannabis, announced today that their highly sought-after cannabis products and strains will be available in Oklahoma starting Tuesday, March 23rd. On the heels of a historic launch in Colorado this January, Oklahoma marks the fourth state for the brand.

"Weed inspires me and I'm all about spreading the love. The culture is thriving in Oklahoma so I'm happy to bring them the quality and potency of that GKUA," said Lil Wayne.

GKUA Ultra Premium first launched December 2019 in California to great fanfare, building a loyal customer base with some of the best cannabis products in the world. GKUA Ultra Premium flower is sourced from the most experienced growers, who produce strains that are limited and incredibly potent with some of the highest natural levels of THC available. In Oklahoma, GKUA has partnered with Kind Okie to bring the same high-quality, pure and potent products to market.

"Oklahoma has fully embraced the cannabis plant and culture, and we're thrilled to bring our ultra premium products and GKUA lifestyle to this market of connoisseurs," said Beau Golob, President and co-founder of GKUA Inc. "It's one of the largest medical markets in the country and we anticipate a great reception with this new rollout."

The Products

All GKUA products are independently lab tested and certified for purity. Every batch, every strain, every time. At launch, the following products will be available at nearly two dozen dispensaries across the state. For a full list of GKUA retailers in Oklahoma, use the Weezy Weed Finder on GKUA.com.

GKUA Ultra Premium Flower: Sourced from the most experienced growers, GKUA produces strains that are limited, incredibly potent and consistently impressivetruly the best flower! Strains available at launch include GKUA Kush, Gorilla Zkittlez, Grape Vine and Sour Diesel #93.

GKUA THC Vape: Sourced from the best cannabis strains, GKUA's flavorful THC Vape Oil and Live Sauce are exclusive formulations that carefully transform the highest-quality cannabis into potent THC vape oil. Independently lab tested and certified for purity. GKUA Ultra Premium vape oil and live sauce, pure and potent.

GKUA Ultra Premium Battery Technology: The proprietary ceramic heating element and cutting-edge design is optimized to efficiently deliver easily controllable doses while elevating the user experience; delivering the highest potency hits.

GKUA Ultra Premium Concentrate: The launch will also feature intensely pure, potent and flavorful GKUA Ultra Premium Concentrate, created for dabbing or adding to flower. The exclusive formulation is carefully transformed from the highest quality cannabis into potent THC concentrate you can taste and feel.

Dispensaries & Collabs

GKUA will be available in dispensaries across the state, including Cookies OKC, Kush House OKC, Roots Shawnee, Medical Farm-A-Seed Lawton, and all three Vertica locations, all of which will carry a full line of GKUA products.

More than just products, GKUA celebrates culture and artistic achievement. As Lil Wayne has done throughout his career, GKUA will support new artists in multiple mediums, such as fashion designers, song writers, musicians, models, dancers and visual artists through artistic collaborations that promote not only the brand, but the GKUA lifestyle.

As reopening around the country begins, stay tuned to gkua.com for updates on GKUA's upcoming VIP parties and performances with Lil Wayne, Young Money & Friends.

About GKUA Ultra Premium

Lil Wayne, artistic giant and connoisseur of cannabis, has created the ultimate cannabis brand, GKUA Ultra Premium. Lil Wayne provides inspiration to millions of people, and now he is delivering it in one more form: the best high of your life. Produced from the finest cannabis, GKUA Ultra Premium products are Lil Wayne tasted and approved. GKUA strives to inspire artists and dreamers and supports the arts through collaborations with new artists in multiple mediums. GKUA Ultra Premium products are available in select California, Michigan, Colorado and Oklahoma dispensaries. For more information about GKUA Ultra Premium products and events, visit gkua.com.

Contact:

[email protected]

SOURCE GKUA Ultra Premium
[March 22, 2021] Jove Gives Nonprofits Free Access to New Creative-Centric Ad Planning Software

Innovative ad-tech startup Jove announced today that they are offering their recently launched flagship product, Creative Insights, free to use for nonprofits. Creative Insights is a visually rich ad planning software that gives ad buyers, digital marketers and brand managers a new way of understanding data to help them create powerful advertising that connects with audiences. The advertising industry continues to experience massive upset during the "rise of privacy" in digital marketing, including: The passage of Europe's GDPR and the CCPA in California.

The growing restrictions on collecting third-party cookies, starting with Safari, Firefox and Chrome.

The opt-in privacy change in Apple's (News - Alert) iOS 14. With these and other growing constraints on status-quo data-driven tactics, Jove offers Creative Insights as a tool to fundamentally change advertising practices, bringing human creativity and human connection back to the forefront of marketing. Speaking to the company's decision to open up its platform to nonprofit organizations for free, Ryan Turner, CMO of Jove, said: "On the whole, nonprofits have not had the budgets to benefit from the largely data-driven techniques for microtargeting and personalization, like the corporate sector. They have historically relied on compelling storytelling, creativity, empathy, and big ideas to attract and move audienes into action. In some ways, the so-called 'rise of privacy' is working to level the playing field, and we believe that nonprofits are in a unique position to lead the way in bringing creativity back to advertising."



Creative Insights by Jove is the first creative-centric advertising software that presents a comprehensive view of all ad data across channels in a visual interface that shows the broad, thematic creative elements tied to real results. The tool offers marketers and creatives a new way of looking at advertising results that doesn't rely on the collection of private data. Turner continued: "Whether it's the Gates Foundation or PATH trying to increase visibility for content that educates the public on the challenges of vaccine distribution in the developing world. Or advocacy for government support of public-private partnerships on clean energy initiatives. Or to call the attention of socially conscious entrepreneurs to new developments in sanitation technology and clean water initiatives. Or the arts sector advertising cultural events and new exhibitions. Or public radio soliciting donations. We welcome nonprofits to benefit from our platform and to put it to good use."

"We're proud to come alongside nonprofits to support getting their messages out, now more than ever, to help them move forward their visions for social good," said David Atchison, CEO of Jove. "As a nation and in the world, we're going through a time when the voices of organizations working for the greater good need to be heard above the noise. And we hope to together yield the results to prove what we at Jove know to be true-that the best marketing relies on standout creative to communicate powerfully and to connect with audiences." About Jove: Creative Insights by Jove uses data to spark actionable insights that inspire creative concepts and optimization across all marketing activities from creative development, brand management and media buying. Jove's platform is the first of its kind to use data to pinpoint not only which creative concepts and media approaches work but also why. By using visuals to present creative and metrics from every channel in one place, the platform provides a big picture view of all marketing activities that has not been available previously. About David Atchison, Jove Founder & CEO: After receiving his Operations Research degree from Princeton, Atchison quickly realized he could use it to test, scale, and optimize digital marketing programs. And it's worked. He has seen the macro and micro trends that adjust both small and large companies, and strongly believes that with the world only getting more fragmented and complicated, ad testing is critical when it comes to building successful global brands. Before Jove, Atchison started New Engen, a digital marketing company serving SMB and enterprise businesses, and has served as CMO (and employee #3) at Zulily, an e-commerce company that went from $0 to $1.5B in just six years. About Ryan Turner, Jove CMO: With a 25-year career in marketing and communications, Turner started as a writer at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. He worked with digital agencies WPP and Publicis for 10 years. Then he joined Starbucks, where he built from scratch a world-class social media operation before taking on broader scope as vice president of digital marketing. Most recently, Ryan worked at Amazon, where he led a team of creatives, media planners, and data scientists running experimentation programs in digital media. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210322005757/en/

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Brussels, March 22 : The European Union's (EU) 27 Foreign Affairs Ministers are expected to endorse sanctions against various individuals and entities for human rights abuses on Monday.

At a meeting in Brussels, the Ministers are likely to agree on sanctioning four individuals and one entity from China for their involvement in human rights abuses of the Uighur population in Xinjiang province, dpa news agency quoted EU diplomats as saying.

Under a recently established global human rights sanctions mechanism, the bloc has drawn up asset freezes and travel bans.

The bloc is also likely to sanction several individuals and entities from North Korea, Russia, Libya, Eritrea and South Sudan on the basis of that instrument, according to the diplomatic sources.

Another country likely to be targeted by sanctions is Myanmar, where a military coup was declared on February 1.

EU ministers are expected to react to the ongoing crackdown following the military takeover.

Individuals or entities linked to the military could be sanctioned, a senior EU official said last week.

Aside from endorsing sanctions, the ministers are expected to discuss the politically sensitive issues of Turkey and Russia, attempting to hash out their strategic positions to both countries.

While relations with Turkey have somewhat improved over the past months, the relationship to Russia has deteriorated.
Roberta Jacobson, formerly ambassador to Mexico and current immigration adviser to President Biden, will lead a U.S. delegation meeting Mexican government officials there as the number of migrants crossing illegally continues to surge.

It is a boots-on-the-ground moment as the administration struggles to contain the largest border influx in two decades. The White House, meanwhile, insists the situation is not a crisis. Whatever its called, the arrival of some 10,000 unaccompanied minors on the southern border has attracted the administrations attention.

Biden aides have argued that the administration needs time to rebuild the immigration system that Donald Trump wrecked. While that process plays out, a senior official stressed that no one, especially children and families with young children, should make the dangerous trip to try and enter the U.S. in an irregular fashion.

The border is not open, the official reiterated.

But the new administration has struggled to get a hold of the situation, and its rhetoric hasnt helped. Speaking from behind the White House podium earlier this month, Jacobson declared, "La frontera no esta cerrada. An aide quickly scribbled a note and slipped it to her in front of reporters. Her Spanish was wrong: She had just said that the border is not closed.

Jacobson quickly corrected herself, clarifying again in Spanish, "La frontera esta cerrada. Translation: The border is closed.

Such mistakes have come to symbolize the governments failure to stem the surge, which threatens to eclipse the presidents recent successes. While Biden would much rather focus the publics attention on the $1.9 trillion stimulus that he signed into law and the millions of COVID-19 vaccines his administration is delivering, the border chaos continues to dog the new president.

Asked Sunday night whether he will travel there to see the situation for himself, as several Texas Democrats have urged him to do, Biden told reporters, At some point, I will. A week earlier, White House press secretary Jennifer Psaki explained that a trip isnt in the presidents immediate future.

Because his focus is on action and taking actions and moving forward policies to ensure we are expediting the processing at the border, that we are opening more facilities, that we are putting in place policies that will move kids more quickly through the Border Patrol facilities, more quickly into safe and secure homes, Psaki said. Thats where his focus is.

Biden moved quickly to remove Trumps fingerprints from immigration policy beginning on Day One, suspending construction of the border wall, proposing a path to citizenship for millions of undocumented immigrants, and ordering a 100-day moratorium on deportations.

The White House has rejected attacks by Republicans that Biden has encouraged migrants with his rhetoric, and on Monday Psaki told reporters that the administration is working hard to tell would-be border crossers that now is not the time to come. According to the press secretary, the State Department has cut over 17,000 radio ads, placed nearly 600 ads on social media, and even printed a comic book to send that message in Central and South America.

The problem did not start with the new president, a senior administration official said, echoing a line that the White House has repeatedly shared. Cycles of migration don't start at the U.S. border, the official told reporters. We've been focused in the roughly 65 days since taking office on addressing the root causes of migration, including corruption, violence, and economic devastation exacerbated by climate change.

After meeting with Mexican officials, Jacobson will return to Washington while an envoy will then depart for Guatemala. Senior Director for the Western Hemisphere Juan Gonzalez will meet with the president of that country, according to the White House, to address root causes of migration in the region and build a more hopeful future in the region.

A senior administration official said that only by improving governance and providing a foundation for investment and economic opportunity  can we break the cycle of desperation and provide hope for families, who clearly would prefer to stay in their countries and provide a better future for their children.
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SAUL LOEB/AFP via Getty Rudy Giuliani

Rudy Giuliani tried to get the film crew of Borat Subsequent Moviefilm arrested after that controversial scene, according to the sequel's producers.

Speaking at a Producers Guild of America panel over the weekend, producer Monica Levinson said that the former New York City mayor reached out to local law enforcement after the cameras stopped rolling, as reported by Deadline.

Giuliani did not immediately respond to PEOPLE's request for comment.

In the infamous scene, Oscar nominee Maria Bakalova, who plays Borat's teenage daughter, poses as a journalist interviewing Giuliani, 76. After their interview, Bakalova invites the politician into a hotel bedroom for a drink, and Giuliani is then seen leaning back onto a bed and appears to put his hand down the front of his pants. Giuliani has called the clip a "complete fabrication" and denied any inappropriate behavior.

"He claimed we were trying to extort him at the time, which we didn't ask for anything," Levinson said at the PGA panel. "He called all of his New York City cops and said extortion, which was a federal crime."

RELATED: Borat Sequel's Maria Bakalova Speaks Out on Infamous Scene with Rudy Giuliani

To make matters more stressful, the hotel locked the crew out of the suite where they had filmed the scene, per the producer.

Fortunately, they had already gotten the footage in question out of the room. "That's always out first," said Levinson. "We would hide tapes in our pants."

"We ended up confabbing with our lawyers," added the producer, who spent 19 hours in jail while shooting the first Borat film. "I called the production team and said, 'Let's get everyone to New Jersey tonight.' It was 11 o'clock at night. I didn't want a repeat of what happened to me on the first movie happening to the entire crew."

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Amazon Studios Maria Bakalova and Sacha Baron Cohen in Borat Subsequent Moviefilm

As for her experience filming the scene, Bakalova has admitted that it " was nerve-racking."

"I do have to admit that I prepared myself really hard to know every single detail about his life and be his biggest fan," the Bulgarian actress, who has received a number of nominations for her role in the film, said during a recent appearance on The Ellen DeGeneres Show.

"For me, who isn't an American person, It wasn't about the political situation, it was more about again, how we treat each other," she said. "It's not even about how old he is, what is his position, it's about how he treated me. And I'm thinking about, would he have behaved the same way if I was a man journalist, would he have been coming with me to the bedroom, or drinking or laughing this way. I don't know, those kind of questions."
Mumbai, March 22 : Actor Prakash Raj's film "Wild Karnataka" won the National Award in the "Best Exploration Film" at the 67th National Film Awards on Monday. The actor was the narrator in the documentary film and is elated with the achievement.

"Being a part of the vision that brought to life the 'Wild Karnataka' documentary was truly a beautiful experience. A culmination of four years and almost 500 hours of footage, it was an absolute pleasure to be the voice, narrating this extraordinary story in my language, Tamil and Telugu, of the exquisite outback of Karnataka, one of the last places in the world where big wild animals can roam safely. I've always loved nature, it's something that keeps me rooted which made me proud to have been a part of this project and I'm grateful to the Discovery team for trusting me to be its voice. I congratulate the producers, award-winning filmmakers Amoghavarsha JS and Kalyan Varma on this fantastic win at the 67th National Film Awards," Raj said.

Actor Satish Kaushik's film "Chhoriyan Chhoron Se Kam Hoti" won the National Award for "Best Harayanvi Film''. Even though he is currently under treatment for Covid, the senior actor expressed his joy through a statement.

He said: "When I was working on this film, I was sure that the project would be impactful and it would send the right message in society. This recognition goes on to prove that my vision was right. I'm so grateful to the director Rajesh Babbar & his team who contributed towards this amazing project. I'm from Haryana and working for the development of the Haryanvi Film Industry ,hence I was personally connected with the subject of this film. The project definitely deserved an award as big as this, and I feel humbled to have produced the film along with Zee Studios and the team who believed in my vision and acted in it." Telugu actor Nani's film "Jersey" won two awards: For "Best Editing" and "Best Telugu film". A man of few words, he posted a picture of himself with director Gowtam Tinnanuri on Instagram account and captioned it: "#NationalAwards2019".
Shanghai (Gasgoo)- In February, the wholesale volume of locally-produced PVs (referring to cars, MPVs, SUVs and minibus) amounted to 1.147 million units, rocketing 406.6% from the year-ago period when many factories and dealerships were shut due to the coronavirus pandemic, according to the China Passenger Car Association (CPCA).

As of Feb. 2021, China has seen its monthly PV wholesales grow year over year for the tenth straight month.



Compared to the previous month, the country saw its PV wholesales in Feb. plunge 43.8% as the Chinese New Year holiday fell in the middle of the month.

For the first two months, China's PV wholesales surged 72.8% year on year to 3.187 million units as the pandemic also led to a low base in year-to-date volume.

Last month, the car, SUV, MPV and minibus segments all scored remarkable growth over a year earlier. With a growth of up to 450.3%, the car segment was the fastest-growing one.

Changan CS75 SUV becomes hottest-selling PV model

Among the top 10 PV models by Feb. wholesales, there were 7 cars and 3 SUVs. The most noteworthy feature of the list was that the best-selling one was a SUV, namely the CS75. The phenomenon was so rare because the champion place had been long occupied by car models.



The runner-up was also a SUV. The Haval H6 had its ranking unchanged compared to Jan. 2021. Besides, the CR-V moved up to the ninth place last month.

Hongguang MINIEV; photo credit: SAIC-GM-Wuling



The third to the eighth and the tenth places were all possessed by car models. The Hongguang MINIEV was still the only one that entered the top 10 list with only pure electric vehicles (BEVs) for sale.

Model 3 re-enters list of top 10 car models by Feb. wholesales

In Feb., China's car wholesales amounted to 526 million units (+450.3% YoY), resulting in a year-to-date volume of 1.501 million units (+79.4%).

Compared to the year-ago period when the country was at the height of the coronavirus pandemic, most car models posted substantial growth.



Among the top 10 car models by Feb. wholesales, the Corolla, the Sagitar, the Eado and the Levin all score year-on-year growth of over 500%. Notably, the growth in the Levin's sales stood at up to 2,729.2%.

Model 3; photo credit: Tesla



The hottest-selling car was still the Sylphy. The Model 3 moved up to the ninth place, while it was still outperformed by the Hongguang MINIEV.

Compared to Jan. 2021, the Excelle, the Corolla and the Bora climbed six, three and one spots respectively to the second to fourth places.

Although the Lavida dropped 8 places to the tenth, it was the No.1 car model in terms of Feb. retail sales.

CS75 outperforms Haval H6 to top SUV list by Feb. wholesales.

Last month, automakers in China sold around 563,000 locally-produced SUVs, representing a year-on-year hike of 399.7%, according to the CPCA. The year-to-date SUV wholesales were up by 71% to 1.529 million units.

Changan Automobile's CS75 overtook the Haval H6 as the No.1 SUV model by Feb. wholesales. The sales of the CS75 series were continuously rising after the roll-out of the CS75 PLUS.



Among the top 10 SUV models by Feb. wholesales, there were two luxury models, namely the Audi Q5L and the BMW X3, which ranked fifth and sixth respectively.



BMW X3; photo credit: BMW China



Compared to the previous month, the BMW X3, the Binyue and the Oshan X5 were all newcomers to the top 10 SUV list.

Apart from the champion and the runner-up, the sales of other models were rather close. Notably, the sales of the sixth to eighth models all stood in the range of 10,000 to 11,000 units.
Chandigarh, March 22 : Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh on Monday ripped into Arvind Kejriwal's claims and allegations, slamming the AAP chief's "lies" as a "re-run of the spree of false promises and cheap attacks on the Congress he had resorted to back in the 2017 polls".

"The people of Punjab were wise to your deceptions then, and can see through them again now," he said in a hard-hitting response to Kejriwal's criticism of his government and the Congress.

"Kejriwal's barefaced lies will be exposed again, just as they had been exposed in the 2017 Assembly polls," Amarinder Singh added, slamming the Aam Aadmi Party national convenor's "fabrications and deceptions".

Trashing his Delhi counterpart's allegation of the Congress government in Punjab failing to fulfill its poll promises, the Chief Minister said it was "ridiculous to compare his government's track record of over 84 per cent promises implemented with the Delhi government's pathetic track record of less than 25 per cent of AAP's 2015 manifesto commitments fulfilled in 2020".

"If this is the Delhi model you (Kejriwal) are promising Punjab, then my people are better off without it," he said.

Instead of indulging in deceitful claims and talking of 'badla', Kejriwal should focus on Delhi, which is still waiting for him to fulfill even 50 per cent of his poll promises, said Amarinder Singh.

"Data available in public domain shows AAP's wretched credentials when it comes to delivering on its promises," he said, indicating the plethora of independent analyses ahead of the 2020 Delhi Assembly polls, which had showed that at the end of its five-year term, the Kejriwal government had fulfilled only 11 of its 70 promises.

Slamming Kejriwal's "dramatics" at a mahapanchayat on Sunday, Amarinder Singh said: "Unlike Delhi's voters, those in Punjab are not deceived by such hyperbole and have trust in their own eyes and in what they can see on the ground." It was a matter of record, said the Chief Minister, that despite Delhi Congress leader Ajay Maken's repeated questioning on the issue, the AAP government in Delhi had failed to show its progress on its lakhs of jobs' promise of 2015.

Even the much-touted Delhi Skill Mission had failed to take off, he claimed, adding that, as per figures listed in one of the analysis, the Kejriwal government had given jobs to 102 people in 2016, 66 people in 2017, and 46 people until April 2018.

"You really have no shame if you can come and criticise my government's employment record with such data on Delhi," he added.
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Workers at the Keurig/Dr. Pepper/Seven-Up Bottling Co (KDS) distribution facility in Redford, Michigan, have been striking since March 11th. The strike, called by the Teamsters three months after the workers previous contract expired, is over unfair labor practices.

On day 10 of the strike last Saturday a group of pickets spoke with the World Socialist Web Site at the facility on Beech Daly Road a mile west of the Detroit city line. Every day we step in that door we have to work 12 hours, said a warehouseman on picket duty. When you come to work here, you have to give up your family life.

The picket went on to detail the companys relentless attempt to enforce overtime. If you get caught up and dont have any work to do, he said, they wont let you go home. They will find something for you to do to push you to do 12 hours.

Picket line in Redford MI. (Image credit: Twitter/Pat_harris2)

Full pay for warehouse work is over $20 an hour, but the pickets reported that anybody hired in after 2005 gets around $16 in a sweetheart two-tier system that the union forced through. In a union-sponsored video, Teamsters Local 337 recording secretary and business agent Tony Reisdorf claims the differential is only $2.30.

The strikers are bitterly opposed to the mandatory 12-hour shifts, but the union has not advanced the demand to put a stop to it or to bring all employees up to full pay. The Teamsters have advanced no slate of demands nor reached out to workers at the multiple Amazon warehouses in the region or the auto plants where workers are engaged in a bitter battle against the destruction of the eight-hour day.

The company is now pressing the attack with demands to phase out the higher pay scales altogether.

The strikers expressed a strong sense of solidarity with their brothers and sisters throughout basic industry. A buddy of mine works at Amazon, a fellow picket chimed in, they have to run all day from one end of the warehouse to the other. And the place is huge. They only have so much time complete each operation, so they are constantly rushing, and there are lots of injuries.

A truck driver explained the threat contained in the companys demand to hire drivers without CDL licensees. We dont want that, he said. Right now we might leave with 600 cases on a semi to deliver. Thats how we get overtime. If we allow these B and C class drivers, the company will break up our loads and let them take out box trucks and vans with smaller loads for less money. Then they [the company] can cut pay and cut hours.

The demands by management at the facility reflect the trend across industries towards Amazonization of labor, or the adoption of the low pay and brutal workplace which typify conditions at the online retail giant. The conditions enforced at nonunion Amazon, however, are being implemented at other companies with the collaboration of the unions. In the auto industry, this reached a new phase after the new contract was rammed through in 2019, allowing virtually unlimited use of temps.

As for the Teamsters, they rammed through a contract at UPS in 2018, in spite of a majority no vote, which contained sweeping concessions, include the creation of a new classification of lower-paid delivery driver.

The same day our reporters visited the picket line, Michigan congresspersons Rashida Tlaib, Haley Stevens and Debbie Dingell staged a media event at the site. The Democratic politicians and the Teamsters sought to portray the strike through a racial lens. In reporting on their visit, the Detroit Free Press stated, Race was also a topic of discussion surrounding the two-tier system, as the Teamsters said most of the higher-paid tier workers were white, while second-tier workers were Black. They also sought to promote the PRO Act, the Democratic-sponsored bill aimed at expanding the footprint of the unions.

Dingell, the senior member and leader of the delegation, is a former GM executive, who also worked as a consultant for the American Automotive Policy Council, an industry trade and lobbying group.

Her late husband and predecessor in the Michigan 12th District played a key role in the Obama administrations restructuring of the auto industry, carried out with the support of the UAW, which slashed wages in half for new hires.

Extremely concerned with the rapid growth of opposition in the working class, the Democratic Party, which is playing the leading role in reopening schools and workplaces, is throwing its weight behind the unions, whom they see as a crucial means of channeling this opposition into harmless channels.

This was expressed in the extraordinary intervention by President Biden in support of the unionization campaign at an Amazon facility in Bessemer, Alabama, as well as the intervention by Democratic figures such as Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez in the Hunts Point Market strike in the Bronx earlier this year. While promoting illusions in the Teamsters union, the Democrats, under New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio, did not hesitate to send in riot cops against picketing workers. In the end, the Teamsters forced the strikers back to work without having achieved their modest demand for a $1 per hour wage increase.

To organize opposition to the betrayals of the union and to link up the struggles of workers across the country, the World Socialist Web Site has helped workers across industries to build rank-and file-committees .


Bacterium is accountable for the extinction of critically endangered species. With wild populations wiped out, Christmas Island chained gecko or Lister's gecko (Lepidodactylus listeri) and the blue-tailed skink only survive in captivity. Researchers from the University of Sydney have found a bacterium, which could potentially cause their extinction.

Christmas Island Chained Gecko and the Blue-tailed Skink

Populations of Native reptiles on Christmas Island have been in extreme decline with two species, Christmas Island chained gecko and the blue-tailed skink, completely disappearing from the wild.

While earlier the primary driver for this drop is possibly predation by unwanted species and destruction of habitat, a silent killer is now threatening to wipe out the species completely.

Those reared in captivity on the Australian Boundary in the Indian Ocean have also been dying strangely, leaving Christmas Island chained gecko and the blue-tailed skink, which are in danger of extinction only around 1000 each.

Veterinary scientists from the Australian Registry of Wildlife Health, University of Sydney, and the Australian Taronga Conservation Society have now found what led to these deaths: a bacterium, E. lacertideformus (Enterococcus lacertideformus).

Genetic Testing and Microscopy

The bacterium was found in 2014 after reptiles in captivity presented with facial defects and dulness, and some even lost their lives.

Samples were taken and examined by making use of genetic testing and microscopy. The findings of the researchers, released in Frontiers in Microbiology, will notify antibiotic trials on the reptiles to know if the infection can be cured.

The bacterium develops in the head of the animal, then proceeds to the internal organs of the animal, before finally leading to the death of the animal.

The bacterium can be transmitted by direct contact, which includes through the mouths of the reptiles or via reptiles biting one another, mostly when fighting during the breeding season.

Read More: Giant Monitor Lizards Run Amok at Bangkok's Lumphini Park

Whole-Genome Sequencing

A co-lead scientist and a candidate of Ph.D. in the Sydney School of Veterinary Science, Jessica Agius said: "This connotes that healthy animals in captive need to be separated from the ones that are infected and should also be taken away from places where infected animals have been."

Ms. Agius and her team of researchers did not only found the bacterium, they unraveled its genetic structure with the use of whole-genome sequencing.

Specific genes were found that are possible to be linked with the ability of the bacterium to infect its host, occupy its tissues, and evade the immune system.

Bacterium Can Circle Itself With a Biofilm

Ms. Agius said they also discovered that the bacterium can circle itself with a biofilm (a community of bacteria that can help it live). She concluded that understanding how E. lacertideformus creates and preserves the biofilm may give insights on how other species of biofilm-forming bacteria should be treated.

The finding of the genetic code advocated that the killer bacterium was receptive to most antibiotics. In an effort to secure the Christmas island's endangered reptiles, a population of blue-tailed skinks has been created on the Cocos Islands.

Ms. Agius played a crucial role in the relocation, testing Cocos island's reptiles to ensure that they were free of Enterococcus lacertideformus.

Related Article: Over 30 Reptiles Mysteriously Died at Zoo Knoxville in Tennessee

For more news, updates about christmas island reptiles and similar topics don't forget to follow Nature World News!
What you need to know about Pa.'s UC system going offline Thursday
Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) vice president Maryam Nawaz on Sunday said that "it was time to stop giving sacrifices and demand accountability" from the Imran Khan-led government.

Speaking at a youth convention, the opposition leader also said that her father and former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif was removed in 2017 on false allegations, and vowed that the next government will be formed by the PML-N, while telling the incumbent government to count its days, reported Geo News.

"Even today, when they wish to strike against Nawaz Sharif, they have to arrest his brother and summon his daughter before National Accountability Bureau (NAB) in a political case," she said.

This statement comes after NAB has summoned Maryam on March 26 to respond in a case pertaining to acquisition of land in Raiwind as well as the Chaudhry Sugar Mills case, reported Geo News.

The PML-N will fight against NAB "with all their might if NAB causes any problems, said the PML-N leader, while remarking that the bureau is sore that their 'master Imran Khan' is being exposed in front of everyone for robbing the people of wheat, sugar, gas, electricity and their votes.

"They were so scared of the long march that they summoned me the very day the long march was (previously) scheduled," she maintained.

Maryam further said that if the 'fake government' had any real sway, then the 'fake' Imran Khan would not have been in the state he is today despite having forcibly obtained election results in his favour, according to Geo News.

She also credited the former Chief Minister of Punjab province, Shehbaz Sharif, for leaving behind a 'sparklingly clean Punjab', which has now been reduced to a 'mound of garbage'.

"PML-N knows that if it allows the government to continue for the next two-and-a-half years, its name might be erased from the pages of history, but the PM has the gall to say he will mobilise the public against the Opposition," she further said.

"Wherever there is an election, Inshaallah Nawaz Sharif will win [...] and wherever there is election rigging and underhanded dealing, you will see that we have lost," Maryam Nawaz remarked.

(ANI)

Also Read: Joe Biden says US 'must change laws that enable discrimination'
Huntington, WV (25701)

Today

Showers and thunderstorms. Storms may contain strong gusty winds. High 76F. Winds SSW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 100%..

Tonight

Thunderstorms early, then mainly cloudy after midnight. Areas of patchy fog developing. Low 61F. Winds SSW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 70%.
Saudi Arabia presented a new initiative to end the war in Yemen on Monday and called on the Houthi rebels to endorse it.

Why it matters: The war in Yemen has caused perhaps the world's worst humanitarian crisis and has become Saudi Arabia's "Vietnam."

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The U.S. originally backed the Saudi-led effort to oust the Houthis after they deposed the Yemeni government.

But soon after taking office, the Biden administration ended support for offensive operations in Yemen and suspended arms deals with the Saudis.

Driving the news: Saudi Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan said at a press conference that the proposal includes:

An immediate ceasefire in Yemen under UN supervision.

A reopening of Sana'a International Airport.

Direct peace talks between the exiled Yemeni government, which was ousted in 2014, and the Houthi rebels.

What they're saying: We will make every effort to press the Houthis to accept the initiative. The ball is in their court."

Farhan added that Saudi Arabia hopes the Biden administration endorses the initiative. If the Houthis refuse, the U.S. and the international community should put pressure on them," he said.

Secretary of State Tony Blinken spoke today with Farhan about the situation in Yemen.

He expressed the U.S. commitment to helping Saudi Arabia defend itself and condemned recent attacks on Saudi territory from Yemen, State Department spokesperson Ned Price said.

They also discussed efforts to end the war, starting with a ceasefire and steps to facilitate the delivery of humanitarian aid, Price said.

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HARRISBURG  There are many ways to measure the pain being felt by people in Cumberland County.

More families in the region are becoming homeless, social services groups said, sleeping in tents and cars. Many others need help getting food.

Over the last year, the Central Pennsylvania Food Bank has seen a roughly 40% increase in the number of people coming to it for help, said Joe Arthur, its executive director.

We think that this is probably going to take two years or better to work our way back to the level we were pre-pandemic, in terms of folks needing our help, Arthur said.

And as unemployment dramatically spiked, reaching a high of 12% in April last year, thousands of people in the central Pennsylvania county turned to the government for health care.

Cumberland County saw a nearly 22% increase in Medicaid enrollment from February 2020 to the same month this year. Although that represents the greatest increase in the state, its far from an outlier.

Enrollment in the program rose by more than 388,000, or 13.7%, during the same time period  reaching 3.2 million people in February. The change represents a dramatic expansion of Pennsylvanias social safety net, exceeding single-year Medicaid enrollment increases that occurred during the Great Recession, a Spotlight PA analysis found.

Thats in part because more people can apply for Medicaid than in the past. In 2015, Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf expanded eligibility beyond specific groups  including people with disabilities, the elderly, pregnant women, and children  to adults who meet certain income requirements. Single adults between the ages of 19 and 64 are eligible if they earn about $17,775 a year or less.

The enrollment increase also reflects the widespread economic devastation that the coronavirus caused across the state.

Many of the counties that saw the largest increases in enrollment during the pandemic are ones that are historically wealthier and have lower poverty rates. The median household income in Cumberland County is about $71,000 a year, nearly $10,000 more than across the state.

Others were already struggling. Dauphin County, which ranked high for the number of residents overall who rely on Medicaid, saw the third-largest increase in enrollment in the health-care program over the last year. Now, 30% of the countys 278,000 residents participate.

The virus exacerbated the flaws that were already in our system, said Danielle Krebs, a spokesperson for the Harrisburg-based Tri County Community Action, which provides financial services and programs for low-income residents of Dauphin, Cumberland, and Perry Counties. Before the pandemic, people were already struggling on low income.

Greater need, greater costs

The growth in Medicaid from January 2020 to the first month of this year exceeds similar growth in 15 of the prior 16 years. The only similar period that saw a bigger jump was after Wolf first took office and expanded Medicaid eligibility.

State officials have encouraged people to seek help through Medicaid and other programs during the pandemic, but that comes with a cost.

The Department of Human Services said it needs the GOP-controlled legislature to approve $941 million in extra funding to fill a hole in the budget lawmakers approved last year. Top Republicans have seized on the supplemental request to criticize the departments growing budget and claim mismanagement.

The taxpayers are not an open wallet that can continue to fund these kinds of increases, said House Appropriations Chair Stan Saylor (R., York).

Human Services Secretary Teresa Miller said chronic underfunding is partially to blame, as are long-term challenges. In addition to coverage through Medicare, the federal health insurance program designed for everyone 65 and older, low-income seniors can also use Medicaid to help cover long-term care and support services. And as Pennsylvanias population grows older, those costs are rising.

Our parents and grandparents need our services, Miller told lawmakers this month. And Im fairly certain that we all want to ensure that DHS is here to serve them so they have the care and quality of life that they deserve.

Medicaid represents a massive and far-reaching amount of money. Pennsylvania spent nearly $33 billion on the program in the federal fiscal year that ended in September 2019, according to a report from the nonpartisan Medicaid and CHIP Payment and Access Commission. The federal government covered about 58% of those costs, with the state picking up the rest.

At the moment, total Medicaid enrollment in Pennsylvania is artificially inflated because of federal pandemic rules.

Under a policy that began under former President Donald Trump, the department cant remove people from the program if their income rises above the usual limits. Instead, officials can disenroll people only if they move out of state, die, or voluntarily withdraw.

Were currently carrying at least 257,000 people on Medicaid who would not otherwise be eligible, Miller told lawmakers during a budget hearing earlier this month.

About $476 million of the departments $941 million supplemental funding request is related to that policy, according to a Wolf administration estimate.

Still, Miller said, the additional cost is less of a concern because the federal government is sending billions more to the state through enhanced Medicaid payments.

In the long term, many state Republicans support adding work requirements for so-called able-bodied adults in the Medicaid program, a move they say would help people earn their way out of poverty and could reduce costs for the state.

The department has in the past noted that people who are older or who have disabilities account for the largest share of Medicaid spending, not working-age adults. And currently, according to the department, about 46% of people receiving coverage through Medicaid expansion work full- or part-time jobs  only slightly lower than how many were working before the pandemic.

During a recent budget hearing, State Sen. David Argall (R., Schuylkill) brought up the governors prior vetoes of work requirements and urged the administration to set specific targets for how many enrollees it moves into the workforce.

I realize in the last year everythings been turned upside down with this terrible pandemic, Argall said afterward. But someday this pandemic will end, and I still believe its an issue that we need to address.

Its a very scary thing

Rachel Weisberg started hunting for health insurance in early 2020. Some of the political organizers friends had already started getting laid off from their jobs, and Weisberg, then 26, was about to lose coverage.

The Philadelphia resident had two realistic options: get enrolled or go without insurance, just as the coronavirus was beginning to spread around the country.

But enrolling was more complicated than Weisberg anticipated, even with help from a friend at the Pennsylvania Health Access Network, a consumer group that helps people obtain health care.

There were forms to fill out, documents to gather, and bank and tax statements to provide. Her income from working on local Democratic campaigns was often seasonal, but she was required to convert her pay into an annual figure. Details had to be carefully verified. And, from time to time, the enrollment website acted up, and Weisberg would get error messages. Finally, when the paperwork was done, came an excruciating wait to find out whether she was approved or not.

Its a very scary thing, Weisberg said. The one month of my life that I guess that I havent had any form of health insurance was March 2020, which is kind of a hilarious thing because that was when everything was hitting the fan. I was like, If I get COVID this month, I swear to God. ...

The coronavirus forced many people to navigate the states public assistance system for the first time, advocates told Spotlight PA.

Members of the advocacy group Put People First! Pa. organized outdoor events where volunteers helped people fill out the applications for Medicaid and other public benefits.

The demand is increasing, but people still need a lot of help to access Medicaid, said Nijmie Dzurinko, co-coordinator and cofounder of the group.

Department officials said they partner with community organizations that help enroll people and pointed to a 2019 report from Code for America that found Pennsylvanias online application is more user-friendly than many other states in several measures, including the estimated time it takes to complete an application.

But advocates countered that the process of identifying benefits one is eligible for and signing up can still be difficult and time-consuming.

John Williams, 43, from Ridley Township, had a job working with autistic adults. He got furloughed in the spring, returned to work in June, but by the end of November, the program where he worked closed and he was laid off again.

Williams spent weeks trying to get money through the states unemployment system. Bills piled up. He had to deal with funeral expenses and other issues from his mothers death in December. Williams looked for things he could try to sell on eBay  radio control cars, comic books, some of his mothers old ceramic birds, and anything he could find in storage.

He turned to the Department of Human Services programs for help. Although it was better than the unemployment compensation system, he still thought the process was harder to navigate than it needed to be.

I went to college for pre-law, and Im struggling with this form, Williams said. Its like theyre almost trying to trap you to see if youre fraudulent, which I get. I get it. But its so difficult.

In February, Williams received an approval letter for food stamps and a rejection for cash assistance. But he didnt follow through with seeking Medicaid coverage. He said the system was frustrating. He worried about insurance confusion once he started working again. And he felt reluctant to receive more government assistance.

He did find a new job  it pays about $8 less an hour than his old one  and expects to start in a few weeks. For now, Williams is uninsured, hoping he doesnt get sick, and relying on help from siblings and some of the unemployment money that has started to come in.

I hate being a charity case, Williams said. I was not raised to be.

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.
Cynthia And Quanah Parker Exhibit Now Open In West The History of West Museum is presenting a special temporary exhibit, "A Woman of Two Worlds and a Man in Two Worlds," relating to the 19th century Texas frontier story of Cynthia Parker and her son, Quanah.



"It is a bittersweet story of love, loss and broken hearts," said Georgia Hutyra, exhibit coordinator and museum director.



The exhibit chronicles the ordeal of Cynthia Ann, a young nine-year-old girl who was captured during an 1836 Indian raid at Fort Parker near Groesbeck. During the next 25 years, she lived with the Comanche, adopting their language, customs and manners.



In her teens, she married Comanche Chief Peta Nocona. They had three children: Quanah, Pecos and Prairie Flower.



In 1860, Cynthia and her infant daughter, Prairie Flower, were recaptured by the Texas Rangers and returned to her Parker relatives in east Texas. She could not readjust and tried to run away on several occasions.



Cynthia died at 37 after the death of her small daughter. Legend maintains that she died of a broken heart, longing to return to her husband and sons and the free life of the Comanche.



The exhibit also follows the story of Cynthia's son, Quanah. He was born around 1850 near Wichita Falls. Tall and muscular, Quanah became a warrior at age 15. Being an aggressive and fearless fighter, he led several attacks on buffalo hunters who were decimating the buffalo herds, a source of Indian subsistence.



In 1867, when the U.S. government assigned the Indians to reservations, Quanah settled on an Oklahoma reservation.



During the next three decades, Quanah became a successful cattle rancher and major advocate for the Comanche, encouraging education and agriculture. He became a national figure, developing friendships with numerous notable men, including President Theodore Roosevelt.



Quanah is considered one of the greatest chiefs in U.S. history for his role as spokesman and peacetime leader of the Native Americans.



This temporary exhibit, on loan from the Texas Lakes Trail Historical Commission, can be seen at the museum until May 1. The museum is open Fridays and Saturdays from 10 a.m. until 3 p.m. and by special appointment.



More information is available by emailing historyofwest museum@gmail.com.


A cross-party delegation of Australian MPs has met with Washingtons top envoy in Canberra in their continued attempts to encourage the United States to drop its extradition attempts against the WikiLeaks founder.

Nationals MP George Christensen, Independent Andrew Wilkie and Labors Julian Hill lobbied the US embassys charge daffaires, Michael Goldman, on Monday morning, arguing the Australian citizen should be allowed to return home.

Liberal National Party MP George Christensen and independent MP Andrew Wilkie outside Belmarsh Prison after visiting Julian Assange last year. Credit:Getty

The US Justice Department has appealed a British judges ruling that prevents Mr Assange from being extradited from London to face espionage charges.

Judge Vanessa Baraitser ruled last month that while the case against the Australian was sound, his fragile mental health put him at substantial risk of taking his own life in prison.
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The UK is poised to feel the effects of rising Covid-19 infections on the continent, Boris Johnson is warning.

You can see sadly there is a third wave underway, the prime minister said, as lockdowns are introduced in several EU countries.

And people in this country should be under no illusions that previous experience has taught us that, when a wave hits our friends, Im afraid it washes up on our shores as well.

The comment is likely to raise eyebrows as EU nations say the growing case numbers are largely the so-called Kent variant  which has spread from the UK to the rest of Europe.

The prime minister also sought to calm tensions threatening to lead to so-called vaccine wars  saying he was reassured that the EU did not want to see blockades.

Read more:

And, condemning the violent scenes at a protest in Bristol, as unacceptable, he said: People obviously have a right to protest in this country, but they should protest peacefully and legally.

Mr Johnson insisted that  despite the worsening picture across the Channel  we will just bash on the with the roadmap we set out, with the programme weve got.

Were getting on with our vaccination programme as fast as we can, but a vaccination campaign and developing vaccines, rolling them out  these are international projects and they require international co-operation, he added.

On the Brussels threat to block exports to the UK  ahead of likely talks with national leaders in the coming days  Mr Johnson played down the conflict.

EU officials have briefed that the bloc would reject any UK request for AstraZeneca vaccines produced at a factory in the Netherlands, ahead of a crunch meeting of leaders on Thursday.

There is growing anger that about 10m vaccine doses have been exported from plants in EU member states to the UK, largely by Pfizer-BioNTech.

Meanwhile, under the deal struck by London with AstraZeneca, when the company partnered with Oxford University, its UK-produced supplies have not been shared with the EU.

There is talk activating Article 122 of the EUs treaty, last used in the 1970s oil crisis, allowing the bloc to take emergency measures to control the distribution of essential goods.

But Mr Johnson, speaking at BAE Systems in Preston, said: Im reassured by talking to EU partners over the last few months that they dont want to see blockades, I think thats very important.

Clearly what matters to us in the UK is we get on with the rollout of the vaccine programme. I think weve now done over half the adults in the country, which is very good news.

Were on course to do everybody in priority groups 1-4, theyve been done, but groups 1-9, all the over 50s, by April 15  and then well just bash on with the roadmap weve set out.
For a decade before the pandemic, small investors accounted for roughly a tenth of trading activity in the stock market. But in the last year, they have become responsible for close to a quarter, according to Goldman Sachs analysts.

The speculative appetite of small investors may seem at odds with an economy still reeling from a pandemic that has killed more than half a million Americans, decimated jobs and snuffed out businesses and livelihoods. But one of the biggest tools deployed by the U.S. government to cushion the economic blow  stimulus payments  is also driving a huge surge in investing by small traders, Matt Phillips reports for The New York Times.

Analysts at Deutsche Bank recently estimated that as much $170 billion from the latest round of stimulus payments could flow into the stock market. They conducted a survey of retail traders in which respondents said they planned to put roughly 40 percent of any payment they received  or $2 of every $5  into the stock market. Traders between the ages of 25 and 34 said they expected to put half of their stimulus check into stocks.
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New Delhi, March 22 : March 23, which is celebrated as "Pakistan Day", is seeing a tug of war between liberals and hawks on what the occasion stands for.

Former Pakistani Senator Farhatullah Babar, in a tweet, said: "Originally March 23 was 'Republic Day' to celebrate Pakistan becoming a republic, adopting 1st Constitution in 1956. Pride in democracy. During fist military rule in 1958 it was changed to 'Pakistan Day' to showcase military might. Hollow sound & fury no substitute to democracy." There have also been calls to postpone the military parade in the times of Covid.

Babar was countered by Rozina Khan on twitter. "@FarhatullahB It's not actually dispute of date 23rd March its propaganda against Pak Army, the same language of Indian's interest. Every Pakistani feels proud at this day to show the power of Pakistan to the world." Sindhi activists have declared they will expose the "fake Pakistan history" and demand freedom.

Zafar Sahito tweeted: "Pakistan with his fake history have manipulated everyone. 23rd March is celebrated as 'Pakistan Day', when in 1940 there was no Pakistan. We r going to start social media campaign on 23rd March as Twitter trend #SindhWantsFreedom to expose Pak fake history & demand our freedom." Sahito says there was there was no Pakistan in 1940 while announcing a Free Sindh programme.

Adding to the 23 March debate this year is the cancellation of a conference on the 1971 war in Lahore University. " Cancellation of LUMS conference on 1971 War is tragic. Universities should be free to debate issues. Whoever thinks we need conferences on other important issues (Kashmir or Modi policies) is free to organize one. Silencing of critical voices is the reason we are in this mess," Waqqas Mir tweeted.

Hassan Javid suggested that holding such a conference on 23 March is not appropriate.

"Some people have suggested that 23 March - the day Pakistan became a republic after the adoption of its first constitution in 1956 - is an inappropriate date on which to hold a conference on 1971 and the events that led to the independence of Bangladesh," he said.

Umar slammed the "Left-Liberals" for their agenda to cancel the parade. "A few days ago our liberal-left started the debate against the 23rd March and built a case against the military parade.

"Now on 'Pakistan day', LUMS planned to *commemorate* Bangladesh liberation war. Of course, there is no agenda only an academic debate being held on 23rd March," he said.

(Sanjeev Sharma can be reached on Sanjeev.s@ians.in)
Prime Minister of Ukraine Denys Shmyhal says that Ukraine wants to become a member of the European Union and NATO within five-ten years.

"Our desire is to become a member of the EU within five-ten years. This, of course, depends not only on us, but on 27 other countries. The same applies to NATO. Ukraine is seeking membership in the North Atlantic Alliance. We are already working very closely with NATO. The statement of NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg that 'NATO's doors are open for Ukraine' was high evidence of this," Shmyhal said in an interview with the German publication Handelsblatt.

The Prime Minister noted that he does not see any fundamental obstacles on the European side regarding Ukraine's membership in the EU.

"There are two reasons why we are still not in the EU. We are still working on European standards, but we are confident that we will make significant progress, not least thanks to digitalization. Secondly, there are also countries in the EU that are skeptical of the further enlargement of the EU," Shmyhal said.
Sen. Cruz Presses Biden for Media Presence During Border Visit, Calls Denial Outrageous and Hypocritical

Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) wrote a letter to President Joe Biden regarding the lack of ability for the press to observe, film, and report on the situation at the border.

He said that the restrictions equate to hiding the truth from the American People.

That is why Im calling on Biden to commit to allowing free and fair reporting on the crisis at the border, Cruz wrote on Twitter.

As part of our oversight duties as Senators, I and 14 of my colleagues will travel to the border this week to talk to the brave men and women on the ground who are working every today to stop this crisis and secure our border, Cruz wrote in the letter.

He further found fault with the Biden administration for denying permission for press members to join Cruz and his entourage.

But it is not enough for members of the Senate to see what is happeningthe American people must see. That is why I requested that members of the media be allowed to join us. But your administration clearly and emphatically refused to offer press access. This is outrageous and hypocritical, Cruz wrote.

The White House didnt immediately respond to a request for comment from The Epoch Times.

Denying the press the ability to observe, film, and report on the conditions at the border is not openness or transparencyit is hiding the truth from the American people. That is why Im calling on Biden to commit to allowing free and fair reporting on the crisis at the border. pic.twitter.com/ZjjIyDf7Ak  Senator Ted Cruz (@SenTedCruz) March 22, 2021

Ted Cruz appeared last week on Newsmax with former White House press secretary Sean Spicer and heavily criticized the Biden administration over the border crisis.

Cruz plans to visit the border in Texas with his colleagues on March 26 to observe the disfavorable circumstances, which he says are a direct result of Biden administration directives.

There are going to be a number of senators next week that fly down with us to visit the border. Were seeing an absolute crisis unfold. It is a humanitarian crisis, it is a national security crisis, and it is a health crisis that are all unfolding, and it is the direct result of policy mistakes and decisions made by the Biden administration, said Cruz.

Joe Biden came in and one of the first things he did was halted all construction of the wall, added the senator.

He then reinstituted catch and release so that when we catch illegal immigrants, they now release them, say, Hey, you got a court date sometime in the future? Hope you show up,a whole bunch of them dont.

Cruz then went on to talk about the problem with COVID-19 positivity among illegal immigrants.

Last week, the National Sheriffs Association said that up to 50 percent of illegal immigrants are testing positive for COVID-19, the disease the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus causes.

Theyre releasing illegal immigrants in Harlingen, Texas. Those illegal immigrants are testing positive for COVID-19 at a rate that is seven times higher than the U.S. population. And yet because of politics, because the Democrats believe these illegal immigrants will vote Democratic, the public health doesnt matter, COVID doesnt matter, crime doesnt matter. [] It is dangerous. And it will keep getting worse as long as this administration refuses to enforce the law.

Border Patrol agents apprehend about two dozen illegal immigrants in Penitas, Texas, on March 11. 2021. (Charlotte Cuthbertson/The Epoch Times)

Theres been a growing number of illegal crossings in recent times, of which many are unaccompanied minors, leading to focused attention by the public and reporters to the present administrations immigration policies, however, some reporters say they have been denied access to ride along with Border Patrol.

Getty Images correspondent John Moore alleged there is a lack of transparency along the border. Last week, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) stated that Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas trip to the border, including El Paso, Texas, will be closed to press due to privacy and COVID-19 precautions.

Moore won an award in 2019 for his photo of a Honduran toddler crying at the border.

I respectfully ask US Customs and Border Protection to stop blocking media access to their border operations, Moore wrote on Twitter Friday. I have photographed CBP under Bush, Obama and Trump but nowzero access is granted to media. These long lens images [were] taken from the Mexican side.

Moore described the current situation as unprecedented.

Theres no modern precedent for a full physical ban on media access to CBP border operations, Moore added in another Twitter post. To those who might say, cut them some slackthey are dealing with a situation, Id say that showing the U.S. response to the current immigrant surge is exactly the medias role.

Jack Phillips contributed to this report.

The White House blamed the stairs on Air Force One for President Joe Biden's fall on Friday, after first blaming the breeze.

White House press secretary Jen Psaki said Biden, 78, was '100 per cent fine' but she didn't say whether or not he was examined by a doctor after he fell multiple times trying to board the 747 presidential aircraft for his trip to Atlanta. A medical team always travels with the president where ever he goes.

'He's 100% fine, I don't know if you've been up those steps they're a little tricky sometimes,' Psaki said Monday at her daily press briefing.

And she punted on whether or not a doctor examined the president.

'I'm not aware of that being required. There's, of course, a doctor who travels with the president, any president of the United States, but I'm not aware of it needing actual, extensive medical attention,' she said.

She didn't clarify when reporters at the briefing pointed out she didn't say no.

'I'm not trying to be a, there's a doctor who travels with him. He was walking around, as you all saw, by the end of the day so I'm just trying to be completely transparent. He is absolutely fine,' she noted.

White House press secretary Jen Psaki blamed the stairs on Air Force One for President Joe Biden's fall on Friday

President Biden trying to regain balance on the steps of Air Force One on Friday after stumbling multiple times

Biden named Dr. Kevin O'Connor as his doctor, replacing Dr. Sean Conley, who was the White House physician for President Donald Trump. O'Connor acted as Biden's physician when Biden was vice president.

Biden was boarding the aircraft at Joint Base Andrews just before noon on Friday for a flight to Atlanta when he stumbled. He gripped on to the railing, steadied himself and kept going but lost his footing a second time and then a third.

On the third trip, he fell to his knees. He got back up then carried on up the stairs before giving a salute at the top then disappearing into the aircraft.

He walked around Atlanta after his slip, including boarding and exiting Marine One without incident. During his several hours on the ground he walked around Emory College campus for meetings with local officials and Asian American groups. He also gave remarks on the rising tide of hate crimes against Asian Americans.

White House Deputy Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre, speaking to reporters on the plane on Friday, blamed the weather for the fall.

'Its pretty windy outside. Its very windy. I almost fell coming up the steps myself,' she said.

Wind gusts were 19mph at Joint Base Andrews when the president was boarding the plane which is officially categorized as a 'fresh breeze' by the internationally recognized Beaufort Scale.

Biden's first stumble as he bounded up the stairs of Air Force One

The President then lost his balance again and fell to his knees on the carpeted stairs

Once at the top of the stairs, Biden gave a military salute before disappearing into the aircraft. The White House says he is 100% fine and is preparing for his trip in Atlanta

The fall raised additional questions about the president's health. Biden is the oldest president to ever be inaugurated.

Ronald Reagan was 77 when he left office and he was 69 when he was elected.

Trump was 70 when elected and was 74 when he left office earlier this year.

Biden also has made verbal slips, including recently referring to Vice President Kamala Harris as 'President Harris.'

In November, Biden was walking in a boot after breaking his foot while playing with his dog, Major.

His doctor at the time said he was otherwise in good health.
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A decade of war is now ending, proclaimed the American president  eight years ago. President Barack Obama would soon expand what he had criticized as a perpetual war, the military conflict against Islamist terrorists that began in 2001 in Afghanistan but that sprawled to the war in Iraq and to many new enemies in many countries.

Now President Biden, too, is holding out the possibility of ending the forever wars by asking Congress to replace the 2001 and 2002 statutes that authorized wars against the 9/11 perpetrators and Iraq with a narrow and specific framework. Congress should embrace his worthy aspiration, but no one should be fooled. The president and Congress will need to go well beyond merely narrowing Congresss old permission slips for war. That would leave the permanent war footing intact and preserve the presidents now almost limitless powers to fight anywhere, indefinitely.

To understand the limited significance of this approach to ending the forever wars, you need look no further than Mr. Bidens Feb. 25 airstrikes in eastern Syria against the Iran-backed militias responsible for assaults on U.S. and allied personnel in Iraq. The United States is not at war with Syria or Iran, and Congress had not authorized the strikes. The president ordered them nonetheless, based on his independent authority, under Article II of the Constitution, to conduct United States foreign relations and as Commander in Chief and Chief Executive. Narrowing the 2001 and 2002 laws would leave this presidential power untouched.

The theory behind the Syria strike is that Article II allows the president, without congressional approval, to engage in what has been called light-footprint warfare  airstrikes (drone and manned), cruise missiles, cyberattacks and stealthy actions by Special Operations forces  in contexts that serve the national interest. Executive branch lawyers have interpreted the national interest to cover any conceivable situation in which a president, in the name of self-defense or a related rationale, would want to strike anywhere around the globe against even dim terrorist threats to the United States or its allies. They have gone further still to justify presidential unilateralism to mitigate humanitarian crises, to support international organizations and to preserve regional stability. And they have given presidents permission to ignore the constraints of the U.N. Charter.
SEATTLE, March 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- ThruWave, the pioneer of 3D millimeter wave (mmWave) imaging for logistics and supply chain automation, has been named a finalist for the 2021 MHI Innovation Awards for its 3DmmWave Imaging system.

After receiving 92 submissions for this year's MHI Innovation Awards, eight independent judges comprised of professionals from the material handling and supply chain industry selected finalists in categories of Best New Innovation, Best Innovation of an Existing Product, and Best IT Innovation.

ThruWave 3D mmWave Imaging Named a Finalist for MHI Innovation Award

ThruWave's 3D mmWave imaging system is a finalist for 2021 Best New Innovation, joining a notable list of finalist companies including, Siera.ai, Waypoint Robotics, Vecna Robotics, SVT Robotics, Geek+, AutoStore, Big Ass Fan, Five Intralogistics Corp, and Wiferion GmBH.

"The team at ThruWave team is both honored and proud that our groundbreaking new 3D mm Wave imaging solution has been selected as a finalist for the 2021 MHI Best New Innovation Award," said Matt Reynolds, Founder and Chief Scientist of ThruWave. "Our unique 3D millimeter wave imaging system is the only high-throughput, human-safe approach for seeing through opaque materials like corrugated boxes, plastic totes and even walls to identify objects, measure cube utilization, count items, and detect missing or damaged items."

ThruWave's unique patented 3D millimeter wave imaging technology provides manufacturing and supply chain operations with transformative technology to reduce operational cost and carbon footprint, improve quality control, safety and security as well as increase efficiency of capital investments in automation.

Prior to ThruWave's groundbreaking innovation, operations needing to see and inspect inside boxes required manual inspection or X-ray technology, which is either costly and time consuming or poses health hazards to human workers. ThruWave's new 3D mmWave imaging solution is modular and scalable while providing a human-safe way to see and inspect inside of packages on conveyors or ASRS solutions at high speeds alongside human workers in busy warehouses or fulfillment centers.

The solution is easy retrofit to existing conveyors or materials handling systems and can operate as a standalone system or a fully integrated solution exchanging data with WMS's, WES's or Control Systems. ThruWave enables cost reduction and process improvements across a variety of end customers such as manufacturing, retail, ecommerce, post and parcel.

About ThruWave

Based in Seattle, Washington, ThruWave makes the invisible visible with human-safe, 3D millimeter wave imaging. For more information, visit http://www.thruwave.com .

Media Contact:

Laura Hoffman

206-627-0705

[email protected]

SOURCE ThruWave

Related Links

http://www.thruwave.com


A man who attacked and raped a woman in her home after meeting her on the dating app Tinder will be sentenced next month.

During the attack Peter Loughran (36) banged the woman's head off of the floor and slapped her in the face when she started praying out loud.

At one point he began filming her with his phone and slapped her in the face when she tried to cover her face with her hair.

Loughran of Glasnevin Downs, Ballygall, Dublin, pleaded guilty at the Central Criminal Court to rape and oral rape at an address in Dublin on January 5, 2018.

He has four previous convictions, including convictions for possession of drugs, drink driving and public order offences.

Read More

Garda Catherine Byrne told Vincent Heneghan SC, prosecuting, that a week or two before the incident, the victim had met Loughran on Tinder and they struck up a conversation.

They later met at her apartment in the city and were kissing when Loughran became aggressive and said he would massage the woman's back. He turned her around and during the massage Loughran put his hand under her top and grabbed her breast.

The victim got scared and told the man it was time for him to go.

Loughran asked for water and followed her into the kitchen where she said he should leave. He said it was cold and asked if he could go to her bedroom so he could get warm as it was the only room with a heater and she replied he could get warm before leaving.

In the bedroom Loughran took off the victim's clothes very aggressively, raped her and also bit the woman's breasts.

At one point he started to film her with his phone and slapped her in the face when she tried to cover her face with her hair. She started screaming and he hit her head off of the floor three times.

At another stage he stopped touching her for a while and she started praying out loud. He told her to stop and slapped her in the face.

The victim believed that the incident would go on for days and started trying to negotiate with the man. She said she had a boyfriend who would soon arrive and a flatmate who was moving in the next morning, but Loughran did not believe either of her claims.

She tried to calm him down and reminded him of his family who he had mentioned in conversation earlier.

The incident came to an end when Loughran allowed the victim to go to the bathroom, but came with her and refused to leave. While in the bathroom the victim pretended to vomit, tried to force herself to vomit and told him she was insulin dependent.

The victim pretended to faint and told Loughran that she would die unless she went to a hospital. He started to panic, put his clothes on and said he would take her to hospital.

As they left the apartment the victim pretended to collapse and Loughran told her to wait and he would go get his car. Once he had left her flat she went inside, locked the door and immediately called gardai.

The victim was brought to hospital by gardai, where she was examined and found to have bruising on numerous parts, including intimate areas, of her body.

In interview with gardai following his arrest, Loughran denied the offences and said that 90 per cent of what she said was not true. He said that what sexual contact there had been was consensual and he denied violently attacking her.

Gda Byrne agreed with James Dwyer SC, defending, that his client told gardai he had grown up in Monaghan. She agreed his client had agreed to go into custody of his own volition after pleading guilty in October 2020.

Justice Paul McDermott adjourned the case to April 30, next, when victim impact evidence and the plea in mitigation will be heard.
Australias international travel ban has been revised and New Zealand has been struck from the no go list.

However, until New Zealand decides whether to allow Australians to travel quarantine-free (the ABC reports a decision on this will happen next month), any Australian travelling to New Zealand will still have to undergo hotel quarantine.

In other words: Australias biosecurity laws have been loosened to facilitate a two-way bubble, and the ball is now in the Kiwis court.

Health Minister Greg Hunt amended the emergency biosecurity laws today to permit anyone who had been in Australia for at least 14 days to travel directly to New Zealand for any reason.

For the last 12 months, Australians have had to apply for an exemption to leave the country. New Zealand is now exempt from this requirement.

New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said today, I have said that it is close  that we do expect to be in the position to open up the bubble soon.

Weve had 12 gatherings of our officials, between the two countries, to work on country-to-country arrangement, she told TVNZ.

Weve since said: Look, lets just move state by state because its actually just taking a bit too much work, a bit too difficult to get that country-to-country arrangement.'

Lets just operate as Australia has been operating with us. Thats helping to speed this up.

Australia lifted quarantine restrictions for travellers from New Zealand in October 2020.

Though this one-way bubble was paused in January due to an outbreak in Auckland, it was soon back in action.

The favour has not yet been returned because of the higher number of COVID cases in Australia.

Its January suspension also provides an example of the sort of measures New Zealand could implement if it temporarily became concerned with Australias risk level if and when the favour does get returned.

A two-way bubble would have strong economic implications. As news.com.au reports, Last week Air New Zealand said it would launch non-stop flights between Auckland and Tasmania as soon as the two-way bubble opened up.

According to the ABC, Pressure has been mounting on the New Zealand government to allow Australians entry as the countrys tourism sector struggles without international visitors.

The New Zealand Cabinet committee is now discussing a report about what form trans-Tasman travel will take, (news.com.au).

This bubble would waive the need for Australian travellers to quarantine on arrival in New Zealand and boost tourism significantly.

Ms Ardern told a press conference in New Zealand today that she would reveal a date for the start of quarantine-free travel between the two countries on April 6, the ABC reports.

Ardern has also told TVNZ reports that We never do anything were not ready to do and that politics was not the motivating force for the policy.

A petition doesnt make this decision, Ardern said in reference to 42,000 Kiwis signing a petition backed by the National Party asking for the bubble to begin immediately.

We make it based on health advice. We never do anything were not ready to do.

Read Next
Justice minister hit for undermining neutrality of prosecution



The prosecution has decided not to seek an indictment in an alleged perjury case involving a witness who testified against former Prime Minister Han Myeong-sook who was convicted of taking bribes. The Supreme Prosecutors' Office (SPO) reported its decision to the Ministry of Justice, Sunday.



The decision was made during a 13-hour meeting held Friday participated in by senior prosecutors. Earlier last week, Justice Minister Park Beom-kye invoked his authority to order the SPO to re-examine allegations that prosecutors in 2011 pressured fellow inmates of Han Man-ho, a jailed businessman, to falsely testify that they heard the businessman say he gave the former prime minister 900 million won ($795,000). In their vote on whether to indict one of the inmates, 10 prosecutors voted not to indict.



Han, the country's first female prime minister, under President Roh Moo-hyun, was imprisoned in 2015 after being convicted of accepting illegal political funds while in office from the now deceased businessman. The businessman originally said he gave Han money, but he later retracted his testimony in court, arguing that he was forced to give false testimony under pressure from the prosecution. Allegations were raised last year that prosecutors had forced the businessman's fellow inmates to falsely testify against the former prime minister during her trial in 2011 to win her conviction. But the prosecution has dismissed the allegations twice, citing a lack of evidence supporting the perjury charges.



The SPO's latest decision not to indict has effectively ended the justice minister's attempts to save the former prime minister, who is viewed as a victim of prosecutorial bias by the country's progressives. Of course, the prosecution deserves blame for its unlawful and undue investigations in the past. But this doesn't mean the justice minister can execute his power at will. What's particularly lamentable is that the minister's command was prompted by suspicious revelations of an ex-convict. The minister should stop shaking the rule of law for partisan reasons and ensure the political neutrality of the prosecution.


The women at the centre of the Salmond inquiry have said they will be making a formal complaint to the Scottish Parliament after their evidence was leaked to a newspaper.

In a statement released through Rape Crisis Scotland on Sunday, the two women who made complaints of harassment against former first minister Alex Salmond said they would be making a formal complaint over the leak.

A story in The Sunday Times claims the women, giving evidence in private last Monday, painted a picture of a demeaning environment for women, with one saying it was 'like the Wild West'.

The statement said the leak was a breach of the MSP code of conduct, as well as 'a violation of the trust we placed in the committee', as well as raising concerns about the accuracy of the leak.

The two complainants hit out at whoever at Holyrood (pictured) committed the leak

It added: 'The reporting of our evidence has included inaccuracies and distortions, which appear to be intended to serve a political agenda.

'Complainers in this case have been subject to regular attacks and misrepresentations on social media, and have found their experiences repeatedly exploited for political purposes during the inquiry.

'For a committee members to perpetuate this is indefensible and an abuse of their position.

'We will be making a formal complaint.'

Alex Salmond was cleared of charges including attempted rape and sexual assault at a trial

Miss Sturgeon's career could be over within hours, as Scotland hears from two major inquiries into whether or not she broke the ministerial code

The inquiry is expected to come to a head this week, with the Committee on the Scottish Government Handling of Harassment Complaints due to publish its final report.

Portions of the report, where MSPs voted 5-4 to conclude that First Minister Nicola Sturgeon misled the committee over a meeting with Mr Salmond, were leaked last week.

The First Minister described the leak as 'partisan', while the committee's convener Linda Fabiani said she was 'dismayed' the information had been disclosed before the final report was published.

The independent investigation into the ministerial code, being conducted by James Hamilton, is also expected to report this week and could prove more dangerous for the current First Minister if she was found to have knowingly breached the code.

Nicola Sturgeon referred herself for investigation after she was accused of misleading parliament over when she knew about allegations against Mr Salmond.

The Scottish Tories have given Ms Sturgeon until Tuesday to resign, or she will face a vote of no confidence on Wednesday, due to what the party says is 'overwhelming' proof she broke the ministerial code.
Saudi Arabia has proposed a ceasefire to the war in Yemen on Monday.

The ceasefire was suggested by Saudi Arabias Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan and comes after a couple of rocky weeks in the battle that included missile strikes on Saudi Aramcos infrastructure.

The ceasefire will be executed, according to Prince Faisal, if the Houthis announce their acceptance of it.

The plan includes reopening the Sanaa airport, which has been closed for six years.

The ceasefire proposal comes just hours after the Saudi-led coalition forces conducted airstrikes against Houthi military bases in Yemens capital Sanaa. Those airstrikes followed an attack on an oil target in Saudi Arabia earlier this month. It also comes just weeks after President Joe Biden announced that the United States would no longer provide logistical and intelligence support to the Saudis for the war in Yemen.

The U.S. will, however, continue to protect targets that are in Saudi Arabia, including Saudi Aramcos vital oil infrastructure.

Saudi Arabia and the Houthis have been locked in a conflict since 2015. Many see it as a proxy war between the Saudis and the Iranian backers of the Yemeni rebel group, which overthrew the Saudi-affiliated Yemeni government and tried to assume power over the country.

Oil facilities in Saudi Arabia are a favorite target for the Houthis because of the Kingdoms reliance on oil revenues. The most notable attack that the Yemeni rebel group claimed responsibility for was the September 2019 attacks on Saudi Aramcos oil facilities that cut off 5 percent of daily global supply for weeks, sending oil prices soaring. Saudi Arabia and the United States have said that it was Iranand not the Houthiswho was responsible for the attack.

Many ceasefire talks in past years have failed.

By Julianne Geiger for Oilprice.com

More Top Reads From Oilprice.com:
Hours before U.S. Rep. Mo Brooks is expected to announce a 2022 Senate campaign, the Southern Poverty Law Center is calling for Brooks to lose his license to practice law in Alabama.

The SPLC complaint focuses on Brooks, a Republican from Huntsville whose congressional district stretches across north Alabama, backing claims of election fraud by former President Donald Trump. Those claims culminated in a rally in Washington on Jan. 6 that immediately preceded Trump supporters storming the U.S. Capitol. Five people  including one person from Brooks district -- died as protesters occupied the Capitol for several hours, delaying formal approval of the election results by Congress.

There has been no evidence of widespread election fraud in the presidential election. The SPLC  based in Montgomery  cited in its complaint comments from William Barr, who was U.S. Attorney General at the time, saying there was no voter fraud.

The bar complaint addressed to the disciplinary commission spans more than 200 pages and includes an outline of possible criminal violations by Brooks as well as six exhibits. Brooks has not been charged with any crimes.

The Alabama Bar Association should disbar Rep. Brooks for violating the Alabama Rules of Professional Conduct, the SPLC wrote in the cover letter of its complaint.

According to the bar association website, Brooks is listed as inactive  not authorized to practice law in Alabama. Brooks has served in the House of Representatives since 2008.

The SPLC letter said Brooks promoted unsubstantiated claims of election fraud, mobilized domestic extremists and marshaled a failed coup of the U.S. government that resulted in multiple deaths and arrests, including two of his constituents. In the aftermath of the deadly insurrection, he has doubled down on his lies and relied upon his position as a member of this Bar in support thereof.

The Republican National Committee approved a resolution last year condemning the SPLC, branding it a far-left organization with an obvious bias.

In a text message to AL.com, Brooks said he has not practiced law for more than a decade.

Please publicize the racist, radical, left-wing SPLC attack in a MAJOR way, Brooks said in his text. Being attacked by the SPLC is a sure-fire vote winner in Alabama in an state-wide election. In any event, I have not paid Bar dues nor practiced law in more than a decade. Plus, they are WAY tardy. Other socialists already beat the SPLC to that frivolous attack point.

Updated today, March 22, 2021, at 1:55 p.m. to correct that one person from Brooks district in U.S. Capitol protests on Jan. 6.
Armenia MFA information department chief: All deputy FMs carrying out their duties

Ardshinbank invited children to the cinema on International Childrens Day

Armenia judiciary to have 10 more judges

Armenia acting premier: We had recorded 40% increase in tax revenues according to 2019 results

Armenia acting PM on Artsakh war casualties bodies: We have 50 remains in which case DNA was not separated

Azerbaijan authorities plan to "squeeze" everything from "terrorist show" related to Armenian captives

Ameriabank Announces a Contest for Bank Card Design

108 new cases of COVID-19 confirmed in Armenia

Armenia parliament convenes special session

Armenia interim government holding Cabinet meeting

Catholicos of All Armenians heads for Syunik Province, Artsakh

World oil prices going up

Iran loses right to vote in UN General Assembly

Newspaper: Armenia authorities come up with new way of punishing unwanted characters

Newspaper: Russia army Southern Military District deputy commander to arrive in Yerevan Thursday

Lebanese Armenian man taken prisoner by Azerbaijan is hospitalized

Armenia ex-President Kocharyan: Are we getting under the burden? Then lets get under to the end

Armenia acting health minister on keeping fallen soldiers bodies in bags: What else should they be kept in?

Armenia acting health minister on citizens' demand for her resignation

Karabakh's new State Minister Artak Beglaryan on his appointment and future activities

Armenian, Russian and Azerbaijani representatives hold consultations in Moscow

2 Armenian soldiers receive slight injuries after incident with Azerbaijani servicemen in Armenia's Gegharkunik

Armenian boy weighing 5 kg born at Goris Medical Center

"Armenia" bloc representative presents purpose of participation in elections and plans

Isaac Herzog elected President of Israel

Rouhani: Main issues between Tehran, Washington resolved in Vienna

Charles Michel calls on Armenia and Azerbaijan to resume constructive negotiations

US Department of State responds to Pashinyan's proposal to deploy international observers on Armenia-Azerbaijan border

Head of Armenia 2nd President's Office: Robert Kocharyan's public meetings are held in warm atmosphere

Opposition "Armenia" bloc's representative on photos and videos showing bags of deceased servicemen's bodies

Armenia Ombudsman, AGBU President discuss war crimes committed by Azerbaijan during Karabakh war

Opposition "Armenia" bloc's representatives to hold briefings three times a week

Opposition "Armenia" bloc member: Blood-freezing photos and videos from morgue in Abovyan are authorities' reflection

Yerevan mayor receives Netherlands Ambassador

Armenia Health Ministry, Investigative Committee keep info about sending remains of dead soldiers abroad confidential

Armenia Prosecutor General's Office launches case regarding leaving sacs of servicemen's bodies/remains in basement

Peskov: Putin and Biden to discuss cybersecurity issues

Armenia's Pashinyan meets with Belgian PM Alexander De Croo

Armenia acting MOD receives Netherlands Ambassador

Armenia Police: 3 citizens apprehended during protest demanding acting health minister's resignation

NATO warns Minsk about further consequences of Ryanair incident

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

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Acting deputy minister: Armenia authorities plan to build 46km section of North-South highway in 2021

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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

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Advisor to Armenia Ombudsman: Azerbaijan brought up generation of Armenophobic Azerbaijanis and is proud of this

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The total REC produced contained 103,731kg of rare earth oxides, which includes 9,751 kilograms of dysprosium and 1,245 kilograms of terbium.

( ) (OTCMKTS:NOURF) (FRA:NUN) has surpassed a new production milestone after producing 210,000 kilograms of heavy rare earth carbonate (REC) at the Browns Range Pilot Plant in northern Western Australia.

A shipment of 40,406 kilograms of REC that contains 1,835 kilograms of dysprosium oxide and 233 kilograms of terbium oxide is ready at Browns Range for delivery to the companys offtake partner thyssenkrupp Materials Trading GmbH, bringing total REC production to 211,109 kilograms.

The REC produced to date contains a total 103,731 kilograms of rare earth oxide, which in turn contains 9,751 kilograms of dysprosium oxide and 1,245 kilograms of terbium oxide.

Most strategically placed HRE operation

Chief executive officer Mark Tory said: Despite the operational and supply chain challenges in the past 12 months, the global trend toward electrification of transport continues to accelerate because of regulatory changes and bold decisions by car manufacturers on transition to fully-electric fleets.

Browns Range is still the most strategically placed heavy rare earths operation in the western world, and we continue to apply our significant R&D learnings to successfully produce batches of REC for our European offtake partner thyssenkrupp from our Pilot Plant in the Kimberley region of WA.

Browns Range Pilot Plant and rare earth carbonate bags in foreground.

Market outlook

Both dysprosium and terbium are critical elements in the permanent magnet motors used in E-mobility powertrain applications, in particular battery electric vehicles (BEV), full/plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (HEV), mild-hybrid electric vehicles (MHEV) and fuel-cell electric vehicles (FCEV).

Global light vehicle production is forecast to reach more than 100 million units by 2030 with over half of expected to be electric, full hybrid and mild hybrid electric vehicles.

Global light vehicle production forecast.

By 2030, the global light vehicle EV market is forecast to be dominated by permanent magnet motor powertrains with greater than 75% share of the market.

Additional supply from the rare-earths industry is required for the rapidly increasing demand for dysprosium and terbium used in permanent magnet motors in E-mobility powertrain applications while simultaneously continuing to supply the demand for non-automotive applications.
New Delhi:

An IndiGo flight from Raipur to Hyderabad on Saturday made a precautionary landing in Raipur after the aircraft was hit by a bird.

Last month, a Delhi-Raipur Air India flight made an emergency landing in Uttar Pradeshs Lucknow after a technical issue. However, there was no casualty reported and the passengers & crew members were all safe.

Earlier, aviation regulator DGCA had asked engine maker Pratt & Whitney to fix the snags in its engines powering Airbus 320 neo planes operated by IndiGo and GoAir within a "specified time".

ALSO READ: IndiGo debunks 'rumours' of 84 cancelled flights, alleges corporate conspiracy

For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps.
Rep. Jackson Lee Says Biden Border Plan Does Not Look Like Its Working at This Time

A Democratic representative from Texas said Sunday that President Joe Bidens border plan doesnt appear to be working right now.

We have a situation that is a humanitarian concern. We do have issues with any number of children. The numbers are coming up, but I will say that the Biden administration has met with members of Congress. They have a plan. The plan does not look like its working at this time, but you have to get it implemented, Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee (D-Texas) said during an appearance on MSNBCs The Sunday Show.

The idea that Bidens administration has a plan and has shown it to members of Congress was disputed by another member of Congress.

I think theyve created the crisis. He says he has a plan. I havent seen a plan, Rep. Michael McCaul (R-Texas) said on ABCs This Week.

They talk about humane conditions, humanitarian. They have created a humanitarian crisis down here at this border that you have seen now. And the reason why they are coming is because he says words do matter, and they do. The messaging is that if you want to come, you can stay, he added.

The number of illegal border crossers jumped above 100,000 in February, in Bidens first full month in office, with an increase in unaccompanied minors, or children arriving without adults.

Instead of expelling the minors, the administration decided to welcome them and try to get them united with sponsors, preferably family members, inside America as quickly as possible.

Children and teenagers who illegally crossed the U.S.-Mexico border wait to be processed after entering the site of a temporary holding facility south of Midland, Texas, on March 14, 2021. (Eli Hartman/Odessa American via AP)

That decision has led to an explosion in the number of unaccompanied minors in detention, with officials scrambling to open and reopen more facilities. Leaked photographs on Monday showed children in terrible condition in a Customs and Border Protection facility.

White House press secretary Jen Psaki insisted in Washington that the situation is not a crisis and that the administration is trying to get a handle on the surge.

These photos show what we have long been saying, which is these Border Patrol facilities are not places made for children, Psaki said.

Jackson Lee said that the United States needs to invest more resources in its asylum system and people who dont meet the standardover 80 percent in fiscal year 2020, according to federal datahave to be returned safely and securely.

But what the administration is saying that theyre not going to cage children. Theyre not going to turn children back to their deaths. Theyre not going to have young girls, 13 years old, subject to rape and pillage, she added. And so it does look a little unseemly. But these are human beings. And so, theyre not coming to endanger our lives. Theyre coming basically to save their lives.
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Burma Myanmar Regime Outlaws Committee Representing Ousted Lawmakers and Its Associates

Striking civil servants voice their support for the CRPH. / The Irrawaddy

The military regime on Sunday outlawed a committee comprising elected members of Parliament from the ousted National League for Democracy (NLD) and their associates, saying it constitutes a danger to the rule of law, peace and stability of the state, and public peace, according to state-run newspapers.

The CRPHthe Committee Representing Pyidaungsu Hluttaw (Union Parliament)was founded by NLD lawmakers following the February coup as a challenge to the legitimacy of the regime, both at home and abroad. While enjoying popular support both in Myanmar and overseas, it operates underground in the country; its representatives abroad have asserted the CRPHs status as the legitimate representative body of the Myanmar people at a time when the countrys elected leaders, including President U Win Myint and State Counselor Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, are being detained by the junta.

Since its formation last month, the CRPH has supported the civil disobedience movement (CDM), a campaign calling on civil servants to refuse to work for the regime. It is also trying to sue the regime in international courts over its deadly crackdowns on civilians. Recently, the CRPH endorsed Myanmar peoples right to defend themselves from violent crackdowns.

The regime last week issued an arrest warrant for the CRPHs international envoy, Dr. Sa Sa, charging him with high treason over what it said were his efforts to topple the coup leaders.

In the same week the regime also accused CRPH-appointed Vice-President Mahn Win Khaing Than, a former House Speaker under the NLD government, of high treason.



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Remember Marilyn Mosby, the incompetent state's attorney who tried to railroad six Baltimore cops in the death of Freddie Gray, and whose inflammatory rhetoric hobbled police and made the riots there worse? She somehow managed to get re-elected, and her husband Nick returned to the City Council in 2020, after serving in the Maryland House of Delegates, and is now president of the Council.

Remember those news conferences?



YouTube screen grab.

Quite the power couple, but they likely are not enjoying that status much lately, since news has emerged that the FBI and IRS are investigating them and have issued a bunch of subpoenas. Tim Prudente and Justin Fenton report in the Washington Post:

Federal prosecutors have opened a criminal investigation into Baltimore City Council President Nick Mosby and State's Attorney Marilyn Mosby, subpoenaing her campaign and the couple's business records, according to a grand jury subpoena obtained by the Baltimore Sun. The U.S. attorney's office and the FBI requested a range of financial records related to the power couple: tax returns, bank statements, credit card statements, loan documents and canceled checks. They subpoenaed Mosby's campaign treasurer and requested records tracing back to 2014, some related to the Mosbys' private travel and consulting businesses.

In addition, two churches have received subpoenas for records of donations from them, which may relate to tax deductions they may have claimed.

Intriguingly, in the last six months, Marilyn Mosby has purchased two Florida homes in her name for a total of over $1 million, according to the Baltimore Sun.

Mosby bought a condominium on a barrier island just north of Sarasota for $476,000 in February. She financed the Longboat Key property with a 30-year, $428,400 loan, according to Sarasota County property recor Meanwhile, property records in Osceola County show Mosby paid $545,000 in September for a 4,000-square-foot property near Disney World. The records show Mosby used a $490,500 loan for that purchase in Kissimmee.

That's some pretty sweet real estate, but it turns out the couple's Baltimore home was (and may still be) subject to a tax lien:

The Internal Revenue Service filed a $45,000 lien against the couple's Baltimore home in October for three years worth of unpaid taxes. Nick Mosby said in December that the lien was paid, despite online court records showing the opposite. He has declined to discuss the matter further.

The Washington Post adds:

The IRS filing shows the couple owed nearly $23,000 for the 2014 tax year, more than $19,000 for 2015 and about $3,000 for 2016. Nick Mosby, 43, said the debts stem from his early withdrawals of retirement savings because of "unplanned expenses after a series of family tragedies." Marilyn Mosby has said only that she was unaware of the lien.

According to their lawyer, there is nothing suspicious, and the dual career couple can afford the two getaway properties:

A. Scott Bolden, the attorney for the Democratic officials, said Sunday that the purchase of the Longboat Key condo was "a nothing story." "She works. She's an elected official. She has savings," Bolden said, adding "she bought another home for her family" when asked about the Longboat Key property. He said he did not have any information as to the Kissimmee property. Marilyn Mosby has one of the city's highest salaries: $238,772, while Nick Mosby's annual salary is $128,583.

A somewhat interesting private business venture of Ms. Mosby has also piqued the feds' curiosity:

Among the records prosecutors sought are those connected to Marilyn Mosby's Mahogany Elite Travel and Consulting. She has said Mahogany was formed to help underserved Black families vacation around the world at affordable rates and exists in name only.

It is not only the feds that are interested in investigating Marilyn, according to the Sun:

The state's attorney has also been in a battle with the city's inspector general after the office issued a report in mid-February saying that Mosby spent 144 days away from her office in 2018 and 2019, which Mosby has disputed.

The WaPo adds:

[Inspector General Isabel Mercedes] Cumming faulted Mosby for not requesting approval from the city's spending panel for more than a dozen trips in 2018 and 2019. Nonprofit groups flew her to conferences in destinations such as Kenya, Scotland and Portugal. Private attorneys for Mosby fired back, arguing that because the nonprofit groups and not taxpayers paid for her travels, Mosby had no obligation to request approval.

Are they actually contending that a salaried public official can go away at will for 144 days over two years without notifying anyone? What obligations does one have as a salaried official?

There is also one infraction discovered that has resulted in restitution being paid already:

A $3,250 payment made by Mosby's campaign to her private attorneys led James Cabezas, the former political-corruption investigator for Maryland, to request the state prosecutor investigate. Maryland election laws forbid candidates from using campaign funds for personal, legal defenses. Her attorney said the money was refunded.

If you give the money back, then no problem? Does this apply to people robbing banks?

I am a big believer in innocent until proven guilty, so by all means, let's wait for the Mosbys to present their side of the story before coming to any judgments. One might even add that the citizens of Baltimore are getting the kind of leadership they voted for. The decrepit state of much of that urban landscape demonstrates the point.

Reportedly, "her campaign said it was exploring setting up a legal defense fund for her mounting attorneys' fees."

In my opinion, Mosby has a lot to answer for over her handling of the prosecution of the police officers, even though voters forgave her and sent her back to office. Maybe karma is coming calling in Charm City.
The Daily Beast

Chip Somodevilla/Getty What are Democrats willing to do to save our democracy, and how far are they willing to go? Thats the question they must answer now, while theres still time to protect our flawed and fragile democracy from an extremist, countermajoritarian Republican Party hellbent on subverting the political process to implement rule by and for a white Christian minority.For the past few months, it appeared that Democrats would respond to this daily threatwith the former president talk
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Myanmars permanent envoy to the United Nations has called on the international community to impose more sanctions on the countrys military over reports of increased violence against the protesters. Kyaw Moe Tun, who was removed by the military as Myanmars ambassador to the UN last month, said the international community should come together as one to impose sanctions on the architects of the coup, adding it should be coordinated, targetted, and tougher.

The military removed Moe Tun as the ambassador to the United Nations after he wrote a letter to the General Assembly, calling for action against the junta, which conducted the coup and imposed a state of emergency for one year. The military charged him for high treason and appointed his deputy Tin Maung Naing as the new ambassador to the UN. However, Tin Maung Naing resigned the next day, following which Moe Tun wrote a letter to the UN Secretary-General, saying he is the legitimate representative of the democratically-elected government of Myanmar.

What happened on February 1?

Myanmars military conducted a coup on February 1, overthrowing the government of Aung San Suu Kyi. The military arrested State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi, President Win Myint and several other members of the National League for Democracy (NLD) party hours before the newly-elected parliamentarians were scheduled to take the oath of office.

What is the motive behind the coup?

The military accused the government of engaging in illegal activities, including election fraud and corruption. However, experts suggest that the military orchestrated the coup because it feared that Suu Kyis government would reduce the number of seats reserved for the Army in the national parliament after winning the 2020 election with a landslide. Suu Kyi had earlier promised to slowly end the reservation for the military, which takes 25% of the total seats in the parliament.

What followed the coup?

Tens of thousands of people took to the streets to protest against the military, demanding the restoration of democracy in Myanmar. After security forces failed to bring the widespread protests under control, the junta ordered use of force against peaceful demonstrators, killing more than a hundred people since February and arresting over thousand others. The military has also detained several human rights activists, pro-democracy advocates, journalists, and politicians since the coup occurred earlier last month.

(With inputs from ANI, Image Credit: AP/@TOSTEVINM/Twitter)
In 2003, when former President Olusegun Obasanjo appointed two relatively young Nigerians as ministers, it offered hopes of demographic inclusion among Nigerias largest age group.

Mr Obasanjo, at the time, appointed Chukwuemeka Chikelu (36 years old at the time) and Frank Nweke (37 years old at the time) as successive information ministers.

Mr Chikelu held the office between 2003 and 2005 before he was replaced by Mr Nweke, who formerly was the minister of intergovernmental affairs, special duties and youth development.

However, 18 years on, the ministerial makeup of the country still largely excludes the youth as young Nigerians continue to suffer marginalisation.

PREMIUM TIMES review of the ages of Nigerias current 44 ministers shows that their average age is 61 years. The nations youth minister, Sunday Dare, is 54.

The Nigerian national youth policy of 2009 defined youth as people between 18-35 years. But the age range was reduced to 1829 years in the new youth policy of 2019. Although, the African youth charter recognises youth as people between 15-35.

Nigeria has a median age of 18.4 years, according to demography tracker Statista, making it the 18th youngest population in the world.

Being one of the youngest populations in the world, half of Nigerias population is aged under 19. Yet, at 60.87 as of 2017, life expectancy in Nigeria is low compared to the 72.2 years global average.

With about 17 per cent of Nigerians aged about four years, they form the largest age group in the country. This is followed by children aged 5 to 9.

Although less than 1.5 per cent of Nigerians are aged 70 and above, five of Nigerias ministers are septuagenarians.

They include the minister of state on Niger Delta, Tayo Alasoadura, 71; health minister Osagie Ehanire, 74; agriculture minister Sabo Nanono, 74; defence minister Bashir Magashi, 75; and petroleum minister Muhammadu Buhari, 78.

The youngest minister, Sadiya Farouq, 46, heads the humanitarian affairs ministry. She was the national treasurer of the defunct Congress for Progressive Change, a position she also held with the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).

She is followed by the ministers of communication, Isa Pantami, 48; FCT (state), Ramatu Tijjani, 50; mines and steel (state), Ikechukwu Ogah, 51; and labour (state), Festus Keyamo, 51.

Overall, 17 of the nations ministers are within the age bracket of 60 to 69, an age group that about 3 per cent of Nigerians fall.

Twenty others are between the age of 50 and 59. About 5.1 per cent of Nigerians are aged within this range.

Youth participation at the seats where national decisions are made is non-negotiable as it creates an avenue for diversity and a touch of modern thinking in decision making, the executive director of Brain Builders Youth Development Initiative, a not-for-profit leadership organization, Abideen Olasupo, said.

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To bolster the chances of this, his organisation launched the YVote Naija digital web platform targeted at increasing voters participation in the electoral process in Nigeria.

The only thing we can do (as youths) is to come out again in our numbers and shatter the table, and rearrange the table in order to move national discourses forward, he noted.

Low youthful representation

The number of young people in public offices is unimpressive globally. With 51 per cent of the worlds 7.6 billion population being below 30 years, people in this age group occupy less than two per cent of the worlds elected legislators, according to a 2016 study by the Inter-Parliamentary Union.

Relative to Europe and North America, Africa has the widest age gap between the average ages of its people and that of its leaders as found in The Generation Chasm report published by the Center for Global Development.

The report discovered that Africa has about 43.3 years between the ages of its leaders and voters. On the flipside, Europe and North America have about 16.2 years.

Despite 70 per cent of Africans being under 30, Africas ruling class is only represented in the oldest 3 per cent of the continents population, the report noted.

Nigerian young people have not been left out of this exclusion that has characterized African countries over the years.

This is so not because young people are not ready for positions of authority but because the current political structure is resistant to power sharing, Samson Itodo who leads civic organisation YIAGA Africa, said.

Its not because they (the youths) dont have the capacity. It is because of structural hindrances, Mr Itodo said. The perception is that leadership is for the old, wise and the experienced.

During the pre-colonial era, young Nigerians were at the forefront of the struggle to remove the colonists from power.

Their agitations would create a postcolonial atmosphere that had young military officers  like Yakubu Gowon, 31; Murtala Muhammed, 37; and Olusegun Obasanjo, 38  taking over the power through a series of coups.

Arguably the height of active youth participation in governance was student activism which thrived at the time under the aegis of the National Union of Nigerian Students.

Nigerian institutions had student leaders like late Segun Okeowo who led processions against the military juntas draconian policies like the famous nationwide Ali must go protest staged due to hike in fees.

But as the generation of these youth aged, the political space began to get tighter for young people to break in largely because those in power clung to it without proper succession plans and there was a dearth of ideological identity.

Mr Itodo described at as a lack of intergenerational equity, which has ensured that power is ceded to the lineage and cronies of those families already in power.

He opined that this explains why education is underfunded. With a less educated population comes a less informed people who could ask informed questions.

To open up the political space, in 2019, the not-too-young to run bill was signed into law, sanctioning a reduction to the age for contesting for president from 40 to 35; governor from 35 to 30; senator from 35 to 30; House of Representatives membership from 30 to 25 and State House of Assembly membership from 30 to 25.

However, upon passage, President Buhari asked Nigerian youth to wait until 2023 before eyeing the presidency, an appeal shared by Vice President Yemi Osinbajo.

Mr Itodo, whose YIAGA Africa was at forefront of the bills passage, said the passage is a big leap forward, but the cost of politics is (still) extremely high.

By this, ultimately, young people with capacity may be schemed out on the equation of spending power.

Once labelled lazy by President Buhari and often seen as docile and social media freak with little national consciousness, Nigerian youth have often been thrown under the bus for lacking enough interest in national discourse.

But as true as that is for some, there are others like Iyinoluwa Aboyeji, 29, and Olugbenga Agboola, 35, who co-founded Flutterwave, a pan-African payments solutions business, and grew the business to a unicorn, recently earning $225 million and taking the value of the company to $1 billion.

Twenty-eight-year-old Hauwa Ojeifo has also been pulling the string of change through gender and disability rights advocacy by offering accessible mental health and psychosocial support to Nigerians. More like her abounds.

There are young people who have generated funds some governors have never made for their states, Mr Itodo said in reference to Flutterwaves latest huge foreign investment inflow.

So the youth need to continue to empower themselves; build their leadership capital; and demonstrate that we can bring value to the table, and if given the opportunity, we can fix governance.

Meanwhile, the nations young people showed unprecedented national solidarity during a massive nationwide protest last year where they demanded an end to police brutality, and, by extension, improved quality of governance.

Mr Olasupo said the clamour needs to continue and young people needto continue to set the pace in their respective spaces home and abroad.

He called for a review of the leadership criteria in the country by picking character, charisma and competence above political compensation. He also said there was a need to introduce leadership in schools curriculum.
GRAND RAPIDS, MI  West Michigan Works! is hosting a virtual job fair on Thursday, March 25 for openings in the agriculture industry.

The event, which runs from 9 a.m. to noon, features 13 employers looking to fill 200 openings.

Participating employers include Herbrucks, Hearthside Food Solutions, Kelloggs, Michigan Turkey, Kent Quality Foods, Dykhuis Farms, Inc., Roskam Baking Company. Open positions include machine operator, quality assurance technician, production supervisor, operations manager, general labor and line foreman.

While farms and fields are a big part of agribusiness, it only makes up about half of the jobs throughout the state, Joe Thiry, business solutions manager at West Michigan Works!, said in a statement.

Agribusiness encompasses every aspect of the food and beverage business from start to finish, including production and distribution processes.

To register for the job fair, click here.

In a news release, West Michigan Works! said agriculture is the states second largest industry, following manufacturing. It accounts for nearly 26,000 jobs and $300 million in labor income in the region.

One of the priority issues for the West Michigan food processing sector has been workforce and talent development, Marty Gerencer, executive director of the West Michigan Food Processing Association, said in a statement.

Some companies are deciding not to expand and increase sales due to lack of available workforce and the talent needed to fill livable wage jobs in their company.

Read more:

See Class of 2020 graduation rate for any Michigan public high school

$82.6M in monumental COVID-19 funding coming to Muskegon area communities

Oakland County woman planning comfortable retirement after winning $4M lottery prize
Japanese automaker shares fell Monday after a fire unexpectedly halted one of chipmaker Renesas Electronics Corp.s largest plants, exacerbating a growing global shortage of automotive semiconductors.

Renesas slid as much as 5.4%, while customers from Toyota Motor Corp. to Honda Motor Co. and Nissan Motor Co. also fell in early trading. One of the biggest suppliers of car chips, Renesas was forced to halt a Japanese plant Friday after a fire broke out in one of its clean rooms, critical areas designed to keep impurities from contaminating semiconductors.

Toyota said Monday its trying to gauge the fallout from that unexpected halt, which could ripple across an industry already struggling to keep assembly lines operating during a severe shortage of chips. The Renesas fire will likely worsen a crunch that stemmed from booming demand for home and work gadgets during the pandemic, estimated earlier this year to cost global automakers about $61 billion in lost sales in 2021.

Chief Executive Officer Hidetoshi Shibata warned the plant could be sidelined for a month and cost the company 17 billion yen ($156 million) in revenue.

Im concerned that this will have a very big impact, Shibata said at a news conference on Sunday, following the fire.

Renesas, which posted 715.7 billion yen in revenue last year, gets about 6.6% of its sales from Toyota, according to Bloombergs Supply Chain Analysis. The Japanese automaker also warned that cold weather-induced semiconductor shortages will force it to suspend a factory in the Czech Republic for two weeks. A Toyota representative said its investigating the potential impact from the Renesas stoppage but had nothing more to share at this moment.

This is turning into a negative story, said Takeshi Miyao, an analyst at independent researcher Carnorama. Production is shrinking, not increasing, so the balance between supply and demand is only getting worse.

About the photo: New Toyota Motor Corp. vehicles sit parked at a Toyota Logistics Services Inc. automotive processing terminal at the Port of Los Angeles in Long Beach, California, U.S., on Tuesday, April 28, 2020. As ports struggle to cope with excess auto inventory, theyre preparing for an even worse outcome  deliveries stopping altogether as the recession digs deeper. Photographer: Bing Guan/Bloomberg

Copyright 2021 Bloomberg.

JERUSALEM  Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel presents himself as a global leader who is in a different league than his rivals  one who can keep Israel safe and promote its interests on the world stage. But strains in his relations with two important Arab allies, Jordan and the United Arab Emirates, have dented that image in the fraught run-up to Israels do-over election.

Mr. Netanyahus personal ties with King Abdullah II of Jordan have long been frosty, even though their countries have had diplomatic relations for decades, and recently took a turn for the worse. And the Israeli leaders efforts to capitalize on his new partnership with the United Arab Emirates before the close-fought election on Tuesday have injected a sour note into the budding relationship between the two countries.

Senior Emirati officials sent clear signals over the past week that the Persian Gulf country would not be drawn into Mr. Netanyahus campaign for re-election, a rebuke that dented his much-vaunted foreign policy credentials.

Mr. Netanyahu, Israels longest serving prime minister, has always portrayed himself as the only candidate who can protect Israels security and ensure its survival in what has mostly been a hostile region. He has touted peaceful relations with moderate Arab states, including Jordan and the Emirates, as crucial to defending Israels borders and as a buttress against Iranian ambitions in the region.
UBC researchers (from left to right) Abby Wang, Professor Adam Wei, Krysta Giles-Hansen and Qiang Li discuss the role forest vegetation plays while monitoring water resources. Credit: University of British Columbia

As World Water Day is observed around the globe, new research from UBC Okanagan suggests a systematic approach to forest and water supply research may yield an improved assessment and understanding of connections between the two.

Healthy forests play a vital role in providing a clean, stable water supply, says eco-hydrologist Dr. Adam Wei.

Acting as natural reservoirs, forests in watersheds release and purify water by slowing erosion and delaying its release into streams. But forests are changingin part because of human activityand that's having an impact on forests' interaction with hydrological processes.

Dr. Wei, Forest Renewal BC's chair of watershed research and management, is a professor of earth, environmental and geographic sciences in the Irving K. Barber Faculty of Science, and study co-author.

He says activities like logging, deforestation, creating new forests on previously bare land, agriculture and urbanization are changing the landscape of forests worldwide.

"The notion that humans have left enormous, often negative, footprints on the natural world isn't new," he says. "It's why the term Anthropocene was created, to describe these phenomena. But now we need to acknowledge where we're at and figure out a way to fix what's broken."

While humans bear much of the blame, they aren't the only culprits.

Natural disturbances like insect infestations and wildfires are also contributing to the swift transformation of forests, leading Dr. Wei to examine current forest-water research and management practices. His goal is to identify the gaps and propose a new approach that reflects numerous variables and their interactions that may be at play at any given watershed.

He points to an example in the study to illustrate the need for a new perspective.

"We were looking at the impacts of deforestation on annual streamflowand though we were able to draw the conclusion that deforestation increased it, the variations between studies were large, with increases between less than one percent to nearly 600 percent," he explains.

Dr. Wei saw similar variations when he researched the 'why.'

"We concluded this was due to when water in the soil and on plants evaporates due to a loss of forest cover," explains Wei. "But the amount lost ranged from less than two percent to 100 percentthat's a huge difference that can be attributed to scale, type and severity of forest disturbance, as well as climate and location of watershed properties. There are so many variables that need to be taken into account, and not doing so can result in contradictory research conclusions."

To limit disparities, Dr. Wei says future research and watershed management approaches need to be systematic, include key contributing factors and a broad spectrum of response variables related to hydrological services.

He also suggests new tools like machine learning and climatic eco-hydrological modeling should be utilized.

"Implementing a systematic approach to all forest-water research will reduce the likelihood of procuring misleading assessment, which in turn will give us a better chance to solve some of the problems we've created," says Dr. Wei.

More information: Mingfang Zhang et al, Deforestation, forestation, and water supply, Science (2021). Journal information: Science Mingfang Zhang et al, Deforestation, forestation, and water supply,(2021). DOI: 10.1126/science.abe7821
A manager at a Victorian farm skimmed at least $300,000 from migrant workers through sham labour hire companies by arranging for farmhand staff to pack broccolini and asparagus on low hourly rates, a court has heard.

Sarith Kit had workers, who were either not Australian citizens or didnt have work visas, pack vegetables at Vizzarri Farms in Koo Wee Rup, south-east of Melbourne, for as little as $14 an hour in 2015 and 2016, the County Court heard. The award rate at the time was around $22 an hour, the court heard.

Australian Border Force officers raid Vizzarri Farms in 2016. Credit:Joe Armao

While Kit put cash in envelopes distributed to the workers, he also skimmed money for himself through payments made out from M&G Vizzarri, the company that owned the farm, to two labour hire companies, V&T Golden and STN Seven, the court heard. Prosecutor Nicholas Robinson, QC, on Monday described the two entities as sham labour hire companies.

Some of the workers were from Indonesia, while others were reportedly from Thailand, Malaysia and Cambodia.
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Denton, TX (76205)

Today

A mix of clouds and sun during the morning will give way to cloudy skies this afternoon. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. High 82F. Winds ESE at 5 to 10 mph..

Tonight

Mostly cloudy skies this evening will become partly cloudy after midnight. Low 63F. Winds SE at 5 to 10 mph.
So far the labor activism is limited for a company of Amazons size. A Nevada warehouse worker has been following news about the union drive but says there hasnt been any breakroom chatter about the vote. A worker in Pennsylvania says colleagues have discussed the extent to which race could be playing a role in Alabama, where most Amazon workers are Black. But she says her fellow employees havent considered a similar effort. People are just trying to work and go home, she says. Amazon makes you very tired, drained both physically and mentally, but benefits are good.The unions, which have targeted Amazon for years, are stepping up the pressure by trying to persuade employees they can in fact do better.
There should have been some foresight into what the effect would be upon our employees and the economy of Illinois, Durkin said. Youre going to shut down a lot of businesses. People are going to lose their jobs. It doesnt take a lot to be able to look down the road and come to that conclusion that you sure as heck better have your Department of Employment Security in a position to be able to take on that massive onslaught of applications for support.
SINGAPORE  The Indian composer embroiled in a controversy surrounding an iconic Singapore National Day song has admitted that he has no evidence to back up his claims and apologised for the "confusion caused".

Joey Mendoza has been unable to provide any evidence that he had written "We Can Achieve" in 1983 and "does not lay claim to the lyrics and tune" for "Count On Me, Singapore", said the Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth (MCCY) in a Facebook post on Sunday (21 March).

The 58-year-old has also accepted that the Singapore government holds the copyright to the music and lyrics of "Count On Me, Singapore", MCCY added.

The controversy arose after a video of "We Can Achieve" began causing a stir among local audiences, who pointed out its striking similarity to "Count On Me, Singapore". Described as "practically identical" by MCCY, the main difference between the songs was the use of "India" instead of "Singapore" in the lyrics to "We Can Achieve".

Mendoza later claimed that he had written "We Can Achieve" in 1983, a claim MCCY said is "untenable" as "Count On Me, Singapore" was written by Hugh Harrison in 1986.

"There is not only contemporaneous evidence to support this, but also first-hand accounts such as those of Mr Jeremy Monteiro, a well-respected Singaporean musician who has himself been involved in the making of several national songs. Mr Monteiro has confirmed that he was together with Mr Harrison when the Song was developed, and saw its evolution," said MCCY.

"Furthermore, our checks conducted in India turned up no evidence or records whatsoever of Mr Mendoza having any rights to 'We Can Achieve' from 1983 or anytime thereafter," the ministry added.

MCCY said it later pressed Mendoza to back up his claims as they were a "direct affront to our ownership and interest" in "Count On Me, Singapore".

Story continues

The ministry added that Mendoza has also agreed to inform all his associates and networks of his claims status and to instruct all social media platforms to remove "We Can Achieve".

MCCY noted the importance that the rights to "Count On Me, Singapore" are protected and that there remain no doubts as to the ownership of the song. The ministry added that it has accepted Mendoza's apology and will "treat the matter as closed".

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Oil executives weigh a return to Venezuela voce.com.ve



Drawn by promises of privatization and more autonomy to tap the world's biggest crude - In Caracas, petro executives are lining up meetings with the Nicolas Maduro regime

- Major oil companies would probably wait for sanctions to be lifted regardless By Fabiola Zerpa and Ben Bartenstein /Bloomberg CARACAS/NEW YORK

Petroleumworld 03 22 2021 Inside a chic lounge, oil lobbyists and executives rub shoulders as Spanish, French and Italian can be heard in the halls. This isn't the ZaZa boutique hotel in Houston, where global energy top brass like to stay. It's the Cayena Hotel in the Venezuelan capital of Caracas. Drawn by promises of privatization and more autonomy to tap the world's biggest crude reserves, they're meeting with the Nicolas Maduro regime and state-owned Petroleos de Venezuela SA to best position themselves when doing business there is possible again. Bigger producers like Chevron Corp. , France's Total SE and Italy's Eni SpA would probably wait until U.S. sanctions are lifted, but smaller players might get started whenever new rules opening up the industry for private enterprise take effect. I want to tell investors from the U.S. and around the world that Venezuela's doors are open for oil investment, Maduro said in a recent televised address. Carlos Becerra/Bloomberg



A sculpture outside of the Petroleos de Venezuela SA headquarters in Caracas. It's a make-or-break moment for an impoverished nation that's running out of fuel to haul food and cash to pay for imports of basic necessities. Whether Maduro will succeed in luring some investment is still unclear. But one thing is certain: Oil companies have never had such leverage with him to negotiate a piece of the country's more than 300 billion barrels of crude. There is some easy potential to increase production if sanctions enforcement declines, said Francisco Monaldi, a Venezuelan-American lecturer in energy economics at Rice University's Baker Institute for Public Policy, and an expert on Venezuela's oil industry. After that, you need significant investments. The successor of the late Hugo Chavez, who infamously seized assets from Exxon Mobil Corp. and ConocoPhillips , is promising to pass a law that will officially end an oil monopoly in the hands of PDVSA, as the country's ruined oil cash cow is known. Executives representing oil companies are holding meetings to discuss what the terms would be under the new legislation, according to people with knowledge of the talks, who asked not to be named because they're not authorized to comment on them in public. Chevron, for one, is even getting in touch with contractors to assess how fast they could help the San Ramon, California-based company restart operations in the South American nation, one person said. Chevron will continue to comply with applicable laws and regulations in relation to the activities that it is authorized to undertake in Venezuela, a spokesperson for the company said. We remain committed to the integrity of our joint venture assets, the safety and wellbeing of our employees and their families, and the company's social and humanitarian programs during these challenging times.



Total didn't return requests for comment, as didn't Maduro's Information Ministry, the Oil Ministry and PDVSA. Eni said none of its executives visited Caracas. Maduro's government says his new energy law alone will allow oil companies to get back in business as they assume control of Venezuelan assets. That's because the U.S. only bans doing business with PDVSA, the regime and those who help it. Oil ventures run by independent oil companies, in theory, wouldn't be barred from developing crude reserves in the country. Carlos Becerra/Bloomberg



A cyclist rides past a mural of oil pump jacks on the Boulevard de Sabana Grande in Caracas. Major oil companies would probably wait for sanctions to be lifted regardless, but others could jump in as soon as they can claim they're operating independently from PDVSA and Maduro's regime, and therefore not subject to sanctions.



There are people close to the government eager to get some oil fields; I would expect there to be some privatizations, Monaldi said. They will try to invest in the wells that are the easiest to connect.



Wilmer Ruperti, a Venezuelan-born shipping magnate , is among less-known entrepreneurs who have sought to do business with PDVSA in the past despite sanctions. Ruperti didn't reply to requests for comment on potential investments under the proposed new rules. Restoring Venezuela's oil industry back to its former glory would likely take tens of billions of dollars, and that might never happen, but any business activity would help the country. Once a prosperous OPEC-founding member that produced more than 3 million barrels a day of crude, the nation is now pumping less than half a million. Oil Minister Tareck El Aissami recently vowed to boost production to 1.5 million this year, and that would be difficult to achieve without help. Monaldi estimates more than $100 billion and a decade of work would be required to get output past 2 million barrels a day. This means you need a ton of private investment, he said. An increase in oil output would not only buoy the economy but also raise capital to ultimately pay off creditors holding roughly $60 billion of defaulted obligations. So, executives from the oil industry and capital markets have also been pleading their case to officials in Washington, people familiar with those discussions said. Their message: If others are going to play ball, let's get in on the action, too. The big question is if the oil companies have enough political clout for an easing in sanctions, said Raul Gallegos, a Bogota-based director at Control Risks, an international consulting firm. They are interested in the flexibility that Maduro is offering. Carolina Cabral Fernande z /Bloomberg



A PDVSA fuel truck drives through the La Castellana neighborhood. The U.S. Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control, which enforces the sanctions, didn't immediately reply to requests for comment. With bigger issues to tackle, from the coronavirus to tension with Russia and trade with China, U.S. President Joe Biden's administration hasn't yet made a significant pivot from President Donald Trump's strategy on Venezuela. The U.S. government officially recognizes opposition leader Juan Guaido as Venezuela's interim president until there's a free and fair election. If the new U.S. government at least moves to let companies resume swaps of diesel for Venezuelan crude, that would help the country avert collapse. The fuel is needed for trucks to take imported food, medicines and other products from ports to cities, as well as to haul goods from farms and factories.



``The onus is on the U.S. to decide if sanctions make sense going forward,'' Gallegos said. Without investments in the country's crumbling energy infrastructure, though, that would be just a stopgap solution.  With assistance by Peter Millard, Patricia Laya, Francois De Beaupuy, and Kevin Crowley

______________

By Fabiola Zerpa and Ben Bartenstein from Bloomberg



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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.
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Brunei

Brunei has joined the global Covax scheme and is expecting to have the COVID-19 vaccine in Q1 2021, having sourced enough supplies to cover 50% of the population. Discussions are on-going with other suppliers.

Brunei recorded one new case on May 8, bringing the total to 330 cases amid three deaths.

Brunei saw one new case on May 7, taking the total to 229 cases amid three deaths.

Brunei recorded one new case on May 4, taking the total to 228 amid three deaths.

Cambodia

Cambodia is expected to import vaccines from both China and Russia. Chinas vaccines are still undergoing clinical trials while Russia has already commenced production. Australia has offered financial support to aid vaccine coverage in several southeast Asia countries including Cambodia.

Cambodia recorded 538 new cases on May 8, bringing the total to 18,717 cases amid 114 deaths.

Cambodia recorded 558 new cases on May 7, taking the total to 18,179 cases and 114 deaths.

Cambodia reported 650 new cases and four deaths on May 6, bringing the tallies to 17,621 cases and 114 deaths.

Indonesia

Indonesia has commenced vaccinations with just over nine million doses being given to front line workers from last month. Chinas Sinovac is in discussions with Indonesia to provide supplies, however, the Government faces difficulties with a large population of 268 million and price sensitivity at Sinovacs estimated costs at 200,000 rupiah (US$20) a dose.

Indonesias Health Ministrys Disease Control and Prevention Director-General Achmad Yurianto said that vaccinations would only be provided to citizens aged 18-59. The vaccine has also been required to pass halal certification prior to use and it is uncertain how the country can source enough vaccines to reach a sizeable part of its population. Australia has stated it will also provide financial support to solve these issues.

Indonesia recorded 6,130 new cases and 179 deaths on May 8, bringing the totals to 1,709,762 cases and 46,842 deaths.

Indonesia saw 6,327 new cases and 167 deaths on May 7, bringing the tallies to 1,703,632 cases and 46,663 deaths.

Indonesia reported 5,647 new cases and 147 deaths on May 6, bringing the totals to 1,697,305 cases and 46,496 deaths.

Laos

Laos has been trialing the Russian Sputnik V vaccine and is also in discussions with China about acquiring supplies.

Laos recorded 28 new cases on May 8, bringing the total to 1,233.

Laos saw 28 new cases on May 7, taking the total to 1,205.

Laos saw 105 new cases on May 6, taking the total to 1,177.

Malaysia

Malaysia is to provide vaccines free of charge to its nationals, but foreigners will need to pay for the treatment, according to the Malaysian Minister of Health, Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin, who has signed a deal with Pfizer for 12.8 million doses.

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These will be administered in two stages of 6.4 million people each, with the program to commence in Q1 2021. The country aims to inoculate between 80-100% of its citizens.

Malaysia reported 4,519 new cases and 25 deaths on May 8, taking the tallies to 436,944 cases and 1,657 deaths.

Malaysia saw 4,498 new cases and 22 deaths on May 7, bringing the tallies to 432,425 cases and 1,632 deaths.

Malaysia recorded 3,551 new cases and 19 deaths on May 6, taking the totals to 427,927 cases and 1,610 deaths.

Myanmar

Myanmar is seeking assistance from the Gavi and Covax programs to acquire vaccines, while Australia is also providing financial relief. At present, the Government aims to treat 20 percent of the most at risk in the country with vaccines. The Government is struggling with finances and logistics and is also under US sanctions, while cases are surging. The Government has banned the celebration of Christmas and other seasonal celebrations.

Myanmar recorded 31 new cases on May 8, taking the total to 142,934 amid 3,210 deaths.

Myanmar saw 29 new cases on May 7, taking the total to 142,903 amid 3,210 deaths.

Myanmar recorded 16 new cases and one death on May 5, bringing the total to 142,874 amid 3,210 deaths.

Philippines

The Philippines aims to commence vaccinations from June 2021 and expects to inoculate about 25 million people (about 25 percent of its population) over the course of the year. The country has been badly affected by the virus and has the second-highest rate in Southeast Asia.

The business community has reacted, more than 30 local companies signed an agreement to purchase at least 2.6 million vaccine doses from AstraZeneca in the countrys first such deal to secure coronavirus vaccines, ten days ago. They plan to donate a large part of the doses to the government for its planned vaccination program and use the rest to inoculate their employees.

The country saw 6,979 new cases and 170 deaths on May 8, taking the totals to 1,094,849 cases and 18,269 deaths.

The Philippines reported 7,733 new cases and 108 deaths on May 7, bringing the tallies to 1,087,885 cases and 18,099 deaths.

The Philippines saw 6,637 new cases and 191 deaths on May 6, bringing the totals to 1,080,172 cases and 17,991 deaths.

Singapore

Singapore has been working on producing its own Lunar vaccine, in a joint venture between the US company Arcturus together with the Duke-NUS medical school. It is a single dose, mRNA shot, developed from genetically engineering COVID-19 genes into an otherwise harmless virus. This technique is marginally safer than other vaccines which rely on dead Covid-19 material to provoke an immune response. The vaccine is expected to be available from Q1 2021. High-risk personnel will receive the vaccine first in a process to be determined by the government.

Singapore recorded 20 new cases on May 8, taking the total to 61,331 cases amid 31 deaths.

Singapore saw 25 new cases on May 7, taking the total to 61,311 cases amid 31 deaths.

Singapore saw 18 new cases on May 6, bringing the total to 61,286 cases amid 31 deaths.

Thailand

Thailand is currently expecting vaccines to be delivered in mid-2021. The doses would cover 13 million people in a population of about 69 million.

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Thailands National Vaccine Institute signed a non-refundable advance market commitment contract worth 2.38 billion baht (US$79 million) with AstraZeneca to reserve the supplies. Discussions are also on-going with Oxford University in the UK to secure a vaccine that could be available in Q1 if trials are completed in time.

Thailand reported 2,419 new cases and 19 deaths on May 8, taking the tallies to 81,274 cases and 382 deaths.

Thailand recorded 2,044 new cases and 27 deaths on May 7, taking the totals to 78,855 cases and 363 deaths.

Thailand reported 1,911 new cases and 18 deaths on May 6, taking the tallies to 76,811 cases and 336 deaths.

Vietnam

Vietnams National Institute of Hygiene and Epidemiology (NIHE), a division of Vietnams Ministry of Health, has signed an agreement with Medigen Vaccine, a Taipei, Taiwan-based vaccine company to secure the supply of 3 million to 10 million COVID-19 vaccine doses in 2021. Medigen is currently conducting Phase II studies of the vaccine, co-developed with the USAs National Institutes of Health (NIH), in Taiwan and Vietnam with a view to a Q1 2021 rollout.

Vietnam is also working on producing its own vaccine, with the Institute of Vaccines and Medical Biologicals (IVAC) in Nha Trang City, partnering with New York City-based Icahn School of Medicine and the global health non-profit organization PATH. Phase 1 trials are already underway in Vietnam, while Phases 2 & 3 will be conducted at the beginning of 2021. The institute plans to submit documents for approval to the health ministry as early as April next year and claims to be capable of producing 30 million doses a year, expecting that a national vaccine could be distributed to the general population in October 2021.
Judge Laurence Silberman at a press conference in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building on March 31, 2005. Photo by Brooks Kraft LLC/Corbis via Getty Images

A federal judge condemned legacy news outlets in a wide-ranging dissent issued on Friday.

Federal appeals court Judge Laurence Silberman took issue with top US news outlets and Silicon Valley.

Silberman dismissed legacy media outlets as "Democratic Party broadsheets."

Visit Insider's homepage for more stories.

A federal judge issued a fiery dissent in a defamation case that condemned legacy US media outlets and attack a landmark legal precedent that strengthened defamation law and protection of the press as "a threat to American Democracy."

In his dissent, Judge Laurence Silberman accused several of the country's top news outlets of acting as "Democratic Party broadsheets" and operating with bias against the GOP.

The case between Global Witness, a human rights organization, and two Liberian officials, came after a report from the group said the officials could have taken bribes from Exxon while processing oil contracts. Silberman wrote in part that Global Witness made unfair conclusions in its report.

He went on to lambast the "power" of the press as "dangerous" and warned that "we are very close to one-party control of these institutions." The judge pointed to Fox News as an example of a few "notable exceptions to Democratic Party ideological control," but criticized news outlets like The Washington Post and The New York Times.

"Two of the three most influential papers (at least historically), The New York Times and The Washington Post, are virtually Democratic Party broadsheets," Silberman wrote, before taking aim at the Associated Press, "the news section of The Wall Street Journal," and "nearly all television."

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In addition to news outlets, Silberman criticized tech companies and social media platforms like Twitter, which he said contributed to censorship.

"Silicon Valley also has an enormous influence over the distribution of news. And it similarly filters news delivery in ways favorable to the Democratic Party," he wrote.

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The judge, who was appointed by Ronald Reagan in 1985, also argued to review the decision in New York Times v. Sullivan of 1964. In the case, the Supreme Court established that a plaintiff in a defamation case concerning a public figure must prove "actual malice" in reporting false information.

Silberman called the landmark decision, which strengthened the freedom and protection of the press, "a threat to American Democracy." He also referenced Justice Clarence Thomas' dissent in the 1964 case to lambast the result of the case as "a policy-driven decision."

"After observing my colleagues' efforts to stretch the actual malice rule like a rubber band, I am prompted to urge the overruling of New York Times v. Sullivan," Silberman wrote. "Justice Thomas has already persuasively demonstrated that New York Times was a policy-driven decision masquerading as constitutional law."

Read the original article on Insider
The Daily Beast

Chip Somodevilla/Getty What are Democrats willing to do to save our democracy, and how far are they willing to go? Thats the question they must answer now, while theres still time to protect our flawed and fragile democracy from an extremist, countermajoritarian Republican Party hellbent on subverting the political process to implement rule by and for a white Christian minority.For the past few months, it appeared that Democrats would respond to this daily threatwith the former president talk
RENO, Nev. (AP)  A Russian man has pleaded guilty in the U.S. to offering a Tesla employee $1 million to cripple the electric car companys massive electric battery plant in Nevada with ransomware and steal company secrets for extortion, prosecutors and court records said.

In a case that cybersecurity experts called exceptional for the risks he took, Egor Igorevich Kriuchkov pleaded guilty Thursday in U.S. District Court in Reno. His court-appointed federal public defender, Chris Frey, declined Friday to comment.

Prosecutors alleged that Kriuchkov acted on behalf of co-conspirators abroad and attempted to use face-to-face bribery to recruit an insider to physically plant ransomware, which scrambles data on targeted networks and can only be unlocked with a software key provided by the attackers. Typically, ransomware gangs operating from safe havens hack into victim networks over the internet and download data before activating the ransomware.

The fact that such a risk was taken could, perhaps, suggest that this was an intelligence operation aimed at obtaining information rather than an extortion operation aimed at obtaining money, said Brett Callow, a cybersecurity analyst at anti-virus software company Emsisoft.

Its also possible that the criminals thought the gamble was worth it and decided to roll the dice, Callow said.

Charles Carmakal, chief technical officer at cybersecurity firm FireEye, agreed. You could have potentially done it from thousands of miles away without risking any asset, he said.

The FBI said the unnamed prospective recruit informed Tesla and cooperated with the FBI, and the plot was stopped before any damage happened.

Kriuchkov, 27, told a judge in September that he knew the Russian government was aware of his case. But prosecutors and the FBI have not alleged ties to the Kremlin. Kriuchkov is in federal custody at the Washoe County jail in Reno.

His guilty plea to conspiracy to intentionally cause damage to a protected computer could have gotten him up to five years in prison and a $250,000 fine. But hes expected to face no more than 10 months under terms of his written plea agreement.

He already has been in custody for seven months, since his arrest in August in Los Angeles. Federal authorities said he had been heading to an airport to fly out of the country.

The swift response of the company and the FBI prevented a major exfiltration of the victim companys data and stopped the extortion scheme at its inception, Acting Assistant Attorney General Nicholas McQuaid said in a statement. This case highlights the importance of companies coming forward to law enforcement, and the positive results when they do so.

Tesla CEO Elon Musk has acknowledged his company was the target of what he termed a serious effort to collect company secrets. Tesla has a massive factory near Reno that makes batteries for electric vehicles and energy storage units. Company representatives did not immediately respond Friday to messages.

Court documents say Kriuchkov was in the United States for more than five weeks last July and August on a Russian passport and a tourist visa when he tried to recruit an employee of what was identified as Company A to install software enabling a computer hack.

The employee, who was no identified, was to receive payments in the digital cryptocurrency Bitcoin.

No other suspected co-conspirators were charged in the case. Some were identified in a criminal complaint by nicknames including Kisa and Pasha, and a person is identified as Sasha Skarobogatov.

Some meetings were monitored and recorded by the FBI, according to court documents. It was not clear from court records if money changed hands.

In court documents, Kriuchkov was quoted saying the inside job would be camouflaged with a distributed denial of service attack on plant computers from outside. Such attacks overwhelm servers with junk traffic. If Tesla didnt pay, the purloined data would be dumped on the open internet.

The documents also said Kriuchkov claimed to the prospective recruit that he had executed similar special projects on other companies on multiple occasions, with one victim supposedly surrendering a $4 million ransom payment.

Ritter reported from Las Vegas. Bajak reported from Boston. Sonner reported from Reno.

Copyright 2021 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Vehicles carrying North Korean diplomats and their families leave the North Korean embassy in Kuala Lumpur en route to Kuala Lumpur International Airport, March 21, 2021.

North Korean embassy officials and their families left Malaysia on Sunday after Pyongyang severed decades-old diplomatic ties following the extradition of a North Korean national to the United States to face criminal trial.

Malaysia then ordered the diplomats out in 48 hours, and accused North Korea of attempting to meddle in its judicial system, where Mun Chol Myong lost a battle to halt his extradition following his arrest in May 2019.

The action by the Government of Malaysia has become a necessity in order to protect Malaysias sovereignty and safeguard our national interest, Foreign Minister Hishammuddin Hussein said in a statement on Sunday regarding the expulsion of the diplomats.

This action is a reminder that Malaysia shall never tolerate any attempt to meddle in our internal affairs and judiciary, disrespect our governance system, and constantly create unnecessary tensions in defiance of the rules-based international order, he said.

Bilateral ties have been strained since the Pyongyang-linked murder of the estranged half-brother of North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un at a Kuala Lumpur airport four years ago

Thirty-three North Koreans including children left the embassy at Jalan Batai in Kuala Lumpur at 11 a.m. on Sunday. A Malaysian police official confirmed the number.

North Korean Charge d'affaires Kim Yu Song addressed the press before leaving the compound, reading out part of a statement issued by Pyongyang two days earlier, but declined to take questions.

[T]he Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the DPRK hereby announces total severance of diplomatic relations with Malaysia, which committed a large hostile act against the DPRK in subservience of the U.S. pressure, he said, using an acronym for North Koreas formal name.

The Malaysian authority will bear full responsibility for all consequences to be incurred between the two countries, Kim said.

At the airport, the group checked in at Shanghai Airlines, and Kim confirmed to BenarNews, an RFA-affiliated online news service, that they would be flying to Shanghai. The flight left Malaysia at 4.55 p.m., according to flightradar24, a flight tracker.

Kim did not elaborate on their subsequent travel arrangements.

North Korea has effectively locked down its borders and airspace as part of the regimes effort to keep COVID-19 at bay. CNN in a report on Feb. 26 said that the restrictions also cover North Koreas own Air Koryo, whose flights have been grounded for months.

North Korean diplomat Kim Yu Song is escorted by Malaysian police at Kuala Lumpur International Airport, March 21, 2021.Credit: BenarNews

A due price

Malaysias Federal Court earlier this month dismissed Muns final appeal against the extradition to face four counts of money laundering charges and two counts of conspiracy to launder money.

Hishammuddins office confirmed Friday that Mun had been extradited on March 17. The extradition came as North Korea rebuffed U.S. moves to resume talks aimed at ending the hardline communist states nuclear weapons drive.

We warn in advance that the U.S.  the backstage manipulator and main culprit of this incident  that it will also be made to pay a due price, said a statement carried Friday by North Korean state news agency KCNA.

Through his lawyer, Mun had argued in court that he was the victim of a politically motivated extradition request aimed at pressuring North Korea over its missile program.

A man in his 50s who had lived in Malaysia since 2008, Mun was arrested in May 2019 after the U.S. accused him of supplying prohibited luxury goods to North Korea, in violation of United Nations sanctions.

He allegedly laundered funds through front companies and issued fraudulent documents to support illicit shipments to North Korea, while working in Singapore, prior to moving to Malaysia.

But Pyongyang claimed that Mun had been engaged in legitimate external trade activities in Singapore for many years.

Hoo Chiew Ping, an expert on Korean peninsula political affairs, said that Malaysia was now the only country in Southeast Asia without diplomatic ties with both North Korea and South Korea.

All ASEAN members have relations with both Koreas. Now Malaysia is the only one that doesn't have equal and balanced diplomatic relations between the two, because it just lost North Korea.

Malaysia loses its leverage as a key player on Korean Peninsula agenda at the ASEAN level, Hoo told Benar News, using an acronym for the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations.

Asked about North Koreas characterization of Malaysia as subservient to the United States, she said that under the Trump administration, Malaysia and other small countries around the world were subjected to Washingtons maximum pressure campaign on North Korea.

For Malaysia, this was more so after the Kim Jong Nam assassination. Our handling of the case was under heavy criticism, she said.

Malaysias once-close ties with Pyongyang hit rock bottom after the estranged half-brother of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un was killed with a banned nerve agent at one of Kuala Lumpurs international airports in February 2017.

Malaysia suspended operation of its embassy in Pyongyang after it secured the safe return of nine citizens held there, in exchange for the release of Kim Jong Nams body. The embassy has been vacant since then.

Malaysia had always considered the DPRK as a close partner since the establishment of the diplomatic relations in 1973, a Malaysian foreign ministry statement said Friday, adding that Putrajaya had maintained ties with Pyongyang even after the deplorable assassination of Kim Jong Nam.

It called the severing of ties unwarranted, disproportionate and disruptive of peace, stability, and prosperity in the region.

Muns conviction and extradition were based on the principles of justice and rule of law, the Malaysian statement said, adding that the government had rejected a series of diplomatic notes from North Korea attempting to intervene in its judiciary and legal system.

It further added that the extradition was carried out only after Mun exhausted all his legal options, and that his rights were maintained while in custody, including access to defense counsel, consular visits and family visits.

Reported by BenarNews, an RFA-affiliated online news service.
ROCHESTER, Minn. - A Minneapolis activist is hoping to raise awareness about Derek Chavins trial in the case of George Floyds death.

The effort is supported by the organization Visual Black Justice.

Activist Chicago Taysha is proving a car can be more than a set of wheels; it can be a vehicle that makes a statement while raising awareness.

Taysha began his trip in Minneapolis and plans on making stops across the county to raise awareness about the trial until he reaches Houston. Thats where George Floyd grew up.

He says the brightly painted car is a visual reminder to fight for justice for George Floyd and pay attention to what happens during the trial.

He said, Just speaking up and looking for justice for George Floyd, now is the time to pay attention to the trial and what's happening in Hennepin County and at the courthouse.

Taysha says he will also be playing music created by Floyd as he makes stops along his route.

Opening statements are expected in Chavins trial next week.
The Rogers sign at the companys headquarters in Toronto in a file photo. Rogers Communications Inc. has offered to buy Shaw Communications Inc. in a deal worth $26 billion. (The Canadian Press/Aaron Vincent Elkaim)

Shaw-Rogers Merger Good for Rogers, Risky for Consumers

News Analysis

The merger of telecommunications companies Rogers and Shaw makes good business sense, but the resulting consolidation could be bad for consumers, experts say.

Rogers Communications Inc. is proposing to buy Shaw Communications Inc. in a deal worth $26 billion. The companies hope to clear regulatory hurdles to have the deal closed by the first half of 2022.

Shaw provides cable and internet in Western Canada as Rogers does in the East. However, the merger means that the companies fierce competition in the wireless market would come to an end.

Ian Lee, associate professor of management at Carleton University, said the deal is a good business move.

When any company in any industry buys a competitor, by definition, theres basically 100 percent synergy. So from a strategy point of view, buying a competitor absolutely makes complete and total 100 percent sense, he said in an interview.

Lee said that for decades, Canada has allowed oligopolies in key industries to ensure stability of service delivery. However, this approach has downsides.

Industries that are highly concentratedwhile they are more profitable for the companies in that industrythey lead to sub-optimal outcomes for consumers because of two reasons: [Consumers] pay higher prices and they get reduced options and choices and services.

Michael Trebilcock, a professor of law and economics at the University of Toronto, believes the merger betrays the governments intentions.

Both Conservative and Liberal governments in recent years have committed themselves to more competition in the Canadian internet and cellphone market, where our rates are above international norms, so allowing this merger would be sharply at odds with this consensus policy, Trebilcock told The Epoch Times.

Rogers has pledged to spend $2.5 billion to build 5G networks across Western Canada, creating up to 3,000 new jobs, as well as spend $1 billion to provide rural, remote, and indigenous communities across that region with high-speed internet access.

The board members of both Shaw and Rogers voted unanimously for the merger. The Competition Bureau, the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC), and the Ministry of Innovation, Science and Economic Development must approve the deal for it to become final.

On March 16, the Conservatives said they would trigger House of Commons committee hearings on the acquisition in order to get a complete understanding of the proposed deal and what the ramifications are for customers and workers.

A report by Rewheel Research in October 2019 found that the median price of a 4 GB smartphone plans was 3.25 times higher in Canada than that in the OECD. The same report found that the median price of a 1 GB smartphone plan was 18 times higher in Canada than the median prices in 4-MNO competitive large European markets, referring to countries that have three incumbent mobile network operators (MNOs) challenged by one or more new entrants.

The report cited a September 2019 Rewheel report that said the Canadian wireless marketwith its three main operators Rogers, Bell, and Telusis fragmented rather than being national in scope, and probably anti-competitive, consisting of a stack of provincial mobile network duopolies and monopolies stitched together.

A 2020 study by cable.co.uk ranked Canada 209th out of 228 countries for the cost of 1 GB of data.

Michael Geist, a law professor at the University of Ottawa, where he holds the Canada research chair in internet and e-commerce law, says the Rogers-Shaw deal wont help Canadas ranking and will result in higher prices and less competition.

Removing a company that some have touted as the best chance at a viable national fourth carrier would leave some of Canadas biggest markets (notably Ontario, Alberta, and B.C.) without a much-needed competitor, Geist wrote in a blog post.

He says a promise by Rogers that it will not increase wireless prices for Shaws Freedom Mobile customers for at least three years following the close of the transaction is effectively committing to raising them as soon as the clock runs out on that timeline.

Simply put, this deal would not have happened under a government and CRTC that signalled its commitment to more robust competition and better consumer pricing above all else. Instead,  the government seems to think that meeting its illusory 25 percent wireless reduction cost target is good enough, even if prices in other countries are declining at a faster rate.

Since 2015, Ottawa has made $6.2 billion available toward expanding broadband internet coverage. The goal is to connect 98 percent of Canadians across the country to high-speed internet by 2026, and to connect all Canadians by 2030.

Rogers made around $2 billion of net income in 2019, compared with around $700 million for Shaw. The companies expect synergies of over $1 billion annually within two years of the deal closing. Lee said that this amount is necessary to satisfy the governments broadband goals.

They need the additional money to fulfill these government-imposed mandates that are going to be frightfully, frightfully expensive. Theyre rolling out rural high-speed broadband of the same speed and quality as downtown Toronto to rural and remote communities with very small numbers of people.

Konrad Von Finckenstein, a former head of the CRTC, said in an interview that higher cellphone costs are a danger and regulators would find it difficult to penalize Rogers if it jacks up prices for Freedom Mobile customers.

Things are pretty hard to enforce. If the Competition Bureau will say no, you cant, you have to divest, whos going to buy it? I dont see that theres a market from anybody wanting to get into the cellphone business and taking Freedom off Rogers hands.

Finckenstein suggests that there is no perfect solution.

The government is in a classic position of having competing needs theyre trying to reconcile, he said, namely low prices for consumers alongside coverage for everyone.

Theres a trade-off to be done between those two. And where do you come out? Were maybe [approaching] an election, and so this deal could become a flashpoint in the next election.
EVEN though Mallow man Dan Butler got the gut-punching news in November last year that he had an incurable cancer, it doesnt consume all his waking thoughts. He has much more to think about while going about his daily life with a positive mindset.

Dan still works for the company for whom he has worked over 40 years, selling feed bins to the farming community. He also walks over 2km daily and tries to keep fit, which is very important.

Whilst watching the news one night, Dan heard of the death of charity fund-raiser Sir Tom Moore, aged 100, in England and decided then and there to do a walk for the Mercy Hospital Foundation Cancer Appeal. The walk is 100km over 50 days.

With the blessing of his family and with the help of Deirdre Finn at the Mercy Foundation, along with Peter and Denise McKenna, his good friends, the walk was organised.

It is truly a very worthy cause, says Dan.

The care and individual attention they give everyone in the Mercy Hospital is truly amazing.

Dan Butler and his wife Celia Butler. Picture: Darragh Kane

Dan is under oncologist Dr. Derek Power and his wonderful team in St Theresas Ward.

Everything they do is orientated towards making every patient feel special and the nurses on the day I go in for chemotherapy are wonderful, says Dan.

They listen to all our stories and do their best to reassure us. Even when we are at home and have any questions to be answered, help is only a phone call away.

I cannot say enough about all of these people, except to thank them from the bottom of my heart, says Dan.

That is the reason I am doing this walk, to repay them in some small part.

Dan said he has made some great friends whilst in the Mercy hospital.

Some of the other lads mightnt be able to do something like this so Im doing this for them as well, he said.

A friend of mine gave me a book on resilience and I found two lines in particular that help me every day, and they are: Dont give up because youre tired, keep going, because youre almost there.

See, the thing is, I have no control over this so there is no point worrying about it. I pray as well, and I pray for all the lads Ive met at the Mercy. God does produce miracles.

Dan Butler with Dr Derek Power. Picture Darragh Kane

Im not feeling tired at the moment. In fact, Im feeling good, touch wood. I hope to be around for a good while yet.

He said hes been blown away by peoples kindness and generosity in recent weeks.

It is truly amazing how people have rallied around and donated to such a worthy cause.

Dan would like to thank everybody who has contributed to his fund-raiser.

Families everywhere have been affected by cancer.

Its only when you ring people to tell them what youre doing that you realise how many people, how many families, have been affected by cancer, says Dan.

To date Dan has raised over 20,000 towards the Mercy Hospital Foundation Cancer Appeal.

After handing over the cheque to the Mercy Hospital Foundation Cancer Appeal, he planned on winding up his own fundraising campaign due to time constraints but he hopes that he will have encouraged people to donate to the Mercy Hospital Foundation, which helps to support patients and their families through every step of their cancer journey, from diagnosis through treatment.

Dan Butler and his wife Celia Butler with Dr Derek Power and Maria OConnor, Mercy University Hospital Picture: Darragh Kane

Interim CEO at The Mercy Hospital Foundation, Julie Harris, thanked Dan for his incredible generosity.

These funds help to make such a difference in the lives of cancer patients at the Mercy. We are so grateful to all those who have supported Dan so far, she said.

Dan said he then has plans to focus on spending time with his family, including his beloved wife, Celia, their children Sharon, who lives in Mallow, Anita and her husband, Tony, who live in Courtbrack; Alan and his wife Bita, who live in California; Richard and his wife, Carina who live in Glanworth, and Keith and his wife Cornelia, who live in Mallow, and their seven grandchildren, Daniel, Darren, Conor, Eoghan, Ronan, Cara and Alana.

They all hope to gather to celebrate Dan and Celias 46th wedding anniversary later this year, on August 9.

What is Dan hoping to do when he can travel outside the county?

On a good day in May, I want to sit on my deck chair with a flask of tea and a sandwich and watch all my family with their kids enjoying being at the seaside and listen to the kids laughing and playing, says Dan.

Thats a memory Id love to have. That would make me a happy man.

Donations can be made online at www.mercyfundraising.ie by mentioning Dan Butlers Walk, or by phone on 021-4274076.
People in India love watching films and it has been quite a while that movie lovers havent been able to watch films in the theatres. However, now, even though the Coronavirus cases in Maharashtra are dismally increasing, people are not abstaining from going to the movie halls.

Recently, a video of a large crowd of film lovers surfaced on social media and raised a lot of concerns for the safety of people watching films at the theatres.

The video showcased a wild crowd of people who didnt care about social distancing and also were jumping fences to enter a cinema hall in Malegaon, Maharashtra. The movie hall was screening John Abraham and Emraan Hashmis film Mumbai Saga.

Check out the video here-

The video shows hundreds of people pushing each other and jumping over the fence to enter the movie hall. None of the people in the crowd can be seen wearing a mask and nobody is following social distancing despite the rising cases in Maharashtra.

Heres what people on the internet have to say about the carelessness of people amid a pandemic-

 Instagram/Viral Bhayani

 Instagram/Viral Bhayani

 Instagram/Viral Bhayani

Mumbai Saga was released last Friday in theatres across the country and is also one of the first big films to get a theatrical release after the Information and Broadcasting Ministry's directive to allow cinema halls to operate at 100% capacity.



In an interview with Mid-Day, John Said, "(The film) wont make as much money as movies did in 2019. All theatres across the country havent opened, but with this film, a few more will. After we announced this film, five more movies were announced (for theatrical run).

What do you think of people behaving recklessly amid a pandemic and not following the social distancing norms? Let us know in the comments section below!
Palm City, Fla.  A Syracuse mom was shot to death by her son while visiting him in Florida, police said.

Hours later, the womans son was fatally shot by officers during a standoff in Palm City, Florida, police said.

Christine Ruffin was 60 years old and her son, Christopher Ruffin, was 28 years old.

A funeral for the mother and son will be held Wednesday in Syracuse, according to their joint obituary.

Christine Ruffin was found shot to death in her sons Palm City home around 2 p.m. March 14, the Martin County Sheriffs Office told Treasure Coast Newspapers. Deputies responded to the Southwest Circle home and found the mother dead on a couch, he said.

Meanwhile, officers were already searching for Christine Ruffins son.

Police started looking for him around noon March 14, a Saturday, when Christopher Ruffins girlfriend called 911 and said her boyfriend had pointed a gun at her, Treasure Coast Newspapers reported. Palm Bay police spotted Christopher Ruffin shortly after, the newspaper reported, and started to search for him when he ran away.

A neighborhood in Palm Bay was locked down as callers told officers a man with a gun was roaming the area, the newspaper reported. The sheriffs office helicopter scanned the area as officers and bloodhounds searched for Christopher Ruffin.

Officers found Christopher Ruffin around 4 p.m. near Babcock Street, a main street in Palm Bay. He was shot and killed after failing to respond to orders during a standoff with officers, Palm Bay police told reporters.

Officers have not said if Christopher Ruffin was armed at the time of the shooting, the newspaper reported. However, police said a gun was found at the scene.

Christopher Ruffin had a history of mental illness, Martin County Sheriff William Snyder told Treasure Coast Newspapers.

Were concerned here at the Martin County Sheriffs Office, and I think all people in my position and agencies throughout the country are grappling with an absolute burgeoning crisis of mental illness, the sheriff said. And unfortunately, that sometimes does have a tragic ending, and thats what happened

Christine Ruffin is survived by many loved ones, including her mother, other children and grandchildren, according to her obituary.

Christine was a vibrant light of love and security that shined everywhere she went and in everyone she encountered, her family wrote.

Christopher Ruffin is survived by his three children, his fiancee and siblings, according to his obituary.

Christopher was a protective and whimsical energy that brightened and illuminated happiness in everyones lives who came across him in life, his family wrote.

A funeral for the mother and son will be held Wednesday afternoon at Southern Missionary Baptist Church in Syracuse. Their burial will be private.

Staff writer Samantha House covers breaking news, crime and public safety. Have a tip, a story idea, a question or a comment? Reach her at shouse@syracuse.com.
Gardai are seeking the publics help to find a missing teenager from Bray, Co. Wicklow.

Aimee Donoghue (16) was last seen in the area on Friday 19th March.

She is described as being 52" in height, of slight build with brown hair and blue eyes.

Anyone that can assist Gardai in locating Aimee is asked to contact Bray Garda station on 01 666 5300, the Garda Confidential Line on 1800 666 111 or any Garda station.
Regulatory News:

The latest government decisions taken in the fight against Covid-19 have led to closures and trading restrictions in the three countries in which Carmila (Paris:CARM) operates, namely France, Spain and Italy.

The following measures are applicable to Carmila's 215 sites:

In France:

On 19 March 2021, the government ordered additional local restrictions in 16 departments, with only shops deemed "essential" (as listed by the decree) authorised to open.

These fresh measures come on top of the nationwide closure of shopping centres in excess of 20,000 sq.m, and in some departments, those larger than 10,000 sq.m.

As at the date of this press release:

40 shopping centres larger than 20,000 sq.m. have been closed since 1 February 2021;

25 shopping centres larger than 10,000 sq.m. have been closed since 6 March 2021;

14 shopping centres have been restricted to opening for essential businesses only since 20 March 2021;

50 Carmila shopping centres1 remain open, with the exception of seated food service and leisure facilities.

In Spain: all shopping centres are open.

In Italy: 7 out of 8 shopping centres have been open for essential shops only since 15 March 2021; All shopping centres in Italy have been closed at the weekend since 24 October 2020.



In the Group's three countries, a total of 86 shopping centres are closed or restricted to essential businesses only. To date, closed shops in these shopping centres represent 51.6% of Carmila's total gross rents.

Carmila continues to strictly apply the health measures in force across all of its shopping centres, notably by monitoring visitor numbers in real time so as to remain within the applicable limits at all times.

INVESTOR AGENDA

22 April 2021 (after trading): First-quarter 2021 Financial Information

18 May 2021 (9:30 am Paris time):Annual General Meeting

28 July 2021 (after trading): 2021 Interim Results

29 July 2021 (2:30 p.m. Paris time):Investor and Analyst Meeting

IMPORTANT NOTICE

Some of the statements contained in this document are not historical facts but rather statements of future expectations, estimates and other forward-looking statements based on management's beliefs. These statements reflect such views and assumptions prevailing as of the date of the statements and involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties that could cause future results, performance or events to differ materially from those expressed or implied in such statements. Please refer to the most recent Universal Registration Document filed in French by Carmila with the Autorite des marches financiers for additional information in relation to such factors, risks and uncertainties. Carmila has no intention and is under no obligation to update or review the forward-looking statements referred to above. Consequently, Carmila accepts no liability for any consequences arising from the use of any of the above statements.

ABOUT CARMILA

Carmila was founded by Carrefour and large institutional investors in order to develop the value of shopping centres anchored by Carrefour stores in France, Spain and Italy. As at 31 December 2020, its portfolio was valued at 6.1 billion, comprising 215 shopping centres in France, Spain and Italy, all leaders in their catchment areas. Inspired by a genuine retail culture, Carmila's teams include all of the expertise dedicated to retail attractiveness: leasing, digital marketing, specialty leasing, shopping centre management and portfolio management.

Carmila is listed on Euronext-Paris Compartment A under the symbol CARM. It benefits from the tax regime for French real estate investment trusts ("SIIC").

Carmila became part of the FTSE EPRA/NAREIT Global Real Estate (EMEA Region) indices on 18 September 2017. Carmila became part of the Euronext CAC Small, CAC Mid Small and CAC All-tradable indices on 24 September 2018.

1 The full list of open and closed shopping centres is available at https://www.carmila.com/liste-des-centres-ouverts-et-fermes/

Visit our website www.carmila.com

https://www.linkedin.com/company/carmila/

https://twitter.com/CarmilaFrance

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210322005688/en/

Contacts:

Investor and analyst contact

Florence Lonis Secretary General

florence_lonis@carmila.com

+33 6 82 80 15 64

Press contacts

Morgan Lavielle Communications Director

morgan_lavielle@carmila.com

+33 6 87 77 48 80
By Ruma Paul and Poppy McPherson

DHAKA (Reuters) - A huge fire swept through a Rohingya refugee camp in southern Bangladesh on Monday, destroying thousands of homes and killing several people, officials and witnesses said, in the worst blaze to hit the settlement in recent years.

Video and photographs showed a blaze ripping through the Balukhali camp in Cox's Bazar. Black smoke billowed over burning shanties and tents as people scrambled to recover their possessions.

"Fire services, rescue and response teams and volunteers are at the scene to try to control the fire and prevent it spreading further," said Louise Donovan, spokesperson for U.N. refugee agency UNHCR in Cox's Bazar.

Mohammed Shamsud Douza, the deputy Bangladesh government official in charge of refugees, said authorities were trying to control the blaze.

Rohingya refugees in the camps said many homes were burned down and several people had died, but neither the authorities nor the UNHCR could confirm the number of deaths. The cause of the blaze has not been established.

More than a million Rohingya live in the camps in southern Bangladesh, the vast majority having fled Myanmar in 2017 from a military-led crackdown that U.N. investigators said was executed with "genocidal intent", charges Myanmar denies.

Zaifur Hussein, a 50-year-old refugee who escaped the fire but lost his home and was sheltering with friends, said he believed dozens may have been killed and that fencing around the camps made it difficult to flee.

"When we were in Myanmar we faced lots of problems... they destroyed everything," he said. "Now it has happened again."

Snigdha Chakraborty, the Bangladesh director for Catholic Relief Services, said she was worried about the lack of medical facilities in the area.

"Medical facilities are basic and burns require sophisticated treatment, plus hospital beds are already partly taken up with COVID-19 patients," she said. "Most likely there will be fatalities because the fire is so large."

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A Rohingya leader in Cox's Bazar, a sliver of land bordering Myanmar in southeastern Bangladesh, said he saw several dead bodies.

"Thousand of huts were totally burned down," Mohammed Nowkhim told Reuters.

Another large blaze tore through the camp in January, destroying homes but causing no casualties.

The risk of fire in the densely populated camps is high, and Monday's blaze was the largest yet, said Onno Van Manen, Country Director of Save the Children in Bangladesh.

"It is another devastating blow to the Rohingya refugees who live here. Just a couple of days ago we lost one of our health facilities in another fire," he said.

The UNHCR said humanitarian partners had mobilised hundreds of volunteers from nearby camps for the support operation, as well as fire safety vehicles and equipment.

(Reporting by Ruma Paul and Poppy McPherson; Editing by Raissa Kasolowsky and Mike Collett-White)
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Credit: Leiden University

The COVID Radar app is citizen science at its best. More than 200,000 users in the Netherlands are answering questions about their health and behavior to help predict the development of the pandemic. Niels Chavannes, Professor of General Practice at Leiden University Medical Center, explains how the appa Leiden' inventionworks.

How did the COVID Radar come about?

At the beginning of the first wave, the testing capacity was still very low, and we saw that behavior, such as keeping a safe distance, was an important predictor of the number of infections. Researchers from the LUMC and the Population Health Management degree program then invented the COVID Radar (in Dutch) app. In collaboration with the IT company Ortec, they built a very easy-to-use app that maps out both the symptoms of COVID-19 and the associated behavior. We immediately attracted a lot of users and still have more than 200,000 across the country who collectively already have answered six million questionnaires.

What is the difference between this app and the government's CoronaMelder app?

CoronaMelder only registers if you have tested positive yourself and gives a warning if you have been in the vicinity of infected people. COVID Radar doesn't do that. Users of our app complete a short questionnaire about twice a week about whether they have tested positive or have experienced coronavirus-related symptoms such as cold symptoms or a loss of smell and taste. In addition, they answer questions about their behavior: have you been in crowded places? Have you spent time within a meter and a half of people? It takes about 30 seconds; the questions are already answered by default and you just have to click the slider. Answering the questions is not compulsory, but the app gives you a friendly reminder if you haven't completed it yet.

What does it deliver?

It's a sample that is particularly reliable in the Randstad because there are many users of the app in that area. The information from all those people together has an important predictive value. A week before there is an increase in confirmed infections, we see an increase in symptoms and a change in behavior. People indicate that they are less compliant with the rules, such as keeping their distance and wearing masks. We saw that very clearly in the summer. A few weeks later, the number of infections increased rapidly. For example, we saw that the areas with a lot of students turned red and, when there was more lax behavior, the reported symptoms increased afterwards.

What about privacy?

That's not at risk; we looked at that carefully. COVID Radar collects data by postcode area. That means that as an individual user, you are part of a group of 3,000 people in the same postcode area and you are not identified personally. The only personal data the app collects are age, gender and whether people work in healthcare, because that carries a higher risk of infection. The Dutch Data Protection Authority, which keeps a very close eye on privacy risks, granted permission in April 2020 and the app has been up and running ever since.

Do you have any idea whether the users actually answer the questionnaire honestly?

We realize that not all participants will answer everything truthfully, but we do think that the users are a bit more the benevolent citizens from the population: they are motivated to participate because they want to give researchers greater insight for fighting the pandemic. Users don't get individual feedback about the questions, and they don't have to worry about us checking to see whether they're getting tested, for example, because we don't do that kind of thing. By the way, the fill-in rate increases a lot as another wave arrives because people suddenly see their neighbor being taken away by ambulance or have an aunt in intensive care.

What is being done with the findings?

It's citizen science and open science. Users can look at a newsfeed in the app to see how the pandemic is developing and, for example, can view graphs about their own postcode area. Users appreciate being kept up to date by a scientific team. Older users in particular say that they feel less lost as a result, especially if they are isolated at home.

We also make the data available to officials. For instance, the mayor of Leiden already has been pleased to use it because we can look by neighborhood to see where things are getting out of hand. The results are also going to the National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM) and the Ministry of Health, Welfare and Sport, and we hope that they will make even better use of the information. A grant application is now pending to link this data to mobility data such as traffic flows. That will make it possible to predict more accurately where new hotspots will occur. European partners can also use the data to carry out comparative studies, and our first publications have now been submitted to scientific journals.

The end of the pandemic is hopefully in sight as the number of vaccinated people increases. What does that mean for the future of the app?

It will still be needed, for this coronavirus pandemic and for other virus outbreaks. That's why we want to recruit more new users. We already have participants from many different neighborhoods, including those with lower socioeconomic status. But we are still looking for more young people and residents in rural areas. Together we can ensure that developments are more predictable so a new lockdown may not be necessary. There is also worldwide interest in COVID Radar. For instance, the WHO and Amref have expressed interest because they are looking for systems that can also provide early warning of other epidemics.
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People who have primary care physicians tend to have better health care, to receive timelier diagnoses and to get more prompt treatment when it is needed. So, it comes as small surprise that reliable access to primary care has been linked to better patient outcomes overall.

Now a new study led by researchers at Harvard Medical School offers further proof of the value of primary care by showing that increasing the number of primary care physicians could lead to boosts in life expectancy and result in fewer deaths in currently underserved areas across the United States.

The research, published March 23 in Annals of Internal Medicine, quantifies the effect of increasing the number of primary care physicians on population life expectancy and on the number of annual deaths. The analysis is based on data obtained from 3,400 regions, of which 1,218 were experiencing shortages in primary care.

Ensuring that critical-shortage regions have one physician per every 1,500 residents could prevent more than 7,000 deaths per year in total across those areas and boost life expectancy by an average of 56 days, the study showed.

A shortage area is defined as a region that has fewer than one primary care physicians per 3,500 residents, although the new findings suggest that this threshold may be too low. Indeed, the results show that increasing the number of primary care physicians to one per 1,500 would lead to more dramatic gains in life expectancy and greater death reduction.

"Our findings suggest that areas with critical shortages of primary care physicians could gain the most dramatic benefits in terms of life expectancy and mortality," said study lead investigator Sanjay Basu, director of research for the Center for Primary Care at Harvard Medical School. "The magnitude of the expected improvement highlights the stark deficiencies currently experienced between areas with primary care availability and those without."

Prior work by the same investigators showed that areas with more primary care physicians had better life expectancy and lower mortality, particularly from cardiovascular disease and cancer. The group's previous research also indicated that the numbers of primary care physicians in underserved areas was dropping, putting patients who lived in those counties at risk for delays in care, diagnosis, and treatment.

The new analysis revealed notable differences in life expectancy and annual death rates in counties with shortages of primary care doctors. For example, individuals who lived in counties with more acute shortages--those with fewer than one primary care physician per 3,500 people--had an average life expectancy that was 311 days shorter than individuals living in counties with more primary care physicians.

The analysis also showed that increasing primary care physicians to one per 3,500 in areas with shortages would add 22 days, on average, to the life expectancy of people in those regions. Increasing physicians to one per 1,500 would boost life expectancy in shortage areas by 56 days, on average. Reaching that second threshold would require adding 36 primary care physicians per county.

Regions with fewer primary care physicians also had a higher death rate from all causes. In 2017, for example, counties with fewer than one primary care provider per 3,500 residents had a mortality rate of 750 deaths per 100,000 people, compared with 720 deaths per 100,000 people in counties with one or more primary care doctor per 3,500 residents.

The analysis examined several thresholds, suggested by experts on national committees, to quantify differences in outcomes at different densities of primary care availability.

Increasing the number of primary care providers to one per 3,500, for instance, would reduce the annual death rate by 0.77 deaths per 100,000. However, under a more ambitious goal for primary care availability, boosting the number of primary care physicians to one per 1,500, would yield a more dramatic result, reducing the yearly death rate by 3.60 per 100,000 residents.

In total, increasing the number of physicians to one per 1,500 in the regions experiencing shortages would prevent 7,272 deaths per year in those regions, the study found.

To achieve such gains in death prevention and life expectancy, the U.S. physician workforce would need to add 95,754 new physicians to its ranks and allocate them strategically in shortage areas.

Taken together, the new findings underscore the need to encourage primary care physicians to consider practices in underserved regions of the country, the researchers said.

"As a nation, we need to find ways to incentivize newly minted doctors, as well as those already in practice, to consider working in areas where the need is most acute and where their work could have the greatest impact," said study co-author Russell Phillips, director of the Harvard Medical School Center for Primary Care.

"These incentives could include proven measures such as loan-repayment programs. But we also need to get more creative and go beyond true-and-tried methods," Phillips added.

The researchers said that other ways to supplement the primary care workforce in shortage areas include diversifying medical school trainees to include more students from underserved regions and boost salaries for those practicing in those regions.

Other options worth exploring include supplementing the workforce with nurse practitioners and physician assistants who specialize in primary care and quantifying the impact of telemedicine services, another tool in the armamentarium to augment primary care access, the investigators added.

###

Co-authors on the study included Seth Berkowitz of the University of North Carolina, Bruce Landon and Asaf Bitton of Harvard Medical School, and Robert Phillips of the American Board of Family Medicine's Center for Professionalism and Value in Health Care.
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Pippa Middleton looked radiant as she was seen for the first time since welcoming her second child last week.

The Duchess of Cambridge's younger sister, 37, beamed as she took one-week-old daughter Grace for a stroll in the spring sunshine this morning.

Casually dressed in a trench coat and trainers, Pippa smiled as she pushed Grace's pram down a leafy street in west London. She chatted happily to another woman as they made the most of the warmer weather.

Grace Elizabeth Jane Matthews was born in the early hours of 15 March, weighing 6lbs 7oz. Announcing the birth just hours later, a source told Hello!: 'Mother and baby are doing well. She's perfect, everyone is overjoyed at such a happy arrival.'

Proud parents Pippa, 37, and James, 45, also share two-year-old son Arthur.

Pippa Middleton looked radiant as she was seen for the first time since welcoming her second child last week

The Duchess of Cambridge's younger sister took one-week-old daughter Grace for a stroll in the spring sunshine this morning. She was seen smiling down at her newborn daughter (left) as she pushed the pram

Casually dressed in a trench coat and trainers, Pippa smiled as she pushed Grace's pram down a leafy street in west London. She chatted happily to another woman as they made the most of the warmer weather

Pippa looked perfectly put together in a navy trenchcoat worn over a midi skirt or dress. She finished the look with sunglasses and a pair of crisp white trainers.

Clearly besotted with her newborn daughter, Pippa smiled as she gazed down at her little one during the stroll.

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.

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.

Pippa looked perfectly put together in a navy trenchcoat worn over a midi skirt or dress. She finished the look with sunglasses and a pair of crisp white trainers, pictured

Clearly besotted with her newborn daughter, Pippa smiled as she gazed down at her little one during the stroll

Pippa and the other woman chatted happily as they took newborn daughter Grace out for a stroll in the spring sunshine

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.

Pippa Middleton looked delighted to be getting out with her newborn daughter. She also has two-year-old son Arthur

'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.'

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.
Rockville, MD (20850)

Today

Cloudy early, then thunderstorms developing this afternoon. A few storms may be severe. High 83F. Winds SSW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 70%..

Tonight

Variably cloudy with scattered thunderstorms. Low 66F. Winds SSW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 60%.
While police say the accused gunman in the Atlanta-area rampage claimed a sex addiction drove him, six of the eight victims were women of Asian descent and the killings happened against a backdrop of more anti-Asian hate crimes being reported since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. The suspect was raised in the evangelical community, and an article in the New York Times outlines how the fixation on sex is an ongoing issue inside the community. CBSN's Tanya Rivero spoke with Ruth Graham, a national correspondent for the Times covering religion, faith and values, to discuss her article.

Video Transcript

- While the suspect in the Atlanta murders claims a sex addiction drove him, there is no escaping the fact that six of the eight victims were women of Asian descent. And the murders happened against a backdrop of more anti-Asian hate crimes being reported since the start of the pandemic. Even former President Trump made blatantly racist anti-Asian comments when talking about the coronavirus. All of that has led many people, especially many Asian-Americans, to believe the shooter was racially motivated.

Some with ties to the evangelical community have a different perspective. An article in the "New York Times" outlines how the fixation on sex is an ongoing issue inside the evangelical community. The suspect was raised in that community. Joining us now is the author of that article, Ruth Graham. She is a national correspondent covering religion, faith, and values with the "New York Times."

Ruth, welcome. It's great to have you with us. So in your article, you note that some people familiar with evangelical communities are making a connection between the violence and the suspect's strict religious beliefs. Can you tell us about the role his beliefs may have played in all of this?

RUTH GRAHAM: Sure, yeah. And I should emphasize it's just-- this is one piece of the puzzle that is still being figured out. But we do know that Long told the police he had a sexual addiction. We know a former roommate has said that he blocked certain websites on his computer, used a flip phone for a while to try to avoid pornography-- he had sought help for all of this at a Christian rehab clinic-- and that he told his roommate that he feared falling out of God's grace, so clearly sort of seeing this through a religious lens.

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We also know he was a faithful member of a conservative Southern Baptist church in the area that did teach-- you know, again, this is mainstream in these circles-- but just teaching total abstinence from any sexual behavior outside of heterosexual marriage. So I don't think anyone would claim this is the only explanation, but this is a piece of the puzzle, given kind of the water that he was swimming in.

- And you also wrote, quote, "Some saw a connection between strict sexual beliefs and violence against Asian women in particular." Is this purity culture being used to reinforce any sorts of racist sexual stereotypes of Asian women?

RUTH GRAHAM: You know, the intersection of all this is so complicated. I did talk to one man who-- he's a religious studies professor now but had grown up in this kind of strict evangelical-- strict sexual culture of this evangelical culture. And, you know, he was making a connection that purity culture really punishes any women that it views as not perfectly modest, perfectly chaste. And then, meanwhile, there is also this cultural tendency to oversexualize Asian women. And so when you put those things together, you know, there is a real overlap there.

- So there are a lot of people though who hear the sexual addiction argument and see this as an excuse for the shooter. So, you know, walk us through why it may not be so simple, why that may not be the case.

RUTH GRAHAM: Sure, and I don't think that, you know, looking at this culture in any way excuses it. You know, sort of digging in here does not necessarily mean that therefore this is a sufficient explanation for what happened at all.

You know, one thing that came up in this piece is this idea of sexual exceptionalism. That's a term that I got from a sociologist named Sam Perry. And the idea is, in this culture, sexual sins are often implied to be much more serious than other categories of sin. And that can just lead to anyone who violates, again, the very strict idea of no kind of sexual activity outside of straight marriage, that becomes a sin of just gargantuan proportions, can lead to just incredible anguish, incredible guilt.

Conservative evangelicals actually use pornography a little bit less than the general population, but they feel significantly more guilt afterwards. And again, not to use guilt as an excuse or a total explanation for this, but I think if we're looking at his mindset and just his own account of events, that that would play a role in his mindset leading up to this.

- Ruth Graham, thank you so much for joining us. We appreciate your insight.

RUTH GRAHAM: Thanks.
Krispy Kreme will give you a free doughnut each day for the rest of the year if you get vaccinated against COVID.

The bakery chain announced the promotion Monday morning, saying it "wanted to find a way to show our support for those who are protecting themselves and others by getting vaccinated."

Starting Monday, anyone who shows their COVID-19 vaccination record card from the CDC will get a free original glazed doughnut. The card needs to show that the person has received at least one of the two shots for Moderna or Pfizer or one shot of the Johnson & Johnson shot.

Vaccine stickers don't qualify for the promotion.

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

The card can be used daily -- "anytime, any day, even every day" -- until Dec. 31 for a free doughnut, Krispy Kreme said. It can be redeemed in the shop or the drive-thru, but not using online ordering or delivery.

Krispy Kreme has locations in Metairie at 825 Clearview Parkway and in Baton Rouge at 5504 Plank Road.

The company also said it will give employees up to four hours of PTO to get vaccinated.

We all want to get COVID-19 behind us as fast as possible, said Dave Skena, Krispy Kreme's chief marketing officer, in a press release.

Read more about the promotion.
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The effects of mobiles phones and other technology at school is a hotly debated topic in many countries. Some advocate for a complete ban to limit distractions, while others suggest using technology as a teaching tool.

Kids in public South Australian primary schools started the school year without being allowed to bring their mobile phones to class, unless they are needed for class activity. All students in public Western Australian Victorian, and Tasmanian schools have a mobile phone ban in place since for all or some of 2020. New South Wales also banned mobile phones in public primary schools, with secondary schools having the option to opt in, since the start of 2020.

Education departments have introduced the bans for various reasons including to improve academic outcomes and decrease bullying.

Several recent papers point to positive impact of banning mobile phones at school on student performance and other outcomes. Understanding the evidence is crucial for best policy.

In a 2015 paper, we used a methodcalled a difference-in-difference strategyas well as student data from England to investigate the effect of banning mobile phones on student performance. In this method, we compared schools that have had phones removed to similar schools with no phone bans. This allowed us to isolate the effect of mobiles phones on student performance from other factors that could affect performance.

We found banning mobile phones at school leads to an increase in student performance. Our results suggest that after schools banned mobile phones, test scores of students aged 16 increased by 6.4% of a standard deviation. This is equivalent to adding five days to the school year or an additional hour a week.

The effects were twice as large for low-achieving students, and we found no impact on high achieving students.

Our results suggest low-performing students are more likely to be distracted by the presence of mobile phones, while high performing students can focus with or without mobile phones.

The results of our paper suggest banning mobile phones has considerable benefits including a reduction in the gap between high- and low- achieving students. This is substantial improvement for a low-cost education policy.

Other studies show similar results

Recent studies from Spain and Norway, using a similar empirical strategy to ours, also show compelling evidence on the benefit of banning mobile phones on student performance, with similar effect size.

In Spain, banning mobile phones has been shown to increase students' scores in maths and science. Researchers also documented a decrease in incidences of bullying.

In Norway, banning phones significantly increased middle school students' grade point average. It also increased students' likelihood of attending an academic high school rather than choosing a vocational school. And it decreased incidents of bullying.

Evidence from Belgium suggests banning mobile phones can be beneficial for college student performance. This context might be different, but still informative as students are of similar age to those in high school.

Research from Sweden, however, suggests little effect of banning mobile phones in high school on student performance. It is worth noting, however, the study did not find any detrimental effect of banning mobile phones.

A similar conclusion can be drawn from the literature on the effect of computers used at school. Evidence from the US suggests using laptops in class is detrimental to learning, and the effects are large and more damaging for low-performing students.

Potential psychological mechanisms involved

The psychological literature might shed lights on the potential mechanisms as to why mobile phones and other technology in school might affect student performance. This literature finds multitasking is detrimental to learning and task execution.

Many recent experimental papers present evidence mobile phone use while executing another task decreases learning and task completion. Research also shows computers might be a less efficient way to take notes than pen and paper.

It may be that taking notes by hand allows you to remember the material better than typing those notes on a computer. This may be because students are not just typing out every word said, but thinking of how to summarize what they're hearing.

These findings do not discount the possibility mobile phones and other technology could be a useful structured teaching tool. However, ignoring or misunderstanding the evidence could be harmful to students and lead to long term negative social consequences.

Explore further Mobile phone bans lead to rise in student test scores

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
UPDATE 3/23: Wolverine Human Services CEO Judith Fischer Wollack provided a statement to MLive strongly disagreeing with the states decision. Read more here.

BUENA VISTA, MI - Wolverine Secure Treatment Center, a Saginaw County juvenile corrections facility, is appealing a decision by the state government to revoke its operating license.

The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services recommended the revocation of Wolverine Human Services license to operate the treatment center after the Division of Child Welfare Licensing investigated allegations of rule violations, MDHHS spokeswoman Lynn Sutfin said in a statement to MLive.

The license is not fully revoked until all appeals are exhausted or the timeframe to file one has lapsed, Sutfin said. Wolverine has been notified, which starts a 30-day clock on filing an appeal, which will lead to three steps: a compliance conference, a hearing with the Michigan Office of Administrative Hearings and Rules and a final decision by MDHHS Director Elizabeth Hertel, she said.

The recommendation is based on a special investigation that substantiated physical abuse and safety-related licensing violations, Sutfin said in the statement. WSTC can appeal the findings.

Wolverine is doing just that, according to an internal email message obtained by MLive. However, a memo attached to the message attributed to CEO Judith Fischer Wollack forcefully states the organization may look different going forward, but is NOT closing. Wolverine will work with affected employees to find them other jobs within its organization, according to the memo.

We received notice that DHHS has decided to revoke the license at WSTC and we are appealing this now, the announcement reads. We are doing everything we can to keep operations running as they need to and most importantly, providing proper plans for the children in care at WSTC as well as our staff.

The Buena Vista Township site is a 100-bed treatment facility for boys and girls, aged 12 to 19, from the child welfare system and MDHHS. Wolverine has two other campuses in Michigan, one in Detroit and one in Vassar.

A representative for Wolverine could not be reached for comment.

MLive journalist Cole Waterman contributed reporting to this story.

Read more:

Suicide at secure youth detention center in Saginaw County investigated

Wolverine Human Services on housing refugee teens in Vassar: We cant make everyone happy

Department of Human Services report: Three fired from Wolverine Human Services in threats, incidents against juvenile residents
Gardai have renewed their appeal for a man who is the subject of an ongoing missing person investigation which was upgraded to a murder investigation after arrests were made in 2019.

Gardai in Portlaoise are renewing their appeal to the public seeking assistance in trying to locate missing person William Delaney, aged 56 years of age when he was reported missing, from Portlaoise since Wednesday afternoon January 31, 2019.

William is described as 5" 6, with medium build, black/grey hair and blue eyes. Is it not known what William was wearing when last seen.

Anyone with information is asked to contact Gardai at Portlaoise on 057-8674100, the Garda Confidential Line on 1800 666 111 or any Garda Station.

Gardai have already carried out at least two extensive searches for Mr Delaney, who lived with family members in Fielbrook, Portlaoise before he disappeared. Suspects have also been arrested and questioned arising from his disappearance.

Gardai searched early the Grand Canal and lands around the area on the outskirts of Monsaterevin in Co Kildare in November 2020. Gardai were assisted by the Irish Army and the Garda Sub Aqua Unit.

In June of the same year, Gardai and soldiers combed an area around the Rock of Dunamaise between Stradbally and Portlaoise in search of human remains. The search followed claims made on social medai.

They arrested two people on suspicion of murder as part of the search at the time. Both were questioned and subsequently released without charge.
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Over the weekend, protesters gathered in city after city, coming together to try to make sense of the shooting that took place last week in Atlanta, a shooting that left eight people dead, six of them Asian women. But in one key way, these protests sounded different than other recent protests over killings of people of color. Its become mainstream and normal after a horrific act of violence, especially in the Black community, to say their name, to say out loud the people whove been taken from their communities, and in this case, apparently, family members have asked for that not to happen, said Lisa Hagen, whos been reporting on this shootings for WABE, the local public radio station in Atlanta. This is a private kind of grief for a lot of the family members.

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Its hard to know why the families made this request, but it may be because of where these women diedin massage parlors many equate with sex work. Families might not want strangers speculating about exactly what the victims work was. The story of what happened to the eight people who were gunned down in and around massage parlors on the outskirts of Atlanta last week can be understood as an expression of hate, aimed primarily at Asian people, primarily women. But it also seems to be a story about the dark side of religious fervor. A story about guns in America. Its extremely delicate to unravel. Theres an incredible amount of threads to pull on in this story, which has made it a pretty treacherous story for a lot of journalists to cover, Hagen said.

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On Mondays episode of What Next, I spoke with Hagen about this complicated tangle, how the state of Georgia is responding to this tragedy, and whether theres anything that can be done to prevent this kind of violence going forward. Our conversation has been edited and condensed for clarity.

Mary Harris: I wonder if we can start with the Asian American community in Georgia, their response, and the response youve seen over the last week of so many people having an outpouring of grief and wanting to name whats happened as a hate crime, as violence against Asian Americans. These deaths, of course, came as theres been a surge in reports of anti-Asian crime around the country. Your public radio station has been reporting on growing anti-American sentiment in Georgia for months at this point. I found a report from May where bronze plaques were turning up on buildings in Atlanta with the words Wuhan plague on them.

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This is a supercomplicated question. There is no doubt that researchers have been doing much more than I have on this to collect the stories of people who have been discriminated against or violently attacked all over the country, especially in large cities like ours. Its absolutely not a surprise that people would then interpret an attack on six Asian women as a culmination of that violence. And then you have the complication that we have a suspect who is still living and who is expressing his own motivations here as wanting to destroy temptation that he believe he faced.

On Twitter, this clip made the rounds because it seemed so eerie that one of your state senators, an Asian woman, Michelle Au, had made a speech at the state Capitol the day before the shootings warning about violence against people in the Asian American community. And it was a shockingly prescient. When you speak to people in the community, are they drawing those links together?

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Certainly they are. That link is being drawn nonstop. This feels like a culmination for many people in the community who have been discussing the rise in crime against Asian Americans. I mean, Ive talked about it with my mom. Ive told her to be careful.

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It seems like Georgia is a state that is just beginning to grapple with all the implications of being such a diverse place. Although its been diverse in many ways for a very long time, growing Korean and Chinese communities are making the state diverse in new ways. Just last year, 2020, is when Georgia passed a hate crimes law, right?

Of course, that was in many respects a reaction to the killing of a Ahmaud Arbery.

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Is there a chance that that law will be used now?

There is a chance. Its not clear how much. And of course, you do also hear from folks in Asian American communities and the activists that they dont want the response to these killings to be more policing or stiffer penalties. What is desired is a change culturally, which is so very much harder than passing a law or exercising it in a moment like this.

Or tacking more years onto someones sentence, which is likely to already be quite long, right?

Precisely.

You mentioned how the alleged shooter himself is not saying his crime was motivated by hate. Instead, he and people who know him are talking about what he calls a sex addiction and specifically how he understood that sex addiction because of his religious background. What have you learned about that?

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What you see in this 21-year-old is that you see in the cases of a lot of men who destroy either the people around them or their families or communities around them, and it is that his life was falling apart. He had spent a year in college and dropped out. He was in an evangelical treatment program for his self-diagnosed sex addiction. His girlfriend had broken up with him recently, and his parents had thrown him out the night before. So a great deal was happening in this persons life. He had access to gun stores and went and acted on what he saw as the world falling apart around him, essentially. We have learned that he was in treatment previously in 2019 and in 2020 at an evangelical institution called HopeQuest that used to do ex-gay conversion therapy. They believe in a subculture called purity culture, that any sexual desire outside of marriages is wrong and sinful. And his roommate in the treatment facility reportedly has said he would come back from these spas and say that he was having suicidal thoughts. So this is clearly something that was brewing in this person for some time now.

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Do you see churches in Atlanta grappling at all with whats happened? I noticed that the alleged shooters own church has basically wiped their social media. They have expressed that what happened here was because of one individuals action and expressed empathy for the victims. But I wonder if youve seen any more from the religious community.

I think its been a little quiet. What struck me in that statement from the suspects church itself is they said the responsibility is entirely on him. Im sure neither of us are disagreeing with that, but its an interesting thing to hear from a community organization.

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You spent some time this weekend visiting the areas where these shootings occurred, and in trying to characterize the area, you mentioned its sort of a place where theres nightlife and sex shops and places that are open late at night

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And my public radio station, for what its worth,

So youre familiar with the area because you work down the street?

I literally saw Gold Spa every day that I would leave work. It is surreal.

It is very important to note there are strip clubs all over the place in this area. Im not going to say how I know this, but theyre not full of Asian women. They are Black, Latino, white, not necessarily the same sort of employees that that these businesses had. And so if this was a person who was only interested in shooting up sexual temptation spots for him, he certainly chose a very, very specific way to exact that violence. I asked all these other businesses, Are you worried? You could have been a Google away from this man targeting you. And it just doesnt feel like it was something that threatened other types of businesses in the area, and that is mostly what I heard from folks.

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Why do you think that is?

Were talking about a very isolated segments of the community. What I did learn from these business ownersthese are bars, strip clubs, etc.theyre all in touch. They know each other. This is a tightknit business community. People were talking about sharing Thanksgiving dinner sometimes. These businesses that were targeted were not a part of that community.

I feel like were dancing around the sex worker question. Has anyone publicly identified their family member as a sex worker? Is that the appropriate term to use?

I think dancing around is about all its possible to do, and thats true for many reasons thus far. Youre talking about an underground industry, potentially, and youre also talking about cultures in which this kind of work is especially shameful.

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You also tweeted out that no one wanted to say this on the record with you, but all of the businesses you spoke with said, Of course, these spots were part of the sex trade, and they were actually kind of confused why it wasnt being reported that way. Could you take me inside a conversation where that came up?

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Yeah, people would be like, Well, of course it is. We dont understand why no ones talking about that part. And the reason no ones talking about it is because its an incredibly difficult thing to confirm. Its an incredibly sensitive topic, especially to, again, people of Asian descent. Theres a lot of shame in the culture. But it is not just among the business owners themselves, but Atlantans know the area for what it is, which is kind of seedy nightlife time, and I say that with absolutely no judgment.

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Yeah, one woman, Hyun Jung Grant, it was reported that she told people she worked at a makeup store, which is not where she worked. And you can just hear in that how there was a sense of shame about what was happening and an unspeakability.

Yeah, absolutely. And that same thing is playing out among city leaders. In the very first press conference about this with Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms, these questions came up, and she said, were not going to sex shame anyone here, thats not what were here to do.

Maybe if we find out that that these businesses are what many suspect and by reputation what folks in Atlanta certainly believe they are, theres going to be shame associated with that. And that, honestly, has a lot more to do with whoever is doing the shaming than it does with the folks reporting on it. But its an incredibly tricky, thorny area to discuss.

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I wonder if youre seeing sex workers in the Atlanta area responding to the shooting in any way. Are sex workers coming out and saying, Violence is something we confront every day and seeing this as an expression of something they know?

Atlanta is not New York or California or the Pacific Northwest. I have previously lived in New York, and there is an activist infrastructure there for sex workers of all kinds, and that is not so much the case here in Atlanta. So I havent heard any folks here speak with a unified voice from that community. I have seen that theres a coalition of Chinese massage workers up in New York that issued a statement saying, We shouldnt jump to conclusions about what kind of work these women were doing, but just in case, policing isnt the answer to what happened here. What we need is more protection and access to resources. So thats the one statement that Ive seen.

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Weve talked about understanding the shooting as an anti-Asian crime and as a warped way of understanding religious teachings and as a kind of window into the dangerous world of sex work. But when I think about what happened here, I feel like theres one way of understanding the shooting that Im just not hearing as much about. Im not hearing a lot about gun control, which is usually one of the first things you hear when theres a mass shooting. Does that surprise you?

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Well, this is Georgia. We have very permissive gun laws, and Democrats in the state or others who might be interested in changing any of those gun laws are not in power, so thats a very tricky political conversation here. Certainly, it is something that I have heard from AAPI leaders here who are part of the state Legislature. But as someone whos covered politics here for six years, I know it would be a tremendous uphill battle. The truth is: I dont believe this man had a record, I dont believe he had any mental health blocks that would have stopped him from getting a gun, and he was within his right to buy this weapon. So while many people are certainly welcome to have a larger conversation about just the ease of access to guns in this country, its not clear even if universal background checks had existed in this case, what would have stopped this guy?

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You also raise the point that this is the states first high-profile national mass shooting in many years, which I hadnt realized until you said it.

Thats right. Its going to be interesting to watch the state grapple with this. However, for all the reasons that weve been discussing, which is that the group of people who were targetedtheyre not white school children, theyre not Black men in the street being gunned down by police officers. This is a community that doesnt necessarily garner the same kind of outrage and policy organization as other groups weve seen that face gun violence. And so its not clear to me that its going to be able to strike some of the same chords we have seen around the country that have resulted in large movements for more gun regulation.

You also mentioned that theres this tension of the fact that the families may not want their moms name allowed. They may not want to publicize what their family member did. When theres not someone speaking out like that, it limits the amount of movement you might have. I think about Ahmaud Arbery, and how his mother was so crucial to getting attention to his case.

Absolutely. Were not seeing that here. And that may change. People are grieving over something very, very shocking that happened, but thus far its not the same kind of response we see when violence is visited on other communities of color.

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Update, March 23, 2021: This post has been updated to clarify that this was the first high-profile mass shooting in Georgia in many years.
STORY LINK Pound Euro Weekly Forecast: GBP/EUR Exchange Rate to Weaken over UK-EU Vaccine Row

Pound Sterling (GBP) Exchange Rates Steady as Record Number of People Vaccinated across the UK

In just one day we vaccinated the equivalent of the entire adult populations of Liverpool, Southampton and Oxford combined.

A huge thank you to everyone involved and please come forward to get your jab when you are invited to do so.

It would be counterproductive because the one thing we know about vaccine production and manufacturing is that it is collaborative.

Euro Exchange Rates Muted by EU-UK Vaccine Row

After concerns about its protection and potency were raised by leaders across Europe, the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine has undoubtedly suffered damage to its reputation for safety on the Continent.

Not only have we seen considerable rises in those who consider it unsafe in the last two weeks in Europe, the AstraZeneca vaccine continues to be seen as substantially less safe than its Pfizer and Moderna counterparts.



GBP/EUR Exchange Rate Outlook: UK Employment Data in Focus



For Pound investors tomorrow sees the release of employment change data from December of 2020.



The data is expected to show a steep increase in those out of employment following new lockdown restrictions imposed at the end of December and heading into the New Year.



Furthermore, wage growth data released for January is expected to have increased again which could offset the predicted 0.1% increase to 5.2% in the unemployment rate.



In absence of any notable data from the Eurozone tomorrow, investors will be keeping an eye on the ongoing row on vaccine exports between the UK and EU, any further developments would drive movement.



Even more so, a further increase in coronavirus cases and deaths across the bloc would add further pressure to Euro sentiment, as Germany seeks to extend lockdown measures.



Like this piece? Please share with your friends and colleagues: 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: Pound Euro Forecasts

The Pound Sterling to Euro (GBP/EUR) exchange rate is weakening during this mornings session as the row between the UK and EU over vaccine exports heats up.At the time of writing the Pound to Euro exchange rate is currently trading at around 1.1614.The Pound is steady this morning as the UK recorded a third consecutive record day of vaccination doses given.It has been reported that 844,285 people received a dose of the vaccine in 24 hours, a figure which was praised by NHS chief executive Sir Simon Stevens:Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced the figure and went on to say:It comes as Boris Johnson is expected to call EU leaders to ease tensions regarding reports the European Union will block exports of the AstraZeneca vaccine to the UK.Defence Secretary Ben Wallace commented on the reports saying:The Euro has been muted this morning as the row between the EU and UK over vaccine exports continues.EU leaders are expected to meet on Thursday to discuss the blocs delayed vaccine rollout, and a recent spike in coronavirus cases across many member states.Despite the European Medicines Agency confirming that the AstraZeneca vaccine is safe to use after concerns over an increased risk of blood clots was reported, many Europeans have lost faith in the vaccine.A YouGov poll published this morning showed that 61 percent of French respondents believed the vaccine was unsafe, with 55 percent of Germans feeling the same way.Both Spain and Italy reported similar figures, with 52 and 43 percent unsure on the vaccine respectively.Matt Smith, lead data journalist at YouGov, commented on the poll:
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[March 22, 2021] Tauriga Sciences Inc. Files International Patent Application, Relating to its Proposed Pharmaceutical Cannabinoid Chewing Gum, Under the Patent Cooperation Treaty

NEW YORK, NY, March 22, 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 on March 17, 2021, the Company filed an International Patent Application under the Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT). This International Patent Application relates to the Companys proposed Pharmaceutical Cannabinoid Chewing Gum Delivery System being developed to treat: Nausea Derived from Active Chemotherapy Treatment.

The Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT) is a cooperative agreement entered into by more than 130 countries (called PCT contracting states) with the purpose of bringing international conformity to the filing and preliminary evaluation of patent applications. The PCT application is published by the International Bureau at the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), based in Geneva, Switzerland, in one of the ten "languages of publication": Arabic, Chinese, English, French, German, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese, Russian, and Spanish. 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 commerciaization 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 Attachment 03_22 pr image



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The Colorado-based company led the US in uranium production for the fourth year in a row and is now in the rare earth element production space

Energy Fuels Inc (NYSEAMERICAN:UUUU) ( ) (FRA:VO51) posted 2020 financial results on Monday that saw a robust balance sheet and strong working capital of $40.2 million.

For the year ended 31 December 2020, the Lakewood, Colorado-based uranium mining company, set down working capital of $40.2 million, a $19.7 million increase over the company's $20.5 million working capital at the end of December 2019. The $40.2 million included $22.4 million of cash and marketable securities, and $27.6 million of inventory, including nearly 690,700 pounds of uranium valued at $23.79 per pound, and 1,672,000 pounds of high-purity vanadium valued at $5.11 per pound.

For the year, uranium production totaled around 196,500 pounds of U3O8, the most stable form of uranium oxide, and vanadium production totaled roughly 67,000 pounds of V2O5, or vanadium oxide, extensively used as a catalyst in many industrial chemical reactions.

Due to its recent share price strength, Energy Fuels raised $30.4 million on its at-the-market equity program between January 1, 2021 and March 18, at a weighted average price of $5.53 per share, bolstering the company's financial position.

On October 6, 2020, the company revealed it was debt-free, following the full retirement of all of its floating rate convertible unsecured subordinated debentures.

In a statement, Energy Fuels CEO Mark S Chalmers hailed 2020 as a transformative year as the company worked on developing a rare earth element (REE) business complementary to its core uranium business.

As a result, we believe we have clearly emerged as the key US hub for the raw materials that make many clean energy and advanced technologies possible, including uranium, rare earths and vanadium, all of which are considered 'critical minerals' by the US government, said Chalmers.

"Starting with our core business, Energy Fuels continues to be the leader in US uranium, as we again led the US in uranium production for the fourth year in a row. Although we are maintaining production at reduced levels for now, our three production facilities in Utah, Wyoming and Texas have a combined capacity to produce more uranium than any other US company.

He noted that the company can quickly deploy this capacity toward higher demand or US government purchases for the national Uranium Reserve.

We were pleased to see the US government recognize the strategic importance of our industry when Congress appropriated $75 million for the creation of the proposed Uranium Reserve. We believe our facilities are natural candidates to receive a significant portion of this money, as they have long track records of proven, low-cost production from our multiple projects, pointed out Chalmers.

On April 13, 2020, the company entered the REE business. In six months, it had produced on a pilot-scale, an intermediate REE product (mixed REE carbonate) from natural REE- and uranium-bearing monazite sands at its White Mesa Mill. Significant quantities of monazite are currently mined as a by-product of heavy mineral sand operations that primarily recover zircon and titanium in the US and elsewhere in the world.

In December last year, the company said that it was entering commercial production of mixed REE carbonate in 2021 following the completion of an agreement on December 14, 2020, to purchase a minimum of 2,500 tons of monazite per year for three years from a facility located in Georgia owned by the Chemours Company (NYSE:CC) (FRA:2CU).

In 2020, we also began working with Chemours and Neo to jointly develop a fully integrated US-European rare earth supply chain using monazite mined in Georgia by Chemours, processed in Utah by Energy Fuels for the recovery of uranium and an REE carbonate, with the REE carbonate then manufactured by Neo into value-added rare earth products in Europe, said Chalmers.

In December 2020, we entered into a three-year supply agreement with Chemours for monazite. And this month, we entered into an agreement in principle, subject to completion of definitive agreements, to sell our mixed rare earth carbonate to Neo, thereby achieving our objective of creating this fully-integrated rare earth supply chain.

Contact the author Uttara Choudhury at uttara@proactiveinvestors.com

Follow her on Twitter: @UttaraProactive
Editor's note: In order to protect the privacy of a patient who was undergoing treatment at a mental health facility, the Post and Courier has chosen to omit the last name.

Allison, 40, taught in higher education for 16 years until the pandemic hit.

Her five daily classes switched to a Zoom format overnight in addition to other consequences of the pandemic, which included her husband losing his job.

While students were given resources to help them cope, the faculty werent and instead were worked to death, she said. It got to the point where I was like, I just cant handle this.

One of Allisons colleagues died by suicide.

She sought help at a mental health facility on March 16. As a psychologist, she knew she was in a mental health emergency.

I didnt want to end up in the same position as that professor did and no one even knew it was a problem, she said.

For more than a year, most have practiced some level of social distancing amid concerns of possibly catching and spreading the coronavirus. Combine those factors with a rise in unemployment and an economic downturn, and youve got a mental health crisis.

Even the strongest  people who have never had issues  are experiencing anxiety and paranoia knowing they could get a disease thats erratic and could lead to death, said Mary Ann Bennett, a registered nurse and chief operations officer for Havenwood Behavioral Health in Travelers Rest. Havenwood provides mental care for adults.

More than 42 percent of people surveyed by the U.S. Census Bureau in December said they had symptoms of anxiety or depression. Thats an 11 percent increase from the previous year. Mental health service nonprofits saw a 22 percent increase in need in South Carolina, according to a new survey of 927 nonprofits in the state by Together SC.

The National Alliance on Mental Health in Greenville saw a 40 percent increase in calls asking for help during the pandemic compared to the previous year, said executive director Ken Dority. Mental Health America of Greenville County (MHAGC) saw an 84 percent increase in calls last year, although it also expanded its coverage area, said Director of Community Engagement Susan Haire. The rate of calls from October to January increased even more, putting it on track to double calls again this year, Haire said.

More worrying than an increase in calls is that MHAGC has seen a sharp increase in distress level, which is assessed at the beginning and end of each call, Haire said. There was a 169 percent surge in the number of calls that needed emergency support in the period between October 2020 to January 2021 compared to the same time frame a year earlier, she said. Likewise, Havenwood has seen an increase in the number of patients so distraught they are unable to answer the standard background health questions within the first 24 hours.

Asking for help with mental health problems can be difficult. Now, even after someone asks for help, they may have trouble getting it. Many hospitals over the past year were heavily focused on COVID-19 patients or seen as off-limits because of the risk of catching the virus.

There are roadblocks to their normal access to care, and I think that really hurt them and led to an increased suicide rate, Bennett said.

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Teens and children have seen the sharpest increase in mental health problems after being cut off from social sources and spending more time in homes with various levels of dysfunction, said Mike Rowley, CEO of Havenwood.

Teens thrive in routine and structure, Rowley said.

The hospitals that Havenwood works with have had waiting lists with 20 to 30 teens and kids that need a bed for mental health treatment. Rowley compared turning teens away during a mental health crisis to turning away someone with a gunshot wound.

After being admitted to a hospital for mental health treatment, the patient is first stabilized and put in a safe environment. Then they are given medication to bring anxiety down and help them self regulate. They also take part in group and private therapy sessions.

I checked in three days ago and am feeling much better, Allison said. I dont think Ill be here much longer.

The pandemic was a leveler in that it was potentially devastating regardless of income or location, Rowley said. The infection rate was significant nationwide. It impacted every aspect of life, and the isolation and loneliness experienced by many was profound.

Being around other people is what helps us regulate and many Americans lost that this past year, Rowley said.

Interactions with others is what grounds us, he said.

The Together SC survey asked nonprofits if there was a silver lining to the past year. A popular answer was that the stigma around mental health is starting to disappear.

"Everyone saw this year a taste of what anxiety feels like and are much more sensitive to the fact that it could happen to anyone, and that it does disrupt every aspect of your life," Rowley said.

There have been some questions about how people will adapt after the pandemic, including being in close proximity to strangers and returning to offices. Bennett sees all the upcoming changes as positive ones that will relieve overall anxiety levels.

Individuals in communities can sense and feel danger and anxiety, she said. [When we start returning to normal] they will feel less stress from around them which will help them regulate.

The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline number is 1-800-273-8255. MHAGC has 50 volunteers at this time and is looking for more. The work can be done remotely. Training takes 60 hours. Email volunteer@mhagc.org for more information or visit its website.
Three Indonesian fishermen abducted by Abu Sayyaf in Sabah rescued

March 22,2021 | Source: Borneo Post

Three Indonesians who were kidnapped by Abu Sayyaf in Sabah in January 2020, have been rescued by Filipino forces on Thursday (March 18).



The Indonesian Foreign Ministry in a statement said the three from Kabupaten Wakatobi, Southeast Sulawesi were reported to be in good health and are in the process of being sent back to Indonesia.



The rescue operation was carried out on Thursday evening in the waters of Tawi-Tawi when the boat used by the group with the three victims onboard, capsized in rough sea.



They (the hostages) were being transferred by the group from Indanan, Sulu, to another place after getting wind of an integrated operation by Filipino security forces, said the statement.



The three were rescued before being brought to Zamboanga and will be flown to Manila for processing before returning to Indonesia.



On January 16 2020, five Indonesian fishermen who were working on a Malaysian fishing boat were kidnapped in the waters of Tambisan, Sabah, Malaysia.



The three rescued hostages were identified as Arizal Kasta Miran, 30, Arsad Dahlan, 41, and Andi Riswanto Hayano, 26.



Another abducted victim, La Baa, 32, was found dead on Sept 28 2020 in Patikul, Sulu, Philippines while the fate of another hostage, a 12-year-old boy is still unknown.

 2010-2021 The Borneo Post Sdn Bhd. All Rights Reserved

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The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday agreed to consider the Justice Department's bid to reinstate the death sentence for Boston Marathon bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev.

Jurors in 2015 had sentenced Tsarnaev to death for helping to carry out the deadly 2013 bomb blast, but an appeals court later ordered a new trial regarding the sentence he should receive.

That ruling was in turn challenged by the Trump-era DOJ, which, in an effort to reinstate Tsarnaevs death sentence, argued that the appeals courts decision should be reviewed by the U.S. Supreme Court  which it will now be.

President Joe Biden's administration has given no indication it plans to reverse the Trump administration's approach to the case, as it has done in several other cases pending at the court  despite Biden having said on the campaign trail that he would seek to end the federal death penalty.

Tsarnaev and his older brother, Tamerlan, detonated two homemade pressure cooker bombs at the Boston Marathons finish line in April of 2013. Three people were killed and over 260 were injured.

A massive manhunt ensued in the days that followed. The two brothers, while on the run, also killed a police officer. Tsarnaev's brother later died after a gunfight with police.

The justices will hear oral arguments regarding the DOJs appeal and issue a ruling in the court's next term, which starts in October.

Video Transcript

- The US Supreme Court, on Monday, agreed to consider the Justice Department's bid to reinstate the death sentence for Boston Marathon bomber, Dzhokhar Tsarnaev. Jurors, in 2015, had sentenced Tsarnaev to death for helping to carry out the deadly 2013 bomb blast but an appeals court later ordered a new trial regarding the sentence he should receive. That ruling was, in turn, challenged by the Trump-era DOJ, which, in an effort to reinstate Tsarnaev's death sentence, argued that the appeals court's decision should be reviewed by the US Supreme Court, which it will now be.

President Joe Biden's administration has given no indication it plans to reverse the Trump administration's approach to the case, as it has done in several other cases pending at the Court, despite Biden having said on the campaign trail that he would seek to end the federal death penalty. Tsarnaev and his older brother, Tamerlan, detonated two homemade pressure cooker bombs at the Boston Marathon's finish line in April of 2013.

Three people were killed and over 260 were injured. A massive manhunt ensued in the days that followed. The two brothers, while on the run, also killed a police officer. Tsarnaev's brother later died after a gunfight with police. The justices will hear oral arguments regarding the DOJ's appeal and issue a ruling in the Court's next term, which starts in October.
First Lady Jill Biden will visit Alabama for the first time since her husband was inaugurated as president.

Biden is scheduled to visit the Birmingham area on Friday to highlight provisions in the $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan Act relating to childhood poverty, according to the city of Birmingham. More details about where Biden will visit will be announced later.

The COVID-19 federal relief package was signed into law on March 11, and was voted mostly along party lines.

Within the package is an allowance for most working and middle-class families to receive an expanded child tax credit worth up to $3,600 for each child under the age of 6, and $3,000 for each child ages 6 through 17. The White House anticipates the changes in the Child Tax Credit to cut child poverty in half.

In Alabama, a report released in December shows that children of color experience disproportionately high rates of poverty. The report titled Alabama Kids Count, indicates that children of color will make up the majority of the child population and the majority of the workforce by 2030. At the same time, Black and Hispanic children suffered average poverty rates of 41.9% and 42.6%, respectively, between 2014 and 2018. The rate for white children was 16.5%.

Biden is participating in a nationwide tour to promote the American Rescue Plan Act. President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris are also participating in the Help is Here tour. The mission is to educate Americans on whats inside the COVID-19 relief package.
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The importance attached by the US to the Indo-Pacific, places India at an advantageous position, both in defence and economic sectors.

While the world was combating the Covid pandemic, international leaders were also busy in realigning the world as per their country's priorities and goals. One region, which has emerged on the top of this new realignment, is the region of the Indo-Pacific.

The Indo-Pacific comprises the Indian Ocean, the western and central Pacific Ocean, and the seas connecting the two oceans around parts of Indonesia.The term "Indo-Pacific" gained usage in geopolitical discourseafter 2011. It is also described as a substitute for "Quad" or the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue, an informal grouping of like-minded democracies in the region, comprising Australia, Japan, India, and the United States.

Historically, "Indo-Pacific" was first used by the German geo-politician Karl Haushofer in the 1920s in his academic work "Indopazifischen Raum". But its security aspects emerged in early 2000s, when the analysts began to observe the 'security' linkage between the two Oceans. In this context, the term was first used in an article authored by GurpreetKhurana, carried in the January 2007 issue of the Strategic Analysis journal titled "Security of Sea Lines: Prospects for India-Japan Cooperation". The author refers to the 'Indo-Pacific' as the maritime space stretching from the littorals of East Africa and West Asia, across the Indian Ocean and western Pacific Ocean, to the littorals of East Asia.

Former Japan Prime Minister Shinzo Abe expanded on the spirit of the term in his speech to the Indian Parliament in August 2007 when he talked about the "Confluence of the Indian and Pacific Oceans" as "the dynamic coupling as seas of freedom and of prosperity" in the "broader Asia".

American push for the Quad Quad was first floated in 2004 to manage disaster relief after the Tsunami. Later, Dick Cheney tried to redefine it as a military club, to counter Chinese influence, but was abandoned in 2010 as India and Australia didn't wanted to ruffle the Chinese feathers. The Trump administration revived the regional grouping in 2017, ostensibly to counter China in the region, particularly in the South China Sea, where the Chinese have continually challenged the Japanese and Americans.

US under Trump wanted to shape the Quad into an Asian NATO, a point that has been raised and challenged by the Chinese again and again, as they see it as a potential defence deterrent in the region. The importance being attached to this by the original members, and the recent desire expressed by the British and French to join also underlines both its economic and defence utility. Though the Biden administration wants to position it as an American outreach on trade, immigration, public health, climate change, yet its security aspect can't be overlooked.

To give a boost to the alliance, the leaders of the Quad met on March 12, 2021through a virtual summit. The summit and the joint statement issued highlights the evolution of the grouping and its agenda made clearer and resolve by the member states to sustain the momentum.

At a White House press conference following the summit,the U.S. National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan noted that each of the four leaders present had described the meeting as "historic." Quad talks were elevated to the ministerial level in 2019 with foreign ministers from all four countries holding a meeting on the margins of the United Nations General Assembly session in New York in September that year. Since then, Quad foreign ministers have met twice: in-person in Tokyo in October last year, and virtually last month.

President Biden has zealouslyendorsed the "free and open Indo-Pacific" jargonfavoured by his predecessor, contrary to apprehensions that he would seek to adopt a softer line toward China and that the Indo-Pacific paradigm would not be so significant for the new administration.

However, the reality is that the Quad, in essential sense is not a formal alliance, yet. Therecent summit concentrated primarily on urgent global catastrophes comprising coronavirus and the climate emergency and tried not to ruffle feathers or cause undue apprehensions in the regional countries, particularly ASEAN member states. A joint statement after the assembly noted that the four nations would collaborate to increase Covid vaccine production, in which India would be helped financially by other members to boost its vaccine production base.But differences remained among the member states on how to handle China.

India's future in the Quad The moot question is whether Quad in essential sense would be transformed into a real regional alliance or will it continue to serve some countries only, to use it as and when required as per their necessity.

Though one country, which seems poised to gain most out of Quad is India. Due to its vast market potential and also as a counter to China in the region, most western powers attach great importance to it in the region. Indian leaders also realise this besides the fact that to transform into a regional power it has to pursue a geopolitical strategy, which maximises its economic interests and security.

The Indian Prime Minister has spelled out the Indian vision of Indo-Pacific as an enabler for "a common pursuit of progress and prosperity... not directed against any country... (albeit based on) our principled commitment to rule of law." India's role at the Quad seems central to the Biden administration's plans for the region and the quest to counter China. US initiatives so far suggests the Biden administration is serious about its stated intention to counter China through alliances, based on shared values, and that it sees the Quad and India as central to that. At the same time the US seems ready to moderate India's feeling of insecurity in regard to be part of a binding alliance along with its ambition to emerge as a dominant regional player, while downplaying China.

It seems that the US wants to promote bilateral ties by bolstering India at the Quad, and also focussing on more areas of cooperation, which were ignored during the Trump regime. The recent visit of the US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin to India demonstrates both these aspects.

With Tony Blinken at the State Department and Jake Sullivan at the National Security Council, as well as Mr Biden himself, the current US administration possesses more experience of dealing with India than any of its predecessors. It also highlights its resolve to make Indo-US relations as central to its plans. With China as a common denominator,the relationship holds more chances of being robust and fruitful for both. And the key role, which the US wants India to play at the Quad, is more apparent now. It may also open the doors for increased bilateral cooperation and sale of more American military hardware to India besides economic benefits.

(Asad Mirza is a political commentator based in New Delhi)
Source: Xinhua| 2021-03-22 19:35:06|Editor: huaxia

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THIMPHU, March 22 (Xinhua) -- Bhutan received the second consignment of 400,000 COVID-19 vaccine from India on Monday.

As per the government sources, the consignment comprise of 400,000 doses of Covishield COVID-19 vaccines. Covishield is the Oxford-AstraZeneca-developed vaccine manufactured by the Serum Institute of India.

This consignment of vaccines was brought to Bhutan by DrukAir, a state-owned airline.

In January India has gifted Bhutan with 150,000 doses of Covishield vaccines. The Indian Air Force delivered the first consignment of vaccines at Paro airport on Jan. 20.

The Indian Ambassador to Bhutan Ruchira Kamboj will officially hand over the vaccines to Bhutan's Foreign Minister as part of the protocol, local news sources said.

Bhutan has recorded a total of 869 positive COVID-19 cases, of which 867 were declared recovered, one still active and one died due to the virus.

The Health Ministry is urging every citizen to register for COVID-19 vaccination, which will be rolled out from March 28. As of Monday, more than 495,028 people have registered for vaccination, stated the ministry. Enditem
Now that they've received their COVID-19 vaccinations, Joel Ettinger, 75, and his wife, Gail, 73, are set for their first big trip since the coronavirus pandemic began last March: Theyre headed from their home in New York City for a two-week visit with their two sons and their families  including a new baby granddaughter  in Seattle. We are off-the-charts excited to meet her, says Ettinger, who adds that they also cant wait to spend time with their two grandsons, whom they havent seen in more than a year because of COVID-19.

As an increasing number of older Americans receive COVID-19 vaccinations  about 75 percent of people 65 and up had received at least one dose by April 4, according to the CDC  they are eager to visit dearly missed family members or take dreamed-about vacations (some are calling them vaxications) knowing that theyre protected from the worst effects of the virus.

A survey of 1,200 clients by Virtuoso, a network of travel advisers, this year found that among those older than age 56, about 90 percent said theyre more ready to travel in 2021. Eighty-two percent said they'd wait for the vaccine before they depart.

Theres definitely a big bump in interest, says Dana Storr, owner of Luxami Travel, based in Rancho Palos Verdes, California. Starting at the end of January, I started hearing from my older clientele, saying, Were getting the vaccine next week, and then, Weve now gotten our second shot. Theres this appetite to just go.
Seven people were killed and three injured in various security incidents in the last 24 hours in Kabul.

According to TOLOnews, in one incident, a vehicle hit a roadside bomb in Chahar Asiab district in Kabul on Sunday morning, killing five members of one family. Relatives of the deceased family informed that the family was on its way to the Lalandar area for a Nawroz celebration when their vehicle was targeted by the blast.

In another roadside bomb blast that occurred in Bagrami district in Kabul last night, "one police force member was killed and one more was wounded", police added.

Also, a security source told Tolo News that "one person was killed and two more were wounded in an attack by unknown armed men in Qargha lake in Paghman district of Kabul on Friday".

There has been an increase in the targeted attacks on government employees ahead of the deadline for the planned withdrawal of US troops from this May. According to estimates by TOLOnews, 144 people have been killed and 214 have been wounded in different security incidents in the last 18 days.

(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.)
PITT TOWN, Australia  Australia was set on Monday to evacuate thousands more people from suburbs in Sydneys west, battered by the worst flooding in 60 years, with torrential rains expected to continue for another day or two.

Reuters images showed submerged intersections, marooned livestock and cars up to their windshields in water, out of which poked the tops of street signs, as three days of rain swelled rivers in the most populous state of New South Wales (NSW).

This is an ongoing situation that is evolving and is extremely dangerous, Prime Minister Scott Morrison told parliament.

Two major insurers said most of the more than 3,300 claims they received concerned damage to property, with more expected. Suncorp and IAG said it was too early to estimate the final number of claims or costs.

Read more: Insurance Council of Australia Declares Catastrophe for Parts of New South Wales

Australias coal exports were disrupted, as the deluge shut rail lines into the port of Newcastle, the worlds largest coal export port, and forced some mines to cut output.

The rain submerging large swathes of the state contrasts with weather conditions a year ago, when authorities were battling drought and catastrophic bushfires.

I dont know any time in state history where we have had these extreme weather conditions in such quick succession in the middle of a pandemic, NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian told reporters.

Sunday was Sydneys wettest day of the year, with almost 111 mm (4.4 inches) of rain, while nearly 900 mm (35 inches) was dumped in some north coast regions in the last six days, or more than three times the March average, government data showed.

The Hawkesbury and Nepean rivers flooded most of northwestern Sydney, leaving residents stranded.

You get a lot of rubbish. It was going pastas fast as the ski boats goAs soon as it broke the banks, it was like a torrent, said Larry Powers, after he was rescued by emergency services following a days wait at his property in Pitt Town.

A helicopter rescued a stranded bride and groom on Saturday to get them to the church on time. The bride, Kate Fotheringham, posted a picture of the newly weds kissing in front of a flooded bridge that had blocked their five-minute drive into town.

I made it to the church and married the love of my life! she said on Twitter on Monday.

Authorities said about 18,000 people have been evacuated from low-lying areas.

Large parts of the east coast will get more heavy rain from Monday, brought by a combination of a tropical low over the northern part of Western Australia and a coastal trough off New South Wales, said Jane Golding, a weather official.

We expect this heavy rain to fall on areas that havent seen as much rain over the last few days, Golding told reporters. We expect the flood risk to develop in those areas as well.

Some parts of Sydneys western regions have suffered the worst flooding since 1961, said authorities, who expect the wild weather to last until Wednesday.

A severe flood warning has been issued for large parts of New South Wales, as well as neighboring Queensland.

(Reporting by Renju Jose in Sydney and Jill Gralow in Pitt Town; additional reporting by Sonali Paul in Melbourne; editing by Richard Pullin and Michael Perry)

Topics Flood Australia
Kathmandu, March 22 : Nepal President Bidya Devi Bhandari on Monday left for Bangladesh on a two-day state visit, during which she will attend a special programme in Dhaka and meet others senior leaders from the region.

Bangladesh is hosting the 10-day special programme to celebrate the birth centenary of the Father of the Nation, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, and also 50 years of the country's independence. The celebrations began on March 17.

According to Nepal's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Bhandari will attend the celebrations in Dhaka and on the occasion she deliver a statement on the theme, "Nepal-Bangladesh Relations and Bangabandhu's Birth Centenary".

She will also hold talks her Bangladeshi counterpart Abdul Hamid at Bangabhaban, the Presidential Palace in the capital city.

Nepal's Minister for Communications and Information Technology Parbat Gurung, also the government spokesperson, said the countries will sign three Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs).

An array of subjects like cultural relations, tourism sector, and pesticides on agriculture and livestock between Nepal and Bangladesh would be discussed, he added.

Likewise, linking Nepal with ports in Bangladesh through railway and transportation would also be on Bhandari's agency.

"There is the hope that the subject of initiatives taken by Bangladesh on purchasing power from Nepal will be discussed," Gurung said.

The government of Bangladesh has provided Nepal transit facility through the Kakadbhitta-Phulbari-Banglabandh via India roadway as well as at the Chittagong and Mongla seaports.

It has also made available an additional 'rail corridor' for the operation of a freight train from Rohanpur-Singhabad to Nepal via India, and it has opened the way for the Himalayan nation to use the Mongla harbour as an option to the Kolkata port.

Since Mongla port is nearer to Kolkata, it will help expand bilateral trade at a comparatively lesser cost for Nepal.
Supplier News

22 March 2021

DTP, a Las Vegas real estate firm, has selected StayNTouch Cloud PMS and Contactless Check-in solutions, for its Downtowner and Oasis at Gold Spike boutique hotel properties.

DTP has invested over $350 million to revitalize downtown Las Vegas into a vibrant, connected, and sustainable urban core by supporting small business, community-led initiatives, arts, and culture. DTP chose StayNTouch Cloud PMS & Contactless Check-in solutions to facilitate a seamless and more connected guest experience.

Patrik Balint, Regional Manager of Revenue Management at DTP explains, "Guests want options, and they want service and communication on their terms. While our previous PMS could handle transactions, it wasn't meeting the needs of our more technologically savvy guests and wasn't pushing our service culture to a higher level. StayNTouch allows our Front Desk team to focus on the guest, and not be distracted by the administrative process of checking someone in."

Michael Heflin, Chief Revenue Officer of StayNTouch says, "StayNTouch shares DTP's commitment to guest-centric hospitality. With an intuitive UI and robust features, our cloud PMS coupled with self-service check-in, enables hoteliers to focus on serving their guests, rather than being constrained by their PMS."

About StayNTouch

StayNTouch provides a fully cloud and mobile hotel property management system (PMS) that enables hotels to raise service levels, drive revenues, reduce costs, and ultimately captivate their guests. Backed by a team of professionals with deep roots in the hospitality industry, StayNTouch is a trusted partner to many forward-thinking hotels and resorts, including the TWA Hotel, First Hotels, Conscious Hotels, Margaritaville, Valencia Hotel Group, and Modus Hotels.

About DTP Companies

Formerly conceptualized as "Downtown Project" in 2012, DTP Companies is the expanded product 'beyond the project' of an all-encompassing $350 million revitalization effort funded by the late Tony Hsieh, former CEO of Zappos, focused on Downtown Las Vegas (DTLV) inspiring people to live, work, and play through cultivating environments that encourage creativity, discovery, and WOW experiences.

DTP is dedicated to helping revitalize part of downtown Las Vegas through investment in small businesses; tech startups; real estate and development; and arts, culture, and education. Now in its eighth year, DTP Companies serves as either an owner or investor to more than 300 businesses and legal entities by providing funding and support. Its efforts have created an estimated $209.2 million in recurring economic output by employing more than 1,570 people since 2012. DTP Companies represents the connectedness of downtown Las Vegas beyond streets and city blocks and strives to incorporate a one-of-a-kind diversity of people & businesses in its portfolio. DTP Companies also drive upward mobility and entrepreneurial energy through the pursuit of social collisions, co-learning, and connectedness in a long-term, sustainable way. For a list of its hospitality lodgings, retail centers, restaurants, residential units, small businesses and other properties, visit https://dtplv.com.
Saudi Arabia and Chad Sunday signed a cooperation agreement between the two countries in the several unspecified areas, Arab News reports.

Saudi top diplomat Prince Faisal bin Farhan, media said citing the Saudi foreign ministry held a meeting with his Chadian counterpart Abba Siddick.

Both top officials, the ministry noted, following the meeting signed a general agreement for cooperation between the two counties.

The ministry did not elaborate on the agreement but also indicated that the meeting focused on areas of joint cooperation between the two countries, and the most prominent regional and international developments of common interest.
The boyfriend of a British woman who mysteriously disappeared from his yacht in the Caribbean has a history of domestic violence, his ex-wife has revealed.

Sarm Heslop, 41, a former air hostess for Flybe airline, vanished in the dead of night from Ryan Bane's 47ft catamaran Siren Song in the US Virgin Islands two weeks ago.

Mr Bane waited a reported nine hours before calling the US Coastguard and, despite her parents' pleas, has since refused to let police search his boat.

Now Cori Stevenson, married to fellow American Mr Bane, 44, for six years, has come forward to say her ex 'went to jail for kicking my a**'.

Court records show he was jailed for 21 days in 2011 after leaving her bloodied and with a chipped tooth following a row.

Miss Stevenson, 43, told police in Oakland County, near Detroit in Michigan, that she was dragged out of their truck before having her head slammed into the ground in the night-time attack.

And, she told police, her husband had been violent before. The police report said: 'She states that Ryan has been becoming increasingly verbally abusive toward her, and that he has been physically abusive one time previously.

'She states that this incident happened about six months ago, that the incident went unreported, and that it caused her to miss multiple days of work with marks to her face.'

Sarm Heslop, 41, a former air hostess for Flybe airline, vanished in the dead of night from Ryan Bane's 47ft catamaran Siren Song in the US Virgin Islands two weeks ago

Cori Stevenson, married to fellow American Mr Bane, 44, for six years, has come forward to say her ex 'went to jail for kicking my a**'

Miss Stevenson was attacked after the pair attended a wedding party and argued on the way home.

The report added: 'Ryan continually got frustrated with her asking for directions while he was trying to sleep.' When they got home at 5am, 'Ryan grabbed her and dragged her out of the truck,' officers wrote.

'Ryan grabbed her in the dining room, threw her to the ground, and smashed her head in to the floor, chipping one of her teeth.'

Police said there were clear signs of a struggle, noting that Miss Stevenson's 'right tooth had a chip out of it, her right ear lobe was bloody and scratched, her right shoulder and side of her neck showed red scratches...'.

Mr Bane was taken to police cells before appearing in court charged with domestic violence. Despite having told officers he was 'defending himself', he pleaded guilty and was jailed for 21 days.

In 2013 he was jailed again, for ten days, for violating his two-year probation. He had been ordered not to contact his wife.

Speaking to DailyMail.com, Stevenson's fiance detailed how Bane allegedly broke her teeth during one violent confrontation.

Bane and Stevenson met in Michigan and she says that his demeanor completely changed after their 2008 wedding. She said she ended their honeymoon early because she feared for her safety.

The couple divorced in 2014 and Bane moved to the Caribbean in 2015.

Stevenson now says that she is communicating with the Virgin Islands police about Bane's past and has provided authorities with court documents related to their marriage and divorce.

Heslop's friends insist they are not 'pointing fingers' at Bane but are calling on the American, who moved to the Caribbean in 2015, 'to provide as many details as possible'

The couple said that Bane's father has flown to the Virgin Islands to be with his son.

On Sunday March 7, Heslop vanished from Bane's 47ft yacht, the Siren Song, moored off the coast of St John in the U.S. Virgin Islands and hasn't been seen since.

According to Bane, the couple had been for dinner in a restaurant, leaving at 10pm in line with the local Covid curfew and taking their dinghy back to the vessel, anchored 120ft from secluded Frank Bay.

They went to sleep, Bane says, and when he woke at 2am after his yacht's anchor alarm sounded, Heslop had gone.

Bane called the Coast Guard's San Juan station reporting that 'his girlfriend may have fallen' from the yacht.

Police searching for the missing 41-year-old from Southampton, England have been scouring land and sea off the island of St John, where the yacht was moored.

But the officers have been stopped from stepping foot on the Siren Song by Bane who is not cooperating.

Virgin Islands Police Department (VIPD) spokesman Toby Derima said officers had performed an 'initial land search', adding on the BBC: 'Soon after reporting Ms Heslop missing, Mr Bane acquired the services of an attorney.

'Upon his attorney's advice, Mr Bane exercised his constitutional right to remain silent and denied officers' requests to search the vessel.'

It has been widely reported that Bane, who is still on board Siren Song, waited almost ten hours to report his girlfriend missing.

His lawyer, David Cattie, has said this is 'categorically false' and that, in fact, Ryan called the police at 2.30am after discovering she had disappeared.

Police searching for the missing 41-year-old from Southampton, England have been scouring land and sea off the island of St John, where the yacht was moored

Mr Bane waited a reported nine hours before calling the US Coastguard and, despite her parents' pleas, has since refused to let police search his boat

Miss Stevenson told US website Crime Online that their six-year marriage ended in divorce, finalised in 2014, due to the abuse.

In the past week, she has spoken to local officers and posted messages of hope that Miss Heslop will be found alive. But Mr Bane's social media last night did not appear to feature any appeals for help in finding Miss Heslop.

Instead, it bore a prominent image of him carousing with bikini-clad women, and his grandiose declaration: 'I feel most alive, and happy running down my dreams on the cusp of my ever-expanding comfort zone.'

Mr Bane has been using his boat to take paying tourists on trips, with Miss Heslop, from Southampton, acting as cook. They met in Grenada, via dating app Tinder, last year.

Mr Bane, a graduate account manager turned yacht captain, has told police they were anchored 120ft offshore in Frank Bay on St John Island earlier this month when they went to a restaurant.

They returned and watched television, he claimed, before he went to bed at around 10pm. He says he was woken by the 500,000 yacht's anchor alarm at 2am  and found strong swimmer Miss Heslop gone.The experienced sailor left behind her phone, purse and passport.

The USVI police department  who have not ruled out foul play  said at the weekend: 'Soon after reporting Ms Heslop missing, Mr Bane acquired the services of an attorney. Upon his attorney's advice, Mr Bane exercised his constitutional right to remain silent and denied officers' requests to search the vessel.'

Mr Bane's lawyer David Cattie insists his client has been helping police. But Miss Heslop's parents Peter Heslop and Brenda Street want Siren Song searched.

Mr Cattie said last night that coastguards had been aboard, adding: 'Just after finding Sarm missing, Ryan Bane contacted the VIPD then travelled to meet members of the VIPD to give a statement. Ryan's thoughts are with Sarm and her family at this time, and he is praying for her safe return.'
Northbrook, IL -- (SBWIRE) -- 03/21/2021 -- 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.



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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 tanks, 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



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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



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LOS ANGELES, March 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- In a decision that will likely affect California motorists, homeowners, small businesses and even medical providers, the California Supreme Court has ruled that insurance companies are not immune from lawsuits by consumers who were overcharged for title insurance coverage as part of a home refinance or sale.

The ruling in Villanueva v. Fidelity National Title Company by the state's highest court rejects Fidelity Insurance Company's argument that consumers have no right to go to court to challenge overcharges in connection with a sale or refinance or their homes. All lenders insist that consumers purchase "title insurance," an arcane requirement that has proven to be a financial boondoggle for hapless consumers and a windfall for insurance companies. Most people don't even become aware of the fees associated with title insurance  many excessive and unfair  until the moment they sign papers to close the loan.

Though the court's decision addressed only title insurance, its legal analysis undercuts virtually all of the legal arguments that auto, homeowner and business insurance companies have made trying to block lawsuits brought against them when they violate Proposition 103, the 1988 voter approved measure that dramatically reformed the state's insurance industry.

"Insurance companies must be brought to justice when they violate the law," said Harvey Rosenfield, author of Proposition 103 and founder of Consumer Watchdog, which submitted a detailed "friend of the court" brief in the case on behalf of itself and the Consumer Federation of America and the Consumer Federation of California. "The Supreme Court's decision should clear away the confusion created by the insurance industry over whether citizens can sue an insurance company for overcharging them, discriminating against them or other violations of Prop 103 and California's consumer protection laws."

Citizen-Enforcement Provisions of Proposition 103 Under Assault

Passed after a David versus Goliath battle in 1988, the grassroots-based Proposition 103 forced insurance companies to refund $1.4 billion in excessive auto, home, business and other liability insurance; requires insurance companies to open their books and justify all proposed rates before they take effect; bans unfair and discriminatory practices as basing auto premiums on where people live, rather than their driving safety record; and made the insurance commissioner an elected post.

Recognizing that the insurance industry would seek to evade and undermine these new protections, the voters gave themselves the right to defend and enforce Proposition 103 through civil suits in the courts and in Department of Insurance administrative proceedings. Insurance companies are required to pay the legal expenses of consumers challenging violations of the law, levelling the legal playing field.

Insurance companies have bitterly fought the public's right to hold them accountable under Proposition 103.

In dozens of court cases, lawyers for the insurance industry have pointed to laws that authorize insurance companies to share claims and pricing data  which would otherwise be unlawful under anti-monopoly rules. The insurance companies say those laws override the citizen right to sue created by Proposition 103, and bar consumers from suing insurance companies that overcharge consumers or engage in other unlawful activity, particularly if the industry is regulated by the commissioner.

Most courts have rejected these outlandish arguments, upholding Proposition 103. But several lower courts have sided with insurance companies.

Supreme Court Negates Insurance Industry Arguments

In the Villanueva case, the court of appeal agreed with the title insurance company that the anti-monopoly immunity laws bar a challenge to excessive fees that were never even presented to state regulators. It relied on two other lower court decisions that, in poorly reasoned rulings, denied consumers the right to challenge violations of Prop 103's protections against discriminatory practices by auto insurance companies.

The Supreme Court's decision reversed the court of appeal and determined that the title insurance immunity laws do not bar a consumer from going to court to challenge excessive fees. It also recognized that it's ruling only applied to the title insurance issues before it. But the Supreme Court's analysis of the immunity statutes' meaning and purposes applies equally to the nearly identical statutes at issue in the Proposition 103 cases.

"The Supreme Court's opinion in Villanueva clarifies the proper interpretation of the insurance company immunity statutes and correctly concludes that citizens cannot be denied their day in court under California laws that explicitly provide that right," Rosenfield concluded.

Read:

Supreme Court ruling: https://www.consumerwatchdog.org/sites/default/files/2021-03/S252035-Villenueva%20Dec.PDF

CWD's Friend of the Court Brief: https://www.consumerwatchdog.org/sites/default/files/2021-03/2020-01-21%20Application%20to%20File%20Amicus%20Brief%20and%20Brief%20of%20CWD%2C%20CFA%2C%20CFC%202.pdf

CWD's Letter to the Supreme Court Urging it Grant Review: https://www.consumerwatchdog.org/sites/default/files/2021-03/2018-11-19%20CWD%20Letter%20in%20Support%20of%20Petition%20for%20Review.pdf

Learn more about Proposition 103: https://www.consumerwatchdog.org/prop-103-california-insurance-reform

SOURCE Consumer Watchdog

Related Links

http://www.consumerwatchdog.org


The problem of piracy and maritime crimes in the Gulf of Guinea seem not to have received the attention it deserves. The region is the hotbed of these crimes, and nowhere else in the world do pirates strike more often than in the Gulf of Guinea.

Last week, something with significant but far-reaching diplomatic implications happened in security circles, particularly in the maritime security sphere. Denmark, a tiny European country of 5.3 million people, less than the size and population of Rivers State in Nigeria, resolved to send a frigate to patrol and police the waters of the Gulf of Guinea. The decision followed the call for a more assertive response to the embarrassing high level of sea crimes, piracy and kidnapping for ransom taking place in the region, for which international perception puts Nigeria at the centre.

According to the Danish Minister of Defence, Trine Bramsen, This is initiated because the maritime security is challenged. Pirates are behind several severe kidnappings in the area. It threatens the security of Danish and foreign crews. In such a situation we cannot and shall not just watch. We must stand up for the right to free navigation. The Danish Navy has previously proved to be strong and important in the combating of the pirates. However, if we are really going to get security under control in the Gulf of Guinea, an international military presence is necessary. From the Danish side, we try to have more countries takingresponsibility.

The problem of piracy and maritime crimes in the Gulf of Guinea seem not to have received the attention it deserves. The region is the hotbed of these crimes, and nowhere else in the world do pirates strike more often than in the Gulf of Guinea. According to the International Maritime Bureau, in its 2020 annual report, 95 per cent of the 135 seafarers seized worldwide were kidnapped in the Gulf in 22 separate incidents. Pirates took the hostages to the creeks in the Niger Delta, where stakeholders negotiate ransoms.

The Gulf of Guinea is proving more dangerous than even the Somali coast. Last January, a regular script played out when the container ship, MV Mozart, was more than 200 nautical miles off the Nigerian coast and pirates suddenly struck. According to news reports, there were dramatic scenes on board the vessel, with the ships crew cowered in a safe room, fearing for their lives, and the pirates quietly set about the work of getting to them.

The criminals spent six hours before they were able to open the Citadel door and then snuff life out of one crew member, while kidnapping 15 others. Allegedly, the pirates got a ransom before they released the seafarers they abducted.

The Gulf of Guinea is considered a strategic location due to its natural resources, so it remains a critical maritime route for international shipping from Europe to America, to West, Central and Southern Africa. The regions importance in global energy supply is evident in its proximity to Europe and North America, as a channel for the transportation of crude oil and gas from the area. It is estimated that at least 20 per cent of Europes oil and gas comes from the Gulf of Guinea.

It is understandable why the Danes would be interested in protecting the Gulf of Guineas dangerous waters. Copenhagen-based Maersk, the worlds biggest shipping company, is responsible for more than a third of maritime trade in the Gulf of Guinea. Simultaneously, as many as 40 Danish-operated vessels sail through the area daily.

Maritime transportation itself is necessary for the stability of Nigerias economy. And the country as a coastal and import-oriented state depends primarily on international shipping for revenue from the mining of its natural resources, mainly crude oil. Yet, the activities of maritime criminals on the countrys coastal waters have resulted in economic sabotage that affects the countrys image on the international scene. Nigeria loses 150,000 barrels of crude oil every day to oil thieves, which amounts to about N2.5 billion daily, and over N900 billion annually.

It is understandable why the Danes would be interested in protecting the Gulf of Guineas dangerous waters. Copenhagen-based Maersk, the worlds biggest shipping company, is responsible for more than a third of maritime trade in the Gulf of Guinea. Simultaneously, as many as 40 Danish-operated vessels sail through the area daily. However, it is disturbing that we need foreigners before we can secure our waters. The attendant security implications are dire, and the consequent perpetuation of our countrys perception as largely dysfunctional does us no good.

This plan of action has far-reaching implications for Nigerias status, stature, and sovereignty, and I will share a few here. First, the country faces severe security challenges on all fronts that have questioned our capacity to manage security in our country. The security challenge manifests as Boko Haram, farmer-herdsmen clashes, kidnapping for ransom, and ethnic tension. Some international institutions have even derided us as being at the early stage of a failed state. Added to these security challenges is a spike in maritime insecurity. This is a challenge that will diminish the confidence of the international community in our country.

Second, Denmarks action, supported by the international shipping community, allegedly because international ship traffic is threatened by criminal activities, is technically branding Nigeria and sister countries around the Gulf of Guinea as having failed to police their territorial waters, which confers on them their true sovereignty. By international law, it is when a country or a region fails or is failing in its primary responsibility of securing its waters that international partners can give support. How can countries in the gulf of Guinea region, especially Nigeria, be candidates for the international communitys sympathy? There has been the lame argument that Denmarks action is outside the territorial waters of any particular country in the region. It is evident that global naval action at sea was prominent and successful in countering Somalian piracy in the Gulf of Eden, because the country was adjudged a failed state.

Third, any international naval intervention is an insult to our naval powers. Is it that our security agencies lack the capabilities and capacity to match and eliminate amateurish pirates and other criminals terrorising our waters?

Fourth, without security at sea, Nigeria would find it harder to achieve economic prosperity. Nigerias piracy problem is linked to the countrys dysfunctional oil industry and the violent activities in the Niger Delta and other parts of the country. Corruption, pervasive poverty, and weak law enforcement drive piracy and insecurity. Some government officials  maritime professionals, naval and paramilitary law enforcement personnel  allegedly collude with pirates and criminals generally, by providing them with insider information that aids their nefarious activities, for which they get shares of the ransoms collected in return.

Fifth, the reputation of Nigeria among the comity of nations is at stake. When small countries like Denmark provide security in the Gulf of Guinea, what does that say about Nigerias image as Africas economic giant? Nigeria built a strong reputation as a regional power within West Africa in the recent past. But with the current spate of insecurity and piracy, this reputation is gradually fading away. It is high time Nigeria worked collaboratively with sister nations around the Gulf of Guinea to provide adequate security for the maritime sector. This can be done when the ancillary factors leading to maritime insecurity are resolved. An excellent strategic security plan should be developed, implemented, and evaluated to provide adequate security in the region and across the country.

The military should be provided with better equipment to fight pirates and armed robbers at sea. The Nigerian Navy has shown its military prowess in fighting piracy within the Niger Delta and the Gulf of Guinea. However, fighting crime at sea requires teamwork that should involve other stakeholders

I must point out that I am not against foreign countries coming to help states of the region to provide security in the Gulf of Guinea or elsewhere. Still, I feel that Nigeria should play the lead role in a coalition of naval security apparatus from the international community this is providing security in the Gulf of Guinea. Individual foreign state actors intervening unilaterally, although with good intentions, has global security and bilateral relations consequences. If Nigeria and other Gulf of Guninea states keep allowing foreign countries to police their waters now, couldnt this lead to the surrendering of their total sovereignties to them in due time?

A pertinent question arises at this point: Has Nigeria failed in its primary responsibility of maintaining law and order in its territorial waters? I do not think so, save that we have treated the situation with the same lackadaisical attitude informing how we treat most national issues. I am aware that the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), working with the Navy and other sister security agencies, put in place a new maritime security architecture code-named the Deep Blue Project. This is an end-to-end solution covering intelligence; response capacity, including assets acquisition; training and interagency/ inter country collaboration, but the execution so far seems to have gone awry. The programme has turned into an instrument of high wired intrigues in political circles. Not even the total commitment of the Minister of Transportation and incumbent Director-General of NIMASA has helped matters.

The Navy, on her part, has embarked on several special operations in the past two years that ordinary observers may have lost count of such specific and unique operations, from Exercise Shark Shiver, Exercise Prosperity to Exercise Nemo.

ADVERTISEMENT

To tackle piracy, we need to address the problem of pervasive poverty, unemployment, inequality, and corruption in the country, especially in the Niger Delta region. If the youths do not have access to legitimate means of earning income, some will likely take to crime and criminality. Grievances among marginalised coastal communities in the Niger Delta should be investigated so that most restive youths in the region can pursue legitimate means of livelihood and escape the cycle of deprivation that exposes them to crime. Provision of social amenities and job creation would be vital in tackling piracy.

The military should be provided with better equipment to fight pirates and armed robbers at sea. The Nigerian Navy has shown its military prowess in fighting piracy within the Niger Delta and the Gulf of Guinea. However, fighting crime at sea requires teamwork that should involve other stakeholders and security agencies in a coordinated manner.

We also need to enforce our existing laws to bring arrested pirates to book and deter would-be pirates. The SPOMO Act 2019, enacted by the government with NIMASA as major facilitator, should consistently be enforced whenever pirates are arrested. The scourge of piracy and armed robbery at sea cannot be tackled by the Federal Government alone. States and companies operating in the region should join hands with the lead state institutions in tackling piracy and other maritime crimes that have constituted a dark cloud over our land.

In conclusion, we have enough problems at hand, and we should quickly arrest this deteriorating darkness at sea, so we can focus all our efforts in stamping out insecurity on land.

Dakuku Peterside is a policy and leadership expert.
A bill that seeks to make it clear that the "government" in Delhi means the "Lieutenant Governor" was passed by Lok Sabha on Monday amidst strong opposition from the Congress and the Aam Aadmi Party which said that the legislation is "unconstitutional".

Union Minister of State for Home G Kishan Reddy said the Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi (Amendment) Bill, 2021, has become necessary as there has been ambiguity in certain issues related to the functioning of the Delhi government and several cases were also filed in courts.

According to the bill, the "government" in Delhi means the "Lieutenant Governor" and it also makes it mandatory for the Delhi government to take the opinion of the L-G before any executive action.

"Please do not say that it is a political bill. It is being brought to end ambiguity in certain issues as Delhi is a Union Territory. It will end certain confusion or technicality and enhance the efficiency of the administration," he said.

Reddy also stressed that by bringing the bill "there has been no murder of democracy".

The minister said when the GNCTD Act was enacted in 1991 by the then Congress government, Delhi was made a Union Territory (UT) with an assembly with "limited legislative powers".

"We did not do that. It was a Congress government which piloted the Act then," he said.

Reddy said the Lieutenant Governor (L-G) is an administrator so he has the right to know the day-to-day affairs. "We have not snatched any power from the Delhi government nor we have given any additional power to the L-G," he said.

He strongly objected to some opposition members' reference that the "Modi government is dictatorial" and said the NDA government has not done anything wrong or new but just ended ambiguity and brought clarity on the Delhi government.

"If we are wrong, we will listen to the abuses. But without being wrong, we won't tolerate abuses. It is aimed at bringing more transparency," Reddy said.

He said that there has been cordial relations between the central and Delhi governments since 1996, and all differences were resolved through discussions.

However, since 2015, some issues have come up and cases were filed before the Delhi High Court, which also gave certain rulings, Reddy said.

He said the court had also ruled that the L-G should be informed on executive issues of the city government.

Delhi's ruling Aam Aadmi Party has opposed the bill. Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal had even urged the central government to take back the bill and said the AAP dispensation was ready to fall at the Modi government's feet for its withdrawal.

Initiating the debate, Congress MP Manish Tewari said the bill is "unconstitutional" and it takes away certain rights of the city government which were given under a constitutional amendment, a charge rejected by the BJP.

The measure is contrary to what the then Union Home Minister L K Advani had perceived some 18 years ago, he said.

Tewari was of the view that the bill seeks to prevent the city government from implementing the decisions taken by the legislative assembly.

BJP member Meenakashi Lekhi, who represents the New Delhi seat in Lok Sabha, said the bill seeks to rectify the alleged mismanagement of Delhi and blamed both the Congress and the ruling AAP for it.

She maintained that the Constitution is not federal but quasi-federal in nature where the Centre's say cannot be ignored.

Lekhi said the Congress could have given full statehood to Delhi if it wanted.

AAP member Bhagwant Mann alleged that the central government is a "specialist in abusing" the rights of states and wants to rule Delhi through "soul of Viceroy".

While vehemently opposing the bill, Mann, AAP's only Lok Sabha member, wondered whether the Centre wants to turn the national capital into a Union Territory like Jammu and Kashmir where there is an assembly, but it is non-functional since election has not been held ever since it was made a UT.

He said when the chief minister of Delhi cannot take any decision, then what is the point in conducting assembly polls.

"The Centre is a specialist in abusing the rights of states whether it was in the farm laws or whether running state governments through Governors or L-Gs," he said.

Underlining that Delhi is the seat of the central government, BJP MP Brijendra Singh said "an anarchist" came to power in the national capital in 2013 and during his rule if full state-hood status had been given to Delhi, it would have resulted into a "civil war".

Stressing that the bill is against the spirit of cooperative federalism NCP member Supriya Sule said it should be referred to the select committee of Parliament for further elaborate deliberations.

According to the statement of objects and reasons of the bill, the original bill was enacted to supplement the provisions of the Constitution relating to the legislative assembly and a Council of Ministers for Delhi and for matters connected therewith.

It said that to give effect to the interpretation made by the Supreme Court which had ruled that the city government need not obtain the Lieutenant Governor's "concurrence" of every issue of day-to-day governance, the bill has been brought.

"The said bill will promote harmonious relations between the legislature and the executive, and further define the responsibilities of the elected government and the L-G, in line with the constitutional scheme of governance of the National Capital Territory of Delhi, as interpreted by the Supreme Court," the statement of objects said.

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PARLAMENTUL REPUBLICII MOLDOVA

 2010

The Moldovan Parliaments website design was supported by the Democracy Support Programme in Moldova"  an initiative financed by the European Union and implemented by the Council of Europe
While many have complained about all they've missed out on over the last year, it would seem that June DeVall could one up anyone.

The 97-year-old woman, who is physically active and mentally sharper than ever, has been largely confined to her apartment at an assisted-living facility for the past year. Yet the only real complaint DeVall has is that she can't dine at her favorite restaurants or shop at the mall.

"I am not the kind of person that dwells on the bad things because there are too many of them. I mean, I would be overwhelmed," DeVall said. "And so the last year has been the same as all my years. My activities did not change much. My attitude did not change. I did what I have always done. And in my mind, I know it's a very, very serious situation, but I've never been a worrier. I continue to seek God daily for his wisdom of what to do in this crisis."

DeVall has not only kept a positive outlook during a year of isolation; she's also inspired those around her to do the same.

She spends her days reading the Bible, solving sudoku puzzles, scrolling through Instagram, calling family members, going for walks and taking fitness classes.

"Miss June is great," said Monah Folse, executive director of The Blake at Lafayette. "She sits out in the sun every day for vitamin D, shares Bible study with both assisted living and memory care. Walks away from negativity. She's a genuine, positive and cool person."

Dr. Britini Hebert, a Lafayette internist who specializes in geriatric medicine, has been continuously inspired by her patient, especially during the pandemic.

"This whole past year, there was a lot of, 'Oh, well. They're old. They were going to die anyway.' That sort of thing," Hebert said. "I think she really encapsulates that you can have a beautiful, meaningful, enjoyable life at any age and that we all will want the years that we have left."

Hebert has pushed the community to take the pandemic seriously from the start. She's spent a good deal of her time fighting misinformation on social media surrounding the virus, mask usage and vaccines. She also traveled to New York City last spring to help treat coronavirus patients at a field hospital and launched a COVID-19 vaccine scheduling hotline earlier this month.

The doctor said that older people have not only suffered from more serious illness and greater isolation during the pandemic, but also from discrimination.

"Disposable. That's how people have treated them. That's been heartbreaking," Hebert said. "And then I see someone like her; and she's managed to keep a good attitude. She's extremely bright, just a very insightful person."

DeVall, who has significant vision and hearing loss but is otherwise healthy, isn't just surviving a pandemic. She's thriving. She's even writing a book.

A few questions from her great-grandchildren at the beginning of the COVID-19 quarantine sparked the idea. Her granddaughter is sending her prompts and compiling her writings into a full-fledged book.

"I said, 'Let's do one writing prompt every week, and you'll write it up and mail it to me so I can compile it into a book,'" said Leslie Karamitas. "And she's a take-charge kind of person. She sometimes doesn't go with my prompts and decides to write her own. And now she has a title for the book and titles for all the chapters."

DeVall's book is called "Light in the Darkness: Rays of Sunshine for Days of Darkness." She's planning to have 52 short chapters  one for each week of the year  that can serve as an inspiration to others.

Karamitas, 39, said the project has been a special way to connect with her grandmother at a time when she's been unable to see her in person.

Although Karamitas grew up in Africa and now lives in Georgia, she has always been especially close to her grandmother. The two grew even closer after the 2007 death of Diane DeVall Ottenweller, mother to Karamitas and daughter of DeVall, and the 2008 death of Leslie DeVall, grandfather to Karamitas and husband to DeVall.

"She is my hero, my best friend, the other pea in my pod, my spiritual adviser, the president of my fan club, the place I call 'home,' and one of the greatest treasures I have ever been given by God," Karamitas said. "She is impressive to everyone who knows her."

Both Karamitas and DeVall have an adventurous spirit they say is unmatched by anyone else in the family. That bond was solidified 12 years ago when the duo went dogsledding during a trip to Alaska.

Karamitas said she still vividly remembers disembarking from the helicopter onto a glacier with her grandmother. With steel-spike shoes on their feet, Karamitas said she worried that her grandmother, then 86, might slip and fall on the icy ground.

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"But she was unafraid. She was just living a dream," Karamitas said. "It was just so magical to do that with her. I don't know how to describe it. It was the perfect day and the perfect experience together, just one of the greatest moments of my life."

Karamitas, who grew up overseas as the daughter of missionaries, said the elderly are often viewed less favorably in America than other parts of the world.

"Old people in the U.S. are seen as very disposable. They're people we see as a burden or irrelevant. Their wisdom is dated and no longer pertinent to us. We see them as a hindrance to us in many ways. We don't see much that they can give us," Karamitas said.

"But growing up overseas, specifically in Africa, the elderly were a treasure. They were your greatest treasure. They were the source of the greatest wisdom, the deepest wisdom. They're highly respected, more than anyone else in the community.

"I think we've seen these values reflected with our approach with COVID. People get weary with protecting older people, like they're not worthy of the protocol. There's not a village mentality. It's about me and my freedoms. It's not about protecting everyone in our community."

DeVall and her family have managed to survive the pandemic without becoming sick from the novel coronavirus. They're cautiously optimistic that the worst is over now that vaccines are widely available in Louisiana.

Three residents of The Blake at Lafayette were sick with COVID-19 during the past year, according to a company spokesperson. Two of the three died.

Louisiana recently loosened visitation restrictions at communal living facilities, including The Blake, where 90 out of 91 residents have been fully vaccinated.

"What changed with visitation was a direct result of the vaccines," said Caroline Barry, spokesperson for The Blake. "We had three different vaccine clinics. They didn't have to get on a list or leave to get the vaccine."

Now, with nearly all of the residents and staff fully vaccinated, Barry said The Blake is planning to offer clinics for friends and family members of The Blake.

Like most of her neighbors, DeVall is now fully vaccinated against COVID-19 and can hug her loved ones again. She's planning to dine at her favorite restaurants and shop at her favorite stores in the coming weeks.

DeVall also recently embraced her daughter Cindy DeVall for the first time in nearly a year.

Cindy DeVall, of Scott, has taken her mother to and from doctor appointments and has delivered groceries to her apartment during the pandemic, but those interactions can't replace a real hug.

"She's shrunk," Cindy DeVall said with a laugh as she remembered the moment she finally embraced her mom again. "You have this little person that you wrap your arms around, and you just smell her hair, and you touch her skin  this person who gave you life  and you're just thinking, 'What a warrior this person is who can have this positive attitude.'"

Tears replaced Cindy DeVall's laughter as she spoke.

"I'm 74 years old, and my mother is still alive," Cindy DeVall said, her voice breaking. "It makes me feel so blessed. I've had her for 74 years, and her memory is great. I guess I just took it for granted that I'd be able to walk into her apartment any time I wanted. You don't think about it until you can't do it."

It's been well over a year since Karmitas has been able to embrace her grandmother. Aside from video calls, Karmitas has only seen her grandmother once during the pandemic  through a glass window last year while traveling to a funeral.

Karmitas had booked a trip to Lafayette for March 2020 but had to cancel it as the country shut down at the beginning of the pandemic. She's hoping to reschedule that trip in the coming weeks as long as it is safe to do so.

As for June DeVall, she's planning to continue living her life to the fullest and inspiring those around her to do the same.

"People talk about how they're going down mentally, and they say, 'Oh, I am so old,'" DeVall said. "I say, 'Look, age is just a number. It's how you feel. I'm glad I'm this old.'"
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Batavia, NY (14020)

Today

Scattered thunderstorms this morning, then cloudy skies this afternoon. High around 70F. Winds WSW at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 60%..

Tonight

Mostly cloudy. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 59F. Winds WSW at 5 to 10 mph.
The NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope shot this image of the face-on barred spiral galaxy Arp 28.

Arp 28 is located approximately 145 million light-years away in the constellation of Pegasus.

Also known as NGC 7678, LEDA 71534 and UGC 12614, the galaxy is classified as a barred spiral galaxy.

Arp 28 has a diameter of around 115,000 light-years, similar to that of our Milky Way Galaxy.

The galaxy was discovered on September 15, 1784 by the German-British astronomer William Herschel.

Arp 28 is among the 338 galaxies presented in the Atlas of Peculiar Galaxies, which organizes peculiar galaxies according to their unusual features, Hubble astronomers said.

This catalogue was produced in 1966 by the American astronomer Halton Arp.

Arp 28 is listed together with six others in the group spiral galaxies with one heavy arm.

The new image of Arp 28 was made from separate exposures taken in the visible and near-infrared regions of the spectrum with Hubbles Wide Field Camera 3 (WFC3) instrument.

The color image is based on data obtained through four different filters.

The color results from assigning different hues to each monochromatic image associated with an individual filter.
The actions of European governments on the path towards achieving climate neutrality, the introduction of the emissions trading system, etc. are both a challenge and an opportunity for Ukraine.

Vice Prime Minister of Ukraine for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration, co-chair of the Ukrainian-German high-level group for economic cooperation Olha Stefanishyna said this in an interview with Ukrinform.

According to her, Ukraine already has an obligation under the Association Agreement to introduce emissions trading system. The course of actions of the European Commission indicates that the system of incentives for greening the economy will acquire the features of a new generation of legislation on emissions trading.

"It [legislation] will be tougher. In principle, it is a good chance for Ukraine to speed up our transformation," said the Vice Prime Minister.

According to her, the Ministry of Economic Development now drafts a policy to implement this system. If the state wants to increase trade with the EU, it will have to implement this system as soon as possible.

"We are focusing on 2024-2025 but probably [this will happen] even earlier, given the current trends in the legislative field," Stefanishyna said.

She also stated that the timeline of Ukraine's full integration into the EU energy system will take place when "the European Union wants it", while Ukraine is ready to start making efforts at any moment.

The official reminded that Ukraine had fully adapted its legislation to the conditions of the European market over the past seven years. At the end of 2020, Kyiv appealed to the European Commission with a request to start screening Ukrainian legislation and unify markets.

EUs Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) is under development as part of the European Green Deal announced in December 2019 by the European Commission. Pursuant to it, the EU plans to become climate neutral by 2050. At the same time, a gap between the efforts of different countries may emerge, and cooperation with countries outside the EU may be affected.

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Abbie Quinnen has been pictured wrapped in bandages as she recovers from her terrifying fire accident.

The professional dancer, 23, was left with third-degree burns and needing three skin grafts after a video she was filming with beau AJ Pritchard, 26, went horribly wrong and saw a wine bottle explode and set fire to her hair and clothing.

In the snap, Abbie is seen resting in bed with only a small section of her face visible underneath the dressings which cover one side of her head, her torso and right arm.

The theatre star is propped up by several cushions as she recovers and has bandages over all of her upper body as well as around her head.

It is not known when the picture was taken, however Abbie broke her silence on the matter on Sunday and told fans she's 'OK' following the accident on January 19.

Pictured: Abbie Quinnen has been seen with her face and upper body wrapped in bandages as she recovers from her terrifying fire accident

As well as reassuring followers she's recovering in her Instagram message, Abbie warned others to be 'careful' after a YouTube tutorial went terribly wrong.

She also thanked staff at the Chelsea & Westminster burns unit for their 'incredible care and treatment' as she continues to improve seven weeks after her ordeal.

The influencer said: 'I am sad I have been absent in the last few weeks and haven't posted much with AJ, we so desperately wanted to be able to share daily vlogs with you all but unfortunately I have had an accident.

'Whilst we were attempting to create a glass bottle into a vase following a YouTube tutorial it went terribly wrong and it resulted in me incurring injuries and burns requiring continuous hospital treatment over the past seven weeks.

Terrifying: The blonde was filming a video with her beau, 26, when the accident happened on January 19 and was driven to Ealing Hospital in London by her partner's brother, Curtis, 25

'I really need you all to be careful with what you're doing and if you're copying any YouTube videos. I will be OK, I love you all

'I also want to say a massive thank you to the nurses and doctors and the Chelsea & Westminster burns unit for their incredible care and treatment.'

Also on Sunday, former Strictly star AJ declared 'our followers' messages keep us all going' as he thanked them for their support during the latest episode of podcast, AJ v Curtis.

Revealing he'll share more details on the scary ordeal in the near future, AJ said: 'It came out that the there was an accident with Abby. And I just want to say just make it quite brief, to be honest.

'I will be OK!' The professional dancer reassured fans she's recovering from the terrifying ordeal as she took to Instagram on Sunday (pictured before)

Recovery: The choreographer also thanked hospital staff at the Chelsea & Westminster burns unit for their 'incredible care and treatment'

'So much love for you!' The Voice's Lydia Lucy and fellow dancers Chloe Hewitt and Amelia Bath sent their well wishes to their pal

'For anybody that hasn't seen the story yesterday where Abby had an accident. That's why I'm just saying thank you for all the lovely messages, thank you very much for all the love and support and the kind messages.

'I know we haven't replied to everybody. But yeah, thank you for that. And we will talk about it further down the line when we both feel comfortable.

'So yeah, just thanks for that love. It means a lot on your support, keeps those positive and keeps us all going.'

AJ was also seen for the first time since his girlfriend's injuries were revealed as he stepped out looking pained to buy papers and fuel on Sunday, just hours after the story broke.

Grateful: Elsewhere on Sunday, former Strictly star AJ declared 'our followers' messages keep us all going' as he thanked them for their support

Tough time: The TV star looked sombre as he was seen for the first time since the accident was revealed while stepping out to buy papers and get fuel at a petrol station on Sunday

Since the awful incident, The Sun On Sunday reported that Abbie needed three skin grafts and made 20 hospital visits with AJ caring for her inbetween appointments.

A source explained how AJ quickly reacted to the fire and tried to put out the flames with a wet tea towel before calling 999.

They told the publication: 'Abbie was shocked and in a great deal of pain but AJ sprang into action to put out the fire with a wet tea towel.

'He was terrified himself but he did all he could to stop her from burning. Abbies whole upper body went up in flames. It was like something from a horror film.'

Revealing how the duo are holding up, the source added that AJ has been there '24/7' for his girlfriend and has been changing her bandages.

Recovery: Since the awful accident in January, Abbie has needed three skin grafts and made 20 hospital visits

The 999 operator reportedly informed AJ an ambulance would take some time to arrive so he and Curtis drove Abbie, who was in 'agony', to the hospital themselves.

Abbie is thought to have then been admitted to intensive care before being sent to a specialist burns unit at Chelsea and Westminster Hospital the next day.

Speaking about how the accident happened, the source said that AJ and Abbie had been filming a video for their Instagram followers.

The clip involved dipping a rope in a flammable chemical and setting fire to it once wrapped around the bottle in order to cut the bottle in half and make a vase.

However the couple's attempt went horribly wrong, with the bottle blowing up and causing Abbie's hair and clothing to catch fire.

Support: AJ has been caring for Abbie at their home and changing her bandages

A spokesperson for the couple told The Sun On Sunday that Abbie is continuing to receive treatment and the duo wish to thank all the doctors for their 'incredible' care.

MailOnline has contacted Abbie and AJ's representative for further comment.

AJ and Abbie have been dating since 2018 and seem to have gone from strength to strength during lockdown.

The I'm A Celebrity contestant recently gushed over his pro dancer love as he detailed how they've been discussing the future lots during the pandemic.

He told The Sun: 'You know when you see a series like Below Deck or Selling Sunset and there's a wedding? We always love talking about weddings.

'We were best friends before we were in a relationship and I think that really hits home that we love spending time together.

Help: Curtis, 25, drove Abbie and AJ to the hospital on the night of the accident after they were told an ambulance would take some time to arrive (the brothers are pictured together in 2020)

'We love doing everything together, to be honest, and it's been great. There has been no downside, there's been no arguments.'

Abbie has also gushed over her dancer beau in the past, admitting she believes AJ is 'The One' and that she was 'going crazy' without him by her side during his stint in the Welsh I'm A Celebrity camp last year.

In an exclusive interview with MailOnline, Abbie said: 'I am so desperate to see him  I am going crazy I feel like I have been lost without him.

'All I want to do is hug him and kiss him  it's been too long now! I definitely can see he is missing me.

'While AJ has been in the castle he organised some gifts for me that I'd have during his time in there to show he was still thinking of me.'
(Natural News) On March 24, the United States Supreme Court will hear arguments in Caniglia v. Strom, a case that could have far-reaching effects on the way law enforcement conducts community caretaking.

Should the Supreme Court side with the lower courts, police throughout America will be given the green light to conduct warrantless raids on peoples homes in the name of protecting residents against something deemed to be an immediate danger to their life.

The case came about after a Rhode Island household was searched without a warrant following a call to police. The wife, feeling threatened by the husband who put an unloaded handgun on the kitchen table and told her to shoot me now and finish this during an argument, petitioned law enforcement to intervene, upon which they recommended that the husband go to the hospital by ambulance for a crisis evaluation.

The wife told police that her husband kept two guns in the home, prompting them to conduct a warrantless search. The wifes consent, however, was later invalidated when it was discovered that officers had lied to her about her husband consenting to seizure of the firearms.

Officers later told the wife that her husband could retrieve the two firearms at the police station. When he arrived to pick them up, though, the department told him that official policy was to not return weapons to their owners without a court order.

The situation escalated from there with the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) intervening on behalf of the couple by challenging the warrantless search and seizure protocol that led to the firearms being confiscated in the first place.

ACLU stands with Constitution as law enforcement tries to chip away at it

While the community caretaking provision of police intervention does apply to vehicles, this case represents the first time that its application to a private home has been both attempted and challenged.

Siding with police, the Federal Court of Appeals says the doctrine of community protection was designed to give police the flexibility to take appropriate action when unforeseen circumstances present a transient risk that requires immediate attention.

Understanding the main objective of the doctrine leads inexorably to the conclusion that it should not be limited to the context of the motor vehicle. Threats to individual and community safety are not limited to highways, the court further argues.

This is not acceptable to the husband-wife duo, however, which hired on a law firm to challenge the case, taking it all the way up to the Supreme Court, which agreed to hear it on the grounds that it will decide whether or not the community caretaking exception applies to private households.

The ACLU of Rhode Island filed a friend of the court brief in the U.S. Supreme Court arguing that warrantless searches of homes does not apply under the community caretaking exception because they raise significant issues concerning the scope of Fourth Amendment protections and police warrantless searches of the home.

Allowing police to invade peoples homes without a warrant, the ACLU says, gives them too much undue authority. It also violates the U.S. Constitution, which forbids such a practice under any circumstances, giving police free rein to enter the home without probable cause or a warrant, whenever they think it is reasonable to do so.

One can see how easily and quickly such an allowance would be abused, hence why it is critical to nip this one in the bud. Hopefully the Supreme Court agrees that giving law enforcement free rein to invade peoples homes without a warrant would set a disastrous precedent that would only amplify an already out-of-control, militarized police state.

More related news about law enforcements constant encroachment on the Constitution can be found at Tyranny.news.

Sources for this article include:

LawEnforcementToday.com

NaturalNews.com
A year after the novel coronavirus began surging through the state, Louisiana surpassed a bleak highwater mark Monday after health officials reported more than 10,000 people are suspected to have died from the illness COVID-19.

That figure, though still preliminary, represents more deaths in Louisiana than from accidents, strokes and some of the top causes of death for the states residents in past years, and was second only to heart disease in fatalities last year, according to the Louisiana Department of Health.

Now stretching into its 13th month since Louisiana reported its first death from the disease, the pandemic also has come at the ultimate price for those whove died, and their families.

Today is a grim milestone for our state as more than 10,000 Louisianans have now died from COVID-19, marking a year of sadness and loss, as so many families and friends are missing their loved ones, Gov. John Bel Edwards said in a statement Monday. We must pray for them and their families and do everything we can to prevent the spread of this terrible illness.

The 10,030 deaths suspected to be tied to COVID-19 is greater than the number of deaths the state reported from accidents, chronic lower respiratory disease, stroke and Alzheimer's combined, which respectively were the third, fourth, fifth and sixth leading causes of death for Louisianans in 2017, said Dr. Courtney N. Phillips, secretary of the Louisiana Department of Health.

"We grieve with the many families who have lost loved ones, and we are driven and determined to end this pandemic," she said.

Louisiana saw the fastest growth of recorded coronavirus infections than any other area in the world last spring, with the pandemics epicenter entrenched in the New Orleans area. The virus quickly spread throughout much of the state and spiked again in the summer months before reaching its highest level of hospitalizations and daily cases and infections than at any other time in early January.

In the Baton Rouge area, for instance, the months of December and January saw the highest number of infections than any previous time. Strained hospitals and overworked staff saw local and state officials issue stern calls for people to consider postponing holiday gatherings and adhere to social distancing measures.

Intensive care unit beds in the Lafayette area were nearing capacity at the time as well.

Tulane epidemiologist Susan Hassig said the number of deaths is staggering for a state with just more than 4.5 million residents and has accounted for a significant amount of so-called excess deaths.

Its like six (Hurricane) Katrinas happening on top of the other deaths that were already happening, Hassig said.

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Because COVID-19 tends to be more deadly for people with existing health conditions, the pandemic may have also proven more deadly in Louisiana because many more more residents suffer from obesity, diabetes and other underlying problems than most other states, she said.

+11 Louisiana coronavirus vaccine eligibility expands to people 16+ with certain health conditions To stave off a fourth, deadly surge in coronavirus cases by using up available vaccine doses as soon as possible, Gov. John Bel Edwards on Tue

The number of people seeking care at hospitals has tapered off significantly throughout the state in recent weeks, a trend health officials credit to vaccines driving down the rate of infections.

Despite more than 1 million people receiving at least one dose of the three available vaccines, only about 13% of residents are considered fully inoculated, according to Health Department figures.

Vaccine rollouts for the public had initially focused on healthcare workers, older adults and nursing home residents who account for roughly one-third of the states deaths tied to COVID-19, according to state figures.

Through expanded eligibility this week for essential workers, a large portion of the adult population are now eligible to receive vaccines.

"The COVID vaccines are our exit ramp from this pandemic and I could not be more encouraged by the tremendous work already undertaken," said Dr. Joseph Kanter, State Health Officer. "I am looking forward to even more Louisianans having the opportunity to get vaccinated in the near future."

+3 Coronavirus cases, deaths declined sharply in Louisiana nursing homes after vaccinations Nearly a year after the coronavirus tore through Louisiana nursing homes and left thousands of residents dead, new infections reached their lo

Still, health experts and state leaders have called for caution and urged people to continue following public health safeguards, largely due to worries that emerging versions of the virus are more infectious and some could reduce the effectiveness of vaccines.

A greater worry has been that variants or mutations of the coronavirus could sicken vaccinated people.

Easters going to be coming in just a few weeks after the kids are done spring-breaking in Texas and Florida, and it could get really ugly, Hassig said.
MaXpeedingRods' track version coilovers Top engineers joined MaXpeedingRods' Research and Development team.

MaXpeedingRods, a performance parts and aftermarket replacements manufacturer and supplier, announced that they will release track version coilovers with professional-grade adjustability technology in 2021.

MaXpeedingRods is a company that produces a large array of high quality performance auto parts and aftermarket replacements. The staple of MaXpeedingRods is their suspension, turbos, and internal parts. Their products are created for hundreds of applications as well; from Honda's to BMW's and everything in-between. MaXpeedingRods does not just build products for a certain type of racing either. For example, MaXpeedingRods has turbochargers for mild street builds that want to make 400 to 600 horsepower and for those who want a larger direct factory replacement turbocharger. They also have turbos for the wild builds that want an 800+ horsepower capable turbo. And the best part, MaXpeedingRods has multiple turbos to do that job. Along with their engine parts turbochargers and rods they have an extensive line of suspension parts. Suspension is one of the most important components in a car and this is why MaXpeedingRods has, and will continue to, put a large amount of money into R&D of coilovers.

MaXpeedingRods new track oriented coilovers have been redesigned and overhauled to compete with and outperform all other competitors. They have their current 24-way adjustable coilovers and are adding new adjustability technology to them. They have manipulated the compression, rebound, and valving to optimize performance for every application. Prior they were using cast and stamped iron for many components in the coilovers. But now MaXpeedingRods has improved its design to use stainless steel instead of iron. This was done to increase the strength and longevity of the coilovers while giving them a better finish. For information on coilovers technology of MaXpeedingRods, visit maxpeedingrods.com.

MaXpeedingRods wants to support all enthusiasts. So they are developing and implementing three different series of components. MaXpeedingRods is producing a Home version for the casual enthusiast who wants to make their car look their best while performing great. The next level is MaXpeedingRodss Street version. This is for those who want to really use their car's performance while still retaining comfort and functionality. The Street series coilovers will be aimed for the enthusiast who wants to look good, out corner the competitors, and drive to work the next day in comfort. Lastly, the Track version. The Track version has been developed specifically for the enthusiasts who want peak performance. MaXpeedingRodss Track version coilovers will have 24 way adjustability, specifically designed valving, improved heat dissipation methods, and high intensity internal components. These Track version coilovers will hold up to the harshest of roads and the highest speeds while encountering the greatest lateral G-forces. These are robust, proven coilovers built to take the abuse from professional racers and drifters. For some applications they will include electronic controls as well. This gives versatility and creates a whole way of managing your car on the fly.

Behind the scenes at MaXpeedingRods, they have hired some of the top engineers in the world to join their Research and Development team. They are sparing no expense to create the best products on the market. MaXpeedingRods is happy to see that their efforts are paying off in the products they are bringing to market. For example, some of their coilovers had a 24 way adjustment but now they have redesigned and recalibrated the adjustability to be even better than before. Along with that they are bringing more adjustable technology to the market to better tune shocks to any driver's specific needs. Something MaXpeedingRods is excited to announce is their new focus on development of electronically controlled coilovers. This will bring a new level of control to the end user and will open up an entire new market. They have also brought on an industrial design team to work on the aesthetics of their products while also focusing on the practicality.

With the extensive increase in product quality and performance, MaXpeedingRods ramped up and continuous improvement of its supply chain to ensure the quickest delivery times possible. MaXpeedingRods supplies to many markets across the world. They supply to the United States, UK, Europe, Australia, and Asia. Because of their large breadth of distribution, they are focusing on getting products out across the world as quickly as possible. Along with their supply chain improvements, MaXpeedingRods has expanded its manufacturing facility as well as bringing in better machinery. Their manufacturing facility is now larger than 540,000 square feet. MaXpeedingRods is bringing in better and high tech test benches to improve their quality control. They have also increased their production capacity. They have distributors all over the world that they are collecting honest first person feedback from so that they can make the changes they need to better their products.

At MaXpeedingRods, they strive to build quality parts that are on par or better than the industry leaders. But what sets them apart is that they strive for the quality and performance of the large name brands while pricing their products at a consumer focused price. Often this is half the cost of the competitors. MaXpeedingRods is increasing its R&D efforts into other products like their turbochargers, H-beam connecting rods, and billet steel crankshafts. Many new high quality products are to come in the future.

MaXpeedingRods is releasing its new line of race oriented suspension components in June of this year. These are unlike any of their previously released suspension components. So much R&D has gone into these products and they will be releasing a limited free trial. If you are interested in being a part of this limited run of race specific suspension components, get in touch with MaXpeedingRods about this opportunity with the contact information provided below or follow on Facebook, Instagram, and Blog.

About MaXpeedingRods

MaXpeedingRods is a fast-growing car parts manufacturer and supplier. Since 2006, MaXpeedingRods has been redefining high-performance auto parts including cranks, coilovers, connecting rods, turbochargers and a variety of other parts. It's this commitment to performance that has allowed MaXpeedingRods to reach over 4 million customers throughout 170 countries and regions across North America, Europe, Oceania, and Asia.

Website: https://www.maxpeedingrods.com/

Email: coop@maxpeedingrods.com
( ) (FRA:N6D) is keen to push ahead with its flagship Lindi Jumbo Project in Tanzania amid increasing demand for graphite from clean and green tech applications and is hoping to start production this year.

We believe the renewed attention on battery minerals will provide the stimulus to bring Lindi into production at just the right time, said managing director Allan Mulligan.

The company said progress was being made on a conditional US$25 million debt facility from the African Export-Import Bank and that it was looking for additional financing.

We are seeking debt funding from African banks to fund the project, Mulligan added.

While the slow pace of funding is frustrating for the Australian-listed company, it expects to be able to move quickly once the process is complete and has previously highlighted a very short development timeframe of seven months from the receipt of financing.

Ore reserve

The graphite project in southeast Tanzania has a JORC-compliant proven and probable ore reserve of 5.5 million tonnes at a grade of 17.9%, the highest ore reserve grade of any graphite development project in Africa, with the ore reserve based only on 37% of the measured and indicated portion of the mineral resource estimate.

A definitive feasibility study (DFS) was based on annual production of 40,000 tonnes of graphite concentrate with a high-grade feed to the plant at an average of 230,000 tonnes per annum over the mines 24-year lifespan.

The very high grade and exceptional distribution of large graphite flakes within the project area provide a strong competitive advantage in capital and operating cost. The project has been independently verified by Benchmark Minerals Intelligence as the worlds second-highest margin graphite project in development.

Graphite been declared a critical metal in the US and Europe as demand has grown whilst supply from China, the worlds largest producer, has been uncertain.

Lithium-ion batteries consume about a quarter of graphite production and growth in hybrid and all-electric vehicles and off-grid storage have continued to boost demand. Graphite output will need to jump by almost 500% by 2050 to meet this demand, according to a World Bank report last May.

"Excellent" outlook

Mulligan said the outlook for graphite and lithium  Walkabout also has a lithium project in Namibia - was excellent.

These minerals will be in short supply for some time. The robust battery minerals market will draw graphite away from other uses and increase general demand.

Metallurgical results indicated that about three-quarters of the flake distribution in concentrate at Lindi Jumbo were in the Super Jumbo, Jumbo or Large size categories which sell at a premium.

The company is fast-tracking the projects development to capitalise on the predicted high demand for premium flake concentrate.

It plans to sell its larger flake graphite predominantly into the traditional and more specialised non-anode markets, which are also expanding. Benchmark Mineral Intelligence sees non-anode natural flake graphite demand growing about 14% between 2025 and 2035.

Walkabout took Lindi Jumbo from discovery in October 2015 to completion of a DFS within 16 months and has been granted a mining lease over the deposit. The licences are within the highly prospective Mozambique belt, a region that hosts some of the worlds highest grade, coarse flake graphite deposits.

Strong relationship

The company has two projects in Tanzania and does not expect any impact from the death of the countrys president, John Magufuli, last week.

We expect no changes within the next five years. We have a very strong relationship with the Tanzanian Government and receive a lot of support from the Ministry of Mines, said Mulligan, adding that last weeks events were tragic and that the people would take a while to adjust.

Amani Gold Project

Walkabouts other interest in Tanzania is the Amani Gold Project.

In the second half of last year, Walkabout completed the first-ever modern and systematic exploration program undertaken at Amani. The initial reconnaissance soil sampling program identified multiple gold anomalies, confirming the undercover hard rock potential of the large project.

The company is planning advanced field exploration and a subsequent drilling program at Amani for the 2021 financial year.

The Amani Gold Project could be the companys next focus as could ongoing exploration in Scotland, said Mulligan. Of course, there is also the downstream product beneficiation for graphite and we have been doing quite a bit of work for that, he said.

UK projects

The COVID-19 pandemic curtailed work in Northern Ireland and Scotland where Walkabout is exploring for gold and base metals, but government-imposed lockdowns are now easing.

We would hope to commence a first pass drilling program in Scotland before mid-year. All approvals have been secured, said Mulligan.

All in all, this year could be a key one for Walkabout as it undertakes its own rite of passage that it hopes will see it transform from an exploration company into a producer.

- Julie Crust
NEW YORK, March 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Breakthru Beverage Group, a leading North American beverage distributor with operations across the United States and Canada, today announced a $100,000 donation across several notable organizations in celebration of its five-year company anniversary.

"We are inspired by the many companies in our industry stepping up to support people and charities during these unprecedented times and we could think of no better way to observe our anniversary than supporting essential causes dear to us and our partners," said Greg Baird, Breakthru Beverage Group's President & CEO. "Corporate social responsibility has been a core part of our identity since day one as Breakthru and we are proud to have contributed more than $10 million to date in support of our industry and the communities where we live and work."

To commemorate Breakthru's five-year anniversary, the company has selected several non-profits in alignment with the organization's Corporate Social Responsibility agenda to create a positive impact in the industry it works, the communities in which it operates and create goodwill amongst its company associates and stakeholders.

In an effort to address food insecurity and childhood hunger across the country, Breakthru has committed $50,000 to No Kid Hungry, a campaign to end childhood hunger in the U.S. Breakthru's donation can help provide up to 500,000 meals to children in need.

Breakthru will commit an additional $50,000 spread equally across the following organizations:

CORE: Children of Restaurant Employees, a national non-profit organization that provides financial support to food and beverage employees with children when the parent or child faces a health crisis, injury, death or natural disaster.

First Responders Children's Foundation's COVID-19 Emergency Response Fund, providing support for first responders and their families who are enduring financial hardship due to the coronavirus pandemic.

The Bee Conservancy, to support their mission protect bees, safeguard the environment, and secure food justice through education, research, habitat creation, and advocacy. Bees are responsible for 1 in 3 bites of food.

National Urban League , a civil rights organization dedicated to promoting economic empowerment through program areas including education and job training, housing and community development, workforce development, entrepreneurship.

, a civil rights organization dedicated to promoting economic empowerment through program areas including education and job training, housing and community development, workforce development, entrepreneurship. Responsibility.org, to support their efforts dedicated to eliminating drunk driving and underage drinking, and to promoting responsible decision-making regarding beverage alcohol.

"Giving back and being socially responsible is not only what Breakthru does, it is who we are," added Felicia Ganthier, Breakthru Beverage Group's Director, Corporate Social Responsibility. "Our philanthropic model centers on addressing issues both directly and indirectly related to our business and we feel honored to be able to celebrate our anniversary by supporting these important causes."

In 2016, Charmer Sunbelt and Wirtz Beverage merged to form Breakthru Beverage Group. Today, Breakthru is active in 13 U.S. markets and Canada, employs nearly 7,000 associates and its portfolio of premier wine, spirit and beer brands generates $6 billion in annual sales. Both of Breakthru's legacy companies, Charmer Sunbelt and Wirtz Beverage, brought longstanding charitable partnerships and strong track records of giving back when the company was formed in early 2016 and that commitment endures today.

About Breakthru Beverage Group

Breakthru Beverage Group is one of the leading alcohol wholesalers in the United States and the largest broker in Canada representing a full total beverage alcohol portfolio of spirits, wine and beer. Breakthru is committed to diversity, equity and inclusion and supports a wide range of notable organizations as well as local charitable initiatives across its North American footprint. Across all markets, Breakthru aligns a nimble and insightful approach to sales, marketing and operations. Family ownership is active in the business and committed to being stewards of heritage and champions of innovation. For more information, visit www.BreakthruBev.com .

SOURCE Breakthru Beverage Group

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Hurricane season 2021 is here: How do storms get their names?
Marijuana could generate up to Bt8 billion for Thailands pharmaceutical industry over the next five years, but farmers stand to make little from growing the herb, experts say.

Last year, Thailand removed cannabis and hemp leaves from its list of banned narcotics (seeds and buds remain banned).

Individuals are still prohibited from growing marijuana for sale, though universities, community enterprises, medical professionals and traditional medicine practitioners can seek a licence to grow it commercially.

We believe marijuana has great potential as a cash crop because more patients will start using marijuana-based drugs soon, said Ravissa Suchato, an economist at Kasetsart Universitys Agricultural and Resource Economics Department.

Ravissa led a study titled Economic Impact of Commercialised Cannabis Cultivation in Thailand, which was funded by the Thailand Science Research and Innovation (TSRI) and covered both traditional and modern medicine.

The study found that modern medicine has used marijuana to treat patients suffering from three key conditions  cancer, epilepsy and multiple sclerosis.

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Two natural compounds found in plants of the cannabis genus, cannabidiol (CBD) and tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), are used in both traditional and modern medicine.

THC produces a sense of euphoria (a high), while CBD has been shown to help patients suffering from anxiety, depression and seizures.

In Thailand, cannabis-based medication is used for palliative care of cancer patients, not as a cure for disease, said Ravissa, adding that almost 1 million (996,743) patients are believed to have taken marijuana-based medicines in Thailand last year.

The post Multipurpose marijuana could light up another economic engine for Thailand first appeared on Thai PBS World : The latest Thai news in English, News Headlines, World News and News Broadcasts in both Thai and English. We bring Thailand to the world.

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New Delhi, March 22 : As online shopping sees more adoption, the third-party logistics (3PL) shipments grew 70 per cent in the month of October-December 2020, contributing 45 per cent of the shipment volume for the e-tailing industry, a new report said on Monday.

The 3PL shipped 750 million, which was a growth of 450 million from the period of July-September2020.

"The 3PL has tremendous headroom to grow in eGrocery and foodtech as it completes merely 10 per cent and 5 per cent in those respective sectors," according to Bengaluru-based market intelligence firm RedSeer.

While 3PL has grown from 107 million shipments in July-September period in 2020, it has only grown by two million in the eGrocery space during the same period, which shows that it has a long way ahead.

Online retail in India has grown more than 3 times in the last four years and is only set to be bigger in the coming years.

"As customers become more aware and comfortable with online shopping, delivery experience will become a key parameter to retain and onboard customers, hence this report unveils some invaluable insights on this competitive market," the report noted.

Platforms such as Xiaomi, Decathlon and Dunzo came out as frontrunners in their respective sectors in terms of high delivery experience satisfaction.

While Captive logistics have taken prominence, third-party logistics (3PL) now also plays a key role.

"However, the role of 3PL players differ from one vertical to another. While it contributes highly for digitally native brands (DNB) and other emerging brands, it is still low in the e-grocery and foodtech space," the findings showed.

Owing to smaller scale, there is a definite need for partnerships with third party logistics platforms for last-mile fulfilment and with emergence of 'delivery' as a key factor for driving customer satisfaction, "it is imperative for these brands/platforms to provide best of the class delivery experience to drive the overall customer satisfaction".

"Over the last one year, we have seen that while online shopping is seeing more adoption, delivery experience has become a key parameter to drive customer satisfaction," the report said.

In order to understand how delivery experience differs from one vertical to another and how brands can improve their customer experience, ResSeer has launched 'Delivery Delight Index' in association with Shadowfax.

'Delivery Delight Index' has been developed after 9,000 consumer surveys covering 34 players across four types of platforms - e-tailing marketplaces, hyperlocal marketplaces, digitally native brands and traditional brands/retailers.
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Beijing: The trial of Michael Kovrig, who has been held in China for more than two years on espionage charges, is under way in Beijing in a closed courtroom, days after the United States raised concerns over his case at tense bilateral talks with China in Alaska.

China arrested Kovrig, a former diplomat, and fellow Canadian Michael Spavor in December 2018, soon after Canadian police detained Meng Wanzhou, the chief financial officer of Chinese tech company Huawei Technologies, on a US warrant.

Detained in China: Canadian nationals Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor. Credit:AP

Beijing insists the detentions are not linked to the detention of Meng, who remains under house arrest in Vancouver as she fights extradition to the United States.

Weve requested access to Michael Kovrigs hearing repeatedly but that access is being denied over national security reasons, Jim Nickel, charge daffaires of the Canadian embassy in China, told reporters outside the Beijing court after the trial began. Now we see that the court process itself is not transparent. Were very troubled by this.
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Kerala gold smuggling case: Swapna Sureshs bail plea dismissed

India

oi-Deepika S

New Delhi, Mar 22: The bail application of Swapna Suresh, a key accused in the high-profile Kerala gold smuggling case, was dismissed by the NIA Special court on Monday.

The accused, while seeking the bail, had submitted that they had been in the custody for long and the investigation in the case was over. They had also argued that the charges levelled against them would not stand the test of law.

Swapna Suresh has made "shocking revelations" against Chief Minister Pinrayi Vijayan, assembly Speaker P Sreeramakrishnan and some ministers with regard to dollar ''smuggling'' involving UAE consulate officials, the Customs, probing the case, had earlier claimed in the Kerala High Court.

"It is submitted that in the 108 statement and 164 statement the first respondent had made shocking revelations about the Hon''ble chief minister, Hon''ble speaker of Kerala Legislative Assembly and some Hon''ble ministers of the state cabinet", the affidavit filed by Customs (Preventive) Commissioner Sumit Kumar claimed.

Anil Deshmukh Corruption row: NCP says 'no need for resignation'| Oneindia News

Suresh had also alleged that the Chief Minister had close connection with the previous Consul General of UAE and gave statements that illegal monetary transactions were carried out, it said.
By Jerry Zezima

As a man who couldnt sell snow shovels in Alaska, surfboards in Hawaii or beer in Death Valley (Id drink it first), I never thought I could sell cars to anybody but myself. And because my driveway is short and my garage is full of junk, where would I put them all?

So I decided to visit the best salesman I know, James Boyd, of Hyundai 112 in Medford, New York, to see how its done.

James, whos 42 and has been in the business for 20 years, has sold me my last two cars, both SUVs named for Santa Fe, another place where I couldnt sell anything, even the artwork for which the city is famous.

Welcome, JZEE! James exclaimed when I entered the showroom on a busy weekday afternoon. He calls me by that name (pronounced Jay-Z, like the rapper, except Im the original) because thats what is on my license plates, which my wife, Sue, got for me several years ago. Theyre the best Ive ever seen, James said. Now, what can I do for you? Do you want another car?

Not yet, I said. But since Im retired, and have nothing better to do, and need to get out of Sues hair, I thought Id try to sell cars.

Youve come to the right place, said James, who then excused himself to take care of some of the many customers he had that day.

While he was gone, I struck up a conversation with two of them, Vickie and Bret, who were there to pick up a car James had sold them a couple of days before.

James is very good, Bret said. Hes friendly, knowledgeable and professional.

We planned to go to another dealership after this, Vickie added, but we met James and we never left this one.

Just then, James came back to his desk to pick up some paperwork.

Youre supposed to be making the plates, he told me.

Ill probably end up doing it in prison, I said. And I should have a plate in my head. By the way, do I get a commission for talking with these nice people?

Well see about that, James said before dashing off again.

Youll owe him money, Bret said.

Could I be a salesman? I asked.

Sure, Vickie said. You chat up customers, you have a good personality and a great sense of humor, and youre outgoing. You could sell anything.

Vickie should know because she works in sales at a home improvement store.

I decided to try out my sales technique on Bret when Vickie said he would be getting their old car and shed get the new one.

Why should you drive the old one when you can have a beautiful, brand-new car just like Vickie got? I told him.

No! he said firmly.

Think of the prestige, I said.

Think of the money, Bret replied.

When James returned again, I asked, Whos your best customer?

You, JZEE! he said.

And now I want to be your best salesman, I said, though I knew I could never be as good as James because, as he has told me, he loves his job and enjoys working with people, and that the secret of his success is having a good sense of humor, not putting pressure on customers, being straightforward and working hard to make them happy.

Did you sell Bret a car? James asked.

Im trying, I said.

Ill tell you what, James said as he handed Vickie the keys to her new car and the delightful couple started to leave. If Bret buys one, you can have the commission.

What do you say, Bret? I said.

Ill think about it, he replied.

Theyre going fast, I said.

OK, Bret said. Ill come back.

And when you do, I said, just ask for JZEE.

 Jerry Zezima

Jerry Zezima writes a humor column for Tribune News Service, which distributes it to newspapers nationwide and abroad. He is also the author of five books, Leave It to Boomer, The Empty Nest Chronicles, Grandfather Knows Best, Nini and Poppies Excellent Adventures and Every Day Is Saturday, all of which are crimes against literature. He has won seven awards from the National Society of Newspaper Columnists for his humorous writing.
It's frightening to see on Australian news hundreds of young women coming forward about being sexually assaulted in high school. These same women and their peers are calling for better education on consent and issues about sex. More and more people are being exposed to sex at an earlier age and it's distorting our understanding of what it is and our value placed on individuals versus our needs.

I think many of us see church as a place not to go to for advice on sex - not always because that its views on sex and sexuality are wrong, but often the way churches communicate their views put so much guilt on people that they're afraid to return.

People turn to the internet for sex education.

I don't have any statistics to back up my statement, "People turn to the internet for sex education", but it shouldnt surprise us because the internet allows freedom and anonymity for anyone to ask any questions they like about sex. There's no shame and repercussions - just clear our browser history after.

But it's doing more harm than good as we begin to hear lots of voices of victims speaking out against their abusers.

Youth Ministry can play a vital role in educating young people about sex.

Youth pastors and leaders can create a culture where we model healthy boundaries in relationships, as well as creating a safe space where young people can ask questions and share about their experiences.

Start with educating leaders.

I think it begins with intentionally training our leaders what modelling healthy boundaries in relationships look like and how to create a safe space for young people to ask questions.

It's learning about asking permission before taking someone's photo or being aware of how our words impact others. It's also looking into our own relationships and past relationships. We need to work through our issues first so that we can be a better role-model to those we lead.

The Bible teaches us respect for others and their dignity.

The creation account speaks clearly about God's views on all people. Genesis chapter 1 verse 27 says, "So God created humankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them."

In God's eyes, men and women are equal, and they should be treated with respect and dignity because we are all made in the image of God. Women and men shouldn't be treated as objects to be laughed at or to do what we want for our own desires. Pornography - whilst some may be doing it willingly - strips the person of their dignity when we watch it for our own gratification.

Sexist remarks are demeaning and have no place in society. This also extends to murder, racism and all forms of discrimination - these are all wrong because every person carries the image of God and as such we need to see each other with equal respect and dignity.

There are many stories in the Bible that condemn sexual behaviour that forces someone against their will, and there are also many passages that teaches us how to treat others properly, for example, being patient and loving one another.

We can make an impact in young people's lives.

Young people are crying out for help and we can be there to journey with them through this difficult, messy and sinful world we try to navigate in. We shouldn't present ourselves as experts with all the answers but we can be youth leaders who care about the young people we minister to and we want to help them see what God's heart is for how everyone - including ourselves - should be treated.
Sinn Fein MLAs have said there is little equality for nationalists in Northern Ireland, with street names, public buildings and statues overwhelmingly reflecting the British and unionist tradition.

Pat Sheehan said that his own constituency had the Royal Victoria Hospital, with Sinn Fein offices in Sevastopol Street leading onto Odessa Street - "two sites of battles in the Crimean War".

Other places like the Kashmir Road "right in the heart of republican west Belfast" were named after "British imperial rampaging".

Speaking in the Assembly, Mr Sheehan said that on his way to Stormont, he drove up Prince of Wales Avenue, "although some of us who have a certain background describe it as PoW Avenue".

He then passed a statue of Sir Edward Carson before coming into Parliament Buildings where Lord Craigavon sat at the top of the stairs. "There is an imbalance," he said.

The West Belfast MLA's remarks drew an angry response from the DUP's Christopher Stalford who said: "Anyone who refers to Prince of Wales Avenue as POW Avenue is the very last person who should be talking about protecting human rights."

DUP MLA Trevor Clarke said Mr Sheehan had belonged to a "terrorist organisation" when he was a prisoner.

Rejecting the claim Stormont symbolism was insulting, Mr Clarke said Mr Sheehan had "gone out of his way to be offended by our tradition". He added: "I don't know why he had to go up Prince of Wales Avenue. What was wrong with Massey Avenue?"

The DUP MLA said that unionists were offended by the "glorification of terrorism" on west Belfast walls.

The exchanges occurred during a debate on an Alliance motion calling on Arlene Foster and Michelle O'Neill to publish the Commission on Flags, Identity, Culture and Tradition (FICT) report.

It also urged them to bring the report's recommendations to the Executive for review and "to ensure leadership on these issues and to move Northern Ireland forward together as a united community". Ms Bradshaw said that the 800,000 report given to The Executive Office seven months ago should not be concealed from the public.

Sinn Fein MLA Emma Sheerin repeated her party's opposition to unionists' proposal to install "a floating six counties made of stone" at Stormont to mark Northern Ireland's centenary. She said that street names, public buildings and statues here "reflect the dominance of one tradition and the exclusion of another".

She accused unionism of a "failure of leadership" in attempting to "maintain a status quo that has long gone".

Ms Sheerin said the days of "majority rule" were over, not just in terms of unionism and nationalism, but regarding "so many new communities which must be seen and heard".

Her party colleague, Martina Anderson, said nationalists had been born into an "exclusionary Orange state" which "neither wanted nor welcomed us".

She said: "To this day, DUP politicians continue to treat with disdain the flag, identity, culture and language of the Irish tradition. Anti-Irish diatribe has been characteristic of some unionist politicians who proudly light bonfires bedecked with Irish flags and boastfully insult Irish republicans and nationalists with remarks like 'Coronavirus is a Taig plague', 'Curry my yogurt', 'feeding the crocodiles', stopping bursaries for aspiring Irish language speakers, and even changing the Irish name on a boat.

"That wasn't any of us going out of our way to be offended, that was offence."

Ms Anderson claimed that some parties appeared to be whipping up their base "into a toxic sectarian frenzy perhaps in an effort to stop their votes haemorrhaging".

Mr Stalford said that he was a member of the Orange Order, Royal Black Institution, and Apprentice Boys. He said that he would always defend "the dignified display of the flag of my country" but opposed any paramilitary emblems.

He noted that the number of attacks on Orange halls had risen since 1994 when "we have supposedly become a more peaceful society", and said that the statistics suggested intolerance by some.

UUP MLA Doug Beattie said that while a FICT commissioner he had suggested a reduction in the number of memorials in Northern Ireland, but this had been rejected. He said it was shameful that "there are more memorials to murderers, rapists and child abusers than there are to their victims".
Tenet is a science fiction thriller, written and directed by Christopher Nolan, responsible for Dunkirk, Interstellar, Inception, Memento and three Batman films.

The film was shot in 2019, but its release was delayed several times due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Tenet was the first major studio film released in movie theaters globallyin August and September 2020after the pandemic shutdown. It earned some $363 million, principally outside the US, but was generally considered a commercial failure.

Variety commented in November: Tenet carries a $200 million price tag, not counting the many millions spent in global marketing fees. Rivals speculate that Tenet may lose as much as $100 million, though insiders at Warner Bros. dispute that number and suggest losses wont exceed $50 million.

Tenet

The film centers on the ability to manipulate time. The events, on a single viewing, are difficult to follow and at times almost incomprehensible. The viewer will determine for him or herself whether retroactively sorting out the science in this science fiction is worthwhile.

The Protagonist (John David Washington) is a CIA agent of some sort. After a failed anti-terror mission in Kiev, he joins an organization known as Tenet and first becomes aware of the ability of objects to move backward in time. This involves inversion, which can reverse the entropy of things and people too.

Inversion has various uses. Passing through a temporal turnstile, for instance, individuals can go forward or backward in time without disrupting the normal flow of time. An automobile races backward down a highway, for example, while every other vehicle proceeds in the ordinary fashion. Characters find themselves on a number of occasions disconcertingly confronting past or future versions of themselves.

As one commentary (in GQ) explains And so an inverted bullet isnt fired by a gun, but instead is caught by it. Cars seem to drive backward. People who are in inverted time cant breathe air backwards, so they have to carry oxygen machines. If youre in a fire, the flames draw heat away from the body, which means you freeze instead.

All of this makes a temporal pincer movement possible, in which teams can attack an enemy from two directions in time.

Elizabeth Debicki and Kenneth Branagh in Tenet

In any case, the technology has ended up in the hands of a malevolent Russian oligarch, Andrei Sator (Kenneth Branagh), who, we eventually learn, is dying of a terminal disease. Sator apparently has the power, if he manages to assemble all the scattered pieces of the Algorithm, the fully weaponized inversion technology, to make everything that ever happened or existed in human history disappear along with him when he goes. The film centers on preventing this from occurring. In other words, there is a super-villain with a potential super-weapon. This is glorified James Bond material.

The Protagonist (this is the characters name) attempts to reach Sator through his wife, Kat (Elizabeth Debicki). He also teams up with Neil (Robert Pattinson), another intelligence agent. The film takes us to various locales, also a la Bond movies, including Kiev, Mumbai, London, Oslo, the Amalfi Coast in Italy, Talinn in Estonia, back to Oslo, Vietnam and finally to northern Siberia. Along the way, as he tries to save the world past and present, the Protagonist falls for Kat and tries to rescue her.

Tenet is not an interesting or engaging film. When the furious and confusing action dies down momentarily, the performers struggle to make something meaningful out of the script, which is devoid of psychological or social insight. Some of them have a better time of it than others. Pattinson, who has developed an interesting film presence, fares best. Branagh plays a vile, murderous Russian out of the New York Times-CIA playbook.

The film technology at work in Tenet is very striking. It testifies to the ability of present-day cinema to create virtually any image or series of images. However, and this may not be the first occasion on which we have made this point, while technology is powerful and helpful, one also must have something to say.

We have written numerous times about Nolans films. In fact, five different reviewers have commented on his efforts for the WSWSand all negatively. Certain themes recur. About Interstellar (2014), we wrote, for example, that there was a banality under the pretentious surface of the film. Nolan seems more interested in the special effects than in the relationship between his characters. Inception (2010), we argued, merely emphasizes the unreal (and unappealing) aspects of contemporary Hollywood filmmaking: (over) cleverness, visual effects as a substitute for real ideas, and evasion of the burning questions of our day. In The Dark Knight (2008), the filmmakers apparently aspire to say something, but the comic-book adaptation is a limited form and, more to the point, one has to have important experiences and thoughts to say something interesting or enlightening about life.

John David Washington and Robert Pattinson in Tenet

In the end, however, it is not so much a matter of criticizing Nolans filmmaking, which is not very difficult to do. The important issue is to understand and criticize the conditions that produced his filmmaking or made it possible and seek to overcome them.

Nolan, born in 1970, belongs to a generation of British film directorsincluding Sam Mendes, Jonathan Glazer, Lynne Ramsay, Steve McQueen, Martin McDonagh, Alex Garland, Joe Wright, Ben Wheatley and otherswho came of age during the reactionary Thatcher era and for whom, whether they perceive it or not, the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991 was a pivotal event.

The latter event in particular, combined with the putrefaction of the trade unions and, in Britain, the Labour Party, ushered in a period of non-committal, socially indifferent filmmaking. The writers and directors did not necessarily all shift dramatically to the right, but they were infused overnight, so to speak, with an absolute terror of being labeled as political (except, that is, for identity politics) or social realist filmmakers.

Ideologically, they developed under the retrograde influence of subjectivist postmodernist conceptions in various strands.

Speaking of his body of films and Dunkirk (2017) specifically, Nolan once commented, They are all about individual experiences, potential contradictions with objective reality, and the film tries very strongly to leave space for the seemingly infinite number of experiences and stories that would contradict each other or comment on each other in different ways. It would be wrong, of course, to amalgamate Margaret Thatcherinfamous for saying, There is no such thing as society. There are individual men and women and there are familiesand Nolan politically, but the directors insistence on atomized subjective existence speaks both to social developments in the UK and the manner in which layers of the intelligentsia, intimidated or conquered, have surrendered to reactionary notions.

Two admirers of Nolan, Alec Price and M. Dawson, argue that in his films what emerges is a portrait of man cast adrift in a world where nothing is certain and reality is often an abstract concept, forever in flux. For this director, they write, the only thing in this world that is real is what we decide to accept into our conscience. Actuality is far less important than the way in which we absorb, interpolate and remember, and it is this created reality that truly matters.

In short, according to Price and Dawson, we choose who we are and what we believe. Sovereign power in the Nolan universe belongs to the internalisation of all experience and it is solely in the mind and the heart where any sense of permanency or equilibrium can ever be found.

In any case, what has been internalized is not very rich or rewarding. Tenet is tedious and quite conventional. Nolan wants nothing to do with politics, but his film comfortably conforms to the requirements of the race- and gender-obsessed upper-middle class. As the films publicity has been eager to point out, With an estimated production budget of USD $205 million, this is the most expensive film ever made to have a person of color as the solo lead. Moreover, Kat is an abused woman and, as noted, Sator a maniacal Russian. The appropriate boxes have been checked.
With March being Womens History Month, the Tribune reached out to three women who currently hold leadership positions across Huron County and asked them questions about their roles in local government.

The questions asked include what got them interested in getting into local politics, what it is like working in an environment dominated by men, and what advice they have for other women considering going into government.

Huron County Commissioner Mary Babcock:

Mary Babcock is in her second term as a Huron County commissioner for the seventh district, having served the role for the past three years representing the villages of Kinde and Port Austin and Dwight, Hume, Lake, Lincoln, Pointe Aux Barques, and Port Austin townships.

Prior to becoming a commissioner, Babcock worked as a certified public accountant since the late 1970s, been on the county planning commission for 24 years, and is still on the countys economic development corporation board.

Babcock had wanted to be a commissioner since her neighbor, Martha Thuemmel, served on the board from 1988 to 2000.

I knew that when I retired, I wanted to do that, Babcock said.

When Babcock was starting out in accounting, she was one of the first female accountants in the county, which accustomed her to working in an environment dominated by men. She said she dealt with whatever issues came up and hung in there.

Sometimes you have to work twice as hard to show you can handle the job, Babcock said.

Babcock recalled how she was able to win over a gentleman to the point where he did not want to work with anyone else when it came to public audits.

I had earned his respect and that feels so good, Babcock said. Were still friends to this day.

As a commissioner, Babcock has served as the legislative chair in her first term and as the finance chair in her current term, also serving on the safety and personnel committees. She been involved with battling one topic after another, from the proposed air national guard flyovers back in 2019 to dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic over the past year.

COVID has really been a thorn in our sides, but weve handled it, Babcock said. We expected it to last a few weeks and here we are a year later still dealing with it.

Despite being the only woman on the board, Babcock gets along well with the other commissioners, saying they are a great working group and she respects every one of them.

We all have our own opinion and get along quite well, Babcock said.

Babcocks advice for women who want to get into government include not getting discouraged, be thorough in the research you do, and listen to everybody.

There are three sides to every story, Babcock put it.

Caseville Mayor Patricia Des Jardins:

Patricia Des Jardins has served as the mayor of Caseville since it became a city in 2010, previously serving as the village president for the year and a half before that change was made.

Des Jardins had served on the Caseville Charter Commission that oversaw the changing of Casevilles status from village to city, but she wanted to be village president after people asked her to do it and out of a need to give back to her community.

I had a lot of good things happen to me and I felt I needed to give back, Des Jardins said.

Since Des Jardins is still the first mayor of Caseville, she is the first woman to hold that role, though not the first village president when she held that role.

The role of mayor is mainly as a figurehead who runs the city council meetings, as the council, currently made up of all men, are the ones who make the decisions for the city.

I try not to interfere with them because we have a really good council, Des Jardins said. After every election, we had a wonderful council.

Aside from being mayor, Des Jardins has been active in her church and oversaw putting the funeral lunches for the St. Roch catholic church before the pandemic. She has been involved with the Caseville Library Club and Holly Berry Fair since become mayor.

While Des Jardins said that she admires a lot of women who served in government, she could not name any in particular because there were so many to choose from.

Behind every successful man is his mother, Des Jardins said.

Des Jardins stayed inside her home for the past year due to the pandemic, with her calling into city meetings instead of attending them. She said that doing that helped her think positive.

I managed staying home, and that turned me into a better person for being more patient for other people, Des Jardins said.

Des Jardins advice for any women interested in a government position is to be patient with people, as being mayor has helped her listen better and be more tuned into the people of her community. She also attributed it to having a 34-year-old granddaughter with down syndrome, which also taught her patience.

Bad Axe Mayor Kathleen Particka:

Kathleen Particka is currently in her fourth year as Bad Axes first woman mayor, wrapping up her second term this November. Prior to that she sat on the Bad Axe city council for 14 years.

She joined the city council when a councilman, Herb Williams, ran for mayor halfway through his term and won, leaving a seat vacant. Particka was one of seven applicants for the open seat and was appointed.

Ive always been interested in government, whether local or in a state scale since high school, Particka said. So, the thought to work together with members of the community to better the city, thats my intent.

In Partickas time as mayor, Bad Axe brought back its veterans parade and the ceremonies afterwards after being left by the wayside for years, a walking path was built south of Buffalo Street, and splash pads are in the works that will hopefully be up and running this summer. She also recently started a three-year-term on the Michigan Association of Mayors.

Aside from city government, Particka also served on the Bad Axe librarys board when it turned into a district library. She served on the board for eight years taking on all four possible roles on that board, chair, co-chair, secretary, and treasurer.

Particka said she had never really looked at her accomplishment as being the first woman mayor, she is just very proud to be elected and re-elected for the role and able to work together with the residents of the city.

That has not presented any challenges to her, since she is fortunate to work well with whoever else, man or woman, is on the council with her.

You see communities that have write-ups in the paper of their meetings going on for hours or taking several hours discussing finance, Particka said. Its never been like that here. I tell everyone Ive ever talked with that we work so well with each other.

For Particka, her biggest role model has been her mother, Virginia Kotcher, who was one of the first managers of a now-closed Sears at the Oakland Mall in Troy. It was a company she worked with for 28 years.

It doesnt seem like a big deal being in the workforce like that, Particka said, But she was able to hold that title and she was deaf. The accomplishments she was able to do in her lifetime and how she was able to adjust left their mark on me.

Partickas advice for women considering running for a government position is to just put your mind to it and to not be afraid to reach out to others in helping you achieve your goals

If youre thinking of running for some kind of position, whether it be elected or on a school board, do your research and go from there, Particka said. When you come across a hurdle, dont look at it as a problem, see it as a challenge.
A chain reaction crash on Interstate 195 in Hamilton Friday night seriously injured an off-duty state corrections officer who stopped to help out, authorities said.

Jason Rawa, a 10-year corrections officer remains in stable but critical condition at Capital Health Regional Medical Center Trenton. He was injured on his way home from work, and a GoFundMe has been set up by his union, PBA Local 105, to help with his medical bills.

The incident occurred after a couch fell off a vehicle on the westbound lanes of I-195 in Hamilton, said Sgt. Philip Curry, a New Jersey State Police spokesman. That vehicle did not stop.

Another vehicle swerved to avoid the couch, hit it and ran off the road and struck the guardrail in the median of the highway, Curry said.

Rawa was traveling east and stopped on the median to help the driver of the vehicle that hit the guard rail. A second westbound vehicle then struck the couch, crashed into the vehicle on the median and pushed it into Rawa, Curry said.

Correctional Police Officer J. Rawa NJSP was on his way home after working a double when he came upon several vehicles... Posted by NJ PBA Local 105 on Saturday, March 20, 2021

The extent of his injuries wasnt revealed until Rawa was taken to the hospital and examined by doctors.

The crash report says he was initially alert and coherent at the scene. He was talking to troopers that responded and there was nothing indicative of the more serious injuries, Curry said.

He stopped to help out and unfortunately ended up getting severely injured, said William Sullivan, president of PBA local 105. Were glad he tried to help, but this is terrible.

Rawa, 47, is married and has two children, Sullivan said. He was on his way home after working a double shift. His work location was not publicized.

A statement from the union Sunday said Rawa is in a coma undergoing medical treatment.

The GoFundMe drive was set up to help cover medical bills since Rawa was not on duty at the time of the incident, Sullivan said. As of Sunday evening, the effort had raised nearly $15,000.

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Larry Higgs may be reached at lhiggs@njadvancemedia.com.
President Joe Biden walks across the South Lawn upon returning to the White House in Washington, on March 14, 2021. (Olivier Douliery/AFP via Getty Images)

Mainstream Media Reporters Call Out Biden Administration for Lack of Access at US-Mexico Border

Legacy news outlets and reporters have increasingly begun to question the White Houses transparency regarding the surge in illegal immigrants along the U.S.-Mexico border.

The Biden administration has prohibited reporters from visiting facilities that are used to house illegal immigrants, saying its due to the CCP virus pandemic.

Last week, the Radio Television Digital News Association called on the Biden administration to allow media workers access to Border Patrol facilities.

The lack of information and collaboration from the Border Patrol and Department of Homeland Security has also created a vacuum of sorts that traditionally biased sources are filling with information that serves only their political interests. This dynamic is not conducive to efforts by journalists to communicate unbiased information to the public nor is it constructive to the heated dialogue of elected officials both locally and nationally, Radio Television Digital News Association executive director Dan Shelley said in a letter to the White House.

At a time when the southern border of the United States is undergoing a historic surge of migrants, it is more important than ever that journalists be allowed the necessary access to report accurately and independently on the Border Patrols response to the increased arrival of migrants and the wellbeing of those housed in Border Patrol facilities, Shelley added.

In an article from left-leaning CNN, titled, Reporters call out Biden administration for lack of transparency at the US-Mexico border, it noted that when Department of Homeland (DHS) Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas traveled to the border several days ago, typically on such a trip, a cabinet secretary and lawmakers would be accompanied by reporters or a member of the White House press pool to feed notes back to newsrooms.

But on this trip, the Biden administration blocked that from happening, the article stated.

A Getty photographer who won a 2019 award for a Honduran toddler crying along the border wrote on Twitter that he, too, was denied access and called on the administration to allow him to shoot photos on the U.S. side.

I respectfully ask US Customs and Border Protection to stop blocking media access to their border operations, Gettys John Moore wrote on Twitter Friday. I have photographed CBP under Bush, Obama and Trump but nowzero access is granted to media. Photos that he captured recently were taken from the Mexican side, Moore said.

A member of the Mexican Guard stands guard at the border between the United States and Mexico in Sunland Park, N.M., on March 15, 2021. (Justin Hamel/AFP via Getty Images)

Moore, meanwhile, described the current situation as unusual.

Theres no modern precedent for a full physical ban on media access to CBP border operations, Moore added in another Twitter post. To those who might say, cut them some slackthey are dealing with a situation, Id say that showing the U.S. response to the current immigrant surge is exactly the medias role.

Correspondent and author Jacob Soboroff wrote that the White House is doing itself no favors by keeping us out of these facilities, noting that the Trump administration let us in the facilities. Now it is the Biden administrations turn to open the doors so that we can fully tell the story of not just where they want to go but why they want to go to that place, he said.

White House press secretary Jen Psaki, when questioned during briefings about the lack of press access at Border Patrol facilities, said the administration will move to address the issue.

The DHS oversees the Border Patrol facilities, and we want to work with them to ensure we can do respecting the privacy and obviously the health protocols required by COVID, she said on March 18. On Monday, Psaki said the administration is working to finalize details about more media access and said, I hope to have an update in the coming days.

We are working through with the Department of Health and Human Services, and also the Department of Homeland Security to ensure privacy and to ensure that we are following COVID protocols, the secretary told reporters at the White House. We remain committed to transparency, and of course as I noted last week, we certainly want to make sure the media has access to these sites.
Saudi Water Partnership Company (SWPC) has achieved financial closure for the Yanbu-4 independent water producer (IWP) plant in partnership with a consortium led by French energy major Engie (40 per cent) along with its Saudi partners Nesma (30 per cent) and Mowah (30 per cent).

Being built at an investment of SR3.1 billion ($826 million), the Yanbu-4 IWP is the first renewable integrated, seawater reverse osmosis project in the kingdom that includes storage facilities for two operational days.

The plant, which boasts a 450,000 cu m/day seawater desalination capacity, is located 140 km west of Madinah, near the town of Ar Rayyis, on the Red Sea coast of the kingdom.

The consortium, led by one of the worlds leading low-carbon energy and service solution providers, Engie, was awarded the Yanbu-4 project in February 2020 after submitting a successful bid with tariff of SR1.7446 halalas per cu m of produced water.

According to SWPC, the project is the first water pipeline in Saudi Arabia developed under the public-private-partnership (PPP) structure and will achieve one of the most competitive specific power consumption levels in the kingdom.

As per the deal, it will develop and finance the desalination plant, which will be operated and maintained by Engie in Saudi Arabia.

The project will utilize reverse osmosis technology to supply potable water to the cities of Makkah and Madinah. The project will include solar energy units generating 20 MW of power to reduce grid electricity consumption throughout the desalination process, as well as water storage tanks designed to maintain a capacity of two operational days.

As per the deal, the Engie consortium will develop the project on a BOO (build, own and operate) model with a concession term of 25 years with commercial operation expected in the last quarter of 2023.

"Despite the fluctuations, liquidity crises and changing global market conditions, SWPC and the Engie consortium succeeded in completing the financial closure procedures in close cooperation with the group of lenders, which indicates the companys efforts," remarked its CEO Engineer Khalid Al Quraishi.

"We will provide full support for investment projects, and enhance private sector participation in sustainable development by providing the opportunity for local and foreign investors to participate in the implementation of these projects, thus achieving sustainable development, providing job opportunities for young people, and supporting local product and balanced development," he added.

Engie Saudi Arabia CEO Turki Al Shehri said: "Our objective will be to create local jobs, boost foreign direct investment and help the kingdom diversify its economy and also harness the global expertise of Engie into Saudi Arabia."

"We are a long-term positive energy partner to the kingdom and we will ensure that our main objective is a valuable addition to the nation, its people and residents," he added.-TradeArabia News Service
Armenia MFA information department chief: All deputy FMs carrying out their duties

Ardshinbank invited children to the cinema on International Childrens Day

Armenia judiciary to have 10 more judges

Armenia acting premier: We had recorded 40% increase in tax revenues according to 2019 results

Armenia acting PM on Artsakh war casualties bodies: We have 50 remains in which case DNA was not separated

Azerbaijan authorities plan to "squeeze" everything from "terrorist show" related to Armenian captives

Ameriabank Announces a Contest for Bank Card Design

108 new cases of COVID-19 confirmed in Armenia

Armenia parliament convenes special session

Armenia interim government holding Cabinet meeting

Catholicos of All Armenians heads for Syunik Province, Artsakh

World oil prices going up

Iran loses right to vote in UN General Assembly

Newspaper: Armenia authorities come up with new way of punishing unwanted characters

Newspaper: Russia army Southern Military District deputy commander to arrive in Yerevan Thursday

Lebanese Armenian man taken prisoner by Azerbaijan is hospitalized

Armenia ex-President Kocharyan: Are we getting under the burden? Then lets get under to the end

Armenia acting health minister on keeping fallen soldiers bodies in bags: What else should they be kept in?

Armenia acting health minister on citizens' demand for her resignation

Karabakh's new State Minister Artak Beglaryan on his appointment and future activities

Armenian, Russian and Azerbaijani representatives hold consultations in Moscow

2 Armenian soldiers receive slight injuries after incident with Azerbaijani servicemen in Armenia's Gegharkunik

Armenian boy weighing 5 kg born at Goris Medical Center

"Armenia" bloc representative presents purpose of participation in elections and plans

Isaac Herzog elected President of Israel

Rouhani: Main issues between Tehran, Washington resolved in Vienna

Charles Michel calls on Armenia and Azerbaijan to resume constructive negotiations

US Department of State responds to Pashinyan's proposal to deploy international observers on Armenia-Azerbaijan border

Head of Armenia 2nd President's Office: Robert Kocharyan's public meetings are held in warm atmosphere

Opposition "Armenia" bloc's representative on photos and videos showing bags of deceased servicemen's bodies

Armenia Ombudsman, AGBU President discuss war crimes committed by Azerbaijan during Karabakh war

Opposition "Armenia" bloc's representatives to hold briefings three times a week

Opposition "Armenia" bloc member: Blood-freezing photos and videos from morgue in Abovyan are authorities' reflection

Yerevan mayor receives Netherlands Ambassador

Armenia Health Ministry, Investigative Committee keep info about sending remains of dead soldiers abroad confidential

Armenia Prosecutor General's Office launches case regarding leaving sacs of servicemen's bodies/remains in basement

Peskov: Putin and Biden to discuss cybersecurity issues

Armenia's Pashinyan meets with Belgian PM Alexander De Croo

Armenia acting MOD receives Netherlands Ambassador

Armenia Police: 3 citizens apprehended during protest demanding acting health minister's resignation

NATO warns Minsk about further consequences of Ryanair incident

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
Sebamed, a German personal care brand with a legacy of 50+ years, launched its #Sirf Science ki Suno campaign, focused around its anti-hair loss shampoo. In consonance with its bar campaign, the brand once again imparts a new knowledge to consumers about hair loss and encourages them to choose a solution that is backed by strong scientific research. In addition to Anti Hair loss shampoo, Sebamed is also offering solutions for dandruff and everyday maintenance needs through its Anti dandruff and every day shampoo range.

Shashi Ranjan, Country Head, Sebamed India, said, Sebamed India is addressing the needs of discerning consumers by decoding the difference between hair breakage and hair loss. We are confident that Sebamed Anti Hair loss shampoos is an innovation that will create a strong disruption in a cluttered shampoo category. Its unique NHE formulation with pH5.5 advantage not only works on hair breakage but also reduces hair fall by addressing the problem from the root.

Commenting on the campaign, Konark Gaur, Head of Marketing  Sebamed India said Sebamed is committed to truthful advertising and delivering on the promises it makes to its customers. We listened to the consumers frustration in the Anti-Hair fall shampoo category and discovered a gap between promise and delivery. Through this campaign, Sebamed promises to fill this need gap through its science-based Anti-Hair Loss shampoo which not only reduces hair breakage but also strengthens the roots.

Navin Talreja, Co-founder - The Womb, said, After Sebameds success in the bathing bar category, it was time to build on its personal care range with Shampoos that are efficacious and science backed with their core differentiator of pH 5.5. Hairloss is a big consumer pain point, yet consumer knowledge around Breakage Vs Hair Loss is limited. Through this campaign, intent was to educate consumer of the difference between the two and solve the real problem of hair-loss with its unique NHE formula.
Sri Lanka's Speaker of Parliament Mahinda Yapa Abeywardana has lauded China's success in eradicating poverty.

In a recent interview with Xinhua, Abeywardena, who has visited China several times since 1987, said that development under the Communist Party of China has been magnificent, especially in rural areas.

"It's amazing the development you see if you go inside the country," he said.

Abeywardena said the "conviction, commitment and sacrifice" of the CPC is the secret behind China's successes in the field of development. The example set by the CPC inspires the Chinese people to action, he said.

Since the founding of the People's Republic of China in 1949, more than 800 million people have been lifted out of poverty, which represent over 70 percent of global poverty reduction. Notably, over the past eight years, the final 98.99 million impoverished rural residents living under the current poverty line have been lifted above it, according to the Chinese government.

Sri Lanka and China have long-standing bonds of friendship, the speaker said. He called for more dialogue with Chinese counterparts as well as more frequent visits to China by Sri Lankan policymakers in order to identify and learn from China's development success.

The Sri Lanka-China development projects have been formulated on a win-win basis, Abeywardana said, adding that Port City Colombo, a flagship Belt and Road project, is the biggest investment in the country's history and its land reclamation has expanded the country's geography.

"I believe very soon there will be huge investment coming into Sri Lanka that will be a big economic boost," he said.

Abeywardena said that Sri Lanka has shown impressive progress after emerging from a 30-year civil war. The government has worked hard to rehabilitate former fighters, and resettle internally displaced people, while the military has de-mined vast areas of former war zones, he said.

Under the leadership of the Sri Lankan government, war-affected areas are now major agricultural producers and supplied with basic infrastructure and resources, including housing, water and electricity, Abeywardena said.
As Connecticut officials expressed confidence Monday in the accelerated vaccination plan, they acknowledged the state is nearing 300,000 total COVID cases since the onset of the pandemic amid a rising positivity rate.

With increases through the weekend, Connecticut has seen 299,667 total cases of the coronavirus since last year, and the new tests since Friday brought the daily positivity rate to 3.59 percent, data shows.

This is no time for us to relax, Gov. Ned Lamont said. We are looking at New York, we are looking at Massachusetts, things that ticked up a little bit there. Like Ive said before, I am a little less anxious about the positivity rate unless I saw a big ramp up.

Three days after the state lifted many business restrictions, Lamont said Monday he remains focused on the hospitalization rate, a number that decreased through the weekend by 13 net cases to a total of 389 statewide, among the lowest amounts its been in recent weeks.

As the positivity rate continued to sit above 3 percent, officials said Connecticut was on track with its accelerated vaccination rollout plan.

Since eligibility opened Friday to people age 45 to 54, state officials said there were about 80,000 scheduled appointments. It marks about 40 percent of those state officials expected would want the vaccine in this group.

Unlike previous eligibility expansions, the state said providers were told to limit appointments to mid-April.

I encourage people to keep looking each day, said Josh Geballe, the states chief operating officer. If you are still looking for a slot, new ones are opening all the time. We remain confident that we are very much on track to get everyone an appointment by the time we change the phase on April 5.

Geballe said Monday it appears the state has been timing the transitions well to ensure appointments do not go unused by moving the dates to when projections show demand diminishes.

Our goal is ... as soon as we see a slackening in demand from the prior phase to immediately move into the next phase. I think we really nailed that this time, Geballe said.

Lamont said Monday that 22 percent of people age 45 to 54 had already received the vaccine, but that number was bolstered by individuals who already fell in previous stages of the rollout, whether they were teachers or health care workers.

The state hopes to get about 60 percent of people in this age group inoculated with a first dose of the vaccine when it transitions to people age 16 to 44, the final stage of eligibility, which includes about 625,000 people who the state projects will be eager to sign up.

In an effort to reach more people with vaccines, Lamont said Monday the state Department of Public Health will deploy a fleet of 35 vehicles that will serve as mobile clinics capable of administering up to 160 doses of the vaccine a day as they come online through April. The mobile clinics will work through community partnerships where local leaders will set up appointments.

We have to continue our outreach, especially for Black and brown populations, Lamont said. We have some of our towns where you have 70 percent of the eligible population has been vaccinated, and some of our cities where its more like 35 or 40 percent.

When the state shifted its vaccine strategy last month to an age-based approach, Lamonts administration announced it would designate 50 priority ZIP codes for increased vaccination efforts. The ZIP codes were chosen based on their high social vulnerability scores, a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention metric that weighs factors including health care, housing density, access to transportation and education, among others.

More than three weeks into this effort, vaccine distribution to people living in these areas continues to lag substantially behind other communities, officials said.

State officials said Monday that 22 percent of people in these priority areas have been vaccinated, falling below the previous goal of 25 percent.

Lamont said its not quite where we wanted ... so weve got a little ways to go.

The state has emphasized several strategies to increase these numbers, acknowledging that hesitance toward getting the vaccine may be higher in these communities.

Providers have been conducting outbound calls, door-knocking campaigns, and other concerted outreach to connect these residents with vaccines. While maintaining large mass vaccine clinics in cities, providers have been partnering with smaller organizations like houses of worship to run targeted vaccination events.

Lamont said the new mobile clinic vans will be in the church parking lot at the end of the service or visiting other congregate settings.

Were taking the vaccine to you to do everything we can to expand our reach, Lamont said.

As these strategies develop to reach vulnerable communities, state officials appear poised to double down on the efforts when the demand for the vaccine wanes by using these mobile clinic vans to reach more people.

By the time we get to the late spring to summer, we are going to have more vaccine than people who want to take it, Geballe said. We envision these mobile units operating almost on an ice cream truck model, where you can drive through neighborhoods and you can flag them down and get a vaccination.
London: Britain, Canada and the EU have announced their first-ever sanctions on Chinese government officials over the persecution of the Uighurs in Xinjiang province.

The measures were imposed under Magnitsky legislation passed by the three nations which allows governments to impose sanctions for human rights violations. They were the first sanctions against Chinese officials by the EU and Britain in 30 years.

The sanctions, involving travel bans and asset freezes, were levelled against the Public Security Bureau of the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps, Zhu Hailun, Wang Junzehng , Wang Minghsan and Chen Minggu.

An industrial Park in Artux in western Chinas Xinjiang region, where Western nations say human rights abuses are occurring. Credit:AP

The United States - which has declared that China is committing genocide against the Uighurs - also joined in sanctioning Wang and Chen, having previously imposed sanctions on the other individuals.
New Delhi, March 22 : A Delhi court on Monday sent Trinamool Congress youth leader Vinay Mishra's brother Vikas Mishra to jail for 14 days in connection with an alleged coal smuggling case.

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) had arrested Vikas Mishra from Delhi on March 16 following which the court sent him to the agency's custody for six days.

After the end of his custody period Monday, Special Judge Anurag Sain sent him to judicial custody after the ED did not seek his further remand.

The ED probe is based on an FIR registered by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in connection with the illegal coal smuggling case.

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 the SSI and security in-charge of Kajora area, Debashish Mukherjee.

It had also issued a look out circular (LOC) against the Mishra brothers earlier this year after their name cropped up in the case.

An ED official said here that after registering the money laundering case, the agency had carried out 49 search operations in Kolkata and Delhi in the last two months, recovering several incriminating documents.

The official said that the financial probe agency has also recorded the statement of over 40 people in connection with the case.

"During investigation, the ED gathered evidences which pointed out that the proceeds of crime generated from illegal coal smuggling by key accused Majhi is worth Rs 1,300 crore," the official said.

He said that a major chunk of this amount was received by Vinay Mishra and his brother.

The official said that the proceeds of crime to the tune of Rs 730 crore reached the Trinamool Congress youth leader and his brother, on behalf of some influential persons as well as for themselves.
Out-of-control cancel culture, borders open again to illegal immigration, and the Democrat majorities in Congress attempting to impose one-party rule on the country are nothing less than the symptoms of a dying ideology, a modern liberalism that has reached its logical conclusion and is ditching what used to work and is instead imposing its radical will and agenda on the entire country. Beginning in the sixties, when a radical form of liberalism emerged, it has been constantly on the prowl for the next victim class to feed its voracious appetite by preying on their sense of victimhood.

First, beginning with Lyndon Johnson and his "Great Society," it devoured African-Americans through welfare state programs that utterly failed in their original mission. This has served as the template for liberalism ever since in its attempt to capture every possible demographic (except white males) by pandering to their sense of victimhood in a country supposedly seething with bigots and sexists. If you belong to a specific race, sex, or ethnic group that thinks it's been marginalized and discriminated against, vote for a Democrat, and your sense of victimhood will magically disappear. The left has burned through virtually every demographic starting with blacks, followed by women, gays, Hispanics, Muslims, and now transgenders over the course of the last 50 years.

What we're seeing now is modern liberalism reaching the end of the line, where it has run out of options on whom to prey on next. More precisely, it's run out of ideas to sell to the public as to what its vision is for the country going forward. Accusing everyone of bigotry or misogyny is not a vision; it's a distraction and misdirection from actually addressing and solving real problems. This has actually been a fairly good strategy over many decades, but when you get to a point where you've exhausted the strategy that's worked so well for so long, weird things start to happen, most notably when your victim groups begin to see through it and realize they've been taken advantage of. One of the ways this becomes most evident is when what's being done for one group either does no good for them or is detrimental to their interests.

Generally speaking, the left views the world in terms of the collective, whereas the right views it in terms of the individual. This is why conservatism beats liberalism every time, because conservative principles are equally applied to everyone regardless of race, religion, or sex. And this is the way the Constitution was designed. Its principles were to be applied not on a collective basis, but rather on the individual, regardless of demographics. You can't get any more equal or "just" in that. One can read the Constitution and find absolutely nothing delineated by group or class. There are large numbers of productive and successful blacks in the middle and even upper classes who surrender their individuality every election day by voting for Democrats out of solidarity with all African-Americans while knowing full well that identity politics is rooted in collectivism and is detrimental to their self-interest.

The underlying internal contradictions are starting to starve the liberal beast because they are totally irreconcilable. To students of history, this should be self-evident, since all societies governed upon collectivist ideologies always collapse because of their internal contradictions. It's only a matter of time until this occurs in the U.S., as modern liberalism is demonstrating at this moment in history.

Image: Wonderlane.
 Flash

Chinese President Xi Jinping delivered a video speech to the Colombian people at the invitation of his Colombian counterpart, Ivan Duque, as the third batch of COVID-19 vaccines provided by China arrived in Bogota, capital of Colombia, on Saturday local time.



"Even mountains and seas cannot distance people with common aspirations," Xi said in his speech, noting that the vast Pacific Ocean cannot stand in the way of the profound friendship between the Chinese and Colombian people.

Over the past 41 years since the establishment of their diplomatic ties, the China-Colombia relations have achieved historic development, Xi said, with China becoming Colombia's second largest trading partner and China-invested enterprises actively participating in Colombia's development in various fields.

Cultural and people-to-people exchanges between the two sides are flourishing, and the China-Colombia friendship is deeply rooted in the hearts of the two peoples, Xi said.

In the face of the unexpected COVID-19 outbreak, Xi stressed that the two countries have worked in unity to help each other overcome difficulties and actively carried out anti-pandemic cooperation.

Two batches of Chinese vaccines purchased by Colombia have been delivered to the South American country not long ago, Xi said, adding that the latest batch of vaccines arrived today to help boost the national vaccination program of Colombia.

Xi said he hopes that the governments and peoples of the two countries will make joint efforts to strengthen friendly cooperation in various fields including the anti-pandemic fight, so as to elevate China-Colombia friendly cooperation to a new level from a new historical starting point and bring more benefits to the two peoples.

Duque, who was on a tour of inspection during the day, held a special ceremony and broadcasted Xi's speech to the whole country. He expressed gratitude to Xi and the brotherly Chinese people for their deep friendship to the Colombian people and their important support to Colombia's fight against the pandemic.

Duque said that developing relations with China is a broad consensus among different political groups in Colombia, and the country is ready to work with China to continuously deepen bilateral relations.
by Francis Khoo Thwe

Car processions, honking horns and three-finger hand salute. Yesterday two people killed in Mandalay and Monywa. The death toll is over 250. Teachers threatened with dismissal if they do not stop civil disobedience. Singapore's foreign minister goes to Brunei.

Yangon (AsiaNews) - New protests are underway today, after a bloody weekend with the killing of demonstrators.

This morning in Yangon, at the request of activists, many cars honked continuously, while the occupants raised their hand with a three finger salute, which has become the symbol of resistance for democracy.

There were also two pre-dawn demonstrations in two commercial areas of the economic capital. Yesterday, however, in Mandalay, before dawn, there was a large demonstration of medical staff, all in white coats.

Yesterday in Mandalay one person was killed in a riot between residents of a neighborhood and the security forces, who were trying to enter a school to make it their base.

In Monywa, a man was hit by a police bullet while he and other activists were trying to build a barricade.

According to the Association for the Assistance of Political Prisoners, at least 250 people have been killed since the start of the coup.

Today the junta ultimatum for teachers who participate in the strike and civil disobedience also expires: if by today they do not return to class, they will be fired. The same threat weighs on medical staff and workers.

Meanwhile, after criticism of the junta from Indonesia and Malaysia, Singapore's foreign minister, Vivian Balakrishnan, flew to Brunei today, before going to Malaysia and Indonesia. At present, Brunei is the current president of ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations), which Jakarta and Kuala Lumpur are pushing for an emergency meeting on the Myanmar crisis.

Singapore is the largest foreign investor in the country, but it is also one of the most pragmatic. Until now, Balakrishnan has only called for "stability" and the "end of violence", also endorsing the idea of Min Aung Hlaing's junta to keep power until new elections, rejecting the last November elections, overwhelmed by the party by Aung San Suu Kyi.
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Christian groups lament passage of bill requiring lessons on atheism, humanism in all Welsh schools

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Christian law firms have expressed concerns over the passing of a bill that would make it mandatory for all schools, including faith schools, in Wales to teach humanism on an equal footing with religions as well as broaden sex education themes and content.

The provisions of the Curriculum and Assessment (Wales) Bill, which is set to become law after passing all debate stages, amount to transferring the right of parents to decide their childs best interests about sex and religious education to the State, writes Elizabeth Francis, a legal officer for human rights group Alliance Defending Freedom, U.K., in an op-ed for The Conservative Woman.

The Bill would change the term religious education to religion, values, and ethics so that non-religious worldviews can be taught alongside Christianity and other religious beliefs. It would also allow humanists to be part of the bodies that oversee and develop the syllabus, according to The Christian Institute.

An initial proposal included giving atheists a veto over any religious teaching in schools, but the clause was later dropped. However, it still allows for disproportionate time to be spent studying Humanism or atheism. It also repealed key safeguards on the teaching of sex education, the Institute says.

The Welsh Government ignored two public consultations which clearly opposed these changes, the Institutes Wales Officer, Gareth Edwards, said. In the last census only 815 people said they were humanists in the whole of Wales. Why have they been handed such influence over the content of religious teaching in schools? he asked.

Kathy Riddick of Wales Humanists, a group that lobbied for the laws passage, celebrated the lawmakers decision.

We are absolutely delighted that the Senedd has passed this bill and that, after many years of campaigning by Wales Humanists, humanism will be put on an equal footing with religions throughout the curriculum, Riddick said in a statement. This is a huge success for inclusive education and Wales is very much leading the way. We congratulate the Government for its achievement.

Edwards added, While this is a setback, Christians will still be able to have a positive influence in schools by responding to the public consultation on the RSE code in due course, and parents should also expect to be consulted by their schools before changes are brought in.

Francis warned, however, that its likely "the Welsh law will act as the final pretext the Scottish parliament needs to move forward with plans to remove the current discretion given to faith schools when teaching sex education.

Particularly when it comes to sensitive topics, the primary role of parents has always been respected as they are best placed to determine what is age-appropriate for the background, culture, and developmental maturity of their children, she added.

Francis said the governments in England and Wales appear to be legislating deliberately to neglect parental rights  principles long upheld both domestic and internationally.

The reforms also show the speed at which education policy is shifting, she warned.
The Gotabaya Rajapaksa-led government in Sri Lanka has sought help from India to counter allegations raised by the UN rights body over Sri Lanka's "repeated failure to ensure justice for the victims and promote reconciliation after the end of armed conflict with the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE). Lanka was defeated at three consecutive resolutions at the UN Human Rights Commission in Geneva when Gotabaya's brother Mahinda Rajapaksa was the President between 2012-2014.



The Gotabaya government had officially withdrawn from co-sponsoring the previous resolution undertaken by the previous government. Instead, it demanded a probe on the international level into the alleged war crimes committed by both the LTTE and the government troops, during the last phase of the civil war that ended in Sri Lanka, in 2009.

SL failed to ensure justice to war victims: UNHCR

'Promotion of Reconciliation Accountability and Human Rights in Sri Lanka' is on the list as agenda item 2 for the discussion in UNHRC on Monday, officials were quoted as saying by PTI. The High Commissioner for Human Rights, Michelle Bachelet last month submitted a report on Sri Lanka where she stressed that "Domestic initiatives had repeatedly failed to ensure justice for victims and promote reconciliation. Despite commitments made in 2015, the current Government, like its predecessor, had failed to pursue genuine accountability processes."

UPDATE!



The 46th session of the Human Rights Council has received 31 resolutions for consideration before voting begins on Tuesday, 23 March.



 #HRC46 INFO https://t.co/7ErAqTxc9S pic.twitter.com/AEJD3Z75MX  UN Human Rights Council (@UN_HRC) March 21, 2021

Trying to defeat false accusations, hope India will support Lanka: Gotabaya

However, Sri Lanka's foreign ministry in clarification said "Over the years, various allegations have been levelled against our country, alleging human rights abuses. We have been cautious about this. After our government was elected, a Presidential Commission has been appointed to investigate human rights allegations." The ministry further in its statement sought co-operation from India and said "We are trying to defeat the false accusations levelled against us, and many friendly countries have joined hands with us in this. We hope that India too will support us this time."

Moreover, the Indian position on elections to Sri Lanka's north and eastern provincial councils has also been reflected in the draft resolution that reads "to ensure that all provincial councils including the northern and eastern provincial councils are able to operate effectively in accordance with the thirteenth amendment to the constitution of Sri Lanka."

India's response to Michelle Bachelet's report on Sri Lanka

After a conversation on a call with Gotabaya Rajapaksa, Indian PM Narendra Modi has also escalated India's current positioning on the matter, in the UN. In a statement on the report by the Bachelet, India observed "The Sri Lankan government has articulated its position on these issues as well, in the evaluation of these, we should be guided by a commitment to finding a lasting and effective solution to this issue."

Had a telephone conversation with President @GotabayaR. We discussed issues relevant to our bilateral and multilateral cooperation, including in the context of COVID-19.  Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) March 13, 2021

Furthermore, India's Permanent Representative in UNHRC, Ambassador Indra Mani Pandey said "We call upon Sri Lanka to take necessary steps for addressing such aspirations, including through the process of reconciliation and full implementation of the 13th Amendment to the Constitution of Sri Lanka."
A familiar sight to Atlantic sailors for centuries, floating banks of sargassum algae have expanded over the past decade in the Caribbean Sea, swamping touristed beaches with foul-smelling mats of decaying plant matter. Scientists now think a major cause of this swelling brown tide is sediments from forest destruction, illegal mining operations and agricultural pollution carried out to sea by large South American rivers, particularly the Amazon, and swept north and west by ocean currents.

When Christopher Columbus made his four Atlantic Ocean crossings between 1492 and 1502, he not only confirmed the position of North and South America for the Spanish crown but also registered the first report of an immense mass of macro-algae known as sargassum floating east of what is now United States and north of Cuba. Since then, the Sargasso Sea has been a feature of the nautical charts used by those who venture into these tropical waters.

But since the start of the last decade, sargassum, which clumps together to form large buoyant mats of plant life, has hugely proliferated to the south of the location observed by Columbus. By mid-2018, they had formed a 5,600-mile living bridge between the Caribbean Sea and the African coast, swamping coastlines and beaches with noxious vegetation that turns off tourists, stains the legendarily blue Caribbean waters a sickly brown-yellow color and greatly alters coastal ecosystems.

The latest investigations have identified the principal culprit in the growth of sargassum as the discharge of nutrients and pollutants from mighty rivers such as the Amazon in Brazil and the Orinoco in Venezuela, as prevailing ocean currents, altered by climate change, sweep the effluent north to the Caribbean.

The Amazon River disgorges an average of 209,000 cubic meters of water into the ocean very second, more than the combined outflow from the worlds next seven largest rivers. Although there is little data available on the nutrient loads leaving the mouth of the Amazon, it is thought to be growing rapidly.

A comparison of surface nutrient concentrations measured in the Amazon plume region in spring 2010 and spring 2018 provides direct observation for increased delivery of nitrate and phosphate to the Central West Atlantic, says a paper published in Science by Mengqiu Wang and Chuanmin Hu from the University of South Florida. Sampling in the central west Atlantic shows the level of nitrates in particular increased sharply over those eight years.

The nutrients of sargassum, such as nitrogen, phosphorus and carbon, come from multiple sources.

We cannot cite a specific trigger, but the contribution from Brazilian territory is key. With the deforestation of the Amazon, water washes soil and chemical elements into the rivers. Nitrogen is a nutrient of sargassum, and its main sources are agriculture, industries and sewage disposal, said Carlos Noriega of the Estuarine and Coastal Physical Oceanography Laboratory of the Federal University of Pernambuco and one of the authors of a study of the expansion of Sargassum.

According to the One Shared Ocean initiative carried out by the United Nations and the European Union, in 2000 the level of nitrogen found in the water along the North Brazil Shelf -- as this large marine ecosystem, or LME, is known -- was already considered very high, and according to the same methodology, the group predicts that this level will remain high in the coming decades. The reason they cite: The rapid expansion of the use of agricultural fertilizers in Brazil.

"Human activities in watersheds are affecting nutrients transported by rivers into LMEs. Large amounts of nutrients (in particular, nitrogen load) entering coastal waters of LMEs can result in high biomass algal blooms, leading to hypoxic or anoxic conditions [when waters become devoid of oxygen], increased turbidity and changes in community composition, among other effects," says the assessment on the health of the North Brazil Shelf.

Meanwhile, the paper published by University of South Florida researchers showed that the use of agricultural fertilizers in Brazil grew by 67% between 2011 and 2016 . Use remains high to support expanded soybean, corn, sugar cane and coffee production.

The explosive macro-algae growth could also be considered a warning sign about increased deforestation in the Amazon basin. After reaching its lowest level of 1,776 square miles per year in 2012, deforestation has grown to 43,896 square miles last year alone, causing more erosion and sediments to run off into the rivers and eventually out to sea.

Altogether, about 17% of the Brazilian portion of the Amazon rainforest has already been lost, largely due to agriculture and livestock in the states of Para, Mato Grosso, Rondonia and Amazonas. Since 1985, according to MapBiomas, this activity has eaten up 171,815 square miles of the rainforest, an area larger than the state of California.

Health rivers, health ocean

Scientists are still debating the real dimension of the sediment load that reaches the ocean through the Amazon River and the contribution of human activities to the nutrient load, especially nitrogen. But the large marine ecosystem study estimates that the discharge of nitrogen by large rivers will continue to feed the proliferation of algae along the Venezuelan to the Brazilian coasts over the coming three decades.

In 2010, researcher Emilio Mayorga of Washington State University published the Nutrient Exports from Watersheds model, a tool for measuring dissolved nitrogen in watersheds. The methodology is now being adopted in large-scale studies, such as the one that determined the high concentration of nitrogen in 2000 off the northern coast of South America.

Like the Louisiana coast, the Gulf seafloor is rapidly eroding, research finds Louisiana's land loss crisis doesn't stop at the coast. New research has found that the seafloor extending from the Mississippi River Delta in

According to Mayorga's study published in 2016 in partnership with researchers at the University of California, most of the nitrogen found in South American waters today comes from manure and sewage, unlike areas in Asia where the origin is predominantly fertilizers. However, this same study predicts that the nitrogen load will grow by 45% by 2050, mainly due to increased fertilizer use.

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

The Amazonia region in Brazil has the worst national indicators for basic sanitation, and it does the least to collect and properly dispose of urban and rural sewage. Streams flowing through regional cities carry garbage and sewage into the Amazon and many other rivers.

In addition to taking advantage of the food brought by large riverine sources, the growth of sargassum is stimulated by waters warmed by climate change. Changes in global temperature also alter marine currents, spreading algae and other plants to new regions. On the other side of the Atlantic, discharges from the Congo River and sand from the Sahara carried by winds can increase algae growth. But these seem to be less of a factor when it comes to feeding the sargassum that affects the Caribbean.

"Among the datasets on sargassum that need further investigation are the contribution to the phenomenon arising from the real deposition of dust on the seas and oceans, the availability of nutrients in surface waters and how the plant responds to these various associated factors, explains Chuanmin Hu, one of the researchers at the University of South Florida.

He is the co-author of a study, published in Science in July 2019, into the marine macro-algae blooms. Evaluating 19 years of NASA satellite images, this research confirms that the proliferation of sargassum has been gaining strength since 2011 and that its principle nutrient sources are, in the west, large rivers such as the Amazon and the Orinoco, and, in the east, the uprising of deep, saltier waters off the African coast.

Globalized algae

This phenomenon of pollution flowing out from rivers and causing algae blooms, anoxic conditions and other effects occurs in many other regions. The outflow of sediments and nutrients from the Mississippi River, in one of the most famous examples, has led to 6,564-square-mile dead zone in the Gulf of Mexico. And although sargassum causes economic and ecological damage to Caribbean coastlines, it also harbors various marine species and captures carbon from the atmosphere.

Sargassum and other types of algae, either floating or attached to the seabed, have proliferated in many parts of the planet. Floating mats have also appeared along the coasts of the United States, China, India and France. In 2008, an explosion of green algae even affected competitions at the Beijing Olympics.

The biggest economic effects of this phenomenon are in the damage it is causing to tourism in Caribbean countries such as Mexico, Jamaica, Belize and the Dominican Republic. Sargassum washes up and rots on beaches, islands and resorts in the region. Cancun was closed for months last year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but there are concerns that the algae infesting the fashionable Mexican beach resort is also causing a decline in tourism arrivals.

In 2018 and 2019, the accumulation of algae on the beaches of the resort had a serious economic effect, one that might grow in 2021 as the amount of macro-algae observed in January was three times greater than in January 2019. Cancun is advertised as a coastline of white sand and turquoise blue sea. But with the arrival of the sargassum, the locals speak of a brown tide.

Puerto Aventuras sargassum Satellite photos show sargassum fouling the Cozumel Channel at Puerto Aventuras, Mexico. (Images from PLEIADES  CNES 2019, Distribution Airbu

In Brazil itself, sargassum has started to swamp the coasts of northern and northeastern states. In 2015, the profusion of macro-algae closed the beaches for several weeks on the archipelago of Fernando de Noronha. The previous year, an 500-mile belt of another species of algae dyed the coasts of Santa Catarina, Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro black and green. The bloom was recorded by NASA.

The phenomenon of sargassum should not be over-simplified as there are major causes to be found in several regions of the globe, such as countries cutting down their forests and climate change. Problems like these create favourable conditions for the explosion of algae populations across the planet, said Paulo Horta of the Federal University of Santa Catarina.

The other side of the coin

Floating in seas and oceans supported by small bladders filled with air, as if they were natural buoys, sargassum has not yet met with predators equal to their amazing ability to spread. On Caribbean islands such as Barbados, the weight of sargassum has buried turtles and other marine species.

Sargassum arrivals in Caribbean Sea NASA satellite images show the arrival of sargassum in the Caribbean Sea in the first months of the year.

But these plants also serve as shelter and food for several permanent or temporary inhabitants. Fish, birds, lobsters, shrimp and other living beings are supported by this ecosystem. Anglerfish or frogfish imitate the colors and shapes of sargassum, from which they never stray. Algae blooms in the United States have been an essential habitat for fish since 2003.

Sargassum serves as a bridge between continents for migratory species such as turtles and fish. It can fertilize dunes and maintain the stability of the coastline. It is used in teas and soups, as a fuel, and is a possible source of pharmaceutical inputs. In addition, like other plants, it absorbs carbon that it removes from the atmosphere through photosynthesis for food and growth.

If the large amount of biomass produced by the algae ends up in the deep sea, a large amount of carbon will be trapped there, without returning to the atmosphere, thus helping to counter the climate crisis. However, the relationship between sargassum and global climate change needs further study," says Maria Teresa Szechy, who holds a doctorate in biological sciences from the University of Sao Paulo and lectures at the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro. For instance, the sargassum blooms have been implicated in the killing off of Caribbean seagrass beds, an important carbon sink.

Clarifying the cause of its proliferation and designing other uses for sargassum depends not just on more scientific studies, but also on public policies that could make economic development go hand in hand with environmental protection. For this reason, researcher Carlos Noriega of the Estuarine and Coastal Physical Oceanography Laboratory at the Federal University of Pernambuco, argues for greater control over deforestation, a reduction in the use of fertilizers, and better sewage treatment, especially in the Amazon Basin.

If immediate measures are not taken, the proliferation of sargassum can become never-ending. Everything is interconnected and everyone  scientists, politicians and the general public  is responsible for the well-being of the planet, Noriega said. Only with more government support, public awareness and the watchful eyes of journalists and scientists will we avoid other phenomena like this.

This story was produced by InfoAmazonia with support from Internews Earth Journalism Network.
Detail of the badge of a member of the Malian Army (Fama), in Anderamboukane, in Menaka region, on March 22, 2019. (Agnes Coudurier/AFP via Getty Images)

ISIS Claims Responsibility for Killing 33 Malian Soldiers

DAKARISIS terrorist groups West Africa affiliate claimed responsibility on Sunday for an ambush last week that killed 33 Malian soldiers, according to a statement published by the SITE Intelligence Group.

Fourteen soldiers were also injured in Mondays attack near the northern town of Tessit, near the border with Niger, according to Malis army.

ISIS said in a statement that its members captured three vehicles as well as weapons and ammunition, according to SITE.

The group has claimed responsibility for previous attacks on either side of the border that have killed dozens of Malian and Nigerien soldiers. It also carried out the 2017 ambush in the Nigerien village of Tongo Tongo that killed four American special forces troops and five Nigerien soldiers.
London: Britain, Canada and the EU have announced their first-ever sanctions on Chinese government officials over the persecution of the Uighurs in Xinjiang province.

The measures were imposed under Magnitsky legislation passed by the three nations which allows governments to impose sanctions for human rights violations. They were the first sanctions against Chinese officials by the EU and Britain in 30 years.

The sanctions, involving travel bans and asset freezes, were levelled against the Public Security Bureau of the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps, Zhu Hailun, Wang Junzehng , Wang Minghsan and Chen Minggu.

An industrial Park in Artux in western Chinas Xinjiang region, where Western nations say human rights abuses are occurring. Credit:AP

The United States - which has declared that China is committing genocide against the Uighurs - also joined in sanctioning Wang and Chen, having previously imposed sanctions on the other individuals.
Union Minister of State for External Affairs V Muraleedharan on Monday criticised Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on his silence over a row in which Communist Party of India (Marxist) CPI(M) backed candidate in Kerala's Kondotty has omitted details about his second wife, a Pakistani National in his election nomination for upcoming Assembly Polls.

"KT Sulaiman Haji, a CPIM backed candidate in Kondotty has hidden the details of his 2nd wife, 19 years old Pakistani in his nomination. The so-called Liberal -Pinarayi Vijayan's silence isn't surprising," he tweeted.

"But people of need an explanation, especially when the identity of a foreign national is hidden by a wannabe MLA," he further said.

The election for 140-member will be held on April 6. The counting of votes will take place on May 2.

(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.)
Following some concerns around the Ontario government's decision to expand indoor dining in Red-Control and Orange-Restrict regions of the province, Dr. David Williams, Ontario's chief medical officer of health, provided more information on how that decision was made.

"One of the complaints before was that when he had the total of 10 in the Red zone, for example,...people said well, if youre a small place that can only seat about 20, 30 people that may be OK," he explained. "We had other places that have a huge capacity that can normally seat [300] to 400 people and they said having 10 in there doesnt makes sense."

"If people went to an indoor place that is carefully monitored, its better than someones backyard or in a garage where no one is monitoring anything and we're seeing outbreaks related to that. Thats very perplexing and concerning."

As of Monday, the per cent positivity for COVID-19 tests in Ontario has reached 5.4 per cent, the first time over five per cent since Feb. 1.

There are currently 1,424 confirmed variant cases of COVID-19, including 1,340 B.1.1.7 variant cases, 48 B.1.351 cases and 36 P1 variant cases. There are an additional 13,226 mutations detected where no lineage has been determined. The seven-day rolling average for variants of concern is 46.4 per cent, up from 37.9 per cent one week ago.

"Were in the third wave, the number are slowly going up," Dr. Williams said.

Despite the warning about the third wave of COVID-19 in Ontario, the province's chief medical officer of health said he was "OK" to expand indoor dining in some regions of the province, with the proper protocols in place.

"That means people...have to register when you go in, we have to know your name and address and where youre from because if theres an outbreak we have to follow that on in a stringent way," he said. "As well, have more inspections by both public health as well as Minister of Labour to ensure that theres compliance with those programs and services."

"If it doesnt hold and the numbers go back up then its back into lockdown and there would be only outdoor dining, and no indoor dining."
The collision of two powerful weather systems over the east coast of NSW on Monday night may see more evacuations as western Sydney residents were forced to flee to higher ground on Sunday when floodwaters inundated their neighbourhoods.

The State Emergency Service ordered about 1000 residents from western Penrith, Jamisontown and Mulgoa to pack up and leave or face being trapped by rising floodwaters.

NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian warned up to 4000 people could be displaced in the Hawkesbury-Nepean Valley over the next few days.

Residents of several western Sydney suburbs were forced to evacuate on Sunday. Credit:Nick Moir, Dean Sewell

Almost 140 schools have closed, roads and bridges have been cut off, the COVID-19 vaccine rollout has been delayed in parts of Sydney and NSW because of the extreme weather, and supplies to supermarkets have also been impeded.
The BBC has said Charlie Stayt and Naga Munchetty have been reminded of their responsibilities following an interview with a Government minister which referenced the size of his Union Flag.

The broadcaster said it had received complaints from people who were unhappy about Stayts comments and Munchettys subsequent behaviour on social media following the incident on BBC Breakfast last week.

Munchetty previously apologised for liking tweets which she said were offensive in nature about the use of the British flag as a backdrop in a government interview.

Expand Close Robert Jenrick (Jacob King/PA) PA / Facebook

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A statement from the BBC on the complaints section of its website said: At the end of a long, serious interview with the Housing, Communities and Local Government Secretary Robert Jenrick, Charlie Stayt made an off the cuff remark about the size of the flag behind Mr Jenrick.

It was meant as a light-hearted, off the cuff comment and no offence or disrespect was intended.

Naga and Charlie have been spoken to and reminded of their responsibilities, including the BBCs impartiality and social media guidelines.

After the interview, Stayt said: I think your flag is not up to standard size, Government interview measurements.

I think its just a little bit small, but thats your department really. Its just a thought.

Mr Jenrick, who was speaking via video call from Westminster, did not respond.

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When the camera returned to the studio, Munchetty was seen attempting to stifle her laugher.

She added: Theres always a flag. They had the picture of the Queen though. In the Westminster office I am assuming.

New director-general Tim Davie warned BBC staff over their use of social media in September last year.

The corporation later published new impartiality guidelines which warned employees not to bring the corporation into disrepute with their behaviour online.

These included guidance on avoiding bias through follows, likes or re-posting and shares, as well as tougher guidelines for some staff in news, current affairs, factual journalism, senior leadership, and a small number of presenters who have a significant public profile.
Kamal Haasan, the actor-turned-politician and Makkal Needhi Maiam (MNM) President, said he is not afraid of raids and that the Central agencies are threatening him.

The MNM leader said the raids by the Central agencies would not find anything from his residence. The superstar was speaking to mediapersons at Coimbatore in Tamil Nadu where he is contesting in a three cornered fight between the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) and the MNM.

Haasan said the BJP is trying to intimidate its political opponents using the central agencies, adding that he would not budge under such threats.

Meanwhile, Kamal Haasan's former partner and South Indian actor Gautami said he does not stand a chance to win from Coimbatore South Assembly constituency and that the BJP leader Vanathi Srinivasan is politically more mature and accepted by the people in this constituency than Kamal Haasan.

Gautami, who has joined the BJP is conducting an extensive campaign at Coimbatore South against Kamal Haasan. She had complained that the MNM President did not stand by her after she was diagnosed with cancer and later separated from him.

MNM Tamil Nadu state treasurer, Chandrasekaran's residence and office premises were raided by the Income Tax department and other central agencies last Monday. They had unearthed Rs 11.25 crore in cash and nearly Rs 80 crore of unaccounted income.

Chandrasekaran deals in the yarn trading business along with several other businesses. The MNM had alleged that the raid was following the candidature of BJP Tamil Nadu State President, L. Murugan, from Dharapuram (reserved) Assembly constituency.
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Ferrari is not a normal carmaker, though, and the 812 Superfast-based model in the attached photo gallery is not an early development mule anymore as it is about to be officially unveiled next month.The imminent arrival of a "Versione Speciale" (special version in Italian) of the 812 Superfast was signaled as early as February of this year, right on Enzo Ferraris birthday.There is still an air of mystery surrounding the car, and its not only because Ferrari has chosen to completely drench the exterior of the pre-production prototype in a black material that reminds us of Batmans cape.Heck, the car itself seems to look like Batmans ride from an alternate universe, where his civilian alter egos name is not Bruce but Luigi.Even though almost every new design motif is hidden, the lack of a rear window compared to the standard 812 Superfast is evident, having been replaced by vents that give an even stronger caped crusader vibe.According to unofficial sources, the "Versione Speciale" of the 812 Superfast will be a swan song of both the model and naturally aspirated V12s in Ferraris stable, with the future being a hybrid turbocharged one when it comes to Maranello powertrains.Apparently, only 999 units will be built, with another 499 units of an open-top and more expensive Aperta version to be built concomitantly.The standard 812 Superfast engine already pushes 800 PS (789 hp). At its launch in 2018, it was not only the most powerful V12 in a Ferrari but the most powerful naturally aspirated V12 engine in road car history.Codenamed F140 GA in the 812, the 6.5-liter V12 has already been massaged to deliver 810 PS (799 hp) in the limited-edition Monza SP1 and SP2, but in the "Versione Speciale" it is expected to offer over 870 PS (858 hp) without any use of forced induction.
San Francisco, March 22 : Video conferencing platform Zoom on Monday released a new video Software Development Kit (SDK) to enable developers to leverage the platform's HD video, audio and interactive features to build video-based applications and desktop experiences with native user interfaces.

With the ability to build the reliability and scale-ready performance of Zoom's video-first unified communications platform into their products and applications, developers can leverage the Video SDK to create new and exciting experiences.

Using the Video SDK, developers can drive customer engagement and provide new opportunities for revenue without being tied to the Zoom Meetings user interface, Zoom said.

"Video-based customer experiences will play an increasingly large role in customer engagement as we move into the future," Natalie Mullin, Product Marketing Manager at Zoom, wrote in a blog post.

According to industry analyst Zeus Kerravala, principal analyst at ZK Research, "Video usage is at an all-time high. The next wave of video-based experiences will be driven by embedding video directly into business and consumer applications that seamlessly improve workflows and enhance social interaction." "Zoom's Video SDKs are easy to work with, and enable nimble development of fully customizable video-based applications." For example, developers can integrate Zoom's functionality into social media applications to create reliable and engaging communications experiences, such as on-the-go live streaming with interactive chat.

Using Zoom's HD video and audio and interactive features, developers can build desktop gaming apps that offer new opportunities for audience engagement.
Hazleton, PA (18201)

Today

Rain showers in the morning with thunderstorms developing for the afternoon. A few storms may be severe. High 71F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 90%..

Tonight

Showers this evening then scattered thunderstorms developing overnight. Low 59F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 60%.
Taco Bell India, the world's leading Mexican-inspired restaurant brand along youth icon and gaming enthusiast Rannvijay Singha celebrated the ultimate #CravingMeetsGaming experience through a virtual Game Session in the racing game Forza Horizon 4.

Talking about this experience, Rannvijay said, I love watching and playing e-sports and was super excited when Taco Bell announced their epic collaboration with Xbox and reached out to me to battle it out with super fans. The #CravingMeetsGaming virtual gaming session was one of the most fun experiences I have ever engaged in  being able to see and speak to the other four players made it feel like we were sitting next to each other and gunning for the finish line. What made the virtual session even more exciting was the fact that we could indulge in our favorite menu items from Taco Bell while competing for the trophy!

You can watch the epic #CravingMeetsGaming virtual Gaming Session here where four lucky Taco Bell fans, Brandon Verdes, Michelle Hoover, Dhaval Doshi and Savio Pereira got a chance to battle it out with Rannvijay in a game of Forza Horizon 4. The five of them proved that you don't have to be in the same room with your friends to have an epic game session. The group also added to the celebrations surrounding the ultimate #CravingMeetsGaming experience by indulging in a sumptuous meal from Taco Bell.

Taco Bell India, worlds leading Mexican-inspired restaurant brand, presented Indian gamers the chance to win the newly launched Xbox Series X, Microsofts fastest, most powerful console to date through a contest in February this year. Customers simply had to download and register on the Taco Bell app, place an order through delivery (via the app or through food-delivery aggregators), takeaway, or dine-in, to become eligible for the weekly lucky draw, where Taco Bell gave out 60 Xbox Series X consoles in total plus a 6-month Xbox Game Pass Ultimate membership to winners each week.
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Xiaomi has scheduled a launch event for March 29 in China as well as globally where it is expected to launch the Mi 11 Pro, Mi 11 Lite, Mi 11 Ultra, Mi Band 6 and more new products. Xiaomi is hosting its Spring event on March 29 in China and has also revealed that a global Xiaomi 2021 New Product Launch event will also be hosted globally on the same day. However, the company is yet to reveal what it plans to announce next week.

Xiaomi Mi 11 Lite, Mi 11 Pro and Mi 11 Ultra have been leaked in the past few months and Xiaomi is likely gearing to launch the new phones in the Mi 11 lineup that debuted in December 2020. Furthermore, the Mi Band 6 could also make its debut alongside the new Mi 11 phones.

The 2021 #XiaomiMegaLaunch is coming soon!



We can't wait to see you at our Xiaomi 2021 New Product Launch on Monday, March 29th, at 19:30 (GMT+8).



This is one launch you really better not miss! pic.twitter.com/Y6rA5Wrxyf  Xiaomi (@Xiaomi) March 22, 2021

As per a tweet by popular tipster Mukul Sharma, Xiaomi could announce the Mi 11 Pro, Mi 11 Ultra, Mi Smart Band 6 and a new Mi Notebook Pro on March 29. The three phones have been leaked previously and so it is likely that we may see their official debut soon.

Xiaomi Mi 11 Lite, Mi 11 Pro and Mi 11 Ultra leaked specifications

Xiaomi Mi 11 Lite is expected to feature a 6.67-inch Full HD+ resolution display with support for a 120Hz refresh rate. The 4G variant of the Mi 11 Lite is expected to be powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 732G processor while the 5G variant could be the first phone with the Snapdragon 775G under the hood. This will likely be paired with 6GB/8GB RAM and up to 128GB storage with the phone running on Android 11 based MIUI.

The Mi 11 Lite is rumoured to have triple cameras on the back headlined by a 64MP primary camera, an 8MP ultra-wide-angle camera and a 5MP macro camera. On the front, there could be a 16MP selfie camera.

The phone is likely to have stereo speakers and could be equipped with a 5,000mAh battery with fast charging support.

Meanwhile, the Mi 11 Pro and Mi 11 Ultra could feature the same 6.81-inch QHD+ AMOLED display with support for 120Hz refresh rate and 480Hz touch sampling rate. The Mi 11 Pro and Mi 11 Ultra are expected to feature a 50MP Samsung GN2 sensor offering up to 120x digital zoom.

One of the major differences between the Mi 11 Pro and Ultra is the presence of a secondary tiny display on the back of the Mi 11 Ultra and faster wired charging support.

Additionally, the Mi Notebook Pro 2021 is also expected to launch on March 29 with an 11th generation Intel Core i7 processor and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050Ti graphics and features a high-resolution display as well.
Many years ago, during my 27-year career with the Orlando Police Department, I had a conversation with the departments then-chief about racism. He was a white man; I am a Black woman. I had a tremendous amount of respect for him. He, like me, was not perfect, but he genuinely tried hard to get things right.

He shared with me that when he was growing up, he heard the N-word every day from his father in his home. Having grown up in the South, I was not surprised. I was first called the N-word when I was 4 years old. I tried hard not to judge the man I was talking to by his fathers standards.

But then he shared that though his father said the N-word frequently in private, he did not act in the same manner in public, and that he would have never wanted anyone to know.

I realized that his dad had something too many in America seem to be abandoning these days. His father had shame. His dad did not want anyone to perceive him as a racist. He might have held prejudices, but he felt it inappropriate to say what was in his heart out loud.

A deliberate effort not to offend

This man  a blue-collar worker who worked hard and sometimes felt America had given up on him  had strong feelings on race, but he was ashamed of those feelings. I understand that. We all sometimes have thoughts we are ashamed of. But this individual made a deliberate effort, a choice, to not publicly offend or attack those who were different from him. I wish he had done the same at home, but that choice still mattered.

Today I watch some elected officials  people in leadership positions  wear their racism, sexism and prejudice as a badge of honor. They call Black Lives Matter activists "terrorists" while ignoring social ills in Black communities. They proudly use racial slurs like kung flu and use demeaning language against LGBTQ Americans. They publicly support the white nationalist insurrectionists who attacked the Capitol on Jan. 6, like Wisconsin Sen. Ron Johnson, who said, I knew those were people who love this country, that truly respect law enforcement, would never do anything to break the law, so I wasn't concerned.

Story continues

Rep. Val Demings, D-Fla., on July 29, 2020, in Washington, D.C.

Any person who watched the horror on Jan. 6 knows that those words are simply not true. But the truth does not matter to a person who has no shame. The senator went on to say that if the protesters were Black, he would have been concerned. Imaginary violence from Black protesters scared him more than real violence from white ones.

Solidarity for safety: Stand together to fight anti-Asian hate. We all have a stake in a more inclusive America.

Sen. Johnson almost knew enough to have some shame. He said before his comments, This is going to get me in trouble. He knew that he was crossing a line  and chose to cross it anyway. This shamelessness infects our culture. When leaders cross lines, their followers do the same. The spike in hate crimes during the Trump years is no accident  it is hate and shamelessness made manifest.

Have the shame to know words matter

The United States Senate is a place of honor. As a young girl growing up, I watched U.S. senators with the greatest pride and admiration. While I did not see any senators who looked like me, I was not afraid of the men I saw on our television screen. All I needed to know was that they were United States senators, and that was enough to earn my respect (at least as a child).

Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wisconsin, on Feb. 12, 2021, in Washington, D.C. Rep. Val Demings calls him "a disgrace" to his office and his country.

How is it possible that a person like Sen. Ron Johnson can occupy a spot where so many great men once stood? Does he not understand the awesome privilege he has been given, and the tremendous responsibility that comes along with it? He is a disgrace to the office and to our country.

Progress for all: The Senate filibuster has a racist past and present. End it so America can move forward.

I still care about what our children and grandchildren think. I want them to treat people with dignity and respect regardless of who they are or where they live. My husband and I taught our sons to have some healthy shame. It will help them successfully navigate the challenges they are sure to face. It is good for Americas children to know that some behaviors arent OK in the "Beloved Community" we seek to build.

I still believe there is more that unites us than divides us as a country. Shame about racism and prejudice should be one of those things. Generations of Americans have used shame as an instrument of righteousness, calling out leaders who failed to live up to our nations promise of liberty and justice for all. I want Americas children to retain that weapon in their arsenal, and that means electing leaders who have the shame to know that their words matter. I am rooting hard for all of the good and decent people who really want to get this right.

Rep. Val Demings, D-Fla., is a former Orlando police chief. Follow her on Twitter: @RepValDemings

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: Trump-era hate crime spike reflects shameless public hate and racism
International Corp (TSXV: GASX) ( ) Chairman Ronald Pantin tells Proactive the natural gas-focused group is looking forward to re-entering its Istanbul-1 well on March 26, within its Maria Conchita asset in La Guajira.

What's more, Pantin updated Proactive on the group's most recent advancements towards building a pipeline to connect to Colombia's national infrastructure.
The chronicle of a life split between urban Manhattan and rural Montana.
In context: Licensing firms are often referred to as patent trolls because their business model relies on buying patents then suing companies for infringement. Although what they do is legal, these companies are often viewed as shady because they do not produce anything of value while relying on the legal system to rake in billions in profit.

On Friday, a Texas federal court ordered Apple to pay Personalized Media Communications (PMC) $308.5 million in a patent dispute related to digital rights management software called "FairPlay." FairPlay encrypts distributed digital content such as that from iTunes, Apple Music, and the App Store. A jury reckoned that Apple's algorithms were close enough to FairPlay's that it rendered in favor of PMC.

PCM initially filed the lawsuit in 2015, but the Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB) dismissed the case as invalid. A US appeals court later reversed PTAB's decision. Apple again moved to dismiss in US District Court in 2016, but the judge denied the motion, allowing a federal jury in Marshall, Texas, to hear arguments. Marshall is a Mecca for patent troll cases because juries tend to favor the plaintiff, as John Oliver hilariously points out in the 2015 video below.

"Cases like this, brought by companies that don't make or sell any products, stifle innovation and ultimately harm consumers," an Apple spokesperson told Bloomberg. The tech giant plans to appeal the decision.

IPWatchdog notes, Personalized Media Communications is a licensing firm owning 98 patents as of 2019 and has a history of patent litigation. It lost a 2019 lawsuit against YouTube last year and currently has pending patent infringement cases against Amazon, Google, and Netflix.

The multimillion-dollar ruling came on the same day Brazilian regulators fined Apple $2 million for not including chargers with the iPhone 12. The Cupertino firm's legal team is also busy facing lawsuits from regulators, multiple app makers, and Epic Games over its App Store terms of service.

Image credit: Vytautas Kielaitis
Credit: Unsplash/CC0 Public Domain

People who have primary care physicians tend to have better health care, to receive timelier diagnoses and to get more prompt treatment when it is needed. So, it comes as small surprise that reliable access to primary care has been linked to better patient outcomes overall.

Now a new study led by researchers at Harvard Medical School offers further proof of the value of primary care by showing that increasing the number of primary care physicians could lead to boosts in life expectancy and result in fewer deaths in currently underserved areas across the United States.

The research, published March 23 in Annals of Internal Medicine, quantifies the effect of increasing the number of primary care physicians on population life expectancy and on the number of annual deaths. The analysis is based on data obtained from 3,400 regions, of which 1,218 were experiencing shortages in primary care.

Ensuring that critical-shortage regions have one physician per every 1,500 residents could prevent more than 7,000 deaths per year in total across those areas and boost life expectancy by an average of 56 days, the study showed.

A shortage area is defined as a region that has fewer than one primary care physicians per 3,500 residents, although the new findings suggest that this threshold may be too low. Indeed, the results show that increasing the number of primary care physicians to one per 1,500 would lead to more dramatic gains in life expectancy and greater death reduction.

"Our findings suggest that areas with critical shortages of primary care physicians could gain the most dramatic benefits in terms of life expectancy and mortality," said study lead investigator Sanjay Basu, director of research for the Center for Primary Care at Harvard Medical School. "The magnitude of the expected improvement highlights the stark deficiencies currently experienced between areas with primary care availability and those without."

Prior work by the same investigators showed that areas with more primary care physicians had better life expectancy and lower mortality, particularly from cardiovascular disease and cancer. The group's previous research also indicated that the numbers of primary care physicians in underserved areas was dropping, putting patients who lived in those counties at risk for delays in care, diagnosis, and treatment.

The new analysis revealed notable differences in life expectancy and annual death rates in counties with shortages of primary care doctors. For example, individuals who lived in counties with more acute shortagesthose with fewer than one primary care physician per 3,500 peoplehad an average life expectancy that was 311 days shorter than individuals living in counties with more primary care physicians. The gap in life expectancy widened to 629 days when the researchers compared counties that had one primary care doctor per 1,500 individuals with counties that had fewer than one primary care physician per 1,500 people.

The analysis also showed that increasing primary care physicians to one per 3,500 in areas with shortages would add 22 days, on average, to the life expectancy of people in those regions. Increasing physicians to one per 1,500 would boost life expectancy in shortage areas by 56 days, on average. Reaching that second threshold would require adding 36 primary care physicians per county.

Regions with fewer primary care physicians also had a higher death rate from all causes. In 2017, for example, counties with fewer than one primary care provider per 3,500 residents had a mortality rate of 750 deaths per 100,000 people, compared with 720 deaths per 100,000 people in counties with one or more primary care doctor per 3,500 residents.

The analysis examined several thresholds, suggested by experts on national committees, to quantify differences in outcomes at different densities of primary care availability.

Increasing the number of primary care providers to one per 3,500, for instance, would reduce the annual death rate by 0.77 deaths per 100,000. However, under a more ambitious goal for primary care availability, boosting the number of primary care physicians to one per 1,500, would yield a more dramatic result, reducing the yearly death rate by 3.60 per 100,000 residents.

In total, increasing the number of physicians to one per 1,500 in the regions experiencing shortages would prevent 7,272 deaths per year in those regions, the study found.

To achieve such gains in death prevention and life expectancy, the U.S. physician workforce would need to add 95,754 new physicians to its ranks and allocate them strategically in shortage areas.

Taken together, the new findings underscore the need to encourage primary care physicians to consider practices in underserved regions of the country, the researchers said.

"As a nation, we need to find ways to incentivize newly minted doctors, as well as those already in practice, to consider working in areas where the need is most acute and where their work could have the greatest impact," said study co-author Russell Phillips, director of the Harvard Medical School Center for Primary Care.

"These incentives could include proven measures such as loan-repayment programs. But we also need to get more creative and go beyond true-and-tried methods," Phillips added.

The researchers said that other ways to supplement the primary care workforce in shortage areas include diversifying medical school trainees to include more students from underserved regions and boost salaries for those practicing in those regions.

Other options worth exploring include supplementing the workforce with nurse practitioners and physician assistants who specialize in primary care and quantifying the impact of telemedicine services, another tool in the armamentarium to augment primary care access, the investigators added.

Explore further Nurse practitioners providing primary care offsetting physician shortages in underserved communities
Highlights Nokia X20 is going to be one of the two rumoured X-series phones.

The Nokia X20 is listed on Geekbench with a Snapdragon 480 SoC.

HMD has an event scheduled for April 8 where we could see this phone being launched.

Nokia X20 and X10 are anticipated to be HMD Global's next affordable 5G phones. These phones have been spotted in several places, which means HMD is looking at a global launch for these phones. But despite that, the specifications of the Nokia X20 and X10 are not available in abundance. Now, we have, at least, come to know one key detail about the Nokia X20, the pricier one in HMD's upcoming X-series of Nokia phones.

The Geekbench benchmarking platform has listed a new Nokia model that is expected to be called X20. Now, the Nokia X20 listing on the platform has two important aspects of the specifications. One is that the Nokia X20 will come with 6GB of RAM and the other one is that there will be an SM4350 processor in the phone. This codename for the processor belongs to the Snapdragon 480, which is by far the cheapest 5G mobile platform launched by Qualcomm. The Geekbench listing also shows the Nokia X20 scored 507 in single-core and 1661 in multi-core tests.

The Qualcomm Snapdragon 480 inside the Nokia X20 does not come as a surprise though. Back when Qualcomm announced this processor, HMD Global was among the first phone companies to announce a partnership with Qualcomm for this chipset and that it will soon be available on a Nokia phone. A few days back, a Nokia Quicksilver smartphone was spotted with Android 11 and the same chipset. But the recent findings of the Nokia X20 hint that the two phones could be the same. The test scores of the two phones are also identical. The base frequency of the Nokia Quicksilver and Nokia X20 is 1.8GHz, per the Geekbench listing, so it is logical to assume the two phones are not different but the same.

Qualcomm's most affordable 5G chipset, the Snapdragon 480 is fabbed using the 8-nanometre process and supports both mmWave and sub-6GHz 5G bands. This is useful in terms of 5G coverage on the phone. The maximum 5G-covered area is facilitated with the sub-6GHz band while mmWave is very limited. However, the latter is known for providing the highest 5G speeds. The processor can support up to 1080p displays with a 120Hz refresh rate, but I doubt the Nokia X20 will go for a 120Hz screen. There is also support for Quick Charge 4+, LPDDR4x RAM, and UFS 2.2 or eMMC 5.1 storage but the Nokia X20 is expected to come with support for the former.

Although HMD's plans for the Snapdragon 480-powered Nokia phone seem to be coming through rather fast, there are big questions looming on HMD's phone strategy. It has been over two years since we started hearing about the Nokia 9 PureView successor. Over many months, the name for this successor has teetered between Nokia 9.1 PureView and Nokia 9.2 PureView but since the rest of HMD's Nokia phone families graduated to the third (and even fourth) generations, the final name the rumour mill settled for was the Nokia 9.3 PureView. This extremely anticipated phone is nowhere in the sight.

Similarly, HMD last year announced it will launch a Snapdragon 690-powered smartphone. The Snapdragon 690 is another 5G chipset from Qualcomm meant for mid-range phones. This Nokia phone with Snapdragon 690 inside has not come to materialise yet.

HMD has an event scheduled for April 8 where it is expected to launch the Nokia G10, which we have been hearing about, and maybe the X20 and X10 smartphones.
Portia de Rossi was rushed to hospital on Friday with appendicitis.

The 48-year-old actress underwent emergency surgery and is now home and 'doing well' according to a report by People.

It was Portia's wife Ellen DeGeneres, who took the star to get medical attention on Friday.

Recovering: Portia de Rossi was rushed to hospital with appendicitis on Friday. It's reported wife Ellen de Generes took her to hospital

'Ellen rushed Portia to the hospital on Friday night, she was in a lot of pain,' a source told the publication. 'It was appendicitis and she had surgery.'

The source added that Portia is 'now resting at home, doing well and Ellen is taking care of her. It was a scare at first, but all good.'

Appendicitis is condition where the appendix becomes inflamed and filled with pus, and can be excruciatingly painful.

Treatment generally involves removing the infected organ and if it's not seen to quickly, the organ can burst.

Ellen was pictured out on Sunday talking a stroll on the beach in Santa Barbara with a pal after a lunch outing.

This is the second health scare to rock the couple, who married in 2008, in the past six months after Ellen battled coronavirus in December.

A source told People that Portia, 48, is 'now resting at home, doing well and Ellen is taking care of her. It was a scare at first, but all good.'

Fresh air: Ellen was pictured out on Sunday taking a walk with a friend in Santa Barbara after a lunch outing

At the time, Ellen, 63, revealed she was positive for COVID-19 on social media, writing: 'Hi Everyone, I want to let you all know that I tested positive for Covid-19.

'Fortunately, I'm feeling fine right now. Anyone who has been in close contact with me has been notified, and I am following all proper CDC guidelines.'

'Please stay healthy and safe,' she concluded. 'Love, Ellen.'

Portia previously talked about how the pandemic has made the couple stronger.

'We've grown together as a couple, and we really consider each other and put our relationship first,' she told People in February. 'By doing that, you become a lot more solid. I can't imagine spending time with anyone but her.'

Ellen added: 'We think the same things, say the same things at the same time, finish each other's sandwiches  no, sentences. We're in a rhythm that's easy.'

Got through it: This is the second health scare to rock the couple, who married in 2008, in the past six months after Ellen battled coronavirus in December

'We've grown together as a couple, and we really consider each other and put our relationship first,' Portia, who married Ellen in 2008, told People in February. The couple are seen here in January 2020

Meanwhile, Ellen has inked an exclusive multi-year deal with the Discovery Channel to produce natural history documentaries, according to Deadline.

The talk show host, who faced accusations from both current and former employees that she fostered a toxic workplace last year, is slated to narrate and executive produce a documentary titled Endangered.

Endangered, which will be released on Earth Day, April 22, on Discovery+, will follow a 'dedicated wildlife conservationists across the globe' as 'they compile the latest version of The Red List.'

'Ellen's dedication to the environment and her love for all animals, including the most endangered creatures who call our planet home, is unmatched,' Nancy Daniels, Chief Brand Officer, Discovery and Factual told the outlet.
Flights at Worcester Regional Airport may be returning sooner than originally expected.

At the start of 2021, City Manager Edward Augustus Jr. conservatively predicted that it may be 2022 until commercial airlines resurrected service at the airport.

Last week, though, Augustus felt more confident in airlines like JetBlue returning before the end of the calendar year.

I think [JeBlue] is hoping before the summer is over to bring back the Florida flights, Augustus said. Ill let them announce when that is. They fully expect to be back in Worcester.

Augustus said last month JetBlue, MassPort, U.S. Rep. Jim McGovern and Lt. Gov. Karyn Polito discussed on a call the airlines progress rebuilding from the pandemic and specifically how that affected flights in Worcester.

JetBlue suspended all flights into and out of Worcester in the fall of last year, citing declining revenue and demand as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. The announcement came after both JetBlue and American Airlines were granted exemptions to suspend flights in June

American Airlines, Delta Airlines and JetBlue have all halted flights out of the airport due to the pandemic.

In the meantime, private flights have continued to use the airport. The car rental companies - Avis, Hertz and Thrifty - at the airport are also still in operation.

Since commercial flights were halted, city officials have remained optimistic that flights would return.

Weve established that people use Worcester airport when youve got locations and destinations and price points that are fair, President and CEO of the Worcester Regional Chamber of Commerce Tim Murray said in the fall. I dont think we have to start from scratch.

In 2019, Worcester Regional Airport began offering destinations to Philadelphia, New York City, Detroit, Fort Lauderdale and Orlando.

The flights to Florida, serviced through JetBlue, might be the quickest to return after Augustus spoke with company last month.

The airline also has direct ties to city. JetBlues president, Joanna Geraghty, is a Holy Cross graduate and understands the importance the airport has for the citys growth.

They are all about Worcester, Augustus said. They love Worcester.

Related Content:
AMSTERDAM, March 22, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- With nightclubs currently closed across the world, Desperados is calling on partygoers to unite in support of the clubs they love with the launch of their Rave to Save app. People are invited to join a series of eight virtual parties that go beyond the obvious, where their dance moves at home will be turned into cash for clubs across Europe.



For every 1,000 steps taken on the Rave to Save app, 1 will be donated to support the clubs. The app1, available on the App Store (https://apps.apple.com/us/app/rave-to-save/id1553438452) and Google Play (https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.heineken.ravetosave), uses smartphone technology to track partygoers moves as they dance on their home dancefloor.

App users can also boost how much they contribute by making a direct donation to clubs in Germany, UK and Spain that will be hosting the parties. This will then be matched by Desperados, up to 30,000 per event.

In partnership with Beatport, partygoers can start virtually raving from Berlins Prince Charles club on Saturday 27th March. After downloading the Rave to Save app, they will experience beats by Purple Disco Machine and Nakadia. The event will be livestreamed on Beatports Facebook and YouTube channels from 19:00 CET.

Rutger van der Stegen, Head of Marketing Global Desperados, commented: With nightclubs and music venues forced to keep their doors shut for months, Europes nightlife sector has taken a big hit from the pandemic. At Desperados, we believe we have a responsibility to support an industry that is so deeply entrenched in our DNA. Thats why were thrilled to unite partygoers from around the world through our Rave to Save app. By dancing together, we can all support the venues we love so theyre ready to re-open their doors and welcome us all back when its safe to do so.

Rave to Save is Desperados latest initiative to keep the party spirit alive whilst we party apart during lockdown. In 2020, with long-term partner elrow, Desperados partnered with 31 international DJs across 7 iconic venues to live stream 16 sessions into peoples living rooms.

The shows are the latest wild experiment in a series of activations taking place in 2021 as part of Desperados new creative platform, Go Desperados.

For further information, please contact: Hannah Nottage E: hannah.nottage@heineken.com

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at: https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/2ac05dc9-f085-4e08-a36e-13a114f484f2

____________

1 Rave to Save app will be available for consumers of legal drinking age in the Apple & Google Play app stores
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Illinois Comptroller Susana Mendoza is trying to head off a spending binge. She argues that the state should first repay those Fed loans, then cut its backlog of unpaid bills from $5.5 billion to $3 billion, and then replenish the depleted rainy day fund. The vast majority of this money is already spoken for, she says. Theres no room for new spending. Keep in mind that only half of the $7.5 billion in federal funds will arrive this year. The rest wont come until 2022. And were not out of the economic woods yet. So strict spending discipline is in order.
Acy Cooper grew up on the water, breathing in the air of Barataria Bay. As a third-generation shrimper, he feels the industry in his blood, and the beady-eyed, long-bodied crustaceans caught in his trawling nets represent his heritage as well as his livelihood.

My dad taught me how to fish, and I taught my kids how to fish, said Cooper. All my friends, were a big tight-knit community that fishes together.

Each year, the regions short, multimillion-dollar brown shrimp season provides an early opportunity for Cooper and his friends to start paying down loans after the winter months and before white shrimp appear in August. But the freshwater infusion from Louisiana's planned $2 billion Mid-Barataria Sediment Diversion project could cripple chances to catch any brownies" after it opens.

The project is a key piece of Louisianas 50-year, $50 billion effort to save the southern third of the state, yet even its staunchest advocates allow that it could drive brown shrimp and oysters, two Louisiana seafood staples, away from Barataria Bay once torrents of Mississippi River water start to pour into a brackish estuary that supplies one third of the states catch.

The fishing industry doesnt see the payoff here. Its going to kill us more than its going to help anything, said Cooper, president of the Louisiana Shrimp Association. He said he feels as though the sparsely populated fishing communities of lower Plaquemines Parish, where the diversion is to be built, have been written off. We have no oil field down here. If you take the moneymaker from down here, what are you going to do to these small communities?

The Mid-Barataria Sediment Diversion aims to deliver replenishing mud to the Barataria Basins weakened wetlands and maintain a critical hurricane buffer between the Gulf of Mexico and the New Orleans area. In the process, however, its almost bound to cause the swift and immediate decline of seafood fisheries that are the lifeblood of residents in lower Plaquemines, according to the Army Corps of Engineers draft environmental impact statement on the project.

No matter how you look at this, this is going to be a shock treatment to the system, said Earl Melancon, a biologist for LSU SeaGrant. Not only in terms of the flora and fauna in the estuaries, but for the people who live and work in the estuary, its going to be a shock treatment to them.

In the long term, Melancon said, its possible that the basins freshwater biodiversity could surpass that of its current state. But at what cost? Crawfish and other freshwater species typically dont fetch the same price as the oysters or shrimp.

Louisianas proposal for Mid-Barataria calls for spending part of a $305 million chunk of mitigation money to help fishers adapt to the disruption in their lives and their bank accounts.

But industry representatives doubt that the governments analyses sufficiently assess the economic cost of such a drastic change to an industry that not only supplies seafood but also plays a part in marketing Louisiana to tourists.

The freshwater species coming in are not going to be the cash crop that were giving up on, said longtime oyster harvester Mitch Jurisich.

The Barataria Basin has seen the most land loss of Louisianas coast due mainly to the leveeing of the Mississippi River, hurricane damage and marshes weakened by oil and gas exploration. Since 1932, the basin has lost more than 430 square miles of what was once almost 1,500 square miles of land. The Mid-Barataria Sediment Diversion project would rebuild and nourish 27 square miles over 24 years, backers say.

Without it, the same species most affected by the diversion will continue their gradual decline as the basins water grows saltier, temperatures change and more marsh converts to open water, according to the Corps report:

The number of shrimp, oysters and largemouth bass are expected to shrink over the next 30 years, and to drop steeply after 2050.

Crabs will likely see a gradual loss, though to a lesser extent.

Productive oyster habitat in Barataria Bay would eventually shift westward into areas newly converted into open water.

By 2070, the eastern half of the project area would be rendered unsuitable for oysters, according to analyses by The Water Institute of the Gulf.

But vocal diversion opponents such as Jurisich have come to terms with the estuarys slow downward spiral. Instead, they advocate for the state to rely solely on building land with pipelines carrying dredged sediment.

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We can work with the coast and the changing coast as long as its a slow-paced change, said Jurisich, chair of Louisianas Oyster Task Force. Even at the more rapid pace weve been at lately, we can still adapt. You can still time things in a fashion where we dont lose production.

The state already employs the pipeline tactic  dredging mud and pumping it miles away into wetland areas to build more land  in some parts of its coastal master plan. But the marsh created that way has a limited life span without a ready source of new sediment. Brian Lezina, chief of planning for the states Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority, said the Mid-Barataria diversion would be key to extending the life of additional wetlands acreage added to the basin with dredging projects in the near future.

With the diversion, the fishing industrys contraction will be much more sudden than many can stomach. The only habitat suitable for oysters would be pushed out toward the outskirts of the irregularly shaped basin, near the barrier islands where the hard bottoms needed for reefs might not exist. White shrimp, which are more tolerant of freshwater than their brown counterparts, could eventually see minor benefits from the diversion, although competition within the industry for the species would likely increase.

On the flip side, crabs might see few to no adverse effects. The same is predicted for redfish and speckled trout, the favored catch of recreational fishers and many charter boat operators. The Corps report suggests these might even find a small benefit from the habitat provided by newly rebuilt marsh for feeding.

While many effects of the diversion on fisheries were anticipated ahead of the Corps report, Melancon said the draft environmental impact statement gives fishers hard numbers to quantify their loss or gain and provides a jumping-off point for discussions between the commercial fishing industries and the state and federal agencies involved in the project.

It is now in a factual form that they can put their arms around and say, This is whats going to happen to me, he said. It gives the ability on both sides to say what kind of reality are we really looking at based on these numbers that are nothing more than a scale and can be interpreted based on the person whos reading it at the time.

+4 Huge Louisiana coastal project receives positive report from the Corps of Engineers Mid-Barataria Sediment Diversion could create 28 square miles of marsh in rapidly eroding Barataria Basin

The Corps environmental impact statement and the draft restoration plan written by the Louisiana Trustees Implementation Group detail initial plans for mitigating the collateral damage caused by the diversion. The trustee group oversees spending of $8 billion in BP Deepwater Horizon settlement money that will pay for the diversion.

The restoration plan promises hundreds of millions of mitigation dollars to communities that will be most harmed by the diversion. For the shrimp and oyster industries, it calls for paying to improve fishers gear, for training if they want to find a new line of work and for marketing assistance to increase dockside prices.

For oysters in particular, the plan outlines expanding programs already underway by the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries to open broodstock reefs to help seed depleted reefs, provide cultch for private leases and expand opportunities to grow oysters off bottom in cages.

Lezina said these mitigation offers are just a starting point based on meetings, focus groups and surveys conducted with hundreds of the basins fishers in 2019. He urged the public to specify assistance they would like to see when they submit comments on the Corps draft report.

We want to do whats best for the industry as put forth by the industry, he said. The whole goal here is to keep a viable commercial and recreational fishery in coastal Louisiana.

Though lack of computer access and literacy creates a barrier for some fishers to participate in the virtual public meetings scheduled, Jurisich and Cooper said there are plans to help fishers submit comments.

But litigation to halt the diversion seems almost inevitable. George Ricks, who runs a charter fishing business out of Hopedale and leads the Save Louisiana Coalition, said theres not enough money in the current diversion plan to pay for the harm it will cause to fishers.

You cant put a dollar value on culture and heritage, he said. Everything weve been saying all along, its true. The land-building capabilities  thats uncertain. But now were certain about the impacts.
A pair of giant pandas in captivity mated over the weekend. Yet, the hopes for a result, an even rarer panda offspring, is still too early to call, according to the French zoo.

According to the zoo, Huan Huan, a female panda on loan from China at the Beauval zoo in central France, was "placed in touch" with partner Yuan Zi eight times on Saturday.

Female pandas are only pregnant for 24 to 48 hours a year and give birth every two years in the wild.

Pandas in Captivity

In captivity, however, the small window of opportunity thwarts most efforts to reproduce. Male pandas either tend to lose confidence in the act or don't know how to behave due to a lack of practice.

An Unlikely Duo

The Beauval pair, on the other hand, was "cooperative and very active" as they got closer, according to the zoo.

Yuan Zi was "more at ease with the approach and mating than previous years," while Huan Huan, who was in heat, was "very involved."

Even after several rounds of amorous sex, the pandas' keepers and veterinarians will not be holding their breath for a successful birth.

Hopeful Results

According to the zoo's chief vet, Baptiste Mulot, the team thought the result "was excellent" and praised the panda male, who "has made improvements" since last year. He said, "He has a better sense of what to do."

According to the zoo, the encounters' rhythm was created by the female's "high-pitched tones" and the male's "more husky" sounds, "which is natural and a positive sign."

However, for good measure, the team conducted artificial insemination during the night with the assistance of German experts who were flown in for the process, which included briefly anesthetizing the pandas.

Each fetus should be detected within two weeks, but even that isn't a guarantee of success, as pandas also have false pregnancies that don't result in an embryo.

Related Article: China Implements 10-Year Fishing Ban to Save the Yangtze Finless Porpoise

Panda Conservation

After artificial insemination, Huan Huan gave birth to Yuan Meng, the first panda conceived in France, in 2017.

Now around the same size as his mother, the young panda will be sent to China this year, where 500 pandas live in captivity and 2,000 in the wild.

Panda Breeding Facts

Owing to the low breeding success of captive pandas, they are often assumed to be terrible at breeding.

However, long-term experiments have shown that wild panda species can breed at rates similar to certain thriving American black bear populations.

Giant pandas are solitary bears with fairly defined natural habitats. Only during the mating season, which lasts from mid-February to mid-May, do they come together. Meghan Martin-Wintle, an applied ecologist and director of PDX Wildlife, a nonprofit restoration and research group based in Portland, Oregon, said, "Most females go into estrus mid-March to mid-April."

Difficult Conditions

According to Martin-Wintle, mating is difficult for giant pandas, in part because male giant pandas have one of the smallest penises in the animal world. A willing female must assume the lordosis pose, in which she lowers her front end, arches her back down, and lifts her tail end up, allowing the male to penetrate her vaginal cavity from behind, and she has to shove on to him until he gets the job.

Both male and female giant pandas bleat or let out a goat-like scream after orgasm. The male will then perform a "rollback," He sits on his buttocks and lower pelvic region and pushes the female towards him, holding on for as long as he can. The reason for the male's behavior is unclear.

After Mating

The male will stay around after mating and potentially mate with the female a few more times before she is no longer ovulating.

ALSO READ: Redditor Uses Gamestop Investment Winnings to Take Care of Gorillas

For more wildlife news, don't forget to follow Nature World News!
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, March 22)  Health Secretary Francisco Duque III has set an ultimatum for hospitals in the regions to use up all their COVID-19 vaccines or else they will be taken away, an official said on Monday.

Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said provincial hospitals have until March 24 to inoculate their healthcare workers before their supplies are recalled and given to medical frontliners in areas with high COVID-19 transmission, such as Metro Manila.

"They have to do this expeditiously especially now that the cases are rising... Nagbigay ng deadline si Secretary of Health. Kapag hindi pa naubos, hindi nila natapos, aming kukunin," she said in a media briefing.

[Translation: The Secretary of Health gave a deadline. If there are unused vaccines or they have not yet completed the vaccination, we will take the vaccines.]

RELATED: Vaccine czar not in favor of plan to recall doses sent to provinces

The health official assured that they could receive their next allocation once the next batch of vaccines arrive, possibly this month or in April.

Over three weeks since the inoculation drive began in the country, only 336,656 have been vaccinated  mostly healthcare workers. The low vaccination rate comes despite the fact that 98% or 1,105,600 out of 1,125,600 doses of AstraZeneca and Sinovac doses have been distributed in 1,623 vaccination sites in 17 regions.

Duque previously said vaccination has been slow because shots cannot be given en masse in hospitals to ensure there are sufficient staff at any given time and hospitals are fully operational.

Government officials assured the public that the current pace of the COVID-19 vaccination for healthcare workers is expected to rise exponentially once bulk of the government-procured doses, as well as those from the global initiative COVAX, arrive in the country.
The biggest mountain left to climb is making sure that we get enough vaccine to really meet the need, Lightfoot said. Were now seeing a huge demand for vaccine. People have been watching their family and neighbors and friends get the vaccine and, as a consequence, people are now recognizing that it, in fact, is safe and want to get this lifesaving vaccine themselves.
Blue Star Limited, Indias leading air conditioning and commercial refrigeration company, is promoting their range of powerful air coolers with their latest ad campaign. Featuring brand ambassador Virat Kohli, the campaign is just being released across the country and is already getting noticed. With this, the company has strengthened their association with Virat Kohli and looks forward to another exciting season.

The campaign revolves around the thought of Summer Lage Winter Jaise. And while the print advertisements show Virat in winter clothes to bring alive the thought, the TV commercial shows Virat unable to deliver his dialogue because the Blue Star air cooler makes him shiver. The campaign has also been extended to other platforms like OOH, digital, dealership collaterals and various important touch points.

Blue Star air coolers have the Companys unique Cross Drift Technology which enables them to deliver truly powerful cooling even in the hottest of summers.

Speaking about the Blue Star range of air coolers, Mr B Thiagarajan, Managing Director, Blue Star Limited, said, I am glad that we have been able make our mark in the air coolers segment. Our range of air coolers with Cross Drift Technology is embedded with a host of unique features that makes it a preferred choice of consumers. Summer Lage Winter Jaise is the main value proposition highlighted in our new TV commercial featuring Virat Kohli for this range of Air Coolers. The Company continues to increase its investments in this product category, with the objective of further enhancing Blue Stars footprint in this segment.

Robby Mathew, Chief Creative Officer, FCB Interface, says The target audience in the air cooler market is used to traditional advertising formats. And that is exactly what we wanted to challenge with this film.

Credits:

Client: Blue Star

Agency: FCB Interface

Chief Creative Officer: Robby Mathew

Account Management: Ruchita Purohit, Manoj Ramrakhiani, Meet Kuvadia, Mohammed Sheras

Account Planning Team: Gulshan Singh, Sneha Raina

Creative team: Sricharan C, Ashutosh Joshi

Agency Producers: Alpa Jobalia, Ashish Barot

Production House: Chalk and Cheese

Director: Achowe

Producer: Zico
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Its digital transformation initiatives infuse AI, automation, analytics, and real-time insights capabilities into solutions to provide context-driven customer experiences

SINGAPORE, March 22, 2021 /CNW/ -- Based on its recent analysis of the contact center market, Frost & Sullivan recognizes Avaya, Inc. as the Inbound Contact Routing Systems Market Leader in Asia-Pacific, the Contact Center Applications Market Leader in Southeast Asia and Malaysia Company of the Year. Avaya has one of the highest shares in the market and continues to lead in the development of innovative contact routing solutions. It has expanded its portfolio of predominantly on-premise voice- and hardware-based solutions to include automated, live agent, omnichannel cloud solutions.

Avaya

"Avaya has been an undisputed market leader in contact routing solutions in Asia-Pacific. It has enhanced its inbound solutions' capability through substantial investments in AI," said Krishna Baidya, Head of Customer Contact Research, Digital Transformation. "Its reliable, scalable, and intelligent contact center solutions have enabled organizations of all sizes and needs to deliver excellent customer experiences cost-effectively. With an ecosystem of loyal partners and long-standing relationships with customers, Avaya has garnered 18.5 percent market share in a competitive segment."

Avaya recently enhanced its key contact center portfolio with solutions such as the Avaya OneCloud Intelligent Xperiences (IX) Contact Center, a solution designed for the customer experience needs of large, medium, and small enterprises, as well as business process outsourcing companies. It offers a comprehensive, integrated, and open contact center as a service (CCaaS) architecture with scalability, security, and in-depth analytics. The Avaya Oceana Solution enables organizations to deliver omnichannel customer engagement with complete integration and management of voice and digital channels, while the Avaya Agent Scripting solution guides agents in navigating both inbound and outbound queries using an intelligent scripting capability. Furthermore, the Avaya Teamspace widget provides an open, rich media chat messaging capability for real-time communication among service agents, customers, and back-office functions.

Story continues

The company's portfolio of intelligent contact center solutions caters to both the customer and the service executive. It provides an exceptional customer service experience by combining the best of both human and technology expertise, facilitating real people to provide personalized services augmented by advanced technologies such as AI, ML, and automation. This approach drives effective collaboration, information sharing, and decision making.

"In Asia-Pacific, the steady growth in the migration of Avaya's on-premise customers to cloud platforms has been accelerated by the COVID-19 pandemic. This migration is expected to increase in developed markets such as Japan, South Korea, Singapore, and Hong Kong," noted Baidya. "Overall, with more than 5 percent year-on-year revenue growth in 2019, the company continues to enjoy high growth in India, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, and Vietnam."

Each year, Frost & Sullivan bestows this award upon the company that demonstrates excellence in growth and customer value. Attaining loyal customers who became brand advocates allows the company to grow and achieve a market leadership position. By committing to the customer at each stage of the buying cycle and continuing to nurture the relationship, this Award recognizes a company's increased market share over time.

Frost & Sullivan Best Practices awards recognize companies in a variety of regional and global markets for demonstrating outstanding achievement and superior performance in areas such as leadership, technological innovation, customer service, and strategic product development. Industry analysts compare market participants and measure performance through in-depth interviews, analysis, and extensive secondary research to identify best practices in the industry.

About Frost & Sullivan

For six decades, Frost & Sullivan has been world-renowned for its role in helping investors, corporate leaders and governments navigate economic changes and identify disruptive technologies, Mega Trends, new business models and companies to action, resulting in a continuous flow of growth opportunities to drive future success. Contact us: Start the discussion.

Contact:

Kala Mani.S.

E: Kala.Manis@frost.com

About Avaya

Businesses are built by the experiences they provide, and every day millions of those experiences are delivered by Avaya Holdings Corp. (NYSE: AVYA). Avaya is defining what's next for the future of work, with innovation and partnerships that deliver game-changing business benefits. Our cloud communications solutions and multi-cloud application ecosystem power personalized, intelligent, and effortless customer and employee experiences to help achieve strategic ambitions and desired outcomes. Together, we are committed to help grow your business by delivering Experiences that Matter. Learn more at www.avaya.com.

Cision

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SOURCE Frost & Sullivan

Cision

View original content to download multimedia: http://www.newswire.ca/en/releases/archive/March2021/22/c4769.html
SAN FRANCISCO, March 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Side, the only real estate technology company that exclusively partners with the very best agents, teams, and independent brokerages to transform them into leading boutique brands and businesses, today announced a $150 million Series D funding round led by Coatue Management , a top global technology-focused investment firm. This latest round of financing establishes Side as one of the only real estate companies to achieve unicorn status. Founded in 2017, Side also celebrates becoming the fastest real estate company to reach the $1 billion valuation milestone, doing so in just four years. Side's combined funding now totals over $200 million, which includes support from leading venture capital firms including Matrix Partners, Trinity Ventures, and Sapphire Ventures.

Side's new funding round will support significant hiring to expand the platform and accelerate the company's national expansion efforts beyond its three operating markets of California, Texas, and Florida. Top-producing agents, teams, and independent brokerages from around the country will now have the ability to partner with Side, and for the very first time in history, gain full ownership of their own boutique brand and business without having to operate as a brokerage. With Side's expansion, the company will advance its mission of transforming the nation's best real estate professionals, teams, and independent brokerages into brands that are recognized as the service leaders in their communities.

"Today's top-producing real estate professionals are underserved and underappreciated by the existing brokerage models," said Guy Gal, Side co-founder and chief executive officer. "The incentives between brokerages and top agents and teams are misaligned. Existing brokerages are designed to support average agents, so they put all of the heavy lifting, cost, time, and risk of operations and growth on top-producing agents who want to focus their time on expertly serving their clients. Side was purposefully designed to enable top agents, teams, and independent brokerages to fulfill their aspiration and potential."

Side's white label brokerage model challenges the "big brand" status quo by exclusively marketing the agent's boutique brand and business to clients, while acting as their brokerage, technology, and support partner. Developed by industry professionals and world-class engineers, Side expertly operates the brokerage platform on the backend while providing a best-in-class technology stack to help partner agents predictably grow their businesses, while continuing to provide excellent service to their clients.

"Side shifts value, time, and equity from existing brokerages to the top agents and teams who actually create the value in the first place," said Gal. "The future of real estate is here, and with this financing, we are excited to continue partnering with and being of service to more of the world's best real estate professionals."

About Side

Side transforms high-performing agents, teams, and independent brokerages into successful businesses and boutique brands that are 100 percent agent-owned. Side exclusively partners with the best agents, empowering them with proprietary technology and a premier support team so they can be more productive, grow their business and focus on serving their clients. Side is headquartered in San Francisco. For more information, visit www.sideinc.com.

SOURCE Side

Related Links

http://www.sideinc.com


BATON ROUGE, La. (AP)  Louisiana senators have opened their latest budget hearings with concerns about using short-term federal cash to pay for ongoing services and programs. Gov. John Bel Edwards proposed using more than $600 million in enhanced federal Medicaid payments to help balance his $36 billion-plus spending proposal for the budget year that begins July 1. Members of the Senate Finance Committee on Monday questioned whether the state will have enough cash in later years to offset the federal aid when it disappears. Commissioner of Administration Jay Dardenne says the administration believes Louisianas economy will continue to rebound from the effects of the coronavirus pandemic. Lawmakers will spend weeks combing through Edwards budget proposal.
The persecution of Alton Estate workers in Sri Lankas central plantation district is continuing with five more workers ordered to visit Maskeliya police station and provide statements over their alleged involvement in an attack on the estate superintendent. The witch-hunt continues even as the company ordered striking employees to resume work this Wednesday.

The police, assisted by the Ceylon Workers Congress (CWC), the main plantation workers union, previously arrested 22 workers, accusing them of physically assaulting estate superintendent Subash Narayanan. They were released on March 10 but with harsh bail conditions, including a 15,000-rupee ($US76.34) cash deposit by each worker, personal sureties from two relatives, lodging their passports with the courts, and signing the local police register on the last Sunday of every month. The next hearing of their case is scheduled for April 28.

The Alton workers walked out on strike on February 2 for higher pay and then participated in the February 5 one-day national strike called by the CWC to demand a 1,000-rupee daily wage. While the union called the one-day national action to deflect mass anger among estate workers over their long-outstanding pay demand, the Alton workers remained on strike in protest against estate management aggression.

Jeevan Thondaman (second left) behind his father Arumugam Thondaman, who honor Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapakse (photo @PresRajapaksa)

After launching a series of provocations to break the strike, Alton management seized on a protest by workers outside the superintendents bungalow on February 17, claiming that he had been assaulted.

Last Wednesday, Regional Plantation Companies (RPC) senior official Roshan Rajadurai held a meeting of Alton union officials and the estate superintendent in the state labour office at Dick-Oya, near Hatton, to discuss a resumption of work. Rajadurai told union officials that management and workers had made mistakes but that both sides should now work peacefully.

Rajadurai insisted, however, that the legal action against the workers should continue and he played a dubious video, said to be recorded during the alleged assault of the superintendent. The same video was used by Alton Estates lawyer in the Hatton court hearing. Local union officials from the CWC and National Union of Workers (NUW) who attended the meeting agreed with management and honoured the superintendent in a special prayer (pooja) at a Dick-Oya Hindu temple.

The CWC, along with the other plantation unions that isolated the Alton walkout, had wanted the strikers to return to work last week following the bailing of the arrested workers. The company, however, has delayed the resumption of work until this Wednesday.

While the CWC directly collaborated in the arrest of the workers, the other plantation unions, including the NUW, Democratic Workers Congress, Lanka Jathika Estate Workers Union and All Ceylon Estate Workers Union are complicit, having silently endorsed the police-company witch hunt.

The latter two unions are controlled by the opposition United National Party and the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna respectively. CWC leader Jeevan Thondaman is the Rajapakse governments current minister of estate infrastructure. Other plantation union leaders have served as ministers in previous governments.

On March 3, Ceylon Planters Society members demonstrated in Hatton accusing estate workers of violence and terrorism and calling on the government to provide weapons, and weapon training, to combat the alleged dangers. Last Monday Sri Lankas National Security Council headed by President Rajapakse planned to discuss the estates security issue.

Contrary to these hysterical claims, the police and company persecution of the Alton Estate strikers is sanctioned by the Rajapakse government and in line RPC preparation to intimidate and persecute any workers demanding higher pay or resisting increased productivity demands. The RPC has categorically rejected a grossly inadequate government proposal for a 1,000-rupee daily wage consisting of a basic 900-rupee payment and a 100-rupee allowance.

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

Speaking with the World Socialist Web Site yesterday, an Alton worker explained that the estate workers were fighting not just for their own families but for all Sri Lankan workers. He demanded the immediate withdrawal of all police charges and denounced the union for assisting the company. He said that Alton employees were currently discussing whether to return to work on Wednesday if the company does not provide work for those arrested.

The striking Alton workers have had no income since February 2 and only received food items worth 2,000 rupees from one NGO. The CWC, which collects high monthly subscriptions from its members, has not provided any strike pay, forcing workers to pay for food and others essentials with loans, including pawning small pieces of jewellery, and reduce their meals.

The Socialist Equality Party (SEP) is appealing for workers and youth to support its campaign for the immediate withdrawal of all charges against the 22 arrested Alton workers. Please send statements of support to the following email address: wswscmb@sltnet.lk.

Published below are some of the statements already received.

The Health Workers Action Committee in Sri Lanka issued a statement demanding the immediate acquittal of Alton Estate workers. It reads in part: We also call on all health workers to come forward against this brutal crackdown in the plantations. The state repression in Alton is not just directed against these workers but is an attempt to intimidate all other sections of the workers, including in the health sector, now coming forward to fight the governments attacks. It must be defeated.

The struggle for an adequate wage to live a decent life is a basic right for all workers. The government, which represents big business, is using the capitalist state apparatusthe police, the armed forces, the courts and prisonsagainst workers.

Police repression in the plantations, the employment of ex-military men as supervisors in some estates, and the deployment of the military to hospitals to break last months strike by hospital junior workers, reveals that a common attack is being conducted by the corporates and the Rajapakse government.

A nurse from Sirimavo Bandaranaike Hospital in Kandy denounced the media. They [the media] gave first place to estate employers campaign against workers. This reveals the duplicity of the bourgeois media, she said. The unions do not stand for the workers. They are not concerned about us but only their perks and privileges and the interests of bosses. I dont see any difference between the estate and health sector unions.

The nurse said that estate children were admitted to her ward every day and that their illnesses were the result of economic hardships. Many of them are suffering from malnutrition and anaemia, while others suffer from worm disease. The plantation companies could grant workers pay demands but they wont because it reduces their profits, she added.

Navaratne, a garment worker in Ratmalana, denounced the witch hunt of the Alton workers and said it was an attack on all workers, and said the treachery of the plantation unions was repeated in his industry. These organisations, he said, have been transformed into government and company tools.

A railway worker from Ratmalana said that workers at his plant had discussed the estate workers struggle and supported their demand for higher wages. A decent wage and an adequate living should be the right of every worker, he said and voiced his contempt for the unions.

They are the same everywhere, he added. These arrests and the company attempts to intimidate these workers is a suppression of democratic rights.

Two employees from the Kilinochchi Vanavil plant in Sri Lankas far north, spoke in support of the Alton workers. The factory is owned by MAS, one of Sri Lankas biggest garment manufacturers.

One of the workers said: Persecuting the Alton workers for fighting for a decent wage is unacceptable. The salaries we get today are just not enough for a decent life because the cost of living is increasing unbearably. Instead of helping workers to fight these injustices, the unions are assisting the company and the police.

Like those in the estates and other companies, we face similar economic hardships and hard working conditions. Our situation has worsened since the coronavirus pandemic began. Previously we had to stitch 45 pieces of cloth in an hour but this has now been increased to 120 pieces in an hour. Workers everywhere face common problems and a common struggle [against capitalism].
Last Tuesday, the United Kingdom rolled out its long-anticipated National Security Integrated Review. The section regarding the enhancement of the U.K.'s nuclear forces is refreshingly straightforward and contains much of the same logic that should underpin forthcoming U.S. decisions on the modernization of our own strategic deterrent. The U.K. declares that A minimum, credible, independent nuclear deterrent, assigned to the defence of NATO, remains essential in order to guarantee our security and that of our allies. The U.K. also explicitly and wisely rejects the concept of a "no-first-use" policy and succinctly outlines why. Taken together, this has been the U.K. policy for decades, and it is good to see that the Prime Minister and Her Majesty's government see no reason to change the policy.

But the U.K. clearly recognizes that something has changed: the environment and nature of the threats facing our NATO ally and ourselves. Currently, Moscow has an arsenal of 68 nuclear-tipped missile defense interceptors designed to ensure the Putin regime's survival in the event of conflict. This system, decades-old, is designed to intercept ballistic missiles launched from either land or sea. The Russians are upgrading the system under project A-235 Nudol, which will reportedly employ a new, conventional version of the missile with a longer range and even higher accuracy.

Nor are Russian missile defense upgrades confined only to the Moscow region. The introduction of the S-500 is intended to provide Moscow with additional capability (beyond that of the S-300 and S-400 systems Russia already has) to engage intermediate and shorter-range threats with ballistic, cruise, or hypersonic trajectories. Estimated to come online in 2025, the S-500 can reportedly engage multiple targets simultaneously, at altitudes of up to 25 miles into the stratosphere. The proliferation of adversary missile defense systems isn't just limited to the Russian Federation, however. When it comes to military modernization, the Dragon tends to copy the Bear. The Chinese are purchasing Russian S-300, and S-400 systems and likely will seek to buy the S-500 as well while investing billions of dollars of their own into missile defense programs.

Worrisomely, it is not the defensive environment alone that has changed. Both Russia and China are greatly expanding their nuclear warhead stockpiles and fielding ever-greater numbers of delivery systems capable of striking the U.K. and its NATO allies. China has clearly abandoned its minimal deterrent and has begun a secretive crash military build-up that -- as our Strategic Commander Admiral Charles Richard recently warned -- could quadruple the number of warheads in their deployed arsenal, bringing them to over 1,000. Additionally, Chinas No First Use policy is so riddled with holes, it is meaningless, if not deceptive. With massive ongoing investments in its nuclear weapons infrastructure, missile production facilities, and year-round activities at its nuclear test site, China has clearly decided to reach qualitative nuclear parity with the United States (and Russia), deploying warheads across a brand new triad of sea- and land-based missiles and a new long-range heavy bomber. Nor should we forget the 1,200 nuclear-capable medium-range missiles China has fielded across its eastern seaboard, aimed at both U.S. and U.K. naval forces that protect freedom of navigation on the high seas.

Russia is also arms racing and has a destabilizing nuclear doctrine. According to then-Director of the Defense Intelligence Agency, General Ashley, Russias stockpile of non-strategic nuclear weaponsalready large and diverse and is being modernized with an eye towards greater accuracy, longer ranges, and lower yields to suit their potential warfighting role. In this new post-Intermediate Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty world, this includes up to 2,000 so-called non-strategic nuclear warheads intended to threaten London and NATO capitals across Europe.

Suppose one looks at the hyperbolic reactions to the U.K.'s Integrated Review, especially from those who advocate "Global Zero" disarmament. In that case, one might think that the U.K. has embarked on the most expansive nuclear modernization in the program's history. Yet in the face of Russia and China manufacturing and fielding thousands more nuclear weapons and hundreds of interceptors designed to shoot down Trident missiles, what has been the U.K. response? Highly restrained. Number 10 plans to bring its undersea nuclear deterrent from just under 200 warheads to a cap of no more than 260. The U.K. will increase by up to a whopping 80 warheads over the next decade, a number that will still make it the smallest arsenal of any NPT Weapon State. Given that the threat environment is deteriorating, driven mostly due to Russian and Chinese activities, the steps proposed under the Integrated Review are both modest and prudent.

Predictably, the chorus deriding the U.K.s modernization plan is now accusing the U.K. of violating Article VI of the Non-proliferation Treaty (NPT), which relates to good faith negotiations on arms reductions. There is zero evidence that our U.K. allies are hesitant to negotiate in good faith. In fact, quite the opposite. Over the past year, on multiple occasions and in various settings, we sat across the table from our U.K. counterparts. At every turn, they looked for ways to aid our goal of creating a new arms control regime that would cover all nuclear weapons and arrest both the Russian and Chinese build-ups. In contrast, China consistently refused to negotiate in good faith. Indeed, China refused to negotiate at all. If there is a violation of the NPT occurring, it is not by the U.K., it is by China.

Marshall Billingslea is an Adjunct Fellow at the Hudson Institute and was the Special Presidential Envoy for Arms Control. Ryan Tully was the Senior Director for European and Russian Affairs and was a Professional Staff Member of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence.
SHANGHAI, March 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Everest Medicines (HKEX 1952.HK), a biopharmaceutical company focused on developing and commercializing transformative pharmaceutical products that address critical unmet medical needs for patients in Greater China and other parts of Asia, today announced its financial results for full year ended December 31, 2020, along with corporate progress.

"Despite the macro challenges and volatility experienced around the world throughout 2020, Everest Medicines continues to position itself for tremendous long-term growth, including the significant momentum we have gained across our promising pipeline of innovative drug candidates," said Kerry Blanchard, MD, PhD, Chief Executive Officer of Everest Medicines. "We have continued to progress a number of our lead therapeutic candidates, initiating late-stage clinical trials for sacituzumab govitecan-hziy in two difference breast cancer indications with high unmet medical need, completing a Phase 3 bridging trial, and this month, had our New Drug Application (NDA) of eravacycline accepted by the China National Medical Products Administration (NMPA) for the treatment of complicated intra-abdominal infections (cIAI). We have also obtained Breakthrough Therapy Designation (BTD) for Nefecon for the treatment of IgA nephropathy (IgAN) in China."

"Looking forward, we expect 2021 to be another fruitful year for Everest Medicines," said Kerry Blanchard, MD, PhD, Chief Executive Officer of Everest Medicines. "We will continue to focus on executional excellence across our clinical development programs as we also prepare the Company to become a commercial organization and build on our plans to expand our international business, manufacturing and discovery efforts. We are confident Everest Medicines is well positioned to deliver value for our patients and stakeholders."

Business Review

The Company was successfully listed on The Stock Exchange of Hong Kong Limited (the "Stock Exchange") on 9 October 2020 (the "Listing Date"). Since then, the Company has made significant progress advancing its product pipeline and enhancing its business operations.

Sacituzumab govitecan-hziy (TrodelvyTM), our anchor drug candidate in oncology therapeutic area, is a first-in-class TROP-2 directed antibody-drug conjugate (ADC).

Development achievements during the Reporting Period:

- On 2 November 2020, the China NMPA approved a Clinical Trial Application (CTA) for sacituzumab govitecan- hziy for a regional Phase 3 registration clinical trial, EVER-132-002, designed to assess and compare the efficacy and safety of sacituzumab govitecan-hziy versus Treatment of Physician's Choice (TPC) in Asian patients with hormone receptor positive, HER2 negative metastatic breast cancer (HR+/HER2- mBC) who received at least two, and no more than four, systemic chemotherapy regimens. The trial will enroll approximately 330 HR+/HER2- mBC patients in Mainland China, Taiwan and South Korea. On 9 December 2020, the first patient was dosed in this Phase 3 study.



- On 3 November 2020, the first patient was dosed in China into our EVER-132-001 Phase 2b registration clinical trial evaluating sacituzumab govitecan-hziy for the treatment of patients with metastatic triple negative breast cancer (mTNBC) who have received at least two prior therapies for metastatic disease. EVER-132-001 will enroll approximately 80 mTNBC patients in China. It is worth mentioning that sacituzumab govitecan-hziy has also been included in the newly updated 2020 Guidelines for the Standardized Diagnosis and Treatment of Advanced Breast Cancer, compiled by the Breast Cancer Expert Committee of the National Cancer Control Center, the Breast Cancer professional Committee of the Chinese Anti-Cancer Association, and the Cancer Drug Clinical Research Professional Committee of the Chinese Anti-Cancer Association.

Post-Reporting Period (expected) milestones and achievements:

- On 6 January 2021, we submitted a NDA to the Health Sciences Authority (HSA) of Singapore for sacituzumab govitecan-hziy for the treatment of patients with mTNBC who have received at least two prior therapies for metastatic disease.



- On 6 January 2021, the China Center for Drug Evaluation (CDE) of the China NMPA approved a CTA for sacituzumab govitecan-hziy for the treatment of patients with mUC. With this CTA, we plan to enroll patients in China as part of the Phase 3, global, multicenter, open-label randomized controlled TROPiCS-04 trial. The trial will evaluate sacituzumab govitecan-hziy compared with standard of care chemotherapeutic options in subjects with metastatic or locally advanced unresectable urothelial cancer who have progressed after prior therapy with a platinum-based regimen and anti-programmed cell death protein 1 (PD1)/programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1) therapy. Subjects will be randomized to receive either sacituzumab govitecan-hziy or TPC, including paclitaxel, docetaxel, and vinflunine.



- In the second half of 2021, we expect to read-out topline results of the China EVER-132- 001 Phase 2b registration clinical trial for mTNBC and initiate patient enrollment in China as part of the global Phase 3 TROPiCS-04 clinical trial for metastatic urothelial cancer (mUC).



- Our partner Gilead Sciences, Inc. (Gilead) anticipates obtaining full U.S. Food and Drug Administration (US FDA) approval for mTNBC and accelerated US FDA approval for mUC in the first half of 2021, as well as releasing topline results from the global Phase 3 TROPiCS-02 study HR+/HER2- mBC in the second half of 2021. Phase 1 TROPiCS-03 basket study continues to progress, Gilead expects to provide an update, particularly in non-small cell lung cancer, in the second half of 2021.

Nefecon, our anchor drug candidate in cardio-renal therapeutic area, is a novel oral formulation of budesonide in the development for the treatment of IgAN.

Development achievements during the Reporting Period:

- On 10 November 2020, our licensing partner, Calliditas, reported positive topline results from Part A of the global Phase 3 clinical trial NefIgArd, which analyzed the effect of Nefecon versus placebo in 199 patients with primary IgAN. The trial met its primary objective of demonstrating a statistically significant reduction in urine protein creatinine ratio, or proteinuria, after 9 months of treatment, with significant continued improvement at 12 months. The trial also met the key secondary endpoint showing a statistically significant difference in estimated glomerular filtration rate or eGFR after 9 months of treatment compared to placebo. The efficacy data indicated a significant and beneficial effect on key factors correlated to the progression to end stage renal disease for IgAN patients. In addition, results showed that Nefecon was generally well-tolerated.



- On 2 December 2020, the China CDE of the NMPA recommended and subsequently granted BTD for Nefecon for the treatment of IgAN. We are currently enrolling patients as part of the Phase 3 global registrational study NefIgArd to support approval for IgAN patients in China.

Post-Reporting Period (expected) milestones and achievements:

- We expect to complete patient enrollment in China into the NeflgArd Phase 3 global registration study for IgAN in the first half of 2021.

Eravacycline (XeravaTM), is a novel, fully synthetic fluorocycline intravenous antibiotic developed for use as first-line empiric monotherapy for the treatment of multidrug resistance (MDR) infections, including MDR Gram-negative infections.

Development achievements during the Reporting Period:

- On 27 October 2020, we completed a Phase 3 bridging clinical trial of eravacycline which enrolled a total of 144 treated patient, for the treatment of cIAI in China.



Post-Reporting Period (expected) milestones and achievements:

- China NMPA accepted a NDA for eravacycline for the treatment in cIAI in China in March 2021 as our first NDA submission in China.

Other assets

Post-Reporting Period (expected) milestones and achievements:

- We expect to announce topline results in the Phase 3 global clinical trial for Taniborbactam for complicated urinary tract infections (cUTI) in 2021.

- We plan to initiate Phase 2 clinical trial for FGF401 for the treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma in China in the second half of 2021.

Corporate Development

- In January 2021, we entered into an amended license agreement with Spero Therapeutics under which the relevant patents for SPR206 will be assigned to us in Greater China, South Korea and certain Southeast Asian countries. SPR206 is in clinical development as an innovative option for the treatment of MDR Gram-negative bacterial infections.

- On 18 February 2021, we appointed Kevin Guo as our Chief Commercial Officer. Mr. Guo has more than 22 years of commercial leadership and business management experience across a number of multinational pharmaceutical companies.

- We have been selected as a constituent stock of the Hang Seng Composite Index, the Hang Seng Healthcare Index and the Hang Seng Hong Kong-Listed Biotech Index in accordance with the latest index series release by Hang Seng Indexed Company Limited, with effect from 15 March 2021. Being selected as a constituent stock of the above Hang Seng Indexes fulfills the eligibility criteria for Southbound Trading under the Stock Connect Scheme, which is a channel that facilitates stock trading and investment between Hong Kong and a broader base of China investors.

Future Development

We will continue to build a leading biopharmaceutical company focused on the development and commercialization of globally innovative therapies, initially in Greater China and other Asia Pacific markets. To achieve the goal, we will strive to advance our existing drug candidates into and through registrational trials and will seek the most efficient approval pathways. In the meantime, we will continue to expand our innovative drug portfolio in areas of high unmet medical needs across our chosen therapeutic areas through in-licensing and building organic discovery capabilities. To support our anticipated commercial launch of multiple late-stage products, we have commenced building a commercial team with deep knowledge of sales, marketing and market access strategies across a range of therapeutical areas. In addition, we are building our own GMP/GSP manufacturing facilities in China in order to ensure stable and sufficient long term drug supply and to optimize the cost of goods.

Financial Highlights

IFRS Numbers:

Research and development expenses increased by RMB226.5 million to RMB377.4 million for the year ended 31 December 2020 , from RMB150.9 million for the year ended 31 December 2019 , primarily due to additional clinical trials of our drug candidates and the expansion of our research and development headcount.



to for the year ended , from for the year ended , primarily due to additional clinical trials of our drug candidates and the expansion of our research and development headcount. General and administrative expenses increased by RMB223.9 million to RMB277.8 million for the year ended 31 December 2020 , from RMB53.9 million for the year ended 31 December 2019 , primarily due to initial public offering ("IPO") costs and the increase in employee remuneration in connection with organization expansion.



to for the year ended , from for the year ended , primarily due to initial public offering ("IPO") costs and the increase in employee remuneration in connection with organization expansion. The loss from fair value change in financial instruments issued to investors increased by RMB4,901.5 million to RMB4,938.0 million for the year ended 31 December 2020 , from RMB36.5 million for the year ended 31 December 2019 , primarily attribute to significant increase in the per share fair value upon the completion of the IPO of the Company when re-measuring convertible redeemable preferred shares previously issued to the investors before conversion into the Company's ordinary shares.



to for the year ended , from for the year ended , primarily attribute to significant increase in the per share fair value upon the completion of the IPO of the Company when re-measuring convertible redeemable preferred shares previously issued to the investors before conversion into the Company's ordinary shares. Net loss for the year ended 31 December 2020 increased to RMB5,658.2 million , from RMB214.5 million for the year ended 31 December 2019 , primarily due to the loss of RMB4,938.0 million in fair value change in financial instruments issued to investors, which was a non-cash and one-time adjustment upon the listing as required under the International Financial Reporting Standard ("IFRS").

Non-IFRS Measure:

Adjusted loss for the year[1] was RMB602.9 million for the year ended 31 December 2020 , representing an increase of RMB439.8 million from RMB163.1 million for the year ended 31 December 2019 , primarily due to the increase in research and development expenses and general and administrative expenses.

[1] Adjusted loss for the year represents the loss for the year attributable to the equity holders of the Company excluding the effect of certain non-cash items and one-time events, namely the loss on fair value changes of preferred shares (non-current financial liabilities measure at fair value through profit or loss) and share-based compensation loss.

About Everest Medicines

Everest Medicines is a biopharmaceutical company focused on developing and commercializing transformative pharmaceutical products that address critical unmet medical needs for patients in Greater China and other Asian markets. The management team of Everest Medicines has deep expertise and an extensive track record of high-quality clinical development, regulatory affairs, CMC, business development and operations both in China and with leading global pharmaceutical companies. Everest Medicines has built a portfolio of eight potentially global first-in-class or best-in-class molecules, many of which are in late stage clinical development. The Company's therapeutic areas of interest include oncology, autoimmune disorders, cardio-renal diseases and infectious diseases. For more information, please visit its website at www.everestmedicines.com.

SOURCE Everest Medicines

Related Links

http://www.everestmedicines.com


US announces sanctions over Myanmar

Demonstrators gather behind barricades during a protest against the military coup in Mandalay. Photo: Reuters

The United States imposed sanctions on Monday targeting individuals and groups linked to Myanmar's military and its repression of pro-democracy protesters, the U.S. Treasury Department said.



The US action came on the heels of the European Union imposing its own sanctions on Monday on 11 individuals linked to the Feb. 1 coup in Myanmar, also known as Burma, the EU's most significant response since the military began suppressing protests violently.



"The Burmese security forces lethal violence against peaceful protesters must end, said Andrea Gacki, director of the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control. "We continue to stand with the people of Burma."



Treasury's action targeted Than Hlaing, a police force leader, and military officer Aung Soe, as well as two military groups, the 33rd Light Infantry Division of the Burmese Army and the 77th Light Infantry Division of the Burmese Army. (Reuters)
The John C. Calhoun monument in Marion Square was pulled down by city contractors in the early morning hours of June 23, whisked away to a secret location.

The decision to remove the monument was controversial, and part of a national reckoning about the history of racism in America. The statue was offered to the Charleston Museum, which politely refused to accommodate it, citing logistical and financial complications.

Many people have argued that Confederate and other controversial relics removed from the public square ought to be kept in museums, where the full history can be told with nuance and context. Calhoun, an accomplished politician from Abbeville who rose to become vice president of the United States, was a staunch defender of slavery.

The local museum is hardly the only institution to decline invitations to find room for a Confederate statue.

Robert Macdonald, a Mount Pleasant resident and director emeritus of the Museum of the City of New York, said museums can use history to tell contemporary stories. He would have liked to see the Calhoun monument positioned in the courtyard of the Charleston Museum, part of an exhibition that addressed issues such as nullification, slavery, white supremacy, the politics of the South and more.

The exhibition really could be about how Charleston has changed over the centuries, he said.

Other institutions are collecting materials related to the COVID-19 pandemic or the Black Lives Matter movement, intending to mount special exhibitions at some future date, Macdonald said. Charleston could mount a similar exhibit here about race in South Carolina.

The Calhoun statue  when they put it up and took it down  tells so much about the city and how it has changed, he said. It would give people the opportunity to understand their community and how it got to be the way it is today.

Its not that easy, said Charleston Museum Executive Director Carl Borick.

His museum has limited space, a specific mission and less financial flexibility since the COVID-19 pandemic set in, he said.

It didnt make sense to put the statue in the lobby because of its imposing size; it would get in the way of special events hosted by the museum. The second floor is out of the question, Borick said. Getting Calhoun up there would require a crane and the removal of windows and more. Besides, the second floor is already full, and the galleries are not generally very large.

That leaves the outdoor space. But Borick questioned why it would make sense to move the statue from one outside space to another.

Contextualizing it requires a professional curator, he said. And expenditure. And research. And interpretation. And lots of panels to tell a story better conveyed in other ways.

In the last two years, weve redone all of our rice culture, Revolutionary War, Antebellum and Civil War exhibits to tell a more inclusive story, Borick said. And the board has approved a strategic plan that includes extending the museums historical interpretation from the Civil War through the 20th century, putting race relations front and center.

For the Charleston Museum, the Calhoun monument is not the best way to examine the history of race in the South, he said.

That story is better told within the walls of our museum, and thats what we intend to do, he said.

'What is the message?'

About 100 Confederate monuments and markers nationwide have been removed since the killing by police of George Floyd in Minneapolis on May 25. Additionally, buildings named for Confederate leaders, segregationists or other controversial figures are under scrutiny, including the Strom Thurmond Wellness and Fitness Center on the campus of the University of South Carolina.

The Citadel has been criticized for maintaining a Confederate flag inside its chapel. School officials, citing the states Heritage Act, have left it in place for now.

The Heritage Act forbids the removal of public memorials without approval from a supermajority of state legislators. A group of Republican lawmakers have introduced legislation that, if passed and signed by the governor, would punish cities and towns for removing such memorials.

The law would enable the state to withhold aid to any community that removes memorials and charge elected officials who vote to do so with misconduct in office. It would require all markers and plaques to be certified by the state Department of Archives and History to ensure they are factually accurate and free of opinionated statements.

Its an effort to give the Heritage Act teeth, said Rep. Bill Taylor, R-Aiken.

City of Charleston officials have not given up on the idea of placing the Calhoun monument in a museum somewhere. Mayor John Tecklenburg has argued that proper contextualization using signage and other materials would help viewers better appreciate a more complete telling of history.

College of Charleston history professor Adam Domby isnt so sure.

They are ahistorical, Domby said of Confederate monuments and memorials. At one time I was willing to consider a compromise, (that) contextualization might have role. But as we have evolved, its become increasing untenable to maintain these monuments.  They propagate a memory of the past that is fundamentally false.

Actually, worse than false, he said, citing a new book published by the University of South Carolina Press called Monumental Harm. In the book, author and law professor Roger C. Hartley refers to the harm principle, first articulated by the philosopher John Stewart Mill, which asserts that only behaviors that harm other people could be subject to bans.

Hartley extends this idea to Confederate monuments, arguing that since they inflict harm on African Americans by upholding the idea of white supremacy, removing them from public view is a reasonable thing to do, regardless of their presumed historical value.

So it goes beyond Can this work in a museum, to What is the message? Domby said. Placing a large object such as the Calhoun statue in a museum still is granting it a place of honor, even with context added  context that not all visitors will take the time to scrutinize.

Museum placement is fraught with perils, he noted. If a monument is placed in the lobby or entryway, then the institution is sending the message that this monument is among the most important objects in its collection, Domby said.

The history of monuments is interesting and relevant, but other stories are more important to tell, especially in museums, he said.

A new opportunity

Andrew Talkov is senior director for curatorial affairs at the Virginia Museum of History and Culture in Richmond, which is the beneficiary of the Robert E. Lee statue that once stood in the U.S. Capitols Statuary Hall.

In early 2020, the Virginia General Assembly formed a commission whose members in August 2020 voted unanimously to relocate the statue to Talkovs museum, and the museum soon agreed to accept it.

He said it made sense for several reasons, logistical and programmatical. The statue is 6 feet, 8 inches tall, including the base, and weighs about 700 pounds, so its relatively easy to maneuver and doesnt take up a lot of space.

We could get it through the door, he said. We could display it, we could store it. Its something of a scale that were able to take care of.

It fits well with the museums mission to preserve and interpret Virginia history, and soon will be part of a planned exhibit in the old part of the building once known as the Confederate Memorial Institute. That space includes a series of painted murals that serve as an example of Lost Cause iconography, replete with proud soldiers, supportive civilians on the homefront, women who know their place, and loyal Black people.

At the center of this painted imagery is a statuesque Robert E. Lee, mounted on a white horse.

This space has been preserved for over 100 years, Talkov said. And its our intention to use that space as an opportunity to talk about the Lost Cause, about Confederate memory, and to include this piece as the most recent example of how Confederate memory is being shaped and perceived in the 21st century. It fits very well into a space, and into a building, that was a product of efforts to remember the Confederacy.

Considering the monument, and the figure it was meant to honor, in a contemporary context will present challenges and opportunities, he said.

Talkov hopes to spark community engagement and discussion, and to examine the changing attitudes toward Confederate iconography and the skewed version of history it was meant to convey.

For all of those interpretive reasons, we were enthusiastic to have an object in our collection that was truly representative of this story and could be looked at from all these perspectives, he said.

The stories we tell

Other museums also have agreed to house Confederate monuments, including the Dolph Briscoe Center for American History at the University of Texas at Austin, which took in an 8-foot-tall, 2,000-pound statue of former Confederate President Jefferson Davis removed from the campus grounds in 2015.

But many institutions are grappling with their historic failure to represent people of color adequately. Their narratives too often have omitted or belittled the contributions of Black people and other minorities. These museums, including the Gibbes Museum of Art, now are focused on broadening their presentations to be more inclusive.

As a result, some museum administrators question whether their institutions are appropriate places to consider the significance of Confederate statues. Most of the monuments were installed in the years following Reconstruction as part of a strategy to reassert white supremacy. More were erected in reaction to the civil rights movement of the 1950s and 1960s. For Black people, they are symbols of racial violence and oppression, no matter where they stand.

Domby pointed out that everything a museum chooses to do within its walls requires resources, human and financial.

So its a value statement of where you should spend money, he said. Museums are not just about history. They are, in fact, judgments of society, a prioritization of social and historical events.

And, in a way, that makes them political, he said.

For Robert Greene II, a history professor at Claflin University, who is Black, the whole debate about what to do with Confederate monuments seems a little superfluous.

For African Americans, there is this idea: Just take them down, he said.

Black people, who have opposed the monuments since the time they were first erected, generally are not interested in viewing these statues in a museum or anywhere else, Greene said.

Throw them away if possible, he said.
MBABANE  Vaccinate us!

This was the general feeling among Christians as they mentioned that they were ready to be vaccinated to minimise the effects of the predicted COVID-19 pandemic third wave. In separate interviews, church leaders indicated their willingness to get vaccinated when government starts rolling out the AstraZeneca vaccine to the public. Divine Healing Ministries founder and leader Bishop Nash Shongwe said he would lead by example and take the vaccine among the clergymen. Bishop Shongwe stated that he would encourage congregants as well to vaccinate as some had different theories regarding the issue of vaccination. Shongwe said it was wise that everyone took governments advice and direction.

Regulations

He said as government had finally eased the COVID-19 regulations by opening churches among other things, they would be strongly praying that the third wave did not affect the country. Shongwe said they believed that God would finally bring about a solution to the prevailing crises. The bishop also emphasised that citizens should be extra careful during events that were superspreaders of the virus, which included memorial services and funerals. Shongwe stated that they really appreciated governments response in relaxing the regulations to allow 1.5 metre social distancing in churches. This, he said, would allow for more congregants to attend church. This, to us is like a dream that we will be worshipping God, after such a long break from the church, he said. He said it was important for congregants to meet. He said families had lost their loved ones due to the COVID-19 pandemic and as church leaders, they had the responsibility to comfort the families with the Word of God in church.

Support

Bishop Shongwe said they would also support government by ensuring that the COVID-19 regulations were adhered to in every way. Mbabane Worship Centres Pastor Bongani Khumalo said there had been no collective decision taken by the church regarding the vaccine, but Apostle Justice Dlamini had made it clear through many discussions that Christians should feel free to take the vaccine. Khumalo said they would support government in every way by ensuring that they encouraged the Christians to vaccinate. You might even be seeing us as church leaders at the forefront of the vaccination schedule.

He stated that whatever the theories may be, they saw no challenge in taking the vaccine. Khumalo said they were affected as a church by the soul winning part, adding that due to the lockdown they had not managed to do that through the virtual worshipping. He said most people could not be part of the virtual services as they did not have access to internet yet data was expensive. We tried to send audios but it did not have a great impact compared to live services.

He said the congregants could feel Gods presence by being physically inside the church. Mbabane Alliance Churchs Bongani Dlamini said theories about the vaccination had been defused in good time as the European countries had officially lifted the suspension and were taking the AstraZeneca vaccine. Dlamini said they would encourage the congregants to take the vaccine in order to be safe as individuals and Christians. He stated that they were anxious about the third wave considering that the second wave was devastating. Dlamini said they suspected that the third wave would be more deadly, which was why they would take the vaccine.
Amaala, the ultra-luxury development located along Saudi Arabias north western coast, has signed an agreement with the Saudi Contractors Authority (SCA), a government subsidiary authority of Ministry of Municipal and Rural Affairs.

In line with the ambitions of both organizations and the wider Vision 2030 goals, the MoU sets forth a preliminary pact for cooperation in a number of fields including allowing access to an online Project Participation Platform which allows Amaala to share projects in its pipeline with members of the SCA and receive information of qualified and interested parties intending to bid, said a statement from Amaala.

The MoU also outlines a framework of joint cooperation between both entities, including the establishment of staff training courses and sharing of studies and statistics relating to the local construction sector, it added.

On the new SCA tieup, CEO John Pagano said: "Saudi Arabia is undergoing an exciting transition towards a new and diversified economy. Amaala is a key driver of change, bringing with it a wealth of opportunities for the private sector and it is our ambition to ensure we support Saudi businesses to participate and benefit from the development of this significant destination from the outset."

"This new partnership with SCA will help us to better connect with Saudi people and businesses, which will in turn enable us to meet our ambitious Saudization targets, whilst connecting the association with contractors already engaged on our project to drive awareness of their important programs," noted Pagano.

This MoU follows efforts to strengthen relationships with local private and public sector organisations. Similar MoUs creating partnerships, outlining collaborative ways of working and providing cross-development opportunities have already been signed with the Saudi Council of Engineers, Ministry of Tourism, Ministry of Environment, Water and Agriculture and Momra.

SCA Governor Engineer Thabet Al Sawayeed said: "It is a key step towards achieving our goal of aiding Saudi contractors to participate in the new landscape of projects established to drive the Vision 2030 strategy forward successfully."

"Working with Amaala and their existing contractors in this capacity will also allow us to further enable the uptake of our localization programs which incentivize organizations to empower Saudis through training and employment," stated Al Sawayeed.

"Efforts will be aligned to localise the contracting sector by encouraging contractors engaged with Amaala to benefit from the localization programs and incentives offered by SCA. Amaala is central to a number of growing industries and, once completed, the destination will support more than 50,000 direct, indirect and induced jobs providing opportunities to people throughout the country," he added.

Amaala had recently awarded several construction contracts to Saudi companies including Al Tamimi Group, Hasco and Saudi Real Estate (Binyah).-TradeArabia News Service
Married At First Sight's Jake Edwards declared on Monday's episode he was 'done' with wife Beck Zemek after a disastrous Zoom call with their families.

But it appears the 32-year-old charity CEO and his sales manager bride, 27, were able to sort out their relationship problems following this setback.

On November 6, Daily Mail Australia spotted the pair arriving for the upcoming dinner party, which airs on Wednesday night.

Married At First Sight SPOILER: These photos, taken on November 6, prove Jake Edwards and Beck Zemek didn't split after their disastrous Zoom call with their families on Monday's episode. They arrived together for the upcoming dinner party, which airs on Wednesday night

Despite their heated confrontation just days earlier, the former Carlton player proved to be a gentleman as he opened the car door for Beck.

He wore a blue button-up shirt, which he paired with black jeans and boots.

Beck stunned in a black one-shoulder dress teamed with platform heels, and styled her long blonde hair in glossy waves.

Thank you kindly! Despite their heated confrontation just days earlier, the former Carlton player proved to be a gentleman as he opened the car door for Beck

Suave: Jake wore a blue button-up shirt, which he paired with black jeans and boots

Chic: Beck stunned in a black one-shoulder dress teamed with platform heels, and styled her long blonde hair in glossy waves

Jake and Beck aren't the only troubled couple who make it to the next dinner party.

Despite their obvious marital woes, Jason Engler and Alana Lister arrived hand in hand for the shoot in Lilyfield, Sydney.

Teacher Alana, 30, showed off her toned midriff in an orange two-piece ensemble, and wore her hair in loose curls.

Working through it: Jake and Beck aren't the only troubled couple who make it to the next dinner party. Despite their obvious marital woes, Jason Engler and Alana Lister arrived hand in hand for the shoot in Lilyfield, Sydney

Fit: Alana, 30, showed off her toned midriff in an orange two-piece ensemble, and wore her hair in loose curls. Meanwhile, Jason, 35, looked stylish in a blue shirt, white pants and loafers

Meanwhile, Jason, 35, looked stylish in a blue shirt, white pants and loafers.

The couple smiled as they excitedly made their way into the warehouse.

Elsewhere, Booka Nile and Brett Helling looked glum as they arrived for the dinner party.

Is everything OK? Booka Nile and Brett Helling looked glum as they arrived for the dinner party

Putting on a show? Booka, 31, carried a large guitar case, while Brett held an empty kitchen pot

Booka, 31, carried a large guitar case, while Brett held an empty kitchen pot.

The heavy metal musician opted for an all-black ensemble comprising a flowing dress and high heels.

Brett wore a white button-up shirt, black pants and boots.

Incoming! Intruders Johnny Balbuziente and Kerry Knight were also dressed to impress for their second dinner party

Intruders Johnny Balbuziente and Kerry Knight were also dressed to impress for their second dinner party.

Actor Johnny, 30, paired a white shirt with a matching blazer and black pants.

Meanwhile, Kerry, 30, looked stylish in a sleeveless mini dress with a mesh bottom, and wore her brunette hair straight.

Stars of the show: The producers arranged for the most controversial couple to arrive last

Here they come: Bryce Ruthven and Melissa Rawson looked excited as they arrived hand in hand, ready to take on any drama thrown at them

The producers arranged for the most controversial couple to arrive last.

Bryce Ruthven and Melissa Rawson looked excited as they arrived hand in hand, ready to take on any drama thrown at them.

While they weren't spotted arriving through the main entrance, Patrick Dwyer, Belinda Vickers, Liam Cooper and Georgia Fairweather were also in attendance.

Married At First Sight continues Tuesday at 7.30pm on Nine
Intelligent.com, a trusted resource for online degree rankings and higher education planning, has announced the Top 24 Master's in Child Development Degree Programs for 2021. The comprehensive research guide is based on an assessment of 64 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 64 schools, on a scale of 0 to 100, with only 24 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.

Students who pursue any one of these programs can expect to gain employment much quicker in comparison to candidates without a degree. In addition to accessibility and cost, the steady job growth in this market is one of the many reasons Intelligent.com researched and ranked the Top Master's in Child Development Degree Programs. To access the complete ranking, please visit: https://www.intelligent.com/best-masters-in-child-development-degree-programs/

2021 Master's in Child Development Degree Programs featured on Intelligent.com (in alphabetical order):

Boston University

Capella University

Concordia University

Duke University

Erikson Institute

Missouri State University

Northcentral University

Oklahoma State University

Pacific Oaks College

San Diego State University

Southern New Hampshire University

Texas Woman's University

Tufts University

University of Alabama

University Of Colorado, Denver

University Of Dayton

University Of La Verne

University of Minnesota

University of Nebraska, Lincoln

UNC Greensboro

University of South Florida

University of Southern Mississippi

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Gov. Phil Murphy on Monday announced eagerly awaited instructions that will enable people in New Jerseys long-term care facilities to regain visitation privileges, a year after the coronavirus hit nursing homes hard, ultimately killing one in seven residents.

The states nearly 700 nursing homes, assisted living centers and other facilities should be allowing for direct, in-person visits for residents regardless of vaccination status in counties where the COVID-19 Activity Level Index  or CALI scores  are low or moderate, according to the the governor and state Health Commissioner Judith Persichilli.

But even if the score is high, vaccinated residents are still entitled to indoor visits, according to the announcement made at Murphys latest coronavirus briefing in Trenton.

And if 70% of people in a facility are vaccinated, everyone living there  even unvaccinated residents  may have visitors, regardless of the countys CALI score, according to the health departments guidance. There are 367 facilities that meet that criteria, the departments announcement said.

The directive comes nearly two weeks after the President Joe Bidens aministration announced states must allow visits to resume. The Murphy administration has been silent since the March 10 announcement was made by the U.S. Centers of Medicare and Medicaid Services  until Monday.

Families and advocacy organizations like the AARP have pleaded with state and federal regulators to consider the impact the prolonged isolation and separation on residents and relax the rules that for the most part relegated visits to outdoors, if at all.

New Jersey Long-Term Care Ombudsman Laurie Brewer said the message to long-term care operators is clear: visits with family members must resume right away.

Families and caregivers need to be able to visit any day of the week, including evenings and weekends, and they need to be able to visit frequently and for longer periods of time, as long as all safety protocols are being followed, Brewer said.

We have found that some long-term care facilities make visits ridiculously short in duration, some as short at 15 to 30 minutes, or only schedule them during traditional business hours, no weekend or evening visits allowed, Brewer added. This is not acceptable and does not meet the spirit or intent of this revised guidance, which is to address and combat the adverse effects of social isolation and loneliness.

Murphy said if families encounter unwarranted roadblocks to visits, they should contact the Office of the Long-Term Care Ombudsman at 877-582-6995 or online at nj.gov/ooie.

As we have noted several times over the past weeks, our long-term care facilities should be working with families to allow for in-person visitations with their loved ones, Murphy said. We know that some residents are suffering from the impact of social isolation and being apart from their families for so long.

Vaccination rates among nursing home residents are significant  90% of assisted living residents and 72% of nursing home residents, according to the commissioners past statements. At the three, state-run veterans homes, more than 90% of residents have received their shots, Murphy said Monday.

Fully vaccinated residents can choose to have close contact  including touching and hugs  with a visitor as long as the resident and visitor are wearing tight well-fitting face masks, Persichilli said.

CORONAVIRUS RESOURCES: Live map tracker | Newsletter | Homepage

New Jersey, with federal direction, has allowed some compassionate care visits to take place for months if residents are mentally suffering from the separation, and essential visits if residents need help with eating, dressing and other daily necessary activities. But families say some long-term care operators have not followed the rules.

Murphy said if families encounter unwarranted roadblocks to visits, they should contact the Office of the Long-Term Care Ombudsman at 877-582-6995 or online at nj.gov/ooie.

The overriding principle we are working under is that we recognize that families need to be able to be together, especially when so many have been kept apart for so long. With Passover and Easter coming up, we know, especially, that this is a time of year when families gather, Murphy said.

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Susan K. Livio may be reached at slivio@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @SusanKLivio.
Kishore Biyani's Future Group companies are in the last leg of their survival battle as the suspension of Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code (IBC) is going to end on March 31. The group companies, which have outstanding debt of around Rs 17,000 crore, are in negotiations with the banks for one-time restructuring of loans. While the banks are yet to finalise the repayment reliefs, the group companies are worried about the non-bank lenders and operational creditors, who can also take the companies to the bankruptcy court post March.

The Delhi High Court's stay on the single-judge bench order, which restrained the flagship company Future Retail from selling its assets to Reliance Retail, is a relief for the group. The US e-commerce giant Amazon had raised objection against Rs 24,713 crore deal between Reliance and Future, and got a favourable award from Singapore's Emergency Arbitrator in October 2020. Based on the award, the single bench of Delhi High Court had disallowed the parties from going ahead with the deal. The hearing will continue from the last week of April.

ALSO READ: Future-RIL deal: Delhi HC stays single-judge bench order restraining Rs 24,713 crore deal

The cash-strapped Future Group is trying to expedite the deal with Mukesh Ambani-led company and save the retail chain -- which includes brands like Big Bazaar, FBB, Central, Easyday and Brand Factory -- from collapse.

"The lenders are waiting for the money. Reliance is willing to takeover and infuse capital. Amazon cannot buy the companies and save them. If the time get exhausted, the Future Group companies, which already defaulted loans and other repayments, will have to face the bankruptcy proceedings," said a lawyer in the know.

IBC suspension was a temporary reprieve. Had it not been for the COVID-19 lockdown, Biyani's companies would have been already facing insolvency. He had a March 2020 deadline for repayment of dues. But the Reserve Bank of India's loan moratorium has provided a breather. In mid-May, the Centre also exempted all COVID-related debt from the definition of default under the IBC and suspended fresh initiation of insolvency for up to a year.

ALSO READ: Future-RIL deal: Delhi HC order not to hinder NCLT proceedings, says Future Retail

Biyani's debt issues surfaced from mid-February last year when shares of his listed firms started crumbling. It had triggered rating downgrades and lenders sought more promoter shares as collateral for his loans against shares. UBS and IDBI Trusteeship had tried to invoke the pledged shares, but Biyani secured the interim relief from the Bombay High Court. The Supreme Court later dismissed the Special Leave Petition (SLP) filed by the UBS AG London Branch challenging the Bombay High Court ruling. Soon after, Future Retail defaulted on interest payments in July. Recently, Future Consumer defaulted, followed by Future Enterprises, on interest payment on non-convertible debentures. However, IBC suspension had guarded the group companies so far from going bankrupt.

ALSO READ: Why Future Retail share rose 10% today
Community organizations supporting local business went into overdrive when the new coronavirus charged into the region.

COVID-19 caused the commonwealth to close nonessential businesses for months and issue stay-at-home orders, quieting the state, before later allowing business to reopen  but with restrictions.

Community groups like local chambers of commerce did their best to support members through it all, said Ben Evancho, president of the Freeland Chamber of Commerce. The community at large sympathized and patronized local businesses.

Linda Miller, president of the Greater White Haven Chamber of Commerce, said its all-volunteer organization looked to the future while dealing with peoples immediate needs.

Were not going to let this hold us down, she said of the virus.

The Greater Hazleton Chamber of Commerce and its partners took aim at supporting local business by providing vital information and grants, while simultaneously looking to the future, said Mary Malone, president.

Organic response

After the initial shock of the shutdowns last March, organizations searched for their role, Krista Schneider of the Downtown Hazleton Alliance for Progress said.

How could we best serve the community of downtown businesses? was the question, she said.

In the Hazleton area, ties were quickly reinforced among groups like Penn State Hazleton Launchbox, the chamber, downtown alliance, Greater Hazleton CAN DO/CAN BE, Discover NEPA, Wilkes University Small Business Development Center, PA CareerLink, City of Hazleton, Greater Hazleton Civic Partnership, Society of Hispanic Professionals of the Hazleton Area, Hazleton Area School District and Lehigh Valley Hospital-Hazleton.

Individual stakeholders and other communities joined in, and everyone took ownership of a different problem.

It was very organic, said Malone.

They began by brainstorming on conference calls beginning March 20, 2020, and then through Zoom meetings, under the name Greater Hazleton Recovery and Resiliency Task Force, said Bill Andahazy of the Launchbox. They pooled resources and contacts.

The Launchbox on Broad Street in the city, which offers free services to entrepreneurs and start-up businesses and had 20 to 30 people, many of them Hispanic, enrolled in programs at the time, was only operating for a little over two months when it was forced to close.

We were building momentum, he said.

But the pandemic quickly had everyone pivoting.

Panic, pivot and be as successful as you can, was what a lot of business owners went through, Andahazy said.

The task force surveyed local businesses to gauge needs. Andahazy began investigating what a disruption of in-person contact would do to business. Data and situations were poured over as the pandemic unfolded.

It created a whole new world for entrepreneurs, Andahazy said.

In two weeks the group was hosting bilingual programs to help all businesses, not just chamber members, Malone said. Among those participating were not only local businesses but administrators from the headquarters of large companies that have operations in Greater Hazleton, said Malone.

Schneider said the civic partnership played a big part in recovery, raising $54,000 from businesses, foundations and private citizens that allowed 80 businesses to receive mini-grants of $500 to $1,500, which were dispersed in June. It was the first money businesses received as pandemic relief, said Malone.

The White Haven chamber raised $5,000 that was dispersed to residents through grocery store gift certificates. They also sought help for local businesses trying to survive, and looked deeper into revitalizing the borough to make it more friendly to visitors of the D&L Trail, which they hope will reinvigorate the borough economy.

Challenges and wins

Business owners showed ingenuity. There was curbside pickup, restaurants offering take-home and bake-food kits, and car washes with contactless service.

Thats what you want to hear, how I survived by using those tools  creativity and innovation, Andahazy said. Thats the good that came out of this awful, awful time.

The Freeland chamber advertised takeout options at local restaurants and bars, two of the businesses hardest hit by pandemic restrictions, Evancho said. They also fielded calls from business owners regarding regulations and worked with borough council to help it be business friendly while keeping people safe.

Evancho said the chamber didnt have its annual Memorial Day celebration and pub run to raise money to support local business. It doesnt look like they will have it this year, either.

There were wins during the pandemic, though.

Evancho said when operators of The Otherside were forced to temporarily close, they didnt just sit idle; they remodeled. And when a new business opened under relaxed state restrictions, the Freeland chamber hosted a more traditional grand opening  a sign things werent always going to be so bleak, he said.

Workers were championed. And without those employees who continued to work and keep society moving forward, things would have been a lot worse, he said.

Groundwork for the future was laid as people found ways to overcome COVID-19.

In Hazleton, 19 locally owned businesses opened last year, 17 of them Hispanic owned. They include barber shops, a sign store and a furniture store, Schneider said.

A vacant property inventory was conducted in Hazleton during the pandemic to identify 54 empty spaces in the downtown. There were about 15 to 20 property owners who couldnt be reached, but Schneider said they found 10 buildings being renovated or with plans to be revamped and leased.

The Alliance for Progress is also working with the city to establish guidelines for opening a business in response to people investing in properties only to find out they are in over their heads.

The new community arts center received money for a licensed commercial kitchen so culinary startups can lease time there.

Fermin Diaz, who works part time at the alliance and Launchbox, ran a virtual leadership program in Spanish to get people interested in community organizations and volunteerism. He plans to host another.

There were also bilingual business assistance programs so owners understood how lending programs, government assistance and COVID restrictions impact them.

The future

As case numbers drop and the vaccine becomes more available, businesses and the groups supporting them see normalcy on the horizon.

The Launchbox is back, though by appointment only, to help people start a business or, in some cases, restart a business. The building layout has been reconfigured for social distancing and cleaning stations have been added. And Andahazy teaches a high school program in the evenings over Zoom.

He is hopeful that as restrictions ease, people will flood local restaurants and shops and help them recoup the losses of the past 12 months.

Miller asks for the same support of local businesses. There is a strong committee focused on revitalization in White Haven, and a united front with support from other businesses and the borough, Miller said.

But White Haven is still not back to where it was pre-pandemic, said Miller, and its going to take money to strengthen local communities, just like it is all over the country.

With the boroughs only bank, a PNC branch, set to close in June, Miller said a new bank is sought. Theyd also like to attract a hospital-affiliated urgent care facility to town.

The chamber is in the stages of event planning, too, including one for Memorial Day with the Marine Corps League.

Another goal is to add infrastructure and amenities that accommodate the bicycle trail running through downtown. They want to enhance the experience for visitors and convince them to patronize locally owned businesses.

In Hazleton, Were trying to build for the future, Schneider said, while also focusing on recovery in a downtown thats being re-branded as an arts and innovation district.

Malone said infrastructure is critical to development and extensions on assistance such as the Paycheck Protection Program through May is a help. Northeastern Pennsylvania had a hard winter, though, and its municipalities are dealing with revenue loss, so theyre going need help coming back during a mindful return to normalcy, Malone said.

The relationships forged and strengthened as people worked to survive through one of the worst times in world history will likely continue, Malone said.

As normalcy slowly returns, perhaps Andahazy put it best: It just feels good to be back.
A top European Union official triggered another vaccine controversy after he blatantly said that the bloc does not need Russias Sputnik V coronavirus vaccine. Thierry Breton, European Commissioner for Internal Market, speaking to TF1, reckoned that the EU was capable of achieving total immunity on the continent just by using European produce jabs. His remarks, however, drew backlash from Sputnik V which accused the bloc of bias.

We have absolutely no need of Sputnik V. Today, we clearly have the capacity to deliver 300 to 350 million doses by the end of June and therefore by 14 July we have the possibility of reaching continent-wide immunity, he told Frances state-controlled TF1 TV channel.

Breton also reiterated a previous comment that the EU would help Russia with the production of the vaccine if needed but priority should be given to the Europeans. The bloc has been widely criticised for its slow rollout of vaccine shots, especially as compared to its former member-the UK. According to official data, 10.4 per cent of the blocs population has received at least one dose of the vaccine while 4.5 per cent has been completely inoculated against COVID-19.

Sputnik V terms it 'bias'

The official account of Sputnik V called out Breton for being biased. In a series of tweets, Sputnik V hit back on the bloc saying that it has failed to provide a safe vaccine to residents while at least 54 countries have shown trust in the Russian vaccine. "Commissioner Thierry Brenton is clearly biased against Sputnik V vaccine just because it is Russian, it wrote.

Additionally, Sputnik V wrote that Brentons comment also pressures it to not go through the EMA approval process as the EU already considered it unnecessary. It also presented a report which stated that many European residents relocated to Russia to get Sputnik V shots.

If this is an official position of the EU, please inform us that there is no reason to pursue EMA approval because of your political biases. We will continue to save lives in other countries.  Sputnik V (@sputnikvaccine) March 21, 2021

Dear Commissioner Breton, please stop being biased. Europeans want a choice of safe and efficient vaccines, which you so far failed to provide. Sputnik V is already registered in 54 countries.  Sputnik V (@sputnikvaccine) March 21, 2021

Commissioner @ThierryBreton is clearly biased against the Sputnik V vaccine just because it is Russian. He ignores that is has higher efficacy and better safety record than some other vaccines approved in the EU.  Sputnik V (@sputnikvaccine) March 21, 2021

His comments pressure Sputnik V not to go through the EMA approval process because @ThierryBreton believes all is great with EU vaccinations and Sputnik V is not needed. Are Europeans happy with Bretons vaccination approach?  Sputnik V (@sputnikvaccine) March 21, 2021

Sputnik V leads all other vaccines on safety perception in Argentina. Following successful #SputnikV vaccinations in Argentina 61% believe it is safe or very safe. Survey by Universidad San Andres, a top university. pic.twitter.com/oQ73UVKmPG  Sputnik V (@sputnikvaccine) March 22, 2021

Watch this Channel One report about people from many countries, including Europeans, who decided to come to Russia during the pandemic and receive the #SputnikV vaccination, while enjoying life without lockdowns they face in their own countries.

https://t.co/iANUtnQJGS  Sputnik V (@sputnikvaccine) March 22, 2021

The Sputnik V COVID-19 vaccine is based on a modified version of adenovirus, a common cold virus. The vector stripped of its disease-causing genes and modified to carry genetic instructions for making the coronavirus spike protein. This prompts the cells to cause an immune response which eventually protects against the SARS-CoV-2. Slovakia is the second European Union country to use the vaccine, which hasn't been approved by the European Medicines Agency, after Hungary.

(Image Credit: AP/ANI)
Armenia MFA information department chief: All deputy FMs carrying out their duties

Ardshinbank invited children to the cinema on International Childrens Day

Armenia judiciary to have 10 more judges

Armenia acting premier: We had recorded 40% increase in tax revenues according to 2019 results

Armenia acting PM on Artsakh war casualties bodies: We have 50 remains in which case DNA was not separated

Azerbaijan authorities plan to "squeeze" everything from "terrorist show" related to Armenian captives

Ameriabank Announces a Contest for Bank Card Design

108 new cases of COVID-19 confirmed in Armenia

Armenia parliament convenes special session

Armenia interim government holding Cabinet meeting

Catholicos of All Armenians heads for Syunik Province, Artsakh

World oil prices going up

Iran loses right to vote in UN General Assembly

Newspaper: Armenia authorities come up with new way of punishing unwanted characters

Newspaper: Russia army Southern Military District deputy commander to arrive in Yerevan Thursday

Lebanese Armenian man taken prisoner by Azerbaijan is hospitalized

Armenia ex-President Kocharyan: Are we getting under the burden? Then lets get under to the end

Armenia acting health minister on keeping fallen soldiers bodies in bags: What else should they be kept in?

Armenia acting health minister on citizens' demand for her resignation

Karabakh's new State Minister Artak Beglaryan on his appointment and future activities

Armenian, Russian and Azerbaijani representatives hold consultations in Moscow

2 Armenian soldiers receive slight injuries after incident with Azerbaijani servicemen in Armenia's Gegharkunik

Armenian boy weighing 5 kg born at Goris Medical Center

"Armenia" bloc representative presents purpose of participation in elections and plans

Isaac Herzog elected President of Israel

Rouhani: Main issues between Tehran, Washington resolved in Vienna

Charles Michel calls on Armenia and Azerbaijan to resume constructive negotiations

US Department of State responds to Pashinyan's proposal to deploy international observers on Armenia-Azerbaijan border

Head of Armenia 2nd President's Office: Robert Kocharyan's public meetings are held in warm atmosphere

Opposition "Armenia" bloc's representative on photos and videos showing bags of deceased servicemen's bodies

Armenia Ombudsman, AGBU President discuss war crimes committed by Azerbaijan during Karabakh war

Opposition "Armenia" bloc's representatives to hold briefings three times a week

Opposition "Armenia" bloc member: Blood-freezing photos and videos from morgue in Abovyan are authorities' reflection

Yerevan mayor receives Netherlands Ambassador

Armenia Health Ministry, Investigative Committee keep info about sending remains of dead soldiers abroad confidential

Armenia Prosecutor General's Office launches case regarding leaving sacs of servicemen's bodies/remains in basement

Peskov: Putin and Biden to discuss cybersecurity issues

Armenia's Pashinyan meets with Belgian PM Alexander De Croo

Armenia acting MOD receives Netherlands Ambassador

Armenia Police: 3 citizens apprehended during protest demanding acting health minister's resignation

NATO warns Minsk about further consequences of Ryanair incident

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

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NEW YORK (Reuters) - United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres is concerned about the rise of violence against Asians and people of Asian descent globally during the COVID-19 pandemic, a U.N. spokesman said on Monday.

While the U.N. statement does not single out any countries, it comes after a shooting in Atlanta earlier this month left eight people dead, six of them Asian-American women.

The shooting stoked fears among those in the Asian-American Pacific Islander community, which has reported a spike in hate crimes since March 2020 when then-President Donald Trump began referring to COVID-19 as the "China virus."

"The world has witnessed horrific deadly attacks, verbal and physical harassment, bullying in schools, workplace discrimination, incitement to hatred in the media and on social media platforms, and incendiary language by those in positions of power," U.N. spokesman Farhan Haq said.

"In some countries, Asian women have been specifically targeted for attack, adding misogyny to the toxic mix of hatred," he said.

During a visit to Atlanta on Friday, U.S. President Joe Biden deplored a surge in anti-Asian violence and asked all Americans to stand together against hate during a visit to the state on Friday.

(Reporting by Michelle Nichols; Editing by Lisa Shumaker)
FREEMONT TOWNSHIP, Minn.  A Fillmore County woman is hurt after hitting a deer in Winona County.

The collision happened just after 9:30 pm Sunday near miler marker 243 on Interstate 90. The Minnesota State Patrol says Tory Lynn Laumb, 43 of Rushford, was driving east when she hit the deer. Laumb was taken to Winona Health with what are described as non-life threatening injuries.

The State Patrol says she was wearing her seat belt.

The Winona County Sheriffs Office and Lewiston police, fire, and ambulance assisted with this accident.
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DUBAI, United Arab Emirates  Saudi Arabia on Monday offered a cease-fire proposal to Yemens Houthi rebels that includes reopening their countrys main airport, the kingdoms latest attempt to halt years of fighting in a war that has sparked the worlds worst humanitarian crisis.

The move comes after the rebels stepped up a campaign of drone and missile attacks on the kingdoms oil sites, briefly shaking global energy prices amid the coronavirus pandemic. It also comes as Riyadh tries to rehabilitate its image with the U.S. under President Joe Biden. Saudi Arabia has drawn internationally criticism for airstrikes killing civilians and embargoes exacerbating hunger in a nation on the brink of famine.

Whether the plan will take hold remains another question. A unilaterally declared Saudi cease-fire collapsed last year. Fighting rages around the crucial city of Marib and the Saudi-led coalition launched airstrikes as recently as Sunday targeting Yemens capital of Sanaa. A U.N. mission said another suspected airstrike hit a food-production company in the port city of Hodeida.

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We want the guns to fall completely silent, Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan told journalists at a televised news conference in Riyadh. It is up to the Houthis now. We are ready to go today. We hope we can have a cease-fire immediately, but the onus is on the Houthis.

A senior Houthi official, who spoke with The Associated Press on condition of anonymity in line with regulations, said the rebels had been aware of the proposal and in direct communication with the Saudis, as well as interlocutors from Oman. However, he said the Saudis needed to do more to see a cease-fire implemented, something reiterated by others in the Iranian-backed rebel group.

Saudi Arabia said the plan would be presented both to the Houthis and Yemens internationally recognized government later Monday. Both would need to accept the plan for it to move forward, with any timeline likely to be set by U.N. Special Envoy to Yemen Martin Griffiths.

U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres welcomed the announcement, said U.N. deputy spokesman Farhan Haq.

There is no doubt that every effort must be made to end the conflict and the suffering of the Yemeni people, and the United Nations looks forward to continuing its work with the parties to achieve this goal, Haq said.

He said Griffiths has been working extensively with the parties to see what can be done to bring them together on the sort of proposals that he made in the Security Council.  So he will be in touch with the Houthis, as with all parties, to see whether we can go further on this.

Saudi Arabia made two concessions to the Houthis in the plan, while not offering everything the rebels previously wanted. The first involves reopening Sanaa International Airport, a vital link for Yemen to the outside world that hasnt seen regular commercial flights since 2015. Officials did not immediately identify what commercial routes they wanted to see resume.

The second would see taxes, customs and other fees generated by the Hodeida port while importing oil put into a joint account of Yemens Central Bank. That account would be accessible to the Houthis and Yemens recognized government to pay civil servants and fund other programs, officials said.

The Saudi government and the Yemeni government it backs have accused the Houthis of stealing those funds in the past. A report this year by a U.N. panel of experts said the Houthis diverted about $200 million from that fund.

Only a small portion of the funds were used to pay salaries, the report said.

Whether the Houthis accept the Saudi proposal remains in question. On Friday, Houthi leader Mohammed Ali al-Houthi proposed a nationwide cease-fire contingent upon Saudi Arabia reopening Sanaas airport to commercial flights and lifting restrictions on cargo shipments to Hodeida. The port handles most of the countrys vital imports. Both are long-standing demands of the Houthis, who swept into Sanaa from their northwestern strongholds in September 2014.

There is nothing new about the Saudi initiative, another senior Houthi official told the AP on condition of anonymity in line with regulations. First, the airport and the port must both be opened.

Prince Faisal criticized the Houthis for making only more and more demands.

The Houthis must decide whether to put their interests first or  Irans interests first, the prince said.

The Saudi-led coalition entered Yemens war in March 2015 as the Houthis threatened to take Yemens port city of Aden and completely overrun the countrys internationally recognized government. The Saudis promised that the offensive  the brainchild of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman  would be over in short order.

Six years later, the fighting rages on. The war has killed some 130,000 people, including over 13,000 civilians slain in targeted attacks, according to the Armed Conflict Location & Event Project. Tens of thousands of children have died of starvation and disease. The conflict also has turned into a regional conflict, with the Saudis using U.S.-made weaponry, and Iran linked to weapons used by the Houthis to target the kingdom.

Last week, Griffiths warned that the war is back in full force. Hundreds of fighters have been killed in the offensive on Marib, while other once-dormant front lines have seen renewed fighting. Saudi television channels repeatedly show black-and-white drone footage set to dramatic music of bombs dropping on suspected Houthi targets.

Yemens internationally recognized government praised the Saudi initiative as an effort to ease the suffering of the Yemeni people. But in a statement, its Foreign Affairs Ministry also warned that the Houthis had met all previous initiatives with obstinacy and procrastination and had worked to deepen the humanitarian crisis.

Since Biden took office, his administration reversed a decision by former President Donald Trump naming the Houthis as a foreign terrorist organization, allowing U.S. aid to flow into rebel-held territory. He also ended U.S. support for the Saudis in the war.

Biden sent the U.S. envoy for Yemen, Tim Lenderking, to the region to negotiate a political settlement. Lenderking said earlier this month that the Houthis had an unspecified cease-fire proposal before them for a number of days, without elaborating. He reportedly met with Houthi officials while on a February trip to Oman, something the State Department has declined to acknowledge.

In a statement, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said he had spoken to the Saudi foreign minister about the war.

Blinken supports efforts to end the conflict in Yemen, starting with the need for all parties to commit to a cease-fire and facilitate the delivery of humanitarian aid, the statement said.



Associated Press writers Ahmed al-Haj in Sanaa, Yemen, Edith M. Lederer at the United Nations and Matthew Lee in Washington contributed.
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hrist, this lockdown thing has been going for a while now, hasnt it? Its got to that properly bleak why cant it just be over?! stage of everything and Im sure that, like me, youve become absolutely sick of doing the exact same thing day in, day out.

Youre probably also well and truly tired of eating the same five dishes that youve had in rotation since the pandemic began. Theres nothing worse than realising youve got to go through the palaver of cooking yourself a dinner that youve already eaten upwards of 137 times over the last 12 months after yet another day of endless Zoom calls. I know that if I have to look another store-cupboard chana masala in the eye again, I might just start weeping.

Thankfully, people like the talented recipe developers at MOB Kitchen are around to help alleviate that dinner time drollery. Weve got plenty of recipes on the MOB Kitchen website that are: a) completely mindless to make, and b) taste like theyve actually had hours of time and effort poured into them. To help you rekindle your passion for cooking  or to simply help you feed yourself when youre not feeling up for doing much at all  Ive provided you with three of the simplest MOB Kitchen recipes that are perfect for the days when life is getting you down.

Read more:

Tomato curry

Sack off the takeaway and whip this up in 10 instead (MOB Kitchen)

Look, I dont mean to brag but this is genuinely the easiest curry you will ever make. Like, seriously  calling up your local takeaway and ordering a chicken tikka masala would probably take more effort than making this bad boy. All you need are a handful of readily available ingredients (such as tomatoes, garlic cloves and a few common spices) and you can cobble this fresh and fragrant tomato curry together in about 10 minutes. Its the ideal veggie dish for when your brain feels like mush and all you want to do is watch RuPauls Drag Race.

Ingredients

8 garlic cloves

1kg tomatoes

tsp cumin seeds

2tsp chilli powder

1tsp ground coriander

1tsp ground cumin

tsp turmeric

Large handful of coriander

Method

1. Roughly chop the garlic and chop up the tomatoes into large chunks. Finely chop up your coriander, including the stems.

2. Pour two large glugs of oil into a large pan and heat to high. Chuck in the cumin seeds and fry until they start to pop. Add in the garlic and cook for 30 seconds until lightly browned. Add in the tomatoes, chilli powder, coriander powder, cumin powder, turmeric, and half a teaspoon of salt. Stir gently, taking care not to break the tomatoes.

3. Cook for 2 mins until the tomatoes are just warmed through. You want to keep them whole and avoid breaking them down into a mush. Stir in the coriander and serve on rice or with a few roti or chapati. Voila!

Cheesy, bacon-y and heavy on the black pepper (MOB Kitchen)

Orzo carbonara

Ive been an orzo fanatic ever since an Italian nonna once described it to me in Rome as dummy rice that cooks as quick as pasta. OK, maybe thats not exactly what she said (she was speaking Italian, so I cant be too sure) but Ive been obsessed with the stuff ever since. This orzo carbonara is a belter of a dish that takes just 15 minutes to make. Its cheesy, bacon-y and heavy on the black pepper. What more could you possibly want?

Ingredients

6 eggs

100g parmesan

500g orzo

300g smoked streaky bacon

1 clove of garlic

2tsp chilli flakes

Pepper

Method

1. Grab a bowl, add egg yolks, grated parmesan and a generous amount of black pepper. Mix with a fork and set it aside.

2. Chop up your bacon into small bitesize pieces and throw into a frying pan. Cook until crispy.

3. Get your orzo on  and dont forget to salt the pasta water generously.

4. Chop up the garlic and add this to your bacon followed by the chilli flakes. Take a ladle of pasta water and add this, too.

5. Once your orzo is cooked, add it to the pan and mix everything together. Add your egg and parmesan and give it a good mix. Add some more pasta water as you go until you have a silky texture. Serve it up and tuck into this delightful little dish.

Chickpea puttanesca

This riff on a traditional dish is perfect CBA food (MOB Kitchen)

A puttanesca pasta is a simple, sexy dish that  speaking from personal experience  can really reignite your passion for cooking when you feel that its dwindling. Theres something about that combination of slick, salty anchovies with fat, salty kalamata olives and little salty capers that can kickstart your palate and remind you that cooking can actually be quite fun. And also remind you that salt is really, really nice. This chickpea puttanesca is a riff on that traditional dish and perfect for when you really cant be bothered; replacing the pasta with tinned chickpeas saves you both time and the mental stress of trying to juggle two different pots at once.

Ingredients

800g chickpeas

Large handful of kalamata olives

2tsp chilli flakes

5 cloves of garlic

100g anchovies

Bunch of parsley

1 heaped tbsp tomato puree

2tbsp capers

800g tinned plum tomatoes

Salt

Pepper

Olive Oil

Method

1. Finely chop the anchovies (keeping the oil in the tin), garlic and parsley stalks (keep the leaves separate).

2. Heat the anchovy oil from the tin in a pan and add the chilli flakes, chopped garlic, and anchovies. Simmer this down until the anchovies begin to dissolve.

3. Whack in your parsley stalks and pour in your tinned tomatoes and chickpeas. Break up the tomatoes with a wooden spoon and mix them together with the tomato puree. Leave to simmer for 10 mins until the chickpeas soften and you get a lovely thick, rich sauce.

4. Add in your capers and olives.

5. Stir through your parsley leaves (saving some for garnish).

6. Season with salt and pepper then serve with some parsley leaves scattered on top and a drizzle of olive oil. Enjoy!

If none of the above dishes take your fancy, you can find plenty more easy and accessible recipes on the MOB Kitchen website. Happy eating!
Until her death last month at the age of 63, Bolivian attorney Ruth Montano had done perhaps more than any living person to advance the rights of religious minorities in her Andean homeland.

A specialist in constitutional law and permanent legal counsel to the National Association of Evangelicals of Bolivia (ANDEB), the Cochabamba-based lawyer spent more than two decades defending Christian believers and congregations against discrimination and injustice.

Her greatest professional accomplishment was undoubtedly the passage in September 2019 of Religious Liberty Law 1161.

Montano served as chief legal architect of the landmark legislation, one of the greatest achievements of the evangelical church and ANDEB in our countrys history with respect to religious freedom, said ANDEB president Munir Chiquie.

The product of nine years of research, litigation, and negotiation with the government of former president Evo Morales, the law guarantees the independence of churches and other faith communities from government interference in their internal affairs.

The law prevents secular officials from dictating how non-Catholic churches must organize their activities, choose leaders, and manage their finances. It also reestablishes the right of churches and mission organizations to open and maintain schools, clinics, and other holistic social ministriesa right that had been denied them for nearly a decade.

According to Chiquie, the most important provision in Law 1161 was the creation of a new legal identity for churches, synagogues, mosques, and other faith communities. These groups now enjoy official status as religious organizations.

This law established a whole new judicial environment for religious organizations, Chiquie said. It recognizes their freedom to preach, to teach the Word, and to use mass communications media. Also, it guarantees the freedom to conduct religious education in accordance with their respective worldviews.

The sweeping changes came about in part because of a move by the Morales government eight years ago to exercise strict control over the countrys non-Catholic churches.

In 2013, Bolivias Plurinational Legislative Assembly passed Law 351: For Granting of Juridical Personality to Churches and Religious Groups. In response, ANDEB filed legal motions with the countys Constitutional Tribune seeking annulment of the legislation.

Montano, who spearheaded the legal appeal, argued that Law 351 granted the government excessive power to interfere in the internal affairs of churches and mission agencies. Compliance with Law 351, she said, would force churches to betray their true ecclesiastical traditions. This measure deprives them of any autonomy to follow their original faith convictions.

Despite ANDEBs constitutional challenge and marches that mobilized an estimated 20,000 protestors in five cities, Morales-appointed judges upheld Law 351. That setback, along with the governments insistence that pre-Columbian animistic rituals be observed in schools and other public spheres, galvanized church leaders to press energetically for a new law guaranteeing religious freedom.

Montano also spearheaded that initiative, composing endless legislative drafts and crisscrossing the country to consult with religious leaders.

It gave me gray hairs, she said. It was a huge task to build consensus among evangelical pastors. We would finish a draft in one part of the country and take it to another area for review. They would say, No, no, no, we should do this instead.

It became apparent that some church leaders had misconceptions about what religious liberty truly is. We discovered attitudes that were discriminatory against other religions. We had to explain that freedom for some means freedom for all.

In the end, it was largely Montanos credentials as a constitutional lawyer and her unrelenting pursuit of justice that brought the project to completion.

Ruth was a warrior, Chiquie said. She had a passionate heart for God, completely honest, direct, and sincere in everything she did.

Jaime Huayta, a junior partner in Montanos law office, concurred.

She was like a lioness, a fierce woman when it came to working for just causes, he said. Utterly plainspoken, she went and told highly placed government officials exactly what she had to say. Sometimes other lawyers and representatives would tell her, Calm down, Ruth, they might get upset with us. But she always spoke with respect and professionalism, asking them to do the right thing.

That is how I will remember her, for her work ethic and her impeccable conduct.

The petite mother of two had other passionate interests. In her later years, she dedicated a portion of her time to protecting the family, representing Bolivia before sessions of the Organization of American States to testify on the impact of public policy on reproductive rights, the status of women, and the education of minors.

Yet Montano never declined to help anyone who asked for her help, often working pro bono.

She served as legal counsel to many evangelical denominations and organizations across the country, Chiquie said. She would help any person who sought her out, regardless of who they were, and plead their case with all her heart and skill.

In September 2020, exactly one year to the month after the passage of Law 1161, Montano was diagnosed with cancer of the stomach. She passed away at her home on February 12, survived by two adult sons, Lenz Mauricio and Jorge Luis, her elderly mother, and three siblings.

It is not going to be easy to replace her, Chiquie said. It will not be easy for others to take up her mantle and do the things she did.

By the Latin America correspondent for Morning Star News.

[ This article is also available in espanol. ]
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.

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, and 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
Armenia MFA information department chief: All deputy FMs carrying out their duties

Ardshinbank invited children to the cinema on International Childrens Day

Armenia judiciary to have 10 more judges

Armenia acting premier: We had recorded 40% increase in tax revenues according to 2019 results

Armenia acting PM on Artsakh war casualties bodies: We have 50 remains in which case DNA was not separated

Azerbaijan authorities plan to "squeeze" everything from "terrorist show" related to Armenian captives

Ameriabank Announces a Contest for Bank Card Design

108 new cases of COVID-19 confirmed in Armenia

Armenia parliament convenes special session

Armenia interim government holding Cabinet meeting

Catholicos of All Armenians heads for Syunik Province, Artsakh

World oil prices going up

Iran loses right to vote in UN General Assembly

Newspaper: Armenia authorities come up with new way of punishing unwanted characters

Newspaper: Russia army Southern Military District deputy commander to arrive in Yerevan Thursday

Lebanese Armenian man taken prisoner by Azerbaijan is hospitalized

Armenia ex-President Kocharyan: Are we getting under the burden? Then lets get under to the end

Armenia acting health minister on keeping fallen soldiers bodies in bags: What else should they be kept in?

Armenia acting health minister on citizens' demand for her resignation

Karabakh's new State Minister Artak Beglaryan on his appointment and future activities

Armenian, Russian and Azerbaijani representatives hold consultations in Moscow

2 Armenian soldiers receive slight injuries after incident with Azerbaijani servicemen in Armenia's Gegharkunik

Armenian boy weighing 5 kg born at Goris Medical Center

"Armenia" bloc representative presents purpose of participation in elections and plans

Isaac Herzog elected President of Israel

Rouhani: Main issues between Tehran, Washington resolved in Vienna

Charles Michel calls on Armenia and Azerbaijan to resume constructive negotiations

US Department of State responds to Pashinyan's proposal to deploy international observers on Armenia-Azerbaijan border

Head of Armenia 2nd President's Office: Robert Kocharyan's public meetings are held in warm atmosphere

Opposition "Armenia" bloc's representative on photos and videos showing bags of deceased servicemen's bodies

Armenia Ombudsman, AGBU President discuss war crimes committed by Azerbaijan during Karabakh war

Opposition "Armenia" bloc's representatives to hold briefings three times a week

Opposition "Armenia" bloc member: Blood-freezing photos and videos from morgue in Abovyan are authorities' reflection

Yerevan mayor receives Netherlands Ambassador

Armenia Health Ministry, Investigative Committee keep info about sending remains of dead soldiers abroad confidential

Armenia Prosecutor General's Office launches case regarding leaving sacs of servicemen's bodies/remains in basement

Peskov: Putin and Biden to discuss cybersecurity issues

Armenia's Pashinyan meets with Belgian PM Alexander De Croo

Armenia acting MOD receives Netherlands Ambassador

Armenia Police: 3 citizens apprehended during protest demanding acting health minister's resignation

NATO warns Minsk about further consequences of Ryanair incident

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
Britain has urged the EU not to block coronavirus vaccine exports to the UK, saying the move would be counterproductive.

European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen warned at the weekend that the EU has the power to forbid exports, adding: That is the message to AstraZeneca.

The warning reflects growing frustration on the continent that the EU is not getting the supplies it expected from the UK-Swedish manufacturer.

European Commissioner Mairead McGuinness said no decisions had been taken but EU leaders would consider the matter when they met on Thursday.

European citizens are growing angry and upset at the fact that the vaccine roll-out has not happened as rapidly as we had anticipated, she said.

Both the EU and the UK have contracts with AstraZeneca and my understanding is the company is supplying the UK but not the European Union. We are supplying the UK with other vaccines, so I think this is just about openness and transparency.

UK Defence Secretary Ben Wallace hit back by warning the manufacture of the Pfizer vaccine depended on supplies from the UK.

The grown-up thing would be for the European Commission and some of the European leaders to not indulge in rhetoric but to recognise the obligations that we all have, he said.

We will all hold each other to our contracts.

"Making a vaccine is like baking a cake. We all have different ingredients and the European Commission will know that.

Meanwhile, Britain said Saturday had been a record-breaking day for its vaccine roll- out, with 873,784 people receiving a jab.

NHS chief executive Simon Stevens said: In just one day we vaccinated the equivalent of the entire adult populations of Liverpool, Southampton and Oxford combined.

But Professor Jeremy Brown, a member of the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation, said the jab roll- out in the UK may be delayed slightly due to problems with supplies.

He said: It has always been the supply of vaccine that has been the concern that might delay things, and yes, I suspect our vaccine programme will be delayed slightly compared to where we thought it might have been a few weeks ago.
CLAWSON, MI -- A 15-year-old Clawson girl is dead after her stepfather shot her during a domestic dispute before barricading himself inside his home and before he died from a self-inflicted gunshot. According to the Clawson Police Department, officers were called around 2:34 p.m. to a home in the 400 block of West Fourteen Mile Road.

When officers arrived, the found the teen at a neighbors house where she had been shot. The neighbor had also been shot by the girls stepfather, authorities said. Police say the stepfather retreated back to his house following the shooting and locked himself inside.

Police were unable to make any contact with the suspect and eventually used a drone to enter the house and discover his body. The girl was transported to a nearby hospital for treatment, but died of her injuries early Monday morning.
AKRON, Ohio, March 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- FirstEnergy Corp. (NYSE: FE) today announced that Antonio Fernandez has been named vice president and chief ethics and compliance officer effective April 12. In this role, Fernandez will manage a dedicated team of compliance professionals and strengthen FirstEnergy's ethics and compliance function. He will report to Hyun Park, senior vice president and chief legal officer, and the Audit Committee of the Board as well as collaborate closely with the compliance oversight subcommittee of the Audit Committee.

Fernandez brings broad and deep experience in the utilities and power sectors as a strategic and accomplished ethics and compliance executive and leader. His experience includes nearly five years as chief compliance, NERC & privacy officer of the Public Service Enterprise Group (PSEG), where he led PSEG's ethics, compliance and privacy programs, counseled senior management and the Board of Directors on the compliance program and provided advice on ethics, compliance, privacy and cybersecurity matters.

"Antonio's skills and experience will be instrumental in reinforcing FirstEnergy's core values and behaviors and further embedding compliance, ethics and integrity into the company's culture," said Donald T. Misheff, non-executive chairman of FirstEnergy's Board of Directors. "We are confident that he will build on the proactive steps the Board and management are taking to address challenges and rebuild trust with stakeholders."

"We are very pleased to welcome Antonio to FirstEnergy," said Steven E. Strah, FirstEnergy president and chief executive officer. "His fresh perspective will be invaluable as we create an environment in which every member of the team views ethics and compliance as critical organizational and personal imperatives."

"I have been extremely impressed by the commitment of Steve Strah, his leadership team, and the Board of Directors to ethics and compliance," Fernandez said. "I am excited to begin working with the FirstEnergy team to foster a culture of uncompromising integrity and ethical behavior as well as to build an embedded compliance culture."

Before joining PSEG in 2016, Fernandez was Global Ombuds leader and executive counsel for GE Power. During his five years at GE, he held various roles of increasing responsibility in GE's compliance program, including serving as chief compliance officer for GE's nuclear business and as GE's Corporate Ombuds leader.

Prior to GE, he was a senior attorney for Florida Power & Light from 2007 to 2011 and Nuclear counsel for Pacific Gas and Electric Company from 2005 to 2007. Fernandez began his career at the United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission Office of the General Counsel in its Honors Program.

Fernandez earned a bachelor's degree in political science from the University of Dayton, a Juris Doctor degree (Order of Barristers) from St. Mary's University School of Law and a Master of Laws in international and comparative law from Georgetown University Law Center.

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. Follow FirstEnergy online at www.firstenergycorp.com. Follow FirstEnergy on Twitter: @FirstEnergyCorp.

Editor's Note: A professional photo of Antonio Fernandez is available for download on Flickr.

SOURCE FirstEnergy Corp.

Related Links

http://www.firstenergycorp.com


NEW YORK, March 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Bottom Line in New York is celebrating its Tenth Anniversary of supporting thousands of first-generation students from low-income backgrounds in gaining resources and access to a college degree. The nonprofit's Anniversary kicked off last Thursday with an online celebration, which included students, alumni of the program, staff, and other supporters. A special impact report showcasing the organization's influence on its students' earnings will be released this spring. The celebration season will culminate in a virtual Benefit Celebration on May 20th, 2021, complete with online auction and live performances. Goldman Sachs is the official Presenting Sponsor of the Virtual Benefit Celebration.

Bottom Line 10th Anniversary

Shauwea Hamilton, Executive Director of Bottom Line in New York remarked, "I am delighted to celebrate the 10th Anniversary of Bottom Line in NY's successes in helping thousands of first-generation New Yorkers achieve their dreams of attending college. Our kick-off was a wonderful celebration of students, alumni, and staff, all committed to the goal of furthering education opportunities."

Bottom Line in New York is the regional office of the national organization, Bottom Line, which was founded in 1997 as a small nonprofit supporting 25 high school seniors in Boston. The organization has grown dramatically over the last 20 years and now serves thousands of students across Massachusetts, New York, and Chicago with the shared goal of all of their students getting into college, graduating, and going far in life. To date, over 1,000 first-generation students have gone on to earn their bachelor's degrees through the program.

The virtual Anniversary Benefit Celebration on May 20, 2021, will have tickets available soon through Bottom Line's website: www.bottomline.org/content/10th-anniversary-celebration

ABOUT BOTTOM LINE in NEW YORK

In July 2011, Bottom Line opened their Downtown Brooklyn office, steadily growing to support nearly 6,000 first-generation high school and college students from low-income backgrounds on their paths to a college degree. The nonprofit serves students from all five boroughs, including over 1,700 college students at 21 colleges across the state. Bottom Line addresses the need for educational equity in New York City by focusing on the successful completion of college in addition to college access, transforming students' career prospects, and ultimately their futures.

Bottom Line was founded in 1997 as a small nonprofit supporting 25 high school seniors in Boston. The organization serves thousands of students across Massachusetts, New York, and Chicago with the shared goal of all of the students getting into college, graduating, and going far in life. With sustainable growth, Bottom Line in New York's vision is to create a far-reaching ripple effect, launched by the transformative power of a college degree and a mobilizing first career, that will uplift individuals, families, and entire communities. Trained advisors deliver intensive, one-on-one advising and support from college applications all the way through college graduation and first destination jobs. The Access and Success teams have enjoyed the experience of witnessing an impressive graduation rate among the students we serve. Bottom Line is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that is nearly 100% privately funded, serving thousands of students through two primary programs - College Access and College Success. Bottom Line services are available from regional offices located in Boston, Chicago, and New York City.

CONTACT: Mia Jones, 203-505-8816, [email protected]

SOURCE Bottom Line in New York
It was a simpler, sandier Perth and now thanks to some recently declassified Cold War-era satellite imagery we can now see just how much our city has changed over the past 60 years.

Perth-based digital atlas and mapping company Soar.Earth recently got its hands on a raft of remarkably high-quality declassified images of Perth taken by US spy satellites from 1966 to 1976.

The Burswood and Maylands peninsulas from the 1960s to present day. Credit:Soar.Earth

Soar founder Amir Farhand said the company had begun the meticulous process of scanning and geo-converting the images for different parts of the world and slowly loading them into their mapping platform, allowing users to look into the past at the Perth that was.

These images were taken in 1966 and 1976, although are black and white, have striking clarity at about 1m per pixel (to give you an idea, it wasnt until 2002 that commercial satellites offered that same resolution) so you can zoom in to see roads, houses, trees and in some cases cars, Mr Farhand said.
The latest response to one of our Freedom Of Information Act (FOIA) requests shows the lengths to which the Federal government has gone to obscure its underwriting of the construction of a national ID database.

Supporters of a national ID database know that there is resistance to exactly that idea. So they try to pretend that there is no such thing.

They cant credibly claim that the SPEXS database doesnt exist, so they try to pretend (1) that this isnt a national database but merely a distributed national network of state drivers license and ID databases (which it could be, but isnt, since it includes a national pointer database with a record of personal information for each drivers license or state-issued ID card), (2) that this State-to-State network isnt mandated by Federal law (a clearly false claim, since the Federal REAL-ID Act of 2005 requires that to be compliant, each state must Provide electronic access to all other States to information contained in the motor vehicle database of the State), and (3) that this network and database are being built by states, not by the Feds.

The problem with this third and last line of rhetorical defense against opposition to the creation of a national ID database is that much of the funding actually is coming from the Federal government. But the Feds have gone to great lengths to obscure their role in funding the creation of the infrastructure for a national ID scheme.

Heres how it works:

REAL-ID funding is broken up into pieces small enough to hide in the budgets of multiple Federal agencies, parceled out in grants to state and local governments (often bundled into block grants with money for other purposes to further conceal its end use), then reassembled by AAMVA ( as contractor for the states) and passed on to AAMVAs commercial subcontractor to do the heavy lifting of building the national database.

AAMVA is a nominally nongovernmental entity not subject to FOIA or any public records law, and the AAMVA subcontractor actually building the national database that holds the data sourced from state drivers license records has no direct contract with any state government, only with AAMVA. So theres no transparency for the prime contracts or prime contractors.

To get at the real sources of all this REAL-ID money, we had to work from the the top down, starting with FOIA requests to the Federal agencies that are making grants that are being used for REAL-ID (to the extent we could identify them)

In 2018, we made FOIA requests to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the Department of Transportation for records of grants by their components for implementation of the REAL ID Act, including construction and operation of the State to State distributed national data network and the SPEXS national ID database.

The DHS transferred our request to the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).

You might have thought that emergency management would consist of preparing for fires, floods, and the like  maybe even epidemics. But apparently FEMAs role also includes preparing to surveil and track US citizens and residents, even when there is no emergency.

After more than two years of silence from FEMA, weve now received an incomplete but final response from FEMA consisting of a spreadsheet created from selected fields of a FEMA database of REAL-ID Act grants to state and local governments between 2007 and 2019, during both Republican and Democratic administrations in Washington.

These FEMA grant amounts arent the entirety of DHS funding for REAL-ID Act implementation. Unlike some of the other REAL-ID grants we learned about earlier ($48 million in just one year from another DHS program, for example), these FEMA grants are small. The largest were $300,000 to the state of Michigan for document scanners in drivers license issuance offices in the Detroit area, and $250,000 to the state of Alabama for unspecified REAL ID technology.

But whats notable is that, even though most of this grant money seems likely to have trickled down to the same vendors of ID card printers and information technology, DHS chose not to contract directly with those vendors.

Instead, FEMA channeled the money indirectly to those vendors through state governments to maintain plausible deniability about this being a Federal rather than a state program. And even for the portion to REAL-ID funding attributed within the Federal budget to DHS, and within DHS to FEMA, the money was broken up into tiny fragments to avoid having any single line item for REAL ID in the budget of a Federal agency  even one with as little apparent connection to national ID cards and databases as FEMA. The grant categories  the line items in the FEMA budget, none of which mention REAL ID directly  are described in this 78-page directory of FEMA acronyms and abbreviations.)

FEMA deemed its response to our request final, although it included only a fraction of all records pertaining to each of these grants, as we had requested. Were still negotiating with FEMA to receive the grant applications and other records showing what sort of REAL-ID technology was to be procured with this money, and from what vendors.
A Centre County McDonalds restaurant nearly fell victim to a scam Friday after receiving a call from someone claiming to be the company CEO/CFO.

According to the Pennsylvania State Police at Rockview, an employee got the call around 10:55 p.m. Friday at the Milesburg McDonalds.

Investigators say an employee got a call from someone claiming to be the CEO/CFO, directing the manager to take money from the restaurant, purchase gift cards from the nearby Sheetz and Rutters stores, then read the PIN on the back of the cards to the person over the phone.

The employee bought about $4,000 worth of gift cards before the state police were called. Investigators say both convenience stores were able to cancel and reverse the gift-card transactions.

The incident is under investigation.

Police are reminding residents not to fall for a scam in which people are directed to buy gift cards and provide someone with the PIN over the phone.
Source: Xinhua| 2021-03-23 04:37:31|Editor: huaxia

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CAIRO, March 22 (Xinhua) -- Kuwait's total COVID-19 cases on Monday surpassed 220,000 with 1,330 new cases. Meanwhile, Iraq's tally of infections approached 800,000 after 4,655 new cases were added.

According to the Kuwaiti Health Ministry, the total number of confirmed cases in the country hit 220,455. It also announced seven more deaths, taking the death toll to 1,233, while the tally of recoveries rose by 1,439 to 204,978.

The Kuwaiti government announced on Monday that passengers who have received coronavirus vaccine will be exempted from institutional quarantine after arriving in Kuwait.

According to the new decision, for COVID-19 vaccine recipients, a seven-day home quarantine will be applied, after which a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test will be performed on the seventh day of arrival to ensure they are free from coronavirus.

In Iraq, the total nationwide of COVID-19 cases reached 798,547.

It also reported 29 new deaths, raising the death toll from the infectious virus to 14,036, while the total recoveries in Iraq climbed by 4,088 to 719,161.

Turkey reported 22,216 new COVID-19 cases, including 981 symptomatic patients, raising the total number in the country to 3,035,338.

The death toll from the virus in Turkey rose by 117 to 30,178, while the total recoveries climbed to 2,844,681 after 19,494 more cases recovered in the last 24 hours.

Turkey started mass vaccination for COVID-19 on Jan. 14 after the authorities approved the emergency use of the Chinese CoronaVac vaccine. More than 8,083,000 people have been vaccinated so far.

Iran reported 7,357 new COVID-19 cases, raising its nationwide caseload to 1,808,422.

The pandemic has so far claimed 61,877 lives in Iran, up by 80 in the past 24 hours. Meanwhile, a total of 1,549,649 people have recovered from the disease and been discharged from hospitals.

In Israel, 974 new COVID-19 cases were reported, raising the tally of confirmed cases in the country to 828,672.

Its death toll from the virus reached 6,102 with 15 new fatalities, while the total recoveries rose to 807,341 with 1,983 newly recovered cases.

The number of people vaccinated against COVID-19 in Israel has surpassed 5.18 million, or 55.7 percent of its total population.

The Omani Health Ministry announced 728 new COVID-19 infections, raising the total number of confirmed cases in the sultanate to 151,528.

Meanwhile, 342 people recovered during the past 24 hours, taking the overall recoveries to 139,442 while seven deaths were reported, pushing the total tally up to 1,629.

Qatar announced 519 new COVID-19 infections, raising the total number of confirmed cases in the Gulf state to 174,228.

Meanwhile, 311 more people recovered from the virus, bringing the overall recoveries to 160,762, while the fatalities increased by one to 274.

In Morocco, 125 new COVID-19 cases were announced, taking the tally in the North African country to 491,834.

The total number of recoveries from COVID-19 in Morocco increased to 479,557 after 305 more were added, while the death toll rose to 8,769 with two new fatalities.

Meanwhile, 4,264,761 people have received so far the first vaccine shot against COVID-19 in the country, and 2,516,742 people have received the second dose.

Morocco launched a nationwide vaccination campaign on Jan. 28 after the arrival of the first shipment of China's Sinopharm vaccines.

Algeria reported 98 new COVID-19 cases, raising the total number of confirmed cases in the North African country to 116,255.

The death toll from the virus rose to 3,061 after four new fatalities were added. Meanwhile, 91 more patients recovered from the disease, bringing the total number of recoveries in the country to 80,810. Enditem
Intelligent.com, a trusted resource for online degree rankings and higher education planning, has announced the Top 30 Master's in Clinical Research Degree Programs for 2021. The comprehensive research guide is based on an assessment of 66 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 66 schools, on a scale of 0 to 100, with only 30 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.

Students who pursue any one of these programs can expect to gain employment much quicker in comparison to candidates without a degree. In addition to accessibility and cost, the steady job growth in this market is one of the many reasons Intelligent.com researched and ranked the Top Master's in Clinical Research Degree Programs. To access the complete ranking, please visit: https://www.intelligent.com/best-masters-in-clinical-research-degree-programs/

2021 Master's in Clinical Research Degree Programs featured on Intelligent.com (in alphabetical order):

Arizona State University

Augusta University

Boston University

Campbell University

City University of New York, Hunter College

Drexel University

Eastern Michigan University

Fairleigh Dickinson University

George Washington University

Loyola University Chicago

Massachusetts College Of Pharmacy And Health Sciences University

Nova Southeastern University

Ohio State University

Regis College

Rutgers University

Saint Cloud State University

San Jose State University

Thomas Jefferson University

University of California, San Diego

University of Central Florida

University of Louisville

University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill

University Of North Carolina, Wilmington

University of North Texas

University of St. Thomas

University of Texas Health Science Center, Houston

University of Texas, Rio Grande Valley

University of Vermont

University of Virginia

Xavier 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/.
Singapores fixed communications service revenue is expected to decline at a compounded annual growth rate (CAGR) of 0.7% from US$1.7 billion in 2020 to US$1.6 billion in 2025 as any growth in the fixed broadband service revenues will fail to offset the continued decline in fixed voice service revenues, according to data and anaytics firm GlobalData.

GlobalData says that meanwhile, fixed broadband service revenue is anticipated to grow at a CAGR of 2.9% during the forecast period, driven by strong growth in fiber-to-the-home (FTTH) subscriptions and rising adoption of multiplay bundles unified with fixed broadband services.

Hrushikesh Mahananda, Senior Telecom Research Analyst at GlobalData, says: Fiber Internet will remain the dominant fixed broadband technology in Singapore through 2025 driven by increasing demand for high-speed Internet services, ongoing FTTH network expansions by operators and investments by the NetLink NBN Trust in fiber broadband network expansions.

Singtel will lead the fixed voice services segment in terms of subscriptions through 2025 supported by its strong position in the traditional circuit-switched service market and growing subscriber base in the VoIP service segment.

The telco also leads the fixed broadband services market driven by its FTTH network expansions and promotional multiplay bundle offerings with high-speed Internet access.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, March 22)  Two more contagious COVID-19 variants have spread in all 17 cities and municipality in the National Capital Region, the Department of Health confirmed on Monday.

Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said the SARS-CoV-2 variants first detected in United Kingdom (B.1.1.7) and South Africa (B.1.351) are present in all parts of Metro Manila, with some even recording cases of the two variants.

Hindi po natin ipagkakaila na nakikita na natin itong mga variants sa lahat na ng cities dito sa Metro Nanila at iyan po ay factual na. Meron na tayo either the UK variant or the South African variant. Also in other cities meron na siyang both UK variant and South African variant," she said in a media briefing.

[Translation: We will not deny that these variants were recorded in all cities in Metro Manila. We either have the UK or South Africa variant, while other cities have both.]

DOH said there are 76 cases of the B.1.1.7 variant and 105 patients with the B.1.351 variant in Metro Manila.

The B.1.1.7 variant is not only more easily transmitted, but a study by the British Medical Journal or BJM also said it appears to be more fatal meaning a patient with the UK variant has a 64% higher risk of dying from COVID-19. The B.1.351 variant, meanwhile, has a component of immune escape  wherein the vaccine may have trouble in helping the inoculated patient build antibodies to fight the virus because of the presence of the E484K mutation, Vergeire earlier explained.

The country has recorded at least 223 cases of the variant from the UK, 152 with the variant from South Africa, and 104 of the variant from the Philippines called P.3.

Vergeire said the variants have contributed to the spike in cases in the country. She added they are still waiting for the World Health Organization to declare if there is already community transmission of the new variants.
Shenandoah, IA (51601)

Today

Mainly sunny to start, then a few afternoon clouds. High 86F. Winds WSW at 5 to 10 mph..

Tonight

A few clouds. Low 61F. Winds SSW at 5 to 10 mph.
NEW DELHI: Bollywood actress Urvashi Rautela recently enjoyed a ride on a yak and shared a picture of herself posing with the hairy animal on Sunday (March 21). The actress was celebrating her Instagram account reaching a follower count of 35 millions.

Urvashi shared a couple of photographs on Instagram where she is enjoying a yak ride. In one photos, she can be seen riding a yak and holding its horns with both hands. "THANK YOU FAM FOR #35MILLIONLOVE ON @instagram CELEBRATIONS. MY ULTIMATE FAVOURITE POSE ON YAK (living plush toy). I promise you guys have changed my life, I`m so blessed @teamurvashirautelaofficial. WHAT`S YOUR FAV POSE ON YAK," Urvashi wrote on Instagram.

On the work front, Urvashi Rautela is shooting for her upcoming web series 'Inspector Avinash', in which we will be seeing her with Randeep Hooda playing the lead. One of the most exciting ones is an international project with the Egyptian superstar Mohamad Ramadan and several others like a bilingual thriller 'Black Rose' and a Hindi remake of 'Thirutu Payale 2'.

The upcoming 'Inspector Avinash' is a real-life story of police officer Avinash Mishra, directed by Neeraj Pathak. According to the sources, Urvashi Rautela has signed a three-film deal with Jio Studios.

The actress dazzled in her music video 'Ek Ladki Bheegi Bhaagi Si', she also recently acted in the movie 'Virgin Bhanupriya'.
WSU Hosts 10th Annual College Preparedness Conference to Inspire Black Student Achievement

March 22, 2021

OGDEN, Utah - Weber State University will host the 10th annual Expect the Great college and career preparedness conference on March 26 and 27. This free, virtual conference is designed to inspire high achievement in Black high school and college students, equip them with resources and tools, and build a sense of community among students. This years theme is Black Minds Matter: Build. Invest. Connect. Empower.

The conferences purpose is to provide information, resources and other support to increase college participation, retention and graduation, said Betty Sawyer, Weber State Access & Diversity community engagement coordinator. As we share information, we hope to inspire participants to chart their path to higher education and careers.

High school students will have the opportunity to participate in three sessions covering topics such as paying for college, exploring degrees and careers and student mental health/self-care. For the college students, sessions will cover financial planning, civic engagement in the community, and career skills.

Students in both sessions will also be treated to special activities designed to excite and build community among Utahs Black students. According to a 2019 estimate, the number of people who identify as Black or African American in Utah stands at 1.6%. For Black youth, such demographics can lead to feelings of racial isolation when very few people look like them in an educational setting.

This conference is a safe space to build up, connect with, invest in and empower our Utah Black students, Sawyer said.

Expect the Great began with the leadership of Utah System of Higher Education Board of Regents Vice Chair France A. Davis, who sought an outreach event aimed at increasing college access, participation, retention and graduation for African, African-American and Black students and communities.

High school students will meet March 26 from 9 a.m.-1 p.m., while the college student conference takes place March 27 noon-4:30 p.m. A community workshop event will be hosted on March 27 from 9:30 a.m.-noon. All events are free and will be held virtually.

Visit weber.edu/expectthegreat to find out more or to register for the event.

Visit weber.edu/wsutoday for more news about Weber State University.
Former Mumbai Police Commissioner Param Bir Singh has moved the Supreme Court stating that Maharashtra Home Minister Anil Deshmukh has been interfering in various investigations and sought the CBI to immediately conduct an unbiased, uninfluenced, impartial and fair investigation in the various corrupt malpractices carried out by Anil Deshmukh.

Param Bir Singh urged the top court to quash his transfer orders, which he has termed "illegal and arbitrary" and a CBI probe to be carried out immediately before evidences are destroyed.

Singh's plea contended that since February 2021, Deshmukh had been holding meetings at his residence with police officers -- including Sachin Vaze of Crime Intelligence Unit, Mumbai and Sanjay Patil, ACP Social Service Branch, Mumbai -- bypassing their seniors. The plea claimed that Deshmukh had instructed them that he had a target to accumulate Rs. 100 crores every month and directed them to collect money from various establishments and other sources. The plea has made the Maharashtra government, the Ministry of Home Affairs and the CBI as respondents in the matter.

Singh also sought directions to respondents to immediately take in its custody the CCTV footage from Deshmukh's residence.

"Anil Deshmukh had been interfering in various investigations and was instructing the police officers to conduct the same in a particular manner as desired by him.Fair CBI investigation is thus warranted in each of such acts of Anil Deshmukh in abuse of the official position of the Home Minister," said the petition.

Singh said he had brought Deshmukh's corrupt practices in the knowledge of the senior leaders and the Maharashtra Chief Minister. Singh claimed after making such a startling revelation, he apprehends malicious and coercive actions against him at the instance of disgruntled home minister.

"Immediately thereafter, on March 17, 2021, an order vide notification of the Home Department of the Respondent No. 1 (Maharashtra government).was issued, by virtue of which, the petitioner herein was transferred from the post of the Police Commissioner of Mumbai to the Home Guard Department in an arbitrary and illegal manner without the completion of the minimum fixed tenure of two years", said the plea, terming the transfer malicious.

Justifying Singh's transfer, the Maharashtra government had said it was done to ensure a free and fair investigation in the Antilia incident leading to an FIR registered on February 25, with Gamdevi Police Station as a result of a car with explosives being found at Altamount Road near Antilia, the residence of industrialist Mukesh Ambani, for a bomb scare.

Both the NIA and the ATS are investigating the matter. Sachin Vaze, officer of Crime Intelligence Unit, Mumbai, has been arrested for custodial interrogation by NIA.

"All necessary assistance had been rendered by petitioner's office and his officers for the conduct of a free and fair investigation by the ATS and the NIA into the Antilia incident. It is not a even case of the NIA that the petitioner had in any manner obstructed in free and fair investigation by NIA," said Singh's plea.
My conversation with Dr Nabil Lawandy, the chief executive of Spectra Systems Corp ( ), starts with a question.

I ask what motivates a person with tenure at one of Americas most prestigious seats of learning to give up that life security for the rough and tumble world of business?

Conviction, is the one-word reply from the former Brown University professor, who taught engineering and physics and graduated 19 PhD students. A lot of conviction.

He tells me academics have brilliant ideas, but often lack the drive, or nerve or both, to take them from the lab and into the real world.

Not so Lawandy. Since 1999 he has started three companies and helped raise over US$80mln in investment capital.

In Spectra, a specialist in advanced security materials and technology used in paper and plastic money, he has created and shaped a company trusted by central banks.

Its customers take the long view, so commercial relationships, though hard-won, can be measured in decades rather than months. We're going past 20 years with some of them, says Lawandy.

Stable and resilient

The financial upshot is a stable, resilient business with impressive profit margins that is supremely cash generative.

And all of this done with a workforce of just 28 people  most of them based in Providence, Rhode Island, though it has made two small acquisitions in Vancouver.

Looking ahead, Spectra has (at least) three big potential growth opportunities.

Theres the roll-out of a third generation of banknote sensors along with the commercialisation of the worlds first secure and machinereadable polymer substrate for the rapidly growing segment of polymer banknotes.

And then theres a brand protection smartphone-based product aimed at the massive Chinese tobacco market.

Each on its own has the ability to move the commercial dial.

While Spectra has expanded into adjacent areas such as product authentication, secure gaming, quality control and technology development, Lawandy points out banknotes are still a good half of our revenue.

Top-notch client-base

It has two G7 countries as customers and supplies mainly covert technologies for paper and polymer banknotes.

The key to picking up sophisticated counterfeit currency is incredibly accurate sensors used in bank machines that count notes at a rate of 40 per second.

Lawandy says the rollout of a third suite of sensors to an unnamed central bank could be worth US$42-$50mln in additional revenues with deliveries beginning in 2023.

This would be a significant potential kicker for a business that is predicted to turn over US$16.5mln this year.

Innovations such as banknote cleaning and disinfecting could, and probably will drive top and bottom-line growth going forward  particularly in the current environment.

Moving up the value chain

But there is one advance, mentioned in the last interims, that catapults Spectra up the value chain.

It is a machine-readable substrate called Fusion with covert taggants invisible to the naked eye that makes polymer notes difficult to forge but easy for banks to identify.

Many of the industrys larger players have tried but have thus far failed at matching Spectras achievement.

Lawandy says he put together a crack team of chemists, physicists and engineers to come up with the patented solution.

Where the company is currently paid $1 to $2 per 1,000 banknotes, its security materials, the polymer itself is worth $20 per 1,000, reveals the Spectra CEO.

So, I said we should leverage this by becoming suppliers of secure polymer, he explains.

In Septembers interim result statement, the company said the new covert technology could increase authentication revenues by an order of magnitude.

The opportunity to formally pitch the new product to a large number of central banks will likely present itself in February 2022 at a rescheduled industry conference. In the meantime, aggressive marketing efforts are underway with direct target central banks, Lawandy says.

China  smoking hot opportunity?

Away from banknotes, Spectra has introduced an authentication product called TruBrand to the Chinese tobacco market that allows retailers to distinguish between branded and counterfeit packets of cigarettes using nothing more than a smartphone.

An initial 6mln-unit trial has the potential to morph into something more substantial. To change the million in the number of packs to billion would be a game-changer, Lawandy says.

This is not a fanciful leap given the Chinese smoke around 220bn packs a year and counterfeiting is rife.

TruBrand is part of the companys TruTrack ultra-reliable physical authentication offering that could be used across a range of industries.

Long-term fundamentals

Assessing Spectras long-term fundamentals, Lawandy bristles at the notion the cashless society will negate the need for physical cash.

Yes, the trend in developed society looks unstoppable  but it will be many decades before it becomes the global norm.

Lawandy points out that 31% of the world remains unbanked (and therefore requires physical currency). Even the US has tens of millions of people still who always will rely on notes and coins for their day-to-day existence.

Furthermore, COVID-19 resulting in more jobless people has further enhanced the need for banknotes, Lawandy adds. Basically, the argument is pretty simple: no bank account, no digital anything; you need cash.

WH Ireland is predicting the company will post revenues of US$16.5mln this year, which translates to pre-tax profits of US$6.1mln.

The companys broker, in its latest research note, reckons by the end of this year Spectra will be sitting on US$17.2mln of cash.

The analysts also say theres a wealth of initiatives and opportunities that will provide the business with plenty of forward financial momentum.

Plenty of value kickers

Along with those mentioned above, potential other value kickers include an increase in sales of optical materials for K-cups used with a popular American coffee machine.

And then there are the results from a Coronavirus (COVID-19) study of its Aeris banknote cleaning system; not forgetting its lottery and gaming services.

Using a sum-of-the-parts valuation, WH Ireland reckons Spectras shares are worth 240p each, which represents a 42% premium to the current price.

That is remarkable when you remember the stock was changing hands for 17p in early 2016.

The WH Ireland price target also serves as a significant vote of confidence in the company, management and the small but effective team at Spectra.

Weve got some great customers, some of the largest orders in our history and a robust banknotes business that continues to grow, Lawandy observes. And thats before some of the big growth initiatives start to kick in.
Hazleton, PA (18201)

Today

Rain showers in the morning with thunderstorms developing for the afternoon. A few storms may be severe. High 71F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 90%..

Tonight

Showers this evening then scattered thunderstorms developing overnight. Low 59F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 60%.
Wellington, March 22 : The New Zealand government will announce the date for the opening of the "trans-Tasman bubble" on April 6, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said on Monday.

The "trans-Tasman bubble" will allow visitors from Australia to enter New Zealand without the compulsory two-week quarantine in government managed isolation facilities, Xinhua news agency quoted Ardern as saying following a cabinet meeting.

Before the pandemic, there were usually about 6,000 Australian people visiting New Zealand on a daily basis, local media reported.

Currently, New Zealanders can go to some Australian states without being quarantined in managed isolation facilities.

New Zealand's border has been closed to all but residents and citizens, with a few exemptions, since March 2020.

Meanwhile, a two-way quarantine-free travel with the Cook Islands and Niue, both realm countries of New Zealand, is also on the cards.

Cook Islands residents can already travel to New Zealand without the need to quarantine, while Niueans will be able to do the same from Wednesday onwards.
As a wise cloud architect once said, Ive got 99 problems and the cloud aint one (props to Jay-Z). The cloud made running applications and services on a massive scale much easier. Yet cloud computing brings its own problems.

For one, back in the on-prem days, some runaway code would cause merely performance degradation or an outage. Now AWS will turn out your pockets, pick you up, flip you upside down, and shake you until every last dime is gonethe bill for your bug.

Meanwhile, it is all too easy to use Amazon Kinesis or Azure Cosmos DB or Google Cloud Bigtable, but any one of them is a Hotel California where you can check out any time but you can never leave. While the pricing of raw infrastructure services has decreased over time, cloud provider pricing in general has been more stable (and incomprehensible).

And, good gosh, among all that complexity and a bunch of instances you are supposed to keep things stable and secure? And why is my Kubernetes config so dang long?

I could go on. Instead, I asked the people responsible for running some of the Internets most critical cloud-based services what problems they have faced, and how they solve or mitigate them.

Cost management

Remember when people thought AWS was cheap? When you actually have hardware that sits on-premises, you use it. Its yours. You paid for it. You pay for electricity, but then you use it as much as you want, Marc Sanfacon, senior vice president of technology and co-founder of Coveo, told me.

But when you have a company like ours with more than 200 developers, Sanfacon continued, there are some policies in the company where they have to ask for authorization to buy a new phone, or a desk, or a chair. But they can actually turn around and go into our AWS console and spin up a new machine that will cost the company 25 bucks an hour, and they leave that running for a month. At the end of the month, youre like, oh my god, thats a lot of money.

Now Coveo turns off clusters or instances when no one is working, for example, 8 p.m. to 6 a.m. and on the weekends. However, they have to make allowances for that developer who wakes up with inspiration at 2 a.m. and starts working on it.

Coveo already has someone working 75% of their day on cloud cost optimization. However, Sanfacon notes a fledgling field of FinOps companies whose products help manage and optimize costs. Sanfacon mentioned Cloudability and CloudHealth as examples of tools you can use to control cloud spending.

Maintaining independence from cloud-specific services

Sanfacon shared another cloud problem that Coveo has grappled with: Keeping Coveos services functioning when Amazons services fail.

Just before black Friday, AWS had two major incidents with Kinesis, which is one of the services that [Coveo is] using, but also one of the services that is the backbone of a lot of other services within AWS, Sanfacon noted. This outage didnt affect Coveos main services but did affect their ability to onboard new organizations and record some types of events. Coveo is a search company, and the weeks around Black Friday are go time for many e-commerce customers.

Sanfacon considered hosting Coveos own streaming service, but as troubling as the Amazon Kinesis outage was, he questioned whether Coveo could cost-effectively run a better messaging service with more uptime than AWS. Even if Coveo could, would that be an effective use of resources?

Another consideration: While there are many benefits to just consuming a service from a cloud service provider, it means they cannot just move to another provider like Google Cloud or Microsoft Azure, Sanfacon noted.

A possible solution that cuts the difference is to use the managed Kafka from AWS. Then Coveo could just move over to Azures managed Kafka or Confluents managed Kafka on Google Cloud if there is a problem.

There is indeed a cost to cloud independence, as running Amazon Kinesis is cheaper than running Amazons managed Kafka. Still, there are also benefitsespecially when something goes down before Black Friday, during a pandemic, and you are the search backbone for many e-commerce sites.

Saravana Krishnamurthy, the vice president of SkySQL product management at MariaDB, likewise recommended against relying on anything cloud-specific. If you have a REST API built into your solution or any other API, ensure all communication is through those APIs that are cloud-independent, Krishnamurthy said. So that way, when you move from Amazon to Google or Azure, you actually have a better way of moving your applications and data.

Cloud provider differences for multicloud

Jim Walker, vice president of product marketing at Cockroach Labs, noted the challenges posed by the cloud providers all doing things a little differently. Cockroach Labs built out its CockroachCloud database service on both AWS and Google Cloud and learned a lot about those differences.

They are basically completely different and create significant work for us to get the experience right in each, Walker said. Containers and Kubernetes have definitely helped us simplify some of the complexity, but we still needed to think about the two platforms very differently. He offered some details:

For instance, the Kubernetes managed service is very different in each cloud, and networking complexities are totally different. The way we work with load balancers across each is not the same. Further, one allows us to customize and set IOPS and the other doesnt. When we deliver a feature like VPC [Virtual Private Cloud] peering for our customers, the approach within each (AWS PrivateLink vs. vanilla) is also completely different. The cloud providers are of huge value, but we do have a lot to do with each.

Cloud security

MariaDBs Krishnamurthy also underscored the importance of network security in the cloud. We dont want one customers traffic to interfere with another customer, Krishnamurthy said. So when a customer requires a Virtual Private Cloud, where they want to isolate the traffic from the public network and from other customers, we provide the VPC as a way to isolate them.

However, this can be complicated when someone has standardized on, say, Active Directory and authenticates between VPCs. That can require some arduous configuration and mapping policies to roles between systems.

Complexity, configuration, and compliance

Configuring even a few servers and keeping them consistent is a challenge. Devops promised to simplify our operations and deployment issues, but configurations drift. Further, it is hard to see who changed the configuration when it exists in a series of scripts and applies to potentially hundreds of servers. For some industries, especially financial services, this lack of an audit trail is a real problem for compliance purposes.

A new set of technologies and methodology called GitOps provides a solution. As the name implies, GitOps combines the versioning tool Git with devops. However, GitOps is more than that. It also makes configuration declarative while measuring drift. Moreover, Git maintains an audit trail. So who turned security off? You can answer that question by looking at the repo.

To quote a notorious cloud architect, Mo servers mo problems. Still, you can stay cost-effective with FinOps, fight complexity with GitOps, prevent your software from succumbing to a single-vendor outage by keeping it multicloud, and maintain your systems security and privacy by isolating your services in your own VPC.

Gone are the days of feeling special because you use CVS to check in your Unix config filesand every Unix administrator who did that felt special. In this cloudy world, we have mo servers mo problems but also better tools.
London: Britain, Canada and the EU have announced their first-ever sanctions on Chinese government officials over the persecution of the Uighurs in Xinjiang province.

The measures were imposed under Magnitsky legislation passed by the three nations which allows governments to impose sanctions for human rights violations. They were the first sanctions against Chinese officials by the EU and Britain in 30 years.

The sanctions, involving travel bans and asset freezes, were levelled against the Public Security Bureau of the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps, Zhu Hailun, Wang Junzehng , Wang Minghsan and Chen Minggu.

An industrial Park in Artux in western Chinas Xinjiang region, where Western nations say human rights abuses are occurring. Credit:AP

The United States - which has declared that China is committing genocide against the Uighurs - also joined in sanctioning Wang and Chen, having previously imposed sanctions on the other individuals.
Riyadh:

Saudi Arabia has suspended any sort of dialogue with Qatar, accusing it of distorting facts. The suspension of dialogue came soon after a phone call between the rulers of both countries offered hope of a breakthrough in the three-month-old rift.

According to state media from both sides, Qatar's emir, Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad Al-Thani, spoke to Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman to express interest in talks.

It is the first public dialogue between the leaders after the US president offered to mediate in the crisis. Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Bahrain cut off diplomatic ties with Qatar amid a deepening rift between Gulf Arab nations.

The crown prince "welcomed this desire," the Saudi Press Agency (SPA) initially reported, adding "details will be announced after Saudi Arabia reaches an agreement with UAE and Bahrain and Egypt". But the prospect of a thaw quickly died down after SPAsubsequently accused Qatar's state media of wrongly implying that Saudi Arabia had initiated the outreach.



"What was published by Qatar News Agency is a continuation of Qatari authority's distortion of facts," SPA said, adding that any dialogue was now suspended.

The breakthrough in relations of both countries came after United States President Donald Trump spoke separately with the leaders of Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the UAE.



In order to promote regional stability and countering the threat of Iran, the US President emphasised the unity among the United States'sArab partners.

To combat extremist ideology, terrorism and cut-off funding for terrorist groups, the President highlighted that all countries must follow through on commitments. Trump believed that dispute could be solved "fairly easily".



Kuwaiti Emir Sheikh Sabah al- Ahmad Al-Sabah, a key figure involved in mediation attempts, met Trump and gave an upbeat assessment of his efforts so far.

But it seemed that Qatar led bloc is not interested to reunite again as it questioned the Kuwaiti emir's statement that Qatar would be willing to accept their 13 demands.

The list of demands includes shutting of Doha-based broadcaster Al-Jazeera, closing a Turkish military base in the emirate and downgrading Qatari diplomatic ties with Iran.



The bloc also voiced "regret" about the Kuwaiti ruler's statement "on the success of mediation in stopping military intervention". Instead, the four Arab states stressed that "the military option has not been and will not be considered" under any circumstances.

Kuwait has emerged as a key mediator in the crisis, while the United States has given mixed signals on its policy. Riyadh and Doha are both key allies of the United States.

Trump, who chose Saudi Arabia for his first overseas visit as president in May, two weeks before the crisis erupted, immediately expressed staunch support for Saudi Arabia.

Some other US officials including Secretary of State RexTillerson have adopted a more measured tone. Tillerson and Sheikh Mohammed announced in July they had signed an agreement to fight terrorism, built on decisions made at a Riyadh summit in May to "wipe terrorism from the face of the Earth".

Qatar hosts a huge US air base, home to the head quarters of Centcom -- the regional command which leads operations against the Islamic State jihadist group. Sheikh Tamim is set to meet German Chancellor Angela Merkel for talks on September 15, in what will be his first trip to a western capital since the crisis began

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The Daily Beast

Chip Somodevilla/Getty What are Democrats willing to do to save our democracy, and how far are they willing to go? Thats the question they must answer now, while theres still time to protect our flawed and fragile democracy from an extremist, countermajoritarian Republican Party hellbent on subverting the political process to implement rule by and for a white Christian minority.For the past few months, it appeared that Democrats would respond to this daily threatwith the former president talk
The trial of another Canadian citizen charged with espionage began Monday (March 22) in a Beijing courthouse.

Former diplomat Michael Kovrig is the second of two Canadians tried for spying in China this month - following the trial of businessman Michael Spavor on Friday (March 19).

Both were arrested over two years ago.

The trial comes just days after the United States raised concerns over their case at tense bilateral talks with China in Alaska.

Both trials were held behind closed doors, for what Beijing said were national security reasons.

Jim Nickel, the Deputy Head of the Canadian embassy in Beijing, was present outside the courthouse.

He said he had been repeatedly denied access to the hearing.

"He's been arbitrarily detained, and now we see that the court process itself is not transparent. We're very troubled by this. We have with us today some 28 representatives of the embassies here in Beijing, they're representing 26 different countries, in support, showing solidarity, and support, and lending their voice too, for the immediate release, of Michael Kovrig."

Dubbed the 'two Michaels' in the Canadian press, the pair were arrested soon after Canadian officials detained telecoms giant Huawei's CFO, Meng Wanzhou on a U.S. warrant.

Beijing has said that the incidents are not linked.

Meng remains under house arrest in Vancouver as she fights extradition to the United States.

While the country's courts have yet to reach a verdict in either trial, the country has a conviction rate of over 99%.

Video Transcript

- [NON-ENGLISH SPEECH]

- The trial of another Canadian citizen charged with espionage began Monday in a Beijing courthouse. Former diplomat Michael Kovrig is the second of two Canadians tried for spying in China this month-- following the trial of businessman Michael Spavor on Friday. Both were arrested over two years ago.

The trial comes just days after the United States raised concerns over their case at tense bilateral talks with China in Alaska. Both trials were held behind closed doors for what Beijing said were national security reasons.

Story continues

Jim Nickel, the deputy head of the Canadian Embassy in Beijing, was present outside the courthouse. He said he had been repeatedly denied access to the hearing.

- He's been arbitrarily detained. And now we see that the court process itself is not transparent. We're very troubled by this. We have with us today some 28 representatives of the embassy here in Beijing. They're representing 26 different countries, in support, showing solidarity, and support, and lending their voice too, for the immediate release of Michael Kovrig.

- Dubbed the two Michaels in the Canadian press, the pair were arrested soon after Canadian officials detained telecoms giant Huawi's CFO Meng Wanzhou on a US warrant. Beijing has said that the incidents are not linked. Meng remains under house arrest in Vancouver as she fights extradition to the United States. While the country's courts have yet to reach a verdict in either trial, the country has a conviction rate of over 99%
In all, the auctions top ten best-selling vehicles (including the said Corvette ) went for a total of $7,491,000, making the entire event a mammoth one. A rather small amount of the total, but an impressive one nonetheless, was spent on the 1970 Ford Mustang Boss 429 we have here.$385,000 is how much someone paid for it, a great deal over the most optimistic estimate that placed the cars value at $300k before the sale.The Grabber Green over black example wears Kar Kraft serial number 2337 and was until last week part of the Steve Todhunter Collection. The car is powered by the legendary Boss 429 engine Ford fitted in the Mustang for NASCAR homologation purposes. At the time of its making, it was rated at 375 hpthe powerplant was, of course, capable of developing more than that.The Boss 429 that managed to enter the Glendale auctions top ten vehicles list is equipped with a 4-speed manual transmission, the Drag Pack 3.91:1 Traction-Lok rear axle, and competition suspension. Its visual appearance is boosted by a front spoiler, driver-actuated hood scoop, and chromed Magnum 500 5-spoke wheels wrapped in Goodyear Polyglas tires.Inside, it comes with things like bucket seats, the Convenience Check Group auxiliary lighting, and wood-grain trim. The odometer shows 57,884 miles (93,155 km) of use.The buyer's identity was not made public. Still, judging by the way things usually go with such cars, the Mustang will probably spend some time in a collection somewhere before popping up again, looking for someone willing to pay even more for it.
[March 22, 2021] Valneva Joins Euronext SBF 120 and CAC Mid 60 Indices

Saint-Herblain (France), March 22, 2021  Valneva SE, a specialty vaccine company focused on the development and commercialization of prophylactic vaccines for infectious diseases with significant unmet medical need, today announced that it has joined the SBF 120 and CAC Mid 60 indices, following the recent quarterly review of Euronext Paris Indices Committee. The SBF 120 index is one of the flagship indices of the Paris Stock Exchange, consisting of the top 120 stocks listed on Euronext Paris in terms of both liquidity and market capitalization. The CAC Mid 60 index includes 60 companies of national and European importance. It represents the 60 largest French equities beyond the CAC 40 and the CAC Next 20. This total of 120 companies composes the SBF 120. David Lawrence, Acting Chief Financial Officer of Valneva said, We are extremely pleased with Euronexts decision which is a clear recognition of Valnevas progress and transformation since its creation in 2013. We will continue to roll-out our operational and capital market strategy with the objective to create additional value for our shareholders. About Valneva SE

Valneva is a specialty vaccine company focused on the development and commercialization of prophylactic vaccines for infectious diseases with significant unmet medical need. We take a highly specialized and targeted approach to vaccine development, beginning with the identification of deadly and debilitating infectious diseases that lack a prophylactic vaccine solution and for which there are limited therapeutic treatment options. We then apply our deep understanding of vaccine science, including our expertise across multiple vaccine modalities, as well as our established vaccine development capabilities, to develop prophylactic vaccines to address these diseases. We have leverage our expertise and capabilities both to successfully commercialize two vaccines and to rapidly advance a broad range of vaccine candidates into and through the clinic, including candidates against Lyme disease, the chikungunya virus and COVID-19.







Valneva Investor and Media Contacts

Laetitia Bachelot-Fontaine

Director Investor Relations & Corporate Communications

M +33 (0)6 4516 7099

investors@valneva.com









Teresa Pinzolits

Corporate Communications Specialist

T +43 (0)1 20620 1116

communications@valneva.com







Valneva Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains certain forward-looking statements relating to the business of Valneva, including with respect to the progress, timing and completion of research, development and clinical trials for product candidates, the ability to manufacture, market, commercialize and achieve market acceptance for product candidates, the ability to protect intellectual property and operate the business without infringing on the intellectual property rights of others, estimates for future performance and estimates regarding anticipated operating losses, future revenues, capital requirements and needs for additional financing. In addition, even if the actual results or development of Valneva are consistent with the forward-looking statements contained in this press release, those results or developments of Valneva may not be indicative of their in the future. In some cases, you can identify forward-looking statements by words such as "could," "should," "may," "expects," "anticipates," "believes," "intends," "estimates," "aims," "targets," or similar words. These forward-looking statements are based largely on the current expectations of Valneva as of the date of this press release and are subject to a number of known and unknown risks and uncertainties and other factors that may cause actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievement expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements. In particular, the expectations of Valneva could be affected by, among other things, uncertainties involved in the development and manufacture of vaccines, unexpected clinical trial results, unexpected regulatory actions or delays, competition in general, currency fluctuations, the impact of the global and European credit crisis, and the ability to obtain or maintain patent or other proprietary intellectual property protection. In light of these risks and uncertainties, there can be no assurance that the forward-looking statements made during this presentation will in fact be realized. Valneva is providing the information in these materials as of this press release, and disclaim any intention or obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise. Attachment 2021_03_22_VLA_Joins_SBF120_PR_EN_Final



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SIBLEY, Iowa (AP)  Prosecutors have charged a northwestern Iowa man with two counts of vehicular homicide in the death of a woman who was a passenger on the utility vehicle he was driving when it crashed.

The Sioux City Journal reports that 48-year-old Christopher Bosma of Lake Park is charged with vehicular homicide when driving intoxicated and vehicular homicide due to reckless driving in the July death of 34-year-old Kelsie Sturm of Lake Park.

Investigators say Bosma was participating in a UTV poker ride that involved bar hopping in several towns on the day of the crash and that he had consumed eight or nine drinks before the crash.
Armenia MFA information department chief: All deputy FMs carrying out their duties

Ardshinbank invited children to the cinema on International Childrens Day

Armenia judiciary to have 10 more judges

Armenia acting premier: We had recorded 40% increase in tax revenues according to 2019 results

Armenia acting PM on Artsakh war casualties bodies: We have 50 remains in which case DNA was not separated

Azerbaijan authorities plan to "squeeze" everything from "terrorist show" related to Armenian captives

Ameriabank Announces a Contest for Bank Card Design

108 new cases of COVID-19 confirmed in Armenia

Armenia parliament convenes special session

Armenia interim government holding Cabinet meeting

Catholicos of All Armenians heads for Syunik Province, Artsakh

World oil prices going up

Iran loses right to vote in UN General Assembly

Newspaper: Armenia authorities come up with new way of punishing unwanted characters

Newspaper: Russia army Southern Military District deputy commander to arrive in Yerevan Thursday

Lebanese Armenian man taken prisoner by Azerbaijan is hospitalized

Armenia ex-President Kocharyan: Are we getting under the burden? Then lets get under to the end

Armenia acting health minister on keeping fallen soldiers bodies in bags: What else should they be kept in?

Armenia acting health minister on citizens' demand for her resignation

Karabakh's new State Minister Artak Beglaryan on his appointment and future activities

Armenian, Russian and Azerbaijani representatives hold consultations in Moscow

2 Armenian soldiers receive slight injuries after incident with Azerbaijani servicemen in Armenia's Gegharkunik

Armenian boy weighing 5 kg born at Goris Medical Center

"Armenia" bloc representative presents purpose of participation in elections and plans

Isaac Herzog elected President of Israel

Rouhani: Main issues between Tehran, Washington resolved in Vienna

Charles Michel calls on Armenia and Azerbaijan to resume constructive negotiations

US Department of State responds to Pashinyan's proposal to deploy international observers on Armenia-Azerbaijan border

Head of Armenia 2nd President's Office: Robert Kocharyan's public meetings are held in warm atmosphere

Opposition "Armenia" bloc's representative on photos and videos showing bags of deceased servicemen's bodies

Armenia Ombudsman, AGBU President discuss war crimes committed by Azerbaijan during Karabakh war

Opposition "Armenia" bloc's representatives to hold briefings three times a week

Opposition "Armenia" bloc member: Blood-freezing photos and videos from morgue in Abovyan are authorities' reflection

Yerevan mayor receives Netherlands Ambassador

Armenia Health Ministry, Investigative Committee keep info about sending remains of dead soldiers abroad confidential

Armenia Prosecutor General's Office launches case regarding leaving sacs of servicemen's bodies/remains in basement

Peskov: Putin and Biden to discuss cybersecurity issues

Armenia's Pashinyan meets with Belgian PM Alexander De Croo

Armenia acting MOD receives Netherlands Ambassador

Armenia Police: 3 citizens apprehended during protest demanding acting health minister's resignation

NATO warns Minsk about further consequences of Ryanair incident

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
Domestic spy agency ASIO has recommended a number of extreme right-wing groups be declared terrorist organisations but they havent made the cut because Australias legal definition is narrower than in some other countries.

Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton on Monday confirmed UK-based neo-Nazi group Sonnenkrieg Division had become the first right-wing extremist organisation listed as a terrorist group in Australia.

ASIO Director-General of Security Mike Burgess during a Senate estimates hearing at Parliament. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen

Mr Dutton said the group adhered to an abhorrent, violent ideology that encourages lone-wolf terrorist actors who would seek to cause significant harm to our way of life and our country.

Members of SKD have already been convicted of terrorist offences in the United Kingdom, including encouraging terrorism, preparing for a terrorist attack and possession and dissemination of terrorist material, he said.










HOTELS ACROSS VIETNAM GET BEHIND EARTH HOUR How hotels across Vietnam are supporting Earth Hour, a worldwide movement organized by the World Wide Fund for Nature, on Saturday March 27, as part of a push for stronger action on climate change. HOTELS ACROSS VIETNAM GET BEHIND EARTH HOUR How hotels across Vietnam are supporting Earth Hour, a worldwide movement organized by the World Wide Fund for Nature, on Saturday March 27, as part of a push for stronger action on climate change. Vietnam - Industry economy - Sustainability

This is a press release

Filed by Balcony Media Group Category: Asia Pacific This is a press release selected by our editorial committee and published online for free on 2021-03-19Filed by Balcony Media Group



Alma Resort Cam Ranh In the weeks leading up to Earth Hour, staff at Alma have been collecting plastic garbage, including waste washed up on Long Beach, to craft a 2.6m-long and 2m-high fish statue in readiness for March 27. The bold statement is designed to remind guests and staff alike of the damage plastic polluting the ocean inflicts on marine life and encourage people to recycle plastic where possible or, preferably, avoid it altogether. Alma will hold activities throughout the day to mark Earth Hour, including a tree-planting hour, a green walking tour for children, and a back-of-house tour for adults to demonstrate how the resort is using technology to lessen its carbon footprint. For VND 750,000 (USD 32) nett per person, the resort will host a free-flow cocktail party with live music followed by a seafood and barbeque buffet on the lawn at beachfront restaurant Atlantis followed by fire dancing and a beach bonfire. The resort is also urging guests to turn off lights and unnecessary electrical equipment from 8.30-9.30pm as well as walk instead of using resort buggies. The Anam Cam Ranh To educate guests about the dire need to protect our planets coastal seas, The Anam will host an Earth Hour dinner by Long Beach and screen an episode of Our Planet at its outdoor cinema under the stars. Amid the glow of a beach bonfire and candle lanterns, The Anam will serve dinner platters between 6.30pm and 9.30pm. Priced at VND 900,000+ (USD 39) each and accompanied by two beers or soft drinks, the platters for two include fresh spring rolls, papaya salad with dried beef, grilled chicken wings, corn, potato and more. The resort will also urge guests to switch off the lights and any other electrical devices in their rooms from 8-9pm. Our Planet: Coastal Seas, narrated by Sir David Attenborough, will air at the outdoor cinema by the beach from 7-7.50pm. According to Attenborough: Coastal seas count for 7% of our ocean, yet they are responsible for 95% of the world's marine production - these are our planet's fishing grounds. Despite their importance to humanity, few are protected. Yet wherever effective protection exists, life bounces back in huge abundance. The wildlife will thrive, and we will catch more fish. Azerai Resorts Azerai La Residence, Hue is collaborating with Hue Tourism College to organize a candlelight piano concert to mark Earth Hour on the evening of Mar. 27. The resort is also participating in its first-ever Earth Hour Virtual Spotlight, encouraging social media followers to share some of their favourite Earth Hour videos. The person who submits the most-watched and most-liked video will receive a voucher from the hotel. Meanwhile, Azerai Can Tho and Azerai Ke Ga Bay will turn off their landscape lighting for an hour on March 27 and replace those lights with paper lanterns and candles around their swimming pools. To further raise awareness, both resorts will share with guests a note upon check-in, and during turndown service, highlighting Earth Hours goal overarching: to convey the urgency of the climate crisis. Set on a private islet in the Mekong Delta, Azerai Can Tho has long been committed to promoting sustainability. The resort features a solar power plant that generates up to 2,500 Kwh of electricity, covering much of its power needs. It has also adopted solar-powered buggies, installed a high-tech, eco-friendly sewage treatment plant, eliminated the use of plastic and more. Staff at the resort regularly participate in river clean-up activities and Azerai Can Tho is involved in efforts to preserve the local mangroves. Sofitel Legend Metropole Hanoi For 90 minutes on March 27, between 8pm and 9:30pm, Sofitel Legend Metropole Hanoi will mark Earth Hour by switching off all non-essential lights in public areas of the hotel, including outside on its iconic facade, canopies and terrace. Empty guestrooms and the hotels office will also go dark to raise awareness about the importance of environmental protection and preserving our natural habitat on Earth. Meanwhile, the hotels restaurants and bakery shops will feature minimal electric lighting, instead relying mostly on candles for illumination. Metropole Hanoi is meanwhile taking other steps toward greater sustainability, including by swapping out plastic bags in favor of paper ones wherever possible.


MP on Monday gave an adjournment motion notice in Lok Sabha over the issue of coup-affected nationals seeking entry in

"I hereby give notice of my intention to ask for leave to move a motion for the adjournment of the business of the house for the purpose of discussing a definite matter of urgent importance, namely:- has sealed all entry points along the border with amidst the ongoing military crackdown following the February coup. The Government is preventing any nationals from entering the country," the leader said in a letter.

"Myanmar area bordering Mizoram is inhabited by Chin communities who are ethnically our brethren and cannot turn a blind eye to them. India is a signatory to the International Covenant of Civil & Political Rights (ICCPR) encapsulating the principle of non-refoulment and sending back refugees to Myanmar violates ICCPR & UN Convention against Torture. I hereby request the permission to raise the matter," he added.

The adjournment motion is an extraordinary procedure which, if admitted, leads to setting aside the normal business of the House for discussing a definite matter of urgent public importance.

AAP MP N D Gupta wrote to Rajya Sabha Chairman Venkaiah Naidu on Sunday urging for sine die adjournment of Parliament session. The request comes in the backdrop of Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla testing positive for 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.)

PLC ( ) said it has placed around 2.7mln new shares to raise 3.15mln as part of a strategic investment from delivery group United Win Asia as part of an effort to develop the firms international expansion and technology strategy.

United Win Asia is a subsidiary of S.F. Holding Co Ltd, a leading express delivery company in China with a market cap of around 32bn.

The ecommerce solutions firm said the placing shares had been priced at 115p each, a 33% discount to its closing price last Friday, adding that SF Holdings logistics and delivery network in China will combine strongly with its own Nomad technology platform, and as a result, the two companies are providing the full solution to allow international brands to access this market.

Samarkand also said that the proceeds of its 17mln fundraising during its listing on the Aquis Stock Exchange in March are being used to further develop the functionality and brand services of its Nomad platform.
Luisa Zissman showcased her lithe physique on the beach in the Maldives on Monday, taking to Instagram to share some sun-kissed snaps.

In a white two-piece, The Apprentice star Luisa, 33, was seen leaping around in the crystalline waters before reclining in the sunshine.

Floating backwards in the water, she basked in the hot weather, soaking up the rays with a smile on her face.

Soaking it up: Luisa Zissman showcased her lithe physique on the beach in the Maldives on Monday, taking to Instagram to share some sun-kissed snaps

The mum-of-three donned shades for the snaps, which were taken against a deep blue cloudless sky.

She sported a deep tan, flaunting her toned figure in the confident snaps.

The reality personality has been enjoying her trip in the Maldives with her family, seen posing on boats and swimming with dolphins.

Fun times: In a white two-piece, The Apprentice star Luisa, 33, was seen leaping around in the crystalline waters before reclining in the sunshine

Loving it: She sported a deep tan, flaunting her toned figure in the confident snaps

Last week she posed in a revealing halterneck dress as she soaked up the sunshine in the UAE.

She framed her visage with reflective heart-shaped glasses as she posed for a chic Instagram snap on the beach.

Luisa styled her brunette tresses in a relaxed straight hairdo while sporting minimal make-up.

She sipped on a cocktail in her photo, which she captioned: 'When life gives you lemons /melons'.

Family time: The reality personality has been enjoying her trip in the Maldives with her family, seen posing on boats and swimming with dolphins

Sizzling: She showcased her ample assets in a revealing halterneck dress on Monday as she soaked up the sunshine in Dubai after confirming she is now living there

Luisa is staying overseas with her family, due to her husband Andrew Collins' work commitments.

During a Q&A on her Instagram page last weekend, Luisa let slip that she has seen some celebrities in the country and then checked their social media, which she said suggests that they are at home.

Luisa was asked by one of her followers: 'Have you seen any celebs in Dubai that are claiming to be 'in the UK' with the rest of us?'

She replied: 'Yes. I check their Instagrams to see if they have said and quite a few haven't.

Home is where the heart is: The former Apprentice star, 33, is staying overseas with her family for a few months, due to her husband Andrew Collins' work commitments

'Each to their own. Just have to own the s**t you do and decisions you make though.'

Giving a further insight into her opinion of the reality stars and influencers who have bent the rules to jet out to the sun-soaked location, Luisa answered a question about whether she thought their behaviour was 'selfish'.

She said: 'I think it's stupid to rub it in people's faces. Of course it's going to p*** people off, England is miserable, the country is a mess, the government don't know their a** from their elbow.

'People's kids are driving them mad, everyone is juggling a million things and then Betty from Love Island is showing off her perfect peachy butt in a thong bikini at a really fun beach club.

'I get it. But live and let live, most of the people moaning wish it was them...'

Family: Luisa shares her eldest daughter Dixie with ex-husband Oliver Zissman (pictured together in 2013), while she later welcomed Indigo and Clementine with Andrew

Elsewhere on her Stories, Luisa confirmed that she was definitely living in Dubai rather than just holidaying with her husband and daughters, Dixie, Indigo and Clementine.

Luisa shares her eldest daughter Dixie with ex-husband Oliver Zissman, while she later welcomed Indigo and Clementine with Andrew.

When asked about her travel plans from Dubai, Luisa said: '[They] haven't changed. We aren't on holiday so it's not really affected us.'

She was also quizzed on if she was sick of being asking her about being in the country, and said: 'Haha. A bit, it's not a hard concept to grasp is it, I'm living here for a few months then I'll be back. Very simple.'

Current rules state that Brits should only travel during lockdown if you have a 'legally permitted reason to do so'.
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While its going to be very spring-like through Thursday, there are some better time periods to be outside and enjoy.

Two rainy periods are coming to Michigan this week. Tuesday night and Wednesday will have a few showers with maybe a quick round of thunder in a shower. The second weather system Thursday night and Friday could be a strong storm system with one-inch or more of rain and 30 mph winds.

Here is the radar forecast for Tuesday morning into Wednesday evening.

Radar forecast from 8 a.m. Tuesday to 8 p.m. Wednesday

Rain showers shouldnt start across southern Lower Michigan until Tuesday evening. There could be a quick, spring-smelling shower lasting 15 minutes Tuesday, but that would be about it. Wednesday afternoon would be warm enough for a rumble of thunder passing through too.

So today and Tuesday are great days to get out and enjoy the weather, or start the never-ending outside projects.

Heres the radar forecast for the second weather-maker of the week, and Id call it a full-fledged spring solid rainstorm.

Radar forecast from 8 a.m. Thursday to 2 a.m. Saturday

There could even be enough cold air Friday night for northern Lower Michigan to see a changeover to snow before ending.

Temperatures will be warm up to Friday. As the second storm passes northeast of Lower Michigan, colder air will move into Michigan through the day Friday.

High temperatures each day Monday, March 22 to Friday, March 26

Friday may still be mild in the southeast quarter of Lower Michigan. It will be a different story elsewhere in Lower Michigan Friday. As soon as the wind changes to blowing from the northwest, temperatures cool off quickly.

In all, today, Tuesday and Thursday should be the dry days. If you plan on Friday being a comfortable day, you might be shocked its not a similar nice day.
GRAND RAPIDS, MI -- Jeff Waffle sat on the pavement with his hands over his head, in anguish, as he watched firefighters continue a long battle to extinguish flames at his business, Grand Rapids Piano.

There was no hope for the business he started five years ago.

And no hope for the estimated 40-45 pianos, some valued at more than $30,000, kept in storage at the Batt Street SW warehouse.

They were Stienway, Yamaha and family owned pianos, he said. None of them belonged to me.

The fire -- starting in a vehicle repair business inside the same warehouse facility containing Grand Rapids Piano -- sent thick black smoke into the sky. The smoke could be seen for miles.

Wyoming firefighters called for help from the Grand Rapids Fire Department and other area departments.

Waffle was distraught over the loss as watched in near disbelief Monday, March 22. The fire began about 1:30 p.m. and firefighters expected to be on the scene into the evening hours.

The intensity of the blaze caught a neighboring house on fire. No one was hurt, but the house was believed to be a total loss.

Grand Rapids Piano was among four tenants inside the same structure, including at least one vehicle repair business.

While Waffles business is insured, he said he didnt know how he would tell the piano owners.

Some of them are family heirlooms that I promised I would take care of, he said. There are going to be some really rough conversations.

Waffle does piano storage, moving, refinishing and repair on pianos and pool tables. The service includes restringing and tuning. He estimated there were 40-45 pianos and 25 pool tables in storage.

I dont really know what to do, he said.

Waffle said he started his business about five years ago with $200 and an aluminum ramp. He built it up into a thriving business with a handful of part-time employees.

Waffle was working at his business with another person when a mechanic from another tenant came around the side of the building and asked for a fire extinguisher.

I grabbed the fire extinguisher and ran around there and tried to put the fire out, he said. There was gas dripping from underneath the vehicle.

Waffle said his extinguisher ran out of retardant.

Within seconds, it just burst into flames, the whole building, he said.

Waffle said he lost everything in the fire. He was able to escape the building with his dog and one folder of materials.

Wyoming Fire Chief Brian Bennett said firefighters arrived on scene to find the warehouse fully involved with flames. He said strong winds helped spread the fire to the nearby home.

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The new owner of the Cockatoo Island iron ore mine off Western Australias north-west coast has refuted reports it has links to China and says its sole intention is to bring the mine back into production.

Earlier this month, news outlets reported a Chinese takeover of Cockatoo Island had raised concerns within the Department of Defence and federal government, given its proximity to the Yampi Sound Defence Training Area in the remote Kimberley region.

The Cockatoo Island iron ore mine.

The training area is about 80 kilometres north of Derby on the Yampi Peninsula while Cockatoo Island, named after the white birds that abound there, is a tiny 31 square kilometre island which sits off the coast in the Buccaneer Archipelago.

Mining activity has occurred intermittently on the island since BHP developed a substantial iron ore operation there in 1951. Operations at the mine most recently ceased when ASX-listed Pluton Resources collapsed in 2015.
By Tracy Rucinski

(Reuters) - Major U.S. airline and travel groups on Monday urged the government to develop a plan to reopen international borders this summer, assuming COVID-19 vaccine and case counts continue to move towards positive trends.

In a letter sent to the White House COVID-19 recovery coordinator Jeffrey Zients, more than two dozen industry groups, including Airlines for America, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, and the U.S. Travel Association said: "The time to plan for and chart a defined roadmap to reopen international travel is now."

The United States has banned most travel from Britain, Europe, Brazil, China and South Africa since the coronavirus pandemic started taking hold last year, devastating the airline and travel industry globally.

The U.S. groups called for a risk-based, data-driven roadmap to safely lift those restrictions to be finalized before May 1 so that a plan is in place for international travel by the summer of 2021.

Travel within the U.S. has picked up considerably over the past week as more Americans become vaccinated, though the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention still recommends against nonessential travel.

The United States has administered nearly 125 million doses of the vaccine but CDC Director Rochelle Walensky said Monday she is "very concerned" that a leveling off of COVID-19 cases after a period of decline could signal a risk of renewed outbreaks as the United States works to get more people vaccinated.

The aviation groups said the resumption of international travel should be at the top of the agenda of the next G-7 Meeting in June and called for quick bilateral negotiations to ease travel restrictions through corridors between countries.

The roadmap should maintain testing for international traveling to the United States, except for those who have been vaccinated, they said, adding the government should not require vaccines as a prerequisite to travel.

A sharp decline in international travel in 2020 caused a loss of $146 billion to the U.S. economy and the U.S. Travel Association estimates that a total of a 1.1 million American jobs and $262 billion in export spending will be lost by the end of this year if international travel and demand are not restored.

(Reporting by Tracy Rucinski; Editing by Aurora Ellis)
The balloons being released by these protesters in Myanmar have the acronym "R2P" on them, for "responsibility to protect."

It's an appeal to the United Nations, asking how many more people have to be killed before help arrives.

At least 250 people are said to have died so far in the protests against Myanmar's military coup, according to a local activist group called the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners.

Opponents of the coup are increasingly trying to find new ways to get their voice heard, while avoiding the crackdowns.

The European Union has now become the latest entity to target Myanmar's military leadership with sanctions and travel bans, following the United States, Britain, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand.

The military has given no sign of backing down, and says it has only used force when necessary.

Germany's foreign minister, however, says what's happening in Myanmar are "murders," and the sanctions are a response to that.

Stronger measures are expected soon from the EU, which would prevent European investors and banks from doing business with conglomerates run by the military.

The conglomerates' assets are spread wide, touching everything from heavy industry to hotels, telecoms, and food and beverages.
The representative of Gemalink made a brief presentation about the development of the port to Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc. Photo: Le Toan

These plans were shared during Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc's inspection trip to Gemalink Port in the southern province of Ba Ria-Vung Tau last Saturday.

According to the representative of Gemalink, under Gemadept JSC (HSX: GMD), the port welcomed its first commercial vessel in January and is slated to be operational in May in 2021. It will begin to exploit 80 per cent of the designed capacity and kick off the second phase this year.

Beginning construction in February 2019, Gemalink is the biggest seaport in the Cai Mep-Thi Vai complex and one of the worlds 19 largest deep sea ports with the capability to receive the world's largest ships (up to 200,000 DWT) today. Gemalink has a total investment capital of $520 million with the first phase of $330 million and the second phase of $190 million.

The port's handling capacity in the first phase is 1.5 million TEU per year, which will increase to 2.4 million TEU for the whole project. In the first phase, the port has 800m of main berth, allowing the simultaneous reception of two mother ships, as well as 230m of feeder/barge berth, on an area of 33 hectares. Gemalink Port is equipped with the most modern technology available today, with six STS cranes and 18 RTG cranes.

The PM and Permanent Deputy Prime Minister Truong Hoa Binh being briefed about the potential and benefits of Gemalink Port. Photo: Le Toan

Gemalink is developed by the hands and minds of Vietnamese. Phu Xuan Consultation and Construction is building the port under the supervision of the world's leading consultancy firms Royal Haskoning and Portcoast Consultant Corporation. Meanwhile, other large joint venture port development projects are designed and constructed by foreign companies.

The project is jointly invested by two major corporations in the maritime and port operation sector, Gemadept JSC (75 per cent) and CMA-CGM Group (25 per cent). As Gemadept holds the controlling stake of the port, this will contribute to the long-term national security and sustainable interests for Vietnam.

In a presetation to the PM, Gemalink's leaders expressed hope that the government and relevant ministries will create the necessary conditions for the second phase of Gemalink to expand the length of its pier and raise the capacity to accommodate the worlds largest vessels up to 250,000 DWT in the near future.

Gemalink's leaders also proposed the government and relevant ministries to complete trafffic infrastructure to connect the port with Cai Mep-Thi Vai seaport complex, expressways, and Phuoc An Bridge. Hopefully, a railway route will be completed soon to connect the port with the national railway system linking Laos, Cambodia, and Thailand.

The PM inspecting the development progress and expansion plan of Gemalink Port. Photo: Le Toan

PM Phuc also paid a visit to Cai Mep International Terminal (CMIT) and Tan Cang-Cai Mep International Terminal (TCIT). He was pleased about the progress of the Cai Mep-Thi Vai seaport complex, especially the fast growth of Gemalink, CMIT, and TCIT during the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the economy. The three ports recorded an annual growth rate of 22 per cent.

The government leader has asked relevant ministries, agencies, and the southern province of Ba Ria-Vung Tau to develop the seaport and logistics system at the Cai Mep-Thi Vai port complex to meet regional standards by 2030 towards becoming a world-class seaport hub in the world by 2045.

To faciliate the goal, the prime minister told relevant ministries and agencies to improve infrastructure at the Cai Mep-Thi Vai complex, begin the construction of the Bien Hoa-Vung Tau expressway and Phuoc An Bridge to facilitate the transportation of goods for import and export.

In addition, the PM also directed enhancing logistics infrastructure, including establishing a goods distribution centre linking Long Thanh International Airport and the Cai Mep-Thi Vai complex. He assigned the Ministry of Finance to set up a centre to facilitate customs clearance at the Cai Mep-Thi Vai complex and attract more vessels and financial brokers to the port.

West Australian Attorney General John Quigleys office says people cannot stay locked up forever after a court decision to release a serial rapist from prison into the same complex of units as female victims of sexual assault came to light.

Nigel Pindan, 43, has been convicted on three separate occasions for sexual assaults on women where he would enter their homes at night  while he was intoxicated  when they were asleep and rape them.

In a decision by Justice Jennifer Hill last Friday, she accepted Pindan remained a serious threat to the community but she was satisfied it would be protected if he was given a 10-year supervision order containing 51 conditions.

One of the conditions is Pindan must reside at a specific complex, which also happens to be home to women who have been subject to domestic violence and historical sexual assaults. This is despite the State Solicitors Office arguing against the placement.
Ridley Scott begins filming Gucci movie in central Rome after several weeks shooting scenes in northern Italy.

Rome's exclusive shopping street Via Condotti is sealed off today as Ridley Scott films his movie House of Gucci with stars Lady Gaga and Al Pacino on set.

Filming is taking place amid tight security around the Spanish Steps area, not far from the real-life Gucci boutique, reports Italian newspaper La Repubblica.

Lady Gaga, who plays Gucci 'Black Widow' Patrizia Reggiani, has returned to the capital after spending several weeks filming scenes in Milan and Lake Como.

Reggiani, who was convicted of having her ex-husband Maurizio Gucci assassinated outside his Milan office in 1995, said recently that she was annoyed that Gaga did not have the "courtesy or good sense" to meet her.

House of Gucci film set in Rome. Photo La Repubblica.

La Repubblica reports that Piazza di Spagna has "returned to the 1970s" with dozens of extras dressed in flared trousers, sideburns and retro hairstyles, however large screens are preventing the public from catching a glimpse.

Lady Gaga was photographed in a brown fur coat and a red dress, accompanied by Al Pacino in the role of Aldo Gucci - uncle of Maurizio - as Scott reportedly filmed a scene in which paparazzi follow the 'Black Widow' on a Vespa.

City police are keeping curious bystanders away from the film set and everyone involved in the production is wearing masks as per Italy's covid-19 rules, according to local media reports.

Lady Gaga stars alongside Adam Driver, who plays Maurizio Gucci, as part of a stellar cast including Jared Leto and Jeremy Irons.

The last time Piazza di Spagna was cordoned off in a similar manner was when Tom Cruise filmed car chase scenes for Mission: Impossible 7 last November.

Lady Gaga recently stayed at a hotel on Rome's exclusive Via Veneto, however the star has reportedly found a penthouse overlooking the Roman Forum in which she will stay while filming in the capital.

Scott's film is based on the novel The House of Gucci: A Sensational Story of Murder, Madness, Glamour, and Greed by Sara Gay Forden, and is scheduled for release on 24 November.

The veteran director has a strong connection to Italy through his massive hit film Gladiator, starring Russell Crowe, and more recently All the Money in the World about the Getty kidnapping in Rome.

Photo ANSA
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Mexico is one of the few countries whose parts of their territories extend into more than one peninsula. Two of the Mexican states, Baja California and Baja California Sur are on the Baja California Peninsula, while Yucatan, Quintana Roo, and Campeche are located on the Yucatan Peninsula. Yucatan Peninsula is a peninsula in Central America, separating the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea. Besides the three Mexican states, the peninsula also includes parts of Guatemala and Belize.

Contents:

Where Is The Yucatan Peninsula?

Map showing the location of Yucatan Peninsula in North America (shaded in green). Image credit: Kaldari, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons

The Yucatan Peninsula is Mexicos southeastern projection, extending into the Atlantic Ocean. It separates the Gulf of Mexico to the north and west from the Caribbean Sea to the east. The peninsula forms part of Guatemalas northern half, while Belize is located almost entirely on the Peninsulas south. It is separated from Cuba to the northeast by the Yucatan Channel, while the Cayman Islands are further east. The US states of Texas and Louisiana are on the peninsulas north, across the Gulf of Mexico.

Administrative map of the Yucatan Peninsula.

Origin Of The Name

The origin of the name Yucatan is a highly debated subject. According to Diego Lopez de Cogolludo, the word may have come about in two ways. First, when Francisco Hernandez de Cordoba landed on the peninsula in 1517, he inquired from a local about a certain settlements name, for which the local responded I dont know in the Yucatec Mayan language. However, the response may have sounded like Yucatan to Hernandez. The second theory suggests that Yucatan may have been derived from the name of a crop known as yuca.

Geography

Beautiful cenotes like the one in the Yucatan Peninsula serve to attract tourists from different parts of the globe.

Yucatan Peninsula covers approximately 181,000 square kilometers, with a mean breadth of 320 kilometers and a coastline of 1,100 kilometers. The northern coast is low, sandy, and semi-barren, while the eastern coast is bordered by smaller islands and characterized by bluffs. Some of the islands bordering the eastern coast are Isla Mujeres and Cozumel. There are excellent beaches along the peninsulas coast, including Cancun, a major resort area and popular destination.

The Yucatan Peninsula is part of the larger Yucatan Platform, a partially submerged landmass, and is the platforms only portion above the water. Yucatan is composed of soluble and carbonate rocks, mainly limestone rocks. The rocks are covered by a thin soil layer, formed from the weathered rocks. Due to the peninsulas karst nature, there are no rivers on its northern half. Lakes and swamps mainly have marshy and unpotable water.

Brief History

Tourists at the Mayan ruins of Tulum, a town on the Caribbean coastline of Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula.

The Yucatan Peninsula was an important region for the Mayan Civilization. The Mayan culture spread from the south of the peninsula into Honduras, Guatemala, and the Chiapas highlands. In 1517, Hernandez de Cordoba became the first Spanish to reach the Peninsula. The following year, Juan de Grijalva explored most of Yucatans coast before setting sail further west. By 1550, the Spanish had managed to conquer the peninsula. Their conquest was partly aided by smallpox disease, which killed 75-90% of the native population. The Spanish occupied Mexico, including the Yucatan Peninsula, until 1821 upon independence.

Population

Traditional Mayan dance in the theme park of Xel-ha, in the Yucatan peninsula in Mexico.

The Yucatan Peninsula comprises three Mexican states, almost the entire Belize, and Peten Department (Guatemala). The three Mexican states (Yucatan, Quintana Roo, and Campeche) have a combined population of 5.1 million people. Guatemalas Peten Department is home to 567,000, while 419,000 Belizeans live on the peninsula. Meride, Yucatan State, is the most populated area. The majority of the peninsula dwellers are Mestizos and Maya.
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GARDAI rescued a starving and injured pony which had been cruelly abandoned in a Tipperary bog.

The alert was raised by a person out walking in Clover Bog, outside Two Mile Borris in north Tipperary, who spotted the pony and realised it was in distress.

Thurles Gardai were notified and offices went to Clover Bog to search for the pony.

The small bay pony was quickly located and discovered to have a serious leg injury which hampered its movement.

Officers were also appalled to realise that the female pony was also badly malnourished. The pony was successfully recovered and brought to safety. A vet was notified and the animal's leg injury was treated.

The pony is now making a good recovery and is slowly gaining weight under a special feeding regime at an equestrian shelter.

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Whatsapp Gardai rescue a starving and injured pony which had been cruelly abandoned in a Tipperary bog

However, Gardai are determined to track down the owner of the animal who effectively abandoned it injured and starving in the bog.

Anyone with information about the animal's owner or how it came to be in the bog is asked to contact Thurles Garda Station on (0504) 25100.

The rescue came amid a spiral of animal welfare issues during the Covid-19 pandemic ranging from pets being abandoned to a surge in dog thefts nationwide.




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ALBUQUERQUE, N.M.  New Mexicos oil and gas industry survived the worst disruption in its history during the coronavirus, but operators now face an uncertain regulatory environment thats clouding post-pandemic recovery.

With oil prices rebounding beyond pre-pandemic levels as vaccination campaigns gain force in the U.S. and elsewhere, market conditions are ripe for a return to robust activity in the Permian Basin in southeastern New Mexico. But while oil rig activity is up significantly after reaching bottom last September, new drilling and investment remains markedly sluggish.

In part, that reflects ongoing uncertainty over the pace at which society will return to normal. Governments are still striving to reach herd immunity, demand for oil is only slowly recovering after reaching record lows last year, and prices continue to fluctuate alongside the ebb and flow of coronavirus infections, boosted largely by the willingness of world producers to hold back on fully reopening the spigots to avoid flooding the markets with a new wave of oil.

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Producer restraint also reflects what may be a new normal in the U.S. shale-oil industry, as most companies concentrate on paying down debt and returning profits to shareholders rather than pursuing the wild-west-like hyper growth that reigned prior to the pandemic.

But alongside those constraints, New Mexico operators say regulatory uncertainty at the federal level under President Joe Bidens administration, plus the prospect of new, adverse regulations pursued by legislators in Santa Fe, is slowing recovery even more on New Mexicos side of the Permian.

Federal stays

Bidens order in January to temporarily halt all new oil and gas leasing on federal lands, combined with the U.S. Interior Departments 60-day suspension of new drilling permits for federal leases, is driving a lot of potential activity and investment into West Texas, said Raye Miller, mayor of Artesia and president of oil company Regeneration Energy Corp.

Thats because the majority of New Mexico production takes place on federal land, compared with Texas, where nearly all activity is on private land.

Despite the upswing in prices, were not seeing any resurgence of large capital expenditures here, Miller told the Journal. I believe that reflects concerns about the federal land issues and uncertainty about what producers will be allowed to do in the future, as well as numerous legislative initiatives in Santa Fe that dont seem reasonable to people in the industry. As a result, since most larger companies in southeastern New Mexico also have property in West Texas, theyre putting their money there, where they see better opportunities to operate and earn a return.

Investors have adopted a wait-and-see position on how federal and state regulations will evolve before making any major new commitments in New Mexico, said Gregg Fulfer, a former Republican state senator and owner of Fulfer Oil and Cattle Co. in Jal.

One private equity group and some bankers who were talking with me about investments here immediately backed out after Bidens order on halting new leases, Fulfer said. Most new investments are on hold now. The people who are spending money are generally operators who are already here with permits and right of ways in hand that theyre moving forward on, but if it werent for that, we might not have any new activity going on in southeast New Mexico.

Flight to Texas

Industry flight to Texas is best reflected in rig counts along the border, Miller said.

Before the pandemic hit in March 2020, New Mexico reached a record-high of 117 active rigs. That dropped to just 41 rigs by September, after global oil demand plummeted by more than 20% in the wake of coronavirus lockdowns as people stopped driving and airline travel practically ground to a halt. Oil prices plunged from about $60 per barrel for U.S. benchmark West Texas Intermediate in January 2020 to the low teens by May, bringing oil and gas production to a near standstill.

But when the economy began to reopen in summer and fall, prices starting climbing again, hovering in the low $40s per barrel through the second half of 2020. Then, in early January, prices shot above $50 per barrel for the first time since the pandemic started. And, by early March, they climbed to about $65 a barrel.

That reflects, in part, renewed confidence on commodity markets that the pandemic is winding down as vaccination efforts move forward. But the key catalyst is an ongoing agreement among members of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries and allied producers led by Russia to continue suppressing world production by nearly 7 million barrels per day through at least May to allow supply and demand to balance out before reopening the spigots.

The rise in prices over the past six months did trigger an initial rebound in local activity. Active rigs rose fairly consistently through the fall to reach 70 by Jan. 15, the week before Biden took office.

But immediately after Biden ordered the moratorium on federal land leases, the rig count started falling again, declining to 65 by Jan. 22, and then to 60 as of mid-March.

In contrast, the rig count in Texas has climbed nonstop since September, from 105 on Sept. 11 to 169 by Jan. 15, and then to 203 as of March 12.

The rig count is only up a small amount relative to a year ago, but oil prices now are even higher than they were before the coronavirus, Miller said. I believe wed be on a strong road to recovery right now with the pandemic moving to the rear view mirror in the next few months if not for the regulatory environment. Industry is completely focused on whats happening in Washington and Santa Fe, not on the coronavirus.

For every one rig added in New Mexico since September, five have been added in Texas, Fulfer said.

That reflects all the uncertainty around the regulatory environment, he said.

Market forces

Market factors are also restraining growth, said Raoul LeBlanc, vice president for nonconventional oil and gas at global consultant IHS Markit. Most U.S. producers are much more focused now on earning a significant return on investment for shareholders and paying down accumulated debt than on the pre-pandemic mindset of growth at all costs.

That reflects fundamental problems in the shale-gas revolution that began before the coronavirus started. For years, companies borrowed substantially to acquire extensive land leases, build infrastructure and ramp up production.

The problem is, shale oil wells produce huge gushers when they first come online, but the flow rapidly declines over the next 18 months, forcing the industry into a constant cycle of drill, baby, drill. As a result, in previous years, operators continually pumped most returns back into production to keep output up, racking up huge debts and greatly adding to a global supply glut. That kept prices from rising significantly before the pandemic, and then helped accelerate the price crash after the coronavirus hit.

Investors grew tired of the cycle by 2019. Stock prices plummeted for large publicly traded companies and creditors tightened up lending policies, leading to major declines in market valuation even for major players like ExxonMobil and Chevron.

Looking ahead

Now, as the industry emerges from the depths of coronavirus, a new normal has set in that emphasizes operational discipline to produce increased profits with lower investment and slower growth, LeBlanc said.

Todays prices are looking good, which puts companies in a strong position to perform well this year, LeBlanc said. But the industry has absolutely re-focused on pulling back capital outlay and returning more money to shareholders.  Private companies may be more aggressive about investing, but most public companies will remain disciplined and hold the line to regain investor credibility.

Price volatility also remains a chronic concern. The pandemic is still not over, with new coronavirus mutations emerging and slow vaccination rollouts in Europe and many other places, which could slow economic recovery.

In addition, OPEC and its allied producers are expected to begin ramping up production again in May. And with the Biden administration seeking to reinstate agreements with Iran over its nuclear ambitions, Iranian oil production could significantly increase later this year, further flooding world markets, said Daniel Fine, a longtime oil expert with New Mexico Tech in Socorro.

Between OPEC and Iran, about 3.25 million more barrels per day could be added back into the global market by summer, Fine said.

Can market demand absorb that in the second half of the year? The answer is no,' he said. Demand wont adjust to it and the price will fall.

Many market consultants have recently speculated about a post-pandemic boom in demand that could push prices well above $70 per barrel in the next few months. But Fine projects prices declining back to $50 a barrel and possibly lower by mid-summer.

New Mexico State University economics professor emeritus Jim Peach said demand is still shaky, and the pace of economic recovery remains uncertain.

Were still far from being out of this, Peach said.  We dont yet know where its all going. Some say well see $75 a barrel by the end of the summer  and that could happen  but we could also see it fall back to $40 a barrel.

Notwithstanding market ups and downs, industry leaders say regulatory uncertainty remains the critical factor thats generating investment restraint now in New Mexico  not oil prices or the pandemic.

As the coronavirus recedes and the global economy regains momentum, the pace of oil and gas recovery here will largely depend on policies mandated by the state and federal governments, said Ryan Flynn, who until Saturday served as

executive director of the New Mexico Oil and Gas Association.

Our future as an industry is squarely in the hands of policymakers now, Flynn said. The natural resources are there, industry interest to develop it is there, and the infrastructure is in place.  For New Mexico, the question is, will policies be put in place to continue growing the industry, or to inhibit future production?
Wilkes-Barre, PA (18701)

Today

Rain showers in the morning with thunderstorms developing for the afternoon. A few storms may be severe. High 77F. Winds SSW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 80%..

Tonight

Rain showers early with scattered thunderstorms arriving overnight. Low 63F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 50%.
Amit Shah, released the manifesto in Kolkata on Sunday, with an eye on the vote bank of Hindu migrants

Amit Shah, hurried through his promises in a brief 13-minute speech in front of what appeared to be a thin crowd.. (Photo: PTI)

Kolkata: Using its manifesto Sonar Bangla Sonkolpo Potro 2021 to end the TMCs rule in West Bengal, the BJP on Sunday promised to implement the Citizenship Amendment Act in its first Cabinet meeting if it comes to power in the state.

Union home minister Amit Shah, releasing the manifesto in Kolkata on Sunday, with an eye on the vote bank of Hindu migrants, also said the BJP would earmark Rs 10,000 as annual financial aid to each refugee family for five years and a monthly pension of Rs 3,000 to Matuas and Dalpatis, while wooing Gorkha communities with recognition to 11 sub-tribes under the Scheduled Caste category.

Free public transport for women, a hike in widow pension from Rs 1,000 to Rs 3,000 and a 33 per cent quota for women also found a place in the BJPs manifesto.

Other key sops include an end to infiltration, official language status of Bengali, implementation of the PM Kisan Samman Nidhi and Ayushman Bharat, building three new AIIMS in West Bengal (North Bengal, Jangal Mahal and Sunderbans), award of the Seventh Pay Commission hikes for state government staff, no fee for girls from KG to PG in government schools, Bengali to be made mandatory in school education till Class 10.

The BJP will also probe corruption in Central funds allocated for Cyclone Amphan and other calamities and compensation, apart from providing compensation of Rs 25 lakhs for each family which lost a member in political violence.

Earlier, Mr Shah lashed out at chief minister Mamata Banerjee and her MP nephew Abhishek Banerjee at a BJP rally in Egra of East Midnapore, where three-time Trinamul MP of Contai and former Union minister Sisir Adhikari, the father Suvendu Adhikari, defected to the BJP.

He alleged: An amount of cut money exists in every work here. It comes through Tolabaji (extortion). Mamata Didi often asks about the value of Rs 500? Didi, your concern is different. Cut money of Bhatije reaches you. But for the labourers of Bengal, Rs 500 is a big amount. Mamataji wants to make Bhatije CM while Modiji wants to build a Sonar Bangla. Dont you know Bhatije? Now tell me whether Bhatije needs to be made the CM or a Sonar Bangla must be built.

Mr Shah, however, hurried through his promises in a brief 13-minute speech in front of what appeared to be a thin crowd. His recent call for the BJP bagging 200-plus seats out of 294 was also missing, in the wake of low turnouts in campaign rallies and massive statewide dissent within the saffron party over the distribution of tickets, which had forced him to make an overnight stay in Kolkata last week to pull up party leaders.

Hailing the PM and Mr Shah, Mr Adhikari alleged: The way I was thrown out of the party (TMC) while my family was heckled is very painful and sad.

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The Other Ones Foundation is a nonprofit that offers humanitarian aid, case management, and extremely low barrier employment to people experiencing homelessness. At Outlaw, we watch out for everyone, said Danielle Vincent, CEO and co-founder of Outlaw Soaps. When we heard Outlaws needed soap in Texas, we knew we had to do something. We teamed up with The Other Ones Foundation to supply soap for their Box of Rain Project.

Outlaw Soaps, makers of adventure-inspired personal care sundries, is donating 1,000 bars of its soap to The Other Ones Foundation to help Texans impacted by the recent winter storms. The soaps will soon be distributed through the organizations Box of Rain program.

At Outlaw, we watch out for everyone, said Danielle Vincent, CEO and co-founder of Outlaw Soaps. When we heard Outlaws needed soap in Texas, we knew we had to do something. We teamed up with The Other Ones Foundation to supply soap for their Box of Rain Project.

Box of Rain is a Mobile Hygiene Clinic (MHC) consisting of a fleet of shower trailers that deliver essential services directly to Austins homeless population. Conceived as a response to the COVID-19 outbreak, MHC promotes social distancing and reduces travel in the homeless community by delivering services outdoors and to many locations throughout the city.

"We are so excited to partner with Outlaw Soaps to offer people experiencing homelessness safe and dignified access to shower facilities in Austin, Texas, said Max Moscoe, Community Engagement Coordinator for The Other Ones Foundation. Their generous donation of 1,000 bars of soap will allow us to provide 1,000 individuals with the opportunity to look good, feel good, and be healthy!"

Outlaw makes soap, lotion, body wash, deodorant, and cologne in unique and unconventional scents such as leather, campfire, whiskey, gunpowder, and pine. Popular items include Blazing Saddles leather and gunpowder-scented solid cologne, Fire in the Hole Campfire handmade bar soap, Gambler bourbon-inspired body wash, and Calamity Jane clove and orange-scented lotion.

The brands products are ethically-manufactured in the U.S. The team continually works to reduce its ecological footprint, pioneering aluminum bottles in personal care instead of plastic.

For more information, visit https://liveoutlaw.com.

About Outlaw Soaps:

Founded in 2013, Outlaw Soaps, Inc creates personal care and home fragrance in evocative scents like leather, gunpowder, sagebrush, and whiskey. The Nevada-based company is dedicated to ethical, sustainable, domestic production of high-quality goods at reasonable prices. These evocative sundries are sold through LiveOutlaw.com, Amazon.com, Northern California Whole Foods stores, and select retailers worldwide.

About The Other Ones Foundation:

The Other Ones Foundation is a nonprofit that offers humanitarian aid, case management, and extremely low barrier employment to people experiencing homelessness.


Source: Xinhua| 2021-03-22 08:14:19|Editor: huaxia

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Horse riders compete in a Buzkashi game during a celebration for the annual Nowruz festival in Bamiyan province, central Afghanistan, on March 21, 2021. March 21 is the first day of Nowruz and the start of the year 1400 in Persian calendar. Nowruz is a public holiday in Afghanistan and Afghans celebrate the day by holding conferences, organizing stage shows, exhibitions and airing colorful programs on TV. (Photo by Azimi/Xinhua)
Bobi Wine has upped his recent dig into Fufas suspension of Cranes star Khalid Aucho, saying all people who support him are being politically ostracised by Fufa.

In a rejoinder, Bobi said one of his biggest supporters, Alpha Ssali, was taken to Mauritania last month to just be a ball boy.

He didnt even play a minute. We must reject this Fufa and its politics, he said.

Reminded that Alpha is his nemesis Bebe Cools son, Bobi said: Even Messis son prefers Ronaldo.

Read more:
EastEnders star Jamie Borthwick has revealed that he is second cousins with his former co-star Charlie Winter.

The TV star, 26, discovered the surprising family connection when Charlie, 24, joined the show in 2018.

Jamie, who has played Jay Brown in the soap since 2006, made the link after noting Charlie had the same name as his uncle and found out the pair were actually related.

Second cousins: EastEnders star Jamie Borthwick (left) has revealed that he is second cousins with his former co-star Charlie Winter

Speaking to The Sun, he said: 'My great uncle is called Charlie Winter, so when they said there was a kid coming in called Charlie Winter, I was like, "Seriously?"

'Turns out we are second cousins.'

Charlie played Mel Owen's son, Hunter, and was killed off a year later after shooting Ben Mitchell in the Queen Vic.

Discovery: Jamie, who has played Jay Brown in the soap since 2006, made the link after noting Charlie had the same name as his uncle and found out the pair were actually related

He was shot dead by police after taking Louise Mitchell hostage and shooting Keanu Taylor on his rampage.

Jamie was one of few mourners who attended Dame Barbara Windsor's funeral earlier this year to pay respects to the actress who played Peggy Mitchell.

The Mitchell family have taken care of Jamie's character Jay since he was orphaned by age 14.

Stars including David Walliams, Matt Lucas, Ross Kemp and Christopher Biggins had joined Jamie and other mourners at the service in North London in January.

Former co-star: Charlie played Mel Owen's son, Hunter, and was killed off in 2019 after shooting Ben Mitchell in the Queen Vic

The Carry On legend was laid to rest at Golders Green crematorium following her death from Alzheimer's disease in December, aged 83.

Barbara's friends and family attended the private service in London, with a mourners restricted to 30 people amid ongoing coronavirus restrictions.

Flowers spelling out Babs, The Dame and Saucy adorned her coffin, while a topless photo from her Carry On days was included in the order of service, accompanied by her quote: 'That picture will follow me to the end'.

Famed for her infectious laugh, the Shoreditch-born actress known as 'Babs' boasted a 66-year career in showbiz, first appearing on stage aged 13 before retiring four years ago aged 79.
Mr. Pruettipong Srimachand, Assistant Governor of the Legal Group, Bank of Thailand (BOT), has revealed that recent developments have seen the private sector attempting to create cryptocurrencies utilizing underlying assets or fiat currencies as an anchor to minimize price volatility. Such cryptocurrencies are known as stablecoins.

More recently, a new form of stablecoins utilizing underlying algorithmic smart contracts has been created to replicate the price and movement of various currencies.

It has come to the BOTs attention that a new stablecoin, THT, has been created abroad on the Terra Platform.

Any activity involving THT is deemed illegal, as the creation, issuance, usage or circulation of any material or token for money is a violation of Section 9 of the Currency Act 1958. Mr. Pruettipong Srimachand, Assistant Governor of the Legal Group, Bank of Thailand (BOT)

One unit of THT is denominated in and valued at one Thai Baht. Although THT is currently not used as a medium of exchange, it could cause fragmentation to the Thai currency system should THT or other similar stablecoins come to replace, substitute or compete with Baht issued by the BOT.

This would ultimately affect the general publics confidence in the stability of the national currency system, which is the cornerstone of all economic activities.

Therefore, any activity involving THT is deemed illegal, as the creation, issuance, usage or circulation of any material or token for money is a violation of Section 9 of the Currency Act 1958.

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The general public should exercise caution and refrain from participating in any activity involving THT, as there are no legal assurances or protection, and users could also be at risk of cyber theft and money laundering.
An Air Force panel has recommended that a senior noncommissioned officer convicted last summer at Joint Base San Antonio-Randolph of a sex crime be allowed to stay in the service, which has infuriated the woman he assaulted and victims rights advocates.

Brig. Gen. Caroline Miller, who commands JBSA and the 502nd Air Base Wing, has not yet made a decision on Senior Master Sgt. Jeremy M. Zier. But he could appeal her ruling, and acting Air Force Secretary John Roth or his successor ultimately might decide the matter.

The victim in the case, Staff Sgt. Cambria Lynn Ferguson, 26, said she learned of the administrative discharge boards recommendation via a Zoom call and found it hard to accept that those she serves with in the Air Force look at a registered sex offender and think: Good enough.

In an email, she said she feels disheartened because the Defense Department has been getting sexual assault prevention and response wrong for decades and has made no substantial behavioral change despite the data.

I do feel hurt. I do feel angry. But most importantly I feel betrayed, said Ferguson, a combat broadcast journalist. That trust was broken, and its been really hard putting back on the uniform knowing the Air Force wont have integrity with me, despite all Ive given to her.

On ExpressNews.com: Pentagon: Sex assaults on servicewomen on the rise

Zier, 41, of Converse, was found guilty of abusive sexual contact and dereliction of duty in a special court-martial by a Randolph jury that reduced him one grade in rank. He could have received a year in jail as well as six months forfeiture of pay and allowances, three months hard labor and reduction in rank to airman basic.

Zier was a master sergeant while Ferguson was an airman first class when he groped her in a hot tub in 2015. He was the highest-ranking NCO in their office at Incirlik Air Base in Turkey, serving as superintendent of a detachment called AFN Incirlik. She was the lowest-ranking airman there.

If he had been tried in a general court-martial, Ziers maximum sentence for abusive sexual contact would have been seven years and a dishonorable discharge, with a total of 21 years confinement on other charges he faced involving two other women, said retired Col. Don Christensen, president of Protect Our Defenders, an advocacy group for military assault and sexual assault victims.

The Air Force referred the charges against Zier, alleging multiple sex offenses, to a special court rather than a general one, limiting the maximum sentence to no more than 12 months. Zier was required to register as a sex offender after his conviction and is in the Texas Department of Public Safety database.

Reached by phone, Zier said he was with his family and asked if he could call back, but he did not.

Lt. Col. Greg Hignite, commander of the Air Force Public Affairs Agency, where Zier worked, has opposed keeping him in the service.

Air Force lawyers wont comment until the discharge process is complete and in order to protect the integrity of the discharge process, said Jathzed Jet Fabara, a spokesman for JBSA.

Furious over Ziers sentence, Ferguson wrote on Facebook after the jurys Aug. 14 decision, Going through the assault followed by a yearlong investigation process that ended in extremely disappointing sentencing today has me angry, sad, nauseous ... so many other things Im not ready to discuss.

Since then, Ferguson said, shes received more than 200 messages of support via social media from former co-workers and supervisors and other service members. Some were airmen with their own survivor stories, she said.

You cant go through a tragedy without a community, Ferguson said. Some already went through the restricted/unrestricted reporting processes before me and were beacons of light while I was trying to navigate the darker months. If it wasnt for my partner, I dont think I wouldve come out of this process where I am, who I am.

Restricted reports are filed by victims who want medical and psychological support from the military but are not prepared to lodge charges. Unrestricted reports trigger criminal investigations and may lead to trials  although only a relative few ever get that far.

The Pentagon reported 11 months ago that only 363 cases went to trial in the 2019 fiscal year, with 264 ending in conviction.

On ExpressNews.com: Air Force has sharpest jump in sex assaults among the service branches in annual report

Some days I wish I never reported. My life would be a lot less chaotic. But when I get another message from someone struggling, Im grateful they have a safe space and feel comfortable enough to reach out, Ferguson wrote.

Other allegations

Zier continues to work at JBSA-Randolph. Until he was charged, his Air Force career had been on the rise, and he had been selected to become a chief master sergeant  a level achieved by just 1 percent of the enlisted force in any service. He was not promoted.

Zier was charged with one specification of dereliction of duty in Pamukkale, Turkey, in April 2015 and three specifications of abusive sexual contact in three locations, one of them San Antonio. A charge sheet stated he touched the genitals and inner thigh of one victim in Turkey without her consent while in a hot tub. It said he was derelict by removing his clothes in a hot tub with lower-ranking airmen  both men and women.

Though Zier was convicted of abusive sexual contact in the incident in Turkey, the jury of three women and one man  ranging from second lieutenant to colonel  acquitted him of the same charge stemming from incidents with women in Charleston, S.C., on Dec. 7, 2019, and in San Antonio the next week. In both of those incidents, the women alleged that he touched their buttocks.

On ExpressNews.com: No jail time for senior Air Force NCO convicted in sex case after San Antonio trial

Interviewed last year, Ferguson said she had come out as bisexual before arriving at Incirlik to an office dominated by men and locker room talk. She said Zier was given to saying inappropriate things to airmen and that as soon as new female personnel arrived they were taken out for drinks.

Ferguson said Zier tried to ask questions about her private life that were always sexual in nature and that he did the same with other women in their office.

The issues raised in Fergusons case have rippled through the armed services for decades. The Pentagon last year said the number of sexual assault reports in the military rose 3 percent in the fiscal year that ended Sept. 30, 2019, to a total of 6,236, with the Air Force showing the sharpest increase. The number in the previous fiscal year was 6,053.

U.S. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y., and U.S. Rep. Jackie Speier, D-Calif., whove spent years battling to change the militarys handling of sexual assault and sexual harassment, were taken aback when told of Ziers case.

Both said changes to the workings of administrative discharge boards should be included in the reforms.

I think what I would start with is having a briefing on these boards and find out  this case is truly perverse, so I think we need to look at administrative separations generally now, said Speier, a co-sponsor of the I Am Vanessa Guillen Act, which would affect how the military responds to missing troops and reports of sexual harassment and assault.

The bill was filed in reaction to the high-profile disappearance and death of a soldier at Fort Hood last year. It also would remove the chain of command from the process of deciding when to order sexual assault and sexual harassment prosecutions, as would a separate proposal Gillibrand has championed.

On ExpressNews.com: Army punishes 14 at Fort Hood as it releases report on Vanessa Guillen's death

This is a perfect example of the problem we face. Too many people in command cannot see these as the crimes that they are and do not fully appreciate how toxic and how corrosive retaining service members with this kind of criminal history is to the armed services, Gillibrand said.

Zier was entitled to a hearing before the board, which consists of three military members, because of his rank and time in the Air Force, said Christensen, the victims advocate.

Christensen said the board had to determine that keeping Zier in the military is in the Air Forces interest but wondered how that could be possible when he is now a registered sex offender.

He noted that an Air Force instruction states that anyone convicted of sexual assault must be discharged unless they meet a lengthy list of criteria, one of which is that the incident was not the result of an abuse of rank, grade, authority or position.

In recommending if someone should be retained in the Air Force, the board or the separation authority must consider the impact of the sexual assault  on the victim and the views of the victim, the instruction states.

Unlike military trials in the Air Force, the administrative discharge board acts in private and its decision-making process remains all but invisible to the public. In a statement, JBSA said Zier received character letters from colleagues who had worked with him throughout his career. Commanders, however, did not submit letters in his defense.

Commanders have held the convicted member accountable, but they cannot direct specific outcomes for the court-martial or discharge board, the statement added.

As male and female recruits march in formation at JBSA-Lackland, where mixed-gender training has been the norm for decades, they pass signs saying, Integrity, Service before self and Excellence in all we do.

The issue of how well those values were stressed came into sharp focus after a scandal a decade ago at Lackland in which 35 instructors were investigated for misconduct against 69 recruits and technical school students. Around two dozen trials were held, one for an instructor who was given 20 years in prison and later committed suicide.

The situation forced a makeover of Air Force training and helped push a congressional rewrite of military law.

On ExpressNews.com: 'Core values' in question at Lackland

Yet even if Miller, the JBSA commander, disagrees with the discharge boards recommendation to retain him, Zier would have the chance to submit a rebuttal and the case would move to the Pentagon for a final ruling.

Ferguson, after seven years in the Air Force, is bitter and called the boards action a betrayal and utter hypocrisy.

Ive lost a lot of sleep trying to reckon with this incomprehensible reality, she said. I dont think I can continue to grow or be the person and leader I choose to be within this unethical, predatory, good ol boy hierarchy. Integrity offends those without it, and Ive made a lot of enemies this past year for simply demanding the minimum standards be upheld.

sigc@express-news.net


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Ajay Lalwani, a reporter with Royal News TV and Daily Puchano died on March 18 after sustaining multiple gunshot wounds in an attack in Sindh province. The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) and its Pakistan affiliate the Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ) call for an urgent investigation to the case.

The 31-year-old journalist received bullet injuries to the stomach, arm and knee as he waited in line for a barber shop on March 17 in Saleh Putt Sakhar, a town in interior Sindh province. According to the PFUJ, the assailants came by motorcycle and car and fled from the scene after the attack. The seriously injured journalist was rushed to Civil Hospital Sakhar for the treatment but died the next day on March 18.

According to police, an investigation team under the Deputy Superintendent of Police / Sub-Divisional Police Officer (SDPO) of Rohri , Hazoor Bux Solangi, was formed to investigate the case. Police also informed they were collecting evidence from the scene and recording statements from witnesses as part of the investigation.

Following the brutal murder of Lalwani, the journalist community in Pakistan held protests demanding the Pakistan government launch a probe on the case.

Lalwani was a vocal journalist and frequently raise issues of the Hindu minority in Pakistan. He also wrote critically that Pakistani Government policies were biased against minorities.

PFUJ Secretary General, Rana M Azeem, said:Sindh government has failed to protect the journalists while the local police are not paying attention despite repeated requests. We demand the government to take action and arrest the killers otherwise a country wide protest will be launched.

IFJ General Secretary Anthony Bellanger, said: The IFJ urges the Pakistan government to carry out the impartial investigation into the murder of Ajay Lalwani.
A 23-year-old man from the Midwest charged with holding up seven banks in New Jersey died recently after being hospitalized while in the custody of federal authorities in Chicago.

Federal officials have not explained or elaborated on what happened to Tyler OToole, who died on Feb. 17.

His parents, in Cleveland, Ohio, say authorities have also not explained his death to them, leaving them with many more questions than answers about the passing of their son - who was on the autism spectrum. They have hired an attorney to investigate.

We understand there were internal and external investigations conducted following his death, but to date, not a single statement and/or explanation has been provided, publicly or privately, regarding the facts and circumstances of Tylers death from any federal representatives, the parents lawyer, Rob Kohen, told NJ Advance Media.

OToole was briefly the subject of a manhunt in November when the FBI linked him to several bank robberies in New Jersey. Hed already been charged with committing a bank robbery in Chicago, where hed been staying, and had allegedly fled home detention, hopped in his mothers car and headed east, the FBI said.

A few days after the FBI publicized its search for OToole, investigators arrested him in Queens, New York. The FBI in New Jersey charged him in five bank robberies and two more attempts. He allegedly struck in five New Jersey counties, from Morris to Camden, and used a manilla envelope with a robbery announcement written in black marker, the FBI alleged.

OToole appeared in federal court in New Jersey but was eventually transferred and incarcerated in Chicago, court documents show. He was indicted in December on one count of bank robbery in the Chicago area, and a count of bail jumping.

Other than a status update on his case in early January, no documents were filed until Feb. 16, when his defense attorney and the prosecutors on the case consented to his release from custody and mentioned his hospitalization and current medical condition. Prosecutors in Chicago and New Jersey consented to him being released on bond.

He died the next day.

The federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP), which was handling the pre-trial detention of OToole at one of its facilities in Chicago, the Metropolitan Correctional Center, or MCC Chicago, lists OToole being released on Feb. 17. An agency spokesman declined to elaborate other than to say that if any inmate dies in BOP custody, the person is listed as deceased.

The FBI in Chicago deferred questions to the BOP. And the FBI in Newark, the last agency to have contact with him, would only confirm that OToole was deceased.

Kohen said Tylers parents, Mika and Larry OToole, say authorities jailing OToole should have been fully aware of his autism. They believe he indeed died in federal custody, and they want and deserve answers, said Kohen, of Salvi, Schostok & Pritchard. The parents declined to discuss the now-moot allegations against their son.

We are fully investigating this matter to determine how and why Tyler died while being held at (MCC Chicago), Kohen said. The family is very concerned that certain policies and procedures these entities are required to follow, were not followed.

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

Kevin Shea may be reached at kshea@njadvancemedia.com
The Delhi High Court on Monday stayed the single judges order restraining Future Retail (FRL) from going ahead with its $3.4-billion deal with Reliance Retail and directing the attachment of firms and founder Kishore Biyanis properties in relation with Amazons plea asking for the enforcement of the emergency award.

A division Bench of Chief Justice DN Patel and Justice Jasmeet Singh said, we hereby stay the order of the single judge dated March 18, 2021 till the next date of hearing, and listed the matter for further hearing on April 30.

Harish Salve, Futures counsel, said the court ordered the stay even on the ad-interim order passed by the single judge, which was not stayed by the Supreme Court (SC) in appeal.

Theres a finding of breach. This has gone much beyond... we were under the impression that the single judge would get reasons (for prima facie order) SC in SLP (special leave petition) has directed that all these (National Company Law Tribunal, or NCLT) hearings can go on... this courts order has not been stayed. Single judges order has to be stayed, said Salve, according to law platform Bar & Bench.





ALSO READ: DFI to get direct access to Reserve Bank of India's funding facilities

Senior advocate Gopal Subramanium, who represented Amazon, argued that it was only right that the single judges matter be brought to the SCs attention for further directions.

He contended that the matter is before the apex court and will not do anything that is inconsistent with the SCs order.

Future said since the issues are pending before the SC in a SLP filed by Amazon, the division Bench also took on record the SCs order, which records that the proceedings before NCLT will be allowed to go on without a final order of sanction of the scheme between Future and Reliance.

Senior advocate Iqbal Chagla, appearing on behalf of the Biyanis, argued that propriety demanded that since the SC was seized of the matter, the single judge ought not to have passed such an order, especially when the division Bench had stayed the earlier order.

The NCLT can hear the scheme in accordance with the SCs directions, but cannot pass final orders till the apex court decides on Amazons petition.

Last week, the single judge upheld the emergency award passed against the Future-Reliance deal. In the order, Justice J R Midha restrained Future Retail from going ahead with the deal. The court also imposed a penalty of Rs 20 lakh on Future and ordered that the money go to the Prime Ministers Relief Fund.

The court held that Future Retail, Future Coupons, founder and owner Biyani and others violated the emergency award. Issuing a show-cause notice to Biyani and others, it asked why they should not be detained in civil prison.

Jeff Bezos-led is locked in legal disputes with Biyani-headed Future. It has alleged that the retail conglomerate violated an agreement with the American e-commerce giant by agreeing to sell its assets to Mukesh Ambani-owned RIL last year.
The Insurance Council of Australia (ICA) has declared an insurance catastrophe after more than 5000 claims were lodged over the weekend following extreme rain and flooding across Sydney and broader New South Wales.

KPMG partner Scott Guse said the extreme weather event would most likely push premiums up and increase the insurance industrys lobbying efforts for greater flood mitigation infrastructure, including potentially raising the Warragamba Dam wall.

An insurance catastrophe has been declared. Credit:

The ICAs catastrophe declaration seeks to fast-track the processing of claims for policyholders affected by the floods in NSW. Meanwhile, south-east Queensland is also under watch to determine if a similar declaration is required for that state.

The Insurance Australia Group (IAG), which owns brands including NRMA and CGU, reported it had received more than 2800 claims as of early Monday afternoon but said it was too early to accurately determine the cost of the flooding and storms to the companys bottom line.
Elon Musk is Twitter's most controversial public figure, according to an expert.

Tech insider Sam Gilbert says Mr Musk, the pioneering billionaire behind SpaceX and Tesla, has filled the void left behind by former US president Donald Trump as Twitter's most divisive celebrity.

Mr Gilbert says Musk's combination of 'real world power' (the world's second richest man) and his fan base (49.2million followers) gives him a huge amount of influence.

As a result, 'Elon Musk is the public figure most likely to cause a Twitter controversy', Mr Gilbert told MailOnline.

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Tech insider Sam Gilbert says Elon Musk's combination of 'real world power' (the world's second richest man) and his vast fan base (49.2million followers) gives him a huge amount of influence

Musk is no stranger to controversy. He was forced to step down as Tesla CEO in 2018 after being charged with fraud by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

It was his enforced punishment for an ill-advised tweet where he said: 'Am considering taking Tesla private at $420. Funding secured.'

The tweet saw Tesla's share price rise more than 13 per cent but was ultimately misleading and resulted in the US Securities and Exchange Commission concluding that Musk should pay a fine and be banned from serving as an executive or board member of any public company.

'However, that hasn't stopped Musk tweeting about other topics in a way that influences financial markets  including GameStop shares and cryptocurrencies during 2021,' Mr Gilbert adds.

'If he continues, it seems likely that controversy will spill over into the political arena.'

Meanwhile, Musk was involved in a defamation case in 2018, after calling the rescuer of Thai schoolboys trapped in a cave a 'pedo guy.'

Vernon Unsworth sought 145million in damages from Musk, arguing that the tweet damaged his reputation.

Thankfully for Musk, a US judge ruled that Musk did not defame the British caver.

From calling the coronavirus pandemic 'dumb' to announcing Tesla's - his own company's - stock price is 'too high', Musk is known for his bizarre tweets

He says that Musk has a lot of 'reach power' which comes as a result of his digital profile.

'Reach Power can be used in myriad ways; for political purposes or for commercial ones; for good or for ill,' Mr Gilbert says.

'At the moment, Musk seems to be using Reach Power from Twitter to mobilise his admirers in service of his own agenda.'

Following Trump's twitter ban, 'Elon Musk is the public figure most likely to cause a Twitter controversy', tech expert Sam Gilbert told MailOnline

Tech insider Sam Gilbert says Elon Musk is now Twitter's most divisive celebrity. His book 'Good data' is published April 1

Despite Mr Musk's divisive nature, it is unlikely he will meet the same fate as Donald Trump, according to Mr Gilbert, author of the upcoming book Good Data.

'Unlike Trump, Musk can't be said to have broken any of Twitter's rules with his tweets on GameStop, Bitcoin, or Dogecoin,' he told MailOnline.

'So, Twitter wouldn't have grounds to suspend his account.

'But this might say more about the gaps in Twitter's rules than the acceptability of Musk's tweets.

'If there were Twitter rules on promoting high-risk financial products  and/or stricter "Authenticity" rules for highly-followed accounts  he would surely have fallen foul of them.'

Good Data  An Optimists Guide to Our Digital Future by Sam Gilbert is published by Welbeck on 1 April, hardback 14.99.
A recent report by the federal Productivity Commission revealed that the New South Wales (NSW) Ambulance service lags behind the national average in per-capita funding as well as every measure of patient satisfaction.

Only 59 percent of patients in NSW, Australias most populous state, were satisfied with the length of time they waited for an ambulance to arrive, compared to the national average of 64.5 percent, which is itself low.

Total expenditure on ambulance services in the state was just $136.68 per person in the 2019-20 financial year, an increase of 25 percent over 2010-11. In the same decade, the national spend increased by 34 percent to $159.46 per person.

An ambulance in Sydney earlier this year (Credit: Wikimedia, Helitak430)

Staffing levels fell compared to population in NSW. While the number of full-time equivalent positions increased by 39 percent across the country during the decade, NSW staffing levels grew by only 18 percent. This was despite the states population having increased by 23 percent since 2010, compared to a national increase of 17 percent.

World Socialist Web Site reporters spoke to a NSW paramedic about the conditions ambulance workers face.

We are hugely understaffed at the moment. There needs to be an injection of permanent staff. We are overworked. Instead, the ambulance service has introduced part-time and contract work, with no permanent security for the workforce. The existing workforce isnt happy with that because it doesnt address the existing understaffing.

Because the minimum operating levels havent been increased for 10 to 15 years, workloads have increased massively. You almost never get your breaks. Theres a never-ending stream of jobs that mount up and not enough ambulances and staff to cover those jobs. The prospect of getting any meaningful down time or rest is non-existent.

A huge amount of your pay is penalties in lieu of breaks. If you take breaks, then you are actually taking a pay cut because your base salary is quite low. Miss your two allocated breaks, you get a penalty. Over two weeks, missing all your breaks amounts to several hundreds of dollars in pay. On top of that you are doing shift overtime, more than 12 hours. Most of the time you are finishing one, two, or even three hours after your shift is supposed to end.

On the off chance that you may be able to get an allocated 30-minute break, after that you are straight back out and working continuously. On a night shift, even if you get that break it is hugely fatiguing to continuously go to difficult and stressful jobs. It all contributes to huge levels of fatigue, demoralisation and burnout. This has been a problem for decades.

A 2018 study of Australian paramedics found that 55.9 percent suffered total burnout and 62.7 percent suffered work-related burnout. The rate of suicide among paramedics is four times that of the general population.

Rostered shifts in Sydney are 12 hours and 15 minutes long. A day shift could be a 6:45 am start. You have 15 minutes to do a pre-shift check of the ambulance, sign out any restricted medications, and prepare yourself and the vehicle to respond. If you find any issues you have to deal with it in that 15-minute window. Often, because the workload is so high, a dispatch centre will call and request you go out before you complete the mandatory checks.

That contributes to a whole bunch of negative interactions for paramedics. If you dont sign out medications then you cant administer them to patients. If some of the equipment, like oxygen cylinders, is missing in our kit then we can turn up on scene without them because we were told to leave before checking.

The unions have a token disagreement or opposition to the staffing levels, and are vocal on the need for more staffing, and a response to fatigue levels. But the unions never carry out any meaningful campaigns to rectify this.

The Health Services Union (HSU) has demanded that minimum operating levels be increased, which is part of their social media campaigns, but havent mobilised any real action to effect that change.

A day of action was organised on February 26 in response to moves by the NSW Ambulance service to employ graduate interns on a part-time-only basis. The action consisted of workers changing the insert on their uniforms to read undervalued paramedic instead of paramedic.

The day of action campaign was a non-event. It will never eventuate into anything or solve the problems that paramedics have. It makes it appear to workers that the unions are attempting to do something without taking steps to solve the problem or carry out any real industrial action that will actually cause change.

When you have a workforce that is dissatisfied with how the system is being organised, workers will want to see their union is doing something, so the unions are forced to carry out these campaigns in order to appease their membership. It is to legitimise their existence.

The Australian Paramedics Association (APA) was formed on the back of the scandals in the HSU and because paramedics were not satisfied with their representation in the HSU. But the APA operates in the same framework as the HSU. They follow the rulings of the Industrial Relations Commission. They are essentially just another union without any ability to change anything.

The workers at Smeaton Grange [a Coles warehouse in southwest Sydney] are going through a similar thing as paramedics went through of being dissatisfied with their union and splitting from it. But if they build a new union without a new political perspective to guide them then they will head down the same road they are on now.

The APA has meetings with the ambulance service where they express their opposition. They will take pictures of ambulances delayed at hospitals with short paragraphs saying the government needs to respond to the hospital delays, staffing levels and fatigue.

The APA came out a year or two back with a wage campaign, and demands for increased annual and wellbeing leave and some others. They said they would push for 15 percent pay rise over a number of years and listed all these demands they were going to push for. But that never eventuated. That was before the freeze on public sector wages.

Then the government froze our wages and the APA has done nothing about it. So the government did the opposite and the APA allowed that to happen. There is no organisation from either union to oppose that. The campaign for wage increases amounted to nothing and instead has led to a pay cut.

Paramedics need to realise that the unions that exist now arent going to effect the changes that paramedics require. It is only through a political perspective to address the real problem, which is capitalism, that workers will be successful in changing their conditions.

The real task for workers is to confront capitalism and all its contradictions and problems, which is the root cause of the deteriorating conditions for all workers.
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Following former Mumbai Police Commissioner Param Bir Singh's shocking allegations, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) said the three-party coalition in should be renamed as the " Vasooli Aghadi."

Speaking to ANI, General Secretary CT Ravi said, "I think is governed by Maharashtra Vasooli Aghadi. It is shameful that the Home Minister is taking directions from an NCP minister. We demand CBI inquiry and his removal from the cabinet."

The comment was made by leader in the wake of extortion allegations made by Param Bir Singh against Maharashtra Home Minister Anil Deshmukh.

In his letter, Param Bir Singh, who has now been posted as Commandant General of Home Guards, said that he has been "made a scapegoat to divert attention from the actual wrongdoers".

Singh also alleged that Deshmukh had ordered to file a case of abetment to suicide in MP Mohan Delkar's death who was found dead in Mumbai on February 22 this year.

On Saturday, Maharashtra home minister Anil Deshmukh refuted all 'extortion allegations' made by Param Bir Singh in his letter to chief minister Uddhav Thackeray.

(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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Free Annual Credit Reports: What Consumers Should Know

Free Annual Credit Reports: What Consumers Should Know

Michigan consumers have the right to order a free credit report from each of the three major credit reporting companiesEquifax, Experian, and TransUnionevery 12 months.

During these times of COVID-19 accessing your credit is important; therefore, Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion are now offering free weekly online reports through April 2022.

Credit reports contain personal and financial information that creditors and other companies use to evaluate applications for credit, insurance, employment, renting a home, or financing a purchase like a home or car. Inaccurate information could affect your ability to get credit, insurance, or even a job. Reviewing your credit report regularly allows you to make sure it is accurate and that no one has opened any fraudulent accounts in your name.

To maximize your protection from fraudulent activity, order one report from a different company every fourth month.

It is important to check all three reports because not all businesses report to all three credit reporting companies; thus, the information on your reports may vary. It is also important not to confuse your credit score with your credit report. Your credit report and your credit score are not the same thing.

Your credit report contains information that a credit reporting company has received about you. Your credit score is calculated by plugging the information in your credit report into a credit score formula. You may have multiple credit scores based upon who provided the score, and whether the company providing the score used their own scoring model or used a model available from a third party.

Federal law gives you the right to ask for a copy of your credit report from each nationwide credit reporting company every year for free. However, the law does not require the credit reporting companies to provide a free credit score.

How to order your FREE annual credit reports

The three major credit reporting companies have set up a toll-free telephone number, a mailing address, and a central website to fill orders for the free annual credit report you are entitled to under law. These are the only ways to get free credit reports without any strings attached. If you order your report by phone or mail, it will be mailed to you within 15 days; if you order it online, you should be able to access it immediately. It may take longer to receive your report if the credit reporting company needs more information to verify your identity.

Do not attempt to order free credit reports directly from the credit reporting agencies. Free credit reports advertised by other sources are not really free!

To order:

By Telephone - Call 877-322-8228 (toll free).

- Call 877-322-8228 (toll free). By Mail - Complete the Annual Credit Report Request Form available online, the only truly free credit report website, and mail it to: Annual Credit Report Request Service, P.O. Box 105281, Atlanta, GA 30348-5281.

- Complete the Annual Credit Report Request Form available online, the only truly free credit report website, and mail it to: Annual Credit Report Request Service, P.O. Box 105281, Atlanta, GA 30348-5281. *Online at annualcreditreport.com.

*Warnings when ordering online:

Misspelling the annualcreditreport.com site or using another site with similar words will take you to a site that will try to sell you something or collect your personal information. Even one mistyped letter could take you to a fraudulent website that looks and feels like a place to order credit reports but in fact has been set up by ID thieves to steal your information. Other sites with similar names exist and may try to sell you credit monitoring services.

Remember, only one website is authorized to fill orders for the free annual credit report you are entitled to under lawannualcreditreport.com. Other websites that claim to offer free credit report,, free credit scores, or free credit monitoring are not part of the legally mandated free annual credit report program.

Beware of emails, banner ads, pop-up ads, and telemarketing calls that promise to obtain your free annual credit report on your behalf. In particular, beware of email messages or internet ads claiming to be from annualcreditreport.com.

Also beware of any free offers for your credit score. One wrong click on an enticing ad for a free look at your credit score may have you signed up for costly or unnecessary credit monitoring or sharing your personal information with a thief.

Annualcreditreport.com will not send you an email asking for your personal information; do not reply or click on any link in the message. Its likely a scam, leading to potential ID theft. Forward scam emails to the FTC (spam@uce.gov).

You will be asked to provide sensitive information to receive your report. This is necessary to prevent ID thieves from obtaining copies of other peoples credit reports.

We recommend that when you order your report that you request that no more than the last four digits of your Social Security number appear on copies of your credit report.

Other situations where you are eligible for a free credit report

If you are a victim of identity theft, you are entitled to place a fraud alert on your file and to receive copies of your credit report from each of the three credit reporting companies free of charge, regardless whether you have previously ordered your free annual reports.

For more information on ID theft, including advice for victims and tips on prevention, review the Attorney Generals Consumer Alerts: Identity Theft Prevention and Identity Theft Recovery.

If a company takes adverse action against you, such as denying an application for credit, insurance, or employment, you are entitled to a free credit report if you ask for it within 60 days of receiving notice of the adverse action. The notice will give you the name, address, and phone number of the credit reporting company to contact.

What should you look for on your credit report?

When you receive your reports, check each section carefully and determine whether you believe the information is correct. Your report could alert you to fraudulent activity being carried on in your name by an ID thief or other inaccurate information that could affect your ability to obtain a loan. Your credit reports may include:

A list of businesses that have given you credit or loans

The total amount for each loan or credit limit for each credit card

How often you paid your credit or loans on time, and the amount you paid

Any missed or late payments as well as bad debts.

Your credit reports may also include:

A list of businesses that have obtained your credit report within a certain time period

Your current and former names, address(es) and/or employers

Any bankruptcies or other public record information.

Be sure to review that all of the above that appear on your credit reports are accurate, and check the accuracy of:

Your personal information: are there addresses or variations on your name that are wrong?

Potentially negative entries: are there unpaid debts listed on accounts you never opened?

Public record information: is this information accurate?

What to do about inaccurate information

Clearly identify the inaccurate information on your credit report and dispute it, in writing, to both the credit reporting agency that issued the report with inaccurate information and any creditors associated with the information.

Credit reporting companies must investigate the items in questionusually within 30 daysunless they consider your dispute frivolous. They also must forward all the relevant data you provided about the inaccuracy to the entity that provided the information. After the information provider receives notice of a dispute from the credit reporting company, it must investigate and report the results back to the credit reporting company. If the information provider finds the disputed information is inaccurate, it must notify all three major credit reporting companies so they can correct the information in your report. When the investigation is complete, the credit reporting company must give you the written results and a free copy of your report if the dispute results in a change.

For more information, review the FTCs online Disputing Errors on Credit Reports article.

If an investigation doesnt resolve your dispute with the credit reporting company, you can ask that a statement of the dispute be included in your file and future reports. If inaccurate information is not removed or reappears, you may wish to consult with a private attorney regarding possible legal actions.

Here is contact information for the three credit reporting agencies and links to their web pages informing consumers how to dispute inaccurate information:

Equifax

Call: 866-349-5191

Write: P.O. Box 740241, Atlanta, GA 30374-0241

For information on disputing errors, you may visit Equifaxs website.

Experian

Call: 866-200-6020

Write: P.O. Box 4500, Allen, TX 75013

For information on disputing errors, you may visit Experians website.

TransUnion

Call: 800-916-8800

Write: TransUnion LLC Consumer Dispute Center, P.O. Box 2000, Chester, PA 19016

For information on disputing errors, you may visit TransUnions website.

If you believe you are a victim of ID theft place a fraud alert with the credit reporting companies as soon as possible. Review the Attorney Generals Consumer Alert Credit Freeze; Fraud Alert; & Credit Monitoring for further information on fraud alerts and other ways to protect your credit reports.

For general questions, or to file a complaint, contact The Attorney Generals Consumer Protection Team at:

Consumer Protection

P.O. Box 30213

Lansing, MI 48909

517-335-7599

Fax: 517-241-3771

Toll free: 877-765-8388

Online complaint form
March 22 (Reuters) - The European Union on Monday imposed sanctions on Eritrea over human rights violations and blacklisted the country's National Security Office which is tasked with intelligence gathering, arrests and interrogations.

At the beginning of March, the United Nations said Eritrean troops were operating throughout Ethiopia's northern Tigray region and reports suggested they were responsible for atrocities.

"The National Security Office is responsible for serious human rights violations in Eritrea, in particular arbitrary arrests, extrajudicial killings, enforced disappearances of persons and torture," the EU said after foreign ministers of the 27-nation bloc agreed the measures.

The sanctions mean an asset freeze in the EU. Additionally, individuals and entities in the EU are prohibited from making funds available, either directly or indirectly, to those listed.

Ethiopia and Eritrea have denied the involvement of Eritrean troops in the fighting alongside Ethiopian forces, although dozens of witnesses, diplomats and an Ethiopian general have reported their presence.

Thousands of people have died amid the fighting, hundreds of thousands have been forced from their homes and there are shortages of food, water and medicine in Tigray, a region of more than 5 million people.

The EU is considering imposing further sanctions on Eritrea. (Reporting by Sabine Siebold; Editing by Bernadette Baum)
When anxiety strikes, we can ward it off better if we take a moment to contemplate the habits that feed it. (WAYHOME studio/Shutterstock)

How Anxiety Hides in Your Habits

Before trying tips to lower your anxiety, a new book encourages you to understand your anxiety routines

I dont know about you, but Im a little tired of reading the same tips over and over about how to calm down and destress. I want other options besides slowing my breathing when my chest feels heavy, or questioning the worst-case scenarios running through my head.

Thats why psychiatrist Judson Brewers new book Unwinding Anxiety is so refreshing. Yes, it has tipsbut they come later in the book. In fact, his main point is that tips alone wont help those of us who struggle with anxiety.

Brewer shows how anxiety exists inside the habits of our everyday livesand habits are sticky. Habits like shallow, tense breathing dont go away just because we tell ourselves to breathe. As crazy as it sounds, our brain is attracted to these anxiety habits because they create some sense of reward.

Implementing tips and tools skips an important step, Brewer argues. Before we can try to change anything, we have to spend some time observing our anxiety-related habits. Only thenby showing our brain viscerally how unrewarding these habits arecan we move on to actually creating new ones.

Unwinding Anxiety offers a three-step process to help you do exactly that, backed up by Brewers extensive habit research. While many wellness books can feel overwhelming, his approach is reassuring in its simplicity and engaging enough to feel like it just might work.

Step 1: Map Out Anxiety Habits

If you struggle with anxiety, its likely that anxiety has become a habit for you, Brewer writes. Many of our habits were meant to help us reduce stress or satisfy emotional needs, he says. Unfortunately, many of these efforts are short-term only, and dont always benefit us long-term. Eating comfort foods may be one example. Our habits exist in loops that consist of a trigger, a behavior, and a result. For example:

Trigger: Feel anxious

Behavior: Eat something sweet

Result: Be distracted from anxiety

Sometimes anxiety can trigger a habit loop, but it can also be the result in a habit loop:

Trigger: Feel unmotivated at work

Behavior: Read news

Result: Feel anxious about the state of the world

But the most pernicious anxiety-related habit is this basic pattern, which many of us fall into, where anxiety reinforces itself:

Trigger: Feel anxious

Behavior: Worry (ruminate on whats wrong, what could go wrong, etc.)

Result: Feel more anxious

What reward could we possibly get out of a self-perpetuating anxiety cycle? Well, Brewer says, the act of worrying can sometimes feel goodor at least better than just sitting with our anxiety. Worrying sometimes (rarely) allows us to come up with solutions, which makes it seem productive. We think were solving problems. Some of us are afraid well be unprepared for the future if we dont worry, and worry gives us a sense of control, even when all we do is churn through the same fears over and over.

Unwinding Anxiety: New Science Shows How to Break the Cycles of Worry and Fear to Heal Your Mind, by Judson Brewer, was published by Avery, an imprint of Penguin Books USA, in March 2021.

One of the studies Brewer contributed to (currently under peer review), explored the effects of mindfulness-based stress reduction among a group of doctors. The intervention used an app to help doctors become aware of worry habit loops. For the doctors, this awareness reduced their burnout and cynicism.

But mapping out your habits is just the first step.

Step 2: Work With Your Brains Reward System

As Brewer says, our brain stores a reward value for different people, places, and things we encounter. The more rewarding our brain thinks a behavior is, the stronger the habit around it will be.

But reward values can become skewed or outdated. For example, we might have developed a passion for cake as an anxious teenbut in adulthood, we now find ourselves in a queasy sugar coma after three slices.

The only sustainable way to change a habit is to update its reward value, writes Brewer. That means taking a fresh look at how a habit is affecting us now. And we need to do this over and over, each time we repeat the habit in our daily life, until our brain updates its reward value and stops being drawn to the habit.

What does this mean in practice?

Once youve identified your habits that support anxiety, you need to be mindful when they occur. If youre anxious and you start worrying about the future, make a mental note; observe the tightness in your chest, the lump in your throat, how little you get done at work that afternoon.

The good thing about this approach is that moments of anxiety become an opportunity to learn about yourself, not something to be afraid of, and not a failure in your quest for calm. (Self-judgment, apparently, seems to go hand-in-hand with anxiety.)

If you have trouble being aware of habits in real time, you can also look back on your day or your week to see the effects of a particular behavior. If your anxiety made you snap at your partner, how did that feel? Rather than analyzing it, just try to re-experience it in your body.

Over time, Brewer suggests, our brain will naturally become disenchanted with our anxiety habits without us having to use so much willpower, allowing more space for new habits to form.

Step 3: Create New Habits

This step is where most other advice begins: the healthy habits and behaviors that we want to engage in. But it makes sense that there isnt much room for these new behaviors until our brains detach from the old ones.

Brewer suggests a variety of mindfulness-related behaviors that you could insert into your habit loops when a trigger arises, many of which may be familiar to you already:

Curiosity and mindfulness: Rather than judging yourself for being anxious, or getting obsessed about where your anxiety is coming from, just get curious. What does it feel like, and where? How does it change? Brewer even recommends saying Hmmm! out loud to yourself, to encourage that sense of curiosity.

Rather than judging yourself for being anxious, or getting obsessed about where your anxiety is coming from, just get curious. What does it feel like, and where? How does it change? Brewer even recommends saying Hmmm! out loud to yourself, to encourage that sense of curiosity. Breathing: Tune in to the breathing sensations in your body. Breathe into places where anxiety shows up, and breathe out anxiety. See how things change.

Tune in to the breathing sensations in your body. Breathe into places where anxiety shows up, and breathe out anxiety. See how things change. RAIN: This is a mindfulness practice where you R ecognize and relax into the present moment; A ccept and allow it to be there; I nvestigate your bodily sensations, emotions, and thoughts; and N ote what is happening.

This is a mindfulness practice where you ecognize and relax into the present moment; ccept and allow it to be there; nvestigate your bodily sensations, emotions, and thoughts; and ote what is happening. Noting: This is a practice of labeling what experiences are predominant in your mind moment to moment, including any of your senses (hearing, touch, sight), thinking, or feeling.

This is a practice of labeling what experiences are predominant in your mind moment to moment, including any of your senses (hearing, touch, sight), thinking, or feeling. Loving kindness: The practice of sending kind, caring thoughts to people, including yourself, and feeling that sense of warmth in your body.

To reinforce these habits, Brewer suggests you can apply techniques from step 2but this time, instead of observing the detrimental effects, you observe how good it feels in your body to be curious or generate loving feelings.

Brewer is a habit expertmuch of his research has focused on smoking and eating disorders. Although his book is about anxiety, the overall framework could apply to many habits in our lives. His insights reveal why so many of our good intentions to exercise, meditate, and otherwise improve dont translate into action. Brewer gives us tools we can use to work with our brains, rather than have our brains work according to anxiety-creating habits.

Kira M. Newman is the managing editor of Greater Good. Her work has been published in outlets including The Washington Post, Mindful magazine, Social Media Monthly, and Tech.co, and she is the co-editor of The Gratitude Project. This article was originally published in Greater Good online magazine.
Scott Morrison has denied misleading Parliament after revelations the head of his department put a review of who in the Prime Ministers staff knew about allegations of rape in a ministerial office on hold two weeks ago.

Mr Morrison had asked his department head, Philip Gaetjens, to check on whether his office was alerted to the rape allegation made by former Liberal staffer Brittany Higgins after contradictory claims about when those close to the Prime Minister were notified.

AFP commissioner Reece Kershaw and Philip Gaetjens, secretary of the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen

However, Australian Federal Police Commissioner Reece Kershaw told a Senate estimates hearing on Monday he was concerned the inquiry being undertaken by Australias top public servant would hamper the police investigation into the matter.

Mr Gaetjens told a separate estimates hearing Mr Kershaw had advised him of these concerns on March 9, leading him to pause the review.
Source: Xinhua| 2021-03-23 03:30:53|Editor: huaxia

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KHARTOUM, March 22 (Xinhua) -- Sudan on Monday urged Ethiopia to accept a mediation quartet regarding the issue of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD).

"Ethiopia should accept the mediation quartet of the United Nations, the European Union, the United States and the African Union to reach a fair and legal agreement," said Sudanese Irrigation and Water Resources Minister Yasir Abbas at a celebration of the World Water Day in the capital Khartoum.

Ethiopia earlier announced its decision to reject the mediation quartet.

In February, Ethiopia said it would carry on with the second-phase 13.5-billion-cubic-meter filling of the GERD in June.

The volume of the first-phase filling last year was 4.9 billion cubic meters.

Sudan, Egypt and Ethiopia have been in talks for years over the technical and legal issues related to the filling and operation of the GERD.

Ethiopia, which started building the GERD in 2011, expects to produce more than 6,000 megawatts of electricity from the dam project, while Egypt and Sudan, downstream Nile Basin countries that rely on the river for its freshwater, are concerned that the dam might affect their share of the water resources. Enditem
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
An NIA court in Kochi dismissed the bail petition of Kerala gold smuggling accused Swapna Suresh on Monday. Moreover, the court also dismissed the bail pleas of 6 others including key accused-P.S Sarith, K.T Ramees and Sandeep Nair.

As per sources, Swapna Suresh and other accused had contended that the investigation in the high-profile gold smuggling case was over and that they should now be out on bail since they had been in custody for 'a long period.' The accused had also contended that the charges against them are 'not sustainable before law', citing the observations made by the High Court previously in the case.

Notably, the Kerala HC had said that gold smuggling did not fall under the ambit of offences included in UAPA or terrorism which Suresh and others cited to present their bail application. The court, however, dismissed the bail application fo all 7 in the case.

Pertinently, trouble is mounting for Swapna Suresh even outside the NIA custody over her explosive statements where she had alleged that Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan was 'very much involved' in the scam. Following this, the Kerala Police registered an FIR against ED officials for 'forcing' Suresh to give such statements.

What is the Kerala Gold smuggling case?

The high-profile scam came to light after Customs officials seized 30 kg of gold worth Rs.15 crore at the Thiruvananthapuram Airport from a diplomatic cargo addressed to a person in the UAE Consulate in July 2020. Sarith PS who worked at the UAE Consulate was apprehended in this regard. Subsequently, Swapna Suresh, an ex-Consulate employee working as the manager of the Kerala State Information Technology Infrastructure Limited and M Sivasankar, the ex-Principal Secretary to Kerala CM were also arrested in this case.

The NIA through the course of its investigation has alleged that the accused had smuggled 167 kg of gold between November 2019 and June 2020 through import cargo addressed to diplomats at the Consulate General of UAE in Thiruvananthapuram. It has also alleged that it had plans to expand this smuggling business to countries such as Bahrain, Saudi Arabia and Malaysia.
CEDARVILLE, Ohio, March 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Searching for a way to honor the lifelong service to Cedarville University by his sister and brother-in-law, Randy Clark turned to some contemporary communication Cedarville emails and a podcastfor motivation.

This motivation led him to contribute $100,000 from his Aunt Bernice Schrenk's trust to fund the Connie and Lyle Anderson Endowed Music Scholarship. The scholarship will provide funds for future music students pursuing programs in keyboard pedagogy or voice as primary performance disciplines.

Clark, a 1974 Cedarville alumnus, interim CEO of private equity companies and a trustee for the trust, had not been as connected to Cedarville University as he would like due to extensive travel for work. However, when he opened a November email that included the Cedarville Stories Podcast with Dr. Lyle and Connie Anderson  his sister and brother-in-law  Clark was moved by their investment in the lives of college students and decided to help future Cedarville music students.

"Although I have not followed Cedarville as closely as I would desire, I have watched from a distance how Cedarville has 'held the torch' for Christian education when so many other schools have drifted away from the truth," said Clark. "Being able to help future students receive an education from a biblical worldview is important to me, and I know my aunt would love to see Connie and Lyle recognized in this way. It was a perfect fit."

The Andersons have served at Cedarville for a combined 72 years. Lyle is senior professor of music and Connie is director of the keyboard pedagogy program.

"Connie and Lyle have impacted college students during their years of teaching at Cedarville University, and this endowed scholarship is a great way to honor them for their faithful service," said Clark. "The music program may not be at the forefront of people's minds, but the way Connie and Lyle have devoted their careers to mentoring students is worthy of this recognition."

The scholarship will be given to students with a minimum 3.3 GPA, display exemplary character, and are pursuing programs that have been heavily influenced by the Andersons.

"We were speechless when Randy shared with us the news of the endowment scholarship," said Connie Anderson. "We knew my aunt wanted her remaining funds to be used to benefit Christian organizations. We're honored that Randy and Cristal Brown, co-executor, elected to benefit future music students at Cedarville."

SOURCE Cedarville University

Related Links

http://www.cedarville.edu


Christine Quinn proved her pregnancy hasn't slowed her down as she posed up a storm for Playboy South Africa's International Womens Month issue.

The Selling Sunset star, 32, who is expecting her first child with retired tech entrepreneur husband Christian Richard, dared to be bold as she displayed her baby bump in striking outfits, styled by Paola Estefania.

Leaving little to the imagination, the real estate agent nearly went nude as she wore just a cloth for her cover look.

Hot mama! Christine Quinn proved her pregnancy hasn't slowed her down as she posed up a storm for Playboy South Africa's International Womens Month issue

One stunning image saw the property expert team a barely-there thong with a netted halterneck crop top.

The media personality looked ethereal as she cupped her stomach in a flowy nude material.

Amping up the sex appeal, the bombshell also modelled see-through co-ords in a bath, which was covered in petals.

The PrettyLittleThing ambassador was the picture of confidence as she later switched into a tasselled garment.

Less is more: The Selling Sunset star, 32, displayed her baby bump as she nearly went nude in just a cloth for her cover look

Watch her glow: Amping up the sex appeal, the real estate agent modelled see-through co-ords in a bath tub, which was covered in petals

Working it: The PrettyLittleThing ambassador was the picture of confidence as she later switched into a tasselled garment

Radiant: The yummy mummy-to-be wore her lengthy tresses in mermaid-style waves while her complexion was enhanced with dewy make-up

The blonde recently predicted she'll be a Mean Girls-style 'cool mom' in an interview on This Morning.

In the virtual interview, the reality star insisted she'll take inspiration from Amy Poehler's Mrs. George in the 2004 hit film when it comes to raising her child.

When asked about how she thinks her parenting skills will be like, the model told British hosts Holly Willoughby and Phillip Schofield: 'I think I'm gonna be a really cool mom like the mom in Mean Girls.

'It was such a huge milestone in my life, motherhood is such a special thing. We released it about a week ago and we're so thrilled.

Out now: The TV star's shoot is available in this month's Playboy South Africa

The actress' iconic portrayal of Regina's mother in the comedy saw her dance at her daughter's high school performance and offer teenagers cocktails.

Despite having a rocky relationship with her cast members, Christine will be forced to spend more time with the fellow property experts as Netflix recently announced their programme has been renewed for two more seasons.

The TV star expressed her excitement over the upcoming series as she added: 'Selling Sunset has been renewed for not one but two seasons, we're going to be filming very soon and I'm so excited about that.'

Selling Sunset follows luxury realtors across Los Angeles who work at The Oppenheim Group and the returning cast includes: Jason and Brett Oppenheim, Chrishell, Christine, Mary, Heather, Amanza Smith, Maya Vander, and Davina Potratz.
Photo: The Canadian Press

Some of Canada's newsrooms will now permanently exist only in cyberspace, as publishers look to save money on physical offices amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

Torstar is permanently closing the physical office spaces for the Waterloo Region Record and the St. Catharines Standard by the end of next month, as media follows industries like tech that have embraced remote work as a permanent default.

The company says all staff at the two outlets will work remotely on a permanent basis  following the same model as the Peterborough Examiner, which closed its offices last summer after the COVID-19 pandemic forced staff to work from home.

Torstar spokesman Bob Hepburn says there will be no changes to headcount or print and digital products as a result of the office closures, which will let the company cut its leasing costs of office space.

Torstar's decision comes amid a similar shift in the U.S. and U.K., where the New York Daily News no longer has a physical newsroom and the publisher of Britain's Daily Mirror is moving many employees to work from home near office hubs.

A J-Source survey of 2018 and 2019 Canadian journalism school graduates said almost 57 per cent of 122 respondents found that it was either more difficult or much more difficult than normal to interact with co-workers under pandemic conditions.
PM hosts Vietnam-ASEAN Economic Cooperation Development Association delegation

Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc hosted a reception for representatives from the Vietnam-ASEAN Economic Cooperation Development Association (VASEAN) in Hanoi on March 18.

Speaking at the meeting, PM Phuc noted that Vietnam has signed the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP), opening massive space for cooperation. Meanwhile, the country has ensured a stable macroeconomic situation and the peoples living conditions, he said, adding that the countrys higher position, stable socio-economic situation and peoples solidarity are all good conditions for businesses.

The PM stressed the significance of promoting ties with ASEAN countries, especially in economy, asserting that this greatly depends on the dynamism of businesses. Last year, Vietnam successfully hosted the ASEAN Summit, he said, adding that cooperation opportunities with the association remain abundant. The PM also showed his hope that VASEAN members will help connect Vietnam and partners in ASEAN region and the rest of the world.

Vietnamese-funded new National Assembly Building handed over to Laos

Vietnamese-funded new National Assembly Building handed over to Laos (Photo: VNA)

A ceremony was held in Vientiane on March 20 to hand over the new National Assembly Building to the Lao legislature, as a gift from the Vietnamese Party, State and people.

The Lao NA Building, constructed at a cost of over US$111 million, will be the venue for meetings of the Lao NA and important ceremonies. It will also serve cultural tours and research trips of the people, students and tourists.

The building is a meaningful gift and a symbol of the great friendship, special solidarity and comprehensive cooperation between the two countries.

Vietnam maintains positive outlook for economic recovery in 2021: WB

The rapid suppression of the new COVID-19 outbreak in late January 2021 has helped maintain Vietnams positive outlook for economic recovery this year, the World Bank (WB) has said.

In its latest Vietnam Macro Monitoring report, the WB said, looking ahead, special attention should be paid to how the COVID-19 vaccinations will be rolled out domestically and globally as they will impact the pace of Vietnams economic growth. Further fiscal and monetary policy interventions may be required to support recovery of private demand.

According to the WB, the Vietnamese government quickly introduced strict but targeted measures to suppress this new outbreak of COVID-19 in Hai Duong, the epicentre, including during the Tet holidays.

As a result, the number of new cases started decreasing, and restrictions were partly eased in the second half of the month.

Moody's upgrades unsecured ratings of 15 Vietnamese banks

Transactions at a branch of Vietcombank (Photo: VNA)

Moody's Investors Service has affirmed the long-term local and foreign currency deposit ratings and senior unsecured ratings of 15 Vietnamese banks at Ba3 positive.

At the same time, Moody's also revised the outlook for the long-term local and foreign currency deposit and issuer ratings of five banks to positive from negative, four banks to positive from stable, and six banks to stable from negative.

The rating actions followed Moody's affirmation of Vietnam's Ba3 issuer rating and the change in the outlook to positive from negative.

The 15 banks are An Binh Bank, ACB, HDBank, Vietcombank, BIDV, Lien Viet Post Bank, MB, OCB, SeABank, TPBank, Agribank, VIB, VietinBank, VPBank and Techcombank.

Vietnam jumps four places to rank 79th in World Happiness Report 2021

Vietnam has moved up four places to rank 79th in the United Nations-sponsored World Happiness Report 2021, which was released on March 19.

The country has even surpassed China, ranked 84th, and other Southeast Asian nations like Malaysia (81st) and Myanmar (126th) in the report.

The World Happiness Report 2021 focuses on the effects of COVID-19 and how people all over the world have fared.

Top five countries in the happiness ranking are dominated by European nations, comprising Finland, Denmark, Sweden, Iceland and the Netherlands. New Zealand is the only country outside Europe to be included in the top ten, claiming the ninth position.

Vietnamese photographer award at international contest

Nhung Thien Than Tay Nguyen (The Angels of the Central Highlands) by Ninh Manh Thang.

A photo by Vietnamese photographer Ninh Manh Thang has won a gold medal in the child category of the Three Country Grand Circuit 2020 international photo contest.

The black-and-white photo, entitled Nhung Thien Than Tay Nguyen (The Angels of the Central Highlands), depicts children in the Central Highlands of Vietnam under the protecting arms of a village chief. It was taken in 2020. The theme behind the image is to send a message on the need to protect children to secure a brighter future, the photographer revealed.

The Three Country Grand Circuit 2020 photo contest was organised by Ireland, Montenegro and Serbia and sponsored by the Photographic Society of America (PSA). This year's contest, the sixth of its kind, was open to both amateur and professional photographers worldwide and consists of 12 sections, all of which are digital.

Statue of Pushkin unveiled in Hanoi

A 2.1-metre-tall bronze statue of famous Russian poet Alexandre Sergeievich Pushkin has been unveiled at Hoa Binh Park in Hanois Bac Tu Liem District by the municipal Peoples Committee and the Embassy of Russia in Vietnam.

Speaking at the unveiling ceremony, Secretary of the Security Council of Russia Patrushev Nikolai Platonovich said that the statue manifests the determination of Vietnam and Russia to further deepen the coordination and cooperation between the two sides.

Russian Ambassador to Vietnam Konstantin Vasilievich Vnukov, for his part, said the 1.5-tonne statue is a present from the Russian Writers Association to the government and people of Hanoi, following an initiative implemented by the Embassy of Russia since 2016. The unveiling ceremony demonstrates the strong friendship between the two countries, he said.

IT museum inaugurated in Quang Trung Software Park

Visitors at the Quang Trung Software Park IT Museum (Photo: VNA)

The Quang Trung Software Park in Ho Chi Minh City has inaugurated a museum to exhibit the IT products and solutions created there over the past two decades.

Covering 220 square metres and built at a cost of VND5 billion (US$217,000), the museum features pictures and other objects related to the 20-year development of the software park.

It will also be a place to introduce and demonstrate new technological solutions developed by firms based in the software park. Those on display include a monitoring and operation system of the park, solutions for digital transformation, and solutions and applications in education, healthcare and life, among others.

The museum also has a special section for visitors to experience new technologies such as artificial intelligence, virtual reality and augmented reality, robotics, 3D printing, and big data.
Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernandez in Tegucigalpa, January 2020. Jorge Cabrera / Reuters

The president of Honduras, Juan Orlando Hernandez, was elected to a four-year term in January 2018 and began his mandate amid violent protests against his controversial reelection. Now he is nearing the end of that tenure against the backdrop of a New York trial of two powerful drug lords who have described in excruciating detail how Hernandez offered them protection in exchange for envelopes stuffed with thousands of dollars.

With eight months remaining until he relinquishes power, the name of Juan Orlando Hernandez has become linked with the cartel that over the course of the last decade has controlled the drug trade in Honduras: Los Cachiros. Two of its bosses, Geovanny Fuentes and Devis Leonel Rivera Madariaga, are at the center of the New York trial and their testimony has the president on the ropes. Their revelations not only implicate Hernandez, but also his vice president, the army, the police and his two predecessors in office, Porfirio Lobo Sosa and Manuel Zelaya, all of whom stand accused of turning a blind eye to the drug trade in exchange for bribes. It is yet another hurricane to hit a country already at breaking point.

What the narcos in New York are saying is plausible because the power of the drug trade is uncomfortably close to the center of power in Honduras Juan Jimenez Mayor, former minister of justice and human rights in Peru

Fuentes and Rivera have both testified that Los Cachiros handed Hilda Hernandez, the presidents late sister, $250,000 (210,000) in cash in 2012 when Hernandez was serving as president of the National Congress and was the leading candidate to assume the presidency of the country. In exchange, Los Cachiros wanted protection so that the military and the police could not arrest [members] or have them extradited to the United States, Rivera, his feet cuffed, told the court.

The New York trial has served to implicate the president and several of his closest confidants: his sister, who died in a helicopter crash in December 2017, his brother Tony Hernandez, currently serving a prison sentence in the US after being found guilty of drug trafficking, and Vice President Ricardo Alvarez, who allegedly received $500,000 (420,000) from Los Cachiros in exchange for a promise to expunge the extradition treaty between Honduras and the US if he was elected president.

Rivera and Fuentes have also said Manuel Zelaya was paid $500,000 in 2006 to name his cousin minister of national security, an appointment that did not materialize. Those named by Los Cachiros have denied the accusations, with Hernandez saying that they are nothing more than two informants for the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and repentant traffickers seeking to reduce their own sentences.

Irrefutable proof that I never received a bribe was that I never named a minister from organized crime or under pressure from the US embassy, Zelaya stated on Twitter.

However, the United States justice system has been keeping a close eye on the president of Honduras for some time and even more so after the arrest of his brother on federal charges of importing tons of cocaine into the country. During the trial, his name  identified as CC4  appeared in evidence 104 times. A witness even testified that Tony Hernandez attended a meeting in 2013 during which Joaquin El Chapo Guzman Loera, the former head of the Sinaloa cartel, handed him $1 million (840,000) for his brothers presidential campaign.

Hernandez has, thus far, remained relatively unscathed due to his close relationship with former US president Donald Trump and his willingness to bend to Washingtons will. In a macabre twist, Honduras  one of the most violent countries in the world  accepted a US invitation to become a Safe Third Country and host asylum seekers from around the world while they wait for their applications to be accepted. Joe Bidens administration, however, suspended Trumps Asylum Cooperative Agreements (ACAs) with Honduras, Guatemala and El Salvador in February.

Honduras is controlled by organized crime and all of the seats of power are controlled by the same mafia Salvador Nasralla, Honduran presidential candidate

Cartel bosses were occasionally extradited to Honduras and although the migrant caravans have become a problem for the US, the security agenda has taken priority over the human rights agenda. With Bidens election and the cascade of confessions in New York, Honduras standing with the US is coming under fresh scrutiny.

Beyond the president, the New York trial has also shone a light on the decay that extends throughout Honduras institutions like the judiciary, the army and the National Assembly. The former minister of justice and human rights in Peru, Juan Jimenez Mayor, was handed a remit by the Organization of American States (OEA) in 2013 to head up the Mission to Support the Fight Against Corruption in Honduras (MACCIH), which represented the first time the OEA had established an anti-corruption commission. During his three years in the role, he opened an investigation into 70 elected officials accused of diverting public funds from construction projects that were never carried out. According to his report, two-thirds of the National Congress received undeclared bonuses but when his investigation started to point higher up the ladder, things became more difficult. Eventually, Hernandez ordered he be removed from the country with the approval of Luis Almagro, the secretary general of the OEA.

What the narcos in New York are saying is plausible because the power of the drug trade is uncomfortably close to the center of power in Honduras. But it should also be noted that Juan Orlando Hernandez extradited cartel members despite a constitutional ban on doing so and the importance of that has to be taken into account. In Colombia doing the same led to a war and caused a shift from drug trafficking to terrorism. At the same time, he has extradited around 15 major cartel bosses and its possible this is revenge being exacted. The quality of the evidence will be decisive, Jimenez Mayor told EL PAIS in an interview.

According to one estimate, around 80 tons of cocaine pass through Honduras every month

The idea that Honduras is a narco-state was posited during the ongoing trial by the prosecutor. It is a theory that Salvador Nasralla, twice a presidential candidate, shares: Honduras is controlled by organized crime and all of the seats of power are controlled by the same mafia. In Nasrallas view, Hernandez could face the same fate as Manuel Antonio Noriega, the former president of Panama who was arrested after the US invasion in 1989. The Americans dont have friends, they have interests. And this man has got out of hand. What the narcos in New York are saying has been backed by records, phone calls, notebooks and they all agree on the same methodology, Nasralla told EL PAIS from Tegucigalpa, the capital city of Honduras. The army safeguarded his illegal reelection and at the same time it is the army that guarantees the safe passage of drugs.

According to Nasrallas estimate, around 80 tons of cocaine pass through Honduras every month, a strategic stop on a route that runs through the Caribbean from Colombia and Venezuela.

Hours before last Sundays primary elections among the National, Libre and Liberal parties, writer and analyst Victor Meza noted the tension present in the streets and the disturbing rumors circulating around the country. In an electoral context Juan Orlando is going to find himself more and more isolated and nobody can rule out a self-coup or that he may decide to run for another term. There are meetings, messages and very worrying rumors. There is an atmosphere similar to that preceding the 2009 coup that ousted Manuel Zelaya, which also took place on a Sunday in the middle of elections. Juan Orlandos weakening grip is evident; he came to power lacking legitimacy and the trial has finished him, Meza said.

The drug lords hand out large sums of money to the police, politicians, government officials, the military, judges their implantation has been gradual but they have ended up controlling all of the organs of power.

Two months ago, Juan Orlando Hernandez cited General Morazan, the liberator of Central America, as a paragon of courage and zeal. With a microphone in his hand, he attempted to rouse a populace ground down by Hurricanes Eta and Iota, which have left tens of thousands of people destitute, by alluding to the hero of 1830. Hernandez asked Hondurans for yet another sacrifice eight weeks before his name was splashed across front pages worldwide over his alleged links to drug trafficking. Among the people, however, the feeling was that of all the hurricanes that have buffeted their country, this was the easiest to predict.

English version by Rob Train.
New Delhi, March 22 : Uttarakhand Chief Minister Tirath Singh Rawat has tested positive for coronavirus and has isolated himself.

Giving information about this on his Twitter handle on Monday, the Chief Minister said, "My corona test report has come positive. I am fine and I have no problem. I have isolated myself under the supervision of doctors. All those of you I have come in close contact in the last few days, please be cautious and get yourself checked. I wish everyone good health. " For the past several days, the Chief Minister has been continuously attending several programmes. He also met some Union Ministers and BJP leaders in Delhi.

On Sunday , the Chief Minister went to a temple located in Nainital district. Here he was joined by his cabinet colleague Harak Singh Rawat and a few other leaders and workers.

Earlier, the Chief Minister also attended the core group meeting at the BJP state office in Dehradun.

He also took part in a programme organised on the occasion of World Forestry Day on Sunday in Nainital district's Ramnagar.

Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19)

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
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No Republican Running on Anti-Trump Platform in 22 Will Win a Primary: RightVoters Boucher

Former President Donald Trumps sway over the Republican Party remains so strong that no GOP candidate running on an anti-Trump platform will win a 2022 primary contest, according to Andrew Boucher, a partner at RightVoter and an organizer of The Charleston Meeting.

There is not going to be a single person who wins a Republican primary in 2022 who runs on the basis of I think we should move past Donald Trump, I dont think Donald Trump did a good job as president,' Boucher told The Epoch Times Crossroads program in a wide-ranging interview.

You cant be an anti-Trump Republican and win a primary in this party anywhere in America, he contended.

Boucher argued that this premise also sets the framework for how the Republican Party is going to reorganize going forward, whose voices are going to be enhanced, and frankly, whose voices were probably not going to hear from again.

The future of the GOP has come into focus as factions within the party vie for influence in a post-Trump-presidency era. While most Republicans remain fiercely loyal to the former president, some seek a new direction for the party and have called on the GOP to firewall Trump.

Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson told CNNs State of the Union in February that it would hurt the GOP if its members let him define us.

Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan, in a Feb. 19 interview with Katie Couric, former host at CNN, CBS, and NBC, said that the Republican Party is at the beginning of what is going to be a long and, you know, difficult battle for the soul of the Republican Party and argued that a GOP that embodied Trumps vision would lack the broad appeal needed to win general elections.

Other Republicans have considered forming a splinter party. Evan McMullin, who was chief policy director for the House Republican Conference and ran as an independent in the 2016 presidential election, told Reuters that he co-hosted a Zoom call with some 120 former Republican officials from several administrations who are concerned about Trumps power within the GOP and are considering forming a center-right breakaway party.

Large portions of the Republican Party are radicalizing and threatening American democracy, McMullin told Reuters. The party needs to recommit to truth, reason and founding ideals or there clearly needs to be something new.

Asked about these discussions about a breakaway faction, Trump spokesman Jason Miller said, These losers left the Republican Party when they voted for Joe Biden.

Boucher commented on the intra-party conflicts within the GOP, saying that the party has become more diverse and differences of opinion can be constructive.

If you have an establishment wing, or a so-called establishment wing, and a MAGA wing and a constitutional conservative wing and a small government wing and you can extend it to foreign policyyou have more interventionist versus isolationistor America Firstersthose are all valid voices within the Republican coalition, Boucher said.

He contends that much of the media has sought to play up the destructive dimension of the clashes, while ignoring their constructive aspect as competing perspectives are weighed, and policy positions debated to selected those that are optimal for the country.

Sometimes, the conflict is good and healthy, Boucher said, adding that hes seeing a groundswell of conservative activism at a grassroots level that he believes will be key in shaping the Republican Party of the future.

Because you look at whats happening on the other sidethe cancel culture, the overspending, the absolute insanity thats coming from the hard left, the attacks on the United States of America itself, he said, arguing that opposition to such policies is what should unite the broader conservative movement.

Thats not what you want to be a part of. You want to be a part of our larger coalition that believes in the United States, that believes in limited constitutional government, he said.

Boucher added that Trump has tremendous power within the Republican Party because he earned it, citing the former presidents successful, against-all-odds presidential bid, and taking that to a place of governance where he achieved great things in four years in office.

He acknowledged that there are going to be some growing pains in the GOP going forward, including calls to take the party in a different direction.

I think theres going to be shots fired in all different directions, he said. Were going to see some of this play out in actual primary campaigns around the country. But what I tell people is, there is no anti-Trump lane within any Republican primary anywhere in America.

Recent polling supports the view that Trumps hold on the GOP remains strong. A Quinnipiac University poll showed that three-quarters of Republicans want Trump to play a prominent role in the party. Meanwhile, a Suffolk University-USA Today poll found that nearly half of Republicans said they would abandon the party to join a new party headed by Trump.

Trump has unequivocally declared that he isnt interested in starting a third party and that hes committed to the GOP.
 Flash

The Malaysian government on Sunday expelled all diplomats of the embassy of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) in response to the latter's decision to sever diplomatic ties.

The expulsion has been carried out in conformity with Article 9 of the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations 1961 and that the Malaysian government was forced to take this action in response to the DPRK's "unilateral and utterly irresponsible decision to sever diplomatic ties with Malaysia," Malaysian Foreign Minister Hishammuddin Hussein said in a statement.

"The action by the Government of Malaysia has become a necessity in order to protect Malaysia's sovereignty and safeguard our national interest," he said.

Vehicles carrying the DPRK's diplomatic staff and their families were seen leaving their embassy in Kuala Lumpur in the morning and headed to the airport.

Before leaving the embassy, Charge d'Affaires Kim Yu Song told the media that by extraditing a DPRK citizen to the United States, the Malaysian authority had destroyed the entire foundation of the bilateral relations.

The official Korean Central News Agency reported on Friday that the DPRK has decided to cut diplomatic relations with Malaysia after Malaysia's top court ruled in favor of extraditing a DPRK businessman to the United States to face money laundering charges.

The report said that the DPRK businessman was engaged in "legitimate external trade activities" and warned that the Malaysian authority would "bear full responsibility for all the consequences to be incurred between the two countries."

Malaysia's Foreign Ministry stressed that the extradition of the DPRK national was conducted in accordance with the principles of justice, rule of law and independence of judiciary.

The DPRK citizen was detained by the Malaysian authority in May 2019 pursuant to the provisional arrest warrant issued following allegations of conspiracy to launder money as well as violating United Nations sanctions, the ministry said.
[March 22, 2021] Porte Announces New Charity Partner - The National Park Foundation

IRVING, Texas, March 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Porte, a mobile banking solution committed to helping members navigate their path toward financial freedom,1 has added the National Park Foundation (NPF) to its growing list of charitable organizations benefitting from purchases made by Porte members through its #DoorToChange program.2 Through Porte's #DoorToChange, members know that with every purchase transaction, a donation is made on their behalf to the Porte charity partner that matters most to them and at no cost to the member. The National Park Foundation (https://www.nationalparks.org) joins current charity partners GLAAD, The Humane Society of the United States and Save the Children. Porte has set a goal to donate more than $100,000 to its #DoorToChange partners in 2021. "Protecting our national parks  their vast landscapes and wilderness, and cultural and historical sites  is protecting our national treasures," said Melanie Few, Chief Marketing Officer, Populus Financial Group. "When you select the National Park Foundation as your #DoorToChange charity, each debit card purchase helps safeguard over 400 national parks, ensuring future generations the opportunity to enjoy the places we love." As the official nonprofit partner of the National Park Service, the National Park Foundation works to protect wildlife and park lands, preserve history and culture, educate and engage youth, and connect people everywhere to the wonder of parks. "The National Park Foundation is honored to be Porte's newest partner," said Stefanie Mathew, senior vice president of corporate partnerships at the National Park Foundation. "We are grateful to Porte and its members for supporting the National Park Foundation's mission to preserve national parks that open doors of curiosity and wonder for all of us." Porte is the mobile banking solution that provides tools and technology to put members on a path toward financial freedom. Representing a modern approach to banking, Porte provides members with real-world insights into their financial challenges and resources to help guide them as they make financial decisions. Based on feedback from consumers, Porte was designed to deliver key benefits and features in a premium package. #DoorToChange is one of the key features that drives Porte membership because these donations made to select charity partners do not cost members anything and are 100% funded by Porte. In addition, Porte offers an up to 3.00% Annual Percentage Yield Savings Account,3 with members earning up to 60x the national average,4 with no monthly fees.5 Porte accounts and services have been established with MetaBank, National Association, Member FDIC and Netspend. To start your path towards financial freedom, download the Porte app in the App Store or Google Play. For more information on Porte, visit www.portebanking.com.



About the National Park Foundation

The National Park Foundation is the official charity of America's national parks and nonprofit partner to the National Park Service. Chartered by Congress in 1967, the National Park Foundation raises private funds to help protect more than 84 million acres of national parks through critical conservation and preservation efforts and connect all Americans with their comparable natural landscapes, vibrant culture, and rich history. Find out more and become a part of the national park community at www.nationalparks.org. About Porte

Porte is a mobile banking solution committed to helping its members navigate a path toward financial freedom. Part of Populus Financial Group, Porte does not have costly physical locations, allowing it to reduce fees typically charged by traditional banks and increase its charitable giving, at no costs to its members, based on member activity. Visit PorteBanking.com for more information.

About MetaBank , N.A.

MetaBank, N.A., a national bank, is a subsidiary of Meta Financial Group, Inc., a South Dakota-based financial holding company. MetaBank, is a financial enablement company that works to increase financial availability, choice, and opportunity for all. MetaBank strives to remove barriers that traditional institutions put in the way of financial access, and promote economic mobility by providing responsible, secure, high quality financial products that contribute to individuals and communities at the core of the real economy. Additional information can be found by visiting www.metapay.com or www.metafinancialgroup.com. About Netspend, a Global Payments Company

Netspend is the payment provider of choice to self-banked consumers and the brands that serve them. With a mission to empower consumers with the convenience, security and freedom to be self-banked, Netspend's products have helped over 10 million consumers spend, budget and pay bills since 1999. Consumers can reload and find Netspend Prepaid Cards at convenient locations nationwide through Netspend's extensive network of over 115,000 reload locations and more than 100,000 active employers and selling locations, including check cashers, convenience stores, grocers, pharmacies, insurance providers and tax preparers. Headquartered in Austin, Texas, Netspend is a wholly owned subsidiary of Global Payments Inc. For more information, please visit www.netspend.com. 1Must register & verify ID to open account. Terms, fees apply. Issued by MetaBank, N.A., Member FDIC.

2Visit Portebanking.com/disclaimers#door-to-change for more information on Porte's #DoorToChange program.

3Visit Portebanking.com/disclaimers#savings for more information on Porte's Optional Savings Account.

4The national rate is posted by the FDIC and are calculated based on a simple average of rates paid (uses annual percentage yield) by all insured depository institutions and branches for which data are available. More details about the calculation may be found at: https://www.fdic.gov/regulations/resources/rates/#one. The national rate for savings accounts is reported by the FDIC as 0.05 % APY as of 01/04/2021. This data is verified on a quarterly basis.

5Other fees may apply. See Deposit Account Agreement for details. PORTE is a deposit account established by MetaBank, National Association, Member FDIC. Certain products and services may be licensed under U.S. Patent Nos. 6,000,608 and 6,189,787. View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/porte-announces-new-charity-partner---the-national-park-foundation-301252645.html SOURCE Porte

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SELBYVILLE, Del., March 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Based on Global Market Insights Inc., report, the global Benzalkonium Chloride Market size was estimated at $710 million in 2020 and is slated to surpass $1.28 billion by 2027, registering a CAGR of 8.7% from 2021 to 2027 owing to increasing demand for product as disinfectants for industrial and household applications. The report provides a comprehensive analysis of the top winning strategies, wavering industry trends, drivers & opportunities, top investment avenues, competitive scenarios, market estimations & size.

Global Market Insights Inc.

Demand for antiseptics, disinfectants, wetting agent, solubilizing agent and antimicrobial preservative is expected to stimulate product demand from pharmaceutical sector. The product is estimated to witness demand from eye care product manufacturers owing to its application in contact lens solution and ophthalmic solution as disinfectant which represents ample growth opportunities for benzalkonium chloride market growth. Furthermore, in combination to thimerosol preservative the product has application in ear and nasal formulation to enhance antimicrobial activity against various bacterial strain which should augment market growth in the predicted time span.

Request Sample Report: https://www.gminsights.com/request-sample/detail/3233

Benzalkonium chloride market from 50% concentration type surpassed USD 160 million in 2020 pertaining to its application as germicide and should raise product demand in the projected timespan.

Paper and pulp application of the product is expected to grow over by CAGR 7.8% by end of 2027 owing to its ability to impart strength and antistatic property to paper products. On the other hand, food and beverage application of the product is likely to surpass USD 115 million by 2027 owing to its anti-corrosive and non-toxic property which enhances application in formulation of cleaner sanitizer for food storage tanks and dairies.

Asia-Pacific, followed by North America, to maintain its lead position by 2027:

North America is estimated to witness growth over 8.5% over the forecast period owing to its application in pharmaceutical industry and food & beverage sector. Moreover, the Asia Pacific should register over 9% gains by 2027 on account of rapidly increasing industrialization and agricultural activities in the region. The region is expected to witness increased benzalkonium chloride market demand for disinfectant application in agricultural process.

The microbicidal and cleaning property of the product is used in hygiene products for removal and penetration of soil and disinfecting surfaces owing to its application in agriculture which should raise the benzalkonium chloride market share in the region. Demand for agricultural inputs along with services such as cold storage and warehousing is increasing rapidly which is expected to augment product market growth in the region. Rising environmental concern and increasing use of the biodegradable benzalkonium chloride as an alternative to chlorinated biocides have raised product demand for wood protection applications.

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Leading market players:

Key manufacturers operating in the benzalkonium chloride industry includes players such as Merck Millipore, Stephan Company, Quat-Chem, Iwaki Seiyaku, Kao Chemicals, Novo Nordisk, Zhengzhou Meiya Chemical Products, Haihang Industry Co. ltd, TNJ Chemicals, Dishman Group, AVA Chemicals, Jinshan Jingwei Chemical, Unilab Chemicals, Shadong Taihe, Manav Aktteva Biopharma LLP.

Related Reports:

Industrial Liquid Coatings Market Future Business Strategies and Revenue Impact Analysis - 2025

Aluminum Pigments Market Future Business Strategies and Competitive Analysis - 2024



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Benzalkonium Chloride Market Outlook - 2027

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Woman Who Suffered Acid Attack for Rejecting Marriage Proposal Finds Love, Marries Man She Met in Hospital

An acid attack survivor has tied the knot with the man she met in a hospital while recovering over the last few years.

Pramodini Roul, 28, married Saroj Sahoo, 29, on March 1 in her hometown Jagatsinhpur, Odisha, after first meeting in 2018.

Sarojs friend was a nurse and would regularly visit the hospital where brave Pramodini was being treated. After they met, the pair quickly fell in love.

We had so many guests at our wedding to celebrate our special day with us. (Caters News)

Pramodini had suffered horrific burns to her face and head and was left bald with just 20 percent of her eyesight.

But that didnt stop her from enjoying the best day of her life this month with over 1,000 guests, including other acid attack survivors.

Pramodini, who wore a wig on her wedding day, said, I feel so blessed to be married to Saroj, its an amazing feeling.

We had so many guests at our wedding to celebrate our special day with us.

The couple were engaged in 2018 and had plans to marry in April 2020 but the pandemic outbreak last year delayed their plans.

A lot of people were surprised that he would want to marry me but we fell in love and our families did come around to the idea. (Caters News)

After visiting the hospital on and off during my recovery in 2018 we fell in love and he gave up his job to help care for me, Pramodini said.

A lot of people were surprised that he would want to marry me but we fell in love and our families did come around to the idea.

Pramodini was just 15 years old when she was doused in acidsomething she claims happened due to a rejected marriage proposal.

The attack caused severe burns to her face and blinded her in both eyes.

But after suffering with pain for almost a decade and undergoing five reconstructive surgeries, including one to correct vision in her left eye, she met the love of her life in the hospital.

Parmodini suffered horrific burns after an acid attack. (Caters News)

Pramodini added, After meeting in hospital we lived together in New Delhi at first before contemplating on getting married in two years.

The first time Id seen Saroj was this September when I had undergone the first surgery in left eye but I had fallen for his charms.

He loves me like the way I am. He always encourages me to live life happily.

The two now work for rehabilitation of acid attack survivors in Odisha through Chaanv Foundation, an NGO that works for acid attack survivors in the country.

Epoch Times staff contributed to this report.
Euromonitor International  the leading market research firm  will host a webinar Called Travel Industry Update with Euromonitor 2021with WTM Global to discuss the prospects for the global travel and tourism market.



The webinar will feature Caroline Bremner, Head of Travel and Tourism Research at Euromonitor International. The virtual event will take place on March 25, starting at 2pm GMT on WTM Global Hub [hub.wtm.com]



With almost 25 years of experience at Euromonitor International, Bremner is a regular commentator on trends for World Travel Market.



She will present the findings of Euromonitor Internationals Travel Forecast Model, which predicts that global inbound tourism spending will recover by 2022 at the earliest  as long as mass vaccinations and testing enable travel to resume safely.



World inbound tourism spending collapsed by -57% in 2020, and our forecast expects it to rebound by 82% in 2021, she said. In our most pessimistic scenario, spending growth is predicted to rise by 40% in 2021, leading to a more prolonged recovery timeline, returning to pre-crisis levels by 2024.



She will also discuss Euromonitor Internationals recent Voice of the Consumer global survey, which found that 65% of consumers remain concerned about climate change.



Consumers are increasingly interested in having a positive impact on the environment through day-to-day actions, added Bremner. France and Germany show high levels of interest in sustainable travel.

Using Euromonitors research, I will outline the outlook for recovery in different regions  and pinpoint opportunities as the market looks to build back better. Consumer attitudes have changed during the pandemic so we will look at how travel businesses can adapt, while accelerating their digital and sustainable transformation.



Well showcase noteworthy case studies to illustrate the most crucial trends and inspire others to seize opportunities in the coming months, she added.



Claude Blanc, WTM Portfolio Director, said: WTM Portfolio has been at the forefront of shaping the travel industrys revival and this Euromonitor webinar is our latest online forum for professionals to hear up-to-the-minute global research and find out how to capitalise on the pent-up demand from consumers.



We have been working with governments and the private sector around the world to create a safer, smarter and greener travel and tourism industry.



As well as post-Covid protocols, travel companies have to deal with environmental, technological and political challenges, so this Euromonitor webinar will be an essential event for our colleagues in the sector as we all navigate the roadmap to recovery, Blanc added.  TradeArabia News Service




Minister Bogdan Aurescu participates, on Monday, in the meeting of the EU Ministers of Foreign Affairs, in Brussels, informs a press release of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MAE) sent to AGERPRES.

The agenda of the meeting will include discussions on Turkey and the Southern Neighborhood. European foreign ministers will also have an informal exchange of views with Michelle Bachelet, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, in a video-conference format, the cited source states.

"As concerns Russia, (...) Minister Bogdan Aurescu will welcome the swift adoption of restrictive measures the new EU Global Human Rights Sanctions Regime. He will reiterate the importance of a strategic approach to the EU-Russia relationship that should to reaffirm the unity of the EU on the basis of the five guiding principles adopted in 2016, which oversee this relationship, as well as the importance of a stronger EU political commitment to the Eastern Partnership countries, especially with the associated ones," shows the release.

"The Romanian official will highlight the concern about the internal situation in Georgia and will express his support for the EU mediation efforts meant to help the political forces in Tbilisi to overcome the current impasse. Minister Bogdan Aurescu will welcome the visit to Georgia of the President of the European Council (March 1, 2021) and the organization of the recent EU-Georgia Association Council (March 16)," informs the MAE.

"The Romanian minister will address the geopolitical challenges facing the Western Balkan states, emphasizing the need for a more visible EU presence in the region. He will stress the need for a renewed EU engagement in the region and the organization of a comprehensive debate at a future CAE meeting, as requested by the foreign ministers of nine member states, including Romania, in a letter recently addressed to the High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Josep Borrell," the release further reads.

Moreover, the Romanian Minister of Foreign Affairs will strongly condemn the continuation of violence against peaceful demonstrators in Myanmar.
Source: Xinhua| 2021-03-22 13:20:17|Editor: huaxia

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Workers unload a batch of COVID-19 vaccines developed by the Chinese pharmaceutical company Sinovac at Cardinal Bernadin Gantin International Airport in Cotonou, Benin, March 21, 2021. A batch of coronavirus vaccine developed by the Chinese pharmaceutical company Sinovac arrived in Cotonou, the economic capital of Benin, on Sunday evening. (Photo by Seraphin Zounyekpe/Xinhua)

COTONOU, March 22 (Xinhua) -- A batch of coronavirus vaccine developed by the Chinese pharmaceutical company Sinovac arrived in Cotonou, the economic capital of Benin, on Sunday evening.

"I salute the Chinese government which, through the cooperation between our two countries, has supported the Beninese authorities in their efforts to fight the pandemic, since the appearance of the first case of COVID-19 on the territory of Benin on March 16, 2020," said Health Minister Benjamin Hounkpatin as he welcomed the vaccines at Cardinal Bernadin Gantin International Airport.

For his part, Chinese Ambassador to Benin Peng Jingtao noted that the arrival of the Chinese vaccine in Benin, is part of the cooperation and solidarity between the two countries to fight against COVID-19.

"Since the start of the pandemic in Benin, cooperation between the two countries has been exemplary, pragmatic and effective. The Chinese vaccine is a global public good accessible to all developing countries, especially African countries," he said. Enditem
The new owner of the Cockatoo Island iron ore mine off Western Australias north-west coast has refuted reports it has links to China and says its sole intention is to bring the mine back into production.

Earlier this month, news outlets reported a Chinese takeover of Cockatoo Island had raised concerns within the Department of Defence and federal government, given its proximity to the Yampi Sound Defence Training Area in the remote Kimberley region.

The Cockatoo Island iron ore mine.

The training area is about 80 kilometres north of Derby on the Yampi Peninsula while Cockatoo Island, named after the white birds that abound there, is a tiny 31 square kilometre island which sits off the coast in the Buccaneer Archipelago.

Mining activity has occurred intermittently on the island since BHP developed a substantial iron ore operation there in 1951. Operations at the mine most recently ceased when ASX-listed Pluton Resources collapsed in 2015.
Most of the manufacturers are introducing additional functionalities of EVOH films for packaging. Functionalities, such as cost-effectiveness and high seal strength, are displaying an emerging trend in EVOH films for packaging.

New York, March 22, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Reportlinker.com announces the release of the report "Saudi Arabia Plastic Packaging Market - Growth, Trends, COVID-19 Impact, and Forecasts (2021 - 2026)" - https://www.reportlinker.com/p06036746/?utm_source=GNW

EVOH films are used as a food packaging solution, as they can successfully retain the properties of food products, thereby, preventing it from contamination during shipments.



- Saudi Arabia is one of the largest markets for the packaging industry in the Middle Eastern region. The country has a huge consumer base engaged across a wide range of industrial activities (apart from the oil and gas sector), which is adding to the rapid growth in demand for plastic packaging from the country, every year.

- The low crude oil price situation in the global market has realized the need for a stronger non-oil sector. To strengthen the countrys non-oil sector, Saudi Arabia has been implementing several initiatives and regulatory reforms, such as the National Industrial Development and Logistics Program (NIDLP), Vision 2030, etc., that may increase the industrial production in the region.

- This is creating considerable demand for packaging products from the regions non-oil sector. According to recent data from the Saudi Industrial Fund (SIDF), a significant shift in the development of the industrial sector is indicated by the massive change in the countrys sectoral composition. The SDIF suggests that share of industries (other than oil refining) in the manufacturing GDP increased from 32% in 1974 (at constant prices), to 70% at the end of 2018.

- Moreover, according to the SDIF, as of 2018; there were around 791 food manufacturing facilities, 173 beverage manufacturing facilities, 94 textile manufacturing facilities, 102 apparel manufacturing facilities, and 45 pharmaceutical manufacturing facilities in the country, which accounted for 16% of the total industrial manufacturing establishments in Saudi Arabia. All these industries play a major role in contributing to the increasing demand for plastic packaging products in the country.

- During the pandemic, oil derivatives, such as plastics, were being incorporated at unprecedented levels for various solutions, including packaging. Despite the many business challenges in the current market scenario, the petrochemical industry in the region was able to protect frontline workers and supply a wide range of essential medical supplies, including the packaging needed for transit and efficient shelf-life.



Key Market Trends

Polyethylene (PE) Expected To Witness Significant Market Growth



- Polyethylene (PE) is one of the most durable types of plastic that is currently available, as it is resistant to chemicals and available at a low cost. PE is derived from petroleum polymers and can withstand any environmental hazard.

- Polyethylene (PE) and high-density polyethylene (HDPE) are among the most common plastics used for rigid packaging. PE is majorly classified into high-density polyethylene (HDPE), low-density polyethylene (LDPE), and linear low-density polyethylene (LLDPE).

- HDPE plastic is one of the most common plastics used in manufacturing, and is known for its strength and durability. This type of plastic can also be color-matched and is popular in white. It is frequently used in the production of milk cartons and garbage bins.

- Additionally, HDPE is the most widely used resin for plastic bottles. This material is economical, impact-resistant, and acts as a good moisture barrier. While HDPE provides good protection at below-freezing temperatures, it cannot be used with products filled at over 160 F (71 C) or for products requiring a hermetic (vacuum) seal.

- Moreover, HDPE is used in food packaging for juice and milk jugs, squeeze butter and vinegar bottles, and chocolate syrup containers. HDPE is also one of the materials used for packaging personal care products, like body wash, lotion, shampoo, and conditioner. This is primarily due to its improved barrier properties, enhanced shelf life, and consumer preferences. The growth of the food and personal care industries in Saudi Arabia is driving the need for PE, thereby, impacting the markets growth positively.



Bottles and Jars to Hold Significant Market Share



- The studied market is witnessing increased consumer demand, driven by the increasing consumption of plastic bottles and jars. The industries where plastic bottles and jars are highly used in the country include food and beverages, cosmetics and personal care, and healthcare industries. Saudi Arabia is now witnessing considerable growth in the food and beverage industry, compared to other countries.

- According to the Saudi Arabian Ministry of Commerce and Industry, the beverage and soft drinks industries are now among the most mature sectors in the country, constituting a vast majority of the food and beverage sectors exports.

- Increased income levels, owing to higher employment levels, are supporting a growing middle class in the country. This ever-increasing trend is leading the middle class to increase their budgets allocated for consumer products, which include personal care. The demand for personal care and cosmetics; particularly skin, make-up, and hair-care products; is witnessing rapid growth.

- With increasing expectations and income levels, the countrys consumers are also attracted to imported niche and premium branded products. Companies in the country are focusing on quality with good packaging, distribution, promotion, and pricing to attain brand loyalty and compete with global brands.

- For instance, the longstanding presence of companies, such as Unilever, Procter and Gamble, and LOreal, is fueling consumer interest in international beauty and personal care brands, which are perceived as being of higher quality.



Competitive Landscape

The plastic packaging industry is highly fragmented in the country, comprising of market incumbents (such as Napco Group and APICL Takween, and others), and accompanied by several regional Saudi Arabian contract packaging firms. Sustainable competitive advantage can be gained through innovation in design, technology, and application. The levels of market penetration in Saudi Arabia have grown significantly over the last decade, aided by the growing demand from the food and beverage and pharmaceutical industries. Recent developments in the market are -

- February 2020- AgthiaGroup PJSC, one of the regions leading food and beverage companies, announced the launch of Al Ain Plant Bottle, the regions first plant-based water bottle.

- June 2020- Aramco announced the completion of its share acquisition of a 70% stake in Saudi Basic Industries Corporation (SABIC) from the Public Investment Fund (PIF). The acquisition of the SABIC stake aids Aramcos long-term downstream strategy to grow its integrated refining and petrochemicals capacity, and create value from integration across the hydrocarbon chain.



Reasons to Purchase this report:

- The market estimate (ME) sheet in Excel format

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Back in early January, we published a story detailing the repaint of the Yankee Air Museums North American B-25D Mitchell bomber, long known as Yankee Warrior, into a factory-fresh livery, free of names and nose art. We always knew that the museum planned to give her a new name and nose art though, and to tie these details into the museums larger goals for educating the public about aspects of the Greatest Generation. Well, just yesterday, they unveiled the B-25s new name, Rosies Reply

While it is true that the new name and nose art never graced a B-25 during WWII, they are authentic in both style and attitude to the period. Furthermore, they reflect the aircrafts renewed mission to inspire America by honoring the accomplishments of female aircraft factory and shipyard workers, who became collectively represented by the iconic Rosie the Riveter recruitment character during WWII. And considering that the Yankee Air Museum is actually based within a surviving section of the once-massive factory where thousands of women helped Ford manufacture B-24 Liberator bombers (at the rate of one every hour during peak production) the new name fits perfectly into that story.

As we reported in January, the B-25 received her new paint in December (courtesy of Kalitta Air), replicating the exact color specifications she wore flying eight combat missions from Corsica during 1944, but the next step involved providing the aircraft with a new identity and nose art. Kevin Walsh, the museums President and CEO, chose well-known aviation artist Chad Hill to both create and execute this new design.

Hill is a highly accomplished artist with a great deal of experience in recreating nose art. His artistic career began at an early age, thanks to his parents. His mother taught him how to draw, while his father and uncles instilled a love for hot rods, tractors, and WWII airplanes in his young heart. Hill has built a strong reputation for his artistic skills over the past 27 years, and at Django Studios he specializes in Automotive and Aviation Design, and Marketing Branding. During this time, he has painted period-correct nose art on a number of restored World War II aircraft, while his illustration work can be found on display at a variety of aviation museums, air shows, and even at the Smithsonians National Air & Space Museum.

When it came to the B-25s new nose art, Kevin Walsh wanted something historically correct but which also included a contemporary touch to help with the museums branding and fundraising efforts. Chad Hill, with assistance from Dan Desko at the B-25 History project, produced a study to help the museum choose the final design.

The museums B-25D Mitchell, serial 43-3634, emerged from North American Aviations Kansas City factory in 1943 painted in overall Olive Drab with Neutral Grey undersides. This paint scheme was for the Mediterranean Theater of Operations, where the museums Mitchell served briefly. Based in Corsica, the airplane flew eight missions with the 57th Bomb Wing, 340th Bombardment Group, 489th Bomb Squadron against high value targets in Italy. Keeping this history in mind, Chad Hill chose a lettering style for Rosies Reply by referring to available photographs of nose art designs from other aircraft in the same unit. The 340th was in the thick of Mediterranean Theatre action too, seeing combat from April 1943 until April 1945. Furthermore, they received a Distinguished Unit Citation for the period AprilAugust 1943 when, although handicapped by difficult living conditions and unfavorable weather, the group supported the British Eighth Army in Tunisia and Allied forces in Sicily.

Referring to the completed artwork, Dan Desko noted that: It is an extremely accurate reproduction of this B-25Ds livery in the 57th Bomb Wing, 340th Bomb Group, 489th Bomb Squadron. Yankee Air Museum has done a marvelous thing with its aircraft. In one fell swoop, this plane honors the 489th Bomb Squadron, the home front workers and Kansas City, where this plane was built. This is living history!

The Yankee Air Museum has long-wanted to pay formal tribute to the women who contributed to the war effort on the home front. While the now-iconic We Can Do It poster, featuring the no-nonsense Rosie-the-Riveter character skyrocketed in popularity during the 1980s, the original hung in relative obscurity within a Westinghouse plant during a two week period in 1943 as part of a bi-weekly series to help recruit female factory workers. The artist who created this wartime poster is supposed to have drawn his inspiration from a 1942 photograph picturing a female factory worker named Naomi Parker Fraley. With this in mind, Chad Hill recommended basing the nose art character on Fraley, as this represented an educational opportunity and a way of digging deeper into the history of the womens workforce during WWII, because Fraley was indeed a real person.

After the attack on Pearl Harbor, American men left industry in huge numbers to enter the military, creating a severe labor shortage, said Museum President Kevin Walsh. To answer this aggression and arm the military, manufacturing in all sectors had to increase. A call for workers went out and women answered that call.

Walsh explained that the women of the Greatest Generation, entering workplaces once dominated by men, made the deciding difference in the war, providing those at the front with the essential tools for defeating the enemy. Their we can do it confidence became the rallying cry to which America responded, said Walsh. Theirs was the strength needed to help produce enough equipment to defeat the enemy. Without them, there would not have been an Arsenal of Democracy.

Yankee Air Museum collaborated with The B-25 History Project and the Fairfax Industrial Association in Kansas City to connect with original Rosies who actually worked on these aircraft at the North American Aviation plant.

When asked for her thoughts about the Yankee Air Museum B-25s new name honoring the women of her generation, Marion L. Whites replied, We did it then, and we can still do it! I hope this inspires more young women to believe in themselves and find a good way to help their country!

As an active member of Yankee Air Museum, and President of the American Rosie the Riveter Association Michigan Chapter, I am very proud with the initiative in Rosies Reply, said Bette Kenward. The Greatest Generation is aging with the youngest being in their mid-nineties. We must continue to show them honor and this does that in a momentous way.

Kenward explained that one of the reasons the yellow We Can Do It! Westinghouse poster remains so powerful seven decades later is because it still gives people courage to face any challenge today.

Yankee Air Museum is planning a homecoming tour for their B-25 this October. Rosies Reply will fly to Kansas City, the city of her birth, to take part in the Fairfax Industrial Associations annual festival. It will surely be an momentous reunion for all concerned!

For more information about the Yankee Air Museum, please visit www.yankeeairmuseum.org.
There has been one further death due to Covid-19 and 520 new cases of the virus confirmed by the National Public Health Emergency Team (Nphet) this evening.

This brings the total number of people who have died with the virus to 4,588 while the case count within the State has risen to 231,119.

There are 359 people in hospital with Covid-19 today, of which 81 are in intensive care.

Half of outbreaks are now in private houses with workplaces now accounting for roughly one in 10 outbreaks of the virus.

Schools are now accounting for 5pc of all outbreaks with childcare settings accounting for another 5pc of new outbreaks.

There have been 242 new cases confirmed in Dublin, 36 in Meath, 30 in Offaly, 29 in Kildare, 25 in Wicklow and the remaining 158 cases are spread across 20 other counties. Leitrim recorded no new cases in the last period of reporting.

Of the cases notified today; 258 are men and 262 are women; 79pc are under 45 years of age and the median age is 28.

The national 14-day incidence rate is now at 157.1.

Read More

Over 668,000 vaccine doses have been administered as of Friday, March 19, according to latest HSE data, with 487,466 first doses and 181,063 second doses given.

This equates to almost one in ten people in Ireland having received at least one vaccine dose.

Dr. Ronan Glynn, Deputy Chief Medical Officer, Department of Health, said the return of visitation to nursing homes is a very welcome development.

Dr Glynn said that Ireland should be able to look forward to a good summer premised on outdoor activities.

He also said that it is false hope if anyone says that we can all just return to normal on July 1. That would be false hope and no one is saying that."

He added that he is hopeful that the target of 80pc of adults having received one dose at least by June will still be met.

I would hope that we will have a summer like last Summer with lots of society open and lots of sectors open, with people having a largely normal day-to-day life. That is contingent on what happens over the next couple of months.

If case numbers go down and the vaccination programme remains on track, Ireland will hopefully be in a much, much brighter place in the summer months, the Deputy CMO said.

As we begin to experience the benefits of vaccination, it is a reminder of what we are collectively working towards, a vaccination rollout that, along with our other protective measures, will end this pandemic.

People have worked exceptionally hard over the past three months to reduce transmission in our communities. We have shown time and again that we can act collectively to protect one another. Please keep this going over the coming weeks.

Up to 35pc of contacts within a household will become infected when the virus gets into a house, with Prof Nolan saying, when the infection gets into a household, the attack rates are very high.

There has been a significant decrease in the incidence of the disease in people ages 19-24 but an increase in those aged 0-4, Philip Nolan said.

We do know where the majority of transmission is occurring, Prof Nolan said, adding that 60pc of new cases are confirmed close contacts of positive cases.

Stalled progression

We are dealing with a new virus versus 2020, that is for sure. And we have been dealing with significant levels of the virus in this country for some time this year, Dr Ronan Glynn said on the issue of stalled progression.

While we have case levels as high as we do now, this concept of seek and destroy which we would all aspire to, is not realistic when you have 500 or 600 or 800 cases per day.

You wont find a country in Europe that is seeking and destroying cases when there is an incidence near 160 cases per 100,000 people, Dr Glynn said.

There have been 26 cases of the variant first discovered in South Africa confirmed to date in Ireland but Dr Cillian de Gascun of Nphet has said that while people are concerned with the emergence of new variants, some people have forgotten about the significance of the impact of the UK variant, which is now responsible for over 90pc of cases in Ireland.

This variant is now seeing many European countries experiencing surges as it becomes the dominant strain.

We were hit quite early and frequently with B117 and we saw what happened throughout the course of January. Its important to highlight that other countries are now hitting the thresholds we have already seen.

Its important to let people know how well they have done to bring down the incidence of disease in the country despite a virus that is between 40 and 70pc more transmissible than it was last year, Dr de Gascun said.

Incidence is relatively stable among adults over 24 excluding the over 85 age group as the impact of the vaccine is seeing incidence tumble in the oldest group.

Only Spain, Portugal and the UK have an incidence lower than Ireland in the continent of Europe, when measured by an international review in the last number of days. Only Denmark and the UK have fewer people per million in hospital according to the review, Dr Mairin Ryan, Deputy CEO of HIQA and Director of Health Technology Assessment, said.

Health officials have warned that Ireland is in danger of facing another wave of Covid-19 cases.

The HSEs lead for infection control, Professor Martin Cormican, described case numbers as stuck and possibly rising, while HSE Chief Clinical Officer Colm Henry has described the situation as disheartening.

Mr Cormican described the increase in case numbers as disappointing and urged the public to continue in their social distancing efforts because the more people come together the more the virus spreads.

Professor Philip Nolan said there is concern that the number of hospitalisations and ICU admissions are plateauing and that, at best over the last 10-14 days these have been static.

There has been a slight uptick in the five-day moving average of cases in the last week, Prof Nolan said.

There was a 9pc increase in the week-on-week number of cases reported last week, Prof Nolan, said which is of concern and will require close monitoring.
WASHINGTON  At 5 a.m. on an October day in 2015, union organizers barking through bullhorns swarmed onto the grounds of Cedar Point Nursery near Californias border with Oregon. The organizers surged through the sheds where some of the nurserys 100 full-time workers and more than 400 seasonal workers were preparing strawberry plants.

The organizers behavior was legal under California law. Monday, the U.S. Supreme Court will hear oral arguments concerning whether it is legal under the Constitution. The court also will hear some of its own words deployed in defense of the property rights of Cedar Point and Fowler Packing Company, a Fresno-area packer of grapes and citrus.

The Fifth Amendment says private property shall not be taken for public use, without just compensation. Cedar Point and Fowler argue precedents establish that the regulation that compels them to allow union organizers on their property for 120 days a year constitutes a taking of a real property interest, for which they must be compensated. This case illustrates how governments nibble away at property rights.

In 1975, immediately after its creation, Californias Agricultural Labor Relations Board promulgated an emergency access regulation that three months later became permanent. It entitles unions to trigger, four times a year, a 30-day period during which they can access an agriculture businesss property for up to three hours a day for the purpose of meeting and talking with employees and soliciting their support. Employers are forbidden to interfere with this, and the board construes observing the organizers as interference.

California has granted the union an easement. A divided U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit affirmed a district courts ruling that an easement is not a classic taking in which government directly appropriates private property. This is true but not decisive.

Cedar Point and Fowler argue that the Supreme Court has repeatedly recognized that the taking of an easement is a permanent physical invasion of property that triggers a categorical duty of compensation. The court has held that the right to exclude people from ones property is universally held to be a fundamental element of the property right. When government denies the right to exclude, for the benefit of a third party, compensation is required.

The 9th Circuit mistakenly equated the easement as a mere regulatory restriction. Actually, the easement is the taking of property for up to 360 hours a year for the governments purpose of encouraging unionization. This constitutes what the Supreme Court has called the imposition of ... a servitude.

The union access guaranteed by the National Labor Relations Board, unlike that mandated by Californias Agricultural Labor Relations Board, is limited to when the inaccessibility of employees makes ineffective the reasonable attempts by nonemployees to communicate with them through the usual channels. Agricultural workers do not generally live on their employers property and are accessible where they live. Union advocacy can reach them on their smartphones and by other communication, including the unions radio network. Cedar Point and Fowler employees resist unionization because Cedar Point pays for housing its seasonal workers in nearby hotels, and provides complementary meals on the nurserys property, and Fowler provides complementary meals and a no-charge medical clinic.

Nationwide, a majority of union members are government employees: Only 6.3% of the private-sector workforce is unionized. Organized labor thrives through the 34.8% unionization rate of public-sector workers, who strive to elect their employers.

Ratification of the Bill of Rights was effective Dec. 15, 1791. Three months later, in a newspaper article, James Madison quoted William Blackstone, who said the property right means the dominion which one man claims and exercises over the external things of the world, in total exclusion of the right of any other individual in the universe.

The words servitude and dominion are apposite in takings clause jurisprudence. What the Supreme Court will hear Monday are arguments about property rights that the Founders considered foundational for political liberty.

GEORGE WILL writes for The Washington Post.
PARIS and CAMBRIDGE, England, March 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Depixus, a biotechnology company developing a unique platform technology for the fast, accurate, and inexpensive extraction of multiomic information from DNA, RNA, and protein, today announces the publication of a scientific paper in the peer-reviewed journal Communications Biology, part of Nature Research journals. The paper, entitled 'Detection of genetic variation and base modications at base-pair resolution on both DNA and RNA', can be freely downloaded from https://doi.org/10.1038/s42003-021-01648-7.

Dr. Gordon Hamilton, co-founder and Chief Executive Officer of Depixus, said: "Our novel technology, known as MAGNA, can decode many new layers of dynamic genetic information held within DNA, RNA, and proteins. These information layers  that can be collectively described as the 'dynamic genome'  include the multitude of base modifications that pattern both DNA and RNA, as well as the many ways in which these nucleic acids can be constructed, folded, and packaged within cells. In this paper, we are excited to be publishing data that demonstrates how our MAGNA platform can sequence a wide range of base modifications on long molecules of both DNA and RNA with very high accuracy and without need for sample amplification. We also provide an example of how the technology, when applied to analysis of genetic disease from DNA coming from a female carrier of Fragile X Syndrome, can reveal the extent of the genetic and epigenetic perturbations that are associated with disease severity.

"Progress in decoding the dynamic genome is currently hampered by the lack of robust tools. The MAGNA platform was purpose-designed to resolve this problem and is being developed to allow researchers to open up new areas of genetic science, in particular in the burgeoning fields of epigenomics and epitranscriptomics. The data provided by MAGNA will help in better understanding the genomics of biological systems and will provide new insights into the pathogenesis of disease. The current coronavirus pandemic has highlighted the need for a much deeper understanding of the role that RNA base modifications play in virus-host interactions. The analysis of base modification patterning on DNA is already transforming the field of liquid-biopsy for early cancer detection."

Epigenetics refers to a "heritable" phenomenon in which phenotype changes are driven by processes that are independent of DNA sequence. DNA base modifications play central roles in such epigenetic processes. Epitranscriptomics, a new but fast-growing field, is the study of the enormous number of chemical modifications to RNA, and the proteins that write, erase, and read these modifications. In recent years, reversible modifications on nucleic acids (DNA and RNA) have been shown to play essential roles in many biological processes in health and disease.

Depixus is developing its MAGNA technology for future commercial launch. The company is based in Paris, France and Cambridge, UK, and over 2021 will be actively recruiting top talent to join its team.

For further information, please contact:

Depixus

Gordon Hamilton, CEO

[email protected]

Optimum Strategic Communications

Supriya Mathur, Shabnam Bashir

[email protected]

+44 (0) 203 922 0891

About Depixus and MAGNA

Depixus is a fast-growing innovative biotechnology company based in Paris, France, and Cambridge, UK, developing its cutting-edge MAGNA technology to reveal the secrets of the dynamic genome. The technology is set to transform our understanding of how genetics is regulated and provide powerful new insights into the mechanisms of disease.

The MAGNA technology is based on an instrument system called a 'magnetic trap'. Samples of nucleic acid are captured within a flow cell and then can be analyzed at multiple levels of resolution. The following animation  available at https://vimeo.com/394930924  introduces the way the MAGNA technology works and some of the many different assays that can be performed with the platform.

For further information, please visit www.depixus.com

SOURCE Depixus
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y.  You may have to expect to wear face masks outside of your home well into next year, health experts say.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) first suggested people should wear protective face coverings or masks when they are out in public, especially indoors, shortly after the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic began. And we could be wearing face masks for a while.

Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said last month during CNNs State of the Union that its possible Americans could still be wearing face masks and coverings in 2022.

I think its possible that thats the case and, again, it really depends on what you mean by normality, Fauci said, when asked if Americans will need to wear masks in 2022.

And with new variants emerging and becoming more prevalent, Fauci also suggesting wearing two masks at a time, calling it common sense.

This is a physical covering to prevent droplets and virus to get in, Fauci said. So if you have a physical covering with one layer, you put another layer on it, it just makes common sense that it likely will be more effective. And thats the reason why you see people either double-masking or doing a version of an N95.

But several states in the U.S. have lifted their mask mandates, including Texas, Mississippi, Iowa, and Montana. More states are lifting other restrictions and increasing capacity at indoor spaces and public events.

Even New York State has increased capacity at restaurants, gyms, schools, and reopened movie theaters and will allow indoor fitness classes. But New Yorkers will still need to wear face masks.

Face mask requirements will remain when traveling into, within, or out of the United States, according to the CDC  on planes, trains, buses, and other forms of transportation.

*** CLICK HERE FOR COMPLETE COVERAGE OF CORONAVIRUS ON STATEN ISLAND ***

WHAT IF IM FULLY VACCINATED?

Most recently, the CDC announced that fully vaccinated people can visit other fully vaccinated people indoors without wearing masks or physically distancing. People are fully vaccinated 2 weeks after they received the Johnson and Johnson vaccine, or 2 weeks after they received the second dose from Pfizer or Moderna.

They can also visit with unvaccinated people from a single household who are at low risk for severe disease should they contract coronavirus, without wearing masks or distancing. And they can also refrain from quarantine and testing following a known exposure if they dont have symptoms.

But despite being fully vaccinated, the CDC recommends people still take precautions like wearing a mask and social distancing when in public spaces.

SHOULD I DOUBLE-MASK?

The CDC unveiled the results of a study last month that found two masks are better at slowing the spread of the coronavirus (COVID-19) compared to the use of a single medical or cloth mask.

The study utilized two artificial heads spaced six feet apart to see how many coronavirus particles were spewed and inhaled. The researchers found that wearing one surgical mask blocked around 42% of the particles from a simulated cough and that a single cloth mask fared slightly better at around 44.3%.

However, covering a surgical mask with a cloth mask blocked 92.5% of the cough particles, the study said.

Properly fitting a medical mask by knotting the ear loops and tucking in and flattening the extra material close to a persons face also aided in the prevention of transmission, the CDC found.

The general public has been asked to wear reusable, clean cloth masks since the start of the pandemic, when medical supplies like, N95 masks, were in short supply for health care workers.

The New York City Department of Health updated its guidance last month on face coverings, recommending people over the age of 2 years old wear snug-fitting masks with two or three layers of material. It also said New Yorkers can wear two masks  with a cloth covering over a disposable mask. But dont use two disposable masks, the DOH said.

WHAT ABOUT THE VARIANTS?

Mandated face masks could be prolonged due to several variants spreading that could be more contagious.

On Saturday, the first confirmed case of a contagious COVID-19 Brazilian variant was found in a New York City resident. The P.1 variant, also known as B1351 variant, has been designated a variant of concern, which means there is evidence of an increase in transmissibility, more severe disease and the potential for reduced effectiveness of treatments or vaccines.

Two other variants of the coronavirus account for 51% of current cases citywide, New York City health officials recently announced.

The health officials warned that the two variants  B117, or the variant of concern from the United Kingdom, and B1256, the variant of interest that has recently appeared in New York  are undoubtedly more infectious than the original COVID-19 strain.

Preliminary analysis of those strains show that they dont cause more severe illness and they are not resistant to vaccines, said New York City Senior Advisor for Public Health Dr. Jay Varma.

FOLLOW ANNALISE KNUDSON ON FACEBOOK AND TWITTER.




Haiti - FLASH : The Ambassador of Haiti in Chile accused of rape





New scandal involving a Haitian diplomat abroad, Monesty Junior Fanfil, the Haitian Ambassador to Chile is accused of repeatedly raping a woman cleaning worker at the Embassy building.



A case which occupies the front page of the news especially on the site of the Chilean National Television (TVN) on the Channel "24 hours" and its website since March 19, 2021.



The victim, who has lived in Chile for 4 years and who wishes to remain anonymous for fear of reprisals, declared on "Channel 24" that the Ambassador had forced her for the past two years to have sex, in addition to physically assaulting her on several occasions while she was working in the Embassy building cleaning work



An Ambassador has a lot of power in this country, and he can do anything. I am a poor woman and I cannot denounce him, she said, explaining that Fanfil had threatened to take her to the police if she refused to be with him he had the right to call the Chilean Police Investigation Service (PDI) to say she was a thief. "



Unable to stand up to these threats any longer, the mother of four children filed a complaint, following this complaint the Parquet de l'Est decreed a protective measure, so that the physical well-being of the complainant and her children was guaranteed. and opened an investigation.



For his part Winder Darcelin, Representative of the Haitian community in Chile, asked the Chilean Government "[...] to take measures" considering "[...] these are things that cannot continue to happen [...] "



However, the Chilean justice is powerless in the face of the diplomatic immunity of the Ambassador. "This principle of immunity is applied without exception. Even when the culprits are exposed, the Chilean courts are not competent to judge such a case explained Francisca Castro, lawyer at Bustos Gomez Abogados.



The victim, who was fired from his job a month ago, said of Ambassador Monesty Junior Fanfil "[...] he is a very bad man. I need justice and reparation."



Reacting the same day then to this affair, which is relayed by many Chilean media, which has become another scandal after that of the Bahamas involving diplomats in cases of arranged marriage https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-28537-haiti-flash-corruption-at-least-4-haitian-diplomats-sanctioned-in-the-bahamas.html , Claude Joseph, the Haitian Minister of Foreign Affairs immediately recalled Ambassador Monesty Junior Fanfil to Haiti for consultation.



Note from the Chacellerie:

"Monsieur Monesty Junior FANFIL

Ambassador of Haiti to Chile.-



Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Worship



RH / PML / 0597



Port-au-Prince on March 19, 2021.



Mr. Ambassador,



I inform you that it has been decided to call you back to the Central Services of the Chancellery.



This decision is effective immediately.



I take this opportunity to renew to you, Sir, the assurance of my highest consideration.



Dr. Claude Joseph

Minister



Seen and approved by:

His Excellency Joseph Jouthe

Prime Minister"



To be continued...



SL/ HL/ HaitiLibre


















When churches first shut down for the pandemic, many Christians hoped they would be back together within weeks for Easter. A year later, the holiday will be the first time more than half of evangelicals in the US plan to return to worship in person, according to a Pew Research Center report out Monday.

Even though most churches have reopened, the proclamation that He is risen indeed will be quieter than normal years, with sparser holiday crowds (and mask requirements muffling their voices). Among all American Christians, 39 percent say they plan to celebrate Resurrection Sunday in person, compared to 62 percent during a typical year.

Evangelical Protestants are more likely than any other Christian group to say theyll be in church on Easter this year (52%). For many congregations, last years socially distant drive-up worship will be replaced by traditional sunrise services and egg hunts.

Easter is typically one of the most-attended weekends on the church calendar, and this year pastors anticipate that many Christians will want to get back to the familiar celebrations within their communities of faith.

Connection Point Church in Jackson, Missouri, which celebrated virtually last year, is expecting in-person attendance to spike for Palm Sunday and Easter. With all the other turmoil thats been on with our society, there is a longing [for] not only normalcy but hope, pastor Chris Vaught said in an interview with KFVS.

But certain Christian traditions are holding out a little longer. Just 36 percent of Catholics and 27 percent of mainline Protestants say theyll return for Easter, Pew found. Though historically black Protestants typically rank among evangelicals for the highest levels of Easter attendance, fewer than a third (31%) say they will attend services this year.

One North Carolina preacher shared with local news how his predominantly African American church, Deeper Life Church Ministries, will be reopening on Easter for the first time, but only at a quarter of its 1,000-person capacity. Im excited. For any preacher. Resurrection Sunday is their happy day, he said.

Christians Easter plans reflect the ongoing gaps in church attendance. A third of regular churchgoers were back by July 2020, and the rest have incrementally become more comfortable with attending over the past few months.

The majority of churchgoers say their church has opened, either with modifications (64%) or as normal (12%). About half say they require social distancing and masks; 42 percent cap attendance capacity; and a quarter said that services restrict singing.

But most arent yet back into the habit of leaving their couches to worship together on Sundays. Among Christians who usually attend church regularly, only 43 percent showed up over past month, while two-thirds of Christians said they attended an online service.

Evangelicals were the only group to have a majority (53%) worship in person, up from 44 percent in July, according to the new report. Black Protestantswhose communities have been hard-hit by COVID-19are half as likely as other Christians to return to in-person worship. Just 21 percent said they had been back in March.

Church attendance remains lowest in the West, with Californias gathering restrictions keeping many congregations from meeting inside. Just 37 percent of regular churchgoers in the West say they recently attended religious services, compared to 46 percent in the Northeast, 44 percent in the Midwest, and 42 percent in the South.
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Laxman Pai, Opalesque Asia:

Secondary investing giant Lexington Partners has raised $3.2bn for one the biggest-ever global co-investment funds amid heavy LP interest.

The New York-based global alternative investment manager has closed its Lexington Co-Investment Partners V (CIP V) fund with $3.2 billion, surpassing its initial $2.5 billion target. The new vehicle is more than 33% larger than its predecessor, which closed on about $2.36 billion in 2017.

The fund invests alongside private equity sponsors, primarily in U.S. and European companies, and may invest opportunistically in companies and Asia and Latin America.

CIP V received commitments from 13 large institutional investors based in the U.S., Europe, Latin America, and Australia, with an average commitment size each of $235 million.

Investors include the $235 billion Florida State Board of Administration, Tallahassee; the $114.1 billion Minnesota State Board of Investment, St. Paul, and the $62.6 billion Maryland State Retirement & Pension System, Baltimore.

Since its inception in 1998, CIP has raised $10 billion of total committed capital and has invested $7.0 billion in over 400 co-investments alongside more than 170 leading private equity sponsors. CIP is led by four partners - David Outcalt, Bart Osman, James Pitt, and John Loverro - who have an average tenure at Lexington of 21 years.

Wil Warren, Partner and President of Lexington, said, "We are grateful for the continued support of CI......................

To view our full article Click here
New Delhi: Union Minister Ramdas Athawale on Monday (March 22) wrote a letter to Union Home Minister Amit Shah demanding the imposition of President's Rule in Maharashtra.

Citing the ongoing row in relation to Home Minister Anil Deshmukh and rising COVID-19 cases in the state, Athawale asserted that the state government has failed the people of Maharashtra.

"Law and order in the state is very bad and uncontrolled and people of Maharashtra are being neglected," Athawale wrote in the letter addressed to Shah.

He mentioned the allegations levelled by shunted cop Param Bir Singh on Deshmukh and questioned his removal from the post of Commissioner of Police.

The minister asserted that the state government has failed to handle the matter.

"Apart from this, as per the count of COVID-19 patients across the country, Maharashtra state is the highest COVID-19 patients in the state," he wrote further.

Union Minister and President of Republican Party of India (Athawale), Ramdas Athawale writes to Union Home Minister Amit Shah stating, "I hereby demand to bring President's Rule in Maharashtra." pic.twitter.com/NoGxZyHmrt  ANI (@ANI) March 22, 2021

The Republican Party of India (Athawale) leader said that the state government has failed in arranging proper infrastructure to check the rising number of cases.

"Therefore, my party is strongly recommending you to enforce President Rule in the state for the betterment, safety and security of the people of Maharashtra," Athawale concluded.

Earlier, NCP ruled out the resignation of Deshmukh.



"There is no question of Anil Deshmukh's resignation. ATS is investigating the case and we believe the culprit will be punished," Jayant Patil said on Sunday.

BJP leaders and workers staged protests in various cities demanding the resignation of Deshmukh.

Live TV
(ANSAmed) - VENICE, MARCH 22 - Venice will be celebrating the 1,600th anniversary of its founding starting on March 25 and events in honor of it will run through all of next year.



The events will tell of the history, attractions, and culture of the city that made it a world icon over the course of its 16 centuries in existence.



The town council hopes these events will lead to a renaissance of sorts, a sign of resilience to the pandemic that has emptied it of tourists.



The first official event will be on Thursday, March 25: the date that marks 1,600 years since legend has it that the first cornerstone of the San Giacomo di Rialto (San Giacometto) Church was laid.



Historians do not agree on the exact date, since the period featured constant migration flows. Veneto region inhabitants fleeing attacks by barbarian hordes at some point, however, joined the settlements of the first inhabitants of the islands in the lagoon.



The foundation of Venice is generally considered borne witness to by a manuscript by Chronicon Altinate and, in a more recent era, by Marin Sanudo, who described the massive fire of the Rialto bridge in 1514, stating that: "Solum resto in piedi la chiexia di San Giacomo di Rialto, la qual fu la prima chiexia edificata in Venetia dil 421 a di 25 Marzo, come in le nostre croniche si leze".



The celebrations will begin on March 25 at 11 AM, during the Annunciation, at St Mark's Basilica, where Patriarch Francesco Moraglia will be holding a mass broadcast live - to avoid gatherings in these COVID times - on the Antenna 3 network as well as the Facebook profile Gente Veneta.



At 4 PM, all the churches of the patriarchate will ring their bells at length.



At 6:30 PM, state broadcaster RAI will be paying homage to Venice with music, photos, and the story of the city's 16 centuries as well as a look at what the future may hold for it.



There will be events marking the anniversary throughout 2022, with 235 initiatives lined up presented by 135 bodies after an international call for proposals launched by a committee set up for this purpose by the town council.



There will also be the Venice Boat Fair in the city from May 29 to June 6 and the Architecture Biennale from May 22.



(ANSAmed).
Yesterday, DHS secretary Alejandro Mayorkas was given the unenviable assignment of defending the Biden administration's self-created crisis at the southern border by appearing on multiple Sunday talk shows, including CNN, NBC's Meet the Press, Fox News Sunday, and MSNBC. It did not go well, as he resorted to outright lies, such as "the border is closed" and "the border is secure."

Even allies of the Biden administration like CNN are grossed out by the plight of the "children" (mostly late teens) lured across the border by the Biden administration's reversal of the successful policies of Trump and overwhelming our capacity to house them, much less test them for COVID. If you don't have the stomach to screen the videos at the links above, let this screen grab of CNN's Dana Bash and Mayorkas convey the sense of the encounter, complete with a Chiron referencing Democrat Texas congressmen Henry Cuellar and Vicente Gonzales, both of whom are publicly critical:



YouTube screen grab.

Even lapdog media are grossed out by the blackout of access to facilities where they are being held in dire conditions. After an orgy of castigating the Trump administration over housing them in "cages" (built under Obama), it is hard to accept the treatment of both the kids and the media.

Charles Lipson, emeritus professor of political science at the University of Chicago, aptly compared Mayorkas's attempts to put lipstick on this gigantic pig to the infamous Baghdad Bob, a symbol of lying denial of an obvious reality:

"There is absolutely no immigration crisis on the southern border." That's the repeated message from the Biden administration. It simply isn't true. Our leaders are telling Americans to ignore the overcrowded immigrant centers and caravans on the way. Don't look at unaccompanied minors, arriving in record numbers. Those are mere "challenges." Want to see for yourself? Sorry, no can do. The administration has blocked journalists from inspecting immigration facilities or accompanying the Border Patrol on their rounds. This is not the way to discuss democratic choices. It's the way to grow mushrooms.

The BS was so awful that President Trump issued a statement (hat tip: The Last Refuge)
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EU-backed talks between the ruling party and opposition fail to result in an agreement

By Veronika Malinboym

Christian Danielsson, an EU-appointed mediator who was visiting Georgia to facilitate a dialogue between the ruling Georgian Dream party and the opposing bloc, left the country on March 19 after announcing that parties failed to agree. Danielsson, who arrived in Georgia on March 12, spent a week longer than scheduled in an attempt to help the political parties resolve an ongoing political crisis, and the last round of talks that Danielsson mediated lasted for more than 9 hours.In his statement regarding the end of the round of negotiations between the political parties and his departure to Brussels, Danielsson noted that the solving of the crisis would have helped Georgian parties to focus on some of the more pressing matters, including the countrys Euro-Atlantic aspirations, security and the outbreak of COVID-19 pandemic. He also said that the parties did manage to agree on some of the points outlined in the agenda of the talks, however, failed to agree on some of the other, more major issues. Danielsson claimed that he will report back to the President of the European Council, Charles Michel on the conduct and the results of the negotiations.Shortly after Danielsson made his official statement, both the ruling party and the opposing bloc began to accuse each other of jeopardizing the negotiations. The latter argue that the ruling party has purposely disrupted the talks and closed the door to Europe, and promised to respond with a series of peaceful rallies. In turn, the ruling Georgian Dream party noted that the EU has already reiterated that the October 2020 Elections were both free and competitive, thus, the oppositions demand for the repeat elections had no legal backing to it. Moreover, the ruling party noted that the release of the political prisoners, including Giorgi Rurua and Nika Melia is a matter that will be decided in court.Leader of the ruling Georgian Dream party Irakli Kobakhidze said that the talks failed because the opposition raised two "illegitimate ultimatums" that go against "the interests of the justice and the state.
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Announces global launch of 'CXe', Sonata's unique enhanced integrated CX management solutions designed for the new normal

BENGALURU, India, March 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Sonata Software, a global IT services and technology solutions company, today announced its plans to tap the Customer Experience (CX) market to fuel growth with the launch of 'CXe', its unique enhanced integrated CX management solutions developed using the 'Platformation' approach, Sonata's highly acclaimed framework for digital transformation. 'CXe' is a compelling offering from Sonata designed for clients across the globe looking for holistic end-to-end CX solutions in the post-pandemic new normal.

The global impact of the pandemic has been unprecedented, with the CX market witnessing a major upturn across all regions. According to a study by Fortune Business Insights, the market is projected to grow from USD 9.26 billion in 2020 to USD 21.86 billion in 2027 at a CAGR of 13.0% in the 2020 to 2027 period.

Sonata had in March 2020 acquired the Melbourne-based GBW, pioneers in the CX domain with 30 years' experience delivering CX improvement for marquee brands across the globe. 'CXe' is a combined result of GBW's CX Management tools and expertise supplemented by Sonata's own Platformation methodology of driving digital transformation and deep expertise in aligned technologies like customer engagement, data and analytics.

''Notwithstanding evolving customer habits post the pandemic, the basics of ensuring great CX remains the same. Listening intently to your customer & acting on the feedback. A well thought out CX program involves understanding what drives great customer experience across the customer journey and customer life cycle, using the insights to design great CX programs," said Srikar Reddy, MD & CEO of Sonata Software, announcing the launch of 'CXe'. "A well thought through CX measurement program is critical to ensure the effectiveness of the CX programs. The different components of CX measurement are interrelated & a combination of Mystery audit, mystery shopping & integrated to aVOC program thru a common data platform equip you with the basic tools to make sure your customers are getting a consistent and great CX."

CX has long been a holy grail for most businesses, those who get it right enjoy loyalty helping the company gain customers who are spending more with them & also gain advocacy  word of mouth, bringing down cost of acquiring new ones, so it is not surprising to see most companies have programs that are asking customers for their feedback. However, as per Sonata, based on Analyst studies and the experience of GBW, only one in five-six companies get it right. For others, gains from CX remains the proverbial pot of gold at the end of a rainbow. Given the disruptions of the last year when customer journeys have changed for many companies, the task has become more difficult than ever before. This has created a great opportunity for Sonata to roll out its enhanced CX solution 'CXe' to its existing customers and the initial response has been overwhelming from clients across the globe. Sonata is now sprucing up its team to be able to offer the solution to more new customers besides making further investments in solution development and marketing given the opportunity CX provides.

Said Venkatesh Parthasarathy, ex-MD of Dairy Farm and adviser to many leading companies, "This enhanced CX solution from Sonata is indeed unique and covers off pain areas that my team used to have in having different vendors for each program and missing out on a unified view of the customer, but the icing on the cake for me is really about being able to see the impact of the CX programs on your business."

Grant Salmon, CEO of GBW (now a Sonata Software Company) and an industry veteran, added, "GBW's experience of over 30 years gives us insights into why Companies fail with their CX management programs, firstly many are "myopic" measuring a single point in the customer journey rather than the complete journey, next, many use do-it-yourself platforms which are great in the hands of an expert, but many clients confuse automation with knowledge & expertise. Then there is the case where data is sitting all over as there are online & retail teams, Customer feedback & Mystery shopping programs overlooking the aspect that the customer is one and teams who have to act basis the feedback are served better when they can see the feedback together rather than in a disjointed manner. Finally, you need to know if your CX is impacting your business outcomes and if your programs are not giving you that visibility, you are bound to lose interest. That is why we came up with 'CXe' where we offer an end-to-end program that addresses these challenges with conventional programs."

For Details on Sonata Software visit: www.sonata-software.com

For more information, press only:

Nandita Venkatesh

Sonata Software Limited

CIN- L72200MH1994PLC082110

A.P.S. Trust Building,

Bull Temple Road, N.R. Colony

Bangalore 560019, India

Tel: +91 80 67781999

[email protected]

SOURCE Sonata Software
Tata Motors slipped 0.95% to Rs 306 after the auto major announced that Marc Llistosella will not be joining as its next managing director & CEO as previously announced.

Earlier on 12 February 2021, Tata Motors announced the appointment of Marc Llistosella to the role of chief executive officer and managing director of Tata Motors effective 1 July 2021. Llistosella was most recently the President and CEO of Fuso Truck and Bus Corporation and Head of Daimler Trucks in Asia. He was earlier the MD and CEO of Daimler India Commercial Vehicles.

The Tata Group Enterprise on Friday (19 March 2021) announced that Marc Llistosella will not be joining Tata Motors as previously announced since he is not able to relocate to India for personal reasons at this point of time.

The company added that Guenter Butschek will continue as the CEO & managing director till 30 June 2021.

Tata Motors, part of the Tata group, is a global automobile manufacturer of cars, utility vehicles, pick-ups, trucks and buses.

On a consolidated basis, the auto major's net profit surged 64.9% to Rs 3,222.21 crore on 5.4% rise in net sales to Rs 74,878.98 crore in Q3 FY21 over Q3 FY20.

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Appointment

22 March 2021

As Hawai'i welcomes back visitors to the islands, premier beach resort brand, Outrigger Hospitality Group, has bolstered its management team with the appointment of experienced hospitality executive. The promotion include: So'o Tana as hotel manager of Waikiki Malia by Outrigger.

So'o Tana is the new hotel manager at Waikiki Malia by Outrigger and started his Outrigger career as a night auditor at Outrigger Waikiki Village and Coral Seas Hotel, now Embassy Suites by Hilton Waikiki Beach Walk. Since then, Tana has worked at various properties as a guest services manager, front office manager and assistant hotel manager. Prior to Outrigger, Tana was an accountant at First American Title Company and in collections at First Hawaiian Bank. He moved to Japan to work on the Royal Wing cruise ship in Yokoyama, then returned to Honolulu to work in hospitality at Hyatt Regency Waikiki, Queen Kapiolani and the W Hotel (now Lotus Honolulu at Diamond Head). Tana holds an Associate of Science in accounting from Leeward Community College on O'ahu and a bachelor's in business finance from the University of Phoenix.
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Several European cities saw anti-lockdown protests on Saturday, with some leading to clashes between demonstrators and police.

Why it matters: As case numbers and variants in Europe surge, the vaccine rollout has been sluggish and countries have gone back into lockdown. The protests are part of the rising frustration with COVID-19 restrictions on the continent.

Details: Around 20,000 people filled the streets of the German city of Kassel to protest the lockdown, Deutsche Welle reports.

Several protestors attacked members of the security forces, which then deployed water cannons and pepper spray against the crowd.

In Berlin, 500 demonstrators came out, though they were ultimately outnumbered by police.

The demonstrations come after Chancellor Angela Merkel said on Friday that Germany would have pull an "emergency brake" on easing restrictions, AP reports.

Thousands of protestors also turned out in London on Saturday to protest the months-long lockdown, the same day as Members of Parliament called for lifting the restriction on those demonstrating, NPR reports. Because of COVID-19 restrictions, it is illegal to gather to protest.

Demonstrators clashed with police, with Scotland Yard ultimately reporting 36 arrests, most for breaches of COVID-19 safety restrictions, per The Independent.

Smaller protests also took place in other parts of Europe. In Helsinki, 400 maskless people demonstrated against the imposed restrictions, according to France 24.
It is now a year since office-based businesses began working from home just before the first national lockdown, bringing a huge lifestyle change for us all virtually overnight.

Employees and companies are now asking how long will this continue, and is there any going back to the way we were. It seems not, with one business leader adamant that things will never be the same again.

Liberty Insurance and its subsidiary Hughes Insurance have said that its 400 staff in Northern Ireland will be working remotely from now on, and outsourcing giant Capita  which has 1,500 staff here  has said the same about workers in their call centres.

Had enough, or never going back to the workplace? Send us your views on remote working to business@belfasttelegraph.co.uk.

But among big businesses, that approach really is the exception rather than the rule.

Instead, what the employers have in mind, including our biggest employer, the civil service, is flexible working.

Yes, we are destined to return to our offices but we will be still doing a bit of working from home. Many firms are considering three days in the office and two days at home, or the other way round.

Donna Linehan, client services director at Belfast serviced office provider, The Scottish Provident Building, said it had been a mixed year.

We have had some clients who stayed throughout, perhaps coming in maybe two or three days a week. It has been challenging, and we have lost some companies.

"But also weve had a lot who pre-Covid had half a dozen offices and have maybe dropped down to one or two.

Occupancy levels had dropped from their usual level of around 98% to around 75% and above in the pandemic but were rising again.

In the last five or six months, weve seen a significant pick-up in inquiries and people moving, so were back up into the 80s.

It has been difficult, and its just really clients not knowing what to do as they dont know how its (the pandemic) going to go.

We are probably not missing the commute to work and some of us are enjoying our home comforts.

But for people who have been juggling home schooling and caring responsibilities, working from home has brought a lot of extra hassle.

Many of us also lack the space to set up a proper desk in a dedicated room, and have instead spent a year working from the sofa or bedroom.

If the vaccination roll-out continues at a healthy pace, it is expected that businesses will probably feel fairly confident about having people back by around September.

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The Executives roadmap out of restrictions includes a pathway for the return to offices but does not provide dates.

In phase three of the five-step plan for return to work, it says there should be a phased return to on-site work and office spaces.

But companies are not committing themselves to a set month, which is understandable, given the volatility of the pandemic.

Commercial property agents who look after the letting of offices have said that transactions have dwindled to nothing. They will be hoping that companies bring their staff back in large numbers.

But there is likely to be some reconfiguration of spaces so that instead of long rows of workers sitting close together, there is room to spread people around.

One agent has said that they do not expect companies to cut back completely on the size of their offices as they anticipate staff will want the freedom to vary the days on which they come in. Some days, such as a Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday, may prove popular for people to be in  maybe Mondays and Fridays will be less so.

For our biggest tech companies, hybrid working is the way forward, though Allstate, our biggest in the sector with 2,400 staff in Belfast, Strabane and Londonderry, says it has not yet made any definite plans. It opened a 30m new office development in Belfasts Mays Meadow in 2018.

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But at least two are adamant that hybrid working will stay. Peter Russell, managing director of CANCOM in Ireland  formerly Novosco  which has a big office in Titanic Quarters Catalyst Inc with around 300 staff, said: Personally, I believe working practices have changed forever, and a new hybrid engagement model will emerge, bringing together a positive balance of productivity, engagement, and employee well-being.

Were still to work through what that will look like at CANCOM UK&I, but I think its safe to say we will have a hybrid model in some shape or form.

Caroline Greer from IRP Commerce, which also has an office with 20 staff in Catalyst, says having staff in an office can help foster camaraderie.

IRP Commerce has always tried to be flexible in ensuring that the needs of staff are balanced with those of the business, she said. Thanks to technology, most business tasks can be completed successfully online, but nothing beats having our team together in one space to foster creativity, camaraderie and a sense of common purpose.

We recently received funding from InterTrade Ireland for a health and safety consultant to work with us to provide a safe working environment post lockdown and we are looking forward to having everyone back in the IRP office in Catalyst when restrictions are lifted and it is safe to do so.

Willie Hamilton, managing director of Liberty IT, which has around 500 staff, said: We feel extremely lucky to have continued as business as usual during pandemic.

Our key goal is maintaining our high levels of engagement amongst teams, whilst accommodating individual employee preference.

We know we can work successfully and productively as distributed teams and continue to invest in technology to enhance the employee experience, ensuring we maintain a sense of connection and belonging.

Presently our discussions are focused on how we use our Belfast and Dublin offices with purpose. When we reopen, well run a series of experiments to understand this and let our future office layout and use be dictated by our employees expressed preferences.

FinTrU, one of our fastest-growing tech companies, says there has been irreversible change for its 500 staff. It has offices in Belfast and Derry.

Katrien Roppe, chief of staff said: The future of work will never be the same again following this period. FinTrU is dramatically expanding and has invested in additional office space in both Belfast and Derry/Londonderry to facilitate this growth.

We are an agile company and foresee a hybrid of remote/office based working in the future where possible. Collaboration is key for our business model and we are committed to facilitating our employees and clients alike.

There are nearly 23,000 people working in the civil service in Northern Ireland, and it has said it expects to continue with flexible working practices.

More than 1,000 civil servants are based in the Great Northern Tower next to the Europa Hotel in central Belfast, most of whom remain at home.

The civil service has announced it will have regional Connect2 hub offices in locations including Downpatrick, Ballykelly, Ballymena, Craigavon and Omagh though it says it will maintain significant offices in Belfast city centre.

But it is highly likely it will have to cut back the scale of its office space in Belfast.

A spokesperson for the Department of Finance, which looks after personnel matters in the civil service, said: Civil servants will return to the workplace in line with public health advice.

We expect to continue with flexible working practices to ensure we have a flexible and agile workforce. The recent announcement of regional hubs is an important part of these working arrangements.

You would think that the embrace of home working might mean building new offices is becoming less popular.

But at present, four new office buildings totalling 764,000 sq ft are being built in Belfast at Olympic House in Titanic Quarter, The Ewart in Bedford Square, City Quays 3 and The Paper Exchange in Chichester Street.

At least three of those are due to be finished soon.

Another development, the 14-floor One Grosvenor Gate, got planning permission last week, and three big refurbishments will also be adding more space at The Kelvin at College Square East, The Vantage at Great Victoria Street and 35DP, above Boots at Donegall Place.

It seems offices are here to stay, but this time, employees might have a little bit more say on when they have to show up to them.
Did you know there's a little bit of uOttawa inside COVID-19 test kits used worldwide?

That's because a team of researchers at the University of Ottawa's Flow Chemistry Research Facility, within Centre for Catalysis Research and Innovation (CCRI), developed a new, more sustainable, and safer way to prepare large quantities of an essential ingredient used in test kit preparation to diagnose SARS-CoV-2 - and thereby address its global shortage.

We talked to Dr. Michael Organ, Professor in the Department of Chemistry and Biomolecular Sciences at the University of Ottawa and Director of the CCRI, to learn more.

Please tell us about this new technology.

"Testing for SARS-CoV-2 is done using a Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR)-based test to detect the viral RNA. The PCR test kit contains probes that are prepared while attached to the surface of glass beads by a special non-nucleoside linker (see Figure below). This linker requires a series of chemical steps to make it from commercially available starting chemicals, and the key step has proven problematic.

COVID-19 is just one possible test target since the technology is applicable to many targets beyond the current application."



"Flow chemistry is the continuous synthesis of compounds travelling through a long tube, rather than in traditional large vats called 'batch reactors'. The flow approach produces smaller amounts of material at a time but does so continuously over a longer period of time. Flow is more readily controlled and often leads to cleaner product mixtures that are easier to purify. It is referred to as a form of "sustainable manufacturing." That is, you only make it as you need and use it right away - this avoids large and potentially dangerous (and expensive) chemical stockpiles of high-value material. Further, the flowed process can be stopped the minute something changes in the process and does not compromise the material already made. The batch approach carries the risk of losing an entire batch if something goes wrong, which may mean the loss of millions of dollars in the pharmaceutical sector, for example."



Why was there a need to prepare the linker in large quantities?

"In light of the COVID-19 pandemic, there was an acute global shortage of this material due to the difficulties associated with its preparation.

Prior to COVID-19, the annual consumption of this chemical for such test kits has been in the kilogram per year range, and this is supplied by Toronto Research Chemicals (TRC) an LGC subsidiary in Toronto. Demand for this material has now increased to over 25 times the annual global consumption.

The technology developed at uOttawa can now produce multi kilograms of this material per month, allowing TRC to meet its global requirement. If the need for tests increases, the system could be run for a longer time to produce more material, or a second system could be set up and run in parallel.

This exercise has allowed TRC to consider moving other chemical preparations to flow, thereby making them safer and more controlled processes."

"Our group was one of the first academic groups to engage the production of small, organic molecules using flow. We have been developing various aspects of the technology for almost 20 years.

The chemistry involved in the TRC project is temperamental and must be, especially on larger scale, done with great care to ensure that the process is strictly controlled and safe.

We invented a flow reactor specifically tailored for this process to implement a tight set of operating conditions to control the synthesis of the key linker molecule, which is obtained from this process in high yield and purity, and in a safe manner.



Hundreds of grams of this precious material have been prepared at uOttawa in the Flow Chemistry Research Facility and sent to TRC, so that it can make its way into the COVID-19 test kits.

TRC has been a major fine chemical manufacturer for over 30 years and the world experts on manufacturing this particular compound. They know it well, how to purify, analyze, store, etc. They also have the established relationship with the end users that make the test kits through their supply chain."

"The company has committed funding to support expanding the project. This will include moving more scale-up chemical processes at TRC, in Toronto, to flow.

Also, the Flow Facility at uOttawa is developing technology in artificial intelligence (AI). This will enable such chemical processes to be optimized using algorithms to reach the best possible set of reaction conditions with which to manufacture.

This is closely related to machine learning (ML), which includes the invention of 'smart equipment' that can perform operations in the absence of an operator. This will ultimately be linked wirelessly to the cell phones of chemists, for example, to monitor and control processes remotely.

The idea here is to lower the human footprint in the laboratory, which will not only benefit the current COVID-19 restrictions, but we believe that this could be the trigger for such a more permanent change in the labs of the future. This could have a considerable impact on Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) in the field of chemistry, as the possibility of carrying out chemical operations remotely would be helpful for people who can work effectively from home."

The team leaders of this project include: Dr. Andrew Corbett (Director of Production Chemistry at TRC), Prof. Michael Organ (uOttawa CCRI Director), Dr. Debasis Mallik (uOttawa Flow Chemistry Manager in the CCRI), Dr. Aliakbar Mohammadzadeh (Mechanical Engineer, postdoctoral fellow, uOttawa), Dr. Sepideh Sharif (Synthetic Chemist, postdoctoral fellow, uOttawa), Dr. Jurgen Schulmeister (Synthetic Chemist, postdoctoral fellow, uOttawa), Dr. Volodymyr Semeniuchenko (Synthetic Chemist, Research Associate, uOttawa), Mr. Peter Zhang (Software Engineer, York University). Special thanks to Professor Arturo Macchi (Chemical Engineer, uOttawa).

The Organ Group has received funding from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC) for this project, as well as a MITACS COVID-19 grant, which matched funding provided by TRC.

About the Flow Chemistry Research Facility

The Flow Chemistry Research Facility within the CCRI, managed by Dr. Debasis Mallik (dmallik@uottawa.ca), is equipped with state-of-the-art equipment for innovative research in sustainable manufacturing. The facility, which is built as an international hub for innovative academic-industrial partnerships through fundamental research in flow chemistry and analysis. Currently, collaborates with members of the university research community, as well as industrial leaders, who are building new tools for smart manufacturing (including AI) and process analytical technology (PAT).


Fred was sent racially abusive messages on social media after Manchester United's FA Cup quarter-final defeat to Leicester City on Sunday.

The comments section on the midfielder's Instagram posts were targeted with monkey emoji's following the defeat.

Other comments telling the Brazilian to 'go back to the favelas' followed the final-whistle, on the same day that 17-year-old Jude Bellingham was sent racist abuse.

Manchester United midfielder Fred was sent racist abuse on Sunday after defeat to Leicester

The 28-year-old star was sent racist comments across several of his recent Instagram posts

Fred struggled throughout the Sunday game and was at fault for Kelechi Iheanacho's opener

Fred endured one of his worst matches in a United shirt, struggling under Leicester's intense pressure as the Foxes ran the show.

The 28-year-old was to blame for the opening goal at the King Power, playing a soft back-pass which was intercepted by Kelechi Iheanacho before it reached Dean Henderson, as the striker slotted-in.

He also failed to get tight enough to Youri Tielemans when the midfielder drove through midfield to score Leicester's second, and was finally hooked by Ole Gunnar Solskjaer after 84 minutes.

That should have been the end of it but some fans took to Fred's Instagram post-match to leave the vile abuse below a photo posted on Thursday, following United's Europa League win over AC Milan.

The United midfielder didn't get across Youri Tielemans (pictured) in time to stop his goal

Fred is not the first player from his team to have received racist abuse online this season

The midfielder has now turned-off comments on that post, but other Instagram users then posted more monkey emoji's on a post from last Sunday, when Fred helped United beat Champions League qualification challengers West Ham.

A man was arrested and charged after the Manchester derby in December 2019 after being caught making an alleged racist gesture towards the midfielder from the crowd.

United boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer revealed that the midfielder had been 'affected' by the incident.

Anthony Martial and Marcus Rashford are others players in the Old Trafford dressing room who have been sent abuse this season, as the issue continues without a solution implemented.
The San Francisco school board, already embroiled in the debate on when and how to reopen schools, finds itself fractured as it navigates a new controversy amid a series of crises.

The board, often unified in the past, is now split over whether one of their members should resign in the wake of racist tweets about Asian Americans even as they face several lawsuits, a departing superintendent, a recall effort, a massive budget deficit, a dip in kindergarten applications and families angry over the slow reopening of classrooms.

The path forward is not clear.

On Monday, the tweet scandal involving Vice President Alison Collins  who posted the messages in 2016, before she was elected  only grew. Nearly the entire power structure of the city called for her resignation, joined by more than 1,300 people who had signed a petition urging her to step down.

The districts entire senior staff also condemned Collins, saying she had failed to accept responsibility for her actions.

Board members Jenny Lam and Faauuga Moliga demanded Collins resign, while President Gabriela Lopez and board members Matt Alexander and Kevine Boggess criticized her tweets but did not ask her to step down. Board member Mark Sanchez has not commented.

The board will meet Tuesday for the first time since the controversy erupted.

The turmoil involves a school board that has prided itself on putting racial equity at the forefront of its agenda, including covering a high school mural that included images of enslaved people and slain Native Americans; changing 44 school names deemed to be offensive and eliminating merit-based admissions at the academically elite Lowell High School.

But now board members face accusations of racism from one of their own and have split over the right thing to do.

In her thread of tweets, from December 2016, Collins said Asian Americans had used white supremacist thinking to assimilate and get ahead. The string of messages, she said, was part of an effort to combat anti-black racism in the Asian community and at my daughters mostly Asian Am school.

Later in the thread, Collins singled out Asian Americans in recounting an incident she said had occurred in the past. She wrote that her mixed-race/Black daughter heard boys teasing a Latino about Trump, Mexicans and the KKK. The boys were Asian-American. ... She spoke up when none of the other staff did. The after school counselor was Asian.

Collins responded Saturday to outrage over the tweets, saying her words had been misunderstood.

I acknowledge that right now, in this moment my words taken out of context can be causing more pain for those who are already suffering, she wrote. For the pain my words may have caused I am sorry, and I apologize unreservedly.

As of Monday afternoon, more than three days after critics unearthed the 2016 tweets, the posts remained online.

Collins did not return requests for additional comment. Supporters have said Collins has consistently pushed for racial justice and stood up for the Asian American community and that the campaign to get her to resign was orchestrated by those trying to recall her and two other board members.

If she does not resign, voters could recall her, a process already initiated over school reopening and other issues for her as well as Lopez and Moliga, but one that would take several months.

The city charter does give the mayor the authority to suspend a school board member for official misconduct, with a hearing by the Ethics Commission and a vote of three-fourths of supervisors to remove them from office. Its unclear whether city officials are looking into this.

Whether Collinss refusal to remove the tweets or other actions would qualify as misconduct is not clear, given the original posts are from 2016 and before she took office.

Former school board member Rachel Norton, who served 12 years in the role, said she cannot remember a time of such chaos and strain in the school district.

My fear for the board now that its split on this issue, is that this is a crisis of governance now, she said. That is a very, very perilous place for a school board facing all the issues that its facing.

The board, Norton said, is isolated, with district officials issuing essentially a vote of no confidence in the vice president, and the mayor, nearly every supervisor, state Assembly members and an array of other political and community leaders calling for her to resign.

In a strange twist, the Board of Supervisors is expected to take a final vote Tuesday on a skyscraper development project that involves Collins real estate developer husband, which the board endorsed in its first vote.

It does not appear the final vote  which would have a positive financial impact on a school board member that supervisors have called on to resign  would pose any ethical or legal concerns, said Supervisor Aaron Peskin, who voted against the project last week.

But its weird, Peskin said. Its definitely small town, only-in-San-Francisco stuff.

Also this week, the powerful San Francisco Democratic Party, which endorses candidates and plays a lead role in city politics, could demand Collins resign following a vote Wednesday, joining several other community organizations, including the Alice B. Toklas LGBTQ and Chinese American Democratic clubs.

Nancy Tung, one of the elected Democratic party leaders who has authored the resolution calling for Collins to resign, said the school board vice president had not acknowledged her words are the problem.

That is ultimately the most important thing to do, to understand you have your own biases that you have not recognized, she said.

COVID Resources Coronavirus Map Tracking COVID-19 cases across the Bay Area and California.

Tung questioned the response of board member Alexander, who condemned the language in the tweets and Collins failure to recognize bias, but did not call for her to resign.

He wants her to continue to serve on the board and work it out, Tung said. You dont do that on public time.

Alexander defended Collins Monday, saying that while her tweets show racism against Asian Americans and she needs to show more humility, he wants her to stay on the board.

Leadership is complex. It is more complex for a woman of color, tackling issues of race, he wrote in a blog post. But in Alisons case I believe that she is a leader. And a good leader is able to listen to her critics when they deliver constructive criticism. Lets hope that this is the beginning of that journey for Alison as a leader in San Francisco.

Boggess said he was not calling for her resignation because, ultimately, I believe those decisions are up to voters.

I do think real steps must be taken immediately by our Board in order to regain the trust of the members of the Asian American Pacific Islander community, who were harmed by the tweets, in ways that were not accomplished through (Collins) released statement, he said.

An online petition supporting Collins included 80 signatures, including parents and teachers, as of Monday afternoon.

Commissioner Alison Collins has been one of the few consistent anti-racist voices amongst politicians in this city, according to the petition statement, adding she has supported Asian American and Pacific Islander students as part of her equity work. The opportunistic targeting of Commissioner Collins distracts from the national conversation around addressing anti-AAPI and anti-Black hate.

The Collins tweet scandal and split on the board come even as the district faces multiple challenges, including a lawsuit filed by City Attorney Dennis Herrera over reopening schools, with a first hearing on it Monday, as well as litigation related to the renaming of schools and the threat of legal action over a change to Lowell High Schools admission process.

All the while, schools remain shuttered despite the vaccination of educators, declining COVID-19 case rates and the devastating impact of distance learning and social isolation.

Meanwhile, the board has yet to fully grapple with the imminent departure of the superintendent in June and a budget deficit even as families are fleeing city schools. Applications for fall enrollment in district schools dropped to 13,917 students this year, down 551 from last year, with a 10% drop in kindergarten. An enrollment loss could pitch the financially unstable schools into a deeper hole in future years.

Its unclear how many of the hundreds of previously enrolled students, some of whom left this year to attend reopened private schools or other alternatives to distance learning, will return in August.

Families applied to schools this year with an unprecedented amount of uncertainty, Superintendent Vincent Matthews said in a statement. We want families to know that we are committed to offering in-person school next fall.

Jill Tucker is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: jtucker@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @jilltucker
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Sydney, March 22 : Two Australian business consultants have been detained in Myanmar while trying to leave the country which is gripped by unrest following the February 1 military coup, a local media report said on Monday.

They are believed to be under house arrest after trying to leave the country on a relief flight on March 19, dpa news agency quoted the report published by Australian news wire AAP.

The Sydney Morning Herald newspaper named the two men as Matthew O'Kane and Christa Avery, a Canadian-Australian.

They run a business consulting firm for project development in the troubled South-East Asian nation.

The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade told AAP on Monday it was providing consular assistance but could not comment further.

According to AAP, their business consultancy firm has been working in South-east Asia for over 20 years, including seven years on the ground.

Myanmar's former de facto leader Aung San Suu Kyi was dislodged by the military coup on February 1.

Since then, large swathes of Myanmar's population have turned out for regular protests demanding her release, as well as a return of the democratically-elected government.

According to the Myanmar prisoners' aid organisation AAPP, 235 people have already been killed and some 2,330 at least temporarily detained in the country since the coup.
by Nirmala Carvalho

The Special Court rules that the 83-year-old Jesuit with Parkinson's, in prison for 150 days, cannot be released pending trial. The National Investigation Agency considers human rights organizations to be terrorist formations. The Jesuits had promoted a day of fasting in view of the verdict.

Mumbai (AsiaNews) - The Mumbai based National Investigation Agency (NIA) Special Court today rejected the request for release on bail of the 83-year-old Jesuit Father Stan Swamy. The defender of tribal rights in Jharkhand was arrested on 8 October on terrorism charges connected to the investigation into the clashes that took place in 2018 at the commemoration of the battle of Bhima Koregaon.

The special judge D.E. Kothlikar has ruled the request presented by the lawyers as inadmissible, despite the health conditions of Father Swamy, who suffers from Parkinson's disease.

The bail request had challenged the charges of links with the communist guerrilla, explaining that the Persecuted Political Prisoners Solidarity Committee (Pppsc) with which the Jesuit worked is not a Maoist organization as claimed by the NIA, but one of the main human rights associations in Jharkhand.

The same goes for the Bagaicha association, founded by Father Swamy to defend the rights of tribals and which among its aims also fights legal battles against the illegal detention of minors accused of being Maoists.

Defense lawyer Sharif Sheikh told the court: Nowhere have the prosecution (NIA) been able to establish that the applicant himself is a member of the banned organisation. Working for the undertrials who could or couldn't have been maoist does not make the applicant himself a maoist. Nowhere has the prosecution been able to establish that the applicant was involved in any terror activity."

In addition, the Jesuit's health conditions are of serious concern. In addition to the tremor caused by Parkinson's (in the Taloja prison he had to wait a month even just to get a straw to be able to drink), he suffers from deafness in both ears and severe lower back pain, having undergone two hernia operations.

"For this reason - recalled the bail request - he was transferred to the infirmary of the prison where he is assisted by the other inmates". He therefore finds himself in a situation in many ways similar to that of Varavara Rao - another of the other 16 co-defendants for the same case in 2018 - to whom the High Court of Mumbai had granted a six-month temporary release a few weeks ago in order to be properly cared for. "The bail is a right - claimed the Jesuits defense team - and keeping an 83-year-old man in prison has no use for the purposes of the trial".

Special prosecutor Prakash Shetty argued that the bail request is unfounded. In particular, the prosecution spoke of the existence of a correspondence of over 140 emails with the co-defendants and against Father Swamy cited some criticisms advanced by the Jesuit regarding the Green Hunt operation, a military campaign by the Indian government for the "eradication" of the Maoist guerrilla warfare. He also claimed that Father Swamy tried to tamper with the evidence, deleting some emails that would confirm his ties with Maoist groups and that the NIA would be able to find in his computer (this thesis also contested by the defense which fears fabricated evidence).

The news of the bail rejection was met with bewilderment by the Indian Catholic community. The Jesuit Conference of South Asia (Jcsa) had promoted a special day of fasting that ended last night with a prayer meeting streamed online on the eve of today's audience.

"We are saddened - comments the president of the Jesuits of India, Jerome Stanislaus DSouza - but we continue to hope and pray for justice to prevail and for Father Stan to be released soon after a fair trial".

The intention to move forward in the legal battle is also confirmed to AsiaNews by Father Santhanam, a Jesuit and lawyer, spokesman for the National Forum of Lawyers for Religious and Priests (Nlfrp): "The rejection of bail plea of Fr. Stan Swamy is disappointing everyone who fought and prayed for his release for the last 150 days. He is not a man who would run away from legal process and he had been continuously cooperating to any investigation either by the Mumbai Police or by NIA. Bail is a right of an under trail prisoner. Unchecked and unending judicial custody should not be a punishment for the unproved allegations on anyone. All the legal doors are not closed for his release. The fight would continue in all judicial forum. The objection to release Fr. Stan Swamy on bail proves that the government is still panicked by the dissenting voices of intellectuals.
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Brazilian researchers tested the capacity of different materials to produce sensors for the detection of PCA3, a gene that is overexpressed in prostate cancer. The technique can also be used to diagnose infectious diseases, including COVID-19.

The efficacy of biosensors used in clinical tests depends critically on the surface of the device on which the biorecognition molecules are immobilized. This surface can be adjusted and sometimes controlled using self-assembled molecular monolayers as matrices. The monolayers are films made up of organic molecules that under the right conditions assemble spontaneously on metal surfaces via chemical bonds between the sulfur atoms and the metal.

A study conducted at the University of Sao Paulo's Sao Carlos Physics Institute (IFSC-USP) in Brazil compared the performances of two types of self-assembled monolayers, one consisting of mercaptoacetic acid (MAA) in water and ethanol, and another of 11-mercaptoundecanoic acid (11-MUA) in ethanol. The respective films were evaluated in terms of their capacity to produce sensors for detection of the gene PCA3, which is specific to prostate cancer cells.

"We showed that efficient immobilization of a simple DNA strip to detect the gene PCA3 can be achieved even in less organized monolayers, provided the terminal groups are ionized," Paulo Augusto Raymundo Pereira, lead author of the study, told. An article reporting the findings is published in The Journal of Physical Chemistry C.

The study was supported by Sao Paulo Research Foundation - FAPESP via a postdoctoral fellowship awarded to Raymundo-Pereira, and a scholarship and a Regular Research Grant awarded to other participants. Another source of funding was the Thematic Project "Toward a convergence of technologies: from sensing and biosensing to information visualization and machine learning for data analysis in clinical diagnosis", led by Osvaldo Novais de Oliveira Junior, Raymundo-Pereira's research advisor. "The study showed that the differences in performance between biosensors made with MAA film and 11-MUA film are not due solely to monolayer organization. Carboxylate group ionization is important. For this reason, it's necessary to know the right conditions for formation of the film with these characteristics," Raymundo-Pereira said.

Because MAA has proved promising for biosensor matrices, the comparison of the different preparation conditions investigated in the study can contribute to the production of high-quality films. "This knowledge can help construct other types of matrix prepared with monolayers," Raymundo-Pereira said. "It's now available to any researcher. As a side-effect, our own group has created another biosensor to detect the novel coronavirus."

He stressed the importance of constructing non-invasive biosensors, especially in light of the growing use of telemedicine during the pandemic because of social distancing. "In the diagnosis and monitoring of prostate cancer, which was our proof of concept, the standard procedure is to quantify the level of prostate-specific antigen or PSA," he said. "This entails taking a blood sample from the patient, which is an invasive procedure.

Moreover, the result isn't always conclusive as a large proportion of false-positives result from high levels of PSA associated with inflammation of the prostate, for example. In this case, the medical recommendation is biopsy, which is even more invasive. The antigen expressed by the gene PCA3 can be detected in urine by users of a biosensor that could be sold by drugstores."

"Both contributions of the study relate to more accurate diagnosis of prostate cancer and the possibility of replacing such detection methods as PCR (polymerase chain reaction), which is essential to diagnose not just cancer but also other diseases, including COVID-19," Oliveira Junior said.

###

Besides the IFSC-USP group, the study involved researchers at the Brazilian National Nanotechnology Laboratory (LNNano), run by the Brazilian Center for Research in Energy and Materials (CNPEM) in Campinas, in the state of Sao Paulo; Hospital de Amor in Barretos, also in Sao Paulo; and Instituto de Pesquisa Pele Pequeno Principe in Curitiba, Parana state.

About Sao Paulo Research Foundation (FAPESP)
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South Korea remains the weakest performer within OECD in terms of renewables penetration into the national energy matrix, merely 5% of its electricity generation boils down to green energy. Apart from Seouls post-Fukushima travails with its nuclear fleet, the Asian nation has traditionally depended on coal to satisfy its ever-increasing energy needs, to the extent that in the 2010s South Korea was the fourth-largest coal importer globally, behind China, India, and Japan. Considering that South Korea has minimal domestic production capacities, importing coal has developed a strong interconnectedness with LNG prices, coals main competitor for domestic generation capacities. It is all the more peculiar that today, in the midst of Seouls renewables drive, coal has almost bounced back to its pre-COVID heights.

Graph 1. South Koreas Coal Imports in 2017-2021 (million tons per month).

Source: Thomson Reuters.

South Koreas coal imports have averaged 10.5-11 million tons per month in recent years, for obvious reasons 2020 plummeted into negative territories (9.03mtpa over the course of last year), South Koreas emission-curbing drives notwithstanding. During the 2020/2021 winter season imports of coal dropped even lower, to 8 million tons per month and everything seemed to indicate that this March would be just as dire as February and January were before that. Yet South Koreas March 2021 coal imports are assessed at 9.8 million tons, the second-best result in the last 12 months. Simultaneously, South Koreas coal imports from Australia have surged to their highest in years as the Sino-Australian conflict lingers on. Related: The 3 Nations Vying For Global LNG Dominance



Still formally committed to its self-imposed embargo of Australian coal and other energy feedstocks, China has ramped up imports from Indonesia, Russia and Mongolia, effectively allowing for a smooth reorientation of Australias exports towards South Korea. Simultaneously to the Australian spike, South Koreas imports of US coal have plummeted to multi-year lows (Q1 2021 witnessed a total of 3 cargoes arriving), with Canada and Colombia following the same way. Interestingly, the import volume surge takes place against the background of low coal utilization rates. According to Argus estimates, coal-fired generation dropped to 18.7GW in February, i.e. some 2 GW lower year-on-year. The drop in coal utilization rates is also corroborated by the fact that emissions of fine dust from coal burning have decreased by 22% compared to the 2019/2020 winter season, as reported by South Koreas Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy.

Graph 2. South Korea Coal Imports from Australia in 2017-2021 (as % of total imports).

Source: Thomson Reuters.

The main reason underlying such seemingly counterintuitive buying spree by South Korea boils down to LNG prices surging in Northeast Asia. The combination of high demand for LNG and restrictions on the usage of coal (heretofore the record of simultaneous curbing of coal-burning plants operation stands at 17 plants) have triggered an LNG price hike that saw South Korean landed prices move as high as $10/Mmbtu in February 2021. Although this March has alleviated concerns of a prolonged cold winter, prospects for coal remain prospective on the back of crude oil prices rising well above $60 per barrel. Most of LNG supplies into Northeast Asia are pegged to oil benchmarks  as exemplified by Qatar - meaning that any price hikes lead to an appreciation in LNG prices, too.

With South Koreas leading gas supplier KOGAS setting March 2021 for the power sector as high as $11.2 per Mmbtu, there is every reason to believe that the high rates of coal imports will continue. Seoul might not be very happy about it (e.g.: did not lift quotas for March despite coal being tangibly more profitable than LNG), however, it will need to accept the new reality at some point. As of today, the gas-to-coal switching price indicates a solid $3-4/Mmbtu profit for utility companies. Looking into April 2021 when the emissions-limiting restrictions of South Korean authorities would cease, it seems logical that some domestic firms would start stock up earlier, especially after genuinely weak purchasing activity over the winter months and coal stocks running low. Related: Texas Freeze Creates Global Plastics Shortage

The South Korean authorities would oftentimes accentuate that solar and wind energy are now almost as cost-competitive as coal projects and it is a matter of months until both overtake it in terms of profitability. Whilst factually correct, such claims omit an important factor that hinders coal generation for some time already. First and foremost, in the December-March period coal-fired power generation is subject to a production capacity quota of 80%, whilst the utilization of renewables is unrestricted all year long. Second, Seoul levies a carbon price (the 2020 annual average stood at 27.62 USD per mt/CO2) and is intent on stiffening its regulatory demands vis-a-vis coal in the upcoming months. Phase 3 of South Koreas Emission Trading Scheme (ETS) should be launched this year, again narrowing coals maneuvering space, aggravated by annual coal generation quotas starting from 2022.

The pledges to support a renewables-oriented energy future for South Korea was backed up by domestic asset funds refusing to finance the 4.5 billion Samcheok Blue Power Plant, assumed to be the Asian countrys last confirmed major coal project. Such market signals are definitely noteworthy, though do not necessarily mean that construction would be halted from now on  such a step rather shows that reputational risks associated with investing in coal in the 2020s seemingly outweigh the benefits thereof. Samcheoks project owners, Posco and Doosan Heavy Industries & Construction, are assumed to cover the funds by issuing corporate bonds, hence the asset managers boycott so far remains a largely symbolic act.

By Viktor Katona for Oilprice.com

More Top Reads From Oilprice.com:
UCD Professor Dolores Cahill has resigned as chair of the Irish Freedom Party, it emerged last night.

Her resignation as party chair comes after the students union at UCD - where Prof Cahill is a member of the universitys medical school faculty - called on college authorities to investigate Prof Cahills attendance at an anti-lockdown protest on St Patricks Day.

Prof Cahill spoke to protestors at the event in Herbert Park, Dublin, last Wednesday, which she helped to organise.

Ms Cahill created the Facebook event page for the Le Cheile Day protest in Herbert Park, which was promoted as being a demonstration highlighting mental health issues arising from the pandemic.

Several hundred people attended the protest, where Prof Cahill spoke to the crowd.

Read More

Video footage on her Facebook page shows Prof Cahill speaking through a microphone, saying that the globalists are enforcing the wearing of masks because oxygen-deprived people are easy to manipulate.

If everybody just stopped wearing masks this would be over, she said.

The World Health Organisation has said that in the battle against Covid-19, masks should be used as part a comprehensive strategy of measures to suppress transmission and save lives.

This lockdown is based on lies, Prof Cahill said, to cheers from the crowd.

UCD distanced itself from Ms Cahills comments in a statement to Independent.ie last week, and said the university said it does not discuss individual staff members.

It also said that Prof Cahill is not scheduled to teach students or co-ordinate modules this semester.

"The views expressed by Dolores Cahill are her own. They do not reflect the position of the University, said a spokesperson.

"Dolores Cahill is not scheduled to teach or coordinate modules this semester. The University does not discuss individual staff members.

It said that the university continues to fully support the public health position taken by the Irish Government concerning Covid-19.

This includes vaccination rollout, treatment for Covid-19 patients and societal restrictions aimed at curbing the spread of the virus, the spokesperson added.

A statement released by the Irish Freedom Party this evening confirmed Prof Cahills resignation and expressed the partys immense gratitude for her contribution to the party.

She has played a key role in developing the organisation, enhancing the party profile and attracting new members. She publicly defended our natural freedoms to travel, work, worship and meet our families in a time of lockdown.

Professor Cahill is an exceptionally talented person, one of Irelands top academics who is involved in a number of different organisations. She is a fearless advocate of freedom at a time of great upheaval in Ireland and around the world. We wish her every success in the future, the statement read.

Professor Cahill was unavailable for comment this evening.

The party, which has no elected councillors or Oireachtas members, confirmed that Michael Leahy was unanimously voted in as new chairman.

Mr Leahy, an architect and former member of the board of An Bord Pleanala ran in the 2020 General Election in Clare but was eliminated in the third count.




Bindi Irwin is due to give birth to her first child next week.

The daughter of late conservationist Steve 'The Crocodile Hunter' Irwin revealed her due date on Tuesday after rumours swirled she'd welcomed the child in secret.

Bindi, 22, and her husband, Chandler Powell, 24, also announced their latest 'special project' which coincides with the birth of their baby.

Coming soon! Bindi Irwin is due to give birth to her daughter next week. She revealed her due date on Tuesday after rumours swirled she'd already given birth in secret

They will be releasing a range of baby items under the 'Baby Wildlife Warrior' label, which is the nickname the couple have given their child.

'With our due date about a week away and waiting for our baby girl to arrive, Chandler and I are proud to share a special project that we've been working on for months with our Australia Zoo team,' Bindi wrote.

'This limited edition Baby Wildlife Warrior range means so much to us, we hope you love it too,' she added.

The range includes clothing with Australian wildlife-themed prints and wooden souvenirs featuring messages such as, 'Hello world, I'm new here.'

Clothing range: Bindi, 22, and her husband, Chandler Powell, 24, also announced their latest 'special project' which coincides with the birth of their child

Rumours circulated last week Bindi had already welcomed her daughter after fans noticed a 'bump update' she tweeted was actually a month old.

The image showed Bindi and Chandler posing with her mother, Terri, and younger brother, Robert, on the grounds of Australia Zoo in Queensland.

Her caption stated the couple were still 'waiting' for the arrival of their daughter.

Cute memorabilia: They will be releasing a range of baby items under the 'Baby Wildlife Warrior' label, which is the nickname the couple have given their child

Sweet: The range includes clothing with Australian wildlife-themed prints and wooden souvenirs featuring messages such as, 'Hello world, I'm new here'

Joy: Bindi and Chandler announced their baby news in August, and revealed the following month they were expecting a daughter

But in the photo, she and Chandler were wearing the exact same outfits they'd been pictured wearing as they strolled through Australia Zoo's car park on February 19 - right down to the socks, shoes and Chandler's wristwatch.

At the time, fans suspected she didn't post a more recent photo because she'd already given birth and wanted to keep it under wraps.

Bindi and Chandler announced their baby news in August, and revealed the following month they were expecting a daughter.

Steve Irwin died in September 2006 at the age of 44 after being pierced in the chest by a stingray barb while filming a documentary in Batt Reef, Queensland.
American Family Insurance has partnered with Cambridge Mobile Telematics (CMT), a smartphone telematics company, to create the MilesMyWay auto insurance program that rewards drivers for driving less.

The app-based program is a pay-as-you-drive (mileage-based) telematics offering that allows drivers to earn rewards each month based on the exact mileage they drive, giving drivers the ability to adapt their auto policies to their changing driving habits due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The program, which is built on CMTs DriveWell smartphone telematics platform and uses its IoT Tag technology, will first be offered to eligible Arizona customers before rolling out to other operating states throughout 2021.

Policyholders can receive savings totaling up to 25% of their monthly premiums starting when an enrolled vehicle is driven less than 8,000 miles per year  or about 667 miles per month. Drivers wont be penalized or charged more for driving more  theyre rewarded for driving less. Mileage is measured with the MilesMyWay app and a small windshield-mounted sensor paired via Bluetooth. The program is available to customers who drive less than the average of 10,000 miles annually.

The COVID-19 pandemic continues to change consumer driving habits and consumers expectations of how they pay for their auto insurance, said Jenny Sankovsky, American Family product strategy and innovation director, The MilesMyWay app ensures that as customers habits change, so does our service.

The program is different than other pay-as-you-drive coverages that change premiums based on an insureds monthly mileage. MilesMyWay customers know the maximum amount they will pay each month, with only their reward adjusting based on mileage. A policyholder will not be charged more if they exceed the 8,000 miles in one year, though this may spur a recommendation for policy adjustments to better fit customer lifestyle and needs.

Based in Madison, Wisconsin, American Family Insurance has been serving customers since 1927. The group sells American Family-brand products, primarily through exclusive agency owners in 19 states. The American Family Insurance group also includes CONNECT, powered by American Family Insurance (formerly Ameriprise Auto & Home), The General, Homesite and Main Street America. Across these companies the group has more than 13,500 employees nationwide.

At Cambridge Mobile Telematics was founded in 2010 and now powers 65 enterprise programs in more than 28 countries. The technology serves several million drivers a day through partnerships with insurers, rideshares, cellular carriers and car makers.

Topics Personal Auto Arizona
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Armenia MFA information department chief: All deputy FMs carrying out their duties

Ardshinbank invited children to the cinema on International Childrens Day

Armenia judiciary to have 10 more judges

Armenia acting premier: We had recorded 40% increase in tax revenues according to 2019 results

Armenia acting PM on Artsakh war casualties bodies: We have 50 remains in which case DNA was not separated

Azerbaijan authorities plan to "squeeze" everything from "terrorist show" related to Armenian captives

Ameriabank Announces a Contest for Bank Card Design

108 new cases of COVID-19 confirmed in Armenia

Armenia parliament convenes special session

Armenia interim government holding Cabinet meeting

Catholicos of All Armenians heads for Syunik Province, Artsakh

World oil prices going up

Iran loses right to vote in UN General Assembly

Newspaper: Armenia authorities come up with new way of punishing unwanted characters

Newspaper: Russia army Southern Military District deputy commander to arrive in Yerevan Thursday

Lebanese Armenian man taken prisoner by Azerbaijan is hospitalized

Armenia ex-President Kocharyan: Are we getting under the burden? Then lets get under to the end

Armenia acting health minister on keeping fallen soldiers bodies in bags: What else should they be kept in?

Armenia acting health minister on citizens' demand for her resignation

Karabakh's new State Minister Artak Beglaryan on his appointment and future activities

Armenian, Russian and Azerbaijani representatives hold consultations in Moscow

2 Armenian soldiers receive slight injuries after incident with Azerbaijani servicemen in Armenia's Gegharkunik

Armenian boy weighing 5 kg born at Goris Medical Center

"Armenia" bloc representative presents purpose of participation in elections and plans

Isaac Herzog elected President of Israel

Rouhani: Main issues between Tehran, Washington resolved in Vienna

Charles Michel calls on Armenia and Azerbaijan to resume constructive negotiations

US Department of State responds to Pashinyan's proposal to deploy international observers on Armenia-Azerbaijan border

Head of Armenia 2nd President's Office: Robert Kocharyan's public meetings are held in warm atmosphere

Opposition "Armenia" bloc's representative on photos and videos showing bags of deceased servicemen's bodies

Armenia Ombudsman, AGBU President discuss war crimes committed by Azerbaijan during Karabakh war

Opposition "Armenia" bloc's representatives to hold briefings three times a week

Opposition "Armenia" bloc member: Blood-freezing photos and videos from morgue in Abovyan are authorities' reflection

Yerevan mayor receives Netherlands Ambassador

Armenia Health Ministry, Investigative Committee keep info about sending remains of dead soldiers abroad confidential

Armenia Prosecutor General's Office launches case regarding leaving sacs of servicemen's bodies/remains in basement

Peskov: Putin and Biden to discuss cybersecurity issues

Armenia's Pashinyan meets with Belgian PM Alexander De Croo

Armenia acting MOD receives Netherlands Ambassador

Armenia Police: 3 citizens apprehended during protest demanding acting health minister's resignation

NATO warns Minsk about further consequences of Ryanair incident

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

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92 new cases of COVID-19 confirmed in Armenia
Bobby Stuckey flipped through receipts this month, surprised to see a huge increase in cocktail sales, the highest in the 17-year history of his restaurant, even though the bar section has been closed. The septuagenarians are back.

Every night we are seeing another couple or a pair of couples in the dining room, and they feel so much relief, said Stuckey, owner of Frasca Food and Wine in Boulder, Colorado. COVID was hard on everybody, but you cant even think of the emotional toll in this group. They havent gone out. They want to have the complete experience. It is just joyful to see them again.

Older people, who represent the vast majority of Americans who are fully vaccinated against the coronavirus, are emerging this spring with the daffodils, tilting their faces to the sunlight outdoors. They are filling restaurants, hugging grandchildren and booking flights.

Marcia Bosseler is back to playing pingpong  and beating all the men, she said  at her apartment complex in Coral Gables, Florida.

Randy and Rochelle Forester went out to eat with another couple for the first time in a year, and Rochelle Forester celebrated the pleasure of being out of sweats, to put on some pretty earrings and lipstick and be back in the world a little bit. Fully vaccinated, Louis Manus Jr., an 82-year-old Navy veteran in Rapid City, South Dakota, is getting ready for his first vintage car club meeting in a year.

The upside-down world in which older Americans are drinking more martinis inside restaurants at a far greater rate than millennials will be short-lived. It is a fleeting COVID-era interregnum in which the elders celebrate while their younger counterparts lurk in grocery stores in search of leftover shots or rage on social media, envious of those who have received a vaccine. In a few months, all that will most likely be over, and vaccines will be available to all who want them.

For now, about two-thirds of Americans older than 65 have started the vaccination process, and nearly 38% are fully vaccinated, compared with 12% of the overall population, giving the rest of the nation a glimpse into the after times.

I am just enjoying my life, said Robbie Bell, 75, who recently went out with two friends for a birthday celebration in Miami  one of whom was hospitalized last year with a dangerous case of COVID  and even hit the dance floor.

This is my just due, Bell said. Seniors gave up more than anybody else.

Bosseler, who is 85, is thrilled to go back to live games of pingpong and mahjong at The Palace in Coral Gables.

This is very exciting for me, she said in a telephone interview.

She is happiest to get back to relationship with friends, she said.

What was difficult was losing that intimacy of walking together and talking face to face. I missed not shaking a hand, or putting a hand on a shoulder.

Her neighbor Modesto Maidique, who is 80, has tiptoed out into the world, grabbing his sandwich indoors. But his central goal, like many older people, is to see his grandchildren.

I am about ready to jump in a plane and fly  and the sooner, the better, Maidique said. He also teaches a course on lessons in life, love and leadership at Florida International University in Miami and dreaded the thought of people being online and my not having the ability to interact with others, he said.

His tentative plan is to hold a normal class in September.

Other older Americans still in the workforce are finding their way back into that world before many of the rest of us, too. Bell, a real estate broker, spent the last year driving around Miami in a car separate from clients, once giving a tour by speakerphone and pointing out landmarks. The clients would then go inside houses by themselves. That is how I had to function, she said. For the first time last week, someone came who had her shots, too. I picked her up, and I did my showings.

Bell also dared to go out with two girlfriends for a birthday celebration. She and one of the friends are members of a ski club that suffered three deaths related to a trip to Sun Valley, Idaho, early in the pandemic, and one of her two dinner companions also became sick enough to be hospitalized. Their first dinner out was so jubilant that Bell made her way to the dance floor, where an older gentleman tried to grab her hand and dance. (For that, she was not ready, and she said she swatted him away.) She and her pals were talking about how great we felt and how nice it was even to be in each others company and talk and laugh, she said.

Bell said she tries not to dwell on the losses and the pain of the last year. I am not going there, she said, preferring to focus on the cheerful now. But when she talked about her grandchildren, she began to weep. Do you know how bad it was not to hug your grandchild? she asked. I try not to think about it, its so hurtful.

Marsha Henderson, a former commissioner for womens health with the Food and Drug Administration, also got inoculated and then began helping her friends and neighbors find vaccine appointments in Washington, D.C. As she and her friends crawl out, she said, they are beginning to look at shaking up some of their routes. The Book Club Sisters will meet in April for the first time since COVID, she said. The pandemic has encouraged us to look to a new genre, not our usual biographies or politics. We are trying to look to the future, Afro Futuristic short stories. No more Zoom. It will be a hoot!

Many of those fully vaccinated  older and younger  are still cautious, more like those crocuses that bloom in the day only to fold quietly back into their stems at night. I would say that we are less afraid but not fear-free, said John Barkin, 76, who lives with his wife, Chris, 70, in Chestertown, Maryland. There are so many stories about mutations, etc., and so many yet-to-be-vaccinated people seem to be acting more and more irresponsibly. Both of us feel that we have invested a year of being careful, so to continue on conservatively seems the way to go.

Their vigilance stems from the spread of some more contagious variants of the virus and from uncertainty over whether those who are vaccinated can still spread it. Lindsey Leininger, a health policy researcher and a clinical professor at the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth in Hanover, New Hampshire, said that the public health messaging has been overcautious at times.

But I suspect theres something much deeper at play, she said.

Were biologically wired to avoid viral threats and abhor uncertainty, Leininger continued. Sadly, the variants inject some serious uncertainty, although were hopeful about emerging data suggesting our vaccines remain protective and that effective boosters can be produced. Some people cope with uncertainty by saying, To heck with it! and avoid all precaution, while others become supercautious.

Paul Einbund, owner of The Morris, a restaurant in San Francisco, is seeing the adventurers out again. We are getting more of our older clientele coming back, he said. Normally, these are people who, if I hadnt seen in a year, it would be so weird, I would call them to see if they were OK. One man who told him before the pandemic that he had a terminal illness came in the other night, to his great shock. He was dining with three businessmen, and they went big and ordered this incredible chartreuse, Einbund said. That table gave me so much energy that night.

Nancy Arcadipone, 71, who splits time between Chicago and Kalamazoo, Michigan, is planning her first trip to the Southwest in 45 years and plotting when she can next enjoy eggplant parmigiana at La Scarola and a margarita next to a couple of tacos at Frontera Grill, both in Chicago, and live music performances  all within tantalizing reach.

Still, her elation is tempered by the generational reversal of vaccine fortunes.

I feel the worst for the younger generation, Arcadipone said. My generation really got to live, experience and experiment. I feel sad for younger people. I find it kind of strange that our generation gets to be socially free first after a year of isolation.

Andrea Westberg, 73, sees it through all lenses, having missed out on a customized tour of Italy last summer with her teenage grandchildren. She and her husband, Gary, 74, moved to an active adult community in Roseville, California, two months before the world locked down and immediately longed for the incipient community pickleball, wine club get-togethers, potlucks and seeing new neighbors.

We were so disappointed, Andrea Westberg said. We kept busy decorating a new home, but not being able to share it with guests, including our sons and families, was very sad and lonely.

At last, she is together with family again.

I am hopeful for the future but cautious, she said. I grieve for those lives lost and hope that science and truth prevail in the years to come.

This article originally appeared in The New York Times.
Credit: Getty newborn baby

Early studies indicate that pregnant women who have been vaccinated against COVID-19 may be able to pass on antibodies to their babies.

One preliminary study published earlier this month, which has yet to be peer-reviewed, involved 131 women who had been vaccinated, 84 of whom were pregnant and 31 of whom were nursing.

The study found that women who were pregnant and lactating were found to have "equivalent" immune responses to the non-pregnant women who were involved in the study. Additionally, antibodies generated from the vaccines were found to be "present in all umbilical cord blood and breastmilk samples."

The women involved in the study had all received either the Moderna or Pfizer vaccines, co-author Andrea Edlow, assistant professor of obstetrics and gynecology at Harvard Medical School, told the Washington Post. Researchers found that women who had gotten the Moderna vaccine had higher levels of the IgA antibody, which is typically found in breastmilk and can help protect babies against respiratory tract diseases, like COVID-19.

RELATED: Baby Born to Partially Vaccinated Mother Found to Have COVID Antibodies in First-Known Case

Edlow said that more research is needed to determine if "getting a better IgA boost from the Moderna vaccine" could "somehow translate into improved protection of their baby through breastmilk."

Additionally, Edlow said that they plan to start studying the effects of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine on pregnant women soon.

Mothers typically pass antibodies to their newborns through the placenta during the last three months of pregnancy, which provides the baby with passive immunity. The protection is only temporary, and the immunity decreases after the first few weeks or months, according to the Centers for Disease Control.

RELATED VIDEO: Women Changing the World: Meet These 3 Doctors Who Are Key Developers of the COVID-19 Vaccine

Story continues

Another early study from Israel observed similar findings.

In that study, which has not yet been peer-reviewed, 20 women who received COVID-19 vaccines while pregnant were all found to have antibodies in their umbilical cord blood. All of their babies also had the antibodies.

Additionally, last month, doctors in Florida published a case study about a baby born to a partially vaccinated mother who was found to have COVID-19 antibodies.

Dr. Paul Giblert and Dr. Chad Rudnick of Boca Raton said the mother received one dose of the Moderna vaccine three weeks before giving birth at the end of January. A blood sample taken after the baby was born showed that the child had COVID-19 antibodies.

Gilbert told the South Florida Sun Sentinel that the mother never contracted COVID-19, meaning the antibodies could only have come from the vaccine.

RELATED: U.S. Doctors Encourage Pregnant Women to Get the COVID Vaccine

Although additional research is still needed, health experts are hopeful about the results from these early studies.

"[They] show what we had hoped would be true, which is that these vaccines could be potentially protective through antibodies passed on to the fetus." Breanna Hughes, co-chair of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists' COVID-19 task force, told the Washington Post.

Hughes, who is not involved with any of the studies, went to to add that despite early concerns about pregnant women receiving the vaccine, "it might be proven that the vaccines actually provide protection to the developing fetus."

Never miss a story  sign up for PEOPLE's free weekly newsletter to get the biggest news of the week delivered to your inbox every Friday.

Despite initial concerns, more and more pregnant women getting vaccinated against COVID-19 as experts affirm that it is safe.

Pregnant women are at a higher risk of severe illness from COVID-19. A recent study of more than 400,000 women with COVID-19 found that those who were pregnant were at a 70 percent higher chance of death than non-pregnant women, nearly three times more likely to require intensive care and more than three times more likely to need a ventilator. Still, the overall risk of death or severe illness from COVID-19 is low.

As information about the coronavirus pandemic rapidly changes, PEOPLE is committed to providing the most recent data in our coverage. Some of the information in this story may have changed after publication. For the latest on COVID-19, readers are encouraged to use online resources from the CDC, WHO and local public health departments. PEOPLE has partnered with GoFundMe to raise money for the COVID-19 Relief Fund, a GoFundMe.org fundraiser to support everything from frontline responders to families in need, as well as organizations helping communities. For more information or to donate, click here.
Longtime educator and law specialist J.J. Rodriguez died this week as family and friends remembered how his civic leadership in and around the community helped shape the lives of many for generations to come.

According to the family, Rodriguez, 77, peacefully passed away on Friday, March 12. Rodriguez died of underlying health issues unrelated to COVID-19.

Rodriguezs son Ron Rodriguez, who is a local board-certified personal injury and appellate law specialist just like his father, recounted who his dad was and how he contributed greatly to the Laredo community.

J.J. was a tireless collaborator with Father Charles McNaboe in founding St. John Neumann Church, with services first given at Clark Middle School, then Father McNaboes home, then Mall del Norte and finally to where the church sits today on Hillside Road, Ron Rodriguez said. J.J. was the director of the CCD program with multiple classes being conducted at the then UA Cinema at the mall. One of his biggest accomplishments was helping, along with others, transition St. John Neumann Church from a dream into reality.

The family said J.J.s legacy will be the love, laughter, memories and kindness he left behind in everyone fortunate to know him, and also his fierce advocacy for education in the community.

His legacy is also the passion to make this community and world a better place that he infused into the hearts and minds of those who knew him and were privileged to call him a friend and mentor, Ron Rodriguez said.

On top of his constant work with local churches and other programs around the country, Ron Rodriguez said his father also helped greatly in educating many from the local professional population. He said his father was seen as a great role model by many. He said his father educated and mentored roughly one-third of Laredos adult population.

His pupils have gone forth to become doctors, lawyers, politicians, engineers, architects and many other professionals and citizens who are now thriving and productive members of our community, Ron Rodriguez said.

J.J. Rodriguez also participated in various organizations and clubs around the community to ensure the youth had a good future to aspire to and also to make sure the needy had a helping hand.

J.J. selflessly gave to his community his time and talent, Ron Rodriguez said. J.J.s extraordinary work ethic and community service made him a community hero. While working at Nixon, he was also the director of the Youth Development Program and director of the Community Action Agency, a program designed to combat poverty in our community. He was a member of LULAC 12 and a strong supporter of the Laredo Boys & Girls Club. He was also engaged in fundraising to assist needy members of our community.

Ron Rodriguez said his father lived a very good life even though he did experience times of great sadness and loss.

J.J. lived a wonderful and blessed life, he said. Life was difficult for a time after his beloved wife Mary Chacha Rodriguez passed away.

Fortunately, J.J.s life was rejuvenated when he moved in with Ron and his wife Mari at their estate home, spending cherished time with his three grandchildren.

For many years they enjoyed cruises, the beach, traveling, swimming, cookouts, car racing, birthday parties, holidays, going to church, fine dining, grand openings and had all kinds of parties with great company where J.J.s wit and humor always stole the show, Ron Rodriguez said.

One of the main memories his son has about his father is a camping trip they went on throughout the United States.

Traveling and camping throughout the entire United States in a pickup truck with my mom and my father, I experienced a whole other world outside of Laredo at an incredibly early age, Ron Rodriguez said. Because my father was a history teacher and loved the subject, we stopped at and read every historical marker. This experience created in me a thirst for knowledge that is still thriving today.

Rodriguez was described not just as a great professional that helped shape the lives of many in Laredo but also as a well-rounded person to be around.

His obituary described him as a lifelong superstar overachieving educator, legendary Nixon Mustang administrator, fierce education advocate, knowledgeable historian, celebrity community leader, one-time outlaw street racer, sharp dressed boot wearer, avid outdoorsman, skillful hunter and fisherman, shooting specialist, accomplished traveler, gifted writer, talented orator, passionate storyteller, consummate jokester, and a kind gentleman.

According to Ron Rodriguez, his father loved the outdoors, classic cars, fast motorcycles, firearms and a good pair of boots. He loved a good story and funny jokes and was a great conversationalist.

Most of all he loved God and his family, Ron Rodriguez said. J.J. could talk about anything such as history, sports, politics, government, law, medicine, cars, engineering, construction and life.

Ron Rodriguez hopes people continue in his fathers footsteps as he was an exceptional individual who showed how strong work ethic, a good personality and caring for others can open any doors not just for themselves but for many others in the community.

Laredo is a great community with the kindest people who have the most compassionate and loving hearts, Ron Rodriguez said. Time is the most valuable thing we all have. J.J. was an example of how one person in a great community can make a positive impact doing what he knows best, educating our youth to one day become leaders and productive citizens in our community.

jorge.vela@lmtonline.com
These thoughts mirror traditional conservative evangelical Christian teachings about sex and the idea that its womens responsibility to avoid leading men into sexual situations.

This kind of purity culture has a reach far beyond religion. Abstinence-only education classes taught in over half the states across the country tell young people that the onus is on girls not to tease or tempt boys, whose sexual compulsions, they say, are near uncontrollable.

But rather than curb sexual activity, these programs seem to normalize misogynist impulses. A 2017 study in the Journal of Adolescent Health, for example, found abstinence-only programs often reinforce gender stereotypes about female passivity and male aggressiveness. And the federally funded Heritage Keepers curriculum teaches students that girls have a responsibility to wear modest clothing that doesnt invite lustful thoughts.

These ideas are so pervasive that they can also be found in school dress codes, which almost exclusively target young women, explicitly telling them that the way they dress distracts their male classmates and teachers. The National Womens Law Center has also found that Black female students are more likely to be cited for dress code violations than their white peers  another indication of how girls and women of color are hypersexualized and punished.

Even media headlines suggest that the men and boys who hurt women are passive victims of their desire. After a Maryland high school student shot 16-year-old Jaelynn Willey in the head, The Associated Press initially described him as a lovesick teen. And when a lab technician strangled a Yale pharmacology graduate student, Annie Le, and stuffed her body behind a wall, The New York Post said the crime was borne of unrequited love and called the murderer lovelorn.

Now, in the wake of the Georgia killings, Mr. Longs attack has already been described as committed by someone with a sex addiction or simply a man having a bad day.
New Delhi:

After the RBI report on demonetisation, former Finance Minister P Chidambaram on Saturday attacked Modi govt saying it should have courage to accept that note ban was a wrong decision.

Demonetization was a wrong decision and the government should have the courage to accept it, Chidambaram said.

Chidambaram said the Reserve Bank of India report has revealed what he had said six months ago.

Finally the RBI report has revealed what I said 6 months ago, former FM Chidambaram said.

The government has gone into a defensive mode ever since the RBI has released its report on demonetization. The report has quashed all the big claims made by Prime Minister Modi at the time of note ban that it will flush out black money, fake currency and end the corruption.

Also Read | RBI data suggests Prime Minister Modis demonetisation move failed on most fronts

Last month, the Reserve Bank of India released its much-awaited report on demonetisation.

In the report, it said 99 per cent of the banned notes came back into the banking system which trashes all the big claims of Prime Minister Narendra Modi that the move will flush out the black money and counterfeit currency.

According to the report, Rs 15.28 lakh crore out of the Rs 15.44 lakh crore in the currency that was ceased to be legal tender on November 8, 2016, has come back into the Indian banking system.

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HOUSTON, March 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Superior Energy Services, Inc. (the "Company") today announced the resignations of David Dunlap, president and chief executive officer and a member of its board of directors, and Westy Ballard, executive vice president, chief financial officer and treasurer. Mr. Dunlap and Mr. Ballard resigned from the Company to pursue other opportunities. Michael Y. McGovern, the chairman of the Company's board of directors, has been appointed executive chairman and assumed the functions of the Company's principal executive officer, and James Spexarth, the Company's chief accounting officer, has been appointed interim chief financial officer.

"On behalf of our board of directors we thank Dave Dunlap and Westy Ballard for their positive contribution and leadership over the last decade, and more recently for their successful navigation through the recent financial challenges," said Mr. McGovern. "A special thanks to Dave for his admirable work in shaping the company culture, particularly apparent in our Shared Core Values and safety initiatives. Through their efforts combined with other members of our team, the Company emerged with a solid portfolio of operating companies, positive cash flow, strong balance sheet and limited debt. We are well positioned for the future."

The Company plans to commence an executive search to identify a successor for Mr. Dunlap.

ABOUT SUPERIOR

Superior serves the drilling, completion and production-related needs of oil and gas companies worldwide through a diversified portfolio of specialized oilfield services and equipment that are used throughout the economic life cycle of oil and gas wells. For more information, visit http://www.superiorenergy.com.

SOURCE Superior Energy Services, Inc.

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A 13-year-old boy was charged with third-degree murder for allegedly shooting and killing his 12-year-old sister last week. The horrific incident occurred in Upper Providence Township, Pennsylvania on Friday.

The children's mother, Daisy Vasquez, has asked her son, Jah'sir, to get her gun out of the car. Jah'sir then entered the residence, holding the gun in his right hand, and pointed it to at his younger sister, Jasiyah.

The gun was fired at point-blank range, hitting the girl in the chest, and she immediately fell on the ground, according to a Crime Online report.

District Attorney Kevin Steele said in a statement on Friday that Jasiyah was found dead in the living room when they arrived, and Jah'sir was arrested.

The teen was held without bail for a third-degree murder charge as the surveillance footage showed how the shooting happened.

"We followed the evidence in this case, which clearly showed that the 13-year-old shot and killed his sister. Despite the child's age, Pennsylvania law requires that we charge Jah'sir Vasquez in adult criminal court for the shooting death of his sister," Steele said as NBC News reported.

READ NEXT: 5-Year-Old Girl Dies After Playmate Accidentally Shot Her in the Head

Probe on the Death of Jah'sir's Sister

Dr. Ian Hood, the forensic pathologist with the Montgomery County Coroner's Office, did an autopsy on Jasiyah's body. Hood confirmed that the cause of death was a single gunshot wound to the chest and listed the manner of death as a homicide. The case remains under investigation.

Aside from the third-degree murder and related charges, the teen was also charged with a minor's involuntary manslaughter and possession of a firearm by a minor.

The child suspect was arraigned before Magisterial District Judge Cathleen Kelly Rebar, who denied bail and ordered that Jah'sir be held at the Montgomery County Juvenile Detention Center.

On Mar. 26, Jah'sir is set to attend a preliminary hearing before Magisterial District Judge Richard H. Welsh.

Gun Violence

According to an Amnesty report, more than 500 people die every day because of gun violence, with 44 percent of all homicides around the world are connected to gun violence.

The majority of the victims and suspects are young men. However, it was found that women are particularly at risk of firearms violence done by an intimate partner.

In the U.S., about 134,000 people were shot and injured by firearms in 2017, with some of the victims needing permanent, lifelong care. Rates of gun violence in the country vary from state to state and the character of the violence.

Some states report relatively low rates of gun-related homicides. However, they have high rates when it comes to gun-related suicides, according to an American Progress report.

Some of the states with the highest rates of gun-related deaths are Alaska, Alabama, Mississippi, and Louisiana, with rates higher than 18 gun deaths per 100,000 people.

On the other hand, New York, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, and Hawaii have lower rates, with five gun deaths per 100,000 people.

More than 35 percent of gun deaths in the U.S. are gun homicides, which means that around 33 people are murdered with a gun daily.

The gun homicide rate in the U.S. is 25 times higher as compared to other high-income countries.

READ MORE: Man Linked to Deaths of His Ex-Wife and 4 Others Admits to Killing 11 More

WATCH: 13-Year-Old Boy Charged in Shooting Death of 12-Year-Old Sister: Police - From 6abc Philadelphia
The U.S. State Department has singled out the nepotism scandal surrounding fly-by-night Justice Minister Cho Kuk as a leading corruption case in South Korea.

In its annual report on human rights worldwide released Wednesday, the State Department says the South Korean "government, prodded by media and civil society groups, generally implemented the law effectively." But it adds, "Officials sometimes engaged in corrupt practices with impunity, and there were numerous reports of government corruption."

Examples include the Cho family case and the collusion between police and the owners of Burning Sun, a nightclub in Seoul who included Seung-ri, formerly of boy band Big Bang.

"On Oct. 14, Cho Kuk, the minister of justice, resigned 35 days after his appointment amid allegations that he and his family used his positions unfairly and, in some cases, fraudulently to gain academic benefits for his daughter and inappropriate returns on investments," it recalls.

"On Oct. 24, prosecutors issued an arrest warrant for Cho's wife for allegedly destroying evidence and falsifying credentials for her daughter's medical school application. Prosecutors continued to investigate Cho as of November and barred him from leaving the country."

The report was compiled last November and does not deal with the subsequent court proceedings, which on Wednesday saw Cho's wife apply for bail.

The report is more scathing about North Korea, singling out among systemic abuses the public execution of an army lieutenant for increasing food rations for his troops in June 2018.

Hyon Ju-song was reportedly charged with "abuse of authority, profiting the enemy, and engaging in antiparty acts. Hyon had reportedly ordered the distribution of extra food and fuel to his troops, claiming 'we no longer have to suffer and tighten our belts to make rockets and nuclear weapons.'"

According to NK News, Hyon was publicly executed with 90 rounds from handguns at a firing range.


POINTE BLANCHE:--- Several persons within the management and staff at Port St. Maarten have received their COVID-19 vaccines after the government-owned company launched their internal vaccine information sessions for staff.



The COVID-19 virus continues to wreak havoc around the world and threatening economic recovery, but with the rollout of the vaccine, lives and livelihoods will be saved.



Minister of Tourism, Economic, Transport & Telecommunications (Ministry TEATT) Ludmila de Weever commends Port St. Maartens Management for taking the step to set-up an internal staff vaccine campaign to provide information leading to staff inoculations. I encourage other government-owned companies as well as the private sector to take similar steps.



Country St. Maarten has been facing a monumental health crisis due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It is now one-year since borders were closed and travel restrictions went up around the globe. The vaccine rollout by the Ministry of Public Health, Social Development and Labour in collaboration with the Collective Prevention Services (CPS) and the Vaccine Management Team (VMT), is a gamechanger and I am optimistic that our economy will be back on track in 2021, Minister Ludmila de Weever said.



Port St. Maarten Management: We are very pleased with the interests shown by our staff to register for the vaccine and to get vaccinated after our internal COVID-19 vaccine information sessions. This is a very important step for the countrys economic recovery and the foreseeable return of cruise tourism to the destination.



Our campaign and efforts will also be extended to key port users as they too play a vital role in achieving a safer port environment. One of those large stakeholders is the Dutch St. Maarten Taxi Association (DSTA) for example. DSTA President Conrad Richardson said that he is pleased to hear the port and other stakeholders speak about business resumption and economic opportunities for its members. The taxi association is looking forward to participating in the information sessions as most of them identify the economic benefit of potentially being part of the initial bubble once the cruise business returns to the destination.



In the meantime, Port St. Maarten continues with its dialogue with the cruise industry keeping them apprised of destination developments and vaccine rollout as discussions within the cruise sector with public health officials in the United States continue with respect to the safe resumption of cruise.



Port St, Maarten Management would like to thank CPS and VMT for their cooperation and collaborative efforts. The rollout of the vaccine will lead to a rapid recovery post-pandemic if everybody gets vaccinated, and therefore we encourage other businesses to organize information sessions for their staff.



The business community is the backbone of the national economy and play a fundamental role in the day-to-day provision of services to the community and visitors. Register for the vaccine to save lives and livelihoods, Port St. Maarten Management concluded.



The port calls on members of the community to register for the COVID-19 vaccine, and if they have any questions related to the vaccine, to get in touch with the Collective Prevention Service (CPS) by either calling 914 or emailing: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.



To register for the vaccine, you can do so via the online registration form which is available in English, Spanish and Creole at the following link: https://forms.sintmaartengov.org/form.aspx?v=OGtn05kNmb



For paper-based registration, the COVID Vaccine Registration Form can be picked up at several locations, including CPS at the Vineyard Office Park Building, the Division of Labor Affairs at the Simpson Bay Public Service Center in Simpson Bay, Doctors offices, the Government Administration Building, and select pharmacies.



Both Cole Bay & Dutch Quarter Community Helpdesks are currently equipped to provide information and can assist persons with registration at either location.
After slipping aboard Air Force One, Ronny Jackson, a congressman for Texas' 13th Congressional District who formerly served as a physician to former presidents, questions President Joe Biden's health.

Former White House Physician questioned Joe Biden's health

In a tweet on Sunday afternoon, Jackson expressed his concern about Biden's health. "I served as the White House physician for three different presidents. I've learned what it takes to do the work both physically and psychologically. I will tell you right now that Biden's public concealment is a big red flag. Something's not right! "Jackson wrote.

I served as White House physician under THREE Presidents. Ive seen what it takes physically AND mentally to do the job. I can tell you right now that the way Biden is hiding from the public is a MAJOR red flag. Somethings not right!  Ronny Jackson (@RonnyJacksonTX) March 21, 2021



@Twitter

Biden has made a string of physical and verbal gaffes in recent days, prompting Jackson's comments, The Washington Examiner reported. On Friday, the president was caught on camera stumbling up the steps leading to Air Force One, which received widespread attention. Following the accident, White House Communications Director Kate Bedingfield tweeted that Biden "is fine," noting that the fall was "nothing more than a misstep on the stairs."

According to a report published this month, the former White House physician recently made headlines when a Department of Defense inspector general investigation claimed he drank on the job and made offensive comments to staffers. Jackson refused "any accusation that he drank alcohol while on duty" and accused the inspector general's office of "resurrecting" old accusations because he did not "turn his back on former President Trump."

Jackson served as the White House physician from 2013 to 2018 under President Barack Obama and President Donald Trump and said in February 2020 that Biden "would need" to undergo cognitive testing. Under the Trump administration, he was nominated to be the Secretary of Veterans Affairs, but he withheld his name from consideration after being accused of professional impropriety. He was elected to his new term as a delegate for Texas' 13th Congressional District in November of last year.

Is President Biden To Blame for Gasoline Price Hikes?

National media ignored questions about Biden's health

When Michael Wolff's sloppy book with a lot of ditzy rumors about President Trump's mental acuity came out, the national media were ready to throw a 25th Amendment celebration. On the other hand, the new president has just collapsed, and the press hasn't voiced any interest, as per the NY Post.

Fears for Biden's health condition following falls, brain aneurysms

Joe Biden was climbing up to board Air Force One on Friday when he tripped over one of the stairs, despite having his hand on the rail for help. He pulled himself to his feet only to see the same thing happen again. His 78-year-old ankles eventually gave in to gravity, and he dropped to his knees.

Biden finally got up and made the remainder of the trip to the lodge. The President "didn't really need much treatment from the medical staff," as per White House Communications Director Kate Bedingfield.

On Biden's trip up the stairs, one of Biden's press secretaries made sure to remind reporters that it was really windy outside. It would be easier to ignore the incident if it didn't exist amid a host of other Biden-related incidents.

Even Biden's physical actions are remarkable. With the rhythm of a prolonged yoga stretch, he waves his hand or makes a smile at someone nearby. The press used to be obsessed with a president's physical and mental health.

Joe Biden Eyes Mid-May to Start Relaxing COVID-19 Travel Restrictions, Sources Claim

According to The Sun, since x-rays showed a hairline fracture in his foot late last year, Biden was forced to wear the protective boot for several weeks. "On Saturday, Nov. 28, President-elect Biden stumbled and twisted his ankle while playing with his dog Major," according to a pool report at the time.

"Follow-up CT scan revealed small fractures of President Biden's lateral and intermediate cuneiform bones, which are in the midfoot," Dr. Kevin O'Connor said in a statement to MSNBC. Biden was sent to an orthopedist for a CT scan after an initial examination showed the fracture.

The president has since had multiple sinus operations, as well as the removal of his gallbladder and several non-melanoma skin cancers. In the late 1980s, Biden has had two brain aneurysms, one of which ruptured.

Deep vein thrombosis and pulmonary embolism later complicated his condition, but they no longer pose a direct threat to his health. Meanwhile, Dr. Kevin O'Connor of The George Washington University described the president as "healthy" and "vigorous" in a 2019 medical review.

President Joe Biden, VP Kamala Harris Extend Support to Asian Americans, Vow to Stand Against Racism

@ 2021 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
Married At First Sight's producers have long been accused of manufacturing drama for the sake of ratings.

And an unfortunate editing fail from Sunday night's commitment ceremony certainly appears to prove this theory.

Partway through the episode, eagle-eyed fans noticed that relationship expert Mel Schilling was wearing a earpiece in her right ear.

Did you notice it? Married At First Sight suffered an unfortunate editing fail during Sunday night's commitment ceremony episode when viewers noticed an earpiece in Mel Schilling's right ear

While the flesh-toned device was hidden for most of the episode thanks to clever camera angles, it became visible on several occasions when Mel turned her head to the side.

Reality stars often wear earpieces during filming so they can receive instructions from producers.

On Monday, a New Idea magazine insider alleged that the experts are 'essentially producers' puppets and have to act out scenes, occasionally wear earpieces and do as they're told.'

Blink-and-you'll miss it: While the flesh-toned device was hidden for most of the episode thanks to clever camera angles, it became visible on several occasions when Mel turned her head to the side

Several MAFS stars have previously spoken about the use of earpieces during filming.

In March last year, former bride Hayley Vernon insisted that the experts were fed lines by producers at the commitment ceremonies.

'The experts don't speak for themselves. They have an [earpiece] in their ear, and we can hear, because it's so silent on set,' she told the Not Here to Make Friends podcast.

'We can actually hear people feeding them lines': In March last year, former bride Hayley Vernon insisted that the experts were fed lines by producers at the commitment ceremonies

'We can actually hear people feeding them lines,' she added.

A week earlier, fellow MAFS star Mishel Karen told the same podcast that she believed Elizabeth Sobinoff was secretly wearing an earpiece during filming.

Mishel claimed that she and Michael Goonan had suspected Elizabeth was wearing an earpiece because of the way she styled her hair for dinner parties and commitment ceremonies.

'We were just so suss because of the way she wore her hair and she never [normally] wears her hair over that ear,' she said.

Married At First Sight continues Monday at 7pm on Nine.
MOSCOW, March 22 (Reuters) - Russia's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on Monday it regretted that the United States did not support President Vladimir Putin's proposal to hold video talks with his U.S. counterpart Joe Biden on March 19 or 22.

"Another opportunity is missed for finding a way out of the deadlock, caused by Washington, in Russian-American relations. Responsibility for this lies entirely with the United States," the foreign ministry said in a statement on its website.

Putin said on Thursday that he and Biden should hold live online talks in the coming days after Biden said he thought the Russian leader was a killer and diplomatic ties sank to a new post-Cold War low. (Reporting by Anton Kolodyazhnyy; Writing by Alexander Marrow; Editing by Alison Williams)

An international group of researchers including experts from the Natural History Museum and led by the University of Adelaide has conducted a comprehensive genetic analysis and found no evidence of interbreeding between modern humans and the ancient humans known from fossil records in Island Southeast Asia. The team found further DNA evidence of our mysterious ancient cousins, the Denisovans, which could mean there are major discoveries to come in the region.

In the study published in Nature Ecology and Evolution, the researchers examined the genomes of more than 400 modern humans to investigate the interbreeding events between ancient humans and modern human populations who arrived at Island Southeast Asia 50,00060,000 years ago.

In particular, they focused on detecting signatures that suggest interbreeding from deeply divergent species known from the fossil record of the area.

The region contains one of the richest fossil records (from at least 1.6 million years) documenting human evolution in the world. Currently there are three distinct ancient humans recognised from the fossil record in the area: Homo erectus, Homo floresiensis (known as Flores Island hobbits) and Homo luzonensis.

These species are known to have survived until approximately 50,00060,000 years ago in the cases of Homo floresiensis and Homo luzonensis, and approximately 108,000 years for Homo erectus, which means they may have overlapped with the arrival of modern human populations.

The results of the study showed no evidence of interbreeding. Nevertheless, the team were able to confirm previous results showing high levels of Denisovan ancestry in the region.

Lead author and ARC Research Associate from the University of Adelaide Dr Joao Teixeira, said: In contrast to our other cousins the Neanderthals, which have an extensive fossil record in Europe, the Denisovans are known almost solely from the DNA record. The only physical evidence of Denisovan existence has been a finger bone and some other fragments found in a cave in Siberia and, more recently, a piece of jaw found in the Tibetan Plateau.

We know from our own genetic records that the Denisovans mixed with modern humans who came out of Africa 50,00060,000 years ago both in Asia, and as the modern humans moved through Island Southeast Asia on their way to Australia. The levels of Denisovan DNA in contemporary populations indicates that significant interbreeding happened in Island Southeast Asia. The mystery then remains, why havent we found their fossils alongside the other ancient humans in the region? Do we need to re-examine the existing fossil record to consider other possibilities?

Co-author Prof Chris Stringer of the Natural History Museum added: While the known fossils of Homo erectus, Homo floresiensis and Homo luzonensis might seem to be in the right place and time to represent the mysterious southern Denisovans, their ancestors were likely to have been in Island Southeast Asia at least 700,000 years ago. Meaning their lineages are too ancient to represent the Denisovans who, from their DNA, were more closely related to the Neanderthals and modern humans.

Co-author Prof Kris Helgen, Chief Scientist and Director of the Australian Museum Research Institute, said: These analyses provide an important window into human evolution in a fascinating region, and demonstrate the need for more archaeological research in the region between mainland Asia and Australia.

Prof Helgen added: This research also illuminates a pattern of megafaunal survival which coincides with known areas of pre-modern human occupation in this part of the world. Large animals that survive today in the region include the Komodo Dragon, the Babirusa (a pig with remarkable upturned tusks), and the Tamaraw and Anoas (small wild buffalos). This hints that long-term exposure to hunting pressure by ancient humans might have facilitated the survival of the megafaunal species in subsequent contacts with modern humans. Areas without documented pre-modern human occurrence, like Australia and New Guinea, saw complete extinction of land animals larger than humans over the past 50,000 years.

Dr Teixeira said: The research corroborates previous studies that the Denisovans were in Island Southeast Asia, and that modern humans did not interbreed with more divergent human groups in the region. This opens two equally exciting possibilities: either a major discovery is on the way, or we need to re-evaluate the current fossil record of Island Southeast Asia.

Whichever way you choose to look at it, exciting times lie ahead in palaeoanthropology.

The paper was published in Nature Ecology and Evolution on 22 March 2021.

Notes for editors

Media contact: Tel: +44 (0)779 969 0151 Email: press@nhm.ac.uk

About the Natural History Museum:

The Natural History Museum is both a world-leading science research centre and the most-visited natural history museum in Europe. With a vision of a future in which both people and the planet thrive, it is uniquely positioned to be a powerful champion for balancing humanitys needs with those of the natural world.

It is custodian of one of the worlds most important scientific collections comprising over 80 million specimens. The scale of this collection enables researchers from all over the world to document how species have and continue to respond to environmental changes - which is vital in helping predict what might happen in the future and informing future policies and plans to help the planet.

The Museums 300 scientists continue to represent one of the largest groups in the world studying and enabling research into every aspect of the natural world. Their science is contributing critical data to help the global fight to save the future of the planet from the major threats of climate change and biodiversity loss through to finding solutions such as the sustainable extraction of natural resources.

The Museum uses its enormous global reach and influence to meet its mission to create advocates for the planet - to inform, inspire and empower everyone to make a difference for nature. We welcome over five million visitors each year; our digital output reaches hundreds of thousands of people in over 200 countries each month and our touring exhibitions have been seen by around 30 million people in the last 10 years.
Kabul, March 22 : In an unannounced visit to Afghanistan, US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin met President Ashraf Ghani during which they both expressed concerns over the increase of violence in the war-torn country, according to authorities in Kabul.

Austin arrived in Kabul on Sunday, following his two-day trip to New Delhi.

In a tweet on Sunday evening, Austin said: "I'm very grateful for my time with President Ashraf Ghani today. I came to Afghanistan to listen and learn. This visit has been very helpful for me, and it will inform my participation in the review we are undergoing here with POTUS (US President Joe Biden)." In a statement issued after the meeting, the Afghan Presidential Palace said that Austin is expected to meet other senior high ranking officials during his stay in Kabul, TOLO News reported.

"Ghani and the Defence Secretary stressed that enduring and just peace is the main solution for the current situation in Afghanistan," the Palace said.

The statement added that Austin stressed the US is supporting Afghanistan in this respect.

Austin's trip comes as the US is reviewing the Doha agreement, which the country had signed with the Taliban in February 2020, while also keeping all options on the table when it comes to the May 1 deadline for the withdrawal of American troops from Afghanistan.

In a report last week, NBC News had said that President Biden is considering keeping US troops in Afghanistan until November, rather than withdrawing them by the May deadline, TOLO News reported.

But there has been no official comment on this development.
Kathmandu, March 15

President Bidya Devi Bhandari is embarking on a two-day official visit to Bangladesh next week.

Sources say a cabinet meeting to be held today will approve the visit plan for March 22 and 23.

A source in the Bangladeshi Embassy in Kathmandu also confirms the plan, adding preparations are underway to make the trip successful.






Billed as the world's most expensive Volvo wagon, a dark blue New York-based V70 is currently for sale for $20 million (and probably will be for some time). It's not the car that makes the sale special, though. It's the New York state vanity plate that reads "NEW YORK."

Indeed, the ad lists a Volvo but it doesn't even mention the year, mileage or model, and in photos it's still wearing a fresh sheen of road salt. Custom plates are big business in some parts of the world. It also should be noted that the plates are of a recent design and not of the original 1970 issue. New York allows you to update vanity plates to new designs for a small fee.

According to the listing on Du Pont Registry, the current owner of the plate suggested that their father buy the plate in the 1970s. This was when New York first began offering personalized plates. Surprisingly, it had not yet been claimed, allowing the family to ride around with the words "New York, New York" plastered on their government-issued vehicle identification for four decades.

While the ad claims that the plate, replicas of which are sold in souvenir shops all over the Big Apple, is transferable to any vehicle, we have our doubts. Best we can tell, New York license plates don't stay with the car. The Empire State requires you to surrender your plates when you sell your car, unless you're planning on transferring them to a new car.

However, the transfer can only be done, according to the New York DMV, if the names on both registrations are the same. You can't even transfer the plate to your spouse. The same rules apply for personalized plates. If you sell a vanity plated car without an immediate replacement, you can store the personalized plate with the New York DMV and then reinstate them later, but nowhere does it say the plate can be transferred. In fact, the DMV says "The new owner must apply for a new vehicle registration, vehicle plates and a title certificate. The new owner does not use the vehicle plates or the registration items of the previous owner."

As our own Joe Lorio put it, "Whoever buys that Volvo might end up with just a very expensive used Volvo wagon."
IF YOU need evidence that the Democratic administration in Washington is hostile to the Granite State, look no further than its disposition toward our states lawsuit against Massachusetts over the Bay States bad faith policy of imposing its income tax on New Hampshire telecommuters who bot
Demonstrators gather behind barricades during a protest against the military coup in Mandalay

(Reuters) - The European Union and the United States on Monday imposed sanctions on individuals and groups linked to last month's military coup in Myanmar as the repression of pro-democracy protesters by security forces reached what Germany's foreign minister called "an unbearable" level.

The EU sanctions marked the 27-nation bloc's most significant response since the overthrow of Aung San Suu Kyi's elected government on Feb. 1. The 11 individuals targeted included General Min Aung Hlaing, the commander-in-chief of the Myanmar military and head of the junta that has taken power.

Washington had already sanctioned Min Aung Hlaing and the measures announced on Monday expanded the list of targets.

"The Burmese security forces lethal violence against peaceful protesters must end," said Andrea Gacki, director of the U.S. Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control. "We continue to stand with the people of Burma."

There was no immediate response from the junta, which has shown no sign so far of being swayed by international condemnation of its actions.

At least 250 people have been killed by security forces attempting to quell weeks of pro-democracy protests in towns and cities across the country, according to the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP) activist group.

Three people were killed in Myanmar's second city, Mandalay in unrest on Monday, including a 15-year-old boy, witnesses and news reports said.

The junta has tried to justify the coup by saying a Nov. 8 election won by Suu Kyi's party was fraudulent - an accusation the electoral commission has rejected. Military leaders have promised a new election but have not set a date and have declared a state of emergency.

Suu Kyi, who won the Nobel Peace Prize for her campaign to bring democratic civilian rule to Myanmar, is being held in detention while an array of accusations have been levelled at her, including bribery. Her lawyer says the charges are trumped up.

Story continues

MILITARY BUSINESS

"We are going to take sanctions against 11 persons involved in the coup and the repression of the demonstrators," EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said after EU foreign ministers adopted travel bans and asset freezes on them at a meeting in Brussels.

The EU already has an arms embargo on Myanmar and has targeted some senior military officials since 2018.

German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas told reporters before the meeting that the crackdown "has reached an unbearable extent".

Among the individuals targeted are Min Aung Hlaing, Myint Swe, who has been acting president since the coup, and other senior military and administration staff.

Stronger measures are expected soon as the bloc moves to take aim at the businesses run by the military.

EU diplomats have told Reuters that parts of the military's conglomerates, Myanmar Economic Holdings Limited (MEHL) and Myanmar Economic Corporation (MEC), are likely to be targeted, barring EU investors and banks from doing business with them.

The conglomerates are spread throughout the economy from mining and manufacturing to food and beverages to hotels, telecoms and banking.

"We don't intend to punish the people of Myanmar but those who blatantly violate human rights," Maas said.

The U.S. action targeted senior policeman Than Hlaing and military officer Aung Soe, as well as two Burmese Army divisions, the 33rd Light Infantry and 77th Light Infantry.

U.S. Secretary of State Anthony Blinken said members of the 33rd Division had fired live rounds into a crowd in Mandalay. Both units were part of the security forces' "planned systemic strategies to ramp up the use of lethal force", he said.

Last month Washington froze about $1 billion in reserves Myanmars central bank was holding at the New York Fed, which the junta had attempted to withdraw after seizing power.

Some generals, including Min Aung Hlaing, were already under U.S. human rights sanctions over their role in a campaign against the Rohingya Muslim minority.

Earlier, U.S. Treasury sanctions targeted 14 Myanmar officers involved in the coup, along with some military companies.

ASIAN DIPLOMACY

In the latest violence, three people were killed in Mandalay, witnesses and the Myanmar Now news portal said.

Tun Tun Aung, a 15-year-old, was killed in his hut when security forces opened fire in the city's Mya Yi Nandar area, his sister said.

"My brother was sitting next to the window," she said. "We live in the squatters area. Our house is not strong enough to stop bullets."

Six people were killed and several wounded in the city on Sunday, Myanmar Now reported.

State media said on Sunday that men on motorcycles attacked a member of the security forces who later died. The military said two policemen were killed in earlier protests.

Singapore's Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan, meanwhile, visited Brunei Darussalam on Monday before going to Malaysia and Indonesia, who are seeking an urgent meeting of Southeast Asia's ASEAN regional grouping, of which Myanmar is a member.

Singapore's deputy prime minister Heng Swee Keat told an investors conference that his country - which has deep economic ties with Myanmar - was "appalled by the violent crackdowns against civilians" and called for a return to the democratic transition.

The BBC said one of its reporters in Myanmar who was detained by plainclothes men three days ago had been freed. Aung Thura of the BBC's Burmese service was picked up on Friday along with a journalist who works for the domestic Mizzima news service.

There was no word on the whereabouts of the Mizzima reporter.

(Reporting by Reuters Staff; Writing by Angus MacSwan, Editing by Ed Osmond)
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Hyundai Motor Group held a virtual groundbreaking ceremony for HTWO Guangzhou, the Groups first fuel cell system facility outside of Korea.

The investment advances the Groups global hydrogen leadership and supports its push into Chinas rapidly developing hydrogen industry.

Participating in the ceremony were Li Xi, Secretary of Guangdong Province, and Ma Xing Rui, Governor of Guangdong Province  both joining from Guangzhou Yuexiu International Congress Centre in China  along with Euisun Chung, Hyundai Motor Group Chairman, and Saehoon Kim, Hyundai Head of Fuel Cell Centre and Executive Vice President  both joining from Hyundai Motorstudio Goyang in Korea.

The establishment of HTWO Guangzhou marks an important starting point for Hyundai Motor Groups dedicated fuel cell system brand HTWO, Chairman Chung said. Hyundai Motor Group will actively lead clean mobility innovations using its strategic partnerships, world-class technology, hydrogen business capabilities and related expertise.

Hydrogen aspirations gain ground with HTWO Guangzhou Hyundai Motor Group designated the production and sales hub HTWO Guangzhou in line with the name of its dedicated fuel cell system brand. HTWO stands for H2, the hydrogen molecule, whilst also representing Hydrogen and Humanity, the main pillars of the Groups fuel cell business.

HTWO Guangzhou will be built in the Guangzhou development district of Guangdong Province, China, with the aim of completing the project in the second half of 2022. Facilities, including a fuel cell system plant and an innovation centre, will be built on the 207,000-square-metre site.

The annual production target for the facility is 6,500 units, with a goal to gradually expand production capacity in line with Chinese market conditions and central government policies.

The Group plans to take the lead in realising carbon neutrality by strengthening production of its world-leading hydrogen fuel cell systems, making them available as power sources for various industries.

Building toward a sustainable hydrogen society

In 2018, Hyundai Motor Group announced plans to expand its supply capacity to 700,000 hydrogen fuel cell systems annually by 2030, under its mid- to long-term hydrogen roadmap Fuel Cell Vision 2030.

Through strategic partnerships with hydrogen, energy and logistics companies around the world, the Group has expanded its fuel cell system business, accelerating development of a hydrogen society and laying the foundation for the companys HTWO brand, with initial focus on major hub regions  Korea, Europe, China and the US.

Since marketing the worlds first mass-produced fuel cell electric vehicle ix35 in 2013, the Group has been expanding its vehicle offerings powered by its fuel cell system, such as Hyundai NEXO SUV, XCIENT Fuel Cell heavy-duty truck and a fuel cell electric bus, as zero-emission mobility solutions. As a steering member of the Hydrogen Council, a global coalition of leading energy, transportation and industry companies with a shared vision and long-term ambition for hydrogen, Hyundai is committed to fostering a clean energy transition.-- Tradearabia News Service
Burma Becomes New Front for US-China Confrontation as CCP Seeks to Regain Influence: Expert

Daisuke Kondo, a China expert in Japan, recently wrote an article about how Burma is as important to the United States and China as Taiwan is to these two powers. According to Kondo, the situation in Burma now deserves even more attention as Beijing is trying to regain the influence it lost on Burma from the United States after the military coup.

Since that coup in Burma (officially known as Myanmar), Beijing has demanded the release of Aung San Suu Kyi and leaders of the National League for Democracy (NLD) political party. However, Beijing has also blocked the United Nations from imposing sanctions on the Burmese military. Chinese state-run media Xinhua avoided calling it a coup, instead calling it a cabinet reshuffle.

The militarys crackdown on protesters continues. On March 14, at least 40 people were killed in Yangons Hlaing Tharyar industrial area during anti-coup protests, Reuters reported. Anger has been directed at Chinese companies in Burma over allegations that Chinese authorities covertly support the countrys military. On the same day, several factories were set ablaze, including Global Fashion, a Chinese-owned company, and Tsang Yih, a Taiwanese-owned shoe manufacturer.

On March 16, thousands of residents fled the industrial area amid fears of further bloodshed and after the army placed it and five other townships in Yangon under martial law following the weekend violence, according to Reuters.

The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has been accused of protecting Burmas military government because of its geostrategic positionit is where South Asia, East Asia, and Southeast Asia meet, and it is located between China and India, the two regional giants. China built a Sino-Burma oil and gas pipeline project in Burma, which opened in 2013, and has become one of the strongholds of Chinese economic and military expansion.

Kondo, a special editorial board member of Shukan Gendai (Modern Weekly), a weekly Japanese tabloid, wrote that with the United States and China once again going head-to-head in the country, the Biden administration will need to abandon its policies of appeasement in order to contain the CCP.

As a journalist, Kondo visited North Korea twice with former Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi. He studied at Peking University in 1995-1996, and then served as the representative of Kodan Press in Beijing. He once wrote for The Economic Observer, a famous economic magazine in China, and has authored books on China issues. He is also familiar with the political situation in Southeast Asia, having conducted interviews in Burma and other Southeast Asian countries for many years.

Kondo expressed reservations about whether the CCP was behind the coup. He believes that after the Burmese military began to carry out democratization in 2011, the military also started to approach the United States, shifting from pro-China to pro-United States and pro-China. On the other hand, the CCP has engaged in equal diplomacy between the military and Aung San Suu Kyis NLD to maintain its influence in Burma, he added.

Military Shifts

Kondo pointed out that in 2011 Burma ended its military regime and made the transition to democracy. In the decade that followed, Burmas domestic and foreign affairs transformed. The military and the political party NLD have redivided their rights and interests, during which there were constant conflicts.

In international relations, Beijing previously had tremendous influence over Burma, but the United States also began to have an influence. The reason for this is that former President Thein Sein, who is a retired general, made a major change in foreign policy. Kondo says he switched from a one-sided pro-Beijing approach to a Beijing and Washington approach.

For instance, in September 2011 Thein Sein announced the suspension of the Myitsone Dam project, which was signed between China and Burma in December 2009 during Xi Jinpings tenure as deputy leader of China. Its suspension may have been an embarrassment to Xi.

According to Kondo, two months after the projects suspension, Xi asked the then-Burmese foreign minister to come to Beijing to explain the situation. On Nov. 28, Min Aung Hlaing, Burmas commander-in-chief, and the one who initiated the coup in February this year, went to Beijing to explain, stressing repeatedly that relations with China would not be shaken in the future to calm Xis anger.

The next day, however, then-U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton was invited by President Thein Sein to visit Burma, becoming the first U.S. secretary of state to set foot in the country in 56 years. The following year, in November 2012, then-President Barack Obama visited Burma and gave a speech at Yangon University.

Kondo said a series of foreign policy shifts by Burmas military government have caused the CCP to fall out of favor, while U.S. influence began to expand rapidly.

It is reported that the construction of the China-Burma oil and gas pipelines officially began in June 2010 in Burma. The pipeline falls in line with Chinas Belt and Road Initiative, which allows Chinas imports of crude oil to circumvent the crowded Malacca Strait. The total length of the oil pipeline is about 479 miles (771 kilometers), linking Burmas deep-water port of Kyaukphyu in the Bay of Bengal with Kunming in Yunnan Province of China. The natural gas pipeline will extend further from Kunming to Guizhou and Guangxi in China, running a total of 1,700 miles (2,806 kilometers). The pipeline started to deliver gas in 2013 and oil in 2017.

Biden Administrations Appeasement

Following the military coup in Burma, Washington imposed sanctions on 10 military personnel and three companies of the military-affiliated Myanmar Economic Holdings Limited (MEHL) on Feb. 1. Two more military generals were added to the list on Feb. 22.

On Feb. 19, U.S. President Joe Biden attended his first G7 meeting after taking office, in which attention was drawn to how to deal with the Burma issue. However, in the G7 statement released after the meeting, the word Myanmar was not even included, triggering various comments. One view is that the Biden administration is worried that too much pressure on Burmas military could push it to move closer to Beijing. In this regard, Kondo said that the sanctions against the 10 Burmese military generals and other measures seemed harsh, but in fact, they have little effect on the military. The Biden administration has shown the characteristics of an appeasement government in dealing with Burma.

Beijing, reflecting on the termination of the Myitsone Dam, has adopted an equal diplomatic strategy toward Aung San Suu Kyi and her NLD, and the military, which has gained its desired results. In April 2017 and April 2019, Suu Kyi attended a Belt and Road conference in Beijing and expressed her active support. Meanwhile, Xi Jinping visited Burma in 2020, where according to Chinese state media Xinhua, he and Suu Kyi agreed upon a community of a shared future for China and Myanmar (community of a shared future is a CCP political slogan).

According to Kondo, after the military coup, the CCPs plan is to continue this equal diplomacy, acting as an intermediary between the two sides to lead the resolution of the Burma issue and, in the process, replace U.S. influence in the country.

The situation is worsening in Burma as the militarys crackdown on the people continues to escalate and the number of protesters killed by the security forces continues to grow. Kondo said that as Burma becomes a new front for the U.S.-China confrontation, democratic and liberal countries such as the United States and Japan need to implement effective actions against the military to deal with Burmas crisis.

The U.S. carried out more freedom-of-navigation operations in the South China Sea toward the end of Donald Trump's presidency than any other year on record.

There were 10 challenges to territorial claims in the South China Sea between October 2019 and September 2020, said John Supple, a Defense Department spokesman at the Pentagon. That included six specifically aimed at challenging China's "excessive maritime claims" in the area, a new Pentagon report shows.

The U.S. carried out eight freedom-of-navigation operations in the South China Sea in fiscal 2019, Supple said. Navy ships also sailed through the Taiwan Strait 13 times in 2020, according to The Associated Press, which noted that it was the highest number of transits there in at least 14 years.

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The U.S. conducts hundreds of freedom-of-navigation operations, known as FONOPs, across the globe annually, with ships or aircraft passing through international waters or airspace to challenge assumptions that the area belongs to any one country. But as tensions continue to build between Washington and Beijing, there has been an uptick in the operations off China's coast, where the country has made sweeping territorial claims and built artificial islands with airstrips and military structures.

"The United States remains focused on the importance of freedom of navigation to preserving the rules-based international order," Supple said.

The Trump administration ushered in a host of tough policies aimed at China, starting with tariffs on billions of dollars worth of Chinese imports. The 2018 National Defense Strategy centered largely around threats from China; that same year, the Defense Department also changed the name of U.S. Pacific Command to U.S. Indo-Pacific Command -- a move meant to counter China's influence in the region.

China isn't the only country making maritime claims in the South China Sea though, which has led to rising tensions in the region. The U.S. military also hit back at excessive claims made by Malaysia, Taiwan and Vietnam through freedom-of-navigation operations there, Pentagon data shows.

The U.S. has continued carrying out FONOPs in the South China Sea in fiscal 2021, which began in October. China claimed in December that it used naval and air assets to "expel" a U.S. Navy destroyer from waters near the Spratly Islands -- a claim Navy officials denied.

"The United States will continue to fly, sail and operate wherever international law allows," a U.S. 7th Fleet spokesman said at the time.

About a week later, the destroyers McCain and Curtis Wilbur transited the Taiwan Strait "in accordance with international law," Navy officials announced.

The destroyer Russell then carried out a FONOP near the Spratly Islands in February to challenge territorial claims by China, Vietnam and Taiwan.

-- Gina Harkins can be reached at gina.harkins@military.com. Follow her on Twitter @ginaaharkins.

Related: No, China Did Not 'Expel' a US Warship from its Territory, Navy Says
Charleston, WV (25301)

Today

Showers and thunderstorms. Storms may contain strong gusty winds. High 77F. Winds SSW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 70%..

Tonight

Thunderstorms early, then cloudy skies after midnight. Areas of patchy fog developing. Low 62F. Winds SW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 70%.
12th Meeting of the Monaco Blue Initiative

March 22,2021 | Source: IISD

The 12th meeting of the Monaco Blue Initiative will convene during the 4th Monaco Ocean Week under the presidency of HSH Prince Albert II of Monaco. In accordance with the continued health and safety measures in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the meeting will convene in a hybrid format involving in-person attendance in Monaco and virtual attendance.



Monaco Ocean Week, which takes place from 22-28 March 2021, will bring together stakeholders in the marine sector in a week of debate on ocean conservation issues. The 12th meeting of the Monaco Blue Initiative will kick off the weeks activities, and trigger debate, analysis and awareness-raising to better understand the challenges related to the ocean. This one-day meeting will take place in three sessions.



-- The Role of International Negotiations for Better Ocean Governance: This session will review high-level international negotiations and conventions that include the ocean in their agenda, as well as reflect on synergies to increase their effectiveness.



-- Integrating Ocean Issues and the SDGs in Corporate Social Responsibility Strategies: This session will enable experience sharing among companies involved in the blue economy and discuss ways of integrating SDG 14 (Life below water) in their operations.



-- From Blue Economy to Blue Finance: This session will provide an opportunity for financial actors to express their views on how to direct capital flows towards a true, efficient and transparent blue economy, particularly in the context of the economic recovery from the impacts of COVID-19.



The Monaco Blue Initiative is a unique platform that brings together major players in ocean conservation and governance in annual debates to explore solutions to challenges facing the ocean and to promote sustainable blue economy.



IISD, through its Earth Negotiations Bulletin (ENB) Meeting Coverage, will produce digital coverage and a summary report of this meeting. Our summary report will be available on this site on Wednesday, 24 March 2021.



Specific funding for ENB coverage of the 12th Meeting of the Monaco Blue Initiative has been provided by the Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation.

 1992-2021, IISD. All rights reserved.

Theme(s): Others.
Presidential candidate aspirant of the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP), Joe Ghartey, is pushing for the decongestion of Prisons across Ghana to help prevent the spread of Coronavirus.



The former Attorney-General and Minister of Justice during whose tenure the Justice For All Programme was introduced, believes prisons nationwide ought to be decongested so as to control Coronavirus spread.



He made the call in a statement posted on his Facebook page.



In this Covid19 era, the need to decongest prisons in Ghana has become much more urgent, he wrote.



People are in prison who should not be there and people have been given custodial sentences who should not. Over a decade ago, the Justice for All Project was launched to amongst others ensure the decongestion of the prisons. The fact that sentencing is still an issue means that we have done a lot but there is still a lot more to do. Since coming events cast their shadows, the Attorney-Generals clarity of thought in his recent meeting with the Chief Justice where the sentencing policy was discussed is welcome, according to Mr Ghartey, one of Ghanas veteran politicians.



Since the outbreak of Coronavirus in March 2020, Ghana has recorded a total of 725 Covid19 related deaths.



A total of 89,682 confirmed cases have been recorded in Ghana.



In 2020, Ghana pardoned about 794 prisoners as part of measures to prevent the spread of the coronavirus.



According to a statement by the Ghana Prisons Service at the time, the prisoners were pardoned with the approval of President Nana Akufo-Addo.



They comprised people who had been arrested for the first time, were seriously ill or aged 70 and above, the statement indicated then.



Prior to the pardoning of the 794 prisoners, 808 prisoners had been pardoned as part of Ghanas COVID-19 prevention measures.



There had been reported confirmed cases of Coronavirus recorded among inmates in police cells and prisons.



And with recent sparks in Covid19 cases in Ghana, Mr Ghartey, an astute lawyer believe further decongesting the prisons is the way to go.



It is my hope that non-custodial sentences become very much a part of our sentencing policy during the tenure of this Attorney-General, he said.

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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Maldives: Steps towards strengthening the fisheries management framework and for realizing our vision of sustainable fisheries management

March 22,2021 | Source: EIN Presswire

Noo Raajje, a collaboration between the Government of Maldives and the Blue Prosperity Coalition, begins its second scientific expedition to explore and study the countrys ocean and coral reefs. A team of researchers from the United States, as well as Maldivian scientists from the Maldives Marine Research Institute, will set sail from Male on a 22 day scientific voyage, making stops at north and south Male atolls before proceeding to the south of the country. The expedition will survey the health of coral reef habitats and fish populations, with a particular focus on Huvadhoo, Fuvahmulah, Addu, and North and South Male Atoll. Research methods employed by the scientists include scuba diving surveys that will study fish populations, coral reef health to better understand the composition and health of nearshore marine habitats as well as water quality samples and baited underwater cameras to gather information on larger species like sharks and turtles. Noo Raajje has chartered the local safari boat Carpe Novo for the expedition. The first expedition, in January 2020, surveyed 16 atolls, primarily in the central and northern parts of the Maldives. The findings from the first expedition will be released in a report available to the public in early April. Together, the two expeditions will form the first ever archipelago-wide assessment of ocean health in the Maldives. The data collected on the expeditions will inform policymakers on ways to sustainably manage fisheries, boost incomes, and improve ocean health across the archipelago.



Once the expedition is complete, the analyzed data will inform the Government and Noo Raajje partners in their marine spatial planning efforts, helping preserve important fish stocks, ensure sustainable tourism practices, and safeguard ocean health. Adam Ziyad, Director General of the Fisheries department, Ministry of Fisheries, Marine Resources, and Agriculture commented, Policies formulated on solid scientific evidence and backed by research is essential for effective fisheries management. The information that comes out from these scientific expeditions will be crucial in our next steps towards strengthening the fisheries management framework and for realizing our vision of sustainable fisheries management. This expedition will complete the first archipelago wide survey of Maldivian coral reefs. It is exciting to gain such a broad snapshot of coral reef health and to know this data will be used to support the Maldives in their Marine Spatial Planning process. said Andy Estep, Science Director at the Waitt Institute, a partner in the Noo Raajje programme. Once we complete these final legs of the expedition, we will have surveyed sites in every atoll. This will bring value to the work being done to assess the status of our reefs, and will provide useful insight into identifying potential new sites to expand our ongoing monitoring work. The expedition surveys also fall within the spawning window for corals in Maldivian waters, and our research team is excited to capture some key information on those events. said Shafiya Naeem, Director General leading the Maldives Marine Research Institute.



Given the ongoing pandemic mandatory quarantines were in place for scientists and crews before boarding the ship, and the expedition is being conducted under strict COVID-19 safety protocols to ensure the safety of participants and surrounding communities. The boat and visiting scientists will have no contact with Maldivian communities. Noo Raajje is a 5-year program led by the Government of the Maldives and the Blue Prosperity Coalition to protect the ocean and its resources to build a bright future for communities, the economy, and the environment. In the Maldives, the program is led by the President's Office and the Ministry of Fisheries, Marine Resources and Agriculture, and in partnership with staff from the Maldives Marine Research Institute. Members of the Blue Prosperity Coalition include the Waitt Institute, National Geographic Pristine Seas, and Scripps Institution of Oceanography. To follow the expedition, follow @NooRaajje on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter, and follow the hashtag #KanduFalhuDhiraasaa and #NooRaajje for all program related work. For more information about the program visit nooraajje.org

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The company believes making key appointments to the phase 1 project management team is a major step towards the success of the gas project.

s ( ) (OTCMKTS:PGNYF) wholly-owned subsidiary Hartshead Resources Limited has made key appointments to its UK Southern Gas Basin Phase 1 development project management team.

The company has appointed Jeff Barnes as project developments manager, Stephen Roser as commercial manager and Adam King as contracts and procurement manager.

Phase I of the gas project will be delivered through a concept select and preliminary field development plan (FDP) stagegate.

This will incorporate subsurface, drilling & completion, facilities, pipelines, HSE and commercial analysis to evaluate and select the optimal development concept.

An integral part of selecting the development concept will see the company reach commercial agreements with third-party host facility and infrastructure owners for the transportation of gas to onshore processing facilities and sales point.

Major step forward

Ansila CEO Chris Lewis said: I would like to welcome Jeff, Steve and Adam to the team and I am certain that they will all make a vital contribution to the work currently ongoing at Ansila.

These three appointments mark a major step forward for Ansila toward the successful delivery of the Phase I gas fields development planning and ultimately towards the delivery of an executable field development plan and bookable 2P reserves.

Jeff Barnes

Jeff Barnes is an industry veteran with more than 40 years, upstream oil & gas experience and has managed a total of 14 UK Southern Gas Basin developments and infrastructure projects within his 31year tenure at Limited.

He has a track record of delivering successful UK capital projects and frontend development of technically diverse concepts whilst achieving project funding, creating and managing integrated project teams and securing and managing contracts.

Barnes most recent role was director of new ventures at ODE (Offshore Design Engineering) Limited, a technical services company providing engineering, procurement and project management and operations support to the oil, gas and renewable energy sectors.

He holds a BSc degree in chemical engineering from the University of Colorado and an MBA from Eastern Montana College.

Stephen Roser

Stephen Roser is a proven commercial manager and seasoned negotiator with an extensive track record in the delivery of major projects in the upstream oil & gas sector.

With more than 30 years of industry expertise across the hydrocarbon supply chain, including commercialisation of crude oil and natural gas projects, Roser has extensive experience of working in the UK Southern Gas Basin and wider UKCS during commercial management roles within British Gas, Amerada Hess and Phillips Petroleum.

He holds a BEng degree in fuel and energy engineering from the University of Leeds.

Adam King

Adam King's career in contracts and procurement spans 30 years with a focus on international and UK North Sea operations in a variety of roles with Worley Parsons, Snamprogetti, British Gas, BP Exploration, Nexen Petroleum and the UK Southern Gas Basin with .

Adam has acted as a contracts specialist across a wide range of oil & gas projects, from world-class upstream assets including TengizChevroil, Kashagan, AzeriChira/Shah Deniz and Deepwater Angola Block 31 through to UKCS developments such as Buzzard, Golden Eagle and Breagh.

King brings an experienced skillset to Ansilas UK North Sea operations encompassing pre-and postcontractual services of tendering, cost advice and contracts planning required during the various stages of conceptual, frontend engineering and detailed design, fabrication, construction and installation of various oil and gas and process facilities.

He holds a BSc(Hons) degree in quantity surveying from Nottingham Trent University and is a member of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors and Chartered Institute of Arbitrators.

The project

Ansilas UK Southern Gas Basin assets are operated through wholly-owned subsidiary, Hartshead Resources.

Hartshead is focused on phase I and phase II gas discoveries being progressed towards development and consist of the following fields and an associated 354 Bcf of 2C contingent resources:
DALLAS, March 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Aventiv Technologies and its corrections subsidiary Securus Technologies today announced the creation of a new Community Impact Fund to support non-profit programs that work to reduce recidivism. The initiative is an extension of the organization's multi-year transformation efforts, providing financing and technical support to augment demonstrated success by organizations helping justice-involved individuals and families.

Grants are available to 501(c)(3) public charities operating in Texas, Missouri, or Alabama with a proven track record of success in providing meaningful support to the current and formerly incarcerated community. Program recipients will receive a minimum of $25,000 and may receive as much as $50,000 to support their work.

The initiative will prioritize grant funding to programs that operate within the following criteria:

Serve incarcerated or formerly incarcerated individuals;

Possess a clear track record of success reducing recidivism rates in their communities;

Demonstrate a record of sound fiscal management and diversified funding streams;

Hire and recruit diverse staff and board members that reflect the community in which they work.

"One of the primary causes of recidivism is the lack of programming, resources and support for the incarcerated community, and we are committed to changing that by working with organizations on the ground to ensure everyone has a fair chance to succeed when they re-enter society," said Dave Abel, President and CEO of Aventiv Technologies, parent company of Securus Technologies. "We want to give passionate organizations  particularly those who are in need of financial or technical support  the opportunity to make an even greater impact in their communities. Together, like-minded organizations can make some real change."

Grant funding must be used for direct services and may not be used for outsourced activities conducted by third parties. Nonprofits interested in being considered for funding may apply online through April 15 at 5:00 pm at www.CFTGrants.org. Any applications submitted past this date will not be considered.

For more information about the fund, please visit www.CFTGrants.org or contact us at [email protected].

ABOUT SECURUS TECHNOLOGIES

Headquartered in Dallas, Texas, Securus Technologies, a subsidiary of Aventiv Technologies, serves more than 3,450 public safety, law enforcement and corrections agencies and over 1,100,000 incarcerated individuals across North America. The Aventiv organization is committed to providing emergency response, incident management, public information, investigation, biometric analysis, communication, information management, incarcerated self-service, and monitoring products and services in order to make our world a safer place to live. For more information, please visit www.Aventiv.com. Aventiv is a portfolio company of Platinum Equity. Founded in 1995 by Tom Gores, Platinum Equity is a global investment firm with a portfolio of approximately 40 operating companies that serve customers around the world.

SOURCE Securus Technologies

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A lecturer has filed a suit urging the Supreme Court to declare that man was created by God and not through the evolution theory propounded by scientists.



The evolution theory explains that man evolved from apes.



Sir Johnson Anane, an Assistant lecturer at the Sunyani Technical University, argues that the evolution theory is an affront to the Christian faith.



He is also raising issues with the position of science that the earth is a planet in the solar system, and that the earths movement around the sun results in days, nights, years and seasons.



According to him, days, nights, years and seasons were created by God and do not come about as a result of any movement of the earth.

The plaintiff argues that the evolution theory and the solar system theory were against the Bible which said God created the earth.



The implications of the theories are that the creative work of God as stated in Genesis has been cancelled, denied or nullified, he stated in his writ.



Ban

Apart from urging the highest court of the land to uphold his claims, Sir Anane also wants the court to ban the study of the evolution theory and the solar system in the country.



These theories are taught in schools (Primary, JHS and SHS) and need to be banned or abolished, he said.



The suit is against the Director General of the Ghana Education Service, the President of the Ghana Science Association of Ghana and the Attorney-General Department.



Pre Order Ghana Year Book 2021

A-Gs response

Meanwhile, the A-G has urged the court to dismiss the suit, describing it as without merit and an abuse of the courts process.

In a preliminary legal objection, the A-G argues that the suit raises no cause of action as it does not state any constitutional issue for the court to interpret, or any constitutional violations by the respondents.



The motion is incompetent and does not properly invoke the courts jurisdiction under Article 2(1) and (2) of the Constitution of Ghana, 1992 and does not also comply with Rules 45 and 46 of the Supreme Court Rules, 1996 C.I.16, the A-G contended.



High Court

Sir Anane initially filed the case at the Kumasi High Court but the court struck it out on the basis that it had no jurisdiction to hear it.



The Presiding Judge, Justice Patricia Quansah, held that the court had no jurisdiction to hear the case because the plaintiff did not seek any personal rights which he wanted enforced by the court.



I will have to strike out this matter not so much as the plaintiffs claims not disclosing any reasonable cause of action but because properly so called this court has no jurisdiction to deal with the matter, the judge ruled.



The court, therefore, advised Sir Anane to take the case to the Supreme Court.

Source: Graphiconline.com









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A man who attacked and raped a woman in her home after meeting her on the dating app Tinder will be sentenced next month.

During the attack Peter Loughran (36) banged the woman's head off of the floor and slapped her in the face when she started praying out loud. At one point he began filming her with his phone and slapped her in the face when she tried to cover her face with her hair.

Loughran of Glasnevin Downs, Ballygall, Dublin, pleaded guilty at the Central Criminal Court to rape and oral rape at an address in Dublin on January 5, 2018. He has four previous convictions, including convictions for possession of drugs, drink driving and public order offences.

Garda Catherine Byrne told Vincent Heneghan SC, prosecuting, that a week or two before the incident, the victim had me Loughran on Tinder and they struck up a conversation.

They later met at her apartment in the city and were kissing when Loughran became aggressive and said he would massage the woman's back. He turned her around and during the massage Loughran put his hand under her top and grabbed her breast.

The victim got scared and told the man it was time for him to go.

Loughran asked for water and followed her into the kitchen where she said he should leave. He said it was cold and asked if he could go to her bedroom so he could get warm as it was the only room with a heater and she replied he could get warm before leaving.

In the bedroom Loughran took off the victim's clothes very aggressively. Loughran penetrated the victim's vagina and anus with his fingers on several occasions.

He raped the victim while not wearing a condom, but was only able to insert the top of his penis. He also bit the woman's breasts.

At one point he started to film her with his phone and slapped her in the face when she tried to cover her face with her hair. She started screaming and he hit her head off of the floor three times.

At another stage he stopped touching her for a while and she started praying out loud. He told her to stop and slapped her in the face.

The victim believed that the incident would go on for days and started trying to negotiate with the man. She said she had a boyfriend who would soon arrive and a flatmate who was moving in the next morning, but Loughran did not believe either of her claims.

She tried to calm him down and reminded him of his family who he had mentioned in conversation earlier. He became calmer and said he would go if she helped him ejaculate.

She asked how and he said she could give him oral sex, which she did. Loughran praised her and said he would now fuck her ass, causing her to panic and start kicking and punching.

The incident came to an end when Loughran allowed the victim to go to the bathroom, but came with her and refused to leave. While in the bathroom the victim pretended to vomit, tried to force herself to vomit and told him she was insulin dependent.

The victim pretended to faint and told Loughran that she would die unless she went to a hospital. He started to panic, put his clothes on and said he would take her to hospital.

As they left the apartment the victim pretended to collapse and Loughran told her to wait and he would go get his car. Once he had left her flat she went inside, locked the door and immediately called gardai.

The victim was brought to hospital by gardai, where she was examined and found to have bruising on numerous parts of her body including her genital and anal area.

In interview with gardai following his arrest, Loughran denied the offences and said that 90 per cent of what she said was not true. He said that what sexual contact there had been was consensual and he denied violently attacking her.

Gda Byrne agreed with James Dwyer SC, defending, that his client told gardai he had grown up in Monaghan. She agreed his client had agreed to go into custody of his own volition after pleading guilty in October 2020.

Justice Paul McDermott adjourned the case to April 30, next, when victim impact evidence and the plea in mitigation will be heard.

Additional evidence

Gda Byrne gave the evidence that Loughran had initially invited the victim to his address but the woman said she did not want to leave her home. He arrived outside her address in the early hours of the morning on the date in question.

The victim invited Loughran into her apartment and they had a conversation about general things. He drank half a beer and said he had drunk a lot of whiskey that day, but the victim later said she did not get a smell of alcohol from him and he did not seem drunk.

After leaving the apartment for a short time so the victim could smoke a cigarette, they returned and Loughran sat beside her on her bed. He kissed her and she kissed him back, but she did not like the kiss.

At this point Loughran aggressively turned her around and said he wanted to massage her back during which he grabbed her breast.
MELAKA, Mar 19, 2021 - (ACN Newswire) - Award-winning property company, Sheng Tai International Sdn Bhd (Sheng Tai International), continues to catalyse Malaysia's, particularly Melaka, economic growth by signing a landmark agreement with the world's largest global workspace provider, International Workplace Group plc (IWG) with brands including Regus and Spaces.The franchise agreement includes Sheng Tai International and IWG collaborating to open flexible workspace in Malaysia. With the agreement, Sheng Tai International becomes IWG's first partner since it opened up franchise opportunities in 2019 in the country.Sheng Tai International has invested approximately RM8 million to begin this partnership with three centres in the company's commercial properties in Melaka. The first centre, which will be developed under Regus, will open in Metrasquare, Melaka, by the end of the second quarter (Q2) 2021. While the second centre, under Spaces, will open at The Sail in 2025.Tuan Yang Terutama Tun Seri Setia Dr Hj Mohd Ali Bin Mohd Rustam, Yang di-Pertua Negeri Melaka, was present to witness the signing ceremony. Representing Sheng Tai International in the signing event and exchange of documents was Dato' Leong Sir Ley, Founder and Chairman of Sheng Tai International and Collin Tan, Director. While IWG was represented by Vijayakumar Tangarasan, Country Head for Malaysia, Indonesia and Brunei as well as Premita Dhaliwal, Head of Partnership Growth - Malaysia.Dato' Leong Sir Ley, Founder and Chairman of Sheng Tai International, said, "We are delighted to work with IWG to expand Malaysia's flexible workspace industry.""We believe this is the right time to invest in the flexible workspace industry in Malaysia, especially in Melaka, in line with the optimistic outlook post-COVID-19 for the state and country. The pandemic has provided Melaka as well as flexible workspace industry an additional edge.""More and more people and global brands are looking at strategic locations that are beyond the city centre. In addition, the pandemic has accelerated the growth of flexible workspace trends around the world.""With our unique establishments in Malaysia coupled with IWG's modern and world-class amenities, we are poised to appeal to discerning entrepreneurs, SMEs and multinational corporations, re-energising the economy in and around Melaka," added Dato' Leong."We also look forward to opening more flexible workspaces throughout Malaysia in the next five years."Gareth Haver, Regional Chief Executive Officer of IWG, said, "When we decided to open up franchising opportunities, we knew we needed strong partners, but more importantly, people who share our vision and values.""So we are thrilled to open a new chapter with Sheng Tai International. They have ambition and a solid track record that goes beyond the property. I believe their ability to draw global brands here during the pandemic is a testament to this," Premita Dhaliwal from IWG Malaysia added.Melaka Trade Square (Metrasquare) is a 6-acre commercial development comprising a residential component called the Metrasquare Serviced Suites, a three-star premium hotel called Hotel Metrasquare, a five-star hotel called Ames Hotel as well as retail lots, meeting and conference facilities, F&B amenities, as well as an upcoming Melaka historical gallery and art social space.Located just five minutes drive away from the Ayer Keroh toll off the North-South Expressway, Metrasquare is also close to the Melaka International Trade Centre (MITC), government offices, hypermarkets and a host of tourist attractions such as Melaka Zoo and Night Safari; Melaka Bird Park; Wonderland Theme Park; Melaka Planetarium, World's Bees Museum and Melaka International Trade Centre.Flexible workspaces are due to grow exponentially in Malaysia as companies of all sizes adopt progressive hybrid work patterns. Businesses have realised that a hybrid model not only means happier and more engaged employees, but also a significant saving for the bottom line. A study reported by EY shows that companies can save about $11,000 for each employee that works in a hybrid manner.Earlier this month, IWG announced a record start to 2021, adding half a million users to its network so far this year as well as penning its largest ever deal with NTT, Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation. The deal will provide NTT's 300,000 employees across its portfolio of companies and global network with access to IWG's more than 3,500 workspaces globally.For more information about Regus in Melaka, kindly contact Sheng Tai International at +6011 3737 3399.About Sheng Tai International Sdn BhdSheng Tai International Sdn. Bhd., formerly known as Sheng Tai Realty Sdn Bhd., is a diversified property development, real estate, investment management and hospitality company with specialised expertise in the area of property tourism. The company was founded by Dato' Leong Sir Ley ("Dato SL Leong"), one of Malaysia's very first businesswomen who single-handedly venture out of the country by setting up a significant network of real estate investment platform overseas. The company offers various categories of quality investment grade products with professional services and a warm, humanistic attitude. We welcome productive collaboration and corporate partnerships with the focal point of providing our foreign and local guests with comprehensive solutions and tailored experience.Established in 2012 amid the storm of global economic turbulence, our continuing success owes to our ability to swim against the tide and see opportunity in every challenge. Our commitment to growth and quality excellence is an approach that has changed little since our emergence as a budding enterprise.Locally, Sheng Tai International Sdn. Bhd. is well known in the industry through its subsidiaries such as Plentifield Marketing Sdn. Bhd., and Sheng Tai Impression Sdn. Bhd. At the international front, our presence is currently marked through our overseas arm called Sheng Tai International (HK) Limited, which has been operating since 2012 and served as an important gateway to the Hong Kong and Chinese markets. The company also recently opened its China's flagship branch in Shanghai in September 2019; Tokyo in May 2020 and Beijing in October 2020.Today, Sheng Tai International is an award-winning developer who has branched out across various parts of Asia, offering an extensive range of real property products, services and brands that cater to the luxury, upscale, and economy markets.Sheng Tai International now has more than 500 personnel who are highly passionate and energetic, ensuring top quality services to our customers. The team is driven by strong corporate values that emphasise on integrity, professionalism and trustworthiness. Continuing our ethos of passionate expansion and conscientious innovation, Sheng Tai International aims to set a benchmark as the curator of contemporary living and the leading influence in inventive real estate business models. For more information about Sheng Tai International, please visit http://shengtaiinternational.com.About IWG PlcIWG is the world's largest provider of flexible workspaces and has remained at the forefront of enabling and providing flexible workspaces. It offers a wide variety of flexible office options around the world, including Regus, Spaces, HQ, and Signature. IWG helps millions of people and their businesses to work more productively by providing a choice of professional, inspiring and collaborative workspaces, communities and services. IWG operates in over 1,100 towns and cities in more than 120 countries. For more information about becoming an IWG franchise partner visit: https://franchise.iwgplc.comThis press release is issued on behalf of: Sheng Tai International Sdn BhdFor further enquiries, please contact:I-Mae LiewTel: +6012 383 5688Source: Sheng Tai International Sdn BhdCopyright 2021 ACN Newswire . All rights reserved.
ISCR launches 14th Annual Conference on theme - Clinical Research  Transforming Lives: 2021 and Beyond

Reflecting on the experience during the last twelve months, representatives from across the clinical research ecosystem in India highlighted the collaborative efforts of stakeholders that contributed to expedited drug development demanded by the pandemic. Experts concurred that this collaboration would be critical as the industry moved ahead, embracing learnings from the pandemic and incorporating advances in digital health.

This was the overarching message as over 1200 members of the clinical research fraternity came together to attend the virtual 14th Annual Conference based on the theme Clinical Research  Transforming lives: 2021 and beyond.

Delivering the 6th Prof Ranjit Roy Chaudhury Oration, Dr. K. Vijay Raghavan, Principal Scientific Adviser, Government of India, spoke of the need to increase the number of clinical researchers in India and integrate the learnings of basic science with an understanding of research in these areas of medicine to strengthen the countrys clinical research system. He called for more synergy between research establishments and the clinical research community, and the need to break silos to ensure more collaborative efforts and better outcomes. He also touched upon three areas that needed greater focus and attention of clinical researchers  infectious diseases, rare diseases and precision medicine.

The importance and significance of clinical trials could not have been more amplified than it was in 2020. I am happy to say that as a fraternity, we came together to ensure our commitment to Patients First. It was a period when clinical trials became a household name and we now need to build further trust and confidence amongst members of the public in the safety, efficacy and quality focus of clinical trials, said Dr Chirag Trivedi, President, ISCR.

The panel discussion on Accelerated Clinical Development (Therapeutics & Vaccines) in Times of a Pandemic addressed how clinical research stakeholders should focus on continuing their efforts to develop vaccines and drugs at the pace that was seen during the pandemic.

Elaborating on managing challenges during the early stages of the pandemic, AK Pradhan, Deputy Drug Controller, CDSCO, said, We had to streamline the system without compromising any norms so that there was no delay. The regulatory review process for all stakeholders was geared up to fast-track drug development and a committee formed to develop and review applications without delay and seamlessly. The learnings around the processes and guidelines followed during the pandemic will be incorporated even after the pandemic is over with one caveat that quality is not affected.

In his keynote session on Academic Clinical Research, Dr C.S Pramesh, Director, Tata Memorial Hospital, Mumbai spoke on how important it is to do collaborative research that is relevant to provide answers/solutions to unmet medical needs in India.

The conference session was held across five tracks that covered various areas in clinical research such as Clinical Operations, Ethics, Quality, Regulatory and Investigator Track; Academic Clinical Research, Pharmacovigilance and Real World Evidence; Clinical Data Management; Biostatistics and Statistical Programming; and Medical Writing. Panelists and speakers through the days sessions touched upon the learnings and insights gained during the pandemic that augured well for the future of clinical research in ensuring faster and better outcomes for patients.

A highlight of the opening day was the ISCR Lifetime Achievement Awards for academia and industry that was presented to Prof Gagandeep Kang, Christian Medical College, Vellore recognising her contribution to research in vaccinology and virology and to Dr. Shoibal Mukherjee, Senior Consultant in Pharmaceutical Medicine, for his contribution to innovation in clinical research.
Fairbanks, AK (99707)

Today

Partly cloudy skies during the morning hours will become overcast in the afternoon. High 67F. Winds NNW at 5 to 10 mph..

Tonight

Mostly cloudy skies. Low 48F. Winds NW at 5 to 10 mph.
A woman has been taken in for questioning after a dilapidated building in Perths CBD was gutted by fire in the early hours of Monday morning.

Emergency services were first alerted to the blaze at Hostel Milligan on the corner of Milligan Street and Murray Street in Perths west end at 1.30am on Monday.

This empty building in Perths CBD was gutted by fire in the early hours of Monday morning. Credit:Cameron Myles

Crews arrived to find the fire had spread across several floors in the former hostel, and police were told people had been seen leaving the area just before the fire started.

A WA Police spokeswoman said officers patrolled the area and tracked down a woman matching the description of one of the people seen leaving the building. She was arrested and is assisting police with their inquiries. No charges have been laid yet.
Washington, DC  Congressman Jim Baird announced Monday the 2021 Congressional Art Competition. The competition is open to high school students throughout Indianas 4th District. Entries must be submitted by April 16th. This years theme will be Hoosier Heroes.

This is a great opportunity for students across the district to showcase their creativity and skills. We have so many talented students in our community and I look forward to seeing their artwork, Congressman Baird said.

The winner from the district will have their artwork displayed in the United States Capitol for one year and will receive two roundtrip airfare tickets for a reception in our nations capital.

The student should submit one piece of art to the Danville District office (355 S. Washington St, Suite 210 Danville, IN 46122) by Friday, April 16, 2021. Click HERE to see all information regarding submitting a piece of artwork.
New Delhi, March 22 : Tingly fingers might seem like something you can just shake off and chalk up to poor blood flow or a cold house, for example.

However, experts say many people don't take this symptom seriously, and in the process they risk permanently damage over the years.

Hand surgeons from a hospital in the eastern German city of Dresden explain that the tingling sensation could indicate that there is pressure on the nerve bundles in the carpal tunnel of your wrist, DPA news agency reported on Monday.

This pressure can lead to blood supply in the area to be cut off, killing off nerve fibres. Dexterity can be affected, making opening doors or holding things more difficult, for example, due to numbness.

Being proactive and seeing a doctor if you frequently experience a tingling sensation, especially in your thumb, index or middle finger, or especially during sleep, is a good way to avoid such damage.

The first step in treatment is usually a special splint worn at night that is used to immobilise the wrist.

Professions that require the use of vibrating equipment, such as construction workers, or carrying a lot of heavy items, such as waiters, should take it easy on their hands if a doctor finds that this could be the cause of the tingling.

If tingling, numbness and symptoms of paralysis persist despite these conservative treatments, surgery on the hand may be required.
Ruling coalition disregards elementary rules of effective ruling, analysts say

Although the current ruling coalition has achieved many goals during its first year, there are some drawbacks.

The current ruling governments can be praised for several achievements it has made during the first year in office.

Still, there have been many negative tendencies, and Slovakia can do more to improve the quality of its ruling, according to a group of political analysts, including Iveta Radicova, Sona Szomolanyi, Zora Butorova, Grigorij Meseznikov and Martin Butora.

Failing in management

Despite the difficulties posed by the Covid-19 pandemic, the government led by Igor Matovic (OLaNO) has adopted positive changes, impacting, for example, the operation of the police, the prosecution service and the judiciary.

He has achieved significant progress in cleaning the state from mafia practices, the political analysts said, as quoted by the TASR newswire, praising the selection of new leaders of the General Prosecutors Office and the Special Prosecutors Office, the selection of new Judicial Council members, and the start of the judicial reform.

Matovic got personal, says SaS. It does not accept the PMs conditions Read more

They also emphasised the adoption of new security and defence strategies that clearly defined the position of Slovakia in foreign policy.

On the other hand, there have been several negative tendencies that impacted the style of ruling.

A key deficiency is the failure to adhere to the elementary rules of effective ruling, the use of micromanagement, and chaotic communication, the political analysts continued, as quoted by TASR. The result is the prolonged adoption of decisions, which are partial and unclear.

They also think that the Matovic government failed to manage the fight against the pandemic and pointed out that Slovakia had the highest number of Covid victims and hospitalised patients per capita in January and February.

Small space for public discussion

Another deficiency is weak communication on the political level and towards the public, linked with restricting the open government principles.

The fate of the ruling coalition is in Igor Matovic's hands Read more

Moreover, the participation principles are often avoided, while the space for public discussion when submitting legislative changes are being curbed. The political analysts also point to a ministerial style of the ruling coalition, without enough links and interdepartmental cooperation.

They are critical of the efforts to centralise the state power, which can be seen mostly in the communication with social partners and some legislative proposals, most recently the amendment to the law on universities, the Construction Act, and the law on public procurement, as reported by TASR.

They underestimate expertise and there is an absence of systemic inflow of reliable data about important processes. Political analysts are concerned about some efforts to push through the religion fundamentalism ideologies in some policies and laws.

Stable government is a solution

The ruling coalition should, first of all, solve the ongoing crisis and offer a stable government with majority support in the parliament to restore the trust of people in its competencies, according to the political analysts.

The lack of experience with ruling, which could be forgiven during the first year in the office, cannot be used as an excuse in the following years.

Facing the big challenges, we need a strategically thinking, competent and trustworthy government, they added, as quoted by TASR.

They stressed the importance of institutions like the president, an autonomous judiciary, prosecution service and police, functional municipalities, independent media, professional community and civic society.

22. Mar 2021 at 11:39 | Compiled by Spectator staff
[March 22, 2021] Certara Announces Proposed Public Offering of Common Stock

Certara, Inc. ("Certara"), a global leader in biosimulation, today announced a proposed underwritten public offering of 17 million shares of its common stock being offered by selling stockholders. Additionally, the selling stockholders intend to grant the underwriters a 30-day option to purchase up to 2,550,000 additional shares of common stock. Certara will not receive any proceeds from the sale of shares in the offering by the selling stockholders. The offering is being made through an underwriting group led by Jefferies, Morgan Stanley and BofA Securities, who are acting as lead joint book-running managers. A registration statement on Form S-1, including a prospectus, which is preliminary and subject to completion, relating to these securities has been filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission but has not yet become effective. These securities may not be sold, nor may offers to buy be accepted, prior to the time the registration statement becomes effective. This press release shall not constitute an ofer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy these securities, nor shall there be any sale of these securities in any state or jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful prior to registration or qualification under the securities laws of any such state or jurisdiction.



The offering may be made only by means of a prospectus. Copies of the preliminary prospectus may be obtained by contacting: Jefferies LLC, Attention: Equity Syndicate Prospectus Department, 520 Madison Avenue, 2nd Floor, New York, New York 10022, by telephone at (877) 547-6340 or by email at Prospectus_Department@jefferies.com; Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC, Attention: Prospectus Department, 180 Varick Street, 2nd Floor, New York, New York 10014 or by email at prospectus@morganstanley.com; or BofA Securities, Inc., NC1-004-03-43, Attention: Prospectus Department, 200 North College Street, 3rd Floor, Charlotte, NC 29255, by telephone at (800) 294-1322 or by email at dg.prospectus_requests@bofa.com. About Certara

Certara accelerates medicines using proprietary biosimulation software and technology to transform traditional drug discovery and development. Its clients include 1,650 global biopharmaceutical companies, leading academic institutions, and key regulatory agencies across 61 countries. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210322005799/en/

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Research aims to help Alaskans and visitors avoid wildfire smoke

Alaskans have become all too familiar with the choking wildfire smoke that has filled many summer days in recent years. Each time, they are left with these unanswerable questions: "Where is the smoke heading?" "When will it clear up around my vacation destination?" "When will it leave my community?"

A five-member team led by assistant professor Jingqiu Mao at the University of Alaska Fairbanks Geophysical Institute and Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry is working to create a tool that will answer those questions. The team also will help wildland fire managers better deploy their resources when plagued with smoke-filled skies.

NASA last year selected Mao, who has been studying wildfire air quality for nearly 20 years, and his colleagues for inclusion in the agency's Health and Air Quality Applied Sciences Team. Mao's team -- one of 14 chosen to be a part of NASA's HAQAST 2021 -- will have four years to complete its project.

"A lot of people want to go to outdoor activities; lots of rural Alaskans want to go fishing, and the people need to have air quality information readily available so they can take a look," Mao said.

The work will also aid wildfire managers, who want to know whether smoke will drift into areas with aircraft and crew camps.

"They are always trying to figure out where to put their aircraft in the next three to five days, and if they put them in the wrong spot, they won't be available," Mao said.

Mao's team includes Martin Stuefer, an atmospheric scientist who is also the Alaska state climatologist and director of the Alaska Climate Research Center.

They'll first look at satellite data about Alaska that is readily available but hasn't previously been analyzed in the context of air quality. That information will then be considered alongside data from the Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation's ground-based instruments and low-cost sensors installed by local Alaskans.

Satellites, though, can't see through clouds. Also, the four polar-orbiting satellites that supply the data each can provide only one or two images a day. Ground sensors also have limits. They provide surface air quality data, but only about the past and present.

Neither sensors nor satellites can answer those persistent questions about where the smoke will be in three to five days.

So Mao's team will use three computer models to provide a web-based air quality forecast. The forecast will be incorporated into advisories issued by ADEC and the Alaska Interagency Coordination Center, which is the main coordinating body for state and federal wildland firefighting efforts.

"I've been thinking a lot about the consequences of climate change, and the Arctic is the beacon of global climate change," Mao said. "The boreal forest fires are probably going to get worse in the next 10, 20, 30 years, and NASA has these great tools ready to help us to better understand wildfires and air quality."

This is the third four-year iteration of NASA's Health and Air Quality Applied Sciences Team, which is a part of the space agency's decade-long Applied Science Program.

"Alaska is extremely important from an air quality perspective," said Tracey Holloway, HAQAST's team leader and a professor of environmental studies and atmospheric and oceanic sciences at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

"The large size of the state is an extra challenge; it is impossible for ground-based monitors to cover such a wide area," she said. "Luckily, satellite data can provide information on air pollutants -- even chemicals in the air we can't see with our eyes."

###

In addition to Mao and Stuefer, the Alaska-focused team includes Edward Hyer of the Naval Research Laboratory in California and professor Jun Wang and Jessie Zhang, both of the University of Iowa.

The team has support from the Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation, the Alaska Interagency Coordination Center, the Alaska Fire Science Consortium, the Geographic Information Network of Alaska at the Geophysical Institute and the Institute for Tribal Environmental Professionals, based at Northern Arizona University.

This story has been published on: 2021-03-22. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
Mumbai: NCP Chief Sharad Pawar addressed a press conference on Monday (March 22) in relation to the allegations against Maharashtra Home Minister Anil Deshmukh. Pawar questioned the timing of ex- Mumbai Police Commissioner Param Bir Singhs letter in which he accused state Home Minister Anil Deshmukh of being involved in corrupt activities.

While addressing the media, NCP chief said that no conversation took place between Anil Deshmukh and Sachin Vaze in February.

It is clear that during the period about which the allegations were made, Anil Deshmukh was hospitalised. As this is clear, such demands hold no power, said NCP chief Sharad Pawar.

#WATCH: NCP chief Sharad Pawar replies to questions over BJP's Amit Malviya's tweet that Maharashtra Home Minister Anil Deshmukh was holding a press conference on Feb 15th, as opposed to the NCP chief's statement that he was admitted to hospital at the time. pic.twitter.com/7f4lYLIdaV  ANI (@ANI) March 22, 2021

If you see the former Commissioner's letter, he mentions that in mid-February he was informed by certain officers that they got such and such instructions from the Home Minister...From 6th-16th Feb, Mr Deshmuklh was admitted in the hospital because of Corona, Pawar added.

Earlier, on Sunday, NCP chief Sharad Pawar held a meeting with Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar and party chief Jayant Patil to discuss the grave issue.

Meanwhile, earlier in the day the Rajya Sabha was adjourned amid uproar in the house by political leaders including Union Minister Prakash Javadekar. The leaders raised the issue of recent corruption allegations against Maharashtra Home Minister Anil Deshmukh.

On what basis was a man suspended for 16 yrs & jailed, reinstated? When there was a BJP govt, Uddhav Thackeray himself had called up Devendra Fadnavis for reinstating Sachin Waze, Fadnavis had refused. When Thackeray govt came, they reinstated him, questioned independent MP Navneet Ravi Rana.

The political leaders also raised questions on the issue in Lok Sabha. Perhaps it is the first incident of the country where the CM (Maharashtra) holds a press conference in support of the API who was given a target of Rs 100 crore, he says that he is the best Police personnel in the country. How does this happen? questioned BJP MP Rakesh Singh.

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British Prime Minister Boris Johnson told Scott Morrison that Australia was denied the opportunity to speak at last years climate summit because he wanted to encourage nations to set more ambitious emissions reduction targets.

Mr Johnson, who is rallying the worlds leading economies towards achieving net zero emissions by 2050, explained his rationale in a letter to the Australian Prime Minister in December last year while acknowledging the domestic political challenge over climate policy.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison received a letter from British Prime Minister Boris Johnson thanking him for his commitment to net zero. Credit:PA

Mr Johnson had originally invited Mr Morrison to speak at the December 12 summit but later walked away from the offer amid a behind-the-scenes diplomatic tussle over whether Australias climate change policies were insufficient to warrant a speaking slot.

Mr Morrison had planned to use his speech to announce that Australia would drop its controversial plan to use Kyoto carryover credits to achieve its 2030 emissions reduction targets.
Actor Sean Ward has been condemned by social media followers after taking part in an anti-lockdown demonstration over the weekend.

The Our Girl star joined thousands of mask-free protesters as they thoughtlessly marched from Hyde Park to St Pauls Cathedral and back to Westminster ahead of the anniversary of the first UK lockdown, which began on March 23 2020.

Ward, 32, filmed himself travelling to London by car before taking part in the mass event, from which she shared a series of video updates on Instagram.

Out of line: Actor Sean Ward has been condemned by social media followers after taking part in an anti-lockdown demonstration over the weekend

Without a face covering in sight, the actor - who has also appeared in Coronation Street - posed for cheerful selfies with pals as they crammed in to rally against restrictions brought about by the coronavirus pandemic.

'Worst Bill since Gates,' he announced in reference to Britain's third national lockdown. 'This is happening all over the world now, in every major city. This shouldn't be happening, we shouldn't need to convince this many people.

'The psychological trauma that so many people have been put under has to end. Someone has to be held accountable for it.'

Freedom: The actor posted a lengthy Instagram post in which he outlined his reasons for taking part in the controversial march in London on Sunday

Speaking out: Ward insisted 'the psychological trauma so many people have been put under has to end'

Getting involved: The Our Girl star joined thousands of mask-free protesters as they thoughtlessly marched from Hyde Park to St Pauls Cathedral and back to Westminster

Captioning a video of the demonstration, he added: 'Over 80,000 people. All ages. Races. Creeds. All standing together for our basic human rights. I know its easy to give up our rights in such terrible times as now hoping youre doing your bit and helping but it wont be temporary.

'Once we loose the right to protest and your basic human rights. Its game over. The irony of it all is we cant all be crazy. Look at how many people are there. Thats 80,000 mums, dads brothers sisters.

'We arent all conspiracy theorist who hate the nhs. Quite the opposite. I have nhs whistleblowers in my DMs. Theres a lot going on behind the smoke and mirrors of constant fear. Its deep. Stay powerful.' [sic]

Not happy: Followers were divided over Ward's decision to get involved, with many slamming him for his perceived stupidity

However his appearance at the event divided his 164,000 Instagram followers, with many slamming the star for his perceived stupidity.

Commenting on the post, one disappointed fan wrote: 'Sorry Sean but I am unfollowing you, I've been here since our girl started and I've stayed because everyone is entitled to their own opinions but promoting this is a step too far for me whilst my friends husband is currently fighting for his life and all these people who won't vaccinate and protest are just spreaders. Shame on you all.'

A second added: 'I don't understand this. Do these people not believe covid is real or don't believe in the vaccine or don't care which is it??? We know the vaccine doesn't stop the virus spreading. But medical research shows us its 99% effective in lowering the awful symptoms.

'No one's claiming it cures the virus. I'm confused as to what these people are angry about? Freedom? I'm pretty free here sitting in the park enjoying the sun mask on if need be near many people. What's the issue? People are dying from this god awful virus. Stop this. You'd soon all need the NHS if you caught it. These NHS workers and key workers. Thank god for them!'

Bare faced cheek: Without a face covering in sight, the actor posed for cheerful selfies with pals as they crammed in to rally against restrictions brought about by the coronavirus pandemic

Packed: Thousands of protesters waving signs marched through central London after meeting earlier in the afternoon in Hyde Park

While a third commented: 'We are in lockdown!! Wtf! Ridiculous. Irresponsible. What a k**b. How to ruin your 'career.''

Another furious follower wrote: 'Idiots. And to think they allow people like you to breed. SHAKE MY HEAD.'

Elsewhere others supported Ward, with one writing: 'Why people announce they are unfollowing what do you want him to say please dont, he was fighting for your freedom, even if you dont agree, and hundreds and thousands more were around the world love and light.

Familiar face: Laurence Fox was seen attending the rally in Hyde Park London. The actor is fighting to become the next mayor of London

Keep on: However others supported Ward and his decision to go on Sunday's march

'Seemingly in agreement, a second added: 'Absolutely love this! Gutted I couldnt go.'

The Metropolitan Police walked with protesters on their route along Oxford Street, Chancery Lane, the Embankment and Parliament Square before heading up Whitehall.

Among those attending the march were controversial actor Laurence Fox and Piers Corbyn, brother of the former Labour Party leader Jeremy.

Crowds that gathered in Trafalgar Square were dispersed, while other demonstrators returned to Hyde Park.

Don't mind me: But Ward was hard to miss as he mingled with pals during the event

But police were met with more hostile responses there later in the evening, as protesters threw bottles and cans at them and some officers were later forced to run back to their vans.

A group of around 100 chased police vehicles, punching and kicking them, as they left the area.

Members of the public left the park, with small children carried by their parents.

Around 100 police officers wearing riot helmets and carrying shields then arrived and urged people to go home.

Trouble: Police officers detain a demonstrator in Hyde Park, London, during a protest against lockdown

The Met said 36 people had been arrested by 6.45pm, many for breaching Covid regulations.

Deputy Assistant Commissioner Laurence Taylor, who led the policing operation, said while the majority in attendance caused no trouble, there were pockets of disorder with crowds throwing bottles and other missiles and a number of officers were assaulted.

On a challenging day for the force, officers tried to explain to people their actions were unlawful under Covid-19 regulations, and encouraged them to go home to protect themselves and others during the public health crisis.

'Where this approach did not work and officers were met with hostility, police enforced the regulations and made arrests,' he said.

Old times: Ward found fame in Coronation Street (pictured) before securing a role in army drama Our Girl

DAC Taylor added: 'We once again saw police come under fire from missiles thrown by people in crowds, and several were injured as a result of targeted assaults.

'It is totally unacceptable and saddening that officers enforcing regulations that are there to protect us all were the victims of violent attacks. I wish them a speedy recovery.

'Many of those on duty in central London today should have been in their local communities dealing with violent crime and other local issues, but they played a role in reducing the risk of Covid-19 spreading by dispersing crowds.'

MailOnline has contacted a representative for Sean Ward for further comment.

IF YOU need evidence that the Democratic administration in Washington is hostile to the Granite State, look no further than its disposition toward our states lawsuit against Massachusetts over the Bay States bad faith policy of imposing its income tax on New Hampshire telecommuters who bot
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On first encountering it, the notion of a Nigerian conservative comes across as no better than an oxymoron. Inured to the Western idea of conservatives as political constructs, standing for small government, individual liberties (group liberties is contested territory), fossil fuel exploration and use, and against immigration, it is easy to ask: What, in the end, does the Nigerian conservative stand for?. Or which is the same thing, but put differently, What values does she seek to conserve?.

Interesting phrasing the latter question. For the Nigerian conservative, lacking an organised ideological platform around which the different planks of the concept are organised in other places, is best described in terms of what she seeks to conserve. And not as, elsewhere, in terms of his/her attitude to government. In this reading, from the conservatives vantage, the cost of government may be small, especially if the goals of such government may be realised through local proxies  a key takeaway from the local experience of Britains colonial policy of indirect rule. Or governments cost may be communist-large. Whichever way, government in the imagining of the local conservative is that tool by which the community realises its cultural precepts. Whether in terms of deference to constituted authority/age, wives obeying their husbands, or children denied thought-independence until they are of age, the local conservative mindset is setup against individual liberties and rights.

It often re-describes this proclivity for violating private spaces in terms of a greater concern for the communitys health than you would ordinarily find in the atomised West. And, Yes, anecdotal evidence abounds of how maybe, just maybe, our local response functions provide more support to needy individuals than you are likely to meet in Europe or North America outside of governments social security arrangements. Still, difficulties with managing our commons  indeed the struggle to describe, not to talk of coming to terms with the idea of a responsibility for shared spaces  gives the lie to the former argument.

Even as we accept the irony of a communally-aware society unable to conceive of the need to properly manage its shared spaces, it must be pointed out that in the extent to which it seeks only to conserve so-called traditional values, the Nigerian conservative is no more or less competent than conservatives elsewhere. In the West, too, behind the small government and anti-immigration posturing is a visceral resistance to change. With but one difference: the Wests economic evolution, especially the industrial revolution (and its empowerment of the individual) having forced changes on thought patterns there.

Unsurprisingly, the biggest gains to progressive movements in the West have leveraged the many climacterics in its economic evolution. Leveraging the industrial revolution, to strengthen individual/human rights. And the ICT revolution to redefine the relationship between markets, governments, and communities. Where economic progress has not happened as fast, or has atrophied, as in the former Soviet Union, the progressive idea has been just as conservative of stasis as its mirror image in the capitalist West.

Absent the stimuli from rapid economic change, and it is no shock that progressives in Nigeria are no less supportive of those values that the Nigerian conservatives seek to conserve. They understand how, for instance, strengthening individual liberties may benefit society. But their movement does not aim to bolster government as restraint against the excesses of the markets. Nor do they know of or are willing to advocate/defend liberties that may define individuals separately from their communities. At heart, theirs is ultimately a political project. Which, in the end is less surprising than it comes across at first. In a polity where deference to constituted authority matters as much as it does here, culture quickly becomes whatever the current authorities make of it. And so for both local conservatives and progressives, access to the levers of authority is everything.

The liberal tradition that the West advertises did not emerge from cultural conflicts. Instead it provides organised thinking around societys economic progress. Without the latter progress, Nigerias desideratum is not of conservatives. It is indeed a deeply conservative society. What it currently lacks are progressive thought patterns grounded in the reality of its current development trajectory.

Uddin Ifeanyi, journalist manque and retired civil servant, can be reached @IfeanyiUddin.
Along Ipanema Beach's scenic promenade, a couple taking a walk dressed as astronauts attract the curiosity of bystanders.

Accountant Tercio Galdino and realtor Alicea Galdino found a unique way to draw awareness to COVID-19.

Known for their "space walk" back in mid-2020, the Galdinos have started coming back to the beach after the enormous surge in COVID-19 cases in Brazil.

People regularly ask them for pictures or wave at the 'astronauts' during their walk.

"I do my walk, in a fun way, and try to show people, in an indirect way, the need to protect themselves. Especially now with this increasing death rate in Brazil," said Tercio Galdino.

The 67-year-old is at high risk from COVID-19 as he has a chronic form of bronchitis and has had 1/3 of his lung surgically removed.

After reading a news article about a doctor who visited his family during the pandemic while dressed as a dinosaur, Galdino came up with the idea to use the couple's spacesuits to protect themselves from the external environment.

An admirer of NASA's programs since he was a kid, Galdino made the costumes himself.

The helmets have fans for the heat and the shiny silver suits have the NASA logo and the US and Brazil flags.

(Disclaimer: This story is auto-generated from a syndicated feed; only the image & headline may have been reworked by www.republicworld.com)
RenderSEO is building an exciting client base who are great candidates for our platform, added Trustpilots Peter Simpson, Head of Enterprise and Global Partnerships. Were happy to form this partnership that will allow RenderSEO clients integrated access to the industrys most trusted reviews.

RenderSEO, a marketing technology company focused on local search announces its official partnership with Trustpilot today, one of the most trusted consumer review platforms.

RenderSEO stands out among local search platforms due to its exceptional capacity for customization, hands-on customer support, and a powerful API. On a mission to help enterprise brands and agencies thrive in the local space, RenderSEO is excited to offer their clients an integration with Trustpilot. Trustpilots focus on trust and review credibility provides RenderSEO clients with confidence in their data as a reliable tool to monitor customer satisfaction. Recent research shows that 75% of consumers expect to be able to share feedback, and another 92% of consumers are actively reading those reviews before making purchase decisions. By simplifying the management of consumer reviews, Trustpilot is bringing trust back to their clients by enabling them to establish closer connections and relationships with consumers. With Trustpilots 1.1 trillion reviews displayed in Google every year, this partnership grants RenderSEO clients access to customer reviews that they can use in real-time to help their business grow.

RenderSEOs Director of Partnerships, Melanie Leblanc, commented on the partnership, explaining, Trustpilot is in the forefront of the review management industry, and we are excited to solidify this partnership. This will bring even more management capacity to our clients, making them both more effective and efficient. RenderSEO is building an exciting client base who are great candidates for our platform, added Trustpilots Peter Simpson, Head of Enterprise and Global Partnerships. Were happy to form this partnership that will allow RenderSEO clients integrated access to the industrys most trusted reviews.

ABOUT RENDERSEO

RenderSEO is a marketing technology company with the power to get local businesses found via a one-of-a-kind platform. Launched in 2020, their team of industry experts came together with an important mission: to provide first-class service to clients of all sizes, including agencies and enterprise businesses alike. The RenderSEO technology has been strategically developed to help drive growth at the local level, and it is constantly evolving to stay ahead of industry changes and developments. By tailoring their technology to unique customer needs, RenderSEO helps turn online search into in-store sales. To learn more about RenderSEO, please visit http://www.renderseo.com.

ABOUT TRUSTPILOT

Trustpilot was founded in 2007 with a vision to create an independent currency of trust. Trustpilot is a digital platform that brings businesses and consumers together to foster trust and inspire collaboration. We are free to use, open to everybody and built on transparency. Trustpilot hosts reviews to help consumers shop with confidence, and deliver rich insights to help businesses improve the experience they offer. The more consumers use our platform and share their own opinions; the richer the insights we offer businesses; and the more opportunities they have to earn the trust of consumers, from all around the world. Over 120 million consumer reviews of businesses and products relating to over 530,000 domains have been posted on Trustpilot and those numbers are growing by more than one review per second. Trustpilot has over 700 employees and is headquartered in Copenhagen, with operations in London, Edinburgh, New York, Denver, Melbourne, Berlin and Vilnius. To learn more about Trustpilot, please visit http://www.trustpilot.com.
Morgan Ging wanted to ensure that he had a profitable yet sustainable farm enterprise to hand over to his family.

So, after generations of traditional beef and tillage farming, he decided to diversify part of his holding, just outside Kilkenny city, into a new grain to glass distilling business.

Myself and my wife Anne both came from farming backgrounds, and the plan was always to buy our own farm, which we then did in 2002, he says. Since then, weve been farming Hereford beef cattle and tillage.

Morgan soon realised that farmers tend to get the worst deal when something gives in the food production industry.

Farmers seem to be the ones who get squeezed if something goes wrong. For this reason, traditional farming can be futile, and I wanted to make sure that whatever Ill be handing down to my family would be more stable, he says.

He had experience in growing malting barley to contract for Minch Malt while working on his fathers farm before buying his own, and he had the idea of starting up a single estate distillery, almost 25 years ago.

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My father and I discussed it and then applied for a distillers licence, but we were unsuccessful in getting it back then. Looking back, maybe it was a good thing because the whiskey and spirits industry certainly wasnt what it is today, he says.

Fast-forward a quarter of a century, and the bull beef crisis prompted Morgan to refocus on the idea of a distillery.

We started having problems getting bulls slaughtered and it really highlighted how unpredictable the sector was, he says. So, I spoke to my accountant, my wife and my sons about how we could diversify and add value to the farm while maximising sustainability.

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Dairy farming seemed like a profitable avenue, but it wasnt something my sons were particularly interested in, and I think you have to love what you do. We all agreed that starting our own grain-to-glass operation would be the best.

Morgan has always considered the environment on his holding.

Ive never wanted to have the farm packed with stock and to over-use the land. Being eco-friendly and sustainable have always been extremely important factors for me.

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The Gings started by speaking to their customs officer, who came out to their farm and pointed them in the right direction.

Licences had started to free up so went straight and got plans drawn up, says Morgan.

The county council were happy with the plans, and the Gings were given their distillers licence.

They began work on their new venture, keeping everything on the farm as undisturbed as possible.

There was an existing building that we wanted to use. We wanted our new business to fit in, rather than stand out on the farm, so we took down the farm building, as it couldnt be suitably converted, and put up a new building, completely replicating the look of the old one on the outside, says Morgan.

He also transformed the old stables on the farm into a tasting room, which is where all Ballykeefe Distillerys tours now begin and finish. The stained-glass window, high ceilings and single-tree bar counter are much admired by tourists, who have made the distillery their number one choice in Kilkenny on Tripadvisor for the past four years.

In 2016, the Gings had their stills installed, after they had finished work on their new business building, which now includes an office and canteen, as well as a state-of-the-art heat recovery system.

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When you boil the alcohol, it turns to vapour, says Morgan. It must then be cooled back down. The usual way to do this is to send it straight out to a cooling tower before returning it to the stills.

However, we have done it differently and have diverted it so that we can use the hot air to heat our office and canteen, before returning the cooled alcohol to the stills.

Its something that was important to me because of the sustainability factor.

Morgan and Annes eldest son, Kevin, takes care of a lot of the farm work and sows the malting barley used for the distillation process in early March and harvests it himself in the first week in August.

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The Gings commissioned their first whiskey in 2017 and have gone on to make their own vodka, gin and poitin.

The theme of sustainability carries through all aspects of the business as there is zero waste left over from the alcohol production process.

It was always my dream to have a single-estate distillery whereby the grain used to make our drinks was sown and harvested by us and the alcohol distilled by us, all on our own family farm, says Morgan.

I wanted to have zero waste, so the pot ale and distillers ale is fed back to our livestock, which gives our beef a delicious, unique and sweet flavour. Our Hereford beef has a beautiful marbling to it and its sweet because of what our cattle are fed.

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Whatsapp Finishing cattle on Morgan Ging's farm at Ballykeefe, Co. KIlkenny. Picture: Alf Harvey.

The family supply some of Kilkennys top restaurants with beef, after it is processed by local butcher John Murphy in Callan.

Prior to the pandemic, the farm and distillery were open to the public for tours.

We loved welcoming people here and look forward to a time when we can resume that, says Morgan.

For future tours we plan to work in conjunction with local hotels which stock our beef, where visitors can stay at one of the hotels and enjoy one of our steaks before visiting us to sample our spirits.

The cattle have bee a hit with many visitors, despite Morgans initial fears.

We initially thought about moving the cattle sheds because otherwise, the livestock would be extremely near the business, says Morgan.

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We didnt know how people would react to seeing the farm animals in such proximity to the distillery, but they have become a great attraction. People love seeing the animals and the workings of our farm running alongside our farm busines.

Ballykeefe Distillerys label represents the familys heritage and has become a big part of their business.

I designed the logo of a farmer ploughing the fields with three horses, says Morgan. I showed it to my father, who was quite elderly at the time and he was so surprised.

He asked me where I got the picture of my grandfather ploughing, and I said it wasnt a picture, but just a design I had constructed to represent our family farming history.

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My father told me that my grandfather always ploughed the grain field with three horses, the third horse was a horse in training. The man in the picture looks remarkably like my grandfather. I knew then that we had found our label.

Q&A: Insurance is required for a range of risks. Its one of our biggest costs

How long did it take to get your business off the ground?

I incorporated the business Ballykeefe Distillery in 2015 and we first turned on the stills in August 2017. All in all, it took about two years to get everything up and running.

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Was financing readily available from the banks?

We used family money to finance the business. There are start-up business loans available for various types of farm businesses, however.

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Did you find any supports bodies/agencies helpful when starting up?

We did everything ourselves. I researched everything and designed the plant how I wanted it. It was all about self-driven research in our case.

Was insurance required?

Yes, insurance is required for a range of risks, from public liability to product liability and the stock and buildings themselves. The insurance bill is one of the biggest expenses.

Did you need a particular licence?

Yes, we needed a distillers licence.

Where can your products be found?

We are nationwide with Supervalu and our whiskey can be found online at www.ballykeefedistillery.ie and in The Wine Centre in Kilkenny, which has exclusivity to our first-release whisky.

What has been your biggest challenge to date?

Covid: it has wiped out tourism and closed all the bars and restaurants. Nobody foresaw such a situation.

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How do you market your business?

Social media has been the most cost-efficient way. We also gain a lot of visibility through our tours  we had been number one Travellers Choice on Tripadvisor in Kilkenny for four successive years.
NEW YORK, NY (March 22, 2021)--The first year of the COVID-19 pandemic has taken the lives of millions of people around the world but has also left hundreds with lingering symptoms or completely new symptoms weeks after recovery.

Much is unknown about what causes these symptoms and how long they last. But with nearly 740,000 cases of COVID reported in New York City since last March--and 28 million in the United States--physicians are increasingly seeing these "long-haulers" in their practices.

"Over the course of the summer, we started getting a sense of what issues these people were having," says Ani Nalbandian, MD, a cardiology fellow at Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons and first author of a new review of post-acute COVID-19.

"We felt that a review of all these possible issues would be important not only for health care providers but also for patients. It's important for patients to know that what they're experiencing may be a consequence of COVID-19 infection and that they are not alone in experiencing lingering effects of COVID-19 infection."

Nalbandian, along with co-first author Kartik Sehgal, MD, medical oncologist at Harvard Medical School and Dana Farber Cancer Institute, spearheaded the review effort, bringing together more than 30 experts from Columbia and other medical centers hit by the initial wave. The review summarizes what the physicians were seeing in their own patients and what others had reported in the literature. The experts represented a wide range of fields, including neurology, cardiology, and nephrology.

Nalbandian and Elaine Y. Wan, MD, the Esther Aboodi Assistant Professor of Medicine in Cardiology and Cardiac Electrophysiology at Columbia University, the review's senior author, discuss the symptoms that patients and providers should know about COVID-19 long haulers.

It's Not Just "Brain Fog"

Chest pain has been reported in up to 20% of COVID-19 survivors two months after recovery from the infection, COVID-19 can unveil previously unrecognized cases of diabetes, and a few percentage of patients experience strokes, pulmonary embolisms, and other complications from blood clots.

Wan's speciality is electrophysiology, and during the pandemic she and her colleagues published more than 10 articles about COVID and heart arrhythmias.

"Arrhythmias can lead to stroke, heart failure, and long-lasting damage to the heart," says, "and that's something that patients may not be aware of."

In addition, multiple organs may be affected simultaneously. "If you go to a cardiologist, the cardiologist may just focus on the heart," Nalbandian says. "But we need to think of the whole person since COVID is potentially affecting many organs, especially in those who have been hospitalized."

Everyone Is Vulnerable

Most people who experience long-term symptoms may have had health issues before contracting the virus or they developed very severe illness during COVID-19 infection.

"But really, any of these issues can happen to any patient who had COVID-19," says Wan. "For example, we've seen young patients without prior medical illness who developed autonomic dysfunction and fast heart rates after COVID-19. It's not just the most vulnerable who have issues after COVID."

"There really is a post-COVID syndrome and it doesn't always correlate with the severity of the acute COVID infection itself," says Nalbandian.

The majority of COVID patients never come to the hospital for treatment. "We may not be checking in on these patients with the same urgency, but they shouldn't be forgotten," she adds.

Symptoms Can Appear Weeks, Months after Recovery

"I have seen young patients, weeks even months after COVID-19 infection, and they've suddenly developed new onset of heart racing, palpitations, and chronic fatigue," says Wan.

Other patients complain weeks later of new chest discomfort or difficulty with decision making, memory, and concentration.

"When we think of COVID-19, we think of mostly a respiratory illness," Wan says. "But even after they've recovered from their respiratory illness, they may still have other clinical symptoms due to issues with other organ systems."

Patients Need Dedicated "COVID-19 Clinics"

"COVID-19 is the first infectious disease that I've come across that has such an effect on a wide variety of organs," Wan says. "It's changed my clinical practice. No matter what the patient comes in for, I now ask if they ever had COVID-19 infection. It changes the possible range of diagnoses."

"Based on this review, all of us recognized that there needs to be interdisciplinary care to treat patients longitudinally," says Nalbandian. "Care for patients with COVID-19 should not conclude at the time of hospital discharge."

To provide interdisciplinary care, health care systems should establish dedicated "COVID-19 clinics," similar to those now found in Italy.

Nalbandian says setting up such clinics in the United States has been difficult since physicians are still busy taking care of new COVID patients as subsequent waves come in. "Clinics could prioritize follow-up care for those at high risk for post-acute COVID-19 and those with the highest burden of persistent symptoms."

Patients Should Be Vocal

Nalbandian says many patients have complained that their doctors don't recognize that their symptoms may be related to COVID, and that's one reason she and her co-authors organized the review.

"Here in New York, we're seeing patients who have been struggling for weeks and months looking for doctors who are knowledgeable," Nalbandian says. "Physicians should be attentive, legitimize patient concerns, and thoroughly document the symptoms."

Patients should not be afraid to be vocal about their symptoms. "Get in touch with your doctors even if you're not sure if your symptoms are lingering from your COVID infection," she says. "The situation is still fluid and we're learning more every month."

Join Patient Advocacy Groups and Clinical Trials

The work of new patient advocacy groups has helped identify persistent symptoms and was instrumental in highlighting the persistence of symptoms among those who didn't require hospitalization.

"Active engagement with these groups is crucial," Nalbandian says, "along with participation in clinical trials for longitudinal assessment."

Though the medical community now has a better grasp of the constellation of the long-term symptoms that occur after COVID, "we don't know the duration and the long term complications," Nalbandian adds.

"In order to learn more, we need to refer patients to trials, and we've listed many active research studies in our review.

"Health care providers are still overburdened taking care of patients with acute COVID, but that's a collective responsibility of the medical community at large."

###

Columbia University Irving Medical Center provides international leadership in basic, preclinical, and clinical research; medical and health sciences education; and patient care. The medical center trains future leaders and includes the dedicated work of many physicians, scientists, public health professionals, dentists, and nurses at the Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons, the Mailman School of Public Health, the College of Dental Medicine, the School of Nursing, the biomedical departments of the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, and allied research centers and institutions. Columbia University Irving Medical Center is home to the largest medical research enterprise in New York City and State and one of the largest faculty medical practices in the Northeast. For more information, visit cuimc.columbia.edu or columbiadoctors.org.
Foreigners and citizens wait to be tested for COVID-19 at a makeshift testing center in Guro District, Seoul, Sunday. Yonhap



By Bahk Eun-ji



The nation's human rights watchdog has concluded that some local governments' administrative orders for all foreign workers to undergo COVID-19 testing constitute discrimination against foreigners.



The National Human Rights Commission of Korea (NHRCK) said, Monday, that it recommended the local governments and the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters to establish and implement non-discriminatory quarantine policies.



The recommendation comes after orders made by the Seoul Metropolitan Government and the Gyeonggi Provincial Government earlier this month received a strong backlash from foreign residents here.



"The unprecedented COVID-19 situation has greatly changed perceptions of the value of equality in our society. We realized that anyone can be subject to hatred and discrimination, so it is best for our community that no one is excluded from the society's system to protect human rights," the NHRCK said in a statement.



"However, amid increasing infections at companies where a large number of foreigners work, the authorities issued the orders for mandatory COVID-19 testing by segregating foreign workers," the commission said.



It especially noted Gyeonggi provincial government's other order, which required employers to have all foreigners they plan to hire undergo polymerase chain reaction (PCR) testing for COVID-19 before hiring and employ only those who test negative.



As to whether these measures infringe on foreign residents' right to equality, the commission reviewed relevant laws, the Constitution and international laws and treaties. "And we concluded they were issued without reasonable cause, because nationality does not matter when it comes to COVID-19 infection, and thus they are discriminatory against foreigners and should be stopped immediately."



It said segregating specific groups without reasonable grounds could rather prevent the groups from undergoing tests. "This could label foreigners as suspected coronavirus carriers that need tests and create hatred and discrimination, so the governments may not achieve their original purpose of preventing infection," the commission said.



On March 16, Seoul City issued its own order for all foreign workers to receive COVID-19 tests by March 31, following a similar measure taken by the surrounding Gyeonggi Province the previous week.



These orders brought huge protests from the foreign community for creating xenophobia and treating foreigners unfairly, with protests lodged by foreign communities of various fields, including students and professors at universities, embassies and foreign chambers of commerce.



Following the protests, Seoul City changed the order, Friday, to "advisory" for foreign workers to receive the test by the end of the month if their workplaces have a high risk of infection.


The Great Reset versus the Great Reversal By Dr. Robert Owens

Many people who are politically engaged are aware of the latest version of the New World Order. This is the so-called Great Reset being pushed by the economic avatars behind the annual billionaire networking show in Davos. For the last several years theyve evangelized the leaders of secularism in the need to reset the world from a rustic attachment to freedom to a more advanced submission to socialism. The Corporations Once Known as the Mainstream Media portray the Great Rest as a conspiracy Theory. And we all know that only tinfoil hat wearing white supremacists believe in conspiracy theories. I want to know, how can it be a conspiracy theory when the people proposing it tell everyone exactly what they want to see happen? There is no better way to expose how much this is a part of Americas political scene than to learn that the motto for this revisioning of everything is, Build Back Better. If that sounds familiar its because that was the campaign slogan for the Biden/Harris campaign. A mere coincidence? If you buy that, I have a slightly used bridge in Brooklyn and Im willing to sell it at a bargain basement price. The devastation caused by the Great Plandemic is the starting point for the Democrat plan to rebuild on the wreckage theyve caused: an America that bows its knee to the false god of government. The Democrat Governor of Washington, Jay Inslee, expresses his hopes for the aftermath of the plandemic, this has always been an economic opportunity  we should not be intimidated by people who say you should not use this COVID crisis to peddle a solution to climate change  we cant use COVID as an excuse for inaction on climate change  theyre both so similar  based on an understanding of science. Sen Bernie Sanders sees an opportunity for empowering government in the COVID shamdemic, If there is any silver lining in the midst of this terrible, terrible and unprecedented moment in American history in terms of the economy, in terms of the pandemic, it is that maybe we start rethinking some fundamental tenets about the way our government and society works. According to Hillary Clinton, This would be a terrible crisis to waste as the old saying goes. Compare the broadside bromides of these guides to an imagined Venezuelan style workers paradise with the comment of Fox News commentator, Tucker Carlson who said, As long as public health bureaucrats are throwing around oxymoronic, doublespeak, like social distancing and flatten the curve, politicians have the cover they need to empower themselves and their friends and thats exactly what theyve been doing. Can you see whats happening? This may all be depressing. It is undoubtedly discouraging. But none of it should be a surprise. Personally, Ive been speaking and writing about this for decades as have many others. The watchmen have been calling from the walls, The storm is coming. If you are not prepared get prepared. Toilet paper might be a nice thing to have but food is essential. So is water. A place to grow your own food is optimal. And it doesnt take great fields to grow food. A small yard can produce an amazing amount. The Lord tells us plan for the worst and trust God for the victory. And upon that turns the tale. In the natural this threatened Great Reset may loom like a hurricane on the horizon. It may look as if it will engulf the world and submerge America in the abyss of socialism where equality is swallowed by equity and freedom is ground under the heel of regimentation. As the Democrat/Socialists leverage their bare majority in Congress into an unconstitutional federal mandate ensuring victories forever more, as fences and troops turn DC into their fortress of solitude, and as an avalanche of Executive Orders makes ruling by decree appear to be the order of the day dont lose heart. Remember, tears may come in the evening, but joy comes in the morning. All this is about things. That is all these people can do, take away things. They have no power over our souls. The Lord tells us numerous times in His Holy Word, I will never leave you nor forsake you. We can depend on that. The world and all that is in it is passing away. Dont become obsessed with the fact that America is passing under judgment. When you look at the ever-mounting death toll in our abortion mills or at the open sewer society flourishing all around us is anyone really surprised that our all holy God has lifted His hand from us? The Great Reset is coming. Our government of themselves, by themselves, and for themselves is working day and night to see that it does. But that will only rearrange the City of Man. We who have confessed Jesus as Lord and believe in our hearts that God has raised Him from the dead have already become citizens of the City of God, and there we stand witnessing and waiting expectantly for the Great Reversal, where the first shall be last and the last shall be first. Love is our currency. We never have a deficit budget, for all we ever owe anyone is to love them. And since were filled up wall-to-wall with Spirit of God we never run out of that precious commodity. Its hard not to mourn the passing of mankinds last best hope on this planet for individual freedom, personal liberty, and free enterprise, but we must see the bigger picture. Paul and the other Apostles labored under one of the most oppressive military dictatorships of all time: the Roman Empire, and yet they never called for a violent revolution. They kept their eyes on the prize and counseled all to turn to Christ and find life. Here we are caught upon the horns of a dilemma. Our democratic process has belched up a faction of authoritarian wannabees determined to impose socialism, its economy, and destroying fever dreams. They control all branches of the federal government, and theres nothing to stop them from passing anything they want. Well never be able to stand up to them until were on our knees praising God and thanking Him for the salvation Hes given us in Christ. Dont let the judgement of God bring you to despair. God corrects those He loves. And there is a way out of this season of darkness,  if My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land. If well follow this advice, well receive this promise. Then we can leave concern about the Great Reset in the secular sewer where it belongs and praise God for the Great Reversal. Dr. Robert Owens teaches History, Political Science, Global Studies, and Religion. He is the Historian of the Future @ http://drrobertowens.com  2021 Contact Dr. Owens drrobertowens@hotmail.com Follow Dr. Robert Owens on Parler, Facebook, Twitter, Gab, or MeWe @ Drrobertowens, or visit Dr. Owens Amazon Page / Edited by Dr. Rosalie Owens Home
Mr. Cecilia Abena Daapah, Minister of Sanitation and Water Resources, has called for a collaborative intervention to protect and conserve the countrys water bodies.



She said the governments policy response to safeguard the water bodies was a shared responsibility, urging all and sundry to support the enforcement of existing laws and other appropriate regulatory and management actions on water preservation.



The Minister made the call on Monday in Accra at a press briefing to mark World Water Day which falls on March 22, to raise awareness on the importance of freshwater on the theme: Valuing Water.



The theme offers an opportunity to create a broader understanding of how water was valued by different people in different contexts and to support the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goal six-Water and Sanitation for All by 2030.



She said Ghana had made strides in the provision of basic drinking water services to the citizenry, stressing that the population with access to improved water sources increased from 78 percent in 2017 to 81 percent in 2019.



Also, the population with safely managed drinking water sources increased from 27 percent in 2017 to 36 percent in 2019, which is in sync with the governments agenda of bringing water to the doorsteps of the people.



She announced that an amount of $ 1.04 billion was being invested in about 14 ongoing urban water supply projects and six major rural water supply projects in the country, targeting about 4.87 million people to be served when completed.



The Minister said the result was being seen in the gradual decline of basic access to drinking water sources from 51 percent in 2017 to 45 percent in 2019.



She said the government aimed at investing in building climate-resilient water infrastructure systems to reduce wastage in freshwater use; shift towards environmentally sustainable policies that took account of interconnection among ecological systems and reduce pollution.



She noted that water was under extreme threat from a growing population and increasing demands of agriculture and industry, adding that there was the need to value water to avoid mismanaging the finite and irreplaceable resource.





Mrs. Daapah said the illegal mining had affected the quality of water bodies especially within the southwestern river system, including the Tano, Bia, and Ankobra river basins as well as the Pra basin and its Offin and Birim tributaries.





The proportion of rivers with fairly good ambient water quality at the end of 2016 was 36 percent, the proportion increased to 53 percent at the end of 2018, which was attributed to the fight against illegal mining.





The proportion further improved to 57.8 percent in 2019, but reversed to 56.6 percent at the end of 2020, she said.

Source: GNA









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New Delhi, March 22 : Nursery admissions in the national Capital began from Monday and would continue till Wednesday. On March 20, most private schools in Delhi issued a merit list on the basis of a points-based system. The admissions process for nursery classes started in Delhi on the basis of this list.

After the admissions process which is operational till March 24, most schools will release their second list for nursery admissions on March 25. The first list has been released and now with the second list coming up on March 25, the waiting list will also be released.

Even though the admissions process has started, for all the primary level classes, the schools would remain closed for the next few days.

There are 32 states across the country where schools have been opened so far, but physical classes for students in primary classes have not yet begun.

Nursery admissions in most private schools in Delhi would be completely online this year. Parents of students will be able to pay fees online.

The Centre or Delhi government have not shared any official information about when the students would attend physical classes after online admissions. According to the Delhi government, classes would be conducted in online mode for some more time.

At the same time, Union Education Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank said that the Centre has asked the states to open schools based on guidelines issued by the Union Home and Health ministries. "As per my knowledge, 32 states have opened schools following strict corona prevention guidelines," Nishank added.

However, in these 32 states as well, schools are still closed for the primary level students.

According to Nishank, if the guidelines set by the Centre are fully adhered to, all schools in the country could open at different times.

According to Nishank, classes for students from classes 9 to 12, will also open at Navodaya Vidyalayas. This would be possible in those states where permission has been given to open schools and educational institutions.

Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalayas would be opened in these states following all safety measures and Corona guidelines.

As many as 647 Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalayas across the country under the Union Ministry of Education were closed after the annual examinations in March, 2020, due to the Coronavirus pandemic.
If Santiago Sierra had decided to go to Charlottesville, Virginia, and soak the Stars and Stripes in Native American or African American blood he would have had the most explosive artwork in the world. In the United States the flag is a sacred talisman for nationalist groups, including every form of extremist. Can one begin to imagine the Trumpian response to such a piece?

In Hobart, as the latest iconoclastic art event sponsored by Museum of Old and New Art founder David Walsh for his Dark Mofo festival, Sierras Union Flag will see the British flag soaked in the blood of First Nations peoples from colonised territories. It will still pack a punch - creative director Leigh Carmichael said on Monday afternoon that the festival understood and respected the many diverse views in relation to this confronting project - but it taps into a different reservoir of public sentiment.

The flag is a fetish in most countries but will Australians feel a righteous indignation at sight of the Union Jack being defiled? Sierras piece feels like a shot across the bows on behalf of local republicanism. Despite the Union Jacks presence in the top left-hand corner of our own flag, for many Australians its an unwelcome intrusion.

Spanish artist Santiago Sierra. Credit:Getty Images

There may even be a cathartic aspect in watching the emblem of Great Britain drenched in a vat of Indigenous blood. It gives the reassuring, albeit false, impression that the indignities inflicted on First Nations people in the name of Western civilisation were perpetrated by the Mother Country, not by us. In a post-Freudian world its so tempting to blame everything on an unhappy childhood. If we did take part in the odd massacre and act of dispossession its because of the way we were brought up, isnt it Doctor?

Homeless people in Northern Ireland will start to receive their Covid-19 vaccine soon, it has been confirmed.

The Public Health Agency (PHA) said that around 1,200 homeless people will receive the jab in the next few weeks, dependent on uptake.

The PHA said that the vaccination rollout has already begun in some trust areas, with others due to start by the end of the month.

Around 20 staff are involved in the process, working across mobile clinics.

Vaccines will be administered with a "doorstep" approach, using mobile vaccination teams to provide the service at facilities such as hostels, day shelter facilities, crash facilities, non-standard accommodation facilities, and to those sleeping rough.

The process is already under way in some areas, with health workers visiting hostels on Friday.

Paula Devine, who leads the vaccination programme in the Western Trust, said homeless people may suffer from multiple health issues. She told BBC Radio Foyle that trusts will work together to deliver both doses.

"For people who cross over trust boundaries or move around, we will make sure we work together to make sure everything is done and closed off safely," Ms Devine added.

It was announced yesterday that there had been one further death of a patient who previously tested positive for Covid-19 in Northern Ireland.

Another 125 confirmed cases of the virus were recorded by the Department of Health in the previous 24 hours.

Yesterday, there were 158 Covid-positive confirmed inpatients in hospital, of whom 14 were in ICUs. The number of positive cases last week was 1,072, a drop of 241 cases on the previous week.

The number of people here who have tested positive for coronavirus since the outbreak began last February now stands at 115,932.

Meanwhile, Defence Secretary Ben Wallace has issued a warning to the European Commission that any attempt to block coronavirus vaccine exports to the UK would be "counterproductive".

Commission president Ursula von der Leyen ramped up the rhetoric at the weekend, saying the EU has the power to "forbid" exports, adding: "That is the message to AstraZeneca."

The warning reflects growing frustration on the continent that the EU is not getting the supplies it expected from the British-Swedish manufacturer.

The Irish Republic's commissioner Mairead McGuinness said no decisions have been taken but EU leaders will consider the matter on Thursday.

"European citizens are growing angry and upset at the fact that the vaccine rollout has not happened as rapidly as we had anticipated," she told BBC1's The Andrew Marr Show.

"Both the EU and the UK have contracts with AstraZeneca and my understanding is the company is supplying the UK but not the European Union. We are supplying the UK with other vaccines, so I think this is just about openness and transparency."

Mr Wallace, however, hit back by warning the manufacture of the Pfizer vaccine depends on supplies from the UK.

"The grown-up thing would be for the European Commission and some of the European leaders to not indulge in rhetoric but to recognise the obligations that we all have," he told The Andrew Marr Show.

"We will all hold each other to our contracts. Making a vaccine is like baking a cake. We all have different ingredients and the European Commission will know that."

Mr Wallace warned it would be "premature" for people to start booking summer holidays abroad until two task forces set up by the Government to look at the issues of vaccine passports and global travel report in April.

He told the BBC: "I haven't booked my holiday. I will wait to see what the response is from those task forces in April. I think it would be premature to do that. It would be potentially risky."

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Boris Johnson said Saturday was "a record-breaking day for the vaccine rollout" in the UK.

Health Secretary Matt Hancock said 844,285 jabs had been given on Saturday.

"Each jab brings us one step closer to normal," he tweeted. "This mammoth team effort shows the best of Britain - thank you to the British public for coming forward." Elsewhere, the head of the Irish health service has said there is growing concern about the number of Covid-19 cases in the community and rising hospital admissions.

Paul Reid said there was a slight increase in the number of people admitted to hospital with coronavirus this weekend.

There were 360 patients in hospitals yesterday, a rise of 32 patients in 24 hours. The 14-day incidence rate has been at 150 per 100,000 of the population for around a week. Mr Reid told Newstalk On The Record programme that hospital numbers have been "stuck" over recent weeks and the number of patients with Covid-19 is the same as the peak in the second wave.
The Digital Agriculture and Sustainable Development Forum is a flagship program held by XAG, which has assembled top scholars and experts from Tsinghua University, China Sustainability Tribute, the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), World Food Programme (WFP), and World Wildlife Fund (WWF). Dr Kai-Fu Lee, Chairmen and CEO of Sinovation Ventures and He Fan, Professor of Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Antai College of Economics & Management were invited to join the conversation with XAG to discuss how digital technologies can transform agriculture for a sustainable future.

Rural Communities

XAG's CSR report 2020 is known to be the first-ever corporate social responsibility report issued in the Chinese agritech sector. It shows the importance of technology as a great equaliser to improve the well-being of human. Zhu Xufeng, Executive Dean of Institute for Sustainable Development Goals, Tsinghua University, suggested that digital technology can help eliminate poverty and achieve zero hunger, while off-setting the adverse effect of food production on climate and environment.

Founded in 2007, XAG develops six product lines - agricultural drone, remote sensing drone, unmanned ground vehicle, agriculture IoT, Autopilot Console, and Smart Agriculture System which are applied to innovatively change the face of agriculture. Up to December 2020, XAG has introduced over 66,000 sets of autonomous devices into 42 countries and regions, having served 9.31 million farmers and 52 million farmlands with efficiency and precision. With drones and robots replacing manual labour to conduct seeding, fertilising, and crop spraying, farmers can reduce their physical burden and improve livelihood by managing their fields in a more effective and simpler way.

XAG seeks to make agriculture a knowledge- and technology-intensive sector, attracting young people back to the countryside and creating new and decent employment opportunities. For example, XAG Academy was established in 2016 as a knowledge sharing platform and has provided online & offline courses for 91,025 registered students. These students could learn a wide range of modern agricultural skills, covering drone operations, crop cultivation and pest control. In addition, to address the issue of gender equality in rural areas, XAG has offered modern skills training for rural women who could work as drone operators with agricultural know-how to raise their incomes.

Food Supply

Strengthening food security towards a zero-hunger future is one of the top priorities of XAG's CSR strategy. Through empowering farmers with flexible, cost-effective tools to protect their farms against natural disasters, pest diseases, and mechanical crop damage, XAG has helped close yield gap by about 8.21 million tons of food crops, enough to feed about 16.42 million people for a year.

For example, throughout 2019 to 2020, XAG worked with Sunagri Zambia to dispatch fully autonomous drones for the fight against the crop-devouring fall armyworms. Drones were able to accurately control the nocturnal pests with less pesticide used, which became a major high-tech force to curb the spread of fall armyworms. This operation has managed to lower the impacts of disasters on food yields and supported the livelihood of African farmers who did not have access to advanced equipment.

Peng Bin, Founder and CEO of XAG, proposed that unmanned technology is the key to achieving the zero-hunger goal. The world is expected to face with rapidly increasing food demand in coming years, whereas the global and local agricultural workforce has been shrinking sharply. "In the future, our farms would be covered with robots which can operate automatically to finish those repetitive, tedious field works," he said.

Environmental Footprint

The report also reveals how agritech can contribute to reduce pesticide use, mitigate climate change, and maintain biodiversity on land. The variable-rate precision spraying technology designed for XAG's agricultural drones allows farmers to use 30% less pesticide and 90% less water during crop protection. Since 2017, XAG has racked up 45,363 tons reduction in pesticide use, while saving nearly 15.39 million tons of water, equivalent to the annual water consumption of 200,000 residents.

According to the United Nations, agriculture and other related industries account for one third of the world's greenhouse gas emissions. To reduce the carbon footprint of food production, XAG has turned to smart electric powered devices for crop cultivation, instead of the traditional oil-fired machinery run by non-renewable fossil energy. XAG's agricultural drone operations have cut down 760,000 tons of carbon emissions, equivalent to planting 10.32 million trees.

In face of the loss of biodiversity, agricultural drones can be adapted to restore degraded grasslands, providing new approaches for environmental protection in hard-to-reach areas. In 2020, XAG closely worked with local government and Landcare network to launch the first-ever post-fire drone seeding operation on Lack Cobrico, Victoria State of Australia. Drones were deployed to spread grass seeds to re-establish the native vegetation within a fire-ravaged peat swamp.

XAG is a tech firm devoted to the realm of agriculture, but it is also committed to operating as a caring and responsible corporate citizen with sustainable business pattern. With its unremitting efforts to scale up agritech and tackle rural ageing, XAG was recognised for Sustainability Innovation in Reuters Responsible Business Awards 2020. Keeping its eyes aimed at global challenges such as hunger, poverty, climate change, and social inequality, XAG will continue to join hands with governments, clients, and partners to advance the 17 sustainable development goals.

About XAG

Founded in 2007, XAG is an agriculture technology company and the world's largest agricultural drone makers. It is devoted to advancing agriculture that can sustainably feed the world's growing population with positive social impact on earth. XAG's vision is to build the infrastructure of agriculture for the next 100 years, that will provide the world with sufficient, diversified, and safe food. To grow more nutritious food with minimal ecological footprint on earth, XAG has designed the three-pillar smart agriculture solutions that innovatively integrate drones, unmanned ground vehicles, internet-of-things, and artificial intelligence.

Read more: https://www.xa.com/en/news

SOURCE XAG

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Xiaomi has started promoting an upcoming Mega Launch event that will take place at 19:30 GMT +8 on Monday March 29. The Chinese OEM has left it to fans to guess what will be unveiled, with the Xiaomi Mi Band 6, Mi 11 Pro, and Mi 11 Ultra already leading the speculation. It appears this will be a global product launch.

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The Xiaomi Mega Launch is coming on March 29 (19:30 GMT +8) and according to the firm this is one launch you really better not miss. Of course, Xiaomi is not shy about using hyperbole for any product launch, and there are quite a few devices in the pipeline that could be shown off to the world on that date. While the Mi Band 6 seems like a reasonable guess for being one of the stars of the show, other contenders have included the Mi 11 Pro and Mi 11 Ultra smartphones, the Mi 11 Lite phone, and even the Mi Notebook Pro laptop.

It seems unlikely it will be the aforementioned laptop though, as Xiaomi has been teasing that device on its Chinese-language Weibo site, whereas this upcoming Mega Launch has been promoted on the companys English-language global Twitter account. So the Mi Notebook Pro is likely to be a China-only release for the time being. The Mi 11 Lite has already been listed on some retail sites and both the Mi 11 Pro and Mi 11 Ultra have been teased for some time now, so a trio of Mi 11 smartphones released at the same time would certainly constitute a Mega Launch.

Theres also the Xiaomi Mi Band 6, which by the looks of things is likely to receive an earlier calendar month release globally than 2020s Mi Smart Band 5 (internationally launched in July). The fitness tracker has already appeared in a live image as part of EU-related documents, so there is a chance it will be the Mi Band 6/Mi Smart Band 6 that gets launched on March 29. Maybe Xiaomi will just amaze its millions of fans worldwide by releasing the expected new Mi 11 smartphone variants and its latest smart band all on the same day. As for an outsider bet  dont put too much hope on seeing a Xiaomi Mi Pad 5 just yet, but there could be some surprises in store.

Buy the Xiaomi Mi Band 5 on Amazon
Deputy Prime Minister Dan Barna, co-chair of the USR PLUS (Save Romania Union - Freedom, Unity, Solidarity Party) Alliance on Monday said that the modification brought by the Legal Committee of the Chamber of Deputies to the draft on the abolition of the Special Section for the Investigation of Judicial Crimes (SIIJ), which provides for the prosecution of magistrates to be done only with the approval of the CSM (Supreme Council of Magistracy) represents "a smaller compromise" than the major need of dismantling the SIIJ, according to AGERPRES.

"The goal is for the Special Section to become history. It's a compromise. The CVM will only be lifted by fulfilling this condition. This measure, this compromise that is currently being found, we will see how it works and, depending on that, we can continue to discuss it in the future too. I believe that the decision also triggers some more responsibility for the CSM and this is why I see it like a smaller compromise compared to the major need to dismantle the Special Section," Barna said at Parliament when asked about the modification brought by the Legal Committee to the project on the dismantling of the SIIJ.

He said that the USR PLUS MPs will definitely vote for the dissolution of the Special Section.

Asked if this modification would create a super-immunity for magistrates, Barna explained: "It is not a super-immunity, it is an opinion of a section about a certain magistrate related to the latter's prosecution."

The Legal Committee of the Chamber of Deputies on Thursday issued a favourable opinion regarding the draft to dissolve the Special Section for Investigating Judicial Crimes, and also adopted a modification belonging to the Deputy from the national minorities group, Ionel Stancu, saying that magistrates can only be sent to trial with the approval of the Supreme Council of Magistracy. The draft is to be debated in the plenary sitting of the Chamber of Deputies, which is the first forum notified. The Senate is the decision-making chamber.
Convict passes away in jail before his SLP reaches Supreme Court

India

oi-Vicky Nanjappa

New Delhi, Mar 22: A resident of Goa, Shailesh Mapari who was convicted of killing his friend Sagar in September 2004 and sentenced to life imprisonment died before his appeal was heard by the Supreme Court.

He had appealed in the Bombay High Court, but the same was rejected following which he filed a special leave petition in the Supreme Court. The Supreme Court was surprised that his case had not been forwarded for remission despite the fact that he had been in prison for the past 16 years.

Man gets 20 years rigorous imprisonment for step daughters rape

This is an assistance which should be forthcoming from the Goa Legal Services Authority itself. We thus, consider appropriate to direct that the case of the petitioner be taken up for consideration by the competent authority of the respondent state for release/remission in accordance with the norms of the respondent state, the SC said.

However what was not known to the court was that Mapari had died in the Colvale jail on December 21 2020. He had suffered a stroke in prison and was rushed to hospital, where he passed away.

Anil Deshmukh Corruption row: NCP says 'no need for resignation'| Oneindia News
FRISCO, Texas - Sunlight gleamed off the tiled roofs of the taupe minimansions and walkable shopping centers as March 4 dawned in this corner of North Texas. According to specious speculations online, this was the day when Donald Trump would be reinstalled as president.

"We are optimistic. . . . If you're in morning [sic] Please stay at home!!!" the group's organizer, Jeff Hauk, told the weekly meeting of a group of conservatives who call themselves the "DFW Deplorables."

In posts on the private Facebook page, Hauk said that Trump had their backs and that the former president was working behind the scenes to return to power. "It is not over," Hauk wrote.

Hope for Trump's return is fervent in Frisco and across the northern Dallas suburbs, an area of rapid growth and rapidly increasing diversity. Nineteen local residents have been charged in connection with the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol, according to federal authorities, one of the largest numbers in any place in the country.

Many of the rioters came from the "mainstream of society," according to the FBI's Dallas field office, including three real estate agents, a retired Air Force lieutenant colonel, an oilman and an actor who once appeared on the popular television show "Friday Night Lights." They were driven by a "salad bowl of grievances," the FBI said, including anger over the presidential election, white supremacist ideology and the discredited extremist ideology QAnon, which holds that Trump will save the world from a cabal of Satan-worshipping pedophiles.

Their groundless claims are fed from the pulpits of large, powerful evangelical churches, whose teachings verge on white nationalism with fears that they are losing a largely White, conservative enclave that views these changes with suspicion.

More arrests are coming, and North Texas remains a focus for investigators who expect to charge as many as 400 people from across the country in the attack on the Capitol.

Local law enforcement authorities had been grappling for months with the poisonous impact of baseless claims. In September, Frisco authorities were flooded with calls and emails after QAnon conspiracy theorists latched onto a video shared on social media of a crying little girl in the back seat of a car. In reality, the girl, who police say was part of a custody dispute, was safe, but her privacy was violated by the video being shared repeatedly, and time spent addressing the false accusation affected other investigations, authorities said.

Police also were forced to address a viral social media post that falsely labeled the town's sprawling Stonebriar Center the "No. 1 mall in the U.S. for sex trafficking," assuring the public that teenagers were not being kidnapped.

On the DFW Deplorables site, members followed and debated the case of the distraught little girl in the video, but they were sure about one thing: Trump was doing "God's work" to rid the land of "pedos," rapists and sex traffickers.

"Trump is taking them all down," Hauk, a swimming pool salesman, said.

At the Community Grill in Frisco, the silver thermoses of coffee were waiting and the Deplorables indulged in other baseless speculations. President Joe Biden is senile, they said. He's being fed his words through an earpiece by former president Barack Obama.

They didn't want to talk about the Jan. 6 attack. Many of them said the attack was carried out by left-wing antifa and Black Lives Matter infiltrators, rather than more than a dozen of their neighbors who stormed the Capitol "in the name of Jesus," bearing zip-tie restraints and, in one case, a crutch to beat police.

Jane Ann Sellars, vice president for "Americanism" for a local Republican women's group, said the coffee meeting was a chance to strategize and work on promoting politicians who share their views.

"We just want more conservative candidates for the future," Sellars said.

March 4 proved to be an uneventful springlike day in Frisco. The Storm had not arrived. There was no Great Awakening. Biden was still president. Hauk would not say whether he was disappointed.

Over the past two decades, Collin County, north of Dallas, more than doubled its population to 1 million, according to census data, with newcomers drawn by the mild weather, good schools, low taxes and the arrival of several big employers and new corporate headquarters, including Toyota, Liberty Mutual and the Dallas Cowboys. The rapid expansion created an air of Disney World built on the clay soil of the Texas plains, one Frisco consultant noted, where everything is new and planned. The median household income is $97,000, well above the U.S. median of $69,000.

But this utopia on the Dallas North Tollway has its fissures, which have deepened in the past year, with debate over pandemic restrictions, the country's racial reckoning and the divisive 2020 presidential election that pitted neighbor against neighbor and continues to divide. Unlike many other suburban counties in the country that helped sway the election for Biden, Collin County stayed red, with 51% voting for Trump and 46% for Biden.

The county's rapid growth has increased its diversity - with the Latino and Asian American populations growing, and the White population in decline - causing tensions, some residents say. In 2017, Plano Mayor Harry LaRosiliere was challenged by an opponent who promised to "keep Plano suburban," which LaRosiliere, who is Black, said was a "dog whistle" for residents wanting to keep the town White and affluent. LaRosiliere won the four-way nonpartisan race with 52% of the votes, and his "keep Plano suburban" opponent won 42%. This year, Plano City Council member Shelby Williams came under fire when he said in a post-riot blog post that "things could be much worse. . . . People in many parts of the Muslim world are still slaughtering one another today."

Frisco Realtor Hava Johnston said some residents feel the area has become "too diverse."

"They created this perfect little bubble of the way they wanted things. . . . Now we've got true diversity, and those Christian nationalists are afraid of losing their power," said Johnston, a Democratic activist and one of the Internet sleuths who helped unmask local residents who participated in the Capitol riots. "These are the very people who would do things like have Trump parades every weekend and take a private jet to a riot."

Brian Miller was among those who boarded a private plane to the nation's capital - posting gleefully on Facebook that he was "D.C. bound to #stopthesteal!" He said economic fears drove the rioters, many of whom were small-business owners struggling to maintain their North Texas lifestyles even before the pandemic hit.

"They're more concerned about losing everything we have gained in the last four years," Miller, 49, said. The real estate agent said he spent six months collecting unemployment benefits last year.

"A lot of people lost their livelihoods because of the pandemic, moving in with family to try and make ends meet," he said.

A Washington Post analysis last month of the financial records of more than 100 of those facing charges in the riot found that nearly 60% of them had prior money troubles, including bankruptcies, bad debts and tax liens. That includes Jenna Ryan, 50, the Frisco real estate agent who had invited Miller on the plane ride. Ryan once filed for bankruptcy and nearly lost a home to foreclosure.

During the riot, Miller had been separated from his friends and said he stayed outside on the west side of the Capitol, filming with his phone as rioters broke windows and as pepper spray soured the air. Meanwhile, Ryan was on the other side of the building doing a Facebook Live stream, perfectly done with an Instagram-worthy "45" ski cap.

"We are going to f---king go in here. Life or death, it doesn't matter. Here we go," Ryan said, adding a plug for her business. "Y'all know who to hire for your Realtor. Jenna Ryan for your Realtor."

Back in Texas, after her arrest on federal charges of unlawful entry, disorderly conduct and disrupting government business, Ryan told The Washington Post last month that she had been sucked into a web of spurious claims during the election, reading far-right websites and following the QAnon movement. Since her arrest, she has been barred from social media platforms and faces fresh money troubles, and a self-help book she was writing was canceled by the publisher.

"I bought into a lie, and the lie is the lie, and it's embarrassing," she said. "I regret everything."

Miller now frames his Capitol insurrection journey as a joyride to party and see Trump's "last hurrah." He says Ryan and their two other friends now charged were exercising their right to free speech and should never have been arrested. "It's totally bogus," he said.

Shortly before Biden's inauguration, Pastor Brandon Burden of the KingdomLife church - a boxy, largely windowless sanctuary in Frisco - mounted the pulpit and gave a stemwinder of a sermon that went viral.

Burden spoke in tongues and urged his flock of "warriors" to load their weapons and stock up on food and water as the transfer of power loomed. The emergency broadcast system might be tampered with, so if Trump "took over the country," he could not tell them what to do, he said.

"We ain't going silently into the night. We ain't going down. This is Texas," Burden preached.

Prophetic voices had decreed that Trump would remain in office, he said.

"We have an executive order - not from Congress or D.C., but from the desk of the CEO of heaven, the boss of the planet," Burden said. "He said from his desk in heaven, 'This is my will. Trump will be in office for eight years.' "

Here in the heart of the Bible Belt, the Capitol insurrectionists' embrace of Christian nationalist symbols - they went bearing crosses, toting signs that said "God, Guns and Trump" - has prompted reflection in the faith community. Some say evangelical Christian leaders went too far linking love for God and country, stoked fear in their communities and bear some responsibility for the tragic events of Jan. 6.

"I really think that churches need to acknowledge that we have been irresponsible in the way we have tried to project America's history or America's founding as one that is inextricably tied to Christianity. We have to repent of that," said Alex Lee-Cornell, interim pastor at Westminster Presbyterian Church in Dallas, who gave a Feb. 28 sermon on the theme. "We have to confess that we have conflated support of the nation with Christian discipleship - especially in the Republican Party."

Burden - who declined to comment for this report - later acknowledged that some of his comments were "inartfully said," but he has been supportive of the rioters and their cause.

One of those was Paul MacNeal Davis, who filmed himself live on Instagram getting tear-gassed at the Capitol, saying he was trying to get into the building to stop the certification of the vote. He replied to one of Trump's tweets, saying, "Never stop fighting Mr. President! Never give in no matter how ugly it gets! We are willing to die to preserve our freedom!"

In an interview, Davis said he did not do anything illegal during the riot and spent time praying over the police officers who blocked him from entering, joining others who prayed "God forgive them, they know not what they do."

When the 39-year-old University of Texas-educated lawyer returned home, he was fired from his job as associate general counsel and director of human resources for an insurance company. He and his fiancee parted ways, and vandals stuffed debris into his home's sewer pipes, causing a flood of fecal-matter-tinged water in his duplex.

He rejects QAnon but says there were "irregularities" in the presidential election, though federal election officials have said there is no evidence of voter fraud.

"I don't really care what people think of me," Davis said. "I'm going to do right no matter what."

Davis, a deeply religious man with a half-sleeve of Bible-themed tattoos on one arm, has found support at Burden's church and defends the pastor's controversial rhetoric, saying he was speaking about a spiritual battle, not a physical one.

"I've received an overwhelming amount of support and love from my community," Davis said. "They understand that the leftist movement is extremely vicious and anybody who disagrees with leftism and asserts their right to protest and peaceably assemble is going to get viciously attacked."

Davis has been keeping busy with the latest version of a lawsuit he has filed in U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas, claiming the 2020 election results are invalid. He was recently invited to speak about the case by a local conservative group at Burden's church.

His lawsuit says a "well-funded cabal" of powerful people - such as House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., Facebook's Mark Zuckerberg, the entire 117th Congress and state election officials - conspired to cheat the American people out of their right to vote and violated federal election laws with a number of pandemic-related measures such as expanded mail-in voting, rendering the entire election "null and void" and asking the courts for a do-over.

Davis, who has not been charged in the Capitol attack, said he had no regrets.

"I'm happier than I've ever been in my life," he said. "I feel like I'm doing what I was created to do."

- - -

The Washington Post's Julie Tate and Todd Frankel contributed to this report.
Carrie Lam, the chief executive of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR), said on Saturday that she was confident that Hong Kong will thrive and soar higher with the full support of the central authorities.

Lam made this remark at the Hong Kong Session of China Development Forum 2021, themed "The Development of Hong Kong in the Next Five Years", held online on Saturday evening.

Lam said that her confidence in Hong Kong and its future development is grounded in two major decisions made by the National People's Congress (NPC), the enactment of the Law of the People's Republic of China on Safeguarding National Security in the HKSAR in June 2020 and the decision to improve the HKSAR's electoral system to implement "patriots administering Hong Kong" adopted recently.

"These two important decisions by the highest organ of state power have put Hong Kong back on its right track, that is, fully and faithfully upholding 'one country, two systems', safeguarding national security and ensuring Hong Kong's stability and prosperity," she said.

Lam said that her confidence is further boosted by the support given by the central government to Hong Kong as embedded in the 14th Five-Year Plan for National Economic and Social Development (the 14th Five Year Plan) approved by the NPC recently.

Noting that the 14th Five-Year Plan reaffirms support for Hong Kong to enhance its status as an international financial center and strengthen its role as a global offshore Renminbi business hub, an international asset management center and a risk management center, Lam highlighted that Hong Kong's strengths in innovation and technology development was recognized in the national plan.

She elaborated on the achievements of Hong Kong as an international financial center and an innovation and technology hub and stated that many initiatives put in place by the HKSAR government, many with the support of the central government, will further boost their development down the road.

Pointing out that Hong Kong's future lies in integration with the mainland economy, while maintaining her uniqueness under "one country, two systems", Lam said that Hong Kong will proactively become a participant in domestic circulation and a facilitator in international circulation amidst the "dual circulation" development strategy of the country.

The forum was hosted by the Development Research Center of the State Council and organized by the China Development Research Foundation annually since 2000. This year's forum was held both online and onsite at the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse in Beijing from March 20 to 22. The Hong Kong Session was held for the first time and attended by over 30 invited global business leaders.
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Hazleton, PA (18201)

Today

Rain showers in the morning with thunderstorms developing for the afternoon. A few storms may be severe. High 71F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 90%..

Tonight

Showers this evening then scattered thunderstorms developing overnight. Low 59F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 60%.
Yangon, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 22nd Mar, 2021 ) :Security forces in Myanmar shot dead an anti-coup protester Sunday, as the Australian government confirmed it is assisting two nationals who were detained after trying to leave Yangon.

Myanmar has been in turmoil since soldiers ousted civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi last month, triggering nationwide protests demanding a return to democracy.

Security forces have responded with lethal force, using live rounds along with tear gas and rubber bullets in an effort to bring the demonstrations to heel.

One man was killed on Sunday in the central city of Monywa and at least two people were injured in a clash with security forces at barricades, two witnesses told AFP.

"I saw people carrying a man who was shot and killed," a local resident told AFP, adding the body was taken to a local hospital.

"They used stun grenades and tear gas... later they started shooting. I don't know if the man, who died on the spot after he was hit on his head, was killed from rubber bullets or live rounds." - Australians in custody - Australia's foreign ministry confirmed Sunday it was providing consular assistance to two of its nationals in Myanmar.

"Due to our privacy obligations we will not provide further detail," a spokeswoman said.

It is understood business consultants Matthew O'Kane and Christa Avery, a dual Canadian-Australian citizen, are under house arrest after trying to leave the country on a relief flight Friday.

The couple run a bespoke consultancy business in Yangon.

Canada's global affairs department said it was aware of a case involving a Canadian citizen and was "providing consular services." A third Australian, economist Sean Turnell, an advisor to Suu Kyi, who was arrested a week after the putsch also remains in custody.

Weekend violence failed to deter hundreds of doctors and nurses donning hard hats and brandishing posters of Suu Kyi as they marched at dawn through Mandalay, Myanmar's second-largest city and cultural capital.

Later other demonstrators placed protest signs in pot plants along a street.

By afternoon there were barricades set on fire, gunfire in the streets and at least four people injured, a doctor in Mandalay said.

Mandalay has been the scene of some of the worst violence from police and soldiers since the coup.

The protests came a day after a local monitoring group confirmed the killing of four protesters at the hands of security forces around the country.

Two of the deaths were in Yangon, the country's commercial hub, according to the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP).

- Mother mourns 'hero son' - Mourners in the city laid to rest a 26-year-old who died Saturday while in custody after being shot and arrested the previous night.

Myo Myint Aung's mother cried over the coffin at the funeral service, saying that her son was still a child in her eyes.

"I am really proud of what you did for democracy and this country," she said, in a video of the funeral service posted on social media.

"You are a real hero." A funeral was also held for mother-of-three Mar La Win, 38, who died earlier this weekend in the central city of Pakokku along the Irrawaddy river.

"My family is broken now," her husband Myint Swe told AFP as the red flag of Suu Kyi's political party was draped on her coffin surrounded by flowers.

Elsewhere the heartbroken family of 15-year-old Aung Kaung Htet, who was shot in the forehead at a protest at Tamwe, Yangon, paid tribute to the teenager.

Mourners held up the three-finger salute -- a symbol of defiance -- at his funeral.

Overnight, protesters staged a candlelit protest in the northern town of Kale and left signs on the street calling for United Nations intervention to stop the violence in Myanmar.

Nearly 250 deaths have been confirmed in the weeks since the coup, the AAPP reported, although the true toll could be higher.

More than 2,300 others have been arrested, the group said.

International condemnation by Washington, Brussels and the United Nations has so far failed to halt the bloodshed.

European Union foreign ministers are expected to approve sanctions against 11 junta officials at a meeting on Monday.
State regulators have fined Northern Indiana Public Service Co. more than $1 million  the largest in Indiana history  for pipeline safety violations the utility has faced twice in the previous four years.

The Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission ordered the natural gas supplier to pay $1.138 million in civil penalties for violations related to the companys failure to locate or mark pipelines, as required, within two days of gas line excavations.

Properly responding to and locating pipelines is critical to avoiding property damage and personal injury potentially resulting from natural gas explosions, the utility commission said in its order.

The fine represents the third time since 2017 that the Merrillville, Indiana-based utility has received a substantial fine for similar violations, the commission said.

The latest penalties cover 2019 violations. The commissions order specifies that NIPSCO and its shareholders must absorb the fines expense and cannot pass that cost onto its customers.

The money NIPSCO will pay for the fine will go into Indianas general fund.

NIPSCO, which is Indianas largest natural gas provider, said in a statement that it would work to improve its pipeline locating efforts.

We acknowledge the fine and pledge to continue correcting any issues pertaining to line locates, NIPSCO said.

The utility added that it responds to and completes more than 450,000 requests in a single calendar year to locate natural gas lines, while the violation addresses 238 instances where NIPSCO failed to locate or provide an accurate location for underground utilities when requested by someone doing excavation work.

The utility said it was implementing a new pipeline safety management system, working to ensure its records were up-to-date and doing more training.

Copyright 2021 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Topics Indiana
New Delhi, March 22 : The founders of Ashoka University have announced the appointment of an Ombudsperson as had been decided earlier, by May 31.

The Chancellor and Vice Chancellor will propose candidates for this position for approval by the university's Governing Body.

"Our aim is that through this and already existing processes we will be able to ensure that Ashoka lives up to its vision of being a space for free enquiry, free expression, intellectual honesty, respect for the dignity of all human beings and openness to constructive change," the founders said.

"The present moment provides an opportunity to make a fresh start by collectively reaffirming our faith in the vision and ethos of Ashoka," said the statement by Ashish Dhawan, Pramath Raj Sinha, Sanjeev Bikhchandani and Vineet Gupta.

The founders of Ashoka University said on Monday that they have never interfered with, nor do they intend to interfere, with the academic functioning of the university.

Ashoka founders are under fire after the resignations of prominent faculty, Pratap Bhanu Mehta and Arvind Subramanian.

The founders said they want to articulate their deep commitment and respect for the autonomy of the University and its academic functioning.

The Board of Trustees' issued a statement to the Ashoka Faculty. "The founders, even though they have devoted resources and energy to establish Ashoka University have never interfered with, nor do they intend to interfere, with the academic functioning of the university. "Academic functioning" in this context includes not only how and what faculty teach, how they assess, how they are recruited and how they secure tenure but also their freedom to write and speak in their chosen fora and on their chosen themes," they added.
ON March 25, Greece will commemorate the 200th anniversary of its national day. This bicentenary will be marked with great pomp and ceremony in Greece and in Greek communities of the diaspora around the world.

Opinion

ON March 25, Greece will commemorate the 200th anniversary of its national day. This bicentenary will be marked with great pomp and ceremony in Greece and in Greek communities of the diaspora around the world.

Most countries celebrate their national day at the end of a revolution or the termination of hostilities after a war of independence. Thats not the case for Greece. The reason is that historians are unanimous in pinpointing the start of Greeces war of independence; however, historians cant agree on the year Greece achieved its independence.

In effect, the war of independence lasted more than a decade and territorial victories were achieved over a protracted timeline.

The Greek War of Independence began in 1821 with the rebellion of the Greeks who had been under the rule of the Ottoman Empire since 1453. The Greek revolution started on March 25, 1821, with the slogan "eleftheria i thanatos," meaning "freedom or death." Its a modern twist on the ancient dictum that required Spartan warriors to return victorious or dead, carried on their shields.

The Greek struggle for independence captured the attention of leading European intellectuals, including British philhellene and prominent poet Lord Byron, who fought alongside the Greeks in Missolonghi.

More recently, Greece was a prominent member of the Allied forces fighting against the Nazis in the eastern Mediterranean. That prompted British prime minister Winston Churchill to remark, in his flamboyant rhetorical style, "No longer will we say that Greeks fight like heroes, but that heroes fight like Greeks."

Greece is a small country with an inquiring and independent spirit, and a global outreach. Its sparse population of slightly more than 10 million inhabitants is deceiving. Census reports from around the world estimate that the Greek diaspora, which includes first-generation immigrants and second or third generations of Greek ancestry not born in Greece, is around seven million.

The Greek mindset has always embraced a peripatetic nature and a global outreach. This explains the existence of Greek communities around the world. In ancient Greece, Homer recorded that Greeks have been wanderers and travellers venturing through foreign seas and lands, motivated by trade, science, intellectual curiosity, poverty or war, and creating colonies and cities far and wide. As a result, the Greek diaspora became one of the oldest and largest in the world.

Today, the Greek diaspora can be found worldwide. The largest contemporary concentrations of the Greek diaspora are in the United States, Canada and Australia. The city with the largest Greek community outside of Greece is Melbourne, Australia. On all occasions Ive visited Melbourne, Ive heard Greek spoken everywhere I went.

The largest Greek immigrant stream to Canada started after the Second World War. The first generation of Greek Canadians were mostly self-employed in the service sector. They established restaurants, retail outlets and small businesses. Having instilled the value of education in their children to mitigate the effects of discrimination and improve their career opportunities, the second and third generations of Greek Canadians have joined the ranks of white-collar professionals.

Greek Canadians can be found in every province and territory in Canada. Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver have the largest concentrations of Greek Canadians. The 2016 Canadian census recorded that 271,405 Canadians were Greek by ancestry and 62,715 people were born in Greece. A more recent publication, Greeks around the Globe, records that the Greek Canadian population has grown to about 450,000.

Greeks of the diaspora will receive a special gift during the bicentenary. Effective this year, the Greek government will give Greeks living abroad the right to vote in national elections. Greek expatriates will be able to vote from their place of residence for at-large members of parliament, whose number will expand from 12 to 15 in the 300-seat house.

The 2021 bicentenary will provide Greece and Greek Canadians with an opportunity to celebrate the resilience and the accomplishments of this small country and its people. It will also serve as a call for all Greeks worldwide to strive for even more spectacular accomplishments in the service of humanity in the future.

Constantine Passaris is a professor of economics at the University of New Brunswick and an Onassis Foundation fellow. He was recently included in the inaugural edition of Who is Who in Greece 2020.

 Troy Media
Saudi Arabia presented a new peace initiative on Monday to end the war in Yemen, including a nationwide ceasefire and the reopening of air and sea links, but its Houthi enemies said the offer did not appear to go far enough to lift a blockade.

The initiative, announced by Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud, would include reopening Sanaa airport, and allow fuel and food imports through Hodeidah port, both of which are controlled by the Iran-aligned Houthis.

Political negotiations between the Saudi-backed government and the Houthis would be restarted, he told a news conference, It would take effect when the Yemeni sides accepted.

Yemens internationally recognised government issued a statement welcoming the offer.

But the Houthis said the initiative provided nothing new, as it still fell short of their demand for a complete lifting of the blockade on Sanaa airport and Hodeidah port.

We expected that Saudi Arabia would announce an end to the blockade of ports and airports and an initiative to allow in 14 ships that are held by the coalition, Houthi chief negotiator Mohammed Abdulsalam told Reuters.

A humanitarian right should not be used as a pressure tool, he said.

The group would continue to talk with the Saudis, the United States and mediator Oman for a peace agreement, he said.

The United States welcomed the commitment of Saudi Arabia and Yemen internationally-recognised government to a ceasefire and negotiations, deputy State Department spokeswoman Jalina Porter said.

Asked about Abdulsalams comments that the Houthis expected Saudi Arabia to completely lift the blockade of ports and airports, she said that negotiations are ongoing and Riyadhs announcement was one step in the right direction.

The war has killed more than 100,000 people, many of them civiilians, according to The Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project (ACLED), a database that tracks violence in Yemen

The conflict, widely seen as a proxy war between Saudi Arabia and Iran, has been stalemated for years and has left 80% of Yemens population reliant on aid. The Houthis say they are fighting a corrupt system and foreign aggression.

Saudi Arabia, which leads a military coalition battling the movement, has been under increasing pressure to put an end to the six-year-old conflict since U.S. President Joe Biden signalled Washington would no longer support the intervention and as the United Nations warns of a looming famine in Yemen.

The United States welcomed the commitment of Saudi Arabia and Yemen internationally-recognised government to a ceasefire and negotiations, deputy State Department spokeswoman Jalina Porter said.

Asked about Abdulsalams comments that the Houthis expected Saudi Arabia to completely lift the blockade of ports and airports, she said that negotiations are ongoing and Riyadhs announcement was one step in the right direction.

The United Nations also welcomed the Saudi initiative, although U.N. spokesman Farhan Haq stressed: Its still early days.

Haq said the proposal is aligned with the U.N. initiative and that special envoy Martin Griffiths would now follow up with the warring parties.

MILITARY ESCALATION

Prince Faisal said Riyadh would work with the international community to press the Houthis to accept and come to the negotiating table and that the Saudi-led coalition would continue to face Houthi assaults with the necessary response.

The movement has stepped up drone and missile attacks on Saudi Arabia, including on oil facilities, and a ground offensive to seize Yemens gas-rich Marib region. The coalition has responded with air strikes on Houthi military sites.

The Houthis demand the lifting of the blockade, which they blame for what the United Nations describes as the worlds worst humanitarian crisis. The Saudi-led coalition and aid agencies have accused the group of obstructing aid efforts.

The coalition has said the port and airport must be restricted to prevent weapons from reaching the Houthis who control the capital and most populous areas.

Riyadhs announcement did not specify which air routes would be permitted to Sanaa, or whether the imports through Hodeidah port would be subject to additional pre-authorisations.

The United Nations has already set up a mechanism in Djibouti to inspect ships before they dock at Hodeidah port, but coalition warships hold up most vessels despite U.N. clearance.

Prince Faisal said tax revenues from the port would go to a joint bank account in Hodeidahs branch of Yemens central bank.

SOURCE: REUTERS
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.
President of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) Odile Renaud-Basso will pay a visit to Ukraine on March 22 and 23 for high-level meetings.

This was said in the Bank's press release, available to Ukrinform.

During her visit, President Renaud-Basso will meet Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal as well as other government and business leaders. Her discussions will focus on the reforms needed to unlock investment by the EBRD and other investors, as well as the post-COVID-19 recovery.

The EBRD expects the Ukrainian economy to grow by 3% this year, though this will very much depend on how the pandemic evolves and the progress made on reforms.

In Kyiv, President Renaud-Basso will also speak at the virtual launch of the National Economic Strategy for Ukraine 2030.

Ukraine is a top three investment destination for the EBRD. In the past two years alone, the Bank has committed EUR 2 billion to the economy. The investments are combined with support for policies that promote the fight against corruption, good governance of state-owned enterprises, structural reforms and a more transparent business environment.

ish
When Instagram sellers of gemstones post their wares, they usually promote them with intention: emerald for more self-love or pink chalcedony for manifesting better health.

Charging stones with intention, which has always been an integral aspect of wearable gemstones, has found its time in a period of volatility. It encourages a more intentional approach, to, well, just about everything. Crystals and minerals, previously undervalued (they began to gain larger attention sometime in 2016, after celebrity endorsements on social media), are now considered part of the rising New Age industry. These stones have moved past their ornamental purpose; they have become meaningful pillars on which more and more people are finding stability in.

Photographer, designer, and marketer behind Elemental  a nascent jewelry brand of this genre  soft-spoken Sela Gonzales is all about personal destiny, things coming to you when theyre meant to. That includes her interpretations of classic jewelry pieces: a labradorite signet, watermelon tourmaline pendant, and square-shaped ring, among others.

An earth-mined jewelry brand, Elemental champions natural materials and conscious craftsmanship. Earth-mined gems are precisely as they are described: stones that are excavated from where they were formed. Briefly turning on her video over a Zoom call, Gonzales showed CNN Philippines Life the finished pieces, along with cut gemstones in oval, cushion, and heart shapes, mined from all over the world. Yung mga pinagtapyas-tapyasan ng mga stones na to, binigay ko sa mga friends ko na mahilig din sa stones para ma-share ko naman yung energy, she says, before switching back to a voice call.

Transparency is a huge part of Elementals practices. Theres no child labor involved and the miners are paid well, Gonzales said. So too are the goldsmith and silversmith whom she met last year over the Internet and now provide the metals in which the stones are set: solid gold, filled gold, gold vermeil, plated gold, and sterling silver. Gonzales even makes sure the gold they use has papers to prove that they have not been smuggled from abroad and are instead purchased from gold miners in the Philippines.

The birth of the brand itself was unexpected. During the onslaught of the pandemic, fear of catching the virus prompted Gonzales to quit her day job, where she worked in marketing for a camera company. She spent the early part of quarantine working from home for another company in Spain, until she was laid off six months later. Spending more time at home, she realized that she had a number of gemstones at her disposal: a collection carried over from a younger time, when her mom, who had worked in Israel, would buy her agate bracelets. She came up with the idea to start a small business to assist herself financially. Naisip ko na maybe this is what Im like, born to do, she laughs. Im just kidding.

Graphic by ZOE SABANDAL. Item photos from ELEMENTAL/OFFICIAL WEBSITE

Years of self-led research, perusing online articles and watching YouTube videos led Gonzales to her gemstone supplier Gemstones PH through the wonders of the Internet.

I feel like Im an energy-sensitive person, Gonzales shared. Apart from considering the experience and reputation of her supplier and smiths, she pays attention to their personalities and manner of communication. The way they talk, kung paano sila makipagcommunicate sayo... makikita mo din dun kung trustworthy ba sila. Kasi right now you can easily smell bullshit from other people naman eh. Mismong pano man lang sila makipag-usap sa yo... madali mo na lang ma-vibe.

While geographical and health-related restrictions prevent her from visiting the mining sites and the workshop herself, Gonzales plans to make her in-person trips once such restrictions ease.

In the meantime, the role of sourcing the gemstones, which is at the heart of her business, has been filled by Gemstones PH. She and the man behind it have now become business partners. Super closely kami nagwowork together, Gonzales shared. Parang tandem na nga kami eh. As hes more knowledgeable on the stones, hes also in charge of sourcing them; prior to the pandemic, he would even travel around the world to do so. He carries certified gems from countries like Sri Lanka, Madagascar, and Zambia, where he has made previous trips and is now able to purchase rough stones directly from miners, who send it to the cutter. He sends photos of the raw stones to Gonzales, along with a recommendation on which cut will optimize its beauty. Afterwards, the stone is delivered to her either raw or shaped, something Gonzales takes care to honor in the final design of her jewelry.

I want when Im sharing a piece with someone, yung intention ng stone will serve its purpose, Gonzales said. Kapag tapos na yung piece, kapag sinuot siya  pag naging part na ng kamay ng wearer  mafufulfill ng ring or pendant [yung intention]. Hindi lang siya pretty or something. Yung energy ng stone, magmamanifest siya dun sa life ng magsusuot.
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Why military coup in Myanmar is more consequential for india & free open secure Indo-Pacific

As Myanmar crisis deepens, Centre orders strict monitoring of borders

India

oi-Vicky Nanjappa

New Delhi, Mar 22: Amidst the ongoing military crackdown, Mizoram Chief Minister, Zoramthanga held a virtual meeting with Foreign Minister of Myanmar. India has sealed all entry points along the border with Myanmar and is closely monitoring the situation to prevent a any Myanmar national from entering the country.

Zoramthanga took to Twitter and wrote, 'had a fruitful meeting with Zin Mar Aung, Hon'ble Foreign Minister, Myanmar. Our thoughts and prayers are with Myanmar in these trying times.'

He had earlier written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi urging intervention so that the political refugees from Myanmar are given asylum, food and shelter.

Myanmar junta kills more protesters

"Had a fruitful meeting (online) this morning with Zin Mar Aung, Hon'ble Foreign Minister, Myanmar. Our thoughts and prayers are with Myanmar in these trying times," the chief minister tweeted.

"It is our prayer that your sufferings and mental distress died down very soon," he added.

The two leaders discussed the current political situation in Myanmar amid a coup in February, an official at the Chief Minister's Office said.

The meeting was to extend solidarity and call for peace among the Zo ethnic people of Myanmar who have become victims of "persecution and atrocities" after the military junta took power in the neighbouring country, he said.

Fleeing atrocities, over 500 people from the neighbouring country have crossed over to Mizoram in the last few weeks, even as the Centre directed the four Myanmar- bordering Northeastern states to prevent illegal immigration and ensure expeditious deportation.

Mizoram shares a 510-km-long unfenced and porous international border with Myanmar.

On March 18, Zoramthanga had written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi seeking asylum and relief for the Myanmar nationals who have taken refuge in the country.

The chief minister said that India cannot turn a blind eye to the humanitarian crisis.

Most areas in Myanmar that share border with Mizoram are inhabited by the Chin communities, who share the same ancestry and ethnicity as the Mizos, he mentioned, dismissing the Union Home Ministry's advisory of checking illegal influx as "not acceptable".

Most of the Myanmar nationals taking refuge in Mizoram belong to the Chin community and are being provided relief and shelter by the local NGOs, officials said.

Protests in Myanmar after UN urges action

The state's apex student body Mizo Zirlai Pawl (MZP) in collaboration with four other outfits on Saturday organised charity concerts in different parts of Aizawl to raise money for the Myanmarese refugees.

Anil Deshmukh Corruption row: NCP says 'no need for resignation'| Oneindia News

Over Rs 5.19 lakh was raised through the programme, MZP general secretary Lalnunmawia Pautu told PTI.

MZP president B Vanlaltana along with other leaders are visiting Delhi at present to raise the issue with the Centre.
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He Sees the Eagle in Me: an enthralling narrative that will let the readers see a huge comparison between man and an eagle. He Sees the Eagle in Me is the creation of published author Chester R. Owenby, a writer who served six years in the United States Marine Corps, in which he spent a lot of time traveling to other countries, including crossing the Mediterranean Sea.

Owenby writes, In these days we are living, there is oftentimes much discouragement and struggle. Fellow Christian, in this book, we will expound upon the life of an eagle. You will see how these creatures daily look to God for help and hope to sustain life. Furthermore, how we as Christians depend upon Gods guidance and direction through these difficult times.

Let me leave you with some thoughts to consider. What happens when the eagle looks out through the sky and sees a storm coming? How can the eagle see a storm before it comes? What are our reactions when this world opposes us and brings hardship? In reading this book, you will see the great comparison between the eagle and man.

Published by Christian Faith Publishing, Chester R. Owenbys new book provides readers a great example of bravery that will inspire them to bring out the eagle within them and conquer the storm with faith and strong dependence on God.

Through this book, the author wants readers to know and see how faith can save them no matter how hard and impossible their lives may seem.

View a synopsis of He Sees the Eagle in Me on YouTube.

Consumers can purchase He Sees the Eagle in Me at traditional brick & mortar bookstores, or online at Amazon.com, Apple iTunes store, or Barnes and Noble.

For additional information or inquiries about He Sees the Eagle in Me, contact the Christian Faith Publishing media department at 866-554-0919.
A congressional watchdog organization will review the U.S. Air Force's choice to house U.S. Space Command headquarters at the Army's Redstone Arsenal in Huntsville, Alabama.

The Government Accountability Office has accepted a congressional request to look into the issue, Chuck Young, spokesman for the organization, told Military.com on Monday.

Rep. Doug Lamborn, R-Colo., submitted the request in February, his office said in a release.

Read Next: Army Makes 2-Minute Plank a Permanent Leg Tuck Alternative for ACFT

"I am very pleased that the Government Accountability Office is conducting an investigation of the methodology behind the headquarters selection process for U.S. Space Command," Lamborn said Friday. "I believe the process the Department of the Air Force used was fundamentally flawed. It is crucial we thoroughly review their entire process to ensure that the decision was both sound and rooted in our national security interests."

In November, the service selected six candidate locations to host SPACECOM. The bases included Redstone; Kirtland Air Force Base, New Mexico; Offutt Air Force Base, Nebraska; Patrick Air Force Base, Florida; Port San Antonio at Kelly Field, Texas; and Peterson Air Force Base in Colorado.

Then in January, the Air Force chose Redstone as its preferred location for the combatant command, which reactivated in 2019.

The Air Force said the other locations remain reasonable alternatives until an environmental impact analysis on Redstone is complete. The final decision is expected in 2023, according to a release.

But the decision has drawn ire from lawmakers who say the process may have been influenced in unintended ways.

Colorado lawmakers are especially unhappy with the Air Force's decision to move the command, which is temporarily housed at Peterson in Colorado Springs.

Days following the decision, Democratic Sens. Michael Bennet and John Hickenlooper said they didn't see a compelling reason to move SPACECOM when their state already offers a robust, space-focused infrastructure with multiple military bases, including nearby Schriever Air Force Base and Cheyenne Mountain Air Force Station.

"We are deeply disappointed the Trump administration is trying to move Space Command from Colorado to Alabama," Bennet and Hickenlooper said in a joint statement. "We do not believe this decision reflects the best choice, or even a rational choice, for our national security and ability to confront threats in space."

The senators added that Colorado reportedly had been the "Air Force's top choice" for SPACECOM until then-President Donald Trump got involved.

"We are concerned by rumors that the Trump White House influenced this decision for political reasons," they said. "We will work closely with the Colorado delegation to ensure the Biden administration reviews this purported decision. We believe a process based on the merits will keep Space Command in Colorado. There is no role for politics when it comes to our national security."

An Air Force spokesperson told Military.com at the time that while Trump was involved, he did not "override" the decision, as some news outlets reported.

During a typical basing decision process, multiple officials are consulted, including local commanders and those involved in discerning the mission-worthiness of a particular location, the spokesperson explained.

The Redstone location is expected to host roughly 1,400 personnel.

Then-Air Force Secretary Barbara Barrett, the decision-making authority, was required to keep top brass and other leaders at the Pentagon and the White House informed on the process. She presented her analysis during a meeting with members of the military's National Command Authority, which included Trump, then-Vice President Mike Pence, then-Acting Defense Secretary Christopher Miller and the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

Barrett chose Redstone Arsenal following that early January meeting, the spokesperson said.

SPACECOM is responsible for military operations related to space, while the Space Force, the newest military branch, organizes and trains space personnel. Like the other military branches, the Space Force has its headquarters at the Pentagon.

The process to find a location for SPACECOM started in spring 2019, but faced pushback from lawmakers who believed the Defense Department was not being transparent enough about its selection.

In May 2020, the Pentagon directed the Air Force to go back to the drawing board to find its permanent home.

In addition to Redstone, Huntsville, sometimes known by the nickname "The Rocket City," hosts the U.S. Space & Rocket Center, the Missile Defense Agency, Army Space and Missile Command, Army Aviation and Missile Command, the Defense Intelligence Agency/Missile and Space Intelligence Center.

Huntsville has been adding even more military and federal entities.

In 2018, the Army selected Redstone Arsenal to bring in two of Army Futures Commands cross-functional teams: Future Vertical Lift and Assured Positioning, Navigation and Timing, according to an Army release.

The Army Rapid Capabilities and Critical Technologies Office, which includes the Hypersonics and Directed Energy Project, opened at the base in 2019. The FBI will also use the installation to train "10,000 to 15,000 agents, analysts and staff annually" in the near future, the release said.

Politicians from Alabama have praised the location choice.

Sen. Richard Shelby, R-Ala., instrumental in bringing SPACECOM to his state, called Huntsville the "right pick for a host of reasons," including "our skilled workforce, proximity to supporting space entities, cost-effectiveness, and quality of life, among other things."

"This long-awaited decision by the Air Force is a true testament to all that Alabama has to offer," he said in January.

-- Oriana Pawlyk can be reached at oriana.pawlyk@military.com. Follow her on Twitter at @Oriana0214.

Related: 'Rocket City' Picked as Home of New Space Command Headquarters
Berger Paints, the second largest paint company in India, has given the social media mandate for corporate communication to Mirum India, a leading digital solutions agency from the WPP Group. The account was won after a multi-agency pitch.

Berger Paints has a long-distinguished record of being a pioneer of modern tech and offerings in the paint category. Mirum has been tasked with building the corporate brand on social media and highlighting the key achievements going forward. The account will be serviced from Mirums Mumbai office.

Abhijit Roy, MD & CEO, Berger Paints India said, With the wide propagation of Social media, companies now need to reinvent their communication strategies to reach out more efficiently to their consumers, investors and other key stakeholders. We are sure that the association with Mirum India would help us in strengthening our corporate brand and create enhanced stakeholder engagement avenues in the current times.

On associating with the leading paint company, Sanjay Mehta, Joint CEO, Mirum India, said, Social media is the future of corporate communication. It plays the role of an image builder, an enhancer and a maintainer all rolled into one. Berger Paints is one of the respected companies in the Indian market and comes with a rich brand legacy, which we look forward to amplifying through social media. Our experienced team is confident of delivering a solution which the brand deserves.
Press Release

March 22, 2021 Sen. Villar cites the critical importance of water RECOGNIZING the value of water in our lives, Sen. Cynthia Villar has been at the forefront of sustainable water programs and initiatives, starting with the rehabilitation of Las Pinas-Zapote River and fighting for the conservation of the Las Pinas-Paranaque Wetland Park (formerly known as LPPCHEA). "Let us make our waterways and bodies of water safe and healthy for our own safety, health and survival. Water is a life-sustaining resource," stressed Villar as she joined the observance of World Water Day on March 22. Sen. Villar acknowledges the critical importance of water resources, which could be readily seen from the programs, advocacies and legislative measures she has been pursuing. Sen. Villar's Sagip Ilog/Rehabilitation of the Zapote-Las Pinas River won for her the United Nations "Best Practices Award" in 2011 due to its outstanding contribution towards improving the living environment and its demonstrable and tangible impact on improving people's quality of life within a metropolitan river basin. The Sagip Ilog program involves the daily collection of floating wastes, like water lilies which were used for weaving handicrafts and coconut husks which were processed into coco nets for slope protection and coco peat used as potting mix and organic fertilizer. To this day, the Las Pinas-Zapote River continues to play an important role as a "life artery for the people of Las Pinas and nearby cities". Sen. Villar noted that the rehabilitation of the river paved the way for social enterprises that provided livelihoods to residents. The lady senator is at the forefront of stopping reclamations in Manila Bay that will destroy the Las Pinas-Paranaque Wetland Park, a 182-hectare critical habitat of wildlife that is also a Ramsar-listed wetland of international importance. It may be recalled that she filed a Petition for Writ of Kalikasan in 2012 against the reclamation bound to encroach upon the area of the said wetland. In 2018, the wetland was given t a protected area status upon the enactment of RA No. 11038 or the Expanded National Integrated Protected Areas System Act. Sen. Villar is likewise one of the staunchest advocate of the Manila Bay clean-up, being more actively done now under the Duterte administration, in compliance with the writ of continuing mandamus issued by the Supreme Court ordering 13 national government agencies and the local government units to clean up, rehabilitate, and preserve Manila Bay, and make its waters fit for swimming and other forms of contact recreation. For the lady senator, "The rehabilitation of Manila Bay is not just for beautification. It is very important to preserve its role as cradle of biodiversity because our people are dependent here for livelihood. About 300,000 fishermen get their fish supply from Manila Bay." There are other initiatives pursued by Villar for water safety and sanitation, such as the Baseco clean-up, which also included the planting of mangroves and installation of toilet facilities on homes, including the installation of communal septic tank and water waste treatment. As environment committee chairperson, she has conducted hearings on the following water-related issues so those responsible in water pollution will be obliged to act: - Environmental degradation of the water resources in Boracay; - Lack of waste water treatment facilities and services in urban areas, with emphasis on NCR; - Denuded state of forests and watersheds which substantially contributed to the heavy flooding during typhoon Ulysses. Sen. Villar also filed SB No. 2036 National Wetlands Conservation Act, SB No. 1914 or the BIDA bill which calls for a better environmental protection mechanism to ensure the sustainable ecological conditions of Boracay amidst its development and SB No. 336 or the Rainwater Harvesting Facilities Act. For her tireless efforts and 'pivotal role' to address water concerns, Villar received the 'Kampeon ng Katubigan' award from the DENR- NCR's World Water Day Philippines Awards 2018. World Water Day celebrated on March 22 is about what water means to people, its true value and how we can better protect this vital resource.
Hagens Berman: Student Sues University of Oregon in Class-Action Lawsuit Seeking Tuition and Fee Repayment Amid COVID-19 Transition to Online Education

A student filed a class-action lawsuit against the University of Oregon, its president and its board of trustees, demanding repayment for tuition and other mandatory fees citing the university's response to COVID-19, according to attorneys at Hagens Berman representing the proposed class.

If you are paying for college tuition and/or fees at any U.S. college or university closed due to COVID-19, find out more about the lawsuit and your rights.

The lawsuit was filed Mar. 19, 2021, in the Circuit Court for the state of Oregon, Multnomah County, and accuses the university of breach of contract and unjust enrichment. The law firm representing the student has also brought similar lawsuits against Boston University, Brandeis University (News - Alert) , Brown University, Emory University, George Washington University, Harvard University, Hofstra University, University of Miami, New York University, Oregon State University, Pepperdine University, Quinnipiac University, Rutgers University, University of Southern California, Vanderbilt University, University of Washington and Washington University in St. Louis for failure to repay tuition-payers for their losses.

"College students pay universities for libraries, gyms, campus facilities, activities, in-person access to professors and other hands-on experiences," said Steve Berman, managing partner of Hagens Berman and attorney for students in the class action. "The University of Oregon, we believe, has unfairly continued to charge tuitio payers for all of the things they were not allowed to experience and use during the COVID-19 campus closure and switch to online classes."







"Traditionally, online classes alone significantly lower the cost of higher education," Berman added. "And these tuition payers lost that benefit, along with many others."

"Perhaps because it has long taken pride in and marketed its unique on-campus academic experience, Oregon has been relatively hesitant to develop online courses and programs or online-only programs. Oregon does not offer a fully online undergraduate degree program," the lawsuit states. "Online-only courses must be affirmatively selected, distinct from the in-person, on-campus education experience chosen by the vast majority of Oregon students."

During its campus closure, the University of Oregon charged the following for full-time tuition for the Spring 2020 term: $4,986 to $9,745 for residents and $8,937 to $13,487 for nonresidents, in addition to more than one thousand dollars in various fees.

The suit states that students "paid Defendants for on-campus courses and the unique opportunities that come with them, including the ability to communicate directly with professors, utilize campus facilities and laboratories, attend office hours, and work through issues in-person. However, following the campus closure and transition to online courses, these benefits disappeared."

Attorneys say this amounts to the University of Oregon not providing what tuition payers contracted it for - on-campus courses and programs.

Other Affected Universities

Hagens Berman is investigating the rights of those who are currently paying for tuition and fees at all U.S. colleges and universities that have been forced to close and offer online only courses due to the outbreak of COVID-19.

Despite orders from colleges and universities sending students home and offering only online courses, these institutions of higher learning continued to charge full tuition and fees. Collectively, these institutions are continuing to receive millions from students despite their inability to continue school as normal, or occupy campus buildings and/or dorms.

Find out more about the class-action lawsuit against colleges and universities for tuition, room and board and other costs incurred during the outbreak of COVID-19.

About Hagens Berman

Hagens Berman Sobol Shapiro LLP is a consumer-rights class-action law firm with 10 offices worldwide. The firm's tenacious drive for plaintiffs' rights has earned it numerous national accolades, awards and titles of "Most Feared Plaintiff's Firm," MVPs and Trailblazers of class-action law. More about the law firm and its successes can be found at www.hbsslaw.com. Follow the firm for updates and news at @ClassActionLaw.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210322005747/en/
Story Highlights 82% of Americans say cyberterrorism is a "critical threat"

Development of nuclear weapons in North Korea (77%), Iran (75%) rank next

Partisans differ most on threat level of illegal immigrants, climate change

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- As the Biden administration continues to explore how it will respond to Russia's large-scale cyberattack against U.S. companies and federal agencies last year, 82% of Americans say cyberterrorism is a "critical threat" to the vital interests of the U.S. over the next decade.

While cyberterrorism ranks atop a list of 11 potential threats to the U.S., the development of nuclear weapons by North Korea and by Iran are not far behind, with 77% and 75% of U.S. adults, respectively, considering them to be critical threats. Four other matters are likewise viewed as critical threats by majorities in the U.S.: international terrorism (72%), the spread of infectious diseases throughout the world (72%), China's economic power (63%), and global warming or climate change (58%).

Forty-six percent of Americans view large numbers of immigrants trying to enter the U.S. as a critical threat to the country, although that measure was taken before the recent influx of immigrants, including many unaccompanied minors, attempting to enter the U.S at the southern border.

Americans' Views of Critical Threats to U.S. Vital Interests I am going to read you a list of possible threats to the vital interests of the United States in the next 10 years. For each one, please tell me if you see this as a critical threat, an important but not critical threat, or not an important threat at all. Critical threat Important, not critical Not important % % % Cyberterrorism, the use of computers to cause disruption or fear in society 82 16 2 Development of nuclear weapons by North Korea 77 21 2 Development of nuclear weapons by Iran 75 21 3 International terrorism 72 24 4 The spread of infectious diseases throughout the world 72 26 3 The economic power of China 63 30 7 Global warming or climate change 58 23 19 Large numbers of immigrants entering the U.S. illegally 46 35 19 The military power of Russia 44 46 9 The conflict between the Israelis and the Palestinians 32 54 12 The conflict between China and Taiwan 30 53 16 Gallup, Feb. 3-18, 2021

These findings are from Gallup's annual World Affairs survey, which was conducted Feb. 3-18, after President Joe Biden spoke with Russian President Vladimir Putin and made it clear "that the United States will act firmly in defense of its national interests in response to actions by Russia that harm us or our allies."

While the Biden administration has not yet taken any overt action to address the development of North Korea's nuclear weapons, it has been highly focused on Iran. The survey's field period ended just as the Biden administration attempted to begin talks to revive the Iran nuclear deal. The following week, in his first military action as president, Biden ordered airstrikes in Syria targeting Iran-backed militias, after a U.S. service member and coalition troops were wounded in a rocket attack. Biden said the retaliatory airstrikes were intended to make it clear that while the U.S. was interested in pursuing a nuclear deal with Iran, it would not allow the country to "act with impunity."

Gallup first gauged the public's views of various potential threats to the U.S. in 2004 and then periodically between 2010 and 2019. For the most part, current assessments of threat levels are mostly unchanged compared with readings from the past few years. However, several of this year's findings are particularly notable:

The 63% of Americans who say China's economic power is a critical threat marks a new high and an increase from 46% in 2019. This comes as Americans now perceive China as the greatest enemy of the U.S.

After hitting a high point in 2019, assessments of Russia's military power have moderated, with 44% now saying it is a critical threat and 46% important but not critical. In 2019, 52% characterized it as a critical and 39% an important threat.

Americans' perceived threat level for the spread of infectious diseases throughout the world, at 72%, is nine percentage points higher than the prior reading, in 2016, reflecting the effect of the global coronavirus pandemic that continues to ravage the world.

Partisans' Perceptions of Potential Threats

Majorities across party lines agree that six of the 11 potential threats are critical to the United States' interests. Roughly equal percentages of Republicans and Republican-leaning independents, as well as Democrats and Democratic-leaning independents, think three of them are critical threats: cyberterrorism, the development of nuclear weapons by North Korea and international terrorism.

Meanwhile, although majorities agree each is critical, partisans view the other three threats differently. Republicans are more likely than Democrats to think the development of nuclear weapons by Iran and the economic power of China are critical threats. The opposite is true of the global spread of infectious diseases. These differences are largely rooted in the stances of Donald Trump when he was president. Trump withdrew the U.S. from the Iran nuclear deal and reinstated sanctions against the country, raised tariffs and imposed sanctions on China, and downplayed the danger of the coronavirus.

Although fewer than half of each party group agree that Russia's military power, the conflict between China and Taiwan, and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict are critical threats, their views differ somewhat. Democrats are more likely than Republicans to think Russia's military power is a critical threat, while the opposite is true of the conflict between China and Taiwan. Views of the threat level of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict are similar by party.

Partisans have sharply different views of the threat levels of two other issues: illegal immigration and global warming. Republicans are more than three times as likely as Democrats to say large numbers of immigrants entering the U.S. illegally is a critical threat. At the same time, Democrats are more than three times as likely as Republicans to consider climate change or global warming to be a critical threat.

Partisan Differences in Views of Critical Threats to the U.S. Percentage who see each of these potential threats as a critical threat to the vital interests of the United States Republicans/

Leaners Democrats/

Leaners Gap between

Republicans and Democrats % % pct. pts. Majorities in each party Economic power of China 78 52 +26 Iran's development of nuclear weapons 83 68 +15 N. Korea's development of nuclear weapons 77 76 +1 International terrorism 72 72 0 Cyberterrorism 81 82 -1 Spread of infectious diseases in the world 61 82 -21 Democratic majority only Global warming or climate change 27 86 -59 Republican majority only Large numbers of immigrants illegally entering U.S. 75 20 +55 Less than majorities in each party Conflict between China and Taiwan 36 23 +13 Conflict between Israelis and Palestinians 35 30 +5 Military power of Russia 39 49 -10 GALLUP, Feb. 3-18, 2021

Bottom Line

The events of the past two years have affected Americans' perceptions regarding the type of threat that a number of issues and situations pose to the vital interests of the U.S. Recent hacks by Russia and China have kept cyberterrorism atop the list of 11 potential threats, and continued tensions with North Korea and Iran over their nuclear weapons aspirations have kept these among the top perceived threats. The coronavirus pandemic has heightened the view that the spread of infectious diseases worldwide is critical. With Biden bringing a new perspective to many issues, this could influence Americans' future views of threat levels.

View complete question responses and trends (PDF download).

Learn more about how the Gallup Poll Social Series works.
"We couldn't be more excited about the presence of Steve and Jordan on our leadership team," said Jan Arendtsz, Founder Tweet this

As Chief Financial Officer, Sutter oversees the company's Finance and Accounting teams, as well as the company's Legal, Operations, HR, and key strategic initiatives. Before Celigo, Sutter spent seven years serving as CFO of Egnyte, a SaaS content services platform, where he helped lead the company from early-stage through $100 million in recurring revenue. Sutter also held CFO roles at Eye-Fi, Elance, and Netfish Technologies.

As VP of Alliances and Channel, Fladell will focus on growing a world-class partner program across all segments and help partners build their businesses on Celigo. Before Celigo, Fladell was the Co-Founder and CEO of mLevel , the award-winning digital learning platform, and saw it through the company's acquisition by Axonify. He also was Solutions Managing Director at Slalom Consulting in Atlanta, Georgia, where he led the charge to build out their technology practice. He also served at companies such as Web.com, Definition 6, and Web World.

"I am excited to join the Celigo team as it is the perfect opportunity to unlock my experience in a growing category," said Fladell. "My focus is to build a world-class partner program. We will focus on our partners' needs and help connect great companies together so end customers are served and supported in a way that is unmatched in the industry."

Built for both IT professionals and business users, Celigo allows users to quickly build, manage, and hand off complex integrations at scale, requiring fewer IT resources and lowering the total cost of ownership. Named a G2 Best Software for 2021 , Celigo is known in the iPaaS industry for its ease of use, robust library of pre-built integrations, powerful developer tools, and scalability across multiple industries.

In 2020, the company launched a new user interface (UI) that allows developers and business users to access pre-built solutions for more than a dozen business processes and improved error management with AI to drive down maintenance time and costs.

With the acceleration of digital transformation due to the COVID pandemic, the need for automation via iPaaS technologies has only increased.

"The world of digital has exploded in 2020 and companies are now in need more than ever to connect SaaS solutions to each other to transform their business," said Sutter. "Celigo's iPaaS platform is ideally positioned to unlock the power of these disparate applications and help companies across the globe digitize their operations at scale."

For more information about Celigo, and to start integrating for free, visit www.celigo.com.

About Celigo:

Celigo is the next-generation Integration Platform-as-a-Service ( iPaaS ) built for both IT professionals and business users that easily connects and automates processes across thousands of applications. Named a G2 Best Software for 2021 , Celigo allows users to quickly build, manage and handoff complex integrations at scale, requiring fewer IT resources and lowering the total cost of ownership. For more information and to start integrating for free, visit www.celigo.com.

Media Contact: Rico Andrade, 650-793-3537

SOURCE Celigo, Inc.

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NEW DELHI: Stepping up its attack on the Uddhav Thackeray-led Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government in Maharashtra, which is facing serious allegations of corruption, the BJP on Monday demanded the imposition of Presidents Rule in the state.

The BJP MPs raised the issue as soon as the two Houses of Parliament met on Monday for the normal business.

Several ruling party lawmakers, including Navneet Singh Rana, Poonam Mahajan, Union Minister Prakash Javadekar, attacked the Uddhav Thackeray -led MVA government, which they alleged was involved deep-neck into corruption.

Referring to the allegations of corruption made against the states Home Minister Anil Deshmukh by former Mumbai top cop Parambir Singh, the BJP MPs demanded a thorough investigation into the matter and pressed for Presidents Rule in Maharashtra.

"Perhaps it is the first incident of the country where the CM (Maharashtra) holds a press conference in support of the API who was given a target of Rs 100 crore, he says that he is the best police personnel in the country. How does this happen?'' BJP MP Rakesh Singh said in Lok Sabha.

On her turn, Independent MP Navneet Ravi Rana said, "On what basis was a man suspended for 16 years and jailed, reinstated? When there was BJP govt, Uddhav Thackeray himself had called up Devendra Fadnavis for reinstating Sachin Waze, Fadnavis had refused. When the Thackeray government came, they reinstated him. All this needs to be investigated properly.''

On what basis was a man suspended for 16 yrs & jailed, reinstated? When there was BJP govt, Uddhav Thackeray himself had called up Devendra Fadnavis for reinstating Sachin Waze, Fadnavis had refused. When Thackeray govt came, they reinstated him: Independent MP Navneet Ravi Rana pic.twitter.com/AULrHbDIe5  ANI (@ANI) March 22, 2021

They also demanded the immediate ouster of Deshmukh from the MVA government till an impartial inquiry is conducted into the matter.

Rajya Sabha was adjourned till 2 PM amid a huge uproar in the House by the ruling party leaders.

Meanwhile, a delegation of state BJP leaders will meet Governor Bhagat Singh Koshiyari on 24th March over the present situation in Maharashtra.

Alleging a "conspiracy" to defame the Maharashtra government, senior NCP leader and state minister Nawab Malik on Monday questioned the "timing" of former Mumbai police chief Param Bir Singh's letter in which he accused state Home Minister Anil Deshmukh of corruption.

Malik, who is the national spokesperson of the NCP, also said the party has decided that Deshmukh need not resign at this juncture. "A call on Deshmukh's fate will be taken once the probe is completed".

On Sunday, NCP president Sharad Pawar said Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray will decide the fate of Deshmukh. The allegations levelled by Param Bir Singh against Deshmukh are serious and require an in-depth probe, he had said.

A major political storm erupted in Maharashtra after Singh, who was recently shunted out as Mumbai police commissioner, wrote a letter to CM Thackeray last week claiming Deshmukh had asked Sachin Waze, currently in the NIA custody, and other police officers to collect Rs 100 crore monthly, including Rs 50 to Rs 60 crore from bars and hotels in Mumbai.

Deshmukh had denied these allegations.

"Why Singh did not issue the letter before he was transferred to the Home Guard department. He (Singh) has claimed that (Sachin) Waze met Deshmukh in the last week of February. Deshmukh was in the hospital till February 15. He was in-home quarantine till February 27," Malik told a news channel.

He said Deshmukh started meeting people on February 28 after testing negative for coronavirus on February 27. "So, this letter raises doubts," Malik added.

Live TV
When Ellen DeGeneres returned from a summer hiatus to open the 18th season of her daytime talk show in September, she came armed with an apology. I learned that things happen here that never should have happened, she said. I take that very seriously. And I want to say I am so sorry to the people who were affected. Those remarks came in the wake of reports of workplace misconduct at The Ellen DeGeneres Show.

Viewers tuned in for the apology: This years season opener had the highest ratings for an Ellen premiere in four years. And then they tuned out. Ellen has lost more than a million viewers since September, according to the research firm Nielsen, averaging 1.5 million viewers over the last six months, down from 2.6 million in the same period last year.

The decline has come at a time when workplace behavior, in Hollywood and elsewhere, has come under intense scrutiny against a backdrop of protest and social change. It is a startling setback for one of daytime televisions most successful franchises and for Ms. DeGeneres, who was at the forefront of an earlier cultural shift when, as the star of a prime-time network sitcom in the 1990s, she announced that she is gay.

The shows loss of more than a million viewers translates to a 43 percent decline, representing a steeper drop than any of its competitors. This TV season, Ellen, the winner of dozens of Emmys since its start in 2003, is no longer in the same league as traditional rivals like Dr. Phil (2.5 million) and Live: With Kelly and Ryan (2.7 million). Now it finds itself uncomfortably close to shows hosted by Maury Povich (1.4 million), Kelly Clarkson (1.3 million), Rachael Ray (1.2 million), Tamron Hall (1.1 million) and Jerry Springers former security guard Steve Wilkos (1.1 million).
BJP leader on Monday said former Mumbai police commissioner Param Bir Singh should be dismissed if his allegations are false, but if they are true, then Home Minister Anil Deshmukh should quit.

"Home Minister Deshmukh says he will file a defamation case against Singh for accusing him of corruption. Instead he should fire Singh," Somaiya told reporters here.

"If allegations made by Singh are false, dismiss him. If the allegations are true, Anil Deshmukh should resign immediately," the former MP further said.

Somaiya also said while Deshmukh, an NCP leader, was accusing Singh of lying, Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray and mouthpiece 'Saamana' praised the police officer.

"Uddhav Thackeray and (NCP chief) Sharad Pawar should free people from the clutches of this business of 'Vasuli' (extortion)," the BJP leader added.

He also claimed that vaccination against COVID-19 was not going well in

"Though the Centre has given 72 lakh doses, only 40 lakh shots have been administered so far," he claimed.
The company landed shelf space in its first chain store, Petes Fresh Market, in 2010, and has been successful in pitching the benefits of its healthier sauce options. The sodium content in Jones CharBoys BBQ sauce is more than three times less than that of some competing brands, and the sugar content is a third of what is found in some other sauces. CharBoys Hot & Spicy Ketchup has half the sodium and sugar content of some competitors.
CHICO, Calif.  Three artists, Two tribes, and the Hope Through Art Foundation all worked together in Chico this weekend to create a mural that represents a huge issue for Native American communities  the state of missing and murdered indigenous women (MMIW).

The Mechoopda and the Pomo tribal communities worked together to place handprints on the wall as part of the design.



Tribal members added handprints to the mural Tribal members added handprints to the mural

Christian Garcia painting the wolf Christian Garcia painting the wolf

Mechoopda artist Ali-Meders Knight was one of the artists. So was a local muralist, Christian Garcia. So was Shane Grammer, who was born in Chico.



Together they collaborated on the larger design. The painted woman on the mural looks just like a photograph from a distance. She has the signature handprint over her mouth that is a symbol for the MMIW awareness movement.

There is a wolf depicted on the mural as well, and the flowers are Indian Paintbrush.

Shane Grammer, a native of Chico, started the Hope Through Art Foundation after he painted murals throughout Paradise on walls and other structures left standing in the post-Camp Fire rubble.

RELATED: Healing Through Art, survivors reflect on second Camp Fire anniversary

RELATED: Shane Grammer speaks about his "Beauty From Ashes" murals

Grammer started the non-profit organization to create art that brings hope, education, and beauty to the world. The organization was founded in January of 2021. You can visit the Foundation's Facebook page at this link.



The original location for the Chico mural was on 5th and Ivy Streets. However, Meder-Knight said a fraternity had complained about the location. Meders-Knight said she was able to find a new location quickly at W. 2nd St. and Cedar Street, so they were able to paint the mural as planned this weekend.

There is a phone number people can call if they need to report information on missing and murdered indigenous women. The number is (503) 891-0040. The organization is called Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women USA.



There are reports on MMIW cases in the collection of New Mexico University (NMU University Libraries). Click here to access the reports.

Another website with relevant information on MMIW is called Native Women's Wilderness. Their website states that the majority of the murders are committed by non-Native people on Native-owned land. They say that investigations are difficult because of a lack of communication between state, local, and tribal law enforcement agencies.
Thought Leaders Professor Diana Bell Professor of Conservation Biology University of East Anglia

In this News-Medical interview, we spoke to Professor Diana Bell about the illegal wildlife trade and how we could prevent future pandemics by stopping it.

What provoked your research into zoonotic diseases?

My interest began with wildlife diseases. The first species I worked on was the rabbit. I was interested in the evolution of a rabbit virus which involved many different vectors and host-parasite evolution. That was my first disease, which of course is not zoonotic.

As I was working on diseases like this, we discovered that a number of the critically endangered species that we were trying to save around the world were being severely affected by novel diseases or parasites. The next disease I worked on was the parasitic infection of a critically endangered pigeon, the pink pigeon, in Mauritius. I had a Ph.D. student looking at that for several years, and we are still investigating it. That is a protozoan parasite.

Whilst we were doing the pink pigeon work in Mauritius, the parasite jumped to finches in the UK. Then it spread across Europe, and also jumped into the US to kill finches. It was an interesting coincidence that something that we were working on then became a major problem on the continent.

During the early 2000s, I was working on the illegal wildlife trade in Southeast Asia. When SARS hit in 2003, we just happened to have a Ph.D. student working on the conservation of civets in Vietnam. These were identified as a possible source of SARS-CoV, and we seemed to be the only people that knew anything about civets.

We emphasized at the time that we believed that the spillover to humans had not come from civets in civet farms. We said the spillover had probably occurred in the markets where these animals were being illegally sold, traded, and mixed. We also emphasized the need to screen these animals in the wild to see if they are carrying that virus in the wild, rather than before they enter the wildlife trade system.

I gave a talk about this research at the Royal Society Emerging infections: what have we learnt from SARS? meeting back in 2004, where we highlighted the fact that SARS would happen again whilst the illegal wildlife trade was happening and different species which would not normally mix were mixing. Of course, pathogens occur naturally, but it was also a wildlife biodiversity crisis. The wildlife trade is actually a greater threat in Southeast Asia to biodiversity than deforestation currently.

Before the SARS-CoV-2 outbreak, we worked on H5N1 (highly pathogenic avian influenza) which was occurring throughout the region, and globally, it is still happening.

All this research has led to my interest. I have an interest in the impacts on both human health, but also on biodiversity.

Sir David Attenborough on the illegal wildlife trade Play

Please can you give us some insight into the wildlife trade worldwide?

It is a global problem and it is particularly bad in Asia, especially China. The demand from that region for wildlife has meant that illegal trade is now bringing in animals from Africa and South America to Southeast Asia. Instead of decreasing, the illegal wildlife trade to Southeast Asia and China has increased since SARS-CoV. Animals that were not in the trade 15, 16 years ago are now heavily traded and have been brought to the brink of extinction.

But in Southeast Asia, there has been a shift from the consumption of wildlife at home. The hunter used to go out, kill an animal for our family meal and it would be eaten locally. There has been a shift from home consumption to selling those animals to illegal wildlife traders to get more money.

This trade was then associated with increased affluence. Some of these wildlife food restaurants in Southeast Asia were frequented by the middle class and wealthier people. This is not food to keep the family fed, this is a different kind of food. Some of this comes from alleged medicinal qualities. Everything from turtles to carnivores to snakes, all sorts of animals are consumed in that way.

In Africa however, it is slightly different. There is the bushmeat trade, and some of that really is to keep the family fed. However, some animals from Africa are going to China, as are animals from South America. The illegal wildlife trade is worldwide.

The wildlife trade also comes the other way through the demand for exotic pets from Europe, North America, and other countries. People want exotic snakes, other exotic reptiles, or monkeys, you name it. That is something else that needs to be banned. We need to be mindful that that is another form of wildlife trade; it is illegal and you get the same mixing of animals that normally would not come into contact with humans.

We carried out some work on the wildlife farms where they had been farming porcupines, in this case in Vietnam. The farmers claimed that these were farm-bred porcupines that are for the markets. But we were able to show that they were laundering wild-caught animals and then selling them onto other farms. They were not farm-bred, they were wild-captured. The farming of wildlife is something that needs to be stopped because it draws animals in from the wild.

Something that has come to our attention that I was not aware of is the extent of mink farming that we have seen. The UK stopped mink farming many years ago both for welfare issues and because the mink were escaping and devastating our own native wildlife. Fur farming is something that we also need to look at because we know that Mustelids like mink are really good hosts for coronavirus.

You should be careful of wooly hats with baubles on. Often they are sold as fake fur when in fact it is real fur. It is not mink, but it is probably a raccoon or something. It is the same with some of the jackets where you have got fur around the hood. You have to look really carefully at that fur because that could be real as well, especially if it is imported from China. I am told that it is cheaper to produce these items using real fur than fake fur, which says something about the amount of money that is spent on the welfare of those animals.

How is the wildlife trade threatening human health and biodiversity?

It is overexploiting populations. It is bringing previously common species to the brink of extinction in some cases. We all know about the trade of ivory and rhino horn, and tigers, but it is far bigger than that. It is the wildlife trade coupled with human consumption that means that these animal markets and restaurants have live animals, which people want to see killed in front of them because there is a belief that they are healthier than some of the livestock species available in that region.

That is because some of the intensive farming of livestock involves giving pharmaceutical drugs to the animals. We know that avian influenza was been associated with poultry farms, for example. Therefore, people would actually rather see a wild animal killed in front of them because they think it is healthier than a livestock individual that has been farmed. But in fact, it is incredibly dangerous.

As populations have been overexploited and wiped out in China, the trade has expanded. We now have similar markets and demand in countries like Vietnam, Thailand, Cambodia, the Philippines, and Indonesia. We called for a ban on wildlife trade back in 2004 to stop this from happening and we predicted that an outbreak would happen again in some form, but we did not think it would be SARS-CoV-2.

However, the good news is that back in January when the source was associated with the wildlife market in Wuhan, there was a temporary ban. Then they announced a permanent ban on wildlife trade and closed the markets and the wildlife farms including pangolins.

So China is doing the right thing, but the neighboring countries also need to do the right thing and ban the trade, because otherwise, it will continue. The problem with the current new legislation in China is that it excludes aquatic wildlife. That includes freshwater turtles, and tortoises, which are consumed in large numbers because of their alleged medicinal quantities, and so they are exempt, as are animals used in Chinese medicine.

We have to look very carefully at that because there is a biodiversity hotspot. There are huge numbers of species that only occur in that region, and so some of the tortoises and turtles are being lost before they have been named. When you lose a species, you lose all of the ecosystem functions that it performs. Be it pollination, seed dispersal or insect control, all sorts of important functions for ecosystems are lost, and ultimately, human health suffers.

Illegal Wildlife Trade. Image Credit: WICHAI WONGJONGJAIHAN/Shutterstock.com

You have stated that we need real change to stop the illegal trade of wild animals. What should governments be doing to help initiate this change?

I think we need to congratulate and support China with the international policing of the wildlife trade. There is a problem because a lot of it has gone online so that has to be monitored. There also has to be a real concerted global effort to stop the exploitation of animals within their natural habitats.

I think that these countries, China, in particular, has a duty of care to help fund the restoration. The conservation of the animals that have been brought to the brink of extinction, in other countries as well as in China, needs to be supported. We have got to think about how to bring back the animals, how to increase their numbers.

There need to be real changes in terms of actively conserving animals. It is not good enough just to stop the trade. We now have to promote and try to increase the populations of those that have been decimated worldwide.

What is meant by horizon scanning and how will this help us to avoid future pandemics?

Horizon scanning is where different countries fund programs and initiatives to screen wildlife to look for the pathogens that they are carrying. There was a large program like this called PREDICT funded by the US. However, the problem with these programs is that they have to understand that there are new viruses everywhere, and there are millions and millions of viruses yet to be discovered.

We have got a pretty good knowledge of the pathogens in the species that we eat regularly as livestock such as cows, pigs and poultry, and so on. But wildlife pathogens have been really understudied.

When you are horizon scanning, you have got to have ecologists who understand the ecology of animals of those species: their habit, their requirements, their breeding systems, and their home range. Do they migrate over long distances, for example? We also need to understand the likelihood that they might come into contact with people, in the absence of wildlife trade.

Therefore, it needs to be not just going out and screening animals for viruses, but actively understanding their ecology - where they live naturally, what they need. Some of these animals hibernate during much of the year. Are they colonial? All that affects the potential for spillover to other species.

It has to be holistic and about conserving species. There has been a lot of work recently in screening bats for coronaviruses in Southeast Asia. But there are many other sorts of coronaviruses out there. I think research has been bat-centric in the search for the origins of the viruses. Bats comprise about 20% of all mammals, and there are about 1,400 species of bats, but there are far more rodents, and those have been screened far less for diseases recently in these initiatives. I think it would be worth screening those.

In these wildlife markets, they actually consume the rat. So they are caught, they are skinned and you see these piles of skinned rats. I do not know whether there were any in the Wuhan market, because we never had a list of the species that were culled and removed, but those would be obvious species to screen.

People need to know what risks are associated with which species groups.

Do you believe that if policies were put in place to stop illegal trades, we would be able to better control and prevent future pandemics?

Yes, I do. I think China's done exactly the right thing to ban it, and that the rest of the world needs to support China. Whether it be with veterinary expertise or conservation biology expertise, we need to make sure that we ban illegal trading, because somebody is making a lot of money out of this, and it is not the hunters.

It is worth billions and billions of dollars. It is right up there with drug smuggling and people trafficking and those sort of illegal trade activities, but people do not know that. It needs to be stopped, and there needs to be a global effort because this is a virus that has literally stopped the world.

It has only taken 16 years for this second one to come and in the meantime, we have had avian influenza, which is still with us, and we have had Ebola. There has just been an outbreak of Ebola at the moment in CDR, Central Democratic Republic of Congo. Meanwhile, there are H5N1 outbreaks all over the place at the moment, including in Russia.

I think that infectious diseases and zoonotic infectious diseases in particular are something that we still have a lot to learn about. We have learned a lot about vaccines, but look what it has cost us in terms of lives. We cannot do this again.

Wildlife Trade. Image Credit: Jakkrit Orrasri/Shutterstock.com

What are the next steps in your research into diseases and the wildlife trade?

Well, we will be continuing with our research so watch this space. First and foremost I am a conservation biologist. But I am concerned that humans have destroyed so many ecosystems worldwide and so many species worldwide, and we need to be trying to restore those ecosystems and recover those species.

But at the same time, of course, we have got climate change and we know that climate change is changing, for example, the numbers of disease-carrying vectors. Therefore, certain vector-borne diseases are coming north into Europe, diseases which were not here before, both in animals and in humans.

This is the tipping point. I hope everybody saw David Attenborough's recent series and watched that last episode. It was a tough watch. But we have to look at this holistically, climate change is not separate from biodiversity conservation and it is not separate from human health. We need to realize that these are all interactive processes.

Where can readers find more information?

To read more about Professor Bells publications, click here: https://people.uea.ac.uk/d_bell/publications

About Professor Diana Bell

Diana Bell is a Professor of Conservation Biology in the School of Biological Sciences at UEA. Her research covers the risks from the wildlife trade and how this leads to human disease. She has worked on the origins of the COVID-19 virus, the SARS virus, and the H5N1 (Asian bird flu) virus.

More broadly, she is a conservation biologist with an interest in projects affecting many different wildlife species including (currently) hares, turtles, pink pigeons, and pangolins. She is running a citizen science project to explore the spread of a virus that has jumped from rabbits to hares and that is significantly increasing deaths among the 45 species of hare across the planet. She has also been looking at sustainable management of watershed habitats in very large cities  using Mexico City as a testbed.

Dianas interests expand into all sorts of strategic planetary priorities related to climate change, biodiversity, over-exploitation of land, forests, and water, farming, and increases in animal parasites. She is a long-serving member of the International Union for Conservation of Natures Species Survival Commission, a Council Member of the World Land Trust, and a Director of Indo-Myanmar Conservation.
(Natural News) The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) has hired an ex-gangster as the campaign arms new senior advisor for diversity and inclusion.

Headed by upstate New York Rep. Sean Patrick Maloney, the DCCC recently hired Dyjuan Tatro who appeared in a 2019 PBS documentary series College Behind Bars. The series was about inmates trying to earn college degrees in prison through a New York state program called the Bard Prison Initiative.

Tatro, 35, has been in and out of prison since he was 20-years-old when he first got involved in a shooting and was arrested.

Republicans have not wasted time criticizing the Democrats for being soft on crime.

Its certainly on-brand for criminal-coding Democrats, but the rest of America will find it disturbing that a murderous gang member is holding a prominent position with the DCCC, said Nick Langworthy, chairman of the New York State Republican Committee.

Second chances are one thing, but I would have to question Congressman Maloneys judgment to put someone with such a violent past at the top of their organization, he added.

In a statement, a DCCC spokesman defended the hiring of Tatro, calling him an important and influential member of his community who can reach out to Americans and convince them of the need for criminal justice reform.

Dyjuan is a formerly incarcerated person who has worked hard to change the trajectory of his life through education and service to his community. He has served his time for the crimes he committed and is now a national leader in the bipartisan movement to reform our criminal justice system and bring meaningful improvements to the education system in American prisons. Such critical work breaks cycles of recidivism by making sure more people leave prison with the skills to hold down a job and contribute to their communities.

Tatro has worked with Maloney in the past. In a statement released upon his hiring, Tatro thanked Maloney for assembling a talented and diverse team, and mentioned that he was happy to join the DCCC.

I am honored to be joining the DCCC to work on a number of issues at the nexus of politics, diversity and equity and inclusion, said Tatro.

Tatro was a member of a gang known as Original Gangsta Killas

Growing up in a low-income neighborhood in Albany, New York, Tatro recalled hearing police sirens and gunshots almost every day, while having little to no access to quality education. The latter is why he dropped out before finishing the 10th grade to sell drugs.

Because of this, he received his first prison sentence when he was 20 after getting involved in a shooting.

In 2006, he was arrested once again after he shot two members of a rival gang. For this, he received his 73-month sentence (six years and one month) for racketeering conspiracy.

Tatro, who was described at one point as a triggerman, was one of 25 members of a gang known as Original Gangsta Killas who were charged in a racketeering case in 2009. In December 2010, he pleaded guilty and admitted to making no less than $12,000 a month from dealing drugs. He also admitted to conspiring to traffic more than 50 grams of crack cocaine.

Furthermore, he confessed to several more crimes, including an assault in 2002, attacking somebody with a razor in 2003 and shooting at two rival gang members in 2006.

While in prison, Tatro was accepted into the Bard Prison Initiatives post-secondary education program. He joined the initiatives debate team and gained national attention when his team went head-to-head against a debate group from Harvard and won.

By the time he got out of prison, Tartro had finished his bachelors degree with a major in mathematics. He went on to work as a government affairs and advancement officer for the Bard Prison Initiative.

Tatro called Capitol police White supremacists, and said rioting and looting were protests against racism

Tatro has been criticized for referring to police officers as White supremacists, and for many other radical views he expressed in posts on his social media accounts.

The answer to White supremacists storming the Capitol is not to give more money to a different group of White supremacists whose job it is to uphold White supremacy, tweeted Tatro. (Related: When everything is attributed to white privilege, it ceases to have meaning.)

Two of his previous tweets talked about how he wanted the Capitol police force to be defunded, and how the problem with crime was not a resource problem but a race problem, a power problem, an ideological problem. These two tweets have since been deleted.

Several months before tweeting his accusations regarding the Capitol police, Tatro said the engineered rioting and looting that occurred after the death of George Floyd were protests against systemic racism.

I dont understand why you cant CONDEMN VIOLENT POLICE and acknowledge LOOTING as a VITAL form of social PROTEST, he tweeted. And, how about YOU not use sterilized language when referring to state sanctioned murder while maligning protests against the systemic racism that enables it.

In one other tweet that has already been deleted, Tatro compared rational police reform to bringing back Nazi Germany.

To all those who want to reform the police because all cops arent bad, he wrote, should we just go ahead and revive Nazism because all Nazis werent bad? I didnt think so. Case closed.

Learn more about the Democratic Party and who theyre hiring to staff their teams by reading the latest articles at DNC.news.

Sources include:

NYPost.com

MEAWW.com

FoxNews.com
Russia's Ministry of Industry and Trade said the new U.S. anti-Russian sanctions, which entered into force on March 18, are promoting import substitution in domestic technological chains, RBC writes.



"The money for imports will stay in the country and will be used to pay the wages of employees and develop new technologies and industries," the ministry stressed.



The Ministry of Industry and Trade recalled that sanctions have been used as a lever of pressure for a long time, the West imposed sanctions against the USSR as well, "which did not prevent the country from developing." The ministry stressed that "the sanctions pressure did not start on March 2," when the administration of President Joe Biden announced the latest restrictions.



The Ministry of Industry and Trade of Russia prepared the first import substitution schedules against the background of Western sanctions in 2014, the task was to reduce the share of imported electronic component base in the Russian market from 82 to 44% by 2020. In addition, plans were approved for import substitution in such industries as civil aircraft construction, machine tool industry and the radio-electronic industry.

In the aviation industry, the share of imports was previously up to 78%, and now, "aircraft will be 98% Russian-made"

"The import substitution programs are being implemented in several stages during the period 2019-2023. The introduction of sanctions did not have a significant impact on the Russian helicopter industry," the Ministry of Industry and Trade said.

It is planned that GLONASS vehicles will be 100 percent Russian-made by 2025.
Chennai, March 22 : Former Tamil Nadu Chief minister late J. Jayalalitha enjoyed a unique relationship with Sreerangam, located around 350 kilometres from state capital Chennai.

Jayalalithaa had represented the Sreerangam assembly constituency in 2011 but more than that fact it was in this town that she had first landed in Tamil Nadu from Mysore, her hometown.

The house where Jayalalithaa spent her childhood in Tamil Nadu, "Komala Vilasam", still exists, but her memories appear to be gradually fading away.

It was on December 5, 2016 that the former Chief minister passed away at a private hospital in Chennai after a prolonged illness.

Ganesh, a businessman who lives close to "Komala Vilasam", speaking to IANS over the telephone, said, "Of course this was the place where former Tamil Nadu Chief minister had stayed long ago while she was a child. However, the present owners of this house are in Mumbai... At present an Iyengar Brahmin family is staying there and we don't know much about them." While Jayalalithaa represented Srirangam in 2011, she was succeeded by Valarmathi. S of the AIADMK who trounced her nearest rival Pandiyan of DMK by a margin of 14,409 votes.

At "Komala Vilasam" and Sreerangam, the big question is whether the AIADMK government will buy the property and turn it into a museum or a memorial since it has a historic significance? When contacted, AIADMK local leader from Sreerangam, M Selvaganapathy said ,"I think there were some suggestions on those lines but the decision has to be taken by the party leadership collectively." It may be worth recalling that the AIADMK has complained to the Election Commission of India and the Chief Electoral Officer against the DMK trying to use Jayalalithaa's death as a propaganda tool against the AIADMK in the 2021 assembly elections.
The countrys largest office landlord, Dexus is increasing its stake in the 1 Bligh Street, Sydney skyscraper for $375 million, reinforcing its belief that commercial real estate can bounce back from the pandemic.

Dexus will buy the 33.3 per cent stake in the skyscraper from Cbus Property in a new joint venture with the Singapore-based investment fund, Mercatus Co-operative. ASX-listed Dexus is pushing to beef up its funds under management and the latest deal reflects the rising demand for higher yielding bricks and mortar assets, at a time when landlords are urging tenants to return to the CBDs.

1 Blight Street is 99.5 per cent occupied with an average lease expiry of 5.4 years. Credit:@hamilton lund

The company last week struck a deal for its Dexus Wholesale Property Fund (DWPF) to merge with AMP Capital Diversified Property Fund (ADPF), a $5 billion diversified fund controlled by an independent board but managed by AMP.

Under the latest plan, Dexus, which already owns the bulk of the tower, will take a 10 per cent interest in the newly-formed joint venture vehicle with Mercatus holding the remaining 90 per cent. Dexus will be the manager of the joint venture and will remain in charge of the property.
China shares true picture of Xinjiang with Malaysia

Chinadaily.com.cn) 10:18, March 22, 2021

Farmers pick megranates in Pishan county of Hotan, Northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region, Oct 8, 2020. [Photo/Xinhua]

The China's embassy in Malaysia and the Xinjiang regional government on Friday jointly held an online event via video link to help the local people in Malaysia understand Xinjiang more comprehensively, deeply and truly.

During the webinar, Shohrat Zakir, chairman of the Xinjiang regional government, made a keynote speech, welcoming more people to visit the region to see a true Xinjiang.

He said residents in the region are enjoying stable and better lives in recent years, with an increasingly strong sense of fulfillment, security and happiness.

Thanks to joint efforts and effective measures taken, there have been no terrorist attacks in Xinjiang in the past four years, he said.

Shohrat Zakir also shared measures and stories on how the region shook off extreme poverty under the guidance of the central leadership.

Some representatives from Xinjiang also spoke online and introduced local developments in economy, poverty alleviation and people's living standards.

The chairman, with some other representatives from Xinjiang, such as those with the cotton industry, educational institutes and religious associations, also defended China's policy and debunked ungrounded foreign accusations such as "forced labor" and "genocide" in Xinjiang.

During the online event, China's ambassador to Malaysia Ouyang Yujing also extended invitation to Malaysian people to visit Xinjiang.

He said he hoped the online exchange would offer local people more accurate and comprehensive understanding of Xinjiang, and could promote the friendship between peoples from the two countries.
Government plans to introduce new laws feared to heavily infringe on the nations right to protest have been met with violence, as the latest in a series of Kill the Bill demonstrations saw police officers injured.

Sundays march was initially described by Bristol Live as having a festival atmosphere, with thousands  many wearing face masks and socially distancing  gathering typically enough at the citys College Green, carrying placards opposing a police state and warning against the silencing of the public.

But the mood eventually soured, as a small minority attacked the police station in Bridewell Street, following a seated protest outside.

These demonstrators were met with mounted officers, police dogs and riot shields  after footage showed rioters smashing the stations windows, while two heavily graffitied police vehicles were set alight and two officers hospitalised with broken bones, according to Avon and Somerset Police, out of a total of 12 who were injured.

Home secretary Priti Patel condemned the scenes as thuggery and disorder, and the citys Labour mayor Marvin Rees insisted that, while he too opposed the new law, such unacceptable violence and damage has nothing to do with our efforts to end inequality in Bristol.

While it was the first to result it in violence, this was not the first Kill the Bill protest in recent days  and may well not be the last.

Read more:

So why are people gathering to protest, often defying police orders under coronavirus restrictions to do so?

In short, the governments new Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill.

What is the Policing Bill?

The bill would give the police in England and Wales more power to impose conditions on non-violent protests, including those deemed too noisy or a nuisance by the home secretary. Those convicted under the proposed legislation could face a fine or jail.

Last week, as protesters defied police to gather in opposition to the bill across England, more than 700 leading legal scholars warned the draconian bill amounted to an alarming extension of state control over legal assembly, urging Boris Johnson to abandon this part of the legislation in a letter published by The Independent.

UK news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 UK news in pictures UK news in pictures 2 May 2021 Hannah Vitos of the Blenheim Art Foundation, poses for a photograph next to artist Ai Weiwei's Gilded Cage (2017) sculpture in the grounds of Blenheim Palace in Woodstock, Britain REUTERS UK news in pictures 1 May 2021 People swim in the Sky Pool, a transparent swimming pool bridge across two exclusive residential blocks standing next to the US Embassy in Nine Elms, in London, Tuesday, June 1, 2021 AP UK news in pictures 31 May 2021 People enjoy the hot weather at Brighton beach Reuters UK news in pictures 30 May 2021 People venture into the sea as they enjoy themselves during a hot day on Brighton Beach AP UK news in pictures 29 May 2021 Swimmers at the Stonehaven Open Air Pool in Aberdeenshire, which reopens after lockdown restrictions were eased PA UK news in pictures 28 May 2021 Britain's Prime Minister Boris Johnson gestures as he meets Hungary's Prime Minister Viktor Orban at Downing Street in London REUTERS UK news in pictures 27 May 2021 White Pelicans in the sunshine in St James's Park, London PA UK news in pictures 26 May 2021 Boats are seen at Southsea Moorings in Portsmouth Reuters UK news in pictures 25 May 2021 York Glaziers Trust employees Kieran Muir (left) and Emily Price (right) remove a stained glass window panel at the start of a new five year, 5m project to conserve York Minsters South East Transept and its medieval St Cuthbert Window PA UK news in pictures 24 May 2021 Dark rain clouds above an oast house at Bewl Water reservoir near Lamberhurst in Kent during one of the rainiest Mays on record, with the UK seeing 131 per cent of the usual months rainfall already PA UK news in pictures 23 May 2021 The Premier League trophy with the Manchester City club colour ribbons on, at Etihad Stadium, prior to the last Premier League match of the season. City will finally pick up the trophy after they won the league on 11 May Getty UK news in pictures 22 May 2021 Gary Kenny lifts the Buildbase FA Vase Trophy after Warrington Rylands won the FA Vase Final against Binfield at Wembley Stadium Getty UK news in pictures 21 May 2021 A family buffeted by the wind whilst crossing the the Millennium Bridge in London, with wind and rain forecast to ravage the UK on the first Friday that people have been allowed to meet in large groups outside in England PA UK news in pictures 20 May 2021 Devon And Cornwall Police Demonstrate Their Skills For Policing The G7 Summit Getty Images UK news in pictures 18 May 2021 An employee stands before a costume for the Queen of Hearts by Bob Crowley on display at the Alice: Curiouser and Curiouser exhibition at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London PA UK news in pictures 17 May 2021 Passengers prepare to board an easyJet flight to Faro, Portugal, at Gatwick Airport after the ban on international leisure travel for people in England was lifted following the further easing of lockdown restrictions in England PA UK news in pictures 16 May 2021 Emergency workers at the scene of a suspected gas explosion, in which a young child was killed and two people were seriously injured, on Mallowdale Ave Heysham which caused 2 houses to collapse and badly damaged another PA UK news in pictures 15 May 2021 Pro-Palestinian activists and supporters let off smoke flares, wave flags and carry placards during a demonstration in support of the Palestinian cause as violence escalates in the ongoing conflict with Israel, in central London AFP via Getty UK news in pictures 14 May 2021 Member of staffs tighten screws and paint a Marlin skeleton, before it goes on display at the Natural History Museum in London, as the museum prepares to reopen to the public on 17 May, following the further easing of lockdown restrictions in England PA UK news in pictures 13 May 2021 A worshipper at the Baitul Futuh Mosque in Mordon, south London, ahead of Eid al-Fitr. The celebration marks the end of the Muslim month of fasting, called Ramadan. PA UK news in pictures 12 May 2021 A couple have wedding photos taken in Westminster, London Getty UK news in pictures 11 May 2021 The sun rises on Coquet Island, off Amble on the Northumberland coast, where as many as 35000 seabirds cram onto this tiny island to breed PA UK news in pictures 10 May 2021 Newly elected for a second term Mayor of London Sadiq Khan during his signing in ceremony at Shakespeare's Globe Theatre on Londons Southbank PA UK news in pictures 9 May 2021 People mill around St. Michael's tower on top of Glastonbury Tor as it is seen through blooming yellow rapeseed on a day of mixed weather in Glastonbury, Somerset PA UK news in pictures 8 May 2021 Wales First Minister Mark Drakeford elbow bumps newly elected MS Labour candidates Elizabeth Buffy Williams, Rhondda, left, and Sarah Murphy, Bridgend & Porthcawl Labour, right, as they meet in Porthcawl, Wales PA UK news in pictures 6 May 2021 A group of five Sisters from Carmelite Monastery in Dysart cast their vote in the Scottish Parliamentary election at Dysart Community Hall, West Port, Dysart PA UK news in pictures 5 May 2021 Leader of the Labour Party Sir Keir Starmer (centre) with West Midlands Metro Mayor candidate Liam Byrne (far right) and Labour Deputy Leader, Angela Rayner (far left) during a visit to Birmingham, whilst on the election campaign trail PA UK news in pictures 4 May 2021 Artists Heather Ackroyd and Dan Harvey stand within 100 oak saplings which form part of a living art installation entitled Beuys' Acorns by the UK-based artist duo, outside the Tate Modern in London PA UK news in pictures 3 May 2021 Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Willie Rennie feeds the Gentoo penguins during a visit to Edinburgh Zoo on the campaign trail for the forthcoming Scottish Parliamentary Election on May 6 PA UK news in pictures 2 May 2021 Chelsea players celebrate their fourth goal during the Womens Champions League semi-final second leg against Bayern Munich, at Kingsmeadow Stadium in south west London. The Blues won the game 4-1, (and the tie 5-3 on aggregate) sending them through to their first Champions League final AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 1 May 2020 Demonstrators during a march through London during a 'Kill the Bill' protest Angela Christofilou UK news in pictures 30 April 2021 Shoppers queue outside Primark in Belfast as shops reopen and hospitality is able to open outdoors in Northern Ireland where lockdown restrictions have begun to gradually ease PA UK news in pictures 29 April 2021 Specialist operators at the Royal Air Force Museum Cosford, near Telford, Shropshire, clean the Hawker Hunter aircraft displayed within the museum's National Cold War Exhibition, during annual high-level aircraft cleaning and maintenance PA UK news in pictures 28 April 2021 Millions of tulips in flower near Kings Lynn in Norfolk, as Belmont Nurseries, the UK's largest commercial grower of outdoor tulips, offers socially-distanced visits to its tulip fields at Hillington to raise funds for local charity The Norfolk Hospice Tapping House PA UK news in pictures 27 April 2021 Paula Laughton checks one of the newly installed Lego models in the new Lego Mythica land at Legoland Windsor Resort PA UK news in pictures 26 April 2021 A red panda rests on a tree at Manor Wildlife park, which reopened its doors as lockdown restrictions continue to ease, in Tenby, Wales Reuters UK news in pictures 25 April 2021 Sheep climb the hillside as flames from a moor fire are seen on Marsden moor, near Huddersfield AFP via Getty UK news in pictures 24 April 2021 Supporters protest against Manchester United's owners, outside English Premier League club Manchester United's Old Trafford stadium in Manchester AFP via Getty UK news in pictures 23 April 2021 People enjoy the warm weather at City Hall near Tower Bridge in central London PA UK news in pictures 22 April 2021 Uyghurs during a demonstration in Parliament Square, London, which is being held ahead of a House of Commons debate, bought by backbench MP Nus Ghani, on whether Uyghurs in China's Xinjiang province are suffering crimes against humanity and genocide PA UK news in pictures 21 April 2021 People walk at the Taihaku Cherry Orchard in Alnwick REUTERS UK news in pictures 20 April 2021 People stand in front of anti Super League banners outside Anfield as twelve of Europe's top football clubs, including Liverpool, launch a breakaway league Reuters UK news in pictures 19 April 2021 Women enjoy sunny weather in Greenwich, amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, in London, Britain, Reuters UK news in pictures 18 April 2021 Stephen Maguire (right) of Scotland interacts with Jamie Jones of Wales during day 2 of the Betfred World Snooker Championships 2021 at The Crucible, Sheffield PA UK news in pictures 17 April 2021 Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburghs coffin, covered with His Royal Highnesss Personal Standard arrives by Landrover Defender at St Georges Chapel carried by a bearer party found by the Royal Marines during the funeral of Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh at Windsor Castle Getty Images UK news in pictures 16 April 2021 Scotland's First Minister, Nicola Sturgeon, checks the teeth of "Dentosaurus" during a visit to the Thornliebank Dental Care centre in Glasgow, as she campaigns ahead of the 2021 Scottish Parliamentary Election AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 15 April 2021 Myanmar's former ambassador to the UK, Kyaw Zwar Minn, outside his residence in north west London. The ambassador has been barred from entering the Myanmar embassy in Mayfair after he was removed from office PA UK news in pictures 14 April 2021 People take part in coronavirus surge testing on Clapham Common, south London. Thousands of residents have queued up to take coronavirus tests at additional facilities set up after new cases of the South African variant were found in two south London boroughs. 44 confirmed cases of the variant have been found in Lambeth and Wandsworth, with a further 30 probable cases identified PA UK news in pictures 13 April 2021 The core of the Milky Way becomes visible in the early hours of Tuesday morning as it moves over Bamburgh Lighthouse at stag Rock in Northumberland PA UK news in pictures 12 April 2021 Rebecca Richardson (left) and Genevieve Florence, members of the Aquabatix synchronised swimming team, during a practice session in the swimming pool at Clissold Leisure Centre in north London, which has reopened to the public. Many facilities have reopened in the latest easing of lockdown include pubs and restaurants who can serve outside, non-essential shops, indoor gyms and swimming pools, nail salons and hairdressers, outdoor amusements and zoos PA

The 300-page bill has also drawn criticism for potentially leading to harsher punishments for damaging a statue than attacking a woman, an aspect garnering significant opposition in light of England and Wales low level of successful rape prosecutions, and the intensified debate around womens safety in the wake of the Sarah Everard case.

The government had initially defended the bill and rushed it through its second reading in the Commons last week after passing its first parliamentary hurdle unopposed by a single Tory MP, with ministers insisting it would only impact very disruptive gatherings.

Outside of Bristol, protesters also gathered in London, Manchester, Liverpool and elsewhere to show their opposition this weekend.

While its unclear whether further physical protests are planned in the immediate future, its clear that anger towards the bill remains, and a number of online protest events are set to go ahead in the coming days.
Source: Xinhua| 2021-03-22 20:55:19|Editor: huaxia

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Wang Chen, a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and vice chairman of the National People's Congress (NPC) Standing Committee, speaks at a video conference with Jonathan Fonati Koffa, deputy speaker of the Liberian House of Representatives, in Beijing, capital of China, March 22, 2021. (Xinhua/Zhang Ling)

BEIJING, March 22 (Xinhua) -- China is ready to promote cooperation with Liberia in areas including agriculture, COVID-19 response and legislature, a senior Chinese legislator said Monday.

Wang Chen, a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and vice chairman of the National People's Congress (NPC) Standing Committee, made the remarks during a video conference with Jonathan Fonati Koffa, deputy speaker of the Liberian House of Representatives.

Hailing the sound momentum of the development of China-Liberia relations in recent years, Wang said China is willing to work with Liberia to deepen mutual political trust, offer strong mutual support on issues involving each other's core interests and major concerns, and strengthen cooperation over COVID-19 response to jointly tide over difficulties.

Wang also expressed China's readiness to enhance agricultural cooperation, help with Liberia's development via poverty reduction, deepen cooperation among legislative bodies, and solidify the popular support for friendship between the two countries, to contribute to the development of comprehensive cooperative partnership between China and Liberia.

Koffa thanked the Chinese side for offering strong support to Liberia in pandemic response, and expressed the willingness to strengthen communication and cooperation with the NPC. Enditem
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Today

Rain showers in the morning with thunderstorms developing for the afternoon. A few storms may be severe. High 71F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 90%..

Tonight

Showers this evening then scattered thunderstorms developing overnight. Low 59F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 60%.
STOCKHOLM, March 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Today Electrolux will be hosting the Future Sustainable Kitchen, a digital event bringing together experts from across the food ecosystem all united by a common goal: to make sustainable eating the preferred choice.

Right now, we are cooking and eating beyond the planet's boundaries and change is needed across the food and cooking journeys. To debate how to drive positive change, kitchen specialists, grocers, food tech start-ups, NGOs, chefs, and Electrolux as an appliance manufacturer are all coming together. The speaker line-up includes key leaders such as Anna Ohlsson-Leijon (CEO of Electrolux Business Area Europe), Brent Loken (Global Food Lead Scientist at WWF), Gabriela Hernandez Galindo (Global Sustainability Director at Danone), Jon Sintorn (CEO of Nobia) and Kevin Yu (Founder at SideChef) and many more, who all play a role in shaping the kitchen of the future.

"We believe in a more sustainable kitchen for the future. More sustainable cooking and eating habits are critical for our health and for the health of our planet", says Anna Ohlsson-Leijon, CEO of Electrolux Europe. "As a global appliance manufacturer and leader in sustainability, we want to live up to our responsibility. We have the consumer insights and the innovations to empower consumers to take action for a more sustainable lifestyle. However, if there's one thing that is certain in light of the global food challenge it's that this battle cannot be fought by just a few. We need our diverse partners to come up with solutions together with us, and today's event is a perfect opportunity for this."

The topics for the digital event are built around four key themes: The Food Sustainability Challenge, Designing for a Sustainable Kitchen, Collaborating for a Sustainable Kitchen and Looking into the Future Sustainable Kitchen. The event will be moderated by Michael Wolf, founder of the Smart Kitchen Summit/The Spoon.

In 2019, Electrolux launched the Better Living Program which is an evolving list of actions aimed to shape better and more sustainable living around the world. A key target of the Better Living Program is to make sustainable eating the preferred choice by 2030.

"Electrolux has a great opportunity to change the perception that cooking healthy and sustainably isn't easy and doesn't taste good. We want to inspire people to eat, source and care for food in a way that benefits both people and planet", says Vanessa Butani, Head of Sustainability at Electrolux Europe. "We need to change the ways we consume and handle food. To help make every meal a conscious act of better living, we have to drive change by educating consumers and exploring new technologies."

A concrete example of how Electrolux is collaborating with innovative partners to assist consumers in making sustainable cooking easier will be officially announced at the event today. Together with SideChef, an all-in-one digital home cooking platform, and Le Cordon Bleu, the largest network of culinary arts and hotel management institutes in the world, Electrolux creates a new cooking experience, with easy step-by-step video-based cooking instructions and guidance from Le Cordon Bleu chefs to make tasty and sustainable plant-based recipes. Consumers with an Electrolux smart steam oven can send the recipe information straight to the oven for optimal settings of time, temperature, and cooking method so that every dish tastes its best.

Please read more and sign up here for the event which takes place today at 13.00-18.00 CET. Future Sustainable Kitchen is an Electrolux event, co-hosted by The Spoon.

CONTACT:

For further information, please contact Electrolux Press Hotline, +46 8 657 65 07.

This information was brought to you by Cision http://news.cision.com

https://news.cision.com/electrolux/r/electrolux-hosts-event-to-debate-the-future-sustainable-kitchen,c3311250

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https://mb.cision.com/Main/1853/3311250/1390401.pdf Release https://news.cision.com/electrolux/i/anna-ohlsson-leijon-3-small-smiling,c2891573 Anna Ohlsson Leijon 3 small smiling https://news.cision.com/electrolux/i/fsk-key-visual,c2891574 FSK Key Visual https://news.cision.com/electrolux/i/vanessa-butani,c2891575 Vanessa Butani

SOURCE Electrolux
Dear Amy: I have been with my husband for 40 years.

I thought we had a great life together, however, I just found out that he has a biological son who is only two months younger than our youngest son!

The childs mother put him up for adoption, which my husband claims he knew nothing about until months after the adoption was done.

What really hurts is that he cheated on me with this same woman when I was pregnant with our first child.

He says that she meant nothing to him (just sex), and that he always loved me, and that since it happened 30 years ago, I should just move past it.

I found out about all of this a few months ago when his son contacted my daughter through a DNA matching site.

Since then, all I can think about is that our entire life was a lie.

How do I get past this?

 Heartbroken in PA

Dear Heartbroken: Your husband does not get to declare this story over, just because he wants it to be.

In addition to his infidelity, he fathered a child, knew about the child, and seems to have done nothing to help the child or the childs mother. This is quite a tell about your husbands deeper character, and you have the right to question his character now.

DNA matching has dragged all of us into a new age of discovery, and quite often these DNA disclosures force us to face uncomfortable facts about ourselves and the people we love.

Move on is not acceptable. It wont help you. Your husband should work a lot harder to go through this with you. Then you would have the opportunity to move on together, reclaiming your shared marital history in the process.

A counselor could help you to unpack and process this challenging truth. Your husband should respect your need to handle this in your own way.

Your children will also have questions and concerns, and their father should be brave enough to face these questions honestly. I hope your family will also eventually find a way to be open and inclusive with this newly discovered biological son.

Amy Dickinson, author of the 'Ask Amy' column.TNS

Dear Amy: I was not raised with my birth parents. I recently discovered my birth fathers family thru DNA testing. It has been quite the experience at 53.

It appears that my birth father was the extreme black sheep of the family and after years of drama, he and his son were eventually exiled from the entire family.

He is long since deceased, but most of the rest of the family want nothing to do with me because Im his child, despite the fact that I never even met him.

Some refuse to even acknowledge me. Despite the fact that Im family, they have never attempted to contact me.

I value the love Ive received from the three cousins who have bonded with me.

It hurts so deeply that my own aunts, uncles, and first cousins refuse contact, based only on whose child I am. I dont speak to my half-brother because of some things he has said to me, which also hurt me deeply.

Im trying to forgive them all for the pain theyve brought to me but its very hard. I thought over time they might change their minds, but  no.

Am I wrong to be angry and hurt? Should I be the bigger human and forgive them? Am I justified in feeling like Ive been wronged?

 Hurting in New York

Dear Hurt: Your hurt feelings are entirely justified. However, you must understand that you stepped into a family system that was already entrenched, and which is extremely closed and negative.

Understand in your bones that this dynamic has nothing to do with you. It is not your fault. Family is something of a construct, and you can construct your own, populated by people who want to have a relationship with you.

If you want to forgive these people, you should start by simply accepting them as you perceive them: Flawed, possibly hurting, and hurtful.

Dear Amy: You published a persons advice regarding online dating: Meet in public and tell them you have an event later, so you have an out if you need it.

Great. Start the relationship out with a lie.

Are you sure the person wasnt giving advice about how NOT to do things?

 Disappointed

Dear Disappointed: I take your point, but as someone who has participated in online matching, I cheerfully reject it.

(You can email Amy Dickinson at askamy@amydickinson.com or send a letter to Ask Amy, P.O. Box 194, Freeville, NY 13068. You can also follow her on Twitter @askingamy or Facebook.)

2021 Amy Dickinson. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

Read more advice:

Ask Amy: Separated soulmates are eager to connect

Dear Annie: Looking to hop off the hamster wheel

Dear Abby: Children cut off stepmother with dads power of attorney
The Junta de Andalucia's Minister of Health, Jesus Aguirre, announced this Monday (22 March) that the region will restart vaccinations with the AstraZeneca formula as soon as it receives the green-light from Spain's Ministry of Health.

Speaking in Cordoba, Aguirre said Andalucia has "right now 160,000 AstraZeneca vaccines", and "we want to use them as soon as possible".

He also reiterated that he also wants to start vaccinating essential workers aged between 55 and 65 with the formula as soon as a meeting of Spains Interterritorial Council meeting this Monday evening gives the official go-ahead to start using the AstraZeneca formula again.

Earlier today the Vaccine Report of the Public Health Commission agreed, after three days of study, that the Ministry of Health and the autonomous regions should extend the maximum age range from the current 55 years to 65.

Aguirre has also outlined that he expects a total of 203,530 vaccines from different pharmaceutical companies to arrive in the region this week.

He went on to reveal that, so far, "only 5.11 per cent" of the Andalusian population has received the two doses of a vaccine.

Aguirre, also justified the maintenance of the provincial perimeter closures in Andalucia for the Easter holiday period, saying: "We currently have three cases of the South African strain". Meanwhile the so-called Ugandan strain continues "with three cases that we currently have in Seville".

Aguirre has clarified that, "there are many strains", but those that "are of interest are three types: those strains that are more virulent, those strains that are more contagious and those strains that do not allow themselves to be immunised by vaccines.
The ITVBe programme was recently hit by complaints to Ofcom after the stars were seen visiting pubs and restaurants while the UK is in lockdown.

But The Only Way Is Essex producers brushed aside the backlash as Georgia Kousoulou and Ella Rae Wise filmed a party in the county on Saturday.

The pregnant star, 29, displayed her baby bump in a cream jumpsuit, while hairdresser Ella, 20, exuded glamour in a black gown with a thigh-high slit.

Leading the way: TOWIE producers brushed aside recent backlash about filming a party as Georgia Kousoulou (L) and Ella Rae Wise (R) shot scenes for a party in the county on Saturday

Opting for comfort, influencer Georgia dressed her flowy one-piece with a dark military-style with chunky trainers.

The blonde, who is expecting her first child with boyfriend Tommy Mallet, swept her tresses into a high ponytail, while her complexion was enhanced with dewy make-up.

Hair extension specialist Ella put on a leggy display in a satin floor-length dress, which featured an asymmetric neckline.

The reality star wore her locks loose, while heavily-applied bronzer and red lipstick rounded off her appearance.

Oh baby! The pregnant star, 29, who is expecting her first child with boyfriend Tommy Mallet, displayed her baby bump in a cream jumpsuit

Opting for comfort: Influencer Georgia dressed her flowy one-piece with a dark military-style with chunky trainers

Legs for days! Hairdresser Ella, 20, exuded glamour in a black gown with a thigh-high slit

All eyes on her: The hair extension specialist put on a leggy display in a satin floor-length dress, which featured an asymmetric neckline

Radiant: The reality star wore her locks loose, while heavily-applied bronzer and red lipstick rounded off her appearance

The duo were joined by fellow castmembers such as Nicole Bass, Chloe Meadows and Clelia Theodorou.

Earlier this month, 64 people contacted the government regulatory body to complain about the programme since its launch.

Before the new series began, bosses clarified in a disclaimer that scenes for the 28th series were shot within strict Covid-19 protocol.

Here come the girls: The duo were joined by fellow castmembers such as Chloe Meadows (L) and Clelia Theodorou (R)

Turning up the heat: Kelsey Stratford took the plunge in a bronze wrap dress, which she complemented with a designer handbag

Wow-factor: Nicole Bass nailed edgy chic in an pale brown shirt, styled with matching joggers and perspex heels

In her element: OG castmember Chloe Sims commanded attention in a black jumper, bell bottoms and a fluffy leather jacket

Will they got locked in another argument? Frenemies Courtney Green (L) and Saffron Lempriere (R) beamed as they made their way to set

The announcement read: 'The show will still be bringing you the casts real lives and stories, but to keep everyone safe TOWIE have had to create its own little world to film in.

'So, although you may see cast in pubs and restaurants, dont worry because they've opened just for the show and have put in lots of extra measures, so Lime Pictures and ITV can still bring you the TOWIE you love safely.'

During the first episode, stars such as Chloe Sims and her sister Demi were seen at a bar while the cast also celebrated a birthday party and visited each other's houses.

According to a report from The Sun, the complaints to Ofcom were made about: 'Filming in bars, restaurants and gyms during lockdown and food wastage.'

Cheery: Tom McDonnell flashed a wide grin as he headed to the location earlier in the day

Watch her glow: Newcomer Dani Imbert braved the cold in a patterned blazer and a LBD
Marks vaccine's first approval by an European Union member state, following Mexico , Pakistan and China

Continues to boost production capacity to meet increasing demand

Safe, stable storage and transportation between 2C and 8C, accessible by under-developed regions

95.47% effective overall in preventing severe COVID-19 diseases 14 days after vaccination

Vaccines provide timely mass protection for adults aged 18 and above, including those over 60

TIANJIN, China, March 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- CanSinoBIO Biologics Inc. ("CanSinoBIO") (HKEX: 06185) today announced that the Hungarian National Institute of Pharmacy and Nutrition (OGYEI) granted emergency use authorization for its Recombinant Novel Coronavirus Vaccine (Adenovirus Type 5 Vector) ("Ad5-nCoV", trade name: Convidecia). The approval is based on the vaccine's interim results for Phase III clinical trial and marks the first approval of Convidecia in an European Union member state.

"We are pleased to see the authorization by the Hungarian authority for our vaccine, which marks an important step forward in the global fight against the COVID-19 pandemic. As CanSinoBIO continues to receive approvals from various governments across different continents, we are focusing on ramping up production capacity to deliver our one-shot vaccines quickly and safely to countries that are in desperate need of mass protection from this pandemic," said Dr. Xuefeng YU, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of CanSinoBIO.

On February 25, 2021, Convidecia was granted a conditional marketing authorization by the National Medical Products Administration of China ("NMPA"), the first of its kind authorized in China. Globally, Convidecia received authorization for emergency use by the Federal Commission for Protection against Sanitary Risks of Mexico and the Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan for adults aged 18 and above in February 2021.

Convidecia Production, Access and Distribution

The Company continues to invest in and expand its production capacity by building its own manufacturing facility and partnerships to meet the increasing demand of Convidecia. In August 2020, CanSinoBIO entered into a strategic partnership with Shanghai Pharmaceuticals, China's second largest pharmaceutical company, in fast expanding production capacity, storage and supply chain management of COVID-19 vaccines.

CanSinoBIO has signed a purchase agreement with Mexico to supply 35 million doses. The Company has also been discussing with authorities in Pakistan, Malaysia, Hungary and many other countries about delivery and distribution with local partners of millions of doses in the future.

Benefits of Single-Shot Regimen

CanSinoBIO is committed to bringing affordable, timely and mass immune protection to the global population by significantly shortening the vaccination cycle and reducing the burden placed on healthcare systems and medical workers.

Convidecia provides protection against severe COVID-19 disease and prevention of COVID-19-related medical interventions for a broad range of age groups above 18, including those over the age of 60.

Convidecia can be stably transported between 2C and 8C and stored for at least three months. It is estimated to remain stable for over two months at 25C and for over three weeks at 37C, making it more accessible to regions with insufficient storage facilities.

Multi-center Study Provides Phase III Efficacy Data

Since September 2020, CanSinoBIO has been conducting a multicenter Phase III clinical trial in Pakistan, Mexico, Russia, Chile and Argentina and dosed more than 40,000 volunteers over 18 years old. The trial was led by global principal investigators ("PI"), global co-PIs and country co-PIs from seven countries including Canada, Mexico and Russia, and strictly complies with high ethical standards and rigorous scientific principles.

The interim analysis and data of the Phase III clinical trial disclosed by NMPA, reflect that Convidecia was 65.28% effective overall in preventing all symptomatic COVID-19 disease 28 days post-vaccination, and 68.83% in preventing all symptomatic COVID-19 disease 14 days post-vaccination. Convidecia has an efficacy of 90.07% in preventing severe COVID-19 disease 28 days post-vaccination, and 95.47% in preventing severe COVID-19 disease 14 days post-vaccination. The Phase III clinical trial results announced by the Pakistani authority showed an efficacy rate of 100% against severe COVID-19 disease and 74.8% at preventing all symptomatic COVID-19 disease in Pakistan.

"We are encouraged by the results announced by the countries where we have been conducting clinical trials of our vaccine. We appreciate the dedication and support from the global principal investigators, co-principal investigators, volunteers, governments and everyone else who has been contributing throughout the process," said Dr. Tao ZHU, Executive Director and Chief Scientific Officer of CanSinoBIO.

In early 2020, Convidecia was the first candidate vaccine to publish positive results from Phase I and Phase II clinical studies in The Lancet, one of the world's most distinguished medical journals. In August 2020, CanSinoBIO became the first company in China to be granted a patent for its COVID-19 vaccine in China. CanSinoBIO plans to publish its Phase III results in a peer-reviewed medical journal in due course.

About CanSinoBIO

Incorporated in 2009, CanSinoBIO (SHSE: 688185, HKEX: 06185) commits to research, production and commercialization of innovative vaccines for China and global public health security. It possesses four integrated platform technologies including adenovirus-based vectors, conjugation, protein design and recombination and formulation. As of today, it has established a robust pipeline of 16 vaccines preventing 13 diseases, including a globally innovative Ebola virus vaccine (Adenovirus Type 5 Vector) approved in 2017 as well as the Recombinant Novel Coronavirus Vaccine (Adenovirus Type 5 Vector) conditionally approved in 2021. Additional information can be found online at www.cansinotech.com

SOURCE CanSino Biologics Inc.
The Real Housewives of Atlanta introduced many viewers to exotic dancer Bolo the Entertainer. Not only did he provide the cast with a stellar show for Cynthia Baileys bachelorette party, but he also caught attention off screen.

After finding himself in the middle of an RHOA cast rumor, Bolo shared on Watch What Happens Live why he never watched his debut episode.

RHOA stars Porsha Williams and Tanya Sam on Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen|Charles Sykes/Bravo/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images

Bolo the Entertainer was hired by RHOA star Kandi Burruss for Cynthia Baileys bachelorette party

Before he appeared on RHOA, Bolo the Entertainer worked as an Atlanta-based actor, model and dancer. In the summer of 2020, Bravo star Kandi Burruss approached Bolo about dancing at Baileys bachelorette party. The 53-year-old model was preparing to marry her then-fiance, Mike Hill, in Oct. 2020.

RELATED: RHOA: Cynthia Bailey Reveals What Marc Daly Says to Her About Kenya Moore Off Camera

Due to COVID-19, the RHOA cast traveled to the Isle of Palms in South Carolina for the girls trip. During a Feb. 2021 episode of season 13, Bolo joined the women at their rented house to perform for them. The dancer stripped down in front of the cast, including Bailey, Burruss, Porsha Williams, Drew Sidora, Tanya Sam, Kenya Moore, and several others.

Following the party, rumors swirled that Williams and Sam engaged in a threesome with Bolo. While Williams laughed off the reports, Sam released an Instagram statement denying the allegations before exiting RHOA. Although some cast members didnt fully enjoy the event, Bailey personally thanked Bolo for the bachelorette party on Watch What Happens Live.

Hi, Bolo, Bailey said during the video chat. I hope all is well with you, and I just wanted to say thank you so much for helping Kandi [Burruss] make my bachelorette party probably the biggest  no pun intended  and most epic bachelorette party of all time. Like, I literally have friends calling me who are married saying, I want to get divorced so I can get married again and have a bachelorette party with Bolo and have Kandi throw it.'

Why Bolo the Entertainer didnt watch his RHOA episode

RELATED: RHOA: Kandi Burruss Wants to See Drew Sidora Keep Her Peach for These 2 Reasons

During his appearance on WWHL, Bolo (whose real name is Michael Bolwaire) shared why he didnt watch his RHOA debut. He told Cohen, Bailey, and fellow guest, Miss Lawrence, that he only read fans comments. Bolo also admitted that hes focused on other projects and isnt interested in looking back at the bachelorette party.

Ive got other stuff to be taking care of, the 31-year-old dancer said. I hear about it afterwards. As far as watching the show, no, I didnt watch it. I was there. What the hell I need to watch it for?

Bolo the Entertainers net worth

According to Primal Information, Bolo the Entertainers net worth is $1 million. In addition to working on new projects, the model said his OnlyFans page increased in revenue after RHOA. While speaking to Cohen, the host said Bolos page on the subscription service must be booming since his RHOA episode aired.

Its doing pretty good, he said.Its doing a lot better than it was about two to three weeks ago.



RELATED: RHOA Stars Kandi Burruss and Cynthia Bailey Claimed This Cast Member Is the Worst Dressed

RHOA isnt Bolo the Entertainers first reality show. He was a contestant on Vivica A. Foxs Lifetime show, Vivicas Black Magic, in 2017.
A Native American group is appealing its claims of discrimination at the Alamo in a federal lawsuit that ultimately could be settled by the U.S. Supreme Court.

The Tap Pilam Coahuiltecan Nation contends that the Alamo Trust has violated its rights by excluding it from a role in the handling of ancestral remains and by denying its members access to the site for ceremonial observances.

Chief U.S. District Judge Orlando Garcia in San Antonio dismissed the suit last year. Tap Pilam now has the support of the Lipan Apache Tribe of Texas, which is asking the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans to throw out Garcias ruling.

To affirm Garcias decision would hold that Native Americans religious liberties enjoy lesser protections than those of non-Natives: rendering them again second-class citizens who must suffer second-class rights, lawyers for the Lipan Apache Tribe wrote in a brief.

On ExpressNews.com: Federal judge dismisses Alamo lawsuit

The Lipans and Coahuiltecans have historically been enemies. Today, neither descendants group is a federally recognized tribe. As a result, under the Alamo Trusts protocol for treatment of human remains, neither group can serve on a committee guiding the handling of remains found at the historic mission and battle site.

State Sen. Jose Menendez, a San Antonio Democrat, has filed a bill that would require Alamo officials to consult with each American Indian tribe, whether federally recognized or not, before beginning any major project to preserve, maintain, restore or improve the site.

He said Tap Pilam is being treated unfairly.

Im angry. Im upset. I see this as something thats just not right, Menendez said.

Tap Pilam stated in a recent brief that the Alamo Trust had violated its constitutional rights by preventing the indigenous group from performing ceremonies at the site. Tap Pilam said its members have been denied access for an annual remembrance ceremony in the Alamo church, where the group conducted a reburial of remains in 1995.

For years, the group performed yearly remembrance rites at the church. The Alamo Trust, which operates the site under contract with the Texas General Land Office, prohibited all descendant groups from conducting ceremonies in the church in late 2016.

Manuel Munguia, attorney for the Alamo Trust and for former Alamo CEO Douglass W. McDonald, predicted the federal appeals court will affirm Garcias dismissal of the Tap Pilam suit.

Tap Pilams allegations are unfounded, Munguia said. The Alamo does not discriminate against anyone on the basis of their religion. It maintains religiously neutral policies.

Art Martinez de Vara, tribal counsel for Tap Pilam, said that if the appellate court rules in favor of the trust, the indigenous group will appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court.

I think either way, were going to end up there, Martinez de Vara said. What were asking for is very minimal. Its just participation on advisory committees, access to pray and participate in the historical presentation of the Native American history of the site, which was all granted at the beginning.

In 2019, the Alamo formed an archaeological advisory committee composed of experts from federally recognized tribes, mostly from Oklahoma and other states.

The Mescalero Apache Tribe, which is federally recognized, is represented on the committee, Martinez de Vara said. Historically, some Lipan Apaches moved to New Mexico and became part of that tribe. Lipan Apaches who stayed in Texas were never federally recognized.

Martinez de Vara said federal recognition has come easily to tribes that occupied Indian reservations. Because Texas eradicated or removed Native Americans prior to statehood, there are only three reservations in the state  one east of Houston and two in the Rio Grande Valley.

On ExpressNews.com: Dispute over Alamo cemetery could affect project

Martinez de Vara said Tap Pilams absence from the Alamo advisory committee is a form of national origin discrimination.

He said Tap Pilam members use forgiveness and remembrance ceremonies as way to maintain spiritual bonds with ancestors.

Essentially, they ask the ancestor for forgiveness. They explain to them the necessity why theyre being disturbed. Because if you physically mess with the remains or move them or handle them, that that afterlife journey is disrupted, he said.

Participants in the forgiveness ceremony make a vow to return each year.

Officials of the Land Office and Alamo Trust have defended the Alamos dealings with Tap Pilam as a holistic approach that provides equitable access to ceremonial involvementwithout giving any group preferential treatment in handling remains that have not been identified and might never be.

Tap Pilam and the Alamo Defenders Descendants Association, another group with a lawsuit pending over handling of remains, want DNA testing  a practice many Native American groups oppose.

Recent discoveries of human bone fragments during excavation in the Alamo church have stirred speculation they belonged to indigenous people, or possibly fallen Texian or Tejano Alamo defenders from the 1836 battle.

Last year, the Texas Historical Commission gave the Alamo permission to exhume at least four burial sites in the church. The commission didnt order DNA testing, but authorized project archaeologists and commission staff to decide when and how to use the technique.

The Alamo Trust has challenged Tap Pilams claim that a majority of the 1,000-plus burials at the Mission San Antonio de Valero, which became the fort known as El Alamo, are Coahuiltecan graves. The trust estimates that between 33 percent and 47 percent of the burials were Coahuiltecan.

McDonald, who resigned in October but remains a defendant in the lawsuit, has defended the human remains policy as inclusive and said it does not preclude the engagement and counsel of Tap Pilam, depending on data revealed as part of the project.

Some have suggested the exclusion of Tap Pilam from the committee is a means of ensuring the planned $450 million Alamo project is focused on the battle of 1836, and not the mission era.

Menendez said the two historic periods are not mutually exclusive.

Im not in any way, shape or form denigrating the heroic acts of the people who fought in 1836  the bravery and the courage that they showed, he said.

On ExpressNews.com: Alamo burials to be exhumed

The Native American groups deserve the dignity of having their culture respected and their ancestry respected and their faith respected, Menendez said.

I simply believe that if the Native American tribes have proof of their lineage, they should be consulted, he said.

shuddleston@express-news.net
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ALBANY  Rep. Tom Reed said Sunday he would not run for reelection or for governor in 2022 after a woman accused him of inappropriate touching at a bar four years ago.

The decision by the Corning Republican comes after Reed had spoken publicly in recent weeks about potentially running for governor next year or whether to run for another term.

Instead, Reed said he would stick to a pledge he made when he was first elected in 2010 that he would only serve for six terms, which will finish at the end of 2022.

In a statement, Reed apologized to former lobbyist Nicolette Davis after The Washington Post reported Friday that an intoxicated Reed rubbed her back, moved his hand outside her shirt, unfastened her bra and continued to grope her in a bar in Minneapolis.

First, I apologize to Nicolette Davis,' his 400-word statement said. "Even though I am only hearing of this matter as stated by Ms. Davis in the article now, I hear her voice and will not dismiss her."

On Friday. Reed denied the allegations, but on Sunday he said, "In reflection, my personal depiction of this event is irrelevant. Simply put, my behavior caused her pain, showed her disrespect and was unprofessional. I was wrong, I am sorry, and I take full responsibility."

Reed, 49, also apologized to his family, "the people of the 23rd District, my colleagues, and those who have supported me for the harm this caused them."

Reed represents a heavily Republican district that runs across the Southern Tierfrom the Pennsylvania border east through Elmira and north through Ithaca and into Ontario County. The district is also one that could be on the chopping block as part of redistricting next year.

While a supporter of former President Donald Trump, Reed has also sought to reach across the aisle, serving as a co-leader of the bipartisan Problem Solvers Caucus in Congress.

More on Tom Reed: Woman accuses New York congressman of sexual misconduct; Reed denies allegation

Story continues

New York politics: As scandals engulf Andrew Cuomo, candidates eye 2022 run for governor

Reed, the most senior member of the GOP House delegation in New York, said the 2017 incident with Davis, now 29, a second lieutenant in the U.S. Army, occurred at a time when he was struggling with alcoholism.

He said he is now four years sober of "that personal lifelong journey of recovery. With the support of my wife, kids and loved ones, professional help, and trust in a higher power, I continue that journey day-by-day."

He said his struggle with addiction is not an excuse for any misbehavior, but he plans to dedicate my time and attention to making amends for my past actions and work with those also battling addiction.

As I go forward, I will strive to be a better human being, continue to fight for what I believe in, and to make peoples lives better in any way I can. I hope this formal apology is just the start," he continued.

Reed has been a chief critic of Gov. Andrew Cuomo, a Democrat who faces a series of sexually harassment allegations among former female aides, including one current one. Reed has also ripped Cuomo for the governor's handling of COVID-19 deaths in nursing homes.

He told the USA TODAY Network New York last month he was seriously considering a gubernatorial run.

But his statement Sunday said he would not run for any office next year, and "therefore will be retiring from public service on January 2nd, 2023."

Joseph Spector is the Government and Politics Editor for the USA TODAY Network's Atlantic Group, overseeing coverage in New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Maryland and Delaware. He can be reached at JSPECTOR@Gannett.com or followed on Twitter: @GannettAlbany

This article originally appeared on New York State Team: Rep. Tom Reed will not seek reelection amid sexual misconduct claims
Hungary has become the first EU country to approve for emergency use China's CanSino Biologics coronavirus vaccine.

The move came as new infections are spiking in the Central European country even though vaccine import and usage rates already are among the highest in the European Union.

Hungary's National Institute of Pharmacy and Nutrition (OGYEI) also gave emergency approval to CoviShield, the Indian version of the AstraZeneca jab, Surgeon General Cecilia Muller told a news briefing on March 22.

"We are in a race against time," Muller said. "We will search the four corners of the world for as many doses of proper, efficient, and safe vaccines as possible."

She said both shots are viral vector vaccines, made with a "cold," harmless virus.

If both jabs are also approved for mass use by the National Health Center, Hungary, which has already been using Chinese and Russian vaccines as well as Western ones, will have seven sources to procure vaccines from. No further details about the deal were immediately available.



Hospitalization rates are at record levels in Hungary, prompting some medical facilities to call in untrained volunteers to help them cope with an overwhelming influx of patients.

The surge in infections poses a big challenge for right-wing Prime Minister Viktor Orban, who pledged to ease tough lockdown measures once the inoculation rate reached 2.5 million people, or 25 percent of Hungary's population.

Muller said that 16 percent of the population, or 1.59 million people, had already had their first shot of a vaccine, but added that the current surge in infection was in an "extraordinarily dynamic phase."

With reporting by Reuters
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Source: Xinhua| 2021-03-23 04:12:11|Editor: huaxia

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GENEVA, March 22 (Xinhua) -- Michael Ryan, Executive Director of World Health Organization (WHO) Health Emergencies Program, said on Monday that the "inequitable" vaccine distribution was a "catastrophic moral failure" and a "failed opportunity."

Speaking at a virtual press conference from Geneva on Monday about the recent rise of cases in Europe -- up by "12 percent" in the last week -- Ryan stressed that there was no "golden solution" to end the pandemic.

He said that many countries have the strategy to "get enough vaccine" and "push enough vaccine to people," assuming that the COVID-19 pandemic would be shaken off with vaccine rollouts.

"I'm sorry, it's not(the case)," he said. "There aren't enough vaccines in the world, and they're distributed terribly iniquitously."

"In fact, we've missed a huge opportunity to bring vaccines on board as a comprehensive measure," said Ryan. "It's not only a catastrophic moral failure, but it's (also) an epidemiologic failure."

Global infections rose up in the last week. Among the most affected places was South Asia, which saw a surge of 49 percent in the number of cases, with India taking the bulk of the rise. Another hotspot was Western Pacific, with the Philippines and Papua New Guinea accounting for most of the 29 percent increase.

Meanwhile, the gap in vaccine procurement between richer and poorer countries "is growing every single day," warned Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General of the WHO, at Monday's press conference.

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, 264 candidate vaccines are still being developed worldwide -- 82 of them in clinical trials -- in countries including Germany, China, Russia, Britain, and the United States, according to the latest information released by the World Health Organization. Enditem
A COVID-19 outbreak at an Offaly creche and Montessori school has been described as frightening by childcare provider groups.

With Offaly battling the highest incidence of Covid-19 in Ireland, it has emerged that twelve children and eight staff have tested positive for Covid-19 at M&A's in Tullamore.

Elaine Dunne, chair and founder of The Federation of Early Childhood Providers, and Denise McCormilla, chief executive of the National Childhood Network, have been in touch with the owner of the Tullamore creche.

The owner is said to be unsurprisingly, distressed that despite following all guidance in relation to mask wearing, hand hygiene, containing children within pods, and limiting access to parents and others, the virus has spread rapidly in the childcare facility in the county currently with the highest national incidence of the virus.

The childcare provider groups say the sector needs better protection and more practical support and guidance.

Three areas they have highlighted are that childcare, as an essential service, be made a high priority for vaccinations; that there be subsidised weekly antigen testing in childcare facilities, to protect children and staff; and that additional personal protective equipment grant-aid be provided.

In a statement, Ms Dunne said: Many creches and childcare facilities are now back to around 90% occupancy and workers are worried about the spread of new variants of the Covid-19 virus.

Childcare workers meet the needs of children and families, so that wider services in society, like healthcare, can be provided and the economy can reopen.

There is exceptional difficulty in preventing virus transmission when working with young children.

Children do not do social distancing, pull at masks and seek hugs and comfort and that is the nature of childcare work.

Vulnerable people work in the childcare sector, including pregnant women and some with underlying health conditions, or they live with a family member that has underlying issues. They need to be protected while providing an essential service, said Ms Dunne.

The Tullamore creche manager is very distressed by finger pointing and unfair media posts and feels the narrative needs to change, whereby people protect and support one another and consider mental health, rather than making assumptions and apportioning blame for something largely unavoidable that is affecting thousands of households and businesses.

Meanwhile, Offaly Fianna Fail TD Barry Cowen has called for more detailed local data to help in the fight against localised Covid-19 spikes.

Deputy Cowen said the HSE and NPHET should release detailed local communications to areas where Covid-19 cases are high.

Deputy Cowen said he was speaking to HSE chief executive Paul Reid on this issue over the weekend.

The Offaly TD commented: There has been consistently high number of cases in Offaly over last number of weeks. Particularly so in the Tullamore electoral area.

Local councillors are anxious and keen to help and address the increase in whatever way possible. They are contemplating holding a special meeting to appeal to the public.

He continued: It is my hope county councillors and constituency TDs could be furnished with relevant statistics and information relating to ongoing high numbers of daily cases in Offaly. It may be helpful to share such information concerning details of clusters and the contributing factors as interpreted by the considered opinions of public health staff for the area.

It may be then that local representatives can use their influence and seek to exert leadership in efforts to assist authorities and communities in reducing these figures.

Deputy Cowen said he was informed by Mr Reid that local communication is key in these situations and that he had been speaking to the Taoiseach on this in recent days with the hope of obtaining such local data to aid the situation.

The Offaly TD has also requested a regionalised update on the progress of the vaccination rollout.

An Independent councillor in Tullamore, Sean O'Brien, has called on the Government to "provide leadership to resolve the growing Covid crisis".

"People have put their lives on hold for a full year and all they see is the problem getting worse and no end in sight. We are all simply fed up with the situation and see no end in sight. The vast majority of people have observed all of the measures to reduce the spread of the virus but they are frustrated at the lack of action by the Government in areas such as international travel."
Source: Xinhua| 2021-03-22 13:20:17|Editor: huaxia

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Workers unload a batch of COVID-19 vaccines developed by the Chinese pharmaceutical company Sinovac at Cardinal Bernadin Gantin International Airport in Cotonou, Benin, March 21, 2021. A batch of coronavirus vaccine developed by the Chinese pharmaceutical company Sinovac arrived in Cotonou, the economic capital of Benin, on Sunday evening. (Photo by Seraphin Zounyekpe/Xinhua)

COTONOU, March 22 (Xinhua) -- A batch of coronavirus vaccine developed by the Chinese pharmaceutical company Sinovac arrived in Cotonou, the economic capital of Benin, on Sunday evening.

"I salute the Chinese government which, through the cooperation between our two countries, has supported the Beninese authorities in their efforts to fight the pandemic, since the appearance of the first case of COVID-19 on the territory of Benin on March 16, 2020," said Health Minister Benjamin Hounkpatin as he welcomed the vaccines at Cardinal Bernadin Gantin International Airport.

For his part, Chinese Ambassador to Benin Peng Jingtao noted that the arrival of the Chinese vaccine in Benin, is part of the cooperation and solidarity between the two countries to fight against COVID-19.

"Since the start of the pandemic in Benin, cooperation between the two countries has been exemplary, pragmatic and effective. The Chinese vaccine is a global public good accessible to all developing countries, especially African countries," he said. Enditem
AN EIGHTY-TWO year old pensioner was required to stand outside in the cold and rain while waiting for his car to be NCT tested.

Ray McGrath (82), from Waterford, warned the Government it is "simply not good enough" for elderly people to be put in such a position.

He said he was shocked when he was advised to wear appropriate clothing when he brought his car for the NCT test centre on March 10 only to discover the single seat in an indoor waiting area was not available because of Covid-19 pandemic controls.

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Mr McGrath, a member of Waterford's Council for Older People, was advised he had to wait outside the test centre because of Covid-19 control policies.

These limit the number of people who are allowed to wait inside the test centre for precautionary reasons.

A single indoor seat is available at the centre where up to four cars are tested at any one time.

It is simply not good enough that older people are expected to stand outside in the wind and rain if the single indoor seat is occupied,

he said.

Mr McGrath subsequently wrote to the NCT and warned the waiting arrangements were totally unacceptable.

While NCTS have put in place two alleviating features  provision of ponchos and one seat inside  I deem these measures to be completely inadequate."

"What happens if the seat is already occupied? What happens if a person who wishes to comply with the Covid-19 regulations is reluctant to ask about using the seat?"

"I did not see a notice about use of the seat, he said.

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Mr McGrath said he couldn't understand while a bank of seats was reversed against a wall inside the test centre when, by removing them, another socially distanced seat could be provided.

The NCT said it had taken careful measures to address issues surrounding Covid-19 concerns at its test centres.

Unfortunately, we cannot forecast the future of this pandemic and whilst we appreciate the difficulties Covid-19 is presenting to us all, the only alternative at this time is to ask customers to wear appropriate clothing as seating in the waiting area is being restricted with an exception for our more vulnerable customers," a spokesperson said.

At the Waterford test centre, in situations where the safe spot seat in the waiting area is taken, another seat can also be provided outside if the test centre is informed that this is needed.

Mr McGrath said that, in his view, it was "a potentially dangerous situation" for older people with underlying health conditions and he believed an open-sided pop-up canopy or shelter should be provided at test centres for people waiting for their cars to be NCT tested.

The pensioner even contacted Waterford TD and Older People Minister Mary Butler about his concerns over the elderly being required to wait outside in inclement weather.

The minister acknowledged that Mr McGrath's concerns were valid and she confirmed the issue was being forwarded to Road Transport Minister Hildegard Naughton for consideration in advance of future engagement with the NCT regarding the provision of services to older people in the context of the pandemic.

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Hi Neighbor,

It was early morning on May 29, 1996, a Wednesday, when the phone rang at my desk. Eileen, my executive assistant, was across the office dealing with the days mail. And it was my wifes birthday, a day I hoped to leave a bit early  in newspaper time, that meant around 5:30 -- because my kids were hosting a birthday dinner.

Laline, I answered. Molinari, I heard back.

Get down here. Quick.

It was Guy Molinari and here was Borough Hall. He was borough president.

Were shutting down the landfill.

A hastily called press conference would be held, Guy said, and making the announcement would be Mayor Rudy Giuliani, Gov. George Pataki, Congresswoman Susan Molinari, and of course, the architect of it all  Guy himself.

Weve heard this story before, I thought. Many times. But this time, Guy had the right players involved. Theres got to be something to it, I told City Editor Tom Checchi, and off I went.

The announcement was made  Dec. 31, 2001 would be The Dumps last day  as 2001: A Space Odyssey played and champagne flowed.

That was 25 years ago, and today -- Monday, March 22 -- we mark the 20th anniversary when the last barge, festooned with red, white and blue bunting, sailed the East River, through the Arthur Kill, with its last load of garbage  this one from Queens -- on a rainy, bone-chilling day.

On the pier to welcome it were Pataki, Giuliani and of course, the architect, Guy V. Molinari.

The Dump opened in 1948 and ironically, Guys dad, Robert, was state assemblyman at the time. NYC master planner Robert Moses promised it would only be open till 1951.

He (Robert Molinari) kept telling everybody that if you let them open it, it will never close, Guy told my colleague, Tom Wrobleski, on the 10th anniversary in 2011.

So, my dad started it. I gotta finish it, Guy told Tom.

Plastic bags litter the fence at the landfill, off Richmond Avenue near the Staten Island Mall, on April 4, 1995 (Staten Island Advance/ Mike Falco)

No matter what Moses said in 1948, and every politician after, Staten Islanders grew numb to the promises. We hated the landfill, the stench and the real possibility of serious health issues. You couldnt walk into the Staten Island Mall without gagging. Or drive the West Shore Expressway with your car window down. Cancer clusters were discovered in neighborhoods surrounding The Dump.

But we were powerless in the face of New Yorks inability to figure out what to do instead  if officials even had the desire, or the nerve. Mention incinerators In New York City and you were ostracized. The other option  shipping it out of state  was deemed prohibitively expensive.

After all, it was going to Staten Island. Why would City Hall or the other boroughs care?

Instead, Sanitation put a ton of thought into how to pile even more garbage at Fresh Kills, for at least 15 more years. They said 15 years. Always sounded like the Moses promise in 1948.

Norman Steisel was Sanitation commissioner for Ed Koch in the mid 80s. He came to the Advance for an editorial board meeting with a cadre of engineers and a giant model of the Fresh Kills landfill.

On it were models of terraced mountains that would eventually soar more than 500 feet in the air. At the time, they were about 175 feet.

This photo was taken by Kenny Sundbye on the last day of garbage dumping at Fresh Kills. He worked at the landfill for 29 years.

They all were so proud of themselves, none more than Steisel, and of the engineering marvel they designed so the terracing would allow the mounds to rise so high without collapsing. Not once in their hour-long presentation were environmental or health concerns mentioned

If you listened to only Guy at the time, it was his relationship with Pataki and Giuliani that got it done. Of that, there is no doubt.

But other players were involved. Dan [Skip] Master was Molinaris legal counsel and planted the idea of a federal lawsuit against the city, pointing to the gushing methane that violated the U.S. Clean Air Act. The suit was filed by Molinari, his then-congresswoman daughter Susan, and city Council members John Fusco and Vito Fossella. Vito also introduced a bill in the Council to shut the landfill by 2002 that had support of more than 50 members.

Meanwhile, Kate Rooney was legal counsel to State Sen. John Marchi and helped draft legislation that Marchi and then-Assemblyman Eric Vitaliano got passed in Albany that barred the use of Fresh Kills for any garbage operations after Dec. 31, 2001. If Rudy decided not to heed Guys plea to shut the landfill, hed be breaking state law.

A bulldozer stirs up a cloud of seagulls at the Fresh Kills landfill in 1993 (staten Island Advance / Mike Falco)

So for the last 20 years, your household trash has been out-of-sight, out-of-mind after you leave it at the curb. You probably dont know where it goes. You probably dont care. (For the record, its divided between the Finger lakes region in upstate New York, Pennsylvania, Virginia and South Carolina. Some is incinerated and the rest becomes landfill.)

Perhaps that out-of-sight, out-of-mind mentality is why current BP Jim Oddo needed to put out a press release last week headlined, BP Oddo looks to SI businesses to help fight the war on litter. Either some of us never lived through the horrifying experience called Fresh Kills, or we simply forgot the stench, the thousands of seagulls or the thousands of plastic trash bags that blew from the landfill tangled in trees limbs all over the West and South Shores.

The BP has asked 140 Staten Island businesses . . . to hire or appoint one or more people to remove litter not only from their properties, but also the litter in their surrounding neighborhoods . . . In the seven years I have been borough president, nothing has been more consistently frustrating than litter, Oddo said.

The BP asked nicely.

Maybe what it takes are threats, legislation, lawsuits and fines that finally shut down the landfill.

Brian

Oh by the way: Tell me again . . . why are we turning our clocks back and forth every year? Or, is it a big deal that we do? A group of U.S. senators thinks so. They have introduced a bill in Washington to make Daylight Savings Time permanent. The Sunshine Protection Act its called. Opponents say itll endanger public safety, like kids waiting for school buses in the dark of morning. Meanwhile, farmers hate it because they want light early in the morning. But the American Journal of Public Health and the Journal of Safety Research say year-round DST would reduce car crashes and pedestrian accidents with more daylight when theres more traffic. Studies also show that heart attacks increase the day after DST because of losing an hours sleep and decrease the day after clocks go back because of gaining an hour. Some say crime would be reduced, too. In this time of Covid and reports of sickness and death every day, its at least a fun thing to debate. Whats your take?
President Hassan Rouhani has again vowed revenge on the United States for last year's killing of Irans most powerful general, Qasem Soleimani, who was the head of the countrys overseas military operations unit known as the Quds Force.

Accusing US President Donald Trump and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo of the savage assassination, Rouhani warned Dec. 29 that Iranians wont let them get away and have every right to avenge the blood of their popular commander.

The Iranian president gave Soleimani full credit for flushing the Islamic State out of neighboring Iraq and Syria, and explained his killing as a sign of the US governments unease with his achievements against the terror group, which he said was nurtured by the West and Zionists and was seeking to disrupt the Middle East.

Since the deadly Jan. 3 strike on Soleimanis convoy in Baghdad, the Islamic Republic has repeatedly promised retaliation. In the immediate aftermath, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, also Irans commander in chief, ordered a ballistic missile attack on the US-run Ain al-Asad airbase in neighboring Iraq. But that was just a small slap in the face, Rouhani said during his last 2020 address to the Iranian Cabinet.

As long as you are in the region, our revenge has yet to be exacted, the Iranian president added, referencing the US military presence, which Tehran has persistently opposed. Describing the fight as resistance, the Islamic Republic has targeted American interests through proxy militia it has been funding and training over decades. The US maximum pressure policy introduced by President Donald Trump has, however, shrunk Irans cash reserves, reportedly affecting its ability to assist such groups. Yet Rouhani noted with defiance that despite Soleimanis death, Resistance is continuing with the same zeal and enthusiasm.

In an ongoing escalatory episode in recent days, Iran and the United States have been engaged in harsh rhetoric after the US Embassy in Baghdad was targeted with a series of rocket attacks blamed on Iran-backed forces, and the United States dispatched a guided-missile submarine and two cruisers to the Persian Gulf. With the US move widely seen as a preemptive measure in preparation to neutralize Iranian plans on the one-year anniversary of the Soleimani killing, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif warned, Washington will be responsible for any adventurism in the region.

Speculation has been rife recently in Iranian media circles about a possible new cycle of tensions to be triggered by Trump before his departure from office next month. His Iranian counterpart said Dec. 29 that the region should enjoy better stability and security once the "heinous murderer" is out of the White House.
Source: Xinhua| 2021-03-22 14:09:58|Editor: huaxia

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BEIJING, March 22 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping on Monday exchanged congratulations with Emir of Kuwait Sheikh Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah on the 50th anniversary of the establishment of the two countries' diplomatic relations.

In his congratulatory message, Xi said he attaches great importance to the development of China-Kuwait relations, and is willing to work with the Kuwaiti emir to take the 50th anniversary as an opportunity to carry forward the traditional friendship and deepen cooperation in various fields within the framework of the Belt and Road Initiative, so as to bring benefits to the two countries and peoples. Enditem
DUBLIN, March 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The "Riyadh Office Market Outlook to 2023 - Improving Oversupply Environment Driven by Rise in Demand for Premium Office Space and Upcoming Completion of Smart City and Office Projects" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.

The report titled Riyadh Office Market Outlook to 2023 provides information on overview of the overview of Riyadh city, factors influencing the Riyadh office market, supply and demand assessment of office market in Riyadh.

The report also includes competitive analysis of offices in the Riyadh city and key features and characteristics of office sector in Riyadh.

The report concludes with the future outlook, opportunities and future development trends; future landscape of office sector and investment opportunities in this sector; and with key expected upcoming office building projects in the Riyadh.



Key Topics Covered:



1. Executive Summary



2. Research Methodology

2.1. Market Definitions

2.2. Abbreviations

2.3. Market Sizing and Modeling

Consolidated Research Approach

3. Riyadh Office Market Overview

3.1. Riyadh City Overview

3.2. Mega Construction and Infrastructure Projects

3.3. Dynamism in the Market

3.4. Government's Impetus towards Commercial Sector

3.5. Economic Performance

3.6. Higher Women Participation

3.7. Tenant Preferences



4. Factors Influencing Riyadh Office Market

4.1. Strong Government Initiatives

4.2. Emergence of International Companies

4.3. Positive Economic Development

4.4. Increase In Women Workforce

4.5. Expat Exodus from the KSA

4.6. Location Factor

4.7. Physical Conditions Of The Office Premises



5. Supply and Demand Assessment Of Office Market in Riyadh, 2018-2023E

Current and Future Market Demand, 2013-2023

Current and Future Market Supply, 2018-2023E

Oversupply of Offices In Riyadh

6. Riyadh Office Market Insight and Performance

6.1. Performance of Premium and Grade A Offices

6.2. Performance of Grade B and B+ Offices



7. Average Rental Rates of Offices in Riyadh



8. Average Occupancy Rates of Offices in Riyadh



9. Riyadh Office Market Future Outlook, Opportunities and Development Trends

Government Initiatives

Future Upcoming Trends

Changing Tenant Preferences

Shift in the Approach

10. Recommendations for Riyadh Office Market

What Gaps Exist in Riyadh Office Market?

11. Riyadh Office Market Future Outlook (Is Investment Profitable or Not?)

Is Investment Profitable or Not?

Investment Opportunities - by Stock Type

Investment Opportunities - by Location

Difference between Return of Investment (ROI) - New Property Construction vs Renovation

Other Commercial Activities

12. Key Features and Characteristics of Offices in Saudi Arabia



13. Key Expected Upcoming Office Projects in Riyadh City



14. Case Studies of Major Office Complexes in Riyadh

14.1. Home Office

14.2. The Elite Centre

14.3. Motoon Commercial Towers

14.4. The Cube

14.5. Aknaz Centre



15. Competitive Analysis of Case Studies

15.1. Cross Comparison within Major Office Properties in Riyadh

15.2. Heat Map Analysis for Riyadh Office Complexes



For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/sfed42

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


Theres no program that I know of in the country that is making peace education a priority, conflict resolution as a priority, Cervantes said. Im very blessed to be able to do this for Holy Family because if you look at communities like ours  Black communities, brown communities  theres more than just food deserts. Theres also deserts of knowledge. And we need to provide young people with knowledge and skills that will help them in the long run.
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Protesters hold signs as they gather during Uyghur Freedom rally in New York on March 22, 2021. (Timothy A. Clary/AFP via Getty Images)

Canada Sanctions Chinese Officials for Gross and Systematic Rights Violations Against Uyghurs in Xinjiang

Canada has announced sanctions against four officials and one entity in China based on their participation in gross and systematic human rights violations against Uyghur Muslims in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region (XUAR).

Global Affairs Canada said Monday that the measures, effective March 22, are being taken in co-ordination with the United States and the United Kingdom, and in solidarity with the European Union.

The listed individuals and entity are subjected to an assets freeze, and Canadians citizens and businesses are banned from engaging in any activity related to any property of these individuals or providing financial or related services to them.

The names of the sanctioned individuals and entity are:

Zhu Hailun, the former secretary of the Political and Legal Affairs Committee of XUAR

Wang Junzheng, deputy secretary of the Chinese Communist Party Committee of XUAR and former secretary of the Political and Legal Affairs Committee of XUAR

Wang Mingshan, secretary of the Political and Legal Affairs Committee of XUAR and former director of the Public Security Department of XUAR

Chen Mingguo, vice chairman of the Government of the XUAR and director of the XUAR Public Security Department

The Public Security Bureau of the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps, a Chinese police agency and state-run paramilitary organization

Global Affairs noted that the state-directed campaign has resulted in the systemic and arbitrary detention of more than a million Uyghurs and other ethnic Muslims in Xinjiang.

We remain deeply concerned by the egregious human rights violations that are taking place in Xinjiang at the hands of the Chinese state, Foreign Affairs Minister Marc Garneau said in a press release.

Today, we are joining our partners in calling on the Government of China to put an end to this systematic campaign of repression against Uyghurs and other Muslim ethnic minorities and to hold those responsible to account.

Chinas massive campaign against the Uyghursincluding political reeducation, forced labour, torture, and forced sterilizationon the basis of their religion and ethnicity has been recognized as an act of genocide by a growing number of countries.

Canada has raised the issue with Chinese authorities, and consistently voiced its deep concern over the repression of minorities in international forums in co-operation with partners, including at the United Nations Human Rights Council, the release said.

On Jan. 12, Canada and the U.K. together announced a set of measures related to the human rights situation in the Xinjiang that prevent the risk of goods produced by forced labour from any country from entering Canadian and global supply chains, and to protect Canadian businesses from becoming unknowingly complicit.
A computer-generated simulation of how a proposed cell tower would look in the landscape in South Williamstown, one of the images included in a 166-page application from Evolution Site Services to the town.

Williamstown ZBA Hearing Another Application to Build Cell Tower

WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass.  The Zoning Board of Appeals on Thursday opened a hearing on an application to erect a cell phone tower in South Williamstown.

Pittsfield's Evolution Site Services is seeking a special permit to erect a 165-foot tall, self-supported lattice tower on a parcel owned by the Phelps family neighboring the campus of the Mount Greylock Regional School.

The proposal drew objections from several residents of Oblong Road who were concerned about the impact on the view shed in the neighborhood and from the director of recreational enterprises for Field Farm, a 316-acre Trustees of Reservations property that abuts the Phelps property.

The ZBA continued Thursday's hearing to a site visit on March 24 (rain date March 31) at 9 a.m., when Evolution will conduct the balloon test called for in the town's bylaw so board members can assess the visual impact of the proposed tower. No decision on the application is expected until at least the board's April 15 meeting.

Evolution is seeking relief from a local regulation that requires cell towers to be set back from property lines by a distance equivalent to the height of the tower plus 50 feet.

The proposal before the ZBA sites the 165-foot tower 192 feet from the eastern boundary of the Phelps property -- 23 feet fewer than required under the bylaw.

"Even if there was a catastrophic failure, it would still fall on the Phelps property," Evolution principal Christopher Ciolfi told the ZBA on Thursday evening.

The board inquired about why Evolution did not avoid the need for a variance by either locating the tower 23 feet to the west or building a 23-foot shorter tower.

The first alternative would have meant the tower's base area -- which is surrounded by a 75-by-75-foot fence would have encroached into a nearby stand of Hitchcock's sedge, which is designated a Species of Special Concern by the commonwealth's Natural Heritage and Endangered Species Program.

"We've been working with Fish and Wildlife in Boston," Ciolfi said. "We had a botanist out here five times this year and back in 2014 when we started this project. There are a few plants of this Hitchcock's sedge.  We shifted the compound, and, by doing that, we're not in the habitat area.

"We will not be harming or disturbing any of the Species of Special Concern."

Ciolfi said he had an email from the Division of Fisheries and Wildlife to that effect and was awaiting a letter from Boston to present to the town.

The latter alternative, a shorter tower, would have meant building a less functional tower.

Evolution has AT&T signed on as the primary user of the planned tower, but it is designed for up to four more "co-locations." Each potential user would require 8 feet of space and, preferably, 4 feet of separation between arrays. Dropping the tower by 23 feet would, essentially, eliminate two spots for co-locators.

"You potentially reduce two users and hurt AT&T's signal  that opens the possibility for a second tower [in the area] in the near future," Ciolfi said. "I did a project in Schodack, N.Y., and the town asked me to build it 10 feet taller, which doesn't usually happen, because they said, 'We don't want you coming back in a few years for a second tower.' If you start cutting the height down, especially by 23 feet, that's the risk."

Thursday's hearing brought to mind two previous cell tower proposals to come before the ZBA in the last decade -- neither of which came to fruition.

In 2011 , a 190-foot cell tower was proposed on the Phelps property (also, in a separate application, for the Mount Greylock campus). The plan at the time the Phelps parcel would have sited a taller tower on a higher section of the land, a difference of about 230 feet when both terrain and tower height are factored together, ZBA Chair Andrew Hoar said.

Nearly three years ago, the board approved a cell tower proposal at the junction of Routes 2 and 7, on the property of the former Taconic Restaurant. The special permit the board issued was never used by the applicant because of issues obtaining a lease from the landowner, and the permit has expired, meaning any new plan would need to go through the permitting process again.

In both the 2011 and 2018 applications, residents raised concerns about the aesthetic impact of new cell towers. The same arguments are being raised with the current proposal.

"[T]he proposed location is situated within a landscape classified as distinctive, which is the highest classification in the 1982 Massachusetts Landscape Inventory published by the state Department of Conservation and Recreation," wrote Matthew Krumme of the Trustees of Reservations. "Field Farm is an abutter immediately to the west which has served as public open space since 1985. As COVID has proven beyond a shadow of a doubt these last 12 months, people are clamoring for safe, accessible outdoor spaces and the number of people who hike our trails at Field Farm to find comfort in nature has risen dramatically.

"But we currently have no idea of the visual impact this tower will have on the scenic vistas from the main house and trails at Field Farm, mainly because no one from AT&T or its consultants have contacted us to discuss what impacts a 165-foot tower will have on one of the most cherished views in Williamstown."

On the other hand, Hancock Road residents Patrick and Dawn Schoorlemmer wrote the board in support of Evolution's application.

"As South Williamstown residents for over 10 years, we feel that the time is long past due to address the cellular dead zones in this part of town," the Schoorlemmers wrote. "Wireless coverage is no longer a frivolous luxury; it is an indispensable tool for residents, visitors and first responders."

While the Zoning Board has the authority to enforce the local bylaw and can negotiate modifications to proposals to address visual impacts, as it did with the 2018 application, federal law favors the ability of wireless providers to site towers to provide adequate coverage.

"Here you have the intersection of federal law and the local bylaw," Community Development Director Andrew Groff told the ZBA on Thursday. "The federal law is telling you one thing, and the local bylaw is telling you another. You kind of have to look at both and weigh them against each other. The federal law preempts your state and local regulations.

"The state is telling you what criteria you have to meet for granting a variance. But at the same time, the federal Telecommunications Act is telling you that you cannot unreasonably impede a carrier's right to establish service in an underserved area."
Draghi asked to reopen Italy's schools "whatever it takes."

Thousands of parents, children and teachers took to the streets in more than 30 cities across Italy yesterday to protest against the ongoing closure of schools under the nation's covid-19 restrictions.

Most schools in Italy, from kindergartens to high school, have been closed since 15 March when the government of Mario Draghi tightened measures to curb the spread of the coronavirus.

Since then millions of students of all ages have reverted to the distance learning methods first implemented in the covid-19 lockdown of last spring, attending lessons online from home.

Sunday's protests, whose number of demonstrators was limited due to covid rules, marked the first significant people-powered challenge to Draghi's coalition since it took office last month.

Demonstrators in Milan filled Piazza del Duomo with schoolbags and hand-written slogans while Rome protesters highlighted the impact of closures on students' education by wearing dunces caps.

Placards contained messages such as "We want to go back to school," My home is not a school, and Open schools, whatever it takes, a reference to Draghis pledge to save the euro when he was the European Central Bank chief in 2012.

"Students have always respected the rules diligently and it is not fair that they have been among the most penalised by this lockdown," read a statement from the Venice-based mothers' group Scuole Aperte.

"Education is not just about knowledge, but about experiences and relationships that cannot be conveyed by a video lesson" - said Scuole Aperte - "School in person is essential for the growth and psychological health of children and young people.

Also getting behind the reopening of schools - at kindergarten and primary level at least - is Francesco Vaia, director of Rome's Lazzaro Spallanzani hospital, a specialist centre for infectious diseases which has played a central role in battling Italy's covid-19 crisis.

Vaia suggests "guaranteeing safety" by ensuring that school staff are vaccinated and has proposed the reopening of the Spallanzani creche on a trial basis, allowing hospital staff to bring their children to work "in peace," reports online newspaper RomaToday.

"We have to get the country out of depression" - Vaia said - "Italians are tired, disheartened. My thoughts go above all to young families with children who attend kindergarten and primary school."

Italy's schools have closed and reopened at varying times since the start of the covid-19 outbreak more than a year ago, depending on the age group and local infection rates.

Senior high school students have been worst affected by the closures which currently apply to all levels in Italy's 'red zones,' meaning that parents either have to work from home or pay for child care.

The government says the closures are necessary to curb rising infection rates however Draghi said on Friday that schools would be "the first sector to reopen, as soon as the contagion situation allows."

Cover photo by ilmamilio.it
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The California Center, using data from the Centers for Disease Control, reported that through last week, California had used slightly over 70% of its supply, well under the national figure and ninth-lowest among the 50 states.

Initially, Newsom had a priority plan for vaccines as they became available, worked out during months of consultation and drafting, but it was quickly abandoned as unworkable once the vaccines began arriving. Ever since, the criteria have changed almost daily, without any explanation of why.

Just this week, millions more Californians were added to the priority list. inundating a system already straining under the weight of limited supply, pervasive tech glitches, political infighting and general confusion, as CalMatters blogger Emily Hoeven described it.

Supposedly the elderly and those with disabilities and severe health conditions were to be near the head of the line, but then Newsom set aside 10% of the vaccine supply for education workers to persuade them to reopen schools and another 40% for low-income communities where COVID-19 has hit the hardest. Last week, the state suddenly added transit workers, commercial airline employees, the homeless and those held in federal immigration centers.
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The Defence Headquarters (DHQ) have reacted to a report on social media that its operatives are spying on a self-acclaimed activist, Sunday Adeyemo, popularly known as Sunday Igboho.

The spokesperson of the DHQ, Bernard Onyeuko, in a statement seen by our correspondent said the military cannot stoop so low to such extent to spy on one individual.

This is in reaction to a viral video which trended on social media on Friday, showing suspected soldiers on a motorcycle. They were allegedly spying on Mr Igboho at his residence in Ibadan, Oyo State.

The military said for the records, it should be noted that the Armed Forces of Nigeria, are highly professional in the discharge of their duties, with well-defined roles, responsibilities and duties in its mandate of securing the territorial integrity of the Nigerian Nation.

As such, the Military cannot stoop so low to such extent to spy on one individual, as wildly and loosely alleged.

Secondly, the Armed Forces of Nigeria is a highly disciplined and professional organization with extant laws and regulations which guide the actions of its personnel in the conduct of their duties. As such, it is practically impossible for military personnel on official duty to conduct themselves in such manner as alleged by Adeyemo and his cohorts.

For the avoidance of doubt, preliminary investigation has so far revealed that one of the alleged soldiers is a serial impersonator. Meanwhile credible eye witnesses and sources have also revealed that some associates of Igboho went in pursuit of some individuals when the motorbike conveying the impersonator and one Nigerian Air Force personnel ran into them.

The duo were immediately apprehended and taken to the said IGBOHO House at Soka before Ibadan tollgate where they were branded as spies. Furthermore, investigations are currently underway by Nigerian Airforce and the Nigerian Army to unravel the actual circumstances which played out on the day.

Due to rising insecurity in the region, Mr Igboho recently issued an eviction notice to herders in Oyo State in January over actions of criminals hiding under the cover of legitimate herdsmen.

His visit to Igangan in Oyo and Yewa in Ogun State led to the destruction of properties worth millions of naira.

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Hole MK-20-259 intersects 8.46 g/t Au over 13.8 metres, including 132 g/t Au over 0.8 metres.

Recent intersection shows continuity, located 50 metres south of the previous intersection of 13.95 g/t Au over 14.35 metres (MK-20-255).

Mineralized envelope continues to expand, with new intersections outside of the limits of the current resource estimate.

Results are pending for six drill holes of the Phase 1 12-hole drilling program totalling 5,912 metres. Phase 2 program of 8,700 metres to start in April or May, following spring break-up.

MONTREAL, QC / ACCESSWIRE / March 22, 2021 / MONARCH MINING CORPORATION ("Monarch" or the "Corporation") (TSX:GBAR)(OTC PINK:GBARF) is pleased to announce the first set of results from its 2020-2021 exploration diamond drilling program on its wholly-owned McKenzie Break project, located 25 kilometres north of Val-d'Or, Quebec. The results include several significant intersections as Monarch continues to expand the high-grade section of the recently estimated resource towards the south, east and west.

"We are very pleased that we have been able to expand the mineralized envelope beyond the limits of the previous resource estimate with wide intersections from holes like MK-20-259, and that there is continuity between drill holes, even with 50-metre step-outs," said Jean-Marc Lacoste, President and Chief Executive Officer of Monarch. "We are continuing to follow and expand this high-grade section of the resource estimate by drilling, and will also be testing similar features elsewhere on the newly-expanded property."

Phase 1 diamond drilling was carried out on 50-metre step-out holes, with 5,912 metres drilled. Assay results are available for 6 of the 12 holes drilled. The most significant result includes 8.46 g/t Au over 13.8 metres from hole MK-20-259, drilled 50 metres south of hole MK-20-255, which had returned an assay of 13.95 g/t Au over 14.35 metres (see press release dated July 23, 2020). Strong results were also obtained 50 metres west of hole MK-20-255, with 19.5 g/t Au over 1.0 metre and 7.83 g/t Au over 1.0 metre in hole MK-20-257. Other significant results are shown on figure 1 and in table 1, below.

Figure 1: McKenzie Break property with recent assay results.

Table 1: Significant assay results

Hole From

(m) To

(m) Width*

(m) Au

(g/t) MK-20-256 287.0 289.0 2.0 2.89 MK-20-257 251.0 252.0 1.0 7.83 MK-20-257 270.0 271.0 1.0 19.50 MK-20-258 262.5 274.5 12.0 1.29 Including 268.5 270.0 1.5 5.41 MK-20-258 336.0 338.0 2.0 6.35 MK-20-259 290.0 303.8 13.8 8.46 Including 290.0 292.0 2.0 4.57 Including 303.0 303.8 0.8 132.00 MK-20-260 319.0 320.0 1.0 1.70 MK-20-263 207.0 208.0 1.0 1.47 *The width shown is the core length. True width is estimated at 80-85% of core length

Table 2: Drill hole location

Hole Easting

(UTM) Northing

(UTM) Azimuth

() Dip

() Length

(m) MK-20-256 310135 5358497 230 -88 420 MK-20-257 310106 5358452 230 -88 420 MK-20-258 310106 5358402 230 -88 420 MK-20-259 310156 5358402 230 -88 420 MK-20-260 310253 5358399 230 -88 453 MK-20-263 310206 5358352 230 -88 467



Gold mineralization occurs in an elongated diorite unit or lens within a shallow embayment of the Pascalis Batholith. Monarch continues to have drilling success beyond the limits of the recent resource update provided by Geologica and GoldMinds (see table 3 and press release dated February 8, 2021). The Corporation will continue drill testing the limits of the mineralized envelope as well as other priority targets on the property, including targets on the newly-staked claims to the south (see press release dated March 8, 2021), with its 8,700-metre Phase 2 drilling program. Drilling is expected to resume in April or May following the spring break-up.

Table 3: Combined resources (in-pit and underground) by category for the McKenzie Break deposit at the selected cut-off grades

Area (cut-off grade) Indicated resource Inferred resource Tonnes

(t) Grade

(g/t) Ounces

(Au) Tonnes

(t) Grade

(g/t) Ounces

(Au) Pit-constrained (0.50 g/t Au) 1,441,377 1.80 83,305 2,243,562 1.44 104,038 Underground (2.38 g/t Au) 387,720 5.03 62,677 1,083,503 4.21 146,555 TOTAL 1,829,097 145,982 3,327,065 250,593

Notes:

Mineral resources which are not mineral reserves do not have demonstrated economic viability. An Inferred Mineral Resource has a lower level of confidence than that applying to a Measured and Indicated Mineral Resource and must not be converted to a Mineral Reserve. The estimate of mineral resources may be materially affected by environmental, permitting, legal, title, market or other relevant issues. The quantity and grade of reported inferred resources are uncertain in nature and there has not been sufficient work to define these inferred resources as indicated or measured resources. The database used for this mineral estimate includes drill results obtained from historical records and up to the recent 2018-2020 drill program. Mineral resources are reported at a cut-off grade of 0.50 g/t Au for the pit-constrained and underground mineral resources are reported at a cut-off grade of 2.38 g/t Au within reasonably mineable volumes. These cut-offs were calculated at a gold price of C$1,980 ounce. The pit-constrained resources were based on the following parameters: mining cost $3.5/t, processing, transportation + G&A costs $27/t, Au recovery 95%, pit slopes 15 degrees for overburden and 50 degrees for rock. The underground reasonably mineable volumes were based on the following parameters: mining cost $98/t, processing, transportation + G&A costs $27/t, Au recovery 95%, dilution of 15% at 0 g/t Au with a minimum stope dimension of 10m x 10m x 5m. The geological interpretation of the deposits was based on lithologies and the typical mineralized interval mainly composed by diorite hosted shear zones. The mineral resource presented here was estimated with a block size of 5m X 5m X 5m for the pit-constrained and for underground. The blocks were interpolated from equal length composites calculated from the mineralized intervals. Prior to compositing, high-grade gold assays were capped to 60 g/t Au applied on 0.6-metre composites. The mineral estimation was completed using the inverse distance squared methodology utilizing two passes. For each pass, search ellipsoids followed the geological interpretation trends were used. Tonnage estimates are based on rock specific gravity of 2.77 tonnes per cubic metre for all the zones. Results are presented undiluted and in situ. Estimates use metric units (metres, tonnes and g/t). Metal contents are presented in troy ounces (metric tonne x grade / 31.10348). This mineral resource estimate is dated February 1, 2021, and the effective date for the drillhole database used to produce this updated mineral resource estimate is September 28, 2020. No economic evaluation of the resources has been produced.

The resource estimate was prepared by Merouane Rachidi, P.Geo., Ph.D., and Claude Duplessis, P.Eng., of GoldMinds Geoservices Inc., both qualified persons in accordance with National Instrument 43-101 standards.

Sampling consists of sawing the NQ-size core into equal halves along its main axis and shipping one of the halves to the AGAT Laboratories in Mississauga, Ontario for assaying. The samples are crushed, pulverized and assayed by fire assay, with atomic absorption finish. Results exceeding 3.0 g/t Au are re-assayed using the gravity method, and samples containing visible gold grains are assayed using the metallic screen method. Monarch uses a comprehensive QA/QC protocol, including the insertion of standards, blanks and duplicates.

The technical and scientific content of this press release has been reviewed and approved by Louis Martin, P.Geo., the Corporation's qualified person under National Instrument 43-101.

About Monarch

Monarch Mining Corporation (TSX: GBAR) is a fully integrated mining company that owns four advanced projects, including the fully permitted past-producing Beaufor Mine, which has produced more than 1 million ounces of gold over the last 30 years. Other advanced assets include the Croinor Gold, McKenzie Break and Swanson properties, all located near Monarch's wholly owned and fully permitted Beacon 750 tpd mill. Monarch owns 28,725 hectares (287 km2) of mining assets in the prolific Abitibi mining camp that host 588,482 ounces of combined measured and indicated gold resources and 329,393 ounces of combined inferred resources.

Forward-Looking Statements

The forward-looking statements in this press release involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause Monarch's 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.

FOR MORE INFORMATION:

Jean-Marc Lacoste 1-888-994-4465 President and Chief Executive Officer jm.lacoste@monarchmining.com Mathieu Seguin 1-888-994-4465 Vice President, Corporate Development m.seguin@monarchmining.com Elisabeth Tremblay 1-888-994-4465 Senior Geologist - Communications Specialist e.tremblay@monarchmining.com www.monarchmining.com



Table 4 - Monarch combined gold resources

Tonnes

(metric) Grade

(g/t Au) Ounces Croinor Gold1 Measured Resources 80,100 8.44 21,700 Indicated Resources 724,500 9.20 214,300 Total Measured and Indicated 804,600 9.12 236,000 Total Inferred 160,800 7.42 38,400 Beaufor mine2 Measured Resources 121,000 5.62 21,900 Indicated Resources 310,100 7.10 70,800 Total Measured and Indicated 431,100 6.68 92,700 Total Inferred 134,600 6.96 30,100 McKenzie Break3 In-pit Total Indicated 1,441,377 1.80 83,305 Total Inferred 2,243,562 1.44 104,038 Underground Total Indicated 387,720 5.03 62,677 Total Inferred 1,083,503 4.21 146,555 Swanson4 In-pit Total Indicated 1,864,000 1.76 105,400 Total Inferred 29,000 2.46 2,300 Underground Total Indicated 91,000 2.86 8,400 Total Inferred 87,000 2.87 8,000 TOTAL COMBINED5 Measured and Indicated Resources Inferred Resources 588,482 329,393 1 Source: Monarch Gold prefeasibility study (January 19, 2018) and resource estimate (January 8, 2016). This resource was completed for Monarch Gold and has not been reviewed by a qualified person for Monarch Mining as required under National Instrument 43-101 and is thus considered as an historical estimate. 2 Source: NI 43-101 Technical Report and Mineral Resource Estimate for the Beaufor Mine, December 18, 2020, Val-d'Or, Quebec, Canada, Carl Pelletier, P. Geo., InnovExplo Inc. and John Langton, P. Geo., JPL GeoServices Inc. 3 Source: NI 43-101 Technical Evaluation Report on the McKenzie Break Property, February 1, 2021, Val-d'Or, Quebec, Canada, Alain-Jean Beauregard, P.Geo., Daniel Gaudreault, P.Eng., Geologica Groupe-Conseil Inc., and Merouane Rachidi, P.Geo., Claude Duplessis, P.Eng., GoldMinds GeoServices Inc. 4 Source: NI 43-101 Technical Report and Mineral Resource Estimate for the Swanson Project, January 22, 2021, Val-d'Or, Quebec, Canada, Christine Beausoleil, P. Geo. and Alain Carrier, P. Geo., InnovExplo Inc. 5 Numbers may not add due to rounding.



SOURCE: Monarch Gold Corp.

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/636565/Monarch-Continues-to-Expand-Mineralized-Zone-on-Its-Mckenzie-Break-Property-with-846-gt-Au-over-138-m-453-Feet
WESTBROOK  When you hear the name Cadillac you think of luxury  sumptuous leather seats, a smooth, quiet ride and a powerful V-8 under the hood. A car to take you to Las Vegas or on a leisurely Sunday drive.

But for Sam Willard, now 92, owning a 1907 Cadillac was a long-held dream.

And, Willard didnt mind that the early model car was a far cry from what the luxury brand Cadillac would become decades later, or that the years had taken their toll.

His wish came true in 1966 when he bought the relic, which needed loads of mechanical and body work.

Some 50-plus years later, Willard hand-picked the buyer, an antique car collector and family friend, Bill Lillie, who lives in Mystic.

He parted with the old, restored Caddy because he could no longer drive it, but wanted to sell it to someone who would let him visit his treasured auto from time to time.

Now, Willard gets to ride around in the classic vehicle with the new owner and he doesn't regret letting this car go.

The fella I sold it to likes it more than I do  if its possible. Wherever he goes, he tells me about it or actually brings me along. Willard said.

So Im enjoying it as if I owned it.

The car recently attracted attention in the national magazine Hemmings Classic Car.

Willard found his treasure by chance.

Willard, who taught automotive mechanics classes at a school in Bristol, learned of the Cadillacs existence from a student after he talked about the early automobile production in the United States.

One time I said I wanted to own a 1-cylinder Cadillac, he said. One of my students picked up on that and said, I found you a Cadillac. I went and looked at it and I bought it.

It struck my fancy, Willard said. I had seen a few and they seemed so durable and they ran so nice.

The car was purchased in Harwinton and it never left Connecticut since it was first sold in 1907, according to Willard.

Willard apparently passed on his love of classic autos to his son, Richard, who founded Vintage Motorcars in Westbrook in 1985.

Sam Willard had started to work on the car, but the project fell to the wayside. His son took over restoring it in 2010, and it became a two-year endeavor.

My father had this car kicking around as far back as I can remember, Richard Willard said. He was a great starter of projects, but not so good at completing them.

Richard Willard noted, that while the car was a long way from the Cadillac of the mid-20th century, in 1907, that thing was like a spaceship to them  that was state of the art  unbelievable.

And it had luxury status even in 1907. It was a whole lot more money than a Model T, he said. In comparison, Richard Willard said, The Model T was a tinny bucket.

The whole concept was luxury  the quality of the vehicle, the colors.

Absolutely incredible technology to see this vehicle go down the street without a horse pulling it.

The 1907 Model M Straight Line Touring Cadillac, a rare find, had a top speed of 35 mph and sported a 10 hp engine. (For comparison, in 2021, the high performance Cadillac, CTS-V 640, has a horsepower of 640.)

I think theres lawn tractors today that have more horsepower, Richard Willard quipped.

During the touring cars heyday, these horseless carriages were thought to be a menace to horses and one early law required that the car stop, pull over and be covered up to not upset the animals as they trotted along the road, according to Willard.

Richard Willard got to see this effect on horses for himself. In his youth, he took the car out for a spin near his home on Mile Creek Road in Old Lyme when the horses from a neighboring farm became highly agitated.

The horses went crazy, he said. I always heard that a lot of people were against cars in the road because of the horses.

Richard Willard thinks it is because of the unique sounds the 1-cylinder engine makes and the fact that it would repeatedly backfire.

While the early car had its quirks, it was an example of state-of-the-art technology of its time.

The ground-breaking innovation of the 1907 Caddy was that its parts were standardized, which had not been done in the auto industry at the time.

Before the Cadillac, auto parts were custom machined for each vehicle, even for the same model.

In the early 1900s, auto manufacturing was crude, according to Richard Willard.

For the 1907 Cadillac parts, you didnt have to touch them, you just put it together.

Richard Willard talked about the pleasure he gets from restoring old autos and driving them.

I like history and thats living history that youre touching and working on, he said.

When youre looking at a car thats almost 100 years old or 50 years old and what its been through and youre kind of bringing it back to life.

He also revels in the challenge and the craftsmanship involved in working on a classic car and restoring it to like new condition.

Look at what this car looked like and look at what it looks like now, Richard Willard said.

And, there is the emotional side of the business as well for him.

Youre fulfilling somebodys dream and desires  This is my fathers car and this is the way I remember it.
Tamil Nadu chief minister on Sunday hit out at Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam chief MK Stalin stating that his father late did not believe him, how will people of the state trust him.

" himself did not believe Stalin. During his last two years when he was ill, he did not hand over the party to Stalin. He did not trust his son. In such a case, how will people believe him?" Palaniswami said during an election rally in Tiruvannamalai.

The 234-members 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 fifteenth legislative assembly in Tamil Nadu is ending on May 2, 2021. As many as 6,28,23,749 electors will choose candidates for the sixteenth legislative assembly in Tamil Nadu.

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).

The DMK will contest 173 seats out of the total 234 and a total of 61 seats has been apportioned to its alliance partners. Under the DMK-led alliance, the Congress party will contest 25 seats, while six each have been given to CPI, CPI (M), Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi (VCK), and Vaiko's Marumalarchi Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (MDMK).

Actor Kamal Haasan's Makkal Needhi Maiam (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.
Royal Caribbean and its sister line Celebrity Cruises have both announced they are relaunching their services in June - but say passengers can only travel if they are fully vaccinated against COVID-19.

The move ends a yearlong forced hiatus following the outbreak of the pandemic.

But the decision to only allow vaccinated customers on board has sparked calls to boycott firms from some, who say the cruise line are 'eroding freedoms'.

Vaccine critic Dr. Simone Gold tweeted: 'WOW: @RoyalCaribbean cruises is now requiring you to get an experimental vaccine to book a cruise with them.

'I will be boycotting the company instead. Who else is with me? #BoycottRC'

Jan Nolin said: '@RoyalCaribbean my medical information is none of your business! I won't be patronizing any business that requires my personal health information.'

Another Twitter user, Shelley Orr, added: 'Our freedoms are eroding right before our very eyes!!'

Royal Caribbean and its sister line Celebrity Cruises have both announced they are relaunching their services in June. Royal Caribbean's Quantum of the Seas cruise ship is moored at Marina Bay Cruise Center after a passenger tested positive for coronavirus disease (COVID-19) during a cruise to nowhere, in Singapore, December 9, 2020

The move ends a yearlong forced hiatus following the outbreak of the pandemic. The Celebrity Infinity Cruise ship returns to PortMiami from a cruise in the Caribbean as the world deals with the coronavirus outbreak on March 14, 2020 in Miami, Florida

But the decision to only allow vaccinated customers on board has sparked calls to boycott firms from some, who say the cruise line are 'eroding freedoms'

The Celebrity Millennium ship will relaunch on June 5 from St. Maarten.

One itinerary will stop in Aruba, Curacao and Barbados, and another will stop in Tortola, St. Lucia and Barbados.

Royal Caribbean Group's namesake line will start a week later with a voyage leaving from Nassau, the Bahamas on the Adventure of the Seas.

Passengers will also have to adhere to the requirements of the country they visit.

US air travelers top 1.5 million in a single day for first time since March 2020 More than 1.5 million people streamed through US airport security checkpoints on Sunday, the largest number in more than a year when the pandemic first brought the travel industry to a crashing halt. The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) said Monday it screened about 1.54 million people Sunday, which appeared to be the largest number since March 13 2020. This marked the 11th straight day that numbers topped more than one million, as a growing number of people are taking to the skies after becoming vaccinated against COVID-19 or being drawn by the lure of spring break season. While this comes as welcome news for the airline industry which was one of the hardest hit over the last year, the trend flies in the face of guidance issued by the nation's top health experts. The CDC has warned that a surge in travel could kick off another wave of the virus - a worrying trend that was witnessed first after Thanksgiving and, second, after Christmas. TSA data shows more than triple the number of people passed through airport security Sunday than the comparable Sunday one year ago when just 454,516 people traveled. The seven-day rolling average of screenings has also doubled since February 1. Advertisement

Michael Bayley, president and CEO, Royal Caribbean International called the vaccines 'a game changer'.

He added: 'With the number of vaccinations and their impact growing rapidly, we believe starting with cruises for vaccinated adult guests and crew is the right choice.

'As we move forward, we expect this requirement and other measures will inevitably evolve over time'

Celebrity Cruises CEO Lisa Lutoff-Perlo said returning to the Caribbean 'marks the measured beginning of the end of what has been a uniquely challenging time for everyone.'

She told Good Morning America that all guests and crew over the age of 18 must be fully vaccinated with the COVID-19 shot. Children will be required to show a negative PCR test within 72 hours of their cruise.

With the Caribbean such a popular destination, 'Its not entirely surprising to see both Celebrity and Royal Caribbean finding a way to return to the region,' said Colleen McDaniel, editor or Cruise Critic, a website that reviews cruises.

'But it is massive news for the cruise industry, and for the Caribbean itself.'

In the Dutch Caribbean country of St. Maarten, tourism accounts for nearly 80% of all jobs, and nearly 80% of tourists arrive on cruise ships.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has held up cruise ship operations in U.S. waters since March 2020, although it has laid out guidelines for cruises to resume with conditional sailing certificates.

It notes: 'CDC recommends that all people avoid travel on cruise ships, including river cruises, worldwide, because the risk of COVID-19 on cruise ships is very high.

'It is especially important that people with an increased risk of severe illness avoid travel on cruise ships, including river cruises.

'Cruise passengers are at increased risk of person-to-person spread of infectious diseases, including COVID-19, and outbreaks of COVID-19 have been reported on cruise ships.'

The Caribbean is a popular destination for American customers.

So is Alaska, but the Canadian government has banned cruise ships carrying more than 100 passengers through February 2022, which will stop many ships from visiting Alaska this summer.

The ships accounted for most of Alaska's 1.3 million visitors in 2019, before the pandemic.
The Ghana Upstream Petroleum Chamber (GUPC) has indicated its willingness to support government through a collaborative process by bringing industry and government together to address pertinent issues affecting the sector.



The Chief Executive Officer of the chamber, Mr David Ampofo, gave this assurance when he led a three-man delegation to pay a courtesy call on the Minister for Energy, Dr Matthew Opoku Prempeh, at the Ministry on Monday and to formally welcome him to the sector.



Giving the background to the chamber, Mr Ampofo explained that it had arisen out of a collaboration between companies involved in exploration and production activities in the petroleum upstream sector. However, two years ago this collaboration was formalized to set up the chamber, primarily to focus on advocacy regarding the upstream sector and build the relationship between the industry and other stakeholders.



He emphasized that it was important to bring Ghanaian service companies on board and that the chamber was actively working to bring them into the chamber in order to make it more representative of the industry.



Mr Ampofo indicated further that it was the chambers aim to improve the collaboration between the industry and government through the Minister and assured Dr Prempeh of the chambers support.



Thanking the delegation for the visit, the Minister stressed that in undertaking their admirable role, it was important for the chamber to be mindful of the important balancing act between the interests of the industry, which comprises international oil companies IOCs operating in Ghana and that of the government and people of Ghana. He indicated his strong support for the idea of local content as the most viable way in which Ghanaian businesses can get to play a meaningful role in the energy sector.

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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Brunei

Brunei has joined the global Covax scheme and is expecting to have the COVID-19 vaccine in Q1 2021, having sourced enough supplies to cover 50% of the population. Discussions are on-going with other suppliers.

Brunei recorded one new case on May 8, bringing the total to 330 cases amid three deaths.

Brunei saw one new case on May 7, taking the total to 229 cases amid three deaths.

Brunei recorded one new case on May 4, taking the total to 228 amid three deaths.

Cambodia

Cambodia is expected to import vaccines from both China and Russia. Chinas vaccines are still undergoing clinical trials while Russia has already commenced production. Australia has offered financial support to aid vaccine coverage in several southeast Asia countries including Cambodia.

Cambodia recorded 538 new cases on May 8, bringing the total to 18,717 cases amid 114 deaths.

Cambodia recorded 558 new cases on May 7, taking the total to 18,179 cases and 114 deaths.

Cambodia reported 650 new cases and four deaths on May 6, bringing the tallies to 17,621 cases and 114 deaths.

Indonesia

Indonesia has commenced vaccinations with just over nine million doses being given to front line workers from last month. Chinas Sinovac is in discussions with Indonesia to provide supplies, however, the Government faces difficulties with a large population of 268 million and price sensitivity at Sinovacs estimated costs at 200,000 rupiah (US$20) a dose.

Indonesias Health Ministrys Disease Control and Prevention Director-General Achmad Yurianto said that vaccinations would only be provided to citizens aged 18-59. The vaccine has also been required to pass halal certification prior to use and it is uncertain how the country can source enough vaccines to reach a sizeable part of its population. Australia has stated it will also provide financial support to solve these issues.

Indonesia recorded 6,130 new cases and 179 deaths on May 8, bringing the totals to 1,709,762 cases and 46,842 deaths.

Indonesia saw 6,327 new cases and 167 deaths on May 7, bringing the tallies to 1,703,632 cases and 46,663 deaths.

Indonesia reported 5,647 new cases and 147 deaths on May 6, bringing the totals to 1,697,305 cases and 46,496 deaths.

Laos

Laos has been trialing the Russian Sputnik V vaccine and is also in discussions with China about acquiring supplies.

Laos recorded 28 new cases on May 8, bringing the total to 1,233.

Laos saw 28 new cases on May 7, taking the total to 1,205.

Laos saw 105 new cases on May 6, taking the total to 1,177.

Malaysia

Malaysia is to provide vaccines free of charge to its nationals, but foreigners will need to pay for the treatment, according to the Malaysian Minister of Health, Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin, who has signed a deal with Pfizer for 12.8 million doses.

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These will be administered in two stages of 6.4 million people each, with the program to commence in Q1 2021. The country aims to inoculate between 80-100% of its citizens.

Malaysia reported 4,519 new cases and 25 deaths on May 8, taking the tallies to 436,944 cases and 1,657 deaths.

Malaysia saw 4,498 new cases and 22 deaths on May 7, bringing the tallies to 432,425 cases and 1,632 deaths.

Malaysia recorded 3,551 new cases and 19 deaths on May 6, taking the totals to 427,927 cases and 1,610 deaths.

Myanmar

Myanmar is seeking assistance from the Gavi and Covax programs to acquire vaccines, while Australia is also providing financial relief. At present, the Government aims to treat 20 percent of the most at risk in the country with vaccines. The Government is struggling with finances and logistics and is also under US sanctions, while cases are surging. The Government has banned the celebration of Christmas and other seasonal celebrations.

Myanmar recorded 31 new cases on May 8, taking the total to 142,934 amid 3,210 deaths.

Myanmar saw 29 new cases on May 7, taking the total to 142,903 amid 3,210 deaths.

Myanmar recorded 16 new cases and one death on May 5, bringing the total to 142,874 amid 3,210 deaths.

Philippines

The Philippines aims to commence vaccinations from June 2021 and expects to inoculate about 25 million people (about 25 percent of its population) over the course of the year. The country has been badly affected by the virus and has the second-highest rate in Southeast Asia.

The business community has reacted, more than 30 local companies signed an agreement to purchase at least 2.6 million vaccine doses from AstraZeneca in the countrys first such deal to secure coronavirus vaccines, ten days ago. They plan to donate a large part of the doses to the government for its planned vaccination program and use the rest to inoculate their employees.

The country saw 6,979 new cases and 170 deaths on May 8, taking the totals to 1,094,849 cases and 18,269 deaths.

The Philippines reported 7,733 new cases and 108 deaths on May 7, bringing the tallies to 1,087,885 cases and 18,099 deaths.

The Philippines saw 6,637 new cases and 191 deaths on May 6, bringing the totals to 1,080,172 cases and 17,991 deaths.

Singapore

Singapore has been working on producing its own Lunar vaccine, in a joint venture between the US company Arcturus together with the Duke-NUS medical school. It is a single dose, mRNA shot, developed from genetically engineering COVID-19 genes into an otherwise harmless virus. This technique is marginally safer than other vaccines which rely on dead Covid-19 material to provoke an immune response. The vaccine is expected to be available from Q1 2021. High-risk personnel will receive the vaccine first in a process to be determined by the government.

Singapore recorded 20 new cases on May 8, taking the total to 61,331 cases amid 31 deaths.

Singapore saw 25 new cases on May 7, taking the total to 61,311 cases amid 31 deaths.

Singapore saw 18 new cases on May 6, bringing the total to 61,286 cases amid 31 deaths.

Thailand

Thailand is currently expecting vaccines to be delivered in mid-2021. The doses would cover 13 million people in a population of about 69 million.

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Thailands National Vaccine Institute signed a non-refundable advance market commitment contract worth 2.38 billion baht (US$79 million) with AstraZeneca to reserve the supplies. Discussions are also on-going with Oxford University in the UK to secure a vaccine that could be available in Q1 if trials are completed in time.

Thailand reported 2,419 new cases and 19 deaths on May 8, taking the tallies to 81,274 cases and 382 deaths.

Thailand recorded 2,044 new cases and 27 deaths on May 7, taking the totals to 78,855 cases and 363 deaths.

Thailand reported 1,911 new cases and 18 deaths on May 6, taking the tallies to 76,811 cases and 336 deaths.

Vietnam

Vietnams National Institute of Hygiene and Epidemiology (NIHE), a division of Vietnams Ministry of Health, has signed an agreement with Medigen Vaccine, a Taipei, Taiwan-based vaccine company to secure the supply of 3 million to 10 million COVID-19 vaccine doses in 2021. Medigen is currently conducting Phase II studies of the vaccine, co-developed with the USAs National Institutes of Health (NIH), in Taiwan and Vietnam with a view to a Q1 2021 rollout.

Vietnam is also working on producing its own vaccine, with the Institute of Vaccines and Medical Biologicals (IVAC) in Nha Trang City, partnering with New York City-based Icahn School of Medicine and the global health non-profit organization PATH. Phase 1 trials are already underway in Vietnam, while Phases 2 & 3 will be conducted at the beginning of 2021. The institute plans to submit documents for approval to the health ministry as early as April next year and claims to be capable of producing 30 million doses a year, expecting that a national vaccine could be distributed to the general population in October 2021.
Prime Minister Florin Citu announced today that he will meet with the Bucharest General Mayor and the sector mayors to discuss the capital city's rise in COVID-19 infections, mentioning that there is a minority of rule-breakers and that he is waiting for solutions from the local authorities, according to AGERPRES.

Citu specified that today at 16:00 he will have an online meeting with the prefects and that on Tuesday he will meet with the County Council and municipal associations.

"There is a minority that disobeys the rules in force. Therefore, I decided to have a meeting today with the Bucharest General Mayor and the sector mayors to discuss the situation in Bucharest. At 16:00 I will have an online discussion with the prefects, and tomorrow I will discuss with the Association of Romania's County Councils and Municipalities. It is time for the solutions to come from the local authorities. Each municipality has its own specifics," Citu said.

He added that "only a few" restaurants do not follow the rules.

"Where the law is disobeyed, I will be uncompromising. No one is above the law. Unfortunately, there are also lawmakers who incite disobedience of the law. (...) I have no problem with protests, (... ) but let them do it in compliance with the law, let them wear a mask. (...) I asked IntMin Bode to present a report on what happened over the weekend. No one is above the law," the Prime Minister underlined.

Asked if locking down Bucharest is being considered, Citu said: "Personally, I wanted us to keep the economy open and we found solutions. I want us to find solutions so that we do not end up in a lockdown. We will make the decision after I meet with the General Mayor and the sector mayors. That's why I'm waiting for solutions."
Benson calls on state lawmakers to make it easier to vote, harder to cheat

Benson calls on state lawmakers to make it easier to vote, harder to cheat

MARCH 22, 2021

Two dozen lawmakers sponsoring bills to protect democracy, voting rights

Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson called on legislative leaders today to begin work in earnest to make it easier to vote and harder to cheat by moving bills that align with the Advance The Vote agenda she unveiled in February.

"Michigan voters elected me because I promised to make it easier to vote and harder to cheat in Michigan elections," said Benson. "And that's exactly what I did in the 2020 elections, which saw millions of voters utilize new expanded voting rights, and was audited more than any election in state history."

Benson noted the 2020 general election saw more than 3.3 million Michigan citizens cast absentee ballots, including nearly 30,000 who registered on Election Day. More than 250 post-election audits were then conducted by the state Bureau of Elections and more than 1,300 Republican, Democratic and non-partisan clerks around the state.

"I'm grateful to the two dozen state lawmakers who have sponsored bills that further the will of Michigan voters, and it's time for legislative leaders to move them forward," said Benson. "All voters deserve convenient and equal access to their right to vote absentee. Clerks deserve time and support to process absentee ballots in the days leading up to Election Day so that we have results shortly after polls close. And a post-election audit should be conducted before results are certified."

Numerous bills have been introduced in the state House and Senate that align with Secretary Benson's legislative agenda, including House Bills 4361 and 4362 and Senate Bills 0008 and 0009. These bills propose the following:

Require clerks to maintain a permanent absentee voter application list.

Require counting of absentee ballots postmarked on or before Election Day and received by clerk within 48 hours.

Require absentee ballot applications be sent by clerks to all electors.

Ensure voters have the ability to fix signature errors on absentee ballot applications and ballots.

Allow absentee ballot processing up to 22 days before Election Day.

Ensure the votes of military servicemembers overseas are counted by allowing them to return their ballots electronically.

All of the bills have been referred to committee, but none have received a hearing or vote.

# # #

For media questions, contact

Tracy Wimmer at 517-281-1876.

We welcome questions and comments at the Contact the Secretary of State page.

Customers may call the Department of State Information Center to

speak to a customer-service representative at 888-SOS-MICH (767-6424).
Tennessee Governor Bill Lee on Monday called on the faith community to support Tennessee foster kids in finding permanent homes through a new public-private initiative, TN Fosters Hope.

Led by the Governors Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives, TN Fosters Hope creates a partnership between the Tennessee Department of Childrens Services and two leading private partners, Tennessee Kids Belong and Show Hope.

When we join forces with the faith community and trusted partners like Tennessee Kids Belong and Show Hope, we can help Tennessee foster kids find permanent, loving homes, said Governor Lee. I am calling on the faith community to join us as we work to build one of the most adoption-friendly states in the country.

TN Fosters Hope includes the following areas of focus:

Establishing a network of churches statewide to support the foster and adoptive needs of their communities

Recruiting and certifying families who can care for foster children with increased needs

Building pathways for full DCS custody children to find permanent adoption

To further support foster children, Governor Lee has also proposed a TennCare coverage extension for adopted youth that will allow them to retain their TennCare eligibility until age 18 regardless of federal or state adoption assistance eligibility. This includes retaining existing physical, mental and behavioral health services.

"On behalf of the nearly 8,300 children in our care, I thank Governor Lee and all of our Tennessee Fosters Hope partners for their commitment to improving the lives of children and families in our state," said Jennifer Nichols, commissioner of the Tennessee Department of Children's Services. "The Department of Childrens Services cannot do this work alone. We must have foster parents, providers, houses of worship, community organizations, lawmakers, and citizens step up to provide homes, support and wrap around services that will lead to permanency. Working together through TN Fosters Hope, we will be able to fulfill Governor Lees vision of making Tennessee a national leader in foster care and adoption services."

Through our personal story of adoption and our continued work with Show Hope, Mary Beth and I remain committed to vulnerable children and to the families who are welcoming them into their hearts and homes," said Steven Curtis Chapman, co-founder and vice chair of Show Hope. "The collaborative efforts of TN Fosters Hope will help elevate the quality of care across our great state for children and families impacted by foster care and adoption, and we encourage everyone, particularly churches and faith communities, to get involved by becoming educated and finding ways to help meet these unique needs."

Tennessee is already a leader in serving vulnerable children," said Dave Worland, executive director of the Governors Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives. "I believe TN Fosters Hope is an example of what amazing work can happen when dozens of community organizations, state agencies, and hundreds of Houses of Worship collaborate to provide homes where children and families experiencing foster care and adoption can flourish."

Get involved at https://tnfostershope.tn.gov/






Anatavario, Mar 12 (UNI) INS Jalashwa reached the port of Antsiranana, Madagascar today with an Indian Naval training team on-board.

The Indian Naval training team will be deployed in Madagascar for capacity building and training of the Malagasy Special Forces for two weeks. India and Madagascar share wide ranging cooperation in defence sector. A MoU for Defence Cooperation was signed between India and Madagascar in March 2018 during the visit of the President of India to Madagascar and several bilateral cooperation projects in the area of defence are under discussions between the two countries.

A four member delegation led by Major General Leon Jean Richar Rakotonirina, Minister of National Defence, Republic of Madagascar, visited India from from February 3 to 5, 2021 to participate in the Aero India 2021 and IOR Defence Ministers Conclave at Bengaluru. INS Jalashwa will leave for Comoros to deliver 1000 metric tonnes of rice and then will head to the Port of Ehoala in Madagascar to deliver a consignment of 1000 metric tonnes of rice and 100,000 tablets of HCQ to help Madagascar in dealing with the drought situation in South Madagascar.
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Chennai, March 22 : History bears examples galore of monarchs, who after a series of battle defeats, would finally triumph. Tamil Nadu's self-styled "Election King" K. Padmarajan, however, offers a contrast.

As an independent candidate, Padmarajan recently filed his 217th nomination recently in the poll-bound state and has no compunction in admitting that he is staring at yet another defeat.

Like King Vikramaditya in the "Vikram aur Betaal" legend, he has not lost heart in contesting polls across the country against big leaders again and again despite no hope of victory.

"I have contested against Atal Bihari Vajpayee, Narasimha Rao, Manmohan Singh, J. Jayalalithaa, M. Karunanidhi, A.K. Antony, B.S.Yediyurappa, S.M. Krishna, A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, Ramnath Kovind, Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi," Padmarajan told IANS.

This time around, he has filed his nomination papers against Tamil Nadu Chief Minister K. Palaniswami in Edappadi constituency and from his native Mettur constituency.

"I had also filed my nomination papers against Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan but these got rejected," he said.

Running a tyre retreading unit in Tamil Nadu's Mettur, Padmarajan said he was prompted to first contest polls in 1988 after his friends said that elections are only for the rich and powerful.

"For the first time I had contested in polls in 1988 from Mettur.

"Earlier people were happy in seeing the candidates who came to their homes seeking their support. But now it has changed. During those days when there used to be a long wait for a landline phone connection, poll candidates used to get telephone connection quickly," he recalled.

Padmarajan too had his share of thrilling experiences.

"I was kidnapped by some after I had filed my nomination papers against then Prime Minister P.V. Narashima Rao in Nandyal in Andhra Pradesh. My nomination was rejected as I was not present when the papers were scrutinised. Later I escaped," he claimed.

According to him, he has spent about Rs 50 lakh in his tryst with the polls over the years.

"I do not have any regrets. The media publicity has not resulted in any increase in clientele for my business. The retreading technology has changed and my unit is not functional now," Padmarajan said.

The highest number of votes secured by him was 6,273 in 2011 while contesting in Mettur constituency. The lowest number of votes secured by him was eight while contesting from Mylapore seat in the 1994 poll, Padmarajan said.

Entering the Limca Book of Records with his electoral feat, Padmarajan has now applied to the Election Commission to register his party named "Election King Failure Party".
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Hong Kong to reach new heights with full support of central authorities: HKSAR chief executive

Xinhua) 09:03, March 22, 2021

Carrie Lam, chief executive of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR), attends a press conference in Hong Kong, south China, March 8, 2021. Carrie Lam said on Monday that the "decision plus amendment" approach to improving the electoral system of the HKSAR is legal and constitutional, and the HKSAR government will cooperate with the central authorities to carry out the work in three aspects. Lam elaborated on the three aspects at a press briefing here. (Xinhua/Lui Siu Wai)

HONG KONG, March 21 (Xinhua) -- Carrie Lam, the chief executive of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR), said on Saturday that she was confident that Hong Kong will thrive and soar higher with the full support of the central authorities.

Lam made this remark at the Hong Kong Session of China Development Forum 2021, themed "The Development of Hong Kong in the Next Five Years", held online on Saturday evening.

Lam said that her confidence in Hong Kong and its future development is grounded in two major decisions made by the National People's Congress (NPC), the enactment of the Law of the People's Republic of China on Safeguarding National Security in the HKSAR in June 2020 and the decision to improve the HKSAR's electoral system to implement "patriots administering Hong Kong" adopted recently.

"These two important decisions by the highest organ of state power have put Hong Kong back on its right track, that is, fully and faithfully upholding 'one country, two systems', safeguarding national security and ensuring Hong Kong's stability and prosperity," she said.

Lam said that her confidence is further boosted by the support given by the central government to Hong Kong as embedded in the 14th Five-Year Plan for National Economic and Social Development (the 14th Five Year Plan) approved by the NPC recently.

Noting that the 14th Five-Year Plan reaffirms support for Hong Kong to enhance its status as an international financial center and strengthen its role as a global offshore Renminbi business hub, an international asset management center and a risk management center, Lam highlighted that Hong Kong's strengths in innovation and technology development was recognized in the national plan.

She elaborated on the achievements of Hong Kong as an international financial center and an innovation and technology hub and stated that many initiatives put in place by the HKSAR government, many with the support of the central government, will further boost their development down the road.

Pointing out that Hong Kong's future lies in integration with the mainland economy, while maintaining her uniqueness under "one country, two systems", Lam said that Hong Kong will proactively become a participant in domestic circulation and a facilitator in international circulation amidst the "dual circulation" development strategy of the country.

The forum was hosted by the Development Research Center of the State Council and organized by the China Development Research Foundation annually since 2000. This year's forum was held both online and onsite at the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse in Beijing from March 20 to 22. The Hong Kong Session was held for the first time and attended by over 30 invited global business leaders.
New Delhi, March 23 : The Delhi Excise Department said on Monday that it lodged 1,864 FIRs against illegal liquor traders across the city besides recovering over seven lakh bottles of illicit liquor in the last two years.

Deputy Chief Minister of Delhi, Manish Sisodia, who also holds the finance portfolio, said the Excise Department has arrested around 2,000 people involved in illegal liquor trade in the national capital during the same period.

Talking about Delhi government's upcoming excise policy, Sisodia told the media that the new policy is aimed at doing away with liquor mafia, besides shoring up its revenue share by up to 20 per cent in a year.

"As per the government's record, there are around 850 registered liquor shops but people say that more than 2,000 liquor shops are run by the liquor mafias in Delhi. To curb all these irregularities and to fight the liquor mafia, we have come up with this new excise policy," Sisodia added.

"The liquor shop owners will have to ensure law and order outside the shops. If needed, they can take the help of the police or security guards, but ensuring law and order will be the responsibility of the liquor shop owners. The new policy will stop bootlegging and illicit liquor sale," he said.

Sisodia added the new policy will also ensure equitable distribution of liquor across the national capital.

"We have decided to set up an international standard check-up system through which we will keep a watch on low-quality liquors and stop their distribution. An international quality lab will be set up to test the quality of liquor coming into the city," the Deputy CM said.
Source: Xinhua| 2021-03-23 00:59:18|Editor: huaxia

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ALGIERS, March 22 (Xinhua) -- Algeria on Monday reported 98 new COVID-19 cases, raising the total number of confirmed cases in the North African country to 116,255.

The death toll from the virus rose to 3,061 after four new fatalities were added, said the Algerian Ministry of Health in a statement.

Meanwhile, 91 more patients recovered from the disease, bringing the total number of recoveries in the country to 80,810, the statement added.

A donation of Chinese Sinopharm vaccines arrived in Algeria on Feb. 24 to help combat the pandemic. Enditem
Midsomer Murders

Rating:

Queen Elizabeth: Love, Honour And Crown

Rating:

Frank Muir, the dapper humorist never seen without his pipe and pink bow tie, used to tell a story about an Inuit fisherman who felt the cold.

No matter how he wrapped himself up in sealskins, the poor fellow spent every day huddled in his canoe with his teeth chattering. So he decided to install a wood stove in the prow.

Result  disaster. The boat caught fire and sank, and the unlucky Inuit was turned into a smoked iceberg. The moral, said Frank, was plain: you can't have your kayak and heat it.

Muir, who died in 1998, would have loved writing for Midsomer Murders (ITV), where wordplay is lethal. Every pun leaves a victim.

DCI Barnaby (Neil Dudgeon, front) never does any detecting in Midsomer Murders

The latest episode in this 24-year-old show began with apiarist Griff Rhys Jones getting bashed on the head in a honeycomb maze by a maniac in a beekeeper's veil. He survived, only for the murderer to make a second attempt, this time by dumping him bound and gagged in a sarcophagus and embalming him in honey.

Griff, alias Dr Deddington, got off lightly. The local doctor (Renee Castle) was smeared in bee pheromones and stung to death by a rogue swarm, while an unwelcome townie (Aaron Anthony) got jabbed with a syringeful of bee venom before a barrel of beeswax turned him into a 6 ft candle.

DCI Barnaby (Neil Dudgeon) was unimpressed. He wears the perpetual grimace of a man who cannot see the point of cryptic clues and double meanings. Local oddbod Melissa Deddington (Jacquetta May) was buzzing around him, trying to convey the killer's names through Shakespearean allusions, but Barna-bee was having none of it.

Faulty tower of the weekend: Decorators sprucing up Delgatie Castle in Scotland on Hire My Home (C4) found the previous owner had built bookcases over the windows. Basil Fawlty, furious if guests wanted a room with a view, would approve. Advertisement

He never does any detecting. Each clue is examined with distaste and discarded. Barnaby knows that, if he scowls for long enough, the killer will give up and come forward unprompted to explain all the puns.

Pathologist Fleur (Annette Badland) adds to his misery and ours with a series of excruciating jokes. 'Kill or bee killed,' she said. 'Buzz off and let me get back to work.' 'Bee off with you.'

The cast go through the motions, following the formula and waiting in line to be bumped off as though they're queuing for their Covid vaccine.

Occasionally, someone is caught acting  former Play Away favourite Derek Griffiths frothed and raged as the mad vicar, as if he were auditioning for a Hammer Horror. This bee-hiviour is discouraged (sorry, it's catching).

Still, an invitation to appear is regarded as a compliment, and Holly Willoughby was delighted last week when Neil asked her on This Morning to take part in the next series. No doubt Holly will appear in the Christmas special, strangled with ivy by a serial killer called Carol.

Just as formulaic was the rehash of royal history in Queen Elizabeth: Love, Honour And Crown (C4). Talking head Piers Brendon was good value, though. He claimed the Duke of Edinburgh was caught climbing over a wall at Buckingham Palace after a late night in Soho in the 1950s, and described Prince Andrew as 'a few sandwiches short of a picnic in terms of intellect'.

But there was little here that fans of The Crown on Netflix do not know by heart. We heard about Princess Margaret's ill-fated affair with Group Captain Peter Townsend, and why Prince Charles might have been happier at Eton than Gordonstoun.

According to rumour, Prince Philip chased the Queen Mother, out of Buckingham Palace and off to Clarence House, by ordering the central heating to be turned off in her apartments. It's an amusing story, but whether it's true is another matter.
Tanzania's first female president Samia Suluhu Hassan on Friday called for unity after she was sworn in following the sudden death of her predecessor, John Magufuli, from an illness shrouded in mystery.

Hassan, 61, a soft-spoken ruling party stalwart from the island of Zanzibar, will finish Magufuli's second five-year term, set to run until 2025.

Wearing a bright red headscarf, Hassan, who is Muslim, was sworn in at a ceremony in Dar es Salaam, where neither she nor the majority of attendees wore a mask, in the Covid-sceptic nation.

"I can assure Tanzanians that there is nothing that will go wrong during this time. We will start where Magufuli ended," she said in a brief speech after she took the oath of office, inspected a special guard and received a 21-gun salute.

Hassan inspected a military guard of honour after being sworn in /  AFP

"Let us all be patient and unite as we move forward."

She becomes the only other current serving female head of state in Africa alongside Ethiopia's Sahle-Work Zewde, whose role is mainly ceremonial, whereas the president in Tanzania is also head of government.

"The times to view women as weak are long gone, we are able and more than capable," said grocery store owner Ufo Tarimo, after the ceremony, highlighting the importance of "empowering women".

Hassan was little known outside Tanzania until she appeared on state television on Wednesday night to announce that Magufuli, absent from public view for three weeks, had died from a heart condition.

But questions have been raised over the true cause of the 61-year-old's death, after rumours that the famously Covid-sceptic leader had sought treatment abroad for coronavirus.

Main opposition leader Tundu Lissu insists his sources said Magufuli had Covid-19 and had actually died a week ago.

Kenya's Daily Nation newspaper, which last week reported an "African leader", in clear reference to Magufuli, was in a Nairobi hospital, on Friday gave more details of his illness, also indicating Magufuli had in fact died last week.

The paper, which did not detail its sources, said Magufuli was discharged from Nairobi Hospital on life support after it was determined he could not be resuscitated, and returned to Dar es Salaam, where he died last Thursday.

The paper said Magufuli had initially been evacuated to Nairobi on March 8 in a medical plane suffering from "acute cardiac and respiratory illnesses."

Women presidents in Africa /  AFP

Hassan announced Magufuli would be buried next Thursday in his home town of Chato in northwest Tanzania.

Citizens have been invited to pay their respects at events in other cities from Saturday. Former presidents have typically been displayed in an open casket, but it is unclear whether this will be the case for Magufuli.

Magufuli had declared prayer had rid the country of Covid-19, refused face masks or lockdown measures, stopped the publication of case statistics and championed alternative medicine, decrying the vaccines as "dangerous".

But by February, as cases soared and the vice president of semi-autonomous Zanzibar was revealed to have died from Covid-19, Magufuli conceded the virus was still circulating.

- A new chapter? -

While Hassan says she will take over where Magufuli left off, hopes are high she will usher in a change in leadership style from her predecessor, nicknamed the "Bulldozer", and all eyes will be on her handling of the pandemic.

John Magafuli left a complex legacy /  AFP/File

Magufuli leaves behind a complex legacy, his popular no-nonsense attitude and anti-graft stance marred by a swing to authoritarianism in which he cracked down on the media, activists and free speech.

The opposition and rights groups have urged Hassan to change course.

"As we continue mourning, let us use this period to open up a new chapter for rebuilding national unity and respect to freedom, justice, rule of law, democracy and people-centred development," said Freeman Mbowe, head of opposition group Chadema, in a statement Thursday.

He urged Hassan to "lead the nation toward reconciliation."

Human Rights Watch (HRW) said the new government "has a chance for a fresh start by ending problematic past practices."

- 'Hold your breath' -

But analysts say Hassan will face early pressure from Magufuli allies in the party who dominate intelligence and other key positions, and will try to shape her decisions and agenda.

"For those who were kind of expecting a breakaway from the Magufuli way of things I would say, 'hold your breath at the moment'," said Thabit Jacob, a Tanzania expert at Denmark's Roskilde University.

Hailing from Zanzibar, the semi-autonomous island in the Indian Ocean, Hassan rose through the ranks over a 20-year political career from local government to the national assembly.

She was named Magufuli's running mate in the 2015 presidential campaign and the pair were re-elected in October last year in a disputed poll marred by allegations of irregularities.
Mahzad Hojjat, a professor of psychology at the University of Massachusetts at Dartmouth in the US who studies friendship, put it this way: You agree to be friends, but at any moment one person might decide, I dont like this person, I dont want to be her friend. No breakup is necessary, Hojjat said - you can usually slide off the grid. Especially during the pandemic, she said, that fear is always there. These friendship doubts could be driven by loneliness. Studies show that lonely people are more self-critical and less trusting, Franco said, and are inclined to believe that others like them less than they actually do. Stripped of normal interactions with friends, she added, our social anxiety increases. I conjured up all the ways that people were mad at me. Humans have evolved to protect ourselves from strangers when were on our own, Franco said - an adaptation that does not serve many well in the pandemic. When you were separated from your tribe, your goal was to mitigate threat, she said. And the best way to do that was to be sceptical of others. In the early days of the pandemic, there was a rush to socialise in novel ways. People were connecting on Zoom, playing virtual board games with high school friends and university roommates they hadnt talked to in years. But for New York-based Smith, sometime in June, friends seemed to grow tired of video calls, opting instead for the occasional park hangout or stroll around the city. But once summer ended and her friends went back inside, the social Zooms never resumed.

Everyone is just mentally over it, Smith said. When social activities dropped off, Smith started spending more time in her own head, she said, wondering why no one was reaching out. I conjured up all the ways that people were mad at me, she said. Loading Smith knows she could reach out to people herself, she said, proposing a call or outdoor activity - but a year into the pandemic, the prospect is daunting. These days, she is too emotionally exhausted to do much of anything outside of work. Kris Nova, a 33-year-old living in San Francisco, said she has also been overthinking friendships in the pandemic. After she spends time with friends, online or in person, she analyses every little interaction, dwelling on anything she said that might have come off the wrong way.

Ill think, Oh god, Im a horrible person, Nova said. Im going to focus on this little thing that happened and beat myself up for it. As Hojjat put it, in self-quarantine, youre stuck in your own little cave. While some people have been busier than usual in the pandemic - like parents at home with their kids - many young or single people have more time to kill. If youre socially anxious, Hojjat said, that extra time can fuel destructive thoughts. Unfortunately, sometimes these ideas just continue to exist in your mind and theres nothing to interrupt them, Hojjat said. Franco said the pandemic hasnt just left us alone to dwell on the negative - its also deprived us of many of the things that typically make us feel good about ourselves. In more normal times, she said, in-person interactions with friends provide an enormous amount of identity affirmation. Friends tend to affirm the version of ourselves we would most like to embody, Franco added, which is good for our self-esteem: If you spend a day with a friend, and you leave each other upbeat and laughing, youll probably feel better about yourself, knowing you made the other person happy. We dont have access to that now because were not seeing each other, Franco said.

While Zoom has been a critical social tool in the pandemic, its a poor substitute for in-person interaction, Franco added. Without normal social cues, like body language, its harder to tell how the other person is responding to you, she said. When Rachael Yeomans, who works in musical theatre, talks to her colleagues on Zoom, she worries about how they are perceiving her. Many of them are her friends. But because theyve all muted themselves, she said, she is left to imagine what theyre thinking. This leads to a spiral, she said, where she convinces herself that they dont like her very much after all. Loading Im a big body-language person. I pay attention to the energy a person is bringing into the room, said Yeomans, a 25-year-old based in Los Angeles. In person, she said, its easy to tell when a colleague is just having a bad day. But if someone isnt overly enthusiastic on Zoom, she said, shell often process their bad day as frustration toward her. If you and your friend arent together in-person, assumptions can abound, Hojjat said: Any hint of conflict could get blown out of proportion. Maybe a friend and colleague misses a Zoom happy hour. Pre-pandemic, when you saw each other every day in the office, you might have swung by your friends desk to ask where he was the night before, she said. Because theres no opportunity for that kind of casual interaction, Hojjat said, people make judgments about their friends behaviour, jumping to conclusions that arent necessarily correct.

In these cases, its important to give your friends the benefit of the doubt, Hojjat said - especially right now. Everyone is dealing with their own unique struggles in the pandemic. If your friend isnt responding, she said, they might be busy with a child at home, or pandemic-related stress at work. If you have the time and energy to reach out yourself, Franco recommended doing so: Be the security you wish someone would be for you. With close friends, she said, you could even be honest about your friendship doubt. When you open up, she said, you give your friend the opportunity to say, Me too. Yeomans has her own strategy for dealing with her pandemic insecurity. Whenever she catches herself doubting her friendships - convinced shes a bad friend, too annoying or too much - shell look in the mirror and repeat one particular phrase: My friends love me. I will literally sit there and say it out loud to myself as many times as I need to. After a while, Yeomans said, she starts to believe it.
Smart devices maker on Monday said it has deferred plans to export from the country due to a massive spurt in domestic demand post the COVID-19 lockdown.

The company has also announced half-a-month's salary to all its employees as a hardship bonus.

Managing Director Manu Jain told PTI the company is expanding production capacity in the country to cater to the growing demand and it will engage with partners to be part of the production-linked incentive (PLI) scheme of the government.

"There were plans by this year, by 2021, to start exporting to many other countries but reality is that we are unable to fulfil even domestic demand. Top priority is to meet local demand and of course then we will be happy to export," Jain said.

According to CMR India, Xiaomi led the smartphone market with 27 per cent market share in the last quarter of 2020.

Currently, apart from smartphones, Xiaomi sells products like air purifiers, fitness bands, VR headsets and power banks in India.

The company has invested in over 50 that design and manufacture products beyond its three core product categories -- smartphones, smart TVs and smart routers -- that form the 'Mi Ecosystem'.

"We want to first ensure that we meet local demand. It will be a little foolish on our part as a business leader... to basically export when I can't even fulfil the domestic demand.

"Our partners are the ones who have applied and have been approved for PLI. We will of course engage with them to see what we can do for PLI," Jain said.

Xiaomi partners Dixon and Foxconn have been approved for the PLI scheme by the government.

Currently, Xiaomi has five facilities in India, where its partners Foxconn and Flex assemble phones in Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh.

It has also tied up with BYD and DBG for smartphones, while Radiant will help augment the company's capacity of smart TVs in India.

"DBG has already gone live at a plant in Haryana near Manesar. With DBG plant going live, already our capacity has increased by 20 per cent. BYD (facility) is supposed to go live by May-June period. All our phones and TVs that we sell in India are locally manufactured," Jain said.

He said the company now has over 60,000 direct and indirect employees and will make an effort that all its staffers and also their family members get vaccinated against COVID-19 as per their eligibility.

The company started operations with a six-seater office in July 2014.

Jain said most of the segment leaders at the company are less than 30 years of age and come with zero relevant background, which has helped Xiaomi perform in an innovative way that helped it grow rapidly.

He also said the company did not deduct salaries of employees during the pandemic and will cover the cost of vaccination for all of them.

(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.)
Minute Men Staffing Services won Cleveland Planning Committee approval Friday to expand its headquarters building on Carnegie Avenue in the citys Midtown neighborhood.

The new 45,000-square-foot expansion would be joined to the west side of Minute Mens existing headquarters at 3740 Carnegie Ave. with a three-story connector, Michael Fant, an architect with AoDK Architecture in Lakewood, Ohio, told planning commissioners Friday.

Minute Men is a growing company, so it is looking to expand the business at the current headquarters but also consolidate it from a building down the street, Fant said.

Read the full story on cleveland.coms sister site, Cleveland Business Journal.

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Rome homophobic attack prompts push for Italy hate crime law.

A recent assault on two men kissing in a Rome train station has prompted calls for Italy to push through a bill outlawing hate crimes against members of the LGBTQ community, women and people with disabilities.

Video footage of the homophobic attack, which took place at Valle Aurelia station on 26 February but has only just come to light, was shared by the Gaynews and Gaynet Roma associations and was shown on Italian television.

In the clip the aggressor is seen approaching the two men, one of whom reacts by asking him: "What's your problem? Who are you?".

The man, who ran across two sets of train tracks to start the fight, continues to swing punches and kicks, asking the couple: "Are you not ashamed of yourselves?"

"We condemn with dismay the attack suffered by Jean Pierre Moreno, refugee and member of the association...which we are following thanks to the legal support of the Lenford Network," stated Gaynet Roma, which said it hopes that "everything possible will be done to identify the aggressor."

The attack has also been widely condemned by politicians including Italy's minister for family and equal opportunities Elena Bonetti who expressed her solidarity with the couple attacked.

"Scenes like this, violence, discrimination, offend us all" - she wrote on Facebook - "They humiliate our conscience as a country. And we must repudiate them, no ifs or buts."

Rome mayor Virginia Raggi of the populist Movimento 5 Stelle (M5S) described the assault as an intolerable offence against all our community," while Giorgia Meloni, leader of the far-right Fratelli d'Italia (FdI) said she was "shocked" by the "absurd and brutal violence," adding that she hoped that the "person responsible for the cowardly violence will pay."

Lazio governor Nicola Zingaretti of the centre-left Partito Democratico (PD) wrote on Facebook: Two young men beaten up for a kiss. It seems incredible but it happened to a gay couple in Rome."

Zingaretti called for the immediate passing of the so-called Zan law against homophobia, adding that it's time for a country more just for everyone.

The proposed anti-discrimination law, which aims to protect the LGBTQ community, women and people with disabilities from hate attacks, was passed in Italy's lower house of parliament in November but requires final approval from the upper house. A conviction under the new law would carry a potential prison sentence of 18 months.

Alessandro Zan, the politician and LGBT activist who promoted the bill, describes it as a big step forward against discrimination, hatred and violence."

The right-wing Lega, led by Matteo Salvini, has opposed the legislation, with the party's representatives in the parliament and senate stating:

"Do not exploit vile acts of aggression like today's for political ends. Any type of violence and any homophobic episode must be strongly condemned and our penal code already provides for adequate sentences and sanctions for those who commit similar horrible acts."
Armenia MFA information department chief: All deputy FMs carrying out their duties

Ardshinbank invited children to the cinema on International Childrens Day

Armenia judiciary to have 10 more judges

Armenia acting premier: We had recorded 40% increase in tax revenues according to 2019 results

Armenia acting PM on Artsakh war casualties bodies: We have 50 remains in which case DNA was not separated

Azerbaijan authorities plan to "squeeze" everything from "terrorist show" related to Armenian captives

Ameriabank Announces a Contest for Bank Card Design

108 new cases of COVID-19 confirmed in Armenia

Armenia parliament convenes special session

Armenia interim government holding Cabinet meeting

Catholicos of All Armenians heads for Syunik Province, Artsakh

World oil prices going up

Iran loses right to vote in UN General Assembly

Newspaper: Armenia authorities come up with new way of punishing unwanted characters

Newspaper: Russia army Southern Military District deputy commander to arrive in Yerevan Thursday

Lebanese Armenian man taken prisoner by Azerbaijan is hospitalized

Armenia ex-President Kocharyan: Are we getting under the burden? Then lets get under to the end

Armenia acting health minister on keeping fallen soldiers bodies in bags: What else should they be kept in?

Armenia acting health minister on citizens' demand for her resignation

Karabakh's new State Minister Artak Beglaryan on his appointment and future activities

Armenian, Russian and Azerbaijani representatives hold consultations in Moscow

2 Armenian soldiers receive slight injuries after incident with Azerbaijani servicemen in Armenia's Gegharkunik

Armenian boy weighing 5 kg born at Goris Medical Center

"Armenia" bloc representative presents purpose of participation in elections and plans

Isaac Herzog elected President of Israel

Rouhani: Main issues between Tehran, Washington resolved in Vienna

Charles Michel calls on Armenia and Azerbaijan to resume constructive negotiations

US Department of State responds to Pashinyan's proposal to deploy international observers on Armenia-Azerbaijan border

Head of Armenia 2nd President's Office: Robert Kocharyan's public meetings are held in warm atmosphere

Opposition "Armenia" bloc's representative on photos and videos showing bags of deceased servicemen's bodies

Armenia Ombudsman, AGBU President discuss war crimes committed by Azerbaijan during Karabakh war

Opposition "Armenia" bloc's representatives to hold briefings three times a week

Opposition "Armenia" bloc member: Blood-freezing photos and videos from morgue in Abovyan are authorities' reflection

Yerevan mayor receives Netherlands Ambassador

Armenia Health Ministry, Investigative Committee keep info about sending remains of dead soldiers abroad confidential

Armenia Prosecutor General's Office launches case regarding leaving sacs of servicemen's bodies/remains in basement

Peskov: Putin and Biden to discuss cybersecurity issues

Armenia's Pashinyan meets with Belgian PM Alexander De Croo

Armenia acting MOD receives Netherlands Ambassador

Armenia Police: 3 citizens apprehended during protest demanding acting health minister's resignation

NATO warns Minsk about further consequences of Ryanair incident

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
Nigeria has received 300,000 doses of the Oxford-AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccines from telecom giant, MTN.

The Chairman of the Presidential Task Force (PTF) on COVID-19, Boss Mustapha, while speaking at its weekly briefing, on Monday, said the PTF received the vaccines on Sunday.

Yesterday, Sunday, 21st March 2021, the PTF received 300,000 doses of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccines from MTN Nigeria, he said.

This is acknowledged with thanks as we encourage other partners to contribute towards the fight against COVID-19.

An official had announced MTNs donation of 7 million doses of the COVID-19 vaccines to African countries with Nigeria expected to receive 1.4 million doses by the end of March 2021.

Having received 3.94 million doses of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccines in early March, Nigeria has since commenced vaccination beginning with healthcare workers.

Last week, authorities in Austria said they halted use of the AstraZeneca vaccines while investigating the death of one person and the illness of another after taking the shots, according to Reuters.

In a swift move, over a dozen countries including Germany, France and Italy said they were halting the use of the vaccine or some particular batches of it.

However, countries like Germany and France have since reversed the suspension following confirmation by both the World Health Organization (WHO) and the European Medicines Agency (EMA) that the shot is safe and effective against the virus.

Amidst safety concerns, some high-income countries like the UK and developing countries such as Nigeria and Ghana have chosen to continue the rollout of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine.

The European drug regulator said it would continue to study possible links between very rare blood clots and the vaccine.

Vaccine safety

At Mondays briefing, the Minister of Health, Osagie Ehanire, said the AstraZeneca group has assured the public of the safety and efficacy of the COVID-19 vaccines.

Represented by the Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Health, Abdullaziz Abdullahi, he said government representatives met with the AstraZeneca group last week.

The meeting provided an opportunity for one-on-one clarification on the accines and the outcome was a reassurance of the safety and efficacy of the vaccine against COVID-19.

Mr Ehanire said Nigeria is yet to record any unusual side effects among those who have received the vaccine.

NAFDAC is monitoring the process as part of a global tracking of adverse effects of the vaccine.

He explained that anyone who received the vaccine and is experiencing any adverse reaction should report to NAFDAC using the Med Safety App.

The minister also noted that there are reports of racketeering in some of the designated vaccination centres.

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This is not necessary as vaccination has been scheduled in phases such that frontline health workers and those at higher risk of the infection are vaccinated first after registration at the portal, he said.

COVID-19 Vaccines

Mr Mustapha said some Nigerian scientists have produced at least two potential COVID-19 vaccines which are awaiting clinical trials and certification.

He said this is a welcome development that will open a new vista in scientific breakthrough and will boost the morale and image of the medical industry in the country.

I call on all relevant agencies to provide the required support and enabling environment for smooth conduct of the remaining protocols for the certification of these vaccines to encourage and motivate other researchers, he said.
Industry Minister Karen Andrews has demanded the removal of Coalition staff who shared images of a man who was sacked on Monday night for filming himself performing a sex act on a Liberal MPs desk.

In a furious call for more action, Ms Andrews said the government advisers who shared the mobile phone video should resign or face an investigation to name them and sack them.

Industry Minister Karen Andrews said on Tuesday morning she had had a gutful of the stories about mistreat of women in Parliament House. Credit:Dominic Lorrimer

Those people know who they are, so stop hiding, stand up, get out of the building. Time to go, she said on Tuesday morning. But that cant be the only response. Quite clearly, we do need to look at what the avenues are to identify who those individuals are.

The government has sought to contact the whistleblower who revealed the videos but Ms Andrews said she was disappointed they had to be revealed by a whistleblower.
Bruce Willis and his wife, Emma Heming, are celebrating their 12th wedding anniversary.

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Heming, 42, marked the occasion Sunday by posting a loving tribute to Willis, 66, on Instagram.

Willis and Heming married in March 2009 and have two children together, daughters Mabel, 8, and Evelyn, 6. Willis also has three daughters, Rumer, 32, Scout, 29, and Tallulah, 27, with his ex-wife, Demi Moore.

Heming shared a photo on Instagram of herself sharing a sweet moment with Willis.

"Boy I sure do love this guy to the moon and back! Even though there's been times I would have loved to take him to the moon, drop him off, and come back solo! That's what 12 years of marriage looks like, right?" Heming captioned the post.

"We've had our fair share of floating-on-air ups and disheartening downs. But he is my person. There's no one I would want to go through this crazy thing called marriage with than with him," she said. "He's my family, he's given me the family (and more) I dreamed of and I love him to my core. Happy 12th anniversary my sweet #thickandthin."

Heming called Willis "the greatest love" of her life while celebrating his 66th birthday last week.

"This guy walked into my life has turned it upside and inside out every day since -- it's exhausting," Heming said on Instagram. "He's the greatest man I know and I thank my lucky stars for him every single day."

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Moore, who was married to Willis from 1987 to 2000, also wished the actor a happy birthday on Instagram.

"Happy birthday, BW! You are a one of a kind! So thankful to share these three beautiful girls and for our blended families," Moore captioned a family photo.

Willis and Moore threw a birthday party for Heming in June. Heming, Willis, Moore and their respective children were self-isolating together in Sun Valley, Idaho, in the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Deputy Foreign Minister of Ukraine Dmytro Senik held a meeting with Ambassador of the State of Kuwait to Ukraine Rashid Al-Adwani, the press service of the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry reports.

During the conversation, Senik stressed the importance of deepening political dialogue between Ukraine and Kuwait at high and highest levels and reaffirmed his readiness to hold another round of political consultations between the Foreign Ministries.

The interlocutors noted the interest of the two countries in the further development of trade and investment cooperation. "Ukraine is ready to contribute to food security in Kuwait and expand the supply of high-quality agricultural products and food to the Kuwaiti market," Senik said.

The parties agreed that the establishment of direct flights between Ukraine and Kuwait will help intensify business and tourism contacts.

As a reminder, the previous round of political consultations between the Ministries of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine and Kuwait took place in Kuwait city in February 2018.

In 2020, bilateral trade between Ukraine and Kuwait amounted to USD 37.06 million, in particular exports of goods  USD 34.9 million, and imports  USD 0.79 million. The positive trade balance was USD 35.48 million. The share of agricultural products in total bilateral exports in 2020 was 80.4%.

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Kuwait Finance House (KFH), the world leading Islamic financial institution, has signed an agreement with Aion Digital, a digital-first banking platform, to transform all functions of Retail and Corporate Banking services at the bank.

Under this agreement, KFH will drive its expansion plans through digitisation of its Retail and Corporate Banking services. This will enable a secure and efficient digital omni-channel platform that has open APIs. Furthermore, Aion Digital will design, develop, configure, and implement a leading and modern Digital Banking Platform to enable KFHs digital transformation and enhance its value proposition in delivering high quality and digital-first products and services to its customers.

Aions role as the digital banking technology partner will be to provide the Aion Rubix Next-Generation Enterprise Digital Banking Platform that delivers on the banks requirements and the banks desired digital capabilities. This will enable the bank to offer unique customer digital journeys that facilitate digital banking services in a flexible timeline for KFH to offer valuable services to its Banking Customers.

In addition to the launch of the first ever digital onboarding solution in Kuwait last year, this new collaboration will allow KFH to consolidate its position as a pioneer digital and retail player in the GCC Banking industry.

Aion will also help KFH revamp its current corporate e-banking services with modern and state-of-the art Digital Omni-Channel enabled Platform, enabling the bank to offer unique customer digital journeys to its corporate and SME banking customers.

The introduction of the Aion Rubix digital platform will enable KFH to shorten the time taken to develop new products and accelerate time-to-market. Along with the enabling technologies such as facial recognition, fraud analysis, OCR and selfie checks, Aion Digitals ready-to-go banking with over 200 pre-integrated customer journeys will also provide KFH with the flexibility to customise their core-independent development, enabling faster digital innovation without the limitations from back-end systems.

The Aion Rubix platform will allow KFH to transition and operate on a modern, and highly efficient technology architecture that is future-ready to meet the digital-first demands of customers. The platform can scale to other key markets and across various regulatory bodies while connecting to multiple eco-systems in the digital world. By using cutting-edge technology that will benefit and transform the lives of the Banking community, KFH envisions a future where digital delivery of its products will lead the way towards the adoption of cashless and digital financial solutions. Aion Digitals expertise and extensive range of solutions has been proven time and again.

KFH is looking forward for to successfully complete the digital transformation road map and accelerate the development of its digital banking products services. KFHs digital innovation journey that is being undertaken with Aion Digital has placed the people at the centre of our digital investment, with technology being the critical driver in transforming the bank and ensuring it stays ahead of the competition in the next digital banking revolution.

Group Chief Operations Officer at KFH, Abdulla Abu Alhous said: KFH being the leader in providing utmost customer experience and optimised customer journeys, launched this Digital Channels initiative to provide all KFH customer segments (Corporate & SME, Retail) with unique set of digital services & digital technologies to empower them like never before, transforming their relationships with KFH and their use of financial products and services with deep understanding of KFH customer ecosystem and becoming a part of it.

He pointed out that as a world leading Islamic financial institution, KFH is focusing on core customer needs and digitally augment their core capabilities to deliver the outcomes customers really desire, rather than the products or services theyve traditionally sold.

Meanwhile, Osama Al Khajah, Founding Partner and Board Member of Aion Digital said: Once again, we are excited to partner with KFH on its bank-wide digital transformation journey. Becoming customer-centric is now a matter of survival for Banks and partnering with a Fintech means that the Banks account holders will receive the right measure of innovation, security, and speed. The benefit of working with Aion Digital is that it offers easy to use services for Banks, which is highly in demand in the era of complex technology and increased customer demands. -- Tradearabia News Service
The National Police in Malaga have dismantled an alleged criminal network that simulated traffic accidents in order to collect compensation payouts from insurance companies.

Officers arrested 17 people, aged between 18 and 58 years old, all of them of Spanish nationality, for their alleged involvement in crimes of fraud, falsification of documents and belonging to a criminal group.

The total defrauded from three insurance companies amounts to 17,000 euros.

It is claimed that those involved faked accidents that were never witnessed or involved the police.

The investigation began after a tip-off from a well-known insurance company when it detected a traffic accident that it said could not have happened.

Enquiries focused on a group of people involved in accidents in suspicious circumstances: injuries not compatible with the claims, an absence of witnesses to the events, numerous casualties in the accidents, in quiet places - such as industrial estates - or during public holidays.

So far, police have identified several simulated accidents by members of the network. In one of them, two vehicles were involved in a rear-end collision. Nine people who were travelling in the vehicles presented injury claims as a result of the collision.

In another accident under suspicion one car hit the side of another. Eight people reported injuries in connection with the accident.

Among those investigated is an employee of a Cartama garage who, it is alleged, produced fake accident and damage reports, behind the back of the workshop manager.

The matter is now in the hands of the courts.
Kathmandu, March 22

President Bidya Devi Bhandari left for Dhaka on Monday morning on a two-day state visit at the invitation of her Bangladeshi counterpart Mohammad Abdul Hamid.

The presidents delegation also comprising Foreign Affairs Minister Pradeep Kumar Gyawali and other high-level diplomats boarded a chartered flight of the national flag carrier Nepal Airlines Corporation for the trip.

During the trip, officials of Nepal and Bangladesh are preparing to sign four agreements on cross-country trade and transit as well as tourism. Therefore, officials of the relevant ministries have also been included in the team.

During the visit, President Bhandari will attend the celebration of the birth centenary of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, the Father of the Nation of Bangladesh, in Dhaka, informs the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

On the occasion, the president will deliver a statement on the theme of Nepal-Bangladesh Relations and Bangabandhus Birth Centenary.

She will return home on Tuesday.

A man receives the COVID-19 vaccine during a vaccination campaign in the West Bank city of Ramallah, on March 21, 2021. Palestine on Sunday launched a mass vaccination rollout campaign against coronavirus in a bid to combat the fast-spreading virus across the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. (Photo by Luay Sababa/Xinhua)

RAMALLAH, March 21 (Xinhua) -- Palestine on Sunday launched a mass vaccination rollout campaign against coronavirus in a bid to combat the fast-spreading virus across the West Bank and the Gaza Strip.

Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammed Ishtaye started the campaign in the West Bank city of Ramallah.

"The vaccination rollout will be carried out with full transparency, and anyone exceeding priorities regarding inoculating the vaccines will be held accountable," Ishtaye said at a press conference held in Palestine Medical Complex in Ramallah.

"Vaccination will be conducted according to the registration platform," he said.

Ishtaye added that Palestine is set to receive more vaccines, including a shipment of 100,000 doses of coronavirus vaccines from China.

On Wednesday, Palestine received the first batch of the coronavirus vaccine from the global COVAX program, which has some 62,000 doses, including 38,000 doses of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine and 24,000 of the AstraZeneca vaccine.

COVAX is a global initiative aimed at equitable access to coronavirus vaccines, co-led by the World Health Organization and its partners.

Meanwhile, Mai al-Kaila, the Palestinian health minister, said that launching the national vaccine campaign against coronavirus "is a new promising stage that requires everyone's efforts to reach the required immunity."

"The health ministry has completed all technical and logistical arrangements related to launching the campaign, which will proceed according to a gradual plan," she said.

On Sunday, Palestine recorded 2,247 new coronavirus cases, 21 deaths and 1,753 recoveries in 24 hours, according to the Health Ministry.

Currently, 198 coronavirus patients remain in intensive care units, the ministry said. Enditem

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[ Editor: SRQ ]
Photo: (Photo : Getty Images: Handout / Handout)

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle share how difficult it was for them to prepare for a baby that concerns which crib will you use and how to tell the world that you're expecting a baby. The tabloids' that are exposing racist comments stress them too. And sexist attacks on Meghan Markle, unresting schedule of public appearances that suddenly lead to Meghan's mental health.

In the celebration of International Women's Month Celebration, Meghan Markle also powerfully reveals her struggles inside the royal family. And how endearingly hard it was for her to live in every day inside the palace.

Meghan Markle even reveals her grief on her first pregnancy and how it turns out to be. Now that they step down from the royal palace, Meghan Markle and Prince Harry could also choose and speak for themselves.

READ: Everything You Need To Know About Meghan Markle's Second Pregnancy!

Things Meghan Markle went through on her first pregnancy

The reverse story of making Kate Middleton cry

A headline about Meghan and Kate Middleton allegedly fighting because the bride's maid dresses for Princess Charlotte's wedding have shaken the world.

According to the British press, an article stating that Meghan has made Kate Middleton cry over her "strict demands" on the bride's maid dresses. But in her interview with Oprah, Meghan Markle clarified what really happened was the other way around and that she was in the process and preparation in welcoming her first child.

Simultaneously, she was being harassed by the international press for something she really didn't do.

Meghan also said that it was Kate who made her cry. And without further explanation, she added that Kate acknowledged her fault and apologized to her after that.

ALSO READ: 5 Family Secrets Revealed During the Meghan and Harry Interview

Meghan's suicidal thoughts

Despite having suicidal thoughts, Meghan was even scared of telling her husband, especially that her husband had to go through pain in losing his mother, Princess Diana.

Meghan Markle, who is also a mental health advocate, admits that she needed help that time. "I went to the institution. And I said that I needed to go somewhere to get help. And I said that I'd never felt this way before. I need to go somewhere. And I was told that I couldn't because it wouldn't be good for the institution," she said in the Oprah interview.

The situation that she has no access to her documents even makes it hard for her, but with her husband's support, who helped her overcome her thoughts, they manage to develop a solution on their own.

There was no security and royal title for Archie

With Meghan's first pregnancy, she talked and prepared in the terms that Baby Archie will not be given royal security and, more importantly, that he will not receive a title. Baby Archie will not be called a prince, as per Meghan.

This discussion was a devastating blow for Meghan, for this happens because Archie may have a different color from the other grandchildren.

We could have never imagined the fear Meghan has to go through while dealing with her first pregnancy. It must have been so hard for her, but luckily she has a husband who has been on her side along the journey.



READ MORE: Why Baby Archie Doesn't Have a Royal Title, Prince William Denies Racism
Myanmar security agents detained two reporters, one from the BBC Burmese service and one from Mizzima News on March 19. The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) condemns the continued and relentless attacks on media workers and press freedom in Myanmar and calls for the immediate release of all detained journalists.

UPDATE MARCH 23: Detained BBC journalist Aung Thura was released in Myanmar, days after he was detained, the BBC World News reported.

BBC reporter Aung Thura and Mizzima News reporter Than Htike Aung were reportedly taken away by plainclothes security agents while reporting outside a court in the capital, Nay Pyi Taw. Both journalists were covering legal proceeding against detained National League for Democracy (NLD) senior official Win Htein.

A journalist told IFJ two plainclothes military intelligence agents took the two journalists to an undisclosed location in an unmarked car. The BBC raised concern over the whereabouts of their colleague, asking Myanmar authorities to confirm that he is safe in a statement. The BBC has been unable to contact Thura since his arrest. On March 19, a further eight people were killed, bringing the total number of civilians killed to 234 as protests against the military junta continue in the country.

Journalist detainments are part of a slate of the continued attacks by the military on the countrys media and also includes threats, power and internet cuts, intimidation via published lists of targets and the forced closures of all of the countrys independent media outlets. BBC News reports that at least 40 journalists have been arrested since the military coup began on February 1, with 16 still in custody. On March 8, five major media companies had their licenses cancelled, including Mizzima News, with orders that they are no longer allowed to write or give information by using any kind of media platform.

With independent media officially shuttered, social media platforms have become more essential in the distribution of news. The militarys use of social media platform to churn out its own narrative during the crisis has been blocked on Facebook after the company banned it from its platforms in late February. It came after continued criticism of Facebook, particularly after the military infamously used it to spread hate speech and disinformation about the countrys Rohingya Muslim minority in the years leading up to its 2017 campaign of murder, rape and arson, which according to the UN was carried out with genocidal intent.

The IFJ said: Attacks, threats and arrests of journalists across Myanmar is a major human rights violation that needs the worlds attention. The IFJ is now getting daily reports of journalists forced into hiding and fleeing in fear after the military juntas pursuit of them for allegedly reporting fake news. The IFJ condemns the arresting of all journalists and calls for their immediate release in respecting free media.
This village in Maharashtra is COVID-19 free, thanks to its youngest sarpanch

Param Bir Singh moves SC against transfer, wants probe against Deshmukh

India

oi-Deepika S

New Delhi, Mar 22: Former Mumbai Police Commissioner Param Bir Singh on Monday moved Supreme Court against his transfer to Home Guard Department and sought a CBI probe into the allegations he made against Maharashtra Home Minister Anil Deshmukh.

Singh, a 1988 batch IPS officer also sought quashing of the order transferring him from the post of Mumbai CP alleging it to be "arbitrary" and "illegal".

"The Petitioner has invoked writ jurisdiction of this Court to seek unbiased, uninfluenced, impartial and fair investigation in the corrupt malpractices of Anil Deshmukh, the Home Minister of Government of Maharashtra, before the evidences are destroyed," he said in his plea.

Singh alleged, "Deshmukh had been holding meetings in February, 2021 at his residence with police officers including Sachin Vaze of Crime Intelligence Unit, Mumbai and Sanjay Patil, ACP Social Service Branch, Mumbai, bypassing their seniors and had instructed them that he had a target to accumulate Rs 100 crores every month and had directed to collect money from various establishments and other sources".

Singh said it is reliably learnt that on or about August 24-25, 2020, one Rashmi Shukla, the Commissioner Intelligence, State Intelligence Department, had brought to the notice of the Director General of Police, who in turn brought it to the knowledge of the Additional Chief Secretary Home Department, Government of Maharashtra about corrupt malpractices in postings / transfers by Deshmukh based on telephonic interception.

He sought directions from court to safeguard him from any further coercive steps apprehended in the retaliation for laying bare the corrupt malpractices of Deshmukh.

Param Bir Singh takes charge as DG of Maharashtra Home Guard

Singh on Monday took charge as the Director General (DG) of Maharashtra Home Guard.

Under flak for "mishandling" of the bomb scare outside Mukesh Ambani''s residence here, the Maharashtra government on March 17 transferred Singh from the post and appointed senior IPS officer Hemant Nagrale, who was holding additional charge of Maharashtra DGP, as the new commissioner of Mumbai Police.

Days after he was shunted out, Singh wrote a letter to Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray alleging that state Home Minister Anil Deshmukh had asked Sachin Waze, currently in custody of the National Investigation Agency (NIA), and other police officers to collect Rs 100 crore monthly, including Rs 50 crore to Rs 60 crore from bars and restaurants in Mumbai.

Deshmukh had denied these allegations.

Anil Deshmukh Corruption row: NCP says 'no need for resignation'| Oneindia News

The NIA is probing Waze''s alleged role in placing an explosives-laden SUV outside Ambani''s residence on February 25.
Many Michigan schools started offering at least 20 hours of in-person learning Monday to secure additional funding during the COVID-19 pandemic, and some Democrats are arguing the conditional aid puts districts in a difficult position.

The schools, located in middle-class and wealthy districts, are receiving a small share of $1.5 billion in federal stimulus money for Michigan schools in a plan that pushes larger portions of the funding to districts and schools with more students from lower-income households. Michigans Republican-led Legislature set aside $136 million to make sure schools can still get additional relief funding, at least $450 more per pupil, but required those districts offer at least 20 hours of in-person learning.

Ferndale School Board President Mike Davisson said Monday his district has not returned to 20 hours of in-person learning and will lose nearly $100,000 in aid. The district has been polling parents and teachers about offering in-person instruction earlier than anticipated and opinions have been split 50/50 on the issue.

If we were to be pushed into an early offering of at least 20 hours, the 50% of families that want to stay virtual would lose out and we would not be able to honor their choice, Davisson said. We just couldnt change our course that quickly and ignore the desire of our constituents, of our families.

Davisson joined House Democratic Leader Donna Lasinski, D-Scio Township., and Rep. Regina Weiss, D-Oak Park, in a press conference Monday urging Republicans to release a separate $840 million in federal funding for public schools that the Legislature previously passed, but tied-barred to House Bill 4049, which Gov. Gretchen Whitmer vetoed earlier this month. The bill would have shifted authority on closing in-person learning and sporting events during the COVID-19 pandemic from the state to local health departments, leading the governor to veto the legislation and keeping the funds from being released.

Related: Whitmer vetoes bills that would limit public health orders and repeal governors emergency powers

Weiss, a former teacher, said each school district is being impacted differently by the 20-hour in-person learning requirement. She said one district in her community stood to lose $1.8 million in funding if it did not accelerate its reopening plan.

They had a difficult vote to make this past Monday and they did in fact vote to reopen early, Weiss said. But that came at the expense of a lot of fears and apprehensions from parents, community members, and teachers. They literally only had about four days of turnaround for teachers to prep to have kids coming back to their classroom.

Related: Senate Republicans threaten to sue if Whitmer tries to use federal funds tied to vetoed bills

Rep. Thomas Albert, R-Lowell, chair of the House Appropriations Committee, said Monday the Legislature did its part to release the additional $840 million for schools.

Local communities should be the ones deciding whether their own schools are open to in-person instruction  and those decisions should be based on science and metrics reflecting local conditions, Albert said in a statement.

Last summer, we had an overwhelmingly bipartisan agreement on this when the governor signed the Return to Learn plan into state law. Then last fall, the governor unilaterally threw that agreement in the trash when she closed in-person instruction to thousands of kids statewide. Now, she is refusing to let local communities make their own science-based decisions on in-person instruction for a second time.

Lasinski accused Republicans in the Legislature of playing partisan political games with COVID-19 stimulus money.

We have supplemental bills that can take a simple up or down vote today, and bring those federal tax dollars home now, Lasinski said. Thats where our focus should be, not on whether or not partisan political games are legal or constitutional. Those games should simply stop.

Whitmers office said in a statement the governor is confident the parties can negotiate a bill that fully allocates this funding without undercutting Michigans pandemic response.

At a time when every penny is needed to help us get back to grow our economy, it would behoove the legislature to stop playing games with billions of dollars that were sent to us by Congress to help Michiganders, Whitmers office said. Governor Whitmer will do everything she can to ensure that funding is available to families, small businesses, schools, and communities across the state because we cant afford to wait.
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UK Minister Defends Strategy to Increase Stockpile of Nuclear Warheads

UK Defence Secretary Ben Wallace on Sunday rejected the Russian ambassadors accusation that the UK is breaking the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT), and said the UK needs to increase its nuclear deterrence to protect itself and its NATO allies.

The UK government on March 16 said in a policy review that it plans to stock up to 260 nuclear warheads, reversing a previous administrations announcement in 2010 to lower the cap from 225 to 180 by the mid-2020s.

Andrei Kelin, Russias ambassador to Britain, accused the UK of violating the NPT.

If [the] UK is going to continue to raise [the] number of nuclear warheads, and this was a big surprise for the whole world, Kelin told LBC radio on Sunday.

You are increasing [the] number of warheads by 40 percent. This is a violation of the treaty of non-proliferation and many, many other agreements that are saying only a decline or a reduction in the number of nukes, he said.

Effective since 1970, and joined by 191 states, the NPT was designed to limit nuclear weapons and to promote nuclear disarmament and peaceful uses of nuclear energy.

According to the treaty, nuclear-weapon statesChina, France, Russia, UK, and the United Stateswill not transfer nuclear weapons or explosive devices to any non-nuclear-weapon state, and not to assist, encourage, or induce any non-nuclear-weapon state to manufacture, acquire, or control over nuclear weapons or explosive devices.

When asked to respond to Kelins comment, Wallace rejected the accusation.

Were not breaking the NPT, the attorney general has been clear. What we are doing is maintaining a credible defence, Wallace told LBC. We will still be, by the way, the lowest number of warheads kept on our books, compared to any of the allies, much much less than Russia, much much less than United States, less than France, but its got to be credible.

The Russians are invested in ballistic missile defence, and that means we have to make sure that, you know, we maintain it as credible.

The United States and NATO in 2018 said Russia had been developing a ground-launched missile system known as Novator 9M729, in breach of a Cold War treaty, known as the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty (INF), that could allow Moscow to launch a nuclear strike on Europe at short notice. Russia has consistently denied that it violated that treaty.

According to U.S. State Department, Russia began developing, producing, and testing the system since in the mid-2000s, and it systematically rebuffed six years of U.S. efforts seeking Russias return to compliance [of the INF treaty].

The UKs Integrated Review of Security, Defence, Development, and Foreign Policy (pdf), published on March 16, said that the decision to increase its nuclear stockpile comes as some existing and emerging nuclear states are now significantly increasing and diversifying their nuclear arsenals.

While recognising Chinas increasing power and international assertiveness is likely to be the most significant geopolitical factor of the 2020s, the Integrated Review said Russia remains the most acute threat to the UKs security.

Russian news agencies cited Kelin as saying that political relations between London and Moscow, which have become strained from events from Russias jailing of opposition politician Alexei Navalny to the poisoning in 2018 of a Russian double agent and his daughter, were nearly dead.

Reuters and Zachary Stieber contributed to this report.
BASF has recently secured a multi-year contract with Mercedes-Benz in the Asia Pacific (APAC) region that extends its longstanding, commercially approved supplier status with the car company to Australia, Japan, Malaysia, South Korea, Taiwan and Thailand.

The agreement, which builds upon its success with Mercedes-Benz in the Europe, Middle East and Africa region, includes its Glasurit and R-M premium automotive refinishing brands and RODIM paint-related products. Efficient digital color solutions, world-class training solutions and technical support, as well as a suite of exclusively branded Vision360 advanced business management solutions designed to increase body shop performance and efficiency are also part of the agreement.

We are both proud and excited to be able to extend our proven partnership with Mercedes-Benz to this dynamic region. Our focus on product innovation, eco-efficient solutions, digital business management solutions and training dovetails well with Mercedes-Benzs own vision of innovation and sustainability, and the agreement positions both companies well to grow together. Mercedes-Benz has also been one of our earliest test customers for our new digital solutions which has helped drive business efficiency throughout the body shop network, said Chris Jackman, Director of Global Strategic Account Management, BASF Automotive Refinish Coatings Solutions.

As part of the complete offer to Mercedes-Benz, BASF will deliver a complete offering of digital and data solutions including its digital colour management tools, which help body shops to speed up workflows. Its digital portable spectrophotometers precisely measure the color on the car, and quickly and easily takes the painter to the desired mixing formula.

For more than 100 years, BASFs premium automotive refinishing brands support body shops with professional solutions and best-in-class quality. To meet the increasing demand from the automotive refinish industry to improve overall levels of efficiency, productivity and sustainability, BASF recently launched its eco-friendliest line automotive refinish solutions. The innovative product line further boosts body shop efficiency while reducing their environmental footprint. With the lowest VOC content and the highest eco-effectiveness ever, it revolutionizes the global premium waterborne automotive refinish market.


Dr Munoz suspected some patients had read only initial news articles detailing the widespread pause on the vaccination and not subsequent reports in which Europes medicine regulator clarified there was no evidence the vaccine was associated with an increased risk of blood clots overall. There is still a question mark over links to two blood clot issues that are extremely rare. It is going to take a huge effort to undo the real damage in confidence in the vaccine those reports from overseas have created, with people jumping the gun and releasing that information without really getting the clear epidemiology and evidence, Dr Munoz said. Federal Health Department secretary Professor Brendan Murphy said the small number of blood clot cases had created some tension. Loading Replay Replay video Play video Play video The European Medicine Authority has intensely examined this issue and, despite a lot of anxiety in Europe, they have come up with a completely conclusive statement to say they think this vaccine is safe and effective and that it should be continued to be rolled out across the whole population, Professor Murphy said.

He added the Therapeutic Goods Administration would continue to monitor the safety data. Whenever there is anxiety, that creates issues with confidence, and we need to inform our health professionals the best advice so that it can provide that reassurance, he said. Loading I am very confident this vaccine is safe and effective. Otherwise, I wouldnt have had it myself. Melbourne GP Mukesh Haikerwal said he and his staff spent four hours on the phone on Sunday calling patients in their 80s and 90s to directly offer appointments on Monday at his Altona North Respiratory Clinic, but encountered hesitancy.

It was quite a struggle, he said. People are spooked about what they have read [about] Europe. Theyve read the bad news, that there was a problem, but theyve not read the good news. Dr Haikerwal said of the 150 people that were called, about five or six refused the jab outright and another dozen said they wanted to hold off before making up their minds. He hopes that as people see others getting vaccinated without ill-effect, confidence will grow. Loading Among those at the Altona clinic on Monday was John Manolakakis, 65, who said he was not bothered which jab he received, rolling up his sleeve for the AstraZeneca vaccine alongside his 90-year-old parents.

Something is better than nothing and when you have been given something for free youve got to be a dill to start whinging and carrying on, he said. Mr Manolakakis, who has an autoimmune disease, said he had been worried for the safety of his parents Jim and Pagona Manolakakis during Melbournes coronavirus outbreaks, and receiving the vaccine felt like a weight off his shoulders. We live in the luckiest country on Earth, he said. Professor Julie Leask, a leading vaccine uptake expert with the University of Sydney, said while it wasnt entirely clear what led overseas regulators to suspend the vaccine programs under limited evidence of harm, the impacts on public confidence were likely to be long lasting.

She said some people were always going to have health issues after a vaccination, but it didnt mean the vaccination caused or contributed to those health issues. Meanwhile, we still have a vaccine thats going to protect us from COVID and do a very good job of protecting us against severe disease and hospitalisation and death, she said. So even if there were a tiny, tiny, tiny risk to be confirmed, which is itself probably unlikely, the vaccines benefits can far outweigh the risks. This is the communication challenge we face. Federal Health Minister Greg Hunt said people who were most concerned about the vaccine were worried about safety.
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In 2020, Theraclion has obtained CE marking and use in standard practice of SONOVEIN S, 2 to 3 times faster than SONOVEIN

With SONVEIN S, new excellence centers will be equipped including in Asia

For the coming two years, the focus is on the development of final commercial pilots and investigation of new areas such as Thyroid and Breast Cancer

Regulatory News:

THERACLION (ISIN: FR0010120402; Mnemo: ALTHE, eligible PEA-SME), an innovative company developing a scalable robotic platform for none invasive treatment by echotherapy including varicose veins,announces today its annual results for the year ended 31 December 2020 and its strategy for the coming two years.

A new crucial step in the performance of our technology

In 2020, Theraclion has succeeded to maintain its effort in the development of its platform, SONOVEIN and is ready to move to the next level of its expansion. The new version SONOVEIN S, completed its clinical trial and obtained CE marking. The non-surgical treatment is now 2 to 3 times faster. It allowed successful treatment including complicated patients with excellent safety. It is now proposed in standard clinical practice in London by Professor Dr. Mark Whiteley, renowned UK Venous Surgeon and three other clinics worldwide. To better support the increased activity and demand of the new system, the company has promoted David Auregan from Chief Financial Officer, to Chief Operating Officer.

SONOVEIN S, the gold standard treatment in the 10 Billion market of varicose veins

For 2021, Theraclion plans to further expand business development in new territories including Asia. Theraclion will also significantly increase SONOVEIN S installations at new key opinion leader sites. These international experts show strong interest in this distruptive technology to the excitement of cutting-edge centers in Europe. Once equipped, their centers of excellence are the relay of the technology to the rest of the market. The treatment of varicose veins counts around 5 million treatment procedures per year globally, representing a market of 10 Billion $.Theraclion's ambition is to capture a significant part of the market. SONOVEIN S should gradually become the gold standard treatment for patients with chronic vein insufficiency.

Focus on commercial pilots and acceleration of development in new areas

Building on technological evolution in efficiency and speed made this year, Theraclion will focus on the development of a final commercial pre-serie. The technology becomes competitive and leads the company to consider its potential in areas other than the vein, such as thyroid and breast cancer. The company will accelerate its development with comprehensive partnerships and significant investments to complete pre-clinical and clinical file. These advances are supporting Theraclion's ambition to become the best scalable robotic platform for none invasive treatment by echotherapy.

Results at December 31, 2020, protection of cash to allow further expansion.

Theraclion raised 3.0 million from investors and secured 1.4 million in PGE loan from BPI France and CIC. In parallel, the company implemented a strict expenses control policy to protect its cash and focused operational expenses were reduced 37% in 2020. This allowed the company to move forward on the commercial roll-out of SONOVEIN S.

In K 2020/12/31 2019/12/31 Var. % Sales 744 2 784 73% Subsidies -3 347 n.a. Other revenues 0 86 -100%. Total revenues 741 3 217 - 77% Costs of goods sold 291 1 612 -82% Purchases 1 956 -2 353 17% Employees compensation -2 304 -3 368 32% Other operating costs -479 -590 19% Total operating costs - 5 029 - 7 925 - 37% Operating profit - 4 288 - 4 708 + 9% Financial results 330 221 49% Non Current results 10 132 92% Research tax credit 722 1 269 43% Net Results - 3 905 - 3 792 - 3% Average headcount (FTE) 24 25 - 4%

Accounts approved by the Board of Directors on 18 March 2021. The audit procedures for the financial statements for fiscal year 2020 have been carried out. The certification report will be issued after verification of the management report.

Operating costs under control and net result almost flat

Theraclion SA achieved a turnover of 744K in 2020, a decrease of 73% compared to 2019. Recurring revenue consisting of the sale of consumables and services reached 467 K growing 8%.

Total operationg costs reduced 37% to 2019 mostly driven by the COVID-19 crisis induced reduction of travel costs and other related commercial activities.

The research tax credit amounted to 722K at the end of December 2020. 2019 tax credid included 302K relating to a claim concerning previous financial years, paid in the first half of 2019 and research tax credit for the first half of 2019 of 967K. Recuction from 967K to 722K is mostly driven by cut on spending.

Operating costs reduction of 37% compensated the drop of revenues of 77% and net loss of 3 905K was a limited increase of 3% to 2020. Theraclion's available cash was 2.3M at December 31, 2020.

Cash outlook up to Q2 2022

In K 2020/12/31 2019/12/31 Var. Cash 2 314 1 423 891 Medium term cash position 31 31 0 Total Cash Cash Equivalent 2 345 1 454 891 Bank Loans -1400 -1400 Convertible debt 2 684 -424 -2 260 Total debt - 4 084 - 424 -3 660 Net Cash position - 1 739 1 030 -2 769

Theraclion received cash advances from Oseo for an amount of K6 527 including capitalized interests. Its payback is based on milestones which should not be achieved in the next five years. Consequently the advance is not accounted for as a financial debt.

In addition to available cash of 2.3M at December 31, 2020, the company secured 1.5 million in PGE loans from BPI France and CIC to cash in early 2021. Taking into account a conservative estimation of sales of systems in 2021, growth in Varicose Vein treatments as SONOVEIN S rolls out, and or other funding from his current shareholders including the issue of all or part of Tranche 3 of financing arrangement concluded in 2019, Theraclion estimates that it will be able to cover its cash requirements over the 12 coming months.

About Theraclion

Theraclion has developed an innovative high-tech echotherapy solution using High Intensity Focused Ultrasound for the treatment of varicose veins, SONOVEIN. The treatment solution, which obtained CE marking in April 2019, is based on the leading-edge echotherapy treatment expertise developed over years by Theraclion for non-invasive ablation of breast fibroadenomas and thyroid nodules using its ECHOPULSE solution. Further improvements to the ECHOPULSE technology are the foundation for SONOVEIN to provide the only non-invasive ablation therapy for varicose veins. This procedure allows for a treatment without a catheter, chemical injection, or incision. An operating room is not necessary, and the treatment can be performed at a doctor's office, in a clinic, as well as in a hospital. Venous pathology is widespread worldwide and generates around 5 million treatment procedures per year, according to Millennium research Varicose Vein Device Market Study 2015. Theraclion's technological solutions are based on hightech ultrasound medical imaging devices that are precise and easy to use for practitioners.

Located in Malakoff, near Paris, Theraclion brings together a team of 24 people, more than half of whom are dedicated to R&D and clinical trials.

For more information, please visit the Theraclion website: www.theraclion.com and the patient site: https://echotherapie.com/echotherapy/

Theraclion is listed on Euronext Growth Paris

Eligible for the PEA-PME scheme

Mnemonic: ALTHE ISIN code: FR0010120402

LEI: 9695007X7HA7A1GCYD29

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210322005671/en/

Contacts:

Theraclion

David Auregan

Chief Operating Officer

david.auregan@theraclion.com

Anja Kleber

VP Marketing, Market Access Sales Francophonia

anja.kleber@theraclion.com
Wilkes-Barre, PA (18701)

Today

Rain showers in the morning with thunderstorms developing for the afternoon. A few storms may be severe. High 77F. Winds SSW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 80%..

Tonight

Rain showers early with scattered thunderstorms arriving overnight. Low 63F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 50%.
President Muhammadu Buhari, on Monday, received a former Speaker of the House of Representatives, Dimeji Bankole, and a former governor of Ogun State, Gbenga Daniel, who visited him at the Presidential Villa, Abuja

The duo who recently defected to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) were accompanied by the APC caretaker chairperson, Mai Mala-Buni, who is also the governor of Yobe State.

Others on the entourage were Governors Mohammed Badaru of Jigawa and Atiku Bagudu of Kebbi States.

Mr Buhari is a member of the APC.

Mr Daniel was governor of Ogun State from 2003 to 2011 while Mr Bankole was the Speaker of the House of Representatives between 20072011, all on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

While Mr Daniel was campaign manager for the PDP presidential candidate and former vice president, Atiku Abubakar, in 2019, Mr Bankole contested that years governorship election on the ticket of the Action Democratic Party (ADP).

Speaking with journalists after the meeting, Mr Buni said they came to present the new party members to the president who expressed delight at the calibre of the defectors.

He said the president expressed his delight considering the pedigree of the new members.

We came to present new members of our party, Daniel and Bankole, Mr Buni said.

Mr President is impressed and happy that leaders of such calibre are joining our party at this time we are registering new members because registering and validating our membership, and indeed this is the right time for them to join us. And that is exactly why Mr. President is very happy. He is pleased and is impressed.

Mr Bankole said he joined the ruling party to give support to the effort the president was making.

He said national issues needed to be solved and any reasonable human being should support at the moment.

This is the time to step up and support so that these decisions can be taken, executed.

Because 10 years from now, 20 years from now, people ask who stood up when these things were happening? It is every citizens right and all we have done is exercise it today. But actions from now will speak for us, he said.

On his part, Mr Daniel said there was a need to deemphasise the party affiliation in the affairs of the country.

He said the country was going through a lot and that whoever was in power should be given the maximum support.

Why APC? There are too many options in the party. One thing is sure that we are going through health and economic challenges, we must do less political contests and give support, Mr Daniel said.

One thing that is for sure is that the entire world is going through challenges that are global challenges, economic challenges, health challenges and when you are in a situation like this, as I usually opined, we should do less of partisan contestation. All of us must come together to support whoever is in power.

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And what we have decided to do is to come and give our support to the president so that jointly, we can continuously navigate the country. That is what is relevant.

Asked if he felt Nigeria was sliding into a one party state with the defections of notable opposition politicians, the former governor said the same scenario played out when the opposition was in power.

He said, definitely, any political environment, whether it is multi party or two party, there will usually be a majority party and the minority party. So I dont think that there is anything new that has happened.

A few years ago, when PDP was at the helm of affairs at the centre, I think at the last count, out of the 36 states, PDP was in charge in more than 24 states at that time and the country did not become a one party state.

So I think what is going on is quite healthy. The contestation is quite exciting. I think what is important is that parties should look inwards and organise themselves very well so that at any point in time, the people have an opportunity to make an informed choice. And that I think is what is going on.
A woman said she went through horrendous pain while being examined by a midwife during labour.

Nanci Martin described feeling as if her belly would burst at the time and begged for pain relief in the hours before giving birth.

She was giving evidence during a fitness-to-practise inquiry in Dublin. Ms Martin said she had to hold onto the bars at the top of her bed in order to survive as she couldnt cope with the pain.

She gave birth to her daughter Milagros, whose name means miracle, at Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital in Drogheda on December 11, 2011.

Her daughter suffered catastrophic injuries at birth and suffers from cerebral palsy.

The midwife referred to as Registrant A, after being granted anonymity, is facing eight allegations by the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Ireland in relation to Ms Martins care.

They include failure to adequately monitor or assess her wellbeing, failing to respond adequately to her request for pain relief, and failure to respond adequately when she knew or ought to have known or suspected that Ms Martin might have placental abruption. It is also alleged that she falsely recorded that at 3pm on the day in question Ms Martin was coping well and did not wish to have pain relief.

Its hard to describe, if anybody is a mother here, you have a womb and you know, you touch nicely, you dont palpitate it or kind of press harder, said Ms Martin.

So I found that there was pressure to my tender belly.

She said she felt that her belly would burst at one point because she was pressing very, very hard, while searching for the babys heartbeat when a cardiotocography machine started beeping.

Ms Martin told the inquiry she felt the midwife panicked and seemed to be unaware she had had a C-section with her first child.

She was just in and out. I was pretty much surviving at that point. Perhaps if I wasnt strong enough, I wouldnt be here, she said.



Ms Martin told the inquiry her daughter is now like a baby and although a bright and happy child, she cannot swallow or talk and has difficulty sleeping due to epilepsy.

She cant say mama and dada, her mother said.

She said the hard thing is that she wants to play with her peers but is limited in her ability to do so.

Ms Martins counsel, Ronan Kennedy, said she does not hold any ill will or animosity towards the midwife and her primary motivation in giving evidence is to prevent future instances from arising.

Simon Mills SC, appearing for the midwife, said she was sorry that Ms Martin had felt uncomfortable during the examination. He said she had done it in a way that a normal and capable midwife would examine a woman in labour.

He said she followed the correct protocol and when Ms Martins condition didnt improve she had arranged for her transfer to the labour ward within five minutes.

The hospital previously apologised to the family for deficits in care in relation to Milagross birth as part of a settlement of her case against the HSE in 2015, with an interim payment of 1.9m for her care.

It was claimed there was a failure to carry out a C-section within an appropriate period.
Recent attacks may drive governments zero trust adoption

The White House will push federal agencies to start moving toward a new "zero trust paradigm," according to Federal Chief Information Security Officer Chris DeRusha.

Zero trust, which assumes networks have already compromised, is not new, but security experts have been calling for wider implementation since the breach involving SolarWinds was discovered. In that attack, adversaries moved unchecked through government networks after their initial entry.

"In this new model, real-time authentication tests users, blocks suspicious activity and prevents adversaries from the kind of privilege escalation that was demonstrated in the SolarWinds incident," DeRusha told lawmakers at the March 18 Homeland Security and Government Affairs Committee.

"Many of the tools we need to implement this model already exist within industry and agency environments, but successful implementation will require a shift in mindset and focus at all levels within federal agencies," he continued.

Brandon Wales, the acting director of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency who testified alongside DeRusha, also suggested the government's failure to catch the intrusion had to do with an over emphasis on network perimeter security and a lack of internal detection methods.

"Part of the challenge is that you can only secure what you can see, and over the past decade our system of protection that has largely relied upon sensors deployed at the perimeters of networks that is designed to be fed by intelligence," about known threats, Wales said. "Our adversaries have advanced, they are no longer using the same infrastructure to target us repeatedly."

He also said CISA will use funding from the American Rescue Act to invest in new tools for endpoint detection tools but that ultimately agencies must find a balance between both forms of security.

"That balance was too far out of whack in the past," he said. "It is too focused on the network and not enough inside of networks at the host. "

This article was first posted to FCW, a sibling site to GCN.
- Seeks recovery of significant investments in system expansion and improvements to serve existing and new customers.

- Announces expanded energy efficiency programs, continuation of customer assistance.

CHARLOTTE, N.C., March 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Piedmont Natural Gas today filed a request with the North Carolina Utilities Commission (NCUC) to recover approximately $1.7 billion in capital investments for expansion to accommodate growth in its communities, for infrastructure to decrease price volatility for its customers, and for federally required safety improvements to its system. This request represents a 10.4% increase in the company's revenues.

If approved, Piedmont's requested increase would be effective in November 2021, with the average residential customer in North Carolina paying about $8 more per month, or $95 more per year. This is about 17% lower than residential rates were a decade ago.

Piedmont serves six of the 10 most populated cities in the state, and its customer base in North Carolina has increased by more than 42,000 customers since January 2018.

"Strengthening and improving our system enables us to accommodate new customers and to continue providing reliable natural gas service to existing customers," said Sasha Weintraub, Piedmont Natural Gas senior vice president. "Our recent investments ensure we can meet increasing customer demand, while also protecting customers from unexpected outages and volatile high rates in times of extreme weather, as we just witnessed in Texas."

Piedmont's capital investments

Construction of a new natural gas storage facility in Robeson County, N.C., and enhancements to an existing storage facility in Huntersville, N.C., represent major capital investments Piedmont included in its request to the NCUC.

Natural gas storage facilities benefit customers by reducing their exposure to price volatility and increasing the availability of affordable natural gas during times of extraordinary demand. With these facilities, Piedmont purchases natural gas when prices are low during warmer weather periods, stores it safely, and delivers it to customers during cold weather extremes much like what was experienced in Texas this winter, avoiding inflated prices when natural gas is in high demand.

Story continues

"Although these investments were necessary, we know some customers still face economic hardships that make any price increase difficult," Weintraub said. "We are closely managing our costs to minimize the impact to customers and providing help through customer payment assistance and energy efficiency programs."

In response to customers who face ongoing economic challenges, the company absorbed expenses it incurred from the negative impacts of COVID-19. Piedmont also is continuing its customer assistance programs, discontinuing the remaining credit card fees for customer payments and expanding energy efficiency programs. 

Customer assistance programs

Piedmont Natural Gas is continuing to offer plans and flexible options to help customers who are behind on their utility payments.





Expanded energy efficiency programs

In a separate filing, Piedmont is making it even more affordable for people to purchase highly energy efficient natural gas appliances and equipment for their homes and businesses. Natural gas appliances generally last longer and require much less money and energy to operate than comparable electric models.

Piedmont intends to continue its Residential Low-Income Program, its Residential Equipment Rebate Program and its School Conservation Education Program in North Carolina.

Piedmont is proposing to also begin offering three new energy efficiency programs in North Carolina:



Residential New Construction Program  Provides incentives to residential home builders in North Carolina who are constructing energy-efficient single-family homes.



Commercial Food Service Program  Provides rebates to Piedmont's commercial customers in North Carolina who purchase and install qualifying high-efficiency natural gas commercial food service equipment.



Commercial HVAC & Water Heating Program  Provides rebates to Piedmont's commercial customers in North Carolina who purchase and install qualifying high-efficiency natural gas HVAC and water heating equipment.

To learn more about Piedmont's customer assistance programs, energy assistance programs or its rate case in North Carolina, visit www.piedmontng.com or www.piedmontng.com/rates.

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: Jennifer Sharpe

Phone: 877.348.3612

Email: jennifer.sharpe@duke-energy.com

Cision

View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/piedmont-natural-gas-files-rate-adjustment-in-north-carolina-for-capital-investments-to-better-serve-customers-301253069.html

SOURCE Piedmont Natural Gas
Study finds that food is the way for women's heart

Desperate to infuse life into mother, sisters give mouth to mouth resuscitation in UP

34-year-old woman jumps on funeral pyre of father, who died of COVID-19; hospitalised with 70 pc burns

Is 61-year-old woman 'Patient Su' identified as 'Patient zero'? New timeline shows outbreak began before Dec

Tamil Nadu polls: Bharathi Kannama, first transgender to contest polls from Madurai

India

oi-Madhuri Adnal

Madurai, Mar 22: Bharathi Kannama, a transgender woman is contesting Tamil Nadu Assembly polls 2021, promises to make Madurai a model city.

She is contesting the elections from New Generation People's Party. She said that she is proud to be contesting in election as a transgender for the first time in India.

Speaking to ANI, Kannama said,''I am proud to be contesting in election as a transgender for the first time in India."

However, this is not for the first time, Bharathi has earlier contested for Lok Sabha seat in 2014 and 2019 from Madurai Constituency, while in 2019, her nomination for Lok Sabha got rejected.

Woman gives birth to first known baby with antibodies against COVID-19, doctors say

In both times, Bharati contested as an Independent Candidate. For the very first time, she is contesting for an Assembly seat from Madhurai South.

Bharathi Kannama hold a Doctorate in Sociology along with a Master of Arts degree in sociology, BA Economy and a diploma in Computer Engineering. "I hold a BA in Economy, MA in Sociology, Diploma in Computer Engineering and along with all this, I hold a Doctorate in Sociology," she said.

Anil Deshmukh Corruption row: NCP says 'no need for resignation'| Oneindia News

She appealed to the people of Tamil Nadu to vote for her. She said, "We (transgender) have no family so we will not be corrupt. So, I appeal to the people of Tamil to vote for me."
Coronavirus has taken a great toll on many aspects of humanity. One example is the change in the dynamics of the education sector when the federal government implemented a lockdown as a safety measure in preventing further infections. Amid the roll of the COVID-19 vaccine in the United States, COVID testing was also found by schools to be an effective protocol during in-person classes for the students.

The reopening of school is a part of the Biden administration's American Rescue Plan. The administration will allocate $10 Billion available for K-12 schools in expanding the screening of COVID-19 on staff and students, according to a USA Today report.

ALSO READ: California Doctors Call for Schools Reopening in February

Coronavirus Testing for in-person learning

In a survey conducted by Reuters, 74 percent of the respondents reported indicators of increased mental health stresses among students. More than half of the respondents reported heightened mental health referrals and counseling. The study is focused on the school's lockdown during the COVID-19 pandemic.

COVID testing is the response of one of the schools in Northern California in keeping their teachers and students safe while having in-person classes. Teachers and students undergo rapid testing for the virus even though they do not show symptoms of the notorious disease.

"I'm not saying that we should give up any other (in-school safety) protocols," Superintendent Roy Mendiola said. Mendiola emphasized that testing gives them an immediate response.

The regular antigen testing in McSwain Elementary has recorded five positive staff members and one positive student. The people who tested positive along with their close contacts were immediately sent home. However, everyone else who did not engage with them was allowed to stay in school.

Despite the rise in mental health issues, some school board and teacher union leaders and parents are still against in-person classes to protect children's health. Another factor is preventing the community spread.

"Fast and frequent testing is key," said Charity Dean, a physician, as he recommends rapid testing twice a week in screening students and staff. Dean also helped in launching the California COVID-19 Testing Task Force.

Medical technology companies have raced to meet the needs of the schools that have adopted different practices and testing regimens.

"It still needs to be coordinated," said Scott Becker, CEO of the Association of Public Health Laboratories. The Food and Drug Administration has only authorized a handful of rapid tests that can be used without a doctor's prescription or supervision of a medical expert.

CDC new guidelines on in-person classes

Apart from the Coronavirus testing, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has devised a new guideline regarding physical distancing. From 6 feet, the agency will allow a 3 feet distance among students.

Despite the change in distance, ABC7 noted that masks should always be worn by students and teachers during in-person classes, and also inside the school premises.

"Getting Kids back into in-person learning is very difficult logistically from a space standpoint," said Dr. Ebbing Lautenbach. Lautenbach added that if the new guidelines are approved, it will be feasible to get the kids back into in-person learning.

CDC noted that COVID testing and other prevention approaches should be done to reduce the risk of further transmission and protect students, teachers, and staff from COVID-19.

RELATED ARTICLE: CDC Study: Teachers May Be More Important Drivers of COVID-19 Transmission Than Students

WATCH: COVID-19 Testing in Schools - from NYC Mayor's Office
HCM City police have begun to issue chip-based identity cards at 91 police stations.

HCM City police have two vehicles going around Vinh Loc B Commune in Binh Chanh District of and Linh Xuan Ward in Thu Duc City to issue chip-based identity cards to members of the public.

They are also issuing the cards from two mobile vehicles that go around suburban areas in Binh Chanh Districts Vinh Loc B Commune and Thu Duc Citys Linh Xuan Ward.

These vehicles are equipped with laptops and other necessary devices and furniture, and locals can step into them and complete the procedures. The vehicles aim to get 300 applications a day each.

Speaking at a press conference on March 18, Major Huynh Thi Thu Trang, deputy head of the division for administrative management of social order, said the city was one of 10 provinces and cities where the Ministry of Public Security wants to finish issuance by April 30. They are expected to issue 4.2 million cards.

People given priority include those aged more than 14 who have never been issued an ID card or are still using the old nine-digit card, and others with expired or lost 12-digit cards or seeking to change personal information.

A card with a 2D barcode was introduced in 2016.

The city police are working from 7am to 10pm every day to complete the task.

After July 1 they will continue to issue chip cards to others, first to people with a permanent residence book in the city and then to those with a temporary residence book.

To avoid crowding at police stations amid the COVID-19 pandemic, the police has set appointment times for people in the priority groups and informed them.

A HCM City woman does procedures to get a chip-based identity card on March 18 aboard one of the two police vehicles to go around Binh Chanh District and Linh Xuan Ward in Thu Duc City. VNA/VNS. Photos Xuan Tinh

Trang said the ID cards with electronic chips are very secure and difficult to be forged, and integrate a lot of information required for 22 different administrative tasks.

After July 1 the ministry would share this data with other government agencies so that people would not need to carry a variety of documents when they want to complete administrative procedures, she said.

As of March 16 the city police had received 215,510 applications, she added.

The police clarified two things: the chip in the card does not track peoples location and personal information could not be stolen if someone loses their card.

Major General Tran Duc Tai, deputy director of the city police, said the project to create a national population and citizen identification database would help streamline administrative procedures to serve the public better as part of the Governments efforts to shift from paper-based to electronic document management.

According to the ministry, 50 million chip cards will be issued by July 1. VNS
This month we commemorate the 33rd anniversary of the chemical weapons attack on the Iraqi-Kurdish city of Halabja.

The attack was part of Saddam Husseins massive al-Anfal campaign that displaced and killed many in the populations in northern Iraq. Beginning in 1986 and ending in 1989, Kurdish towns and villages were destroyed, tens of thousands of Kurds disappeared or were killed, and Saddam forcibly removed hundreds of thousands of Kurds from their home. The campaign also terrorized other small ethnic and religious communities, including Assyrians, Shabaks, Iraqi Turkmen, Yazidis, and Mandeans.

In mid-March 1988, Iraqi government forces spent two days shelling the city of Halabja with rockets and napalm. This broke the doors and windows of still-intact buildings and drove the citys 50,000 inhabitants into cellars and underground shelters.

On the evening of the second day of the attack, March 16th, the shelling stopped. Iraqi helicopters and fighter planes began to pepper the city with canisters of chemical weapons, including mustard gas and the nerve agents sarin, tabun, and VX. Heavier than air, the toxic chemicals sank to the ground and seeped through broken door and window frames into homes, then down to where the people huddled in fear, waiting for the attack to stop.

It was the first time in modern history that a government attacked its own people with chemical weapons.

Some 5,000 civilians died as a direct result of the toxic chemicals dropped on Halabja. Around ten thousand more were blinded, maimed, or disfigured. And in the decades that followed, thousands more died from horrific health complications and debilitating diseases.

The two men who held the greatest responsibility for this crime eventually paid for their deeds. Saddam Hussein, who ordered the horrific attacks of the Anfal campaign, was found guilty of crimes against humanity and sentenced to death by hanging. His cousin, Ali Hassan Abd al-Majid, known as Chemical Ali, who led the Anfal campaign and was responsible for the attack on Halabja, was convicted of the crime of genocide against Iraqi Kurds and was sentenced to death.

While the fate of those who instigated the al-Anfal campaign and killed thousands of innocents in Halabja should serve as a warning to others not to follow in their murderous footsteps, it is clear from the use in Syria of Sarin gas that the world must remain ever vigilant against atrocities and weapons of mass destruction
An 8-foot-tall security fence topped with concertina razor wire surrounds the U.S. Capitol and National Guard vehicles are parked inside the temporary perimeter in Washington, on March 16, 2021. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

Time to Take Action: 3 Proposals Regarding Free Speech, the Media, and Washington

Commentary

There is a lot of chatter among conservatives (well, among some conservatives) about finally dispensing with chatter and moving on to action.

Weve had a lot of diagnoses. Wheres the treatment?

As the first offering in this big project, Id like to propose three courses of action.

None is original. This pleases me. Novelty in human affairs is oftenId go so far as to say generallycounter-productive.

My first proposal is to follow the advice of Laurence Silberman, the eminent jurist who was appointed to the D.C. Court of Appeals by President Ronald Reagan, and scrap the landmark 1964 Supreme Court decision in The New York Times v. Sullivan.

I said landmark, but forbore to put the word in ironical quotation marks, as Silberman does, not because it doesnt deserve the epistemic deflation they impart, but because mentioning it this way allows me to give more full-throated support to Silbermans skepticism about the opinion.

The judge was writing last week in his dissent in a defamation case called Tah v. Global Witness Publishing.

I have had occasion to write about New York Times v. Sullivan before.

In essence, the decision made it almost impossible for anyone designated a public figure to win a libel suit. To do so, one has to prove that the defendant acted with actual malice, a high bar to pass.

The press, of course, loved the decision, for it effectively insulated them from most defamation suits.

As the legal scholar Glenn Reynolds noted in The Judiciarys Class War, the decision was in effect a subsidy to media companies, whose libel risks (and insurance premiums) were drastically reduced. It also meant that juries  had far less power in libel cases. Perhaps coincidentally (but perhaps not), trust in the press has fallen steadily since the Sullivan ruling freed media organizations from previously existing legal accountability.

This was a point that the lawyer Gregory J. Sullivan dilated on in National Review, on the 50th anniversary of the decision in 2014.

Although the press celebrated the anniversary as a triumph for free speech, Sullivan wrote, for those committed to the text and history of the Constitution, and a judiciary tethered to them, there is nothing at all to celebrate.

Even by the imperial-judiciary standards of the Warren Court, this case stands out as something of a classic effusion in that Courts project of remaking American society to conform with its far-Left preferences. There is no question that the case is a watershed: Before New York Times v. Sullivan, the First Amendment protected a free press that was responsible in law for its errors; after and because of this case, the press has anything-goes immunity from almost any mistakes, no matter how damaging.

As a policy matter, this may or may not be a prudent development. Constitutionally, the decision is an infamous failure and a disgrace to the judicial role.

Silberman echoed and amplified many of these concerns. The New York Times and The Washington Post, he wrote, are virtually Democratic Party broadsheets. The same goes for the news sections of The Wall Street Journal, most of other major newspapers, television networks, and Silicon Valley social media outlets.

The major exceptionsFox News, the New York Post, the opinion pages of The Wall Street Journalare all owned by one man.

In short, There can be little question that the overwhelming uniformity of news bias in the United States has an enormous political impact, Silberman writes.

One-Party Control

And the nature of that impact is worrisome.

It should be borne in mind, Silberman writes,  that the first step taken by any potential authoritarian or dictatorial regime is to gain control of communications, particularly the delivery of news.

It is fair to conclude, therefore, that one-party control of the press and media is a threat to a viable democracy. It may even give rise to countervailing extremism. The First Amendment guarantees a free press to foster a vibrant trade in ideas. But a biased press can distort the marketplace. And when the media has proven its willingnessif not eagernessto so distort, it is a profound mistake to stand by unjustified legal rules that serve only to enhance the press power.

Silberman writes with elan as well as insight.

After observing my colleagues efforts to stretch the actual malice rule like a rubber band, he reflects, I am prompted to urge the overruling of New York Times v. Sullivan.

It will not, he knows, be easy. As I wrote, the Court has committed itself to a constitutional Brezhnev doctrine.

Remember the Brezhnev doctrine?

In 1968, the Soviet leader had expounded the principle that any territory gained by a communist state had to remain in the hands of a communist state. There could be no retreat. So it has been with certain judicial opinions.

Once the Court has constitutionalized a new area of the law [Silberman writes], it will never willingly retreat. The long-term consequence of this policy is obvious: An ever-expanding sphere of influence for the Judiciary at the expense of the policymaking branches.

To the charge that he regards decisions such as New York Times v. Sullivan with disdain, Silberman pleads guilty.

I readily admit that I have little regard for holdings of the Court that dress up policymaking in constitutional garb. That is the real attack on the Constitution, in whichit should go without sayingthe Framers chose to allocate political power to the political branches. The notion that the Court should somehow act in a policy role as a Council of Revision is illegitimate.

When one recalls the extraordinarily vituperative, monolithic, and unfair coverage under which President Donald Trump and anyone associated him struggled for four yearsa regime of left-wing intolerance that has only accelerated post-Trump with the embrace of wokeness by the governmentits easy to see why the former president castigated fake news and mused about revisiting decisions like New York Times v. Sullivan.

So my first action item is to overturn New York Times v. Sullivan.

Section 230

I can deal more briefly with my second two proposals.

No. 2 also has to do with the media.

My suggestion is that we revisit Section 230, part of a federal statute passed 20 years ago that provides immunity to social media companies such as Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram from being sued over the material they purvey.

This allows them to operate without being responsible for the content they publish.

Section 230, an article in Forbes explains, set the legal framework for the internet that we know today that relies heavily on user content rather than content that companies create. Without Section 230, companies would not be willing to take so many risks.

This issue is that such media companies want to have it both ways. They want the immunity of neutral providers. But they actand they do so with increasing boldnessas spokesmen advocating, and censoring, certain points of view.

Should we, therefore, scrap Section 230 as well, as Trump suggested before he was banned for life from Twitter?

I was leaning toward that expedient myself, but on reflection, I think that Andrew McCarthy has a better idea: Dont repeal Section 230, just make sure that the entities enjoying the privileged status it affords act in a way that entitles them to its protection.

To be a mere interactive computer service entitled to immunity from speaker/publisher liability, McCarthy explains, a platform must refrain from publishing activitywhich includes suppressing one point of view while promoting its competitor. Twitter is well within its rights to censor its partisan adversaries; but in doing so, it forfeits the legal privilege that is available only to interactive computer services that do not censor on political or ideological grounds.

So dont jettison the legislation, which does help maintain the internets openness, but do subject the businesses violating its provisions to oversight and revocation of protection when they violate the neutrality they huddle under for protection.

Back to America

My third suggestion picks up on a suggestion made by a few people, including Sens. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) and Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) in 2019.

In October of that year, they introduced a bill that would have moved about 90 percent of the workforce of 10 federal agencies out of Washington, relocating them in the heartland.

Quoth Hawley at the time, Every year, Americans hard-earned tax dollars fund federal agencies that are mainly located in the D.C. bubble. Thats a big part of the problem with Washington: theyre too removed from the rest of America.

You can say that again.

There were some good ideas in that bill, the Hire Act.

The Department of Agriculture would have moved to Missouri, Commerce to Pennsylvania, Education to Tennessee, Energy to Kentucky, Health and Human Services to Indiana, Housing and Urban Development to Ohio, Interior to New Mexico, Labor to West Virginia, Transportation to Michigan, and Veterans Affairs to South Carolina.

Of course, it wasnt radical enough. Instead of moving the Department of Education, for example, the Act should have abolished it altogether.

But the impulse to relocate Washington to America is a sound one.

We should endeavor to build on it.

First of all, to forestall talk of granting statehood to Washington, D.C., we should simply incorporate it into Maryland, which already shares its socialist temper.

Then the entire official infrastructure of the district should become part of the Smithsonian Museum.

Since all official business will henceforth be conducted elsewhere, the buildings themselvesthe White House, the Capitol, the Supreme Court, etc.can become tourist attractions.

And to those who say that the fence, razor wire, and federal troops ought to be removed from around the Capitol, I say, Think big!

Since we are listing toward communism ourselves, why not take a page from former communist regimes and turn the Capitol just as it is now into a museum, much as Berlin did with its former Stasi headquarters.

We keep the fence and the razor wire but instead of federal troops, many of whom, of course, will be busy modeling their maternity flight suits or arranging for their gender reassignment surgery, we second suitably tough-looking employees from the Smithsonian to dress up in military uniforms and act as tour guides.

The time for idle talk is over. Here are three concrete, workable proposals that would enhance free speech, make the media more responsible, and do something about the national embarrassment that is Washington.

I offer them free and for nothing to the civic-spirited public.

Roger Kimball is the editor and publisher of The New Criterion and publisher of Encounter Books. His most recent book is Who Rules? Sovereignty, Nationalism, and the Fate of Freedom in the 21st Century.

Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.
LOS ANGELES, CA, March 22, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- via NewMediaWire  US Nuclear Corp. (OTCQB: UCLE) recently completed a shipment to China of USNS popular tritium and carbon-14 air samplers as well as portable tritium monitors worth a total of $256,626.

Furthermore, as part of US Nuclears expansion into the Chinese market, US Nuclear signed a new Cooperation Agreement on March 1, 2021 with Dalian Zhonghe Scientific and Technological Development Co., a subsidiary of China National Nuclear Corporation (CNNC). Together, the companies will work to design the perfect instrumentation to outfit Chinese nuclear power plants. The instruments are planned to be built at a local factory in China to be cost-competitive and will be optimized for Chinese operators based on the local regulations and procedures. This can be a game changer since currently 80% of nuclear instruments purchased are imported into China at a high cost, and the functionality often does not fit local procedures, regulations, and language.

US Nuclear already has a local sales office in Beijing, China, and this new cooperation agreement with Dalian Zhonghe will help US Nuclear capture even more of the burgeoning market for nuclear power and radiation detection equipment in China.

The China National Nuclear Corporation (CNNC) controls most nuclear sector business including R&D, engineering design, uranium exploration and mining, enrichment, fuel fabrication, reprocessing, and waste disposal. It is also said to be the major investor in all nuclear plants in China.

Chinas Nuclear Power Measurement Market

China is by far the worlds most active builder of nuclear power with plans to surpass the U.S. as the worlds top producer of nuclear energy by as early as 2030, and expects that nuclear power will account for about 10% of the countrys total electricity generation capacity by 2035 as the country shifts away from coal. China currently has 50 nuclear power plants in operation (48,659 MWe), 15 under construction (14,745 MWe), 39 planned (43,085 MWe), and 168 proposed. Each of these nuclear power plants going into operation requires about $10 million worth of radiation and detection equipment.

China National Nuclear Corporation (CNNC) designs and builds nuclear power plants and oversees all aspects of Chinas civilian and military nuclear programs.

US Nuclears popular, high sensitivity air samplers are used to continuously collect tritium and carbon-14 from the air in sample collection vials over a period of time. After sample collection is complete, the vials are measured to determine the concentration of radionuclides collected based on the sampling time and flow rate. Air samplers are often used as compliance monitors to ensure that there are no harmful levels of radionuclides exposed to workers or released into the environment.

Safe Harbor Act

This press release includes "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the safe harbor provisions of the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Actual results may differ from expectations, estimates and projections and, consequently, you should not rely on these forward-looking statements as predictions of future events. Words such as "expect," "estimate," "project," "budget," "forecast," "anticipate," "intend," "plan," "may," "will," "could," "should," "believes," "predicts," "potential," "continue," and similar expressions are intended to identify such forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements involve significant risks and uncertainties that could cause the actual results to differ materially from the expected results.

Investors may find additional information regarding US Nuclear Corp. at the SEC website at http://www.sec.gov, or the companys website at www.usnuclearcorp.com

CONTACT:

US Nuclear Corp. (OTCQB: UCLE)

Robert I. Goldstein, President, CEO, and Chairman

Rachel Boulds, Chief Financial Officer

(818) 883 7043

Email: info@usnuclearcorp.com

Attachment
Apple has been slapped a $2 million fine in the Brazilian state of Sao Paulo for not including chargers with the iPhone 12 series, according to a report in 9to5Mac.

Procon-SP, Sao Paulos consumer protection agency has accused the Cupertino giant of misleading advertising, selling a device without the charger and unfair terms.

In October last year, Apple had announced that its new iPhone 12 series would not come with chargers or Lightning EarPods in their boxes and include only a single USB-C to Lightning cable.

In December, when Procon-SP told Apple that selling iPhones without chargers in the box was a violation of the countrys Consumer Defense Code, the company responded by saying that it is not including the accessories in the iPhone 12 boxes to help reduce carbon emissions and address other environmental concerns. It also noted that many customers already had spare chargers and that providing another one in the box is unnecessary.

The Brazilian agency questioned the iPhone maker that it didnt demonstrate environmental gain by excluding the charging brick inside the box. Procon-SP also questioned if the company would reduce the price of iPhone 12 after removing the charger, the new price of the iPhone 12 with and without the charger and if Apple has reduced the production of chargers, to which the Cupertino giant has not responded.

Besides the charger bundle issue, Apple is also being fined for some other issues. According to Procon-SP, the company misled iPhone 11 Pro consumers about the water-resistance claims of its iPhones ultimately refusing to repair devices that suffered water damage under warranty.

The agency also cited iOS update problems, and unfair terms as other issues as Apple exempts itself from all legal and implicit guarantees and against hidden or not apparent defects.

Following the fine, Fernando Capez, Procon-SP Executive Director offered a strict warning to Apple and said that Apple needs to understand that in Brazil there are solid consumer protection laws and institutions. It needs to respect these laws and these institutions.

Apple has not responded on the matter but has an option to appeal to the $2 million fine in the court.
The father of a 24-year-old man shot and killed by a Chicago police officer nearly three years ago demanded answers from city officials Monday on why he hasnt received word on whether the cop involved will face discipline.

Why wont you release the information about my son? Maurice Granton Sr. said of city officials in a news briefing Monday morning outside City Hall.

His son, Maurice Granton Jr., was shot and killed by Officer Sheldon Thrasher on June 6, 2018 while scaling a fence in the South Sides Bronzeville neighborhood. The 24-year-olds family has since filed a Cook County lawsuit in the case.

But though the citys Civilian Office of Police Accountability completed its investigation in the case late last year, city officials have not disclosed how or if they will take action against Thrasher.

Granton Sr. noted that when the police need help solving crimes, they ask the community to help out. To tell if you saw something. To solve the crimes in the city. But when the city has information on their own doing something, they have a problem letting it loose.

Granton said he was just pleading for justice for his son.

For the community, for his family I want accountability from the city, he said. Integrity from the city.

The citys Law Department is representing Thrasher and the city, which were named as defendants in the ongoing lawsuit.

That same Law Department, though with different attorneys, would also be tasked with filing disciplinary charges in the case, if necessary.

In mid-December, COPA announced it had completed its investigation into the shooting. While it would not disclose its findings, the agency said it forwarded them to the Police Department late the prior month as a matter of routine.

The Police Department had up to 90 days from then to respond, a period which has now past.

The department can respond by either agreeing or disagreeing with COPAs findings and recommendations, and then the case may proceed to the Chicago Police Board, which decides whether cops should be punished in the most serious cases.

Story continues

If the Police Department agreed with COPAs findings, the Law Department is supposed to prepare disciplinary charges for the police board. But if the Police Department disagreed, the process calls for a review by one police board member to decide whether city attorneys should file disciplinary charges anyway.

A Law Department spokesperson on Monday had no immediate comment.

Police accountability advocates have long lamented that Chicagos police disciplinary process is slow moving, which they said can have a negative impact both on victims of misconduct and their families who are waiting for answers, as well as on officers who might be unfairly accused.

In the Granton case, on June 6, 2018, Wentworth District tactical officers were conducting a narcotics investigation when they were directed to the 300 block of East 47th Street in the South Sides Bronzeville neighborhood, Chicago police have said.

Surveillance footage gathered by investigators showed the 24-year-old Granton Jr. and others milling around under the CTA Green Line before a police car pulled up and the men scattered.

The body camera from one officer captured him saying, Come here, man, and then chasing Granton, who jumped a wooden fence, leaving the view of that officers body camera.

But his camera captured the sound of a single gunshot, then a pause, followed by three more shots in quick succession.

The body camera footage posted from the officer who appears to have opened fire did not include audio at the time of the shooting.

That video showed Granton running across a vacant lot and darting onto a wrought iron fence with one leg raised. As both hands reached for the top of the fence, the officer can be seen raising his gun. The footage then showed Granton immediately fall from the fence, stumble to his left a few feet and then drop to the ground, writhing in pain.

Granton was shot in the back, according to the Cook County medical examiners office.

The civil lawsuit filed after the shooting alleged that Thrasher fired at least three times, striking the 24-year-old at least once in the back and severing his spinal cord. The lawsuit also alleged that as a crowd emerged at the scene, Thrasher, who is Black, could be heard mocking Granton.

At the time of the shooting, the Police Department released a statement saying Granton had produced a weapon before an armed encounter with police took place. It also released limited video footage it said showed Granton holding a gun shortly before the shooting. The department also tweeted out a photo of a 9 mm handgun it said was recovered from the shooting scene.

When the lawsuit was filed in July 2018, one of the Granton familys lawyers criticized the Police Department for its limited release of information as a way to control the shooting narrative.

If youre going to release any evidence, then release it all or dont release any, attorney Antonio Romanucci told reporters at the time. They can control the narrative  to shape public opinion to make this look like this is about something that its not whens its really about transparency and getting to the truth and finding out what happened.
[March 22, 2021] Israel's OurCrowd and Waterfund Launch Dedicated Water and AgTech Partnership Focused on the Middle East

OurCrowd and Waterfund announced today that they will build a dedicated investment portfolio of 15 leading water and agricultural technology companies. Waterfund committed $50 million of capital to the OurCrowd managed portfolio, with an initial investment completed in Plenty, Inc., a vertical farming leader. The companies also announced that they are jointly working on an innovative water-focused platform called Aquantos. Aquantos will be a financial product platform pioneering the issuance of Blue Bonds and other innovative water investment products. Scott Rickards, CEO of Waterfund, said: "We are working to issue Blue Bonds that can be both climate bonds-certified and backed by sovereign or sub-sovereign borrowers. This new financial tool and others are being designed to enable water projects in the Middle East to acquire leading technologies to address water scarcity in a fundamentally new way." According to Morgan Stanley Institute for Sustainable Investing, sustainable investing assets now total more than $30 trillion globally-up 34% over the last two years. In the United States alone, one in four dollars-$12 trillion-is sutainably invested.



"In 2016, the Paris Agreement heightened interest in green bonds; in the years since, we've seen a spike in companies, municipalities, sovereigns and banks issuing green bonds. We expect that demand for next generation water-oriented bond products will see similar growth," Rickards said. "The lack of private capital has held back the huge growth potential of the water innovation sector. Waterfund's partnership with OurCrowd is designed to solve those challenges by offering equity investments in innovative tech companies and debt financing to carefully selected projects and water-saving technologies. Waterfund is constantly seeking innovations to attract private capital to water," Rickards added.

Jon Medved (News - Alert) , Founder & CEO of OurCrowd, said: "The Abraham Accords present a huge opportunity to bring new water and agricultural technology to the water scarcity challenges of the entire Middle East. Alongside Waterfund, it is our mission to invest in and help build game-changing technology companies. We are excited to be working together with Waterfund to drive more private capital to address the critical challenges of water." About Waterfund: Waterfund was founded in 2013 to direct private capital into global water assets. The company invests in, operates, and manages water treatment solutions and technologies on a global basis. Waterfund also publishes advanced data analytics through its proprietary platform developed in partnership with IBM (News - Alert) (the "Water Cost Index," or "WCI"), enabling innovative, metric-based investment decision making and climate-based risk mitigation. For more information visit www.worldswaterfund.com. About OurCrowd: OurCrowd is a global venture investment platform that empowers institutions and individuals to invest and engage in emerging companies. With $1.5 billion of committed funding, and investments in more than 240 portfolio companies and 25 venture funds, OurCrowd offers access to its membership of 80,000 individual accredited and institutional investors, family offices, and venture capital partners from over 195 countries to invest alongside, at the same terms. Rated by PitchBook as the most active venture investor in Israel, OurCrowd portfolio companies have been acquired by some of the most prestigious brands in the world, including Microsoft (News - Alert) , Uber, Canon, Oracle, Nike, and Intel. To register visit www.ourcrowd.com. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210322005382/en/

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set to kick off asset monetisation in oil sector by end of 2021-22

The first oil-sector infrastructure investment trust (InvIT) is expected to be floated by (India) by the end of 2021-22. According to a top petroleum ministry official, Indian Oil Corporation (IOCL), Hindustan Petroleum Corporation (HPCL), and (India) will be going for three separate InvITs as part of the central governments asset monetisation plan. GAIL (India) will be the first to float the InvIT. Read More

Centre targets global majors for semiconductor fabrication plants

In an ambitious move, the government is targeting global leaders for setting up semiconductor fabrication (fab) plants in the country. The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) is coordinating the effort and has drawn up a target list of potential companies. They include Taiwanese majors Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, VIA Technologies Inc., and United Microelectronics Corporation, US giants Intel, Micron Technology, Inc., NXP Semiconductors, and Texas Instruments, Japanese players Fuji Electric Co. and Panasonic.Read More

Govt considers blocking IP addresses of cryptocurrency exchanges

The government is considering the blocking of internet protocol (IP) addresses of companies/exchanges on which trading in cryptocurrencies is happening, said a source in the know. Two months ago, the government had said it intended to bring a Bill to ban private cryptocurrencies and introduce Indias own digital currency in line with what China and other countries had done. This move is part of that. The government had also proposed to promote technology like blockchain. Read More

States on overdrive to reduce vaccine wastage as Covid-19 cases rise

As India witnesses a second wave of the Covid-19 pandemic, the demand for vaccination has increased manifold. Hence, every step is being taken to reduce vaccine wastage. For example, the number of doses in a pack of Covaxin has been halved  from a 20-dose pack, Bharat Biotechs vaccine now contains 10 doses. Covishield, manufactured by the Serum Institute of India, also comes in 10-dose packs. Read More

Edelweiss arm looks to launch new credit funds in 2021 to tap demand

Edelweiss Alternative Asset Advisors (EAAA), part of the Edelweiss group, is looking to launch a short-duration credit fund and a distressed fund this year to tap the demand for credit in the country. The short-duration credit fund, which will be an alternative investment fund, targets to raise Rs 2,000 crore. The fund has an investment cycle of 24-36 months compared to 36-60 months in its previous funds. The fund manager is looking to launch it soon, said Hemant Daga, chief executive at Edelweiss Asset Management. Read More

Reliance affiliate picks 3/4th of gas from own CBM block at $6 price

Reliance Industries Ltd has sold three-fourth of the gas from coal seams in Madhya Pradesh to an affiliate of the company at a price of just over $6 at current oil prices. India Gas Solutions Private Limited, a 50: 50 joint venture of RIL and UK's bp, bought 0.62 million standard cubic meters per day out of 0.82 mmscmd gas bid out in an auction last week, three people with knowledge of the matter said. Read More

Foreign trade policy 2021-26 to focus on MSMEs, new export potential

The central government is devising a mechanism to step up screening imports to protect domestic manufacturers. The details of the online monitoring system may find mention in the foreign trade policy 2021-26, which will kick in next month. The online system will make the data available to the government as well as industry about the countries from where the goods are being imported, and their quantity and quality. The data can help domestic producers analyse the market potential for such goods, said a senior government official. Read More

NHAI turns down NITI Aayog's request to expand monetisation portfolio

The Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has turned down NITI Aayogs request to expand its monetisation portfolio, as the authority intends to leave that decision to an investment manager. NITI Aayog and the department of investment and public asset management (DIPAM) had asked the NHAI to proactively identify assets, and the mode for monetisation, after the authority showed reservation on the number of projects it could monetise. Read More
Credit: CC0 Public Domain

Less than a decade after unveiling the "Map of Life," a global database that marks the distribution of known species across the planet, Yale researchers have launched an even more ambitious and perhaps important projectcreating a map of where life has yet to be discovered.

For Walter Jetz, a professor of ecology and evolutionary biology at Yale who spearheaded the Map of Life project, the new effort is a moral imperative that can help support biodiversity discovery and preservation around the world.

"At the current pace of global environmental change, there is no doubt that many species will go extinct before we have ever learned about their existence and had the chance to consider their fate," Jetz said. "I feel such ignorance is inexcusable, and we owe it to future generations to rapidly close these knowledge gaps."

The new map of undiscovered species was published March 22 in the journal Nature Ecology & Evolution. A browsable version is available at mol.org/patterns/discovery .

Lead author Mario Moura, a former Yale postdoctoral associate in Jetz's lab and now professor at Federal University of Paraiba, said the new study shifts the focus from questions like "How many undiscovered species exist?" to more applied ones such as "Where and what?"

"Known species are the 'working units' in many conservation approaches, thus unknown species are usually left out of conservation planning, management, and decision-making," Moura said. "Finding the missing pieces of the Earth's biodiversity puzzle is therefore crucial to improve biodiversity conservation worldwide."

According to conservative scientific estimates, only some 10 to 20 percent of species on earth have been formally described. In an effort to help find some of these missing species, Moura and Jetz compiled exhaustive data that included the location, geographical range, historical discovery dates, and other environmental and biological characteristics of about 32,000 known terrestrial vertebrates. Their analysis allowed them to extrapolate where and what kinds of unknown species of the four main vertebrate groups are most likely to yet be identified.

They looked at 11 key factors which allowed the team to better predict locations where undiscovered species might be located. For instance, large animals with wide geographical ranges in populated areas are more likely to have already been discovered. New discoveries of such species are likely to be rare in the future. However, smaller animals with limited ranges who live in more inaccessible regions are more likely to have avoided detection so far.

"The chances of being discovered and described early are not equal among species," Moura said. For instance, the emu, a large bird in Australia, was discovered in 1790 soon after taxonomic descriptions of species began. However, the small, elusive frog species Brachycephalus guarani wasn't discovered in Brazil until 2012, suggesting more such amphibians remain to be found.

Moura and Jetz show that the chances of new species discovery varies widely across the globe. Their analysis suggests Brazil, Indonesia, Madagascar, and Colombia hold the greatest opportunities for identifying new species overall, with a quarter of all potential discoveries. Unidentified species of amphibians and reptiles are most likely to turn up in neotropical regions and Indo-Malayan forests.

Moura and Jetz also focused on another key variable in uncovering missing speciesthe number of taxonomists who are looking for them.

"We tend to discover the 'obvious' first and the 'obscure' later," Moura said. "We need more funding for taxonomists to find the remaining undiscovered species."

But the global distribution of taxonomists is greatly uneven and a map of undiscovered life can help focus new efforts, Jetz noted. That work will become increasingly important as nations worldwide gather to negotiate a new Global Biodiversity Framework under the Convention of Biological Diversity later this year and make commitments to halting biodiversity loss.

"A more even distribution of taxonomic resources can accelerate species discoveries and limit the number of 'forever unknown' extinctions," Jetz said.

With partners worldwide, Jetz and colleagues plan to expand their map of undiscovered life to plant, marine, and invertebrate species in the coming years. Such information will be help governments and science institutions grapple with where to concentrate efforts on documenting and preserving biodiversity, Jetz said.

Explore further Spotting the knowledge gaps in biological species data

More information: Shortfalls and opportunities in terrestrial vertebrate species discovery, Nature Ecology & Evolution (2021). Journal information: Nature Ecology & Evolution Shortfalls and opportunities in terrestrial vertebrate species discovery,(2021). DOI: 10.1038/s41559-021-01411-5
Zagajewskis Try to Praise the Mutilated World, was written well before the attacks, but took on new and historic meaning because of them. Translated into English by Clare Cavanaugh and published in The New Yorker just days after the 2001 tragedy, the poem was a tender look back at happier moments and an acknowledgement of the worlds ongoing cruelties.
New Delhi: On March 19, 2020, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had urged the people of the nation to observe Janta Curfew from 7 am to 9 pm the next day (March 20, 2020) in the view of rising COVID-19 infections in the country. The Janta Curfew was seen as a way to prepare the Indian citizens for a lockdown.

As the nation comes under the grip of the second wave of COVID-19 pandemic, this Monday marks the first anniversary of Janta Curfew announced by PM Modi.

Today, I seek some more cooperation from every citizen. It is Janta Curfew, a curfew for the people and imposed by the people themselves, PM Modi urged the citizens in his address on March 19, 2020.

Following the Janta curfew announcement, PM Modi also addressed the nation on March 24. The address by the prime minister was to announce a 21-day nationwide lockdown, which later extended thrice and was finally concluded on May 31. After that the government, from June 1 onwards, started reopening in a gradual manner, which was termed as Unlock.

In the recent scenario, one can say that the COVID-19 has made a comeback on its anniversary. Amid the rising COVID-19 cases in the country, several states and Union territories have imposed restrictions to curb the spread of the infection. These restrictions range from stricter implementation of COVID-19 guideline, night curfew and impartial or full lockdown.

Many state governments have ordered the concerned authorities to implement proper testing and tracing of COVID-19 cases. The cases have been rising at an alarming rate prompting states like Punjab, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh and Karnataka to impose strict COVID-19 measures.

Meanwhile, the Union Health Minister while addressing the media urged the people to properly follow the COVID guidelines as the rising cases are a result of complacent attitude. He said, I want to appeal to people of the country that they should not let the COVID appropriate behaviour get weakened at any cost. Maintaining social distancing, wearing masks properly and washing hands with soap probably are the biggest tools to win the fight against COVID-19.

On Sunday, India recorded 43,846 new COVID-19 cases in the last 24 hours, which is the highest single-day spike of this year, according to the official data of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. The active caseload of the country has gone up to 309,087 and the recovery rate has dropped to 95.96 percent. Additionally, the death toll increased to 159,755 with 197 daily fatalities on Sunday.
While thousands of Illinois students have yet to return to the classroom because of the pandemic, Gov. J.B. Pritzker says that summer school may be a way to address learning loss from remote classes.

More than 460 Illinois school districts are still using some form of remote learning for students.

Pritzker says his administration is suggesting school districts consider extending the school year.

This is going to take a comprehensive effort, Pritzker said. We are encouraging schools to think about summer as a time when they could have those kids still in class and expand their learning opportunity in class.

Bloomington District 87 Superintendent of Schools Barry Reilly said learning loss is an issue that is being addressed.

Those things will include conversations about extended school year, summer school, early start to the school year, providing some additional resources to kids in schools who may need that over the next several years, Reilly said.

Pritzker has been touting the newly enacted Educational Workforce and Equity Act.

We need to make sure we are funding education properly in the state of Illinois, I have said that for some time now, Pritzker said.

Pritzker has been criticized by lawmakers on both sides of the aisle for keeping school funding flat in his $41.6 billion proposed budget for the year that begins July 1. For the second year in a row, Pritzker wants to forgo a $350 million increase in funding for elementary and secondary education.

Under the Educational Workforce and Equity Act, new graduation requirements will be added to better prepare students in computer literacy and foreign languages, and required Black history coursework will be expanded to include pre-enslavement of Black people, why Black people came to be enslaved and the American civil rights movement.

It also expands access to Illinois Early Intervention program by letting children who turn 3 years old between May and August continue receiving services until the start of the next school year.
In late January Patently Apple posted a report titled "A Big announcement coming from LG next week could entail a sale, withdrawal and/or downsizing of their Smartphone Business." The report noted that the coming announcement from LG Electronics shouldn't interfere with LG Display that produces displays for Apple devices.

The announcement was never made because they were in negotiations to sell their smartphone business with Vingroup of Vietnam and Volkswagen of Germany but could not make notable progress, according to industry observers.

With LG's mobile business restructuring plan apparently running in place for two months, industry trackers are now speculating that the company is leaning more toward the option of closing the mobile unit.

LG's mobile business has been in the red since the second quarter of 2015. Its accumulated operating losses reached nearly 5 trillion won ($4.4 billion) last year.

Analysts have predicted that LG will either shut down or sell its mobile business, or at least scale it back.

Lastly, The Korea Herald's report noted that LG's next smartphone development projects, such as "Rainbow" and "Rollable," have reportedly ceased at this point in time." Samsung would likely be the company that would benefit most from LG's exit.

The "Rollable" smartphone could have been a challenger to Samsung's folding smartphones. The only other smartphone company still working on this form factor is Oppo that has hinted that it could come launch such a product in Q4 2021 or 2022. The Engadget review of a tester unit is presented below.







Apple won a patent last year for a possible future scrollable/rollable iPhone form factor. A series of patent figures from that patent report is presented below.

Apple's patent FIG. 2 below is a perspective view of a scrollable device having a flexible display extended between two housing structures; FIG. 17 is a cross-sectional side view of an illustrative electronic device with a scrolling flexible display deployed using multiple internal rollers.

Apple's patent FIG. 6 above is a top view of device #10 in an illustrative configuration in which the housing for the device has a main portion (housing structure 12-1) and has a smaller portion (housing structure 12-2) that is used as a support bar to help pull flexible display #14 off of a roller within the interior of structures #12-1. Bistable support strips such as tape #32 may be used to help support the flexible display when the flexible display is in its deployed state as shown in FIG. 6.
Health care workers have marched through Myanmars second-biggest city as part of a broad civil disobedience movement against last months coup.

While their protest was left alone, security forces used violence elsewhere and shot dead at least one person.

About 100 doctors, nurses, medical students and pharmacists, wearing long white coats, lined up on a main road in Mandalay on Sunday to chant slogans and voice their opposition to the February 1 coup that toppled the elected civilian government of Aung San Suu Kyi.

Mandalay has been a major centre of opposition to the takeover, and later in the day engineers there held what has been dubbed a no-human strike, an increasingly popular tactic that involves lining up signboards in streets or other public areas as proxies for human protesters.

Armed police remove makeshift blockages set up by protesters in downtown Yangon (AP)

Video recorded in Mandalay showed a motorcyclist apparently being shot off his motorbike by police on an empty street.

As the people who recorded the video shout Hes been hit! Hes been hit! Go and rescue him! police quickly appear and swarm around him just after he slumps to the ground.

Police led him away on foot while another officer rides off on the motorbike. It is not clear how badly he was hurt or what happened to him.

The civil disobedience movement has used widespread boycotts, strikes and other actions with the aim to restore civilian government and return Myanmar to its slow march toward democracy that began nearly a decade ago after a half-century of military rule.

In recent weeks, street protests have faded as a tactic in the face of rising deaths as police and soldiers have shot live fire into crowds and indiscriminately detained people.

Myanmar nationals living in Taiwan hold placards to express their opinion against the military regime (Chiang Ying-ying/AP)

The independent Assistance Association for Political Prisoners had verified 247 deaths nationwide but says the actual total, including cases where verification has been difficult, is probably much higher.

At least one protester was shot dead on Sunday in Monywa, another central Myanmar city, according to the online news site Myanmar Now and numerous social media posts.

Myanmar Now, citing a doctor in Monywa, identified the victim as Min Min Zaw, who was shot in the head as he was helping assemble barricades for a protest.

Virtually all the dead since the coup have been shot, many of them in the head.

Elsewhere, students, teachers and engineers marched in Dawei, a city in southeastern Myanmar that has become a hotspot for opposition and has seen at least five killings by security forces.

On Sunday, protesters broke into small groups and varied the timings of their marches in an effort to avoid confrontations.

In a more rural outlying area, protesters from several villages in Launglone Township held their protest on motorbikes.

Protesters prepare to defend themselves as they gather in Tarkata township, Yangon (AP)

In Yangons Thaketa neighborhood, a funeral was held on Sunday for 15-year-old high school student Aung Kaung Htet, who was killed a day earlier, Myanmar Now reported.

According to posts on social media, Thaketa was one of several areas where police fired their guns, the others including Tachileik and Taunnggyi in Shan State in eastern Myanmar, and Gangaw, a town in Magway Division in the west-central part of the country.

The protesters cause over the weekend received support from demonstrations in several places abroad, including Tokyo, Taipei in Taiwan and Times Square in New York City.

In addition to deaths since the coup, the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners has confirmed 2,345 people have been arrested or charged since the coup, with 1,994 still detained or sought for arrest.
Source: Xinhua| 2021-03-22 21:50:23|Editor: huaxia

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Photo taken on March 11, 2021 shows the White House in Washington, D.C., the United States. (Xinhua/Liu Jie)

BEIJING, March 22 (Xinhua) -- China hopes that the United States could honor its words and take concrete actions to truly protect the legitimate rights and interests of ethnic minorities including Asians, foreign ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying said on Monday.

Hua made the remarks when asked to comment on the three shooting incidents in Atlanta, Georgia, on March 16 that killed eight people, six of them Asians.

Hua confirmed that one of the victims was a Chinese citizen, urging the United States to severely punish the killer in accordance with the law as soon as possible, and take effective measures to protect the safety and legitimate rights of Chinese citizens in the United States.

She said the Chinese Embassy in the United States is keeping a close eye on the progress of the case and will provide active assistance to the families of the deceased.

U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris condemned anti-Asian violence in the country on March 19, adding that racism, xenophobia and sexism are all "real in America" and have always been in existence.

Saying that systemic racism and white supremacy "are ugly poisons that have long plagued the United States," U.S. president Joe Biden added in a statement on March 21 that "we must change the laws that enable discrimination in our country, and we must change our hearts."

"The U.S. must not only have the courage to face the problem, but also the determination to solve the problem," Hua said.

She said it is hoped that the United States could do what it says, and truly safeguard the legitimate rights and interests of ethnic minorities, including Asians, protecting them from discrimination, attacks, or even threats to their lives.

The United States should earnestly fulfill its obligations under the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination, and respond to the concerns of the international community with concrete actions, Hua added. 
Eight Shenzhen detainees return to HK

Cars believed to be carrying the detainees travelled from the Shenzhen Bay checkpoint to Tin Shui Wai Police Station on Monday. Photo: RTHK

Jimmy Choi reports
Kanthi: West Bengal Chief Minister and Trinamool Congress supremo Mamata Banerjee has blamed herself for not recognising the "true face" of the influential Adhikari family of Purba Medinipur district.

Venting her ire against BJPs Suvendu Adhikari, her protege-turned-rival who is pitted against the TMC leader from Nandigram constituency for the coming assembly polls, Banerjee said at an election rally on Sunday that she had even heard rumours the Adhikari family had built an empire worth Rs 5,000 crore.

The TMC chief said she will get it investigated once she is voted to power. Most members of the Adhikari family, which hold considerable political clout in the district, have either joined the BJP or expressed a desire to join the saffron party.

Veteran TMC MP Sisir Adhikari - father of Suvendu Adhikari - joined the BJP at Egra on Sunday in the presence of Union Home Minister Amit Shah and other senior leaders of the party. She compared the Adhikari family with "Mir Jafar" (traitor) and said the people of the region will not tolerate it and give befitting replies with ballots.

Mir Jafar, the military general of Bengal's last independent nawab Siraj-ud-Daulah, is considered a traitor for deceiving the besieged Nawab during the Battle of Plassey in 1757 which paved the way for British rule in India.

"I say I am a 'big donkey' (Ami ekta boro gadha) for having failed to recognise them. I dont know (about it), but people say their `empire' is worth Rs 5,000 crore and they will use money to buy votes. But don't vote for them," Banerjee told the rally.

The TMC chief also described the BJP as a party of "rogues and goons". She also blamed the Adhikari family for ruling the district as "zamindars" (landlords) by taking full control of the area, claiming that even she was not allowed to hold public meetings there.

Earlier too, she had described Suvendu Adhikari as a traitor, pointing out that she had blindly supported him when he was in the Trinamool Congress. Banerjee also attempted to play the nationalistic card by raising slogans of "Bande Mataram" and "Jai Hind".

Banerjee left her Bhowanipore constituency in Kolkata to contest against her former lieutenant and BJP candidate Suvendu Adhikari in Nandigram seat, where an anti-land acquisition movement catapulted the TMC to power in the state in 2011.

(With PTI inputs)

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She is known for her flawless complexion.

And on Monday, Isla Fisher showed off her youthful visage as she posed makeup-free for a photo.

The 45-year-old actress flaunted her naturally radiant complexion as she revealed an incredible painting of her dog Maisy on Instagram.

Natural beauty! Isla Fisher, 45, showed off her youthful complexion as she went makeup free to reveal an incredible painting of her dog Maisy on Monday

In the picture, Isla wore a comfortable pink P.E Nation jumper, tiny black shorts and a pair of Ugg boots as she sat on the floor.

She styled her long red locks out and smiled as she sat near the incredible artwork.

'Painting my baby Maisy Daisy,' she wrote alongside a love heart emoji.

Moving back home: Isla's post comes after she revealed why she moved to Australia with her husband Sacha Baron Cohen and their three children

Isla's post comes after she revealed why she moved to Australia with her husband Sacha Baron Cohen and their three children.

The Perth-raised actress discussed making the move across the Pacific from Los Angeles with her family to Stellar magazine, on Saturday.

'I just feel so safe, I suppose the word is cosy, when I'm in Australia. It's where I grew up,' she said.

Relocating: The Perth-raised actress, 45, made the move across the Pacific from Los Angeles with her family last year. She said of being back Down Under: 'I just feel so safe, I suppose the word is cosy, when I'm in Australia... I miss it when I'm not here'

'I'm the happiest when I'm home. I miss it when I'm not here. I don't feel any pressure when I'm in Australia. I don't have to say or do or be anything. I mean, I don't even have to wear shoes,' the Godmothered star added.

She also briefly touched on motherhood in the interview, a topic she loves dearly but rarely discusses to protect her children's privacy.

'All parents are just trying to protect their kids. And I feel like if they wanted to be in the public eye that's up to them. If I give any quotes about them, that would haunt them. They will be teenagers one day!' she told the publication.
There is growing tension between Nigerian governors and a ring of powerful presidential aides over some $418 million (about N159 billion at the current official exchange rate of $1 to N380.5) said to be owed six individuals and entities who purportedly offered services to states and their local governments on the payment of Paris Club debts.

While the top presidential aides led by the Chief of Staff to President Muhammadu Buhari, Ibrahim Gambari, are scrambling to start the disbursement as quickly as possible, the governors, under the aegis of the Nigeria Governors Forum (NGF), led by Governor Kayode Fayemi of Ekiti State, are making a last-ditch effort to stop it.

PREMIUM TIMES is in possession of tens of sensitive correspondences exchanged by high-ranking players in the matter, highlighting desperate moves to begin the disbursements through the issuance of promissory notes that will be funded through deductions from states and local governments monthly allocations.

From documents seen by this newspaper, the moves to begin the payments are against Mr Buharis directive issued in January this year, and in disregard for the red flag raised by the governors about the legitimacy of the indebtedness.

The Fayemi-led NGF is demanding that the payment be suspended until a forensic audit of the indebtedness is carried out.

But Mr Gambari, who is spearheading the moves for the prompt payment of the money, is backed by the Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF), Abubakar Malami, and the Minister of Finance, Zainab Ahmed, both of whom argue that the court judgments which awarded the sums to the creditors must be hurriedly obeyed.

But among the three of them, Mr Malami is the only figure that has been in the picture since 2016 when the conversations among the top echelons of the Buhari administration about payment of governments judgment debts started.

Mr Gambari only became a party to the matter following his appointment in May 2020 after the death of his predecessor, Abba Kyari, who died from COVID-19 complications in April 2020.

Mrs Ahmed also became involved following her appointment as finance minister after her predecessor, Kemi Adeosun, resigned in September 2018 in the wake of an NYSC certificate forgery scandal.

The deals that piled up judgment debts against states, LGs

Currently, the states and local governments are, by the calculations of both the Minister of Finance, Mrs Ahmed and Mr Malami, indebted to the tune of $418,953,670.59 (about N159 billion at the current official exchange rate of $1 to N380.5) to six individuals and entities.

The breakdown of the debts is contained in a series of letters sent separately by Mrs Ahmed and Mr Malami to the President and the office of Mr Buharis Chief of Staff. PREMIUM TIMES exclusively obtained copies of these letters.

The humongous debts arose from judgments passed in favour of the six claimants in four cases relating to the refund to the states and local governments, excess deductions made by the Federal Government between 1995 and 2002 to satisfy Paris and London clubs loans.

According to the two ministers, the claimants or judgment creditors were engaged by the states and local governments as consultants or contractors in the recovery of the London/Paris clubs refunds, as well as in the utilisation of the recovered funds.

They explained that the contracts and agreements were tied to the London/Paris clubs refunds, and the claimants had simply gone to court to claim their share of the money.

PREMIUM TIMES has found out how the suits were designed to succeed with little or no chance of failure.

Paris Club Refund Case: A Fait Accompli?

As far back as 2013, long before the Federal Government started the disbursement of the excess deductions to the states and local governments in 2016, the Association of Local Governments of Nigeria (ALGON), in concert with some of the claimants, went to court to challenge what they described as the Federal Governments unilateral deduction of the funds from the federation account to service the foreign debts without the consent of the third tier of governments in the country.

The 776 local governments, which were the principal plaintiffs, cleverly instituted the suit along with the consultants and contractors which they claimed had provided legal and consultancy services to help them as members of ALGON to secure the refund of the deducted money.

Some other parties were also joined as co-plaintiffs in the suit for executing projects such as security and health care delivery for all the local governments of the federation.

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With the monetary claims in the suit tied to the refund of the London/Paris Club refunds and the Federal Government agencies, which were sued as adverse parties, success was, no doubt certain.

Between 2013 and 2018, a series of similar suits relating to the Paris and London clubs money were filed in court with ALGON and past leaderships of the NGF giving tacit support to the contractors and consultants.

At the end of the day, some of the cases were feebly defended, while others were consented to by the defendants, including past NGF leaderships and ALGON.

With little or no opposition, judgments later began to fly around with huge awards in millions of dollars issued by the courts in favour of the claimants.

In his July 17, 2020 letter to the incumbent Chief of Staff, Mr Gambari, Mr Malami, who has been consistently making a case for the payment of the claimants since 2016, said the case ordinarily should not concern the Federal Government if not that the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) was the custodian of the funds.

He stated, The consultants/contractors obtained the judgments for the payment of their legal/consultancy fees which judgments were further backed up with garnishee order absolute against the Central Bank of Nigeria for the attachment of these sums.

Mr Malami explained that the Federal Government only got involved in these claims because the attachment order made against the Central Bank of Nigeria and the Federal Government being the custodian and entity disbursing the funds or making the refunds.

Beneficiaries of judgment debts

A breakdown of the beneficiaries gleaned from different letters sent to the presidency by the AGF and the Minister of Finance reveals the identities of the six persons and entities being owed a total of $418,953,670.59, about N159 billion, at the current official exchange rate of $1 to N380.5.

The beneficiaries include a former member of the House of Representatives, politician and lawyer, Ned Nwoko, who is laying claim to $142,028,941 (about N54 billion) via a consent judgment he obtained from the Federal High Court in Abuja in the suit marked FHC/ABJ/CS/148/2017.Three beneficiaries laying claim to $143,463,577.76 (about N54.6 billion) via a judgment of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) High Court in the suit marked FCT/HC/CV/2129/2014 are: Riok Nigeria Ltd, Orji Nwafor Orizu, and Olaitan Bello.

From the total money, Riok Nigeria Limited has a share of $142,028,941.95 (about N54 billion), Mr Nwafor is entitled to $1,219,440.45 (about N464 million), and Mr Bello has a share of $215,159.36 (N81.7 million).

The claimant with the singular lion share is Ted Iseghoghi Edwards, who is laying claim to $159,000,000 (about 60.5 billion) through a judgment he obtained from the FCT High Court in suit number FCT/CV/1545/2015.

A firm, Panic Alert Security System Limited, owned by George Uboh, is also laying claim to $47,831,920 (about N18.2billion) based on another consent judgment it obtained in suit number FHC/ABJ/CS/123/2018, which was filed as recently as 2018.

Buhari approves $350million, but not enough

PREMIUM TIMES understands from the letters exchanged over the matter that the $418,953,670.59 owed the six claimants is the agreed outstanding balance of the judgment debts followings series of negotiations with the claimants and the sharing of some $350million ordered to be released to the NGF by President Buhari in 2018.

Mr Buhari had approved the release of $350 million from the Excess Crude Account to the NGF then led by former Governor of Zamfara State, Abdulaziz Yari, as legal and consultancy fee to defray third party claims arising from court judgments in respect of the Paris and London clubs refund.

The presidential approval was based on the recommendation of the then Minister of Finance, Mrs Adeosun, via her letter dated July 5, 2018, and the details of the claims supplied by Mr Malami in his letter dated August 20, 2018, with reference number MJ/CIV/ABJ/104/17.

Mrs Adeosuns successor, Mrs Ahmed, in a later letter dated December 23, 2019, with reference number FMF/PSSD/SH/01/VI/79, informed then Chief of Staff, Mr Kyari, that the initial approval granted by Mr President in the sum of USD $350 million for settlement of outstanding legal/consultancy fees were not enough to accommodate the entire claims.

Mr Malami also made a similar push, while explaining to the new Chief of Staff to the President, Mr Gambari, who took interest in the judgment debts matters shortly after assuming office.

The AGF in his letter in July 2020 with reference number HAGF/SH/2020/VOL.1/40, informed Mr Gambari that the claims in respect of the Paris and London Clubs refunds were entitlements of judgment creditors who could not be paid from the initial sum of US$350million approved in August 2018 by the President.

How beneficiaries are to be paid outstanding debts

A back-and-forth conversation between the offices of the Chief of Staff to the President, the Minister of Finance and the AGF on how the Federal Government should defray its judgment debts, arbitral awards and claims, including the Paris and London clubs-related judgment debts, started in 2016, about a year after Mr Buhari came to office.

Four alternative sources of funding were initially recommended at a meeting held between officials from the federal ministries of finance and justice, the Debt Management Office, the Budget Office and the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) on June 12, 2017.

There was also a later suggestion to draw the money from recovered funds.

In fact, the $350 million approved by Mr Buhari on August 29, 2018, was sourced from the Excess Crude Account.

Eventually, it was resolved before Mr Kyari died that all judgment debts owed by the government, including the Paris and London Clubs refund judgment debts, should be defrayed through the issuance of promissory notes.

Barely a month after assuming office as Chief of Staff, Mr Gambari, via a letter dated June 24, 2020, with reference number SH/COS/01/A/9090, requested the Federal Ministry of Justice to implement an earlier directive issued by Mr Buhari in 2017 for the compilation, review, and analysis of pending judgment debts, arbitral awards and civil claims which the ministry was aware of.

Mr Malami, in his reply dated July 17, 2020, to Mr Gambari, categorised the judgment debts and claims into three groups  Paris Club refunds-related debts; Top Priority Debts due to enforcement actions, and General Debts incurred by the Federal Governments MDAs.

The schedules of various judgments and claims updating the list of 26 judgment debts and claims earlier generated by the Federal Ministry of Finance were attached as annexures to Mr Malamis letter to Mr Gambari.

After receiving Mr Malamis letter, Mr Gambari, via a letter dated July 24, 2020, requested the Minister of Finance to review the AGF letter and advise the presidency on the matter.

In her response, Mrs Ahmed, through her letter dated October 6, 2020, requested Mr Gambari to advise the president that for all categories of judgment creditors 100 per cent liquidation through the issuance of promissory notes is the most viable option.

She also advised that for debtors in Category A (Paris Club Refunds Related Debts), equal monthly amount deductions from statutory allocation due to states and local councils over a period of 10 years can be implemented.

Consent of FEC, governors not required  Malami, Ahmed

After receiving Mrs Ahmeds recommendation, Mr Gambari, in another letter dated October 23, 2020, raised other queries and sought to know if the states and local governments have formally signed off on the proposal of monthly deductions from their allocations for 10 years.

Responding to Mr Gambari, through a letter dated December 14, 2020, Mrs Ahmed said the consents of the judgment debtors  the states and the local governments  was not required.

She argued that the consent of a judgment debtor (in this case the states/local governments) is not required before a valid judgment of a court of competent jurisdiction can be enforced.

She however added that both the former Chairman of Nigeria Governors Forum (NGF) and the Association of Local Governments of Nigeria (ALGON), had in 2019, given an Indemnity and No-Objection Letters authorising deductions from relevant statutory allocation to meet the Paris Club related claims, especially the claims by Riok Nigeria Ltd and Dr Ted Iseghohi Edwards.

The minister explained further that the clearance of the states and local governments was equally not necessary to Mr Nwoko and Panic Alert Security System Ltd whose claims are based on consent judgments between the judgment creditors and the Nigerian Governors Forum.

On whether the resolution of the Federal Executive Council (FEC) or that of the National Assembly would be required for the issuance of promissory notes in respect of the Paris Club judgment debts, Mr Malami argued in separate letters to the then Chief of Staff, Mr Kyari, and Mrs Ahmed that it was unnecessary.

This, the AGF argued, was because their eventual reimbursement is not tied to the Consolidated Revenue Fund of the Federation which requires National Assembly or FEC resolutions.

He reiterated in his letters that the initial payment of the sum of USD$350million was charged to the Excess Crude Account with presidential approval, warning that subjecting the new payments to these levels of approvals will certainly call the validity of the previous payment into question.

Buhari grants new approval

Buoyed by the arguments canvassed by Mrs Ahmed and Mr Malami, the Chief of Staff, Mr Gambari, tabled the recommendations before President Buhari via a memo dated December 18, 2020, asking for approval for the liquidation of all three categories A, B, and C by the issuance of promissory notes and not cash payments, given the current revenue challenges.

As earlier recommended by Mrs Ahmed, Mr Gambari urged the president to approve that for the Paris Club related judgment debts, the promissory notes should be funded by equal monthly deductions from the statutory allocations due to the affected states and LGAs over a period of 10 years.

The president approved the proposals in his comments on Mr Gambaris memo on December 24, 2020.

NGF protests

On May 23, 2019, few days to the end of his tenure as Zamfara State governor, Mr Yari stepped down as the Chairman of the NGF and was replaced with Mr Fayemi, governor of Ekiti State.

This change of baton came with a change in the attitude of the NGF regarding the Paris Club judgment debts.

Although, Mr Yaris leadership had already issued an Indemnity and No-Objection Letters authorising deductions from state and local governments allocations, Mr Fayemis NGF began a series of meetings with the president, the chief of staff, the AGF, the minister of finance and other relevant stakeholders, in their bid to stop the payments.

A meeting which Mr Buhari held with Mr Fayemi on January 8, 2021, about 15 days after the president granted approval for the payments as recommended, culminated in a new presidential directive that the proposed deductions are stopped until parties agreed on the purported debts.

On February 3, Mr Fayemi also attended a meeting chaired by Mr Gambari where the issues were tabled. Others who attended the meeting were Mr Malami and the Permanent Secretary of the Federal Ministry of Finance, who represented the Minister of Finance.

Not convinced that the Mr Gambari-led camp was on the same page with him, Mr Fayemi went ahead to communicate the new presidential directive to the Presidents Chief of Staff via a letter dated February 10, 2021.

The Chief of Staff, in response, wrote a letter dated February 16, 2021, with reference number SH/COS101/B/174, to the Minister of Finance asking her to review the NGFs submissions in relation to the earlier approval granted by the president in December.

Two days later, the National Economic Council (NEC) met on February 18, 2021, where the body endorsed the resolution of the NGF and directed that an independent forensic auditor be engaged to review all related claims pertaining to the London Paris Club refunds and other debts against states for sundry services.

But despite this, the NGF believes that there are ongoing moves to go ahead with the payments especially as the forum still cannot extract the Chief of Staffs commitment to abide by the presidents latest directive.

Mr Fayemi, therefore, wrote Mr Gambari on March 8, 2021, stating that the NGF had noticed that there are attempts to proceed with defraying the purported debts to some consultants who claim to have executed various services to the states in respect of the London Paris Club refunds.

Notable among these so-called judgment creditors are Prince Ned Nwoko (Ned Nwoko Solicitors), Prince Nicholas Ukachukwu (Riok Nigeria Limited), Dr Ted Iseghohi Edwards and Dr George Uboh (Panic Alert Security Systems PASS), the Ekiti governor added.

Mr Fayemi expressed concerns about the development, saying it flies in the face of the meeting convened on February 3, 2021 meeting which was chaired by Mr Gambari.

He reminded the Chief of Staff of the resolution of the National Economic Council (NEC) authorising an independent forensic audit.

The governor urged Mr Gambari to advise all parties to work within the ambit of the NEC resolution in reviewing the purported judgment debts and the approvals of Mr President conveyed in your letter dated February 16, 2021, to the Honourable Minister of Finance, in order to safeguard the integrity of the Nigerian state.

Ignore the governors

Mrs Ahmed, in her recent reply dated March 10, 2021, responding to Mr Gambaris request for her opinion on the NGFs submissions, advised that the governors be ignored.

She anchored her opinion on, among other grounds, that the issue at stake was not mere claims but about implementation and enforcement of valid and subsisting judgments which she said were products of the judicial process.

She added that the judgment debts arose from the consultancy contracts and agreements tied to the London/Paris clubs refunds voluntarily entered into by the states and the local governments.

Mrs Ahmed added that the states and local governments took benefits of the services rendered by the contractors and consultants, and never denied in any of the courts that they engaged the judgment creditors or that the services were not rendered.

She said the NGF was a party in most of the cases and had ample opportunity to ventilate its position, but even proceeded to enter consent judgments with the claimants in the cases of Hon. Ned Munir Nwoko and Panic Security and Consultancy Services.

The minister said, in addition, that the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the State Security Service (SSS) have investigated most of the consultancy services, the contracts and the judgments arising therefrom and that in their reports submitted to Mr Malami, they confirmed the validity and the legality of the contract and consultancy services.

She also said the NGF had even started the implementation of the judgment debts by paying Mr Nwoko in part.

She added, Finally, I wish to restate that the presidential approval for the liquidation of the judgment debts is in order and that the position canvassed by the chairman of the NGF and the request contained in his letters under reference is a subtle invitation to Mr President to use an administrative process to thwart or overturn judicial decisions and should be discountenanced in the interest of justice and obedience to the rule of law, as it will only further delay the liquidation of the judgment debts.

Having taken benefits of the services rendered by the judgement creditors, it is only morally and legally right that the states and local government councils should pay for the services received in line with the judgement and orders of the courts.

The contradiction between Mr Malami and Mrs Ahmed

But the claims by Mr Malami and Mrs Ahmed that the EFCC and the SSS had confirmed the validity and legality of the services rendered to the states and the local governments by the contractors and consultants appear contradictory.

The Minister of Finance, in her recent letter to Mr Gambari, claimed that the two law enforcement bodies investigated most of the consultancy services, the contracts and the judgments arising therefrom them, and in their report submitted to the AGF office they confirmed the validity and legality of the contract and consultancy services.

But in his letter dated July 17, 2020, which was received by Mr Gambaris office on July 21, 2019, Mr Malami made reference to a Recent EFCC report which he said was not initially served on his office but which shows that the judgment creditor, referring to Mr Iseghohi-Edwards, who is laying claim to $159million, is not entitled to this sum.

NGFs last-ditch effort

Aside from the doubts expressed about the services said to have been rendered in the EFCC report referenced by Mr Malami, the anti-graft agency has also accused Mr Yari of mismanagement of the disbursed Paris Club funds.

Perhaps motivated by the EFCC report, the NGF has also called for a forensic audit of the whole indebtedness.

The NGFs effort is reminiscent of the recent successful battle waged by Mr Malami and the EFCC in having the $10billion P&ID judgment suspended by a U.K. court after they were able to establish fraud in the agreement leading to the verdict.
After VietNamNet reported about thousands of tons of furnace dust discharged from the steel refining process of Thai Nguyen Iron and Steel JSC (Tisco) in Thai Nguyen City, the owner of the waste took action.

A photo taken on February 22.

A Tisco representative confirmed that the company has covered more than 10,000 tons of furnace dust with tarpaulin and will carry out solutions to completely deal with the dump.

VietNamNet's reporters returned to Thai Nguyen on March 17 and observed that the furnace dust was covered by a tarpaulin. However, this was a temporary measure.

Mr. Ha Tuan Hung, the companys chief technician said that the total amount of remaining kiln dust is more than 10,000 tons.

"This is a problem left from the previous stage. We are trying to solve it by many different measures, one of which is speeding up the construction of the furnace dust dump, which was decided by the company in late 2020," Hung said.

Under the government Decree 38/2015 and the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment (MONRE) Circular 36/2015, furnace dust generated during steel refining is listed as a hazardous waste.

But thousands of tons of furnace dust at the Thai Nguyen Iron and Steel JSC have been left uncovered outdoors in central Thai Nguyen province.

Looking from above, the furnace dust dumping ground is dozens of meters long and two meters high. It is located near Cach Mang Thang Tam Road, the major route of Thai Nguyen City, and near a 20-07D vehicle registration center in Cam Gia Ward.

This situation has been happening for a long time. Notably, near the mountain of waste were pools of waste water with floating green and yellow scum on a surface area of nearly 100 square meters.

A photo taken on March 17.

Tisco general director Nguyen Minh Hanh told VietNamNet that the company is taking measures to completely handle the furnace dust that VietNamNet mentioned.

Asked why the huge waste ground has been left uncovered in the open air, Hanh said it was covered with canvas that was weathered by wind and rainwater.

The representative of the Department of Natural Resources and Environment of Thai Nguyen province told VietNamNet that the furnace dust discharged from iron and steel processing is a hazardous waste that must be properly managed according to the required technical process.

The waste source owner must register with the Department of Natural Resources and Environment and sign contracts with licensed units to treat or self-treat the waste, the representative of the local Department of Natural Resources and Environment said.

According to Thai Nguyen Department of Natural Resources and Environment, two factories of Tisco that generate furnace dust include the Luu Xa steel refining factory and the iron refining plant.

The Luu Xa steel refining factory discharges 3,600 tons of furnace dust a year on average. This factory has collected and stored furnace dust in warehouses and dumps of Tisco, including a furnace dust yard with an area of 1,900 square meters at Tiscos power enterprise and a dust storage area of 540m2 at the iron refining plant.

It was reported that in 2020 the Luu Xa steel refining factory discharged more than 2,500 tons of furnace dust. Of this volume, 1,500 tons have been treated, while the remaining amount has been stored at the above sites.

As for the iron refining plant, the local Department of Natural Resources and Environment determined that the average amount of furnace dust generated is about 4,800 tons a year. The plant was allowed to self-treat dust in the furnace. In 2020, the plant treated more than 6,000 tons of furnace dust.

In January 2021, the plant suspended this operation and planned to hire others to treat the waste. The remaining amount of furnace dust is gathered in a warehouse with an area of 500 square meters and an outdoor yard covered with tarpaulin.

Furnace dust discharged from the steel refining process of Tisco. (Photos taken on Feb. 22)

Tisco general director Nguyen Minh Hanh said the company recently signed a contract with Viet Bac Color Metal on collecting and treating the remaining furnace dust. The cost is VND600,000 per ton.

In late 2020, Tisco decided to build a warehousing facility to contain furnace dust. It is expected to be completed in the first quarter this year. However, due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the project may be completed in the second quarter of this year.

In the latest news, Chief of the Vietnam Environment Administrations Office (Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment) Ho Kien Trung said that the relevant agencies are in the process of verifying and gathering documents on the open-door dust waste mountains in Thai Nguyen.

On March 19, Chairman of Thai Nguyen province Trinh Viet Hung also told VietNamNet that he had instructed relevant agencies to verify and deal with it.

Mr. Nguyen The Giang, Deputy Director of the Department of Natural Resources and Environment of Thai Nguyen province, said he had signed a document to establish a team to check the observance of the law on environmental protection of Tisco.

Trinh Van Tuyen from the Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology said that if the owners of the waste sources still cannot treat the waste, they must preserve furnace dust as a hazardous waste. The waste yard must meet standards of permeability, layers, and covering to prevent pollution of surface and underground water, he said.

Doan Bong
Googles Next Billion Users head Caesar Sengupta has quit the technology giant after nearly 15 years, he said in a tweet and LinkedIn post on Monday.

Sengupta is likely going to build his own venture. Recalling his interview with before joining the firm, Sengupta said in the LinkedIn post, titled Thank you .., I had walked into the interview thinking I would spend only a few years learning how to build consumer products and then go start a company. Little did I know that I would fall in love with the people, the culture and the incredible opportunity and end up staying ~15 years. But its time now for me to venture out and start on a new mission.

Senguptas last day at will be April 30.



He added that though he hasnt decided what he will do next he was uncomfortably excited about the future.

He worked on the ChromeOS, NBU initiative, Google Pay, payments platform and Google Finance all important business lines and growth areas for Google and thanked the teams in his post.

Based in Singapore, Sengupta also led Googles investments in Indonesias multi-service platform GoJek and India-based Glance.

He is currently the vice president and general manager, payments and NBU initiative at Google.

"After 15 years with Google, Caesar Sengupta has made a personal decision to leave the company and start something entrepreneurial outside of Google. Through his time at Google, Caesar has played a key role in starting, building and leading initiatives such as ChromeOS, Next Billion Users and Google Pay. We are excited to see what he builds next and wish him the best in his new journey, a Google spokesperson said in a statement.

Sengupta joined Google right after his MBA at The Wharton School, according to his LinkedIn profile. He completed his Masters in Science with distinction in research, Computer Science, at Stanford University, before his MBA.

As I embark on this next chapter of my life, I am incredibly grateful to this wonderful company and our leadership, especially Sundar, who took a bet on me, a novice PM, a decade and a half back, sponsored me, gave me the opportunity to learn, grow, make mistakes and build deep friendships that I will cherish forever, he said in his post.

Affable and approachable, Sengupta has been a key player in Googles multiple initiatives in India. Starting from Googles local language and vernacular initiative, Railwire project with Indian railways, to the most recent and possibly most important plan of launching payments Google Pay and online marketplace in India, Sengupta has been instrumental in it all
Armenia MFA information department chief: All deputy FMs carrying out their duties

Ardshinbank invited children to the cinema on International Childrens Day

Armenia judiciary to have 10 more judges

Armenia acting premier: We had recorded 40% increase in tax revenues according to 2019 results

Armenia acting PM on Artsakh war casualties bodies: We have 50 remains in which case DNA was not separated

Azerbaijan authorities plan to "squeeze" everything from "terrorist show" related to Armenian captives

Ameriabank Announces a Contest for Bank Card Design

108 new cases of COVID-19 confirmed in Armenia

Armenia parliament convenes special session

Armenia interim government holding Cabinet meeting

Catholicos of All Armenians heads for Syunik Province, Artsakh

World oil prices going up

Iran loses right to vote in UN General Assembly

Newspaper: Armenia authorities come up with new way of punishing unwanted characters

Newspaper: Russia army Southern Military District deputy commander to arrive in Yerevan Thursday

Lebanese Armenian man taken prisoner by Azerbaijan is hospitalized

Armenia ex-President Kocharyan: Are we getting under the burden? Then lets get under to the end

Armenia acting health minister on keeping fallen soldiers bodies in bags: What else should they be kept in?

Armenia acting health minister on citizens' demand for her resignation

Karabakh's new State Minister Artak Beglaryan on his appointment and future activities

Armenian, Russian and Azerbaijani representatives hold consultations in Moscow

2 Armenian soldiers receive slight injuries after incident with Azerbaijani servicemen in Armenia's Gegharkunik

Armenian boy weighing 5 kg born at Goris Medical Center

"Armenia" bloc representative presents purpose of participation in elections and plans

Isaac Herzog elected President of Israel

Rouhani: Main issues between Tehran, Washington resolved in Vienna

Charles Michel calls on Armenia and Azerbaijan to resume constructive negotiations

US Department of State responds to Pashinyan's proposal to deploy international observers on Armenia-Azerbaijan border

Head of Armenia 2nd President's Office: Robert Kocharyan's public meetings are held in warm atmosphere

Opposition "Armenia" bloc's representative on photos and videos showing bags of deceased servicemen's bodies

Armenia Ombudsman, AGBU President discuss war crimes committed by Azerbaijan during Karabakh war

Opposition "Armenia" bloc's representatives to hold briefings three times a week

Opposition "Armenia" bloc member: Blood-freezing photos and videos from morgue in Abovyan are authorities' reflection

Yerevan mayor receives Netherlands Ambassador

Armenia Health Ministry, Investigative Committee keep info about sending remains of dead soldiers abroad confidential

Armenia Prosecutor General's Office launches case regarding leaving sacs of servicemen's bodies/remains in basement

Peskov: Putin and Biden to discuss cybersecurity issues

Armenia's Pashinyan meets with Belgian PM Alexander De Croo

Armenia acting MOD receives Netherlands Ambassador

Armenia Police: 3 citizens apprehended during protest demanding acting health minister's resignation

NATO warns Minsk about further consequences of Ryanair incident

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
The Ghana Education Service (GES) has rescinded its directive to the headmistress of the Achimota School to admit two first-year students with dreadlocks who reported to the school to begin their senior high school (SHS) education, counsel for the parents of the students has said.



The authorities of Achimota School last week denied admission to the two students who were posted there under the Computer School Placement System (CSSPS) because the rules of the school did not allow students with dreadlocks to be admitted.



The school authorities were emphatic that unless the students cut off their hair [dreadlocks], they will not be admitted.



Social media was Friday awash with arguments for and against the decision of the school authorities when the father of one of the students took to Facebook to protest the school's decision.



Directive



But, later Friday evening, the GES said a directive had been issued to the school to admit the students.



We have asked her [headmistress] to admit the students. The student is a Rastafarian and if there is evidence to show that he is Rastafarian, all that he needs to do is to tie the hair neatly, the Director-General of the GES, Professor Kwasi Opoku-Amankwa, told Daily Graphic's Severious Kale-Dery.



U-turn



However on Monday [March 22, 2021], the management of Achimota School reiterated its stance not to admit the students until they cut their hair.



At a meeting at the GES headquarters, the GES rescinded its earlier directive and supported Achimota School's policy that the kids can only come to school after taking off their dreadlocks.



The GES at the meeting supported the position of the school, according to the counsel for the parents of the students who is also President of the Rastafarians Council of Ghana, Ras George Tetteh Wayoe.



Present at the said meeting Graphic Online gathers was the Deputy Director of the GES, Mr. Anthony Boateng, who reportedly supported the position of Achimota School.



Next move



Speaking on behalf of the parents of the students, their counsel, Ras George Tetteh Wayoe, said the next option was to head to court for finality to the issue.



He spoke in a radio interview with Accra-based Citi FM monitored by Graphic Online on Monday evening.



more to follow...

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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CAIRO, March 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Founded by Karim Khorshed and Ahmed Shabrawy in 2011, CEQUENS started out as an SMS aggregator and has grown to become an innovative player in the global CPaaS market. The company's proprietary Communication Platform leverages the latest cloud technologies and features a comprehensive portfolio of multichannel products and solutions that are industry-focused, agile, scalable, and cost-effective.

With boots on ground in Egypt, Pakistan, Morocco, Jordan, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, United Kingdom, and the United Arab Emirates, CEQUENS operates as a hub for the global market's growing needs amid the digital revolution. Some of the company's current portfolio offerings include Communication APIs, WhatsApp Business Platform, and CEQUENS Chat.

Following a journey of successes and challenges, January 2021 marks the tenth anniversary of CEQUENS. The company retains a team of 150+ employees, whose innovation has empowered thousands of businesses to create and deliver communication experiences finetuned to their industries.

"The ecosystem on which our business is built is indebted to our loyal customers who place their trust in our brand," says Karim Khorshed, Co-founder and CEO. "For us to maintain our innovative aspect, we must also extend our gratitude to our partners, suppliers, and entire family of employees across the world." Mr. Khorshed, whose vision has served the company for 10 years, feels thankful for the journey and everything he has learned along the way.

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We're a Communication Platform as a Service (CPaaS) provider. Our mission is to bridge communication gaps in a communication-driven world.

Born in the digital era, CEQUENS was founded in response to the increasing challenges facing enterprise communication. We started as an SMS aggregator and gradually crafted a path toward omnichannel CPaaS solutions.

For 10 years, our innovation has empowered thousands of businesses create and deliver communication experiences finetuned to their industries. Our cloud-based, PCI/DSS compliant Communication Platform is the award-winning, end-to-end solution helping businesses realize their full potential and go digital.

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Houston's viral star and rapper That Girl Lay Lay is taking her talents to the big screen. The freestyle rapping sensation will have a new comedy series coming to Nickelodeon.

The self-titled "That Girl Lay Lay" will consist of 13 episodes, according to Peter White at Deadline.

The show was created by David A. Arnold, a writer-producer on Netflixs "Fuller House." The new series follows Lay Lay, an avatar from an affirmation app that comes to life and helps her best friend Sadie navigate through the world.

ROCKING OUT IN HOUSTON: Nickelodeon star JoJo Siwa is coming to Toyota Center

"Were so excited to have That Girl Lay Lay star in a series that's just as fierce and funny as she is. At its heart, the show David A. Arnold created is about staying true to yourself, and with the immensely talented Will Packer producing, we just know that viewers are going to immediately fall in love with this series," Zach Olin, senior vice president at Live Action and Nickelodeon, said in a statement.

Amy Sussman/KCA2021/Getty Images for Nickelodeon

Lay Lay is also excited to be moving into television. In a statement, she said that the opportunity is a dream come true and is excited to join the network she grew up watching.

"I have the best fans in the world, and I cant wait to take them on this journey with me," Lay Lay said.

The new show marks another accomplishment for Lay Lay, who became the youngest female rapper to sign a record deal via her own label, Fresh Rebel Muzik/EMPIRE, at the age of 11. She released her debut album "Tha Cheat Code" in 2018.

BEHIND THE SCENES AT NICKELODEON: You can thank two Conroe guys for the new Nickelodeon doc

Packer also sang Lay Lay's praises, calling her a "multitalented force of nature" and "destined for mega-stardom."

"Im so excited about what she represents as a talented African-American girl with her own platform to showcase her unique abilities," Packer said in a statement.

Deadline reports that the show will begin production in the spring to premiere in the summer.
A federal mass vaccination site will open later this month in Yakima to help get more than 1,000 Washington state residents in the region vaccinated per day.

The application for the site was approved by the Federal Emergency Management Agency and will include a fixed drive-thru site at the Central Washington State Fair Park and mobile vaccination units. It was approved for six weeks, and has a goal of vaccinating about 1,200 people across both the fixed site and mobile units.

We are so appreciative to FEMA and our other federal partners for working with the state to make significant additional resources available to the people of the Yakima Valley, Gov. Jay Inslee said. This will be a tremendous boost to our vaccine equity efforts and will also reach out directly to Washingtonians who dont have the means of transportation to a fixed vaccination site.

The site will receive vaccine doses directly from the federal government, so the additional capacity won't impact the way the state allocates the supply it receives. It will help to provide doses to more rural communities including Selah, Naches, Wapato, Toppenish, Zillah, Sunnyside, Mabton and Grandview.

The fixed site will open on March 31 and will be open most days from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday to Wednesday and Friday to Sunday. The hours on Thursday will be from noon to 6 p.m.

This partnership is a positive step toward ensuring all eligible individuals who want a COVID-19 vaccine have access to one. These 1,200 daily vaccine doses will make sure that Yakimas rural, underserved communities with a high risk of COVID-19 infection are receiving the help they need, said FEMA Region 10 Acting Administrator Vincent J. Maykovich.

Yakima was hit hard throughout the pandemic. It experienced significant peaks in cases and hospitalizations both in June and in the fall, along with outbreaks affecting agricultural workers in the region.

The vaccine site will add to the capacity the state has built up over the past several weeks to be ready to meet the demand as vaccine supply increases. Earlier this year, several mass vaccination sites were opened across the state.

King County and Seattle have also launched a number of fixed mass vaccination sites, vaccine pop-ups and mobile vaccination teams to reach as many people in the community as possible  especially those who have been disproportionately impacted by the spread of the virus and those who face language or transportation barriers to getting the vaccine.

Seattle earlier this month launched a mass vaccination site at Lumen Field. The site will initially be open two to three days a week with a goal of vaccinating about 5,000 people per week. At full capacity, officials said the site will be able to vaccinate more than 22,000 people per day.

The state is expecting its vaccine supply to increase in the coming weeks. In April, officials are hopeful Washington will receive hundreds of thousands more doses per week than the state is currently getting, based on the supply the federal government has said it will have to allocate.

"Looking ahead, we're hearing good news from the federal government about vaccine supply. We're being told there may be a light at the end of the tunnel," Michele Roberts, who leads the COVID-19 vaccine planning and distribution team, said during a news briefing last week. "April looks promising. The federal government says that next month, 30 million doses of vaccine will be available each week across the nation. Breaking that down, that means about 600,000 doses of COVID-19 vaccine to be coming here to Washington state each week in April."

According to the most recent data, Washington has given a total of more than 2.6 million doses, including first and second doses. About 22.3% of people in the state have received at least one dose of the vaccine and nearly 13% have been fully vaccinated.

The state has been meeting its goal of vaccinating more than 45,000 people per day, according to the most recent complete data from the Department of Health.
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At least 234 armed robbery suspects were arrested in Lagos between January and March 2021, the Commissioner of Police, Hakeem Odumosu, has said

Speaking at the Lagos State Police Command, Ikeja, where various crime suspects were paraded on Monday, Mr Odumosu said the police would continue to do everything in its power to fight crime and bring it to a minimal state.

He also rendered the commands quarterly accounts of how it had been working tenaciously to combat crime.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that several suspects were paraded, ranging from cultists, rapists/sexual offenders, traffic offenders, highway thieves and impostors of police officers.

At least 120 youth were paraded for alleged cult activities.

The police chief also paraded eight suspects accused of impersonating police officers who were arrested at Apapa ports.

Specifics

The CP mentioned a case of a woman who allegedly stole a baby which she was preparing to sell for N900,000, and another case of eight suspects who allegedly killed one LASTMA officer and inflicted injury on another.

He added that the majority of the armed robbery cases were from the Ikorodu area of the state, while 235 firearms were recovered from the raids.

He said that health-related offenders were also arrested especially those who violated the COVID-19 rules by attending night clubs beyond the stipulated time.

There have been 91 cases of suspected murder cases which were reported and currently on trial.

He added, 1,592 hoodlums had been arrested from issues of gangsterism, rape and assault.

There were 127 reported cases of domestic violence, while 82 vehicles had been impounded for driving against traffic.

The police impounded 532 commercial motorcycles, popularly called Okada, while their riders were charged with breaking traffic rules, he said.

He said that 22 clubs had been raided and shut down for breaking COVID-19 rules while 997 clubbers were arrested and made to face the law.

(NAN)
This is an opinion column.

Hate. Its a strong word. An appropriate word.

Ignorance. Its a strong word, too. An appropriate word.

Ill climb out in the far end of a precariously fragile limb here and say Ive never written these words about a person: I hate (name). Its just not in my nature. I was not raised to hate.

Ignorant, either.

Sure, a batch of my reader-fans might disagreethose who regularly accused me of hating the most recent former President. To them, my response was always: I abhorred his policies, think he is an unintelligent bore, and despised his disrespect for women. Never hated him, though. Never hated the man.

I wasnt raised to hate (Or accept banality, by the way.)

The hate for people of Asian descent in this nation today, and the ignorance that drives it, are very real. Just as they are for people of African descent, for our LatinX brothers and sisters, for too many people of color stung by an ugly verbal barrage, diminished by a disdainful this-is-your-fault stareor worse.

Eight people were murdered in Atlanta spas last week by a white man now blaming an addiction to sex. Six victims were Asian women. That is not coincidence, nor an accident of dependency.

It is anti-Asian hatredand ignorance. It is racial hatred. It is misogyny.

It is yet another stain of white supremacyof thinking someone is less than, disposablesimply because they dont look like you.

The rash of anti-Asian hate, and the fear it spawns throughout its disparate community, is not new to us, of course. Well over a century ago, President Chester A. Arthur signed the Chinese Exclusionary Act of 1882, which suspended Chinese immigration for 10 years and declared immigrants from that nation already here ineligible for naturalization. Four years later, the Geary Act of 1892 extended the immigration ban another 10 years and required Chinese immigrants on our soil to carry documentation or risk being sentenced to hard labor or deported.

Japans attack on Pearl Harbor, as we all likely know, sparked yet another wave of anti-Asian hatred, a wave long brewing in California due to petty jealousy over the growing success of businesses owned by Japanese Americans. Just over two months after the bombing on December 7, 1941, President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed a vague executive order calling for the removal of resident aliens from a stretch of lands from Washington State to Arizona that were vaguely defined as military sites. More than 127,000 Japanese Americans we placed in concentration camps before the end of World War II. (The order was later used to detain a lot fewer German and Italian immigrants before it was prohibited by President Gerald Ford in 1976. In 1988, President Ronald Reagan apologized for the United States actions against Japanese Americans and authorized reparations to those who were interred and their descendants.

Todays anti-Asian hatred grows from seeds planted by the most-recent ex-president, who blithely and unceasinglyand ignorantlyreferred to the novel coronavirus as the Chinese virus. (He tweeted the term on March 16, 2020, sparking an explosion of tweets containing the hashtag #chinesevirus, most of which also contained anti-Asian hate.) He even uttered Kung flu at least once. The terms cast blame onto the viruss widely believed nation of origin and an undeserved shadow onto all with roots in the Asian diaspora. Ignorance.

Between March 2020 through this February, Stop AAPI Hate, an initiative launched by Chinese Affirmative Action (CAA), revealed receiving nearly 3,800 reports of hate incidents nationwide. Most (68.1 percent) were verbal assaults.

At dusk last Sunday, about a hundred people gathered in Birminghams Linn Park for a candlelight vigil that mirrored dozens of others held across the nation in the wake of the Atlanta murders. One speaker, Montgomery resident Rebecca Seung-Bichley said she fears for herself and her children once COVID-19 restrictions are relaxed.

What more will it take, she asked, for people to acknowledge us?

Jacqueline Le, another speaker said the vigil was a first step in starting a conversation thats long overdue for the Asian American community.

It was heartening to read Black Lives Matter activists attended the vigil because the conversation should include us all. Include anyone who stands against hate. Anyone sickened by ignorance.

Anyone who demands an end to racismaimed at any hue.

A voice for whats right and wrong in Birmingham, Alabama (and beyond), Roys column appears in The Birmingham News and AL.com, as well as in the Huntsville Times, the Mobile Register. Reach him at rjohnson@al.com and follow him at twitter.com/roysj
Speakers announced for virtual Experimental Biology 2021 Meeting

Renowned scientists--including Nobel laureates, research pioneers and celebrated educators--will speak at the virtual Experimental Biology (EB) 2021 meeting, to be held April 27-30. Bringing together thousands of life scientists in one interdisciplinary community, EB showcases the latest advances in anatomy, biochemistry, molecular biology, investigative pathology, pharmacology and physiology.

Approved reporters receive complimentary meeting registration and full access to our virtual newsroom. To request a press pass, please complete a Press Registration Form.

EB 2021 will feature these speakers along with research announcements from hundreds of other scientists:

Tony Hunter, PhD, Salk Institute for Biological Studies, won the international Tang Prize for Biopharmaceutical Science for his discovery of tyrosine phosphorylation, a key milestone enabling the development of targeted cancer therapies known as tyrosine kinase inhibitors. He will present the Tang Prize Award Lecture, "Tyrosine Phosphorylation--From Discovery to Drug Development and Beyond," at 1 p.m. Tuesday, April 27. (more information)

Brian Kobilka, MD, Stanford University, won the 2012 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for revealing the workings of the important family of G protein-coupled receptor activation receptors (GPCRs). He will present the keynote talk "Structural Insights into the Dynamic Process of G Protein-Coupled Receptor Activation" on Monday, May 10, for the Joint Colloquium on G Protein-Coupled Receptors, a satellite meeting to EB 2021. The colloquium is jointly hosted by the American Society for Pharmacology & Experimental Therapeutics, American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (ASBMB) and American Physiological Society (APS). (more information)

Peter C. Agre, MD, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, will be an American Association for Anatomy keynote speaker. He was awarded the 2003 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for the discovery of aquaporin water channels, or the plumbing system of cells. His research focuses on molecular aspects of human diseases, including hemolytic anemias, blood group antigens and malaria. As director of the Johns Hopkins Malaria Research Institute, he oversees scientific training and research efforts of 20 laboratories in Baltimore and field studies in Zambia and Zimbabwe. Agre will present "Aquaporin Water Channels - from Atomic Structure to Malaria" during a session that starts at 4:15 p.m. Tuesday, April 27. (more information)

Mario R. Capecchi, PhD, University of Utah School of Medicine, won the 2007 Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine for his work on targeted gene modification that created knockout mice. This work led to the development of mouse models of human disease that have been used to study the functions of numerous genes. He will present the APS Nobel Prize Lecture, "The Making of a Scientist--An Unlikely Journey" at 2 p.m. Friday, April 30. (more information)

Jean Schaffer, MD, Joslin Diabetes Center at Harvard University, is being honored with the ASBMB Avanti Award in Lipids. Schaffer is an associate editor for the ASBMB's Journal of Lipid Research and studies cell death caused by metabolic stress. She will talk about how she leverages genetics to uncover the molecular transducers of metabolic stress in the award lecture "Death by Lipids: Role of Noncoding RNAs in Metabolic Stress" at 11 a.m. Thursday, April 29. (more information)

George Perry, PhD, University of Texas at San Antonio, is receiving the American Society for Investigative Pathology Rous-Whipple Award in recognition of his work on the role of oxidative damage in Alzheimer disease. His research focuses on how cells in the brain respond to the presence of this damage. He will present an award lecture titled "Pathology in Alzheimer Disease: A Protective Response?" at 5 p.m. Tuesday, April 27. (more information)

###

EB host societies are the American Association for Anatomy, American Physiological Society, American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, American Society for Investigative Pathology and American Society for Pharmacology & Experimental Therapeutics.

#expbio | EB on Facebook | EB on Twitter (@expbio)

This story has been published on: 2021-03-22. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
The Public Relations Department of the Prosecutor Generals Office of Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh) has issued the following statement on the case of a resident of Karmir Shuka village setting himself on fire.

On March 21, 2021, the on-duty police officers of Martuni region of Artsakh received a report stating that resident of Karmir Shuka village of the same region had left his house the previous day and hadnt returned. After search efforts, police officers found the burnt body of the resident in the administrative territory of the village.

The Investigative Committee of Artsakh has launched a criminal case under the elements of incitement to suicide, and preliminary investigation is underway.

According to preliminary data, during the past few weeks, the resident was in a state of depression, would come home late, took the death of his nephew in the war unleashed against Artsakh in September 2020 hard and had become irritable after watching a video of the deceased nephew on television.

Taking into consideration the various commentaries regarding this incident that have been presented through mass media outlets, the Prosecutor Generals Office assures that it will set forth and examine all the possible versions during the preliminary investigation and will provide further information about the results of the investigation. However, before the end of the pre-trial proceedings, the Prosecutor Generals Office asks and urges everyone to not disseminate information or personal comments about the incident that are not confirmed based on the results of investigative and other procedural actions and may cause panic and concern among the public.
Boris Johnson: The Anti-Trump

Commentary

Boris Johnson is sometimes likened to Donald Trumpa British-style populist, albeit one who can recite chunks of Homers Iliad in the original Greek. In truth, many of his positions are closer to those of President Joe Biden. Tackling climate change and biodiversity loss would be his governments number one international priority, Johnson wrote in a foreword to the British governments integrated security, defense, development, and foreign policy review released last week.

In a severe case of John Kerrynomicsthe belief that decarbonization makes countries richerthe integrated review states that the foundations of Britains future prosperity will be built on cutting greenhouse gas emissions. Imposing artificial constraints on economic activity cannot make a country richer; the only question is how to minimize the cost of the constraint.

With Britain hosting this years U.N. climate conference, we can expect lots of green virtue signaling. Britain has reduced its national emissions by at least 68 percent compared to 1990 levels, the review boasts. The truth is less flattering. The decline in Britains production emissions started in the 1970s, long before any worries about global warming, and reflects the decline of Britains uncompetitive manufacturing sector. But the nations consumption emissions, which include those embedded in imports, continued to rise and peaked only in 2007. It took until 2015 for consumption emissions to fall back to their 1990 levels.

As president, Trump lauded an era of American energy dominance. Fracking turned the United States into the worlds largest producer of hydrocarbon energy. Britain has extensive shale deposits, too, and Johnsons two conservative predecessors wanted to emulate Americas fracking success to boost some of Britains most disadvantaged regions. But shortly before the December 2019 general election, the Johnson government slapped what it said was a temporary moratorium on fracking. After the election, the ban effectively became permanent. Fracking is now dead in the U.K.

Britains anti-energy policies dont stop there. A proposal for a new, entirely private-sector coal mine in West Cumbria would, its backers say, employ 500 people and create more than 1,500 indirect jobs in the region. No prizes for guessing what Trump would have done. For Johnson, the new mine is an unalloyed embarrassment. On the one hand, he won the 2019 election with a string of majorities in English Red Wall seatspredominantly working-class constituencies that had reliably voted Labor, like the one where the mine would be situated. On the other, there was the optics of Britains climate leadership.

Even though the coal would be turned into coke for use in steelmaking, environmentalists were up in arms. Coal has no future, Biden climate envoy Kerry told the British government, though the Biden administration has yet to bring that message to the 386,000 workers in the American steel industry. So ministers decided to review the planning application with a view to blocking it.

Corporate taxation also shows how much closer Johnson is to Biden than Trump. The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act passed in Trumps first year created a single 21 percent tax rate for U.S. corporations. In this months budget, the Johnson government announced that the corporate tax rate would go up from its current level of 19 percent to 25 percent in April 2023, the first time the rate has been hiked since 1974. The Treasury calls it a fair, progressive way to continue to fund public services and reckons it will increase corporate tax revenues from their pre-pandemic level of 48.4bn ($67.5bn) in 201920 to 85.3bn ($118.9bn) in 202526. Good luck with that.

But theres one Johnson divergence from Trumpism that would make his new friends in the Biden administration look askance. During a Downing Street round table with Chinese businesses last month, the prime minister declared himself fervently Sinophile. The governments integrated review acknowledges Chinas increasing international assertiveness and sees it as the biggest state-based threat to the U.K.s economic security. At the same time, Britain seeks to develop a positive trade and investment relationship with China.

Bolstering a regime that sees economic power as integral to its rise as a world power is foolishness of the highest order. Johnsons accommodating trade and investment policies give Beijing even more leverage over its weaker economic partner. While the Biden administration has not hesitated in calling out China for the Uyghur genocide, the Johnson government is using every available parliamentary maneuver to avoid giving the House of Commons a vote on whether China is committing such atrocities. When the chips are down on the biggest geopolitical threat of our age, we know which side Britain under Boris Johnson will be on. Not Americas.

From RealClearWire.

Rupert Darwall is a senior fellow of the RealClear Foundation and author of Green Tyranny: Exposing the Totalitarian Roots of the Climate Industrial Complex and the report The Climate Noose: Business, Net Zero, and the IPCCs Anti-Capitalism.

Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.
Toronto, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - March 22, 2021) - FACT, Inc. (OTC Pink: FCTI) (the "Company" or "FACT") a global leader of fine art and collectible authentication technology, today announced that Patricia Trompeter has been appointed Chief Executive Officer following the departure of former CEO Brian McWilliams who is pursuing external business ventures.

Ms. Trompeter, a financial expert with more than seventeen years in executive level management, has served as FACT's Chief Operating Officer since the Company's formation. Prior to joining FACT, a significant span of her career was at General Electric, primarily GE Capital, where she held a range of executive positions including CFO, Controller, Operations Leader, Quality Leader, and VP Finance, Mergers & Acquisitions. Over her career at GE, Ms. Trompeter successfully completed more than $17 Billion in acquisitions.

Ms. Trompeter has always had a keen eye for disruptive and emerging technologies across a vast spectrum of industries. "FACT stood out to me from the beginning," Ms. Trompeter commented. "Our non-contact scanning will make a huge dent in the billions of dollars lost to fine art & collectibles fraud each year. It's an exciting time as we broaden our strategy to include NFTs as a product offering to our clients. I am elated to be appointed CEO and lead such a pioneering company, which can be attributed to the key vision and leadership of Mr. McWilliams. Brian will be greatly missed!"

FACT, Forensic Asset Certification Technology, has developed a technology that determines an asset's authenticity at a detailed level unable to be seen by the human eye. The Company is driven to eliminate the $6 billion of stolen art stolen annually worldwide as well as the pervasive fraud in the fine collectibles market.

Mr. McWilliams stated, "I am so proud of what FACT has achieved to-date and I wish nothing but success for Ms. Trompeter and the Company as they continue offering the art and collectibles industry the security it deserves."

The Company is currently exploring options to fill the position of Chief Operating Officer.

ABOUT FACT INC.

FACT, Inc, (Forensic Asset Certification Technology) is a global organization which is revolutionizing security for the art and collectibles market. FACT utilizes ballistics technology currently employed by global law enforcement agencies to authenticate and analyze fine art and collectibles. FACT offers a suite of robust collection management products that includes authentication, condition reporting, GPS tracking, and provenance data - all stored securely on the blockchain and accessible in real time to the consumer. The FACT software application is applicable to various channels within the fine art and collectible industry including secured lending, insurance, dealers, auction houses, grading companies, and private collectors. FACT, Inc. is headquartered in Toronto, Ontario.

FACT, Inc.

2 Toronto Street

Suite 231

Toronto, ON M5C 2B5

Contact: Patricia Trompeter

Email: patricia@factsecured.com

Forward-Looking Statements

All statements other than statements of historical facts contained in this press release are "forward-looking statements," which may often, but not always, be identified by the use of such words as "may," "might," "will," "will likely result," "would," "should," "estimate," "plan," "project," "forecast," "intend," "expect," "anticipate," "believe," "seek," "continue," "target" or the negative of such terms or other similar expressions. These statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors, which may cause actual results, performance or achievements to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such statements, including: the Company's reliance on one key customer for a substantial percentage of its revenue; the Company's ability to consummate any proposed financing, acquisition or transaction, the timing of the closing of such proposed event, including the risks that a condition to closing would not be satisfied within the expected timeframe or at all, or that the closing of any proposed financing, acquisition or transaction will not occur or whether any such event will enhance shareholder value; the Company's ability to continue as a going concern; the Company's ability to attract, maintain and increase the number of its customers; the Company's ability to maintain compliance with certain financial and other covenants; the Company successfully implementing its growth strategy; management's relationships with industry stakeholders; the effects of the global Covid-19 pandemic; changes in economic conditions; competition; risks and uncertainties applicable to the businesses of the Company's subsidiaries; and other risks, uncertainties and factors. These forward-looking statements speak only as of the date hereof and the Company disclaims any obligations to update these statements, except as may be required by law. The Company intends that all forward-looking statements be subject to the safe-harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1993.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/78151
TORONTO  Some of Canada's newsrooms will now permanently exist only in cyberspace, as publishers look to save money on physical offices amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

Torstar plans to permanently close the physical office spaces for the Waterloo Region Record and the St. Catharines Standard by the end of next month as the news media follows industries such as technology that have embraced remote work as a permanent default.

All staff at the two news outlets will work remotely on a permanent basis  following the same model as the Peterborough Examiner, which closed its offices last summer after the COVID-19 pandemic forced staff to work from home to avoid spreading the virus.

There will be no changes to headcount or the print and digital products as a result of the office closures, says Torstar spokesman Bob Hepburn, which allow the company to reduce office space leasing costs.

Torstar's decision comes amid a similar shift in the U.S. and U.K., where the New York Daily News no longer has a physical newsroom and the publisher of Britain's Daily Mirror is moving many employees to work from home near office hubs.

Recent journalism school graduates found that almost 57 per cent of 122 respondents said that it was either more difficult or much more difficult than normal to interact with co-workers under pandemic conditions, according to a study conducted by Carelton University assistant professor Aneurin Bosley and University of King's College associate professor Fred Vallance-Jone and published by J-Source.

However, all the respondents also said that journalists were able to continue doing their jobs during the pandemic, according to the survey of graduates from undergraduate journalism program graduates at Carleton University or the University of Kings College. Nearly two-thirds of respondents said journalists and communications professionals have worked "somewhat effectively" and more than one-third saying the work has been very effective.

Story continues

Hepburn said that after a full year of remote work, the company views the model as a successful way to keep readers informed.

"Torstar remains fully committed to these publications, both in print and digital," said Hepburn.

James Compton, an associate professor at Western University's faculty of information and media studies, said the trend of working from home during the pandemic comes in a larger context for the journalism industry in both Canada and elsewhere. When media outlets are owned by hedge funds, for example, he said legacy newsrooms are often viewed as valuable real estate to be monetized.

December data from the Local News Map suggested that 38 Canadian news outlets closed between the start of the pandemic and Dec. 1, 2020. Compton said he also worries that remote work will make it more difficult for journalists to organize unions. Not being able to meet over a desk, swap ideas and hone a craft leads to "a weaker newsroom, no question," said Compton.

Laval University communications professor Colette Brin in Quebec City also noted the longer-term trend of newsrooms moving to smaller, more suburban offices with hot-desking models over the past few years. Even before the pandemic, some journalists found themselves working out of their cars in between interviews and paying for more expenses out of pocket, she said, as their desks were eliminated or shared with other colleagues. Freelancers and others with more precarious employment often shoulder the burden of reduced support and stability, Brin said.

Brin said it's likely too soon to speculate on how quality of news or the perception of news audiences will be affected by the lack of physical newsrooms, but she has concerns.

For example, a work-from-home arrangement is more likely to favour workers who have more room and privacy at home, she said. A journalist experiencing harassment online or struggling with mental health may also find it harder to reach out or report a toxic work environment, Brin added.

Alfred Hermida, professor at the University of British Columbia school of journalism, writing and media, said news organizations are taking a risk by eliminating the newsrooms, but that there is also an opportunity there. As mobile technology becomes lighter and more advanced, journalists are increasingly able to do more in the field with less equipment. Hermida said that  rather than just assign more work  publishers should allow workers to take more time to go out and embed themselves in their local neighbourhoods.

"There's a risk here: That the signal being sent to these communities is, 'We don't care enough about you to have a symbolic presence in your town." I don't think that's the message intended," said Hermida.

"But there's a risk that could be read as: By not having a physical presence in that town in that city, that you're not committed to covering that community."

 Torstar holds an investment in The Canadian Press as part of a joint agreement with subsidiaries of the Globe and Mail and Montreal's La Presse.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 22, 2021.

Anita Balakrishnan, The Canadian Press

Note to readers: This is a corrected report. An earlier version incorrectly named the author of the survey of journalism school graduates
Once again racist behavior has no consequences as Morgan Wallens Dangerous notches 10th week at #1

Once again in America, racist behavior has no conqueences. In fact, in Morgan Wallens case racism appears to have been very good for album sales.

Country musics nearly industry-wide ban of Morgan Wallen has proven totally ineffective as his Dangerous: The Double Album tops the Billboard 200 chart for the 10th consecutive week.

After Wallen was caught yelling racial epitaphs on a security cam, Spotify, Apple Music, virtually every broadcast radio chain and other media outlets were quick to drop his music.

But now, Dangerous is the first album to spend its first 10 weeks at No.1 since Whitney Houstons Whitney in 1987.

Billboard says that the only other album that spent its first 10 weeks at No.1 was Stevie Wonders Songs in the Key of Life in 1976 -1977.

Despite the supposed industry-wide ban, Morgan Wallen is also the best-selling artist of 2021 with both the most Spotify streams and the biggest album sales.

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Monday brings some passing clouds but North Alabama will also see periods of mostly sunny skies through this afternoon. Other than a southeast breeze occasionally gusting to 15-25 mph it will be a nice start to the workweek with afternoon highs near 70.

Unfortunately the beautiful spring weather doesn't last, rain chances return Tuesday and followed by a stronger storm-system by Thursday.

This week's first wave of rain is expected by the early afternoon Tuesday. A line of showers from out of the west should cross over into northwest Alabama from out of Mississippi around lunchtime tomorrow. Some embedded thunderstorms appear possible but nothing strong or severe Tuesday and the line should weaken as it moves west to east the rest of today.

Wednesday is the transition day but a few showers will be possible. By late Wednesday and into Thursday some bands of heavier rain may set up with embedded non-severe thunderstorms. This could create a similar setup as last Wednesday. The heavy rain will increase the flood threat in North Alabama but may also slow the warm front from lifting north into our area. This cooler, stable air-mass could prevent the surface based severe storms but does NOT exclude our area from flash flooding and stream, river flooding.

Like last Wednesday the timing, track of the warm front and the resulting severe threat will not be fully recognized until Thursday. However, knowledge of the magnitude of these severe and flood threats will gradually increase each additional day. Continue to check back for the latest update on the forecast this week.
Francis Harper and Andrew Pardey have been appointed to the board as non-executive chairman and non-executive director, respectively.

( ) has strengthened its board with two major appointments  Francis Harper as non-executive chairman and Andrew Pardey as non-executive director.

Current non-executive chairman Phillip Jackson has resigned from the board.

Harper is chairman and a significant shareholder in ( ), which is studying development of the expanding 3 million-ounce Abujar Gold Project in Cote d'Ivoire.

Pardey is a geologist with more than 30 years experience covering exploration, project development, construction and operation and is currently chairman of ( ) and non-executive director of ( ).

Advancing towards next milestones

Managing director Paul Roberts said: Attracting directors of the calibre of Francis and Andrew is a testament to the high quality of our Bankan Project.

On behalf of the board, I warmly welcome Mr Harper and Mr Pardey to Predictive.

I look forward to working closely with them both and the invaluable insights they can offer as we take the company forward through its next major milestones.

I would like to make special mention and thanks to outgoing chairman Phillip Jackson for his many years of service to Predictive.

Phillip has provided much valuable counsel and support on Predictives journey to the current exciting stage in the companys development, for which the Predictive team is very grateful.

Previous experience

From 2009 to 2015, Harper was a major shareholder and chairman of ( ), which recently commissioned the high-grade Sanbrado Gold Project in Burkina Faso.

He was also chairman of ( ) until 2020 and is a founding director and co-owner of Blackwood Capital since 2002.

Commenting on his appointment, Harper said: Its an exciting time to be joining the company and I welcome the ppportunity to contribute and assist the company in its rapid progress towards its inaugural resource statement and achieving further significant milestones.

Between 2015 to 2019, Pardey served as the CEO of the $2 billion LSE/TSX-listed ( ) ( ), which owns the 450,000 ounces per annum Sukari Gold Mine in Egypt.

Earlier in his career, he held senior management roles at the Anglogold-Ashanti Siguiri Mine and Nordgold Lefa Mine, both of which are within Guineas Siguiri Basin, which also hosts Predictives Bankan Project.

Pardey said: The Bankan Project is a rare opportunity, with two high potential discoveries which are consistently producing strong drill intercepts and can be progressed through development studies, while also having over 350 square kilometres of contiguous permits along the granite margins for further exploration.
Estonian Prime Minister Andrus Ansip (L) is welcomed by Chinese Prime Minister Li Keqiang (C) and Romanian counterpart Victor Ponta at the beginning of the "Meeting of Heads of Government of Central and Eastern European Countries and China" at the Parliament palace in Bucharest on Nov. 26, 2013. (Daniel Mihailescu/AFP via Getty Images)

Estonian Scientist Sentenced After Caught Spying for China

A leading Estonian marine expert with top security clearance was sentenced to three years in jail after pleading guilty to spying for Beijing.

Tarmo Kouts, 57, was arrested in September last year and has admitted to conducting espionage for a foreign statecharges that stop short of treason. His conviction last week made him the Estonian linked to Chinese espionage since the Baltic country broke from the Soviet Union in 1991.

Kouts was first recruited by Chinese military intelligence in 2018, according to Aleksander Toots, the deputy director of Estonias counterintelligence agency, Internal Security Service.

Kouts was motivated by traditional human weaknesses such as money, Toots told Delfi, a major Estonian outlet.

The prosecutors confirmed that Kouts had profited 17,000 (about $20,296) from the scheme, which they had confiscated from him. A woman who allegedly acted as an accomplice was arrested on the same day as Kouts and is yet to face trial in court.

Kouts holds a high-level security clearance as part of the countrys NATO Center for Maritime Research. He was also a member of the Estonian Ministry of Defenses scientific council from 2006 to 2012, and a senior researcher at Estonias only technical university, Tallinn University of Technology. He had worked on projects that focused on the Arctic, one of the issues that, alongside climate and trade, has drawn particular interest from the Chinese regime, Estonians counterintelligence said in a recent annual report.

In 2016, one Arctic-focused project that Kouts joined received over five million euros (roughly $6 million) from the European Union, according to Delfi.

His knowledge and access to sensitive information was one of the reasons that the prosecutors decided to act early and put a stop to his activities, Toots said.

Toots declined to disclose what information Kouts has provided to the Chinese but confirmed that Kouts has not compromised any state secrets.

He noted that a common tactic of the Chinese intelligence to lure recruit targets is to shower them with luxury and gifts.

They approached Kouts under the cover of a think tank, Toots said. He received cash proceeds and paid trips to Asia that includes high-end hotels stays and dining in Michelin star restaurants, according to the Daily Beast.

Harrys Puusepp, head of the bureau at the Internal Security Service, told Estonias public broadcaster ERR that the three-year terms that Kouts received were part of a plea bargain.

Chinese intelligence certainly has an interest in this field, he said, adding that it is also important to make clear that this didnt happen accidentally.

He said his agency has been sounding alarms about such espionage risks but this is the first time that this warning has been confirmed by a court judgment.

The university has suspended the employment contracts with Kouts, records from the school website show.
Spain is struggling to balance two conflicting goals as it prepares for the upcoming Easter break. On the one hand, it wants to restrict national travel in order to improve the coronavirus situation by summer  a moment that will be key to reviving the productive fabric of the country. In a bid to lower contagions, all Spanish regions will be under a perimetral lockdown during the Easter holidays, meaning no one can enter or leave without a justified reason, such as for work. But while there are restrictions on domestic tourism, the Spanish government has placed no such rules on visitors from Europe. This decision, combined with the fact that Germany has removed some Spanish regions  including the Balearic Islands  from its list of coronavirus risk areas, has turned Spain into a popular destination for Easter week. In other words, Spain is open to German tourists, but not Spanish ones.

Ilse and Klaus are among the many Germans who have chosen to spend the Easter holidays in Spains Balearic Islands. They started their trip early and arrived in Mallorca at the beginning of the week. They will spend a few days in a beachfront tourist apartment in Palma beach. We have come because we found a good accommodation deal, much cheaper than other occasions, said Ilse.

Tourists from Germany dance at El Arenal beach in Palma de Mallorca. ENRIQUE CALVO / Reuters

With Easter approaching, Germans are torn between wanting to have a drink on a sunny sidewalk cafe  bars and restaurants in Germany have been closed for four-and-a-half months  and heeding the warnings of health authorities who recommend against all non-essential travel. Many of them have opted for the former, even though experts continue to warn that this will lead to a rise in coronavirus cases as data shows the country entering a third wave of the pandemic.

But many Germans appear determined to spend their holidays in the Balearic Islands, which has led to a spike in demand. In response, large travel groups have increased capacity at hotels and the number of flights to the archipelago. We have had a boom in bookings for the Easter holidays, said Thomas Daubenbuchel, the spokesperson of the travel company Alltours. On March 13  one day after Germany removed the Balearic Islands and several other regions off its risk list, meaning visitors do not need to go into quarantine upon their return  Alltours organized 20 chartered flights from Dusseldorf. Two days later, the flights were sold out.

We dont want to waste all our efforts on five days and lose the summer season. That would be disastrous Jose Luis Zoreda, vice-president of tourism lobby Exceltur

The British-German travel giant TUI experienced similar demand when it began offering flights and accommodation in the Balearic Islands on Sunday. The first available dates are all taken, said a TUI spokesperson, who added that the company is preparing to open up more hotels in Alcudia in Mallorca. In the next few weeks, TUI expects to offer more than 300 return flights to the Balearic Islands. And it is not the only airline that has jumped at the opportunity. Ryanair has added 200 flights between Germany and Spain over the Easter break and Eurowings, the low-cost carrier of Lufthansa, has scheduled another 300 connections.

But while German visitors will be able to enjoy a holiday in Mallorca, not a single Spanish tourist has the same privilege. This paradox began a few months ago and has continued due to the diplomatic problems involved with closing Spains border. We cant close our country off from the EU. The control measures in place in airports are working, said Health Minister Carolina Darios in an interview with EL PAIS last week.

Visitors to Spain, for example, must provide a negative PCR test if arriving by boat or plane  the measure does not apply to land crossings. But Spaniards are upset that this same PCR test does not allow a resident from the mainland to travel to the Balearic Islands to visit family or just for a vacation. Nor can residents from the archipelago travel to the mainland, unless for a justified reason. At the same time, Spaniards see tourists from across Europe freely wandering the streets, even if they come from a place with a much higher coronavirus incidence rate.

Tourism sector remains cautious

Spains tourism sector also has its reservations about the Easter vacation. We dont want to waste all our efforts on five days and lose the summer season. That would be disastrous, said Jose Luis Zoreda, the vice-president of the tourism lobby Exceltur. Whats more, Zoreda does not believe the rise in bookings from Germany will have a big impact on the sector. Its risen from nearly zero, but it wont be significant, nor will it save Easter, he says. Indeed, many hotel owners are not planning to reopen for the upcoming holidays, at least not on a large scale. We will see something this Easter, but I am more hopeful about the months of May and June, said Gabriel Escarrer, the managing director of Melia Hotels International, last week.

Visitors from France are also unlikely to save the Easter break, which traditionally marks the beginning of the countdown to Spains tourism high season. On Friday, a third of France was placed under a month-long limited lockdown, which may be extended. While it is a less-strict lockdown than the previous two, it means that residents in several regions, including Paris, are banned from traveling to a different part of the country. They can, however, travel outside of France, for example to Spain.

Despite this, it is unlikely that many French tourists will travel to Spain in this period. Traditionally, fewer trips are made over Easter than other holiday periods, as only Easter Monday is a public holiday in France. That said, airlines such as Transavia, the low-cost carrier of Air France, are planning to open new routes to Spain, but only after the end of April.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison (L) and Minister for Home Affairs Peter Dutton look on during Question Time in the House of Representatives at Parliament House in Canberra, Australia on March 15, 2021. (Sam Mooy/Getty Images)

Australian Government Lists UK-Based Neo-Nazi Group as Terrorist Organisation

Australia has for the first time listed a far-right extremist organisation as a terrorist group, paving the way for investigations and possible jailings of members.

Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton is listing the Sonnenkrieg Divisionalso known as SKDunder the criminal code, joining the likes of ISIS and al-Qaeda.

Sonnenkrieg Division (SKD) is the British chapter of the U.S.-based Atomwaffen Division (AWD). AWD is a neo-Nazi organization that seeks the creation of a National Socialist government through a violent white revolution and believes that a race war is inevitable, according to the Counter Extremism Project.

Members of the group have been convicted for plotting to attack the British royal family, as well as disseminating terrorist material.

Dutton said on Monday that the listing reflected the Australian governments commitment to stamping out violence and extremism of all kinds, regardless of ideology or motivation.

SKD adheres to an abhorrent, violent ideology that encourages lone-wolf terrorist actors who would seek to cause significant harm to our way of life and our country, he said.

Members of SKD have already been convicted of terrorist offences in the United Kingdom, including encouraging terrorism, preparing for a terrorist attack and possession and dissemination of terrorist material.

SKDs active promotion and encouragement of terrorism has the potential to inspire extremists across the world, and the availability of SKD propaganda online throughout the pandemic has provided fertile ground for radicalisation, he added.

In ASIOs annual threat assessment released last week, agency director-general Mike Burgess said so-called right-wing extremism had grown from one-third to around 40 per cent of priority counter-terrorism caseloads over the past year.

He revealed ASIO would now refer to violent threats by right or left-wing groups and individuals as ideologically motivated extremism.

People often think were talking about skinheads with swastika tattoos and jackboots roaming the backstreets like extras from Romper Stomper, but its no longer that obvious, he said in a speech.

Todays ideological extremist is more likely to be motivated by a social or economic grievance than national socialism.

More often than not, they are young, well-educated, articulate, and middle classand not easily identified.

The listing enables all available terrorist offences and penalties to apply to the organisation, including up to 25 years in jail for some offences.

Labor has been urging the government to start listing right-wing extremist groups.

But the government has insisted it was waiting for advice from ASIO.

Researcher Andy Fleming who has been tracking the far-right in Australia told The Guardian that SKDs listing in Australia is unlikely to have a big impact on the group as it has little presence in Australia, as far as I know.

On the other hand, its possible that relevant state agencies have identified a connection, he said.

The Epoch Times contributed to this report.
Source: Xinhua| 2021-03-22 23:38:50|Editor: huaxia

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LUSAKA, March 22 (Xinhua) -- Zambia has recorded the lowest daily COVID-19 cases in the last 24 hours as the country continues to see a flattening of the pandemic, a senior government official said on Monday.

The country recorded 86 cases in the last 24 hours out of 4,098 tests done, bringing the cumulative cases to 86,535.

Minister of Health Jonas Chanda said the figure marks a key milestone in the country's efforts to flatten the pandemic as this was the lowest daily cases less than 100 recorded for the first time since December 21, 2020.

"We have seen a major reduction in our test positivity since the onset of the second wave, however, we remain on high alert as we head into the cold months of June-July to avert an escalation in case numbers," he said in a statement on the COVID-19 situation.

The government, he said, has invested heavily in essential commodities and human resource training as well as procurement of testing reagents and supplies to ensure commodity security and sustained testing.

Meanwhile, the country also discharged 61 people in the last 24 hours bringing the total recoveries to 83,319 while three people died during the same period bringing the total deaths to 1,182. Enditem
Interview: Russia, China set example on how to build relations, says Lavrov

Xinhua) 09:35, March 22, 2021

Screen shot taken on March 19, 2021 shows Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov in an online interview ahead of his visit to China. China is a truly strategic partner of Russia and a like-minded country, and their mutually trusting and respectful dialogue should serve as an example to other countries, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has said. (Xinhua)

MOSCOW, March 22 (Xinhua) -- China is a truly strategic partner of Russia and a like-minded country, and their mutually trusting and respectful dialogue should serve as an example to other countries, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has said.

"Current Russia-China relations are assessed both by our national leaders and citizens as the best in their entire history. This is a well-deserved and fair assessment," Lavrov told Xinhua and several other media outlets in an online interview ahead of his visit to China on Monday and Tuesday.

"Russia-China relations are marked by comprehensive partnership and strategic coordination, which have entered a new era," the top Russian diplomat said.

In his view, to a large extent, the bilateral ties have reached such an unprecedented level thanks to the China-Russia Treaty of Good-neighborliness and Friendly Cooperation signed in July 2001.

As this year marks the 20th anniversary of the signing of the treaty, Lavrov praised "dynamic" cooperation between Russia and China over the past two decades and called the pact a "historic" document, which has laid the political and legal foundations for a new type of relationship between the two countries.

"The model of interaction between Russia and China is absolutely free from any ideological constraints. It is of an intrinsic nature, not subject to any opportunistic factors nor against any third country," he stressed.

Lavrov noted that the international situation is undergoing profound changes, with new centers of economic, financial and political influence growing stronger.

"However, these objective developments, which are leading to the formation of a truly multipolar and democratic world, are unfortunately being hindered by Western countries, particularly the United States," he said, adding that they seek to continue to dominate at any cost on global economy and politics and impose their will and requirements on others.

In response, Russia and China are promoting a constructive and unifying agenda and hope that the international governance system would be fair and democratic, run smoothly and be based on extensive interaction between countries and their integration initiatives, he noted.

"Cooperation between Russia and China in the international arena has a generally stabilizing effect on the global and regional situation," he said, adding that the "mutually trusting and respectful dialogue should serve as an example to other countries."

Lavrov underlined the tradition of holding joint years since 2006, such as the national years, the years of youth friendly exchanges, the year of tourism, the language years, and other similar projects.

As a result, the foundation of Russia-China friendship has been significantly strengthened and relations enriched, he said.

More than 1,000 events have been planned for the China-Russia Year of Scientific and Technological Innovation 2020-2021, Lavrov noted.

He noted that a number of events and conferences on exchanging anti-coronavirus experience were held within the framework of the Year of Scientific and Technological Innovation.

"We have maintained very close cooperation since the very first reports on COVID-19 cases. Both sides immediately provided mutual assistance: we rendered aid to our Chinese friends, and then they helped Russians," he recalled.

"I will emphasize once again that we have set an example to all countries on how to build relations with each other," Lavrov said.

Unfortunately, our website is currently unavailable in your country. We are engaged on the issue and committed to looking at options that support our full range of digital offerings to your market. We continue to identify technical compliance solutions that will provide all readers with our award-winning journalism.
(Changes accusations in paragraph 4 and clarifies mother's comments in paragraph 5)

MOMBASA (Reuters) - Four Kenyan policemen will stand trial for murder after a judge ruled on Monday they have a case to answer in the death of British aristocrat Alex Monson, who died in their custody in 2012.

"The accused should tell the court what happened since the deceased was arrested in good health," High Court Judge Erick Ogolla ruled.

The policemen - Naftali Chege, Charles Wangombe Munyiri, Baraka Bulima and John Pamba - were accused of killing 28-year-old Monson, son of Nicholas, the 12th Baron Monson, and heir to a family estate in Lincolnshire, in eastern England.

Monson was found dead in his cell after being arrested for allegedly possessing cannabis.

The police have said Monson died of an overdose, but his mother Hilary Monson told the court that her son had not been a drug addict either at the time of his arrest or at any other time.

Two reports by government pathologists, seen by Reuters at the time, said Monson died after suffering a traumatic blow to the head. An inquest found there had been attempts to cover up the incident, and threats against witnesses.

The ruling is the result of an inquest that began in 2019 in the coastal city of Mombasa in a case seen as a test of whether Kenyas security services can be held accountable for the use of excessive force and extrajudicial killings.

The judge said he was satisfied with the case presented by the prosecution, which sought to have the four face murder charges over Monson's death.

The judge said no evidence was presented in court to show Monson was assaulted elsewhere other than within the police station after he was detained.

Forty-five witnesses including police officers testified during the inquest.

"We are happy with this ruling and we hope at the end of day justice for my late son will be served," Hilary Monson told Reuters in Mombasa after the ruling.

Story continues

The trial of the policemen is due to begin on May 10.

(This story changes accusations in paragraph 4 and clarifies mother's comments in paragraph 5)

(Reporting by Joseph Akwiri; Editing by Elias Biryabarema, Alison Williams and Timothy Heritage)
The Daily Beast

Chip Somodevilla/Getty What are Democrats willing to do to save our democracy, and how far are they willing to go? Thats the question they must answer now, while theres still time to protect our flawed and fragile democracy from an extremist, countermajoritarian Republican Party hellbent on subverting the political process to implement rule by and for a white Christian minority.For the past few months, it appeared that Democrats would respond to this daily threatwith the former president talk
Mr. Topper has more than 20 years of digital experience and joins Chico's FAS from FTD, where he served as chief digital officer and was instrumental in driving the company's ecommerce business, products & technology functions, supply chain and ecommerce operations for the past four years.

"Jay is an experienced leader with a proven track record of increasing consumer engagement and revenue. He will be instrumental in creating a seamless end-to-end customer experience and identifying customer friction points and unlocking sales and growth in our Company," said Molly Langenstein, President and CEO. "As we continue to position ourselves as a digital-first and customer led Company, I am proud to welcome Jay to Chico's FAS."

"I am incredibly excited to join Chico's FAS at this pivotal time for the business," said Mr. Topper. "I look forward to partnering with Molly and the entire team as we continue to strengthen the company and deliver superb experiences for our customers."

Prior to FTD, Mr. Topper was chief technology officer of Vitacost, where he led technology, fulfillment, distribution, social media and customer service. Before joining Vitacost, he served as SVP, of Customer Success at Rosetta Stone where he oversaw technology, CRM, learning engagement and customer service.

ABOUT CHICO'S FAS, INC.

Chico's FAS is a Florida-based fashion company founded in 1983 on Sanibel Island, Fla. The Company reinvented the fashion retail experience by creating fashion communities anchored by service, which put the customer at the center of everything we do. As one of the leading fashion retailers in North America, Chico's FAS is a company of three unique brands  Chico's, White House Black Market and Soma  each thriving in their own white space, founded by women, led by women, providing solutions that millions of women say give them confidence and joy.

Our Company has a passion for fashion, and each day, we provide clothing, shoes and accessories, intimate apparel and expert styling in our brick-and-mortar boutiques, digital online boutiques and through StyleConnect, the Company's proprietary digital styling tool that enables customers to conveniently shop wherever, whenever and however they prefer.

As of January 30, 2021, the Company operated 1,302 stores in the U.S. and sold merchandise through 68 international franchise locations in Mexico and 2 domestic franchise airport locations. The Company's merchandise is also available at www.chicos.com, www.chicosofftherack.com, www.whbm.com, www.soma.com and www.mytelltale.com as well as through third-party channels.

For more detailed information on the Company, please visit our corporate website at www.chicosfas.com. The information on our corporate website is not, and shall not be deemed to be, a part of this press release or incorporated into our federal securities law filings.

SAFE HARBOR STATEMENT UNDER THE PRIVATE SECURITIES LITIGATION REFORM ACT OF 1995

Certain statements contained herein, including without limitation, statements addressing the beliefs, plans, objectives or expectations of the Company relating to the Company's digital success, and future results constitute "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, as amended. Such forward-looking statements involve known or unknown risks, including, but not limited to, general economic and business conditions, and conditions in the specialty retail industry. There can be no assurance that the actual future results, performance, or achievements expressed or implied by such forward- looking statements will occur. Investors using forward-looking statements are encouraged to review the Company's latest annual report on Form 10-K, including management's discussion and analysis included therein, for a description of other important factors that may affect the Company's business, results of operations and financial condition. The Company does not undertake to publicly update or revise its forward-looking statements even if experience or future changes make it clear that projected results expressed or implied in such statements will not be realized.

SOURCE Chico's FAS, Inc.

Related Links

http://www.chicosfas.com


JAKARTA  Recognising the need for stronger cross-pillar and cross-sectoral coordination among ASEAN, its stakeholders and partners in realising the ASEAN Comprehensive Recovery Framework, the ASEAN Socio-Cultural Community (ASCC) held its first Partnership Conference with the theme Towards Post-COVID Recovery and Resilience in ASEAN.

In his opening remarks, Deputy Secretary-General of ASEAN for ASCC Kung Phoak welcomed the delegates and emphasised that the regions recovery efforts must be done in a systematic and coordinated way, in concert with stakeholders and partners. He reiterated that these major tasks cannot be accomplished by the ASEAN governments alone.

On her part, Chair of Senior Officials Committee for the ASCC (SOCA) Hajah Nor Ashikin Binti Haji Johari further underscored that the Partnership Conference would maximise existing resources to implement the identified priorities of the Coordinating Conference on the ASEAN Socio-Cultural Community (SOC-COM).

These priorities are aligned with Brunei Darussalams ASEAN Chairmanship theme, placing peoples well-being as ASEANs top overall agenda.

The 15 ASCC Sectoral Bodies and SOCA presented their priority areas and identified relevant activities planned for the next five years that would promote a sense of regional agenda and sustain the ASCC building efforts towards post-pandemic recovery.

Sectoral Dialogue Partners from Australia, Canada, Italy, Korea, New Zealand, Switzerland, and US; UN agencies including UN Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UNESCAP) and UN Women; and other international organisations such as the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, Southeast Asia Tobacco Control Alliance, International Committee of the Red Cross, and the Alzheimers Disease International recognised the shared commitments of the ASCC Sectoral Bodies and ascertained areas of mutual interest for potential collaboration.

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They further underscored the importance of a whole-ASEAN approach to ensure that interventions are not only effective but also sustainable.

In closing, delegates expressed confidence that the dialogue will further lead to concrete actions between ASCC Sectoral Bodies and partners, in laying the groundwork for ASEANs post-COVID efforts, in the spirit of a community that is caring, prepared and prosperous in all its actions.

A total of 222 delegates attended the conference. Delegates were from the ASCC Sectoral Bodies Chairs and/or Vice-Chairs, SOCA leaders and their representatives, Committee of Permanent Representatives to ASEAN, leaders and representatives of ASEAN sectoral dialogue partners, development partners, UN agencies, international organisations, and the ASEAN Secretariat.

The conference took place back-to-back with the 16th SOC-COM and the Virtual Launch of the ASEAN Development Outlook.

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Since the declaration of Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) as a global pandemic in March 2020, the COVID-19 has unprecedentedly impacted different segments of populations and sectors, posing disruptions and challenges to the many existing systems within ASEAN.

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In a united response to COVID-19, ASEAN developed the ASEAN Comprehensive Recovery Framework (ACRF) and its Implementation Plan which outline broad strategies to ensure that the region is better positioned to emerge strong and resilient to overcome the pandemic and recover better.

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POCO Malaysia has announced that the POCO X3 Pro, as well as the POCO F3, is now officially available in Malaysia starting from the price of RM999 and RM1399 respectively. The POCO X3 Pro will be available on the Xiaomi Official Global Store on Shopee starting from 24 March while the POCO F3 is available from Xiaomis official Global Store on Lazada.

But thats not all, if you purchase the POCO X3 Pro as its respective store on the first day of availability, youll be able to get the device at only RM899 and RM1099 for the 6GB + 128GB variant and 8GB + 256GB variant respectively. Similarly, by getting the POCO F3 on the first day of availability which is on 27 March, you can get it at RM1299 and RM1499 for the 6GB + 128GB variant and 8GB + 256GB variant.

In terms of the tech specs, the POCO X3 Pro comes equipped with a Qualcomm Snapdragon 860 chipset, up to 8GB RAM, up to 256GB ROM, 6.67-inch FHD+ 120Hz display which supports 240Hz touch sampling rate, as well as a 5160mAh internal battery that supports up to 33W fast charging. Camera-wise, it has a 48MP + 8MP + 2MP + 2MP rear camera while the front has a 20MP selfie camera.

The POCO F3, on the other hand, has a Snapdragon 870 chipset, up to 8GB RAM, up to 256GB ROM, 6.67-inch 120Hz AMOLED FHD+ AMOLED display with 360Hz touch sampling rate, and a smaller 4520mAh internal battery with 33W fast charging support. As for the camera, it comes with a 48MP + 8MP + 5MP rear camera and a 20MP front-facing selfie camera.

When it comes to the features, the phones are equipped with the DynamicSwitch technology which intelligently tweaks the refresh rate of the display, in order to provide the smoothest viewing experience while maximizing battery life. Not only that, but theyre both equipped with a side-mounted fingerprint sensor as well.

If you want to find out more information regarding both the smartphones mentioned, head over to their official website. With all that said, would you be interested in getting either the POCO X3 Pro or the POCO F3 as soon as it is available in the local market? Let us know on our Facebook page and for more updates like this, stay tuned to TechNave.com.
Amwins Program Underwriters has developed a new insurance coverage dedicated to alarm contractors that includes commercial general liability, professional liability, property and inland marine coverage.

The program can be tailored to meet the needs of alarm installation contractors including fire, burglar, residential/commercial/industrial, closed circuit television, home theater, and home automation.

The program is available in most states and underwritten on an admitted basis, with eligible accounts including commercial and residential, sales & service (fire, burglar, access control, CCTV) and installation.

Fortegra Specialty Insurance is the carrier partner for this solution.

Amwins Program Underwriters is a managing general agency within the underwriting division of Amwins, a global distributor of specialty insurance products and services.

Amwins Program Underwriters (APU) is a managing general agency (MGA) specializing in affinity and program management. The company administers over 30 programs, generating premiums in excess of $380 million.

Topics Contractors
Lincoln Lewis' new girlfriend Pandora Bonsor recently travelled to Sydney to support her beau as he competed on Seven's Dancing with the Stars reboot.

And on Sunday, the couple couldn't keep their hands - or lips - off each other after filming an episode for the new series at the ICC in Sydney.

Pandora shared a video to Instagram of the loved-up pair packing on the PDA.

Loved-up: Former Home and Away star Lincoln Lewis and his girlfriend Pandora Bonsor packed on the PDA after he filmed Seven's Dancing with the Stars reboot on Sunday

The blonde bombshell wrapped her arms around her man and pulled him close as they shared a smooch.

Lincoln, 33, debuted his relationship with Pandora last month.

He announced the relationship just days after his father, Queensland Maroons legend Wally 'The King' Lewis, revealed he had split from his wife, Jacqui, after 36 years of marriage.

Packing on the PDA! Pandora shared a video to Instagram of the couple sharing a passionate kiss and wrote: 'Everything and more'

Wally is now reportedly dating a Townsville woman named Lynda Adams.

Lincoln has been with Pandora for the past few months, after she separated from her ex-partner, a cafe owner, in the middle of last year.

Meanwhile, Lincoln announced he would be appearing on Channel Seven's reboot of Dancing With The Stars last week.

Coming soon: Lincoln announced he'd be appearing on Channel Seven's reboot of Dancing With The Stars last week

On Sunday, the hunky star revealed heartwarming reason why he chose to return to the franchise 12 years after his first stint on the program.

Speaking to the Courier Mail, the actor said he hoped to bring joy to his nephews, following the recent breakdown of his parents' marriage.

'When they asked me I wasn't sure because I'm not the most naturally gifted dancer, but the main reason for me right now is because I've got nephews and when I first did it I didn't.'

Lincoln added he was 'really looking forward' to having his mother, sister, brother, sister-in-law and nephews watch him compete on the dancefloor.
The Nigeria Governors Forum (NGF) has demanded the arrest and prosecution of those allegedly behind the attack on Governor Samuel Ortom on Saturday.

Mr Ortom was attacked by suspected herders on his way from his farm along Makurdi-Gboko road.

The NGF, in a statement by its chairman and Governor Kayode Fayemi of Ekiti State, empathised with Mr Ortom over the attack and demanded that the culprits be apprehended and prosecuted.

The news of the broad daylight attempt to cut short the life of the Governor of Benue State, Dr Samuel Ortom, is shocking and a rude awakening, the statement said.

All hands must be on deck to uncover the identities of those involved in this heinous crime.

The NGF wishes to state categorically that the attempt to make Benue State ungovernable is unacceptable and will fail woefully.

Only recently the brother of one of the former governors of the state was mowed down in cold blood.

This dishonourable and shameful act of resorting to violence, for whatever reason, to eliminate citizens of Benue State by brutal means must not continue.

Also, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Governors Forum has called on security agencies to investigate the alleged attempt on the life of Mr Ortom.

The governors elected under the platform of the PDP made the call in a statement by its Chairman and Governor of Sokoto State, Aminu Tambuwal on Sunday in Abuja.

Mr Tambuwal urged the security agencies and other authorities of the state to swiftly and thoroughly investigate the matter of urgency as well as bring the perpetrators to justice.

He said that the PDP governors received with shock the alleged assassination attempt on their Benue colleague.

We wish, therefore, to warn that any attempt to harm any Nigerian will be viewed by the forum as an attempt on all violence.

We believe strongly that any dispute or perceived dispute should be and must be resolved amicably without resorting to violence, he said.

Mr Tambuwal condemned the attempt by certain retrogressive elements and centrifugal forces, trying to consign Nigeria into a failed state, saying Nigeria is not a Banana Republic.

The chairman of the forum, who said security remained the primary responsibility of the government, especially the federal government, added that every Nigerian deserved equal protection of the laws.

He said every citizen was entitled to freedom of speech and free exercise of all rights guaranteed in the constitution, subject only to law.

According to him, Nigeria is still a democracy and a nation of laws and not men.

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He said that nobody, or group, however highly placed, should take the laws into their hands.

The Sokoto governor then stated that self-help was an invitation to anarchy and must be nipped into the bud.

The PDP governors are solidly united and are behind Ortom and will do the utmost to defend the rights and prerogatives of the Benue people who elected him.

We expect the security agencies and other authorities of state to investigate this matter swiftly and thoroughly and bring the perpetrators to justice, Mr Tambuwal said.

On their part, the governors of the 19 northern states have called for thorough investigation into the attack on one of their colleagues.

Chairman of the Northern Governors Forum and governor of Plateau State, Simon Lalong, stated this in a statement by his Director of Press and Public Affairs, Makut Macham, in Jos.

Mr Lalong said the attack was another attempt by criminals to cause mayhem in Benue and in the nation as a whole.

He tasked all relevant security agencies to conduct a thorough investigation to fish out those behind the attack and their sponsors

He commended security details attached to the governor for repelling the attack and securing Mr Ortom and members of his entourage.

The chairman of the forum said all hands must be on deck to address the lingering degeneration of security in the country as it threatened its corporate existence.

Mr Lalong said governors in the northern part of Nigeria were in solidarity with their colleague and the entire people of Benue State.

He assured that they would continue to engage and support security agencies in their duty of securing the region and nation.

(NAN)

We all want thick, sculpted, fluffy eyebrows. And thankfully, Charlotte Tilbury is launching Supermodel Brows so you can achieve your best brows yet. And from what we've seen, it may actually give you runway-worthy brows in just three simple steps.

Bold, brushed up brows are hot right now, with the fluffy laminated look dominating our Instagram feeds. But it isn't always easy to achieve, so Charlotte has created a new three-step 'fill, feather and fix' system, which includes two new products - Charlotte Tilbury Brow Cheat (22) and Charlotte Tilbury Brow Fix (19).

Even better, you can shop the products on everyone's wishlist 72 hours before their official release (March 25), as Charlotte is offering MailOnline readers early access on charlottetilbury.com.

Charlotte has created a new three-step 'fill, feather and fix' system, which includes two new products - Charlotte Tilbury Brow Cheat (22) and Charlotte Tilbury Brow Fix (19)

Charlotte Tilbury's new Supermodel Brows promises to do it all, delivering a 'flattering brow shape that stays in place all day and will suit everyone!'

'I developed my signature Supermodel Brow throughout my 28-year career as makeup artist to supermodels and stars,' explained Charlotte Tilbury.

'I would have celebrity clients in my makeup chair that needed instantly fuller-looking brows on demand. It's unlike any other brow shape because it's full, fluffy, feathered and fixed. I always say, lift your brows, lift the look of your face.'

I was lucky enough to try the extended shade range and new Supermodel Brows collection before its release. I was keen to see how it compared to other brow products in my collection from top brands like Anastasia Beverly Hills and Fenty Beauty.

 Slide me  The end result? An ombre effect that mimics naturally full brows (wearing Pillow Talk Push Up Lashes!, Brow Fix and Brow Cheat in Natural Brown)

Starting with the Charlotte Tilbury Brow Cheat (22), a 'micro-precision brow perfecting tool' that features a super-slim pencil on one end and a spoolie on the other, I applied the product with a light hand, starting at the arches and working towards the tail.

Then I went back and concentrated the colour at the mid and tail section before going to the font of the brows and adding feather-like strokes. The end result? An ombre effect that mimics naturally full brows.

Charlotte added: 'The world needed a micro-precision pencil which mimics natural brow hairs to elongate the brow structure. I wanted to make it as fool-proof as possible so that you could have precision application, glide without dragging and colour with no ashy undertones to create the illusion of fuller-looking brows!'

Charlotte has also created Charlotte Tilbury Brow Fix (19) to help misbehaving brows stay in place and create that slicked up look reminiscent of laminated brows

I found it was easy to use, and the colour was spot on. Plus, the fine tip mimics brow hairs perfectly, filling in sparse gaps creating a natural and fuller effect with a powder-like finish. It's incredible how well-sculpted eyebrows bring balance and proportion to the face.

CHARLOTTE'S THREE-STEP BROW SYSTEM FILL: Create shape, structure and define your brows with a precision pencil that mimics natural brow hairs. FEATHER: Add texture and tint for fuller-looking brows using a micro precision brush and water-resistant formula. FIX: Set your Supermodel Brow shape in place with a clear brow gel that delivers long-lasting hold with an invisible finish.

And I'm not alone in being impressed by the new brow pencil, which is also smudge resistant, sweat, humidity and waterproof.

Consumer studies found that 93 per cent of those surveyed agreed it mimics natural brow hairs and adds shape and definition.

Charlotte has also created Charlotte Tilbury Brow Fix (19) to help misbehaving brows stay in place and create that slicked up look reminiscent of laminated brows.

Unlike others I've tried, the clear gel is weightless with a strong hold without being stiff once set. There's no doubt it will up your fluffy brow game.

Apply one coat and then wait 30 seconds or so before applying another, brushing upwards to attain that fluffy 'soap' brow look we're all obsessed with.

Enhancing your brows with makeup can be tricky if you're a novice, but Charlotte's new products are easy to use and will help you achieve perfection every time. They're foolproof and Brow Cheat is refillable.

Exclusive early access: You can shop the Charlotte Tilbury Supermodel Brows collection online 72 hours before its release at charlottetilbury.com.

MailOnline may earn commission on sales from the links on this page.
NEW YORK, March 22, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Bragar Eagel & Squire, P.C., a nationally recognized stockholder rights law firm, has launched an investigation into whether the board members of Kansas City Southern (NYSE: KSU) (KCS) breached their fiduciary duties or violated the federal securities laws in connection with the companys acquisition by Canadian Pacific Railway Limited (NYSE: CP) (CP).



Click here to learn more and participate in the action.

On March 21, 2021, KCS announced that it had signed an agreement to be acquired by CP for approximately $29 billion. Pursuant to the merger agreement, KCS stockholders will receive 0.489 shares of CP common stock and $90 in cash for each share of KCS common stock owned. The deal is scheduled to close in the second half of 2021.

Bragar Eagel & Squire is concerned that KCSs board of directors oversaw an unfair process and ultimately agreed to an inadequate merger agreement. Accordingly, the firm is investigating all relevant aspects of the deal and is committed to securing the best result possible for KCSs stockholders.

If you own shares of KCS and are concerned about the proposed merger, or you are interested in learning more about the investigation or your legal rights and remedies, please contact Melissa Fortunato or Alexandra Raymond by email at investigations@bespc.com or telephone at (646) 860-9157, or by filling out this contact form. There is no cost or obligation to you.

About Bragar Eagel & Squire, P.C.:

Bragar Eagel & Squire, P.C. is a nationally recognized law firm with offices in New York and California. The firm represents individual and institutional investors in commercial, securities, derivative, and other complex litigation in state and federal courts across the country. For more information about the firm, please visit www.bespc.com . Attorney advertising. Prior results do not guarantee similar outcomes.
[March 22, 2021] Simplicity Esports and Gaming Company Receives Record Number of Applications to Purchase New Franchise Gaming Center Territories

43 applications in the last 30 days to open new Simplicity Esports Gaming Centers

Boca Raton, Florida, March 22, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Simplicity Esports and Gaming Company ( OTCQB:WINR ) (Simplicity Esports), announced that it has received a record number of applications submitted via its wholly owned subsidiary, PLAYlive Nations website, from potential franchisees interested in purchasing new franchise territories, and opening Simplicity Esports gaming centers. New franchisee applications include disclosure of financial information, desired territory, and business background. New applicants typically take 30 to 60 days to move through Simplicity Esports internal vetting and sales process. The vetting process is designed to approve only those applicants that Simplicity Esports believes have the financial and business experience needed to become a franchisee owner-operator of a Simplicity Esports gaming center. Not all applications are approved. New franchisees are assisted with site selection and lease negotiation, as well as planning, renovations, and build out. Single franchise territories are currently sold for a $45,000 purchase fee, while some discounts may be available for the purchase of multiple territories. Simplicity Esports also generates revenue for the sale of furniture, fixtures, and equipment to franchisees for the build out phase of gaming center construction. Roman Franklin, President of Simplicity Esports, tated, I am enthusiastic about our prospects for 2021. The combination of our growing corporate owned and franchisee owned gaming center infrastructure is a testament to our commitment to remaining the largest footprint of esports gaming centers in the U.S. I attribute the record number of franchisee applications to pent up demand caused by COVID-19 disruptions. I expect the demand will continue to increase as a growing number of states lift restrictions that have been in place for almost a year.



About Simplicity Esports and Gaming Company: Simplicity Esports and Gaming Company (WINR) is an established brand within the esports industry, competing and streaming in popular games across different genres, including Apex Legends, PUBG Mobile, Overwatch, League of Legends, and various EA Sports titles. Simplicity Esports is also in the process of designing, minting, and selling non-fungible tokens (NFTs) for the esports and gaming industries. Simplicity Esports also owns and operates 12 and is the franchisor for more than 20 Esports Gaming Centers providing the public an opportunity to experience gaming and esports in a social setting, regardless of skill or experience. Simplicity Esports also organizes and hosts various in-person events and play from home, online tournaments. Simplicity Esports also owns a Riot Games League of Legends franchise and top Brazilian esports organization, Flamengo Esports.

Apex Legends, PUBG Mobile, Overwatch, League of Legends, Fortnite, EA Sports and Free Fire are registered trademarks of their respective owners. Forward-Looking Statements: This press release contains statements that constitute forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are subject to numerous conditions, many of which are beyond Simplicity Esports control, including those set forth in the Risk Factors section of Simplicity Esports Annual Report on Form 10-K filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the SEC) on August 31, 2020 and our subsequent SEC filings, as amended or updated from time to time. Copies of Simplicity Esports filings with the SEC are available on the SECs website at www.sec.gov . Simplicity Esports undertakes no obligation to update these statements for revisions or changes after the date of this release, except as required by law. Simplicity Esports Contact:



Roman Franklin

President

Roman@SimplicityEsports.com

561-819-8586



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Investigators join proceedings over cases of genocide against civilians during WWII

 RAPSI, Vladimir Burnov

15:18 22/03/2021

MOSCOW, March 22 (RAPSI)  Russias Investigative Committee has opened a criminal case over genocide of the peoples of the USSR during the Great Patriotic War joining in it all cases of Nazi crimes against civilians under investigation, according to the head of the body Alexander Bastrykin.

Taking into account the scale of punitive actions and the obtained evidence of their focus on the complete destruction of the civilian population of the Soviet republics, the Investigative Committee decided to initiate a criminal case on the genocide of the peoples of the Soviet Union by the Nazi invaders during the Great Patriotic War, Bastrykin said in an interview with RIA Novosti news agency.

The Investigative Committee Head noted that all criminal cases over genocide of civilians in the Novgorod, Pskov, Rostov, Oryol, and Volgograd regions, on the Crimean peninsula, in the Krasnodar and Stavropol Krais were combined in the single proceeding framework.

Speaking about the massacres in the area of Zhestyanaya Gorka village in the Novgorod Region in 1942-1943, Bastrykin stressed that at present investigators could identify the persons involved in these crimes.

In the course of the probe, investigators have already established the data of 33 officers of death squads involved in the crime committed in Zhestyanaya Gorka village, of which 15 persons have already died; identification of and search for the rest of these officers continues as part of ongoing investigative activities, the Committee Head said.

The circumstances of the murder of 214 minors in the Yeisk orphanage in October 1942, of the people held in concentration camps in Moglino village, Pskov region, and in the area of the city of Simferopol are also investigated as well as facts of mass killings of civilians in the Rostov region in 1942, where more than 30 thousand people were shot near Zmievskaya Balka village, the town of Shakhty and in the Morozovsky district. However, these are by far not all the facts that we know about, Bastrykin emphasized.
Twenty-nine countries in the EU/EEA reported a total of 47 504 TB cases, which equates to a rate of 9.2 cases per 100 000. Across the EU/EEA, most country-specific rates continue to decline; however, the EU/EEA as a whole is currently not on track to reach the goal of ending TB by 2030. Credit: ECDC

The tuberculosis (TB) burden in the WHO European Region as a whole is decreasing, and is down 19% overall for 2015-2019, according to the latest WHO/European Center for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) report Tuberculosis surveillance and monitoring in Europe 2021 (2019 data).

Regional TB mortality has gone down, declining by 9.4% between 2018 and 2019. This is notably higher than the average global decline in TB mortality (3.7%) and enough to have reached the End TB Strategy milestone of a 35% reduction by 2020 compared to 2015.

However, TB is second only to COVID-19 as an infectious disease that kills, and drug resistance is a major concern. There are also worrying indications that the COVID-19 pandemic may stall progress or cause significant setbacks in the fight against TB.

The uneven burden of TB

In 2019, there were an estimated 20 000 TB deaths in the WHO European Regionequivalent to 2.2 deaths per 100,000 people, and some 3560 TB deaths occurred in the European Union/European Economic Area (EU/EEA), equal to 0.7 deaths per 100,000. For 2019, in the European Region as a whole, there were some 216 000 new TB diagnoses, corresponding to 23.2 cases per 100,000.

Twenty-nine countries in the EU/EEA reported a total of 47 504 TB cases, which equates to a rate of 9.2 cases per 100,000. Across the EU/EEA, most country-specific rates continue to decline; however, the EU/EEA as a whole is currently not on track to reach the goal of ending TB by 2030.

TB is far from being evenly distributed in the European Region. Around 83% of estimated cases occur in 18 countries, where incidence is five times higher than the EU/EEA average. Five of the 18 high priority countries are within the EU/EEA, and 13 are in eastern Europe and central Asia.

COVID-19's impact on TB

The decrease in TB burden put the Region on course to reach the End TB Strategy milestone for 2020 and the regional action plan target for reduction of the TB incidence rate. However, there are grave concerns that the COVID-19 pandemic may jeopardize recent progress.

Negative impacts have already been observed in TB service delivery and notifications in high-burden countries, this is believed to indicate that fewer people have been tested, meaning that people with undiagnosed TB are not getting the treatment they need and run the risk of infecting others.

The findings of an ongoing assessment of the impact of COVID-19 on TB services and spread in the European Region, will be ready in Spring 2021.

Treatment outcomes remain sub-optimal

Despite universal access to quality-assured anti-TB drugs, treatment outcomes in the region remain sub-optimal. Only 77% of patients successfully completed treatment in 2019, well below the global rate of 85%. Treatment success in the EU/EEA was lower still, with only 64% of all TB cases notified in 2018 being reported as having completed their treatment successfully.

Strains of TB that do not respond to commonly used treatment regimens are known as either multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) or extensively drug-resistant tuberculosis (XDR-TB). Just 59% of MDR-TB cases notified in the region in 2017 were successfully treated, far short of the 75% target. As for XDR-TB cases in 2016, treatment success was only 43%.

Across the region, treatment outcomes for MDR-TB remain suboptimal. Unsuccessful treatment is one of the factors that drives resistance, often due to lack of effective TB medicines in treatment regimens for drug-resistant TB, and low adherence to therapy.

Overall, in the region, every third pulmonary TB patient has a drug-resistant form of the disease. Across the region, a quarter of drug-resistant TB patients have XDR-TB, and 70% of the world's XDR-TB patients live in the European Region.

The percentage of newly notified TB patients tested using WHO-recommended rapid diagnostic tests increased from 45% in 2015 to 69% in 2019, but nonetheless remains below the global End TB Strategy target of 90%. Rapid diagnostic tests allow quicker diagnosis, resulting in minimisation of suffering, onward transmission and death.

People living with HIV are particularly susceptible to TB, and coinfection is common. In the European Region, only 52% of coinfected patients complete TB treatment successfully, far below the global rate of 76%. This means that in the European Region there is a lower probability of people with a coinfection being successfully treated and making a full recovery.

TB at center of health agendas

Stella Kyriakides, European Commissioner for Health and Food Safety stated: "The decline of tuberculosis in recent years is positive news. But TB continues to be a threat to some regions in the EU and continues to affect the most vulnerable in our society. We know that there is still more work to do. Together with our agencies, the Commission is committed to playing its part to eliminate TB through, in part, funding, research and the fight against antimicrobial resistance. Prevention, early diagnosis and access to treatment and care will also play key roles in this regard."

ECDC Director Dr. Andrea Ammon commented: "In the EU/EEA, the overall TB notification rate continued to fall in 2019, highlighting some progress towards the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). However, despite this progress, the EU/EEA is not currently on track to reach the goal of ending the TB epidemic by 2030. Further to this, across all cohorts, treatment success in the EU/EEA remains well below the WHO targets. The wide-scale disruption to TB services due to the COVID-19 pandemic will make it even more difficult for Member States to reach the SDGs and treatment targets, but now is the time for countries to accelerate their progress towards eliminating TB."

"How COVID-19 has drawn attention and resources away from TB services is of huge concern. I have no doubt that we'll get COVID-19 under control. But the price of that can never be losing hard won progress with other health threats, like TB. Today, the risk of drug-resistant TB becoming even more resistant is real, and it's not a risk we want to take. People need to realize this and understand the urgency of the action required and also know that we already have new opportunities and tools. Working towards ending TB is a crucial part of WHO's European Programme of Work and, having treated TB patients myself as a doctor, it is something that's very close to my heart. Great progress has been made in recent years, but challenges remain nonetheless. I therefore applaud the huge efforts made by countries in our region to overcome TB, a terrible and yet curable disease that causes great suffering," said Dr. Hans Henri P. Kluge, WHO Regional Director for Europe.

Explore further Every hour 30 people are diagnosed with tuberculosis in the European Region

Provided by European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC)
Alabamas Class of 2019 had the highest high school graduation rate in the country, according to information released Monday by federal education officials.

The graduation rate for Alabama students, 91.7%, is higher than the rate of 90% in 2018. The nationwide graduation rate for all students was 85.8%.

We are encouraged to see this progress, however, our work is far from over. Now, I want to see our college and career ready rate in line with our graduation rate, Gov. Kay Ivey wrote in a release Monday. We also must ensure we close whatever gap appears from the COVID-19 slide.

The rates for the Class of 2020 have not yet been released, but most high school seniors who were on track to graduate last March, when schools shut down, received their diplomas. Alabama is receiving billions of federal dollars to address ongoing educational needs caused by the pandemic.

The states graduation rates have been on the rise for many years, and the Class of 2019s is the highest rate recorded.

State Superintendent Eric Mackey told board members in December, Thats very good news for us. Its really a stamp to show that the work the board is doing is working and we want to continue down this path.

The graduation rate reflects the percentage of students who entered ninth grade four school years earlier and graduated in 2019.

RELATED: Alabama high school graduation rate for Class of 2019 hits 92%

Alabama State Department of Education Communications Director Michael Sibley told AL.com the graduation rate is definitely headed in the right direction.

Rates for individual student groups were reported, too, and in all but two subgroups, Alabamas graduation rates were in the top 10 nationwide. Hawaiian or Native Pacific Islander and students with disabilities earned ranks of 12th and 26th, respectively.

Student group AL grad rate Nat'l grad rate AL's Nat'l rank All students 91.7 85.8 1 American Indian /Alaska Native 94 74.3 1 Asian 95 92.6* 7 Black 89.8 79.6 1 Economically disadvantaged 87.4 80 2 Hawaiian Native/Pacific Islander 85 92.6* 12 Hispanic 90.6 81.7 2 Homeless 81 ** 2 Limited English proficiency 76 69.2 9 Students with disabilities 69.6 68.2 26 Two or more races 93 ** 1 White 92.8 89.4 9 *national rate does not distinguish between Asian and Hawaiian Native/Pacific Islander **no national rate is calculated as all states do not delineate this subgroup

While the high school graduation rate has continued to rise, the percentage of students enrolling in a two- or four-year college in 2019 declined to 58%, the lowest number reported since 2014, according to an analysis from the Public Affairs Research Council of Alabama.

Alabama is one of 39 states that did not require students to pass an exam in core classes prior to graduating high school in 2019, according to information from the Education Commission of the States. In 2016, state education officials began recognizing whats called the college and career readiness or CCR rate, which measures the percentage of graduating seniors who have earned an indicator of college or career readiness.

Among the Class of 2019, 80.3% of graduates earned at least one of the following indicators:

Reaching a benchmark score on one of the subject areas of the ACT college entrance exam,

Earning a qualifying score on an Advanced Placement or International Baccalaureate Exam,

Enlisting in the military,

Earning college credit while in high school,

Reaching a benchmark score on the ACT WorkKeys exam,

Earning an approved credential in a career technical course.

The gap between the graduation rate and the CCR rate needs work, Sibley said.

There is much more work to do and we are focused on making sure every students leaves high school prepared for whats next in their lives, he said.

Alabamas high school graduation requirements have undergone multiple changes over the past decade, after federal education officials added state accountability for graduation rates.

Alabamas Class of 2015 high school graduation rate of 89.3% was determined by federal officials to be artificially inflated. The actual rate was determined to be 87% . The rate has risen steadily since then.

Alabama dropped a high school graduation exam in 2013, after a debate about whether the exam kept back too many students who werent good test-takers.

Since the graduation exam was dropped, though, some education advocates have said that the lack of a subjective state measure to track graduates knowledge has devalued the quality of an Alabama high school diploma.
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(Natural News) Hidden inside Microsofts Windows 10 operating system software is a keylogger spyware module that records the keystrokes and voices of users and sends this private data straight to the mother ship.

Another creepy feature of a software platform that was originally designed by billionaire eugenicist Bill Gates, the Windows 10 keylogger add-on was supposedly intended for testing, not day-to-day use. And yet the latter is what it became, though most users have no idea that it exists.

Microsoft reluctantly admitted when pressed that we may collect voice information and typed characters from users without their knowledge or expressed consent. We now know that the Washington-based corporation is doing precisely that.

I said that I seriously doubt that the worst spyware features will remain in the finished product,' wrote PC World contributing editor Lincoln Spector. I was wrong.

The Windows 10 speech, inking, typing, and privacy FAQ section admits that when a user interacts with a Windows device by speaking, writing (handwriting), or typing, Microsoft collects speech, inking, and typing information  including information about your Calendar and People (also known as contacts) 

Microsofts Privacy Statement reiterates this, though it contains all sorts of other information in the form of 17,000 words that requires some extra time and effort to fully peruse.

More related news about the tech invasion of personal privacy can be found at Surveillance.news.

Microsoft is guilty of committing treason with communist China

The good news is that the Windows 10 keylogging function can be disabled, or so it would appear. Clicking Settings on the Start menus left pane, followed by clicking the Privacy button, a Windows 10 user will find a selection box to turn it off  all the way at the bottom, of course.

Once in Privacy, go to the General section and Turn off Send Microsoft info about how I write to help us improve typing and writing in the future, Spector explains.

While youre there, examine the other options and consider if theres anything else here that you may want to change.

To stop Windows 10 from collecting your speech, you must also go to the Speech, inking and typing section and click Stop getting to know me. This same area contains options for restricting Microsoft from collecting data from your camera, microphone, contacts and calendar.

I wish I had that capability in Android, Spector notes, suggesting that smartphones are prone to similar spying without the option to disable it.

It is important to note that Microsoft is a close ally of communist China, having worked with Huawei, the communist Chinese corporation that President Donald Trump banned from the United States through an executive order.

As we reported, Huawei works closely with the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) to spy on people through technology and artificial intelligence (AI). The company is also under investigation, or was, for its participation in the Iran nuclear arms agreement.

Microsoft temporarily ceased its partnership with Huawei after Trumps executive order was signed, however the company later decided to continue selling its existing inventory of Huawei laptop computers at Microsoft stores.

The official Microsoft website proclaims with pride that the company deeply values its partnership with communist China and various communist Chinese corporations.

Today, our most complete subsidiary and largest R&D center outside the United States is in China, the website explains. Microsoft boasts a robust partner ecosystem with 17,000 partners. For every RMB that Microsoft earns in China, Microsoft partners earn 16.

Microsoft has also boasted that it is one of the major corporations responsible for remaking the Chinese economy. Meanwhile, Microsoft is quietly implementing spying technologies like this that would make even the most radical Chinese communist blush with envy.

Sources for this article include:

PCWorld.com

NaturalNews.com
SMOOTH CHRISTIAN JAZZ TRAILBLAZER MICHAEL CANAAN READIES MUCH-ANTICIPATED DEBUT

Caught Up In The Clouds EP To Bow March 29

March 22, 2021
MASON CITY, Iowa - For those who have missed going down the water slides or swimming a few laps, there's some good news.

Mason City Parks & Recreation is planning to reopen the aquatic center this summer with a June 1 target date.

Superintendent Brian Pauly notes that the closure of the pool last summer due to the pandemic felt off.

"Running a recreation department and not having a pool last summer, it felt empty. It didn't seem complete."

The decision came as vaccinations increase, along with an increased knowledge of the virus, as well as being outside potentially being a lower risk activity for spread.

"Every month, our department participates in a statewide aquatics meeting. From there, we have people passing down information from the National Pool and Spa Foundation, the Iowa Department of Public Health, and they're really jiving with what's going on."

While the pool typically opens around Memorial Day weekend, Pauly says the extra time will not only allow more time to hire staff, but also for crews to fix up slides and play equipment, as well as inspect underground pipes after the pool sat closed over two winters.

"That gives us a little extra time to figure out if there's something wrong, time to fix it. Sometimes, pipes are very easy to fix, and other times, pipes are under a lot of concrete."

With guests coming back, Pauly says there will be some COVID-19 specific policies, though they have yet to be finalized. However, he adds that cleaning protocols will be enhanced. In addition, he says there will be hour and activity changes.

Because it's an ever changing situation, Pauly advises to follow the Parks & Recreation Department's Facebook page for further updates.
Brandon Gladney, has been indicted on 18 counts, including first-degree murder and attempted first-degree murder, in connection with a May 2020 killing

A Tennessee man has been indicted on a murder charge in the shooting death of a Good Samaritan who had stopped to help the suspect's girlfriend with car troubles.

A grand jury on Thursday indicted 27-year-old Brandon Gladney on a dozen-and-a-half criminal counts, including first-degree murder, attempted first-degree murder, convicted felon in possession of a firearm, and employment of a firearm in the commission of a dangerous felony.

Gladney is being held in the Shelby County Jail on $750,000. He has been in custody since May 2020.

The incident occurred at around 3.00am on May 8, 2020, at Third Street and Ford Road in southwest Memphis where a 29-year-old womans car was stalled in a traffic lane.

Lorenzo McAdory, 42, and a friend stopped and asked the woman if she needed help. She replied that her car had broken down but that her boyfriend was on the way.

Lorenzo McAdory, 42, was shot and killed at Third Street and Ford Road in southwest Memphis, after he offered to help Gladney's girlfriend with her stalled car

Investigators said Gladney, the boyfriend, arrived moments later, began arguing with McAdory, pulled a gun and opened fire.

McAdory was struck multiple times and was taken to Regional Medical Center where he was pronounced dead, reported WREG. His companion sought cover under a vehicle and was not injured.

It is unclear what was the cause of the disagreement between Gladney and McAdory that led to the homicidal violence.

A spokesperson for the district attorney's office on Monday declined to clarify the motive behind the shooting, but said that Gladney was 'upset' with both McAdory and his girlfriend.

McAdory's white Infiniti is pictured at the scene of the shooting in May 2020

Gladney was arrested at his home a week later by US Marshals Gulf Coast Regional Fugitive Task Force.

Gladney is due back in court on April 6.

Online records indicate that Glandey has a criminal history in Tennessee that includes charges of aggravated robbery, fugitive from justice, possession of drug paraphernalia, DUI, public intoxication and reckless driving.
The damage done by contemporary environmentalism is a big topic. For now I want to note two important instances that are on my mind because they are fronts on which my organization, Center of the American Experiment, is battling self-interested or misguided environmentalists.

Environmentalists cause great damage by blocking needed development, including exploitation of mineral resources. This is grossly hypocritical, since the principal goal of todays environmental movement is to replace fossil fuels by electrifying everything, while getting the bulk of our electricity from wind and solar power. Apart from being impossible, the amount of mining that would need to be done to supply the necessary electrical hardware and batteries would dwarf anything in human history. At the same time, however, environmentalists refuse to allow mining of the needed materialscopper, nickel, cobalt and othershere in the United States. In effect, they insist on massive environmental degradation, only not in their back yards.

We have produced a 30-second television commercial on this topic, which will be seen across the state of Minnesota beginning in a few days, as well as on the internet. The ad was created by our friend Justin Folk:

Environmentalists quixotic pursuit of unreliable wind and solar energy imperils the national electrical grid and has already led to blackouts in California and Texas, with fatal consequences. (Here is a question: Which has killed more people, reliance on wind and solar energy or unjustified killings by police officers? Our readers probably know the answer, but most casual followers of the news do not.) Those blackouts are a precursor of what will happen in every state, on a vastly more destructive scale, if environmentalists get their way. Wind and solar are essentially obsolete technologies, and the laws of physics will not allow our electricity to be generated predominantly by those intermittent sources. But the amount of damage that will be done as the environmentalists pursue their fantasy could be incalculable.

My organization has launched a campaign to publicize the need for reliable energy, focusing on the California and Texas blackouts. We are running radio ads and also have erected billboards that direct listeners and viewers to our web site GreenEnergyFails.com. This is what the billboards look like:

At GreenEnergyFails.com, you can watch videos that explain the Texas blackouts, and the site includes a lengthy and utterly definitive explanation of why those blackouts were, contrary to the desperate assertions of the environmental lobby, caused by Texass excessive reliance on unreliable wind and solar energy.

Like other organs of the Left, the environmental lobby is backed by an extraordinary amount of money. This is understandable, as enormous profits are being made on the green energy chimera by utilities and by wind and solar companies (many foreign-owned) that feed at the government trough.

Perhaps more significant is that the environmental movement, in its early stage, actually did some good. As Steve Hayward documented over a period of years, it contributed to a remarkable improvement in air and water quality across the U.S. That cleanup was a great achievement for which the environmental movement can take partial credit. Unfortunately, the good will that was created decades ago continues to boost environmentalism, even though in its current manifestations the movement is actually hurting not only public safety and our peoples livelihoods, but also our environment.

If you would like to help us fight for sane energy and environmental policies, you can go here to donate.
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.
U.S. Sen. Bill Cassidy was elected by his constituents to represent us and our "opinions" in Washington. His vote against Trump did not repres
(Natural News) Federal prosecutors have indicted their own informant, Wisconsin resident Stephen Robeson, 58, for illegally possessing a high-powered sniper rifle. Hes not allowed to possess a firearm because of prior convictions.

It was an ordinary indictment with extraordinary repercussions. According to reports, Robeson helped the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) infiltrate an alleged conspiracy to kidnap Gov. Gretchen Whitmer of Michigan last year.

The one-paragraph indictment of Robeson filed on March 3 did not mention the Whitmer case. It alleged that Robeson  a career criminal  possessed an Armalite .50-caliber sniper rifle, which could shoot a target more than a mile away. He allegedly acquired the sniper rifle on Sept. 26 last year in Wisconsin.

There were no additional details about the circumstances surrounding the rifle, which retails for about $4,000 and fires $4 bullets.

The indictment of Robeson 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 said, an indictment after a prolonged period of cooperation suggested that the relationship between Robeson and the FBI had gone south and that the prosecutors would no longer use him at trial.

But defense lawyers can try to call Robeson as a witness and attack his credibility.

This gives defense lawyers ammunition to create reasonable doubt, said Andrew Arena, former special agent in charge of the FBI office in Detroit. Its a difficult proposition when you are using these guys. Youre telling them dont commit crimes. Youre doing everything to keep on top of them. But youre not with them 24 hours a day.

The Detroit News reported that three sources familiar with the investigation identified Robeson as one of the governments undercover informants in the alleged conspiracy to kidnap Whitmer. Robeson apparently helped stir up an antigovernment group with violent and extremist rhetoric for months.

According to the sources, 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 attended a camp in northern Michigan where accused plotters underwent combat training.

Wisconsin State Journal article portrays Robeson as jailhouse snitch

Robeson has a history of testifying for the government. In 1985, he testified against a suspect in a murder and arson case involving members of the Ghost Riders motorcycle gang, according to a Wisconsin State Journal article. The article portrayed Robeson as a jailhouse snitch who shared a county jail cell with one defendant in the case.

He also has a lengthy criminal record. Wisconsin court records showed convictions for having sex with a child aged 16, sexual assault and bail jumping.

His name came up during a federal court hearing about the Whitmer case 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. (Related: Terror plots foiled by the FBI turn out to be planned, funded and weaponized by the FBI itself.)

Robeson lives in Oxford in southern Wisconsin. His ranch-style home is 16 miles northeast of Wisconsin Dells resident Brian Higgins, 52, who was charged last fall with material support of an act of terrorism in the Whitmer case.

A Michigan State Police affidavit showed that Higgins participated in surveillance of Whitmers vacation home. He also provided night-vision goggles and used a dash camera in his vehicle to record footage of the surveillance.

Wisconsin is a recurring setting in the Whitmer case. The accused plotters discussed kidnapping Whitmer and taking her to a secure location in Wisconsin to stand trial for treason prior to the Nov. 3 election, according to the FBI.

In early July last year, several members of the alleged conspiracy attended firearms training and combat drills in Cambria, 41 miles southeast of Robesons home.

During the weekend training session, Croft and an unidentified member of a militia group tried and failed to build an improvised explosive device (IED), FBI Special Agent Richard Trask wrote in an affidavit. The IED consisted of black powder, balloons, a fuse and BBs for shrapnel.

An FBI informant provided FBI agents with video of the failed bomb project, according to court records.

FBI releases list of items seized from three people charged in Whitmer case

The FBI didnt seem distracted by the Robeson indictment. On Wednesday, March 10, federal agents released a list of items seized from three people charged in connection with the alleged Whitmer kidnapping conspiracy  Ty Garbin, Daniel Harris and Eric Molitor.

Garbin had already agreed to testify against the other five defendants charged in federal court in Western Michigan and the eight other men accused in state court of cooperating with the plans to kidnap Whitmer.

The list of items seized by the agents included 18 firearms, a crossbow, more than 700 rounds of ammunition, night-vision goggles and a bronze .30-caliber silencer inscribed with the name Ty Garbin.

Agents seized a 9mm pistol, ammunition, tactical gear and a My Little Pony-brand holster from Harris while two shotguns, five rifles, two pistols and two revolvers were seized from Molitor.

They also seized metal and plastic handcuffs, a bulletproof vest, a gas mask and tactical leg irons.

According to Jon Lewis, a research fellow at the Program on Extremism at George Washington University, the firearms, restraints and gear reflect the danger at the heart of the terrorism allegations.

It definitely speaks to the gravity of the plot and provides further evidence that there was a very serious and real intention to try and kidnap a sitting governor, Lewis said.

Molitors lawyer, William Barnett, provided a different perspective for owning such items.

Eric is a gun enthusiast and collector and also purchased the other legal items for either his duties as a private security contractor or as an individual who enjoyed training for defensive paramilitary activities, Barnett told the Detroit News.

He also has competed and trained for paramilitary competitions that are held annually that involve the proficiency of many of the items listed. Eric had no intention to do anything illegal with these items and again, all items were legal to purchase or possess.

Follow FBICorruption.news for more news and information related to FBI.

Sources include:

Yahoo.com

BigLeaguePolitics.com

NYTimes.com
New Delhi : Former Mumbai police commissioner Param Bir Singh moved the Supreme Court on Monday seeking direction for an immediate 'unbiased, uninfluenced, impartial and fair' Central Bureau of Investigation probe into Maharashtra Home Minister Anil Deshmukh's alleged corrupt malpractices.

Singh, a 1988 batch Indian Police Service officer, also sought quashing of the order transferring him as police commissioner, alleging it to be 'arbitrary' and 'illegal'.

As interim relief, Singh sought stay of the operation of his transfer order and direction to the state government, the Centre and the CBI to immediately take in its custody the CCTV footage from Deshmukh's residence.

'The petitioner has invoked writ jurisdiction of this court to seek unbiased, uninfluenced, impartial and fair investigation in the corrupt malpractices of Anil Deshmukh, the home minister of government of Maharashtra, before the evidences are destroyed,' Singh said in his plea.

'Deshmukh had been holding meetings in February 2021 at his residence with police officers including Sachin Vaze of Crime Intelligence Unit, Mumbai, and Sanjay Patil, ACP Social Service Branch, Mumbai, bypassing their seniors and had instructed them that he had a target to accumulate Rs 100 crore every month and had directed to collect money from various establishments and other sources,' Singh alleged.

It is reliably learnt, Singh alleged, that on or about August 24-25, 2020, Rashmi Shukla, commissioner, intelligence, state intelligence department, had brought to the notice of the director general of police, who in turn brought it to the knowledge of the state's additional chief secretary, home department, about corrupt malpractices in postings/transfers by Deshmukh based on telephonic interception.

'She was shunted out rather than taking any firm action against said Anil Deshmukh,' Singh said.

Deshmukh had been interfering in various investigations and was instructing the police officers to conduct the same in a particular manner as desired by him, Singh added.

'Such act of Deshmukh in abuse of the official position of the home minister, whether in calling and directly instructing the police officers of lower rank such as Vaze or Patil for his malicious intent of extorting money from establishments across Mumbai and from other sources or whether in interfering in the investigations and directing the same to be conducted in a particular manner, or whether indulging in corrupt malpractices in posting/transfers of officers, cannot be countenanced or justified in any democratic State,' Singh said.

Fair CBI investigation is thus warranted in each of such acts of Deshmukh in abuse of the home minister's official position, Singh said, and added that he has brought the corrupt practices in the knowledge of senior leaders and the chief minister of the state immediately.

On March 17, by a notification of the Maharashtra government, he was transferred from the post of police commissioner of Mumbai to the home guard department in an 'arbitrary and illegal manner without the completion of the minimum fixed tenure of two years,' Singh stated.

'The said transfer was maliciously effected purportedly under Section 22 N(2) of the Maharashtra Police Act, 1951 with the reason that the transfer was necessitated by administrative exigencies,' he said in his plea.

The senior police officer further said it is a settled law that the orders have to stand on the reasons contained in the same and no reasons can be supplemented later.

Referring to the February 25-26 incident near Antilia, businessman Mukesh Ambani's home, where a car with explosives was found leading to a bomb scare, Singh said he believes that the reason for the transfer noted by the state government in its file is to ensure a free and fair investigation in the case.

The said case is being now investigated by the National Investigation Agency, he said, and Sachin Vaze, an officer of the Crime Intelligence Unit, Mumbai police, has been arrested for custodial interrogation by NIA.

'All necessary assistance had been rendered by petitioner's office and his officers for the conduct of a free and fair investigation by the ATS and the NIA into the Antilia incident. It is not even the case of the NIA that the petitioner had in any manner obstructed in free and fair investigation by NIA,' he said.

Singh said such a transfer in the said circumstances is for reasons 'smeared with malice', when there is no iota of material or evidence -- far from proof -- found or even imputed against him and is solely based on conjecture, surmise and pure speculation.

Having made such startling revelations he apprehends further malicious and coercive actions at the instance of 'disgruntled home minister in abuse of his powers'.

Deshmukh, he said, while mechanically denying the contents of the letter dated March 20, submitted to Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray, has issued a press release threatening to initiate defamation proceedings against him.

Singh sought directions to safeguard him from any further coercive steps apprehended in the retaliation for laying bare Deshmukh's alleged corrupt malpractices.
Venture capitalist Theresia Gouw has trailblazing in her blood. When she was 3, her family left Indonesia to escape persecution under the Suharto dictatorship and start a new life in the U.S.

"When I think about the risks my parents took and how much they gave up so my sister and I could have the opportunities we have, that's what really drives me," Gouw says.

Gouw's personal drive has helped bring much-needed change to the venture capital industry. In 2014, she left the venture firm Accel, where she was the first female managing partner, and co-founded one of the first female-led VC firms, Aspect Ventures. Five years later, Gouw co-founded her second venture firm, Acrew Capital, in Palo Alto, California. Melinda Gates backed both Aspect and Acrew through her investment company, Pivotal Ventures.

The Acrew team has invested in startups including expense-management platform Divvy and hotel booking app HotelTonight, returning a combined $2 billion to investors. One of Acrew's first investments was in the payments startup Finix, co-founded in San Francisco in 2015 by Richie Serna, the son of two formerly undocumented Mexican immigrants. A founder who shares Gouw's passion for changing the face of tech, Serna now has the challenge of pursuing aggressive growth at Finix without sacrificing the company's values.

"You can bring together 100 people from some of the best startups from across all of Silicon Valley, and everybody does something slightly differently," Serna says. "So the question is, how do we make sure that we bring the best skill sets, processes, and practices from all these organizations, but make them uniquely Finix?"

Serna: Theresia, your career has spanned booms, busts, bubbles, and now even a global pandemic. We're about to double the size of our company. What are some of the biggest pitfalls we should look out for as we grow?

Gouw: I think the biggest thing that I've seen, especially when growing your company, is to make sure that as you're hiring people, you don't give up on any of your core values. That's not to say you wait for the perfect candidate. There's no such thing. It's separating the urgent from the important. So it's an urgent need to fill this role, but the important thing is this person has to share Finix and Richie's values on A, B, and C. And if you're clear on what those things are, and never willing to compromise on them, I've seen that, in the short term, a little bit more pain of waiting to fill that slot pays off in spades.

Serna: As we grow and bring on senior leaders, new executives, and new talent, are there any tricks that you've learned on how to really get to know a person?

Gouw: I think there's no substitute for spending time with people outside of the interview process. It's obviously become more challenging since we're on Zoom, but I've seen people do some pretty creative things, like socially distanced walks. It's not just looking at somebody's accomplishments, but also why do they do what they do? Why is it important to them? Why does this make sense as the next thing that they're going to do?

Serna: I always start off by saying, "Tell me your story, and all the way from the beginning." And I always finish with, "What motivates you?" People typically say, "I like to solve business problems," but nobody's motivated by that, so I'll say, "What really motivates you?" One of the things we started at the beginning of Covid was this thing we call Finix Matters. At least once a month, we have an employee do a presentation to the entire company where they share their life story. The stories are incredibly inspiring, and have brought us all together in a very special way.

"Make sure that as you're hiring people, you don't give up on any of your core values." Theresia Gouw

Gouw: I love that idea. I'm going to replicate that. We're only about a dozen people, so it won't take us that long.

Serna: Given the fact that so many things have changed in Silicon Valley, what lessons do you have for founders in my seat?

Gouw: Great entrepreneurs are incredibly focused on their companies and growth, but at the same time, the best ones know precisely when and how to step away from it. By that, I mean looking at what's going on outside, around you. Look at what's happening in the macro economy and to other companies like yours. That's where I think a great investor or partner can be helpful. Because at any given point in time, we are working with half a dozen other companies in slightly different stages and slightly different businesses. Sometimes that's incredibly helpful to see and share what's working, what's not, and what we've seen somebody do to adjust. I know recently you did something pretty amazing in showing how important diversity is to you and Finix.

Serna: Yes, this past year we brought in a special purpose vehicle specifically targeting Latinx and Black investors to have the opportunity to invest in Finix. One of the things that has always been important to me is creating not just a diverse company, board, and set of investors, but also a diverse capital table. This is something we're going to commit to for all future rounds: to always have at least 10 percent of our round going to investors of color. It's not just about representation. It's about allocation, attribution, and allowing others to break into this industry.

Gouw: I think it's essential. I've been around long enough to see that we are on the cusp of real improvement after many decades of not a lot of change. Unfortunately, those under-represented in the tech industry are not only Black and Latinx; it's all people of color and women. To give you a sense of how out of whack this is, there's $71 trillion in private assets being managed in the U.S., and 1.1 percent is managed by women or people of color.

Serna: Wow.

Politically motivated climate alarmists are using fear to gain control of human behavior and environmental resources and undermine free, prosperous societies. Dr. Patrick Moore, an ecologist and disillusioned cofounder of Greenpeace, exposes their agendas and false claims in his recent book Fake Invisible Catastrophes and Threats of Doom.

As a young scientist, Moore was committed to promoting conservation -- the responsible use of the earths resources -- and participated in Greenpeaces initial campaigns against underground H-bomb testing, whale hunting, and polar bear culling. The disillusionment was gradual. Face to face with activists ostensibly seeking a balance between environmental, social, and economic priorities (sustainable development), he was struck by how the then-nascent concept took no consideration of any impact on humankind, and also by how it fiercely inculpated normal human activity. He parted ways with Greenpeace when it promoted sustainable development with a fear-mongering, anti-science, anti-human ideology designed to maximize fundraising. In a previous book, Confessions of a Greenpeace Dropout: The Making of a Sensible Environmentalist, he explains how the coup de grace came over Greenpeaces fight for a ban on chlorine. Moore views chlorination of water as the biggest advance in public health.

His latest book gives example after example to demonstrate that the climate crisis is fake news driven more by ideology than real science. He demolishes fallacious doomsday prophesies one by one. A chief characteristic of these scares is that they conveniently use data related to invisible (CO2, radiation) or remote (coral reefs, polar bears, walruses) entities that average citizens cannot validate through independent observation. For explication, the public is forced to rely on activists, the media, scientists, and politicians -- all of whom have huge financial or professional stakes in propping up dubious catastrophic scenarios.

Moores first chapter calls the bluff on the bogus claim that old Baobab trees are dying because of increased CO2 levels. He reasons that ultimately that any old life-form -- whatever the species -- dies. Dissecting the unprecedented rate of the Baobabs death, he points out there is no previous measure of their death for comparison. Apart from using the Baobab as an attention-grabbing example, activists add drama by publicizing photographs of Baobab trees in their annual leaf-shedding phase. Readers seeing these photos in conjunction with spurious reports of death by CO2 are likely to assume the trees are dead.

Another chapter debunks the equating of the bleaching of corals -- a harmless, natural occurrence -- with the death of coral reefs. This is another example of alarmists hyperbolizing something simple into a mammoth crisis created by human activity. Moore explains that bleaching of coral is evidence of periods of natural warming and cooling of water, not of coral death. Temperature changes prompt colorless, transparent polyps living in the corals to eject the plankton that give corals their bright colors. Their whitening is no measure of their health, but a normal phenomenon linked to changes in ocean temperature.

Moore explains that purveyors of global warming deliberately ignore the fact that the Earth is at the tail-end of a 50-million-year cooling period, which means temperature is bound to go up. They instead focus on the last 300 years, too brief and irrelevant a time-frame from the evolutionary-adaptation perspective. He posits that the climate has never stopped changing and that it has never been proven that carbon dioxide controls temperature. In fact, temperatures rise before carbon dioxide increases, with a significant lag time in between. The basic fallacy, he says, is the belief that humans are emitting too much CO2 and this will result in a planet too hot to sustain life.

Moore asserts that CO2 level should be celebrated as a critical life force: for 150 million years, CO2 level had been declining, and a rise in CO2 had had markedly beneficial effects on the growth of food crops, trees, and many wild environments because higher CO2 levels result in less water loss and cause plants to become more efficient in their use of water. As for global warming, he presents two counterpoints: life flourished during warmer as opposed to colder times; and in the past 50 million years, the Earth has in fact been cooling steadily, and is colder than it has been during most of lifes existence. The serious problem isnt CO2, it is the environmentalists push for wind and solar energy, the maligning of the most economical source of reliable energy, and the jeopardizing of poor populations impacted by carbon reduction programs.

The polar bear extinction myth tops Moores list of fake news worth discrediting. Contrary to the scare, the polar bear population all around the Arctic has increased in recent decades, from an estimated 6,000-12,000 in 1973, it stands at 22,000-31,000 in 2020. Declining sea ice is not harmful, as the scaremongers allege. During warm periods, when there is less sea ice, the food chain is maximized. Phytoplankton populations grow in abundance, leading to the growth of zooplankton, which feed on them. This continues up the food chain through fishes and seals, ultimately benefiting polar bears, which feed on seals. Polar bears are so plentiful now, Moore says, that in places like Nunavut, a territory in northeastern Canada, they have become a safety hazard for residents. Global biodiversity of species is higher now than it has ever been in the history of life on earth and naturalists efforts in the last 100 years have caused extinctions to decline by about 80%, he says.

The great Pacific garbage patch, mostly plastic and twice the size of Texas, is another photoshopped faux disaster. Moore writes that, much like the vilification of carbon energy, the damning of plastic is fallacious. He says plastic is a sterile, versatile, and useful product that helps protect food from contamination and spoilage. Its no more toxic than driftwood. Ocean life has adapted to plastic: many marine species live in cocoons of plastic trash; many species lay eggs on plastic, feeding fish and birds. In fact, research has shown that birds swallow bits of plastic to help aid digestion in the gizzard, much like they swallow tiny stones and bits of wood, which are then regurgitated. Besides, plastic constitutes only a small amount of the indigestible material birds ingest.

Moore calls the brouhaha over genetically modified food the most serious environmental hoax. Genetic modification has contributed immensely to agricultural productivity, and theres not a single verified case of harm caused by it. Besides, gene flow between species is not unnatural; it is the stuff of evolution, producing hardy, competitive, and viable species. He reports that almost every major scientific, medical, and nutritional organization says genetically modified food is as safe as, or safer than, conventional food.

There are chapters on nuclear energy, the key to reducing fossil fuel consumption, and how alarmists have spread misinformation about its safety. There are sections disproving activists claims that CO2 is responsible for forest fires and the acidification of oceans (which are alkaline, and have remained so, with minute variations that are unremarkable in the long-term perspective). The book also criticizes activists for ignoring the benefits of using non-timber wood -- bark, sawdust, chips, forest-floor residue -- as fuel for generating heat or electricity.

Moore makes it clear that the fake catastrophes must be exposed. The earth is greening, animal species are prospering, and life-expectancy is rising. Its the hysteria that must stop.

Image: Ecosense Environmental Inc.
A man stands on a car as crowds defiantly gather in the street while a speaker blasts music an hour past curfew in Miami Beach, Fla., on March 21, 2021. (Daniel A. Varela/Miami Herald via AP)

More Than 1,000 Spring Breakers in Miami Arrested After Flouting Curfews

Miami officials announced that more than 1,000 people have already been taken into custody and about 80 guns have been seized since early February, when spring breakers started pouring into the Florida city famous for its nightlife and beaches.

A large crowd descended again on the city over the weekend and brought chaos and disorder to the city, police said.

Since Friday [March 19], we have made over 50 arrests and confiscated 8 firearms, the Miami Beach Police Department stated on Twitter.

Miami Beach commissioners also passed a vote unanimously on March 21 to extend curfews and closures at the popular tourist destination until at least March 30, with the option of extending it through April 12.

The curfews are intended to effectively shut down a famous hotspot for spring breakers in one of the few states nationwide that has already fully reopened from lockdowns over the CCP virus pandemic.

#YourMBPD is working hard to keep our community safe. Since Friday, we have made over 50 arrests and confiscated 8 firearms. Wed like to thank all of our partner law enforcement agencies for their efforts and support. #MBPDprotecting #CollaborationIsKey pic.twitter.com/Vrg9mOFcOy  Miami Beach Police (@MiamiBeachPD) March 21, 2021

More than half of the 1,000 people arrested during this spring breaks season werent local Floridians, but traveling from outside the state, city manager Raul Aguila said, adding that a large portion of the travelers came to engage in lawlessness and an anything goes party attitudesomething spring breakers have a reputation for.

The goal here is to really contain the overwhelming crowd of visitors, and the potential for violence disruption and damage to and damage to property, whether intentional or not, Aguila said after the new curfew was announced.

One of the parties over the weekend descended into chaos, and Miami police were forced to fire pepper balls into crowds of partiers and arrest a number of people who refused to submit to the new curfews while causing chaos.

Authorities said one restaurant was turned upside down in a melee, its chairs were used as weapons, and broken glass covered the floor. Several gunshots were also heard, and a young woman was hospitalized with a badly cut leg.

Though most of the crowd remained peaceful, they refused to submit to an 8 p.m. curfew that was enacted by Miami Beach Mayor Dan Gelber earlier that night. The mayor also declared a state of emergency, saying the crowds that have descended on the city recently are more than we can handle.

Crowds defiantly gather in the street while a speaker blasts music an hour past curfew in Miami Beach, Fla., on March 21, 2021. (Daniel A. Varela/Miami Herald via AP)

A man is arrested while out a few hours past curfew in Miami Beach, Fla., on March 21, 2021. (Daniel A. Varela/Miami Herald via AP)

When hundreds of people are running through the streets panicked, you realize thats not something that a police force can control, Gelber said at a March 21 meeting.

Many of the spring breakers traveling to the state didnt eat at restaurants or patronize businesses, but mainly congregated by the thousands in the streets, officials said.

Several videos on social media show crowds of people in the popular tourist city flouting social distancing rules as they refused to go home after the curfew was extended.

Miami Beach authorities, meanwhile, banned alcohol from the beach, along with all alcohol sales after 10 p.m., and even sent text messages to tourists warning, Vacation Responsibly or Be Arrested.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

From NTD News
(@FahadShabbir)

WASHINGTON (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 22nd March, 2021) The United States has placed more than 17,000 radio advertisements in Central and South America discouraging migrants from coming to the US southern border at this time, White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said on Monday.

"We have placed an estimated 17,118 radio ads in Brazil, El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras since January 21 in Spanish, Portuguese, in six indigenous languages. These ads played on 33 radio stations, reaching an estimated 15 million individuals," Psaki said during a press briefing.

The US State Department has also worked with Facebook and Instagram on an advertising campaign to push the Biden administration's message that now is not the time to migrate to the United States, Psaki said.

Psaki also said the Biden administration will ramp up these efforts in the coming months.

The White House does not view the current influx of migrants coming to the US-Mexico border as a crisis, considering they are fleeing violence in their home countries, Psaki added.

Data from US Customs and Border Protection data shows that 100,441 migrants were apprehended at the US southern border in February, a significant jump from 78,442 migrants that were apprehended in January. A total of 396,958 migrants have been apprehended at the US southern border in fiscal year 2021, which began in October.

Last week, Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said the United States this year is on pace to apprehend more undocumented migrants at its southern border than it has in the last 20 years due a surge in immigration.
Source: Xinhua| 2021-03-22 21:06:36|Editor: huaxia

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Soldiers carry the casket of former Tanzanian President John Magufuli in Dodoma, capital of Tanzania, on March 22, 2021. Tanzania held a state funeral for John Magufuli at the Jamhuri Stadium in Dodoma on Monday, with the attendance of African leaders, representatives and other dignitaries. Magufuli, 61, died in office from a heart condition on March 17 in the country's commercial capital Dar es Salaam. (Tanzanian State House/Handout via Xinhua)

DAR ES SALAAM, March 22 (Xinhua) -- The East African country Tanzania held a state funeral for late President John Magufuli at the Jamhuri Stadium in the capital Dodoma on Monday, with the attendance of African leaders, representatives and other dignitaries.

A host of Tanzanian officials were also present, led by the country's new president, Samia Suluhu Hassan.

Magufuli, 61, died in office from a heart condition on March 17 in the country's commercial capital Dar es Salaam.

His coffin, covered by Tanzania's national flag, was escorted to the stadium for people to pay their last respects.

Magufuli will be buried in his native home in Chato district of Geita region on March 26.

Several African leaders delivered their eulogy during the funeral, including Kenya's President Uhuru Kenyatta and Zimbabwe's President Emmerson Mnangagwa, among others.

In their speeches, the African leaders described Magufuli as a true son of Africa who stood for the poor people and they promised to support President Hassan.

Magufuli was born in Chato, Geita region, on Oct. 29, 1959. He was elected president of Tanzania in October 2015 and re-elected in October 2020. Enditem
Pentagons Report Will Contain More Information on UFOs Than Previously Made Public: Ratcliffe

A former Trump administration intelligence official said the U.S. government plans to release a declassified report sharing more information about UFO sightings than has previously been done.

There are a lot more sightings than have been made public, former Director of National Intelligence John Ratcliffe told Fox News host Maria Bartiromo on March 19. He added that he wanted to have that information declassified and made public before he left office but it wasnt possible in that short amount of time.

Some of those have been declassified. And when we talk about sightings, we are talking about objects that have been seen by Navy or Air Force pilots, or have been picked up by satellite imagery that frankly engages in actions that are difficult to explain, he added. Movements that are hard to replicate that we dont have the technology for. Or traveling at speeds that exceed the sound barrier without a sonic boom.

The intelligence officials comments come almost a year after the Pentagon released three videos of unidentified aerial phenomena, in which U.S. Navy aircraft cameras show objects that are moving at unexplainable speeds and leave the pilots confused.

In response to the pentagons videos, former Sen. Harry Reid (D-Nev.) who pushed for investigations into UFOs sightings, wrote that the videos only [scratch] the surface of what is known by the federal government.

Im glad the Pentagon is finally releasing this footage, but it only scratches the surface of research and materials available, wrote Reid on Twitter. The U.S. needs to take a serious, scientific look at this and any potential national security implications. The American people deserve to be informed.

The Department of Defense (DoD) did not immediately return a request for comment.

When we talk about sightings, the other thing I will tell you is, its not just a pilot or just a satellite, or some intelligence collection, Ratcliffe continued. Usually, we have multiple sensors that are picking up these things, and so again some of these are just unexplained phenomenon, and there are actually quite a few more that have been made public.

Ratcliffe added that observers try to find scientific explanations for what they may be seeing but sometimes it defies what is technologically possible.

Weather can cause disturbances, visual disturbances, he said. Sometimes we wonder whether or not our adversaries have technologies that are a little bit further down the road than we thought or that we realized. But there are instances where we dont have good explanations for some of the things that we have seen.

Bartiromo told the audience during the interview that the DoD is set to release the declassified report on UFOs by June 1.

The funding for the report was tucked into the $2.3 trillion COVID-19 relief and government spending bill in which there is a provision requiring the Pentagons UAP (Unidentified Aerial Phenomena) Task Force to release declassified information to the Senate Intelligence Committee about their current intelligence on advanced aerial threats from UFOs or anomalous aerial vehicles.

The newly enacted Intelligence Authorization Act incorporates the Senate Intelligence Committees report language calling for an unclassified, all-source report on the UAP phenomenon, Christopher Mellon, former deputy assistant secretary of Defense for Intelligence during both the Clinton and Bush administrations, said on Twitter. This was accomplished in the Joint Explanatory Statement accompanying the bill.

Samuel Allegri contributed to this report.
Union Minister of State for Finance and Corporate Affairs on Monday said the government does not usethe Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) funds to run its schemes.

During the Question Hour in Lok Sabha, Thakur said so far Maharashtra (Rs 12700 crore) has received maximum funds, followed byGujarat (Rs 3926 crore) and Andhra Pradesh(Rs 3542 crore).

"We don't use funds to run the Centre's schemes," he said.

The minister alsoasserted that the government does not interfere with regard to allocation of funds by firms.

Under theCompanies Act, certain class of profitable entities are required to shell out at least 2 per cent of their three-year annual average net profit towards CSR activities.

In case of not spending the requisite amount, the firms concerned have to provide reasons for the same.

Replyingto a query ontheRBI'sinternal working group (IWG) report which had recommended that large corporate or industrial houses may be allowed as promoters of banks, he said the central bank has not taken any decision on the issue.

"The RBI will take a final decision keeping in mind interest of consumers of banks" Thakur said, adding even today private sector majority stake is in banks like ICICI and HDFC.

Last year, an internal working group set up by the RBI has proposed to raise the cap on promoters' stake in private banks from the current 15 per cent to 26 per cent in 15 years.

The group has also recommended that large corporate or industrial houses may be allowed as promoters of banks only after amendments to the Banking Regulation Act and strengthening of the supervisory mechanism for conglomerates, including consolidated supervision.

The Reserve Bank of India had constituted the internal working group (IWG) on June 12, 2020, to review extant ownership guidelines and corporate structure for Indian private sector banks.

(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.)
Raybow Pharmaceutical Will Invest $15.8 Million in U.S. Facility.

BREVARD, N.C., March 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Raybow USA Inc, the North American unit of a global provider of outsourced pharmaceutical process development and manufacturing services, will expand its operations in North Carolina, tripling both its capacity and workforce. The company plans to add 74 jobs over the coming five years and will invest $15,800,000 at the Brevard facility.

Raybow USA was founded as PharmAgra Labs in 1999 by two North Carolina entrepreneurs. Today, the Brevard-based company is the North American unit of China's Raybow Pharmaceuticals, a publicly-held contract development and manufacturing organization (CDMO) that partners with leading pharmaceutical companies across Asia, Europe and North America. The company has made sustainability and green chemistry central to its mission.

Raybow USA, which currently employs 24 in Brevard, focuses on early-stage R&D and process research through Phase II clinical trials.

Peter Halkjaer-Knudsen, Executive Vice President of Raybow Pharmaceuticals said, "Raybow Pharmaceuticals is proud to announce that, a year since we acquired the Brevard site, we are ready to further increase our commitment in North Carolina. We are grateful for the warm welcome we have received and the continued support we experienced during the feasibility studies for this expansion. Transylvania County has proven to be the right choice for our North American headquarters and R&D operations and we very much look forward to the continued journey with the people of North Carolina."

Peter Newsome, Co-President of Raybow USA said, "These investments fit perfectly with our long-term goal of expanding our operations to meet the United States."Roger Frisbee, Co-President of Raybow USA added, "We are excited about expanding our operations in Brevard and supporting future economic development in Transylvania County. Pete and I look forward to continuing our work, which now includes increased global capabilities and reach."

New positions at Raybow USA will include research chemists, pilot-plant personnel and supervisors. Once the expansion is complete, the local region will benefit from a nearly $5.7 million payroll impact in the community, each and every year.

"North Carolina pioneered contract pharmaceutical discovery more than a generation ago, and today the industry connects many of our communities with global life sciences opportunities," said Commerce Secretary Machelle Sanders. "We welcome this major expansion by Raybow USA, whose local roots showcase the best traditions of entrepreneurship in our state."
Hurricane season 2021 is here: How do storms get their names?
The class gap is, to a moderate degree, an accepted reality in today's Iran.

But the class gap is widening, and is especially apparent in the extreme consumerism seen in Iranian society today. Profound differences are seen in the living conditions and housing of the inhabitants of Tehran's outer impoverished suburbs, along with the nomads of these areas, versus the luxurious and expensive villas and cars within the city's upper areas. Expensive foreign cars that the affluent residents of Tehran use to roam Tehran's streets are clear symbols of Iranian society's deep and terrible class gap.

This specter also testifies to Iran's economic instability, as individuals in the southern suburbs struggle for basic necessities and are resentful at the wealth that parades around them.

The distance between the suburban residents south of Tehran and the wealthy city of Lavasan is not more than 50 kilometers, or about 31 miles. Yet the distance between the living faces of these two parts of Iran, between the slums south of Tehran and the inhabitants of the palaces and dream palaces of Lavasan and north Tehran, is immeasurable. Perhaps an economic gap of this magnitude exists nowhere else in the world.

During a televised presidential election debate in May 2017, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, one of the Iranian presidential candidates at the time and the current speaker of Parliament, told Iran's president, Hassan Rouhani, that "four percent of society are capitalists who have money, power, media, and can easily break down any obstacle in their way, deceive and constantly turn the ball of power and wealth among themselves. In contrast, 96 percent include people from all walks of life who have tasted economic, social and cultural deprivation."

The Iranian parliament has officially confirmed that 60 million of the country's population live below the poverty line and are eligible for state subsidies. This fact indicates that the class gap in today's Iranian society has reached a point where the children of the same 60 million people will not have the opportunity to start a family, living in minimal shelter years after reaching puberty. In contrast to this majority deprived of basic living facilities, there is a minority that owns large numbers of housing units in Tehran and other metropolitan areas of the country. Since they have other significant income sources, these wealthy citizens refuse to offer these hoarded residential units to the market.

With this deep social gap in its current form of constant deprivation, the day is not far in the future when the affluent strata will not feel safe. That small minority with all the blessings of life living in luxury towers, magnificent villas, and palaces will impose even harsher measures on the majority while ignoring how they contribute to this inequality in society. Such a situation is a time bomb planted under the surface of society. The ticking of this clock is heard continuously here and there. The extent of the explosion that may come will not leave the establishment intact.

Baluchistan Firewood Ready to Ignite

The recent incident on the Shamsar Saravan border in southern Iran's Sistan and Baluchestan provinces this month demonstrates how close Iran's situation is to boiling over. At least 40 fuel porters were killed by Iran's Revolutionary Guards, and hundreds of other Baluchis were injured. The massacre turned the region into a scene of unprecedented radical protests and incidents. Over the past few decades, there has been a steady uptick in the violence within this area. The recent incident showed that the deep class gap makes this impoverished province ripe for an increasing number of protests and potentially more significant violence.

The cause of the widespread radical unrest throughout Baluchistan, where the initial protests from the border quickly spread to many non-border towns had an underlying cause of frustration at the deprivation of the simple necessities of life, such as water, roads, education, and employment. Recent events with the fuel porters only poured gasoline on an already smoldering fire. That province is ready to burst into flame anew.

Living with government subsidies has become commonplace for the people of the border areas. The eastern and western borders of Iran have long struggled with poverty. This situation has given rise to Kolbar unrest* in the west and fuel porter unrest* in the east. Unfortunately, every time Kolbar is mentioned, the faces of Kurdish men and women come to mind. With the phrase "fuel porter," this idea is repeated for the men and women of Sistan and Baluchistan Provinces.

If you compare the lives of the people in the deprived border areas of Iran with the lives of the people in the north of Tehran, maybe they are about 150 to 200 years apart. This disparity and discrimination is a significant cause of unrest and upheaval.

Capital Flight

On the other hand, there have been few foreign or domestic investments in Iran for several decades. Poverty and unemployment are rampant in the country. The combination of discrimination and economic poverty has given rise to the fuel porters of Kolbar, people who haul small amounts of fuel to Pakistan for sale, which has never been seen before in Iran's history.

The head of the Tehran Chamber of Commerce has said that $100 billion in capital has exited Iran in the past two years. Capital outflows mainly belong to the same 4% affluent strata, many of whom no longer hope for this system's future and are looking to protect their assets by moving them out of Iran.

In an interview with the Fararo website, Massoud Khansari did not provide details about the figures but said they were "documented." Iran's neighboring countries benefit as these affluent Iranians are purchasing real estate to transfer financial assets out of the country.

In June 2018, the Iranian Parliamentary Research Center reported that more than $59 billion in "capital" had been withdrawn from Iran during 2016 and 2017. Taking into account these figures, it can be said that according to the estimates of two official institutions, about $160 billion of capital has left Iran during the last four years.

This capital movement out of the country contributes to a deepening class gap, fueling an explosion from the poverty-stricken majority of Iranians. It is a time bomb that will explode soon, and that explosion will spell the end of the regime.

* Kolbars are people who walk for tens of hours in the snowy mountains and stormy borders of Iranian Kurdistan to bring and sell goods across the border and survive.

* Fuel porters are people in Sistan and Baluchistan Provinces who take 60 liters or more of petrol to Pakistan and receive very little profit from its sale.

Image: Pixabay, Pixabay License.
The Apple TV+ global comedy sensation 'Ted Lasso' was honored last night at the 2021 Writers Guild of America Awards, winning Best New Series and Best Comedy Series.

Since its debut, the beloved freshman comedy series has been recognized with a multitude of awards and nominations, including being the only comedy series honored as an AFI Program of the Year; a Golden Globe Award for Jason Sudeikis in the Best Comedy Actor category; three Critics Choice Award wins including Best Comedy Series, Best Actor in a Comedy Series for Sudeikis, and Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series for Hannah Waddingham; and nominations from the Producers Guild of America for Comedy Series, plus two nominations from the Screen Actors Guild for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Comedy Series and Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series. Including todays recognitions for Ted Lasso, Apple has been honored with a total of 86 awards wins and 329 awards nominations and accolades, since its global launch just over a year ago.

The Best New Series WGA Award was received by Ted Lasso writers Jane Becker, Leann Bowen, Brett Goldstein, Brendan Hunt, Joe Kelly, Bill Lawrence, Jamie Lee, Jason Sudeikis, Phoebe Walsh and Bill Wrubel.

The Best Comedy Series nod went to Ted Lasso writers Becker, Bowen, Goldstein, Hunt, Kelly, Lawrence, Lee, Sudeikis, Walsh and Wrubel.
LANSING, MICH. -- The Michigan Department of Natural Resources is asking outdoor enthusiasts to heed some advice this spring: Muddy day? Please dont play.

Walking, biking and horseback riding on muddy trails destroys the trails surface, contributing to erosion and creating hard-to-fix trails, the DNR says.

The rule of thumb? If you are leaving visible bicycle ruts, deep footprints or hoof tracks, the trail is too muddy for recreation.

According to the DNR, spring is an especially sensitive time because frost layers can linger below the trail surface, even when air temperatures have warmed up. As a result, spring rains cant fully penetrate the soil, which creates easily eroded muddy topsoil.

Muddy trails should be avoided altogether, the DNR says, but if you come to a muddy section on an otherwise dry trail, you can minimize your impact by continuing right through the center of the trail, which reduces trail widening.

Per the DNRs suggestions, heres a breakdown of what to do for each activity:

Hiking: If you come to a muddy spot, walk right through the center of the trail, rather than travelling around the mud and widening the trail.

Mountain biking: If you encounter a muddy section, dismount and tread lightly down the center, avoiding the sides because it widens the trail.

Horseback riding: Riders and their horses are encouraged to travel through the center of the trail so inadvertent trail widening doesnt occur.

More information about trail etiquette can be found on the DNRs website.

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22nd March 2021

Runtime 13:59

London South East spoke to Adam Davidson, CEO of Trident Royalties (LSE:TRR), after the mining royalty company announced a major lithium deal in the US.

Trident has raised $28 million from shareholders to acquire a royalty on revenue from the Thacker Pass Lithium project in Nevada. Most electric car batteries use lithium so demand for the metal looks set to rise over the next decade.

Production at Thacker Pass is expected to start in 2024 and Davidson told London South East:

The Thacker Pass Lithium Project is a big global asset with nearly half a century of reserve life in the current plans. Its a pretty substantive big royalty.

The deal means that TRR's metals portfolio is further diversified. It now comprises gold, copper, iron ore and lithium. Davidson wants to diversify Trident's metals portfolio further so that investors get almost an index-fund like exposureto the full suite of mining commodities.

Buying into Thacker Pass is a much larger transaction than any of Tridents 12 previous royalty deals, and with the company bulking out, it should now be easier to borrow. The company is close to agreeing a $10 million debt facility which should help to fund further royalty deals.

Davidson said:

As you build size and scale and a diversified stream of revenue, thats something banks can lend against. As you continue to grow, that facility can also expand and get larger as well as costs decreasing over time.
(@FahadShabbir)

Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko could not make promises about conducting constitutional reform to Russian President Vladimir Putin as this issue is an internal affair of Belarus, but he informed about such plans, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Monday

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 22nd March, 2021) Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko could not make promises about conducting constitutional reform to Russian President Vladimir Putin as this issue is an internal affair of Belarus, but he informed about such plans, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Monday.

"No, he could not. They had discussions. It is not about promises, it is about the fact that President Lukashenko informed President Putin about future plans, including plans for constitutional reform," Peskov told reporters, adding that discussing whether or not Lukashenko made such promises is irrelevant as the issue in "internal affair of Belarus.

"

Last week, Lukashenko said that he had not promised Putin a constitutional reform in his country, and this topic was only touched upon in the negotiations only "in general terms."

Lukashenko has said that the draft of the new constitution of Belarus would be submitted to a referendum at the beginning of 2022, and the draft of the basic law would be prepared by the end of 2021. On March 16, he signed a decree on the creation of a constitutional commission, which will be engaged in the preparation of amendments, it includes 36 people. The commission must submit its proposals to the head of state by August 1.
A Place for All Conservatives to Speak Their Mind.
Kelly Rossman-McKinney 517-512-9342 Attorney General

March 22, 2021

Maxwell Wyckoff, 22, was arraigned today in the 52nd District Court, Division 3, in Oakland County before Magistrate Marie Soma. Wyckoff is charged with:

LANSING - A known member of the Wolverine Watchmen and Clarkston resident was arraigned on two felony weapons charges today, announced Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel.

One count of possessing a muffler or silencer device, a felony punishable by up to five years in prison or a $2,500 fine, and mandatory forfeiture of the weapon or device.

The Attorney General's Office alleges that a modified firearm and silencer device were found at Wyckoff's residence, leading to his arrest.

"Modifying a firearm to increase the stealth capability and lethality of the weapon is a crime," said Nessel. "My office will not hesitate to pursue and prosecute any individual who would go to such lengths."

As a member of the Wolverine Watchmen, Wyckoff attended multiple field training exercises at a location in Munith, Michigan. The FBI and the Michigan State Police conducted an extensive investigation into the Wolverine Watchmen and their activities. As a result of this investigation and the information obtained, search warrants were authorized on the residences of multiple members of the Wolverine Watchmen, including Wyckoff.
Armenia MFA information department chief: All deputy FMs carrying out their duties

Ardshinbank invited children to the cinema on International Childrens Day

Armenia judiciary to have 10 more judges

Armenia acting premier: We had recorded 40% increase in tax revenues according to 2019 results

Armenia acting PM on Artsakh war casualties bodies: We have 50 remains in which case DNA was not separated

Azerbaijan authorities plan to "squeeze" everything from "terrorist show" related to Armenian captives

Ameriabank Announces a Contest for Bank Card Design

108 new cases of COVID-19 confirmed in Armenia

Armenia parliament convenes special session

Armenia interim government holding Cabinet meeting

Catholicos of All Armenians heads for Syunik Province, Artsakh

World oil prices going up

Iran loses right to vote in UN General Assembly

Newspaper: Armenia authorities come up with new way of punishing unwanted characters

Newspaper: Russia army Southern Military District deputy commander to arrive in Yerevan Thursday

Lebanese Armenian man taken prisoner by Azerbaijan is hospitalized

Armenia ex-President Kocharyan: Are we getting under the burden? Then lets get under to the end

Armenia acting health minister on keeping fallen soldiers bodies in bags: What else should they be kept in?

Armenia acting health minister on citizens' demand for her resignation

Karabakh's new State Minister Artak Beglaryan on his appointment and future activities

Armenian, Russian and Azerbaijani representatives hold consultations in Moscow

2 Armenian soldiers receive slight injuries after incident with Azerbaijani servicemen in Armenia's Gegharkunik

Armenian boy weighing 5 kg born at Goris Medical Center

"Armenia" bloc representative presents purpose of participation in elections and plans

Isaac Herzog elected President of Israel

Rouhani: Main issues between Tehran, Washington resolved in Vienna

Charles Michel calls on Armenia and Azerbaijan to resume constructive negotiations

US Department of State responds to Pashinyan's proposal to deploy international observers on Armenia-Azerbaijan border

Head of Armenia 2nd President's Office: Robert Kocharyan's public meetings are held in warm atmosphere

Opposition "Armenia" bloc's representative on photos and videos showing bags of deceased servicemen's bodies

Armenia Ombudsman, AGBU President discuss war crimes committed by Azerbaijan during Karabakh war

Opposition "Armenia" bloc's representatives to hold briefings three times a week

Opposition "Armenia" bloc member: Blood-freezing photos and videos from morgue in Abovyan are authorities' reflection

Yerevan mayor receives Netherlands Ambassador

Armenia Health Ministry, Investigative Committee keep info about sending remains of dead soldiers abroad confidential

Armenia Prosecutor General's Office launches case regarding leaving sacs of servicemen's bodies/remains in basement

Peskov: Putin and Biden to discuss cybersecurity issues

Armenia's Pashinyan meets with Belgian PM Alexander De Croo

Armenia acting MOD receives Netherlands Ambassador

Armenia Police: 3 citizens apprehended during protest demanding acting health minister's resignation

NATO warns Minsk about further consequences of Ryanair incident

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
More than 100 Royal Air Force planes and helicopters are to be scrapped as part of a defence revolution which will see most manned aircraft replaced by drones.

The radical move to ground 114 fighter jets, intelligence and transport aircraft and helicopters last night raised questions over the UK's ability to launch large-scale military operations.

The cuts are part of a defence review which also confirmed the Army will shrink by 10,000 to 72,500 troops  its smallest size since 1714  while the Royal Navy will be reduced, if only temporarily, to just 17 frigates and destroyers.

Under the review, there will be 6.6billion of investment for research, development and experimentation, at least 48 F-35 fighter jets to be stationed on the UK's aircraft carriers and 2billion in funding for the RAF's next generation of fighter jet Tempest

Big cuts to the Armed Forces are likely to cause alarm among US military planners, according to Colonel Richard Kemp (pictured, The Prime Minister Boris Johnson visits BAE Systems at Warton Aerodrome, Preston)

The review has garnered severe criticism in some quarters, with one former British commander saying the US military would be 'horrified' by the cuts.

One infantry battalion is being axed in the overhaul, with five more given new roles. The 2nd Battalion the Mercian Regiment will be removed from the Army's Order of Battle. Four infantry battalions, which currently specialise in training troops overseas, will eventually merge to form the Army's new Ranger Regiment.

While one of Yorkshire Regiment's two full-time infantry battalions will be given a new role as the Army's 'experimental unit', testing the latest equipment and fighting techniques. The RAF will axe all 14 of its C-130J 'Super Hercules' transporters favoured by the SAS, 24 Typhoon jets and its four BAE-146 'Royal Flight' aircraft.

These cuts were officially announced yesterday while the Ministry of Defence added that 36 Hawk T2 trainer jets, 20 Puma and nine Chinook transport helicopters and seven Sentry E-3D airborne early-warning aircraft will also be withdrawn.

While these cutbacks will almost certainly reduce capability, RAF commanders are adamant a new generation of aircraft, crewed and un-crewed, will strengthen the service in the years ahead.

They also anticipate that by 2040, piloted planes and helicopters will account for just one in five RAF aircraft with semi-autonomous drones due to enter service, many of them bristling with hi-tech weaponry.

Sixteen long-range Protector drones equipped with Brimstone missiles and Paveway IV laser-guided bombs will arrive in 2024.

The RAF is also developing Mosquito 'swarming drones' which protect manned fast jets by jamming incoming ground-to-air missiles by using electronic noise.

The reduction in manned aircraft has raised concerns among aviation experts, including Douglas Barrie, of the International Institute for Strategic Studies, who said: 'Quantity retains a quality all of its own and the loss of the C-130J and its Special Forces tasking capability will be missed.

'While depending on timings, the withdrawal of the Sentry  if before the Wedgetail [early-warning aircraft] enters service  would leave a notable capability gap.'

Under the review, there will be 6.6billion of investment for research, development and experimentation, at least 48 F-35 fighter jets to be stationed on the UK's aircraft carriers and 2billion in funding for the RAF's next generation of fighter jet Tempest. The number of Royal Navy warships will also increase to more than 20 by the next decade.

And the RAF will be running a Space Command which will develop a strategy to protect British satellite infrastructure.

But cuts to the Armed Forces are likely to cause alarm among US military planners, according to Colonel Richard Kemp, a former British military commander in Afghanistan. He said: 'In the defence review the Government says that its most important ally is the United States.

'Well I know that the US senior military officers will be horrified at the idea of further cuts to our Armed Forces because British forces are pretty much the only Armed Forces around the world who the Americans can rely on. I think they already believe we are too small in size and the idea that we are going to get smaller will mean that they question whether we are any longer a properly effective and reliable ally.'

While these cutbacks will almost certainly reduce capability, RAF commanders are adamant a new generation of aircraft, crewed and un-crewed, will strengthen the service in the years ahead

Defence Secretary Ben Wallace wants the UK to have the most integrated, digital and agile forces in the world, projecting British influence on the world stage

Defence Secretary Ben Wallace wants the UK to have the most integrated, digital and agile forces in the world, projecting British influence on the world stage.

Yesterday Mr Wallace said: 'Increased funding offers defence an exciting opportunity to turn current forces into credible ones, modernising to the threats of the 2020s and beyond and contributing to national prosperity in the process. It marks a shift from mass mobilisation to information-age speed, readiness and relevance for confronting the threats of the future. These principles will guide our doctrine and force development.'

But the plan was immediately attacked by members of the Commons defence Committee. Its chairman Tobias Ellwood said: 'There is much to welcome on the paper, including investments in autonomous platforms.

'But it comes at a dramatic cost to our conventional defence posture including troop numbers and over 100 RAF aircraft, including fighter jets and heavy lift aircraft, which if tested by a parliamentary vote I do not think would pass.'
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STAMFORD  Some questioned Stamford schools move to re-open elementary and middle schools for full-time in-person learning because it went against the spacing recommendation from the nations public health agency.

But now, classrooms in those schools all fall under the accepted distance of 3 feet between desks.

The suggested distance issued by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention had been 6 feet, but the CDC updated their recommendations Friday, downgrading to a distance of at least 3 feet in classroom settings  the same spacing Stamford schools opted for when they reopened elementary schools to full-time instruction on March 10, followed by middle schools on March 17.

While the district does not release COVID-19 infection data per school, the number of cases and quarantines have shot up since those schools allowed more students every day.

The week before elementary schools re-opened saw 28 total cases of the virus in the district, and 18 people in quarantine.

By the end of last week, the number of cases shot up to 37, and the number of quarantined skyrocketed to 268.

The option to return to school buildings five days a week was only available to those who were in the hybrid model  in which students went to class in-person every other day. Students in the fully remote distance learning academy  roughly 25 percent of the district  will remain in that model.

The district is planning to open high schools for five-days-a-week in-person instruction, and has tentatively chosen April 19 as a target date, but that plan has yet to be decided.

Liz Levy, a Westhill High School parent, said the district is changing the plan after parents were asked to choose between the hybrid model and the distance learning academy. On Jan. 8, the district informed parents they would have to choose one of the two models for the rest of the school year.

The hybrid model dictated that students would be 6 feet apart from each other inside classrooms, which will not be possible if all hybrid students are allowed to return full-time.

Youre doubling the number of students and halving their physical distance requirements, she previously told The Stamford Advocate.

On Tuesday, Levy said the CDC still lists ventilation as one major mitigating factor. Levy has repeatedly pointed out the poor ventilation at Westhill as unsafe for students, teachers and staff. She even started an online petition six months ago calling for better air quality in Stamford schools.

Westhill has three main HVAC systems that include 85 unit ventilators that sit under windows and a 1960s-era air handler system that services the inner core of the building, as well as the auditorium, gym and other rooms.

My issue from day one is that ventilation is not up to par, Levy said.

Superintendent Tamu Lucero was reached for comment but did not immediately respond.

ignacio.laguarda@stamfordadvocate.com
A cowardly woman beater who became the first man in Ireland to be convicted of coercive control has embarked on a bizarre and shocking rant, saying he "wouldn't call a back hander a beating".

Vile Kevin Dunleavy, from Kerrykeel in Donegal, also moaned that gardai won't leave him alone since his recent release from prison.

And the deluded thug described his campaign of terror against his former partner - which included assault, threats, bombarding her with thousands of phone calls and burning her clothes - as "only a couple of arguments" when the Sunday World spoke to him last week.

"I had an argument outside the pub. Youse put down that it was a severe beating. I wouldn't call a back-hander a beating like."

Expand Close Dunleavy is collected from prison. / Facebook

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Asked if he was saying hitting a woman wasn't a big issue, he said: "I'm not saying it isn't a big issue at all. I'm telling you there's two f***ing sides to every story but we know whose side you're going to run with anyway and it ain't f***ing mine."

The callous thug, who abused a Sunday World photographer when he was released from jail last month after serving just 16 months of his 21-month prison sentence, also went on a lengthy tirade against gardai, calling them "tramps" when we spoke to him.

Gardai have been keeping a close eye on Dunleavy since he was freed after a court agreed to alter his release conditions so he could return to his native Donegal where his victim also lives. His victim told the Sunday World it was a "disgrace" he was allowed return to Donegal.

But Dunleavy (33), who amassed over 120 convictions, is furious at the attention he has received from gardai since his return home.

"I hate the bastards and always did," he ranted to the Sunday World.

"They were hounding me for seven years trying to get me doing stuff. I wasn't doing anything.

"They're still at me here now, sitting staring in the windows and everything at the house, flashing blue lights in the window. We're living in the country.

"I hate the sight of them. They're f***ing tramps up here."

Expand Close Dunleavy hit his partner outside a pub. / Facebook

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Whatsapp Dunleavy hit his partner outside a pub.

When asked if he could understand why gardai might want to keep an eye on him considering his criminal history and that his victim is living in Donegal, he claimed: "But I'm not doing anything.

"We are being harassed like. Oh aye. Big time. They're going up and down the side of the house. We're out in a wee country area, up and down the side lane of the house. Any cars coming in, they're stopping them."

He then claimed he wasn't annoyed by the garda attention.

"They don't annoy me. I smile away at them and laugh at them - that annoys them more. Listen, I'm not doing anything wrong. They're not going to get me for anything. It's just the harassment of it.

"They know I'm not going to do anything. If it was anybody else they wouldn't be near them at all. It's just because it was me. My brother was involved in an incident with the guards years ago - an accident. The guards f***ing hate us with a passion."

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His younger brother Cathal was previously sentenced to three years for stealing a car on the night Garda Robert McCallion was killed in Donegal in 2009.

Garda McCallion was struck by a vehicle while investigating the suspected car theft in Letterkenny on March 26, 2009.

Cathal Dunleavy's pal, Jamie McGrenaghan, who was driving the vehicle that struck Garda McCallion, was later acquitted of his manslaughter.

Cathal Dunleavy was also jailed for four months after he admitted making a false complaint against Donegal gardai to the Garda Ombudsman.

Kevin Dunleavy admits he had plenty of run-ins with gardai before all that happened.

"They were at me before that anyway. I was a wee bit wilder when I was young and I settled in 2012 no bother at all, nothing, but they still wouldn't leave me alone."

During Dunleavy's sentencing hearing in 2019 at Letterkenny Circuit Court, Detective Garda Darren Carter had revealed family and friends of the woman, a mother of three, were genuinely fearful for her safety.

He gave a detailed account of a number of incidents in which the accused threatened and attacked her.

The court was told on one occasion he came into a bar and pulled her out by the collar of her jumper before assaulting her.

He also burnt her clothes and broke her hair straighteners to prevent her from going out, and the court was told he bombarded his victim with 5,757 phone calls over a three month period in 2019.

The couple had known each other since they were both 14 years old and had been going out since 2012.

Dunleavy pleaded guilty to offences including coercive control, harassment and making threats to damage property.

Coercive control is the way an abusive person, currently or previously an intimate partner, gains and maintains power and control over another person by subjecting them to psychological, physical, sexual, emotional or financial abuse.

Asked how he felt about being the first person in Ireland to be convicted of coercive control, he said: "It was shite that's all it was - coercive control!"

Despite pleading guilty to all the offences, Dunleavy this week told the Sunday World he only did so to avoid more time in prison and now regrets pleading guilty.

"I pleaded guilty. If I was on remand in the jail it would have been three years before it came up and I only got 21 months. I pleaded guilty just to get out of the jail."

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The Australian Federal Police has confirmed it passed on all documentation about an historical rape allegation against Attorney-General Christian Porter to NSW Police after determining the matter was not within its jurisdiction.

AFP Commissioner Reece Kershaw also told Senate estimates he personally briefed Prime Minister Scott Morrison about the allegation over the phone last month.

AFP commissioner Reece Kershaw says it was appropriate to brief the Prime Minister. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen

NSW Police has said it discontinued its investigation into the matter in June 2020 due to insufficient admissible evidence after the woman withdrew her complaint a day before taking her life on June 24.

Mr Porter has denied the allegation, saying it just didnt happen, and has launched Federal Court defamation proceedings against the ABC.
[March 22, 2021] Cytta's IGAN System Helps First Responders Achieve Daily Record Setting Vaccination Totals

Las Vegas , March 22, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- -- Cytta Corp ( OTCPINK: CYCA ) To help deal with currently unprecedented Public Health crisis, Cytta provided our IGAN incident command technology to assist with the Covid-19 vaccination coordination operations by the North Texas Public Safety Unmanned Response Team (PSURT). Utilizing our proprietary IGAN incident command system, PSURT was able to help increase the number of Americans protected by vaccine at one Texas location from an average of 5,000/6000 per day, to a record setting 10,000 per day. We applaud the valiant efforts of all these emergency responders for saving lives!

Texas Police Lieutenant Clay Regan, an integral part of the combined PSURT response team stated, In my 30+ years of Law Enforcement, and 26 years in the US Air Force, I have seldom witnessed an advancement in technology with the IGAN potential. Utilizing IGAN to coordinate this vaccination site empowered all involved agencies to achieve optimal results and vaccinate more people more quickly and more safely. In any public safety situation, the IGAN system has the capacity to rival any significant innovation for police, fire, emergency management, or public safety in general. This weeks Cytta Show initially describes a Las Vegas based governmant agency drone operation and then features Texas Police Lieutenant Clay Regan, live streaming in realtime from the vaccination location. Officer Regan describes the utilization of Cyttas IGAN incident command system by multiple public safety agencies in Texas, while live streaming in realtime from the vaccination location. This new episode of the Cytta Show has been posted on our YouTube channel for general distribution at Cytta Corp YouTube Channel. Our IGAN ICS seamlessly streams, stores and transfers all relevant video and audio during emergency situations. This creates real-time interconnected situational awareness for police, firefighters, first responders and their command centers across the United States. The IGAN ICS is an advanced CPaaS (Communications Platform as a Service) that can reside locally or in the cloud. IGAN manages multiple video cameras, smartphones, tablets, computers, 2-way radios  any device with a network connection. Each device is securely visible in a single interface. IGAN is now being utilized and deployed by first responders across the U.S. who are looking for a simple, secure, and field-deployable system to stream and allow complete interaction among multiple relevant video and audio sources during mission-critical operations. IGAN provides, police/fire departmnts, emergency operations centers and incident commanders with real-time situational awareness by connecting all video and audio assets, all with sub half-second latency high-quality video streaming.



For first responders throughout the world, realtime video and audio communication has become an increasingly important dimension to daily work. In a digital-first world, real-time communication and interoperability are required by local and State Police during any operation. Cytta Corps IGAN unit allows first responders to stream, share and store multiple video and audio feeds in real time, as an incident occurs. Our revolutionary IGAN Incident Command System (ICS) empowers first responders to share video and audio feeds and make better decisions in real-time, protecting our communities, and saving lives. The Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has shown the world the criticality of distributed communications platforms for sustained business continuity and disaster preparedness for organizations, both public and private. Organizations of all sizes and across all sectors have been forced to move to an online, remote collaboration and communication model. Cyttas technologies provide a critical enabler in the video and audio streaming ecosystem. Cyttas goal is to provide critical technology enablement across both public and private sectors allowing for a more optimal and superior video and audio streaming experience.

We hope that we are providing interesting information, and with many more interesting videos to come, we would ask that you click the link ( Cytta Corp YouTube Channel .), watch, like, subscribe and please take the time to comment and/or make gentle, thoughtful, and positive suggestions. About Us Cytta Corp ( OTCPINK: CYCA) develops industry advancing products utilizing paradigm shifting technology. Our proprietary SUPR ISR technology is the most powerful codec in the world and is the technology at the core of our products, designed specifically for streaming and storing HD, 4K, and higher resolution video. The IGAN ICS system seamlessly streams and integrates omnidirectionally all relevant video and audio during emergency situations. This creates real-time video and audio situational awareness for police, firefighters, first responders, emergency medical workers, industry, environmental and emergency situations, security, military and all their command centers.



Cytta Corp products work in size, weight, and power-constrained (SWaP) operating environments, and evolved through use in the military by meeting the need to stream multiple HD, 4K, and 4K+ video feeds with ultra-low latency, bandwidth, and power consumption. Cytta is taking this streaming, storage, and transfer technology to enterprises that would like to send omnidirectionally more high-quality videos with fewer resources. Cytta manufactures all their products in the USA. For more information, please visit Cytta.com and/or the Cytta Video Channel on YouTube for our new Cytta Show Video highlighting Cyttas vision, products, competitive advantages, marketplace, new product utilizations, and markets. Cytta Media humbly requests that you Click the link, View, Like, Subscribe and comment on our channel. Safe Harbor Statement / Forward-Looking Statements Statements included in this press release, which are not historical in nature, are forward-looking statements made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Statements relating to the future performance of the Company are subject to many factors including, but not limited to, the customer acceptance of the products in the market, the introduction of competitive products and product development, the impact of any product liability or other adverse litigation, working capital and availability of capital, commercialization and technological difficulties, the impact of actions and events involving key customers, vendors, lenders, competitors, and other risks. Such statements are based upon the current beliefs and expectations of the Company's management and are subject to significant risks and uncertainties. Actual results may differ from those set forth in the forward-looking statements. When used in this press release, the terms "anticipate", "believe", "estimate", "expect", "may", "objective", "plan", "possible", "potential", "project", "will", and similar expressions identify forward-looking statements. The forward-looking statements contained in this press release are made as of the date hereof, and we do not undertake any obligation to update any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of future events, new information, or otherwise.

Cytta Corp www.cytta.com Office (855) 511-4426 info@cytta.com Gary Campbell, CEO Direct (702) 900-7022 Gary@cytta.com Michael Chermak, Chief Administrative and Investment Officer Cell: (619) 977-7203 Chermak@Cytta.com Corporate Communications Contact: Complete Advisory Partners Office: (586) 228-2290 Cell: (586) 801-9002 Email: CapInc@comcast.net

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In 2016, a white button mushroom caused quite a stir. Designed to resist browning, it was the first CRISPR-Cas9 gene-edited product to skirt the U.S. Department of Agricultures regulation. The creators of the mushroom did not purposely try to evade the system, though. At the time, the USDA was only required to regulate genetically engineered products that contained foreign DNA. Since this instance of gene editing only involved mutations in the mushrooms own genome, it was outside the USDAs authority and was granted permission to proceed without further oversight.

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In fact, since 2010, more than 35 gene-edited products have been submitted to the USDA inquiry process and deemed exempt from regulation. For each product and new technical advancement, like the CRISPR-Cas9 technique, an inquiry was necessary because there were no clear rules in the legal text guiding the treatment of gene-edited products. (Despite all the fanfare, the mushroom is currently not available for purchase, but the first gene-edited food product, a soybean oil, did enter the U.S. market in 2019.)

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The case of the white button mushroom exemplifies the importance of definitions in regulating cutting-edge technologies. If the scope of a legal definition is not simultaneously specific enough to be meaningful and broad enough to recognize the potential for innovation, confusion will arise when new technologies are ready to enter the market. A Scientific American article about the mushroom explained, With that regulatory door even slightly ajar, companies are racing to get gene-edited crops into the fields and, ultimately, into the food supply.  To companies, this suggests that U.S. authorities view the new techniques as fundamentally distinct from transgenic methods; to critics, it suggests a regulatory loophole that companies are exploiting.

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Policymakers had known for years that the U.S. regulation of crop biotechnology was out of date, and by 2016, discussions were already underway to revamp the legal texts. But changes werent made early enough to avoid the mushroom situation. The USDA has since updated its regulation in great detail to effectively handle gene editing. But unfortunately, the United States remains ill-equipped to make decisions about certain classes of emerging crop biotechnologies before they hit the market. If legal definitions of agricultural biotechnology dont keep up with these advances, we will repeatedly encounter regulatory ambiguity that delays assessment of valuable technology and degrades public trust.

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Historically, most crop improvement has relied upon changes to plant DNA sequences in order to confer desirable traits. In conventional breeding, this process involves crossing different plants together, combining their genetic diversity to discover a new variety that may have characteristics like sweeter fruit or higher yields. Other techniques integrate a gene from an unrelated organism into the DNA of a crop plant. Even the gene-edited mushroom was produced by researchers inducing precise DNA mutationsat heart, still a pretty traditional approach, despite the high-tech method. However, new technologies may be able to generate novel crop characteristics without altering the DNA code at all.

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Genes are considered the building blocks of life, storing all the information necessary to make an organism. But DNA alone isnt the whole story. The DNA code is managed by multiple mechanisms that ensure that the right genes are turned on at the right time, in the right tissue, and at the right magnitude. These mechanisms are essential to the proper functioning of the plant. For example, it makes sense that genes controlling proper root formation would need to be turned on in the root, but not in the leaves or flowers.

In nature, plants display vast variation in gene expression, even among individuals growing in the same field or forest with the exact same DNA. Sometimes, gene expression adaptations are driven by environmental stresses like lack of water or nutrients. As a result, identical plants exposed to contrasting climatic conditions are likely to display several differences in gene expression. The altered expression can be transient, but it can also be heritable and contribute to evolutionary change. Since it is not only what is directly encoded in the sequence of the gene but also the level to which it is expressed that causes specific characteristics, targeting gene expression is a growing part of plant biotechnology development. These new methods unlock more variation in a plant than targeting the genome alone and may hold some of the answers to developing complex and valuable crop traits such as tolerance of drought or extreme heat.

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For example, consider spray-induced gene silencing, or SIGS. Gene silencing is a phenomenon that already exists naturally in plants as a way of maintaining proper gene expression levels and fighting off disease. When DNA is read, an intermediate messenger molecule is created that transports a copy of the genetic code to the protein factories of the cell. The gene silencing process operates via an RNA-guided protein complex that destroys the messenger before it has fulfilled its function. The prevention of protein assembly means the target genes product has been disrupted without mutating the DNA code.

The SIGS method uses carefully designed RNA that is literally sprayed onto plants. It diffuses into the plants cells, where the plants silencing mechanisms use the sprayed RNA as the guide to destroy the messenger derived from the target gene. No external DNA is ever incorporated. None of the plants gene sequences is touched. The induced changes would likely not be inherited by future generations.

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So far, most SIGS development has focused on using the technology as a biopesticide by targeting genes of pests or pathogens. But there is also ongoing work applying SIGS to control gene expression in crop plants, and a U.S. patent has already been filed to do so. A benefit of SIGS is the temporal aspect of the treatment, meaning that the target gene could be silenced at a selected time in a plants life cycle. For example, it might be desirable to keep a certain gene on during early development to ensure healthy growth, and then SIGS could turn the gene off as the plant matures. This would not be possible if the DNA of the gene had been changed. Potential targets could include genes involved in traits like disease resistance or flowering time.

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Plant gene expression in nature can also be regulated by molecular factors that bind or interact with DNA, signaling to the cells machinery whether the gene should be read. Researchers have developed systems that allow precise direction of proteins known to be activators or repressors of gene expression to specific DNA sequences, changing the expression level of the gene target. Due to ongoing advancement of delivering these systems to plants via protein complexes, nanoparticles, and virus vectors, it is probable that these new technologies will soon not require any DNA sequence modification steps at any point in the process. The effects of some of these applications may be heritable.

It would be logical to assume that these technologies would be covered by the texts governing biotechnology, since they harness biological systems to create a product, even if they dont change DNA code. However, current legal definitions fail to capture these methods, leaving innovators without sufficient clarity to guide decision-making and consumers without the transparency needed to maintain public trust.

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In the most recent update to the U.S. Coordinated Framework for the Regulation of Biotechnology (2017), biotechnology products are defined as products developed through genetic engineering or the targeted or in vitro manipulation of genetic information of organisms, including plants, animals, and microbes. Throughout the 2017 update, the terms biotechnology and genetic engineering, or GE, seem to be used almost interchangeably. This conflation of terms creates the first point of confusion. The stated scope of biotechnology encompasses more than genetic engineering alone. Yet all of the hypothetical cases of future biotechnology applications included in the 2017 update are discussed as GE and are examples of DNA sequence modification.

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We need to stop conflating all biotechnology with genetic engineering.

In 2020, the USDA legally redefined genetic engineering as techniques that use recombinant, synthesized, or amplified nucleic acids to modify or create a genome. As regulators constructed the new definition, they specifically considered including changes to gene expression but firmly decided against it, confirming that the DNA sequence of an organism must be modified in order to be considered genetically engineered. That means SIGS and other targeted gene expression systems that alter a plants characteristics, but not the genome, do not fall under the legal definition of genetic engineering.

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The second point of confusion concerns the latter half of the definition of biotechnology: targeted or in vitro manipulation of genetic information. What exactly constitutes manipulation? What if access to and expression of genes are altered, but the information encoded in the genes remains untouched? Even if genetic information is broadly interpreted as all material that is inherited by future generations and not limited to only DNA, what about expression changes that are not heritable and only exist in directly treated plants? Such uncertainty is troublesome.

While it is important for decision-makers to consider risks and trade-offs, we have no reason to be concerned about these new technologies. Rather, they hold much promise for helping to address the challenges facing agriculture, from adapting to the harsh effects of climate change to resisting crop-threatening diseases. But allowing these technologies to slip through the cracks leaves many questions and does not live up to the frameworks goal of ensuring public confidence in the regulatory system.

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We need to stop conflating all biotechnology with genetic engineering. When policymakers, popular media, and sometimes even scientists use terms like biotechnology, bioengineering, genetic engineering, gene editing, and GMO interchangeably, it isnt just frustrating. It is inaccurate. As we have seen, the way biotechnology and genetic engineering are basically used as synonyms in the U.S. Coordinated Framework overlooks emerging gene expression techniques that do not modify DNA sequence. Many agricultural biotechnologies have absolutely nothing to do with gene sequence or even gene expression, like targeted protein degradation methods that are already in commercial development.

Differentiating between biotechnology techniques in our policy definitions may seem tedious, but it is important for all stakeholders involved. For industry, definitions are necessary for clarity in what regulatory expectations and costs will be for a new product. And for the consumer, policies that are up to date with cutting-edge innovation can diminish fears that regulatory loopholes are being abused (as was suggested for gene editing before the regulation was updated). Therefore, precision in our terminology is important for structuring transparent policy, fostering successful innovation, and promoting meaningful public discourse.

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We also must ensure that the scopes of definitions encompass the possibilities posed by emerging biotechnologies, regardless of the degree to which they will or will not be regulated. It is impossible to see infinitely into the future of scientific innovation. But when a technology has been clearly established in the development pipeline, it is necessary to swiftly examine existing definitions to ensure regulatory procedures remain relevant for the new advance. Multiple methods of gene editing had already been in use long before the white button mushroom hit the headlines, yet guidelines were still horribly outdated. Targeted gene expression technologies were on the radar and even described in detail by the National Academies years before they were omitted from the 2020 USDA updates.

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It is indeed justifiable to separate gene expressionbased technologies from the definition of genetic engineering because they do not change DNA sequence. But then, scientific government agencies like the USDA should create new terms that describe the types of advancements we are witnessing in the pipeline instead of simply ignoring them until market pressures inevitably force a regulatory decision. As we saw with the button mushroom, no matter how beneficial certain uses of a technology may be, legal ambiguity leads to worries about corporate opportunism, skepticism about new discoveries, and distrust in regulatory bodies. At a time when faith in government institutions and support for science are frequently questioned, we cannot accept lack of clarity and foresight in our legal documents that govern innovation.

Future Tense is a partnership of Slate, New America, and Arizona State University that examines emerging technologies, public policy, and society.
The big picture: Following a security review of Tesla vehicles, the Chinese government has decided to restrict their use by military and state personnel due to concerns that the cameras and sensors in the EVs could be used to collect sensitive data at military complexes and sent back to the US. Tesla CEO Elon Musk addressed the issue at the China Development Forum, noting that the EV maker would get shut down if its cars were used to spy in China or elsewhere.

China has restricted the use of Teslas for military personnel, government agencies, and employees of "state-owned enterprises in sensitive industries" after deeming the EVs a national security concern due to their built-in cameras and sensors that Tesla could use for spying.

The decision comes after a government security review, according to The Wall Street Journal, that reports Chinese officials raising concerns regarding Tesla vehicles' ability to record images with its built-in cameras, tracking the whereabouts of its cars, syncing of mobile phone contacts and personal information that could potentially be sent back to the US.



Suspicion has also been raised over Tesla's "Full Self Driving" or FSD, a beta feature that uses the onboard camera and sensor tech, as do the other driver-assist and security functions such as Autopilot, Sentry mode, Cabin Camera, and Passive Entry.

While not an outright ban on driving Teslas, the Chinese military has reportedly ordered personnel to leave their cars parked outside military complexes, housing compounds, and sensitive sites over security concerns.

The issue was addressed by Elon Musk at the China Development Forum, a hybrid event held over the weekend in Beijing that focused on US-China ties. "Theres a very strong incentive for us to be very confidential with any information," said Musk via video link, adding that Tesla "will get shut down" if its cars were used for spying in China or anywhere else.
EUGENE, Ore. -- Students at Oregon State University and the University of Oregon filed separate lawsuits seeking repayment of tuition and fees charged during campus closures due to the pandemic.

The lawsuits were filed in Multnomah County Circuit Court and accuse the universities of breach of contract and unjust enrichment.

The lawsuits claim that both universities barred students from accessing in-person learning and campus facilities while still collecting those fees and tuition.

The two groups of students are being represented by the law firm Hagens Berman, which is investigating the rights of students at universities across the country who are paying fees and tuition while their schools have been forced to close or go online due to the pandemic.

A link to the OSU lawsuit is available here and a link to the UO lawsuit is available here.
Angola, IN (46703)

Today

Cloudy skies this morning will become partly cloudy this afternoon. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. High around 80F. Winds light and variable..

Tonight

Clear this evening then becoming mostly cloudy after midnight. Low around 60F. Winds light and variable.
Athens, GA (30605)

Today

A few isolated thunderstorms developing this afternoon. Storms may contain strong gusty winds. High 87F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 30%..

Tonight

Cloudy this evening. Scattered thunderstorms developing after midnight. Low 66F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 40%.
Patna, March 23 : The police in Bihar's Aurangabad district have arrested an Asha worker for allegedly running a sex racket and forcing minor girls into prostitution, an official said on Monday.

The incident came to light after a 16-year-old girl became pregnant and her mother learnt about her health. When she asked her daughter, she revealed that an Asha worker had forced her into flesh trade. The Asha worker also gave her i-pill tablets to abort the pregnancy.

Sunil Kumar Pandey, the SHO of Rafiganj police station, said that the Asha worker used to lure minor girls for training outside the village.

"After taking the minor girls outside the village, the accused forced them into prostitution. We were approached by the mother of a 16-year-old girl. We immediately swung into action and took the alleged Asha worker into custody," Pandey said.

"The accused is being interrogated to find out who else is associated with her in this racket," Pandey said.
Over 3,000 graduate student workers at Columbia University in New York City are currently on an indefinite strike demanding improved wages and health care benefits, job protections, and fee and tuition waivers. The striking research and teaching assistants, who are members of the Graduate Workers of Columbia-United Auto Workers (GWC-UAW), are also fighting for a contract without a no strike clause. The university administration has rejected these demands in over 65 bargaining sessions, essentially stonewalling an agreement.

The strike has widespread support among the student workers at Columbia and schools throughout the country, K-12 educators throughout New York, and other sections of workers and young people. However, the students confront the bitter opposition of the university administration, which has already taken action to punish strikers by docking their pay and making students repay portions of their stipends.

In opposition to the students demands, the university has claimed that there is no money to meet them. This claim is nothing short of absurd. Columbia has an endowment of over $11 billion. The school is the largest private owner of real estate in New York City, with more than 200 properties, twice the number owned by the next largest private property-holder, New York University.

A deeper look at the schools Board of Trustees reveals that the school is run by what amounts to a collection of multi-millionaire and billionaire hedge fund managers and CEOs with deep ties to Wall Street, Corporate America, the Democratic Party and the military-industrial complex. This makes it all the more necessary to break the isolation of the strike imposed by the UAW and other city unions and fight for the maximum mobilization of the working class to back the striking students against the powerful Wall Street and Democratic Party operatives who run Columbia University.

The following profile is just a glimpse into the parasitic character of the leading members of the Board of Trustees and University President Lee Bollinger.

The bankers, hedge fund managers and venture capitalists

Of the 24 members of Columbias Board of Trustees, only a small handful do not run hedge funds, multi-million-dollar investment companies or venture capitalist firms. The net worth of every board member is not publicly available, however there is no doubt that combined, the Board of Trustees at Columbia University controls hundreds of billions of dollars. Their wealth has largely been created through high-level Wall Street schemes that oftentimes are completely separated from any form of production. In other words, the money is made through bets and speculation and does nothing to contribute to society.

In particular, many of the hedge funds listed below engage in complex trading schemes. Short selling (betting that the value of a stock is going to fall), leveraging (borrowing funds to purchase a financial asset) and derivatives (complex bundles of assets such as forwards, futures, options and swaps) are among the techniques used by hedge funds, and these activities are available only to institutional investors and high net worth individuals who are part of the exclusive super-wealthy financial oligarchy.

Lee Bollinger

The president of Columbia University is Lee Bollinger, former president of the University of Michigan (19962002). His annual salary is a staggering $4.7 million. Bollinger is a director of Graham Holdings Company (formerly the Washington Post Company). From 2007 to 2012, he was a director of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, where he also served as chair from 2010 to 2012.

Lisa Carnoy

Lisa Carnoy, a co-chair on the Board of Trustees, is a corporate turnaround specialist with AlixPartners. Before joining AlixPartners in 2018, Carnoy worked for Merrill Lynch-Bank of America for 23 years. She served on the Global Wealth and Investment Management leadership team, as well as Bank of Americas Global Corporate and Investment Banking Operating Committee. In this role, she led Capital Markets Professionals across Equity Capital Markets, Debt Capital Markets, Leveraged Finance and Origination of Corporate Derivatives, and FX.

Noam Gottesman, the vice-Chair of the board is the CEO of TOMS Capital LLC, a Manhattan-based investment company. Prior to TOMS, Gottesman co-founded the hedge fund GLG Partners, Inc. in 1995. Gottesman also did a stint as an executive director of Goldman Sachs. He was listed on the 2020 Forbes 400 list of richest people in the US, with a net worth of $2.4 billion.

Jonathan Lavine

Jonathan Lavine, the other co-chair of the board, is co-Managing Partner of Bain Capital and Chief Investment Officer of Bain Capital Credit, which he founded in 1998. Bain Capital is a $120 billion company and one of the worlds leading private investment firms. The firm invests across asset classes including private equity, credit, public equity, venture capital, real estate and other strategic areas of focus.

David J. Greenwald is chairman of Fried Frank, which, according to the company's website serves as counsel to many of the world's largest companies, financial institutions and investment firms. Before rejoining Fried Frank, Greenwald served as the international general counsel and a deputy general counsel of Goldman Sachs.

Adam Pritzker

Adam Pritzker is currently the chairman and CEO of Assembled Brands, a holding company of consumer brands. He studied under and then became a business partner of current Columbia University economist Jeffrey Sachs, who was notorious for the brutal shock therapy austerity programs imposed by Latin American dictators and in the USSR, Poland and other Eastern European countries after the restoration of capitalism.

Adam Pritzker is a fourth-generation member of the Pritzker family, son of John Pritzker and grandson of Jay Pritzker. His uncle, Thomas Pritzker, is the executive chairman of Hyatt Hotels Corporation. The family is number nine on Forbes list of Americas Richest Families 2020 with a net worth of $32.5 billion. Adam Pritzker is also related to Penny Pritzker, Obamas Secretary of Commerce and her brother JB Pritzker, the current billionaire Democratic governor of Illinois who was once referred to as Chicagos second mayor by Chicago magazine.

Lu Li is the founder and chairman of Himalaya Capital, a multi-billion-dollar investment firm focused on Asia and the US. Andrew F. Barth is a retired chairman of Capital Guardian Trust Company. Dean Dakolias is the co-Chief Investment Officer of the Fortress Credit Funds business and serves on Fortress Management and Operating Committees. The firm manages over $40 billion in assets. Fermi Wang is CEO and co-founder of Ambarella Inc, a security tech company with an estimated net worth of at least $106 million. Wang has a salary of over $5 million.

The Democratic Party operatives

In addition to the Wall Street parasites, the Columbia Board is also riddled with Democratic Party operatives with deep ties to the military-industrial complex.

Jeh Johnson

Perhaps the most egregious example is board member Jeh Johnson, who is the former Secretary of Homeland Security, serving under Obama from December 23, 2013 to January 20, 2017. He now serves as a partner in the law firm of Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison, LLP, where he advises corporate clients on the legal aspects of national security, cybersecurity, data privacy and government relations.

In his role as Secretary of Homeland Security Johnson oversaw the implementation of Obamas ruthless anti-immigrant policies, which resulted in over 2.5 million deportations, an average of more than 1,000 per day. This figure is roughly double the rate that occurred under Republican President George Bush, and totals more than under any other president in US history. Johnson repeatedly publicly defended and argued in favor of these policies, including the deportation of thousands of Haitian immigrants who had been granted asylum following the devastating 2010 hurricane. Before his role as Secretary of Homeland Security, Johnson served on the General Counsel of the Air Force from 1998 to 2001 (his tenure coincided with the bombing of Yugoslavia) and on the General Counsel of the Department of Defense from February 10, 2009 to December 31, 2012.

Johnson is also on the board of directors of defense contractor Lockheed Martin, US Steel, the foreign policy think tanks Council on Foreign Relations and the Center for a New American Security. Dean Dakolias, also mentioned above, is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations.

Jonathan Lavine, a co-chair of the board who also runs a multi-billion-dollar private investment firm, has close ties to the Obamas. His firm has worked as a campaign finance bundler for both Obama campaigns and Hillary Clinton's campaign in 2016. Bundlers get around personal campaign donation limitations by organizing and collecting campaign contributions from other donors and pay them in bulk to the candidates fund. Bundlers raised at least $74 million for the Obama campaign in 2011.

Claire Shipman

Claire Shipman, vice-chair of the board, is part of the mainstream corporate media world. She worked for ABC news for 15 years, reporting mostly on politics and international affairs. Before moving to ABC, she covered the White House and the Clinton administration for NBC news. Shipman also spent a decade at CNN, where she covered the White House, and spent five years at CNNs Moscow bureau covering the dissolution of the Soviet Union.

She is married to Jay Carney, former White House press secretary under Obama (2011-2014) and director of communications for Vice President Joe Biden from 2008 to 2011. Carney has been the senior vice president of global corporate affairs at Amazon since March 2, 2015 where he oversees public policy and public relations for the notorious corporate giant around the world, reporting directly to Amazon founder Jeff Bezos.

Abigail Black Elbaum, co-founder and principal of Ogden CAP Properties, is a board member of the New York City Police Foundation and a governor of the Real Estate Board of New York, a trade association for the real estate industry, which has gentrified the city and has made housing unaffordable for grad student workers and others.

Joseph A. Greenaway Jr. is a United States Circuit Judge who sits on the US Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit and previously sat on the US District Court for the District of New Jersey. Greenaway joined the US Attorneys Office for the District of New Jersey and was eventually promoted to Chief of the Narcotics Bureau. From 19901996, Greenaway worked as in-house counsel for Johnson & Johnson in New Brunswick, New Jersey, essentially providing legal advice to the very same type of companies he formerly was meant to prosecute and oversee.

Greenaway was nominated by President Bill Clinton in 1995 to a seat on the US District Court for the District of New Jersey. He was nominated by President Barack Obama on June 19, 2009, to a seat on the US Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit.

The enemies and allies of the Columbia graduate student workers

Graduate student workers at Columbia are up against powerful political and financial interests that run the university. Their strike for a living wage and improved conditions pits them squarely against the Democratic Party and all of its operatives, including in the United Auto Workers union.

Behind the backs of striking students there are no doubt countless backroom discussions taking place between the board of trustees, state and local Democrats and the UAW leadership as to how most effectively shut down the strike in the coming week.

The struggle at Columbia is part of a series of struggles at other universities. More than 1,200 graduate students at New York University are on the verge of initiating similar strike action against deteriorating working conditions and benefits. However, the unions are doing everything to divide Columbia and NYU grad students. Last week a UAW official at NYU, Maida Rosenstein, explicitly argued against trying to make the strike at NYU coincide with the one at Columbia.

Other university workers struggles are brewing at the University of Chicago, Kenyon College in Gambier, Ohio, Illinois State University, University of Maryland, Indiana University, University of New Mexico and many more campuses. But the fight against the cheap labor conditions and virtual indentured servitude status of grad student workers cannot be resolved on the campuses alone.

Columbia students have powerful allies in the multi-million working class in New York City and beyond. This includes educators who have been forced back into schools by Mayor Bill de Blasio, with the aid of the United Federation of Teachers, even as new and more virulent and lethal variants of COVID-19 spread in the city and across the country. Millions of workers, of every race and nationality, are struggling to make ends meet while the stock market hits new highs and Americas billionaires saw their private fortunes rise by more than $1 trillion during the pandemic.

The Socialist Equality Party and our youth movement, the International Youth and Students for Social Equality, urge students and workers at Columbia University to build a rank-and-file strike committee, independent of the corrupt UAW, to broaden the struggle, including calls for mass demonstrations, strikes and other joint actions to defend the Columbia strike, protect the working class against the pandemic and fight austerity and social inequality.

Above all, the Columbia strike is implicitly a political struggle, which pits the working class against both corporate-controlled political parties and the capitalist system, which sacrifices every aspect of life, including life itself, for private profit. The struggle for living wages, affordable health care and housing must be developed into a politically conscious struggle to mobilize the working class to fight for socialism, against the ruling class criminal response to the pandemic, and the Biden administrations anti-Chinese propaganda and threats of war, which have contributed to the wave of anti-Asian attacks. We urge Columbia students to join the IYSSE to fight for socialism, and join the New York Educators Rank-and-File Safety Committee to unify with grad student workers and other educators.
"Our posture's gonna be that we're posted outside of DC, awaiting the president's orders. We hope he will give us the orders. We want him to declare an insurrection, and to call us up as the militia."

Oath Keepers founder Stewart Rhodes, in November, looking ahead to Jan. 6
A crowd of people with a gun appeared to follow a 22-year-old man with gunshot wounds to a hospital in North Carolina on Sunday night, according to local law enforcement.

Now the Asheboro Police Department is looking for the shooter.

Officers were dispatched to an address at the corner of East Salisbury Street and North Elm Street in Asheboro at 7:18 p.m. on Sunday, police said in a news release. Asheboro, home to the North Carolina Zoo and an estimated 26,000 residents, is about an hour and a half northeast of Charlotte.

According to the release, the call was related to someone discharging a gun  and officers were informed en-route that at least one person had been shot.

Once on scene, police said they found Kalil Jabri Cuthrell with two gunshot wounds and provided life-saving assistance until EMS arrived. Cuthrell was then taken to Randolph Health about a mile away.

But shortly after Cuthrell arrived at the hospital, police reportedly received a second 911 call from hospital staff about multiple subjects attempting to get into the building.

Some in the crowd were passing a gun around, police said.

Officers from the state Highway Patrol, the Randolph County Sheriffs Office and three nearby police departments in Ramseur, Randleman and Asheboro were sent to the hospital to secure the area.

I want to be clear no shots were fired in the area of Randolph Health and it was never an active shooter scene, Asheboro Police Chief Mark Lineberry said in Mondays release. At no time did hospital employees stop providing health care and the safety of patients were not at risk.

But police said they also believe it was not a random act.

Cuthrell was listed in serious but stable condition and has since been flown to another hospital more equipped to handle serious trauma, according to the release.

Anyone with information about the shooting or incident at the hospital can call Detective Rippey with the Asheboro Police Department at 336-626-1300, ext. 317 or ext. 316. Tips can also be sent to Randolph County Crime Stoppers at 336-672-7463.
Residents unable to pay their rent next month can take advantage of a local program that assists those in need, said Mayor Ron Nirenberg.

In a tweet, Nirenberg reminded users that a city program is available to assist residents in paying their rent for the month of April.

RELATED: Dejounte Murray offers gift to lucky Spurs fan on Twitter

The Fair Housing/COVID-19 Emergency Assistance Program is relevant for housing (either rent or mortgage) or bills such as utilities and internet, and considers factors like the number of people living in a home as well as what type of household it falls under. In February, City Council voted to offer the program for up to nine months for qualified residents after the city received $46.8 million from a federal grant. Previously, approved residents could only receive assistance for up to two months.

The program is available to both San Antonio residents and Bexar County residents, though the specific requirements and guidelines are dependent on whether a person lives within city limits or in Bexar County. The program also offers resources for individuals who have received an eviction notice. More information can be found here.

According to the tweet, the city-run program has more than $133 million dedicated to helping out San Antonians who require assistance. The funds are allocated from various sources, Nirenberg said.

Interested residents can apply online. Individuals who have already applied for assistance can check the status of their application here.

Sarah Martinez is a digital content producer for MySA.com. Find her at @smartinezwrites.
The proceeds will allow the completion of site and technical work required for a final investment decision which is expected in 2022.

s ( ) ( ) (OTCMKTS:EROMF) (FRA:E06) private placement to raise gross proceeds of A$30 million (C$29 million) has received strong institutional participation and has been oversubscribed.

This offering was anchored by a strategic investor and an environmental, social and governance (ESG) focused fund and also received strong support from several existing institutional shareholders.

The second tranche of the offering will be used to introduce two new institutional investors with a strong positive view on ESG projects and the market opportunity for high-purity manganese in Europe.

Net proceeds from the offering will go towards advancing the Chvaletice Manganese Project in the Czech Republic.

Final investment decision in 2022

EMN president and chief executive officer Marco Romero said: We are very pleased to see such strong and high-quality investor interest in this equity offering.

We now have the funds required to install, commission and operate our demonstration plant and to finalise our definitive feasibility study and final environmental impact assessment during the next 12 months.

This financing will allow us to complete all site and technical work required for a final investment decision expected in 2022.

In right place at right time

He said: The demand for high-purity manganese products continues to grow and the latest market developments have further improved our prospects.

Volkswagen Auto Group recently announced plans to use a high proportion of manganese in the batteries that will be used in the largest segment of its future electric vehicle production.

"In addition, EMN has secured support from EU-backed EIT InnoEnergy, which is intended to help us accelerate the Chvaletice Manganese Project and to secure strategic financing and customer offtake agreements.

"Euro Manganese is clearly in the right place at the right time.

Placement details

The company is undertaking a private placement offering of 50,000,000 CHESS Depositary Interests ( s), with each CDI representing one common share at a price of A$0.60 per CDI.

The offering is intended to close in two tranches, comprising of:

Tranche One: The issuance of 41,666,666 CDIs for aggregate gross proceeds of A$25 million (about C$24.2 million), representing the maximum number of securities that can be issued by the company under Listing Rule 7.1 of the Australian Securities Exchange (ASX). The tranche is expected to close on or about March 30, 2021; and

Tranche Two: The issuance of 8,333,334 CDIs for aggregate gross proceeds of A$5 million (about C$4.8 million), representing the number of securities to be issued in excess of the companys placement capacity permitted under ASX Listing Rule 7.1, which will be subject to shareholder approval to be sought at a special meeting of shareholders. This tranche is expected to close as soon as practicable after receipt of shareholder approval.

Use of funds

Proceeds from the offering will be used for completing the installation and commissioning of the high-purity manganese demonstration plant, initial year of operation of the demonstration plant, completing the projects permitting and feasibility study, for certain scheduled land acquisition payments and for general corporate purposes.

Euro Manganese holds a 100% interest in the Chvaletice Manganese Project, which entails reprocessing a large manganese deposit hosted in mine tailings from a decommissioned mine.

The companys goal is to become a leading, competitive and environmentally superior primary producer of ultra-high-purity manganese products in Europe, serving both the lithium-ion battery industry, as well as other high-technology applications.

Shareholder meeting

The company expects to call and hold a special meeting of shareholders in early May 2021 to approve the issuance of CDIs under the second tranche of the offering.

It hopes to file a management information circular in connection with the meeting in due course.

The offering is subject to the approval of the TSX Venture Exchange.

(Australia) Ltd is acting as lead manager and book-runner with Bacchus Capital Advisers Ltd acting as financial adviser to the company.

Talks with potential project partners

The company continues its discussions with several potential project partners and customers who are attracted to the unique characteristics of the Chvaletice Manganese Project, including its European location, the high-quality of manganese products targeted by the company and the exceptional environmental footprint of the project.

Funds raised from the placement and the resulting acceleration of project development initiatives will greatly assist the company in advancing these discussions.
Hairdressers and nail salons were among businesses allowed to reopen in Greece on Monday, as the country's coronavirus lockdown was partially eased.

The move comes despite an ongoing surge in daily infections and as other shops and services remain shut.

Coronavirus regulations inside these premises are being kept strict, with staff and customers required to wear masks and the number of clients allowed inside at any one time limited according to the store's size.

Hairdresser Christos Nikolaou, who owns a hair and nail salon in a residential neighbourhood near the centre of the capital, says opening up when cases are so high means they shouldn't have been shut in the first place.

Bookings are coming in fast, with many salons already fully booked until the end of the month.

Greece has been experiencing a renewed surge of COVID-19 despite lockdown-related measures being in force since early November, with dozens of daily deaths recorded, as well as increasing numbers of patients hospitalized in intensive care units.

About 500 people are hospitalised each day across the country with COVID-19, health authorities say, with 200 of them being in the wider Athens region.

On Monday Greeces health minister announced requisitioning the services of private sector doctors from certain specialties in the wider Athens region to help fight a renewed surge in coronavirus infections that is straining hospitals to their limits.

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Dr Marcus Butler says there is more risk of acquiring TB

Cases of tuberculosis (TB) are in danger of rising in the pandemic as resource-starved services struggle, a leading specialist has warned.

Respiratory physician Dr Marcus Butler said a number of factors are leading to an increased risk of spreading of the illness.

Sub-standard and overcrowded living conditions, poor nutrition, drug and alcohol misuse, as well as a weakened immune system due to other illnesses, are all factors associated with increased risk of acquiring TB.

Covid-19 has worsened these conditions for many, while bringing many more below the poverty line for the first time.

Dr Butler, who is vice president of the Irish Thoracic Society, was speaking ahead of World TB Day on Wednesday.

The likelihood of rising TB cases as a result of the pandemic comes against the backdrop of increased pressure on health services, reallocation of staffing resources and reduced numbers of people presenting with their symptoms due to Covid-19 restrictions.

All of these factors are storing up an unprecedented TB crisis for a resource-starved service on top of an already complex and demanding, albeit largely hidden, public health threat.

Around 267 cases of TB were notified here in 2019.

Some 40pc of all TB cases notified were in Irish-born people with 44pc in foreign nationals and the origin of others unknown.

TB remains one of the worlds deadliest infectious killers and is the ninth leading cause of death worldwide. Nearly 4,000 people a day lose their lives to TB  approximately 1.5 million annually  and close to 28,000 people fall ill with this preventable and curable disease.

Global efforts to combat TB have saved an estimated 63 million lives since 2000.

With the pandemic now in its second year, it is continuing to divert essential medical resources and attention away from providing life-saving diagnosis, medicine and care to people suffering from TB worldwide.

There is particular concern that drug-resistant and multi-drug-resistant TB pose a significant threat to gains made, making the fight against TB ever more complex and challenging.

The Irish Thoracic Society is calling on the Government to take decisive action to combat the hidden but very real and devastating health, social and economic impact of TB and to bring Ireland in line with our European neighbours in the fight against this preventable disease.

It wants five key actions to be tackled, including the appointment of a national TB controller.

There should also be a national TB screening programme for high-risk groups, investment in contact tracing and surveillance activities, as well as an education and awareness programme for healthcare professionals and the public.

The action plan should follow United Nations recommendations.

This includes fully activating high-level leadership to urgently reduce TB deaths and drive multisectoral action to end TB.

The plan also entails appointing a national TB controller and scaling up the provision of preventive treatment.

Establishing a co-ordinated and resourced national clinical programme encompassing hospital-based clinics, appropriate inpatient facilities, public health and laboratory services would also be on the agenda.

On top of that, the development of the Irish Mycobacteria Reference Laboratory (IMRL) and the National Clinical TB Centre on the St Jamess Hospital site in Dublin would need to happen without further delay.
The Laundry, an art gallery and event space in the Mission District, has been hosting a pop-up by the Iranian Komaaj since last fall, with chef and owner Hanif Sadr selling tea and Northern Iranian specialties out of the spaces cafe.

In honor of Nowruz, the Persian New Year, Sadr and the Laundry are working to raise money to feed 500 East Bay families in need through Trybe in Oakland. This week, from Thursday, March 25 to Sunday, March 28, Sadr will be selling a special prix fixe menu ($40) that will include saffron-glazed smoked sturgeon with herbed rice, fire-roasted eggplant with whey and mint oil, and other items to support that effort. Each order sold will correlate with one more meal donated.

If you havent tried Sadrs cooking yet, this Persian New Year special with a charitable focus is just as good an excuse as any. I tried it a few months ago for takeout, ordering just about everything on the menu because it all looked so good. His complex and aromatic herb rice ($8.50), sabzi katte, gets its flavor from a mixture of parsley, chives and dill. Then, a side dollop of sumac-flavored labneh gives the drier basmati rice a welcome infusion of moisture and tang. You can add a piece of smoked trout to the rice for $6 to make it more substantial  and to add a totally new layer of fattiness and flavor to the dish.

He also sells a variety of condiments (who doesnt, these days?) that have slotted themselves very easily into my pantry. Beet yogurt ($8), maast o labou, is pastel pink and satisfyingly thick, with plenty of black pepper; its great as an add-on for avocado toast. If youre a fan of olives but dont want to just have them with rosemary and orange zest yet again, check out his fermented herb paste ($7), dalar, which adds so much complexity and depth to basic brined olives.

Kate Munsch / Special to The Chronicle

You can read more about Nowruz, and how Sadrs childhood memories inform his cooking, in this great story that Naz Deravian wrote for us last year. Nowruz, a 3,000-year-old and multicultural celebration of seasonal shifts and the cracking open of a new year, is a prime time to indulge in food that reflects the here and now, in ways that the modern Californian style of farm-to-table cuisine parallels.

Sabzeh, the sprout salad ($8) on the prix fixe menu, is a classic Nowruz dish that sums up the whole enterprise. Made with sprouted clover and peas dressed in vinegar and sumac, its full of the little sprout tendrils, whose ache to live and thrive is palpable with each spoonful. Its a necessary reminder that even the quietest, most pebble-like seeds have the potential to open up and unfurl into something completely stunning.

Komaaj Kitchen at the Laundry. Noon-8 p.m. Thursday-Saturday. 3359 26th St., San Francisco. 415-598-8286 or komaaj.com

Courtesy of Katherine Spiers

On the podcast

This week, Justin Phillips and I chat with Katherine Spiers, the woman behind Smart Mouth, a food history podcast and newsletter. We all take a step back and wonder what future food historians would say about this current moment were all living in, when so many gourmets have started and discarded culinary projects at a rapid pace during the pandemic. (Lets be honest, I bet your sourdough starter is looking pretty sad by now.)

What Im eating

Theres something uniquely comforting about a plenitudinous vegetarian platter, laden with spreads and happy, snacky bites, and few are better than the vegetarian combination platter ($17.99) at the Palestinian Abu Salim in Haight-Ashbury. It includes all the things you would have ordered as appetizers anyway, like a silky-smooth hummus, Arab salad with cucumber and tomato, super-crunchy and savory falafels, and more  enough for two meals, in my experience. The pita that you get on the side is wonderfully fluffy on the inside, too.

Im a fool for Mexican corn in a cup, so Im happy to report that Buena Vida Cantinas version ($8), made with sweet Brentwood white corn, is truly excellent. The corn is roasted in a wood-fired oven before being stripped off the cob and mixed with queso fresco, chile powder and lime juice. It brought me back to those days when I lived in Mexico, where Id run after the neighborhood elotero for my nightly fix when I heard him calling outside my window.

Recommended reading

Food Guide Top 25 Restaurants Where to eat in the Bay Area. Find spots near you, create a dining wishlist, and more.

 Are we drinking too much, or is everybody going sober? As Esther Mobley tells it, America has a long history of zigzagging between ideological extremes when it comes to alcohol. Read her deep dive into this history and how the conditions of the pandemic have shed new light on this very American conflict.

 This week, I reviewed SingleThread, a fine dining restaurant in Healdsburg that I think is doing amazing work with an outdoor dining program that currently features Japanese-style hot pot as the centerpiece of every dinner.

Kate Munsch / Special to The Chronicle

 This weeks Stained Page newsletter is an essay by author Lola Milholland about the cookbooks of Japanese American community centers in the 1960s-1990s. Their evolution over the decades runs in parallel with the evolving self-conception of Japanese Americans during that time period.

 Television show host and chef Alejandra Ramos penned this thoughtful read on the double-edged sword of visibility when you have a racialized body. After recently doing a culinary segment for the Today Show, she received messages from viewers who objected to the way she dressed: They saw her curvy body as too salacious for television, criticism similar to comments she has endured almost her whole life. Her refusal to be shamed is powerful to witness.

Correction: Last weeks newsletter misstated the name of the founder of Oks Deli. The sandwich-centered venture is by chef Albert Ok.

Bite Curious is a weekly newsletter from The Chronicles restaurant critic, Soleil Ho, delivered to inboxes on Monday mornings. Follow along on Twitter: @Hooleil
Xiaomi will be launching the POCO F3 and POCO X3 Pro today, but multiple details about both devices have already flooded the internet. From marketing renders to the first stable MIUI build for the POCO F3, there is little left to reveal about Xiaomi's new POCO devices.

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The launch of the POCO F3 and POCO X3 Pro is almost upon us. While Xiaomi's global launch event begins today, several leaks over the weekend have confirmed multiple aspects about both devices. Yesterday, Ishan Agarwal revealed renders of the POCO F3, a device that looks an awful lot like the Redmi K40. The similarities do not end there though, as Xiaomi's first stable MIUI update confirms that the POCO F3 is 'alioth', the codename for the Redmi K40. Hence, expect to see POCO announce the F3 as having a 6.67-inch AMOLED display with a 120 Hz refresh rate, a Snapdragon 870 SoC and a 4,520 mAh battery.

The POCO F3 may be a re-branded POCO F3, but the POCO X3 Pro appears to be an entirely new device. Referred to by its codename 'vayu' on Xiaomi Firmware Updater, the POCO X3 Pro has been leaked several times in the last few weeks. Vietnamese retailer Shopee went one further and published its POCO X3 Pro product listing though, confirming all aspects about the device in the process. As expected, the POCO X3 Pro resembles the POCO X3 NFC that Xiaomi launched last year. Additionally, the device has a 6.67-inch and 120 Hz display, like the POCO F3.

Shopee also reports that the POCO X3 Pro has a Snapdragon 860 SoC, a chipset that Qualcomm is yet to unveil officially. However, @yabhishekhd has discovered that the 'Compare related products' section of Qualcomm's website contains the product Snapdragon 855+/860 Mobile Platform. Hence, it can be assumed that the POCO X3 Pro will effectively have a rebadged Snapdragon 855+, rather than a cut-down Snapdragon 865. In short, the POCO X3 Pro combines a two-year-old chipset with newer hardware, such as UFS 3.1 storage, at an affordable price.
A 68-year-old Sri Lankan man was riding the subway in Lower Manhattan on Friday when another passenger yelled a racial slur and punched him in the head, leaving him bloodied and in critical condition.

On Saturday morning, a 66-year-old man of Asian descent was punched in the face on the Lower East Side.

Then on Sunday came three more attacks, the police said: A woman of Asian descent was thrown to the ground in Midtown, another was hit in the face with a metal pipe on the Lower East Side and a third was punched twice in the face after she attended a demonstration in Union Square in support of Asian-American victims with her young daughter.

The attacks around New York City over the weekend, coming as hundreds of marchers gathered in multiple protests to call for an end to such assaults, were yet more examples of violence directed at Asian-Americans amid a new wave of xenophobia that emerged during the pandemic.
Senator Ron Johnson, a Republican from Wisconsin, incited widespread outrage when he said recently that he would have been more afraid of the rioters who rampaged the Capitol on Jan. 6 had they been members of Black Lives Matter and antifa.

But his revealing and incendiary comment, which quickly prompted accusations of racism, came as no surprise to those who have followed Mr. Johnsons career in Washington or back home in Wisconsin. He has become the Republican Partys foremost amplifier of conspiracy theories and disinformation now that Donald Trump himself is banned from social media and largely avoiding appearances on cable television.

Mr. Johnson  who earned his fortune through a family business that manufactures synthetic materials  is an all-access purveyor of misinformation on serious issues such as the pandemic and the legitimacy of American democracy, as well as invoking the etymology of Greenland as a way to downplay the effects of climate change.

In recent months, Mr. Johnson has sown doubts about President Bidens victory, argued that the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol was not an armed insurrection, promoted discredited Covid-19 treatments, and said he saw no need to get the coronavirus vaccine himself.
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We learn young around here how to help each other out. Meanwhile, some residents in Penrith and Jamisontown were allowed to return home on Monday morning after an all-clear message was issued. The area included properties within the area bounded by the Nepean River, south of the Great Western Highway and west of Peach Tree Creek and in the immediate vicinity of Cables Wake Park. Loading Replay Replay video Play video Play video Bureau of Meteorology forecaster Helen Kirkup said Penrith and North Richmond, on the Hawkesbury-Nepean, have had their flood peak move through, while Windsor is yet to have their peak. However, heavy falls expected in the catchments in the region on Monday and Tuesday, including the Colo River, mean theres still a lot more to come downstream, so the flood levels will remain high for days.

Theres enough rainfall to come to have an impact, Ms Kirkup said. She said the two powerful weather systems comprised a coastal trough, which has caused heavy rainfall over the past five days, and an inland trough that is stretching across the continent and will feed rainfall across the western part of the state. The Nepean River breaching its banks on Sunday after days of heavy rain. Credit:Wolter Peeters Theyre going to make each others presence felt tonight and into tomorrow, she said. At this stage, were expecting their effect to be shortlived and over the water by Wednesday. While some wet weather may linger on the Far North Coast, conditions are likely to improve later in the week. But Ms Kirkup warned the impact of the rain on the landscape and water catchment system would take a while to recede.

Loading Ms Kirkup noted rainfall totals had reached 900 millimetres or higher in parts of northern NSW over the past week. They have had some cracking numbers, she said. NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian said the flood situation was evolving and warned heavy rain was set to continue, with warnings in place across the state. She said about 15,000 people had been evacuated from homes on the North Coast and about 3000 in the Richmond Valley region. Ms Berejiklian said 19 evacuation orders had been issued, but warned there could be more to come.

We just ask everybody in those flat areas to please be cautious, please listen to the orders, please be ready if youve been asked to be on alert, she said. I dont know any time in our states history where weve had such extreme weather conditions in quick succession in the middle of a pandemic. I just want to say everybody across the state who is currently living in fear and anxiety ... some communities who were battered by the bushfires and are being battered by the floods, and deep drought prior to that: these are challenging times for NSW, but I think weve also demonstrated the capacity to be resilient. We are not out of the woods at all in the Hawkesbury. Ms Berejiklian said she was planning to fly over the Nepean-Hawkesbury region to inspect the conditions. A severe weather warning remains in place for much of the state.

Loading More than 200 schools are closed due to floods and storms. Several require maintenance and repair. A NSW Education spokesperson said the department continued to monitor the effects of the weather event and was working closely with emergency services to ensure school communities were safe. As of 7am, 207 public schools have been impacted, including 151 that will be closed today due to damage and the severe weather, the spokesperson said. We are assessing the extent of the damage, particularly on the Mid North Coast, and where possible have started the clean-up to ensure that schools can be returned to normal operations as soon as possible.

Loading Given the continuing bad weather, it may take some days to gain access to sites to assess the damage. Students affected by the flood emergency will be able to learn from home. Learning resources are available from the departments Learning from Home Hub during this emergency. Most of the Sydney Basin can expect the drenching to continue, with 85-150 millimetres forecast for Monday and Tuesday for the CBD and similar totals for Penrith and Campbelltown in the south. Prime Minister Scott Morrison said the federal government was standing ready to respond to any requests for assistance.
The 1.5-year-old Uddhav Thackeray-led coalition government in Maharashtra is facing its biggest crisis.

The Maha Vikas Aghadi government  a coalition cobbled up with Thackerays Shiv Sena, Sharad Pawars National Congress Party and the Congress party  has been rocked by two scandals, one after the other.

The arrest of Mumbai Police officer Sachin Vaze in the Ambani bomb scare case and the allegations of corruption/extortion against the state Home Minister Anil Deshmuk by former Mumbai Police Commissioner Param Bir Singh.

The National Investigation Agency has taken over the Ambani case and arrested Sachin Vaze.

Bharatiya Janata Party leader and former Member of Parliament Kirit Somaiya has said that apart from the former Mumbai Police Commissioner, Chief Minister and Home Minister too are responsible for what happened outside Antilia, the residence of industrialist Mukesh Ambani, when an SUV laden with gelatin sticks and a note threatening the safety of the Ambani family was found.

Rajya Sabha proceedings were adjourned till 2 pm on March 22 amid uproar over corruption allegations in Maharashtra. Information & Broadcasting Minister Prakash Javadekar raised the Maharashtra issue referring to the alleged corruption in the state.

The ex-Mumbai police chief in a letter to the Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray alleged that the state Home Minister had asked Sachin Vaze to collect Rs 100 crore every month from bars and hotels in the city.

BJP leaders and workers staged protests in various cities demanding the resignation of Anil Deshmukh, as per news reports.

It was reported in a section of the press that over the weekend National Congress Party chief Sharad Pawar is contemplating the removal of Anil Deshmukh from the Cabinet considering the seriousness of the charges against him.

However, in a press conference today (March 22) he ruled out any action against the home minister saying, "The Mumbai ATS is probing the matter and the probe is in the right direction. Now to divert attention from that, vague allegations have been levelled by Parambir Singh."

Story continues

Pawar said that Deshmukh was ailing from coronavirus and in a hospital at the time Parambir alleges that he met Sachin Vaze and discussed an extortion racket.

BJP IT Head Amit Malviya, however, fact-checked Pawars claims and released a video where Deshmukh is seen conducting a press conference on February 15.

The crisis has hit the MVA at a time when Maharashtra tops the coronavirus cases in the country and Mumbai has registered the highest single-day spike in cases since the start of the pandemic.

The twin scandals have come as a blessing in disguise for the BJP which has been suffering losses in Maharashtra since losing out on government formation in 2019, despite winning the state elections, due to differences with ally Shiv Sena.

The BJP lost the municipal polls in Nagpur (RSS headquarters), mayoral elections in Jalgaon and Sangli, and 5 of the 6 MLC seats which went to polls last year.

Shiv Sena had teamed up with NCP and Congress to form a government in Maharashtra after BJP refused sharing of the top post. Many political pundits had then predicted that the MVA government would not last its full term and fall under the weight of its inherent contradictions.

The alliance of staunch saffron parties with secular parties was unnatural at first place.

MVA enjoys the support of 169 MLAs in a house of 288, where the simple majority mark is 145. The dynamics of the strength of the parties in the Maharashtra assembly is such that the BJP cannot form a government without the support of either NCP or Sena. Power is the glue which has been holding the parties in the MVA together.

The BJP is demanding that the alleged extortion case should be investigated by a central agency so that the truth comes out. It is applying pressure on the Chief Minister to drop Deshmukh.

The state leadership hopes that circumstances lead to the imposition of Presidents Rule in the state.

However, the top leadership of BJP may not want to try out any such misadventure after the mishap in 2019 where it made a failed bid to form government with support of Ajit Pawar camp.

We have seen in corruption cases like 2G, CWG, Coal Gate etc. that these are very difficult to prove in a court of law. Currently these are mere allegations by Parambir Singh. Some valid questions remain.

Why didnt he report this matter earlier? Why did he write about it only after being removed as Mumbai top cop? What is the proof he has, if any? Is it not just a diversionary tactic to deflect shortcomings in investigation in the Antilla case?

In the end it is a battle of public perception. The chief minister knows this very well and may remove the home minister, handing over the enquiry to an independent body, to avert the crisis.

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Source: Xinhua| 2021-03-22 17:40:12|Editor: huaxia

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KATHMANDU, March 22 (Xinhua) -- Nepali President Bidhya Devi Bhandari left for Bangladesh on Monday for a two-day state visit at the invitation of her Bangladeshi counterpart Mohammad Abdul Hamid.

This is the Nepali president's first foreign visit since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic last year.

During Bhandari's visit, the two countries will sign three separate memorandums of understanding (MoUs) on tourism promotion, sanitary and phytosanitary measures.

The Bangladeshi government has made transit facilities accessible to Nepal on the Kakadbhitta-Phulbari-Banglabandh highway, as well as at the Chittagong and Mongla seaports.

It has also opened up a new "rail corridor" for the service of a freight train from Rohanpur-Singhabad to Nepal, as well as allowing Nepal to use the Mongla harbor as an alternative to the Kolkata port.

Since Mongla port is closer to Kolkata port, it will help Nepal expand bilateral trade.

Bangladeshi president paid a four-day state visit to Nepal in 2019, and expressed an interest in purchasing Nepal's energy at that time. As a result, President Bhandari's visit to Bangladesh is being closely observed in both countries. Enditem
Mans best friend is the star of eight short films being presented by the Lighthouse International Film Societys Virtual Cinema from March 22-29.

The Dog Film Festival is the Long Beach-based film groups annual celebration of the love between dogs and their people through short films from around the world. The program, which runs for about 90 minutes, includes a mix of documentaries and fiction films running from one minute to 30 minutes in length, appropriate for ages 10 and older.

The lineup:

No Home Without You (4 minutes): Amy Rivards visual poem about the unconditional love and magic that dogs bring to our lives.

Lady Bs First Winter -- Puppy to Avalanche Dog (23 minutes): Scott Ransoms documentary about raising a puppy to be an avalanche rescue dog, filmed in the gorgeous Telluride mountains.

Finding Shelter (30 minutes): Erin Parks documentary follows a British family that moves to Bulgaria, where they are so moved by the plight of homeless dogs and cats that they open the first (and therefore controversial) local animal shelter and adopt out dogs internationally.

Dogs Playing for Life -- The Playgroup Change (4 minutes): Tucker Eurman shows the mutual transformation of shelter dogs and their handlers when Dogs Playing for Life liberates the dogs from their cages into outdoor playgroups.

Purebred Love (19 minutes): Laura OGrady follows three purebred dog breeders, their passion for their dogs, and the quirky world of dog showing.

It Takes an Island: Saving the Aruba Cunucu Street Dog (15 minutes): Michael Buldas documentary about the determined volunteers working against difficult odds on behalf of the unfortunate street dogs trying to survive on this otherwise beautiful island.

Escamol (4 minutes): Silvia Santoyos narrative from the point of view of Escamol, a rescued dog who feels left out when his adopter brings home more dogs.

From Shelter to Mountains (1 minute): Evan Curtis shows us the life change for a shelter dog who gets adopted into an idyllic outdoor life.

Tickets are $12. Films will be available for viewing for 30 days after purchase. For more information, visit lighthousefilmfestival.org
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Chinese Villager Targets Officials With Explosive, at Least Five Dead

Chinese regime announced five people were killed in a man-made explosion on the outskirts of Guangzhou on the morning of March 22. Local villagers told The Epoch Times that 16 people died or were injured in the blast, caused by a villager angry with village officials.

A 59-year-old local man surnamed Hu is suspected of entering a building in Mingjing village, Panyu District, in Guangzhou, China. Hu then allegedly detonated a homemade explosive device and killed at least five people, including himself, injuring another five, at around 10 a.m. on Monday, local police said on their official Weibo account.

All the injured have been sent to hospital for treatment and the case is under investigation, the police added.

Dong Baosheng, deputy mayor of Hualong Town where Mingjing is located, told state-owned Jiupai News that the mayor of Mingjing village, Zhou Julin, was injured during the blast and was in critical condition.

A villager from Mingjing who doesnt want to expose his name told the Chinese-language Epoch Times in a phone interview that he and his fellow villagers witnessed 16 people being picked up from the explosion and sent to hospital by ambulances. He accused the police of covering up the true casualty count.

Its the office building of Mingjing village party committee. All the village officials were having a meeting in it in the morning, the villager said. Its definitely that the villager felt angry with the Chinese Communist Party [and took revenge by detonating an explosion against the officials].

The villager said the local police locked down the whole village after the explosion and didnt allow residents to leave their homes.

Chinese netizens posted videos on social media platforms, claiming to show scenes from inside the Mingjing village party committees building after the explosion. In the video, at least three people are seen lying on the floor without moving, and tables and chairs are all broken into pieces.

State-owned Jiemian News reported that the Mingjing village party committee decided to invest 8 billion yuan ($1.23 billion) to rebuild the village in August 2020, and granted the project to Shanghai Shenglong Investment Group.

The project involves 98.51 hectares of spaces that would be changed into commercial use, displacing up to 3,736 villagers houses. The report didnt say whether there was dispute between villagers and officials during execution of the project, but these kinds of disputes have been common all over China in the past two decades.

The news report was quickly removed from the internet, but still can be read in an archive.
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Huntington, WV (25701)

Today

Showers and thunderstorms. Storms may contain strong gusty winds. High 76F. Winds SSW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 100%..

Tonight

Thunderstorms early, then mainly cloudy after midnight. Areas of patchy fog developing. Low 61F. Winds SSW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 70%.
Protesters hold up a three finger salute against the Myanmar junta - AFP

The European Union on Monday slapped asset freezes and visa bans on 11 members of Myanmars junta linked to the military coup on February 1 and a brutal crackdown on protesters.

Arriving in Brussels ahead of a meeting with his EU counterparts, Heiko Maas, the German foreign minister, said the measures would target those responsible for violence on the streets and were not designed to punish the population.

"The number of murders has reached an unbearable extent, which is why we will not be able to avoid imposing sanctions," Mr Maas told reporters.

"We don't intend to punish the people of Myanmar but those who blatantly violate human rights," he added.

Nearly 250 deaths have been confirmed in the weeks since the coup, according to the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners, although the true toll could be higher.

Ten of the 11 people sanctioned belong to the highest ranks of the Myanmar military, including coup leader General Min Aung Hlaing. The other is the new chairperson of the Union Election Commission for his role in cancelling the results of the 2020 elections, which Aung San Suu Kyis National League for Democracy won in a landslide.

The move, described by the EU as robust, means the targeted individuals will be banned from entering or transiting through EU territory and will also freeze their funds or economic resources in the same region. EU citizens and companies are also forbidden from making funds available to them.

However, some rights activists said the measures were too little, too late.

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After seven weeks of delay, the EU finally announces its action against the military in response to the coup. 11 members of the military can no longer take holidays in EU member states. Pathetic, tweeted Mark Farmaner, director of the Burma Campaign UK.

He called for wider financial sanctions, a global arms embargo and support for referring Myanmar to the International Criminal Court.

More protester deaths were recorded over the weekend. It was also reported that an Australian couple has been placed under house arrest by Myanmars junta after being denied permission to fly out of the troubled Southeast Asian nation.

Story continues

Matthew OKane and Christa Avery, a dual Australian-Canadian national, run a bespoke consultancy in the commercial city of Yangon, focusing on energy, infrastructure and agriculture projects.

According to the Australian media, they were told to return home after Ms Avery tried to board a relief flight on Friday back to Australia but was blocked from doing so.

Australias foreign ministry confirmed on Sunday it was providing consular assistance to two of its nationals in Myanmar but gave no further details due to privacy obligations.

Canadas global affairs department said it was aware of a case involving a Canadian citizen and was providing consular services.

The couples de facto detention follows the arrest of another Australian national, Sean Turnell, shortly after the February 1 coup.

Anti-coup protesters demonstrate with red balloons - AP

Mr Turnell, an economist, who was working as an adviser to detained civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi, was accused by the military on state television of attempting to flee Myanmar with secret state financial information.

His supporters have dismissed the allegations and his wife, Ha Vu, stressed that her husband had done nothing to deserve being detained. He has not been formally charged and Marisa Payne, the Australian foreign minister, has repeatedly called for his release.

It remains unclear why Ms Avery was not allowed to depart on Friday.

Her work in Myanmar has included providing development capital to infrastructure projects under a programme supported by the UKs Department for International Development. The Foreign Office was contacted for comment.

Her friend, Tim Harcourt, told the Sydney Morning Herald that she had spent a decade in the country dedicated to the cause of development in Myanmar.

Shes in a group of Aussies that have gone over there and tried to help with the development of Myanmar after it went back to democracy, temporarily as it turned out, said Mr Harcourt, an economist.

She is someone who had her heart in the right place. Shes not a threat to any regime, shes just trying to help the Burmese people.

Protesters take cover in Mandalay - Reuters

Australia on March 7 suspended a military cooperation programme with Myanmar but has not announced additional sanctions since the juntas takeover and did not sign a joint statement over the weekend by the by US, UK and European Union ambassadors condemning the militarys violent crackdown against anti-coup protesters.

Protesters faced another violent crackdown over the weekend.

Video recorded in the city of Mandalay showed a motorcyclist apparently being shot off his motorbike by police on an empty street.

As the people who recorded the video shout Hes been hit! Hes been hit! Go and rescue him! police quickly appeared and led him away on foot. It is not known what happened to the man or how badly he was hurt.

The AAPP has also confirmed 2,345 people have been arrested or charged since the coup, with 1,994 still detained or sought for arrest. Among those arrested have been 40 journalists.

However, in a more positive development, detained BBC journalist Aung Thur was reported to have been released, days after he was take away by men in plain clothes while reporting outside a court in the capital, Naypyitaw.

Local media reported that Than Htike Aung, a reporter for Mizzima, who was also detained on March 19, has yet to be freed.

The military has also revoked the licences of five media companies.
Education leaders in California Schools strongly condemned the racist attacks and emphasized the crucial roles of academic institutions in combating xenophobia and teaching tolerance as discrimination and hate crimes surge around the country.

While racism against Asian Americans and other races has always existed especially in the state of California, the recent increase started a year ago after the coronavirus pandemic, which started in China. Asian Americans were recently attacked in Oakland, San Francisco, and other cities, and just last Tuesday, a man in Georgia killed eight individuals which include six Asian women.

According to the website EdSource, close to 3,800 Asian Americans have reported being victims of racism since the start of the shutdown a year ago. Victims shared experiences of physical or verbal attacks based on the report of Stop AAPI Hate, a group that was formed last year in order to draw attention and awareness to the issue.

Moreover, despite the drop in hate crimes overall, police reports collected by the Center for the Study of Hate & Extremism at Cal State San Bernardino signaled for a worsening situation. From 2019 to 2020, there is an increase in anti-Asian hate crimes in major cities around the country, The LA Times reported.

Based on the survey of Pew Research Center in July 2020, the survey found out that there were more anti-Asian and anti-Black sentiments before entering the pandemic shutdown. The survey also showed that 6-in-10 Asian adults stated that it is more common for individuals to express racist or racially insensitive views regarding individuals who are Asian than it was before the pandemic compared to 4-in-10 White, Black, and Hispanic adults.

Meanwhile, forty-five percent of Black adults also stated that it was more common to hear racist comments regarding Blacks since the global health crisis.

ALSO READ: Miami Announces Earlier Curfew Due to Crowds of Spring Breakers; Businesses in the Area Affected

Blamed for the Pandemic

The superintendent of San Francisco Unified, Dr. Vincent Matthews shared that the pandemic has brought a lot of pain and suffering for many, as the emergence of conspiracy theories put the blame on the Asian community for the coronavirus pandemic. Matthews also pointed out that there is a need to stand together against violence perpetrated against any member of the community.

In addition, Vice President Kamala Harris, whose mother was Indian American, also offered her support not only for the Asian American community but also for other races. She andUS President Joe Biden visited Atlanta on Friday to offer solace to the families of the victims, The Day reported.

During their visit, Harris emphasized that everyone has the right in going to work, going to school, while walking down the street, safe. The US Vice President also added that to be recognized as an American, it should not be as the other but it should be us, which means that harm against any one of them is harm against all.

The rise on hate crimes about Asian Americans heightened after the release of the information that the pandemic originated in China, and some experts were afraid that it might happen also to Latin Americans due to the ongoing border dispute.



RELATED ARTICLE: California Adopts Ethnic Studies in High School Curriculum to Address Causes of Racism
The European Union has imposed sanctions against 11 individuals responsible for the February 1 military coup in Myanmar and the subsequent crackdown of peaceful protesters. According to a press release issued by the European Council, ten of the 11 individuals sanctioned in the latest list include top ranking officials of Myanmars Armed Forces. Myanmar military Commander-in-Chief, Min Aung Hlaing and his deputy Soe Win have also been sanctioned by the EU.

The measures taken against 11 individuals include travel ban and asset freeze. The individuals sanctioned will not be allowed to travel to Europe and stop for transit. Any funds or assets of the listed individuals and entities in the EU will be blocked. EU residents and companies have been barred from doing any business with the above-mentioned individuals and entities. The latest sanctions, including the previous decision to block all assistance to government bodies involved in the coup, represent the EU's response to the overthrow of the legitimate government in Myanmar.

The latest sanctions also include the Chairperson of the Union Election Commission of Myanmar, which cancelled the 2020 election results. With the pre-existing embargos, the total number of individuals and entities sanctioned by the EU has reached 25. The EU had sanctioned 14 persons for atrocities against the Rohingya population in the past.

What happened on February 1?

Myanmars military conducted a coup on February 1, overthrowing the government of Aung San Suu Kyi. The military arrested State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi, President Win Myint and several other members of the National League for Democracy (NLD) party hours before the newly-elected parliamentarians were scheduled to take the oath of office.

What is the motive behind the coup?

The military accused the government of engaging in illegal activities, including election fraud and corruption. However, experts suggest that the military orchestrated the coup because it feared that Suu Kyis government would reduce the number of seats reserved for the Army in the national parliament after winning the 2020 election with a landslide. Suu Kyi had earlier promised to slowly end the reservation for the military, which takes 25% of the total seats in the parliament.

What followed the coup?

Tens of thousands of people took to the streets to protest against the military, demanding the restoration of democracy in Myanmar. After security forces failed to bring the widespread protests under control, the junta ordered use of force against peaceful demonstrators, killing more than a hundred people since February and arresting over thousand others. The military has also detained several human rights activists, pro-democracy advocates, journalists, and politicians since the coup occurred earlier last month.

(Image Credit: AP)
Backstreet Rookie actress Kim Yoo Jung is slowly becoming one of South Korea's most sought-after CF queens.

It came after the "Clean With Passion For Now" star has been chosen as the face of Toretta- a subsidiary drink under Coca-Cola.

In a new report, a spokesperson from the company pointed out the actress' vibrant image and appeal to the trend-sensitive MZ generation would help the brand to connect with the younger market.

"We are looking forward to a positive synergy between Kim Yoo Jung and Torreta!, a water-ion supplement drink that showed fresh and colorful charms in many ways," an official from Coca-Cola mentioned, adding, "It will help to replenish moisture and ions with low calories."

Toretta is a new line of beverages that features low-calorie water and ion supplement drinks. Aside from the beneficial minerals, Toretta contains ten kinds of fruits and vegetable extracts, including carrots, citrus, grapefruit, apples, and more.

Following the announcement regarding her new endorsement, Kim Yoo Jung's latest commercial for the brand is set to air sometime in April.

READ MORE: Check out Kim Yoo Jung's Gorgeous Photos from Awesome ENT

Fans are Excited over Kim Yoo-Jung's Upcoming Commercial

On the other hand, fans can't help but gush over the "Love in the Moonlight" star's upcoming project.

"Our beautiful yoojung has been chosen as the new model of the toreta ad," one fan posted over Instagram, alongside Kim Yoo-Jung's teaser campaign shoot.

Meanwhile, the second fan appeared to be overjoyed as she expressed how proud she is with the 21-year-old celebrity's new endorsement.

'It's so glad to know You Jung's new Drink CF will release in April. So so proud of lovely you jung ssi ! Happy."

The same goes for an individual who expressed the same sentiment and wrote, "New TV commercial with our love! @you_r_love will be on air in April, I'm so excited. More CF's for our loveee. So proyd of you yooj."

In the teaser campaign shoot, Kim Yoo Jung exudes charm and innocence as she wore a mint green long sleeve top while posing with the low-calorie beverage.

The award-winning actress has been the face of several brands, whether it is for fashion, skincare, and more - this includes Fila, Yogiyo app, and Laneige's Radiant C Cream and Stained Glass Stick.

Kim Yoo Jung for the Upcoming "Hong Chun Gi"

Kim Yoo-Jung is not just busy with her endorsement shoots but also with her current drama.

In December 2020, multiple reports confirmed that the former child star is set to star in a new fantasy romance drama, "Hong Chun Gi" together with Ahn Hyo Seop.

The 21-year-old actress takes on Hong Cheon Ki's role, a female painter in the Joseon dynasty with undeniable art skills.

Meanwhile, the "Abyss" actor is set to portray a unique astrologer named Ha Ram. Unfortunately, an accident occurred when he was young, causing him to lose his vision. Despite being blind, he has the ability to read the stars.

Aside from the duo, other cast members include Gong Myung, who will play the role of Grand Prince Anpyeon, and Kwak Si-Yang as Grand Prince Suyang.

ALSO CHECK: Kim Yoo Jung and Ahn Hyo Seop in Talks to Unite in Upcoming Historical Drama

KDramastars owns this article.

Written by Geca Wills
(Newser)  The US, the European Union, Britain, and Canada launched coordinated sanctions against officials in China on Monday over what they call human rights abuses against Uighur Muslims in the Xinjiang region, per the AP. "Amid growing international condemnation, the [People's Republic of China] continues to commit genocide and crimes against humanity in Xinjiang," Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a statement, per Business Insider. The US targeted two Chinese officials in Beijing, and more were sanctioned by the other nations. The sanctions involve a freeze on the officials assets and a ban on them traveling. British Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said the measures were part of "intensive diplomacy" to force action amid mounting evidence about serious rights abuses against the Uighur Muslim people.

story continues below

Initially, China denied the existence of camps for detaining Uighurs in Xinjiang but has since described them as centers to provide job training and to reeducate those exposed to radical jihadi thinking. Officials in Beijing deny all charges of human rights abuses. Xinjiang had been a hotbed of anti-government violence, but Beijing claims its massive security crackdown brought peace in recent years. Chinas Foreign Ministry denounced the sanctions as "based on nothing but lies and disinformation" as it issued its own retaliatory measures. (The first talks between the Biden administration and China got off to a rocky start over the weekend.)

(Read more Uighurs stories.)
Vivo just announced X60 and X60 Pro smartphones in the new X60 series for the global markets, ahead of India launch on March 25th. The phones pack a 6.56-inch FHD+ HDR10+ E3 AMOLED screen with 120Hz refresh rate, 240Hz touch sampling rate and a 32MP camera inside the punch-hole, but the X60 Pro has a curved screen. The global version of the Vivo X60 series are powered by Snapdragon 870 SoC with support for 5G SA / NSA compared to Samsung Exynos 1080 5nm SoC in the Chinese version. These feature extended RAM technology, so 12GB RAM in X60 series can effectively have 15GB RAM, which is 3GB more, said the company.

The X60 series pack triple rear cameras with Zeiss optics lenses that includes a 48MP main camera with Sony IMX598 f/1.48 aperture main camera with VIS 5-Axis Video Stabilization that is enhanced gimbal stabilization combined with EIS to realize X/Y-axis rotation/transition as well as Z-axis rotation. The X60 Pro also has Gimbal Stabilization 2.0 that moves the lens in the opposite direction to compensate for any camera shakes. These feature a 13MP 50mm portrait camera and a13MP 120 wide-angle camera with 2.5cm macro support.

These X60 series reproduces the intricacies of Biotar lenses, which include the legendary central resolution and the rotation bokeh of Biotar, said the company. The X60 Pro doesnt have a telephoto camera that is present in the global version.

The X60 series feature two-tone gradient design and satin AG technology that not only offers smoothness and exquisiteness, but also visually more advanced, almost completely free of fingerprints, according to vivo. The vivo X60 is just 7.36mm and the X60 Pro is 7.59mm thick, making it vivos thinnest phone with a 3D curved screen, says the company.

Vivo X60 and X60 Pro specifications

6.56-inch (23761080 pixels) Full HD+ 19.8:9 E3 AMOLED 120Hz (curved in X60 Pro) HDR10+ display

Octa Core (1 x 3.2GHz + 3 x 2.42GHz + 4 x 1.8GHz Hexa) Snapdragon 870 7nm Mobile Platform with Adreno 650 GPU

12GB LPDDR5 RAM, 256GB (UFS 3.1) storage

Android 11 with Funtouch OS 11.1

Dual SIM (nano + nano)

48MP rear camera with Sony IMX598 sensor, f/1.48 aperture LED flash, Gimbal Stabilization 2.0 (only in X60 Pro), 5-axis VIS, 13MP 120 ultra-wide lens with 2.5cm macro, f/2.2 aperture, 13MP 50mm portrait camera with f/2.46 aperture, 2x optical zoom

32MP front-facing camera with f/2.45 aperture

In-display fingerprint sensor

USB Type-C Audio

X60 Dimensions: 159.6375.017.36mm (Midnight Black) / 7.40mm (Shimmer Blue); Weight: 176g (Midnight Black) / 177g (Shimmer Blue)

X60 Pro Dimensions: 158.5873.247.59mm (Midnight Black) / 7.69mm (Shimmer Blue); Weight: 177g (Midnight Black) / 179g (Shimmer Blue)

5G SA/ NSA, Dual 4G VoLTE, Wi-Fi 802.11 ax, Bluetooth 5.1, GPS (L1+L5 Dual Band) + GLONASS, USB Type-C

4300mAh (X60) / 4200mAh (X60 Pro) battery with 33W fast charging

The Vivo X60 and X60 Pro come in Midnight Black and Shimmer Blue colour variants. The X60 is priced at 2,699 Malaysian Ringgit (US$ 657 / Rs. 47,545 approx.) and the X60 Pro costs 3299 Malaysian Ringgit (US$ 657 / Rs. 47,545 approx.) for single 12GB RAM with 256GB storage version and will go on sale pre-order in Malaysia starting from today, March 22nd till March 26th with several launch offers.

Ahead of the launch in India on March 25th, pricing for the phone have surfaced that reveals Rs. 39,990 for the X60 8GB + 128GB and Rs. 43,990 for the 8GB + 256GB. The X60 Pro 12GB + 256GB version will be priced at Rs. 49,990. The company is also planning to launch the X60 Pro+ 12GB + 256GB version in India priced at Rs. 69,990.

Source
The senator representing Ekiti South district, Abiodun Olujimi, has narrated how she escaped being shot during the violence that erupted at the House of Assembly bye-election for Ekiti East Constituency 1 on Saturday.

The bye-election was to fill in the vacant position of Juwa Adegbuyi, a representative of the constituency, who died in February.

Mrs Olujimi, a member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), said the incident occurred shortly after the visit of some All Progressives Congress (APC) members at the polling unit.

PREMIUM TIMES reported how two people died in the incident at ward 7, Unit 7 Iworo in Omuo Ekiti.

Following the incident, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in a statement by its spokesperson, Festus Okoye, announced the suspension of the election.

As expected, the PDP and the APC have been playing a blame game since Saturday.

Speaking on her experience with journalists in Ekiti on Sunday, Mrs Olujimi said eight people were shot.

The leaders of APC came to the polling unit, in fact we greeted warmly. After they left, some APC thugs who stayed behind pulled out guns and started shooting sporadically. This is the first time we would witness this. They picked the ballot box and ran away, she said.

A man died as he was trying to escape the scene. The policewoman guarding the ballot box was also shot in the head. The corps member and presiding officer at the unit were hit by bullets.

In totality, eight people were shot. Some died and five are battling with (for) their lives in the hospital receiving treatments, she narrated.

We are law-abiding

Meanwhile, the APC in a statement by its publicity secretary in the state, Sam Oluwalana, exonerated itself from the violence.

The party said It is unfortunate that a very peaceful and transparent election could have turned so bloody.

The APC is law-abiding, peaceful and as such has no reason to be violent. No election is worth the blood of any Ekiti son or daughter.

We sincerely commiserate with the families of those who lost their loved ones, while also wishing the policewoman and other gunshot victims, still on admission in the hospital, quick recovery.

We call on the security agents to bring the perpetrators of this needless bloodletting to justice, the APC said.

Already, the police have confirmed the arrest of three people in connection to the violence.

Governor Kayode Fayemi has said the perpetrators will be charged with murder on Monday.

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LONDON - A protest in the English city of Bristol against new policing legislation turned into violent clashes that left at least 20 officers injured  two of them seriously  widespread damage to a police station and police vehicles torched, police said Monday.

A police officer with a police dog faces protesters outside Bridewell Police Station, in Bristol, England, Sunday March 21, 2021, as people took part in a protest demonstrating against the Police and Crime Bill. (Andrew Matthews/PA via AP)

LONDON - A protest in the English city of Bristol against new policing legislation turned into violent clashes that left at least 20 officers injured  two of them seriously  widespread damage to a police station and police vehicles torched, police said Monday.

Seven people were arrested during the protest, which started Sunday afternoon and ran through to the early hours of Monday morning. Police said the number of arrests would likely increase in coming days as officers study closed circuit television footage.

The violence, which also saw several police vehicles damaged, was branded as unacceptable by Britain's interior minister, Priti Patel.

Thuggery and disorder by a minority will never be tolerated, she said.

What started as a peaceful demonstration of around 3,000 people on College Green in the heart of the city in western England turned violent after hundreds of protesters descended on the New Bridewell police station.

Many demonstrators donned face masks and carried placards criticizing the legislation, such as Say no to U.K. police state and Freedom to protest is fundamental to democracy.

The protesters were ostensibly venting their anger at the governments Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill, which is currently going through parliament. Under the terms of the legislation, which covers England and Wales, police will be handed new powers to tackle demonstrations.

Sue Mountstevens, police and crime commissioner for the Avon and Somerset region, said seven people have been arrested but that there would be many more detained.

Its disgraceful and outrageous," she said. Police officers went to work yesterday and some have returned home via hospital battered and bruised.

Protesters attempted to smash the windows of the glass-fronted police station and damaged 12 vehicles, including two that were set on fire.

Andy Marsh, chief constable of Avon and Somerset Police, said 12 police vehicles were damaged and significant damage was caused to the New Bridewell police station.

Officers were pelted with stones and missiles and fireworks and it was a terrifying situation for them to deal with," he said.

I believe the events of yesterday were hijacked by extremists, people who were determined to commit criminal damage, to generate very negative sentiment about policing and to assault our brave officers," he added.

Two of the police officers injured were treated in hospital after suffering broken ribs and an arm. Both have since been discharged.

Bristol mayor Marvin Rees, who said he had major concerns about the bill, condemned the violence and said the unrest would be used to justify the legislation.

One of the reasons why the British government has pushed through new legislation on the police's powers over protests relates to last summer's anti-racism protests, including the toppling of a statue of slave trader, Edward Colston, in Bristol.
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Chief Minister and senior leader of AIADMK, E. Palaniswami, has promised a new district, Arni, which will be carved out of Tiruvannamalai district.

The chief minister made the announcement during a slew of public programmes on Sunday evening.

Palaniswami lashed out against DMK President M.K. Stalin calling him a "fake" farmer and informed that he, himself, and his family were the ones into farming for the past seven years.

The chief minister challenged Stalin as to whether he could even till a land.

Palaniswami claimed that he could till a land easily as it was his family's vocation.

He also charged that senior leader V.R. Nedunchezhiyan was cheated by Stalin's father, M. Karunanidhi for the post of chief minister whereas the sitting AIADMK CM became the chief minister only after being elected by a majority of legislators.

Addressing a public programme at Vandavasi in the Tiruvannamalai district, Palaniswami said that his government has won the prestigious "Krishi Karman Award" initiated by the central government for the past five years and added that it was his government's consistent dedication and commitment that made it possible.

He also said that has achieved its food production target of 100 lakh tonne, which was yet another milestone for his government.

The AIADMK has stitched a pre-poll alliance with the BJP in power at the Centre for the upcoming April 6 state Assembly elections.

--IANS

aal/in

(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.)
(@ChaudhryMAli88)

WASHINGTON (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 23rd March, 2021) President Joe Biden has nominated Lina Khan for the post of Federal Trade Commission chief, the White House announced on Monday, positioning a fierce critic of Big Tech in a job that looks likely to put greater scrutiny on the technology industry often accused of antitrust violations.

"Today, President Joe Biden announced his intent to nominate Lina Khan for Commissioner of the Federal Trade Commission," the White House said in a statement.

Khan is an associate professor of law at Columbia Law school and former counsel in an investigation into digital markets by the US House Judiciary Committee's Subcommittee on Antitrust, Commercial and Administrative Law, the release said.

She is well known for a 2017 paper "Amazon's Antitrust Paradox," which lays out what she views as anti-competitive tactics of the e-commerce giant and failures by the US government to address them.

Khan's nomination to the FTC top job is seen as crucial to the administration as it gears to widen scrutiny over big tech Names such as Google, Amazon and Facebook that could possibly lead to more antitrust investigations.

Khan, 32, would become the youngest person to serve as FTC chief.

The US Justice Department had already filed an antitrust lawsuit against Google in October for alleged abuse of internet search.

The action against Google is the most forceful by the US government to ostensibly protect competition in the online search space since the groundbreaking case that began in the late 1990s against microsoft. The case was filed by the Justice Department during the time of the Trump administration, and Biden's leadership appears in support of that action.
Inside Indie Easy Star Records

Here, The Orchard chats with two of the four founding members of Easy Star Records, an American independent record label that has made a name for itself within the reggae community by championing a variety of notable reggae bands.

Guest post by Meredith Nadeau of the The Orchards The Daily Ring

In its 25 years of business, Easy Star Records has made its mark within the independent reggae community. Starting in New York City, the label has now grown to a global operation unifying music lovers from all corners of the world. Rooted in a passion for reggae, the musical output portrays a wide array of talent, often lending to new and inventive sounds. Top artists and groundbreakers featured on the Easy Star roster include Rebelution, Protoje, The Skints, New Kingston, The Expanders, Bedouin Soundclash, Jesse Royal and many more.

The Orchard, in conversation with two of the four Easy Star founders, Eric Smith and Lem Oppenheimer, discuss the early years of Easy Star, their love for reggae, artist discovery and more. Read on and learn about the ins and outs of running a label below.

Founded in 1996, tell us about Easy Star Records early years.

We hatched the idea of starting a record label while at a reggae show in NYC at Tramps in late 1994. We spent the next year educating ourselves on what it actually meant to run a label, incorporate, figure out some basics. Our initial plan was to put out our own productions  focused on bringing back elements that we loved about the golden age of reggae that we felt were missing in the current releases at the time. But once we began making connections within the scene, we quickly began licensing work from artists like The Meditations, Sugar Minott, and Sister Carol. We all worked day jobs and would hustle whenever we could to build things up. Wed walk the Caribbean neighborhoods of Brooklyn, Queens, and the Bronx going store to store selling consignments of 7 records. We were making cold calls to stores and distributors in Europe to sell over there as well. We also started a weekly party in the East Village at The Black Star Bar, on Tuesday nights, which ran for over 7 years, as a way for us to have office hours to meet artists, fans, colleagues, and to grow the labels brand and support the local NY reggae scene we had all grown up in.

Easy Star is known for releasing popular reggae music such as Protoje, New Kingston, Rebelution, Giant Panda Guerilla Dub Squad and more. How did you first get introduced to the genre?

LEM: I was very aware of it growing up, thanks to my older brother, who introduced me to Bob Marley, Yellowman, Steel Pulse, Black Uhuru, and many more, by the time I was 10 or 11. Add in around that time being very drawn to The Clash, The Police, the whole 2Tone movement in the UK, and it was very foundational to my listening. But I was a New Yorker, so we are born to listen to a wide range  it mixed in with classic rock, early hip-hop, funk and r&b, punk and new wave on a regular basis. When I got back from college in 93, I moved in with our partner Michael Goldwasser who produces our original releases. He had an amazingly large collection of reggae, so I was able to really deep dive then. Plus, Eric made me some incredible mix tapes (this still being the 90s after all) that cemented some of my tastes within the genre, like early dancehall, dub, and apocalyptic harmonies.

ERIC: My parents always had a few reggae albums in the mix during parties growing up (my dad was Caribbean-American) and those albums stood out as favorites for me. I would also visit England often since my mother is from Yorkshire and I loved the music I would discover over there and was struck by the amount of reggae that was played on the radio. At the same time, my favorite rock bands seemed to always be influenced by reggae: The Clash, The Police, etc. By my teens hip-hop was taking over borough by borough, in NY at first and then city by city up and down the East Coast. During this musical revolution I again found myself most interested in tracks that had a reggae influence and from there I worked my way to reggae dancehall immersing myself in it, never really looking back.

What was the precursor to creating your own record label?

LEM: For me, it was being in a band in college, but realizing I did not have the talent to actually go anywhere with that. So I was figuring out how I could be involved without being the talent. I had already put out a 7 with my band, and had helped to publish a magazine in college, so I had plenty of DIY knowledge towards the nuts and bolts of putting out records. Or so I thought! I had so much to learn (and still do).

ERIC: I had always planned to get involved in social justice work in some way. My father had been very involved in the civil rights movement and I figured I would take up the fight one way or another. But by the time I graduated college with a BA in Sociology, I did not see a clear next step to take, the one thing I know for sure is that I loved music and specifically reggae. When we began seriously talking about starting a label, I reconciled this pivot in my life with the idea that music played an essential part in all the great social movements and reggae music was the unofficial global communicator for the struggles of the oppressed. So I convinced myself that my choice was a noble one!

Reggae is not just a genre but a culture. What does reggae mean to you?

ERIC: To me reggae at its core is the perfect amalgamation of African beats and rhythms  which are the essence of so much of our global music and the popular music of the last half of the 20th century onward.

LEM: I agree with Eric, and especially with his earlier point that reggae is the voice of the oppressed throughout the world. So much of the history of the genre is tied up in the socio-economic and political battles that raged in post-colonial Jamaica in the 60s to today. But that said, its also been fascinating to see how it has evolved in different cultures during this time  and we, as a label, have seen first hand what this means in places like the UK, New Zealand, Hawaii, South Africa, South America, and so on, where the music develops its own style and culture. But the source of Jamaican culture still exerts its influence.

Your label represents artists from all over the world. How do you discover new talent from afar?

We began the label just when the internet started to really take off with the public. While we did not have the finances to compete with bigger labels we quickly developed a destination website for reggae and the label and reached out to the global reggae community to complement the work we were doing in our local NY scene. From there, we have just always worked hard on what we have before us and hope that the results and the relationships we make will lead to good referrals (and, thankfully, they have). It also helped that when Dub SIde of the Moon became a global hit, we were able to use that success to make a lot of contacts in other countries, especially the UK, and that led to connections with local bands and managers. In the end it was a conscious choice to not just release music from US bands or just from NYC. We always wanted to have a diverse roster, both musically and geographically.

How does reggae differ from country to country?

ERIC: Every country, city and town has a reggae scene. It may be just a few people in some spots, but there is at least one band and a few devoted fans to play to in every market, whether they are just doing Bob Marley covers or creating their own original music. While traditionally most artists tried to closely stick to what was coming out of Jamaica, over the last 15 years or so we see more local influences working its way into the music. So, for example, on our roster, acts like The Skints and Gentlemans Dub Club represent reggae from a London perspective much more than a Jamaican one, while The Green represent Honolulu more than Kingston.

LEM: The geographic difference can have an effect on the music, but often it is as much about the musical tastes of the people making the music  whether someone is more into a specific time period of reggae  like ska versus golden age 70s roots harmonies versus early dancehall versus digital dancehall and so on. Therefore, you might have a whole group of people scattered across different countries and cities all dabbling in digital style dub with Atari sound effects, but elsewhere in those same cities and countries, you have a whole different group of folks all messing with modern interpretations of roots harmonies.

What do you look for when signing a new artist/band?

Obviously, the music is important. However, all of us at the label have different tastes so we look for artists that we can find consensus on. Beyond that, we are looking for artists and (managers) who are serious about their work and  just as importantly  are willing to work with us as part of their team. Finally, we look for artists who can complement rather than compete with the rest of the roster. They have to make sense as a new addition to the Easy Star musical family.

Tell us about the team behind Easy Star Records. How would you describe the work culture? What do you look for when building out your team?

Were still the four friends who started the company 25 years ago. We consider ourselves a boutique label for that reason and we are selective about what albums and music we release or what bands we add to the roster. That said, we do put lots of thought into the people we hire for outside partners when it comes to distribution, marketing, and other things. We always want to find people who are like us  ready to work hard, think creatively, speak the truth without bullsh*t, and follow through. When we find partners we like, who we can work with, we stay loyal to them. For example, weve been with Missi Callazzo and MRI since approximately 2004.

Any new music or artists from Easy Star Records we should check out?

Of course! We started working with a young artist out of Jamaica last year, named Fyah Roiall, who is at the forefront of a new mix of genres called GrimeHall or TrapHall. Hes on the cutting edge of whats happening.

Weve been the label partner for the UK band Gentlemans Dub Club for their past four albums, and we have a great new one coming out March 19. They are huge in the UK scene, but havent had a chance to properly tour there yet. Were hoping we can get them over once the pandemic is done, because when people see their live show, they become loyal fans.

We recently put out the latest album by Double Tiger which has been building on the success of his debut release and a new EP from the hip-hop/reggae upstarts, The Late Ones. This is a lead into their debut full length album coming this spring. We also are excited about our newest singing Indubious, whose debut album on Easy Star comes out this spring as well as the highly anticipated sophomore release from Jesse Royal. And much more to come as well.

What advice would you give to someone trying to start their own record label?

You have to love what you are doing and respect the artists you are working with. It takes an incredible amount of talent, commitment, conviction, and motivation to make a business out of your talent. As a label, you have to be there to support and celebrate the beauty that the artist is creating. You are signing on to be a part in their professional musical journey, its a precious and wonderful opportunity that should never be taken lightly or for granted. If you can always keep this in mind, you should be good. And be prepared to work your ass off and have the best time of your life.

Is there anything else we should know about Easy Star Records?

We love music! Even after all of these years, you can still often find us sitting at 2 AM listening intently to loud music and discussing it.

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The Ambivalence of Bidens China Policy

Commentary

U.S. President Joe Biden, in his first foreign policy speech, called China the most serious competitor of the United States. However, Bidens own China policy is ambivalent, sometimes showing favor toward the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and sometimes showing toughness.

Biden isnt acting. Hes entangled in the conflict between following the dictates of political correctness and protecting national security.

Is the CCP Autocracy a Cultural Norm?

At a CNN televised event in Milwaukee on Feb. 16, Biden said: If you know anything about Chinese history  the central principle of Xi Jinping is that there must be a united, tightly controlled China. And he uses his rationale for the things he does based on that.

I am not going to speak out against what hes doing in Hong Kong, what hes doing with the Uighurs in western mountains of China and Taiwan.  Culturally there are different norms that each country and their leaders are expected to follow.

This is what Biden said in accordance with his valuesand the consistent standpoint of a panda hugger. Bidens values fully demonstrate the views of the politically correct camp in the United States, which refuses to openly acknowledge that the communist ideology of the Chinese regime originated from Marxism.

Instead, this camp talks about cultural relativism, which was imported from Europe and emphasizes that cultural diversity has no right or wrongan important point of neo-Marxism born in Europe. Its essence is moral negation, which believes that the moral concept of right and wrong allegedly based in Christian civilization must be eliminated and replaced by concepts like sexual confusion, advocacy of ethnic and class antagonism, anti-capitalism, and anti-religion.

When Biden and others like him describe the red autocracy as a cultural norm, they undoubtedly paint the CCPs culture with a thin layer of justification. This is a type of sophistry.

Under basic democratic values and concepts, its not difficult to distinguish between right and wrong. However, the ideology of neo-Marxism advocates overthrowing the existing social order and introducing various new and old Marxist values to transform democratic societies. To reach its goals, it emphasizes cultural relativism, equates its authoritarian culture with the traditional culture of the democratic system, and caps its authoritarian culture with a fallacious crown of cultural diversity.

Biden is a clumsy student of neo-Marxism. Not knowing how to circumvent the sophistry, he can only parrot the words of others, displaying a blatant tolerance of autocracy. In fact, the politically correct camp is hypocritical, showing no mercy when it comes to suppressing traditional Western values while promoting the idea that cultural diversity has no right or wrong.

Red Guard members wave copies of Chairman Maos Little Red Book during a parade in Beijing in June 1966. Lenins and Maos paranoid loathing of the bourgeoisie has once again mutated, as it did a century ago, from class hatred into race hatred. (Jean Vincent/AFP via Getty Images)

We have seen in the United States that political correctness is nothing more than postmodernist autocratic thinking. Its rooted in the values of red autocracy, which is why its always compatible with the CCP in terms of values. And like the CCP, the politically correct camp intends to control society with its own authoritarian thinking.

When those in this camp criticize the CCPs human rights violations, its just a show intended to blur their close ties with the red autocratic values. Its neither sincere nor serious.

Many of the older generations of politically correct Americans were attracted to Mao Zedongs Little Red Book during the 1960s anti-war movement. Theyve since entered university lecture halls and cultivated the pro-Marxist faculty that now occupies positions in universities and middle schools.

The 3 Factions in US Politics

The U.S. policy on China under former President Donald Trump was very clear and definitive, while Bidens China policy seems a bit chaotic.

Panda huggers and dragon slayers have always existed in the United States. Panda huggers have been seen in the political, financial, business, and academic arenas. Some members of the military and Republican Party are dragon slayers, or what I refer to as the panda restrainers.

At this moment, Americans in political and business circles fall under three categories in dealing with China. The first category is the panda restrainers, or patriots. The second is the traitorsthe panda huggers who prefer to strengthen the enemy and weaken their own country for their own interests. The third is what I call the domestic harm groupthose who insist that politically correct ideas may not align with the interests of the CCP, but dont hesitate to use the ideology of political correctness to promote various policies that harm the interests of the United States, in order to establish an autocracy.

The U.S.China relationship will remain complicated into the future. The confrontation at the military level is obvious, but frequent and detailed analysis is also needed at other levels. Unlike Trump, Biden is unwilling to adopt a consistent policy at all levels, and he will make conflicting decisions with regard to the military, espionage, economics, and politics to a certain extent.

As the U.S. military believes that national security is increasingly threatened by the CCP, it has called for strengthening national defense and demanded support from the panda restrainers in Congress and the government. Although many companies in the U.S. business community opposed Trumps policy of economically containing the CCP, the militarys push for a tough stance has imposed certain constraints on the panda huggers.

The military is rushing to deploy in accordance with the pace of the U.S.China military confrontation, and the U.S. militarys preparation and deployment will inevitably restrict economic exchanges between the two countries.

CCP Is Preparing for War

The Asia-Pacific region is now facing its most dangerous decade as a result of the CCPs international ambitions and military threats. The CCPs military threat to the United States is not just a war of words; it has already made legislative preparations for war mobilization. The CCP has expanded the war conditions in its national defense law to include economic necessity as an important reason for war mobilization, according to a report published on Oct. 22, 2020, by the regimes overseas propaganda media Duowei News.

Chinas rubber-stamp legislature, the National Peoples Congress, met on Oct. 13 last year to consider draft amendments to the national defense law stipulating that when development interests are threatened, a nationwide or local mobilization is necessary.

Chinese soldiers from the Peoples Liberation Army wear protective masks as they march after a ceremony marking the 70th anniversary of Chinas entry into the Korean War, at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, on Oct. 23, 2020. (Kevin Frayer/Getty Images)

In fact, theres no need to follow legal procedures when high-level CCP officials and the military decide to launch a war. When the Communist Party began the Korean War, the Vietnam War, and the Battle of Zhenbao Island, they kept their activities secret from the nation and spread propaganda through the media.

In its revised national defense law, the CCP avoided using the highly sensitive word war to define general mobilization. In fact, there is only one kind of general mobilization related to the national defense law, namely the general mobilization for war, which usually includes expanding the military pool and conscripting veterans to serve in the armed forces; converting the civilian economy for military use and extending working hours; and limiting the supply of civilian consumer goods and civilian industrial goods according to the needs of war.

When the CCP amended the national defense law, it included economic needs (or development interests as stated in official media) as the reason for the general mobilization for war. In other words, the national defense law amendment expands the CCPs definition of war conditions for foreign wars to an infinite extent. A random comment can be easily linked with economic interests and then become a pretext for declaring war.

This kind of general mobilization of war covers far more than the obvious conflict in the Taiwan Strait, for example, because what is most relevant to the Chinese regimes development interests are foreign trade, technology theft, and foreign capital inflowand these factors are mainly related to the United States.

In the CCPs eyes, the United States is the country that could impede its global economic interests. The change in the national defense law means that the CCPs war threat is aimed primarily at the United States.

Why Is CCP Unwilling to Compete Peacefully?

The rise of the CCP was promoted by breaking international rules and laws of various countries, such as the massive theft of intellectual property and technological secrets from the United States and other countries, and the long-term maintenance of a high trade surplus with the United States, in violation of international trade rules.

If we return to normal competition at the level of international rules and laws, the CCP will lose these important tools that support its economy. Therefore, when Trump initiated U.S.China talks on the subject of intellectual property infringement, the CCP rejected the effort. Meanwhile, the CCP insisted on its policy of exerting pressure on the United States. Since it is still economically dependent on the United States, the Chinese regime is trying to force the United States to give in by going after it militarily.

Judging by official statements from China and the United States, Beijing is doing its best to avoid being labeled a challenge to the United States. In fact, it is difficult for Beijing to hide the fact that China has challenged the United States,' Chinese media 6park.com stated in an article on Feb. 12.

Economically, China has become the second-largest economy after the United States since 2011, and many economists predict that China will surpass the United States by 2027 or 2028. At the global economic governance level, the impact of the CCPs Belt and Road [Initiative] on the global geopolitical landscape will become increasingly evident.

At the military level, China and the United States are both nuclear-armed states, and Chinas military presence in the South China Sea and Taiwan has increased significantly in recent years, with the [Peoples Liberation Armys] military deterrence increasing significantly. The absolute advantage of the United States in the Asia-Pacific is becoming a relative advantage.

These are the CCPs foreign propaganda words, and their self-aggrandizement is questionable. However, its ambitious mentality is fully reflected in these words; the CCP doesnt hide its intention of challenging the United States.

Is the USChina Relationship Competitive?

Bidens characterization of the CCP as a competitor reduces the Trump administrations perception of the CCP at the diplomatic level and is much more moderate.

An article published in February by Duowei News, titled Two Realities Determining Beijings Interaction with the Biden Administration, points out that there are two factors in the current U.S.China relationship. First, the rapid deterioration of the relationship over the past four years, especially in 2020, points toward a new cold war. Second, the new cold war between the United States and China may be caught in the Thucydides Trap, a term popularized a decade ago by Graham Allison, a professor at Harvards Kennedy School of Government and the author of Destined for War.

The term refers to the dangerous dynamic that occurs when a rising power threatens to displace an existing great power as an international hegemon. And under these conditions, both parties become especially vulnerable to third-party provocations or even accidents.

The cold war was started by the CCP, and the Trump administration responded in a timely manner. The Biden administration has since downplayed the situation and used the term China challenge to describe the current U.S.China relationship.

In reality, the United States is now facing a military threat from the Chinese regime. The CCP has long posed a significant threat to U.S. national security in four major arenas: military, economic, espionage, and political infiltration. For the United States, this threat is unprecedented since the end of the Cold War between the United States and the former Soviet Union.

The CCP didnt accidentally ignite the Cold War; it did so in a premeditated and calculated manner, believing that it would be the winner regardless of what the rest of the world thought.

The military and economic strength of the United States is sufficient to deal with the Chinese communist threat, and whether the CCP will continue to display its arrogance depends on how the Biden administration intends to deal with it.

The future of the United States and the rest of the world is at stake.

Cheng Xiaonong is a scholar of Chinas politics and economy based in New Jersey. Cheng was a policy researcher and aide to former Chinese Communist Party leader Zhao Ziyang. He also served as chief editor of Modern China Studies.

Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.
Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra offers a lot of advanced camera features that allow the users to capture HD photos of subjects that are very far away. One of these is the 100x zoom that allows smartphone owners to take photos of the moon.

Now, a YouTube video revealed that you could also capture high-definition images of the moon without using tripods and other device holders. All you need is your Galaxy S21 Ultra and the proper knowledge to use its camera-pro feature.

The YouTube channel CREATOR STUDIO posted a simple video guide on how to capture an HD moon photo without using a tripod. The viral footage was able to generate more than 12,000 views and 20 comments.

Some of the YT users in the comment section even claimed that they could capture various subjects, including the moon, without using the 100x zoom.

Using Galaxy S21 Ultra's HD camera

Although the YouTube video does not have anyone talking to provide the tutorial, it does come with texts that viewers can easily follow. Moreover, the video only revealed a simple way to capture an HD photo of the moon.

Also Read: Your iPhone is Vulnerable to Hijacking Calls and Texts; These Secret Codes Could Help You Avoid Them

All you need to do is activate the video or photo stabilizer of your device and slowly go up to the 100x zoom. After that, just click the white button to take your photos.



Samsung's official website provided a guide on how you can activate Galaxy S21 Ultra's Super Steady feature. To do enable it, all you need to do is follow these exact steps:

Launch the Camera Camera app

Select the Video icon

Tap on the Super Steady icon to enable the feature

Once you have enabled Super Steady, tap on the Recording button to start recording videos in Super Steady mode

On the other hand, you can also click the white button to capture photos instead

Can you do this on other smartphones?

Right now, only Samsung Galaxy offers the 100x zoom. However, you can still do this on other smartphones with the help of device accessories such as a smartphone zoom lens and tripod. On the other hand, your device's pro mode will also allow you to adjust the ISO, Aperture, and Shutter Speed so that you can take night photos that have the moon and stars in them.

For more news updates about Samsung and other smartphones, always keep your tabs open here at TechTimes.

Related Article: Samsung Confirms Galaxy Note Will Not Happen This Year - Chip Shortage Found Out to be The Reason

This article is owned by TechTimes.

Written by: Giuliano de Leon.

 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
Trump: Ending Filibuster Would Be Catastrophic for GOP, McConnell Hanging by a Thread

Former President Donald Trump is warning Republicans that efforts to abolish the filibuster in the Senate would cause significant damage to the GOP, following Democratic leaders saying the 60-vote threshold needs to be eliminated to push their agenda through Congress.

Look, hes hanging by a thread right now with respect to the filibuster, Trump said in reference to Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) and his attempts to push back against Democrats attempts.

And if they get the filler, hes hanging on [Democratic Sen.] Joe Manchin, who always goes with the Democrats. Joe talks, but he ends up going with the Democrats. Now theres another great senator from the state of Arizona. Hes hanging by a thread, and if they get rid of the filibuster, if they knock it out, it will be catastrophic for the Republican Party, Trump said on the podcast The Truth with Lisa Boothe.

Manchin, considered possibly the most conservative Democrat in the Senate, has said he is against abolishing the filibuster. Several other Democratic senators, including Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), have expressed similar positions.

Last week, McConnell warned that if the rule is eliminated, it would create legislative chaos.

Let me say this very clearly for all 99 of my colleagues: Nobody serving in this chamber can even begin, can even begin, to imagine what a completely scorched-earth Senate would look like, the GOP leader said. I want our colleagues to imagine a world where every single task, every one of them, requires a physical quorum.

The filibuster rule was originally adopted to give the minority party in the Senate more power.

Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), who previously supported the filibuster, said on March 15 that its damaging the nations democracy.

The filibuster is still making a mockery of American democracy. The filibuster is still being misused by some senators to block legislation urgently needed and supported by a strong majority of the American people, Durbin said in a speech on the Senate floor.

President Joe Biden said last week that he would support the old talking filibuster.

You had to stand up and command the floor, and you had to keep talking along, Biden said in an interview. Once you stopped talking, you lost that and someone could move in and say, I move to the question of. Youve got to work for the filibuster. It is almost getting to the point where democracy is having a hard time functioning.
Champion jockey Rachael Blackmore has said she still can't fully comprehend her successes during last week's Cheltenham Festival.

Ms Blackmore was speaking on the back of a spectacular showing at the festival, during which she rode six winners, including Honeysuckle in the Champion Hurdle and Allah in the Chase. She also only narrowly missed out on the Gold Cup on Friday.

Deservingly, Ms Blackmore became the first female to win the festivals Ruby Walsh Trophy - given each year to the best-performing jockey.

Speaking on RTEs Morning Ireland, Ms Blackmore said the last week had been "incredible."

"It brought a smile to my face under my mask for sure," she said.

Ms Blackmore said that the days since her major winds had "been a bit of a whirlwind."

Indeed, she took very little time to rest on her laurels, given she was back in Ireland and racing in Thurles this past Saturday.

"Thats the life a jockey leads, we get straight back into it when we get home," she said.

Despite etching her name into the record books, she said she could never have envisaged how well she performed at Cheltenham.

"I was heading over with a very good book of rides. But Cheltenham is an extremely hard place to win, we know that."

Special standout moment

She said her win on Honeysuckle was the standout moment of the week.

"Shes so special, shes unbeaten, Im so lucky to be associated with her," she said.

"The Champion Hurdle is a race at the pinnacle of our sport, so that was special."

Speaking about her race-to-race strategy, Ms Blackmore said she lets each horse dictate each ride.

"Every horse is different, theyve got different personalities.

"Some need to gallop out in front, others need a bit of cover at the back, so youve got to work with each individual horse and find out what works for them," she said.

Ms Blackmore said she hadn't thought too much about her being the first female jockey to experience such success on one of racing's biggest stages.

She spoke fondly of Katie Walsh and Nina Carberry who, she said, had pushed through the glass ceiling before she established herself in the sport.

"Were lucky to be involved in a sport where gender isnt an issue, and where a big deal isnt made about it," she said.

Fear factor

She said that though she has been lucky as regards her health and injuries during her career, she doesn't let fear become a factor in any of her races

"If youre a jockey, and youre thinking about what could go wrong, its probably time to consider your profession - fear is not something you can have on your brain in our job," she said.

As for what she has planned for the weeks and months ahead, Ms Blackmore said she already has her eyes on Fairyhouse, Aintree and Punchestown.

Asked about what advice she has for younger girls who might be in horse and pony clubs and careers in racing, Ms Blackmore encouraged anyone who has a dream to pursue it.

"I never thought I could be a Rachael Blackmore, " she said.

"Go for it. Anything can happen."
Donald Trump last year gleefully tweeted about the Radical Left fools in Portland, insisting they had spent months vandalizing and burning down the poorly run progressive city.

Nancy Rommelmann believes this viewpoint has some merit.

In a newly published piece in Reason magazine, the former Portlander writes of a local protest movement bereft of strategy and often overwhelmed by darkly clad anarchists who are bent on destruction for destructions sake. She cites as an example protesters tossing something like a giant bucket of diarrhea in the lobby of the Justice Center downtown.

Rommelmann, who moved to New York City in 2019 but spent about four months in Portland last year, recalls coming upon two typical Rose City protesters not long after the alleged diarrhea incident, a young man and young woman:

They are outfitted in the black bloc [anarchist] uniform of head-to-toe black; the boy carries a steel baton and wants me to know it. There is nonetheless something patrician about them, as if under different circumstances one might encounter them at cotillion. The uniform conceals their identities, but it cant hide the sense of entitlement that allows them a cheap laugh at [spotting a cop sitting in the smelly Justice Center lobby]. What I want to know is, why do they think throwing human [excrement] as a tactic is OK?

The question brings agitprop responses, she writes:

Do you believe that property is worth more than human lives? asks the boy.

Do you believe the police should be allowed to murder people? asks the girl.

That is, the couple offers only meaningless slogans. Anger born of entitlement. This, in Rommelmanns view, is Portland today.

A couple of years ago, Rommelmann -- the wife of Din Johnson, owner of the recently shuttered Ristretto Roasters -- became a relatively high-profile culture warrior when she questioned the motives of some of the women who had accused movie producer Harvey Weinstein of sex crimes. She called actress Rose McGowan a fabulist from way back.

Weinstein was convicted last year of sexual assault and rape.

But ever since protests erupted nationwide after George Floyds police-custody death in Minneapolis last summer, quickly reaching their apotheosis in Portland, Rommelmanns favorite subject has been the Rose Citys activist class.

When the definition of free speech or a peaceful protest starts to become very elastic, when terror is seen as justified, weve seen how these things go, she said in a Reason podcast last fall. People justify the things in their mind. They blame the white supremacists of Portland, or the city government, or the cops. And they see what theyre doing as creating some sort of justice.

In her latest article, Rommelmann laments what has happened to the Portland she and her husband landed in more than 15 years ago, the little bohemian city that became the darling of The New York Times, the hipster paradise that inspired the TV satire Portlandia.

Her conclusion: the forces of supply and demand kicked in, rents went up (and up and up) -- and so did anger. The problem with the response to Portlands evolution, she writes, is that it was mostly performative.

Activists became more vocal, denouncing businesses they saw as anti-LGBTQ, she writes. The citys most active queer center was called out in 2015 for being too white-centric. And in 2016, students at Reed College formed RAR (Reedies Against Racism) and staged a protest against the 1978 Saturday Night Live skit King Tut, claiming Steve Martins portrayal of the Egyptian pharaoh was racist.

She believes such outrage has taken on a politically correct life of its own, and that very little of it addresses the actual problems the city faces. But maybe, she surmises, thats because finding solutions has never really been what drives many of Portlands activists to hit the streets night after night.

Who was going to pay attention to you, Rommelmann asks, if you stopped?

Rommelmann will talk about her Portland reporting on the Clubhouse platform on Monday, March 22, at 6 p.m.

-- Douglas Perry

dperry@oregonian.com

@douglasmperry
The COVID-19 pandemic has had a tremendous impact on the worlds healthcare systems. The rapid spread of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-COV-2) has caused an overwhelming increase in the occupancy of the hospitals ICU (intensive care unit) beds and an exponential enhancement on the workload of the hospital staff.

In early 2020, the response of the hospitals to the rapid spread of SARS-COV-2 infection in China, especially in Wuhan, had been highly publicized. Many feared that hospitals in Wuhan and other regions of China would struggle to cope with the shock of the first large nosocomial outbreak. However, due to effective national effort (e.g., strict lockdown measures, forceful restrictions on movement and association) as well as hospital strategies, the number of COVID-19 cases became negligible by March 2020, and the last COVID-19 patient was released on 5 June 2020.

China continued to follow certain restrictions throughout 2020. They experienced economic losses in the first half of the year, and how the country fought SARS-COV-2 is regarded as a comparative success story.

Resilience is a term that describes how a system modifies its functioning to absorb a shock and recover from adverse events. This phenomenon is increasingly discussed within the international health and development literature. Still, it is not much used to address the hospital and healthcare system issues related to China and how they tackled the COVID-19 crisis.

A new review article, published on the medRxiv* preprint server, deals with several different aspects such as medical response capability, disaster health management, disaster preparedness, and health infrastructure safety, in China, by which they survived the COVID-19 crisis. Previously, the same team of researchers had also developed a quantitative conceptual framework highlighting the hospital strategies in achieving hospital resilience following the first SARS pandemic in 2003 in China.

Conceptual Framework

The previous study was based on questionnaires addressed to tertiary hospitals across the Shandong province. Researchers had identified four vital factors, namely, (a) hospital safety, (b) disaster management mechanisms, (c) disaster resources, and (d) disaster medical care capability, on which disaster resilience depends. These factors were compared to the strategies that a particular hospital had followed while battling a crisis. In the current COVID-19 scenario, researchers found that the success of Chinas strategy is a collaborative effort of the government, public health officials, and the attitudes of the general public. However, there is a gap in the literature regarding the role of hospital resilience in this achievement. The main objective of this review article is to fill this gap. This would help improve responses to the current and future pandemics.

This article has identified fifty-nine studies related to resilience in hospital settings across China, associated with the initial SARS-CoV-2 outbreak in early 2020. This study revealed a wealth of important strategies directly concerned with the management of human resources, communication, security, hygiene, and planning. They also found these hospitals had provided training to their staff, focused on the well-being of healthcare workers, implemented sophisticated technologies, and also had involved various healthcare organizations while handling the first wave of the COVID-19 crisis. This article also revealed that e-health, telemedicine, and internet hospital interventions made healthcare more approachable and affordable for many vulnerable groups across the country. However, more research is needed in this area to understand if these resilient processes, developed during the pandemic, will continue to enable the vulnerable groups to access the facilities of Chinese hospitals post the pandemic.

Researchers in the current study not only discussed the methodology, effects and strategies followed while dealing with the crisis but also highlighted the limitations. For example, several papers lacked systematic and rigorous analysis of particular strategies. Many articles, particularly those in Chinese, failed to consider methodological limitations. Researchers of the current study also found that some of the research articles considered in the current review article were biased due to political influence, which, in turn, led to the omission of negative results obtained in these studies. Some of the papers have emphasized the physical and mental health issues of nurses but neglected similar issues faced by other healthcare providers like doctors. Lastly, many of the studies ignored inequalities and gender biases.

The scientists associated with the current article have offered several recommendations to healthcare practitioners and researchers. This involves an improvement in patient awareness of online healthcare services. Additionally, more use of artificial intelligence and internet technologies for online assessment of patients is encouraged. Robots can be used to guide patients and deliver medicines within hospitals.

This review concludes that insufficient evidence is available to determine the effectiveness of specific strategies adopted in China that lead to hospital resilience.

*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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Thin-skinned Instagram influencers are claiming victory after popular gossip account Celeb Spellcheck unexpectedly deleted all of its posts over the weekend.

Celeb Spellcheck, which shares user-submitted gossip and mocks D-list celebrities for their typographical errors, completely wiped its archive on Saturday.

The profile's anonymous admin later said they were just 'taking a break' and denied rumours they'd been forced to shut down over legal threats or were at risk of having their identity exposed.

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Revenge: Thin-skinned Instagram influencers are claiming victory after gossip account Celeb Spellcheck unexpectedly deleted all of its posts over the weekend. Pictured: Keira Maguire

As Celeb Spellcheck's 145,000 followers speculated about the possible reasons for the deletion, high-profile critics of the account celebrated its demise.

The likes of Ruby Tuesday Matthews, Keira Maguire and Sophie Cachia all said they were pleased Celeb Spellcheck had ceased operations - for the time being at least.

Keira, whose typos have been regularly featured on Celeb Spellcheck, accused the account of 'bullying' and said her close friends had been 'affected by this page'.

She also said the admin was a hypocrite for considering monetisation, saying: 'When an account chooses to demoralise influencers declares that he/she wants to be one.'

Celeb Spellcheck explained Celeb Spellcheck began a few years ago as an account making fun of Instagram models' poor spelling, but has since become a platform for holding influencers to account for their lies and irresponsible behaviour. The profile is also a hub for user-submitted gossip about influencers. Celeb Spellcheck has attracted criticism in recent months, with the likes of Tayla Damir accusing the page of 'bullying'. Advertisement

Respite: The likes of Ruby Tuesday Matthews (pictured), Keira Maguire and Sophie Cachia all said they were pleased Celeb Spellcheck had ceased operations - for the time being, at least

Gone! Celeb Spellcheck, which shares user-submitted gossip and mocks D-list celebrities for their typographical errors, completely wiped its archive on Saturday

Statement: The anonymous admin said they were 'taking a break' and denied rumours they'd been forced to shut down over legal threats or were at risk of having their identity exposed

Former WAG Sophie, whose movements during Melbourne's Covid lockdown last year were scrutinised by Celeb Spellcheck, agreed with Keira's sentiments.

She also said it was 'disappointing' to see other influencers and celebrities following and interacting with a 'page that aims to humiliate and embarrass' people.

Sophie continued: 'At times I have been posted on there with completely factually inaccurate information... and I know others have too.

Criticism: Keira Maguire, whose typos have been regularly featured on Celeb Spellcheck, accused the account of 'bullying' and said her close friends had been 'affected by this page'

Taking a swipe: She also said the admin was a hypocrite for considering monetisation, saying: 'When an account chooses to demoralise influencers declares that he/she wants to be one'

'Lucky for me, it has never once impacted my work [as an influencer] but I can imagine for others it has. But what it has done is harm my mental health.'

She went on to say that Celeb Spellcheck's snarky posts 'create a bullying culture' - something the account's admin has always strongly denied.

Meanwhile, Ruby shared a series of videos on Instagram in which she addressed gossip accounts generally, but did not reference Celeb Spellcheck specifically.

Solidarity: Former WAG Sophie Cachia (right), whose movements during Melbourne's Covid lockdown last year were scrutinised by Celeb Spellcheck, agreed with Keira's sentiments

Hitting back: She said it was 'disappointing' to see other influencers and celebrities following a 'page that aims to humiliate and embarrass' people, and also accused Celeb Spellcheck of spreading false information about her

She said people have a right to their opinion about influencers, but draws the line at forums dedicated to spreading 'false rumours'.

Ruby argued that gossip accounts mobilise trolls to attack influencers on their own accounts 'in a really negative, horrible way'.

'If this was happening in a school and someone created a page like this in a school, you'd f**king be expelled for bullying. Think about it,' she said.

Ruby then warned that proposed anti-online bullying laws in Australia will make pages like Celeb Spellcheck illegal.

This probably won't happen, however, because the anti-trolling laws are designed to protect Australians from cyber abuse, not shield public figures from criticism.

Having her say: Ruby Tuesday Matthews shared a series of videos on Instagram in which she addressed gossip accounts generally, but did not reference Celeb Spellcheck specifically

Celeb Spellcheck announced over the weekend it was going on hiatus after wiping its account clean.

In a message to their 144,000 followers, the admin shut down rumours they were facing lawsuits or that their identity was on the brink of being exposed.

Instead, they said they were taking a break to figure out the future of the account.

After ensuring fans they were 'completely fine', the admin explained their sudden decision to wipe the profile.

Her opinion: Ruby argued that gossip accounts mobilise trolls to attack influencers on their own accounts 'in a really negative, horrible way'

'I'm not being sued (that I know of, lol) and I'm not at risk of having my identity revealed,' they wrote.

'I will be taking a break while I think about the future of this account.'

'Moderating the comments has become quite time consuming (but very necessary), as is dealing with all the other things that come with having a large audience.'

The person behind the account admitted they were considering whether or not to reveal their identity and if they should monetise the page or not.

They also said they were pondering whether to 'dabble in gossip' moving forward.

Who is Celeb Spellcheck? The Celeb Spellcheck admin has never revealed her name, but has offered bits of biographical information in her Q&As, including that she is a woman in her late twenties (she turned 28 in December)

works in public relations

hails from the Mornington Peninsula but now lives in Melbourne's south-east

is in a long-term relationship

her boyfriend and 'three or four friends' know she's Celeb Spellcheck

isn't friends with influencers and gets her gossip from followers Advertisement

Hitting back: The account has attracted criticism, with the likes of Skye Wheatley and Tayla Damir (pictured) accusing the admin of 'bullying' them by correcting their spelling

Celeb Spellcheck began a few years ago as an account making fun of poor spelling on sponsored Instagram posts, but has since become a platform for holding influencers to account for their lies and irresponsible behaviour.

The profile is also a hub for user-submitted gossip, and recently shared a video of former Bachelor star Laurina Fleure snorting powder at a party.

Due to the nature of its content, Celeb Spellcheck has been publicly criticised by a number of influencers, including Tayla Damir and Skye Wheatley.

Leaked footage: Celeb Spellcheck recently posted a video of former Bachelor star Laurina Fleure (pictured) snorting white powder at a party

The admin has denied bullying the influencers featured on the account, saying: 'This page is meant to be lighthearted and fun. I have definitely posted things in the past that I'm not proud of, but I do try to never cross the line.'

The account previously made headlines when it shared a screenshot of model Elyse Knowles misspelling 'voila' as 'wallah'.

The gaffe went viral in December when it was picked up by U.S. social media sensation Joshua Ostrovsky, a.k.a. The Fat Jewish.
(Reuters) - The European Union and the United States on Monday imposed sanctions on individuals and groups linked to last month's military coup in Myanmar as the repression of pro-democracy protesters by security forces reached what Germany's foreign minister called "an unbearable" level.

The EU sanctions marked the 27-nation bloc's most significant response since the overthrow of Aung San Suu Kyi's elected government on Feb. 1. The 11 individuals targeted included General Min Aung Hlaing, the commander-in-chief of the Myanmar military and head of the junta that has taken power.

Washington had already sanctioned Min Aung Hlaing and the measures announced on Monday expanded the list of targets.

"The Burmese security forces lethal violence against peaceful protesters must end," said Andrea Gacki, director of the U.S. Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control. "We continue to stand with the people of Burma."

There was no immediate response from the junta, which has shown no sign so far of being swayed by international condemnation of its actions.

At least 250 people have been killed by security forces attempting to quell weeks of pro-democracy protests in towns and cities across the country, according to the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP) activist group.

Three people were killed in Myanmar's second city, Mandalay in unrest on Monday, including a 15-year-old boy, witnesses and news reports said.

The junta has tried to justify the coup by saying a Nov. 8 election won by Suu Kyi's party was fraudulent - an accusation the electoral commission has rejected. Military leaders have promised a new election but have not set a date and have declared a state of emergency.

Suu Kyi, who won the Nobel Peace Prize for her campaign to bring democratic civilian rule to Myanmar, is being held in detention while an array of accusations have been levelled at her, including bribery. Her lawyer says the charges are trumped up.

Story continues

MILITARY BUSINESS

"We are going to take sanctions against 11 persons involved in the coup and the repression of the demonstrators," EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said after EU foreign ministers adopted travel bans and asset freezes on them at a meeting in Brussels.

The EU already has an arms embargo on Myanmar and has targeted some senior military officials since 2018.

German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas told reporters before the meeting that the crackdown "has reached an unbearable extent".

Among the individuals targeted are Min Aung Hlaing, Myint Swe, who has been acting president since the coup, and other senior military and administration staff.

Stronger measures are expected soon as the bloc moves to take aim at the businesses run by the military.

EU diplomats have told Reuters that parts of the military's conglomerates, Myanmar Economic Holdings Limited (MEHL) and Myanmar Economic Corporation (MEC), are likely to be targeted, barring EU investors and banks from doing business with them.

The conglomerates are spread throughout the economy from mining and manufacturing to food and beverages to hotels, telecoms and banking.

"We don't intend to punish the people of Myanmar but those who blatantly violate human rights," Maas said.

The U.S. action targeted senior policeman Than Hlaing and military officer Aung Soe, as well as two Burmese Army divisions, the 33rd Light Infantry and 77th Light Infantry.

U.S. Secretary of State Anthony Blinken said members of the 33rd Division had fired live rounds into a crowd in Mandalay. Both units were part of the security forces' "planned systemic strategies to ramp up the use of lethal force", he said.

Last month Washington froze about $1 billion in reserves Myanmars central bank was holding at the New York Fed, which the junta had attempted to withdraw after seizing power.

Some generals, including Min Aung Hlaing, were already under U.S. human rights sanctions over their role in a campaign against the Rohingya Muslim minority.

Earlier, U.S. Treasury sanctions targeted 14 Myanmar officers involved in the coup, along with some military companies.

ASIAN DIPLOMACY

In the latest violence, three people were killed in Mandalay, witnesses and the Myanmar Now news portal said.

Tun Tun Aung, a 15-year-old, was killed in his hut when security forces opened fire in the city's Mya Yi Nandar area, his sister said.

"My brother was sitting next to the window," she said. "We live in the squatters area. Our house is not strong enough to stop bullets."

Six people were killed and several wounded in the city on Sunday, Myanmar Now reported.

State media said on Sunday that men on motorcycles attacked a member of the security forces who later died. The military said two policemen were killed in earlier protests.

Singapore's Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan, meanwhile, visited Brunei Darussalam on Monday before going to Malaysia and Indonesia, who are seeking an urgent meeting of Southeast Asia's ASEAN regional grouping, of which Myanmar is a member.

Singapore's deputy prime minister Heng Swee Keat told an investors conference that his country - which has deep economic ties with Myanmar - was "appalled by the violent crackdowns against civilians" and called for a return to the democratic transition.

The BBC said one of its reporters in Myanmar who was detained by plainclothes men three days ago had been freed. Aung Thura of the BBC's Burmese service was picked up on Friday along with a journalist who works for the domestic Mizzima news service.

There was no word on the whereabouts of the Mizzima reporter.

(Reporting by Reuters Staff; Writing by Angus MacSwan, Editing by Ed Osmond)
A village mayor is facing five years in jail after after allegedly shooting a bison and chopping its head off to sell as a hunting trophy in Poland.

Remigiusz Ciunczyk tried to sell the bison's head for the equivalent of 280 and then put it back next to the animal's carcass after failing to sell it, it is claimed.

The 22-year-old from Warcimino in northern Poland then reported finding the dead animal to the police before telling local media that whoever had committed 'this outrageous crime must be punished severely.'

But police became suspicious when he began to change his story, and he now faces charges after bullets used to kill the bison were allegedly linked to his hunting rifle.

Remigiusz Ciunczyk (pictured) tried to sell a bison's head for the equivalent of 280 and then put it back next to the animal's carcass after failing to sell it, it is claimed

Pictured: The very bison that was killed in November 2019, sparking what has become a long-running investigation leading to charges against a village mayor

Ciunczyk initially told officers he had stumbled upon the carcass by chance when he and a friend had been out looking for deer antlers in November, despite the deer not shedding their antlers until four months later in March.

He added: 'It was done by a pro who knew what he was shooting at. The bison cannot be confused with any animal.

'I am shocked that someone could do something so terrible.'

He later admitted shooting the animal but said it had been an accident and he had mistaken the animal for a wild boar.

This was despite him earlier telling local media that 'you cannot mistake a bison even with a deer'.

'The deer weighs up to 200 kilograms, and the bison weighs 600 kilograms, and maybe more,' he said. 'This one, I think, was over 600 kilograms.'

The mayor had initially reported finding the dead animal to the police before telling local media that whoever had committed 'this outrageous crime must be punished severely.'

The bison, known affectionally by locals as Spud because it used to enjoy eating potatoes, was shot dead last year which is when the mayor reported it to the police.

But he has only now been charged after investigtors allegedly found that the bullets used to kill Spud had come from the man's hunting rifle.

He and a colleague have now been charged with unlawful killing of a protected species, making false statements, poaching, and illegal possession of weapons and ammunition.

There are between 1,500 and 2,000 bison in Poland and they are under strict protection.

Hunted to near extinction in the early 20th century, the European bison was successfully reintroduced to the wild and is now a protected species.

However, the animals have become prized targets among hunters with a 2017 report by Greenpeace showing that poachers pay up to 2,500 for organised hunts and up to 12,000 for a stuffed trophy.
Insurer opens up new books of business fully integrated into a broker platform with modern, low-code tools from Duck Creek Technologies and expert implementation by Xceedance

BOSTON and SYDNEY, March 22, 2021announced today that global insurer Hollard has gone live in Australia with a new platform to administer personal motor, landlord, and home insurance lines backed by Duck Creek's Policy, Billing, and Data Hub solutions. After the insurer was appointed to underwrite three personal lines products for a major insurance broker network, Hollard had to integrate the portfolio into its newly acquired technology. A successful transition to the broker network's platform was achieved through a unique relationship between Hollard, Duck Creek, and systems integration partner Xceedance. The implementation was executed in just six months during the pandemic, thanks to the flexibility and low-code configuration of the Duck Creek Platform. With a strict timeframe to go-live, the insurer tapped trusted resources to deliver the products and services its customers have come to expect as swiftly as possible.

"In a competitive and highly-regulated market, the agility and speed with which we can go to market is critical to our partners' success and our continued growth," said Jamie Smith, CIO of Hollard. "Duck Creek's low-code Platform enables us to launch products rapidly, add value to the business in a controlled fashion, and will play a vital role in automating our operational processes. Ensuring the three parties were aligned was critical to this project; we were building the backbone of our technology platform for the future, so we had to get the foundational aspects right, and everyone kept to their word and delivered what was agreed upon on time. We are very pleased to have the tools we need to support our partners and customers and we look forward to further deployments of these key technologies in the future."

Duck Creek Policyenables general insurance companies to deliver insurance products at scale in an era of rapid, customer-centric innovation and growth. Policy supports the full policy lifecycle process with automation and workflow management capabilities, an integrated development environment for insurance products, and pre-built content. Duck Creek Billingenables carriers to offer flexible billing and payment choices based on evolving customer needs, whether offering single pay for a home-owners policy, pay-as-you-go for workers' compensation, or a multi-installment plan for commercial policies. Data Hub, part of Duck Creek Insights, creates a single source of truth that centralises data across Duck Creek solutions, internal systems, and external data feeds.

The role of Xceedance as systems integrator was to manage the complex, multi-layered transition to the Duck Creek Platform. Digital collaboration and having Xceedance personnel operating across three time zones - the U.S., India, and Australia - meant a "follow the sun" methodology enabled the project team to operate 24/7, contributing to the speed with which the integration was accomplished. Stephen Browne, Xceedance VP and Country Leader for Australia, said the project was an Australian first, implementing three product lines and a new policy system, integrated with a new communications layer and data migration, in only six months.

Shaji Sethu, Managing Director for APAC at Duck Creek Technologies, said credit was due to Xceedance, which invested over and above the project requirements in personnel and other resources to ensure success. "It was an incredible effort to understand the requirements and go back and forth to build the platform in a virtual environment with time zone differences."

"We are thrilled that Hollard has expanded our relationship by moving their new business to core systems they know they can rely on," Sethu continued. "Empowering their team with our low-code solutions enables the carrier to focus on their customers instead of managing legacy systems and handling tedious manual processes, and we look forward to helping them with their continued success."

Hollard will continue working with Duck Creek and Xceedance as it continues to expand the rollout of this technology across its broader business.

About Hollard

Established in 2000, The Hollard Insurance Company Pty Ltd

About Duck Creek Technologies

Duck Creek Technologies, the company's enterprise Software-as-a-Service solution, insurance carriers are able to navigate uncertainty and capture market opportunities faster than their competitors. Duck Creek's functionally-rich solutions are available on a standalone basis or as a full suite, and all are available via Duck Creek OnDemand. For more information, visit www.duckcreek.com.

About Xceedance

Xceedance) is a global provider of strategic consulting and managed services, technology, data sciences, and block chain solutions to insurance organisations. Domiciled in Bermuda, with offices in the United States, the United Kingdom, Liechtenstein, Switzerland, Poland, India, and Australia, Xceedance helps insurers launch new products, drive operations, implement intelligent technology, deploy advanced analytic capabilities, and achieve business process optimisation.

Media Contact:

Paul Rechichi

Racepoint Global

617-624-3295

prechichi@racepointglobal.com

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www.VCGFL.com We are grateful for the continued support and involvement of Venture Construction Group of Florida at our annual Windstorm Insurance Conference, said Marty Streeper, executive director, Windstorm Insurance Network.

Venture Construction Group of Florida (VCGFL) was a Platinum Sponsor at the first virtual Windstorm Insurance (WIND) Conference. VCGFL exhibited virtually, held Q&A sessions, live demos, and connected with industry leaders to share tips and insights on current trends. The online event took place Feb. 1 - 4.

We had a fantastic online exhibit and were excited to be involved as a sponsor at the upcoming WIND 2021 May Symposium. This conference provides an excellent platform to network and collaborate with industry professionals. I encourage anyone that is involved with property damage and insurance claims to attend the conference, said Stephen Shanton, CEO and president of Venture Construction Group of Florida (VCGFL), Venture Construction Group (VCG), VCG International (VCGI).

The annual WIND Conference provides the property and insurance claims industry opportunities for professional development, training, certifications, and networking. WINDs mission is to bring together defense and policyholder representatives to better connect, learn, and engage for the betterment of the industry and consumers.

We are grateful for the continued support and involvement of Venture Construction Group of Florida at our annual Windstorm Insurance Conference, said Marty Streeper, executive director, Windstorm Insurance Network.

Representatives from various segments of the windstorm insurance industry attend to address the impact of past storm and hurricane seasons and discuss important property and windstorm insurance claims issues. It is the only conference of its kind solely focusing on property and windstorm insurance claim issues and is geared to numerous levels and professions in the industry.

VCGFL is an award-winning leader in commercial construction, restoration, renovations, roofing, storm damage repairs, and 24/7 emergency services throughout Florida, Puerto Rico, U.S. Virgin Islands, Bahamas, and the Caribbean.

Dedicated to advancing the industry, VCGFL will be a Platinum and Keynote Speaker Sponsor at the WIND Symposium at the Renaissance Orlando Sea World in Orlando, Fla. To view a full roster of the events held during WIND 2021, visit https://windnetwork.com/.

About Venture Construction Group of Florida

Founded in 1998, Venture Construction Group of Florida (VCGFL) is an award-winning leader in construction, restoration, renovations, roofing, storm damage repairs, and 24/7 emergency services throughout Florida, Puerto Rico, U.S. Virgin Islands, Bahamas and the Caribbean. Specializing in industrial/ commercial projects, VCGFL assists property managers, condominium boards, homeowner associations, association boards, hotels, and business complexes with general contractor services, roofing, specialty construction, historical restoration, water and flood mitigation, and property repairs due to fire, flood, water, wind and hurricanes. With offices in Boca Raton, Ft. Myers, Naples, Panama City Beach, Orlando, Stuart, Tampa, San Juan, and Nassau, VCGFL is committed to operational excellence and exceptional customer service. VCGFL takes care of the details every step of the way including roofing, siding, windows, drywall, flooring, paint, gutters to rebuilding properties after major storm events from hurricanes, tornadoes, and hailstorms. VCGFL has earned leading industry awards including the Gold Coast Builders Association (GCBA) Silver PRISM Award for Safety Team of the Year, GCBA Gold PRISM Award for Craftsmanship- Commercial Exterior, GCBA Silver PRISM Award for Craftsmanship- Commercial Exterior, Owens Corning Pinnacle Award for Safety, Construction Business Owner Award, Roofing Alliance MVP Award, Coatings Pro Contractor Award, Pro Remodeler Forty Under 40 Award, Qualified Remodeler Top 500 Remodelers Award, Qualified Remodeler Master Design Award, Florida Roofing and Sheet Metal Contractors Association S.T.A.R. Spotlight Trophy for the Advancement of Roofing Awards in Sustainability and Community Service. Shanton is a certified member of the WindStorm Insurance Network and is a WIND Certified Umpire, WIND Certified Appraiser, and WIND Certified Fellow. VCGFL carries advanced accreditations and is an exclusive certified National Storm Damage Center Preferred Contractor and Certified Member of the United Association of Storm Restoration Contractors. VCGFL is a proud member of Exterior Insulation and Finish Systems (EIFS) Industry Members Association (EIMA); Florida Roofing and Sheet Metal Contractors Association (FRSA); Gold Coast Builders Association (GCBA); Insurance Appraisal and Umpire Association (IAUA); National Association of Environmentally Responsible Mold Contractors (NAERMC); National Association of Home Builders (NAHB); National Roofing Contractors Association (NRCA); NRCA Qualified Trainer; Property Liability and Resource Bureau (PLRB); Restoration Industry Association (RIA). VCGFL is a registered U.S. Federal Government Contractor and holds leading manufacturer certifications including Owens Corning Platinum Preferred Contractor, Mule-Hide Legacy Contractor, Certified CertainTeed Contractor, and Duro-Last Certified Contractor status. VCGFL credentials have been vetted and screened through independent third-party Global Risk Management Solutions. For more information, call 866-459-8351 or visit us online at http://www.VCGFL.com.

About Windstorm Insurance Network

The Windstorm Insurance Network, Inc. is a non-profit, 501(c)3 organization dedicated to providing education and training, and to promoting a cooperative dialogue among professionals concerned with property and windstorm insurance claims issues. The Windstorm Insurance Network is dedicated to promoting awareness of property and windstorm insurance claims issues through the application of educational initiatives, shared member resources, and technology designed to support and improve the professional delivery of property and windstorm-related insurance claims services. To learn more, visit http://www.WindNetwork.com.

Media Inquiries:

Alexis Bott

Elev8 Consulting Group

Ph: 386-243-5388

Web: http://www.elev8cg.com
Residents of Mississippis capital endured weeks this winter without clean running water. A combination of bad weather and failed infrastructure meant thousands of people in the mostly Black city of Jackson spent weeks without the essential resource in February and early March. Residents had to rely on donated water for everyday tasks. While it seems like Jacksons immediate water crisis is getting resolved, many Black communities in the rural South and elsewhere struggle to get access to clean water every day. Its a complicated problem that doesnt get the same national attention as other racial justice priorities.

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On Fridays episode of A Word, I spoke with Catherine Coleman Flowers, who is working to change that. Shes the author of Waste: One Womans Fight Against Americas Dirty Secret and a winner of a 2020 MacArthur Genius Grant. Our conversation has been edited and condensed for clarity.

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Jason Johnson: What are some of the issues with infrastructure, communication, and government that led to this happening in Jackson, Mississippi, which is actually a state capital?

Catherine Coleman Flowers: Whats happening in Jackson is not unusual. I believe that what we will find in a lot of these areas, especially in the South, is the type of benign neglect of these cities. Benign neglect means theres an intentional avoidance of putting the type of dollars in infrastructurein these Southern communities, its not coming from the tax base because the tax base is not there. A lot of it comes from the federal government, but its those cities that have lobbyists or political connections that get the money over and over again. We have to change that paradigm.

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One of the things that Ive read about Jackson was the mayor was quoted and he talks about how brittle the pipes were. The infrastructure that was probably put in Jackson was put in there when Jackson was white predominantly. It probably has not been replaced, and the local community cannot afford to replace it. But we have to do something about this because Jacksons not the only one. Its like with Flint and the lead problem. Flint was just the canary in the coal mine. Theres lead issues throughout the United States that have not been addressed. And likewise, there are infrastructure water issues throughout the United States. When you look at Jackson, Jackson was also the convergence of poor infrastructure and climate change. Were going to see more climate events, but these extreme weather patterns are going to expose, like COVID did, all of these disparities as it relates to infrastructure issues.

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Have you seen climate change make clean water access even harder for rural Black communities?

Yes, in California, Allensworth in the Central Valley, because of the water being used by the farming industry there. Theres a Black community that historically was the first Black community in California funded by Black folk, and now, they cant drink the water because the water is full of arsenic thats naturally forming. The parts of the arsenic is greater than the parts of the water, so therefore, they cant drink it.

So when it comes to this kind of activism, we always hear about famous white women. They get movies. We have Silkwood. Weve got Erin Brockovich. But we dont hear often about the Black women who are on the ground doing this kind of work. Can you tell us a little bit about yourself, what you saw in Lowndes County, Alabama, and how your activism began on environmental justice issues?

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Well, my activism began on environmental justice issues because I came from activist parents. When I moved back to Lowndes County in 2000, I ran into the fact that there were Black people that were being arrested because they could not afford an on-site septic system. A lot of the people that are in rural communities are not in incorporated areas. All the laws are written to support municipalities, but in a rural community, generally, theres no wastewater treatment, no decentralized system. I live in Montgomery, Alabama, and we have a decentralized system, and all I had to do when I bought a house was just move into the house and pay to have my water turned on. Or if I was building a house in Montgomery, it would just connect to the decentralized system.

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When infrastructure came in, I think there was neglect of these communities.  Catherine Coleman Flowers

However, in rural communities like Lowndes County, the homeowner is responsible for their own decentralized system. These systems in Lowndes County are very, very expensive, especially if youre a poor family. To give you an example, last year we were trying to work with a family prior to COVID to get a septic system for them. They built down 25 inches, in this case, and struck water. The system that she would have needed would have cost $28,000. You dont go to the bank and borrow that. Even if its $6,000 for a septic system, theres no financing for it. A mobile home can come with the plumbing, the indoor plumbing, the toilets. You can connect it to a straight pipe or PVC pipe and have it protruding from the home. When they flush the toilet, it goes out on top of the ground. Thats one of the things, and they have criminalized that here in the state of Alabama and in a lot of states. Then the second problem is people that have septic systems that have failed. When they fail, they can also be criminalized for that. I got involved back in 2002. I had gone to visit a husband and wife who had been arrested because they had a failing septic system. And then later, we found out that there were lots of people in the county that either had already been arrested or were facing arrest because they did not have a working septic system. So I got involved by stopping the criminalization, at least in Lowndes County, of poor people who could not afford on-site sanitation.

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It would seem to me also that this is a structural issue. Because as Black folk were segregated or kept out of certain neighborhoods in certain places in the South, they werent able to live in places that were incorporated that had plumbing systems. So youre not only being punished through white supremacy and segregation forcing you out, but youre then being fined and criminalized again when you have to provide resources for yourself that other people are getting through tax money.

Yes, Montgomery at one point was one of the top slave trading places in this country. That is why the lynching memorial, the National Memorial for Peace and Justice, is located in Montgomery. When you walk from the river in Montgomery and walk down Commerce Street, those buildings, a lot of them, were slaveholding pens. People were auctioned off at Court Square, which is not far from the Rosa Parks Museum.

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Those of us that are part of that heritage, our families ended up in places like Lowndes County. When I go back and look at the census records, I see that our families have been there since the early 1800s, in some cases. So these rural communities, theres a legacy and traditions where there are churches and schools and graveyards where people have been there forever. But when infrastructure came in, I think there was neglect of these communities, and the communities that were left out were those communities of color. That is a major problem that we see in the South around infrastructure and environmental justice.

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Catherine, youve worked with Democrats and Republicans. I mean, on all sides. Youve worked with Bernie Sanders. You worked with [former Alabama Senator] Jeff Sessions, whos the last person on the planet who I would ever think would care anything about the struggles of rural Black people. I got to ask you, when youre dealing with these powerful political leaders in and out of office, when they come to you and say, What can I do to help?, whats the first thing that you tell them?

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With Jeff Sessions, the way it happened, I just happened to be at a town hall meeting. I was the economic development coordinator for the county. He was a U.S. senator, and he talked about the type of grants that were available. And then I asked the question, You mentioned these grants, but how do poor communities get access to them if they have to pay a match? He came to me afterward and said, Ive always wanted to know the answer to that. Im from Wilcox County, Alabama. I grew up poor. We didnt have a television in our house until I was 10 years of age. Thats how we started our conversation. We had to be human first. And from that point, he was very helpful. Hyundai had decided it was going to locate in Alabama, in Montgomery. At that time, when they decided to locate there, the state officials werent taking them to Lowndes County at all. When they had the groundbreaking ceremony, everybody was from Eastern Alabama, and there was nobody with a shovel that was Black. All the Black people kind of huddled together and everybody was saying, Lowndes Countys right over there. Why is there nobody here from Lowndes County with a shovel? Ultimately, I was able to help recruit tier 1 suppliers to Hyundai to Lowndes County. But we needed the infrastructure. We didnt have industrial development parks or anything like that. Sen. Sessions was very helpful in that.

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In terms of Bernie Sanders, he actually came to visit Lowndes County. He went to the home of Pamela Rush, who I write about in my book. I felt that you cannot understand inequality unless you see it for yourself. So to come into her home and see how she was living in a dilapidated mobile home that she still owed money on, that did not appreciate in valueliving with two children, one child sleeping on a CPAP machineBernie Sanders said to me, Catherine, now I understand when you talk about the intersection of climate change and environmental justice and racial justice. Because I told his people, I have to plan this trip because I want to make sure its not going to be a photo-op. Hes going to actually go and see people and see the situation so that he can know what kind of policies we need to have in place to address this. I didnt have an ask other than for him to come and see. And then once he saw and he was looking at what resources or what ways he could potentially help, and it has led to a shift in government policy that I could not have even imagined when I made that request for him to come and see.

Listen to the entire episode below, or subscribe to the show on Apple Podcasts, Overcast, Spotify, Stitcher, Google Play, or wherever you get your podcasts.
ANN ARBOR, MI  U.S. Environmental Protection Agency officials say a federal Superfund cleanup of the Gelman dioxane plume spreading through the Ann Arbor areas groundwater is likely several years away, if it happens at all.

But theyre open to going through the process of considering it if the state of Michigan is on board.

Local officials met virtually with representatives from the EPA and Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy on Thursday, March 18, to discuss simultaneously pursuing two different options to address the toxic pollution spreading from the old Gelman Sciences filter manufacturing site off Wagner Road.

While litigation against the polluter plays out in Circuit Court, local officials are hopeful the long process of putting the plume on the National Priorities List can begin.

EPA officials said they dont see a reason why that cant happen, but the agency generally doesnt add a pollution site to the list unless the state requests it and that hasnt happened.

Judge signals intent to order cleanup plan in Ann Arbor dioxane pollution case

EPA officials also emphasized the agency generally doesnt put sites on the list when there are other options available, because Superfund is a last resort.

Because the state is already overseeing pump-and-treat remediation efforts by the polluter, the EPA as a general rule would not put a site like this on its list, said Doug Ballotti, EPAs regional Superfund division director.

However, this is a unique situation and thats why were having the discussion here today, he said.

Local, state and federal officials discuss the Gelman dioxane plume in Ann Arbor during a Zoom meeting March 18, 2021.Zoom

Local officials asked when they could expect the state to finally support the effort, given that local communities requested it in resolutions and letters to the governor late last year.

State officials have been in talks with the EPA and attorneys for the local communities and have gotten mixed messages, said EGLE Director Liesl Clark.

Local communities affected by the plume are united in seeking EPA intervention, officials emphasized Thursday.

If the communities do want to go that route, EGLE is just concerned about making sure there can be progress on the plume in the meantime, Clark said, adding she wants to get a new Circuit Court consent judgment in place to know there are stronger protections while the Superfund process plays out.

Ann Arbor-area officials still waiting to hear if Whitmer will support Superfund cleanup

U.S. Rep. Debbie Dingell, D-Dearborn, asked how long it could take to get a new consent judgment.

Assistant Attorney General Brian Negele said it depends on how things go in court this week and how the local communities react to what EGLE and Gelman are looking to agree to.

Oral arguments in the Gelman case were scheduled for 9 a.m. Monday, March 22, before Judge Tim Connors.

As for what EGLE wants in a new consent judgment, first and foremost is new cleanup criteria, Negele said, adding EGLE also wants installation of new groundwater extraction wells that were proposed nearly four years ago, along with additional monitoring wells to track the plume.

Discharges of dioxane into First Sister Lake from pump-and-treat operations  a concern with the deal proposed last year  would not be included, Negele said.

That extraction well also would not be part of the amended consent judgment that were looking for right now, he said.

We want to make sure that were better protecting the locals while we go through the NPL process, Clark emphasized.

Local officials have expressed concerns theyve been trying for several years to get a new consent judgment, and negotiations with the polluter led to what they considered an inadequate settlement last year. It also stipulated the local communities would face monetary penalties and give up continuing rights in the legal case if they sought a Superfund cleanup.

Weve been trying to get a consent judgment in place, that did not work, so what now? said County Commissioner Jason Morgan, D-Ann Arbor, adding local officials are wondering how long they should keep trying for a new consent judgment.

Josh Mosher, EGLEs remediation division assistant director, said EGLE understood local officials reservations about the deal that was proposed last year, but the agency still wants to have a new consent judgment in place.

Maybe not perfection, maybe not what everybody sees as the ideal end game here, but we want improvements, he said, adding we need to be secure in our ... state efforts to manage the plume and the risks.

That would be a step in the right direction while officials then assess the Superfund option, he said.

We just need to stop the arguments around the fourth consent judgment and get it in place as soon as we can, Mosher said, adding, Gelman and the state are in agreement on it. We are not holding it up.

Ann Arbor Mayor Christopher Taylor expressed frustration at the suggestion that local communities are holding things up. They have not been involved in recent negotiations about a new consent judgment, nor have they seen one, Taylor said.

Were all interested in moving forward together, he said, adding they all want clean water and the only way to get it is by accelerating cleanup and monitoring.

Since EPA officials clarified pursuing parallel paths is fine, Taylor said he sees nothing preventing the state from supporting the Superfund process.

Clark agreed theres clarity now about how the Superfund process and litigation could be pursued in parallel.

We want to stand next to you, we want to move this forward, we really want to make progress, she said. So, if thats the path forward, thats great.

Clark said shes been in talks with local officials about addressing the plume and EGLE is committed to it. The state began investigating the plume in 1985 and filed a lawsuit against the polluter in 1988, she said, noting that led to a Circuit Court consent judgment in 1992 that has been revised multiple times.

Some court orders were imposed over the states objections when the state was seeking more aggressive remediation, Clark said, mentioning Judge Donald Sheltons order in 2005 that imposed a groundwater-use prohibition zone through which the plume is allowed to spread, shifting from a cleanup goal to a risk-management approach.

Since 1987, theres been 8 billion gallons of groundwater extracted, treated and discharged, which removed over 110,000 pounds of 1,4-dioxane from the aquifer, Clark said. EGLE has also been responsible for surface water quality sampling and monitoring and weve been partnering closely with the Washtenaw County Health Department to sample hundreds of residential wells in the area to work to ensure protection of those drinking water sources for the public.

Finishing work to update the existing consent judgment is important now, Clark said.

There is something better within reach, she said.

Joan Tanaka, one of the regional leaders of the EPAs Superfund program, explained the listing process.

This is a long process, she said. If we were to start from the beginning for the Gelman site, we would need about one or two years to see what is the nature of the problem out there, does it qualify for the National Priorities List.

EPA would work with the state to gather data to confirm it qualifies for listing and then proceed.

After the first two years of gathering information, it would be another year before, if we were successful, it would indeed go on to the National Priorities List, Tanaka said.

The EPA then would negotiate with Gelman to conduct an investigation and engineering study to more fully understand the environmental problems, Tanaka said.

That negotiation takes about one year, she said, adding that means it could take about four years from the start of the process just to reach an agreement to study the problem.

And then its very difficult to say how long the actual study will take, but typically they wont go any more quickly than two years and they can take over 10 years, she said.

At the end of the study, the EPA would have a good idea about the right way to address the plume and would go through another process to issue a record of decision documenting a cleanup approach, Tanaka said.

We do listen to the community when we are at that very important point, she said.

The EPA then would go back to Gelman with the cleanup plan and negotiate to have the polluter do the cleanup, and that negotiation could take about a year, Tanaka said.

You have to design your cleanup plan and then you have to effectuate your cleanup plan with the remedial action, she said. Designs usually take one to three years. Cleanup actions, who knows  they can take one to 10-plus years.

Because theres so much information about the plume already, it should reduce the amount of time to do investigations, EPA officials said.

Under Superfund, EPAs goal would be to make sure the community is protected and, if practical, restore the groundwater aquifer to drinking water standards.

For very large plumes, very, very contaminated plumes, we understand thatll take a long time, Tanaka said. And again, it may take decades. And that is what we aspire to ... and its not always practical. Were not always able to achieve those goals.

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Ann Arbor city employees were paid $63.7M last year. See who made the most

Women in STEM are important, says co-founder of Ann Arbor mechatronics company

Some Washtenaw County schools will miss out on funding for not offering enough in-person instruction
In 2019, Mohamad Bazzi, a doctoral student at Uppsala University in Sweden, launched an expedition to Tunisia in search of fossils. He and his colleagues traveled to the phosphate mines around the city of Gafsa, where 56-million-year-old rocks record a time of rapidly warming oceans and mass extinctions, particularly of apex predators like sharks.

Mr. Bazzi made some distinctive choices for this paleontological expedition.

For starters, his team hired Tunisians to help dig, rather than bringing students from his university. Mr. Bazzi and his colleagues also chose to reach out to the residents of Gafsa wherever possible, holding impromptu lectures on the areas fossil history to interested onlookers. This was a contrast with the secretiveness of many paleontologists in the field, who might worry about their sites being raided for the fossil black market.

The fossils the team collected from Gafsa are important for learning more about how animals adapted to the hothouse world of the Eocene, a period that may foretell whats in store for the planet in coming years if carbon emissions dont slow.

But while Mr. Bazzis team removed the fossils from Tunisia, they did so under an agreement with local institutions that Mr. Bazzi himself insisted on: After he finished his research, the remains would be returned.
The Night Holds Terror is a 1955 crime thriller based on true events written and directed by Andrew L. Stone. The movie shows the kidnapping of Gene Courtier, played by Jack Kelly, as he gets kidnapped by 3 gangsters and is held for ransom. The movie also features actors like Vince Edwards, John Cassavetes and Hildy Parks. get to know what is The Night Holds Terror true story.

Is The Night Holds Terror a true story?

The Night Holds Terror is based on the true incident of Eugene M. Courtier, an Edwards Air Force Base technician who was kidnapped. The criminals responsible for this were Leonard Daniel Mahan, James Bartley Carrigan, and Don Eugene Hall.

The Night Holds Terror movie review

One night, Gene Courtier picks up hitchhiker Victor Gosset, a wanted criminal who is a part of a gang of three robbers. When the gang realises that Gene has only a few dollars in cash, they force Courtier to sell his expensive car and give them the money. When they go to sell the car, the dealer isn't able to pay such a large amount of money so soon. The gang decides to stay at Gene's house and take the money in the morning.

The night becomes a terror of fear and tension for Courtiers, the couple is sacred for their two young children. In the morning, the gang leaves with Gene to take the money and before they can murder him, Logan suggests holding Gene for ransom as he had discovered that Courtier's father owns a chain of stores. The gang decides to demand $200,000. Gene's father is given one night to hand over the money.

Gene's wife calls the police and the police start tracing calls. There is conflict within the gang, and Logan and Gene try to escape together. But Logan ends up being shot dead by Batsford and Courtier gets caught again.

Ultimately, Gene's wife stalls the gang's call long enough for the police to successfully trace it. The police are ready, police squad cars close in on the target area. There is a shootout near a phone booth in a deserted factory area, robbers Basford and Gossett are injured, and Courtier is safely reunited with his family.

The movie is rated 6.2 on IMDb, with many viewers calling it "fascinating" and "gritty". Many have also praised the cast and their performance, with one viewer commenting on how the "characters in the film are well-played" and "entertaining enough" to make the overall experience "enjoyable".

Get the latest entertainment news from India & around the world. Now follow your favourite television celebs and telly updates. Republic World is your one-stop destination for trending Bollywood news. Tune in today to stay updated with all the latest news and headlines from the world of entertainment.
TEL AVIV, Israel, March 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Tikcro Technologies Ltd. (OTC: TIKRF) today announced that its Board of Directors has decided to take steps required to distribute the company's net cash to its shareholders. To that end, the Board will convene a shareholders meeting to consider a resolution to voluntarily wind up the company with the goal of distributing the net cash to the shareholders.

After exploring avenues to advance its antibody program with third parties and exploring potential business combinations with operating companies, Tikcro's board of directors has concluded that it would be in the best interests of the company's shareholders to wind up its activities and distribute its cash, net of liabilities and expenses, to the shareholders. In order to reduce expenses, Tikcro will terminate its reporting obligations with the Securities and Exchange Commission and thereafter, notices to shareholders will be published by way of press release, website posts or direct mailings.

Under Israeli law, the shareholders of a company are authorized to approve a voluntary liquidation process, followed by the distribution of the company's remaining cash. To commence this process, the company is required to appoint a trustee, subject to a shareholder approval, to wind down the company's affairs. The statutory liquidation process is six months, followed by the final report of the trustee to the shareholders. Thereafter, the balance of the company's cash, after payment of all liabilities and expenses, will be distributed to the shareholders. Throughout the process, the trustee will explore potential monetization of the immune oncology antibody that Tikcro has developed.

As of March 22, 2021, the company's cash balance amounted to approximately $3.8 million which will be reduced by the expenses due through this process. The balance, will be distributed to its shareholders, subject to withholding tax to the extent applicable.

About Tikcro Technologies:

Tikcro Technologies Ltd. has developed certain antibodies selected and verified in pre-clinical trials with a focus on antibodies targeting immune modulator pathways for cancer treatment. For more information, visit Tikcro's website at www.tikcro.com .

Safe Harbor Statement

Certain of the statements contained herein may be considered forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties including, but not limited to, risks related to our ability to identify a party with whom to monetize our antibody technology, obtaining the requisite shareholder approval for the recommended actions, the success of our trustee to efficiently wind down the affairs of the company, and exposure to unknown claims and unforeseen expenses and delays. Please see the risks and uncertainties set forth in the Company's SEC reports, including the Company's Form 20-F. Actual results may materially differ. We undertake no duty to update any forward-looking information.

SOURCE Tikcro Technologies Ltd.

Related Links

http://www.tikcro.com


Source: Xinhua| 2021-03-22 03:43:50|Editor: huaxia

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A medical worker collects a swab from a woman for a COVID-19 test at Tuffah neighborhood in Gaza City, on March 21, 2021. On Sunday, Palestine recorded 2,247 new coronavirus cases, 21 deaths and 1,753 recoveries in 24 hours, taking its COVID-19 cases to 223,638, death toll to 2,427, and total recoveries to 198,431. (Photo by Rizek Abdeljawad/Xinhua)

CAIRO, March 21 (Xinhua) -- Turkey's COVID-19 caseload crossed the 3-million mark on Sunday after 20,428 new infections were added. Meanwhile, the tally of COVID-19 cases in Iran surpassed 1.8 million amid the raging pandemic.

Turkey's total COVID-19 cases surged to 3,013,122, while its death toll from the virus rose by 102 to 30,061, according to the Turkish Health Ministry. The total recoveries from the disease in Turkey climbed to 2,825,187 after 17,615 more patients recovered.

Iran on Sunday reported 7,260 new COVID-19 cases, raising its tally of coronavirus infections to 1,801,065.

The pandemic has so far claimed 61,797 lives in Iran, up by 73 in the past 24 hours. A total of 1,543,100 people have recovered from the disease in the Islamic republic, while 3,858 remained in intensive care units.

In Israel, the health ministry reported 499 new COVID-19 cases, raising the tally of infections to 827,698. The death toll in Israel rose to 6,087 with five new fatalities, while the total recoveries increased by 3,114 to 805,358.

Israel has lifted a restriction on the number of incoming and outgoing passengers at the airport after the Supreme Court ruled that the two-month-long measure has been "unconstitutional."

Palestine on Sunday launched a mass vaccination campaign against coronavirus in a bid to combat the fast-spreading virus across the West Bank and Gaza Strip.

Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammed Ishtaye, who started the campaign in the West Bank city of Ramallah, said the vaccination will be conducted via a registration platform.

This came after Palestine received the first batch of the coronavirus vaccine from the global COVAX program, which includes 38,000 doses of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine and 24,000 doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine.

Ishtaye added that Palestine is set to receive more vaccines, including a shipment of coronavirus vaccines from China.

On Sunday, Palestine recorded 2,247 new coronavirus cases, 21 deaths and 1,753 recoveries in 24 hours, taking its COVID-19 cases to 223,638, death toll to 2,427, and total recoveries to 198,431.

In Iraq, the health ministry reported 4,502 new coronavirus cases, raising the total nationwide infections to 793,892.

It also reported 38 new deaths, taking the death toll from the infectious virus to 14,007, while the total recoveries in Iraq climbed by 4,374 to 715,073.

Jordan announced 8,789 new cases and 88 more deaths, pushing its tally of infections up to 535,455 and its total fatalities to 5,876. The tally of recoveries in Jordan increased by 7,413 to 434,167.

Morocco confirmed 246 new coronavirus infections and four more deaths, bringing its total COVID-19 cases to 491,709 and death toll to 8,767. The tally of recoveries in the kingdom rose by 382 to 479,252.

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) reported 1,717 new COVID-19 cases and five more fatalities, taking its caseload to 440,355 and death toll to 1,438. The tally of recoveries in the UAE surged by 1,960 to 422,696.

Lebanon registered 2,968 new COVID-19 cases, raising its total number of infections to 439,543. The death toll from the virus in Lebanon went up by 42 to 5,757.

The Kuwaiti Health Ministry reported 1,192 new COVID-19 cases, bringing the total confirmed cases in the country to 219,125.

The ministry also announced 11 more deaths, taking the death toll to 1,226, while the tally of recoveries rose by 1,331 to 203,539.

Qatari Health Ministry recorded 503 new COVID-19 infections, raising the total confirmed cases in the Gulf state to 173,709.

It also confirmed 336 more recoveries from the virus, bringing the overall recoveries to 160,451, while the death toll increased by one to 273.

The Omani Health Ministry reported 1,665 new COVID-19 infections, raising the total confirmed cases in the sultanate to 150,800.

Oman's tally of recoveries surged by 1,229 to 139,100, while its death toll rose by two to 1,622, according to a ministry statement. Enditem
The House of Representatives said it will prioritise issues of local government, electoral and judicial reforms in amending the 1999 Constitution.

Deputy Speaker of the House, Idris Wase, made this known at a retreat organised for members of the House Ad hoc Committee on Constitution Review on Monday in Abuja.

Mr Wase said it was evident that the country was passing through serious challenges as a result of the local government system not working as it should.

The lawmaker stressed the need for the House to pay special attention to the named issues as they embarked on amending the constitution.

According to him, lawmakers have the opportunity to write their names in gold by ensuring that they do everything possible to give Nigerians a people-oriented constitution.

He said the review of the electoral process was particularly important to give Nigerians a direction in its democratic growth.

Mr Wase said that state creation as well as women participation in politics would also be given special attention by the House committee.

This is about our nation building. We have the opportunity to write our names in gold in whatever we are going to do here.

We should be guided by the fact that Nigeria needs very critical reforms at this very particular time.

By our own design at the secretariat, we thought we should segment the issues in the country so that we will have them in batches.

We are not going to have one batch constitutional review like it was done in the past. As issues come, we shall be treating them and we have classified the issues, he said.

The lead consultant to the committee, Dakas Dakas, a professor of law, said in reviewing the constitution the House must take cognisance of the participation of Nigerians in the process.

He said in carrying out the exercise, the committee must find a way to harvest the views of Nigerians, while paying special attention to certain constitutional provisions.

He said this was necessary in order not to render the outcome of the exercise a nullity.

Mr Dakas said there was the need for the committee to work in collaboration with its Senate counterpart.

He suggested a joint public hearing rather than seeing each other as rivals.

The Head, Governance Unit, Foreign and Commonwealth Development Office, Sam Waldock, said the British Government had invested about 50 million pounds in supporting democracy in Nigeria in the last five years.

Mr Waldock said the United Kingdom (UK) was proud to support democratic development in Nigeria, especially as it relates to electoral reforms.

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He said it was the expectation of the UK government that the outcome of the review would lead to fundamental rebuilding of Nigerias democracy.

Mr Waldock stressed that as the largest democracy in Africa and leading member of the Commonwealth, it was important for Nigeria to have a constitution that reflected the wishes and aspirations of the people.

The Executive Director, Policy and Legislative Advocacy Centre (PLAC), Clement Nwankwo, said the committee should give special attention to the issue of women participation in the nations political landscape.

He also said the lawmakers should synergise with their counterparts in the senate and states to ensure a successful review.

(NAN)
The Prime Minister says that Corpus Christi, also known as the "Day of Wreaths", is set aside on the Christian calendar to honour the Holy Eucharist which was observed at the last supper before Christ was crucified.
The trial heard Hayne had been speaking to the victim on social media for a few weeks, but they met for the first time when Hayne  who was in Newcastle for a bucks weekend  stopped at her house on the evening of September 30, 2018, on the way back to Sydney. He arrived at her home at 9.07pm, drinking a Vodka Cruiser, and left his $550 taxi waiting outside, telling the driver he needed to pick up a bag. He left 46 minutes later. Convicted: Jarryd Hayne outside court on Monday. Credit:James Alcock The trial examined the conflicting accounts of what happened in that time, as well as messages and phone calls made before and after the incident. In one message, the woman told a friend Hayne had been so rough that blood started pouring all over the bed because he tore my vagina. Hayne denied assaulting the woman and said their consensual encounter ended when he injured her accidentally, which surprised him as much as her.

Loading In a series of phone calls intercepted by police in November 2018, Hayne described the woman as a full-blown weirdo, a young cow and a f---in idiot who got attached to him and started blowing up when he brushed her off. He said he would get her for defamation easy. It was the second time a jury had deliberated on the charges. The first trial ended in December last year with a hung jury, after eight men and four women were unable to reach a unanimous verdict. Speaking after the verdict, Detective Superintendent Stacey Maloney, the commander of the NSW Police child abuse and sex crimes squad, said it was an incredible feat for the victim to go through this process. She said the woman had shown courage, resilience and a steely nature, with the officer urging other victims to come forward to engage with police if they have been assaulted. We believe you, and well be on the journey with you, Ms Maloney said. Jurors in the second trial were only informed that the first trial did not conclude, and were instructed not to seek out the reason why. The evidence of Hayne and the woman was replayed from the first trial  the woman with video and audio, and Hayne with just audio.

In her evidence, the woman said she did not consent to the sexual activity and felt like an object ... degraded and upset and angry. She said Hayne tried to kiss her and she said no, but he didnt stop, and he pulled down her pants despite her efforts to hold them up. I think I froze in a way, because I cant remember a massive struggle; it was just really confusing. But he knew I didnt want it  I said no, the woman said. It was forceful and fast. Thats why I cant say for sure how the [genital] injury was done, whether it was his mouth, his teeth, his nails or a ring. I was numb. A doctor gave evidence that the two lacerations to the womans genitals were caused by the skin splitting after being stretched beyond its capacity.

Loading Hayne said the woman did not say stop or no at any stage. He said she was not happy after discovering the taxi waiting outside and didnt want to have sex, but he just wanted to please her in other ways. He said he used his hands and mouth on the woman and, during one of the sexual acts, he felt the sense of a different liquid hit my lip and jumped up in shock, looking straight at his hands to see blood. Hayne said the woman was a bit frazzled and he reiterated that it was an accident and told her to go to the doctor, before saying I better go and leaving. When he later received a message from the woman on Snapchat, indicating she had made a police complaint, he said he was fuming, because shes full of shit. The court heard in a pretrial hearing in February that police had approached the woman to ask if she would be willing to give evidence again, but she was resistant to return because she was significantly affected by the experience of testifying the first time.

In the first trial, the woman broke down in the witness box and began to cry, telling Haynes barrister that no means f---ing no. When she was asked to leave to take a break, she walked past Hayne in court and said to him, Youre a f---ing piece of shit. This exchange was not played in the new trial. The jury was also unaware Hayne had previously been accused of leaving a woman bleeding from her vagina after an alleged sexual assault in December 2015, while he was in the United States playing American football for the San Francisco 49ers. That woman, known only by her initials JV, brought a civil case against Hayne in 2017 because authorities did not have enough evidence to lay criminal charges. He settled with her for almost $100,000 in 2019. On Monday, after the jury in the present case had been deliberating for about two-and-a-half days, Judge Syme said the issues of sexual assault and consent had been in the news over the weekend. She urged jurors to disregard anything but the evidence they had heard in the case, and to avoid debating about consent law in general.
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Collaboration seeks to advance artificial intelligence (AI) in gastroenterology (GI) and data-driven healthcare for better patient outcomes.

Minneapolis, MN and Cambridge, MA, March 17, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Provation and Iterative Scopes announced today an exclusive partnership, bringing together the premier clinical productivity and gastroenterology (GI) documentation software provider with a leading startup in Artificial Intelligence (AI) for precision GI.

Through this partnership, the two companies are focused on delivering AI-based solutions to healthcare providers and life science researchers, including AI-assisted diagnostic tools, procedure documentation, and clinical trial recruitment.

One of the first initiatives under the partnership will be an AI-based patient recruiting solution for inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) patients. This new recruitment method is expected to accelerate the time needed to bring new therapies to market, bypassing many of the problems pharmaceutical companies currently face.

Our partnership with Iterative Scopes is a logical one. Provation is the market leader in GI documentation, with more than 3,500 customer facilities including 80% of the top academic and large health systems. Our IBD data can enable Iterative Scopes to facilitate clinical trial recruitment and deliver clinical endpoint evaluations to their pharmaceutical partners, said Craig Moriarty, Provation Senior Vice President of Strategy and Product. In addition, Iterative Scopes can bring its extensive AI toolkit to our GI documentation solutions, including Provation Apex.

The integration of these technology platforms will enable more efficient and accurate documentation of gastroenterology procedures benefiting physicians and the patients they serve.

I am thrilled to partner with Provation, to accelerate the adoption of AI into gastroenterology and to be able to learn from the deep expertise and trusted position Provation holds. We look forward to unlocking tremendous value for patients, physicians and life science partners. said Jonathan Ng, CEO, Iterative Scopes.

About Iterative Scopes

Iterative Scopes is a gastrointestinal data company, working to deliver AI toolkits to the practice of gastroenterology by providing real-time, actionable insights to providers and the life sciences. Spun out of MIT in 2017, the team has since raised $14M in funding and is based out of Cambridge, Massachusetts. For more information, visit iterativescopes.com.

About Provation

Provation is a leading provider of healthcare software and SaaS solutions. Our purpose is to empower providers to deliver quality healthcare for all. We provide innovative solutions in clinical productivity, care coordination, quality reporting and billing. Celebrating 25 years, Provation serves thousands of hospitals, surgical facilities, anesthesia groups, and medical offices, including 43 of the top 50 U.S. hospitals for gastroenterology (GI) and GI surgery. Our comprehensive portfolio spans the entire patient procedure, from pre-op through post-op recovery and follow-up, with solutions for physician and nursing documentation (Provation MD, Provation Apex, MD-Reports and Provation MultiCaregiver), patient engagement, surgical care coordination, quality reporting, and billing capture (Provation SurgicalValet), order set and care plan management (Provation Order Set Advisor and Provation Care Plans), and EHR embedded clinical documentation (Provation Clinic Note). Provation is headquartered in Minneapolis, MN and backed by Clearlake Capital Group, L.P. For more information about our solutions, visit provationmedical.com.

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Saudi Aramco reported a net profit of $49 billion for 2020, down 44 percent on the year but still a positive figure despite the pandemic that plunged some major oil companies into the red.

The company kept its annual dividend at $75 billion and said its capital expenditure for this year would be around $35 billion. Earlier, the company had planned capex in the range of $40-45 billion for 2021.

Looking ahead, our long-term strategy to optimize our oil and gas portfolio is on track and, as the macro environment improves, we are seeing a pick-up in demand in Asia and also positive signs elsewhere. We remain confident that we will emerge on the other side of this pandemic in a position of strength, said chief executive Amin Nasser in comments on the 2020 financial results.

In a recent article for Oilprice, energy industry observer Cyril Widdershoven noted that Aramcos results will be closely watched as gauges of the health of the global oil industry given Saudi Arabias clout in it. The relatively strong net result might have a positive effect on prices, but theres a counterweight being applied right now: the recent attacks on Aramco facilities from Yemen, which prompted Saudi Arabia to respond in kind. The escalation of the conflict between the Kingdom and its neighbor is hardly positive news for potential Aramco investors, even if it would be bullish for prices.

A purely financial cause for worry is the 40-percent decline in free cash flow to 49 billion. This is much lower than the size of the dividend Aramco has committed to distribute to its shareholders, meaning it will need to cover the difference from other sources, most likely debt. Taking on debt to pay a dividend is not an indication of financial health, and if thats what Aramco does to make the dividend payout, it may reduce its attractiveness to non-Saudi government shareholders.

By Irina Slav for Oilprice.com

More Top Reads From Oilprice.com:
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The Government of the National Capital Territory of Delhi (Amendment) Bill, 2021 was passed in the Lok Sabha on Monday.

In reply to a debate, Union Minister of State for Home Affairs, AG Kishan Reddy said, "No murder of democracy is taking place with the amendments in Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi (Amendment) bill. No right has been taken away from the Delhi government neither any new right has been given to the Lieutenant Governor."

"This amendment only seeks to remove ambiguities in governance and is in line with court judgments and it will enhance accountability," Reddy said.

Participating in the debate, Congress's Manish Tewari said, "The problem with the BJP is that their stand changes on the side they are seated in Parliament."

Tewari pointed out that former Home Minister L.K. Advani had talked about granting full statehood of Delhi except areas falling under New Delhi.

Aam Aadmi Party MP, Bhagwant Mann said that the union government is encroaching upon the powers of an elected state government and thanked the parties who opposed the Bill.

After the passing of the bill, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal tweeted, "Passage of GNCTD amendment Bill in Lok Sabha today is an insult to the people of Delhi. The Bill effectively takes away powers from those who were voted by people and gives powers to run Delhi to those who were defeated. BJP has cheated the people."
As reported in detail via this Marijuana Moment piece, headlined "Senate Marijuana Report Highlights Legalizations Popularity And Risks, While Criticizing DEA Research Barriers," this notable new report on marijuana policies was released today by the Senate Caucus on International Narcotics Control. Here is part of the story:

A U.S. Senate drug caucus released a report on Wednesday that recognizes broad voter support for marijuana legalization and expresses criticism of existing policies that inhibit research into cannabis, taking direct aim at the Drug Enforcement Administrations (DEA) role in impeding studies. But because of what they see as the risks of cannabis use, lawmakers also want the federal government to consider recommending THC caps on state-legal products.

Sens. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) and John Cornyn (R-TX) co-chair the Senate Caucus on International Narcotics Control, which released the document, and neither are generally viewed as allies of the legalization movement. The report, which was first reported by Politico, largely focuses on the need to boost research into the effects of cannabis, with members voicing concern about issues such as impaired driving, THC potency and marijuana use by vulnerable populations. At the same time, however, it acknowledges the increasing popularity of legalization and outlines some of the benefits of enacting the policy change.

Despite its increasing popularity91 percent of Americans believe cannabis should be legalized for either medical or recreational purposescannabis remains illegal at the federal level, it says. Nonetheless, the U.S. cannabis industry is thriving. Cultivation and sales have largely shifted from Mexican cartels to U.S.-based businesses operating in licit, state markets (though a sizeable [sic] black market remains).

Experts estimate the licit cannabis market employs more than 200,000 individuals and will produce as much as $24 billion in profits 2025, nearly $9 billion of which will be from medical cannabis sales, the caucus wrote.

The report discusses at length the need for further research into marijuana and points to a number of barriers  including the Drug Enforcement Administrations position on international treaties  that have stymied studies into the plant. Members wrote that because cannabis may hold both promise and peril it is imperative to increase the research base associated with cannabis, and that this research should be used to guide future policy so that appropriate regulations can be put in place to mitigate any negative public health consequences....

Overall, the report identifies five issues around marijuana policy and offers corresponding recommendations. It is far from universally favorable to cannabis reformwith much discussion on risks associated with impaired driving and youth consumption, for examplebut it reflects how the rhetoric around marijuana is continuing to evolve in Congress, even in traditionally conservative panels like the one that produced the new document.

Despite growing acceptance and accessibility of this drug and its derivatives, there is still much we dont know about the effects of marijuana usage, Cornyn said in a press release. Its critical for policymakers to understand the public safety implications of increased marijuana use before diving in to the complex and difficult job of changing federal policy, and it is my hope that this report will help inform these important policy decisions in the future.

Feinstein said that she hopes the report will speed final passage of a marijuana research bill she introduced alongside Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-IA) in February. She said the legislation, an earlier version of which cleared the Senate toward the end of last year but which was not merged with a separate House-passed bill in time to be enacted, would mark an important step to ensure that Congress is well-informed about this policy area.

Bangkok, 11 March, 2021  The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) has launched its latest in a series of TVCs, with the new one Miss You sending out an emotional message to people around the world that Thailand cannot wait to welcome everyone back in the not-too-distant-future.

The TVC, while conveying a message of how much Thailand misses international visitors, also pulls at the heart strings of any viewer who is longing to return and experience the people, culture, and beaches of Thailand once again.

It starts with images of a paper airplane flying into the sunset and over a sea of mist. That fades into a stunning sunset image over Phang Nga Bay before cutting to a sequence of azure seas, colourful coral reefs, and a yacht anchored offshore at sunset.

The Thailand nostalgia tour continues with an overhead drone shot of cyclists on a winding evergreen mountain road, a woman skipping through sunflower fields in full bloom, and a bamboo viewing platform overlooking a sea of mist with a field of purple flowers in the foreground.

After more ocean sunset sequences a colourful old town shot gives way to the people-centric theme that is core to the VDO: A Thai auntie offering an omelette over rice, a barista, and a potter making ceramic art who all miss you.

The final sequence again presences the beauty of the Thai coast at sunset with a family running along the shoreline before closing with another take on the opening shot of a young boy playing with his paper airplane, an analogy of the viewers airplane touching down in Thailand again.

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Throughout the VDO, images are juxtaposed with a voice-over and closed captions that reinforce an emotional message of love and longing:

Hello, there. We miss you so much! Its been a while, how are you? You know, Thailand has something to tell you. The scenery is so much more amazing, and we look forward to welcoming you back. Waiting for your tight hugs, your pondering moments, your attention, your quality time well spent. Here in our country, people await your return, too. Auntie Toi the wok master, Nut the barista, Uncle Pong the potter, they all miss you. Lastly, we just want to tell you to take good care of yourself and we look forward to seeing you. With all the love from Thailand.

TAT is sharing the new TVC on global media channels in addition to its social media accounts and worldwide offices with the #AmazingThailand.

The post TAT sends out latest TVC Miss You to the world appeared first on TAT Newsroom.
Source: Xinhua| 2021-03-23 02:08:57|Editor: huaxia

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CAIRO, March 22 (Xinhua) -- Egyptian and French naval forces started on Monday joint military training in the Mediterranean Sea, Egypt's armed forces said in a statement.

"The drills that will continue for several days are carried in the light of the special ties and the exchange of experience between the two countries' armed forces," the statement said.

The joint exercises are aimed at fostering the skills of officers and promoting the exchange of expertise, and will include the training on securing the sea navigation against different threats, according to the statement.

Egypt regularly holds joint military exercises with other countries to boost military collaboration and exchange military expertise based on the modern battling methods, the statement said. Enditem
MUMBAI: Actor Sanjay Kapoor's daughter Shanaya Kapoor is all set to enter the showbiz industry and make her big-screen debut. The young starkid will be launched by Karan Johar's Dharma Productions.

Shanaya announced on social media that she is all set to kickstart shooting for her upcoming films in July this year. The project will be backed by Karans Dharma Productions.

Karan Johar too confirmed the report and shared a glamorous collage of Shanaya Kapoor and wrote, "Welcome to the #DCASquad @shanayakapoor! Its going to be an unforgettable and exciting journey that begins with your first film with @DharmaMovies, this July." He also shared a stunning video of the starlet and wrote, "Another beautiful addition to our growing @dcatalent family! Her enthusiasm, perseverance and diligence is so amazing to see. Join us in showering your love & blessings as she begins her first film with @DharmaMovies, this July!

Another beautiful addition to our growing @dcatalent family! Welcome to the #DCASquad, @shanayakapoor. Her enthusiasm, perseverance and diligence is so amazing to see. Join us in showering your love & blessings as she begins her first film with @DharmaMovies, this July! pic.twitter.com/u9b6AKwZwQ  Karan Johar (@karanjohar) March 22, 2021

Details of her debut film have been kept under wraps till now.

Confirming the news, Sanjay Kapoor shared on Instagram, "With her unabashed enthusiasm, resilience & sparkle - My daughter is all set to take over your screens soon. Give her your love & blessings as she is ready to start the journey of her FIRST FILM with @Dharmamovies this July. Watch out for the announcement of the film! #DCASquad."

Her mother Maheep also posted, With her unabashed enthusiasm, resilience & sparkle  Shanaya Kapoor is all set to take over your screens soon. Give her your love & blessings as she is ready to start the journey of her FIRST FILM with @Dharmamovies this July. Watch out for the announcement of the film!

Sharing the announcement on her Instagram, Shanaya wrote, Woke up today with the most grateful heart! Heres to a great journey ahead with the @dcatalent family. Excited to kickstart my FIRST FILM (ahhh!!) this July by @DharmaMovies, cant wait for you all to see what were up to! Stay tuned!

Shanaya is producer Boney Kapoor and veteran actor Anil Kapoor's niece, and first cousin of actors Arjun Kapoor, Sonam Kapoor, Harshvardhan Kapoor, and Janhvi Kapoor.
University of North Georgia (UNG) honors student Holden Armstrong has presented at conferences before on topics ranging from international affairs to strategic and security studies. As brigade academic officer in UNG's Corps of Cadets, he is comfortable speaking in front of large groups.

On March 26, Armstrong will present his research question and method for the first time to faculty, staff and students during UNG's Annual Research Conference (ARC). His question examines the Corps of Cadets' involvement with the university's Honors Program and Nationally Competitive Scholarships Office.

"I'm looking forward to presenting the research that I have done by myself versus a collective group," said the senior pursuing a degree in strategic and security studies at UNG. "The experience will help me practice my research presentations skills."

The 26th ARC will be conducted virtually from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. via Zoom. It will feature prerecorded asynchronous poster sessions and live oral presentations and panel discussions. Online discussion boards will allow the presenters to answer questions and respond to comments from viewers about their poster presentations.

"While we aren't doing the Annual Research Conference in person this year, we can still conduct the conference safely," said Allison Grundel, administrative assistant for the Center for Undergraduate Research and Creative Activities (CURCA).

Establishing a safe and familiar setting for students to share their research with the UNG community and gain vital feedback or constructive comments on their projects is the purpose of the ARC.

"Students can practice presenting their research at our conference and feel more prepared for the next one," said Mandy Losito, a graduate assistant for the Center for Undergraduate Research and Creative Activities (CURCA), which sponsors and organizes the event. "For the first-time presenter, the ARC may be less intimidating and more attractive since it is free and is in front of fellow students."

UNG students like Angela Rhilinger and Matthew Karshna plan to use the event to gain more experience, though each participated last year. Karshna turned his nine-page paper into a PowerPoint presentation while Rhilinger will share the paper orally.

"My goal is to present the information in a concise and simple way," said Karshna, a junior pursuing a degree in English with a concentration in writing and publication.

His research focuses on how body language, pitch and sounds are used by fictional characters who don't speak real-world languages. He explained in the movie "Star Wars," R2D2 uses different pitches and sounds to convey meaning.

Rhilinger, a senior pursuing a degree in English with a concentration in literature as well as a second degree in studio art, is presenting research that compares uses of the labyrinth in Vergil's "Aeneid" and Chaucer's "House of Fame." Rhilinger hopes the research and two previous conference appearances will help with graduate school.

"Presenting at a conference shows good initiative that graduate schools are looking for and will give me an edge," Rhilinger said.

To see the students' research, register for the event by visiting the Annual Research Conference website. Students interested in learning more about undergraduate research opportunities may visit UNG's CURCA website or email curca@ung.edu.
Texas Democrat Rep. Vela to Retire From US House

Rep. Filemon Vela (D-Texas) says hell retire from the U.S. House when his current term ends in early 2023.

I will not be seeking reelection to the House of Representatives in 2022, Vela said in a March 22 statement to news outlets. I will continue to focus on maintaining a Democratic House and Senate Majority in my capacity as a member of Congress and Vice Chair of the Democratic National Committee, while working diligently for the people I am so grateful to represent.

Vela, 58, has represented Texass 34th Congressional District since 2013.

The district, which is majority Hispanic, includes areas along the U.S.Mexico border.

While Vela won reelection last year with 55 percent of the vote, Republicans announced last month the district was one of 47 they believe they can flip in 2022, labeling Vela and other Democrats as vulnerable.

Torunn Sinclair, spokeswoman for the National Republican Congressional Committee, said in a statement that Vela knows Bidens border crisis will cost him his seat and Democrats their House majority.

Texans deserve a congressman who is going to stand up to Bidens open-border agenda, not defend it, she said.

Republicans flipped 15 House seats in 2020, including one held by a Libertarian, narrowing the Democrats majority considerably. The House is currently 219211, with one Republican set to be seated soon.

Texass 34th Congressional District was won by President Joe Biden by 4 percentage points, a drop from the 21.5-point margin Democrat presidential nominee Hillary Clinton had over Donald Trump in 2016.

Districts in Texas will likely be redrawn before the midterm elections, potentially shifting the contours of the district Vela represents.

Rep. Ann Kirkpatrick (D-Ariz.) announced earlier this month that she wont seek another term, followed by Rep. Tom Reed (R-N.Y.).

Five Republicans in the U.S. Senate, meanwhile, have said they wont be running for reelection.
[March 22, 2021] HBK Europe Management LLP sent a letter regarding William Hill's upcoming Scheme Court Hearing

HBK Europe Management LLP, on 18 March 2021, sent the below letter to William Hill's shareholders and stakeholders regarding the company's upcoming Scheme Court Hearing. Introduction We are writing to you today regarding William Hill's upcoming Scheme Court Hearing, which has been scheduled for 31 March 2021, at which a UK court will be asked to sanction the scheme of arrangement which effects the acquisition of William Hill by Caesars UK Bidco. You may have seen from William Hill's announcement on 18 March 2021 that we have informed William Hill that we intend to contest the Scheme. Our opposition is based upon our strongly held belief that shareholders voting on the Scheme did so without information which would have allowed them to weigh up its true merits. In particular, it is our view that the terms of the joint venture agreement entered into between William Hill and Eldorado (now Caesars) dated 6 September 2018 were not adequately disclosed by William Hill. You will recall that Caesars served on William Hill a notice of the addition of Apollo Global Management, Inc. and its affiliates to a list of "Restricted Acquirers" under the terms of the joint venture agreement. We consider that the disclosure contained in the Scheme Document as to the Restricted Acquirers list led the market to believe that no rival bid for William Hill would ever be possible, because Caesars could promptly add any rival bidder to the list of Restricted Acquirers. HBK discovered that, in reality, Caesars' ability to restrict counterbidders is significantly more limited than this. On 19 Novemer 2020, at the EGM/Court Meeting, William Hill disclosed, after being questioned by HBK at the meeting, that "there can be a maximum of six names on this list. Caesars are entitled to substitute one name every six months."



HBK believes that this information is highly relevant to shareholders and should have been disclosed in the Scheme Document. Where the terms of a contract between two parties is weaponized during the M&A process in a way which impacts the competitive nature of that process, shareholders need to be made fully aware of all the relevant terms. The UK market strongly benefits from its reputation as a shareholder-friendly jurisdiction, governed by both the Companies Act and The Takeover Code. It is a rare occurrence indeed to see a "poison-pill" actually being utilised against a UK company. As such, UK shareholders, who are unaccustomed to such mechanisms, deserved and required a fuller explanation of the Restricted Acquirers list and its limitations in order to properly assess how to vote. We believe it is our duty as a minority shareholder to inform the Court, and William Hill, of these concerns. We have engaged constructively with the Board on this matter both before and after the Court Meeting. It is our opinion that the Scheme should only be sanctioned if Scheme Shareholders vote again in light of proper disclosure of the 6-month rule.

Actions HBK urges fellow shareholders and stakeholders to write to the Court and William Hill if you believe that this information should have been disclosed, or could have influenced your voting decision. You are also welcome to provide a copy of such letter to our lawyers at WilliamHill@traverssmith.com. Did you ask William Hill or their advisers for more information regarding the Restricted Acquirers list or the JVA without success before the Court Meeting?

Do you believe that shareholders should be fully apprised of the details of any potential "poison-pill" before being asked to value and approve the sale of the business?

Do you believe that the Board should have provided fuller details of the Restricted Acquirers list, and any other relevant JV terms, given that Caesars used this JV during the Offer Period as a poison-pill against Apollo? Conclusion We welcome any shareholder feedback on these points, and we encourage shareholders to get in contact with William Hill and the Court before 31 March 2021 to share their views on this subject. Notes to editors: HBK is the largest economic interest holder in William Hill, with a 9.5% economic interest in the company. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210322005160/en/

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COLONIE - An Army Air Corps veteran of World War II celebrated his 100th birthday a few days early.

Former Capt. Edmund Steffler was honored by friends and family in The Hangar 743, 743 Albany Shaker Road, near the Albany International Airport in Colonie on Thursday. His celebration was among several World War II military planes that are being preserved in the hangar.

The site was appropriate for Stefflers celebration.

I appreciate I am going to reach that age (100), he said before the celebration started. Its a factor I had no control over. 

He said his lifes highlights include good health and a nice family. I am thankful for being around for a while, he added.

Steffler served with the 24tth Bomb Squadron, 6th Bomb Group in the war.

The celebration site has aviation ties to that war. Dave Prescott of the Prescott Foundation established a Warbird Factory in the Hangar at 743 where World War II military aircraft are restored and preserved.

Steffler was born in Watervliet on April 9, 1921 to Michael Stefanowicz and Sophie Miezwa who originally emigrated from Poland to Hazelton, Pa. Steffler, who graduated from Watervliet High School In 1939, entered military service with the New York Army National Guards 105th Infantry, 27th Division, on Oct. 15, 1940.

After World War II broke out a year later, he was assigned to the Army Air Corps. He served as a member of a B-29 Superfortress heavy bombardment squadron the flew missions out of Hawaii, and the Island of Tinian in the Pacific.

Steffler began military duty as an enlisted soldier and quickly rose in rank to first sergeant before he was commissioned as a staff officer. As a captain, he was the squadrons adjutant.

His missions focused on the strategic bombardment of the Japanese islands and the destruction of Japans war-making capabilities. The squadron flew its final combat mission on Aug. 14, 1945 when hostilities ended. His crews then flew relief supplies to Allied prisoner of war camps in Japan and Manchuria.

Steffler was honorably discharged with in November 1945. He entered Siena College, Loudonville, where he earned a bachelor of art degree in accounting in 1949. A lengthy career in business and finance followed. He was employed by Farm Credit Association, Equitable Life Insurance Company, and 30 years as treasurer of Farm Family Insurance Company, until his retirement in 1984 as treasurer and vice president. He was a founder of Farm Family Insurance Company.

He was active in the community as a member of the Knights of Columbus, American Legion, Colonie Elks, and Our Lady of Assumption Church, Colonie, where he served as eucharistic minister and usher.

Vietnam Era recognition

Vietnam-Era veterans will be honored during a ceremony at 11 a.m. Wednesday, March 24, at Committal Shelter 1 at the Gerald B.H. Solomon Saratoga National Cemetery, 200 Duell Road, Schuylerville.

Due to COVID-19 restrictions this ceremony unfortunately is still not public but will be streamed live beginning at 11 a.m. on the Cemetery Facebook page: www.facebook.com/NatCemSaratoga.

Vietnam War veterans and Vietnam-Era veterans who served between Nov. 1, 1955 and May 15, 1975 will receive lapel pins in recognition of their service.

Terry Brown, Times Union Duty Calls columnist and Vietnam War veteran, and his therapy dog, Rosie, will present a program on Benefits of Therapy Duty.

Bugler Hayleigh Girard of Hudson Falls will play Taps.

More Information News of your troops and units can be sent to Times Union, Duty Calls, Terry Brown, Box 15000, Albany, NY 12212 or email brownt@timesunion.com.

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Active Army soldiers and retired Army veterans will place a memorial wreath. Pastor Clyde McCaskill of Hoosic Valley Community Church will present the eulogy.

Scott Lamb, cemetery director, will present pins to the veterans following the ceremony.

Veterans with last names beginning with A-G can pick up pins between 1 and 2 p.m.

Veterans with last names beginning with H-N can pick up pins between 2 and 3 p.m.

Veterans with last names beginning with O-Z can pick up pins between 3 and 4 p.m.

For information, call Scott Lamb at 518-581-9128, Ext. 207.




There's a lot of money at stake  close to $1 billion  from just one federal law alone to help the government of Guam and the public it serve Read more
Legal & General, Britain's biggest insurer, has started looking for a new chief executive to take over from Nigel Wilson.

The board of the 16billion group has begun planning the succession to the 64-year-old, who is one of the longest serving and most respected chief executives in the FTSE100.

L&G chairman and former Treasury mandarin Sir John Kingman is expected to lead a global search to be matched against internal candidates among the group's current management team.

In charge: There are no plans for Nigel Wilson to step down any time soon, but the board is preparing the ground for when the time comes

Wilson, who became group chief executive in 2012, has steered L&G through a turbulent period, which has seen four changes at the top of rival Aviva, a break-up of the Prudential and the sell-off of general insurer Royal Sun Alliance to overseas buyers.

Under his leadership, the assets managed by L&G have soared to more than 1.3trillion and the group has been at the forefront of innovative investment in social housing, infrastructure and the Cambridge University Science Park.

Wilson's stewardship of Legal & General has been distinguished by his willingness to speak out on corporate governance and national issues.

He has also demonstrated that it is possible for UK savings institutions to diversify their investments in spite of the strict EU Solvency II directive, which, from 2016, limited insurers' freedoms in a bid to protect consumers from the risk of insolvency.

There are no plans for Wilson to step down any time soon, but the board, led by Kingman, is preparing the ground for when the time comes.

The insider tipped to replace Wilson is Laura Mason, chief executive of L&G's fast-growing institutional pensions business since 2018. Finance chief Jeff Davies and Michelle Scrimgeour, boss of the investment management division, are also in the running.

Key skills for bosses at an insurer on the scale of L&G is an understanding of complex mathematical models, as well as new financial technologies. Mason has an undergraduate degree and PhD in mechanical engineering from Oxford University. She also spent seven years working for leading actuaries and pension experts Towers Watson.

Runners and riders: From left, Jeff Davies, Laura Mason, and Michelle Scrimgeour

Her division has become Britain's biggest consolidator of defined benefit pension funds, as more companies and pension fund trustees have sought to cap liabilities by outsourcing the management to experts. Davies, a former partner at Ernst & Young, was recruited in 2017 into the job once held by Wilson, while Scrimgeour came to L&G from Columbia Threadneedle, where she ran the Europe, Middle East and Africa division.

The choice of Mason or Scrimgeour would see another woman in one of UK finance's most senior roles. Aviva chose Amanda Blanc as its chief executive last year.

Natwest and Spanish-owned TSB both have women chief executives, and former L&G executive Baroness Morrissey recently became chairman at AJ Bell.
Jade Goody's widower Jack Tweed paid an tribute to her on Monday as he marked 12 years since her death.

Taking to Instagram, the TV personality, 33, shared a sweet image of himself and Jade alongside her sons Freddie and Bobby, captioning the image: '12 years never forgotten, miss you.'

Jade died at the age of 27 in March 2009 following a battle with cervical cancer, just one-month after she tied the knot with Jack.

Gone too soon: Jade Goody's widower Jack Tweed paid an tribute to her on Monday as he marked 12 years since her death

The photo sees the four in great spirits as Jack carries Freddie, now 16, on his shoulders while Jade and Bobby, now 17, flash huge smiles at the camera.

As well as his heartfelt caption, Jack added two red hearts and a prayer emoji to the snap.

Jack's tribute comes after he recently discussed his alcohol and drug addiction after struggling to cope with the passing of his late wife Jade.

He revealed he's still 'not 100 per cent.' after losing her and admitted to spending 100-a-day to withstand suicidal thoughts and the ongoing grief.

Grief: Taking to Instagram, the TV personality, 33, shared a sweet image of himself and Jade alongside her sons Freddie and Bobby, captioning the image: '12 years never forgotten, miss you' (pictured in 2019)

Speaking of the immeasurable loss, he said to The Sun on Sunday: 'Id just sit at home, think about Jade, start crying and then think the only thing to do was go out and drink vodka.

'So Id just have a drink every day, it would go from there. I started smoking weed after I stopped drinking, and I went through a stage where I got really, really depressed.

'I replaced the booze for weed and it took me a good four months to get rid of it, to get out of the habit of smoking every day - I was spending 100-a-day.'

Tragic: Jack's tribute comes after he recently discussed his alcohol and drug addiction after struggling to cope with the passing of his late wife Jade.

According to Jack, he didn't know how else to manage the constant thoughts of Jade which occupied his mind, or how he could come to terms with her death.

The former Celebrity Big Brother star added that people would mistakenly think he didn't care due his reckless behaviour, which was masking his pain.

He eventually went to see his mother after his mental health reached an all-time low.

'All I could think about was committing suicide,' he said as he recalled visited her and 'crying for four hours' as he 'didn't want to be here anymore.'

Honest: The widower said to The Sun on Sunday: 'Id just sit at home, think about Jade, start crying and then think the only thing to do was go out and drink vodka'

It was ultimately his closest family members who encouraged him to get help. In addition to spending more time with his mother and taking anti-depressants, he began making small steps towards improving his wellbeing.

While he is no longer depressed, he admitted he is still not a 'hundred per cent,' and is focused on 'getting through' life, one step-at-a-time.

Jack now works as an electrician, the same occupation he had before meeting Jade.

Earlier in March, the 33-year-old also 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 confirmed to the publication that he was in a relationship that is 'the most serious' he has had since Jade passed away.

Pain: Jade died at the age of 27 in March 2009 after her cervical cancer battle, just one-month after she tied the knot with Jack, as he paid tribute to their wedding anniversary last month

Their flourishing romance has however hit a speed-bump as he told The Sun 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.'

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'.

For confidential support call the Samaritans in the UK on 116 123 or click here for details
MOSCOW, March 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The Global Energy Prize has completed its 2020/2021 nomination cycle, setting new records despite the pandemic.

Thirty-six countries are represented on the long list of nominees, three times the number in 2019 (12 countries) and nearly twice the 2020 number (20 countries). The list includes academics from North America and Western Europe, but also for the first time from such nations as Algeria, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Egypt, Ghana, Gambia, Hungary, Jordan, Latvia, Madagascar, Mexico, Nigeria, Togo, Uruguay and Zimbabwe. Stringent rules and the highest academic standards have been upheld.

For the first time in the prize's history, there are four women candidates  from India, Kazakhstan, the United States and Zimbabwe.

The prize's expanded geography underscores broadened prestige, stimulated by cooperation with the World Energy Council in London and active promotion of the U.N. sustainable development goals agenda.

There was also the expanded international stature of the Board of Trustees  including the General Director of the Association of Power Utilities of Africa, Abel Didier Tella, as well as the former president of Uruguay, Julio Maria Sanguinetti Coirolo, and the founder of the London-Brussels group Influence, Peter Wilding.

Out of the 106 nominations, 34 are devoted to conventional energy, 45 to non-conventional, and 27 to new ways of energy application, including a "management" subcategory. This is in line with global energy trends and the International Energy Agency's forecast of a boom in renewable energy sources in wealthy countries and growing fossil fuel demand in the Asia-Pacific region.

Independent experts will consider candidates, with criteria including "newness", scientific and practical value. A short list of 15 candidates will be created on the basis of those receiving the highest number of average points in each category.

The short list will be considered by the International Committee - 20 academics from 14 countries. This year, the committee will meet during the Tatarstan Oil and Gas Forum in Kazan (6th-7th September). The award presentations will take place during the Russian Energy Week International Forum in Moscow in the autumn of 2021.

The 2020 presentation (postponed by the pandemic) will take place in conjunction with the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (2nd-5th June), organised by the Roscongress Foundation.

The Global Energy Association is a non-commercial organisation with headquarters in Moscow. Members of the Association include Gazprom, Surgutneftegas and Rosseti FGC UES.

SOURCE The Global Energy Association
It's always good news when your adversary does something stupid, but fans of White supremacy must be beaming to see the Orleans Parish School Board preparing to repudiate Ben Franklin in the name of civil rights. That will invite enough ridicule to set racial justice back a generation.

New Orleans is hardly the first to consider removing Franklin's name from public schools, although nobody can believe it will do a lick of good for anyone, regardless of race, creed or color. Raising a ruckus over nomenclature, moreover, can be a substitute for a serious stab at social reform.

This is not to deny that symbols sometimes matter a great deal. Barely more than a generation ago, Black kids, who constitute a large majority in New Orleans, were attending schools named for Jefferson Davis and Robert E. Lee. That affront was overdue for removal.

It finally happened when an earlier incarnation of the board gave parents, teachers and students the option of ditching school names they found offensive. But not all historical figures regarded as likely candidates got the heave-ho, because schools bearing their names had generated a great deal of pride and loyalty over the years.

McDonogh 35, the magnet high school established for Black kids, for instance, had many distinguished alumni, including New Orleans' first Black mayor, Dutch Morial. It was such an institution that its connections were not inclined to change anything.

The public mood may be different today, following two major changes to the cityscape. First, with passions high pro and con, the City Council took aim at New Orleans's most prominent icons of the Lost Cause. Down came statues of Davis, Lee and General P.G.T. Beauregard, along with the so-called Liberty Monument, which honored White Reconstruction-era insurrectionists.

The council continued its purge last year by renaming Jefferson Davis Parkway for longtime Xavier University President Norman Francis. An advisory committee has now identified 37 streets and places with names that are also no longer deemed acceptable.

So change was in the air when the school board appointed its own committee to nominate candidates for a more woke handle. The committee came up with a list of 19 school buildings, some of which are no longer in use.

Included are eight that still bear the name of McDonogh, as well as a handful of Confederates and Louisiana segregationists.

But the committee also extended its disapproval to three historical figures with schools named after them who had nothing to do with the Civil War, Jim Crow or, in one case, Louisiana. The blacklist includes one American revolutionary hero, le Marquis de Lafayette, one Founding Father, Franklin, one President, Andrew Jackson.

Jackson has come under a lot of fire in recent years, because he owned slaves and bore heavy responsibility for the Trail of Tears, the forcible relocation of native Americans that caused thousands of deaths. He also commanded the motley army that repelled the British in the 1815 Battle of New Orleans, and was rewarded when the Place d'Armes in the French Quarter was renamed Jackson Square, and his statue was erected in the middle.

It won't be there much longer if Take 'Em Down Nola has its way. That group, which campaigned hard for the removal of the Confederate monuments, beat the school board committee to the punch by calling for Jackson likewise to be consigned to oblivion.

As for Lafayette, George Washington's gallant sidekick, he had to be put on the blacklist because he was also a slaveholder. He may not have been the only French aristocrat of his era who refused to abide by the mores of 21st century America, but renaming committees tend to have inflexible standards. Franklin's inclusion does not just prove that modern moralists will not let any service to the republic atone for the sin of slavery. Maybe that is fair enough, because its evils were there for all to see even in the 18th century. But Franklin's presence on the list also indicates that the stern taskmasters of today reject basic tenets of Christianity and morality by refusing to countenance redemption and forgiveness. Sure, Frankllin owned slaves, but he came to see the light big-time and towards the end of his life played an active role in the abolitionist movement.

Ben Franklin is not good enough for the Orleans Parish School Board?

What a joke.

Email James Gill at gill504nola@gmail.com.
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Monguno is the archetypal saint among sinners. Those who vilify him for alerting the nation to a structural dysfunction in the security apparatchik obviously do not mean well for Nigeria. The war against insurgency has cost the nation blood, human blood. It has cost money, stymied the economy, stunted education and learning, polarised the nation along the traditional fault lines of religion and ethnicity

It appears some people do not want this scourge of terror to end. Each time someone of repute tries to draw attention to the gaps in our security offensive and proffer solution on how to end the insurgency and allied security matters, such a person is either scolded or tagged a merchant of trouble. Yet, everyday, the nation slides into deeper trouble, with no sign of abatement.

National Security Adviser, Babagana Monguno , a retired Major General, has fallen victim of this orchestrated onslaught against the voices of reason. For an interview he granted BBC Hausa Service recently in which he referenced the ongoing war against terror and allied crimes, he got a shellacking in the media. It was not the first time.

Rewind. February, last year, the same NSA came under a heavy campaign of calumny for pointing out yet another anomaly. This time, it was about his being excluded from security briefings, which he alleged in the letter were summoned at the behest of the late Chief of Staff to the President, Abba Kyari, without his consent. That underscores the dysfunction within the nations security apparatchik.

To properly situate the functions and imperativeness of the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA), it is apposite to situate its history and duties in other climes with more successful and sophisticated security architectures.

This was the veiled inference Monguno was making on both occasions when he had to write to the President or make explanations to probing journalists. He was pointing out the obvious gaps in the war against terror and adjunct crimes. He was explaining why the war has lingered atrociously.

Obviously, Nigeria copied the ONSA from the United States of Americas APNSA (Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs), which is more popularly referred to as the National Security Advisor (NSA). Created in the U.S. as recent as 1953 in the Cold War era under the National Security Act of 1947, its duties include to coordinate defence, foreign affairs, international economic policy, and intelligence.

The NSA reports directly to the U.S. President and its the duty of the NSA to brief the President on security situations regularly, especially in periods of emergencies and war. Within the United States security structure, the NSA is regarded as the person who has the ears of the President at all times, at the shortest notices. Its regarded historically as the mother security office that birthed the creation of the Department of Defence and the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA). The NSA chairs security meetings in the absence of the President. Thats how critical the office is. Largely advisory, the NSA sits atop all the security agencies, monitoring operational efficiencies and strategies. He holds regular meetings with the heads of security agencies and hes the first and last person to talk with the U.S. president on matters of security. No compromise!

In Nigeria, the architecture is in many ways the same. The NSA has (or should have) the ears of the President at all times. Anything outside that is an aberration. Nigeria is not known to be entangled in wars, whether internal or external like the US, which maintains the presence of troops in virtually all parts of the world, but the raw audacity and siege of terrorists on the nation in recent years demands that the nation must up her game in military strategies, war tactics, combat readiness, with regard to hardware stockpiles and intelligence gathering. This was the veiled inference Monguno was making on both occasions when he had to write to the President or make explanations to probing journalists. He was pointing out the obvious gaps in the war against terror and adjunct crimes. He was explaining why the war has lingered atrociously. His explainer to the media reporter on the state of the war and why it has dragged was not to indict any person but to allay the fears of Nigerians and to stress the commitment of President Buhari in the national quest to win both the war and the battle against insurgency.

Monguno, himself, is a thoroughbred military professional. By nature and by training, hes not one to flap or let loose his tongue. Calm, taciturn and betraying no emotions even at moments of intense pressure. A man of the character of the NSA, who runs away from headlines and media blitzkriegs suits his job. Aside the two incidents which grabbed the headlines, the NSA has remained largely self-effacing, limiting himself to his office, the Presidents office and strategic international trips. You wont find him frolicking at rendezvous, hobnobbing with politicians or making political utterances.

Monguno seems to be walking alone. But its normal in abnormal times. These are abnormal times in Nigerias march to nationhood. Monguno should not be discouraged. The voice of righteousness is not measured by its loudness, its measured by its purity.

A man with such stealthy and furtive attributes fits the bill as NSA. It hardly needs stressing that whenever a man of such sly and coyish disposition voices any concern, he should not be ignored. Truth be told, there is something wrong with the manner that Nigeria is prosecuting the war against insurgency, such that what was limited to the North-East has insidiously spread to all parts of the country, with the insurgents adding vicious acts of abduction, rape and brazen robbery to the mix.

Currently, Nigeria wears a notorious badge on matters of terror and cybercrime. In the 2020 Global Terrorism Index, Nigeria ranked third, only after Afghanistan and Iraq. Syria, Somalia, Yemen and India even have better record on terror than Nigeria. Sadly, its getting worse, despite the huge budgets right from the era of Dr. Goodluck Jonathan as president. The nation is slipping deeper into the nadir of insecurity. Fear is everywhere. The pleasure of road trips has turned to pain. Businesses have shuttered because of insecurity. Uncertainty is the enemy of investors. Because of insecurity, foreign direct investments have dropped significantly. When factories and other businesses close shop, jobs are lost. Poverty multiplies and desperation heightens. Allied to this is a surge in crime and criminality.

Monguno is the archetypal saint among sinners. Those who vilify him for alerting the nation to a structural dysfunction in the security apparatchik obviously do not mean well for Nigeria. The war against insurgency has cost the nation blood, human blood. It has cost money, stymied the economy, stunted education and learning, polarised the nation along the traditional fault lines of religion and ethnicity, chased away investors and cast a pall of fear across the land. Every well-meaning Nigerian wants an end to it. Monguno is merely echoing the voices of these well-meaning Nigerians. His is a patriots rousing, jarring us out of our self-induced numbness.

The loud and strident call on President Muhammadu Buhari by Nigerians to change the service chiefs was a clear evidence that public trust in the security agencies to contain insurgency had waned considerably. Those who throw jabs at Monguno should look to the gory statistics. Students in their scores and hundreds are abducted from schools in Kankara, Jangebe, Dapchi, Chiboka long list. Does this give Mongunos critics pleasure? Do they profit from this fight against insurrection, such that they dont want it to end? Monguno seems to be walking alone. But its normal in abnormal times. These are abnormal times in Nigerias march to nationhood. Monguno should not be discouraged. The voice of righteousness is not measured by its loudness, its measured by its purity. The NSA should count it all joy when they unleash the flood of persecution and victimisation on him. That is the price a saint pays among sinners. But at the end, the wind shall surely blow and the hidden rump of the fowl shall be exposed. Time is always pregnant.

Gongbeat Ken wrote from Abuja.
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Gortdrum is part of the group's wholly-owned PG West project and two holes were sunk 1km and 2.2km away from the former mine

One hole, from a depth of 46.2m hit 14.4m of 0.221% copper and 2.1 g/t silver

Group Eleven Resources Corp ( ) (OTCMKTS:GRLVF) (FRA:3GE) has been encouraged by its first exploration drilling at its Gortdrum copper-silver prospect - Ireland's only modern, commercial-scale, copper mine.

Gortdrum is part of the group's wholly-owned PG West project and two holes were sunk 1 kilometer (km) and 2.2km away from the former mine (mined between 1967 and 1975), along the main mineralizing structure - the "Gortdrum Fault Zone".

One hole, from a depth of 46.2 metres (m) hit 14.4m of 0.221% copper and 2.1 g/t silver, including 0.80m of 0.620% copper and 4.4 g/t silver.

The other, from 32.35m downhole, hit assays including 1.6m of 0.532% copper and 22.3 g/t silver, and 2.9m of 0.151% copper and 0.5 g/t silver.

Bart Jaworski, CEO at Group Eleven, told investors the company had been "pleasantly surprised" at just how extensive and continuous the zone of shallow copper mineralization appears to be.

"We see a lot of scope for a step-change at Gortdrum, given most historic holes were drilled vertically (on very steep structures), very few historic intercepts were assayed for silver and prospective NW-trending splay faults do not appear to have yet been explored," he said.

Today's results represent the first drilling at Gortdrum since 1975 and show potentially a series of parallel faults across several hundred metres and a strike of 3km.

"Gortdrum was the first asset acquired by the company and, after being effectively off-the-market for over 40 years previously, it is great to see this prospect finally get the attention it deserves," said the CEO.

"Gortdrum is integral to our flagship PG West zinc project in the Limerick Basin and is thought to represent the copper-rich 'roots' of the zinc prospects in the area."

The site was mined, via open pit, from late-1967 to mid-1975, producing 38, 000 tonnes of copper and 2.9 million ounces of silver.

Around 500,000 tonnes of high-grade copper remain un-mined on the east-end of open pit, at about 100m depth.

Exploration drilling ceased in 1975 and the prospect lay dormant for over four decades as a prospecting licence was not reinstated after the mining lease (SML89) expired in 1986.

This oversight was identified by Group Eleven in 2014 and the Gortdrum prospecting licenses were awarded in February 2015, the company said.

Contact the author at giles@proactiveinvestors.com
Close

Most people are aware that going food shopping on an empty stomach can only result in disappointment when you find you have nothing but potato chips and Ding Dongs to show for your outing.

However, studies say that making any decision when hungry will lead to bad long-term decisions. And for people who are chronically starving, this may have significant repercussions.

Blame It On The Hormones!

According to SciTechDaily, higher levels of the stomach-derived hormone ghrelin, which raises appetite, predict a preference for smaller immediate monetary rewards over greater delayed monetary rewards. The report's conclusions will be presented at ENDO 2021, the Endocrine Society's annual meeting.

Co-investigator Franziska Plessow, Ph.D., assistant professor of medicine at Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School in Boston, underscored that the so-called hunger hormone called ghrelin influences monetary decision making. According to recent research findings in rodents, ghrelin may play a role in impulsive choices and behaviors, she added.

"Our results indicate that ghrelin might play a broader role than previously acknowledged in human reward-related behavior and decision making, such as monetary choices," Plessow said. "This will hopefully inspire future research into its role in food-independent human perception and behavior."

Ghrelin alerts the brain to the need to feed and can alter reward-processing pathways in the brain. Ghrelin levels fluctuate during the day, depending on food consumption and metabolism.

There were 84 female participants in this sample, ranging in age from 10 to 22, 50 of whom had a low-weight eating disorder such as anorexia nervosa, and 34 balanced monitors. Plessow's team measured overall ghrelin levels in the blood before and during a standardized meal for patients who fasted beforehand.

After dinner, participants took the delay discounting task, a hypothetical financial decisions simulation. They were offered a set of options to determine whether they chose a smaller immediate monetary reward or a greater deferred monetary reward, such as $20 today or $80 in 14 days.

ALSO READ: Are You Indecisive? Here's How to Solve Your Life Dilemma, According to Experts





The researchers found that healthy participants with higher ghrelin levels were more likely to prefer an immediate but smaller monetary incentive over waiting for a greater sum of money. According to Plessow, this preference means more impulsive decisions.

There was no correlation between ghrelin levels and monetary decisions in age-matched participants with a low-weight eating disorder. Ghrelin resistance is normal in individuals with this eating disorder. Plessow suggests their results lead to a disconnect between ghrelin signaling and activity in this group.

Hunger Could Bring Carryover Impact on Food

A separate study, titled Hunger Increases Delay Discounting of Food and Non-Food Rewards, backed up the research.

The researchers wondered whether hunger would influence now-versus-later choices in other fields, such as money and music.

The researchers asked participants who were either full or hungry after a 10-hour fast if they would prefer more food, money, or music now or in the future. And they discovered that hunger had spilled over into other regions. For example, satiated participants were willing to wait 35 days for twice the future amount. Still, hungry participants were only willing to wait three days. In satiated and hungry conditions, the drop in money was 90 days to 40 days. The drop-in music downloads were about 40 days to 12 days in satiated and hungry conditions.

After a bit of algebra, the team came up with the following: Hunger has a compelling carryover impact on food. However, its effects on money and music are also mild. When people are starving, the bottom line is that they become more concentrated on instant pleasure in several ways.

Experts said that the results could have practical implications: making financial choices on an empty stomach could lead to more rash decisions.

People who are severely malnourished may be especially vulnerable: recent research has shown that the burden of poverty may contribute to poor financial decisions-hunger may worsen the problem. Fasting people may also be more vulnerable to making bad long-term decisions in ways other than food.

RELATED ARTICLE: Intermittent Fasting for Weight Loss? Experts Say It Might Not Help in Getting Rid of Belly Fat





Check out more news and information on Psychology in Science Times.


Penny's Find Gold Project Acquisition Completed

Perth, Mar 22, 2021 AEST (ABN Newswire) - Horizon Minerals Limited ( ASX:HRZ ) is pleased to advise that the acquisition of 50% interest in the Penny's Find gold project has been completed.As announced to the ASX on 30 November 2020, the Company agreed to acquire 50% interest in the project from Orminex Limited ("ONX") for a total consideration of A$1.5 million in cash funded from existing cash reserves. Horizon will also fund the first $1 million in pre-development expenditure with the joint venture partners funding the project on a 50:50 basis thereafter.All conditions precedent including provision of signed transfers, all mining information and statutory consents have now been completed and payment made to ONX.The Company has completed RC and diamond drilling at the project to infill a number of areas for improved JORC Classification enabling an updated Mineral Resource Estimate to be compiled ahead of an updated mine optimisation and design.Results from the drilling are expected in the June Quarter 2021 with an updated resource, maiden reserve and development decision expected in the September Quarter 2021. Statutory approvals are in place for the project and a toll milling agreement executed for ore processing in 2021.Commenting on completion of the Penny's Find acquisition, Managing Director Jon Price said:"Penny's Find is a quality high-grade gold project with considerable work completed enabling an accelerated pathway to production with approvals and toll milling agreement in place for the first phase of development. We look forward to working with the Orminex team and releasing the drilling results, updated resource model and mine optimisation and design work in coming months enabling a development decision in the September Quarter 2021."About Horizon Minerals Limited

Horizon Minerals Limited (ASX:HRZ) is a gold exploration and mining company focussed on the Kalgoorlie and Menzies areas of Western Australia which are host to some of Australia's richest gold deposits. The Company is developing a mining pipeline of projects to generate cash and self-fund aggressive exploration, mine developments and further acquisitions. The Teal gold mine has been recently completed.

Horizon is aiming to significantly grow its JORC-Compliant Mineral Resources, complete definitive feasibility studies on core high grade open cut and underground projects and build a sustainable development pipeline.

Horizon has a number of joint ventures in place across multiple commodities and regions of Australia providing exposure to Vanadium, Copper, PGE's, Gold and Nickel/Cobalt. Our quality joint venture partners are earning in to our project areas by spending over $20 million over 5 years enabling focus on the gold business while maintaining upside leverage.
On an overcast day in May 2020, a satellite captures this image over the sea near Taiwan. At first it appears to just show clouds, until you look closer and enhance the image. What you see here is a transfer of oil to a ship that will end up in North Korea in a possible violation of international sanctions. Covert oil deliveries are crucial to North Koreas economy and its ballistic and nuclear weapons program. Our investigation focuses on one way oil is getting to North Korea. We followed the movements of a single tanker and the opaque corporate structures that surround it. We spent months unraveling the story of the ship. Its called the Diamond 8, and its been identified by the United Nations multiple times for its illicit trips to North Korea. We visited businesses, ports, and tracked tankers at sea, all to find out who was behind these voyages. What we discovered were elaborate networks, many that connect to the Singapore-headquartered oil trader the Winson Group, primarily through its Taiwan operation Winson Shipping. Catering to your needs. Winson Group. Our investigation, which includes findings from a new report by the research groups RUSI and C4ADS, reveals for the first time how the Winson Group plays a role in North Koreas bid to get oil. The path from a single tanker to Kim Jong-uns regime is convoluted. When we laid it all out in a flow chart, it looks like this  so were going to simplify it by focusing on the Diamond 8. And well also look at two tankers that transport oil to it  the Ever Grandeur and the Superstar. These ships are connected by more than just their meet-ups at sea. They have ties to a handful of people who on the surface seem unconnected, but when we looked deeper, we found that most of the key individuals are linked to the same village in Chinas Fujian Province. And they all have connections to both Winson Shipping and the Winson Group. Lets first look at how the oil gets to North Korea. We analyzed photos and past videos of the Diamond 8, matched them with satellite imagery and took measurements to create a visual fingerprint. This allowed us to follow the Diamond 8s movements last year. We confirmed our findings with experts who track oil tankers in North Korean ports. Were going to show you two of its trips to North Korea. The first one, in February 2020, starts here, idling empty in the waters off of Fujian province, a region where oil smuggling has historically been rampant. It heads out and picks up oil from the Ever Grandeur near Taiwan and goes straight to North Korea. That trip is pretty direct. The one we uncovered in May 2020, not so much. But heres what we know. The Diamond 8 sets off down Taiwans coast. It passes a port on April 30, where a second, much larger red tanker is loading up oil. That tanker, called Superstar at the time, follows the Diamond 8 to international waters, according to the ships transmissions. Cloudy skies that day appear to shield the operation from satellites, but as we saw, a hole in the clouds reveals the oil transfer. For three weeks, the Diamond 8 doesnt enter any ports. Its mostly just lingering in open waters. Then it sails north. Its required transmission signal disappears for eight days, but we found it during that window in this port in North Korea. The dimensions and features match the Diamond 8, a finding confirmed by experts. When we spot it again, its signal is back on and its back near Taiwan, meeting up with the Superstar to get more oil. We wanted to know who was behind the Ever Grandeur and Superstar, the two ships that supplied the oil to the Diamond 8, so we looked at shipping records to examine their history and management. Lets start with the Ever Grandeur. We actually went and filmed it while it sat idle in the port of Kaohsiung in Taiwan. Only five miles away is the company that controls the ship. Its called Glory Sparkling. Chien Yuan Ju, a Winson Shipping executive, told us they didnt set up Glory Sparkling. But we found clues the companies are interconnected. Glory Sparklings address was on floors owned by Winson Shipping. Its address changed only after we started asking questions. And Glory Sparklings website, it was registered with the name of a Winson Shipping employee. We also have evidence showing that a high-ranking Winson Shipping manager named Zuo Fasheng, seen here with the Winson Groups founder, Tony Tung, has also worked for Glory Sparkling. We found his signature on documents for both companies, including on paperwork for the Ever Grandeur. Officials from Panama, where the Ever Grandeur is registered, told us their records show Zuo Fasheng is currently listed as the operator of the ship. Now lets take a closer look at the Superstar, the second ship supplying oil to the Diamond 8. Its actually much more straightforward. Winson Shipping owns it, and they confirmed the May 2020 transfer to us, but told us the ship was leased to someone else when the operation took place. But they havent said who. Together, these details indicate how Winson Shipping is connected to both ships that provided oil to the Diamond 8, even after the ship had been publicly outed by the UN for illicitly delivering oil to North Korea. So lets look at the Diamond 8 itself. Winson Shipping actually owned it until 2016. And from then until 2018, every company linked to it listed their addresses and office space as owned by Winson Shipping. When we talked to their shipping manager, he said that Winson Shipping sold the ship years ago, but he also made a bold statement: Its ten thousand percent impossible that it ever went to North Korea. Thats not true. Our investigation and U.N. reports show the Diamond 8 has been to North Korea at least four times since late 2019. So finding out exactly who is behind the Diamond 8 is not straightforward or easy. To learn more, we had to look to Indonesia. The registered owner of the ship is Tan Jeok Nam, a 62-year-old retiree who lives here in a modest neighborhood. He told us that he was simply a sailor who couldnt afford to buy the $1.4 million vessel. Something clearly doesnt add up. So we set out to find who sold him the ship  at least on paper. When we reviewed the bill of sale, we noticed the seller appears to be the daughter of Hong Kong-based businessman Tsoi Ming Chi. Tsoi is also linked to the company that manages the Diamond 8. When we visited that company in Indonesia, there was no sign of a shipping business. Its another dead end. So back to the retired Indonesian sailor, Tan. Theres one more thing you need to know about him. He actually used to work on oil tankers. One of the tankers belonged to a Hong Kong company owned by the late Wong Tin Chuk. Wong, Tsoi  these two businessmen have something else in common. They both have links to Winson companies, including through a leased office space, mortgages, and have exchanged ships with each other, according to a report by research groups RUSI and C4ADS. And theres a personal nexus, too. Wong and Tsoi are tied to the Winson Groups founder, Tony Tung, through the same village in Chinas Fujian region, population 2,600. In fact, all three belonged to the villages hometown club and the alumni association of the same middle school. Two of them have been accused of smuggling in the past. Take Tony Tung, for example. Hes faced multiple smuggling and bribery investigations. His only conviction was later overturned. Soon after he founded the Winson Group in the 1990s, Tung and his brothers were accused of smuggling cigarettes and oil into China, according to court documents and state media. One of Tungs brothers was sentenced to life in prison. He served three years and was later pardoned. At the time of the trial, Tung had already left China. Over the last five years, Tung has stepped down from executive positions at the Winson Group and handed over the reins to his daughter, Crystal Tung. In a statement to The Times, she said, The allegations against Winson Group are unfounded and false. Winson Group did not take any actions in violation of applicable sanctions against North Korea or any sanctioned countries. After The Times asked questions about the companys involvement in oil deliveries to North Korea, Winson Shipping Taiwan changed its name to Zheng Yu Shipping. Chien Yuan Ju, the executive who spoke to The Times, was also replaced as the official representative of the company. The mysterious retired sailor, the oil trader, the maze of companies  taken together, they expose an elaborate system that conceals one way oil is getting to North Korea despite some of the strongest sanctions in history, and how Kim Jong-un continues to defy the international community. As for the Diamond 8, its back in Fujian, China, awaiting its next orders. Its operators are now using a new trick: transmitting a fake ship name to hide its true identity. Hey, this is Christoph, one of the reporters on this story. We spent months investigating who is providing oil to a sanctions-busting tanker that is delivering oil to North Korea. We looked at a lot of satellite images, reviewed corporate records and interviewed key players. It was a massive team effort involving reporters in four countries. What youve just watched is only a small part of our reporting, and you can find more details at nytimes.com/ visualinvestigations. If you have any other info on this story, wed love to hear from you. And, of course, if you like what youre seeing, subscribe to The New York Times. Thanks.
If youve received your coronavirus vaccine, youre in for a sweet treat.

Krispy Kreme will give away free doughnuts to people who show their COVID-19 vaccination card at any location in the United States, the company announced Monday. Individuals can line up to get one free glazed doughnut per day starting Monday through the end of the year.

We all want to get COVID-19 behind us as fast as possible and we want to support everyone doing their part to make the country safe by getting vaccinated as soon as the vaccine is available to them, Krispy Kreme chief marketing officer Dave Skena said in a news release.

The special treat is part of a larger initiative to offer sweet support to those who are protecting themselves and others by getting vaccinated, the company said.

In the next few weeks, the company will send free doughnuts to health care workers and volunteers at vaccinations sites throughout the country.

Krispy Kreme employees will be given up to four hours of paid time off to help encourage and enable their COVID-10 vaccinations, furthering the safety of team members and guests.

Individuals, regardless of vaccination status, can also stop by on Mondays starting March 29 through May 24 to pick up one free doughnut and one free medium coffee, the company said.

Jessica Flores is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: jessica.flores@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @jesssmflores
Former Slidell priest and high school chaplain Patrick Wattigny pleaded not guilty Monday morning to a charge that he had molested a 15-year old boy in St. Tammany Parish.

Wattigny, 53, was formally charged last week with a count of molestation of a juvenile. He has been out on bail since October, after he was arrested at a home he owns in Georgia and extradited to St. Tammany Parish. He remains free on $150,000 bond.

Until resigning last year, he had been the pastor at St. Luke the Evangelist Catholic Church and chaplain at Pope John Paul II High School, both in Slidell. He had held those posts since 2013.

Wattigny became the subject of an church investigation into improper text messages he sent to a student in 2020. During that investigation, Wattigny admitted sexually abusing a different teen in 2013 or 2014, officials have said. Archdiocese officials have said they immediately reported Wattigny to law enforcement authorities after learning of the earlier abuse.

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In a statement last week, Archbishop Gregory Aymond said the Archdiocese is cooperating with law enforcement and will petition the Vatican for the laicization of both Wattigny and Travis Clark, another former north shore priest who is accused of institutional vandalism in an alleged tryst with dominatrices on the altar of Sts. Peter and Paul Catholic Church in Pearl River.

The 22nd Judicial District Attorney's Office said Wattigny molested a 15-year old boy between June 1, 2013 and Aug. 31, 2014.

During a brief court appearance before state District Judge Vincent Lobello in Covington Monday, Wattigny's attorney, Robert Stern, entered the not guilty plea.

Outside the courtroom, Wattigny and Stern declined comment.
(TNS)  The digital contact tracing effort in Virginia is 2 million phones strong. Roughly a quarter of the adult population has downloaded the states COVIDWISE app or opted in on their iPhones to receive exposure notifications. Almost 26,000 times, a notification has been sent to let someone know they were likely exposed to a person with COVID-19.But thats the bulk of the information the state health department can glean.The system doesnt track user locations, so officials dont know where exposures happened, according to Jeff Stover, an executive adviser to the commissioner of Virginias Department of Health. Officials cant follow up on notifications to see whether exposed residents are isolating. Nor can they pinpoint potential hotspot locations.The fact that we do not collect name or location data makes it a little more difficult to evaluate effectiveness, he said. Yet Stover and other health department officials say the limited data is the tradeoff required to assuage privacy concerns while still using the technology to slow the virus spread. I think the privacy concern of individuals is real, he said. It is a real issue and something we have to make sure we are getting right. I think we did do this right.Over the past year, 24 states and Washington, D.C., have spent millions developing and promoting the Apple and Google-based apps or systems. The tech giants made the basic platform free, but states have spent anywhere from $9,600 in North Dakota to $3 million in Washington state on app development and marketing.More than 28 million people in the United States have downloaded the mobile apps or activated exposure notifications on their smartphones. The systems use Bluetooth technology and are both voluntary and anonymous.Critics say the technology has overemphasized privacy at the cost of usefulness.I have yet to see any convincing evidence that theyre worth it, said Ryan Calo, a University of Washington law professor who has written critically about the apps for months and testified in front of a congressional committee last April, in an interview withA lot of money, a lot of attention, a lot of oxygen has gone into developing this app. That time and money should have been put other places, he said, such as testing and manual contact tracing.The states that haven't gone the route of digital contact tracing cite a range of reasons, from privacy concerns to a preference for manual contact tracing.Still, even as the COVID-19 vaccine supply ramps up, the number of cases drops and states begin loosening restrictions, a few states have recently launched or are still planning to launch contact tracing apps.State officials and experts argue such systems add to their toolkits. They say the apps help to reach younger people and provide an alternative for those skeptical of traditional contact tracing, which relies heavily on public health employees reaching people by phone. And they say the technology has a role to play as Americans begin to travel again  and face the uncertain effects of virus variants.There is a possibility that we could have another spike in cases coming up later this summer or in the fall, said Sam Gibbs, deputy secretary for technology and operations of the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services.He hoped the states app would draw 500,000 people; its been downloaded 785,000 times.This is a time where we don't want to let our guard down, Gibbs said. We need to continue to be conscious of the disease even if we have been vaccinated.In spring 2020, as states began shoring up responses to the pandemic, state officials realized cellphone data could be used to track the spread of COVID-19. Privacy advocates balked. Polling showed Americans were divided on whether it was acceptable for the government to use phones to track people who tested positive for the virus, according to the Pew Research Center. (The Pew Charitable Trusts funds the center and.)In response to the public concern, Apple and Google forged an unlikely partnership to develop a form of digital contact tracing with a tamer name  an exposure notifications system. The Bluetooth-based setup is opt-in only and anonymous.When a person opts in to exposure notifications, their phone emits a signal that is exchanged with nearby phones that also have opted in to the system. If a person tests positive for the coronavirus and enters a code from a public health authority into the system, notifications are sent to people whose phones picked up the infected persons signal in the previous 14 days.Codes change regularly, and the warnings are anonymous. Youre told you were possibly exposed, but not where and by whom.Googles Android phones use an app that each user must download. Apple offers apps but also has integrated the exposure notifications system into its operating system, iOS. States can use that to send notifications to users, encouraging them to opt in, without requiring them to download an app.Only public health authorities can activate the system.This was architected in a way to secure privacy, said Calo, the Washington professor. They sacrificed the ability to effectively measure if it worked.According to state health departments, the metrics available to states to gauge success are the number of people who download or activate the system, the number of times state-generated codes are used to notify possible exposures and the number of exposure notifications that are sent.Some state health officials acknowledge the shortcomings of the apps. Gibbs, of North Carolinas health department, said the state government is typically data-driven. This particular program doesnt give us the level of detail we use in other programs, he said.But knowing 785,000 residents have downloaded the app, officials can assume those people are more likely to be cautious, he said. There are a lot of soft outcomes to this that we cant really measure.Most state health departments contacted bysaid digital contact tracing complements manual contact tracing.Wyoming, for example, had about 7,000 people use the app at its peak, but only about 75 of them have used a code to broadcast potential exposures, according to Kim Deti, a health department spokesperson. Instead, she said, the state relies primarily on in-person tracing.We have continued to consider phone interviews by trained epidemiologists with cases to identify those at high risk of exposure, followed by direct notification of an exposure by an epidemiologist, to be the gold standard of response, Deti wrote in an email.There are other barriers. One in five U.S. adults dont own a smartphone. Of Ohios decision not to make an app, Equity concerns were a factor, as a person must own a smartphone to use these apps or services, possibly leaving vulnerable Ohioans without access, said health department spokesperson Alicia Shoults in an email.Health departments in Mississippi and Texas cited privacy and accuracy concerns in deciding not to use digital contact tracing.The one-two punch of politicized pandemic restrictions and early privacy concerns likely turned state officials away from digital tracing, said Brian Ray, a professor at Cleveland-Marshall College of Law and director of the schools Center for Cybersecurity and Privacy Protection.I'm pretty confident even the perfect app would have failed, he said. There was this sort of vicious convergence of both broad, widespread concern on the left and the right over surveillance generally, which was legit.Despite the fact that Google and Apple created an entirely privacy protective model, but one that doesn't work that well, they still got hammered on the privacy concerns, he said. Politically it was too dangerous.Still, even a year into the pandemic, with vaccine supply ramping up, some experts say its not too late to launch these apps  and that they may be even more important now.New Mexico and Oregon plan to release apps soon. Arizonas app, which was developed through a pilot project at the University of Arizona, is available to the public but has not yet been marketed.Joanna Masel, a professor of ecology and evolutionary biology at the University of Arizona, said the value of exposure notifications only increases as coronavirus case numbers fall.If there are 10 cases, and you quarantine one, you reduce the risk by a tenth. Each little bit of information you get is worth more, she said.Separately, Masel is a consultant for WeHealth, a research-based technology platform for public health that helped develop Arizonas app. In that role, Masel hopes to work with states to develop systems that would track locations  still as an opt-in function but designed to collect more data. Masel thinks the technology would be useful for ongoing strains of the coronavirus or even for a future pandemic.It could be good for vaccine boosters with strains. It integrates everything, whether youve been infected before, whether youve been vaccinated, she said. Its sort of a guide for people to navigate the pandemic.Some state health officials have a similar future in mind. As more people prepare to travel, the exposure notifications will continue to work across state lines. The Association of Public Health Laboratories, which represents state and local health labs, hosts a national server to support all states with apps.As people get vaccinated, as we hope to return to more quote-unquote normal life, I think the technology can play a bigger and bigger role, said Katherine Feldman, director of the contact tracing unit at the Maryland Department of Health. She continues to urge people to opt in to the states exposure notifications system.In a preprint of a University of Oxford study from September, researchers determined that all levels of exposure notification had the potential to meaningfully reduce the number of coronavirus cases, hospitalizations and deaths. (Google researchers co-authored the study.)The Google and Apple system is in use in 36 other countries. A February report from the United Kingdoms National Health Service estimated alerts from the app helped to prevent approximately 600,000 coronavirus cases since September. A peer-reviewed January study of the apps use in Spain last summer determined the app identified nearly twice as many COVID-19 exposures as human contact tracers.But Ray, the Cleveland law professor, thinks the urgency for making apps work in the United States during the COVID-19 pandemic has been lost. Who cares right now? Vaccines are on the way.In the future, though, he thinks people would be willing to adopt technology to help their health. Many already do, through fitness applications and wearable devices.It's got to be linked to people's specific individual interest in their own health, Ray said. I think the trick will be that we need tech that will do all the potentially powerful things that contact tracing apps could have done, and just not call it that.
Source: Xinhua| 2021-03-22 18:30:13|Editor: huaxia

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Photo taken on March 15, 2021 shows Zihe (pseudonym) working hard at the class in a middle school in north China's Tianjin Municipality. (Xinhua/Song Rui)

TIANJIN, March 22 (Xinhua) -- Wearing purple and white school uniform and sitting up straight, 17-year-old Zihe (pseudonym), who was diagnosed with Down syndrome when he was a toddler, listened carefully in his favorite history class in a middle school in north China's Tianjin Municipality.

He sometimes raised his hand and answered questions, and sometimes took notes in the book. Even though he wrote the Chinese characters very slowly, his handwriting was neat and clear.

Down syndrome is a genetic disorder usually associated with delayed physical growth and mild intellectual disability. To convey a message of solidarity and integration with people with Down syndrome, March 21 was declared as World Down Syndrome Day by the United Nations in December 2011.

"When my son was diagnosed with Down syndrome at the age of one, I was so saddened and could hardly accept the fact," said Suyun (pseudonym), Zihe's mother.

Zihe was a quiet boy. His mother made him learn Chinese characters word by word. "I opened my mouth much wider to let him watch my lips and tongue, and even touched his throat to teach him how to speak," Suyun said. Zihe could utter his first word -- "mama (mom)" -- only when he was two.

Photo taken on March 15, 2021 shows teacher watching Zihe drawing a picture at the class. (Xinhua/Song Rui)

When he reached school age, Zihe could not keep pace with his non-disabled peers. He was enrolled into a special education school offering professional education to children in need.

Big changes took place in 2014 when the Beichen District in Tianjin set up an education program, guided by the concept of inclusive education. The concept, originally proposed by UNESCO, respects individual differences among children and provides fair education to all without discrimination. It allows children with disabilities to learn with their non-disabled peers.

In 2016, Zihe became a beneficiary of the program by going to an ordinary primary school with a full-time teacher, who guided him to understand the rules of the school and build partnerships with his classmates.

Bathed in love from family and school, Zihe made significant progress at the ordinary school. "His language skills improved quickly and he became more capable to express emotions, and more open-minded than before," his mother said.

More than three years later, Zihe entered into an ordinary middle school. This time he could have classes without a special teacher accompanying him.

"He was a little reserved and shy in a new environment. We paired him up with some classmates to let him know he was not alone and that he was an integral part of the class," said Zhou Hui, Zihe's teacher.

Photo taken on March 15, 2021 shows Zihe having chats with classmates and teacher. (Xinhua/Song Rui)

Moreover, the school made tailored teaching plans for Zihe, including helping him to gain more knowledge in the class and build partnerships with other students, while paying attention to his emotional changes.

"It's still difficult for him to catch up with other students in maths and English, but he is persistent and loves drawing, reading and being with his friends," said Zhou. Meanwhile, teachers from the special needs service and guidance center in Beichen District would also visit Zihe's school regularly to know about his condition.

Wang Jincheng, principal of the middle school where Zihe studies, said inclusive education provides a safer and more inclusive environment for special children, allowing them to be more healthy physically and mentally, and to build relations with their peers. Meanwhile, normal students can understand the meaning of caring and love, experience the happiness of giving, and know how to respect others.

Hu Meifeng, principal of the special education school of Beichen District, said that more than 80 disabled children from the district have joined the education program in the compulsory education phase, and more than 20 disabled people have found jobs after the inclusive education.

"Inclusive education has become an important way to improve the social adaptability of disabled children and help them participate in public life," Hu said.

In China, more and more schools and welfare institutions are promoting inclusive education for children of different ages and with different health conditions, to help those with special needs enjoy equal education and integrate into society in a better way.

Inclusive education has been hugely beneficial, Wang said. "We will continue to strengthen our relationship with special education schools. We hope more children like Zihe can receive good education, and make the school a place with love and warmth." 
Cyclone Yaas: Amit Shah to hold review meeting with Chief Ministers of states to be affected

BJP ensured peace and development in Assam: Shah

India

oi-Deepika S

Jonai, Mar 22: Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Monday said BJP has ensured peace and development in Assam during the last five years and alleged that this was in contrast to violence and instability during the Congress rule.

Addressing the first of three election rallies in Assam during the day, Shah alleged that five years ago when Congress was in power, there was agitation, violence, bomb blasts, deaths and curfews were common.

"Aatankwad ka nanga naach charo aur chal rahi thi (there was the naked dance of insurgency was going on all around).

"Rahul Gandhi talks of protecting Assam's 'asmita' (pride and identity), but today I want to ask him publicly - will Congress do it with AIUDF Chief Badruddin Ajmal on his lap?" he said.

If by chance Ajmal comes to power, "will Assam be safe from infiltrators? Do people want more infiltrators to come into the state?" he asked.

Priyanka Gandhi attacks PM Modi on lack of empathy for Assam

He also accused the Congress of a policy of divide and rule, while stating that BJP's policy is 'Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas and Sabka Vishwas'.

The Congress has created a rift between Assamese and Bengalis, plains and hills and Upper and Lower Assam, while the "BJP has taken all smaller communities together and bonded them through development," Shah claimed.

"This is an election for people to decide whether they want peace and development....This is an election for not electing MLAs or a Chief Minister but to ensure that development continues and Assam's pride and glory is further enhanced," he said.

Anil Deshmukh Corruption row: NCP says 'no need for resignation'| Oneindia News

He further asserted that it was evident from the enthusiasm of the people that the BJP was going to form the government for a second consecutive term in Assam.

Besides Jonai, Shah will also address an election rally at Majuli from where Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal is contesting for a second consecutive term, and at Udalguri.

He is also scheduled to attend a meeting of party workers at Guwahati in the evening.
Athens, March 23 : The Greek government announced the mobilisation of private doctors to support the public healthcare system in the battle against Covid-19.

"Taking into account the emergency conditions and the urgent need for treatment of our fellow citizens, the Health Ministry is proceeding with the requisition of the services of pathologists, pulmonologists and general practitioners in Attica region," Health minister Vassilis Kikilias said on Monday, Xinhua news agency reported.

The step was taken because the number of doctors who responded positively to appeals made lately to solicit their services was inadequate, according to an e-mailed press release.

About 60 doctors came forward in recent days instead of the 206 needed, sources in the ministry said. The mobilization will last for a month and doctors will get paid for their services.

Despite the hiring of around 10,000 doctors, nurses and other personnel in public hospitals over the past year, there is still need for more helping hands as Greece is facing a third wave of the pandemic, they said, adding that there was no more time available for talks as the country is witnessing a rising number of daily new infections.

"In these difficult times that our country is going through due to the pandemic, we must all do our duty without a second thought and help in any way we can to deal with the health crisis," Athanasios Exadaktylos, president of the Panhellenic Medical Association, stressed in a press statement following the government's announcement.

On Sunday, Greece recorded 1,514 new coronavirus infections and 41 deaths in the last 24 hours. A total of 674 patients were on ventilators in hospitals, a new high.

To date, about 1.4 million doses of vaccines have been administered in Greece with some 460,000 people having received both doses, according to the latest official data.

As part of an effort to stem the spread of the virus, Greece has been in a nationwide lockdown since November 7, 2020, which has been eased and tightened in accordance with the course of the pandemic.

On Monday, open-air archaeological sites, including the Acropolis hill in Athens, reopened for the first time since the start of the lockdown. Only a small group of visitors is allowed to visit and the use of protective face masks is obligatory.

In the battle against Covid-19, the contribution of doctors and nurses was overwhelmingly acknowledged by the Greek society.

In a recent opinion poll conducted by ALCO polling firm for TV channel OPEN, 91 per cent of the respondents commended the role of the country's medical professionals.

Meanwhile, some 67 per cent of the respondents said that Greece should proceed to bilateral agreements with China and Russia to purchase more vaccines.
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SEATTLE  A Wallingford corner property at 1901 N. 45th St. sold last November for about $3.75 million to an LLC associated with veteran local investor Jim Rose. Now there's a redevelopment plan from d/Arch to replace two small commercial buildings with a new mixed-use development.

The corner, at Burke Avenue North, would be redeveloped with a five-story building with 20 units over ground-floor commercial space. Ten underground parking stalls would be accessed from Burke; and tenants would have 20 bike stalls. The project is listed with a nominal value of $7 million.





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When a massive iceberg last month calved off of Antarctica, it disclosed for the first time in decades an active community of sea life.



About two weeks ago, an iceberg enormous enough to hold New York City almost two times over splitted off of the Antarctic Ice layer and started swerving slowly through the Weddell Sea. Presently, scientists have obtained an unusual glimpse at the marine life inhabiting deep under the ice - ultimately uncovered after five decades of ice covering.

T he Brunt Ice Shelf

Drifting through the tiny gap between the Brunt Ice Shelf in northern Antarctica and the presently-liberated iceberg, called A-74, the German science vessel Polarstern made hours of recordings and thousands of images of the detached animals inhabiting 30 kilometers (18 miles) beneath the surface level. The scientists found an active community of sea stars, filter feeders, sea cucumbers, mollusks, and they recorded at least two squid species and at least five species of fish.

The initial photos from the sea-bed disclose an incredible level of biodiversity in an area that was surrounded for decades by thick ice, the AWI (Alfred Wegener Institute for Polar and Marine Research) researchers in Bremerhaven, Germany, which is in charge of the Polarstern mission, explained in an announcement.

Read More: Antarctica's Thinning Ice Shelves are Making More Ice to Relocate from Land into the Sea - Studies

Marine Life Flourishing Close to the Antarctic Seafloor

It's not rare to discover marine life flourishing close to the Antarctic seafloor. Hundreds of marine populations live in distant waters; sometimes in surprising places. Scientists last month found a colony of sea sponges and other stationary filter feeders clenching to a rock 900 meters (3,000 feet) near the Antarctic Peninsula under the Filchner-Ronne Ice Shelf.

Such finding, like the Polarstern's present analysis of the Weddell Seafloor, flung scientists for a bit of a loop, primarily due to the existence of stationary filter feeders. These animals (which include sponges and corals) sit in a spot and wait for nutrients to come to them, normally in the shape of phytoplankton - a kind of microscopic marine algae.

Role of Sunshine in the Life of Phytoplankton

Phytoplankton depends on sunshine for photosynthesis and seems to drift where the water is sunniest, in the upper side of the ocean, according to the National Atmospheric and Oceanic Administration. So, revealing communities of phytoplankton-devouring sea animals residing in the darkness deep under the Antarctic ice, to say the least is counter-intuitive.

Nutrients, somehow either in the shape of phytoplankton or organic elements washed to sea with the ice above - are being pulled thousands of feet under the ice shelves of Antarctica to forage on the seafloor creatures living there, according to the Alfred Wegener Institute for Polar and Marine Research scientists. To know more about the ecosystem of the region, the study group collected sediment specimens from the bottom of the sea, which will assist in disclosing the content of the water's nutrients.

The Greenhouse Gas Emissions

The group also posted some survey buoys in the region to collect data about the water's salinity and temperature, as well as ocean recent speeds in the Weddell Sea.

This data will enable researchers to construct more detailed climate models for the region, the scientists explained that Antarctica is one of the fastest-warming spots on the planet, and is at risk of losing much of its ice forever if greenhouse gas emissions are not restricted this century.

Related Article: Scientists Restore Seagrasses and Rejuvenate Marine Life in Coastal Bays

For more news, updates about marine lives and similar topics don't forget to follow Nature World News!
According to the company, Pennys Find is a quality high-grade gold project with considerable work completed and an existing resource providing an accelerated pathway to production.

A toll milling agreement is in place at Lakewood Mill for the first phase of development.

( ) has completed the acquisition of a 50% interest in the Pennys Find Gold Project further enhancing its strong gold position near Kalgoorlie in Western Australians Goldfields.

Last year, the company signed an agreement to acquire 50% interest in the project from ( ) for total consideration of A$1.5 million in cash funded from existing cash reserves.

Horizon will also fund the first $1 million in pre-development expenditure with the joint venture partners thereafter funding the project on a 50:50 basis.

Accelerated path to production

Horizon managing director Jon Price said: Pennys Find is a quality high-grade gold project with considerable work completed enabling an accelerated pathway to production with approvals and toll milling agreement in place for the first phase of development.

We look forward to working with the Orminex team and releasing the drilling results, updated resource model and mine optimisation and design work in coming months enabling a development decision in the September quarter of 2021.

Toll milling

A defined pathway has been laid out for Horizon to acquire 100% of Pennys Find through the exclusive right to acquire the remaining 50% on completion of the toll milling contract.

A toll milling agreement is in place at the Lakewood Mill for the first phase of Pennys Find development.

Pennys Find Project

The project is a high-grade, underground mining and toll treatment opportunity with near-term cash flow potential and longer-term exploration upside which will be included in Horizons consolidated feasibility study as a fifth higher-grade satellite operation.

This study is examining a number of production centres around Kalgoorlie that are all in proximity to the companys proposed Boorara processing centre.

Pennys Find is 50 kilometres northeast of Kalgoorlie on a granted Mining Lease, aligning with Horizons regional consolidation strategy and aim to build a stand-alone production business.

The project has a current resource of 248,000 tonnes at 7.04 g/t gold for 56,000 ounces with 147,000 tonnes at 8.06 g/t gold in the indicated category.
The harmony of elements is found in nature, even in the rocks under our feet, and inspired a search for unusual harmonies in a new piece of music for the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra.

Classical composer May Lyons piece is both a tribute to the gemstone and a comment on the riches around it. Credit:Eddie Jim

Melbourne composer May Lyon found her muse in Australian opals.

Originally, I was inspired by water after watching a documentary on deep-sea diver and artist Julie Gautier, watching her movements in the water and the way the water moved around her, Lyon says.

Then I was talking to a friend who had stayed at the underground hotel at Coober Pedy.
ANN ARBOR, MI  Several years of legal wrangling over a new cleanup strategy for the Gelman dioxane plume may soon reach a culmination point in Washtenaw County Circuit Court.

Judge Tim Connors said he feels a responsibility to make a decision soon and order a new cleanup plan, as theres a huge cost to taxpayers in continuing to litigate the case.

We need to move forward, he said. We need to have some decision made and its my responsibility.

The judge heard oral arguments during a Zoom hearing Monday, March 22, and denied polluter Gelman Sciences requests to pause the litigation.

Instead, the judge scheduled a series of evidentiary hearings for May 3-5 and asked the parties to file briefs and come back, present their cases for what should be included in a new cleanup plan, and then hell make a decision.

While he has scheduled three days of hearings, Ill give it as many days as it takes, Connors said, telling the parties they can present testimony from expert witnesses.

Connors said he expects Gelman will appeal his decision, but hes moving forward anyway. Gelmans attorney Michael Caldwell argued the judge is violating the polluters due process rights and could end up being disqualified from the case, but Connors said hes not worried about that.

Connors is the third local judge on the case, which started in 1988, and he wont be the last, he said.

The pollution has been spreading from the old Gelman Sciences filter manufacturing site off Wagner Road for decades. The state began investigating it in 1985 and filed a lawsuit against the polluter in 1988, which led to a Circuit Court consent judgment in 1992 that has been revised multiple times and has kept the polluter doing pump-and-treat remediation for many years.

A map of the Gelman dioxane plume spreading through the Ann Arbor area, moving east through the city's west side toward West Park and branches of the Allen Creek drain system that discharge to the Huron River. Gelman Sciences is removing water from the ground using extraction wells and then treating it to remove dioxane. Treated water with lower levels of dioxane is then discharged to Honey Creek, which flows to the Huron River upstream of Barton Pond, Ann Arbor's main municipal water supply.

For the last several years, local officials have been fighting for a more aggressive cleanup and more monitoring to protect local drinking water sources.

Gelman objected when Connors allowed Ann Arbor, Scio Township, Washtenaw County and the Huron River Watershed Council to intervene in the states longstanding litigation against the polluter over four years ago.

Gelman has continued to object to the local parties being involved, suggesting theyre preventing the state and Gelman from reaching a new cleanup deal.

Connors said he still thinks it was prudent to have the local parties involved and hes fortunate for the time they spent trying to negotiate a new cleanup plan, though he was disappointed when it was ultimately rejected by local elected officials.

The issue at hand remains pollution of water and it needs to be cleaned up, Connors said, noting it was decided long ago that Gelman is responsible.

Caldwell argues the judge cant modify the existing consent judgment  an agreement between the state and polluter to mitigate impacts of the toxic pollution spreading through the areas groundwater  without Gelmans consent, and any award of relief to the local parties and against Gelman in the form of a new remedy would violate Gelmans rights.

Judicial oversight is required when the parties cant reach agreement, Connors said, echoing the attorneys for the local parties in noting the state determined in 2016 the cleanup measures were not protective of public health, which is why emergency measures were taken to change the states dioxane exposure criteria from 85 parts per billion to 7.2 ppb.

Thats an over 90% reduction in acceptable levels, Connors said, adding its time for evidentiary hearings in the case.

I will make the finding of fact, given this change of acceptable levels, of what the cleanup program will be, and then that can go up for appellate review, he said.

Connors said he wants the parties to present what they think he should do and why, and how he can do it legally.

Then Ill make the call, the chips will fall where they may, and Ill stay with the case as long as Im entitled, he said.

Caldwell argued theres no procedural basis to hold a remedy hearing thats intended to result in a new cleanup plan. There have been no unanticipated changes involving the plume that would give the court that authority, he said.

He pointed to a 2004 order by Judge Donald Shelton, who wrote, It is not the role of this court to devise or fashion remedies for the spreading pollution of this deep aquifer. It is the role of this court to enforce the consent judgment and to assure that whatever remedy is implemented conforms to that judgment and to the pollution statutes of the state.

Caldwell also noted the local communities are seeking a federal Superfund cleanup under the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. If the EPA takes over enforcement of a cleanup, whatever Connors decides may become irrelevant, Caldwell said, suggesting its a waste of time and resources.

Assistant Attorney General Brian Negele appeared in court on behalf of the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy and took no position on Gelmans arguments.

Nathan Dupes, an attorney representing Ann Arbor, questioned why Gelman is so vigorously against having hearings where all sides will be able to present their arguments, especially if the polluter thinks it can reach a deal with the state that is fully protective of public health and the environment. At the hearings, Gelman also will be able to argue against additional cleanup enhancements sought by the local parties, he said.

The case is not simply about a contract between the state and the polluter, Dupes said. Its a wide-ranging, decades-long public health case and the current cleanup regime is a result of several court judgments and orders, he said.

Its not simply a two-party consent judgment that was entered with the consent of both parties, he said, adding there were orders entered by the court in the past that drastically changed the polluters obligations and requirements.

And those changes that the court implemented again were not the product of EGLE and Gelman signing on the dotted line at the bottom of an amendment to the consent judgment, he said, adding they were the product of the same type of hearings Connors now anticipates holding.

If Connors orders a new cleanup plan, it could stay in effect for possibly 10 years or longer before the EPA potentially takes over and goes forward with a Superfund cleanup, said Bill Stapleton, an attorney for Scio Township.

There are no guarantees how the Superfund petition process will go, but its expected to be very lengthy, Stapleton said.

Its critical that Connors enter a new cleanup order that incorporates the states current dioxane standards and is as protective of the environment as possible, and elements of it could end up incorporated into an eventual Superfund cleanup with some enhancements, he said.

The court would not lose or get stripped of its jurisdiction even if there was a federal consent decree, Stapleton said, arguing theres nothing going on with the EPA that has any effect on the court and its ability to issue a new cleanup order.

Robert Davis, an attorney for Washtenaw County, said the county health department and its health officer are required by law to be involved in ensuring theres a cleanup plan thats protective of public health.

MORE FROM THE ANN ARBOR NEWS:

EPA open to Superfund cleanup in Ann Arbor if state is on board

Ann Arbor may toss idea of reduced trash pickup in the waste basket

Ann Arbor city employees were paid $63.7M last year. See who made the most

Talks of replacing Woody Allen in Ann Arbor mural reignited after new documentary

Ann Arbor gets pushback from landlords on banning criminal background checks
NWN Awarded State Agency Contracts for Commonwealth of Massachusetts

Cloud Communications Service Provider (CCSP) NWN Corporation has announced the company was recently awarded two contracts by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts to provide UC and contact center services and computer devices, security, and support to state agencies.

NWM Corporation has played a pivotal role in business communications and continuity as many businesses have shifted to a work-from-anywhere environment.

The new contracts ITT72 (category 2-9) and ITC73 (category 3) are part of a series of competitive contracts also awarded to other Massachusetts-based companies like NWM.

NWM Corporation provides the technologies and solutions necessary to integrate as well as manage connectivity. During the global Coronavirus pandemic that occurred in 2020, this became a critical necessity for businesses. By combining and managing all best-in-breed technologies, they helped businesses to maintain secure connectivity while also enhancing employee and constituent experiences.

Were very proud to support state and local governments  especially in our home state, said Jim Sullivan, CEO of NWN. Our technology solutions will enable state agencies to deliver the highest quality employee and constituent experiences.

Both private and public organizations working in distributed environments during the pandemic needed solutions that were both agile and secure. NWNs offerings made collaborative digital communications easy for employees in a cost-effective manner.

The companys Experience Management Platform is a command center that offers business intelligence and advanced analytics as well as intuitive tools for maximum value from its offerings.

NWM was also recently recognized for having the Best Company Culture 2020 and Best Company for Work-Life Balance, Perks & Benefits, Compensation, and Happiness by an employee review site. The accolades pay tribute to the companys efforts to help internal staff optimize their work from anywhere experiences during the pandemic.

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Edited by Maurice Nagle
Spain's Ministry of Health is holding a virtual meeting with the autonomous regions this Monday (22 March) to debate whether to extend vaccinations with the AstraZeneca formula to those over 55 years of age.

Up for discussion is a report from the Ministry of Health that proposes that doses of the vaccine can also be administered in the 55 to 65 age group, a recommendation that is in line with countries such as France.

At the moment Spain only gives the AstraZeneca vaccine to those under 55 belonging to the essential worker groups, including police, teachers and firefighters.

The AstraZeneca vaccine has been the subject of controversy in recent weeks after thrombi and blood clotting issues were reported in around thirty European Union citizens who had been given the formula.

After three days of analysis, the European Medicines Agency (EMA) issued a verdict last Thursday supporting vaccination with AstraZeneca because the "benefits of the vaccine far outweigh the risks" butalso acknowledged that it could not be totally ruled out that the issues had some kind of link with the formula.

The EMA's decision encouraged France, Germany and Italy to resume vaccinations with AstraZeneca on Friday.

This Monday, the biotechnology firm defended its vaccine, which it says has an efficacy of 79 per cent in preventing the disease and does not increase the risk of blood clots.

The company also claims the vaccine is 80 per cent effective for those over 65, according to a study with more than 32,000 volunteers from Chile, Peru and the United States carried out by the company. About 20 per cent of the participants were 65 or older, and about 60 per cent had health problems with a high risk of severe Covid-19, such as diabetes, obesity or heart disease.
A military court in Moscow has rejected a lawsuit filed by jailed Russian opposition politician Aleksei Navalny against the Main Military Investigative Directorate (GVSU) over its refusal to launch an investigation into his poisoning in Siberia with a nerve agent last August.



Judge Andrei Tolkachenko of the 235th Garrison Military Court, ruled on March 22 that "the GVSU's decision" not to launch a probe into Navalnys poisoning was "legal and well-grounded," and that Navalny's lawsuit was "not worth considering."



Navalny's attorney Vyacheslav Gimadi, who is representing him at the hearing, said the ruling will be appealed.



Earlier at the hearing, Judge Tolkachenko revealed that Siberian Transport Police had refused to launch a probe into Navalnys poisoning due to the "absence of a criminal act," adding that the decision not to start an investigation was made on February 10.



Gimadi stated that neither Navalny nor his lawyers had been informed of that decision.



Navalny's complaint stems from August last year when he fell violently ill on a plane while traveling in Siberia. The aircraft made an emergency landing and Navalny was rushed to hospital where doctors worked to keep the Kremlin critic alive.



After several days in hospital and officials saying they had not found any evidence of poisoning, Navalny, in a critical condition, was flown from Siberia to Germany where he was diagnosed with ingesting what was confirmed by several European labs as a Novichok-type chemical nerve agent.



Navalny's lawyers filed a lawsuit against several officers of the Federal Security Service who were implicated by the Bellingcat investigative group in Navalny's poisoning.



However, the GVSU refused to launch a probe into the attack and Navalny's lawyers filed another lawsuit, this time against the investigative directorates inactivity in the case.

The anti-corruption campaigner has accused President Vladimir Putin of ordering the poison attack, but Russian authorities have denied any involvement.



After receiving treatment in Germany, Navalny returned on January 17 to Moscow, where he was immediately arrested.



On February 2, a court in Moscow ruled that, while in Germany, Navalny had violated the terms of parole from an older embezzlement case that is widely considered politically motivated.



His suspended 3 1/2 year sentence was converted into jail time, though the court reduced that amount to just over 2 1/2 years for time already served in detention.



The court hearing began on March 16, but the judge immediately postponed it until March 22 after Navalny refused to take part in the hearing via a video link from a correctional facility in the Vladimir region where he is being held.



Navalnys detention set off a wave of national protests and a crackdown against his supporters.



The European Union and the United State have imposed a series of sanctions against Russia over Navalny's poisoning and subsequent detention.

With reporting by TASS, Meduza, and Interfax
New Delhi: The Chandigarh administration on Monday (March 22, 2021) announced to shut down all schools and colleges till March 31. The officials also said that all public Holi-milan gatherings will be banned.

The decisions were taken by the Governor of Punjab and Chandigarh Administrator VP Singh Badnore during a War Room meeting to check the spread of COVID-19.

The following decisions were taken to stop the spread of coronavirus:

 All restaurants/eating places will close by 11:00 PM and the last order can be taken till 10:00 PM.

 All public Holi-milan gatherings will be banned. The clubs, hotels, restaurants etc will not allow any ceremonial gatherings for Holi. The residents must celebrate Holi at home while following appropriate COVID-19 protocols.

 All schools, colleges and other educational institutions in Chandigarh will remain closed till March 31, 2021.

 The State museums, libraries, auditoriums, theatres etc run by Chandigarh Administration will remain closed till further orders.

 No new permission will be granted for holding any exhibition/mela to entertain gatherings. However, all those, which have been allowed earlier may be allowed to complete as per their scheduled programme.

 Permission from Deputy Commissioner, Chandigarh will be mandatory for holding any event including political and social gatherings and even wedding events. The number of guests will be restricted by the Deputy Commissioner.

 All eating places, restaurants, hotels including food joints in various malls will run only with 50% capacity.

 Strict monitoring of COVID Appropriate Behaviour will be done in crowded places like Sukhna Lake, 'Apni Mandis', markets and malls.

 Municipal Corporation will allow vegetable/fruit vendors to sell vegetables/fruits in carts by visiting various residential areas.

 Hosts in various events such as marriages, political gatherings and other such events will ensure that all participants wear masks. Wherever necessary, they must distribute masks to the participants.

 The front line workers including the health workers, police officials and municipal officials must come forward to get themselves vaccinated.

 The eligible teachers and shopkeepers, who are coming in contact with students and people from outside must get themselves vaccinated without delay.

Governor of Punjab and Administrator of Chandigarh Vijayendra Pal Singh Badnore expressed deep concern about the rising coronavirus cases and suggested that the contact tracing should be intensified and all those, who came into contact with COVID-19 positive cases must be mandatorily tested.

He also mentioned that visitors reaching Chandigarh by bus, train, air and other public transport modes should be invariably screened and wherever symptoms found, those people must be tested to check infection.

The Deputy Commissioner of Chandigarh informed that they have 1872 active cases with a positivity rate of 10.72%. He also stated that the Administration has already notified 12 Containment Zones and 47,794 challans have been issued for not wearing masks.


First Ukrainian International Bank (FUIB, Kyiv) will direct UAH 1.304 billion or half of the net profit received in 2020 (UAH 2.608 billion) to pay dividends, and the second half to increase the reserve fund.

The corresponding decision was made by the shareholders of the bank at an annual general meeting on March 22, the financial institution said in a press release.

"In 2020, FUIB kept its profitability at the level of last year, earning UAH 2.6 billion. The bank's liquidity and capital adequacy (19.5%) are almost twice the standards set by the regulator," chairman of the board of FUIB Serhiy Chernenko said.

According to him, this result testifies to the efficiency and reliability of the business model, competent corporate governance and readiness to adequately respond to external challenges.

The release states that the bank's operating income last year increased by 7.7%, to UAH 7.82 billion: net interest income before reserves increased by 29.4%, to UAH 6.84 billion with a decrease in net commission income by 4%, to UAH 1.67 billion.

The bank's net worth at the beginning of this year was UAH 9.68 billion, assets - UAH 75.26 billion, customers' funds - UAH 57.51 billion, the release recalls.

FUIB noted that the quality of its loan portfolio remains at a high level and according to the results of 2020, the share of bad assets in total assets and financial liabilities decreased from 10.2% to 4.9%, and as of March 1, 2021 to 4.4%, while throughout the banking system, this indicator at the beginning of the year was 16.1%.

Dividends will be paid in the amount of UAH 91.04 per share. Taking into account the payment of dividends, the capital adequacy would be 16.8%, and thanks to the direction of 50% of the profit to increase the reserve fund, the fixed capital ratio will improve to 15.7% with the norm of at least 7%, the release states.
Abu Dhabi-based Mubadala Investment Company (Mubadala) said it has signed an agreement with Snam, one of the worlds leading energy infrastructure operators, for collaboration on joint investment and development initiatives on hydrogen.

A leading Italy-based group, Snam recently became Europes first company to test the injection of a blend of hydrogen and natural gas in its network, and it is committed to get its infrastructure ready to transport increasing volumes of hydrogen.

The company also set up a business unit fully dedicated to the scouting for new technologies as well as developing new projects by teaming up with other partners to adopt hydrogen in several industries such as railways and steel.

As part of the agreement, the two companies will carry out a number of assessment activities, including technical and economic feasibility studies to explore potential projects and solutions to foster and promote hydrogen development in the UAE, and elsewhere globally, said the statement from Mubadala.

The agreement was signed by Musabbeh Al Kaabi, Chief Executive Officer of UAE Investments at Mubadala Investment Company (Mubadala), and Marco Alvera', Chief Executive Officer at Snam.

The MoU reinforces the confidence of both Mubadala and Snam in the commercial and technological potential of the hydrogen industry, as well as its capacity to accelerate the energy transition, the statement added.

On the deal, Al Kaabi said, "As a responsible investor and an active player in the global energy transition, Mubadala has long pioneered and championed a balanced energy mix through our investments in portfolio companies that are contributing to clean, affordable and resilient energy solutions in the UAE and abroad."

"This signing with Snam is an extension of our joint efforts to develop a hydrogen economy for the UAE, and we are committed to advancing the role hydrogen will play to meet future energy demand globally," he added.

Alvera said the MoU shows Snams commitment to accelerate the energy transition and the development of green gases, more specifically, at global level by applying our skills and technologies to enhance the competitiveness of this key solution for the climate challenge.

"At the same time, Snam is further strengthening its presence in the UAE and in the Gulf area, which we consider strategic because of their crucial role in the energy transition. We will work closely with Mubadala leveraging our mutual know-how and investment capabilities in order to identify projects of common interest in the UAE and contribute to the development of a hydrogen-fuelled economy," he added.

Last year, Mubadala joined the Investor Group of the Hydrogen Council, demonstrating the companys growing commitment to the emerging sector.

Mubadala also recently formed the Abu Dhabi Hydrogen Alliance, alongside Adnoc and ADQ, to build a substantial hydrogen economy for the UAE, and developing a roadmap to accelerate the countrys adoption and use of hydrogen in major sectors such as utilities, mobility and industry.-TradeArabia News Service
NEWTOWN  A motorcyclist was seriously injured in a Sunday afternoon crash on Glen Road.

Lt. Aaron Bahamonde said the motorcyclist was transported to Danbury Hospital with very serious injuries following the crash, which police call logs show was reported on Glen Road at 3:11 p.m.

A nearly one-mile stretch of Glen Road  from the intersection of Church Hill Road to the intersection of Cherry Street  was shut down for several hours as the Newtown Police Departments accident reconstruction team worked the crash scene.

Bahamonde said no other vehicles were believed to be involved.

No updates on the crash were available Monday morning.
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While taxpayers have an extra more month to file their federal returns, the disruptions caused by the pandemic along with new stimulus provisions still make this filing season more complicated.

Some of those reasons include how unemployment benefits are taxed, confusion over state taxation for remote workers, claiming your stimulus payments, and calculating certain tax credits.

Read more: Taxes 2021: How to avoid scams this filing season

"There were a lot of events that occurred this season," Lisa Greene Lewis, a tax expert with TurboTax told Yahoo Money. "Whether you were unemployed, over 40 million were unemployed or a lot of people worked from home, people have questions if they were an employee and they work from home, are they able to deduct their work from home expenses."

This year, the filing season opened on February 12, a delayed start compared with previous years, leaving Americans with less time this season to prepare their returns. Now, the initial April 15 deadline has been pushed to May 17, giving Americans a month longer to work on their taxes.

Tax Refund Check On top of Form 1040 and One Hundred Dollar Bill.

Unemployment benefits

With millions of Americans receiving unemployment benefits in 2020, how those benefits are taxed just got more complex.

Unemployment benefits are subject to federal income taxes and potentially state income taxes if you don't live in one of the states that dont impose income taxes at all or one that doesn't tax unemployment benefits. If you didn't have those taxes withheld from your jobless benefits payments, you may end up owing taxes.

People receiving unemployment benefits are hard on cash and don't put aside the money for the unemployment income, Lewis Taub, a certified public accountant and New York director of tax services at Berkowitz Pollack Brant Advisors, told Yahoo Money. They do get hit unexpectedly hard when they actually have to pay their tax bill.

Read more: Here's how you should use your tax refund in 2021

Story continues

But under the new $1.9 trillion stimulus deal, the first $10,200 in unemployment benefits aren't taxed on the federal level for eligible filers. The newly added tax exemption applies to the 2020 tax year and for households making up to $150,000.

Fortunately, taxpayers who filed their federal returns already and didn't take the $10,200 tax exemption on unemployment benefits don't have to amend their return, according to the commissioner of the IRS. If you're owed money from the federal government because of the exemption, then the IRS will send you a second refund for the difference.

The break increases a taxpayer's refund by about $1,000 or reduces their tax liability by the same amount, according to estimates from Andrew Stettner, an unemployment insurance expert and senior fellow at the Century Foundation.

People who got unemployment benefits in 2020 should have a Form 1099-G from their state. A lot of states dont mail the form, so taxpayers should go to their state website to access the form.

Thirty-five states are expected to collect a total of $12.7 billion in additional state income taxes from unemployment benefits. Nine states don't have state income tax, while another six exempt jobless benefits from their income tax. Graphic: David Foster/Yahoo Finance

Working from home

If you are one of the many workers who spent most of 2020 working from your home rather than an office, you may be wondering what you can deduct on your tax return. It depends on your working status.

Regular employees of companies can't deduct any expenses they incurred for their work-from-home office. That's because the Tax Cut and Jobs Act signed into law in 2017 eliminated the unreimbursed business expense deduction. But several states  including Alabama, Arkansas, California, Hawaii, Minnesota, New York, and Pennsylvania  do offer a deduction for unreimbursed employee business expenses on their state returns.

Self-employed workers, however, can deduct expenses related to their business from self-employment income on Schedule C or Schedule F. They can also take a home office deduction for a space used exclusively for business. They may also write off some utility expenses, taxes, insurance, repair, and depreciation.

Read more: Here's what to do if you haven't gotten your stimulus check

If you also worked from a different state for more than 183 days, you may be taxed in a different state, according to Greene Lewis.

"They may have taxes if they earn money in two states, or worked in a different state, but a lot of states have reciprocal agreements where you're not taxed, double," she said.

How states are taxing workers who worked from home in a state that's different from their office remains unresolved for some states.

For example, New Hampshire sued Massachusetts after the state required New Hampshire residents to pay Massachusetts income taxes if they normally commuted to the state to work before the pandemic. The case is headed to the Supreme Court and the ruling could affect other states like New York and New Jersey.

Stimulus checks

Taxpayers who qualify for a stimulus payment but didn't receive one or didn't get the full amount can claim them using the newly added Recovery Rebate Credit on their federal tax return.

The credit applies to both the first round of $1,200 stimulus checks sent in the spring and the second round of $600 checks sent in January. It doesn't apply to the third round of the $1,400 stimulus checks that are currently being sent out. That one can be claimed on your 2021 tax return.

Taxpayers who had significant life changes may also want to look into the credit.

For instance, parents who welcomed a baby in 2019 or 2020 may be able to claim the additional money available for dependents. College students and other young adults may be eligible for the payments if their parents don't claim them as a dependent on this year's tax returns.

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A change in income could also be a reason to claim the credit. For example, if you lost your job or experienced an income drop in 2020, you may be eligible for the payment or a bigger check than the one you got. If you were eligible but never received your payment because you changed your address or the IRS didn't have your bank information on file, you can also claim the credit.

If youve received a payment but want to claim a higher amount, you need to list the amount shown on your Notice 1444 and include it when completing tax documents Form 1040 or Form 1040-SR. You shouldve received Notice 1444-A for the first payment and Notice 1444-B for the second one in the mail.

The 'look back rule'

This year, taxpayers are allowed to use either their 2019 or 2020 income to determine eligibility for the Child Tax Credit (CTC) and the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC). To qualify for the credits, you must have earned income in 2020; unemployment benefits don't qualify.

The CTC this year provides a credit of up to $3,000 per child under 18  and $3,600 for children under 6  for qualifying families. Also this year, childless workers could claim the EITC starting at age 19  instead of 25  except for some full-time students. The age limit of 65 would be eliminated, too. These workers would also get about three times more from the credit, around $1,500 from $530.

Choosing the year with higher income does not necessarily give you a bigger credit, so calculate the credit under the different incomes and use the one that provides the best credit. The credit may not just reduce your tax liability, it could also increase your refund.

"They're refundable credits," Taub said. "Not only they'll reduce your dollar-for-dollar taxes, but if your credit exceeds your tax liability, up to a certain amount, the IRS will refund you that amount."

Denitsa is a writer for Yahoo Finance and Cashay, a new personal finance website. Follow her on Twitter @denitsa_tsekova

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Hazleton, PA (18201)

Today

Rain showers in the morning with thunderstorms developing for the afternoon. A few storms may be severe. High 71F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 90%..

Tonight

Showers this evening then scattered thunderstorms developing overnight. Low 59F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 60%.
Mayor-President Sharon Weston Broome on Monday announced she's throwing support behind Troy Carter in his runoff bid for the 2nd Congressional District seat against Karen Carter Peterson.

Broome, calling Carter a friend of several decades, said he most aligns with her vision of "peace, prosperity and progress" for East Baton Rouge Parish in the district formerly held by former U.S. Rep. Cedric Richmond, whom she characterized as a "friend for several years."

Im endorsing Troy because I believe hell continue the strong relationship that my office had with Rep. Richmond to deliver for East Baton Rouge Parish, Broome said during a press conference alongside Carter in downtown Baton Rouge on Monday. I know he has the ability to work across the aisle to solve the toughest issues and find the compromises that serve us all well.

Getting Broomes endorsement is something Baton Rouge pollster John Couvillon said Carter needed to improve his support in East Baton Rouge Parish, where he trailed the other two top candidates in Saturdays primary.

Carter heads into the April 24 runoff after leading by 13 percentage points over Karen Carter Peterson in Saturday's primary. Carter amassed 36.3% of the votes to Petersons 22.9%, according to unofficial election results.

+5 To replace Cedric Richmond, Troy Carter and Karen Carter Peterson in runoff; Gary Chambers falls just short Troy Carter led the field but will face Karen Carter Peterson in a runoff after the two Democratic state senators from New Orleans won the top

But political analysts have said she could defeated Carter in a head-to-head matchup due to her more progressive campaign, which aligns more with Gary Chambers Jr., the Baton Rouge activist who didn't trail far behind her in Saturday's primary with 21.3% for the 2nd Congressional District seat.

Peterson pulled the most support in the city-parish with 35%, Chambers came in close second with 33% and Carter trailed with 26% of the votes.

He needs to improve his numbers in the parish, Couvillon said. Mayor Broome isnt offensive to many people so it wont hurt him (and) when you have these endorsements coming out early after the primary, it gives the perception that a candidate has runoff momentum.

+4 Karen Carter Peterson isn't afraid of confrontation: 'Karen always punches up, never down' In a speech during an April 2000 visit to New Orleans, President Bill Clinton singled out Karen Carter Peterson, then a 30-year-old, newly min

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The district, previously held by Richmond, is majority black and stretches from New Orleans through the west bank of Jefferson Parish and the River Parishes and north into Baton Rouge.

Chambers, as of Sunday, had not yet said who he intends to endorse in the upcoming runoff, a decision analysts have said could tip the scales in the favor for either candidate.

In her remarks Monday, Broome called Chambers a friend and Peterson a longtime colleague, which is why she delayed making any endorsements ahead of Saturdays primary.

I didnt hastily come to a decision about who the best candidate was, she said.

+4 Why Troy Carter says he's 'more ready now' to win a seat in Congress Troy Carter appeared on the cusp of being elected mayor of New Orleans in 2002. He was young, handsome, and well-known to voters, having spent

Broome said Carters legislative experience and mindset will inspire the unity needed among leadership to help the nation rebound after the turbulent year of the coronavirus pandemic.

Carter, 57, has campaigned on raising the minimum wage to $15 per hour but has spoken only generally about climate change, job creation and improving education.

Peterson, 51, is lobbying for Medicare for All, the Green New Deal and raising the minimum wage also.

Carter collected endorsements from many key local Democrat and Republican leaders while Peterson got backing from several other local Democrats as well including Metro Councilwoman Erika Green, Carolyn Coleman and State Rep. C. Denise Marcelle, D-Baton Rouge.
Heavily-populated regions of New South Wales (NSW), Australias most populous state, including its capital Sydney, are continuing to be hit by rapidly-rising floodwaters after several days of heavy rainfall. With the downpour not predicted to ease until Wednesday or Thursday, tens of thousands of people face the prospect of having to evacuate their homes.

Over the past 24 hours, the flooding has spread widely, with southeastern areas in the neighbouring state of Queensland also impacted. The rainfall has broken longstanding records in numerous locations.

Late yesterday, the NSW Liberal-National government declared a natural disaster in parts of the state. As of this morning, almost 3,000 people had been forced to evacuate in greater Sydney, along with 15,000 elsewhere in the state. The authorities are warning that as many as 54,000 could be compelled to do the same before the crisis is over.

A boat is loaded back onto its trailer on a flooded road at Old Pitt Town, north west of Sydney, Australia, Sunday, March 21, 2021. (AP Photo/Mark Baker)

As the intensity of the flooding has increased, fears over safety and the possibility of lives being lost have been added to concerns of the financial hardship that the disaster will create for working people, especially those living in low-lying areas.

Overnight, the NSW State Emergency Service conducted 150 rescues, and attended almost 2,000 other callouts, taking the total to nearly 10,000 since last Thursday. In one incident, an 80-year-old woman was rescued from her car, trapped in floodwaters on the NSW Central Coast. In others, entire families, including infant children, have been rushed from properties after they were surrounded by water.

Already, experts have said the impact of the deluge has been exacerbated by governments encouraging housing construction in flood-prone areas. Questions have also arisen over dam management, and broader disaster planning as the number of serious weather-related events has continued to increase this century.

Among the hardest-hit areas of Sydney are its working-class western suburbs. Evacuation orders were hastily imposed for some Penrith residents yesterday, as the Nepean River registered its highest water levels in some 60 years. Some received a text message late in the afternoon, instructing them to leave within half an hour and warning that they would be left without power and water if they failed to do so.

Parts of neighbouring suburbs, including Mulgoa, Windsor, Jamisontown and North Richmond, were also covered by the orders. Early this afternoon, the authorities registered a slight fall in the level of the Nepean, meaning a possible reprieve.

NSW RFS crews rescue people from rising floodwaters. (Source: NSW Rural Fire Service)

The northwest reaches of greater Sydney are under threat, as the Hawkesbury River also has risen to levels not seen since 1961. Evacuation orders are in place for Agnes Banks, Freemans Reach, Cornwallis, Pitt Town North, Gronos Point and Pitt Town Bottoms.

Sections of the Central Coast, north of Sydney, are experiencing rising waters.

So far, the largest number of evacuations have been further north, with many towns on the states mid-north coast inundated. Flooding in the region is tipped to be the worst in the past hundred years.

Residents in Kempsey were contacted just before midnight yesterday and told to leave their homes immediately, with many fleeing to an evacuation centre in the towns showgrounds. Other low-lying areas in the region, such as central Wingham, Taree Estate, Dumaresq Island, Cundletown, Laurieton, North Haven, Dunbogan, Bulahdelah, Kings Point, Macksville and parts of Port Macquarie are also being cleared.

Andrew Mitchell, a local resident, gave the Sydney Morning Herald a sense of the speed of the flooding. He said that when he reached Telegraph, a town 50 kilometres from Kempsey, where his older parents live, the water was already up to their necks. He rescued them with his own boat, but that also rapidly took on water before they were able to reach safety.

The flooding destroyed Mitchells family home, which his parents had occupied for 40 years, and swept away their two cars. The water was higher than the top of their door frame and washed away their personal documents, belongings, computers, fridges everything, Mitchell said. They have nothing. Everything is destroyed. With both having retired, they face the prospect of effective homelessness and poverty.

With the crisis still unfolding, the number of people suffering a similar fate is unknown, but is likely to be in the thousands, if not the tens of thousands. Floodwaters are continuing to rise in southeastern Queensland and northern NSW, including the regional city of Lismore.

In explaining the severity of the flooding, meteorologists have pointed to the convergence of three weather systems. A tropical low has hit a coastal trough, while a band of high pressure has prevented them moving away from the coastal regions.

In November, the Bureau of Meteorology (BOM) warned that Sydney faced a heightened risk of flooding over the following months as a result of a La Nina weather phenomenon and high dam levels. BOMs Agata Imielska stated: Our dam levels in the Greater Sydney area are at just over 95 percent capacity, with Warragamba Dam sitting at just over 97 percent. If we get any heavy rainfall in that area its more likely to produce flooding because of the limited capacity for our soils to absorb that moisture.

As predicted, Warragamba began to spill over, after reaching capacity on Saturday, which apparently contributed to the speed of flooding in Penrith and surrounding areas. On Sunday, controlled releases of the water began, with some 450 gigalitres, or the equivalent of the entire Sydney Harbour, pumped out per day.

Dam management is apparently the subject of a conflict within the NSW government, with Emergency Services Minister David Elliott reportedly furious at Water Minister Melinda Pavey for failing to have ordered a reduction in the level of the dam before the forecast rains.

Publicly, however, government representatives, including Premier Gladys Berejiklian have claimed that the downpour was so great that the dam level would need to have been lowered dramatically to have any impact, potentially affecting its role as a main water supply for Sydney.

A government proposal to raise the level of the dam wall has been criticised by some experts. Professor Jamie Pittock, from the Fenner School of Environment and Society at the Australian National University, told the media that the flooding was more the result of poor governance than an act of God.

Pittock said: Successive state governments have failed to address the 5,000 homes built below the 1:100 year flood line. The NSW governments proposed silver bullet solution of raising the Warragamba Dam to control floods is dangerous.

The NSW government should stop plans for 134,000 people to move onto the floodplain by 2050. It should begin long-term programs to help the most flood-prone residents relocate to safe sites. Restoring the floodplain to give the river room to flood more safely can boost opportunities for agriculture, recreation and nature conservation.

The growing population on flood plains is one aspect of a property and construction boom encouraged by one government after another, both Liberal-National and Labor. With tax incentives, cheap credit and little regulation, this has created a bonanza for property developers, real estate companies and wealthy investors.

The soaring property prices, moreover, have forced working-class households into cheaper far-flung areas, including those that are prone to flooding, and where housing flood insurance is prohibitively expensive.

In a sign of nervousness that the floods will compound growing social anger, Prime Minister Scott Morrison issued a video message of support yesterday. His government announced miserly, one-off disaster relief payments of $1,000 for adults and $400 for children, including for those who have lost their homes. Today, Morrison signaled that the military would be mobilised to assist recovery efforts, as in last years bushfire disaster, underscoring the inadequacy of civilian relief programs.
The emergency joint response to the Manchester Arena bombing failed because the fire service didn't arrive until two hours after the explosion, a public inquiry has heard.

Lea Vaughan was one of only three paramedics to enter the site of the explosion, the City Room foyer, on the evening of May 22 2017, when 22 people were killed and hundreds were injured at the end of an Ariana Grande concert.

Ms Vaughan and a colleague from North West Ambulance Service's Hazardous Area Response Team (HART) walked into the blast scene some 44 minutes after suicide bomber Salman Abedi detonated his shrapnel-laden device.

She told the hearing into the terror attack that they met up with another paramedic, Patrick Ennis, with a plan to carry out a 'military style' triage process.

While treating victims of the blast, she realised there were no fire service members present.

Lea Vaughan and a colleague from North West Ambulance Service's Hazardous Area Response Team (HART) walked into the blast scene some 44 minutes after the bombing

The inquiry has previously heard no-one from Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service attended the Arena until more than two hours after the explosion

The inquiry has previously heard no-one from Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service attended the Arena until more than two hours after the explosion, and that police officers and members of the public had to resort to using advertising hoardings and crash barriers as makeshift stretchers for casualties.

Paul Greaney QC, counsel to the inquiry, asked her: 'As you were working in the City Room did it strike you that no member of the fire and rescue service was present?'

Ms Vaughan replied: 'Not initially - I'd say around two to three patients into my treatment I then do remember turning round to my colleague, Christopher Hargreaves, and saying 'we need to get these patients out, how are we going to do that?' and then I realised that there was no FRS (fire and rescue service) but literally as I said that I saw the makeshift stretchers.'

Asked what, if any, value firefighters with specialist resources, including stretchers, would have given, Ms Vaughan said: 'For quick extrication.

'They can make certain interventions and treatments with patients but as there was myself and my colleagues Christopher and Paddy (there) we wouldn't have utilised them to treat patients.

'We were more concerned of removing them from the dangerous area and to a place where they could receive further treatment from my ambulance colleagues.'

MS Vaughn realised after treating a few patients that no fire service members were present

Mr Greaney asked: 'Was it good enough that only three paramedics were in that room treating those who needed treatment?'

The witness said: 'I can only answer for the the time that I had entered into the City Room, I can't really comment on before we got there.

'But by the time we had got in, myself, Chris and Paddy had a really efficient system working and I don't believe that further paramedics would have been of any help at that point.'

Ms Vaughan confirmed she had received training in Jesip (Joint Emergency Services Interoperability Programme) in which the main emergency services work together to form a unified response to a major incident.

Mr Greaney asked: 'From your perspective as a paramedic and HART member who arrived at the Arena and went into the City Room, did Jesip work that night?

She replied: 'No, because one third of the Jesip command was not there.'

The inquiry was told Ms Vaughan was medically retired from North West Ambulance Service in December as a 'direct result' of her experiences on the night of May 22.

She will return later in the inquiry to give evidence about her movements in the City Room.
New Delhi, March 22 : Kalinga Literary Festival's virtual platform KLF Bhava Samvad hosted writer, diplomat, academic and Mahatma's grandson Gopalkrishna Gandhi who joined in a conversation with poet and literary critic Arundhathi Subramaniam on the book 'Restless As Mercury: My Life As A Young Man Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi'.

Beginning the session, Subramaniam gave a glimpse of the book, "The book is about a weave of texts provided by Mahatma Gandhi about his life. The weave is so seamless that you cannot divide it, you cannot find the sutures, the joiners. There is cohesiveness.

"The fact that there is a quality of grainy unedited footage that to my mind is a very strong image and that's what makes the book work. The book didn't seem to be a photoshopped airbrushed commentary, there was a sense of watching something unfold upfront and close.

"As one reads, the matter of facts, the unvarnished unadorned quality of writing is unpretentious. A sense of a man who sees himself as a verb, not as a noun." Talking about his quest for writing, Gopalkrishna said, "The reason for describing myself something other than a writer or being hesitant is that it is for somebody else that is to say the reader to describe the person being read like a writer.

"For the writer herself or himself to say I'm a writer is like a person studying philosophy to say I'm a philosopher. There are some descriptions like Historian, Engineer, Architect which are perfectly fine when used by the genuine article.

"'The writer' is a huge compliment and a huge responsibility." He further talked about the idea behind editing the book. He said, "In Sri Lanka, I met this extraordinary community of plantation workers mostly of Tamil origin, who were working in tea plantation of the country and many of them being repatriated to India.

"I used to meet a dozen of them every day. The story of what they'd want to do in India was fascinating. Each one of them was a tragic character for they were leaving the country where they were born.

"The idea was put to me that Gandhi's observation and his life outside the official autobiography could perhaps be put together.

"A whole lot of conversations around him about family lore and we're scattered in the niches of the writing that came to me. I was struck by the things which in the normal storyline they don't quite occur.

"When this conversation took place I was particularly reminded of the Hindi verse used by Gandhi: 'Khabar nehi jab agle pal ki, samajh mana anjan kalki'," said Gandhi.

Further, he added, "Hagiography is about saints and sages. Gandhi had a DNA reverence for sages and saints from his childhood. He had a sense of saintliness in a person. But he was horrified when people regarded him as a saint because he knew himself all too well.

"Saint who has walked out of Grihastha is in the right setting, ivory miniature in a silver view. In Gandhi's case, he was a householder from Day 1 to the last day of his life.

"He wanted to be a person whom ascetics would recognise as a fellow traveller.

"The last full sentence he uttered was in Gujarati translated into English was: 'I hate being late'. It was self-chastisement. A mystic poet from Italy converted it into (he looks at the assassin and says) 'oh, you are late'. This is a poetic imagination." "It was not about editing a contemporary writer who would not mind being edited by the compiler, somebody who's not there now. In your case, every word, syllable, space between words has been measured in Goldsmith's weighing scale.

"Dust of diamond is weighed by you in your writing poetry and Gandhi was like that," he concluded.
MADRID (Reuters) - Spain on Monday ordered the slaughter of 1,610 cattle which have been stuck aboard the Elbeik livestock ship since December, just weeks after hundreds of cattle on another vessel met a similar fate.

The agriculture ministry said the animals were unfit for further travel and could not be re-imported into the European Union, meaning they must be isolated and killed in the coming days.

In December, Turkish authorities rejected the animals and another 850 Spanish cattle aboard the Lebanon-flagged Karim Allah over concerns they had bovine bluetongue virus, turning both vessels into international pariahs.

Having failed to find a new buyer after months wandering the Mediterranean, the Karim Allah returned to the port of Cartagena on Spain's east coast in February and the Elbeik followed suit last week.

A report by government veterinarians uploaded to animal-rights group Igualdad Animal's website said 179 cows on the Elbeik had died during the journey and were thrown overboard.

Several of the remaining animals were malnourished and dehydrated, while some were barely conscious after being crammed into unsanitary pens without room to lie down, the report said.

An Agriculture Ministry spokeswoman declined to comment on the authenticity of the report.

(Reporting by Nathan Allen; Editing by Dan Grebler)
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Seoul, March 22 : Samsung Electronics said on Monday that its Galaxy Buds Pro wireless earbuds could help people with hearing impairments.

The study, which was published last week in Clinical and Experimental Otorhinolaryngology (CEO), a renowned scientific journal dedicated to ear, nose and throat research, suggested that the Galaxy Buds Pro's Ambient Sound feature could assist those with mild to moderate hearing loss to better engage in conversation with others, according to Samsung.

Its Ambient Sound feature can amplify nearby sounds by up to 20 decibels. With four levels to choose from, users can adjust and control how they experience nearby sounds.

The South Korean tech giant said the study was carried out along with Samsung Medical Center in Seoul.

The company has been working for over 10 years to find out the impact of mobile devices on hearing and ways to optimise sound experiences for users, reports Yonhap news agency.

"The study assessed the efficacy of a hearing aid, a personal sound amplification product and Galaxy Buds Pro," Samsung said.

"The study is the first to demonstrate the potential benefit of true wireless earbuds for individuals with mild to moderate hearing impairments and has the potential to improve the lives of 1.5 billion people globally who are currently living with some degree of hearing loss." Samsung said the Galaxy Buds Pro, the hearing aid and the personal sound amplification product underwent three key tests: electroacoustic assessment, sound amplification evaluation and a clinical performance evaluation.

The Galaxy Buds Pro met each of four performance criteria -- output sound pressure level, frequency range, equivalent input noise and total harmonic distortion -- in an electroacoustic assessment, according to the company.

When it came to a sound amplification evaluation, which tested with seven different frequencies, all devices showed an appropriate level of amplification.

In a clinical performance evaluation, which researched changes in individuals' hearing levels both with and without the devices, as well as their ability to recognise words and sentences, the study showed "statistical significance was observed" at 1,000Hz, 2,000Hz and 6,000Hz.

Participants in the study had mild to moderate hearing loss, with a median age of 63, it added.

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
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Grobest Vietnam is expanding the supply of shrimp larvae to support producers in Vietnam. Image: finished shrimp larvae at a hatchery)

Nguyen Van Khanh, director of Consulting Technical Services, Grobest Vietnam said: Shrimp larvae is the most fundamental and deciding factor for the success of each crop. However, currently, there is very limited access and choice of good larvae sources for Vietnamese shrimp farmers. Understanding this, Grobest decided to initiate a programme of technical assistance and nutrition consultancy under which we collaborate with reputable manufacturers to help customers access high-quality and high-growth performance shrimp larvae to support their production operations. We believe that this will build a more solid foundation helping Vietnamese farmers achieve fruitful crops in the future.

A hatchery selected by Grobest to join its larvae production cooperation programme

The shrimp larvae hatcheries that Grobest chose to cooperate with are all reputable suppliers. Not only running well-established shrimp larvae production operations, the facilities have also been thoroughly vetted by Grobest to ensure they meet its stringent standards.

For the cooperation, Grobest and partner hatcheries have selected the broodstock to be used and set the nutritional criteria for each larval stage and the post-larvae (PL) product. Grobest will also dispatch a team of technicians to monitor the quality of PL products, ensuring they fit the companys criteria.

Imported broodstock guarantees reliability in shrimp breeds and types

Nguyen Van Son, director of Truong Thinh Seafood Co., Ltd., said: During the partnership with Grobest, my company learned a great deal about nutrition and white shrimp farming. Besides, the technicians of the corporation were always ready to provide support and were always eager to learn from our experiences and adjust the manufacturing methods to maximise efficiency.

Experimental evidence shows that cooperation between Grobest and partner hatcheries has resulted in stronger shrimp that are more resistant in critical growth stages. Additionally, shrimp farmers reported shorter farming times and reduced expenses for feed and other overheads. A particularly noteworthy performance enhancement was seen in shrimp size, with PL products reaching the 30 shrimps per kilogramme standard in only 90 days.

On the market with the Manufactured According to Grobest Standards label, shrimp farmers can easily recognise and choose quality shrimp larvae, ridding themselves of worries about product origin.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the variant spreads more easily and quickly than other variants, according to a release from Stamp. In January 2021, experts in the U.K. reported that this variant may be associated with an increased risk of death compared to other variant viruses, but more studies are needed to confirm this finding.
Southern Pines, NC (28387)

Today

Thunderstorms likely. Storms may contain strong gusty winds. High 76F. Winds S at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 100%..

Tonight

Thunderstorms likely. Storms may contain strong gusty winds. Low 66F. Winds S at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 80%.
Chinese mainland reports no new locally transmitted COVID-19 cases

Xinhua) 13:35, March 21, 2021

BEIJING, March 21 (Xinhua) -- The Chinese mainland reported no new locally transmitted COVID-19 cases on Saturday, the National Health Commission said on Sunday.

Twelve new imported COVID-19 cases were reported on Saturday, said the commission in its daily report.

Two new suspected cases arriving from outside the mainland were reported in Shanghai, and no new deaths related to the disease was reported, it added.

On Saturday, nine COVID-19 patients were discharged from hospitals following their recovery.

By the end of Saturday, a total of 5,195 imported cases had been reported on the mainland. Among them, 5,032 had been discharged from hospitals following recovery, and 163 remained hospitalized. No deaths had been reported among the imported cases.

The total number of confirmed COVID-19 cases on the mainland reached 90,099 by Saturday, including 165 patients still receiving treatment.

A total of 85,298 patients had been discharged following recovery on the mainland, and 4,636 had died of the disease.

There were four suspected COVID-19 cases on the mainland on Saturday, and 3,321 close contacts remained under medical observation.

A total of 238 asymptomatic cases including eight newly reported on Saturday, all arriving from outside the mainland, were under medical observation. On the same day, four asymptomatic cases were re-categorized as confirmed cases.

By the end of Saturday, 11,371 confirmed COVID-19 cases, including 203 deaths, had been reported in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (SAR), 48 cases had been reported in the Macao SAR, and 1,005 cases, including 10 deaths, had been reported in Taiwan.

A total of 10,863 COVID-19 patients in the Hong Kong SAR had been discharged from hospitals after recovery, 47 had been discharged in the Macao SAR, and 961 had been discharged in Taiwan.
Promoseven Holdings, a leading real estate developer in Bahrain, has announced that it will soon start handing over the units within the Diyar Alkhair, a residential project targeted at low- or middle-income citizens.

Diyar Alkhair, which boasts two 14-storey towers, will form an integrated city at Sanabis in the heart of the commercial Bahrain.

Located 3 km from the capital, Manama, the project is at the centre-point of a highway connecting southern and northern Bahrain at Sanabis.

Unveiling the future plans, Chairman Akram Miknas said more than 80 per cent of the project stands finished and work is in full swing for its timely completion.

Promoseven Holdings has also set up a mock-up apartment for prospective buyers to get a complete idea of the finished product.

"Our aim, through the Diyar Alkhair project, is to contribute to the national efforts for providing economical housing for Bahrainis. We utilized the large land area on which the development is built to create affordable apartments for low- or middle-income Bahrainis," remarked Maknas.

"The complex is directed primarily at the residents of neighbouring communities in the villages of Budaiya Street, Jadd Hafs, Al-Burhama among others, who wish to own an apartment at an affordable price without compromising the main requirements of the apartment and the distinct service facilities," he added.
The "Airport Runway FOD Detection Systems Market Forecast to 2027 - COVID-19 Impact and Global Analysis By Components and End-Use" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.

According to this report the market was valued at US$ 103.33 million in 2019 and is projected to reach US$ 169.03 million by 2027; it is expected to grow at a CAGR of 6.5% from 2020 to 2027. The report highlights key factors driving the market growth and prominent players with their developments in the market.

The foreign object debris (FOD) such as human artefacts, technological artefacts, and other objects at the runways can end up into damaging airlines, passengers, and airports and can cost up to millions of losses. Therefore, FOD detection systems are developed to prevent any accident and damage to airlines and its passengers. Companies such as Navtech provides radar's high performance FOD150 sensor to detect debris automatically by lowering burden on personnel.

Partnership initiatives are getting prevail in the market, which are helping in stimulating the market growth. For instance, Plextek partnered with a South Korean partner to create radar solutions that will give a cost-effective and scalable platform for countering FOD threat. Similarly, Stratech Group Limited has declared that their iFerretTM intelligent Airfield/Runway Surveillance and Foreign Object & Debris Detection System is been chosen for performance assessment of cost-effective surveillance system at the Orlando International Airport for a pilot test. The company claimed that this deployment will help in tracking aircraft and ground vehicle movements in apron, taxiway crossings, terminal, and cargo areas along with runways. The project is carried between the University of Illinois Center of Excellence for Airport Technology (CEAT) and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Airport Safety Technology Research and Development Sub-team aiming to enhance airport safety. Therefore, such partnerships help meet safety and surveillance needs of FOD detection systems at runways.

Story continues

Strict government regulations and standards are established pertaining to enhance aircraft and airport safety, increase in spending limit by Defense to procure advanced technologies in their operations, and construction/expansion of airports/runways are a few of the factors that are boosting the penetration of FOD detection systems at runways; and thereby influencing the market growth. In addition, the emergence of AI-based FOD detection systems to improvise real-time detection of FOD is another factor that would help in contributing to the market growth during the forecast period. Also, the deployment of FOD detection systems among commercial airports - such as Hamad International Airport, Beijing Daxing International Airport, and Beijing Capital International Airport - is making significant contribution in boosting the installation of FOD detection systems, which is driving the growth of the market.

Impact of COVID-19 Pandemic on APAC Airport Runway FOD Detection Systems Market

The COVID-19 outbreak is causing a massive financial loss in APAC. The governments in Asia Pacific countries are taking several crucial steps to contain the spread of the novel coronavirus by imposing lockdown, which is disrupting the manufacturing sector. China is one of the leading aerospace manufacturing countries in the region. Owing to the COVID-19 outbreak, the manufacturing facilities are witnessing severe challenges in generating revenues from different markets. India, Japan, and several other South East Asian countries are still combating the virus, which is restraining the growth of airport runway FOD detection systems market.

The FOD detection system manufacturers are observing noteworthy downfall in respective businesses, which is directly attributed to the lesser demand for the same from various end users - such as commercial airports and military airports. The outbreak is substantially disrupting the FOD detection systems supply chain in the region, which is hindering the market.

Reasons to Buy

Save and reduce time carrying out entry-level research by identifying the growth, size, leading players and segments in the global airport runway FOD detection systems market.

Highlights key business priorities in order to assist companies to realign their business strategies

The key findings and recommendations highlight crucial progressive industry trends in the global airport runway FOD detection systems market, thereby allowing players across the value chain to develop effective long-term strategies

Develop/modify business expansion plans by using substantial growth offering developed and emerging markets

Scrutinize in-depth global market trends and outlook coupled with the factors driving the market, as well as those hindering it.

Enhance the decision-making process by understanding the strategies that underpin commercial interest with respect to client products, segmentation, pricing and distribution

Market Dynamics

Drivers

Stringent Government Regulations Regarding Aircraft Safety

Increase in Defense Expenditure in Developed Countries

Restraints

High Cost of Development and Maintenance of FOD Detection Systems

Opportunities

Growing Popularity of Smart Airports and Airport Development & Expansion Activities

Future Trends

AI-Based FOD Detection Systems and UAVs

Companies Mentioned

ArgosAI Teknoloji A.S

Navtech Radar

Pavemetrics

Plextek Services Limited

Rheinmetall AG

QinetiQ Group plc

Thales Group

XSight Systems Ltd

Trex Aviation Systems

Varec, Inc

For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/lfs7ej

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210322005373/en/

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MASON CITY, Iowa  A man is sentenced for a string of crimes in November 2020.

Joshua Thomas Teeter, 23 of Mason City, pleaded guilty to two counts of second-degree theft, eluding, fourth-degree theft, and possession of a firearm by a felon.

On November 17, 2020, Law enforcement says it found a stolen car trailer at Teeters home with a truck registered to him loaded onto the trailer. On November 18, 2020, authorities say Teeter led them on an 80 mile per hour chase in a stolen vehicle before escaping. On November 19, 2020, investigators say a search of Teeters home led to the discovery of several items reported stolen in different area burglaries, including a shotgun and enough mixed ammunition to fill two paper grocery bags three-quarters full.

Teeter was eventually arrested in Dubuque.

Teeter was sentenced Monday to 30 days in jail, 180 days in a residential correctional facility, and five years of supervised probation. He must also pay a $430 fine and damage of $3,209.
A 61-year-old woman from London has been issued with a 500 fine after her dog ran loose and attacked sheep in rural Hampshire.

The livestock worrying incident happened on 18 February at West Tisted Manor Estate in the Meon Valley area, South Downs.

The out-of-control dog ran into a field containing a flock of sheep, attacking them before being caught.

The woman took full responsibility and a Community Resolution order was issued with a 500 fine  payable to the victim by means of compensation.

She was also ordered to sign a Dog Behaviour Contract, part of which is a direction to keep the dog on a lead in a public space, as well as writing a letter of apology.

Hampshire Constabulary has used the incident to raise awareness of ensuring dogs are always kept on leads in rural areas, or face possible prosecution.

"This follows a number of incidents in the East Hants area, in particular the South Downs, whereby owners have been walking with dogs off lead and not under close control.

"They have subsequently chased or attacked livestock and wild animals," Hampshire Constabulary said.

"We would urge that owners are fully in control of their dogs, know where they are at all times and confident that they will return when called."

According to figures released by NFU Mutual, livestock worrying cost farmers across the UK 1.3 million in 2020.

Under the Dogs (Protection of Livestock) Act 1953 it is a criminal offence for a dog to actively worry livestock.

The crime can significantly impact a farmer financially, in order to treat injuries or replace the loss of livestock, while having a detrimental effect on their business.
The Bombay High Court has ruled that investigation by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002, can be continued "even if the base offences are closed, compounded or quashed", Taxscan reported.

The accused, promoters of Omkar Realtors and Developers, had sought their release on bail on the ground of closure of the scheduled offence. They moved the high court after the special PMLA court in Mumbai rejected their plea on February 15, 2021.

Vijay Aggarwal submitted that the moment the scheduled offence comes to an end, the PMLA proceedings also come to an end, as per the report.

The lawyer added that it was a settled legal proposition that if initial action does not align with law, all subsequent and consequential proceedings would fall through for the reason that the illegality strikes at its root and the applicants could not have been remanded to further custody and were entitled to be released on bail.

The report said that the Single Judge bench of Justice A.S. Gadkari rejected the argument, observing that the investigation under the PMLA is totally independent of the scheduled offence.

"Once an offence under the PMLA is registered on the basis of a Scheduled Offence, then it stands on its own and it thereafter does not require support of Predicate/Scheduled Offence. It further does not depend upon the ultimate result of the Predicate/Scheduled Offence. Even if the Predicate/Scheduled Offence is compromised, compounded, quashed or the accused therein is/are acquitted, the investigation of ED under PMLA does not get affected, wiped away or ceased to continue. It may continue till the ED concludes the investigation and either files a complaint or closure report before the Court of competent jurisdiction," the court 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.
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Kochi: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Monday lashed out at the BJP-led government at the Centre over rising prices of fuel, alleging it was forcibly taking money from the pocket of people to try and run the government.

Interacting with students of St Teresa's College, an autonomous women's college, here, Gandhi blamed the government's mismanagement for the collapse of the economy.

Rahul Gandhi

Gandhi, who is in the poll-bound southern state of Kerala for campaigning, said, "The problem is going to carry on for sometime because the mismanagement is quite profound and deep."

He said putting more money into the people's hands is the only way out of the crisis but the government is not listening instead it is saying: "Produce more stuff".

"What we believe is the way to start the economy is by starting consumption. By giving people money, they start to consume things and buy things," he said in response to a query on the rising prices of fuel despite a fall in the crude oil prices in the international market.

Rahul Gandhi

"...due to demonetisation, due to GST, the economy was severely damaged. It was already weak. After that, when the COVID-19 pandemic came in, the economy totally collapsed," he said.

"The government now does not have money because the economy is not running. They are not able to generate taxes, they are not able to generate money. So, they are now forcibly taking money from your pocket--from petrol and diesel-- to try and run the government," Gandhi said.

He said an atmosphere of harmony is essential for the economy to work."You need harmony, peace and quiet and you need a strategy. That's where you are running into a problem," he said.
Every Bollywood celebrity keeps on becoming a part of some or the other controversy. This time, its Priyanka Chopra. Yes, she has made headlines for her controversial comments many a times and also for her imaginative dresses at the Met Gala.

This time, she made some controversial comments during an interview with the talk show host Ophrah Winfrey. And now, that comment has gone viral on the internet.

Speaking to Ophrah, whose last interview with Meghan Markle and Prince Harry also went viral across the world, Priyanka Chopra said, My dad used to sing in a mosque, I was aware of Islam.

Now, Priyanka Chopra is getting trolled for claiming that she understood the religion because her dad used to sing in mosques.

Heres what people on the internet have to say about this-

My dad used to decorate Christmas tree,

I was aware of Christianity. pic.twitter.com/N9bBY4WN7L  Lily kissan Khalid (@KaunAurat) March 20, 2021

My dad on the other hand never sang in a mosque so I grew up woefully unaware of Islam https://t.co/Dq5jOl1mPK  Edgar Allan Poeha (@vaniIlaessence) March 21, 2021

I used to watch Steven Spielberg films.

I was aware of Judaism. :-)  Raja  - awaaz do, hum ek hain (@Raja_Sw) March 21, 2021

Girlfriend, where is this mosque at? It sounds WAY more fun than the one we attended where people just came to pray. #PriyankaChopra pic.twitter.com/2qgJvb91cR  Habiba Nosheen (@HabibaNosheen) March 20, 2021

Sing in a mosque maam I- you lived in a country with one of the largest Islamic population  Buck-Tick no Wakusei  (@sairasolaris) March 21, 2021

Dear @priyankachopra

How is singing in a mosque makes one aware of Islam? Do many years in India didn't let you know about muslims around you? By this logic- my dad argues cases in court so I am aware of the law. #PriyankaChopra #Oprah pic.twitter.com/gDbVG5aZT1  Chayan Sarkar (@chayansarkar87) March 20, 2021

Priyanka Chopra's dad must've gone to that one weird mosque in Edinburgh  Riz (@RizTheTechie) March 20, 2021

Ive watched Sholay many times so Im well aware of Indian culture



https://t.co/LZ1DVxo38Z  Khurram Qureshi (@qureshik74) March 20, 2021

I think priyanka chopra is confused between dargah and a mosque.  Zoe (@Meadowandhats) March 20, 2021

My dad also used to sing in a Mosque. Nothing else happened, people just thought he was very weird for doing that since Masjid mein antakshari nahi khelte. https://t.co/zJz8nhHUzC  Doge Vader (@smrutisnat) March 21, 2021

However, she argued that trolls misrepresented Chopras words. Her full quote was, With the swirling number of religions that we have, that live within the country as well. I grew up in a convent school. I was aware of Christianity. My dad used to sing in a mosque, I was aware of Islam. I grew up in a Hindu family, I was aware of that.

Spirituality is such a large part of India that you really cannot ignore it, she added.

A lot of people also said that the actress was confused between a mosque and a dargah as singing isnt allowed inside mosques.

In the interview with Ophrah, she also opened up about her spiritual inclination.

She said, Spirituality is such a large part of India that you cannot ignore it but also my family believed in having higher power, having a sense of faith. My dad used to tell me that religion is a way to get to the Supreme power. Every religion has a different face to the same direction where we are going. I am a Hindu, I have a temple in my home and I pray as often as I can but at the same time, I am a believer in the fact that a higher power does exist and I like to have faith in that.

What do you think? Let us know in the comments section below!


Next Story : Moheys Wedding Collection Sets The Tone For The Bridal Season

Indian history is mesmerising; our scriptures bear the testimony of its richness and opulence that's bewildering. A few authors have tried touching the vast topics but those who did, made a difference! India has to offer rich and award-winning literature masterpieces which are critically acclaimed. An avid reader should not miss the books written by the following authors to get a taste of the Indian literature.Amish is known for his fast-selling Shiva Triology, which got a lot of praise from the readers. He is known to have created an entire era from scratch and built a mythological masterpiece comprising Immortals of Meluha, The Secret of the Nagas and The Oath of the Vayuputras. The trilogy is intriguing even for a reader who doesn't hold interest in this genre.Image: Instagram An award-winning author, best-seller poet and activist, Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni is an Indian author settled in the US. She paints her fictional characters with such great details that they seem as good as real! In her novel, The Palace of Illusions, the Hindu mythological epic Mahabharata has been told from Draupadis point of view. Chitra has many books under her belt; The Forest of Enchantments, Mistress of Spices, Arranged Marriage, and her latest, The Last Queen to name a few.Image: Instagram In her debut novel, The God of Small Things, Arundhati tells the story of fraternal twins whose lives are destroyed by the love laws. Her books usually talk about social issues, the government, politics and everything around. Some of the other books written by her include The Ministry of Utmost Happiness, The End of Imagination, and My Seditious Heart.A writer and a journalist, Aravind Adiga won the 2008 Man Booker Prize for his debut novel, The White Tiger. The novel provides a darkly humorous perspective of Indias class struggle as told from the perspective of a village boy. Aravinda encapsulates the lives of the working-class in India through the protagonist, Balram.Satyajit Ray is a well-known Indian film director, music composer, documentary filmmaker besides being an exceptional author. He has created two very famous characters, Feluda and Professor Shonku, in a series of books. Rays protagonist, Feluda, a Kolkata-based detective, has made every Indian kid in the80s an amateur detective. The series was critically acclaimed and adapted into movies too.
Credit: Unsplash/CC0 Public Domain

People with a severe mental illness are more likely to die following a heart attack than those without a psychiatric diagnosis, research suggests.

The risk of death 30 days after a heart attack for people with schizophrenia was doubled when compared with those without the condition, for example.

No improvement

There was no evidence of any improvement across the 24 year period up to 2014 examined in the study.

Researchers say the findings highlight the chronic health inequalities faced by people with serious mental illness and are calling for disparities to be urgently addressed.

Hospital data

Experts at the University of Edinburgh examined anonymous hospital data for more than 235,000 people admitted for heart attack in Scotland from 1991 to 2014.

They compared the risks of death and further heart attack and stroke among heart attack patients with schizophrenia, major depression or bipolar disorder to patients without a history of mental illness.

Stroke

The research team found that people with one of these three conditions were more likely to die within 30 days, one year and five yearsand to have another heart attack or strokecompared with those without mental ill-health.

After 30 days, patients with schizophrenia were twice as likely to have died, and patients with bipolar disorder or major depression had a 30-50 percent increased risk of death.

Many reasons

People with severe mental illness were also less likely to receive revascularisationan operation to restore blood flowwhich researchers say may indicate differences in care.

Researchers say the findings may be due to a number of reasons including poor general health, social exclusion and possible differences in longer-term treatment.

The research team advise that people with mental health conditions should continue to seek advice from their medical team if they have any concerns about their health.

"This study highlights marked and persistent mental health inequalities in heart attack outcomes in Scotland. The underlying reason is likely to be multifactorial and complex and remains poorly understood. "We need to know how comorbidities and lifestyle factors contribute to these disparities. We also need detailed investigation of the entire patient journey, from heart attack onset to rehabilitation among people with severe mental illness, to identify any areas of weakness in clinical care," says Dr. Caroline Jackson, lead researcher, University of Edinburgh.

"Parity of esteem between physical and mental health is imperative if we are to reduce premature deaths. We need to raise awareness amongst physical health professionals of symptoms that can be masked by the side effects of psychiatric medication, and accept that people with mental illness may need more time and support to accept medical procedures. "Poor physical health is often accepted as an inevitable outcome of living with schizophrenia or bipolar illness, but we believe that everyone has a right to the best possible health care," says Frances Simpson, CEO of Support in Mind Scotland.

Explore further Veterans with mental health conditions have higher risk of heart disease, stroke

More information: Kelly Fleetwood et al. Severe mental illness and mortality and coronary revascularisation following a myocardial infarction: a retrospective cohort study, BMC Medicine (2021). Journal information: BMC Medicine Kelly Fleetwood et al. Severe mental illness and mortality and coronary revascularisation following a myocardial infarction: a retrospective cohort study,(2021). DOI: 10.1186/s12916-021-01937-2
Corporate Australias heaviest emitters are not spending the money investors say is required for them to hit their pledges of cutting greenhouse gases and achieve net-zero emissions.

In a first-of-its-kind analysis of the worlds top 167 greenhouse gas producers, a coalition of global investors has found that none of the 12 Australian companies assessed has disclosed how it will align future investment decisions with its stated emissions-reduction aims.

It also found no companys decarbonisation target to be fully aligned with the goals of the Paris climate agreement to limit global warming, and will raise demands for more aggressive targets to be set.

Top global investors will ramp up pressure on Australias heaviest emitters to spend more on decarbonisation vows. Credit:Jonathan Carroll

Climate Action 100+, a group of 545 investors managing a combined $70 trillion of assets, said its members would use the findings to step up pressure on Australias miners, oil and gas producers, airlines and manufacturers to align their capital spending plans with decarbonisation goals.
A LANDLORD threatened a former tenant he would "get a gun and put a bullet in his head" when he asked for his deposit back, it has been alleged.

Niall Cloke (49) is accused of telling the ex-tenant that he would pay 5,000 to get him shot, and he would be returning to his country "either walking or in a box".

Mr Cloke is facing trial on a threat to kill charge after a judge ruled the case was too serious to be dealt with at district court level.

Judge David McHugh remanded him on continuing bail for further directions of the Director of Public Prosecutions.

Mr Cloke, of Wheatfield Grove, Clondalkin, Dublin, is charged with threatening to kill or cause serious harm to the man at an unknown location in the State on November 11, 2019.

Garda Sergeant Walter Sweeney told Blanchardstown District Court that in December of that year, the alleged victim made a complaint to gardai that his former landlord, the accused, had made threats to him.

He told gardai this happened in the course of a telephone conversation when they had a discussion about the return of a deposit.

It was alleged by the man that the accused "threatened to get a gun and put a bullet in his head", Sgt Sweeney told the court.

Mr Cloke told the former tenant he would "pay a sum of 5,000 to get him shot and that the injured party would return to Romania either walking or in a box", he said.

The alleged victim said the verbal threat had a profound effect on him personally and professionally, and "he believed the accused would do these things to him".

It was also alleged the accused spoke about the man's girlfriend, saying "he would watch her leaving work and where she lived".

The alleged victim feared for his girlfriend's safety, the court heard.

According to gardai, the conversation was on loudspeaker on the alleged victim's phone and video-recorded.

This was provided to gardai and it was alleged the accused was listed as the owner of the number.

Mr Cloke later presented himself at Ronanstown garda station and was charged.

Sgt Sweeney said the Director of Public Prosecutions consented to summary disposal of the case in the district court subject to the judge accepting jurisdiction.

Judge McHugh refused jurisdiction after hearing the outline of the allegations.

He adjourned the case to a date in May for the further consideration of the DPP.

The accused has not yet entered a plea to the charge, which is under Section 5 of the Non-Fatal Offences Against the Person Act.




Shenandoah, IA (51601)

Today

Mainly sunny to start, then a few afternoon clouds. High 86F. Winds WSW at 5 to 10 mph..

Tonight

A few clouds. Low 61F. Winds SSW at 5 to 10 mph.
Guwahati, March 22 : Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) President J.P.Nadda on Monday said that the Congress is doing politics of opportunism and destruction and its only objective is to win elections, instead of developing the state and the country.

Addressing three election rallies at Dibrugarh, Jorhat and Biswanath Chariali in northern and eastern Assam, the BJP chief said that the Congress is forging alliances with the Muslim League and fighting against Left parties in Kerala even as the party embraces both Left parties and Furfura Sharif (Indian Secular Front) in West Bengal.

"In Assam, the same Congress forged an electoral alliance with another communal force, the All India United Democratic Front (AIUDF). It is doing opportunistic and destructive politics and the BJP is doing the development. The BJP governments at the Centre and the state have scripted a new chapter of development in Assam." The BJP leader said that the Congress is talking about Assam and its tea but using the photographs of Sri Lanka and Taiwan.

"The Congress has damaged Assam's culture and never gave importance to security. During the Bodoland protests, thousands of civilians and security personnel were killed and kidnapped. But, with the surrender of over 2,000 militants, peace has been restored in Assam," he pointed out.

Alleging that infiltration had increased during the governance of Congress, but the BJP government not only checked this but also electronically and digitally put up surveillance along the borders where the fencing could not be erected.

Nadda said that despite former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh representing Assam in Parliament, he did not sanctioned the pending gas royalty to Assam but Narendra Modi, within a week of becoming Prime Minister, sanctioned Assam's due gas royalty to the tune of Rs 8,000 crore.

He said: "To give the due rights and respect to indigenous people, the BJP government has already issued 'Patta' (land rights) to over 3.50 lakh people." Modifying the British era forest act, will boost the bamboo-based industry and empower lakhs of artisans across the northeastern region, said Nadda.

"By making 7,000 toilets in Assam out of 11 crore in the entire country, the BJP government not only made Assam an open-defecation-free state but also restored the respect of lakhs of rural women who used to defecate in open fields and prevent disease," added the BJP President.

Nadda, accompanied by other party leaders, is scheduled to release BJP's election manifesto for the upcoming Assembly elections in Assam on Tuesday.

Elections for the 126-seat Assam assembly would take place in three phases on March 27, April 1 and April 6.

The results will be announced on May 2.
About 24 hours after military chiefs from India and Pakistan surprised the world last month with a rare joint commitment to respect a 2003 cease-fire agreement, the top diplomat of the United Arab Emirates popped over to New Delhi for a quick one-day visit.

The official UAE readout of the Feb. 26 meeting gave few clues of what Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed spoke about with Indian counterpart Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, noting they discussed all regional and international issues of common interest and exchanged views on them.

Yet behind closed doors, the India-Pakistan cease-fire marked a milestone in secret talks brokered by the UAE that began months earlier, according to officials aware of the situation who asked not to be identified. The cease-fire, one said, is only the beginning of a larger roadmap to forge a lasting peace between the neighbors, both of which have nuclear weapons and spar regularly over a decades-old territory dispute.

The next step in the process, the official said, involves both sides reinstating envoys in New Delhi and Islamabad, who were pulled in 2019 after Pakistan protested Indias move to revoke seven decades of autonomy for the disputed Muslim-majority state of Jammu and Kashmir. Then comes the hard part: Talks on resuming trade and a lasting resolution on Kashmir, the subject of three wars since India and Pakistan became independent from Britain in 1947.

Over the years, India and Pakistan have routinely made peace overtures only to have them quickly fall through, particularly as both sides frequently use the issue to stir up emotions around election time. Officials said expectations were low that the current detente would achieve much beyond the return of envoys and a resumption of trade through their Punjab land border.

But this process appears to be the most concerted effort in years, and comes as the Biden administration is seeking wider peace talks on Afghanistan -- a place both countries for years have battled for influence. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi wants to shore up growth and focus military resources on the border with China, while Pakistans leaders are also facing economic woes and looking to make a good impression with the U.S. and other powers.

Pakistans Foreign Ministry didnt comment on the talks or the role of the UAE, while the foreign ministries of India and the UAE had no immediate comment.

Last week Pakistan army chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa asked India to bury the past and move forward while saying the military was ready to enter talks to resolve all our outstanding issues. The comments came a day after Prime Minister Imran Khan after called for a resolution on Kashmir, which he described as the one issue that holds us back.

On Saturday, Modi sent a tweet wishing Khan well after he was diagnosed with Covid-19 -- another sign that relations between the countries are getting warmer.

The UAE, which has historic trade and diplomatic links with India and Pakistan, has taken a more assertive international role under de facto ruler Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan. The biggest shift has been in the Middle East where the Gulf Arab state has intervened in conflicts and backed groups and regional leaders. But it has also looked to Asia as it strengthens political alliances beyond its role as a global trade and logistics hub.

India-Pakistan ties were effectively cut off two years ago after a suicide attack in India-controlled Kashmir killed 40 Indian soldiers, prompting Modis government to authorize air strikes on alleged terror facilities inside Pakistan. The joint statement last month said the two sides agreed to address each others core issues, signaling a wider discussion on Kashmir and terrorism.

Several clues over the past few months pointed at the UAEs role. In November, Jaishankar met bin Zayed and the crown prince on a two-day visit to Abu Dhabi, followed by Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi the following month. Roughly two weeks before the Feb. 25 announcement, the UAE foreign minister held a phone call with Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan wherein they discussed regional and international issues of interest. And just days before, India allowed Khans aircraft to fly over Indian airspace as he headed to Sri Lanka for a state visit -- a practice suspended since the 2019 hostilities.

After the cease-fire, the UAE was one of a handful of countries to issue a statement welcoming the cease-fire announcement, highlighting the close historical ties it has with both India and Pakistan and hailing the efforts made by both countries to come to this agreement. In Washington, State Department spokesman Ned Price dodged a question on what role the U.S. played in bringing the two sides together while urging Pakistan to play a constructive role in Afghanistan, Kashmir and other places.

Obviously Pakistan has an important role to play when it comes to Afghanistan and what takes place across its other border, Price said on Feb. 25. So clearly, we will be paying close attention.
Groups join forces to make downtown Montreal the place to be this summer
ITV is set to launch a new series called Cooking With The Stars.

It is thought that the culinary series will see celebrities paired with professional chefs and it is already being referred to it as the 'Strictly of food shows', reports The Sun.

The broadcaster is without two of its major shows this year, The X Factor and Britain's Got Talent, after filming had to be postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic.

New show: ITV is set to launch show Cooking With The Stars after The X Factor and Britain's Got Talent were postponed amid the pandemic (The X Factor judges and host pictured in 2017)

A source said: '[ITV has] seen the success Bake Off has had on Channel 4 and the BBC before that, and also of Mary Berry's Best Home Cook on the Beeb and think there's something they can put together.

'Cookery programmes are a staple of television planning but ITV want to give it a glitzy, shiny floor twist.

'Celebrity participants will be paired up with the best of the culinary world in pairs, like Strictly, and they will fight it out for the crown.'

The source continued that a cooking show could help ITV as they are without both The X Factor or Britain's Got Talent this year.

Cooking up success: A source said the broadcaster has seen the success of other cooking shows and wants to try its own format (pictured Mary Berry with Claudia Winkleman, Dan Doherty and Chris Bavin on 2018 episode of show Celebrity Best Home Cook)

Cooking With The Stars it is thought to be slated for the late summer or early autumn time, however no air date has been officially confirmed yet.

It is set to be shown on ITV and ITV Hub and is thought to be being made by production firm South Shore, who also did Don't Rock The Boat.

The X Factor was halted in 2020 when coronavirus hit, rendering it impossible to produce the show, which involves mass gatherings for open public auditions.

And the show's longtime host Dermot O'Leary dashed fans' hopes of the show returning in 2021 when he revealed he's 'no idea' when the series will resume.

Some time to go! The X Factor host Dermot O'Leary also dashed fans hopes of the hit singing show returning this year when he said he thinks it'll be 2022 at the earliest

The presenter, 47, revealed he thinks it will be 2022 at the earliest during an appearance on Sunday Brunch in December.

Asked whether he has spoken about it to show boss Simon Cowell Dermot said: 'We've been in touch.'

Simon, 61, is recovering after undergoing surgery after breaking his back in a terrifying electric bike accident back in August.

His injuries saw him sit out of the resumed 2020 series of Britain's Got Talent after it returned following England's first lockdown.

And in January it was revealed that Britains Got Talent 2021 has been cancelled as the ongoing pandemic continues to wreak havoc.

The hit ITV talent show had already been postponed due to safety concerns and the restrictions brought about by tier systems and lockdowns.

But after several weeks of speculation, it has now been confirmed that the show will now not return to screens until 2022.

Bosses of the show said that despite the efforts of the teams at ITV, Thames and head judge Simon Cowell's Syco, they were forced to call plans off.

They said: 'With our absolute priority of safeguarding the well-being and health of every person involved in the programme from judges, hosts and contestants to all of the crew and audience, the decision has been made to  unfortunately  move the record and broadcast of the 15th series of Britains Got Talent to 2022.

BGT is known for its diversity of talent with big dance groups, wonderful choirs and lavish orchestras at its heart, and it has become clear that not only is it not possible to film auditions with these types of acts in a secure way but also that they are not able to adequately rehearse and prepare safely.

Safety has to come first and, as a result, the recording of the show cant currently go ahead as planned.
WASHINGTON (AP)  Somehow, they didnt see it coming.

Within weeks of Inauguration Day on Jan. 20, the Biden administration had reversed many of the most maligned Trump-era immigration policies, including deporting children seeking asylum who arrived alone at the U.S.-Mexico border and forcing migrants to wait in Mexico as they made their case to stay in the United States.

While the administration was working on immigration legislation to address long-term problems, it didnt have an on-the-ground plan to manage a surge of migrants. Career immigration officials had warned there could be a surge after the presidential election and the news that the Trump policies, widely viewed as cruel, were being reversed.

Now officials are scrambling to build up capacity to care for some 14,000 migrants now in federal custody  and more likely on the way  and the administration finds itself on its heels in the face of criticism that it should have been better prepared to deal with a predictable predicament.

They should have forecasted for space (for young migrants) more quickly, said Ronald Vitiello, a former acting director of Immigration and Customs Enforcement and chief of Border Patrol who has served in Republican and Democratic administrations. And I think in hindsight, maybe they should have waited until they had additional shelter space before they changed the policies.

The situation at the southern border is complex.

Since Bidens inauguration, the U.S. has seen a dramatic spike in the number of people encountered by border officials. There were 18,945 family members and 9,297 unaccompanied children encountered in February  an increase of 168% and 63%, respectively, from the month before, according to the Pew Research Center. That creates an enormous logistical challenge because children, in particular, require higher standards of care and coordination across agencies.

Still, the encounters of both unaccompanied minors and families are lower than they were at various points during the Trump administration, including in spring 2019. That May, authorities encountered more than 55,000 migrant children, including 11,500 unaccompanied minors, and about 84,500 migrants traveling in family units.

Career immigration officials, overwhelmed by the earlier surges, have long warned the flow of migrants to the border could ramp up again.

Biden administration officials have repeatedly laid blame for the current situation on the previous administration, arguing that Biden inherited a mess resulting from President Donald Trumps undermining and weakening of the immigration system. The White House says it has taken several steps to address the situation.

Migrant children are sent from border holding cells to other government facilities until they are released to a sponsor. That process was slowed considerably by a Trump administration policy of enhanced vetting, in which details were sent to immigration officials and some sponsors wound up getting arrested, prompting some to fear picking up children over worries of being deported. Biden has reversed that policy, so immigration officials hope the process will speed up now.

The White House also points to Bidens decision to deploy the Federal Emergency Management Agency, known for helping communities in the aftermath of a natural disaster, to support efforts to process the growing number of unaccompanied migrant children arriving at the border. HHS announced Saturday that it was opening an additional facility in West Texas to help with influx of unaccompanied minors. The facility will initially accommodate about 500 children but can be expanded to house 2,000.

Biden and others have pushed back on the notion that whats happening now is a crisis.

We will have, I believe, by next month enough of those beds to take care of these children who have no place to go, Biden said in a recent ABC News interview, when asked whether his administration should have anticipated the surge in young unaccompanied migrants as well as families and adults. He added, Lets get something straight though. The vast majority of people crossing the border are being sent back ... immediately sent back.

Adam Isacson, an analyst at the human rights advocacy group Washington Office on Latin America, said Republicans insistence that there is a crisis at the border is overwrought, but that the surge in migrants was predictable.

He called it a perfect storm of factors: hurricanes that hit Central America last fall; the economic fallout caused by the coronavirus pandemic; typical seasonal migration patterns; the thousands of Central American migrants already stuck at the border for months; and the persistent scourge of gang violence afflicting Northern Triangle countries  Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador.

Isacson said the Biden administration may have been two or three weeks slow in preparing for the increase in unaccompanied young migrants and the subsequent housing crunch after announcing in early February it would stop deporting unaccompanied youths.

But Isacson added that the bottleneck was also affected by the lack of cooperation by the Trump administration with the Biden transition.

The Biden administration announced on Feb. 2 it would no longer uphold the Trump administration policy of automatically deporting unaccompanied minors seeking asylum. Two weeks later, the White House announced plans to admit 25,000 asylum-seekers to the U.S. who had been forced to remain in Mexico.

In subsequent weeks, the number of young migrants crossing without adults skyrocketed. Both Customs and Border Protection, and Health and Human Services officials have struggled to house the influx of children. Immigration officials say the number of adult migrants and families trying to enter the U.S. illegally also has surged.

Border patrol officials had encountered more than 29,000 unaccompanied minors since Oct. 1, nearly the same number of youths taken into custody for all of the previous budget year, administration officials say.

Getting capacity up to deal with the unaccompanied minors is critical, but the numbers just dont bear out to pointing to a crisis, Isacson said.

That hasnt stopped Republicans -- including Trump and House Republican leader Kevin McCarthy of California -- from pillorying Biden.

Its more than a crisis. This is a human heartbreak, said McCarthy, who led a delegation of a dozen fellow House Republicans to El Paso, Texas, on Monday.

Biden is also facing criticism from Republicans that his administration has sent mixed messages.

Critics have focused on public comments from Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, who earlier this month said the administrations message to migrants was dont come now and a slip by Roberta Jacobson, the White Houses lead adviser on the border, who said in Spanish during a recent briefing the border is not closed, before correcting herself.

The president and other administration officials in recent days have stepped up efforts to urge migrants not to come. Embassies in Northern Triangle countries are airing public service announcements underscoring the dangers of making the trek north.

Eric Hershberg, director of the Center for Latin American and Latino Studies at American University, said Bidens team faces a powerful counter-narrative as it attempts to persuade desperate Central Americans to stay put: chatter on social media from migrants who successfully made it across the border and smugglers who insist that now is the ideal time.

Hershberg cites a Honduran friends reaction to U.S. warnings that migrants could face danger on the journey: You know, you dont need to go with such uncertainty. You can just stay here and know that youll be raped or killed.
(Natural News) The Oregon Department of Education (ODE) has launched a new instruction program for public school teachers throughout the state that claims the subject of mathematics is racist and promotes white supremacy.

The department sent out an online pamphlet called, A Pathway to Equitable Math Instruction that contains a section entitled, Dismantling Racism in Mathematics Instruction. In it, teachers are urged to reimagine the nature of math to make it more inclusive for black and brown people who apparently have trouble understanding it.

Students should not necessarily be told that technically wrong answers in math are existentially wrong, the pamphlet suggests. Claiming that an answer to a math question is either right or wrong is inherently racist, it goes on to conclude, instructing teachers about ways to abolish this type of white supremacist thinking from the classroom.

While supremacy culture infiltrates math classrooms in everyday teacher actions, the pamphlet declares. Coupled with the beliefs that underlie these actions, they perpetuate educational harm on [minority] students, denying them full access to the world of mathematics.

In order to effectively dismantle white supremacist ideas like there being right and wrong answers in math, Oregon teachers are being told to closely examine their actions, beliefs, and values around teaching mathematics. Anything that might be offensive to students needs to be abolished.

A typical math class involves spending way too much time trying to achieve right answers, which the pamphlet says is racist. Students having to individually come up with these right answers is also racist, as math should be a group effort, according to the ODE.

Often the emphasis is placed on learning math in the real world, as if our classrooms are not a part of the real world, the pamphlet further explains. This reinforces notions of either / or thinking because math is only seen as useful when it is in a particular context.

However, this can result in using mathematics to uphold capitalist and imperialist ways of being and understandings of the world.

Bill Gates helped fund anti-math curriculum for Oregon

As is often the case, the ODE links math, ideas of right and wrong, and traditional education to capitalism and imperialism, both of which it says are evil and embody white supremacy.

To make math less racist, there needs to be an anomalous middle ground where students are free to imagine whatever answers they feel fit the equation. In an equal world, there is no such thing as right or wrong answers, even in math, the ODE contends.

To help black and brown students achieve the same level of educational success as white students, the ODE is encouraging teachers to consider how they can reinvent math to help solve problems affecting students communities, as well as recognize the ways that communities of color engage in mathematics and problem solving in their everyday lives.

Public school teachers in Oregon are also being told to challenge the ways that math is used to uphold capitalist, imperialist, and racist views.

The concept of mathematics being purely objective is unequivocally false, and teaching it is even much less so, the course reads. Upholding the idea that there are always right and wrong answers perpetuate [sic] objectivity as well as fear of open conflict.

Currently, the course is optional. Teachers who refuse it, however, could be subjected to cancellation and other forms of punishment designed to harm those who resist this attempted Marxist reprogramming.

We cannot dismantle racism in a system that exploits people for private profit, it contends. If we want to dismantle racism, then we must build a movement for economic justice.

As usual, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation is behind the new curriculum, having given generous financial support to its creation.

More related news stories can be found at CampusInsanity.com.

Sources for this article include:

WesternJournal.com

NaturalNews.com
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Half of Britain's coronavirus cases are now being checked for jab-resistant variants that could derail the lockdown exit strategy.

Scientists tasked with tracking the ever-evolving virus have been sequencing more than 20,000 positive swabs a week for strains since February.

But fewer than 40,000 positive Covid tests were detected last week, meaning No10 is now getting a clearer picture of the spread of variants.

Scientists say it is crucial to keep an eye out for variants, which may make vaccines slightly less effective. The Government is aiming to eventually screen every positive test for variants.

Ministers have warned the emergence of new mutant Covid strains could threaten the 'roadmap' back to normality, amid fears they may spark a surge in infections or evade the current crop of jabs.

Europe is currently suffering a spike in cases of the South African variant, which has been spotted 351 times in the UK but yet to gain a foothold.

It comes as it is revealed the UK is trailing a 'groundbreaking' laboratory-based test that could halve the time taken to detect the most troublesome variants, which may be rolled-out later this year.

Scientists currently need four to five days to get results, but the technique  called genotype assay testing  may shorten this to two days.

Government scientists had detected 10 variants of concern in the UK by March 17, after sequencing hundreds of thousands of samples. There are fears these could overcome vaccines. The two variants not pictured are B.1.324, linked to travel to Antigua, and P.3

Britain recorded 5,312 Covid cases yesterday, which was a 15 per cent rise on the same time the week before, and bringing the country's total to 38,145 new infections recorded last week

And 33 Covid deaths were registered, a drop of more than a third on the week before

NEW COVID TEST COULD HALVE THE TIME TAKEN TO SPOT MUTANT VARIANTS A groundbreaking test that could halve the time it takes to detect troublesome variants could be rolled out in the UK this year. It currently takes four to five days to find out whether someone is infected with the South African or Brazilian variants that could resist vaccine-triggered immunity. But the Department of Health says they are now looking into a lab test that could spot the strains in just two to three days. The technique - called genome assay testing - could allow ministers to suppress any outbreaks of the variants faster, avoiding the need for lockdown curbs to be extended. Health Secretary Matt Hancock said: This type of testing will help us rapidly identify variant cases and trace contacts quicker than ever before, helping stop outbreaks. Health minister Lord Bethell said: Using this test to identify known variant of concern cases has the potential to accelerate our knowledge and understanding of variants of concern and halt their spread across the country. Controlling the transmission of Covid-19 variants of concern is an essential part of the Governments road map to easing lockdown restrictions in England. Advertisement

The Covid-19 Genomics UK Consortium (COG-UK) has been tasked with keeping an eye on the virus, which doesn't mutate anywhere near as quickly as flu.

COG-UK told MailOnline it had exceeded its target of sequencing more than 20,000 virus genomes a week by February - and can now process 22,000 every seven days.

The Department of Health spotted 38,145 cases last week, up to 58 per cent of which would have been checked for variants.

The consortium  a partnership between the NHS, the Wellcome Sanger Institute, more than 12 academic institutions and four public health agencies  added that some samples were too poor for it to analyse to identify a variant.

Sequencing a virus genome can take around a week but machines are now in use that can do the analysis in just eight hours.

Britain has a world-leading genomic sequencing ability, after ministers backed scientists with 32.2million back in March when it became clear the world was facing the most serious outbreak in modern history.

But other countries lagged behind, with the US admitting its checks were initially 'sporadic' and European countries failing to ramp up sequencing quickly.

The success, however, made Britain an international pariah in December when the discovery of the so-called Kent variant led to other countries closing their borders.

Experts claimed the strain could have emerged elsewhere  but wasn't detected until it reached Britain where more sequencing is carried out.

Public Health England has a list of 'variants of concern'  which includes the South African and Brazilian strains  to identify those considered to be the biggest threats to the UK.

There were 351 cases of the South African variant B.1.351, and 12 cases of the Brazilian variant P.1 by March 17.

But Professor Sharon Peacock, who heads up COG-UK, said in a promising sign earlier this month that the strains have not managed to 'gain a foothold' in the country.

There are fears, however, that different variants may start to spread once lockdown measures are eased.

Both were detected around the time lockdown measures were in place, and against a backdrop of continually falling cases.

They both carry the E484K mutation which studies have suggested could make the virus-fighting antibodies from jabs less effective.

Professor Sharon Peacock, head of COG-UK, says concerning variants haven't gained a foothold in the UK yet

But scientists argue studies based on antibody levels don't take into account the whole immune system, and say there are other parts that could still protect against the virus.

Despite this, however, ministers are so concerned about their presence they have also ordered surge-testing in areas where they have been identified in a bid to root out every last infection.

The Government has also placed 35 countries on a travel red list  forcing arrivals to quarantine in hotels for ten days at their own expense in an attempt to shut out strains.

COG-UK also identified the more infectious Kent variant  B.1.1.7  which sparked the third lockdown in England in December.

Office for National Statistics (ONS) data shows it is now the dominant strain in every part of England, although infections with the variant are still falling.

Separate data shows it has spread to other countries including European neighbours and the US.
Dehradun: The Uttarakhand education department has issued an order stating that the schools which reopened in February can charge full fees from the students of Classes VI to IX and XI. Earlier, the schools were allowed to charge only the tuition fees since they were only providing online classes.

The notice issued by the Dehradun authorities is in regard to the fee cycle of classes 6th to 8th and classes 9th to 11th.

Earlier, the Uttarakhand government on February 4 had issued a notification allowing the school in the state to commence physical classes from February 8.

Additionally, the state government has also directed the parents to make sure the overdue school fees are paid off before the school commences in the state.

Live TV
[March 22, 2021] PUCN Approves NV Energy's Greenlink Nevada Transmission and Renewable Energy Initiative

LAS VEGAS, March 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Today the Public Utilities Commission of Nevada (PUCN) approved moving forward on NV Energy's Greenlink Nevada transmission and renewable energy initiative. Greenlink Nevada will transform Nevada's clean energy landscape by tapping into resource-rich renewable energy zones throughout western and northern Nevada, helping accelerate the responsible development of clean energy on public lands; increase electric reliability for all Nevadans and drive the creation of thousands of jobs and hundreds of millions of dollars in economic recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic. "Today's approval of the first phase of Greenlink Nevada puts our state one step closer to achieving its environmental and carbon reduction goals while aligning with Governor Steve Sisolak's vision for a new sustainable energy economy that will assist with Nevada's recovery from the economic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic," said Doug Cannon, NV Energy President and Chief Executive Officer. "We look forward to engaging with diverse state and federal stakeholders to construct this project in a timely and environmentally sustainable manner." NV Energy's investment of more than $2.5 billion in Greenlink Nevada is expected to generate $690 million in economic activity and support nearly 4,000 jobs, including the utilization of skilled union labor. The initiative will also allow for the development of approximately 5,000 megawatts of renewable energy projects throughout Nevada that will contribute significant economic growth in the form of nearly 2,000 additional construction jobs and related tax revenue. The project will also povide the infrastructure needed to support the growth of new and expanding businesses in Nevada from west Henderson to Apex in North Las Vegas to Reno.



"NV Energy's Greenlink Nevada initiative will unlock for all Nevadans the sustainability and economic benefits that come from providing essential transmission access to our State's vast renewable energy resources and exemplifies the potential of my vision for Nevada's new energy economy," said Gov. Sisolak. "I applaud NV Energy for its forward thinking in presenting this project, and for its ongoing commitment to supporting Nevada's long-term economic recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic." With this decision, the company will begin preliminary design and permitting for both segments of Greenlink Nevada. Upon completion of this work, construction will start on Greenlink West, the first major segment of the project, which is a 525 kV line from Las Vegas, NV to Yerington, NV and two 345 kV lines from Yerington, NV into the Reno/Sparks area. Greenlink West has an estimated completion date of December 2026.

"I appreciate the work of the Commission to review this important project," said Cannon. "I would also like to thank the broad and diverse group of key stakeholders, including local governments, environmental organizations, economic development groups, renewable energy developers, labor unions and trade associations, who expressed support for Greenlink Nevada and acknowledged the tremendous economic and environmental benefits that Greenlink Nevada will bring to rural communities and the entire state." NV Energy provides a wide range of energy services to more than 1.5 million customers throughout Nevada and a typical tourist population of more than 54 million annually. NV Energy, Inc. is a holding company whose principal subsidiaries, Nevada Power Company and Sierra Pacific Power Company, do business as NV Energy. NV Energy is headquartered in Las Vegas, Nevada. Information about NV Energy is available on the company's website, Twitter, Facebook and YouTube pages, which can be accessed via nvenergy.com. ### View original content:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/pucn-approves-nv-energys-greenlink-nevada-transmission-and-renewable-energy-initiative-301253144.html SOURCE NV Energy

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The site was nearly deserted. A few locals were tidying up after recent restoration work, and young camel drivers were out looking for clients. In the midday heat, the bright glow of the desert helped focus my attention on the pyramids themselves.

Situated on the east bank of the Nile, some 150 miles by car northeast of Sudans capital, Khartoum, the Meroe pyramids  around 200 in total, many of them in ruins  seemed to be in perfect harmony with the surrounding landscape, as if the wind had smoothed their edges to accommodate them among the dunes.
Kent Taylor, the founder and CEO of Texas Roadhouse died on Thursday. He was 65 years old.

Texas Roadhouse founder took his own life

Taylor committed suicide after a struggle with post-COVID-19 symptoms, including serious tinnitus, according to his family in a statement released by the company. Tinnitus is a condition that causes a ringing in the ears.

According to CNBC News, the family said Kent Taylor took his own life this week after battling with post-COVID-19 symptoms. The Texas Roadhouse founder fought and battled hard like the former track champion that he was. However, in recent days, his sufferings greatly intensified and became unbearable.

Taylor's family said he recently promised to fund clinical research to help service personnel who suffer from tinnitus. "Kent, we'll miss you. We get to say we love our work every day because of you and your Texas Roadhouse dream," the company posted on Facebook on Friday. Following Taylor's death, the Louisville-based restaurant company announced that President Jerry Morgan would be elected CEO.

According to the group, Morgan has been with Texas Roadhouse for 23 years and has more than 35 years of restaurant management experience with Texas Roadhouse, Bennigan's, and Burger King. Morgan began his Texas Roadhouse career in 1997 as the Managing Partner of the company's first Texas site. In 2001, he received the Company's highest honor, Managing Partner of the Year, and was subsequently promoted to Market Partner. In 2015, he was promoted to Regional Market Partner, and in 2020, he was appointed President, as per Heavy.

Why Did This Chinese Billionaire Suddenly Quit With His Tech Company?

Texas Roadhouse founder remembered for caring for his employees

His hopes for a salad business in Florida faded away. The same can be said for a seafood idea that never got off the ground. After 80 other investors turned him down, he eventually convinced three Kentucky doctors to invest in Texas Roadhouse, but three of his first five restaurants failed, causing him to close them.

Taylor once said, "I think you have a stronger, more open mind when you fail." He got there eventually, and then some.

Taylor, 65, established his casual dining chain into a giant with more than 600 restaurants in 49 states and seven countries worth more than $6 billion before committing suicide on Thursday. He was afflicted by post-COVID 19 symptoms his family said were unbearable.

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Taylor, a graduate of Louisville's Ballard High School who began his career busing tables at Captain Quarters, created a personal fortune of more than $600 million, with approximately half of it in company shares. He cashed in shares worth more than $300 million over the last 15 years, including $6.8 million just three days before his death.

Kent Taylor earned a track scholarship from the University of North Carolina. He allegedly designed the Texas Roadhouse idea on a cocktail napkin, according to the company. On February 17, 1993, he opened the first Texas Roadhouse in Clarksville, Indiana, at the Green Tree Mall.

According to a December profile in Business First, he owned restaurants for Bennigan's in the 1980s and KFC in Charlotte, North Carolina, where he raised two daughters on his own. However, innovations he implemented at KFC locations, such as hot wings, just got him in trouble, USA Today reported.

Years later, Taylor revealed that he preferred to employ people who had been into trouble with other businesses because they were a bit of an entrepreneur. Taylor, who disliked working with others, wanted to continue raising money for one of his restaurant concepts.

He lived in Colorado and served in nightclubs and restaurants, and he moved to Louisville in 1990 with hopes to open a cowboy-themed restaurant in Colorado or Texas. He began both and worked as executive chef at Buckhead before selling it to concentrate on Texas Roadhouse.

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HB 531, which passed Georgias House, doesnt specify whether refreshments can be sold to waiting voters. But giving them food? No.

Georgia House Bill 531, which passed the southern states House of Representatives earlier this month, is being called out for its horrific new voting restrictions.

Attorney Walter Shaub, who is the former director of the U.S. Office of Government Ethics, clarified the bill on Twitter earlier this month, writing, as part of a greater thread that began with local reporting and his response to it: Lawmakers in 43 states are considering over 250 bills that would create impediments to voting. This is a threat to (the) republic and should be the top story for every news outlet. Democracy itself is under attack.

This photo from March 3 shows demonstrators outside of the Georgia Capitol building in Atlanta protesting to oppose the HB 531 bill, which will add controversial voting restrictions to the states upcoming elections. (Photo by Megan Varner/Getty Images)

Georgias bill would make it a crime to give free food or water to voters standing in line for hours and hours, Shaub wrote. But we know who these politicians forced to stand in line all day long. Ive never once stood in line for even five minutes where I get to vote. This racism is thorough.

HB 531 passed the House vote 97-72.

Read More: Black leaders slam Miami police SWAT tactics to disperse spring break crowds

The lengthy bill does indeed say that giving free food or drinks to voters waiting in line would result in a misdemeanor charge: No person shall solicit votes in any manner or by any means or method, nor shall any person distribute or display any campaign material, nor shall any person give, offer to give, or participate in the giving of any money or gifts, including, but not limited to, food and drink, to an elector.

It adds the food and drink can not be given out within 150 feet of the outer edge of any building within which a polling place is established, within any polling place, or within 25 feet of any voter standing in line to vote at any polling place.

The bill does not specify whether food or drinks can be sold to people waiting in line.

Read More: Buckingham Palace looking to hire diversity advisor

Story continues

Critics are blasting Georgia Republicans for creating major election reform bills that could cost taxpayers millions and will ultimately make it harder to cast a vote in the state. Their actions follow the the big lie of voter fraud that spread after the 2020 presidential election.

Georgias Republican-controlled General Assembly adjourns on March 31 so has five more legislative workdays on its calendar. Changes are reportedly being made to HB 531, but it is expected to pass the states Republican-led state senate.

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The post Georgia Republicans want to make it a crime to give food, drinks to voters in line appeared first on TheGrio.
[March 21, 2021] Plug and Play Japan Winter/Spring 2021 Summit Report:

TOKYO, March 21, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Plug and Play Japan KK (Based in Shibuya, Tokyo, CEO: Philip Vincent, hereinafter Plug and Play Japan) held a Winter/Spring 2021 Summit (Accelerator Demo Day) for their Winter/Spring 2021 Batch which consists of 3-month programs. This year, the summit was live-streamed at Tokyo (3/2-3/3), Kyoto (3/16), and Osaka (3/18), and 154 speakers went on the stage for Startup Pitches, Corporate Reverse Pitches, and Keynote Sessions. About Winter/Spring 2021 Summit

Plug and Play Japan carried out their Winter/Spring 2021 Batch from December 2020 through March 2021 across 7 verticals which are IoT, Fintech, Insurtech, Mobility, Brand & Retail, Health, and Smart Cities. With 42 official corporate partners of Plug and Play Japan, they selected 103 Japanese and international startups, and 100 startups showcased their results of their 3-month programs to potential investors as well as business leaders and community. Also, 26 awards went to the startups and corporate partners which collected the largest number of votes from the audience, celebrating their achievements and involvement to accelerate innovation and co-creation between startups and enterprises. ?EXPO Startup Award?

The multi-day Summit is split up into individual "EXPOs," where startups from each vertical pitch during that section. The startup that earns the largest number of votes from the audience during each EXPO receives an award. Award winners acquire the opportunity to give their pitches in front of venture capitals and international corporates at Plug and Play global offices. The EXPO Winners are listed below. *The reward for this year is under consideration. Brand & Retail

International Startup

Company: PICKL Inc.

Representative : CEO Ossie Cohen

Address: 65 Pine Ave Suite 117, Long Beach, CA 90802, United States

Business: Cloud sourcing for brands and retailers to gather product data from everyday shoppers.

HP: https://www.pickl.xyz/ Japanese Startup

Company: Flora Co., Ltd

Representative: CEO Anna Kreshchenko

Address: 32 Yoshidatachibana-cho, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto Japan

Business: Bringing cutting-edge technological solutions to prenatal care.

HP: https://floramaternity.com/ecompany Mobility

International Startup

Company: Anagog Ltd.

Representative: CEO Ofer Tziperman

Address: 52 Derech Menachem Begin Sonol Tower Floor 6 Tel Aviv, 6713701 Israel

Business: Developing customer-understanding solutions utilizing location intelligence and business analytics.

HP: https://www.anagog.com/ Japanese Startup

Company: AZAPA Co., Ltd.

Representative: Company President Seiji Takeuchi

Address: ORE Nishiki 2-chome Bldg. 2F, Nishiki 2-4-15, Naka City, Nagoya, Aichi Japan

Business: Interpretation of human emotions from biodata and activity records and converting it into services.

HP: https://www.project-olive.info/ Fintech

International Startup

Company: SESAMm SAS

Representative: Co-Founder and CEO Sylvain Forte

Address: 16 Rue de la Grange Bateliere, Paris France

Business: Analyzes big data and provides Machine Learning tools to build investment strategies.

HP: https://www.sesamm.com/ Japanese Startup

Company: Civitas, Inc.

Representative: Founder and CEO Masahiro Morishita

Address: Otemachi Building 4F FINOLAB, Otemachi 1-6-1, Chiyod City, Tokyo Japan







HP: https://www.civitas.co.jp/ Company: REASE Inc.

Representative: CEO and Founder Yasunori Nakamichi

Address: Nishishinjuku 7-9-16 6F, Shinjuku City, Tokyo Japan

Business: Leasing credit service and AI credit scoring engine.

HP: https://rease.co.jp/

Insurtech

International Startup

Company: dacadoo AG, corporation

Representative: Founder, Chairman, President and CEO Peter Ohnemus

Address: Othmarstrasse 8, 8008 Zurich, Switzerland

Business: Measuring personalized health and risk evaluation.

HP: https://www.dacadoo.com/ Japanese Startup

Company: SELF, Inc.

Representative: CEO Shinji Nukumi

Representative: Nishishinjuku 6-15-1 6F, Shinjuku City, Tokyo Japan

Business: Providing personalized customer support to contribute to sales.

HP: https://selfmind.ai/ IoT

International Startup

Company: Origin Wireless, Inc.

Representative: CEO Ray Liu

Address: 500 Greenway Center DrGreenbelt, Maryland United States

Business: Wireless AI algorithm that detects indoor human & object movements.

HP: http://www.originwirelessai.com Japanese Startup

Company: PID, Inc.

Representative: Co-Founder and CEO Shiro Shimada

Address: Shinbashi 3-16-12 Yokoyama Bldg. 2F, Minato City, Tokyo Japan

Business: Multilingual communication support SaaS "Dicon" for real estate facility owners & residents.

HP: https://pid-corp.jp/ Health

International Startup

Company: Freer Logic Inc.

Representative: CEO Peter Freer

Address: P.O. Box 2147, Skyland, North Carolina, 28776

Business: Developing neural technology for automobiles, home appliances and training.

HP: http://freerlogic.com/ Japanese Startup

Company: Liquid Mine, Inc.

Representative:President and CEO Tomokazu Kishimoto , Founder and Representative Director and Doctor Kanya Kondo

Address: Shirokanedai 4-2-10-1101, Minato-city, Tokyo Japan

Business: Providing liquid biopsy for leukemia.

HP: http://www.liquidmine.co.jp/index.html Smart Cities

International Startup

Company: Navmatic Inc.

Representative: Co-founder and CEO Boaz Mamo

Address: 550 California Ave, Palo Alto, California United States

Business: Provides a highly precise GPS solution for micromobility

HP: https://www.navmatic.io/ Japanese Startup

Company: otetsutabi, Inc.

Representative:CEO Rina Nagaoka

Address: Jingumae 5-53-67, Shiuya-city, Tokyo Japan

Business: Provides a platform that connects users to volunteer opportunities in travel destinations

HP: https://otetsutabi.com/ ?Corporate Innovation Award?

Corporate Innovation Awards were given to the corporate partners who have passionately engaged with Plug and Play Japan's Winter/Spring 2021 Batch accelerator program from constructing the program to operating itself. Company: Aisin Group

Company: OBAYASHI CORPORATION

Company: Coca-Cola(Japan)Company, Limited ?Ecosystem Builder Award?

Ecosystem Builder Awards were given to the Champions who were the most dedicated to build the startup ecosystem in Japan to speed up the innovation during the Winter/Spring 2021 Batch. Company: The Dai-ichi Life Insurance Company, Limited, Naho Yoshimura

Company: TOSHIBA CORPORATION, Hiroyuki Aizawa ?Startup Friendly Award?

Startup Friendly Awards were given to the following partners in honor of being friendly to startups in the process of their meetings/collaborative projects. The award goes to the corporate partners on each vertical that gain the largest number of votes from startups selected in Winter/Spring 2021 Batch. Brand & Retail

Company: Asahi Group Holdings, Ltd. Mobility

Company: Tokio Marine & Nichido Fire Insurance Co., Ltd. Fintech

Company: ORIX Corporation Insurtech

Company: The Dai-ichi Life Insurance Company, Limited IoT

Company: Mitsubishi Electric Corporation Health

Company: SHIMADZU CORPORATION Smart Cities

Company: DENTSU INC. About the accelerator program in Plug and Play Japan

Plug and Play Japan provides accelerator programs across 7 verticals (IoT, Fintech, Insurtech, Mobility, Brand & Retail, Health, and Smart Cities). Their newest program, New Materials, was launched and will start in Spring/Fall 2021 Batch. While closely working with their official corporate partners, Plug and Play Japan supports startups in Japan and overseas to scale up their businesses and to enhance the co-creation with enterprises as well. Summit is the final step on the accelerator program, giving pitches about their results from the program, and it is one of the great opportunities for the audience to meet cutting-edge technology ideas and new business partners. About Plug and Play

Plug and Play is a global innovation platform. Headquartered in Silicon Valley, we have built accelerator programs, corporate innovation services, and an in-house VC to make technological advancement progress faster than ever before. Since inception in 2006, our programs have expanded worldwide to include a presence in over 18 countries with 30 locations globally, giving startups the necessary resources to succeed in Silicon Valley and beyond. With over 30,000 startups and 500+ official corporate partners, we have created the ultimate startup ecosystem in many industries. Companies in our community have raised over $9 billion in funding, with successful portfolio exits including Danger, Dropbox, Lending Club and PayPal. For more information, visit https://www.plugandplaytechcenter.com/ Company Overview

Company:Plug and Play Japan KK

Founded: 2017/7/14

Address:Shibuya Center Place 3F 1-16-3, Dogenzaka, Shibuya, Tokyo, Japan

Representative:Phillip Vicent

URL: http://japan.plugandplaytechcenter.com/ Inquiry regarding this Press Release

Plug and Play Japan KK

The person in charge: Megumi Shoei

TEL : 050-5474-2808 / Mail : press-japan@pnptc.com View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/plug-and-play-japan-winterspring-2021-summit-report-301252382.html SOURCE Plug and Play

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Mumbai, March 22 : Actor Prateik Babbar, who is currently seen in the web series "Chakravyuh: An Inspector Virkar Crime Thriller" and the feature film "Mumbai Saga", says lockdown offered him a much-needed refuelling.

"I think the pause that we all took during lockdown, actually worked in my favour, if I may say, because I was working, shooting many projects in the last three years before lockdown started. So, my body was not getting enough rest that was required," Prateik told IANS.

"I think during lockdown main apna neend ka qouta pura kar liya (completed my quota of sleep)," he laughed.

The actor recently finished shooting Madhur Bhandarkar's upcoming filmIndia Lockdown".

"It is a very special story that shows how during lockdown people from different walks of life survived. I play a very interesting character. We are done with the shooting of the film and the post-production will start soon," shared the actor.

Prateik has often stepped away from lead role to essay character roles in ensemble cast projects such as "Baaghi 2", "Mulk", "Chhichhore", or "Mumbai Saga" among others. The actor will be seen in similar roles in upcoming films like "Brahmastra" and "Bachchan Pandey".

He claims he never feels overshadowed while sharing screen space with superstars? "I never feel overshadowed by other actors when I share screen space because I have always been one of those actors who is interested in making the scene magical. I will focus on how we can create something that will make the audience engage with my character," he said.

"Having said that, yes, that thought of getting overshadowed does cross my mind, but I never feel bogged down by it," Prateik signed off.

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
Katie Price looked delighted as she wore heels for the first time since breaking both her feet in a horrifying accident in Turkey in July last year.

The glamour model, 42, showcased her achievement in her latest YouTube video, which saw her slip on platform wedge heels ahead of an appearance on Steph's Packed Lunch last week.

Looking stylish in a pink outfit, Katie donned Gucci wedges before nervously walking around a dressing room.

Milestone: Katie Price looked delighted as she wore heels for the first time since breaking both her feet in a horrifying accident in Turkey in July last year

She said: 'Today is the actual first day that I'm actually going to wear heels since my accident,' Katie said in a new video on her YouTube Channel.

'So I don't know what they're like to walk in because these were summer shoes, can I still walk in them?'

A delighted Katie stood off and said: 'Yes I actually f*****g can.'

The star then walked up and down before taking a moment to kiss beau Carl Woods, 32.

Heels: The glamour model, 42, showcased her achievement in her latest YouTube video, which saw her slip on platform wedge heels ahead of an appearance on Steph's Packed Lunch last week

She said: 'I love it, they're actually so comfortable. We need to do a picture of that and say first time in heels.'

Last month, Katie revealed that she's been registered disabled after breaking both her feet when she fell 25 feet in a freak accident while holidaying in Turkey.

The star suffered the horrific injuries while abroad and had to undergo an eight-hour operation to rebuild her feet.

Discussing how she's coping six months on, Katie has detailed how she's in constant pain and 'waddles like a duck' when trying to walk, with 20 minutes a day being her limit, in an interview with The Sun.

Yay: Looking stylish in a pink outfit, Katie donned Gucci wedges before nervously walking around a dressing room

Katie said: 'I will never be the same... I've got a limp when I walk now as one leg is longer than the other because of all the metal in the foot  I waddle like a duck. It does make me feel a bit paranoid

'I'm registered disabled and have got letters from the doctors to certify me for a blue badge, which I've sent off for.'

Speaking about the pain she's still feeling after the accident, Katie said that she feels like she's 'being electrocuted' as the pain shoots through her feet.

The mother-of-five also revealed that she's not been taking either of the painkillers given to her as she's worried about becoming addicted so is always in lots of pain.

She went on to explain how when out shopping she has to strategically park close to the shops and can't carry heavy items as it hurts her feet too much.

Smile: The star then walked up and down before taking a moment to kiss beau Carl Woods, 32

Katie, who can only walk for 20 minutes and has physiotherapy sessions four times a week, also said she's been overcompensating for the pain while trying to take steps meaning the rest of her body is taking a toll.

She revealed she'll have to get her legs and hips 'aligned' and also wears pads in her shoes to help with a collapsed arch.

As well as impacting her health, the constant pain and difficulty moving around has meant the mum-of-five has had to miss out on playing with her children.

Katie, who's now getting legal advice about her situation, said: 'This has all affected our home life dramatically... It's all just a nightmare that has gone from bad to worse.'

The star later explained how her feet are 'destroyed' following the incident, with doctors telling her they have amputated legs with similar injuries, and admitted she returned to The Priory to learn to 'walk again'.

Accident: Last month, Katie revealed that she's been registered disabled after breaking both her feet when she fell 25 feet in a freak accident while holidaying in Turkey

Katie underwent an eight-hour operation to rebuild her feet after she was 'mucking about' following a few drinks and jumped off what she thought was a 'small wall' at the Land of Legends theme park.

Discussing her injury on her YouTube channel at the time, Katie said: 'Silly me, at my age, should calm things down. Basically, silly little accident. I was running and jumped over a wall, as it was a little shortcut, and didn't really judge the height.

'I just sort of fell funny on my ankles and I fractured the hairline on my heels and stuff. The hospital here wanted to operate and wanted to put pins in and stuff. Because I'm away, I'd rather wait until I get home.

'It's the most painful thing ever. Like when I was trying to put the cast on, I was screaming in pain. They said I won't be able to walk for three to six months.'

The model has also revealed how she has returned to The Priory because her 'mental health' has been 'badly affected' by her injuries.

She last visited The Priory in September 2018 and spent 28 days in the facility after her family urged her to seek help following wild partying antics in Mallorca.

Katie has always been very candid about her recovery from the injury and previously revealed she feels 'humiliated' at the prospect of having to learn to 'walk again'.

Aw! She added that she 'feels sorry' for boyfriend Carl who has doted on her since the accident and said that it is 'demoralising' seeing him push her in the wheelchair

She's discussed how tasks are 'impossible' including going to the toilet, cooking, reaching for the cupboards and taking a bath where she could 'drown'.

The video comes amid speculation Katie is pregnant with her sixth child - she posted a picture of her stomach last week alongside the caption: 'Happy and healthy. It's the best feeling ever. I thank @carljwoods for being part of me.'

Earlier this month, Katie admitted: 'If I could, I'd definitely like another four kids. I might be able to, but my age isn't helping.

'Realistically, I'm hoping to have another two. The next will be very special.


Three Vietnamese men have been arrested for arranging for 35 Chinese nationals to stay illegally in Ho Chi Minh City.

The municipal Department of Public Security confirmed on Monday morning it had apprehended and initiated legal proceedings against Tran Anh Tai, 47, Dong Duy Tri, 40, and Trinh Minh Hoang, 34.

The arrest was approved by the local Peoples Procuracy.

Police investigation showed that Tai and Tri had colluded with Hoang, owner of Symphony Hotel in District 1, to organize the illegal stay of many Chinese citizens at the hotel.

Following their stay, the Chinese would be transported to the Mekong Delta province of An Giang to enter Cambodia unlawfully.

On March 6, police officers discovered 35 Chinese people staying illegally at Symphony Hotel.

They were brought to a local quarantine center and tested for COVID-19, while the hotel was fumigated and temporarily fenced off.

The lockdown was later lifted after the 35 Chinese tested negative for the novel coronavirus.

At the police station, Tai, Tri, and Hoang admitted to committing the offense to pocket extra money.

Further investigation is ongoing.

According to Vietnamese law, organizing for others to illegally enter or stay in Vietnam is punishable by one to 15 years in prison, depending on the severity of each case.

Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam!
Tokyo prosecutors on Monday charged two Americans with helping Carlos Ghosn, the former Nissan chief, jump bail in Tokyo, where he was awaiting trial on four counts of financial wrongdoing.

Japanese prosecutors said in an indictment that the two men, Michael Taylor, 60, a former Green Beret, and his son Peter Maxwell Taylor, 27, assisted Mr. Ghosns efforts to escape the country, helping him flee to Turkey and then on to Lebanon, where he has been beyond the reach of Japanese law.

American officials arrested the men last May in Massachusetts. Earlier this month, they were extradited to Japan, where they have been held in a Tokyo detention center while undergoing questioning by prosecutors. A third man believed to have aided Mr. Ghosns escape remains at large.

The Japanese authorities have accused Michael Taylor of helping Mr. Ghosn travel by train to the western city of Osaka, through security checks at a private jet terminal and then onto a plane bound for Turkey. Once there, Mr. Ghosn transferred to a flight bound for Beirut. Peter Taylor assisted in planning for the escapade, visiting Mr. Ghosn several times before the escape, officials say.
OAKLAND, Calif., March 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- A consortium of California health care organizations, including Kaiser Permanente, is adding 2 new mass vaccination sites to a joint effort aimed at expanding access to COVID-19 vaccine throughout the state, especially in communities that have been hard-hit by the pandemic.

The new sites at California State University, Bakersfield and the Stockton Arena were chosen because surrounding communities have some of the highest rates of COVID-19 infection in the state and also are among the lowest in vaccination rates. The CSUB site will begin providing vaccinations on March 26 and the Stockton Arena site will begin on March 30. The 2 new mass vaccination hubs each have the capacity to administer up to 5,400 doses per day.

The consortium's first mass vaccination hubs  at Cal Poly Pomona in Los Angeles County and at Moscone Center in San Francisco  have administered more than 290,000 doses of vaccine to the general public and populations served by the consortium partners since opening in early February.

The hubs complement a variety of vaccination venues operated or supported by each of the consortium partners, including hospitals, urgent care facilities, medical office buildings, pop-up neighborhood clinics, and mobile vaccination units. Many of these efforts are being done in partnership with local governments and community-based organizations to ensure service to vulnerable and underrepresented populations.

The consortium, initiated by Kaiser Permanente, includes Adventist Health, Dignity Health, the California Medical Association, the California Primary Care Association, and Futuro Health. In addition, the American Red Cross is providing its expertise on mass site planning.

Along with supporting expanded vaccine access, all of the consortium partners are committed to increasing vaccine confidence through public health messaging and partnerships with community and faith-based organizations.

Supply for the mass vaccination sites is coordinated in partnership with the state of California and Blue Shield of California, the state's third-party administrator supporting California's vaccine efforts, to ensure available vaccine is distributed equitably, with the greatest impact for communities disproportionately affected by COVID-19 infection and death.

Making appointments at the mass vaccination hubs

The hubs offer vaccinations by appointment only, 7 days a week. The number of available appointments at each site is highly dependent on the available supply of vaccine.

Appointments at the mass vaccination hubs can be scheduled at California's My Turn vaccine scheduling website, myturn.ca.gov. Appointments for the new hubs at CSUB and the Stockton Arena will be available approximately 48 hours before the first day of operation. Individuals seeking appointments through My Turn are screened for eligibility under the California Department of Public Health's vaccine administration guidelines.

About Kaiser Permanente

Kaiser Permanente is committed to helping shape the future of health care. We are recognized as one of America's leading health care providers and not-for-profit health plans. Founded in 1945, Kaiser Permanente has a mission to provide high-quality, affordable health care services and to improve the health of our members and the communities we serve. We currently serve 12.4 million members in 8 states and the District of Columbia. Care for members and patients is focused on their total health and guided by their personal Permanente Medical Group physicians, specialists, and team of caregivers. Our expert and caring medical teams are empowered and supported by industry-leading technology advances and tools for health promotion, disease prevention, state-of-the-art care delivery, and world-class chronic disease management. Kaiser Permanente is dedicated to care innovations, clinical research, health education, and the support of community health.

CONTACT: Marc Brown, Kaiser Permanente, [email protected]

SOURCE Kaiser Permanente

Related Links

http://www.kaiserpermanente.org


Whether or not you enjoy Falcon and Winter Soldier hinges largely on whether you like thinking about superheroes as much as you like watching them.

A lot of pop culture phenomena arent special for the reason you think. Stephen King isnt the master of horror because of his horror, its because the characters and moments he builds around the horror are so engaging that when the horror happens, youre invested enough to care. Ditto with Marvels superhero movies: The epic action sequences that define the genre have been somewhat perfunctory since that vast oner near the end of The Avengers (2012). What keeps fans coming back are the moments between the action, the character moments that make us feel like these people are longtime friends. With a few notable missteps (why is Pepper Potts so psychotically impatient with her traumatized boyfriend in Iron Man 3?), Marvel has nailed this.

Falcon and Winter Soldier, which debuted Friday on Disney+, has bet big that that is what people want to see, and for the most part it pays off. They bet so big, in fact, that the pilot only has two action sequences. Thats two fewer than the number of scenes where characters discuss the economic realities of a post blip world.

The blip, for those unfamiliar, is the five year period during which half the universes population was winked out of existence by Thanos, the antagonist of Avengers: Infinity War (2018) and Avengers: Endgame (2019). WandaVision, Marvels other Disney+ show that ended just weeks ago, was the Marvel property to explore the unpleasant consequences of such an event: Monica Rambeaus mother died of cancer while the former was incorporeal, forcing her to grieve an event that she missed, alone.

The new show promises to dive into this even harder. After an opening action sequence that mirrors the opening of Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014) (Falcon leaps out of a plane to battle Batroc the Leaper), we catch up with where Sam Wilson (Anthony Mackie) and James Bucky Barnes (Sebastian Stan) are in their non-hero lives. First we find out that Barnes is in therapy, haunted by the memories of the assassinations he carried out as a brainwashed Hydra Agent between 1941 and 2014. An older friend of his sets him up on a date with a bartender. She asks him if hes dated much since the world got back to normal.

I tried online dating, the 106 year-old assassin with a robotic vibranium arm says, It was kinda crazy.

Meanwhile, Wilson is struggling to keep his familys fishing business afloat after it floundered when its owners (him and his sister) were blipped. He wants to take out a loan and help, but has two huge obstacles: his sisters stubbornness, and his own bad credit.

These emotional moments, well-acted and expertly shot by Kari Skogland (Boardwalk Empire, The Walking Dead), all land, but they run the risk of raising questions that a superhero show wont ever be able to satisfactorily answer. How do you make money, by the way? a loan officer in a bank asks Sam, Did Stark pay you, when he was around? My condolences, by the way.

It doesnt really work that way, Sam replies, theres a lot of good will.

But How on Earth can that be true? Tony Stark, richest man on the planet, never set up a comparatively small fund to pay Avengers living expenses? Not even a per diem? Sam Wilson is working with the US Military and customizing his own unique, cutting-edge technology pro bono?

Heres the thing: Superhero stories dont make sense. And they dont have to! Theyre myths more interested in emotional truths than literal ones, but why raise questions you cant, by the nature of your story, answer? There are some aspects to the physics, economics, and geopolitics of superhero stories that will never make sense because superheroes dont make sense and Ive accepted that as a fan, but I still dont want you to rub my face in it. Itd be like if The Lion King featured a scene where Timone explains to Pumba that lions need 9,000 calories per day to survive, and it would be impossible to gain that much nutrients from the grubs that Simba subsists on. Im fully prepared to accept that this is just my hangup.

The pilot lays the groundwork for a season-long arc and though the deuteragonists never interact, we already know what will eventually bring them together: the Flagsmashers, a terrorist organization, is going around, well, terrorizing, because they hold the dubious belief that things were better during the blip. Presumably later episodes will explain what that means.

This points to a big problem with the series: there's no clear hook aside from the chemistry between Mackie and Stan. "WandaVision" had a clear gimmick of riffing on past sitcoms, but so far there isn't anything to make this show stand out in the crowded superhero content world. Compared to all the built-in controversy of Zack Snyder's Justice League, this feels like filler. It'll be up to later episodes to show why this idea works.

At this point, Marvel has perfected the Teaser That Will Only Make Sense to Comic Fans, and this episode ends with a real good one. If youre not well versed in Marvel history then be sure to have your nerdiest friend on speed dial. Alsoand this isnt much of a spoiler unless you dash to Google to find out who hes playingbut Im always excited to see Kurt Russells son Wyatt in stuff. He was great in Overlord and 22 Jump Street and Im real excited to see what he does with this character.

New episodes of Falcon and Winter Soldier stream Fridays on Disney+.
Audio Attachment: Listen to Joshua Akamba in an interview on Neat FM

National Organizer of the opposition National Democratic Congress, Joshua Hamidu Akamba, has cast doubt over the credibility of the Economist and Intelligence Unit (EIU) prediction that the NDC will win the 2024 elections.



Rubbishing the research and analysis group, the NDC guru said they are 'not masters of politics'  hence, their predictions are questionable and "bogus".



"EIU report or whatever, I have never had confidence in them . . . I don't believe that they actually would've said that, even if they did I don't believe that what they said is the truth," he ssaid.



"They got it wrong; did they not predict that Donald Trump would've won election convincingly . . . did Donald Trump win? So it should tell you the EIU report is bogus," he added.





They have made previous election predictions and failed. They predicted the NPP will win the 2020 election but they lost, yes they lost and we all know, he said in an interview withmorning show



The EIU, in its recent publication, predicted victory for the main opposition NDC in the 2024 elections in their recent report.



The next parliamentary and presidential election are due in 2024, under the constitutionally mandated term limit, Mr Akufo-Addo cannot run for a third term. Mr Mahama is reportedly considering whether to run again, but we are expected the NDC to seek to revitalize its prospects with a fresh candidate.



After two terms of NPP government, er expect the NDC to win 204 presidential elections and go again the as small majority in parliament, the latest report of the firm stated.



But Akamba insisted that Their report is inaccurate. The NDC is reorganizing and we havent gotten to where we will elect who leads the NDC in the next election.



They already know after eight years there will be a change of government so they are just predicting, but in four years the NPP lost. The NPP served for four years and lost but used state institution to steal the elections and maintained their hold on power, he told host Kwesi Aboagye.



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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The recently approved boost to the child tax credit will likely not be paid in monthly installments and may not begin in July, according to the IRS.

IRS Commissioner Charles Rettig told Congress his agency must establish an online portal before it can implement the program. To stay on schedule, the portal would have to be running by July 1, almost an impossibility amid the ongoing coronavirus stimulus payments and an extended tax filing season changed from April 15 to May 17.

We now have one month less to do the development, IRS Commissioner Charles Rettig said. The same people who do our income tax processing, EIP (economic impact payment) processing are the people that need to develop that portal. I dont have the resources to devote to that portal until filing season ends.

The IRS has not provided a timeline for when it could start the payments but Rettig said the IRS is focused on trying to get these payments out to the people in a meaningful manner and a meaningful timeframe.

How much could you receive?

President Joe Bidens $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan expands the existing Child Tax Credit to $3,000 per child for ages 6 to 17 and $3,600 per child for under the age of 6. The plan approved by Congress would provide for periodic installments of $300 or $320 starting in July and running through December. The remainder would be claimed as a credit on 2021 taxes.

Previously, the Child Tax Credit was available for parents with Adjusted Gross Income of $200,000 or less for single individuals or $400,000 or less on a joint return. The new plan allows it to phase out for single people earning more than $75,000 a year or families earning more than $150,000 a year with the $400,000 and $200,000 caps still in place. AGI will be determined by 2019 or 2020 tax fillings.

Families who arent eligible for the higher amount will be able to claim the regular tax credit of $2,000, minus any payments they received, as long as their income remains below the $200,000 for single and $400,000 for individual thresholds.

Wonder how much the child tax credit would mean to you? You can get an estimate via the calculator here.

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Grindr App Thomas Trutschel/Getty Images

A 42-year-old gay man was reportedly found dead in a park in Belgium.

The man may have been killed after being lured to the park via Grindr, according to local news.

Belgium Prime Minister Alexander De Croo flew an LGBTQ flag outside his office after the killing.

Visit Insider's homepage for more stories.

A 42-year-old man was allegedly beaten to death in Belgium, according to the Associated Press and Prime Minister Alexander De Croo. Local news outlets said the victim, whose body was found Sunday in a park near Antwerp, had been lured to the park by three teen boys who connected with him on the gay dating app Grindr, Pink News reported.

Belgian police arrested three teenagers in the case who remain in police custody, according to Pink News, citing a Monday statement from the public prosecutor of East Flanders.

The victim has been referred to as "David P." by local media reports.

The prosecutor's office investigating the incident told the Associated Press that the killing had not yet been classified as a hate crime.

A spokesperson for Grindr told Insider in a statement, "We are deeply saddened to learn of the murder of David P. This is a tragic and disturbing reminder of the hatred and violence faced by all-too-many people in the LGBTQ+ community, despite the many advances across the world. We stand ready to assist local authorities with their investigation of this matter."

Several politicians and gay-rights advocacy groups in the country condemned the killing.

On Tuesday, De Croo appeared to allude to the killing in a tweet. "In our country, there is no place for hatred. Love wins," he said, including a video that showed the LGBTQ flag waving outside his office. In a statement, according to the Associated Press, he said he felt "disgust. If it turns out that that person has been trapped based on his sexuality, this would be unacceptable. This is all that we as a society have to revolt against."

Story continues

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Petra De Sutter, Belgium's deputy prime minister and the first openly transgender minister in Europe, denounced the crime in a tweet on Monday.

"Disgust. Grief. Compassion. What drives people so far in their hatred that they kill a man just because he likes men," De Sutter said. "Let's condemn this cowardly murder in the strongest possible terms. And get rid of homo- and transphobia completely, also here with us."

Jan Desmeth, the mayor of the municipality of Sint-Pieters-Leeuw, honored David, who used to be a crane operator, with a rainbow pedestrian crossing. "We will soon contact David's family. After all, we also want to take their feelings and wishes into account," Desmeth said, according to the Belgian news website NWS. "It feels a bit that 'our' crane operator has become the victim of this senseless violence."

Gay dating apps have previously been used in homophobic attacks, both in the United States and around the globe. In Morroco, where homosexuality is still considered illegal, a social-media influencer encouraged women last year to partake in a trend of outing gay men by using gay dating apps. The trend led to acts of violence and made gay Moroccan men feel unsafe, as Insider previously reported.

There are also "gay hunters" in Russia, who extort LGBTQ people for money and, in many cases, kill them.

Read the original article on Insider
Easter Sunday is fast approaching and with it an excitement that grows by the day. I dont know about you, but Easter Sunday is my favorite day to be in church. We celebrate in a big way and my heart is overwhelmed with joy. We can prepare our hearts for this special day with Easter Sunday prayers and blessings.

Why Do We Celebrate Easter Sunday?

Easter Sunday is all about celebrating the resurrection of Jesus Christ. On Good Friday we spend time remembering the death of Jesus on a cross. Even though He was the only human to ever live a sinless life, He took the sins of the world upon Himself and died in our place. But Jesus didnt stay dead. Oh no! Three days later He rose from the dead, defeating sin and death once and for all.

We can live in spiritual freedom because Jesus lives. We can live in a relationship with God because Jesus lives. We can live an abundant life in the midst of trials because Jesus overcame the world. We can experience peace in the midst of the storms of life because Jesus lives and intercedes on our behalf. We can experience victory in this life because Jesus was victorious over sin and death. When our time here on earth comes to an end, its just the beginning because Jesus has gone to prepare a place for us. Eternity with Him begins the moment we accept the gift of His life in exchange for ours. Now thats something worth celebrating!

Great Bible Verses for Easter Sunday

For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him John 3:16-17, ESV.

Now after the Sabbath, toward the dawn of the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to see the tomb. And behold, there was a great earthquake, for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven and came and rolled back the stone and sat on it. His appearance was like lightning, and his clothing white as snow. And for fear of him the guards trembled and became like dead men. But the angel said to the women, Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified. He is not here, for he has risen, as he said. Come, see the place where he lay. Then go quickly and tell his disciples that he has risen from the dead, and behold, he is going before you to Galilee; there you will see him. See, I have told you. So they departed quickly from the tomb with fear and great joy, and ran to tell his disciples. And behold, Jesus met them and said, Greetings! And they came up and took hold of his feet and worshiped him Matthew 28:1-9.

For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life. More than that, we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation Romans 5:10-11.

Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father Philippians 2:5-11.

Consequently, he is able to save to the uttermost those who draw near to God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them. For it was indeed fitting that we should have such a high priest, holy, innocent, unstained, separated from sinners, and exalted above the heavens. He has no need, like those high priests, to offer sacrifices daily, first for his own sins and then for those of the people, since he did this once for all when he offered up himself Hebrews 7:25-27.

There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death. For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do. By sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, he condemned sin in the flesh, in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit Romans 8:1-4.

13 Beautiful Easter Sunday Blessing and Prayers

The LORD bless you and keep you; the LORD make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you; the LORD lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace Numbers 6:24-25.

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ, who gave himself for our sins to deliver us from the present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father, to whom be the glory forever and ever. Amen Galatians 1:3-5.

Dear God, we praise you for your great strength, we praise you for your lavish love. We praise you that you are Conqueror, Victor, Redeemer, and Friend. We praise you that you are Deliverer, Worthy One, Everlasting Father, Great and Awesome God. To you be glory and honor, on this Resurrection Day, and forever. In Jesus name, Amen. Debbie McDaniel

I do not cease to give thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers, that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you a spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of him, having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe, according to the working of his great might that he worked in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places, far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come Ephesians 1:16-21.

For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named, that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith--that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God Ephesians 3:14-19.

Lord, You are so amazing! How can I ever thank You enough for coming into this world to give Your life for me? I'm sorry for the times I get so busy that I fail to remember the incredible love You willfully demonstrated to me by going to the Cross. You didn't have to do it, but You did it for me. I thank You from the depths of my heart for loving me so completely! I pray this in Jesus' name! Rick Renner

Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen Ephesians 3:20-21.

And it is my prayer that your love may abound more and more, with knowledge and all discernment, so that you may approve what is excellent, and so be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God Philippians 1:9-11.

The Light of God Surrounds me.

The Love of God Enfolds me.

The Power of God Protects me.

The Presence of God Watches over me.

Where I am, God is and All is Well.

Clare Campbell (adaption of a prayer by Catherine Ponder)

"May you be strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy, giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in light. He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins Colossians 1:11-14.

Now may the God of peace himself sanctify you completely, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. He who calls you is faithful; he will surely do it 1 Thessalonians 5:23-24.

Dear Jesus, you have promised that if I believe in you, everything Ive ever done wrong will be forgiven, I will learn the purpose of my life, and you will accept me into your eternal home in Heaven one day. I confess my sin, and I believe that you are God, my Savior. I receive you into my life as my Lord. Today Im turning over every part of my life to your management. You have the right to call the shots in my life. Jesus, I want to relax in your love. Thank you that I dont have to earn it or deserve it or work for it. I want to use the rest of my life to serve you instead of serving myself. I humbly commit my life to you and ask you to save me and accept me into your family. In Jesus name, I pray. Amen. Rick Warren

Romans 10:9 says, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. If you did that for the first time today, welcome to the family of God! I leave you with my own prayer of gratitude for everything we celebrate on Easter Sunday and every other day.

Thank You, Jesus. A simple thank You doesnt seem sufficient when we consider all that You have done for us, but its all we have to give. We know that there is nothing we can do to earn Your love or deserve the sacrifice You made for us. We could never work hard enough or do enough good deeds to earn a place in Heaven with You. Thank You for having a better plan, Lord. Thank You for sending Jesus to do what we could not, so that we can have what we dont deserve. Its the best gift we could ever imagine. We receive this gift and we choose to believe in Your name, Everlasting Father. Amen.

Photo credit: GettyImages/IrisImages

Passionate about helping people find joy for their journey, Josie Siler, a small-town Wisconsin girl, has big dreams. As a multi-award-winning author and photographer, Josie shares Gods gifts of beauty, hope, and adventure with people who are overwhelmed by lifes circumstances, encouraging them to walk in the freedom and joy found in Jesus. Josies publications include the compilation Breaking the Chains: Strategies for Overcoming Spiritual Bondage and numerous articles for web and magazine. As a chronic illness warrior herself, Josie ministers to others living with illness and caregivers through Broken but Priceless Ministries. When shes not writing or taking pictures, youll find Josie curled up with a good book, eating chocolate, and cuddling her teddy bear dog Ruby Mae (a.k.a. The Scruffy Princess). Connect with Josie at JosieSiler.com.
ATLANTA, March 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Genuine Parts Company (NYSE: GPC) plans to release First Quarter Earnings on April 22, 2021. Management will also conduct a conference call on this date at 11:00 a.m. ET. The public may access the call and supplemental earnings deck on the Company's website at http://genuineparts.investorroom.com. The call is also available by dialing 877-407-0789. The conference ID is 13717891. A replay of the call will be available on the Company's website or toll-free at 844-512-2921, ID 13717891, two hours after the completion of the conference call.

About Genuine Parts Company

Founded in 1928, Genuine Parts Company is a global service organization engaged in the distribution of automotive and industrial replacement parts. The Company's Automotive Parts Group distributes automotive replacement parts in the U.S., Canada, Mexico, Australasia, France, the U.K., Germany, Poland, the Netherlands and Belgium. The Company's Industrial Parts Group distributes industrial replacement parts in the U.S., Canada, Mexico and Australasia. In total, the Company serves its global customers from an extensive network of more than 10,000 locations in 14 countries. Genuine Parts Company had 2020 revenues of $16.5 billion. Further information is available at www.genpt.com.

SOURCE Genuine Parts Company

Related Links

http://www.genpt.com


From time to time, whether motivated by politics or articulating a misinformed position, commentators will seek to claim Trinidad and Tobago is a failing state.

I take serious umbrage to that because when one understands what a failing state or economy looks like, it is clear we are very far from that. In fact, by independent measures, we are closer to the opposite side of that spectrum.
A lot of people want to have a work-life balance where they might work with their colleagues two or three days a week, but may have a day or two at home or closer to home in their communities. Its a reflection that we as a state, given the 28 days [of no community transmission] we will reach on Friday ... that we are in a good position. Loading Replay Replay video Play video Play video Mr Merlino could not provide costings on how much it would cost to set up the five suburban work hubs. Currently, Victorian offices are limited to having 75 per cent of their staff on-premises, but this cap will be removed at 6pm on Friday.

Public and private sector offices will be able to move to 100 per cent capacity, but density limits of one person per two square metres still apply. If public servants have medical issues which could make them susceptible to COVID-19 or need a flexible work schedule, they may also be able to work from a previously established state government office in Melbournes suburbs connected to their department. Unless there is another intervention by the federal government, the JobKeeper supplement is expected to finish on March 28. The Victorian Chamber of Commerce and Industrys Paul Guerra said if public servants were returning to the office three days a week, it would let businesses around them know what they need to do to survive.

Really, the city now gets an opportunity to come alive more, and its a really good message from the state that they think its safe to return to work, he told 3AW radio. Dont think well go back to where we were in February 2020, and I dont think it should ... its not a bad thing either, weve got a chance to really recreate the city. Victoria recorded no new cases for the 25th day in a row on Tuesday. There were 13,549 test results received on Monday. Victoria has not accepted international passenger flights into the state since February 13. Freight flights with crew are still permitted.

Majority of Victorian paramedics yet to get the jab Victorian Ambulance Union secretary Danny Hill said despite paramedics being considered part of phase 1a of the coronavirus vaccine rollout, a large majority of workers have not been vaccinated yet. Loading He said while no paramedics in Warrnambool had been inoculated against COVID-19, a number of meat processing workers had already been vaccinated in the town as part of phase 1b, which began on Monday. The initial phase of the vaccine rollout targeted quarantine workers, front-line health workers and aged and disability care staff, and was predicted to overlap with the next phase.

Phase 1b of the mass COVID-19 vaccination program began on Monday, the largest phase of the rollout so far. An estimated 6.13 million people are set to vaccinated during this phase. Our members are right on the front line, theyre certainly keen to get vaccinated, and Id say they are afraid about not being vaccinated, Mr Hill told 3AW Breakfast on Tuesday. Loading I understand 400 out of 5000 paramedics have had the vaccination ... because they do shift work and have overlapping shifts, theyve been told, we can give you a vaccination at this place at this time tomorrow, but if theyre on a shift they cant get there. We dont work in one particular facility like a hospital, we are spread out in different stations across the state, but we have to work it out, and it should have been worked out already.
Canberra, Mar 22(UNI) Rescuers in the Australian state of New South Wales(NSW) were forced to evacuate more than 18,000 people as the flood situation across the state and the country took a turn for the worst, authorities said here on Monday.

NSW has been devastated by the flooding which has caused havoc across the state, forcing 15,000 evacuations on the state's Mid-North Coast and a further 3,000 in Sydney, BBC reported.

Swollen rivers have cut off roads and bridges and forced about 150 schools to shutdown on Monday. Livestock could be seen floating through flooded areas and water engulfing rows of houses up to their windows.

The Hawkesbury and Nepean rivers, which border Sydney to the north and west on Monday reached levels much higher than those reached during a devastating flood in 1961. Forecasters warned that the Hawkesbury river could rise further up to 13m (42ft) later in the day.

Apart from this the Warragamba Dam, Sydney's main source of water supply, spilled over for the first time in nearly five years and was discharging about 500 gigalitres a day - equivalent to the volume of Sydney Harbour.

On Monday, authorities warned residents in the low-lying areas north and west of Sydney, the NSW Central Coast and the Hawkesbury valley, of the situation getting worse as the weather system moved further inland.

UNI XC ACL0845
Lawsuit over Mount Rushmore fireworks dismissed

U.S. District Court Judge Roberto Lange in a ruling Wednesday dismissed a lawsuit brought against President Joe Biden's administration by Gov. Kristi Noem after the NFS a fireworks display there next month.
More than 60 percent of firms find the business environment here has been deteriorating, with a majority citing the legislative environment and regulations. Gettyimagesbank





By Kim Bo-eun







Over 60 percent of European companies believe doing business in Korea has become more difficult over the last two years due to bureaucratic red tape, a survey by the European Chamber of Commerce in Korea showed Monday.







A total of 127 executives of European companies, representing 47,000 employees at firms ranging from services to manufacturing, took part in the survey conducted in January. The firms have a total turnover of 65 trillion won ($57.5 billion).







Of the total respondents, 63 percent said the business environment here has been deteriorating, with a majority citing the legislative environment and regulations (62 percent) as well as the "discretionary enforcement of regulations" (58 percent) as the major challenges.







Almost half of the businesses also stated that reforms implemented by the government in 2020 did not help their operations. Businesses found the burdens posed by the government's labor policies as challenges in setting up business plans for 2021.







Korea's militant unions, rigid labor market and high corporate tax have consistently been cited as difficulties in conducting business in Korea. Foreign companies have also expressed frustration with the minimum wage hike and limits placed on hiring non-regular workers under the Moon Jae-in administration.







Meanwhile, a law punishing CEOs for major accidents at workplaces was passed in January and will go into effect in 2022.







"The ECCK issues a white paper and the Korean government has done a lot to resolve the challenges we face, but every year the survey results show there is more to be done," a CEO of a member company told The Korea Times.







"The lack of transparency in regulations and policy discrimination against foreign firms are some of the persisting issues," the CEO said.







"Foreign firms have differing processes in importing and selling products, but local regulations do not address these details," another official of a member company said.







"We hope the survey serves as a useful tool for businesspeople and policy makers to make future-forward decisions for the mutual benefit of Korean and European businesses," ECCK President Christoph Heider was quoted as saying in a press release on the survey.







At the same time, 52 percent of the companies surveyed said Korea's strategic importance is growing, compared to 34 percent that felt that way in 2019. Among the respondents, 44 companies reported a high turnover compared to the previous year and 22 percent said they maintained a similar level.







The ECCK is comprised of 360 companies, representing 50,000 employees. Among the firms that participated in the survey, 80 percent have operated businesses here for more than 10 years.


ZHENGZHOU -- A Uzbekistan-bound freight train loaded with 1,600 metric tons of Chinese green tea has left the tea cultivation base of Xinyang in Central China's Henan province, marking the largest batch of the city's tea exports so far this year.

According to the Xinyang customs, the city has exported a total of 1,893.2 tons of tea so far this year, with a value of 26.7 million yuan ($4.1 million), up 70.2 percent and 53.5 percent year-on-year, respectively.

Boasting 2,300 years of tea cultivation history, Xinyang is famous for its Xinyang Maojian green tea, a variety that has been exported to Africa, Central and Southeast Asia and Europe.

Qin Guoping, deputy general manager of Henan Tea Import and Export Group, has attributed the growth in tea export to eased customs service in the tea cultivation base.
Aizawl: Days after writing to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to seek asylum for the fleeing Myanmar nationals, Mizoram Chief Minister Zoramthanga on Monday said it was the duty of his government to provide food and shelter to the Myanmarese, who fled their country to take refuge in the state on humanitarian grounds, an official statement said.

Zoramthanga, however, said that the state government has "no say" in the International Affairs and cant deal with the refugees on its own and the matter rests with the Centre.

"It is our responsibility as human beings to provide food and shelter on humanitarian grounds to our human fellows (Myanmar nationals), who have taken refuge in our state in the wake of political turmoil following the military coup in their country, the chief minister said.

He was speaking to a foreign news outlet and leaders of Chin Churches in the United States via video conference.

He said he had already urged the centre to provide political asylum to the Myanmar citizens and had also sent a delegation to Delhi in this regard.

On Sunday, Zoramthanga had held an online meeting with Myanmar foreign minister in exile Zin Mar Aung to discuss the current political situation and the hardship being faced by the Zo ethnic people after the military junta had seized control of democratically elected Myanmar government.

The Mizoram chief minister had shot a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi on March 18, informing him that Mizoram cant remain indifferent to the plights and suffering of the Chin communities in Myanmar, who share same ancestry and ethnicity with the Mizos.

India cannot turn a blind eye to the humanitarian crisis, he had said in the letter.

He had also said that the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) advisories directing four Northeastern states, including Mizoram, to check illegal influx of people from Myanmar and to immediately initiate the deportation process of illegal migrants was "not acceptable" to Mizoram.

A delegation from Mizoram led by Lok Sabha member C. Lalrosanga also met Union Minister of State for Home Affairs Nityanand Rai on March 18 urging the centre to provide food and shelter to the Myanmar nationals in Mizoram.

Mizoram shares a 510 km long unfenced and porous border with Myanmar's Chin state. Officials said that nearly 600 people from Myanmar have entered Mizoram after the military coup in February. Most refugees belonged to the Chin communities, they said.
Easter is the kickoff to the season of deviled eggs here in Texas and the South. And its the kickoff to a whole lot of nonsense and myths about the best way to boil eggs so theyre cooked perfectly and easy to peel.

The classic, and most common method, of making hard-boiled eggs is downright cruel. Bring a pot of water to a rolling boil, drop in the eggs and let them rip at full blast for 10 minutes. The results of this brutal approach, without fail, will be rubbery whites and chalky yolks with an unpleasant green rim that happens when hydrogen in the egg white bonds with sulfur in the yolk at high temperatures.

Its the boiling that creates the problem. Given enough time, eggs will reach an ideal balance of white and yolk doneness at around 160 to 180 degrees. Water at 212 degrees is at an aggressive and detrimentally high temperature; it wont deliver deviled egg divinity.

And, no, adding something to the water wont help.

Yes, vinegar (or any acid, really) does help coagulate egg whites, but only when they come in direct contact with the egg whites, as when poaching eggs. The shells arent permeable enough to make an appreciable difference when hard-boiling.

And, yes, egg whites solidify more quickly in boiling salted water, according to a report from the San Francisco science museum The Exploratorium, but again, only when they come in direct contact with the salty water. The salty water will not permeate the shell.

Some swear by adding baking soda to the water, which celebrated food scientist Harold McGee suggests in his seminal book On Food and Cooking, although many whove independently tested this have found the results to be a mixed bag, and the baking soda intensifies the sulfuric aroma of eggs.

As for cooking the eggs evenly, a popular method is to start the eggs in a pot of cold water, bring it to a boil, cover the pot, turn off the heat and let them rest for 10 minutes before shocking them in a bath of cold water to stop the cooking. This delivers immeasurably better texture throughout the egg, but the cold start can encourage the whites to fuse with the shells, making the eggs harder to peel  much like proteins in a steak will stick to a skillet that isnt up to temperature.

On ExpressNews.com: 5 San Antonio restaurants serving great deviled eggs

So what does work for peelability and even cooking? Few have researched this more extensively than noted food writer J. Kenji Lopez-Alt. His solution is one Ive subscribed to for several years: a hot start and cooler finish.

Bring a pot of water to a boil. Drop the refrigerator-temperature eggs into the water and let them cook for 30 seconds. This sets the outer part of whites without letting them bond to the shell. Then drop the heat to a very low simmer  the goal is somewhere in the neighborhood of 185 degrees; feel free to use a thermometer to check that  for 11 minutes.

You can also place the eggs in a steamer basket over an inch of boiling water in a covered pot for 13 minutes for similar results.

If that sounds like it takes too much precision, Express-News Food Editor Emily Spicer did extensively test a reliable method of her own that yields well-cooked and easily peeled eggs with minimal hassle.

Gently press a thumbtack all the way into the wide end of the egg. This is easiest if you keep the egg in the crate to maintain stability. Then use the cold water start method  bring the water-covered eggs to a boil, cover, turn off the heat, and leave them alone for 10 minutes before dunking them in cold water to stop the cooking.

On ExpressNews.com: See what recipes were creating and cooking here. Bookmark the page!

One additional note: Freshness matters. Eggs straight from the farm wont make great boiled eggs as theyll almost always stick to the shells, regardless of cooking method. If you buy them that way, let the eggs sit in the fridge for at least two weeks before boiling them.

Fortunately, when it comes to grocery store eggs, its unlikely youre buying ones that havent already sat on a shelf long enough to loosen the bond between the white and shell.

pstephen@express-news.net | Twitter: @pjbites | Instagram: @pjstephen
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It was another tale of pandemic frustration and deepening panic last year, as Danielle Quinones saw her desperate wait for an initial unemployment check extend throughout the summer.

Why would the experience of Quinones, a spa products entrepreneur in northernmost Maine, matter in Connecticut? Because Connecticut is next up to adopt the ReEmployUSA claims platform both states chipped in together to develop  but with the Maine system unleashing a flash flood of complaints similar to that of Connecticuts archaic system in the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic.

In lockstep with the economy, DOLs unemployment compensation system crashed a year ago, after hundreds of thousands of Connecticut residents attempted to file initial claims for benefits, with the number climbing past a million by October.

A grand total of roughly 580,000 individuals in Connecticut received unemployment assistance, with many of those claims representing double- or triple-filings, as workers people bounced on and off unemployment.

The culprit? A mainframe-era database that a parade of Democrat and Republican governors had failed to prioritize for upgrades among other information technology investments during the internet era.

An untold number of Connecticut residents paid the price last spring for those decades of neglect, waiting on unemployment checks that for many took six weeks to process. DOL ended up jury rigging an overlay system over the following months, while getting caught up on the backlog of claims delays.

The interim system is now cutting checks in three days or less, save for claims requiring extra attention for whatever reason. Entering March, about 212,000 Connecticut workers were receiving unemployment assistance as reported by the U.S. Department of Labor.

Kurt Westby, Connecticuts labor commissioner who orchestrated the emergency steps even while staff were relegated to working remotely, expressed confidence Monday that the ReEmployUSA system will have the kinks worked out when Connecticut switches over to it in June 2022. That is more than a year behind the original target date of this spring, due to interrupted preparations as DOL staff switched gears to coaxing the old databases through the crisis.

We cannot have this happen again, Westby said Monday in a telephone interview from DOLs Wethersfield office. We cannot have a system thats breaking down on a regular basis. We have to have a modernized system.

But the breakdowns occurred as well with Maines switch to ReEmployUSA, both at the outset in 2017 and again last year. Quinones was among those who went public with frustration, telling the Bangor Daily News last September of her prolonged vigil even as bills piled up alongside an eviction notice.

Westby acknowledged that Maine had struggles with ReEmployUSA when implementing for the first time several years ago, but said the system worked pretty well compared to other systems nationally during the pandemic. Mississippi led development of the original system, reportedly the first to use cloud internet technology among departments of labor nationally.

Every state in the country including the territories had major issues with that initial influx, Westby said. Every state was completely overrun. Remember, there has to be a certain amount of human intervention to make sure they are legitimate claims. ... All the [labor departments] in the entire country were obviously walloped, and none of them could have been completely prepared, even with a completely modernized system.

Against the U.S. Department of Labors benchmark of three weeks to distribute checks for at least 87 percent of initial claims, Connecticut was below the 60 percent mark as of June before starting to climb slowly back toward compliance with the federal standard. It attained it only this past January according to Employment and Training Administration data, but with a small percentage of cases still stretching several weeks beyond.

When people call in with an issue or email with an issue, they are often very complicated issues, Westby said. The federal laws and the state laws are extremely complicated, so its not easy to get a simple answer. Everyone wants a simple answer and everyone wants their money today  and the frustration often comes with not being able to deliver that because an individual maybe typed in the wrong number on their Social Security, or an individual had earnings in New York.

Or maybe the individual was a crook looking to siphon off a small piece of the $7.5 billion in unemployment compensation DOL was funneling into the economy. Both Maine and Mississippi had comparatively low instances of improper claims during the pandemic among instances DOL has been able to flag to date, whether the result of people drawing benefits after resuming regular work or fraudulent means like identity theft.

We cant just open up the spigot, like people were saying [last] March  Just pay them and worry about it later, Westby said. You cant do that, because organized crime is a serious challenge.

Alex.Soule@scni.com; 203-842-2545; @casoulman
Unionists are opposed to the protocol, claiming it undermines Northern Irelands place in the UK internal market (Liam McBurney/PA)

The DUP has reiterated its commitment to the New Decade, New Approach Agreement - and with it the provision for Irish language legislation - after a report the party would block any new act over the NI Protocol issues.

BBC Radio Ulster's Nolan Show reported the long-awaited legislation will be "off the table" while the protocol remains in place.

It comes after First Minister Arlene Foster said a wider languages and cultural bill would be introduced at the Assembly before next year's election.

Responding to the reports, the party said: "The DUP is committed to the balanced upholding of all aspects of the devolution settlement.

Each strand can only fully function when the others are working properly. They are all interdependent.

We have seen the erection of barriers between GB and NI on trade and the application of laws governing our country as well as blatant disrespect for the unionist identity.

We remain committed to New Decade New Approach. All of these issues must be addressed and resolved along with the NDNA commitments if we are to achieve stability for Northern Ireland.

The way forward is through dialogue and political discussion.

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While the DUP has never admitted agreeing to an Irish Language Act, Irish language provision was agreed as part of the New Decade, New Approach agreement to restore the Assembly.

It will include the appointment of an Irish Language Commissioner and official recognition of the language's status.

Mrs Foster told the Assembly earlier this month that legislation on a wider "package of identity and cultural pieces", including the Irish language and Ulster Scots, would be introduced before the end of the current mandate.

Deputy First Minister Michelle O'Neill said the legislation must be honoured and delivered by the Executive and the UK and Irish Governments.

"There will be no renegotiating or backsliding on commitments," she warned.

Her party colleague John O'Dowd said "the rights of the Irish language community cannot be held hostage to the disaster of the Tory DUP Brexit".

This commitment must be delivered on," the Upper Bann MLA said.

Alliance Parry MP Stephen Farry described the DUP source's comments as "disappointing and concerning".

"This was a core issue as to why the Assembly was down for almost three years, three years where a lot of damage was done to our public services and our economy," the North Down MP said.

Mr Farry accepted the Assembly was dealing with the Covid-19 pandemic, but said it was "frustrating" Irish language legislation had not yet materialised.

"I think this just adds more instability, uncertainty, it undermines the foundations of devolution. None of this is good whatsoever and the strategy the DUP are employing is going to be entirely self defeating and counter productive," he said.

SDLP MLA Matthew O'Toole said the DUP's actions had been "pretty shabby".

"They should come out and be clear about where they are on an Irish Language Act," the South Belfast MLA said.

"This constant drumbeat of ramping up tensions, with unnamed quotes, threats to bring down Stormont or blocking an Irish Language Act if they don't get what they want over the protocol, how undemocratic is that?"

Unionists are furious at the protocol, which they believe cuts them off from the rest of the UK after the creation of a trade border in the Irish Sea to prevent a hard border on the island of Ireland post-Brexit.

While Prime Minister Boris Johnson has promised to address unionist concerns, the Loyalist Communities Council (LCC), which represents paramilitary groups including the UVF and UDA, wrote to the PM saying they were withdrawing their support for the Good Friday Agreement over the issue.

LCC Chairman David Campbell has claimed the DUP will be willing to collapse Stormont if the protocol is not addressed.

However, the party rejected this, saying they were "bemused" at Mr Campbell's comments and called on him to withdraw them "in the interests of accuracy".

The Irish language has proved controversial in Northern Ireland for many years, with unionists associating it with the Republican movement.

After the collapse of the Assembly in January 2018 failure to agree a way forward on Irish language legislation repeatedly scuppered attempts to restore the institutions.
President Joe Biden View Photo

President Joe Biden announced that his goal of delivering 100 million vaccine shots in less then 100 days, has been accomplished.

Biden was Mondays KVML Newsmaker of the Day. Here are his words:

When I announced in early December that I had goal that I set of administering 100 million shots for the virus in the first 100 days of our office  100 million shots in 100 days  it was considered ambitious. Some even suggested it was somewhat audacious. Experts said that it was a  the plan was, quote, definitely aggressive, and distribution would have to be seamless for us to be successful. One headline simply put it, quote: It wont be easy. End of quote. Well, it wasnt.

When I took office, when we took office, there was a lot that had to be done. We needed more vaccines, more vaccinators, more places for people to get vaccinated. And we needed a whole-of-government approach.

So, I directed Jeff Zients, the coordinator of our COVID-19 response, to put us on a war footing  and I meant that in a literal sense  to get us on track to truly beat this virus.

And Im proud to announce that tomorrow, 58 days into our administration, we will have met my goal of administering 100 million shots to our fellow Americans.

Thats weeks ahead of schedule, and even with the setbacks we faced during the winter storms. And its another big step on the path to checking the  putting checks in pockets and shots in peoples arms.

When we crossed the 50 million doses just three weeks ago, I told you that every time we hit the 50 million mark, Id update you on our progress.

So here is where we are today: Eight weeks ago, only 8 percent of seniors, those most vulnerable to COVID-19, had received a vaccination. Today, 65 percent of people aged 65 or older have received at least one shot, and 36 percent are fully vaccinated. And thats key  because this is a population that represents 80 percent of the well over 500,000 COVID-19 deaths that have occurred in America.

We have nearly doubled the amount of vaccine doses that we distribute to states, Tribes, and territories each week. We have gone from 1 million shots a day  that I promised in December, before we were even sworn in  to an average of two and one half million shots a day, outpacing the rest of the world significantly.

And heres how we accomplished this: Using the power given to a President under the Defense Production Act, we expedited critical materials in vaccine production, such as equipment, machinery, and supplies. We worked with vaccine manufacturers to speed up the delivery of millions more doses and brokered a historic manufacturing partnership between competing companies who put patriotism and public health first.

These steps put us on track to have enough vaccine  enough vaccine supply for every adult American by the end of May  months  months earlier than anyone expected.

And we stood up or supplied more than 600 community vaccination sites that are administering hundreds of thousands of shots per day.

We launched the Federal Pharmacy Program, which has allowed millions of Americans to get a shot at one of one thous-  or, excuse me, one of 14,000 local pharmacies in this country, the same way they get their flu shot.

And for folks who arent near a pharmacy or mass vaccination center, weve supplied more than 500 mobile clinics, like pop-up sites or vans, meeting people where they are  meeting people where they are.

Weve developed nearly  weve deployed nearly 6,000 federal personnel, including FEMA, active-duty military, and Department of Health and Human Services to support vaccinations and serve as vaccinators  putting the needle in peoples arms.

Were also supplying vaccines to community health centers to reach those who have been the hardest hit  the hardest hit  and suffered the most, especially Black, Latino, Native American, and rural communities. This is really important  because we believe that speed and efficiency must be matched with fairness and equity.

Now, when President Harris and I took a virtual tour of a vaccination center in Arizona not long ago, one of the nurses on that  on that tour, injecting people, giving vaccinations, said that each shot was like administering a dose of hope. A dose of hope. Thats how she phrased it.

Behind these 100 million shots are millions of lives changed when people receive that dose of hope: Grandparents can hug their grandchildren again. Frontline workers who can show up at their jobs without the same fear they used to have. Teachers  with the confidence to head back into the classroom.

These milestones are significant accomplishments, but we have much more to do. Much more to do. And the American Rescue Plan will help us do it.

In addition to the cash payments it provides to you and your families, it also provides the funds to add vaccinators, to supply [sic] more community vaccination  support more community vaccination centers, and increase testing.

It will help us accelerate nationwide efforts to reopen our schools safely. And as I told the nation last week, Ive directed all states, Tribes, and territories to make all adults eligible to be vaccinated no later than May the 1st. Im glad to see that several states are already taking that step to make more and more Americans eligible, even before May 1st.

Tomorrow, we will hit 100 million doses our administration has administered. But Ive always said: Thats just the floor. We will not stop until we beat this pandemic. Next week, I will announce our next goal to put shots in arms.

This is a time for optimism, but its not a time for relaxation. I need all Americans  I need all of you to do your part: Wash your hands, stay socially distanced, keep masking up as recommended by the CDC, and get vaccinated when its your turn. Now is not the time to let down our guard.

In the last week, weve seen increases in the number of cases in several states.

Scientists have made clear that things may get worse as new variants of this virus spread. Getting vaccinated is the best thing we can do to fight back against these variants.

While millions of people are vaccinated, we need millions more to be vaccinated. And, again, I need you to get vaccinated when it come when its your turn, when youre able to do that. I need your help. I need you to help  not just the country, but your family, your friends, your neighbors. Get them vaccinated as well.

If we keep our guard up, stick together, and stick with the science, we can look forward to a Fourth of July that feels a bit more normal, with small groups able to gather for cookouts in backyards, and when well be  where we begin to declare our independence on Independence Day from the virus.

Look, together  together were going to come through this stronger, with renewed faith in each other, in our government that fulfills its most important function: protecting the American people.

Let me be clear again: wearing this mask, in the meantime; making sure you wash your hands; making sure you socially distance and listen to the CDC. Weve got to reach the point where we have herd immunity  meaning where we have a vast majority of the American people have been vaccinated  before we can stop wearing these.

So, please, please, dont let whats happening  you see happening in Europe and you see on television. Keep the faith. Keep wearing the mask, keep washing your hands, and keep socially distanced. Were going to beat this. Were way ahead of schedule, but weve got a long way to go.

So I just wanted to bring you up to date. And I thank you very much. And may God bless America, and may God protect our troops.

Thank you so much.

The Newsmaker of the Day is heard every weekday morning at 6:45, 7:45 and 8:45 on AM 1450 and FM 102.7 KVML.
Two creches have been hit with Covid-19 outbreaks, one affecting 12 children and eight staff, it was confirmed today.

The creche with the largest outbreak, located in Tullamore in Co Offaly, is working with HSE public health staff who are investigating the spread.

Separately, another creche in north Dublin is dealing with several cases of the virus.

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Parents of children in the Dublin creche said it would continue to operate for children who were not close contacts.

It comes as the number of daily cases of the virus nationally rose to 769 yesterday, the highest in three weeks.

The more infectious UK strain of the virus is being blamed for contributing to the spread.

Elaine Dunne, Chairperson and founder of The Federation of Early Childhood Providers, and Denise McCormilla, CEO of the National Childhood Network said they have been in touch with the Tullamore creche owner.

The "owner is unsurprisingly, distressed, they said.

The outbreak happened "despite following all guidance in relation to mask wearing, hand hygiene, containing children within pods, and limiting access to parents and others."

The "the virus has spread rapidly in this childcare facility in the county currently with the highest national incidence of the virus."

The reiterated that childcare providers need better protection and more practical support and guidance.

This includes high priority for vaccinations, as essential service providers for essential workers."

They also called for subsidised weekly antigen testing in childcare facilities, to protect children and staff.

And there should be additional PPE grant-aid.

They said that many creches and childcare facilities are now back to around 90pc occupancy and workers are worried about the spread of new variants of the Covid-19 virus.

"Childcare workers meet the needs of children and families, so that wider services in society, like healthcare, can be provided and the economy can reopen, they continued.

"There is exceptional difficulty in preventing virus transmission when working with young children.

"They do not do social distancing  they pull at masks and seek hugs and comfort  that is the nature of the work.

"Vulnerable people work in the childcare sector, including pregnant women and some with underlying health conditions, or they live with a family member that has underlying issues. They need to be protected while providing an essential service."
Newly-appointed Commissioner Hemant Nagrale on Monday met Maharashtra Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari at Raj Bhavan here.

A Raj Bhavan statement said this was Nagrale's first meeting with the governor after taking charge as commissioner.

The Maharashtra government had, on March 17, brought in Nagrale as police commissioner of the metropolis in place of Param Bir Singh amid the recovery of an explosives-laden vehicle near industrialist Mukesh Ambani's home and the arrest of Crime Branch assistant inspector Sachin Waze.

(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.)
Los Angeles, March 22 : Hollywood star Orlando Bloom has revealed that his fiancee Katy Perry and he are not having enough physical intimacy after welcoming their daughter Daisy Dove.

Asked how often he has sex, he said: "Not enough. We just had a baby, though," reports femalefirst.co.uk.

Bloom was previously married to model Miranda Kerr but according to him neither Perry nor Kerr ranks as his best kiss.

On his best ever kiss, he told The Guardian newspaper's Weekend supplement: "I had a girlfriend when I was 17 called Debbie: that was a kiss." Talking about the "greatest love" of his life, his children and his late pet dog Mighty come first, followed by Perry.

He said: "(The greatest love of my life is) my son, Flynn, and my daughter, Daisy Dove, a dog called Mighty and then, of course, my fiancee." Bloom was left devastated when his dog went missing and his body was subsequently found a week later last year.

He recalled: "I lost my poodle, Mighty. He was out of my sight for just seven minutes; he went out on an adventure and didn't come back, and was taken by a coyote, I think. It was awful, really painful; he taught me about love and loyalty, and how the connection between living beings can be."
Seoul, March 22 : South Korean Unification Minister Lee In-young on Monday renewed his support to resume humanitarian aid to North Korea.

Lee made the remark during a meeting with the chief of the Korean Council for Reconciliation and Cooperation, a South Korean pro-unification civic group, Xinhua news agency reported.

The Minister said that the government agrees "in principle" to the need for the resumption of the private sector's humanitarian assistance to North Korea, vowing to review it sufficiently and rapidly.

Lee, however, noted that there remained issues to be considered, including the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic.

Lee Jong-joo, the Unification Ministry spokesperson, told a regular briefing that the government maintained a basic position that it is necessary to continue the humanitarian assistance in the private sector.

The comment came after Kim Yo-jong, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un's sister, slammed South Korea for going ahead with its summertime joint military drills with the US.

She threatened to scrap a tension-easing military deal and also disband the Committee for the Peaceful Reunification of the Country handling cross-border affairs and dialogue, reports Yonhap News Agency.

Pyongyang has repeatedly rejected offers for help from South Korea to ease its food paucity amid tense inter-Korean relations.

Kim Jong-un had earlier urged his officials not to receive outside help on worries about the spread of Covid-19 in the country.
Researchers from Chalmers University of Technology have produced a structural battery that performs ten times better than all previous versions. It contains carbon fibre that serves simultaneously as an electrode, conductor, and load-bearing material.

Researchers from Chalmers University of Technology have produced a structural battery that performs ten times better than all previous versions. It contains carbon fibre that serves simultaneously as an electrode, conductor, and load-bearing material. Their latest research breakthrough paves the way for essentially 'massless' energy storage in vehicles and other technology.

The batteries in today's electric cars constitute a large part of the vehicles' weight, without fulfilling any load-bearing function. A structural battery, on the other hand, is one that works as both a power source and as part of the structure - for example, in a car body. This is termed 'massless' energy storage, because in essence the battery's weight vanishes when it becomes part of the load-bearing structure. Calculations show that this type of multifunctional battery could greatly reduce the weight of an electric vehicle.

The development of structural batteries at Chalmers University of Technology has proceeded through many years of research, including previous discoveries involving certain types of carbon fibre. In addition to being stiff and strong, they also have a good ability to store electrical energy chemically. This work was named by Physics World as one of 2018's ten biggest scientific breakthroughs.

The first attempt to make a structural battery was made as early as 2007, but it has so far proven difficult to manufacture batteries with both good electrical and mechanical properties. But now the development has taken a real step forward, with researchers from Chalmers, in collaboration with KTH Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm, presenting a structural battery with properties that far exceed anything yet seen, in terms of electrical energy storage, stiffness and strength. Its multifunctional performance is ten times higher than previous structural battery prototypes.

The battery has an energy density of 24 Wh/kg, meaning approximately 20 percent capacity compared to comparable lithium-ion batteries currently available. But since the weight of the vehicles can be greatly reduced, less energy will be required to drive an electric car, for example, and lower energy density also results in increased safety. And with a stiffness of 25 GPa, the structural battery can really compete with many other commonly used construction materials.

"Previous attempts to make structural batteries have resulted in cells with either good mechanical properties, or good electrical properties. But here, using carbon fibre, we have succeeded in designing a structural battery with both competitive energy storage capacity and rigidity," explains Leif Asp, Professor at Chalmers and leader of the project.

Super light electric bikes and consumer electronics could soon be a reality

The new battery has a negative electrode made of carbon fibre, and a positive electrode made of a lithium iron phosphate-coated aluminium foil. They are separated by a fibreglass fabric, in an electrolyte matrix. Despite their success in creating a structural battery ten times better than all previous ones, the researchers did not choose the materials to try and break records - rather, they wanted to investigate and understand the effects of material architecture and separator thickness.

Now, a new project, financed by the Swedish National Space Agency, is underway, where the performance of the structural battery will be increased yet further. The aluminium foil will be replaced with carbon fibre as a load-bearing material in the positive electrode, providing both increased stiffness and energy density. The fibreglass separator will be replaced with an ultra-thin variant, which will give a much greater effect - as well as faster charging cycles. The new project is expected to be completed within two years.

Leif Asp, who is leading this project too, estimates that such a battery could reach an energy density of 75 Wh/kg and a stiffness of 75 GPa. This would make the battery about as strong as aluminium, but with a comparatively much lower weight.

"The next generation structural battery has fantastic potential. If you look at consumer technology, it could be quite possible within a few years to manufacture smartphones, laptops or electric bicycles that weigh half as much as today and are much more compact", says Leif Asp.

And in the longer term, it is absolutely conceivable that electric cars, electric planes and satellites will be designed with and powered by structural batteries.

"We are really only limited by our imaginations here. We have received a lot of attention from many different types of companies in connection with the publication of our scientific articles in the field. There is understandably a great amount of interest in these lightweight, multifunctional materials," says Leif Asp.

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Read the article in the scientific journal Advanced Energy & Sustainability Research: A Structural Battery and its Multifunctional Performance

Watch a Youtube video here: Structural battery with record performance

More about: The research on structural batteries

The structural battery uses carbon fibre as a negative electrode, and a lithium iron phosphate-coated aluminium foil as the positive electrode. The carbon fibre acts as a host for the lithium and thus stores the energy. Since the carbon fibre also conducts electrons, the need for copper and silver conductors is also avoided - reducing the weight even further. Both the carbon fibre and the aluminium foil contribute to the mechanical properties of the structural battery. The two electrode materials are kept separated by a fibreglass fabric in a structural electrolyte matrix. The task of the electrolyte is to transport the lithium ions between the two electrodes of the battery, but also to transfer mechanical loads between carbon fibres and other parts.

The project is run in collaboration between Chalmers University of Technology and KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Sweden's two largest technical universities. The battery electrolyte has been developed at KTH. The project involves researchers from five different disciplines: material mechanics, materials engineering, lightweight structures, applied electrochemistry and fibre and polymer technology. Funding has come from the European Commission's research program Clean Sky II, as well as the US Airforce.
Stop mandatory virus checks on foreign workers



The Seoul Metropolitan Government has withdrawn its administrative order mandating foreign workers to get tested for COVID-19 in the face of a strong backlash against what is seen as a discriminatory measure and human rights violation. Seoul altered the order into an "advisory in highly vulnerable workplaces" amid growing criticism from media and foreign embassies. Albeit belatedly, the city's decision is welcome but it is still disappointing that the municipality scrapped the measure reluctantly, instead of candidly admitting its policy blunder.



What is more perplexing is that some local governments  Gyeonggi and South Jeolla provinces, and Daegu and Ulsan metropolitan cities  are still enforcing their mandatory checks on foreign workers despite growing criticism. They have not yet expressed their willingness to revoke the mandate despite mounting controversy over the alleged human rights violation and discrimination against foreigners.



Over the weekend, a large number of foreign workers crowded at testing places in Gyeonggi Province, triggering concerns over the possible spread of the virus. Some foreigners purportedly waited until late at night to get tested for the coronavirus because of the long lines.



Criticism is still growing. Rep. Lee Sang-min of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea described the policy as "an act of unfair racial discrimination against foreigners that will make us an international disgrace." Rep. Jang Hye-yeong of the Justice Party also denounced it as "an act of apparent discrimination."



The local governments should listen attentively to the criticisms from foreign missions here. A group of European Union ambassadors visited the Ministry of Foreign Affairs last week in protest while envoys from the United States, the United Kingdom and Germany also raised voice against the mandatory testing.



In response to protest from the British Embassy here, the National Human Rights Commission of Korea issued a statement warning that any policies of excluding or separating migrants may have negative implications and trigger discrimination against them, and even can lead to hate crimes based on racism. The provinces should no longer set any policy based simply on administrative convenience. They should consider the specific and diverse conditions foreign workers face here.



It is wrong to have all workers with foreign nationalities undergo the mandatory testing. The coronavirus does not discriminate based on race or sex. The differences of nationalities cannot be an excuse for discrimination. It is nonsense to claim foreign workers have a higher risk of infection. It is also inappropriate to subject only foreign workers, not Korean nationals working alongside them, to the compulsory testing.



Should there be any need for additional quarantine measures, the provincial governments should carry out overall checks of specific workplaces and areas where outbreaks have already taken place. Discrimination is a social disease, no less seriously than the coronavirus itself. We urge the provincial authorities to withdraw the administrative orders immediately and reflect on their misguided policymaking.


New test can accurately detect coronavirus antibodies in a drop of blood in less than an hour

Igor Stagljar made his career building molecular tools to combat cancer. But when the pandemic hit last March, he aimed his expertise at a new adversary, SARS-CoV-2.

Stagljar is a professor of biochemistry and molecular genetics in the Donnelly Centre for Cellular and Biomolecular Research at U of T's Temerty Faculty of Medicine. Last spring, with support from U of T's Toronto COVID-19 Action Fund, his team began developing a new method for measuring immunity to coronavirus in those who recovered from COVID-19.

They are now ready to reveal their creation -- a pinprick test that accurately measures in under one hour concentration of coronavirus antibodies in blood. And it's cheap, costing a toonie or about tenth of the cost of the market gold standard.

Their method has been published in a study out today in the journal Nature Communications.

"Our assay is as sensitive, if not better than any other currently available assay in detecting low levels of IgG antibodies, and its specificity, also known as false-positive rate, is as good as the best antibody test on the market," said Stagljar who collaborated with public health agencies and blood banks from across Canada to have the test validated on blood samples taken from former COVID-19 patients.

Serological tests detect antibodies, protein molecules in blood that recognize and neutralize Sars-CoV-2 to prevent infection. Such tests are seen as a key tool for public health experts wanting to measure population immunity to be better able to manage the ongoing pandemic.

According to a January report by the national COVID Immunity Task Force, the majority of Canadians remain vulnerable to coronavirus infection with less than two percent testing positive for antibodies.

Population level studies can also help reveal duration of coronavirus immunity across patients who had different experiences of disease, from asymptomatic to severe. They also have the potential to reveal threshold antibody level required for protection after natural infection and vaccination.

"That level is still to be determined, but we do know that people who have been infected with SARS-CoV-2 have very diverse levels of antibodies, and it would not be surprising to find that below some baseline level they might not be protective," said Zhong Yao, senior research associate in Stagljar's lab and coinventor of the testing method.

Several serological tests have received regulatory approval with ELISA-based methods as the gold standard when it comes to measuring antibody concentration as a strength of individual immune response. But it comprises several laboratory steps that take six hours to complete, making it unsuitable for rapid diagnostics. Simpler methods using test strips, similar to pregnancy tests, provide fast results but are not quantitative and are less reliable.

The new method is called SATiN, for Serological Assay based on split Tripart Nanoluciferase. It is the first COVID-19 serology test that uses highly sensitive protein complementation chemistry in which a light-emitting luciferase protein is reconstituted from separate fragments as test readout.

Luciferase is initially supplied in fragments that cannot not glow on their own. One piece is attached on the viral spike protein, which antibodies bind to neutralise the virus, while another is hooked to a bacterial protein that antibodies also interact with. By binding simultaneously to the coronavirus spike protein and the bacterial protein, the antibody helps lock luciferase pieces together into a whole molecule. A flash of light ensues whose intensity is detected and converted into antibody concentration by a plate reader instrument. All reagents can be prepared from scratch and in bulk and this keeps the cost down.

Stagljar is now working with U of T's intellectual property office and Toronto Innovation Acceleration Partners to find industry partners that would help make the method widely available. He is also collaborating with Dr. Prabhat Jha, Director of the Centre for Global Health Research at St. Michael's Hospital and a professor at U of T's Dalla Lana School of public Health, who is leading a long-term study to establish duration of immunity across 10,000 Canadians. In another project, Stagljar is working with Dr. Allison McGeer, Senior Clinician Scientist at Sinai Health System and also a professor at Dalla Lana, to assess antibody levels in people after vaccination.

"It's really useful to have that quantitative ability to know what someone's antibody status is, whether it's from a past infection or a vaccination. This will be of crucial importance for the next stage of the pandemic, especially now when governments of all countries started with mass vaccinations with recently approved anti-COVID-19 vaccines", Stagljar said.

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Nicola Sturgeon boasted she had proved her 'integrity' tonight and vowed to 'devote all of my time and energy to leading Scotland' after being dramatically cleared by a QC of breaking the ministerial code over the Alex Salmond case - despite a report concluding her account was 'incomplete'.

James Hamilton QC said the First Minister had not breached the rules, in a major blow to efforts by critics to force her out over the controversy.

In a slap on the wrists, Mr Hamilton said it was 'regrettable' that Ms Sturgeon had provided an 'incomplete narrative of events' to the Scottish Parliament about when she knew of complaints against Mr Salmond.

But he said it was down to a 'genuine failure of recollection' and 'not deliberate'.

'I am of the opinion that the First Minister did not breach the provisions of the Ministerial Code in respect of any of these matters,' his report concluded.

A jubilant Ms Sturgeon said she welcomed the 'comprehensive, evidence-based and unequivocal' finding. 'I sought at every stage in this issue to act with integrity and in the public interest.

'Prior to its publication, opposition politicians stressed the importance of respecting and accepting the outcome of Mr Hamilton's independent inquiry, and I committed wholeheartedly to doing so.

'Now that he has reported, it is incumbent on them to do likewise.

'Now that this investigation is complete and its conclusions public, I will continue to devote all of my time and energy to leading Scotland, to helping the country through the pandemic, and to ensuring that as we rebuild from the hardships of the last 12 months, we do everything we can to protect jobs, support our health service and rebuild our communities for the better.'

However, the findings are in contrast to the verdict expected to be delivered by a cross-party Holyrood committee tomorrow - with leaks suggesting the MSPs have found she did break the rules and some of her evidence was 'hard to believe'.

Ms Sturgeon referred herself to the ministerial watchdog in January 2019 and asked Mr Hamilton - a former Director of Public Prosecutions in Ireland - to carry out a probe into her conduct after admitting she had met her predecessor to discuss claims of sexual harassment. The Holyrood committee is looking more broadly into how the Scottish government bungled the handling of complaints against Mr Salmond - which resulted in him being awarded more than 500,000. He was later cleared by a trial.

The Scottish Tories are vowing to hold a vote of no confidence in Ms Sturgeon tomorrow, amid growing evidence that the bitter SNP civil war has inflicted massive damage on its drive to split up the UK. However, it is set to fail after the Greens declared they will back her.

She accused the Scottish Conservatives plan to hold a vote of no confidence in her as a 'stunt'.

'I'm confident that vote will express confidence in me,' Ms Sturgeon said.

'Remember that the Tories said they would have a confidence vote in me before I uttered a single word of evidence before the parliamentary inquiry.

'They have decided on this issue a long time ago this is a political stunt being brought forward by the Tories tomorrow.'

Ms Sturgeon insisted the report showed she was determined to 'not intervene in the process' of complaints at the request of Alex Salmond.

She said: 'Today I want, once again, to remind people that at the heart of this case were women who had the courage to come forward and complain. That they were let down by the Scottish Government's handling of their complaints is not in dispute, and I again apologise to them for that.

'I was determined, however, at the time these complaints emerged that they should not be swept under the carpet, and that I would not intervene in the process.

'Had I done so, as requested by Alex Salmond, it would  as Mr Hamilton observes  ''undoubtedly have been seen as a partisan and political interference'' which ''would undoubtedly have undermined public confidence in the processes of government to a much greater extent than in fact eventually happened''.'

'Let me, let me be clear about this, Mr. Hamilton has been asked to look at different accounts of meetings and discussions, and he has assessed all of that but what Mr Hamilton was being asked to adjudicate on taking all of that into account, is whether or not I've reached the ministerial court and he has been very clear and unequivocal in his conclusion that I did not.'

Scottish Conservative leader Douglas Ross said Ms Sturgeon was not 'free and clear'.

'The First Minister has been given a pass because it has been judged her 'failure of recollection' was 'not deliberate,' he said.

'I respect Mr Hamilton and his judgement but we cannot agree with that assessment. Nicola Sturgeon did not suddenly turn forgetful.

'She is not free and clear. The First Minister promised to 'respect the decisions' of both inquiry reports, not to pick and choose which one suits her and try to discredit the other.

'The SNP spin machine will go into hyper-drive to again attack the committee report because they're running scared of its findings. They have accelerated the Vote of No Confidence in Nicola Sturgeon to avoid MSPs scrutinising that report.

Meanwhile, the Scottish government was accused of a distraction tactic as it chose this afternoon to release its long-awaited draft bill on holding a fresh vote on breaking up the UK.

Nicola Sturgeon's career is in the balance as Scotland hears from two major inquiries into whether or not she broke the ministerial code

Ms Sturgeon's conduct following sexual harassment claims against Alex Salmond (pictured giving evidence at Holyrood last month) could lead to a vote of no-confidence on Wednesday

The results of a probe by James Hamilton QC (pictured) into the First Minister's conduct could be revealed within hours

What did the Hamilton report conclude? Mr Hamilton concluded in his report that Ms Sturgeon did not breach the ministerial code in respect of any of the four issues he considered. FAILURE TO RECORD MEETINGS WITH SALMOND These included an allegation that her 'failure to record her meetings with and telephone discussions with Mr Salmond and others' in March, April, June and July 2018 was a breach and that the First Minister 'may have attempted to influence the conduct of the investigation' into harassment complaints made against Alex Salmond. Mr Hamilton accepted that the meetings with Mr Salmond were 'partly political and partly personal' in nature and accepted Ms Sturgeon's argument that if she had them recorded there would have been serious risk of prejudice. MISLEADING PARLIAMENT OVER MEETINGS Another issue centred on whether Ms Sturgeon misled the Scottish Parliament in relation to the meetings in 2018. Mr Hamilton looked into Ms Sturgeon's failure to recall a meeting of March 29, 2018. She saw Mr Salmond's adviser Geoff Aberdein on this date, where he asked her to meet with her predecessor. The report said: 'It is regrettable that the First Minister's statement on January 8, 2019, did not include a reference to the meeting with Mr Aberdein on 29 March. 'In my opinion, however her explanation for why she did not recall this meeting when giving her account to Parliament, while inevitably likely to be greeted with suspicion, even scepticism by some, is not impossible. 'What tilts the balance towards accepting the First Minister's account for me is that I find it difficult to think of any convincing reason why if she had in fact recalled the meeting she would have deliberately concealed it while disclosing all the conversations she had had with Mr Salmond.' Mr Hamilton concluded: 'The failure to disclose the meeting of 29 March with Mr Aberdein to the Scottish Parliament on 8 January 2019, although the First Minister's statement was technically a correct statement of the occasions on which the she had met Mr Salmond nonetheless resulted in an incomplete narrative of events. 'For the reasons stated above I accept that this omission was the result of a genuine failure of recollection and was not deliberate. That failure did not therefore in my opinion amount to a breach of the Ministerial Code.' TRYING TO INFLUENCE PROBE INTO SALMOND COMPLAINTS Mr Hamilton said the Scottish Government's permanent secretary had made clear that Ms Sturgeon 'did not seek to influence her in any way'. DEFYING LAWYERS TO KEEP FIGHTING JUDICIAL REVIEW CASE Ms Sturgeon was accused of being in breach of her duty to comply with the law in relation to Mr Salmond's successful legal challenge against the Scottish Government. Addressing the question of whether she pushed on with fighting a judicial review case brought by Mr Salmond despite lawyers saying it was hopeless, Mr Hamilton suggested that while the legal team raised concerns it was not improper for politicians to continue. 'Mr Salmond appears to be under the misapprehension that the Government is under a duty to withdraw a case if advised that there is less than an evens chance of winning. There is no such rule and the prediction of the outcome of cases is not an exact science,' the report said. Advertisement

Mr Hamilton concluded in his report that Ms Sturgeon did not breach the ministerial code in respect of any of the four issues he considered.

These included an allegation that her 'failure to record her meetings with and telephone discussions with Mr Salmond and others' in March, April, June and July 2018 was a breach and that the First Minister 'may have attempted to influence the conduct of the investigation' into harassment complaints made against Alex Salmond.

Mr Hamilton accepted that the meetings with Mr Salmond were 'partly political and partly personal' in nature and accepted Ms Sturgeon's argument that if she had them recorded there could have been risk of prejudice.

In a nod to the committee report being published tomorrow, he went on to say: 'It is for the Scottish Parliament to decide whether they were in fact misled.

'Mr Salmond overstates the case when he refers to 'the repeated representation to the Parliament of the meeting on 2 April 2018 as being a party meeting'. The Official Reports of the Scottish Parliament for 8, 10 and 17 January 2019 contain no such claim by the First Minister.'

The report said the meeting on April 2, 2018,  where Mr Salmond met with Ms Sturgeon in her home  was not a 'party' meeting related to the SNP.

It says: 'Although I accept the First Minister's statement that her motivation for agreeing to the meeting was personal and political, and she may have sought to underscore this by hosting it in her private home with no permanent civil servant present and no expenditure of public money, it could not in my opinion be characterised as a party meeting.

'Members of political parties do not ordinarily attend party meetings accompanied by their lawyers, and when the First Minister's husband, who is chairman of the SNP, arrived home, he did not join the meeting.

'In fairness the First Minister did not seek to make any case to me that this was a party meeting.'

Mr Hamilton looked into Ms Sturgeon's failure to recall a meeting of March 29, 2018. She saw Mr Salmond's adviser Geoff Aberdein on this date, where he asked her to meet with her predecessor.

The report said: 'It is regrettable that the First Minister's statement on January 8, 2019, did not include a reference to the meeting with Mr Aberdein on 29 March.

'In my opinion, however her explanation for why she did not recall this meeting when giving her account to Parliament, while inevitably likely to be greeted with suspicion, even scepticism by some, is not impossible.

'What tilts the balance towards accepting the First Minister's account for me is that I find it difficult to think of any convincing reason why if she had in fact recalled the meeting she would have deliberately concealed it while disclosing all the conversations she had had with Mr Salmond.'

Mr Hamilton concluded: 'The failure to disclose the meeting of 29 March with Mr Aberdein to the Scottish Parliament on 8 January 2019, although the First Minister's statement was technically a correct statement of the occasions on which the she had met Mr Salmond nonetheless resulted in an incomplete narrative of events.

'For the reasons stated above I accept that this omission was the result of a genuine failure of recollection and was not deliberate. That failure did not therefore in my opinion amount to a breach of the Ministerial Code.'

The fourth issue alleged that Ms Sturgeon was in breach of her duty to comply with the law in relation to Mr Salmond's successful legal challenge against the Scottish Government.

Addressing the question of whether she pushed on with fighting a judicial review case brought by Mr Salmond despite lawyers saying it was hopeless, Mr Hamilton suggested that while the legal team raised concerns it was not improper for politicians to continue.

'Mr Salmond appears to be under the misapprehension that the Government is under a duty to withdraw a case if advised that there is less than an evens chance of winning. There is no such rule and the prediction of the outcome of cases is not an exact science,' the report said.

Separate probe by MSPs set to rule Sturgeon misled Holyrood Nicola Sturgeon is expected to be accused of misleading Holyrood over the Alex Salmond case when MSPs deliver their own report into the scandal tomorrow. WHAT IS THE COMMITTEE OF INQUIRY? The Committee on the Scottish Government Handling of Harassment Complaints was set up after a successful judicial review by former first minister Mr Salmond resulted in the Scottish Government's investigation of harassment allegations against him being ruled unlawful and 'tainted by apparent bias', with a 512,250 payout being awarded to him for legal fees in 2019. MSPs have taken evidence from Mr Salmond and Ms Sturgeon, from civil servants, including repeated sessions from Permanent Secretary Leslie Evans, trade unions and from SNP chief executive Peter Murrell - who is current First Minister Ms Sturgeon's husband. Crucially the SNP does not have an overall majority on the committee. It contains four members of Ms Sturgeon's own party in convener Linda Fabiani, plus Alasdair Allen, Stuart McMillan and Maureen Watt, and five others: Tories Margaret Mitchell and Murdo Fraser, Labour's Jackie Baillie, Lib Dem Alex Cole-Hamilton and Green Alison Johnstone. WHAT HAVE THE MSPs FOUND? The committee is believed to have voted 5-4 along party lines to rule that the First Minister gave an 'inaccurate account' of a meeting with her predecessor. It was reported last week that it has voted along party lines against Ms Sturgeon. A leak on Thursday evening from inside the committee revealed it has concluded the First Minister misled the inquiry over whether she had offered to intervene in the case - which Ms Sturgeon denies doing. Two other witnesses, one of whom is Mr Salmond's lawyer and former SNP MSP Duncan Hamilton and who was at the meeting in question, contradicted the First Minister's statement. Leaks at the end of last week claimed that the Holyrood inquiry has concluded it is 'hard to believe' Ms Sturgeon did not know of concerns about Mr Salmond's behaviour before November 2017. WHAT HAS STURGEON SAID ABOUT THE COMMITTEE? Ms Sturgeon and her team have accused members of the committee of a 'partisan leak', stressing she 'told the truth' to the committee. Advertisement

Ms Sturgeon dismissed any doubts about Mr Hamilton's independence, saying he has 'impeccable credentials' and that 'no one should seek to suggest or imply that he has acted anything other than independently and utterly without fear or favour'.

The First Minister said in a statement: 'James Hamilton was appointed by Mr Salmond as an independent adviser on the Scottish Ministerial Code.

'He has previously investigated a Labour First Minister of Wales, and he has applied himself to this task with rigour and diligence.

'Mr Hamilton is an internationally renowned legal professional with impeccable credentials and no one should seek to suggest or imply that he has acted anything other than independently and utterly without fear or favour.

'Now that this investigation is complete and its conclusions public, I will continue to devote all of my time and energy to leading Scotland, to helping the country through the pandemic, and to ensuring that as we rebuild from the hardships of the last 12 months, we do everything we can to protect jobs, support our health service and rebuild our communities for the better.'

And in a BBC interview, Ms Sturgeon signalled her line of attack when the committee confirms its criticism of her tomorrow.

She said the MSPs had decided she was 'guilty' before evidence was heard. The First Minister spoke after an investigation by James Hamilton QC found she did not breach the ministerial code in relation to allegations she failed to record meetings with her predecessor and others in 2018.

She told the BBC: 'I look forward, if that's the right expression, to the committee report being published tomorrow and we will look at that in great detail.

'But I cannot escape the conclusion that there are some members of that committee  because their pubic utterances show this  that decided before a single word of evidence had been taken that I was guilty of something and nothing was going to remove them from that view.'

She added that the Hamilton report has 'concluded I did not mislead Parliament and I didn't breach the ministerial code in any respect'.

The planned no confidence vote in Ms Sturgeon is now likely to fail after the Scottish Greens said they will not support it.

The party's co-leader Patrick Harvie MSP was responding to the James Hamilton report into whether Nicola Sturgeon broke the ministerial code.

He said: 'Mr Hamilton has clearly concluded that the First Minister did not breach the ministerial code, so we will not support the vote of no confidence being pushed by the Tories.

'In lodging a vote of no confidence before this report was published, just as they called for the First Minister's resignation before she even gave evidence to the parliamentary committee, the Tories have shown that they have no interest in establishing the truth.

'This entire saga should have been about examining a process that let down women and ensuring that was never repeated.'

Asked by journalists as she left home this morning whether she was going to resign, Ms Sturgeon tried to play down the crisis.

'No, I am going to do what I've done every day for the past year, lead the country through a pandemic,' she insisted.

Separately a cross-party committee has been carrying out an inquiry into how the Scottish government bungled its handling of the complaints against Mr Salmond.

The ex-DPP of Ireland who cleared Nicola Sturgeon James Hamilton had a distinguished legal career, rising to become Director of Public Prosecutions for the Republic of Ireland between 1999 and 2011. Having taken early retirement, he served as president of the International Association of Prosecutors, based in The Hague for the next two years. He was then recruited by Alex Salmond to be the Scottish Government's adviser on the ministerial code. Ms Sturgeon renewed his appointment when she became First Minister in 2015. Mr Hamilton was drafted in by the Welsh Government in 2017 to investigate if its First Minister Carwyn Jones misled the Welsh Assembly about bullying allegations within the government. Mr Hamilton studied History and Political Science at Trinity College in Dublin in 1971 and practised at the Bar of Ireland from 1973 to 1981. In 1981, he was appointed as a full-time legal adviser to the Attorney General of Ireland and in 1995 he became the permanent head of the Office of the Attorney General and senior legal adviser to the Attorney General. He was also responsible for advising the Irish Government on legal issues during the negotiations that eventually led to the conclusion of the Northern Ireland Agreement in 1998. Advertisement

He was awarded more than 500,000 after bringing a judicial review, and later cleared at a trial.

Mr Salmond is expected to speak once again after the results of both inquiries are revealed - and could inflict another devastating blow on his successor.

Scottish Conservative leader Douglas Ross said the continued push for independence was 'beyond the comprehension of most Scots'.

'Scotland continues to be gripped by the global pandemic and even once normality slowly returns, the shockwaves will be felt for years to come,' he said.

'The SNP Government is mired in sleaze with nothing left to offer except yet more division and grievance.

'The motivation for this is as much to do with distracting people from the Sturgeon-Salmond scandal

'A responsible government would be entirely focused on Scotland's post-pandemic recovery, but Sturgeon and her ministers have become detached from reality and the priorities of ordinary families.'

Leaks at the end of last week claimed that the Holyrood inquiry has concluded it is 'hard to believe' Ms Sturgeon did not know of concerns about Mr Salmond's behaviour before November 2017.

The MSPs have also reportedly decided that she broke the ministerial code by misleading the committee, although it is not clear if they believe she did so knowingly.

Ms Sturgeon has brushed off the apparent finding, insisting she stands by 'all eight hours' of evidence she gave and accusing opposition members of playing politics.

The SNP leader also appeared to lash herself to the separate report from Mr Hamilton on whether she broke the ministerial code - which is expected to be delivered to the Scottish government today, although the timing of the release is not yet known.

Polls have shown that a majority of Scots believe Ms Sturgeon should quit if she was found to have flouted the conduct rules, with the controversy also inflicting huge damage on support for her drive to split up the UK.

Allegations, discussions, denials and a 'forgotten' key meeting between Sturgeon and Salmond November 2017: Allegations regarding Alex Salmond's behaviour are raised with the SNP by Sky News. Nicola Sturgeon said she spoke to him about this  and he 'denied it'. No further action was taken. March 29, 2018: Ms Sturgeon meets Geoff Aberdein - Mr Salmon's chief of staff - in her Scottish parliament office where she has admitted they discussed the possibility of a meeting with Mr Salmond. Ms Sturgeon  after initially forgetting about this meeting  says there was 'the suggestion that the matter might relate to allegations of a sexual nature'. April 2, 2018: Ms Sturgeon and Mr Salmond meet at the First Minister's home. According to Ms Sturgeon, this is the first time she heard of the complaints made against him. Despite this, she has insisted that the matters discussed were party business. No minutes were taken at the meeting. What she previously said: On January 8, 2019, Ms Sturgeon tells the Scottish Parliament she 'first heard' about sexual harassment allegations against Mr Salmond on April 2. In 2018, Andrew Marr asked Ms Sturgeon: 'Had you heard any stories about him before it broke in the press?' She responded: 'Obviously, absolutely not. Until, well I've said previously Alex Salmond informed me about these complaints in April, that was the first I had known.' And what she later said : In 2020, giving written evidence to the Holyrood into her government's handling of complaints against Mr Salmond, she said she 'forgot' about the March 29 meeting until 'late January/early February' 2019. She wrote: 'From what I recall, the discussion covered the fact that Alex Salmond wanted to see me urgently about a serious matter, and I think it did cover the suggestion that the matter might relate to allegations of a sexual nature.' September 14, 2018: A judicial review is launched after complaints by Mr Salmond over the fairness with how the claims against him were handled. January 8, 2019: The Scottish government conceded defeat in the judicial review a week before it was due to launch. Mr Salmond wins 500,000 in legal fees. The court ruled the probe into Mr Salmond had been unlawful and tainted by apparent bias. January 2019: Ms Sturgeon tells MSPs that Mr Salmond first told her about a probe into him on April 2. March 23, 2020: Alex Salmond is cleared of all sexual assault charges and his supporters demanded a full inquiry into the Scottish Government's handling of the scandal. October 7, 2020: Ms Sturgeon claims she 'forgot' about March 29, 2018, meeting with Mr Aberdein. January 24, 2021: Speaking on the Andrew Marr show, Ms Sturgeon denies misleading the Scottish Parliament after 'forgetting' to tell MSPs about her meeting with Mr Salmond's aide on March 29, 2018. February 2021: The High Court in Edinburgh rules Mr Salmond's evidence claiming his former chief of staff met with Ms Sturgeon on March 28, 2018, to discuss sexual assault allegations against the former first minister can be released. Advertisement

Even if she fends off the resignation calls the row looks set to dominate the run-up to crucial elections in May.

A survey by Opinium last week found 51 per cent of Scots think she should resign if she is found to have breached the code.

In contrast 35 per cent insisted she should stay in post.

Meanwhile, the draft independence bill published today proposes using the same question as in 2014 - 'should Scotland be an independent country?' - despite evidence that using a 'Yes' or 'No' format boosts separatist support. In the 2016 EU referendum the options were 'leave' and 'remain'.

Voting will also include over 16s, who are generally thought to be more in favour of independence.

The bill says the contest should be held in the first half of the Parliament due to be elected in May. The SNP has said it could be as early as this year.

Many surveys of Scots ask a similar question to 2014 and give a close result, with separatists ahead over recent months but the margin closing amid the SNP meltdown.

However, a recent Survation poll asked whether people 'want Scotland to remain part of the UK' - and found a 14 point advantage for staying in the union.

The draft bill proposes that the voting rights in the referendum be extended to match the franchise for Scottish Parliament and local government elections, allowing 16-year-olds to take part along with foreign nationals who have voting rights in devolved elections.

Ms Sturgeon is hoping to use elections happening in May as the springboard for her push to hold another referendum - despite Boris Johnson insisting he will refuse permission.

The SNP has hinted it is prepared to stage a wildcat vote if Westminster blocks a ballot with legal status.

Scottish constitution minister Mike Russell insisted today there would be no 'democratic justification' for shunning a poll if there is a majority for independence-backing parties in Holyrood after May.

Sections from the bombshell committee report were leaked two weeks after Ms Sturgeon gave testimony about her role in the Scottish Government's botched investigation into Mr Salmond in 2018.

Ms Sturgeon had insisted she did not offer to intervene in the complaints process against Mr Salmond during a meeting with him on April 2, 2018.

Yet by a slim majority verdict of 5-4, the committee, which voted down party lines, is believed to have decided this was in 'fundamental contradiction' to testimony from Mr Salmond.

They say Mr Salmond's account was corroborated by his legal adviser, Duncan Hamilton QC, who told the inquiry that Ms Sturgeon said: 'If it comes to it, I will intervene.'

The report concludes: 'Her [Ms Sturgeon's] written evidence is, therefore, an inaccurate account of what happened and she has misled the committee on this matter. This is a potential breach of the ministerial code'.

Conservative MSP Adam Tomkins told the BBC yesterday: 'The evidence is not just clear but overwhelming that Nicola Sturgeon has misled Parliament on countless occasions... she needs to resign.'

Mr Salmond was cleared of sexual assault at trial.

He won a civil case against the Scottish Government, which was found to have been 'tainted by apparent bias' and ordered to pay his 512,000 legal bill.

The temperature rose again yesterday as a former colleague claimed Ms Sturgeon has been 'brought low by arrogance and pettiness'.

Ms Sturgeon was described as a 'hugely gifted politician' by Dorothy-Grace Elder, a former MSP.

But writing in a Scottish newspaper, she said: 'Excessive secrecy and resentment of others have harmed an SNP Government which could have been great.

'What is mistaken for discipline is really fear. The party is riddled with dirty tricks. The Salmond saga is only part of it all.'

She wrote in the Sunday Mail that despite sharing an office with Ms Sturgeon for years, the future leader never spoke to her as she 'ignored those who weren't cronies'.

An Opinium survey published last week found that 51 per cent of Scots believe Ms Sturgeon should resign if she is deemed to have broken the ministerial code, compared to 35 per cent who say she should stay in place

Women who made original harassment claims against Alex Salmond complain to Scottish parliament after their confidential evidence was leaked to the press

The women at the centre of the Salmond inquiry have said they will be making a formal complaint to the Scottish Parliament after their evidence was leaked to a newspaper.

In a statement released through Rape Crisis Scotland on Sunday, the two women who made complaints of harassment against former first minister Alex Salmond said they would be making a formal complaint over the leak.

A story in The Sunday Times claims the women, giving evidence in private last Monday, painted a picture of a demeaning environment for women, with one saying it was 'like the Wild West'.

The statement said the leak was a breach of the MSP code of conduct, as well as 'a violation of the trust we placed in the committee', as well as raising concerns about the accuracy of the leak.

The two complainants hit out at whoever at Holyrood (pictured) committed the leak

It added: 'The reporting of our evidence has included inaccuracies and distortions, which appear to be intended to serve a political agenda.

'Complainers in this case have been subject to regular attacks and misrepresentations on social media, and have found their experiences repeatedly exploited for political purposes during the inquiry.

'For committee members to perpetuate this is indefensible and an abuse of their position.

'We will be making a formal complaint.'
SAN DIEGO, March 21, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Shareholder rights law firm Johnson Fistel, LLP has launched an investigation into whether the board members of Kansas City Southern (NYSE: KSU) ("KCS or the "Company") breached their fiduciary duties in connection with the proposed sale of the Company to Canadian Pacific Railway Limited (TSX: CP) (NYSE: CP).

On March 21, 2021, KCS announced that it had entered into a definitive merger agreement with Canadian Pacific. Under the merger agreement terms, KCS shareholders would receive 0.489 Canadian Pacific shares and $90.00 in cash for each KCS common share held. Based on Canadian Pacific's closing stock price on March 19, 2021, the implied cash and stock consideration to be received by KCS stockholders is $275.07 per share.

KCS shareholders will be subject to the future price fluctuation of Canadian Pacific's stock price.

The investigation concerns whether the KCS board failed to satisfy its duties to the Company shareholders, including whether the board adequately pursued alternatives to the acquisition and whether the board obtained the best price possible for KCS shares of common stock. Nationally recognized, Johnson Fistel is investigating whether the proposed deal represents adequate consideration, especially given analysts' projections for future revenue growth.

If you are a shareholder of KCS and believe the proposed buyout price is too low or you're interested in learning more about the investigation, please contact lead analyst Jim Baker ( [email protected] ) at 619-814-4471. If emailing, please include a phone number.

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Dakhla (Refugee Camps), 21 March 2021 (SPS) - Minister of Public Health, National Secretariat member, Khaira Balahi Abbad, has called on citizens to exercise caution.



The Minister, accompanied by a government delegation, in a tour that led her Saturday to the wilaya of Dakhla in the refugee camps, called on citizens to exercise caution, be vigilant and apply preventive measures, especially with the registration of new cases of the Coronavirus.



On Thursday, the National Committee for the Prevention of the Coronavirus held an emergency meeting devoted to examining ways to take urgent action to combat the pandemic. (SPS)



062/090/T
What you need to know about Pa.'s UC system going offline Thursday
Laura Catherine, an accomplished and talented writer, a member of the International Quill & Scroll Society; has completed her new book Nut Case: a delightful mission of a sugar glider who sleuths the night away in the hopes of retrieving the stolen nuts and what he found out was far from what he expected.

Laura writes, Eek is a sugar glider known far and wide for his cleverness among animals. As a leading detective, who can solve any case that comes his way, Eek finds his latest job to be somewhat nutty when a village of squirrels seek his help in discovering who is behind the recent disappearance of their forests nut supply. From acorns to walnuts, chestnuts to peanuts (even though they arent really nuts), it would appear that all varieties are being snatched up in the middle of the night while the squirrels are fast asleep. Fortunately, in addition to being a witty detective, Eek also happens to be a nocturnal creature, who spends his nights wide awake and alert. Teaming up with a fellow friend of nocturnal origin, a flying squirrel named Soarer, Eek will stop at nothing on his mission to crack open this nut case.

Published by Page Publishing, Laura Catherines wonderful childrens book follows a nocturnal detective who encounters a mystery and a new friend while solving the problem of the squirrel village. This is a great read for every child and parent.

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PHILIPSBURG:--- Independent Member of Parliament MP Christophe Emmanuel is calling on the people of St. Maarten to recognize the governing coalition and the Prime Minister for what they are: Deceitful politicians with no plans for the country.

By now, based on their actions over the past two weeks, including disastrous appearances on radio and social media, it should be more than clear to the people, the type of empty representation they have in government, the MP said.

He said the UN petition that was supposed to focus on decolonization, has further exposed rifts within the governing coalition whose members are all over the place when it comes to this document. The MP said the Prime Minister has yet to answer if she supports the initiators of the petition with a simple yes or no. Do you support the initiators of the petition yes or no? Do you support the petition yes or no?

The only thing the PM has said is that she has only read the conclusion of the petition and her impression is that it is only and investigation. Only an investigation? What happens when that investigation concludes and is in favor or against St. Maarten? What is the Prime Ministers intended actions in that regard? The MP asked, adding that it is incredible that the PM of the country not read a petition with the potential to affect the country on all levels.

He said the Moodys downgrading of St. Maarten is yet another example of the confusion this government is creating with investors worldwide, by not clearly stating its positions with the Netherlands and showing no creativity whatsoever when it comes to growing the economy post-COVID, attracting investors and the ability for St. Maarten to fund initiatives on its own.

He said it is deceitful for the PM to act as if the petition will have no bearing whatsoever on the country. To diminish the petition by stating it is just an investigation, the MP said, is a deliberate act of evasion and not informing the people of what the country would have to prepare for.

Most notably, the MP continued, there is no mention from the PM about what the petition means for the Caribbean Body for Reform and Development (COHO). He pointed out that the PM and her support in Parliament once again lied to the people last Friday by implying that the COHO has nothing to do with the country package. From day one I have said they are part and parcel the same thing and cannot be separated, the MP re-iterated.

If the petition was not important then State Secretary Knops would not have written to the PM last week asking for a re-confirmation of her governments support for the country packages and COHO. He called the petition an unpleasant surprise because he foresees that the petition can present an issue for the COHO in the future. The Prime Minister responded by assuring the State Secretary that support from government and Parliament is guaranteed, Emmanuel said.

The MP explained that coalition MPs appeared on several radio programs last week and totally demolished the COHO and the way the Dutch blackmailed (their words) St. Maarten. Yet we have a PM that is determined to push it through. So what happens if the COHO is confirmed to be against St. Maartens autonomy? Will we roll back everything? What is the plan? These are developments that affect your country at the highest levels and you cannot say what the plan is? What will these MPs and the PM do if the petition concludes that the COHO infringes on our autonomy? The MP said.

I hope the PM is not playing this dangerous game of taking the liquidity money from the Dutch, only to see Parliament vote against the COHO, then say Parliament has free will to vote as they please. That is a dangerous game because the PM continuously creates the impression to Knops in writing that her support in Parliament for COHO is assured. The cutest recent attempt to re-enforce that notion was to take a group picture on the floor of Parliament to show Knops, MP Emmanuel said.

He said that since it is said that Parliament cannot speak for the people of the country internationally, and only the PM can, the PM should not wait any longer to tell the world what she thinks about the petition that was reported upon worldwide.

MP Emmanuel concluded by re-iterating that he supported the motion because he supports decolonization, which is an unfinished process. As he has since December 2020, the MP stressed that he will not support the establishment of the COHO in any way, shape, or form and will not be manipulated into a stance for independence before his people and his country are ready for it economically and on their own terms. I want to talk about nation-building on our terms before even thinking about independence, he said.

Californias decades-old rules allowing farm labor union organizers onto growers property during some non-working hours were challenged Monday in the U.S. Supreme Court, where the outcome appeared to turn on a single question: Can the organizers be barred without also excluding government health and safety inspectors from private property?

Why doesnt promoting peaceful labor relations fall under the same category as safety inspections? Chief Justice John Roberts asked Joshua Thompson, a lawyer for two California growers challenging the state regulations, with support from the agriculture industry.

Thompson replied that long-standing legal principles allow government inspectors onto private property, and that the unions were there to recruit, not to inspect. Justice Stephen Breyer, apparently unpersuaded, asked whether a government mining inspector could ask employees about their working conditions  the same inquiry a union organizer might make  and, if so, why rules admitting union representatives would violate landowners rights.

Because the same long-standing principles allow owners to exclude private citizens from their property, Thompson said, and when the government takes that right from you, as California has done, it has to compensate you.

The states Agricultural Labor Relations Board adopted the rules shortly after Californias passage in 1975 of the nations first law allowing farmworkers to join unions. They allow union representatives onto farmers property for an hour before work, an hour after work and during the lunch hour, for up to 40 days a year.

The state Supreme Court upheld the rules in 1976, and growers did not challenge them until 40 years later, in a suit by a strawberry grower in Siskiyou County and a grape and citrus farm in Fresno. The Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco upheld the regulations in 2019, saying the state was not interfering substantially with the owners control of their property by allowing union entry for limited periods.

Several justices seemed inclined to reject that conclusion Monday based on the courts past interpretations of federal labor law, including a 1956 ruling that employers could bar union representatives from their property if the union could contact workers through reasonable efforts by other available channels. That ruling allowed a company to prevent organizers from entering company parking lots to hand out pro-union leaflets.

Dont you win under that precedent? Justice Sonia Sotomayor asked Thompson, apparently seeking a formula for a narrow ruling that would not apply to government inspections. Justice Brett Kavanaugh said the California rules allowed more intrusion on private property than the parking-lot entries the court barred in 1956.

But the state farm labor board that granted union access 20 years later said farm labor unions faced obstacles in contacting workers outside the workplace: Many of them are migrants, their work schedules change frequently, there are no nearby public areas where they regularly gather, and they can seldom be reached at permanent addresses or telephone numbers.

The union presence authorized by the rules is not the functional equivalent of the government taking over their farm, Californias solicitor general, Michael Mongan, told the court. The union organizers are not allowed to interfere with the property or agricultural operations but only to contact workers who are not on duty and may be impossible to reach otherwise.

A ruling in Cedar Point Nursery vs. Hassid, No. 20-107, is due by the end of June.

Bob Egelko is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: begelko@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @BobEgelko
New Delhi, March 22 : Uttarakhand Chief Minister Tirath Singh Rawat advised people to procreate more if they wished to get more rations.

Addressing an event, Rawat said: "The government gave five kg of ration per person to every household, which means a family of two member gets 10 kilogram of ration, while those with 20 received a quintal (100 kilograms) of ration. But then they get jealous of each other that one got only 10 kilograms for two and another family got a quintal for 20 members. When there was time you only gave birth to two. Why not 20?" Since the outbreak of pandemic, the union government has been distributing five kilograms of food grains and one kilogram of pulses per person per household.

In the same event praising Prime Minister Narendra Modi for handling the pandemic well, Rawat said that America ruled India for 200 years.

"Who knows what would have happened to India had anyone else been the prime minister instead of Narendra Modi during this time. We would have been in a bad state. But the Prime Minister has given us relief," Rawat said.

The Uttarakhand Chief Minister said: "As compared to other countries, India is managing Covid-19 crisis better.. America, who ruled us for 200 years and ruled the world, is struggling during a pandemic.

"Over 375 lakh people died in the US. In Italy, having the best health facility in the world, over 50 lakh people have died and heading for another lockdown." Once again, Rawat was trolled on social media for his comment.

"Just another BJP leader reminding us about the value of quality education," the Congress party official Twitter handle said.

Samajwadi Party leader Juhie Singh said: "America colonised India for 200 years? When?".

Rawat, who assumed office on March 10, was criticized for his ripped jeans comment and trolled on social media. Girls and women from all age groups flooded social media with pictures of them wearing ripped jeans.

The BJP leader also faced criticism for comparing Prime Minister Modi with Lord Ram.
NHLANGANO  The announcement of the reopening of churches by Acting Prime Minister Themba Masuku left some churches confused as they found themselves constantly explaining the figures permissible.

Some churches that were visited by police officers had to explain why they had over 100 people during their services. The police had reason to believe that the number of worshippers allowed per service was limited to 100. During a visit to some churches, elders were found in a meeting with police officers who were questioning them.

Explanation

The explanation from the elders was that they were not aware that there should only be 100 congregants. We did not know that the numbers were supposed to be limited, remarked one senior member of the Church of Christ Ministries in Shiselweni. Police also visited High Praise Assemblies International where there were over 100 congregants. The leadership of the church said they did not know that the numbers were limited. In a conversation that took about 20 minutes, the police spoke to one senior member of the church who was overheard stating that they did not know. One of the police officers was seen making a call and after a couple of minutes, she told the senior member that the number was 100. The police warned and left the senior member who promised that they would correct the issue come next Sunday. The churches had practised social distancing and were registering, scanning and sanitising the worshippers as they walked in. It was noted that the membership of the church was huge.

Meanwhile, the church members stated that they were happy to be back in church and were aware that it was each and everyones responsibility to be safe. This will minimise chances of spreading the virus, said one Futhi Dlamini. She was echoed by Sipho Masilela, who stated that they wished churches would not close again. He said they prayed better together and it was important to meet. Pastor Patrick Mamba of High Praise Assemblies International said they were putting the country and its leadership in their prayers. He said they appreciated the move by government of allowing them to go back to church. We do hope the third wave wont come as it will send us back to zero, he said. It was also noted that this time around even children were present in some churches.

Lockdowns

It is worth noting that in the previous lockdowns, it was announced that children under the age of 10 years were not allowed in church. When called for a comment on the figures allowed in church, Home Affairs Principal Secretary Nhlanhla Nxumalo said no figure was mentioned by the acting PM. He stated that the church bodies were yet to meet today and discuss on the figures allowed in church. The figures were not mentioned by the acting PM in his speech as it has to be the ministry that initiates the meeting with church bodies to resolve on what works best, he said. He said even the issue of whether or not children were allowed in church would be finalised by the pastors today.
The Government of India on Monday conferred the Gandhi Peace Prize for the year 2020 on Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman in recognition of his 'outstanding contribution towards social, economic and political transformation through non-violent and other Gandhian methods'.

Sheikh Mujibur Rahman played a vibrant role in the Civil war that led to the independence of Bangladesh from Pakistan on March 26, 1971, whereafter he was first made the Prime Minister of the country. He is known as Bangladesh's 'Father of the Nation'.

Gandhi Peace Prize for the year 2020 is being conferred on Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman: Ministry of Culture



Gandhi Peace Prize is an annual award instituted by Government of India since 1995, the 125th Birth Anniversary commemoration year of Mahatma Gandhi.  ANI (@ANI) March 22, 2021

The jury meeting in which the awardee was chosen took place on March 19, 2021, and was chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and had two ex-officio members- The Chief Justice of India Sharad Arvind Bobde and the leader of the single largest opposition in the Parliament Mallikarjun Kharge in attendance, along with two eminent members- Speaker of the Lok Sabha Om Birla and the founder of Sulabh Internationational Social Service Organization.

The jury unanimously after deliberation decided to select Sheikh Mujibur Rahman as the recipient of this prize this year.

The release by the Ministry of Culture read, "The Prize recognizes the immense and unparalleled contribution of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman in inspiring the liberation of Bangladesh, bringing stability to a nation born out of strife, laying the foundation for the close and fraternal relations between India and Bangladesh and promoting peace and non-violence in the Indian subcontinent."

This comes right ahead of PM Modi's visit to Dhaka on March 26 to join in the celebrations of the golden jubilee of Bangladesh's independence and the birth centenary of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.

Gandhi Peace Prize

Gandhi Peace Prize is an annual award instituted by the Government of India since 1995, the year that marked the 125th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi. The award is open to all, regardless of nationality, race language, caste, creed and sex.

In the past few years, it has been conferred on Vivekananda Kendra (2015, Akshay Patra Foundation, India and Sulabh International (2016), Ekal Abhiyan Trust (2017), the chairman of The Nippon Foundation Yohei Sasakawa (2018) and late His Majesty Sultan Qaboos bin Said Al Said of Oman (2019).

The award carries an amount of Rs 1 crore, a citation and an exquisite traditional handicraft or handloom item.
You know, a lifetime ago, I dreamed of being a photojournalist.

Joanna Vasquez Arong has been in constant movement since she was 17, leading her to live multiple lives around the globe: from growing up in Cebu, migrating to the States and U.K. for studies, and then moving to Beijing to start her journey as a filmmaker.

Since then, shes traveled along with her stories: from attending Berlinale Talents in Berlin and filming traditional life in Zambia, just to name a few, eventually finding her way back to the Philippines. Now, she is the founder of her own company Old Fool Films and of Eskwela Haiyan  a scholarship program for students severely affected by Typhoon Yolanda (Haiyan).

I saw her film Ang Pagpakalma sa Unos (To Calm the Pig Inside) for the first time at Cinemalaya last year. I paused after the first minute, overcome with emotion after seeing the image of children playing in the rain and rubble; their joy a stark contrast to the aftermath of the typhoon around them. It was a scene that many of us who grew up in typhoon-stricken areas knew by heart, whether we liked it or not.

But more than the nostalgia, the film mixes memory and myth to make sense of the catastrophe; creating a cinematic language of survival that was both personal and universal. By combining still black and white photographs and colorful childhood drawings with footage and newsreels from the supertyphoon and the political situation, Arong contains the storm and the devastation into a filmic time-capsule  readily unleashed with each play.

"I need to tell these stories cause these arent coming out," says Arong about why she made the film. "I just wanted to share the stories I had heard." Photo by VEEJAY VILLAFRANCA/Courtesy of JOANNA VASQUEZ ARONG

The film has been screened around the world and has won several awards such as the special jury prize at last years Cinemalaya and was nominated for Online Video of the Year in the 2021 Digital Storytelling Contest of the World Press Photo contest. The winners will be announced on April 15.

I sat down with Arong days after the announcement to speak to her about the nomination, her filmmaking journey, and how she chanced upon one of the most valuable stories in recent Philippine history. The interview has been edited for length and clarity.

What was your reaction to finding out about the World Press Photo nomination?

Were very honored. I find myself with this film, To Calm the Pig Inside, working with two fabulous photojournalists  Veejay Villafranca and Piyavit Thongsa-Ard. It was Veejay who said: I think you should send in the film, and I said Okay why not? I didnt really think about it after that.

Then I got the call one night and yeah, Im very pleasantly surprised. Im really happy because I think the images that we have are really strong and poignant, besides the whole story. I mean, its difficult to capture these photos so Im happy that were recognized.

I know that you have a background in political science, economics, and international development. Do you think your training in those disciplines informs your filmmaking and the kinds of stories you're drawn to, if at all?

Absolutely.

They ask me: Do you feel like you wasted your time? I dont think so at all. I feel like all of my experiences are somehow helping me with being an independent filmmaker. As an independent filmmaker, its like youre an entrepreneur. Creatively, its only 25% of the time because Im kind of working a lot of the time on my own. But the other parts of it, are really: the research, which I still consider part of the creativity, or the budget.

I was always interested in politics, but its never been my main goal. Im more interested in personal stories. In all of my films, its always framed within a social context somehow. The way I see it, we dont really exist on our own. We kind of are informed by our experiences  whether theyre forces we have control over or dont. I think all of my films always have that dynamic or background at the minimum.

The filmmaker at Park City, Utah where "Ang Pagpakalma sa Unos" had its world premiere at the Slamdance Festival in 2020. Photo by JM RODRIGUEZ/Courtesy of JOANNA VASQUEZ ARONG

You released your first feature-length documentary Neo-Lounge in 2007 and have been making films since. What made you pivot to filmmaking and what was that transition like?

I was always interested in stories and films and art. Even in my old jobs, it was always about trying to get the story of someone or something. There was this cinematographer from Hong Kong, and I really loved his work, he was like: If you want to become a director, you really just need to live life and learn from it and somehow translate that. But on the other end of the spectrum, I had friends who said: Okay, but how are you gonna learn how to do a film? In terms of the technical aspects, they had a point.

At the time, independent Philippine cinema wasnt really the way it is now. Theres been a huge boom since then. So, I was afraid that maybe if I stayed, Id become a bit more Hollywood or I wouldnt find my style. During this period, I was really in love with Chinese films. What I especially loved about the Chinese films that I knew  from directors like Zhang Yimou and Chen Kaige  was that, when I looked them up, they hadnt really gone to the West. This was really their own voice. Maybe I could learn from that.

I decided to drop everything and just do it. You cant have one foot in and one foot out, you just gotta go. From a corporate job with a corporate flat in Manila, I sent everything home. I ended up in Beijing and I didnt have a job. I didnt speak Mandarin and I didnt know anyone in Beijing. The Beijing Film Academy was so famous, where all these fifth generation filmmakers had gone, I said: You know what? Let me see if theres a Chinese course there.

One thing I realized, at least with my trajectory, is that I never know where Im gonna end up. So when I went to Beijing, I was only planning to stay maybe 1-2 years. But after eight years of being there, I decided: maybe Ill never be Chinese, maybe its time to go back home and look for stories there.

What prompted you to tell this story about Typhoon Yolanda?

So as soon as I came back home, I had also wanted to move into fiction so I had written a script that was part of Fabrique des Cinemas du Monde in Cannes. On November 9th, we had to pitch it in France again. My flight was November 8th, which was when Typhoon Yolanda struck.

I had already planned to spend a month in France. But, just by chance, I ended up meeting a producer who was looking for a local producer to go back to the Philippines and start shooting. I was from Cebu and everything was going through Cebu. I was already in touch with so many people, so it was easy for me to come back and start scouting for places to shoot.

So in a way, I hadnt really initially thought of filming Yolanda, it kind of just happened. I was really there for a foreign film. But because I spent so much time with them and because I was one of the few Filipinos there, people would actually come to me and tell me their stories. That eventually prompted me to start a scholarship program called Eskwela Haiyan, which, again, made me spend more time in Tacloban and Guiuan and hear more stories, etc.

Eventually, I said: I need to tell these stories cause these arent coming out. I just wanted to share the stories I had heard. What Ive learned now is that some things just fall into your lap. This has been with me for a long time now and it was supposed to be a small story that I was gonna send out! And then now, it became much bigger than I had thought.

The film reminds me of Chris Markers work, specifically the 1962 film La Jetee. I was wondering, what made you tell this story through an experimental short film format?

People ask me: Did I ever think to make this a feature? And I say: No. There were a lot of stories I couldve shared, but I didnt think it needed those. It wouldve been more repetitive.

Chris Marker was a huge inspiration for this film, particularly his film Sans Soleil. I remember just being blown away because the first few minutes was about nothing but happiness. So for the opening of my film, the first image of those kids playing, thats a direct inspiration from Chris Marker. I wanted to show something more upbeat somehow rather than go into the storm right away.

But in all of my films, I actually use photographs. But this was the first time I collaborated with professional photographers. But they really managed to capture what I wanted to express, more so than the videos that I had on hand with me. So there was no question because these photographs were so poignant that Im gonna work around these photographs.

The one that has the most photographs is Veejay Villafranca. Most of his photos are actually in black and white and the reason the film ended up being black and white, except for the illustrations, was precisely because of Veejays photos. So we worked around his photos, almost. Even when I was writing the essays, I was looking at the photos. It was a give and take.

This film explores something so specific but it seems to have resonated with so many around the world. Why do you think that is?

I was actually very nervous at first because I was worried that the story was old or if it was gonna even resonate. When we had the world premiere ago at Slamdance, I remember sitting there and you know it takes so much that you almost forget why you did it. So when I sat in the audience and I was watching the big screen, I had to pinch myself from not crying! Because I was hearing all of the stories again, for the first time.

People came up to me from all walks of life. I remember someone from the U.K. coming up to me and saying: I didnt know that was a typhoon! We dont have these really. So I find it so fascinating that different people told me different things. But they found it universal in terms of the whole idea of trauma, of not being heard. This was before the pandemic blew up. I think it also touched a nerve because of what was happening with COVID.

It played and resonated in developed and developing countries. Maybe not necessarily because of the typhoon, but because there was some kind of corruption happening and affecting everybody at a local level. In general, they could relate to either the personal story  the idea of the whole grandmother or mother or secrets  or the typhoon itself because they had gone through something similar.

An aerial view of the destruction brought about by Super Typhoon Yolanda as seen in the docushort. Photo courtesy of JOANNA VASQUEZ ARONG

What do you hope to do with your filmmaking?

I'm always interested in so many different stories. But one thing Im careful of is I dont want to repeat exactly what Ive done in the past. It cannot be exactly the same. You can almost take a formula and apply it to another story, and I dont want to do that.

What I will take away from this experience with To Calm The Pig Inside, as cliche as it sounds, is that my most honest films, the ones that took a part of me, are my first film ("Neo-Lounge") and this film. Not that my other films werent honest! But a film reveals a lot about the filmmaker. I do know that Im drawn to stories of cycles and trauma. I didnt realize that until now.

Looking back now, with my first film, I ended up in competition at Karlovy Vary! But I was too busy being busy that I didnt appreciate it. Now, many years later, I have no idea whether Ill end up making another film. So, you might as well put yourself in the film or the story.

***

Ang Pagpakalma Sa Unos" (To Calm The Pig Inside) is available for viewing on the World Press Photo website until April 17, 2021.
Courtesy of Grego1402



The following is a satirical column in the form of a job application. It seeks to highlight some of the recent issues in Korean society in the lead-up to the election for the Mayor of Seoul and hopes that a better world can be created for us all going forward.



By David A. Tizzard





The city of Seoul is seeking applicants for the position of chief executive of the metropolitan government. The successful candidate will be given a budget of 40.05 trillion won for the upcoming year and provided official accommodation at the Mayor's residence in Hyehwa-dong.



The contract will run for a period of 4 years and be renewable a maximum of two times. The population of Seoul currently stands at just under 10,000,000 people.



There are a few basic requirements to be eligible for the position.



First, it is required that the successful candidate not sexually harass their co-workers, staff, or members of the public. Second, they are asked to provide written notice before terminating their contract.



Second, with construction around Gwanghwamun Square currently taking place, we ask the candidate to not politicize public spaces and turn citizens against each other, but instead ensure that all are welcome, regardless of political affiliation, and that such areas remain free of partisan politics and symbolism.



The successful candidate will also ensure that appropriately-priced housing remains available for all citizens and not just the wealthy. Furthermore, it will be imperative to ensure that insider trading and collusion do not result in one's friends and associates being able to purchase property and land at reduced prices.



The mayor will be asked to guarantee that appropriate sentences are given to those who commit crimes, particularly of a sexual or violent nature, and that the rule of law is upheld. The position no longer permits the issuing of lenient sentences based on the claim that the defendant has a family, a bright future, or was drunk at the time.






By Valerie Volcovici

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Special Presidential Envoy for Climate John Kerry will meet with his Chinese counterpart Xie Zhenhua, White House National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said on Monday.

Sullivan, speaking in an interview on MSNBC, did not give an exact date for the U.S.-China meeting on climate issues. But the two will be speaking on Tuesday at a ministerial meeting on climate action hosted by the EU, Canada and China.

The meeting will come after top Chinese and U.S. diplomats held their first meeting of Joe Bidens presidency last Thursday and Friday in Alaska and publicly rebuked each others policies.

The Chinese delegation said after the meeting that the two sides were committed to enhancing communication and cooperation in the field of climate change, Xinhua news agency said on Saturday, and would set up a joint working group on climate change.

A State Department official said in a e-mailed statement to Reuters on Sunday that while the world's two biggest greenhouse emitters will engage on climate change, they "did not form a formal working group."

The United States is expected to announce its new emission reduction target for the year 2030 under the Paris agreement by April 22, when Biden will host a world leaders' summit on climate change.

Last fall, Chinese President Xi announced that China committed to achieve net zero emissions before 2060.

The State Department official said while that target "represents a significant step forward, China is not yet on a path that will allow the world to keep a 1.5-degree Celsius limit on global temperature rise within reach, which scientists tell us is necessary to stave off the most catastrophic impacts."

(Reporting by Valerie Volcovici and Susan Heavey; Editing by Dan Grebler)
The three countries last year entered into a revamped regional trade pact, negotiated by President Donald Trump, that is expected to encourage trade and investment across North America. Canadian Pacific CEO Keith Creel said that the so-called U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement makes the efficient integration of the continents supply chains more important than ever before.'
New Delhi, March 22: More than 6 crore doses of India-made Covid-19 vaccines have been sent to as many as 76 nations so far to meet the acute shortage of doses worldwide, Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan said on Sunday.

"Until this morning, nearly 4.5 crore COVID-19 vaccine doses have been given to the people in this country. More than six crore doses have been sent to 76 nations," Vardhan said during a media interaction at the Institute of Microbial Technology (CSIR-IMTECH) in Chaindigarh.

A detailed summary of the vaccines supplied to various countries provided by Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare, Ashwini Kumar Choubey in a written reply in the Rajya Sabha on March 16 shows that Bangladesh has received the highest number of Made- in-India vaccines at 90 lakh doses. The UK and Brazil are next on the list, having received five and four million Indian vaccines, respectively. Nigeria (39.24 lakh), Myanmar (37 lakh), Nepal (23.48 lakh) and Ethiopia (21.84 lakh) have also been amongst the biggest beneficiaries of India's 'Vaccine Maitri' initiative. Canada, too, figures on the list of countries that have been supplied the vaccines while Mexico and Argentina are the other two Latin American countries, apart from Brazil, to get India-made vaccines.

India is clearly rising to the Covid-19 challenge to emerge as the "pharmacy of the world" for making vaccines which are now being supplied to countries in Asia, Africa, Latin America, Europe and North America as well.

Demand for Bharat Biotech vaccine too picks up While India has until now been exporting largely the Pune-made AstraZeneca-Oxford vaccine, the demand for its second fully home-grown vaccine, Covaxin, manufactured by Bharat Biotech has also started picking up. This will help to bridge the huge demand gap.

Nepal has given emergency authorisation to Bharat Biotech's Covid-19 vaccine, making it the third foreign country after Brazil and Zimbabwe to include the India-made shots in its inoculation campaign against the deadly pandemic.

Brazil, the world's second worst hit country by the pandemic next to the US, signed an agreement to buy 20 million doses of the Covaxin in February. Brazil's health ministry said in a statement that the first 8 million doses of the Bharat Biotech vaccine are expected to arrive in March.

Covaxin has proved to be 81% effective in an interim analysis of late-stage trial data on some 26,000 people and is one of the two vaccines being used in India's inoculation drive which is in full swing with the aim of covering 300 million people by August.

Bharat Biotech has supplied 5.5 million doses of its vaccine Covaxin, developed with the government-run Indian Council of Medical Research, to the inoculation campaign in India. The Indian government will be buying another 4.5 million doses for the ongoing domestic vaccination programme.

New vaccines coming soon Amid a crippling shortage of Covid-19 vaccines, India's vaccine makers are expected to start producing Russia's Sputnik V and the US Novavax vaccines soon to augment supplies as the pandemic continues to surge.

In fact, India is now set to become one of the biggest producers of the Sputnik V vaccine outside Russia with four companies having signed agreements to produce the shots.

Begaluru-based drugmaker Strides Pharma Science announced on Friday that its unit Stelis Biopharma has partnered with Russia's sovereign fund to make at least 200 million doses of the Sputnik V Covid-19 vaccine, making it the fourth Indian company that will be making the shots. Gland Pharma, Dr. Reddy's Laboratories Ltd and Hetero are the other Indian companies that will be producing the shots.

Sputnik V, developed by Moscow's Gamaleya Institute, has been approved in 22 countries, with the RDIF signing supply deals with over 13 countries.

Meanwhile, after having successfully manufactured the AstraZeneca-Oxford vaccine, Serum Institute of India CEO Adar Poonawalla said on Wednesday that the company expects to launch Covovax, the Covid vaccine developed by US pharma giant Novavax, by August.

(This content is being carried under an arrangement with indianarrative.com) --indianarrative/

Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19)
'Operation 300bn', a 10-year comprehensive UAE national strategy to increase the industrial sectors contribution to GDP from AED133 billion to AED300 billion has been launched by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of UAE and Ruler of Dubai.

The strategy aims to empower and expand the industrial sector to become the driving force of a sustainable national economy by 2031.

Key Strategy Objectives:

 Build an attractive business environment for local and international investors in the industrial sector

 Expand local industries and enhance competitiveness

 Stimulate innovation and leverage advanced technologies to enhance industrial production

 Position the UAE as a global industrial hub

 Support 13,500 industrial SMEs

 Increase the volume of spending on research and development in the industrial sector from AED21 billion to AED57 billion by 2031, constituting 2% of the GDP

 Improve the UAEs ranking globally from the 35th to the 25th place on the Competitive Industrial Performance Index (CIP) in the next 10 years

 Future industries to focus on: Space technology, medical supplies and pharmaceuticals, advanced technologies manufacturing, machinery and equipment, rubber and plastic, chemicals, metals, electronics and electrical gadgets

 The Strategy aligns with the In-Country Value (ICV) Program to enhance the industrial goods, boost demand for local products and increase exports

Leading the strategy, the Ministry of Industry and Advanced Technology will roll out programmes and initiatives to support 13,500 industrial small and medium enterprises (SMEs), a statement said.

Focusing primarily on future industries that implement advanced technology and the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) solutions and applications, the strategy will work towards advancing the national economy and contributing to the sustainable development.

It aims to increase the in-country value through improving and promoting local products on a global level and building an attractive business environment for local and international investors to boost productivity. The plan provides a competitive package of facilities and incentives with the aim of positioning the UAE as a global industrial hub that attracts talents, developers and experts from all over the world.

NATIONAL BRAND

HH Sheikh Mohammed also launched the Unified Industrial Brand Identity under the slogan Make It in the Emirates.

As an extension of the UAE Nation Brand, the new campaign stems from a vision based on distinction, uniqueness and the efforts to build the credentials of UAE products by enhancing their quality and global competitiveness. Ultimately, every product made in UAE will comply with the highest international quality standards and have its rightful place among the best international products.

Sheikh Mohammed said: The industrial strategy will achieve a giant leap in the UAEs industrial sector to become the main driving force of the national economy and lead the journey of our next 50 years with greater confidence and speed.

He added: The industrial sector is the backbone of large economies, and the UAE has effective resources, policies and leadership to build a global economic base.

He noted: Developing the industrial sector and achieving self-sufficiency in some vital sectors safeguards our economy against emerging global crises.

Sheikh Mohammed added: The industrial sector in the UAE has made great strides. With competitive national products we take pride in, our mission is to double our success, increase the in-country value and build an export ecosystem that enhances the global competitiveness of local products.

We aim to launch new industrial projects in a futuristic framework that creates out-of-the-box solutions to address challenges in a timely manner. Strengthening the industrial sector will establish our economic stability, global status and the future of our next generation.

HH Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, said: The industrial strategy will empower our national industries and lead the countrys efforts to advance the industrial sector as a major driver of the national economy over the next 50 years.

Presenting a giant developmental leap, he noted, the industrial sector is an essential source of economic diversification, job creation and a wider sustainable development.

He noted: We need to unify efforts of national teams to achieve the objectives of the strategy and support the countrys sustainable economic diversification efforts.

Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan stressed on the necessity to empower youth to adapt to the rapidly-growing technological advancements and harness their talents to expand vital future industrial sectors, Artificial Intelligence, space technologies, energy and pharmaceuticals. These efforts, he said, ensure a sustainable economic growth to build a safe and secure future for the next generation.

The UAE has succeeded in establishing its status as an economic capital in the region and an ideal business landscape with world-class digital infrastructure, services, security and competitive investment benefits.

He added: The industrial strategy establishes an ambitious objective to double the industrial sectors contribution to the GDP and increase the in-country value. The comprehensive national program builds on the countrys investment benefits to lead a sustainable economic development in line with national priorities for the post-Covid-19 phase.

He concluded: The industrial strategy brings together the efforts of government and private sectors to spearhead the countrys developmental sectors towards our next 50-year journey and build a future country based on a stable and solid economy.

Operation 300bn was launched at a special event held at Qasr Al Watan in Abu Dhabi in the presence of Sheikh Saif bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Interior; Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Presidential Affairs; and Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, among other delegates and officials.

Operation 300bn: Giant Industrial Leap

Presenting the Operation 300bn, Dr Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber, Minister of Industry and Advanced Technology, affirmed that the strategic national programme aims to deliver sustainable economic growth for the UAEs industrial sector by enhancing its competitiveness at a regional and global level.

He said: The strategy aims to increase the industrial sectors annual GDP contribution to AED300 billion by 2031, while boosting productivity, creating new jobs, enhancing local skillsets, and increasing national competitiveness.

Operation 300bn will support more than 13,500 SMEs by 2031, as they are major drivers of shaping a productive industrial sector and sustainable economy. More than 33,000 industrial enterprises operate in the UAE, comprising 95% of small and medium-sized businesses.

The volume of spending on Research and Development in the industrial sector will increase from AED21 billion, constituting 1.3% of the GDP, to AED57 billion in 2031, bringing the contribution to the GDP to 2%.

Operation 300bn will focus on promoting existing industries, building on their successes, and enhance their contributions to the GDP, thereby adding value to the UAE's export ecosystem. At the same time, it will focus on developing a new industrial ecosystem, primarily high-tech industries and 4IR ventures that form the basis of a knowledge-based economy.

Al Jaber noted: The strategy will build on the solid foundation of the UAEs core competencies and unique advantages as a regional logistics, energy and manufacturing hub to enhance the countrys competitiveness at a regional and global level. It will significantly accelerate the process of economic diversification already underway in key industrial sectors; namely industries, where the UAE already has an established presence and expertise, including energy, petrochemicals, plastics, metals and manufacturing; sectors that reinforce the countrys resilience and reduce dependence on global supply chains, such as food, agriculture, water, and healthcare; and industries of the future, including space, biotech, medi-tech and other sectors that are enabled by 41R technologies.

Future industries that the strategy will focus on are: Space technology, medical supplies and pharmaceuticals, clean and renewable energy (hydrogen production), machinery and equipment, Rubber and plastic, chemicals, metals, advanced technologies manufacturing, electronics and electrical gadgets and food and beverage.

He added: A key enabler of the strategy will be updating the existing law that regulates industrial affairs in the UAE to encourage local entrepreneurs and attract Foreign Direct Investment. This will allow for 100 per cent foreign ownership of individual enterprises. In addition, SME growth will be targeted by making more flexible, preferred financing available through a number of facilities.

Al Jaber also highlighted: The UAE boasts a vibrant and enabling industrial ecosystem with all the requisite elements to accelerate further growth. Companies in the UAEs industrial sector have contributed significantly to our progress to date, and they are vital to our relentless efforts to diversify the economy sustainably. This new strategy will only further empower their capacity to contribute to our growth.

Al Jaber noted that Operation 300bn aims to increase the UAEs global ranking on the Competitive Industrial Performance Index (CIP).

Through Operation 300bn, we aim to leverage the UAEs unique competitive advantages and its global standing as a leading economic hub, to further support entrepreneurs and investors with a more attractive regulatory framework, flexible financing solutions, and other pro-growth policies.

The industrial strategy aligns with the In-Country Value (ICV) Program, which aims to enhance the in-country value of industrial goods and services, boost demand for local products, promote investment in R&D and incentivize advanced technology adoption across the value chain. It also seeks to boost the UAEs exports while ensuring reducing reliance on imports and increasing the contribution of industrial SMEs in the national economy.

Al Jaber also highlighted: Among its key initiatives, the new strategy is set to significantly increase in-country value and redirect funds into the local economy. Furthermore, it will drive the development of specifications and standards to ensure the continued competitiveness and value of locally manufactured products fit for global export markets.

He addressed the current challenges facing the industrial sector including the impact of Covid-19 pandemic, the rapidly-changing technological sphere that calls for a swift adaptation, and the rising regional transformations in line with the new globalization trends that produce a critical need to achieve self-sufficiency in viral industries and prepare for emerging challenges that may hurdle the supply chain.

The Covid-19 pandemic has compelled countries around the world to redefine their priorities. The UAE has demonstrated great resilience and agility in its post-pandemic recovery. In order to ensure the UAEs continued competitiveness, and maintain its strong international standing, as the country embarks on preparations for the next 50 years, Operation 300bn is focused on knowledge, innovation, advanced technology, and Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) solutions and applications. The strategy will significantly reduce the UAEs reliance on imports in vital industries as it supports the building of new capabilities in future industries, he added.

Implementing this strategy successfully will require a concerted effort from all stakeholders to collaborate and integrate their capabilities. Increased cooperation and coordination between the public and private sector will positively impact the growth and development of the industrial and advanced technology sectors. -TradeArabia News Service
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What's in the Defence Command Paper? An overall investment of 85billion on equipment over the next four years. British Army to receive extra 3billion for new vehicles, drones and electronic warfare capabilities. A new 120million Ranger Regiment made up of four battalions to support UK Special Forces. Royal Navy to get new Multi-Role Ocean Surveillance ship by 2024 to protect underwater infrastructure like internet cables. Royal Marines to receive 200million investment over next decade to create Future Command Force - will be forward deployed to conduct specialist maritime security operations. A 2billion investment in Future Combat Air System to help develop crewed, uncrewed and autonomous aircraft, including swarming drones and new Tempest fighter jet. Some 60million spent over next four years to develop novel weapons, artificial intelligence and space-based capabilities. Newly-set up Space Command, National Space Operations Centre and Space Academy to get 1.4billion investment. Some 1.3billion invested on improving single living accommodation and 1.4billion on wraparound childcare. Advertisement

Defence Secretary Ben Wallace today confirmed a 10,000 troop cut to the British Army as he claimed new technology means 'greater effect can be delivered by fewer people'.

Mr Wallace said the overall number of soldiers will shrink to 72,500 by 2025 as he hit out at critics for playing 'top trumps' over military numbers amid widespread criticism of the move.

He told the House of Commons that 'as the threat changes, we must change with it' as he set out the Government's plans for a major overhaul of the Armed Forces which is designed to ensure it is 'truly threat-oriented'.

Mr Wallace said: 'The army's increased deployability and technological advantage will mean that greater effect can be delivered by fewer people.

'I have therefore taken the decision to reduce the size of the Army from today's current strength of 76,500 trained personnel to 72,500 by 2025.

'The Army has not been at its established strength of 82,000 since the middle of the last decade. These changes will not require redundancies.'

The cut to the size of the Army will leave Boris Johnson open to accusations of breaking a general election promise after he said in November 2019: 'We will not be cutting our armed services in any form. We will be maintaining the size of our armed services.'

Responding to the troop cut, shadow defence secretary John Healey said: 'The decision to cut the army by another 10,000 is a mistake, it could seriously limit our Forces' capacity simultaneously to deploy overseas, support allies and maintain strong national defences and resilience.'

The cut was also condemned by Tobias Ellwood, the Tory chairman of the Defence Select Committee, who welcomed new investment in modern technologies like cyber capabilities but warned the spending was being paid for by making cuts to more traditional forces.

He said: 'They come at a huge price to our conventional defence posture with dramatic cuts to our troop numbers, tanks, armoured fighting vehicles and over 100 RAF aircraft including fast jets and heavy lift - cuts, which if tested by a parliamentary vote, I don't believe would pass.'

Mr Wallace today unveiled the Government's eagerly-awaited defence Command Paper which spells out how ministers intend to modernise Britain's forces following the publication of the overarching Integrated Review on foreign policy and security last week.

The Command Paper signals a significant shift in the UK's approach to defence, with ministers investing billions of pounds in the technology of the future while retiring some of the nation's ageing aircraft and armoured vehicles, including the first tranche of Typhoon fighter jets by 2025.

For example, at least 6.6billion will be spent on research and development over the next four years to come up with 'next generation capabilities' which will include 'directed energy weapons and swarming drones'.

Meanwhile, more than 2billion will be invested over the next four years in the Future Combat Air System which is expected to deliver a mix of manned, unmanned and autonomous aircraft.

The widely anticipated cut to the size of the Army had sparked a raft of warnings ahead of the official announcement.

The former head of the US military, Admiral Mike Mullen, said the cut was a 'huge concern' as he warned the UK will be 'getting very close to not being able to contribute' on the world stage.

The ex-head of the British Army, Richard Dannatt, warned the cut would mean the UK would no longer be able to engage in two major separate operations at the same time.

And former British colonel Richard Kemp said the reduction would be a 'huge mistake' and could 'endanger the defence of this country'.

The publication of the Command Paper came amid a rumbling political row over the Government's decision to increase the size of the UK's nuclear arsenal at the same time as cutting some traditional capabilities.

Mr Johnson had earlier today insisted during a visit to BAE Systems in Preston that there will be 'no redundancies' when he was asked how he would reassure the UK's allies about falling troop numbers.

The Government's plan means that instead of a redundancy programme there will just be fewer people recruited to replace those soldiers who leave the Army each year.

Mr Johnson said: 'We don't want to fight wars. We want to deter them and we want to be useful around the world in partnership with our friends to keep the peace.

'To do that you need strong, robust armed services of the kind that we are investing in for the long term, not just for military purposes though that is absolutely crucial, but for very, very good economic reasons as well.'

Boris Johnson, pictured during a visit to BAE Systems in Preston, insisted there will be 'no redundancies' when asked about falling troop numbers. Reports suggest the Government will not replace every soldier who leaves the Army, resulting in a shrinking force

Defence Secretary Ben Wallace will today unveil his Command Paper for the future of the UK's Armed Forces but he is already facing a backlash over an expected cut to the size of the Army

Former head of the British Army Richard Dannatt (pictured left) warned cutting troop numbers by 10,000 would mean the UK would no longer be able to engage in two major separate operations at the same time while ex-US military chief Mike Mullen said the cut would leave the UK Arm 'pretty small'

How big are the UK's Armed Forces and how do they compare with other countries? The total strength of the full-time UK Armed Forces was estimated at 156,600 at the start of January this year, according to a House of Commons Library briefing. Just over half of those people serve in the Army (56 per cent) with the remainder equally split between the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force. Just over 30,000 of those personnel were officers and 126,400 were other ranks. At the start of this year all branches of the Armed Forces were below a Government target set in 2015. The full-time trained strength was just over 135,000 - that is almost 9,000 lower than the target for 2020. An international comparison of total armed forces personnel shows the UK already trails significantly behind some of its global counterparts. Data published by the International Institute for Strategic Studies think tank stated the UK's overall fighting force was 148,450 in 2018. That was significantly lower than neighbouring France with 304,800. The United States had 1.38million, Russia had 1.5million and China had 2.7million. Advertisement

Mr Wallace said yesterday that he was not willing to 'get into the speculation' on troop numbers but insisted the Armed Forces will be the 'right size' to counter modern threats.

He today warned against playing 'top trumps' with military personnel numbers as he confirmed the cut in the size of the Army.

The Defence Secretary recalled his past army experience and how during his time as a soldier the UK could supposedly have fielded three armoured divisions in Germany but 'in reality could muster much less'.

He told MPs: 'It was in truth a hollow force. That is why while I know some colleagues would rather play top trumps with our force numbers, there's no point boasting about numbers of regiments when you send them to war in snatched Land Rovers or simply counting the number of tanks when our adversaries are developing new ways to defeat them.'

Mr Wallace said the aim of the Command Paper is to 'seek out and understand future threats', and invest in the capabilities needed to defeat them.

The Defence Secretary said that previous reviews of the Armed Forces had been 'overambitious and underfunded', leaving forces 'overstretched and under-equipped'.

He said fresh Government funding will 'turn our current forces into credible ones, modernising for the threats of the 2020s and beyond and contributing to national prosperity in the process'.

'It marks a shift from mass mobilisation to information age speed, readiness and relevance for confronting the threats of the future,' he added.

Spelling out proposed changes to the Armed Forces, Mr Wallace said E-3D Sentry early warning aircraft will be replaced by a 'more capable fleet' of three E-7 Wedgetail in 2023.

He confirmed the UK's fleet of C-130J Hercules aircraft will retire in 2023 after 24 years' service, to be replaced by 22 A400Ms alongside the C-17.

Meanwhile, nine Reaper drones supporting counter-terror operations will be replaced by Protectors in 2024.

Mr Wallace also pledged 2billion to be invested in 'future combat air systems' over the next four years, with development also taking place of 'combat drone swarm technologies'.

Some 148 of the UK's main battle tanks will be upgraded through a 1.3billion investment 'to ensure the Challenger III will become one of the most protected and most lethal in Europe', according to the Command Paper.

But the remaining fleet will be retired while the Warrior tank will no longer be upgraded.

Speaking before the confirmation of the cut to troop numbers, Admiral Mullen told the BBC's Radio 4 Today programme that reducing the size of the British Army would harm the UK's ability to make a 'sustained contribution' to allied military efforts.

He said: 'I have been through just with my own counterparts years ago these reviews seemingly with new government after new government and the army seems to always get smaller.

'I have said for the last several years, I mean at some point in time you need to be able to actually do something with your capabilities, including the army.

'To me, it is not for me to say, but you are getting very close to not being able to contribute, quite frankly, and sustained contribution.

'It is one thing to just go somewhere for a short operation. As we sadly found out in the last two decades none of these operations end quickly.

'So it is a huge concern as I would look at it as an ally and somebody that I depend on to be able to provide capability. At some point you are just not going to be able to do that anymore.'

Asked if his concerns were shared by current US military chiefs, he said he did not know but added: 'One of the numbers that I sort of have in my head is if you get to 72,000 or 70,000 whatever the number is, that basically the British Army is about the size of the US Special Forces and that is obviously for all of you in the UK, the leaders in the UK, to make that decision. But it is getting pretty small.'

Lord Dannatt had echoed a similar sentiment, telling Times Radio: 'With the Army at some 72 or so thousand, we would in my view not be able to mount the same size operations that we had in Iraq and Afghanistan concurrently.

'We could do one of those operations and sustain it for several years but we couldn't two at the same time.'

Colonel Kemp had told ITV's Good Morning Britain programme: 'There's a problem with cutting the numbers because the Armed Forces in terms of numbers and men and women, tanks, aircrafts and ships is already far too low to deal with the kind of situations we could be faced with.

'To cut it further I think is a huge mistake and does endanger the defence of this country.

'There's simply not enough money in the defence budget to both fund all of the new measures that are needed and also not neglect the more conventional forces that we still have to have.

'To a very large extent I think it's about deterrents. If you fail to show political will in being able to maintain large enough armed forces, I think it does encourage potential enemies to have a go at you.'

While criticising the cuts, Colonel Kemp defended the Government's intention to increase its nuclear deterrent programme.

He said: 'When you look at the fact that Russia has developed new defensive capabilities against nuclear missile attacks and also further developed its own nuclear offensive capability, I think we have no choice but to adapt our nuclear capability to deal with that.'

Colonel Kemp also warned that China poses the greatest threat to global peace.

The expected cut of 10,000 troops over the next decade would leave the British Army with approximately 72,500 soldiers

Patrol vessel HMS Trent is set to be permanently deployed in Gibraltar in a bid to support NATO and crack down on piracy off the coast of West Africa

He said: 'Russia represents a threat, certainly in the short term to us, not necessarily in the long term, but that threat is almost irrelevant compared to the long term and significantly greater threat that China presents not just to this country to the entire western world.

'That threat comes from its growing military, it's been growing its military forces at a frightening rate.'

The Government's Integrated Review set out plans to increase the UK's nuclear weapons arsenal but Mr Johnson is facing a backlash as Tory MPs and Labour question why more money is being spent on extra missiles.

Ministers had previously committed to reducing the nuclear stockpile to a maximum of 180 by the middle of the decade but now the number of weapons will be allowed to grow to up to 260.

Mr Ellwood told MailOnline there was an 'absence of clarity' about why money was being committed to boosting the nuclear deterrent instead of conventional forces.

He said: 'If you are going up by 60 warheads, what is the cost to that bearing in mind there is going to be a significant hit to our conventional capability, our conventional hardware  is that justified?

'If we are losing tanks, armoured fighting vehicles, 10,000 troops as has been suggested, and there's money to pay for 60 new missiles, when as a nuclear deterrent it is already a pretty solid statement  that is a political question that requires an answer from government.'

One senior Labour MP said the 'lead supposition' was that there are concerns more warheads are needed to guarantee the effectiveness of the deterrent.

Sir Keir Starmer said this morning that Mr Johnson was yet to make the case for the extra missiles.

He told LBC Radio: 'It is why has this Prime Minister gone against the trend and the international commitment to reduce the number and actually successive prime ministers of all parties.

'Cross-party, successive prime ministers whether they are Labour or Tory have said we need to, whilst maintaining the deterrent, reduce the number, this is the first time I think it has gone up and this Prime Minister need to answer the question why that is.'

A decision by the Government to increase the UK's arsenal of nuclear weapons has sparked a political backlash. The Trident missile carrying HMS Victorious is pictured off the west coast of Scotland in April 2013

It emerged over the weekend that the defence shake-up will see Britain's Special Forces tasked with countering hostile state activity by the likes of Russia.

The head of the Army, General Sir Mark Carleton-Smith, said the Special Air Service (SAS) and Special Boat Service (SBS) will be put on a 'different trajectory'.

The overhaul could see Special Forces soldiers operating alongside MI6 to mount surveillance operations against Russian intelligence and military units.

The Army chief said some of the traditional roles fulfilled by the Special Forces would now be taken over by a new Ranger Regiment.

Mr Wallace has pledged additional investment for 'intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance' as well as for electronic warfare under the Command Paper.

The National Cyber Force will also be expanded, there will be a new Space Command to co-ordinate military and commercial operation and the Royal Navy will get a new Multi Role Ocean Surveillance ship (MROSS) protect vital undersea cables.

The publication of the paper came as it emerged that a Royal Navy warship will be deployed permanently off the coast of Gibraltar for the first time.

According to The Telegraph, the HMS Trent, a Royal Navy patrol vessel capable of carrying Merlin helicopters, will be sent to support NATO and crack down on piracy in the Gulf of Guinea, West Africa.

The Navy will also deploy a spy ship to prevent Russian submarines damaging undersea cables that could potentially sabotage internet connections.
India's economic growth increased 100 basis points (bps) between FY13 and FY19, courtesy a 16 point improvement in its ranking on corruption perception Index, a report shows. This decline in corruption levels also translated into better foreign direct investment (FDI) inflows, it further added.

A recent Ecowrap report by State Bank of India (SBI) economists correlates decline in corruption levels to economic growth. The report established that the nation was ranked 77th on the TRACE Bribery Risk Matrix in November 2020, improving from 185th in 2014. TRACE is an anti-bribery standard setting organisation that measures business bribery risk in 194 countries, territories, and autonomous and semi-autonomous regions.

Claiming that corruption levels have fallen since 2014 "solely due to government has mandated to remove corruption and bribery from all sections of society", the report presents a cross-country analysis of change in corruption levels and economic growth to establish a link between the two.

ALSO READ: Fitch raises India's FY22 GDP growth projection to 12.8% from 11%

The SBI Ecowrap report states that India saw a 16-rank improvement in corruption perception index by Transparency International, from 94 in 2012 (FY13) to 78 in 2018 (FY19). During the same period, the nation recorded rise of 100 bps in economic growth, with GDP growth in FY19 pegged at 6.5 per cent.

The report further gives examples of Egypt, Ukraine, Paraguay and Austria, which saw rise in economic growth with lower corruption levels. "Interestingly, countries like Russia, South Africa, Brazil, Turkey, China have slipped in the overall ranking have faced a lower economic growth," the report further states.

"Apparently, the improvement in corruption level in India has translated into FDI inflows. Data shows there has been a significant improvement in foreign investor confidence towards India. Net FDI inflows to India have increased by 263 per cent in the last decade ($11.8 billion in FY11 to $43.0 billion in FY20). During FY12 to FY18, net FDI has increased by 37 per cent. In the current year so far (April-November, FY21), net FDI has grew by 27.5 per cent to $34 billion compared to last year," the report states.

ALSO READ: Moody's Analytics sees India's GDP growth at 12% in 2021

Suggesting further amendment to Prevention of Corruption Act, the report proposes to "declare the act of giving a bribe as legitimate activity", implying that "the giver of a harassment bribe should have full immunity from any punitive action by the state. But the person, taking the bribe should be punished." Presently, the Act criminalises both giving and taking bribes.

"Under our proposed law, when a person gives a bribe, he will try to keep evidence of the act of bribery so that immediately after the bribery she can turn informer and get the bribe taker caught. The upshot of this is that the bribe taker will never take the bribe in the first place. In this way, we can actually achieve a Nash Equilibrium with an optimal payoff for the society," SBI economists said.

ALSO READ: Indian economy estimated to grow by 5%; record stronger recovery in 2021, says UNCTAD
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Asian Americans are victims of more hate crimes recently. This has increased this year but only a few incidents. Americans of ancestry have been reporting more violence against them. It is a trend that is going up a bit.

Asian Americans are getting wary

Hate crime is serious when it is race-related such as the numbers reported in 2019 by law enforcement agencies. These reports from the police and the FBI said it increased to 148 reports in 2018, reported the Epoch Times.

According to the FBI, the reports on 2020 will be released in the fall. It covers only 16 of the biggest US cities, according to the California State University (CSU). The released PDF increased to 122 more (2020) from 49 reports (2019) earlier.

The Atlanta Massage Parlor March 16, killed several people including six Asian workers. A 21-year-old man was the shooter.

The identified victims were six Chinese women who worked there illegally. Police say the shooter always went to parlors for their services. He said he wanted to erase the temptation to go there.

No motive was found to be anti-Asian, which the media says. The media says the killer did not hate the Chinese or anything related to COVID-19 which originated from Wuhan, in China.

According to the CSU, it says the crimes show more anti-Asian Americans facing hate crimes. Whether it is widespread in the US, police data is not available. Whatever the media says or left-oriented institutions say, it's not sure.

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Attempts to check the data for New York City showed one hate crime. It happened in 2019 when 27 incidents were reported in 2020 from the source. CSU pointed 3 reports in 2019 and 28 more in 2020. When the CSU was asked for comment, they declined.

Universities where the author studies incidents like it should give the facts. Too often, others say that anti-Asian acts of violence are unclear. The authors should explain results.

FBI data in 2019 say that anti-Asian sentiment crimes (2.2%) are a small number. The US population has only 6%, which are of Asian origin. When it comes to hate crimes, that is unlikely to happen to them.

Not all hate crimes are reported, said the police. A guess of 45% of hate crimes are not reported, said a survey in 2015. The Bureau of Justice Statistics (pdf) provided data for everyone to check.

Authorities want stiffer penalties to stop hate crimes altogether. It is caused by animosity to race, religion, and sexual orientation, hard to define too. Those guilty of hate crime are mostly a nuisance that's not a physical attack.

Usually, damage to property that about 30% of the incidents, the Atlanta Parlor shooting is an exception and a spin of biased media. Some source alleged that most hate crimes are a hoax. An analysis in 2017 by Wilfred Reilly proposed an explanation for Asian Americans in hate crimes.

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Report: CCP has Linked to Australia's Largest Chinese Media Outlets, Connected to Beijing's United Front

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Metro Manila (CNN Philippines Life, 22 March)  Were encouraged to maintain our bubbles as much as possible now that COVID-19 cases are continually spiking. Here are four events that can make our time worthwhile in the meantime.

Babae at Bayanihan

Celebrate the culmination of Womens Month with a virtual concert featuring Kitchie Nadal, Barbie Almalbis, Juris Fernandez, Sitti, Aia De Leon, Cookie Chua, Bayang Barrios at ang Naliyagan, and other artists.

The event is on Friday, Mar. 26 at 8 p.m. through Senator Risa Hontiveros Facebook page.

Interviewing the Interviewers

On Saturday, Mar. 27, watch a webinar discussing the works and practice of Filipino modernist Nena Saguil through her interviewers Nick Deocampo, Cid Reyes, and Ambeth Ocampo. The event is part of the Nena Saguil: Interviews part of UP Vargas Museums Proto/Para: Rethinking Curatorial Work exhibition.

The event will be streamed through the UP Vargas Museum Facebook page.

The Real H.R. Ocampo

Ayala Museums virtual exhibit The Real H.R. Ocampo is still ongoing until Apr. 30. It is a re-mounting of the 2013 exhibit of the same name and features 51 paintings, works on paper, and drawings.

The exhibits regular rate is P300. Discounted rates for seniors and students are P215 and P180 respectively. A season pass is also available.

For more details, check the exhibit page.

After Exertion

Futurist recently opened the group show After Exertion online featuring AK Ocol, Dina Gadia, War Espejo, Anton Belardo, Bayani Galera, Clarissa Gonzalez, and Olivia dAboville.

The works are available for viewing and purchase through the Futurist website.
Pashinian held a number of meetings and public rallies in different rural communities as part of his Saturday trip to Armenias western Aragatsotn province.

Addressing scores of his supporters just two days after announcing that early parliamentary elections in Armenia will be held on June 20, Pashinian raised a number of issues that observers say may become part of the future campaign, including his vision of the countrys relations with the neighbors in the region after last years war in Nagorno-Karabakh.

In his public remarks Pashinian also slammed his political opponents, including former presidents Levon Ter-Petrosian and Serzh Sarkisian.

Critics also claim that as the incumbent prime minister, Pashinian has been using administrative resources, including services of local officials, to organize such meetings with the public.

Nazeli Baghdasarian, a member of the pro-Pashinian My Step alliance in parliament, countered that the prime minister has held similar rallies also before.

During his entire time in office as prime minister, Pashinian has held similar meetings in different communities. He also had a similar meeting in another region the previous weekend, which was not covered by media, she said.

Baghdasarian argued that if holding rallies is regarded as an early campaign, then the opposition Homeland Salvation Movement, which has been holding rallies in Yerevan and in provinces to demand Pashinians resignation, has been campaigning for months.

Artur Khachatrian, a member of the Armenian Revolutionary Federation (Dashnaktsutyun), which is part of the Homeland Salvation Movement that comprises over a dozen political parties and groups, meanwhile, described Pashinians rallies as electioneering accompanied with the heavy use of administrative resources.

I do not pay taxes for Pashinian to gather hundreds of police officers around him or deploy thousands of police officers to close a town. He is using the administrative lever and is doing something that he is not supposed to be doing, Khachatrian charged.

Naira Zohrabian, a member of the opposition Prosperous Armenia faction in parliament, also sees Pashinians recent meetings with the public as an early start of an election campaign. I definitely agree with the assessments that Pashinian uses administrative resources and is campaigning, but, frankly, I am surprised that human rights activists, politicians, political analysts, media continue to be surprised by this. He [Pashinian] will go to any length to retain his power, she said.

My Steps Baghdasarian said, however, that My Step has not unveiled its official election platform and that otherwise the current election laws do not regard meetings of politicians with members of the public as an election campaign.
It was announced today that Quintain has received planning permission to construct 235 new homes at Aderrig in Adamstown, West Dublin. The 17 acre site will include 159 houses and 76 apartments set in communal green open spaces, as well as being adjacent to Airlie Park and Tandys Lane Park.



The site has a gross development value in excess of 80 million and construction is targeted to commence in April with the first homes coming to market in October 2021. Aderrig is located beside Quintains Tandys Lane Village and Somerton phase 2 developments, and combined the three schemes will deliver over 700 new homes.

The second phase of Quintains Somerton development, where 237 homes are being constructed, is due to go on sale shortly through agents Savills.

Construction of 245 new homes at Tandys Lane is due to commence once the public health restraints on construction activity are lifted, having received planning permission in July 2020. The first phase of Tandys Lane will include over 2 acres of green open space, while there is also provision for the construction of a new national school to serve future residents. The development is located near the amenities of Lucan town centre, as well as transport links offered by the M4 and N4 and Adamstown rail station.

Quintain owns 220 acres in the Adamstown/Lucan area, where it plans to develop over 4,000 new homes and 600,000 sq.ft. of commercial space. The companys broader land portfolio covers 460 acres of prime assets in Ireland at Adamstown, Clonburris, Portmarnock, and Cherrywood, and when developed will make Quintain the third largest residential developer in the country.



Commenting on the project, Joint Managing Partner of Quintain Ireland, Michael Hynes said, "We are very pleased for our latest development in Adamstown to receive planning permission adding a further 235 new homes to this vibrant community. With green open spaces, access to schools, and excellent retail amenities nearby, Aderrig will be a lasting community for families to call home. With Aderrig now planning approved, construction at Tandys Lane due to commence shortly, and Somerton phase 2 under construction, Quintain has a pipeline of over 700 much needed new homes for the Adamstown area in progress."

Source: www.businessworld.ie


Hurricane season 2021 is here: How do storms get their names?
A father-of-four has appeared before the non-jury Special Criminal Court accused of laundering crime cash through spending at a five-star Dublin hotel and by carrying out renovations to his home.

Graham Whelan (38), with an address at Walkinstown Avenue, Walkinstown, Dublin, appeared before the three-judge court today charged with 10 non-scheduled offences that include charges related to drug trafficking.

The court was told that Mr Whelan refused to deal with the arresting officer when he attempted to explain the substance of the charges to him.

Mr Whelan is charged with converting, transferring, handling, acquiring, possessing or using money in the amounts of 1,275 and 2,140 at the Intercontinental Hotel, Ballsbridge, Dublin 4, on January 31, 2019, knowing or believing or being reckless as to whether the property was the proceeds of criminal conduct. The amount of 2,140 was paid for a room at the five-star hotel.

He is also charged with converting, transferring, handling, acquiring, possessing or using an Audemers Piguet Royal Oak Gentleman's watch at the same time and location, knowing or believing or being reckless as to whether the property was the proceeds of criminal conduct.

Mr Whelan is further charged with possessing or controlling an article to wit a tick list in circumstances giving rise to a reasonable inference that he possessed or controlled it for a purpose connected with the commission, preparation, facilitation or instigation of a drug trafficking offence on the same occasion.

He is also accused of possessing or controlling an article to wit a BQ Aquarius mobile phone in circumstances giving rise to a reasonable inference that he possessed or controlled it for a purpose connected with the commission, preparation, facilitation or instigation of a drug trafficking offence on the same occasion.

In addition, Mr Whelan is charged with possessing cocaine and cannabis in a room at the hotel on the same date. He is also charged with possessing cannabis on Walkinstown Avenue on May 1, 2019.

The defendant is further charged with concealing and disguising the true nature or source of money used in the improvement and/or refurbishment of property at Walkinstown Avenue between August 21, 2018, and May 1, 2019, knowing or believing or being reckless as to whether the property was the proceeds of criminal conduct.

Finally, Mr Whelan is accused of converting, transferring, handling, acquiring, possessing or using money in the improvement and/or refurbishment of the property between the same dates, knowing or believing or being reckless as to whether the property was the proceeds of criminal conduct.

Detective Garda Donal Donoghue gave evidence to the Special Criminal Court of Mr Whelan's arrest, charge and caution. He told State Solicitor Ciara Vibien that he arrested the accused on Walkinstown Avenue at 12.35pm this afternoon.

The detective said he then met the accused man in the precincts of the court later today, where he handed him a copy of the original charge sheet.

He told the court: "I attempted to explain the substance of the charges to him however he did not want to deal with me."

After informing Mr Whelan that he would be brought before the Special Criminal Court today, Det Gda Donoghue said the accused man refused to take a copy of the charge sheet and a copy of the Director of Public Prosecution's certificate from him.

"I handed a copy of both to the accused's solicitor," he added.

The detective told Keith Spencer BL, defending, that he was objecting to bail and was in a position to furnish his objections to the defence later today.

Mr Whelan, who appeared before the court wearing a blue jacket with a fur hood and trousers, stood as requested when the court registrar began to read the 10 charges to him.

Mr Spencer asked the non-jury court for the bail application to be dealt with today as he said the charges clearly related to 2018 and 2019 and his client had remained in the jurisdiction since then.

The detective agreed with counsel that his client's solicitor had previously written to gardai indicating that the accused was able to present himself at a garda station if he was to be charged.

Ms Vibien told the three-judge panel that gardai had serious objections to bail and had concerns about Mr Whelan's access to money saying: "For this reason gardai wish to make enquiries in advance of that."

She asked for him to be remanded in custody until Wednesday morning.

"Mr Whelan doesn't consent for a remand in custody for two days so that they can get their house in order. I would submit given this man's right to liberty, the court should hear the bail application today," outlined Mr Spencer.

The defence barrister said his client only proposed to reside at his home address in Walkinstown, where he cared for his four children and explained to the court that the accused man's wife had passed away recently. "It's for that reason why we are applying for bail today," he said.

Mr Justice Michael MacGrath, presiding, sitting with Judge Sinead Ni Chulachain and Judge Dermot Dempsey, remanded the accused in custody until Wednesday morning, when a bail application will be made to the court.




This post is part of a series sponsored by Worldwide Facilities, LLC.

In 2020, cannabis spending hit $29 billion. By 2024, global cannabis market revenues are expected to surpass $42 billion. As a result of all this spend, the number of cannabis stocks and exchange traded funds has increased exponentially over the past two years.

Despite the interest, the biggest obstacle to capitalizing on the cannabis industry by way of investing depends on what extent marijuana will be legalized  on both a state-by-state basis and on the federal level. As we begin to see more states legalize cannabis, theres little doubt that even more new opportunities for investing in the industry will open up.

Investment Opportunities Ahead

Today, the number of marijuana-related companies trading on public stock exchanges remains relatively small. According to a recent article by Investopedia, while investors in the U.S. have the option of working with over-the-counter exchanges, many of the most successful businesses in the early legal cannabis space are based in Canada or other countries. The source goes on to note that if cannabis becomes legal on the national level, companies would be free to list their stocks on all U.S. exchanges, creating more liquidity and providing access for those looking to invest.

When it comes to cannabis stocks, the investing website MoneyMorning.com identifies three primary types of companies to invest in. They include:

1. Companies that Grow the Product

Cannabis growers often make and sell marijuana-based products or run dispensaries, and are also frequently marijuana distributors.

2. Companies that Specialize in Medical Marijuana

This includes developing drugs that use the ingredients found in cannabis to treat medical conditions. Experts predict massive growth potential for cannabis biotech companies looking to expand into this sector as more people buy CBD-based products.

3. Companies that Produce Ancillary Cannabis Goods and Services

These companies help support cannabis businesses by contributing to a companys bottom line and by presenting opportunities for growth in the future. They allow investors to gain access to the cannabis industrys investment potential without the volatility of investing in a new sector.

As the legalization of cannabis expands, well likely see more investment opportunities  and successes  in this emerging and growing industry.

If you are a retail agent or broker with clients in the cannabis, hemp or nutraceutical industry, its important to work with a wholesaler that is an expert in this space. At NutraRisk, a division of Worldwide Facilities, we are cannabis industry experts with access to liability insurance programs serving a wide range of business types and target markets.

To learn more about our cannabis and nutraceutical markets and programs, contact Norman Ives at nives@wwfi.com or 206-538-5290.

Disclaimer: This article is not meant to provide investing advice. Please contact your financial advisor when considering investment matters.

Topics Cannabis
ALAMEDA, Calif., March 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The Housing Authority of the City of Alameda (AHA) is breaking ground on a re-development project at Rosefield Village. AHA has owned Rosefield Village since 1956 and will oversee all aspects of the re-development. When construction is completed in mid-2022, the site density will have increased from 53 units to 92 units.

Located at 727 Buena Vista Ave., with convenient access to services and public transportation, Rosefield Village, is a mixed income family housing development that offers affordable housing options for Alameda's low-income residents. In addition, Alameda Unified School District (AUSD) employees who earn 20% to 80% of the area's median income will be eligible to apply to live in the apartments.

"By increasing site density at Rosefield Village, the Housing Authority can continue its mission of providing affordable housing options for Alameda's low-income residents and the synergy with AUSD makes this project even more impactful for Alamedans." stated Vanessa Cooper AHA Executive Director.

City of Alameda Mayor Marilyn Ezzy Ashcraft and Alameda County Supervisor Wilma Chan celebrated (virtually) the groundbreaking of Rosefield Village. To view the virtual groundbreaking video, please visit this link https://vimeo.com/525144548

Funding sources for Rosefield Village include the California Tax Credit Allocation Committee and the California Debt Limit Allocation Committee, the City of Alameda HOME and CDBG Program, the County of Alameda A1 Bond Funds, a Bank of America construction loan, a Freddie Mac permanent mortgage services by Greystone Servicing Company, former redevelopment funds through the Alameda Unified School District, Housing Authority of the City of Alameda loan funds, general partner equity investment from Island City Development, and limited partner equity investment from Enterprise Housing Credit Investments LLC. The General Contractor is JH Fitzmaurice Inc.

About AHA

For over 75 years, The Housing Authority of the City of Alameda has provided a range of housing assistance to low-income households. The primary goal of the Housing Authority is to provide quality, affordable, and safe housing in the City of Alameda. Our programs include Housing Choice Vouchers, Project-Based Vouchers, specialized housing assistance, Family Self-Sufficiency, affordable real estate development, community development projects, resident services, and management of AHA owned property.

CONTACT: Joshua Altieri (Community Relations Manager)

PHONE: (510) 747-4321

EMAIL: [email protected]

SOURCE The Housing Authority of the City of Alameda

Related Links

http://www.alamedahsg.org


New Delhi, March 22 : Bengal's identity is central to both the BJP and Trinamool election manifestos for the West Bengal Assembly polls. Even as the ruling Trinamool Congress in its manifesto says "Protect Bengal's heritage and pride, cast your vote for Trinamool Congress symbol", the BJP has announced several initiatives and infra projects named after famous personalities of the state.

The BJP tried to connect with the Bengal' identity by announcing projects such as an expressway project between Howrah and Siliguri named after Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose, a prize named after Gurudev Rabindranath Tagore, the Satyajit Ray award in the name of the legendary filmmaker on the lines of the Oscars, a Sonar Bangla museum in Kolkata and compulsory use of Bangla language in official correspondence in the state.

For preserving Bengal's culture, BJP promises to ensure that the Saraswati Puja and Durga Puja are celebrated across the state without any fear or restriction.

The saffron party also promises to allocate Rs 2,500 crores for the Gangasagar Mela held at Sagar Island and develop it as an international festival by encouraging cultural exchange and including it under the Centre's 'Prasad' scheme.

The BJP believes that talking about Bengali identity will help in countering the Trinamool attack of being a party of outsiders with no sense of Bengali identity.

Taking a dig at the BJP manifesto released by Union home minister Amit Shah, Trinamool leader and Lok Sabha MP, Abhishek Banerjee tweeted, "Absurd how the tourist gang released their jumla-laden Manifesto for Bengal polls in the hands of a Gujarati. A party that cannot find sufficient candidates for all 294 seats in Bengal is now faltering to find local leadership for such key events." Trinamool MP Derek O'Brien tweeted, "A resident of Gujarat with a resident of Madhya Pradesh by his (right) side, releases a manifesto and then makes a full speech in Hindi to create a Shonar Bangla." Responding to O'Brien's tweet, the West Bengal BJP tweeted, "The BJP under Prime Minister Modi promises and delivers. Don't divide Bengal on the basis of binaries, don't continue with your divisive politics. Why are you nervous? Because Khela Hobe is countered with Chakri Hobe." On the job front, the BJP promises to provide a job in each family of the state while the Trinamool is promising to reduce the unemployment rate by half by creating five lakh new jobs annually.

To woo women's voters, the BJP promises women 33 per cent reservation in government jobs, free education to all girls from KG to PG classes, free health care, free public transport.

The BJP promises to give nearly Rs 3.72 lakh to a girl child (from her birth till marriage) of the SC, ST, OBC and economically weaker sections. This comprises a bond of Rs 50,000 on birth, Rs 22,000 in four installments till Class 12, Rs two lakh to unmarried girls who complete Class 12 and another Rs 1 lakh in a fixed deposit at the time of marriage which is more than the existing schemes of the Trinamool government's Kanyashree and Rupashree.

Both the BJP and Trinamool promise to give reservation to Hindu OBCs. The BJP manifesto promises to give benefits of reservation to Mahishyas, Tillis, and other OBCs caste, the Trinamool talks about forming a special task force to examine and propose OBC status to all the communities that are not currently recognised as OBCs.

While talking about Bengal's identity, the BJP did not forget its key issues such as CAA. Releasing the party manifesto, Shah said CAA will be implemented in the first cabinet meeting of the BJP government in West Bengal.

The BJP manifesto promises 'citizenship' to all the refugees and a refugee welfare scheme with provision for education, health and employment.
A Kingswood and a Monaro are among five classic Holden car models depicted on a new series of Australia Post stamps.

Motoring enthusiasts are expected to race into post offices to buy the series, which will also feature the 2006 Holden VE Commodore SS V.

The stamps take a nostalgic look back at Holden cars, which have been loved by many Australians for generations, Australia Post manager Nicole Sheffield said on Monday.

The 1968 Holden HK Monaro GTS 327 (pictured) is one of five classic Holden car models depicted on a new series of Australia Post stamps

Motoring enthusiasts are expected to race into post offices to buy the series, which will also feature the 1971 Holden HQ Kingswood Ute (pictured)

'Through our stamp releases, we're in a unique position to highlight and honour important Australian icons,' she said.

'This stamp issue recognises the incredible impact that Holden had on the Australian cultural fabric.'

Depictions of the 1948 Holden 48-215 sedan, the 1963 Holden EH Premier, the fast and flashy 1968 Holden HK Monaro GTS 327 and the 1971 Holden HQ Kingswood Ute are also included in the series.

Holden made about 7.6 million vehicles for Australia and the world over more than 70 years following the launch of 'Australia's Own Car' in 1948.

About 1.6 million Holdens remain on roads across the country.

The five $1.10 stamps are available from Monday along with additional postage products, including a first-day cover and stamp pack.

Medallion covers will be available from April.

The stamps take a nostalgic look back at Holden cars, such as the 2006 Holden VE Commodore SS V (pictured)

Holden made about 7.6 million vehicles for Australia and the world over more than 70 years following the launch of 'Australia's Own Car' in 1948. Pictured: 1936 Holden EH Premier
Chief Minister Yogi on Sunday said some people for their "ulterior interests" are misleading farmers and asked them to be wary of such "selfish" elements.

He also said that after 70 years of independence, a government has come at the Centre which is committed to double farmers' income and ensure their welfare.

Interacting with farmers at a conference in Gorakhpur, asked them to be wary of "vested and selfish elements" who always mislead farmers and use them for their "ulterior interests".

These are the same people who while in power did not do anything for the welfare of farmers, he said without naming any political party or person.

"Such elements used them (farmers) to make their own fortune and allowed farming communities to languish in penury and debt," he said while addressing the conference organised under the Mission Kisan Kalyan.

apprised the conference of the work done by the Modi government at the Centre, and the BJP government in the state in the interest of farmers.

He said that those who misled farmers have always been habitual liars."These people have spread a lie that farm land will be grabbed under contract farming, while Prime Minister Narendra Modi has already made it clear that contract farming is just another option, not an obligation and farmers have all the freedom to sell their produce anywhere to earn more profit from the market," Adityanath said referring to the new farm laws.

He also sought to allay fears that mandis will be closed. "Not a single mandi was closed since June 2020, when the farm bills were brought, but a deliberate misinformation campaign was run to misguide farmers," Adityanath said.

Farmers, mostly from Haryana, Punjab and Uttar Pradesh, have been protesting at Delhi''s borders since November 28 last year demanding rollback of the laws.

They are protesting against the Farmers'' Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Act, 2020, the Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and Farm Services Act, 2020 and the Essential Commodities (Amendment) Act, 2020.

The three farm laws, enacted in September last year, have been projected by the government as major reforms in the agriculture sector that will remove middlemen and allow farmers to sell anywhere in the country.

However, the protesting farmers have expressed apprehension that the new laws would pave the way for eliminating the safety cushion of MSP and do away with the mandis, leaving them at the mercy of big corporates. The Centre has repeatedly asserted that these mechanisms will remain.

(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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SACRAMENTO  Organizers of the campaign to recall Gov. Gavin Newsom have repeatedly called the coronavirus a Chinese virus over the past year, echoing rhetoric that Asian American leaders say has fueled racist attitudes and violence.

On its website, the recall campaign referred to the virus as the Communist Chinese Party (CCP) Virus, and some political operatives who have worked on the effort have used similar language.

The language appeared among a list of reasons to recall Newsom, along with an apparent reference to immigrant-owned businesses that have received stimulus money during the pandemic.

Funding Illegal Alien owned businesses in the amount of $50 Million because CA received federal funding for the Communist Chinese Party (CCP) Virus [Covid-19/Corona], the website said.

Recall organizers said Sunday night that they planned to remove the reference. Randy Economy, a spokesperson for the recall committee, said the campaign apologizes if anybody was offended by it.

Our campaign is not about dividing Californians, its about uniting California by removing this divisive governor, Economy said. The people will not tolerate nasty divisive manufactured personal attacks by Gov. Newsom.

Asian American leaders say the surge of violence and harassment targeting their community in the Bay Area and across the country has been exacerbated by references by former President Donald Trump and others to COVID-19 as the China virus.

This is the racist rhetoric that is directly responsible for the surge in anti-Asian harassment, verbal harassment and physical attacks, said Cynthia Choi, co-founder of Stop AAPI Hate, an advocacy group. Its deeply painful, and especially in the wake of the Atlanta murders where six of the eight victims were Asian women.

Stop AAPI Hate has documented nearly 3,800 hate incidents against Asian Americans since the start of the pandemic, including beatings and killings.

Courtni Pugh, political director for Newsoms campaign to oppose the recall, said the recall groups vile and racist attacks endanger AAPI Californians.

Orrin Heatlie, the retired Yolo County sheriffs sergeant who initiated the recall drive, said he understands why the reference triggered concerns.

In light of those attacks and that violence, were just as concerned as they are, Heatlie said of Asian Americans.

The reference to China isnt the only one that has appeared on the recall campaigns website. As recently as June, the same page about reasons to recall Newsom said California had the highest Gas Tax in our Nation BEFORE the Chinese Corona Virus. That reference was later scrubbed, according to an archived version of the site.

Stephen Frank, a conservative consultant and blogger who was a media relations coordinator for the recall, called the virus the Wuhan flu in several tweets. Last summer, Frank posted an article about the rise in hate crimes against Asian Americans in which he wrote, Yes, it is wrong to bully or abuse anyone. But what is being done is small potatoes, a little here, a little there.

Frank said he stands by his comments. The reality is the coronavirus did come from China, it did come from Wuhan. Its just being accurate, he said.

Frank is no longer listed on the recall campaigns website, and Economy said the recall effort has no association with him now.

Robin Emerson McCrea, the recalls chief financial officer, has also made references to the Chinese flu and Chinese virus in Facebook posts. Economy said personal comments that people make on Facebook posts are not a direct reflection of the campaigns stance.

Tom Del Beccaro, former chair of the California Republican Party, called the coronavirus the CCP virus, an apparent reference to the Chinese Communist Party, in opinion pieces posted last year on the Epoch Times, a conservative website. Del Beccaro chairs two political committees, Rescue California and California Revival, that have bankrolled the recall, though he is no longer part of the official campaign.

Del Beccaros said he was referring to the Chinese governments lack of transparency during the first COVID-19 outbreak in Wuhan in late 2019, which critics say contributed to the diseases spread around the world.

My reference was to a particular government not a race or other category people, Del Beccaro said in a text message. Therefore, it avoids attributing anything to a race or other category of people.

Dustin Gardiner is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: dustin.gardiner@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @dustingardiner
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.
Clashes between farmers and nomadic cattle herders in Southern Chad are often due to destruction of crops by livestock (AFP or licensors)

Clashes between nomadic herders and sedentary farmers in Southern Chad, an area plagued by heavy conflicts between these two communities, have resulted in the deaths of at least 35 people.

By Vatican News staff writer

At least thirty-five people were killed in clashes between farmers and semi-nomadic herders in southeastern Chad, a region where friction between the two groups is common, according to Chadian authorities.

The fighting occurred in the Salamat province, where farmers were attacked when they encountered an illegal roadblock, provincial secretary-general Mara Maad said on Wednesday. In the attack against the farmers, one of them was killed and two were injured.

The farmers, blaming the cattle herders for the roadblock, launched an attack on them, prompting authorities to send in troops to restore order. This retaliatory attack led to the deaths of 35 people.

Conflicts between farmers and herders

The semi-nomadic herders and sedentary farmers in southern Chad have a long-running troubled history.

Many of the conflicts are due to the regions lush vegetation produced by the relatively mild climate for the Sahel. For centuries, the region has attracted migratory cattle herders from arid areas for seasonal grazing, many of them Arabs. Episodes of violence often erupt following the destruction of crops by livestock.

Chadian President Idriss Deby Itno said in a speech in December that he was distressed and dismayed by the deadly clashes between the two groups.

In November 2020, at least 22 people were killed in farmer-herder clashes in Kabbia, which is also located in Chads southern region, while nearly 50 were killed in separate ethnic clashes across Chad between December and January.
More than 50 scientific experts from across the United States, including virologists, infectious disease specialists and medical doctors, are launching a series of virtual town halls to answer the public's questions about the COVID-19 vaccines.

The effort aims to bring factual, scientific information to people across the country, particularly communities of color that have been hardest hit by the pandemic. Questions about safety, speed of vaccine development, side effects, efficacy and new variants will be answered with the latest scientific information.

"In an age where most people get their information at a distance, we wanted to find a way to connect with people more directly," said Dan Engel, PhD, of the University of Virginia School of Medicine. Engel and Dean Kedes, MD, PhD, both of UVA's Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Cancer Biology, are co-chairs of the town hall series, along with Felicia Goodrum, PhD, of the University of Arizona, and Mariano Garcia-Blanco, MD, PhD, of UTMB-Galveston.

Called "COVID-19 Vaccine Education," the program is sponsored by the American Society for Virology and the American Society of Microbiology, two of the nation's leading professional organizations in the area of infectious diseases.

The town halls will be hosted by pairs or groups of experts, and the sessions will run about 45 minutes.

The series kicks off at 8 p.m. Eastern today (March 22), with additional events on March 24, 25, 26 and 30. Sessions are slated to continue throughout the spring and summer.

On March 30, a town hall will be hosted by Engel and UVA Health's Ebony Hilton, MD, who volunteered to receive the first vaccine at UVA to demonstrate it was safe and effective. She documented her experiences with the vaccine on social media.

Keep up with the latest dates in the town hall series, and register to attend, by visiting http://www. asv. org/ education .

(All the events are free, but registration is required; maximum capacity for each town hall is 300 people.)

A brief video about the events is here:

https:/ / twitter. com/ amersocvirol/ status/ 1373066807993581571?s= 21

"As virologists, scientists and physicians, we have reviewed all the current data and are happy to help keep the public informed," Kedes said.

###

Kedes, Engel and Hilton are spearheading the project at UVA with Judy White, PhD, of the Department of Cell Biology; William A. Petri Jr., MD, PhD, of the Departments of Medicine and Microbiology, Immunology and Cancer Biology; and Steven Zeichner, MD, PhD, a pediatric infectious disease expert at UVA Children's and member of the Departments of Pediatrics and Microbiology, Immunology and Cancer Biology.


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New Delhi, March 22 : Former Home Minister P. Chidambaram on Monday attacked the Bharatiya Janata Party, saying that it has shown its real face in the West Bengal manifesto.

The former minister said that the BJP has revealed its true face in the party's West Bengal election manifesto as it has made clear that on the first day of government, the BJP will approve the implementation of the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA).

"The CAA will divide the country, discriminate against Muslims and deprive millions of Indians of their birthright of citizenship. The intent is to intimidate and put fear in the minds of millions of poor and law abiding citizens, especially Muslims, and threaten them with incarceration in detention camps," Chidambaram said.

He urged that the people of Assam and Bengal must vote decisively to defeat the BJP and its 'poisonous agenda'.

Home Minister Amit Shah on Sunday released BJP's manifesto, promising to implement the CAA in its first cabinet meeting if voted to power.

"We have decided to call our manifesto a 'Sankalp Patra'. It is not just a manifesto but a resolution letter for West Bengal by the country's largest party. And at the heart of the BJP's manifesto is 'Sonar Bangla'," the Minister said, while officially releasing the manifesto.

Taking potshots at Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool Congress government in Bengal, Shah said that the state's incumbent formation has only politicised its administration, criminalised politics and institutionalised the practice of corruptions.

He said that West Bengal has slipped from its position of leadership.

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla., March 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Situated at 900 Carillon Pky., Advanced Dermatology & Cosmetic Surgery is well-known as the largest dermatology network of expertise in medical and cosmetic dermatology, and innovative skin cancer treatments including Mohs surgery, highly specialized technique for the treatment of skin cancer that allows the highest cure rates possible. The dedicated professionals and experts at Advanced Dermatology, treat patients of all ages for common and complex conditions of the skin, hair, and nails. Services include total-body skin cancer exams, medical dermatology, cosmetic dermatology, and pediatric dermatology for the entire family. Currently, in his role, Dr. Spencer is dedicated to delivering a remarkable and professional patient-care experience in St. Petersburg - Carillon Pky.



Board-certified in dermatology and licensed to practice in Florida, Tennessee, and New York, Dr. Spencer is an internationally recognized expert in skin cancer treatment and cosmetic dermatology. He has 32 years of vast knowledge and experience, practicing all aspects of dermatology, and specializing in MOHS surgery, and skin cancer procedures. Previous to his current position, he has served as the Director of Mohs and Dermatologic Surgery at the University of Miami and the Director of Mohs and Dermatologic Surgery at The Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York City as well as Vice Chairman of the department.



An academic scholar, Dr. Spencer earned his Bachelor of Science Degree in Sacrobiology from Pitzer College and his Master of Science Degree in Molecular Biology from Stanford University. To further his studies, he obtained his Medical Degree from Columbia University School of Medicine. He went on to complete his dermatology residency at Columbia Presbyterian Hospital (Columbia University) and completed a fellowship under Dr. Rex Amonette at the University of Tennessee in Mohs micrographic surgery.



As an award-winning leader in his field, Dr. Spencer remains abreast of the latest industry developments and has maintained active memberships and affiliations with professional organizations. He is a Fellow of the American College of MOHS Surgery, a Fellow of the American Academy of Dermatology where he was honored with a Presidential Citation in 2017, and a Fellow of the American Society of Dermatologic Surgery earning First Prize in 1997 in the Young Investigators Competition. A respected voice in his field, Dr. Spencer has been invited to be a frequent speaker at medical symposiums both in St. Petersburg and abroad. He has also authored over 100 scientific publications and 14 book chapters, as well as edited a book.



Dr. Spencer dedicates this recognition to Perry Robins, MD (Father of MOHS Surgery at NYU), and Rex Amonette, MD. He also dedicates this to Mark Lebwohl, MD, Chairman of Dermatology at Mt. Sinai Hospital and his mentor.



For more information, please visit www.spencerdermatology.com

Contact: Katherine Green, 516-825-5634, [email protected]

SOURCE Continental Who's Who

Related Links

http://www.continentalwhoswho.com


Pictured is the TYC-TOC Senior Center located at 714 East Main Street in Titusville. The Titusville Rotary Club is hosting a drive-thru Easter Sunday meal on April 4 from 11 a.m to 2 p.m. at the center. The meal is free of charge. Donations are appreciated.
Melanie Schilling has been dishing out advice on Nine's Married At First Sight for the past five years.

But it appears season eight of the show could be the relationship expert's last.

According to New Idea, the 49-year-old is planning to quit after landing a role on the 'revamped' UK version of the dating program.

Ready to go? Married At First Sight Australia's Mel Schilling (pictured) is 'secretly planning to quit Nine' after joining the 'revamped' UK version of the dating show

An insider said Mel has been 'exploring other options' and is considering producing her own dating show.

'Mel has a passion for relationships and helping people transform but MAFS isn't exactly pushing those buttons anymore,' the source claimed.

'She is now looking at opportunities and projects where there is a stronger focus on personal development.'

However, sources close to Mel have told Daily Mail Australia that Mel is still 'fully committed' to Nine and will be back before next year's season is filmed.

Moving on: An insider has claimed Mel has been 'exploring other options' and is considering producing her own dating show

It comes after Mel announced she was joining the 'revamped' UK version of the show earlier this month, following the popularity of the Australian series, which is currently airing.

With a reputation for asking provocative questions and holding everyone accountable for their actions, Mel will work alongside expert Paul C. Brunson.

The Melbourne-based relationship guru will move to the UK with her husband Gareth Brisbane and daughter Madison, six to film the series.

Her decision to move abroad comes as no surprise, with filming for the new season expected to last six months.

New gig: It comes after Mel announced she was joining the 'revamped' UK version of the show earlier this month, following the popularity of the Australian series, which is currently airing

Speaking about her new appointment, Mel said: 'I am so excited to join the super-sized UK version of our much-loved Married At First Sight.'

'Being a part of the experiment for 7 seasons has taught me so much about love, marriage, relationships (and conflict) and I can't wait to share my advice and insight with you all.'

'I have been overwhelmed by the UK response to the Australian version and have been humbled by all the beautiful messages of support from the UK fans of the show.
Primary school pupils in P4 to P7 will return to face to face teaching today.

They will join younger students who started back to full-time face to face teaching earlier this month.

All remaining pupils (Years 8 to 11) will return on April 12 after the Easter break.

This will be subject to a review at the end of March.

Education Minister Peter Weir said: My main objective has always been a full return of all pupils to school in line with public health advice.

Education has rightly been prioritised by the Executive for all the benefits that brings to our children and also for the longer term societal and economic benefits.

Given the significant disruption to our childrens learning, our focus now must be on educational recovery which will be critical to their future prospects.

With Executive support, I intend to invest in the necessary resources to help pupils address any disruption to their learning that they may have faced since the start of the pandemic.

Mr Weir said testing for school staff and older pupils will provide a significant level of reassurance to education settings.

All settings will be reminded of the need for stringent adherence to good practice and additional signage will be provided to all schools to encourage people to comply with public health messaging.

While it is for each family to decide if they wish for their child to participate in the testing, it will be of benefit to all those in schools for us to be able to break the chain of transmission of the virus by identifying all those who may be asymptomatic.

My Department will continue to engage with school leaders and teaching unions to address their queries and concerns and to provide support and guidance as we move to a full return of pupils.

School meals and transport services will operate as normal for those schools and year groups where pupils are required to attend.
Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) Commissioner Jeong Eun-kyeong speaks during a briefing at the agency office in Osong, North Chungcheong Province, Monday. Yonhap



By Lee Hyo-jin



Korea' s coronavirus vaccinations using AstraZeneca's doses will continue as planned, as the health authorities did not identify any causal links between reported cases of blood clotting after inoculation and the vaccine.



The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said Monday that the AstraZeneca vaccine, which had been under scrutiny following two cases of blood clots found in individuals who received their first shots, has no correlation with such symptoms.



The authorities confirmed that public vaccinations for the second quarter will roll out as planned without major adjustments to its initial scheme.



According to the KDCA, a vaccination committee consisting of medical experts and infectious disease specialists has thoroughly reviewed the correlation between blood clots and the vaccine, and it found no links between the vaccine and the blood clots detected in two people who had received the AstraZeneca vaccine.



Results of the autopsy of a 60-year-old patient at a nursing home who died after getting the shot revealed that she had blood clots. A man in his 20s who suffered from blood clots after receiving the vaccine was diagnosed with cerebral venous sinus thrombosis (CVST), a rare type of brain clot.



The vaccination committee said in a statement, "Blood clotting is a relatively common symptom which can occur due to various factors including COVID-19 infection." But it noted that a closer investigation is needed for rare cases of Disseminated Intravascular Coagulation (DIC) and CVST, which can be found in one in 1 million people.



Starting Tuesday, patients and workers aged 65 and older at nursing homes and long-term care facilities  approximately 377,000 people  will receive their first shots of the AstraZeneca vaccine. Administration of the vaccine on the elderly had initially been suspended due to a lack of data on safety among the age group.



Also, President Moon Jae-in, 68, and first lady Kim Jung-sook, 66, will be vaccinated in public the same day as a part of preparations for the G7 summit which will be held in Britain in June. The KDCA noted that they fall into the priority category as they plan to travel overseas on a diplomatic mission.



The presidential office said that Moon's early inoculation is partially aimed at alleviating public anxiety over the vaccine.



Under the government's plan, around 11.5 million people will be inoculated within the second quarter. The elderly population over the age 75 will be inoculated with Pfizer products. Vaccinations will be widely expanded to priority groups next in line including special education teachers, school nurses and social service workers such as the police and military.



Meanwhile, according to the KDCA, a total of 676,607 people have been vaccinated as of Monday. Among them, 619,100 people received their first shots of the AstraZeneca vaccine, while 57,507 people got a shot of Pfizer vaccine.


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.
Athens, GA (30605)

Today

A few isolated thunderstorms developing this afternoon. Storms may contain strong gusty winds. High 87F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 30%..

Tonight

Cloudy this evening. Scattered thunderstorms developing after midnight. Low 66F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 40%.
Guest Column Firmly on the Regimes Enemies List, Myanmar Journalists Continue to Document Its Atrocities

A photojournalist covers a protest in downtown Yangon in the early days of the anti-regime protests in February. / The Irrawaddy

As it confronts the sheer scale of the anti-regime movement, the military regime has identified as one of its main enemies the news media, in particular those journalists whose work daily exposes the true colors of the coup leaderstheir cruel, inhumane and immoral acts against the entire population. Their work has made the media an enemy of the regime.

Since Feb. 1, when the military led by Senior General Min Aung Hlaing seized power, journalists across the country have been tirelessly working to disclose the truthwhich is the first and foremost obligation of their profession.

Independent publications and their journalists across the country have been meticulously covering the cruel killings, brutal crackdowns, arbitrary arrests, looting and all of the other human rights violations committed by the regimes soldiers and police since the coup.

Hour by hour, they have kept the world informed of whats going on in every corner of Myanmar through their websites and social media pages. As a result, the international community has come to understand the military regimes atrocious persecution, naked lies and political repression, as well as the peoples determination to rid the country of the military dictatorship. For the citizens of Myanmar, the journalists work not only keeps them informed, but encourages them to join in the national spirit of this anti-regime movement.

For the first month or so after the coup, journalists freely covered the anti-coup protests, wearing helmets and vest emblazoned with the word PRESS, wearing their press cards around their necks and not bothering to hide their cameras. Initially, the security forces didnt target the press while they were cracking down on protesters in the streets. But it didnt take long for that to change.

Before long, the regimes forces started targeting journalists on the streets as they cracked down on the protests. To date, the regime has arrested more than 40 journalists reporting on anti-coup protests and the resulting crackdowns nationwide. Some of them were later released, but 18 remain detained to date, of whom 10 have been charged under Article 505(a) of the Penal Code.

The most recent victims were Ko Aung Thu Ra and Ko Than Htike Aung of the BBC Burmese Service and the Mizzima news organization, respectively. Last Friday, the two reporters were arrested by plainclothes police in Naypyitaw while gathering news about a court hearing of detained National League for Democracy (NLD) patron U Win Htein. On the same day, another freelance reporter for Mizzima was arrested by police in Bhamo, northern Kachin State. And on Sunday, a reporter for DVB was arrested in Naypyitaw. On Monday, Ko Aung Thura was released but his fellow reporter from Mizzima was still in detention.

The regime took its crackdown on the media to another level on March 8. On that day, it went beyond detaining journalists and revoked the licenses of five media outlets: 7Day, Democratic Voice of Burma, Myanmar Now, Mizzima News and Khit Thit Media.

On that day and subsequent days, the regimes soldiers and police raided the offices of Myanmar Now and Mizzima News in Yangon and confiscated property. Luckily, staff had stopped working in their offices, having anticipated such raids, so no one was detained. However, the chief editor and co-founder of another media outlet, Kamayut Media, were arrested during a raid on its offices. A few days later, the regime sued The Irrawaddy under Article 505(a) of the Penal Code. It was the first case of a lawsuit being opened against a media organization as a whole, as opposed to individual journalists.

The regimes announcements, raids and lawsuit have forced almost all independent journalists into hiding, and the rest are keeping a low profile.

In fact, soon after the military staged the coup, its Ministry of Information ordered media not to use the phrase coup detat to describe the militarys takeover, and not to refer to it as the military regime or military council. However, all independent media continue to use those terms in defiance of the regimes warning.

Based on what my journalist friendseditors and reporters of newspapers as well as digital publicationshave told me, the number of journalists who have gone into hiding appears to be in the hundreds across the country. Many others are laying low. My friends are still talking to me via phones but dont dare to give a hint of their whereabouts. They tell me they are working from their hideouts. Their appearance in public would spell the immediate end of their freedom. Some have moved to remote areas or are even trying to flee the country.

Since the coup, all independent print newspapers have ceased publishing under the regimes pressure and raids. The only print newspapers now available in Myanmar are one military-owned and two state-run newspapers that are entirely controlled by the regime. All media outlets offices are closed indefinitely for fear of raids.

After the semi-civilian government began easing the previous regimes draconian media censorship rules a decade ago, Myanmars private media had an opportunity to expand their presence, though the number of outlets is still not that high. Some journalists put the number at around 2,000 across the country. Not all are truly independent, however; some of their journalists work for state-run media or media outlets that are close to the generals and those in power.

Several hundred journalists who work for mainstream media in big cities and other publications in ethnic states have industriously covered the anti-coup movement and the regimes crackdowns since Feb. 1. In fact, its quite a small group to be covering such a flood of news events, which have been occurring day and night.

That small army of independent media and journalists can no longer work freely in the open; nonetheless they continue to work from their hideouts, contacting sources or even managing to sneak out to gather news clandestinely and serve as eyewitnesses to the unfolding events.

The public is well aware of this difficult situation for the media. In recent days, citizen journalists have emerged to play an important role to supplement the work done by professional reporters in the weeks since the coup. They have tried to take photos and videos of the ongoing anti-regime movement and the regimes human rights violations. They send these news items and information to various media groups, which later publish them for people across the country and the world to see.

These days, we no longer see journalists openly covering protests on the streets. Those who do are targeted and detained right away, as in the cases of the BBC and Mizzima reporters.

The regime has seemingly added journalists to its ever-growing list of people targeted for arrest. With many reporters having gone underground, this effort has been stymied somewhat for now.

But all professional journalists are now on the list of the regimes main enemies, together with the Generation Z protesters, civil servants who have joined the civil disobedience movement (CDM), active members of the NLD led by ousted leader Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, and other political and rights activists.

Independent journalists are simply documenting the crimes against humanity committed by the military regime led by Senior General Min Aung Hlaing. But in the eyes of the coup leaders, this is a serious crime against the military regime.

It is a serious job. All who do it are in danger, as they have made themselves prime targets of the atrocious regime, simply by wielding cameras, mobile phones, recorders, pens and notebooks.

I have no doubt that the world and the people of Myanmar appreciate the professionalism with which they are carrying on with their work, which is making such a vital contribution to this Spring Revolution and demonstrates their conviction and commitment to the truth and their loyalty to the people of Myanmar. In my own view, they are both making and recording history, a crucial task in ensuring a brighter future for the county.

Naing Khit is a commentator on political affairs.

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The Upper East Regional Police Command has launched a new Operational Patrol Model to revitalize efforts towards combating various forms of crime and help protect lives and property in the region.



The new operational strategy would also ensure that the Ghana Police Service in the region works effectively with other security agencies, particularly the Ghana Armed Forces, to deal with violent crimes that have characterized the region in recent times.



The new model will further ensure that personnel of the police command receive adequate capacity building and physical training frequently to boost their confidence and sharpness levels, to be able to deal effectively with security issues.



The Regional Police Commander, Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCOP), Dr Sayibu Pabi Gariba, made these known in Bolgatanga last Friday when he addressed the media after a route march by personnel of the Ghana Police Service and other security agencies through the major streets of the municipality.



Dr Gariba explained that the new model of operational patrol was necessitated by the upsurge in armed robbery cases and other violent crimes in the region.



He explained that the police command was poised to reduce the crime rate in the region.



The regional commander stated that since the visit of the Inspector General of Police, Mr James Oppong-Boanuh to the region last month, strategies had been put in place to reduce violent crimes.



Zones



DCOP Dr Sayibu Pabi Gariba (in the middle with a swagger stick) leading the route march



As part of the new operational patrol model, Dr Gariba said the region had been zoned into three main areas  the Bawku, Builsa and Bolgatanga Central enclaves.



He explained that while the Ghana Armed Forces and the security agencies were supporting efforts to combat crime in the Bawku areas, the regional police command had beefed up security at both the Bawku and Sandema areas with enough personnel.



The command, he said, would also introduce market day escort for market women, especially at Sandema and its environs to protect them and their properties.



In the Bolgatanga enclave, we are going to go this way; the highway within our region from Pwalugu through Bolgatanga to Paga is going to have highway patrol teams. Already, those patrol teams are operational because the national headquarters has supported us with vehicles and personnel that are actually patrolling the route, DCOP Dr Gariba pointed out.



We are providing escort for vehicles, transit vehicles right from Tamale through Walewale, Bolgatanga, Navrongo to Paga, he added.



Patrol zones



Dr Gariba further revealed that the regional police command and the Bolgatanga District Police Command had divided the Bolgatanga Municipality and its environs into four strategic patrol zones and would inundate the areas with visible patrols, surveillance and intelligence operations.



We are looking at the Bolgatanga city area to the Pwalugu bridge to the boundary between North East and Upper East regions. We are also looking at the Bolgatanga city centre through Sumbrungu up to the Navrongo road. We are also looking at the Bolgatanga city centre through Kongo to the Bawku highway, as well as Tongo and its adjoining communities, he further explained.

DCOP Gariba said there would be a reserve and standby patrol team at the regional police headquarters to offer rapid response to any operational unit.



He stated that an agreement had been reached with the Ghana Armed Forces, especially the Eleventh Mechanised Infantry Battalion to back the operations.



The regional commander said all the operations and coordination would be backed by effective Information and Communication Technology.



He warned that the service would deal ruthlessly with any person or persons who intended to commit crimes in the region.



Encouragement



DCOP Gariba encouraged personnel of the police service to deliver on their mandate and support the system to work effectively, adding that citizens should consider policing as a shared responsibility and offer support and information to enable the personnel effectively combat crime in the region.

Source: Graphiconline.com









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

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The Post and Courier Food section since August has been checking in weekly with four downtown Charleston restaurants coping with the coronavirus pandemic and recovering from restrictions designed to contain it. The following three restaurants are still finding their way back to normalcy. For previous installments of the series, as well as more information about the featured restaurants and their chosen strategies for success, click here.

From the start of the pandemic, restaurant owners have faced several obstacles specific to their industry, chief among them that people cant dine properly without removing their masks.

Lately, though, restaurateurs have been dealing with a problem experienced by most South Carolinians: Vaccine appointments arent easy to come by.

Three weeks ago, Butcher & Bees management team was elated to tell employees that they were eligible for COVID-19 vaccinations.

Two weeks ago, frustrated by persistent sign-up difficulties, owner Michael Shemtov shifted his enthusiasm to an envisioned workplace clinic. Since employees couldnt find shots, he was looking forward to bringing the shots to them.

By last week, he was on the cusp of giving up on that plan.

Once the physician he first consulted about the program learned he couldnt secure the needed vaccines, Shemtov called more doctors, but none of them had a way to put aside shots for his staff. He talked to the citys director of emergency management, but he couldnt point Shemtov to a vaccine stockpile either.

Shemtov on March 19 finally connected with a health care outfit which offered to supply hundreds of shots, so long as the event was open to all hospitality workers.

I have somehow fallen backward, said Shemtov, who hadnt wanted to become the local food-and-beverage communitys point person for securing vaccines. Until his human resources director alerted him to the privacy violations inherent in the approach, hed planned to camp out at a computer with his employees registration information and just make an appointment for each of them.

He continued, I wanted to do something for 50 people who work for us and not lean on relationships to get 300 people signed up. But its become part of my role.

If the clinic comes together, its likely to occur in early April.

Harold's Cabin: On the books

Like many folks these days, Im playing the vaccine lottery, Harolds Cabin owner John Schumacher said.

Schumacher was able to schedule his first shot at a grocery store, but the system crashed before he could set up the subsequent dose, forcing him to restart the search. Hes now booked to complete his vaccination two-step on April 8.

Yet if Harolds Cabin is to reopen, vaccines will need to be more readily available.

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About 9 percent of South Carolinians have been fully vaccinated, he said March 19. Its a long way to go.

Additionally, Schumacher still needs reassurance that people will feel comfortable in the Cabin before hes willing to commit to bringing it back to business. Hes also waiting to learn how big of a check the restaurant might expect from the relief fund in the latest stimulus package.

Still, he feels as though the situation is headed in the right direction. He described his current mindset as cautiously optimistic.

Chasing Sage: Opening unknowns

For the first time since the pandemic iced Chasing Sages opening plans, its leadership team on March 19 had a meeting about debuting the restaurant.

A meeting doesnt mean theres a set date on which Chasing Sage will welcome people into its dining room. There are still far too many unknowns for that kind of scheduling.

For example, owner Forrest Brunton got his first shot on March 17, so even the restaurants owners wont be through the vaccination process until the middle of April.

Their employees are still hunting for vaccines.

And like Schumacher at Harolds Cabin, they want to see a greater portion of the population vaccinated before Chasing Sage opens. They havent yet determined a precise number: We need to assess what benchmarks we need to look for, General Manager Max Clarke said.

Additionally, owner Cindy Edward said, In our eyes, were still opening a COVID dining room, so they have to write down mask rules and decide how to reconfigure bar stools and tables before even looking at the calendar.

But theyre ready at least to make a list of what else needs to happen inside the restaurant over the coming months. Theyve already completed some tasks by virtue of spending so much time in the space while running pop-ups: The kitchen is organized. The cocktail menu is in good shape.

The wine list, though, needs a total overhaul.

Vintages which qualified as the most recent when Clarke chose bottles for a projected March 2020 opening are no longer the youngest in their respective portfolios. There are wines available now that werent available then, and vice versa, although Clarke is pretty sure he can still get a Portuguese orange wine that Cindy Edward loves.

Edward tends to get attached, which is why she doesnt want anyone getting too specific about when Chasing Sage might open.

Like everyone on the crew, she follows COVID-19 news closely. She knows that progress in the pandemic fight could be undone if we do something stupid or variants gain strength. If that should happen, forcing Chasing Sage to postpone or cancel an announced opening date, Edward suspects her heart would break.

After more than one year of safeguarding her health, she went into the meeting about opening with a protective fence around her feelings.
An area in Ky Anh Commune where a new wind power project is set to be constructed. Photo by VnExpress/Duc Hung.

The central province of Ha Tinh has approved a VND4.7-trillion ($203 million) wind power plant that is scheduled to go on stream by November.

HBRE Ha Tinh Ltds 30-hectare plant in Ky Anh Commune received the license after authorities recently completed the environmental impact assessment.

The 120-megawatt plant will have 25 turbines capable of producing over 350 gigawatt-hours of electricity annually.

Construction is set to being early next month, funded 85 percent through borrowings.

Hoang Ngoc Quy, CEO of HBRE, said it would be among the best wind power projects in the country in terms of average wind speed.

The company has signed a feed-in tariff agreement with national utility Vietnam Electricity.
- Combined company will generate well over $100 million of ARR and signals a significant transformation in the future of software and data management in research labs.

- Enabling over one million scientists to improve research and lab efficiency.

- Facilitating rapid data access and exchange between scientists around the world, ultimately giving customers a competitive edge.

BISHOP'S STORTFORD, United Kingdom and SAN DIEGO, March 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Insightful Science, a leading software provider serving the global life sciences community, announced today that it has entered into a transaction to acquire Dotmatics, an industry leading cloud-based scientific R&D data management platform.

By integrating Insightful Science's software applications into Dotmatics cloud-first enterprise data management solution, the company will provide an end-to-end scientific research platform. This combination further improves laboratory efficiency and accelerates the pace of scientific innovation by facilitating more rapid data access, analysis and exchange between scientists around the world.

Insightful Science is a software company with purpose-built data analysis and bioinformatics applications for life sciences. The company portfolio serves a diverse set of one million scientists in academic, corporate, and government institutions around the world. Examples of products within the Insightful Science portfolio include GraphPad Prism, Geneious DNA data analysis solutions, SnapGene, and other leading R&D solutions.

Dotmatics is an enterprise scientific informatics SaaS provider that is driving the digitalization of laboratory data workflows for scientific discovery and innovation across the life sciences, chemicals and materials industries.

"This announcement signals a significant transformation in the future of software and data management in research labs," said Thomas Swalla, CEO of Insightful Science. "Together our complementary businesses create an end-to-end cloud-first scientific research platform that stands apart in our collective ability to support data-driven research. We are beyond enthusiastic about the impact we can have on increasing the speed of scientific innovation, and ultimately helping to make the world a healthier, cleaner, and better place to live."

"The number one challenge for pharmaceutical, biotech and chemical innovation companies today is how to manage the enormous volume - and promise - of data generated in labs," said Dr Steve Gallagher, Co-founder and CEO of Dotmatics. "This combination allows us to expand investments in our Dotmatics platform and strengthen our brand as a leading enterprise informatics solution provider. We will bring Insightful Science's leading biologics applications to our customers, further accelerating their discovery processes. In addition, we have the opportunity to bring the Dotmatics cloud and collaboration capabilities to the diverse community of over one million scientists already using Insightful Science tools."

Digital Transformation to Chart the Course for the Lab of the Future

Scientific research and innovation R&D is in the midst of a pivotal transformation. Scientific knowledge and growth in pharmaceutical drug discovery and chemicals and materials innovation is increasing at a faster pace than ever before. The research process has been transformed from transactional and process driven, to data driven. As a result, scientists require increasingly powerful and integrated informatics tools to analyze ever-more diverse sets of data; and laboratories and companies need better workflow and data management solutions to help scientists harness the power of these insights. Companies that own the cleanest, best annotated data to power their AI analytics and decision making, will be the best placed to be successful in this new paradigm.

Transaction Details

Insightful Science is a privately held portfolio company of Insight Partners, the leading global venture capital and private equity firm investing in high-growth technology and software ScaleUp companies.

"The combination of these two entities brings an exciting new solution to market," said Jeff Lieberman, Managing Director at Insight Partners. "This announcement and collaboration is a significant opportunity for the life sciences, chemicals and materials industries. We are incredibly optimistic about the future of the company and its clear path to doing for life sciences and chemical innovation what other market-leading platforms have done in engineering, design, and later-stage drug development."

Alastair Hill, Co-founder and CIO of Dotmatics added, "Since initial growth equity investment by Scottish Equity Partners (SEP), we have been supported to make incredible progress in scaling our business and driving product innovation. We would like to thank them for their support as we enter the next exciting stage in Dotmatics' development, and Jefferies for advising on the transaction."

Evercore served as financial advisor and Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP served as legal advisor to Insightful Science on the transaction. Jefferies International Ltd served as advisor to Dotmatics.

Scottish Equity Partners (SEP) is a leading European growth equity firm, investing in enterprise and consumer-focused software and technology companies.

Keith Davidson, Partner at SEP said, "We are pleased to have helped Dotmatics grow into a leading cloud-first scientific R&D data platform. We are excited by the opportunity that lies ahead for the team and wish them every success in the future."

Subject to the attainment of regulatory clearances, the transaction is expected to close in Q2 of 2021. Until closing, the companies will continue to operate independently.

For more information, visit www.dotmatics.com and www.insightfulscience.com .

About Insightful Science

Insightful Science is a life sciences software company that digitally connects researchers to their ideas and data, advancing the discovery process. From developing new personalized and preventive patient treatment solutions to reversing climate change - more than two million researchers at leading life science and biopharma enterprises trust Insightful Science products to make the world a healthier, cleaner, and better place to live. Products within the Insightful Science portfolio were built by prominent scientists, and include GraphPad Prism, Geneious Prime and Geneious Biologics, SnapGene, nQuery, Cytapex, and more.

Visit www.insightfulscience.com for more information about the company and its products.

About Dotmatics Ltd. www.dotmatics.com

Dotmatics is a scientific informatics software and services company that is driving the automation of laboratory workflows for discovery and innovation research - accelerating the journey towards full digitalization and the Lab of the Future.

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" " Boba tea, also known as bubble tea, is served with an oversized straw which allows the tapioca balls to be chewed with every sip of tea. Geri Lavrov/Getty Images

There was a time when the sight of a person slurping up mysterious black balls from a slightly-bigger-than-average straw was reserved for the regulars at the local Asian supermarkets or the bustling street corners of any city's Chinatown. Admittedly, the tea drink must look exotic to those who grew up in small towns where frozen yogurt stores were hailed as "the next big thing." Boba tea, or bubble tea, is a quintessentially Taiwanese tea-based drink that incorporates tapioca balls that are chewed along with each sip. For close to 40 years, the East Asian dessert drink has risen in popularity, with stores like Boba Guys and Kung Fu Boba popping up on both U.S. coasts.

Boba tea broke onto the scene sometime in the 1980s, though its origins are somewhat shrouded in mystery thanks to two competing tales from two rival Taiwanese teahouses. Tainan's Hanlin Tea Room says the drink was born in 1986 when their founder, Tu Tsung-ho, found tapioca balls on sale at Tainan's Yamuliao market and added them to his milk tea at home.

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Rival teahouse Chun Shui Tang believes it was a then-20-year-old employee named Lin Hsiu-hui who created the drink in 1987 when she "decided to dump her Taiwanese dessert called fen yuan  a sweetened tapioca pudding  into her Assam iced tea and drink it," according to Twinings, the tea company.

The boba tea phenomenon first migrated from Taiwan to the west coast of America in the 1990s, where it quickly became a fad in Taiwanese immigrant communities, assimilating into Taiwanese-American culture next and, from there, making its way into mainstream American society.

Regardless of who can actually take claim over boba tea, both origin stories include tapioca balls, a flash of inspiration and an extensive bout of experimentation that eventually gave the world what we now know as bubble tea.

Taiwan and Tapioca

Taiwan's special relationship with milk tea began in the 1940s when a former mixologist named Chang Fan Shu opened up a tea shop specializing in hand-shaken teas mixed in a cocktail shaker. The result of the furious shaking was a rich and frothy tea with light foam bubbles on top: bubble tea! So, what classifies tea as boba tea? Traditionally, it always included the four main elements of milk, ice, black tea and, of course, those chewy tapioca pearls that manage to stay perfectly suspended within their milky homes. Variations on the classic concoction involve non-milk-based teas (almond, cashew, and oat), green tea, white or oolong tea, condensed milk, fruit and special flavors like hibiscus, saffron, cardamom and rosewater. And the mushy, round piece de resistance?

"Boba is made of tapioca, a starch extracted from the cassava root vegetable," says Aaron Yang, Vice President of Din Tai Fung Restaurant Group.

It always comes back to the pearls. Fun fact: tapioca pearls actually originate from Island Southeast Asia (a.k.a. Maritime Southeast Asia which includes the countries Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore and East Timor) and are traditionally made from native starches like rice or palm hearts. Used in a variety of sweet and savory dishes, it wasn't until the introduction of bubble tea in the 1980s that boba went mainstream throughout the world.

" " Black tapioca pearls are used in traditional Taiwanese desserts and as the basis for boba, or bubble, tea. Ivan/Getty Images

Although boba tea had its origins in Taiwan, it has exploded in popularity around the world. Yang says their teas are brewed fresh every day and are still hand-shaken like they were in old times. To celebrate their Las Vegas debut, Din Tai Fung created the "spiced boba," made of a tantalizing combination of rum, ginger syrup, half and half, black tea and angostura bitters served with boba pearls.

It probably goes without saying that the boba teas of 2021 are a wee bit different than the original boba tea drinks served out of those tiny Taiwanese teahouses during the 1980s. Now, it's all about the toppings. Fruit, custard, red beans, jellies (everything from lychee to aloe vera), popping bubbles, puddings and even salted cheese that reportedly began "quite humbly as powdered cheese whipped into milk and topped with a sprinkle of salt," according to the Seattle Times. Boba tea has a couple of hallmark attributes of the perfect dessert: It's rich, thick, delicious and customizable to the nth degree.

We'll never know who's responsible for the boba tea craze  where it was Tu Tsung-ho or Lin Hsiu-hui  but with only 34 (or 35) years of history behind it, we very well could still be at the beginning stages of a full-on boba tea revolution. We've seen wild flavors inspired by childhood breakfast cereals from California's Boba Tea Lounge or The Fuego Mango topped with lemon-lime chili flakes and lychee jelly. No matter how you shake it, there's a boba tea out there for everybody.

In 2020, Apple unveiled a series of new emoji featuring everything from an anatomically correct-ish human heart to  you guessed it  a cup of bubble tea.
An ancient bronze figurine of a bull has been discovered in Greece dating back 3,000 years, and it may have been an offering to the god Zeus in Ancient Olympia.

Heavy rainfall in southern Greece led to the discovery of the bronze figurine which was found intact after an archaeologist spotted a horn poking out of the ground.

The figurine was transported to a lab and initial examination indicates it dates from the Geometric period of ancient Greek art, roughly 1050 BC to 700 BC.

It was found at a dig site near the temple of Zeus and Atli in Olympia, Greece and quickly taken to a laboratory for analysis and to be cleaned up.

This bronze bull figurine was found in southern Greece and may have been an offering to Zeus in ancient Olympia

The figurine was transported to a lab and initial examination indicates it dates from the Geometric period of ancient Greek art, roughly 1050 BC to 700 BC

Experts believe the horned figurine, which is about two inches long, would have been a votive offering to Zeus, made as part of a ritual sacrifice.

This comes from the distinctive burn marks that were found on the artwork after sediment had been removed, the Culture Ministry explained.

Bulls, horses and other animals were worshipped during the period this was believed to have been created - about 3,000 years ago - due to their role in human survival.

It was found at a dig site near the temple of Zeus and Atli in Olympia, Greece and quickly taken to a laboratory for analysis and to be cleaned up

A votive offering in ancient Greece was an object deposited with any intention of recovery or use for a religious purpose.

They were made to 'gain favour' with supernatural forces including gods in both ancient and modern societies worldwide.

Thousands of votive offerings are believed to have been made at the altar of Zeus, from creatures to figurines depicting different animals.

Heavy rainfall in southern Greece led to the discovery of the bronze figurine which was found intact after an archaeologist spotted a horn poking out of the ground

The small figurine was discovered in February and was likely thrown into a fire as an offering to Zeus, the god of the sky and thunder

Many of these ancient offerings have been found in a thick layer of ash and are exhibited at the archaeological museum in Olympia.

In ancient Greek religion Zeus was the sky and thunder god, he ruled as king of the gods from Mount Olympus.

The bull was a number of principle symbols associated with the king on Mount Olympus - this was along with a thunderbolt, an eagle and an oak tree.
For Democrats, who have never forgotten Johnsons defeat of liberal darling Russ Feingold in 2010 and again in a 2016 rematch, regaining the Senate seat in 2022 is a top priority. Although he has yet to announce whether he would be seeking a third term, Johnson recently said that the fury that Democrats had directed his way had made him want to stay in the fight. Still, he has raised just $590,000 in the past two years  a paltry sum for an incumbent senator.
A notorious drug dealer nicknamed Mr Flashy was one of eight men found in two apartments in the Temple Bar area of the capital when gardai seized around 60,000 worth of cocaine and 2,000 worth of cannabis.

The seizure which happened at around 2am today is considered very significant.

The early morning raid happened after officers from Pearse Street garda stations Street Crime Unit noticed suspicious activity at the apartments last night and obtained search warrants.

A number of suspects were arrested, including Mr Flashy and other young organised crime suspects from the Ringsend, Finglas and Coolock areas.

Gardai seized 60,000 of suspected cocaine during a search operation in Temple Bar, Dublin 2, on Monday 22nd March, 2021, a garda spokesperson said.

As part of an ongoing investigation into the sale and supply of drugs in the area, gardai conducted an intelligence operation at a location in Temple Bar in the early hours of this morning.

During the course of the operation, gardai seized suspected cocaine with an estimated street value of approximately 60,000, in various sized packaging, which is subject to analysis. A number of mobile phones were also seized along with a quantity of cash.

Eight men, (ages ranging from 29 years to 18 years and one juvenile) were arrested at the scene and taken to a number of different garda stations in the Dublin region.

Mr Flashy and the seven other men were all released without charge on Monday afternoon.

A few loose ends need to be sorted out in relation to this investigation before people can be brought to court, a senior source said.

A garda spokesman said: All persons arrested in relation to this investigation have been released without charge. Files will be prepared for the Director of Public Prosecutions. Investigations are ongoing.

This is the biggest success gardai have had against the 28-year-old Finglas based drugs trafficker since officers seized 80,000 worth of designer clothing during a planned raid on his north Dublin home last September.

A drug search of the property turned up negative on that occasion, but sources said the raid is part of a strategy to increase pressure on the Kinahan cartel aligned drug dealer and his gang members.

A large amount of designer clothes, footwear, top-of-the-range TVs and expensive electronic devices as well as a Rolex watch were seized.

Mr Flashy has been keeping a relatively low profile during the coronavirus pandemic since he was arrested and released without charge after a major garda pursuit across the city involving over 20 garda cars almost a year ago.

At one point 23 garda vehicles were involved in the chase, which resulted in five men being arrested in late March.

The man, considered a real sneaky person by gardai who know him, is a close associate of jailed cartel brothers Mark and Scott Capper.

Scott Capper (30), who acted as a bodyguard for Mr Flashy is serving three-and-a-half years in jail for taking part in two savage assaults in Dublin city centre pubs.

Mark Capper (31) was sentenced to seven-and-a-half years in jail in May after he admitted helping the Kinahan crime group with a plan to kill Patrick Patsy Hutch, the older brother of Gerry The Monk Hutch but he pulled out three days before the attempted murder.

He is also closely linked to hitman Caolan Smyth (29) who was jailed for 20 years last month for the attempted gun murder of Kinahan cartel target James 'Mago' Gately who he shot five times as he sat in his car at the Topaz filling station on the Clonshaugh Road in north Dublin at lunchtime on May 10, 2017.

A safe-house used by the Mr Flashy gang on Ratoath Road, Finglas, which had bulletproof windows and an extensive CCTV system has been raided numerous times by gardai.

The mobster is suspected of leading a crew of more than 20 criminals who are heavily involved in the drugs trade in west Dublin.

The gang had close links to Coolock drug dealer Sean Little, who was shot dead near Balbriggan in May last year and Zach Parker, who was fatally shot in Swords in January 2019.

Asylum-seeker Hamid Sanambar, an Iranian national shot dead as part of the deadly Coolock feud was also considered a significant member of the drugs gang.

Junior members of his gang  some aged just 15 - were using electric bikes and electric scooters to deal crack cocaine and coke deals.
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Oklahomas growing innovation and startup network has the opportunity to move nimbly, so we can generate impact more deeply and frequently than other markets. And, as an entrepreneur-led firm, we are able to better serve our portfolio companies with firsthand appreciation.

Cortado Ventures is pleased to announce it has reached the $20 million funding milestone for Fund I this month, landing twice the original goal in half the time. Due to the successful funding, Cortado Ventures has invested in category-defining and disruptive companies based in Texas, Oklahoma, and Arkansas, and plans to continue to attract, invest in, and support best-in-class technology startups in the future.

Cortado Ventures, an entrepreneur-led fund, is managed by partners Nathaniel Harding, David Woods, and Mike Moradi, who bring expertise in venture capital, energy, entrepreneurship, economic and workforce development, manufacturing, executive leadership, biotech, nanotech and alternative investing. The fund invests in early stage companies in a variety of Oklahoma regional sectors by aggregating and managing investor capital, and helps startups grow through seed funding, collaboration, and mentorship. To date, Cortado has invested in nine companies and created about 50 new jobs in Oklahoma.

We are thrilled and humbled by the booming success we have seen in our first nine months of operation at Cortado, where we can leverage our expertise to drive forward-facing investments in vital industries as we grow Oklahoma and the surrounding region as a prominent tech hub, said Nathaniel Harding, Managing Partner of Cortado Ventures. Oklahomas growing innovation and startup network has the opportunity to move nimbly, so we can generate impact more deeply and frequently than other markets. And, as an entrepreneur-led firm, we are able to better serve our portfolio companies with firsthand appreciation for the dedication they bring to building great companies.

The Cortado partners launched the venture capital fund believing that legacy sectors in Oklahoma and the Midcontinent are overlooked, underfunded, and ripe for innovation and venture investment. Cortado also aims to build next-generation companies which will bring future-ready technology jobs to the region. The Cortado Ventures portfolio, which includes several women, people of color and immigrant CEOs, was founded to diversify the economy in Oklahoma and create a vibrant hub for technology in the Midwest.

Erika Lucas, Advisor of Cortado Ventures and Co-Founder of StitchCrew, said, Cortado Ventures milestone announcement signals great success not only for this fund, but for the economy in Oklahoma and bordering states. The entrepreneurs and innovators here have demonstrated their high-growth, high-potential drive, creating remarkable opportunities for successful investment partnerships.

Investors in Cortados fund include over 80 individuals, including Chuck Duginski, Chairman and CEO of Chaparral Energy, David Rainbolt, Executive Chairman of BancFirst, and Everett Dobson, Executive Chairman of Dobson Technologies. Cortados investor group includes a great network of leaders and innovators that leverage their diverse, deep industry experience to position our portfolio companies for accelerated growth.

With the support of so many, Cortado has planted a flag for venture capital in the middle of the country. This funding milestone enables Cortado to fully realize our goal of attracting, investing in, and supporting best-in-class technology startups across our target sectors, Harding said. We look forward to continued investment into innovative, disruptive companies over the coming many months. Cortados milestone and ascendancy is a signal that Oklahoma is serious about building the future.

Cortado Ventures is an early stage venture capital firm investing in ambitious, growth-driven companies to define a new generation of economic prosperity for Oklahoma and the immediate region.

###

If you would like more information about this topic, please call Nathaniel Harding at (405) 698-1748, or email nharding@cortado.ventures.
Tendai Biti who was kicked out of Parliament says he was removed unconstitutionally but he will continue to fight to expose corruption.

They just fired us unconstitutionally, Biti told DM168. How do you fire someone who belongs to a different political party? he asks, noting that he was a founding member of the PDP and that he and another party leader formally dissolved it before the 2018 elections that he and his fellow former PDP MPs contested on the MDC-Alliance ticket.

So I am the PDP, we are the PDP, those are not the PDP, he said, referring to the PDP now run by Lucia Matibenga. We cant fire ourselves. But it doesnt matter. This is Emmerson, he says.

Biti said the public accounts committee had been doing a decent job in exposing corruption. Its first two reports had been on government departments: the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe and the ministry of finance.

We exposed massive defaults and omissions, forcing the government to bring before parliament a bill in which they sought condonation of $10.6-billion, which they had stolen and used without parliamentary approval.

Then the public accounts committee moved on to Command Agriculture, a state programme that is supposed to help farmers grow maize on irrigated land. Instead, it had become a feeding scheme  a feeding trough for corrupt officials and their cronies. So billions and billions of dollars have been stolen through Command Agriculture. Just for instance, in 2017 alone, $2.7-billion was stolen. In 2018, $3.5-billion was stolen.

In the next few weeks we were going to table before parliament a report locating Command Agriculture in the military. So the corruption in Zimbabwe is a conflation of the securocratic state and Zanu-PF to create what Im calling the Deep State.

One of the cartels heavily involved in the Command Agriculture is Kuda Tagwirei, the head of the company Sakunda Holdings. So this report will expose Kuda Tagwirei badly, Biti said.

Another report that I was supposed to table [on Thursday] is a report on the Zimbabwe National Roads Authority and that report will show cartels. This time white cartels.

Biti said the report exposed the massive corruption where Laurence Sher, a director of Univern, had been milking millions out of Zimbabwe through contracts that had not gone out to tender as they should have. These included contracts for tollgates, for vehicle licensing and for collecting $10 per vehicle licence fee for travel into Zimbabwe.

Biti said the public accounts committee had also started an inquiry into the diesel-powered emergency electricity generation plant that the government had commissioned in 2014 to be built at Dema, about 100km from Harare. The plant cost more than $300-million to build and began producing 200MW of electricity in 2016.

This contract was again given to Kuda Tagwirei of Sakunda. But he was selling his electricity at 30c a kilowatt when, at the time, Zimbabwe could have bought electricity from [Mozambiques] Cahora Bassas HCB or South Africas Eskom at 5c a kilowatt. So how does any decent government pay a premium of 25c for a diesel power project, with all the environmental damage that diesel does? Tagwirei also featured prominently in a report that DM168 published last month on the way Mnangagwa and his cronies had formed cartels to monopolise several lucrative sectors of Zimbabwes economy.

DM168 was unable to reach Tagwirei for comment. Biti said headlines had appeared about how the public accounts committee had grilled executives of the Zimbabwe Electricity Supply Authority about why they had given the diesel plant contract to Sakunda.

So they panicked. They said to Mnangagwa, You have to fire that man.

Though his exposure of corruption was the main reason for his firing, Biti thought the final straw was his recent visit to Chiredzi, in southeastern Zimbabwe, where the government has been planning to displace the entire Shangaan community.

The government planned to give the land to a Mnangagwa acolyte.

We think there are diamonds there, Biti said. So in the first phase they want to take away 12,500ha; and in phase 2 and phase 3, they want to take away 21,000ha. Thats a small country; thats bigger than Lesotho or Swaziland.

He had tabled a report in parliament to expose the shenanigans behind the displacement of the Shangaan people. This is Emmerson Mnangagwa who has done this, he said.

Biti said he and his colleagues would, for posterity, file court applications challenging their expulsion from parliament. But this is Zimbabwe, he added, with an audible shrug. They would go through the legal motions but the only remedy would be to fight by-elections to win back their vacated seats. Daily Maverick

He vowed to continue his fight to expose corruption by whatever means.

They cant really do anything against me, Im not a criminal. Ill not stop fighting the way Ive been doing. This doesnt worry me. The only regret is that we were doing such powerful work in the interests of Zimbabwe.

And that work will be disturbed. Its so technical. So my advantage is that Im a lawyer and I understand finances. Ive run this economy. So we were able to do forensic analysis on forensic reports from a legal point of view, a constitutional point of view and then from a figures point of view. And I understand political economy. So that resource is going to be missed badly.
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Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, March 22)  Lockdowns cannot be the only solution to the worsening COVID-19 outbreak, private sector leaders said on day one of what authorities call the NCR Plus 'bubble'.

While restricting the movement of people may temporarily curb rising infections  which hit a fresh all-time high of 8,019 cases on Monday  this would also translate to lower profits and salaries, and possibly company shutdowns and another wave of worker layoffs.

Itong bubble na ito, bilyon ang cost niyan at maraming magugutom [This bubble will cost us billions and leave more people hungry], Employers Confederation of the Philippines president Sergio Ortiz-Luis, Jr. told CNN Philippines.

There are other things that can be done thats not costly, he added, such as exploring the use of more treatment drugs for patients, intensifying contact tracing, and reopening more wards and isolation centers.

For the next two weeks, people living in Metro Manila and nearby Bulacan, Laguna, Rizal, and Cavite will be restricted to just essential travel. Malacanang has not committed to fresh subsidies to displaced families, insisting workers are still allowed to commute to work and earn a living.

Henry Lim Bon Liong, president of the Federation of Filipino Chinese Chambers of Commerce and Industry, Inc., added that the stricter rules in place until April 4 pushed back chances of an earlier economic rebound. What he expected to happen as early as April-June will now be pushed back to July the earliest.

Hopefully they can also give a little leeway as far as the priority list is concerned. As the medical frontliners are very important, the economic frontliners are equally important also, Bon Liong said during the Tapatan sa Aristocrat virtual forum.

Hopefully, if we secure the vaccines, baka pwede namang sabay-sabay natin dito [maybe we can vaccinate them simultaneously].

Businessmen agreed that mass vaccination is the way forward but pointed out that its weighed down by slow procurement on the part of government and rules prohibiting the private sector to bring in their own supply.

RELATED: Vaccination for general public could begin in May  Galvez

Existing rules only allow companies and even local government units to buy vaccines through tripartite deals involving the state and the foreign drugmakers. For entrepreneurs, they should also donate half of the doses they buy to the Department of Health.

Bakit gusto nila (companies) na sila mismo ang bumili ng vaccine? Because they care for their people. Dapat sa buong taumbayan, libre. Eh, inutil ang gobyerno natin [Why do companies want to buy vaccines? Because they care for their people. It should be free for all citizens, but our government is incompetent], said George Barcelon, Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry president emeritus.

They (private sector) have the resources to buy the vaccine, why not allow them They are willing to do that, Barcelon added.

Senators also sounded the alarm on a contentious provision in the draft DOH rules that bans tobacco firms, soda makers, milk manufacturers and other industries in conflict with public health from importing vaccines, but authorities said this will be removed from official regulations.

READ: Private sector to fund own vaccine rollout
Washington [US], March 20 (ANI): A study led by researchers at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center compared the impact of COVID-19 and influenza (flu) on patients and hospital resources.

In a paper published in the Journal of General Internal Medicine, physician-researchers at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC) assessed the relative impact of COVID-19 on patients hospitalised with the viral infection in March and April 2020, versus patients hospitalized with influenza during the last five flu seasons at the medical center.

Overall, the team demonstrated that COVID-19 cases resulted in significantly more weekly hospitalizations, more use of mechanical ventilation and higher mortality rates than influenza.

COVID-19 and influenza are both contagious respiratory viral diseases that can lead to pneumonia and acute respiratory failure in severe cases. However, detailed comparison of the epidemiology and clinical characteristics of COVID-19 and those of influenza are lacking.

"COVID-19 has been compared to influenza both by health care professionals and the lay public, but there's really limited detailed objective data available for comparing and contrasting the impact of these two diseases on patients and hospitals," said corresponding author Michael Donnino, MD, Critical Care and Emergency Medicine physician at BIDMC.

"We compared patients admitted to BIDMC with COVID-19 in spring 2020 to patients admitted to BIDMC with influenza during the last five flu seasons. We found that COVID-19 causes more severe disease and is more lethal than influenza."

Donnino and colleagues included a total of 1,634 hospitalized patients in their study, 582 of whom had laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 and 1,052 of whom had confirmed influenza. The team found that, on average, 210 patients were admitted to BIDMC during each eight-month flu season, compared to the 582 patients with COVID-19 admitted in March and April 2020.

While 174 patients with COVID-19 (or 30 per cent) received mechanical ventilation during the two-month period, just 84 patients with influenza (or 8 per cent) were placed on ventilation over all five seasons of influenza. Likewise, the proportion of patients who died was much higher for COVID-19 than for influenza; 20 per cent of admitted patients with COVID-19 died in the two-month period, compared to three per cent of patients with influenza over five seasons.

Further analysis revealed that hospitalized patients with COVID-19 tended to be younger than those hospitalized with influenza. Among patients requiring mechanical ventilation, patients with COVID-19 were on ventilation much longer -- a median duration of two weeks -- compared to just over three days for patients with influenza. Moreover, among patients requiring mechanical ventilation, patients with COVID-19 were far less likely to have had pre-existing medical conditions.

"Our data illustrate that 98 percent of deaths of patients hospitalized with COVID-19 were directly or indirectly related to their COVID-19 illness, illustrating that patients did not die with COVID but rather from COVID pneumonia or a complication," said Donnino.

The authors note that the stringent social distancing guidance in effect last spring may have impacted these findings by limiting the incidence and lethality of COVID-19 toward the end of April 2020. Conversely, some treatment practices have evolved over the course of the pandemic, potentially improving outcomes for patients with COVID-19. (ANI)

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
The number of cases of variants of concern in the country is rising, Canada's chief public health officer said Monday as provinces ramped up their vaccination programs in the hopes of heading off a possible third wave of COVID-19.

A worker waits to assist people outside at a mass COVID-19 vaccination site during the COVID-19 pandemic in Mississauga, Ont., on Monday, March 22, 2021. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Nathan Denette

The number of cases of variants of concern in the country is rising, Canada's chief public health officer said Monday as provinces ramped up their vaccination programs in the hopes of heading off a possible third wave of COVID-19.

Dr. Theresa Tam said there have been 5,154 confirmed COVID-19 cases involving more transmissible variants, with the highest numbers in Alberta, Ontario, British Columbia and Quebec.

The majority of those cases involve the B.1.1.7 variant first identified in the United Kingdom, which Tam says is responsible for 638 of the 655 cases of variants confirmed since March 18.

"With the continued increase of variants of concern, maintaining public health measures and individual precautions is crucial to reducing infection rates and avoiding a rapid re-acceleration of the epidemic and its severe outcomes, including hospitalization and deaths," Tam said in a statement.

In addition to conventional testing, she said the Public Health Agency of Canada was developing more tools to study and detect the variants, including an advanced form of genetic sequencing to detect the virus in wastewater.

Tam said the number of COVID-19 cases across the country has been rising, after a decline earlier this year. The bright spot, she said, is vaccination, which gives "cause for optimism (that) widespread and lasting immunity can be achieved."

Speaking in Trois-Rivieres, Que., Prime Minister Justin Trudeau praised the vaccination effort, which he said has delivered more than 4.7 million doses to the provinces thus far.

"This is the way we all wanted to start the spring, with families from coast to coast to coast breathing a sigh of relief," he said at an event alongside Quebec Premier Francois Legault.

However, in an acknowledgment that the pandemic is not over, Trudeau extended the deadline for new applications under the Canada Emergency Business Account, which provides interest-free loans to small businesses.

He said the deadline had been moved from the end of March to the end of June, promising to do "whatever it takes for as long as it takes" to help Canadians through the pandemic.

Even as vaccination programs ramp up, the growing number of variant cases is sparking fears of a third wave in some parts of the country. Ontario's chief medical officer of health announced last week that the province was already in a third wave, and on Monday health officials in Quebec expressed concern that the province would soon follow suit.

Health Minister Christian Dube said all the province's negative indicators are rising, and he urged people to respect health measures to prevent a variant-fuelled COVID-19 surge.

Legault, meanwhile, said the province's case numbers and hospitalizations were no longer decreasing, and he expressed the desire to avoid steep increases seen in other jurisdictions. "We look at whats happening in Ontario, in New York, in New Jersey and France and we have to worry," he said. "We have to be careful."

In Alberta, with 110 new variant cases reported, for a total of 1,711 in the province, Health Minister Tyler Shandro said it was not safe to further ease restrictions, as hospitalizations of COVID-19 patients have been steadily increasing.

In Saskatchewan, rising concern over variant cases in Regina prompted some school divisions to restart online learning. The province also announced it was shipping 100,000 rapid antigen tests to schools to help prevent COVID-19 transmission.

Health officials said that as of Sunday, 141 of the 156 confirmed cases of a variant of concern were in the capital city.

British Columbia provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry said variants of concern are moving quickly with 166 new cases over three days, most of them connected to the U.K. strain.

However, Henry said they aren't seeing an increase in the death rates from the 1,366 variant cases that have been found so far.

Ontario, meanwhile, said the province plans to expand a pharmacy vaccination project to more virus hot spots. Premier Doug Ford told reporters that the province plans to double to 700 the number of pharmacies offering the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine to those 60 and up.

Ford said the expansion would initially target the Toronto, Peel and York regions, but would expand further as soon as more vaccine becomes available.

"Yes, we have bush fires happening all around the province, and yes, we need to address those, but we have an inferno happening in other regions, being Toronto, Peel and York to a certain degree, and were going to make sure we focus on those regions," he said.

Several provinces were also expanding their vaccine eligibility on Monday in anticipation of larger shipments in the coming days.

Ontario and Manitoba lowered the age of eligibility for the general public to register for shots to 75 and 65, respectively. In Manitoba, Indigenous people 45 and up can also get vaccinated.

Quebec dropped the minimum age for shots to 60 for those in the Montreal area, as some 350 pharmacies in the hard-hit metropolis began offering vaccines. The age of eligibility in the rest of the province remained 65 as of Monday afternoon.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 22, 2021.
Bhubaneswar, March 22 : With a resurgence of Covid-19 cases, the Odisha government on Monday discussed strategies to check the spread of the virus.

Chief Secretary Suresh Chandra Mahapatra on Monday chaired a high-level meeting of senior officials and District Collectors on measures to check the spike.

"It was decided in the meeting that Covid-19 testing will be increased in the state while tracking and treatment will be our focus. Sarpanches and ward members will be engaged to keep a watch on the situation at grassroots level," Special Relief Commissioner Pradeep Kumar Jena said.

He said Covid management committees in villages, which were formed last year, will be reactivated.

Jena said people coming from outside Odisha need to be tracked and tested at the earliest.

Additional Director General of Police Abhay has instructed the Superintendents of Police to implement enforcement measures more stringently.

Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik will review the Covid-19 situation in the state on Tuesday, the SRC said.

Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation Commissioner Prem Chandra Chaudhury informed that situation has become alarming in the state capital.

"We will ensure strict enforcement of Covid-19 norms like wearing of masks and social distancing. Plans are on to start RTPCR tests at railway stations and airport," he said.

Meanwhile, the Malkangiri district administration has announced night curfew from March 23 to March 31.

The movement of individuals shall remain strictly prohibited, except for essential activities, between 9 p.m. to 6 a.m.

Odisha reported 146 Covid-19 cases in the last 24 hours out of which 59 are local contacts.

Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19)
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 WealthSanctuary 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 TKono@jconnelly.com

View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/sanctuary-wealth-launches-sanctuary-global-to-serve-growing-latin-american-market-301247444.html

SOURCE Sanctuary Wealth
International

Myanmar police refugees seek asylum on humanitarian grounds

A Myanmar policeman currently in Champhai town, Mizoram shows his photo in uniform. (Source: Reuters/Devjyot Ghoshal)

YANGON, MAR 21 (AGENCIES) | Publish Date: 3/21/2021 1:41:22 PM IST

Myanmar police officials who fled to India saying that they flouted rules to shoot protesters are now asking the Indian government to grant them asylum on humanitarian grounds.

Speaking to the Associated Press, one of the refugee cops said that they did not want to return to their country until the problem is solved. Threatened by violence and unrest in Myanmar, scores of residents have crossed the border into Indias northeast where they are now seeking temporary asylum. Many who entered India have expressed concerns about their families and friends, still stuck in Myanmar. Many others have reasoned that they fled solely because they did not kill their own people.

As per the latest report by the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAP), at least 247 people have been killed in the violence. Additionally, 2345 people have been arrested, charged or sentenced and at least 1994 people have been actively persecuted since February 1. Other Myanmar based rights groups have claimed the casualties to be higher than that verified by AAPP.
New Delhi: Maharashtra minister Nawab Malik on Monday (March 22) said that the letter written by Param Bir Singh raises questions and that there will be a probe against Home Minister Anil Deshmukh.

News agency ANI reported the minister saying, Param Bir Singh's letter raises questions, it was written after transfer. There'll be a probe (against Home Minister Anil Deshmukh). The resignation has been asked on the basis of the letter, no question it'll happen. Party will take a call only after probe.

The NCP on Sunday (March 21) ruled out the resignation of Maharashtra Home Minister Anil Deshmukh even as the demand for his removal grew louder over the former Mumbai police chief's allegation that he wanted police officers to collect Rs 100 crore monthly from bars and hotels in the city.

Bharatiya Janata Party leaders and workers staged protests in various cities demanding the resignation of Maharashtra Home Minister Anil Deshmukh in view of allegations of corruption levelled against him by former Mumbai police commissioner Param Bir Singh.
The Illinois Commerce Commission and several major utilities have agreed on a plan to help avoid service disconnections when a voluntary winter moratorium expires at the end of this month.

Ameren Illinois, Peoples Gas, Aqua Illinois, Illinois-American Water Co. and Utility Services of Illinois are among those who have signed onto the pact. It is intended to help electric, natural gas, water and sewer residential customers hard hit by the ongoing pandemic, but consumers struggling to pay their bill must call the utility to receive benefits and prevent disconnection.
EATING processed food such as a bacon rasher every day could increase the risk of dementia by 44pc, according to a study.

A long-term research project has strongly implicated unhealthy dishes such as sausages, kebabs and burgers with deteriorating brain health in middle and old age.

The study also found daily consumption of non-processed red meats, such as beef, pork or veal may have a protective effect against dementia.

Leeds University researchers examined data from nearly half a million people in the UK Biobank.

Read More

The cohort, aged 40 to 69, was followed up over eight years, making the study, published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, the first large-scale examination of the link, over time, between specific meat products and dementia.

The disease affects up to 8pc of over-60s worldwide.

The team identified 2,896 cases of dementia and calculated the 44pc added risk of developing the condition was linked with consuming 25g of processed meat a day, equivalent to one bacon rasher.

Independent experts urged caution in attributing risk of dementia so precisely, but also said that the overall findings pointed to a general increase of risk from consuming processed meats.

Read More




Charleston, WV (25301)

Today

Showers and thunderstorms. Storms may contain strong gusty winds. High 77F. Winds SSW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 70%..

Tonight

Thunderstorms early, then cloudy skies after midnight. Areas of patchy fog developing. Low 62F. Winds SW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 70%.
Michigans Class of 2020 had an on-time graduation rate of 82.1%, the highest percentage since the state started tracking graduation rates in 2008, according to new state data.

It was a record set during a highly unusual school year, in which the final three months were truncated by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The 2019 graduation rate was 81.4%, shows the data from the Michigan Department of Education and the Michigan Center for Educational Performance and Information.

Meanwhile, the dropout rate fell from 8.4% to 7.8% between 2018-19 and 2019-20.

The other category -- students still in high school after four years or who obtained a GED -- accounted for 10.2% of students in the Class of 2020, which was unchanged from the Class of 2019.

The state calculates graduation rates by tracking enrollment records of individual students from the time they first enroll as ninth-graders. The CEPI numbers include all public schools, including charters.

The state does not track private-school students.

Below is an online database that allows you to look up the 2019 graduation numbers for any Michigan public high school. You can search by county or district to see the schools ranked by graduation rate, or you can type in the name of a high school.

The database shows the number of students who started ninth grade, adjusted for transfers; <10 indicates a school with fewer than 10 students in the cohort.

Hint: To search by county, type the name of the county with parentheses in the search function. You can see schools ranked by graduation rate by clicking on that column title; click once for a ranking starting with the lowest percentage and click twice to see schools ranked starting with schools that have the highest percentage.

(Cant see the database? Click here.)

Next is a chart that shows the 2019 four-year graduation rate by school district. Charter schools are not included on this database. (Cant see the database? Click here.)

Keep in mind that student sociodemographics can have a major impact on graduation rates.

Also a factor: Districts with sizable alternative education programs that serve struggling students typically have lower graduation rates than districts with no such programs.

Below are some highlights from the state data.

1. Michigans high school graduation rate has gone up 6.6 points since 2008.

Graduation rates have been trending up since 2008, when the on-time graduation rate was 75.5% -- and thats despite the recent adoption of much stiffer high school graduation requirements in 2011.

Before the Class of 2011, Michigan high schools could set their own graduation requirements. Before 2011, less than half of Michigan students graduated without taking algebra, and many students could fulfill their graduation requirements by the end of junior year, allowing them to load their schedule with electives as seniors.

Students now must take four years of English language arts; four years of math, including advanced algebra and geometry; three years of social studies, and three years of science, including biology plus either chemistry or physics.

2. Women are more likely to graduate on time than men.

The 2020 on-time graduation rate was 86% for women and 79% for men.

The gender gap has narrowed slightly over time: For the Class of 2008, women had a four-year graduation rate of 80% compared to 71% for males, a nine-point gap compared to the current seven-point gap.

3. The achievement gap by race is substantial, but has narrowed considerably.

By race/ethnicity, the on-time graduation rate for the Class of 2020 was 93% for Asian students, 85% for whites, 75% for Hispanics and 70% for African-Americans.

Those numbers reflect significant improvements for Hispanic and African-American students.

In the Class of 2008, there was a 26-point gap between the graduation rate White and Black students. That compares to a 15-point gap for the Class of 2020.

Since 2008, the four-year graduation rate has gone by 15.1 percentile points for Hispanics, 13.9 for African-American students, 5.6 points for Asians and 3.6 points for white students.

4. By race and gender, Asian women had the highest on-time graduation rate in 2020 -- 94.7%.

Here are the 2020 rates for other groups by race and gender:

Asian males: 92%;

White women: 88.2%;

White men: 82.4%;

Hispanic women: 80.5%;

African-American women: 76.8%;

Hispanic men: 70.7%;

African-American men: 64.1%.

5. Differences in household income help explain achievement gaps by race.

Looking at how race, gender and income impact graduation rates, income appears to have the biggest influence.

For instance, an African-American student from a middle-class home is more likely to graduate on time than a white student from a low-income household.

Overall, 72% of Michigan students who qualified for the subsidized lunch program graduated on-time compared to 91% of middle-class and affluent students -- a 19-point gap.

Below is a look at graduation rates by race and whether students qualified for the subsidized lunch program.

Asians not qualified for subsidized lunch: 96%

Asians from low-income households: 89%

Whites not qualified for subsidized lunch: 83%

Hispanics not qualified for subsidized lunch: 83%

Blacks not qualified for subsidized lunch: 82%

Whites from low-income households: 74%

Hispanics from low-income households: 72%

Blacks from low-income households: 67%

Minorities comprise a disproportionate number of low-income students: About 76% of African-American students and 67% of Hispanics in the Class of 2019 cohort qualified for subsidized lunch compared to 38% of white and 33% of Asian students.

5. The five- and six-year graduation rate is 85.5% for students who entered high school in 2015 and 2014.

Among Michigan public-school students who entered ninth grade in 2014, 85.6% had a high school diploma or GED by summer of 2020 and 2.3% were still enrolled in high school, six years after starting. About 12% were high school dropouts.

Among the 14,809 Michigan residents who were dropouts six years after starting high school in 2014:

72% came from low-income households;

62% were male;

54% were white, 30% were African-American and 10% were Hispanic.

Read more on MLive:

See 2020-21 enrollment data for every Michigan public school by district and by building

Michigan school districts ranked by median family income: See states richest, poorest districts

Michigans Isaiah Livers declares he is #NotNCAAProperty
We hear a lot about Covid-19, don't we? How we hold to key to suppressing it, beating it, crushing it. We hear adverts on the TV and radio about playing our part and holding firm, washing hands, staying apart and sticking together. We listen when our health chiefs and politicians talk about new variants and the worrying spread, restrictions being tightened and then lifted and then tightened again. It's exhausting for a start, but for Offaly people, it is now infuriating.

TAP TO READ NEXT: Large increase in new Covid-19 cases in Offaly today

Since Christmas, Offaly's daily cases have been stubbornly high and for most of that period, we've had the highest 14-day incidence rate of the virus in the entire country. Thirty-odd cases are added to the Offaly total most days and we report it because it's significant. We're being warned about the spread every day and looking around at family and friends, most people are doing the right things, and yet, the virus is spreading faster (per population) in Offaly than anywhere else. It's a worry, no doubt about it.

The latest Local Electoral Area Covid-19 numbers for the two-week period from March 2 to March 15 shows that the rate of the virus has risen in Edenderry and Tullamore, while it's fallen in Birr. The figures show Tullamore is the worst locality in Ireland for Covid-19 cases based on the size of the population.

The 14-day incidence rate for Tullamore is now at 483.6 cases per 100,000 with 141 new cases confirmed in the last two weeks. Last week the rate for the Tullamore Area was 418.4 cases per 100,000 so it's rising and we don't really know why.

The rate in the Edenderry area has also increased this week. Last week the rate for the area stood at 161.3 cases per 100,000 but it has now increased to 300.1 cases per 100,000 with 70 new cases in the last two weeks.

Meanwhile, the Birr Area has seen the rate drop again this week. Two weeks ago, the rate for the Birr area stood at 498.5 cases per 100,000. It fell to 357.2 last week and this week it's down to 274.8 cases per 100,000. There have been 70 new cases in the area in the last two weeks.

As of Friday, the 14-day incidence rate for Offaly as a whole stands at 350.2 cases per 100,000, down only slightly from the previous week and still the highest in Ireland. There have been 273 new cases in Offaly in the two-week period up to March 18. The 14-day incidence rate for Ireland has now fallen to 150.8 cases per 100,000, so Offaly's figure is more than twice that average.

It's a bit like a new secret of Fatima trying to figure out where the cases are and in what settings they are occurring. Our frontline staff and nursing home residents are being vaccinated and yet we have all these cases. Businesses have been closed for months so they're not in restaurants and cafes, and it's not schools because the Offaly cases were rising long before the delayed reopening of education.

Bar an outbreak at the Nelipak plant in Clara which we know contributed more than 20 cases to that Tullamore Local Electoral total last month, we're none the wiser on the cases before or since. For the figures quoted above, we have no idea where those cases are, beyond 'somewhere in Tullamore' and 'somewhere in Edenderry'. Let's not forget these electoral areas are far bigger than just the towns in each case. We have our ear to the ground and talk to a lot of people in the county, and very few are aware of outbreaks.

And we have asked. Last month, responding to the figures and Offaly's precarious position with the virus, Dr Una Fallon, Director of Public Health HSE, Midlands, said: "While Offaly currently has the highest rate of Covid-19 in comparison to other counties, there is no reason to be alarmed.

"Offaly is not a densely populated county so a small rise in the actual number of Covid-19 cases, looks like a significant rise in Covid-19 rates.



"Cases are occurring in a wide range of settings such as workplaces, residential care facilities etc, all of which we are familiar with. No one setting explains the current numbers. I would to thank the public for their efforts to date and appeal to them to continue to adhere to level 5 restrictions, to wear a face mask, to stringently observe social distancing and practice good hand hygiene."

The only thing is; people are alarmed because the 14-day incidence rate reflects spread in relation to population size so a smaller number is more significant in a county like Offaly. It shows a trend that will make people fearful; fearful of their families, friends and neighbours, and that feeling is toxic.

Almost every setting is mentioned as contributing to cases, so we can't pinpoint where they are and there's no urgency to tell us. And yet, we're told to adhere to restrictions, wear a mask, etc, etc. Offaly people are doing all of those things as well as people in any other county. When you go to the supermarket, everybody is wearing a mask. People are staying apart and doing all that is asked of them. And if that's not the case, surely our health chiefs should be telling us.

So, how can we fight back, do the right things and correct offending behaviours affecting our numbers if we don't know where or how those cases are occurring? We deserve to be told so we can address it. We need to know the settings involved so the media can ask the people involved what's going on? What measures are in place? Are they adequate? In the absence of that, we're reporting with both hands tied behind our backs and that has a serious impact on our effectiveness.

Our job as journalists is to shine a light on issues in general and if there are issues in some settings with regard to Covid-19, the information pertaining to those should be shared so we can examine it and delve a little deeper. The residents of the county themselves should be in the know; is there a particular setting in their town or village that is out of control or contributing to the spread and putting them at greater risk?

The relaying of information now, by electoral area, only alerts us to the presence of significant numbers. It's like telling someone to take steps to avoid a wildfire spreading to their home but not telling them where the fire is or how it started. We're aiming the hose in the dark and it's not acceptable.

Every day we're told how many cases there have been, how many vaccines have been administered and how many people have sadly died. The Department of Health has a so-called data hub with charts and tables illustrating this everpresent doom across the country. Despite all that, and with Offaly deemed worst in class, no one has told us where we're going wrong as a county.

Maybe those in charge should have sent themselves back to school instead of the kids.
The Dublin Port Company said alternative sites can only be realised with State support. Photo: Patrick Bolger/Bloomberg

DUBLIN Port Company says that plans to develop two new seaports on the east coast would not only cost too much but would also damage the environment.

The DPC, which yesterday invited alternative views on how to develop the east coast post-2040, said plans for new ports in Dublin/Meath and Wicklow would cost too much and could have trouble getting planning permission.

The best mega project is the one that can be avoided and we in Dublin Port Company hope that the need to build new additional greenfield port facilities does not arise, the DPC said in a paper accompanying its public consultation.

One of the sites, near Arklow in Co. Wicklow, would cost 3.9bn to develop, the DPC said.

The other project  a new deepwater port to be located north of Bremore Head, announced in December by Drogheda Port Company  would cost 4.2bn and would be very impactful on the environment.

Drogheda Port Company said last year that it had completed a partnership agreement with Ronan Group Real Estate (RGRE) to develop the port and surrounding estate.

Both sites would be larger than Dublin Port and would require state support on top of private financing, the DPC said.

None of the projects and none of the port companies (including DPC) are capable of raising the project finance that would be required, the DPC said.

According to the DPC, Dublin Port will reach capacity some time between 2030 and 2040.

Construction is already under way on a fourth terminal at the port and works will begin next year on a new jetty, passenger terminal buildings and a heritage zone.

The DPC is now seeking planning permission for a third project to develop port lands on the Poolbeg Peninsula and build a new bridge to take port-related traffic off the East Wall Road, the Tom Clarke Bridge and Pigeon House Road.

But, it says, those developments will not be enough to meet future demand.

However, any new ports should be avoided if at all possible or, at the very least, should be deferred for as long as possible, the DPC said.

Eugene Drennan, the head of the Irish Road Haulage Association, said that downsizing Dublin Port and diverting freight elsewhere would be a good idea.

Theyre at maximum capacity now at Dublin Port, said Mr Drennan.

"I think if they just gave away some of the stuff they import to other ports  to Rosslare or to Cork or to Waterford, in particular, [which] was a good container port in its day, you could still retain a fair bit of the port in Dublin. Just downsize what it does and bring it back into shape and usefulness.

The DPC said the ports of Rosslare, Waterford and Cork are too small to handle the extra capacity needed by 2040, and would only serve to drive up traffic and lorry emissions on roads back to Dublin.

It said that fundamental changes in supply chain behaviour are needed at Dublin Port, including 24/7 goods movements and a reduction in the time trailers and containers spend at port terminals, which it says is causing systemic inefficiencies.

Absolutely there is systemic inefficiency there, Mr Drennan said. Weve requested the reopening of container depots to just a little bit longer - perhaps until 10pm - but weve been met with blank refusal.

The DPC is inviting individuals and organisations to respond to its views or share new ideas on east coast port capacity by the end of June.

We need to plan for how, when and where additional port capacity might be provided on the east coast of Ireland by 2040, said Eamonn OReilly, DPC Chief Executive.

We know from experience that 20 years is a relatively short period in the context of delivering large scale infrastructure projects, let alone a once in 200 years megaproject, which the construction of a new additional greenfield port would be."
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Russian ambassador to U.S. returns to Moscow for consultations

Xinhua) 08:42, March 22, 2021

File photo taken on March 5, 2015 shows then Deputy Defense Minister of Russia Anatoly Antonov holding a press conference in Moscow, Russia. (Xinhua/Pavel Bednyakov)

Responding directly to Biden's "killer" remarks, Putin said that "I would say to him: I wish you good health. I say that without irony or joking."

WASHINGTON, March 21 (Xinhua) -- Russian Ambassador to the United States Anatoly Antonov on Saturday returned to Moscow for consultations, according to an announcement by the Russian Embassy in Washington.

"Russian Ambassador Anatoly Antonov is on his way to Moscow to participate in consultations on rectifying Russia-U.S. relations," the embassy said in a post on its official Facebook page.

The embassy also posted two juxtaposed pictures, one showing Antonov, in a black jacket, at an airport and the other, an airplane -- which appeared to be the one Antonov will fly in -- with a Russian flag on the outside surface of the cockpit.

Antonov flew from New York, as there is no direct flight between Washington and the Russian capital amid the coronavirus pandemic, according to Russia's TASS news agency. He will arrive in Moscow on Sunday.

Russia recalled its top envoy in the United States after U.S. President Joe Biden said in an interview with ABC News that aired Wednesday that Russia will "pay a price" for its alleged interference in the 2020 U.S. election.

A policeman stands guard outside the Russian Embassy to the United States in Washington, D.C., the United States, on Dec. 29, 2016. (Xinhua/Yin Bogu)

A U.S. intelligence report released Tuesday directly accused Russian President Vladimir Putin of ordering a wide-ranging influence operation to interfere in the 2020 U.S. election, intending to hurt Biden's campaign.

In the ABC News interview, Biden also agreed with the interviewer's claim that Putin was "a killer."

Responding directly to Biden's remarks, Putin said Thursday: "I would say to him: I wish you good health. I say that without irony or joking."

"I would like to offer President Biden (the opportunity) to continue our discussion, but on condition that we'll do so what is called live, online. Without anything pre-recorded, in an open and direct discussion," Putin said. "It seems to me, it would be interesting both for the Russian people and for the U.S. people, as well as for many other countries."

Asked by reporters whether Biden regretted the "killer" statement, White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said in a press briefing Thursday, "Nope. The President gave a direct answer to a direct question," adding Washington still wishes to develop its relationship with Moscow.

"The current U.S. administration never ceases to surprise us with its absurd public statements. It's not just about the unseemly attacks against Russia's top officials, but also the absurd accusations of Russia's interference in last year's presidential election in the United States," Maria Zakharova, spokesperson for the Russian Foreign Ministry said in comments posted Friday on the Facebook page of the Russian Embassy in Washington.
Former Georgian Prime Minister Giorgi Gakharia said he has no plans to leave the country or politics.

He told journalists earlier today that he will announce his intentions in the coming days.. Agenda.ge reported.

Gakharia resigned on February 18, 2021, saying that the step was connected with the upcoming arrest of the opposition MP and the head of the United National Movement opposition party Nika Melia.

Gakharia said that Melia, who refused to post bail, should be arrested according to the law. However, he stated that amid the political tension the arrest would spark further complications.

Melia was arrested on February 23, shortly after the parliament approved Irakli Garibashvili as the countrys new PM.

Gakharia was appointed PM in September 2019 and was reapproved to the post by the parliament in December 2020, after the elections. In previous years he was the countrys interior minister and business ombudsman.

A federal Liberal staffer sacked over a video of himself performing a lewd act on the desk of a female MP in Parliament House also took another video of himself performing a sex act on someone else in what he said was his boss office.

In a video seen by The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age, the man performs a sex act on another man in an office. The green carpet visible behind him in the video matches the carpet from the floor of the House of Representatives wing of Parliament.

The man in the video later claimed it was filmed in his boss office.

Signs in the crowd at the March 4 Justice at Parliament House in Canberra on March 15. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen

Ten News on Monday night reported a group of Coalition government staffers exchanged pictures and videos among themselves of sex acts performed in Parliament House.
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[March 22, 2021] 61% of Businesses Say Competitive Intelligence Drives Revenue Growth, New Benchmark Study Finds

BOSTON, March 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Last week, Crayon released the 2021 State of Competitive Intelligence Report, the latest iteration of their annual research study regarding trends and best practices in the field of competitive intelligence. The largest of its kind, the State of Competitive Intelligence Report draws on responses from more than 1,000 competitive intelligence practitioners and stakeholders. The study found that 61% of businesses say competitive intelligence has made a direct impact on revenue  a 17% increase over last year's figure of 52%. Competitive intelligence teams continue to improve when it comes to initiating strategic action across their organizations. "Businesses have never been more agile than they are right now. Whether you want to launch a product, a product feature, or a marketing campaign, the barriers to doing so are at an all-time low  which means the need for competitive intelligence is at an all-time high," shared Laura Taylor, CMO at Crayon. She continued: "At the same time, competitive intelligence as a discipline continues to evolve. The ways in which we track, analyze, and act on competitors' movements are constantly changing, thanks in large part to innovations in automation and data analytics. With the release of this report, we strive to empower both new and experienced competitive intelligence practitioners as they work to enable success across their organizations." The study also found that businesses continue to encounter roadblocks: 44% say it's a struggle to gather intel in a timely manner  a staggering figure considering the fact that competitive intelligence practitioners spend 33% of their time conductng research. Compared to 2018, however, practitioners are spending 23% less time on research and 38% more time on communication. This helps to explain the dramatic jump in the number of businesses seeing direct revenue impact as a result of their competitive intelligence investments.



Additional findings include: Competitive intelligence teams keep getting bigger. 70% of businesses have teams of two or more dedicated practitioners, compared to 57% in 2020.

70% of businesses have teams of two or more dedicated practitioners, compared to 57% in 2020. The role of technology in the competitive intelligence process is growing. 62% of respondents anticipate increased use of paid competitive intelligence solutions in 2021.

62% of respondents anticipate increased use of paid competitive intelligence solutions in 2021. Sharing insights frequently is a major key to success. Amongst businesses that share competitive insights on a weekly basis, 72% say they've seen direct revenue impact as a result of their competitive intelligence investments.

Amongst businesses that share competitive insights on a weekly basis, 72% say they've seen direct revenue impact as a result of their competitive intelligence investments. Competitive battlecards tend to yield results. 71% of businesses that use competitive battlecards say they've improved their sales win rates as a result. "As the world's largest non-profit serving the competitive strategy and intelligence community, SCIP (Strategic and Competitive Intelligence Professionals) is excited to team with Crayon on this study," shared Cam Mackey, Executive Director of SCIP. "As the saying goes, standing still is the fastest way of moving backwards. This report provides great insights to help us move forward quickly, and accelerate the impact of intelligence on growth."

To view the full report, visit: www.crayon.co/success/state-of-competitive-intelligence-2021 About Crayon Crayon is the competitive intelligence platform that enables businesses to track, analyze, and act on everything happening outside their four walls. Tens of thousands of competitive intelligence practitioners and stakeholders use Crayon to win deals, improve market positioning, inform long-term strategy, and optimize product roadmaps. To learn more, visit www.crayon.co. Contact Laura Taylor

Chief Marketing Officer, Crayon

marketing@crayon.co Related Images competitive-intelligence-impact-on.png

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61% of businesses say competitive intelligence drives revenue growth. View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/61-of-businesses-say-competitive-intelligence-drives-revenue-growth-new-benchmark-study-finds-301253217.html SOURCE Crayon

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By Jessie Pang

HONG KONG (Reuters) - Eight Hong Kong democracy activists, jailed in China last year after being captured at sea, arrived back in the city and were immediately detained on Monday in a case that has drawn international attention and concern over their treatment.

They were among 12 activists facing charges in Hong Kong over pro-democracy protests, who were intercepted by mainland authorities in August 2020 on a boat allegedly en route to Taiwan.

They were sent home to Hong Kong on Monday after serving a sentence in China for illegally crossing the border, only to be detained on arrival on the previous Hong Kong charges.

Activist and barrister Chow Hang-tung, speaking on behalf of a concern group for the defendants, said she was unhappy with the handover arrangements for them.

"(Authorities) never communicated with the family about the whole arrangement so the family members are forced to come here and wait all day until now," Chow said at a press briefing outside a Hong Kong police station close to the mainland border.

"Just for the very thin hope of seeing their families, waving to them, shouting to them, even till now, they still havent had any chance to meet their sons."

Johnny Patterson, policy director for rights group Hong Kong Watch, said the "appalling ordeal" the group faced "shines a spotlight on the draconian new normal in Hong Kong."

"It's a case of out of the frying pan, into the fire."

Among the eight is Andy Li, arrested under a sweeping national security law Beijing imposed on the Asian financial hub in June 2020 that critics say is aimed at crushing dissent.

In December, a Chinese court sentenced 10 of the 12 to between seven months and three years in jail. Defendants Tang Kai-yin and Quinn Moon, who were sentenced to three and two years, respectively, are still in southern Guangdong province.

Two minors who were among the 12 pleaded guilty to illegally crossing the border and were returned to Hong Kong in December.

Story continues

During the detention of the 12 in the southern Chinese city of Shenzhen, mainland authorities denied their families and lawyers access, insisting they be represented by officially appointed lawyers, provoking criticism from rights groups.

Pro-democracy activists began fleeing Hong Kong for Taiwan from the early months of the protests in 2019, most legally by air, but some by boat, activists in Taipei have told Reuters.

Hong Kong, a former British colony, returned to Chinese rule in 1997 with the guarantee of freedoms not seen on the mainland, including freedom of speech and assembly. Democracy activists complain that Communist Party rulers in Beijing are whittling away at those freedoms, a charge China rejects.

Since Beijing imposed the national security law on Hong Kong, scores of democracy campaigners have been arrested, some elected legislators have been disqualified and others have fled overseas.

(Reporting by Jessie Pang; Writing by Anne Marie Roantree; Editing by Clarence Fernandez and Peter Graff)
KABUL - The Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, Mohammad Haneef Atmar heading a high-ranking government delegation, left Kabul for New Delhi this morning, the 22nd of March, 2021.

The purpose of Mr. Atmar and his accompanying delegation's visit to India is to discuss bilateral relations, strengthen regional and international consensus on the Afghan peace process, and enhance cooperation in security, economic, political and cultural areas.

During his three-day visit to New Delhi, Mr. Atmar is scheduled to meet with Dr. Subrahmanyam Jaishankar Minister of External Affairs of India, and a number of high-ranking Indian government officials, including the country's National Security Adviser, Ajit Doval, to discuss and exchange views on a range of issues of common interest between the two countries.

During his visit to Delhi, the Foreign Minister will also meet former ambassadors of India to Afghanistan, students, businessmen, Afghan-Hindu representatives and a number of Afghan refugees living in India.
Newly released police body cam video shows the moment an officer shoved an elderly BLM protester to the ground in Buffalo, New York last year, which resulted in the 75-year-old falling and cracking his skull on the ground.

The footage, obtained by the Buffalo News on Monday via a Freedom of Information request, shows the incident involving Martin Gugino during the protest in the upstate New York city last June.

It shows, for the first time, the view from the officer's perspective after video from by a local reporter was widely shared at the time showing Gugino's head hitting the ground with a sickening thud after being shoved.

The newly released footage shows Gugino approaching one of the officers, who could be seen carrying a baton, and saying: 'You're using those sticks'.

The newly released body cam footage shows the incident involving Martin Gugino, 75, during a BLM protest in Buffalo. New York last June

WARNING: EXPLICIT LANGUAGE

Seconds later, one officer used his baton and another used his hand to push Gugino back.

The elderly man could be seen falling and smacking his head on the ground.

He spent four weeks in hospital recovering from his critical head injury.

The release of the footage comes just two weeks after a grand jury declined to indict the two officers, Aaron Torgalski and Robert McCabe, who shoved Gugino.

They had been arraigned on felony assault charges two days after the June 4 incident outside City Hall but Erie County District Attorney John Flynn Jr. said earlier this month that the jury had dismissed the case.

The officers, both members of a police tactical unit, were initially suspended without pay but were back on the payroll 30 days later.

The incident is still the focus of an internal affairs investigation.

Gugino, who has since recovered from his critical head injury, filed a lawsuit against police, the city and the mayor just days after the grand jury dismissed the case.

The newly released footage shows Gugino approaching one of the officers, who could be seen carrying a baton, and saying: 'You're using those sticks'

It shows, for the first time, the view from the officer's perspective after video from by a local reporter was widely shared at the time showing Gugino's head hitting the ground with a sickening thud after being shoved

One officer used his baton and another used his hand to push Gugino (right) back after he approached them during the protest

In another view, Gugino can be seen approaching the officers, who could be seen carrying batons, and saying: 'You're using those sticks'

In the federal lawsuit, Gugino's attorneys claim his constitutional rights to freedom of speech, peaceful assembly and due process, among others, were violated during the incident.

It also alleges forcible assault without warning by police officers.

The complaint names the City of Buffalo, Mayor Byron Brown, Police Commissioner Byron Lockwood, Deputy Police Commissioner Joseph Gramaglia and the two officers involved as defendants.

The lawsuit alleges that a third officer named as a defendant in the complaint, John Losi, was the one who instructed McCabe and Torgalski to shove him as the rest of the police team yelled: 'Push him, push him'.

'If the roles were reversed, and Gugino pushed a BPD officer who then fractured his skull, he would have been immediately indicted, and for good reason,' Gugino's attorney, Richard Weisbeck, said in a statement.

The elderly man could be seen falling and smacking his head on the ground. He spent four weeks in hospital recovering from his critical head injury

He spent four weeks in hospital recovering from his fractured skull. Footage from the scene caused outrage at the time after Gugino could be seen lying in pool of his own blood
A new low-proof cocktail bar and Spanish restaurant opens in North Beach this Friday with 100 outdoor seats, a rolling bar cart and creative takes on classic tapas.

Called Red Window, its the sit-down companion to Little Red Window, a takeout spot thats quickly grown a following for empanadas during the pandemic. Both restaurants come from Elmer Mejicanos, who is also bar director at nearby Tonys Pizza Napoletana, and Adam Rosenblum, who is also the chef and owner of American comfort food spot Causwells.

The restaurant aims to stand out among San Franciscos tapas scene by balancing shareable small plates with pintxos, little snacks such as tuna conserva-topped crostini or ham croquettes that can be ordered by the single bite. Armed with just a beer and wine license, Red Window aims to feel like a full-fledged cocktail bar with as much ambition as one of San Franciscos top drinking destinations. Starting out with outdoor dining, bartenders will roll out a bar cart to diners and finish some cocktails tableside.

Perhaps the best example of Mejicanos vision is the restaurants Sherry cobbler ($14). Mejicanos hopes it not only becomes Red Windows most popular drink but that it gains a reputation as the best Sherry cobbler in the Bay Area  he even bought a separate ice machine just for the cobbler in anticipation of demand.

Marc Fiorito Photography

I usually create bar programs within a week. It took me three months to come up with the final recipe for this cobbler, he said.

Mejicanos went through more than 40 samples of Sherry from Spain to come up with the right blend, which he combines with local peaches and figs that he pureed and froze at their peak.

I think we found that perfect balance between sweet, salty, sour, bitter, umami and a little bit of warm spice, he said. Its a celebration drink, unlike another vodka soda you can make yourself at home.

Fans of Rosenblums cooking at Causwells will find a similar style at Red Window  a mix of familiar, nostalgic dishes imbued with the chefs personality. Prices will start at $3 per pintxo and rise to $27 for a larger plate like squid, shrimp and mussels with brothy rice.

I dont want to just put someones cookbook on my menu, but I think its important to have dishes people can relate to, Rosenblum said.

Marc Florito Photography

The restaurants Spanish tortilla ($12) was inspired by Rosenblums pre-pandemic research trip to Spain, where he tried an incredible version in San Sebastian. Instead of serving the potato-and-egg dish in its traditional, by-the-slice format, he opted to make individual-sized versions garnished with caramelized onion puree, chives and spices to add a little more depth of flavor but also not frou-frou up a classic, he said.

Food Guide Top 25 Restaurants Where to eat in the Bay Area. Find spots near you, create a dining wishlist, and more.

Similarly, he serves a version of patatas bravas ($6) with familiar-looking cubes of crispy potatoes under a peppery sauce. A closer look reveals intricate layers: Rosenblum thinly slices potatoes and slowly bakes them into a 50-layer potato cake, then cuts that into cubes to fry.

Eventually, the owners hope to open Red Window indoors for the intimate, lively experience they originally envisioned. But they dont feel any rush, having lucked out with a prime corner locaton  the former Caffe DeLucchi space  and the ability to seat 100 people outside on two streets. Look for a reservations link on Tock, set to go live Wednesday.

Red Window. Opening Friday. Dinner only Wednesday-Thursday, lunch and dinner Friday-Sunday. 500 Columbus Ave., San Francisco. theredwindow.com

Janelle Bitker is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: janelle.bitker@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @janellebitker
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One System Pvt, the Indian digital wallet and payments startup, is targeting an initial public offering before September that could raise between $200 million and $250 million, according to people familiar with the matter.



is planning to file its draft IPO prospectus by May for an offering in Mumbai that could value the company at more than $1 billion, the people said, asking not to be identified as the information is private. The Gurgaon-based company intends to hold a pre-IPO funding round that could give the startup a valuation of about $700 million, the people said.



Deliberations are ongoing and details such as the size and timing of the fundraising could change, the people said. A representative for declined to comment.



MobiKwik records more than a million transactions per day, across offerings including digital wallets and services such as mobile phone top-ups and utility bill payments, according to its website. Its network includes over 3 million merchants and serves in excess of 107 million users. Founded in 2009, the company counts Sequoia Capital and Bajaj Finance Ltd. among its backers.



The value of transactions in Indias digital payments market could reach 163 trillion rupees ($2.3 trillion) in 2022-2023, according to a PwC report. The sector is fast becoming a proxy battleground for foreign tech giants, with Facebook Inc.s WhatsApp winning permission in November to operate locally, competing against Google Pay, Walmart Inc.s PhonePe and Paytm which is backed by both Ant Group Co. and SoftBank Group Corp.s Vision Fund. In July, MobiKwik co-founder Bipin Preet Singh called on Indian regulators to nurture local and guard against foreign competitors.
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Hungarian Cardinal Peter Erdo has launched Amoris Laetitia Family Year with the celebration of a special Mass. Cardinal Erdo, who also serves as the Archbishop of Esztergom-Budapest, held the Mass ahead of Pope Francis's visit to Hungary later this year to participate in the closing Mass of the 52nd Eucharistic Congress.

By Stefan J. Bos



At the Mass, organized in a closed circle due to the coronavirus pandemic, Cardinal Erdo prayed for God's blessing to grant families strength. In published remarks about the Mass, he made clear that prayer was the best way to open Pope Francis' family year in Hungary.



The Mass was also an attempt to prepare the Church for the arrival of Pope Francis, who will travel to Hungary's capital in September to participate in the closing Mass of the 52nd Eucharistic Congress.



Erdo had announced recently that the Pope was to appear at the 2020 International Eucharistic Congress, an annual Catholic clergy and laypeople gatherin, but that it had to be canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic that authorities say killed more than 18,000 people in Hungary alone. The Cardinal explained that Pope Francis would instead visit the final day of the eight-day Congress in Budapest on September 12.

That visit comes as an encouragement to the many Hungarian families struggling to survive as the European Union nation of nearly 10 million people faces economic challenges.



Traditional Family



Hungary's family affairs minister, Katalin Novak, wrote in a letter read at the Mass, that she appreciates that families could always count on Christian Churches' service. She said that Church support was crucial as the government believes that the traditional family, which she called a "cornerstone of Christian life and culture," is under attack.



Though Hungary's population is still declining, the government claims its pro-family policy helped increase the number of marriages by 80 percent since 2010.



Miklos Soltesz, the state secretary for church relations and ethnic minorities, said at the Mass that the number of couples deciding to have children has also grown.
(@ChaudhryMAli88)

Canada has imposed sanctions on four Chinese officials and one entity in coordination with the United States and the United Kingdom over alleged human rights abuses in Xinjiang province, Global Affairs Canada said on Monday

TORONTO (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 22nd March, 2021) Canada has imposed sanctions on four Chinese officials and one entity in coordination with the United States and the United Kingdom over alleged human rights abuses in Xinjiang province, Global Affairs Canada said on Monday.

"Today, Canada announced it is imposing new sanctions against 4 officials and 1 entity under the Special Economic Measures (People's Republic of China) Regulations, based on their participation in gross and systematic human rights violations in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region (XUAR)," Global Affairs Canada said in a statement.

The measures are being introduced in coordination with the United States, the United Kingdom and in solidarity with the European Union, the statement explained.

Canada is sanctioning Zhu Hailun, former XUAR Deputy Party Secretary who is alleged to be the mastermind behind the human rights, three Xinjiang province security officials - Wang Junzheng, Wang Mingshan, Chen Mingguo - and the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps Public Security Bureau, the statement said.
BEIJING  More than two dozen foreign diplomats were denied access Monday to the trial of Michael Kovrig, a Canadian detained in China on charges of espionage, in a case that has become a proxy battle in Beijing-Washington tensions.

China arrested Kovrig, a former diplomat, and fellow Canadian Michael Spavor, a businessman, in December 2018. The arrests followed Canada's detention of Meng Wanzhou, the chief financial officer of Chinese tech giant Huawei, at the behest of the United States.

Meng is the daughter of the billionaire Huawei founder, Ren Zheng, whose family is considered Chinese business royalty. The U.S. accuses her of covering up attempts by Huawei-linked companies to sell equipment to Iran, allegedly breaking U.S. sanctions against the country.

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In a show of solidarity amid a heavy police presence, the diplomats from 26 countries, including Canada and the U.S., showed up to attend Kovrig's hearing, but were barred from entering the court.

The host government is obliged to give us access under international conventions and our bilateral consular agreement, Jim Nickel, the Canadian Embassys deputy chief of mission, told NBC News outside the court. Despite our repeated requests for access to this trial, we are being denied.

Nickel said Chinese authorities told them Kovrig's trial was a "national security case," resulting in a closed courtroom. He said foreign diplomats were collectively "very troubled" by the lack of transparency in the court process.

President Joe Biden and Secretary of State Antony Blinken have indicated that the U.S. will treat the two detained Canadians as if they were American citizens," Nickel added.

Image: Michael Kovrig, an employee with the International Crisis Group and former Canadian diplomat appears in this photo provided by the International Crisis Group in Brussels, Belgium (Reuters file)

Biden said last month that the two men are not bartering chips and that he would work toward their release.

The court case was completed on Monday, with the verdict to be announced at an unspecified later date, according to state media.

Spavor, the other Canadian, was also tried behind closed doors on Friday. No verdict has been announced in his case.

Story continues

The two Canadians are widely seen as pawns in a geopolitical tug-of-war between Washington and Beijing. Their supporters say they are being held as collateral damage after Mengs arrest and the spying charges against them are considered a pressure tactic to force her release.

Michael and Michael Spavor are innocent Canadians caught up in a bigger geopolitical dispute, Kovrigs wife, Vina Nadjibulla, told Reuters.

Their detention is profoundly unjust and our focus must remain on securing their freedom, she said.

Huawei, the world's largest supplier of telecommunications equipment, has been a focus of U.S. security and law enforcement concerns, with then-President Donald Trump effectively banning it from doing business in the U.S. The company was also put on the U.S. economic blacklist citing national security concerns.

Huawei has repeatedly denied it poses a risk.

Beijing has rejected that the detentions of Kovrig and Spavor were in retaliation for Mengs arrest. China insists that Meng, who lives in one of her Vancouver mansions under a loose form of house arrest, is a "hostage" and that the U.S. is unfairly targeting Huawei.

The trials of the two Canadians coincided with a rocky China-U.S. summit that concluded in Alaska on Friday. A public spat at the outset of the high-level meetings revealed the depth of tensions between the worlds two largest economies. The fate of "the two Michaels" was on the agenda.

On Friday, State Department spokeswoman Jalina Porter reiterated U.S. calls for China to release the two Canadians from arbitrary and unacceptable detention.

Janis Mackey Frayer reported from Beijing, and Yuliya Talmazan from London.

Reuters contributed to this report.
International Real Estate Partners (IREP) has announced two exciting new strategic developments that will see it diversify into the important and rapidly expanding agri-tech and food security sector in the GCC and give it a major foothold in the retail sector in North America.

A multidisciplinary asset management services firm, IREP has launched IREPfarm, a bold new venture that will bring an innovative, practical, knowledge and sustainably-led approach to the worlds of real estate and agri-tech solutions in the UAE and wider GCC.

Focused directly on finding inspirational, modern and empowered ideas to address the major concerns of food, water, energy and land security expressed by not only regional governments but also leading figures at the United Nations, IREPfarm represents a progressive new approach for IREP.

IREPfarm will position IREP at the forefront of moves to tackle the multitude of issues presented by climate change and its impact on the worlds food supply chain and the ability of governments and the food industry as a whole to provide for their populations and customers respectively.

An exciting turnkey solution, IREPfarm will see IREP work side-by-side with its long-standing, and award-winning, agri-tech partner, Intelligent Growth Solutions (IGS).

This partnership helped to lay the foundations for the formation of IREPfarms single team of experts that boasts extensive knowledge of the latest agriculture trends and techniques, the most advanced technological solutions and up to date developments in the real estate sector.

IREP Chairman Kenneth McCrae said: "Through working closely with IGS over the years we became aware of a number of pressing issues jointly facing the agri-tech and real estate industries, so it made sense to leverage our collaborative expertise and experience to create IREPfarm that will pool our expertise and deliver cutting edge solutions."

"The new venture will offer combined bespoke food security and real estate solutions to a broad client base that operates across many sectors and helps to deliver results on a far larger and more impactful scale than currently available," he added.

By taking a more socially conscious, focused and expert-driven approach to all aspects off the growing agri-tech industry, IREPfarm aims to design, build, operate and deliver quality, value and expertise across the entire sector, deliver long-lasting positive change and secure food sources and supply processes at an accelerated pace for the benefit for all of society.

Ole Mygind, Agribusiness Managing Director for IGS, said: "The past 12 months have highlighted the substantial need to secure local and sustainable food supply chains in the GCC, like many other regions around the globe."

"With population in the GCC region set to increase considerably, the importance of precision-based agri-tech solutions, backed by scientific crop research will be key to addressing food security challenges. The turnkey IREPfarm approach being developed by our close partners at IREP presents an exciting opportunity to tackle these challenges immediately by bringing together the best knowledge, experience, asset management and technology available in the market," he added.

The firm has also signed a partnership agreement with Sperry Commercial Global Affiliates (SperryCGA), the US commercial real estate brokerage business with 59 affiliate commercial real estate brokerage offices across America.-TradeArabia News Service
New Delhi, March 22 : The Income Tax Department carried out searches on a closely-held Group of Jharkhand on March 17 and concluded them on March 20.

The Group is engaged in manufacturing and trading in sponge iron, MS ingots, MS rods, and TMT bars and has dealerships of petrol pumps. The search and survey was carried out at more than 20 premises.

The I-T department said that the Group was indulging in manufacture and sale outside the books and was using an extensive network of shell companies to plough back unaccounted income. Preliminary findings include the sale of unaccounted production of Rs 185 crore.

Digital media containing details of such unaccounted transactions has been recovered and analysed. Accounts of actual production details which are not recorded in regular books have been recovered, the department said.

The products of this Group are used in building construction and other infrastructure projects, and unaccounted production is sold in cash in eastern India. The cash generated is being ploughed back into the Group in the form of share capital and unsecured loans from Kolkata based shell companies, the investigation into the matter brought out.

The money is also invested in the purchase of properties and expensive personal items.

Seized documents indicate that the unaccounted income of the Group amounting to about Rs 100 crore was ploughed back in the form of share capital at very high premiums through Kolkata based shell companies. The original share certificates issued to these shell companies were also found in the company's office premises. Investigations reveal that the so called shareholders do not exist.

The Group has also obtained unsecured loans of about Rs 25 crore from Kolkata-based shell companies, clearly indicating the ploughing back of its own unaccounted income. The Group has obtained bogus commodity profit entries amounting to Rs 30 crore.

An entry provider and a freight forwarder were also searched. These persons were arranging entries through shell companies. Documents indicating such unaccounted entries have been found during search, further establishing the nature of unaccounted transactions and entries taken by the Group.

The search has revealed that the Group was actively engaged in the generation of unaccounted income in cash and introducing the same in the Group as equity and loans and making investments in real estate. Unaccounted cash of Rs 3.07 crore was seized while unaccounted bullion and jewellery of Rs 1.28 crore was seized during the search. Further investigations are in progress.
An angry and emotional Scott Morrison has condemned the sickening sex acts performed by Coalition staffers in Parliament House - and admits he must show more leadership for women who feel let down by his handling of a succession of sex scandals.

A disturbing report on Monday night showed images allegedly shared by senior staffers of solo sex acts inside Parliament House, and allegations of parties involving escorts and 'rent boys'.

The report came just weeks after political staffer Brittany Higgins said she was raped inside Parliament House and further revelations of the mistreatment of women came to light - prompting the Prime Minister to hold a press conference on Tuesday.

He called on politicians and staff to 'get this house in order' and choked back tears as he spoke about his daughters, wife and mother - adding 'I say to you girls - I will not let you down'.

'They motivate me every day on this issue,' he said. 'And to them, I say to you girls, I will not let you down.'

Prime Minister Scott Morrison broke down as he condemned the sickening sex acts performed by Coalition staffers that emerged on Monday night

Prime Minister Scott Morrison with his wife Jenny at the 2021 Australian of the Year Awards in Canberra on January 25. He choked back tears as he spoke about his family on Tuesday - adding 'I say to you girls - I will not let you down'

The Prime Minister declined to attend last weekend's March For Justice rally which called for stronger action against a perceived sexist culture in Canberra, and told protesters that they were lucky to live in a country where such rallies could be held.

However the latest allegations prompted a more forthright stance.

'I am shocked and disgusted - it is shameful,' Mr Morrison said.

'We must put the politics aside of these things, and we must recognise this problem, acknowledge it and we must fix it.'

Mr Morrison broadened out his response, citing not only sexual misconduct allegations but other impediments he said women faced in the workplace, where many complained of being under-valued and underpaid.

'Whether this is unconscious deafness and blindness, or whether it is wilful malevolence that is behind all of this, it must be acknowledged, it must be called out, and it must stop,' the Prime Minister said.

'That is all our job, it is my job, it is my ministers jobs, it is my members and senators jobs, it is your job.'

The Prime Minister did become defensive when asked by a Sky News journalist about whether he, as the head of the government, should accept personal culpability and alluded to a sex misconduct complaint with News Corporation.

'Right now, you would be aware that in your own organisation there is a person who has had a complaint made against them or harassment of a woman in a women's toilet,' Mr Morrison said.

He said he was aware many Australian women were not happy with his government's response to allegations of sexual misconduct in Canberra.

'I acknowledge many have not liked or appreciated some of my own personal responses to this over the course of the last month, I accept that,' he said.

'Whether that was seeking to openly share how I try and deal with such dramatic events, people might like the fact that I discuss these with my family - they are the closest people in my world to me.'

Mr Morrison was criticised when Ms Higgins came forward with her allegations for saying his wife Jenny had given him new perspective by asking him 'what would you want to happen if it were our girls?'

Sex Discrimination Commissioner Kate Jenkins, tasked with an inquiry into workplace conditions in Parliament House, will address the Coalition party room.

Brittany Higgins at the March 4 Justice on March 15. She shocked Australia when she came forward with allegations she was raped by a male colleague in the office of Defence Minister Linda Reynolds

This image shared by a whistleblower shows a man sitting at a desk in Parliament House exposing himself

Industry Minister Karen Andrews says other individuals involved in the scandal should stop hiding and leave.

'I have had an absolute gutful and my conscience will not allow me to remain quiet,' she told reporters.

'There are some specific instances in this building that are absolutely unacceptable. What does it say about an individual that thinks that sort of behaviour is okay?'

Mr Morrison hit out at News Corp in the question-and-answer session after his press conference - saying there were new allegations being investigated by the organisation involving the harassment of a woman in a woman's toilet

The sexual acts - some of which took place on the desks of federal female MPs - were carried out more than two years ago but only came to light after one of the staffers dobbed the rest of them in.

A government source told ABC News on Monday evening one of the staffers was sacked as the bombshell allegations came to light.

A whistleblower shared footage of a staffer performing a sex act on himself inside a female Liberal MPs office.

MR MORRISON'S SPEECH IN FULL 'We must put the politics aside of these things, and we must recognise this problem, acknowledgment, we must fix it. 'This has been a very traumatic month. It began with Brittany Higgins and her revelations of what took place in this very building. 'I remember that day very well, I was equally shocked and stunned at receiving that use also. 'These events have triggered, right across this building and indeed right across the country, women who have put up with this rubbish and this crap for their entire lives, as their mothers did, as their grandmothers did. 'It has been going on, we have been talking about it in this place for a month, they have been living with it for their entire lives. 'The women listening to me today know that to be true, so as much as it has been a topic of discussion here, and around the country specifically in relation to these disgraceful acts, it is something that has been the lived experience of Australian women for a very long time, and I welcome the spotlight that has now been placed on this. 'I acknowledge that many have not liked or unappreciated some of my own personal responses to this over the course of the last month, I accept that. 'Whether that was seeking to openly share how I try and deal with such dramatic events, people might like the fact I discuss these with my family, they are the closest people in my world to me. Prime Minister Scott Morrison and wife Jenny at the annual Mid Winter Ball at Parliament House in September 2019. He told his family emotionally during Tuesday's press conference: 'They motivate me every day on this issue' 'But is how I deal with things, I always have. I have grown up in a loving and supportive family, and I discussed this is my family and those who are closest to me - no offence was intended by me by saying that I discuss these issues with my wife. 'Equally, that is in no way indicated that these events had not already dramatically affected me already at that point. Equally, I accept that many were unhappy with the labels that are used on the day of the protest. No offence was intended by that either. 'I could have chosen different words, I have already explained those matters in the house. What I am even more concerned about, even more importantly, I acknowledge that many Australians, especially women, believe that I have not heard them, and that greatly distresses me. 'I have been doing a lot of listening over this past month, not for the first time, now is not the time for me to run over whether as a Minister for immigration or a Treasurer, or a Minister for Social Services, the keen interest I have shown in these issues, I'm not going to do that today. Brittany Higgins (pictured) went public with the allegation she was raped by a male colleague inside Defence Minister Linda Reynolds' office in 2019 'Particularly on these issues over the last because of mother I have been listening carefully, I have had many colleagues, I have had many friends and others that I have regular contact with, talk with me openly about the issues, other traumatic things that they have had to deal with over their lifetimes and members of their family. 'Let me tell you what I have heard. Women are too afraid to call out, bad behaviour for fear of losing a job for being intimidated in the workplace. 'That is not OK, it is not their fault, it is the environment we have allowed to be created. Women who are afraid to walk to their car from the train, and they carry their keys in their hand like a knife for fear of being attacked. That is not OK. That is not acceptable. 'In this country, our country as great as Australia, women walk daily that fear. I have heard that women are overlooked, talked over, by men, whether it is in board rooms, meeting rooms, rooms, media conferences, cabinets, or anywhere else. 'Overlooked and treated like they have nothing valuable to contribute. I have heard about being marginalised, women being intimidated, women being belittled, women being diminished, and women being objectified. That is not OK. 'I have heard that women, when offered a job, take the salary offered because they do not feel they can ask for more. Whereas the blokes do. And they get it. That is not OK. 'Whether this is unconscious deafness and blindness, or whether it is wilful malevolence that is behind all of this, it must be acknowledged, it must be called out, and it must stop. 'That is all our job, it is my job, it is my ministers jobs, it is my members and senators jobs, it is your job. 'This is not something that is of a scale that any government can simply change, it is something we must change as a society because we know it happens all over this country, but for me and my house, the house I work in here, then we must take responsibility, it is our problem here, it is our responsibility here, and I'm committed to dealing with that. 'We must do better in this place. All of us, and in our country we must do better. 'Now, forgive me this indulgence, I want women to have at least the same opportunities and the same voice and the same safety as men in this country. 'I have the deepest of vested interest, criticise me if you like for speaking about my daughters, but they are the centre of my life. My wife is the centre of my life. My mother, my widowed mother is the centre of my life. 'They motivate me every day on this issue. They have motivated me my entire life, they have taught me the values and the faith has sustains me every single day in this job. 'Which is why I am here, I owe them everything. And to them I say to you girls, I will not let you down. 'To the many other women who are in this place, who have shared their stories with me, I thank you for your feedback, your honesty, your support, your council, and your courage. 'I know there are plenty of women who work in this building today, whether they be members or senators, investors, shadow ministers, staff, journalists, who say why should I bother? Why should I bother? Why should I not just walk away? 'There has never been a more important time for women to stand in this place. 'I want to see more women in this place, I have done anything to get more women in this place and I intend to do more. I have put more women in my cabinet than any other Prime Minister has before, and I look forward to doing more. I need women to stand with me as we go about this, as we stand together, I needed that you stated this place, I need them to stand right where they are, I did that to continue to blaze the trail right here this place, by their courage and I call for question.' Advertisement

The anonymous source also told Ten News MPs and government staffers used a small prayer room on the upper level of Parliament House to have sex.

'I could probably say there's very little meditation or prayer going on in that room,' he said.

He also claimed prostitutes and 'rent boys' were brought into Parliament House for the pleasure of Coalition MPs.

'Having sex, procuring rent boys... in Parliament House, procured by staffers for MPs,' he told Ten News.

A man is pictured pointing at a female Liberal MP's Parliamentary desk in a still from a video. He goes on to commit a lewd sexual act on the desk

Mr Morrison was visibly emotional on Tuesday morning as he called on Canberra to 'get this house in order'

Scott Morrison fires a shot at the nation's biggest media company as he brutally shuts down a reporter by exposing an ugly 'bathroom complaint' Sky News reporter Andrew Clennell suggested Mr Morrison's job would be in 'jeopardy' if he was the boss of a business and these allegations had been made 'on your watch'. Clennell questioned: 'Doesn't it look like you have lost control of your ministerial staff?' Mr Morrison replied: 'I will let you editorialise as you like, Andrew, but if anyone in this room wants to offer up the standards in their own work places as comparison I would invite you to do so.' Mr Morrison then went on to detail an alleged complaint at Clennell's organisation. 'Right now, you would be aware that in your own organisation that there is a person who has had a complaint made against them or harassment of a woman in a women's toilet,' he said. Advertisement

Finance Minister Simon Birmingham condemned the behaviour on Monday and said those involved would be sacked.

'I am disgusted and appalled,' he said. 'It shows a complete disregard for all that our parliamentary democracy stands for.'

'It also demonstrates an enormous disrespect for the employing member or senator in relation to those staff and those officers.

Some staffers have used a small prayer room on the upper level of Parliament House to have sex, a whistleblower said in bombshell revelations

The staffer who was fired (left, pictured with Julie Bishop) allegedly filmed himself performing a sexual act inside a female Liberal MP's office

'It equally shows a complete contempt for the Australian taxpayers who have paid the wages for such staff and, in my opinion, any individuals who engaged in such activity ought to prepare to pack their bags and leave the building for good.'

The whistleblower told The Australian there was a culture of men who thought they could do 'whatever they want'.

'I don't think they've broken any laws  but morally, they're bankrupt,' he said.

Ten News and The Australian obtained some of the lewd videos and images filmed inside Parliament House.

Sex Discrimination Commissioner Kate Jenkins (pictured in 2018) will hand down her final report on inappropriate workplace culture in Parliament House in November

Prime Minister Scott Morrison condemned the behaviour in the strongest possible terms and urged anyone who knew of more to come forward.

'Everyone has a right to feel safe at work. The reports aired tonight are disgusting and sickening,' he said.

'It's not good enough, and is totally unacceptable. The people who come to work in this building are better than this.

'The actions of these individuals show a staggering disrespect for the people who work in parliament, and for the ideals the parliament is supposed to represent.'

Mr Morrison said he had identified the staff member at the centre of the allegations and terminated his employment immediately.

One staffer was confirmed to have been sacked on Monday. Finance Minister Simon Birmingham (pictured) said the others would also lose their jobs

'I urge anybody with further information to come forward. There is also the serious incident support line that we have established that staff and former staff are encouraged to use,' he said.

'I will have more to say on this and the cultural issues we confront as a Parliament in coming days.'

Senator Birmingham said it further demonstrated the need for the inquiry by Sex Discrimination Commissioner Kate Jenkins into parliament's workplace culture.

Parliament House, Canberra, has been rocked by fresh allegations of sexual depravity as senior Coalition staffers allegedly filmed themselves in sexual acts on female MP's desks and in the Parliamentary prayer room - and shared them on Facebook Messenger

Sex Discrimination Commissioner Kate Jenkins is leading a review of workplace culture in Parliament House in the wake of the Brittany Higgins rape allegations.

Ms Higgins says she was raped by a former colleague inside Parliament House in March 2019.

Ms Jenkins' review is expected to issue a final report in November.
Chandigarh, March 22 : The Chandigarh administration on Monday ordered all schools, colleges and other educational institutions in the Union Territory to close until March 31 and ordered ban festivities relating to Holi.

An order from the Chandigarh Administration's Director of Education said that it would revisit its decision to hold in-person exams for Classes 9 and 11. A revised schedule, if necessary, will be issued later.

Teaching and non-teaching staff in schools and colleges will, however, have to report to work as usual.

Online exams for Classes 3-8 will go ahead as scheduled, as will Panjab University's online exams.

Another order from the administration said all state museums, libraries, auditoriums and theatres are to close down until further orders.

Restaurants and eating houses have been asked to close shop by 11 p.m., and must limit their customers to 50 per cent of their seating capacity.

All gatherings, whether social and political, need the administration's sanction.

Latest updates on Holi Festival 2021
An unprecedented human exodus is underway across the Americas, as two million peoplenearly a tenth of the combined population of El Salvador, Honduras and Guatemalaare expected to flee to the United States in the coming months. The US government has responded by closing its doors, abolishing the right to asylum and detaining 15,000 unaccompanied children as lawbreakers. This is the brutal, irrational response of the capitalist system to human suffering on a mass scale.

The corporate media and political establishment have launched a campaign to force the Biden administration to take even harsher measures against the asylum seekers. Typical is a headline in the Bezos-owned Washington Post attacking what it called the Biden administrations failure to contain the border surge.

Though millions of voters hoped that by supporting Biden they could undo Trumps fascistic attack on immigrants, the new administration is only continuing the ex-presidents policies. Bidens secretary of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) threatened migrants on ABCs This Week, telling Martha Raddatz: The message is quite clear, do not come. The border is closed, the border is secure.

A U.S. Customs and Border Protection vehicle is seen next to migrants after they were detained and taken into custody, Sunday, March 21, 2021, in Abram-Perezville, Texas. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)

There is bipartisan agreement on jailing children, separating them from their families, militarizing the border and carrying out mass deportations, but there is never any discussion in the compliant media about the root causes of the social collapse of the Northern Triangle countries. The poverty and violence that dominate Central America are portrayed as the product of some unhappy accident.

The fact is that American imperialism is guilty of sociocide, and that millions are escaping a nightmare that was made in the USA. The American ruling class has systematically destroyed Honduras, Guatemala and El Salvador for over a century, plundering the natural resources, exploiting the labor power of the working class, hoarding the land, starving the population, bankrupting the public treasury, and enriching itself all the while.

The governments that presently run each country have their roots in police state dictatorships imposed by the United States to enforce the diktats of American corporations and crush social opposition across the hemisphere.

For roughly two decades after the Great Depression, Guatemala, El Salvador and Honduras were ruled by dictators, who carried out routine massacres of workers and peasants on behalf of the United Fruit Company. In 1932, El Salvadors fascistic President Maximiliano Hernandez Martinez slaughtered 40,000 peasants engaged in an insurrection against US corporations and local landowners led by Agustin Farabundo Marti. Guatemalan President Jorge Ubico was an admirer of Hitler and a close ally of the US and United Fruit.

In 1954, the United States carried out a coup detat to remove Guatemalas President Jacobo Arbenz from power, thwarting land reforms. Dwight Eisenhower would later acknowledge, We had to get rid of a Communist Government which had taken over.

Eduardo Galeano characterized the decades of dictatorship that followed in his book Open Veins of Latin America:

The world turned its back while Guatemala underwent a long Saint Bartholomews night. [In 1967,] all the men of the village of Cajon del Rio were exterminated; those of Tituque had their intestines gouged out with knives; in Piedra Parada they were flayed alive; in Agua Blanca de Ipala they were burned alive after being shot in the legs. A rebellious peasants head was stuck on a pole in the center of San Jorges plaza. In Cerro Gordo the eyes of Jaime Velazquez were filled with pins In the cities, the doors of the doomed were marked with black crosses. Occupants were machine gunned as they emerged, their bodies thrown into ravines.

In the 1970s and 80s, the United States transformed Central America into an even larger mass grave, using Honduras as a staging ground for efforts to crush the Sandinista National Liberation Front in neighboring Nicaragua, with death squads deployed to carry out quasi-genocidal war.

The US supported, trained and armed the dictatorships in El Salvador and Guatemala. In the course of El Salvadors civil war, 80,000 were killed and a million displaced in the scorched earth campaign against the Farabundo Marti National Liberation Front. In just one year from 1982 to 1983, Guatemalas US-backed dictator Efrain Rios Montt killed 75,000 people in a genocidal-style campaign against the indigenous. In 1982, Ronald Reagan met Montt, defended his actions, and called him a man of great personal integrity and commitment.

This litany of crimes against humanity is not merely a thing of the past. In 2009, the Obama administration orchestrated a coup against the elected Honduran government led by Manuel Zelaya, who presented himself as a social reformist and ally of Venezuelas Hugo Chavez.

Documents released in 2017 via a Freedom of Information Act request reveal high-level involvement of the US military and State Department, which was led at the time by Hillary Clinton. Roughly one week after the Honduran military frog-marched Zelaya out of the country in his pajamas, Clinton wrote the US embassy in Honduras with her approval to engage elements of the Honduran Armed Forces and de facto regime. The Honduran regime implemented a brutal policy of austerity measures, murdered activists like Berta Caceres, and today continues to operate in a thinly veiled alliance with powerful drug cartels.

The United States is preparing further crimes, with US Southern Command (SOUTHCOM) Admiral Craig Faller telling the press in December that US imperialisms competitive edge [in Latin America]... is eroding, particularly when it comes to the Chinese influence. Fuller declared that the US would remain an active presence in Latin America in order to force China to play by global rules.

As a result of a century of imperialist exploitation, Central America is the most unequal region in the world. Sixty percent of Hondurans, Salvadorans and Guatemalans live beneath their countries measly poverty line. Seventy percent of the population is only informally employed. Ten to 20 percent of the region does not have access to electricity. A quarter of the population is illiterate. Remittances from relatives in the United States account for roughly one sixth of the total GDP. Hundreds of thousands of workers toil in sweatshops producing textiles for export for US apparel corporations supplying retailers like Walmart, Macys and Kohls.

The coronavirus pandemic has ravaged Central America, sending millions deeper into poverty and leading the United Nations to warn of widespread starvation across the region. The virus initially spread because the US deported many who were infected in immigration detention. While the US hoards vaccinations, hospitals are overwhelmed and testing is so inadequate that case and death numbers are vastly underreported.

Masses of Central American workers, peasants and small business owners are removing themselves from this social hellscape at great personal risk. They deserve every class conscious workers sympathy and support. The exodus is an indication that masses of people are coming to the realization that life cannot continue in the old way, and that the social needs of billions of people cannot be met within the framework of the capitalist system and the restraints of national boundaries.

The Socialist Equality Party demands:

Safe passage and legal status for all immigrants entering the United States.

Immediate liberation of detained children to family in the United States and immediate liberation of all detainees regardless of age.

A multi-trillion-dollar program to rebuild Central America, paid for by expropriating the wealth of Americas billionaires.

Abolition of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP).

The right of all workers to travel the world safely and without fear of harassment.

The abolition of the nation-state system and the formation of the United Socialist States of the Americas.
Artak Davtyan has been appointed to the post of Chief of the General Staff of the countrys armed forces, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said on Monday.

"Given that the President has not signed the draft decree submitted by the Prime Minister on the appointment and has not appealed to the Constitutional Court, Artak Davtyan is considered to have been appointed to the post of the Chief of General Staff of the Armed Forces by force of law," Pashinyan wrote on his Facebook page.
The Daily Beast

Chip Somodevilla/Getty What are Democrats willing to do to save our democracy, and how far are they willing to go? Thats the question they must answer now, while theres still time to protect our flawed and fragile democracy from an extremist, countermajoritarian Republican Party hellbent on subverting the political process to implement rule by and for a white Christian minority.For the past few months, it appeared that Democrats would respond to this daily threatwith the former president talk
Roosters star Luke Keary, 28 and his wife Amy, 28, have welcomed their second son into the world.

The couple, who are already parents to one-year-old Hudson Van, announced the exciting news via Instagram on Sunday, and shared a very sweet photo of their bundle of joy.

NRL player Luke also revealed the baby's very unique name - Brodie Kai Keary.

It's a boy! NRL star Luke Keary has welcomed his second son with wife Amy

The tiny tot was captured sleeping in a crib at the hospital while wearing an adorable yellow onesie and a matching hat.

Proud father Luke shared the image on Instagram, along with the caption: 'Welcome to the world Brodie Kai Keary  while taking Amy in the post.

The couple announced they were expecting baby number two last September.

'Luke, Hudson and I are super excited to announce that we will be welcoming another family member in March 2021,' Amy wrote at the time, making sure to tag Luke's page.

Baby makes three: The couple announced they were expecting baby number two last September. They are already parents to one-year-old son Hudson Van

'We can't wait to see Huddy become a big brother. Round 2 here we go. #babynumber2 #2under2,' she added.

Accompanying the post was a heartwarming picture of Amy holding up her sonogram while posing next to an elated-looking Luke and Hudson.

The Sydney-based couple, who married in 2017, were forced to spend time apart las year while Roosters star Luke self-isolated in an NRL bio-security bubble.

Baby joy! 'Luke, Hudson and I are super excited to announce that we will be welcoming another family member in March 2021,' Amy wrote at the time, making sure to tag Luke's page

It's official! Accompanying the post was a heartwarming picture of Amy holding up her sonogram while posing next to an elated-looking Luke and Hudson

Posting to Instagram at the time, Amy shared a sweet photo of herself playing with Hudson in the sunshine, alongside the caption: 'Making mems with my lil bestie. Cant wait until Lukes out of the NRL bubble & allowed to join us.'

Amy dutifully documented Hudson's milestones on social media after his arrival in September 2019.

On his first birthday, the proud mother shared an adorable Instagram photo of herself and Hudson posing in the park next to a big blue 'one' balloon.

'And just like that our beautiful little boy is ONE. We love you so much Huddy ! Love Mama and Papa xxx,' she cooed in the caption.

Bump number one! Amy shared this photo of herself heavily pregnant with her first child, Hudson, two weeks before giving birth in September 2019
Day 24: Shirley Chisolm

Shirley Anita St. Hill Chisholm was the first African American woman in Congress (1968) and the first woman and African American to seek the nomination for president of the United States from one of the two major political parties (1972). Her motto and title of her autobiographyUnbossed and Unboughtillustrates her outspoken advocacy for women and minorities during her seven terms in the U.S. House of Representatives.

Born in Brooklyn, New York, on November 30, 1924, Chisholm was the oldest of four daughters to immigrant parents Charles St. Hill, a factory worker from Guyana, and Ruby Seale St. Hill, a seamstress from Barbados. She graduated from Brooklyn Girls High in 1942 and from Brooklyn College cum laude in 1946, where she won prizes on the debate team. Although professors encouraged her to consider a political career, she replied that she faced a double handicap as both Black and female.

Initially, Chisholm worked as a nursery school teacher. In 1949, she married Conrad Q. Chisholm, a private investigator (they divorced in 1977). She earned a masters degree from Columbia University in early childhood education in 1951. By 1960, she was a consultant to the New York City Division of Day Care. Ever aware of racial and gender inequality, she joined local chapters of the League of Women Voters, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), the Urban League, as well as the Democratic Party club in Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn.

In 1964, Chisholm ran for and became the second African American in the New York State Legislature. After court-ordered redistricting created a new, heavily Democratic, district in her neighborhood, in 1968 Chisholm soughtand wona seat in Congress. There, Fighting Shirley introduced more than 50 pieces of legislation and championed racial and gender equality, the plight of the poor, and ending the Vietnam War. She was a co-founder of the National Women's Political Caucus in 1971, and in 1977 became the first Black woman and second woman ever to serve on the powerful House Rules Committee. That year she married Arthur Hardwick Jr., a New York State legislator.

Discrimination followed Chisholms quest for the 1972 Democratic Party presidential nomination. She was blocked from participating in televised primary debates, and after taking legal action, was permitted to make just one speech. Still, students, women, and minorities followed the Chisholm Trail. She entered 12 primaries and garnered 152 of the delegates votes (10% of the total)despite an under-financed campaign and contentiousness from the predominantly male Congressional Black Caucus.

Chisholm retired from Congress in 1983. She taught at Mount Holyoke College and co-founded the National Political Congress of Black Women. In 1991 she moved to Florida, and later declined the nomination to become U.S. Ambassador to Jamaica due to ill health. A proud member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., Chisholm summed up her legacy by saying, I want to be remembered as a woman  who dared to be a catalyst of change.

BLACK HISTORY IS AMERICAN HISTORY!

By: U.S. Marine Corps Major Larry Black
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Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut has issued a warning to the Opposition over attempts being made to impose President's rule in Maharashtra following the controversial letter of former Mumbai Police commissioner Param Bir Singh accusing Home Minister Anil Deshmukh of indulging in "malpractices". If someone is attempting to impose Presidents rule in Maharashtra by misusing central agencies, then I am warning them-you yourself will get burnt in that fire," Raut, the Senas Rajya Sabha MP, said according to news agency ANI.

If someone is attempting to get President's Rule imposed in Maharashtra by misusing central agencies, then I am warning them - you yourself will get burnt in that fire: Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut pic.twitter.com/96Yc1dNFk4  ANI (@ANI) March 22, 2021

Former Mumbai Police commissioner Param Bir Singh has alleged that state home minister Anil Deshmukh wanted police officers to collect 100 crore monthly from bars and hotels in Mumbai.

Singh, a senior IPS officer, who was transferred to the low-key Home Guards on March 17 following the arrest of police officer Sachin Waze in the case related to the bomb scare near Mukesh Ambani's house Antilia, in a letter to the Maharashtra chief minister said he was made a scapegoat.

Also Read | The invisible hand in Indias stock market

In the eight-page letter to Chief Minister Thackeray, Singh alleged that Deshmukh used to call police officers to his official residence and give them a "collection target" from bars, restaurants and other establishments.

Meanwhile, the demand for Deshmukh's removal after Singh's allegation grew louder with BJP leaders and workers staging protests in various cities demanding his resignation.

These political debates in Maharashtra have sparked after bombs were found in a car near business tycoon Mukesh Ambani's residence on February 25.

The ruling Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) coalition in Maharashtra comprises the Sena, Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) and Congress. Anil Deshmukh has denied Singhs allegations and threatened to file a defamation case against the senior police official.

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Jackson, WY, March 22, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Two Ocean Trust, a Wyoming-chartered trust company that provides comprehensive traditional and digital asset wealth management services for high net worth individuals, family offices, and advisors, announced today that Chris Norwine and Nick Lovett had joined the firm as Head of Business Development and Operations Manager, respectively.

Norwine, a 25-year financial markets veteran, joins Two Ocean Trust from BNY Mellons Pershing Advisor Solutions Unit where he was Vice President and Senior Business Development Officer. Lovett was previously Operations Manager at Jackson Hole Trust Company, where he began his financial services career.

We are pleased to have Chris and Nick join us at this exciting stage of Two Oceans growth, said Joel Revill, Two Ocean Trust CEO and co-founder. Since expanding our wealth management platform to include digital assets last October, the demand for trust and estate management, custody, trade execution, and private-client service for investors has exploded. Chris will play a valuable role in expanding our relationships across the wealth management ecosystem, and Nick will help bring further operational efficiencies and streamlined processes to all our offerings.

The need for a private client-service experience for high-net worth individuals and family offices has never been greater, said Norwine. We are increasingly seeing early crypto investors look for a reliable financial partner to safeguard their wealth. On the flipside, more and more high-net worth individuals and family offices are looking to diversify their portfolios with digital assets, but with the same level of service, legal protection, and regulatory oversight that they expect with traditional assets. Two Ocean Trust offers a truly one-of-a-kind full-service wealth management platform that delivers a full suite of investment, trust, and estate planning capabilities across all investible assets.

An established wealth management services provider, Two Ocean Trust launched its digital asset offerings following a landmark acknowledgement by the Wyoming Division of Banking granting Two Ocean no action relief. The no-action letter permitted Two Ocean Trust to custody digital assets in Wyoming and expresses the Division of Bankings opinion that Two Ocean Trust may act as a qualified custodian under the Investment Advisers Act of 1940. This response was a first in the U.S. by a state or federal banking regulator and reinforced the rapid emergence of Wyoming as one of the countrys most crypto-friendly economies and regulatory jurisdictions.

Today, the firm provides its clients with a comprehensive and frictionless wealth management platform for both traditional and digital assets that combines:

Fully regulated trust and estate management

Qualified custody under both federal and Wyoming law

Transparent trade execution

Generational wealth transfer with multi-signature security

Account and tax reporting

Private client service

About Two Ocean Trust

Two Ocean Trust provides wealth management services to high-net worth individuals, family offices, and advisers. We offer a full range of investment, trust and estate capabilities including the first comprehensive wealth management platform to seamlessly bridge traditional and digital assets. Based in Jackson Hole and regulated by the Wyoming Division of Banking, Two Ocean Trust is uniquely positioned to provide access to Wyoming's low tax rates, favorable trust laws and unparalleled privacy and legal protections. For additional information, visit www.twoocean.com.
Scientists shocked to discover plants under mile-deep Greenland ice

Cold War discoveries and climate change dont always intersect, but when they do, scientists improve their ability to predict how much sea levels will rise as global temperatures warm.

During the late 1950s, the U.S. Army built a nuclear-powered Arctic research centre called Camp Century in northwestern Greenland. This military base became the headquarters for a top-secret mission called Project Iceworm, which appeared as a polar science station but actually hid 600 nuclear missiles under the ice. The mission was eventually cancelled, but a scientific team at Camp Century was able to carry out Arctic research and collect ice samples when it was operating.

Camp Century ice core Credit: Army Corps of Engineers

Extracting ice cores at Camp Century during the 1960s. Credit: Army Corps of Engineers

A 1,600 metre-long ice core was extracted at the base in 1966 and nearly four metres of soil was found at the bottom. Scientists werent able to do much with the ice core, as the technology at the time couldnt determine how old the soil was, so it was left in a Danish freezer and was forgotten for several decades.

The soil samples were accidentally found in 2017 when the contents of the freezer were being transferred to a different location. Given the samples unique history, they were shipped to the United States so they could be studied by an international team gathered at the University of Vermont in 2019.

State-of-the-art technologies, such as atom counting, were used to analyze the soil and scientists were surprised to discover twigs, leaves, and mosses, indicating that an entire ecosystem was once flourishing where the Greenland Ice Sheet now resides, which is over 3,200 metres thick at its highest point.

twig moss 1059-credit-Dorothy Peteet, Columbia University

Credit: Dorothy Peteet, Columbia University

The researchers findings were published in a study in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, which says their discovery reveals the Greenland Ice Sheet has completely melted at least once in the last million years.

The ice sheet melted when carbon dioxide concentrations in the atmosphere were significantly lower than present-day, which the researchers say is an indication that there is the potential for human influence to melt the ice again.

Story continues

Greenland landscape.winding river.UVM.Credit-Joshua Brown

A winding river in Greenland. Credit: Joshua Brown

Ice sheets typically pulverize and destroy everything in their path, but what we discovered was delicate plant structures  perfectly preserved. Theyre fossils, but they look like they died yesterday. Its a time capsule of what used to live on Greenland that we wouldnt be able to find anywhere else, says Andrew Christ, University of Vermont scientist and lead author of the study, in the universitys press release.

Greenland landscape.melting pool.UVM.Credit-Joshua Brown

A pool of melting ice in Greenland. Credit: Joshua Brown

The researchers say that Greenlands ice sheet holds enough water to raise global sea levels by six metres, which would flood some of the most populated coastal cities in the world, including Boston, Miami, and London. Several island nations, such as the Marshall Islands and the Maldives, and Kiribati are all less than two metres above sea level and face total submergence by the end of this century if the predicted climate impacts occur.

This is not a twenty-generation problem, says Paul Bierman, a geoscientist at the University of Vermont, in the press release. This is an urgent problem for the next 50 years.

Thumbnail credit: Joshua Brown
Chennai, March 22 : The Greater Chennai Corporation will take steps to close down a software company and sanitise its premises after 40 people tested positive for coronavirus, Tamil Nadu Chief Secretary Rajeev Ranjan said on Monday.

Four employees of a software company having its facilities in Perungudi, Taramani and Kadanchavadi here tested positive for coronavirus infection, he said.

On testing 364 persons who were their colleagues and contacts, 40 persons have been found Covid-19 positive and have been quarantined, he added.

The Chief Secretary also said a sum of Rs 83 lakh has been collected as fine from 38,722 persons over the past four days for not following Covid-19 safety protocols.

As regards the Covid-19 vaccination in the state, he said a total of 21 lakh people have been administered it.

Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19)
Burmese Americans Protest Military Coup With California Rally

STANTON, Calif.Stanton is home to the largest Burmese American community in Orange County, California. Over 500 people gathered at Stanton City Hall on March 20 to raise awareness about the military coup in Burma, also known as Myanmar.

More than 250 have been killed and thousands arrested amid protests against the coup, which began Feb. 1, according to the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners.

Many officials worldwide, including U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, have called on the military junta to halt its increasingly harsh tactics in suppressing protest since its overthrow of the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi.

Stanton Mayor David Shawver was among the local officials who stood with activists at the March 20 rally to voice his concern.

The goal for today is for each person who attended to take the message and spread it, Mayor Shawver told The Epoch Times. So that we have people reaching out to their elected officials, so we have one voice asking for help.

I know were all concerned about getting help from our government, but we at the local level will send a message up the line, Shawver said.

The U.S. House of Representatives has passed a resolution condemning the coup. The House also passed the Protect Democracy in Burma Act of 2021, which would have the United States engage with the United Nations and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations to restore democracy and hold accountable those responsible for the coup.

Many in Burma believe the coup is supported by the Chinese Communist Party, according to the Associated Press.

Banny Hong, owner of the only Burmese restaurant in Orange County, helped coordinate the rally. He told The Epoch Times: This is very important because democracy is no different between Burma and the United States, and we believe in democracy, justice, freedom.

Burmese people are very peaceful. We always look at the United States as a symbol of freedom, democracy, he said. I cant stand by and just look at this situation. The military have become terrorists.

Stanton Mayor David Shawver speaks at a rally against the military coup in Burma, in Stanton, Calif., on March 20, 2021. (John Fredricks/The Epoch Times)

Congressmember Lou Correa (D-Calif.) speaks at a rally against the military coup in Burma, in Stanton, Calif., on March 20, 2021. (John Fredricks/The Epoch Times)

Congressman Lou Correa (D-Calif.) was also in attendance and condemned the military coup. Myanmar, what is happening? We gather in Stanton to learn about this military takeover, and of the ensuing human rights abuses, he wrote on Twitter.

Rallygoers chanted We want democracy, and Free Aung San Suu Kyi, who was detained by the junta. They also sang Burmese songs.

Many in the crowd raised three fingers in support of democracy, a symbolic gesture inspired by The Hunger Games and taken up by the pro-democracy movement of Southeast Asia.

Protesters demonstrate against Burmas military coup at a rally in Stanton, Calif., on March 20, 2021. (John Fredricks/The Epoch Times)

Thet Lin Tun, president of the Burmese Students Association at the University of CaliforniaLos Angeles, (L) holds up three fingers in a symbolic gesture of the pro-democracy movement at a rally in Stanton, Calif., on March 20, 2021. (John Fredricks/The Epoch Times)

Thet Lin Tun, president of the Burmese Student Association, told The Epoch Times that people in Burma are really suffering, and theyre really tired.

Lin Tun was one of the keynote speakers. Everyone in the United States, especially the Burmese community, were doing everything that we can do to help them and to make sure that they know theyre not alone in the world in their quest for democracy, he said.

We made slow democratic reforms, and its just unacceptable what is happening, he said. I have the privilege of speaking here without the fear of consequences.  Its very important for people like me here to speak out as much as I can.

He compared his freedom to speak out to those in Burma: When they speak up, they can easily just get killed the next day. They will be kidnapped.

Lin Tun said the junta has made it difficult for information to get out of Burma, so people abroad only see what little footage and few photos may get through via private messaging platforms or social media.

Its just getting worse and worse. The military has cut down communications. Theyve shut down the internet, and theyre doing everything that they can to stop the protesters, but were never going to give up, he said.
Dhaka, March 22 : Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Monday stressed on signing a Preferential Trade Agreement (PTA) between her country and Nepal for mutual benefits as well as pitching for a joint hydro power plant, along with India.

Meeting visiting Nepal President Bidya Devi Bhandari at Hotel InterContinental here, she also sought cooperation in the field of trade and commerce for tapping the potential of the two South Asian countries.

"The PTA will be beneficial for the two countries," she said.

Bhandari, meanwhile, lauded Hasina's leadership, saying: "You're a much inspiring leader in the world and I'm an admirer of you." Stressing that she is happy to attend the birth centenary of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and golden jubilee programmes of Bangladesh's liberation during her maiden visit to the country, she said that Bangladesh has made a remarkable progress under the leadership of Hasina and her country wanted "meaningful cooperation" with it.

Regarding development of women, she said Bangladesh can be a role model of women's participation in national development tasks.

Welcoming Bhandari to Bangladesh, Hasina recalled with gratitude the moral and material support of Nepal during the 1971 Liberation War when it supplied arms to freedom fighters.

Hasina offered landlocked Nepal the use of Chattogram and Mongla ports, and the Syedpur Airport. "We're upgrading Syedpur Airport into a regional one," she noted.

She mentioned about the BBIN connectivity, saying that this would help increase the trade and commerce among Bangladesh, Bhutan, Nepal and India.

She also said many Nepalese students are staying in Bangladesh as they pursue their higher studies.

Bhandari also put emphasis on Bimstec connectivity and thanked the Prime Minister for offering port facilities and use of Syedpur Airport.

"Both the countries can use their resources at the optimum level for their national development," she said.

Referring to climate change, she mentioned that both the countries face adverse impacts of natural disasters, while Hasina said she always mentions Nepal as a climate vulnerable country.

She also said Bangladesh, Nepal and India can set up hydroelectric power plant through mutual cooperation which will be better for all the three countries.

Bhandari also thanked Hasina for supplying her country fertiliser when there was an urgent need for it.

She also handed over Nepali translations of two books -- "Unfinished Memoirs of Bangabandhu" and "Karagarer Rojnamcha" -- to Hasina.

Bangladesh Foreign Minister A.K. Abdul Momen and Foreign Secretary Masud Bin Momen attended the meeting, while on the Nepalese side, the Nepalese President's daughter Usha Kiran Bhandari, Foreign Minister Pradeep Kumar Gyawali and Nepal Academy Chancellor Ganga Praad Uprety were present.
An alternative route via Cahir has been proposed as a far more sensible and cheaper option to connect all three cities in Munster writes Sean ORiordan. He talks to farmers, business people, and homeowners who are opposed to an expensive plan that would offer a more direct route between Cork and Limerick

Apart from being trumpeted a waste of money amid massive State-borrowing to combat Covid-19, those objecting to the proposed Cork-Limerick motorway (M20) claim it will have a serious impact on wildlife, the environment, the well-being of school children, farming livelihoods and a very possible rise in Bovine TB.

Serious questions over the astronomical cost of the project have also very recently come to light. Minister for Transport Eamon Ryan believes the cost of the project has more than doubled from initial projections, saying its now somewhere between 2bn and 3bn.

Objectors to the M20 are varied and from all walks of life. They say adults and children with autism and sensory issues will no longer be able to enjoy the therapeutic effects of a horse-riding school, one farm will become unviable after being cut in four; it will run just 50m from another farmhouse, and two school principals have also raised concerns for their charges.

The MacKessan farm land where the proposed Cork/Limerick motorway is to be routed through the drive way heading right

One of them has challenged the project design team to look his pupils in the eye and say there will be little or no impact from building a motorway in a scenic valley just a few hundred yards from their school.

While many public representatives in both cities are clamouring for better connectivity to enhance business growth, there's a growing groundswell that the M20 is not needed to achieve the objectives outlined. Those standing opposed contend these aims can be met in a far more cost-efficient and less impactful way, especially during a pandemic and the resultant economic downturn.

Read More M20 project: Many routes and even more concerns

The proposed Cork /Limerick motorway passing over the River Blackwater near , Lavally lower and passing Mallow GAA grounds (top left)

Some of the 2,000-plus people who have made submissions on the N/M20 project are members of the anti-M20 Cork-Limerick Alliance Group (CLAG). They include farmers, environmental campaigners, doctors, teachers and businesspeople.

Their views have been summed up by CLAG chairman Brian Hyde who is seriously questioning the justification for the new M20 motorway.

According to Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII), the capacity of a motorway is 57,000 vehicles a day, yet the number of vehicles travelling directly between Cork and Limerick is around 3,000 daily so the proposed construction of the M20 is like using a sledgehammer to crack open a nut."

The new work from home legislation has even been enshrined in Irish law so the argument for a new motorway becomes weaker still. CLAG is also questioning the lack of big picture planning. Mr Hyde believes it makes far more sense to use the infrastructure we already have.

"The existing M8 Cork to Dublin motorway is currently under capacity so why not join the Cork-Limerick traffic up with that. It would take Cork-exiting vehicles along the M8 as far as Cahir, Co Tipperary and then on to Limerick. And it would maximise the return on investment in the underutilised M8, Mr Hyde said.

Rahan NS all weather pitch over looking Lavally lower where the proposed motorway will come within 250 mtrs of the school

He points out that plans are already underway to develop the Cahir to Limerick Junction road, which is a distance of 35km.

It means only another 20km of road development is needed to connect Limerick Junction to Limerick City. And if the Cahir to Limerick road was developed to motorway standard it would connect Cork and Limerick via the motorway and cost a fraction of the 2 to 3 billion the M20 is going to set the country back.

When questioned about the difference in travel times, Mr Hyde points to a submission made to the Draft National Planning Framework by Tipperary County Council, supported by Waterford City and County Council and Kilkenny County Council in 2017, which advocated upgrading the N24 to motorway standard (M24).

That submission showed that travelling from Limerick to Cork via the proposed M24 would only be nine minutes longer than going via the proposed M20.

Mr Hyde is also keen to highlight one other major consideration that cannot be overlooked in relation to any travel time saving on the M20  the inevitable huge bottleneck of traffic that is going to be caused in Blackpool as a result of the current M20 planning.

The townland of Ballygarrett near where the motorway will cross over the River Blackwater at the back of Mallow GAA grounds

That's unless the proposed northern ring road around Cork - which would connect the M8 north of Glanmire with the Mallow road, N22 (Cork-Kerry road) and N71 (Bandon/West Cork road) - is completed prior to the opening of the M20.

"If not all incoming traffic to Cork on the proposed M20 will collect at Blackpool, which is already congested as it is. That will very quickly cancel out any projected travel time saving on the new road. Its another reason why connecting Cork and Limerick up via the M8 makes far more sense. That traffic would enter and exit at the Dunkettle Interchange, which is far better positioned to handle traffic flows."

He maintains the M24 proposal would bring another huge benefit  connecting Waterford and Limerick as well as Waterford and Cork by motorway. Enhancing connectivity between Irelands major regional cities to counterbalance Dublin is part of the Governments Ireland 2040 vision.

"And all this would be achieved in a far more cost-efficient way. An estimated spend of 2 to 3billon on the proposed M20 is ludicrous against that backdrop," Mr Hyde said.

CLAG believes the significant money saved on the M20 could be used to upgrade the rail connection between Cork and Limerick to give people far more sustainable travel options along with making improvements to parts of the existing Cork to Limerick (N20) road to increase safety.

This could include bypassing Buttevant, especially considering the twisting road to the south of it at Ballybeg which has claimed many lives in recent years.

Mr Hyde also acknowledges a bypass has to be built around gridlocked Charleville.

Read More Growing objections to M20 motorway plan

Stop-start motorway scheme on the go since the early 2000s

A motorway connection between Ireland's second and third cities was first proposed properly in the early 2000s.

Business leaders had long maintained the East Limerick, North Cork and North Kerry areas were being put at a distinct disadvantage by not having proper motorway connectivity between Cork and Limerick.

Apart from economic enhancement, concerns had been raised over the years about the number of fatalities on parts of the existing main road (N20), especially on the 'Ballybeg bends,' south of Buttevant.

The first plans for the motorway were discussed at a Bord Pleanala oral hearing convened in July 2010 at the Charleville Park Hotel, at which experts stated it would be far safer and save more than 70 lives over next three decades.

The scene of a fatal car crash on the N20 near Charleville, County Cork. Picture Brendan Gleeson

However, the motorway project was then shelved when the recession hit and the government didn't have the money for it.

In the interim planners had to go back to the drawing board because of new and more stringent Environmental Impacts Statements insisted upon by the EU.

The design project prior to 2010 was led by Cork County Council. Now it's being headed by a team from Limerick City & County Council.

Last November, a new round of public consultation was launched on a number of proposed routes for the motorway and an adjoining rail corridor.

While there are objections to the road, there's a positive attitude to the direct rail link, rather than having passengers change trains at Limerick Junction.

In total, the route corridors for road/rail encompass approximately 21,500 hectares. This land has been frozen for planning permissions until the preferred option is chosen, which is expected by August or September.

Public consultation commenced on Nov 16 last and led to more than 38,000 online visits to the virtual consultation room (necessitated by Covid-19 restrictions).

In addition, the project team held 726 individual consultation meetings (online/telephone), and received 1,091 feedback forms and in excess of 1,000 written/email submissions.

All this information is now being collated and reviewed by the project team with a view to finding the optimum route to 'improve safety, economic development and quality of life.'

It has been acknowledged that any route chosen will require a significant number of CPOs (Compulsory Purchase Orders) of private land.
Mambu, newly-minted fintech unicorn, has announced the highly anticipated launch of the Sharia-compliant version of its SaaS banking platform.

The solution caters to the needs of Islamic banks and lenders, becoming the first cloud-native platform to comply with the tenets of Islamic banking. It was made available to customers from the end of 2020.

Worldwide, over 1.8 billion Muslims are financially underserved and are looking for alternative Sharia-compliant solutions to manage their money. The limited size of the market for Sharia-compliant financial products has made it difficult for banks to meet the demands of a new generation of tech-savvy customers. Islamic financial institutions worldwide are looking for ways to transform and employ cloud-native solutions and API-driven architectures to create an open banking ecosystem.

Mambus new Sharia-compliant product enables Islamic banks to enhance their offerings and increase brand loyalty by delivering a more personalised level of service - all in the cloud. By developing and launching products on Mambu, Islamic banks get agility and speed while providing their customers with products that are aligned with their ethical codes.

Mambu is already working with customers, such as Ta3meed, the leading Islamic fintech in trade finance, to deliver innovative digital Islamic financing for SMEs and investors in the Islamic banking space.

One of the first customers to benefit from the Mambus product is Bank Islam Malaysia Berhad, a Malaysia-based bank that is currently in the process of launching a new 100% digital Shariah-compliant bank. Bank Islam aims to create a platform-based solution to enable access to Islamic financial products that are based on risk-sharing and fairness. By using Mambus composable approach, Bank Islam can fully realise the benefits of cloud, assemble components and services flexibly, while ensuring the delivery of Shariah-compliant products to its customers.

Bank Islams Chief Executive Officer, Mohd Muazzam Mohamed said: We view digitisation as a competitive advantage that is helping Bank Islam reach new customers and provide them with products that are aligned with their values. As we collaborate with a multitude of partners there are no boundaries in rethinking our business model and transforming our operations. This gives us a unique opportunity to create an open banking ecosystem to grow business and operate like a modern, platform-based tech company."

Elliott Limb, Mambus Chief Customer Officer said: "We are delighted that Bank Islam has chosen Mambus platform to build their CDXs greenfield operations on. It is an honour to work alongside Bank Islam and their mission to improve access to digital banking services for all, supporting economic development and financial inclusion through internet and mobile banking. Bank Islam continues to push itself to be the leading Islamic bank in the region and the CDX solution will make strides. We look forward to collaborating with them, as they embark on this exciting new phase of their journey.

-- Tradearabia News Service
Planned Bank of Stockton View Photo

Sonora, CA  The Tuolumne Utilities District will review an infrastructure proposal related to supplying water for a new Bank of Stockton building that will be constructed near downtown Sonora.

The Sonora City Council earlier approved plans to allow construction of the bank on three connected parcels in the vicinity of the 500 block of South Washington Street. A condition of approval set by the city is that the developer, Miner Joaquin Building Corporation, install fire-related infrastructure that will supply water to sprinklers in the building. Also, they must construct an onsite fire hydrant.

TUD staff, city officials, and the developer agreed that the best option to meet the fire safety requirements and water flow demands is to create a water main distribution loop between Washington Street and Stewart Street. The agreement will be up for review at Tuesdays meeting. There would not be a fiscal impact on the district, but TUD would start receiving fees for the service after it is constructed.

Also on the agenda for tomorrow is a discussion about the districts Treated Water System Optimization Plan and a review of the CEQA mitigation, monitoring and reporting program for the Sierra Pines Regional Water Treatment Facility project.

Tuesdays meeting starts at 9am. Click here for more information about items up for vote.
The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Monday searched the homes and offices of three senior officials of the Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi) in the Saradha chit fund scam, bringing back to focus a case that is politically sensitive in West Bengal.

Sources said a team visited the office in Mumbai on Monday and the residences of two chief general managers  Jayanta Jash and Jeevan Sonparote, who is currently with Sebis investigation department and corporate finance department. A deputy general manager, Prasenjit Dey, was also covered under the search operation. The officials were posted in Kolkata between 2009 and 2013, when the alleged scam hit the headlines.

Searches covered a total of six premises and might cover more officials as the looks to gather information on schemes floated by Saradha Realty, said a source in the investigative agency. Some more officials will be questioned soon and if require will also reach out to the Registrar of Companies. The believes that could have been more proactive in cracking down on the scam.

CBI has filed multiple charge sheets in the case between 2014 and 2019. A charge sheet in 2019 named Nalini Chidambaram, wife of Congress party leader and former finance minister P Chidambaram, accusing her taking a bribe of Rs 1.4 crore in the alleged ponzi scam.

CBI had said Nalini Chidambaram conspired with Sudipta Sen, the promoter of Saradha group, with the intention of cheating and misappropriating funds.

found Saradha Realtys schemes illegal and in April 2013 it issued an order against the company and its promoters. Sebi gave the order three years after receiving a complaint from West Bengals director of the Economic Offences Investigation Cell (EOIC) informing it that Saradha Realty was collecting money from the public, particularly in the rural areas of the state.
WASHINGTON  The Biden administration is optimistic about the results of a clinical trial showing the coronavirus vaccine developed by AstraZeneca to be 79 percent effective at preventing symptomatic illness and 100 percent effective against severe disease requiring hospitalization.

White House coronavirus adviser Andy Slavitt called the development encouraging during a pandemic-related press briefing on Monday morning. AstraZeneca had released the results of its trial, which enrolled nearly 35,000 people, mostly in the U.S., just hours earlier.

In a key finding, the trial found that the AstraZeneca vaccine did not cause people to develop blood clots. Last week, several European countries temporarily stopped using that vaccine because three dozen people developed blood clots and one person in Denmark died after the vaccine was administered.

Obviously, it is great news for both the U.S. and the world, the more vaccines and the more supply that exists, Slavitt added. The company is now expected to apply for emergency authorization from the Food and Drug Administration, a process that could take several weeks.

Andy Slavitt, senior adviser to the White House COVID-19 response team. (White House via AP)

People skeptical of vaccines have expressed concern about the speed with which COVID-19 vaccines are being approved. Slavitt and Dr. Anthony Fauci, who is advising President Biden on pandemic response, strove to reassure anyone skittish about the news coming out of Europe.

We cannot and will not get ahead of the FDA, Slavitt said, a seeming reference to the kind of freewheeling advice former President Donald Trump would regularly issue on everything from therapeutics to face masks.

I can tell you, you can rest assured, that the FDA will put a great deal of scrutiny in every aspect of these data, Fauci added.

Last week, a host of European countries, including Germany, Italy and France, stopped administering the vaccine out of growing fears that the shot caused thrombotic events, or blood clots. AstraZeneca said that across the European Union and United Kingdom, there were only 37 such incidents, which the company pointed out was a much lower rate than what could be normally expected in the general population.

Story continues

Europe is somewhat behind in administering vaccinations than the U.S., where many states have moved beyond vaccinating the elderly and vulnerable. That means that in many parts of the country, it is younger and less vulnerable Americans who could be receiving the AstraZeneca vaccine.

What the Biden administration wants badly to avoid is the kind of confusion now taking place in Europe, where some countries have resumed using the AstraZeneca vaccine while others have not.

Thomas Coex/Pool via Reuters

Public health officials on the continent have tried to be reassuring that the vaccine is safe. The benefits of the vaccine in combating the still widespread threat of COVID-19 (which itself results in clotting problems and may be fatal) continue to outweigh the risk of side effects, according to a preliminary review from the European Medicines Agency late last week.

Europe is now facing a new viral surge, at a time when people wont happily countenance prolonged lockdowns once more. Yet asking people to take a vaccine they potentially fear could also backfire badly.

As the White House coronavirus task force held its briefing, video of partying beachgoers in Florida proliferated on cable news. Spring break represents a potential spark to reignite the coronavirus pandemic. So does a broader renewed propensity for travel, with airports no longer quite as empty as they were throughout the winter.

That forces the Biden administration to address social and scientific realities that dont much align. As some people wait and worry about vaccines, others are eager to resume normal life. Both groups require guidance from public health officials.

Believe me, I get it, CDC Director Rochelle Walensky said at Mondays briefing. But we must find the fortitude to hang in there for just a little bit longer.

____

Read more from Yahoo News:
The Australian Federal Police has confirmed it passed on all documentation about an historical rape allegation against Attorney-General Christian Porter to NSW Police after determining the matter was not within its jurisdiction.

AFP Commissioner Reece Kershaw also told Senate estimates he personally briefed Prime Minister Scott Morrison about the allegation over the phone last month.

AFP commissioner Reece Kershaw says it was appropriate to brief the Prime Minister. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen

NSW Police has said it discontinued its investigation into the matter in June 2020 due to insufficient admissible evidence after the woman withdrew her complaint a day before taking her life on June 24.

Mr Porter has denied the allegation, saying it just didnt happen, and has launched Federal Court defamation proceedings against the ABC.
The vaccine inequity that threatens us all

Of the nearly 400 million vaccines delivered so far, about 90 percent have gone to residents of wealthy and middle-income countries, while the rest of the world may have to wait years, potentially prolonging the pandemic.

By partnering with drug companies, Western leaders bought their way to the front of the line, while billions of people wait their turn. But virus variants originating in mostly unvaccinated countries could eventually undo richer countries progress, blunting the effect of vaccines.

It didnt have to be like this. Western governments have resisted the call from global health officials to use rarely employed aggressive powers that could have forced companies to publish vaccine recipes, share their knowledge and ramp up manufacturing, in turn leading to broader vaccine access.

The U.S. government is expected to receive a patent this month on a molecular engineering technique that originated in a National Institutes of Health lab and is at the heart of at least five major Covid-19 vaccines. It could present an opportunity to pressure drug companies to expand access to vaccines to less affluent countries.
The Bulgarian Foreign Ministry on Monday demanded that two Russian diplomats in Sofia, who have been declared personae non gratae, leave the country within the next 72 hours, Foreign Minister Ekaterina Zaharieva said on Monday

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 22nd March, 2021) The Bulgarian Foreign Ministry on Monday demanded that two Russian diplomats in Sofia, who have been declared personae non gratae, leave the country within the next 72 hours, Foreign Minister Ekaterina Zaharieva said on Monday.

"@MFABulgaria [the Foreign Ministry] notified the [Russian] Embassy in that 2 of its diplomats had been declared persona non grata and should leave within 72 h [hours]. We received a letter from the Prosecutor's Office stating that they had carried out activities incompatible with the Vienna Convention," Zaharieva tweeted.
New Delhi, Mar 22 (UNI) India on Monday conferred the 2020 Gandhi Peace Prize to former Bangladesh president Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.

"The jury met on 19th March, 2021 and after due deliberations, unanimously decided to select Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman as the recipient of the Gandhi Peace Prize for the year 2020, in recognition of his outstanding contributions towards social, economic and political transformation through non-violent and other Gandhian methods," the government said in a statement.

The Jury for Gandhi Peace Prize is chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi,and comprises of two ex-officio members, namely the Chief Justice of India and Leader of the single largest Opposition Party in Lok Sabha.

Two eminent members are also part of the Jury, namely Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla and Sulabh International Social Service Organization founder Bindeshwar Pathak.

Gandhi Peace Prize is an annual award instituted by Government of India since 1995, the 125th Birth Anniversary commemoration year of Mahatma Gandhi. The award is open to all persons regardless of nationality, race, language, caste, creed or sex.

The award carries an amount of Rs 1 crore, a citation, a plaque andan exquisite traditional handicraft/ handloom item.

The Prime Minister recently said that Bangabandhu was a champion of human rights and freedom, and is a hero to Indians as well. He also said that the legacy and inspiration of Bangabandhu has made the heritage of both countries more comprehensive and deep-rooted, and that the path shown by Bangabandhu has laid a strong foundation for the partnership, progress and prosperity of both countries over the last decade.

Bangladesh is this year celebrating 101 birth anniversary of Bangabandhu. "As Bangladesh celebrates Mujib Borsho, India is honoured to be commemorating his legacy jointly with the Government of Bangladesh and its people," the statement added.

The Gandhi Peace Prize recognised the immense and unparalleled contribution of Mujibur Rahman in inspiring the liberation of Bangladesh, bringing stability to a nation born out of strife, laying the foundation for the close and fraternal relations between India and Bangladesh, and promoting peace and non-violence in the Indian subcontinent.

UNI JAL PS1702
ROME, MAR 22 - A gay activist was attacked at a Rome subway station on Sunday night, Gaynews and Gaynet Roma said Sunday night. The man, Jean Pierre Moreno, was attacked along with his boyfriend at the Valle Aurelia station. Gaynews quoted Moreno as saying: "While I and my boyfriend were kissing, we suddenly heard a man shout from the other platform. 'What are you doing? Aren't you ashamed?'. After answering 'What do you dare?' and started kissing my boyfriend again, the guy crossed the tracks and reached us, hitting my boyfriend in the eye first." Gaynet posted a video showing the attacker going onto to hit the pair with kicks and punches. Equal Opportunities Minister Elena Bonetti, centre-left Democratic Party (PD) leader Enrico Letta, Lazio Governor Nicola Zingaretti and populist 5-Star Movement (M5S) Senator Alessandra Maiorino voiced solidarity with the victims and insisted on the need to pass a bill filed by PD MP Pd Alessandro Zan which ups penalties against gay bashing. Zan himself said "there is an urgent need to approve a law that exists in almost all Western countries". But the nationalist League party disagreed saying the attack "should not be exploited for political ends". The anti-migrant Euroskeptic party led by former interior minister Matteo Salvini argues that existing penalties against violence are enough for gay bashing and it should not be an aggravating factor. (ANSA).
Twitter chief executive Jack Dorsey has sold his first-ever tweet for more than $2.9million donating the money to a charity battling Covid-19 in Africa.

The tweet has been sold as a unique digital token, known as an NFT (non-fungible token), following a bidding war between Sina Estavi, CEO of cryptocurrency company Bridge Oracle, and tech entrepreneur Justin Sun.

An NFT is a limited edition asset in the digital world, including jpegs and video clips, that can be bought and sold like any other item - but has no physical form of its own.

The NFT works as a certification for ownership of a physical asset which means the NFT will effectively function like a rare trading card.

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NFTs are bought using cryptocurrency and run on a blockchain, a decentralised digital ledger that documents transactions, and ownership.

The tweet, which reads "just setting up my twttr" was posted at 8.50pm on March 21, 2006.

After the bid was secured, Mr Estavi wrote on Twitter: "This is not just a tweet!

"I think years later people will realize the true value of this tweet, like the Mona Lisa painting."

He added that he was "glad this money is being donated to charity".

The money has been sent to GiveDirectly's Africa Response, which provides Covid relief.

The tweet will remain publicly available, even now the auction has finished, and indeed could still be deleted by Mr Dorsey.

However, Mr Estavi will receive a digitally signed certificate, verified by Mr Dorsey, as well as the metadata of the original tweet.

Mr Estavi also bid $1.1million to own the NFT of a recent tweet by Elon Musk, in which he wrote: "I'm selling this song about NFTs as an NFT."

He also owns three other NFTs, valued at less than 130, and has sold NFTs for some of his own tweets for approximately 100.

NFTs have grown in popularity in recent weeks, with artist Krista Kim recently selling a digital house for approximately 500,000.
Charleston officials unveiled a new list of potential strategies this week to help the city shrink its carbon footprint and limit how many tons of heat-trapping gases it pumps into the atmosphere every year.

The "climate action plan" seeks to limit Charleston's role in global warming by cutting down on the carbon dioxide emissions tied to the city's buildings, its fleet of vehicles and its waste streams.

The city's Office of Resilience and Sustainability is asking Charleston residents to weigh in on the new plan before it is voted on by City Council later this year.

Many of the proposals focus on how the city government can cut down on its own carbon emissions by upgrading buildings to make them more energy-efficient, installing solar panels and battery storage technology on city offices, and transitioning the city's vehicles away from gas and diesel engines.

But the plan also lays out changes that will help Charleston residents cut down on their carbon footprints, too. That list of ideas includes installing charging stations for electric vehicles throughout the city, expanding opportunities for people to compost more food waste, and building more pedestrian pathways to increase the number of people who walk or bike to work.

The success of our climate action plan is largely dependent on participation from the community, which is why weve made it a priority to engage our citizens from the start," said Katie McKain, the city's director of sustainability. "Their input is at the heart of our current draft list of strategies, and will continue to shape the plan in all its forms until a final version is adopted.

How to participate The city of Charleston's Office of Resilience and Sustainability is soliciting feedback from the public on its new climate action plan. Below are two ways that city residents can weigh in. You can fill out a survey on the climate action plan: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/6C8K7J5 And you can sign up for the virtual meeting at 6 p.m. March 24: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZclce2orjMjHdDOkXYY5-n4vP9R-TmH7Bk5

McKain and her team created a survey to solicit input from city residents this week. It is also holding a virtual meeting on March 24 to listen to what people have to say about the action plan.

Many large cities in surrounding states have already developed similar plans laying out their emission reduction goals, including Raleigh, Charlotte, Atlanta and Miami.

At this point, McKain said the broad goal for Charleston is to have net-zero carbon emissions by 2050. That means the city eliminates part of its emissions and offsets the remaining emissions by restoring forests or undertaking other projects that pull carbon out of the atmosphere.

In 2018, Charleston, its residents and its businesses were estimated to have produced 1.3 million metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions.

Charleston, in many ways, is on the front lines in the battle against climate change, as rising sea levels and more powerful rainstorms threaten to swamp parts of the city in the coming decades.

The city's elected leaders are already preparing for that reality, spending millions of dollars on stormwater improvements and flood protection measures. City Council is even considering the construction of a new seawall to help protect the Charleston peninsula against powerful hurricanes and major storm surge.

The new action plan is the opposite side of that coin. Instead of focusing on how to protect Charleston from the side effects of a warming planet, it will enable the city to do its part to curb rising global temperatures.

"Charleston has felt firsthand the very real impacts of climate change  an increase in flooding, more frequent storms and sea level rise, to name a few," the city wrote in the March 22 release announcing the climate action plan. "Both adaptation and carbon reduction strategies will be required to protect the city and its resources now and in the future."

Belvin Olasov, who took part in the panels that developed the action plan, said he was pleased to see Charleston formally recognize the "existential threat" of climate change and to highlight the ways the city contributes to global warming.

"I'm extremely happy to see this movement," said Olasov, who helped found the Charleston Climate Coalition, a new advocacy organization. "You can't solve a problem unless you have it clearly identified."

Still, Olasov emphasized that adopting the plan won't curb the city's carbon emissions on its own. The new initiatives that are outlined will take further action by City Council in the coming years to work. Otherwise, the plan will just be words on paper.

"I see this as the beginning of what will be a continuing process," Olasov said.

The final action plan is expected to be presented to council by the end of April.
Source: Xinhua| 2021-03-21 21:03:26|Editor: huaxia

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A citizen consults a medical worker about health check at the Xiangyang No.1 People's Hospital in Xiangyang, central China's Hubei Province, March 30, 2020. (Photo by Gong Bo/Xinhua)

BEIJING, March 21 (Xinhua) -- China's online personal insurance market registered steady growth in 2020, with premiums rising 13.6 percent year on year, industry data showed.

The premiums of online personal insurance totaled 211.08 billion yuan (about 32.54 billion U.S. dollars) last year, according to the Insurance Association of China.

Specifically, health insurance saw the fastest growth in premiums, surging 58.8 percent from 2019 to 37.48 billion yuan.

The premiums of annuity insurance grew 38.8 percent, while those of life insurance dropped 3.2 percent compared with that in 2019, the association said. 
A MAGA rioter who is accused of conspiring with a friend to assault three police officers with bear spray, including one officer who later died, is to be detained, a judge has ordered.

George Pierre Tanios, 39, of West Virginia, will remain in custody after being accused of assaulting the officers during the Capitol riots on January 6.

US Magistrate Judge Michael John Aloi on Monday ordered Tanios be held in jail pending future court hearings.

Tanios and a friend, Julian Elie Khater, are facing multiple criminal counts, including assaulting police with a deadly weapon and obstructing an official proceeding.

Khater and Tanios are not charged with killing the officer, Brian Sicknick, who died following the riots. His cause of death remains unclear.

During the court hearing, prosecutors presented evidence that Tanios had purchased the bear and pepper sprays that he brought with him to the Capitol that were then used on the officers, including Sicknick.

George Pierre Tanios, 39, of West Virginia, will remain in custody after being accused of assaulting the officers during the Capitol riots on January 6. He is pictured above in a court sketch on Monday

Prosecutor Sarah Wagner told the judge that Tanios' co-defendant admitted to the FBI in an interview that he had traveled with his friend to attend Trump's 'Stop the Steal' rally on January 6 and shared a hotel room.

Both Khater and the manager of a store in West Virginia that sells guns and other weapons confirmed that Tanios had purchased cans of both bear spray and pepper spray to bring with him to Washington after he was told he could not bring firearms or a pepper ball gun into the city, Wagner told the court.

Although she said the evidence suggests Khater, and not Tanios, did the actual spraying, he assisted with the 'purchasing' and the 'planning' of the sprays.

She also showed body camera and open source videos, including one featuring Sicknick shortly after he had been sprayed with a chemical irritant.

In the video, which Wagner also described for the court, he 'appears to be attempting to walk off the effects of the pepper spray, rinsing his eyes with more water and pausing a times, while crouched over with his hands on his knees.'

Tanios' attorney Elizabeth B. Gross, however, argued that the evidence presented against her client in favor of detention was 'minimal' and 'limited'.

'There's no evidence that Mr Tanios has a background in violence,' she said, adding that he also has strong family and community ties.

Tanios is facing multiple criminal counts, including assaulting police with a deadly weapon and obstructing an official proceeding over his alleged involvement in the Capitol riots

Prosecutors had said they had reason to believe that Tanios' mother would try to help her son flee the country to her native Lebanon if he was to be released from custody.

His mother, Maguy Tanios, told the court in tears that she had escaped war-torn Lebanon to start a new life after several of her family members were killed.

Tanios is not charged with killing the officer, Brian Sicknick (above), who died following the riots. His cause of death remains unclear

She denied that she had ever entertained the idea of helping her son flee to Lebanon if he is released from jail pending trial.

'This is my country,' she said. 'I raised my kids here. They are American.'

She said her son goes to church and is a family man who has three small children.

'My son is not a bad kid,' she said, and explained his role at the Capitol as him being 'in the wrong place at the wrong time.'

In ordering that Tanios be detained, the judge lamented a 'culture, radicalized by hate' that played out at the Capitol during a peaceful transition of power.

'It is hard for me to look at this as anything other than an assault on this nation's heart,' the judge said.

'They were supporting a president who would not accept the fact that he was defeated in an election.'

'We've created this culture, radicalized by hate, and refusal to accept the result of a democratic process... And given that, two college friends decide let's go. Why?'

Addressing Tanio directly, the judge said: 'Why wouldn't you just turn the other way and go home? The fact that all of them weren't thinking that - it's just frightening to me.'

More than 300 people have been charged in connection with attack that led to five deaths after a mob of then-President Donald Trump's supporters stormed the building in a failed bid to stop Congress from certifying Joe Biden's November election victory.
Dai Chang (R) and Zhou Lei, staff members with ifaw Beijing Raptor Rescue Center, release a buteo in Beijing, capital of China, March 20, 2021. Two buteos were released near Yeya Lake Wetland Park in Yanqing District of Beijing after three months of recovery at ifaw Beijing Raptor Rescue Center. A total of 5,386 raptors have been saved by the rescue center from 2001 to the end of 2020, over half of them have been released to the wild. (Xinhua/Li Jing)

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Anthea Turner enjoyed a walk with her fiance Mark Armstrong and their friends on Sunday after flouting the coronavirus lockdown by holding a 'pamper party' at her flat last month.

The host, 60, and the businessman were joined by a couple and their child as they strolled across London's Primrose Hill, despite rules stating that you are only allowed to meet up with one person outside your household or support bubble outdoors.

Staying socially distanced from her company, the presenter looked animated as she caught up with the group.

Going against guidelines again? Anthea Turner enjoyed a walk with her fiance Mark Armstrong and their friends on Sunday after flouting the lockdown by holding a 'pamper party' last month

The former Blue Peter star opted for comfort in a patterned shirt, skinny jeans and brown boots.

On meeting up with others, the government website states: 'You can spend time in outdoor public spaces for recreation on your own, with your household or support bubble, or with one other person.

'This means you can sit down for a drink or picnic. You must continue to maintain social distance from those outside your household. This is in addition to outdoor exercise, which is already permitted.'

It is unclear whether the broadcaster's friends are part of the same support bubble. MailOnline has contacted Anthea's representatives for further comment.

The TV star's outing came after she is said to have hosted a 'pamper party' at her west London apartment with at least five friends on February 12.

In good company: The host, 60, and the businessman were joined by a couple and their child as they strolled across London's Primrose Hill

By law: Rules state that you are only allowed to meet up with one person outside your household or support bubble outdoors

The group - including former BAFTA CEO Chantal Rickards OBE, boutique owner Julia Jaconelli, and a pair of massage experts - turned up at around 4PM, and left after 10PM later in the evening, according to eyewitnesses.

While one of the masseuses arrived wearing a mask, she seemed to have ditched the PPE by the end of event and was seen leaving without it on in the dead of night.

It is claimed the women enjoyed treatments such as eyebrow tints, massages and manicures while at the pampering session, dubbed Secret Supper.

A source told The Sun: 'I can't believe Anthea's done something as irresponsible as this.

'A steady stream of women arrived showing total disregard for precautions being taken by the vast majority of people in the country.'

At the time, Courtyard owner Julia had claimed their controversial meet-up was for 'business'.

Anthea was met with backlash from former Good Morning Britain star Piers Morgan, who labelled her 'outrageous and scornful'.

The journalist, 55, ranted about the blonde, hours after she posted a tweet about mask-wearing amid the pandemic.

The columnist said: 'What we could see less of is Anthea Turner, who decided for reasons that completely baffle me - she suddenly pops up last week attacking overweight people and actually attacked a caricature of someone in a mobility scooter, attacking them.

'Saying you've got to look after your body and if you don't it's you who is causing the problem with the NHS because you're fat.

Ouch: The former Blue Peter star was met with backlash from former Good Morning Britain star Piers Morgan, who labelled her 'outrageous and scornful'

'Then it turned out that literally the same day or the day after she was caught with five of her mates coming round for a spa day at her house with beauty treatments.

'People there treating her, masseurs, beauticians and so-on, giving them eyebrow tints, manicures and massages, which I'm sure every woman would love to have.

'But how does that sit, Anthea Turner, with your outrageous scornful attack on overweight people for not doing their bit to protect the nation. You know what, it wasn't work and it didn't protect the NHS, did it?

Dividing opinions: The media personality had also caused controversy when she shared a cartoon of an overweight woman eating McDonalds berating a thinner lady wearing no PPE

'It had the opposite effect. We need people in her position  if you're going to do that, practice what you preach!'

The media personality had shared a cartoon of an overweight woman in a wheelchair eating McDonalds berating a thinner lady wearing no PPE in messages about 'coronavirus selfishness'.

She uploaded the image alongside the phrase 'Go for it x' before embarking on a series of messages criticising lockdown and personal responsibility on health.
JTA )  When Yoshi Silverstein learned on Tuesday night that eight people had been murdered at spas in Atlanta, and that many of the victims were Asian women, he felt deep hurt and pain as an Asian American.

It took until the following day for Silverstein to realize that the feelings were similar to those he felt after the Tree of Life synagogue shooting in 2018, in which a white supremacist murdered 11 Jews during Shabbat services in Pittsburgh.

Im Jewish on my dads side and Hakka Chinese and Cantonese on my moms side. In both cases, it felt deeply personal, he told the Jewish Telegraphic Agency.

As the founder of the Mitsui Collective, a year-old community-building organization focused on Jewish diversity, Silverstein said he was embracing the opportunity to call attention to issues facing people of color in America, but that it felt like an intense responsibility.

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We had other stuff we were planning to do this week, but when something like this happens, sometimes when youre a person of color and youre in any sort of leadership, you get pulled into this, he said. You dont want to just not respond because people are looking to you.

We reached out to Asian-American Jews like Silverstein to understand what they are thinking and feeling at this difficult moment. We also collected some of the perspectives that appeared on Alma and Kveller, two of JTAs partner websites at 70 Faces Media. Heres what we heard.

Answers have been lightly edited for length and clarity. Do you have something to add? Let us know.

Hanah Bloom is a first-year student at Miami University of Ohio. This is an excerpt from her essay on Alma.

Im angry, Im heartbroken, and Im incredibly exhausted. I woke up to a nightmare on Wednesday. Texts of are you okay?, tweets from fellow Asians, broken and terrified, and the carefully crafted words of support from prominent politicians flooded my feed. The mass murder in Atlanta, Georgia, that left eight dead, including six Asian women, was all I could think about, all I could see. After getting through class, I called my mom in Alabama. With 600 miles between us, I FaceTimed with her to reevaluate the plan. For months, the rise in anti-Asian hate crimes in America hovered over us, forming a constant anxiety. As a family, we talked about staying hypervigilant. Now I advised her to stay away from certain areas of town. I look to my Jewish community and I ask for deeper reflection and swift action. I wrote about the complexities of my identity last year. I wrote about the harm behind joking that Asians and Jews are somehow better suited for each other, per the model minority myth and fetishization. The media plays its role, making the coupling a joke and deeming a predatory relationship like Woody Allen and Soon-Yi Previn as admissible. I hope its apparent now that the consequences are violent. Infantilizing us and perpetuating Asian women as subservient under the white male gaze is killing us.

Rebecca Kuss is a Korean and Jewish childrens book editor living in New Jersey. This is an excerpt from her Alma essay Asian Jews are suffering. We need you to listen.

No matter how much I held up my Judaism for the world to see, it was not a shield against the overwhelming onslaught of white supremacy. It didnt help when I was 8 and a white woman attacked me in a store for being a f***ing chink. I couldnt use it the night a white man followed me home, begging me to go North Korea on his dick. It didnt protect me in college when a Jewish guy I liked and who I thought liked me recorded us having sex and played it for his entire frat during their annual Yellow Fever Week. After Tuesday nights violent and devastating white supremacist attack in Atlanta, which resulted in the murder of six Asian women, I sat with my mom (like many good second-generation Asian daughters, she lives with me) and cried. I felt exhausted, hollow, angry. I felt like all I had ever known in this world was rejection, fear and death. The only question I could ask was why? and my mom  my beautiful, strong, stubborn, wise mom  said, Were Jews. We suffer. We are Jews. We suffer. Not we have suffered in the past (even though we have), or we know suffering (even though we do)  but we suffer in the present. And when one of us suffers, we all do. Right now, the Asian American community  a community that includes many, many Jewish people  is not only suffering but dying. So stop trying to look for ways to separate our Judaism from your Judaism, stop trying to deny us safe haven in the Jewish community  our community  and instead open your hearts and minds to our pain, our existence, our story. Because this is the story of Jewish people.

Melody Muhlrad is a Taiwanese-American Jewish mother living in Los Angeles. This is an excerpt from her Kveller essay Raising Asian Jewish Kids in the U.S. Has Never Been More Scary.

Im embarrassed to admit this, but my first reaction when thinking about how to best protect my children from the Asian and Jewish hate that they may experience was to flee. After my initial shock over the Atlanta shootings, I found myself dramatically proclaiming to my husband that I didnt think that the United States was a safe place for our family anymore. Sure, it was an extreme reaction to what had happened, but perhaps it was the fight or flight reaction to fear that led me to choose flight. In the past, my husband and I have talked about moving to a different country  particularly to China or Taiwan, given that I still have many extended family members there. Its an idea weve addressed with more seriousness in the last year as COVID-19 has created more remote work environments. Now that anti-Semitism has hit an all-time high and Asian hate crimes are increasing in the United States, perhaps it is time to make this move? And yet, upon further reflection, I recognized that fleeing the country is not the answer. In this dark time, I am reminded of the Jewish principle of tikkun olam, or repairing the world  the idea being that although the world is a good place, God left us room to make improvements. I realized that the way to keep my children safe is to do my best to make the world a safer place for them. Im still figuring out what this means for me, and I know that this will be a lifelong process.

Rabbi Mira Rivera works at Romemu, a nondenominational synagogue in New York City.

There are many Jews for whom Asian heritage is woven into our identities, so what should the Jewish community do? No. 1, be in relationship. Hopefully it is not only during tragedy. Its terrible that we have to meet this way. For me, this is a call to action. Who are we in relationship with? Whom do we count as Jewish community? As someone whos dedicated my life to the service of Jewish community, we want to contribute to Jewish community, not only when we have to talk about our pigmentation or about the size of our eyes, or about whether we stand with Black Lives Matter. We cannot escape the fact that we in the United States live in a multicultural environment in the friendships that our children make, the people we hire to take care of our elders. Who we trust lives to are not necessarily white Ashkenazi Eastern European Jews. That is just the plain truth. We are dependent on the good graces of people that serve us so that we can live our lives Jewishly, and in a meaningful and holy way.

Yoshi Silverstein is a Chinese-American Ashkenazi Jew and the founder and executive director of the Mitsui Collective. He lives in Cleveland.

The very first folks that I started to hear from were people in my Jews of color community, particularly Black Jews. They knew exactly what we were all feeling, and knew exactly what was needed, in terms of making clear the support theyre offering, and that they had our backs. That was really powerful. My response at Tree of Life was a feeling of weve been ringing the alarm bells for a long time, noticing the way that hateful rhetoric, in that case anti-Semitic and in this case anti-Asian, has been on the rise. In some cases, specific violence. And feeling like nobody was hearing us. Anti-Asian rhetoric and violence has been on the rise in really marked ways since the beginning of the pandemic. There have been all of these violent attacks on Asian elders  in their 60s, 70s, 80s  on the streets in broad daylight. A couple weeks ago, some sporadic conversations were starting to sprout from various Jewish institutions  folks starting to pay attention and [saying], Oh, should we do something? Its just painfully slow and felt like really not a high priority. Weve been telling you that this violence has already been happening, and that something even worse was going to happen. And you werent listening. Its like the Black Lives Matter movement: Its been growing for years, and it took the horrific, horrific nature of the murders of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor to really wake people up. Responding to and talking about racism is hard. Its not something that comes naturally. Its something that you have to study and dedicate time and attention and energy toward. Its like weightlifting. You dont suddenly go deadlift 400 pounds when youve never done this before. Youre going to break your back. Last summer, we saw a lot of organizational leaders running around like chickens with their heads cut off. They knew it was important, but they had no idea how to respond. Ive spent a lot of my life subconsciously suppressing being Asian. And Ive become really good at being just an Ashkenazi Jewish professional. And I think thats one of the things that has really opened up as Jews of color have gotten more resources and attention: Were able to more fully express all of who we are. And thats becoming both allowed and championed. People are saying, Oh, thats actually really great. Its expanding what Judaism means, and what it looks like and feels like to be Jewish.

Gen Slosberg is a recent graduate of the University of California, Berkeley, and a founder of Lunar: The Asian-Jewish Film Project.

The pandemic aggravated mental health issues that I had been experiencing throughout college. With the surge in anti-Semitic attacks and anti-Asian violence, it feels like every other day one of my communities, or all of them, is being attacked. Its like I never get to catch a break  today I explain anti-Semitism to my friends, tomorrow its anti-Asian racism. This has been exhausting.

Carmel Tanaka is a queer Jewpanese (Jewish and Japanese) woman of color and the community engagement director at Elimin8Hate, an anti-racism campaign launched by the Vancouver Asian Film Festival.
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THANKS to Michael Zwaagstra (Education is key to eliminating intolerance, Feb. 26) for the courage in opening the public conversation on a controversial educational issue  how do we teach about religious intolerance in schools?

Opinion

THANKS to Michael Zwaagstra ("Education is key to eliminating intolerance," Feb. 26) for the courage in opening the public conversation on a controversial educational issue  how do we teach about religious intolerance in schools?

As a teacher who has taught the world-issues course, I agree that ignorance leads to intolerance and that successful education leads to open-mindedness toward acceptance of, and even affirmation of, others.

However, it cannot be as simple as whether we do or do not teach a religious-studies course. In his 2003 novel The Truth About Stories, Thomas King points to the western habit of tending toward dichotomies, of mistrusting complexities. Yet what is more complex than the fundamental belief systems that guide the lives of some five to six billion human beings on our planet?

Teachers need the trust and discretion to explore complexities, to discuss with children how religion has the potential to both enhance peoples lives and to harm them  we need to be able to tell our young people that intolerance of others dignity and integrity itself is a form of ignorance. We need to explore how religion is often employed as a divisive force rather than a moral anchor and political GPS.

Much more important to this discussion is how to study religions with students in a public system. Religion can be a positive reference point for dealing with matters of conscience for individual judgment and behaviour; a hope, comfort and inspiration in and for community; a reference and guide for how to live generously and harmoniously with others; and a way to remind people what it means to live a good life.

As can Indigenous spirituality, often left out of discussions of religion because it does not fit nicely into the definition of religion. Indigenous peoples can testify to the negative consequences of a majority groups religious inclinations.

Residential schools were the result of the toxic relationship between religious fervour and political objectives, a continuation of early missionaries attempts to convert the original inhabitants of Canada and destroy their spiritualities, languages and cultures. If we need further reasons, that in itself would support separation of church and state.

Religious belief systems are also used to justify exclusion and deprivation, massacres, and domestic and foreign wars. In the United States, they justify and support violence, lies, insults, sexism, xenophobia, racism and misogyny. Churches support politicians who promote those actions, which clearly fly in the face of their fundamental religious teachings.

In Iran, beliefs support attacks on the countrys religious minorities, including property seizures, denial of education, wrongful incarceration and even death. Religion is the indoctrination tool of cults, from rogue militias storming the Capitol to the prosperity gospel of televangelists. Furthermore, sexual violence and exploitation in fundamentalist communities often have their origins in religious male-dominance theory.

In educational terms, religion is often cited as the reason for home-schooling and small independent schools. Where that is the reason, its hard not to suspect that parents wish to shield their children from association with people who do not share their beliefs, and from the supposed negative influences they will experience as a result of being exposed to alternate ideas.

What they often do accomplish is mistrust and suspicion of others and their intentions  a dubious contribution to an inclusive, accepting, affirming community and country, and hardly a desirable educational outcome.

Public school teachers contemplating the course referenced by Zwaagstra have a monumental task ahead of them. Few would be equipped with comparative-religions specialties; this is one more area where extensive professional development is necessary. It may be easy to study some fact sheets about a religions origins and central figures, but it will be much more difficult to give fair quarter to the beliefs held by countless denominations of multiple faith traditions.

Abdul-Baha, a central figure in the Bahai faith, once claimed: "If religion becomes a cause of dislike, hatred and division, it were better to be without it." Zwaagstra implies that providing our young with different perspectives will reduce ignorance and intolerance; if we can approach this task with open minds, respectful of the human dignity and integrity of others, it gives us hope for a better world.

That is, of course the aim of the comparative religions course, but it is not enough just to expand our intellectual mentalities. We need to expand our minds, but perhaps more importantly, we need to unite our hearts.

Ryan Wiens teaches grades 7-12 English and social studies in Winnipeg and is a member of the citys Bahai community.
Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro announced on Sunday two weeks of what he referred to as "radical quarantine," leaving Holy Week celebrations suspended.

"I announce that Holy Week this year will be again in radical quarantine. So we are going to have fourteen days, two weeks of radical quarantine," he said Sunday.

Maduro had previously announced that the Holy Week would be flexible this year but, due to the rise in COVID-19 cases and the presence in the country of the variant of the virus detected in Brazil, the president announced the suspension of all Holy Week celebrations.

Maduro also reported that the country has 8,872 active COVID-19 cases.

(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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As India is gripped under the second wave of coronavirus, with fresh cases touching the 47,000-mark, the Gujarat government has put a restriction on Holi celebration due to the surge in Covid-19 cases in the state though the religious ritual of 'Holika Dahan' associated with the festival can take place with crowd restrictions.

Holi falls on March 29 and Holika Dahan on its eve on March 28. The government will only allow 'Holika Dahan', a pyre lighting ritual symbolizing the victory of good over evil on the eve of Holi, that too with a limited number of people in housing societies and villages, Deputy Chief Minister Nitin Patel said.

BCCL

Patel, who also holds the health portfolio, said people won't be allowed to form crowds to throw colour at each other, a prime part of the boisterous celebrations associated with Holi.

"No permission is granted for the celebration of Holi. Action will be taken against violators. However, I believe the people of Gujarat will follow rules and will not play Holi," Patel said.

Gujarat reported 1,565 coronavirus positive cases on Saturday, the addition being the highest in four months, taking the state's tally to 2,85,429.

Odisha bans public Holi celebrations

BCCL

Earlier, the Odisha government announced restrictions on public Holi celebrations on March 28 and 29, anticipating that the festival has the potentiality to cause the virus to spread.

The Special Relief Commissioner (SRC) in an order said, "Holi on March 28 and March 29 and related rituals shall not be observed in public places throughout the state."

People may celebrate Holi with family members in their houses but not in any public places including public roads, SRC P K Jena said in the order.

The government has also put restrictions on "Dola" festival where people across the state take Lord Krishna and Devi Radha in palanquin called "Biman".

The decision comes in wake of states such Uttarakhand allowing the Kumbh Mela and removing all restrictions of devotees who will throng to Haridwar for the holy dip in the Ganges.
Well, well, what have we here: a secret sensor hidden deep within the HomePod minis shell? The just-discovered component could mean that Apple may have new functionality for its smallerand soon to be onlysmart speaker up its sleeves.

Bloombergs Mark Gurman, a reliable source for Apple rumors and leaks, first reported the existence of the itty, bitty chip, which is reportedly a Texas Instruments-built temperature and humidity sensor.

Gurman asked the Apple tear-down detectives at iFixit to dig around for the sensor, and they found it crammed inside the HomePod minis base, nestled next to the captive power cord.

While temperature sensors are common in PCs, laptops, and other devices to detect overheating, the sensor in the HomePod mini is too far away from the speakers central components to serve that purpose, Gurman notes. Instead, the location of the sensor suggests its designed to measure external rather than internal temperatures.

Ben Patterson/IDG A hidden temperature and humidity sensor was reportedly discovered sitting in the HomePod minis base, near the power cord.

Apple didnt make any mention of a temperature sensor when it unveiled the HomePod mini last fall, but its not that unusual for products to ship with dormant features. Gurman serves up the example of the Bluetooth radio in 2008s iPod touch that was enabled a year later by a software update, but Im also thinking of the dormant (and now functional) IR remote sensor in 2019s Philips Hue HDMI Sync Box, as well as the microphones in Denons Home speakers that will soon be used by Alexa.

So, what does Apple have in mind for the HomePod minis temperature and humidity sensor? According to Gurman, Apple has mulled the idea of using the sensor to send temperature data to HomeKit-enabled thermostats. Another possibility is that the sensor could act as a trigger for other smart devices, such as connected plugs or fans.

As it so happens, another just-announced and competing device in the smart speaker/display category will ship with a temperature sensor: the upcoming Google Nest Hub. The Nest Hubs temperature sensor works in concert with the displays sleep-sensing features, with the sensor designed to warn you if your bedrooms temperature is too high or too low at night. Of course, the sensor could wind up having additional uses, but Google hasnt announced any at this point.

In any case, it appears Apple is looking to ramp up the HomePod minis smart capabilities, which also include a Thread radio that allows the smaller HomePod to connect other Thread-enabled devices (such as Nanoleafs Essentials smart lights and some recently announced Eve smart devices) to the internet.

Bloombergs report of the HomePod minis hidden sensor comes a little more than a week after Apple announced that its discontinuing the larger HomePod, a move that leaves the mini as Apples sole smart speaker.

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Westmans Conservative MPs are reaffirming their commitment to tackling climate change.

Thats after 54 per cent of grassroots delegates shot down a declaration on climate change during the weekends Conservative Party of Canada virtual policy convention.

Larry Maguire

Brandon-Souris MP Larry Maguire said hed be curious to learn the thinking behind those delegates who voted to strike it down.

The proposal would have expanded party policy to include the line: "We recognize that climate change is real. The Conservative party is willing to act."

It would have also modified existing party policy to stress the need for highly polluting Canadian businesses to take more responsibility for reducing their greenhouse gas emissions and state the party believes in supporting innovation in green technology.

Despite how the majority of grassroots members voted, Maguire said Conservative Leader Erin OToole has been "very clear climate change is an issue, and it is, so we have to make sure were moving forward with all sorts of alternative energies."

Prior to the policy vote, OToole primed delegates by declaring in a keynote address they "cannot ignore the reality of climate change," and, "The debate is over."

Dan Mazier

"They voted  in that way," Maguire said. "There are an awful lot of Canadians, and we recognize as members of Parliament that there needs to be some changes."

Part of the concern among voting delegates might have been related to job loss in the energy sector, Maguire said, "particularly in Alberta, and Mr. Trudeau has not addressed that."

"Whether they voted for it or not, I dont think theres a citizen in the country that doesnt think we should do the best job we can to protect the environment," he added. "We have to be aware that while we are dealing with introducing and expanding alternative energy sources that will be used, whether thats in powering homes or vehicles in the future, that the petroleum industry is still there."

On that front, he said Canada needs to be able to export its products to the rest of the world.

Part of the problem with voting at a convention held virtually is an inability to amend motions, Dauphin-Swan River-Neepawa Conservative MP Dan Mazier said, adding voters might have objected to any number of the proposed policys components.

Regardless, he said the Conservative Party of Canada is following OTooles lead and developing a climate change policy.

"Just because it didnt pass as a resolution at a convention doesnt mean we arent still going to talk about the reality (of) climate change," he said, crediting delegates with hosting a great discussion he hopes to see continue.

Its safe to say the Conservative plan to tackle climate change will not include the Liberals carbon tax, Mazier said, dismissing it as "just not acceptable."

Although the climate change policy vote grabbed the majority of headlines, Maguire said the most important thing to come out of the convention was their pledge to create a job recovery plan.

"That includes the environment, that includes mental health and a real developed plan for getting our economy back on track," he said, pointing to a five-point plan that includes securing jobs, accountability, mental health, the country and economy.

Although Maguire highlighted the importance of all five, he said mental health stuck out as being of particular note.

With opioid deaths on the rise, he said, "We have a pandemic within the pandemic," and that while the needs are the same as they were before, theyve been "exasperated by COVID."

Mazier also flagged the mental health priority as one he was "really pleased to see."

"I know its one of those silent diseases or situations, especially in rural Canada," he said.

"Canadians will get through this, but were going to give Canadians the tools  to help us through that so we can build a better future."

Between the five-point plan and OTooles keynote address, Maguire shared a similar sentiment.

"I think the main message here is just that we need to secure our future."

 tclarke@brandonsun.com, with files from The Canadian Press

 Twitter: @TylerClarkeMB
MEDICAL RECORDS

VA plans 'strategic review' of $16B Cerner program

NOTE: This article first appeared on FCW.com.

Veterans Affairs chief Denis McDonough announced a "strategic review" of the agency's $16 billion Electronic Health Record Modernization program of up to 12 weeks.

The move comes 20 weeks after the new system, based on the Cerner Millennium EHR software, went live at the Mann-Grandstaff Medical Center in Spokane, Wash., four outpatient clinics and at an affiliated billing and processing center in Las Vegas.

"A successful EHR deployment is essential in the delivery of lifetime, world-class health care for our Veterans," McDonough said in a statement. "After a rigorous review of our most-recent deployment at Mann-Grandstaff VA Medical Center, it is apparent that a strategic review is necessary. VA remains committed to the Cerner Millennium solution, and we must get this right for veterans."

Last November, program leaders said the go-live had gone well from a technical perspective, avoiding some of the infrastructure headaches and permissions problems that had plagued the Defense Department's launch of the same software.

Just this week, however, Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers, a Republican congresswoman who represents Spokane and serves as ranking member of the House Energy and Commerce committee, wrote to McDonough to air constituent complaints about the new system.

"The system is not an improvement," Rodgers wrote. "It has put new stress on the Mann-Grandstaff VA Medical Center, which is a vital lifeline for so many of our veterans and has struggled with staffing and morale for several years."

In a statement March 19, Rodgers said that she was "encouraged to see Secretary McDonough respond swiftly to my calls for review of the broken electronic health record system that has caused new stress on veterans and VA staff in Eastern Washington."

Rep. Mike Bost (R-Ill.), the ranking member of the House Committee on Veterans' Affairs, said the new system "could revolutionize VA care but it is not on the right track today." Bost called on VA to "fix the process, strategy, and management challenges that led to those problems before moving forward anywhere else."

The next go-live is set for Columbus, Ohio, a site selected in the later stages of project development because of its current use of the Cerner scheduling module. According to the VA announcement, the order of subsequent go-live sites could be altered as a result of the review.

"It is more important for VA to get [Electronic Health Records Modernization] right than to rush it and put veterans' health at risk," Rep. Mark Takano (D-Calif.), the chairman of the House Veterans Affairs Committee, said in a statement. "This strategic review comes at a critical time, and I'm hopeful that it will ensure Secretary McDonough has an opportunity to examine the prior administrations handling of the project and course correct if necessary."

The system was supposed to go live in March 2020, but multiple, overlapping delays caused by software integration problems, workplace restrictions and other issues related to the COVID-19 pandemic pushed the launch of the new system to October 2020.

The $16 billion price tag for the project includes $10 billion in a 10-year software contract with Cerner and $6 billion in planned infrastructure and hardware upgrade costs. The program is designed to replace VA's homegrown VistA EHR system, which was popular with clinicians but had evolved into more than 130 independent versions that presented interoperability challenges within the VA and with medical records systems at the Department of Defense.

The review, according to the VA statement, will focus on workflow issues and improvements to the patient portal.

"Cerner supports the decision by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs to conduct a strategic program review, Brian Sandager, general manager of Cerner Government Services, said in an emailed statement. "Our number one priority remains the veterans we serve and delivering solutions that drive the transformation of care across the VA."
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The Prime Minister says that Corpus Christi, also known as the "Day of Wreaths", is set aside on the Christian calendar to honour the Holy Eucharist which was observed at the last supper before Christ was crucified.
Season 5 of the worst cooking show Nailed It! returns to Netflix on Friday this time as Double Trouble, with pairs cooking together.

Hosted by Nicole Byer and Jacques Torres, the Emmy-nominated series returns with twice the fun! This time, home bakers pair up in teams of two to take a shot at recreating edible masterpieces for a $10,000 prize. From best buds to brothers and sisters, these bakers are twice as bad. This season, we go far and wide for inspiration, ranging from delicious baked treats inspired by Greek mythology to sugary desserts from dear old Grandma.

Friday March 26 on Netflix.

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By Xiang Haoyu

The US recently held a "two plus two" meeting respectively with Japan and ROK, holding a big political show to put pressure on China, but the bilateral and trilateral relations among them are more talk than substance. Washington is trying to intensify its alliance with Tokyo and Seoul, and their interactions send three messages.

First, the US-Japan-ROK alliance is recovering as the US returns to East Asia on a high profile. The inking of defense expense agreements with the US at basically the previous sharing proportion has reassured Japan and ROK and given them more confidence in their mighty ally.

Second, Japan and ROK respond differently to America's anti-China approach. Japan and ROK have reacted differently to America's undisguised clique-forming moves. While the Moon Jae-in administration is chiefly concerned about the Korean peninsula and inclined to keep a balance between Beijing and Washington by adopting an ambiguous stance, the Yoshihide Suga government, deeply troubled by the epidemic and political scandals, hopes to deflect domestic problems by hyping up the "China threat", as many observed.

Third, the US-Japan-ROK alliance is not iron-clad due to inherent conflicts. Washington didn't say anything about what it would do regarding the Japan-ROK conflicts during the recent trip. Still, it only released their discussions about trilateral cooperation to the public, indicating its inability to resolve the feud between the two countries. Besides, no progress was made on the reorganization of American troops stationed in Japan and the transfer of wartime operational control (OPCON) -- respectively, the chief concern of Tokyo and Seoul, so conflicts and divergences will keep popping up in the future.

Washington obviously wants to turn Northeast Asia into a forward position in its competition with and containment of China, but how can it forget the region is home to China, Japan and ROK alike. Tokyo and Seoul should think deeply about the role the US-Japan-ROK alliance will play in the region.

From the perspective of current circumstances and Northeast Asias long-term development, Japan and ROK should consider the following points when helping the US forge a military alliance.

They should abandon the Cold-War mentality and pursue common security. As an outcome of the Cold War, the US-Japan-ROK alliance has been upholding "bloc security", an idea that will certainly unsettle the countries outside the bloc and aggravate regional arms race.

China, on the other hand, advocates the new outlook of common, comprehensive, cooperative, and sustainable security that goes beyond ideological division and struggle over regional leadership, and replaces bloc security with common security. As far as peace and prosperity in Northeast Asia are concerned, Japan and ROK should set an example for maintaining the common security of regional countries.

They should deal with sensitive issues cautiously and not hype up external threats. The purpose of an exclusive military alliance is to cope with common enemies from the outside, so the US has to constantly exaggerate the threats from China and DPRK to justify its attempt to form such an alliance with Japan and ROK. Those two countries, being located in Northeast Asia, should be prudent and cautious when it comes to highly sensitive and complicated issues.

The US should have realized that its interest and strategic considerations don't necessarily coincide with those of Japan and ROK as those two, although highly dependent on the US in security, also have profound economic connections with China and therefore dont wish to see a full-blown confrontation. As ROK's Minister of Foreign Affairs Chung Eui-yong said, Seoul will not pick sides between Beijing and Washington.

They should display sincerity for dialogue and take tangible steps to push for the non-nuclearization of the Korean peninsula. The crux of nuclear issue on the Korean Peninsula lies in the conflict between Washington and Pyongyang, and the only way to solve it is to accommodate all parties' security concerns through political dialogue and peaceful means. Dumping sanctions and pressure on DPRK won't help, and strengthening military deployments and exercises against DPRK will only throw the regional situation back to the abyss of tension.

The US, Japan and ROK are reinforcing the trilateral relations, especially in the bundling of military interests. China, while resolutely safeguarding its own sovereignty and security interests, should insist on peace, reconciliation, and cooperation in Northeast Asia. It should make continued efforts to manage territorial and maritime disputes through dialogue and consultation, deepen economic and trade cooperation in the region, promote defense and security dialogue, and enhance political and security mutual trust among regional countries.

The US, Japan and ROK should give up any illusion of containing China and instead work with it to jointly establish a long-term peace mechanism  that's the only way to ensure lasting peace and security in Northeast Asia.

(The author is a researcher with the Department for Asia-Pacific Studies at the China Institute of International Studies.)

Editor's note: This article is originally published on huanqiu.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.
ATLANTA, March 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- UC Asset LP (OTCQX: UCASU) announced the company will donate up to $50,000 to nonprofits working to eradicate the backlash against Asian Americans and stop anti-Asian violence. The announcement came after a mass-shooting in Atlanta killed eight victims, including six Asian women, amid a nationwide rising of anti-Asian violence.

"UC Asset is committed to unity and solidarity across all communities, regardless of race, gender, religion and sex-orientation. " Says Christal Jordan, director of business development at UC Asset. "As our name "united community" suggests, our goal is to utilize real estate investment to promote community growth. A crime against any member of our community is a crime against all of us. We know this is an opportunity to step up and use our resources to support our community."

According to the management, UCASU will donate a minimum of $10,000 and a maximum of $50,000 over the next 36 months to local nonprofits committed to advocating equal opportunities for minority communities, particularly Asian Americans. This plan is subject to alteration and approval by UCASU's shareholders at its next shareholder meeting.

In addition, UCASU has been in contact with a nation-level Asian American non-profit, which is headquartered in metro Atlanta, on a possible Public-Private-Partnership (PPP) to build a community center in Atlanta, as a platform for Asian Americans to better participate in community affairs in close alliance with other ethnic groups.

"We support the idea of diversity and community participation," shares Larry Wu, founding partner, UCASU . "We believe a public-private partnership between a UCASU and a community driven nonprofit will create opportunities to serve both the community and our business interest."

About UC Asset LP

UC Asset LP is a limited partnership formed for the purpose of investing in real estate for development and redevelopment, concentrating in metropolitan areas of Atlanta, GA and Dallas, TX. For more information about UC Asset, please visit: www.ucasset.com

Disclaimer:

This News Release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other important factors that could cause our actual results, performance or achievements, or industry results, to differ materially from any these statements. You are cautioned not to place undue reliance on any those forward-looking statements. Except as otherwise required by the federal securities laws, we undertake no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements after the date of this news release. None of such forward-looking statements should be regarded as a representation by us or any other person that the objectives and plans set forth in this News Release will be achieved or be executed.



For More Information Contact:

Christal Jordan | Investor Relations Director, UC Asset LP

[email protected] | 678-499-0297

SOURCE UC Asset LP
This blog covers software patent news and issues with a particular focus on wireless, mobile devices (smartphones, tablet computers, connected cars) as well as select antitrust matters surrounding those devices.
Since women are excluded from combat service by statute or military policy, Justice William H. Rehnquist wrote for the majority, men and women are simply not similarly situated for purposes of a draft or registration for a draft.

In 2019, Judge Gray H. Miller, of the Federal District Court in Houston, ruled that since women can now serve in combat, the men-only registration requirement was no longer justified. A unanimous three-judge panel of the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit, in New Orleans, agreed that the factual underpinning of the controlling Supreme Court decision has changed. But it said that only the Supreme Court could overrule its own precedent.

The Trump administration defended differing registration requirements in the appeals court. The Biden administration has twice sought extra time to respond to the petition seeking Supreme Court review in the case, National Coalition for Men v. Selective Service System, No. 20-928, and its brief is now due on April 14.

Last year, a congressional commission concluded that expanding the registration requirement to women was a necessary  and overdue  step that signals that both men and women are valued for their contributions in defending the nation. That echoed recommendations from military leaders. But Congress, which has long been studying the question, has yet to act.

Men who fail to register can face harsh punishments, including criminal prosecution, denial of student loans and disqualification from citizenship. Eight states do not let men enroll in public universities unless they have registered.

The government has not drafted anyone since the Vietnam War, and there is no reason to think that will change. The challengers say that is a reason for the court to act now, before a crisis arises.

Should the court declare the men-only registration requirement unconstitutional, their brief said, Congress has considerable latitude to decide how to respond. It could require everyone between the ages of 18 and 26, regardless of sex, to register; it could rescind the registration requirement entirely; or it could adopt a new approach altogether, such as replacing the registration requirement with a more expansive national service requirement.
NEW YORK, March 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Twelve newly trained solar installers are placing panels on New York City Housing Authority developments to provide clean power at discounted rates for low- and moderate-income subscribers.

These workers, who are NYCHA residents from across the city, are currently atop roofs at Glenwood Houses, a development in the Flatlands area of Brooklyn. From there, they'll move to Kingsborough Houses in Brooklyn's Crown Heights neighborhood. They already completed installation work at Carver Houses in northern Manhattan.

Workers installing solar panels at Carver Houses, a New York City Housing Authority development in northern Manhattan. Photo credit: Accord Power Inc. Workers have finished the installation of solar panels at NYCHAs Carver Houses development. Photo credit: Accord Power Inc.

The solar arrays at the three developments will be capable of generating about 1 megawatt  that's 1 million watts  of electricity.

At least 400 low- and moderate-income Con Edison customers will benefit from this power, saving about $120 a year each on their electric bills. Lease revenue from use of the roof space will go to the host NYCHA developments.

"We are determined to build an inclusive clean energy future with opportunities for all," said Tim Cawley, chief executive officer of Con Edison. "Our Community Power program is giving apprentice installers the chance to develop a marketable skill in a growing field, while providing low- and moderate-income customers with access to clean energy and savings on their utility bills. Our customers across New York City and Westchester County are showing they want access to solar energy and we want everyone to be included."

"We are proud to facilitate solar teams that connect NYCHA residents to green careers, both in their communities and throughout New York City," said Vlada Kenniff, vice president for Energy & Sustainability for NYCHA. "These partnerships provide our residents with low-cost solar energy and a wider opportunity to participate in the clean energy workforce."

Con Edison is working on the project with NYCHA and other partners that have proven records of contributing to New York City's sustainability. The lead partner, Solar One, provides training and education to make sustainable energy and green jobs more accessible for all New Yorkers.

"Community Power shows how public, utility, and community partnerships can develop successful renewable energy projects that provide good jobs and utility bill savings to those who need it most," said Juan Parra, director of Community Solar for Solar One. "This model can be replicated with other public rooftops in NYC and beyond. It's the Green New Deal in action."

Con Edison customers are invited to confirm their eligibility and sign up to learn more at communitypower.nyc.

WE ACT for Environmental Justice and the Brooklyn Movement Center are recruiting and screening prospective subscribers for the project. That outreach focuses on residents of affordable housing and those receiving benefits from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program.

Green City Force, WE ACT, and NYCHA recruited applicants for the apprenticeships. The apprentices work for Accord Power, a Queens-based solar installer and certified Minority Business Enterprise. The project is financed by Sunwealth. The New York City Community Energy Co-op will manage customer subscriptions.

"Green City Force is excited to be a part of this clean energy project with our partners," said Tonya Gayle, executive director. "This groundbreaking initiative is providing affordable clean energy to low- and moderate-income residents in Brooklyn and Manhattan and addressing the gap between disenfranchised communities and sustainable careers. This project diversifies NYC's green workforce and will help achieve the city's climate goals."

The customers will receive discounts on their electric bills in return for paying a subscription fee. The customer will always receive a net benefit or savings on their utility bill because the subscription fee will be 20 percent less than the full dollar value of the solar energy credits they receive.

Participating households will save money for the life of the solar panels  which is expected to be about 25 years.

Sustainable CUNY provided technical assistance, using its New York Solar Map (nysolarmap.com) to assess the solar potential of NYCHA's rooftops.

"The City University of New York is proud to support the implementation of NYCHA's solar program in our ongoing collaborative effort with Con Edison and city officials to provide clean renewable energy to the New York Metropolitan area and help develop the 'green-collar' workforce New York needs now," said CUNY Chancellor Felix V. Matos Rodriguez. "Sustainable CUNY will continue the work of unlocking the potential of NYC's solar energy market to help boost our beloved city's post-Covid economy."

Con Edison encourages its customers to consider solar energy and is making the installation process faster, easier, and less expensive.

The company recently began offering solar installers and their customers a device called Smart ConnectDER, which allows a customer to avoid the cost of upgrading the home's circuit breaker panel and excessive electrical boxes on the side of the house.

The device can save a solar customer upwards of $1,000 and is available following a successful pilot program in 2019. Customers or installers who are interested can send an e-mail to [email protected].

Con Edison customers have completed more than 36,000 rooftop projects with the capacity to produce more than 331 megawatts. Even in 2020  a year of unprecedented health, economic and logistical challenges  Con Edison customers continued embracing solar energy, adding 5,542 arrays that can produce up to 44 megawatts.

Through its Clean Energy Businesses, Con Edison Inc. is the second largest solar producer in North America and seventh largest in the world. Adding more solar to the region's energy mix is part of Con Edison's Clean Energy Commitment.

Con Edison is a subsidiary of Consolidated Edison, Inc. [NYSE: ED], one of the nation's largest investor-owned energy companies, with approximately $12 billion in annual revenues and $63 billion in assets. The utility delivers electricity, natural gas and steam to 3.5 million customers in New York City and Westchester County, N.Y.

Quotes from Elected Leaders

Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams

"Our ongoing fight against climate change must center on environmental justice, prioritizing underserved communities that stand to be the most impacted by a warming planet. The Community Power program is an example of environmental justice in action, empowering NYCHA residents through jobs and discounted clean energy. I thank Con Edison and their partners for this partnership, and look forward to seeing the program expand to other developments throughout the city."

NYS Senator Kevin Parker - Chair, Committee on Energy and Telecommunications

"As the chair of the Energy and Telecommunications committee, I applaud Con Edison for working with NYCHA to provide cost-effective solar energy and green-collar job opportunities for community residents. We need to build upon this partnership to ensure that as our city recovers, no New Yorker is left behind."

NYS Assembly Member Jaime Williams

"We welcome environmentally friendly energy alternatives as we seek to ensure a sustainable future for our city and region. Con Edison, NYCHA and the other partners in this project are taking a significant step in the right direction and New Yorkers will benefit."

City Council Member Alicka Ampry-Samuel - Chair, Committee on Public Housing

"I appreciate when conversations turn into action. The conversation about sustainability in communities with high energy usage has been taking place for several years  this is an excellent next step. This initiative prioritizes clean energy and provides jobs at a time when both are sorely needed. I look forward to seeing local residents work on this project, which will further connect them to sustainability in their communities."

City Council Member Farah N. Louis

"With homes transformed into classrooms and workspaces during the Covid-19 pandemic, public demand for reliable energy is rising. We cannot leave families struggling to make rent, buy groceries, or pay their bills, in the dark. The rollout plan to harness solar energy for NYCHA developments will create stability, equity, and sustainability among one of the hardest-hit populations. From solar panels to green careers, the residents of the Glenwood Houses will play a vital role in the recovery effort and lead our city towards a brighter future."

SOURCE Consolidated Edison Company of New York

Related Links

https://www.coned.com/en


US President Joe Biden on Sunday denounced systemic racism saying, it is 'ugly poisons' in society and every human being has inherent dignity and deserves to be treated with fairness. In his speech on the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination, Biden asked nations and US citizens to recognize the ways that racism, gender discrimination, and other forms of marginalization intersect society.

Racism, xenophobia, nativism, and other forms of intolerance are not problems unique to the United States. They are global problems, the US president said, according to the transcript released by the White House. Furthermore, he said that he signed executive orders the first day in office removing racial-based ban against immigrants to maintain equity and racial justice across the United States.

Expressing strong condemnation against White Supremacy, and the increase in instances of violence against Black, Native, Latino, Asian American, and Pacific Islander, the US president said we will not shy away from enforcing measures to eliminate hate. He added that his administration will ensure that the US and the globe were a safe harbour for people of colour. Further in his speech, the US President denounced the human rights violations against Rohingya in Burma and the Uyghurs in Chinas Xinjiang province as he called the governments to draft inclusive processes to take into effect countrywide. Biden, furthermore, pushed for respect and equality of all citizens, also denouncing gender based discrimination.

Under my Administration, the United States will lead the conversation on these painful issuesat home, in international institutions, and around the world, Biden said in his speech.

Harris denounces gender-based discrimination

US presidents remarks followed his Vice President Kamala Harris empowering speech at the UN for women's equality. In a similar spirit, Harris condemned discrimination as she told the UN convention that the status of democracy in any country is the status of women. Further, she mentioned the many struggles of Eleanor Roosevelt's who introduced the Universal Declaration on Human Rights, for liberating women. In her speech, Harris emphasized that democracy protects human rights and upholds rule of law and it should ensure that every individual is treated "fairly and equally".
In the early days of America, presidential first ladies were hostesses at the White House. In recent decades, they're goodwill ambassadors for feel-good causes. One exception to this rule was Edith Wilson, who, in 1919, appointed herself as acting president when her husband, Woodrow Wilson, was felled by a stroke in the second-to-last year of his administration. It's beginning to appear that Jill Biden, married to a decaying, increasing mentally incapacitated man, has chosen Edith as her role model.

Edith was a typical product of the postCivil War South. She was raised in a large family, had minimal education, and believed devoutly in the Confederate cause. In 1915, when she was a 42-year-old widow, she met President Woodrow Wilson, who was 16 years older than she was and who had recently lost his wife. They married that same year.

Woodrow Wilson was a Democrat and a progressive. He still supported the Confederacy; segregated the formerly integrated federal civil service; screened Birth of a Nation, the pro-KKK film, in the White House; and believed firmly in eugenics. That is, he believed that Whites are a superior race and that people with darker complexions are inferior, with their inferiority increasing in direct proportion to their increased melanin. (In other words, he was the mirror image of Kristen Clarke, Biden's choice to lead the Civil Rights division of the Department of Justice.)

Wilson was also the progenitor of the Wilson Doctrine: briefly, to drag a reluctant nation into World War I  which many Americans saw as Europe's problem, not theirs  he announced that it was America's responsibility to make the world "safe for democracy." This doctrine controlled American politics right until the Trump presidency.

Trump had a new doctrine: it was America's responsibility to make the world safe for Americans living in America. Biden is already dragging America back to the Wilson Doctrine, which has seen American blood and gold spilled across the world for over a century. Unfortunately, Biden also seems to be guided by the Obama variation on the Wilson Doctrine, which is that any overseas wars in which America becomes involved should never benefit Americans.

Where does Edith Wilson fit into all this? In October 1919, Wilson had a serious stroke that left him partially paralyzed and bedridden. Had there been the 25th Amendment then, it would have been reasonable to remove him from office. At the very least, while he was recovering, the vice president should have taken on his responsibilities.

Instead, Edith Wilson connived with the president's inner circle to hide from the Americans how sick Wilson was. (Is this starting to sound familiar?) For almost a year and a half, Edith conducted the routine duties of the president of the United States of America. She also screened everything that came to his office, deciding what the bedridden president could and couldn't see. Edith failed to understand how important the gatekeeper's role was, boasting later that if she finally allowed Wilson to see something, he made the ultimate decision on the matter.

We've already seen how Jill Biden is constantly at Joe's side when he gives his limited interviews, makes a statement for an "official" video, or gives a speech. She often rushes in to give the answer when Joe cannot or is incoherent.

Additionally, unlike modern first ladies, Jill hasn't announced her feel-good "cause." Instead, Jill is hitting the road to promote what are ostensibly Joe's policies:

Jill Biden hits the road as a key messenger on the White Houses stimulus victory lap https://t.co/D5LDLWWjJG  The Washington Post (@washingtonpost) March 20, 2021

In the 1990s, Bill Clinton gave Hillary a project  health care reform  and that's where she put her efforts (and failed disastrously, too). What's happening here is different. Jill is acting almost as a co-president.

With Joe manifestly too frail and confused to sell the policies attributed to him (and let's not kid ourselves that he's actually in charge in the White House), Jill is the face of the presidency. Kamala hangs out in the background like the Grim Reaper at the party, and Jill is out there as the face of America's executive office.

A lot of Americans should be realizing at this point that there's something very wrong with this picture. They are the victims of a fraud  and I don't mean the fraud that took place around the votes cast in November 2020.

I'm talking about the core fraud that sold Joe Biden as a competent person capable of leading the most powerful nation in the world. Instead, there's reason to believe that we're being governed not by Joe, but by Jill "Edith" Biden, a person who cannot even do basic math in her laughable Ed.D. thesis. Talk about being sold a rotten bill of goods.

Image: Created by Andrea Widburg using public domain images.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, March 22) While the quarantine bubble in Metro Manila and nearby provinces lets select people move around, the Department of Interior and Local Government on Monday encouraged the public to stay at home as much as possible.

Pwede tayong umikot (We can move) within the bubble area, but we have a very strict stay-at-home order for people, especially those who are 18 and below and 65 and above, Interior Undersecretary and Spokesperson Jonathan Malaya told CNN Philippines The Source.

Baka lang mag-create ng impression na, ah, pwede pala ako mag-ikot-ikot (It might create an impression that, oh, I can roam around). No, he pointed out. Within the next two weeks, government is requesting everybody to not do face-to-face meetings, and if possible, just do work-from-home arrangements.

Apart from Metro Manila, the provinces of Bulacan, Cavite, Laguna, and Rizal were placed under the stricter general community quarantine for two weeks to curb the spread of COVID-19.

These areas make up the bubble set-up NCR plus  wherein only authorized persons and those with essential and emergency needs can travel around.

EXPLAINER: What you need to know about the NCR Plus bubble

In line with this, the DILG official appealed to companies to cooperate and consider possible work-from-home options for their employees.

Police, LGUs urged to strictly act on mass gatherings

In a separate statement, the DILG called on the Philippine National Police and concerned local government units to strictly impose the ban on mass gatherings, particularly in the areas part of the bubble.

Kailangan nating maghigpit dahil tumaas na naman ang mga COVID-19 cases (We need to be strict because COVID-19 cases are increasing again), the agency said in a statement.

We therefore need everyone's cooperation on the measures that the government is imposing to prevent the spread of the virus, it added.

Officials have repeatedly urged the public to do away with mass gatherings, saying these can turn into superspreader events.

COVID-19 cases in the country reached 663,794, according to the latest tally of the Department of Health.
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Hurricane season 2021 is here: How do storms get their names?
Number of patients in Deeside Rainbow Hospital now at lowest level since coming into operation

This article is old - Published: Monday, Mar 22nd, 2021

The number of patients being treated in Deeside Rainbow Hospital is now at the lowest since it came into operation in November last year.

According to latest daily figures published by Statistics Wales, four patients remain at the leisure centre based hospital.

The temporary hospital  built at the start of the pandemic to boost capacity in North East Wales  started to take patients in November as a second wave of Coronavirus infections took hold.

Despite having around 250 beds across three temporary wards, capacity at the Rainbow Hospital was initially set at 30 beds for patients from across North Wales recovering from COVID-19.





At the end of January capacity increased to 45 beds, at the time, the health board said a spike in community transmission particularly in Flintshire and Wrexham, was putting significant pressure on the Wrexham Maelor Hospital.

Last week Health Minister Vaughan Gething said that although there is fluctuation, there are now just under 1000 COVID related patients in hospital.

This is the first time Wales has dipped below that 1000 mark for many months.

During Fridays Welsh government press conference, First Minister Mark Drakeford was asked if Deeside Leisure Centre and the other field hospitals in Wales would be handed back to their owners over the summer, or will they be held in reserve for the winter months and further potential spikes in COVID rates.

Mr Drakeford explained: The number of people in field hospitals has been reducing over the last two weeks.

When I last saw figures which was Tuesday of this week it was down to just over 100 and the use of field hospitals in different parts of Wales was reducing.

As the number of people in conventional hospital beds with Coronavirus falls, so the need for field hospitals does reduce.

However the first minister added that he doesnt expect to, put all our field hospitals completely out of commission, with concerns that a further wave of the virus is already baked in.

Our sister site Deeside.com asked Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board when will the Deeside Rainbow Hospital be stood down from taking in new patients whilst they did respond, they were unable to give any firm information or dates.

Last week a senior Flintshire Council officer said some facilities at the Deeside site  which is also being used as a mass vaccination centre  could potentially be made available from as soon as June, depending on the requirements of the health board.

He also provided assurance that people will still have access to the same services as before, including the Olympic-sized ice rink.

Addressing the issue at a virtual meeting of councillors held on March 10, Flintshire Councils chief officer for housing and assets, Neal Cockerton, said: The Rainbow hospital will move out, the internal areas will be refurbished or brought back to a standard that is suitable for leisure provision and it will continue on its journey as a leisure centre.

Thats always been the case from the start of this.

The issue about how quickly that is going to happen, the point Id make there is its a main regional vaccination centre at the moment and will continue to be.

The conversation is around how long were going to have to wait to get the facility back, but thats not anticipated to be long because were also already planning an exit strategy for the Rainbow hospitals. Mr Cockerton said.

In terms of further spikes of COVID in Wales, Mr Drakeford said he was concerned to see reports of a third wave of coronavirus hitting France.

Over the last week in Wales there have been flare-ups one in Merthyr Tydfil and residents in Holyhead and the wider Holy Island area are being urged not to travel this weekend unless its essential.

People from outside the area are likewise being advised not to visit unless necessary following a spike in Covid cases in the area.

The First Minister said: Ive never come to this podium and said to people in Wales that coronavirus is all over and that it will be completely behind us during this calendar year, he said.

I hope it will be and I absolutely hope it will be, but I dont think its responsible to say to people that is a guarantee that anybody could offer them.

As things are improving and our aim of course will be for things to go on improving, for us to be able to do more to restore freedoms to people over the weeks and months ahead.

But coronavirus has been full of unpleasant surprises.

Just as we have seen in Paris over the last few days, France was doing incredibly well only a few weeks ago and are now finding a sudden and significant flare-up.

Nobody should think that we are immune from that, nobody should think we can drop our guard and plan on the basis that coronavirus has gone away.
The victim in the fatal shooting in Jersey City Sunday evening has been identified as a 17-year-old boy, Hudson County Prosecutor Esther Suarez said Monday morning.

Zaimier Bell was shot in the upper body on Martin Luther King Drive between Woodlawn and Fulton avenues just before 5:30 p.m. He was taken to the Jersey City Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead at 6:10 p.m., Suarez said.

The fatal shooting is Jersey Citys fourth homicide of 2021 and the seventh in Hudson County this year.

Jersey City school officials said Bell is a former Lincoln High School student, but no longer attends in the district.

At times like these, words are inadequate to express our deepest sympathy for the family as they try to cope with the tragedy, Jersey City schools spokeswoman Norma Fernandez said. Our prayers are with the family and friends.

The Hudson County Prosecutors Office Homicide Unit and the Jersey City Police Department are actively investigating this case. No arrests have been made at this time.

Anyone with information is asked to contact the Office of the Hudson County Prosecutor at 201-915-1345 or to leave an anonymous tip at: http://www.hudsoncountyprosecutorsofficenj.org/homicide-tip/. All information will be kept confidential.
Shimla, March 22 : With Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday launching the 'Catch the Rain' campaign on World Water Day, Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur too announced that at least one water harvesting structure would be constructed in every subdivision.

At the state-level event to mark the day, the Chief Minister said the state has taken this decision as per the call by the Prime Minister to ensure water conservation and rainwater harvesting.

Thakur urged the elected representatives to ensure water conservation. To check the quality of water, a special campaign would be launched in the first fortnight of June, under which samples of water to be taken in villages, schools and 'anganwadi' centres would be tested in a laboratory.

He said a special drive to clean all sources of water would be launched from October 2 to 31. The objective of these programmes is to make the water quality and conservation campaign a mass movement.

The Chief Minister said this year the state has been celebrating the golden jubilee year of statehood and events on water quality and conservation are being lined up till January 24, 2022, by the Jal Shakti Department.

He said special Gram Sabhas would be held in all 3,615 panchayats in which a village action plan would be approved and water and sanitation committee would be constituted.

"When the present state government assumed the reins of the state, Shimla town suffered a major water crisis. Then the government decided to construct a water supply scheme for Shimla town with an outlay of Rs 80 crore and it was completed within a year," Thakur said.
New Delhi:

Saudi Arabia has suspended any dialogue with Qatar accusing it of distorting facts. Earlier, rulers of both the countries talked over the phone, which raised hopes of a breakthrough in the three-month-old Gulf crisis.

State media of both countries acknowledge that Qatar's emir, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani spoke to Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman to express his interest in bilateral talks.

Saudi led the UAE, Egypt, and Bahrain in cutting ties with Qatar, accusing it of funding Islamist extremist groups and of being close to regional rival Iran a charge which Qatar denies.

The crown prince welcomed this move. But this attempt at breaking the ice between the two got washed away soon after the Saudi Press Agency (SPA) accused Qatar's state media of wrongly implying that Saudi Arabia had initiated the outreach.

"The contact was at the request of Qatar and its request for dialogue," SPA said, citing a Saudi foreign ministry official.

"Qatar is not serious in dialogue and continues its previous policies. The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia declares that any dialogue with Qatar shall be suspended until a clear statement explaining its position is made in public."

All these developments come after US President Donald Trump on spoke separately with the leaders of Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and the UAE.

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MADRID, March 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The pandemic will accelerate 2020's governance trends this year, particularly those centred on addressing environmental and social challenges. S&P Global Ratings looks at the year ahead for corporate governance in its "Six Key Corporate Governance Trends For 2021," published today on RatingsDirect.

"Last year was challenging for companies and their boards," said primary contact Bruno Bastit. "The pandemic laid bare the resiliency--or lack thereof--of companies when it comes to facing a crisis and being responsive and adaptable. It was very much a litmus test for governance and created a lot to draw on for 2021. It showed in particular how truly ready companies are to prepare for another systemic challenge: climate change. The pandemic has heightened the need for effective crisis management and has emphasized the importance of stronger board engagement in and oversight of ESG issues."

We see six key trends dominating the corporate governance narrative in 2021:

Diversity will continue to dominate the corporate governance agenda. Increasing female participation in leadership roles is one of the many areas boards are addressing.

We also expect boards will face increasing pressure to become more ESG competent and demonstrate the skills needed to prepare for and navigate other challenges such as climate change.

There will be a heightened focus on board effectiveness. Directors are having to consider an increasingly broad range of issues, which is increasing pressure on boards to limit the number of external mandates a director can have. This will help ensure members can be fully dedicated to the boards on which they serve.

The closer integration of ESG metrics with executive pay will gather pace. This will ensure a longer term focus on and alignment of interests between companies and their executives, shareholders, and ultimately society.

We also foresee greater shareholder activism on environmental and social issues, spurred mainly by the Say on Climate initiative.

In terms of tax transparency and fairness, governments and regulators, as well as society broadly, are stepping up demands for better disclosure about where and how companies pay taxes.

This report does not constitute a rating action.

The report is available to subscribers of RatingsDirect at www.capitaliq.com. If you are not a RatingsDirect subscriber, you may purchase a copy of the report by calling (1) 212-438-7280 or sending an e-mail to [email protected]. Ratings information can also be found on S&P Global Ratings' public website by using the Ratings search box located in the left column at www.standardandpoors.com. Alternatively, call one of the following S&P Global Ratings numbers: Client Support Europe (44) 20-7176-7176; London Press Office (44) 20-7176-3605; Paris (33) 1-4420-6708; Frankfurt (49) 69-33-999-225; Stockholm (46) 8-440-5914; or Moscow (7) 495-783-4009.

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Appeals against sentence of seven terrorist group members reach Russian Supreme Court

 RAPSI, Vladimir Burnov

10:44 22/03/2021

MOSCOW, March 22 (RAPSI)  The Supreme Court of Russia will proceed with cassation appeals against sentence passed on seven members of a St. Petersburg cell of a group known as Set, meaning Network, banned in Russia as terrorist, the courts website informs.

The hearing is scheduled for April 27.

In February 2020, the Privolzhsky District Military Court found Arman Sagynbayev, Dmitry Pchelintsev, Ilya Shakursky, Vasily Kuksov, Andrey Chernov, Mikhail Kulkov, Maxim Ivankin guilty of participation in a terrorist community and sentenced them to jail terms ranging from 6 to 18 years. Later, an appeals instance upheld the ruling.

According to investigators, the terrorist group members plotted to overthrow the government and commit terrorist attacks.

The defendants pleaded not guilty insisting that earlier confessed under torture.




Last week, Yechezkel Moskowitz and Nachman Mostofskydirectors of the Orthodox pro-Trump Chovevei Zion groupled Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene on a tour of Orthodox Jewish sites in Brooklyn and the Five Towns (an Orthodox area of Long Island) including a yeshiva, a matzo bakery, and a kosher pizza parlor. Greeneknown for spreading racist and anti-Semitic conspiracy theories, including the now-infamous suggestion that the 2018 California wildfires might have been ignited by a space laser funded by the Rothschild family, a symbol of global Jewish power for the past two centurieswas thrilled at the opportunity to join the two men. We wanted to show her authentic Judaism, said Mostofsky, and we felt before Passover would be a great time.

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The pair are well-known in Jewish circles for their passionate commitment to the radical right. They turned the annual banquet of Young Israela modern Orthodox synagogue movementinto a MAGA rally in 2019, for example. More recently Mostofsky and his brother Aaron participated in the Jan. 6 rally in Washington. Aaron, famously dressed in absurd costume, entered the Capitol and was later arrested.

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Ami Magazine, one of the more popular periodicals circulating in Orthodox society, simultaneously ran a fawning interview with Greene led by its White House correspondent Jake Turx. (Following magazine policy against publishing images of women or girls, a picture of a mask with the word censored appeared in place of her image, evoking her famous mask and rather ironically highlighting the magazines own censorship policy.) Turx asked Greene leading questions designed to give her the opportunity to defend herself. Whats it like to be the best known, and also the most targeted member of Congress these days? he asked to open the conversation. Regarding her Rothschild space laser theory, he asked leadingly, I saw your original statement [and] you never used those words. Later he tweeted the claim that the Rothschildsby virtue of having intermarriedwere barely Jewish anyway and thus attributing supernatural powers to them could not possibly be anti-Semitic. Greene played along, insisting that she had not known the Rothschilds were Jewish when she blamed them for directing a space laser to start the wildfires.

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Greene, the first avowed supporter of the anti-Semitic QAnon conspiracy elected to Congress, has also suggested the Sandy Hook massacre never took place, called for violence against her colleagues, endorsed sedition leading up to the Jan. 6 insurrection, and spread persistent and repeated anti-Semitic and Islamophobic lies. One video she posted, for example, warned that, an unholy alliance of leftists, capitalists, and Zionist supremacists has schemed to promote immigration and miscegenation, with the deliberate aim of breeding us out of existence in our own homelands.

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There is no escaping the anti-Semitic and deeply racist nature of this video. The fear of white replacement led by Jews goes back to Hitler and beyond. Among other consequences, it allegedly motivated Robert Bowers to massacre Jews at the Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh. In short, her infamous space laser post barely scratches the surface of her history of racist and anti-Semitic hatemongering.

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And yet this pair of Orthodox activistsand the magazine promoting theminsisted that she was an ally. Knowing the congresswoman for a bit now, she has been nothing but a friend and ally for our community, said Mostofsky in an interview last week. The tour, they insisted, was designed to educate her about Jews and Judaism. Their conservative colleagues at the Coalition for Jewish Values joined them in praise of Greene, as well as Rep. Mary Miller, who quoted Hitler approvingly at her Jan. 6 insurrection speech.

Why are these Orthodox Jews attempting to rehabilitate Marjorie Taylor Greene?

The main answer is the Orthodox communitys dramatic swing toward Donald Trump and the American right in sharp contrast to non-Orthodox Jews. Whereas the latter voted overwhelmingly Democratic in 2020, the Orthodox voted for Trump in numbers ranging from about 50 percent of the modern Orthodox to 90 percent or more of the ultra Orthodox, particularly in New York neighborhoods like Borough Park, New Square, and Monsey. As Mostofsky explained, From government interference, education, religious freedom, we share what is commonly called Judeo-Christian values. Chovevei Zion was clear about the nature of these values in a video they produced for last years CPAC conference. In their view, the values that Judaism bequeathed to the West include nationalism, unfettered capitalism, and property rights. They share the Christian rights strict opposition to abortion and support for gun rights, and even joined mass protests against COVID-19 restrictions, which the ultra-Orthodox were widely covered flouting. They also share a long animosity toward the left, including (and sometimes especially) the left-wing and liberal Jewish majority.

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But the impulse to defend figures like Greene also has far deeper roots in Europe. There is a long history of Orthodox political organizationsfrom Imperial Germany to Galicia to czarist Russia to Interwar Poland (and now to Trump and his ilk)allying with conservative, authoritarian, and even fascist leaders against the left, throwing most Jews under the bus in the process. In late 19th-century Germany, for example, precisely when political anti-Semitism emerged as a serious threat, the German Orthodox became a fundamentally conservative political force. They eventually threw their weight behind the Catholic Zentrum party (the Christian conservatives of that time) even as it openly embraced anti-Semitism and pushed anti-Semitic candidates. Meanwhile, the Orthodox press there branded the social democrats traitors to the country and wrote that the Jewish socialists were not Jews.

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In late 19th-century Austrian Galicia (today Western Ukraine), the Orthodox Machsike Hadas (Upholders of the Faith) allied itself with Polish conservative elites against liberals, social democrats, and the Ukrainian nationalists. A generation later, Orthodox Jewish leaders in Russia attempted to reach a rapprochement with the czar at the height of his anti-Semitic repression, expressing shared animosity toward leftist Jews in the hopes of winning political concessions. The Polish branch of the Orthodox party Agudath Israel (the Aguda) backed the conservative, business-friendly Pisudski regime after his overthrow of Polands democratically elected government in 1926. Even in Nazi Germany, the Aguda joined the Free Association for the Interests of Orthodox Jewry to write Hitler himself in October 1933, declaring their loyalty to his regime and their shared hatred of Marxist materialism and communist atheism, including a denunciation of leftist Jews.

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Moskowitz and Mostofsky claim to want to educate Marjorie Taylor Greene, but actually they just want her to understand that they are on her side. They agree with her racism, her support for violent insurrection, and her conspiracy theories about minorities, none of which warranted any comment. They are the good Jews, they want to tell her. Hence their emphasis on giving her a tour of authentic Judaism, and hence Turxs insistence that the Rothschilds had left the fold by virtue of their intermarriages.

This is certainly not a universal position among Orthodox Jews, most of whom maintain the view that modern Jews exist in a hierarchy of authenticity, with the deviance of non-Orthodox behavior excused as stemming from ignorance rather than heresy. Nevertheless, there is a long history of Orthodox Jewish organizations and leaders taking a far more antagonistic view toward non-Orthodox Jews, especially on the left. This antagonism toward progressive Jews is now reasserting itself due to Orthodoxy becoming redefined by ethnonationalism.

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There is a straight line from the Aguda writing Hitler in October 1933 that they shared his nationalist mission and his hatred of Marxist materialism, emphasizing that it had nothing to do with the true, historical Judaism, to Mostofsky calling Greene an ally and friend of authentic Jews who shared the same goals as her. In a sense, todays outreach is far worse. The German Aguda threw other Jews under the bus in a desperate attempt to save themselves under conditions of unprecedented persecution.

Whats the excuse, now?
Lawsuit over Mount Rushmore fireworks dismissed

U.S. District Court Judge Roberto Lange in a ruling Wednesday dismissed a lawsuit brought against President Joe Biden's administration by Gov. Kristi Noem after the NFS a fireworks display there next month.
[March 22, 2021]

NeoSystems Reaches CMMC Milestone; 10 Employees Achieve CMMC AB Registered Practitioner Status

TYSON'S CORNER, Va., March 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- NeoSystems, a full service strategic back-office outsourcer, IT systems integrator and managed services provider, announced today that 10 of its employees have now achieved Registered Practitioner (RP) status from the Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification (CMMC) Accreditation Body (AB).

Last month, NeoSystems announced attaining Registered Provider Organization (RPO) status, along with two employees that realized RP status including Chief Technology Officer, Rob Wilson, and Senior Director of Quality Assurance, Brian Giblin. Since then, eight additional consultants have reached CMMC RP status for a total of 10, including:







"We're excited to recognize eight more of our team members for completing the process of becoming Registered Practitioners with the CMMC-AB," said Michael Tinsley, President and CEO of NeoSystems. "With 10 registered practitioners and growing, NeoSystems is continuing to demonstrate and expand its CMMC expertise."

The CMMC-AB establishes and oversees a qualified, trained and high-fidelity community of assessors that can deliver consistent and informative assessments to participating organizations against a defined set of controls and best practices within the Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification (CMMC) program.

The CMMC Model itself is created, managed and mandated by the Department of Defense (DoD). Its purpose is to validate the security of the DoD's 300,000 vendors throughout its supply chain and includes five levels of certifications. More information is available at: https://www.acq.osd.mil/cmmc/index.html.

About NeoSystems

NeoSystems, based in Tysons Corner, Virginia, is a full service strategic outsourcer, IT systems integrator and managed service provider delivering services and solutions to enable, run and secure government contractors, commercial entities and nonprofit organizations. The NeoSystems team enables companies to improve vital operations, reduce their overhead costs and become compliant with complex requirements. Today NeoSystems maintains a 97% client retention rate, and supports over 600 companies and more than 100,000 client employees with its outsourced services. NeoSystems' experts have implemented hundreds of fully-integrated financial and business management systems, utilizing best of breed technology and leveraging in-depth domain expertise in Accounting & Finance, IT, HR, Security and Hosting (FedRAMP Ready FISMA Moderate, SSAE SOC1 & SOC2, ITAR). NeoSystems has been named one of America's fastest growing private companies by Inc. Magazine. For more information, visit https://www.neosystemscorp.com. Follow us on Twitter and LinkedIn.

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SOURCE NeoSystems LLC
Taipei, March 22 : Taiwan on Monday launched its vaccine programme against Covid-19, and Premier Su Tseng-chang and Health and Welfare Minister Chen Shih-chung were among the first group of people to receive their first shot.

At the National Taiwan University Hospital in Taipei, Su and Chen were administered their first dose of the AstraZeneca vaccine, a move which aimed to ease fears and encourage people to also get the jab, reports dpa news agency.

Su, 73, told reporters that he did not feel any pain after receiving his first dose of the two-shot vaccine.

"My situation suggests that people should be relieved," he said.

Chen, who also chairs Taiwan's Central Epidemic Command Centre (CECC), told reporters after receiving the shot that the decision to give shots to top political figures was made after the appearance of blood clot concerns over the AstraZeneca vaccine in other countries.

The hospital said that the second shot will be administered around May.

Taiwan received its first batch of Covid-19 vaccines, commercially supplied by AstraZeneca, earlier this month.

The 117,000 doses of the vaccine have been distributed to 57 hospitals nationwide for health care workers taking care of Covid-19 patients.

Taiwan aims to acquire 30 million doses from various vaccine providers.

Taiwan, an island of 23.6 million people, has reported a total of 1,006 Covid-19 cases and 10 deaths.

Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19)
Even before the pandemic struck, Gorokhovets, a picturesque medieval church town some five hours drive from Moscow, was dying. As other businesses struggle, at least one sector is growing: the settlement of about 12,000 people recently saw the opening of its third funeral parlour.

People either die or they leave, said Yulia Balandina, the manager of one of the funeral homes.

Ms Balandina estimates that coronavirus has increased her workload by 10pc. Other funerals she has arranged in recent months point to different, long-standing problems in Russia: a father, mother and daughter who died on the same day after drinking bootleg alcohol together, and depressingly regular suicides among young men.

Russias population fell by almost 600,000 in the last year to 146 million, according to official statistics, in its sharpest decline in the past 15 years. This month, Russia reported its first fall in life expectancy since 2003.

While the coronavirus pandemic is to blame for much of that fall, broader economic instability in Russia has also played a role, along with a generational echo of the disastrous drop in birth rates during the collapse of the Soviet Union. Those figures pose a significant problem for president Vladimir Putin, who has said he is haunted by the prospect of a dying Russia and has made addressing an ongoing demographic crisis one of the priorities of his two decades in power.

From the mid-2000s the downward trend did reverse, on the back of an improving economic situation and government efforts to reduce alcohol consumption. Authorities offered greater financial support for couples with several children and even revived a Soviet tradition of awarding medals to particularly prolific parents. The powerful, Kremlin-linked Orthodox Church also sought to promote an ideal of large families.

But now the picture is bleaker. The state statistics agency Rosstat has provided three possible scenarios for the next 15 years. The most optimistic of these, which has been rejected by independent experts as unrealistic, projects the population will grow to 150 million people by 2036.

The most pessimistic predicts a slump to 134 million, a fate that could await the country unless major changes occur. Mr Putin last year announced plans to offer parents extra state funding from their first child, which was previously offered only to families with two children or more.

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Alexei Raksha, a demographer and former Rosstat employee, who was forced out last year after he criticised official reporting of coronavirus figures, said targeted grants would not be enough.

I dont see any future if things continue as they are. We will not see any economic growth, we will not see any growth in real disposable income  and that is a key factor for fertility.

I dont see anything new that will even come close to returning first-children fertility to a Soviet level.

Over the next 10 years, he predicts Russias population will drop by as much as five million, as mortality outstrips the birth rate and migration fails to make up the shortfall.

Dzerzhinsk, the closest major city to Gorokhovets, has, like many regional industrial centres, been steadily shrinking since the 1990s. Once the major producer of chemicals for the Soviet Union, factories have closed or downsized, and the population has dropped by 50,000 to 230,000 people.

Its depressed, its dying, said Svetlana, a 60-year-old former factory worker walking on the citys main square, who declined to give her last name. She said the rot set in with Mikhail Gorbachevs economic perestroika reforms of the late 1980s, which loosened centralised control over many businesses leading to the collapse of the USSR, and the region has never recovered.

If it werent for perestroika, there would be 300,000 people here now, she said. They need to bring back the industry. If theres no industry, theres no Dzerzhinsk.

Mr Raksha said: I dont see any future for Russia as a state in its current form. He said he resisted pressure to revise his demographic predictions when he worked at the national statistics agency.

We have been told continuously via TV that Russia is Putin and Putin is Russia. Does this state propaganda mean that Russia is heading towards inevitable decline as well? I hope not. ( Telegraph Media Group Ltd 2021)

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Pakistani Christian man sentenced to death for blasphemy against Islam

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A Pakistani court has sentenced a Christian man to death for sending blasphemous text messages to Muslim clerics, according to a report.

The Lahore High Court in Punjab province has revised the 2013 sentencing of the Christian man, Sajjad Masih, from life in prison to death, according to UCA News.

Masih, a Seventh-day Adventist, was accused of sending blasphemous text messages from a mobile phone to Muslim clerics and others in Gojra. The 2013 verdict included life imprisonment and a fine of 314,500 rupees, the equivalent of about $2,000.

Masih, a resident of Punjab's Pakpattan district, was arrested in December 2011.

Police said Masih was engaged to a woman, Ruma Masih of Gojra town. But she contracted marriage with another Christian man in the United Kingdom. Masih is accused of using her SIM to send blasphemous messages to clerics as an act of revenge.

Gojra has been a religiously sensitive area since massive attacks on Christians were triggered by reports of Quran desecration. In 2009, there were a series of riots targeting Christians in Gojra that resulted in eight deaths, including four women and a child. Muslim radicals reportedly set fire to Christian homes in the area.

Police initially refrained from charging Masih under the blasphemy law but added the blasphemy charge to the complaint after pressure from Muslim clerics.

Section 295-C of Pakistans penal code permits the death penalty for those convicted of insulting Islam or its Prophet Muhammad. International advocates have long called on Pakistan to reform its penal code as it is often used to persecute religious minorities.

In 2015, Masihs brother and nephew were reportedly attacked and threatened by a group of people who had not been identified.

A Muslim advocate, Zeeshan Ahmed Awan, celebrated the decision to give Masih the death sentence.

Honorable Lahore High Court has accepted our prosecution argument that capital sentence is the only possible sentence in blasphemy, and imprisonment for life, though provided in [the law], awarded by a trial court, is illegal, the lawyer wrote on Facebook.

Masihs appeal, in the meanwhile, has been sent to the courts division bench.

The blasphemy law, embedded in Sections 295 and 298 of Pakistan's penal code, is frequently misused for personal revenge. It carries no provision to punish a false accuser or a false witness of blasphemy.

Islamic extremists also use the law to target religious minorities  Christians, Shias, Ahmadiyyas and Hindus.

A Lahore-based group, Centre for Social Justice, recently reported that 200 people were accused of blasphemy in 2020  the highest number of cases in a year. In total, the group reports that at least 1,855 people have been charged under Pakistans blasphemy laws since 1987.

A Pakistani Christian, Shahbaz Bhatti, who served as minister of minority affairs, was assassinated in March 2011 after calling for the blasphemy laws' repeal. Former Punjab Gov. Salman Taseer was also assassinated for his opposition to the countrys blasphemy law. Both men advocated for Christian woman Asia Bibi, who had been sentenced to death for blasphemy. She was acquitted years later by the Pakistan Supreme Court.

Lisa Curtis, the former senior director for South and Central Asia at the U.S. National Security Council during the Trump administration, warned at the U.S. State Departments Ministerial to Advance Religious Freedom in 2019 that there are more people imprisoned for blasphemy in Pakistan than all the other countries in the world combined.

Pakistan, a Muslim-majority country, ranks as the fifth-worst in the world when it comes to Christian persecution on Open Doors USA's 2021 World Watch List. The State Department lists Pakistan as a country of particular concern for tolerating or engaging in egregious violations of religious freedom.
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Ruthless Mexican cartels are exploiting Joe Biden's relaxed immigration stance to turn people trafficking into a billion-dollar racket 'worth more than dope', a DailyMail.com investigation can reveal.

The president tore up hardline Trump policies after taking office but denies sparking a crisis along the southern border where authorities are struggling to deal with a surge in migrant families and unaccompanied kids crossing illegally.

A slew of experts and well-placed law enforcement sources have told DailyMail.com, however, that notorious drug gangs including the Gulf Cartel and Los Zetas are seizing upon the reforms to ratchet up human trafficking operations.

As one source told us: 'The cartels have realized that under Biden there is serious money to be made from people trafficking without any of the distribution issues you face with narcotics. People are the new dope.'

DailyMail.com visited a handful of border towns this week along the Rio Grande Valley, the southernmost tip of Texas and the frontline in what Biden officials insist is an immigration challenge rather than a full-blown crisis.

US authorities are struggling to deal with a surge in migrant families attempting to enter the country at the Mexican border after President Biden relaxed immigration policies. Pictured: A large group of Central American migrants are apprehended by US Border Patrol Agents in Penitas, Texas on March 12

According to U.S. Customs and Border Protection, the number of migrant apprehensions reached 78,323 in January 2021 - double the amount from January 2020. The migrants are classified, their property is checked and depending on their situation either transported to a processing center or returned to Mexico

Sources tell DailyMail.com Mexican cartels are exploiting Biden's lax policies now that they realize there is serious money to be made from human trafficking without any of the distribution issues faced with narcotics

A CBP source explained to DailyMail.com that the massive influx of migrants - particularly children - offers a two-fold benefit to the cartels, which are now able to access short staffed areas when agents are tied up with migrants for hours

Last week we described how our reporters caught a team of smugglers red-handed as they ferried nearly 100 immigrants from the Mexican city of Ciudad Miguel Aleman to Roma, Texas where the Rio Grande is barely 100 yards wide.

But as Jaeson Jones, a retired captain from the Texas Department of Public Safety chillingly reveals, it's almost certain the cartels had spies - known as 'halcones' (hawks) - watching our every move from both sides of the river.

Jaeson Jones, a retired captain from the Texas Department of Public Safety, revealed Mexican cartels essentially control everything on both sides of the Rio Grande and communicate back and forth daily on encrypted radios

'I'm going to be very frank with you: when you're down there the cartel knows you are there. They are watching you as soon as you leave the highway, feeding information back to Mexico,' he warns.

'They control everything on both sides of that river and communicate back and forth daily on encrypted radios.'

Jones, whose Omni Intelligence firm briefs government agencies on the threat of transnational crime, said many of the lookouts are American citizens.

Last week Republican lawmakers shared a shocking video that Jones obtained of masked cartel smugglers ferrying a line of immigrants across the Rio Grande.

'Remember that every Mexican citizen that you see crossing the river is worth 2,500 bucks. If they're Venezuelan, Guatemalan or Honduran they paid $3,000.

'If they're Chinese they paid $5,000. If they're Middle Eastern or Russian they paid $9,000. If you're a higher value commodity they make sure you get over at a quieter spot.'

According to U.S. Customs and Border Protection, the number of migrant apprehensions reached 78,323 in January 2021 - double the amount from January 2020.

Mexican citizens crossing the river are said to be worth $2,500; Venezuelans, Guatemalans or Hondurans, $3,000; Chinese migrants are $5,000; and if they're Middle Eastern or Russian, they paid $9,000, according to Jones

Married couple Jordi Marin and Marcela Glaica from Guatemala and her son crossed the border illegally in Penitas, Texas on Friday, March 12. She said they were on their way to New York City

DailyMail.com also found scores of discarded plastic bracelets close to known landing sites all stamped with the words 'llegadas' (arrivals) or 'entregas' (deliveries)

The wristbands, which are similar to those distributed for admissions at carnivals or festivals, come in an array of colors that border agents suspect is a way to organize and classify different migrant groups

In February, CBP encountered 100,441 migrants attempting to enter the U.S. along the Southwest border - up 28 per cent from the previous month.

Under former President Donald Trump's 'Remain in Mexico' crackdown, the majority of detainees were expelled at the nearest port of entry and had to apply for asylum from outside the country.

But now that Biden has scrapped the policy, migrants with young children are being routinely released in the US with an I-862 form  a notice to appear before an immigration court at a later date.

Unoccupied minors, meanwhile, are being housed at CBP facilities operating at 700 per cent of their intended capacity until they can be placed in the care of US-based relations.

The problem is sufficiently bad that on Saturday the Department of Homeland Security ordered the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) - an agency more accustomed to battling natural disasters - to 'help receive, shelter and transport children' for the next 90 days.

In February, CBP encountered 100,441 migrants attempting to enter the U.S. along the Southwest border - up 28 per cent from the previous month

Sources say cartels are using large migrant groups who get stopped as 'decoys', so the single adults, the criminals, the drugs can come over elsewhere

The problem has become so dire that on Saturday the Department of Homeland Security ordered FEMA)- an agency more accustomed to battling natural disasters - to 'help receive, shelter and transport children' for the next 90 days

On Thursday night, 600 migrants had been taken into custody at a Border Patrol station during an eight-hour shift. A typical figure was about 40

Disturbing images have shown the cramped conditions inside a migrant 'overflow' tent in Texas where one lawmaker says 400 unaccompanied male minors are being held in 'terrible conditions' in a space meant for half as many

The pictures, released by Congressman Henry Cuellar, show inside the U.S. Customs and Border Protection temporary overflow facility in Donna over the weekend

Rep. Cuellar said they offer an insight into the 'terrible conditions for the children' at the border

Cuellar said that as of Sunday 400 unaccompanied male minors were being kept in a tent meant to hold 260

White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki had said there would be organized trips for press to gain access to detention facilities; later, she walked back on those comments and refused to share images from the facilities

A CBP source explained to DailyMail.com that the massive influx of migrants - particularly children - offers a two-fold benefit to the cartels.

As well as charging them thousands of dollars in transport fees and 'taxes', every convoy of migrants caught entering the US ties up agents for potentially hours at a time.

And as they document, transport and tend to the needs of the hundreds of migrants they encounter each day, a process further complicated by social distancing and COVID protocols, different areas of the border become short-staffed.

'They know for a fact the big groups will get stopped but they use them as decoys so the single adults, the criminals, the drugs can come over elsewhere,' the source said.

'There have been rumors out of Mexico that some of the gangs even stashed migrants away until Biden took office as they knew it would be easier to milk the system.'

The smugglers encountered by DailyMail.com Saturday night made no attempt to hide or halt their operation as we photographed and filmed their flotilla.

Democrats have claimed they inherited a 'broken system' while Republicans say the Biden administration sparked chaos at the southern border by ripping up Trump's hardline policies

Elsa and her son Anderson, from Honduras, are allowed to stay at the Catholic Charities of the Rio Grande Valley shelter in McAllen, Texas. They crossed the border near Hidalgo, Texas

Under President Trump, the majority of detainees were expelled at the nearest port of entry and had to apply for asylum from outside the country. But now, migrants with young children are being routinely released in the US with an I-862 form  a notice to appear before an immigration court at a later date. Pictured: A mother who crossed with her son received a Notice To Appear (NTA) from the Department of Homeland Security after being apprehended by U.S Border Patrol

That's because Cartel bosses use low level operatives - often teenagers or men in their early 20s - as their coyotes, or smugglers.

The punishment for disobeying orders or failing to meet a quota of crossings would likely outweigh the fear of getting caught, sources said.

Border Patrol agents told us they frequently found signs posted near the waterfront guiding migrants toward the nearest road or town.

DailyMail.com visited the U.S. - Mexico border in Roma, Texas where boatloads of migrants were seen crossing into the U.S.

As the night drew on, this brief, chaotic encounter was repeated again and again as scores of migrants crossed one of the narrowest sections of the Rio Grande with virtual impunity

Over a two-hour period a three-man trafficking crew made five drop-offs, cramming as many as ten people into a boat designed for four

The children sobbed loudly as a menacing figure sat at the back of the raft barking at them to hurry up so he could head back to Mexico

DailyMail.com also found scores of discarded plastic bracelets close to known landing sites all stamped with the words 'llegadas' (arrivals) or 'entregas' (deliveries).

Similar to the sort of thing that might be handed out at a carnival or a pool party, they come in an array of colors that border agents suspect is a way to organize and classify different migrant groups.

It seems like a mundane detail but it's typical of the sort of painstaking planning that makes the Mexican cartels some of the most feared criminal organizations on earth.

'We can talk about illegal immigration but that's merely a symptom along with the drug trafficking, weapons trafficking, the money laundering and so on,' Jones adds.

'The core problem is the cartels - and the obscene amount of money they stand to make.'
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, March 22)  As the government directs public and private hospitals to increase their COVID-19 bed capacity, the Department of Health on Monday said it is working to augment the health workers in medical facilities in need of more help as coronavirus cases continue to soar.

The Inter-Agency Task Force has urged that 30% and 50% of beds in private and public hospitals, respectively, must be allocated for COVID-19 patients.

However, the Private Hospitals Association of the Philippines (PHAPi) said private health facilities do not have enough health workers even if they increase the number of patients they can accommodate, adding some medical frontliners are incapacitated because they have also caught COVID-19.

A total of 1,154 healthcare workers contracted COVID-19 from Feb. 1 to March 21, with at least 367 still recovering.

Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said they are looking for ways to address the manpower issue. They are eyeing to use the same tactics carried out during the case spike back in July-August 2020, such as redirecting medical frontliners from areas with low COVID-19 cases, she said.

"Alam natin na kapag nagdagdag ka ng kama, kailangan may kaakibat na tao na magbabantay," she said in a media briefing. "Kaya nga, pinag-uusapan na ang augmentation kung paano magagawan ng paraan ulit."

[Translation: We know that once you increase the number of beds, it has a corresponding staff. That is why we are discussing how to do the augmentation, how we can fix this again.]

The official, however, reminded that the private and public hospitals are bound by law to respond to the changing needs due to the pandemic.

PHAPi President Jose de Grano told CNN Philippines New Day on Tuesday that should the deployment of public healthcare personnel to private hospitals push through, it must be voluntary.

The OCTA Research group has projected that intensive care units of hospitals in Metro Manila may reach 100% capacity in the first week of April.

As of March 21, at least 37 of the 159 hospitals in the National Capital Region have reached the critical level in terms of bed occupancy for COVID-19 patients, according to data from the Department of Health. This is almost double the number last week, which was 20, de Grano noted.

CNN Philippines correspondent Carolyn Bonquin contributed to this report.
She is known for showing off her incredible curves.

And Jess Gale once again looked nothing short of sensational on Sunday, when she posed up a storm in a thigh-skimming white mini dress.

The Love Island star, 21, put her ample assets on full display in the one-shoulder mini, which featured eye-popping cut-out detailing across the bust.

Stunning: Jess Gale, 21, looked nothing short of sensational on Sunday, when she posed up a storm in a thigh-skimming white mini-dress, sharing the photos on Instagram

Jess posed up a storm in her London flat for the Instagram snaps, with her sun-kissed legs on show and her sleek blonde hair worn in a half-up, half-down style.

Her cleavage took centre stage thanks to the gaping cut out across her bust

Shortly before sharing the photos, the reality star revealed she was missing nights spent on the dancefloor, sharing a hilarious video of her twin sister Eve dancing up a storm in a packed club wearing a pink latex dress.

'Her dress split a few moments after this,' Jess captioned the throwback clip, adding: 'I miss this.'

Best angles: The Love Island star put her ample assets on full display in the one-shoulder frock, which featured eye-popping cut-out detailing across the bust

Earlier this month, Eve told fans that she was pining for sunnier climes as she shared a throwback swimsuit snap, before slipping into tiny hotpants.

The blonde beauty flaunted her ample cleavage and underboob in a skimpy orange swimsuit. She captioned the snap: 'Oh to be this tanned again #June2020.

Jess and Eve recently returned to the UK following their 'work' trip to the United Arab Emirates.

Impromptu: Jess propped herself up on the floor of her stylish London flat for the Instagram photos, with her sun-kissed legs folded beneath her

The TV stars were just two of many celebrities who jetted to Dubai throughout the pandemic, joining many other Love Islanders including Joanna Chimonides, Hayley Hughes and Francesca Allen.

After Dubai joined UK's travel ban list, celebrities then began flocking to Mexico's bars and beaches as it established itself as the next COVID getaway destination.

The country appeared to be the new destination of choice for global jet-setters and could rocket in popularity at the time.

Good times: Jess revealed she was missing nights spent on the dancefloor, sharing a hilarious video of her twin sister Eve Gale dancing in a packed club wearing a pink latex dress

Travel abroad is now banned from the UK without a legally permitted reason, Home Secretary Priti Patel announced, as she criticised influencers for 'showing off in sunny parts of the world'.

Many stars insisted their trips are for 'work purposes', with several influencers forced to hit back at fans after they were criticised for jetting off on holiday during the global pandemic.

Jess and Eve rose to fame on the first ever series of winter Love Island back in 2020.

While Eve was booted off after less than a week, Jess made it to the final with Ched Uzor - with the pair going their separate ways shortly afterwards.
Police have moved in on Extinction Rebellion protesters who held a die-in on St Georges Terrace on Monday in an effort to draw attention to the state of the climate.

Twenty seven protesters were arrested, with about 200 participants blocking major central business district roads for two hours.

Activists are calling for more action to combat climate change and are planning three days of disruptive protests in Perth this week.

The protesters lay down in the street in the hopes of causing mass disruption to remind others of the mass extinction awaiting the planet if action is not taken now. There was a major police presence, as officers carried at least one protester off the road and blocked off nearby streets.
Eurofins Technologies announces the launch of its GSD NovaType II, its upgraded RT-PCR kit for the identification of mutations associated with SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern.

The first GSD NovaType RT-PCR kit was launched in February 2021 and quickly supported health authorities in the detection of variants in more than 100,000 COVID-19 positive patients across Europe. The new GSD NovaType II kit can now detect the N501Y and E484K mutations common to most VOC (Variants Of Concern) and the K417N mutation (specific to B.1.351 first identified in South Africa), with a high sensitivity.

The GSD NovaType II kit delivers results under two hours. It is therefore well suited to timely screening and relieving sequencing capacities for use in epidemiological studies.

Fast-paced screening for these emerging variants that may spread more easily, cause more severe disease, or may escape the body's immune response even post vaccination, is a critical element to containing the pandemic. Laboratories can use the GSD NovaType II SARS-CoV-2 kit to identify genomic mutations in extracted samples that have already been tested positive for the presence of SARS-CoV-2 RNA.

The GSD NovaType II SARS-CoV-2 kit contains specific primers and probes for amplification and simultaneous detection of specific RNA sequences which represent specific SARS-CoV-2 S gene variants. It is delivered in a ready-to-use format with optional interpretation software. The assay has been validated on the AriaMxTM and AriaDxTM qPCR platforms from Agilent Technologies and will soon be validated on additional thermocyclers. The assay is currently for Research Use Only, but the CE-IVD mark is expected shortly.

Eurofins Technologies is at the forefront of COVID-19 detection and is continuously monitoring the emergence of new SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern and developing new products to meet the rapidly evolving challenges.

For more information, please visit Eurofins Technologies website.

Notes to Editors:

For more information, please visit www.eurofins.com

About Eurofins the global leader in bio-analysis

Eurofins is Testing for Life. With over 50,000 staff across a network of more than 800 laboratories in over 50 countries, Eurofins' companies offer a portfolio of over 200,000 analytical methods.

Eurofins Shares are listed on Euronext Paris Stock Exchange.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210321005008/en/

Contacts:

Rodrigo Berlie

CustomerService@novatec-id.com

ir@eurofins.com
The UK's Houses of Parliament in London on Dec. 31, 2020. (Niklas Halle'n/AFP via Getty Images)

UK Government Wins Crunch Vote on Genocide Amendment

The UK government on Monday won a tight race between two versions of a genocide amendment, clearing the last hurdle for its post-Brexit Trade bill to become law.

The amendment, passed with 319 votes to 297, may potentially prevent the UK from entering trade deals with countries engaging in genocide.

If a responsible select committee of either house of Parliament finds appropriate evidence that a prospective FTA [free trade agreement] counter-party has committed genocide, and is not satisfied with the ministerial response to such findings, the committee can set out the wording of a motion, and a minister has to make an arrangement for the motion to be debated and voted on in Parliament.

The amendment is a watered down version of an amendment proposed by Lord David Alton of Liverpool, which originally sought to give the UKs domestic courts the power to make preliminary determinations on genocide, and to stop prospective and existing trade deals with countries engaging in genocide.

In a separate vote, a compromise version of the Alton amendment was defeated by 18 votes, despite the fact that the government has an 80-seat majority.

During the debate, MPs supporting the Alton amendment argued that the governments version isnt strong enough, and that it excludes Uyghur Muslims and other victims of genocide in China because it only deals with prospective FTA partners, which the UK government said China is not.

Alton proposed the amendment because its been the UK governments long-standing position that only a competent court can make judgements on genocide. However, routes to penalize the Chinese regime on human rights abuses, including genocide, through international courts is effectively blocked.

The vote on the genocide amendment came hours after Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab announced long-anticipated sanctions against Chinese officials over the human rights abuses of Uyghur Muslims, in coordination with its Western allies.

Luke de Pulford, who drafted and campaigned for the Alton amendment, said the campaign has altered genocide debate in the UK forever.

Massive advances made today for human rights. This campaign has secured huge wins and UK #Genocide debate will never be the same, de Pulford wrote on Twitter.

Alexander Zhang contributed to this report.
Krispy Kreme wants to give you a free doughnut for getting a Covid-19 vaccination. And you dont have to rush: You can take advantage of this offer any day -- or every day -- for the rest of 2021.

You can now walk into any of the companys shops nationwide, flash the card showing youve been vaccinated, and walk out with an Original Glazed doughnut at no cost.

This is the first day were doing this, a Krispy Kreme team member at the Southeast Portland shop told The Oregonian/OregonLive Monday morning. Weve had a few people come in already [for a free doughnut]. Im not sure how busy its going to get. Well see.

Theyre not adding staff in expectation of a deluge, said the team member, who didnt want to give their name for publication. But they are making extra original glazed doughnuts -- the only option for the freebie -- so they dont get caught short.

The point of the promotion, chief marketing officer Dave Skena has said, is to spread awareness about the importance of the vaccines in stopping the deadly pandemic. I think anything anyone can do to help show support for those getting the vaccine is a good thing right now, and so were just trying to do what little we can.

Krispy Kreme has announced its providing paid time off for its employees to get vaccinated.

The company, headquartered in North Carolina, has Portland-area locations at 9950 S.E. 82nd Ave. in Portland, 16415 N.W. Cornell Road in Beaverton, and 8517 N.E. Andersen Road in Vancouver.

-- Douglas Perry

dperry@oregonian.com

@douglasmperry
A recent survey states that awareness on the sufferings of persecuted Christians worldwide have spiked in 2021 among American believers.

According to the recently released survey by Aid to the Church in Need-USA (ACNUSA), 57% percent of U.S. Catholics believe that the persecution of Christians around the world is "very severe." About 67% say that they are "very concerned" about the level of persecution of Christians globally. The increase was a notable spike from the 41% last year.

The survey, also shows that 50% percent of U.S. Catholics "believe that half or more of religiously based attacks around the world are directed at Christians." China, North Korea and Pakistan were among the countries identified where Christians are severely persecuted.

Furthermore, from 47% last year, 52 % of U.S. Catholics now say that the current Pope Francis is "very engaged" on the issue. On the domestic level, 30% believe that their local bishop is "very engaged" and 28 % say their parish is "very involved" with the issue.

"It is heartening that, compared to a year ago, significantly more U.S. Catholics say that Christian persecution around the world is very grave and that the issue has become a matter of concern to more faithful. They also want both their Church and their government to step up efforts to do more to combat the issue," said George Marlin, ACNUSA chairman.

"The poll shows the great need to inform the public regarding specific instances of Christian persecution; the U.S. bishops and organizations like our own must step up our educational and informational efforts," added Marlin.

Conducted on February 2021 by McLaughlin & Associates for Aid to the Church in Need-USA (ACNUSA), the survey aimed to primarily measure the extent of Americans' awareness on Christian persecutions worldwide. On top of this are the "specific measures and policies they want the U.S. and other Western governments to pursue" followed by what they believe as steps to be taken by Christians starting from the church leadership to the individual members.

Writing for Breitbart, Thomas D. Williams, a professor of Ethics with a degree on Philosophy and Theology, said that despite reports by Christian persecution watchdogs, there had been a "widespread ignorance in the West of the extent and vehemence of global Christian persecution."

Williams cited several reasons for this including the lack of or zero coverage from mainstream media which plays down large scale persecutions, outright denial of its reality by those who are living comfortably, and the unhelpful descriptions or labelings from sites like Wikipedia which has a dedicated entry for the term "Christian persecution complex."

"Defining [Christian persecution complex] as 'a belief, attitude or world view that Christian values and Christians are being oppressed by social groups and governments,' the article never asks if this oppression is actually occurring but starts from the presupposition that such a belief must represent an irrational 'complex,'" Williams commented on the Wikipedia entry.

As of 2020, over 340 million Christians are facing "high levels of persecution," said World Watch List 2021 as published by Open Doors.

This is backed by previous reports where the conclusion boils down to this, that "persecution of Christians today is worse than any time in history in terms of the number of people involved, the gravity of the crimes committed, and the impact of the hostility."
[March 22, 2021] Virtual Human Interaction Lab at Stanford University Collaborates with MyndVR to Study Impact of Virtual Reality on Older Adults, with Support from AT&T 5G Technology

STANFORD, Calif., March 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The Virtual Human Interaction Lab (VHIL) at Stanford University, the pioneering lab focused on the psychological and behavioral effects of virtual reality, announced today a new study in collaboration with MyndVR, the leading provider of VR solutions for older adults. The Study will examine how older adults' use of VR affects their psychological well-being and their attitudes toward new technologies. Researchers at Stanford's VHIL have been building immersive VR content and testing its effects on people for nearly two decades. Members of the Lab have published hundreds of scientific articles detailing the psychological and behavioral impacts of VR experiences. The Lab's founding director, Jeremy Bailenson, is considered one of the world's leading experts on the topic. "Virtual Reality adoption has been growing significantly, and we're interested in both the immediate and lasting benefits it can provide," said Bailenson. "Working with MyndVR gives us access to a crucial population of older adults that were hit particularly hard by the isolation of the past year." "Our goal since day one has always been to improve the quality of life for older adults," said Chris Brickler, CEO of MyndVR. "We are excited to be part of this study with such a prestigious team at Stanford and to provide this opportunity to the senior living communities within our network." MyndVR has brought together a powerful consortium of industry collaborators to support this research, including AT&T and some of the world's most innovative senior living communities. By combining the MyndVR platform with AT&T 5G technology, the patient experience is further enhanced.

"We're entering a new age of digital therapeutics that harnesses the power of 5G and virtual reality," said Anne Chow, CEO, AT&T Business. "5G-enabled solutions benefit from faster speeds, reduction of latency, greater security and mass onnectivity, and can represent a significant step forward in fueling more innovation across every business. We're proud to work with Stanford and MyndVR to contribute to the technology behind the future of healthcare."



Although the study is not limited to the US, the first communities to sign on to this groundbreaking study are John Knox Village in South Florida, Benedictine Living across the Midwest, St. Barnabas in Western Pennsylvania, the Long Island State Veterans Home in New York, Maple Knoll Village in Ohio, and Technology for Ageing & Disability WA (TADWA) in Australia, New Zealand and Oceania. MyndVR is also working with Therapy Management Corp (TMC), a leading provider of therapy services to hundreds of healthcare providers to bring this opportunity to their customers, further expanding the population of participants. By participating in this research, communities and other healthcare providers will help conduct one of the largest-scale studies to-date of how VR affects this vitally important population and the role that technology could play in their overall health and wellness.

If interested in participating in the study, please contact MyndVR at https://www.myndvr.com. About Stanford's Virtual Human Interaction Lab Since its founding in 2003, researchers at VHIL have sought to better understand the psychological and behavioral effects of Virtual Reality (VR) and, more recently, Augmented Reality (AR). Almost two decades later, we are in the Dawn of the Virtual Revolution. VR is finally widely available for consumers, and every day we are seeing new innovations. It is critical, now more than ever, that we seek answers to these important questions: What psychological processes operate when people use VR and AR? How does this medium fundamentally transform people and society? And how can we actively seek to create and consume VR that enhances instead of detracts from the real world around us? About MyndVR MyndVR is the leading provider of Virtual Reality solutions for senior living communities, veteran homes, home health agencies, individual adults aging in their own homes, and other healthcare settings. The company has curated a vast library of VR content and created MyndVR Studios to produce exclusive therapeutic experiences that positively impact the lives of people across the continuum of care. MyndVR is committed to conducting extensive research in order to measure the therapeutic effect of VR. These studies will continue to measure healthcare outcomes, including cognitive, visual, emotional and physical effects on older adults. For more, visit http://www.myndvr.com . About AT&T We help family, friends and neighbors connect in meaningful ways every day. From the first phone call 140+ years ago to mobile video streaming, we @ATT innovate to improve lives. AT&T Communications is part of AT&T Inc. (NYSE:T). For more information, please visit us at att.com. Media Contact: Michael Vaughan, michael@heraldpr.com View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/virtual-human-interaction-lab-at-stanford-university-collaborates-with-myndvr-to-study-impact-of-virtual-reality-on-older-adults-with-support-from-att-5g-technology-301252588.html SOURCE MyndVR

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HARRISBURG  The majority of news outlets in Pennsylvania rank high on trustworthiness, but there is a growing crop of digital sites with ties to both Democratic and Republican groups that are taking hold in the state with few, if any, disclaimers about their partisan motives.

In total, 70% of the 160 local news organizations reviewed in the state were determined to be highly credible, slightly above the nationwide average, according to the Pennsylvania News Trust Report by NewsGuard, a nonpartisan media rating organization.

Credibility is determined by examining nine apolitical factors, including not repeatedly publishing false content, regularly correcting or clarifying errors, clearly labeling news versus opinion content, avoiding deceptive headlines, disclosing ownership and financing and more.

Of concern, however, is the remaining 30% of organizations, which includes partisan-funded local news sources that threaten to erode trust in local news, according to the report. Theyre part of a new wave of websites designed to look and feel like hyperlocal outlets, but with undisclosed sources of support, rampant conflicts of interest and highly slanted coverage that strongly reflects the political leanings of their funders, the review found.

If every person when they click on a link thought for a second before believing the information and asked themselves: Have I heard of this source? Do I know anything about it? Is this an actual, credible news operation? said Matt Skibinski, author of the report and NewsGuard general manager. That would be one of the ultimate solutions.

45 sites operated

One news group, run by Metric Media, operates 45 local websites in Pennsylvania, many of which appear similar to credible news sources in their communities. But they fail nearly all of NewsGuards basic journalistic standards, the report found.

The sites are part of a nationwide network run by a conservative political consultant, the report said, and have been found to publish coverage that is ordered up by Republican groups and corporate PR firms, according to The New York Times.

But you wouldnt know that by visiting the websites. For example, the About Us page of the Lehigh Times, which closely resembles the highly credible lehighvalleylive.com, said it was created to fill the void in community news after years of decline in local reporting and that its approach is to provide objective, data-driven information without political bias.

NewsGuards review of the sites content, however, found highly slanted coverage in favor of Republicans and in criticism of Democrats. The report also found the network of sites recently published a series of stories on the impact of COVID-19 restrictions on the hotel industry without disclosing that Metric Medias CEO, Bradley Cameron, has ties to hotel owners.

When we looked (at those sites) over a period of time, we saw a large number of articles about imposing lockdown restrictions on hotels, Skibinski said. Then we looked at the website of an organization (Cameron) is associated with and in his bio on that site it revealed he was basically doing lobbying or consulting work (for members of the hotel industry).

Cameron did not respond to questions about this finding.

Democratic group owns

In another example, The Keystone, which began publishing in February 2020, describes itself as a local news site for Pennsylvania that was started because the decline of local news around the country has negatively impacted civic engagement.

But The Keystone is part of the Courier Newsroom group owned by the Democratic advocacy organization Acronym, which, on its website, says it has helped elect progressive candidates across the country and describes its work as running dozens of targeted media programs to educate, inspire, register, and mobilize voters to vote for those candidates, according to the report.

In other words, Acronyms goal is not to produce quality journalism  it is to win elections for progressive candidates, the NewsGuard report said.

The Keystone acknowledges Acronyms involvement on its About page but insists on its editorial independence. But that message was undermined by Acronyms own draft business plan, which outlined a mission designed to drive strategic narratives to key audiences with sites like The Keystone, per a copy obtained by Vice News. The draft also quotes Acronym CEO Tara McGowan as saying news content is a better way to reach voters than campaign ads.

McGowan serves as CEO for both Acronym and Courier Newsroom, the report said.

Christina Kristofic, the managing editor at The Keystone, told Spotlight PA by phone: I have never felt pressured to write anything, Ive never felt pressured to do anything that I felt was propaganda. We do try to focus on issues that are progressive issues, but that doesnt mean we will ignore issues that arent.

Kristofic said she believes its the failure of traditional media outlets to represent more viewpoints and demographics that has given an opening to outlets like hers, adding, I think a lot of people feel traditional media, whether their local newspaper or local TV station, doesnt serve them and doesnt provide the information they want, and so they go looking for outlets that do.

But The Keystones robust presence on Facebook, where it has more than 11,000 followers, and its advertising there appear as little more than Democratic Party campaign ads. The Keystone alone spent more than $1.27 million on Facebook ads, largely promoting Democratic candidates and criticizing Donald Trump, during the 2020 election cycle, according to the report.







Review conducted

The NewsGuard report was commissioned by The Lenfest Institute for Journalism, the nonprofit owner of The Philadelphia Inquirer. The institute also provides funding for Spotlight PA. Jim Friedlich, the institutes executive director and CEO, said the report underscores the need for communities, foundations, local advertisers and individual readers to continue to fund real, independent, fact-based journalism.

The NewsGuard report also examined the top sources of news, regardless of location, about Pennsylvania based on social media presence. Of the top 1,000 sites with the most engagement on their Pennsylvania-related news, only 13.7% failed NewsGuards basic standards for trustworthiness. But those sites accounted for 25% of the total social media engagement, meaning their false or misleading coverage performed disproportionately well on Facebook and Twitter.

The review also found that credible news organizations can do more to set themselves apart from partisan efforts, including better disclosure of ownership and financing, as well as who is in charge of editorial content, and clearly and transparently correcting factual errors.
RTHK: West coordinates sanctions over Xinjiang

The EU, US, Britain and Canada on Monday imposed sanctions against Chinese officials over the alleged crackdown on the Uighurs, and Beijing responded by hitting Europeans with immediate tit-for-tat measures.

Brussels, London and Ottawa blacklisted former and current officials in the Xinjiang region -- Zhu Hailan, Wang Jungzheng, Wang Mingshan and Chen Mingguo -- over alleged abuses against Muslim minorities.

The coordinated strike also targeted the state-run Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps.

Washington slapped sanctions on two out of the four officials.

"Acting together sends the clearest possible signal that the international community is united in its condemnation of China's human rights violations in Xinjiang and the need for Beijing to end its discriminatory and oppressive practices in the region," Britain's foreign ministry said.

The symbolic move is the first time Brussels and London -- in other matters increasingly at odds with each other since Brexit -- have targeted China over accusations of widespread abuses and forced labour in Xinjiang.

They last hit Beijing over human rights breaches when they imposed an arms embargo in 1989 after the Tiananmen Square crackdown.

Beijing blasted the EU measures and immediately hit back by announcing entry bans on 10 Europeans -- including five members of the European Parliament -- as well as two EU bodies and two think-tanks.

China's foreign ministry said the EU's move "grossly interferes in China's internal affairs" and "severely undermines China-EU relations".

The retaliatory strike drew condemnation from across the political spectrum in the EU.

"Rather than change its policies and address our legitimate concerns, China has again turned a blind eye and these measures are regrettable and unacceptable," EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said after a meeting of foreign ministers.

Reinhard Butikofer, a German legislator targeted by the sanctions, told AFP that China's response was "brazen and ridiculous".

"As the Chinese proverb says: the stone they have lifted will fall on their own feet," he said.

The Dutch government summoned the Chinese ambassador after one of its national legislators was among those sanctioned.

"China's decision is a totally unjustified response," Prime Minister Mark Rutte said.

Rights groups believe at least one million Uighurs and other mostly Muslim minorities have been incarcerated in camps in the northwestern region, where China is also accused of forcibly sterilising women and imposing forced labour.

China has strongly denied allegations of forced labour involving Uighurs in Xinjiang and says training programmes, work schemes and better education have helped stamp out extremism in the region.

The EU faces a delicate balancing act over relations with China, as it treats Beijing as a rival but also a potential economic partner.

Brussels late last year sealed a major investment pact with China after seven years of negotiations, but is under pressure from the administration of new US President Joe Biden.

Biden has been looking to marshal a united front against Beijing as he drops the unilateral approach of his predecessor Donald Trump.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken is currently on his way for a three-day visit to Brussels, during which he will discuss foreign policy with EU chief Ursula von der Leyen.

Blinken exchanged fiery barbs with Chinese officials during their first high-level talks last week, amid rising tensions between the rival world powers.

The European investment pact would eventually need to be approved by the European parliament -- but there has been growing opposition to signing off on the deal.

Parliament chief David Sassoli insisted the Chinese move "will have consequences".

Monday's measures from the EU were part of a package of human rights sanctions, targeting 11 people in total, that includes Russia, North Korea, Eritrea, South Sudan and Libya.

A mechanism -- designed to make it easier for the bloc to target rights abusers worldwide -- was launched this month with sanctions on four Russian officials over the jailing of Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny.

The listings published in the EU's official journal included two senior officials in Russia's Chechnya over the persecution of gay men in the region.

They also targeted two North Korean ministers, two Libyan militia leaders, a senior commander in South Sudan's army and Eritrea's national security agency. (AFP)

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Plataines solution is set to deliver major benefits to our manufacturing customers. We are confident that Plataines unique AI capabilities, combined with core solutions from SAP, can help deliver significant efficiency and productivity benefits to our customers

Plataine today announced it has signed an Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) agreement with SAP. Through this agreement, Plataines software integrates with SAP Manufacturing Execution, and will allow customers to benefit from a holistic smart factory solution that extends across production operations. Plataines cloud-based IIoT & AI-based Software for Digital Manufacturing is now available on SAP Store, which recently merged with SAP App Center as the single digital marketplace for SAP and partner offerings.

Amir Ben-Assa, Vice President, Marketing & Product Strategy at Plataine, commented: SAP represents the gold standard in enterprise software, and we are very pleased to be working with SAP via the SAP PartnerEdge program. The integration of Plataines IIoT and AI-based Software for Digital Manufacturing with the SAP Manufacturing Execution solution results in a product that is unique in the market and offers manufacturers a single digital solution that extends across the operation  from initial planning stages right up to the finished product coming off the production line.

Plataines technology complements the SAP offering by addressing the needs of manufacturers to meet the highest levels of productivity, quality and efficiencies.

Plataines IIoT and AI-based Software for Digital Manufacturing brings AI and machine learning capabilities to the production floor to automate and optimize key manufacturing workflows, including Material Optimization, Equipment Optimization, Work in Process (WIP) Optimization and the Digital Thread for Traceability & Quality purposes. Plataine solutions act as Digital Assistants that automatically deliver actionable alerts and recommendations to production floor staff, empowering manufacturers to make optimized decisions in real-time, every time. Internet of Things (IoT) sensors and machine connectivity help eliminate the need for manual paperwork and further amplify the impact of Plataines artificial intelligence (AI).

Arik Lev, ISV Manager at SAP, says: Plataines solution is set to deliver major benefits to our manufacturing customers. When it comes to manufacturing, it is clear that digital, cloud-based solutions are the future, and we are confident that Plataines unique AI capabilities, combined with core solutions from SAP, can help deliver significant efficiency and productivity benefits to our customers.

SAP recently brought together SAP Store and SAP App Center into one single marketplace at store.sap.com. It delivers a simplified and connected digital customer experience for finding, trying, buying, and renewing more than 1,800 solutions from SAP and its partners. There, customers can find the SAP solutions and SAP-validated partner apps they need to grow their business. And for each purchase made via SAP Store, SAP will plant a tree.

Plataine is a partner in the SAP PartnerEdge program. As such, it is empowered to build, market and sell software applications on top of market-leading technology platforms from SAP. The SAP PartnerEdge program provides the enablement tools, benefits and support to facilitate building high-quality, disruptive applications focused on specific business needs  quickly and cost-effectively. The program provides access to all relevant SAP technologies in one simple framework under a single, global contract.

About Plataine:

Plataine is the leading provider of Industrial IoT and AI-based optimization solutions for advanced manufacturing. Plataines solutions provide intelligent, connected Digital Assistants for production floor management and staff, empowering manufacturers to make optimized decisions in real-time, every time. Plataines patent-protected technologies are used by leading manufacturers worldwide, including Airbus, IAI, Triumph, Renault F1 Team, Stelia North America, Alestis, Enercon, Century Furniture, Muskogee Technology, and Ethan Allen. Plataine partners with SAP, Siemens PLM the Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre (AMRC) with Boeing, and CTC GmbH (an Airbus Company), and is also a part of the UK National Composites Centre (NCC) membership network, to advance the Factory of the Future worldwide. For this work, Plataine has received a Leadership Award from Frost & Sullivan and Innovation Awards from the JEC and CompositesUK organizations. Plataine is ISO 27001 certified for compliance with information security management requirements. For more information, visit: http://www.plataine.com.

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SAP and other SAP products and services mentioned herein as well as their respective logos are trademarks or registered trademarks of SAP SE in Germany and other countries. Please see https://www.sap.com/copyright for additional trademark information and notices. All other product and service names mentioned are the trademarks of their respective companies.

Any statements in this release that are not historical facts are forward-looking statements as defined in the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. All forward-looking statements are subject to various risks and uncertainties described in SAPs filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, including its most recent annual report on Form 20-F, that could cause actual results to differ materially from expectations. SAP cautions readers not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements which SAP has no obligation to update and which speak only as of their dates.

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Tempers flare in the final days before a Kansas City school board election as doorbell tech video footage sparks controversy.

To wit . . .

AN UNINVITED SURPRISE VISIT AND OMINOUS TEXT MESSAGES FROM FORMER COP & LOCAL CAMPAIGNER SPARK BOOKHART INSPIRE SCHOOL BOARD MEMBER MANNY ABARCA TO DENOUNCE 'DANGEROUS' TACTICS!!!



We'll explain more about the rival factions later but for now let's focus on the front porch incident . . .



A message that preceded the front porch stop-by during time of plague probably could have been an e-mail or at least a Zoom call request . . .



(Note, we obscured the address out of courtesy.)



And then . .

Mr. Bookhart stood at Manny's front door for about 10 minutes and was captured on camera.



The visit wasn't welcomed . . . Just released a few moments ago, here's the response . . .



Manny Abarca's Statement:



"It is disappointing to see such volatility in a school board race, that is supposed to be about kids. The actions of Spark Bookhart create a culture and climate that is dangerous. Public servants serve freely, but when anyone takes the next step, to show up to your home, uninvited and unannounced and then doubles down with a threatening messages its too far!



"This type of behavior is usually reserved for proud boys and not former KCPD officers. This behavior is never ok, and these actions should be held accountable.



"As the only Latino elected officials in KCMO, I take my service seriously and take pride in putting KCPS first and speaking the truth. The actions taken by Kandace Buckners and Tanesha Fords campaign manager and School Smart KC supported employee are reprehensible.



"These actions do not foster civility deserving of anyone supporting a public servant. This type of violent behavior shows the desperation to respond to hard facts that displays KCPS hard earned successes.



"Above all else, if this is the type of judgement these school board candidates have in their advisors, voters should seriously think about their judgement. Vote April 6th, there is too much at stake for our kids."

####################

In fairness, we notice that Mr. Bookhart's wife is attempting to explain/justify the surprise visit . . .

She notes:

"Manny please.  You are a public official. Your address and phone number are public record. You calling this a violent act is quite the dramatization. Clearly youre afraid to speak to your constituents and a social media blast with personal information that could compromise my childrens safety is a mistake."

I'm not sure that's fair . . . However, visits to the homes of elected officials are trending amid the current wave of social justice protest.

We feel it's important to DEESCALATE the situation and remind everyone involved that this is a SCHOOL BOARD ELECTION wherein most voters will, sadly, stay home. E-Tax opponents also lament this upcoming low turnout anti-climax.



Moreover, this confrontation has been circulating for a couple of days and TV news stations demure given that most people don't care when Black & brown people intensely debate over the future of the school board.

There's more to this story that involves school board control, the conservative push for school choice and the clandestine effort to oust Superintendent Mark Bedell but for now the front porch debate that didn't happen has garnered momentum amongst urban core political leaders.



Developing . . .
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A surge in cases across Europe and the slow vaccine rollout suggest overseas holidays may not be on the cards

Airlines stocks started the week on the back foot as a surge in cases across Europe, alongside a slow vaccine rollout, is suggesting overseas holidays may not be on the cards for Britons this summer.

British Airways owner SA ( ), easyJet plc ( ), ( ) and plc ( ) were all trading lower on Monday at lunchtime.

downgraded IAG to hold from buy leaving the target price unchanged at 220p, noting that the stock has benefitted from increasing optimism over the vaccine rollout.

According to UBS, global travel restrictions remain high with restrictions on over 80% of global routes and now 85% of intra-EU routes.

We think travel restrictions first need to show a material reduction before the path to recovery can begin but we think the booking window remains very short, analysts noted.

While demand should pick up from the second quarter of 2021 the economic backdrop is still challenged compared 2019. Furthermore, fuel costs are seeing upward pressure due to oil and carbon costs.

France, Germany and Italy announced further lockdown measures over the weekend as a third wave of infections is sweeping across the Continent.

The bloc is also struggling with the vaccine rollout amid issues with PLC ( ), with data from the Our World In Data website showing that only 13 out of 100 people in Europe have received the jab, compared to 44 in the UK.

Moreover, Westminster wants to keep out new COVID-19 variants so it may put a break on international travel to avoid returning residents to cause a resurgence of cases.

"I think that international travel this summer is, for the average holidaymaker, sadly I think, extremely unlikely, Dr Mike Tildesley, a government adviser, told the BBC.

"I think we are running a real risk if we do start to have lots of people going overseas in July, for instance, and August because of the potential for bringing more of these new variants back into the country.

"What is really dangerous is if we jeopardise our vaccination campaign by having these variants, where the vaccines don't work as effectively, spreading more rapidly."

Westminster is expected to announce new rules on international travel next month, while the roadmap out of lockdown indicates May 17 as a tentative date for people to go abroad.

UK residents can now leave the country for limited reasons and need to show proof of negative COVID-19 test on arrival, followed by ten days of quarantine and two further tests.

TUI slipped 6% to 375.1p, easyJet and IAG dropped 5% to 948.2p and 197.32p respectively while Wizz Air was down 2% to 4,816p on Monday in the early afternoon.
Guwahati, March 22 : Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Monday said the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led Assam government will retain its power in the state as the people have realised that the Congress-AIUDF alliance will not be able to curb infiltrations and corruption.

Addressing three election rallies at Jonai, Majuli and Udalguri, Shah said that the Congress must tell the people how it would check infiltrations from across the border.

"When our government is doing development in Assam, Congress forges an alliance with a communal force to win the elections," he said.

"The BJP government before 2016 Assembly elections promised to make Assam a corruption free, agitation free, infiltration free and terrorism free state. The (BJP) government during the past five years has achieved a lot. Not only that, the government has also made Assam a flood free state," Shah claimed.

The Union Home Minister alleged that during the Congress' rule in Assam, terrorists killed a large number of civilians and security personnel and no action was taken.

But in recent years, over 2,000 militants have surrendered and deposited thousands of arms and ammunition, he added.

Accusing the Congress for "not doing any significant development for Assam", he said that the NDA government has allocated Rs 53,000 crore for the constructions of a 20,000 km road; Rs 46,000 crore was being invested for for the projects in gas and oil sectors; and six mega bridges were constructed over the Brahmaputra river.

Appreciating the efforts of Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal and Health and Finance Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, Shah said that in Covid-19 management, the Assam government's performance was excellent in the entire country.

Sonowal, who accompanied Shah in the three election rallies, is seeking re-election from Majuli, the largest river island of the world.

The 47 Assembly constituencies, including Majuli, would go to the polls in the first phase on March 27.

The 126-member Assam Assembly polls would be held in three phases.

In the second phase on April 1, polling will take place for 39 seats and in the last and third phase on April 6, elections will be held for the remaining 40 constituencies.

The results will be declared on May 2.
As the number of schools with COVID-19 variant exposures more than doubled Monday, Manitobas top doctor sought to ease concerns around the growing presence of highly contagious forms of the virus by touting a very aggressive approach to contact tracing.

As the number of schools with COVID-19 variant exposures more than doubled Monday, Manitobas top doctor sought to ease concerns around the growing presence of highly contagious forms of the virus by touting a "very aggressive approach" to contact tracing.

Within the last five days, families at seven different schools have received public health letters about variant exposures.

The province announced new cases at St. Pauls High School, Ecole Riviere Rouge Community School, Highbury School, and Our Lady of Victory School, all located in Winnipeg, on Monday.

Dr. Brent Roussin said all cases are quarantining, in addition to affected classrooms and cohorts, while investigations are underway to determine infection sources.

"In schools, weve, up till now, had great results of preventing transmission of this virus, but now the variant of concern adds complexity to that," Roussin said during a Monday press conference.

"Right now, we have aggressive case and contact management, so were going to have more and more people self-isolating in these schools, more and more cohorts being (isolated) along with their households  so a very aggressive approach."

On Friday, the province confirmed initial variant exposures at Ecole Tache and O.V. Jewitt Community School in Winnipeg and Pine Ridge Elementary in Winkler.

Dr. Brent Roussin, chief provincial public health officer, warned against gathering over spring break, Easter or Passover at a news briefing Monday. (Mike Deal / Winnipeg Free Press files)

Variants that have arrived in Manitoba (B.1.1.7 first identified in the United Kingdom and B.1.351 first found in South Africa) are estimated to be between 30 to 50 per cent more contagious than the original.

Asymptomatic testing for school, child care staff Click to Expand As of Monday, all staff working in schools with students, and licensed child care staff (including home based facilities) can access rapid asymptomatic COVID-19 testing at the test site at 1066 Nairn Avenue in Winnipeg. Dr. Brent Roussin said the rapid test, which can return a result in 24 hours or less, is available to any school and child care staff, whether or not they have symptoms of COVID-19. -Danielle Da Silva

When asked about the potential for school closures, Roussin said nothing is off the table as the province evaluates the situation.

For the time being, schools will carry on with existing practices of physical distancing, masking and handwashing.

When a positive case is first identified, principals will continue to help identify close contacts, who will be asked to self-isolate immediately.

Should a case be deemed a variant following screening and sequencing, public health will take the reins and consider sending entire classrooms or cohorts home. Individuals may be asked to quarantine for as many as 24 days.

Updated public health letters to families about variants recommend they "closely monitor" students, even if they are not deemed close contacts.

Given how fast the original virus can spread, let alone highly contagious variants, epidemiologist Cynthia Carr said there may be conversations next week  during the scheduled spring break for K-12 students  about whether schools should fully reopen in April.

"Its not unlikely that we could know at some point during March break if its not safe for students to return," said Carr, founder of EPI Research Inc.

The province confirmed Friday initial variant exposures at Ecole Tache and O.V. Jewitt Community School (above) in Winnipeg and Pine Ridge Elementary in Winkler. (Mikaela MacKenzie / Winnipeg Free Press)

The spike in variant cases in Western Canada is a "stark reminder" of the exponential growth possible, so it will be critical to examine data closely, she added.

Citing a rise of variants of concern in Saskatchewans capital, which has 640 presumptive variant cases, Regina Public Schools issued a notice late last week about a temporary "proactive" pivot to remote learning.

High schoolers will begin remote learning in that province later this week and elementary students will join them next week, with all expected back at school after their scheduled spring break on April 12.

Despite anxiety among school staff surrounding the new variants in Manitoba, the president of the Manitoba Teachers Society said Monday he has full confidence in public health and the measures in place.

James Bedford said officials briefed school leaders earlier this month about new "comprehensive" processes in place for contact tracing. Medical mask use will also be more common among staff who work with students who cannot effectively wear face coverings, Bedford said.

The provinces COVID-19 school dashboard indicates there have been 2,359 cases in schools to date. Roussin said the dashboard will include variant breakdowns by the end of the week.

The province has no plans to identify exact variants in schools.

Also Monday, Roussin said teachers, school staff and licensed child-care providers will be eligible for rapid testing at the Nairn Avenue site, regardless of whether they have symptoms, as of Tuesday.

 with files from Malak Abas

maggie.macintosh@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @macintoshmaggie
AstraZeneca's Covid-19 vaccine showed 79% efficacy against symptomatic disease and 100% efficacy against severe disease and hospitalization in a new, US-based clinical trial, the company said Monday.

The findings from the new Phase 3 trial, which included more than 32,000 participants, may boost confidence in the vaccine, which was originally developed by the University of Oxford.

The trial showed that the vaccine was well-tolerated and identified no safety concerns, the company said. An independent committee 'found no increased risk of thrombosis or events characterized by thrombosis among the 21,583 participants receiving at least one dose of the vaccine,' according to AstraZeneca.

The new data came from a Phase 3 clinical trial conducted in the US, Chile and Peru. AstraZeneca says it plans to submit the findings to a scientific journal for peer review.

Ruud Dobber, president of AstraZeneca's biopharmaceuticals business unit, said on CNBC Monday that the company plans to apply for emergency use authorization from the US Food and Drug Administration in the first half of April. If authorized, it would be the fourth Covid-19 vaccine available in the United States.

For its part, Oxford said the findings add 'to previous trial data from the United Kingdom, Brazil and South Africa, as well as real-world impact data from the United Kingdom' according to a press release from the university.

As part of the trial, more than 32,000 adult volunteers recruited across all ages received either two doses of the vaccine or a placebo vaccine at a four-week interval.

About 79% of trial participants were White, 22% were Hispanic, 8% were Black, 4% were Native American and 4% were Asian.

About 20% of participants were 65 years and over and approximately 60% had conditions linked with higher risk of severe Covid-19, such as diabetes, severe obesity or heart disease.

In patients 65 years and older, vaccine efficacy was 80%, AstraZeneca said -- echoing the overall trial results -- which is notable as some countries initially did not authorize the vaccine for use in this older age group, citing a lack of data from earlier trials.

'It is clear this vaccine has very good efficacy (remember that 60% was, prior to any trials being started, regarded as a good target), and that this efficacy does not show a notable decline at older ages,' Stephen Evans, a professor of pharmacoepidemiology at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, said in a statement to the Science Media Centre in the UK.

Evans called previous assertions that the vaccine may be ineffective in older ages'totally unjustified.'

The Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine became the subject of controversy earlier in the month when a number of European countries including Norway, France and Denmark decided to temporarily suspend its rollout due to reports of blood clotting in patients post inoculation.

An emergency investigation by the European Medicines Agency (EMA) came to the conclusion last Thursday that the vaccine is 'safe and effective' in preventing coronavirus and 'not associated with an increase in the overall risk of thromboembolic events, or blood clots.'

Lead Investigator for the vaccine and professor of Paediatric Infection and Immunity at Oxford University Andrew Pollard said the AstraZeneca data was 'consistent with the results from Oxford-led trials,' adding that he expected a 'strong impact against COVID-19 across all ages and for people of all different backgrounds from widespread use of the vaccine.'

Dr. Peter Hotez, dean for the National School for Tropical Medicine at the Baylor College of Medicine, told CNN's Alisyn Camerota the results were good news for the United States and the world.

'I'm pretty confident now AstraZeneca will apply for, request emergency use authorization, so we'll have that vaccine released to the American public,' Hotez said. Covid-19 vaccines by Pfizer/BioNTech, Moderna and Johnson & Johnson have previously been authorized in the United States.

Despite recent pauses in the vaccine's rollout, 'this is one of our workhorse vaccines that we're expecting for Africa and Latin America,' Hotez said. 'So this is good news also because it's reaffirming for the vaccines used for global health as well.'


New Delhi, March 22 : The Government of the National Capital Territory of Delhi (Amendment) Bill, 2021 was passed in the Lok Sabha on Monday.

In reply to a debate, Union Minister of State for Home Affairs, AG Kishan Reddy said, "No murder of democracy is taking place with the amendments in Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi (Amendment) bill. No right has been taken away from the Delhi government neither any new right has been given to the Lieutenant Governor." "This amendment only seeks to remove ambiguities in governance and is in line with court judgments and it will enhance accountability," Reddy said.

Participating in the debate, Congress's Manish Tewari said, "The problem with the BJP is that their stand changes on the side they are seated in Parliament." Tewari pointed out that former Home Minister L.K. Advani had talked about granting full statehood of Delhi except areas falling under New Delhi.

Aam Aadmi Party MP, Bhagwant Mann said that the union government is encroaching upon the powers of an elected state government and thanked the parties who opposed the Bill.

After the passing of the bill, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal tweeted, "Passage of GNCTD amendment Bill in Lok Sabha today is an insult to the people of Delhi. The Bill effectively takes away powers from those who were voted by people and gives powers to run Delhi to those who were defeated. BJP has cheated the people."
A couple from Florida have been arrested for lewd behavior after they were allegedly caught in a Florida park performing oral sex on one another in broad daylight.

Grant Mulder, 48, and Lauren Baugh, 41, were caught by police in Largo, near Tampa on Saturday afternoon.

The couple were found near a veterans memorial in Largo's Central Park.

An officer from Largo Police Department detailed how he witnessed Baugh 'lying on her back with her legs spread apart'.

Grant Mulder, 48, was arrested after allegedly being caught performing oral sex

Lauren Baugh, 41, was spotted along with Mulder close to a veterans memorial in the park

The scene was documented by a police officer who came across the couple and arrested them

An affidavit reveals how the couple could easily be seen by other park-goers as well as nearby drivers.

An affidavit seen by The Smoking Gun states there was an 'indication of alcohol influence' on the couple.

Mulder, who calls himself 'Buddha' on his social media pages had written 'Spring Break' on his Facebook page last week.

The couple were found near a veterans memorial in Largo's 70 acre Central Park, pictured

Mulder had written of his excitement at spring break starting just last week

Mulder, pictured, has been in prison four times and has a lengthy rap sheet that includes arrests for aggravated assault; grand theft; battery; disorderly intoxication; marijuana possession; burglary; and a number of DUI counts.

Baugh, pictured, was released on $150 bond early on Monday morning. She has been convicted of burglary, theft, trespassing, and possession of an open container in the past

He was arrested and charged with lewd and lascivious behavior. Baugh also faces charges for exposing her sexual organs.

Baugh was released on $150 bond early on Monday morning while Mulder pleaded no contest to his charges and was fined $600.

The couple both have previous convictions with Baugh having been convicted of burglary, theft, trespassing, and possession of an open container.

Mulder, who has been in prison four times, has a lengthy rap sheet that includes arrests for aggravated assault; grand theft; battery; disorderly intoxication; marijuana possession; burglary; and a number of DUI counts.
Press Release

March 21, 2021 Govt to lose P11 billion if pork tariffs are cut: Pangilinan SENATOR Kiko Pangilinan estimates that the government will lose about 11 billion pesos in tariff revenue should the pork tariffs be reduced from 30 percent to 5 percent. "Ang estima namin mga 11 billion pesos eh," he said in a media interview on how much the government may lose on its plan to cut tariffs in response to the African swine fever (ASF) that has reduced pork supply and raised pork prices. "At 'yung taripa, ang layunin nyan [ay] para 'yung industriya na apektado ay pwedeng gamitin 'yung pondo para mabigyan ng suporta," he added. Pangilinan said this means the source of financial support for the domestic hog-raisers will also be reduced. "Mawawala din 'yung suporta sa magbababoy kung ibababa ang taripa. Eh talagang mayroong malaki, tiba-tiba, ang kumikita rito. Binaba na ang taripa, tinaas pa 'yung volume nung pwedeng i-import," he said. Based on Pangilinan's computations, at the current 30 percent in-quota tariff, the collections for imported pork would be 13.8 billion pesos, assuming the Minimum Access Volume for pork is increased to 404,210 metric tons. If the tariff is reduced to 5 percent, the collection would be 2.3 billion pesos, a difference of 11.5 billion pesos. Former Congressman Nicanor Briones, who is president of the Agriculture Sector Alliance of the Philippines and vice president for Luzon of the Pork Producers Federation of the Philippines, gave the same estimate on the projected government revenue loss during the February 22 hearing of the Senate Committee of Agriculture, Food, and Agrarian Reform on rising food prices. Pangilinan earlier delivered a privilege speech and filed a resolution urging the President to declare a state of calamity due to the severe impact of ASF on the swine industry. The resolution was later adopted by the Senate. The declaration of a State of Calamity would allow the government to augment the funds of the Department of Agriculture for calamity relief and rehabilitation, providing indemnity funds for hog farmers and additional funding for biosafety measures. Pangilinan said this would address the lack of funds of the DA on the ASF outbreak response. "Ang sinasabi ng DA, 2.6 billion pesos lang ang pondo nila ngayon for 2021 sa African swine fever. Ang budget nila na estima nila para matugunan ito ay halos mahigit 8 billion pesos. So may halos 6 billion pesos na kulang," he said. Pangilinan also suggested that affected hog farmers should be given cash for work opportunities. "Habang malaki ang nawala nilang kita dyan sa babuyan nila dahil naubos, nangalahati na, bigyan sila ng cash for work para meron pa rin silang kinikita at panggastos sa araw-araw at sila ang imobilisa para sa border control, biosafety protocol, pagbabantay, pagdi-disinfect, etc. At 'yung pondo na 'yon, manggagaling nga sa calamity fund," Pangilinan said. Last week, the Senate adopted a resolution calling for the constitution of the Committee of the Whole to conduct an inquiry, in aid of legislation, on the food crisis brought about by the severe impacts of the ASF outbreak. No date has yet been scheduled for the said inquiry.
Protesters gather for a demonstration to demand an end to the restrictive CCP virus measures in Kassel, central Germany, on March 20, 2021. (Armando Babani/AFP via Getty Images)

COVID-19 Restrictions Spark Protests Across Europe

Tens of thousands of protesters gathered in cities across Europe over the weekend to demonstrate against government-imposed lockdowns and other restrictions amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

Protests against lockdown measures were seen continent-wide on March 20, including in Austria, the UK, Finland, the Netherlands, Romania, and Switzerland.

Although largely peaceful, many of the protests resulted in arrests, clashes with law enforcement officers, and conflict between demonstrators angry at government-imposed restrictions and counter-protesters.

Many European countries are grappling with a resurgence of the CCP virus, even as vaccines are being rolled out.

The virus has reportedly killed more than 2.7 million people worldwide, with cases up globally by 14 percent in the past week, according to data from Agence France-Presse.

Various groups, including Worldwide Demonstration, had called for protests March 20 in countries across the globe.

Worldwide Demonstration on its website called on all opponents of the Coronavirus Restriction policies of their own government to participate in a global protest, saying that livelihoods and freedoms have been destroyed by lockdowns and border closures.

We have had our bodily autonomy violated by mask mandates, and plans to mandate coronavirus vaccinations are being rolled out internationally. These are unacceptable constraints on our freedom, its website states. As one massive, united, and peaceful community, we will stand up and demand an end to the current restrictions and authoritarian control measures.

The group states that it stands for peace, freedom, democracy, and solidarity.

In the central German city of Kassel, where the action group was formed, more than 20,000 people defied a court ban to protest lockdown measures, DPA reported. According to the news service, some officers and journalists were attacked by protesters.

Police try to push back protesters who take part in a demonstration demanding an end to restrictive CCP virus measures in Kassel, Germany, on March 20, 2021. (Armando Babani/AFP via Getty Images)

The majority refused to comply with protocols put in place to curb virus transmission, such as wearing masks. Federal police, who were brought in beforehand from other parts of Germany, used water cannons on the crowds, according to DPA.

The demonstration came as CCP virus infections have recently reportedly surged in Germany, and the government is set to decide on how to react in the coming days. Chancellor Angela Merkel said on March 19 that the country will have to apply an emergency brake and reverse some recent relaxations of restrictions.

Elsewhere in central London, at least 33 people were arrested March 20 for breaching COVID-19 restrictions, according to a Twitter statement from the Metropolitan Police.

Some demonstrators in Romania were seen holding signs opposing COVID-19 vaccinations. According to The Associated Press, they held signs that read Parents, protect your children.

Signs reading Vaccination kills were held by some other demonstrators in Switzerland.

In Finland, some 400 maskless demonstrators gathered in Helsinki to rally against government-imposed COVID-19 restrictions, police said. Smaller demonstrations were scheduled in cities across the country.

Hundreds of people in the Finnish capital were heard chanting slogans such as Let the people speak! and carried signs with messages such as Facts and numbers dont add up.

Helsinki police said on Twitter that while the registered march and rally took place peacefully, it violated social distancing requirements and Finlands current limits on public gatherings.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Since 1984, Dr. Anthony Fauci has served as director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. During that period, his salary has steadily increased. The latest federal government payroll study indicated that Fauci earned $417,608 in 2019. His salary exceeded that not only of the president of the United States, but also of every other person in our federal government with over 4 million employees.

Clearly, he is not only overrated, but also overpaid. It is high time the highest paid federal government employee, Dr. Anthony Fauci, be fired.

Fauci is irritating for a number of reasons. He loves the media and is constantly on television, pontificating about COVID-19. If he provided a consistent, reassuring message, his words of wisdom would be appreciated. Unfortunately, he is inconsistent, and his changing stories have left Americans confused and dejected about our future. Fauci has frightened countless people with his doom-and-gloom prognostications about COVID and our future coexistence with the disease.

Initially, Fauci was insistent that masks were not necessary. Today, he not only believes in one mask, but claims that double-masking is preferable. While acknowledging the progress of Americans becoming vaccinated, he publicly worries about the threat of COVID variants. He uses this concern to justify continued masking, social distancing, and other mitigation measures.

All of this grandstanding was just too much for U.S. senator Rand Paul (R-Ky.). In Senate hearings on Thursday, he exposed Fauci as a total fraud and delivered one of the most effective public takedowns in the annals of the U.S. Senate's history.

The senator scolded Fauci for focusing on "theater" instead of public health. He noted that Fauci has "been vaccinated" but continues to "parade around in two masks for show." Paul told Fauci, "There's virtually 0% chance you're going to get it and you're telling people that have had the vaccine who have immunity  you're defying everything we know about immunity."

While Fauci responded to Paul by claiming that "I totally disagree with you," he does "parade around" with masks. The reason for this spectacle is that Fauci wants to gain favor with his new employer, President Joe Biden, and the insufferably liberal mainstream news media. Fauci knows that Biden and the media want to continue the COVID hysteria so Americans will become more dependent on the government.

In the process, our freedom is diminished, but that is of no concern to Dr. Fauci. According to Senator Paul, "Dr. Fauci is very blase and unconcerned about liberty, but I think the burden should be on the government to prove it. If they want to dictate mine and your behavior, the burden is on them to present the evidence."

The problem for Fauci and the mask mania proponents is that the evidence shows that these measures are of questionable value. In fact, states such as Florida, that have reopened for business and rescinded the mask mandates, have COVID infection rates lower than many of the states that have enforced strict public health mandates.

Despite limited proof of effectiveness, Dr. Fauci and far too many Democratic politicians, such as President Biden, have been quite willing to issue mask mandates, severely limit economic activity, and impose a variety of restrictions on our freedom in the name of public health. While these measures may not have stopped COVID, they did destroy 22 million jobs.

The resulting economic catastrophe resulted in millions of Americans suffering from depression. This led to increased rates of suicide, drug overdoses, and untreated health problems caused by Americans being afraid to visit physicians and hospitals.

Fortunately, there is good news on the horizon. With vaccines being delivered in greater numbers every day and hospitalization rates plummeting, Americans are ready to return to our normal lives. It is time for our country to resume regular activities and enjoy travel, social events, and all aspects of our lives that have been curtailed in the last year.

The Biden administration, led by Dr. Fauci, is cautioning Americans that a quick return to normal activities could be catastrophic. As he did during the Senate hearing, Fauci is warning about the potential spread of COVID variants in our country.

Because of this potential threat in the future, Fauci wants the COVID mandates to remain intact. Sadly, many politicians are only too willing to continue to restrict the freedom of their constituents by issuing an array of executive orders. None of these mandates was approved by legislative bodies. Instead, they were issued by politicians to "keep people safe."

It is not "safe" to sacrifice freedom in our country. As famously noted by Benjamin Franklin, those who "give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety, deserve neither liberty nor safety."

Dr. Fauci claims that he wears a mask as a "symbol" of what Americans "should be doing." However, as Senator Paul has noted, this type of virtue-signaling by Fauci is another one of his "noble lies."

Americans should reject Fauci and his "noble lies" and once again embrace freedom, our constitutional right that made this country the greatest in the history of mankind. Freedom should be our natural state, and if the government is going to restrict it, there must be compelling scientific evidence.

The burden must be on the government to restrict these freedoms, not on Americans to claim freedoms. As perfectly stated by Senator Paul, "I should not have to prove that I want to be free, and I want to be left alone in order to breathe the air."

Go away, Dr. Fauci. Americans want to live our lives, enjoy our freedoms and "breathe the air" once again.

Jeff Crouere is a native New Orleanian, and his award-winning program, Ringside Politics, airs nationally on Real America's Voice Network, AmericasVoice.News weekdays at 7 A.M. C.T. and from 7 to 11 A.M. weekdays on WGSO 990-AM and Wgso.com. He is a political columnist and the author of America's Last Chance and provides regular commentaries on the Jeff Crouere YouTube channel and on Crouere.net. For more information, email him at jeff@ringsidepolitics.com.

Image via Flickr, Public Domain.
London, March 22 : UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson will speak to leaders of the European Union (EU) over the phone to discuss a ban on the Oxford-AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine exports to the country, a media report said.

The BBC report said that Johnson will make the calls this week in a bid "to persuade them to veto any proposal that would prevent vaccine exports from entering the UK".

The latest flashpoint appears to be over doses made in a Dutch factory, the report said.

Some of the leaders the Prime Minister is likely to speak with are French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Angela Merkel, according to British officials quoted by the Financial Times.

On Thursday, the EU leaders will hold a virtual meeting to discuss the ban on exports of the jabs to the UK which comes after they faced widespread faced criticism for the slow pace of the vaccine rollout on the continent.

The BBC report said that less than 12 per cent of the bloc's population is reported to have been inoculated against the virus, compared with nearly 40 per cent in the UK.

According to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, the EU has exported 41 million vaccine doses to 33 countries in six weeks, with more than 10 million jabs to the UK.

In a warning last week, she said that the EU can "forbid" vaccines made on the continent being sent to the UK if exports from Britain do not improve.

Regarding the ongoing dispute, the UK's Defence Secretary Ben Wallace told the BBC on Sunday that the EU should not "build walls" which would "only damage both EU citizens and UK".

Meanwhile, EU Commissioner Mairead McGuinness has urged all sides to "calm down" as no decisions have been taken on a ban as of now.
* Euro zone yields drop 1-3 bps after Turkey scare

* Investors eyeing latest ECB data on bond purchases

* Euro zone periphery govt bond yields http://tmsnrt.rs/2ii2Bqr (Adds details, latest prices, chart)

LONDON, March 22 (Reuters) - Euro zone government bond yields fell on Monday as a plunge in the Turkish lira boosted demand for safer assets.

President Tayyip Erdogan shocked markets by replacing Turkey's hawkish central bank governor with a critic of high interest rates, sparking a selloff in stocks, talk about possible capital controls and a dash for safer assets such as government debt.

The benchmark 10-year German government bond yield dropped 2 basis points to -0.315%.

Other core euro zone bond yields were down by a similar margin, peripheral euro zone yields by slightly less.

German bond yields also fell on Friday as concerns about the growth outlook in the euro area following a spike in COVID-19 cases encouraged investors to bet that the European Central Bank will want to keep rates as low as possible.

New lockdowns have been declared or are expected to be announced shortly in several euro zone countries as governments try to reverse the rise in cases.

The past month has seen a dramatic selloff in the United States government bond market, sparked by worries about rising inflation as the U.S. economy rebounds.

But euro zone government bond markets, after initially selling off, too, have remained resilient, although German 10-year bond yields -- at close to -0.3% -- are still nearly double early 2021 levels of around -0.6%.

"Going forward, we think that Bund outperformance relative to USTs [U.S. Treasuries] will continue, even if todays data on ECB weekly purchases do not indicate an acceleration. Indeed, the economic outlook in the US looks more favourable than in the euro zone," UniCredit analysts said in a research note.

Investors are awaiting the latest ECB data to assess whether the central bank has begun accelerating its bond purchases.

Story continues

They added that they expect the ECB will be "more supportive of EGBs [euro zone government bonds] than the Fed is of USTs."

The ECB weekly purchase data covers the period from March 11 to 17 and comes after ECB President Christine Lagarde signalled faster money-printing to keep a lid on euro zone borrowing costs on March 11.

The U.S. 10-year Treasury yield dropped 5 basis points to 1.68% in European trading as investors fretted about the fallout from the plunge in the Turkish lira.

The U.S. 10-year yield had last week shot up to above 1.75%, its highest since January 2020.

(Reporting by Saikat Chatterjee; editing by Raissa Kasolowsky, Larry King)
Boris Johnson warned the UK to be braced for another wave of coronavirus infections despite figures showing the lowest daily reported deaths for nearly six months.

The Prime Minister said a third wave of Covid-19 cases being seen in countries such as France and Italy could wash up on our shores as well.

He said it demonstrated the need to press ahead with the vaccination programme and stressed the importance of international co-operation as diplomatic efforts continued to defuse a row between the UK and European Union over vaccine supplies.

The latest Government figures showed a further 17 people had died within 28 days of testing positive for Covid-19 as of Monday  the lowest daily reported figure since September 28  taking the total by that measure to 126,172.

More than 30 million jabs had been administered up to March 21, including 27,997,976 first doses  a rise of 367,006 in 24 hours.

The Government also said that, as of 9am on Monday, there had been a further 5,342 lab-confirmed cases in the UK.

(PA Graphics)

Mr Johnson has been engaged in intensive diplomacy with EU leaders, including calls with Frances Emmanuel Macron and Germanys Angela Merkel on Sunday, in an effort to ward off a possible ban on vaccine exports from the bloc.

He said were all facing the same pandemic, we all have the same problems, adding: If there is one thing that is worth stressing its that on the continent right now you can see sadly there is a third wave under way.

People in this country should be under no illusions that previous experience has taught us that when a wave hits our friends, it washes up on our shores as well.

I expect that we will feel those effects in due course.

Thats why were getting on with our vaccination programme as fast as we can but a vaccination campaign and developing vaccines, rolling them out  these are international projects and they require international co-operation.

His comments come after several regions in France, including Paris, spent their first weekend under a limited month-long lockdown.

Health minister Lord Bethell raised the prospect of all of Britains European neighbours being put on the UKs travel red list.

The European Commission said talks were taking place with the UK about the vaccine dispute.

Commission president Ursula von der Leyen has been under pressure over the relatively slow pace of the vaccine rollout in the bloc.

Across the EU, just over 10% of adults have received a first dose of a Covid-19 vaccine but in the UK the figure is over 53%.

Ms von der Leyen ramped up the rhetoric at the weekend, saying the EU had the power to forbid doses from leaving the bloc.

The threat reflects growing frustration on the continent that the EU is not getting the supplies it expected from the Anglo-Swedish pharmaceutical giant AstraZeneca, which is manufacturing the Oxford vaccine.

Reports have suggested the latest focus of the row is on the drug substance produced for AstraZeneca in the Halix plant in the Netherlands, with officials arguing it should be kept for the EU rather than allowed to be exported to the UK.

But only a limited number of doses have left the plant destined for the UK, which is mostly self-sufficient when it comes to the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine.

Commission spokesman Eric Mamer insisted Brussels was not set on banning vaccine exports but wanted pharmaceutical firms to meet their contractual obligations to the bloc.

EU leaders will meet on Thursday to consider their next move.

Mr Johnson said: Im reassured by talking to EU partners over the last few months that they dont want to see blockades, I think thats very important.

Irelands Taoiseach Micheal Martin said an EU ban on vaccine exports would be a very retrograde step.

HEALTH Coronavirus

Despite the row, and a looming squeeze on available doses in April largely due to a delayed shipment from India, Downing Street told reporters it remained confident in the UKs vaccine supplies and the Government was on track to offer a jab to all those aged over 50 by April 15 and all adults by July.

Meanwhile, the Prime Minister faces a showdown this week with lockdown-sceptic Tories over proposals to extend emergency powers in the Coronavirus Act for a further six months, taking them beyond June 21 when the Governments road map suggests restrictions in England could be scrapped.

The Government said the wide-ranging Coronavirus Act needs to be extended to support the furlough scheme, virtual court hearings and the extension of statutory sick pay, but 15 provisions which are no longer required will be either removed or suspended.

No 10 confirmed Mr Johnson will privately observe a minutes silence on Tuesday to all those who tragically lost their lives in the pandemic as the country marks a year since the first lockdown.

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Shadow home secretary Nick Thomas-Symonds said the threat of a third wave of cases arriving from Europe showed the need for a comprehensive hotel quarantine regime.

The Prime Minister is being frankly complacent about the threat of a third wave of Covid from Europe on the UK, he said. It would not be inevitable if the Government had listened to Labour and taken tougher action to protect our borders.
Wildlife group: HK still a hub for pangolin trade

An environmental organisation says pangolin smuggling remains a major problem. File image: Shutterstock

Sam Inglis speaks to RTHK's Janice Wong

An organisation that campaigns against international wildlife crime says Hong Kong remains a major hub for the global trafficking of endangered pangolin, with one of the creatures poached every 21 minutes on average.



Sam Inglis, wildlife programme manager for the ADM Capital Foundation, made the comments on Monday ahead of a Legco discussion on an amendment to the Organised and Serious Crimes Ordinance to include wildlife trafficking. Activists have long campaigned for a change in the law.



Speaking on RTHK's Hong Kong Today programme, Inglis criticised what he said was a failure to adequately investigate a record-breaking seizure of 8.3 metric tons of pangolin scales in the SAR in 2019.



"We obviously know that a criminal syndicate was involved in all stages of getting that shipment from Nigeria to Hong Kong," he told RTHK's Janice Wong. "So, fundamentally, what we need to be doing is investigating these crimes.



"We also need to be delving into the financial transactions that are behind them and, ultimately, we would like to see sentences handed down to numerous individuals who are involved in the orchestration and also financially benefiting from these organised and serious crimes."



Inglis said the foundation's latest research report, to be released later on Monday, showed that wildlife trafficking had worsened in recent years.



Members of Legco's environmental affairs panel will debate a proposed amendment to the Organised and Serious Crimes Ordinance, put forward by the DAB's Elizabeth Quat, on Monday afternoon.



If approved, the proposal would give investigators additional powers to tackle wildlife crime and allow for longer sentences and the confiscation of the proceeds of crime.



It has received strong support from local and international environmental organisation.
TERRE HAUTE, Ind (WTHI) - McDonald's restaurants in the Wabash Valley are celebrating Jami Kasprzyk, co-owner of nine area McDonald's, during Women's History Month.

Jami owns and operates McDonald's restaurants in Terre Haute and Clinton, Indiana and Casey, Marshall, and Paris, Illinois.

They bought the restaurants in 2018 and have donated thousands of meals to local schools and healthcare workers, and in January they donated $10,000 to Vigo County Schools to purchase Chromebooks for kindergarten through second graders. They also partnered with other local operators to donate 6,500 pounds of chicken to Catholic Charities of Terre Haute which serves individuals with food insecurity in counties throughout the Wabash Valley, states a news release.

Jami also serves as a board member for Ronald McDonald House Charities of Central Indiana. The Round-Up for RMHC program allows patrons to round their total up to the nearest dollar to support RMHC, and two cents of every Happy Meal sold goes straight to the charity. In 2020, Kasprzyk and other local operators raised more than $14,000 for RMHC of Central Indiana through the Sleeves for Support fundraiser.

I noticed a lot of similarities between teaching and running a restaurant, the former teacher said. I really enjoy helping people set goals for themselves and learning what motivates different personalities to find a creative way to provide them with the tools to accomplish those goals.

According to her crew members and management team, Kasprzyk is respected as a supportive employer who is not afraid to roll up her sleeves and get to work.

Jami empowers our whole team, both personally and professionally, said Angel Rice, a Supervisor with the Kasprzyk McDonalds organization. I could not ask for a more supportive leader and role model.
HUHTAMAKI OYJ STOCK EXCHANGE RELEASE 22.3.2021 AT 9:00

Huhtamaki Oyj: Notice to the Annual General Meeting

Notice is given to the shareholders of Huhtamaki Oyj (the "Company") to participate in the Annual General Meeting to be held on Thursday, April 22, 2021 at 12.00 noon (EEST) at the Company's headquarters at Revontulenkuja 1, 02100 Espoo, Finland. The Board of Directors of the Company has decided that, due to the COVID-19 pandemic and uncertainty on the ability to arrange a physical Annual General Meeting, the Annual General Meeting will be held under exceptional meeting procedures, based on the Finnish temporary legislative act (677/2020).

The Annual General Meeting will be held without shareholders' and their proxy representatives' presence at the meeting venue to ensure the safety and well-being of shareholders, personnel and other stakeholders. Shareholders of the Company and their proxy representatives may participate in the meeting and exercise shareholder rights only through voting in advance as well as by making counterproposals and presenting questions in advance. Instructions for shareholders are presented in this notice under section C. "Instructions for the participants in the Annual General Meeting".

Shareholders are also invited to follow a recorded presentation after the Annual General Meeting starting at 2.00 p.m. (EEST). During which, the Chairman of the Board of Directors and the President and CEO will cover Huhtamakis 2020 key initiatives and results. The instructions on how to follow the presentation may be found on the Companys website (www.huhtamaki.com). Please note, the presentation is not regarded as a part of the Annual General Meeting. It will not be possible to ask questions, nor will there be any voting during the presentation. As stated above, shareholders of the Company and their proxy representatives may participate in the Annual General Meeting and exercise shareholder rights only through voting in advance as well as by making counterproposals and presenting questions in advance.

A. MATTERS ON THE AGENDA OF THE ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING

The following matters will be considered at the Annual General Meeting:

1. Opening of the meeting

2. Calling the meeting to order

The Chair of the Annual General Meeting will be Seppo Kymalainen, Attorney-at-law. In case Seppo Kymalainen would not be able to act as the Chair of the Annual General Meeting for a weighty reason, the Board of Directors will name another person it deems most suitable to act as the Chair.

3. Election of the person to scrutinize the minutes and to verify the counting of votes

The person to scrutinize the minutes and to verify the counting of votes will be Sami Pauni, Group General Counsel. In case Sami Pauni would not be able to act as the person to scrutinize the minutes and to verify the counting of votes for a weighty reason, the Board of Directors will name another person it deems most suitable to act in that role.

4. Recording the legality of the meeting

5. Recording the attendance at the meeting and adoption of the list of votes

The shareholders who have voted in advance within the advance voting period and who have the right to participate in the meeting pursuant to Chapter 5 Sections 6 and 6a of the Finnish Companies Act will be recorded to have been represented at the meeting. The list of votes will be adopted according to the information provided by Euroclear Finland Ltd.

6. Presentation of the Annual Accounts including the Consolidated Annual Accounts, the Directors' Report and the Auditor's Report for the year 2020

As participation in the Annual General Meeting is possible only in advance, the Annual Report published by the Company on March 4, 2021, including the Company's Annual Accounts, the Consolidated Annual Accounts, the Directors' Report and the Auditor's Report, which are available on the Company's website (www.huhtamaki.com), will be deemed to have been presented to the Annual General Meeting.

7. Adoption of the Annual Accounts including the Consolidated Annual Accounts

8. Resolution on the use of the profit shown on the balance sheet and the distribution of dividend

The Board of Directors proposes to the Annual General Meeting that an aggregate dividend of EUR 0.92 per share be paid based on the balance sheet adopted for the financial period ended on December 31, 2020. The Board of Directors proposes that the dividend would be paid in two instalments.

The first dividend instalment, EUR 0.46 per share, is proposed to be paid to shareholders registered in the Company's shareholders' register maintained by Euroclear Finland Ltd on the record date for the first dividend instalment April 26, 2021. The Board of Directors proposes that the payment date for the first dividend instalment would be May 3, 2021.

The second dividend instalment, EUR 0.46 per share, is proposed to be paid to shareholders registered in the Company's shareholders' register maintained by Euroclear Finland Ltd on the record date for the second dividend instalment October 1, 2021. The Board of Directors proposes that the payment date for the second dividend instalment would be October 8, 2021.

The Board of Directors proposes that the Annual General Meeting would authorize the Board of Directors to decide, if necessary, on a new record date and a new payment date for the second dividend instalment if regulations applicable to the Finnish book-entry system change or otherwise require.

No significant changes have taken place in the Company's financial position since the end of the financial year. The Company's liquidity position is good and the proposed distribution does not, in the view of the Board of Directors, risk the Company's ability to fulfill its obligations.

9. Resolution on the discharge of the members of the Board of Directors and the President and CEO from liability

10. Presentation and adoption of the Remuneration Report for the Governing Bodies

As participation in the Annual General Meeting is possible only in advance, the Remuneration Report 2020, which was published in connection with the Annual Report on March 4, 2021 is deemed to have been presented to the Annual General Meeting. The Report is available on the Company's website (www.huhtamaki.com). The resolution concerning the adoption of the Remuneration Report is advisory.

11. Resolution on the remuneration and expense compensation of the members of the Board of Directors

The Shareholders' Nomination Board proposes to the Annual General Meeting that the annual remuneration to the members of the Board of Directors would be paid as follows: to the Chairman EUR 140,000, to the Vice-Chairman EUR 75,000 and to the other members EUR 62,000 each. In addition, the Shareholders' Nomination Board proposes that the annual remuneration to the Chairman and members of the Board Committees would be paid as follows: to the Chairman of the Audit Committee EUR 15,000 and to the other members of the Audit Committee EUR 5,000 as well as to the Chairman of the Human Resources Committee EUR 5,000 and to the other members of the Human Resources Committee EUR 2,500. In addition, the Shareholders' Nomination Board proposes that EUR 1,500 would be paid for each Board and Committee meeting attended. Traveling expenses of the Board members would be compensated in accordance with the Company policy.

The Shareholders' Nomination Board is recommending all members of the Board of Directors to own shares in Huhtamaki Oyj.

12. Resolution on the number of members of the Board of Directors

The Shareholders' Nomination Board proposes to the Annual General Meeting that the number of members of the Board of Directors would be seven (7).

13. Election of members of the Board of Directors

The Shareholders' Nomination Board proposes to the Annual General Meeting that Mr. Pekka Ala-Pietila, Mr. Doug Baillie, Mr. William R. Barker, Ms. Anja Korhonen, Ms. Kerttu Tuomas, Ms. Sandra Turner and Mr. Ralf K. Wunderlich would be re-elected as members of the Board of Directors for a term ending at the end of the next Annual General Meeting. In addition, the Shareholders' Nomination Board proposes that Mr. Pekka Ala-Pietila would be re-elected as Chairman of the Board, and that Ms. Kerttu Tuomas would be re-elected as Vice-Chairman of the Board.

The biographical details of all candidates are presented on the Company's website (www.huhtamaki.com) at the Investors section.

All of the candidates have given their consent to the election.

14. Resolution on the remuneration of the Auditor

The Board of Directors proposes to the Annual General Meeting that the Auditor's remuneration would be paid against an invoice approved by the Audit Committee of the Board of Directors.

15. Election of the Auditor

The Board of Directors proposes to the Annual General Meeting, in accordance with the recommendation of the Audit Committee of the Board of Directors, that KPMG Oy Ab, a firm of authorized public accountants, would be re-elected as Auditor for the financial year January 1  December 31, 2021. KPMG Oy Ab has announced that Mr. Henrik Holmbom, APA, would be the Auditor with principal responsibility.

The recommendation of the Audit Committee is included in the proposal of the Board of Directors available on the Company's website (www.huhtamaki.com).

16. Authorizing the Board of Directors to decide on the repurchase of the Company's own shares

The Board of Directors proposes that the Annual General Meeting would authorize the Board of Directors to resolve on the repurchase of an aggregate maximum of 10,776,038 of the Company's own shares, subject to the number of shares held by the Company at any given moment not exceeding 10 percent of all the shares of the Company. Own shares may be repurchased on the basis of the authorization only by using non-restricted equity.

Own shares may be repurchased at a price formed in public trading on the date of the repurchase or otherwise at a price formed on the market. The Board of Directors resolves on how shares are repurchased. Own shares may be repurchased otherwise than in proportion to the shares held by the shareholders (directed repurchase). The authorization remains in force until the end of the next Annual General Meeting, however, no longer than until June 30, 2022.

17. Authorizing the Board of Directors to resolve on the issuance of shares and the issuance of special rights entitling to shares

The Board of Directors proposes that the Annual General Meeting would authorize the Board of Directors to resolve on the issuance of shares and the issuance of options and other special rights entitling to shares referred to in chapter 10 section 1 of the Companies Act as follows: the aggregate number of new shares to be issued may not exceed 10,000,000 shares which corresponds to approximately 9.3 percent of the current shares of the Company, and the aggregate number of own treasury shares to be transferred may not exceed 4,000,000 shares which corresponds to approximately 3.7 percent of the current shares of the Company.

The Board of Directors resolves on all the terms and conditions of the issuance of shares and special rights entitling to shares, and may deviate from the shareholders' pre-emptive subscription rights (directed issue). The authorization remains in force until the end of the next Annual General Meeting, however, no longer than until June 30, 2022.

18. Closing of the meeting

B. DOCUMENTS OF THE ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING

The above-mentioned proposals for the resolutions on the matters on the agenda of the Annual General Meeting, this notice and the Company's Remuneration Report are available on Huhtamaki Oyj's website (www.huhtamaki.com). The Annual Report, which includes the Company's Annual Accounts, the Consolidated Annual Accounts, the Directors' Report and the Auditor's Report are also available on the above-mentioned website. The minutes of the General Meeting will be available on the above-mentioned website at the latest on May 6, 2021.

C. INSTRUCTIONS FOR THE PARTICIPANTS IN THE ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING

In accordance with exceptional meeting procedures, based on the Finnish temporary legislative act to prevent the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic (677/2020), the Annual General Meeting will be organized so that the shareholders and their proxies will not be present at the meeting venue. Shareholders and their proxies will also not be able to participate in the Annual General Meeting through real-time telecommunications. Shareholders and their proxies can participate in the Annual General Meeting and use their shareholder rights only by voting in advance and by submitting counterproposals and asking questions in advance in the manner instructed below.

1. Shareholders registered in the shareholders' register

Each shareholder who is registered on the record date of the Annual General Meeting, April 12, 2021, in the shareholders' register of the Company kept by Euroclear Finland Ltd is entitled to participate in the Annual General Meeting. A shareholder, whose shares are registered on his/her Finnish book-entry account, is registered in the Register of Shareholders of the Company. Shareholders cannot participate in the Annual General Meeting by any other means than voting in advance, as well as by submitting counterproposals and asking questions in advance in the manner instructed below.

2. Registration and advance voting

Registration for the Annual General Meeting and advance voting will begin at the latest on March 29, 2021 at 10.00 a.m. (EEST) following the deadline for submitting counterproposals. A shareholder with a Finnish book-entry account, who wishes to participate in the Annual General Meeting, must register for the Annual General Meeting and vote in advance no later than April 15, 2021 at 4:00 p.m. (EEST) by which time the registration and votes need to have been received.

When registering, requested information such as the name, personal identification number, address and telephone number of the shareholder as well as requested information on a possible proxy representative such as the name and personal identification number of the proxy representative must be provided. The personal data given by the shareholder to Huhtamaki Oyj and Euroclear Finland Ltd will be used only in connection with the Annual General Meeting and with the processing of related registrations.

A shareholder may register and vote in advance within the registration and advance voting period by the following means:

a. Through the website of Huhtamaki Oyj at www.huhtamaki.com

The Finnish personal identity code or business ID and book-entry account number of the shareholder is needed for voting in advance. When a shareholder who is an individual logs in to Euroclear Finland Ltd's service via the Company's website, s/he will be directed to strong electronic identification. For shareholders that are legal persons strong electronic identification is not required. Strong electronic authentication takes place either with a Finnish bank ID or a Finnish mobile certificate.

b. By email or mail

A shareholder may send the advance voting form, available on the Company's website, or corresponding information to Euroclear Finland Ltd by email to yhtiokokous@euroclear.eu or by letter to Euroclear Finland Ltd, Yhtiokokous, P.O. Box 1110, FI-00101 Helsinki. If the shareholder participates in the Annual General Meeting by sending the votes in advance to Euroclear Finland Ltd, in the manner instructed above, this also constitutes registration for the Annual General Meeting, if the shareholder simultaneously provides the information required for registration mentioned above.

Instructions relating to the advance voting may be found on the Company's website (www.huhtamaki.com).

3. Proxy representatives and powers of attorney

A shareholder may also participate in the Annual General Meeting and use his/her rights by proxy. The proxy representative of a shareholder may participate in the Annual General Meeting only by voting in advance on behalf of the shareholder in the manner instructed above.

A proxy representative shall produce a dated proxy document or otherwise in a reliable manner demonstrate his/her right to represent the shareholder. Should a shareholder participate in the Annual General Meeting by means of several proxy representatives representing the shareholder with shares in different book-entry accounts, the shares by which each proxy representative represents the shareholder shall be identified in connection with the registration for the Annual General Meeting.

Possible proxy documents should be delivered by e-mail to yhtiokokous@euroclear.eu or by regular mail to Euroclear Finland Ltd, Yhtiokokous, PL 1110, FI-00101 Helsinki, Finland before the end of the registration period, by which time the documents must be received by Euroclear Finland Ltd.

4. Holders of nominee registered shares

A holder of nominee-registered shares has the right to participate in the Annual General Meeting by virtue of such shares, based on which s/he on the record date of the Annual General Meeting April 12, 2021, would be entitled to be registered in the Register of Shareholders of the Company held by Euroclear Finland Ltd. The right to participate in the Annual General Meeting requires, in addition, that the shareholder on the basis of such shares has been registered into the temporary shareholders' register held by Euroclear Finland Ltd at the latest by April 19, 2021 by 10.00 a.m. (EEST). As regards nominee-registered shares this constitutes due registration for the Annual General Meeting.

A holder of nominee-registered shares is advised to request without delay necessary instructions regarding the temporary registration in the Register of Shareholders of the Company, the issuing of proxy documents and registration for the Annual General Meeting from his/her custodian bank. The account management organization of the custodian bank shall temporarily register a holder of nominee-registered shares who wishes to participate in the Annual General Meeting into the Register of Shareholders of the Company at the latest by the time stated above. In addition, the account management organization of the custodian bank shall arrange advance voting on behalf of a nominee-registered shareholder within the registration period applicable to nominee-registered shares.

5. Other instructions and information

Shareholders who hold at least one hundredth of all the shares in the Company have a right to make a counterproposal concerning the items on the agenda of the Annual General Meeting to be placed for a vote. Such counterproposals are required to be sent to the Company by email to agm@huhtamaki.com no later than by March 26, 2021 at 4.00 p.m. (EET). With regards to making a counterproposal, shareholders are required to provide adequate evidence of shareholding. The counterproposal will be placed for a vote subject to the shareholders who made the proposal having the right to participate in the Annual General Meeting and that the shareholders hold at least one hundredth of all shares in the Company on the record date of the Annual General Meeting. Should the counterproposal not be placed for a vote at the Annual General Meeting, advance votes in favor of the proposal will not be taken into account. The Company will publish possible counterproposals to be put to a vote on the Company's website (www.huhtamaki.com) by no later than March 29, 2021.

A shareholder has the right to ask questions referred to in Chapter 5, Section 25 of the Finnish Companies Act with respect to the matters to be considered at the Annual General Meeting. Such questions must be sent by email to agm@huhtamaki.com no later than April 8, 2021 at 4.00 p.m. (EEST). Such questions from shareholders, the Company's management's answers to them, and any counterproposals that have not been placed for a vote are available on the Company's website (www.huhtamaki.com) on April 13, 2021 at the latest. In connection with asking questions and making counterproposals, shareholders are required to provide adequate evidence of shareholding.

Information on the Annual General Meeting required by the Finnish Companies Act and the Securities Markets Act is available on the Company's website (www.huhtamaki.com).

At the time of the announcement of this notice on March 22, 2021, the total number of shares and votes in Huhtamaki Oyj is 107,760,385, which includes 3,410,709 own shares held by the Company or its subsidiaries. Such own shares held by the Company or its subsidiaries do not have voting rights at the Annual General Meeting.

Changes in shareholding after the record date of the Annual General Meeting will not affect the right to participate in the Annual General Meeting or the number of votes of such shareholder at the Annual General Meeting.

Espoo, March 22, 2021



HUHTAMAKI OYJ

The Board of Directors

For further information, please contact:

Sami Pauni, Executive Vice President, Corporate Affairs and Legal, Group General Counsel, tel. +358 (0)10 686 7872

About Huhtamaki

Huhtamaki is a key global provider of sustainable packaging solutions for consumers around the world, enabling wellbeing and convenience. Our innovative products protect on-the-go and on-the-shelf food and beverages, ensuring hygiene and safety, and help prevent food waste. We embed sustainability in everything we do. We are committed to achieving carbon neutral production and designing all our products to be recyclable, compostable or reusable by 2030.

We are a participant in the UN Global Compact and as of 2020, we received an MSCI ESG Rating of A, on a scale of AAA  CCC. To play our part in managing climate change, we have committed to set science-based targets through the Science Based Targets initiative. Huhtamaki has been awarded the Silver medal by EcoVadis for performance in sustainability.

With 100 years of history and a strong Nordic heritage we operate in 36 countries and 81 sites around the world. Our values Care Dare Deliver guide our decisions and help our team of 18,200 employees make a difference where it matters. Our 2020 net sales totaled EUR 3.3 billion. Huhtamaki Group is headquartered in Espoo, Finland and our parent company, Huhtamaki Oyj, is listed on Nasdaq Helsinki Ltd. Find out more about how we are protecting food, people and the planet on www.huhtamaki.com .




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Copyright  2021 Albuquerque Journal

SANTA FE  New Mexico legislators are doing almost everything they can  short of making it mandatory  to get public schools to extend the school year as part of a strategy to boost academic achievement.

They have passed legislation that would add flexibility to the states extended learning and K-5 Plus programs, in addition to authorizing about $280 million to pay for the extra school days, enough for any district or school that wants to participate.

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The state budget package also would require districts to explain in writing how they will help students catch up if they decide against extending the school year.

The legislation won approval in the 60-day session and now awaits action by Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham.

Senate President Pro Tem Mimi Stewart, an Albuquerque Democrat and retired teacher, said the state has seen promising results when the school year is extended and students remain with the same teacher.

The strategy is especially critical, she said, after the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted education over the past year.

We are facing massive learning loss for our most at-risk students, Stewart said Monday. Theres just no getting around it.

Extended learning typically adds 10 days to the school year for any grade, while K-5 Plus adds 25 days for students in kindergarten through fifth grade.

Amanda Aragon, executive director of NewMexicoKidsCAN, an education advocacy group, said she was disappointed to see this years legislation amended to make the programs optional rather than mandatory. Many students, she said, have spent a year away from the classroom.

Aragon also said its critical for schools to keep a cohort of students with the same teacher for the extra learning time, rather than just make a good-faith attempt, as now stated in the legislation.

We know that kids learn best when they are in classrooms with their teacher, Aragon said in an interview. If we can get more kids more time, I certainly dont think it will hurt  its the approach that makes the most sense.

Increased flexibility

Extended learning and K-5 Plus are included in at least two bills sent to the governor:

 Senate Bill 40, which would add flexibility to the programs and make it easier to participate.

The legislation would eliminate extra testing requirements for K-5 Plus and streamline the application process for schools.

Districts could add extra days anytime in the next school year, including over winter break or at the beginning or end of the school year. There are also specific provisions for rural schools that operate on a four-day week.

The legislation also allows districts to tailor the extra time to individual needs. A school could add extra days for, say, a math boot camp in sixth grade or a robotics program in high school, Stewart said.

The bill was originally designed to require participation in extended learning or K-5 Plus, but Stewart said she couldnt win support in the House for that provision.

 House Bill 2, the main budget plan for the state. The bill includes $110 million from the general fund and $50 million from an education reform fund to pay for in-person extended learning time programs.

For K-5 Plus, the budget has about $120 million.

Teachers who participate are compensated for the extra time, making an average of 6% more under extended learning time or 14% more under K-5 Plus.

The bill directs districts or charter schools that dont participate to notify legislators and the Lujan Grisham administration how they plan to recover instructional time that was lost to students due to the public health emergency.

Teachers are exhausted

Stan Rounds, executive director of the New Mexico Coalition of Educational Leaders and Superintendents Association, said the flexibility was important to districts.

He said that he expects participation in the programs to increase but that removing the mandatory language from the bills was necessary, especially for small districts.

Teachers and school administrators, Rounds said, deserve a chance to decide for themselves whether to extend the year, given the stress of serving students simultaneously online and in-person during the pandemic.

Our teachers are exhausted now, Rounds said. Its been a very strange, tumultuous year for teachers under these circumstances.

Senate Minority Whip Craig Brandt, R-Rio Rancho, said the optional language also makes sense because some districts returned to in-person learning earlier than others.

Research on New Mexicos K-5 Plus program, he said, demonstrates the importance of carrying it out correctly, with the same teacher remaining with the same group of students. The money would be wasted, he said, if districts cant find enough teachers willing to do the extra work.

The study showed that it was only effective if it was done with the same teacher, Brandt said. Most school districts have had a very difficult time being able to do that.

Stewart, the senate president pro tem, said its important for districts to try.

Its astonishing how much more growth you get when you have the same teacher and you just extend the school year, she said.

Lujan Grisham has until April 9 to act on bills passed in the final days of the session, which ended Saturday.

Public Education Secretary Ryan Stewart suggested the administration supports the goals of the legislation.

Increasing the time students spend learning is a proven strategy to improve academic outcomes, he said in a written statement. Because of the flexibility in the legislation, he added, we fully expect many more districts and schools to adapt an extended school year program in the coming year as a powerful tool to accelerate learning as students return to full in-person learning.

Albuquerque Public Schools already has 10 elementary schools participating in extended learning programs this year, Associate Superintendent Antonio Gonzales said. The district will evaluate its next steps for the 2021-22 academic year, he said, once the governor takes final action.

To



NASDAQ Copenhagen Executive Board

Lers Parkalle 100

DK-2100 Kbenhavn 

www.rd.dk







Telephone +45 7012 5300

Telefax +45 4514 9622













22 March 2021







Company Announcement No 25/2021

Prepayments, Realkredit Danmark A/S





Pursuant to 24 of the Capital Markets Act, Realkredit Danmark A/S hereby publishes prepayments as at Friday 19 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.

Attachments




The challenges of water quality, biodiversity and climate change will influence farming practices and profitability into the foreseeable future.

The agriculture industry is working hard to meet these challenges head on. A team of 30 advisors (20 Teagasc and 10 Co-op) are working on the ground to help farmers improve water quality through the Water Quality and the Agricultural Sustainability, Support and Advisory Programme (ASSAP). The ASSAP programme enables farmers and other local landowners to engage positively in seeking solutions to local problems with the support of a confidential advisory service focused on water quality improvement.

Under the Water Framework Directive, Ireland is required to have all waters at Good Status by 2027. To achieve this target, Ireland prepares river basin management plans to address national water quality issues every six years. However, despite having these plans in place, the most recent EPA Water Quality Report for 2013-2018 has shown that water quality in Ireland has declined in that period.

Teagasc are holding a Water Quality Week from Monday, March 22, to Friday, March 26, to provide water quality-focused information and advice to farmers to help minimise losses of nutrients, sediment and pesticides to water from their farming practices. This has been organised in collaboration with the dairy processing co-ops and the Local Authority Waters Programme (LAWPRO).

A broad range of topics will be available to farmers and the public. These topics will include Water Quality and Catchment Management, Utilising Nitrogen Inputs Efficiently, Breaking the pathway of Phosphorus and Sediment loss, Protecting Water from Pesticide losses, and Managing Farmyards.

Information on the Teagasc water quality week is available on the Teagasc website. Short videos and written pieces will be shared through the Teagasc and partner digital and social media platforms. They will look to explain a range of water quality problems and provide practical advice and solutions to farmers.

There are multiple pressures across the areas for action - industry, waste water treatment plants and septic tanks, forestry, agriculture and urban pressures. The ASSAP focuses its resources on addressing agricultural pressures. Losses of nitrate, phosphorus (P), sediment, ammonium, pesticides and toxic substances from farming systems is impacting on water quality.

Maintaining water friendly practices and behaviours with the support of all agricultural advisors and the wider Agricultural Knowledge and Innovation Systems (AKIS) will be key to ensuring long term improvements in water quality. Much work has been done in improving advisory resources and sharing of information and identifying areas where additional research is required.

For more information, visit the Teagasc Water Quality Week website.

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New Orleans residents looking to keep water out of their cars this week can park on city neutral grounds starting Tuesday morning, City Hall said.

The lifting of the ban on neutral-ground parking begins Tuesday at 9 a.m. and, at this point, is indefinite, the city said Monday afternoon.

Flash flood watch up for Southeastern Louisiana; heavy rains set to hit area this week Heavy rains are expected to hammer southeastern Louisiana on Tuesday, Wednesday and possibly Thursday, prompting the National Weather Service 

The metro area and southeast Louisiana are expected to get hit with heavy rains as a slow-moving cold front brings between 4 and 8 inches of rain throughout the region between Monday night and Friday morning, according to the National Weather Service.

There could even be higher amounts of localized rainfall as well, the NWS said.

Track the week's stormy weather using our live radar here.
Overview of the CG-line method. (a) Principle of obtaining 1DWF. (b) Method to create CGH using the CG-line method in the proposed system. Credit: Scientific Reports (2021). DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-78902-1

Researchers from Tokyo Metropolitan University have devised and implemented a simplified algorithm for turning freely drawn lines into holograms on a standard desktop CPU. They dramatically cut down the computational cost and power consumption of algorithms that require dedicated hardware. It is fast enough to convert writing into lines in real time, and makes crisp, clear images that meet industry standards. Potential applications include hand-written remote instructions superimposed on landscapes and workbenches.

T potential applications of holography include important enhancements to vital, practical tasks, including remote instructions for surgical procedures, electronic assembly on circuit boards, or directions projected on landscapes for navigation. Making holograms available in a wide range of settings is vital to bringing this technology out of the lab and into daily life.

One of the major drawbacks of this state-of-the-art technology is the computational load of hologram generation. The kind of quality we've come to expect in our 2D displays is prohibitive in 3D, requiring supercomputing levels of number crunching to achieve. There is also the issue of power consumption. More widely available hardware like GPUs in gaming rigs might be able to overcome some of these issues with raw power, but the amount of electricity they use is a major impediment to mobile applications. Despite improvements to available hardware, the solution can't be achieved by brute force.

Handwriting on a tablet is converted into 3D images in real-time using a standard desktop PC. Credit: Tokyo Metropolitan University

A key solution is to limit the kind of images that are projected. Now, a team led by Assistant Professor Takashi Nishitsuji have proposed and implemented a solution with unprecedented performance. They specifically chose to exclusively draw lines in 3D space. Though this may sound drastic at first, the number of things you can do is still impressive. In a particularly elegant implementation, they connected a tablet to a PC and conventional hologram generation hardware, i.e., a laser and a spatial light modulator. Their algorithm is fast enough that handwriting on the tablet could be converted to images in the air in real-time. The PC they used was a standard desktop with no GPU, significantly expanding where it might be implemented. Though the images were slightly inferior in quality to other, more computationally intensive methods, the sharpness of the writing comfortably met industry standards.

All this means that holograms might soon be arriving in our homes or workplaces. The team is especially focused on implementations in heads-up displays (HUDs) in helmets and cars, where navigation instructions might be displayed on the landscape instead of voice instructions or distracting screens. The light computational load of the algorithm significantly expands the horizons for this promising technology.

More information: Takashi Nishitsuji et al, An interactive holographic projection system that uses a hand-drawn interface with a consumer CPU, Scientific Reports (2021). Journal information: Scientific Reports Takashi Nishitsuji et al, An interactive holographic projection system that uses a hand-drawn interface with a consumer CPU,(2021). DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-78902-1

Provided by Tokyo Metropolitan University
When someone stole a Harley-Davidson from a St. Helena property in 2018, they probably didnt know they were stealing more than a motorcycle  they were stealing a memory.

With a big assist from the St. Helena Police Department, the Christianson family was overjoyed last week to recover the bike, which was restored by the late Jack Christianson.

This bike is a testament to his passion and his talent, said Julie Christianson, Jacks daughter. Its a physical representation of my father that has so much sentimental value.

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.

A mechanical whiz, Jack Christianson worked on nuclear submarines at Mare Island Naval Station before spending the rest of his career working on farm equipment at Beckstoffer Vineyards. In his early years he used to race Harley-Davidsons on flat tracks around the country, and while he gave that up when he started a family, restoring Harleys became his passion.

Toward the end of his life, Christianson donated all but two of his Harleys to the Dudley Perkins Co. Harley-Davidson dealership in San Francisco.
The Ukrainian state defense concern Ukroboronprom has written to the Asset Recovery and Management Agency of Ukraine (ARMA), stating its readiness to take control of the assets of the Motor Sich enterprise in order to retain its potential, Ukroboronprom's Director General Yuriy Husev said on Saturday.

"I consider preservation of Ukrainian Motor Sich to be a matter of national security. Ukroboronprom already sent a letter to the ARMA of its readiness to act as the manager of assets of the joint-stock company Motor Sich for the purpose of preserving its potential. As a state defense concern, it is important for us that Motor Sich continues operating: keeping jobs, fulfilling obligations under production contracts. And our team is ready to support the enterprise," Husev was quoted by Ukroboronorom's press service as saying.

Earlier the Security Service of Ukraine announced that the Shevchenkivsky District Court of Kyiv had decided to freeze all of Motor Sich's assets and shares. The court handed the control of assets to the ARMA which in turn must determine a managing company from among state-owned ones.

Motor Sich is currently under criminal investigation for engaging in subversive activity in favor of Russia (Articles 14, 15, 111 and 113 of the Ukrainian Criminal Code) and for crimes stipulated by Articles 209, 212 and 364 of the Code.

NSDC Secretary Oleksiy Danilov said on March 12 that the council's meeting on March 11 was not about nationalizing Zaporizhia's Motor Sich enterprise, but about its return to the ownership of the Ukrainian people in accordance with current legislation.

Motor Sich is one of the world's largest manufacturers of aircraft engines and industrial gas turbine units. It exports its products to more than 100 countries. Motor Sich reported UAH 930.2 million in net profits in January-September 2020, while it saw net losses of UAH 532.7 million in the same period in 2019. The company's net revenue has grown by 20.2% to UAH 7.6795 billion.
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A new beta update submitted to Apples TestFlight program suggests that WhatsApp is testing a new version of WhatsApp Web for iPhone. The beta also hints that the company is testing different playback speeds for audio messages on iOS.

WhatsApp version 2.21.60.11 has revealed new major features coming to the instant messaging service. With the new update, youll be able to speed up audio messages up to 1.5x and 2.0x. Even though the code for speeding up audio messages is included in the latest version, it seems that the feature is not ready for the public yet. WABetaInfo says that the feature will be available to the public in a future build.

A new WhatsApp Web is also under development for iOS, reports WABetaInfo. With the new WhatsApp Web, youll be able to use WhatsApp Web without having to keep your phone connected to the Internet. The reports also say that this feature is a part of the multi-device functionalities that will be available later for other mobile devices.

Currently, WhatsApp requires your iPhone to be connected to the internet in order to use WhatsApp Web. Using this, the messaging service is able to sync messages across your desktop and mobile apps. But with the company testing multi-device support, it might become hard for them to sync messages across multiple device.

@WhatsApp will offer a WhatsApp Web Beta program for iOS and Android beta users, in order to use WhatsApp Web without having to keep your phone connected to the Internet!

Follow @WABetaInfo to discover when WhatsApp will open the beta program! Details: https://t.co/jvq4kF2mzF pic.twitter.com/IXaUrflm2E  WABetaInfo (@WABetaInfo) March 19, 2021

With the new update, it seems, the service will store messages on its servers to sync them, like Telegram. Though some of the features like deletion of messages, calling a person with an older version of WhatsApp, and some Portal features will not be available with the new WhatsApp Web Beta.

The reports about the new update come after the service experienced a global outage. The instant messaging service also dropped support for iOS and iPhone 4s last week. The company is also known to be working on an encrypted cloud backup solution.

What are your thoughts on the new WhatsApp Web Beta for iOS? Do you use the messaging services audio chat feature? If yes, how would the change affect your usage? Let us know in the comments section below!

[Via WABetaInfo
In this latest guest article written exclusively for just-auto, Dato Madani Sahari, the CEO of Malaysia Automotive, Robotics and IoT Institute (MARii), considers the readiness of smaller Malaysian firms and startups for the southeast Asian auto sectors transformative times ahead.

Many of the guests featured on MARiis podcast channel, Plug-in with MARii, are business owners of startups that work on new technologies and applications needed to complete the Malaysian ecosystem for electrification and connected mobility.

New local market players and brands in Mobility-as-a-Service (MaaS) based applications such as Slurp!, SERV, JomParking, are emerging, signalling SME interest  most importantly market realisation and capability  in the changing landscape of transportation within the Malaysian and regional ecosystem of the future.

MARii takes pride in the fact that our podcast is published through independent editorial freedom given to our hosts, to ensure that the subject matters discussed highlight all angles and opinions of the various issues that surround the development of the technology sector.

Recently, a lot of discussion has taken place within the Malaysian scene  industry, government, media and the consumer regarding the short-term future of mobility, particularly surrounding the introduction of electric vehicles. While this reflects a positive sense of enthusiasm within the market, any push towards electrification within the region needs to be treated with careful strategic planning.



In my previous article in this column, I highlighted that the race towards electrification is not a short sprint to the finish line, but a long-distance journey that provides a place for strategic thinking, careful planning and internal development.

The conditions for electrification, particularly in the ASEAN region, have to be carefully conditioned to ensure an ecosystem that progresses electrification sustainably.

I opined that the conditions for electrification, particularly in the ASEAN region, have to be carefully conditioned to ensure an ecosystem that progresses electrification sustainably. This conditioning includes standards and regulations, funding and infrastructure and technology penetration and consumption along the entire value chain.

Historically, automotive industries have been the engine to industrialisation for many countries, and in principle, the notion of pushing our local industries towards electrification should do the same for the next phase of the industry.

While such industries are key to pushing technological boundaries, they are also heavy weights to move and modify. Therefore, before we load these weights for industrial progress, we must ensure we put them in the right place to reap maximum benefit.

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It is for this reason, the National Automotive Policy (NAP2020) stipulates the development of critical components and systems for Next Generation Vehicles (NxGVs), Mobility-as-a-Service (MaaS) and Industry 4.0, including systems and components within AACVs, Industry 4.0 technologies, light-weight material technology as well as hybrid, electric and fuel-cell vehicles.

With that said, an important aspect of the development of electrification and future mobility revolve around developing various businesses that support the deployment of the overall electric mobility user experience.

These businesses will be key players in the deployment of the required products and services within the electromobility framework, including charging infrastructure, battery manufacturing, charging networks, fleet management, charging station management, battery management, battery end-of-life services, vehicle to grid technology, and many more.

There are also numerous support services that complete the EV ecosystem, including EV rentals, vehicle sharing platforms, parking services, and others  many of these are open markets for startups and small businesses with an aptitude for technology with lower barriers to entry.

In 2019, MARii launched the MARii Mobility-as-a-Service (MaaS) Scale Up Programme to facilitate the adoption of MaaS related technologies and services in the domestic mobility industry to enhance the e-commerce ecosystem for mobility.

The programme aims to facilitate the adoption of MaaS-related technologies and services into the domestic mobility industry.

Participants of the programme (some mentioned at the start of this article) revolve around five MaaS focus areas, which includes  Sharing Concept (motorcycle/bicycle sharing system, car sharing, person-to-person car rental), Multimodal Transportation (autonomous transport system, personal travel planner), E-Payment (smart payment system, smart parking, road user charging), Connected Living (telecommuting, e-health, e-learning) and Telematics (real-time traffic management, connected vehicles, connected traveller).

The NAP 2020 continues on the principles of prior policies to spur incentivisation of investment in the entire value chain within the connected mobility sector. There are many companies residing in Malaysia today  with strong foundation and capabilities  that are looking for opportunities to scale up their businesses through pairings with the right partners.

Please contact us at MARii to know more about the opportunities available.

The writer is the chief executive officer of Malaysia Automotive, Robotics and IoT Institute (MARii).
SINGAPORE (Reuters) - Ltd on Monday has proposed a consolidation of its investment management platform and the lodging business into an entity called Investment Management (CLIM) as part of a restructuring process.

The Singaporean property developer announced the restructuring along with CLA Real Estate Holdings, an indirect fully owned unit of Temasek Holdings Pte Ltd, the largest shareholder of

CapitaLand said it would also place its real estate development business under the private ownership of CLA.

CLIM, which will be listed on the Singapore Exchange, is expected to be the largest real estate investment manager in Asia with assets under management of about S$115 billion ($85.7 billion). It will also hold stakes in CapitaLand's listed real estate investment trusts and business trusts.

In 2019, CapitaLand completed an S$11 billion cash-and-stock deal to acquire Temasek's shares in Ascendas-Singbridge, which owns logistics and industrial assets, in a deal that created Asia's largest real estate investment manager.

(Reporting by Anshuman Daga and Aradhana Aravindan, Editing by Sherry Jacob-Phillips)

(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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It is reported that the term "carbon neutral" has been frequently mentioned in South Korea in the past six months. Last October, South Korean President Moon Jae-in mentioned South Korea 2050 emission reduction target for the first time in his policy speech. In December of the same year, South Korea issued the "2050 Carbon Neutrality Declaration." Recently, the Ministry of Environment of South Korea issued the "Republic of Korea Carbon Neutral 3+1 Strategy", which means that in order to promote carbon neutrality by 2050, South Korea has implemented it in relevant functional departments and proposed specific measures.

South Korea promotion of its carbon neutral strategy is not only driven by the international environment, but also has an inherent motivation to solve domestic environmental problems. Before and after the change of the US government, many South Korean think tanks included climate change cooperation into their research reports. The political and academic circles in South Korea generally believe that the issue of carbon neutrality will usher in an opportunity for international cooperation.

Affected by the South Korea solves environmental problems , the spherical ss316l powder market is changing rapidly. These changes are indicators of market growth. This year-on-year upward trend in the market indicates that the next February 2021-2026 will show an oval but steady growth. If you are looking for spherical ss316l powder or buy spherical ss316l powder in bulk, please send an email to: sales 2 @nanotrun.com .

The price of spherical ss316l powder continues to be affected by factors such as market growth momentum, various opportunities and challenges. However, during the forecast period from 2020 to 2026, the global spherical ss316l powder sales market is expected to continue to be above average. The growth rate will continue to increase. It is expected that from today to next week, the price of spherical ss316l powder will increase to a certain extent.

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Patriotism is not some bad form of nationalism By Rachel Alexander

The left has become really clever at falsely associating conservatism with horrible things, such as racism, greed and violence. Under President Trump, they began a push to associate patriotism with bad forms of nationalism, like fascism and Nazism. It was easy to do because nationalism has multiple definitions; one sounds like patriotism, but another sounds like fascism or Nazism. Trump made patriotism a showy part of his platform, with his Make America Great Again slogan and massive amounts of red, white and blue decorations at campaign events. But thats really all it was. There wasnt any specific agenda associated with nationalism, Trump merely adopted a typical conservative platform, not much different from Ronald Reagans platform in 1980. Forty years later, the country is still involved about the same extent with globalist organizations like the U.N. and NATO. The association is ludicrous considering the Democrats have become the party of big government, theyre closer to national socialists or fascists than Republicans. Those two political philosophies oppose materialism and selfish individualism. They favor government-controlled corporatist unions  not a far stretch from the Democrats government unions. Both detest capitalism and advocate for redistributing wealth. The MSM articles hysterically labeling Trump supporters as dangerous nationalists are devoid of evidence. One writer at the left-wing Daily Kos claims a Trump supporter who was merely speaking constitutes evidence. I was walking through a casino in Las Vegas this last weekend and an older white male (I would guess late 50s, early 60s) pulled off his Make America Great Again hat and began taunting bar patrons, pointing at his hat and yelling Trump! Trump! Another example he cites is an unofficial Facebook page run by border patrol agents where they said rude things about illegal immigrants. The page was not authorized by the government, an investigation was conducted and the employees were disciplined. How some rogue employees joking privately about illegal immigrants is comparable to national socialism is mind boggling. But they know exactly what theyre doing. If they repeat a lie enough in the MSM, people will start to believe it. If conservatives are racist, violent and greedy, then its easy to believe they are also totalitarian fascists. A typical line about it goes like this, from a Canadian academic magazine in 2017, The last twelve months have seen a great shift in the North Atlantic political landscape, with only Canada immune (so far). Nobody in universities saw it coming. ....There has been a surge of support for ethno-nationalism of the blood-and-soil kind, fearful of global openness and resentful of globally connected persons, whether migrants, traders, or cross-border professors and students. Notice the cleverly dropped reference to violence. The left points to some on the right calling for civil disobedience, secession and other actions that connote violence, as if theyre evidence of this frightening nationalism. Well its nothing new. People on the right have been using that type of language throughout my entire life, and nothing ever happens. The quote by Thomas Jefferson, "The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants, has been used for years by people and organizations on the right. No one actually thinks its time for revolution nor are they about to act on it. But the left has cleverly created this perception that the talk just started under Trump, the few saying it represents the right, and they actually intend to commit violence. When they occasionally find a guy who carelessly drove into a gun-free zone with his gun and two magazines, they pounce on it as evidence they are correct. Regardless, a mere handful of deranged people on the right does not mean the right has become dangerous as a movement. There have always been a handful of deranged people on the right as well as on the left. Another variation of the accusation specifically denounces Christian nationalism. They warn that Christians are going to turn the U.S. into a theocracy. Evangelical leaders on the right like Beth Moore are rushing to denounce it as if its a real problem. Its not. Again, there is zero evidence. They cant point to much other than the handful of rioters who pushed their way into the U.S. Capitol who claim to be Christians. That small number of people does not represent millions of Christians who support Trump across the country. The reality is there hasnt been much of a change in anything other than a few more patriotic decorations; Trump turned out to be quite similar to Reagan. The real change has been an increase in hostility by the left toward the U.S. The patriot theme arose on the right under Trump in response to the Democrats trashing the U.S. They have become increasingly globalist and critical of our heritage and the Founding Fathers. Childrens history books have been rewritten to denigrate U.S. history, and the left points to other countries as superior to the U.S. So what used to be considered normal behavior, being proud of our country and heritage, is now being treated as a dangerous patriot movement by the left. The left is going to continue to take words and ideas associated with the right and lump them in with horrendous things. We have to start calling them out on it instead of allowing them to drive a narrative about us that is not true. If were going to be able to successfully push back, I shouldnt be the only one complaining about this.



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
AMSTERDAM, March 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Core Laboratories (NYSE: "CLB US" and Euronext Amsterdam: "CLB NA") will broadcast its first quarter 2021 conference call over the Internet at 7:30 a.m. CDT / 2:30 p.m. CEST on April 22, 2021.

Larry Bruno, Chairman, CEO and President, Chris Hill, CFO, and Gwen Schreffler, SVP Corporate Development and Investor Relations, will discuss financial and operational results. An earnings press release will be issued after market close on April 21st and may be accessed through the Company's website at www.corelab.com.

To participate in the live webcast, simply log on to www.corelab.com at least fifteen minutes prior to the start of the call. For those who are not available to listen to the live webcast, a Podcast will be available immediately following the conference call and a replay will be available on Core's website shortly after the call which will remain on the site for 10 days.

To listen to the conference call via telephone, please contact Lena Brennan at [email protected] for the dial-in number.

Core Laboratories N.V. (www.corelab.com) is a leading provider of proprietary and patented reservoir description and production enhancement services and products used to optimize petroleum reservoir performance. The Company has over 70 offices in more than 50 countries and is located in every major oil-producing province in the world.

SOURCE Core Laboratories N.V.

Related Links

http://www.corelab.com


Newsfrom Japan

Tokyo, March 22 (Jiji Press)--Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga, in telephone talks with Vietnamese President Nguyen Phu Trong on Monday, pledged his countrys support for COVID-19 vaccinations in the Southeast Asian country, including the preparation of cold storage equipment for vaccines.

Suga also vowed to provide about 200 million yen in vaccination aid to Laos, in his congratulatory message to new Lao President Thongloun Sisoulith and new Prime Minister Phankham Viphavanh on their elections by their countrys parliament the same day.

The telephone talks between Suga and Trong were held at the request of the Vietnamese side, following Trongs re-election as general secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Vietnam, according to the Japanese Foreign Ministry.

In the talks, the Vietnamese leader expressed appreciation for the Japanese offer of vaccination support.

Suga and Trong agreed that their countries will continue to cooperate closely toward 2023, the 50th year since the two countries established diplomatic relations.

[Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]
Hong Kong: 18 COVID-19 cases identified

(To watch the full press briefing with sign language interpretation, click here.)

The Centre for Health Protection today reported that there are 18 additional COVID-19 cases, of which seven are locally transmitted including two with unknown sources of infection.

The unlinked cases involve a 71-year-old taxi driver who lives in Siu Sai Wan and last drove his taxi on March 17, and a 52-year-old construction site clerk who lives in Ngau Chi Wan and last worked on March 19.

The five remaining local cases are linked to URSUS Fitness in Sai Ying Pun.

The centre co-ordinated with related government departments in conducting a field inspection with University of Hong Kong experts at Ursus Fitness this afternoon.

Eleven environmental samples were collected, including from the air-conditioner filters, to further investigate and examine if environmental factors were involved in the outbreak.

The 11 imported cases arrived from the Philippines, Indonesia and Pakistan.

A total of 289 cases have been recorded in the past 14 days, including 224 local cases, of which 45 are untraceable.

Meanwhile, seven buildings and a workplace with one or more confirmed cases as well as a kindergarten are covered by compulsory testing notices.

The Government will set up mobile specimen collection stations at Siu Sai Wan Estate in Eastern District and Scenic View in Ngau Chi Wan tomorrow.

For information and health advice on COVID-19, visit the Government's dedicated webpage.

This story has been published on: 2021-03-22. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
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.
Saudi Aramco, the worlds largest oil company, reported a 44% reduction in revenues in 2020. These losses were largely caused by COVID-demand destruction and lower oil prices. Saudi Arabias national oil company has had a rough year, attempting to re-establish itself as the worlds most important swing producer while dealing with a disastrous oil market and rising geopolitical threats. Despite the profit reduction, Saudi Arabia still outperformed all its independent competition, with Shell, BP, and ExxonMobil all reporting losses being forced to divest major oil and gas reserves. Aramco, it seems, remains optimistic, with CEO Amin Nasser expecting global oil demand to reach 99 million bpd at the end of 2021 and climb higher still in 2022. The oil giant is linking its future to Chinese oil demand, with Nasser confirming that Saudi Arabia will guarantee Chinese energy security to 2050.

The optimism coming from Saudi Aramco leadership does not appear entirely justified, especially with profits of only $49 billion in 2020. The company has been forced to cut its spending plans in 2021, which could hamper critical aspects of the oil giants future operations. With a CAPEX of roughly $35 billion for 2021, Aramco will be spending even less than the amount marked out in the companys previous guidelines. The market expected a CAPEX of between $40-45 billion and will be disappointed with the additional drop. These negative developments stand in stark contrast to the stubborn position the oil giant has taken with regards to its dividends. Aramco has kept its $75 billion dividend payments in place for now, but those dividends will likely come under further pressure soon.

There are also some worrying developments that the market seems to be ignoring. When assessing the overall performance of international oil companies, analysts are increasingly worried about debt levels and investment volumes. The same prudent approach should be used by analysts when dealing with Aramco, as its profit margins or dividends seem to be fogging up analysis of its overall debt levels. In comparison to the 2019 level, the overall debt level of Aramco has almost quadrupled - a development that would normally act as a warning sign for investors and analysts. The profit margins of its upstream operations are still very attractive, but Aramcos downstream has been struggling for years and the company continues to target major expansions.

The optimism currently shown by Aramco officials, especially its CEO Amin Nasser, can be partially explained by the fact Aramco is a direct instrument of Saudi Arabias national government. Nassers comments should be understood as coming from both the CEO of Aramco and from a representative of the Riyadh government. Optimism is required by the Saudi government as even a slight shift in sentiment from Saudi officials could threaten the stability of the global oil market. While plenty of analysts and media outlets were hailing a new super-cycle of commodities and hinting at the possibility of $100 oil, oil prices plunged again - highlighting the weakness of oil market fundamentals. As for Aramco officials linking Saudi Arabias future to Chinas energy thirst or commodity intensity, the Kingdom should be wary of Chinas aggressive transition away from oil.

Related Video: A Second Shale Boom

From an investors perspective, spreading risks at present should be a major concern for Aramco. Looking at the official statements being made, it seems Saudi Aramco is failing to diversify its risks sufficiently. To link its future directly to Chinese demand and economic growth appears to be a very risky move. The main question analysts should be asking is why there not a more risk-averse strategy from Saudi Aramco when it comes to China. Meanwhile, it seems that India, which in the future could surpass China when it comes to oil demand, is being ignored. Looking at the current investment strategies of Aramco, India is not a major priority for investment or JVs. One area where Saudi Aramco is diversifying is in its plans for blue hydrogen, which carries its own risk as an unproven energy source.

Despite a profitable year in 2020, the future is not at all bright for Aramco. The company appears to be ignoring geopolitical and economic threats while maintaining an unrealistic level of optimism. As a national oil company, Aramco is constrained by its geography and reserve potential. In contrast to major international oil companies, which have a vast and diverse reserve portfolio of basins, Aramcos main producing areas are all in a very volatile region. When an international oil company is confronted by major unrest or threats to its production, such as Shell and ENI were in Nigeria, or BP was in Russia, investors will often flee. The increased targetting of Aramco infrastructure by Iranian militias in recent weeks is another warning that should be heeded. If Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salmans statement that more shares of Aramco will be sold is true, then these risks simply must be dealt with. Internally, Aramcos financials are still linked to the future of the Kingdom and its economic diversification strategies. The need for cash is high and yet dividends are seen as the main reason to invest in Aramco, so there could well be a time in which one or the other of those will need to be reduced.

The current optimism being shown by Aramco officials could quickly change due to lower demand and prices. At the same time, if Saudi Arabia wants to maintain its pivotal role in global oil markets then it will need to increase investments. There are certainly worrying signs for Aramco.

By Cyril Widdershoven for Oilprice.com

More Top Reads From Oilprice.com:
MASON CITY, Iowa  A little girl has been honored as a 2021 Junior Flight Crew Member of MercyOnes Air Med Helicopter.

Elena got a flight suite and a ride in the chopper Sunday, but that wasnt the first time shed been in the air.



Photos courtesy of MercyOne North Iowa Medical Center. Photos courtesy of MercyOne North Iowa Medical Center.

Photos courtesy of MercyOne North Iowa Medical Center. Photos courtesy of MercyOne North Iowa Medical Center.

The MercyOne Air Med team had airlifted Elena to the hospital when it was thought she had Stevens-Johnson Syndrome, a rare and serious disorder of the skin and mucous membranes.
Up to the late 20th century, the shallow Aral Sea was the worlds fourth-largest saline lake, spanning 63,000 square kilometers. However, the lake started shrinking in the 1960s, when the Soviet government decided to divert two of its main inlet rivers, the Syr Darya and the Amu Darya, to irrigate the surrounding desert region. The lakes remnants sit between Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan. The lakes salinity level has risen from less than 10 grams/liter to over 100 g/l in the remnant lake. The once-prosperous region is now heavily polluted, with serious public health concerns. However, there are ongoing efforts to save the Aral Sea from completely drying off.

Contents:

Location

Map showing the location of the Aral Sea in Central Asia.

The Aral Sea, also known as Orol Dengizi (Uzbek) or Aral Tengizi (Kazakh) is a saline lake in Central Asia straddling the boundary between Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan to the south and north. The lake once covered 68,000 square kilometers between the Kyzylorda and Aktobe regions in Kazakhstan and the Karakalpakstan region of Uzbekistan. The Caspian Sea on the west is the lakes nearest large water body. Its catchment area is approximately 1.5 million square miles and drains Uzbekistan and portions of Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Afghanistan, Turkmenistan, Iran, and Kyrgyzstan.

A detailed map of the Aral Sea.

Geology And Formation

A ruined Urga fishing village at the shore of Sudochye lake aka part of former Aral Sea at Karakalpakstan, Uzbekistan.

The depression, later filled with water and became the Aral Sea, formed in the late Neogene Period, about 2.6 million years ago. During this period, the Amu Darya River, one of Arals main inlets, drained into the Caspian Sea. But some geographers, like Nick Middleton, believe the rivers started flowing into Aral in the current geological epoch (Holocene epoch). However, Syr Darya may have started flowing into the lake much earlier. The region may have dried up from around mid-Pleistocene Epoch and flooded again in the early Holocene Epoch. The Amu Darya temporarily diverted to the Aral Sea and combined with the Syr Darya to become the lake's main water source until the 1960s. The two rivers accounted for 75% of the water into the lake, while 25% was rainwater.

Climate And Hydrology

The Aral Sea is located within the harsh climate region of Central Asia. The area experiences a desert-continental climate, characterized by hot summers, cold winters, and varying diurnal air temperature. The Aral region receives sparse rainfall, with an average annual precipitation of 100 mm. Showers are frequent in autumn and spring. Northwesterly winds are common in winter and autumn, while southwesterly and westerly winds prevail in summer and spring.

Until the 1960s, the Ural Seas main source of water was rivers Syr Darya and the Amu Darya, accounting for close to four-fifth of its water supply. Rainfall accounted for the rest of the waters. However, when the Soviet government diverted the rivers to irrigate the farms in Ferghana Valley, the water balance was greatly affected due to the high evaporation rate. Evaporation reduced the water level in the lake by the same amount brought in by the rivers. Therefore, the diversion of the rivers caused the sea to shrink slowly over the years. Over the years, the water level has decreased by more than 20 feet. The size of the lake has also declined to less than 10% of the original area.

Brief History

Ship graveyard in the dried up bed of the Aral Sea in Uzbekistan.

Desert nomads inhabited most of the areas around the lake. However, not much is known about them since they left few written records. Later, the Kwarazm of the Tang Dynasty occupied the Oxus delta in the south and established the Chinese western frontier in the region. Russian expedition, led by Alexey Butakov, conducted the first Aral Sea for exploration in 1848. Three years later, they established the first fishing industry in the area. However, the Russian navy established the first post on the Aral region at Raimsk in 1847, which later became Fort Aralsk. Since the Aral Sea does not connect to any other water body, the Russians dissembled their vessels and transported them overland then reassembled them at Aralsk. One of the vessels was used by Butakov to survey the lake region in 1848. It took the Russians two years to explore the entire area

The Diminishing Sea

The Aral Sea is constantly shrinking.

Before the 1960s, the Aral Sea had a maximum depth of 69 meters (western shores) and a surface area of 68,000 square kilometers. It has a maximum length of 435 kilometers from north to south and was 290 kilometers wide from west to east. However, the average depth was less than 16 meters. The northern shore had numerous bays and the eastern shore had a huge river delta (Syr Darya) bordered by shallow waters. Amu Darya delta is on the southern shores.

In the early 1960s, the Soviet government came up with a plan to make cotton one of its chief exports. As part of the plan, waters from the Syr Darya and the Amu Darya were diverted from flowing into the Aral Sea to irrigate the desert region. The Soviets converted large tracts of unused land in Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, and Turkmenistan into farmland and depended on water from the two rivers and their tributaries. Although many canals were constructed in the 1960s, most of them were poorly constructed, allowing excess leakage and evaporation and wasting 30%-75% of the water.

By 1960, the Soviet government had diverted close to 60 cubic kilometers of water from going to the Aral Sea. Between 1961 and 1970, the lakes water level decreased by about 20 centimeters annually. By the end of the 1980s, the water level reduced by at least 80 cm every year. By 1989, the lake had receded and formed two separate portions; the Lesser Sea (North Aral Sea) and Greater Sea (South Aral Sea). Between 1960 and 1998, the lakes surface area shrank by over 60%, and volume reduced by over 80%. By 2004, only 25% of the Aral Sea's water surface was left. The salinity level had also increased nearly ten times, from 10 g/l in the 1960s to 100 g/l in the 200s.

Impact

Cattle on the seabed of Aral Sea.

The disappearance of the Aral Sea did not surprise the Soviets since they expected it to happen at some point. However, not many people were prepared to deal with the environmental consequences that would follow. The lakes rapid shrinkage has led to numerous problems in the region, chief of which is ecosystem collapse. The high mineral and salt content has made the water unfit for use by both wildlife and humans and killed off once-abundant marine species, such as a barbell, carps, sturgeon, and roach.

The fishing industry that once thrived in the region, employing over 40,000 people, was virtually destroyed. As soon as the water levels dropped, the health of the people living in the region began deteriorating. Dust blown from the sea bed contained toxic material, such as fertilizers, salt, and pesticides. The most affected populations are women and children. Some children are born with low birth weight and abnormalities resulting from toxic substances. Major complications among adults range from kidney diseases, anemia, and throat cancer.

Restoration Strategies

The Aral Sea's survival and future lie in the decisions made by five countries; Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, and Kyrgyzstan. The five countries adopted the Aral Sea Basin Program in 1994 as part of the restoration strategy. The program aimed to stabilize the basins environment, rehabilitate the areas around the sea, and improve the lakes water management. The program has received overwhelming support from various international bodies, including the World Bank, UNDP, USAID, ADB, and other foreign governments. However, the restoration process has faced numerous challenges, including lack of co-operation by the member states and lack of public awareness of some initiatives.

Read MoreLakes That Are Called Seas
Saudi Arabia offers cease-fire plan to Yemen rebels View Photo

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP)  Saudi Arabia on Monday offered a cease-fire proposal to Yemens Houthi rebels that includes reopening their countrys main airport, the kingdoms latest attempt to halt years of fighting in a war that has sparked the worlds worst humanitarian crisis.

The move comes after the rebels stepped up a campaign of drone and missile attacks on the kingdoms oil sites, briefly shaking global energy prices amid the coronavirus pandemic. It also comes as Riyadh tries to rehabilitate its image with the U.S. under President Joe Biden. Saudi Arabia has drawn internationally criticism for airstrikes killing civilians and embargoes exacerbating hunger in a nation on the brink of famine.

Whether the plan will take hold remains another question. A unilaterally declared Saudi cease-fire collapsed last year. Fighting rages around the crucial city of Marib and the Saudi-led coalition launched airstrikes as recently as Sunday targeting Yemens capital of Sanaa. A U.N. mission said another suspected airstrike hit a food-production company in the port city of Hodeida.

We want the guns to fall completely silent, Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan told journalists at a televised news conference in Riyadh. It is up to the Houthis now. We are ready to go today. We hope we can have a cease-fire immediately, but the onus is on the Houthis.

A senior Houthi official, who spoke with The Associated Press on condition of anonymity in line with regulations, said the rebels had been aware of the proposal and in direct communication with the Saudis, as well as interlocutors from Oman. However, he said the Saudis needed to do more to see a cease-fire implemented, something reiterated by others in the Iranian-backed rebel group.

Saudi Arabia said the plan would be presented both to the Houthis and Yemens internationally recognized government later Monday. Both would need to accept the plan for it to move forward, with any timeline likely to be set by U.N. Special Envoy to Yemen Martin Griffiths.

U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres welcomed the announcement, said U.N. deputy spokesman Farhan Haq.

There is no doubt that every effort must be made to end the conflict and the suffering of the Yemeni people, and the United Nations looks forward to continuing its work with the parties to achieve this goal, Haq said.

He said Griffiths has been working extensively with the parties to see what can be done to bring them together on the sort of proposals that he made in the Security Council.  So he will be in touch with the Houthis, as with all parties, to see whether we can go further on this.

Saudi Arabia made two concessions to the Houthis in the plan, while not offering everything the rebels previously wanted. The first involves reopening Sanaa International Airport, a vital link for Yemen to the outside world that hasnt seen regular commercial flights since 2015. Officials did not immediately identify what commercial routes they wanted to see resume.

The second would see taxes, customs and other fees generated by the Hodeida port while importing oil put into a joint account of Yemens Central Bank. That account would be accessible to the Houthis and Yemens recognized government to pay civil servants and fund other programs, officials said.

The Saudi government and the Yemeni government it backs have accused the Houthis of stealing those funds in the past. A report this year by a U.N. panel of experts said the Houthis diverted about $200 million from that fund.

Only a small portion of the funds were used to pay salaries, the report said.

Whether the Houthis accept the Saudi proposal remains in question. On Friday, Houthi leader Mohammed Ali al-Houthi proposed a nationwide cease-fire contingent upon Saudi Arabia reopening Sanaas airport to commercial flights and lifting restrictions on cargo shipments to Hodeida. The port handles most of the countrys vital imports. Both are long-standing demands of the Houthis, who swept into Sanaa from their northwestern strongholds in September 2014.

There is nothing new about the Saudi initiative, another senior Houthi official told the AP on condition of anonymity in line with regulations. First, the airport and the port must both be opened.

Prince Faisal criticized the Houthis for making only more and more demands.

The Houthis must decide whether to put their interests first or  Irans interests first, the prince said.

The Saudi-led coalition entered Yemens war in March 2015 as the Houthis threatened to take Yemens port city of Aden and completely overrun the countrys internationally recognized government. The Saudis promised that the offensive  the brainchild of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman  would be over in short order.

Six years later, the fighting rages on. The war has killed some 130,000 people, including over 13,000 civilians slain in targeted attacks, according to the Armed Conflict Location & Event Project. Tens of thousands of children have died of starvation and disease. The conflict also has turned into a regional conflict, with the Saudis using U.S.-made weaponry, and Iran linked to weapons used by the Houthis to target the kingdom.

Last week, Griffiths warned that the war is back in full force. Hundreds of fighters have been killed in the offensive on Marib, while other once-dormant front lines have seen renewed fighting. Saudi television channels repeatedly show black-and-white drone footage set to dramatic music of bombs dropping on suspected Houthi targets.

Yemens internationally recognized government praised the Saudi initiative as an effort to ease the suffering of the Yemeni people. But in a statement, its Foreign Affairs Ministry also warned that the Houthis had met all previous initiatives with obstinacy and procrastination and had worked to deepen the humanitarian crisis.

Since Biden took office, his administration reversed a decision by former President Donald Trump naming the Houthis as a foreign terrorist organization, allowing U.S. aid to flow into rebel-held territory. He also ended U.S. support for the Saudis in the war.

Biden sent the U.S. envoy for Yemen, Tim Lenderking, to the region to negotiate a political settlement. Lenderking said earlier this month that the Houthis had an unspecified cease-fire proposal before them for a number of days, without elaborating. He reportedly met with Houthi officials while on a February trip to Oman, something the State Department has declined to acknowledge.

In a statement, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said he had spoken to the Saudi foreign minister about the war.

Blinken supports efforts to end the conflict in Yemen, starting with the need for all parties to commit to a cease-fire and facilitate the delivery of humanitarian aid, the statement said.

-

Associated Press writers Ahmed al-Haj in Sanaa, Yemen, Edith M. Lederer at the United Nations and Matthew Lee in Washington contributed.

By JON GAMBRELL and ISABEL DEBRE

Associated Press
Costa Resumes Its Cruises Starting From May

GENOA, Italy, March 22, 2021 -- Costa Cruises, the Italian company of Carnival Corporation & plc (NYSE/LSE: CCL; NYSE: CUK), has revised its plans moving its restart to May. The decision has been taken in consideration of the restrictions still in place in Italy and other European countries to contain Covid-19. Such measures do not allow the Company to offer the best cruise vacations to its guests, especially for what concerns the experience ashore.

In line with the new plan, Costa Smeralda's departure in Italy is planned for May 1st, with an unchanged itinerary, sailing guests to beautiful Italian locations, with 3- and 4-day mini-cruises or alternatively a 7-day cruise, calling at Savona, La Spezia, Civitavecchia, Naples, Messina and Cagliari.

From June 12, Costa Smeralda will return to sailing one-week cruises in the western Mediterranean, with visits to Italy (Savona, Civitavecchia and Palermo), France (Marseille) and Spain (Barcelona and Palma de Mallorca).

The departure date of Costa Luminosa, the second Costa ship scheduled to resume service, is postponed to May 16 from Trieste, and the following day from Bari, confirming its program of one-week cruises in Greece and Croatia, in accordance with recent roadmap for the resumption of international tourism in Greece.

The restart of Costa cruises will continue to be supported by the implementation of the Costa Safety Protocol. The protocol contains operational measures related to all aspects of the cruise experience, both on board and ashore, which were implemented in the past months of cruise operations. Such measures include limited capacity, swab tests for all guests and crew, temperature checks when disembarking and re-embarking the ship, protected shore excursions, physical distancing on board and at the cruise terminals, new ways of using on-board services, enhanced sanitation and medical services, and use of protective face masks when necessary.

Furthermore, the company is also working with national and local authorities of the countries included in the itineraries of its ships outside Italy to define the details of the resumption of its cruise operations.

As previously announced, all other cruises scheduled until the end of May, and not included in the Costa Smeralda and Costa Luminosa programs updated today, are cancelled. Costa is in the process of informing travel agents and customers affected by changes.

CONTACT: Costa Cruises Press Office, Tel. +39 010 5483523 / 010 5483068, costapressoffice@costa.it, or Gabriele Baroni, Corporate Communication & Media Relations Director, cell. +39 3497668013, baroni@costa.it, or Rossella Carrara, V. P. Corporate Relations & Sustainability Costa Group, rossella.carrara@costa.it, or Davide Barbano, Media Relations manager, cell. 334 6525216, barbano@costa.it
Loading The Yongala, every maritime man of experience thinks, has torn her bottom out on the rocks, and sunk in deep water with every soul aboard. To launch a boat in the hurricane raging when the disaster occurred would have been impossible. The wreck is the worst as far as mortality is concerned on the Queensland coast. It is believed that in all there were 122 persons aboard. This exceeds the loss of life on the B.I.S.N. Cos steamer Quetta, which was wrecked in 1899 off Cape York when 130 people drowned. FEAR THE WORST Fear the worst. These words were contained in a message received this afternoon by the local manager of the Adelaide S.S. Co. from Brisbane. The office message was marked Urgent, and contained the information that two bags of chaff, two of pollard, one of bran and one of pumpkins had been picked up at Cape Bowling Green a mile along the beach by the light house keeper, and the marking were identical with cargo shipped in the lower hold of the Yongala at Brisbane.

Loading Little hope is now held out of the safety of the Yongala. The Sydney representatives of the company, who all along were inclined to believe that the delay in the ships arrival was due to a breakdown of machinery, now fear that the Yongala met her hate in the cyclonic storm which raged along the Queensland coast. So far there is no news of passengers and crew. A CHIEF OFFICERS VIEW

WHAT PROBABLY HAPPENED Chief Officer R. S. Millington, of the steamer Guthrie, which passed through the centre of the cyclone on the Queensland coast, stated today that there was no doubt the Yongala passed through Whitsunday Passage, and then fell in with the cyclone. In such a storm the weather would be very thick, and in such circumstances no man living could navigate a waterway inside the Great Barrier Reef. Loading After clearing Whitsunday Passage it was a mass of reefs. From Dent Island, where she was last seen, was about 100 miles to Cape Bowling Green, where her cargo was washed ashore. If she had gone he would say it was on a patch of reefs about 23 miles north-east of Cape Upstart, to the southward of Townsville. She had doubtless gone on the Barrier Reef somewhere. If she struck anywhere it would be utterly impossible for Captain Knight (of the Yongala) to know his true position in the very thick weather she must have met. In the Guthrie they had a terrible time for a while.
BALTIMORE, March 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Paul R. Lucas, MD, FACS, RPVI, is being recognized by Continental Who's Who as a Top Distinguished Surgeon in the field of Vascular Surgery and for demonstrating excellence in his prominent roles as Chief of Vascular Surgery, and Director with The Vascular Center at Mercy.

Proudly serving the Baltimore community at 301 St. Paul Place, The Vascular Center is led by Dr. Paul Lucas, Director of The Vascular Center and Chief of Vascular Surgery at Mercy Medical Center. With a team of highly qualified and skilled vascular surgeons and technologists, Dr. Lucas is committed to offering comprehensive diagnosis and treatment of circulatory system disorders including stroke and mini-stroke, leg pain and swelling, blood clots in veins, aneurysms, varicose veins, spider veins, and circulatory diseases. Many of these procedures are minimally invasive procedures that typically allow for more rapid recovery and return to daily activities. Additionally, Mercy is home to its nationally accredited and regionally recognized vascular laboratory at The Vascular Center at Mercy, in which Dr. Lucas was instrumental in its establishment as a premier center of excellence, as well as a teaching site for vascular technology education. Dr Lucas is a Registered Physician in Vascular Interpretation.

Board-Certified Vascular Surgeon, Dr. Lucas has garnered 25 years of vast knowledge and professional experience. In his current assignments at the Vascular Center, he has devoted the past 18 years to providing the highest standard of care for all venous and arterial issues with a strong focus on venous (varicose veins) and carotid disease. Utilizing the latest technologies at the Vascular Center, he specializes in Venefit (formerly known as VNUS Closure) and Veingogh procedures for varicose vein removal and is continuously seeking advanced diagnostic and treatment options for more efficient care. As an experienced medical professional, Dr. Lucas takes great pride in patient communication and is admired for his attentiveness to patient needs. To prepare for his career, Dr. Lucas obtained his Bachelor's degree from SUNY @ Geneseo. Shortly after, he earned his Medical Degree from Ross University School of Medicine. Gaining valuable extensive training, Dr. Lucas completed a General Surgical residency at Union Memorial Hospital in Baltimore, Maryland, and a Vascular Surgery Fellowship at the University of Maryland. He is board-certified in vascular surgery.

A front runner in his field, Dr. Lucas remains up-to-date with the latest advancements in vascular surgery as a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons. He is an active member of the Society for Vascular Surgery, the Maryland State Medical Society, and the Vascular and Endovascular Society. A respected voice in his field, Dr. Lucas has published several articles throughout his career.

In light of his professional achievements, Dr. Lucas is a multiyear recipient of the Top Doc Award from Baltimore Magazine.

Dr. Lucas dedicates this recognition to his parents, Barbara and Richard Lucas, who encouraged and supported him throughout his education, and to his collegiate mentor and inspiration, Stacy Edgar, Ph.D.

For further information, please visit https://mdmercy.com/.

Contact: Katherine Green, 516-825-5634, [email protected]

SOURCE Continental Who's Who

Related Links

http://www.continentalwhoswho.com


Philanthropist Dorothea Laub Pledges $1 Million to Restore the Balboa Park Carousel

Plus, San Diego Humane Society hosts a virtual kitten shower, Feeding San Diego and STEP plan food distributions for veterans, and Cal Coast Credit Union raises money for small businesses
Horse racing was a big winner for rural Ireland last week, and a good example of how our small island nation punches above its weight.

Irish success at Cheltenham was greeted as part of the St Patricks Day global celebration of Irishness around the globe.

Its no small achievement for the Irish farms on which the best jump racing horses in the world are reared and trained.

Racing over the jumps has its roots still firmly attached in parishes all over the country, from where talented breeders, trainers and riders sent their horses to win 23 of the 28 races at Cheltenham last week.

The 3.7m of prize money on offer for those 21 races is a measure of the achievement of the Irish jump racing (also known as National Hunt racing) industry.

The story begins on the Irish farms where the winners were bred, reared and raced.

For example, no fewer than four of the top Irish winners, Honeysuckle in the Champion Hurdle, Minella Indo in the Gold Cup, Appreciate It in the Supreme Novices Hurdle, and Vanillier in the Albert Bartlett Hurdle, had their first racing wins on a farm in north Cork.

The OBrien farm at Dromahane, near Mallow, is the site of one of nearly 100 informal racecourses where point to point racing goes on from September to June every year.

Farms are converted to racecourses for the annual races, an important community event in horseracing areas in most Irish counties (Co Cork and Northern Ireland are the leading venues, with Co Wexford a leading training area).

Point to point racing, run by local people at the parish level, supervised by the Irish National Hunt Steeplechase Committee and the Irish Horseracing Regulatory Board, is more a rural sport than a business.

But it is where many riders, owners, trainers, and officials, get their first taste of jump racing, and is vital for the breeding and training aspects of the sport.

Of the 28 winners at Cheltenham, six were sold for six-figure sums after winning an Irish point-to-point race.

Thats how important these community events are for the ever-rising worldwide reputation of Irish jump horses.

Up to half a million euro can be paid for a promising young horse that has proved its ability to gallop and jump at racing pace in these local three-mile events.

No fewer than 13 of last weeks 28 Cheltenham winners, and 16 of the placed horses, began their careers in Irish point-to-points.

Well done to Agriculture Minister Charlie McConalogue for congratulating Irish racing on its outstanding successes at Cheltenham, welcoming this clear indicator that the Irish breeding industry remains extremely competitive at a global level.

Hopefully Minister McConalogue will work to keep the racing success story going. by helping point-to-point handlers overcome the major challenge posed by their racing between the flags being suspended since January 13 as part of the governments Level 5 Covid-19 restrictions.

This has left trainers unable to run horses in the races for which they were bought, and subsequently unable to bring their stock to market.

Instead of prices reaching new heights on the back of 13 point-to-pointer wins at Cheltenham, a backlog of untested horses is building up in point-to-point handlers yards.

With no Irish point-to-point races since January 13 (even though racing inside the rails has continued behind closed doors), theres a danger of missing out on the next crop of the Irish point-to-point graduates that won all of the Grade 1 novice events last week.

Meanwhile, the Ministers department can bask in the success of how Government funding in the horse industry, which it oversees, yields a high return on investment.

Of the 28 winners at Cheltenham, 20 were Irish-bred, and they included nine Grade 1 winners.

That will help to ensure that bloodstock export sales worth hundreds of millions of euro per year continue, and the Irish bloodstock industrys 14,000 jobs and estimated 1.1 billion value to the economy are underpinned.

Most people in the industry agreed that last weeks Irish domination of one of the worlds most important jump racing events was due to higher prize money in Ireland attracting the best horses.

So Horse Racing Ireland can take a bow for its prize money and capital investment programme that has grown the sector to become a world centre of excellence for horse racing, and a national success in terms of employment and foreign direct investment, as well as being export-oriented.

Racing is estimated to account for up to 80,000 tourists to Ireland each year, among the one million plus who attend horse racing (until Covid-19 sent it behind closed doors).

Ireland is the chosen destination for horseflesh, being the largest producer of thoroughbred foals in Europe and the fourth largest in the world. Government funding has been well spent for success in an ultra-competitive industry.

In the UK, the home of horse racing, there is hand-wringing this week over how they no longer breed enough jump winners.

In fact, it is France that mounts the biggest challenge to Ireland, albeit French breeders had only four winners (14%) last week.

But 31% of the Cheltenham winners between 2011 and 2020 were bred in France. That compares with 53% Irish-bred, and just 13% British-bred.

Just as in France, Government funding is crucial to remain one of the worlds leading breeding and racing nations.

Government help is needed now that Brexit has ended 13 years of seamless horse transport between the UK, France, and Ireland.

Breeders moving mares, or owners moving racehorses, now find it much more expensive.

Fortunately, that didnt deter the big Irish contingent that went to Cheltenham.

Horse transporters and their vehicles must now be authorised before travelling overseas, and extra blood tests and certification are required for each horse.

VAT must be paid on the value of the animal being exported, even if it is only a temporary export, and can subsequently be reclaimed.

As a result, the cost of transporting horses has jumped, and the bureaucracy has multiplied.
Chinese venture capital fund of funds manager Unicorn Capital Partners closed its oversubscribed Fund IV on its $450m hard cap in six months. The new fundraising saw an 80% rise from its previous Fund II, which was closed on $250m hard cap in 2018.
By Andrew Hammond





The most important meeting in international relations so far this year took place Thursday and Friday with the diplomatic mood as frosty as the freezing Alaska weather.







Expectations around the U.S.-China session were played down, yet the diplomatic sparks at the session, between U.S. Secretary of State Anthony Blinken plus National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan and counterparts Wang Yi and Yang Jiechi, will help shape the tone of the world's most critical bilateral relationship for the next four years.







This is because, while economic and security fundamentals will largely determine the course of ties in coming years, personal chemistry between the Washington and Beijing teams  or the absence of this  could also be key.







The importance of this personal factor was shown during the Trump era when the former president's erratic nature accentuated the natural volatility in ties. During the Obama years, by contrast, the fact that relations remained generally cordial reflected, in significant part, the commitment of Barack Obama and Xi Jinping to bilateral stability.







Obama pursued a strategy that promoted cooperation on softer issues like climate change, while seeking constructive engagement on vexed, harder issues such as South China Sea tensions.







Moreover, Xi outlined a desire to fundamentally redevelop a new type of great power relationship with the United States to try to avoid the conflictual great power patterns of the past.







Biden was a key part of the Obama team, however, and he knows that the dynamics of the bilateral relationship have changed significantly since then. This is not just because of extra uncertainty injected into bilateral ties by Trump.







Many of China's policies that the United States finds troubling, including in Hong Kong, heightened rhetoric against Taiwan and actions in the South China Sea, were a lower-level feature of the Obama era too. And the Obama team's constructive engagement approach with China did not produce many of the desired results in terms of shaping Beijing's behavior.







Both sides put these issues "on the table" in Alaska, and although Blinken said that the session is "not a strategic dialogue," Washington and Beijing will ultimately prefer to work toward a framework to underpin a renewed basis for bilateral relations into the 2020s if this is possible. They know that this could have a broader, positive effect for international relations, and potentially forestall significant further bilateral tensions that may be otherwise "baked in."







The in-built hazards in the U.S.-China bilateral landscape that could cause tensions in coming years include new U.S. legislation such as the Hong Kong Human Rights and Democracy Act.







This legislation, which has infuriated Beijing as an "intervention" in its internal affairs, will require an annual check on whether Hong Kong has sufficient political autonomy from Beijing to qualify for continued special U.S. trading consideration that enhances its status as a world financial center, creating a yearly mechanism around which tension could coalesce.







With the two sides far apart on many key issues, the Alaska session was a chance to size each other up and gauge intent. This is true just as much for the Chinese officials as for Blinken and Sullivan, as Beijing tries to get a better sense of what Biden's election means for bilateral relations.







For all of the new U.S. president's indications that he might reverse some of Trump's overt hostility to China, Biden has yet to backtrack on any of his predecessor's policies. Indeed, he has reaffirmed several of them, including maintaining sanctions in response to human rights abuses in western Xinjiang and Hong Kong and rejecting nearly all of China's maritime claims in the South China Sea.







Amid all the disagreements that exist, what remains unclear is the degree to which the Biden team might seek to work with Beijing in areas where there are clearly defined common interests like climate change.







Tackling global warming is a key political priority of both nations and there may be a window of opportunity before the U.K.-hosted U.N. climate summit in November for a U.S.-China initiative in this area.







It is sometimes forgotten that a key precursor for the Paris deal in 2015 was a U.S.-China agreement. So, with climate-skeptic Donald Trump out of the White House, this could become a rejuvenated topic of conversation for Beijing and Washington.







Another possible area of collaboration, building on the so-called "stage 1" bilateral trade deal negotiated in 2018 and 2019, is the possibility of further economic agreements between the two. The scope for this is underlined by the fact that the Trump agreement covers few of the areas that China is often accused of misdemeanors from currency manipulation to intellectual property theft.







If the two sides can find such areas of agreement, it will demonstrate that the direction of Washington's bilateral relations with Beijing need not inevitably be a force for greater global tension. Moreover, this might even provide a pathway toward a deeper strategic partnership that helps underpin bilateral relations in the post-pandemic era.











Andrew Hammond ( andrewkorea@outlook.com ) is an associate at LSE IDEAS at the London School of Economics.
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March 22, 2021

The world is progressing day by day. Every new day is Bringing new revolutions in all the fields. Marketing, trading and finance departments have evolved to a great extent. This evolution has opened up doors for many new inventions. As trading and infusing money has converted to digital platforms, things are becoming pretty complicated.







Many people around the globe are using online forums for making money. But many of them are still confused. People feel reluctant to infuse money in e-markets. They have their own insecurities.

Bitcoin Introduction

You may have heard the name Bitcoin, this is a digital currency of computer origin. Bitcoin cryptocurrency is of great importance as it has a number of starling Properties. Back in 2009, Bitcoin was used for the very first time. This was the time when people were looking forward to a platform where they can invest their money and can take control of their investment. Bitcoin cryptocurrency developers provided them a platform to do so. Bitcoin cryptocurrency came up with the idea of independent working.

3 Unique characters.

The following 3 things make Bitcoin to stand out:

Peer to Peer working

The best thing about the Bitcoin cryptocurrency is that it works in end to end encryption, just like Skype (News - Alert) , whatsapp etc. All the information that is being shared between the Bitcoin users remains between them. This provides a sense of security among the users of the cryptocurrencies. People feel comfortable at a place where they can get full custody of their money along with a sense of privacy. The developers of the Bitcoins kept this thing in mind. All the threads that are being made between you and the other respective person, remain between you two. Although the transaction details are shared publicly,the personal identity of the receiver as well as the sender remains private and secure. To learn more please check Yuan Pay App UK.

Non-Centralized and independent

The one more thing that makes Bitcoin preferable is the fact that the bitcoin cryptocurrency is a place where you are not bound to anyone. You work by yourself and you don't have to follow any hard and fast rules. Bitcoin cryptocurrency takes no control from any bank or government officials. The working of the Bitcoin digital currency is totally independent. All the actions that you take are limited to yourself. In this way only you can control your profit or loss. This concept can be understood by taking into account the fact why Bitcoin cryptocurrency was formed.

The main ideology behind the formation of the Bitcoin cryptocurrency was to make people their own boss. Back in 2008, a bank crisis crashed down the market causing distress among the investors. People started taking their money off the banks. That was the best time to present something like the Bitcoin digital currency.

Full secure

The Bitcoin digital currency has a very unique feature. The cryptocurrency is pretty secure. This is done by the help of a number of wallets available on the internet. These cold wallets make sure that the Bitcoins are kept in a place where they are fully secure by the help of private keys.These keys are a long serial number that is unique in nature. This key is your personal identity that is only visible to you. The purpose of this key is to provide you with a gateway to the Bitcoin digital currency market. It is very hard or nearly impossible to crack this private Bitcoin wallet key. The only way by which this can be done is by hackers or other malleolus activities. You should keep in mind that once you lose your key you will never be able to get it back. In Bitcoin cryptocurrency, the person who owns the key owns the wallet. You can never claim the key to anyone. So it is really important to stay aware of any suspicious activity.

Bottom line

The use of technology has been quite common nowadays. This century is the century of globalization and digitalisation. People are becoming more and more smart with respect to their business and job. This is the point where everything is being transformed to a digital platform. Bitcoin cryptocurrency is also a huge step in this regard. The use of the Bitcoin cryptocurrency has made the life of traders easy. You can use it as a purpose of payment as well as a source of doing investment. In short the Bitcoin cryptocurrency has a number of profits and gains. The need of the hour is to be careful while using the Bitcoin cryptocurrency. Everything comes with some drawbacks that you can never ignore. Making one wrong move can destroy your accounts. It is really important to stay up-to-date about all the bitcoin trends and news so that you can make the right decision at the right time and can earn huge profits and gains out of your investment.
More than 30,000 Kiwi kids across Aotearoa New Zealand will learn vital beach safety skills this year under Surf Life Saving New Zealands Beach Education programme.

SLSNZ Chief Executive, Paul Dalton, says the majority of beach drownings are preventable and initiatives like SLSNZs Beach Education programme are key to future-proofing the next generation of beachgoers.

At SLSNZ, we believe beach education is a vital preventative measure when it comes to reducing the drowning toll. The Beach Ed programme provides practical water skills in a real beach setting and its taught by qualified Surf Lifeguards.

Emma Kemp, Beach Education Coordinator for SLSNZs Central Region, says that 4600 students are booked for term 1 this year in the lower North Island alone.

Other regions have experienced similar levels of interest in the programme, which operates nationally.

Its great to see so many schools getting involved, she says.

At this rate, we need some of the kids to attend to hurry up and grow up so they can become Surf Lifeguards and help instruct.

Given that New Zealand is an island nation, Kemp says its important for all kiwi kids to know how to make the most of the ocean environment without putting themselves in harms way.

If our children can have the knowledge and confidence to make the call as to whether its safe or not to go swimming, then they can better protect themselves, their parents, and any children they may have in the future. Each year-group of pupils that gains these skills is another generation that can help make this knowledge common-place.

SLSNZs outgoing South Island Beach Education Coordinator, Caitlin Ruddle, has seen this ripple-effect in action.

I have seen Beach Ed students on the beach teaching their siblings about rip currents and have heard them teaching their whanau about the 3Rs (rip survival plan). The butterfly effect of Beach Ed is pretty cool.

Kemp says students present to Beach Ed with a wide range of ability and confidence when it comes to engaging with the sea.

One of her favourite moments as an instructor involved a nervous young girl who had never stepped foot in the ocean before.

While all her peers were confident and easily manoeuvring through the waves, she was scared and I wasnt sure I was going to be able to talk her into even dipping her toes in. But a couple of the other kids from her school group stopped playing and came and asked her to join them. Holding hands, they all slowly walked into the water together.

They waded past all the adults, high-fiving as they went, and the rest of the class all stopped their activities to cheer this girl on.

That young girl came out of the water with the biggest grin I had ever seen.

For Kemp, this is just one example of children showing compassion and care for each-other and their surroundings as part of the Beach Ed programme.

The ocean is an asset that we should cherish  if everyone could read the ocean as naturally as they read road signs, we would be fast on our way to our goal of zero drownings on New Zealand beaches.

Amanda King, a Team Leader at Oropi School in the Bay of Plenty, agrees.

Her school brings a new group of students for Beach Ed every year and says the programme is now a crucial part of the schools health and PE Programme.

Through Beach Ed, our children learn vital skills to keep themselves safe at our beaches. The children find the day highly engaging, with an excellent mix of practical time in the water and excellent theory sessions. These days are always a highlight!

The SLSNZ Beach Ed programme is made possible through funding from TSB and Water Safety New Zealand and includes clubhouse, beach and water activities. Students use critical thinking in order to learn life-saving knowledge including how to identify and escape from rip currents and how to practice safe, fun ocean activities.

TSB CEO, Donna Cooper, says the national programme is an initiative the bank is thrilled to support.

Surf Life Saving New Zealand saves hundreds of lives in the water every year, but with this water safety education programme theyre also saving lives before they even hit the waves. As a New Zealand owned bank, TSB cares about Kiwis and communities right across the country, so were proud to support this critical work ensuring the safety of our next generation.

Beach Ed is a full-day interactive course taught at select beaches across the country. Students are enrolled through their school and all instructors are fully-qualified Surf Lifeguards.

Bookings are now open for Term 4, 2021 and Term 1, 2022. For more information or to get your school involved, visit the Beach Education page on the SLSNZ website.
Source: Xinhua| 2021-03-22 11:13:32|Editor: huaxia

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SAO PAULO, March 21 (Xinhua) -- The Brazilian government announced on Sunday that they would accelerate the immunization process, with release for immediate application of all vaccines stored in the municipalities.

"We are going to double applications this week, immunizing a large number of the Brazilian population," Health Minister Eduardo Pazuello said in a statement.

According to the statement, the decision was made given the anticipated acceleration in vaccine production by the Butantan Institute of Sao Paulo and Oswaldo Cruz Foundation (Fiocruz).

The Butantan Institute imported and developed the CoronaVac vaccine from the Chinese laboratory Sinovac, while Fiocruz produced the AstraZeneca-Oxford University vaccine with imported supplies.

Since Jan. 17 when the vaccination campaign began, the states and municipalities have had to reserve half of the doses received for second doses.

The Brazilian Ministry of Health received 5 million doses of vaccines this weekend. Among them, 3.9 million CoronaVac doses were from the Butantan Institute, and 1,051,750 doses were manufactured by Fiocruz.

In Brazil, more than 11.7 million people have received the first doses of the COVID-19 vaccines, while 4.1 million have been fully vaccinated.

Brazil has registered 11,998,233 cases of COVID-19, with 294,042 deaths as of Sunday. Enditem
Dubai Airport Freezone Authority (Dafza) has achieved trade amounting to AED87.4 billion ($23.8 billion) during the first nine months of 2020, marking a 10% contribution to Dubais trade and a trade surplus amounting to AED10.6 billion.



Dafza, which is celebrating its Silver Jubilee year, highlighted an increase of 7.62 percent in sales revenues, and 64.11 percent increase in the number of registered companies during the period, reported state news agency Wam.



During this period, confidence in the free zones capabilities remained strong due to Dafzas ability to combat the economic slowdown while leading operations towards a full economic recovery. The free zone recorded an increase in the number of businesses that have commenced operations within Dafza or moved operations to the free zone, during a period of rapid changes in business and trade sectors.



Commenting on the 2020 results, Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, Chairman of Dubai Airport Freezone Authority (Dafza), expressed that 2020 was an extraordinary year that posed major challenges for various vital sectors. During the end of 2020, as a response to the crisis and the need to adapt to the new norm imposed by the social distancing measures, we are committed to the directives of our wise leadership to provide an impetus to a sustainable and inclusive economic recovery, he said.



Sheikh Ahmed said: "The results achieved by Dafza and its business community during 2020, the investors confidence and other various indicators give a positive outlook on the short and long term for economic recovery in the country. This is also supported by the return of the economic sectors to high production levels after overcoming the challenges, which was reinforced by several government initiatives that aimed to accelerate economic recovery and enhance movement of supply chains and global trade."



"Dafza is currently home to more than 1,800 companies. In 2020, the free zone recorded a growth of 64.11 percent in the number of new registered companies," he added.



The group of electronics, electrical & ICT accounted for the largest number of the total number of companies registered in Dafza, with a rate of 28.4 percent, 20 percent of which were multinational companies (MNCs). This sector was the main contributor to Dafzas trade during the first nine months of the year, with a rate of 75.8 percent for exports and re-exports and a rate of 74.1 percent for imports. The group witnessed strong growth during the first nine months of the year by 13 percent in terms of imports and 2.5 percent in terms of total trade compared to the same period in 2019.



The group of logistics and freight companies accounted for 11 percent, 23.71 percent of which were multinational companies (MNCs). Followed by consumer products companies that accounted for 7 percent, 34.42 percent of which were MNCs. Consultancy and Business development companies accounted for 7 percent, and multinational companies constituted 21.31 percent. The companies specialized in aerospace, aviation & related services accounted for 6.3 percent of the total number of companies, 33 percent of which were MNCs.



As for the nationality of companies, the Middle Eastern companies accounted for the largest percentage of the total number of companies in Dafza by 54 percent, followed by European companies by 21.5%, and Asian companies by 15 percent.



China ranked first in terms of major trading partners during the first nine months of the year with a percentage of 25 percent and a value of AED22 billion. China strengthened that position with Dafza by growing its trade with a stimulus of 18 percent during the same period, and Iraq came second with 10 percent with an estimated value of AED9 billion, followed by India with 8 percent and a value of AED7 billion. In terms of imports, China ranked first with a rate of 57 percent, followed by India with 18 percent and the US by 8 percent, while Iraq ranked first in terms of exports and re-exports by 18.2 percent and the UAE's exports by 11.9 percent, followed by Switzerland with 10 percent.



Dr. Mohammed Al Zarooni, Director General of Dafza, said: "In 2021, Dafza is committed to the government directions aimed at easing the challenges of the pandemic on the economic sectors and supporting companies towards economic recovery.



That will be achieved with the return of economic activities and the opening of more global markets. This year, we will also continue to enhance the incentives to attract new companies, especially small and medium-sized companies, which see Dafza as the right environment for growth. They will be able to establish their companies by leveraging the flexibility, strategic location and other advantages that Dafza provides. There is also a big focus on a number of sectors that are witnessing a strong momentum during the current period such as technology, logistics, medical equipment and pharmaceuticals.



The year 2021 will witness the launch of a set of economic initiatives and incentives within Dafzas plan to accelerate the economic recovery from the pandemic, which will include more than 22 strategic initiatives that will be implemented during the next two years. The initiatives cover various dimensions including the commercial and promotional dimension, services, customer experience and the diversification of investments.
As part of its Corporate social responsibilities management of Lysaro 3L ventures have supported the Akuapem Akropong School for the blind with 2 Desktop Computers, and consumables such as 10 bags of rice, 15 gallons of Cooking oil, 5 bags of sugar, 4 bags of flour, biscuits, drinks, 15 Gallons of liquid soap and PPEs. The items worth Thousands of Cedis.



Making the presentation,the CEO for Lysaro 3L Ventures and a Philanthropist, Mrs. Cynthia Adjei stated that, it's part of the company's CSOs and they have been supporting the school in several ways and the company's duty to support the less privileged in the society. She also added that society has not done much to support the less privilege and the vulnerable ones, urging individuals and organisations to join resources to help the disadvantaged in the society to give them hope especially those on the streets.



She however appealed to the school authorities to use the items to the benefit of the students who were the very reason for the donation.



Receiving the items , the assistant headmaster of the school Mr. Joseph Hormedzi commended the company and its CEO Mrs. Cynthia Agyei for their tremendous support to the institution all the time.



He appealed to corporate bodies and benevolent organizations to support them equip its vocational training department with basic materials and logistics to help trained the visually impaired students to acquire handicraft skills during their stay in the school and make them gain some self employable skills in Future in order not to become a burden to the society.



According to the Mr. Hormedzi, the absence of some of these Vocational materials and equipments affects the efficiency of the training of students in the vocational skills.



The Akropong school for the blind was established several years ago to cater for the educational needs of the visually impaired ones in society.



In thinking about giving them theoretical education, vocational training was also considered to equip the students with some employable skills for their future.



However, the department which train these students is saddled with some challenges which makes it difficult for them to fully achieve its purpose.



Speaking to Michael Akrofi in Akuapem Akropong, the Assistant Headmaster of the School, Master Joseph Atsu said, their mandate of training the students to acquire employable skills has become difficult since most of the materials and logistics needed for efficient work has not been met.



He therefore used the opportunity to appeal to corporate bodies, benevolent organizations and individuals to support them address the problem.

Source: Michael Akrofi/Peacefm Correspondent









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Ronald Combs, a teacher of voice and opera at the university level for over forty years and a composer with nine operas to his credit, has completed his new book The Remarkable Adventure of Princess Fu Xiao: a gripping and potent story about discovering ones inner truth.

This book was written for the daughter of a friend of mine. Fu Xiao was adopted from China when she was a baby. Her mom sang at the Lyric Opera in Chicago and was studying singing with me. Fu Xiao sometimes accompanied her mother to the lessors. She loved to read and often brought a book to pass the time, writes Ronald Combs on describing his inspiration for writing this story. Her birthday was coming up. So I decided it might be fun to dash off a little story for her as a birthday gift. It turned out that writing a story is far more challenging than I imagined. I struggled with it for several months. When it was finally finished, an artistic friend of mine kindly agreed to illustrate it.

Published by Page Publishing, Ronald Combss captivating tale follows Fu Xiao, a young girl who was adopted from China as a baby. One afternoon, on a trip to the zoo, she is confronted by a stranger who tells her that he is her older brother. He explains that she is actually a princess in a mysterious kingdom called Le Yuan and that she has a twin sister.

Le Yuan is in terrible trouble, and only Fu Xiao can save it from utter devastation. She agrees to try her best to help, resulting in a rousing ride to China on the back of a dragon. When she reaches the kingdom, she faces thrilling confrontations with an evil witch and a scheming courtier. To save the kingdom, Le Yuan must free her sister and overcome the magical powers of the witch. The result is a delightful adventure and accompanying stunning illustrations that will keep readers turning the pages until the very end.

Readers who wish to experience this remarkable work can purchase The Remarkable Adventure of Princess Fu Xiao 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.

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Page Publishing is a traditional, full-service publishing house that handles all the intricacies involved in publishing its authors books, including distribution in the worlds largest retail outlets and royalty generation. Page Publishing knows that authors need to be free to create, not mired in logistics like eBook conversion, establishing wholesale accounts, insurance, shipping, taxes, and so on. Pages accomplished writers and publishing professionals allow authors to leave behind these complex and time-consuming issues and focus on their passion: writing and creating. Learn more at http://www.pagepublishing.com.
A San Antonio hotel owner has been sued and accused the operator of price-gouging during last months storm that left millions of Texans without power and heat during sub-freezing temperatures, the state attorney generals office said.

The attorney general accuses Everyoung Hospitality, owner of the La Quinta San Antonio Brook City Base, of dramatically raising prices during the storm. The lawsuit filed in state district court in Bexar County seeks up to $250,000 in damages for each violation of the state law against deceptive trade practices.

Attorney General Ken Paxton accused the hotel of gross exploitation of Texans in dire need of shelter during historic low temperatures.

In the lawsuit, the attorney general said a man and his wife who had been regular customers for three years had their daily rate raised from $65 to $189.

Another family with a 101-year-old grandmother booked two rooms for a one-night stay at $74 a night, but when they extended their stay the price rose to $199 a night. The man recorded a clerk explaining that prices were rising because the hotel was fully booked, Theres a long waiting list. Everybody is coming.

A man who answered a phone number listed for Everyoung Hospitality said the La Quinta raised prices as the number of available rooms declined, which he said is a standard practice in the hotel business.

The man said the hotel incurred extra costs for electricity, natural gas and food during the storm, and pets owned by guests damaged carpeting. He said the hotel did not make any money during the storm. He declined to give his name.

The lawsuit identifies Everyoungs registered agent as Xiang Yang of San Antonio.

Texas law prohibits selling fuel, food, medicine, lodging and other necessities at excessive prices during state or federal disaster declarations. Gov. Greg Abbott declared a state of emergency during the storm.

Copyright 2021 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Topics Windstorm
LONDON - Oxford University and AstraZeneca reported Monday that their coronavirus "vaccine for the world" was safe and 79% effective overall, according to data from a long-awaited clinical trial in the United States, Chile and Peru. The two-shot regimen was completely effective at preventing severe cases of illness.

The results, announced in a news release, set the stage for U.S. regulators to decide whether to authorize the easily transported $4 shot after the company submits an application in coming weeks. The two-shot regimen is already being used in many countries, but authorization by the Food and Drug Administration would open up the U.S. market and send a strong signal to the globe about the quality of the inoculation.

The AstraZeneca results are sure to prompt debate within the Biden administration about how the shot fits into the U.S. vaccine strategy, if it is authorized. The U.S. government placed an order for 300 million doses at a cost of $1.2 billion last year.

Based on the timeline for other vaccines, emergency clearance appears unlikely before May, when there will be increased supply of three already authorized vaccines from Moderna, Pfizer-BioNTech and Johnson & Johnson.

Having a fourth would provide the United States insurance against potential manufacturing or supply mishaps involving the three authorized vaccines, and additional options for deploying shots domestically and sending some to other countries that need them. Last week, the Biden administration announced that it would send 4 million doses of the vaccine to Mexico and Canada.

"I think it's too early for us to declare that we are in a surplus position . . . but obviously the more we get confidence in our increased supply, the more flexibility that gives us down the road," whether that involves vaccinating adolescents or sharing the vaccine with other countries, said Andy Slavitt, senior White House adviser on covid-19, during a White House news briefing Monday.

It is too soon to know how the AstraZeneca vaccine will fit into the U.S. vaccine portfolio, said Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases.

Washington Post photo by Michael Robinson Chavez

"The one thing that one can say for sure is that this is good for the world, because it's a cheap vaccine. It's got good results," Fauci said. "They will likely be able to produce enough for a lot of different countries."

Ruud Dobber, president of AstraZeneca's BioPharmaceuticals Business Unit, said that the day the vaccine is authorized, the company would be ready to deliver 30 million doses to the United States, with a total of 50 million ready during that first month. While the U.S. government will determine how to use the 300 million doses already ordered, Dobber said he would be "highly surprised" if they are not used to vaccinate Americans.

The Oxford researchers said an independent monitoring board in the United States "reported no safety concerns among the participants receiving at least one dose of the vaccine."

The Data and Safety Monitoring Board combed through data to look for blood clotting events similar to those that caused the vaccination effort to be suspended last week in many European countries. While the inoculations were restarted after a pause, the reports undermined confidence in the vaccine in Europe. The independent board found no suggestion that the vaccine carried an increased risk of clotting.

The trials included 32,449 adult participants in all age groups, most of them in the United States. The volunteers received two standard doses of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine or a placebo, at a four-week interval.

The scientists said the data shows that the vaccine is 79% effective against symptomatic covid-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus, and 100% effective against severe illness. There were five cases of severe illness in the trial, all in the group that received a placebo.

The vaccine proved just as effective in people older than 65 as it was in younger recipients. The virus has proved especially lethal to older adults, and earlier trials of the vaccine were criticized for not recruiting enough older people.

"The data look good. The numbers don't lie," said Fauci, who was briefed on the data Sunday.

The results were reported in a pair of brief news releases from the pharmaceutical company and the university scientists, and have not yet been peer-reviewed or published.

The drug company said, "vaccine efficacy was consistent across ethnicity and age. Notably, in participants aged 65 years and over, vaccine efficacy was 80%."

The FDA has given emergency authorization to vaccines from U.S. firms Pfizer, which partnered with German company BioNTech; Moderna; and Johnson & Johnson.

The Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna vaccines, which require two doses, have shown more than 90% efficacy against symptomatic covid-19. The Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine requires special handling and must be kept at especially cold temperatures in special freezers.

The one-shot Johnson & Johnson efficacy rate is 66% overall and 72% in the United States in preventing moderate to severe cases of covid-19, according to data presented to the FDA.

Experts have warned against comparing trials conducted under different circumstances. Naor Bar-Zeev, a vaccine expert at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, said that when considering protection against severe disease and death, all the vaccines look similar. Variation in their protection against milder cases remains hard to interpret, because the most efficacious vaccines were tested at a time that variants had not yet emerged. It remains an open question how well all the vaccines stop asymptomatic infections and transmission.

The Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine has advantages: It can be stored in an ordinary refrigerator and is relatively cheap. The company has vowed to sell the vaccine at cost during the pandemic.

If the Oxford-AstraZeneca shot is authorized by the FDA for emergency use, it will offer the United States a bounty of vaccines - either to administer to people in the United States or provide to countries in need. Most nations have not administered a single dose of vaccine.

Use of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine was paused across Europe last week after reports of worrying blood clots. The European Medicines Agency, which regulates drugs in the European Union, declared the vaccine safe and effective and said it was not linked with a rise in the overall risk of blood clots. But the EMA did not rule out a possible link to rare cases of clotting in the brain, known as cerebral venous sinus thrombosis, or CVST.

There were no cases of CVST identified in the trial after an investigation by an external safety board that consulted with an independent neurologist.

The vaccine looked more effective in the U.S. trial than Oxford-AstraZeneca trials in Britain last year, which showed 62% efficacy.

Andrew Pollard, a leader of the Oxford team, told The Washington Post that higher efficacy for the vaccine in the U.S. trials probably reflects a difference in testing protocols and identifying volunteers with mild or more moderate covid-19, meaning that the British clinical trials picked up more mild cases, thereby lowering the efficacy readout. The U.S. trials also gave the AstraZeneca vaccine at a four-week interval, but Pollard said there's enough data now to support spacing the doses a month to three months apart.

Bar-Zeev said the differing results could stem from differences in the populations tested or when and where the trials were conducted - for example, the U.S. trial included far more older adults.

Ann Falsey, professor of medicine at the University of Rochester medical school, who was a leader of clinical trial in the United States, said: "It's exciting to see similar efficacy results in people over 65 for the first time. This analysis validates the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine as a much-needed additional vaccination option, offering confidence that adults of all ages can benefit from protection against the virus."

Pollard declined to criticize the Europeans for pausing the rollout of his vaccine when they noted clotting cases. But he stressed that regulators concluded that the benefits of the vaccine outweighed any risk. About 3,000 Europeans are dying of covid-19 every day, Pollard said, "and the virus is still out there."

In its first set of clinical trials in Brazil, Britain and South Africa, AstraZeneca was criticized for not including enough elderly volunteers to show the vaccine works well in those at greatest risk of serious illness. In the U.S. trials, about 20% of participants were 65 years and older, and about 60% had health conditions that can make covid-19 more life-threatening, such as diabetes, severe obesity or cardiac disease.

The U.S. trials also sought to be representative of the population. AstraZeneca said 79% of volunteers were White, 8% Black, 4% Native American and 4% Asian; 22% of participants were Hispanic.

The U.S. trial of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine has taken longer than many forecast. Rare neurological symptoms occurred in three people, two of whom received doses of the study vaccine, causing trials to be suspended worldwide to explore whether those might have been caused by the vaccine. There was no evidence of a connection, but the pause went on for weeks in the United States, setting the trial back.

- - -

Johnson reported from Boulder, Colo. The Washington Post's Laurie McGinley in Washington contributed to this report.
Chinese leader Xi Jinping attends the opening ceremony of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, on March 4, 2021. (Leo Ramirez/AFP via Getty Images)

County CCP Official Reveals Xis True Intentions Toward US

Commentary

The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has been eager to improve relations with the United States since President Joe Biden took office, but the latest statement from the U.S. government calls the U.S.China relationship the biggest geopolitical test of the 21st century, with Secretary of State Antony Blinken saying, The common denominator is the need to engage China from a position of strength.

This could be another disappointment for the CCP.

At a press conference in Beijing on March 4, CCP Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin claimed that the Party has always been a builder of world peace  and an upholder of international order  bringing opportunities instead of challenges to the international community, and remains committed to developing a relationship of non-conflict, non-confrontation, mutual respect, and win-win cooperation with the U.S.

Chinas citizens dont believe such cliches, and Americans shouldnt either. So, what are the real thoughts of the CCPs senior leaders? A few days ago, He Bin, county committee secretary of Qilian County in Qinghai Province, revealed part of CCP leader Xi Jinpings talk on U.S.China relations, which may provide a glimpse into the minds of the Partys top brass.

On Feb. 25, Qilian News, the countys official news website run by the propaganda department of the Qilian County Party Committee, published a speech by He, titled Speech at a special seminar for county-level cadres to study and implement the Fifth Plenary Session of the 19th Party Central Committee.

In his speech, He said that hes studied carefully the important speech of General Secretary Xi Jinping and the spirit of the Fifth Plenary Session of the 19th Central Committee, word by word, sentence by sentence, from beginning to end.

He quoted Xi as saying, The strong West and weak East is history  the East is rising, and the West is declining, adding that Xi said that the biggest source of chaos in the world nowadays is the United States,  the United States is the biggest threat to our countrys development and security.

He said Xi made these remarks in two of General Secretary Xis speeches at the Fifth Plenary Session and in Xis important speech at the seminar of the main leading cadres at the provincial and ministerial levels.

Within the CCP, impromptu speeches are generally only conveyed orally and arent issued in the form of documents or published on the internet. Such speeches are often discussed privately by officials and spread by word of mouth among the populace.

Most Chinese people should understand the CCPs true viewpoint, i.e., the United States is always the enemy and the CCP wants to replace it in world influence. Still, its intriguing that the countys highest CCP official revealed Xis comments. The sentiments that the strong West and weak East is history and the East is rising and the West is declining originated from Mao Zedongs The East Wind prevails over the West Wind.

Xi, who appears to be quite influenced by Mao, still believes that the United States is bound to fall and that the CCP will sooner or later replace it. Xi even directly said that the United States is Chinas biggest threat and that he wants to challenge it.

Perhaps the county official revealed Xis words accidentally. If the U.S. administration reads the comments, would it still consider the CCP a mere competitor?

The article also revealed that Xi, when talking about the governance system, made the directional judgment that economic globalization will continue to undergo profound changes, but the fundamental direction will not change, and that crisis and opportunity coexist, there are opportunities in crisis, and crisis can be turned into opportunity.'

This wishful description doesnt exclude the possibility that Xi is trying to appease officials at all levels, or that Xi is trying to shirk responsibility for his mistakes in foreign relations. However, it does reflect the real understanding of and attitude toward the United States held by the CCPs top leaders. The CCP has never considered a so-called win-win cooperation.

The Party has been trying to find ways to bring down the United States, and doesnt want to change even as the regime rapidly crumbles.

This is not Xis idea alone. The fact that the county official repeated Xis statement with great relish shows that many people within the CCP hold similar short-sighted views to varying degrees, which also reflects the nature of the Party.

That said, its no coincidence that on Jan. 15, the website Guancha (which translates to The Observer), which claims to be an online news and comments aggregator, published an article titled Chen Yixin conveys the spirit of the seminar: It is the trend that the East is rising and the West is falling. The international pattern is developing in Chinas favor.

The website published the original text of Chens speech, with an introductory guide saying that an epidemic is only seen once in a century, and containment and oppression from the United States is a major threat, which is both an unexpected encounter and a protracted war. The coronavirus pandemic is a major test, which is both a challenging crisis and an opportunity. The continued spread of the global epidemic will have a significant impact on all aspects of the world.

The article doesnt explicitly indicate that these are Xis words, but general officials, secretaries, editors, etc., wouldnt dare make up such an introduction and make it a foreword to Chens speech. In this passage, the same argument of the rising East and the declining West is quoted, and so is the expression of a protracted war with the United States.

Even worse, the CCP regards the epidemic as a tool to mess up the world, which reaffirms the regimes real intention of covering up the epidemic and using it for hegemony. The epidemic is actually seen as an opportunity. The new U.S. administration, which has so far avoided making the CCP accountable for the epidemic, should take a good look at this passage.

While the CCP is trying to bring down the United States, the U.S. government still sees it as just a competitor, with no strategy in place to further counter the regime. Meanwhile, the CCP is preparing for a protracted war with the United States. If the lesson from the COVID-19 pandemic isnt enough, what will it take for the United States to quickly wake up?

Yang Wei has been closely following Chinas affairs for many years. He has been contributing political commentary on China for the Chinese language Epoch Times since 2019.

Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.
Hazleton, PA (18201)

Today

Rain showers in the morning with thunderstorms developing for the afternoon. A few storms may be severe. High 71F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 90%..

Tonight

Showers this evening then scattered thunderstorms developing overnight. Low 59F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 60%.
A San Francisco apartment lease typically comes with a lot of conditions. You may be required to cover 75% of the hardwood floors in rugs or prohibited from burning candles or unable to host a pet that weighs more than 30 pounds. But perhaps the most common warning of all is about putting holes in the walls, a decision which could lead to a dip in the security deposit check when you eventually move out.

But for those in older buildings, theres usually an easy workaround you may not have even realized existed  picture rails.

What you may initially mistake for crown molding is likely actually picture rail molding running horizontally around the room. It usually sits about a foot-and-a-half down from the edge where your walls meet your ceilings, and that molding is specifically there so that you can hang artwork or whatever else your heart desires from it. With the right hooks, you simply attach your item to strings that hang from the hook, which rests on the top of the rail.

Americans began using picture rails around 1840 and the home decor essential stayed in fashion for about 100 years. They were born of practicality, said Bonnie Spindler, a real estate agent and "the Victorian Specialist" of San Francisco, like so many features of that era. Pre-1940 and the invention of drywall, most walls were constructed of plaster and lath, which can crack easily once someone takes a hammer and nail to the wall to position a painting. It was  and still is  difficult and costly to repair these cracks, which is why your landlord wants to make sure you dont do it.

Plaster and lath, though quite a sturdy form of wall construction, is vulnerable to the loss of plaster keys (the bulbs of plaster that adhere it to the horizontal wood lathes, which are strung between wall studs) from impacts like a hammer driving in a nail, said Rob Thomson, president of the Victorian Alliance of San Francisco. Picture rails allow for mounting decor without risking damaging the walls. They are ornate, plain and everything in between.

The middle class of that era still wanted to have well-appointed homes, so residents took advantage of picture rails to make their homes look wealthier. In the Victorian era, these middle-class people wanted to look upper class, so they would decorate and make things look as if they had a big mansion, Spindler said. ...They hung portraits, tapestries, big mirrors, framed works of art and even plates and china. And they didnt want to screw up their walls.

Typically, the 1.5-inch to 2-inch strips of molding are placed at the junction of where the wall stops and the cove of the ceiling starts. In homes constructed in the 1900s, it usually lines up with the top of a window. The rails themselves are sturdy and can be repositioned along the wall.

Constructing these items quickly became its own industry, with craftsmen specializing in different molding patterns, as well as hooks to hang from.

Today, residents in San Francisco looking to restore a home or stay true to its original design have only one place to go to find original picture rails. Lorna Kollmeyer, a designer, sculptor, and moldmaker, has owned an ornamental plaster shop in Hunters Point for more than 37 years and has an extensive collection of picture rails ranging in style. If a picture rail in a home gets damaged or someone needs extra, they can take a piece of their current style to Kollmeyer and shell try and match it, making a whole new mold if she cant.

Lorna Kollmeyer

Its a very interesting collection. We've tried to create an archive, Kollmeyer said. Over the years, I've come across a number of patterns, but people still keep turning up with new and pretty ones.

She said shes always impressed to see the unique ways people are utilizing them.

While Kollmeyers shop supplies ornate and historical moldings, basic versions are sold at your local Home Depot or Lowes and are typically easy to install.

Even with their long history, Spindler said she meets plenty of local residents who have no idea what the rails are, even though most homes still feature a picture rail. Very few homes are missing picture rails in San Francisco and the ones that do, they look like someone whose eyebrows are shaved off, Spindler said. You realize the picture rail is missing.
Leaders at the Geophysical Institute at the University of Alaska Fairbanks delivered strong support of Alaska as an aerospace state in remarks Wednesday to the Alaska Senate Labor and Commerce Committee.

Lt. Gov. Kevin Meyer had announced that Wednesday, March 17, 2021, was Aerospace Day at the Alaska State Capitol.

Alaska's recognized leadership in the rapidly growing field of unmanned aircraft systems, or UAS, was a key component of the presentation by Cathy Cahill, director of the Alaska Center for Unmanned Aircraft Systems Integration at the Geophysical Institute.

"We are trying to leverage all of the different expertise at the state and the university to really break open the airspace here in the state for operations for Alaskans," said Cahill, who has a Ph.D. in atmospheric sciences.

She noted that the return on investment is $14 for every $1 the state government spends in support of the program.

"So it is a really exciting commercial endeavor in terms of being able to get external funding into the state," she said.

Cahill also praised the partnership with the state Department of Transportation and Public Facilities, which operates many of Alaska's airports. She called the department "a key partner.'"

"They have a really strong unmanned aircraft program that works with us," Cahill told lawmakers.

She also praised the relationship with the Federal Aviation Administration, particularly in the agency's BEYOND program, an effort begun under President Donald Trump as the Integration Pilot Program to accelerate the commercial use of unmanned aircraft in the national airspace. The FAA, excited by the work of UAF, extended its involvement with the university for four years through the new BEYOND program.

Cahill told lawmakers that UAF, as a lead entity, has numerous Alaska public and private sector partners in the BEYOND program. Those partners include the nation's leading unmanned aircraft system operators, manufacturers, sensor developers, telecommunications companies and users. The BEYOND program brings together state, local and tribal governments, the FAA, and commercial entities to tackle the challenges of conducting unmanned aircraft operations across the country.

The Alaska Center for Unmanned Aircraft Systems Integration manages one of the nation's seven FAA-approved UAS test sites. UAF is also one of the 15 core universities in the FAA's Center of Excellence for UAS Research, also known as the Alliance for System Safety of UAS through Research Excellence, or ASSURE.

"So we are a world leader, and the FAA acknowledges where we are," Cahill said. Work by the Alaska Center for Unmanned Aircraft Systems Integration is building up a new component of the state's economy.

"We're not allowed to compete with commercial industry. So as we're doing this research, we're developing the policies and procedures and are transitioning them to the industry users here in Alaska," she said. "So it is laying the foundation for the entire unmanned aircraft industry in the state."

Cahill and Robert McCoy, director of the Geophysical Institute, also informed lawmakers of other UAF research and cooperative work being conducted with state and federal agencies, including the Department of Defense, the Department of Energy, NASA and the National Science Foundation. Some of that work, for example, involves use of university facilities such as Poker Flat Research Range north of Fairbanks and the High-frequency Active Auroral Research Program at Gakona.

"Alaska is an aerospace state; we have lots of advantages," McCoy said. "We have quite a breadth of activity."

###

Also testifying at the hearing on aerospace activity in the state were Mark Lester, CEO of the Alaska Aerospace Corp., and Ross Garelick Bell, executive director of the Aerospace States Association.

NOTE TO EDITORS: A recording of the hearing can be found online at the following link:

http://www. akleg. gov/ basis/ Meeting/ Detail?Meeting= SL%26C%202021-03-17%2013:30:00
Social media was never designed with women's empowerment, expression or safety in mind.

Facemash, Mark Zuckerberg's pre-Facebook venture, had users put up pictures of two women and decide which one was the more attractive of the two.

"That is an accurate description of the prank website I made when I was a sophomore," an irritated Mr Zuckerberg told members of the US Congress in 2018 when asked about his early entrepreneurship.

A billionaire bats away a question by hiding behind his youth and claiming the innocence and humour of the project.

It is doubtful that the women and girls, who did not consent to having their images shared, and were then rated, were amused by this harmless, naive little project.

That was the origins of social media.

This week, another programme about another woman in the public eye aired on television. It was the late Caroline Flack's turn for the revisionist treatment; a chance for us to see the error of our social media ways before it's too late  notwithstanding the fact that it is indeed far too late for Caroline.

Caroline Flack: Her Life And Death aired on Channel 4 on Wednesday night.

Caroline took her own life on February 15, 2020, while awaiting trial on an assault charge for an alleged attack on her boyfriend, Lewis Burton. She was 40 years old.

Social media's role, which is to say everyone with a smartphone and social media account's role, was well documented.

So too was her experience as a woman in the public eye.

The two collided to create the most lethal, and eventually fatal, of storms  that of a public woman's treatment on social media.

And the abuse didn't just start while she was awaiting trial.

Olly Murs, her X-Factor co-presenter, recalls in the documentary the abuse the pair got after an unsuccessful season of the talent show. Only she got it much, much worse than him.

"The abuse that she was getting, it was awful. It was awful," Olly says. "They hurt her every day, they did affect her."

For every person that has left a nasty comment, joined a pile-on no matter how right or wrong you felt, what we say online has consequences in real life.

TV presenter Caroline Flack arrives at Highbury Corner Magistrates' Court charged with assault. The online abuse she received afterwards is thought to have played a significant role in her taking her own life.

Caroline's writer and actor friend Dawn O'Porter, who did not contribute to the documentary, responded to it on social media.

Youll see what unkind comments can do to someone. Youll understand that how you perceive someone might not be the reality of who they are. And hopefully youll consider that if youre even tempted to write something online," she said.

But we are all under the spell of the "disinhibition effect" when it comes to the online world.

It refers to how some people act out more intensely online than how they would in person. This loss of inhibition comes in six factors, such as a sort of dissociation caused by your anonymity and invisibility. The inhibitor is also caused by your minimising of your authority.

Remember how the billionaire framed his misogynistic objectifying site as a youthful "prank"  we minimise like that.

But there is only so much minimising we can do when people are at worst taking their own lives because of abuse and at best self-censoring and going offline.

In a huge survey of 14,071 teenage girls and young women across 22 countries, it was found that 12% changed the way they expressed themselves after receiving abuse online.

But sure isn't that the goal of what we've been trying to do to women's voices for centuries? And what better way of silencing women than getting them to do it to themselves.

In that survey, the largest of its kind, which was published by Plan International last October, the worst finding was that 58% of people surveyed had been exposed to a spectrum of online violence.

And while people of all genders experience abuse online, in this case the abuse was very much to do with the fact they were girls or women.

About half of women polled who experienced abuse or harassment said that the abuse included sexist or misogynistic comments  53% in the US and 47% in the UK.

Unlike in crimes of rape and sexual assault, where the perpetrators are more often than not known to the survivor, in the online world this statistic is flipped.

It's strangers who are the abusers online.

In the survey, 59% of women who experienced abuse or harassment said the perpetrators were complete strangers.

While we are not responsible for the creation of these social media beasts, we are the monsters that fuel and feed them.

This time it's not just the media, or the tabloids, or the British royal family, or Harvey Weinstein or Britney Spears' father  it's us.

Before the documentary about Caroline Flack aired, her mother Christine took aim at social media and, in particular, their owners.

"When I was young, if you were bullied at school, you could get away from it.

"You cant get away from it now because it follows you home, it follows you on your phone," said Christine.

About social media companies specifically, she said: It is not that theres a lack of money. They dont protect anyone.

They are making so much money, it is not that theres a lack of money or profits will suffer. Someones got to take responsibility somewhere for it," said Caroline's mother.

Whatever about us adults, who learned about living as a human in a world without smartphones, the internet or photo filters, what about children who are growing up thinking all of this is normal  who, because they know no different, assume this is the way humans interact with one another?

This has gotten away from us, this beast of social media, and we are either irresponsible bystanders at best and abusive perpetrators at worst.

Who is going to call time on the real-life consequences of our appalling behaviour online?

Anyone who wishes to seek support should freephone Samaritans on 116123, Pieta House on 1800 247247 or text HELP to 51444.
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y.  A 36-year-old man from the Bronx was apprehended on the Staten Island Ferry for critically injuring a senior citizen during an unprovoked attack on the subway train in Manhattan, police allege.

Detectives are investigating media reports a witness said the attacker allegedly shouted anti-Asian slurs during the beating, according to a source with knowledge of the probe.

The victim is Sri Lankan, according to NBC.

Marc Mathieu, of Bronx Boulevard, was riding on the ferry from Staten Island to Manhattan when he was handcuffed by police on Sunday.

His arrest on assault charges was processed at Transit District 2 at 5:58 p.m., according to a spokesman for the NYPD.

The assault occurred on Friday at about 2:40 p.m. inside the MTA subway station at Franklin and Varick streets when Mathieu allegedly approached the victim, a 68-year-old man from the Bronx, onboard a northbound No. 1 train.

Mathieu punched the victim in the head and then fled on foot, according to a previous statement from police.

The victim sustained critical injuries to his head and was removed in stable condition by EMS to New York-Presbyterian Lower Manhattan Hospital, according to police.

The initial information provided to police was that it was an unprovoked attack and that no words were exchanged, the source said.

However, police are investigating multiple media reports of a third party claiming that the suspect made anti-Asian statements.

A witness told the New York Daily News and NBC the attacker allegedly said Asian motherf-----, during the incident.

Police have not confirmed that information at this time, the source said.

Commissioner Dermot Shea touted the arrest on Twitter.

ARRESTED



Thanks to an exhaustive video canvass by @NYPDTransit Detectives, cops recognized this man from his image on a wanted poster. Tonight, hes in custody & being charged with felony assault in the brutal attack of a 68 y/o man. pic.twitter.com/VdNz9IOAgd  Commissioner Shea (@NYPDShea) March 22, 2021

Authorities have been alarmed at a rise in anti-Asian hate crimes across the nation in recent months. Civil rights activists fear the spike in incidents stems from the coronavirus pandemic, which originated in China.

While officials said they have not seen a rise in such incidents on our borough, last week the State Island Hate Crimes Task Force condemned the disturbing national trend.

The Asian American Pacific Islander community on Staten Island is an essential part of the fabric of our borough and while we are exceptionally fortunate not to have seen any anti-Asian bias incidents or crimes since the outset of the pandemic, we will not let our guard down, and we will continue to stand with them in the face of bigotry and hatred.
Armenia MFA information department chief: All deputy FMs carrying out their duties

Ardshinbank invited children to the cinema on International Childrens Day

Armenia judiciary to have 10 more judges

Armenia acting premier: We had recorded 40% increase in tax revenues according to 2019 results

Armenia acting PM on Artsakh war casualties bodies: We have 50 remains in which case DNA was not separated

Azerbaijan authorities plan to "squeeze" everything from "terrorist show" related to Armenian captives

Ameriabank Announces a Contest for Bank Card Design

108 new cases of COVID-19 confirmed in Armenia

Armenia parliament convenes special session

Armenia interim government holding Cabinet meeting

Catholicos of All Armenians heads for Syunik Province, Artsakh

World oil prices going up

Iran loses right to vote in UN General Assembly

Newspaper: Armenia authorities come up with new way of punishing unwanted characters

Newspaper: Russia army Southern Military District deputy commander to arrive in Yerevan Thursday

Lebanese Armenian man taken prisoner by Azerbaijan is hospitalized

Armenia ex-President Kocharyan: Are we getting under the burden? Then lets get under to the end

Armenia acting health minister on keeping fallen soldiers bodies in bags: What else should they be kept in?

Armenia acting health minister on citizens' demand for her resignation

Karabakh's new State Minister Artak Beglaryan on his appointment and future activities

Armenian, Russian and Azerbaijani representatives hold consultations in Moscow

2 Armenian soldiers receive slight injuries after incident with Azerbaijani servicemen in Armenia's Gegharkunik

Armenian boy weighing 5 kg born at Goris Medical Center

"Armenia" bloc representative presents purpose of participation in elections and plans

Isaac Herzog elected President of Israel

Rouhani: Main issues between Tehran, Washington resolved in Vienna

Charles Michel calls on Armenia and Azerbaijan to resume constructive negotiations

US Department of State responds to Pashinyan's proposal to deploy international observers on Armenia-Azerbaijan border

Head of Armenia 2nd President's Office: Robert Kocharyan's public meetings are held in warm atmosphere

Opposition "Armenia" bloc's representative on photos and videos showing bags of deceased servicemen's bodies

Armenia Ombudsman, AGBU President discuss war crimes committed by Azerbaijan during Karabakh war

Opposition "Armenia" bloc's representatives to hold briefings three times a week

Opposition "Armenia" bloc member: Blood-freezing photos and videos from morgue in Abovyan are authorities' reflection

Yerevan mayor receives Netherlands Ambassador

Armenia Health Ministry, Investigative Committee keep info about sending remains of dead soldiers abroad confidential

Armenia Prosecutor General's Office launches case regarding leaving sacs of servicemen's bodies/remains in basement

Peskov: Putin and Biden to discuss cybersecurity issues

Armenia's Pashinyan meets with Belgian PM Alexander De Croo

Armenia acting MOD receives Netherlands Ambassador

Armenia Police: 3 citizens apprehended during protest demanding acting health minister's resignation

NATO warns Minsk about further consequences of Ryanair incident

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
Chinese authorities in Xiamen City are encouraging locals to closely monitor their communities and report what it calls "illegal religious activities" -- gatherings of Christians who did not register to become part of China's state-sanctioned churches.

Xiamen City authorities are counting on local residents to help them locate and punish members of Christian house churches and other individuals engaging in "illegal religious activities." Xiamen's Xunsiding Church pastor Yang Xibo said that the Siming District United Front Department (UFD) or Ethnic and Religious Affairs Bureau made the announcement through a notice sent to local district offices.

According to International Christian Concern, the bureau's notice enlisted the help of all the residential committees to actively "inspect privately set up gathering places" to bolster the government's campaign against "illegal religious activities."

The bureau noted that residential and office buildings and business hotels are often used by members of Christian house churches to gather. The notice also named several locations to watch out for as well as the most common times such activities occur, which are Saturday nights and Sundays. Locals were directed to immediately report any activities to the UFD.

While the notice targets "illegal religious activities," however, it is in fact a campaign against Christian house churches.

A report from ChinaAid revealed that such venues for "illegal religious activities" are in fact Christian house churches that are "unwilling to join the Three-Self Church and refuse to register with the Folk Religious Affairs Bureau on the basis of abandoning the principle of faith."

For two years now, the Xiamen City government has been demonstrating their control by suppressing these Christian house churches, implementing tough and destructive measures such as demolishing the houses, attacking churches, and arresting Christians.

Christian persecution in China has increasingly become more rampant throughout the years and not only in Xiamen City. Just last week, the Protestant Ren'ai Reformed Church in Guiyang, the Guiyang provincial capital of Guizhou, was raided by Chinese authorities. Over 12 Christian members of the church, who were attending a peaceful Bible study session led by church elder Zhang Chulei, were taken by the Chinese authorities. Chulei was also later captured when he followed up at the police precinct.

Since the coronavirus pandemic has placed most communities in lockdown and have imposed strict isolation guidelines, Chinese authorities have used it as an excuse to crack down on Christian house churches and other gatherings.

A resident with the surname Li told Radio Free Asia last week that the Chinese government has been inconsistent with their definitions of what a house church is. Authorities said that such gatherings should only be attended by families from one household and their relatives.

The Church Times reported in February that Christian persecution in China will most likely worsen in the coming years especially under the communist rule. Andrew Boyd of the persecution watchdog Release International compared today's situation with that of the time of Mao's Cultural Revolution.

He said, "Not only have we seen continued attempts to eradicate the house-church movement, but we've seen China taking increasingly public steps towards shutting down and controlling its officially sanctioned churches."
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DUBAI, United Arab Emirates  Saudi Arabia announced a plan Monday to offer Yemen's Houthi rebels a cease-fire in the country's yearslong war and allow a major airport to reopen in its capital, the kingdom's latest attempt to halt fighting that has sparked the world's worst humanitarian crisis in the Arab world's poorest nation.

The move by Saudi Arabia comes after Yemen's Houthi rebels stepped up a campaign of drone and missile attacks targeting the kingdom's oil sites, briefly shaking global energy prices amid the coronavirus pandemic. It also comes as Riyadh tries to rehabilitate its image with the U.S. under President Joe Biden. Saudi Arabia has waged a war that saw it internationally criticized for airstrikes killing civilians and embargoes exacerbating hunger in a nation on the brink of famine.

Whether such a plan will take hold remains another question. A unilaterally declared Saudi cease-fire collapsed last year. Fighting rages around the crucial city of Marib and the Saudi-led coalition launched airstrikes as recently as Sunday targeting Yemen's capital, Sanaa. A United Nations mission said another suspected airstrike hit a food-production company in the port city of Hodeida.

It is up to the Houthis now, Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan told journalists in a televised news conference in Riyadh. "The Houthis must decide whether to put their interests first or Irans interests first.

A senior Houthi official, who spoke with The Associated Press on condition of anonymity under regulations, said the rebels had been aware of the proposal and in direct communication with the Saudis, as well as Omani interlocutors. However, he said the Saudis needed to do more to see a cease-fire implemented.

Saudi Arabia said the plan would be presented both to the Houthis and Yemens internationally recognized government later Monday. Both would need to accept the plan for it to move forward, with any timeline likely to be set by U.N. Special Envoy to Yemen Martin Griffiths.

Saudi Arabia made two concessions to the Houthis in the plan, while not offering everything the rebels previously wanted. The first involves reopening Sanaa International Airport, a vital link for Yemen to the outside world that hasnt seen regular commercial flights since 2015. Officials did not immediately identify what commercial routes they wanted to see resume.

The second would see taxes, customs and other fees generated by Yemens Hodeida port while importing oil put into a joint account of Yemens Central Bank. That money would be accessible to the Houthis and Yemens recognized government to pay civil servants and fund other programs, officials said.

The Saudi government and the Yemeni government they back have accused the Houthis of stealing those funds in the past. A U.N. panel of experts report this year said the Houthis diverted some $200 million from that fund.

Only a small portion of the funds were used to pay salaries, the report said.

Whether the Houthis accept the Saudi proposal remains in question. On Friday, Houthi leader Mohammed Ali al-Houthi proposed a nationwide cease-fire contingent upon Saudi Arabia reopening Sanaas airport to commercial flights and lifting restrictions on cargo shipments to Hodeida. The port there handles the majority of the countrys vital imports. Both are long-standing demands of the Houthis, who swept into Sanaa from their northwestern strongholds in September 2014.

There is nothing new about the Saudi initiative," another senior Houthi official told the AP on condition of anonymity in line with regulations. "First, the airport and the port must both be opened.

A Saudi-led coalition entered Yemen's war in March 2015 as the Houthis threatened to take Yemens port city of Aden and completely overrun the countrys internationally recognized government. The Saudis promised the offensive  the brainchild of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman  would be over in short order.

Six years later, the fighting rages on. The war has killed some 130,000 people, including over 13,000 civilians slain in targeted attacks, according to the Armed Conflict Location & Event Project. Tens of thousands of children have died of starvation and disease. Just last week, Griffiths warned that the war is back in full force.

Yemens internationally recognized government praised the Saudi initiative as an effort to ease the suffering of the Yemeni people. But in a statement, its Foreign Affairs Ministry also warned that the Houthis had met all previous initiatives with obstinacy and had worked to deepen the humanitarian crisis.

Since Biden took office, his administration reversed a decision by President Donald Trump naming the Houthis as a foreign terrorist organization, allowing American aid to flow into rebel-held territory. He also ended U.S. support for the Saudis in the war.

Biden sent the U.S. envoy for Yemen, Tim Lenderking, to the region to negotiate a political settlement. Lenderking said earlier this month that the Houthis had an unspecified cease-fire proposal before them for a number of days, without elaborating. He reportedly met with Houthi officials while on a February trip to Oman, something the State Department has declined to acknowledge.

In a statement, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said he had spoken to the Saudi foreign minister about the war in Yemen.

Blinken supports efforts to end the conflict in Yemen, starting with the need for all parties to commit to a cease-fire and facilitate the delivery of humanitarian aid, the statement said.

___

Associated Press writers Ahmed al-Haj in Sanaa, Yemen, and Matthew Lee in Washington contributed to this report.

This article was written by JON GAMBRELL and ISABEL DEBRE from The Associated Press and was legally licensed through the Industry Dive publisher network. Please direct all licensing questions to legal@industrydive.com.
Some 84% of parents surveyed here said their mental health and wellbeing had been negatively affected by the disruption, compared to 45% in England.

As the majority of children return to school today, parents will breathe a sign of relief.

While some pupils will have flourished in lockdown, many more will have struggled to keep up with school work.

A lack of access to digital devices; the pressures of parents balancing looking after school work and their own work; managing five-year-olds in their first steps into education; making sure older children remained motivated, and a lack of continuity in online teaching practices between schools, even within individual schools - the pressures have all mounted up.

The impact of the lack of face to face teaching from professionals has been laid bare in a new survey from Parentkind, the largest network of parent teacher associations in the UK.

Some 84% of parents surveyed here said their mental health and wellbeing had been negatively affected by the disruption, compared to 45% in England.

Meanwhile, 43% of children and 44% of parents surveyed found it harder to cope with the current arrangements for schooling in the most recent lockdown.

Only 17% of parents polled in England said they had a worse time compared to the first lockdown.

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The difference between parents in England and Northern Ireland didn't stop there.

When parents here were asked about levels of confidence supporting their child's learning, 54% said they were quite or very confident, compared to 79% across the water.

The survey also asked parents to select the three biggest challenges they faced.

The top option selected by over half (56%) was 'juggling work and home schooling', followed by 'motivating my child to do their work' (51%). The survey further found 38% of parents of a child with special educational needs (SEN) were more likely to report a large negative impact on their mental health owing to the disruption to their child's schooling as a result of the lockdowns.

Only 26% of non-SEN parents felt the same.

For parents who reported low confidence levels in supporting their child's learning, the top requests were for more online lessons; more support from schools to help parents understand how and what to teach, and the call for employers to be more understanding and provide greater flexibility for working parents.

Some said it would have been beneficial if the Department of Education had provided guidance on a standardised approach for remote teaching, as many shared differences in experiences between schools.

"Stark differences between the impact of current arrangements on parents' mental health in Northern Ireland compared to England show that, although there is rightly a lot of talk about regulating children's wellbeing as they return to school, parents need support too," said Parentkind's Jayne Thompson.

"Whilst we hope that children will remain in school now until the end of this academic year without further closures, we expect the introduction of the lateral flow tests will mean numerous further periods when pupils will be required to self-isolate.

"Government needs to support parents and help reduce their burden of stress by providing guidance to every school on a standardised approach to remote teaching to eliminate the disparity that currently exists between schools and ensure that adequate supporting materials/resources are available for parents, especially parents with a child with special educational needs.

"There needs to be more encouragement to employers to accommodate employees who are juggling work while supporting learning from home.

"And parents have clearly communicated the issues that have caused these levels of stress and anxiety over the last half-term. Attention must be given now to help alleviate further psychological pressures on parents, especially as we anticipate periods of disrupted schooling between now and June."

Siobhan O'Neill, Northern Ireland's Interim Mental Health Champion, said the report highlighted the stark and worrying difference between the experiences of parents here compared with those in England.

"It is important that we act in response to this evidence and provide additional support for parents to reduce the potential impact of this stress on their mental health," she said.

"It is also important that schools are supported so that they can provide the materials and resources that parents need.

"Employers also have a role in protecting the wellbeing of their staff by offering flexible working arrangements and responding compassionately to the needs of workers who are looking after children."
[March 22, 2021] Partners Accelerate Profitability with New Customer Lifecycle Incentives from VMware

VMware, Inc. (NYSE: VMW) today launched the Customer Lifecycle Incentives Program to help partners facilitate the end-to-end digital transformation for their customers. The program will help partners drive increased profitability through new and expanded customer engagement, a simplified experience, optimized incentive return on investment, and partner-to-partner cooperation rewards. VMware partners can take advantage of the increased need for customer Software-as-a-Service transformation and shifting sales processes. Customer Lifecycle Incentives is the next evolution of VMware's Partner Connect Program, the foundation of its partner ecosystem, which launched in February 2020. Partner Connect offers a consistent experience with clearer paths to profitability, whether reselling software or services, managing or hosting services, or providing value-add services to customers. "At VMware, we are committed to continuously evolving our partner program to adapt to industry demands and customer expectations," said Tracy-Ann Palmer, vice president, Partner Programs and Experience, VMware. "Customer Lifecycle Incentives is the result of extensive collaboration with partners to build incentives that matter to them. We are giving our partners more support and tools to differentiate and transform their business and VMware practices." VMware's Customer Lifecycle Incentives provides partners with more opportunities to leverage unique skills and deliver value across the entire customer lifecycle, especially as customer goals become more complex and fluctuate quickly. It provides support across all routes to market to develop sustainable channel partnerships. VMware's robust, diverse partner ecosystem gives partners the ability to drive strategic and SaaS (News - Alert) -driven partner engagement with business models to accommodate all types of partners. It also offers a differentiated technology stack that builds a digital foundation to meet developers' needs. For the first time, these new offerings also provide increased opportunities for Services only Partners to participate in incentive programs. New Incentive Offerings Include: Technical Assessments - Designed to recognize the value in assessing a customer's environment to address key business outcomes, the Technical Assessment Incentive empowers partners to identify key VMware solutions to solve customer challenges. Examples of technical assessments could include delivering recommendations on applications, optimizing server workload and virtualization usage, providng a list of applications that could be modernized, or creating a migration readiness and implementation plan.

- Designed to recognize the value in assessing a customer's environment to address key business outcomes, the Technical Assessment Incentive empowers partners to identify key VMware solutions to solve customer challenges. Examples of technical assessments could include delivering recommendations on applications, optimizing server workload and virtualization usage, providng a list of applications that could be modernized, or creating a migration readiness and implementation plan. Proof of Concept - This incentive will reward VMware partners that deliver proof of concept through a workshop, onboarding the customer, or through use-case implementation, demonstration and evaluation. It can be exercised by both transacting and non-transacting partners and will determine the feasibility of the idea or verify that the idea will function as envisioned.

- This incentive will reward VMware partners that deliver proof of concept through a workshop, onboarding the customer, or through use-case implementation, demonstration and evaluation. It can be exercised by both transacting and non-transacting partners and will determine the feasibility of the idea or verify that the idea will function as envisioned. Partner-to-Partner Accelerator - The Partner-to-Partner Accelerator rewards "Sell Through" partners who identify opportunities, book eligible orders, and hand off to the "Orchestrate With" partners to activate the solution and facilitate consumption of VMware services. This allows customers to purchase through their usual reseller and receive services from a specialized "services only" best of breed partners.



Partner Perspectives on the News AHEAD

"The new Customer Lifecycle Incentive offerings provide tremendous opportunities for growth for our business by helping to reward the full capabilities we deliver to our customers for SaaS transformation and modernization," said Jamison Nack, vice president, sales and alliances, AHEAD. "The evolution of the Partner Connect program over the last 18 months underscores VMware's partner-first engagement and this latest program enhancement reinforces that commitment." Xtravirt "VMware's launch of the new Customer Lifecycle Incentives is an innovative move, tightly aligning the needs of organizations today with VMware partner capabilities," Gavin Jolliffe, CEO, Xtravirt. "This approach firmly places customer outcomes first, rewarding VMware partners who play key roles along the journey. Driving long-term customer success is at the heart of our business and we're excited to be at the forefront of this program." ITQ "Over the last year we have increased our investment to align more strategically with VMware which allows us the opportunity to significantly grow our business," Dennis Hoegen Dijkhof, Vice President of SDDC, ITQ. "With the new incentive offerings, VMware is continuing to build significant opportunities for us to establish recurring revenue streams and drive real value for our customers." NTT (News - Alert) "The new Customer Lifecycle Incentive offerings reflect strong feedback from the partner community and enable us to grow our business in profitable ways. Our long-standing partnership with VMware signifies the importance of our partner ecosystem and we are delighted to be part of this evolutionary program as well as the great opportunities for us and our clients," said Png Kim Meng, CEO - ASEAN at NTT Ltd. Additional Resources Learn more about VMware Partner Connect

Connect with VMware on Twitter and Facebook About VMware VMware software powers the world's complex digital infrastructure. The company's cloud, app modernization, networking, security, and digital workspace offerings help customers deliver any application on any cloud across any device. Headquartered in Palo Alto (News - Alert) , California, VMware is committed to being a force for good, from its breakthrough technology innovations to its global impact. For more information, please visit https://www.vmware.com/company.html. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210322005253/en/

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Youre a working artist. You make sculpture or cartoons or video art or some hybrid of all of the above. You post your work on the internet because you want people to see it; occasionally you land a gallery show, and even more occasionally you sell a piece at a gallery show. To actually earn money, you hold a day job, as artists have done for generations.

Then, suddenly, a minor revolution occurs. On the internet, people are paying money for art by mostly unknown artists. Granted, the money feels somewhat imaginary, as it is cryptocurrency, and the art feels somewhat imaginary too, as it is being sold in the form of non-fungible tokensdigital keepsakes that award ownership but have no physical manifestation. But artists are selling editions on sites like Nifty Gateway and SuperRare for hundredsno, thousandsno, tens of thousands of dollars. The next thing you know, some guy named Beeple sells what Artnet accurately describes as decade-old, BroBible-level brain farts through Christies for $69 million. (Not to mention the guy who sold his actual farts.) NFTs are now the biggest story in the art world. And if youre part of the art world, you have to decide whether youre going to get on boardor whether youll be left out.

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I have made more money in the sale of NFTs than I have in my contemporary art practice.  Edgar Fabian Frias, artist

I feel like Im behind and catching up, said Stuart Sandford, a sculptor and photographer currently based in Mexico City. Sandford had had a good experience in 2016 creating a few digital editions via another platform. But he hadnt pulled the trigger on NFTs until the numbers on other artists sales started getting eye-popping. As soon as you hear a ridiculously high monetary figure, he said, it naturally generates interest. Plus, weve all been stuck in our houses for a year or more, so we havent been able to experience work in the traditional ways.

It sounded very strange when I first heard about it, said Edgar Fabian Frias, a multidisciplinary artist based in California who minted their first NFT, a GIF of a spinning key, just a few months ago on the website Rarible. Im grateful I got in before it blew up. Frias exhibits video works in traditional art galleries, but has found that these often dont sell. Collectors and museums, they said, always want you to create an objectthey want a special box or a special USB. Since they sold that first NFT to a friend for 0.1025 ETH, or about $186 (most NFT art sales use the Ethereum cryptocurrency), Frias has sold nine others on Rarible; over the past few months, they said, I have made more money in the sale of NFTs than I have in my contemporary art practice.

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Other artists are more dubious, and the debate can be fierce. One line of criticism revolves around the environmental cost of NFTs, which, like all cryptocurrency transactions, require enormous amounts of energyusually generated by fossil fuels. Recently the cartoonist Matt Bors announced that he was minting his most famous comics panelthe one in which a guy pops out of a well and says, Yet you participate in society! Curious!but later, after blowback on Twitter, changed his mind. Another cartoonist, Mike Dawson, told me that seeing Bors consider the environmental critiques of NFTs and decide not to proceed affected his feelings on the matter. Hes someone I respect a lot, Dawson told me. He could have made some moneythats a famous imageand he chose not to.

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I was curious, Bors wrote in a DM when I asked about his experience. If stuff was selling for so much without relinquishing any rights to the work, could a random panel I made translate to money that would actually change my life? But I came to think there are too many complications around the environmental questions, for one, to go ahead with it.

In four weeks Ive gone from not knowing what this is to seeing people minting garbage images. And who is paying who with what?  Mike Dawson, cartoonist

Those environmental questions are clearly on everyones mind; they intersect uncomfortably with the usually progressive politics of the working artists for whom NFTs represent a possible revenue stream. Several of the artists I spoke to acknowledged that NFTs are environmentally problematic, but they also felt that artists, in particular, were being made to answer for their carbon costs while others werent. There are so many industries that create emissions, pointed out Frias, and so many creatives that work within platforms that create emissions that dont get targeted. So what are the political or strategic reasons that people invalidate or blame NFTs? Another artist, Gisel Florez, called the environmental backlash against NFTs a smear campaign.

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Many of the headlines about NFTs revolve around high-profile personalities that, to me, seem more like conceptual designers than working artistsPak, one pseudonymous creator (or, its rumored, a group of creators), whos soon to auction an edition through Sothebys, told me theyve never had a foothold in the traditional art world but had been part of the design scene for 20 years. Their work, which frequently features intricate, rotating 3D shapes floating in space, is conceptual, highly designed, andlike many of the most popular crypto artistsoften addresses the digital world as a theme. (At least Paks work is elegant, unlike Beeples.) But beyond the big names, there are any number of everyday working artists who, while not selling works for hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of crypto, have found NFTs financially transformative.

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I had a show in Winkleman Gallery in Chelsea, said Florez, who is a photographer and digital artist. My husband and I sponsored art salons in physical, you know, in real space. But there were no sales. The money Florez made came through her commercial photography for brands. When she started with NFTs in late 2019, inspired by her sons interest in trading digital tokens in video games, it was really weird, she said. She gave herself the name GiselX on the NFT site SuperRare, wondering, Do I need a pseudonym in case this doesnt work?

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She sold her first piece, a digitized video of fireworks she shot on the roof of her building with several mirrors, for 0.25 ETH, which worked out, at the time, to about $47. More recently, in early March she sold a digital video called Travel of Light for 3 ETH, the equivalent, at the current exchange rate, of over $5,000.

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I asked Florez if shed completely stopped doing her commercial work. Yeah, she said, laughing. I mean, yeah. I mean, like, oh, my God. Before, it was clients, and trying to market myself, and that was OK, but it was painful. How many cold calls are you gonna make? Now, she said, I dont have that burden of drumming up business all the time. I can just create.

Now, artists who didnt get in really early, like Florez, or sort of early, like Frias, are flooding the market. Even before the shocking sales of 2021, Nifty Gateway had reported 50 percent month-over-month growth; a Friday night visit to the sites Activity page showed 21 NFTs put up for sale in just three minutes. Its definitely a gold rush, said Sarah Zucker, an L.A.-based video artist who creates witty GIFs with 1990s video editing tools and a VCR. She sold her first NFT in the spring of 2019 for $47 and now supports herself entirely on digital sales. I certainly dont blame artists for wanting to get in. The more the merrier. She just had one piece of advice for artists new to the NFT world: Dont let your greed drive, because its not a good look. (Tell that to the artist who recently priced this deeply unpleasant GIF at $1,000 and sold over 300 NFTs.)

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I understand why artists are desperate for some way of surviving, said Dawson, the cartoonist. But in his view, the NFT economy is unsustainable. In the span of three or four weeks Ive gone from not knowing what this is to seeing people minting garbage images, he said. And who is paying who with what?

Even the middlemen whom NFTs are designed to cut out are trying to understand what this revolution means for them. Mario Paredes runs Mexico Citys Galeria Union and said hes been hearing about NFTs every day since, I think, two weeks ago. He said he personally doesnt get it. I think when people buy art, what they need is this material experience, to see the hand of the artist, he told me. Nevertheless, with the help of one of his artists, hes preparing for his gallerys first NFT sale in the summer. Im excited, but Im scared, he said. Im not happy about it. Yesterday, we talked, and my artist was trying to tell me, No, Mario, its a good chance. We have to give it a shot. We dont know until we try.  He sighed. Maybe it works, or maybe it doesnt.
Made In Chelsea returns to screens next Monday with the launch of its 21st series.

And, nearly 10 years years after it first hit screens in May 2011, stalwart Ollie Locke kicks things off as he toasts four months of marriage with his new husband Gareth.

The 20th season concluded in December with the pair getting wed at the Natural History Museum, having delayed their nuptials repeatedly due to the COVID-19 crisis.

Escape to the country: Made In Chelsea returns to screens next Monday with the launch of its 21st series

With lockdown still in full swing in the UK, the 21st series has had to be filmed on location in the countryside, with the cast forming their own exclusive bubble at a manor house in the Cotswolds.

Taking well to country life is Sophie Hermann, who is seen shooting clay pigeons in the smouldering, sultry way only she can.

Miles Nazaire - who sat out the 20th series of the show - is back, shirt off, running through the grounds of the mansion, leaping over logs.

Last series' newcomer Paris Smith is also out in the wilds of the grounds, horse riding in a fur.

Say Auf Wiedersehen! Taking well to country life is Sophie Hermann, who is seen shooting clay pigeons in the smouldering, sultry way only she can

Dashing: Miles Nazaire - who sat out the 20th series of the show - is back, shirt off, running through the grounds of the mansion, leaping over logs

Newlyweds: Nearly 10 years years after it first hit screens in May 2011, stalwart Ollie Locke kicks things off as he toasts four months of marriage with his new husband Gareth

Lap of luxury: Tiff Watson is already making herself at home as she reclines in a decadent bubble bath

Back at the house, Sam Thompson is on hand to welcome Reza Amiri-Garroussi and girlfriend Ruby Adler as they arrive for their stay.

They are swiftly followed by James Taylor and Maeva Dascanio, who rock up in a Land Rover.

Tiff Watson is already making herself at home as she reclines in a decadent bubble bath.

The rest of the cast features Liv Bentley and Tristan Phipps, who sparked up a new romance at the end of the last series.

Triceps Trio! Fred Ferrier returns, as does former star Julius Cowdrey, who has taken a break from Made In Chelsea for a few years

Welcome wagon: Sam Thompson is on hand to welcome Reza Amiri-Garroussi and girlfriend Ruby Adler as they arrive for their stay

Giddy-Up! Last series' newcomer Paris Smith is also out in the wilds of the grounds, horse riding in a fur

Fred Ferrier returns, as does former star Julius Cowdrey, who has taken a break from Made In Chelsea for a few years.

Emily Blackwell, Harvey Armstrong and Sophie Habboo will also be making an appearance as the series goes on, with one or two new faces set to show up as well.

The series is set to follow Ollie and Gareth's plans to use a surrogate to have a baby.

The couple revealed their plans on Sunday to use an American egg donor with the British surrogate they have found.

Taking aim: Sophie is back from her recent stint on Celebs Go Dating

Lord and ladies of the manor: Maeva Dascanio, James Taylor and Tristan Phipps join the likes of Paris, Sam and Tiff at the country pile

Country chic: Paris makes a return to the show after her season 20 debut saw her dip her toe into the pool of drama

The couple have found a surrogate from the UK who they both 'utterly adore' and will fly to the US when COVID-19 travel restrictions are lifted to meet their egg donor.

There also looks to be tension between Miles, Reza and Ruby, as a trailer for the new series has teased.

Maeva is also seen in the teaser stirring the pot, suggesting that someone in the house has secret feelings for her.

Made In Chelsea begins on March 29 on E4 at 9PM.
A Coalition staffer identified at the centre of allegations made in a 10 News First has been sacked.

Channel 10 and The Australian reportedly obtained videos and images of sexual encounters filmed inside Parliament House. Four Coalition staff members were reportedly involved, with one allegedly committing a lewd act on the desk of a female Liberal MP.

The reports aired tonight are disgusting and sickening, Prime Minister Scott Morrison said in a statement.

Its not good enough and is totally unacceptable.

My government has identified the staff member at the centre of these allegations and has terminated his employment immediately.

The PM urged anybody with more information to come forward.

The people who come to work in this building are better than this, he said.

The actions of these individuals show a staggering disrespect for the people who work in Parliament, and for the ideals the Parliament is supposed to represent.

I will have more to say on this and the cultural issues we confront as a Parliament in coming days.

The report by 10s Peter Van Onselen follows a wave of sex scandals engulfing Canberra, notably the alleged rape of former staffer Brittany Higgins and separate historic allegations levelled against Attorney General Christian Porter. Porter denies the claims and has initiated legal action against ABC.

Source: ABC

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2021 Chroma ATE opens new headquarters and factory in Taoyuan City, Taiwan.

Chroma Systems Solutions (CSS), Chroma ATEs exclusive power solutions provider in North and South America, is celebrating its 20th year anniversary in 2021. Its charter was to provide power supply manufacturers in the United States, Canada, and Latin American with the most advanced testing solutions for power electronics available in the industry. Under Founder and President, Fred Sabatine, and a capable technical staff, CSS has remained true to this charter while adapting to new technologies for emerging markets since April 2001.

After 20 years and with over 120 employees, CSS now provides turnkey automated testing platforms featuring regenerative and bidirectional test instrumentation to a wide range of industries and technologies. Markets served includes electric vehicle, battery, PV inverter, medical, mil/aero, and many others. Besides power conversion test equipment, the company also delivers high power regenerative battery cyclers and provides a huge line of electrical safety dielectric test equipment, passive component testers, and battery safety testers.

In order to support its customers and product lines, the company opened offices in Canada, Massachusetts, and Mexico as well as their recently opened EV and Battery Technology Center in Wixom, MI.

The CSS team consists of highly trained technical hardware and software personnel experienced with many applications. Working collaboratively, customers testing needs are assessed and leveraged in an efficient and effective manner resulting in precision turnkey testing solutions that are able to expand when they do. Chromas most recent products include grid simulators and bidirectional DC power supplies which provide AC and DC power while returning power to the grid. CSS will soon also release an industry leading triple output power supply series in a 1U high density package.

Take a look at some of their most notable achievements from the last 20 years: https://www.chromausa.com/20th-anniversary/

About Chroma Systems Solutions

Chroma Systems Solutions, Inc. is a leader in providing power electronics and electrical safety testing instrumentation and systems. Chromas programmable power supplies, electronic loads, meters, hipot testers and automated testing systems provide solutions for applications in Automotive and Battery, Aerospace, Defense, Commercial, Medical, Marine, and Regulatory Testing as well as green energy markets including Solar, Electric Vehicle and LED. With offices and manufacturing facilities located around the globe, Chroma is dedicated to providing the highest quality equipment for compliance and R&D test engineers as well as unparalleled service and support. Chroma Systems Solutions corporate office is located in Foothill Ranch, CA. For more information, please visit http://www.chromausa.com or call us at (949) 600-6400.
YEREVAN.  The matter of extending the embargo on Turkish goods for another six months is under discussion. Deputy minister of economy of Armenia, Avag Avanesyan, told this to reporters Monday

"It is a bit difficult to assess the economic losses [of Armenia] as such. In any case, we do not see a catastrophic blow at the moment. The negative effects at us [in Armenia] due to COVID are so great that they seem to silence the remaining possible effects; that is, sometimes it is very difficult to say whether the consumption of something fell due to COVID or the embargo. Our assessments are that we have the potential to produce, as well as to import from other countriesat least at comparable prices, the products toward which the embargo has been imposed," he said.

And touching upon the question as to whether there is an interest among Armenians abroad in terms of investing in Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh), Avanesyan gave a positive response. "Moreover, some people are already taking concrete steps so that the companies that suffered losses during the [recent Artsakh] war but can continue to operate on other level terms can continue to operate, can be able to recover if they are given some support. We are currently in relevant work with them to help their efforts so that the economic life in Artsakh is restored as soon as possible," the deputy minister added.
The State Customs Committee of the Republic of Uzbekistan officially welcomed the SECO-WCO Global Trade Facilitation Programme (GTFP) in Uzbekistan on 17 March 2021.

This high-level event was attended by representatives of the Government of the Republic of Uzbekistan, the State Customs Committee of Uzbekistan and the Swiss Embassy in Tashkent. In their opening remarks, both parties welcomed this collaboration, highlighting the important benefits it will achieve for an even more efficient and competitive business environment in Uzbekistan. The official launch of the Programme in Uzbekistan was also the opportunity to organise the first meeting of the National Project Steering Committee, whose members include representatives of the State Customs Committee, SECO, the WCO and other relevant national bodies involved in trade facilitation and modernization in Uzbekistan as well as representatives of business associations and private sector. During this meeting, the Committee approved the Work Plan and activities for years 2021-2022.

In this regard, the approved Work Plan aims at supporting the positive actions taken by the State Customs Committee to increase the efficiency of Customs in Uzbekistan. This cooperation will advance the capabilities of Customs authorities through capacity building activities and support on organizational development and trade facilitation, including Post-Clearance Audit, Time Release Study and Single Window, strategic planning and human resources.

For more information on the GTFP please contact capacity.building@wcoomd.org
Armenia MFA information department chief: All deputy FMs carrying out their duties

Ardshinbank invited children to the cinema on International Childrens Day

Armenia judiciary to have 10 more judges

Armenia acting premier: We had recorded 40% increase in tax revenues according to 2019 results

Armenia acting PM on Artsakh war casualties bodies: We have 50 remains in which case DNA was not separated

Azerbaijan authorities plan to "squeeze" everything from "terrorist show" related to Armenian captives

Ameriabank Announces a Contest for Bank Card Design

108 new cases of COVID-19 confirmed in Armenia

Armenia parliament convenes special session

Armenia interim government holding Cabinet meeting

Catholicos of All Armenians heads for Syunik Province, Artsakh

World oil prices going up

Iran loses right to vote in UN General Assembly

Newspaper: Armenia authorities come up with new way of punishing unwanted characters

Newspaper: Russia army Southern Military District deputy commander to arrive in Yerevan Thursday

Lebanese Armenian man taken prisoner by Azerbaijan is hospitalized

Armenia ex-President Kocharyan: Are we getting under the burden? Then lets get under to the end

Armenia acting health minister on keeping fallen soldiers bodies in bags: What else should they be kept in?

Armenia acting health minister on citizens' demand for her resignation

Karabakh's new State Minister Artak Beglaryan on his appointment and future activities

Armenian, Russian and Azerbaijani representatives hold consultations in Moscow

2 Armenian soldiers receive slight injuries after incident with Azerbaijani servicemen in Armenia's Gegharkunik

Armenian boy weighing 5 kg born at Goris Medical Center

"Armenia" bloc representative presents purpose of participation in elections and plans

Isaac Herzog elected President of Israel

Rouhani: Main issues between Tehran, Washington resolved in Vienna

Charles Michel calls on Armenia and Azerbaijan to resume constructive negotiations

US Department of State responds to Pashinyan's proposal to deploy international observers on Armenia-Azerbaijan border

Head of Armenia 2nd President's Office: Robert Kocharyan's public meetings are held in warm atmosphere

Opposition "Armenia" bloc's representative on photos and videos showing bags of deceased servicemen's bodies

Armenia Ombudsman, AGBU President discuss war crimes committed by Azerbaijan during Karabakh war

Opposition "Armenia" bloc's representatives to hold briefings three times a week

Opposition "Armenia" bloc member: Blood-freezing photos and videos from morgue in Abovyan are authorities' reflection

Yerevan mayor receives Netherlands Ambassador

Armenia Health Ministry, Investigative Committee keep info about sending remains of dead soldiers abroad confidential

Armenia Prosecutor General's Office launches case regarding leaving sacs of servicemen's bodies/remains in basement

Peskov: Putin and Biden to discuss cybersecurity issues

Armenia's Pashinyan meets with Belgian PM Alexander De Croo

Armenia acting MOD receives Netherlands Ambassador

Armenia Police: 3 citizens apprehended during protest demanding acting health minister's resignation

NATO warns Minsk about further consequences of Ryanair incident

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
WABASH VALLEY, Ind. (WTHI) - Scammers have been posing as employees, states a news release from Indiana American Water.

The purpose behind the scammers is to gain entrance to a customer's home and obtain payments or steal personal information.

Indiana American Water offers the following tips to avoid such scams:

 Always ask for a company-issued photo ID. Indiana American Water employees carry company-issued photo ID badges. Do not open the door to anyone who cannot provide this.

 Never give cash. Our employees never collect money or credit card information from customers in the field.

 Look for the logo. All Indiana American Water service personnel wear uniforms and drive company-branded vehicles with the logo.

 If you suspect someone may be a utility imposter, close and lock your door, and call 911. You can also call Indiana American Water at 1-800-492-8373 to report the incident and confirm whether service work is scheduled in the area.

 For customers that may receive phone calls, e-mails, or texts from people claiming to work for the water company, you should never give out credit card, account information, or other personal information like your social security number or date of birth if you have doubts about who you are dealing with. If you have concerns, we recommend calling us directly as a means of verifying that you are being contacted by an actual company employee.
Israel elections 23/3, Bennett lashes out at Lapid Voting open 7 AM to 10 PM, also for COVID ill and quarantined

(ANSAmed) - Tel Aviv, MARCH 22 - The last political skirmishes are ongoing in Israel prior to the legislative elections on Tuesday.



Polemics have been sparked by a pledge by Naftali Bennett, the leader of the right-wing religious party Yamina, not to enter any government - an alternative to Benyamin Netanyahu - that has centrist Yair Lapid as prime minister.



"I will not allow Lapid to be prime minister even on a rotating basis" with him, he said in a televised interview broadcast on Channel 20.



Bennett could be a decisive factor for one of two groupings: the one against Netanyahu or the one for him.



Lapid replied by saying that "there is always a difference between Bennett speaking on television and Bennett speaking behind closed doors".



The Yamina leader was also heavily criticised by Gideon Saar, formerly in Likud and founder of the New Hope party.



Lapid and Saar lead a wide-ranging front against Netanyahu.



Some 13,685 voting stations will open at 7 AM local time on Tuesday and close at 10 PM.



There will be some assigned to those suffering from COVID and those in quarantine: 20,000 police will monitor the voting of over six and a half million citizens eligible to vote.



(ANSAmed).




Westerly, RI (02891)

Today

Considerable cloudiness with occasional rain showers. High 61F. Winds S at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 50%..

Tonight

Periods of rain. Low 58F. Winds SW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 70%. Rainfall near a quarter of an inch.
A fit and healthy mother who was diagnosed with an advanced form of breast cancer is urging women to listen to their bodies after gut instinct told her she was ill.

Samantha Weily was breastfeeding her daughter in November 2019 when she noticed a lump, but wasn't immediately concerned because she felt no pain or fatigue.

Despite believing it to be a hormonal change in tissue which often occurs during lactation, the 36-year-old businesswoman from Brisbane, Queensland, booked a consultation with her GP to rule out anything sinister.

Four months later, scans and a biopsy revealed she had stage three triple-positive breast cancer, a fast-growing and aggressive form that accounts for 15 to 20 percent of all breast cancers worldwide.

One year since her diagnosis, Ms Weily - who is still undergoing chemotherapy to eliminate all traces of the disease - is calling for women to watch for lumps in the breast or armpit that become larger, harder and tender to touch.

She told Daily Mail Australia that if she hadn't been so vigilant, her prognosis would be 'very different'.

Scroll down for video

Samantha Weily (pictured) was breastfeeding her daughter in November 2019 when she noticed a lump, but wasn't immediately concerned because she felt no pain or fatigue

The 36-year-old mother (pictured with partner Danny and their two-year-old daughter) saw a GP to rule out anything sinister

Ms Weily describes the moment of her diagnosis as 'viewing your life from above or through a movie screen'.

By stage three, triple-positive breast cancer has spread beyond the original growth site into the lymph nodes, which led doctors to insist on 'immediate' treatment, meaning there would be no time for Ms Weily to freeze her eggs.

This came as a shattering blow to the young mother who had tragically delivered her first child, a son named Jack, stillborn in 2015.

Ms Weily said she was 'inconsolable' to have her greatest wish - a sibling for her two-year-old daughter - snatched away.

'I still didn't believe that I could have cancer, I didn't think I could be that unlucky, that the universe could give me this to overcome as well,' Ms Weily said.

'I couldn't believe life was throwing this at us after losing our son four years earlier. It felt like a big slap in the face.'

She said she made peace with her grief after realising that her utmost priority was to be there for her little girl.

Ms Weily (pictured with her daughter) describes the moment of her diagnosis as 'viewing your life from above or through a movie screen'

The Brisbane businesswoman (pictured during treatment) has completed six rounds of chemotherapy in the past year

Breast cancer symptoms * Lump in the breast * Nipple discharge * Thickening of the breast skin * Rash or redness on the breast * Rash on the nipple * Swelling in one breast * Dimpling of the nipple or breast skin * The nipple turning inward * Lumps in the underarm * Unusual changes in breast or nipple appearance Source: Cancer Council Australia Advertisement

Ms Weily's triple-positive diagnosis - which means progesterone, estrogen and the HER2 protein were detected in her tumours - meant she required complex treatment that included surgery and radiation as well as chemo and hormonal therapy.

She has completed six rounds of chemo in the past year, with a six-month course still to undergo, but was declared officially 'cancer-free' after a lumpectomy operation in August.

Despite this, Ms Weily said she still feels 'very in' her illness.

She still experiences 'scanxiety', a term that describes the dread and apprehension that grips cancer patients before tests to confirm tumours have not recurred.

Ms Weily is sharing her story in the hopes of encouraging other women to listen to their bodies and 'push through the noise' of modern life to listen to gut instincts about their health.

'For me, my "noise" was mother, breastfeeding, business, and being busy, but I think deep down I knew I had to get it checked out,' she said.

'Even though I didn't think it would end up being cancer, I knew it was a possibility  and for me, that was enough. I knew I owed it to myself and to my family to put my needs as a priority.'

Ms Weily said she wanted others to know that if she had waited just another couple of months, the outcome would have been very different.

Ms Weily (pictured with her daughter) said she wants others to know that if she had waited just another couple of months, her prognosis would have been very different

Ms Weily is one of an estimated 19,974 Australian women diagnosed with breast cancer each year.

In 2020, the year of her diagnosis, breast cancer was the fifth leading cause of cancer death in Australia and the second most common cause of death from cancer for women.

The early symptoms most breast cancer patients experience are few and easy to miss, which often leads to lengthy delays in diagnosis.

The only warning signs most women receive are a small, hard lump in the breast, and breast tenderness or a nipple that turns inwards - but as Ms Weily's story shows, this only occurs in some cases.

If detected early, the chance of successful treatment and long-term survival is excellent, provided cancer has not spread to other parts of the body.

But patients such as Ms Weily still face incredibly difficult decisions about treatment which causes serious side effects that could change the course of their lives.

Ms Weily (pictured) is urging women to trust their bodies and listen to gut instincts about their health

The devoted mum (pictured) said her main priority is to be there for her little girl

While chemo and hormonal therapy offer the best chance of destroying cancerous cells, it can also lead to myriad issues including early onset menopause which Ms Weily has already started to experience.

'It's definitely not something I expected to be dealing with in my mid-30s,' she said.

Ms Weily hopes her story will show others that cancer can touch any person of any age, regardless of how healthy they may feel.

'I want people to know that although these things can happen to anyone, how your world can be upended on any given day, that our health system in Australia is amazing and the support available is phenomenal,' she said.

'I want people to know that if this happens to them or someone close to them, they will get through it.'

For more information on breast cancer in Australia and New Zealand, please visit the Australian Cancer Council or Breast Cancer Foundation NZ.
[March 22, 2021] Nanotronics Appoints Jodi Shelton, Global Semiconductor Alliance co-founder and CEO, to Board of Advisors

Nanotronics, developer of the world's most advanced robotic industrial microscope that combines AI, automation, and sophisticated imaging for industrial inspection, today announced the appointment of Jodi Shelton to the company's Advisory Board. Jodi is the co-founder and Chief Executive Officer of the Global Semiconductor Alliance, a not-for-profit trade organization at the center of the semiconductor ecosystem that has helped prepare the industry for the paradigm shifts defining it. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210322005428/en/ (Photo: Business Wire) As a key advisor to Nanotronics CEO and Executive Team, Shelton will help navigate the semiconductor ecosystem including industry partners, venture capitalists, bankers, analysts, fund managers, and industry leaders. "The addition of Jodi to our board of advisors catapults opportunity to engage, collaborate, and support some of the largest semiconductor organizations in the world," said Matthew Putman, co-founder and CEO of Nanotronics. "She is a tech luminary and a role model within the industry, not only for leading initiatives to increase the number of women in leadership roles in STEM, but also for bringing together the entire semiconductor ecosystem to promote and bring innovation to the fab floor." Shelton joins Nanotronics on the heels of a major expansion as the company nears completion of New York's first high-tech manufacturing hub, located in the Brooklyn Navy Yard. "It is more important now than ever for the industry to produce with the highest of quality in order to limit waste and increase yields," says Jodi Shelton, co-founder and CEO of the Global Semiconductor Alliance. "As Nanotronics ushers in a new era of intelligent manufacturing, I'm eager to act as a liaison so that we can work more efficienty to meet immediate and future demand."



Jodi Shelton is a highly respected business leader and business model visionary who established the preeminent Global Semiconductor Alliance ( GSA (News - Alert) ) in 1994 and continues to serve as its CEO. She also founded Shelton Group, an Investor Relations/Public Relations agency dedicated to raising the valuation and voice of technology companies. Her deft leadership and business acumen helped navigate Shelton Group and GSA through the dotcom bubble burst in 2000-2002, as well as the financial crisis and recession in 2008-2009. Since then, both organizations have become powerful forces in technology, and more specifically, semiconductors, its supply chain, software, and services.

In 2018, as part of GSA's diversity and inclusion efforts, Shelton created the semiconductor industry's first Women's Leadership Initiative and Council to significantly increase the number of women in leadership roles in the industry, the capital dedicated to women-led start-ups, and the number of STEM-focused female candidates joining the industry. Jodi has received local and national recognition from the Dallas Business Journal ranking Shelton Group as a top agency, the Small Business Commerce Association with a "Best of Business" award, and Enterprising Women Magazine as "Enterprising Woman of the Year". Prior to 1994, Shelton served as the Director of Investor Relations at Cyrix Corporation where her contribution helped translate into a highly successful IPO. She then led the investor relations' efforts broadening the company's exposure with financial analysts and creating the communications protocol for the company as a public entity. She also helped identify and secure leading business stories on the company including the Wall Street Journal and BusinessWeek. Shelton earned her Bachelor of Science degree in Political Science from San Diego State University and her Master's Degree in Political Science from University of Houston. She received Corporate Governance program certification from Columbia Business School. The Nanotronics Advisory Board includes: Beth Comstock

former Vice-Chair, General Electric Eric Drexler

Visiting Scholar of Oxford University, Father of Nanotechnology Tom Geismar

Founding Partner, Cherrmayeff & Geismer & Haviv Sagi Haviv

Partner, Cherrmayeff & Geismer & Haviv Jodi Shelton

co-founder and CEO, Global Semiconductor Alliance Megan Smith

Former CTO of the United States under President Barack Obama Justin Stanwix

co-founder, Wonder Unit Georges Sylvestre, M.D.

Chairman of OB/GYN, Flushing Hospital Medical Center Jaan Tallin

Founding Engineer, Skype (News - Alert) , Kazaa Peter Thiel

General Partner, Founders Fund Kevin Wall

Founder/CEO, Control Room Dr. John West

Professor, Kent State University ABOUT NANOTRONICS Nanotronics is a science technology company that has redefined Factory control through the invention of a platform that combines AI, automation and sophisticated imagining to assist human ingenuity in detecting flaws and anomalies in manufacturing, an industry that has been stagnant since the 1950's. Industry agnostic but customer specific, we work with leading-edge companies across the globe, from aerospace, electronics, to healthcare, to drive up yield, reduce footprint and waste, lower costs, and speed up design iteration. Nanotronics is a key player in helping to solidify New York's role as a global center of the innovation economy. To learn more visit www.nanotronics.co. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210322005428/en/

[ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ]
The vaccine gap is bad for the world

Of the Covid-19 vaccine doses given globally, roughly three-quarters have gone to only 10 countries. At least 30 countries have not yet injected a single person.

Many poorer nations could wait years for their shots, a delay that scientists warn could haunt all countries if the continued spread of the coronavirus allows it to mutate in ways that undermine vaccines.

Many countries were relying on the global vaccine program known as Covax, which was created around the idea that all would buy vaccines through a single mechanism, but dozens of wealthy nations went straight to pharmaceutical companies and elbowed the program out of the way.

The toll: Already, unvaccinated doctors and nurses have died this year in countries including Kenya, Mozambique, Nigeria and Zimbabwe, depleting health systems that can ill afford to lose any more workers.
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Mirroring the Biden administrations escalation of accusations and provocations against China, Australias domestic spy chief last week declared that espionage and foreign interference by hostile governments would replace terrorism as the countrys greatest security threat by 2025.

In an exclusive front-page interview with the Murdoch medias Australian, Mike Burgess, the director-general of the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation (ASIO) gave what the newspaper called a stark assessment of global strategic conflict, primarily competition between the US and China.

Given that ASIOs latest annual threat assessment, issued a few days earlier, had said the terrorist threat remains at PROBABLE, Burgesss interview was intended to create an atmosphere of imminent war dangers and preparations. Probable, he said, means people would lose their lives but the foreign threat would soon exceed that risk and the level of activity coming at us and against us will be relentless.

ASIO headquarters in Canberra (Source: Wikipedia)

In his earlier threat assessment presentation, Burgess claimed that ASIO had cracked a major spy network that had recruited a government official with access to classified defence technology, in what ASIO described as a nest of spies.

Briefed by ASIO and its partners, the Australian said: Security sources had confirmed the country behind the spy ring was not China, but senior operatives in the intelligence community strongly speculated that Russia, which has long seen Australia as a backdoor to gathering intelligence on the US, was the nation state in question.

In his interview, Burgess highlighted an alleged threat to critical infrastructure, which he said had not been previously reported publicly. He claimed that there was a danger involving the pre-planting of undetected malicious software into critical infrastructure, which could be activated at a later date to cripple power grids, phone networks, water supplies and other economic and military assets.

If tensions dont reduceand it is a competitive world out there, so that competition is heating upwe do have to turn our mind to it, and we are concerned about the pre-placement of sabotage, Burgess told the Australian.

Such unsubstantiated allegations dovetail with the US-instigated bans imposed by Australia and other American allies on Huawei and other Chinese telecommunications companies, and with the blocking of practically all investment by Chinese or Hong Kong-based companies in Australian facilities.

Burgesss media performance came on the heels of this months prediction by the head of the US Indo-Pacific command, Admiral Philip Davidson, that the US could face war with China over Taiwan within five years. The ASIO chiefs intervention followed the first leaders summit of the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue, or Quad, an alliance between the US, Japan, India and Australia against China.

Burgesss remarks also coincided with a declaration by the Biden administration that it would not tolerate China applying economic coercion to Australia, adding that accusation to Washingtons long list of supposed crimes being committed by Beijing.

That allegation, reiterated by Bidens top foreign policy officials during their aggressive confrontation with their Chinese counterparts in Alaska last Friday, places Australias population even more on the frontline of any catastrophic US war against China.

Yet, the charge of economic coercion flies in the face of the record. Chinese steel mills are continuing to buy Australian iron ore at massive levels and high prices, further inflating the fortunes of Australian iron ore magnates like Gina Rinehart, Andrew Forrest and Clive Palmer.

Moreover, it is the US, supported by Australia, that is waging economic warfare against China. The Biden administration has not lifted any of the punitive tariffs and other penalties imposed under Trump on Chinese exports, investment and corporations.

Australias Huawei ban was one of 14 grievances against Australia issued by the Chinese government last November. The list also included the blocking of 10 Chinese investment proposals across infrastructure, agriculture and animal husbandry sectors, ASIO and police raids on Chinese journalists and academic visa cancellations, and spearheading a crusade in multilateral forums targeting Chinas affairs in Taiwan, Hong Kong and Xinjiang.

In his threat assessment speech, delivered at ASIOs headquarters on March 17, Burgess highlighted the agencys aggressive use of the foreign interference laws passed in 2018 amid a media scare campaign, fuelled by ASIO, against alleged Chinese interference in Australian politics. He said the ASIO-Australian Federal Police Counter Foreign Interference Taskforce had investigated over 30 cases, and laid the first foreign interference criminal charges late last year.

Prosecutions are only one weapon, Burgess emphasised. Our advice helped Home Affairs deny and cancel a number of visas. And often, merely questioning a spy or their proxy is enough to make them pack up and flee the country, because they know their cover is blown.

Late last year, Burgess noted, parliament passed legislation allowing us to be more flexible in our use of less intrusive tracking devices, and to compel suspected spies to attend interviews. That legislation allows ASIO to secretly interrogate teenagers as young as 14, rather than 16, and extends ASIOs coercive questioning powers beyond alleged terrorism-related activity to suspected foreign interference, espionage and politically-motivated violence.

Burgess reported that ASIO was already using those police-state powers, which the opposition Labor Party backed, and would ask for new powers and resources when it needed them.

Significantly, Burgess foreshadowed demands for further measures to combat the use of encryption for privacy and political reasons. He claimed that in the past year alone the proportion of ASIOs intelligence coverage in priority counter-terrorism cases that had been damaged by end-to-end encryption on internet communications platforms had risen from 90 to 97 percent.

The continual expansion of police and spy agency powers on the pretext of countering foreign enemies is a warning that the drive toward war will be accompanied, as in World War I and II, with increased suppression of working class discontent, directed particularly against socialists.
The nations three largest credit reporting agencies, Equifax, Experian, and Transunion, are providing residents free access to their credit reports until April 20.

The credit report ordering website allows users to request reports from any or all of the services.

The pandemic has brought with it financial hardship for so many Michiganders and people across the country, state Attorney General Dana Nessel said in a statement issued Monday. That is why its even more important for everyone to stay up-to-date on the contents of their credit reports.

From being aware of potential fraudulent activity to knowing which creditors to contact for assistance, having access to these crucial financial documents is imperative to ones financial health.

Further information for Michigan residents about their credit, including the risks bad credit, fraudulent transactions or erroneous information may have on ones ability to obtain loans, insurance or employment, is available on the AGs Office website.

According to the Federal Trade Commission, of 650,000 cases of identity theft in the U.S. in 2019, 41% were credit card fraud. There were an estimated 100 million online customer accounts compromised during data breaches in 2019, C/net reports.

Anyone who believes they have incorrect or fraudulent information that appears on their credit report may learn more about the process of correcting their report here.

Consumer reports may also be shared with the AGs office online or by calling 877-765-8388.

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Political bullying alleged in case of jailed restaurant owner

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They can arrest me: Holland restaurant owner defies state coronavirus order
This time around, they got about 24 hours to move items to higher ground, but they havent been able to save everything. What the fires didnt take, the floods did take, Mr Cserhalmi said. Weve lost stock around us - there are animals trapped we cant do anything about. Despite the poor phone reception, Mr Cserhalmi said the community has been rallying and checking in on each other. We advised yesterday about 18,000 people have been evacuated and regrettably we now have warnings for an additional 15,000 people that may need to be evacuated, Ms Berejiklian said. The extra areas of concern are around the river in the Hawkesbury but also the Northern Rivers area that was previously not as severe as the Mid North Coast.

On Tuesday, a new evacuation warning was issued for areas along the Hawkesbury River from Windsor to Wisemans Ferry. Residents were told to prepare to evacuate if river levels continue to rise following further rainfall expected on Tuesday. Loading Ms Berejiklian said the multiple weather fronts were catastrophic in terms of its dimensions. She said low numbers of people in evacuation centres suggested most people affected by the floods had been able to stay with family and friends. The Premier gave the update on the flood crisis from the State Emergency Operations Centre at Homebush - the headquarters of the Rural Fire Service - which was activated on Monday morning. The State Emergency Operations Centre will access live information, intelligence sharing, digital mapping, as well as public information to quickly get critical information to the public.

Now at RFS headquarters, not only are we dealing with the crisis of the flood situation, but already considering the clean-up operation and recovery, Ms Berejiklian said. Premier Gladys Berejiklian says the danger is far from over. Credit:Janie Barrett Emergency Services Minister David Elliott said the NSW SES had responded to 9500 requests for assistance since the floods began, with 1300 in the past 24 hours. He said 850 of those had been flood rescues of motorists. We are statistically crawling towards the inevitable fatality, he said. That must be avoided. Australian Defence Force resources and assets were requested yesterday. Two aviation assets from Nowra will be deployed [and] a second request to the ADF was made last night for the military to provide assistance as quickly as possible for the clean-up efforts.

Ms Berejiklian said while some parts of the state might see sunny weather on Wednesday, the danger was not over. Loading Quite the contrary, she said. Many river systems are still taking major flows and continue to rise. So there could be flooding in communities we havent anticipated and thats why please, please listen to the advice. Almost 200 schools across the state are closed on Tuesday due to extreme weather and flooding over the past few days.

Bureau of Meteorology forecaster Helen Kirkup said the combination of a coastal and inland trough over the country would result in heavy rain battering the South Coast. The area could receive between 100 and 150mm of rain during the day, while also experiencing strong winds and damaging surf. Hard hit areas, such as the Mid-North Coast and Central Coast, are expected to experience a slight easing in conditions on Tuesday. But Ms Kirkup said there could be some good news for the state, with a possibility of seeing stars overnight in some places as the rain begins to clear. The NSW SES received 1390 requests for assistance in the 24 hours to 7am on Tuesday and completed 114 flood rescues. There are 1800 volunteers working to assist people across the state. More than 536 SES teams have activated since 4pm on Sunday. The Australian Defence Force will also support NSWs flood emergency efforts from Tuesday, with two search and rescue helicopters operating out of the South Coast in 24-hour operations.
VAN BUREN COUNTY, MI - A Van Buren County homeowner killed a man allegedly in the process of stealing their property Sunday, police said.

Troopers responded to a larceny report at 6:23 a.m. Sunday, March 21 in the area of 42nd Street in Decatur Township, said the Michigan State Police Paw Paw post in a news release.

Read more: Police investigate shooting death in Van Buren County

An initial investigation has determined two people called police to their residence to intervene in a theft in progress, police said.

Prior to the troopers arrival, police said both homeowners encountered the suspect outside their home.

One of the homeowners shot the suspect, identified by police as 28-year-old Jeffrey Horton, of Decatur. Horton died at the scene after both the homeowners and police attempted life-saving efforts.

The homeowners were not identified or arrested by police, and the incident is under further investigation, police said.

A report that includes forensic analysis will be forwarded to the Van Buren County Prosecutors Office for review to determine if charges will be filed.

State police received assistance on the scene from the Van Buren County Sheriffs Department and Decatur Police Department.

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What to wear for a weekend jaunt to Siberia is a sartorial dilemma that would challenge even the most well dressed, but Vladimir Putin has pulled it off with aplomb in head-to-toe sheepskin.

The Russian president, 68, and his defence minister Sergey Shoigu, twinned in tan shearling jackets and matching dungarees while on manoeuvres in the snowy terrain before stopping for an al fresco picnic.

Putin swapped his tailored suits for head-to-toe sheepskin and teamed his cosy 'hunting suit' outerwear with a white turtleneck sweater, along with a pair of fawn snow boots.

It's likely the sheepskin suits are custom-made; a similar outfit is listed on the website of the Master Meh Leather and Fur Workshop in St Petersburg.

While the cost of the coat and matching trousers aren't specified because they are made to order, the comments in the workshop group on VKontakte, a Russian online social media and social networking service, suggest it would cost roughly 680 (70,000 rubles) - 290 for the materials and 484 for the tailoring and workmanship.

Vladimir Putin swapped his tailored suits for head-to-toe sheepskin during a weekend jaunt to Siberia - an outfit expected to have cost more than four times the average monthly pension in Russia

The Russian President was seen driving an all terrain vehicle and crossing a shaky suspension footbridge over a frozen river

The Russian president, 68, and his defence minister Sergey Shoigu, twinned in tan shearling jackets and matching trousers while on manoeuvres in the snowy terrain before stopping for an al fresco picnic

It's it's likely the sheepskin suits are custom-made; a similar suit is listed on the website of the Leather and Fur Workship in St Petersburg

His outfit is expected to have cost more than four times the average monthly pension in Russia of around 145 (15,000 rubles).

The president was also seen striding through the snowy wilderness in a dark green suit.

One that looks almost identical is listed on the Carinthia website - a European military and outdoor equipment brand.

Its G-Loft Loden Parka jacket costs 344, with the matching Lodenhose trousers priced at 250. Its description reads: 'The Carinthia G-Loft Loden Parka jacket features a detachable storm hood with wind protection and volume adjustment via an elasticated push-button cord.

While the cost of the coat and matching trousers aren't specified as they are made to order, the comments in the workshop group on VKontakte, a Russian online social media and social networking service, suggest it would cost roughly 680 (70,000 rubles) - 290 for the materials and 484 for the tailoring and workmanship

Putin teamed his cosy 'hunting suit' outerwear with a white turtleneck sweater, along with a pair of fawn snow boots

'The Carinthia G-Loft Loden Parka jacket provides the possibility of silent movement, which is important when hunting, as well as absolute protection from cold, wind and snow.'

A logo is not visible on either of Putin's suits; his stylist reportedly rips off any branding labels to ensure the president is not seen to represent a brand.

According to state-run website Russia Beyond the Headlines, Putin's favourite clothing brands are Kiton and Brioni, while he prefers trainers from the Russian brand Forward. He is also believed to own a bespoke fur hat from the French luxury menswear brand Zilli, estimated to have cost around 1,444.

When it comes to business attire and accessories, Putin is said to opt for Italian shoes and suits, Swiss watches and French sunglasses.

If you're in the market for a similar sheepskin ensemble, Belgian fashion designer Ann Demeulemeester, whose eponymous label is usually showcased at Paris Fashion Week, produces cognac and cream shearling-lined coats costing in the region of 5,300.

The president was also seen striding through the snowy wilderness in a dark green suit. One that looks almost identical is listed on the Carinthia website - a European military and outdoor equipment brand

The Carinthia G-Loft Loden Parka jacket (left) costs 344, with the matching Lodenhose trousers priced at 250 (right)

Putin showcased another sheepskin hunting suit back in 2010, when he released macho photos of himself on horseback in Siberia - with one pose likened to John Wayne as Davy Crockett in the movie The Alamo.

These followed similar shots a year previously of Putin riding bare-chested through rough terrain elsewhere in Siberia, and three years after images of a shirtless Putin fishing in a Siberian river sealed his fate as an unlikely pin-up for men and women alike.

In January 2018, Putin stripped off a sheepskin coat and felt boots before taking a dip in 5C water to mark the Christian Orthodox feast of Epiphany.

Notorious for releasing ultra-masculine photos of himself, the images of the president came hours after he released a terrifying new 'kill list' of dissidents and opponents of his authoritarian rule, six of whom live in Britain.

Putin showcased another sheepskin hunting suit back in 2010, when he released macho photos of himself on horseback in Siberia - with one pose likened to John Wayne as Davy Crockett in the movie The Alamo

Putin pictured bonding with his horse in 2010 wearing a very similar sheepskin hunting suit to the one he was pictured in at the weekend

In his latest attempt to portray an action man image, the president was seen taking the wheel of an all-terrain vehicle and strolling across a shaky suspension footbridge over a frozen river before settling down for an outdoor spread of sausage, tomatoes, cucumbers and radishes - with empty vodka visible glasses on the table.

The Russian President routinely appears on state television participating in various outdoor pursuits to project the image of a healthy and robust leader capable of leading the country for many years to come.

His bare-chested exploits are thought to have conjured for many Russians an image of the strongman as an in-shape role model.

Last week Putin appeared on stage during a concert marking the seventh anniversary of Crimea annexation, despite strong condemnation of the 'occupation' by the G7.

In January 2018, Putin stripped off a sheepskin coat and felt boots before taking a dip in 5C water to mark the Christian Orthodox feast of Epiphany

Russia's relations with Western governments are at their lowest point since the end of the Cold War, marred by allegations of election interference and sweeping cyberattacks.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson last week described Moscow as an 'active threat' to British and European security, and vowed to raise the cap on the number of nuclear weapons in response.

The six anti-Putin opponents living in Britain who are believed to be on Putin's kill-list include businessman Bill Browder and former MI6 officer Christopher Steele, according to an anonymous Russian intelligence officer who warned Salisbury novichok victim Sergei Skripal was being targeted by the Kremlin.
But crucial to their effort to appeal to the average American consumer was the packaging. Innovative package design and brand identity are vital when selling unfamiliar foods to mainstream markets, industry experts say.

People really do shop with their eyes, said Chris Manca, a buyer at Whole Foods Market focusing on local products for the companys stores in New York, New Jersey and Connecticut. If your product doesnt really jump off the shelf and catch your eye, its going to get overlooked.

In 2019, 182,535 immigrant-owned food businesses, from manufacturing to restaurants, were operating in the United States, according to an analysis of the American Community Survey by the New American Economy, a research organization. Chinese and Mexican immigrants owned most, selling cuisines familiar to American palates. But entrepreneurs from countries like Guinea, Kazakhstan and Senegal are gaining a foothold with less well-known cuisines.

Marketing these foods in the United States has its challenges, like cultural identity and consumer perception. The savviest entrepreneurs work with designers and brand strategists to make their products more approachable.
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.
OMAHA, Neb. (AP)  An Omaha police detective says the man charged with murder and other counts in the November shooting death of his friend had been aiming for another man, who was injured.
Triple M has been forced to apologise for a 'disrespectful' segment about sex dolls.

The segment, which aired on The Danny Lakey Show on February 11, involved listeners calling in and describing the physical attributes of women in order to create 'the people's sex doll'.

Triple M Brisbane's content director Scott Menz said the comments made by Danny and listeners 'fell below the standards we expect of our shows'.

Apology: Triple M has been forced to apologise for a 'disrespectful' segment about sex dolls. The segment, which aired on The Danny Lakey Show on February 11, involved listeners calling in and describing the physical attributes of women in order to create 'the people's sex doll'

'The comments made by Danny and the callers across these segments fell below the standards that we expect of our shows,' Mr Menz told Radio Today.

'We have removed these segments from our website and have spoken to Danny to reinforce our expectations and the high standards we demand from everyone who represents our brand.'

Danny also apologised to listeners on February 15, saying he 'takes full responsibility for the comments that [he] put to air'.

Segment: Triple M Brisbane 's content director Scott Menz said the comments made by Danny (pictured) and listeners 'fell below the standards we expect of our shows'

Triple M Network boss Mike Fitzpatrick also said in a statement: 'As a commercial broadcaster, SCA is always mindful of community standards.

'Any content that is inappropriate or offensive or that makes light of, or endorses, or appears to endorse, behaviour that is disrespectful towards any individual or encouraging violence against women, will not be tolerated.

'SCA takes any complaints of this nature very seriously. The comments made on the show fell below the standards that we expect of our shows.'

Standards: Triple M Network boss Mike Fitzpatrick also said in a statement: 'SCA takes any complaints of this nature very seriously. The comments made on the show fell below the standards that we expect of our shows.' Pictured: Danny Lakey

He continued: 'Danny made an on-air apology the following day on February 15 and has unreservedly apologised.'

Danny also completed additional training following the incident.

The radio personality has been hosting Triple M's night show since July last year, after moving across from Hit Network Late Nights.
Copyright 1995 - . All rights reserved. The content (including but not limited to text, photo, multimedia information, etc) published in this site belongs to China Daily Information Co (CDIC). Without written authorization from CDIC, such content shall not be republished or used in any form. Note: Browsers with 1024*768 or higher resolution are suggested for this site.

0108263 License for publishing multimedia online



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The Daily Beast

Chip Somodevilla/Getty What are Democrats willing to do to save our democracy, and how far are they willing to go? Thats the question they must answer now, while theres still time to protect our flawed and fragile democracy from an extremist, countermajoritarian Republican Party hellbent on subverting the political process to implement rule by and for a white Christian minority.For the past few months, it appeared that Democrats would respond to this daily threatwith the former president talk
PLANO, Texas, March 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Community Hospital Corporation (CHC) will assist substantially more not-for-profit hospitals with Community Health Needs Assessments (CHNAs) and implementation plans this year.

CHC expects a significant increase this year over the previous two years because many CHC client hospitals are due to complete their CHNA in 2022. Another factor driving CHC's CHNA increase is that hospitals are more likely to outsource the work this year because of the pandemic's impact on their operations.

A CHNA is a study of a hospital's community that focuses on specific health and social needs that could have a major impact on the community's health.

The federal government's Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act requires not-for-profits to submit CHNAs once every three years in order to maintain their tax-exempt status. The deadline to submit a CHNA is the last day of a hospital's taxable year, although industry trade groups have recently requested the government to grant an extension for facilities with difficulty meeting the deadline due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

For nearly a year, hospitals have been forced to shift their operational priorities in order to meet the challenges of providing care to patients infected with COVID-19 and other health-related problems. That has resulted in hospitals having less time and fewer internal resources to commit to non-pandemic activities like CHNAs.

CHC is fully prepared to offer its assistance to hospitals struggling to complete a CHNA and develop plans to improve healthcare for their communities. CHC has conducted more than 100 compliant CHNAs and implementation plans across many states for community health centers and critical access hospitals to specialty hospitals, regional studies and large multi-hospital systems.

CHC Vice President of Planning Lisette Hudson commented: "Hospitals are stretched very thin as their primary focus is providing the best quality care possible to their patients during this unprecedented public health crisis. Many smaller community hospitals may be hard-pressed to complete and submit CHNAs in a timely manner, as their operations are almost entirely directed toward overcoming the challenges of the pandemic. CHC understands their predicament and can relieve them of this complicated and time-consuming task by offering our years of experience and expertise in handling the CHNA process."

Mary Poole, director of Public Relations at Baptist Hospitals of Southeast Texas-Beaumont shared: "CHC has been instrumental in creating and implementing our highly effective community needs assessment. Beyond a roadmap, this document helps with our education, grant writing and philanthropic efforts."

Need More Information?

You can learn more about CHC's Community Health Needs Assessment and Implementation Strategy services even download our CHNA process document  or reach out to us. We are here to help.

Website service page: https:/ https://communityhospitalcorp.com/services/strategic-vision/community-health-needs-assessment-implementation-strategy/ .

About Community Hospital Corporation-HELP WHERE HOSPITALS NEED IT

Community Hospital Corporation owns, manages and consults with hospitals through CHC Hospitals, CHC Consulting and CHC ContinueCARE, with the common purpose to guide, support and enhance the mission of community hospitals and healthcare providers. Based in Plano, Texas, CHC provides the resources and experience community hospitals need to improve quality outcomes, patient satisfaction and financial performance. For more information about CHC, please visit www.communityhospitalcorp.com .

Contact:

Laura Schieber

2146862618

[email protected]

SOURCE Community Hospital Corporation
For the study, 209 farmers and 98 environmental scientists were asked how they perceive agricultural biodiversity and its management in Germany and Austria. "The results show that the perceptions of scientists and farmers on biodiversity, ecosystem services and management measures are very different," says Bea Maas, lead author from the University of Vienna. "Especially the diverging perceptions of information sources that are important for agricultural decisions show need for more cross-disciplinary collaboration in sustainable development processes," adds Maas.

The survey integrated transdisciplinary data and concepts and included demographic factors in the analysis of responses. Results showed that scientists rated biodiversity, agri-environmental programs and conservation measures as more important to agricultural production, ecosystem resilience and sustainability than farmers. "Scientists also valued scientific information as more important for agricultural decisions, while farmers valued government and agricultural sector information sources more," explains Anett Richter, co-author of the study from the Thunen Institute in Germany. Richter adds, "Critically, female farmers and farmers with higher education, or utilizing organic farming methods, rated biodiversity and its conservation as more important than other farmers". Co-author Yvonne Fabian from Agroscope in Switzerland explains: "These different perspectives of scientists and farmers reveal crucial knowledge and communication gaps between agricultural research and practice." "Our findings provide new insights for the key challenge of better integrating research, agriculture and policy practice," concludes co-author Sara Kross from Columbia University in the US.

The authors provide four specific recommendations for action on how knowledge and experience can be shared and used more effectively between agricultural science and practice:

First, make scientific information more accessible to practitioners by promoting and establishing education and advise programs for farmers. Second, develop targeted approaches to agricultural research and practice that integrate diverse stakeholder perspectives in their design and application. Third and fourth, support inclusive and integrative collaboration between science and practice by actively promoting cross-disciplinary communication. These efforts require "partnerships and political commitment at the highest level to make inclusive approaches central to the development of sustainable agriculture" according to Maas and her co-authors.

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WESTON  Public hearings on the proposed $76.3 million budget are scheduled for March 30 and 31, with residents encouraged to reach out with their questions and comments.

After deducting non-tax revenue sources and factoring the 0.76 percent increase in the grand list, the proposed mill rate increase is 2.5 percent, First Selectman Christopher Spaulding wrote to the Board of Finance in a proposal that includes the Board of Educations operating request of $55.6 million, which represents an increase of 2.68 percent over its current budget.

Along with the Board of Selectmens operating budget of nearly $14.1 million, the total budget also includes $5.5 million in debt service.

Both the selectmen and school board have approved the budgets. The Board of Finance will vote on it after the hearings.

At a recent meeting, the Board of Finance raised a few questions about the Board of Selectmens specific proposed operating budget, which represents a 2.8 percent increase over the current fiscal year.

Of particular interest, was the capital request for $262,000 for camera-related expenses at the police department.

Weve been receiving emails from some citizens about the cost and everything associated with that, said Steve Ezzes, finance board chairman.

Police Chief Edwin Henion explained that, following the passing of the state Police Accountability Bill last year, departments are now required to equip each active officer with a body camera, as well as having operational cameras in police vehicles.

A lot of it has to do with police procedures, things that dont cost money, he said of the bill, noting the equipment must be in place by July of 2022.

While he said the department was applying for grant money for the purchases, which include installation and an informational storage system, there was only up to a 30 percent reimbursement, and that was contingent on state funding availability.

We dont have a lot of hope that were going to get everything covered, Henion said.

Capt. Matthew Brodacki noted that the only two viable suppliers had been evaluated during a three-to four-month process, with the department settling on Axon  formerly TASER  which is the preferred system among Connecticut departments.

Ezzes asked if there were opportunities to curb costs by partnering with other towns to fulfill this requirement, but Brodacki said it was not practical given time constraints.

We discussed (this) over many months on the police commission, said Beth Gralnick, chair of the Board of Police Commissioners, and were all on board with this.

The Fire Department is not so lucky, however, with its request for a new rescue truck to replace its aging one, still being omitted from the capital budget.

The rescue truck is up to be replaced and Engine 7 is coming up next year, Chief John Pokorny said.

The rescue trucks really not performing properly, he said, noting that as vehicles get pushed back on the timeline for replacement, the costs escalate.

Operations over at the Transfer Station were also brought into question, with several finance board members noting theyve never been asked about not having vehicles registered in Weston when theyve gotten to dump.

Ive never seen anyone do that, Ezzes said.

Jonathan Luiz, town administrator, explained that permit stickers are automatically sent to residents after they register motor vehicles.

I guarantee you theyre not checking those stickers, said Allen Grauberd, a finance board member.

Both Luiz and Spaulding said they were supposed to be doing it and Luiz noted that he would contact the station and look into it.
A woman whose massive Akita dog attacked a teenager, her mum and an 86-year-old war veteran was today warned that if she didnt have the dog destroyed, she will go to jail.

Imposing a four month prison sentence but suspending it for three years, District Judge Mark Hamill told 44-year-old Helen Blackwood the whole basis of the suspended sentence is the dog being destroyed.

Mention this case again next Monday and I want confirmation that the dog has been destroyed, said the judge, warning Blackwood if I find it hasnt been destroyed I will bring you back and send you to prison for eight months.

Describing the case as one of the worst dog attack cases I have come across, DJ Hamill added that while he should be awarding 3,000 compensation for each victim, she is a woman of straw... but there will be civil ramifications I would have thought.

At an earlier hearing Blackwood, from the Quarter Road in Cloughey, admitted three charges relating to her dog, a black and white Akita, attacking a person, allowing the dog to stray and keeping a dog without a licence, all committed close to her home on 15 April last year.

A prosecuting lawyer told Newtownards Magistrates Court how a 15-year-old girl was out for a walk with her mum when the dog attacked the teenager, biting her arm and then biting her mum when she intervened and managed to wrestle the dog off her.

The terrified mum and daughter fled to the nearest house having sustained numerous puncture wounds to their arms but a short time later, the dog attacked an 86-year-old Korean War veteran.

The lawyer said a passer-by tried to shout a warning to the pensioner but because he was rather short of hearing, he didnt heed the warning and the dog knocked him to the ground where it went for his throat, inflicting bite marks and bruising to the veterans chin and chest area.

He said that despite fighting in the Korean War, the veteran says the dog attack last April was the most frightening experience of his life.

He still gets flashbacks of the dog on top of him, drooling, said the lawyer, he really thought it was going to rip his throat out and kill him.

The court heard that some passers by were reluctant to help because of the size of the dog but eventually, a Good Samaritan grabbed it by the collar and managed to drag it off the pensioner while a District Nurse who came across the scene gave him first aid.

Enquiries and investigations led Ards and North Down Council to Blackwood who claimed then that she would get the dog put down but the court heard that coming up to 12 months from the attack, Blackwood still has the Akita chained up at her property.

While the PPS lawyer said he was applying for a destruction order for the dog, defence counsel Conan Rea revealed that Blackwood has an appointment with a vet today to have the dog destroyed.

The lawyer said he was also applying for Blackwood to be disqualified from owning or keeping a dog and for court costs of 296 against her.

Mr Rea confirmed there was no insurance policy covering the dog which had originally belonged to her brother, submitting that she had not been able to have it put to sleep due to Covid.

Its stating the obvious that it shouldve been put down and in the normal run of events, without Covid, thats what wouldve happened, said the lawyer who told the court Blackwood is very remorseful and apologetic for the very traumatic incident.

Describing the Akita as a monster of a dog, DJ Hamill said he was appalled that this dog is still alive and the fact that it was not licensed was the icing on the cake.

In addition to the suspended prison sentence, Blackwood was fined 100 and ordered to pay the 296 costs.








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Europeans' confidence in the Oxford/AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine has wavered, a poll shows. (PA)

The decision by EU leaders to pause the rollout of the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine has "hugely damaged" public trust in the jab across the continent, a shocking new poll shows.

In some major countries  including Germany, France and Spain  more people now think the vaccine is unsafe than safe.

Many nations temporarily suspended their rollouts of the vaccine earlier this month over fears of a link to blood clots, but countries including Germany, France, Spain and Italy have since all said they would resume their programmes after the European Medicines Agency (EMA) called it "safe and effective".

But the YouGov survey of more than 8,800 people in seven countries seems to indicate that the damage to public trust has already been done, with 61% of French people, 55% of Germans, 52% of Spaniards and 43% of Italians all saying they believe the jab is unsafe.

In the UK, where the national regulator has always insisted there is no link between the jab and blood clots, only 9% of people say it isnt safe.

Watch: European regulator says AstraZeneca vaccine is safe

Matthew Smith, head of data journalism at YouGov, tweeted the information in what he called the stupidist, stupidist, stupidest chart I have ever made, and accused EU nations' leaders of an abject failure of leadership.

The decision by many countries, including many EU nations, suspending use of the AstraZeneca vaccine following concerns that it could cause blood clots, has hugely damaged public perceptions of the vaccines safety in Europe, said Smith.

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At least 13 countries stopped using the AstraZeneca jab in the past two weeks, but several resumed their programmes on Friday after the EMA called it safe and effective in a preliminary report last week, echoing the view of the World Health Organization.

And on Monday, a US-led trial of more than 32,000 people found the vaccine is 79% effective at preventing COVID-19 and offers 100% protection against severe disease.

Story continues

Meanwhile, junior health minister Helen Whately has warned the EU not to engage in vaccine nationalism after reports of EU proposals to block the export of the AstraZeneca jab to the UK.

European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen, who is under pressure over the EUs relatively poor vaccine rollout, ramped up the rhetoric at the weekend, saying the EU has the power to forbid exports, adding: That is the message to AstraZeneca.

The warning reflects growing frustration on the continent that the EU is not getting the supplies it expected from the British-Swedish manufacturer.

Boris Johnson is expected to contact his EU counterparts by phone ahead of a virtual summit on Thursday where European leaders are due to consider the matter.

The chart showing how Europeans view the AstraZeneca vaccine. (YouGov)

Reports have suggested the latest focus of the row is on AstraZeneca vaccines produced in the Halix plant in the Netherlands, with officials arguing they should be kept for the EU rather than exported to the UK.

Whately told BBC Radio 4s Today programme on Monday: What were hearing at the moment is some speculation, some conjecture, an element of rhetoric.

But what is actually important is that the EU and no country should follow vaccine nationalism or vaccine protectionism.

We expect the European Union to stick by their commitments and Im sure the prime minister will be in contact with European counterparts  he speaks to European counterparts regularly  but I dont think this debate is helpful to anybody.

A paramedic prepares to administer the Oxford/AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine at the Riverside Stadium Vaccination Centre in Middlesbrough on Monday. (Getty)

What matters is for all countries to be getting on and deploying and vaccinating their population.

Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer told LBC Radio: I dont think the EU is helping itself here, I dont think it has helped itself much in the last few weeks and months on the whole question of the vaccine.

I dont think they should go down this road of banning exports.

The UK is already facing a squeeze on vaccine supplies in April, and Starmer said the dispute with the EU needed to be resolved as quickly as possible because we dont want any shortage in vaccines to interrupt the rollout in this country.

Johnson celebrated a record-breaking day for the vaccine rollout in the UK after 844,285 first or second dose jabs were given to members of public on Saturday.

Watch: EU 'must not block COVID vaccine exports to UK'


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By Toni Benn





When I first arrived in Korea, like most of the world, I too praised their swift response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Policies encouraging everyone in the country to get tested, socially distancing as much as possible, and wearing masks in public spaces had become the norm.



The logic behind their efforts made sense and the majority of the population followed suit, putting Korea in a unique position. In April 2020, Korea reported zero cases. The country's initial success in staving off the pandemic shifted direction quickly and it didn't take long for things to pivot from a team effort to a witch-hunt.



COVID cases began to climb once again and drew a stern government response. Social distancing levels began to rise and went from level 2 to level 2.5. This forced many schools and workplaces to begin virtual operations.



Still, Korea maintained the best possible plan of action to combat the relentless and deadly disease that seems to show no signs of slowing down. But just as COVID levels began to rise, so did a disturbing practice that was sanctioned by the local and national government.



Recently, a policy was put into place that required all and only foreigners to get tested for COVID-19. Yes, only foreigners. Not Korean employees that we work with every day, or the local people we ride trains and buses with, but only foreigners.



This policy was an unorganized and misdirected effort to curb the virus by placing the blame on a specific group and it's a group that looks like me.



As an African-American woman, I wasn't all too shocked at how Korea was handling this, but I was disappointed. Individuals in Black expat communities in Korea hail from countries that practice both subtle and overt bigotry.



Most people of color are used to being ostracized, publicly embarrassed, and sometimes even violently abused, simply on the basis of skin color. I've been in Korea for a little over a year now and I have not been shielded from the same discrimination that many of us face in our respective countries.



We are denied employment because of stated preferences by employers and recruiters that utilize veiled acts of racism which favor and benefit our white counterparts. For most of us, our past experiences were revisited when we were singled out for COVID testing.



This divisive act made us feel a similar disdain and anger that we are all too familiar with. We knew what the mandate was supposed to achieve, but we were also well aware of what it really was.



The Black community spent all of 2020 supporting the worldwide "Black Lives Matter" protests and continues to fight for the rights of Black and Brown people in every capacity. So for us, the mandate was just another example of how far the world has to go, including Korea, in order to realize that racism comes in many forms.



There are microaggressions and acts of exclusion that are also detrimental and hurtful, but systemic racism is at the root of every form of this type of hatred. And sadly, the COVID testing in Korea is a prime example of this.



A government ordered mandate that requires one group, and only this group, to undergo testing is motivated by one thing and one thing only, racism.



Before anyone points out that the mandate also included white foreigners, I am well aware of that and for the first time, maybe this will help them understand how we feel when we are unfairly targeted or singled out.



For anyone to even remotely claim this mandate is not racist by excusing Korea, or is fearful of speaking up because of whatever repercussion may follow, has either never experienced discrimination because they possess a privilege they refuse to acknowledge, or they themselves may actually be a part of the problem, contributing to the oppression and struggles of groups who can't seem to find peace in an already turbulent world.



And to Korea, I'm disappointed in you and I hope at some point that you can acknowledge the hurt that this has caused. I pray that nothing like this ever happens again.





Toni Benn (tonicbenn@gmail.com) is an English teacher in Korea from the U.S. The views expressed in this article are the author's own and do not reflect the editorial direction of The Korea Times.




Ukraine has announced its official position on the technical report released by Iran on causes of the crash of Ukraine International Airlines near Tehran, which occurred on January 8, 2020, the press service of the Foreign Ministry said on Facebook.

"In his speech at the Council of the organization, the representative of Ukraine in ICAO Andriy Shevchenko said that the document does not meet the requirements of the Chicago Convention," the message says.

It is said that the report does not provide an answer to key questions: what caused the accident and how to avoid it in the future.

"This is not the spirit of cooperation that the aviation community needs. After that, how to send flights to the Iranian sky again? How does all of this fit in with ICAO principles? Does all this make civil aviation safe?" the representative of Ukraine said.

The department said that Ukraine will seek truth and responsibility for those responsible.
A Covid-19 situation at the National Insurance Board (NIB) led to late pension cheques this month, says Social Development Minister Donna Cox. And the ministry yesterday apologised for any inconvenience caused to pensioners and other recipients of social welfare as a result of the late payment of benefits.
KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia authorities has said the country will order all North Korean diplomats to leave the country within 48 hours, in an escalation of diplomat brawl over Malaysia's decision to extradite a North Korean criminal suspect to the United States.

In a statement issued on Sunday, Foreign Minister Hishammuddin Hussein said: "Malaysia has today expelled all diplomats of the Embassy of North Korea in Kuala Lumpur in keeping with the decision for all diplomatic staff and their dependents to leave within 48 hours.

"This action is a reminder that Malaysia shall never tolerate any attempt to meddle in our internal affairs and judiciary, disrespect our governance system, and constantly create unnecessary tensions in defiance of the rules-based international order." Vehicles carrying the North Korean diplomatic staff and their families were seen leaving their embassy in Kuala Lumpur on Sunday morning and headed to the airport, reports Xinhua news agency.

"The expulsion has been carried out in conformity with Article 9 of the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations 1961. The government of Malaysia took this action in response to North Korea's unilateral and utterly irresponsible decision to sever diplomatic ties with Malaysia.

Before leaving the embassy, Charge d'Affairs Kim Yu Song told the media that by extraditing a North Korean citizen to the US, the Malaysian authority had destroyed the entire foundation of bilateral relations.

Last week, Malaysia's top court ruled that he can be extradited to Washington, rejecting his appeal challenging the extradition request from the United States.

Israel Authorities to lifts Covid-19 flight restriction for Israeli citizens

Providing snapshot Covid-19 pandemic life, UK starts once-a-decade census

Donald Trump wax statue removed from Tussauds museum, shocking reason
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NEW YORK, March 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Khaled Salem, running to unseat Chuck Schumer in the upcoming 2022 U.S. Senate race, today sent a message to investors, business professionals and investing countries: There is no place in the world for safe investment except the United States, Israel and the European Union. Khaled advises investors not to waste their money and efforts in countries that lack a constitutional or democratic system to protects human rights and investment.

Khaled Salem, U.S. Senate Candidate and CEO Of American Human Rights Organization Khaled Salem, U.S. Senate Candidate and CEO Of American Human Rights Organization

"Human rights is very much an economic and financial issue," explained Khaled, who is also CEO of the American Human Rights Organization. "Countries that do not treat their own citizens right will also not hesitate to mistreat foreign investors. It's a pattern you see time after time. Authoritarian regimes are invariably kleptocracies. They steal from their own people. They steal from investors."

In contrast, as Khaled notes, America, Israel and the European Union have proven over the years that they are the strongest countries in many fields, including human rights, investment and the protection of their homelands. Regarding Israel, for example, Khaled said, "The State of Israel has proven its competence over the years with distinction in protecting its people along with its constitutional and economic system in front of its neighboring enemies." Working with Israel represents a big potential win for the Middle East if the Arab world would understand this. Khaled is encouraged by recent moves in this direction.

Not that everyone is getting that message. As Khaled sees it, Iran is out of alignment with the trend toward democracy and human rights. He said, "I want the Iranian people to know that they have a strong supporter in the U.S. who will do everything possible to secure their individual freedoms. Citizens deserve to feel safe in their own countries. The existing Iranian leadership has stripped away anything resembling fair government and decent representation."

Domestically, Khaled Salem is an advocate for fair policing in New York state and across the country. He hopes that the NY State Police, now focusing on moving violation safety in the five boroughs of NY City, will either help the NYPD if it is short of available officers or return to their original posts due to a state budget shortfall.

Khaled is asking the United States Department of State to start, as soon as possible, to make the place of birth optional on U.S. passports to protect dual citizens abroad from discrimination in most international Airports around the world.

Some of Salem's other policy positions as a Senate candidate include:

Free university education for American students.

Tourist visas to the US must require travel medical insurance for entry.

Laws and procedures to reduce domestic violence nationwide.

A reduction in U.S. military activity and presence in the Middle East .

. A policy that requires these regions pay for American military services.

The establishment of a home loan program for middle class single parents.

Salem is running in the next general election, scheduled for November 8, 2022. Thirty-four of the Senate's 100 seats are being contested in these elections.

For more information, visit https://www.khaled2022forcongress.com/

https://www.americanhumanrights.org/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IaBldfu_ma0

[email protected]/

twitter.com/KhaledYork

Media Contact:

Senate Candidate Khaled Salem

1 518 348 6868

[email protected]

SOURCE Senate Candidate Khaled Salem

Related Links

https://www.khaled2022forcongress.com


Free-spirited Georgia and her two kids, Ginny and Austin, move to the suburbs in an attempt to escape a damning past life. The angsty fifteen-year-old daughter Ginny often feels more mature than her thirty-year-old mother Georgia, who finds her way around breaking rules as well as breaking hearts.

Sound familiar? Yes, apparently everyone thought of the same comparison. It sounds like a 2021 version of Gilmore Girl, with a slightly more Southern and thriller-y twist.

When did Ginny and Georgia come out on Netflix?

The first season of Ginny and Georgia was released in February and took everyone by surprise, as the comedy developed into a storyline that went down the path of the thriller genre. Another binge-watched series with only one season out has the Google search burning for when and if there will be the next season?

Will there be a Season 2?

Netflix hasn't confirmed whether Ginny and Georgia has been renewed for season two yet, but it seems the demand is there by viewers who are hungry for more. Netflix has become notorious for releasing one season of series and waiting to confirm demand for it before it requests the next season or discontinues it. Given that the series was only released last month, we might have to wait a little while for the news.

If season two is confirmed, Ginny and Georgia fans will have to be patient for the new episodes to arrive. According to reports, the first series took four months to film so providing that the cast and a crew get the green light soon, it's possible that we'll see season two a year after the release of the first.

What can we expect?

The first season introduces us to teenager Ginny Miller and her young mother, Georgia, who had Ginny when she was only a teenager. The comedy follows their story as they navigate their new life after relocating. But things take a turn when Georgia's past starts to catch up with her and threatens her family's new way of life.

The show was left on a cliffhanger when Ginny and Austin were planning to run away, and whether Georgia's wedding to the mayor will go ahead. Will she go to Boston to her father or does Ginny have another destination in mind?
Post-graduation students and house surgeons from several private medical colleges complain that they are not getting monthly stipend on par with those from governments medical colleges. (Representational image : DC file photo)

Vijayawada: Government junior doctors in Andhra Pradesh have given a strike-call seeking release of their pending stipend of the past few months.

The junior doctors say the first-year students are not getting their monthly stipend of Rs 44,500 for the last five months while the second-year students who get Rs 46,500 and the third-year students getting Rs 48,500 are left high and dry for the last three months.

They had served a strike notice to the state government and would stop work from Saturday next, by attending to only emergency cases. They have skipped duty at out-patient ward and are not going for rounds in wards to take care of patients.

Meanwhile, post-graduation students and house surgeons from several private medical colleges complain that they are not getting monthly stipend on par with those from governments medical colleges. They allege that some private managements remit full stipend in their bank accounts for record and ask them to return a part of it to them.

House surgeons complain about extension of two months to complete their internship and want to be relieved by the National Medical Council. They say private managements are asking them to serve at their colleges for the extended period of two months.

Parents committee president and state BC employees honorary president Dr Ala Venkateswaralu alleged in a statement that the Katuri medical college and hospital located in Guntur was paying less stipend to the PG students and house surgeons against the state government norms and are resorting to financial irregularities worth crores of rupees.

He alleged that the management was threatening not to relieve the house surgeons unless they completed their service for the extended two months until end of May, though their internship was getting completed by March 23.

He criticised the college managements for not releasing the Covid-19 incentive to junior doctors so far even as the state government had paid a huge amount to the colleges for this purpose.

He said, We appeal to the NTR university of health sciences and also the AP Higher Education Regulatory and Monitoring Commission to take necessary action.

NTR registrar Dr K Sankar said, If there are any irregularities, we will call for remarks from them and take necessary action. Moreover, medical college principals are having the discretion to extend the period of internship for house surgeons.
Boris Johnson has warned of a third wave of coronavirus infections in the UK. (Getty Images)

Coronavirus cases are now above 100 per 100,000 people in 26 areas of the UK, the latest infection data show.

The governments new figures, covering the seven days up to 17 March, show Barnsley has the highest case rate at 199.7 per 100,000 (the full list of 26 can be viewed at the bottom of this page).

They also show cases increased in all of those 26 areas compared to the previous week. Overall, cases are rising in 169 out of 380 local council areas  or 44% of the UK.

The latest seven-day case rate per 100,000 people in your area, and how this changed compared to the previous week, can be viewed on this interactive map.

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Made with Flourish

UK-wide daily cases have dropped to relatively low levels when compared to January. For instance, 5,342 new cases were reported on Monday, in contrast to 68,503 on 8 January.

However, the speed of the decline has completely slowed down in March, with daily cases constantly around the 5,000 level, as demonstrated by this government graph.

Cases by specimen date. (gov.uk)

And Mondays council area figures offer another reminder  amid Boris Johnsons promise last week of no changes to the road map out of Englands lockdown  that the virus continues to circulate.

However, it should also be pointed out that the increased numbers are likely to have been at least partly driven by the higher numbers of tests being carried out due to the return of schools. The UKs testing capacity was expanded when schools returned on 8 March.

It comes as Johnson warned Britain must brace for another wave of COVID-19 infections being imported from Europe as cases rise on the continent.

The prime minister said he expected the third wave of cases, seen in countries such as France and Italy, to wash up on our shores as well.

Watch: Boris Johnson says the UK will 'feel effects' of a third wave

However, the UK will this time have the advantage of having rolled out one of the world's most successful vaccine programmes, with 27,997,976 people having received a first dose as of Sunday.

Story continues

Nonetheless, England's chief medical officer Prof Chris Whitty has previously warned the next COVID wave will still cause "significant numbers" of deaths later this year, partly because the vaccines are not 100% effective and partly because some people will choose not to, or are unable to, get a jab.

The 26 areas of the UK with more than 100 cases per 100,000 people

Barnsley: 199.7 Corby: 189.7 West Lothian: 170.9 Kingston upon Hull, City of: 165.9 Redditch: 161.9 North Lincolnshire: 150.9 Rotherham: 143.2 Luton: 141.7 Peterborough: 136 Boston: 131.1 Darlington: 131.1 East Renfrewshire: 130.8 Salford: 117.4 Fenland: 115.9 Sheffield: 113.5 Doncaster: 112.5 Bolton: 109.5 Melton: 109.4 North Ayrshire: 108.4 Rossendale: 107.7 Isle of Anglesey: 107.1 Bolsover: 104.3 Kirklees: 104.1 South Ayrshire: 103 Oldham: 102.1 East Northamptonshire: 100.5

Watch: How England is leaving lockdown
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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
Floridas Miami Beach has declared a state of emergency after more than 1,000 arrests during an unruly spring break the city fears is a serious threat to public safety (Pedro Portal/Miami Herald/AP)

Floridas Miami Beach has declared a state of emergency after more than 1,000 arrests during an unruly spring break the city fears is a serious threat to public safety.

During a last-minute meeting on Sunday, city officials voted to extend a highly unusual 8pm curfew for another week along famed South Beach, with the possibility of extending it until April 12 if needed.

Officials stressed the crowd was not comprised of university students but adults looking to let loose in one of the few states fully open during the pandemic.

Expand Close Tourists and hotel guests are being told to stay indoors during the curfew hours (Pedro Portal/Miami Herald/AP) AP/PA Images / Facebook

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Whatsapp Tourists and hotel guests are being told to stay indoors during the curfew hours (Pedro Portal/Miami Herald/AP)

After days of partying, including several confrontations with police, Miami Beach officials brought in a curfew on Saturday from 8pm until 6am, forcing restaurants to stop outdoor seating entirely during the three-day emergency period and encouraging local businesses to voluntarily shut down.

More than half of the more than 1,000 arrests were from out of state, said city manager Raul Aguila, adding many were present to engage in lawlessness and an anything goes party attitude.

He also noted that the crowds were not eating at restaurants or patronising businesses generating badly needed tourism dollars, but merely congregating by the thousands in the street.

Officers in bullet proof vests dispersed pepper spray balls on Saturday evening into a defiant, but mostly non-violent crowd, refusing to submit to the curfew that had only been enacted four hours earlier. Some people responded by jumping on top of cars, twerking and throwing money into the air.

Expand Close Officials have voted to extend a highly unusual 8pm curfew for another week along famed South Beach (Al Diaz/Miami Herald/AP) AP/PA Images / Facebook

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Whatsapp Officials have voted to extend a highly unusual 8pm curfew for another week along famed South Beach (Al Diaz/Miami Herald/AP)

Miami Beach Mayor Dan Gelber said he has trouble sleeping at night, worried about the out-of-control parties.

When hundreds of people are running through the streets panicked, you realize thats not something that a police force can control, he said during a commission meeting on Sunday.

Local officials have struggled to enforce Covid rules. Florida has no statewide mask rules, limits on capacity or other such restrictions, courtesy of Republican Governor Ron DeSantiss pro-business stance.

I think there are very few places that have been open as our state have been open, said Mr Gelber. Were in the middle of a pandemic. The virus is still very present in our community. We have 1,000 infections a day on most days.
The Delhi cabinet approved a new excise policy and under which the new legal age to consume alcohol has been fixed at 21 years, deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia said on Monday.

"No new liquor shops will not be opened in the capital, there will be no government liquor stores in Delhi," Sisodia said at a press conference. At present, 60 per cent liquor shops in Delhi are run by the government.

The decision has been taken to crackdown on the liquor mafia, he said. Sisodia, who also holds the finance end education portfolios, said the government will ensure that there is no open drinking in the market areas or near wine shops.

Liquor mafia has been ruling in Delhi due to discrepancies in the serving area. Some areas in the capital have too many shops, while some have too less, Sisodia said.

"Government will ensure equitable distribution of liquor shops so that liquor mafia are thrown out of the trade," he said.

A revenue growth of 20 per cent is estimated after the reforms in excise department.

Open or illicit liquor consumption in the capital will be prohibited and the responsibility lies with the shop owners.

The quality of liquor should be of global standard, said Sisodia, adding that the local government will set up a system where the quality of liqour will be checked.



"We have prepared for some major changes in the new excise policy which will be announced soon. We are expecting that with the new excise policy, the Delhi government will witness an uptick in revenues," the Deputy CM said.
Whether it can muster Republican support will depend in large part on how the bill is paid for.

Officials have discussed offsetting some or all of the infrastructure spending by raising taxes on corporations, including increasing the 21 percent corporate income tax rate and a variety of measures to force multinational corporations to pay more tax in the United States on income they earn abroad. That strategy is unlikely to garner Republican votes.

I dont think theres going to be any enthusiasm on our side for a tax increase, Senator Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, the Republican leader, told reporters last week. He predicted the administrations infrastructure plan would be a Trojan horse for tax increases.

The overall price tag of the package could approach $4 trillion since it includes several tax incentives, like credits to help families afford child care and to encourage energy efficiency in existing buildings. It could also extend temporary tax cuts meant to fight poverty, which could increase the size of the proposal by hundreds of billions of dollars, according to estimates prepared by administration officials.

Mr. Biden supports all of the individual spending and tax proposals under consideration, but it is unclear whether he will back splitting his agenda into pieces, or what legislative strategy he and Democratic leaders will pursue to maximize the chances of pushing the effort through Congress.

His advisers have debated the merits of aggressively pursuing compromise with Republicans and business leaders on an infrastructure package, which would most likely require dropping or scaling back plans to raise taxes on corporations. Another route would be to move the sweeping bill through a special parliamentary process that would require only Democratic votes, as Mr. Biden did with the stimulus package.

President Biden and his team are considering a range of potential options for how to invest in working families and reform our tax code so it rewards work, not wealth, said Jen Psaki, the White House press secretary. Those conversations are ongoing, so any speculation about future economic proposals is premature and not a reflection of the White Houses thinking.

Mr. Biden said in January that his relief bill would be followed by a Build Back Better Recovery Plan, which would include investments in infrastructure, manufacturing, clean energy, skills training and other areas.
Appointment

22 March 2021

Hilton announces the appointment of Sharilyn Toko as general manager of the 652-room Caribe Hilton in San Juan, Puerto Rico, the company's first hotel to open outside of the continental U.S. in 1949 and birthplace of the pina colada.

With more than three decades of hospitality experience, Toko joins the Caribe Hilton team following a year of holding a dual role as general manager of Embassy Suites by Hilton San Juan HotelandCasino and The Condado Plaza Hilton, where she took the helm in 2016 to reenergize the team and elevate the guest experience. An award-winning general manager, Toko is a Hilton veteran who joined the company in 1989 at the Hilton Waikoloa Village, where she remained until 2000, overseeing the resort's catering and convention services. She then moved to Puerto Rico to take on the role of director of meeting and conference services at the former El Conquistador Resort, where she advanced her career, leading her to oversee the 950-room resort as hotel manager, responsible for not only the hotel, but also its private island, water park, spa, privately owned villas and more. Toko studied Business Administration and Hawaiian Studies at the University of Hawaii at Hilo.
TOKYO (AP)  Japanese prosecutors charged two Americans, Michael Taylor and his son Peter, Monday in the escape of former Nissan Chairman Carlos Ghosn to Lebanon, while he was out on bail.

Tokyo District Prosecutors have been questioning the Taylors since they were extradited from the United States earlier this month. They have been detained at a Tokyo detention center since March 2.

Prosecutors said the Taylors were formally charged with helping a criminal escape, although dates and other details of a trial were undecided. The prosecutors sought their extradition for months after they were arrested and detained in the Boston area last May.

Tokyo Deputy Chief Prosecutor Hiroshi Yamamoto said Monday was the last day the Taylors could have been detained without charges under Japanese law.

Now that they have been charged they can continue to be detained. A court will decide whether they will be granted bail.

Yamamoto said prosecutors are requesting continued detention on the grounds the two might flee or conceal evidence. He declined to elaborate on the Taylors' health and other conditions, but said appropriate procedures were being taken.

We continue to be grateful to the U.S. authorities for their cooperation and hope to proceed with the trial, he said, referring to the Taylors' extradition.

The Taylors were not immediately available for comment, as is standard in Japans criminal system, where more than 99% of those who go on trial are found guilty.

Ghosn, who led Nissan Motor Co. for nearly two decades, was arrested in November 2018 and later charged with under-reporting his compensation and breach of trust.

He jumped bail and escaped to Lebanon in December 2019. Ghosn says he is innocent. Japan has put Ghosn on Interpols wanted list, but Lebanon has no extradition treaty with Japan.

Yamamoto said Japan was still determined to see Ghosn put on trial.

Michael Taylor, 60, with the help of another man, George-Antoine Zayek, hid Ghosn in a large black box supposedly containing audio equipment, although they knew Ghosn was not allowed to leave the country while awaiting trial, according to the prosecutors.

Story continues

The box passed through airport security in Osaka, central Japan, and was loaded onto a private jet that flew Ghosn to Turkey.

Peter Taylor, 28, is accused of meeting with Ghosn and helping his father carry out the escape. Authorities say the Taylors were paid at least $1.3 million.

The Taylors lawyers in the U.S. fought the extradition, saying they might be treated unfairly in Japan and subjected to mental and physical torture.

They also argued that jumping bail is not a crime under Japanese law. That is technically accurate, but most people who escape are easily caught in Japan.

Zayek is not in custody. Yamamoto declined to comment on Zayek's whereabouts.

Japanese prosecutors say they have enough evidence to convict the Taylors.

If convicted, the Taylors face up to three years in prison and a fine of up to 300,000 yen ($2,900).

Separately, Greg Kelly, a former Nissan executive vice president, is on trial on charges of under-reporting Ghosn's compensation. Kelly, an American, says he is innocent as he did not know about such actions.

Nissan, as a company, is also standing trial. Nissan has acknowledged wrongdoing.

A verdict is not expected for months.

___

Yuri Kageyama is on Twitter https://twitter.com/yurikageyama
SAN RAMON, Calif., March 22, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- AMF Media Group (AMF), a full-service marketing and public relations agency, won seven American Advertising Awards in the 2021 Coastal California Competition.

The award program, formerly known as the ADDYs, is the advertising industrys largest and most representative competition, attracting nearly 35,000 entries every year. American Advertising Awards are granted by the American Advertising Federation and reward creativity and excellence in the art of advertising.

AMF Media Group walked away with awards for its work for clients Alameda Health System, Allegro Coffee, Armanino, Hats Off and Valley Christian Schools.

This year has undoubtedly been a challenging one, and I am proud of my team for rising up and creating thoughtful, innovative work, much of which has uplifted and supported our communities, said Vintage Foster, CEO of AMF Media Group. Its an honor to be recognized, and to work every day alongside such a dynamic team.

Winning campaigns included:

An integrated social responsibility campaign for Alameda Health System driving awareness among its communities of the importance of wearing a face mask to slow the spread of the virus

An interactive online campaign for Allegro Coffee sharing the brands sustainable practices and unparalleled taste

sharing the brands sustainable practices and unparalleled taste An integrated content campaign and video for Armanino delivering key business information about the pandemic to current and potential clients and celebrating the diversity of Armaninos employees

A pro bono campaign for Hats Off honoring essential workers and uniting the public in the fight against COVID-19

Two integrated advertising campaigns for Valley Christian Schools driving reenrollment and sharing the schools readiness amid the pandemic

For more information about AMF Media Group, visit www.amfmediagroup.com.

About AMF Media GroupAMF Media Group is a full-service marketing agency that delivers a comprehensive and clear approach on brand strategy and marketing, public relations, crisis communications, internal communications, multimedia production, web design and development, and event planning and management. AMF has offices in the SF Bay Area, Central California, Vancouver, Canada and Los Angeles. To learn more, visit amfmediagroup.com.

Media ContactCaitie Nolancaitie@amfmediagroup.com925-790-2748

Source: AMF Media Group
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Speaking at the recent 2021 Virtual Munich Security Conference, U.S. Joe President Biden said the United States and Europe must stand up and meet the threat from Russia.
One of the winners is Houston's very own Professor "Bee" Nance, CPA, who is an adjunct Accounting Professor for San Jacinto College south campus. Professor Nance says, "Ive been an accounting professor since 2014 in both full-time and adjunct capacities. I saw a gap in how accessible accounting information was for my community college students, I created my YouTube page in 2016 (youtube.com/professornance)." Over the last couple of years, it has grown to over 1,000 subscribers with over 54,000 views. In January 2020, Nance launched the new and improved Professor Nance YouTube page, with more engaging content and an edgy persona. "At the beginning of 2020, I had so many plans for how I wanted to continue to develop content and step it up a notch," she says, "but the sadness and depressive state of the world (due to COVID 19) overshadowed everything." On March 15, 2021, the Top 50 Women in Accounting were announced by Practice Ignition. Nance was included on this list, which includes women from various accounting and bookkeeping backgrounds all over the world. Winners were ranked by six judges on a scoring system based on the following criteria.



Dedication to promoting inclusivity and diversity in the workplace

Investment in the next generation and the future leaders of accounting

Advocacy of the accounting industry and support of the wider community.

When asked to provide an example of how she is actively promoting inclusivity and diversity in the workplace, Professor Nance stated, "I am a black, Muslim, woman CPA. A triple threat by some, and the ultimate minority by others. I actively promote inclusivity and diversity everyday by showing up in spaces that I will never fully fit into. In addition to teaching accounting and working to bring other women of color into the field, I also work for a non-profit organization (Generation Teach), whose vision is to end racial injustice and inequity in education. My background is checkered with experience working in governmental, educational, and nonprofit organizations. Upon graduating from college, I decided that I wanted to use my accounting powers for good. I was pursued by corporate America and public accounting firms, but I decided that I wanted to give back to my community through accounting. I actively promote inclusivity and diversity in accounting every single day, just by showing up. I learned a long time ago that, unlike some, I dont have to make a big splash to be seen  my hijab and skin color does that for me. The benefit of being the 'ultimate minority' in my field is that Im a walking billboard for what a racially, religiously diverse woman can accomplish in the workplace." Nance considers this a true badge of honor. "If 2020 taught us nothing else, every opportunity to celebrate should be fully harnessed and embraced. I embrace this honor." She encourages everyone to, "Do the same in your life. Remember to celebrate all of the little things, the minute details, the things that dont matter to anyone else. Tomorrow is not promised, so lets celebrate the hell out of the here and now!"
Activity Days 'The warriors of Vinnitsa'

20-23 of March 2021 will be activity days of the Club WW radioamateurs in Vinnitsa region of Ukraine.

3 QSO (SWL) with radioamateur station of Vinnitsa region (UR#N, UT#N, US#N e.t.c.) will provide you an opportunity to get a memorial AWARD "The warriors of Vinnitsa". QSO with club station of UR4NWW will give you 2 point QSO.

'The warriors of Vinnitsa' is amateur radio diploma in honor of 77th anniversary of the liberation of the Vinnitsa from nazi invaders in 1944.

Send your request with log to our feedback form until 31 of March 2021.

http://ur4nww.qrz.ru/online/?
Its absolutely flat out, Im getting calls many times a day every day from builders that we work for and builders we dont work for. Mr Cherry said he has struggled to hire enough bricklayers to keep up with the increase in demand, despite advertising as far away as Melbourne. I have had ads running for two months for bricklayers on everything from Seek to Gumtree and I think I have picked up one guy. We have 19 guys, but I could keep 40 guys working at the minute, he said. I know big commercial builders in Perth who are screaming because they cant get jobs completed because they cant get the trades. According to the Urban Development Institute of WA, over the course of 2020 greenfield lot sales increased by 128 per cent.

This has resulted in the home building industry being stretched beyond capacity in many areas, it has warned, placing significant pressure on builders to ensure new home builds are commenced within the timeframe required for the consumer to be eligible for government grants. Perth tradies are in demand as residential building booms. Credit:AFR For the WA grant, significant earthworks must occur within six months from the date a building contract is signed. For the federal grant, it is 12 months. The expectation is the market will continue to tighten in the second half of this year as more home builds commence in the wake of the stimulus. Industry insiders are warning some consumers risk missing out on accessing the grants, given the delays to home building timeframes, and trades risk a hard landing when the impact of the stimulus ends as quickly as it began. Housing Industry Association WA regional executive director Cath Hart said the industry group was expecting a huge increase in home building in 2021.

We are expecting detached home starts to rise by 68.9 per cent over 2021 to 17,880, up from 10,585 in 2019/2020, she said. Loading We havent seen new home builds in WA at that level since the peak of the 2015 boom and because it hasnt been an organic pathway to that number, and has been pushed up overnight by stimulus measures, that has created challenges in terms of the supply chain. Ms Hart said she had heard of builders trying to attract teams of bricklayers from Canberra and Adelaide just to get through the impending slab season. The labour challenges, plus the massive flood of demand and patchy supply chain disruptions meant some consumers could face longer wait times for their new home.

Normally we would see an average volume build home take six months pre-construction plus six months on-site construction. In some instances that is going to have an extra six months on top of that now as we get through this volume of work, Ms Hart said. Its not in the builders control, they would like to move through that faster as well but we need the materials and labour to do that, and we have to do it safely for the workforce as well. These are some of the issues we are grappling with and there is a role consumers can play in terms of being patient and understanding and knowing this was not like building a house three or five years ago, or perhaps any time in our generation. John Gelavis, the executive director of the Master Builders Association of WA, agreed and called on consumers to be patient.

With the sharp lift in demand we are seeing increases in build times, some material delays and an increase in trade contractor rates, he said. The last time we were in a boom we did 32,000 commencements, and the long run average is about 20,000. We dropped down by 60 per cent over the last six years in what were some of the most depressing years of the housing sector, and we are now rising out of that but the trade base isnt there to support that increase we are very quickly coming off such a low base and thats why we are running into challenges. It is almost as if the dam wall has broken and all this pent-up demand has been unleashed and that put a significant amount of pressure on resources Peet managing director Brendan Gore Brendan Gore, managing director of Perth-based residential developer Peet, said consumers risked rising housing prices if the industry and government werent able to find a solution to the labour shortages, but acknowledged the answer wasnt clear. We are all trying to make housing affordable because thats what we believe in, and while the stimulus has had a positive impact, COVID has significantly restricted the access to labour to help deliver the outcome the stimulus has been designed to do, he said.
The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Bogdan Aurescu, participated, on Monday, in the meeting of the heads of diplomacies in the EU member states, which took place in Brussels, among the discussed points being the developments in the EU-Russia relationship and the approach to the Western Balkans.

According to a Foreign Ministry (MAE) release, issues such as the situation in Georgia, but also in Venezuela, Myanmar, Ethiopia were also discussed.

As to the EU's relationship with Russia, the Romanian Foreign Minister expressed "satisfaction" for the rapid implementation of the decisions of the Foreign Affairs Council (FAC) meeting of February 22, respectively the adoption, at the beginning of March, of "new restrictive measures under the new EU Global Sanctions Regime on human rights violations and the synchronization of Union action with that of the United States".He welcomed the recent visits of the President of the European Council, Charles Michel, to the countries of the Eastern Neighborhood (Ukraine, the Republic of Moldova and Georgia), appreciating that this was an important political message for the partners.The quoted source mentions that, in the perspective of the discussions on the occasion of the European Council on March 25 to 26, Minister Aurescu mentioned the need for a "strategic approach", and several parameters may be taken into account.First of all, the release states, it is necessary to apply in a balanced and systemic way the five guiding principles on the EU-Russia relationship, adopted in 2016, "a selective engagement with Russia can be considered on the basis of a unitary and cohesive approach of the member states, only when the EU has well-defined specific interests and Russia demonstrates a willingness to engage constructively.""Secondly, there is a need for a stronger EU political commitment to the Eastern Partnership countries, especially the associate countries. Thirdly, there is a need for very good preparation for the Eastern Partnership Summit in the second half of the year. Fourthly, the Romanian official stressed the need for coordination with the United States and other EU strategic partners, such as the United Kingdom and NATO. Fifthly, the need to increase support for civil society both in Russia and in the Eastern Partnership countries, and highlighted the importance of increasing the EU's role in resolving protracted conflicts in the Eastern Neighborhood, which affect European and regional security, with a relevant role to play in the agenda of the Gymnich-type meeting of the European foreign ministers, in May, at the initiative of the Romanian foreign minister", MAE indicates.With regard to Georgia, Aurescu expressed the Romanian side's "concern" about internal developments and stressed the importance of continuing the EU's mediation efforts.Regarding developments in the Western Balkans, the minister reiterated the idea of holding a comprehensive debate on the region at a forthcoming FAC meeting and called for a renewed commitment to maintaining the pro-European orientation of the states in the region, as well as for the policy of EU enlargement.Following the debates, it was decided to include a debate on the Western Balkans on the agenda of the FAC meeting in April.In the context of the talks on Myanmar, the Romanian dignitary "strongly" condemned the continuation of violence against peaceful demonstrators and welcomed the decision to extend the criteria for the adoption of sanctions, which could thus target actions to undermine democracy and economic entities linked to the perpetrators of military coup.According to the release, the discussion on the Southern Neighborhood took place in the context of the joint communication of the European Commission and the EEAS on "A New Agenda for the Mediterranean" and the conclusions of the February 2021 European Council.Minister Aurescu reiterated the relevance of resuming EU-Israel Association Council meetings and welcomed the mention of agreements to normalize Israel's relations with a number of Arab states, which are likely to increase stability and confidence at the regional level.The Romanian official also mentioned the importance of managing the causes of illegal migration and addressing issues related to security and stabilization of conflict-affected regions. He also welcomed the idea of developing an Economic and Investment Plan for the region and stressed the importance of supporting young people.The discussion on Turkey took place in preparation for the March 25-26 European Council meeting, and the Foreign Minister pointed out that, although the EU-Turkey relationship has gone through a difficult period, the approach agreed at the December 2020 European Council has paid off."He expressed full solidarity with Greece and Cyprus and stressed the importance of carefully calibrating the Union's approach, in line with its interests, in order to maintain Ankara on a positive path in its relations with the EU and the member states. (...) He stressed that the dialogue is a key element - including on issues such as the withdrawal from the Istanbul Convention (...) and that reflection is needed on the possibility of resuming the EU-Turkey high-level dialogues, while maintaining Turkey's constructive approach," the release reads.Last but not least, in an informal dialogue with Michelle Bachelet, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, in videoconference format, Minister Aurescu welcomed the US decision to resume the commitment to the Human Rights Council and its activity, as well as the fact that the EU and the US synchronized their action on the occasion of the recent adoption of sanctions in the case of Navalny."He also pointed out the worrying human rights situation in the EU's neighborhood and, in this context, appreciated that the EU-US joint action will bring results. He reaffirmed Romania's commitment and active involvement for multilateralism, respectively in the activity of the Human Rights Council, including whether our country will be elected as a member of the Council for the period 2023-2025. (...) He welcomed the completion of the first package of sanctions under the new EU Global Human Rights Regime. measures target 11 people and four entities in six states - China, North Korea, Libya, South Sudan, Eritrea and Russia - as a result of very serious human rights abuses and violations," the release also reads.
The COVID-19 vaccine developed by AstraZeneca and Oxford University was 79% effective in preventing symptomatic illness in a large trial in Chile, Peru, and the United States.

And was 100% effective against severe or critical disease and hospitalization.

The study included over 32,000 volunteers across all age groups, and the results could help it get emergency authorization from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

Oxford Professor Sarah Gilbert explains:

"This means that AstraZeneca can now go through the process of preparing a submission to the FDA using the data from this trial. That will take some time to achieve, possibly a number of weeks and that will then be reviewed by the FDA who will be able to make their decision on whether to license the vaccine for use in the U.S."

The data - which the company released on Monday (March 22) - should boost faith in the British shot after results from earlier, separate studies raised questions about the robustness of the data.

And allay safety concerns after some European countries briefly halted the use of the AstraZeneca vaccine earlier this month following reports it was linked to blood clots.

Many have since resumed vaccinations after a regional regulator said it was safe, but a survey on Monday showed Europeans remained skeptical.

Leaders in Asia have sought to boost public confidence by taking the AstraZeneca shot themselves.

The AstraZeneca shot was among the first and cheapest of the COVID-19 vaccines to be developed and launched on a large scale.

It is set to be the key vaccination programme in much of the developing world.

Video Transcript

- The COVID-19 vaccine developed by AstraZeneca and Oxford University was 79% effective in preventing symptomatic illness in a large trial in Chile, Peru, and the United States, and was 100% effective against severe or critical disease and hospitalization. The study included over 32,000 volunteers across all age groups. And the results could help it get emergency authorization from the US Food and Drug Administration. Oxford Professor Sara Gilbert explains.

Story continues

SARA GILBERT: This means that AstraZeneca can now go through the process of preparing a submission to the FDA using the data from this trial. That will take some time to achieve, possibly a number of weeks. And that will then be reviewed by the FDA, who will be able to make that decision on whether to license the vaccine for use in the US.

- The data-- which the company released on Monday-- should boost faith in the British shot after results from earlier separate studies raised questions about the robustness of the data, and allay safety concerns after some European countries briefly halted the use of the AstraZeneca vaccine earlier this month, following reports it was linked to blood clots. Many have since resumed vaccinations after a regional regulator said it was safe. But a survey on Monday showed Europeans remain skeptical.

Leaders in Asia have sought to boost public confidence by taking the AstraZeneca shot themselves. The AstraZeneca shot was among the first and cheapest of the COVID-19 vaccines to be developed and launched on a large scale. It is set to be the key vaccination program in much of the developing world.
People lined up to receive the vaccine at a number of sites, including the Victorian Aboriginal Health Service Respiratory Clinic in Fitzroy in Melbournes inner north. Loading Mass vaccination hubs at the Royal Exhibition Building and the Melbourne Convention Centre have also opened their doors, with the states next round of critical workers filing into the landmarks to receive their first dose of the coronavirus vaccine. People aged over 70, those with an underlying medical condition or disability, workers in critical professions like police officers, and healthcare workers not already vaccinated, are among those who will be immunised against the virus during the second phase of the rollout. The state Health Departments coronavirus testing commander, Jeroen Weimar, said on Monday morning he expected more than 20,000 Victorians to be vaccinated against COVID-19 this week.

Loading The rate of that continues to ramp up. I reckon well do 20,000 to 25,000 this week, the rate will go beyond that, and well get to around 300,000 [a week] by the end of April, Mr Weimar told ABC Radio Melbourne. Its a big ramp-up in the state program. The Exhibition Building was once a makeshift hospital for thousands of Melburnians who fell ill with the Spanish flu in 1919. On Monday morning, a new era began as Victorians, including front line police officers, filled its northern wing to be immunised against coronavirus. More than 10,000 people a week, dependent on supplies and staff, are soon expected to be immunised at the 140-year-old Exhibition Building.

With 6.13 million people eligible, Phase 1b is the largest phase of the program so far, and it has not been without teething issues. The federal governments vaccine booking website continues to frustrate some GPs, with a number of doctors saying on Sunday that patients continue to deluge them with calls despite no appointments being available for weeks. The mass vaccination centre at the Royal Exhibition Building. Credit:Luis Enrique Ascui Its a nightmare to do it on the phone. Every second call is for this stuff. Every message we have on social media is please do not call us, Melbourne GP Todd Cameron said on Sunday. Sale-based doctor Yousuf Ahmad said his respiratory clinic had already done about 70 vaccinations by Monday morning. The first round of jabs went to staff at the clinic on Friday.

Dr Ahmad said the doses on Monday had gone to a mix of people over 70, some over 55 with chronic health conditions and front-line health workers. Theyre looking forward to hopefully having normality in their life, he said. Some people are talking about being able to travel overseas or across Australia. Im not sure joy is the right word, but relief, definitely.

Dr Ahmad said the respiratory clinic would get about 2000 doses a week, but he was aware that general practices were more likely to get only about 50 in the first instance, raising concerns about shortages. Loading For us to provide [vaccines] to all the catchment area and patients, were still concerned about whether we will have sufficient ongoing supply. In north-east Victoria, Bright-based doctor Paul Duff said his practice was waiting to receive 50 doses on April 5. We could get those done in two days, he said.



Dr Duff said demand for the vaccine had been sky-high in his region after the federal government released the list of GP clinics that would offer the jabs.

Our phones were running off the hook the morning after the announcement from the federal Health Minister. Supply issues meant many clinics have been given as little as 50 doses of vaccine a week and it remains unclear, even to the government, just when more supply will be forthcoming. Nine GP clinics on the federal governments vaccine clinic finder told The Age at the weekend they had no available vaccine appointments for weeks.

However, the federal government remains confident every single practice due to start vaccinations this week has received their supplies. Loading About 200,000 doses will be delivered to GPs this week, with that number rising to 400,000 doses across more than 4000 GPs over the coming month, a spokeswoman for federal Health Minister Greg Hunt said on Sunday. On Monday morning, Deputy Chief Medical Officer Michael Kidd called for patience as he acknowledged that people had been finding it difficult to book appointments with their GP to get the vaccination. At the moment we have 1000 general practices which are starting this week to deliver the vaccines, but over the next three to four weeks another 3500 general practices right across the country will be coming online, he told radio station 3AW.
U.S. Rep. Tom Reed, a Republican from western New York who was accused last week of rubbing a female lobbyists back and unhooking her bra without her consent in 2017, apologized to the woman on Sunday and announced that he will not run for reelection next year.

FILE - In this Monday, Dec. 21, 2020, file photo, U.S. Rep. Tom Reed, R-N.Y., speaks to the media on Capitol Hill in Washington. Reed, a Republican from western New York who was accused in March 2021 of rubbing a female lobbyists back and unhooking her bra without her consent in 2017, apologized to the woman on Sunday, March 21, 2021, and announced that he will not run for reelection in 2022. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin, File)

U.S. Rep. Tom Reed, a Republican from western New York who was accused last week of rubbing a female lobbyists back and unhooking her bra without her consent in 2017, apologized to the woman on Sunday and announced that he will not run for reelection next year.

Reed, 49, said in a statement that the incident involving then-lobbyist Nicolette Davis occurred at a time in my life in which I was struggling. He said he entered treatment that year and realized he was powerless over alcohol.

Reed apologized to his wife and children, and to Davis, and said he planned to dedicate my time and attention to making amends for my past actions.

Reed, who was first elected to Congress in 2010, had been among the members of Congress calling for the resignation of Democratic Gov. Andrew Cuomo over sexual harassment allegations. In late February, Reed said he was seriously considering running for governor against Cuomo should the Democrat seek a fourth term next year.

Reed said in his statement Sunday that he would not seek any elective office in 2022.

The announcement came two days after The Washington Post reported the allegations from Davis, who was 25 and a lobbyist for insurer Aflac when she said Reed, seated next to her at a Minneapolis bar, unhooked her bra from outside her blouse and moved his hand to her thigh.

A drunk congressman is rubbing my back, she texted a co-worker at Aflac that evening, adding later, HELP HELP.

Reed released a statement Friday saying, This account of my actions is not accurate.

In his statement Sunday he said,  In reflection, my personal depiction of this event is irrelevant. Simply put, my behaviour caused her pain, showed her disrespect and was unprofessional. I was wrong, I am sorry, and I take full responsibility.

A former mayor of Corning, New York, Reed is co-chair of the House of Representatives' bipartisan Problem Solvers Caucus.

He voted against impeaching former President Donald Trump in January but voted in favour of certifying the 2020 election of Democrat Joe Biden.

DGAP-Ad-hoc: Dexus Finance Pty Limited / Key word(s): Real Estate

Dexus Finance Pty Limited: Dexus establishes new JV to acquire interest in 1 Bligh Street Sydney



22-March-2021 / 09:42 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.





Dexus (ASX: DXS)

ASX release

22 March 2021

Dexus establishes new JV to acquire interest in 1 Bligh Street, Sydney

Dexus today announced the establishment of the Mercatus Dexus Australia Partnership ("MDAP") joint venture with Mercatus Co-operative Limited ("Mercatus"). MDAP has exchanged contracts to acquire a 33.33% interest in 1 Bligh Street, Sydney, for $375 million[1].

Mercatus will hold an indirect 90% share in MDAP, with Dexus holding the remaining 10%. MDAP is structured to enable additional office acquisitions in the future. Dexus is the investment manager of the JV and post-acquisition will continue to manage 1 Bligh Street.

The establishment of MDAP and acquisition of a further interest in 1 Bligh Street (increasing Dexus's effective ownership interest to 36.66%) is consistent with Dexus's strategic initiative of expanding and diversifying the funds management business while progressing the objective of being the wholesale partner of choice.

Dexus CEO, Darren Steinberg said: "This transaction demonstrates the ongoing strength of demand from international institutions for high quality Australian office asset exposure under Dexus platform management."

Dexus EGM, Funds Management, Deborah Coakley added: "We are pleased to have been able to work with Mercatus in securing their first direct real estate investment in Australia, while using our internal capabilities to close this transaction."

1 Bligh Street is an iconic premium-grade, 29 storey building located in Sydney's Central Business District. It is well located in the financial core with good access to transport and other key amenities. The property is 99.5% occupied with a weighted average lease expiry of 5.4 years as at 31 December 2020. Major customers include Clayton Utz, Bloomberg Australia Pty Ltd and the Commonwealth of Australia.

Settlement of the acquisition is subject to FIRB approval, with Dexus's interest funded from existing debt facilities.

Authorised by Brett Cameron, General Counsel and Company Secretary of Dexus Funds Management Limited.



For further information please contact:

Investors

David Yates

Executive General Manager, Investor Relations

+61 2 9017 1424

+61 418 861 047

david.yates@dexus.com Media

Elle Twight

Communications and Corporate Affairs Manager

+61 2 9017 1337

+61 468 552 993

elle.twight@dexus.com

[1] Reflecting the acquisition price for the 33.33% interest in 1 Bligh Street (of which Mercatus will hold a 90% share and Dexus a 10% share) and excludes acquisition costs, other costs and purchase price adjustments.
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Washington, DC, March 22, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- On Saturday, March 27 at 8:30 pm local time, Earth Hour, one of the worlds largest grassroots movements for the environment, will once again inspire individuals, businesses and organizations in over 180 countries and territories to renew their commitment to the planet.

World Wildlife Fund (WWF) is partnering with internationally celebrated scholar and Peloton yoga and meditation teacher Dr. Chelsea Jackson Roberts to host a nationwide meditation for this years Earth Hour. The free 15-minute guided meditation invites individuals to practice gratitude for the many services the planet provides, reflect on their personal connection to nature and set intentions for their environmental journey ahead.

Why a meditation?

Americans are at risk of losing their connection to nature. For example, the average American child now spends only 4-7 minutes per day playing outdoors, compared to over seven hours per day behind a screen. Humanitys broken relationship with nature is a key driver behind the COVID-19 pandemic, climate change-induced natural disasters, and food and water security issues.

"The more we take care of ourselves with awareness and compassion, the more aware we can become about how we can take care of the Earth," says Jackson Roberts. Our health and wellbeing is intertwined with naturefrom the food that nourishes us to water that hydrates us to the fresh air we breathe.

Traditionally, global skylines have gone dark and millions of individuals have turned off their lights for Earth Hour as a symbolic gesture to their commitment to preserving our planet. This past year, the global pandemic has affected us all and WWF is marking this annual celebration by encouraging supporters to create a moment of calm for themselves and rediscover their connection to the natural world through meditation.

Sometimes we have to slow down to speed up

After the meditation, Earth Hour participants are encouraged to channel their renewed appreciation for nature into their environmental goals and the movement at large.

Every effective movement starts with intentional individual action. Individual actions add up and can have cascading impacts in communities and broader society, says Shauna Mahajan, conservation social scientist at WWF. Earth Hour is an excellent time to pause and reflect on our environmental goals and re-energize our commitments to protecting the planet."

---ends---

Notes to Editors

Link to Earth Hour site

Link to Earth Hour 2021 assets for Media

In addition to meditation, each of us can celebrate Earth Hour in our own way. See how here.

About Earth Hour

Earth Hour is WWF's flagship global environmental movement. Born in Sydney in 2007, Earth Hour has grown to become one of the world's largest grassroots movements for the environment, inspiring individuals, communities, businesses and organizations in more than 180 countries and territories to take tangible environmental action for over a decade. Historically, Earth Hour has focused on the climate crisis, but more recently, Earth Hour has strived to also bring the pressing issue of nature loss to the fore. The aim is to create an unstoppable movement for nature, as it did when the world came together to tackle climate change. The movement recognizes the role of individuals in creating solutions to the planets most pressing environmental challenges and harnesses the collective power of its millions of supporters to drive change.

About World Wildlife Fund (WWF)

WWF is one of the worlds leading conservation organizations, working in nearly 100 countries for over half a century to help people and nature thrive. With the support of more than 5 million members worldwide, WWF is dedicated to delivering science-based solutions to preserve the diversity and abundance of life on Earth, halt the degradation of the environment and combat the climate crisis. Visit www.worldwildlife.org to learn more and keep up with the latest conservation news by following @WWFNews on Twitter and signing up for our newsletter and news alerts here.
Nepal is set to begin 5G testing in the cities of Biratnagar, Birgunj, Kathmandu and Pokhara, according to the countrys Ministry of Communications and Information Technology (MOCIT).

Communications Minister Parbat Gurung told The Himalayan Times technical and infrastructure investigations were being carried out ahead of the trials, which will provide users with access to 5G speeds without charging a fee.

As reported by CommsUpdate, the MOCIT had tasked state provider Nepal Telecom with commencing 5G testing within the current financial year, which ends in mid-July.

Since then, the National Radio Frequency Policy Determination Committee has cleared the way for testing to begin, although 5G frequencies have not yet been allocated. The National Telecommunications Authority (NTA) has recommended using 700MHz, 900MHz, 2300MHz and 2600MHz low-band spectrum, 3300MHz, 3400MHz, 3600MHz and 4100MHz mid-band, and 26GHz high-band spectrum.

In a separate development, Nepal Telecom has been authorized to provide mobile money services via its subsidiary Nepali Digital Payment Company, a joint venture with Rastriya Banijya Bank. The service is expected to launch within the next few weeks.

The venture submitted a licence application in January this year which has now been cleared by Nepals central bank. Nepalitelecom.com reports that the service will function as a mobile wallet offering, with customers will be able to use their NT mobile balance for digital transactions including money transfers and bill payments. This will deliver a particular benefit to customers in remote regions that do not receive internet coverage.
Virtual Reality

Morehouse College Creates VR Campus and Classes

Atlanta's Morehouse College is launching an immersive virtual reality experience for students in two of its courses: Biology 105 and History 112.

Students will use an Oculus Quest 2 VR headset, powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon XR2 Platform, to access a digitized version of the Morehouse campus and attend class. The digital campus and learning objects were created by AR/VR content provider VictoryXR. Students will be able to virtually attend class together in real time, and engage in activities such as digging for fossils, expanding a human heart and stepping inside it, beaming up to a spaceship for an astronomy lesson, and more.

"Higher ed must not be afraid to take remote learning to a more immersive and effective level," said faculty member Ovell Hamilton, who is teaching the history course, in a statement. "With this virtual reality campus, students will be able to travel back in time and stand on a Naval carrier or travel to places across the globe."

"Standing together with students and learning about deadly serious health issues with a human reproductive system in the classroom will take learning to a new level," commented Ethel Vereen, the faculty member teaching the biology course. "We are very excited to pioneer learning in VR."
Belgian Ambassador to Korea Peter Lescouhier poses during an interview with The Korea Times on the occasion of the 120th anniversary of bilateral ties, at the embassy in Yongsan-gu, Seoul, March 16. Korea Times photo by Yi Whan-woo



Commemorative programs on deck to mark diplomatic treaty on March 23, 1901



By Yi Whan-woo



The Embassy of Belgium in Korea is celebrating the 120th anniversary of bilateral relations, with a year-long set of programs aimed at revisiting milestone moments and also helping Koreans get to know more about Belgium.



"The anniversary of bilateral relations in 2021 will be an opportunity to get Belgium back in focus again after the Belgian economic mission in 2017 and the state visit of the King and Queen of the Belgians in 2019," Belgian Ambassador to Korea Peter Lescouhier told The Korea Times in an interview, March 16.



He noted that the state visit of King Philippe and Queen Matilde in March 2019 boosted cooperation in diplomacy, politics, economy, trade, green energy, digital technology, academia, culture and other areas before it was slowed down by the COVID-19 crisis.



Royal state visits are rare and happen only once every 20 or 25 years, according to the ambassador.



For instance, Korea saw the first of two state visits from the Belgian royal family in October 1992. King Baudouin led the delegation back then.



The rarity of its royal state visits suggests that Belgium takes into account various factors in organizing a state visit and is extremely selective in choosing a destination.



"My ambition, once we can return to normal lives, is to make use of the network created by the state visit to accelerate related initiatives, especially with respect to sustainable development," Lescouhier said. "We have to capitalize on it to the maximum level and build added value as much as possible."





A commemorative logo to mark the 120th anniversary of Belgium-Korea ties / Courtesy of Embassy of Belgium in Korea



The Kingdom of Belgium signed the Treaty of Friendship, Commerce and Navigation with the Korean Empire in 1901. The treaty was short-lived as the Korean Empire was vulnerable to outside powers and lost its diplomatic sovereignty to Japan in 1905.



In 1948, Belgium became one of the first nations to recognize the nascent Republic of Korea.



The early stage of their friendship is characterized by Belgium extending a helping hand to Korea, as witnessed in the 3,172 soldiers who fought with U.N. forces during the 1950-53 Korean War, as well as nurse Therese Cambier and Father Didier t'Serstevens.



Cambier dedicated her life to care for lepers in the post-war period, while Father t'Serstevens did the same for handicapped people.



Known by the Korean name, Ji Jung-hwan, t'Serstevens was also the pioneer of the local cheese industry. He opened a cheese factory in Imsil, North Jeolla Province in 1967, which later led to the creation of Korea's first cheese-making village and expanded distribution of Imsil Cheese nationwide.



Belgian support continued during the Asian financial crisis. In May 1998, Belgium participated in the bailout by the International Monetary Fund (IMF).



This bilateral cooperation in diplomacy, economy and trade flourished as Korea went from rags to riches.



They include an agreement to elevate the level of diplomatic envoys to ambassador in May 1961, ratification of the European Union-Korea Free Trade Agreement (EU-Korea FTA) in December 2015, and of course, the two state visits by the royal family.





Nam-Seoul Museum of Art was formerly the Belgian consulate in the early period of the bilateral diplomatic relations. Courtesy of Embassy of Belgium in Korea
[March 22, 2021] AirTrunk Opens Second Sydney Hyperscale Data Centre, Cementing Leadership in the Australian Market

SYDNEY, Australia, March 23, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Asia-Pacific hyperscale data centre specialist, AirTrunk today announced the opening of its second Sydney data centre in the citys north, AirTrunk SYD2, to support the growth of cloud customers. SYD2, with more than 110-megawatts (MW) of capacity, will be one of the largest single-campus data centres in the Asia-Pacific region, along with sister facilities in Western Sydney (130+MW) and Melbourne (130+MW), taking AirTrunks total capacity in Australia to over 370MW.

Adding to its expanding Asia-Pacific hyperscale data centre platform, the opening of the SYD2 campus follows the companys dual data centre launch in Hong Kong and Singapore in December 2020. Since its first data centre opened in September 2017, AirTrunk now operates five data centres offering a unique Asia-Pacific platform with unmatched scale, speed, efficiency and reliability to all major global public cloud customers. When its Tokyo data centre is unveiled later this year, the total capacity of the platform will grow to over 750MW across five tier-one markets. Fuelled by accelerated cloud adoption, SYD2 demonstrates the continued customer demand for AirTrunks market-leading digital infrastructure by the worlds largest technology companies. Founder and CEO of AirTrunk, Robin Khuda, said todays opening is yet another milestone for the company and would allow unprecedented scale for AirTrunks customers in the Sydney market. Throughout the Asia-Pacific region were delivering hyperscale data centre campuses at accelerated speed to enable the growth of the digital economy, said Khuda. Strategically located in major cloud availability zones and well connected to telecommunications infrastructure, SYD2 will offer cloud service providers customised and scalable capacity in the northern suburbs of Sydney. Powered by a dedicated 200MVA 132kV substation - one of the largest substations in the state of NSW  the reliable power infrastructure will deliver 100% availability and cost-effectiveness for customers. SYD2 has all the hallmarks of AirTrunks state-of-the-art data centres, and we are well-positioned to offer the scale andservice that our global customers need now and into the future, said Khuda.



Nestled into the landscape across 3.95ha of land, AirTrunk has created a sustainable environment, ensuring the protection of the unique and sensitive local environment while accommodating this significant development opportunity. SYD2 has been designed to an industry-low power usage effectiveness (PUE) of 1.15. To deliver this efficiency, AirTrunk developed a range of innovations including an industry-first cooling solution that optimises efficiency using real-time weather data analysis. This cooling solution is AirTrunks most energy-efficient deployment to date and also consumes 90% less water annually than traditional cooling solutions.

Damien Spillane, Chief Technology Officer added, AirTrunk is committed to championing sustainability and our team are constantly innovating to improve data centre efficiency. Were designing hyperscale data centres, like SYD2, that are significantly more energy efficient than traditional on-premise data centres, reducing total emissions and the impact on the environment. The first of SYD2s four phases opened today, and AirTrunk is ready to scale out the data centre to over 110MW of total capacity to support customer growth. Built in just 35 weeks, record time despite COVID-19 impacts, the construction of Phase One involved over 2,800 people and 400,000 work hours. AirTrunks continued emphasis on ensuring the safety of its people, customers and partners has resulted in no lost time injuries during the project. The significant investment in critical digital infrastructure has brought material benefits to the local economy including hundreds of jobs during construction and on-going operations. A ceremony was held at SYD2 with a Welcome to Country by Yvonne Weldon, Chairperson of Metropolitan Local Aboriginal Land Council Sydney and the data centre was officially opened by The Hon. Anthony Roberts MP, Member for Lane Cove. About AirTrunk AirTrunk is a best-in-class hyperscale data centre specialist creating a platform for cloud, content and large enterprise customers across the Asia-Pacific region. The company develops and operates data centre campuses with industry leading reliability, technology innovation and energy efficiency. AirTrunks unique capabilities, designs and construction methodologies allow it to provide customers with a scalable and sustainable data centre solution at a significantly lower build and operating cost than the market. A private company, AirTrunk is well capitalised to fund its development of data centres across Asia Pacific. In 2020, a consortium led by Macquarie Asia Infrastructure Fund 2 (MAIF2), and including Public Sector Pension Investment Board (PSP Investments), acquired a major stake in the business, investing alongside AirTrunks Founder and CEO Robin Khuda. MAIF2 is managed by Macquarie Infrastructure and Real Assets, one of the worlds leading alternative asset managers and part of the ASX-listed Macquarie Group Limited (ASX:MQG). For more information on AirTrunk, visit www.airtrunk.com A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/f1e31818-1df6-4416-8b81-b1ed3c710978

Media contact Katya Ginsberg katya@bastioneffect.com +61 405 073 304 Jack Power jack@bastioneffect.com +61 411 805 538

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The Federal University, Oye-Ekiti (FUOYE), said equipment worth N100 million had been acquired through the support of the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFUND) for its departments of Mechatronics, Mechanical Engineering and Electrical Electronics.

The Deputy Dean, School of Post Graduate Studies, Adefemi Adekunle, disclosed this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria(NAN) on Monday in Oye-Ekiti.

Mr Adekunle said as the pioneer Head of the Department of Mechatronics, he had been making committed efforts to ensure that relevant equipment through TEFUND and other windows of opportunities were received by the institution.

l was the pioneer HOD of Mechatronics and since then we have been making committed efforts to ensure that we have relevant equipment through TETFUND and other windows of opportunities and this yielded positive results.

We had the first Batch in 2017, second Batch on May 2, 2020, and third Batch in the first week of March 2021.

A major breakthrough was achieved through our team of experts, led by Mr Okolie from Skill G TETFUND who came to install the equipment in these departments and even trained our staff in the departments.

For us, the emergence of Abayomi Fasina as the Vice-Chancellor of FUOYE signalled more successful development for our great institution.

With the new development, we will be having more equipment to teach both the undergraduates and postgraduate students to ensure effective and efficient teaching and learning.

The visions of the vice-chancellor to expand our faculty by introducing more academic programmes as contained in his inaugural speech of Feb.11, have been properly taken care of.

This laudable development will ensure an improvement on our webometric ranking as the world will now realise that FUOYE has a state of the art equipment in these departments.

Let me also reveal that we have already been recording huge academic successes in this faculty.

A proud example in this respect is an academic feat recently achieved by one of our brilliant students in Mechatronics Department, Samuel Adejumo, who designed a drone that can spray a farm plantation, he said.(NAN)

The Countryside Conservancy plans to build a new trail next to Lackawanna State Park in the coming months.

Bill Kern, executive director of the conservancy, said work on the approximately 1-mile hiking and biking loop, which will connect with the state park system, should begin later this spring and is expected to be completed by the fall.

"It was a prime property to be protected and to enhance the footprint of the state park," Kern said.

The conservancy was awarded nearly $167,000 through a grant from the state Department of Conservation and Natural Resources Community Conservation Partnerships Programs to acquire 65 acres for passive recreation and connection to other protected lands in North Abington Twp.

Kern said the nonprofit organization also received a cash match of $37,000 from the Scranton family's Willary Foundation.

"It was huge because I was looking at having to put together possibly three or four different funding sources and they came up big for us," he said.

In addition, the Rowlands family sold the property to the conservancy as a bargain by taking $130,000 off the total cost of $325,000 .

The Rowlands family issued a statement regarding the sale of the property at a discounted price.

"Our family's history is strongly connected to this beautiful land," they said in the statement. "Almost a hundred years ago, William and Marion Rowlands came here and carved out a life running a dairy farm and raising their large family. We are pleased to pay tribute to their memory and to see 'The Rowlands Preserve' forever protected from any type of development while seeing it shared with others who can appreciate its beauty as we always have."

DCNRs Bureau of Recreation and Conservation assists local governments, recreation and conservation organizations with funding for projects related to conservation and parks and recreation, including conservation of open space, river conservation and access, and the planning, acquisition and development of public parks.

The conservancy, established in 1994, has protected nearly 1,500 acres of land and water in Northeast Pennsylvania.

Kern thinks users will enjoy the majestic views from the new section of trail.

"I believe it will be the highest point in the whole park system," he said. "There is a field on top, so there will be a really beautiful view of the surrounding hillsides."
Nothing could have prepared a nine-year-old girl for the tragedy brought to her family, when her mother was murdered by a man who had just killed his own mother, a source close to the family has said.

Mother-of-one Stacey Knell (30) was the second of two women murdered by 26-year-old Ken Flanagan on Friday night.

Earlier, mother-of-two Karen McClean was stabbed to death in her home on the Rathcoole estate by Flanagan  her own son  shortly before 11pm.

He then travelled to nearby Glenville Road, where he murdered Ms Knell, before taking his own life.

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Police on Monday said the attack was "really shocking and horrific". They confirmed they were not looking for anyone else in connection with their investigation. Anyone with information is asked to contact detectives.

Detective Chief Inspector John Caldwell said Stacey and Karen should have felt safe in their own homes.

"My thoughts are very much with their families as they come to terms with their tragic loss. Both women were mothers and this appalling murder has left children facing a lifetime without their mums," he added.

Speaking to the Belfast Telegraph, a family friend said they were grateful that Ms Knells nine-year-old daughter had been staying with her grandmother at the time.

She was staying with her grandmother on Friday night, they said.

Im really thankful he chose to wait until she was in her grandmothers house. Flanagan had it planned out that day in my mind.

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According to the source, it is believed Mr Flanagan had previously made comments threatening to carry out the act.

The man was unstable, the source added.

I knew it just looking at the guy.

He had a bad reputation.

Unfortunately the police couldnt do anything as he hadnt done anything at that point.

Thank God Staceys daughter wasnt involved and wasnt there.

Im glad, as that would have just put her through more hell.

It hasnt sunk in yet.

Once her mum comes home in a coffin, and is put into the ground, I think it will sink in.

You cant prepare a nine-year-old for that kind of tragedy.

Its understood the child is being comforted by Ms Knells mother at the moment.

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The tragic scenes have left the community in the area stunned according to local politicians, with people struggling to come to terms with how it has happened.

Friends of the victims have taken to social media to pay tribute.

One of Ms Knells friends wrote that their hearts were hurting for the loss of the young mum who is originally from east Belfast.

Writing online, Belfast woman Melissa Morrison said: Yesterday I was in shock and today I just feel numb and emotional.

You had your whole life ahead of you with your daughter.

Cant get your wee daughter, your mum, the boys and your wee sister out of my head and what theyre going through.

Everyone who knew you, loved you.

Expand Close Derrycoole Way where another woman was found Liam McBurney/RAZORPIX / Facebook

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Another friend, Zoe Allen, wrote: I honestly cannot get my head around this at all.

Life can be very, very cruel and horrible.

A beautiful life taken away, and what for?

Her poor baby girl now without her wee mummy  just awful.

Speaking to the Belfast Telegraph, Holywood pal Hollie Herron said she had known the mum-of-one for around eight years and described her as a delightful person.

She was an angel. She was so lively and excitable and there was never a dull moment, said Hollie.

She was the light of the party and really was a credit to her family and above all else, an amazing, caring friend.

I couldnt ask for better to be honest. Me, my mum, and my sister loved her to bits and she will be really missed. She was like a daughter to my mum and a sister to us.

Expand Close Police at the scene of a property on Glenville Road in Newtownabbey, Co Antrim, where one woman and a man were discovered Liam McBurney/RAZORPIX / Facebook

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Whatsapp Police at the scene of a property on Glenville Road in Newtownabbey, Co Antrim, where one woman and a man were discovered

The tragic events have also led to calls for more action to tackle violence on women and to help those suffering from mental health and addiction struggles in north Belfast.

Rev Michael Rutledge, of Abbots Cross Presbyterian church, said the victims had been in the churchs prayers on Sunday.

I think we are all just in shock and trying to find what we can do to make sure this doesnt happen again, whatever the circumstances that led to it, he said.

There is obviously something that has led to this and we want to make sure we can solve the issues that have led to it.

I know north Belfast has suffered greatly with a lot of mental health issues, especially among young men and I dont know if that has contributed to it.

It is endemic to the situation in north Belfast that there is a lot of need for help and people then end up lashing out in awful ways. It is an area that needs help.

Everyone is just kind of shocked that something like this of this kind of magnitude has happened in the area.

Alliance Party councillor Billy Webb said the deaths of two women required Stormont to take action.

The community is devastated by what has happened and our sympathies go out to all the family and friends of the deceased, he said. It is a definite indication that there is a potential problem here in the community, of either domestic violence, or as has been indicated perhaps a drugs issue.

I think the Executive have to be looking at some intervention at community level to help address people who are in difficulty.
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In an attempt to demand justice for the Tamil Eelam people who were killed in Sir Lanka, in the genocide of 2009, DMK Chief M K Stalin has urged the Central government to support the UNHRC's resolution against Lanka for war crimes committed against Tamilians in the island country. Voting on the resolution will take place on March 22 at the 46th session of UNHRC.



While Prime Minister Narendra Modi observed that the issues raised by the UNHRC on Sri Lanka are of serious concern, Stalin said that Sri Lankan foreign secretary Jayanath Colombage had claimed that India would vote to support Lanka. The DMK head then complained that "PM Modi's silence on the development has sent shockwaves to Tamilians across the world." He then appealed to PM Modi for gathering support from member states in favour of the resolution.

'Tamilians will never forgive BJP if they vote for Sri Lanka

"It is heartwrenching to see that the BJP government has allowed the foreign secretary of Sri Lanka to decide what India's stand would be. The BJP will not be forgiven if nine crore Tamilians living around the world are betrayed," reports quoted Stalin as saying. Vaiko, the chief of MDMK in Tamil Nadu also acknowledged that the BJP will not be forgiven if Sri Lanka is favoured.



Pattali Makkal Katchi leader Anbumani Ramadoss wrote to MEA S Jaishankar urging the Centre to vote for the resolution promoting reconciliation, accountability, and human rights in Sri Lanka. Ramadoss is in the NDA alliance in Tamil Nadu and he stressed "Victims of the genocide of 2009 in Sri Lanka await justice for Tamilians who were killed in the massacre. It becomes important for India to maintain its position in the matter for national interests of both the countries."

India abstains from voting against Sri Lanka

Post the civil war of 2009, UNHRC has taken seven resolutions on Sri Lanka and India has mostly abstained from voting against Sri Lanka, given the local coalition politics. Tamilians in Tamil Nadu along with DMK's Stalin and AIADMK's Palaniswami have time and again assured Sri Lankan refugees in the state of granting them dual citizenship. It is yet to be seen what stand does India takes on Sri Lanka as the UNHRC is set to hear the matter again.


The San Francisco school boards self-inflicted wounds just keep growing. First came its ham-handed plan to cover up murals at George Washington High (since reversed), then its politically clumsy and historically flimsy attempt to rename 44 schools (since put on hold) and then its move to undermine the academic standards of the jewel of the system, Lowell High, by switching to a lottery system for admissions.

Could anything more be done to damage its reputation?

Oh, yes. One of the school board members who was on the wrong side of those three issues, Alison Collins, is taking heat this week with the discovery of a thread of tweets in 2016 that were decidedly hostile to Asian Americans. Those tweets were found and made public by a group of parents pursuing a recall against Collins and two other board members.

One of the recall organizers, Siva Raj, called Collins tweets a naked display of prejudice and bias to the Asian community.

It was, at a minimum, highly offensive  and all the more so for an elected official who has been championing a greater tolerance for diversity with a need to condemn historical figures with racist words or actions in their past. Collins 2016 tweets  two years before her election  took the Asian Americans to task in broad generalizations for using white supremacist thinking to assimilate and get ahead. Other tweets suggested that Asian Americans were insufficiently concerned about prejudice against African Americans and Latinos.

In response to the revelations, Collins texted Chronicle reporter Jill Tucker to say, Im not going to comment on social media posts from five years ago and pointed out that she has spoken out against the wave of attacks on Asian Americans. To be fair, she also has been an advocate for more Asian American representation in curriculum.

But if she and other school board members can condemn Americans on the basis of actions a century or more ago, then surely a Twitter post from 2016 should be fair game in the assessment of an elected official.

The discovery of Collins is likely to add steam to the fledgling effort to recall her, school board President Gabriela Lopez and board member Faauuga Moliga.

Its hardly the boards only problem.

A lawsuit filed Thursday alleged that the board violated the Brown Act, the states open meeting law, when it voted to begin the process of renaming 44 schools that were named after presidents George Washington, Thomas Jefferson and Abraham Lincoln as well as notable Americans such as James Lowell and Sen. Dianne Feinstein. The plaintiffs include high school alumni associations and are backed by a legal team that includes powerhouse constitutional attorney Laurence Tribe. The plaintiffs argue that the public was not given sufficient notice to comment before voting in January to require each of the targeted school sites to recommend a new name by mid-April.

Lopez has since announced that the process would be put on hold, but that did not satisfy the plaintiffs, who want the process to begin from scratch  which, presumably, could improve on the shoddy scholarship previously demonstrated by the board.

The easy solution, which would save the district legal expenses as well as further humiliation, would be to do just that: start over, bringing in experts to provide a fuller historical context than what is available in Wikipedia, and then bringing the community into the discussion before taking action.

It has its hands full right now with its more pressing mission of getting students back in school.

This commentary is from The Chronicles editorial board. We invite you to express your views in a letter to the editor. Please submit your letter via our online form: SFChronicle.com/letters.
The measures proposed by Deputy Chief of Staff of the Russian Presidential Executive Office Dmitry Kozak on March 19 to resolve the situation in Donbas consisted of organizing direct negotiations between Ukraine and ORDLO, which contradicts the Minsk Process, spokesperson of the Ukrainian delegation to the Trilateral Contact Group (TCG) Oleksiy Arestovych has said.

"This [in Dmitry Kozak's letter to the political advisers to the Normandy Four leaders] has nothing so sensational. Russia is pursuing the same policy as in 2014. All these 'juggling words', insisting on their own righteousness, and accusations against Ukraine that it does not fulfill something. All this is done for one thing: for Ukraine to enter into direct negotiations with 'quasi-state entities', which, by misunderstanding, are called 'DPR' and 'LPR'. We will not agree to this, which we consistently report," Arestovych said on the air of the Ukraine 24 TV channel on Monday.

He also said that Kozak's words that Ukraine did not provide proposals at the level of political advisers to the Normandy format on "clusters" (steps to get out of the conflict) do not correspond to reality.

"This is a deception. As soon as the cluster track was successful, as soon as there was progress at the level of political advisers to the Normandy format, the Russian Federation, firstly, immediately increased the level of violence in Donbas, and secondly, it began a media campaign against Ukraine, which Ukraine allegedly provokes, wants war and does not fulfill the Minsk Agreements. But we see who really does not want an end to the violence in Donbas. Because right after the meeting of the political advisers to the Normandy format [March 18], Ukraine proposed to hold an extraordinary meeting of the TCG security subgroup the next day. Russia refused," Arestovych said.

As reported, on March 18, a regular online meeting was held at the level of political advisers to the Normandy Four leaders. At it, in particular, the issues of returning to the full ceasefire in Donbas, which was established on July 27, 2020, were discussed. In addition, the parties exchanged new proposals for resolving the situation in eastern Ukraine.
Armenia MFA information department chief: All deputy FMs carrying out their duties

Ardshinbank invited children to the cinema on International Childrens Day

Armenia judiciary to have 10 more judges

Armenia acting premier: We had recorded 40% increase in tax revenues according to 2019 results

Armenia acting PM on Artsakh war casualties bodies: We have 50 remains in which case DNA was not separated

Azerbaijan authorities plan to "squeeze" everything from "terrorist show" related to Armenian captives

Ameriabank Announces a Contest for Bank Card Design

108 new cases of COVID-19 confirmed in Armenia

Armenia parliament convenes special session

Armenia interim government holding Cabinet meeting

Catholicos of All Armenians heads for Syunik Province, Artsakh

World oil prices going up

Iran loses right to vote in UN General Assembly

Newspaper: Armenia authorities come up with new way of punishing unwanted characters

Newspaper: Russia army Southern Military District deputy commander to arrive in Yerevan Thursday

Lebanese Armenian man taken prisoner by Azerbaijan is hospitalized

Armenia ex-President Kocharyan: Are we getting under the burden? Then lets get under to the end

Armenia acting health minister on keeping fallen soldiers bodies in bags: What else should they be kept in?

Armenia acting health minister on citizens' demand for her resignation

Karabakh's new State Minister Artak Beglaryan on his appointment and future activities

Armenian, Russian and Azerbaijani representatives hold consultations in Moscow

2 Armenian soldiers receive slight injuries after incident with Azerbaijani servicemen in Armenia's Gegharkunik

Armenian boy weighing 5 kg born at Goris Medical Center

"Armenia" bloc representative presents purpose of participation in elections and plans

Isaac Herzog elected President of Israel

Rouhani: Main issues between Tehran, Washington resolved in Vienna

Charles Michel calls on Armenia and Azerbaijan to resume constructive negotiations

US Department of State responds to Pashinyan's proposal to deploy international observers on Armenia-Azerbaijan border

Head of Armenia 2nd President's Office: Robert Kocharyan's public meetings are held in warm atmosphere

Opposition "Armenia" bloc's representative on photos and videos showing bags of deceased servicemen's bodies

Armenia Ombudsman, AGBU President discuss war crimes committed by Azerbaijan during Karabakh war

Opposition "Armenia" bloc's representatives to hold briefings three times a week

Opposition "Armenia" bloc member: Blood-freezing photos and videos from morgue in Abovyan are authorities' reflection

Yerevan mayor receives Netherlands Ambassador

Armenia Health Ministry, Investigative Committee keep info about sending remains of dead soldiers abroad confidential

Armenia Prosecutor General's Office launches case regarding leaving sacs of servicemen's bodies/remains in basement

Peskov: Putin and Biden to discuss cybersecurity issues

Armenia's Pashinyan meets with Belgian PM Alexander De Croo

Armenia acting MOD receives Netherlands Ambassador

Armenia Police: 3 citizens apprehended during protest demanding acting health minister's resignation

NATO warns Minsk about further consequences of Ryanair incident

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
China sees 10.1 million people return or move to countryside to start businesses or pursue innovations in 2020

09:01, March 22, 2021 By Yu Jingxian ( People's Daily

Photo taken on Sept. 14, 2019, shows Hu Tingting, a college graduate who returned to her hometown in Dayuan village, Tongling, east Chinas Anhui province, and created her own white ginger brand, discussing about the packaging and sales of the product with her colleagues. (Peoples Daily Online/Chen Chen)

China has witnessed continuous expansion of the number of people who have returned or moved to the countryside to start their own businesses or make innovations, with the size of the group reaching a record high number of 10.1 million last year, an increase of 19 percent from that in 2019.

While marking the largest and fastest growth in the number of people moving back to the countryside to start their own businesses or pursue innovations in China, the year 2020 also witnessed the formation of four major driving forces of entrepreneurship in the country, namely migrant workers, college graduates, ex-servicemen, and women.

At the same time, more than 19 million rural residents who returned to or stayed in their hometowns secured jobs near their homes in 2020, thanks to the efforts of various local governments, which have taken comprehensive measures to effectively cope with the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic and make overall planning to support people who returned or moved to rural areas to start their own businesses and seek jobs.

Liang Yongying, a woman born in Shanghang county, Longyan city, east Chinas Fujian province, returned to her hometown in 2011 after working in Fuzhou, capital of Fujian province for five years since she graduated from a college.

She found that people in her hometown, which has been known as the land of fish and rice, were still using traditional cultivation methods and local specialties hadnt been sold outside of her hometown although modern agriculture was enjoying rapid development.

As the country continuously rolled out favorable policies to support the development of the agricultural sector, rural areas and rural people, Liang eventually decided to return to her hometown to engage in agricultural industry which she has always had a keen interest in.

After returning to her hometown, Liang first became a major grain producer of her hometown, and then owner of a family farm. She has also established a new farmers association of Longyan city.

She has realized mechanized and large-scale rice farming through transfer of land-use rights, and set up her own processing factory to provide services for local farmers. The rice from her farm has obtained the green food certification and gradually enjoyed increasing popularity.

Today, her farm offers help to 20 families which used to be registered impoverished households under the pairing assistance model every year.

Governments across the country are trying to create more opportunities for people who returned or moved to the countryside to start their own businesses or secure employment.

Various areas of the country have made active efforts to expand the capacity of planting and breeding industries for creating opportunities for entrepreneurs and job hunters, the functional value of rural areas, and the room for improving the efficiency and benefits of industries by focusing on implementing policies on stabilizing employment, creating jobs by boosting development of various industries, optimizing services in providing jobs for residents, and offering vocational training to people to help them upgrade skills or switch jobs.

About 20 percent of the people who returned or moved to the countrys rural areas mainly engage in large-scale and characteristic planting and breeding businesses, seedling cultivation, and livestock and poultry breeding, or lead or co-run farmers cooperatives and family farms.

Around 55 percent of these people have established family-owned factories, rural workshops, small and micro businesses and other entities to seek development in such fields as catering, homestay hotels, farm produce preliminary processing, and featured crafts.

The rest 25 percent of the group work as temporary or part-time workers, mainly running small businesses or engaging in temporary jobs.

According to reliable statistics, of all the projects initiated by people who returned or moved to the countrys countryside, 55 percent have tapped into information technology to run online shops, engage in live-steaming shows and direct selling, as well as contactless delivery business, while over 85 percent feature the integration of primary, secondary and tertiary industries and cover a wide range of fields including production, processing, selling, services, and sectors such as agriculture, culture, tourism, and education.

Last year, each project initiated by people who returned or moved to Chinas rural areas to start their own businesses or make innovations could provide stable employment for 6.3 people and flexible employment for 17.3 people on average. At the same time, such projects have brought benefits to local farmers based on contracts, in dividend payments, and via shares.

Centering on consolidating and expanding the achievements in poverty alleviation, China is going to further promote the development of rural business projects and cultivate a batch of major entrepreneurship and innovation forces that are rooted in rural areas, create rural industries, and can help local residents increase income, according to Liu Huanxin, vice minister of agriculture and rural affairs.

The country will also establish a batch of demonstration parks and bases for entrepreneurship and innovation in rural areas so as to generate more opportunities and jobs for people who are returning or moving to the countryside, Liu said.
Israelis will go to the polls tomorrow after a weekend marked by large-scale protests against the bid by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to win another term in office.

Around 20,000 people took to the streets on Saturday, calling on Israelis to vote Mr Netanyahu out of office because of long-standing allegations of corruption. The 71-year-old, who has been Israels prime minister for the past 12 years, is facing multiple corruption charges, including bribery and fraud.

He is accused of accepting improper gifts and offering media moguls a light regulatory regime in exchange for positive news coverage. Mr Netanyahu denies the charges and claims the case is collapsing.

Weekly protests have taken place against Mr Netanyahu for nine months, though Saturdays demonstrations were visibly the largest for several months.

We came to protest against a dictator, said Anat Gourelle, a 60-year-old lawyer from Tel Aviv.

It is outrageous what is going on in Israel. It is unthinkable that somebody is using his power to steal from his own people, she said.

Mr Netanyahu is hoping that Israels world-leading lightning vaccination campaign will bolster his chances in the polls, with more than three-quarters of the adult population vaccinated in three months.

The US-sponsored deals to normalise relations with previously hostile Arab states is also thought to be a factor in his popularity.

The election to take Israel out of political stalemate is expected to be a tight race with no clear majority in the opinion polls for tomorrows ballot. While Netanyahus right-wing Likud party is expected to emerge as the biggest party, the polls suggest that with his allies, he will struggle to secure a majority in the 120-seat Knesset.

Saturdays protests were seen as a final push to oust the leader. The organisers of the months-long demonstrations told The Times of Israel that the protests had brought about an awakening among the youth. ( Telegraph Media Group Ltd 2021)

Telegraph Media Group Limited [2021]
Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin has urged to boost trade and economic cooperation between Russia and Kazakhstan, which has declined amid the coronavirus pandemic.

The relationship between the two countries is developing rapidly, specialized ministers are in contact, "working towards efficient expansion of the Russian-Kazakh cooperation, in line with aims and goals of leaders of the two countries," Russian PM said during the talks with his Kazakh counterpart Askar Mamin on Monday.

Mishustin also noted the ongoing joint efforts within the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU). "They are very efficient and active, though in bilateral relations it is very important to boost our trade and economic cooperation, which unfortunately has not been developing that fast due to the pandemic," TASS cited him as saying.

However, as of today we see the results, mutual trade turnover is on the rise in many sectors," he said, adding that the issue is particularly about agriculture, industry, trade, infrastructure construction.
[March 22, 2021] ASGN Announces Several Upcoming Changes to Board of Directors

ASGN Incorporated (NYSE: ASGN), one of the foremost providers of IT and professional services in the technology, digital, creative, engineering and life sciences fields across commercial and government sectors, today announced the upcoming change in Chairmanship as well as the addition of two new directors to the Company's Board of Directors. Chairman Jeremy Jones will retire effective June 18, 2021 at the completion of his term, and Arshad Matin, an independent member of ASGN's Board of Directors since June 2014, will become Chairman at such time. "On behalf of our entire Board of Directors, I would like to thank Jerry for his outstanding service to ASGN as both an advisor and director over the past 26 years. We hope that Jerry enjoys his well-earned retirement," said ASGN President and Chief Executive Officer, Ted Hanson. "Since Jerry's appointment as Chairman of the Board in 2003, ASGN's market cap has grown from approximately $130 million to roughly $5 billion through a combination of organic and acquisitive growth. Although Jerry's shoes will be difficult to fill, I am more than confident that Arshad is fully capable and ready to step into this very important role." Incoming Chairman Arshad Matin has led a very successful career across the software, security and IT industries, holding executive leadership roles at both public and private companies. He currently serves as President and CEO of Avetta, LLC, a private company that provides supply chain risk management. Prior to his current position, Mr. Matin was a Director, President and CEO of Paradigm Ltd., a leading developer of software solutions to the global oil and gas industry. Mr. Matin was also Executive Vice President of IHS (News - Alert) , Inc. (now IHS Markit), a publicly-traded information and analytics company. Mr. Matin joined IHS post its acquisition of Seismic MicroTechnology, Inc., where he served as CEO. Mr. Matin was also general manager of the enterprise security business of Symantec Corporation, a role he assumed upon Symantec's acquisition of BindView Corporation where he was COO and President. Before BindView, Mr. Matin was a partner at McKinsey & Company (News - Alert) , servicing clients in both the technology and energy industries. ASGN also announced today the appointment of two new independent directors, Carol Lindstrom and Vice Admiral Joseph W. Dyer, U.S. Navy, Retired. Ms. Lindstrom and Vice Admiral Dyer are members of ASGN's Strategy and Technolgy Committee and offer unique insights based on their decades of experience in technology, consulting and government industries.



"On behalf of our entire Board, I would like to welcome Carol and Joe as our newest directors," Mr. Hanson continued. "Carol offers a wealth of experience growing and managing large-scale commercial-focused technology practices, while Joe's deep knowledge of federal procurement and corporate strategy will be a great asset to ASGN. As Carol and Joe have already served as advisers to our Board, I expect their transition into the director role will be seamless." Carol Lindstrom is an advisor at Carrick Capital Partners, a growth-oriented investment firm focused on software and software-enabled businesses. Prior to Carrick, she was Vice Chair of Deloitte LLP, which she first joined in 1993 to build their technology consulting practice. Ms. Lindstrom served as managing director of Deloitte's Orange (News - Alert) County and San Francisco, California consulting practices as well as managing director in Deloitte's Americas technology practice and e-business and digital practices. Before Deloitte (News - Alert) , Ms. Lindstrom was a partner at Andersen Consulting, now Accenture PLC.

Joseph Dyer is an independent consultant in the technology and defense markets and the Chief Strategy Officer of National Spectrum (News - Alert) Consortium, a research and development organization that incubates new technologies. Prior to his current role, Vice Admiral Dyer spent a decade in various executive leadership positions in operations and strategy at iRobot Corp., including President, Chief Operating Officer and Chief Strategy Officer, during a period of rapid company growth. He joined iRobot after a 30-year career in the U.S. Navy, where his last assignment was as the three-star commander of the Naval Air Systems Command. Additionally, he chaired NASA's Aerospace Safety and Advisory Panel from 2003 to 2016. The generation of long-term value for all of ASGN's stakeholders begins with robust corporate governance principles and oversight. The establishment of a diverse board of directors is essential to the Company's overall success. By 2022, ASGN is committed to advancing gender equality by having at least three female directors on the Company's Board. For more information on ASGN's corporate governance policies, please visit the Governance section of the Company's investor relations' website. About ASGN Incorporated ASGN Incorporated (NYSE: ASGN) is one of the foremost providers of IT and professional services in the technology, digital, creative, engineering and life sciences fields across commercial and government sectors. Operating through its Apex, Oxford and ECS segments, ASGN helps leading corporate enterprises and government organizations develop, implement and operate critical IT and business solutions through its integrated offering of professional staffing and IT solutions. ASGN's mission is to be the most trusted partner for companies seeking highly skilled human capital and integrated solutions to fulfill their strategic and operational needs. For more information, visit us at asgn.com. Safe Harbor Certain statements made in this news release are "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and involve a high degree of risk and uncertainty. Forward-looking statements include statements regarding our anticipated financial and operating performance. All statements in this news release, other than those setting forth strictly historical information, are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and actual results might differ materially. We specifically disclaim any intention or duty to update any forward-looking statements contained in this news release. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210322005811/en/

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WASHINGTON, March 22, 2021 -- What's better at finding a hidden bomb -- a dog or an electronic chemical detector? In this episode, the Reactions team travels to the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory to find out: https:/ / youtu. be/ TRwqOFHOjac .

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The American Chemical Society (ACS) is a nonprofit organization chartered by the U.S. Congress. ACS' mission is to advance the broader chemistry enterprise and its practitioners for the benefit of Earth and all its people. The Society is a global leader in promoting excellence in science education and providing access to chemistry-related information and research through its multiple research solutions, peer-reviewed journals, scientific conferences, eBooks and weekly news periodical Chemical & Engineering News. ACS journals are among the most cited, most trusted and most read within the scientific literature; however, ACS itself does not conduct chemical research. As a specialist in scientific information solutions (including SciFinder and STN), its CAS division powers global research, discovery and innovation. ACS' main offices are in Washington, D.C., and Columbus, Ohio.

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It is important for Ukraine to cooperate with the Kingdom of Belgium at international platforms, including at the inter-parliamentary level, Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada Dmytro Razumkov has said.

"Over the past years, our bilateral cooperation has intensified at the level of the inter-parliamentary relations group. Joint meetings were held via videoconference, during which representatives of parliaments exchanged relevant information, both on the situation with the COVID-19 pandemic, and on the political and economic dimension," Razumkov said during a meeting with Chairperson of the Belgian Chamber of Representatives Eliane Tillieux on Monday in Brussels.

The chairman of the Ukrainian parliament thanked Brussels for the constant support of Kyiv at the level of parliamentary delegations in international organizations - PACE, NATO Parliamentary Assembly and OSCE Parliamentary Assembly.

Razumkov also expressed gratitude to Belgium, which, together with other 18 states, supported Ukraine at an informal UN Arria-Formula meeting in March, during which another attempt was made by the Russian Federation to legitimize the annexation of Crimea.

"From such steps, friendly relations between states are built," the chairman of the Verkhovna Rada said.

He also recalled that Ukraine plans to create a Crimean Platform, the participants of which will defend and protect human rights in the occupied territories.

"An important element of inter-parliamentary cooperation is also the exchange of visits and the format of personal meetings, both at the level of heads of parliaments and parliamentary committees of our countries," Razumkov said.

He thanked Tillieux for the treatment and rehabilitation of Ukrainian servicemen in Belgium, who were wounded in the war zone in Donbas.

In turn, Tillieux assured Razumkov of Belgium's support for Ukraine at international platforms, in particular at the UN, on human rights violations in the occupied Crimea. She assured that Belgium is open to negotiations and further cooperation.

The parties also discussed the progress of reforms, exchanged information on the situation with COVID-19 and the measures taken by the authorities of the two states to combat the pandemic and protect the population.
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Key equity indices pared losses in mid-afternoon trade. Consumer durable stocks tumbled. The Nifty managed to hold above the 14,650 mark amid considerable volatility. Negative global cues and rising Covid cases in India spoiled sentiment.

At 14:26 IST, the barometer index, the S&P BSE Sensex, was down 276.11 points or 0.55% to 49,582.13. The Nifty 50 index declined 54.8 points or 0.37% at 14,689.20.

The broader market bucked the trend. The S&P BSE Mid-Cap index added 0.75%. The S&P BSE Small-Cap index rose 0.59%.

Sellers outnumbered buyers. On the BSE, 1506 shares rose and 1459 shares fell. A total of 220 shares were unchanged.

Economy:

Moody's Analytics stated that India's economy will grow by 12% in 2021 following a 7.1% contraction last year, as near-term prospects have turned more favourable. A stronger than expected December quarter GDP growth of 0.4% following a 7.5% contraction in the previous three months has turned India's near-term prospects more favourable, it said.

Meanwhile, gold imports, fell 3.3% to $26.11 billion during April-February 2020-21 from $27 billion in April-February 2019-20, according as per the commerce ministry data. India is the largest importer of gold.

India's consumption of petroleum products over the year-earlier fell at the worst pace since August 2020. The aggregate demand for petroleum and related products, including auto and industrial fuels, dropped 4.9% year-on-year (Y-o-Y) in February 2021, according to provisional data released by the Petroleum Planning & Analysis Cell. The consumption in absolute terms stood at 17.21 million metric tonnes (MMT) in February 2021 as compared with an average of 18.17 MMT over the last three months.

Numbers to Track:

In the commodities market, Brent crude for May 2021 settlement fell 19 cents to $64.53 a barrel. The contract gained nearly 2% or $1.25 to settle at $64.53 a barrel in the previous session.

The yield on India's 10-year benchmark federal paper fell to 6.171% as compared to its previous close of 6.193%.

In the foreign exchange market, the partially convertible rupee rose to 72.375, compared with its previous closing of 72.52.

MCX Gold futures for 5 April 2021 settlement shed 0.72% to Rs 44,699.

The US Dollar index (DXY), which tracks the greenback's value against a basket of currencies, rose 0.03% to 91.95.

Buzzing Index:

The S&P BSE Consumer Durables index declined 1.09% to 32,077.89. The index gained 0.22% on Friday.

Among the index constituents, Dixon Technologies (India) (down 5.02%), Crompton Greaves Consumer Electrical (down 2.02%), Whirlpool of India (down 0.99%), Blue Star (down 0.95%) and Titan Company (down 0.94%), Rajesh Exports (down 0.88%), VIP Industries (down 0.82%) and TTK Prestige (down 0.69%) edged lower.

On the other hand, Amber Enterprises India (up 2.12%), Orient Electric (up 1.29%), and Bajaj Electricals (up 0.89%) edged higher.

Stocks in Spotlight:

Sandhar Technologies rose 3.93% to Rs 222 after the company said it entered into a non-binding memorandum of understanding with Unicast Autotech for acquiring aluminium die casting business.

KNR Constructions rose 0.95% to Rs 207.20 after the company received a letter of acceptance (LoA) for a road construction project in Karnataka worth Rs 1,100.88 crore. The project involves four-laning of the Bangalore-Mangalore section, including the six-lane flyover at Kalladka town, of NH-75 on EPC basis.

RailTel Corporation of India jumped 5.4% to Rs 137.60 after the PSU company received a work order amounting to Rs 153.15 crore from Central Coalfields. The order entails establishment of MPLS-VPN network of higher bandwidth on rental basis for 5 years.

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Making an organism that resembles extinct species is known as de-extinction (also known as regeneration biology or species revivalism).

De-extinction can be carried out in a variety of ways. Cloning is the approach that has received the most attention, but genome editing and selective breeding have also been suggested.

Certain endangered species have been given similar therapies in the hopes of improving their populations. Cloning is the only form of the three that can result in an animal with the same genetic identity.

As many as one million animal and plant species may become extinct. The UN warns that the drastic loss in global biodiversity is a problem in and of itself and a threat to the planet's population's well-being. Furthermore, it poses a significant danger to global food stability and economic activity.

Related Article: Mammal Extinction Capital of the World: 5 of Australia's Critically Endangered Mammal Species

Here are a few creatures that managed to re-emerge long after declared extinct:

Coelacanth

It's impossible for scientists to determine whether a plant will become extinct. There could be no sightings for five years, ten years, or fifty years. However, at 66 million, you'd imagine it's a pretty good investment.

Until one was discovered off South Africa's coast in 1938, this creature was believed to have perished along with the dinosaurs.

Coelacanths are nocturnal deep-sea dwellers with a primitive appearance believed to inhabit underwater caves in the Indian Ocean. They are critically endangered.

Elephant Shrew

The last time anyone recorded a sighting of the Somali elephant shrew was almost 50 years ago, after which it was assumed to have become extinct. Then, in August 2020, a team of researchers and academics reported that these tiny, odd-looking creatures were alive and well. Also known as the Somali Sengi, this mouse-sized animal, with its distinctive elongated nose, is thriving across the Horn of Africa.

Pinatubo Island Mouse

Mt. Pinatubo in the Philippines erupted in 1991, causing massive devastation in its immediate vicinity. Field biologists were unable to determine the damage for some time after the volcano erupted due to the region's instability. The little island mouse, which had only been seen once before in the 1950s, was one of the animals on the verge of extinction. Since the population was so small at the time, scientists thought it would not survive such a catastrophic eruption.

They were mistaken. A team headed by the Field Museum in Chicago uncovered a swarm of mice living in the windswept, brush-covered landscape that represents the regeneration of a disaster zone ten years ago.

The vast number of species has caused biologists to conclude that the mouse is a catastrophe specialist, as the rodent's numbers grew in the aftermath of the eruption. Maybe it was the effects of the cataclysm on local predators. Happily, the mouse is still alive and way-punching well above its weight, if its flourishing population is any indicator of its success.

Takahe

Flightless birds have a rocky relationship with extinction, but there is a takahe for every dodo and moa. The multi-colored takahe is a remnant of the 'rail' tribe, a large genetic church that includes coots and crakes. It once roamed much of modern-day New Zealand.

The population was declared extinct in 1898, decimated by predation, poaching, and habitat destruction, but a robust colony was found high in the Murchison Mountains 50 years later.

The takahe focuses on New Zealand's longest-running endangered species campaign and has since expanded to seven islands and many mainland areas, making it a conservation success story.

Caspian Horse

The rediscovery of the Caspian horse is a storybook narrative that puts Black Beauty to shame. Even-tempered steeds perfect for first-time riders, the Caspian horse's rediscovery is a storybook narrative that puts Black Beauty to shame. Louise Laylin, a Virginia-born American horse breeder, moved to Iran in 1957 to marry a Persian prince and open a children's riding school in Tehran.

She set off for the rugged Caspian mountains in pursuit of the semi-mythical, thought-to-be-extinct Caspian horse after finding the local horses too skittish and boisterous. She noticed three right away and galloped back to the capital.

Caspian horses also have a global domestic distribution and stable populations in Australia, the United Kingdom, and the United States.

Related Article: Mass Extinction Hits Australia With The Death of 13 Species

For the most recent updates from the animal kingdom, don't forget to follow Nature World News!
GoFundMe set up for Phuket Dutchman arrested for Shopping Mall scam

PHUKET: A GoFundMe appeal has raised more than B43,000 to pay legal fees for the Dutchman from Phuket arrested for operating the Shopping Mall scam, which bilked people of at least an estimated B100 million.

Monday 22 March 2021, 05:32PM

A screenshot of the GoFundMe appeal to raise funds for Mr Wesley.

The Dutch national, so far named publicly only as Mr Wesley, was taken into custody at Suvarnabhumi International Airport in Bangkok late at night on Feb 11 while trying to leave the country.

The man, his wife and child were about to flee the country. If they could get out of the country, about B100 million would have gone with them, as they had already transferred it to the banks in a neighbouring country, said Lt Gen Kanchai Khlaikhleung of the Cyber Crime Investigation Bureau (CCIB) in announcing Mr Wesleys arrest.

Lt Kanchai said police had already confirmed that Mr Wesley, who had been living in Kathu District in Phuket, had transferred the funds into 44 accounts in four banks outside Thailand.

However, a GoFundMe appeal launched by Sanna Kilpinen on Mar 9 has now raised 1,195 to help pay legal fees for Mr Wesley.

The appeal has set 9,000 (about 331,000) as its goal.

This fundraising is for Wesley who I share custody of my almost 2 years old girl, Ms Kilpinen said in her appeal.

I know Wesley for over 5 years and he is one of the kindest people who I know.

Wesley is at the moment stuck in Thailand and waiting for his court. He is accused in court of acts which he has not done. He is a victim of a big set up.

He was very naive to trust wrong people and now we are living a nightmare.

Funds will be used for lawyer costs and bail, she added.

If you have ever spent any time inside a Thai prison, you will know how difficult life can be on the inside. There is constant overcrowding, disease, lack of clean food and water, immense heat, lack of access to people outside the prison, occasional violence and death, and other challenges.

Wesley is a family man and supporting him would mean the world to his family and friends. We have used all our savings already to help him fight for his justice, Ms Kilpinen noted.

Please help us by donating and give my lovely daughter her father back, she concluded.
Men of property wearing velvet knee-length breeches, silk stockings and buckled shoes, their costume complemented by powdered wigs. Men of property gathered to vote. Men, and men alone.

The dense forest of campaign signs planted near their polling place is meant only for their privileged eyes and no one elses. They could not have imagined that the right to vote also belongs to Black Americans, to young Americans, to poor Americans, to female Americans. Such a notion would have made the nations first president gnash his wooden teeth.

Not to be facetious, but when some use the phrase Stop the Steal it has nothing to do with election integrity and everything to do with that golden dream of exclusion. A version of which Texas Republicans and their counterparts in more than 40 states are working assiduously to make reality.

Their rationale is the outrageous Big Lie that the November election was corrupt, the Big Lie former President Donald Trump continues to perpetuate. In Texas and other GOP-controlled states, their war on democracy has produced more than 250 pieces of legislation designed to restrict, constrain or squeeze down access to the ballot box.

In Georgia, for example, the suppressionists want to limit or eliminate early voting on Sunday. Surely, that innocuous piece of legislation has nothing to do with Black churches and their traditional Souls to the Polls effort on Sundays before Election Day. Georgia leaders appear now to be pulling back on this effort. Another Georgia bill would make it illegal to give food or water to people waiting in line to vote, people waiting in line, of course, because suppression-minded lawmakers have restricted the number of voting sites.

Florida wants to ban drop boxes. New Hampshire is stopping permanent no-excuse absentee voting. Iowa already has shortened polling-place hours and has reduced early voting, among other measures designed to make it harder to vote.

Texas, never a state to be outdone, would force counties to close polls at 7 p.m. making it harder for working people to get to polling sites. State Sen. Bryan Hughess bill also would require anyone applying for a mail ballot on the grounds of disability to include written documentation from the U.S. Social Security Administration, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs or a certificate from a licensed physician, chiropractor or Christian Science practitioner.

As this page noted a few days ago, people in Texas are more likely to be struck by lightning than cheat at the polls, but that fact hasnt stopped state Sen. Paul Bettencourt, R-Houston, from filing seven bills falsely bearing the label election integrity. One, for example, would allow the Secretary of State to withhold funds if a voter registrar or elections administrator fails to remove voters who should not be registered in a timely fashion. Other bills filed this session would eliminate drive-thru voting, outdoor voting and mass voting sites; ballot drop boxes could not be used. Ambitious voter-roll purges would be required. Purging voter rolls, of course, is a common tactic for taking away a persons right to vote under the guise of reducing duplication and mistakes.

In Texas and elsewhere, lawmakers determined to suppress the vote are likely to be successful  unless, that is, citizens are so determined to cast their ballot they will rise to meet every effort to thwart them. Its happened before when lawmakers contempt for democracy has prompted a backlash.

Congress also has the power to repair our democracy. The For the People Act (H.R. 1) and the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act (H.R. 4) are ambitious multi-faceted pieces of legislation designed to guarantee voting-rights protections for all. H.R. 1 already has passed the House this year; a version of H.R. 4 passed the House in 2019, with 13 Texas Democrats as cosponsors. This time both are likely to die in the Senate unless Democratic lawmakers can figure out a way to modify or overcome the filibuster.

Heres what the bills passage would mean for Texas:

H.R. 4 would restore a key provision of the 1965 Voting Rights Act that required states with a history of voting discrimination  Texas included  to get federal approval for changes in voting rules. The U.S. Supreme Court killed the so-called preclearance portion of the VRA in 2013. Under H.R. 4, states would have to submit proposed changes  mandated poll closure at 7 p.m., for example  to the Department of Justice for review or seek a declaratory judgment in federal court that they would not directly or indirectly discourage voting on the basis of race.

Voters would go to the polls without that nagging feeling that maybe theyre not registered or maybe they dont have the right documents. They would automatically be registered to vote when they apply for state services. States also would be required to allow voters to register online. The legislation would implement universal voting by mail and provide at least 15 days of early voting for federal elections.

Perhaps the most dramatic and far-reaching measure in H.R. 1 is a ban on partisan gerrymandering. Instead of ingenious Tom Delay-style packing and cracking schemes and precise computer-generated districts designed to keep one party in power in perpetuity, states would be required to use independent commissions to draw congressional districts. As weve seen in California, Iowa, Arizona and a number of other states that already rely on commissions, successful candidates are more likely to appeal to the center rather than rely on partisan extremists. Theyll be inclined to represent the views of the district, not simply activist primary voters. (Unfortunately, this portion of H.R. 1 wouldnt go into effect until after the 2030 census.)

Some provisions in the ambitious voting-rights measures are debatable  a public-financing and small-dollar matching requirement, for example  but debate and discussion and ultimately compromise are what lawmakers are supposed to be doing. Whats not debatable is the nationwide battle Republican lawmakers are waging at the state level to suppress or restrict our most fundamental right as citizens of a democracy.

Here in Texas, Sens. Bettencourt and Hughes, Gov. Greg Abbott, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, Attorney General Ken Paxton and their election-suppression cohorts prattle on about election integrity. They should don powdered wigs and velvet knee breeches while claiming to do the peoples business under the Capitol dome. That way, voters could see at a glance what theyre really about.
Panel 3: Indo-Pacific, Caucasus, East Europe and Southwest Asia: Pivots for War, or Peace with New Silk Road

March 21 , 2021 (EIRNS)The third panel of the March 20-21, 2021 Schiller Institute/ICLC conference dealt with the crises and potentials of Southwest Asia, including its prospects for peaceful development in the context of the New Silk Road. Moderator Diane Sare stressed that 7.5 billion people are not Americans, making it indispensable for Americans to pay attention to the broader scope of issues presented in the panel, which featured nine speakers.

The keynote was delivered by Schiller Institute Southwest Asia Coordinator Hussein Askary, who spoke on Justice for the Nations of Southwest Asia. He first pointed out that there is no such thing as the Middle East, a term originating from the British East Indias structural outlook of seeing colonies from a London viewpoint. Instead, geographical and cultural regions must be conceived as if seen from space, so that all nations are equal from a universal viewpoint. Southwest Asia is a region of 500 million, most of whom are young people who need a constructive perspective as an alternative to the geopolitics that has held the region hostage to crises, regime change, and wars. The alternative to the wars was outlined by Lyndon LaRouche during his visit to Iraq in 1975, also during his 2002 visit to Abu Dhabi. The LaRouche economic model has found active supporters in war-torn Yemens youth, as well as among young Iraqis. The Five Seas initiative of Syria before the war pointed in the right direction of regional cooperation, as does the Iraq-China agreement signed years ago but beginning to see realization only in 2018. It needs additional support today. The Schiller Institute made a proposal for Operation Phoenix and to recreate Arabia Felix as an important player for mankinds progress. The geopoliticians wars against Syria, Iraq, Yemen have worsened the situation, that must be ended, instead the U.S.A., China, and Russia must cooperate in the recovery and development of Southwest Asia as a whole.

The next speaker was Hisham Sharaf, the Foreign Minister of Yemen, who stressed that his nation is not demoralized, although it is in the sixth year of war, with medicines prevented from reaching the country to fight Covid-19, and with the UN donors conference yielding just half of the needed amount of funding. But the Yemenis are optimistic that peace can be reached, although not on conditions dictated by the aggressors. The reconstruction of Yemen will occur in the framework of the New Silk Road, to which the Yemenis will be active contributors.

The speaker following, Haidar Al-Fuadi Al-Atabe, Member of the Iraqi House of Representatives, emphasized the importance of activating the Iraq-China Agreement, which aims at restoring Iraqs infrastructure, creating employment for the young generation, and overcoming Iraqs dependency of revenues from its oil production. Iraq must become part of the New Silk Road. Al-Atabe also emphasized that in carrying out projects in Iraq, China predominantly trains and employs Iraqis; therefore, tens of thousands of youth would benefit from major projects such as water projects and the Faw Great Port and railway lines connecting it with other parts of the country. All that is possible, if the United States and other powers respect Iraqs equality and sovereignty, and cooperate with China and the United Nations in rebuilding the country, which could become a bridge for the development of other nations in and beyond that region.

Shakeel Ahmad Ramay, the Director of the China Center at Pakistans Sustainable Development Policy Institute spoke next, about the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, whose first phase creates 700,000 Pakistani jobs and which will generate 4 million jobs by 2030. The development of this corridor with Pakistans port of Gwadar in a crucial role will shorten the transport distances between China and Europe. The entire Southwest Asian region can be transformed, if one principle is activated: cooperation, cooperation, cooperation, if the pressures of history are inactivated by the prospect of general development.

Former Virginia State Sen. Richard Black then spoke on The Truth Behind the Syria Crisis. Black stated that he is a combat veteran and an American patriot, but he profoundly rejects what U.S. policies have done, not only to Southwest Asia, but also globally. U.S. policies are just one big violation of a rules-based order, and these policies have been the kind of wars of aggression that were banned by the Nuremberg Trial 75 years ago after World War II. Planning the aggressions against Syria occurred in the U.S. already in 2001 with a list of countries targetted for destabilization, regime change and terrorist attacks and other atrocities. Before the war, Syria was a self-sufficient country in terms of food and energy, but ten years of aggression, with rebels trained and armed by the U.S., with the U.S. Army itself invading northern Syria, have destroyed the country. This madness must be stopped, and stopped now, Black declared.

From Syria itself, the next speaker was Dr. Ziad Ayoub Arbache, Assistant Professor at the Faculty of Economic Sciences at the University of Damascus, his theme being Syria after 10 Years of War. At the beginning of the millennium, Syria designed the Tenth Five-Year Plan (2006-2010), with a vision of the country being transformed by 2020 into a fully integrated economy into the global economy. Under this plan, strategic projects envisaged building the roads, ports, and pipelines that Syria needed for achieving the Five Seas Vision. Syria was free of foreign debt. But the trio of embargo, war and successive sanctions has destroyed all that. Millions of Syrians have been turned into refugees, which has caused a giant brain drain. It is important to create a mechanism of development justified by the existence of 600 million citizens in the Southwest Asia region, along the concept of the Schiller Institutes Peace through Development which Helga Zepp-LaRouche has presented.

The next speaker was Ambassador Michel Raimbaud, former French Ambassador in Arab, African and Ibero-American countries, and also former director of the French Bureau for the Protection of Refugees. Also mentioning that U.S. list of 2001 targetting many countries including Syria, Raimbaud elaborated on the continuity of war, sanctions, terrorism, and black propaganda launched against Syria which he said clearly is a victim of international aggression conducted by powers like the U.S. and the U.K. in ways falling under the Nuremberg Tribunals definition of wars of aggression, causing 250,000 deaths and 12 million refugees among Syrias population. The ultimate catastrophe was prevented by the military assistance of Russia.

Concluding the speeches on Panel 3, Jacques Cheminade, president of the French political party Solidarite et Progres, presented a Call to Action, to change the course of policies which he said have put the survival of mankind as a whole at stake. This is a moment of great tragedy, but we refuse to be Hamlet; instead, we work for an alternative to a situation which LaRouche decades ago already warned would involve things many times worse than those done by Hitler. What is urgently needed is a positive point of reference, a real constructive perspective for mankind: building a functioning health system in every country, having a Glass-Steagall restructuring of the global financial system, a new system of productive credit, the creation of 1.5 billion new jobs. Instead of staying in the negative dynamic of pleasure and pain, instead of being obsessed with ones own advantage at the cost of the other, a harmony of interest always giving priority to the advantage of the other must be created. A real attempt to create the basis for a better future for the young generation has to be made. Culture and poetry must spark the creativity in human minds.

The one hour of Q&A which followed the presentations focused again on the role played by geopolitics, particularly by the British, but also on the need for people to develop their minds in order not to be manipulable. The denial of the right of people to development is a Nuremberg Tribunal crime, Helga said, calling for action to make Southwest Asia a cradle of mankinds progress again which it once was when Baghdad was the most developed city on Earth. This conference is important because it presents people with hard facts on things they never hear about otherwise, Mrs. LaRouche stressed.

Hussein Askary pointed out in response to questions how policies could change, that the mechanism for change is already there with the Belt and Road strategy which nations have to join. Cheminade said that anger shall not be a driver for action, but hope should be, and again pointed to the role of poetry.

Halfway into Panel 3, Diane Sare drew attention to Helga Zepp-LaRouches statement regarding the LaRouchePAC, available to read on the Schiller Institutes website. Also, later in the Q&A period, Mrs. LaRouche read out her Call to China Experts, issued several weeks ago, as a document that as many people as possible should sign, to get the truth about Chinas constructive policies out.
SAN FRANCISCO, March 22, 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 .
This image shows an artist's impression of winds in Jupiter's stratosphere near the planet's south pole, with the blue lines representing wind speeds. These lines are superimposed on a real image of Jupiter, taken by the JunoCam imager aboard NASA's Juno spacecraft. Jupiter's famous bands of clouds are located in the lower atmosphere, where winds have previously been measured. But tracking winds right above this atmospheric layer, in the stratosphere, is much harder since no clouds exist there. By analysing the aftermath of a comet collision from the 1990s and using the ALMA telescope, in which ESO is a partner, researchers have been able to reveal incredibly powerful stratospheric winds, with speeds of up to 1450 kilometres an hour, near Jupiter's poles. CREDIT ESO/L. Calcada & NASA/JPL-Caltech/SwRI/MSSS

Using the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA), in which the European Southern Observatory (ESO) is a partner, a team of astronomers have directly measured winds in Jupiter's middle atmosphere for the first time.

By analysing the aftermath of a comet collision from the 1990s, the researchers have revealed incredibly powerful winds, with speeds of up to 1450 kilometres an hour, near Jupiter's poles. They could represent what the team have described as a "unique meteorological beast in our Solar System".

Jupiter is famous for its distinctive red and white bands: swirling clouds of moving gas that astronomers traditionally use to track winds in Jupiter's lower atmosphere. Astronomers have also seen, near Jupiter's poles, the vivid glows known as aurorae, which appear to be associated with strong winds in the planet's upper atmosphere. But until now, researchers had never been able to directly measure wind patterns in between these two atmospheric layers, in the stratosphere.

Measuring wind speeds in Jupiter's stratosphere using cloud-tracking techniques is impossible because of the absence of clouds in this part of the atmosphere. However, astronomers were provided with an alternative measuring aid in the form of comet Shoemaker-Levy 9 , which collided with the gas giant in spectacular fashion in 1994. This impact produced new molecules in Jupiter's stratosphere, where they have been moving with the winds ever since.

A team of astronomers, led by Thibault Cavalie of the Laboratoire d'Astrophysique de Bordeaux in France, have now tracked one of these molecules -- hydrogen cyanide -- to directly measure stratospheric "jets" on Jupiter. Scientists use the word "jets" to refer to narrow bands of wind in the atmosphere, like Earth's jet streams.

"The most spectacular result is the presence of strong jets, with speeds of up to 400 metres per second, which are located under the aurorae near the poles," says Cavalie. These wind speeds, equivalent to about 1450 kilometres an hour, are more than twice the maximum storm speeds reached in Jupiter's Great Red Spot and over three times the wind speed measured on Earth's strongest tornadoes.

"Our detection indicates that these jets could behave like a giant vortex with a diameter of up to four times that of Earth, and some 900 kilometres in height," explains co-author Bilal Benmahi, also of the Laboratoire d'Astrophysique de Bordeaux. "A vortex of this size would be a unique meteorological beast in our Solar System," Cavalie adds.

Astronomers were aware of strong winds near Jupiter's poles, but much higher up in the atmosphere, hundreds of kilometres above the focus area of the new study, which is published today in Astronomy & Astrophysics. Previous studies predicted that these upper-atmosphere winds would decrease in velocity and disappear well before reaching as deep as the stratosphere. "The new ALMA data tell us the contrary," says Cavalie, adding that finding these strong stratospheric winds near Jupiter's poles was a "real surprise".

The team used 42 of ALMA's 66 high-precision antennas, located in the Atacama Desert in northern Chile, to analyse the hydrogen cyanide molecules that have been moving around in Jupiter's stratosphere since the impact of Shoemaker-Levy 9. The ALMA data allowed them to measure the Doppler shift -- tiny changes in the frequency of the radiation emitted by the molecules -- caused by the winds in this region of the planet. "By measuring this shift, we were able to deduce the speed of the winds much like one could deduce the speed of a passing train by the change in the frequency of the train whistle," explains study co-author Vincent Hue, a planetary scientist at the Southwest Research Institute in the US.

In addition to the surprising polar winds, the team also used ALMA to confirm the existence of strong stratospheric winds around the planet's equator, by directly measuring their speed, also for the first time. The jets spotted in this part of the planet have average speeds of about 600 kilometres an hour.

The ALMA observations required to track stratospheric winds in both the poles and equator of Jupiter took less than 30 minutes of telescope time. "The high levels of detail we achieved in this short time really demonstrate the power of the ALMA observations," says Thomas Greathouse, a scientist at the Southwest Research Institute in the US and co-author of the study. "It is astounding to me to see the first direct measurement of these winds."

"These ALMA results open a new window for the study of Jupiter's auroral regions, which was really unexpected just a few months back," says Cavalie. "They also set the stage for similar yet more extensive measurements to be made by the JUICE mission and its Submillimetre Wave Instrument," Greathouse adds, referring to the European Space Agency's JUpiter ICy moons Explorer, which is expected to launch into space next year.

###

ESO's ground-based Extremely Large Telescope (ELT), set to see first light later this decade, will also explore Jupiter. The telescope will be capable of making highly detailed observations of the planet's aurorae, giving us further insight into Jupiter's atmosphere.

More information

This research is presented in the paper "First direct measurement of auroral and equatorial jets in the stratosphere of Jupiter" published today in Astronomy & Astrophysics (doi:10.1051/0004-6361/202140330 - https://www.aanda.org/10.1051/0004-6361/202140330 ).

Please follow SpaceRef on Twitter and Like us on Facebook.
On March 16, Biden admitted on national television that he considers Vladimir Putin a killer. Added to a growing litany of provocations that Putin deeply resents, this straw just might be sufficient to prompt President Putin to take steps. These steps might go farther than the Biden administration realizes. For according to a Russian white paper released in 2000, Russia's current military doctrine significantly lowers the threshold under which resort to a tactical nuclear strike is "permitted," a doctrine entitled "nuclear de-escalation." According to an article by military policymakers for the Russian defense journal Voyennaya Mysl' (Military Thought), "O Primenenii Yadernogo Oruzhiya dlya Deeskalatsii Voyennykh Deystviy" ("On the Use of Nuclear Weapons for the De-Escalation of Hostilities"), this can include retribution for serious slights in political situations and pressing economic issues. At the lowest level, nuclear de-escalation consists of the firing of a single tactical nuke, for instance an Iskander missile, over water or other "deserted" territory, or else at the enemy's "secondary" military facilities, either unmanned or staffed with "limited" military personnel.

The occasion was Biden's interview with George Stephanopoulos for ABC News. In the course of that interview, Stephanopoulos brought up the DNC report released that day, claiming that Vladimir Putin had authorized operations during the election to denigrate Biden, support President Trump, undermine our elections, and divide our society. Biden referred back to the single phone call he held with Putin on January 26, for the first time intimating what he said during that call. "We had a long conversation. I know him relatively well. I said, 'I know you, and you know me. If I establish that this has happened, then be prepared.'" Biden promised Stephanopoulos, "He will pay for it."

Stephanopoulos then reminded Biden about what he had said in a past encounter with Putin. According to Biden, "I was alone with Putin in his office. That's how it came about. It was when President Bush had said, 'I've looked into his eyes and saw his soul.' I said, 'I looked into your eyes, and I don't think you have a soul.'" This would have been in 2011, while Joe Biden was vice president of the United States and Vladimir Putin was prime minister. Stephanopoulos then asked Biden, "You know Vladimir Putin. Do you think he's a killer?" Biden replied affirmatively, "Mm-hm, I do."

George Stephanopoulos's next question was, "So what price must he pay?" President Biden's reply clearly establishes that he considers himself to be somehow masterfully handling U.S. relations with Putin  and to have the upper hand. Biden responded, "The price he is going to pay...well, you'll see shortly. ... There are places where it's in our mutual interest to work together. That's why I renewed the START agreement with him. That occurred while he's doing this, but that's overwhelmingly in the interest of humanity that we diminish the prospect of a nuclear exchange."

As deputy minister Yevgeny Revenko has observed, "[t]his is the first time in history that an American leader has allowed himself a rude and unsubstantiated statement about Russia. Even in Soviet times, when the confrontation between the powers was at its peak, not a single American president allowed himself to speak out in this way against a Soviet leader. These statements offend not only the president, but the entire countries, all our citizens."

At first, Putin reacted with restraint to Biden's harsh statements. During an online meeting with Crimeans on March 17, he responded, when asked regarding "the statement of your American colleague," that he "wishes him good health." Putin also intimated, however, that the Russian Foreign Ministry would now "revise its approach to relations with America." Prompted by Biden's recall of their January 26 conversation, the Kremlin has now revisited its recording and transcript of the substance of that telephone call, now in a more negative light.

It is truly unfortunate that past encounters between Biden and Putin were resurrected during that televised interview. Putin well remembers his private conversation with Vice President Biden in 2011. He also still burns from Biden's numerous other slights in the past, recalling that Biden has called him the "KGB thug in charge of Russia," has mocked President Trump, whom he greatly respects, as "Putin's puppy" and described his country as "the biggest threat to the United States."

What is worse, when White House press secretary Jen Psaki was asked by journalists during a press briefing held that same day, whether Joe Biden had any regrets regarding his words about Vladimir Putin, she answered firmly, "He has no regrets about his remarks. The president gave a direct answer to a direct question," adding that the American ambassador would remain in Russia. She followed up with an even greater provocation. Not unreasonably, President Putin's first move was to request an urgent, man-to-man talk with President Biden the following day, March 18, to clarify the situation between his Russian Federation and the United States. In response, not Biden himself, but Jen Psaki replied, "Negotiations will not take place tomorrow. The U.S. president will be very busy. You already had the opportunity to speak to Biden on the phone, unlike many other world leaders." In case Putin did not follow, Psaki added, "I have nothing to report in terms of future meetings."

The Biden administration seems oblivious to the rapid and dangerous deterioration of U.S.-Russia relations. Putin was already vexed over a host of other incidents. On January 26, Biden criticized Nord Stream 2 for "making Europe dependent on Russia for its energy." On February 19, in his speech at the Munich Security Conference, Biden accused Moscow of working to weaken NATO and the E.U. and promised to "resist these attempts." Then there is Biden's move to see new sanctions leveled against Russia over the poisoning of Alexei Navalny.

There are also numerous economic issues. In a deal sealed in August 2020 between an American firm, Delaware-based Delta Crescent Energy, and the Kurdish authorities, the oil fields of eastern Syria are being restored not to benefit Russia's ally, Syria, but to benefit the Kurds  as well as the United States. The pipe-laying vessel Fortuna being used in the construction of the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline is included in Biden's new round of sanctions. The Nord Stream 2 project is being heavily underwritten by Russian state energy firm GazProm, and the Fortuna is owned and operated by another Russian state-controlled enterprise, JSC KBT RUS, also called Rus Coal. Both enterprises stand to lose a fortune if the Nord Stream project fizzles.

It remains unclear as to what response the United States can expect from the Russian Federation for what is dismissed as trivial by Biden but is taken as a major slight by Putin. He has signaled the intensity of his disapproval with the recall of the Russian ambassador to the United States, Anatoly Antonov, to Moscow for "consultations"  immediately after Putin's request for a meeting with Biden was rebuffed. Summoning an ambassador to Moscow for consultation, called a "demarche" in diplomatic practice, is according to Andrei Baklanov, the former Russian ambassador to Saudi Arabia, a "strong measure," a "demonstrative act indicating dissatisfaction with the policy of the state to which that ambassador is assigned."

Lynn Corum is a translator of Russian who studies developments in the Russian press that affect America's national interests. She has been researching and writing on Putin's stated plans since 2009 and is a world expert on Project Russia, the Kremlin's published state ideology.

Image: Vladimir Putin via Flickr, CC BY 3.0.
The white paper, published today (March 22) by REPHRAIN, the National Research Centre on Privacy, Harm Reduction and Adversarial Influence Online in collaboration with the Dutch National Police, offers a solution to big data problems that tend to hamper police probes into this type of law-breaking.

The practice of attribution - who did what - is becoming increasingly complex as organised crimes incorporate deception, deletion and encryption in today's Information Age. Even when law enforcement are able to retrieve evidence via digital forensics, the complexities of the collected data mean it cannot be easily processed into factual police reports.

A frequently proposed solution is the introduction of 'smart' data science technologies to support criminal investigations. However, the transition to data scientific investigations requires legal, organisational and technical harmonisation with other public partners including a shared language of data scientific operations.

A Practitioner-in-Residence at REPHRAIN, together with partners at the Dutch National Police, have put together guiding principles and best practices for data scientific investigations of organised crime. These have been developed and put into practice by operational experts over several years, while connecting to existing law enforcement and industry standards. The associated framework is called CSAE (pronounced as 'see-say'), a comprehensive framework that consists of a business process, methodology, policy agenda and public interest philosophy for data scientific operations. It stands for Collect, Store, Analyse and Engage.

CSAE is a living document and will continue to be updated and improved when the academic world, industry and law enforcement provide feedback on concepts and implementation. As CSAE is put into greater practice, additional lessons learned will be integrated into future versions. This will ensure CSAE is meeting the needs of law enforcement in the dynamic and challenging environment of crime and investigations.

Erik van de Sandt of the National Police, The Netherlands; University of Bristol, National Research Centre on Privacy, Harm Reduction and Adversarial Influence Online (REPHRAIN), said: "The Dutch National Police is known for executing technically complex operations. Over the years, our experts have developed, implemented and refined a new type of law enforcement operations that we call data scientific investigations. "

"We have experienced how our comprehensive data science framework promotes harmonization between law enforcement agencies as well as critical thinking by academics. It is because of this public interest philosophy that we share our framework with a broader audience. After all, both the effectiveness and legitimacy of criminal investigations are cornerstones of liberal democracies."

###

REPHRAIN consolidates the UK's considerable academic, industry, policy and third sector capabilities, and led by Bristol, provides a single body to engage with government, industry and citizens. The interdisciplinary team includes experts from the Universities of Bristol, Bath, Edinburgh, King's College London and UCL, across a wide range of fields including - but not limited to - Computer Science, Law, Psychology and Criminology.

Paper:

"Towards Data Scientific Investigations: A Comprehensive Data Science Framework and Case Study for Investigating Organized Crime and Serving the Public Interest" and has been prepared by Erik van de Sandt, Arthur van Bunningen, Jarmo van Lenthe and John Fokker.
Monday, March 22, 2021

The story starts with Deuce Parent, a Sergeant on the Kenner, Louisiana police force, who told his friend Ronald Raymond that "an employee of Eastern Airlines had shown him the guest register" of the VIP Room at the New Orleans International Airport. It had been signed by several people on December 14, 1966 and included the signatures of four Latins, and "Clay Bertrand." Raymond reported this to Jim Garrison's office in August of 1967. (see page 390 of Don Carpenter's Man of a Million Fragments.)

In September 1967, Ms. Jesse Parker, a hostess at the VIP Room, swore out this affidavit:

So on December 14, 1966, Clay Shaw was supposedly still using the pseudonym of Clay Bertrand. You would think that after using it to plan the JFK assassination, he might jettison the name and use something else.

Now, what is interesting in Ms. Parker's affidavit is that the person, identified as Clay Shaw, was accompanied by four people from Caracas, Venezuela who also signed the guestbook.

Here is a picture from the New Orleans Times-Picayune of December 15, 1966:

The next day, Andrew Sciambra interviewed Cecilia Fagan, who also worked in the VIP Room. She remembers the Venezuelans, but did not see Clay Shaw. (Carpenter, page 390)

Garrison's office then subpoenaed Capt. Henry Spicer, but he convinced James Alcock, Garrison's second-in-command, that he had nothing to add. Here is a CIA document about Spicer and Alcock:

The next step to corroborate this account was to find and interview the other members of the State Department that accompanied the Venezuelan party. Here is an entry from the diary of Tom Bethell for March 18, 1968:

Andrew Sciambra went to Washington D.C. and interviewed these witnesses along with researcher Harold Weisberg. Here is Sciambra's memo of his interview with Captain John Warren, who was the military escort for the party; his interview with Theodore Herrera who worked for the State Department; and his interview with Ross Pope, another State Department employee.

None of the three witnesses identified Clay Shaw - indeed, one witness identified Gordon Novel as being the man in the VIP Room. Here are the memos written by Harold Weisberg:

Andrew Sciambra then visited with Alfred Moran who had also signed the guestbook:

So, they could not find one witness who could corroborate that Clay Shaw had signed the guestbook. None of this material was disclosed to Shaw's legal team.

On February 19., 1969, Ms. Jessie Parker testified at the Shaw trial.

New Orleans Times-Picayune, February 20, 1969.

Unfortunately, her testimony was not transcribed. So, we have to rely upon the New Orleans newspapers for a record of what was said. Here is the opening of her testimony:

Parker's testimony has changed from her affidavit (shown at the top of this post). Her affidavit stated that Shaw was with four people from Venezuela and "accompanied by someone with London-type clothes). Now, Shaw is there with just one other person, and there is no mention of anybody from Venezuela.

Now, she testifies that the other man did not sign the guestbook. In her affidavit, she said the other four men signed the guestbook.

Remember there was no discovery back then in Louisiana courts, and so Shaw's defense team had not seen the original affidavit. Nor did they see the various statements of people denying they had seen Clay Shaw in the VIP Room. And that must be why her testimony had to change.

On cross-examination, Ms. Parker admitted that she did not identify Clay Shaw when she was brought in to have a look during jury selection:

And, in fact, they had administered a lie detector test to Ms. Parker, but Judge Haggerty would not allow testimony about the results of the test. Patricia Lambert spoke to james Kruebbe who had administered the lie detector test:

Excerpt from Patricia Lambert interview of James Kruebbe November 30, 1993.

After her testimony, Mrs. Parker signed a new affidavit that excised the section about the Venezuelans.

The Shaw defense team called Arthur Q. Davis to the stand. His signature on the guest book was right above Clay Bertrand :

Both sides brought in handwriting experts to examine the signature from the VIP room guestbook. The Shaw team brought in Charles Appel who had worked for the FBI from 1924-1948. His claim to fame was breaking the Lindbergh kidnapping case.

Here is the Clay Bertrand signature from the VIP room compared to Clay Shaw signing Bertrand (by the way, the signature was on the last line of the register):

Charles Appel testified for Clay Shaw on February 25, 1969. He examined a variety of writings from Clay Shaw made in 1966, as well as the signature from the VIP Room. Here is his analysis of the writing samples:

The headline from the States-Item regarding his testimony:

New Orleans Times-Picayune, February 27, 1969.

The handwriting expert for Garrison was Elizabeth McCarthy, who had limited formal training. She took a course back in the early 1930s. She told the court that the signatures were made by the same person:

Milton Brener, an attorney who wrote the brilliant The Garrison Case, found this strange - "The "probably" drew raided eyebrows from many attorneys. It was curious testimony from a handwriting expert. In the overwhelming majority of cases, such witnesses will reach a positive conclusion, for handwriting, like a fingerprint, is a means of positive identification." (page 263)

McCarthy gave her reasons:

Mrs. McCarthy only arrived in New Orleans the day before her testimony and started her examination the night before. She only saw the originals the morning of her testimony and she brought no photographic equipment with her. But she did examine the documents with equipment she brought:

Now, what exactly did she use? A microscope, or binoculars? Here is a paragraph from James Kirkwood's book, American Grotesque: (page 425)

"A reporter next to me had been busy writing and when he heard this he looked up, but by this time she was replacing the binoculars in her handbag. "What did she use?" he whispered to me. "Binoculars," I told him. "Binoculars?" he repeated. "That's what I thought she said." He stared to write and then looked back up at me. "You mean regular binoculars that you use . . ." His voice trailed off. "Yes," I replied.

Milton Brener writes that Mrs. McCarthy was a last minute replacement:

"There was still another expert who examined the guest register, though he was not called to testify. Gilbert Fortier, one of the best known examiners of questioned documents in this part of the country, had examined the book and known specimens of Shaw's handwriting at Garrison's request. Fortier is the expert most frequently called by this State to give testimony as to handwriting comparisons in cases involving forged or other questioned documents. In addition, he appears in other courts throughout this area undoubtedly more frequently than any other expert in the field. After examining the questioned guest book, Fortier conferred with Garrison. He was not called as a witness."

Now, how do the conspiracy theorists treat the VIP Room signature?

Both Joan Mellen and James DiEugenio accept Parker's testimony without question. DiEugenio has a claim that doesn't check out at all: (page 306)

"The authority that Irvin Dymond first announced in court to dispute that expert finding was New Orleans handwriting analyst Gilbert Fortier. But this was soon changed to longtime former FBI employee Charles Appel."

His source is page 348-349 in James Kirkwood's American Grotesque. But, the name Fortier doesn't appear in Kirkwood's book at all. DiEugenio claims he asked Irvin Dymond about the so-called switch and that he replied that "Appel called and volunteered his services." I am not sure he has this right.

Neither Joan Mellen nor James DiEugenio mention the Venezuelans and the changing Parker affidavits. Not a word. But they do focus on Alfred Moran, who also signed the guest book (you can see his affidavit further up on this page), and who told the D.A.'s office that Clay Shaw was not there.

The night after Moran's statement, he attended a party at which Hunter Leake, who worked for the CIA, also attended. They were friends and they discussed Garrison and his case. Here is a CIA memo regarding that party:

Unfortunately Leake was not able to ask Moran more questions. Then this memo was discovered and it made conspiracy theorists go insane:

Paragraph 2 above makes some people crazy - wouldn't it be illegal for the CIA to help Clay Shaw. I don't know about the legalities - what I do know is that Clay Shaw's defense team were looking for a lot more support than some information about Alfred Moran and the VIP Room incident.

James DiEugenio believes the CIA then convinced Moran to change his testimony: (page 278)

"Houston then told Leake that he should "casually" inquire of Moran along the line that he had suggested: That Shaw had no reason to sign the register as Bertrand and they were two different people. In other words, talk the man out of the story by employing false information. The ploy worked with the pliable Moran. In two weeks Moran admitted to everything he had said to Leake at the party with one exception: He had not seen Shaw at the VIP lounge on that occasion. In other words, with some direction from the Agency, and implementation from Leake and Ray, the witness had reversed himself."

What DiEugenio ignores is that Moran's statement to Alcock was one day before the party. He had already told Alcock that he did not see Shaw at the VIP room.

Here is the CIA document with the full details of what happened:

Nothing about Jessie Parker's statement held up. Don Carpenter sums it up nicely in his book, Man of a Million Fragments: (page 392)

"Jessie Parker's testimony remains somewhat of a mystery. However, with the discovery of the conflicting versions of her recollections, the mystery has shifted from why Shaw would sign such a notorious alias in the guest register for no obvious logical reason, to how the prosecution was able to convince, or perhaps pressure, Jessie Parker to say the contradictory things she supposedly said, including her final trial testimony."

.

Update:
YEREVAN, MARCH 22, ARMENPRESS. Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan issued a statement stating that Lt. General Artak Davtyan is now officially assuming the office of the Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces by virtue of law.

He said the appointment is coming into force pursuant to Article 139 paragraph 3 of the Constitution and Article 35,1 paragraph 6 of the Law on Military Service and Status of Servicemen, given that the President did neither approve nor apply to the constitutional court when he was petitioned to appoint Davtyan.

When the PM first requested to appoint Davtyan, President Sarkissian - who has to sign the order to formalize it - rejected it with objections. The PM didn't accept the objections and re-sent the motion.

Editing and Translating by Stepan Kocharyan
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The photo shows LG Uplus' first unmanned store in downtown Seoul, where customers are able to sign up for membership with the mobile carrier as well as purchase new phones. Courtesy of LG Uplus



By Kim Bo-eun



Telecom company LG Uplus opened its first unmanned store in downtown Seou l on Monday, hoping to strengthen its digital competitiveness and cater to the demands of digitally-driven consumers.
At around 8PM on Monday - March 22, 2021, Chinese tech brand Xiaomi officially launched two new premium Android smartphones in the Philippines through a virtual event publicly broadcast on the company's official Facebook Page.





Of the two new handsets unveiled, the POCO X3 Pro is the more affordable model with a discounted Shopee launch promo price starting at just PHP 10,990 for the 6GB RAM + 128GB ROM variant on March 24, 2021.

I would say that the POCO X3 Pro is the natural follow-up to the best-selling and extremely popular POCO X3 NFC from 2020 and as such, I'm sure that Filipino Mi Fans are expecting a lot from it.





In terms of design and build, I think this new release looks largely the same as its predecessor with its high-gloss polycarbonate backplate and circular rear camera module. Even the location of the punch hole on the 6.67-inch FullHD+ IPS display with 120Hz Refresh Rate is similar.





Speaking of the camera module, it's made up of a 48MP f/1.79 main camera that's the best for daily point-and-shoot photography as well as in low-light performance, an 8 MegaPixel ultra-wide shooter for landscape and architectural shots, a 2 MegaPixel macro camera for close-up shots, and a 2 MegaPixel depth sensor. Oddly enough, POCO X3 NFC has a 64MP main camera compared to what we have on the POCO X3 Pro so one can say that it's a bit of a downgrade, strictly in terms of resolution.





The good thing is that the new model more than makes up for it with its flagship-level 7nm 2.9GHz Octa Core Qualcomm Snapdragon 860 processor, Adreno 640 GPU, and LiquidCool Technology 1.0 Plus via D5 Copper Heat Pipe and Multi-Layer Graphite. The combination of these internal hardware makes POCO X3 Pro a real beast when it comes to gaming, allowing you to play your favorite titles with no annoying lags and stuttering.





When it comes to RAM and ROM, the POCO X3 Pro has two variants: 6GB RAM + 128GB ROM and 8GB RAM + 256GB ROM. I know that the PHP 10,990 promo price of the former is wildly attractive but if you can shell out a bit more, I would advise you to go for the latter which will have a promo price of only PHP 13,990 on March 24, 2021 at Shopee. I think you would greatly appreciate having that additional RAM and internal storage in your daily mobile experience, especially if you usually run so many applications and if you enjoy taking photos and recording 4K or FullHD videos.





Like the POCO X3 NFC, the Pro also has a side-mounted fingerprint scanner and facial recognition software embedded in the front-facing camera. These two add a veritable layer of privacy and security for the user on top of the usual pattern or passcode unlock.





Finally, in terms of battery, the POCO X3 Pro is powered by a large 5,160 mAh Li-Po pack that should be good enough to ensure a whole day of uptime even for heavy gamers. This handset also supports 33W Fast Charging that can greatly minimize the time you will spend plugging the device to an electrical outlet and give you more time to use it to play games, shoot videos, or do whatever it is you are passionate about.





For Mi fans who are interested, again, POCO X3 Pro will be up for purchase in the Philippines starting on March 24, 2021. The handset will be out in three colorways, namely, Phantom Black, Frost Blue, and Metal Bronze. If you fail to buy the handset on the launch date, then you will have to pay the regular price listed below.





Xiaomi POCO X3 Pro Specs

165.3mm x 76.8mm x 9.4mm

215 grams

Display:

6.67-inch FHD+ LCD DotDisplay 2400 x 1080 pixels 120Hz Refresh Rate 240Hz Touch Sampling Rate Dynamic Switch Contrast ratio: 1500:1 Brightness: 450 nits (typ) Sunlight Display Reading Mode 2.0 HDR10

Quad Rear Camera Module:

48 MegaPixel Main Camera - 1/2 sensor size, 1.6m 4-in-1 large pixel - f/1.79, 6P lens, AutoFocus 8 MegaPixel Secondary Ultra-Wide Camera - f/2.2, FOV 119 2 MegaPixel Macro Camera - f/2.4, Fixed Focus (4cm) 2 MegaPixel Depth Sensor - f/2.4, FF

Front-Facing In-Display Camera:

20 MegaPixels

Video Recorder:

Back - 4K, FullHD, HD 30fps

Front - FullHD, HD 30fps

MIUI 12 for POCO

Android 11 Operating System

CPU:

7nm 2.9GHz Octa-Core Qualcomm Snapdragon 860 Processor

Adreno 640 GPU

LiquidCool Technology 1.0 Plus D5 Copper Heat Pipe + Multi-Layer Graphite

6GB, 8GB LPDDR4X RAM Options

128GB, 256GB UFS 3.1 Internal Storage Options

WiFi a/b/g/n/ac

Bluetooth 5.0

4G LTE-A

Multi-Functional NFC

IR Blaster

Side-Mounted Fingerprint Scanner

Face Unlock

Dual SIM, Dual 4G Standby

Dual Speakers High-Res Audio Certified 3.5mm Audio Jack

33W In-Box fast charger USB-C Non-Removable 5,160mAh (typ) Li-Po Battery Phantom Black, Frost Blue, Metal Bronze Corning Gorilla Glass 6 front 2.5D Glass Front, 3D Curved Glass Back





Xiaomi POCO X3 Pro Prices in the Philippines





Regular SRPs:

6GB RAM + 128GB ROM = PHP 12,990

8GB RAM + 258GB ROM = PHP 15,990





Promo Prices via Shopee on March 24, 2021:

6GB RAM + 128GB ROM = PHP 10,990 8GB RAM + 258GB ROM = PHP 13,990





Release Date in the Philippines: March 24, 2021




An elderly couple who were married for 66 years have died from COVID-19 just 15 minutes apart, with their only child saying it is a 'heartwarming feeling to know they went together.'

Bill Ilinsky, 88, and Esther Ilnisky, 92, passed away on the morning of March 1 lying side by side in a room in Trustbridge hospice in Palm Beach, Florida.

The couple, who would have celebrated their 67th wedding anniversary this weekend, fell ill back in February and were diagnosed with COVID-19.

They were hospitalized first, before their conditions deteriorated and they were moved to a hospice on February 27 to spend their last days together.

Bill and Esther first fell in love when she played piano at the churches he preached at in Missouri and they went on to spend nearly seven decades together as Christian ministers and missionaries, working in the Caribbean and Middle East before preaching for 40 years in Florida.

An elderly couple who were married for 66 years have died from COVID-19 just 15 minutes apart, with their only child saying it is a 'heartwarming feeling to know they went together.' Bill and Esther Ilinsky pictured

The couple's daughter Sarah Milewski said her parents were careful when the pandemic first hit last year taking precautions and having their groceries delivered.

Her mom stayed home but her father soon found it difficult and occasionally went out, she said.

'He couldn't take it. He needed to be around people,' she said.

Milewski said her mom first started showing symptoms a few days after she and her husband paid them a visit on February 14 - Valentine's Day and Esther's birthday.

When they were moved to the hospice, there was no hesitation about putting them in the same room for their final days, said Jacqueline Lopez-Devine, chief clinical officer at Trustbridge hospice.

Lopez-Devine said in her 15 years working with the dying, no couple had ever arrived together.

Milewski said her parents looked like they did when sleeping, her father lying on the right side, her mother facing him.

Due to COVID-19 measures at the hospice, Milewski could only see her parents through a window using a microphone to talk to them and tell them: 'I love you'.

She said her father would would nod as she spoke and her mom would try to speak but couldn't.

'It was horrible,' Milewski said.

Bill Ilinsky, 88, and Esther Ilnisky, 92, passed away on the morning of March 1 lying side by side in a room in Trustbridge hospice in Palm Beach, Florida

The couple, who would have celebrated their 67th wedding anniversary this weekend, fell ill back in February and were diagnosed with COVID-19

They were hospitalized first, before their conditions deteriorated and they were moved to a hospice on February 27 to spend their last days together

Esther died at 10:15 am March 1, with Bill passing away just 15 minutes later.

The couple's daughter said, although it was a devastating double loss for her, she feels it may have been a hidden blessing that they were together until the very end.

'They were always, always together. So in sync,' Milewski said.

'It is so precious, so wonderful, such a heartwarming feeling to know they went together,' she said, adding: 'I miss them.'

Bill grew up in Detroit, deciding at 16 to devote his life to God, Milewski said.

He headed to Central Bible College, an Assemblies of God school in Springfield, Missouri.

He preached at nearby churches and needed a piano player.

Friends suggested Esther Shabaz, a fellow student from Gary, Indiana, and they instantly fell in love with their daughter describing how her father's character as a bookworm complemented her mother's outgoing charisma.

'When my dad proposed, he told her, 'Esther, I can't promise you wealth, but I can promise you lots of adventure,'' Milewski said.

'She had a lot, a lot of adventure.'

After graduation and their wedding, Bill opened churches in the Midwest.

In the late-1950s, the Ilniskys took congregants to Jamaica for a mission, fell in love with the island, and stayed on to run a church in Montego Bay for a decade.

Their only child Sarah Milewski (pictured with her husband) said it is a 'heartwarming feeling to know they went together' after they died just 15 minutes apart

It was during that time they adopted Milewski, then 2, from a Miami foster home.

In 1969, the family moved from Jamaica to Lebanon, where Bill ministered to college students and taught.

Esther started an outreach center and had a Christian rock band.

'At that time, Lebanon was an amazing country - gorgeous,' Milewski said.

But in 1975, civil war broke out between Christian and Muslim factions, and Beirut, the nation's capital, became a battleground.

Twice, bombs exploded outside their apartment - the first knocking Milewski out of bed, the second slamming her father to the ground.

'My mom thought he was dead,' Milewski said.

'My mom and I went and hid in the bathroom all night, crying and praying.'

The next morning, bullet holes pocked the walls of apartments on every floor except theirs, which the family attributed to prayer, she said.

The couple first fell in love when she played piano at the churches he preached at in Missouri

The couple spent nearly seven decades together as Christian ministers and missionaries, working in the Caribbean and Middle East before preaching for 40 years in Florida

They fled in 1976 when US Marines evacuated Americans, catching the last plane out of the city.

Shortly after their return to the States, Bill became pastor at Calvary Temple in West Palm Beach, later renamed Lighthouse Christian Center International.

Esther started Esther Network International, aimed at teaching children to pray, and wrote two books: 'Let the Children Pray' and 'Let the Children Pray: How Young Intercessors Are Changing the World.'

Tom Belt, a retired missionary in Oklahoma City, was a teenager at Calvary Temple when the couple arrived.

He said Bill's tales of missionary work whetted his desire to travel.

Belt said the Ilniskys 'were very accommodating, believed in others and very forgiving.'

Bill retired three years ago and while physically healthy for a late octogenarian, had some dementia.

Esther still ran her prayer network and did Zoom calls.
Australia's east coast experienced heavy rains over the weekend. According to authorities on Sunday, this has brought the worst flooding in half a century in several areas. This forced thousands of people to evacuate as hundreds of homes also got damaged.

Australia's Worst Floods in 60 Years

According to New South Wales Premier Gladys Berejiklian, the heavy rains throughout the state, which is Australia's most populous state with eight million people, have been aggravating than had been expected. This is particular in low-lying areas in the northwest of Sydney.

Around 18,000 Australians have been evacuated from flooding throughout New South Wales (NSW). This is while heavy rain continues to disrupt the east coast. Days of torrential downpours have resulted in rivers and dams overflowing around Sydney's state capital and in southeast Queensland, reported BBC.

Australia's officials are looking to transfer thousands of more individuals on Monday from flood-affected suburbs in the west of Sydney. According to the NSW emergency services, the floods will likely be higher than any floods since November 1961. Authorities expect the wild weather to be underway until Wednesday.

According to Berejiklian, "Yesterday, we were hoping it will only be a one-in-20-year event, now it looks like a one-in-50-year event." She added that another 4,000 people may still be advised to flee the area, reported Channel News Asia.

The incident comes after one year of the unprecedented climate change bushfires in Australia that burned across the same region. This followed a prolonged drought that had also witnessed Sydney impose water restrictions.

The fast-moving floodwaters devastated vehicles and farm animals, disrupted houses, roads, bridges, and farms. This was seen in television and social media footage. Almost 2,000 people have already been evacuated from low-lying areas, said the NSW emergency services.

Facebook Blocks News Content From Australia

Since Thursday, rains have been inundating communities. However, on Saturday, parts of the east coast tipped into crisis as a major dam overflowed. This added to swollen rivers and resulted in flash flooding.

The federal government and NSW have signed 16 natural disaster declarations in areas spanning the mid-north and central coast from Hunter Valley near Sydney to Coff's Harbour, stated the NSW Emergency Services Minister David Elliott on Sunday. There have been no fatalities recorded yet. However, Elliott cautioned, "we are moving closer and closer to the inevitable fatality."

Numerous major roads were closed throughout the state. Several schools canceled classes for Monday. Evacuation warnings and flooding were imposed for around 13 areas in NSW, including the Hunter.

Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison has provided funding for those forced to flee. He stated on Monday that it is another testing time for their country.

In the broad Hawkesbury-Nepean Valley in Sydney, swollen rivers were expected to peak at levels not witnessed since 1961. The Warragamba Dam provides the bulk of Sydney's drinking water, and it spilled over Saturday, reported NDTV.

Authorities prompted residents to act in accordance with the dozens of official warnings imposed across affected areas. According to the State Emergency Service assistant commissioner Dean Storey, people in evacuation zones should flee immediately.

196 Child Abuse Charges Filed Against Sydney Soccer Coach



@ 2021 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
As the push to recall Gov. Gavin Newsom becomes more and more tangible, with signatures possibly totaling the required 2 million, former Gov. Gray Davis opened up about the challenges of his own (successful) recall to New York Magazine's Intelligencer.

Newsom, he said, has a slew of advantages compared to Davis  namely, that none of the Newsom challengers so far have the same name-brand recognition as the Governator, Arnold Schwarzenegger.

Davis also pointed to a communication problem that he faced regarding the electricity crisis at the turn of the millennium.

But in the same interview, he also told California voters to consider forgiving Newsom for his most noted indiscretion: the French Laundry fiasco.

You get one pass, Davis told New York Magazine. The governor fessed up immediately and said he didnt do the right thing  Its not like he was found doing it a second time. It was just very bad; you have to practice what you preach.

The French Laundry incident, for those who need a refresher, boiled down to the governor reportedly partaking in indoor dining days after he warned Californians that the pandemic was worsening  and that most everyone should stay indoors. What made matters worse was that the November dinner was a birthday celebration attended by a dozen people for Jason Kinney, a lobbyist and adviser, a double-standard that reeked of political elitism.

That said, representatives for the governor defended the dinner  noting that the restaurant was in an indoor-outdoor space.

His Republican challengers pounced on that moment, including former San Diego Mayor Kevin Faulconer, whose campaign was galvanized by that moment. "It's a failure of this Governor to show he understands life outside The French Laundry," he said on Twitter, weeks after the governor was exposed for the dinner.

SFGATE reporter Eric Ting contributed to this report.
Shanghai (Gasgoo)- Chinese autonomous driving startup Momenta announced on March 19 it has raised $500 million for its Series C funding, which is led by SAIC Motor, Toyota, Bosch, Temasek and YunFeng Capital. Other investors include Mercedes-Benz, GGV Capital, ShunWei Capital, Tencent and Cathay Capital.

Photo credit: Momenta

Upon completion of the new funding, Momenta will continue to promote the scale application of its autonomous driving technologies pivoting on the data-driven Flywheel technical route, said the company. Moreover, the startup will further expand its overseas business, planning to set up offices in Germany and Japan.

Meanwhile, Momenta officially announced the strategic cooperation with Toyota to provide the latter its automated HD mapping and updates through vision-based technologies. With this joint development, both companies aim to promote the commercialization of Toyotas Automated Mapping Platform (AMP) in the China market to better serve Chinese customers.

According to public reports, Momenta has to-day completed six rounds of fundraising. Shortly after its foundation in 2016, it secured $5 million for Series A financing. In 2018, the company accomplished a round of strategic funding that bagged over $200 million.

SAIC Motor said it will deepen the strategic collaboration with Momenta to develop China's self-owned autonomous driving solution that targets the world's top level.

According to the Shanghai-based auto giant, the first model under IM, the smart BEV brand jointly developed by SAIC, Shanghai Pudong New Area and Alibaba Group, will adopt the technical solution from Momenta. The model will go on sale in 2022.


Senior Psychologist, Professor Joseph Osafo has cautioned Easter celebrants not to disregard the COVID-19 protocols during the festivity.



Sunday, April 4 is Easter Day.



In the Easter period, Kwahu is one of the busiest places to have fun.



But this year's Easter celebration will not see the usual celebrations where a crowd of revellers throng Kwahu and other places like the pubs and nighclubs.



Due to the impact of the global Coronavirus pandemic, large gatherings, parties, congregations and other celebrations have been restricted.



President Nana Akufo-Addo has prohibited people from engaging in large gatherings, going to the pubs, nightclubs, beaches and organizing parties in the country.



This notwithstanding, there is news that some Ghanaians are planning to celebrate the Easter wihout regard to the restrictions.



Speaking on Peace FM's morning show ''Kokrokoo'', Prof. Joseph Osafo has advised those Ghanaians to review their decision.



He urged the citizenry to be cautious bearing in mind the mortality rate of the disease.



He asked them not to engage in public gatherings since it could lead to a spike in the Coronavirus cases in Ghana.



"Celebrate in a manner that will not lead to destruction . . . there must be serious caution," he said, stressing "there is a danger lurking somewhere waiting to devour, so be careful not to celebrate Easter and contract disease resulting in death".





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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Corsica, France -- (SBWIRE) -- 03/22/2021 -- Painter Pierre Paul Marchini denounces the exploitation of artists by the "art world" and launches his own sales channel :https://www.facebook.com/ma4chini/



French artist Pierre-Paul Marchini is best known for his large oil paintings expressing vivid colors and light. His masterful work becomes a visual beacon of light and hope, emanating brilliance and illumination that invokes obscure reflections and imaginary landscapes. He has a skillful way of capturing the luster and brilliance of light within his work.



After twenty years of exhibiting and trade fairs, Pierre Paul Marchini denounces the abuses of this elitist milieu, which exploits artists and prevents the general public from acquiring works at prohibitive prices.



The artist lives and works in Ajaccio, the capital city on the French island of Corsica, located in the Mediterranean Sea. The unique light that shines on the island and the harmonious blend of French and Italian culture provides an inspirational atmosphere, offering him an extraordinary palette of colors.



Marchini, a painter of abstraction and informality, his geometric, translates the impulses of his soul. By diverting the theory of colors and exploring each material, he creates a rupture with traditional tools. He goes beyond simple representation and dives into pure psychology. Color is carried to his paroxysm with great freedom.



Marchini's application with a palette knife allows him to build and structure larger surface areas. The artist's emotion and focus on inner energy, and sometimes contemplation, create expressive, lyrical, and thoughtful qualities in his paintings. His Art is recognized immediately by his unique style, using oil paints and a palette knife to create a pictorial universe bursting with energy, color, and luminosity.



Marchini's work can be found in numerous galleries, museums, and private collections worldwide. He exhibits his work regularly in Parisian galleries. His work was exhibited at the Fiac in 2012 and won the third prize of painting at the grand international contemporary art competition in 2014.



Media Contact



PIERRE-PAUL MARCHINI

28 BIs cours Lucien Bonaparte

20000 Ajaccio,Corsica,France

+33 617420598

marchinipp@gmail.com

https://www.facebook.com/ma4chini/
German artist Alice Lex-Nerlinger was born Alice Pfeffer and originally took the name of her husband, Otto Nerlinger. But after 1927, she chose the ungendered name Lex, as a feminist act and to distinguish her work from her husbands.

She joined the Association of Revolutionary Visual Artists of Germany, a group of artists who sought to subvert the traditional modes of picture making, often in the service of social and political activism.

Photomontage, the practice of cutting out, assembling and pasting individual photographic or typographic elements, was often adopted for radical or activist purposes.

For Lex-Nerlinger, a single photograph was like a word, and the photomontage, a sentence. Perhaps not surprisingly, the photomontages she produced often functioned like declarations, calling attention to injustice, hypocrisy or threats.

In the work pictured here, titled "Lockout," Lex-Nerlinger fashions a narrative about the friction between factory workers and owners using images from the pages of recent newspapers in combination with her own photographs.

Although the work refers to a specific event, it more broadly addresses the powerlessness of workers in the face of authority.

In a lockout, it is the management that locks out the workers during a labor dispute, often replacing them with temporary employees so that productivity continues.

Lex-Nerlinger represents this lack of agency by presenting the workers milling around with their hands in their pockets, neatly contained between the two lines of police authority and suppressed by the ruling hand above.

+2 Painter who bucked constraints on women captured the wild spirit of nature in 'Deer on Alert' In this series, Lagniappe presents a different work each week from the collection of the New Orleans Museum of Art, with commentary from a curator.

+2 Artist tries to 'assimilate' into photos to help viewers reconsider what they thought they knew Categorization is one of the most beneficial, as well as restricting, facets of the human experience. While it supports our brains desire to 
NEW MILFORD  Copper sat happily licking his peanut butter-covered bone Monday afternoon, basking in Marchs first warm rays next to his human, Jean Mariano.

Mariano had worried she might not get moments like this again. Copper, her two-year-old rescue, had run away from her New Milford home a month ago and had been missing for the better part of 13 days.

But, somehow, he turned up about 10 miles away in Washington, at the home of friend who had been looking for him, too.

Ive never had a truly insane moment like that, said Amy LaRusso, the assistant manager at a local kennel, who had trekked the area looking for the dog. I couldnt wrap my mind around it.

The day Copper ran away, Mariano and Copper were on their way home from their four-mile sunrise hike when the dog was spooked by a pickup truck pulling a log splitter.

He backed out of his harness and hightailed into the woods, Mariano said.

After searching for him with no luck, Mariano jumped into action.

I immediately got 8 x 10 glossies of Copper, she said.

Mariano posted them all along the trees on River Road, where hikers, bikers and runners might see it. But for almost two weeks, all she heard were a few reported sightings along Route 202. She said she was so worried: he knew how to find water, right? What was he eating? Where was he? Would she ever find him?

Hes perfect for me

Mariano has had many dogs throughout her life, but Copper has recently filled a special spot in her heart. She adopted the lab-hound mix, about a year ago, and the two have been inseparable since.

The two share an intimate bond, she said. Hes her adventure and workout buddy. They spend almost all their time together. When Mariano is sad, Copper instinctively knows to nestle under her arm and rest his head on her lap, looking up at her with his soulful eyes.

I do get sad, Im human, and hes very in tune, she said. Hes perfect for me.

So, when Mariano went back to the area where they hiked just before Copper disappeared, she desperately hoped for any sign of her dog.

I put my hiking boots on with my crampons, and I went hiking, she said. It was then, in the woods, that she started to cry.

She didnt know where he was or how to find him. Her dog, her companion, was gone. There was only one Copper, and she simply couldnt live without him, she said.

Before Copper came into her life, Mariano lived alone. Her son, Jason Lewis, a Navy Seal, was killed in Iraq in 2007. She has three grandchildren and still works part-time, but Copper has been her constant companion during the past year. And hes provided more than friendship: hes given her unconditional love, she said.

Copper has always been incredibly shy and skittish around strangers, Mariano said. She had been told he was dropped off at a local pound in Virginia Beach with his siblings when he was very young. Her daughter-in-law, who lived in the area, brought him home. By the time Mariano adopted him, Copper was about a year old.

When she visited her daughter-in-law and grandchildren, she said the pretty copper-colored dog couldnt stop shaking. So she sat down with him and just kept petting and talking to him.

Im like, oh my gosh, youre beautiful, but youre scared, she said.

Returning home

Just after midnight on March 11, Mariano got a text. It was LaRusso, assistant manager at Unleashed, the kennel where Mariano occasionally housed Copper when she went out of town.

LaRusso had been home playing video games upstairs when she heard a dog howling outside. She lowered her headphones. It wasnt one of her two small dogs. It wasnt her neighbors dogs. She went to investigate.

There, right outside her house, practically leaning against the front door, was Copper.

LaRusso had bonded with Copper at Unleashed, where she often takes a liking to the animals that need a little extra attention. She said told him this every time they parted ways: I love you, Copper!

When she found out he had gone missing, LaRusso spent days trekking back and forth over the trails and the nearby road with no luck.

Every night after work, every day before work, I was out there driving River Road, she said.

She opened the door as he was mid-howl, and as she realized it was the dog shed been searching for, Copper took off. But as soon as she called his name, Copper froze, turned around and ran right to her.

I just held on for dear life, LaRusso said.

She said she couldnt understand how hed found her. Copper had never been to LaRussos house, which was a good 10 miles from where he got lost in New Milford.

All LaRusso knew was that she didnt want to let go, afraid that it was a dream, and that shed wake up and Copper would be gone again, she said. She couldnt breathe. She couldnt talk. She just lifted the skinny dog and took him inside. She began pulling the ticks off him and gave him a little bit of food while they waited for Mariano.

Mariano left her house in her pajamas.

Now, things are returning to normal. Coppers a little skinnier than usual, but hes enjoying being back home, Mariano said.

Right now Im sitting outside, hes sitting on the patio with me in the sun, she said. And hes happy.
Married At First Sight's Jaimie Gardner raised eyebrows after she asked to smell her husband's hands after he visited the restroom last week.

And while it may appear she is a snobby bride on-screen, her longtime friend and fellow reality star Agostino 'Aggi' Guardiani has claimed she's the victim of a 'bad edit'.

Speaking to Daily Mail Australia, the 31-year-old said: 'As her long time friend I can tell you that she has a heart of gold and MAFS needs to work on their editing.

'It's a joke!' Bachelorette star Aggi Guardiani, 31, (left) has insisted Jaimie Gardner, (right) actually has a heart of gold after she was given a 'bad edit' on Married At First Sight

Aggi, who appeared on last year's season of The Bachelorette, explained: 'This is beyond a "bad edit" - it's a joke.'

The Melbourne-based business owner went on say that keyboard warriors will soon be 'eating their own words' once the 'truth was finally revealed'.

While he didn't go into specifics, he said Jaimie was unfairly portrayed on the show.

Speaking to Daily Mail Australia, the 31-year-old said: 'As her long time friend I can tell you that she has a heart of gold and MAFS needs to work on their editing. Jaimie and Aggi pictured together in December 2020

It comes just days after her man of honour Adam Beaupeurt claimed that her groom's touching words were not the reason she was emotional during her wedding.

In what appears to be a swipe at the Channel Nine dating show's edit, Adam claimed she was actually crying at his untelevised speech.

Sharing his full speech to his Instagram account, Adam explained: 'Might be the real reason why @jaimiegardner cried at her [wedding]. The Man of Honour speech.'

Revealed: It comes just days after her man of honour Adam Beaupeurt (left) claimed that her groom's touching words were not the reason she was emotional during her wedding

He wrote: 'Let me introduce myself to those I don't know. I'm Adam Beaupeurt, Jaimie's Man of Honour and one of her best friends.

'It's a privilege to be given both of those roles, Man of Honour and best friend (because Jaimie is very picky).'

Adam continued: 'Finding myself as one of Jaimie's best friends was a journey that began over 12 years ago. As many friendships form in Melbourne, it happened in the queue of a nightclub.'

'Drink cards were the currency of our friendship. But, it didn't take me very long to see beneath her stunning beauty, and to get to know who Jaimie really was.'

Adam went on to describe Jaimie as a 'Princess with a big heart'.



Emotional: In what appeared to be a another swipe at the dating show's edit, Jaimie's man of honour claimed she was actually crying at his untelevised speech
The COVID-19 outbreak has cast doubt on corporate requirements for real estate, with McKinsey and other consultants speculating that building space needs would shrink as much as 30% worldwide. Yet commercial office space will continue to be critical, even with corporate workers increasingly favoring a hybrid of office and remote work.

So says Sandeep Dave, chief digital and technology officer of CBRE, which, as a global leader in commercial development, property leasing, and other real estate endeavors, manages nearly $115 billion in assets. While the frequency with which employees come to the office may decrease for some companies, building space remains a key requirement for allowing employees to meet and collaborate, Dave tells CIO.com. But with the pandemic still ongoing  even as more citizens become inoculated to COVID-19  safety remains a concern to address before employees return to the office.

And employees are returning to corporate offices, albeit spending some portion of their workweeks working from home offices. Sixty-seven percent of more than 10,000 workers CBRE surveyed in August 2020 said they expected to enjoy a hybrid work arrangement, with 28% expecting to work permanently from home and only 6% expecting to work in the office full time when the pandemic subsides. A separate poll of 77 CBRE tenants conducted in September 2020 revealed that 73% anticipate accommodating balanced work styles. The boundaries that weve had for work and life have been blurred, Dave says.

The office re-entry movement

To that end, Daves tech team has upgraded the companys office experience software to accommodate re-entry into facilities. CBREs mobile app, called Host, now enables companies to incorporate customizable content, including information about the coronavirus from CDC, as well as corporate events, announcements, and other pertinent details.
It was in 2006 when The Real Housewives of Orange County made its debut on Bravo. March 21 was the day the franchise was born with Vicki Gunvalson, Kimberly Bryant, Jo de la Rosa, Lauri Waring, and Jeana Keough. The trailblazing ladies would pave the way for the network to create spinoffs and set them in other cities like New York City, Atlanta, New Jersey, Beverly Hills, D.C., Miami, Potomac, Dallas, and Salt Lake City.

With its 15th anniversary this year, we are taking a look back over the years to remember some of the most iconic moments from O.C. history.

Vicki Gunvalson, Jeana Keough, Lauri Waring, Kimberly Bryant, and (Front) Jo De La Rosa | Chris McPherson/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty Images via Getty Images

1. Family Van

There was no bigger freakout than when Gunvalson planned a trip with her family. The RHOC star, her husband, and kids were going on a cruise, but to get there they needed transportation.

Gunvalson arranged for a vehicle to pick the family up but when they got there, the car turned up to be a family van. The insurance maven called the company that booked the transportation to complain it was a family van, which was not suitable for her lush lifestyle.

2. Bus Ride from Hell

In Season 11, the RHOC cast traveled to Ireland and the tension was flying high. Some of the ladies were clashing with Kelly Dodd who also felt alienated by the rest of her co-stars. The ladies were done officially filming for the trip but the drama didnt stop on their way to the airport.

Thats where the bus ride from hell came up. With a smartphone camera, they were able to catch all the feuds that broke out during the bus ride. Dodd called out Shannon Beadors chin hair, while Heather Dubrow judged them from afar.

However, Dodd turned the tables on Gunvalson who told Beador that she said her husband physically attacked her. So now Beador and Gunvalson had a go.

In addition, Dodd told Tamra Judge that Gunvalson was questioning her husbands sexuality, which broke another fight. This time, Judge yelled at Gunvalsons face really loudly in one of the most iconic moments of the franchise.

RELATED: RHOC: Kelly Dodd Shades Braunwyn via Heather Dubrow Over Alleged Staged Paparazzi Photos

3. Cake-gate

Dubrow threw some of the fanciest parties in Orange County and brought the class to the franchise. In season 7 of the series, she celebrated her birthday and had a beautiful cake made for all of her guests.

Things went south when another guest saw friend of Sarah take a bow off the cake and eat it before it was time to cut the cake. Sarah said she had to eat something because she hadnt eaten anything. Dubrow said there was plenty of food, she couldve asked her for some.

The whole thing is so petty and thats the exact reason why people love The Real Housewives.

4. Tamra Judge gives the evil eye

At the same party for Dubrow, a fight breaks out between Judge and Gunvalson over Brooks Ayers. The latter said that Judge gave Gunvalson the evil eye. When Judge tells Gunvalson that Brooks tells her what to think, Gunvalson completely loses it. You can watch that scene here!

5. Vicki Gunvalson vs Gretchen Rossi

In Season 7, Gunvalson confronts Gretchen Rossis husband, Slade for the comments he made about her physical appearance. Things get into a screaming match when Rossi jumps in to call out Gunvalson for all the jabs shes taken at her husband. This moment is iconic but what elevates it, is the 80s costumes everyone is wearing.

RELATED: The RHOC Season 16 Cast Shakeup Rumors Have Been Debunked for Now

6. Vicki Gunvalson finds out her mother died

One of the most heartbreaking moments of the whole franchise was when Gunvalson got a call that her mother had died. The raw emotion was caught on camera in this intimate moment by the OG of the OC.

7. ATV Accident

One of the scariest moments in RHOC history was when some of the ladies took a trip to Glamis, California to explore the sand dunes. However, things got out of hand when an ATV driven by Judge and carrying Dubrow, Dodd, and Gunvalson, flipped over. Gunvalson had to be airlifted to the hospital after going unconscious, making it one of the most difficult moments of the franchise.

8. Bass Lake

Judge and Rossi had a tumultuous relationship right from the start. Things heat up when Judge called out Rossi for going to Bass Lake while her significant other was not doing well.

9. Psychic calls out Brooks

Detective Meghan King was onto something when she questioned Brooks alleged cancer treatment. Most of the RHOC ladies didnt believe him and when a psychic said Brooks was lying, it only solidified what they had already been suspecting.

.@TamraBarney: I Was Trying to Ask the Psychic If Brooks Will Beat Cancer #RHOC http://t.co/6B3BOD0h9v pic.twitter.com/ARzBlhlg1X  TV Deets (@TVDeets) August 23, 2015

10. Girth-Brooks

At the RHOC reunion, Brianna reveals that Brooks hit on her while she was pregnant. Brianna told Gunvalson but she didnt believe it. Judge jumped in and said that Brooks wanted to show her his penis and Brianna added that he told her he called it Girth Brooks.

11. The Quiet Woman

Things kicked off when some of the RHOC ladies got together at The Quiet Woman restaurant. One uninvited guest at the dinner was Dodd, who was not in good terms with Beador. The latter was having issues with her weight and Dodd was aware of this.

It all reached a boiling point when Dodd went back to the table where the other ladies were having dinner. The arguing between Beador and Dodd continued and the latter taunted the former by telling her to keep eating. Beador got so upset that she threw the plate of food that was in front of her telling her that wasnt hers.

RELATED: RHOC: The Sweet Letter Kelly Dodd Shared Amid Uncertain Real Housewives Future

12. Mrs. Roper

Dodd came in hot to RHOC and when Beador hosted a 70s themed party, Dodd didnt miss a beat in calling out Beador for looking like Mrs. Roper from Threes Company.

I currently think Kelly Do*d is trash, but her first season is unmatched! Heather & Shannon never saw it coming #RHOC #realhousewives pic.twitter.com/Y10XOYNhjd  Queens of Bravo (@queensofbravo) July 29, 2020

13. Vicki Gunvalson had a threesome?

In Season 8 of the show, Lauri Peterson returned to the franchise after officially leaving after season 4. Peterson brought some drama when she said Gunvalson was having some sort of threesome. It all exploded when the ladies went on a ski trip and Gunvalson yelled at Peterson denying she had ever been with multiple partners.

14. Tamra Judge runs away

Lizzie Rovsek didnt cause too many waves during her sting on RHOC but she did once get Judge together. Rovsek got Judge so upset that she got up the table and ran away yelling that nobody would ever see her again until the next morning. Judge running is one of the most iconic scenes in RHOC history.

15. Heather Dubrow vs Kelly Dodd

Dodd joined RHOC in season 11 as the antithesis of Dubrow. The latter was proper, spoke well, and tried to control situations, while Dodd cussed, didnt hold back, and created drama. It was obvious these two ladies would clash and when they were at a sushi party, things came to a screeching halt. Dodd used the C-word to refer to Beador and Dubrow let it be known she was not going to have it.

RELATED: RHOC Star Kelly Dodd Finds It Hard To Believe That Meghan Markle Didnt Get Paid for Oprah Interview
The Secretary-General of the Trades Union Congress (TUC) of Ghana, Dr. Yaw Baah, says he expects the new taxes introduced by the government to be taken off once things return to normal.



He said while he acknowledged that it was regressive to rely on indirect taxes to develop a country, the exigencies of the times had necessitated the action from the government, stressing that the taxes should be scrapped once things improved.



I take it that the taxes that have been imposed are a way of getting out of the crisis because we are not in normal times.



If we are not in normal times, we cannot use normal ways of getting out of it, and once we get out of the crisis, I dont foresee these taxes continuing forever, he said yesterday when he addressed the media after the opening ceremony of the third quadrennial youth delegates congress of the TUC in Kumasi.



Youth congress



The congress, dubbed: 75 years of TUC  Building stronger unions in a changing world of work, is being attended by about 200 delegates made up of young workers of the 18 affiliate national unions of the TUC.



The event will discuss and decide on thorny policy issues for young workers.



Unemployment



Dr. Baah observed that the congress was losing members as a result of lack of employment, saying unions relied on jobs, and so if nobody had a job, there could be no union member.



The biggest challenge we are having now is we are not having jobs. Our membership is dwindling.



So if you have a situation where there are no jobs and union membership is dwindling, then you can count the number of years that the unions would be out of existence, he said.



Dr. Baah said to bring the issue up to the fore, the policy discussion of the upcoming congress of the TUC would focus on how the government and all of us as social partners should work together to create jobs for young people.



That is the only way unions will exist for the next 75 years and beyond, he said.



Working conditions



The TUC secretary-general said other related issues such as decent jobs, the right to form and join unions, low salaries and housing for workers, among others, would also be discussed.



He said low wages had a direct impact on peoples pensions and, therefore, there was the need to improve not only decent jobs, but also having good salaries for workers and good pension when they retire.



He advised the youth to continue to upgrade themselves in order to take advantage of opportunities when they come, stressing that the best way to succeed was through self-development.



He said many Ghanaians did not own their houses, and that it should be possible for workers to have their own houses after 20 years of working.



Youth involvement



Earlier at the opening ceremony, the Greater Accra General Secretary of the TUC, Ms. Freda Stephanie Frimpong, observed that although there had been an improvement in the number of youth in trade union activism over the years, youth participation in trade unions was still low.



She said the youth must be seen as a constituency, and as such the unions must work for and invest in the youth, emphasising that the contribution of the youth to trade unionism was critical now more than ever considering the challenges the world and unions faced today.



She stressed the need for unions to demonstrate their relevance in the socio-economic transition of the youth to the workplace.



She said a good starting place to engage young people is to mark what proportion of them is expected to join the labour market and to analyse their experiences at work.



Trade unions should work for the youth and should be led by the youth themselves. Lets refocus and reenergise and we must come stronger and effective if we are to realise our vision, and it will require the contribution and participation of the youth, she noted.









Source: Graphiconline.com









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What just happened? Acer is reportedly the latest tech giant to become the victim of a ransomware attack. The Taiwanese company was hit by the REvil ransomware gang, which is demanding it hand over $50 million worth of Monero cryptocurrency in exchange for the decryption key. The payment will also ensure sensitive company data isn't leaked online.

The Record writes that the attack has only affected Acer's back-office and not the hardware maker's production systems. The firm hasn't confirmed any ransomware incident, and the attack never stopped the announcement of its Q4 2020 financial results last Wednesday.

The Record found Acer's name on a dark web portal where the REvil gang usually leaks stolen data from companies that don't pay ransoms. While no files have been posted, there were screenshots of internal documents.

Another dark web portal operated by REvil showed the $50 million ransom note, believed to be the largest demand ever made by ransomware gangthe previous record was a $30 million ransomware attack on Pan-Asian retail giant Dairy Farm, also the work of REvil.

The page included a copy of an online conversation between a group member and an Acer representative that started on March 14. The attackers call the rep an "incompetent negotiator," demanding their boss get in touch.

Bleeping Computer notes that the group offered to discount the ransom by 20 percent if it was paid before last Wednesday. If the Monero isn't handed over by March 28, the amount will double to $100 million. Acer was warned "to not repeat the fate of the SolarWind."

It's believed that the attack may have been carried out using a Microsoft Exchange exploitation. "Advanced Intel's Andariel cyberintelligence system detected that one particular REvil affiliate pursued Microsoft Exchange weaponization," malware expert Vitali Kremez told BleepingComputer.

We recently heard that four zero-day exploits in Microsoft Exchange are being targeted by at least ten advanced persistent threat (APT) hacker groups in an attempt to compromise servers around the world.

Acer is cagey about the incident, referring to it only as "abnormal situations." In a statement to BC, it said:

Acer routinely monitors its IT systems, and most cyberattacks are well defensed. Companies like us are constantly under attack, and we have reported recent abnormal situations observed to the relevant law enforcement and data protection authorities in multiple countries. We have been continuously enhancing our cybersecurity infrastructure to protect business continuity and our information integrity. We urge all companies and organizations to adhere to cyber security disciplines and best practices, and be vigilant to any network activity abnormalities.

The company added that "there is an ongoing investigation and for the sake of security, we are unable to comment on details."

Masthead image: TK Kurikawa. Story images: The Record
NEW YORK, March 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- BNY Mellon announced today a collaboration with the World Economic Forum to address the challenges of an increasingly complex and interdependent world. Through a partnership, BNY Mellon will work with the World Economic Forum's multi-stakeholder community on initiatives aimed at building a more efficient, resilient and inclusive financial system. The partnership comes at a critical time for industry leaders to rethink and rebuild systems in the post-COVID context and recognizes the importance of engaging a global, cross-industry ecosystem.

Akash Shah, Head of Strategy and Global Client Management at BNY Mellon , said: "Capitalism and the global financial system are at a crossroads. It's a critical moment in history for companies to drive change and shape a more equitable future for the global community. The Forum provides a platform for companies to start new alliances and mobilize the resources needed to make the world more sustainable and inclusive. We're excited to be part of this collaboration."

Matthew Blake, Head of the Platform for Shaping the Future of Financial and Monetary Systems at the World Economic Forum, said: "We are delighted to be welcoming BNY Mellon into the Forum's Financial and Monetary Systems Platform, which is working to address pressing issues shaping the global financial system. This partnership reflects a broader trend of companies shifting focus from shareholder to stakeholder capitalism, leading to more public-private alliances and multi-stakeholder collaboration. The Forum is excited to grow as a trusted platform that enables such cooperation and supports a more inclusive and resilient financial system."

About BNY Mellon

BNY Mellon is a global investments company dedicated to helping its clients manage and service their financial assets throughout the investment lifecycle. Whether providing financial services for institutions, corporations or individual investors, BNY Mellon delivers informed investment and wealth management and investment services in 35 countries. As of Dec. 31, 2020, BNY Mellon had $41.1 trillion in assets under custody and/or administration, and $2.2 trillion in assets under management. BNY Mellon can act as a single point of contact for clients looking to create, trade, hold, manage, service, distribute or restructure investments. BNY Mellon is the corporate brand of The Bank of New York Mellon Corporation (NYSE: BK). Additional information is available on www.bnymellon.com. Follow us on Twitter @BNYMellon or visit our newsroom at www.bnymellon.com/newsroom for the latest company news.

About World Economic Forum

The World Economic Forum, committed to improving the state of the world, is the International Organization for Public-Private Cooperation. The Forum engages the foremost political, business and other leaders of society to shape global, regional and industry agendas. (www.weforum.org).

Contacts

Media

Madelyn McHugh

+1 212 635 1376

[email protected]



Analysts

Magda Palczynska

+1 212 635 8529

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SOURCE BNY Mellon

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North Augusta, SC (29841)

Today

Partly to mostly cloudy with a chance of thunderstorms. Storms may contain strong gusty winds. High 84F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 40%..

Tonight

A widely scattered shower or thunderstorm is possible this evening. Then cloudy skies overnight. Storms may contain strong gusty winds. Low around 70F. Winds S at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 30%.
Former President Donald Trump delighted in the seemingly big breaking news that Health and Human Services Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas was leaving his post  only to have to walk back his comment upon learning his interviewer gave him bad information.

'I'm not surprised, good. That's a big victory,' Trump said Monday when Fox News host Harris Faulkner told him that Mayorkas was resigning.

The development had the potential to add more drama to the clash over the crush of child migrants at the border  until Harris acknowledged there was no resignation happening.

President Donald Trump commented in real-time on bad information that HHS Alejandro Mayorkas was resigning just weeks after being sworn in to his post

'Forgive me, that has not happened,' Faulkner said, after taking a moment to listen to producers communicating with her through an ear piece.

'I want to double-check this with our producers,' Faulkner said with the former president on the line. 'The DHS Secretary, Alejandro Mayorkas has resigned,' she had told Trump.

'Hold on, let me stop. Let me listen to my team one more time,' she urged Trump. She then apologized for the error.

'Okay. Cross off that victory,' Trump told her,' chuckling, as heard on a video clip of the interview.

Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas is under pressure amid the immigration surge at the border

Trump responded when told that Alejandro Mayorkas was resigning, which he isn't

Faulkner then brought up that Trump had issued a statement Sunday night calling for Mayorkas to go.

She then acknowledged her error again and joked about 'clean-up on Aisle 7.'

Neither Trump nor Faulkner questioned the accuracy of the information when they initially came across it during the live call-in interview.

Mayorkas was only sworn in Feb. 2, and has not experienced any kind of personal scandal  although he has quickly become identified with the Biden Administration's efforts to try to contain a growing crisis at the border of unaccompanied child migrants. The first Latino and first immigrant homeland chief was confirmed by the Senate 56 to 43, with six Republicans voting for him.

'The error stemmed from an audio issue in a virtual working environment,' a Fox News spokesperson told DailyMail.com. 'We corrected the mistake and continued on with the interview.'

Mayorkas refused at a White House briefing days ago to call it a 'crisis,' and in Sunday talk show appearances urged potential immigrants not to come.

'The border is closed. We are expelling families. We are expelling single adults. We've made a decision that we will not expel young, vulnerable children,' he told NBC's 'Meet the Press.'

Trump attacked Mayorkas in a statement Sunday in highly personal terms.

'The pathetic, clueless performance of Secretary Mayorkas on the Sunday Shows today was a national disgrace. His self-satisfied presentationin the middle of the massive crisis he helped engineeris yet more proof he is incapable of leading DHS. Even someone of Mayorkas limited abilities should understand that if you provide Catch-and-Release to the worlds illegal aliens then the whole world will come,' Trump said.

He accused the administration of being engaged in a 'huge cover-up to hide just how bad things truly are' and called for it to admit 'their total failure and adopt the profoundly effective, proven Trump policies.'

Trump's own team also had to contend with a crush of arrivals, and faced criticism for it's 'zero toleration' policy at the border and separation of immigrant families, many of whom the government is still seeking to reunite after admitting it cannot locate family members.

During his Fox appearance, Trump said the Biden administration was 'destroying our country.'
It's time now to meet the newest members of our Morning Mug Club -- brought to you by Holland Farms Bakery & Deli.

Are you tired of cooking!? Give yourself a break, and stay safe in doing so, by registering for Copper City Community Connection's newest fundraiser, 4 C's Cafe-to-Go.

They are having a spaghetti dinner on Tuesday, March 30.

The meal comes with sauce, meatballs, sausage, salad and a roll.

The cost for members is $10.00. Non-members pay $12.50.

Pickup is from 4:00pm - 5:00pm on Tuesday, March 30.

For an extra $2.00, delivery is available within the Rome city limits.

Order your dinner by calling 315-337-8230.

Copper City Community Connection is on East Locust Street in Rome.

This event is sponsored by The Grand Rehabilitation & Nursing at Rome.
Scott Morrison has denied misleading Parliament after revelations the head of his department put a review of who in the Prime Ministers staff knew about allegations of rape in a ministerial office on hold two weeks ago.

Mr Morrison had asked his department head, Philip Gaetjens, to check on whether his office was alerted to the rape allegation made by former Liberal staffer Brittany Higgins after contradictory claims about when those close to the Prime Minister were notified.

AFP commissioner Reece Kershaw and Philip Gaetjens, secretary of the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen

However, Australian Federal Police Commissioner Reece Kershaw told a Senate estimates hearing on Monday he was concerned the inquiry being undertaken by Australias top public servant would hamper the police investigation into the matter.

Mr Gaetjens told a separate estimates hearing Mr Kershaw had advised him of these concerns on March 9, leading him to pause the review.
Colorado Politics senior political reporter

Joey Bunch is the senior correspondent and deputy managing editor of Colorado Politics. His 32-year career includes the last 16 in Colorado. He was part of the Denver Post team that won the Pulitzer Prize in 2013 and he is a two-time finalist.
California's homegrown coronavirus variant is now dominant there and rates of the UK's potentially deadlier 'super-covid' variant have tripled in Ohio in two weeks while rising to eight and nine percent in Florida and New Jersey, respectively.

California's homegrown variant, known as B.1.427/B.1.429, now makes up more than 52 percent of infections in the state and 20 to 40 percent of cases in neighboring states.

Meanwhile, the UK variant, known as B.1.1.7, has spread to every single US state and makes up nearly one in 10 cases in at least two states.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has previously suggested B.1.1.7 would become the dominant strain in the U.S. by March, which so far hasn't turned out to be the case.

The latest estimate from outbreak.info is that the UK variant accounts for 35 percent of all cases in the country.

At least, 6,638 cases of varying mutant strains have been identified across the country, according to the CDC.

In a press briefing on Monday, CDC director Dr Rochelle Walensky said steps must be taken in light of variants until more people can get vaccinated.

'I get it. We all want to return to our everyday activities and spend time with our family, friends and loved ones. But we must find the fortitude to hang in there for just a little bit longer,' she said.

'We must act now and I am worried that if we don't take the right actions now, we will have another avoidable surge.'

The prevalence of all coronavirus variants - both those first detected and those homegrown- are spreading across the U.S.

In a press briefing on Monday (pictured), CDC director Dr Rochelle Walensky said steps must be taken in light of variants until more people can get vaccinated

During the press briefing, Walensky discussed the prevalence of the California variant, which was first identified in May 2020 and virtually nonexistent until October.

In a recent study, the University of California, San Francisco looked at 2,172 samples of the virus collected between September 2020 and January 2021 across California.

By January, the new variant accounted for more than 50 percent of all the genetically analyzed coronavirus samples.

Currently, according to Walensky, the variant makes up 52 percent of infections in California, 41 percent in Nevada and 25 percent in Arizona.

Dr Charles Chiu, a professor of laboratory medicine and infectious diseases expert at UCSF, told the Los Angeles Times that the virus appeared to be more transmissible than prior strains by between 19 percent to 24 percent.

In lab studies performed at UCSF, the researchers analyzed genetic material found on nasal swabs that were used to perform coronavirus tests.

They found that B.1.427/B.1.429 produced a viral load that was twice as that triggered by other variants.

That suggest the homegrown variant is better at copying itself more quickly once it gets inside the human body and hijacks its machinery.

Although this hasn't been tested definitively yet, a higher viral load is a sign that someone infected with the variant might be especially contagious, spreading the virus more efficiently and effectively.

In addition, the California variant was more effective at evading antibodies produced naturally by the bodies of survivors of COVID-19 or produced by vaccines. Levels of antibodies produced in response to the California variant were two-fold lower.

On Monday, Walensky revealed that California's homegrown variant, B.1.427/B.1.429, now accounts for 52% of state cases

It has also spread to nearby states and now making up 41% of COVID-19 infections in Nevada and 25% in Arizona

WHAT TO KNOW ABOUT THE CALIFORNIAN VARIANTS 'CALIFORNIAN' VARIANTS - B1427 AND B1429 IS IT MORE INFECTIOUS? Yes, they are estimated to be 20% more infectious. IS IT MORE DEADLY? Unclear. There is not enough data to show an increase in mortality risks. CAN IT 'ESCAPE' VACCINES OR REINFECT PEOPLE? Both variants make the antibodies triggered by vaccines somewhat weaker in lab tests. A 'monoclonal' antibody therapy from Eli Lilly doesn't appear to work well against them, though combination antibody 'cocktails' from Lilly and Regeneron still seem to work. Advertisement

Walensky also discussed the prevalence of the UK variant, which is known as, B.1.1.7 due to the location of its most significant mutations.

It now accounts for at least 80 percent of all cases in Britain and most estimates put it at about 70 percent more infectious than older 'wild-type' coronavirus variants.

In a new study published last month, on pre-print server medRxiv.org, a team sequenced 500,000 samples of the virus, called SARS-CoV-2, tested at Helix facilities since July 2020.

Beginning the week of October 18, 2020, just 0.2 percent of daily positive cases appeared to be linked to the UK variant.

The first case was identified in the U.S. on December 31, showing that the variant was in the country much earlier than previously believed.

However, the increase rapidly took off in January.

The nationwide proportion of B 1.1.7. cases increased from 0.8 percent of all positive tests during the first week of January 2021 to 3.6 percent in the last week.

According to Walensky, B.1.1.7 accounts for eight percent of all cases in Florida and nine percent in New Jersey

The UK variant, known as B.1.1.7, has also become more widespread, making up 9% of coronavirus cases in New Jersey and 8% in Florida

Cases linked to B.1.1.7. have tripled in Ohio over the course of two weeks from 33 on March 7 to 128 on Monday

WHAT TO KNOW ABOUT UK VARIANT 'UK VARIANT' -B117 IS IT MORE INFECTIOUS? Yes, estimated to be 50-70% more infectious IS IT MORE DEADLY? That isn't well-established. The latest research suggests it may be up to 55% more fatal. CAN IT 'ESCAPE' VACCINES OR REINFECT PEOPLE? No. Vaccines appear so far to work just as well against B117 and it does not seem to reinfect people. Advertisement

In addition, cases of the UK variant have tripled in Ohio over the course of two weeks from 33 on March 7 to 128 on Monday.

'We are frankly in a race and we don't frankly know what the enemy is doing,' Ohio Gov Mike DeWine said during a briefing last week.

'But we do know from talking to the scientists and epidemiologists that they believe the variants are spreading in Ohio.'

Ohio health officials have suspected that the UK variant will become the dominant strain in the state by April.
Four-term Rep. Jody Hice announced Monday that he will look to unseat Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger in 2022. Hice is expected to secure an endorsement from Donald Trump, as the former president seeks revenge against Raffensperger for defying him in the aftermath of Joe Biden's narrow win in the state's 2020 presidential election.

Hice's move creates a 2022 open seat in Georgia's 10th district, a safely GOP district that runs eastward from the outskirts of the Atlanta area to west of Augusta. Hice and Donald Trump both won by over 20 points here in 2020. Note that after Census-driven redistricting, the boundaries of the district will likely change for 2022.

Hice is the 2nd Republican in as many days to say they will not run for reelection in 2022. NY-23 Rep. Tom Reed made his announcement Sunday.
Plan which aims to help health and care sector recover from pandemic released

This article is old - Published: Monday, Mar 22nd, 2021

A new plan which aims to help the health and care system in Wales recover from the Covid-19 pandemic has been released.

The Health and Social Care in Wales COVID 19, which the Welsh Government say is supported by an initial 100 million funding, outlines the priorities for the health sector in the comings months and years.

Over the last 12 months the NHS and care sector have huge increased pressure and demand caused by the pandemic.

The new plan notes that coronavirus remains a very real threat and that services will have to work under stringent infection prevention and control measures to protect patients and staff, which will impact on the number of patients they can see for some time.





It is also acknowledged that the impact of the pandemic will continue to affect services.

The Health and Social Care in Wales COVID 19: Looking Forward looks at the following key aspects of recovery and challenges:-

Reducing health inequalities to achieve a fairer Wales

Building more responsive primary and community care

Creating supportive mental health services

More effective and efficient hospital services

Better working between health and social services

Supporting and building a resilient workforce

Providing accessible digital support

New technology, much of which emerged during the pandemic, is stated as playing a key part in the future delivery of services and today 1.26m has been announced to set up a centre to promote the use of new technologies in health and social care.

The investment will allow Technology Enabled Care Cymru to promote the use of new technologies, such as virtual consultation and remote monitoring of patients at home.

NHS Wales Chief Executive Andrew Goodall (pictured above) said the health and social care system is committed to learning from the pandemic and scaling up technological innovation.

He added: Previously, only 8 per cent of outpatient consultations were virtual, but this has increased to more than 43 per cent since the start of the pandemic, he said.

For many patients this is a significant improvement in how they access services and we need to build on that, while ensuring that capacity for face-to-face services is focused on people who need to be seen in person.

Health Minister Vaughan Gething said: The Covid-19 pandemic has had a significant impact on our health and social care system, patients and staff. As we emerge from the most serious stage of the pandemic, we are now in a position to set out how we can start to recover.

This plan sets out the broad principles of recovery and more detailed actions will follow. I am making available an initial 100m now to support the first steps, but it is clear more resources will be needed to make a full recovery.

It will be a long journey, but it is also an opportunity to transform how we deliver health and care services in the future, and to tackle the health inequalities in our society that the pandemic has made even more evident.

That is why, alongside our recovery plan, I am also pleased to announce our National Clinical Framework, which sets out how we see NHS clinical services developing over the next decade.

The National Clinical Framework describes how the strategic development of clinical services can make the NHS fit for the challenges of the 21st century and responds to key aspects of the Parliamentary Review on the future of health and social care in Wales.

Mr Gething said: Developed with clinicians, these documents set out how we will meet our vision for a modern NHS that can meet the demand of the futures, as set-out in our long-term plan for health and social care, A Healthier Wales.
Photo: The Canadian Press Police use water cannons to disperse protesters Saturday, March 20, 2021 in Bangkok, Thailand. Thailand's student-led pro-democracy movement is holding a rally in the Thai capital, seeking to press demands that include freedom for their leaders, who are being held without bail on charges of defaming the monarchy. (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit)

Scores of people were injured and arrested in the Thai capital after police used water cannons, tear gas and rubber bullets Saturday night to break up a rally by pro-democracy protesters calling for the release of detained activists, constitutional changes and reform of the nation's monarchy.

The rally outside Bangkok's Grand Palace was a continuation of student-led protests that began last year and have rattled Thailand's traditional establishment, which is fiercely opposed to change, especially with regard to the monarchy.

The rally organizers had said they planned to have demonstrators throw paper planes with messages over the palace walls.

The demonstrators, who numbered close to 1,000, managed to break through a barrier made of shipping containers outside the ceremonial palace stacked two high. Police behind the containers responded first with warnings and then by shooting water cannons and rubber bullets. Police drove the crowd back and while skirmishes continued, the crowds appeared to have dissipated by 10 p.m.

The city's emergency medical service Erawan reported 33 people, including 13 police, were injured by rubber bullets, rocks and tear gas. At least two reporters were hit by rubber bullets. Thai Lawyers for Human Rights, a watchdog, reported 32 detained.

During the skirmishes, protesters tossed smoke bombs and giant firecrackers at police, and also splashed a royal portrait with paint, but failed in an attempt to set it on fire, though they did burn tires and trash at several locations.

Police Deputy Spokesman Col. Kissana Phathanacharoen said police had warned in advance that the rally was illegal. He said in addition to throwing various objects, protesters used slingshots to fire nuts and bolts at police and hit them with metal rods. He said police had used water cannons, tear gas and rubber bullets according to proper procedures.

The rally was called by REDEM, a faction of a broader protest movement last year that started with three core demands: the resignation of Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha and his government, for the constitution to be amended to make it more democratic and the monarchy to be reformed to make it more accountable.

REDEM, which stands for Restart Democracy, claims to have no leaders and holds online voting to decide on rally dates and activities.

The movement sharpened its campaign to focus on the monarchy, and Thailand's lese majeste law, which makes criticizing, insulting or defaming the king and some other senior royals punishable by up to 15 years in prison.

The monarchy has long been treated as sacred institution in Thailand and public criticism is not only illegal, but has long been considered socially unacceptable. Many people still revere the monarchy and the military, a major power in Thai society, considers defence of the monarchy as a key priority.

As protesters last year stepped up criticism of the monarchy, the government responded by charging outspoken protesters under the lese majeste law, and over the last month, eight of them were jailed pending trial.

The movement was able to attract crowds of as many as 20,000-30,000 people in Bangkok in 2020 and had followings in major cities and universities. However, a new coronavirus outbreak late last year caused it to temporarily suspend activities, and it lost momentum.
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y.  A Staten Island woman is facing gun-trafficking charges after authorities allege she purchased and transported a weapon used in the brazen 2020 slaying of a pregnant woman and her boyfriend, the Advance/SILive.com has learned.

Gina Santoro, 54, has been charged with firearms trafficking conspiracy and firearms trafficking, according to a criminal complaint filed in Brooklyn federal court.

She was arraigned Monday afternoon and released on $50,000 bond.

Santoro, on four separate occasions between March 5, 2020 and April 18, 2020, traveled between Staten Island and Pennsylvania to purchase and transport multiple weapons after she obtained a Pennsylvania license to buy the firearms, authorities allege in the criminal complaint.

One weapon purchased on April 18, a .22-caliber Ruger pistol, was allegedly used by her boyfriend, Philip Moreno, to shoot Alafia Rodriguez, 46, and his girlfriend Ana DeSousa, 33, who was seven-months pregnant, according to a source with knowledge of the investigation.

Public records indicate Santoro lives in Eltingville.

Alafia Rodriguez, 46, and his girlfriend Ana DeSousa, 33. (Facebook)

A third woman, identified by law enforcement sources as Erica Johnson, 43, was also found shot in the torso but survived the incident.

Santoro is not being charged in the murders; however, if convicted, she could face 10 years in prison.

Her lawyer did not immediately respond for a request to comment.

Authorities allege Santoro traveled with others to East Earl, Pa., on March 5, 2020 to purchase two Ruger .22-caliber pistols from a gun dealer. That same day, she returned back to Staten Island, the criminal complaint charges.

Days later, on March 14, 2020, Santoro made the trip again, the complaint alleges, before purchasing one Ruger .22-caliber pistol and a 9 mm pistol from a different dealer in Cresco, Pa.

Santoro returned to the same dealer on April 11, 2020 to purchase one 9 mm pistol before once again returning to Staten Island, prosecutors say.

On April 18, Santoro purchased three .22-caliber Ruger pistols from the dealer in Cresco, authorities allege. One of the pistols, identified by its serial number in the criminal complaint, was used by Moreno to later shoot and kill Rodriguez and DeSousa, a source said.

Police charged Philip Moreno, 45, in connection with a shooting in May that left two people dead  one of them pregnant  and a third adult injured. (Facebook)

Moreno was charged last year with first-degree murder and a litany of other charges, including second-degree murder, manslaughter, attempted murder, assault, criminal weapon possession, criminal firearm possession, criminal possession of a controlled substance, reckless endangerment and child endangerment.

He was also sentenced in September 1993 to eight to 16 years in prison for the fatal shooting on July 12, 1992, of Theodis Watson, 22.

According to court records, Watson was shot in the left side of his chest in front of the Mariners Harbor Houses at 168 Brabant St. at 5:25 p.m. That location is just around the corner from where police say Moreno shot Rodriguez and DeSousa on Grandview near Brabant.

Rodriguez and DeSousas 2-year-old child, Blue, was upstairs during the killings. She was uninjured.
The co-founder of Apollo Global Management has stepped down from all his leadership roles at the firm following an outcry over his ties to paedophile Jeffrey Epstein.

Leon Black, who helped launch the prominent New York private equity giant 30 years ago, had already given up the role of chief executive but had indicated he planned to remain as chairman.

Those plans were officially abandoned yesterday as Apollo said Jay Clayton, the former chairman of US regulator the Securities and Exchange Commission, would head Apollo's board.

Leon Black, who helped launch Apollo Global Management 30 years ago, has stepped down from all his leadership roles at the firm following an outcry over his ties to Jeffrey Epstein

Billionaire Black, 69, had faced intense scrutiny and anger from investors over his relationship with Epstein, who died in jail awaiting trial on further charges of child sex offences in 2019.

In an email to staff on Sunday, Black said the 'relentless public attention and media scrutiny' had 'taken a toll on my health and have caused me to wish to take some time away from the public spotlight'.

In an official statement yesterday, he added: 'I view this as the ideal moment to step back and focus on my family, my wife Debra's and my health issues, and my many other interests.'

A report by law firm Dechert, commissioned by Apollo and published in January, revealed that Black had paid Epstein $158million between 2012 and 2017 to handle art transactions and give tax advice.

By that time, Epstein had already been convicted of procuring a child for prostitution in 2008 and had served a 13-month sentence, much of it on work release.

The Dechert report found that Black viewed Epstein as a 'confirmed bachelor with eclectic tastes, who often employed attractive women', but it did not find any evidence that the Apollo boss had been involved in criminal activity or had any knowledge of Epstein's sex trafficking.

But Black's position at the firm he co-founded has become increasingly tenuous in the wake of the Epstein scandal.

Investors were considering pulling their money, as Black's continued influence at the top of Apollo did not align with the principles of good governance and social responsibility which many institutions are now pushing for.

But in the email to staff, Black hinted that his departure may be temporary as he said: 'I hope to return at some point.'

Marc Rowan, another Apollo co-founder who had been announced as chief executive in January, picked up the role yesterday.

In the UK, Barclays chief executive Jes Staley is still being investigated by the Financial Conduct Authority over whether he adequately disclosed his own relationship with Epstein to his employer.

Staley, a friend and business associate of Epstein, visited him while he served his sentence on work release. There is no suggestion that Staley was involved in any criminal activity.
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STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- The city and state continue to butt heads about loosening certain restrictions as different variants of the coronavirus (COVID-19) are infecting New York City residents, and positivity rates are going up in some parts of the city.

Concern about the variants -- the New York variant, known as B.1.526, the South African variant B.1.351 and the P.1 variant found in Brazil -- have all been identified in residents across the city and state.

Variants make up more than half of New York Citys coronavirus cases, the city Health Department said less than two weeks ago.

Mayor Bill de Blasio said he thinks indoor dining should be reassessed because the variants have been said to be more contagious than the original COVID-19 strain.

Obviously we have a real disagreement with the state about indoor fitness classes, de Blasio said on Monday, the day indoor fitness classes were permitted to resume.

In partnership with New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy, Gov. Andrew Cuomo said New York City restaurants could increase indoor dining capacity to 50% on March 19. Murphy has since said the state would not loosen any other restrictions because of the variants spread in New Jersey.

WERE WATCHING THIS ALL THE TIME, MAYOR SAYS

They mayor, city Health Commissioner Dr. Dave Chokshi and Deputy Commissioner for Disease Control Dr. Jay Varma all expressed concern about increase in positivity rates across the city, including on Staten Island, but maintained that getting vaccinated and continuing to wear a mask, wash your hands, and social distance is all that can be done for now.

Varma said there is some concern the variants may be less responsive to the vaccines and people who have already had COVID-19 could be reinfected, but said the city continues to study all available data and it will report if theres anything concerning.

Were watching this all the time. We need to get everyone vaccinated as quickly as possible. That is the one piece of the equation we fully control and that is a firm specific reality, de Blasio said on Monday.

Although an increase in positivity isnt something officials want to see, the positivity rate is no longer the statistic that is central to officials decision-making.

When asked if the city would reimplement restrictions if the positivity rate got too high, the mayor said the city would put different options back on the table if the numbers got too high, but would be focusing on the hospitalization rate and the number of fatalities.

Those are different realities and then we will put different options back on the table, he said.

CURRENT DATA DOESNT SHOW THE WHOLE PICTURE

Also raising concern is former head of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Dr. Scott Gottlieb.

When you look in certain parts of New York, Brooklyn, parts of Queens, parts of Staten Island, the positivity rate is approaching 15%, said Dr. Scott Gottlieb on CBS Face the Nation. What we dont understand with 1.526 is whether or not people are being reinfected with it and whether or not people who might have been vaccinated are now getting infected with it.

Great Kills has the highest rate of infection in Staten Island at 14.8% over the past seven days, city Health Department data shows, though the total number of tests taken in the area remains low compared to multiple other areas in the borough  potentially skewing the results towards more symptomatic people being tested.

Additionally, the city Health Department said some data from this past week  including the number of people tested  would be lower than expected due to delays in receiving figures from New York State, potentially swaying the test positivity rate.

Neither the city or state has said why the data was not reported for Sunday and Monday.

FOLLOW KRISTIN F. DALTON ON TWITTER.
TORONTO, March 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ - Quarterhill Inc. ("Quarterhill") (TSX: QTRH) (OTCQX: QTRHF), is providing details of its upcoming Annual Meeting of shareholders ("AGM") to be held virtually on Wednesday April 14, 2021 at 9:30 a.m. (Eastern Daylight Time).

TO VOTE AHEAD OF THE VIRTUAL AGM

In accordance with the ongoing limitations on public gatherings related to the COVID-19 pandemic including ones that have been or may be implemented by provincial and local authorities and out of prudence and concern for our communities, Quarterhill will hold its AGM in a virtual-only format conducted by live audio webcast. This decision was made with the safety and health of our communities, shareholders, employees, directors and other stakeholders as the top priority.

Quarterhill's Notice of Meeting, Management Information Circular (the "Circular"), the accompanying form of proxy and a Computershare Virtual AGM Guide (collectively the "Meeting Materials") were mailed on or about March 18, 2021. If you have not received your Meeting Materials by March 29, 2021, please immediately contact your broker if you are a non-registered shareholder or contact Computershare if you are a registered shareholder. These materials outline in detail how to participate in the AGM.

As in prior years, shareholders have multiple options to cast their vote ahead of the AGM, which include on-line, via telephone or via mail. Details on using each method are included in the Circular and the form of proxy. Shareholders who are planning to vote ahead of the AGM must submit their proxy voting instructions to Computershare no later than 9:30 a.m. (Eastern Daylight Time) on Monday, April 12, 2021.

LISTENING TO THE VIRTUAL AGM

All shareholders will be able to listen to the AGM and view the Company's slide presentation as guests via audio webcast. To do so, login online at: https://web.lumiagm.com/471788589, click "Guest" and then complete the online form. Please log in at least ONE HOUR prior to the start time of the AGM on April 14, 2021.

TO VOTE OR ASK QUESTIONS AT THE VIRTUAL AGM

For registered shareholders and duly appointed proxyholders to vote their proxies and/or ask questions at the AGM, please follow the instructions set out in our Circular.

All shareholders wishing to have a question addressed at the virtual AGM can avoid the registration requirements set out in the Circular by submitting them in advance to [email protected]. Questions will be collected, organized by theme and posed to management at the AGM. Quarterhill is committed to addressing all appropriate questions submitted by shareholders either live during the AGM or in advance, as timing and circumstances permit.

Shareholders who have questions on how to vote their proxy in advance of the AGM, or on how to register to vote at the AGM, can contact Quarterhill's strategic shareholder advisor and proxy solicitation agent, Kingsdale Advisors, at 1-877-659-1822 or, from outside North America, by collect call to 1-416-867-2272, or by Email at:

[email protected]

About Quarterhill

Quarterhill is a growth-oriented company in the Intelligent Transportation System (ITS) industry as well as a leader in Intellectual Property licensing. Our goal is to execute an investment strategy that capitalizes on attractive growth opportunities within ITS - and its adjacent markets - to become a global leader in that industry. Quarterhill is listed on the TSX under the symbol QTRH and on the OTCQX Best Market under the symbol QTRHF. For more information: www.quarterhill.com

Forward-looking Information

This news release contains forward-looking statements regarding Quarterhill and its business. Forward-looking statements are based on estimates and assumptions made by Quarterhill in light of its experience and its perception of historical trends, current conditions, expected future developments and the expected effects of new business strategies, as well as other factors that Quarterhill believes are appropriate in the circumstances. The forward-looking events and circumstances discussed herein may not occur and could differ materially as a result of known and unknown risk factors and uncertainties affecting Quarterhill, including: potential risks and uncertainties relating to the ultimate geographic spread of the novel coronavirus ("COVID-19"); the severity of the disease; the duration of the COVID-19 outbreak; actions that may be taken by governmental authorities to contain the COVID-19 outbreak or to treat its impact; the potential negative impacts of COVID-19 on the global economy and financial markets and any resulting impact on Quarterhill and/or its business. Other factors include, without limitation, the risks described in Quarterhill's March 11, 2021 annual information form for the year ended December 31, 2020 (the "AIF"). Copies of the AIF may be obtained at www.sedar.com. Quarterhill recommends that readers review and consider all of these risk factors and notes that readers should not place undue reliance on any of Quarterhill's forward-looking statements. Quarterhill has no intention, and undertakes no obligation, to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by law.

SOURCE Quarterhill Inc.

Related Links

www.quarterhill.com


Armenia MFA information department chief: All deputy FMs carrying out their duties

Ardshinbank invited children to the cinema on International Childrens Day

Armenia judiciary to have 10 more judges

Armenia acting premier: We had recorded 40% increase in tax revenues according to 2019 results

Armenia acting PM on Artsakh war casualties bodies: We have 50 remains in which case DNA was not separated

Azerbaijan authorities plan to "squeeze" everything from "terrorist show" related to Armenian captives

Ameriabank Announces a Contest for Bank Card Design

108 new cases of COVID-19 confirmed in Armenia

Armenia parliament convenes special session

Armenia interim government holding Cabinet meeting

Catholicos of All Armenians heads for Syunik Province, Artsakh

World oil prices going up

Iran loses right to vote in UN General Assembly

Newspaper: Armenia authorities come up with new way of punishing unwanted characters

Newspaper: Russia army Southern Military District deputy commander to arrive in Yerevan Thursday

Lebanese Armenian man taken prisoner by Azerbaijan is hospitalized

Armenia ex-President Kocharyan: Are we getting under the burden? Then lets get under to the end

Armenia acting health minister on keeping fallen soldiers bodies in bags: What else should they be kept in?

Armenia acting health minister on citizens' demand for her resignation

Karabakh's new State Minister Artak Beglaryan on his appointment and future activities

Armenian, Russian and Azerbaijani representatives hold consultations in Moscow

2 Armenian soldiers receive slight injuries after incident with Azerbaijani servicemen in Armenia's Gegharkunik

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"Armenia" bloc representative presents purpose of participation in elections and plans

Isaac Herzog elected President of Israel

Rouhani: Main issues between Tehran, Washington resolved in Vienna

Charles Michel calls on Armenia and Azerbaijan to resume constructive negotiations

US Department of State responds to Pashinyan's proposal to deploy international observers on Armenia-Azerbaijan border

Head of Armenia 2nd President's Office: Robert Kocharyan's public meetings are held in warm atmosphere

Opposition "Armenia" bloc's representative on photos and videos showing bags of deceased servicemen's bodies

Armenia Ombudsman, AGBU President discuss war crimes committed by Azerbaijan during Karabakh war

Opposition "Armenia" bloc's representatives to hold briefings three times a week

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Yerevan mayor receives Netherlands Ambassador

Armenia Health Ministry, Investigative Committee keep info about sending remains of dead soldiers abroad confidential

Armenia Prosecutor General's Office launches case regarding leaving sacs of servicemen's bodies/remains in basement

Peskov: Putin and Biden to discuss cybersecurity issues

Armenia's Pashinyan meets with Belgian PM Alexander De Croo

Armenia acting MOD receives Netherlands Ambassador

Armenia Police: 3 citizens apprehended during protest demanding acting health minister's resignation

NATO warns Minsk about further consequences of Ryanair incident

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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
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If youve been experiencing vivid unpleasant dreams or nightmares more frequently, youre not alone, and experts say theres an explanation for this phenomenon.

A CNN Health report said that according to sleep experts, these experiences result from a combination of pandemic-fueled sleep changes, laced with a years worth of stress.

The news outlet cited sleep specialist, Dr. Raj Dasgupta, an assistant professor of clinical medicine at the Keck School of Medicine at the University of Southern California, who said: My patients have been coming in and telling me, I have vivid dreams, I remember my dreams, I have nightmares.

This is something that weve seen in other traumatic events that occur around the world and in our country, he added. So the fact that were having more nightmares during this pandemic doesnt surprise me.

The phenomenon started a year ago.

About a year ago, shortly after lockdowns began around the world, frontline workers were hit hard. The report said that a June 2020 study of 100 Chinese nurses found 45% experienced nightmares, along with varying degrees of anxiety and depression.

However, as quarantines and lockdowns have lingered on, nightmares have continued, and experts explain that one reason for this is an increase in night owls, the report said.

How does being a night owl contribute to having nightmares?

During the pandemic, more people have been working remotely, so without a commute or more set schedule, people began going to bed later and later as the pandemic wore on, Dasgupta said. Of course, they then sleep in later than normal, setting the stage for vibrant, colorful -- even scary -- dreams, the report cited.

The reason for this is that when sleeping in theres more time allotted for a deeper stage of sleep called rapid eye movement, or REM. Its during REM that the body consolidates and stores memories and restores the body, the report explained.

CNN cited clinical psychologist and sleep specialist Michael Breus, author of Good Night: The Sleep Doctors 4-Week Program to Better Sleep and Better Health, who said that a long stretch of REM occurs in the latter part of the night, typically just before you wake up.

Add in the worry, anxiety and stress of the pandemic, Breus said, and you have the perfect recipe for nightmares.

The phenomenon is not new.

Breus said, When youre getting more REM during stressful times, you get more REM nightmares. Were calling this phenomenon quaradreaming.

During times of national stress, disturbing dreams are not uncommon. The report noted that for military veterans suffering from post traumatic stress syndrome, or PTSD, nightmares have always been a key issue.

Rebecca Robbins, an associate scientist at Brigham and Womens Hospital in Boston who studies sleep, and an instructor in medicine at Harvard Medical School, said when the novel coronavirus hit, studies began documenting trauma-related dreams in the US.

Robbins, added, Theres some really compelling examples of individuals ... reporting dreams about locusts swarming, and things like that.

Deirdre Barrett, an assistant professor of psychology at Harvard Medical School and author of several books on dreams, told The Harvard Gazette in May that her online quiz last spring documented numerous nightmares about insects.

Ive just seen dozens and dozens and dozens of every kind of bug imaginable attacking the dreamer, Barrett said.

There are armies of cockroaches racing at the dreamer; there are masses of wriggling worms; there were some grasshoppers with vampire fangs; there are bed bugs, stink bugs, she said, adding that upsetting dreams also contained other metaphors for the coronavirus such as tsunamis and tornadoes and hurricanes and earthquakes and fires breaking out and mass shooters in the streets, the news outlet cited.

The report noted that some dreams focused on fears of getting the virus, with dreamers seeing themselves out in public without a mask, where others coughed on them. Then, as quarantines continued, dreams focused on being trapped.

Barrett said, People who are sheltering at home alone will dream that theyve been locked up in prison, or one woman was sent to Mars by herself to establish the first one-person Mars colony, the report cited.

Barrett noted another type of trauma nightmare reported by doctors and nurses in intensive care units -- the type that can occur in other stages of sleep besides REM, she added.

Theyre having full-on nightmares, she said. They tend to involve taking care of someone whos dying of COVID-19, and theyre trying to do something like put a patient on a respirator, or get the tube reattached thats come off a respirator, or the respirator machines are not working.

Thats their nightmare. Its the worst moment from their daytime experiences, Barrett said.

Those dreams persist.

Tragically, those dreams persist today as the virus continues, Dasgupta explained. Adding that its not only frontline workers experiencing nightmares, but also many people who have been hospitalized and survived the virus, the report cited.

Im an ICU doctor, he said. Patients are not on the ventilator for days -- were often talking weeks to months. Theyre on medications, theyre lonely, its scary, so of course, they have post-traumatic stress nightmares, CNN cited.

What can people do?

CNN cited Robbins, who explained that, people with vivid, frightening nightmares that haunt them or lead to feelings of hopelessness and depression should seek the help of a mental health professional. She added, Especially if theyre particularly disturbing, and persist.

For those experiencing less stressful quaradreams, the report explains that there are some things one can do to help -- but, one should not hesitate to seek professional help.

For tips to help lessen the occurrence of nightmares, read an expanded version of this report via CNN.

READ MORE:
Jericho Cement plant to start up in 2022

22 March 2021

Jericho Cement Co plans to build the first cement factory in Palestine. The Palestinian Investment Fund is supporting the project.

"The cement mill is one of the most important steps toward achieving self-sufficiency," Muhammad Mustafa, head of the Palestinian Investment Fund said.

The US$85m plant will be built with a cement capacity of 1.1Mta and is expected to be completed by 2022.

To meet its cement demand of just over 2Mta Palestine currently imports cement from Jordan, Israel and other countries across the region.

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COVID-19 has shifted different industries after the pandemic has started the previous year. Since the rollout of the COVID-19 vaccine has started in the United States, many companies in the country are still not requiring their workers to report to their offices. But because of frequent video conferences, effects like Zoom anxiety can develop and affect the work of an individual.

Psychology Today noted that Zoom interactions and other platforms of video conferencing can create unique opportunities for social anxiety to make a way to an individual's brain. Zoom anxiety usually has symptoms before, during, and after an online interaction.

Buffalo7 was surveyed in November 2020, which involved 2000 home workers. The respondents revealed that their zoom anxiety is rooted in audio problems that can't be fixed, unable to read people's body language, the audio from one's computer can't be heard, and even taking a call without time to prepare for appearance.

ALSO READ: Why It's Important to Manage Stress During the Pandemic

Coping With Zoom Anxiety

Zoom anxiety is defined as a physical feeling of distress caused by video calls. If in the middle of a pandemic and you are experiencing zoom anxiety, here's how to cope with Zoom anxiety and overcome those fears while having your online meetings.

Self-Soothing

The manifestation of this technology-based anxiety can begin even before the actual interaction. Hours or even a day before the online meeting, nervousness may already descend. To counter this uncomfortable feeling, talking to oneself saying it will be okay will help you relax. Another one is making positive predictions about what will happen in the meeting will have a positive outcome.

Invest in a Camera Shield

If you fear the sudden turning on of your camera in the middle of the meeting, having a tool that covers it will help. Cnet noted that camera shields physically cover the camera of your devices. With this, you will not fear that you will suddenly pop out of the meeting because others will not see you unless you physically remove your cover.

Mindfulness

During the meeting, you might experience sweating and other distractions. Bringing your awareness and focus to the one who is speaking is a great help. Although you will be somehow conscious on how on your appearance during the call, focusing on the area of other people will help. Focusing on the sound of the words of the speaker will help recenter your attention if in case you got lost.

Reevaluate the Need for Conferences

It might not be necessary to have a conference. If it is deemed necessary, reevaluate if you "need to turn your video on," as said by Jeremy Bailenson, the founding director of Stanford University's Virtual Human Interaction Lab.

Take a Break

If zoom anxiety persists, taking a break from it is a big help. Remember that in the middle of the pandemic, people tend to be understanding of the challenges working from home has brought every worker. Remember that you are not alone who have experienced stress and anxiety over video calls in the course of the pandemic.

RELATED ARTCILE: 3 Tips for Keeping Kids Social Amid COVID-19 Pandemic

WATCH: How to feel more confident in Zoom meetings - from Calmer You
Police in Amsterdam used water cannons for the second day in a row to disperse an unauthorized protest against restrictions to curb the coronavirus spread, media reported on Sunday.

A similar demonstration was held on Saturday in the Museumplein in the center of the Dutch capital, comprising some 250 people and resulting in 58 detentions, the city administration told Sputnik. Law enforcement troops used water cannons to disperse protesters.

According to Dutch Broadcast Foundation, hundreds of demonstrators gathered again at the Museumplein in Amsterdam on Sunday to participate in an unauthorized rally under the slogan "drink coffee for freedom" in support of the freedom of assembly. The security forces once again used water cannons against participants.

The news outlet also reported that those detained in the demonstration on Saturday were released.

According to the city police, some 300 citizens attended the riot, Sputnik reported.

"More than 150 people were arrested [in the rally]," the police specified in a statement, adding that the majority of arrests were carried out on the charge of disturbing public order.
Information on how to identify strategic and tactical negotiation levels that will help achieve the best prices.

Gain information on relevant pricing levels, detailed explanation on pros and cons of prevalent pricing models.

Methods to help engage with the right suppliers and discover KPI's to evaluate incumbent suppliers.

Get a free sample report for more information

Insights into buyer strategies and tactical negotiation levers:

Several strategic and tactical negotiation levers are explained in the report to help buyers achieve the best prices for the Outplacement Services market. The report also aids buyers with relevant Outplacement Services pricing levels, pros, and cons of prevalent pricing models such as volume-based pricing, spot pricing, and cost-plus pricing and category management strategies and best practices to fulfill their category objectives.

For more insights on buyer strategies and tactical negotiation levers, Click here.

Key Drivers and Trends Fueling Market Growth:

The pressure from substitutes and a moderate level of threat from new entrants has resulted in the low bargaining power of suppliers.

Price forecasts are beneficial in purchase planning, especially when supplemented by the constant monitoring of price influencing factors. During the forecast period, the market expects a change of 5.00%-8.00%.

Identify favorable opportunities in Outplacement Services TCO (total cost of ownership).

Expected changes in price forecast and factors driving the current and future price changes.

Identify pricing models that offer the most rewarding opportunities.

Some of the top Outplacement Services suppliers listed in this report:

This Outplacement Services procurement intelligence report has enlisted the top suppliers and their cost structures, SLA terms, best selection criteria, and negotiation strategies.

Adecco Group

Randstad NV

Hays Plc

ManpowerGroup Inc.

Kelly Services Inc.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Inc.

Prima Careers

Challenger Gray & Christmas Inc.

The Career Insight Group

Frederickson Partners

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Table of Content

Executive Summary

Market Insights

Category Pricing Insights

Cost-saving Opportunities

Best Practices

Category Ecosystem

Category Management Strategy

Category Management Enablers

Suppliers Selection

Suppliers under Coverage

US Market Insights

Category scope

Appendix

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SpendEdge shares your passion for driving sourcing and procurement excellence. We are the preferred procurement market intelligence partner for 120+ Fortune 500 firms and other leading companies across numerous industries. Our strength lies in delivering robust, real-time procurement market intelligence reports and solutions.

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Lets assume that your rich Uncle Harry died and when his will was read, he had left you $50,000.

The unexpected inheritance gives you three choices. You could put the money into a savings account or investment and have it available should you need it in the future. You could use it for a one-time purchase such as a new car, college tuition or a down payment on a house. Or you could ramp up your lifestyle by $50K a year and hope that Harrys brother George dies and leaves you enough money to continue the party.

Something like that is occurring now as Uncle Joe (Biden) sends out nearly $2 trillion in stimulus payments both to low- and moderate-income families and state and local government entities to offset losses of income during the COVID-19 pandemic and, its assumed, kick-start the pandemic-ravaged economy.

California will be a case study in how the massive transfer of money that the federal government is borrowing from buyers of its bonds and Treasury notes plays out.

California is expected to receive the nations largest single share of the pot, at least $150 billion. Nearly half will be in the form of cash payments to families ($40 billion) and supplemental payments to the roughly 800,000 unemployed workers now drawing unemployment insurance benefits ($30 billion). Most of that money, its assumed, will go directly into the consumer economy, plus another $3.8 billion for direct assistance on rent, food and other necessities.

The remainder of the $150 billion will mostly go to state and local agencies as both unrestricted revenue and money for specific purposes, such as $15.9 billion to help schools reopen, $5 billion for colleges, $4 billion for mass transit services, and $3.9 billion for child care.

Throughout California, officials in the specific government agencies that will benefit from Uncle Joes largesse are busily deciding how to spend it  and they face the same three choices as Uncle Harrys beneficiaries would.

The political pressure to spend it on new commitments will be immense. Advocates of specific programs, such as those seeking universal pre-kindergarten education and child care, will want to expand their reach. Public employee unions will seek increases in salaries and benefits.

Elected political figures dont like to say no to demands for immediate gratification and few have the courage to insist that one-time windfalls should be carefully husbanded rather than spent.

Theres already a mini-version of the syndrome underway in California. The state has perhaps $15 billion in unexpected revenues because the pandemic-induced recession had little, if any, impact on high-income taxpayers and Gov. Gavin Newsom is under pressure to spend the windfall on program expansions, even though the state faces projected budget deficits in following years.

The problem, of course, is spending windfall money on new commitments, such as salaries, benefits and program expansions, backfires when the money is gone. Those commitments morph into entitlements and their beneficiaries then demand that politicians generate new income streams to pay for them.

Theres already a debate underway in Washington over how much of the stimulus spending will become permanent and whether the federal government should continue borrowing to pay for it, or raise taxes.

Left-leaning Democrats in both Washington and Sacramento are floating new tax proposals, such as a wealth tax on those sitting atop the economic ladder.

Newsom simultaneously embraces, in principle, big expansions of entitlements, such as universal pre-kindergarten and single-payer health care, while warning that he wont embrace new taxes, apparently fearing they would chase away the high-income taxpayers who supply a huge portion of the states revenues.

Dan Walters writes this column for CalMatters, a public interest journalism venture committed to explaining how Californias state Capitol works and why it matters.
RANCHO CUCAMONGA, Calif., March 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Inland Empire Health Plan (IEHP) and SAC Health System (SACHS) joined forces to provide a COVID-19 vaccine clinic to eligible residents at St. Paul African Methodist Episcopal Church (St. Paul AME) in San Bernardino, Calif., on March 14.

Through the collaboration between SACHS, IEHP and St. Paul African Methodist Episcopal Church, 322 vaccines were administered and more than 300 bags of groceries were distributed at the pop-up clinic on March 14.

Through the collaboration, 322 vaccines were administered by SACHS and more than 300 bags of groceries were distributed by IEHP. "We are super grateful for the IEHP partnership," said Dr. Jason Lohr, chief executive officer at SACHS. "When a health plan and healthcare provider come together to focus on community health needs, anything is possible."

Attendees were alerted of the vaccine clinic through St. Paul AME and their partnership with six other Inland Empire churches who were each allocated 50 vaccines spots.

"Without this collaboration, our congregation and community would've continued to suffer from the effects of COVID and the lack of access to the vaccine and healthcare," said St. Paul AME's Reverend Shephard. "We're looking forward to keeping this partnership going (beyond the shot clinic) and expanding the efforts into other cities within San Bernardino County to bring equity and accessibility to healthcare in underserved communities."

IEHP also mobilized their employees to volunteer in assisting with clinic set up, vaccine administration and grocery distribution. "We are a community-based health plan and we're deeply committed to whatever it takes to bring needed resources to those who need it most," said Dr. Karen Hansberger, chief medical officer at IEHP. "Last year it was groceries and COVID-19 testing. Right now, it's the vaccine. With great partners like SACHS and our Black community leaders, we were able to make this pop-up clinic happen."

The health plan is working to ensure continued collaborations with partners and local community organizations like St. Paul AME to bring vaccines to residents. In addition, IEHP also plans to continue serving San Bernardino County as a vaccine supersite by hosting an appointment only clinic in their Rancho Cucamonga headquarters until late summeror longer, if needed.

"Serving our communities in this way is our greatest honor," said Jarrod McNaughton, IEHP chief executive officer. "Whether it's handing out groceries, adjusting policies in care or staffing a vaccine clinic, we're grateful to be a part of the reminder that better, healthier days lie ahead for us all."

For more information on COVID-19 vaccines and for distribution details, San Bernardino County Residents can visit, sbcovid19.com/vaccine/. Riverside County residents should visit rivcoph.org/COVID-19-Vaccine.

About IEHP

IEHP, Inland Empire Health Plan, is one of the top 10 largest Medicaid health plans and the largest not-for-profit Medicare-Medicaid plan in the country. With a network of more than 6,400 Providers and more than 2,000 employees, IEHP serves more than 1.3 million residents in Riverside and San Bernardino counties who are enrolled in Medicaid or Cal MediConnect Plan (Medicare-Medicaid Plan). Through a dynamic partnership with Providers and Community, award-winning service and innovative products, IEHP is fully committed to advocating for our Members and providing them with quality, accessible and wellness-based health care services. For more information, visit iehp.org.

SOURCE Inland Empire Health Plan (IEHP)

Related Links

http://www.iehp.org


It is a privilege to be part of an organization that delivers high quality services and innovative solutions to their partners

Velosio, a technology partner specializing in business management solutions for small and medium-sized companies and larger enterprises, today announced that Jeff Edwards is joining the organization as Senior Vice President, Channels to lead its Microsoft Indirect CSP Business, Stratos Cloud Alliance.

Edwards brings over 30 years experience working within the partner ecosystem, developing technology products, programs, and channels from concept to implementation. Prior to joining Velosio, Edwards was Vice President, Global Channels at Financial Force where he had responsibility for leading the global channel business. Additionally, Jeff brings 17 years experience with Microsoft where he was responsible for setting strategy and supporting marketing, training, incentives, and branding programs for $1B+ Microsoft Dynamics partner channel. Edwards previous experience includes General Electric and Compaq Computer. Edwards holds a BS in Marketing and International Business from the University of Texas and a Microsoft Business Leadership Certificate from the Wharton School.

We are fortunate to have someone of Jeffs caliber and experience to lead our Indirect Business, said Joe Longo, Velosio President and CEO. With Stratos Cloud Alliances growth plans, we are excited to have both an industry veteran and a long-time supporter of our company joining our leadership team. Edwards has a proven track record of execution, is partner focused, and has deep leadership capabilities. Furthermore, with his years at Microsoft, Edwards has a solid understanding of our products and partners.

I am thrilled to be joining Velosio, a company with which I have collaborated deeply and admired during my time at Microsoft. The Indirect CSP program from Microsoft and the Stratus Cloud Alliance provide an unparalleled opportunity for partner growth, said Edwards. Im looking forward to developing and executing the strategy that drives continued growth for Velosio through Stratos Cloud Alliance.

About Stratos Cloud Alliance

Stratos Cloud Alliance (SCA) is a Microsoft Cloud Solution Provider (CSP) with deep specialization in Dynamics 365 business solutions to support Indirect CSP Resellers Microsoft Cloud initiatives. SCA provides all the sales support, enablement, and services a partner needs to build a profitable cloud solutions business with Microsoft Dynamics 365. With over 33 years experience implementing Dynamics business management solutions, SCA offers partners a comprehensive portfolio of Microsoft Cloud Business and Productivity Solutions, ISV Products and Tools, Customer Services, and flexible Partner Programs supporting transformation at the pace and investment level that is right for you. SCA is a Microsoft certified ISV Development Center and holds over a dozen Microsoft Gold Competencies providing the know-how and experience partners want in an Indirect CSP Provider to support their business. http://www.dynamics365partner.com

About Velosio

Velosio is a leader in deploying business applications through the cloud and delivering unparalleled client experiences. One of the largest Microsoft partners in North America, Velosio supports the entire Microsoft Dynamics portfolio, Microsoft 365 family and Azure services. The solutions portfolio includes ERP, CRM, Productivity, Business Intelligence and Power Platform, and extends to NetSuite and Sage. Velosio is the only Microsoft Cloud Distributor that specializes in Dynamics 365 and is a prominent Microsoft Master VAR. Headquartered in Columbus, Ohio, Velosio serves over 4,000 clients from more than 40 offices in the US and Canada.
The relationship between the United Arab Emirates and Marbella is historical and very close - something that has been reinforced since the beginning of the coronavirus crisis.

In the latest gesture the government of the United Arab Emirates has made a huge donation of more than 12.5 tonnes of Covid-19 personal protection equipment that will enable the town hall to distribute 900,000 masks among residents, vulnerable groups, schools and care homes.

The mayor, Angeles Munoz, has seen the donated items for herself in a storage warehouse and said that the items "will once again be distributed free of charge to residents, vulnerable groups and those who continue to work on the front line to put a stop to this pandemic", as was done with the previous donation of 18 tonnes in May of last year.

She explained that the first delivery to residents will consist of the distribution of 350,000 masks to all those over 60 years registered in the municipality.

"To distribute the new shipment we are going to follow the same criteria as the previous time," Munoz said while pointing out, "We will make kits of ten masks and send them to the homes of each of the 35,000 people older than 60 who are registered in our town."

The donation also includes PPE gloves and aprons that, the mayor said, will be used by "the operational services of the town to ensure the safety of our own personnel."

"Both they and other essential sectors such as public transport, taxi, social groups and those who are on the front line during this pandemic will also have the possibility of obtaining both masks and gloves," added Munoz, who was accompanied by Enrique Rodriguez, the councillor for Health.

"This is one more example of the close relationship that the United Arab Emirates has with Marbella.
Long live the Green Goblin.

Former Philadelphia Eagles defensive back Jalen Mills says hes bringing his signature green hair with him to the New England Patriots. Per WIP:

Yeah, so I talked to Bill (Belichick), met with Bill  also met with Mr. Kraft  you know, great guys, Mills said. And they just tell me, be myself, because thats why they brought me here. They know the type of player I am and they just told me to be myself.

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Mills expanded on his plans during an appearance on the Takeoff with John Clark podcast.

Its to the point where there are Jalen Mills fans, there are Green Goblin fans out there, where I had people who were either writing in my comments or trying to reach out in DMs and different things like that, and saying they were Philly fans for however long but they were also Jalen Mills, Green Goblin fans. And now theyre going to be cheering for me in New England and some even saying theyre going to convert over to Patriots fans now, so I think with that I have to show also that loyalty to those fans who actually sit there and watch me play.

Mills left the Eagles last week, signing a four-year, $24 million contract with the Patriots. The deal contains $9 million in guaranteed money, according to ESPNs Adam Schefter.

The massive deal is a huge payoff for Mills, who re-signed with the Eagles last year on a one-year prove it contract and switched from cornerback to safety.

The Eagles brought Mills into the league as a seventh-round pick in 2016. He was a full-time starter during his final four seasons in Philadelphia.

(NJ Advance Medias Mike Kaye contributed to this report.)

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Mike Rosenstein may be reached at mrosenstein@njadvancemedia.com. Tell us your coronavirus story or send a tip here.
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Europe risks losing its second tourist season this summer as vaccine paralysis collides with an exploding third wave of COVID-19, pushing the Club Med bloc into deeper economic crisis and debt distress.

Morgan Stanley has warned that Spains battered economy could face another year of contraction under its severe bear case, defined as failure to lift the jab-rate above the current glacial pace. This would cause the number of overnight stays in hotels to remain even lower than recorded during the dire summer of 2020.

Europes tourist-dependent economies are bracing for another difficult year. Credit:AP

France, Italy, Portugal and Greece would fare slightly better under this scenario but they would nevertheless struggle to eke out more than minimal growth, leaving them trailing badly as northern Europe surges back to pre-pandemic levels.

Under its moderate downside scenario, where the jab-rate doubles over the next quarter, there would be some reopening during the summer but business would be no better than last year. Although southern Europe would muddle through, it would be denied a V-shaped recovery.
The First Reformed Church of New Brunswick will be hosting its annual spring Downtown Lunchtime recital series online this year, starting 12:15 p.m. Wednesday, March 24, with a Womans History Month program performed by cellist Wan-Yi Pan and pianist Tatyana Kebuladze. The free concert will focus on works by women composers.

The series will continue April 7 with the Istanbul Trio; April 21 with Carlos Vasquez and Monaghan; and May 5 with the Chamber Brass of New Brunswick.

The recitals will be viewable on the churchs YouTube page or at firstreformedchurch.net.

Send community news to community@njtimes.com

Send event information to events@starledger.com


New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern says her country is not yet ready to open a travel bubble with Australia, even though the Australian government has lifted travel restrictions to New Zealand.

On Sunday evening Australia amended its Biosecurity Act allowing people who have been in Australia for at least 14 days to go to New Zealand without having to apply for an exemption to leave the country.

NZ Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern. Credit:Getty Images

But at a highly anticipated media conference on Monday, Ardern said although quarantine-free travel with Australia was a key opportunity and a priority for her country, her government had to proceed with caution.

We know what it would mean for people but we also know that many New Zealanders are nervous, she said.
- ironSource, a leading business platform that enables mobile content creators to prosper within the app economy, will combine with Thoma Bravo Advantage at an implied pro forma equity value of approximately $11.1 billion - ironSource recorded 2020 revenue and adjusted EBITDA of $332 million and $104 million, respectively, growing revenue at 83% year over year. With ironSource's core addressable market projected to grow to as much as $41 billion by 2025, the combination with Thoma Bravo Advantage creates a public company positioned for significant long-term growth and value creation - Transaction is expected to provide up to $2.3 billion in cash proceeds (a portion of which will be used for purchases from ironSource equity holders), including an oversubscribed PIPE of $1.3 billion and $1 billion of cash held in the trust account of Thoma Bravo Advantage, assuming no redemptions by public shareholders - After giving effect to the transaction (and assuming no redemptions by public shareholders), the company is expected to have approximately $740 million of unrestricted cash - An affiliate of Thoma Bravo, L.P.A has committed $300 million to the PIPE; Orlando Bravo will join ironSource's Board of Directors at transaction closing - Top-tier investors anchoring the PIPE include funds and accounts managed by Tiger Global Management, LLC, Counterpoint Global (Morgan Stanley), Nuveen, LLC, Hedosophia, Wellington Management, The Baupost Group, and certain funds managed by Fidelity Investments Canada ULC TEL AVIV, Israel, and SAN FRANCISCO, March 21, 2021 /PRNewswire/ --A ironSource, a leading business platform for the app economy, has entered into a definitive agreement to merge with Thoma Bravo Advantage (NYSE: TBA) ("TBA"), a publicly-traded special purpose acquisition company, to bring to the public markets a highly-profitable and scalable business that provides a comprehensive business platform for app developers. The transaction values ironSource at a pro forma equity value of $11.1 billion, and is supported by a $1.3 billion oversubscribed Class A ordinary share PIPE led by an affiliate of Thoma Bravo, L.P. ("Thoma Bravo"), as well as investments from Tiger Global Management, LLC, Counterpoint Global (Morgan Stanley), Nuveen, LLC, Hedosophia, Wellington Management, The Baupost Group, and certain funds managed ! by Fideli ty Investments Canada ULC and other institutional investors. Upon closing of the transaction, the combined company will operate under the ironSource name. ironSource provides the most comprehensive business platform for the app economy. The platform is designed to enable any app or game developer to turn their app into a scalable, successful business by helping them to monetize and analyze their app and grow and engage their users through multiple channels, including unique on-device distribution through partnerships with leading telecom operators and OEMs such as Orange and Samsung. In 2020, ironSource grew revenue 83% year-over-year to $332 million, with 94% from 291 customers with more than $100,000 of annual revenue, a dollar-based net expansion rate of 149%, and adjusted EBITDA mar! gins of 3 1%. The company serves over 2.3 billion monthly active users across its global customer base. As a public company, ironSource is expected to benefit from the financial and operational support of Thoma Bravo a one of the most experienced and successful software investors in the world. With a track record of over 300 software investments, Thoma Bravo can provide ironSource with unparalleled industry expertise and a global network. "Joining forces with Thoma Bravo Advantage to bring ironSource to the public markets presents an opportunity to partner with the world's leading software investor to achieve the next level of growth," said Tomer Bar Zeev, CEO and co-founder of ironSource. "Despite our previous progress pursuing a traditional IPO, when we met with Thoma Bravo Advantage we found an alignment of vision and shared conviction about the long-term growth we can drive at ironSource that made them the perfect partner as we take this next step in growing our company, and the market as a whole." "As one of the fastest-growing and most innovative platforms for building and scaling businesses in the app economy, ironSource is well-positioned for continued success as a public company," said Orlando Bravo, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Thoma Bravo Advantage, as well as a founder and managing partner of Thoma Bravo. "With a full suite of solutions across the app growth life cycle a and a unique combination of scale, business growth, and profitability a we expect ironSource to further its market leadership position as a public company. We look forward to partnering closely with Tomer and the talented ironSource team in this exciting next chapter for the company." "ironSource is a one-of-a-kind software company that combines an innovative, high-growth franchise with a deeply experienced management team that has a track record of success in a rapidly expanding market," said Robert (Tre) Sayle, CEO of Thoma Bravo Advantage, as well as a partner at Thoma Bravo. "We are thrilled to be partnering with ironSource as it enters the public markets and to be able to provide Thoma Bravo's deep software expertise and financial support to the company as it continues its growth journey." Company Overview The app economy is one of the fastest-growing markets today, with millions of apps available to billions of users who spend 83% of their time on mobile devices inside apps. Within the app economy, games are the leading category of apps, accounting for the majority of apps in the Apple App Store in 2020 according to Statista, and ironSource has established a strong leadership position within this category, focusingA its product development and innovation on building core infrastructure serving mobile game developers. ironSource powers the business growth of 87% of the top 100 games, and has been ranked multiple times as one of the top 3 platforms for driving both quality and scaled user growth by leading industry indexes. In addition, 14 of the 19 games published through the ironSource platform were ranked in the top 10 most downloaded games on either the Apple App Store or Google Play Store over the course of 2020, and one of them a Join Clash a was the most downloaded game in the world in February 2021. "Our solutions cover the entire game growth cycle, from growing your user base, to generating revenue to reinvest in growth, and then analyzing and optimizing the entire cycle to drive profitability," said Omer Kaplan, CRO and co-founder of ironSource. "Using our platform, game developers are able to unlock a flywheel of continuous growth, and since our business model is aligned with our customer's success, as they grow, we do too. While this cycle is most often leveraged by mobile games, it's easily transferable to apps outside of gaming, and today 16% of our customers with more than $100,000 of annual revenue are already from industries beyond games." The ironSource platform is made up of two solution suites, ironSource Sonic ("Sonic") and ironSource Aura ("Aura"). The Sonic solution suite supports developers as they launch, monetize, and scale their apps and games. The Aura solution suite allows telecom operators to enrich the device experience by creating new engagement touchpoints that deliver relevant content for their users across the entire lifecycle of the device. This creates a unique on-device distribution channel for developers to promote their apps as an integral part of the device experience. "The Aura solution suite represents a unique value-add for developers, allowing them to get their apps discovered on millions of devices worldwide," said Arnon Harish, President and co-founder of ironSource. "Equally important, however, is our ability to help telecom operators with digital transformation, enabling them to engage their users throughout the lifecycle of the device. By leveraging ironSource's core capabilities around content monetization and user engagement, we were able to quickly build and deploy a solution suite for telecom operators that allows them to more fully participate in the app economy." The combination of these two solution suites serves to differentiate the ironSource platform, making it the most comprehensive app business platform in the market and underpinning its market leadership. That market leadership makes ironSource the de facto choice for customers looking to grow their app, and the breadth of its solutions means developers of all sizes and at all stages of growth have a way to leverage the platform. Once a developer starts working with ironSource, they typically expand their use to multiple solutions within the platform, driving a high dollar-based net expansion rate and gross customer retention rate. "This is a very proud moment for us at Viola and for me personally. A company where we were the first investors thrives and goes public as one of the largest public tech companies in Israeli history," said Shlomo Dovrat, co-founder of Viola Ventures and board member at ironSource. "We look forward to continuing to work with the amazing founding team of ironSource on their incredible journey." "We invested in ironSource in 2019 because we saw a unique opportunity to partner with a founder-led company that not only operated in an exciting market, but had already achieved impressive, profitable growth and industry leadership," said Daniel Pindur, Partner at CVC Capital Partners. "It's been amazing to be part of ironSource's journey so far, and incredibly rewarding to see the company enter its next chapter of growth," added Sebastian Kuenne, Managing Director and Head of CVC Growth Partners in Europe. Transaction Overview Thoma Bravo Advantage has agreed to combine with ironSource based on a $11.1 billion pro forma equity valuation and the transaction is supported by a $1.3 billion oversubscribed Class A ordinary share PIPE led by a $300 million investment by an affiliate of Thoma Bravo, as well as investments from Tiger Global Management, LLC, Counterpoint Global (Morgan Stanley), Nuveen, LLC, Hedosophia, Wellington Management, The Baupost Group, and certain funds managed by Fidelity Investments Canada ULC and other institutional investors. The transaction, which has been unanimously approved by the Boards of Directors of ironSource and Thoma Bravo Advantage, is expected to close in the second quarter of 2021, subject to customary closing conditions, including approval by Thoma Bravo Advantage's shareholders. Shares issued to the sponsor of Thoma Bravo Advantage will be subject to a 12-month lock-up with limited releases based on the trading price of the shares following the 150th day after the closing of the transaction; nearly all of ironSource's shareholders will be subject to a 6-month lock-up after the closing of the transaction, subject to the same early release applicable to Thoma Bravo Advantage. Following the closing of the transaction, ironSource will have a dual class equity structure whereby current shareholders of ironSource will own Class B ordinary shares with five votes per share and holders of Class A ordinary shares, including Thoma Bravo Advantage's shareholders, will have one vote per share. After giving effect to the transaction and assuming no redemptions by the Thoma Bravo Advantage shareholders, the company is expected to have approximately $740 million of unrestricted cash. Total consideration to ironSource shareholders will be $10 billion, which is expected to be comprised of $1.5 billion in cash consideration and a majority of the shares of the combined company. Upon completion of the transaction, the combined company will retain the ironSource Ltd. name. Advisors Goldman Sachs & Co. LLC, Jefferies LLC and Citigroup Global Markets Inc. are serving as financial advisors to ironSource, and Latham & Watkins LLP and Meitar | Law Offices are serving as legal advisors to ironSource. Kirkland & Ellis LLP, Goldfarb Seligman & Co. and Cadwalader, Wickersham & Taft LLP are acting as legal advisors to Thoma Bravo Advantage. Goldman Sachs & Co. LLC, Citigroup Global Markets Inc. and Jefferies LLC acted as PIPE placement agents. Investor Conference Call For those investors that wish to listen to an investor presentation and webcast hosted by management of ironSource and Thoma Bravo Advantage discussing the business and the proposed transaction, please register here www.is.com/investors. A link to a brief investor audio call hosted by management of ironSource and Thoma Bravo Advantage discussing the business and the proposed transaction can be found on ironSource's investor website at www.is.com/investors. The investor presentation is being filed by ironSource and Thoma Bravo Advantage with the Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC") and will be available on the company's investor relations website and on the SEC's website at www.sec.gov.A About ironSource ironSource is a leading business platform that enables mobile content creators to prosper within the app economy. App developers use ironSource's platform to turn their apps into successful, scalable businesses, leveraging a comprehensive set of software solutions which help them grow and engage users, monetize content, and analyze and optimize business performance to drive more overall growth. The ironSource platform also empowers telecom operators to create a richer device experience, incorporating relevant app and service recommendations to engage users throughout the lifecycle of the device. By providing a comprehensive business platform for the core constituents of the app economy, ironSource allows customers to focus on what they do best, creating great apps and user experiences, while we enable their business expansion in the app economy. For more information please visit www.is.com About Thoma Bravo Advantage Thoma Bravo Advantage is a blank check company incorporated as a Cayman Islands exempted company for the purposes of effecting a merger, share exchange, asset acquisition, share purchase, reorganization or similar business combination with one or more businesses or entities. Its Class A ordinary shares are listed on the New York Stock Exchange (the "NYSE") under the symbol "TBA." Thoma Bravo Advantage is sponsored by Thoma Bravo Advantage Sponsor LLC, which was formed by individuals affiliated withA Thoma Bravo, a leading private equity firm focused on the software and technology-enabled software services sector. Thoma Bravo Advantage was formed for the purpose of executing a business combination in the software industry. Additional Information and Where to Find ItA A A A A A A A A A This press release relates to a proposed transaction between ironSource and Thoma Bravo Advantage.a This press release does not constitute (i) solicitation of a proxy, consent or authorization with respect to any securities or in respect of the proposed transaction or (ii) an offer to sell or exchange, or the solicitation of an offer to buy or exchange, any security of Thoma Bravo Advantage, ironSource, or any of their respective affiliates, nor shall there be any sale of securities in any jurisdiction in which such offer, sale or exchange would be unlawful prior to registration or qualification under the securities laws of any such jurisdiction. In connection with the proposed transaction, ironSource intends to file a registration statement on Form F-4 with the SEC, which will include a proxy statement of Thoma Bravo Advantage in connection with Thoma Bravo Advantage's solicitation of proxies for the vote by Thoma Bravo Advantage's shareholders with respect to the proposed transaction and a prospectus of ironSource. Thoma Bravo Advantage also will file other documents regarding the proposed transaction with the SEC. This communication does not contain all the information that should be considered concerning the proposed transaction and is not intended to form the basis of any investment decision or any other decision in respect of the proposed transaction.aBefore making any voting or investment decision, investors and security holders are urged to read the registration statement, the proxy statement/prospectus and all other relevant documents filed or that will be filed with the SEC in connection with the proposed transaction as they become available because they will contain important information about the proposed transaction. Investors and security holders will be able to obtain free copies of the registration statement, proxy statement/prospectus and all other relevant documents filed or that will be filed with the SEC byA ironSource and Thoma Bravo Advantage through the website maintained by the SEC at www.sec.gov. In addition, the documents filed byA ironSourceA may be obtained free of charge fromA ironSource'sA website at http://www.is.com or by written request toA ironSourceA atA ironSource Ltd., Derech Menachem Begin 121, Tel Aviv-Yafo, Israel, and the documents filed by Thoma Bravo Advantage may be obtained free of charge from Thoma Bravo Advantage's website at http://www.thomabravoadvantage.com or by written request to Thoma Bravo Advantage, 150 N. Riverside Plaza, Suite 2800, Chicago, Illinois 60606. Participants in Solicitation ironSource and Thoma Bravo and their respective directors and executive officers may be deemed to be participants in the solicitation of proxies from Thoma Bravo's shareholders in connection with the proposed transaction. Additional information regarding the interests of those persons and other persons who may be deemed participants in the proposed transaction may be obtained by reading the proxy statement/prospectus regarding the proposed transaction. You may obtain free copies of these documents as described in the preceding paragraph. Forward-Looking Statements This communication contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the federal securities laws with respect to the proposed transaction between Thoma Bravo Advantage ("TBA") and ironSource Ltd. ("ironSource"). All statements other than statements of historical facts contained in this communication, including statements regarding ironSource's, TBA's or the combined company's future financial position, business strategy and plans and objectives of management for future operations, are forward-looking statements. In some cases, you can identify forward-looking statements by terminology such as "may," "will," "should," "expects," "plans," "anticipates," "could," "intends," "targets," "projects," "contemplates," "believes," "estimates," "predicts," "potential" or "continue" or the negative of these terms or other similar expressions. Forward-looking statements include, without limitation, ironSource's or TBA's expectations concerning the outlook for their or the comb! ined comp any's business, productivity, plans and goals for future operational improvements and capital investments, operational performance, future market conditions or economic performance and developments in the capital and credit markets and expected future financial performance, as well as any information concerning possible or assumed future results of operations of the combined company. Forward-looking statements also include statements regarding the expected benefits of the proposed transaction between ironSource and TBA. Forward-looking statements involve a number of risks, uncertainties and assumptions, and actual results or events may differ materially from those projected or implied in those statements. Important factors that could cause such differences include, but are not limited to: (i) the risk that the transaction may not be completed in a timely manner or at all, which may adversely affect the price of TBA's securities; (ii) the failure to satisfy the conditions to the consummation of the proposed transaction, including the adoption of the merger agreement by the shareholders of TBA and ironSource, the satisfaction of the minimum trust account amount following redemptions by TBA's public shareholders and the receipt of certain governmental and regulatory approvals; (iii) the lack of a third party valuation in determining whether to pursue the proposed transaction; (iv) the occurrence of any event, change or other circumstance that could give rise to the termination of the merger! agreemen t; (v) the effect of the announcement or pendency of the transaction on ironSource's business relationships, performance, and business generally; (vi) risks that the proposed transaction disrupts current plans of ironSource and potential difficulties in ironSource employee retention as a result of the proposed transaction; (vii) the outcome of any legal proceedings that may be instituted against ironSource or against TBA related to the merger agreement or the proposed transaction; (vii) the ability of ironSource to list its ordinary shares on the New York Stock Exchange; (ix) volatility in the price of the combined company's securities due to a variety of factors, including changes in the competitive industry in which ironSource operates, variations in performance across competitors, changes in laws and regulations affecting ironSource's business and changes in the combined capital structure; (x) the ability to implement business plans, forecasts, and other expectations aft! er the co mpletion of the proposed transaction, and to identify and realize additional opportunities; (xi) ironSource's markets are rapidly evolving and may decline or experience limited growth; (xii) ironSource's reliance on operating system providers and app stores to support its platform; (xiii) ironSource's ability to compete effectively in the markets in which it operates; (xiv) ironSource's quarterly results of operations may fluctuate for a variety of reasons; (xv) failure to maintain and enhance the ironSource brand; (xvi) ironSource's dependence on its ability to retain and expand its existing customer relationships and attract new customers; (xvii) ironSource's reliance on its customers that contribute more than $100,000 of annual revenue; (xviii) ironSource's ability to successfully and efficiently manage its current and potential future growth; (xix) ironSource's dependence upon the continued growth of the app economy and the increased usage ! of smartp hones, tablets and other connected devices; (xx) ironSource's dependence upon the success of the gaming and mobile app ecosystem and the risks generally associated with the gaming industry; (xxi) ironSource's, and ironSource's competitors', ability to detect or prevent fraud on its platforms; (xxii) failure to prevent security breaches or unauthorized access to ironSource's or its third-party service providers data; (xxiii) the global scope of ironSource's operations, which are subject to laws and regulations worldwide, many of which are unsettled and still developing; (xxiv) the rapidly changing and increasingly stringent laws, contractual obligations and industry standards relating to privacy, data protection, data security and the protection of children; and (xxv) the effects of health epidemics, including the COVID-19 pandemic. ironSource and TBA caution you against placing undue reliance on forward-looking statements, which reflect current beliefs and are based on information currently available as of the date a forward-looking statement is made. Forward-looking statements set forth herein speak only as of the date of this communication. Neither ironSource nor TBA undertakes any obligation to revise forward-looking statements to reflect future events, changes in circumstances, or changes in beliefs. In the event that any forward-looking statement is updated, no inference should be made that ironSource or TBA will make additional updates with respect to that statement, related matters, or any other forward-looking statements. Any corrections or revisions and other important assumptions and factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from forward-looking statements, including discussions of significant risk factors, may appear, up to the consummation of the proposed transaction, ! in TBA's public filings with the SEC or, upon and following the consummation of the proposed transaction, in ironSource's public filings with the SEC, which are or will be (as appropriate) accessible at www.sec.gov, and which you are advised to consult. Market, ranking and industry data used throughout this communication, including statements regarding market size and technology adoption rates, is based on the good faith estimates of ironSource's management, which in turn are based upon ironSource's management's review of internal surveys, independent industry surveys and publications, including reports by Altman Solon, App Annie, AppsFlyer, Apptopia, eMarketer, Newzoo, Omdia and Sensor Tower and other third party research and publicly available information. These data involve a number of assumptions and limitations, and you are cautioned not to give undue weight to such estimates. While ironSource is not aware of any misstatements regarding the industry data presented herein, its estimates involve risks and uncertainties and are subject to change based on various factors, including those discussed above. Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1470389/Thoma_Bravo__Logo.jpgA

Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1470390/ironSource__Logo.jpg
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Colorado Grocery Store Shooting Leaves 10 Dead The police said a suspect was in custody and that the victims included a police officer. Follow our latest coverage of the shooting in Boulder here.

A suspect was in custody and was injured during the shooting, the police said. Video transcript Back bars 0:00 / 1:08 - 0:00 transcript Heart Goes Out to the Victims: Boulder Police Dept. Gives an Update Multiple people, including a police officer, were killed on Monday at a supermarket in Boulder, Colo. The authorities said they had a person of interest in custody. We know of 10 fatalities at the scene, including one of our Boulder P.D. officers by the name of Eric Talley. My heart goes out to the victims of this incident. And Im grateful for the police officers that responded, and I am so sorry about the loss of Officer Talley. And again, we will be here working night and day. We have one suspect in custody. I want to reassure the community that they are safe, and that we will try to do our best over the next few hours to identify the victims. Multiple people, including a police officer, were killed on Monday at a supermarket in Boulder, Colo. The authorities said they had a person of interest in custody. Credit Credit... Eliza Earle for The New York Times BOULDER, Colo.  A gunman opened fire at a grocery store in Boulder, Colo., on Monday afternoon, killing 10 people, including a police officer, the authorities in Boulder said. The police said that they had taken a suspect into custody after the shooting. That person was injured, the authorities said. Videos showed a handcuffed man being escorted from the building by officers, shirtless and with his right leg appearing to be covered in blood. People inside the grocery, King Soopers, described a harrowing and chaotic scene inside the store. I thought I was going to die, said Alex Arellano, 35, who was working in the meat department at King Soopers, in the South Boulder area, when he heard a series of gunshots, then saw people running toward an exit near his department. The authorities identified the officer who died as Eric Talley, a 51-year-old who joined the department in 2010. Officer Talley was the first to respond to the scene when reports of a gunman came in, the police said. Image Officer Eric Talley Credit... via Boulder Police Department He was, by all accounts, one of the outstanding officers at the Boulder Police Department and his life was cut far too short, said the Boulder County district attorney, Michael Dougherty. Dean Schiller, who posted a live video from the scene shortly after the shooting began, said he heard about a dozen shots and saw three people who appeared to be wounded  two in the parking lot and one inside the supermarket. As officers secured the building, more than a dozen people were led out of the supermarket, a King Soopers in a residential area a couple of miles south of the campus of the University of Colorado. The grocery store usually draws a mix of families and college students. In Mr. Schillers video, gunshots could be heard coming from inside the store, with officers gathering at the entrance. Over a loudspeaker, police officers called to the scene could be heard saying, The entire building is surrounded, you need to surrender. Come out with your hands up, the officers said. Dozens of police officers and dozens of vehicles descended on the scene. Newlyweds Quinlyn and Neven Sloan, both 21, had stopped into the store to pick up supplies for beef stroganoff when they heard the shooting. Ms. Sloan, a student at the University of Colorado, Boulder, said that at first she didnt know what the noise was. The couple had split up in the store  he was in produce, she said, and she was standing in front of the dairy case  when customers began running. It was muffled at first, she said, and I thought maybe someone had dropped something, but then it went again, probably about 15 to 20 shots, really fast. My husband came up and shoved me out the door, and yelled, Call 911! Then he ran back in to make sure a couple of older ladies who were in the aisles got out OK. Sprinting across the parking lot, she said, she took cover behind a building, to be joined minutes later by her husband. Only then, she added, did they look down and realize that, because they hadnt bothered to use a cart, they had fled with their arms full of the meat, noodles and sherry they had intended to buy. These were people going about their day, doing their food shopping, and their lives were cut abruptly and tragically short, Mr. Dougherty said. I promise the victims and the people of the state of Colorado that we will secure justice. Bryan Pietsch, Will Wright, Neil Vigdor, Erik Vance and

The shots are getting closer. Witnesses recounted moments of terror, inside and outside the store. Tactical police units responded to the scene after a shooting at a King Soopers grocery store in Boulder, Colo., on Monday. Credit... Theo Stroomer for The New York Times Alex Arellano, 35, was working in the meat department at King Soopers when he heard a series of gunshots, and then saw people running toward an exit near his department. The shots are getting closer, he recalled. Im thinking of my parents, and I was freaking out. For a while, Mr. Arellano said he and two other men hid in the department. He did not see the assailant but could hear the gunfire. We were scared cause, you know, theres entry points where that individual could show up, he said. I thought I was going to die. Mr. Arellano and the other men eventually escaped through an exit in the back of the building, he said. Sarah Moonshadow was at the checkout with her son, when she, too, heard shots fired. We ducked and I just started counting in between shots, and by the fourth shot I told my son, we have to run, she said. As they were running, two shots were fired in their direction, she said. When they made it outside, they saw a body lying in the road. I can tell that he wasnt moving, she said. And so, Im pretty sure he was gone. And I just broke down across the street. I just couldnt believe we were able to make it across. Ms. Moonshadow moved back to Boulder, her hometown, from Denver after she became concerned about Denver becoming unsafe. This isnt how Boulder is, you know, she said. This isnt what happens here. Taylor Shaver, who works at Art Cleaners, a dry cleaning and laundry business near the supermarket, said that she heard at least 10 gunshots and saw people running from the grocery store. Im in the bathroom hiding, Ms. Shaver said. I heard this loud boom. I instantly knew. There was a ton of shots. My stomach dropped. Ms. Shaver, 18, added that it was particularly unnerving because it was her first day working alone at the dry cleaning business. She said she had left the bathroom to see what was going outside the business. Oh my gosh, you can see all these people walking with their hands up, she said. Ive never seen this many police officers in my life. Jordan Crumby, a student at the University of Colorado at Boulder, was about to get a tattoo with the word warning on her hip at Auspicious Tattoo, a shop across from the grocery store, when the shooting began. Ms. Crumby, 31, said she stepped outside to record a video of the scene for her Instagram feed, when the police waved her away. Officers with tactical gear and rifles could be seen swarming the shopping center. People from the grocery store, she said, were being evacuated. They had their hands over their heads and theyre getting escorted out, she said. I said, We should probably go inside. Kevin Daly, who owns a restaurant and brewery in the shopping center, said he was inside, readying his business for reopening after the pandemic when his manager, in a bank across the parking lot, heard the gunshots. Someone saw the livestream, so we pulled it up and locked ourselves in the office, he said, the start of an hourslong ordeal in which he and his employees periodically opened the door to shelter traumatized witnesses to the shooting. The guy just went in there and started shooting, he said. People were just in shock. A lot of them had seen bodies and carnage. Mr. Daly said he didnt know who the victims were and I dont know what happened in the grocery store, but I do know that it is easier to get a gun in this state than it is to get a drivers license or to vote. And Im angry, he said. And all I know is, this should have stopped after Columbine. It should have stopped after Sandy Hook. And Im angry that we are still discussing this. Azi Paybarah and

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President Biden is briefed on the shooting. Healthcare workers outside of the King Soopers on Monday. Credit... Chet Strange/Getty Images President Biden had been briefed on the shooting in Boulder and would be kept apprised of any further developments, the White House press secretary, Jen Psaki, said on Twitter. On Twitter, Colorado Gov. Jared Polis said he was following the events as they unfolded. My prayers are with our fellow Coloradans in this time of sadness and grief as we learn more about the extent of the tragedy, Mr. Polis said, adding that he was making every public safety resource available to assist the Boulder County Sheriffs Department. Sam Weaver, the mayor of Boulder, said on Twitter: Words can do no justice to the tragedy that has unfolded this afternoon. Our community will soon grieve our losses, and begin our healing. Representative Joe Neguse, a Democrat whose district in Boulder includes the site of the shooting, said in a statement that while there is still a lot we do not yet know, one thing is very clear  tragic incidents of gun violence have plagued our country for far too long. Representative Lauren Boebert, Republican of Colorado, who made supporting gun owners rights a key part of her agenda, said she was praying for the police, first responders, and those affected by this tragedy. She added: May God be with us as we make sense of this senseless violence, and may we unify and not divide during this time. A partisan divide has been common after mass shootings. While lawmakers in both major parties express sympathy for the victims and responders, Republicans have generally resisted new calls for tighter gun laws after such tragedies, while Democrats have said these moments underscore the need for new and stricter gun laws. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, Democrat of New York, said, This Senate must and will move forward on legislation to help stop the epidemic of gun violence. On Twitter Senator Cory Booker, Democrat of New Jersey, said We are not powerless to stop this violence  Congress must act to pass gun violence prevention legislation. This is an especially personal tragedy for me, Gabrielle Giffords, the former representative from Arizona, wrote on Twitter on Monday night. A decade ago she was shot in the head in an attack, also at a grocery store, that killed six and wounded 12 others. Its been 10 years and countless communities have faced something similar, she wrote. This is not normal. She also wrote: Its beyond time for our leaders to take action. Representative Ed Perlmutter, Democrat of Colorado, wrote on Twitter, Gun violence is becoming too common in our daily lives, and we must at all levels make the epidemic of gun violence less easy, less frequent and less deadly. Representative David Cicilline, Democrat of Rhode Island, wrote on Twitter, We need to put an end to senseless gun violence in this country. Representative Buddy Carter, Republican of Georgia, wrote on Twitter that it was Devastating news, and said, Were sending prayers to Boulder. Neil Vigdor, Will Wright and

From Columbine to Boulder, Colorado has a long history of mass shootings. Police officers outside the King Soopers grocery store in Boulder, Colo., on Monday. Credit... David Zalubowski/Associated Press Colorado has been the scene of a number of multiple fatal shootings in recent years, including these that made national headlines: May 7, 2019  Two students enter a charter school in Highlands Ranch, a Denver suburb near Littleton, and fire at fellow students in two locations. A student who tackles one of the gunmen is fatally shot, and eight others are wounded by gunfire. The two assailants are captured. Dec. 31, 2017  A man who barricaded himself in an apartment in Highlands Ranch engages in a gun battle with police officers responding to reports of a disturbance. One officer is killed and four are wounded before the police kill the gunman. Two civilians are wounded. Nov. 27, 2015  A man armed with an assault-style rifle enters a Planned Parenthood clinic in Colorado Springs and opens fire, killing two civilians and a police officer who confronts him; nine other people are wounded in a 5-hour siege before the gunman surrenders. Oct. 31, 2015  A man carrying a semiautomatic rifle shoots and kills three people, apparently at random, on a residential street near downtown Colorado Springs, and then is confronted and shot dead by police officers. July 20, 2012  A man walks to the front of a crowded movie theater in Aurora during a midnight screening of a Batman film, sets off tear gas grenades and opens fire on the audience, killing 12 people and wounding 58 with gunfire. Another 12 are injured in the ensuing panic. The gunman is arrested in the theater parking lot. April 20, 1999  Two students storm into Columbine High School in Littleton, fatally shooting a teacher and 12 fellow students, and then kill themselves. Correction : March 23, 2021 An earlier version of this article referred incorrectly to the gunman in Highlands Ranch in December 2017. He was not a sheriff's deputy.

First Atlanta, then Boulder: Two mass shootings in a week. Police officers near the King Soopers grocery store in Boulder, Colo., on Monday. A shooting there that left 10 dead followed a shooting rampage in the Atlanta area that killed eight last week. Credit... Theo Stroomer for The New York Times The deadly shooting in Boulder, Colo. on Monday, where 10 people were killed, including a police officer, was the second mass shooting in the United States in less than a week. On Tuesday, a gunman shot and killed eight people  six of them women of Asian descent  at three spas in the Atlanta-area of Georgia. Until that shooting in Atlanta, it had been a year since there had been a large-scale shooting in a public place. In 2018, the year that a gunman killed 17 people and injured 17 others at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla., there were 10 mass shootings where four or more people were killed in a public setting. The following year, when a gunman targeting Latinos in El Paso, Texas, killed 22 people, there were nine. Those were the worst years on record, said Jillian Peterson, an associate professor of criminal justice at Hamline University in St. Paul, Minn., and a co-founder of the Violence Project, a research center that studies gun violence. But before the shootings in Atlanta last week, there had been no such killings since March 2020, according to the Violence Project. Other types of gun violence did increase significantly in 2020, according to Gun Violence Archive. There were more than 600 shootings in which four or more people were shot by one person compared with 417 in 2019. Many of those shootings involved gang violence, fights and domestic incidents, where the perpetrator knew the victims, Professor Peterson said. The early research suggests that widespread unemployment, financial stress, a rise in drug and alcohol addiction, and a lack of access to community resources caused by the pandemic contributed to the increase in shootings in 2020. The police did not say what may have motivated the gunman in Colorado, who is in custody. In Atlanta, the shootings touched off calls to stop hate crimes against Asian-Americans, which have been rising during the pandemic. Some have blamed that rise on words used by former President Donald J. Trump, who has repeatedly called the coronavirus, which was first identified in Wuhan, China, the Chinese virus. The police have not ruled out bias as a motivating factor in the shooting even as the suspect denied such racial animus, officials said. Azi Paybarah and
The Vineyard Team is accepting applications from now until March 31 for its annual educational scholarship program available to high school se
Chinas SVOLT said to file for IPO on STAR Market in 2022

Shanghai (Gasgoo)- SVOLT Energy Technology Co., Ltd. (SVOLT), a leading Chinese EV battery manufacturer carved out of Great Wall Motor (GWM), has launched the Series B funding, expecting to raise 3 billion to 4 billion yuan (about $461 million to $615 million), according to a local media outlet.

Upon completion of the Series B round, SVOLT will apply for IPO (initial public offerings) on the science and technology innovation board (sci-tech innovation board or STAR Market) in 2022, said the local media channel.



Photo credit: SVOLT



The report came after SVOLT announced the closure of its 3.5 billion yuan ($537.8 million) Series A financing in January. The proceeds would be mainly used for R&D of new technologies and capacity expansion.

Formerly known as the battery business unit of Great Wall Motor, SVOLT started pre-research work on batteries in 2012, and separated as a standalone entity in Feb. 2018, according to SVOLT's official website. Headquartered in Changzhou, Jiangsu province, SVOLT is dedicated to spearheading innovation in the manufacture and R&D of the next-generation battery materials, cells, modules, systems, BMS and energy storage systems.

In May 2020, CMG-SDIC Capital Co., Ltd. became the second largest shareholder of SVOLT by pouring 1 billion yuan ($154 million), according to the corporate data platform Tianyancha. Registered capital of SVOLT afterwards increased to 1.52 billion yuan ($233.633 million).

The company signed an agreement on Feb. 19 with the government of Huzhou, Zhejiang province to establish a power battery base in South Taihu New Area. Under the agreement, SVOLT would pump 7 billion yuan ($1.076 billion) in the new base, which is designed to feature an annual capacity of 20GWh.

The EV battery maker endeavors to rapidly expand its capacity. Prior to the agreement with Huzhou, SVOLT struck a deal in Jan. with Suining, Sichuan to set up power battery manufacturing facilities with a capacity of 20GWh per year.

According to Yang Hongxin, chairman and president of SVOLT, the company expects its global capacity to reach 200GWh by 2025.
(Natural News) It appears as though the rioters who invaded the United States Capitol on Jan. 6 and took a few photos had inspiration from none other than China Joe himself, who back in 2007 bragged to late-night talk show host David Letterman that he was arrested for breaching the Senate Chamber.

At the ripe young age of 21, Biden, who was visiting with some friends at Georgetown University, decided to walk right up to the Capitol building and enter it without permission.

It was a Saturday, Biden recalled.

I was down visiting with some friends and, uh, I came up on a Saturday morning because I was fascinated with the Senate, and they had a Saturday session, and I walked up those days, no guards stopping you everywhere, and they had just gotten out of session.

Biden went on to explain that he walked in the back of the building and all of a sudden found himself inside the Senate Chamber and was stunned.

I walked up, sat down in the presiding officers seat, and the guy grabbed me by the shoulder and said, Youre under arrest!' Biden told Letterman, to raucous laughter from the audience (watch below).

Oh the irony. Biden said that he was arrested for trespassing at the Capitol. pic.twitter.com/cUid5QAIQ6  Michael Moore (@mbracemoore) February 21, 2021

Back when Beijing Biden engaged in a Capitol siege, it was all fun and games. Everybody laughed, including Letterman, because when Democrats and CNN commit insurrection it is all in good fun. When alleged Trump supporters do it, however, it is the worst crime imaginable.

Will Creepy Joe now go to Gitmo for his insurrectionist crime?

Many Twitter users were outraged after watching the clip, recognizing that there is one set of rules for Democrats and another for Republicans.

One of them noted that Chairman Xiden, then an aspiring senator, actually sat down in the presiding officers seat just like the insurrectionists did on Jan. 6. Why was Biden not treated like a domestic terrorist the same way Trump supporters now are?

Not just trespassing, but sitting in the presiding officers seat, like he was a role model for the doofuses on Jan. 6, one user wrote.

Another questioned whether or not the alleged incident even happened, seeing as how Dementia Joe has a habit of stretching the truth.

I think his punishment should be the model for those who did the same in January, wrote another, adding that if he was just escorted out well then I guess we are done.

Like another Twitter user pointed out, this writer agrees that the Biden who appeared on Letterman that day looks a whole lot different than the Biden of today, aging and other factors considered. It is almost as if the Biden who is president today is a different person entirely.

He looks and talks like a completely different person now, said user wrote.

Commenters at Populist Press made some interesting observations of their own. One asked why Biden was not imprisoned for at least 10 years, fired from his job, and doxed for his crime against the sacred Capitol building.

I dont believe one word that comes out of that old gasbags mouth, one wrote. He lies about everything, he thinks hes some rugged outlaw that always gets arrested, like the time he lied about getting arrested in South Africa trying to save Nelson Mandela.

This POS has and always will be a fraud, this same commenter added. I dont recognize America any longer. Its a real shame that over the past 20 years parents have been asleep at the wheel, including me and I regret that very much. The schools have been indoctrinating kids to hate themselves and hate America.

More related news about the Capitol insurrection, the Biden presidency, and other political charades can be found at FalseFlag.news.

Sources for this article include:

Populist.press

NaturalNews.com
After the failure on the part of government, National School Inspectirate Authority (NaSIA) to support private schools through the National Board for Small-Scale Industries (NBSSI) Covid-19 Recovery Programe, the recent directive by the National Schools Inspectorate Authority (NaSIA) directing banks to inspect it certificate on private schools before granting their own savings goes to suggest that it is a grand scheme by government agencies to victimise private education in the country.



According to the Ghana National Council of Private Schools (GNACOPS), the directive by NaSIA is out of law, can only be issued by the Bank of Ghana and through a court order.



The Executive Director of GNACOPS, Mr Enoch Kwasi Gyetuah said the Council sighted a letter dated February 12, 2021, with reference number NaSIA/Banks/21/02/01, introducing NaSIA, to the banks in Ghana and also signed by Haggar Hilda Ampadu, PhD Executive Director/Inspector General of Schools.



Mr Gyetuah said GNACOPS, found that directives issued in the letter on paragraph three lines 1,2 and 3; that states that we are by this letter entreating all banks in Ghana to request all pre-tertiary schools, evidence of their registration with NaSIA, in the form of a provisional certificate, provisional licence or full licence, before transacting any business with such schools is out of law, a right that can only be exercised by Bank of Ghana and possibly by a court order.



After the Council's careful evaluation, "we quizzed that who bears the losses of the schools who were not allowed to access their accounts for very important transactions because of your instructions," he stated.



He said the Council intimated that, "if the banks refused to go by NaSIAs directives, does NaSIA have the authority to call for action against the banks for non-compliance of the directives."



Mr Gyetuah said that assuming without admitting that NaSIA has the mandate to write the letter to authorise the banks not to transact any business with the schools. "How was your office expecting these same schools to pay the registration fee your office is requesting for them to pay into your account while you have 'frozen' their accounts."



He said the Council finds the directives and sanctions by NaSIA without board decision and its approval as tantamount to violation of letters and the very spirits of Section 94(1).



The Inspector-General of Schools is responsible for the implementation of the decisions of the board and for the day-to-day administration of the affairs of the Authority of the Education Regulatory Bodies Act, Act 1023, 2020.



On the issue of certificate



The Executive Director said directing the banks not to transact business with private schools that are not registered with NaSIA is outside the mandate of the Inspector General of Schools unless it at the request of the board, which is non-existent at the moment.



"So on whose mandate or with which court order did your office by implication freeze the accounts of schools that are not registered under your office?" the council questioned.



GNACOPS again said NaSIA is an authority working with and under the Ministry of Education, other sister agencies, associations, developed partners, civil society organisations and others as enshrined at Section 90.1(a) to (k) in the Education Regulatory Bodies Act, Act 1023, 2020, but the interesting thing is that non of these collaborators were consulted before issuing external directives to the banks.



Mr Gyetuah said as much as NaSIA is mandated to register schools, it is not mandated to do so at a fee since registration of schools is not a service to the school Section 89.1 and 122 expressly states that, "so what kind of service the schools have requested from NaSIA to render them that fees and charges."



"The Council wishes to bring to your notice how Act 1023 has directed NaSIA in matters of administration and finance in Section 122,(a) and (b) ) that funds of a regulatory body established under this act include; money approved by Parliament and money derived from fees and charges from services rendered and lastly Section 123.1 of the same says the money for each regulatory body shall be paid into a bank account opened for that purpose with the approval of the Controller and Accountant-General.



The Council is therefore seeking clarification from NaSIA executive director as to why such a letter was sent to the banks and the immediate withdrawal of the letter to avoid further losses to our members.









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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In her new role, Stark will lead PPL's legal department and oversee the company's ethics and compliance program. She brings more than two decades of legal experience to PPL, with the vast majority of her service in the public utility sector. She joins PPL from Pepco Holdings, LLC, where she was senior vice president, Legal and Regulatory Strategy, and general counsel.

"Wendy's significant experience in leading legal teams, her extensive background in regulatory matters, and her deep knowledge of our industry make her a great addition to PPL as we best position the company to create long-term value for all stakeholders moving forward," said Vincent Sorgi, PPL president and chief executive officer.

From 2016 to 2021, Stark led the legal and regulatory affairs departments of Pepco Holdings, LLC, a subsidiary of Exelon Corporation, overseeing all legal matters and regulatory strategy for several electric and gas utilities in multiple jurisdictions. From 2012 to 2016, she served as Pepco's deputy general counsel.

"I'm incredibly excited to join PPL as the company begins a new century of service and looks to strategically reposition itself as a U.S-focused energy company," said Stark. "I'm eager to work with PPL's leadership and legal teams to build on the company's strong track record of success and to deliver for customers, shareowners and the communities PPL serves."

Stark began her legal career in labor and employment law, representing clients first at Calfee, Halter & Griswold, LLP and then at Baker & Hostetler, LLP, both in Cleveland, Ohio. In 2002, she joined FirstEnergy Corporation's legal team as an attorney and spent a decade with the company, her last seven years as associate general counsel before joining Pepco.

She holds a bachelor's degree in English and political science from Kalamazoo College in Michigan and earned her juris doctor from University of Michigan Law School.

Throughout her career, she has served on numerous nonprofit and industry boards, including the Girl Scouts Council of the Nations Capital, GridWise Alliance, the New Jersey Utilities Association, Homeless Children's Playtime Project in Washington, D.C., and the Energy Association of Pennsylvania.

Stark will succeed Raphael, who in December 2020 announced her plans to retire June 1, 2021, after a 35-year career with PPL.

Headquartered in Allentown, Pennsylvania, PPL Corporation (NYSE: PPL) is one of the largest companies in the U.S. utility sector. PPL's seven high-performing, award-winning utilities serve more than 10 million customers in the U.S. and U.K. With more than 12,000 employees, the company is dedicated to providing exceptional customer service and reliability and delivering superior value for shareowners. To learn more, visit www.pplweb.com.

Note to Editors: Visit our media website at www.pplnewsroom.com for additional news and background about PPL Corporation.

Contacts: For news media: Ryan Hill, 610-774-4033

For financial analysts: Andy Ludwig, 610-774-3389

SOURCE PPL Corporation

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The Daily Beast

Chip Somodevilla/Getty What are Democrats willing to do to save our democracy, and how far are they willing to go? Thats the question they must answer now, while theres still time to protect our flawed and fragile democracy from an extremist, countermajoritarian Republican Party hellbent on subverting the political process to implement rule by and for a white Christian minority.For the past few months, it appeared that Democrats would respond to this daily threatwith the former president talk
Abbott Blames Biden for Turning Border Humanitarian Crisis Into Complete Disaster

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott has ramped up his criticism of President Joe Biden for what he said are policies that turned the humanitarian crisis along the southern border into a complete disaster.

Abbott made the remarks in a statement on March 19 and an accompanying message on Twitter.

The Biden Admin. has turned a humanitarian crisis into a complete disaster, Abbott wrote in a tweet, singling out a drinking-water problem at a site used to house illegal immigrants in Midland and a massive COVID-19 outbreak at a facility in Carrizo Springs.

They were unprepared for open border policies, he added.

Detailing the issues in the statement, Abbott took aim at conditions at facilities used to house unaccompanied minors.

The Biden Administration has been an abject failure when it comes to ensuring the safety of unaccompanied minors who cross our border. The conditions unaccompanied minors face in these federally run facilities is unacceptable and inhumane, Abbott said.

President Bidens refusal to address the border crisis is not only enabling criminal actors like human traffickers and smugglers, but it is exposing innocent unaccompanied children to illness and potentially unsafe living conditions, he added. The administration must act now to keep these children safe, secure our border, and end this humanitarian crisis.

Abbott said he has deployed Texas Department of State Health Services resources and personnel to Carrizo Springs to investigate and combat a COVID-19 outbreak at the federally run facility. He also said the Texas Commission of Environmental Quality has notified the officials at the Midland facility of the need to address the serious water issues.

In an appearance on Fox News, Abbott said that the federal facilitys water could contain arsenic or other contaminants.

There is no viable, usable running water at the location in Midland, he told the outlet.

A spokesperson for the commission confirmed to The Epoch Times that an advisory had been issued for the facility out of an abundance of caution.

The Do Not Use advisory is being issued in an abundance of caution to protect against possible risks from water ingestion, the spokesperson said in an email. The water may be used for flushing of toilets and clothes washing but should not be used for human consumption purposes such as drinking, cooking, bathing, or washing hands.

Abbotts criticism comes as the numbers of children and families caught trying to enter the United States illegally from Mexico has grown to magnitudes unseen since before the pandemic. Customs and Border Protection has noted a more than 100 percent month-over-month increase in February in two categories of illegal aliensfamily units and unaccompanied minors.

Immediately after taking office, Biden signed a series of executive actions aimed to undo many of former President Donald Trumps immigration policies, including proposing a pathway to citizenship for millions of people in the United States unlawfully, promising to create a humane asylum system, and opting to no longer expel unaccompanied minors who turn up at the border, resulting in more children coming into U.S. custody.

A pandemic health order means that most adults and families who enter the United States illegally are being turned away, but the Biden administration has allowed unaccompanied children under the age of 18 to enter while their claims are processed.

As of March 14, U.S. Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) agents were holding more than 13,000 unaccompanied children in custody, according to CBS News.

In a bid to persuade would-be immigrants not to rush the border, the Biden administration has rolled out more aggressive communications. Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas was interviewed on four news shows on March 21 in an effort to drive this home.

Our message has been straightforwardthe border is closed, Mayorkas said. We are expelling families. We are expelling single adults. And weve made a decision that we will not expel young, vulnerable children.

Biden, too, has urged the would-be immigrants not to travel to the border, telling them in an interview with ABC News, Dont leave your town or city or community.

But while the Biden administration has insisted that people should still follow the legal process for entering the country and that the border hasnt, as some contend, been flung open, the recent surge of illegal immigration suggests thats how its being interpreted by many.

Edgar Benjamin Paz, a Honduran man whose familys tent is among the hundreds that have filled every spot in a Mexican plaza in Tijuana, near the busiest U.S.-Mexico border crossing, told The Associated Press in a recent interview that many migrants have interpreted the Biden administrations messaging on immigration to mean the border was open.

Along with Republicans, some Democrats have also weighed in critically. The Democratic mayor of a southern border town told the New York Post in an interview published on March 21 that hes incensed over the Biden administrations handling of the immigration crisis in his backyard.

You have a breach on national security levels that have never before been seen in modern history and youre not even batting an eye about it, youre not even calling it a crisis, youre calling it a challenge, Mayor Bruno Lozano, a Democrat who represents Del Rio, Texas, told the outlet.

Its a slap in the face, Lozano added.

Biden officials and congressional Democrats have attempted to deflect blame for the border crisis.

As we were coming into the administration, we knew we were inheriting an absolute mess from the previous administrationthat there were aspects of our legal immigration system that had been gutted and a department that lacked the personnel to administer our laws, Julie Chavez Rodriguez, the director of the White Houses office of intergovernmental affairs, said in an interview on CNN.
If youre going to release any evidence, then release it all or dont release any, attorney Antonio Romanucci told reporters at the time. They can control the narrative  to shape public opinion to make this look like this is about something that its not whens its really about transparency and getting to the truth and finding out what happened.
Only 5 per cent of land remains to be acquired for the Mumbai-Ahmedabad High Speed Rail (HSR) corridor, popularly known as the project, Revenue Minister Kaushik Patel informed the Assembly on Monday.

Responding to a set of questions in the House, Patel said 73.64 lakh square metres of land needs to be acquired in eight districts for the project, of which 69.99 lakh square metres have already been acquired, leaving 3.65 lakh square metres, or about 5 per cent of total requirement, to be acquired as on December, 2020.

He said has been completed in Valsad and Kheda districts and is in progress in Navsari, Ahmedabad, Anand, Bharuch, Surat and Vadodara.

The minister told the Assembly the government has so far received 1,908 applications from farmers objecting to the project's
Its an ambitious plan, and perhaps the only certainty is the expectation of more than a little blow-back along the way, but according to NSW Planning Minister Rob Stokes, it has to be done.

Mr Stokes said his plan for the derelict and disused White Bay precinct will be a test case for the new vision of Sydney itself, where walking and cycling are key modes of transport, public space is prioritised, and heritage and Indigenous values are respected in urban design.

I dont have any misgivings about how complex this process will be, Mr Stokes said on the day of the launch of the draft Bays West strategy to turn an industrial eyesore into a thriving tech hub, with housing, a 24-hour economy and harbourside public domain.

Central to the blueprint is the restoration of the heritage-listed White Bay Power Station, which could become a cultural building linking to other local icons such as the Glebe Island Bridge, with aspirations to draw innovative businesses to the outer reaches of the CBD.
BROOKLYN, New York, Monday, March 22, 2021 - The Governance lab (The GovLab) at New York University's Tandon School of Engineering will launch a national online citizen engagement initiative as part of ReinventED: Your Education, Your Voice, a campaign to engage students, parents, caregivers and educators in identifying challenges with today's education system. Results will be openly published and developed into recommendations targeted at policymakers and philanthropic leaders working in the education space.

Codesigned by the project's Student Council, 20 students aged 14-21 who helped to write and edit content for the engagement, the initiative will run for three weeks from March 22 through April 11. The students, who hail from 14 states, were recruited in a competitive, national selection process in December 2020. They meet every other week to help draft and refine the content and "focus group" it with their own parents to ensure that topics and language are accessible and relevant.

Among the questions that the engagement poses to students, families, caregivers and educators are:

What are the greatest needs and opportunities at the schools in your communities

On what subjects should schools focus

How should schools engage with their communities

What is the role of tests and data

How must grading and other metrics evolve to better support students in their pursuit of success, academic or otherwise

The survey employs a free, open-source software developed at Princeton University called All Our Ideas. Used in over 17,000 previous citizen engagement exercises, the software presents participants with the question and the choice between two responses (or "I can't decide" as a third one). The responses are randomly selected from a list of over 80 answer choices developed by The GovLab and the Student Council. Participants can also submit their own, original responses.

Said Constance Yowell, Senior Fellow at The GovLab and former head of education for the MacArthur Foundation, "This online engagement will be a first-of-its-kind effort to hear from those participants in the education system in America about their experiences, and we hope it will pave the way for more use of technology to listen to these groups about what matters."

Beth Simone Noveck, Director of The GovLab and a Professor at the NYU Tandon School of Engineering expects "the results of this survey to influence the way policymakers, philanthropists and community leaders direct their investments and efforts, especially in the area of improving the fairness and equity of testing and assessment."

Victoria Alsina, Senior Fellow at The GovLab and a Professor at NYU's Center for Urban Science and Progress reflected on the history that has led our education system to this pivotal point. "For as long as our education system has existed, people have interacted with it in a transactional way with established roles: students attend class, educators and caregivers enforce rules and lessons which they themselves learned decades earlier. Of course, there are always exceptions to the rule, but by and large education in America is not very participatory. By embedding democracy into the policymaking process, we believe that those most affected by and with the most to gain from our education system are being positioned to have their voices heard and needs reflected in future policy making."

###

ReinventED: Your Education, Your Voice is a four-phase community engagement initiative supported by a grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. The project aims to amplify the voices and views of students, caregivers and educators, especially Black, Latinx, and other non-dominant communities, who have historically been excluded from and underserved by our institutions of learning, in ways that are equitable, effective and efficient at informing policymaking.

Anyone who would like to participate is encouraged to visit https:/ / youreducationyourvoice. org by April 11, 2021.

About the New York University Tandon School of Engineering

The NYU Tandon School of Engineering dates to 1854, the founding date for both the New York University School of Civil Engineering and Architecture and the Brooklyn Collegiate and Polytechnic Institute. A January 2014 merger created a comprehensive school of education and research in engineering and applied sciences as part of a global university, with close connections to engineering programs at NYU Abu Dhabi and NYU Shanghai. NYU Tandon is rooted in a vibrant tradition of entrepreneurship, intellectual curiosity, and innovative solutions to humanity's most pressing global challenges. Research at Tandon focuses on vital intersections between communications/IT, cybersecurity, and data science/AI/robotics systems and tools and critical areas of society that they influence, including emerging media, health, sustainability, and urban living. We believe diversity is integral to excellence, and are creating a vibrant, inclusive, and equitable environment for all of our students, faculty and staff. For more information, visit engineering.nyu.edu.
[March 22, 2021] Visible Exec Honored as "Top Woman To Watch" by Women In Trucking Association

The Women In Trucking Association today is honoring Visible Supply Chain Management Executive Vice President Emma Leonard with the 2021 Top Woman To Watch award for her achievements in fostering growth, helping customers and mentoring other women in leadership. The award recognizes Leonard for her achievements while overseeing transportation and procurement for Visible. Leonard's leadership helps Visible fulfill more than 2 million orders per month, resulting in a 99.98% fulfillment accuracy rate. Through her restructuring and implementation, the company went from shipping 125 million packages in 2017 to 150 million packages in 2019, a nearly 20% jump in deliveries. "Emma has exhibited strong leadership abilities by building and managing a cross-functional team of transportation professionals, analysts and managers. She has successfully implemented a new parcel pricing strategy and scaled that strategy to support Visible's aggressive growth," said Casey Adams, President of Visible. "Her efforts have played a major role in achieving double-digit revenue growth year over year." Leonard is a global supply chain expert with 21 years of in-depth leadership experience in supply chain, eCommerce, transpotation, customer support and operations. During the last 18 months, she successfully renegotiated and implemented contracts, resulting in more than $1.8 million in savings for Visible's B2B and B2C partners.



In an overwhelmingly male-dominated industry, Leonard advocates for gender equality in the supply chain space through her involvement in AWESOME (Achieving Women's Excellence in Supply Chain Operations, Management and Education.) She is also a pillar for local women in logistics-mentoring her peers by organizing and facilitating local meetups and networking events. Leonard immigrated to the U.S. from Ireland when she was a teen. Being a first-generation college graduate, she has taken a particular interest in mentoring women in school. Leonard was a Director of Advancement Services at Salt Lake Community College for two years and won an AAWCC Award (American Association for Women in Community Colleges) for bolstering philanthropy efforts.

The Women In Trucking Association (WIT) is a non-profit organization promoting the Top Women To Watch Award through the association's official magazine, Redefining the Road. "Leonard is being acknowledged because her accomplishments exemplify the mission of Women in Trucking," said Brian S. Everett, Publisher, Redefining the Road magazine. "This noble mission is to encourage the employment of women in the trucking industry, promote their accomplishments and minimize obstacles faced by women working in the trucking industry." For more information about Visible, click here. About Visible Supply Chain Management (Visible)

Since 1992, Visible Supply Chain Management has provided customized solutions for B2B and B2C organizations. With comprehensive services in e-commerce, direct sales, direct response and omnichannel, Visible can design effective strategies for clients that include transportation, logistics, brokerage, fulfillment and even custom packaging solutions. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210322005126/en/

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A cargo of Ukraine-origin material was reported sold to Brazil at $780 per tonne cfr, while Russian material was heard booked in Mexico at around the same level.

Market sources were divided on the cost of freight to the region, with one source telling Fastmarkets it...
Defending the Constitution: The Three-Fifths Compromise Was Not Based on Racism

Commentary

This is the second in a series of essays answering defamatory charges leveled against the U.S. Constitution. The first in the series addressed the allegation that the Constitution discriminated against women. In fact, as that essay showed, the framers took pains to ensure the document was gender-neutral.

Another false charge is that the Constitution stems from, and continues to reflect, systemic racism. Critics point to Article I, Section 2, Clause 3the three-fifths compromise explained beloweven though that provision was amended out of the document more than 150 years ago.

By way of illustration, a 2011 Time magazine cover story asserted, The framers  gave us the idea that a black person was three-fifths of a human being. Last year, Time doubled down with a column stating that the Constitution defined African-Americans as only three-fifths of a person. Similarly, a Teen Vogue item misinformed its young readers with these words:

White supremacy is systemic.  It thrives in politics with systems  like the electoral college, a process originally designed to protect the influence of white slave owners, which is still used today to determine presidential elections [because]  [e]nslaved black people  were declared three fifths of a person in order to strengthen the power of the white men who kept them in bondage.

The Internet is littered with such drivel.

The truth is that the Constitutions text was racially neutral. The framers employed the same wordpersonto refer to humans of all races. They rejected the racial qualifications for voting and office-holding that marred some state constitutions. For all purposes, they treated Indians who paid taxes and the significant number of free African-Americans exactly as they treated white people.

So what was the three-fifths compromise? And what is the basis of the charge that it was racist?

The three-fifths compromise addressed two issues: (1) the size of each states delegation in the House of Representatives and (2) each states contribution of federal direct taxes. Direct taxes were levies imposed on individual persons (capitations) and on a wide range of items, such as property, income, wealth, and professions. Direct taxes were distinguished from indirect taxes or duties, which were primarily levies on consumption and on transportation of goods across political boundaries.

The Constitution provided that every state would have at least one representative in the House of Representatives. The three-fifths compromise added that both the additional representatives and direct taxes would be split among the states according to their population. But for these purposes only, each states population figure would be reduced (1) to exclude Indians not taxed and (2) to rate each slave as three-fifths of a free person.

If you assume that counting persons is the proper basis for congressional representation, its easy to see how one could misread the reduction for slaves and the exclusion of non-tax-paying Indians as expressions of racism. However, many, probably most, of the framers did not think counting persons was the proper basis for representation. They believed representation should follow ability to contribute federal tax revenue. This view was inherited from English history, and was reflected in the Revolutionary War slogan, No taxation without representation!

But when the framers tried to find a formula for calculating each states ability to contribute tax revenue, they ran into practical difficulties. After rejecting several proposed formulas as unworkable, they conceded that, at least over the long run, a states tax capacity would correlate with its population.

As James Wilson of Pennsylvania said, [I]n districts as large as the States, the number of people was the best measure of their comparative wealth. Whether therefore wealth or numbers were to form the ratio it would be the same.

There were two exceptions to the rule that tax capacity followed population. First, some states contained substantial numbers of Indians who were governed exclusively by their tribes. They did not pay state taxes and would not pay federal taxes. Second, the framers recognized that, on average, slaves produced far less than free people.

This recognition had nothing to do with race. It was because slavesof any racecould not sell their labor and talents in the free market. They were stuck in a centralized system of command and control, rather like communism.

Thus, the framers had to find a way to reduce a states representation according to the proportion of its population held in bondage.

Fortunately, the Confederation Congress already had done the work for them. In 1783, Congress studied the relative productivity of slave and free workers. Among the factors it considered were

The differing incentives of enslaved and free people;

the value of their respective output, which was much less among slaves because of poor incentives;

the respective costs of feeding and clothing free and slave labor;

the ages at which young free people and slaves began working (found to be lower for free children than for slave children);

the differing climates in free and slave states;

the value of imports and exports in free and slave states; and

that slaves were disproportionately confined to agriculture as opposed to manufacturing and other activities.

Race wasnt even on Congresss list!

One is reminded of Thomas Jeffersons quotation of the Greek poet Homer: Jove fixd it certain, that whatever day, Makes man a slave, takes half his worth away. As Jefferson knew, Homer was speaking of white slaves.

In other words, the three-fifths compromise was not a statement about race at all. It was a statement about the economic inefficiency of slavery.

Critics contend that the three-fifths compromise rewarded slave states. Actually, it punished them with reduced congressional representation. Heres how it worked: Suppose a state had a population of 300,000. Suppose this population included 210,000 whites, 10,000 free blacks, 50,000 slaves, 20,000 citizen-Indians who paid taxes, and 10,000 tribal Indians who did not pay taxes. Only the tax-producing Indians would be counted, and the count of slaves would be reduced to reflect their relatively poor productivity. Thus, for purposes of allocating representatives and direct taxes, the states population would be credited as only 270,000 rather than 300,000. That is: 210,000 + 10,000 + [3/5 x 50,000] + 20,000 + 0 = 270,000.

Its true that the compromise also reduced a slave states direct taxes. But that was not a particularly good deal for the slave states, because except in wartime Congress was expected to resort only to indirect taxesa prediction that proved true for many years.

Nearly all the framers understood that slavery was evil. But as I shall explain in a later essay, they needed to come to terms with it if they hoped to hold the union together. Failure would have led to a fractured continent and European-style internecine warfare.

But lets not make more of the framers concession than the facts dictate: The three-fifths compromise was not an endorsement of, or subsidy for, slavery. It was based on a finding that slavery was economically stupid as well as unjust.

Robert G. Natelson, a former constitutional law professor, is senior fellow in constitutional jurisprudence at the Independence Institute in Denver. Supporting documentation for this essay can be found in his research paper, What the Constitution Means by Duties, Imposts, and Excisesand Taxes (Direct or Otherwise), 66 Case Western Res. L. Rev. 297 (2015). He is also the author of the book, The Original Constitution: What It Actually Said and Meant.

Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.
R&M is set to unveil the latest solutions in its flagship PRIME ODF, Polaris, Netscale, and POLAN product ranges at the prestigious CABLEXX 2021, taking place in Egypt on April 5 and 6.

Participating as a Gold Sponsor at the event, R&M is set to demonstrate its leadership across all three areas of structured cabling  data centres, public networks, and LAN  with the launch of its latest generation of solutions that include industry leading features such as high-density, modularity, customisability and ease of installation.

R&Ms presence at CABLEXX 2021 marks the first time that the company has been physical present at a key industry since the outbreak of the pandemic. In addition to the company CEO, Michel Riva attending the event, top regional R&M executives will also be at CABLEXX in-person.

Commenting on this, Nabil Khalil, Executive Vice-President of R&M Middle East, Turkey and Africa said: Our presence at CABLEXX this year is especially significant and represents our continued commitment to supporting and advancing the structured cabling industry in the region. This event offers us with the perfect platform to introduce several of our innovative solutions in the region. Along with this, we will focus on educating the market with in-depth technical demonstration centered around the latest trends in data centres.

REGIONAL PRODUCT LAUNCHES

R&M is set to unveil the latest enhancements to a number of its cabling solution ranges at CABLEXX 2021. Among these are:

PRIME ODF: The compact and versatile PRIME optical distribution modules (ODF) are suitable for the flexible use of fiber optic terminations. They enable fast and simple installation in cramped environments as well as at sites with high fiber density. The tool-free system approach and the high modularity guarantee uncomplicated migration into new and existing network infrastructures.

Netscale: The latest 48, 72 and 120 variants of R&Ms flagship Netscale range offer the highest density of FO ports and can be used to create large spine-leaf network architectures in cloud data centers and facilitate fast migration to new network generations, such as the step from 10 Gigabit to 40 or 100 Gigabit capacity.

Polaris: The extended Polaris range with FO terminal boxes is designed to supply large and small buildings with Fiber to the Home (FTTH). The fiber optic terminal boxes help network operators to connect and manage the growing number of FO cables in the tightest of spaces. The smallest variant can accommodate up to four adapters for FTTH subscribers, the largest up to 36 adapters or 288 splice connections.

POLAN: In modern offices, the combination of consolidation points (CP) and Passive Optical LAN (POLAN) is an alternative to FTTD (Fiber to the Desk). The U-Box from R&M forms the basis of this installation-friendly alternative and by delivering savings in both capital and operating expenditure, offers considerably reduced capital expenses in the total cost of ownership.

The global pandemic has highlighted the importance of IT and networks in keeping governments, businesses and communities connected. It is our goal at R&M to play a lead role in enabling organisations to successfully achieve their ongoing digitisation, said Khalil. -- Tradearabia News Service
Kenya Moore is being accused of cultural appropriation after going to a Halloween soiree dressed as an indigenous person in the latest episode of the Real Housewives of Atlanta.

During a tense episode for the star, her RHOA costars were quick to call the 50-year-old out about the tasteless look at the party and later in their solo confessionals.

And, after the episode aired Sunday on night, viewers joined in on social media to slam the reality star for her insensitive choice.

Poor form: Kenya Moore is being accused of cultural appropriation after going to a Halloween soiree dressed as an indigenous person in the latest episode of the Real Housewives of Atlanta

During the night of the event Kenya described her costume as a 'warrior princess'.

However, between the full feathered headdress and the fact that the show wrote 'Native American' on the screen, people were clearly not buying it.

Fellow Housewife Drew Sidora made a crack about the ensemble during her confessional.

'Kenya's Native American costume is super problematic but I ain't trying to ruffle no feathers for this girls trip,' she said. 'It seems like I'm the only one who sees the issues with Kenya Moore's decisions.'

'Kenya's Native American costume is super problematic but I ain't trying to ruffle no feathers for this girls trip,' Drew said in her confessional. 'It seems like I'm the only one who sees the issues with Kenya Moore's decisions.'

Drew was decidedly not the only person in the group to take umbrage with Kenya's costume as Porsha Williams also made her distaste known during the part.

'Kenya is a Native American warrior,' she quipped. 'I thought we weren't doing that no more. I knew that this girl was crazy, but add lame to the list, add whack to the list.'

On social media, users wasted no time in calling Kenya out for her cultural appropriation and the mother of one actually jumped in to defend herself at one point.

'Kenya is a Native American warrior. I thought we weren't doing that no more. I knew that this girl was crazy, but add lame to the list, add whack to the list,' Porsha Williams quipped, her comments echoed on social media

Problematic: People on Twitter wasted no time in calling Kenya out for her cultural appropriation and the mother of one actually jumped in to defend herself at one point

In one exchange where she was called out for not only wearing the costume but for previously throwing 'shade' at Porsha for her work with Black Lives Matter, Kenya responded that her costume was 'also part of my heritage.'

Several people dubbed the cultural appropriation 'disgusting'.

In one exchange where she was called out for not only wearing the costume but for previously throwing 'shade' at Porsha for her work with Black Lives Matter, Kenya responded that her costume was 'also part of my heritage.'

The issue about Kenya's costume came amid a tense episode where she protested that there was no reason for her costars to be so unkind to her.

'I have done nothing to those b****es; nothing,' she insisted.

The Real Housewives Of Atlanta season 13 airs on Sunday nights on Bravo.
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LA FARGE, Wis., March 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Advancing its commitment to regenerative farming systems, Organic Valley is partnering with Clean Energy Credit Union ("Clean Energy CU") to launch the Powering the Good Loan Fund to provide the best loan terms for farmers seeking to reduce their reliance on fossil fuels with renewable energy and efficiencies. The program is first of its kind for both cooperatives, pioneering a unique clean energy loan fund for over 1,700 farmers across the country.

To accelerate energy improvements, Organic Valley and Clean Energy CU will roll out a $1 million fund with plans to expand. As the nation's largest organic, farmer-owned cooperative, Organic Valley pulls carbon out of the air through regenerative practices like rotational grazing, while also working to reduce carbon emitted wherever possible.

Organic Valley and Clean Energy CU will roll out a $1 million fund with plans to expand. Tweet this

"Organic Valley leads on renewable energy. We have been 100% renewable powered in our owned facilities since 2019, and now we are going a step further," said Bob Kirchoff, Organic Valley CEO. "We are focused on a whole systems approach to renewable energy, and I'm excited to debut this energy loan fund. From the farm to the shelf, I see renewable energy playing a bigger role in organic food. We are providing farmers a means to reduce their energy costs and become more self-sufficient and sustainable. Farmers who participate in this loan fund contribute to a healthy, regenerative future for the next generation."

Kirchoff today is providing remarks about renewable energy as a guest speaker at the Agri-Pulse Ag and Food Policy Summit .

Loans supplied to Organic Valley farmers through Clean Energy CU will be used for:

Solar electric systems to offset farm energy consumption.

Farm energy efficiency improvements such as plate coolers, VFDs, LED lighting, insulation, ventilation and more.

Geothermal systems and ground-source heat pumps for farm heating and cooling.

"This is a great example of cooperation among cooperatives to pursue our aligned missions," said Blake Jones, Volunteer Board chair of Clean Energy CU. "Organic Valley is already helping to protect the environment through regenerative and organic farming practices, and now they're going one step further by supporting the installation of renewable energy and energy efficiency projects for their farmer-members. In addition to the environmental benefits, we're also excited about helping family farmers throughout the USA to lower their energy costs and improve the bottom line of their independently owned farms."

The two cooperatives are experienced with advancing renewable energy and are now combining forces to accelerate renewable energy installations on farms across rural America.

About Organic Valley

Organic Valley is America's largest cooperative of organic farmers and one of the nation's leading organic brands. Founded in 1988, the cooperative represents nearly 1,800 farmers in 34 U.S. states, Canada, Australia and the United Kingdom and achieved $1.1 billion in 2019 sales. Focused on its founding mission of saving family farms through organic farming, Organic Valley produces a wide range of organic dairy, egg and produce products. As a leader in pasture-based, regenerative organic farming, Organic Valley works with nature, not against it. For more information visit www.organicvalley.coop. Organic Valley is also @OrganicValley on Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter.

About Clean Energy Credit Union

Clean Energy Credit Union is a not-for-profit, financial services cooperative that focuses exclusively on providing loans for clean energy and energy-saving projects such as electric vehicles, e-bikes, solar electric systems, geothermal heat pump systems, and other green home improvements. Clean Energy Credit Union is an online/digital-only and federally chartered credit union that serves its members throughout the USA. For more information visit www.cleanenergycu.org .

Media Contact:

Elizabeth McMullen

[email protected]

608-632-6083

SOURCE Organic Valley

Related Links

www.organicvalley.coop


(CNN) -- Sen. Roy Blunt, a member of GOP leadership, argued on Sunday that Americans don't need "alternative versions" of what occurred the day of the US Capitol insurrection, pushing back on Republican Sen. Ron Johnson's comments that mischaracterize the riot and its participants.

"We don't need to try and explain away or come up with alternative versions. We all saw what happened," Blunt told NBC's "Meet the Press" of January 6, when a mob of former President Donald Trump supporters stormed the Capitol in an attempt to stop Congress from certifying the 2020 election, clashed with law enforcement, ransacked congressional offices and threatened the lives of then-Vice President Mike Pence and lawmakers.

Calling January 6 "a terrible day for America," the Missouri Republican said, "I think it was absolutely unacceptable and we can't let that kind of thing be repeated again in our country."

Johnson on Saturday falsely claimed there was no violence on the Senate side of the US Capitol during the attack, and earlier this month he said he "never really felt threatened" and "wasn't concerned" during the riot because he believed the rioters were "people that love this country, that truly respect law enforcement, would never do anything to break the law."

The Wisconsin Republican has made several comments downplaying the severity of the Capitol attack, including previously saying that he didn't believe that what occurred was "armed insurrection." Johnson has also pushed the conspiracy theory that there were professional provocateurs within the mob at the Capitol -- despite the FBI having said there was no evidence Antifa or any other groups of leftist instigators were part of the crowd.

Former President George W. Bush, a Republican, told the Texas Tribune that he was "sick to my stomach ... to see our nation's Capitol being stormed by hostile forces."

On Sunday, Blunt told NBC that he is "much more in agreement" with Bush's view of what occurred on January 6.

While talks to form an independent 9/11-style commission to investigate the riot have stalled, Blunt, as the Senate Rules Committee's top Republican, argued that Congress could "move forward and make the changes that need to be made" to Capitol security.

"Congress itself has the capacity here to move forward," Blunt said. "That doesn't mean I'm opposed to a commission, but frankly I believe that the commission would probably be a reason to wait and not do the things that we know we need to do right now."

Blunt announced earlier this month he would not seek reelection.

This story was first published on CNN.com, "Top Senate Republican says Americans don't need 'alternative versions' of January 6 Capitol attack"
Deputies Seek Help in Theft Investigation

By West Kentucky Star Staff

MCCRACKEN COUNTY - The McCracken County Sheriff's Office is requesting the public's help with a burglary investigation.On March 6 at approximately 11 pm, a man unlawfully entered a barn at 6701 Houser Road. The suspect was reportedly seen on trail cam pictures carrying items out of the barn.Deputies say the suspect appears to be white with short hair and a medium build.Anyone with information is asked to contact the McCracken County Sheriff's Office at 270-444-4719 or your local law enforcement agency.Information can also be provided anonymously through West Kentucky Crime Stoppers by texting WKY and your tip to 847411.
REDWOOD CITY, Calif., March 22, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Reputation , the global leader in reputation experience management, today announced that Floyd Watson will join the company as vice president of field operations. In this role, Watson will draw on his extensive experience in sales operations, finance and corporate strategy to further build out the companys operational infrastructure and sales and upsell cadence during a stage of accelerated growth.



Reporting to Scott Barmmer, chief revenue officer, Watson will oversee all aspects of field operations and sales, and support Reputations talent and leadership development team as they execute on initiatives for diversity and inclusion, employee relations and rewards.

Were thrilled to welcome Floyd Watson to head field operations and sales as we prepare to capitalize on the momentum and continued growth Reputation has experienced over the past year, said Scott Barmmer, chief revenue officer. Having held senior leadership positions with enterprise organizations such as Oracle and Splunk, Floyd has the knowledge and perspective necessary to help our field and sales teams execute on go-to-market strategies for new service offerings and upsell opportunities at scale. Under his leadership, our sales organizations can ensure customers have the tools they need to strengthen their reputations and deliver exceptional experiences to their own customers.

Despite the challenges of 2020, Reputation has continued to gain momentum. The company was ranked number 155 on the Inc. 5000 Regionals list of the fastest-growing private companies in the California region, a ranking thats based on revenue performance. Additionally, it was named among the elite list of Customer Feedback Management (CFM) platforms in Forresters Now Tech Voice of the Customer 2021 Report. Reputation is gearing up for rapid growth in 2021 by expanding its leadership team and bringing top talent on board globally. The company recently welcomed two sales and customer success executives to the leadership team: CRO Scott Barmmer and VP of Customer Experience Dave Mingle.

Watson brings to Reputation 20 years of experience in software sales operations, licensing and pricing, finance and strategy. He has held senior-level positions with technology luminaries such as Oracle, where he managed licensing and pricing for database products; and Splunk, where he helped to build out the global sales operations organization and grow the ARR to approximately $1 billion. Watson has an MBA in finance and strategy from The Anderson Graduate School of Management at UCLA, and a BA in applied economics and architecture from the University of California, Santa Cruz. Prior to his career in the software industry, he worked in mergers and acquisitions for a boutique investment firm, and in capital projects for Chevron Corporation.

Reputation is on a roll, and Im eager to help take the company to the next level during this stage of rapid growth and expansion, said Watson. Were the pioneer in reputation experience management, and as our platform evolves, we continue to revolutionize how organizations manage and influence customer sentiment in the feedback economy. Together well continue to empower our clients with the technologies and tools they need to not only recover from a year of unprecedented economic turmoil but thrive in 2021 and beyond.

About Reputation

Reputation (formerly Reputation.com) is the creator of the Reputation Experience Management category and is changing the way companies gather and act on customer feedback to drive decision making and enhance Customer Experience (CX) programs. Reputations interaction-to-action platform translates vast amounts of solicited and unsolicited feedback data into prescriptive insights that companies use to learn from and grow. Thousands of global organizations rely on the patented algorithms behind Reputation Score X to provide a reliable index of brand performance in order to make targeted business improvements. Backed by Bessemer Ventures and Kleiner Perkins, and trusted by over 250 integration partners, including Google, Facebook, Salesforce, J.D. Power, Amazon and Web.com, Reputation turns feedback into the fuel to grow businesses around the world. Visit reputation.com to learn more.

Media Contacts:

Shelby Valdez

Reputation

svaldez@reputation.com

Brigit Valencia

BOCA Communications

360.597.4516

reputation@bocacommunications.com

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/88d34bcd-f686-4143-a111-e4554692c741
Page Content

On Thursday, March 18, 2021, a four-country meeting was held with the Prime Ministers of St. Maarten, Curacao and Aruba and State Secretary Knops. The Caribbean countries were informed that the advice on the Kingdom Consensus Law from the Council of State was issued and shared with the Ministry of the Interior and Kingdom Relations (BZK) last week. As such, it was forwarded to the three Caribbean countries via the cabinet of the Minister Plenipotentiary today, Friday, March 19, 2021.





The advice cannot be debated or shared publicly per law until it is handled in the Kingdom Council of Ministers (RMR) meeting and sent to the Second Chamber of the Parliament of the Netherlands and the Parliaments of St. Maarten, Curacao and Aruba. The Council of Advice of St. Maarten was also requested to render their feedback and once this trajectory has been completed the Parliament of St. Maarten can then debate the Kingdom Consensus Law.





During the meeting, the way forward was discussed and each country agreed to appoint a technical team to assist in addressing the concerns of the Council of State and collaborate on the further report to be submitted to the Kingdom Council of Ministers.





Furthermore, a letter requesting a confirmation of our commitment was received from State Secretary Knops on Tuesday, March 16, 2021. A response was sent on Wednesday, March 17, with a clear affirmation. The letter and response has since been shared with Parliament. The Government of St. Maarten is committed to carry out the established agreements on the country package for St. Maarten to receive further liquidity support. The Council of Ministers has approved the completed implementation plan on Tuesday, March 16, 2021. This is two weeks in advance of the scheduled April 1st deadline. The implementation plan will be carried out within the next three months and the next implementation plan will be prepared and finalized by July.





The Government of St. Maarten received broad support from 13 of the 14 Members of Parliament present to enter into agreements with the Netherlands to receive the third tranche of liquidity support. The country package agreements were signed between Government of St. Maarten and State Secretary Knops on December 22, 2020, and included an agreement to follow the trajectory of the Caribbean Development and Reform Entity (COHO) as long as it does not infringe on local, kingdom and international laws.





Today again, during the continuation of the Central Committee meeting of Parliament on the Country Package for St. Maarten, the majority of the Members of Parliament affirmed their support to the Government of St. Maarten to continue with the trajectory as was agreed back in December 2020.




Automotive companies are scrambling to assess the consequences of a fire at a Renesas semiconductor manufacturing facility in Japan.

Renesas Electronics has said a fire occured on March 19 at part of the processes in the N3 Building (300mm line) of Naka Factory (located in Hitachinaka, Ibaraki Prefecture) of Renesas Semiconductor Manufacturing Co., Ltd, a wholly-owned manufacturing subsidiary of Renesas.

Renesas said in a statement that although approximately two-thirds of the products manufactured within N3 Building can be alternatively produced in-house or in foundries, due to the recent increase in demand for semiconductors, the situation does not allow for all products to be immediately produced alternatively. The semiconductors manufactured at the plant are used extensively in automotive applications such as engine management and in managing sensors for advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS).

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The company also said the financial impact from halting the N3 Building production is approximately 17 billion yen per month.



Reuters reported that the global semiconductor shortage could be aggravated further by the Renesas fire. Toyota, Nissan and Honda manufacturing in Japan could be vulnerable over the next few months, reports suggest - though the impact will be potentially felt via the interrupted supply of major component systems.
Washington: Iran has made threats against Fort McNair, an Army post in the US capital, and against the Armys vice chief of staff, two senior US intelligence officials said.

They said communications intercepted by the National Security Agency in January showed that Irans Revolutionary Guard discussed mounting USS Cole-style attacks against the Army post, referring to the October 2000 suicide attack in which a small boat pulled up alongside the Navy destroyer in the Yemeni port of Aden and exploded, killing 17 sailors.

A man exercises across a waterway from Fort McNair, with Washingtons Wharf neighbourhood in the background. Credit:AP

The intelligence also revealed threats to kill General Joseph M. Martin and plans to infiltrate and surveil the installation, according to the officials, who were not authorised to publicly discuss national security matters and spoke on condition of anonymity. The Army post, one of the oldest in the country, is Martins official residence.

The threats are one reason the Army has been pushing for more security around Fort McNair, which sits alongside Washingtons bustling newly developed Waterfront District.
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The blast occurred at a 36-inch pipeline providing natural gas to the Pigap II gas reinjection plant in northern Monagas. PDVSA had to shutter operations at the facility to extinguish flames and evaluate damages.

Oil Minister Tareck El Aissami announced on state television Saturday evening that the incident was considered a "terrorist attack." He provided no evidence about such claims.

"This terrorist action has affected the operations center in El Tejero that serves as a gas injection plant, and, thank God, no casualties are reported from this attack," El Aissami said.

Video footage shared on Twitter shows the pipeline's initial explosion unleashed a massive column of fire into the sky.

Explosion en la planta PIGAP II de el tejero Estado Monagas. pic.twitter.com/6tnc7HUzc8  wilfredo jose febres (@wilfredofeb) March 21, 2021

#MONAGAS  | @MariaGMonagas reporto la explosion ocurrida el dia de ayer 20 de marzo en #Monagas en la Direccion Ejecutiva de Produccion Oriente. Division Punta de Mata / U.P Pirital (PIGAP II). #PDVSA #Noticias24 #Venezuela pic.twitter.com/lgIUtBIjmY  Noticias24 Venezuela (@N0TICIAS24) March 21, 2021

El Aissami also said the blast was part of a series of "criminal attacks" with the intent to disrupt PDVSA operations. Again, the oil minister made accusations but did not name any group or country.

Venezuela has the world's largest crude oil reserves, but production has been crushed by economic collapse. Its production stands around 550,000 b/d in February, according to the latest S&P Global Platts survey.

President Nicolas Maduro has repeatedly blamed the US for organizing attacks on energy facilities in the oil-rich country.

Two months into the Biden administration, the White House continues to recognize Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido as president of Venezuela, despite Nicolas Maduro clearly being the socialist country's actual leader.

It remains to be seen if the pipeline explosion was a "terrorist" attack as Venezuelan officials have yet to present evidence - but there is concern that the Biden administration will continue to carry on former President Trump's harsh policies against Maduro.
Source: Xinhua| 2021-03-22 15:06:33|Editor: huaxia

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Aerial photo taken on Feb. 27, 2021 shows the construction site of a project of China Gezhouba Group Corporation (CGGC) in a desert of Jahra Governorate, Kuwait. (Photo by Chen Cichao/Xinhua)

In the past 50 years since the establishment of diplomatic ties, China-Kuwait relations have withstood various tests and achieved rapid development, Chinese Ambassador to Kuwait Li Minggang noted.

KUWAIT CITY, March 22 (Xinhua) -- China is prepared to continue consolidating strategic mutual trust with Kuwait, promoting joint construction of the Belt and Road, and deepening the China-Kuwait strategic partnership in the new era for the benefit of the two countries and peoples, said Chinese Ambassador to Kuwait Li Minggang.

Li told Xinhua in a recent interview that Monday marks the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Kuwait.

"Kuwait is the first Gulf Arab country to establish diplomatic relations with China, the first country in West Asia-North Africa to sign cooperation documents under the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) with China," Li said, noting that Kuwait also provides the most government concessional loans to China among Arab countries.

In the past 50 years since the establishment of diplomatic ties, China-Kuwait relations have withstood various tests and achieved rapid development, Li noted.

Their political mutual trust has been continuously strengthened, and the two sides have always firmly supported each other on issues concerning their respective core interests and major concerns, establishing a model of friendly relations between countries, Li said.

In 2018, leaders of the two countries jointly announced the establishment of China-Kuwait strategic partnership, opening a new chapter in relations of the two countries, the ambassador said.

Aerial photo taken on Oct. 11, 2020 shows the construction site of a project of China Gezhouba Group Corporation (CGGC) in desert of Jahra Governorate, Kuwait. (Photo by Chen Cichao/Xinhua)

The BRI is highly compatible with Kuwait's Vision 2035, a national development plan designed to introduce a change in Kuwait's oil-reliant economic structure and transform the oil-rich Gulf state into a trade and financial hub by 2035, Li noted, adding that China has remained the largest exporter and the largest non-oil trading partner of Kuwait.

"In 2020, the bilateral trade volume between China and Kuwait reached 14.3 billion U.S. dollars, more than 70 times that of the beginning of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries," Li said.

"In 2020, China imported more than 27.5 million tons of crude oil from Kuwait, and Kuwait has become one of the major crude oil exporters for China," Li said.

Friendship between countries also lies in the people-to-people exchanges, Li noted, adding that Kuwait is the only Gulf country that has a medical team dispatched by the Chinese government, which strongly promotes exchanges and cooperation in the medical and health fields between the two countries.

"The Chinese cultural center, which will be the first of its kind in the Gulf region, is expected to be unveiled this year, which will further promote mutual understanding between the two peoples," Li said.

Since the coronavirus broke out, China and Kuwait have demonstrated the connotation of a community with a shared future for mankind with practical cooperation to fight the pandemic, Li stressed.

"At the crucial time to combat the COVID-19 pandemic in China, the Kuwaiti side donated medical supplies to China," Li said, adding that China has also sent medical experts to Kuwait despite the disruptions of the pandemic, and the Chinese enterprises have assisted the Kuwaiti side in building the country's first makeshift hospital.

"China will start to implement the new five-year plan this year, and there is huge space for China's 'dual circulation' development pattern to align with Kuwait's Vision 2035, which will provide a strong impetus and broad prospects for the pragmatic cooperation between the two countries," Li added. 
Last year was not the best in which to have your first novel published. A few days before Pip Williams The Dictionary of Lost Words was launched, Australia went into lockdown. So no promotional events, no appearances on television, no bookshops. Possibly even no sales.

Fast forward a year and her historical novel set around the gestation of The Oxford English Dictionary in the years leading up to World War I has sold more than 120,000 copies and sits in the national bestseller lists. The book industry came to my rescue, she says.

Now it has been named book of the year and best debut novel in the independent bookshops Indie Book Awards. Fortunately, Williams has plenty of words and says she is overwhelmed by the success of the book, which will be published in Britain and the US next month. Other winners included Craig Silveys Honeybee (best novel) and Julia Bairds Phosphoresence (best non-fiction).

Pip Williams with her first edition of the first volume of The Oxford English Dictionary. Her debut novel was named book of the year by Australias independent booksellers. Credit:Ben Searcy

The Dictionary of Lost Words tells the story of Esme, whose father works on the OED. One day young Esme finds a paper slip on which the word bondmaid is defined; it has been dropped by one of the men compiling the dictionary. Gradually she builds a collection of words that have a particular meaning for women but are not being included in the dictionary. And thats just the start of a novel that includes the suffragette movement and the war.
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TO GET A TRIM AROUND THAT SIGN: As we enter the spring growing season, this info from the city of Albuquerque will undoubtedly come in handy: Johnny Chandler of the citys Department of Municipal Development recently responded to a concern about a blocked road sign by saying, DMD is responsible for making sure nothing blocks educational road signs. We do our best to make sure these signs are not obstructed, but with 4,600 miles of roadways we need the help of the community. Please call 311 or use the OneABQ app to help inform us of roadway and roadway sign obstructions. We will send a crew as soon as possible to make sure they are clear to all drivers.

PEDESTRIAN REFUGE ON CARLISLE: A while back a reader emailed in a question about concrete slab/curbing installed in the middle of the median on Carlisle between Indian School and Constitution, saying it looks like a trap for any unwary left-turning driver to get his/her vehicle flipped.

Chandler says that in late 2019, DMD installed a pedestrian refuge for a crosswalk.  This was done to enhance pedestrians ability to cross the busy Carlisle Boulevard and help give them a place to stop before crossing the rest of the street. There is not a traffic signal at this location, and the curbing adds some protection for the pedestrians (from) motorists if they were to leave the roadway.

NM 314 LOSES A LANE THIS WEEK: NMDOT says in a news release the right lane of northbound N.M. 314 will be closed from Monday through Friday as crews realign the intersection. Motorists should give themselves some extra time to reach their destination.

PILGRIMAGES CANCELED: As we get closer to Easter weekend, be aware that once again the Archdiocese of Santa Fe has announced that because of the pandemic, Chimay o and the Tom e Hill group pilgrimages, as well as special processions in which people bunch together, are canceled for 2021.

The news release goes on to say it is the archdioceses hope the pilgrimages will resume full-scale next year, but still want to do the utmost to protect life in this continuing  though attenuating  pandemic. Individual pilgrims visiting Santuario de Chimayo are strongly discouraged from visiting the sacred shrine.

Given that New Mexico is cruising close to 200,000 cases of COVID-19 and 4,000 deaths from the virus  and less than half the states population has registered for the vaccine  it is beyond disturbing that the Journal has been getting letters to the editor with statements like (Arch)Bishop (John C.) Wester thinks he can forbid us from climbing Tome hill on Good Friday. FYI (the) church doesnt own Tome Hill, and I dont need your permission to climb it.

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OK, but everyone should be aware the New Mexico Department of Transportation, New Mexico State Police and the Archdiocese of Santa Fe are asking the faithful to please stay home during Holy Week. While annual pilgrimages to El Santuario de Chimayo and Tome Hill are cherished, New Mexico traditions, the events have been canceled.

The archdiocese adds that over the weekend, April 1-5, the santuario will be locked up tight, and NMDOT continues in its news release that safety provisions provided by the NMDOT along the highly traveled routes to the holy sites will not be available. These include lighting structures, trash receptacles, traffic signs, electronic message boards, barrels and cones. Transportation Secretary Mike Sandoval adds, DOT understands how disappointing this must be for many New Mexicans, but the COVID danger remains, and without added safety provisions the risk of injury or death by walking on poorly lit, high-traffic roadways is too great. Please take care and celebrate safely at home. The department is grateful for everyones understanding and cooperation.

Editorial page editor DVal Westphal tackles commuter issues for the metro area on Mondays. Reach her at 823-3858; dwestphal@abqjournal.com; or 7777 Jefferson NE, Albuquerque, NM, 87109.
Most hunters know that purchasing a firearm from a licensed dealer requires the purchaser to pass a background check conducted through the federal instant check system. In many states, however, purchasers can also buy guns in private transactions that do not require the buyer to pass a background check.

The United States House of Representatives passed legislation last week that would regulate these private sales in all 50 states. Its being referred to as The Universal Background Check bill. The legislation allows family members to gift firearms to one another, but bans anyone from exchanging money for a gun without passing a background check.

The House also passed another bill that would give the Federal Bureau of Investigations more time to complete background checks that are delayed in the instant system.

Gun rights and gun control groups respectively blasted and applauded the legislation.

These bills are a transparent attempt by gun control advocates in Congress to restrict the rights of law-abiding Americans under the guise of addressing the violent criminal culture in America. The truth, however, is that neither of these bills will do anything to solve that problem, said Jason Ouimet, executive director of the National Rifle Association Institute for Legislative Action.

Ouimet argues that enforcing the universal background check bill is impossible without a federal gun registry and does nothing but turn otherwise law-abiding citizens into criminals for simply loaning a firearm to friends or family members. He also holds that giving the FBI more time to complete background checks would allow unelected government bureaucrats to indefinitely delay and prevent lawful firearm transfers.

Everytown for Gun Safety, one of the nations largest gun safety groups, applauded the House and called on the Senate to pass the legislation as well.

Gun violence is an epidemic within this pandemic, and the first step in addressing it is background checks on all gun sales, said Everytown President John Feinblatt. With the NRA sidelined by bankruptcy and a gun safety trifecta in Washington, we have a historic opportunity to pass this bipartisan legislation into law and save lives. Background checks are unfinished business for everyone in the gun safety movement, and now its time for the Senate to step up and do its part.

The House passed the universal background check bill, H.R. 8, almost entirely along party lines. Of the 227 legislators who voted in favor, all but eight were Democrats.

The eight Republicans who voted for the bill did so for a variety of reasons. Florida Rep. Vern Buchanan voted for the bill to close the gaping loophole in current gun law. Pennsylvania Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick was endorsed by the gun control group Giffords for his desire to address gun violence while protecting the Second Amendment. Florida Reps. Maria Elvira Salazar and Carlos A. Gimenez hail from purple districts that were only recently controlled by Democrats.

Only one Democrat voted against the legislation. Rep. Jared Golden (D-Maine) is a moderate who also voted against his party in opposing the $1.9 trillion COVID-19 stimulus bill.
As designed by Yu Shibagaki, the set of Lyons filmed production suggests a kind of purgatory. He still bleeds. But Banquo insists hes in heaven, even as Macbeth will be confined to hell. He also vacillates as to why any of us are having this conversation: at one point, he insists that he just needs to talk to someone, at another he implies a darker purpose of post-facto reckoning. And, of course, Lady M (whose ambition would dash the brains out of the child she lost to get what she wants) haunts the proceedings.
BOSTON, March 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- PatientPing, the nation's most comprehensive care collaboration platform, today announced that it has been granted full certification status under the state of Massachusetts' Mass HIway Event Notification Service (ENS) initiative. This enables Massachusetts community providers to receive real-time notifications when patients experience care eventswhether they are at a hospital, emergency department, or post-acute care facilityincreasing access to the information that improves care coordination for patients, which ultimately improves patient outcomes.

The Massachusetts statewide ENS Framework was developed by the Executive Office of Health and Human Services (EOHHS) and the Mass HIway to enable care providers to receive alerts about their patients' admissions, discharges, and transfers (ADTs) by requiring acute care hospitals across Massachusetts to send ADTs to a certified ENS vendor. Since 2014 PatientPing has been building an extensive ADT network in the state of Massachusetts and beyond. The PatientPing network spans the care continuum and includes 10 MassHealth ACOs and 12 of the state's Medicare ACOs. Additionally, PatientPing is connected to nearly 90% of acute beds in New England with close to 1,000 post-acute partners, 610 skilled nursing facilities, 340 home health and hospices, and a rapidly growing number of community providers. For example, PatientPing recently announced that it has partnered with the Massachusetts League of Community Health Centers to provide real-time notifications to the state's 52 community health centers.

Any acute care hospital that directly connects its ADT feed to PatientPing enhances care coordination among community providers as the Family Health Center of Worcester explains. "With PatientPing, we now know where our patients are receiving care outside of our organization, and have the ability to connect them back to our health center for appropriate follow-up care," said Jenepher Henkins, Director of Care Management at Family Health Center of Worcester, a full service, Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC) serving patients across the greater Worcester area of Massachusetts. "We have also had the ability to strengthen our workflows with surrounding hospitals and emergency departments by collaborating with them to improve patient follow-ups post-discharge."

As a certified ENS vendor, PatientPing meets specific functional, data security, data sharing, and business criteria focused on ensuring statewide ENS access, delivery, reliability, and integrity. HITRUST CSF Certified status further demonstrates that the PatientPing SaaS platform meets key regulations and industry-defined requirements and is appropriately managing risk. By including federal and state regulations, standards and frameworks, and incorporating a risk-based approach, the HITRUST CSF helps organizations address challenges through a comprehensive and flexible framework of prescriptive and scalable security controls.

"This is an important initiative for our state. Enabling all entities that have a shared treatment relationship with a patient to be notified about who else is caring for them and why, via real-time ADT information, helps develop the most impactful care plans, which ultimately improves patient health," said Jay Desai, CEO & co-founder of PatientPing. "My co-founder and I started PatientPing in Massachusetts and the care coordination network we've built only becomes stronger with the MassHIway initiative. I'm excited to partner with the state as a certified ENS vendor because it accelerates our mission of connecting providers to seamlessly coordinate patient care."

About PatientPing PatientPing is an innovative care collaboration platform that reduces the cost of healthcare and improves patient outcomes by seamlessly connecting providers to coordinate patient care. The platform enables providers to collaborate on shared patients through a comprehensive suite of solutions and allows provider organizations, health plans, governments, individuals and the organizations supporting them to leverage real-time patient data to reach their shared goals of improving the efficiency of our healthcare system. PatientPing's network includes 1,250 hospitals, 6,000 post-acute care facilities, and hundreds of other providers such as Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs), social and human service agencies, urgent cares, and behavioral health organizations, among others. Visit www.patientping.com to learn more.

Media Contact: Sarah Larrow / Jill Anderson SVM PR 401-490-9700 patientping@svmpr.com

View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/patientping-named-a-certified-event-notification-service-ens-vendor-under-the-mass-hiway-initiative-301252889.html

SOURCE PatientPing
by Shafique Khokhar

Experts and activists are demanding that teachers, parents, students and education experts be involved in the policy process. The interests of students must be protected without any discrimination. Imposing Islamic studies on non-Muslims will drive many away from school. The education budget should be increased.

Lahore (AsiaNews)  The Working Group for Inclusive Education (WGIE) and the Centre for Social Justice (CSJ) organised a meeting on Saturday ahead of the launch of Pakistans new National Education Policy (NEP).

Participants discussed possible solutions to problems such as low levels of literacy and poor educational standards, and one participant warned that the federal governments new education policy violates the constitutional rights of religious minorities.

One point that was highlighted during the meeting was the need for an inclusive consultation process involving teachers, parents, students, and education experts, as well as training programmes for teachers that take into account critical thinking, human rights, social justice, peace building, and acceptance of cultural and religious differences.

According to Riaz Ahmed Shaikh, dean of the Department of Social Sciences at the Shaheed Zulfikar Ali Bhutto Institute of Science and Technology (SZABIST), the consultation process proposed by the Ministry of Education is not democratic.

In his view, the new policy should build a national consensus while ensuring the best interests of Pakistani children without discrimination on any ground.

Abdul Hameed Nayyar, a nationally renowned educator, notes that the new law provides for compulsory Islamiat (Islamic studies) for students of all faiths. This will drive many non-Muslim primary school pupils to drop out.

He explained that Pakistani education suffered immensely under Ziaul Haqs dictatorship, but the damage it is likely to suffer under the current government is going to be far worse.

For Peter Jacob, executive director of the Centre for Social Justice, regardless of intentions, the reform needs adequate funding, without which it will not succeed. He proposes to boost the budget for the national education system to 4 per cent.
Jersey Shore star Jenni 'JWoww' Farley showed off what a filter can do to one's appearance with a new post shared this weekend to Instagram.

The 35-year-old star was seen makeup free in a pink hoodie while at home.

And in the next image the fiance of 26-year-old wrestler Zack Carpinello was pictured completely made up for the red carpet with heavy eye makeup and lipstick.

A big change: Jersey Shore star Jenni 'JWoww' Farley showed off what a filter can do to one's appearance with a new post shared this weekend to Instagram

The star does not name the app but there are several available with the most popular being Perfect 365, Modiface and YouCam Makeup.

The makeup was done to perfection with no smudges, just beautiful colors in soft pink tones.

She also had perfectly filled-in eyebrows and long eyelashes that did not look fake.

The TV siren made it clear she had used an app to get the transformation. And she had a very strong reaction to the easy makeover thanks to technology.

'Laying here bored and saw this app... so I said why not?' said the red carpet fixture.

No paint: The 35-year-old star was seen makeup free in a pink hoodie while at home

Polished: And in the next image the star was pictured completely made up for the red carpet with heavy eye makeup and lipstick

She then added, 'WTF. Id rather be old and ugly but seriously, dont do this crap to your pics... love yourself.'

Snooki, Mike The Situation and Kyle Richards liked the post.

More and more stars are using filters to achieve a perfect look that is impossible to create on one's own, or, would take hours to replicate.

This comes after she broke the news on Instagram that she is engaged.

The star posed a romantic picture of them passionately kissing atop the Empire State Building where he proposed February 27.

JWoww was wearing her glittering diamond ring and their pair could be seen enjoying glasses of champagne in front of the Manhattan cityscape.

'I said yes': Farley announced she is engaged to her wrestler boyfriend Zack Carpinello

'On 2.27 I said yes on the top of the Empire State Building,' she wrote in her caption before adding a couple of heart emoji and tagging her husband to be.

JWoww's first husband was truck driver Roger Mathews whom she married in 2015 and who is the father of her children Meilani, six, and Greyson, four.

Apparently she has known Zack for quite some time as he was in attendance at her wedding to Roger more than half a decade ago.

Hot couple: JWoww has gushed on Jersey Shore that Zack was 'a f***ing monster in bed' to the point she once said to him: 'Are you an escort? What's going on?'; pictured in August 2019

She filed for divorce in 2018 citing irreconcilable differences and he confirmed the news with an Instagram video saying 'I don't blame her.'

He clarified: 'There's no cheating or any dumb s*** or any juicy details,' saying JWoww 'grew tired of the repetitive pattern that we fell into.'

As seen in 2018: JWoww's first husband was truck driver Roger Mathews whom she married in 2015 and who is the father of her children Meilani, six, and Greyson, four

JWoww began dating Zack in April 2019 and the relationship unfolded on the reality show Jersey Shore: Family Vacation.

Her co-stars made fun of the nearly decade-wide age gap, giving Zack the nickname '24' in reference to his age at the time.

Meanwhile JWoww gushed on the show that Zack was 'a f***ing monster in bed' to the point she once said to him: 'Are you an escort? What's going on?'

They briefly broke up in October 2019 when Jersey Shore aired an episode that showed him getting handsy with JWoww's co-star Angelina Pivarnick in a club.

'I feel disrespected by someone I called a friend and by someone who stated they loved me,' she wrote on Instagram after the footage was broadcast.

Zack responded to the episode with a lengthy Instagram apology saying: 'I made mistakes that I cannot take back, which I take full responsibility for.'

Shortly thereafter JWoww took him back and they have been together ever since with him writing in late 2019 that 'I want to be by your side for the rest of time.'
Courtesy SAPD

San Antonio police are asking the public for help in identifying three suspects in the killing of Tito Roman, 39, on Wednesday.

Surveillance video posted to SAPDs social media pages shows a woman and two men who are believed to have been at the scene when Roman was shot around 2:41 a.m. in the 4900 block of NW Loop 410.
Champaign, IL (61820)

Today

Sunshine and clouds mixed. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. High 83F. Winds NNW at 5 to 10 mph..

Tonight

A few clouds. Low 61F. Winds W at 5 to 10 mph.
Credit: CC0 Public Domain

Iceland's health authorities said Monday they would investigate AstraZeneca's COVID-19 vaccine further before using it again even though the European regulator has declared it "safe and effective".

"All of the Nordic countries, including Iceland, have ... decided to investigate the matter further and to cooperate together before proceeding" with vaccinations using the AstraZeneca jab, Iceland's director of health Alma Moller said.

The country halted its use of the vaccine on March 11the same day as Norway and Denmarkamid reports of post-jab side effects, notably a combination of blood clots, haemorrhaging and low blood platelet levels that was rare but occasionally fatal.

"Going forward, we will try to evaluate if the risk varies depending for example on age or gender, and this will form the basis for future use" of the vaccine, Moller said.

Iceland's decision was taken pending a Nordic review of side effects from all of the COVID-19 vaccines, not just AstraZeneca's, she said.

The European Medicines Agency, the EU's drugs regulator, last week said the vaccine made by the Anglo-Swedish drugmaker was "safe and effective" and not linked to a higher risk of blood clots, recommending that vaccinations resume.

Numerous European countries subsequently lifted their suspensions.

The EMA said however that it was not able to definitively exclude a link between the jab and the rare yet severe coagulation disorders.

Norway, Sweden and Denmark said last week that despite the EMA ruling that they would await the outcome of further evaluations before resuming use of the jab again.

Finland also suspended use of the drug last Friday as a precaution after two cases of cerebral thrombosis were reported.

Iceland, where almost 38,000 people have received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, has reported several cases of post-jab blood clots: two with the AstraZeneca vaccine, and one each after the Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna jabs, authorities said.

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

 2021 AFP
Tim Ratigan lives far from his father-in-law's home in San Antonio, where stiff competition for Covid-19 vaccinations means eligible people might spend weeks refreshing their web browsers in search of available appointments.

But thanks to the internet and a few lines of computer code, he was able to help him snag an appointment.

"My spouse was looking at their website and refreshing all the time, couldn't get anything anywhere near San Antonio," Ratigan said in a phone call.

Ratigan, 24, based in Chicago, wrote a program from his living room to send him an alert whenever an elusive spot opened up at HEB, the grocery and pharmacy chain that's distributing many of Texas' vaccines.

Not unlike the apps on your phone, programmers can write simple scripts that tell computers to automatically do things like look for appointments on websites and send them a text message when one appears.

"Just automatically open that URL, and you'll probably be the fastest one there," he said.

Ratigan is part of a boutique online community that has sprung up in recent months in which programmers come up with ways to give their friends and families an edge in getting vaccination appointments. Github, a website that serves as a repository for programmers to share their code, hosts dozens of uploaded scripts meant to help people secure vaccine slots.

But that doesn't mean much for the general public. With vaccination websites already challenging for older people, programs like Ratigan's are useful only to people who understand how to execute code or know someone who does.

It's something Ratigan said he's keenly aware of.

"The system that's been set up is one that's going to have these problems," Ratigan said. "If it's purely online, you've already started in a world where elderly people who need the vaccine are disadvantaged at getting it."

Some programs scrape individual state or pharmacy sites every few seconds for open slots. For Austin, Texas, where HEB is the primary vaccination provider, coders have written multiple programs and compare them on sites like Reddit. After Ratigan booked an appointment for his father-in-law, he searched Github for a script that scraped sites in New York, where his own father lives, and booked one for him.

Story continues

February 19, 2021: People wait in line to enter H-E-B supermarket in Austin. Austin, Texas. (Mario Cantu / AP file)

Americans are getting vaccinated even faster than President Joe Biden promised in January. The country is on pace to distribute 150 million shots ahead of the proposed April 30 deadline, and Biden said this month that the White House would direct all states to make every adult eligible for the vaccines by May 1.But in practice, the shots are usually distributed by state facilities and pharmacies that require patients to sign up on websites that can quickly run out of slots, creating a digital divide in which Americans who aren't tech-savvy or don't have access to someone who is can have more trouble securing appointments.

That has led to plenty of frustration for people who are still spending hours refreshing vaccination websites.

For someone who can code in Python, a popular programming language that has a wide variety of uses and is easily readable to fellow coders, it was pretty simple: Ratigan inspected the HEB vaccination site, saw how the site's code described a new appointment and wrote a quick script that pinged the site every few seconds and alerted him once a spot was available. He found one for his father-in-law in about an hour.

Matt Henze, an information technology engineer in Austin, knew from friends and family that it was hard to find an appointment through HEB. After co-workers told him they were using scripts to make the process easier, he started using one and booked an appointment for his parents and then appointments for other people he knew who were eligible.

"I've had multiple discussions with friends who have run it or are running it," Henze said. "You think about morally is this OK? My thoughts on the whole thing is if you're signing up people who legitimately are eligible, I don't see a problem with it."

"Whether you're 70 and run it or 70 and can't run it, you're eligible," he said. "I have the skills to do this, so I'm going to help people out."

Although the law around unauthorized web activity can be murky, it's unlikely that the coders' activity would get them in legal trouble, said Tor Ekeland, a lawyer in Brooklyn, New York, who specializes in defending people accused of computer crimes.

"Scraping data from public-facing servers that aren't using any kind of authentication protocols, like usernames or passwords? They're fine," Ekeland said. "There's generally a recognition that data-scraping is a huge component of our economy and our lives. We depend on it for our price information, for news, for communications in our social networks."

Some programmers have used scripts to scrape vaccination information to create public portals for large populations, like the NYC Vaccine List. But a number of programmers, mindful that a system that makes it easier to get a vaccination appointment if you know someone who can code is fundamentally unfair, keep their operations small.

For Jonathan Ho, a computer scientist in Maryland, writing code that pulls data from websites comes naturally, given the work he did in graduate school. When he realized his parents had given up trying to book an appointment because they couldn't find one online, he quickly wrote a program to find them one.

"Some places I've seen go as fast as 5-10 minutes," Ho said. "I asked them 'Have you been able to get an appointment?' And they'd say 'Oh no, they go so quickly, he said. "It seemed to me the key is they go so quickly just to know right where appointments are as soon as possible."

Ho wrote a program to send a text alert when sites like CVS' or the Massachusetts state signup page get openings. Concerned about the ethics of using his skill set to get a vaccination appointment for his parents while knowing that other older folks might not have the same advantage, he tailored it to search only a small area in the state's three-county Pioneer Valley region.

"It was something that to be honest I felt a little ethically complicated about," Ho said. "Those skill sets are going to be highly concentrated toward people who are already receiving a higher rate of vaccination, people who are educated or in wealthier socioeconomic groups."

So Ho found a middle ground: His program scrapes several vaccination appointment sites but doesn't overwhelm them with traffic, and he keeps a public Twitter account, @ValleyVax, that points out availability in a three-county region. It has only a handful of followers, but that's because people tend to unfollow it once they've gotten their shots.

"I don't want to just hoard the information," he said. "It feels wrong."
The Speaker of Parliament, Mr Alban Sumana Kingsford Bagbin, has emphasised the need for the two main political parties in the country to work together for the common good of the country and further help Ghanas democracy to grow.



He said having played a role to build Ghanas democracy to this level, many Ghanaians were no longer interested in the partisan politics.



He said the people expected the two main political parties  the New Patriotic Party (NPP) and the National Democratic Congress (NDC)-- to put the interest of the country ahead of their parochial interests by collaborating more for national development.



Courtesy call



Mr Bagbin made these comments when the US Ambassador to Ghana, Mrs Stephanie Sullivan, paid a courtesy call on him last Wednesday.



She used the visit to congratulate the Speaker on his ascension to the high office of Speakership.



The two spoke about a number of key issues pertaining to the development of their respective countries. The conversation was also centred on health, agriculture and environmental issues.



The meeting also had in attendance, the leadership of Parliament including the Second Deputy Speaker, Mr Andrews Amoako Asiamah, the Majority Leader, Mr Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu, the Minority Leader, Mr Haruna Iddrisu, as well as the Clerk to Parliament, Mr Cyril Kwabena Nsiah.



Strengthening the Legislature



Mr Bagbin also spoke about the need to strengthen the institutional capacity of the legislative branch of government, to ensure that the democracy thrived and stressed the need for Members of Parliament to be given offices and personnel in their constituencies for ease of consultation and work in the constituencies."



Mr Bagbin expressed gratitude to the Ambassador for the visit and expressed the hope that the good relations between Ghana and the United States would be further strengthened.



Congratulations



Ambassador Sullivan, while congratulating the Speaker on his appointment, also commended the Appointments Committee of Parliament for the good work it did in vetting the various ministerial appointees of the President.



She said the way the committee conducted its business during the vetting process sent a strong signal that Parliament's work would not be business as usual.

"Parliament now takes its scrutiny duties very seriously," the US Ambassador said.



Trader partnership



Mrs Sullivan also spoke about the need for strong trade relations between the USA and Ghana, making reference to an earlier statement by the Majority Leader, Mr Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu, which stressed the need to strengthen the private sector since it was the engine of growth.



Majority Leader



Mr Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu spoke about the benefits of the many exchange programmes between the two countries and emphasised the need for improved trade relations.



The Majority Leader stressed the need to further strengthen the private sector as the engine of growth for any economy.



Minority Leader



Mr Iddrisu also expressed concern about the indicators used for measuring child labour and child trafficking, which portrayed Ghana in a bad light.



He, therefore, urged the US to posit the phenomenon in its proper context, saying that "by our culture, Ghanaian children do assist their parents and relatives in their economic endeavours and this, by no means, has nothing to do with child labour, he said.



The Minority Leader further spoke about the menace of money laundering and called on the US to help state institutions to block illicit transfer of funds.

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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Extradited North Korean citizen appears in US court

Mun Chol Myong was arrested in Malaysia in 2019 after the United States accused him of laundering funds

A North Korean citizen accused by the United States of laundering money to circumvent US and UN sanctions over his country's nuclear weapons programme appeared in a US court on Monday after extradition from Malaysia.



The US Justice Department said Mun Chol Myong, a businessman it said was affiliated North Korea's primary intelligence organisation, the Reconnaissance General Bureau, was the first North Korean ever extradited to the United States.



It said Mun appeared in federal court in Washington, where he was indicted in May 2019 on six counts of money laundering, including conspiracy to commit money laundering.



Mun was arrested in Malaysia in 2019 after the United States accused him of laundering funds through front companies and issuing fraudulent documents to support illicit shipments to North Korea. He denied the allegations, saying they were politically motivated.



North Korea said on Friday it would sever diplomatic relations with Malaysia after the extradition.



It called it a "nefarious act and unpardonably heavy crime" by Malaysian authorities, who had "offered our citizen as a sacrifice of the US hostile move in defiance of the acknowledged international laws."



North Korea warned that Washington, "the backstage manipulator and main culprit of this incident," would be "made to pay a due price."



John Demers, US assistant attorney general for national security, said Mun's actions were aimed at evading both US and UN sanctions.



"We will continue to use the long reach of our laws to protect the American people from sanctions evasion and other national security threats," he said in a statement.



Alan Kohler, assistant director of the FBI's counterintelligence division, said bringing overseas defendants to justice was one of the division's biggest challenges, especially in the case of North Korea.



"We hope he will be the first of many," he said.



US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said last week the Biden administration will complete a review of U.S. policy toward North Korea in the next few weeks. (Reuters)
The Belarusian band Galasy ZMesta has prepared two new songs for the Eurovision Song Contest, band leader Dmitry Butakov told Belarusian state television in an interview broadcast on March 21.



One of songs is about bunnies, while the other is more serious, Butakov said, adding that he didnt know which one would be submitted to replace a song that was rejected by Eurovision organizers.



The European Broadcasting Union on March 11 informed Minsk that Galasy ZMestas song I'll Teach You was rejected because it would put the nonpolitical nature of the contest in question.



The song included praise for Belarusian strongman Alyaksandr Lukashenka and used lyrics such as "I'll teach you how to dance to the tune.



Butakov said in the interview that he believes that the text of the first song was not accepted because "apparently there were some interested people who made it so that they perceived it that way."



Calls to reject Belarus's entrant to the annual Eurovision contest had been growing in the run-up to the event in the Dutch city of Rotterdam on May 18-22.

Lukashenka has overseen a brutal government crackdown on protests calling for his resignation, fresh elections, and the release of detainees. More than 30,000 people have been arrested, hundreds beaten, and several people killed in the process.



Butakov also said that the bands stage show will be "old school," noting that the group is not made up of young people.



"Therefore, everything will be somewhere in the old man's way (but) in a good way," he said.



Butakov said Galasy ZMesta songs normally are well received by Western audiences. He said the band's songs are played on the radio in Ukraine, Russia, Kazakhstan, and Canada.

Based on reporting by Belarusian state television and Tut.by
Vimpex's Hydrosense Water Leak Detection System has been installed in Dublin Airports new Visual Control Tower (VCT) to protect the new state of the art facility from water ingress, which could seriously damage electrical, communication and computer networks.

Visual Control Tower (VCT)

The 87-metres high tower is Irelands tallest occupied structure and a commanding new addition to the citys skyline. It comprises three separate but integrated building elements, the control cab and associated elements, the cab supporting shaft and a base building.

The base building will accommodate staff facilities, electronic systems and mechanical plant space to provide control of the building environment.

Hydrosense Water Leak Detection systems

Vimpexs Hydrosense Water Leak Detection systems are delivering the new standard in water leak detection

Vimpexs Hydrosense Water Leak Detection systems are delivering the new standard in water leak detection, applying the integrity, control and reliability of life safety and building infrastructure systems to protect against water ingress that could seriously damage critical IT and communication infrastructure.

It continuously monitors for water leaks around the clock, year in year out and has the facility for 72-hour battery standby in the event of power failure. Should a leak be detected the control panel sounds an alarm which can be extended to a remote location. When an alarm is raised, Vimpex Hydro-Cryer voice sounders can be used to broadcast an unambiguous message, avoiding confusion with other sounders on site.

Integrated with life safety technology

Utilising life safety technology in the design of Hydrosense provides the reliability and integrity of EN approved fire detection systems, meaning there is virtually no risk of failure, downtime and significantly fewer false alarms.

Established in 1994, Vimpex is the UK's renowned independent manufacturer and distributor of fire and building infrastructure, alarm and evacuation products and accessories. The company produces and distributes a range of high quality evacuation, signalling and fire system products, both Vimpex manufactured and supplied by the company's manufacturing partners.
Source: Xinhua| 2021-03-22 00:15:22|Editor: huaxia

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MOGADISHU, March 21 (Xinhua) -- Somali President Mohamed Farmajo has called for a new round of consultative talks Monday to finalize a deal on the delayed elections.

The two-day talks to be held in the Somali capital Mogadishu comes after a series of consultative meetings between members of the international community and Somali leaders on how to break the current impasse on elections.

Farmajo said the meeting with all signatories of the Sept. 17, 2020 pre-election deal will finalize implementation of the electoral model, built on the work of the technical committee which met in Baidoa in the southwest region on Feb. 15 to 17.

"President Mohamed Farmajo convenes a two days Federal government of Somalia-Federal member states and Benadir Administration leadership elections summit to be held on March 22, 2021 in Mogadishu to finalize implementation of the Baidoa technical committee's recommendations based on Sept. 17, 2020 Electoral agreement for free and fair elections," the presidency said in a statement issued Saturday evening.

Farmajo urged leaders of federal member states and the Benadir region to pay close attention to the Monday conference by addressing the concerns raised on the pre-electoral agreement in order to lead the country to free and fair elections.

Farmajo whose four-year term ended on Feb. 8 has blamed unnamed foreign interventions for the failure of the talks despite his side making compromises and accused Puntland and Jubbaland states of refusing to support the pre-election deal.

The Monday talks also come amid pressure from the international community which has called for immediate resumption of talks to find a way forward for the conduct of delayed elections. Enditem
Turkeys lira plunged 16 per cent to near its all-time low as markets opened after President Tayyip Erdogan made the shock weekend decision to oust a hawkish central bank governor and install a like-minded critic of high interest rates.

The appointment of Sahap Kavcioglu, a former banker and ruling party lawmaker, in the early hours on Saturday marked the third time since mid-2019 that Erdogan has abruptly fired a central bank chief.

The Borsa Istanbul stock exchange in Turkey, where annual inflation is running at 15.6%. Credit:Bloomberg

Kavcioglu had sought to ease concerns over a sharp selloff and a pivot from rate hikes to cuts in a 90-minute call on Sunday, in which he told bank CEOs he planned no immediate policy change, a source told Reuters.

But Goldman Sachs and others predicted the lira and Turkish assets would plunge when financial markets opened for the week given the new governors dovish and even unorthodox views, and what was seen as the latest damage to the banks credibility.

The currency was down more than 16 per cent at 8.4 versus the dollar, from 7.2185 on Friday, back to levels touched in early November when it reached an intraday record of 8.58 lira per dollar.

Liquidity is often thin in early trade, which exaggerates moves. But analysts had expected a sharp dive given Erdogans staunch opposition to high rates and interference in policy has dogged the major emerging market economy for years.

The latest overhaul could reverse the hawkish and orthodox steps taken by predecessor Naci Agbal, analysts said, and nudge Turkey toward a balance of payments crisis given its depleted buffer of FX reserves.

Erdogan fired Agbal two days after a sharp rate hike that was meant to head off inflation of nearly 16 per cent and a dipping lira.

In his less than five months on the job, Agbal had raised rates by 875 basis points to 19 per cent and regained some policy credibility as the lira rallied from its nadir. But the currency gave back most of those gains in less than 10 minutes as the weeks trade began.

It is going to be a dark and long day on Monday, said one local fund manager.

Cristian Maggio, a strategist at TD Securities, had predicted a 10 per cent -15 per cent lira depreciation over the coming days.

The overhaul demonstrates the erratic nature of policy decisions in Turkey, especially with regard to monetary matters (and risks) looser, unorthodox, and eventually mostly pro-growth policies from now on, he said.

On the call with Turkish bankers, Kavcioglu said any policy change would depend on lowering inflation, which he said was the primary goal, the source familiar with the call said.

Kavcioglu said the current policy approach would continue, the source added. The central bank did not immediately comment.

In a statement earlier on Sunday, Kavcioglu said the bank would focus on permanently lowering inflation, which has been stuck in double digits for most of the last four years.

A former member of parliament for the AK Party (AKP), Kavcioglu has espoused the unorthodox views shared by Erdogan. He wrote high rates indirectly cause inflation to rise, in a newspaper column last month.

Reuters
For many in the Hudson Valley, the white-tailed deer is not a well-liked member of the community. They appear unannounced and uninvited to feast upon backyard beds of hostas and lilies. Host ticks responsible for Lyme disease, whose incidence is growing in New York. Collide with tens of thousands of cars each year in the state.

The devastation they inflict upon forests, however, has often been an overlooked offense. In its new 10-year plan to manage the states deer population, the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) shows that the forests of the Hudson Valley are threatened by an overabundance of deer who feast upon saplings and stunt a habitats health. One of their goals is to encourage hunters to thin the deer population in the region by 25% in the next 10 years, so forests have a chance to regenerate.

It wont be easy for the DEC to hit that target, though. In the dense, suburban towns of the Lower Hudson Valley, there are many prohibitions on hunting, and a very small appetite for lethal deer management, aside from accidental predators like Toyotas and Subarus.

White-tail deer overpopulation is the greatest forest conservation challenge of our time, said Tom Rawinski, a former botanist for the U.S. Forest Service. Now a fellow at Harvard, where he is writing a book on deer overabundance, Rawinski has advised communities and landowners in Dutchess and Westchester counties on how to manage these forest eaters. Only the Lower Hudson region, however, has tried the most unusual method of all: not killing the deer.

Sandra Jenkins

Zombie forests left in deers wake

Were in the midst of a scentless spring, Rawinski said, referencing the Silent Spring-like title of his book, where all these important flowers and plants dont exist anymore on a scale that is massive.

Saplings and wildflowers like the trout lily, which attract pollinators, have no chance of survival in a forest overrun with deer, explains Rawinski. In continual search of food, deer will browse a healthy understory to the ground, leaving a zombie forest in its wake.

Westchesters Hillside Woods and Park, the 100-acre forest in Hastings-on-Hudson that he surveyed, is a case in point. In the last 40 years its understory has gone from being too dense to see through, to disappearing entirely. As the deer nibble the native plants of the forest floor, they take away traditional habitats and food for other wildlife like birds and clear the way for invasive plants to take root, which even the deer will not touch.

Rawinski believes the onus is on humans to reduce the deer population for the sake of the forests. Humans are responsible for the habitat weve made for deer. And were responsible for eliminating their predators. In the absence of predation, humans have to take on that responsibility.

Hunting option in the crosshairs

In practice though, very few municipalities in the Lower Hudson Valley want to assume that mantle. Outside of Pound Ridge and Somers in Northern Westchester, the wildlife curator for the countys parks, Dan Aitchison, knows of no other towns that have a deer management plan involving hunting or that support hunting efforts.

A township certainly could implement a deer management program if they wanted to, but they havent. It really comes down to  is it palatable for the public? Aitchison said.

Across the river in Rockland County, Stan Pasco, an avid hunter and a master instructor for New Yorks hunter education programs, understands the odds that he and other hunting advocates are up against. Though hunting is legal in the county  provided one is at least 150 feet from a residence or structure if using bows, or 500 feet if using firearms  the reality is that towns adopt a patchwork approach to permitting it, and Rockland bans it on all public parkland. Westchester townships take a similarly prohibitive approach, and where deer hunting is allowed, its only by bow.

In a dense suburban town, it is easy to see why the restrictions are in place  and even easier to see the deer roaming as a result. On any given day, Pasco said, Ill have 4 to 14 of them going through my yard and my neighbors yard."

Fifteen years ago, Pasco, who lives in West Nyack, was part of a task force to explore permitting more hunting in the county, but nothing changed. Everyone complains about it, but nobody has an answer because here in Rockland, the hunting aspect was too political for anyone to tackle.

He attributes the stalemate to Rocklands shift over time from a rural county to a bedroom community. For decades, this has been a suburb of New York City. People that have been moving up are not accustomed to the traditional hunting way of life, he said.

Stan Pasco

Taking hunting out of deer management: fertility control and fencing

When he ran for mayor of Hastings-on-Hudson 13 years ago, Peter Swiderski was surprised that the foremost concern on peoples minds was the number of deer in town. But in trying to manage them, he quickly learned that culturally, you have to choose a mechanism that fits the community. For Hastings, a village he describes as very liberal, that meant finding a progressive method of reining in the deer: birth control.

After first considering lethal deer management through a targeted cull that would not put the public at risk, an anonymous 2010 YouTube post equated his plan to Hitlers and a Change.org petition called for signers to Say No to Hasting on Hudsons Plan to Slaughter Deer." Faced with the prospect of continual opposition and harassment, he embarked upon a joint plan to sterilize the female deer together with the Humane Society and the Center for Animals and Public Policy at Tufts Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine. Led by Dr. Allen Rutberg, it was the first deer fertility study in an area where the deer can range freely from neighboring communities. It remains the regions only deer fertility project to date.

From 2014 to 2019, researchers from the Humane Society administered 69 does with first an injection and for some, a subsequent booster shot, of an immuno-contraceptive, PZP, that was first developed to stem the population of wild horses in the West. The village of Hastings invested more than $80,000 in the project according to Swiderski, much of which was spent on the lodging and per diem costs of Humane Society teams as they administered the PZP.

If that seems exorbitant, vasectomizing the deer, which is how New York City is trying to manage its deer population on Staten Island, would have cost significantly more. (Its a freaking field hospital, said Swiderski.) The running tab for that operation is more than $6 million dollars, and is now on pause due to budget cuts.

Rutberg is planning on reporting the final deer reduction numbers to the DEC this spring, but his past reports to the DEC reflect that the number of deer in Hastings dropped from an estimated 207 deer at the start of the study, to roughly 77 at its close. In a three-square-mile village, that is still a lot of deer. But for Rutberg and his team, the numbers show that chemical fertility control is viable.

Its never really been possible before to use contraception to manage deer populations. The work weve done in Hastings and other places shows it is possible, he said.

Haven Colgate

As of now, the state disagrees. As its 2020 draft management plan spells out, the DEC deems chemical fertility control ineffective in its present form. The chemicals used arent approved for use in New York outside of research, and in their estimation, deer are too productive, fawning at an average rate of 2 to 3 per year, for birth control alone to bring down the population.

Aware of the states position, Rutberg countered, That has been position of most state wildlife agencies and its our job to convince them otherwise. He is now working on a new fertility study on Long Island to bolster to his PZP research.

Even with a downsized deer population, the understory in Hillside Woods remains depleted. In 2017, the Hillside Woods Restoration Project committee invited a wildlife biologist, David deCalesta, to help determine the next best course to regenerate the forest; he in turn invited botanist Tom Rawinski to join him. In Dr. deCalestas estimation, Hillside was the worst deer desert hed witnessed in his 47 years of deer and forest research. For a healthy forest to regenerate, he deemed 10 deer per square mile to be the optimal density.

Knowing that resident and neighboring deer would present a continuous threat to the forests health, he and Rawinski suggested another non-lethal approach to restore its plants and wildlife: an exclosure fence. Installing a tall wire enclosure around 60 acres of Hillside woods would keep it deer-free, while letting humans in through an S-type gate. The town has been awarded funding from the state and county to build it, an estimated $237,000 line item in a $357,000 project that also involves many volunteers removing invasive plants and replanting native trees and shrubs. The start date for the fences construction is 2021, but the pandemic has delayed the projects funding. In the meantime, one of the Hillside Woods Steering Committee members, Haven Colgate, said the Committee will begin with a 4.5 acre-demonstration site.

Danielle Begley-Miller

The difference a fenceand huntersmake

At the thousand-acre Teatown Lake Reservation in Northern Westchester, its Director of Science and Stewardship, wildlife biologist Dr. Danielle Begley-Miller, has seen the forest spring back to life after fencing out the deer. The area before it was fenced had nothing in it. It was just an empty void of forest, she said.

Since a five-acre exclosure was installed in 2010 at the entrance of the preserve, most of the understory has come back. Walking through there, it is a striking difference, even from the rest of Teatown, she said.

But the rest of the preserve is experiencing a rebirth of its own. After a targeted culling of deer by the USDA, which was legally challenged but later dismissed, Teatown began a program in 2014 of inviting licensed, recreational bowhunters to thin their overabundant herd for free  though some have been given the occasional gift card for their efforts. Their goal of thinning the population until there are just 10 to 15 deer per square mile is similar to deCalestas projections for a healthy ecosystem.

This doesnt necessarily mean that this is perfect deer density for every area, Begley-Miller is quick to point out. The right number reflects the point at which both the deer and the forest are thriving. So far Teatowns hunting program has brought the levels from 75-80 deer per square mile to 30-35, and already Begley-Miller is seeing signs of forest regeneration. Patches of trout lilies and other wildflowers now spring up, along with a dramatic increase in tree growth in the understory.

There were almost no maple and oak seedlings above 8 inches tall in 2014; as of 2019, Begley-Miller counted 78. Its really cool to see that and know that the forest is recovering in a way that makes it function in the way its supposed to function, she said.

As a privately held preserve, Teatown faces a different kind of permitting process than a suburb with many constituents. But since the initial lawsuit against hunting in Teatown, there has also been no real opposition to the hunters who have sped up the forests regeneration.

I think people in the area understand [the need for hunting] because theyve seen for themselves the effect on the forest. There are plants that werent there before, said Begley-Miller.

New York State Department of Environmental Conservation

The path of inaction

Aside from lengthening the hunting season or reconsidering other restrictions, the DEC has few levers it can pull to harvest more deer  the very agricultural term they use for hunting.

It does make suggestions in their 2020 management plan that could make their job easier, like lowering property taxes for private landowners who open up their land to hunting.

But unless they receive more authority to help towns remove deer, they are essentially hamstrung.

Legally the communities have a lot of control over what happens in their boundaries, said Jeremy Hurst, wildlife biologist and chairman of the states Big Game Management Team for the DEC. But its wise to be proactive, he says, and he encourages groups of town supervisors or county officials to engage the DEC in discussions about a comprehensive deer management program.

A community cant turn a blind eye to deer management, warned Hurst. If they arent addressing deer in their community now, theyre going to need to do it at some pointbecause inaction only breeds more conflict and more deer.
Burma Two More Australians Arrested by Myanmar Military Regime

Matthew OKane (left) and Christa Avery (right). / Facebook

Two more Australians have been detained by the junta after being prevented from boarding a relief flight out of Yangon last Friday, according to Australias Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. The husband and wife, both agriculture development consultants, have reportedly been placed under house arrest.

Matthew OKane and Christa Avery, who run business consultancy firm AOK Co. Ltd in Yangon, are friends with fellow Australian Professor Sean Turnell, who was detained by the military regime a week after their Feb.1 coup. Turnell was one of the top economic advisors to ousted State Counselor Daw Aung San Suu Kyi. He was subsequently accused by the junta of trying to flee Myanmar with secret financial information.

With the military regime continuing their deadly crackdown on anti-coup protesters across the country, the Australian government on Friday advised its citizens in Myanmar to return home if they dont need to be in the country.

OKane and Avery have run AOK Co. Ltd for over ten years, according to the Myanmar Investment Agencys Directorate of Investment and Company Administration registration records. The company offers bespoke client services such as project development and commercial consulting.

Avery, who is a dual Canadian-Australian citizen, has over a decade of on-the-ground management experience in Myanmar, according to her LinkedIn profile. She has helped companies from a range of sectors establish successful operations in emerging markets and is also the founder of the www.myanmarnaturally.com blog for social enterprise investing.

The couple are receiving help from the Australian Embassy in Yangon, according to the Australian media.

Polish journalist Robert Bociaga, who works for the German Press Agency dpa, is also being detained by the junta after being arrested while covering anti-regime protests in Taunggyi, the capital of Shan State.

Over 250 civilians have been killed by security forces during the crackdown on peaceful pro-democracy demonstrators. A total of 2,290 people have been being detained by the military, according to the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP).



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San Francisco, March 22 : The US state of Utah is considering passing a law to make smartphone and tablet makers filter pornographic content.

The bill would require smartphones and tablets to "automatically enable a filter capable of blocking material that is harmful to minors," The Verge reported.

Governor of Utah Spencer Cox said he will "carefully consider" signing the bill, said the report.

Utah's legislature passed the proposal earlier this month as the bill is supported by members of the state's Republican majority.

Cox can either veto or sign the bill into law by March 25.

Utah's H.B. 72 measure requires that all smartphones and tablets sold in the state have active adult content filters.

Users will be able to disable the filter through a passcode that phone makers would provide.

But if a filter is not enabled automatically at the time the user activates the device and a minor accesses harmful content, its manufacturer can be held legally liable.

Every violation may attract a maximum fine of $10.

"Harmful" content can include "any description or representation" of nudity or sexual conduct that doesn't have artistic, political, or scientific value for minors.

Both iOS and Android devices already come with parental controls, but they are turned off by default, The Verge reported.

However, if the bill becomes a law, it is likely to face a legal challenge.

The American Civil Liberties Union of Utah (ACLU) of Utah, which opposed the rule, said in a tweet that it "infringes upon the general public's First Amendment rights to freely access the Internet."
An Orthodox Christian Tigrayan refugee who fled the conflict in the Ethiopia's Tigray reads prayers with his son in front of a church at Hamdeyat Transition Center near the Sudan-Ethiopia border, eastern Sudan, Tuesday March 16, 2021. (AP Photo/Nariman El-Mofty)

US President Joe Biden is sending Senator Chris Coons to Ethiopia to meet with Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed and convey Biden's "grave concerns" over the humanitarian crisis in the Tigray region, where thousands have died following fighting.

Washington also said it will provide nearly $52 million more in aid to address the humanitarian crisis in the region, but called for hostilities to end and human rights abusers to be held accountable.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken urged the immediate withdrawal of Eritrean forces, an end to the Ethiopian government's deployment of regional forces in Tigray and increased humanitarian access.

Read More

"The humanitarian situation will continue to worsen without a political solution," Blinken said in a statement.

Fighting between government troops and the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF) has killed thousands of people and forced hundreds of thousands from their homes in the mountainous region of about five million.

The United Nations has raised concerns about atrocities being committed in Tigray, while Blinken has described acts carried out in the region as ethnic cleansing. Ethiopia has rejected Blinken's allegation.

"(The accusation) is a completely unfounded and spurious verdict against the Ethiopian government," Ethiopias foreign ministry said on March 13, reacting to the allegation of ethnic cleansing.

"Nothing during or after the end of the main law enforcement operation in Tigray can be identified or defined by any standards as a targeted, intentional ethnic cleansing against anyone in the region," it said. "The Ethiopian government vehemently opposes such accusations."

Biden's national security adviser Jake Sullivan said in a statement that Coons - a longtime Biden ally who represents the president's home state of Delaware - would also consult with the African Union.

"Senator Coons will convey President Biden's grave concerns about the humanitarian crisis and human rights abuses in the Tigray region and the risk of broader instability in the Horn of Africa," Sullivan said. The senator serves on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee's subcommittee on Africa and global health policy.

Officials in the prime minister's office and at the foreign ministry did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Coons said he looked forward to engaging with Abiy and conveying Biden's concern.

"The United States is gravely concerned by the deteriorating situation in the Tigray, which threatens the peace and stability of the Horn of Africa region," Coons said in a statement.

Ethiopia's federal army ousted the TPLF from the Tigray capital Mekelle in November, after what it said was a surprise assault on its forces in the region bordering Eritrea.

The government has said most fighting has ceased but acknowledged there are still isolated incidents of shooting.

Ethiopia and Eritrea have denied the involvement of Eritrean troops in the fighting, although dozens of witnesses, diplomats and an Ethiopian general have reported their presence.

Recently, Unicef said it was deeply concerned that in the five months since fighting began between forces loyal to regional power brokers the TPLF, and national Government troops, childrens access to basic social services is being eroded.

Schools and health centres have been looted, vandalised and occupied by armed forces and groups, Executive Director Henrietta Fore said.

Organisations on the ground have reported deliberate attacks on health facilities and warned that the limited health services that are functional are unable to cope with the needs.

An assessment carried out at the end of February, found that violence and looting have left nearly 60pc of health care facilities unable to operate. Boreholes in 13 towns were surveyed with over half unable to function. A quarter of the regions schools also sustained damage from the conflict.

Since November Unicef said a clearer picture has emerged of killings and sexual violence against women and children in Tigray.

The reported murder of at least 20 children at Maryam Dengelat Church last November will continue to haunt families and communities, said Fore.
CHICAGO, March 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Illinois' two largest private water companies have hit customers with more than $220 million in higher bills to cover a spending spree as it bought up dozens of municipal systems in recent years, the Citizens Utility Board (CUB) said Monday as it advocated for a proposal to give consumers a voice on water privatization.

On World Water Day, the consumer watchdog stood with state legislators and union representatives to show support for Senate Bill 164, sponsored by Sen. John Connor of Crest Hill. The legislation would require a local referendum before private water companies Aqua Illinois and Illinois American could acquire a water system. (See the news conference here.)

CUB urged consumers to visit CUBWaterTracker.com to learn more about the issue and send state legislators a message in favor of SB 164.

"Residents should be able to vote on the decision to sell their water system, just as shareholders get a vote in large decisions within a company," Sen. Connor said. "Our job is protecting the residents, not increasing profits for private water companies."

About 80 percent of local water systems in Illinois are municipally owned. However, new research released by CUB reveals that since 2013, Illinois American and Aqua have crisscrossed the state buying up 34 water or wastewater systems, fully depreciated in most cases, in communities across the state.

In total, the corporations have charged their current customers more than $220 million (about $160.8 million for Illinois American and $59.6 million for Aqua) to cover those acquisition costs, according to data compiled from the Illinois Commerce Commission (ICC). The numbers include the legal costs the companies spent on the acquisitions.

A 2013 state law, opposed by CUB, allows Aqua Illinois and Illinois American Water to impose rate hikes on their current customers to finance 100 percent of the costs of municipal water system acquisitions. One of nation's most aggressive privatization laws, the Illinois law allows the companies to raise ratesup to 2.5 percent to cover one acquisition, or a total of 5 percent for multiple acquisitionsbetween ICC rate cases.

In 2018, the General Assembly extended the 2013 law for 10 additional years and removed a 7,500-connection cap on the size of systems that the water companies can buy. That makes communities across Illinois targets for these profit-driven private water corporations.

While this has been hard on consumers, it's been good for Aqua and Illinois American. The parent companies of both utilities raked in total combined profits of more than $993 million in 2020.

Supporters of the referendum legislation, SB 164, say giving consumers a say on whether their public water should be sold offers protection from the growing problem of privatization and high water bills.

"Public services should not be sold off for private profit," said Joanna Webb-Gauvin, legislative director of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) Council 31. "When municipal water systems are privatized, it means higher rates, cutting corners on safety and the loss of good jobs. For all these reasons, we believe that giving local residents a voice through a referendum is a common-sense step."

"Senate Bill 164 is about giving water customers a voice," said Bryan McDaniel, CUB's director of governmental affairs. "Increasing democracy is a good thing, especially for a decision as long-lasting as the decision to privatize water or sewer service."

Privatization has been a growing trend across the country. In recent decades, federal money has dried up, making it difficult for communities to make expensive upgrades to their aging public water systems. Communities may see privatization as a source of new cash and a way to undertake improvementssometimes federally mandated upgradesto systems that often were installed in the mid-20th Century.

While privatization offers some financial solutions for cash-strapped communities, it often leads to higher bills for residents. A Chicago Tribune investigation in 2017 found that Aqua and Illinois American charged 20 percent to 70 percent more than public systems in the Chicago region.

Food & Water Watch did a survey of 500 municipal water systems across the country and found that private water utilities charged an average of 59 percent more for service than their public counterparts. In Illinois, the number is worse, according to the report: Private water customers here paid almost $300 more per year.

Plus, privatization is no guarantee of acceptable water quality. Aqua Illinois customers in University Park dealt with lead problems for more than a year, forcing people to drink bottled water.

CUBWaterTracker.com includes a breakdown of all Illinois American and Aqua acquisitions since 2013, the largest being Alton's wastewater system for nearly $55 million. The site also gives consumers guidance on what they can do if they are concerned about water privatization.

CUB is Illinois' leading nonprofit utility watchdog. Created by the Illinois Legislature, CUB opened its doors in 1984 to represent the interests of residential and small-business utility customers. Since then, it has saved consumers more than $20 billion by helping block rate hikes, secure refunds, and fight for clean, low-cost energy. For more information, call CUB's Consumer Hotline, 1-800-669-5556, or visit its award-winning website, www.CitizensUtilityBoard.org.

SOURCE Citizens Utility Board

Related Links

http://www.citizensutilityboard.org


[March 22, 2021] American Achievement Corporation Announces Agreement to Support Long-Term Growth

DALLAS, March 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- American Achievement Corporation ("AAC" or the "Company"), the leading digital retailer and premier provider of school recognition products and commencement photography, announced today that it has implemented a new ownership structure supported by an investor group comprised of the Company's longstanding financial partners, and has appointed Ryan Esko as Chief Executive Officer. The investor group, led by an affiliate of Cerberus Capital Management, L.P. ("Cerberus"), has become majority equity holders in AAC, provided a significant capital investment, and reduced the Company's annual debt service. As a result, AAC has a strengthened financial foundation to invest in its products, customers, and the communities it serves. Prudential Capital Partners and Onex Falcon Investment Advisors, LLC will retain a meaningful minority equity stake in AAC. "AAC has become the preeminent commencement services company through its market-leading brands and expansive portfolio of personalized products," said Joseph Naccarato, Chief Operating Officer and Chief Credit Officer of Cerberus Business Finance. "Ryan brings tremendous strategic and operational expertise and we are excited for him to join the great team at AAC. With his leadership and the Company's strengthened foundation, AAC is well-positioned to further invest in and grow its business for the long-term." Mr. Esko has a proven track record leading consumer, fashion, and retail companies to improvements in sales, customer satisfaction, and profits. He has been an executive at companies ranging from mid-sized businesses to corporations with over $6 billion in revenues. He has also successfully served as full-time or interim Chief Executive Officer of a number of consumer businesses including Kellwood (a wholesaler and retailer with over 10 brands including VINCE, Rbecca Taylor, XOXO, Baby Phat, among others), one of the largest European intimate apparel wholesale and retail companies, the Smokey Bones Restaurant chain, and a leading toy company. Mr. Esko has also served as an Operating Partner, Board Member, Chairman, and Operating Advisor to various private equity-backed consumer and retail businesses. He graduated from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and completed the Executive Scholar program at Northwestern University's Kellogg School of Management.



Ryan Esko, Chief Executive Officer of AAC, added: "Today's announcement with our investors is a significant milestone in AAC's journey that will fuel our next phase of growth. I'm honored to join the Company and this talented team at this exciting time." This new ownership structure follows the consensual dismissal of bankruptcy cases that were filed in respect of the Company, its subsidiaries and its ultimate corporate parent earlier this year.

About American Achievement Corporation American Achievement Corporation is the world's largest Collegiate and High School commencement services company, leading the industry in digital product innovation by helping students and their families celebrate the most meaningful moments in their lives. Operating under the Balfour, Iconic Group, GradImages, University Photo, Gaspard, ArtCarved, KeepSake and Taylor Publishing Company, the Company provides personalized products such as class jewelry and apparel, yearbooks and commercial printing, graduation cap and gowns, announcement products and photography through digital marketing technology, personal in-school deliveries and customized school assortments. To learn more visit Balfour.com, the destination for Graduation products, and GradImages.com, the industry's largest commencement photography platform. About Cerberus Founded in 1992, Cerberus is a global leader in alternative investing with approximately $50 billion in assets across complementary credit, private equity, and real estate strategies. We invest across the capital structure where our integrated investment platforms and proprietary operating capabilities create an edge to improve performance and drive long-term value. Our tenured teams have experience working collaboratively across asset classes, sectors, and geographies to seek strong risk-adjusted returns for our investors. For more information about our people and platforms, visit us at www.cerberus.com. Media Contacts American Achievement Corporation Amanda Reynolds

Director, Corporate Communications

amanda.reynolds@balfour.com Cerberus Brooke Jaye/Akash Lodh

Sard Verbinnen & Co.

914.715.3247/202.758.4263

Cerberus-SVC@sardverb.com View original content:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/american-achievement-corporation-announces-agreement-to-support-long-term-growth-301252981.html SOURCE American Achievement Corporation

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Burma Another Bloody Day in Myanmar as Death Toll Reaches 254

A collage of photos shows dead bodies of Mandalay residents who were shot dead on Monday.

Myanmars protest-related death toll since the militarys Feb. 1 coup reached 254 on Monday evening after four more people, including a 13-year-old child, were shot dead in the countrys second biggest city, Mandalay.

Beginning early Monday, the military regimes security forces opened fire in Aung Pin Lae, Aung Tharyar and Mya Yi Nandar wards in Chanmyathazi Township in Mandalay during a series of raids.

In the gunfire Monday afternoon, three more adults and a 13-year-old boy were killed and more than 40 people were injured, according to charity groups assisting the wounded.

Security forces raided the residential quarters to remove roadblocks erected by local residents and used live rounds, rubber bullets and stun grenades in cracking down against those opposing their raids.

A resident of Mya Yi Nandar Housing told The Irrawaddy that security forces set the roadblocks on fire and destroyed several vehicles belonging to local residents during their raid on the neighborhood.

When local residents appeared in the compound of the housing quarter to oppose the raid, security forces opened fire.

Amid no protests at our housing, security forces raided and destroyed everything they could see, the resident of Mya Yi Nandar Housing said.

He added, They threatened and swore at the residents during their raid. Their inhumane behavior was unacceptable.

Security forces also raided Aung Pin Lae ward in Mandalays Chanmyathazi Township and other locations in the city on Sunday night, opening fire on residents with automatic weapons. The shooting continued until midnight on Sunday.

During the Sunday night raid, eight people including a 16-year-old boy were shot dead by security forces. More than 30 were wounded.

Earlier on Sunday afternoon, police and security forces used live rounds in cracking down on anti-regime protests in Aung Pin Lae. One man was killed after being shot in the head, and six people were severely injured.

Amid the deadly crackdowns, tens of thousands of people across Myanmar continue to take to the streets day and night in defiance of military rule.

You may also like these stories:

Social Media Campaign Shames Adult Children of Senior Myanmar Junta Members

When Myanmars Police Joined Civil Disobedience Movement 75 Years Ago

Myanmar Regime Troops Shoot Eight People Dead in Mandalay Night Raid
Having watched the latest weekend version of the anti-maskers rally in Kelowna I must say I am disappointed these people are not protesters they are radical bullies to go after the TV news crew the way they did was pathetic. These so called protesters are trying to protest that their rights and freedoms are being violated because they have to wear masks.

You think they would welcome the news coverage instead they treated the crew terribly throwing insults, being aggressive and just being rude and ignorant. Why would they have a problem with people wearing mask is it not their right to wear one if they want. Are these protesters the same people who would tear off their shirts and remove their shoes and go in to stores because the store has a sign that says no shirt no shoes no service.

Everybody has a right to their opinion and do a job but when you disrupt or get in peoples way or be threatening that is not protesting that is being a bully, a radical. The government believes they are putting masks laws in place for your benefit and try to stop the spread. I wonder how these so called protesters would feel if someone loaded with covid walked all through the rally and made a lot of people sick.

These protesters then would be looking to the very government they are protesting for help. You dont want to wear a mask stay home and leave the people alone that wear one especially when they are trying to do their job, and leave the people alone that wear one that choose to follow the law.

Roy Butt
U.S. Senator Marsha Blackburn on Sunday visited the U.S./Mexico border in Arizona with local law enforcement officials.

The law enforcement officials I spoke with in Arizona were in unanimous agreement  Joe Bidens lax enforcement policies created a crisis at our southern border, said Senator Blackburn. Joe Biden has emboldened drug cartels and human smugglers.

In Pinal County, there has been a massive increase in illegal drug trafficking by bold and dangerous cartels. In Cochise County, construction crews built roads and removed natural barriers in order to construct the border wall. On President Bidens first day in office, he issued an executive order halting this construction. Now, the cartels and human traffickers are using these same roads to traffic drugs and illegal immigrants straight into our communities.

Until we secure our southern border, every town is a border town, and every state is a border state. I thank Pinal County Sheriff Mark Lamb and Cochise County Sheriff Mark Dannels for their strong leadership and commitment to upholding and enforcing the rule of law.
Press Release

March 21, 2021 Sen. Villar joins International Day of Forests, pushes for forests protection SAYING that forest trees serve as natural protection to the adverse impacts of natural disasters, such as heavy rainfalls during typhoons and extreme flooding, Sen. Cynthia Villar underscored the need to stop deforestation. In joining the celebration of the International Day of Forests on March 21, Villar, chairperson of the Senate committee on environment and natural resources, renewed her call to keep our forests healthy and protected. "Abundant forest trees could help forest soil absorb and retain rainwater, thereby naturally regulating the release of rainwater from hills and mountains," said Villar. She noted that deforestation caused by illegal logging, quarrying, unregulated mining, and slash-and-burn agriculture, among others, "continues to threaten the forest cover of the country." "This resulted to a reduced protection from the effects of natural disasters," pointed out Villar, a known environmentalist. She mentioned for instance the deforestation of the Sierra Madre Mountain Range, which was supposed to protect Luzon from oncoming typhoons. "The muddy quality of the water that flooded Cagayan and Marikina alike is an indication that the surrounding forests and watersheds are already so denuded such that they do not anymore retain soil water and prevent erosion," Villar said. She also cited the statement of the United Nations that over 800 million people live in tropical forests and woodlands in developing countries. Indigenous and local communities, who are also considered as "historic custodians of the planet's most important reservoirs of biodiversity", rely on them for their essential needs from food and shelter to medicines, among others. Because of this, she said the destruction of those habitats translate to loss of livelihood and economic opportunities for people. In November last year, the senator filed Senate Resolution 581, seeking a legislative inquiry on the state of the country's forests, watersheds, and rivers following the severe and widespread flooding in Luzon due to the recent onslaught of typhoons. According to the senator, the denuded forests and the reported heavy siltation on rivers and tributaries have "largely contributed to the immense flooding" in the region, specifically after Typhoon "Ulysses." In her proposed measure, Villar noted several statutes mandating the protection of the country's forests, watersheds and river systems and the preservation of biodiversity to prevent environment-related risks. The International Day of Forests was established on the 21st day of March, by resolution of the United Nations General Assembly on November 28, 2012.
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Former Washington Post correspondent Elizabeth Becker stands next to a photo of former Khmer Rouge leader Pol Pot during her photo exhibition at Bophana center in Phnom Penh, in 2012 file photo.

During the Vietnam War female war reporters and photographers performed admirably but often received less recognition than their male counterparts.

Elizabeth Becker, who reported on the war in Cambodia in the early 1970s, has written a new book that sets the record straight.

In her book titled You Dont Belong Here: How Three Women Rewrote the Story of War, Becker focuses on two female war correspondents and a female photographer.

I should state early on that I knew both of the war reporters as well as the author, whom I consider a friend.

I only wish that Id had a chance to meet the photographer, a French citizen named Catherine Leroy who loved nothing better than to be taking photos of U.S. Marines in the middle of a firefight.

Frances FitzGerald, the second of the three, wrote for The New Yorker and other magazines. She has written several books, most notably Fire in the Lake, which deals with the Vietnamese and the Americans involved in the Vietnam War.

While most American reporters were focused on covering the American military forces, FitzGerald focused on getting to know the Vietnamese from both sides. She arrived in Vietnam in February 1966.

And then there was Kate Webb, who went on to become perhaps the most famous of the three after she arrived in Vietnam and began working for United Press International (UPI), which was my employer at the time.

Some of the most powerful passages in Elizabeth Beckers book deal with the challenges that Kate Webb faced in a male-dominated world as well as with her achievements.

Kate arrived in Saigon in 1967 at age 23 on a one-way ticket from Australia, where she had resigned from a job as a junior copy editor. Kate went to UPI looking for a job.

Bryce Miller, the UPI bureau chief at the time, asked What the hell would I want a girl for?

Bryces attitude was typical of an era when women war reporters were rare.

But he gave Kate some trial assignments and quickly came to respect her.

When I first arrived in Vietnam in early 1966, UPI sent me out to cover combat operations, including stints with the 1st Cavalry Division and U.S. Marines operating in the northern part of South Vietnam.

Then I got a huge break. Gene Risher, who had replaced Bryce Miller as the UPI bureau chief, encouraged me to do analytic pieces, or think pieces, as we called them.

Partly because I could speak French, which was still useful then, Gene assigned me to cover Vietnamese politics as well as the non-military aspects of the war, including war victims, refugees, and the pacification program.

I had been complaining that we werent covering the South Vietnamese aside from some of the biggest military clashes that they engaged in.

Now thanks to Gene, I had a chance to cover the country, not just the war. It opened up a whole new world of uncovered stories. At one point, I took a break on my own dime to study Vietnamese with a Vietnamese tutor.

After Kate Webb arrived in Saigon in 1967 her first job was to work as my assistant on the political staff, as she called it.

But that staff was just the two of us with UPI in Saigon out of a total of 10 reporters and four or five photographers.

Elizabeth Becker (C) showing the book that she wrote during her photo exhibition at Bophana center in Phnom Penh. Credit; AFP

Kate Webb becomes famous

Kate went on to cover all aspects of the war for six years for UPI, including a stint in Cambodia in 1971 when she was captured by the Viet Cong and held prisoner for 23 days. While in captivity Kate developed a bad case of malaria before being released.

During her ordeal in captivity, Kate was given up for dead. The New York Times published her obituary.

At that point, Kate Webb became truly famous.

What I remember most about Kate was her ability to get to know people wherever she went. As Kate described it in a book written by women war reporters, she tended to find her friends among the Vietnamese from MPs, journalists, priests and students to soldiers, bar girls, and street kids.

In that book titled War Torn, Kate said that in later years when her thoughts returned to Vietnam, it was often to Captain Truong of the South Vietnamese Armys 1st Infantry Division. The division was often ranked as the Vietnamese Armys best along with the marines and paratroopers.

The captains soldiers were, unlike the American GIs, in it for the duration. His company operated at night without helicopter support. The men carried their wounded out on foot.

In her book, Elizabeth Becker says that I sent Kate Webb out on high-danger night patrols. I dont remember doing that. But I do remember Kate telling me about Capt. Truong and her desire to go on a patrol with him. I said okay, but you must pull back if you sense any danger.

Kate was there on a patrol when Capt. Truong was wounded. When his number two man was hit, Kate helped to carry him on a stretcher back to headquarters, where his arm was amputated.

I should add that I went out on a patrol with a U.S. Marine squad at the end of January 1966, which may have been one of the stupidest things that I ever did during the war. The Marines had lost their squad leader to a sniper on the same trail just the day before that.

So I didnt serve as a great role model for anyone.

It's hard to imagine anyone better qualified to write a book about female war reporters than Elizabeth Becker.

She was a war correspondent for The Washington Post in Cambodia. She later became the senior foreign editor of National Public Radio and a New York Times correspondent covering national security and foreign policy. She is the author of two previous books, one of which dealt with Cambodia.

Former Agence France-Presse (AFP) journalist Kate Webb, who has been commemorated on an Australian stamp, one of five new stamps unveiled to mark Remembrance Day on November 11, 2017 acknowledging the important roles women have played in war and conflict. Credit: Australia Post/AFP

UPIs amazing female reporters

I was inspired by the stories in Elizabeth Beckers book to recall that aside from Kate Webb several outstanding women reporters based in Saigon for United Press International also worked frequently in the field.

They took the same risks as their male counterparts.

Betsy Halstead, one of the best of them, wore South Vietnamese soldiers combat fatigues when she went on operations with them. Bob Kaylor, a reporter who worked for UPI mostly in the northern part of South Vietnam, told me recently that Betsy was respected everywhere she went,

Bob said that hell never forgot going to Saigons Tan Son Nhut airport once with Betsy when the two of them were getting on flights to go to different destinations in the field.

Several American soldiers waiting for flights saw Betsy dressed in her fatigues. They asked Bob, Who is she?

They were amazed when they learned that Betsy was heading into the field while her husband, the photographer Dirk Halstead, who was with her and wearing civilian clothes was staying behind.

UPIs Helen Gibson went through the South Vietnamese Army Airborne Divisions jump school at Tan Son Nhut and got her wings, as they used to say.

Helens husband was assigned as a reporter in Vietnam in early 1968, and she joined him shortly thereafter. They left in early 1970 after serving in Vietnam for two years.

I recently contacted Helen, who now lives in southern France, and asked her whether she felt that she got less recognition for her work in Vietnam than her male counterparts.

I think that women did fine, she said. If they did a good job, they were recognized for it. I cant remember anyone saying otherwise.
Macy Tidmore, a Hamilton County Collegiate High and Global Scholar student at Chattanooga State Community College, has been named a 2021 Coca-Cola Academic Team Bronze Scholar and recipient of a $1,000 scholarship. Scholar selections were based on scores the student earned in the All-USA Academic Team competition. More than 2,000 Phi Thea Kappa (PTK) Competitive Scholarship applications were received this year from which 150 were chosen for distinction, which means Ms. Tidmores application ranked in the top seven percent of applicants.



Ms. Tidmore, an East Ridge, Tennessee native, will graduate on May 12 with a high school diploma and an associate of arts degree, and plans to transfer to a four-year institution. I plan to enter as an undergrad art history major with an intent to explore other majors I find interesting, said Ms. Tidmore.



I am so very proud of Macy and her accomplishments at Chattanooga State, stated Dr. Rebecca Ashford, Chattanooga State president. She has been an active student leader on campus, and she is very deserving of this recognition from PTK.



The Coca-Cola Scholars Foundation sponsors the Coca-Cola Academic Team program by recognizing 50 Gold, 50 Silver and 50 Bronze Scholars with nearly $200,000 in scholarships annually. Each scholar also receives a commemorative medallion.



The Coca-Cola Scholars Foundation has a long history of providing financial assistance to outstanding students at community colleges, said Jane Hale Hopkins, president of the Coca-Cola Scholars Foundation. We are proud to partner with Phi Theta Kappa and make it possible for deserving students to achieve their educational goals.



Students are nominated for the academic team by their college administrators and selection is based on academic achievement, leadership and engagement in college and community service. Ms.Tidmore has been an active officer in Chattanooga States Alpha Beta Mu chapter of PTK for two years, serving as vice president of scholarship in 2019-2020 and chapter president for 2020-2021. In addition to her officer positions, she has attended PTK regional conferences, and played a strategic role in helping the chapter achieve Five-Star Chapter status. As a Global Scholar she has presented class research at a regional honors conference.



In addition to her work ethic and significant research and planning contributions to our chapter and campus, something that stands out to me as a contribution she has brought to our officer team is her demeanor, stated Miranda Taj, Alpha Beta Mu chapter advisor. Macy is, quite simply, a delight to be around. Shes enthusiastic, supportive and appreciative. In a late-breaking announcement from the PTK Tennessee Region Conference held on March 20, Ms. Tidmore also was named 1st Place Distinguished Chapter Officer, TN Region. As one of the top three award recipients from her region, Macy is now in the running for an award at the national level.



Coca-Cola Academic Team members will be recognized in both local and statewide ceremonies and will also be recognized internationally during Phi Theta Kappas annual convention, PTK Catalyst, to be held virtually April 8-10.



We thank the Coca-Cola Scholars Foundation for recognizing these student leaders and for investing in their futures, said Dr. Lynn Tincher-Ladner, president and CEO of Phi Theta Kappa. Scholarships like these are integral to the success of these students in reaching their educational and career goals.



Phi Theta Kappa (PTK) has opened many meaningful doors for me in the last two years, said Ms. Tidmore. I am so grateful I took a leap and joined the organization during my sophomore year of high school, and I am beyond thankful to be recognized by PTK and Coca-Cola with this scholarship.
A vote of no confidence in the First Minister Nicola Sturgeon is expected to be held on Tuesday (Andy Buchanan/PA)

Nicola Sturgeon is expected to face a vote of no confidence on Tuesday amid accusations she misled parliament about her involvement in the Alex Salmond investigation, the Scottish Parliament has confirmed.

A debate on the motion of no confidence is now scheduled for Tuesday, rather than Wednesday as had been expected, although it is subject to final approval by the parliaments business bureau on Tuesday morning.

The motion has been tabled by the Scottish Conservatives after the partys leader at Holyrood, Ruth Davidson, claimed there was no question the First Minister had lied to parliament.

The Tories had threatened the motion of no confidence prior to Ms Sturgeons appearance before the Committee on the Scottish Government Handling of Harassment Complaints, set up after a successful judicial review by Mr Salmond resulted in the Scottish Governments investigation being ruled unlawful and tainted by apparent bias in 2019.

But following a leak that the inquiry has reportedly concluded that Ms Sturgeon gave an inaccurate account of meetings with Mr Salmond, the party repeated their calls for her resignation.

Expand Close Scottish Tory leaders Ruth Davidson and Douglas Ross have called for Nicola Sturgeons resignation (Andrew Milligan/PA) PA / Facebook

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Whatsapp Scottish Tory leaders Ruth Davidson and Douglas Ross have called for Nicola Sturgeons resignation (Andrew Milligan/PA)

Another inquiry, carried out by the independent adviser to the Government on the ministerial code, James Hamilton QC, was published on Monday and concluded Ms Sturgeon did not breach the ministerial code.

According to Sky News, the leaked report by the Holyrood committee also finds it hard to believe Ms Sturgeons evidence of when she first heard about concerns relating to the former first ministers alleged behaviour.

The SNP leaders spokesman said she stands by her evidence and accused the committee of resorting to baseless assertion, supposition and smear.

In her evidence to the committee, Ms Sturgeon said she first became aware of any potential inappropriate conduct by her predecessor after a media inquiry in November 2017 about an alleged incident in 2013 involving female Edinburgh Airport staff.

MSPs on the committee reportedly believe Ms Sturgeon knew of concerns about Mr Salmonds conduct before this and should have acted.

Expand Close First Minister Nicola Sturgeon claimed the committee leak was partisan (Andy Buchanan/PA) PA / Facebook

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Whatsapp First Minister Nicola Sturgeon claimed the committee leak was partisan (Andy Buchanan/PA)

Further leaks suggest the committees report, due to be published on Tuesday, states a majority of members are concerned it took Ms Sturgeon two months to tell the head of Scotlands civil service she knew about the investigation.

Ms Davidson said: There is no question that Nicola Sturgeon has misled parliament and broken the promises she made to tell the truth.

Ms Sturgeon has said she stands by all the evidence she gave to the committee and said some members of the committee had made up their minds she was guilty before any report was published.

Scottish Conservative leader Douglas Ross said the Mr Hamiltons report does not change the overwhelming evidence that Nicola Sturgeon misled Parliament, her government badly let women down and wasted more than 500,000 of taxpayers money.

He added: If Nicola Sturgeon wont accept responsibility, then I urge opposition parties to back our vote of no confidence.

The Scottish Greens have said they will not back the vote, meaning it is not likely to pass.
Was the shooting of Ashli Babbitt justifiable?

By Mark Alexander



There was a development last week in the death of U.S. Capitol Police Officer Brian Sicknick  the circumstances of which I previously covered in detail. Two "Trump supporter" thugs were arrested for assaulting Officer Sicknick, spraying him with bear repellant, a nonlethal irritant similar to pepper spray that still may have been a factor in his death. For that reason, the arrests were for "assault" not "homicide."

As I noted in my original analysis, "There is speculation [his] death was associated with chemical irritants" sprayed by rioters. I also noted that his autopsy and the medical examiner's cause-of-death determination should be released now, not months after being spun about in Pelosi's "9/11-type commission," which is all about political theater, not facts.

Rep. Nancy Pelosi and Sen. Chuck Schumer might use these arrests to pivot away from the fact that they disgracefully used the death of Officer Sicknick (a Trump supporter) as political fodder just days ahead of their post-presidential impeachment charade. (Recall that House Democrats cited the New York Times's false claim that Sicknick had been bludgeoned with a fire extinguisher as factual grounds for their impeachment.) But as it stands, we are no closer to understanding how or why Brian Sicknick died  other than the fake narrative spread by the Times and other mass media outlets.

Thus, unless and until more information is released on his cause of death, the only death directly connected with the Capitol riot on 06 January is that of Ashli Babbitt.

For the record, the only other case in the past 10 years in which a Capitol Police officer shot and killed someone posing an imminent threat to a member of Congress was on 14 June 2017, when officers stopped an attempted massacre by a leftist activist Bernie Sanders supporter in Virginia. The assailant had already near-fatally shot House Majority Whip Steve Scalise and wounded three others when members of Scalise's security detail engaged and shot him. It is highly likely that many of the 24 other House members present that day would have been murdered if the assailant had not been stopped by the two Capitol Police officers.

However, there is nothing comparable about the circumstances of the 2017 shooting and those in the shooting of Babbitt.

To be clear, regarding all the hyperbolic Demo and Leftmedia claims about the "armed insurrection" in the Capitol, in a review of the hundreds of arrests associated with the protest inside and outside the Capitol building  most being misdemeanor trespassing or disorderly conduct charges  there were two firearms charges. Neither of those charges occurred on the Capitol grounds, and both were for violations of DC's onerous gun regulations. There is no evidence that either of those individuals were ever in the Capitol building. After a review of thousands of hours of video, there is no evidence of any firearms inside the building other than those carried by law enforcement officers (LEOs).

The only shot fired in the Capitol building was that which killed Babbitt.

By way of disclaimer, it is very difficult as a former LEO to evaluate the death of an officer without outrage, or an officer-involved shooting death without a predisposed bias in favor of the officer. I exercise much more caution than most in either case because, unlike the vast majority of armchair commentators, I understand what it means to walk in a police officer's shoes  often hours of boredom punctuated by minutes of sheer terror.

Ashli Babbitt, a 34-year-old Air Force veteran who served in Operation Iraqi Freedom, was previously a supporter of Barack Obama before becoming a Donald Trump supporter. But her rational perspective as the latter was obscured, according to a detailed profile, after she became an adherent of the QAnon sickthink conspiracy promoted by InfoWars agitator and conspiracy-theory charlatan Alex Jones, and others.

On her way to the Capitol building, Ashli was posting social media messages to friends: "We are walking to the Capitol in a mob. ... There is a sea of nothing but red, white and blue patriots for Trump. God bless America, patriots."

Two hours later, after following some of those mobsters into the building, Ashli, a five-foot, two-inch, 110-pound unarmed woman, was shot and killed by a ranking Capitol Police officer on the other side of a door to the hallway leading to the congressional chamber. She was amid a group of destructive protesters attempting to breach that door.

I note, however, that her diminutive stature doesn't mean she wasn't necessarily a threat, but the fact that she was unarmed should certainly have been a consideration in the decision to use deadly force.

Notably, as is clear in the graphic videos of the shooting here and here, there are four uniformed officers protecting Babbitt's side of the doors, and within feet of Babbitt's backdrop were at least four additional heavily armed riot police and one or more plain-clothed officers. It is fortunate those officers did not suffer collateral injuries when she was shot.

After her death, there was a review board convened to evaluate the circumstances of the shooting. According to The Wall Street Journal in early February: "The Justice Department said it was ... having the Washington Metropolitan Police Department examine the shooting. The police investigators have made an initial determination that charges against the officer aren't warranted..."

But much as the case with Officer Sicknick's death, no official details have been released in the Babbitt case.

According to the Babbitt family legal counsel, Maryland attorney Terrell Roberts: "This lack of transparency impedes public scrutiny which is necessary to hold government officials accountable in a free society. It also interferes with the ability of Ashli's family to obtain justice for their loss. We will continue to investigate this matter. We intend to take appropriate legal action when our investigation has been completed."

In a statement from Roberts, he insists that her death constitutes "an unjustified use of deadly force which violated her constitutional rights," adding, "It is clear from video footage that Ashli did not pose a danger to the officer, or any other person, when she was shot. Ashli was unarmed. She did not assault anyone. She did not threaten to harm anyone. There was no excuse for taking her life."

He added: "The officer who shot Ashli never attempted to arrest her. Nor did he call on his fellow officers to arrest her. Instead, he fired a shot into her chest. Witnesses confirm that the officer did not give Ashli a single verbal warning prior to firing. In fact, Ashli was not even aware that the officer was present, as he was located in the doorway of a room off to the side of her field of vision." He concluded: "You don't use deadly force unless you are confronted with a threat to your life or a threat to somebody else's life. There was no immediate threat to the officer or anyone else. That corridor was clear of congressional members."

Babbitt's husband Aaron protested: "She didn't have any weapons on her. I don't know why she had to die in the People's House. She loved her country and she was doing what she thought was right to support her country, joining up with like-minded people that also love their president and their country. She was voicing her opinion and got killed for it."

Of course, Ashli Babbitt did more than voice her opinion. She also followed a group of violent thugs into the Capitol building. That, more than anything else, is what caused her death. But it doesn't mean her death was justified.

According to Mark Schamel, attorney for the Capitol Police officer: "In every analysis, this was an absolutely justified use of force. ... He was acting within his training. Lethal force is appropriate if the situation puts you or others in fear of imminent bodily harm." Schamel added, "What he did was unbelievable heroism."

Despite his attorney's utterly asinine assertion of "unbelievable heroism," the kind of tripe spewed by someone who has never risked his life for anyone else, I'm sure the officer involved does not believe he was heroic  whether he discharged his weapon justifiably or negligently. I'm sure he is devastated, and his life is forever altered.

Witnesses claim that the officer issued no warning before firing, but Schamel says, "It's a false narrative that he issued no verbal commands or warnings. He was screaming, 'Stay back! Stay back! Don't come in here!'"

There is speculation that the officer is claiming he shot Babbitt over concern that her backpack might contain a bomb  there were pipe bombs left outside the headquarters of the Democratic National Committee and Republican National Committee on the day of the riot, and the FBI is seeking information to identify that bomber.

Such a claim would strain credulity. First, there was no attempt by any of the officers on Babbitt's side of the door to arrest her or investigate the backpack. Second, most people who attend rallies bring backpacks with provisions.

According to Rep. Markwayne Mullin (R-OK), "When they broke the glass in the back, the lieutenant that was there ... didn't have a choice at that time. The mob was going to come through the door, there was [sic] a lot of members and staff that were in danger at the time. And when he [drew] his weapon, that's a decision that's very hard for anyone to make and, once you draw your weapon like that, you have to defend yourself with deadly force."

Fortunately, in the vast majority of cases when officers draw their service weapon, they do not have to shoot.

The truth in this tragic and chaotic moment lies somewhere between the opposing attorneys' descriptions.

As for my perspective, I think all those who have rioted across our nation should be dumped on a remote deserted island where they can do others no more harm.

But to the point, it's difficult to put myself in the officer's situation. My best estimate is that the real threat he perceived was the surge of people expected to follow Ashli through that door. Unfortunately for her, she was at the front of the line.

The officer fired in the heat of the moment, and it was a very heated moment. I have never been in the midst of a massive protest (except for Red Square in Moscow in 1990  and I was not armed). But I have been in situations as an LEO, weapon drawn down on a perp, adrenaline flowing especially after a pursuit. It is a battle between the adrenaline and making good and rational decisions in the heat of the moment  and in this case the adrenaline may have won.

Keep in mind that most Capitol Police officers receive the same basic training all federal officers receive, but in terms of readiness, they are more like security guards than street LEOs, the latter of whom deal with life-threatening intervention frequently.

To that end, here is a video of a clearly justifiable officer-involved shooting of a woman last week here in Tennessee.

Finally, one motivation for the suppression of details regarding Babbitt's death is to avoid additional attacks by more unhinged QAnon conscripts, some of whom, according to the radical leftist race-bait Southern Poverty Law Center, want to make her a martyr for their cause. I am likewise sure that there is an effort to protect the officer involved.

But there is a stark contrast between protecting the identity of the Capitol Police officer for his safety and that of the larger community, and exposing the identity of police officers in other high-profile officer-involved deaths of unarmed suspects.

When the identity of a police officer in a high-profile case fits the Democrat Party agenda  as in the current Minneapolis case, in which the city just gave the family of a "victim" a whopping $27 million before the jurors in the officer's trial had been seated  the identity of that officer is everywhere, 24/7. That officer has been thrown under the bus.

When it does not fit the Democrat Party agenda, the whole apparatus of the state and media protects the officer's identity.

Bottom line: The identity of all officers should be protected until investigations are resolved. Otherwise, in some instances Democrats and their media outlets will set those officers up for trial in the court of public opinion.

Mark Alexander is the executive editor of the Patriot Post.
The Philippine government is now allowing all Filipinos to enter the Philippines, but is suspending the entry of most foreign nationals effective 12:01am (Manila time) of March 22 to 11:59pm (Manila time) of April 21.



This supersedes previous announcements on entry restrictions, Philippine Airlines said on its website.



However, the maximum number of passenger arrivals from international flights will continue to be limited to 1,500 a day for all airlines combined into Manila for the period beginning 8am of March 18 up to 8am of April 19.



Flights to and from cities in the GCC affected by the ban include Flight PR 5682/5683 Manila  Dammam  Manila on March 22 and Flight PR 658/659 Manila-Dubai-Manila on March 24.



Restrictions on entry of foreign nationals:



The temporary suspension entry into the Philippines is not applicable for the following:



 All Filipino Citizens, whether Returning Overseas Filipinos (ROFs) and Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs);

 Diplomats and members of international organizations provided they hold a valid 9(e) visa or 47(a)(2) visa at the time of entry;

 Foreign nationals involved in medical repatriation endorsed by the Department of Foreign Affairs - Office of the Undersecretary for Migrant Workers Affairs or the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration provided they hold a valid visa at the time of entry;

 Foreign seafarers under the Green Lanes program for crew change provided they hold a 9(c) crew list visa at the time of entry;

 Foreign spouses and children of Filipino citizens travelling with them provided they have valid visas at the time of entry;

 Emergency, humanitarian and other cases approved by the National Task Force on Covid-19 provided foreign nationals have valid visas at the time of entry.  TradeArabia News Service
The company is now funded to complete the Definitive Feasibility Study and regulatory approvals for the TECH Project.

A share purchase plan to raise $3 million will also be available to all eligible shareholders.

( ) (FRA:4EA) has received firm commitments from institutional and sophisticated investors to raise $15 million in a strongly oversubscribed share placement which will enable the company to complete a definitive feasibility study (DFS) on the TECH Project in Queensland.

More than 187.5 million shares will be issued at 8 cents per share and a share purchase plan to raise $3 million will be available to all eligible shareholders.

This will allow shareholders the opportunity to subscribe for shares at the same issue price as the placement and chairman Eddie King has indicated that he intends to participate.

The placement was heavily over-subscribed with significant institutional backing

Focusing on delivering key study

Chief executive officer Stephen Grocott said: We are delighted to raise sufficient funding to complete the DFS for the TECH Project.

This allows the QPM team to focus on delivering this key study that will underpin the viability of the project and allow us to procure financing for the construction.

We welcome all new shareholders to the company and are delighted by the quality of institutional investors who have supported the placement.

Net proceeds from the placement will be spent on completing the Tech Project DFS, regulatory approvals as well as corporate and working capital.

Strongly supported

QPM's placement was strongly supported with demand significantly more than funds sought by QPM and the bookbuild closing within a few hours of opening.

The issue price represents a discount of 17.5% to the 15-day volume weighted average price and shares will be placed in accordance with the companys available capacity pursuant to Listing Rule 7.1 and 7.1A.

Shares issued under the placement and SPP will rank equally with existing shares.

Foster Stockbroking Pty Ltd acted as sole lead manager for the placement.

SPP details

QPM will offer existing shareholders on the QPM share register at 5:00pm (WST) on Friday, March 19, 2021, with registered addresses in Australia and New Zealand the opportunity to apply for up to a maximum of $30,000 worth of new fully paid ordinary shares in the SPP.

Shares issued under the SPP will be offered at an issue price of 8 cents per share and will rank equally with existing shares.

There will be no brokerage or commission associated with the offer of shares under the SPP, which will be capped at $3 million (unless otherwise determined by the board).

QPM retains the right to scale-back applications (in whole or part) in its absolute discretion and reserves the right to close the SPP early.
A UK-led mission to show how space debris can be removed has blasted into space.

The worlds first such mission was initially due for launch on Saturday but, due to technical concerns, was postponed until Monday morning.

According to the European Space Agency, there is approximately 9,200 tonnes of space debris, with 34,000 objects greater than 10cm and 128 million objects from greater than 1mm to 1cm.

It estimates there have been more than 560 break-ups, explosions, collisions or anomalous events resulting in fragmentation.

While rocket launches have placed about 10,680 satellites in Earths orbit since 1957, around 6,250 of these are still in space, but only 3,700 are still functioning.

A collision with space debris could have a big impact on satellite services people rely on every day, including mobile phones and online banking.

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On Monday, two spacecraft  a servicer satellite to collect the debris and a client satellite to act as the debris  launched from Kazakhstan on a Soyuz rocket operated by GK Launch Services.

The End-of-Life Services by Astroscale demonstration (ELSA-d) will be operated from the In-Orbit Servicing Control Centre  National Facility at the Satellite Applications Catapult (SAC) at Harwell Campus in Oxfordshire.

It is expected to start major demonstrations in around June or July.

The servicer satellite has been developed to safely remove debris from orbit, equipped with proximity rendezvous technologies and a magnetic docking mechanism.

The client satellite is a piece of replica debris fitted with a plate that enables the docking.

During the mission, the servicer will repeatedly release and dock with the client in a series of technical demonstrations, indicating the capability to find and dock with defunct satellites and other debris.

Demonstrations include looking for the client, inspecting it and meeting up with it, and both tumbling and non-tumbling docking.

ELSA-d is the worlds first commercial demonstration debris removal mission.

Speaking ahead of the launch, UK Science Minister Amanda Solloway said: The removal of hazardous space debris is not only environmentally important but is also a huge commercial opportunity for the UK, with companies like Astroscale leading the way in demonstrating how we can make space safer for everyone.
Covid-19 continues to creep back up in Laois while Offaly represents a stark reminder to all that suppression of the disease can be lost quickly in Laois.

The latest figures from the National Public Health Emergency Team (NPHET) reveal a further eight new cases on the east side of the Slieve Blooms. The new cases push the daily average up by one to nine a day in Laois.

The incidence is also rising again and is now 90.9 per 100,000 population on the back of 77 cases in Laois in the past fortnight.

The Laois population incidence is less than the national average which has also risen to 157.1 per 100k due to a surge of 7,481 around the country in the past two weeks.

Laois has the 10th best containment record in Ireland according to the figures published on March 22. SEE COUNTY BY COUNTY TABLE AT END OF STORY.

The concern for all in Laois is that neighbouring Offaly and Kildare continue to have a high incidence and a large number of new cases each day.

Offaly has the highest incidence in Ireland. It now has a new case average of 29 each day. The incidence is 424.6 per 100 K on the back of 331 in two weeks.

Kildare has a daily average of 31 and a population incidence of 256.2 per 100 k on the back of 570 new cases in two weeks.

Meat factory outbreaks in both counties last August spread to Laois causing the three counties to be placed under tighter restrictions.

Nationally, NPHET said the Health Protection Surveillance Centre (HPSC) has today been notified of one additional death related to COVID-19. There has been a total of 4,588 COVID-19 related deaths in Ireland.

As of midnight, Sunday, March 21, the HPSC has been notified of 520 confirmed cases of COVID-19. There is now a total of 231,119 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Ireland.

Of the cases notified today:

258 are men / 262 are women

79% are under 45 years of age

The median age is 28 years old

NPHET highlighted cases as follows: 242 in Dublin, 36 in Meath, 30 in Offaly, 29 in Kildare, 25 in Wicklow and the remaining 158 cases are spread across 20 other counties.

The 7-day incidence per 100 k population across Ireland is 79.9 while the 5-day moving average of new cases is 580 a day.

As of 8am Monday, March 22, there were 359 COVID-19 patients are hospitalised, of which 81 are in ICU. 14 additional hospitalisations in the past 24 hours.

As of March 19th 2021, 668,529 doses of COVID-19 vaccine have been administered in Ireland:

487,466 people have received their first dose

181,063 people have received their second dose

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.
A number of roads across Northern Ireland are currently closed as a result of road traffic collisions.

The Coagh Road in Cookstown is closed following a a two vehicle road traffic collision on Tuesday afternoon.

Police said motorists should be aware that diversions are in place at the junction with the Lismoney Road and the junction with Clare Lane.

The A22 Comber Road is also still closed in both directions following a serious road traffic collision earlier in the morning.

Police said diversions are in place at the junctions of Hillhead Road and Comber Road and Comber Road and Millmount Road.

They advise motorists to seek an alternative route.

For the latest traffic and travel across Northern Ireland follow our live traffic alerts blog below.

Follow the latest in our traffic alerts below from @TrafficwatchNI, @BBCNITravel and @PSNITraffic.
Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro called the governors of states and mayors of cities who have introduced quarantines to contain the outbreak of coronavirus tyrants, the BBC reports.

Addressing supporters at his birthday celebrations in Brasilia, he said his government had done everything it could and it was time to reopen the economy.

Last week, the country's leading health institute warned of the historic collapse of Brazil's health care system. It was noted that intensive care units in hospitals had exhausted their capacity.

Bolsonar, who turned 66 on Sunday, has consistently opposed quarantine measures, arguing that the collateral damage to the economy would be worse than the effects of the virus.

Earlier this month, the president called on Brazilians to stop whining over the pandemic.

Brazil has the second highest number of Covid-related deaths in the world, behind only the United States.

More than 294,000 people have died since the start of the pandemic, with nearly 12 million confirmed infections in the country, according to Johns Hopkins University. More than 2,200 people die from Covid in Brazil every day. The latest spike in cases has been linked to the spread of highly contagious variants of the virus.
At least three Hawaii residents have been infected with COVID-19, despite being fully vaccinated against the disease.

Vaccine trials showed that the three vaccines approved in the US prevent between 66 and 95 percent of symptomatic infections, but we still do not know how well the vaccines prevent people from catching or spreading coronavirus.

So it's little surprise that some people would test positive even after getting vaccinated. But none of the people who tested positive became very ill, demonstrating that shots work well to undercut the disease caused by coronavirus.

One of the three people traveled to the mainland after getting both shots of a two-dose vaccine, made either by Pfizer or Moderna.

It's unclear which vaccine the other two people received. All three vaccines authorized in the US are available in Hawaii, although the vast majority of the supply sent to Hawaii and the US broadly speaking has been from either Pfizer or Moderna.

Only a few doses sent to Hawaii came from Johnson & Johnson and the first of those single-dose shots only arrived there on March 5 - after at least two of the breakthrough cases were identified.

They are the latest examples of 'breakthrough infections,' and doctors say that they are neither common nor surprising.

None of the three people who developed breakthrough infections have become severely ill and, as far as local officials are aware, none of them have spread the virus to anyone else, the state health department told KITV4.

At least three people in Hawaii have been infected with COVID-19, despite being fully vaccinated against the disease health officials there relieved

Hawaii is still seeing about 70 cases a day, with a slight uptick this month

Just five people are currently being treated for COVID-19 in ICUs in the whole state of Hawaii.

That's down from the September peak of 56, doctors told KITV4.

Notably, one of the breakthrough cases is an Oahu health care worker who had traveled to not one, but several US cities after getting vaccinated.

That person received two doses of vaccine - meaning they got either the Moderna or the Pfizer shot - and completed their regimen in January.

The health care worker and a travel companion were tested for coronavirus before leaving Hawaii for a trip to the mainland US, but their results did not come back until they had returned to Oahu.

Both people were positive for COVID-19, but contact tracing has not identified any additional infections among close contacts of the two travelers.

It's an issue that was raised at Monday's White House Covid response team briefing.

Asked if fully vaccinated people can begin traveling, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention director Rochelle Walensky was resolute in her answer: no.

'Related to Spring Break, they are not the demographic weve been focusing in on with regard to travel,' she said.

But even if people who are vaccinated travel, they 'go out and they mix with people who are not vaccinated...we're so close to vaccinating so many other people, so I would just encourage and remind people that now is not the time to travel.'

Scientists believe that the more someone is exposed to coronavirus, the more likely to contract and become ill from the infection they are.

Just five people are hospitalized in ICUs across Hawaii, down from 56 in September

Dr Melinda Ashton, Chief Quality Officer with Hawaii Pacific Health, said that the breakthrough cases are a reminder that people should 'absolutely' be careful while traveling

This likely remains true for people who are vaccinated. Antibodies triggered by vaccines - which are between 66 and 95 percent effective - are excellent at 'neutralizing' the virus, but they might be more apt to fail if they're confronted with onslaught after onslaught of infectious particles.

Plus, risk of infection despite vaccination has risen slightly, with variants circulating, including the South African, Brazilian, Californian and New York City variants, all of which have shown some ability to evade antibodies.

It is not clear whether any of the three breakthrough infections were caused by variants or whether the patients' samples are being tested for variants.

The state's department of health did not immediately respond to request for comment.

But an official from one of the state's hospitals warned against travel.

'Absolutely you need to be careful during those times when youre in the airport, on the airplane, with other people in larger groups,' Dr Melinda Ashton, Chief Quality Officer with Hawaii Pacific Health told KITV4.

So far, breakthrough infections have been quite rare.

The CDC says it is investigating all reports of breakthrough cases but does not yet publicly share national rates.

Scientists with the national agency will collect data on these infections in part to learn how common they are, which is difficult to establish because it's likely many if not most of these will be asymptomatic.
Covid-19 origin: Why the Wuhan lab-leak theory must formally be investigated

Covid-19: Five senior pilots of Air India died in May

India records 46,951 new COVID-19 cases, 212 deaths

India

oi-Deepika S

New Delhi, Mar 22: As many as 46,951 more people tested positive for Covid-19 in the last 24 hours, taking the cumulative tally to 1,16,46,081, said the Union health ministry on Monday.

Covid-19: India records highest daily rise of 2021, 8 states witness spike| Oneindia News

The number of fatalities crossed the 200-figure for the first time since January 12. While, the active caseload in the country was logged at 334,646.

This is the highest jump in fresh infections the country has seen since late November last year. Over the past week, India has seen the sharpest surge in Covid-19 cases in the last 10 months.

Maharashtra continues to be the biggest contributor to the daily count as the state recorded 30,535 new Covid-19 cases, the highest one-day rise since the pandemic began last year in the last 24 hours.

Coronavirus cases: Laxity shown by people behind recent surge in COVID-19 case, says Harsh Vardhan

The daily rise in infections was the highest recorded in 130 days, while the death toll increased to 1,59,967 with 212 daily new fatalities, the highest in 72 days, the data updated at 8 am showed.

As many as 47,905 new infections were recorded in a span of 24 hours on November 12.

The number of people who have recuperated from the disease surged to 1,11,51,468 and the case fatality rate has further dropped to 1.37 per cent, the data stated.

India''s COVID-19 tally had crossed the 20-lakh mark on August 7, 30 lakh on August 23, 40 lakh on September 5 and 50 lakh on September 16.It went past 60 lakh on September 28, 70 lakh on October 11, crossed 80 lakh on October 29, 90 lakh on November 20 and surpassed the one-crore mark on December 19.

According to the ICMR, 23,44,45,774 samples have been tested up to March 21 with 8,80,655 samples being tested on Sunday.

The 212 new fatalities include 99 from Maharashtra, 44 from Punjab, 13 from Kerala and 10 from Chhattisgarh.

A total of 1,59,967 deaths have been reported so far in the country including 53,399 from Maharashtra, 12,599 from Tamil Nadu, 12,434 from Karnataka, 10,956 from Delhi, 10,306 from West Bengal, 8,759 from Uttar Pradesh and 7,189 from Andhra Pradesh.

The health ministry stressed that more than 70 per cent of the deaths occurred due to comorbidities.

"Our figures are being reconciled with the Indian Council of Medical Research," the ministry said on its website, adding that state-wise distribution of figures is subject to further verification and reconciliation.
UTICA, N.Y.  Sen. Chuck Schumer was at Chesterfield's Tavolo restaurant in Utica Monday to provide details on funding that will soon be available to restaurants through the American Rescue Plan.

According to Schumer, New York restaurants will be able to apply for part of $28.6 billion in flexible grants from the Small Business Administration (SBA) through a new restaurant relief fund, to help cover losses sustained throughout the pandemic.

Food service or drinking establishments -- including restaurants, caterers, brewpubs, taprooms, and tasting rooms  with fewer than 20 locations will be eligible to get funding from the new Restaurant Revitalization Fund.

For the first 21 days, restaurants owned by women or veterans, or that are socially and economically disadvantaged, will be prioritized, Schumer says.

When you think of Utica, the first thing that comes to mind is great food and restaurants. Getting federal dollars into the hands of struggling local restaurants is the recipe needed to keep this communitys lifeblood  its local food scene  strong and vibrant, said Schumer. That is why I made sure this relief bill included a vital ingredient  a restaurants relief fund based on the RESTAURANTS Act to get our restaurants cooking again.

The money can go toward eligible expenses incurred from Feb. 15, 2020 until now, and future costs through Dec. 31, 2021. This includes payroll, mortgages or rent, outdoor seating, personal protective equipment, paid leave, food and supplies, or debt and other expenses.

Up to $10 million is available per restaurant group, or $5 million for individual establishments.

Schumer says for the first 60 days, $5 billion in funding will be reserved for restaurants with less than $500,000 in gross receipts from 2019.

The SBA will release more details on how to apply when the grants become available in the next few weeks.
New Delhi:

Hurricane Irma one of the most powerful Atlantic hurricane in a century smashed through a string of Caribbean islands killing at least 14 people en route to Florida.

Late on Thursday, the National Hurricane Center issued the first hurricane warning for the Keys and parts of South Florida, including some of the Miami metropolitan area of 6 million people. It added a storm surge warning and extended watch areas along the east and west coasts.

According to reports, this is the first time that the Territory has withnessed the a Category 5 storm. Irma was about 55 miles (85 km) south of Great Inagua Island and is expected to bring 20-foot (6-m) storm surges to the Bahamas, before moving to Cuba and plowing into southern Florida as a very powerful Category 4 on Sunday, with storm surges and flooding due to begin within the next 48 hours.

"We are expecting inundation from both rainfall as well as storm surge. And we may not be able to come rescue them in a timely manner," said Virginia Clerveaux, director of Disaster Management and Emergencies in comments broadcast on Facebook.

The few tourists who remained on the Turks and Caicos islands were in hotels, as were some locals.

"Right now I'm at the hotel with my family. There are a lot of people in the hotel. It's boarded up," said island resident Sofia Simmons, speaking from the Royal West Indies Hotel on Providenciales island. "Most of our shelters are packed to capacity. We had to open more shelters."

The amount of wind thats coming in, we dont think weve seen anything quite like this, U.S. President Donald Trump told reporters at the White House on Thursday after declaring a major disaster in the U.S. Virgin Islands.

Florida emergency management officials began evacuationsn have ordered tourists to leave the Keys. Gas shortages in the Miami-Fort Lauderdale area worsened on Thursday, with sales up to five times the norm.

It is an enormous disaster. Ninety-five percent of the island is destroyed. I am in shock, Daniel Gibbs, chairman of a local council on Saint Martin, told Radio Caribbean International.

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Bharti Airtel said that the company has entered into an Agreement on March 19, 2021 for acquisition of 1,743,560 (7.48%) equity shares in Sandhya Hydro Power Project Balargha, a special purpose vehicle formed for the purpose of owning and operating the Captive Power Plant, in terms of the regulatory requirement for captive power consumption under electricity laws.

Adani Green Energy announced that it has signed a share purchase agreement for acquisition of 100% stake in an SPV holding 50 MW operating solar project of the Toronto-headquartered SkyPower Global.

Bharat Dynamics has signed a contract for production and supply of Milan-2T Anti-Tank Guided Missiles. The contract value is Rs 1188.12 crore including GST.

JSW Future Energy (earlier known as JSW Solar), a wholly owned subsidiary of JSW Energy, has received Letters of Award for a total Wind capacity of 450 MW from Solar Energy Corporation of India (SECI) against Tariff based Competitive Bid invited by SECI for setting up of 1200 MW ISTS-connected Wind Power Projects (Tranche - X).

Great Eastern Shipping Company signed a contract to buy a secondhand Midsize Gas Carrier of about 35,188 cbm. The 2006 Korean built vessel is expected to join the company's fleet in Q1 FY 2021-22.

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Thomas Lee will be an excellent city councilman for District 2 in the upcoming election on April 13. He has the experience of how to grow a business and manage a large team of employees. He will be a difference maker when it comes to recruiting more jobs to the Scenic City.

Thomas Lee will make sure the funding is there and appropriately allocate for our police and first responders. He will work with those that respect our police and advocate for their increased professionalism. Our streets will be safer because of Thomas Lees role on the City Council.

Thomas Lee is levelheaded and leans in with his heart when it comes to matters that are worthy of passion. The city of Chattanooga is a source of great pride for Thomas, and he has great passion to participate in its continued growth and improvement as a member of the City Council.

I would encourage my friends in District 2 to go out and vote for Thomas Lee on April 13.

Greg Martin

County Commission District 3




BOSTON, March 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Eventide is pleased to announce that it is being honored in the Best Midcap Funds category by Investor's Business Daily.

The Eventide Gilead Fund (ETGLX) was selected by Investor's Business Daily from a universe of 3,368 mutual funds in operation for at least 10 years. Funds named to the list were selected because they beat the broad market and surpassed benchmarks over the last one-, three-, five-, and 10-year periods.

"We are grateful to receive this industry recognition," said Robin John, CEO of Eventide Asset Management. "An award like this is a testament to our team and our commitment to our mission and purpose as a firm."

Eventide manages seven funds across different asset classes with varying risk and return profiles. They use an approach that seeks to invest in companies that they believe will be successful because they are adding value to societyan approach they refer to as Investing that makes the world rejoice.

Eventide's Director of Investment Research, Dolores Bamford, had this to say in response to receiving the award: "Being recognized by Investor's Business Daily in the Best Midcap Fund category is an honor." She went on to say, "Our team relentlessly pursues creating value for society through the way we allocate capital. Each of our funds reflects this common goal."

Eventide Funds are managed by Eventide Asset Management, LLC, a Boston-based investment adviser that seeks to provide high performance by investing in companies that create compelling value for their customers, employees, supply chain, host communities, the environment, and society broadly.

There is no guarantee that the Fund will meet its objectives.

Mutual funds involve risk including the possible loss of principal. Past performance does not guarantee future results.

Investor's Business Daily Methodology: Funds named to the prestigious list were selected because they beat the broad market and surpassed benchmarks over the last one-, three-, five-, and 10-year periods, a significant accomplishment for any fund.

This year's winners were drawn from a universe of 3,368 mutual funds in operation for at least 10 years. IBD's data-driven list showcases a variety of top-performing mutual funds across the major categories that investors consider for broad market exposure or more narrow objectives. The 2021 list spans the same 13 categories as 2020. These include the six subcategories of U.S. Diversified Stock Funds: Growth Funds, Blend Funds, Value Funds, Large-Cap Funds, Mid-Cap Funds, and Small-Cap Funds.

Investors should consider a fund's investment objectives, risks, charges, and expenses carefully before investing or sending money. This and other important information can be found in the prospectus, which can be obtained at www.eventidefunds.com or by calling 1-877-771-EVEN (3836). Please read the prospectus carefully before investing. Eventide Mutual Funds are distributed by Northern Lights Distributors, LLC, Member FINRA/SIPC, which is not affiliated with Eventide Asset Management, LLC.

Fund Contact:

Harry Nelson 877-771-EVEN (3836)

4513-NLD-3/22/2021

SOURCE Eventide Asset Management

Related Links

http://eventidefunds.com


Mick Schumacher will not be the most impressive rookie in Formula 1 this year, according to former team owner and boss Giancarlo Minardi.

Although he says he will also keep an eye on the great Michael Schumacher's son this year, he has no doubt who will emerge as the most successful rookie.

"That will be Tsunoda, without a doubt," he told La Gazzetta dello Sport, referring to the Red Bull and Honda-backed Japanese Yuki Tsunoda.

"Sure, his car is also a lot better than Schumacher's, but I also just think that Tsunoda is generally a better driver," the 73-year-old Italian said.

"I saw him in Imola with a two-year-old car and he impressed me. He has become so good."

Last week, Red Bull supremo Dr Helmut Marko said Tsunoda would have beaten Schumacher to the 2020 Formula 2 title if not for his technical problems.

Minardi agrees.

"In Formula 2, Tsunoda started around the midfield but he became one of the best drivers," he said.

"His secret also lies in the Japanese way of doing things. They are people who are so very modest, but with Tsunoda you can see that he is also extremely determined and super fast."

(GMM)
A negative yield was quoted for the first time on Indias sovereign bond trading platform on Friday after a bank placed a wrong price, according to people with knowledge of the matter.

The 6.17 per cent note maturing in 2021 was offered at a negative yield of around 1.5 per cent, according to traders who saw the quote on the Clearing Corporation of Indias Negotiated Dealing System  Order Matching, or NDS-OM platform. They asked not to be identified as they arent authorised to speak to the media.

A bank placed a wrong price quote, which led to a negative yield as the paper was nearing maturity, according to people who asked not to be identified as the details arent public.

The Clearing Corporation later on Friday emailed traders to say that there was no change on its end to the way the system operates on inputting prices and the calculation of yields. While theres more than $13.4 trillion of negative-yielding debt in the world, the phenomenon had been unheard of in an emerging market like India where the benchmark 10-year note trades at above 6 per cent. Traders speculated that the system was manually over-ridden, which caused a negative yield quote. Banks and financial institutions typically have internal risk management systems that prevent occurrences like negative yields caused by manual errors. The point of concern for traders was that if negative rates begin to show up in the Clearcorp Repo Order Matching System, or CROMS platform, it could make it costlier to short

The strategy  where traders bet against an asset and borrow it to cover their bets  has been increasingly used in India after a record government borrowing plan caused a glut of paper. An economist at SBI last month exhorted the Reserve Bank of India to make short-selling costlier.

Traders who wish to short need to use the CROMS platform to borrow the paper from banks against a short-tenor loan that pays the short-sellers as low as 0.01 per cent at times of high demand.

If the rate dips into negative territory, it would become costlier for traders to borrow bonds  effectively imposing a penalty on short-sellers. An email to CCIL on Saturday wasnt immediately answered. An email to an RBI representative outside of business hours Friday wasnt immediately answered.
Io-Tahoe Data RPA for Oracle "We are very excited to provide Oracle Partners and Customers with new capabilities that accelerate modernizing their data to build and curate knowledge across their digital enterprise." -Ajay Vohora, CEO, Io-Tahoe

The Oracle Cloud Marketplace is a centralized repository of enterprise applications offered by Oracle and Oracle Partner Network members. Customers get access to leading compute, storage, data management, security, integration, HPC, artificial intelligence (AI), and Blockchain services to augment and modernize their critical workloads.

Io-Tahoe equips Oracle users with AI/ML driven digital workers that perform the complex, repetitive, large-volume tasks required to unify, standardize and serve data at an enterprise scale. A revolutionary user experience allows you to intuitively navigate your entire data estate with ease. Simply connect to your data sources with secure APIs to perform Automated Data Discovery - producing a knowledge catalog, metadata store, business glossary and lineage map in one easy sweep. Pre-programmed with over 300 policies like GDPR, BCBS, etc. Io-Tahoe's digital workers identify sensitive data, make recommendations on data quality to serve the "human in the loop" with no code required.

Io-Tahoes Data RPA is extensible to cover many use cases:



Identify what data you have across application environments

Identify redundancy, duplication and dependencies so you can consolidate to save on storage and facilitate migration workloads

Generate a single version of the truth with high data quality standards and certification for your business reporting

Establish a self-service environment for your BI and analytics teams.

Clean up CRMs and Data Lakes, facilitate migration to cloud, and serve data modernization to fuel customer experience initiatives.

Io-Tahoes commitment to innovation with Oracle Cloud helps our mutual customers accelerate their migration to become a digital-first enterprise that relies on one single version of the truth without replacing legacy IT investments.

"We are very excited to provide Oracle Partners and Customers with new capabilities that accelerate modernizing their data to build and curate knowledge across their digital enterprise." -Ajay Vohora, CEO, Io-Tahoe

Io-Tahoe Capabilities Across the Enterprise Data Estate:

AI/ML-Driven Digital Workers continuously performing repetitive tasks

Automated Data Discovery

Automated Data Mapping

Automated Knowledge Catalog

Automated Metadata Store & Business Glossary

Automated Data Quality Assessment & Scoring

Automated Data Lineage, Linking, and Mapping

Automated Data Remediation, Governance, and Policy Application

Business Rule Management

About Oracle PartnerNetwork

Oracle PartnerNetwork (OPN) is Oracles partner program designed to enable partners to accelerate the transition to cloud and drive superior customer business outcomes. The OPN program allows partners to engage with Oracle through track(s) aligned to how they go to market: Cloud Build for partners that provide products or services built on or integrated with Oracle Cloud; Cloud Sell for partners that resell Oracle Cloud technology; Cloud Service for partners that implement, deploy and manage Oracle Cloud Services; and License & Hardware for partners that build, service or sell Oracle software licenses or hardware products. Customers can expedite their business objectives with OPN partners who have achieved Expertise in a product family or cloud service. To learn more visit: http://www.oracle.com/partnernetwork

About Io-Tahoe

Io-Tahoe is the leader in Enterprise Data RPA software, harnessing the power of our patented data automation technologies to help organizations empower employees to achieve more. Companies around the world rely on Io-Tahoe data automation technology to guide action and drive change that results in millions of dollars saved.

With origins in both industry and the open-source community, Io-Tahoe has always been devoted to simplifying data, sharing knowledge, and pursuing truths. Founded in 2017, Io-Tahoe brings together data engineering, science, and analytics on an open, unified platform so data teams can collaborate and innovate faster.

Venture-backed and headquartered in New York (with offices on three continents) and a growing ecosystem of customers, Io-Tahoe is on a mission to help data teams solve the world's toughest problems. For more information, visit https://www.iotahoe.com/
Intelligent.com, a trusted resource for online degree rankings and higher education planning, has announced the Top 25 Master's in Assessment And Measurement Degree Programs for 2021. The comprehensive research guide is based on an assessment of 70 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 70 schools, on a scale of 0 to 100, with only 25 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.

Students who pursue any one of these programs can expect to gain employment much quicker in comparison to candidates without a degree. In addition to accessibility and cost, the steady job growth in this market is one of the many reasons Intelligent.com researched and ranked the Top Master's in Assessment And Measurement Degree Programs. To access the complete ranking, please visit: https://www.intelligent.com/best-masters-in-assessment-and-measurement-degree-programs/

2021 Master's in Assessment And Measurement Degree Programs featured on Intelligent.com (in alphabetical order):

American University

Boston College

Cleveland State University

Columbia University

Florida State University

George Mason University

George Washington University

Georgia Southern University

Kent State University

Missouri Western State University

Northern Illinois University

Ohio State University

Oklahoma State University

Rutgers University

University of Connecticut

University of Illinois at Chicago

University of Iowa

University of Massachusetts, Amherst

University of Missouri

UNC Greensboro

University of Pennsylvania

University of Toledo

University of Washington

University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee

Western Michigan 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/.
DP World, the Dubai-based provider of worldwide smart end-to-end supply chain logistics and the Premier Global Trade Partner of Expo 2020 Dubai, and Zayed University, a leading educational institution in the UAE, have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU).

The MoU provides for showcasing artworks by talented students at DP World's Flow Pavilion throughout the duration of Expo 2020 Dubai from October 1, 2021 to March 31, 2022.

The virtual signing ceremony was held in the presence of Noura bint Mohammed Al Kaabi, UAE Minister of Culture and Youth and President of Zayed University. The agreement was signed by Sultan Ahmed Bin Sulayem, Group Chairman and CEO of DP World, and Dr. Khalid AlKhazarji, Vice-President of Zayed University. The MoU also covers future projects by the two sides.

The collaboration will focus on Flow Art, a project developed by DP World's Expo 2020 Dubai team. It will become part of the educational curriculum of different art courses from the College of Art and Enterprises of Zayed University in the academic year 2021-2022.

The project will transform several spaces in the Pavilion of DP World into an engaging, content-driven canvas. Talented ZU students will ensure workspaces within DP World's Flow Pavilion are comfortable, warm and inviting workspaces throughout the duration of the most important event in the global trade enabler's calendar this year.

The project will also promote and reinforce DP World's education objectives through its commitment to establishing a permanent presence at District 2020, a human-centric smart city, which will repurpose more than 80 per cent of Expo 2020's built environment once the event closes its doors in March 2022.

All artworks will be labelled and signed by student's names, carrying the names of the college and university they belong to. The collaboration emphasises education being at the heart of DP World's vision.

Al Kaabi said: "Once again our students have an intensive, active and interactive learning opportunity. It is both personal and collaborative. This allows them to make a mark at an internationally prestigious space at Expo 2020. This is not only valuable exposure for Zayed University's students, but it also strengthens the UAE's tireless efforts to keep the country's arts, design and creative industries dynamic, while adding value to the overall Expo 2020 experience."

Bin Sulayem said: "At Expo 2020, we are creating an education outreach programme that will form a central part of our Expo activities, and an inseparable part of DP World's role in this collaboration with Zayed University is to support talented individuals from the creative student community. The partnership is a great opportunity for both sides, as we reaffirm our commitment to education and the progress of the UAE's future generations. It also contributes to the realisation of our vision that centres around 'Making Trade Flow' to keep the world moving and to enable smarter trade for the benefit of everyone through innovation and data-driven logistics, so people have the things they need when they need them in a new era of global mobility and trade.

Dr. Khalid Alkhazarji, vice-president of Zayed University said: "At Zayed University we whole heartedly believe that students learn through theory coupled with application and practice. ZU applies state-of-the-art technologies in it's classrooms and labs, which ensures our students readiness to new and exciting possibilities. We thank DP World for their remarkable efforts and for providing this opportunity as a means of promoting and disseminating our students' work and creativity."

In addition to showcasing students' work to the visitors from all around the world for a period of six months, some of the content created by ZU students will be used on DP World and Zayed University's media platforms, including graphic murals, digital content walls art, bespoke art pieces and digital contents.-- Tradearabia News Service
Prime Minister of Ukraine Denys Shmyhal discussed with Federal President of Germany Frank-Walter Steinmeier the deepening of cooperation within the Eastern Partnership.

Ukraine, Georgia and Moldova advance a joint initiative to launch an enhanced EU + 3 Associated Partners dialogue format within the Eastern Partnership, in particular in the areas of free trade area implementation and sectoral integration, Shmyhal said during a meeting with Federal President of Germany Frank-Walter Steinmeier, the Government portal informs.

"We hope that the Eastern Partnership will offer deeper integration to the associated partner countries on the basis of the more-for-more approach. That is, the greater the progress of partner countries in implementing reforms, the more support they receive from the EU. Integration into the EUs internal market, energy security, the EU's Green Deal, digitalization, healthcare are the areas that are of interest to Ukraine to deepen cooperation," Denys Shmyhal stressed.

The Prime Minister of Ukraine accentuated that the topmost issue is to strengthen the security dimension of cooperation within the Eastern Partnership framework, especially in counteracting the hybrid threats of the Russian Federation in the region.

The Head of the Ukrainian Government highlighted that Ukraine's membership in NATO would significantly strengthen the Alliance's eastern flank and enhance European security as a whole. Ukraine hopes for Germany's support in providing our country with a NATO Membership Action Plan.

During the meeting, the parties also raised the issues of the occupation of Crimea and human rights violations in the Russian-occupied Ukrainian territories. Denys Shmyhal noted that Ukraine expects Germany and the European Union to play an active role in the work of the Crimean Platform, which should become a platform for coordinating international efforts to protect human rights in Crimea and de-occupy the peninsula.

"The President of Ukraine has invited more than 100 world leaders, including Chancellor Angela Merkel, to participate in the Crimean Platform. We offer Germany to lead one of the activities of the Platform, which may relate to the protection of human rights or mitigation of the economic consequences of Russia's activities for the countries of the Black Sea region," Shmyhal said.

The Head of the Government of Ukraine thanked Germany for supporting Ukraine's territorial integrity and sovereignty. Together with European partners, Ukraine will continue to demand that Russia provide access to the occupied territories for representatives of the International Committee of the Red Cross and the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights.

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Online Fort Worth auction attracted 76% more bidders and 78% more watchlists year over year

FORT WORTH, Texas, March 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ - Last week, Ritchie Bros. conducted its largest Texas auction ever, attracting 76 percent more bidders year over year and achieving US$95 million in gross transaction valuesurpassing its previous Texas sales record, set June 2020, by 17 percent.

The March 17  18, 2021 Fort Worth auction attracted a record 16,000+ bidders from 79 countries. Approximately 83 percent of the equipment in the auction was sold to U.S. buyers, including 34 percent sold to Texas buyers, while international buyers from as far way as France, Ghana, and Vietnam purchased the remaining 17 percent.

"Our consignors are benefiting from robust equipment and truck demand we are helping drive in 2021," said Chuck Roberson, Regional Sales Manager, Ritchie Bros. "With all bidding online, demand has skyrocketed over the past year. Our Fort Worth auction last week saw online pageviews per lot increase 59% year over year, while watchlists per lot and PriorityBids increased 78% and 157% respectively. As a result, we have a lot of happy sellers right now rushing to get more equipment consigned for our next eventnow is a great time to sell!"

Equipment highlights in the Fort Worth auction included a 2015 Tadano GR1000XL-3 4x4x4 rough terrain crane that sold for US$385,000 to an online buyer from Indonesia; a 2016 Caterpillar 349FL hydraulic excavator that sold for US$245,000 to a buyer from Texas, and a 2018 Peterbilt 389 T/A sleeper truck tractor that sold for US$124,000 to a buyer from Arizona. All items were sold unreserved, with no minimum bids or reserve prices.

"Even with all bidding online we still safely welcomed thousands of masked buyers onsite to inspect equipment in person prior to bidding," added Mr. Roberson. "We also sold more than 800 items last week with our Virtual Sales Option, as many consignors from outside the state were eager to be a part of the sale. Our auctions are becoming more digital and more convenient, resulting in more bidders and better returns for sellers."

AUCTION QUICK FACTS: FORT WORTH (MARCH 2021)

Gross Transaction Value (GTV): US$95+ million * new site record

Total Registered Bidders: 16,000+ * new site record

Total Number of Lots: 5,800+

Total Number of Consignors: 760+ *new site record

Ritchie Bros. will sell more than 65,000 equipment items and trucks in its upcoming auctions, including a Northeast Regional Event on March 23  24; a Chehalis, WA auction on March 25; and an Atlanta, GA event on March 26. The company also has weekly featured online auctions at IronPlanet.com and a daily reserved option with Marketplace-E.

About Ritchie Bros.:

Established in 1958, Ritchie Bros. (NYSE and TSX: RBA) is a global asset management and disposition company, offering customers end-to-end solutions for buying and selling used heavy equipment, trucks and other assets. Operating in a number of sectors, including construction, transportation, agriculture, energy, oil and gas, mining, and forestry, the company's selling channels include: Ritchie Bros. Auctioneers, the world's largest industrial auctioneer offers live auction events with online bidding; IronPlanet, an online marketplace with featured weekly auctions and providing the exclusive IronClad Assurance equipment condition certification; Marketplace-E, a controlled marketplace offering multiple price and timing options; Mascus, a leading European online equipment listing service; and Ritchie Bros. Private Treaty, offering privately negotiated sales. The Company's suite of solutions also includes Ritchie Bros. Asset Solutions and Rouse Services LLC, which together provides a complete end-to-end asset management, data-driven intelligence and performance benchmarking system. Ritchie Bros. also offers sector-specific solutions including GovPlanet, TruckPlanet, and Kruse Energy, plus equipment financing and leasing through Ritchie Bros. Financial Services. For more information about Ritchie Bros., visit RitchieBros.com.

Photos and video for embedding in media stories are available at rbauction.com/media.

SOURCE Ritchie Bros.
Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain

Hungary has approved a second Chinese-made coronavirus vaccine as well as an Indian-made version of the AstraZeneca jab, officials said on Monday, meaning the country now has eight approved vaccines.

"In recent days the Hungarian regulator the National Institute of Pharmacy and Nutrition (OGYEI) approved a further two vaccines: CanSino and Covishield," Chief Medical Officer Cecilia Muller told a daily coronavirus briefing.

Covishield is a brand name for the vaccine developed by the University of Oxford and the Anglo-Swedish pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca for use in India and much of the developing world.

The EU's regulator has so far approved four jabs, but only the versions made in the West, meaning drugs such as Covishield have to be approved separately.

Last month, Hungary became the first EU nation to start using China's Sinopharm vaccine.

The CanSino jab, marketed as "Convidecia", was approved by China's drug authority last month.

Hungary now has eight vaccines to choose fromfour already approved by the EU, alongside two from China, one from India and Russia's Sputnik V.

Five of these are already being rolled out.

With Prime Minister Viktor Orban regularly criticising the bloc's common drug procurement policy over slow deliveries, Hungary was the first EU member to break ranks by allowing emergency use of Russian and Chinese vaccines.

In January a government decree authorised the fast-track granting of approvals for vaccines if they have already been approved in certain non-EU countries or administered to at least one million people.

Hungary's vaccination rate is now one of the highest in the EU, with almost 1.6 millionaround 16 percent of the populationhaving received at least one jab by Monday, according to official data.

"We are confident that, as the (vaccines) palette grows, we can, of course, increase the amount and, as far as possible, provide the population with the opportunity to vaccinate as widely as possible," the government's press office told AFP Monday.

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

 2021 AFP
AUSTIN, Minn., March 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Hormel Foods Corporation (NYSE: HRL), a global branded food company, announced today that its quarterly dividend on the common stock, authorized by the Board of Directors at 24.50 cents ($0.2450) a share on March 22, 2021, will be paid May 17, 2021, to stockholders of record at the close of business on April 12, 2021.

The May 17 payment will be the 371st consecutive quarterly dividend paid by the company. Since becoming a public company in 1928, Hormel Foods Corporation has paid a regular quarterly dividend without interruption.

ABOUT HORMEL FOODS - Inspired People. Inspired Food. 

Hormel Foods Corporation, based in Austin, Minn., is a global branded food company with over $9 billion in annual revenue across more than 80 countries worldwide. Its brands include SKIPPY, SPAM, Hormel Natural Choice, Applegate, Justin's, Wholly, Hormel Black Label, Columbus and more than 30 other beloved brands. The company is a member of the S&P 500 Index and the S&P 500 Dividend Aristocrats, was named on the "Global 2000 World's Best Employers" list by Forbes magazine for three straight years, is one of Fortune magazine's most admired companies, has appeared on Corporate Responsibility Magazine's "The 100 Best Corporate Citizens" list for 12 years in a row, and has received numerous other awards and accolades for its corporate responsibility and community service efforts. The company lives by its purpose statement  Inspired People. Inspired Food.  to bring some of the world's most trusted and iconic brands to tables across the globe. For more information, visit www.hormelfoods.com

SOURCE Hormel Foods Corporation

Related Links

http://www.hormel.com


MEXICO CITY (AP)  Mexican officials condemned the weekend killing of a would-be candidate for mayor in a small town in the southern state of Oaxaca.

Ivonne Gallegos Carreno was planning to run for mayor in the small town of Ocotlan de Morelos, Oaxaca before she was gunned down in her car on Saturday.

Analysts said Monday 18 pre-candidates have been killed so far in the run-up to the June mid-term elections. They were killed before they opened formal campaigns.

The consultancy firm Etellekt said in a report that killings have come mainly in violence-plagued states like Veracruz, on the Gulf coast, and Guerrero, on the Pacific. But isolated killings have occurred in a half-dozen other states.

While motives vary in cases that have been solved, politicians in Mexico face threats from drug cartels, political rivals and corrupt police.

Mexico's National Women's Institute said in a statement that violence against women cannot be allowed or tolerated in a democratic system.
Teen Injured When Motorcycle Strikes Deer

By West Kentucky Star Staff

CALDWELL COUNTY - A Crittenden County teen was injured Sunday night when his motorcycle collided with a deer.The Caldwell County Sheriff's Office said deputies were dispatched to the 8000 Block of KY 70 outside of Fredonia in reference to a motorcycle/deer accident. Deputies said 17-year-old Ian Ellington of Marion was traveling east on KY 70 when he noticed several deer and began to reduce his speed.Deputies said one of the deer ran in front of Ellington's motorcycle from the left side of the road. The motorcycle struck the deer, and Ellington and the motorcycle began to slide on the pavement.Ellington was transported to Caldwell Medical Center for treatment of his injuries. He was later airlifted to an Evansville hospital for further treatment.
In the moving Nigerian drama The Milkmaid, Aisha and Zainab are Fulani sisters taken hostage by Boko Haram insurgents, the extremist group that in 2014 kidnapped more than 250 schoolgirls from the town of Chibok. With sweeping landscapes shot in Taraba State in the northeastern part of the country, the film, written and directed by Desmond Ovbiagele, deftly tells a story both hopeful in the possibility of reconciliation and harrowing in the journey to get there.

The film is the latest entry in a growing body of African cinema focused on the grim toll exacted by the terrorists of Boko Haram. In addition to The Milkmaid, theres Netflixs The Delivery Boy; Stolen Daughters: Kidnapped by Boko Haram on HBO; and Daughters of Chibok, a documentary short that won Best VR Immersive Story at the Venice Film Festival in 2019. Each has examined the magnitude of violence the extremist faction has inflicted on northern parts of Africas most populous country and the neighboring countries of Niger and Cameroon.

When Nigerias film regulatory board recommended that 25 minutes of footage be cut from The Milkmaid and then curtailed showings in theaters there in the fall, the producers and director sought to cultivate audiences in Zimbabwe and Cameroon; the drama eventually earned the prize for best film in an African language (the story is told entirely in Hausa, Fulani and Arabic) at the 2020 African Movie Academy Awards. It was also Nigerias selection for the international feature Oscar, though the movie did not make the final cut.
(Newser)  For four hours after gunfire erupted inside Youngs Asian Massage last week, Mario Gonzalez was handcuffed and detainedand unable to check on his wife, who had been in another room at the business in Acworth, Ga., at the time. Then he found out Delaina Ashley Yaun, 33, was one of the four people killed in that shooting, the first that police say Robert Aaron Long carried out before heading to two more massage businesses in Atlanta and killing four more people. Gonzalez talked to Spanish-language news outlet Mundo Hispanico about his treatment at the hands of police, the New York Times reports, showing the site marks left by the handcuffs. "Maybe because Im Mexican, I dont know, he theorized about why he was detained. Because the truth is, they treated me badly." He and Yaun, who have an 8-month-old daughter, had been on a date at the time, getting massages together in separate rooms, on their first visit to the spa.

story continues below

The victims have now all been identified, and more is coming out on each one. Details from Time, USA Today, WSB-TV, the New York Times, and the Daily Beast:

Hyun Jung Grant, 51: The single mom worked at Atlanta's Gold Spa so she could provide for her two sons, and she loved to dance and take her kids out for sushi.

The single mom worked at Atlanta's Gold Spa so she could provide for her two sons, and she loved to dance and take her kids out for sushi. Xiaojie Tan, 49: She owned Young's Asian Massage, where she worked 12-hour days to provide a better life for her family than what she'd had, and dreamed of traveling.

She owned Young's Asian Massage, where she worked 12-hour days to provide a better life for her family than what she'd had, and dreamed of traveling. Soon C. Park, 74: She worked at Gold Spa, but not much else has been released about her life.

She worked at Gold Spa, but not much else has been released about her life. Suncha Kim, 69: She came to the US from South Korea, and is described by one of her three grandchildren as "pure hearted and the most selfless woman I knew." She worked at Gold Spa.

She came to the US from South Korea, and is described by one of her three grandchildren as "pure hearted and the most selfless woman I knew." She worked at Gold Spa. Yong A. Yue, 63: Her family says in a GoFundMe campaign that the grandmother of six "was an amazing woman who loved to introduce our family and friends to her home-cooked Korean food and Korean karaoke." She worked at Atlanta's Aromatherapy Spa, the last location targeted in the shootings.

Her family says in a GoFundMe campaign that the grandmother of six "was an amazing woman who loved to introduce our family and friends to her home-cooked Korean food and Korean karaoke." She worked at Atlanta's Aromatherapy Spa, the last location targeted in the shootings. Daoyou Feng, 44: She had just started working at Young's Asian Massage within the past few months; not much else about her life has been released.

She had just started working at Young's Asian Massage within the past few months; not much else about her life has been released. Paul Michels, 54: He was working at Young's, on its security system, when he was killed. The US Army veteran worked in the security industry, but had plans to go into therapeutic massage.

Elcias Hernandez-Ortiz, 30, was walking past Young's, possibly en route to send money to family in Guatemala, when he was shot multiple times. He was able to call his wife and tell her what happened, the Washington Post reports. His family says he will have a long journey to recovery. (Read more Atlanta stories.)
WASHINGTON  Photos released by a Texas congressman on Monday offered the first glimpse inside a crowded Customs and Border Protection facility where the Biden administration is housing migrants: dozens of individuals, including small children and teens, packed into makeshift rooms with clear plastic walls, lying on padding on stone floors and covered with silver foil blankets.

The pictures  courtesy of U.S. Rep. Henry Cuellar, D-Laredo, who has grown increasingly critical of the administrations approach to the border  offered Republicans more fuel as they keep the heat on a president whose approval rating has been buoyed by progress on COVID-19 vaccinations and a popular stimulus package that has checks heading to most Americans bank accounts.

Questions about the border dominated a White House press briefing on Monday as the images went viral online. It was just what the Biden administration has sought to avoid while blocking reporters and nonprofit lawyers from seeing inside the facilities.

It was also the sort of response Cuellar was hoping the pictures would provoke. Hes released similar pictures before, in 2014, in an effort to get the Obama administration to be more proactive about handling a surge then.

People need to know whats going on. You cant just say, Were not going to let you know what's happening, Cuellar said. When people see whats happening, I think it motivates the administration.

The photos, first published by Axios, were taken inside the overflow facility in Donna, near McAllen. They drew comparisons to those published during the Trump administration that showed cramped quarters and drew ire over kids in cages, though Bidens administration says it is taking a vastly different approach from Trumps White House in handling surges of migrant children crossing the border. The White House is also refusing to call the situation a crisis.

EVERYONE WANTS TO COME: Why so many Central Americans are crossing the border

Nevertheless, it is the first major political dilemma of President Joe Bidens term as Republicans accuse the president of escalating the problem by shifting away from immigration restrictions enacted by Donald Trump. The Biden administration says it is working to build a more humane system as it no longer rejects unaccompanied children at the border and works to more swiftly process asylum cases.

You can decide for yourself whether this is humane treatment, U.S. Sen. John Cornyn,R-Texas, wrote as he tweeted the pictures on Monday.

On the other hand, Democrats have been quick to point out the latest surge began when Trump was still in office and a new analysis released this week shows it is so far comparable to a surge in 2019.

Was it a crisis when there was a 690% surge in unaccompanied minors in Trumps last nine months in office? tweeted Julian Castro, the former San Antonio mayor and U.S. Housing and Urban Development secretary in the Obama administration. Was it a crisis when he used the pandemic to expel 13,000 children?

Similar to 2019 peak

Cuellar said the pictures illustrate how the administration is struggling to handle the current surge. He said Border Patrol is so strapped for space that agents in some cases are releasing members of migrant families who do not have criminal records  including 150 in the Rio Grande Valley sector over the weekend  without notices to appear in court.

Cuellar said he has urged the administration to work more closely with Mexico and the Central American nations the migrants are fleeing and to work harder to combat messaging in those countries that with Biden in office, now is the time to head for the U.S.

The very humane or noble intentions the administration has are just being overrun, overwhelmed by the pure numbers of people coming across  period. Thats what it is, Cuellar said. At the end of the day, you have to stem the tide, you have to work with Mexico, Central America, because if not, all youre doing is playing defense on the 1-yard line called the U.S. border.

White House officials said Monday the administration is doing just that. Press secretary Jen Psaki said the State Department has placed tens of thousands of ads on radio stations in Brazil, El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras urging people there not to come to the U.S.

The Biden administration has defended its efforts, calling in the Federal Emergency Management Agency to help set up multiple facilities to temporarily house children, including the Dallas convention center, where federal officials are working to unite them with sponsors in the U.S.

TEXAS TAKE: Get political headlines from across the state sent directly to your inbox

Border Patrol reported 9,457 encounters with unaccompanied children in February alone, a record for that month. That figure, however, was in line with surges in 2014 and 2019, which saw between 7,000 and 9,000 apprehensions of unaccompanied children a month, with peaks above 10,000.

A new analysis by the libertarian Cato Institute, meanwhile, shows the surge is so far comparable to that in 2019. While federal officials including Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas have said Border Patrol is on pace to post the most encounters with migrants at the border in two decades, the majority of those encounters so far are with single adults who have tried repeatedly to cross and been sent back to Mexico, only to try and cross again.

Thats because federal officials continue to use a public health order established by the Trump administration during the coronavirus pandemic that allows them to turn the vast majority of migrants away at the border  but many often try again later.

Without these repeat crossers, the first few months of fiscal year 2021 would look nearly identical to fiscal year 2019 before the pandemic, the Cato analysis said.

A nonpartisan plea

Still, lawmakers from both parties are pressing the Biden administration to do more to handle the surge, including soliciting help from nongovernment organizations.

Current facilities and services are insufficient to handle the present challenge, Cornyn wrote in a letter to Biden along with U.S. Sen. Kyrsten Sinema, D-Ariz. Our border communities and NGOs are already rising to this challenge. It is important that the federal government do so as well. We cannot afford to be consumed by partisan battles on this critical topic.

Cornyn plans to lead a group of senators on a tour of the border with U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, on Friday as a parade of lawmakers from both parties through Texas continues. U.S. Rep. Joaquin Castro, D-San Antonio, will also tour a Carrizo Springs facility housing migrant children on Friday.

Cruz on Monday sent a letter to Biden demanding the administration let members of the press access such overflow facilities.

Denying the press the ability to observe, film, and report on the conditions at the border is not openness or transparency  it is hiding the truth from the American people, Cruz wrote. The press and the American people deserve more than denials and excuses from a podium. They deserve to see and understand the crisis for themselves with the help of reporters who are free and independent from your administration.

The White House says it is planning to open facilities up to the press eventually. Bidens national security adviser, Jake Sullivan, said Monday that the administration has a commitment to transparency to make sure that the news media gets the chance to report on every aspect of whats happening at the border.

Psaki added that the White House is working with homeland security officials and the Health and Human Services Department to finalize details and that she hoped to have an update in the coming days.

This story contains material from the Associated Press.

ben.wermund@chron.com
REDDING, Calif.  A multi-agency manhunt landed a wanted felon in the Shasta County Jail over the weekend.

On March 21, around 3:39 p.m., a Redding Police Officer and his canine partner, Otto, were on patrol when they spotted a red sport utility car in the area of E. Cypress Ave. and Bechelli Lane. Police said the car was driven by 32-year-old Ruben Ybarra of Redding, who the officer recognized from prior arrests.

Ybarra had eight warrants for his arrest, is currently on Post Release Community Supervision and is a convicted felon, according to RPD.

Ybarra led police on a chase from E. Cypress and Bechelli Lane all the way to Red Bluff. Ybarra pulled into the Home Depot parking lot and ran on foot into the Holiday Inn, according to the Redding Police Department.

Police, CHP, and Sheriffs Deputies surrounded the hotel and K-9 Officer Otto helped locate Ybarra in a locked closet. Authorities said Ybarra tried to escape down a laundry shoot but an officer was waiting to arrest him.

He was booked into the Shasta County Jail for felony evasion, resisting arrest and his warrants, which included charges for vehicle theft, possession of stolen property, resisting arrest and failure to appear for felony and misdemeanor charges, according to RPD. This is the eleventh time Ybarra has been arrested in the past two years.
The on Monday said the NCLT can continue its hearing over the sale and merger of its retail business with Reliance Industries' retail arm after a division bench of the Delhi High Court stayed the previous order with regard to the Rs 24,713 crore deal.

"A Division Bench of Delhi High Court comprising Chief Justice DN Patel and Justice Jasmeet Singh has stayed the interim order pronounced by Justice JR Midha on March 18, 2021, that included certain extreme directions in an earlier interim order originally passed on 2nd February 2021," said a statement Future Coupons Pvt Ltd.

The division bench also took on record the Supreme Court's order, which records that the proceedings before NCLT will be allowed to go without a final order of sanction of the Scheme between and Reliance, said Future Coupons Pvt Ltd in a statement.

"Accordingly, the NCLT can continue to hear the scheme as per the directions of the Supreme Court but no final orders can be passed until the Supreme Court decides on the petition filed by Amazon," it said.

The High Court order had come over the petition filed by Future Retail Ltd, a firm, which operates its flagship retail business under several formats like Big Bazaar, FBB, Easy Day Club, Hyper City etc.

Amazon did not respond to e-mailed query.

The Mumbai bench of the National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT) has reserved its order over the scheme of arrangement that entails the consolidation of Future Group's retail and wholesale and transferring it to Reliance in a Rs 24,713 crore deal that was announced in August last year.

The Future-Reliance deal, which is contested by global e-Commerce major Amazon, has already received clearance from CCI, SEBI and bourses, and the scheme of arrangement is now awaiting the nod from the NCLT and shareholders.

Passing a 134-page long judgement, single member bench of Justice Midha had on last Thursday directed Kishore Biyani-led FRL not to take further action on the deal with Reliance and held that the group willfully violated the EA's order.

The high court had rejected all the objections raised by Future Group and imposed a cost of Rs 20 lakh on it as well as its directors.

It had directed them to deposit the amount in Prime Minister's Relief Fund within two weeks for being used for providing COVID-19 vaccination to senior citizens of the Below Poverty Line (BPL) category of Delhi.

The high court's judgement came on Amazon's plea seeking direction to order enforcement of the award by Singapore's EA on October 25, 2020, restraining FRL from going ahead with its Rs 24,713 crore deal with Reliance Retail.

In October 2020, Amazon dragged Future Group to arbitration at Singapore International Arbitration Centre (SIAC), arguing that Future violated the contract by entering into the deal with rival Reliance.

Amazon and Future have been locked in a bitter legal tussle after the US e-commerce giant dragged Future Group to arbitration at SIAC, arguing that the latter had violated their contract by entering into the deal with rival Reliance.

Amazon had invested in Future Coupons in August 2019 with an option of buying into the flagship Future Retail after a period of three to 10 years.

On October 25, 2020, an interim award was passed in favour of Amazon with a single-judge bench of V K Rajah barring Future Retail from taking any step to dispose of or encumber its assets or issuing any securities to secure any funding from a restricted party.

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
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By Abhirup Roy and Aditya Kalra

MUMBAI (Reuters) - Inside supermarkets of Reliance Retail, run by India's richest man, Mukesh Ambani, little-known food and home cleaning brands take pride of place on shelves alongside global labels owned by giants Nestle, Unilever and Coca-Cola.

Products like Snac tac noodles and Yeah! colas are Reliance's private label brands - and billionaire Ambani's not-so-secret weapons as he sets his sights on dominating a grocery market that's already worth a cool $608 billion and set to grow more than 20% by 2024, according to Forrester Research.

These are not just a cheap and cheerful option for urban shoppers in Reliance's own expanding store network. This is Ambani's bet on pitching brands that are basic, yet still aspirational at 'kiranas' - traditional mom-and-pop stores which serve roughly 80% of the retail market in world's second-most populous nation.

Already India's biggest retailer, even as a $3.4 billion deal to buy no. 2 player Future Retail awaits clearance, Reliance has "immense focus" on private labels, said an industry executive familiar with its strategy. That focus has already made some consumer goods firms in India uneasy, sources say.

Reliance plans to keep expanding and promoting its private labels - even in non-food segments - via its own supermarkets and kiranas, the executive said, declining to be identified, like most of the people Reuters interviewed for this story, because of a lack of authorisation to speak with media.

"It's a worthwhile and high-margin (play)," the person said. "The company's trying to offer brands of an equivalent quality at a lower rate ... from a consumer standpoint, that works. It's a fact, five years down the line, private labels will be a different landscape."

MULTI-BILLION-DOLLAR BUSINESS

Reliance Retail, part of Ambani's Reliance Industries juggernaut, last year raised $6.4 billion by selling a 10% stake to investors including Silver Lake Partners and KKR & Co Inc. The company is now bulking up its e-commerce operations and is increasingly partnering with kiranas to replenish their shelves via its own outlets and warehouses.

Story continues

Consumer brands seeing their products already jostling for space with Reliance's private label brands will have to deal with a company whose grocery supermarket muscle will nearly triple to 2,100 outlets if the Future Retail deal, which is facing a legal challenge at India's Supreme Court, goes through.

Browsing shelves in Reliance stores, it's hard to miss their private-label products, made in India mostly by small third-party manufacturers. "It is Reliance's own brand. So we have to place these prominently," a store employee at a Mumbai supermarket said.

Inside Reliance's supermarkets, Nestle's Maggi "2-Minute noodles" sit next to Snac tac "Ready in 2 mins" noodles, both in yellow-coloured packaging with an image of a red bowl full of noodles, with Snac tac costing roughly 18% less. Bottles of Yeah! colas stood beside Coca-Cola and PepsiCo's offerings, at around half the price.

Reliance declined to comment on its business strategies. Nestle India didn't answer questions on Snac tac, but said it continues to "prioritise innovation" and was confident its consumers will choose brands that serve their needs.

India's top consumer goods maker Hindustan Unilever (HUL) declined to comment, while Coca-Cola didn't respond. PepsiCo India said it doesn't comment on strategies of other companies.

LIFESTYLE CHOICE

India is seen as offering huge potential. China's per capita consumption of consumer goods is still four times higher than India's, according to HUL, majority-owned by London-listed Unilever. This is despite India's rising disposable incomes.

Analysts say Ambani's plans echo private-labels pushes mastered by the world's biggest retailer, Walmart, and German supermarket chains Aldi and Lidl.

A key difference is that Western retailers have pitched own-label goods as a value proposition. In India, they act as both an affordable alternative and a lifestyle choice for those previously unused to buying packaged or branded products.

Industry executives and analysts say the push is worrying foreign and Indian consumer giants. Pressure has already risen, with online grocers like BigBasket and e-commerce giant Amazon expanding their private brands portfolio.

The person familiar with Reliance's strategy said the profit margin it offers to kiranas on products like its noodles could be as high as 20%, compared with the 10-12% offered on similar products by multinationals.

To be sure, it's not easy to displace popular, decades-old brands. HUL says nine out of 10 households in India use its brands, and Nestle India says Maggi noodles strengthened its leadership position in 2019.

A Jefferies research note said last week Reliance can leverage private labels to onboard more kiranas, but cautioned that "a success here would require a 360 degree approach" to compete against "entrenched" players.

STRATEGIC RESPONSE

Still, one big Indian consumer firm has been conducting on-ground surveys to study Reliance's model, while a multinational has been forced to "craft a strategy" to find ways to safeguard its distribution model, said two executives who declined to be identified citing business sensitivity for their companies.

HUL is "keeping an eye" on Reliance's private label push, said a person familiar with its thinking.

"Any game that Reliance gets into, you have to be careful," said the source, referring to Reliance's success in disrupting the telecoms industry with cut-price data plans for smartphones.

Alok Shah, a consumer analyst at India's Ambit Capital who has visited stores to assess private labels, said rival consumer companies ought to be alert.

"The only option consumer companies have is to market more or to match the pricing of private labels ... Reliance's brands are going to be a much bigger threat," he said.

Sales representatives of HUL, Nestle and Indian consumer giant ITC interviewed by Reuters at various Reliance supermarkets expressed concerns that similar packaging and lower prices on Reliance brands were luring some customers away. A spokesperson for ITC said, "All large retailers have their own brands that compete with established brands."

On a recent weekend in Mumbai, shoppers like 16-year-old student Soni Gupta took advantage of a buy-one-get-one-free offer on Reliance noodles.

"It's cheaper than Maggi ... I quite like it," Gupta said.

(Reporting by Abhirup Roy in Mumbai and Aditya Kalra in New Delhi; Additional reporting by Siddharth Cavale in Bengaluru; Editing by Kenneth Maxwell)
How to Do It is Slates sex advice column. Have a question? Send it to Stoya and Rich here. Its anonymous!

Dear How to Do It,

I am 23 years old and a graduate student. I am somewhat concerned about my financial habit surrounding porn. I do not think I am going overboard when it comes to paying for the content I like and enjoy, but it still makes me wonder whether I am wasting more in the long run instead of using the money for other more necessary things. My current porn consumption is about $100 a month, allocated between two OnlyFans and Patreon subscriptions. I know I could be saving this money for essential groceries and such, which for me as one person can cost usually $100-to-$150 a month. I am currently employed through my school in a part-time job, and make a fair wage along with scholarships, grants, and loans applied to my savings. I dont burn through my money (although I do tend to spend a bit more on nonessentials when I am unemployed) but I still feel guilty for allocating this much money to support the porn creator and receive their content that I enjoy.

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Does it sound like I am being irresponsible with my money? I want to keep supporting this person, but I dread the day if or when it becomes financially unfit for me to be purchasing this nonessential good, and I dont know if I am already there or not. One way I have looked at it is that if I spend roughly $100 a month on this persons content, I spend $1,200 a year, and I have been subscribed on this price tier for about a year and a half. Part of the problem is that, while I thoroughly enjoy this persons content, I often find myself spending more time with other porn outlets that I am not paying for (all consensual and 18+ videos of course). And, while I spend most of my money on this content creator that I do very much enjoy, I often defer my allocated porn time away from their content for a later date. I tend to think of it like I am paying for my porn and supporting the content creator that I like, but consuming more of the industry through free outlets like Pornhub. Am I going about this in the wrong way? Am I simply making excuses for my porn consumption? How do I know if/when this becomes an unhealthy habit financially?

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Frankly, Financially Flustered

Dear F.F.F.,

If you dont know whether your financial situation has become untenable as a result of your porn use, how could I? Also, how could you not know? Youre either eating or not, letting bills lapse or paying them on time, seeing the figure you owe to your credit card company rise, fall, or stay static. This is a sex advice column, not a financial one, and as much as I envy and might even want to be Suze Orman in all of her collared, soft-butch glory, I am not her. She does say, People first, then money, then things, and the performer(s) youre patronizing are people, so perhaps youre doing right by our Suze?

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I have a feeling that you wouldnt be asking this question if you didnt know the answerif you have to ask, you cant afford it, etc. But Im not going to spank you for living beyond your means, which is so common its practically inherent to the human (capitalist) condition. When you next feel like having a porn session, delay it and use the time to figure out your budget instead. There are websites and apps that will take you through this process, step by step. Then youll know for sure how much money you have to jerk off with, as it were. Its nice to support sex workers whose content you admire, but not at your own financial peril. That something as frivolous as porn you dont really look at much is causing you anxiety is a very good indication that you should probably start making cuts.

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Get the How to Do It Newsletter Sex advice from Rich and Stoya, plus exclusive letter follow-ups, delivered weekly. We encountered an issue signing you up. Please try again. Please enable javascript to use form. Email address: Send me updates about Slate special offers. By signing up, you agree to our Privacy Policy and Terms Sign Up Thanks for signing up! You can manage your newsletter subscriptions at any time.

Dear How to Do It,

I am a 50-year-old man who has been separated for 18 months after 21 years of marriage. I miss my wife and would go back to her in a second if given the chance, but I have resigned myself to the fact that it will never happen. We had sex a few times after I moved out and it was incrediblemade me regret what I had but didnt appreciate. Anyway, I decided to venture out and I want to have sex with as many women as possibleand I have. I DONT want a relationship and have managed to have many on again/off again FWB arrangements and I have had mind-blowing sex. I have a high sex drive as it is, and meeting women who are sexually free and adventurous is a huge turn-on. They have all complimented me on my performance and my tool and all have had multiple orgasms during these encounters. I am having pornlike sex!

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The problem is that Im not that into having intercourse anymore, to the point that I lose my erection sometimes when it is time to close the deal. I stay VERY erect during foreplay and can easily ejaculate that way. I masturbate often and can achieve an erection on demand. But, for example, I can be receiving an incredible blow job and as soon as we transition to intercourse, I either lose my erection or have to fondle myself some before Im ready. Once I am in, I am generally good and can last longer than I ever did with my wife, and my partners are always left satisfied. In fact, I think Im a better lover than I was when I was still with my wife. For some background, I still miss my wife and my masturbation is often centered on memorable sexual encounters with her. I never had this problem with her, and she would joke that I was always hard in our bed, even when sleeping. I loved our sex even though it wasnt pornlike. I am also consumed about the thought of her having sex with another man  I cant stand that visual. Not sure if any of that is relevant, but thought Id share.

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Cant Close the Deal

Dear C.C.D.,

I dont know how this would go for a straight dude of your age, but gay dudes of many ages are extremely upfront about their specific interests. There are guys who love to suck dick and guys who love to get sucked, and they can find each other easily via their app profiles and other online postings. I think because many queer men never really had a shot in conforming closely to heteronormative ideals, were liberated to deviate as much as we see fit. Im going to encourage you to do the same. Tell your prospective hookups that youre primarily looking to have oral sex. This may impede your path to becoming Americas Next Top Casanova, but it may also place you in the company of partners who are good matches for you. If you nonetheless feel obligated to engage in intercourse, I recommend changing it up frequentlysee if your partner is down to keep returning to oral after a few minutes of vaginal.

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Its important to keep in mind that there is absolutely nothing wrong with your desiressome people are just more inclined to enjoying oral sex/foreplay. Its also important to keep in mind that this is part of the reason why glory holes exist. Just saying.

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Dear How to Do It,

I have a married friend that is very, very hot. Hes also one of the nicest, truly kind people Ive ever met. Ive met his spouse a few times, and they seemed pretty nice, though a bit older than my friend. Last summer we were chatting about something, and he let it slip that they havent had sex in years! I was shocked and sad for him. He clearly misses being touched (they dont even sleep in the same bed). But, hes a good guy, and wants to honor their marriage vows. At what point is it OK to point out that his needs are just as relevant and should be honored? Ive suggested that he try to have that discussion, and perhaps seek permission to find an ethical third party to provide the physical attention. He is afraid of rocking the boat and causing an issue. But hes indicating more and more distress. Im frustrated for his situation, but if he wont ask permission, and is too ethical to cheat, what other options can I suggest for him? Hes only in his mid-50s. Thats a long time ahead to be celibate.

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Frustrated for Him

Dear Frustrated,

I think youre frustrated for him because youre frustrated for yourself. Would you be so concerned if this guy werent very, very hot? You do realize what youre telegraphing when thats what youre leading with, right? Meddling is nothing but helping with a side of self-interest. Youve done all that you can here, while keeping things above the belt. Check in, have conversations with him, recommend Mating in Captivity. Dont push him or offer yourself as an unethical release valve. Hes already expressed discomfort with any sort of ethical fix, and so I imagine that a lapse into the forbidden realm could create a legitimate crisis. Besides, solving someone elses marital problem is like brushing their teeth for them. Its not your place and its awkward as hell, at any rate.

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Did you write this or another letter we answered? Tell us what happened at howtodoit@slate.com.

Dear How to Do It,

Im a 40-year-old transgender woman who has a wonderful fiancee that Im madly in love with. When I met her, Id been on HRT (hormone replacement therapy) for about a year. HRT can cause sexual dysfunction and so it did. I came up with the idea of getting off of my HRT so I could have my sex life back and I could please my girl. But on the flip side of this coin, HRT means a lot to me, and besides sex issues, I want everything else the hormones have to offer. Ill stop taking them for a couple weeks before I see her just to get myself back in order sexually but I still have a lotta trouble reaching orgasm. So much so, in fact, that shes never seen it happen, and weve been together since middle October 2020. So now Im worried that even without HRT something is wrong downstairs or perhaps upstairs psychologically.

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Transgender and Neurotic

Dear T.N.,

The idea of abruptly going on and off of medical treatment makes me nervous, so I reached out to an expert to clarify. We generally fully support patients in doing whatever they (autonomously) feel is best for their goals and well-being when it comes to hormones, Christina Milano, M.D., the medical director of Oregon Health & Science Universitys Transgender Program, told me in an email. (Milano is also a family medicine provider who offers hormone therapy to transgender patients.) That said, we generally dont advise folx to abruptly stop and start, for a myriad of downstream effects on their body from that approach, she continued.

There are other reasons why just winging it here isnt advisableyour medical provider could help devise a regimen that allows for your hormone therapy and desired sexual functioning. After reviewing your question, Milano told me in another email:

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It is true that many folx on gender-affirming hormones may experience changes in their sexual health and function. Whether those changes are a welcome or desired outcome is very different for each individual, and I am cautious to not assign value to how those changes may be experienced. Some common things I counsel patients to expect are changes in libido, frequency of erectile responses and capacity for orgasm, as your reader alluded to. Fortunately, we can engage lots of different approaches and therapies to support patients in maintaining BOTH their gender-related goals and their sexual health. Sometimes we may discover that we have over-suppressed a transfeminine patients natural production of testosterone, and we can make adjustments in the hormone regimen (or supplement with exogenous hormones) to allow for a greater balance. We also often will engage with our mental health colleagues to work with patients on the psychological dimensions of their evolving sexual experience, as this may be as much at play as any contributing factor from hormones. As your readers well know, our sexuality remains a complex, mysterious realm, with so much more to discover than what we currently understand, but we certainly can do right by patients to validate the changes they may experience as they embark on their gender journey with hormones.

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This idea that you came up with might be better executed as a collaboration with medical and mental health experts. Consider consulting them.

 Rich

More How to Do It

Im a woman in my late 20s dating from apps after a relationship. Im currently seeing two men that I met at roughly the same time and hit it off with. Weve had no formal talks about being exclusive on either side. I have an IUD, and after our first couple times, Ive fallen into a habit of not using condoms with either guy. My question is what level of obligation I have to bring up to these guys that theyre not the only person Im banging without protection? I think its assumedI assume theyre seeing other people, toobut I do wonder if they might not be aware of what Im doing. What am I required to disclose, if anything?
The Committee for Public Education and the International Youth and Students for Social Equality call for the formation of joint rank-and-file committees of staff and students to fight the latest slashing of jobs and courses by Macquarie University management.

The cuts unveiled by management last month take to a new and vicious level the unprecedented assault on university workers and students launched across the country and internationally since the COVID-19 pandemic broke out a year ago.

The universitys change proposals demand the elimination of about 90 full-time academic positions, on top of more than 350 voluntary redundancies of academic and professional staff already inflicted in 2020.

Macquarie University Chancellery building (Source: mq.edu.au)

Moreover, the proposals insist that academics must compete with each other in Hunger Games-style spill and fill processes to determine who will keep their jobs.

Entire teaching and research areas would be eliminated, damaging the quality of education and the range of courses available to students.

This is not just happening at Macquarie. Similar change proposals are being pushed through at Western Sydney University and in many other universities. Throughout Australias 39 public universities tens of thousands of jobs have been destroyed already during the past 12 months.

The Liberal-National government and university managements are using the pandemics impact on international student revenue, compounded by years of government funding cuts, to accelerate the pro-business restructuring of universities.

Macquaries change proposals identify academics that the university considers surplus to needs or not aligned with its strategic interests. Academics in the faculties of Science and Engineering, Medicine Health and Human Sciences and the Macquarie Business School have been targeted.

In the Department of Physics and Astronomy, for example, 18 academics would have to vie for 13 or 14 positions. In Earth and Planetary Sciences, four senior academics would be forcibly retrenched and seven mid-level academics would compete for two or three posts, effectively gutting this discipline.

The university plans to issue further change proposals in March, June and September to slash another $25 million from professional staff costs. The Professional Services Transformation would impose rolling job cuts throughout 2021.

These cuts will lead to massive workload increases for educators and administrative workers alike. Even then, there will simply be too few academics to teach the units offered by the university.

Not only is this an attack on the university staff. Students are already being impacted. Face-to-face hours in a number of units have been slashed in order to justify the cuts. Units and programs of study have been deleted. Students are facing larger class sizes, lower quality courses and fewer services and facilities.

Universities are being transformed into vocational institutions churning out job ready graduates to satisfy the profit needs of employers, axing courses that provide broader critical and intellectual education.

To defeat this offensive, staff and students need new organisations that reject the dictates of the financial markets and their servants.

Far from opposing the cuts, the main trade union covering the universities, the National Tertiary Education Union (NTEU), is helping implement them. It insists that, under the unions 2018 enterprise agreement, the only course open to staff is to engage in managements phony consultation process.

In 2018, Macquarie staff members voted for a resolution, moved by Committee for Public Education supporters, calling for a unified national struggle against the federal governments funding cuts and opposing the splitting up of university workers via such individual enterprise agreements. The NTEU responded by refusing to circulate the resolution, demonstrating its rejection of that struggle.

Last month, at a meeting of staff members to discuss the brutal change proposals, the NTEU tried to block any discussion at all on such a fight. A Committee for Public Education supporter put the following motion, urging staff and students to:

Reject the management-union change proposal framework as nothing but a vehicle for imposing further cuts to jobs and conditions through the pretence of consultation.



Oppose all efforts to make university workers and students pay for the billions of dollars cut from funding by Coalition and Labor governments over the past decade, and the failure of capitalist governments to avert the global COVID-19 pandemic.



Demand that, instead of big business being bailed out with billions of dollars, and billions more being handed into the military, resources be poured into healthcare and education funding, to protect the population from COVID-19 and guarantee the basic social right to free, first-class education for all students, including international students, and full-time jobs for all university workers.



Create rank-and-file action committees of tertiary education workers and studentsindependent of the NTEU, governments and employers. These are essential to (1) organise a nationwide, unified struggle to defend all jobs and basic rights, (2) protect university staff from unsafe COVID-19 conditions and (3) link up with workers internationally who are facing similar critical struggles against the impact of the worsening global crisis.

This resolution offers university workers and students a way forward, based on an alternative political perspective. But the union refused to put the motion to the meeting, on the divisive basis that the meeting included non-union members. In reality, the NTEU opposes any such discussion because it is working hand in glove with management to ensure that its savings are secured.

This has been the role of the NTEU for decades. As soon as the pandemic hit last year, it rushed into backroom talks with the vice chancellors, offering wage cuts of up to 15 percent, supposedly as a job protection scheme, but still accepting thousands of redundancies.

When this sparked the beginning of a revolt by university workers, most managements pulled out of that national deal, concerned that the NTEU could not enforce it against its members. But the NTEU then struck similar deals with individual universities, riding roughshod over members discontent, paving the way for last years tsunami of job losses.

Despite the utter failure of all its parliamentary lobbying efforts last year for a government support package for universities, the NTEU is still trying to peddle illusions that relief will be delivered by the parliamentary establishment, particularly the Labor Party and Greens.

But it was Labor that spearheaded the commercialisation of tertiary education, initiated by the Hawke governments reintroduction of fees for both domestic and international student fees. Then the Rudd-Gillard 2008 education revolution forced universities to fight each other for enrollments, particularly from full-fee paying international students, and cut tertiary funding by $2.7 billion in 2013.

Labors revolution was backed by the Greens, which kept the Gillard government in office, and endorsed and policed by the NTEU, in line with the strategic, vocational and profit-making demands of the Australian corporate elite.

In order to reverse this offensive and fight for high quality education, university workers and students need to form their own organisationsrank-and-file committeesto coordinate the growing resistance against the attacks on education, jobs and wages. These committees would become the starting point of a mass movement of the working class to take political power, expropriate the financial elite and reorganise society on a rational, scientific and socialist basis.

To discuss this perspective, and how to fight for it, the Committee for Public Education and the International Youth and Students for Social Equality are holding a joint public meeting for university workers and students on Wednesday, March 31, 2021, 07:00 p.m. (AEDT).

We warmly invite all academics, professional staff and students to participate in this vital discussion. Registration details are here: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZApf-GgrjIvGtzc2CYsLefy5zEdIJarfERY
Plug and Play Japan Winter/Spring 2021 Summit Report:

PR Newswire

TOKYO, March 21, 2021

127 Startups and Corporate Partners Gave Their Pitches on The Hybrid Event in Tokyo, Kyoto, and Osaka

TOKYO, March 21, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Plug and Play Japan KK (Based in Shibuya, Tokyo, CEO: Philip Vincent, hereinafter Plug and Play Japan) held a Winter/Spring 2021 Summit (Accelerator Demo Day) for their Winter/Spring 2021 Batch which consists of 3-month programs. This year, the summit was live-streamed at Tokyo (3/2-3/3), Kyoto (3/16), and Osaka (3/18), and 154 speakers went on the stage for Startup Pitches, Corporate Reverse Pitches, and Keynote Sessions.

Plug and Play Japan Hosts Its Winter/Spring 2021 Summit.

About Winter/Spring 2021 Summit

Plug and Play Japan carried out their Winter/Spring 2021 Batch from December 2020 through March 2021 across 7 verticals which are IoT, Fintech, Insurtech, Mobility, Brand & Retail, Health, and Smart Cities. With 42 official corporate partners of Plug and Play Japan, they selected 103 Japanese and international startups, and 100 startups showcased their results of their 3-month programs to potential investors as well as business leaders and community.

Also, 26 awards went to the startups and corporate partners which collected the largest number of votes from the audience, celebrating their achievements and involvement to accelerate innovation and co-creation between startups and enterprises.

EXPO Startup Award

The multi-day Summit is split up into individual "EXPOs," where startups from each vertical pitch during that section. The startup that earns the largest number of votes from the audience during each EXPO receives an award. Award winners acquire the opportunity to give their pitches in front of venture capitals and international corporates at Plug and Play global offices. The EXPO Winners are listed below.

*The reward for this year is under consideration.

Brand & Retail

International Startup

Company: PICKL Inc.

Representative : CEO Ossie Cohen

Address: 65 Pine Ave Suite 117, Long Beach, CA 90802, United States

Business: Cloud sourcing for brands and retailers to gather product data from everyday shoppers.

HP: https://www.pickl.xyz/

Story continues

Japanese Startup

Company: Flora Co., Ltd

Representative: CEO Anna Kreshchenko

Address: 32 Yoshidatachibana-cho, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto Japan

Business: Bringing cutting-edge technological solutions to prenatal care.

HP https://floramaternity.com/ecompany

Mobility

International Startup

Company: Anagog Ltd.

Representative: CEO Ofer Tziperman

Address: 52 Derech Menachem Begin Sonol Tower Floor 6 Tel Aviv, 6713701 Israel

Business: Developing customer-understanding solutions utilizing location intelligence and business analytics.

HP: https://www.anagog.com/

Japanese Startup

Company: AZAPA Co., Ltd.

Representative: Company President Seiji Takeuchi

Address: ORE Nishiki 2-chome Bldg. 2F, Nishiki 2-4-15, Naka City, Nagoya, Aichi Japan

Business: Interpretation of human emotions from biodata and activity records and converting it into services.

HP: https://www.project-olive.info/

Fintech

International Startup

Company: SESAMm SAS

Representative: Co-Founder and CEO Sylvain Forte

Address: 16 Rue de la Grange Bateliere, Paris France

Business: Analyzes big data and provides Machine Learning tools to build investment strategies.

HP: https://www.sesamm.com/

Japanese Startup

Company: Civitas, Inc.

Representative: Founder and CEO Masahiro Morishita

Address: Otemachi Building 4F FINOLAB, Otemachi 1-6-1, Chiyoda City, Tokyo Japan

Business: Blockchain based legal platform providing smart contract and ODR systems.

HP https://www.civitas.co.jp/

Company: REASE Inc.

Representative: CEO and Founder Yasunori Nakamichi

Address: Nishishinjuku 7-9-16 6F, Shinjuku City, Tokyo Japan

Business: Leasing credit service and AI credit scoring engine.

HP: https://rease.co.jp/

Insurtech

International Startup

Company: dacadoo AG, corporation

Representative: Founder, Chairman, President and CEO Peter Ohnemus

Address: Othmarstrasse 8, 8008 Zurich, Switzerland

Business: Measuring personalized health and risk evaluation.

HP: https://www.dacadoo.com/

Japanese Startup

Company: SELF, Inc.

Representative: CEO Shinji Nukumi

Representative: Nishishinjuku 6-15-1 6F, Shinjuku City, Tokyo Japan

Business: Providing personalized customer support to contribute to sales.

HP: https://selfmind.ai/

IoT

International Startup

Company: Origin Wireless, Inc.

Representative: CEO Ray Liu

Address: 500 Greenway Center DrGreenbelt, Maryland United States

Business: Wireless AI algorithm that detects indoor human & object movements.

HP http://www.originwirelessai.com

Japanese Startup

Company: PID, Inc.

Representative: Co-Founder and CEO Shiro Shimada

Address: Shinbashi 3-16-12 Yokoyama Bldg. 2F, Minato City, Tokyo Japan

Business: Multilingual communication support SaaS "Dicon" for real estate facility owners & residents.

HP: https://pid-corp.jp/

Health

International Startup

Company: Freer Logic Inc.

Representative: CEO Peter Freer

Address: P.O. Box 2147, Skyland, North Carolina, 28776

Business: Developing neural technology for automobiles, home appliances and training.

HP: http://freerlogic.com/

Japanese Startup

Company: Liquid Mine, Inc.

Representative:President and CEO Tomokazu Kishimoto , Founder and Representative Director and Doctor Kanya Kondo

Address: Shirokanedai 4-2-10-1101, Minato-city, Tokyo Japan

Business: Providing liquid biopsy for leukemia.

HP: http://www.liquidmine.co.jp/index.html

Smart Cities

International Startup

Company: Navmatic Inc.

Representative: Co-founder and CEO Boaz Mamo

Address: 550 California Ave, Palo Alto, CaliforniaUnited States

Business: Provides a highly precise GPS solution for micromobility

HP: https://www.navmatic.io/

Japanese Startup

Company: otetsutabi, Inc.

RepresentativeCEO Rina Nagaoka

Address: Jingumae 5-53-67, Shiuya-city, Tokyo Japan

Business: Provides a platform that connects users to volunteer opportunities in travel destinations

HP: https://otetsutabi.com/

Corporate Innovation Award

Corporate Innovation Awards were given to the corporate partners who have passionately engaged with Plug and Play Japan's Winter/Spring 2021 Batch accelerator program from constructing the program to operating itself.

Company: Aisin Group

Company: OBAYASHI CORPORATION

Company: Coca-Cola(Japan)Company, Limited

Ecosystem Builder Award

Ecosystem Builder Awards were given to the Champions who were the most dedicated to build the startup ecosystem in Japan to speed up the innovation during the Winter/Spring 2021 Batch.

Company: The Dai-ichi Life Insurance Company, Limited, Naho Yoshimura

Company: TOSHIBA CORPORATION, Hiroyuki Aizawa

Startup Friendly Award

Startup Friendly Awards were given to the following partners in honor of being friendly to startups in the process of their meetings/collaborative projects. The award goes to the corporate partners on each vertical that gain the largest number of votes from startups selected in Winter/Spring 2021 Batch.

Brand & Retail

Company: Asahi Group Holdings, Ltd.

Mobility

Company: Tokio Marine & Nichido Fire Insurance Co., Ltd.

Fintech

Company: ORIX Corporation

Insurtech

Company: The Dai-ichi Life Insurance Company, Limited

IoT

Company: Mitsubishi Electric Corporation

Health

Company: SHIMADZU CORPORATION

Smart Cities

Company: DENTSU INC.

About the accelerator program in Plug and Play Japan

Plug and Play Japan provides accelerator programs across 7 verticals (IoT, Fintech, Insurtech, Mobility, Brand & Retail, Health, and Smart Cities). Their newest program, New Materials, was launched and will start in Spring/Fall 2021 Batch. While closely working with their official corporate partners, Plug and Play Japan supports startups in Japan and overseas to scale up their businesses and to enhance the co-creation with enterprises as well.

Summit is the final step on the accelerator program, giving pitches about their results from the program, and it is one of the great opportunities for the audience to meet cutting-edge technology ideas and new business partners.

About Plug and Play

Plug and Play is a global innovation platform. Headquartered in Silicon Valley, we have built accelerator programs, corporate innovation services, and an in-house VC to make technological advancement progress faster than ever before. Since inception in 2006, our programs have expanded worldwide to include a presence in over 18 countries with 30 locations globally, giving startups the necessary resources to succeed in Silicon Valley and beyond. With over 30,000 startups and 500+ official corporate partners, we have created the ultimate startup ecosystem in many industries. Companies in our community have raised over $9 billion in funding, with successful portfolio exits including Danger, Dropbox, Lending Club and PayPal.

For more information, visit https://www.plugandplaytechcenter.com/

Company Overview

CompanyPlug and Play Japan KK

Founded: 2017/7/14

AddressShibuya Center Place 3F 1-16-3, Dogenzaka, Shibuya, Tokyo, Japan

RepresentativePhillip Vicent

URL http://japan.plugandplaytechcenter.com/

Inquiry regarding this Press Release

Plug and Play Japan KK

The person in charge: Megumi Shoei

TEL : 050-5474-2808 / Mail : press-japan@pnptc.com

Plug and Play Logo (PRNewsfoto/Plug and Play)

Cision

View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/plug-and-play-japan-winterspring-2021-summit-report-301252382.html

SOURCE Plug and Play
NCT (Amendment) Bill giving more power to L-G in Delhi gets Rajya Sabha nod

Explained: What is the GNCTD Bill

BJP tally in Rajya Sabha likely to go up by 1 next year

Rajya Sabha adjourned till 2 pm amid uproar by treasury benches over Maharashtra issue

India

oi-Madhuri Adnal

New Delhi, Mar 22: Rajya Sabha proceedings were adjourned till 2 pm on Monday amid uproar over corruption allegations in Maharashtra.

As soon as the Question Hour began, treasury bench members raised the Maharashtra issue with Deputy Chairman Harivansh, who was in the Chair, asking them to allow the proceedings.

Amid the din, he asked members to ask supplementaries.

However, as soon as Minority Affairs Minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi answered supplementaries, the Chair Asked Chaya Verma (Cong) to proceed to the next question.

However, Information and Broadcasting Minister Prakash Javadekar raised the Maharashtra issue referring to the alleged corruption in the state.

The chair then adjourned the House till 2 pm amid the uproar.

Maharashtra allies to meet today amid call for Anil Deshmukh's ouster

The protests were in connection with former Mumbai police chief Param Bir Singh''s claim that Maharashtra Home Minister Anil Deshmukh wanted police officers to collect Rs 100 crore monthly from bars and hotels in Mumbai.

Singh, who was transferred to the low-key Home Guards on March 17 following the arrest of police officer Sachin Waze in the case related to the bomb scare near Mukesh Ambani''s house Antilia, in a letter to the Maharashtra chief minister had claimed that he was made a scapegoat.

Anil Deshmukh Corruption row: NCP says 'no need for resignation'| Oneindia News

In the eight-page letter, Singh had alleged that Deshmukh used to call police officers to his official residence and give them a "collection target" from bars, restaurants and other establishments.

The Maharashtra Chief Minister''s Office, in a release on Saturday, said Singh''s "unsigned letter" was not sent from his official email ID and efforts were on to contact him to verify it.

India on Monday further opened up its insurance sector to foreigners, as the nation seeks to spur investments to give a fillip to an economy battered by the pandemic.

Lawmakers approved a legislation increasing the limit on foreign direct investment in insurance companies to 74% from the present 49%, a limit that was set in March 2015. The decision, passed by both houses of Parliament, sees through a budget proposal aimed at attracting new capital.

Related: Indias New Rules for Insurance Investments Could Attract U.S., European Insurers

The lenient foreign ownership cap will help expand insurance penetration in the country of 1.3 billion people and make long-term funding available for infrastructure development. The move will also help boost valuation of the countrys insurers, as Prime Minister Narendra Modi seeks to take state-run Life Insurance Corp. of India public to arrest a budget deficit that widened to a record due to steps to fight the pandemic.

FDI in insurance would help get more investment and competition in the sector and ease stress for insurance companies, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said.

Some of the largest investors, including AXA SA, Tokio Marine Holdings Inc., Aegon NV, Nippon Life Insurance Co., Sun Life Financial Inc. and Aviva Plc, have had a presence in the Indian insurance market for years.

The revised ownership limits are subject to safeguards, according to the legislation. These include retaining majority of the companys board and key management positions with resident Indians and keeping a specified percentage of profits as general reserve.

State-owned insurance companies would continue to have a presence in the sector with government backing, given its strategic nature, Sitharaman said.

India currently has 57 insurance companies, and yet the nation has one of the lowest insurance penetrations in the world at less than 4%. The overall market size of the insurance sector was expected to be $280 billion in 2020, according to India Brand Equity Foundation, a trust set up by the trade ministry.

Photograph: Workers labor on reinforcing steel at a flyover construction site in Patna, Bihar, India, on Thursday, Feb. 25, 2021. After falling into a coronavirus-fueled recession in the third quarter, Indias economy has likely returned to expansion in the three months ended December, according to the median estimate in a Bloomberg survey of economists.

Photograph: Workers labor on reinforcing steel at a flyover construction site in Patna, Bihar, India, on Thursday, Feb. 25, 2021. After falling into a coronavirus-fueled recession in the third quarter, Indias economy has likely returned to expansion in the three months ended December, according to the median estimate in a Bloomberg survey of economists.

Copyright 2021 Bloomberg.

Topics Carriers Trends India
South Africans looking to protect their online activity should stay well clear of free Virtual Private Network (VPN) services.

These pieces of software have become increasingly popular in recent years, as Internet users grow more aware of the importance of securing their online identities and data.

In short, VPNs offer enhanced privacy by directing your online traffic through another server, which in the process disguises your IP address.

This makes it impossible for ISPs or the authorities to track what sites you visit or what you are doing with your Internet connection.

In addition, it makes it difficult for hackers to exploit users connections and breach your system.

Aside from providing better privacy and security, many also allow users to circumvent geo-blocks on video-on-demand libraries or bypass the throttling of protocols such as torrenting and streaming.

Not all of these services are reliable, however, and many use dubious methods to make money from their customers  in particular those which claims to be free, which number in the thousands.

MyBroadband spoke to two reputed VPN companies  NordVPN and Surfshark  to learn more about how reliable and dodgy VPN services functioned.

You are the product

NordVPN digital privacy expert Daniel Markuson stated that reliable providers invested huge sums of money in their product and its infrastructure.

Everything costs something and the price for the service you get might be your privacy, Markuson said.

Surfshark Communications Manager Gabriele Racai said that very few free VPN providers offered a truly free service.

In general, as a VPN customer, you either pay with money or with your data, Racai said.

There is a saying, If the service is free, youre the product, and thats especially evident within the VPNs market, Racai added.

Racai explained that among the most common hidden means that allow free VPNs to maintain their infrastructure and make a profit was tracking users online activities and sharing this data with third-parties.

Some providers choose to show ads as a way to monetise their service. If an app is ad-supported, it usually means developers can gather data points about users online activity for targeted advertising, Racai said.

One study has found that 72% of free VPNs embedded third-party trackers in their software. These include well-known free VPNs such as Betternet, Hotspot Shield, and Opera VPN.

Markuson advised users to carefully check service policies and learn how their data would be processed before signing up for a free VPN.

Customers should always do their research before committing to free VPN services, Markuson said.

They should always question themselves how a provider funds its business if a service is free of charge, he stated.

Bad performance

Aside from not protecting your online activity or data as claimed, you should not expect great performance from free VPNs either, Markuson warned.

Such companies dont invest much in their product and their infrastructure. Therefore, free VPNs usually come with slow speeds, constant pop-ups, and restricted streaming, he said.

Compared to paid VPN services, free VPNs also lack features, a variety of protocols, and the number of servers and their locations is very limited, he added.

Racai said that most free VPNs limited speeds and only offered access to tens of servers, compared to thousands available from paid VPNs.

This impacts the overall daily browsing experience, because the less geographical distance from a server, the better your speeds would be, Racai stated.

Important features

When it comes to choosing a reliable VPN service, there are several characteristics consumers should look out for.

Markuson emphasised the importance of a transparent privacy policy as a lot of potentially sensitive personal information is included in usage logs.

While most providers claim to run no-log VPN services, some of them might still collect extensive connection logs. Thats a problem because third parties could use this information about your internet access to identify you, Markuson said.

It is therefore important that the VPN service be subjected to an independent audit process to confirm its no-logs claims. Both NordVPN and Surfshark have done this, in addition to VPNs like ExpressVPN, VyprVPN, and Perfect Privacy.

Relating to privacy, Markuson advised that consumers compare their options based on the following points:

The types of data the service collects about users and their internet usage.

The external support or tracking tools it uses.

The country where the service operates and the local legal requirements for collecting user data.

In short, Racai advised consumers to consider the following attributes:

Reliable encryption

Trustworthy security and privacy policies

Independent third-party audits

Versatility  Choose a VPN that supports a wide array of platforms and operating systems.

Simultaneous connections  Does the VPN must allow for connecting across different devices at once?

Speed  Wide variety of servers as well as different configurations for different purposes.

Now read: Your old home router is probably vulnerable to hackers
(Alliance News) - The following stocks are the leading risers and fallers on AIM in London on Monday.







AIM - WINNERS







Futura Medical, up 71% at 78.70 pence, 12-month range 7.65p-84p. The pharmaceutical company reaches an agreement with the US Food & Drug Administration for further studies into its erectile dysfunction treatment. The FDA agreed to a confirmatory clinical study for MED3000 to be conducted. The study will be known as FM71. The FM71 will be conducted before formal regulatory submission as a DeNovo Medical Device.







88 Energy, up 28% at 1.44p, 12-month range 0.2p-1.8p. The Alaska-focused oil producer says Merlin-1 production hole drilling is to commence imminently at its project Peregrine in the NPR-A region of the North Slope of Alaska. 88 Energy reports that the Merlin-1 surface hole was successfully drilled to 1,512 feet as planned.







EQTEC, up 19% at 2.26p, 12-month range 0.13p-3.17p. The gasification technology company says financial forecasts indicate profitability in 2021 as its pipeline continues to grow. For 2020, the company expects to report a loss no lower than EUR4 million, before any potential one-off adjustments. For 2021, EQTEC is targeting contracted sales growth from six to eight projects across Europe. Revenue is forecast to be approximately EUR15 million in 2021, with positive earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortisation, which would make 2021 EQTEC's first year of profitability.







Tremor International, up 15% at 700p, 12-month range 96.12p-716.30p. The video advertising technology firm upped its annual guidance as it kicked off 2021 with improved trading during its traditionally weaker quarter. Tremor expects net revenue between USD55 million and USD60 million in the first quarter, up as much as 87% from USD32.1 million a year earlier.







Cambria Automobiles, up 12% at 74p, 12-month range 0p-89.74p. The franchised motor retailer gives consent to members of its management team exploring the potential acquisition of all shares in the company they do not own. Chief Executive Officer Mark Lavery, Finance Director James Mullins and Motor division Managing Director Tim Duckers are exploring the potential acquisition of shares in Cambria at 80 pence in cash per share. As Cambria has 100.0 million shares issued overall, it would mean that at most 60.0 million shares would be up for acquisition, valued at GBP39.6 million based on Friday's closing share price of 66.00p.







Faron Pharmaceuticals, up 12% at 350.25p, 12-month range 216.05p-595p. The Finland-based biopharmaceutical company notes data which showed "significant survival benefit" in patients responding to cancer treatment bexmarilimab. Company says this is "very exciting data" supporting bexmarilimab's unique mechanism of action and adding to the accumulating evidence of bexmarilimab's broad potential across a range of hard-to-treat cancers.







AIM - LOSERS







Mobile Streams, down 36% at 0.29p, 12-month range 0.08p-0.52p. The mobile content and data intelligence firm raises GBP2.0 million through an oversubscribed placing, which will go towards providing working capital as well as firepower for potential acquisition opportunities. Mobile Streams issued 800.0 million shares at a price of 0.25p each, through a placing arranged by broker Peterhouse Capital. The placing price reflects a 43% discount to Mobile Streams' closing price on Friday of 0.44p.







By Arvind Bhunjun; arvindbhunjun@alliancenews.com

Copyright 2021 Alliance News Limited. All Rights Reserved.
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Hotels and resorts in tourist places in Maharashtra have seen up to 30 per cent rise in cancellations and new bookings as the state reports the sharpest increase in new Covid-19 cases. Hotels had seen demand picking up in the winter of 2020, but restrictions imposed by local authorities have thwarted that. Hotels in hill stations including Lonavala and Mahabaleshwar were seeing healthy customer growth especially on weekends.

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Digital Editor
SPRINGFIELD  Dr. Laki Rousou called a welcome change the U.S. Preventative Services Task Force just-released guideline that makes a younger population with a shorter smoking history eligible for lung cancer screening.

The new recommendation could greatly increased long-term survival rates, particularly among women, Rousou said, for a cancer that ranks as the No. 1 cause of cancer death in the United States, and at best has a 20 percent survival rate five years from diagnosis when not detected early.

It is an exciting time if we can catch things early, said Rousou who is chief of thoracic surgery, director of robotic surgery and medical director of the Lung Cancer Screening Program at Mercy Medical Center, part of Trinity Health Of New England. We can really change the mortality.

According to the American Lung Association, more than half of people with lung cancer die within one year of being diagnosed because only about 16 percent of lung cancer cases are diagnosed at an early stage.

The new guideline recommends adults between the ages of 50 and 80 who have smoked a pack of cigarettes a day for 20 years or have quit within the past 15 years be screened every year with low-dose computed tomography. The previous 2013 guidelines started screening at 55 for individuals who had smoked a pack of cigarettes a day for 30 years.

The new guideline will certainly catch a lot more people, Rousou said. There are a lot of people with that 20 or 30 pack history between 50 and 55. A lot.

He added, The whole premise behind doing lung cancer screening is that there are no symptoms typically of the disease unless it is really late.

If it is caught early, it is very treatable, Rousou said. You can have a survival cure rate five years out as high as 90 percent if lung cancer is treated at stage 1, and a 50 to 60 percent rate five years out if treated at stage 2.

He added treated is being helped by immunotherapies that in essence interact with cells to allow the bodys immune system to not be inhibited from killing off cancer cells as well as therapies that target specific cancer cells in ways, for example, to cause them to self destruct.

Rousou said the USPSTF prior guidelines were based on the U.S.-based 2011 National Lung Screening Trial that showed reduction in mortality from lung cancer, which is also the No. 1 cause of cancer deaths worldwide, from annual screening of high risk patients ages 55 to 74 with low-dose computed tomography.

He said the current guidelines are based on more recent data from a DutchBelgian lung-cancer screening trial referred to as NELSON that showed lung cancer deaths fell by about 33% in women and 24% in men when compared to high risk patients who did not undergo screening. The randomized trial, begun in 2000 and concluded in 2015, involved 13,195 men and 2,594 women between age 50 and 74.

Screening seems to have more of an impact on women than it does on men, Rousou said. Women tend to get different subtypes of lung cancer, like sub sub types, and it is just more amendable to being caught earlier and treated for some reason.

Rousou added the updated screening guideline comes at a good time as the stress and isolation of the coronavirus diseases 2019 pandemic has brought reports of former smokers returning to their habit, and some patients now returning for cancer treatments who were to afraid to undergone them in hospital settings at the height of the pandemic.

Rousou said his one concern is how soon insurers will cover those now eligible for screening under the expanded guidelines, something he said took until 2015 for the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services to do when the 2013 guidelines were issued.

The task force making this recommendation is the first step, but the key step is going to be getting the insurance companies  Medicaid/Medicare as well - to cover this because if they dont cover it, it is going to be very difficult to give people access to it without philanthropic money, Rousou said.

A letter signed by a number of professional societies has been sent to CMMS urging that its lung screening coverage be updated to reflect the USPSTF changes. There have also been calls for coverage to include the counseling session with a patients primary health care provider that is required if it is the patients first lung cancer screening to discuss what a positive finding might mean.

The challenge moving forward is going to be not just getting the folks who have already been in the program or are part of screening but re-educating everyone  primary care in particular  that screening is still the thing to do if they meet the criteria, Rousou said.

We also have to re-educate on these new recommendations that it is probably worth making referrals to a screening program and letting the program figure out if they can get it covered.

The highest percentage of smokers based on age in Massachusetts - some 14.1 percent - is among those between 45 and 64.

Related content:

COVID vaccine side effect may impact mammograms; cause needless concern

New studies on genetic breast cancer risks will help in counseling patients, experts say

Coronavirus pandemic creates many difficulties for cancer patients

Mercy Medical Center lung cancer programs designated Centers of Excellence
Heropanti 2: Tiger Shroff To Start Shooting For The Sajid Nadiadwala Film From April 3 In Mumbai

Actor Tiger Shroff will start shooting for Heropanti 2 from April 3 in Mumbai. The pre-production of Sajid Nadiadwalas next film is currently going on in full-swing. Heropanti 2 is Tiger and Ahmeds third film together after Baaghi 2 and Baaghi 3. The first schedule of Heropanti 2 will be shot in Mumbai. They will decide on the other shooting spots depending on the Covid situation then. Tiger will begin the shoot with a massive action sequence, preparation for which has already begun. Leading lady Tara Sutaria will join the team a week after Tiger starts shooting for the movie, shared a source close to the production.

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Tiger Shroff (@tigerjackieshroff)

Recently, Sajid Nadiadwala also roped in Academy Award winning composer AR Rahman and acclaimed lyricist Mehboob for director Ahmed Khans Heropanti 2. The Rangeela trio of A R Rahman, lyricist Mehboob & Ahmed Khan comes together after 25 years, Sajid Nadiadwala brings the hit trio together for an action-packed Heropanti 2. Interestingly, Rahman is also creating the background score for the Heropanti sequel and is expected to compose 5 songs too. Heropanti 2 was announced in February last year. On Tigers birthday this year, the makers even unveiled the upcoming actioners release date as December 3, 2021. My first love is back action, thrill, like never before! Let's celebrate this one together on the 3rd of december in cinemas, the actor wrote on his social media handle. The audience is all set to roll themselves into the action extravaganza that the film already promises wherewith Tiger Shroffs action and Rahmans music, Sajid Nadiadwala is setting the bar higher than ever. Directed by Ahmed Khan, the film is all set to go on floors and will release on December 3, 2021.
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By Hirotaka Sunada, KYODO NEWS - Mar 22, 2021 - 11:59 | Feature, All, Coronavirus, World

As Japan prepares for its COVID-19 vaccine rollout for seniors next month, a program under way since December in Britain has impressed many elderly Japanese residents there with its emphasis on a speedy deployment.

Red tape has been cut to allow roughly 30 percent of the British population to receive their first vaccine doses in just three months.

It is not something many Japanese who have received vaccination in Britain expect to see repeated in Japan, believing prevention of missteps will take precedence over a speedy rollout.

"It took only 10 minutes or so from the time I arrived at the inoculation site till I left," said Tetsuro Hama, a 72-year-old company operator who has been living in Britain for 48 years.

Hama received his first shot of the vaccine produced by British pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca Plc at a medical facility in north London on Jan. 23.

His appointment was for 3:42 p.m., suggesting that vaccinations at the facility were proceeding on a minute-by-minute schedule. Almost as soon as he had joined the queue, his turn was up. The administrator he gave his name to handed him a file of documents containing his personal information. As he stepped aside, another official asked him several questions in rapid succession, such as whether he was running a fever or had any allergies.

After he answered "no" to all the questions, the official asked him to move to the rear room, which had a waiting area and several small rooms for inoculations.

People entered and exited the rooms in their assigned sequence. After entering a room, Hama handed his file to a nurse and immediately received his injection after verifying his identity.

When Hama asked if he needed to wait around in case of possible side effects, the nurse told him, "You can just go." He then left via the exit located on the opposite side of the entrance to ensure a one-way flow of traffic in the immunization process.

"At any rate, it was very efficient," Hama said. "It made me think that carrying out these type of quick verifications of allergies and such (for COVID-19 inoculations) would not be possible in Japan."

Yoshio Mitsuyama, 73, who is chairman of an association of Japanese people from in Fukushima Prefecture, northeast Japan, who now reside in Britain, had a similar experience when he was vaccinated at a drugstore in central London in February.

It took about 15 minutes from the time he arrived at the reception desk to finish the procedure, and there was no wait afterward to confirm the presence of allergies. "I didn't have to wait in line. No complaints whatsoever," said Mitsuyama.

Setsuo Kato, a 79-year-old journalist living in Britain for nearly half a century, was inoculated in late January at a medical facility in Devon, a county some 270 kilometers southwest of London.

After confirming his name on the appointment list, he was led into a room for vaccinations and only asked by the nurse if he has any allergies before receiving his shot.

"It was a rural medical facility that was nearly empty, and it took about five minutes to get a shot," Kato said.

In Japan, at least 30 out of 47 prefectures plan to start coronavirus vaccinations for the elderly -- those 65 and older -- in populous areas first, as supplies in the first batch are expected to be limited when the rollout begins next month.

Japan has procured vaccines from Pfizer Inc. and Moderna Inc. of the United States, with an efficacy rate of some 95 percent, and Britain's AstraZeneca, whose rate averages around 70 percent.

But public skepticism toward vaccines could hamper the rollout, with only 63.1 percent of respondents in a Kyodo News poll conducted last month saying they want to be inoculated and 27.4 percent saying they do not, apparently out of concerns over side effects.

There has been some concern among those receiving shots since a number of European countries temporarily suspended the use of AstraZeneca, which continued to be given in Britain, as a precautionary measure following reports of blood clots among those who received the shots in Norway.

But Hama, Mitsuyama, and Kato said they were only given a choice to receive AstraZeneca's vaccine.

"It seems that the number of inoculated people has only been increasing through this assembly line work," Kato said. "Though I don't expect too much from vaccines, I think the rate of infections will drop if everybody is inoculated."
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Launched in 2017, Trademark Collection by Wyndham is designed for travelers seeking distinctive, attainable accommodations in sought-after destinations, with each Trademark hotel maintaining its own unique attributes. The addition in Belgium is the latest in the brand's fast growth trajectory around the world over the past four years, with 113 hotels in the U.S., Canada, Belize, Mexico, Sint Maarten, Curacao, Australia, Germany, Austria, Switzerland and now Belgium.

The brand is set to continue its international growth with properties slated to open in Budapest, San Francisco, as well as an additional property in Belize later this year.

Christian Michel, Vice President for Development Europe, Wyndham Hotels & Resorts said: "This new opening marks an exciting step in expanding our Trademark Collection by Wyndham portfolio in Europe and around the world. Our Trademark brand is an important part of our conversion strategy. It brings our powerful scale and world-class capabilities to independent hoteliers seeking the competitive advantage of a global hospitality company. Its growth is testament to the unparalleled value of Wyndham's recognition, which has become incredibly important at a time when travellers are looking for brands they know and trust as they prepare to travel again."

Hotel Avenue Louise Brussels, Trademark Collection by Wyndham is situated in one of the city's most popular areas, metres away from the trendy shopping district of Avenue Louise, and within walking distance of many iconic attractions including the historic Grand-Place, the Horta Museum, as well as the famous Manneken Pis statue. The local area offers guests bars, restaurants and traditional bistros, all within walking distance from the hotel.

Featuring classic decor, the hotel boasts 78 spacious and soundproofed guest rooms, the cosy Louise Bar serving breakfast and snacks throughout the day, a patio, as well an English-style lounge with fireplace. The property's rooftop features a new business centre, ideal for executive meetings and special events. The hotel offers guests a perfect balance between comfort and local charm and is situated just 12km from Brussels Airport, a 20-minute walk from the Eurostar international train terminal, and within easy reach of public transportation. It also offers private parking space.

Hotel Avenue Louise Brussels, Trademark Collection by Wyndham is managed by multi-market hotel management company HCI. The opening in Brussels marks Wyndham's fourth project with HCI in less than a year, following the recent openings of three Ramada by Wyndham properties in Spain.

Sebastian Lodder, CEO of HCI added: "The Trademark Collection by Wyndham is a hugely attractive concept where no two hotels are the same. We are thrilled to be working with Wyndham Hotels & Resorts on our fourth hotel under one of their brands and to leave our own unique mark on this fast-growing soft brand. We are looking forward to leveraging Wyndham's scale, array of services and world class loyalty program and welcoming guests from around the world to Hotel Avenue Louise Brussels."

Hotel Avenue Louise Brussels, Trademark Collection by Wyndham is the latest addition to Wyndham's portfolio in Belgium including Dolce by Wyndham La Hulpe, Brussels, Ramada by Wyndham Brussels Woluwe, as well as TRYP by Wyndham Antwerp.

Wyndham hotels in Belgium and around the world participate in Wyndham Rewards, the world's most generous rewards program with thousands of hotels, vacation club resorts and vacation rentals worldwide. Designed for the everyday traveler, members earn a guaranteed 1,000 points with every qualified stay and may redeem points for a wide range of rewards, including free nights, gift cards, merchandise and more.

About Trademark Collection by Wyndham

Each of Trademark Collection by Wyndham's upper-midscale-and-above hotels around the world - from landmark hotels in Germany and Switzerland to its flagship hotel, The Galt House Hotel in Louisville, Ky. - boast three common attributes: character, charm, and individuality. Launched in 2017, Trademark Collection is the first soft-brand geared to three- and four-star hotel owners passionate about upholding their hotels' independent spirit and designed for everyday travellers seeking distinctive, attainable accommodations in sought-after destinations. For more information, visit www.wyndhamhotels.com/trademark.

About Wyndham Hotels & Resorts

Wyndham Hotels & Resorts (NYSE: WH) is the world's largest hotel franchising company by the number of properties, with over 8,900 hotels across nearly 95 countries on six continents. Through its network of approximately 796,000 rooms appealing to the everyday traveler, Wyndham commands a leading presence in the economy and midscale segments of the lodging industry. The Company operates a portfolio of 20 hotel brands, including Super 8, Days Inn, Ramada, Microtel, La Quinta, Baymont, Wingate, AmericInn, Hawthorn Suites, Trademark Collection and Wyndham. Wyndham Hotels & Resorts is also a leading provider of hotel management services. The Company's award-winning Wyndham Rewards loyalty programme offers 86 million enrolled members the opportunity to redeem points at thousands of hotels, vacation club resorts and vacation rentals globally. For more information, visit www.wyndhamhotels.com.

About Hotel Collection International

Hotel Collection International is a pioneer company devoted to multi-brand hotel management in Europe, Russia, CIS and Africa. Having worked with hotels in countries such as Spain, Portugal, Belgium, France, Netherlands Georgia, Nigeria, Russia, Slovenia, Azerbaijan or Morocco, HCI is a true international hotel management company, having the ability to adapt to different regions and cultures. We're committed to making a positive difference in the hospitality industry and the local community in which our hotels are located.

About Atom Hoteles

Incorporated by Bankinter and GMA Captial in January 2018, Atom Hoteles is the first real estate investment trust in the Spanish hotel investment market specialising in the hotel sector and are the second largest hotel owner in Spain. Atom Hoteles focuses on the acquisition, management and development of real estate assets for lease in the hotel industry. Atom Hoteles portfolio totals 28 hotels, 6,626 rooms with an asset value of more than 700 million.

Contacts:

Silvia de Candia

Wyndham Hotels & Resorts EMEA

+44 796 63 88 208

[email protected]

Scott Carman

Wyndham Hotels & Resorts

+1 (973) 753-6590

[email protected]

SOURCE Wyndham Hotels & Resorts

Related Links

http://www.wyndhamhotels.com


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Why Is Our Military Choosing New Enemies?

Commentary

The U.S. military has turned its wrath inward on Fox News host Tucker Carlson.

Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin expressed his revulsion after Carlson questioned the role of women in combat. Keeping women mostly out of combat had been the U.S. militarys centuries-long orthodoxy until just a few years ago.

Pentagon spokesman John Kirby even compared Carlson to the communist Chinese military.

What we absolutely wont do is take personnel advice from a talk show host or the Chinese military, Kirby said.

The Department of Defense website further boasted in a headline, Press Secretary Smites Fox Host.

So what was the biblically smitten Carlsons crime?

He objected to the militarys fixation on race and gender in high-profile appointmentsand questioned whether standards were relaxed to permit women in combat units.

Carlson objected that the U.S. Capitol is currently militarized. More troops are on guard against purported American insurrectionists than are currently serving in war zones in Afghanistan. He noted that far too many defense secretarieshe singled out Austinrotate between corporate defense contractor boards and billets.

Carlsons subtext is that too many of our retired top brass virtue-signal their wokeness while seeking to make a great deal of corporate money from their prior (and often future) government service and contacts.

Aside from the fact that the military usually does not use its top officials to react to journalists, the Pentagon should try to refute Carlson rather than comparing him to the hostile Chinese. The Pentagon might instead seek to reassure the public that no physical standards for combat troops have been lowered to accommodate front-line soldiers of any gender.

Spokesman Kirby also could attempt to reassure the public that defense secretaries and top-ranking Pentagon officials have not recently served on the boards of defense contractors before or after their tenures. He might contend that defense budgets are not soaring due in part to administrative bloat and social welfare costs.

The Pentagon might also try to explain the ubiquitous barbed wire and troop presence in Washingtonthe greatest militarization of the nations capital since Confederate general Jubal Early marched on Washington in July 1864.

No one arrested in the Jan. 6 Capitol assault was found to have used a firearm. No ringleaders were discovered to have been planning a coup. The dangerous riot was more likely a one-time assault than an armed insurrection.

Last summer, during the civil unrest agitated in part by Antifa and Black Lives Matter, more than 280 retired military officials and diplomats signed a letter blasting the idea that Donald Trump might send in federal troops to restore calm. They claimed the mere idea risks sullying the reputation of our men and women in uniform in the eyes of their fellow Americans and of the world.

Yet none of the signees voiced objections to the presence of some 30,000 National Guard troops in Washington, D.C.

The military has announced it is now conducting an internal probe to root out American soldiers suspected of harboring supposedly dangerous ideas.

What is going on?

One, the left now dotes on what it envisions will soon be a woke military. It believes the chain of command can green-light progressive social changesfrom women in combat units to timely displays of massive force on the streets of Washingtonwithout bureaucratic red tape or opposition from Congress.

Two, federal agencies in therapeutic fashion now often dilute their traditional missions to accommodate social-awareness agendas. As NASA director, Charles Bolden, a retired Marine Corps major general, sought to reset the space agency under then-President Barack Obama.

Perhaps foremost, he [Obama] wanted me to find a way to reach out to the Muslim world and engage much more with dominantly Muslim nations to help them feel good about their historic contribution to science, math and engineering, Bolden said.

Feel good does not ensure that rockets reach outer space.

Three, there grows a new class rift between the rank-and-file military and the Pentagons top current and retired brass.

Increasingly, some brass spend extended tenures inside the Pentagon or within the Beltway, attached to the White House or Congress. They master the contours of the military-industrial complex and profit from them upon retirement. Many acquiesce to now-orthodox progressive ideology, which is omnipresent among federal bureaucracies and much of Congress.

Whereas all administrations used to prioritize traditional military preparedness, leftist administrations now see the military as a tool for accelerating their progressive domestic changes. The elite members of the military adjust, given that careers and promotions are either enhanced or sidetracked accordingly.

As a result, many of our top brass are far more politicized than in the past, and can grow more ideologically distant from lower-ranking officers and enlisted personnel.

The extraordinary, thin-skinned Pentagon effort to lump Tucker Carlson in with foes such as the Chinese is an illustration of this largerand increasingly dangerouspathology.

Victor Davis Hanson is a conservative commentator, classicist, and military historian. He is a professor of classics emeritus at California State University, a senior fellow in classics and military history at Stanford University, a fellow of Hillsdale College, and a distinguished fellow of the Center for American Greatness. Hanson has written 16 books, including The Western Way of War, Fields Without Dreams, and The Case for Trump.

Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.
ABU DHABI, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News / WAM - 22nd Mar, 2021) Abdulla bin Touq Al Marri, Minister of Economy, stressed that the UAEs leadership prioritises the industrial and manufacturing sectors, given their vital role in establishing a strong sustainable and productive knowledge-based economy, to consolidate the countrys economic competitiveness and export capacities.

"The manufacturing and mining industries accounted for nearly 38 percent of the countrys real GDP in 2019, with a total value of AED569 billion. Manufacturing alone contributed some AED135 billion to GDP at current prices, achieving a compound annual growth rate of 4 percent and accounting for 9 percent of overall national GDP and 12 percent of non-oil GDP," he said in a statement on the launch of the countrys industrial strategy "Operation 300bn" by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai.

These figures underscore the importance of the economic sector to the countrys development policies, he added, affirming that the launch of the Ministry of Industry and Advanced Technology was pivotal to the countrys efforts to achieve industrial development and will enhance the global leadership of the national industry.

He then pointed out that the strategy focusses on linking industrial development to advanced technologies and recent economic trends, which will strengthen the countrys position on the international industrial map.

Al Marri highlighted the keenness of the Ministry of Economy to encourage future cooperation and partnership with the Ministry of Industry and Advanced Technology, to support the strategy and achieve its objectives.
Head of Afghanistans High Council for National Reconciliation (HCNR) Abdullah Abdullah hailed Russias mediatory role in dialogue between the Afghan government and the Taliban radical movement (outlawed in Russia) and noted its objectiveness in respect of both parties.

"Just look at the extended Troikas joint statement signed in Moscow. It is very clear: it mentions the United Nations Security Council, the Islamic Emirate, terrorist groups - all these aspects," he said.

He stressed that a mediator cannot take anybodys side at talks. "When anyone wants to be a mediator, he cannot way I am with the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan against the Taliban and then try to take mediatory efforts. Am I not right? He must be unbiassed towards both parties," TASS cited him as saying.

An extended Troika (Russia, China, the United States, Pakistan) meeting on Afghan settlement was held in Moscow last Thursday. It was attended by special envoys of both the Afghan government and the Taliban movement (outlawed in Russia), as well as by representatives from Qatar and Turkey. Participants spoke in favor of reaching lasting peace through political settlement by means of talks.
Sonora High School View Photo

Sacramento, Ca  Earlier this month Governor Gavin Newsom signed a $6.6-billion education package designed to bring more students back to the classrooms.

Clarke Broadcasting reached out to Tuolumne County Superintendent of Schools Cathy Parker to see how much of that money might be received by local public schools. She reports that there are a couple of different funding sources. The first is in-person instruction grants that can be used for any purpose to help bring more students back to campus. It could fund things like COVID-19 testing, cleaning and disinfecting, personal protective equipment, ventilation upgrades, salaries for those providing in-person instruction, or social and mental health support services.

The second pot of money is for expanded learning opportunities that provide extra instruction and support for social and emotional well-being.

Parker says all of the local schools qualify for the In-person instruction grants and many districts are developing expanded learning opportunities depending upon their student population needs.

In total, the county is eligible to receive as much as $6.4-million based on the states formula, according to Superintendent Parker. The breakdown is below:

Sonora Union High School  $1,080,576

Sonora Elementary  $667,962

Summerville Union High School  $629,093

Soulsbyville Elementary  $524,089

Curtis Creek Elementary  $495,832

Columbia Elementary  $457,586

Big Oak Flat-Groveland Unified District  $431,504

Jamestown Elementary  $436,139

Summerville Elementary  $389,436

Tuolumne County Superintendent of Schools Office  $372,394

Gold Rush Charter  $306,530

Twain Harte School District  $270,186

Connections Visual and Performing Arts Academy  $203,250

Belleview Elementary  $196,681
Malaysia says all DPRK diplomats expelled as ties severed

Xinhua) 08:47, March 22, 2021

Staff members load luggage onto a bus at the embassy of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) to Malaysia in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, March 21, 2021. The Malaysian government on Sunday expelled all diplomats of the embassy of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) here in response to the latter's decision to sever diplomatic ties. (Photo by Chong Voon Chung/Xinhua)

KUALA LUMPUR, March 21 (Xinhua) -- The Malaysian government on Sunday expelled all diplomats of the embassy of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) here in response to the latter's decision to sever diplomatic ties.

The expulsion has been carried out in conformity with Article 9 of the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations 1961 and that the Malaysian government was forced to take this action in response to the DPRK's "unilateral and utterly irresponsible decision to sever diplomatic ties with Malaysia," Malaysian Foreign Minister Hishammuddin Hussein said in a statement.

"The action by the Government of Malaysia has become a necessity in order to protect Malaysia's sovereignty and safeguard our national interest," he said.

Vehicles carrying the DPRK's diplomatic staff and their families were seen leaving their embassy in Kuala Lumpur in the morning and headed to the airport.

Before leaving the embassy, Charge d'Affaires Kim Yu Song told the media that by extraditing a DPRK citizen to the United States, the Malaysian authority had destroyed the entire foundation of the bilateral relations.

The official Korean Central News Agency reported on Friday that the DPRK has decided to cut diplomatic relations with Malaysia after Malaysia's top court ruled in favor of extraditing a DPRK businessman to the United States to face money laundering charges.

The report said that the DPRK businessman was engaged in "legitimate external trade activities" and warned that the Malaysian authority would "bear full responsibility for all the consequences to be incurred between the two countries."

Malaysia's Foreign Ministry stressed that the extradition of the DPRK national was conducted in accordance with the principles of justice, rule of law and independence of judiciary.

The DPRK citizen was detained by the Malaysian authority in May 2019 pursuant to the provisional arrest warrant issued following allegations of conspiracy to launder money as well as violating United Nations sanctions, the ministry said.
Next weekend the stretch formally becomes the grand auld stretch as we see the evening daylight benefits of the clocks going forward by one hour. It was to have been the last time that the daylight-saving ritual would be enacted.

But the hour-change will be with us for some time longer. That reality reminds us that while the European Union has agreed on many things, and agreed to disagree on many others, the clock has always beaten our leaders.

An almost agreement on the abolition of daylight-saving time (DST), voted for overwhelmingly by the European Parliament two years ago, did not get the necessary support from EU governments to make it happen. Ireland was among those governments reluctant to change the strange ritual which has been with us since May 1916, just weeks after the Easter Rising leaders were shot in Dublin, and weeks before the bloody carnage called the Battle of the Somme started.

The law on DST came into effect on May 21, 1916, across Ireland and Britain. It was followed soon afterwards by a successful move to have all of the then-United Kingdom, which included Ireland, to adopt London time.

Up to then, according to solar or local time, Dublin was 35 minutes behind London. The arrival of the railways, and other developments in trade and communications, influenced the need for standard timetables. The Time (Ireland) Act of October 1916 tied this island permanently to clocks on the adjacent island.

The only exception was an experiment between 1968 and 1971 when the clocks were not put back in October. This writer has vivid memories of watching dawn break over a Christian Brothers schoolyard long after 9am.

The idea back then was to get Irelands time co-ordinated with the bulk of our future fellow members of the European Economic Community. For a variety of reasons it was discontinued and Ireland has the same time zone as Britain and Portugal  Portugal, like Ireland, carried out similar brief experiments.

But the idea has never entirely died. In July 2013, Independent TD Tommy Broughan introduced a bill which would see clocks not going back one hour in October. His argument, that it would give people more winter daylight in the evenings, was met with the advice of then-justice minister Alan Shatter to get up earlier.

That brings us neatly to the original idea of daylight-saving time which is credited to Benjamin Franklin in 1784, who suggested that his late-night socialising in Paris caused him to stay in bed later. He proposed the hour change to give him brighter evenings but while the idea got sporadic support it did not really happen until World War I when Germany first introduced it to save fuel used on lighting and heating.

The other belligerents, including the UK as we have seen, followed suit. In 1918, after the US entered the war, it was introduced there. The US used the device again in World War II and during the 1970s oil crisis. But it has always been controversial there with differences in some states.

Read More

There is currently a move to abandon it across all US states, which has support from both Democrats and Republicans. Lets recall that they cannot often agree on much of anything.

Irelands primary reason for opposing the EU clock change in 2019 was the reality that in a post-Brexit world after 2016, as London announced no plans to change, there could be two time zones on the island of Ireland. A supermarket trip to Newry would be as near or far as ever, but could take an hour longer.

Most of Europe currently observes DST, which begins on the last Sunday in March, when Europeans move their clocks ahead one hour. DST ends on the last Sunday in October when clocks are moved back an hour.

For a long time, mainland Europe and Ireland and Britain changed their clocks on different dates, causing further confusion for weeks when both groups were on exactly the same time.

The only real progress on full EU agreement came in 1994 when the same clock-changing dates were agreed with effect from October 1996 and it has been that way since.

The exceptions are Russia, Iceland and Belarus, according to the handy website timeanddate.com.

In the UK, DST is called British Summer Time (BST), which leads us to the politics of using a different name to doll up conforming to neighbours clocks.

After the foundation of the Irish State some more ardent nationalists calls to revert to Irish time were conveniently ignored. But some technical pieces of legislation slipped in the title Am Caighdeanach Eireann, or Irish Standard Time.

Not all countries have this hang-up. DST is called Central European Summer Time (CEST) in Austria, France, Germany, Italy, Hungary, Norway, Poland, Spain and Switzerland. Daylight saving starts at 2am local time for these countries, when clocks are moved ahead an hour to 3am.

The same 2am clock change is followed for Bulgaria, Estonia, Finland, Greece, Latvia, Lithuania and Romania, which call DST Eastern European Summer Time (EEST).

The hour-change has often been wrongly billed as something which helps farmers. But the opposite is true as it has militated against outside work like agriculture and given more evening light to urban revellers.

Despite this, one of the most ardent advocates for abandoning this device is Fine Gael MEP and former GAA president Sean Kelly, who began life on a small farm in Kilcummin, high above the splendid town of Killarney.

He argues the hour-change is outmoded and unhelpful to both town and country.

But all subjects  including the clock  have their political side.
Watergate, a four-hour documentary examining the scandal that ended Richard Nixons presidency, had its world premiere in 2018 at the Telluride Film Festival, an event known to foretell future Oscar nominations. It went on to be shown at the New York Film Festival and several others, collecting positive reviews that highlighted allusions the series made to the Trump presidency.

It aired on the History Channel over three days in early November, just before the 2018 midterm elections. To the filmmakers surprise, it was never broadcast on American television again.

The writer and director of the documentary, the award-winning filmmaker Charles Ferguson, is now suing the company that owns the History Channel, A&E Networks, asserting it suppressed the dissemination of his mini-series because it was worried about potential backlash to allusions the documentary makes to the Trump White House.

In the lawsuit filed Friday in State Supreme Court in Manhattan, Mr. Ferguson accuses the company of attempting to delay the documentary until after the 2018 midterm elections because a History Channel executive feared it would offend the White House and Trump supporters.
Daasebre Emeritus Oti Boateng, Omanhene of New Juaben Traditional Area, has appealed to the government to elevate Koforidua to a metropolitan area.



He said statistically, Koforidua which had been divided into New Juaben North and South Municipalities had the required paramemters including the population considered for the creation of a metropolis and therefore called on government to work towards elevating the area to that status.



He indicated that for an area to become a Metropolis, it should have a large population size together with many adjacent communities with good economic and social integration level, adding that "Koforidua has it all and so deserves to be a metropolitan area".



Daasebre Oti Boateng made the call when Mr Seth Acheampong, the newly appointed Eastern Regional Minister, paid a courtesy call on him.



He said elevating Koforidua to a metropolis was long overdue.



The former Government statistician who did not mince words said looking at the parameters used in creating a metropolis, Koforidua was far ahead of Cape Coast, yet it was a metropolitan area and stressed that "for Koforidua to remain at municipal status is a disservice to the people and is a minus to the many good things that President Akufo-Addo's government is doing".



He entreated the Regional Minister to spearhead his Root-Based Economic Development (r-BED) Model in all the traditional areas in the Region to propel development and the much needed economic transformation at the grassroots.



The Omanhene explained that the r-BED had been tried and tested in many emerging economies such as China and called on government to adopt the model as the basis of the national development agenda for the benefit of the people.



The Regional Minister, in his response, thanked the Omanhene and assured to cooperate with the traditional authorities in the region so that together with their rich experiences such as the r-BED model, the Eastern Region would become a model region in Ghana.



The Minister was accompanied by Mr Samuel Donkor, Chief Director at the Eastern Regional Coordinating Council (ERCC), Mr Isaac Appau-Gyasi, New Juaben South Municipal Chief Executive (MCE), Ms Comfort Asante, New Juaben North MCE, Mr Seth Antwi Bosiako, Kwaebibirim MCE, and Mr Kwame Appiah Koduah, Regional Organizer of the NPP.

Source: GNA









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Featured Video
Vanvactor Murder Case Continued to July

By West Kentucky Star Staff

PADUCAH - A Grand Rivers man charged with the murder of a Calvert City woman in 2019 appeared in court Friday.The McCracken Circuit Court Clerk said James Vanvactor appeared for a pretrial conference. The hearing was continued until July 2.Vanvactor was arrested in October of 2019 after police found the body of 48-year-old Angella Hale in the parking lot of the Paducah-McCracken County Convention and Expo Center. Authorities say Vanvactor was sitting in the driver's seat of an RV when they arrived.Surveillance video reportedly showed him arguing with Hale, then backing the RV over her.He faces charges of murder, domestic violence, leaving the scene of an accident or failing to render aid, resisting arrest, and DUI second offense with aggravated circumstances.On the Net:
Conservative lawmakers in Pennsylvania are preparing to mount another concerted effort to restrict access to abortion in the commonwealth.

As early as April, three pieces of legislation are due to resurface in hearings in the House and Senate, seeking to impose additional limits on abortion, including gestational time frame and circumstances.
West Bengal: Saving the Sundarbans

March 22,2021 | Source: New Internationalist

The Sundarbans, an island-dotted deltaic region of the River Ganges, is a confluence of an endangered mangrove ecosystem and human impoverishment. Last year it was struck by a double whammy  a deadly pandemic and natural disaster  and has been struggling since. In May 2020, Cyclone Amphan displaced 2.4 million people here and further afield, while the country was in the thick of a Covid-19 surge. The Indian Sundarbans is home to 4.5 million people and it will take a long time to regain some kind of equilibrium in the wake of these twin calamities. The region has already been fronting the adverse effects of climate change for decades as sealevels rise and islands sink. Rebuilding is a way of life here, but the consequences of Covid-19 have complicated things  and further endangered the mangroves. Mangroves worldwide are in decline. The Sundarbans region  spread over India and Bangladesh  has lost 24.5 per cent of its mangroves over the last 30 years, mostly due to erosion. This is set to get worse, because as migrant workers from the Sundarbans returned home after the long Indian lockdown, they had few survival options except to fall back on illegally exploiting the mangroves. This is an area of high migration; one in five households here has at least one family member who has left for the cities in search of work. Migration increases after natural disasters. After Cyclone Aila hit in 2009, many women sought work in other parts of West Bengal. Their remittances played a major role in the rebuilding effort. But in 2020, in the aftermath of Amphan, Covid-19 made leaving to look for work impossible. Instead, people who had already migrated found their way back as they lost their jobs during the lockdown.



Only 52 of the 102 islands here are inhabited by humans; the rest are forests, forming the core area of a tiger reserve where people are not allowed. But lack of work is now pushing the desperate into the tiger reserve territory to collect honey, fish for crabs, and undertake illegal logging and even poaching. This has aggravated human-animal conflict. At least 18 people were killed in tiger attacks in the first 9 months of 2020, with 12 of these incidents reported since April, when migrants returned home. These are official figures; the actual number could be higher. This renewed dependence on the forests is extracting a huge cost both in terms of human lives and the health of the mangroves, which provide the last shield against storms and rising seas. According to a Refugee International report: Covid-19, Cyclone Amphan and monsoon flooding have shown us what a multifaceted and complex series of disasters look like today  and likely in the future. The region had just about rebuilt itself after Aila. But economic austerity  the legacy of the pandemic  could stall efforts this time. How the Indian government handles this complex crisis, and how the region is rebuilt and the mangroves protected  or not  in an era of increasing environmental disasters, will offer valuable lessons for the future. The Sundarbans is a warning for vulnerable ecosystems worldwide  because this is not the last pandemic, and neither will Amphan be the last cyclone.
New Delhi:

The father of accused in Ryan international student death case on Sunday alleged that his son is being framed by the school administration.

Pradyuman Thakur, a Class II student, was allegedly killed by the bus conductor, Ashok Kumar, who also tried to sexually abuse the minor. The accused was arrested hours after the gruesome murder.

Ashoks father said that his son is innocent and he is being framed because of the school.

My son is innocent, he is just being framed and it is all because of the school,he said.

My son is innocent, he is just being framed; all this because of the school:Father of accused Bus conductor Ashok #RyanInternationalSchool ] pic.twitter.com/seU2rzbNol  ANI (@ANI) September 10, 2017

Ashoks sister also said that his brother was beaten up and pressurised to give wrong statement. She alleged that the school principal has bribed the police official.

My brother has been beaten up & pressurized to give wrong statements. School principal has bribed the police:Sister of accused bus conductor pic.twitter.com/hF6QJzEKXo  ANI (@ANI) September 10, 2017

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The fastest-growing smartphone brand, realme has launched the new gaming phone Narzo 30A finally in Pakistan. realme keeps bringing trendy and youth-friendly devices for its customers to enhance the young look

Lahore (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 22th March, 2021) The fastest-growing smartphone brand, realme has launched the new gaming phone Narzo 30A finally in Pakistan. realme keeps bringing trendy and youth-friendly devices for its customers to enhance the young look. realme has finally launched its best gaming phone for mobile gamers. Equipped with a MediaTek Helio G85 processor and 6000mAh Mega battery, the realme Narzo 30A is the best gaming phone at only PKR 20,599. The launch was held on realmes Official Facebook page on March 21, 2020, at 12.00 pm. The phone is exclusively available on Daraz.pk only and has a limited stock online. A lucky winner from the viewers of the live event was announced on realmes social media and won a brand new Narzo 30A.

Narzo series is globally known as realmes performance series. Three models for the Narzo series had already launched globally, including realme Narzo, Narzo 20, and Narzo 20 pro. The latest successor from the series, Narzo 30A is the first Narzo phone to land in Pakistan.

Narzo 30A features MediaTek Helio G85 processor with a 12nm Octa-core 64bits Processor and 200000+ Antutu Benchmark, a 6000mAh Mega battery, and 6GB RAM + 64GB Storage capacity. It Supports Reverse Charging, has a 16.5cm Display and other amazing features to support a smooth gameplay.

MediaTek powers more than 2 billion connected devices annually and has become a market leader in developing advanced systems-on-chip (SoC). The MediaTek Helio G-series chips feature HyperEngine Game Technology to deliver sustained performance and longer gameplay. The MediaTek Helio G85 pumps its Arm Mali-G52 GPU up to 1GHz, while MediaTek HyperEngine provides whole smartphone enhancements, blasting performance for avid mobile gamers.

Narzo 30A with the powerful MediaTek Helio G85 has finally launched as a treat for mobile gamers. The phone is exclusively available on Daraz.pk with a limited stock online. So what are you waiting for? Get your wallets out and grab this chance to buy this best gaming phone at only PKR 20,599 before it is sold out!
Lome, Togo (PANA) - The African Union (AU) on Sunday delivered to Togo a batch of 45,000 doses of AstraZeneca vaccine to support the country in its response against the coronavirus pandemic, official sources told PANA on Monday
But public confidence is not just about trust in vaccine safety, it is about trust in those who fund, produce and deliver the vaccines, and in governments and international bodies that regulate, approve and recommend them. Trust is often defined by two factors: trust in the ability or competence of an individual or institution to do what they promise and trust in their motive. We need to build the publics confidence in both.

This month, the World Bank issued a report on countries Covid-19 vaccine readiness. The findings were concerning when it comes to the human side of vaccination: In the 128 countries reviewed, only 30 percent had plans to train the vaccinators needed to administer the new vaccines and only 27 percent had developed public engagement and social mobilization strategies to motivate people to get vaccinated.

This is a shocking finding, given how long we have known that these new vaccines were on the way. Planning for  and investment in  communication and engagement should have started the day governments began making advance purchases.

Training vaccinators and building their confidence is essential. They are the ones interacting directly with the public, calming anxieties and answering questions. Their training needs to go beyond the logistics of how to administer the shot and prepare them for questions, including ones about the vaccines safety.

While a wider coherence is needed in getting the up-to-date facts about Covid-19 vaccines, there need to be opportunities for people to ask their questions and get prompt answers. The opportunity to talk to someone  even if online  is crucial. We cannot forget the isolation that many have felt, and the opportunity to just talk through vaccine questions and be reassured can be invaluable, especially in light of uncertainties like those that emerged last week.

Few countries have coherent national strategies, but they are necessary. These strategies need to involve the public, not only as vaccine recipients, but as actors in the process. Covid vaccines cannot be seen as something taken because the government says so, but because they have meaning in peoples lives.

Communication and engagement strategies need to take into account local histories, engaging groups where there is known hesitancy, and supporting local leaders and trusted figures from within those communities to build confidence. Creative media  offline as well as online  that is engaging, empathetic, and touches social and personal emotions, while conveying facts about the vaccines, is important, but it needs to be part of a wider effort with not just a goal of getting everyone vaccinated, but opening up society.
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Another 5,312 people in Britain have tested positive for COVID-19, bringing the total number of coronavirus cases in the country to 4,296,583, according to official figures released Sunday.

The country also reported another 33 coronavirus-related deaths. The total number of coronavirus-related deaths in Britain now stands at 126,155. These figures only include the deaths of people who died within 28 days of their first positive test.

More than 27.6 million people in Britain have been given the first jab of the coronavirus vaccine, according to the latest official figures.

Britain broke daily jab record for a third day in a row with more than 873,000 people received a jab over 24 hours, the data showed.

"In just one day we vaccinated the equivalent of the entire adult populations of Liverpool, Southampton and Oxford combined," said Simon Stevens, the National Health Service (NHS) chief executive.

However, NHS England has warned that Britain is going to face a "significant reduction" in vaccine supplies from March 29 onwards.

British Health Secretary Matt Hancock said Thursday that a need to retest 1.7 million vaccine doses as well as delays to doses arriving from India are the reasons why Britain is facing a "tighter" supply in COVID jabs next month. But the British government insisted that the country is on course to offer all adults a dose by the end of July.

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.
Internal combustion engine

ICE

Well, these people should get in touch with Volkswagen and let them know because it sounds as though the Germans are about to make a huge mistake. Talking to German website Automobilwoche.de , Volkswagen CEO Ralf Brandstatter (not to be confused with Volkswagen Group CEO, Herbert Diess) said the carmaker doesn't plan to introduce any new combustion engines. Like, ever.At the moment, I do not expect a completely new engine family to be launched, he told the website.enthusiasts have that "at the moment" to hang on to but considering everything else Volkswagen is doing at the moment (see the recent announcements on "Power Day" ), it sure sounds like a complete phase-out isn't entirely off the cards.The announcement shouldn't really come as a shock if you remember sister-brand Audi said it is doing the same thing not that long ago. Should we expect SEAT and Skoda to follow, then? Well, since both the Spanish and the Czech brands use Volkswagen engines, it probably goes without saying.So, where does this leave Volkswagen's currentlineup? We need them for a certain amount of time, and thats when they need to be as efficient as possible, Brandstatter said, hinting the obvious thing, which is that VW still relies on conventional cars for income at the moment.However, he also talked about financing the whole transformation, suggesting that, at this time, ICE-powered cars are just a means to an end, and that is the switch to electric power. The CEO is cunning enough to leave a door open in case he needs to backtrack on his statement, but assuming nothing radical happens, it sounds as though Volkswagen's path for the upcoming years is pretty clear.Current engines will continue to be developed and improved to meet the more stringent Euro 7 standards, but it's precisely these restrictions that are spelling the end for internal combustion engines. The clampdown from the authorities regarding emissions makes it more and more difficult (read less and less profitable) for carmakers to continue down the fossil fuel path. It looks like the industry decided the only other way to go is EVs.As apocalyptic as all this may sound for the good old piston banger, there are still plenty of years left for it. Sticking to Volkswagen , the company estimates 30 percent of the cars it'll sell in 2030 will still have an internal combustion engine as part of their powertrain. How much longer than that will they manage to survive, though, is anyone's guess.
Its mobile towers are already on the market. Telstra will seek to sell down its ownership of InfraCo Towers  valued by the market at between about $4.5 billion and $5 billion - early next year. It is probable that, over the next few years, it will do something similar with the other infrastructure-based entities, not necessarily selling out of them or relinquishing control but bringing in strategic or institutional investors to both extricate some cash but, more importantly, to get access to their discrete valuations. It is conceivable that at some point in future Telstras new holding company will essentially be a retail business and a collection of the more active and differentiating elements of its mobile network with, perhaps, strategic investments in the other units. It may have to sacrifice the benefits of complete ownership in the restructure  it will inevitably have to open up third party access to its infrastructure to maximise the value of the new entities  but that would be part of the process of unlocking and adding value for shareholders. Simplification, focus and more efficient capital allocation would be other gains while, for the rest of the sector, gaining access to Telstras infrastructure if it is owned at genuine arms length could generate massive efficiencies and diminished capital requirements. It could transform the telecommunications landscape.

As Telstra has said, the new structure will create options and transparency. It is conceivable that at some point in future Telstras new holding company will essentially be a retail business and a collection of the more active and differentiating elements of its mobile network with, perhaps, strategic investments in the other units. It is also conceivable  indeed it was part of the original conception of Telstra InfraCo  that Telstra shareholders (but not the Telstra holding company) will end up owning a large slice of the national broadband network. In the original deal the Rudd Government forced on Telstra NBN Co was to pay it an income stream for subscribers who were migrated off Telstras fixed line network to the NBN and NBN Co was also committed to paying Telstra an ongoing income stream for access to its ducts, pits, exchanges and fibre and copper loops. That first stream of NBN payments for subscribers (combined with much smaller payments to Optus) peaked at $2.4 billion last financial year as the NBN was effectively completed and is now falling away rapidly. There is an estimated $1.5 billion left to go between this financial year and 2024. The second stream  the payments for access to Telstra infrastructure  amounts to roughly $1 billion a year, payable out to 2046 and possibly beyond.

The dwindling of that first stream makes the concept of a merger of InfraCo and NBN Co possible while the continuation of the second makes it attractive to both Telstra and the federal government, whether the Coalition or Labor. NBN Co, for the first time, generated positive EBITDA (earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation) in the December half. Telstra has been working towards this moment since 2018, when Andy Penn unveiled his T22 strategy. Credit:Eamon Sullivan That was an historic moment for the NBN. Its cash generation will now swell rapidly as the subscriber payments fall away and, with the network build virtually complete, its capital spending tumbles. Positive cash generation relieves and will steadily diminish the burden on taxpayers from the roll-out and will also enable NBN Co to self-fund upgrades to the network, which it is now doing, adding value to NBN Co in the process.

It was always contemplated that NBN Co would eventually be privatised once the network was built and the business was generating strong cash flows, with a rigorous process established at the outset for a future sale. At the moment the window for a transaction appears to open up around the middle of this decade. Loading A transaction which merged InfraCo with NBN Co would internalise the $1 billion a year of payments NBN Co makes to Telstra and give the merged business control of all the infrastructure associated with the NBN. Telstra the company would not be allowed to own, or have a shareholding of influence, in a combination of NBN Co and InfraCo but its shareholders could. Telstra could use its infrastructure assets and the income stream from NBN Co to create a value-adding exit strategy from government ownership for the NBN. That would be the Big Bang example of the optionality Telstra is seeking through the restructure  the ability to sell down or out of the infrastructure-owning entities through transactions that either release value depressed or unrecognised within the existing corporate structure or add value via the kind of synergistic combination that a merger of InfraCo and NBN Co would produce.
The Perspective

Atlanta, Georgia

March 22, 2021

J. Patrick Flomo

Under the Republic of Liberia Electoral Reform Law of December 17, 2004, section 3.2: for the 2005 elections, citizens of Liberia who meet the qualifications set out in Article 30 (a) of the Liberian Constitution and who are taxpayers in Liberia are eligible to become members of the Legislature. Mr. Brownie J. Samukai of the Unity Party met the constitutional and electoral requirement to canvas for the Republic of Liberia's electoral office. Adhering to the constitutional and electoral qualifications, Mr. Brownie J. Samukai did canvas in the 2020 midterm election as the Unity Party candidate for Senate for Lofa County, and he was victorious. It has been 101 days and counting since his election, and he has been barred from taking his oath of office. And thus, the people of Lofa County have been denied a senatorial representation in the Liberian Legislature.

I have eschewed discussing the monetary issue the government of Liberia has attached to the election of Samukai. I find the governments position or linkage to be preposterous, vacuous, absurd, and with no legal or constitutional standing. Second, the issue has been litigated through the legal system, ending with the Supreme Court. What is at stake is the government's attempt to nullify the senatorial electoral choice of the people of Lofa County. No democratic government has the power to nullify a clean, free and fair election denouement. It must not start here! The governments position is purely the exercise of flexing its power (which it was given by the people for the common good of the people) for Weahs political aggrandizement. Such utilization of the governments power is political kryptonite.

Government is instituted by a community for providing collective security and the exercise of the rule of law. The legitimacy of that governmental authority to wield such enormous power over the people comes from the free exercise of elections expressed by the people through voting. Any attempt to corrupt, invalidate, or deny the peoples choice after a free and fair election has been exercised, is an abomination to the fundamental values of democracy.

Liberia is a democratic Republic. One of a Republic's fundamental essences is the liberty and freedom to freely utilize the democratic electoral process to choose their representatives and senators. So, on December 8, 2020, the people of Lofa County, Republic of Liberia, were presented with several candidates cleared by NEC to canvas for Legislative offices.

Like the rest of the Republic, the people of Lofa County went to the polls on December 8, 2020, to exercise their constitutional rights to elect their representatives and senators. Mr. Brownie J. Samukai, a Unity Party candidate, was duly and freely elected in a free and fair election as a senator for Lofa County. It is now 98 days and counting, and Senate-elect Samukai has not been able to take the oath of office. The people of Lofa County should be extremely apoplectic about this constitutional violation of their electoral choice. The strangle-holding of Mr. Samukai to be rightfully seated as a senator is unconstitutional, unacceptable, and politically perilous.

However, what is most dangerous and can cause a constitutional crisis is the government of Liberia's overt and blatant abuse of power to deny the people of Lofa County a senatorial representative in the Liberian Legislature. This is a grave and dangerous precedent. I cant find any example of such a constitutional violation of the electorates anywhere else in democratic societies. Lofa County's people should be outraged and clamoring for their constitutional rights to representation. Unity Party's passivity disposition and unassertiveness in these political shenanigans orchestrated by the Weah government are very troubling. Unity Party is a full flesh recognized political party, and to see her unwillingness to flex its constitutional rights to challenge NEC's violation of electoral law is very disquieting.

What should the people of Lofa County do? This is the quintessential question that the people of Lofa County and the Republic of Liberia must grapple with. As for me, I submit the following:

1st, the people of Lofa County must put this issue to the people of Liberia. Today, it is Lofa County under the political weight of the Weah government. Tomorrow, it would be another county under a different government. We, the people of Liberia, should not condone this egregious abuse of power. It is not healthy for the peace and stability of the Republic.



2nd, Liberia is a nation of the rule of law. The people of Lofa county should take the NEC to the Supreme Court to answer why they (the people of Lofa County) are denied a senatorial representation in the Liberian Legislature.



3rd, the people of Lofa County should consider an appeal to the ECOWAS Court for redress if the Liberian Supreme Court fails to define the constitutionality of this senatorial representation.

4th, Lofa County people should immediately begin appealing to international organizations and friendly governments through their embassies in Monrovia for intervention to reach a peaceful resolution.

5th If all the above fail, the people of Lofa County should call on all the PEOPLE of Liberia for a peaceful and nonviolent demonstration against the government for arbitrarily nullifying their electoral decision and denying them a senatorial representation in the Liberian Legislature.
Q Most of the questions you receive seem to be about people wanting to fly to places in Europe this summer. I want to go there but, as is always my desire, by train  starting with Eurostar. Im hoping to visit Switzerland in mid-July with my wife. What do you think is likely to be the possibility here, particularly given the need to travel through France, Belgium, Germany and possibly Austria by train?

Colin B

A Sadly, travellers who fly from the UK to Europe are around 10 times more numerous than those who go by train. And the coronavirus pandemic means longer-distance rail trips are currently particularly fraught. A tangle of international travel restrictions stands in the way of anyone seeking to travel overland from the United Kingdom to Switzerland and back.
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Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian says that Lieutenant-General Artak Davtian has become Chief of the General Staff of the Armenian Armed Forces "by virtue of law."



Pashinian, who nominated Davtian as the new army chief earlier this month amid a standoff with the armed forces' General Staff and its chief, Onik Gasparian, made the announcement on Facebook on March 22.



President Armen Sarkisian has repeatedly refused to accept Pashinian's proposal to appoint Davtian as the new chief of staff for the armed forces as the country's ongoing political deadlock continues.



"Given that the president has not signed the appointment order drafted by the prime minister and has not appealed to the Constitutional Court, Artak Davtian is deemed to be appointed chief of the Armed Forces General Staff by virtue of law," Pashinian wrote on March 22.



Gasparian was dismissed shortly after he and four dozen other high-ranking officers demanded in a joint statement issued on February 25 that Pashinian and his cabinet step down.



Gasparian and other generals and senior officers had accused Pashinian of pushing Armenia to "the brink of collapse" after last year's war in Nagorno-Karabakh and called for his resignation. This prompted the prime minister to dismiss Gasparian and accuse the officers of a coup attempt.



At the heart of the turmoil is a Russian-brokered deal Pashinian signed in November that brought an end to fighting over the breakaway region of Nagorno-Karabakh. This came a heavy cost for the Armenian side, which suffered territorial and battlefield losses from Azerbaijan's Turkish-backed military.



The deal saw Armenia cede control over parts of Nagorno-Karabakh and all seven surrounding districts that had been occupied by Armenian forces since the early 1990s, prompting protests from the opposition and parts of the military.

The Armenian Army's General Staff has said that early elections are the only way out of the ongoing political crisis in the South Caucasus nation.



The move triggered the ongoing stand-off between the government and the opposition, backed by top military officers. Sarkisian has called for talks to ease tensions even though he added to them with his repeated refusal to endorse Gasparian's dismissal.



Both opposition supporters and Pashinian's backers have been holding rallies in the capital since the crisis broke out.



Pashinian has defended the November cease-fire deal saying it was the only way to prevent the Azerbaijani military from overrunning the entire Nagorno-Karabakh region.



Russia has deployed about 2,000 peacekeepers to monitor the peace agreement.



Pashinian, whose My Step faction dominates parliament, has offered to hold snap parliamentary elections later this year but he has refused to resign as prime minister.



Artur Hovannisian, a lawyer for Gasparan, who has challenged the legality of his dismissal in court, said on March 22 that his client would file a complaint against Davtian's appointment.



"Relevant statements on this crime will be sent to authorized bodies," Hovannisian told the Armenian website Aysor.

With reporting by Interfax and TASS
In a remote area in the south-east of Myanmar an army offensive has driven at least 8,000 ethnic Karen villagers to flee their homes in what aid groups say is the worst upheaval there for nearly ten years. The displaced are now living in the jungle, with fears growing for their health and security, and no perspective for a return to their villages.

It is not only in Myanmar's cities that its military clashing with its own people - the army has been aggressively expanding its reach in at least two districts in remote Karen State since 2017, building new bases and roads to try to dominate the area. But in the last few months troop numbers and activity have scaled up dramatically, according to relief organizations.

The Karen's own armed force, the KNLA, has fought back. In retaliation, the army has increased its attacks and shelled surrounding villages. The coup that removed an elected government and reimposed military control in Myanmar has raised even more uncertainty about a fragile peace process aimed at ending decades of conflict between the military, armed ethnic groups and militias.

Over 20 ethnic groups have been fighting the military over control of predominantly ethnic-minority borderland areas, including Shan, Kachin, Karen and Rakhine states. The groups have sought greater autonomy for their regions, which are often rich with natural resources.

The military and militias aligned with it have fought for continued centralized power and control. The roughly 8,000 internally displaced Karen villagers seeking safety in the forest are adapting as well as they can, building bamboo shelters and pressing on with school classes in the open.

But no one knows when they can return or whether their villages will still be standing when they do. Meanwhile the fields are untended, threatening food shortages later in the year. A humanitarian group, the Free Burma Rangers, has been bringing in aid since the attacks began and documenting their plight. In a recent interview with the Associated Press via satellite phone from the affected area, its director spoke of what the displaced Karen most desperately need - security, food, medicine, shelter, and school supplies.

Hsa Moo from the Karen Environmental and Social Action Network has just returned from the area. A former refugee herself, she says it's heartbreaking. Myanmar has one of the longest civil conflicts in world, with fighting continuing at different times across the country since 1949. Many of the armed groups want greater autonomy, which they feel was promised by Suu Kyi's father, Gen. Aung San, via the Panglong Agreement of 1947, which called for a federal system of government, ethnic minority rights and religious freedom. Aung San was assassinated later in 1947.

Decades of junta rule that followed resulted in a slew of human rights violations, including the use of civilians as slave labor, rapes, extrajudicial killings and burning of entire villages. When democratic reforms began in 2011, unilateral cease-fire agreements were signed by several groups, with others signing additional cease-fires in the years that followed.

In 2012, the Karen signed a ceasefire with the government, apparently ending decades of aggressive military action. But Myanmar's army has repeatedly breached it. This latest is the worst breach yet, aid groups say. The bloody events in Myanmar's cities have overshadowed the offensive in Karen State  the coup and its aftermath may even have given it cover, condemning the Karen to suffer unseen. But some say there are clear parallels between them: the one illuminating the other.

(Disclaimer: This story is auto-generated from a syndicated feed; only the image & headline may have been reworked by www.republicworld.com)
Uncertainty around cryptocurrencies in India continues as the government is reportedly planning to block the internet protocol (IP) addresses of firms or exchanges that trade in cryptocurrencies.

Speculations regarding the blocking of IP addresses have come at a time when reports have already surfaced that the Centre will table Cryptocurrency and Regulation of Official Digital Currency Bill, 2021 in the Parliament very soon.

It must be noted that previously the Centre had tried to block the IP addresses of adult sites and hundreds of Chinese applications, but people were still able to access them.

Virtual private networks (VPNs) provide services that are not otherwise accessible. Similarly, industry experts have said the government might succeed in blocking known sources of platforms permitting trading and investment of cryptocurrencies, according to a report in Business Standard. Still, the measure taken will not be foolproof in successfully executing the ban because of VPN other options.

The daily cited an industry expert who said, "Various routes -- like VPNs, peer-to-peer trading, using cash to buy/sell cryptocurrencies and use wallets outside India to store and transfer cryptos, using part of the money permitted to send abroad for investment within the liberalised remittance scheme limit of $250,000 can be diverted for buying cryptocurrencies -- remain loopholes".

The debate over the ban on cryptocurrencies in the country has made many investors anxious. But the Centre had tried to alleviate the concern by giving signals that there won't be a blanket ban on it. Recently, in India Today Conclave, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman made it clear that there will not be a complete ban on cryptocurrencies or at least the technology part of it.

"From our side, we are very clear that we are not shutting all options. We will allow certain windows for people to do experiments on blockchain, bitcoins, or cryptocurrency," Sitharaman said.

However, some reports last week stated that the Centre is likely to propose a law banning cryptocurrencies in India. The bill, one of the world's strictest policies against cryptocurrencies, would criminalise possession, issuance, mining, trading, and transferring crypto-assets.

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.

Also read: Coronavirus in India: 46,951 new cases in 24 hrs, highest single-day rise since early Nov

Also read: FM Nirmala Sitharaman to table development finance institution bill in Lok Sabha today
Source: Xinhua| 2021-03-22 15:59:23|Editor: huaxia

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China's success in fighting poverty could be attributed to its visionary leadership and targeted approach, said Lewis Mwape, former executive director of the Zambia Council for Social Development.

He said one of the issues African countries should learn from China's success story is to set up long-term realistic goals targeted at particular segments of the population.

He noted that China's education system has also been tailored towards sustainable development, adding that African education needed to shift to ensure people were empowered through entrepreneurship skills.

China, he said, has been able to achieve much in its poverty eradication programs because of putting people at the center of development.

He said the political governance system in China has allowed its people to be proud and feeling patriotic to contribute to development.

Produced by Xinhua Global Service
San Franciscans migrated out of the city at higher rates during the pandemic than in 2019, causing the number of new arrivals from San Francisco in affordable, less crowded towns in the region to explode. Many areas saw more than twice as many new arrivals from San Francisco in 2020 than in the previous year.

The Chronicle obtained data from the U.S. Postal Service on the number of households that changed their address from a San Francisco ZIP code to all other ZIP codes in the U.S. The data show that of the 20 ZIP codes that saw the biggest jump in San Francisco movers in August 2020 compared to the previous year, 19 were in California. We chose to analyze data from August because that was the height of the pandemic migration from San Francisco.

Truckee, a mountain town near Lake Tahoe in Nevada County, saw the greatest percentage increase in households from San Francisco. The towns primary ZIP code gained nearly 130 new households from San Francisco in August 2020, compared to 11 new households in August 2019, an increase of almost 12 times.

The finding confirms real estate agents reports that home sales in the Truckee-Lake Tahoe region soared last summer, likely driven by many Bay Area residents desire to get closer to nature and newfound options to work from home.

Other places that gained popularity during the pandemic included the East Bay cities of Danville, Union City and Fremont. In Southern California, ZIP codes in San Diego and Palm Springs neared the top of the list.

The findings add to a growing body of evidence suggesting that the CalExodus  the narrative, driven by wealthy tech executives like Elon Musk, that Californians are fleeing the state during the pandemic for tax havens with fewer public health restrictions  is largely a myth. Previous research by the California Policy Lab found that while people left San Francisco at higher rates during the pandemic, most Bay Area residents who moved in the first three quarters of 2020 relocated to other parts of the state.

Additionally, a recent Chronicle analysis found that a majority of Bay Area residents who moved in March-November 2020 went to other places in the Bay Area or elsewhere in California.

In contrast, many urban regions in other states saw dramatic drop-offs in San Francisco movers. Chelsea, a wealthy neighborhood in the New York borough of Manhattan, saw 70% fewer change-of-address requests from San Francisco in August 2020 compared to the previous year. Neighborhoods in Boston, Seattle and Denver also saw fewer new arrivals from San Francisco last August than in 2019.

Houston was the only city outside California with a ZIP code that made the top 20. Clocking in as the 15th-most-common destination, the 77043 ZIP code west of downtown Houston saw an over 300% increase in change-of-address requests from San Francisco households in August 2020 compared to the previous year.

Methodological note: The data analyzed by The Chronicle compared movements from San Francisco to destination ZIP codes month by month from March through November of 2019 and 2020. USPS only provided change-of-address counts for county-to-ZIP code groupings with more than 10 moves. As a result, data was missing for many ZIP codes in months with fewer moves. Due to this limitation, we chose to analyze only change-of-address data from August of 2019 and 2020, when movement was at its peak. The following table displays all the ZIP codes that had 11 or more San Francisco migrants in both August 2019 and 2020:

Susie Neilson is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: susan.neilson@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @susieneilson
The company has expanded its Italian exploration pipeline with applications lodged for two exploration licences (ELs) in the countrys two most commercially significant copper mining districts.

The halt will be in place until March 24 or when an announcement is released to the market.

( ) has been granted a trading halt by the ASX with an announcement pending in regard to a proposed capital raising.

The halt will be in place until the start of regular trading on Wednesday, March 24, or when an announcement is released to the market, whichever occurs earliest.

Expanding exploration pipeline

The company is expanding 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).

AZI 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.

Copper potential

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.

These ELs are close to existing infrastructure (roads, centres of population, water and power) and within easy logistical reach of the hub port of Genoa.
SRINAGAR: At least four terrorists linked to Pakistan-backed terror outfit Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) were killed in an encounter with the security forces in Jammu and Kashmirs Shopian in the wee hours of Monday.

According to the reports, the encounter broke out at the midnight around 2 AM at the Manihal area of Shopian. A joint operation of J&K Police, the Indian Army and the CRPF was launched after receiving inputs about the presence of some terrorists in the area.

The J&K Police initially said that two terrorists were killed in the joint operation. The joint operation is still underway, it added.

Jammu & Kashmir: Joint operation underway with a total of three terrorists eliminated in an encounter with security forces in Shopian. Two of them were associated with Lashkar-e-Taiba. More details awaited. (Visuals deferred by unspecified time) pic.twitter.com/JYHUa2jBdW  ANI (@ANI) March 22, 2021

A massive search and combing operation was launched in the area to flush out some more terrorists possibly hiding in the area. Sharing more details later, IG Kashmir Vijay Kumar said, "The two terrorists killed in an encounter with the security forces in Shopian were associated with Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT)."

"Two more terrorists are trapped at the encounter site. The operation is still underway,'' IG Vijay Kumar said. However, it later emerged that one more terrorist was killed in the ongoing encounter in South Kashmir`s Shopian district, according to authorities.

"A total of three terrorists eliminated in the encounter with security forces in Shopian till now. Joint operation in progress,'' Chinar Corps, Indian Army, said.

However, it later emerged that a total of four terrorists belonging to the LeT were killed in the Shopian encounter. Addressing a press conference, IGP Kashmir Vijay Kumar told reporters, "All four terrorists of Lashkar-e-Toiba were killed in the joint operation carried out in Shopian.''

The slain terrorists have been identified as - Aamir Shafi From Bata Pora, Shopian, Rayees Ah Bhat, Aaqib Malik and Altaf Ahmad Wani. "One Army personnel was injured. The situation is under control now,'' IGP Kashmir Vijay Kumar told reporters.

Live TV
New Playturbo feature: playable ad templates Many brands and advertisers across all major markets and verticals have started implementing playable ads into their marketing stacks, thanks to their strong results across all relevant KPIs. Playable ads have seen rapid adoption, but production costs posed a significant challenge, particularly in 2020 when the COVID-19 pandemic affected campaign budgets. With this in mind, the Mindworks Creative Studio built added a new tool for the Playturbo platform designed to tackle production costs.

The new tool added to Playturbo offers advertisers a large library of high-quality playable templates that will speed up production time while decreasing production costs. The ever-growing library has an intuitive, easy-to-use UI and features a wide range of playable ad templates to cater to all mobile advertising categories on the market.

Leveraging playable ad templates for sustainable growth

This new feature has several key advantages for advertisers using playable ads in their campaigns, all of which are designed to generate stronger campaign results at reduced costs:

1. Wide range of premium templates. Playturbo will constantly update the template catalog, giving advertisers an ever-growing range of playable ad templates to choose from.

2. No coding skills required. An intuitive platform that helps advertisers from all verticals build the playable ads that are right for them and their product without the need to learn how to code.

3. Fully customizable. Advertisers have the flexibility to customize the playable ads down to the most granular level, all in a matter of seconds.

4. Compatible with major ad networks. The playable ads created from these templates can be exported and deployed across all the major ad networks on the market including Mintegral, Facebook, Google, Unity, AppLovin, Vungle, TikTok, and more.

5. Cost-effective. Advertisers using this service will gain access to all playable templates at a low price, including any new templates that will be added in the future.

"Playable ads are essentially the best-performing ad formats on the market, so it makes sense that more and more advertisers are including them into their mobile campaigns," said Stella Zhu, Creative Director at Mindworks. "Playturbo's playable templates enable advertisers to lower production costs and optimize the production process, resulting in stronger and more sustainable campaign ROI."

Register now and get a discount

If you would like to try Playturbo's new templated playables, then make sure you register your interest and the Mindworks team will get in touch with you as soon as possible. What's more, if you sign up now, you'll get a 10% discount, so make sure you don't miss out and register today!

About Mindworks

Mindworks is a digital creative agency under the leading mobile advertising platform Mintegral. Mindworks is dedicated to providing one-stop creative marketing services, multi-style creative content and multi-dimensional creative data analysis for global advertisers. By using its vast creative experience, the Mindworks team has helped advertisers make better marketing decisions and significantly increase their ROI as a result.

As one of the largest creative teams in the industry, Mindworks is trusted by over 100 of the biggest game developers and brands in the world including Voodoo, Outfit7, Netease, Lion Studios, Madbox, Good Job Games, MarkApp, Zynga, Glu, Lilith Games, Leiting Games, Sony Pictures, and more. Learn more about Mindworks at www.mindworks-creative.com.

Media: [email protected]

SOURCE Mintegral

Related Links

https://www.mintegral.com/en/


The Indian stock market, Sensex and Nifty, are likely to open higher on Friday, tracking mixed global cues and firm trading at Nifty futures on the Singapore Exchange. Among the individual stocks, shares of Future Retail, Reliance Industries, Bharti Airtel, TCS, Adani Green, Power Grid, Tata Power, Aarti Drugs, Manappuram Finance will be in focus in Monday's trading session.

Also Read: Share Market LIVE Updates: Sensex, Nifty seen opening higher; Future Retail, Adani Green, Airtel in focus

Stocks to watch today: Here is a list of top stocks that are likely to be in focus Monday's trading session.

Reliance Industries: Reliance Industries has sold three-fourth of the gas from coal seams in Madhya Pradesh to an affiliate of the company at a price of just over $6 at current oil prices. India Gas Solutions Private Limited, a 50: 50 joint venture of RIL and UK's bp, bought 0.62 million standard cubic meters per day out of 0.82 mms cmd gas bid out in an auction last week, as per report.

Future Retail: Future Retail has said it has filed an appeal in the division bench of the Delhi High Court against the ruling passed by the single-member bench, which halted Future Retail Ltd's (FRL) Rs 24,713 crore deal with Mukesh Ambani's Reliance Retail, a deal that was opposed by US-based e-commerce giant Amazon.

TCS: Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) has announced salary increments for its 4.7 lakh-strong workforce for the next financial year. The salary hike will be effecting from April 1, 2021, making it the first IT services company to return to the usual increment cycle in FY22.

Power Grid: Power Grid Corporation (PGCIL) has signed a share purchase agreement with Jaiprakash Power Ventures to acquire 74 per cent stake in Jaypee Powergrid for Rs 351.64 crore.

Bharti Airtel: The telecom major added 6.9 million active users in January as compared to its rival Jio whose active subscribers declined by about 3.4 million.

Tata Power: The Competition Commission of India (CCI) has approved Tata Power's proposed acquisition of 51 per cent stake in North Eastern Electricity Supply Company of Odisha.

Adani Green Energy: The company has signed a pact with the Toronto-headquartered SkyPower Global to acquire 100 per cent stake in 50 megawatt (MW) solar project in Telangana.

Aarti Drugs: The drug maker said that its board has approved the repurchase of up to 6,00,000 fully paid-up equity shares of face value of Rs 10 each of the company at a price of Rs 1,000 per share for an aggregate amount of up to Rs 60 crore.

Manappuram Finance Ltd: The gold loan finance company has said that its board of directors has approved the issuance of redeemable non-convertible debentures worth Rs 6,000 crore by way of private placement or/and public issue in one or more tranches.

Tata Chemicals: Fitch Ratings has affirmed the company's long-term foreign-currency issuer default rating at 'BB+', with a stable outlook.
MINSK -- Organizers of the annual Freedom Day event in Minsk say city police have officially refused to agree to provide security for the participants on March 25, dealing the group a major blow to holding a rally to mark the 103rd anniversary of the short-lived Belarusian People's Republic, which existed for less than a year in 1918.

Ryhor Kastusyou, chairman of the opposition Belarusian Popular Front (BNF) party, told RFE/RL on March 22 that the police cited pandemic restrictions and "ongoing calls from several extremist channels in Telegram" to hold unsanctioned street protests on the day, March 25, as the reasons for refusing to provide security.

That reference appears to refer to a statement from Belarusian opposition leader Svyatlana Tsikhanouskaya, who on Telegram called for Belarusians to continue their nationwide protests with street rallies on March 25 against Alyaksandr Lukashenka, who has run the country since 1994.

Kastusyou said that there wasn't enough time to appeal the decision in court, and that without police security it was unlikely organizers would receive official permission from the city executive committee to hold their event.

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.

Tsikhanouskaya is currently in Lithuania, where she relocated for security reasons after the presidential election that she and her supporters say she won.

Lukashenka's victory declaration has sparked protests that have seen tens of thousands take to the streets demanding that he leave.

Security officials have cracked down hard on the demonstrators, arresting thousands and pushing most top opposition figures out of the country. Several protesters have been killed in the violence and some were handed prison terms. Rights organizations say there is credible evidence of torture being used against some of those detained.

Authorities appear to be continuing their crackdown ahead of Freedom Day with the March 21 arrest in Minsk of Ihar Barysau, chairman of the opposition Social Democratic Party and one of the initiators of the March 25 public event, on an unknown charge.

In the eastern city of Mahilyou, activist Raman Davydau, who has applied to the city administration to hold a Freedom Day event in his city, says he was officially warned by local prosecutors of possible criminal repercussions for holding unsanctioned public events.

Kastusyou says he and others who asked Minsk city authorities for the permission to hold an event might be also detained before March 25.

Belarusian KGB Chief Ivan Tertel has said that his team is "aware of plans to destabilize the situation in the country on March 25-27," while Deputy Interior Minister Mikalay Karpyankou has stated that "any unsanctioned rallies will be dispersed in a tough manner" similar to how law enforcement dispersed the mass protests against the official results of the August presidential poll that handed victory to Lukashenka.

Lukashenka has denied any wrongdoing and refuses to negotiate stepping down and holding new elections.

The European Union, United States, Canada, and other countries have refused to recognize Lukashenka, 66, as the legitimate leader of Belarus and have slapped him and senior Belarusian officials with sanctions in response to the falsification of the vote and postelection crackdown.
One Ukrainian dies, five hospitalized due to traffic accident in Poland  Ukrainian MFA

One Ukrainian died and five were hospitalized in a minibus accident in Poland, said Oleh Nikolenko, spokesman for the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry.

"At night, a minibus with 10 Ukrainian citizens overturned near Koszyce. One person died, five persons were hospitalized. The Consulate General of Ukraine in Lublin is interacting with Polish law enforcement agencies to clarify the circumstances of the accident, providing consular assistance to the victims," Nikolenko wrote on Twitter on Monday.

According to Polish media, the accident took place after 23:00 on Sunday on the Subkarpattia section of the A4 motorway, not far from the passenger service center in Koszyce.

According to preliminary information, the bus crashed into a fence at the end of the highway exit to Koszyce, and then rolled over into a ditch.

The Polish media note that there were difficult conditions on the Voivodeship's roads at night due to the weather.
English French

BIC signs an agreement

to sell its Clichy (France) Headquarters





Clichy (France)  09-NOV-2020, BIC announced today that it has signed an agreement to sell its Clichy-La-Garenne-based (France) Headquarters and BIC Technologies sites for an amount of 175 million euros to BNP Paribas Real Estate and Citallios, representing approximately a 169 million euros gross capital gain.

Launched at the end of December 2019 by BIC, the tender won by BNP Paribas Real Estate and Citallios relates to the sale of the BIC Clichy sites, representing a land area of approximately 3.8 hectares. The closing is expected in Q1 2021.

BIC remains deeply anchored in Clichy and announced in February 2020 the signing of a lease agreement related to the main part of the eConic building, located in Porte de Clichy. This certified BREEAM1 certified building will become BICs new Headquarters in 2022 and will offer the comfort and facilities required to foster greater teamwork and creativity across the organization. The relocation of BIC team members is expected to be in Q2 2022. BIC Technologies team will move to the BIC site in Montevrain.

ABOUT BIC

BIC is a world leader in stationery, lighters, and shavers. For more than 75 years, the Company has honored the tradition of providing high-quality, affordable products to consumers everywhere. Through this unwavering dedication, BIC has become one of the most recognized brands and is a trademark registered worldwide. Today, BIC products are sold in more than 160 countries around the world and feature iconic brands such as Cello, Conte, BIC FlexTM, Lucky Stationery, Made For YOUTM, Soleil, Tipp-Ex, Wite-Out and more. In 2019, BIC Net Sales were 1,949.4 million euros. The Company is listed on "Euronext Paris," is part of the SBF120 and CAC Mid 60 indexes and is recognized for its commitment to sustainable development and education. It received an A- Leadership score from CDP. For more, visit www.bicworld.com or follow us on LinkedIn, Instagram, Twitter, or YouTube.

This document contains forward-looking statements. Although BIC believes its expectations are based on reasonable assumptions, these statements are subject to numerous risks and uncertainties. A description of the risks borne by BIC appears in the section, Risks in BICs 2019 Universal Registration Document filed with the French financial markets authority (AMF) on March 31, 2020.

CONTACTS

Sophie Palliez-Capian  V.P., Corporate Stakeholder Engagement Investor Relations Contact: Press Contacts Sophie Palliez-Capian + 33 6 87 89 33 51

sophie.palliez@bicworld.com







Michele Ventura +33 1 45 19 52 98

michele.ventura@bicworld.com Albane de La Tour dArtaise + 33 7 85 88 19 48 Albane.DeLaTourDArtaise@bicworld.com







Isabelle de Segonzac : + 33 6 89 87 61 39 isegonzac@image7.fr

AGENDA  ALL DATES TO BE CONFIRMED

Capital Markets Day November 10, 2020 Virtual event Full Year 2020 Results 17 February 2021 Conference call and webcast First Quarter 2021 results



28 April 2021 Conference call and webcast











1 BREEAM : Building Research Establishment's Environmental Assessment Method is the worlds first sustainability rating scheme for the built environment





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By Yew Lun Tian

BEIJING (Reuters) - The trial of Canadian Michael Kovrig, who has been held in China for more than two years on espionage charges, wrapped up in a closed Beijing courtroom on Monday with the verdict to be announced at an unspecified later date, according to state media.

China arrested Kovrig, a former diplomat, and fellow Canadian Michael Spavor in December 2018, soon after Canadian police detained Meng Wanzhou, chief financial officer of Chinese tech company Huawei Technologies, on a U.S. warrant.

Beijing insists the detentions are not linked to the detention of Meng, who remains under house arrest in Vancouver as she fights extradition to the United States. Beijing has repeatedly called on Ottawa to release her.

The Kovrig trial came just days after the United States raised concerns over the cases at tense talks with China in Alaska. On Monday, Canadian and other diplomats were denied access to the hearing.

William Klein, charge d'affaires of the U.S. embassy in China, told reporters outside the courthouse as he stood beside his Canadian counterpart that the United States would treat the cases of the two men "as if they were American citizens."

Canadian Foreign Minister Marc Garneau said "the eyes of the world are on these cases" and thanked international partners for their support.

In a show of solidarity, 28 diplomats from 26 countries, including the United States, Britain, Germany, Australia, Netherlands and Czech Republic, turned up outside the Beijing No. 2 Intermediate Court on Monday, where there was a heavy police presence.

"We are deeply troubled by the total lack of transparency surrounding these hearings and we continue to work towards an immediate end to their arbitrary detention," Garneau said in a statement.

China's state media outlet CCTV reported that Kovrig and his lawyer were in court and that the verdict, like the one for Spavor, who was tried on Friday, would be announced at a later date.

Story continues

"We've requested access to Michael Kovrig's hearing repeatedly but that access is being denied" for national security reasons, Jim Nickel, charge d'affaires of the Canadian embassy in China, told reporters outside the Beijing court. "Now we see that the court process itself is not transparent. We're very troubled by this."

Nickel said Canada would protest the lack of access to China's foreign ministry.

'SOLIDARITY'

"We are here to show solidarity. Arbitrary detention is not the way," a diplomat told Reuters, declining to be named as she was not authorized to speak on the record about the trial.

The Canadian side had assembled a group of diplomats to "point fingers" and was "wantonly interfering in China's judicial sovereignty", said Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying.

More than 50 countries signed a declaration in February to condemn the arbitrary detention of foreign citizens for political purposes.

Some diplomats took off their face masks as they posed for a group photo outside the court, with each shouting out which country they represented to help reporters identify them.

On Friday, Spavor, a businessman, also stood trial in a closed courtroom in the northeastern city of Dandong.

Canadian and other diplomats were not allowed to attend Spavor's trial on what China said were national security grounds, a lack of transparency that Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Friday called "completely unacceptable".

Observers have said the likely convictions of the two men could ultimately facilitate a diplomatic agreement in which they are released and sent back to Canada.

Chinese courts have a conviction rate of over 99%.

"Michael and Michael Spavor are innocent Canadians caught up in a bigger geopolitical dispute," Kovrig's wife, Vina Nadjibulla, told Reuters.

"Their detention is profoundly unjust and our focus must remain on securing their freedom."

Spavor's trial took place as the United States and China held rancorous high-level talks in Alaska. The United States raised the issue during the talks, a senior Biden administration official said, including its concerns that diplomats were barred from the courtroom in Spavor's trial.

(Reporting by Yew Lun Tian, Gabriel Crossley and Tony Munroe in Beijing, Steve Scherer and David Ljunggren in Ottawa; writing by Se Young Lee; Editing by Gerry Doyle, Nick Macfie and Giles Elgood)
The Nagol is Back! VTOs guide to this years Nagol, plus where to stay and play in south, central and north Pentecost.
Congolese refugee Josephine Mbayo now spends more time tending her crops than queueing for water thanks to improvements to Tongogara camp's water system.  UNHCR/Tsvangirayi Mukwazhi

Josephine Mbayo faced many difficulties looking after her eight children in a refugee camp in southeast Zimbabwe, but getting enough clean water for her family proved the biggest challenge.

For years, the 48-year-old waited for hours each day to collect water at a pump at the Tongogara camp, which hosts more than 14,500 people, mostly from the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). Josephine had no extra time to work or even care properly for her children.

When the water ran dry, women waited all day for the borehole to regenerate. Sometimes, the water would come out in a dirty trickle, but there was no choice but to use it.

There was only one hand pump in the section that everyone queued at to get water from as early as 4 a.m., said Josephine, a single mother and one of thousands forced to flee fighting between government forces and various armed groups in the DRC in 2012.

"People would quarrel and almost fight for water."

People would quarrel and almost fight for water, she adds.

Across Africa, refugees, especially women such as Josephine, face a similar problem. The lack of reliable water supplies threatens childrens health particularly and costs women essential time they could be using to earn money, leading to increased levels of poverty.

According to standards set by UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, each refugee should have access to at least 20 litres of water per day. UNHCR and its partners are striving to improve the situation for refugees such as Josephine.

In 2016, the agency worked with partners to introduce a piped water system to replace the hand pump, installing three taps in Josephines section of the Tongogara camp that opened for two hours each day.The new system helped improve the quality and quantity of the water, but Josephine and the other refugees found there was still a shortage.

Last year, a project funded by the African Development Bank (AfDB) led to the installation of new high-capacity boreholes and an expanded and better engineered piped water system, known as a water reticulation system, that runs on solar power and can deliver piped water to all 10 sections in the camp. The water project has also benefitted the residents of the surrounding host communities in Chipinge district, where the camp is located.

Josephine Mbayo uses one of the newly installed taps in Tongogara refugee camp to fill a bucket of water. The taps are part of a piped water system that uses solar power and high-capacity boreholes.  UNHCR/Tsvangirayi Mukwazhi

The AfDB-funded initiative  Innovative Solutions to Support Livelihoods of Vulnerable Communities  which includes the water reticulation systems, is part of a broader strategy to enhance the economic and technical capacity of refugees and their host communities.

The project has made available public lighting, potable water and a vibrant irrigation scheme, among other innovations. Refugees are now working in newly allocated plots to produce food for their familes.

We are continually improving our search for groundwater by drilling more high-yielding boreholes and powering them with solar energy, said Nosakhare Boadi, UNHCRs Water and Sanitation officer based in Harare.

Groundwater is more sustainable and less vulnerable to pollution than surface water sources and solar power is more ecofriendly as well as cost-effective.

Eventually, water supply will be more reliable as pumping will no longer be dependent on the national grid or diesel generators, he added.

Easy access to water has improved Josephines familys well being, allowing her more time to work. She also has time to grow more food on her land to sell in the market. Her monthly income has risen to around US$75 from less than US$5, helping her better care for her children. The new public lighting in the camp has also made her family feel safer when they fetch water at night and also deters animals, including the elephants that used to pose a major problem.

Quarrels at the bush pumps deprived me of peace but now we greet each other cheerfully as we fetch our water, she said. My neighbours are the only family I have in this country and if we can co-exist peacefully, that makes me happy.
The criminal defense attorney representing Joaquin 'El Chapo' Guzman's wife is affirming that the American-born Emma Coronel can expect to learn of her fate within a month.

'It is too early to know, I will be frank,' Jeffrey Lichtman told Telemundo on Friday. 'It is difficult to know at this stage of the case how things will turn out. I would say that within 30 days we will have a clearer idea.'

He stressed that 'everything is on the table', - including negotiations with the US government.

Lichtman's comments were revealed on the same day the 31-year-old mother-of -two had turned down her right to a preliminary hearing, according a document presented in the District of Columbia Court.

Emma Coronel, the jailed wife of Joaquin 'El Chapo' Guzman could learn of her destiny within a month, her lawyer Jeffrey Lichtman told Telemundo on Friday. The 31-year-old, who married the jailed leader of the Sinaloa Cartel as a teenager, has also turned down her right to a preliminary hearing, according a document presented in the District of Columbia Court

Joaquin 'El Chapo' Guzman reportedly received assistance from his wife in operating his Sinaloa Cartel. The United States government has charged the American-born Emma Coronel in single-count criminal complaint with conspiracy to distribute cocaine, methamphetamine, heroin and marijuana in the U.S.

New York-based attorney Jeffrey Lichtman told Telemundo on Friday that Emma Coronel, El Chapo's wife, 'has a minimal stake in this whole great conspiracy' charges that have been brought forward by the United States government and doubts that she will be in jail for life

El Chapo's former beauty queen wife and mother of their twin daughters was arrested by federal agents on February 22 at Dulles International Airport in Virginia.

Coronel, who married El Chapo at the age of 18, has been charged with a single-count of conspiracy to distribute cocaine, methamphetamine, heroin and marijuana in the U.S.

Lichtman refused to go into details as to whether Coronel had any information that she would use against the Sinaloa Cartel, the transnational criminal organization that El Chapo co-founded and which is now under the leadership of his three sons and his associate, Ismael 'El Mayo' Zambada.

'There is no chance that she can spend the rest of her life in prison.

'Keep in mind that at this time, the minimum sentence is 10 years, maximum life imprisonment. But this is a case of a minimum participation in the case. Even if everything the government says is true, it has a minimal stake in this whole great conspiracy,' said Lichtman, who was also tasked with representing El Chapo before was sentenced to life in prison in 2019.

Emma Coronel married Joaquin 'El Chapo' Guzman at the age of 18

Emma Coronel was arrested was arrested on February 22 at Dulles International Airport in Virginia. She is pictured above during a February 23 court appearance

Authorities have said that Coronel relayed messages to help Guzman conduct drug trafficking from 2012 to early 2014, and continued delivering messages while visiting him in a Mexican prison following his February 2014 arrest.

'That is a popular belief, but it is based on speculation, who knows what she knows. The media think that because she is married to Joaquin Guzman she has information. How much time of her marriage did he spend in jail? It's not that he was talking to her on the phone telling her secrets about her from prison.'

Coronel allegedly played a role in organizing Guzman's famous July 2015 escape from the Altiplano prison in Mexico through a mile-long tunnel dug from his cell, and began plotting another escape following his January 2016 capture by Mexican authorities, an incident that Lichtman said would not be of huge interest to the federal prosecutors handling the case.

Lichtman slammed the federal government for the way Coronel has been treated in prison. She is currently permitted to leave her prison only to shower and exercise for one hour a day, and can make phone calls to her family in the day and at night.

It's unknown if Coronel would return to Mexico if the U.S. government was to completely drop her case.

Last Monday, the New York-based lawyer told WOR's Len Berman and Michael Riedel in the Morning that he and Emma Coronel have been working to come up with a bail package as she awaits her trial, but he did acknowledged that the government does consider the American-born woman a flight risk.

Emma Coronel Aispuro, according to her lawyer, is permitted to leave her prison only to shower and exercise for one hour a day, can make phone calls to her family in the day and at night.

However, a government official with knowledge of the case told DailyMail.com that it was highly unlikely the United States Attorney's Office for the District of Columbia would entertain such offer.

Early in the month, Lichtman went on WABC's The Other Side of Midnight program to accuse federal agents of planting rumors that Coronel had been planning to cooperate with the U.S. government to help take down the Sinaloa Cartel.

Lichtman said the rumor 'was designed to kill her family.'

He described the alleged planting of the story as the 'most despicable thing' and the 'worst prosecutorial governmental misconduct' he has experienced in 30 years.

'I've been involved with fabrication of evidence, destroying evidence, lying to judges, lying to juries by the feds but to actually put this out there is an attempt to murder her and her family,' he said.
In a major boost to the space sector, Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has signed a bilateral memorandum with four of the premier institutes to set up space incubation centres across the country. Dr Sivan has said that the S-TIC will provide several opportunities to not just final year graduates, post-graduate students but also research scholars to become entrepreneurs.

Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with four prestigious colleges in India to set up space technology incubation centres (S-TIC) in their campuses. The incubation centres will be set up at Maulana Azad National Institute of Technology (Bhopal, Central Region), Visvesvaraya National Institute of Technology (western region), and National Institute of Technology, Rourkela ( eastern region). ISRO chairman Dr. K Sivan who is also the secretary of the Department of Space explained about the space programmes and encouraged the students to explore their entrepreneurship skills in the space technology domain.

Dr Sivan in his presidential address stated that the S-TIC would provide many opportunities for final year graduate as well as post-graduate students and research scholars as entrepreneurs. Practical Projects linked to the space mission shall be made available to the students at the S-TICs and the research outcome will further be translated into a prototype or proof-of-concept through industries within their region.

Scientific secretary ISRO, R. Umamaheshwaran explained the need for an inter-disciplinary approach and teamwork across the various discipline of science and space technology for accomplishing the objectives of S-TIC. He further emphasised that the setting up of incubation centres would be a major boost for all space-related activities in these regions.

Also Read:Immunity VS vaccine efficacy: How effective are Indian vaccines? Heres what you should know

Scientific secretary ISRO, R. Umamaheshwaran explained the need for an inter-disciplinary approach and teamwork across the various discipline of science and space technology for accomplishing the objectives of S-TIC. He further emphasised that the setting up of incubation centres would be a major boost for all space-related activities in these regions.

As per ISRO, the S-TIC at VNT Nagpur will function as a focal centre for the western region including Maharashtra, Dadra and Nagar Haveli (UT), Gujrat, Daman & Diu and Rajasthan. The S-TIC which will be set up MANIT Bhopal will cover Madhya Pradesh, Chattisgarh and Uttar Pradesh. the S-TIC at NIT Rourkela shall cover the state of Bihar, West Bengal, Jharkhand, Odisha and the UT of Andaman & Nicobar Island.

Also Read: Turkeys Erdogan quits European Treaty Designated To Protect Women From Violence
Newborn Girl Rescued From Dumpster in 1995 Is Now Saving Lives: Im Here for a Reason

'I am here to be a chain reaction with my story, help save lives...'

A woman who was abandoned in an Illinois dumpster on the day of her birth is now on a selfless mission to save more infant lives.

Baby Mary Grace was left to die in a dumpster in Hoffman Estates in 1995. After a miraculous rescue and being adopted into a loving new family in 1998, she was named Morgan Hill.

I was told I only had a few more hours to live if I would have not been found, Hill told The Epoch Times.

If my story saves at least one life, it was worth telling, she said, and I believe it has saved many.

Baby Mary Grace with her rescuers, Garold Rocky Hyatt (C) and nurse Carol Szafranski (2nd-R), in October 1995. (Courtesy of Morgan Hill)

Hill grew up with no idea that shed had an unusual beginning.

The story of the baby found in a dumpster was plastered all over the news at the time. Hills adoptive mother, Sandi, didnt want reporters at the door, and she didnt want the circumstances to cast a shadow over Hills childhood. So, she kept the story of her daughters adoption a secret.

But once Hill was old enough, Sandi told her the truth: that after she was born, her biological mother had wrapped her up in a garbage bag and left her to die. Through Sandis words and numerous articles saved over the years, Hill learned that her biological mother had hidden her pregnancy and tried to get rid of her baby in secret.

My biological mother was in quite the twist. It was lie after lie trying to cover up her pregnancy with me, Hill said in her blog post.

She gave birth to me in the bathtub when her significant other and child went to work and school. She cleaned me, fed me, and drove around unsure of what to do, Hill wrote. Her final decision was definitely not a good one.

Morgan Hill, who was named Baby Mary Grace by her rescuers after they found her in a dumpster behind Hoffmann Estates Medical Center in October 1995. (Courtesy of Morgan Hill)

Hills mother then wrapped her in a towel, put her in a trash bag, double-knotted, and threw her away in a dumpster behind Hoffmann Estates Medical Center on Oct. 16, 1995. Fortunately, Hills cries were heard by a construction worker, Garold Rocky Hyatt, as he was taking out the trash the night before garbage collection day.

Thats how the forsaken baby ended up in the arms of Carol Szafranski, one of the nurses whod come running when Hyatt sought prompt assistance. She was given the name Baby Mary Grace as the nurses and Hyatt considered her a gift from God.

Hills birth father fought hard for six months in court to win her full custody. But due to financial reasons and being a single dad, he willingly put her for adoption by a couple he trusted.

Morgan Hill pictured with her birth father. (Courtesy of Morgan Hill)

I do keep in touch with my biological father, Hill told The Epoch Times. He lives in a different state, but we try to get together at least once a year.

Hill had always wanted to meet the nurse and construction worker mentioned in the news stories, but she had never been able to find them.

Eventually, when a local television station arranged an interview with Hill in 2016, they managed to find Szafranski and Hyatt. During a teary-eyed reunion, the two rescuers met the precious baby girl they saved almost 25 years ago.

The reunion impacted my life in so many ways, Hill said. It reminded me that Im here for a reason.

Morgan Hill and her adoptive mother, Sandi (L), with Garold Rocky Hyatt and nurse Carol Szafranski, during their reunion in 2016. (Courtesy of Morgan Hill)

Hill says that the reunion with her rescuers has motivated her to take up the mantle of raising awareness on the child abandonment crisis, including working with organizations and taking part in conferences. She is working to save the lives of infants by educating people about the various options available to mothers in need who want to relinquish their babies.

Its pushed me to keep sharing my story and information about the Safe Haven Law, she said.

Today, every state has in place infant safe-haven lawsa law that provides a safe place for parents to relinquish a newborn baby without repercussions.

However, way back in 1995, there wasnt a safe-haven law in Illinois at the time of Hills birth. The infant safe-haven laws that have come into existence since 1999 provide a ray of hope.

Hill and her adoptive parents are now on a selfless mission to touch all of the hearts of the world.

My future plans are to continue sharing my story, currently working on a book, saving lives, and show mothers in crisis they are not alone, Hill told The Epoch Times.

My message is to be a voice, not an echo. I share my tragic, yet positive story as much as possible. I am here to be a chain reaction with my story, help save lives, and to prove that my story isnt just about a tragedy that turned into a miracle.

Arshdeep Sarao and Jenni Julander contributed to this report.

Share your stories with us at emg.inspired@epochtimes.com, and continue to get your daily dose of inspiration by signing up for the Epoch Inspired newsletter at TheEpochTimes.com/newsletter
ST. JOHN'S, N.L. - A Newfoundland and Labrador business group is calling on public health officials to relax restrictions in the most populous part of the province.

The COVID-19 testing site on Waterford Bridge Road in St. John's, N.L., is shown Wednesday, March 3, 2021. A Newfoundland and Labrador business group is calling on public health officials to relax restrictions in the most populous part of the province. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Paul Daly

ST. JOHN'S, N.L. - A Newfoundland and Labrador business group is calling on public health officials to relax restrictions in the most populous part of the province.

In a news release Monday, the St. John's Board of Trade urges authorities to move the Avalon Peninsula area, which includes the capital, to Alert Level 2, the same level as the rest of the province.

The region is currently at Alert Level 3, having moved gradually down from the most restrictive Alert Level 5 after a COVID-19 outbreak swept through the St. John's metro region last month.

The outbreak set Atlantic Canadian records for new daily caseloads and active infections, but active cases of COVID-19 in the province have now dropped to just four following more than three weeks of daily reported infections that have not exceeded single digits.

Moving to the lower alert level would allow the opening of hair salons, bars and in-person dining, all at a reduced capacity.

The Board of Trade says it's grateful for the swift and effective work of public health officials, but the group says heightened health restrictions have been devastating for local businesses.Businesses throughout our community have demonstrated they can safely operate in accordance with public health measures," Justin Ladha, the board's chairman, said in the release. Every day that a business can open its doors and serve customers is a day that matters.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 22, 2021.

Washington Township High School counselor Karin Eckert-Carpenter was among honorees recognized on March 19 by the New Jersey School Counseling Association as a County Counselor of the Year. Eckert-Carpenter earned the 2021 distinction for Gloucester County.

The award honors the professionals who devote their careers to serving as advocates  and often lifesavers for the nations students. Candidates are selected by their county-level school counselor associations.

Honored as the local school districts 2019-20 Secondary Educational Services Professional of the Year, Eckert-Carpenter has spent 37 of her 38 years in education in the Washington Township Public Schools. She holds a bachelor of science degree in health and physical education from East Stroudsburg University, a masters of art in student personnel services from Rowan University and a masters of art in educational leadership from Wilmington University.

Mrs. Eckert-Carpenter is an outstanding high school counselor and an excellent role model for her students and colleagues, district school counseling director Jennifer Grimaldi said. She has shown leadership abilities by taking initiative at the high school and on the county level, as well. She is a constant learner in the field of school counseling and tries to find creative ways to assist the school community. We are lucky to have her as part of our WTPS counseling team.

Mrs. Eckert-Carpenter has been a leader among our staff for decades at WTHS, principal Jonathan Strout said. She has never waivered in her commitment to put all students first, and she advocates for all of our students not just with words, but with her actions every day. No issue is too small for Mrs. Eckert-Carpenter to tackle, and her dedication to our kids and school has especially shined through over the last year, as weve all battled through this pandemic. We are so grateful and proud to have Mrs. Eckert-Carpenter representing our school.

Send community news to south@njadvancemedia.com.
Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Sunday reiterated that the United States must "lift all sanctions" if Washington wants Tehran's return to its commitments under a 2015 nuclear deal. In a televised address, in his annual speech on the occasion of Nowruz marking Iranian New Year, Khamenei said that the US policy of maximum pressure against Iran has clearly failed and if the Joe Biden administration resort to a similar approach, "it will fail too". He warned the Biden administration to take steps to restore bilateral ties with the Islamic Republic, citing the former President Donald Trump's election defeat, adding that Iran will "stand strong with increasing power and dignity".

Khamenei vowed that the agreements of the JCPOA will "never be violated" and given that the US decides to lift the trade embargo, Iran will return to its denuclearisation commitments. Although, the supreme leader said, "We don't trust USs mere promises; actions are needed."

Iran outlined conditions for the change in terms of the Iran nuclear deal, saying that the American officials believed that some of the JCPOA articles needed amendment as the situation when the nuclear deal was reached between the Obama administration and Iranian regime "have drastically altered". Khamenei asserted: "If a change is to be made, it should be to the benefit of Iran." Furthermore, he added, Iran is no rush.

Further in his speech, Khamenei criticised the US for ending military support for the Saudi-led coalition in the years-long war against Yemens Iran-backed Houthis rebel. Citing Bidens announcement, last month wherein the country shifted its diplomatic posture against "offensive operations" in war-torn Yemen, Khamenei stated that the US 'shamelessly' abandoned allies.

Now, they can neither end the war nor continue it, Khamenei said, adding that the Obama administration had given green light to Saudi Arabia to  bombard the unarmed, defenseless people of Yemen making them surrender in a month. He added, that 6 years into the armed conflict and the Houthis havent surrendered.

US abandoned allies

Launching another scathing attack against the United States, Irans Supreme leader said: Did you Americans know what a disaster you were creating for the Saudis? If you did know, how miserable your allies are to be treated in such a way? referring to US close ally Saudi Arabia during the Trump era.  How miserable they [Saudi] are that they trust you [US], Khamenei said. Biden had announced that he was ending the Saudi-led military offensive in conflict-ridden Yemen to put an end to the countrys civil wars. This war has to end. And to underscore our commitment, were ending all American support for offensive operations in the war in Yemen, including arms sales, the US President said in a press conference last month.

(Image Credit: The Associated Press)
This is the dramatic moment an 11-year-old schoolboy was rescued by a fisherman with a spinning rod after he got stranded on a drifting ice floe in Ukraine.

The video of the moment was filmed by a fisherman Richard Gorda, who saved the boy in the daring rescue from the Desenka river in Kyiv on Sunday.

The clip shows the child, who reportedly said he could not swim, being carried away on a drifting piece of ice.

An 11-year-old schoolboy, who reportedly said he could not swim, was rescued by a fisherman with a spinning rod after he got stranded on a drifting ice floe in Ukraine

The video of the moment was filmed by a fisherman Richard Gorda, who saved the boy in the daring rescue from the Desenka river in Kyiv on Sunday

Mr Gorda is heard calling on the horrified boy to remain calm while applying his fishing gear to rescue him.

The footage then shows the fisherman throwing his spinning rod to the boy after reportedly removing the hook from its end.

The boy manages to get a grip of the line before being pulled towards the shore.

The video ends with the witnesses helping the child to get off the ice floe to the shore.

According to reports, he got away without injuries and did not require medical help.

The footage shows the fisherman throwing his spinning rod to the boy after reportedly removing the hook from its end

Mr Gorda is heard calling on the horrified boy to remain calm while applying his fishing gear to rescue him

The schoolboy was playing near the river with a peer when the incident happened.

The kids said they secretly fled the courtyard near their apartment block and went to the river and climbed on ice.

The curious friends were inspecting the ice when it started cracking under their feet.

One of them managed to jump to safety but the other got stranded on a drifting ice floe and was carried 65 feet (20 metres) away from the shore.

The boy manages to get a grip of the line before being pulled towards the shore. The video ends with the witnesses helping the child to get off the ice floe to the shore

The schoolboy was playing near the river with a peer when the incident happened. The kids said they secretly fled the courtyard near their apartment block and went to the river and climbed on ice

One of the pair managed to jump to safety but the other got stranded on a drifting ice floe and was carried 65 feet (20 metres) away from the shore

Fortunately, the incident was noticed by two men who were fishing nearby and they came to help.

Mr Gorda shared the video on his Facebook page commenting: 'Luckily, we turned out to be in the right place and at the right time.

'The fact that I cast [the spinning rod] and hit at once is God's mercy.

'I might have had no time for another try. The ice piece was cracking under that boy.

'The child didnt even get wet or anything, hes safe and sound but he will learn that lesson for life.

'Watch out for your children and never allow them approaching [icy] water.'

Police are investigating the incident.
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Saudis announce new Yemen peace initiative

Saudi Arabia's Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud speaks during a news conference in Riyadh. Photo: Reuters

Saudi Arabia presented a new peace initiative on Monday to end the war in Yemen, including a nationwide ceasefire and the reopening of air and sea links, but its Houthi enemies said the offer did not appear to go far enough to lift a blockade.



The initiative, announced by Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud, would include reopening Sanaa airport, and allow fuel and food imports through Hodeidah port, both of which are controlled by the Iran-aligned Houthis.



Political negotiations between the Saudi-backed government and the Houthis would be restarted, he told a news conference, It would take effect when the Yemeni sides accepted.



Yemen's internationally recognised government issued a statement welcoming the offer.



But the Houthis said the initiative provided "nothing new", as it still fell short of their demand for a complete lifting of the blockade on Sanaa airport and Hodeidah port.



"We expected that Saudi Arabia would announce an end to the blockade of ports and airports and an initiative to allow in 14 ships that are held by the coalition," Houthi chief negotiator Mohammed Abdulsalam told Reuters.



A "humanitarian right" should not be used as a pressure tool, he said.



The group would continue to talk with the Saudis, the United States and mediator Oman for a peace agreement, he said.



The war has killed more than 100,000 people, many of them civiilians, according to The Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project (ACLED), a database that tracks violence in Yemen



The conflict, widely seen as a proxy war between Saudi Arabia and Iran, has been stalemated for years and has left 80% of Yemen's population reliant on aid. The Houthis say they are fighting a corrupt system and foreign aggression.



Saudi Arabia, which leads a military coalition battling the movement, has been under increasing pressure to put an end to the six-year-old conflict since US President Joe Biden signalled Washington would no longer support the intervention and as the United Nations warns of a looming famine in Yemen.



The United Nations welcomes the Saudi "intention to undertake a number of measures to help end the conflict in Yemen", UN spokesman Farhan Haq said on Monday, stressing that "it's still early days".



Haq said the proposal is aligned with the UN initiative and that special envoy Martin Griffiths would now follow up with the warring parties.



Prince Faisal said Riyadh would work with the international community to press the Houthis "to accept and come to the negotiating table" and that the Saudi-led coalition would continue to face Houthi assaults "with the necessary response".



The movement has stepped up drone and missile attacks on Saudi Arabia, including on oil facilities, and a ground offensive to seize Yemen's gas-rich Marib region. The coalition has responded with air strikes on Houthi military sites.



The Houthis demand the lifting of the blockade, which they blame for what the United Nations describes as the world's worst humanitarian crisis. The Saudi-led coalition and aid agencies have accused the group of obstructing aid efforts.



The coalition has said the port and airport must be restricted to prevent weapons from reaching the Houthis who control the capital and most populous areas.



Riyadh's announcement did not specify which air routes would be permitted to Sanaa, or whether the imports through Hodeidah port would be subject to additional pre-authorisations.



The United Nations has already set up a mechanism in Djibouti to inspect ships before they dock at Hodeidah port, but coalition warships hold up most vessels despite U.N. clearance.



Prince Faisal said tax revenues from the port would go to a joint bank account in Hodeidah's branch of Yemen's central bank. (Reuters)
Rochester, N.Y.  A man jumped to his death while holding his 1-year-old son in Upstate New York this weekend, according to multiple reports.

WHAM-TV reports a woman called 911 late Friday night to report that her husband was having a psychotic breakdown at a Rochester parking garage. He leapt from the top floor while holding his baby, according to the Rochester Police Department.

The man, who was in his 40s, was pronounced dead at the scene. The child was rushed to Strong Memorial Hospital, where he was listed in critical condition.

The family of three has not been identified, but officials said they were from another state and visiting an ailing relative in Rochester.

Rochester Police Capt. Frank Umbrino told the Democrat & Chronicle Sunday that the boys condition is now serious but improving better and faster than expected. Doctors do not believe the child suffered any permanent brain damage in the fall, according to Umbrino.

If the baby continues to improve at the pace that he has, they are hoping to be able to transport the child back to the familys home state within the next couple weeks to begin rehabilitation efforts, he said.

Police are investigating the incident as an apparent suicide and attempted murder.
Robin Wright spent her Sunday getting some exercise around her Brentwood neighborhood, with husband Clement Giraudet.

The 54-year-old actress and her 37-year-old husband were both spotted taking their bikes out for a spin.

The actress' outing comes just days after her return as Antiope in the highly-anticipated Zack Snyder's Justice League, which debuted on HBO Max on Friday.

Robin and Clement: Robin Wright spent her Sunday getting some exercise around her Brentwood neighborhood, with husband Clement Giraudet

Robin pedaled out with a white and black bike helmet to stay safe, though neither the actress nor her husband were wearing a facemask to stay safe from COVID-19.

She also wore black sunglasses and a black sweatshirt for the bike ride, gripping the handlebars with black-gloved hands.

She completed her look with grey stretch pants and bright blue sneakers for the bike ride.

Robin's look: Robin pedaled out with a white and black bike helmet to stay safe, though neither the actress nor her husband were wearing a facemask to stay safe from COVID-19

Robin was out riding a dark blue Specialized bike, while her husband Clement was out with a black Fox racing shirt.

Wright first stared dating Clement, an executive at Saint Laurent, back in 2017, and they secretly tied the knot in La Roche-sur-la-Buis, France in August 2018.

Wright shares two children with her second husband Sean Penn, daughter Dylan Frances, 29, and son Hopper Jack, 27.

Married: Wright first stared dating Clement, an executive at Saint Laurent, back in 2017, and they secretly tied the knot in La Roche-sur-la-Buis, France in August 2018

Wright is coming off Wonder Woman 1984, where she returned as the battle-hardened Antiope.

She also starred in Land, which also served as her feature film directorial debut when it was released in February.

The actress had previously directed a short film dubbed The Dark of Night in 2017 and 10 episodes of her hit Netflix series House of Cards.

Land: She also starred in Land, which also served as her feature film directorial debut when it was released in February

Wright admitted in a recent interview that the most challenging part of making her film Land, which she also starred in, were scenes where she had to skin an animal.

''It was stomaching the skinning of the animal. And I eat meat. But I just - I don't want to see that. You don't think it's going to shock you. And it does,' she said.

'I mean, you couldn't have a more distant comparison between what it was like shooting House of Cards to shooting and directing Land,' she added.
New Delhi:

The united-Left alliance has retained all four seats in the JNU students union election, defeating the RSS-backed ABVP with considerable margins.

In a close fight, United Left candidate Geeta Kumari won the president's post by defeating Nidhi Tripathi of ABVP by 464 votes.

Shabana Ali of BAPSA (Birsa Ambedkar Phule Students' Association) polled 935 votes, election panel officials said.

Out of the total 4639 votes polled, 4620 were valid as 19 votes were discarded after voters put their slips in wrong ballots, they said.

For vice president's post, AISA's Simone Zoya Khan got 1,876 votes out of total 4,620 votes. Khan defeated Durgesh Kumar of ABVP who got 1028 votes.

Duggirala Srikrisha (Left) won the General Secretary's post by polling 2082 votes. He was followed by ABVP's Nikunj Makwana- 975 votes.

The post of Joint Secretary has gone to Shubhanshu Singh (Left) who got 1755 votes. Pankaj Keshari of ABVP got 920 votes.

Geeta Kumari said, "The credit for mandate goes to students because people still believe that democratic spaces should be saved and right now, the only resistance is from students."

Read more: High Court directs CBI to take necessary step to trace Najeeb Ahmad

She also promised to take up Najeeb issue, JNU seat cuts, new hostels, saving the autonomy of JS-cash and deprivation points.

Duggirala said that JNU has become more democratic. "We promise to reach out to students everyday and counter the aggressive policies of ABVP".

He also vowed to defend the debate and dissent culture in JNU.

In the central panel, a total of 1512 NOTA votes were polled for all the four posts.

Total 31 councillors have been elected for various posts, the election officials said.

For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps.
Three University of Colorado Cancer Center researchers are part of a team that recently published a paper offering new insight into how the immune system relates to cancer. Quentin Vicens, PhD, Jeffrey Kieft, PhD, and Beat Vogeli, PhD, are authors on the paper, which looks at how an enzyme called ADAR1 operates in pathways associated with cancer.

"In a cell, ADAR1 edits native RNA -- or self-RNA -- so that the cell recognizes it as its own. It's a key protection against autoimmune disorders," Kieft says. "But if a virus infects, viral RNA isn't edited by ADAR1, so the cell can recognize that and react. The cell knows it has foreign RNA, and it activates immune responses to fight off that infection."

For their paper published last month in the journal Nature Communications, Kieft, Vogeli, Vicens, and the rest of the team -- including Parker Nichols, a graduate student in the Structural Biology and Biochemistry program in the CU School of Medicine who works jointly in the Kieft and Vogeli labs -- looked at where specifically the ADAR1 binds to RNA to perform the editing process. They already knew a domain of ADAR1 known as Z-alpha binds to a form of RNA called Z-RNA, but they found that Z-alpha ADAR1 can bind to other RNA forms as well.

The team asked, 'How are all these locations in RNA being recognized by Z-alpha if they supposedly don't form Z-RNA? One of the take-home messages is that other forms of RNA can bind to Z-alpha ADAR1 and can even partially form Z-RNA. That was a surprise because it shows that RNA can form this specific Z structure in places we didn't recognize before." Jeffrey Kieft, PhD, Study Author, CU School of Medicine

The team is now proposing a model for how Z-alpha ADAR1 is able to bind to different types of RNA. It's an important finding in cancer research because of the role of ADAR1 in cancer regulation. A normally functioning immune system oftentimes can detect cancerous cells as being dangerous and then eliminate them, but if there's too much ADAR1 editing happening, a cell could be tamping down the immune response in an effort to protect itself.

"In a lot of cancers, there is upregulation of ADAR1; it is doing more than it should," Kieft says. "The excess ADAR1 presumably is leading to more RNA editing than is normal. This is going to misregulate things, affecting specific regions of RNA or types of RNA.

The excess editing is going to throw off the normal immune response, but it probably has a lot of other affects in the cell as well. Cancer is a disease where gene regulation has gone awry, so if an important regulatory pathway like editing by ADAR has gone haywire, that can contribute to the cancer."

Knowing all the targets of ADAR1 in a cell is also a step toward more effective therapies, Kieft says. If researchers understand the pathways, they may be able to find a way to disrupt the overactive editing process and boost the immune response. It's a finding applicable to many other diseases as well -- Vogeli says since the paper was published, the researchers have heard from other scientists around the country interested in ADAR1.

"We have gotten a lot of feedback on the paper," he says. "There is a lot of interest in this field right now, and other people are interested in how they could use our structural information."

Vogeli and Vicens are now organizing a meeting focused on ADAR1 function and putting together special issues of the journals Molecules and International Journal of Molecular Sciences.

Vicens says the research project also illustrates the importance of collaborative work and being open to new directions. "I basically brought a new project and direction to the Kieft lab when I joined," Vicens says. "Both labs were open to supporting it intellectually and financially, and the resultant team effort enabled research that would not otherwise have been done."
I really had some experiences in my travels that inspired me to write, (like) ancient poets that youd read and think, Oh my God, the 12th century in China, the poetry written about Great Wall, said Lyon, who is now an adjunct music professor for Touro University in Vallejo. And so I started to write about my travels while in Hong Kong and when I came home  thats when I started to write poetry without putting it to music.

+6 The Poet Laureate is in! Talking with Napa's own Jeremy Benson YOUNTVILLE  An organic farmer at a winery by day and poet all the time, Jeremy Benson is promoting poetry in Napa Valley.

Lyons latest position will include appearing at various public events, linking poets to the community, and inspiring others in their writing, performance and personal expression.

I want for talented people in the collective to offer those who never viewed themselves as poets many venues to ignite their inner poet, she said, referring to religious services, informal singing and other forms of versifying in everyday life. Poetry is a part of everyones life, even if they dont know it.
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Xi delivers video speech to Colombian people as Chinese vaccines arrive

Xinhua) 08:21, March 22, 2021

Chinese President Xi Jinping delivers a video speech to the Colombian people at the invitation of his Colombian counterpart, Ivan Duque, as the third batch of COVID-19 vaccines provided by China arrives in Bogota, capital of Colombia, on March 20, 2021 local time. (Xinhua/Li Xueren)

BEIJING, March 21 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping delivered a video speech to the Colombian people at the invitation of his Colombian counterpart, Ivan Duque, as the third batch of COVID-19 vaccines provided by China arrived in Bogota, capital of Colombia, on Saturday local time.

"Even mountains and seas cannot distance people with common aspirations," Xi said in his speech, noting that the vast Pacific Ocean cannot stand in the way of the profound friendship between the Chinese and Colombian people.

Over the past 41 years since the establishment of their diplomatic ties, the China-Colombia relations have achieved historic development, Xi said, with China becoming Colombia's second largest trading partner and China-invested enterprises actively participating in Colombia's development in various fields.

Cultural and people-to-people exchanges between the two sides are flourishing, and the China-Colombia friendship is deeply rooted in the hearts of the two peoples, Xi said.

In the face of the unexpected COVID-19 outbreak, Xi stressed that the two countries have worked in unity to help each other overcome difficulties and actively carried out anti-pandemic cooperation.

Two batches of Chinese vaccines purchased by Colombia have been delivered to the South American country not long ago, Xi said, adding that the latest batch of vaccines arrived today to help boost the national vaccination program of Colombia.

Xi said he hopes that the governments and peoples of the two countries will make joint efforts to strengthen friendly cooperation in various fields including the anti-pandemic fight, so as to elevate China-Colombia friendly cooperation to a new level from a new historical starting point and bring more benefits to the two peoples.

Duque, who was on a tour of inspection during the day, held a special ceremony and broadcasted Xi's speech to the whole country. He expressed gratitude to Xi and the brotherly Chinese people for their deep friendship to the Colombian people and their important support to Colombia's fight against the pandemic.

Duque said that developing relations with China is a broad consensus among different political groups in Colombia, and the country is ready to work with China to continuously deepen bilateral relations.
A copy and paste appeal filed in a court battle over the default on a $594,000 Small Business Administration loan that financed the establishment of a Harrisburg restaurant has not only failed to impress a federal court panel but has left the judges more than a little irked.

Judge Thomas M. Hardiman made that irritation clear in the opinion the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 3rd Circuit issued denying the bid by businessmen Desmond Conboy and Brendan Gilsenan to void their obligation to repay the SBA loan that was part of the financing package for Ceoltas Irish Pub.

Hardimans gripe centered on his conclusion that their lawyer didnt formulate an original appeal in challenging the initial dismissal of their lawsuit against the SBA by U.S. Middle District Judge Malachy E. Mannion. Instead, Hardiman wrote, the attorney simply cut and pasted parts of the original complaint he had filed in Mannions court and without proper editing sent it on to the circuit court.

Its not easy to become a lawyer. The practice of law is challenging, and even the best lawyers make mistakes from time to time. So, we err on the side of leniency toward the bar in close cases. But the copy-and-paste jobs before us reflect a dereliction of duty, not an honest mistake, Hardiman wrote.

He followed that observation by dismissing the Conboy/Gilsenan appeal, upholding Mannions ruling, and ordering the pair to pay financial damages to the agency the SBA hired to collect on the loan.

As Hardiman noted, Conboy and Gilsenan used the money from the SBA toward the purchase and renovation of a property in the 300 block of North Second Street. They defaulted on the outstanding balance of the loan and in 2016 the pub property was sold to a group of European investors. The SBA allowed the sale to go through but refused to free Conboy and Gilsenan from their obligation to repay roughly $375,000, court filings state.

Conboy and Gilsenan then sued the SBA and the collection agency it hired, CBE Group, claiming violations of state and federal laws governing debt collection. In dismissing the suit, Mannion found no basis for their claims, including an allegation of unjust enrichment.

Hardiman wrote that the appeal of Mannions ruling filed with his court lacked argument suitable for an appeal and simply repeated the contentions the district judge rejected. The Conboy/Gilsenan challenge to CBEs request for financial damages was yet another copy-and-paste job, Hardiman found, and he ordered them to pay CBE, even though Mannion had denied CBEs request for compensation. CBE sought compensation on grounds that the pairs lawsuit was frivolous.

The amount Conboy and Gilsenan will have to pay CBE remains uncertain pending further argument before the circuit court.

Seven year groups of school children in Northern Ireland have returned to classes after three months of home learning during the coronavirus lockdown.

Primary pupils in P4 to P7 and secondary school children in year groups 12 to 14 resumed face-to-face education on Monday morning.

Primary pupils in years P1 to P3, nursery and pre-school children are already back, having returned on March 8.

The final cohort, secondary pupils in years 8 to 11, is due to go back to classes on April 12 after the Easter holidays. That move is dependent on a Stormont review of the public health data at the time.

The winter surge of Covid-19 cases forced the closure of schools in January. Only vulnerable children and those of key workers had been able to attend classes prior to this month.

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Stormont Education Minister Peter Weir said it was a very good day for education in Northern Ireland and another important step forward for schools, pupils and parents.

This is a significant milestone in the return to a normalised educational environment, he said.

This has been a very challenging period for us all and given the significant disruption to our childrens learning and mental health our focus now must be educational and wellbeing support.

Mr Weir said his focus was now on developing plans to help children catch up on what they had missed out on during lockdown.

He said he would be bringing proposals to the Executive that included a wide range of summer school provision.

Rose and Reid Winnington arrive at Braniel Primary School in east Belfast (Peter Morrison/PA)

Diane Dawson, principal of Braniel Primary School in east Belfast, said she was elated to see all the children back for a day of fun with bouncy castles and an ice cream van.

I wanted the children to come back today and reconnect with their friends, she said.

I know that many of them are anxious about their school work, about what they have done or not done, I didnt want them coming in and being sat down in a classroom and thinking they were going to be assessed because we are not doing that to them.

Story continues

I just wanted to children to be able to come back and relax, and for the parents as well.

Ms Dawson also urged against any potential return to home-learning in future.

They cant go out again, I really hope that our children are back for good now, she said.

Its unthinkable, another lockdown for a school situation, it just cant happen.

As part of plans to return to classroom learning, Covid-19 lateral flow testing is being introduced for teachers and some older pupils.

The tests will be offered to staff in nurseries, pre-schools, primary schools and secondary schools and to pupils in year groups 12-14.

Pupils arrive back at Braniel Primary School in east Belfast (Peter Morrison/PA)

The tests are being introduced in a phased basis. They are being trialled and demonstrated in secondary schools this week ahead of a full rollout to other educational settings after the Easter holidays from April 12.

From that date there will be an expectation that year group 12-14 pupils will take the tests at home.

The timetable for returning to school was agreed by Stormont ministers as part of the initial steps of their lockdown exit strategy.

Several restrictions on wider society are due to lift next month, including:

From April 1

 Up to six people from no more than two households can meet outdoors in a private garden.

 Ten people, from no more than two households, are able to participate in outdoor sporting activities. Golf courses to reopen (clubhouses to remain closed).

 Click-and-collect purchases allowed from garden centres and plant nurseries.

Primary school pupils enjoy the bouncy castle at Braniel Primary School in east Belfast (Peter Morrison/PA)

From April 12

 Up to 10 people from no more than two households can meet outdoors in a private garden.

 Click and collect at all non-essential retail outlets.

 Stay-at-home requirement lifts. Will be replaced by stay local message.

 Outdoor sports training to resume for sports clubs affiliated with recognised governing bodies with no more than 15 participants in one training group. Indoor club facilities, apart from toilets, to remain closed.

The Executive has also amended regulations around elite sports to enable two World Cup qualification matches scheduled for March 25 and 31 to take place as well as a friendly match between Northern Ireland and the US on March 28.

No spectators will be permitted at any sporting event.

The April 12 easements are subject to final ratification by the Executive in the week before they come into effect, likely on April 8.

The death of one further patient who had previously tested positive for Covid-19 was reported on Sunday by Northern Irelands Department of Health.

Another 125 cases of the virus were also confirmed.
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MASON CITY, Iowa - Imagine if the car you rely on to get to work or get around to every day life is stolen. It may leave you completely lost, and trying to figure out what to do next.

Thanks to an Officer for Victims of Crime grant, the City of Mason City is looking to add a crime victim specialist to help with property crime victims that are caught in these situations.

Mary Ingham with Crisis Intervention Service has been working with Mason City Police and the City to create the position. The idea came about after her Mother's vehicle was stolen, which felt her feeling violated and life disrupted. While the main focus is generally on victims of violence, she feels that this position is a valuable asset to have in a community.

"When this grant opportunity came about, I realized that this happened to my mom. I saw the direct impact. Property crime is something I think a lot of times people minimize, but it does have a huge impact."

Lt. Logan Wernert with Mason City Police says the department reached out to Louisville, Kentucky and St. Petersburg, Florida to get an idea on how this position would work, which has seen great success. The grant calls for three years of funding, with the hopes of the public seeing the value of the position. Ingham hopes it can be expanded to other communities.

"We're hoping that this person can give some extra time for crime victims, work really close with law enforcement, and make our community a safer place to live for everyone."

This is the first such grant funded position in Iowa.

The City is accepting applications for the position until March 31.
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The corporate logo of the state oil company PDVSA is seen at a gas station in Caracas, Venezuela, on Nov. 16, 2017. (Marco Bello/Reuters)

Venezuela Gas Pipeline Tract Explodes; Oil Minister Blames Attack

CARACASA tract of a gas pipeline in eastern Venezuela suffered an explosion on Saturday afternoon, according to a report from state oil company PDVSA seen by Reuters, an incident the countrys oil minister blamed on an attack.

The explosion at the 36-inch pipeline providing natural gas to the Pigap II gas re-injection plant in northern Monagas state prompted PDVSA to temporarily shut the plant in order to halt the flames and evaluate the damages to the pipeline, according to the report.

Oil Minister Tareck El Aissami in a brief statement on state television late on Saturday called the incident a terrorist attack, without providing details about who was responsible or about the impact on the plant and pipeline.

OPEC-member Venezuela is home to massive crude and natural gas reserves but has seen output tumble to decades-low levels in recent years amid a nationwide economic collapse that has reduced PDVSAs cash flow and led to an exodus of qualified personnel.

Officials have in the past blamed explosions at pipelines and refineries, as well as blackouts and other infrastructure failings, on attacks aimed at sabotaging the countrys economy. Critics say the incidents are due to chronic lack of maintenance, underinvestment and mismanagement.

By Mayela Armas and Deisy Buitrago
MORE than 400,000 in funding has been announced for upgrade works on the Limerick Greenway between Abbeyfeale and Rathkeale.

The project is one of 14 large-scale projects which will share more than 6m in funding under under the government's Outdoor Recreation Infrastructure Scheme.

Announcing detaills of the latest round of funding, Minister for Rural and Community Development, Heather Humphreys said: "I know how important our outdoor amenities have been to everyone during Covid-19. Thats why one of my main priorities as Minister will continue to be investing in the great outdoors: Our greenways blueways, trails, cycle paths and forest walks. The Outdoor Recreation Infrastructure Scheme has provided invaluable investment for outdoor amenities and facilities in rural areas over the past five years."

Limerick TD and Minister-of-State Patrick ODonovan has welcomed the funding for the works on the Limerick Greenway.

"This is fantastic news for the Limerick Greenway. Over the last number of years, I have announced literally millions of euro in funding for this amenity and we have seen the benefit of it, particularly now during the recent lockdown. The investment that we are making now is part of continuing to improve it for locals and visitors alike," he said.

The latest round of funding is to improve the signage and the Greenway itself and is being done in conjunction with Failte Ireland and Limerick City and County Council. Over the recent past I have worked with the Council to help refurbish the tunnel in Barnagh which has been restored to its former glory also secure the two old stations in Ardagh and Barnagh for the Greenway. Today, more good news from the Government and Minister Humphreys, which I know will be welcomed locally.

Multi-million euro works to upgrade the Limerick Greenway began late last year and it is hoped it will be fully reopened to the public this summer.
MENLO PARK, Calif., March 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Global consulting firm Protiviti has been named to the 2021 'Best Workplaces in Texas' list by Great Place to Work. Nearly 73,000 employees from companies across Texas took the Great Place to Work survey that determines the list. Protiviti, recognized in the large company category made up of organizations with 1,000 or more employees in the U.S., has offices in Austin, Dallas and Houston.

Surveyed employees were asked to rate more than 60 elements describing the extent to which their organization creates a Great Place to Work For All, including the extent to which leaders are trusted, the respect with which people are treated, the fairness of workplace decisions and the level of camaraderie among team members.

"Our people have always been the key to our success and that has never been more true than during the last year," said Scott Redfearn, Dallas-based executive vice president of global human resources for Protiviti. "Being consistently recognized by our people as a best workplace through the years, in good times and challenging times, is an endorsement of the empowering, collaborative and client-focused culture that we've built together and provides a strong foundation for the future."

Great Place to Work analyzed what employees say about their experiences of trust and reaching their full human potential as part of their organizations  no matter who they are or what they do  and relative to each company's size, workforce make up, and what is typical in their respective industries and in Texas.

"Congratulations to the Best Workplaces in Texas," said Sarah Lewis-Kulin, vice president of global recognition at Great Place to Work. "These companies stand out because they are built on foundations of trust. Their leaders can expect excellent business results because their great employee experience is one of the best in the state. And not just for the C-suite, but for every demographic and every level of the organization."

Protiviti has made the Texas list on two previous occasions and since 2014 been named consistently to the annual Fortune 100 Best Companies to Work For list, which is also based on the Great Place to Work survey. Protiviti's parent company, Robert Half, with 16 offices in Texas, was also named to the 2021 Best Workplaces in Texas list.

About Protiviti

Protiviti (www.protiviti.com) is a global consulting firm that delivers deep expertise, objective insights, a tailored approach and unparalleled collaboration to help leaders confidently face the future. Protiviti and its independent and locally owned Member Firms provide clients with consulting and managed solutions in finance, technology, operations, data, analytics, governance, risk and internal audit through its network of more than 85 offices in over 25 countries.

Named to the 2020 Fortune 100 Best Companies to Work For list, Protiviti has served more than 60 percent of Fortune 1000 and 35 percent of Fortune Global 500 companies. The firm also works with smaller, growing companies, including those looking to go public, as well as with government agencies. Protiviti is a wholly owned subsidiary of Robert Half (NYSE: RHI). Founded in 1948, Robert Half is a member of the S&P 500 index.

Protiviti is not licensed or registered as a public accounting firm and does not issue opinions on financial statements or offer attestation services.

Editor's note: Protiviti photo available upon request.

SOURCE Protiviti

Related Links

http://www.protiviti.com


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The United Nations has welcomed the new initiative proposed by Saudi Arabia on Monday to bring the conflict in Yemen to an end which aligns with the UN-led efforts on the matter, UN spokesman Farhan Haq said in a press briefing

UNITED NATIONS (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 22nd March, 2021) The United Nations has welcomed the new initiative proposed by Saudi Arabia on Monday to bring the conflict in Yemen to an end which aligns with the UN-led efforts on the matter, UN spokesman Farhan Haq said in a press briefing.

Earlier on Monday, Saudi Arabia proposed a widespread United Nations-sponsored ceasefire in Yemen and said it is currently awaiting a response from the rebel Houthi movement.

"We welcome today's announcement by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia of its intention to undertake a number of measures to help end the conflict in Yemen, which align with the UN's initiative," Haq said.

"We also welcome Saudi support for UN efforts."

Haq also said UN Special Envoy Martin Griffiths will be engaging with all relevant parties, including the Houthis, to explore whether the United Nations can move forward on the Saudi initiative.

The Saudi plan provides for the resumption of the operation of the international airport in the Yemeni capital of Sana'a in some directions, the partial lifting of the blockade from the Yemeni port of Al Hudaydah and the channeling of proceeds from the use of the port to the joint account of the northern and southern authorities in the central bank.


Indian Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and US Secretary of Defence Lloyd James Austin III at Vigyan Bhawan in New Delhi, Saturday, March 20, 2021. A PTI Photo

NEW DELHI (PTI): India and the US have resolved to further expand their robust defence ties through deeper military-to-military engagement and logistic support, with the US describing the partnership as a "stronghold" of a free and open Indo-Pacific amidst China's growing assertiveness in the region.



After holding wide-ranging talks with Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin last Saturday said elevating the Indo-US defence partnership is a "priority" of the Biden administration, and that India is an increasingly important partner amid rapidly shifting international dynamics and a "central pillar" in Washington's approach towards the region.



"I reaffirmed our commitment to a comprehensive and forward-looking defence partnership with India as a central pillar of our approach to the region," he said, in a clear indication of the new US administration's foreign policy priorities.



Describing the talks as "comprehensive and fruitful", Singh said they agreed to enhance cooperation between Indian military and the US Indo-Pacific Command, Central Command and Africa Command, and that both sides are keen to work together to realise the full potential of the India-US comprehensive global strategic partnership.



It is understood that China's aggressive behaviour in Eastern Ladakh figured the talks.



Referring to Indo-US foundational agreements on defence cooperation, Singh said both sides discussed steps to be taken to realise the full potential of pacts such as LEMOA (Logistics Exchange Memorandum of Agreement), COMCASA (Communications Compatibility and Security Agreement) and BECA (Basic Exchange and Cooperation Agreement).



Singh also said the recent summit of leaders of India, the US, Japan and Australia under the Quad framework emphasised the resolve to maintain a free, open and inclusive Indo-Pacific region.



"India is committed to further consolidate our robust defence partnership with the US. I look forward to working with you closely to make the India-US relationship one of the defining partnerships of 21st century," Singh said.



In his media statement Austin, who arrived here on a three-day visit on Friday, said India is an increasingly important partner amid rapidly shifting international dynamics and Washington was committed to a "forward-looking" defence partnership with New Delhi as a central pillar of its approach to the region.



"As the world faces a global pandemic and growing challenges to an open and stable international system, the US-India relationship is a stronghold of a free and open Indo-Pacific region," he said.



The US Defence Secretary said as the Indo-Pacific region faces challenges to a free and open regional order, cooperation among like-minded countries is imperative to securing the shared vision for the future.



"We discussed opportunities to elevate the US-India Major Defence Partnership...a priority of the Biden-Harris Administration through regional security cooperation, military-to-military interactions, and defence trade," Austin said.



In addition, the two sides are continuing to advance new areas of collaboration, including information-sharing, logistics cooperation, artificial intelligence; and cooperation in new domains such as space and cyber, he added.



Describing his talks with Singh were "productive", he said a number of security issues which are important to the two countries were discussed.



"As the Indo-Pacific region faces acute transnational challenges, such as climate change, and challenges to a free and open regional order, cooperation among like-minded countries is imperative to securing our shared vision for the future," he said.



"Despite today's challenging security environment, the partnership between the US and India, the world's two largest democracies, remains resilient and strong and we will seek every opportunity to build upon this major partnership," he added.



In his comments, Austin also referred to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's comments that India stands for "freedom of navigation and overflight, unimpeded lawful commerce, and adherence to international law."



"This is a resounding affirmation of our shared vision for regional security in the Indo-Pacific. And it's clear that the importance of this partnership, and its impact to the international rules-based order will only grow in the years ahead," he said.



He said there was a discussion on engagement with like-minded partners through multilateral groupings such as the Quad and ASEAN. The 10-nation ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) is a key stakeholder in the Indo-Pacific region.



It is learnt that India's plan to procure around 30 multi-mission armed Predator drones from the US for the three services at an estimated cost of over USD 3 billion also figured in the talks.



The medium-altitude long-endurance (MALE) Predator-B drones, manufactured by US defence major General Atomics, are capable of remaining airborne for around 35 hours and can hunt down targets at land and sea.



The US Defence Secretary began his statement by condoling the death of a Group Captain of the Indian Air Force in a crash involving a Mig-21 Bison aircraft in Gwalior this week.



"First and foremost, I would like to express my deepest condolences for the tragic accident that killed an Indian Air Force pilot earlier this week," Austin said.



Group Captain Ashish Gupta was killed in the accident on Wednesday when his aircraft went down after taking off for a combat training mission.



The issue of India procuring a batch of S-400 air-defence missiles from Russia is learnt to have figured in the talks.



In October 2018, India signed a USD 5 billion deal with Russia to buy five units of the S-400 air defence missile systems, notwithstanding a warning from the Trump administration that going ahead with the contract may invite US sanctions.



Recently, the US imposed sanctions on Turkey under the Countering America's Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA) for purchase of S-400 missiles from Russia.


The Pennsylvania Commonwealth Court has approved the liquidation of Bedivere Insurance Company, formerly One Beacon Insurance Company, recognizing that the companys financial liabilities have exceeded its assets.

Bedivere, a domestic stock property/casualty company based in Pennsylvania, has consented to the liquidation process, in which policyholder claims will be paid through the state guaranty association system, subject to statutory limits and conditions.

Pennsylvania Insurance Commissioner Jessica Altman said in a Pennsylvania Insurance Department (PID) press release that the company wrote policies in all 50 states plus the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, American Samoa and Guam, although it stopped writing most new or renewal business in 2010. Bedivere wrote workers compensation, commercial auto, commercial liability, products liability and personal auto coverage policies.

Bedivere, known then as OneBeacon, entered runoff in 2013. OneBeacon consolidated its runoff business into four companies, including One Beacon Insurance Company, One Beacon America Insurance Company, Employers Fire Insurance Company and Potomac Insurance Company.

In 2014, OneBeacons runoff companies were acquired by Trebuchet, a wholly owned subsidiary of Armour Group Holdings Limited, and the four companies were renamed Bedivere Insurance Company, Lamorak Insurance Company, Employers Fire Insurance Company and Potomac Insurance Company.

In connection with the acquisition, the Pennsylvania Insurance Commissioner at the time issued an order placing certain restrictions on the companys operations. In 2020, Lamorak, Employers Fire and Potomac Insurance Companies merged with and into Bedivere Insurance Company.

During the continued run-off, Bediveres assets and liabilities reached the point that continued run-off under the supervision of the commissioner is no longer feasible, according to the PID press release.

PID now has a responsibility to take the necessary steps to liquidate the company, Altman stated in the release. The courts liquidation order triggers the state guaranty associations to pay policyholder claims to the maximum levels allowed by law, she added.

The liquidation order triggers the following process:

PID, as liquidator, takes over, secures the company and marshals all available assets to pay policyholder claims.

Working remotely, the liquidator analyzes the companys most recent financial data to understand the full scope of companys financial hole.

Policies (bonds) terminate within 30 days of liquidation order.

Policyholders with open claims will receive notice fully explaining the triggering of the guaranty funds and the process that will ensue shortly.

Creditors are also paid in order of priority and follow a proof of claims process.

The liquidator distributes any surplus funds to the shareholders.

The company is then formally dissolved.

Policyholder claims will continue to be covered by the state guaranty association system pursuant to law, and policy claims will be paid subject to the applicable state guaranty association coverage limit and conditions, Altman said in the release. Policyholders should continue to file claims as they have been in the past.

Source: Pennsylvania Insurance Department

Topics Carriers Pennsylvania
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Copyright  2021 Albuquerque Journal

In his past criminal cases, Cerbando Acosta-Carbajal got off lightly for being a small fish in the large pond of crime along the Mexican border.

But Acostas latest run-in with federal agents has him facing up to 20 years in federal prison.

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Acosta, 29, is charged with trying to smuggle semiautomatic rifles, pistols and thousands of rounds of ammunition into Mexico and is being held in pretrial detention because of his suspected ties to La Linea, the cartel that took over the port of Palomas in Mexico when the hierarchy of the Juarez Cartel fell apart.

Acosta lives in Palomas but ran a business in the Columbus area, so he was used to crossing the border on a regular basis, according to court records. He has relatives in the United States and Mexico. He has a New Mexico drivers license and a Social Security number.

In late January, Acosta was stopped by U.S. Customs Border Protection officers leaving the country in a black Cadillac ATS.

Acosta volunteered to the officers that he had purchased ammunition, which was enough for them to send Acosta and his Cadillac to secondary inspection where they searched the trunk of his vehicle.

Hidden behind bags of laundry, officers found rifles and pistols in more bags in the back of the trunk. The ammunition was found in the spare tire wheel well of the trunk, according to a criminal complaint filed in the case.

Acosta is facing charges that he attempted to smuggle three AK-47 semiautomatic rifles, three semiautomatic pistols, 3,300 rounds of ammunition and 29 magazines for the firearms into Mexico.

But it is his criminal past and ties to Mexican organized crime that have kept him in pretrial detention. Acosta has prior convictions for drug trafficking, money laundering and conspiracy to transport immigrants who were in the country illegally.

Ruled a danger

U.S. Magistrate Judge Kevin Sweazea ordered Acosta held until trial because his criminal history indicates that he likely has ties to a Mexico-based criminal organization which creates a danger to the community.

Acosta is charged with being a convicted felon in possession of firearms and ammunition, and attempting to smuggle the weapons into Mexico.

He faces 10 years in prison for each charge.

In 2015, Acosta was indicted on drug charges along with 20 others, including Ignacio Villalobos-Salinas.

Villalobos was, at that time, one of the leaders of La Linea and headed the organization that smuggled multiple kilogram loads of cocaine and marijuana from Juarez to Albuquerque. The organization moved its drug profits into Mexico through the Columbus-Palomas port of entry.

Acostas role was to bring drug money from Albuquerque to Palomas.

He, like the others, were caught on federal wiretaps discussing and documenting the transactions.

The wiretaps on cell phones recorded Acosta sending photos of a bad batch of marijuana to Villalobos organization in Mexico, along with a series of texts dealing with how to replace the bad marijuana.

There also were text messages between Acosta and others telling him where to pick up tens of thousands of dollars in Albuquerque and where to drop the money off in Deming and on some occasions in Palomas.

Another sentence

In 2016, Acosta pleaded guilty to conspiracy and money laundering charges and was sentenced to time served and three years of probation.

Villalobos, who has long been on the radar of federal law enforcement, was never arrested in that case. He was also named, but not arrested, in a case involving Columbus town officials who were buying firearms and transporting them to Palomas for Villalobos in 2011. The town officials pleaded guilty or were convicted.

While on federal probation for the 2015 case, Acosta was arrested in 2018 at a Border Patrol checkpoint on State Road 11 between Columbus and Deming in southern New Mexico.

According to court records, Acosta told agents he had been hired by a man named El Morado in Palomas to drive the two men to Albuquerque for $2,000.

Acosta said he needed the money to pay his child support and that El Morado made the arrangements for him to pick up the two men in Columbus.

In court documents, Border Patrol agents identified El Morado as Oscar Munoz-Rivera and said he was one of the main human smugglers in the Palomas-Columbus area.

Munozs criminal convictions involving human smuggling date to 1999.

Acosta pleaded guilty and was sentenced to three months in prison for violating his probation from the 2015 case and one month for the felony of transporting the immigrants who were in the country illegally.
Trisha Paul had just picked up her 11-year-old son, Trayson, from his Catholic school in Long Island, N.Y., last month when he shared unsettling news.

Earlier that day, the school's White headmaster had ordered Trayson, who is Black, to apologize to a teacher - while kneeling on the ground.

When Paul, 32, confronted headmaster John Holian of St. Martin de Porres Marianist School days later, Paul told The Washington Post, Holian admitted his role in the incident, and added that he'd been inspired by a Nigerian father who did the same to his son - a punishment Holian allegedly referred to as the "African and the Nigerian way."

"When he finished telling this story, I was just on the phone baffled," said Paul, who is Haitian American. "My child is not Nigerian. We don't share the same cultures or beliefs. You're assuming that because my child is Black that he must kneel down as well."

Holian has since been placed on a leave of absence as the school investigates the incident, according to an email the school's acting headmaster, James Conway, sent to parents last week.

"I want to assure you that St. Martin's neither condones nor accepts the actions of our headmaster," Conway wrote in the email. "The incident does not reflect our long, established values or the established protocols regarding student related issues."

Paul said she is horrified that her son was singled out for a special punishment because he is Black.

"This was a racist act," Paul said. "In other schools when they are disciplined, it's detention, it's extra homework, there are other ways to discipline a child. But degrading a child, humiliating them off the basis of generalizing him because he's just a Black boy, makes no sense."

Holian didn't immediately respond to a message from The Post late on Sunday.

The school in Uniondale, a Long Island suburb, has about 400 students. Paul, a hospital administrator who pays nearly $15,000 a year in tuition to St. Martin's, enrolled her son last October because she wanted a more challenging curriculum.

Her son is bubbly and extroverted, she said, so she could tell something was off as soon as she picked him up on Feb. 25.

Trayson told her that he began working on an assignment ahead of time while the class was still reading a text. When the teacher found out, Paul said, she ripped his worksheet in front of the class and told him he had failed to follow instructions. Then she took him to Holian's office, where he allegedly ordered him to kneel and apologize.

Paul said she was too shaken about the incident to confront the school immediately, but when Holian called on March 1 to discuss first Communion plans, she asked him what had happened.

"He admitted that he asked him to kneel down," Paul said. "He didn't acknowledge what happened was wrong or how I felt ... He wasn't remorseful or apologetic at all."

On March 4, Paul met with Holian in his office. The headmaster, according to Paul, repeated the story about the Nigerian parent, adding that "he felt that if he apologized standing up it wouldn't have been genuine."

Paul was not convinced by Holian's arguments. "This incident only occurred because my son is Black," Paul said.

The incident has had a lasting effect on her son, Paul said. At first he repeatedly asked questions like, "Why me?" and "Why do some people treat me differently because I'm Black?" but then became reserved and quiet. In early March, she placed him on remote learning instead of sending him back to class.

"He's just hurt and humiliated," Paul said.

On Friday, the school announced that Holian had been placed on administrative leave pending an internal investigation and condemned his actions.

"The manner in which he disciplined a St. Martin's student was not consistent with the policies and philosophy of St. Martin's," Conway wrote in the email.

Paul has hired an attorney and is unsure whether her son will return to school. She is demanding the headmaster step down and that the school implement racial sensitivity courses for its staff.

"As much as an apology would be great, I don't think it would erase anything of the impact it's had on my child," she said.
Hong Kong: Vaccine misinformation rejected

Chief Executive Carrie Lam today condemned those who are trying to sabotage the Governments anti-epidemic efforts by spreading misinformation about COVID-19 vaccines.

Mrs Lam made the statement when speaking to reporters after receiving her second COVID-19 jab this morning.

I would condemn a very small minority of people who try to sabotage our efforts by going the other way - so they are spreading fake news, misinformation and rumours on social media and also through other means.

Especially when these people are health professionals, I am extremely disappointed, because at the end of the day if Hong Kong has a major outbreak again, the people who suffer will be our healthcare professionals, especially those working in the Hospital Authority's facilities.

The Chief Executive also pointed out the Government has been transparent in providing information to the public concerning its vaccination programme.

As far as the confidence of the people in receiving COVID-19 vaccinations, I think transparency and full disclosure will help boost confidence, and the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government will spare no effort in raising the transparency in providing as much data as possible to the people of Hong Kong. We are now doing this on a daily basis.

I would appeal to all to look at this issue in a scientific and objective manner and join the government vaccination programme as soon as possible.

This story has been published on: 2021-03-22. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
By the turn of this month, it would be one year since the mega merger of 10 public sector banks (PSBs) into four was put into force. After the Union government announced its decision in August 2019, these PSBs were doing the ground work for the actual integration of the six merging banks (MBs) with four anchor banks (ABs). Symbolic of the change, name boards of the MBs were replaced by those of the ABs with effect from 1st April last year. A year before this, two PSBs were merged with the Bank of Baroda.

How smooth were these merger processes? Did they impact the customers? How did the IT platforms get integrated? How were human resources (HR) practices harmonised? How were the systems and procedures integrated? How were the employees treated?

Studying the impact of mergers on the claimed economies of scale and consequential higher earnings, efficiency and financial performance is premature at this stage. It is for academicians to undertake such full-fledged study.

As one who was associated with the industry for over three decades in different roles, I propose to make an assessment of the two merger exercises from purely a practitioners point of view. This analysis is based on the voluminous anecdotal data culled out from the stakeholders through diverse sourcesletters from the affected customers to newspapers in the local media, discussions with union functionaries, staff at the ground level, IT professionals and HR practitioners within the banks and messages under circulation in social media. For convenience, I would like to focus on the following five key areas:

1. Systems and procedures

2. Migration to different IT platforms

3. Integration of HR systems and practices

4. Impact on decision making

5. Cultural differences

Let me dwell on each of them with specific examples.

Systems and Procedures

There were differences in the internal systems and procedures followed by MBs and ABs. For instance, the procedures of processing loan applicationsthose that come from a huge mass of personal borrowersappraising them, sanctioning, documentation, and disbursements were different among the MBs and ABs.

In one MB, all these were centralised in a single office to ensure speedy disposal within a fixed time frame. In contrast, in the AB, the whole process has to pass through different layers spread in a few offices.

After the integration, the practice of AB is being followed resulting in a new experience of unusual delay affecting the loan aspirants and those who come for renewal or enhancement of existing credit facilities.

In one MB, a customer could get her cheque up to, say, Rs20,000 encashed instantly by approaching the single window operator (SWO), who was empowered to scrutinise the cheque, verify the balance in the account, formally authorise the payment and disburse the cash.

Or, if she applied for a demand draft (DD), the SWO would process the DD application, debit the amount to the account of, or receive cash from, the applicant, feed the details to the system from his own computer terminal, get the DD printed immediately, sign it and hand it over to the applicant in a matter of a few minutes.

After the merger, these customers find that there is no system of SWO in the new entity.

In another MB, for a loan against pledge of gold, the process was simple: the branch manager or his second in command could scrutinise the application, appraise the gold, sanction the permissible amount, execute a single document, which incorporated the promissory note and the letter of pledging the security to the bank along with what in banking parlance is called take delivery letter that authorises the bank to take the security with the consent of the applicant.

Similarly, in the case of a loan against a fixed deposit (FD), the decision would be at a single point; the document would be a single letter of demand promissory note (DPN)-cum-pledge of the FD authorising the bank to appropriate it against the liability in case of default.

Post-merger, such customers find a more layered processing, sanction, and disbursement and three documentsa DPN, a letter of pledge and a take delivery letter-each attracting separate stamp duty casting an additional burden on the small borrowers.

In one MB, a depositor could also pledge her FD for an overdraft limit and through cheques or net banking, draw money whenever she needed to. It was in the nature of a running account. The interest would be on the actual debit balance in the overdraft account.

After the merger, such depositors find that AB does not have the system of overdraft on pledge of FD; if they need temporary funds, they must avail a loan at one shot irrespective of the immediate needs.

In another MB, if there was a wrongful debit of an account, the branch manager had the power to reverse it and re-credit the appropriate amount to the account. In the AB, such corrective actions need prior sanction from higher authorities. Managers have no autonomy to rectify human or system related errors.

These instances demonstrate how post-merger, instead of adopting simpler, customer-friendly systems prevalent in MBs, ABs have retained their own cumbersome systems.

IT Integration

When the State Bank of India (SBI) took over, during 2017, its five associate banks, the IT alignment was smooth because before the merger the IT platforms were uniform in SBI and its associate banks. In the case of merger of PSBs, the integration posed a series of problems.

Each of the PSBs had its own customised version of IT software developed in-house or supplied by IT companies. The feedback I have gathered reflects the mess the banks are now in due to inadequate understanding of the differences.

A higher version of Finacle supplied by Infosys that was being followed by one MB was dumped in favour of the lower version destabilising the system itself after their so-called IT integration.

The field staff of the MBs had hardly any familiarisation exercise with a different template, nor were there any detailed do-it-yourself kits. They were simply asked to operate a new unfamiliar package. The messages that went viral from November onwards illustrate this.

Here are a few samples of the messages circulated in WhatsApp groups:

Pls have proper track of your deposits & keep your receipts & passbooks safe, they gave me a shock when they told that my 4 lakh FD is not reflected in system, it will become very difficult to prove in the absence of proper records or proof to produce.

XXX Mobile (An app of the AB) never opens in first attempt. After several attempts, it opens followed by a message server related issues, try later. The payees list has vanished. It was there yesterday. But vanished today. I had to add payees details again and again.

My cheque was returned by the bank stating that the balance in the account was subject to a lien. There was no loan or any liability on my part.

I had effected a remittance through NEFT to a beneficiary in M town. My account was debited but the beneficiary did not get the money in his account. When I approached the manager, he asked me to complain in writing to which there was no response for ten days! Only when I picked up an argument with the manager my account was re-credited with the missing amount.

In several cases, cheques were returned for want of funds when the accounts actually had balances to cover the cheque and penalties were debited to the account of the customer. Quarterly interests on fixed deposits (FDs) were not credited on the due dates. This failure affected the payment of loan instalments linked to deposit interests.

There were cases of non-renewal of matured FDs, despite auto-renewal mandate; when personally issues were raised, the banks asked the affected persons to give letters and such letters would not be acted upon promptly.

In transfer of data of customers of MBs to ABs data integrity was affected. Depositors found to their dismay that their relationships with nominees were different from what was originally provided: spouse became other, son became daughter and vice versa.

Addresses of the account-holders were not correctly transferred to the database of AB. Standing instructions and periodic interest payment mandates were not carried out.

This is first part of a two-part series.

(TR Bhat is former president of All India Bank Officers' Confederation (AIBOC) and former officer of Corporation Bank)
AS PRESSURE mounts on the Southern African Development Community (Sadc) to once again intervene in Zimbabwes political disputes, the Botswana-headquartered regional bloc says there is no reason for it to do so.

Speaking to the Daily News On Sunday yesterday, Sadcs outgoing executive secretary Stergomena Lawrence Tax also said it was up to President Emmerson Mnangagwa and other local stakeholders to decide whether to hold national dialogue or not to move the country forward.

In addition, Tax said, Sadc had not been approached by the opposition to help mediate Zimbabwes mooted national talks  stressing further that there was no crisis in the country which demanded its involvement.

Tax said it was up to the authorities and the opposition to use existing local mechanisms to find rapport with each other.

Zimbabwe as a sovereign state has its means and frameworks to guide the political affairs of the nation.

Sadc as a regional bloc recognises constitutions and legislations of member states, and encourages Sadc citizens to resolve national political differences through peaceful means while abiding by the relevant laws.

Peace and stability in the Sadc region is a key priority and a commitment that was made by all member states, Tax told the Daily News On Sunday.

In this regard, Sadc adopted a Protocol on Politics, Defence and Security Co-operation which stipulates interventions designed to prevent, manage, or resolve peace and security challenges, including significant intra and inter-State conflicts.

At present, there is no intra-state conflict in Zimbabwe that requires the activation of the regional response mechanisms, she added. Tax also said contrary to recent claims by the MDC Alliance that the coalition had approached the regional bloc to facilitate dialogue between Mnangagwa and the opposition, Sadc had not been called upon formally by anyone to involve itself in the local disputes.

Sadc is for Sadc citizens, and everyone is free to use relevant structures and mechanisms of Sadc.

Sadc institutional arrangements consist of a number of structures. As such, the question is open ended in terms of what is recent, and which structure was approached.

As far as the secretariat is concerned, we do not recall being recently approached. We are not aware of any challenges specific to Zimbabwe which require the activation of any of the regional response mechanisms, Tax further told the Daily News On Sunday.

This comes as there is a strong push by various groups in the country, including the church, for Mnangagwa, new opposition leader Douglas Mwonzora and MDC Alliance boss Nelson Chamisa to hold talks to help end Zimbabwes myriad challenges.

It also comes as the three key political figures have all appeared to warm up in recent weeks to the urgent need for national talks, to foster economic development and national unity in the country.

Last week, Chamisa said as part of its push for national dialogue, the MDC Alliance had approached the African Union (AU) and others to ensure that all-inclusive dialogue takes place. We have done our best. We have gone to Sadc. We continue to go to the AU. We continue to appeal to (South African) President (Cyril) Ramaphosa and also South Africa to play a role to bring us together.

When two brothers are not agreeing, there is need for a third brother, and we think that South Africa and even Botswana, Malawi or any other brother from Sadc or the AU would be an appropriate umpire to help underwrite and scaffold the coming together of brothers that are not agreeing.

So, yes, we still hope that its possible for people to agree on reforms. We have said we do not want to sit down to share power or to share government, Chamisa said during a meeting organised by the Crisis In Zimbabwe Coalition.

He also said that the responses that they had received from the AU and Sadc were positive. The responses are very encouraging because they are making every effort and we are optimistic.

I also hope that finally Mnangagwa will begin to see light, and will begin to understand that he has to feel for Zimbabweans.

Its not a normal country where you wake up to everything not working  nothing functions and thats a problem. We need to begin to start to feel for others. Zimbabweans are suffering and that suffering must really be a wake-up call in the conscience of Mr Mnangagwa.

Dialogue is important. Its actually a biblical injunction. Human creatures are a product of a dialogue  No solution to any national problem can be resolved without dialogue ultimately.

But if dialogue is not a possibility out of persuasion, it must be a possibility out of political action and that is why citizens must come together and unite, Chamisa added.

All this also comes after the church recently presented Mnangagwa, Mwonzora and Chamisa with a draft national talks framework.

The countrys top clerics, converging under the banner of the Zimbabwe Heads of Christian Denominations (ZHOCD), have been going full steam to foster talks between Mnangagwa and his political rivals.

The ZHOCD is made up of the Zimbabwe Council of Churches (ZCC), Zimbabwe Catholic Bishops Conference, the Evangelical Fellowship of Zimbabwe and the Union of the Development of Apostolic Churches in Zimbabwe  these bodies are believed to represent about 80 percent of the countrys Christians.

The proposal is being shared with the diplomatic community, the business sector and civil society for their consideration because this is a conversation that the whole nation must have consideration regarding how we find consensus and lasting solutions to the challenges we are facing, ZHOCD secretary-general, Kenneth Mtata, told the Daily News last month.

However, and in a significant setback to the talks push, the ruling Zanu PF has described churches as dishonest brokers.

Speaking to the Daily News On Sundays sister paper, the Daily News at the weekend, Zanu PFs secretary for security, Lovemore Matuke, said the ZCC, in particular, was against the ruling party.

What the ZCC is doing  is not what a church does. We have gathered intelligence as the Zanu PF security department that shows that its being driven and funded by people who are pursuing a regime change agenda in the name of national dialogue, he charged.

In the meantime, political analysts such as renowned professor of World Politics at the University of Londons School of Oriental and African Studies, Stephen Chan, have said dialogue is the best way to help end Zimbabwes decades-long myriad challenges. Daily News
Armenia MFA information department chief: All deputy FMs carrying out their duties

Ardshinbank invited children to the cinema on International Childrens Day

Armenia judiciary to have 10 more judges

Armenia acting premier: We had recorded 40% increase in tax revenues according to 2019 results

Armenia acting PM on Artsakh war casualties bodies: We have 50 remains in which case DNA was not separated

Azerbaijan authorities plan to "squeeze" everything from "terrorist show" related to Armenian captives

Ameriabank Announces a Contest for Bank Card Design

108 new cases of COVID-19 confirmed in Armenia

Armenia parliament convenes special session

Armenia interim government holding Cabinet meeting

Catholicos of All Armenians heads for Syunik Province, Artsakh

World oil prices going up

Iran loses right to vote in UN General Assembly

Newspaper: Armenia authorities come up with new way of punishing unwanted characters

Newspaper: Russia army Southern Military District deputy commander to arrive in Yerevan Thursday

Lebanese Armenian man taken prisoner by Azerbaijan is hospitalized

Armenia ex-President Kocharyan: Are we getting under the burden? Then lets get under to the end

Armenia acting health minister on keeping fallen soldiers bodies in bags: What else should they be kept in?

Armenia acting health minister on citizens' demand for her resignation

Karabakh's new State Minister Artak Beglaryan on his appointment and future activities

Armenian, Russian and Azerbaijani representatives hold consultations in Moscow

2 Armenian soldiers receive slight injuries after incident with Azerbaijani servicemen in Armenia's Gegharkunik

Armenian boy weighing 5 kg born at Goris Medical Center

"Armenia" bloc representative presents purpose of participation in elections and plans

Isaac Herzog elected President of Israel

Rouhani: Main issues between Tehran, Washington resolved in Vienna

Charles Michel calls on Armenia and Azerbaijan to resume constructive negotiations

US Department of State responds to Pashinyan's proposal to deploy international observers on Armenia-Azerbaijan border

Head of Armenia 2nd President's Office: Robert Kocharyan's public meetings are held in warm atmosphere

Opposition "Armenia" bloc's representative on photos and videos showing bags of deceased servicemen's bodies

Armenia Ombudsman, AGBU President discuss war crimes committed by Azerbaijan during Karabakh war

Opposition "Armenia" bloc's representatives to hold briefings three times a week

Opposition "Armenia" bloc member: Blood-freezing photos and videos from morgue in Abovyan are authorities' reflection

Yerevan mayor receives Netherlands Ambassador

Armenia Health Ministry, Investigative Committee keep info about sending remains of dead soldiers abroad confidential

Armenia Prosecutor General's Office launches case regarding leaving sacs of servicemen's bodies/remains in basement

Peskov: Putin and Biden to discuss cybersecurity issues

Armenia's Pashinyan meets with Belgian PM Alexander De Croo

Armenia acting MOD receives Netherlands Ambassador

Armenia Police: 3 citizens apprehended during protest demanding acting health minister's resignation

NATO warns Minsk about further consequences of Ryanair incident

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
A nightmare facing a couple who purchased a home for cash perfectly illustrates why having the government over-involved in the rental market is a disaster even for people who never meant to lease their property but are plagued by a squatter. A couple who bought a house in good faith now find themselves mired in California's labyrinthine tenants' laws, exacerbated by the new COVID rules.

Riverside is a large suburban area located about 50 miles east of downtown Los Angeles  although it's still considered part of the Greater Los Angeles area. Tracie and Myles Albert, a young couple in Riverside, found what they thought was the perfect home: a four-bedroom that they could buy quickly, for cash.

On January 31, 2020, the Alberts scraped together $560,000 in cash and gained title to the property. They have yet to move in.

Despite having pocketed $560,000 and given up title, the original owner refuses to leave. Even under normal circumstances, this would be a problem for the new homeowners because California landlord-tenant laws are so hostile to the landlord. While the former owner isn't technically a tenant  because there is no lease and no landlord-tenant relationship, and he owes no rent  it's notoriously difficult to oust even squatters from properties in California.

Unfortunately for the Alberts, they have something worse to contend with than ordinary California law. They're also fighting the new COVID rules:

[Chris] Taylor [the Alberts' realtor] says, "It's genuinely unfathomable to me that we live in a state where something like this is even possible. They closed escrow on this home January 31, 2020." The Alberts and Taylor have contacted authorities and tried to get the seller evicted but because of the pandemic, they've gotten nowhere. "They have this case under a COVID tenant situation, of no evictions when it doesn't fall under that at all. This transaction went through in January 2020 before any of that, it isn't a renter who was getting thrown out. It's the guy who collected all of this money," stated Myles.

What's happening to the Alberts isn't unique. According to an eviction attorney, Dennis Block, "[t]his year alone, we've handled at least 7, maybe 8, cases of this exact type of situation."

The Alberts' experience is more than just a human interest story about one couple's nightmare real estate experience. It's also a warning about the future that the Democrats have planned for property owners across America.

Just last week, American Thinker published Anony Mee's essay about Ilhan Omar's draft bill, H.R. 1847, which is meant to throw landlords to the wolves, at which point the government will essentially take over rental property in America. As the Alberts' nightmare shows, once you have leftists in charge, anyone who is occupying a property, whether renting or squatting, is treated as a tenant. The California model will become the national system if Omar's bill becomes law.

And if you're a tenant and think, "Well, this might be good for me," disabuse yourself of that notion. Two things happen when the government takes control of rental properties through overwhelmingly pro-tenant laws.

First, the amount of available housing stock shrinks because there is no incentive for anyone to become a landlord.

Second, those properties that do remain on the market are invariably in horrific condition. This is because (a) there's heavy competition for the few available properties, so there's no incentive for landlords to improve the property and (b) because landlords are subject to rent control and may find it almost impossible to evict people for non-payment, they don't have funds for property improvements.

It gets worse when the government is the landlord. Just think of every horrible housing project or Section 8 community built in America in the 1960s and 1970s. Every one of them became a crime-ridden hellhole.

No matter where you live, even if your representative is a Republican, you must speak up about H.R. 1847, to make very sure it doesn't pass. Remember: Republicans tend to be squishes, and their leftist colleagues can bully them into voting for stupid things. You need to get there first.

Image: The Riverside house. YouTube screen grab.
Michael Sherwin, acting U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia, speaks at a press conference to give an update on the investigation into the Capitol Hill riots in Washington, on Jan. 12, 2021. (Sarah Silbiger/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)

Evidence in US Capitol Breach Could Support Sedition Charges: Federal Prosecutor

Evidence that federal investigators have collected during their criminal probe into the Jan. 6 breach of the U.S. Capitol could result in sedition charges, the federal prosecutor who is leading the investigation said in a recent interview.

Michael Sherwin, former acting U.S. attorney in Washington, told CBS News 60 Minutes that the evidence obtained by federal investigators so far would likely allow the federal government to prove cases of sedition against some individuals.

Under federal law, sedition includes a conspiracy to overthrow the U.S. government, or to oppose the authority by force, or prevent, hinder, or delay the execution of any law of the United States. These charges carry a penalty of up to 20 years imprisonment.

I personally believe the evidence is trending toward that, and probably meets those elements, Sherwin said. I believe the facts do support those charges. And I think that, as we go forward, more facts will support that.

Sherwin said in January that he had ordered a strike force of very senior national security prosecutors and public corruption prosecutors to build seditious and conspiracy charges related to the most heinous acts that occurred in the Capitol.

So far, none of the more than 400 cases the Justice Department opened in relation to the Jan. 6 breach have charged sedition. But a small portion of the defendants has been charged with conspiracy, including individuals affiliated with militia groups such as the Oath Keepers.

Sherwin said of those 400 defendants, more than 80 percent of the individuals were charged with trespassing on the U.S. Capitol, while about 100 individuals have been charged with assaulting federal and local police officers.

He said he witnessed the breach as it was unfolding. He had dressed in running clothes and joined the crowd at then-President Donald Trumps rally that day to gauge the temperature of the crowd.

It was like a carnival environment. People were selling shirts, popcorn, cotton candy, I saw hot dogs. As the morning progressed, I noticed though there were some people that werent the typical, carnival-type people. I noticed there were some people in tactical gear. They were tacked up with Kevlar vests. They had the military helmets on. Those individuals, I noticed, left the speeches early, he said.

Sherwin followed those individuals and began noticing they were getting more riled up.

Where it was initially pro-Trump, it digressed to anti-government, anti-Congress, anti-institutional. And then I eventually saw people climbing the scaffolding. The scaffolding was being set up for the inauguration. When I saw people climbing up the scaffolding, hanging from it, hanging flags, I was like, This is going bad fast,' he said.

He said federal investigators are probing every aspect of the breach, including whether Trump had a role in the incident.

Sherwin has been overseeing the Capitol riot investigation from the start as the acting U.S. attorney in Washington. He stepped down from the role on March 19 following a transition of the investigation to the new Acting U.S. Attorney Channing Phillips and has returned to Miami.
 

EBRD loan for commercial buildings in Kyiv and Kharkiv

Support for Dragon Capitals real estate portfolio and its commitment to sustainability

Bank committed 2 billion to Ukraines economy over past two years

The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) is supporting the development of low-emission sustainable property by providing financing to the real estate portfolio of Ukraines investment company Dragon Capital.

The Bank is extending a US$ 12.5 million loan for the refurbishment of an office building in Kyiv with 9,000 square metre gross lettable area (GLA) and the acquisition of two warehouses located in Kyiv and Kharkiv with a total GLA of 26,000 square metres.

Supported by the EBRDs expertise, Dragon Capital aims to retain the Very Good rating level of the Kyiv office building under BREEAM, the world's leading method of assessing, rating, and certifying the sustainability of buildings.

In addition, in an innovative approach for Ukraine, tenants will be asked to sign green lease agreements which will require them to minimise the environmental footprint.

Sustainability is at the heart of EBRD investment. Already at the forefront of climate and environmental action, the Bank is aiming to devote over 50 per cent of its annual investments to the green economy by 2025.

Ukraine is a top three investment destination for the EBRD. In the past two years alone, the Bank has committed 2 billion to the economy. The investments are combined with support for policies that promote the fight against corruption, good governance of state-owned enterprises, structural reforms and a more transparent business environment.
Billions of people's lives changed across the world when the pandemic began, as we experienced a 'new normal' with more people being online than ever before

With this there came a surge of unique cyber-crime related circumstances affecting society and businesses

On some days 3 or 4 unique cyber-attacks were being reported during the pandemic, a consortium of researchers have found

There has been a remarkable surge in cyber-security crime experienced during the global COVID-19 pandemic, with a particular significance between governmental policy announcements and cyber-crime campaigns. A consortium of researchers, including WMG, University of Warwick report that some days as many as 3 to 4 new cyber-attacks were being reported.

The COVID-19 pandemic created a new normal for billions of people around the world, with people working from home, ordering shopping and socialising online as shops and businesses were closed. However, with an increased amount of people being online, an increase in cyber-attacks has also been found.

Researchers from WMG, University of Warwick, Abertay University, University of Kent, University of Oxford and University of Strathclyde worked in collaboration in the study, 'Cyber Security in the Age of COVID-19: A Timeline and Analysis of Cyber-Crime and Cyber-Attacks during the Pandemic,' published in the journal Computers & Security.

By using the UK as a case study, the paper reveals the explicit connection between governmental policy announcements and cyber-crime campaigns. Although this is a pattern that's been suspected for a while, this is the first analysis from 100s of cases around the world which makes this connection clear.

Since the outbreak of the pandemic in 2019 there have been reports of scams impersonating public authorities such as the World Health Organisation, and organisations such as supermarkets and airlines targeting support platforms such as PPE and offering COVID-19 cures. They often target the public, who are now socialising and spending more time online in general, as well as the increased population of people who are working from home.

Such scams can be sent by text or e-mail, and in most cases a URL pointed to a fake institutional website which requests debit/credit card details.

In order to support ongoing research, the researchers have proposed a novel timeline of 43 cyber-attacks related to the COVID-19 pandemic. This timeline and the subsequent analysis can assist in understanding those attacks and how they are crafted, and as a result, to better prepare to confront them if ever seen again.

They found that from the point that the first case was announced in China (8/12/19) the first reported cyber-attack was 14 days later. From this point onwards the timeframe between events and cyber-attacks reduced dramatically.

The cyber -attacks were categorised, and it was found:

86% involved phishing and/or smishing

65% involved malware,

34% involved financial fraud

15% involved extortion

13% involved pharming

5% involved hacking

5% involved denial of service

Dr Harjinder Lallie, from WMG, University of Warwick comments:

"The analysis presented in this paper has highlighted a common modus-operandi of many cyber-attacks during the coronavirus period.

"Many of the cyber-attacks begin with a phishing campaign which directs victims to download a file or access a URL. The file or the URL act as the carrier of malware which, when installed, acts as the vehicle for financial fraud. The analysis has also shown that to increase the likelihood of success, the phishing campaign leverages media and governmental announcements. In fact some days we recorded as many as 3-4 new scams."

Dr Xavier Bellekens from the University of Strathclyde, said: "Over the last year we have seen a surge in cyber-attacks targeting critical infrastructures, governments, organisations and end-users, influenced by governmental announcements. These have ranged from targeted attacks to selling counterfeited respirators to hospitals, denying of essential services through ransomware, selling fake online Covid-19 testing equipment as well as more recently, generating fake Covid travel tests.

"These techniques, while common, had never been observed in relation to an event of this magnitude, making this study unique."

Dr Lynsay Shepherd of Abertay's Division of Cybersecurity said:

"Cybercrime is a highly sophisticated and organised activity and it did not come as a surprise to anyone in the cybersecurity industry that these individuals and groups used the Covid-19 pandemic as a vehicle to launch attacks.

"It is unlikely there will ever be a time when we can eradicate cybercrime. Therefore we must continue to educate everyone from as early a stage as possible, train our graduates to understand the mindset of cybercriminals as we do at Abertay, and to continue to invest in research, development, innovation and infrastructure."

Dr Jason Nurse from the Institute of Cyber Security for Society (iCSS) at the University of Kent said:

"Covid-19 has had a substantial negative impact on society, and this impact, as we show in our new research, has also meant a notable increase in cybercrime globally.

"There are several significant novel findings emerging from our analysis, but the one I found most salient was the targeted use of threats, scare tactics and fake incentives within attacks. Cybercriminals clearly understood that many people would be anxious, worried, distracted and away from their support networks (personal or work-related), and sought to exploit this as much as possible. I hope our research can provide a pathway for future work into faster reaction to these cyberattacks, and also increase society's awareness of their prevalence."

Dr Arnau Erola, from the Department of Computer Science at the University of Oxford adds:

"Cybercriminals take any opportunity to their advantage. By getting insights on their modus operandi, polices to tackle cybercrime can become more effective. This is not only deterring cybercriminals from their unlawful activities but also educating the society about improper and unethical actions."

###

22 MARCH 2021
Sonys 360 Reality Audio technology knocked our socks off when we reviewed its headphone implementation in early 2020. The audio company is now taking pre-orders on two self-powered smart speakers that can deliver its object-based immersive-audio technology.

The Sony SRS-RA3000 ($299) and the larger SRS-RA5000 ($699, pictured above) will join Amazons Echo Studio as the only loudspeakers capable of decoding 360 Reality Audio tracks, which can be streamed from Amazon Music HD, Tidal, and a few other services. A feature Sony has dubbed Immersive Audio Enhancement promises to deliver a similar effect with normal stereo tracks.

Sony The Sony SRS-RA3000 smart speaker, $299, can play music encoded with Sonys object-based immersive audio technology 360 Reality Audio.

The smaller SRS-RA3000 is outfitted with dual .6875-inch tweeters, a 3.125-inch full-range driver, and a pair of 4 x 1.5-inch passive radiators The beefier SRS-RA5000 is equipped with a trio of upfiring 1.8125-inch drivers, three side-firing mid speakers of that same size, and a 2.875-inch down-firing subwoofer. The company hasnt released details about what type of amplification either speaker will use.

In addition to streaming music via Wi-Fi or Bluetooth (with SBC and AAC codec support), both models are outfitted with 3.5mm aux inputs. They also support both Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant, although as with Sonos smart speakers, youll need to choose which one to activate, as they cant use both at the same time. Sonys new speakers can be deployed in multi-room setups and theyre also compatible with both Chromecast and Spotify Connect.

Sony expects to ship both speakers in April, and well have an in-depth review of the SRS-RA5000 in the coming weeks.
In North Carolina, the nation's leading tobacco producer, any adult who has smoked more than 100 cigarettes in their lifetime can now be vaccinated against Covid.

In Florida, people under 50 with underlying health conditions can get vaccinated only if they have written permission from their doctor.

In Mississippi, more than 30,000 Covid vaccine appointments were open Friday  days after the state became the first in the contiguous United States to make the shots available to all adults.

In California  along with about 30 other states  people are eligible only if they are 65 or older or have certain health conditions or work in high-risk jobs.

How does any of this make sense?

"There is no logical rationale for the system we have," said Graham Allison, a professor of government at Harvard University. "We have a crazy quilt system."

Jody Gan, a professional lecturer in the health studies department at American University in Washington, D.C., said the lack of a national eligibility system reflects how each state also makes its own rules on public health. "This hasn't been a great system for keeping, you know, the virus contained," she said.

The federal government bought hundreds of millions of doses of Covid vaccines from Pfizer, Moderna and Johnson & Johnson  as well as other vaccines still being tested  but it left distribution largely up to the states. Some states let local communities decide when to move to wider phases of eligibility.

When the first vaccines were cleared for emergency use in December, nearly all states followed guidance from the federal government's Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and restricted use to front-line health workers and nursing home staffs and residents.

But since then states have gone their own way. Some states have prioritized people age 75 and older, while others have also allowed people who held certain jobs that put them at risk of being infected or had health conditions that put them at risk to be included with seniors for eligibility. Even then, categories of jobs and medical conditions have varied across the country.

As the supply of vaccines ramped up over the past month, states expanded eligibility criteria. President Joe Biden promised that by May 1 all adults will be eligible for vaccines and at least a dozen states say they will beat that date or, as in the case of Mississippi and Alaska, already have.

But the different rules among states  and sometimes varying rules even within states  created a mishmash. This has unleashed "vaccine jealousy" as people see friends and family in other states qualify ahead of them even if they are the same age or have the same occupation. And it has raised concerns that decisions on who is eligible are being made based on politics rather than public health.

The hodgepodge mirrors states' response overall to the pandemic, including wide disparities on mask mandates and restrictions for indoor gatherings.

"It's caused a lot of confusion, and the last thing we want is confusion," said Harald Schmidt, an assistant professor of medical ethics and health policy at the University of Pennsylvania.

As a result, some Americans frantically search online every day for an open vaccine appointment, while vaccines in other states go wanting.

The assorted policies have also prompted thousands of people to drive across state lines  sometimes multiple state lines  for an open vaccine appointment. Some states have set up residency requirements, although enforcement has been uneven and those seeking vaccines are often on the honor system.

Todd Jones, an assistant professor of economics at Mississippi State University near Starkville, said the confusion signals a need for a change in how the government handles the vaccine. "The Biden administration should definitely be thinking about how it might want to change state allocations based on demand," Jones said. "If it does become clear that some states are actually not using lots of their doses, then I think it would make sense to take some appointments from these states to give to other states that have higher demand."

Jagdish Khubchandani, a professor of public health at New Mexico State University, said no one should be surprised to see 50 different eligibility systems because states opposed a uniform federal eligibility system.

"Many governors don't want to be seen as someone who listens to the federal government or the CDC for guidance," he said. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, a Republican, has boasted of ignoring the CDC advice when he opted to make anyone 65 and older eligible beginning in December.

"There is a lot of political posturing in deciding eligibility," Khubchandani said.

To be sure, governors also wanted the flexibility to respond to particular needs in their states, such as rushing vaccines to agricultural workers or those in large food-manufacturing plants.

Jones said the decision to open vaccines to all adults in the state may sound good, but Mississippi has one of the nation's lowest vaccination rates. Part of that is attributed to hesitancy among some minority communities and conservatives. "It's good news everybody can get it, but there doesn't seem to be a whole lot of demand for it."

Jones, 34, was able to go online for a shot on Tuesday and was vaccinated at a large church a short drive from his home on Thursday morning. "I was very happy," he said.
Theresa May said members of the National Security Council felt comfortable to speak as freely as they had done previously after she dismissed Gavin Williamson as defence secretary for allegedly leaking security discussions.

The former prime minister told a session of Parliaments National Security Strategy Committee that there was a slight judder in confidence among members following the incident.

Mr Williamson was sacked as defence secretary following an inquiry into the leak of information from a National Security Council meeting about Huaweis involvement in the 5G network.

The Education Secretary, who was appointed to his current position by Prime Minister Boris Johnson some three months later, denied he was the source of the leak.

Education Secretary Gavin Williamson (Aaron Chown/PA)

Mrs May, who also served as home secretary from 2010 to 2016, was asked if the leak had affected how well the National Security Council operated and how long it took to recover.

I think there was a slight sense initially of concern, particularly obviously from those who werent the politicians sitting around the table, about the advice and evidence that they were giving in to the council, she told the committee.

Because it had always been the case that the assumption was and it had practically been the case since it was set up that nothing leaked from the National Security Council.

And its really important that nothing leaks from it, because of the nature of the discussions we are having, and you want the agencies, Ministry of Defence and others, who are advising you, to believe and feel confident that they have the freedom to give their best and genuine advice, without feeling that they have got to hold something back.

So, a slight judder, if you like, when this incident happened, when people were concerned initially, but I think we then got back into the rhythm of people recognising that they could speak as freely as they had done previously.

Ministers have since declared that technology from Chinese firm Huawei must no longer be used in the UKs 5G communications network and that existing kit must be stripped out because of security fears.

Mrs May, who ended her turbulent reign as Tory leader in 2019, was also asked to what extent did her government assess long-term strategic issues, such as the UKs relationship with China.

We have seen more recently more specific concerns around the human rights issues in China, and of course prior to that around the threat issue of China, she told the committee.

The Huawei issue was very live when I was prime minister, continued obviously after I had stepped down. The Government has now taken a decision as to where to go on that, but it was an issue when I was home secretary as well.

These questions have been there, if you like, in the background I think and being considered. They have come into more public prominence, I would say, in recent years.

Referring to the publication of the Governments Integrated Review of foreign and defence policy, Mrs May said that it had tried to strike a balance in its view of China.

She said: It is a major economy, it is a major player on the world stage, we know the way it has reached out across the world. I dont think we can live in a world where we think we can shut China out in some sense.

We have to find a way of balancing the relationship with China, which is economic on one side, and then the concerns about security and human rights on the other.
NEW YORK, March 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- TritonExec, a global executive search firm specializing in Digital, Professional Services and Private Equity markets is pleased to announce that Natalie Zingo has joined the firm as a Partner in North America.

Based in Miami, Zingo comes to TritonExec with vast expertise in fintech and high-growth private equity backed companies. She will play a pivotal role in expanding the company's Sales & Marketing service line as well as diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives.

"We are extremely excited to welcome Natalie to the TritonExec team. Natalie brings a wealth of experience that will be key to continuing our growth within the US market," says Jonathan Morris, Partner and Co-Founder. "Her work with leading technology-focused private equity firms and their portfolio companies will add to our firm's strength in these practice areas. Her passion for DE&I initiatives will have an immediate impact on our company's culture, values and growth."

A market leader in digital transformation, Natalie has delivered on executive level searches for both single search and multi-hire projects for over a decade. Previously Natalie was Managing Director of a UK headquartered Technology Recruitment Firm where she was responsible for scaling their America's business.

"It's incredibly exciting to be joining the TritonExec family," says Zingo, "Their sector specialism and innovative approach to search brings tremendous value to the marketplace, and their innovative service offerings, specifically hiring executives at scale, separate them from the old school and rigid qualities existing in traditional executive search. I am looking forward to continuing to drive growth and to bring flexibility and results to clients in the technology and private equity sectors."

About TritonExec

TritonExec focuses on executive search and talent advisory services for the Digital and Technology, Professional Services, and Private Equity industries. Its growing business and influence is headquartered in London, with US offices in Atlanta and New York.

Taking clients on a journey to reimagine the talent acquisition process while curating world class candidate experiences to drive the most successful hiring outcomes, TritonExec enables growth in their clients' businesses.

By innovating beyond rigid and traditional recruitment solutions and removing the transactional nature of hiring processes, TritonExec offers specialized services for executive leadership hires, board-level placements, multi-hire programs, and Executive Search Process Outsourcing (ESPO).

Photo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1459399/TritonExec_Natalie_Zingo.jpg

View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/tritonexec-continues-its-north-america-expansion-in-its-technology-and-private-equity-practice-with-addition-of-natalie-zingo-partner-301250476.html

SOURCE TritonExec
[March 22, 2021] AT&T Business and Barbara Corcoran Guide Small Businesses on the Power of Being Customer-Centric in 2021 Free Webinar Series

DALLAS, March 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- What's the news? AT&T Business and Barbara Corcoran, founder of The Corcoran Group and notable "Shark" on ABC's Shark Tank, are extending their insightful, informative and free webinar series, "'Business Unusual', Smart Ideas for Small BusinessPresented by AT&T Business," starting on March 24. The 2021 continuation of this highly successful series features 4 new webinars hosted by Barbara Corcoran that can help small businesses learn how to acquire new customers, keep the customers they already have and succeed in today's rapidly changing business environment. Each of the 4 webinars will feature recognized, widely trusted business experts sharing advice that can help small businesses improve the customer experience: a key differentiator that can make or break their businesses. According to a 2020 report from Forbes Insight and Arm Treasure Data, 74% of consumers are somewhat or very likely to buy from a company based entirely on their experience  regardless of the price or product. And 77% consider a company's customer experience to be just as important as the quality of its products or service. Why is this important? On the heels of historical levels of federal government economic stimulus  a record $5.2 trillion since March 2020 - U.S. GDP is estimated to grow 5.95% in 2021, the fastest in 40 years, according to a recent survey of more than 60 economists by The Wall Street Journal. Business experts participating in "'Business Unusual', Smart Ideas for Small BusinessPresented by AT&T Business" will be offering practical guidance that can help small businesses seize the moment to grow their business as the economy restarts. The Who/What/When/Where: Each of these webinars will be livestreamed and hosted by Barbara Corcoran, airing at 1:00 p.m. CDT on its respective date. Webinar dates and themes are listed below. March 24  Reimagining the small business model.

 Reimagining the small business model. Guests include Stacey Marx , President, AT&T National Business & Channls and Rebecca Jarvis , ABC News' Chief Business, Economics and Technology Correspondent

, President, AT&T National Business & Channls and , ABC News' Chief Business, Economics and Technology Correspondent May 19  How to grow your customer base.

 How to grow your customer base. August 25  Enhancing the customer experience in a digital space.

 Enhancing the customer experience in a digital space. October 6  How to gain trust and build customer loyalty.



How do I sign up? Users can register to view every webinar live on their respective dates at 888Barbara.com at no cost. They can also submit questions they want answered during the March 24 stream 2 different ways  by responding to any of Barbara's social media posts about the new webinar series with their questions or by calling 1-888-BARBARA.

A video of highlights of last year's 12 webinars can be viewed here. Barbara Corcoran, founder, The Corcoran Group

"There's 5.2 trillion reasons for business owners to be highly optimistic, thanks to record federal stimulus over the last 12 months. As the new normal emerges, success will be earned by those businesses that carefully navigate the waters of customer acquisition, retention and experience based on wise decisions about their business models and the technology capabilities that will propel them forward. We're going to cover that and more in the webinars sponsored by AT&T Business." Stacey Marx, President, AT&T National Business & Channels

"Digitally-savvy small businesses that adopt fast, reliable and highly-security connectivity to gird a seamless, sticky digital and physical customer experience will be the winners in 2021. These businesses will find new customers and deepen customer loyalty by winning hearts, minds and a greater share of customer spend." Barry Moltz, Small Business Expert, Author and Consultant

"The COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated by 10x the requirement for small businesses to digitally transform their companies. The "'Business Unusual', Smart Ideas for Small BusinessPresented by AT&T Business" webinars can help every business determine a winning approach to digital evolution so they can thrive in our post-pandemic world." For more information about our small business solutions and how we're supporting small businesses, please visit att.com/smb . 1  Data as of March 15, 2021 from TracktheRecovery.org. *About AT&T Communications

We help family, friends and neighbors connect in meaningful ways every day. From the first phone call 140+ years ago to mobile video streaming, we @ATT innovate to improve lives. AT&T Communications is part of AT&T Inc. (NYSE:T). For more information, please visit us at att.com. AT&T Communications is part of AT&T Inc. (NYSE:T). For more information, please visit us at att.com. View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/att-business-and-barbara-corcoran-guide-small-businesses-on-the-power-of-being-customer-centric-in-2021-free-webinar-series-301252486.html SOURCE AT&T Communications

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Baby P's mother Tracey Connelly has received a priority Covid jab because she is classed as a 'vulnerable' inmate due to weighing over 20 stone.

The 39-year-old was given her first of the jabs last week after being called up by staff at HMP Low Newton in County Durham where she is serving an indefinite sentence.

A source told The Sun: 'She was on the vulnerable list so she's had the jab.

'There's no picking and choosing from the jail. She's eligible so there you are. But she's certainly not as vulnerable as the child who died in her care.'

Connelly watched porn in a drunken haze as her 17-month-old son Peter, known as Baby P, was tortured to death in 2007 by her lover Steven Barker and his brother Jason Owen at their home in Tottenham, north London.

Baby P's mother Tracey Connelly, has received a priority Covid jab because she is at risk due to weighing over 20 stone

The mother admitted the offence and was jailed for a minimum of five years and then freed on licence in 2013 but later recalled to prison in 2015 after she had been sending indecent images of herself to perverts obsessed with her notoriety.

The Parole Board considered her case for a third time in November 2019, following previous reviews in 2015 and 2017, and refused to either release her or move her to an open prison.

Peter had suffered more than 50 injuries  despite being on the at-risk register and receiving 60 visits from social workers, police and health professionals over eight months.

Connelly watched porn in a drunken haze as her 17-month-old son Peter (pictured), known as Baby P, was tortured to death in 2007

The Prime Minister's official spokesman last month insisted there was no question of prisoners receiving the jab before other groups in society.

'That is obviously not the case and is not true,' the spokesman said. 'Prisoners won't be prioritised for vaccines.

'They are vaccinated at the same time as the general public in line with the JCVI prioritisation groups, no quicker than that.'

Baby P, was tortured to death in 2007 by Connelly's lover Steven Barker (left) and his brother Jason Owen (right) at their home in Tottenham, north London

Tracey Connelly, mother of abused toddler Baby Peter, who was jailed indefinitely with a minimum of five years in May 2009 for causing or allowing her son Peter's death

It is not yet known when Connelly will next be eligible for a review of her case.

She was jailed with her boyfriend Steven Barker and his brother Jason Owen, who were convicted at trial of the same offence.

A series of reviews identified missed opportunities when officials could have saved the toddler's life if they had acted properly on the warning signs.
Source: Xinhua| 2021-03-22 14:24:28|Editor: huaxia

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Thongloun Sisoulith addresses the 11th LPRP Congress in Vientiane, Laos, Jan. 15, 2021. (LPRP congress media center/Handout via Xinhua)

Thongloun vowed to actively work with the Lao People's Revolutionary Party, the state leaders and the Lao people to create favorable conditions for stability, national economic growth and poverty reduction in the country.

VIENTIANE, March 22 (Xinhua) -- The ongoing inaugural session of the ninth legislature of the Lao National Assembly (NA) on Monday morning elected Thongloun Sisoulith, general secretary of the Lao People's Revolutionary Party (LPRP) Central Committee, as the country's new president, replacing Bounnhang Vorachit.

After assuming the presidency, Thongloun vowed to actively work with the LPRP, the state leaders and the Lao people to create favorable conditions for stability, national economic growth and poverty reduction in the country.

He also promised to respect the constitution and the laws as well as to protect the legitimate interests of the Lao people.

The inauguration session held in Lao capital Vientiane also elected Phankham Viphavanh, a member of the Political Bureau of the LPRP Central Committee, as the new prime minister of Laos.

The Lao parliament also elected Xaysomphone Phomvihane, a member of the Political Bureau of the LPRP Central Committee, as president of the NA.

Monday's session also elected five deputy presidents of the NA, two vice presidents of the country, considered and approved three deputy prime minsters and members of the cabinet proposed by new Prime Minister Phankham.

The meeting was attended by the LPRP leaders and government officials, former leaders, veterans, NA members and invited guests.

Scheduled for Monday to Friday, the meeting will also consider and approve issues of national interest including a report of the National Election Committee and approve the organizational structure of the ninth NA, among other agenda, according to the state-run Lao News Agency (KPL).
Source: Xinhua| 2021-03-22 21:29:53|Editor: huaxia

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BEIJING, March 22 (Xinhua) -- China decided to sanction 10 individuals and four entities on the EU side that severely harm China's sovereignty and interests and maliciously spread lies and disinformation, a Foreign Ministry spokesperson said on Monday.

The European Union (EU) imposed unilateral sanctions on relevant Chinese individuals and entity on March 22, citing the so-called human rights issues in Xinjiang, said the spokesperson. Enditem
The Supreme Court will hear arguments today in Cedar Point Nursery v. Hassid, a case that could have major implications for labor unions seeking to effectively organize. The case involves a challenge to a California regulation that permits labor organizers to visit agricultural employers property during non-work hours, on a limited number of days each year, to speak with employees and solicit their support. Two agricultural corporations, Cedar Point Nursery and Fowler Packing Company, Inc., filed suit challenging the regulation on the ground that it violates the Takings Clause of the Fifth Amendment, which states that private property shall not be taken for public use, without just compensation. The two companies argue that the regulation permitting this limited access to their land effects a taking of their property without compensation, and therefore violates the Constitution.

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The Supreme Court should reject that argument. Under the plain text and history of the Takings Clause, as well as the Courts precedents, the California regulation does not effect a taking, and any decision to the contrary would require a startling expansion of the Takings Clauses scope. But the case will also be a litmus test for how members of the Court who claim to prioritize the Constitutions text and original meaning will respond to this attempt to stretch the Constitution to limit Americans ability to organize.

As originally understood, the Takings Clause applies only to the direct physical expropriation of private property, meaning it applies only when the government take[s] private property, and it does not prevent such takings but rather requires the government to provide just compensation when those takings occur. In other words, a taking occurs when the government exercises its eminent domain power to physically acquire private property, such as to build a road, military base, or park.

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The Constitutions Framers (including James Madison, who drafted the Takings Clause) understood that it would apply only to the physical taking of private property, rather than the mere use of property. As William Michael Treanor, dean of the Georgetown University Law Center, explained in the Columbia Law Review, prior to the Fifth Amendments ratification, no federal rule required compensation when the government physically took or regulated property. According to Treanor, Madison was concerned that the new nations political process alone would be insufficient to protect peoples property rights, and so the Framers adopted the Takings Clause to prevent the government from seizing physical property without compensation, as had occurred throughout the American Revolution.

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Accounts from shortly after the Clauses adoption confirm that it was understood to apply only to physical appropriations. An 1803 treatise recognized that the Clause was probably intended to restrain the arbitrary and oppressive mode of obtaining supplies for the army, and other public uses, by impressment, as was too frequently practiced during the revolutionary war. Another treatise writer observed in 1857 that it seems to be settled that, to entitle the owner to protection under th[e] Clause, the property must be actually taken in the physical sense of the word.

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For decades after the Clauses adoption, the Supreme Court interpreted it as applying only to direct physical appropriations. Indeed, as Justice Antonin Scalia recognized, early constitutional theorists did not believe the Takings Clause embraced regulations of property at all. But toward the end of the 19th century, the Court slowly began to expand the scope of the Clause, initially holding that the Clause may also apply in cases involving the functional equivalent of a direct physical appropriation of property. Applying that reasoning in a 1922 case called Pennsylvania Coal Co. v. Mahon, the Court held that the Takings Clause applies not only to physical takings but also to regulations that are particularly oppressive, like regulations that cap the height of buildings so low that they render building lots entirely useless. Yet even in those cases, the Court was careful to cabin the Clauses application to regulations that could reasonably be considered tantamount to the sorts of direct expropriations that fell within the scope of the Clauses original meaning.

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Beginning in the 1980s, however, Richard A. Epstein, a professor at the University of Chicago Law School, posited that the Takings Clause could be used as a tool to curb federal regulations during the Reagan Administration. Justice Scalia, despite his self-professed commitment to originalism, seemed most eager to answer that call. In decisions authored by Justice ScaliaNollan v. California Coastal Commission and Lucas v. South Carolina Coastal Councilthe Court recognized two categories of regulations that are automatically considered takings: regulations that compel the property owner to suffer a physical invasion of his property, . . . at least with regard to permanent invasions, and regulations that den[y] all economically beneficial or productive use of land. But even with this judicial expansion of the scope of the Clause, the Court has made clear that the Clauses original meaning still provides some outer limits on its application.

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The two companies now challenging the California regulation argue that the state government cannot require them to allow union organizers to enter their property without compensation, and that doing so effectively takes part of their property because one facet of owning property is the ability to exclude people from it.

But the California regulation at issue in Cedar Point Nursery is plainly not a taking. It does not seize any property, nor does it render any property valueless, or even less valuable. Although the challenged regulation permits access to private land, it strictly limits who it allows to visit agricultural employers property, when they can visit, where they can go, why they can visit, and what they can do while visiting. It also specifically forbids any conduct that disrupts the property or business operations. It therefore does not permanently take any property or drain it of its economic value, as the regulation limits visitors access and does not allow interference with any business operations.

The Court should reject the corporations attempt to dislodge the Takings Clause from its text and history, which is really an attempt to dramatically expand its scope. It should instead heed the advice of Justice Clarence Thomas from a recent dissent and ensure that its decision is grounded in the original public meaning of the Takings Clause of the Fifth Amendment. The question is whether Justice Thomass colleagues who also purport to be textualists and originalists will take that advice.
University of Delaware researchers will soon begin work on two new renewable energy-related projects, backed by about $4 million in new U.S. Department of Energy grants as well as cost-sharing grants from UD and several partners.

Jeremy Firestone, professor in the College of Earth, Ocean and Environment, and William Shafarman, director of the Institute of Energy Conversion and professor of materials science and engineering, are the principal investigators on the projects, which are getting about $2 million each.

The projects have wide-ranging goals, from advancing renewable energy technology to evaluating barriers to clean-energy technology and addressing the needs of industry. The projects demonstrate again UD's longtime leadership in energy technology -- especially photovoltaics, electricity, wind, fuel cells and electric vehicles.

Firestone, director of UD's Center for Research in Wind (CReW), will explore the decision-making process of those who adopt the use of solar energy systems and/or electric vehicles. He and his team will look at primary influences on those choices, including incentives and barriers, and develop the nation's first large database of those factors. The goal is to identify non-technological barriers to clean-energy co-adoption. Support for this work comes from the Energy Department's Solar Energy Technologies Office.

Shafarman and the IEC team will work to show how a new process recently developed by the IEC's Brian McCandless will not only improve the efficiency of solar panels but also simplify the manufacturing process for industry, allowing firms to make their solar products both better and less expensive. Support for this work comes from the Energy Department's Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy.

Adopting renewable energy

Firestone has done extensive research on large-scale energy infrastructure and the social dimensions of renewable energy technology. This new study, he said, is both a continuation and a departure from that work.

"Although both threads focus on social dimensions of technology, in my prior work I examined reactions to renewable energy infrastructure, while the present research will look at motivations for and barriers to a personal decision to put solar panels on one's roof or buy an electric vehicle or both," he said.

It is a natural outgrowth of CReW's focus on electric vehicles and vehicle-to-grid (V2G) technology, he said.

Researchers will interview those who have bought electric vehicles and/or rooftop solar and develop surveys and control experiments to explore their motivations. The first survey will look at differences between four groups of people: Those who own both electric vehicles and solar panels, those who have purchased only an electric vehicle, those who only have solar panels, and those who have not yet purchased either.

Consumers weigh many factors when considering what to buy and this study will draw on expertise in cognitive and social psychology and behavioral economics. One of the goals of the research is to identify consumer characteristics and patterns of decision-making that lead them toward or away from purchase of rooftop solar or electric vehicles or both.

"Individuals may be influenced by the presence of rooftop solar panels on the homes of their neighbors, views about the return on investment in an electric vehicle or personal and social norms related to a clean-energy future," Firestone said.

Context may be a key factor. A person may own an electric vehicle, but not have solar panels on the house -- not out of opposition to such systems, but because the house is on a wooded lot or they rent rather than own the house. Conversely, a person may have solar panels on the roof but not have off-street parking that could accommodate electric-vehicle charging.

"It's a change in focus," Firestone said. "The magnitude of energy technology is changing, going from utility-scale generation to personal generation and personal choices on vehicles. The change is more about the scale of the technology than the technology itself, but it's all part of energy transition."

In the second survey, researchers will evaluate low-cost interventions and incentives and whether they increase the probability that a person with solar panels would also purchase or lease an electric vehicle, and vice versa. One of Firestone's colleagues, George Parsons, Unidel E.I. du Pont Professor of Marine Science and Policy, will lead this aspect of the research.

Collaborating researchers include UD's Steven Hegedus, senior scientist at IEC and professor of electrical and computer engineering, along with partners at the University of California, Davis, the University of Chicago, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and a consultant with V2G expertise.

Improving solar manufacturing process

The IEC project was primarily developed by Brian McCandless, who learned that he had won the new grant the day before he retired from UD.

Shafarman now is the principal investigator on the project, "but all the credit for the concept goes to Brian," Shafarman said. "It is his vision and brainchild and it's great -- an exciting new project."

Working with Shafarman at IEC will be Associate Scientist Ujjwal Das and Research Associate Shannon Fields. Other partners and subcontractors include Anderson Janotti, associate professor in materials science and engineering, and researchers at Drexel University, Ohio State University and the National Renewable Energy Laboratory.

The grant also will support up to three students, all in materials science, Shafarman said.

In 2018, McCandless used the UD-patented Vapor Transport Deposition System he developed to show how adjusting the properties of thin-film photovoltaics produced smoother sailing for the electrons traveling through solar cells. That opened the door to increased efficiency and reduced cost.

"It was very good science and now we're trying to make it good technology, while also diving in to understand the underlying fundamentals of the materials and the solar cells we make from them," Shafarman said.

The advance is compatible with existing commercial processes used by the nation's largest solar manufacturers, he said.

Thin-film technology is a staple at IEC, which was established in 1972 and is considered the world's longest continuously operating solar research center. Thin films have advantages over the more commonly used solar wafers, including higher flexibility, lighter weight and simpler manufacturing.

The new process could increase the efficiency of thin films to 25%, a significant stride from the present highwater mark of 22.1%.

###

Solar Energy Technologies Office

The U.S. Department of Energy Solar Energy Technologies Office supports early-stage research and development to improve the affordability, performance and value of solar technologies on the grid.

Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy

The mission of EERE is to create and sustain American leadership in the transition to a global clean energy economy.
While the idea of prehistoric dentistry may not sound enticing, anthropologists have discovered evidence Neanderthals practiced an early form of dental hygiene.

Examining a wisdom tooth and premolar from the Late Pleistocene era, anthropologists in Poland found evidence their owners used a rudimentary toothpick.

It's not clear what the pick was made out of but it had to be hard enough to leave a mark, perhaps a twig or piece of bone.

Toothpick grooves in Neanderthal teeth have been discovered in other parts of Europe, but these findings suggest the practice was widespread, perhaps even learned.

Examining a wisdom tooth and premolar (pictured) from the Late Pleistocene era, anthropologists in Poland found evidence their owners used a rudimentary toothpick

The chompers  a wisdom tooth and upper premolar  were found in the Pleistocene layers of the Stajnia Cave in Southern Poland's Czestochowa Upland.

Radiocarbon dating of animal remains where the teeth were discovered suggests they're around 46,000 years old.

'It appears that the owner of the teeth used oral hygiene,' said Wioletta Nowaczewska, a professor in the University of Wrocaw's department of human biology, told Science in Poland.

'Probably . there were food residues that had to be removed,' she said. 'We don't know what he made a toothpick from  a piece of a twig, a piece of bone or fish bone.'

It appears that the owner of the tooth used oral hygiene. Probably between the last two teeth there were food residues that had to be removed, according to experts

The teeth were initially discovered in 2010, but were only recently studied using mitochondrial DNA analysis to confirm they belonged to Neanderthals. Researchers also compared enamel thickness, crown structure and other features

The implement had to be stiff and cylindrical, she added, and 'used often enough to leave a clear trace.'

The upper premolar belonged to an adult over the age of 30, while the wisdom tooth belonged to a male in his 20s.

The teeth were initially discovered in 2010, but were only recently studied using mitochondrial DNA analysis to confirm they belonged to Neanderthals.

Researchers also compared enamel thickness, crown structure and other features to examples from other Neanderthals, fossil homo sapiens and contemporary representatives.

It's not clear what the pick was made out of but it had to be hard enough to leave a mark, perhaps a twig or piece of bone

Toothpick grooves in Neanderthal teeth have been discovered in other parts of Europe, but Nowaczewska's research, published this month in the Journal of Human Evolution, suggests the practice was widespread.

In 2017, researchers at the University of Kansas reported on similar grooves found on four mandibular teeth from the left side of a Neanderthal's mouth.

Those teeth were found at the Krapina site in Croatia more than a century ago, but only reexamined more recently.

'Everybody has had dental pain, and they know what it's like to have a problem with an impacted tooth,' David Frayer, who led the University of Kansas study, told Daily Mail at the time.

'The scratches indicate this individual was pushing something into his or her mouth to get at that twisted premolar,' Frayer said.

'No one has ever found an actual toothpick at a Neanderthal site, even though many Neanderthals used them,' he added.

'I have looked for small pointed, nonhuman bones in the Krapina collection, but never found anything.'

Neanderthal bone remains are rare finds in Central and Eastern Europe.

In 2008, archaeologists from the University of Wrocaw discovered three Neanderthal molars in the Stajnia Cave, the oldest hominid remains in Poland.

Other traces of Neanderthal settlements, including tools, have been discovered at the site since then.

'When I look at these areas as a palaeoanthropologist, I have the impression that time stands still there,' Nowaczewska said of the Czestochowa Upland.

She added the region had a much more inviting climate than northern Poland.

'If there are still any Neanderthal bone remains to be found, the search should focus on the Upland and other southern sites,' she said.
Illegal Immigrants to Receive $4.38 Billion in Stimulus Checks: Report

As Americans start to receive the latest round of stimulus checks, a new analysis reveals that about $4.38 billion will also go to illegal immigrants.

The Center for Immigration Studies estimates that 2.65 million illegal immigrants have Social Security numbers that allow them to receive stimulus checks. This group of illegal immigrants can be described as aliens temporarily present without status, according to Steven Camarota, director of research for the Center for Immigration Studies.

These individuals are in the country illegally and could be required to leave. Yet, under the current system, they are still given work authorization and Social Security numbers, he said.

They include Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals and Temporary Protected Status recipients. In addition, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services issued 882,000 work authorizations and Social Security numbers to other illegal immigrants in fiscal year 2020, the analysis states. These include asylum applicants, as well as those applying for adjustment of status and suspension of deportation, among other categories.

Not included in the numbers are the 1.8 million illegal immigrants that the Social Security Administration has estimated use Social Security numbers that dont match their names, according to Camarota. Another 600,000 have Social Security numbers from when they were legally in the country but overstayed their visa.

There is simply no question that millions of illegal immigrants will receive billions of dollars in COVID relief checks, Camarota said. This highlights an even more disturbing factillegal immigrants are being issued Social Security numbers in large numbers. This is a clear indication that America is simply not serious about enforcing its immigration laws.

Asylum-seekers are routinely given work authorization while they wait for their case to be adjudicatedregardless of the merit of the application. While almost 90 percent of those who claim credible fear when presenting themselves at the border pass the initial screening, less than 20 percent are ultimately granted asylum relief by an immigration judge. For Central Americans, that number is less than 10 percent.

During the last border surge in 2019, the southern border became so overwhelmed that most illegal aliens didnt even claim credible fear, knowing theyd still be released expeditiously into the United Statesespecially if they were accompanied by a child. Only about 25 percent of illegal border crossers were claiming credible fear, according to Kevin McAleenan, acting secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, on July 12, 2019.

In Yuma, Arizona, less than 10 percent made the claim, then-sector chief Anthony Porvaznik said on April 17, 2019.
Bengaluru, March 23 : Karnataka Home Department cleared security cover to noted Kannada super star and eldest son of Kannada thespian Dr Rajkumar, Shiva Rajkumar, after he received alleged death threats on Monday.

At an event on Sunday, former Kannada actor, Culture Minister and noted writer B T Lalitha Naik claimed that she had received death threats along three others - BJP national general secretary C T Ravi, Shiva Rajkumar, and an owner and editor of vernacular news channel.

The writer told reporters she received a letter by someone named Kareem Challakere on March 20, stating that along with her, Rajkumar, Ravi and the owner of TV news channel will be assassinated on May 1.

"After this letter was brought to the notice of authorities, I have got security cover," she declared in the event that took place on Sunday.

She also claimed that the letter does not specifically mention the exact reason behind this threat.

However, the news of the letter has sent shockwaves among Shiva Rajkumar fans and Sandalwood fraternity.

Meanwhile Home Minister Basavaraj Bommai has assured to investigate the case thoroughly to arrest the accused.
Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut on Monday said that former Mumbai police chief Param Bir Singh, whose allegation of corruption against Maharashtra Home Minister Anil Deshmukh has triggered a crisis in the Maha Vikas Aghadi government, is the "most important weapon" for the opposition right now.

As the demand for Deshmukh's resignation grew louder, Raut said that if the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) feels that there is no evidence against him then what is wrong with it.

"If the government is ready to take up the challenge for a probe then what is the problem," he posed. Deshmukh belongs to the NCP.

Read | A threat note, death, cop transfers and political row: The Param Bir Singh case so far

The NCP has strongly backed Deshmukh and ruled out any possibility of his sacking.

Raut said that Singh's letter to Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray cannot be proof against Deshmukh. He expressed confidence that the Mahavikas Aghadi government will complete its full term and stressed there was no difference among the alliance partners, the Shiv Sena, NCP and Congress.

"Param Bir Singh is an important weapon of the opposition now. Until yesterday, the opposition did not have any trust in him. Look at the opposition statements against him on the Sushant Singh Rajput and Kangana Ranaut cases... But he is a trusted officer for the opposition now.

Also Read | Did Param Bir Singh write letter under pressure? Maharashtra Congress minister Balasaheb Thorat asks

"The opposition is trying lodge fireballs at the government... If the opposition wants to fire on the government using Param Bir Singh's shoulders then it will boomerang," he said.

When asked about the demand from some quarters to impose President's rule in the state, Raut said, "Instead, the Centre should be dismissed because this is an encroachment on the rights of the state through its agencies."

Singh, a senior IPS officer, who was transferred to the low-key Home Guards on March 17 following the arrest of police officer Sachin Vaze in the case related to the bomb scare near Mukesh Ambani's house Antilia, in a letter to the Maharashtra chief minister said he was made a scapegoat.

Also Read | Param Bir Singh's letter rocks Lok Sabha; BJP demands resignation of MVA govt

In the eight-page letter to Chief Minister Thackeray, Singh alleged that Deshmukh used to call police officers to his official residence and give them a "collection target" from bars, restaurants and other establishments.

On Monday, he moved to the Supreme Court seeking a CBI probe into his charges.

In Lok Sabha, Shiv Sena member Vinayak Raut strongly defended the MVA government and claimed that the BJP has been hatching a conspiracy to defame the Shiv Sena-Congress-NCP dispensation for the last 14 months so that a BJP government can be installed there.

Read | Conspiracy to defame Maharashtra government: NCP on Param Bir Singh's letter

"The issue is nothing but a part of BJP's big conspiracy," Vinakay Raut claimed.

He also dubbed Singh as the "most corrupt police officer".

The Maharashtra government on March 17 transferred Singh and appointed senior IPS officer Hemant Nagrale as the new commissioner of Mumbai Police.
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Saudi-led coalition forces conducted airstrikes against Houthi military bases in Yemens capital Sanaa, Bloomberg reported, citing local residents and a Houthi-controlled TV channel.

The attacks, according to the report, targeted military camps and Houthi facilities near the Sanaa airport and the suburbs of the city. They came in response to a Houthi drone attack on Saudi oil facilities that took place on Friday. According to Saudi media, the attack did not cause any damage.

This is just the latest in a series of airstrikes by the Saudi-led coalition against the Houthis, after the Yemeni rebel group, which is affiliated with Iran, struck a Saudi oil target earlier this month.

The missile forces managed today to strike [a facility] of the Saudi Aramco company in Jeddah with a Quds 2 cruise missile. The strike was precise, a spokesman for the Houthis said in early March. The Saudi side later confirmed the attack but said it had inflicted no significant damage.

At the time, the Houthis warned there will be more attacks against Saudi targets and advised foreign companies and Saudi Arabia residents to be cautious.

The Saudi response came soon enough in a series of airstrikes, with 32 carried out on March 9 alone, Zerohedge reported at the time.

Saudi Arabia and the Houthis have been locked in a conflict since 2015. Many see it as a proxy war between the Saudis and the Iranian backers of the Yemeni rebel group, which overthrew the Saudi-affiliated Yemeni government and tried to assume power over the country.

Oil facilities in Saudi Arabia are a favorite target for the Houthis because of the Kingdoms reliance on oil revenues. The most notable attack that the Yemeni rebel group claimed responsibility for was the September 2019 attacks on Saudi Aramcos oil facilities that cut off 5 percent of daily global supply for weeks, sending oil prices soaring. Saudi Arabia and the United States have said that it was Iranand not the Houthiswho was responsible for the attack.

By Irina Slav for Oilprice.com

More Top Reads From Oilprice.com:
Wadia group scion Jeh Wadia stepped down as managing director of GoAir, the firm announced on Monday.

The airline appointed Ben Baldanza, former CEO of Spirit Airlines, its vice-chairman.

Wadia will, however, continue on the airlines board.

is planning an initial public offering (IPO) and said the steps are part of its efforts to strengthen the management of the company by bringing on board proven industry professionals, a strategy that has worked well for the Wadia group in its other ventures, including Britannia.

The airline, which according to media reports intends to raise around Rs 4,000 crore, has a fleet of 53 Airbus A320 aircraft and had hired merchant bankers and law firms for the share sale.

A final decision, though, will be taken by the Wadia group, which owns the airline.

Industry veteran Baldanza, who has been part of the airlines board since 2018, is famous for reducing operating cost of Spirit and has worked at American Airlines, Northwest Airlines, Continental among others.

He became CEO of Spirit in 2006, and repositioned it as the first ultra-low-cost airline in North America and increased its fleet from 32 to 100.

said it, too, intends to rebuild as the first ultra-low-cost airline in India.

With the goal of taking to its next phase of growth, the promoters of the company and its board came together to formulate a long-term plan.

Amongst other initiatives, a key element of this plan, forged over weeks of discussions and consultation, was to further strengthen the management of the company by bringing on board proven industry professionals, a strategy that has worked well for the group in its other ventures including Britannia, the company said in a statement.

At present, the airline is operating 37 aircraft as the government has allowed only 80 per cent capacity.

A senior executive said new routes are under evaluation, but the airline is already selling flights to new destinations such as Amritsar, Dehradun, and Surat on online portals.

The route expansion comes ahead of the possible listing.

Industry sources said that the airline was looking to hire senior executives to head the network planning, treasury management, finance, as well as sales departments.
Queenslands Olympics bid team will push ahead with plans for Fast Rail connectivity for the region, despite a proposed $5.3 billion link between Brisbane and the Sunshine Coast being rejected by Infrastructure Australia as costly and inefficient.

The North Coast Connect Fast Rail project was developed with a consortium of large developers, including SMEC, Stockland, Urbis and KPMG, and representatives from the Queensland Department of Transport and Main Roads, Sunshine Coast Council, Moreton Bay Council and Brisbane City Council.

Fast Rail remains on the agenda for south-east Queensland, despite Infrastructure Australia rejecting the North Coast Connect business case. Credit:Chris Ratcliffe

The idea was to have trains travelling at 150km/h between Brisbane and Nambour in 45 minutes.

It proposed a new rail track along the existing North Coast Line between Brisbane and Beerwah, and a new rail corridor to connect coastal centres such as Maroochydore, Kawana and Caloundra.
The approved expansion of the Child Tax Credit from $2,000 to at least $3,000 will likely be stalled by a lengthened tax season, the Internal Revenue Service recently warned.

President Joe Bidens American Rescue Plan expanded the credit to $3,000 per child aged 7 to 17 and $3,600 for every child under 6, with the first half set to be paid out in $250-$300 monthly checks per child beginning July 1 and the remainder paid when parents file their 2021 tax returns.

But the IRS, which recently extended its 2020 tax return filing deadline from April 15 to May 17, says it doesnt have the manpower to prepare an online portal to implement the program while the agency grapples with piles of tax returns.

We now have one month less to do the development, IRS Commissioner Charles Rettig told a House subcommittee on Thursday. The same people who do our income tax processing, EIP (economic impact payment]) processing are the people that need to develop that portal. So I dont have the resources to devote to that portal until filing season ends, which is May 17.

The IRS has warned that the payments may not come in monthly installments as laid out in the $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief package. Rettig did not offer a timeline but told lawmakers the agency is focused on trying to get these payments out to the people in a meaningful manner and a meaningful timeframe.

He said IRS workers will do our best to get payments to people starting this summer.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer pledged last week to do everything in his power to make the temporary expansion permanent.

Thats one of the most important things we can do, the New York Democrat said. We can change America if we make them permanent. Look, when a child is born into poverty, they dont get adequate nutrition, they dont get adequate health care, they dont get adequate housing, they dont get adequate education. So by the time theyre 18, theyre many steps behind. If we can eradicate child poverty, it will be good for these kids and their families, but (also) for all of America. Ill do everything I can to make it permanent.

The proposal initially came out of the House Ways and Means Committee chaired by Rep. Richard Neal of Massachusetts, and made parents of 69 million children eligible for the expanded credit, The New York Times reported.

The move comes at a time when the pandemic has left millions unemployed and more children in poverty. Biden and Democratic leaders say the move will help cut child poverty in half.

Researchers at Columbia University estimated in October that the pandemic may have led to an additional 2.5 million children living in poverty since May.

The pandemic is driving families deeper and deeper into poverty, and its devastating, Neal told MassLive earlier this year. This money is going to be the difference in a roof over someones head or food on their table. This is how the tax code is supposed to work for those who need it most.

The Child Tax Credit has historically been available for single parents earning $200,000 or less or couples filing jointly who earn $400,000 or less. The updates approved in Bidens package will force the credit to phase out for individuals earning more than $75,000 annually or couples earning more than $150,000 combined. The $200,000 and $400,000 cutoffs remain in place.

Another temporary update is the removal of an earnings floor; in previous years, taxpayers had to earn at least $2,500 to be eligible to receive the credit.

Related Content:
Day 27: Cathay Williams

Cathay Williams was born to an enslaved mother and a free father in Independence, Missouri in 1844. During her adolescence, she worked as a house slave on the Johnson plantation on the outskirts of Jefferson City, Missouri. In 1861, Union forces occupied Jefferson City during the early stages of the Civil War. At this time, captured slaves were officially designated as contraband and were forced to serve in military support roles such as cooks, laundresses, or nurses. Before her voluntary enlistment, at just 17 years old, Williams served as an Army cook and a washerwoman. In this role she accompanied the infantry all over the country. Williams served under the service of General Philip Sheridan and witnessed the Red River Campaign and the Battle of Pea Ridge.

Despite the prohibition against women serving in the military, Williams enlisted in the U.S. Regular Army under the false name of "William Cathay" on November 15, 1866. She enlisted for a three-year engagement, passing herself off as a man. Williams was assigned to the 38th U.S. Infantry Regiment after she passed the cursory medical examination. Though this exam should have outed her as a woman, the Army did not require full medical exams at this time.

Shortly after her enlistment, she contracted smallpox and was hospitalized. Williams rejoined her unit in New Mexico. There, possibly due to the effects of smallpox, the heat, or the years of marching, her body began to show signs of strain. Due to her frequent hospitalization, the post surgeon finally discovered she was a woman and informed the post commander. She was honorably discharged by her commanding officer, Captain Charles E. Clarke on October 14, 1868. Though her disability discharge meant the end of her tenure with the Army, her adventure continued. She signed up with an emerging all-black regiment that would eventually become part of the legendary Buffalo Soldiers.

Following her discharge, Williams went on to work as a cook at Fort Union, New Mexico (now Fort Union National Monument) and later moved to Pueblo, Colorado. Though she married, it ended badly after her husband stole her money and a team of horses. Williams had him arrested and then moved to Trinidad, Colorado, where she worked as a seamstress. It was during this time that her story first became public. A reporter from St. Louis heard rumors of a female African-American who had served in the army and came to interview her. Her life and military service narrative was published in the St. Louis Daily Times on January 2, 1876.

Around 1889 or 1890, Williams entered a local hospital and applied for a disability pension based on her military service. Though there was a precedent for granting pension to female soldiers, (Deborah Sampson, Anna Maria Lane and Molly Williams disguised themselves as men in the Revolutionary War), Williams request was denied. In September 1893, a doctor examined Williams. She suffered from neuralgia and diabetes, and had all her toes amputated and walked with a crutch. The doctor decided that she did not qualify for disability payments. The exact date of her death is unknown, but it is believed she died shortly after she was denied.



Though over 400 women served in the Civil War posing as male soldiers, Williams was the first African American woman to enlist and the only documented woman to serve in the United States Army, while disguised as a man, during the Indian Wars. Williams is also the only known female Buffalo Soldier. Williams' determination to serve her country demonstrates the extraordinary feats women have accomplished simply trying to live their lives.

BLACK HISTORY IS AMERICAN HISTORY!

By: U.S. Marine Corps Major Larry Black
We keep things simple for the early morning and share top stories, community news and pop culture for our most loyal readers.



Kansas City Cuisine Debuts

Taco Bell Tests New Loaded Taco Primo Burrito And New Chicken Enchilada Primo Burrito - Chew Boom Taco Bell is testing new Primo Burritos at select locations in the Kansas City, Missouri area. Primo Burritos are available in two varieties: Loaded Taco Primo Burrito and Chicken Enchilada Primo Burrito. The Loaded Taco Primo Burrito features seasoned beef, lettuce, red strips, reduced-fat sour cream, and real shredded cheddar cheese wrapped inside a warm flour tortilla for $1.

Downtown Makeover Tease

See inside the Mark Twain Tower before its redevelopment [PHOTOS] - Kansas City Business Journal Multiple unsuccessful repurposing attempts were just the way with the Mark Twain Tower, at least until a Washington-based development group acquired the 98-year-old Kansas City building through a 2018 foreclosure sale. Now, The Bernstein Cos.

MAKE VAXX DATE!!!

Kansas City area COVID-19 vaccine planner for March 21-27 KANSAS CITY, Mo. - As the COVID-19 vaccine roll out continues in the Kansas City area, 41 Action News is compiling a list of vaccination events and where people can sign up for a vaccine interest form each week. Check back for updates. Vaccine slots fill up quickly and often are scheduled before each week.

Consumerism Is Sexy?!?

Tarsha Whitmore Rocks A Scandalously Sexy Bandeau Top On Shopping Expedition Her fans couldn't get of her update, and the post racked up over 19,600 likes within just six hours of going live. "You're my vibe," one fan wrote, followed by a trio of flame emoji. "You are so pretty," another follower chimed in. "Amazing so beautiful," a third fan remarked.

Spring Break Cancelled

Miami Beach spring breakers hit with extended curfew after SWAT team forced to break up rowdy crowd Miami Beach officials on Sunday said the city would extend curfews and closures through April 12 after a SWAT team was called in Saturday night to break up a rowdy crowd of spring breakers that had defied an 8 p.m. curfew.

Lockdown Forever

The Capitol Hill riot's long shadow is visible in day-by-day news coverage Despite the best attempts of some 1/6 denialists and apologists, the aftermath of the pro-Trump riot at the Capitol is still with us every day. Sometimes it deserves to be a lead headline while more often it's a little lower down on the homepage, but the stories continue to stretch outward like tentacles.

Former Prez Trump Plays Blame Game After Wall Falls

Trump slams Biden over border 'crisis', accused him of causing 'death and human tragedy' President Biden said Sunday that he intends to travel to the southern border "at some point," telling reporters that he is in no rush to visit because "I know what's going in those facilities" which have been operating far beyond capacity amid a troubling surge in migrants.

Pushing Progress

Democrats vow to go 'bold' - with or without GOP Democrats are warning they won't tolerate GOP stonewalling as they try to make good on their pledge to enact a "bold" agenda and avoid Obama-era missteps.

Facts Vs. Feelings

Feds have no evidence yet that Atlanta spa shootings were hate crimes: report The Atlanta spa shootings may not meet the standard for federal hate crime charges, authorities told The Associated Press reported Saturday. Seven of the eight victims in Tuesday's attacks on three massage parlors in the Atlanta area were women. Six of those women were Asian.

Hottie Sparks Class Warfare

Kylie Jenner faces backlash after asking fans to donate to fundraiser for her make up artist Kylie Jenner is facing criticism on Twitter after she shared a fundraiser with fans for make up artist Samuel Rauda, who was involved in a serious accident and underwent surgery last week.

Todays Teachable Moment

Empathy Helped This Kansas City Student Teacher Build Community In His Online Classroom With support from the Walton Family Foundation, KCUR has asked student teachers in the Kansas City area to write about their experiences learning how to teach during a pandemic. We'll be running their stories as a series of teacher diaries in the coming weeks. Next time I see COVID, I'm gonna punch him in the face.

Rain This Week

Your Storm Track 5 Daily Forecast After sunset winds will relax a little as clouds continue to ease in across the area. Temperatures will hold in the mid to upper 40s through daybreak on Monday. I think most of the area will stay dry to start off, with the exception of a sprinkle or two, but better chances of more widespread rain will move in by the evening and overnight hours.

Lana Del Rey - White Dress is the song of the day and this is the OPEN THREAD for right now.
NORTH CANTON, Ohio, March 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The Timken Company (NYSE: TKR; www.timken.com), a global industrial leader in engineered bearings and power transmission products, recently released its 2020 Annual Report. It details how the company delivered strong financial performance and continued to advance its strategy despite the COVID-19 pandemic. Throughout 2020, Timken continued to serve its customers, keeping essential industries moving while protecting the company's global team of employees and other stakeholders.

"Timken performed extremely well in extraordinary times and our strategy, now tested by a historic global crisis, proved equal to the challenge," said Richard G. Kyle, president and chief executive officer. "These results would not have been possible without the dedication of our employees and their focused, disciplined execution of our strategy. As we move into a new decade in our company history, we are well-positioned to engineer the future of industrial motion and deliver strong returns for our shareholders."

The annual report documents how Timken has evolved in recent years to perform through industrial cycles and details many of the company's 2020 achievements, which include:

The advancement of the company's long-term strategic goal to expand its engineered bearings and power transmission portfolio and diverse end-market mix.

The acquisition of Aurora Bearing Company assets, and continued progress integrating the Diamond Chain and BEKA Lubrication Systems acquisitions completed in 2019.

A more than 50 percent increase in renewable energy revenue, making it the company's single largest end-market sector, representing 12 percent of 2020 full-year sales.

The allocation of $122 million for capital expenditures, focusing on growth and continuous-improvement initiatives.

for capital expenditures, focusing on growth and continuous-improvement initiatives. Strong cash flow that enabled the company to return $136 million to shareholders through share repurchases and dividends.

to shareholders through share repurchases and dividends. The seventh consecutive year of annual dividend increases.

While some pandemic-related uncertainty remains, Timken is well-positioned to capitalize on strengthening markets and plans to deliver record levels of revenue and earnings while continuing to invest in the business for success beyond 2021.

About The Timken Company

The Timken Company (NYSE: TKR; www.timken.com) designs a growing portfolio of engineered bearings and power transmission products. With more than a century of knowledge and innovation, we continuously improve the reliability and efficiency of global machinery and equipment to move the world forward. Timken posted $3.5 billion in sales in 2020 and employs more than 17,000 people globally, operating from 42 countries. Timken is recognized among America's Most Responsible Companies by Newsweek, the World's Most Ethical Companies by Ethisphere and America's Best Employers by Forbes.

Media Relations:

Scott Schroeder

234.262.6420

[email protected]

SOURCE The Timken Company

Related Links

https://www.timken.com


Source: Xinhua| 2021-03-22 20:14:47|Editor: huaxia

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MALE, March 22 (Xinhua) -- Maldives recorded over 250,000 tourist arrivals between January and March this year, local media citing data from the Ministry of Tourism reported Monday.

Tourism Ministry data showed that the Maldives received 251,286 tourists from Jan. 1 to March 19, a 34.2-percent decrease compared to arrivals over the same period last year.

According to statistics, the Maldives received an average of 3,222 tourist arrivals per day, spending an average of eight days in the country. The top sources of tourist arrivals in 2021 are India and Russia, representing 23.8 percent and 21.7 percent of all arrivals respectively.

Maldives reopened its borders to tourism on July 15, 2020, following a three-month closure as a precautionary measure against the COVID-19 pandemic.

Data showed that 45,527 tourist beds are operational in the Maldives across 682 tourist facilities. Enditem
NEW YORK, March 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- WeissLaw LLP is investigating possible breaches of fiduciary duty and other violations of law by the board of directors of Kansas City Southern ("KCS" or the "Company") (NYSE: KSU) in connection with the proposed cash-and-stock acquisition of the Company by Canadian Pacific Railway Limited ("Canadian Pacific") (NYSE: CP). Under the terms of the merger agreement, KCS shareholders will receive $90.00 in cash and 0.489 of a share of Canadian Pacific stock for each share of KCS common stock that they hold, representing per-share merger consideration of approximately $275.08 based upon Canadian Pacific's March 19, 2021 closing price of $378.48.



If you own KCS shares and wish to discuss this investigation or have any questions

concerning this notice or your rights or interests, visit our website :

https://www.weisslawllp.com/KCS/

Or please contact:

Joshua Rubin, Esq.

WeissLaw LLP

1500 Broadway, 16th Floor

New York, NY 10036

(212) 682-3025

(888) 593-4771

[email protected]

WeissLaw LLP is investigating whether KCS's board acted in the best interest of KCS's public shareholders in agreeing to the proposed transactiIf you own KCS shares and wish to discuss this investigation or have any questions concerning this notice or your rights or interests, visit our website:on, whether the per-share merger consideration adequately compensates KCS's shareholders, and whether all information regarding the process undertaken by the board and the valuation of the transaction will be fully and fairly disclosed to KCS's public shareholders.

WeissLaw LLP has litigated hundreds of stockholder class and derivative actions for violations of corporate and fiduciary duties. We have recovered over a billion dollars for defrauded clients and obtained important corporate governance relief in many of these cases. If you have information or would like legal advice concerning possible corporate wrongdoing (including insider trading, waste of corporate assets, accounting fraud, or materially misleading information), consumer fraud (including false advertising, defective products, or other deceptive business practices), or anti-trust violations, please email us at [email protected]

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NEW YORK, NY / ACCESSWIRE / March 22, 2021 / As the second wave of COVID-19 swept across the world late last year, uncertainty grew further for a number of businesses and people. And with the third wave of the virus looming over us, many are left wondering what the rest of the year will bring. At the beginning of last year, when the virus first hit, many businesses were shocked with unforeseen restrictions and even closures in some cases, forcing business owners and CEOs to make adjustments to their day-to-day functions quickly. As a result, many businesses suffered great losses and have had to go back to the drawing board completely,

At Airzai, founders Nabeel and Muneeb Mushtaq were gearing up for the launch of their new product, Airzai Aroma, when the virus hit and forced the manufacturing of their flagship product to come to a halt. At the beginning of 2018, the startup had been in the process of conducting extensive research to be able to develop their product. The co-founders were able to raise over $4 million in seed capital funding, one of the largest rounds in Canada to date. To fund the manufacturing of the product and its launch, co-owner Muneeb Mushtaq was in the process of closing a deal for an additional round of seed funding worth $2 million, but with their primary contract manufacturer located in China, Airzai didn't know when they would be able to move forward with production since the factories remained closed after the Chinese new year. As a result, many of the company's new potential investors pulled out last minute, and the company could not close its round on time.

As devastating as it was to have to go back to square one and get a new plan in place, the Airzai team kept their focus sharp and worked to put their contingency plans in motion. That is when they created Airzai Care, a line of premium disinfectant products to help in the fight against COVID-19.

While the world sat idle waiting for the novel coronavirus to pass, Muneeb and Nabeel Mushtaq were hard at work trying to move the manufacturing of their product along and get it to the market for its users to enjoy. As more and more countries implemented lockdowns and others cautioned their populations to remain indoors, buying trends quickly shifted back to being primarily online, and the demand for aromatherapy products quickly began to rise.

Story continues

"With so many people staying at home to keep safe from the virus, it is vital that we find healthy and sustainable ways to cope with the impacts that isolation has on our mental health. This past year has been a key year for doing just that, and since smell is one of our body's most powerful sense, many of us have been exploring the benefits of aromatherapy as a way to ease things such as headaches, insomnia, and anxiety," said Muneeb Mushtaq, co-founder, and owner, Airzai.

There has been a rise in the demand for fragrance diffusers and aromatherapy lately, as more and more people have come to understand the variety of benefits it truly has. Essential oils and scents can have such a positive impact on our health and well-being, and this only becomes more essential as we continue to spend an ever-increasing amount of time at home. Things in the home that people never paid much attention to before, such as ambience and scent, are becoming more widely adopted, and the importance of feeling calm and finding a sense of comfort at home during a crisis such as this has become a major focus for many households.

Muneeb continues: "With so many people spending more time at home, we are seeing an upward trend of people who understand the importance and benefits of scent in a household and around them. Aromatherapy is known to impact the body and mind in many positive ways, and finding sustainable ways to cope, which are also healthy, is becoming vital to our everyday lives."

The company's flagship product, Airzai Aroma, was designed by world-renowned designer Fred Bould, best known for his design work on products such as Google Nest, GoPro, and Roku TV. The product is the first dual smart home fragrance diffuser of its kind that uses AI technology to give its users a completely unique and curated fragrance experience. Users can customize lighting settings, different scents and schedule it to turn off and on throughout the day. It can be operated via voice control when connected to devices such as Amazon Alexa, Google Assist, and Apple Home, and unlike traditional diffusers which use heat and flames, Airzia's Aroma product uses ultrasonic discs, making it the safer, more effective product of its kind on the market.

Most recently, the company released its rosemary scent, giving customers a taste of what it's like to combine everyday products with luxury. The new scent is said to have many benefits, including easing stress, improving brain function, and is even said to help you perk up.

As pandemonium around the virus subsides and the holiday season rolls around, demand for the company's product has started to rise. With its factories now open in Asia, Airzai has begun working with its contract manufacturers in a number of countries to begin ramping up production to bring their product to the market as soon as possible. The company is hoping to release the updated launch date for their unique fragrance diffuser, Airzai Aroma, after the new year.

"I think people have started to get used to the new normal brought on by the COVID-19 virus, and they are starting to adapt their homes to be more comfortable and safe spaces. When looking at ways in which consumers can do this, aromatherapy is one of the top. With the technology behind our Arizai Aroma product, we are able to bring a completely unique experience to our consumers," said Nabeel Mushtaq, co-founder and Chief Product Officer, Airzai.

For more information about Airzai, please visit www.airzai.com or follow the company on Instagram to keep up-to-date on its journey @airzaihq

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In the last few weeks we have heard a lot about Ranveer Singh and his big collaboration plans with South biggie  Shankar. The director has helmed films like I and the Robot franchise. Buzz is strong that the director wants to remake his 2005 hit film Anniyan with Ranveer in the lead.



Today reports in Time Of India suggest that Kiara Advani might bag the lead role opposite Ranveer Singh in the remake. The film will only go on floors when both the actors have done shooting their respective films. While Ranveer has Cirkus and Karan Johars next, Kiara Advani too is busy with Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2 with Kartik Aaryan. If the reports are true this is the first time that Ranveer and Kiara will team up for a film and get a chance to work with Shankar. Knowing the directors love for mega visuals and dramatic storyline, it will be a visual delight to watch him create magic for Bollywood and that too with Ranveer Singh in the lead.





Anniyan film is not alien to Hindi audiences. The movie has been a big satellite hit as it was dubbed as Aparichit and released. The film starred Vikram in a lead role and that marked Shankar and Vikrams collaboration, later the duo even worked in I and created magic. Cant wait for Ranveer Singh to recreate the magic.
Marakez, a subsidiary of leading Saudi industrial conglomerate and the kingdom's largest mall developer Fawaz AlHokair Group, said it has expanded its District Five Residences (D5R) project in New Katameya area of Cairo by adding another 68 acres to its existing 100 acres within the development.

Marakez is a major mixed-use developer in Egypt that boasts a portfolio of projects with one of the highest recurring revenue profiles in the country.

Anchored by the flagship Mall of Arabia in West Cairo, Marakez projects include the first residential towers in 6th October, AEON, as well as D5 Mall, Mindhaus and District Five residential project at New Katameya in addition to the opening of Mall of Tanta in 2019, Town Center in 2020 and the upcoming opening of Mall of Mansoura.

"Our flagship project in East Cairo, District Five, is an ambitious integerated development with the key elements we believe are required to craft a vibrant and thriving community," remarked its CEO Engineer Basil Ramzy.

Marakez, he stated, brings significant depth and breadth of experience to the Egyptian commercial, retail, and residential real estate landscape while creating thousands of job opportunities for locals.

The companys award-winning approach to mixed-use development is based on innovation and ingenuity, he added.

Ramzy said its D5R compound has achieved record sales this year, adding on an unprecedented development rate, thus encouraging it to grow Marakez's residential landbank in New Katameya and increase its offering.

With significant investment in infrastructure to connect the project to Road 90 and the rest of New Cairo, D5 in New Katameya in the Southern extension of New Cairo provides easy access to Downtown Cairo, Maadi, Nasr City, New Capital and Ain El Sokhna.

"The delivery starts this year at D5R coinciding with Phase One of the D5 Mall opening set for 2022," he added.-TradeArabia News Service
Members of the military carry the body of former president John Magufuli (AP)

Five people, including four children, have died in a suspected stampede during a public viewing of the body of former Tanzanian president John Magufuli.

The tragedy occurred as regional leaders joined Tanzanians to pay their last respects to the controversial leader.

Mr Magufuli was one of Africas most prominent Covid-19 sceptics and even though his government announced that he had died of a heart failure on Wednesday, opposition leaders and his critics charge that he died of complications from Covid-19.

Ten of thousands of Tanzanians came out to view Mr Magufulis body at Uhuru Stadium in the countrys largest city, Dar es Salaam, over the weekend.

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Suzan Mtua, 30, died with four school-age children from the same family when there was a stampede of people wanting to view the body on Sunday, said family spokesman Heri Mtua.

The children had demanded they also attend the funeral of president Magufuli, he said. Later that day we received a call late evening by an unknown person using Suzans phone. The caller said that the owner of the phone had been taken to a hospital. But her body was eventually found at the morgue, he said.

The children were aged between seven and 12.

Hundreds of people who attended the funeral fainted in the crush and authorities said they will issue a statement on Tuesday about the number of people killed in the national event.

President Samia Suluhu Hassan, who was Mr Magufulis vice president and succeeded him, was joined by nine African heads of state on Monday for Mr Magufulis state funeral.

Expand Close Members of the military parade with a portrait of former president John Magufuli (AP) / Facebook

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Among them were Kenyas President Uhuru Kenyatta and Cyril Ramaphosa of South Africa.

We mourn the loss of our friend, our brother, a hard worker, said Mr Kenyatta, chairman of the regional bloc East African Community.

He showed us that, as Africans, we have the potential to liberate ourselves from dependence on foreigners. That we have potential as Africans to manage our economies and ensure that our people get justice, he said.

Mr Magufuli had been missing from public view since February 27, when he swore in a new chief secretary after his predecessor died with what many speculate was Covid-19. For days government officials denied he was ill, claiming he was busy and the president is not duty-bound to make public appearances.

Mr Magufuli will be buried on Friday.
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BRUSSELS and DUBAI, UAE, March 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The WAIFC General Meeting unanimously approved the membership of Dubai International Financial Centre. All WAIFC members are very much looking forward to working closely together with DIFC and exchanging best practices.

Commenting on DIFC's membership, Jennifer Reynolds, Chairwoman of the WAIFC, stated:

WAIFC DIFC

"We are very pleased to have DIFC join our association. Dubai is a leading global financial center, and DIFC will undoubtedly bring a valued contribution to our initiatives. We are very much looking forward to working with the colleagues in Dubai."

Arif Amiri, CEO of DIFC Authority, commented:

"DIFC is pleased to be joining the World Alliance of International Financial Centres. The Centre is looking forward to representing Dubai and building partnerships with other members so we can be a collective force for good. Together we can make progress on areas such as FinTech, innovation, sustainable finance and developing digital economies. We can align our approaches which will allow us to cohesively drive the future of finance."

Dr. Jochen Biedermann, Managing Director of the WAIFC, added:

"DIFC has been an observer to WAIFC since last year, and we are delighted that it will join WAIFC as a full member now. DIFC has had a phenomenal development: in less than twenty years from its first steps to one of the world's leading financial centers. We are very much looking forward to exchanging best practices and learning from each other."

Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC) is one of the world's most advanced financial centres, and the leading financial hub for the Middle East, Africa and South Asia (MEASA), which comprises 72 countries with an approximate population of 3 billion and a nominal GDP of USD 7.7 trillion.

With a 16-year track record of facilitating trade and investment flows across the MEASA region, the Centre connects these fast-growing markets with the economies of Asia, Europe and the Americas through Dubai.

DIFC is home to an internationally recognised, independent regulator and a proven judicial system with an English common law framework, as well as the region's largest financial ecosystem of almost 27,000 professionals working across over 2,900 active registered companies  making up the largest and most diverse pool of industry talent in the region.

The Centre's vision is to drive the future of finance. Today, it offers one of the region's most comprehensive FinTech and venture capital environments, including cost-effective licensing solutions, fit-for-purpose regulation, innovative accelerator programmes, and funding for growth-stage start-ups.

Comprising a variety of world-renowned retail and dining venues, a dynamic art and culture scene, residential apartments, hotels and public spaces, DIFC continues to be one of Dubai's most sought-after business and lifestyle destinations.

The World Alliance of International Financial Centers (WAIFC) is a non-profit association registered in Belgium, representing 19 leading international financial centers of four continents. WAIFC members are city governments, associations, and similar institutions developing and promoting their financial centers.

WAIFC facilitates cooperation between its members, the exchange of best practices, and communication with the general public.

Contact:

Tarek Kiwan , DIFC, [email protected] , Tel.: +971 4 362 2454

, DIFC, , Tel.: +971 4 362 2454 Jochen Biedermann , WAIFC, [email protected] , Tel.: +49 69 94418092

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Inc on Monday appointed Jay Clayton, former U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission chief, as non-executive chairman after Founder Leon Black said he would step down from the post to focus on his family, health, and other interests.

Black had planned to retain the role of chairman after he agreed to step down from the post of chief executive officer (CEO) in January, following an independent review of his ties to the late financier and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

"In the last few months, not only did we announce a transformative merger with Athene, but also expect to report that our first quarter earnings will exceed analyst consensus in all relevant measures," Black said in a statement on Monday.

"I thus view this as the ideal moment to step back and focus on my family, my wife Debra's and my health issues, and my many other interests," he added.

Apollo also said Co-Founder Marc Rowan will formally take over as CEO after being appointed to the role in January.

Apollo had appointed Clayton, who was chairman of the US.

SEC from May 2017 to December 2020, as lead independent director in February to improve corporate governance in the wake of the review.
Hazleton, PA (18201)

Today

Rain showers in the morning with thunderstorms developing for the afternoon. A few storms may be severe. High 71F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 90%..

Tonight

Showers this evening then scattered thunderstorms developing overnight. Low 59F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 60%.
Kosovos new parliament elects new government View Photo

PRISTINA, Kosovo (AP)  Kosovos parliament on Monday approved a new government facing the challenges of managing the coronavirus as confirmed cases mount in the small Balkan country.

During a second extraordinary session, lawmakers voted 67-30 in favor of the Cabinet presented by Prime Minister Albin Kurti. The 17-member Cabinet includes six female ministers.

Kurtis Self-Determination Movement, or Vetevendosje!, won the most votes in Kosovos Feb. 14 parliamentary election, but the left-wing party still needed at least three votes of non-Serb minority parties to create a new Cabinet. Vetevendosje! won 58 of the parliaments 120 seats.

Kurti named the coronavirus pandemic as his top challenge and pledged to secure vaccines for 60% of Kosovos population this year. Kosovo is the only European country that has not started administering vaccines yet.

The continuous anxiety of finding a job, paying the bills at the end of the month and up to securing food on the table has been heightened by the pandemic, he said while presenting his governments proposed program.

Reviving Kosovos economy, including beating back unemployment, as well as managing the coronavirus pandemic, organized crime and corruption remain top challenges for the new government.

Negotiations to normalize ties between Kosovo and neighboring Serbia stalled again last year, and reviving them 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 Kosovos sovereignty, but Serbia and its allies Russia and China dont. Tensions over Kosovo remain a source of volatility in the Balkans.

Kurti said that dialogue was the only way to resolve the issues with Serbia, adding that finding the 1,640 people who remain missing from the war would be his top priority in any talks.

Kurti also said that Kosovo will raise a penal suit for Serbias crime of genocide at the International Court of Justice.

Without recognizing the reality of an independent Kosovo and Serbia accepting such a truth, there would be no normalization of the ties between our two peoples and two states, he said.

Kurti reiterated Kosovos ambitions to join NATO and the European Union.

The path toward integration into the EU could be challenging but there is no other alternative for Kosovo, he said.

The EU, however, has made it clear that neither Kosovo nor Serbia can expect to become members until they resolve their rocky relationship.

A simple majority was needed to elect Kurtis government, compared with the much harder task of electing the new president, which should happen by May and requires a two-thirds majority.

___

Llazar Semini reported from Tirana, Albania.

By ZENEL ZHINIPOTOKU and LLAZAR SEMINI

Associated Press
TWC January Unemployment Data Released

The Texas unemployment rate for January 2021 was 6.8%, down slightly from 6.9% in December 2020.



Locally, Hill County's January unemployment rate was reported at 6.5%, with 1,057 Hill County residents unemployed out of a total labor force of 16,187. That is up from December's rate of 5.9% and higher than the pre-pandemic rate of 3.6% from last January.



Texas added 30,800 total nonagricultural jobs in January, marking the ninth consecutive month of job growth. Private sector employment moved in the same direction with an increase of 32,600 positions for the month.



"The continued job growth in January is a promising sign for our economic recovery," said TWC Chairman Bryan Daniel. "TWC continues to provide opportunities for Texans to enhance job skills or to find a new job at MyTxCareer.com."



In January, the professional and business services industry added 12,800 jobs. Financial activities added 8,400 jobs, construction added 3,000 jobs and leisure and hospitality added 2,900 jobs.



"This month continues to show increased job growth and emphasizes the need for skilled workers in Texas," said TWC Commissioner Representing Labor Julian Alvarez. "TWC is proud to help all workers sharpen their skills through programs like Metrix online learning, which is available free to all Texans."



The Amarillo Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) recorded Januarys lowest unemployment rate among Texas MSAs with a not seasonally adjusted rate of 4.9%, followed by the Austin-Round Rock MSA with the second lowest rate of 5.4%. The College Station-Bryan MSA recorded the third lowest rate of 5.6%.



"Texas employers continue to show astounding resilience in getting Texans back to work," said Commissioner Representing Employers Aaron Demerson.



"As Texas re-opens to 100%, my office will continue to be a frontline resource for Texas employers, providing them with the best information and tools available to assist with operating their businesses proficiently."




An Oakbank man is advocating to stop some Manitobans, such as his wife, from falling through the cracks of COVID-19 vaccine eligibility.

An Oakbank man is advocating to stop some Manitobans, such as his wife, from falling through the cracks of COVID-19 vaccine eligibility.

"Shes the love of my life," Ken Miller said of his wife of 42 years.

With that love, recently, has come a feeling of helplessness. His wife, Cheryl, suffers from secondary progressive multiple sclerosis, as well as Type 2 diabetes  making her immunocompromised. Shes 65 years old and every day Miller goes without being able to get her a COVID-19 vaccine causes his stress to build.

"My frustration is that at some point we have to get people with compromised immune systems into the line to get their shots. Dont forget about them," Miller said from his Oakbank home.

The province has prioritized people with some health conditions  including multiple sclerosis  to receive the AstraZeneca vaccine, however that is only for people under the age of 65. Saturday, the province updated the eligibility for the general population to include anyone 67 and older, or any First Nations people who are 47 or older.

The eligibility criteria, combined with restrictions on the AstraZeneca vaccine, leaves Cheryl Miller in a void: too old for one, not old enough for another. Every day Cheryl isnt vaccinated is another day she risks catching COVID-19, he says. Hes worried her outcome would be severe.

Compounding that stress is some level of self-inflicted guilt. At 69, despite being completely healthy and a regular athlete, he has already been able to schedule his own vaccination appointment for March 30.

Shes the love of my life, Miller said of his wife of 42 years. (John Woods / Winnipeg Free Press)

Last week, Canadas National Advisory Committee on Immunization advised that the AstraZeneca vaccine could be safely administered to people over the age of 65. This came after concerns had been raised that the vaccine could possibly be connected to some adverse effects involving blood clots.

"Its not that were flip-flopping, its just that we try to monitor the evidence," NACI Chair Dr. Caroline Quach-Thanh said at a press briefing last week.

Health Canada has yet to amend its recommendations to reflect the NACIs most recent advice, so in the meantime the AstraZeneca vaccine is only being distributed to those under the age of 65 in Canada.

Canadian public health officials have remained steadfast in their endorsement of the AstraZeneca vaccine and Dr. Teresa Tam, the countrys chief public health officer, says no adverse clotting events have occurred in the country that can be linked to this vaccine.

"Health Canada is aware of reports of serious adverse events in Europe following immunization with the AstraZeneca vaccine, but wants to reassure Canadians that the benefits of the vaccine continue to outweigh its risks," Tam said in a press conference last week.

"There is currently no indication that the vaccine caused the observed event."

France has even reversed the upper age restriction on the AstraZeneca vaccine and implemented an advisory that it only be given to people above the age of 55. Miller knows that with the age limit for vaccine eligibility is dropping quickly in Manitoba, and that it wont be long before his wife is vaccinated and can enjoy the protection that gives. But he wishes she hadnt been a part of a group of people that fell through the health policy cracks.

"The disease is so debilitating that they have no energy left to advocate for themselves," he said. "OK, so then Im going to advocate for sure for my wife. Shes the love of my life."

sarah.lawrynuik@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @SarahLawrynuik
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NEW YORK (Reuters) - A dozen top United Nations officials on Monday called for a stop to indiscriminate and targeted attacks against civilians in Ethiopia's northern Tigray region, particularly calling out reports of rape and "other horrific forms of sexual violence."

In a joint statement the officials, including U.N. aid chief Mark Lowcock, rights chief Michelle Bachelet and refugee chief Filippo Grandi, called on the warring parties to protect civilians from human rights abuse, condemn sexual violence and hold perpetrators accountable.

"It is essential that an independent investigation into conflict-related sexual violence in Tigray be initiated, with the involvement of the U.N. Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights," the statement said.

Fighting between government troops and the region's former ruling party, the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF), has killed thousands of people and forced hundreds of thousands from their homes in the mountainous region of about 5 million.

The United Nations has raised concerns about atrocities being committed in Tigray, while U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken has described acts carried out in the region as ethnic cleansing. Ethiopia has rejected Blinken's allegation.

The U.N. officials said initial assessments of 106 health facilities in Tigray between December 2020 and March 2021 showed that nearly 70% had been looted, 30% were damaged, and only 13% in Tigray were functional.

"Preventing and responding to the grave human suffering resulting from this conflict will require a concerted effort at all levels," they said. "When it comes to getting aid staff and supplies into Tigray ... much more remains to be done."

(Reporting by Michelle Nichols; Editing by Lisa Shumaker)
Schools, colleges and Anganwadis will be closed in Chhattisgarh with immediate effect in view of a surge in COVID-19 cases in the state, informed State Minister Ravindra Choubey on Sunday.

Baghel on Sunday had chaired a meeting of his cabinet ministers and senior officials to ensure that all health protocols related to are in place to check the spread of the virus ahead of the Holi festival.

"It has been decided by the state government that in view of spike in COVID-19 cases, all schools will remain closed till further orders. Except for Class 10 and 12 board exams, exams of all other classes will not take place and all students will be given general promotions," the Chief Minister tweeted.

According to data from the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW), Chhattisgarh has 7693 active cases as of Sunday. Since Saturday, the state has witnessed an increase of 940 cases.

The cumulative COVID-19 cured, discharged and migrated cases in the state stood at 31,1520, while the death toll has mounted to 3,940.
Two top White House officials will travel to Mexico and Guatemala this week for talks on stemming the flow of illegal migration as President Joe Biden comes under increasing pressure to respond to a growing crisis at the border.

Roberta Jacobson, Bidens senior official for southwest border affairs, and the National Security Councils Western Hemisphere Director Juan Gonzalez are leaving for the region on Monday, according to a White House statement.

The trip shows the increased urgency the Biden administration is feeling to address the influx of migrants, especially unaccompanied children and teenagers, which has created humanitarian predicament at the border and political problems for the White House. Biden said Sunday that he plans to visit the U.S.-Mexico border at some point" for a first-hand look at conditions.

The U.S. delegation will meet with Mexican Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard, deputy secretary for North America Roberto Velasco and other foreign ministry officials, a senior administration official said in a briefing for reporters.

The official declined to be identified as a condition of participating in the briefing.

In Guatemala, President Alejandro Giammattei and Foreign Minister Pedro Brolo will host Gonzalez and Ricardo Zuniga, a State Department official who is being named special envoy to the Northern Triangle region of Central America, from where most of the migrants leave.

Jacobson and Gonzalez plan to discuss ways to stop the migrants from traveling north to the U.S. border as well as strategies to address the root causes of the migration, such as corruption, violence and poor economic conditions in Honduras, El Salvador and Guatemala.

The U.S. officials in Mexico will pitch a joint development strategy for southern Mexico and the Northern Triangle to boost job creation and give potential migrants better reasons to remain in their home countries, the official said. Guatemalan civil society leaders and representatives of non-governmental organization are also scheduled to meet with the U.S. delegation.

The Biden administration included $4 billion in aid for Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador in its proposal for an immigration overhaul, but Jacobson has said the money will be contingent on those governments rooting out corruption.

The U.S. has seen a dramatic spike in the number of people encountered by border officials in recent weeks. That includes 18,945 family members encountered in February alone, an increase of 168% from January, according to the Pew Research Center.

Republicans have accused Biden of creating a crisis by rolling back some of former President Donald Trumps hard-line policies while using more welcoming rhetoric on immigration.

Biden and his top aides have argued they are still turning back the vast majority of those who show up at the southern border using an authority known as Title 42 -- a provision enacted during the pandemic to stem the spread of coronavirus.

But Bidens decision to accept unaccompanied minors has strained shelter space, which was already in shorter supply due to coronavirus restrictions.

The Department of Health and Human Services, which operates the shelters, had more than 9,500 children and teens in custody as of last week. An additional 4,500 minors were in facilities run by Customs and Border Protection. Minors are only supposed to remain at CBP sites for 72 hours but many have stayed longer due to lack of space at HHS shelters.





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

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The decline is due to a real estate scandal involving members of the president's party. Former Attorney General Yoon Seok-youl, a Conservative, favoured to become the next president. Effective management of the pandemic is not enough for Democrats to maintain power.

Seoul (AsiaNews / Agencies) - The consensus for President Moon Jae-in has collapsed to 34.1%, the lowest since taking office in 2017.

The data was revealed this morning in a survey by Realmeter which attributes the collapse to a real estate scandal involving members of Moon's Democratic Party.

The approval rating for the ruling party is also in free fall: The Democrats are at 28.1%, against 35.5% of the conservatives, the main opposition force. Dozens of government officials and some Democratic Party MPs are accused of speculating on the construction of public housing on the outskirts of the capital.

The case has boosted consensus for the Conservative bloc. His likely presidential candidate in March 2022, former Attorney General Yoon Seok-youl, would now be voted on by 39.1% of voters - a nearly 18 percentage point advantage over Lee Jae-myung, governor of Gyeonggi province, who would run for the Democrats.

Moon's effective management of the pandemic (who cannot be re-nominated for a second term) does not seem to be enough to keep the Democratic Party in power: so far the country has recorded 99,000 cases of contagion and about 1,700 deaths; the national vaccination campaign started at the end of February.

The housing scandal has already minimized the chances for Democrats to win the election for Seoul's new mayor, which will take place on April 7. In polls, both Conservative candidates outperform Democratic competitor Park Young-sun by about 15 percentage points.
Jamesville, NY  In the midst of a mental crisis earlier this month, Judson Albahm, 17, pointed a BB gun that police say looked like a real gun at them near Jamesville. Four officers opened fire, killing him.

Its an all too common occurrence: a citizen with a mental breakdown facing down police officers trained for decades to counter resistance with force.

In this case, police were trying to corral Judson for the better part of an hour before the fatal encounter. His mother had warned that he had an airgun, not a real gun, and had threatened suicide by cop. Officers tried to reach him by phone, but got the wrong number at first. Its unclear if they ever talked to him.

About 25 minutes after arriving, officers spotted Judson carrying what looked like a black handgun, police revealed recently. Seven minutes later, Judson was still on the run when civilian workers reported that he pointed the gun at them, police said. The chase continued, and 14 minutes later, Judson confronted police with the gun for the last time and was shot dead, police said.

What if the police response had ended the crisis before Judson pulled the airgun on officers or civilians? What if officers could have avoided shooting someone who had apparently wanted to die?

Thats the goal behind a new wave of police training, called Integrating Communications, Assessment, and Tactics (ICAT), which calls for a radically different approach to mental illness calls.

One form or another of ICAT has been adopted by the emergency response unit of the New York City police, the Buffalo police and more than 600 other departments across the country.

ICAT is the latest training in de-escalation techniques, a concept thats been around for years. But ICAT stresses a fundamental shift in policing attitudes, built upon one bedrock: the sanctity of human life.

A 2020 study of ICAT training within the Louisville, Kentucky police department showed a 28% reduction in use of force, a 26% reduction in injuries to citizens and a 36% reduction in officer injuries over a 28-month period. More than 1,000 Louisville officers were trained by a national group advising police executives. And the study was sanctioned by the international police chiefs association.

Onondaga County District Attorney William Fitzpatrick agreed that its time for ICAT training locally, pointing to eight local fatal police shootings in the past two years, most involving mental illness, drug or alcohol addiction.

Thats an extraordinary number for this community,' Fitzpatrick said. To have that many is something that needs to be addressed, to see how we can do things smarter and better.

Fitzpatrick called ICAT a positive program and confirmed that such training would be folded into the ongoing police reform across Onondaga County.

The new countywide police reform plan dedicates eight pages to de-escalation and crisis intervention training (not specifically ICAT). Among its more ambitious goals is a dedicated mobile crisis unit and specialized units that pair mental health workers with cops, or send mental health workers alone to some non-violent calls.

Two weeks after Judsons death, police issued a statement saying that they tried de-escalation at least three times in different locations after spotting the teens gun (discovered later to be a replica). Officers from three agencies were involved in the fatal shooting: Onondaga County Sheriffs Office, DeWitt police and the state police.

Police declined to describe those specific de-escalation techniques when asked by Syracuse.com | The Post-Standard. But the techniques definitely were not from ICAT training.

The Onondaga County Sheriffs Office, one of the three agencies involved in Judsons death, has plans to implement ICAT training in the next few months, Sgt. Jon Seeber, a spokesman for the office, told Syracuse.com | The Post-Standard.

At the sheriffs office, ICAT training will supplement the 12% of deputies who are trained as crisis intervention officers, as well as existing police academy de-escalation training and refresher courses that all deputies get, Seeber said.

The state police and DeWitt police each pointed to previous officer training in crisis intervention, which includes responding to people in mental crisis and role-playing scenarios that might arise.

De-escalation techniques are taught to DeWitt officers as part of various trainings that include recognizing mental illness, responding to active shooters and remaining calm in critical situations, DeWitt police spokesman Lt. Jerry Pace said.

Troopers receive crisis intervention training co-taught by the state Office of Mental Health, as well as additional training aimed at reducing use of force during crisis situations, State Police spokesman Beau Duffy said.

Neither DeWitt nor troopers indicated that they have planned specific ICAT training in the near future.

Everyone agrees mental health calls are among the most challenging a police officer faces. And theyre incredibly common, according to a survey co-sponsored by the New York State Association of Chiefs of Police. The survey of 355 law enforcement agencies across the nation concluded that 21% of police time and 10% of police budgets are spent on dealing with calls involving mental illness.

So what is ICAT training?

ICAT stresses a cerebral approach to police work, centered on ethics, values and human life. How do officers carry that out in a real-world situation involving a possibly armed person in a mental health crisis?

Maintain distance, slow down and take cover, said Chuck Wexler, executive director of the Police Executive Research Forum (PERF), which developed ICAT and advises police administrators nationwide.

ICAT training attempts to change officer thinking about mental illness. Longstanding de-escalation and crisis intervention training teaches similar techniques, but isnt so geared toward reshaping how officers approach their job.

Changing a cops mentality can be very difficult in situations an officers safety is at risk, said Robin Engel, an ICAT researcher and professor of criminal justice at the University of Cincinnati.

Officers fear they might get killed out there if they hesitate, Engel said, citing her research into the Louisville training.

But revamping how officers think in these situations is at the core of ICAT training, she said.

Some of the concepts include: Force is a last resort. Listening is more important than barking out orders. Recognize the person as someone suffering from mental illness, not as a criminal bent on wrongdoing. Focus on a peaceful outcome over compliance.

ICAT may be the latest and most-scrutinized of the latest police de-escalation trainings. But the general concept is widely accepted.

Keith Ross, who spent 10 years as a police academy trainer with the New York Police Department, said officers have long been taught the same thing in mental illness cases: establish communication, slow the clock and look for cover.

The key is doing everything possible to make it less likely that hell take out the gun, Ross said.

Can you prevent these kind of situations from happening? Wexler wondered of suicide-by-cop. The first step is getting right information and training police in how to recognize suicidal situations. Then its communicating and keeping (officers) safe in approaching these situations.

Ross agreed, but stressed that even the best training isnt always going to work.

Sometimes these situations have tragic results, said Ross, who also teachers at NYCs John Jay College of Criminal Justice. I wish I could say that theres 100% chance that this wouldnt have happened, but I cant... This is a shade-of-gray world.

What about Judson?

De-escalation training comes with one big warning: Its generally too late once someone points what appears to be a gun at officers or civilians.

Thats because a gun is considered the ultimate danger: deadly from distance, experts said. A gun requires an officer to act in a split second, without time for the kind of cerebral approach advocated by the experts.

But ICAT -- and de-escalation training in general -- is meant to help officers keep situations from escalating into gun battles, Wexler said.

From the get-go, communication is crucial, both Wexler and Ross told Syracuse.com | The Post-Standard. What did the 911 dispatcher know? What information was passed to responding officers? Did those officers all read the information before engaging with the call?

Related story: Dispatcher warned of Jamesville teens air gun, suicide by cop

Complicating matters is that three different departments -- the sheriffs office, state police and DeWitt police -- all responded, bringing three different chains of command into the mix, the experts said.

In a perfect world, the 911 dispatcher sent out complete information, and all of the officers from all of the agencies read it, Wexler said. In that case, they would have all known Judson had threatened suicide by cop, he said.

That should impact the approach to the entire call, he said.

When suicidal, (a person) can be a danger to themselves and to others, but mainly to themselves, said Wexler, a former Boston police administrator. You approach this situations with extreme caution.

Then theres the question of communicating with Judson and his family, Wexler said. Did officers approach Judsons mother to find out all that they could about his condition? Were authorities able to talk to Judson directly? Theres indication from police scanner chatter that officers were frantically trying to call Judsons cell phone -- but had the wrong number at first. Did they ever get through to him?

Your job should be to deescalate and diffuse the situation, not to overcome, Wexler said of police. How do I reach this person and communicate with him?

Lastly, theres the police tactics of when and how to approach Judson. Did police officers have any place they could take shelter? Was there a chance to form a perimeter and wait him out?

Ross said the physical surroundings are important.

When officers encounter him, did they have any cover? he asked. Is this an open field where two people are pointing firearms at each other? Or could the officers take cover behind their patrol car?

Wexler said officers need to keep the big picture in mind.

If it feels like the police are making it worse, then the police have to make a determination on whether to step back, Wexler said. Whats the goal here? Whats the objective?

In Judsons case, his mother had called police for help after her son fled intervention by a mobile mental health crisis unit.

What does the mother want? Wexler asked. The mother wants her child under control, but not at any cost.

Staff writer Douglass Dowty can be reached at ddowty@syracuse.com or 315-470-6070.

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We understand that headlines grab attention and everyone loves reading about a company (especially a well-known brand) bringing thousands of jobs to our region. The announcements are exciting, and yet, once the TV cameras are gone and the giant scissors have been put back in storage, a lot of hard work begins.

Since 2017, the San Antonio Economic Development Foundation has successfully helped 84 companies grow in San Antonio, resulting in more than 18,100 new jobs in the region. Focused on a set of target industries including cybersecurity, tech, manufacturing, and bioscience, weve been working to build a pipeline of great jobs for San Antonians. Amid the pandemic, San Antonians overwhelmingly approved the Citys SA: Ready to Work initiative to fund workforce development, helping 40,000 San Antonians reskill and upskill to take these jobs providing career pathways. Ill highlight just some of the companies weve worked to bring to San Antonio that are now hiring in our community.

In 2018 Victory Capital announced it would acquire USAAs Asset Management Company. After several months of courting Victory Capital leadership, the company announced it would move its corporate headquarters to San Antonio, retaining many former USAA employees and adding new jobs in our community. Since locating its headquarters to San Antonio in 2019, Victory Capital has continued hiring in the San Antonio region with jobs available in finance, marketing, and technology.

Navistars plans in San Antonio have evolved since announcing their south side truck manufacturing facility in 2019. The company recently acquired a second building that will become an Engineering Valuation Center, growing the companys total investment of more than $275M and 650 new jobs. The company has job opportunities available for the under-construction manufacturing facility, with many more on the horizon.

Booz Allen Hamilton employs the largest share of its Texas workforce in San Antonio and announced plans for a downtown expansion in 2019. The company is now hiring team members to push the boundaries of immersive AI, data science, and cyber.

OKIN Process announced San Antonio as the location of their Americas HQ in 2018 and with it more than 1,000 jobs over the next decade. Since then, the company has been building out its operations on the citys south side at Brooks and they are hiring now for 100 positions.

Thats just a snapshot of the many companies that are hiring in San Antonio right now, not to mention others weve worked with in recent years like EY, Aisin AW, and PenFed. And the future post-Covid is looking bright, with the San Antonio region projected to add another 75K jobs in the next 5 years.

At SAEDF, we want San Antonians to have every opportunity to land a great job that provides their family stability and economic mobility. The projects SAEDF works today provide job creation multipliers in the future. Whether youre an employer hiring now or a jobseeker looking to grow your career, contact SAEDF to connect with resources in our San Antonio community.


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Research conducted globally by Pepsodent has found that children are 7 times more likely to skip brushing if their parents do not brush twice a day.



According to the study, when a parent brushes twice a day, the probability that a child will skip brushing is only 9% and when a parent skips brushing, the chance that a child also skips brushing is 69%.



To commemorate World Oral Health Day, a day set aside globally to raise awareness on oral hygiene, Unilevers Pepsodent brand is introducing #BrushWithMe, a campaign designed to remind parents of their responsibility in taking care of the oral health of themselves and their children, and to encourage families to brush better together.



The #BrushWithMe global campaign is driven by new research data and highlights the importance of building good oral care routines within the family.



Mame Serwah Saifah, Oral Care Brand Manager of Unilever Ghana is optimistic about the opportunity that exists to make positive changes and empower parents to build better oral care habits for the whole family.



She noted We recognise the role parents play as agents of change for the family when it comes to instilling lifestyle habits and daily routines.



As verified by our research, the actions of parents are often mimicked by their children, both good and bad. For this reason, we want to encourage parents as we celebrate World Oral Health Day with #BrushWithMe, to inculcate good oral health routine in the family by brushing day and night alongside their children.



In his remarks, Dr. Paapa Puplampu, President, Ghana Dental Association lauded Pepsodent for their continued commitment to unleashing the power of healthy smiles by eradicating oral disease among Ghanaians with their innovative toothpaste products and educational programs such as #BrushWithMe.



He mentioned that regular tooth brushing with fluoride toothpaste is a key recommendation for caries prevention and tooth decay.



Dr Puplampu observed that Oral Health is considered an important and integral part of general health for both children and adults.



Oral health has been closely tied to the overall health of the entire body, so making sure that your children have the best oral health care by brushing twice-that is morning and evening will ensure they have great smiles as well as protection from negative effects of poor oral health.



Pepsodent #BrushWithMe campaign urges all parents and guardians to re-focus their attention on practising good oral health care at home and set the example for the children by brushing better together.

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 University of Louisiana at Lafayette is tailoring an existing degree program for students who want music careers  just not on a stage or in the business side of the industry.

UL Lafayette has launched a recording arts concentration for its bachelors degree in music, according to a statement from the university. Courses will begin this fall.

The new concentration is designed to prepare graduates for jobs as music producers, sound engineers, mixers, editors and other audio production careers.

Its also designed to enable them to work in virtually any medium that features music, including recording, TV, film, animation and video games, said Chris Munson, an associate professor who will coordinate the recording arts concentration.

SLCC begins application process for fall scholarships, thanks local donors The South Louisiana Community College Foundation announced the opening of its fall semester scholarship application period this week while cel

Many students who love music dont want to play an instrument, but they do want to help create it, whether thats in the control room of a recording studio, making computer-based music, running concerts or any number of behind-the-scenes roles, Munson explained.

Music majors who pursue the recording arts concentration will study technical aspects of studio recording and live sound production. They wont, on the other hand, take music lessons or perform in ensembles, requirements of the Universitys eight other concentrations for music majors.

Instead, theyll immerse themselves in a curriculum stacked with music production courses. Students will learn about recording techniques, live event production, electronic music, audio engineering, mixing, mastering, beat-making, sound design and computer-based music.

Top stories in Acadiana in your inbox Twice daily we'll send you the day's biggest headlines. Sign up today. e-mail address * Sign Up

Learning their way around School of Music and Performing Arts studios set up for recording, post-production, electronic music and mastering will also be requisite. So too will collaborating with other music majors on projects being produced via the student-run Ragin Records.

+5 UL enrollment declines in spring, but university still tops among system campuses The University of Louisiana at Lafayette lost more than 600 students, year over year, in this second, consecutive full COVID-19 affected acade

Trekking to Los Angeles, New Orleans, Austin or Nashville  where Munson spent two decades as a drummer, studio manager and record label manager  is no longer the only route to a successful career in audio production.

Artists dont need major record labels to get their music out there anymore, and many are opting to just do it themselves, Munson said.

The recording arts concentrations DIY Recording course will show students how. It will delve into independent promotion and distribution, a mushrooming outlet for musicians trying to find a large audience or earn a recording contract.

Artists once left to send demo tapes to record companies that receive thousands a year can now upload music to video-sharing platforms such as YouTube, or distribute their sounds via digital stores and streaming apps such as iTunes.

But they need to be capable of refining, packaging and marketing their material  or lean on someone who can, Munson said.
Oregonians experiencing homelessness are eligible to receive stimulus checks even if they lack an address, bank account or a history of paying taxes.

To receive the payment, people need to have a valid Social Security number, not be a dependent of another taxpayer and be a U.S. citizen or a resident alien, according to the Internal Revenue Service.

If someone lacks a bank account, then they can receive the payment via a check or a debit card. However, they will need an address for either option to be mailed to. This could be a P.O. box, a homeless shelter address, an address of a friend or family member, or an address of a religious organization that agrees to accept mail on others behalf. Transition Projects, for example, offers mail service at its downtown Portland resource center.

For the third stimulus check, individuals will need to file a 2020 income tax return, even if they have no income to report, if they dont have prior tax returns on file. The IRS does offer a free filing service, but people will need internet access via a computer or smartphone to complete the online forms.

Individuals who earn under $12,400 annually are typically not required to file a tax return.

However, those who received one of the first two stimulus checks dont need to file a 2020 tax return because they are already in the IRS system.

For the first or second stimulus checks, there was a resource called the non-filers tool that helped people access checks if they werent in the system. That tool is no longer offered. That means if people missed out on their first or second stimulus check, then they should claim the Recovery Rebate Credit on their 2020 tax return to capture that money. Like the stimulus, the tax return will come via a mailed check unless direct deposit into a checking account is set up.

Across Portland, there are a variety of programs offering assistance to help people access their stimulus checks or receive help filing taxes.

Street Roots, a homeless advocacy group, at 211 N.W. Davis St., Portland, will be hosting one-on-one clinics with individuals to video chat with representatives from the Low-Income Tax Clinic at Lewis & Clark Law School. There will be six 30-minute time slots available each Monday from 9 a.m. to noon. For more information call (503) 228-5657.

PDX Free Fridge, which provides free food, is hosting pop-up events throughout the city to help people file their 2020 taxes and claim their stimulus payments. People just need to know their Social Security number and need to bring any income forms such as a 1099 or W-2. If folks dont have an address to list on their forms, PDX Free Fridge will provide addresses.

The PDX Free Fridge pop-up events are Saturday at 10 a.m. to noon Saturday at Kenton Fridge near Kenton Park and 1 to 3 p.m. at Shaking Tree Fridge at Southeast Ninth Avenue and Grant Street; 10 a.m. to noon April 3 at Lents South Fridge near Southeast 85th Avenue and Knapp Street; and 1 to 3 p.m. April 3 at West Portland Park Fridge at Southwest Huber Street and 40th Avenue.

Volunteer Income Tax Assistance programs, such as Cash Oregon, can offer free tax help.

Nicole Hayden reports on homelessness for The Oregonian. She can be reached at nhayden@oregonian.com or (810) 210-1561. Follow her on Twitter @Nicole_A_Hayden.
Rep. Hice Announces Challenge to Georgia Secretary of State, Wins Trump Endorsement

An ally of former President Donald Trump has announced a 2022 bid for Georgia secretary of state, pitting him against the incumbent Republican, who clashed with Trump repeatedly over last years election results in the state.

Rep. Jody Hice (R-Ga.) took aim on March 22 at Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, claiming that actions by the states top elections official served to create cracks in the integrity of our elections, which I wholeheartedly believe individuals took advantage of in 2020.

Our state deserves a leader who steers clear of scandals and focuses on the incredibly important duties of the office. If elected, my top priority will be ensuring every Georgians legally cast ballot is counted in future elections, he said.

Trump maintains that he won the state of Georgia in the 2020 election, even though state officials certified Democrat Joe Biden as the victor after several recounts.

While Trump urged Raffensperger to look closely at electoral and voter fraud claims, Raffensperger has said his office probed the allegations and found only a small amount of fraud occurred.

We will continue to root out voting fraud and make sure anyone guilty of it faces prosecution, Raffensperger said last month, in announcing that the state election board sent 24 more alleged voting violations to prosecutors. Fortunately, these individual cases arent large enough to change the outcome of a statewide election.

A spokesman for the secretary of state didnt return a request for comment by press time.

Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger gives an update on the state of the election and ballot count during a news conference at the State Capitol in Atlanta, on Nov. 6, 2020. (Reuters/Dustin Chambers)

Trump, who vowed to campaign against the Republican incumbent, quickly endorsed Hice, calling him one of the most outstanding members of Congress.

Jody has been a steadfast fighter for conservative Georgia values and is a staunch ally of the America First agenda. Unlike the current Georgia Secretary of State, Jody leads out front with integrity. I have 100% confidence in Jody to fight for Free, Fair, and Secure Elections in Georgia, in line with our beloved U.S. Constitution, Trump said in a statement issued through his Save America political action committee.

Hice, 60, has been a member of Congress since 2015. Before that, he was a pastor. He represents Georgias 10th Congressional District, which has been held by Republicans since 1995.

Trump said he will campaign against Republican Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp, who he believes failed to act properly when presented with fraud claims.

Ill be here in a year and a half campaigning against your governor and your crazy secretary of state, he told a rally on Jan. 4, just before Democrats won two U.S. Senate runoff elections.

Kemp has said he didnt have the authority to intervene in election disputes, instead deferring to Raffensperger.

The terms of both officials are up in early 2023.
Anchorage, AK -- (SBWIRE) -- 03/22/2021 -- James Crowson founded Crowson Law Group to help residents of Alaska with personal injury claims. The firm offers plaintiff clients strong advocacy in receiving total and fair compensation for their losses and property damages. Crowson Law Group's lawyers are well-versed in matters involving negligence claims about insurance companies. They also offer legal support for car accidents, motorcycle accidents, boat accidents, snowmobile and ATVs accidents, among others. On behalf of clients, Crowson Law Group collects all evidence, sorts of paperwork and handles all claims' expenditures.



In response to a query, Crowson Law Group's spokesperson commented, "Just as our founder, attorney James Crowson, is passionate, so are all our lawyers in assisting accident victims. We put in our very best to ensure we obtain the settlement and benefit they deserve and rely on to support themselves and their loved ones. At Crowson Law Group, we stay and are entirely committed to supporting individuals who cannot speak for themselves in court".



Crowson Law Group offers dependable legal services to victims of car accidents caused by another driver's careless driving. In correspondence with their clients' damaged properties and suffered injuries, they obtain adequate compensation that their clients are worthy of. Injuries from car accidents can give rise to exhaustive and often protracted medical treatment. They could also compel the victim to stay absent from work. The ordeal can almost be irreversible. However, Alaskans who are intending to contact Alaska car accident attorney can get in touch with Crowson Law Group for their trusted services.



The spokesperson further added, "With our car accident personal injury lawyers, Crowson Law Group is a reputable law firm that is persistent at help injury victims throughout Alaska. Our lawyers possess amiable attributes, and will help you feel relaxed and secure, as we lead you across the steps of filing a claim for your car accident personal injury".



Moreover, Crowson Law Group supports the rights of motorcycle riders in Alaska. Motorcycle accidents often result in road rash or head injuries. Since road rash involves abrasions of the skin, it has a possibility of causing permanent skin damage, infection, and more. Head injuries from motorcycle accidents, on the other hand, tend to cause minor or serious concussions, amnesia, headaches, among others. 80% of motorcycle accidents lead to injury, and almost half of them involve other vehicles at crossroads. Motorcycle accidents cause more harm than car accidents due to the absence of protection mechanisms such as airbags, seatbelts, among others. People on the lookout to find Alaska motorcycle accident lawyer can contact Crowson Law Group.



About Crowson Law Group

Crowson Law Group is a law firm located in Alaska that offers legal services for personal injury claims and plaintiff representation cases. Their services help clients obtain full and fair compensation for property damage, medical bills, body injuries, anguish and suffering, loss of consortium, past and current income, normal life, and more. People who would like to contact personal injury attorney Wasilla AK can reach out Crowson Law Group.



Contact Information:



Crowson Law Group



850 S. Roberts Street,

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Phone: (907) 519 0193



637 A Street,

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Web: https:www.crowsonlaw.com/
VANCOUVER, BC, March 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- QMC Quantum Minerals Corp., (TSX.V: QMC) (FSE: 3LQ) (OTC PINK: QMCQF) ("QMC" or "the Company") has appointed Daniel Leroux, M.Sc., P. Geo, as a technical advisor to assist the Company with the focus of increasing the resource at Irgon Lithium Mine Project and bringing it to production in Manitoba. Similarly, Mr. Leroux will also help QMC to develop the Namew Lake District project containing nickel, copper, and gold. Mr. Leroux was the former Global Business Manager  Geological Services for SGS and managed staff and consultants that worked on many significant world-wide lithium pegmatite projects including Sigma Lithium (Brazil) and Nemaska Lithium (Quebec).

Daniel Leroux commented: "I am excited join the QMC team as a technical advisor and help them advance their Irgon Lithium Project towards production. With a project which has the Irgon pegmatite dike system as well as several additional lithium pegmatite dikes swarms identified to date and nearby infrastructure in place, unlike many other projects, the Irgon Project could be a low-cost producer. QMC will be an important part of the Canadian Government's recently announced 31 minerals considered critical for the sustainable economic success of Canada (March 11, 2021)."

Balraj Mann commented: "We are excited to have Daniel joining the team with his expertise. Access to his global network of experts and service providers will help move the Company's Irgon Lithium Mine Project towards production. QMC will be an important part of the supply chain due to its close proximity to EV and battery manufacturing plants. The Irgon Lithium Mine's pegmatite dikes additionally contain cesium, niobium, tantalum, and other rare-earth metals."

Mr. Leroux is a bilingual (French-English) economic geologist with over 25+ years of diversified geological, project generation, mining, mineral processing, project management, corporate and executive experience with both major and junior mining companies and with geological and mining consultancy firms. Mr. Leroux is currently the CEO and Vice President Exploration of Zodiac Gold Inc. a Canadian based private mineral exploration and development company with gold projects located in Liberia. From 2003 to 2015, he was the co-owner and Vice President of A.C.A. Howe International Limited (A.C.A. Howe), a geological and mining consulting firm established in 1960 that operated offices in Toronto, Canada and London, UK until the Canadian operation was acquired by CSA Global in 2016. A.C.A Howe was instrumental in the discovery of the Bernic Lake (Cabot/Sinomine) tantalum mine in the early 1960's. From 2011 to 2013, Daniel was the Vice President Exploration and in 2014, the President of RDX Minerals Inc. a private Canadian-based junior mining company. From 1988-1990, Daniel worked for Inco Exploration and Technical Services (now Vale) and with Placer Dome in 1991.

Mr. Leroux holds both a B.Sc. degree (Geology) and a Master of Science in Mineral Exploration degree from Laurentian University. He is a registered member of the Association of Professional Geoscientists of Ontario ("APGO"), the Association of Professional Engineers and Geoscientists of Saskatchewan ("APEGS") and l 'Ordre des geologues du Quebec ("OGQ").

Options

The board of directors has authorized the grant of 500,000 incentive stock options to certain consultants at an exercise price of 35 cents per option. The options are exercisable on or before March 22, 2026. The stock option grant is subject to acceptance by the TSX Venture Exchange.

About the Company

QMC is a British Columbia based company engaged in the acquisition, exploration and development of resource properties. Its objective is to locate and develop economic precious, base, rare metal resource properties of merit. The Company's properties include the Irgon Lithium Mine Project and two VMS properties, the Rocky Lake and Rocky-Namew, known collectively as the Namew Lake District Project. Currently, all of the Company's properties are located in Manitoba.

To keep up with the current info on QMC Quantum Minerals Corp, be sure to join our Telegram chat room: http://t.me/quantummineralscorp

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

On behalf of the Board of Directors of

QMC QUANTUM MINERALS CORP.

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Three Crew members on a Marseille-bound TunisAir flight were detained Sunday in the French city for customs violation, reports say.

The airline in statement without giving details on the arrests reportedly said the crew members; stewards, on the Tunis-Marseille flight, have been suspended until the settlement of the case through legal means.

Universe News citing Al Wassat News notes, the detainees; two air hostesses and one steward, were caught red handed trafficking 300 cartons of Marlboro cigarettes; 3000 packs of cigarettes. One of air hostesses, had been in the past subject to discipline after he was caught trying to traffic jewelries for one her the acquaintances.

The Sunday arrests further stain furthermore the image of the airline already in financial difficult and administrative situation.

TunisAir has been unable to pay salaries and owes more 10 million to TAV, a Turkish and global airport operator. The company currently operates a fleet of eight aged passenger jets.
Of all the worlds still to be explored, among the most mysterious may be closest to home. Indeed, it may be right between your ears.

A type of cell called the astrocyte accounts for more than 25 percent of the human brain, yet a small percentage of how this cell function contributes to brain function is actually understood.

Virginia Tech neuroscientist Michelle Olsen seeks to change that through a new five-year, $1.6 million grant from the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, part of the National Institutes of Health. She hopes her work will one day allow scientists to more deeply understand how this cell develops and functions in the healthy brain so that they can better treat neurodevelopmental disorders and neurological disease.

"There is so much about the brain that is still to learn," said Olsen, an associate professor in the School of Neuroscience, part of the Virginia Tech College of Science, and director of the director of the recently approved neuroscience Ph.D. program. "We're really at the bottom of an exponential learning curve."

Astrocytes appear, or are born, late in the third trimester of fetal development, well after their more well-studied neighbors, the neurons. Astrocytes produce long tentacles or cell processes that appear to wrap around many points of contact, or synapses, between neurons, protecting and stabilizing these vital connections. But so far scientists know little about what "recruits" these astrocytic processes to neuronal synapses.

Yet, Olsen and her lab may have identified an important molecular player in that process. Scientists have long known that neurons release at the synapse a protein, "brain-derived neurotrophic factor" or BDNF, to aid in neuron-to-neuron communication, growth and function. Astrocytes produce the protein TrkB -- that's short for Tropomyosin receptor kinase B -- a receptor for BDNF. Olsen suspects this BDNF/TrkB pathway facilitates neuron-to-astrocyte communication -- a disruption of which could alter the development of astrocytes and, ultimately, the brain itself.

"We may have been missing a good part of the story by focusing on this pathway only in neurons," she said. "It may turn out that this signaling pathway, which is critical for early brain development, is just as important in astrocytes. You can imagine if the cells do not develop properly then they don't ever really normalize."

The research is much too new to even hypothesize about potential medical benefits, Olsen added: "This is very basic science, really just trying to understand how the brain works normally. How does the astrocyte know where it needs to go?"

Beatriz Torres, a neuroscience doctoral student who works in Olsen's lab, added, "I am very excited about the grant and the projects that it has outlined. Not very much is known about what actually draws an astrocyte process to a synapse in the first place. Understanding what these cues are could offer us novel therapeutic targets for neurodevelopmental and neuropsychiatric disorders."

Scientific and technological advancements have been a major driver behind Olsen's discoveries. The current study will be conducted in the mouse, a mammalian model system often used in neuroscience research. Olsen, and researchers like her, take advantage of the ability to manipulate the genome of this animal, allowing for specific manipulation of the BDNF/TrkB pathway only in the astrocytes.

The NIH grant allows Olsen's team to use a new serial block-face scanning microscope at the Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at VTC in Roanoke to perform a very high-resolution microscopy of those tiny astrocyte projections that enwrap the synapses. "This new microscope will allow us to acquire a large number of images in a short time period to really dig into the questions in the study," Olsen said.

Olsen will collaborate with two Virginia Tech researchers on this project: neuroscientists Susan Campbell, a research assistant professor in the Department in Animal and Poultry Sciences in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences and an affiliated faculty member in neuroscience, and Michael Fox, a professor in and director of the School of Neuroscience, and a professor with the Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at VTC.

"Dr. Olsen's work on the molecular signals that drive astrocyte maturation and the formation of synaptic astrocyte processes is fundamental to our understanding of how these specialized cells contribute to synaptic function in health and disease," Fox said. "Her expertise in glial and synaptic biology, in cell and molecular biology, in electrophysiology, and in high-resolution imaging uniquely positions her to solve this complex question."

It's an expertise Olsen has developed since her first days as a neuroscience graduate student at the University of Alabama-Birmingham.

"This is where I began my lifelong love of astrocytes," she said. "Astrocytes are the unsung heroes of the brain. They perform many underappreciated functions, but they're fundamental to how the brain works."

###
This village in Maharashtra is COVID-19 free, thanks to its youngest sarpanch

Maharashtra allies to meet today amid call for Anil Deshmukh's ouster

India

oi-Deepika S

Mumbai, Mar 22: Maharashtra coalition parties-NCP-Shiv Sena and Congress likely to meet on Monday to decide the way forward amid corruption allegation on Home Minister Anil Deshmukh.

Maharashtra ruling alliance to decide over Anil Deshmukh's resignation tomorrow | Oneindia News

NCP, Shiv Sena have maintained that there is no question of resignation, alleging a "conspiracy" to defame the Maharashtra government.

Thackeray himself has called a meeting of the state law and justice ministry officials at 4.30 pm today. This gains prominence in the wake of his decision to keep a closer eye on the Home Ministry.

Meanwhile, the BJP on Monday demanded the imposition of the President's rule in Maharashtra.

Maharashtra BJP delegation to meet Guv Bhagat Singh Koshyari on Mar 24

A major political storm erupted in Maharashtra after Singh, who was recently shunted out as Mumbai police commissioner, wrote a letter to CM Thackeray last week claiming Deshmukh had asked Sachin Waze, currently in the NIA custody, and other police officers to collect Rs 100 crore monthly, including Rs 50 to Rs 60 crore from bars and hotels in Mumbai.

Singh was shunted out as Mumbai police commissioner in the midst of investigation by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) into recovery of an explosives-laden vehicle which was found parked outside the south Mumbai residence of industrialist Mukesh Ambani last month.

The NIA had arrested assistant inspector of Mumbai Police, Sachin Waze, in the case.

Deshmukh had denied these allegations.


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Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Announces Sanctions on Relevant EU Entities and Personnel

2021/03/22

The European Union (EU) imposed unilateral sanctions on relevant Chinese individuals and entity on March 22, citing the so-called human rights issues in Xinjiang. This move, based on nothing but lies and disinformation, disregards and distorts facts, grossly interferes in China's internal affairs, flagrantly breaches international law and basic norms governing international relations, and severely undermines China-EU relations. China firmly opposes and strongly condemns this. The Chinese government is firmly determined to safeguard national sovereignty, security and development interests. The Chinese side decides to sanction the following ten individuals and four entities on the EU side that severely harm China's sovereignty and interests and maliciously spread lies and disinformation: Reinhard Butikofer, Michael Gahler, Raphael Glucksmann, Ilhan Kyuchyuk and Miriam Lexmann of the European Parliament, Sjoerd Wiemer Sjoerdsma of the Dutch Parliament, Samuel Cogolati of the Belgian Federal Parliament, Dovile Sakaliene of the Seimas of the Republic of Lithuania, German scholar Adrian Zenz, Swedish scholar Bjorn Jerden, Political and Security Committee of the Council of the European Union, Subcommittee on Human Rights of the European Parliament, the Mercator Institute for China Studies in Germany, and the Alliance of Democracies Foundation in Denmark. The individuals concerned and their families are prohibited from entering the mainland, Hong Kong and Macao of China. They and companies and institutions associated with them are also restricted from doing business with China.

The Chinese side urges the EU side to reflect on itself, face squarely the severity of its mistake and redress it. It must stop lecturing others on human rights and interfering in their internal affairs. It must end the hypocritical practice of double standards and stop going further down the wrong path. Otherwise, China will resolutely make further reactions.
(Newser)  Police officers had to chase down an escaped cow in Virginia Saturday night, and one of them ended up getting shot in the process. It's not yet clear exactly what happened or who fired, but WHSV reports the shot came as the loose cow charged officers. The injured officer is in stable condition and is said to be in good spirits. The cow had escaped from a stockyard and was found near a 7-Eleven. Due to injuries it sustained in the attempt to contain it, it was euthanized, NBC News reports. (Read more Virginia stories.)
Former parliamentary staffer Brittany Higgins has revealed that she felt she had to stay quiet about allegedly being raped by a colleague because of weird party stuff.

The new details emerged via a tearful audio recording broadcast on Monday night by the ABCs Four Corners.

Brittany Higgins at the Womens March 4 Justice at Parliament House in Canberra last Monday. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen

Ms Higgins alleges a colleague took her to the office of Defence Minister Linda Reynolds in March 2019 after a night out drinking and raped her. She said that she told Senator Reynolds about the rape, but at the time Ms Higgins said that she did not want it reported to police.

Senator Reynolds is on stress leave. She apologised to her former aide after calling her a lying cow although Senator Reynolds said that comment was in relation to the complaint handling process, not about disputing her account of being sexually assaulted.
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.
Abu Dhabi concert of 128 musicians from 20 nations on 30/3 'Hekayat' by Darwish, artists online to appear together on stage

(ANSAmed) - NAPLES, MARCH 22 - The Abu Dhabi Festival has produced a performance stretching around the world through 13 compositions played by 128 musicians from 20 countries, celebrating the musical traditions and culture of every continent.



The virtual concert will be held on March 30 and is entitled Hekayat: Symphonic Tales. It is the work of the UAE composer Ihab Darwish.



On the abudhabifestival.ae website, the concert - using sophisticated technology - will involve the individually-recorded musicians appearing on a single stage of the luxurious Emirates Palace Auditorium in Abu Dhabi.



For the occasion, Darwish has brought together an impressive group of international musicians including the illustrious Beethoven Academy Orchestra of Krakow, conducted by maestro Tomasz Tokarczyk, the VOX Chamber Choir, tenor Jose Cura, and the musicians Sara Andon, Kodo, Carlos Pinana, and Kinan Azmeh.



The event showcases the efforts of the Abu Dhabi Festival to promote cultural diplomacy and support the growth of performing arts in the UAE and across the world.



The individual performances have been synchronised digitally and post-production technology has made it possible to bring all the musicians into an online 3D model of the stage.



Abu Dhabi art director Huda I. Alkhamis-Kanoo said that the premiere of Darwish's Hekayat is an "extraordinary journey into symphonic music, in which musicians from around the world unite to spread a universal message of peace and inclusion, perfectly in line with the mission of the Abu Dhabi Festival. Using innovative technology, the Abu Dhabi Festival is proud to present to the public the second commission of work from Ihab, with an extraordinary virtual production".



Darwish said in a recent statement that he uses different types of instruments in music and that the experimental nature of Hekayat was inspired by the desire for a different future and faith in shared human values.



Since his first time at the Abu Dhabi Festival, he continued, the format of the performances has changed due to the COVID-19 pandemic and yet the "profound emotional impact of music and its power to comfort" have become stronger than ever.



He added that, as an exclusively online event, Hekayat will have the advantage of being accessible to the public around the world. (ANSAmed).




TikTok owner ByteDance has acquired Shanghai-based studio Moonton Technology, best known for developing the mobile MOBA Mobile Legends: Bang Bang.

As reported by Reuters, which spoke with two anonymous sources, the deal values Moonton at $4 billion and comes as ByteDance continues its push into the video game market.

ByteDance confirmed the purchase in a short statement and said Moonton would help support its internal game division, Nuverse.

"Through cross-team collaboration and drawing on lessons and insights from its own rapid growth, Moonton provides the strategic support needed to accelerate Nuverses global gaming offerings," said the company, which declined to comment on the size of the deal.

An internal memo from Moonton chief exec Yuan Jing -- the details of which were shared with Reuters by another anonymous source -- suggested the Chinese studio will operate independently from ByteDance following the deal.
Huntington, WV (25701)

Today

Showers and thunderstorms. Storms may contain strong gusty winds. High 76F. Winds SSW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 100%..

Tonight

Thunderstorms early, then mainly cloudy after midnight. Areas of patchy fog developing. Low 61F. Winds SSW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 70%.
(Newser)  A couple who set out to hike a mountain in Maine's Acadia National Park apparently fell to their deaths, CNN reports. The 28-year-old man and 30-year-old woman from Massachusetts were last heard from Thursday around noon; the woman had told family members in a phone call that she was interested in hiking Cadillac Mountain. When they hadn't returned to their vehicle or checked out of their hotel Friday as planned, concerns grew, and relatives officially reported them missing Friday night. Searchers on foot ultimately discovered their bodies Saturday morning.

story continues below

Officials say the man and woman were hiking along ice-covered cliff bands on Dorr Mountainwhich is near Cadillac Mountain, per ABC Newsand slipped and fell 100 feet, the National Parks Traveler reports. A 15-member volunteer team ultimately found their bodies after a Coast Guard helicopter was unsuccessful. Another hiker recently had to be rescued in the park after slipping on ice and falling. "All trails in Acadia are incredibly icy at this time due to recent rains followed by days of cold weather," an official says. "Hikers should be prepared for cold and icy conditions with extra layers of clothing and traction control devices." (Read more Acadia National Park stories.)
This achievement reflects the commitment of the Aspire team to providing our customers excellent support and services as they work to achieve their desired business outcomes and attain the full value of their technology investment. ~~ John C. Harris, President & CEO of Aspire

Aspire Technology Partners, a Cisco Gold Certified Partner headquartered in Eatontown, NJ, announced today that it renewed its Advanced Customer Experience Specialization. This renewal demonstrates that Aspire remains qualified to support its customers across the full lifecycle of their solutions and impact customer business outcomes. Aspire is one of only twenty-six Cisco partners to achieve the Advanced CX Specialization in the United States.

The renewal of the Advanced CX Specialization comes as Aspire continues to level-up their Customer Success and Lifecycle Management practice with the addition of business and technical experts who support customers in their onboarding and adoption journeys. The recent transition to a more robust automated platform enables the team to conduct strategic business reviews that provide smarter and more intelligent insights in real time.

This is an outstanding achievement, said John C. Harris, President & CEO of Aspire. It reflects the commitment of the Aspire team to providing our customers excellent support and services as they work to achieve their desired business outcomes and attain the full value of their technology investment.

Aspire is a leading regional Cisco systems integrator. The partnership combines technical expertise, diverse perspectives, and skill sets from a growing resource of subject-matter experts, which helps deliver outstanding performance and excellent execution across various Cisco Architectures and the markets they serve. Aspire holds Cisco Master Specializations in Security, Collaboration, Networking, and Cloud & Managed Services.

About Aspire

Aspire is a professional technology services firm specializing in the delivery of digital infrastructure solutions and managed services designed specifically to achieve our clients business goals. We believe technology sits at the heart of every enterprise strategy. Our team takes time to understand your business initiatives and align technology solutions to drive the organization forward. Aspires outcome-driven approach accelerates your journey by combining secure digital infrastructure, world-class design and implementation expertise, and managed services  all centered around transforming todays multi-cloud architectures into enablers of business value. Headquartered in Eatontown, New Jersey, Aspire is focused on serving the tri-state, mid-Atlantic, and New England regions with local operations in Mount Laurel, NJ; Albany and White Plains, NY; and Cambridge, MA. For more information, visit http://www.aspiretransforms.com.
Jim Clyburn isnt one to stick to a script.

The House Majority Whip from South Carolina is credited with single-handedly transforming the presidential race by endorsing Joe Biden just before the first in the South primary, even in the face of progressives who pressured him to stay out of it.

For that, Biden the candidate is forever grateful.

Now that Biden is president though, Clyburns bold, in-your-face style, isnt playing the same. While the president himself holds his longtime friend and confidant in the same regard, the congressmember has privately drawn the ire of some White House officials, several sources tell POLITICO.

But if Clyburn's style is irking officials in the West Wing, he has no qualms about it. I don't like people telling me how important I am, the 80-year-old congressmember said in a sit-down interview with POLITICO. You gotta show me.

Clyburn is trying to put his stamp on the course of the Biden presidency and isnt shy about it. He complained about a lack of diversity in Bidens initial Cabinet rollout and pushed specifically for ally Marcia Fudge to get a position in the administration. Hes made his pick for Supreme Court Justice known even before theres a vacancy. He joined other House Democrats in urging the administration to elevate Shalanda Young to the Office of Management and Budget to become the first Black woman to head the department.

Clyburn says hes merely speaking for African Americans who played a pivotal role in winning the White House and the Senate for Democrats. They deserve an advocate, at a minimum, he stresses, and a seat at the table as well. And for all the pushing hes done, he also, early on, praised the White House and the president himself for keeping their promises on putting together a diverse team. But to a hyper-disciplined White House messaging operation, Clyburn can occasionally be too blunt with his critiques and analysis.

Because Clyburn is so widely credited for shifting the trajectory of the presidential race with his endorsement of Biden, his public statements and demands carry added significance  treated as dictums from the high council of Biden land. If they are off-message, they can trigger a flurry of headlines and questions to the White House.

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The Congressman has had access and power within other presidential administrations but hes never been anointed as the person who put the president to where he is today, said Amanda Loveday, a South Carolina-based strategist. That just gives him another, larger portfolio of power when it comes to making suggestions and recommendations.

Clyburns influence is apparent throughout the party today. He easily got his pick for national Democratic National Committee chair  Jaime Harrison, who became a national star after building a fundraising juggernaut in his unsuccessful bid to oust Lindsey Graham from South Carolinas U.S. Senate  into the post. Clyburn has also pushed for more diversity in Bidens Cabinet, creating a narrative that influenced internal deliberations around the nominee selection process. Even before Biden took office, Clyburn was privately agitating the incoming administration to tap the National Guard to administer vaccinations as quickly as possible and for heavy flow of early executive orders, including around Covid mitigation efforts like mask mandates  two strategies the White House has deployed.

Clyburn said he urged his close ally and friend, former Rep. Cedric Richmond of Louisiana, to join the White House. Richmond, who stepped down from his congressional post, is now a senior adviser in charge of public engagement. He and Clyburn still enjoy a close relationship, talking often and dining together. Perhaps most importantly for Clyburn, however, is that he retains the backing and support of the president himself.

The President has spoken warmly and frequently about his long friendship with Congressman Clyburn, and how much his support has meant. President Biden and the White House have remained in close touch with Congressman Clyburn and his team, and always welcome his input on everything from personnel to policy, said White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki.

A person with knowledge of the relationship confirmed that the relationship between Biden and Clyburn remained solid: If theres beef and Biden knows about the beef, he wouldnt hesitate to personally call Clyburn about it.

But while Biden and Clyburn remain close, the congressmember has ruffled feathers inside the building, especially amid battles over personnel. Tensions flared up when Fudge lobbied to be secretary of Agriculture and told POLITICO she was tired of Black officials being relegated to places like the Department of Housing and Urban Development. Fudge did indeed win a Cabinet appointment  to head HUD  after Clyburn aggressively campaigned for her. But some in Clyburn's world felt that the White House was upset with them for going public with the Fudge request.

Two sources with knowledge of the White Houses thinking said some top officials felt stung by Clyburns public criticism about concerns of a lack of diversity in the administration. And despite his so-called kingmaker status after the election, sources close to Clyburn and other members of the Congressional Black Caucus say the limitations of Clyburns influence with members of the White House beyond the president have become more apparent after the Fudge episode and continued push for Young to lead OMB.

Housing and Urban Development Secretary Marcia Fudge speaks at a press briefing at the White House, Thursday, March 18, 2021, in Washington.

Some of the tensions predate the launch of the Biden presidency. During the campaign, Clyburn openly challenged Biden campaign manager Jen OMalley Dillons decision to halt in-person canvassing during Covid. And as OMalley Dillon took a top-level White House position he questioned her kind of politics.

The reality of Jim Clyburn is he's a team player but he's not going to be muzzled in any way, said Dick Harpootlian, a South Carolina state senator, former party chair, and 40-year friend of Clyburns. Jim Clyburn got to where he is because he never backed off, whether it was during the Civil Rights Movement or as a college student, getting arrested as a college student.

Clyburns daughter, Jennifer Clyburn Reed, said her dad is simply doing what hes always done: speaking up for people of color.

The elder Clyburns goal in the election was to help Biden get elected. But now that hes in the White House, he feels a responsibility to hold the president and his administration accountable for his promises.

The sentiment of diversity in the Cabinet or the Black female Supreme Court pick, all of those things came from the public. He didnt wake up from a dream and say we need a diverse Cabinet, Reed said. There were several entities expressing concern about the Cabinet being diverse. It was stated by the campaign. Candidate Biden promised diversity. The only thing we wanted as the general public was to see follow through on that.

For his part, Clyburn said he sees his role now to fight vigorously for Bidens agenda, and said he and Biden retain a strong relationship. He said Biden has demonstrated hes committed to diversity, including a pledge to name a Black woman to the Supreme Court. And he says the president has called him several times since he was in the White House.

Everytime he calls me, I talk to him, Clyburn says, adding that Biden "doesnt have to ask for his support on certain legislation. Clyburn says he knows Bidens platform and is ready to support it, saying his role is to work as hard as I possibly can to get the legislation passed that needs to be passed.

On that endorsement

On a recent day inside of his Capitol office, Clyburn reflected on his role in the last election.

It impacted him on a personal level. As he shared the story of how he came to that decision to support Biden, Clyburn shared that his late wife, Emily, who died nearly six months before the South Carolina primary urged him to do so.

When Clyburn announced his decision, the pushback at the time, though, was fierce. Social media lit up with what he described as nasty and somewhat threatening language. It left his daughters unsettled, he said. For his part, Clyburn shrugged off the pushback, but one online comment stuck with him.

He said, I will not be neither forgotten or forgiven for ramming Joe Biden down our throats, Clyburn said. You will not be forgotten or forgiven  Ill never forget that.

Clyburn previously told POLITICO he had decided to endorse Biden months before the South Carolina primary and that the campaign had pressured him to go public with it earlier in the cycle. Clyburn said he resisted because he thought his voice would be far more influential until just before voting there began. He was right.

He turned the tide during a time that was absolutely needed, Loveday said. It wasnt just what he did, but the timing that he did it, but the commitment with which he did it.

Clyburns latest vocal push is feverishly calling for filibuster reform, which he views as a critical step in implementing the agenda that Biden promised to voters, chief among them African Americans.

Republicans modified it for Supreme Court justices, Clyburn said. It's time for us to modify it for voting and civil rights.

On the filibuster reform front, Clyburn has gotten pushback from the man who he helped propel to the presidency just over a year ago. Hes also gotten pushback from others in his party. Not surprisingly, hes felt little reluctance to speak out about it.

I saw [West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin] on TV the other day saying, Im not going to be for reconciliation because Im considerate of my Republicans. Oh yeah? What about your Democrats? Clyburn said. Im saying to him: the filibuster is like the constitution, it changes, its a living document. Times change, situations change. Slavery was constitutional.

Reforming the filibuster is just one of Clyburns goals now that Biden has taken office. And whether its keeping a check on the White House and beyond, Clyburn said his philosophy is rooted in ensuring America remains on a path of racial and economic equality.

I want my tombstone to say, He did his best to make the countrys greatness accessible for all,' Clyburn said. Thats my job: to do whatever I can to help make this countrys greatness accessible for all.

Laura Barron-Lopez contributed to this report.
Johnny Depp's $19million mansion in Hollywood Hills has suffered a second intrusion in just two months after a homeless man broke into the property on Thursday.

According to reports, police were sent to the Pirates of the Caribbean star's house, where the suspect showered in one of his 10 bathrooms and made himself a drink at his bar.

It is understood that the screen star, 57, was not at home during the break-in, with a member of his staff calling authorities before the man was booked for felony vandalism as he damaged a door in the building.

In January, a woman entered the sprawling residence, but escaped when the home's security system activated.

Another blow: Johnny Depp's mansion in Hollywood Hills has suffered a second intrusion in just two months after a homeless man broke into the property on Thursday (pictured last year)

TMZ has reported that police were forced to kick down the door so they could arrest him after he refused to leave.

A neighbour had initially informed cops about the suspect's whereabouts as he was spotted in their backyard, but managed to hop over a gate to get closer to Johnny's home.

The musician purchased the 1920s-era eight-bedroom castle-like abode on a four-acre eucalyptus grove back in 1995 for just $1.8million.

MailOnline has contacted a representative for Johnny for further comment.

Ordeal: Police were sent to the Pirates of the Caribbean star's house (pictured), where the suspect showered in one of his 10 bathrooms and made himself a drink at the bar

Terrifying: It is understood that the screen star, 57, was not at home during the break-in, with a member of his staff calling authorities (pictured in 2020)

Back in January, Johnny's house was broken into by a woman, but her attempts to enter the abode were thwarted when she triggered the security system.

At the time, sources claimed she may have panicked when the alarm went off as she fled the scene just before police arrived.

Officers found her nearby and were also able to connect her to another recent burglary in the area.

The incident comes amid a turbulent time for the thespian, after messages - in which he called his ex-wife Amber Heard a 'scumbag gold-digger' and a 'f***ing wh***' who he 'wouldn't touch with a Hazmat suit on' - emerged.

The producer lashed out in a 2016 text to his nurse after the actress, 34, said she would hand her entire $7million divorce settlement to charity when their four-year marriage ended.

Johnny wrote at the time: 'No Way she'll give a dime to anyone!!! Thank f*** she's gone!!!

'Makes me sick to think of how hard I tried to make it work... Now... Honestly, I wouldn't touch that f***ing wh*** with a Hazmat suit on!!! What scum. I f***ing hate her!!!'

His rant was reported after his lawyers accused Amber of giving away 'a fraction' of the huge sum as part of a 'calculated and manipulative lie' to make herself look better.

The TV and film star is trying to overturn a High Court ruling and is asking the Court of Appeal to order a re-trial of his libel claim against The Sun after he was called a 'wife-beater.'

Legal: The incident comes amid a turbulent time for the thespian, who is s trying to overturn a High Court ruling that he assaulted ex Amber Heard (pictured last year)

Following a three-week trial in July 2020, Justice Nicol concluded that the father-of-two assaulted Amber on a dozen occasions and put her in 'fear for her life' three times.

The judge found that an April 2018 column calling him a 'wife beater' was 'substantially true'.

He also said 'a recurring theme in his evidence was that the The Ward star had constructed a hoax, done this as an 'insurance policy', and was a 'gold-digger'. The legal executive added: 'I do not accept this characterisation of Ms Heard.'

The Edward Scissorhands star is also suing his former spouse in the US over a separate Washington Post article written two years ago, meaning she is unable to speak freely about their legal battle.

New Delhi: In a major setback to Arvind Kejriwal-led government in Delhi, the centre on Monday (March 22) passed the Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi (Amendment) Bill, 2021 in the Lok Sabha.

The NCT Bill seeks to provide far-reaching powers to the Lieutenant Governor in the union territory.

The Bill proposes that the 'government' referred to in any law passed by the legislative assembly would refer to the Lieutenant Governor.

According to the Bill, the Delhi government must obtain the opinion of the LG before implementing any policy decision.

The Aam Aadmi Party has protested against the Bill since its inception. The Congress party has also opposed the proposed move.

Kejriwal accused the Centre of curtailing the powers of the elected Delhi government through the Bill.

"The Centre has brought in a law that says 'Delhi government means Lieutenant Governor'. If this happens, where will the CM go? Do elections, votes do not mean anything? It is a fraud with the people," Kejriwal said last week.

Slamming the BJP-led central government, Kejriwal alleged that as they failed in buying AAP MLAs, they have amended a law to decrease the power of the elected government in Delhi.

Several opposition leaders have expressed their reservations against the Bill including West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, NC's Omar Abdullah and RJD's Tejashwi Yadav.

Banerjee had written a letter to Kejriwal extending support over the Bill. Terming the Bill a surgical strike on the federal structure of the Indian Republic, she said she stands in full solidarity with Kejriwal in the matter.
This file illustration photo taken on March 11 shows vials of the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine and a syringe in Paris. An independent panel of experts in Korea has recommended that the vaccine rollout continue as there is no correlation between blood clots found in some recipients and the product. AFP



An independent panel of experts recommended Monday that AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine rollout continue as there is no correlation between blood clots found in some recipients and the product.



The recommendation came as the European Medicines Agency (EMA), the European Union's medicines regulator, assessed last week that there is no evidence suggesting a correlation between the AstraZeneca vaccine and reports of blood clots.



"Based on data identified at home and abroad, we've identified there is no link between the AstraZeneca vaccine and blood clots," the panel said in a statement.



But the panel added there is a need to closely study causal relations between some rare cases of blood clots and the vaccine.






Australias National Childrens Commissioner says schools are failing students if they do not act on allegations of sexual assault and harassment.

Commissioner Anne Hollonds said the recent surge in unresolved allegations also suggested teachers had not been given enough guidance on how to report instances of abuse.

National Childrens Commissioner Anne Hollonds says recent unresolved allegations of abuse by students suggest teachers lack the framework to escalate complaints. Credit:Peter Rae

Schools had to be a safe place for children, and teachers needed protocols to ensure child safety, she said.

Ms Hollonds said the recent reckoning over abuse and misogyny had been a definite wake-up call for the way in which schools dealt with allegations of student sexual assault.
President's Office plans to create special fund to pay compensations for possible consequences of vaccination against COVID-19

President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky intends to sign a law in the near future to compensate for possible consequences caused by vaccination against COVID-19, according to the website of the head of state.

"Volodymyr Zelensky said that he intends to sign as soon as possible the law adopted by parliament on March 19, according to which the state takes responsibility for the consequences after vaccination against coronavirus. After that, a special compensation fund will be created by a resolution of the Cabinet of Ministers," the presidential press service said.

Reportedly, during a meeting with the president, Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal instructed Health Minister Maksym Stepanov to make changes to the vaccination plan, which will make it possible to quickly vaccinate citizens who signed up for vaccinations through the Diia portal.

In turn, the commander-in-chief of the armed forces Ruslan Khomchak said that "more than 13,000 people have already been vaccinated in the Ukrainian army."

The government is also working to get the promised vaccines against COVID-19 as soon as possible.

It is reported that "now there are agreements not only within the COVAX program, but also on the Covishield, Sinovac and Pfizer vaccines."

According to the Prime Minister, there are now more than 263,000 active cases of coronavirus in the country. At the same time, 39,000 out of 63,000 beds with supplied oxygen are occupied. Some 2,652 intensive care beds out of 4,909 are occupied.

The meeting also noted that "now the greatest growth dynamics in the number of patients with COVID-19 is recorded in Kyiv, Vinnytsia and Ivano-Frankivsk regions."

Shmyhal also said that, on behalf of the president, he held a meeting with ministers on the development of mechanisms for joint support of business and people in the "red" zones together with local self-government bodies.

As reported, on March 19, the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine released the manufacturers of vaccines to prevent COVID-19 that are used in Ukraine from responsibility for the negative consequences of vaccination. The passage of the bill was necessary to obtain free vaccines under the COVAX mechanism.
Canadian-Chinese tensions worsened Monday as China put a former Canadian diplomat on trial on spying charges, the second such trial in recent days, while Canada sanctioned four Chinese officials and one state entity for human-rights violations against the Uyghur minority.

A court in Beijing held the trial of the former diplomat, Michael Kovrig, who was detained by the Chinese authorities in late 2018, shortly after Canada arrested a top executive at the Chinese technology firm Huawei at the request of the United States.

The trial was conducted in secret, with the Chinese authorities barring foreign diplomats and journalists from attending. In a show of support for Mr. Kovrig, more than two dozen diplomats representing several countries, including Canada and the United States, tried to gain access to the courtroom, only to be turned away by security personnel.

Government officials, legal scholars and human rights activists denounced Chinas decision to hold the trial, just days after another Canadian, Michael Spavor, a businessman who was also detained in 2018, appeared before a court in Dandong, a northeastern city. Critics have described the trials as a sham meant as retaliation for the arrest of the Huawei executive, and accuse China of resorting to hostage diplomacy.
By Gina Gotsill

Bay City News Foundation

It's unusual to ask an artist about their journey and have them talk about other peoples' work almost as much as they do about their own. But that's what happens when you talk to Oakland glass artist and Netflix reality show veteran Jason McDonald.

First, there's Hilltop Artists - the group that launched an after-school glassblowing academy at his middle school in Tacoma, Washington, in the 1990s, giving McDonald and kids from the troubled Hilltop neighborhood a safe place to learn, and sparking his lifelong pursuit of glass.

There's Katie Johnson, a classmate at California College of the Arts, who shot and edited the audition video that he sent to Netflix, ultimately landing a spot on their 2020 glassblowing reality series, "Blown Away."

And there's his mentor Nate Watson, CCA faculty and executive director at Public Glass in San Francisco - a fellow glassblower who opened the studio to CCA students after the school closed their facilities during the pandemic.

"I love that community," McDonald says about the artists who work out of Public Glass. "I find so much support from them, both creatively and personally."

McDonald emphasizes contributions from his ample and generous community, weaving in and out of his own journey from craftsperson to artist. McDonald has worked in the glass and craft industry for the better part of last decade, but his interest in making art -- work that has a voice -- is relatively new, he says.

Early on in his studies, he was pushing to improve his skills and be the best glassblower he could be. His professors were frustrated by his approach, because they recognized that his work could say more, McDonald says.

"I realized I can make well-made objects, but if I add my story to my work, then my work becomes more interesting," he says. "Not just to the world, but the work also matters more to me."

What matters is looking at the inequities between Blacks and whites, and critiquing centuries-old disparities through his art.

"I live in a culture that doesn't value brown skin," McDonald says. "When you have elected officials that are openly racist, there are issues you need to talk about openly. I choose to talk about my experience as a Black man in a racist nation. It has been really powerful to be unapologetically Black."

McDonald describes himself as a vessel maker, and he uses these shapes to study identity, racism and representation. For one of the challenges on "Blown Away," he created a container resembling a calabash gourd, a shape he uses as an analog for the African form.

He personalized the piece with white stripes of cane glass, conveying his mixed race - his mother is white, and his father is Black. The artwork was a success, and advanced him to the next stage of the competition.

McDonald made it to the third of 11 challenges on Season 2 of "Blown Away." It was a fun experience, he says, and has led to more interest in his work.

McDonald has created other vessels using a Swedish overlay technique, a complex process that uses multiple layers of glass. For "Black Figure #1," he dipped colored glass in black glass and engraved the vessel once it had cooled. The technique gives the vessel a warm but haunting lantern effect.

His imagery is unmistakable: Black men jailed, their head in their hands. Black men being shot in the back by police. He uses a Greek vase shape for some of his work - it's recognizable and approachable. But the narrative isn't one you expect, he says.

"I want it to start a conversation, even if it's just within themselves," McDonald says. "That's what I hope my art does for audiences."

McDonald also uses blown glass vessels to tell the story of people of color in the glass community, in academia and in the museum world. His series of goblets titled "Besieged," suggests a lonely, marginalized story.

In 2020, McDonald's mentor Nate Watson, with Weston Teruya and Michele Carlson, published a report in New Glass Review titled "The Whiteness of Glass" that reported under 1 percent of tenured faculty in U.S. academic glass programs are Black. Glass and craft museum boards are even less diverse -- there is no Black representation on these boards, according to the report.

The absence of diversity in the arts means that artists of color have fewer opportunities to connect with mentors who understand their point of view, the report says. Worse, their presence is questioned. McDonald says he's even been asked to leave studios before he's had a chance to explain that he's a glassblower. Why? People aren't used to seeing artists of color in the hot shop.

"As another African American in this field, it was such a moment for me to see him walk through the door," Watson says of the first time he met McDonald at Public Glass.

The same connection that Watson made with McDonald will have a ripple effect, if it hasn't already.

Shows like "Blown Away" are conduits that raise awareness about glassblowing, and when people see McDonald, they may see themselves in his work, Watson says. That visibility can help bring more people of color into the arts. Outreach in schools is also critical, as is hiring at the university level. More diversity in universities can help propel people into careers, Watson says.

McDonald will earn his Bachelor of Fine Arts degree at CCA in May 2021. His next step will be graduate school at Tyler School of Art and Architecture at Temple University in Philadelphia. He hopes his experience in graduate school will further prepare him for life as an artist and educator. He wants to teach after graduate school -- when he stands in front of his classes, he will be a representative of his race and dedication to the craft, he says.

No doubt the community he has fostered and participated in will be there.

"We help each other and support each other," Watson says.

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.
Is Blockchain The Future Of SSL Certificates?

Cryptocurrencies are right on a trend now, but the industry needs to have a robust security apparatus in place. As the demand for cryptocurrencies increased, it was accompanied by increased cases of hackers breaking into the networks. It is astonishing to know that there around 29 incidents of hacking in the Bitcoin industry between 2013-17. The incidents of hacking into digital assets of crypto networks rose to around US$ 1.8 billion in the first ten months of 2020.

Hackers are using newer methods to lure crypto traders and laying their hands-on digital assets. Crypto exchanges must ensure they secure their networks and the primary way to do this is to install an SSL certificate.

The incidents of hacking do not discriminate between regions or the stature of the exchange. For example, there have been hacking incidents at KuCoin  among the largest in South East Asia. There was also an attack at Exmo - registered in the UK and serves clients in Ukraine and Russia.

This article will delve deep into how the use of Blockchain can help in internet security.

The Future Of SSL Certificates

including the attack on Binance . Like all other industries, it is the sense of trust that brings users to any crypto exchange. It will help in building an ideal relationship between the exchange and the customers. As there is an increase in attacks, users must check the websites they are visiting. One of the common ways hackers use to target your assets is to use a URL like the renowned crypto exchanges. There have been several incidents where this was done,

Crypto exchanges must also adopt the highest level of best security practice to thwart such data breaches. Apart from the loss of trust, it can also lead to hefty fines and permanent brand image loss.

Why Are SSL Certificates Important?

In general, it is necessary for organizations running an online business to provide adequate security for their customers. Usually, online shops store a lot of personal information about their customers. Hackers are always on the prowl to gain unauthorized access to such critical data. In the case of crypto exchanges, they store financial information too about the customers.

It becomes necessary for crypto exchanges to provide a secure site that will ensure that the customers can transact without the fear of their digital assets being accessed by hackers. With an increase in the number of hacking incidents, visitors to any website also look for the address bar's padlock sign and HTTPS. It helps ensure that the website they are visiting has security in place to prevent data sniffing.

SSL certificates are used on websites that allow customers to transact online. Financial institutions, e-commerce sites, social networks, etc., all use them to ensure proper security is in place for web security. It will help to create a safe connection between the web server and the browser. When a customer makes a payment, the financial information will be encrypted before it is sent to the server.

What is Blockchain?

One of the issues with SSL certificates is that it is based on Certificate Authorities (CAs) who have to issue certificates but may fail to adhere to the validation process. It can be adequately addressed using blockchain technology. The procedure used in this technology can be used to secure digital communication and can also be used for authentication.

Blockchain is a verified record of any critical data. The data blocks are all in chronological order, and they cannot be altered or modified over time. It is a decentralized public ledger that can be shared among users to form an array of transactions. They are timestamped and permanently connected to the previous chain.

It uses cryptography that uses a different key to encrypt and decrypt data. As a result, it can also protect the completed transactions and prevent any changes. Blockchain also ensures the security of the data across the network. The entities can have their unique cryptographic keys that can be used to verify and, hence, secure the underlying information.

How Can Blockchain Help In Cybersecurity?

Decentralisation: One of the essential benefits is that you do not need any third-party verification due to the P2P (peer-to-peer) network. Any user can see the network transactions. Moreover, there is no central storage location, and all users can store some portions or the whole portion of the Blockchain. The users have to verify the data shared or stored to prevent any unauthorized data from being added.

Confidentiality: Blockchain uses a public-key cryptography mechanism that can be used to authenticate the participants. The details of the participants are kept confidential, and their operations are being encrypted too. The Keyless Signature Infrastructure (KSI) can verify the digital signature's validity without disclosing the key.

Integrity: There is a distributed register that ensures data protection and prevents any unauthorized access and alteration. The use of Blockchain ensures the irreversibility and validity of the completed transactions. Even during any DDoS attack, the system can continue to work in the normal mode.

Fraud prevention: To corrupt a blockchain, hackers have to destroy the data that is stored at all the locations. It is challenging to bring down entire networks as the chains can be stored on several computers. The complexity of penetrating more extensive networks makes it have a lower risk of attack from hackers.

Why Use Blockchain-based Systems?

The SSL/ TLS technology has been in use for a long time and is still a widely used technology for the internet. One of the critical factors of this technology is that centralized CAs issued it. However, the Heartbleed bug of OpenSSL had businesses scrambling to reissue their SSL certificates. There was an inherent to search for more advanced technologies.

The use of Blockchain will help to secure digital transactions. The Blockchain Originated Certificate of Authenticity (BOCA) can help secure online information transfer across different websites. This protocol utilizes advanced technologies to validate users and ensure that the underlying user details are secure. Wherever Blockchain has been used, it improves the authentication mechanism that can be done without passwords.

The PKI technology used in SSL/TLS is vulnerable to cyberattacks and is not used in Blockchain. On the other hand, Blockchain can be updated only through proper consensus. The various participants must consent to any changes in the chain, and anything entered in the chain cannot be altered. They can be verified and audited easily. Blockchain can also preserve the metadata that is being used in the interaction and can help to prevent any data breach.

One of the other factors to consider is that Blockchain must observe the regulations that require complying with Anti-Money Laundering and the Know Your Customer norms. The technology cannot act as the validating authority like the CAs who can manually verify the legitimacy of the owner of an SSL certificate.

Can Blockchain Be Unified With SSL?

There are chances for Blockchain and SSL integration and many SSL certificates based on blockchain technology naming REMME and DNSChain. These type of certificates offers improved authentication compare to the human factor (certificate authorities). Blockchain supported by SSL certificate uses decentralization and distribution nature to authenticate digital transaction's reliability. As a result, hackers cannot launch an attack on distributed metadata across scattered ledger.

Conclusion

There has been an effort from web browsers and search engines to move towards a safer internet. It has led to an increase in the number of websites to have installed an SSL certificate. However, this technology has quite a few flaws that have enhanced the search for more foolproof technology.

It is expected that the use of Blockchain can help in addressing the vulnerabilities that the SSL/ TLS technology has. Blockchain technology can be used to uphold internet security through decentralization and enhancing data integrity. However, it does not use CA's manual validation, which is a drawback to prevent any cyberattack.

SSL2BUY Image: Article Contributed byImage: Unsplash

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Source: Xinhua| 2021-03-22 20:06:45|Editor: huaxia

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GENEVA, March 22 (Xinhua) -- Water has many values that are just not priced, Sasha Koo-Oshima, deputy director of Land and Water Division at the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), told Xinhua in a recent interview ahead of the World Water Day, which falls on Monday.

The official highlighted that with the COVID-19 pandemic, a large part of the world population still lacks access to handwashing facilities at home, saying that "this is the first line of defense against this virus and the value of water is very evident in this progression."

"The first thing we realized is the handwashing. Many countries just don't have clean water to even just wash hands," she said.

The UN on Monday warned that more than 2 billion people do not have direct access to water, the "blue gold" which is essential in defeating the coronavirus pandemic.

In its World Water Development Report 2021, which focuses on the value of water, the UN stressed the urgent need to protect water.

"That brings in this issue of underinvestment and water sanitation and the services for billions of people, it has become abundantly clear since the start of the pandemic," said Koo-Oshima.

While global water supply has become more severe in recent years, threatening agricultural production, food security and also water quality, Koo-Oshima said that countries like China could play a leading role in tackling the issue of water scarcity.

"China has very arid and semi-arid regions especially in the western part of the country. They have done great work in greening some of these arid areas and bringing in some of the nature-based solutions and the Chinese have been very effective in that," she added. Enditem
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Kate Garraway has recalled the 'devastating' moment her husband Derek Draper told her he feared he couldn't go on while he was in hospital with coronavirus.

The TV presenter, 53, spoke to her husband, 53, on the phone from hospital where he has spent months in intensive care as he battles the virus.

In a clip from her new documentary Kate Garraway: Finding Derek , Kate said it was 'terrible' to think her husband had reached such a low point.

She said: 'Derek had been drifting in and out of consciousness and when he said that, it was absolutely devastating, but it showed me he was still in there. Even though it was terrible to think his spirits were so low'.

Viewers will see Kate speaking to Derek as he tells her he feels like there is 'no way out' and he has got to the point where he no longer knows how to cope.

Harrowing: Kate Garraway has recalled the 'devastating' moment her husband Derek Draper told her he feared he couldn't go on while he was in hospital with coronavirus

Tough: The TV presenter, 53, spoke to her husband, 53, on the phone from hospital where he has spent months in intensive care as he battles the virus

In the clip, obtained by the Daily Mirror, Kate then told her husband that he will get better and that he will come back to his old life with her and their children Darcey, 15, and William, 11.

Viewers then see Kate vowing to save Derek as she helped to bring him back from his lowest point back in November.

The presenter told The Mirror: 'After that call, it was then time to go into GMB and go on air, having been up all night, it was a tough night actually.

'But everyone at ITV has been so incredibly supportive. I managed to get through. During this whole time, working on GMB and Smooth Radio has helped me to keep going and keep my spirits up.'

Low point: In a clip from her new documentary Kate Garraway: Finding Derek, Kate said it was 'terrible' to think her husband had reached such a low point

Doting mother: In the clip, Kate then told her husband that he will get better and that he will come back to his old life with her and their children Darcey, 15, and William, 11

While Covid is no longer in Derek's system, the virus left him battling kidney failure, liver failure, heart failure and damage to his pancreas.

Kate added: 'And in the end, I said to him, "Just stay with me, Im going to keep talking to you". And he was obviously exhausted. Because thats the other thing, is that the tiniest thing completely exhausts him.'

The broadcaster said that even Derek voicing his feelings like that would have taken a huge amount out of him as he has such little energy.

Kate spoke to her husband on the drive into work that day and then told the doctor's to put on Good Morning Britain so he could see her.

Heartbreaking: Viewers then see Kate vowing to save Derek as she helped to bring him back from his lowest point back in November (pictured together prior to Derek's coronavirus battle)

The presenter first invited a film crew into her home last September with the hope that the film would end with Derek returning home.

But seven months later, the documentary will instead focus on Derek's year in hospital as well as the many months of recovery that are left.

Derek has lost eight stone amid his health battle with Kate revealing the children have not seen him in person at all this year.

She added the kids did visit Derek over Christmas and described it as a 'shock' to see the physical change in him.

Kate has made the ground floor of her home wheelchair accessible and is looking ahead to visiting Derek in hospital as soon as lockdown is eased.

Tragic: 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 (pictured in hospital)

Kate, who acknowledges there is still a long way to go in Derek's road to recovery, thinks the couple's relationship may be changed forever.

The presenter said he will behave differently and be physically different but she thinks his return may be a 'beautiful thing' as they will have the chance to fall in love all over again.

During an appearance on The One Show on Thursday, Kate said Derek is 'trapped in the middle ground' as he is sometimes able to communicate with her before slipping out of consciousness.

Kate said: 'One of things I'm here to talk about is the documentary and what you will see is that this time last year, I was, like a lot of us, wondering what was coming our way.

'I was fearing the worst, on air reading headlines about the earliest cases of people contracting coronavirus and then I suddenly found myself right in the middle of it.

Finding Derek: Viewers will see Kate speaking to Derek as he tells her he feels like there is 'no way out' and he has got to the point where he no longer knows how to cope

'And I'd say there was weeks and months of living minute by minute, wondering if I was going to get the call to say whether he lived or died.'

Kate went on to explain that while Derek has survived Covid, he is 'trapped in the middle ground'.

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.

She said: 'Derek is an extreme case, he has a prolonged disorder of consciousness which means that there is some reaction.

'It's not like what we see in movies where people are lying in a vegetative state, you know you can look at his eyes and before Christmas there was a lot of progress with some words and communication.'

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

Derek is considered to be the longest surviving COVID-19 patient in the country.

On more than one occasion his heart stopped beating, he battled bacterial pneumonia and fought multiple infections which punctured holes in his lungs.

Kate said: 'What I feel like is that I'm on a life boat somehow and he's coming up and down. You're on this precipice trying to hold onto him.

'There'll be moments where he bubbles up and you have contact with him on FaceTime because of the Covid restrictions.

Health battle: While Covid is no longer in Derek's system, the virus left him battling kidney failure, liver failure, heart failure and damage to his pancreas

'It feels like you're going to have to fill him with so much positivity because he's going to sink down.'

The GMB host said there will be 'heartbreaking moments' in the documentary, as when he does regain consciousness, viewers will see 'what must be agony for him'.

Kate continued: 'His brain has always been his best friend. Suddenly his brain is no longer his best friend and he's fighting to get out.

'It's very, very tough. But if it's tough for me, it must be tougher for him.'

Kate Garraway: Finding Derek airs on ITV on Tuesday at 9pm.
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Men with stable coronary artery disease who are on Viagra due to impotence seem to live longer and have a lower risk of experiencing a new heart attack, a study from Karolinska Institutet in Sweden published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology reports.

Impotence can be an early warning sign of cardiovascular disease in healthy men and is treated either locally with alprostadil, which dilates the blood vessels so that the penis stiffens, or with so-called PDE5 inhibitors, such as Viagra or Cialis, which are taken in tablet form orally before sex, inhibiting the enzyme phosphodiesterase5 (PDE5) in the penis to increase the blood flow.

Since PDE5 inhibitors decrease blood pressure, they were previously not recommended for men with coronary artery disease due to the risk of heart attack.

However, in 2017 Martin Holzmann and colleagues showed that men who have had a heart attack tolerate the drug well and that it even prolongs life expectancy and protects against new infarctions and heart failure.

In their new study, the researchers sought to compare the effect of alprostadil and PDE5 inhibitors in men with stable coronary artery disease. The patients were to have had either an infarction, balloon dilation or a coronary artery bypass surgery at least six months before the onset of treatment for erectile dysfunction.

"The risk of a new heart attack is greatest during the first six months, after which we consider the coronary artery disease to be stable," says lead author Martin Holzmann, adjunct professor at the Department of Medicine, Solna, Karolinska Institutet.

The registry study comprised 16,500 men treated with PDE5 inhibitors and just under 2,000 who received alprostadil. The data was collected from the patient, drug and cause of death registries.

The study shows that the men who received PDE5 inhibitors lived longer and had a lower risk of new heart attack, heart failure, balloon dilation and bypass surgery than those who received alprostadil. The protection was dose-dependent, so that the more frequent the dose of PDE5 inhibitor, the lower the risk.

"This suggests that there's a causal relationship, but a registry study can't answer that question," Holzmann says. "It is possible that those who received PDE5 inhibitors were healthier than those on alprostadil and therefore had a lower risk. To ascertain whether it is the drug that reduces the risk, we would need to randomly assign patients to two groups, one that takes PDE5 and one that doesn't. The results we have now give us very good reason to embark on such a study."

As PDE5 inhibitors are available by prescription only in Sweden, they cannot be bought over the counter, but Holzmann hopes that men with coronary artery disease do not shy away from addressing the matter with their doctor.

"Potency problems are common in older men and now our study also shows that PDE5 inhibitors may protect against heart attack and prolong life," he says.

Explore further Erectile dysfunction drugs are safe, possibly beneficial after heart attack

More information: "Association of Phosphodiesterase-5 Inhibitors vs. Alprostadil with Survival in Men with Coronary Artery Disease". Daniel P Andersson, Laura Landucci, Ylva Trolle Lagerros, Alessandra Grotta, Rino Bellocco, Mikael Lehtihet, Martin J Holzmann. Journal of the American College of Cardiology, online March 22, 2021, Journal information: Journal of the American College of Cardiology "Association of Phosphodiesterase-5 Inhibitors vs. Alprostadil with Survival in Men with Coronary Artery Disease". Daniel P Andersson, Laura Landucci, Ylva Trolle Lagerros, Alessandra Grotta, Rino Bellocco, Mikael Lehtihet, Martin J Holzmann., online March 22, 2021, DOI: 10.1016/j.jacc.2021.01.045
The power-based politics, not only in the government but also in the opposition, should be discouraged and disapproved. That is the only way to preserve souls like Richard de Zoysa.

by Dr Laksiri Fernando

I was first planning to make just a comment to Roel Raymonds article on Richard de Zoysa, her departed uncle (Colombo Telegraph, 14 March 2021). But after rereading the extremely sensible and topical article Remembering Richard: And the Silence that Empowers Those in Pursuit of PowerI finally decided to write this short tribute. I have used in the headline of this article a phrase in her column a life brutally taken 31 years ago.

In Raymonds article, she has brought the despicable nature of power politics, in Sri Lanka and elsewhere, to the forefront. As she says, in understanding the nature of power  I have argued with those who will listen  I understand that small men and women will be continually crushed by the men and women who are single-minded in pursuit of power.This is exactly what happened to Richard who expressed his views frankly and openly without any intention of power.

His Last Article

I have not known Richard personally. I came to know his mother, Dr. ManoraniSaravanamuttu, and her plight, when she came to Geneva seeking justice (not revenge) before the UN Commission on Human Rights in 1990. However, I knew of Richard as an impressive actor and a convincing writer. He expressed his views frankly and openly. Let me shortly speak about his last article published on 11 February 1990, a week before his killing in The Sunday Island. It was titled A Manifesto for an Alternative Society. There was nothing subversive in this article except his alternative vision.

The reason to write this article appears to be GunadasaAmarasekarasprevious article on JathikaChinthanaya (National Ideology), an ideology which had been in circulation for some time then. Although appears to be soft on Amarasekara personally, perhaps as a prominent literary figure, Richard has questioned and countered many of the arguments of Amarasekara.

It was Amarasekaras argument that communism or socialism was crumbling in the Eastern Europe because of the force of national ideology. In contrast, Richard was arguing that it was crumbling because socialism was imposed in Eastern Europe from above and beyond their borders. At the same time, Richard was contending that JathikaChinthanaya was trying to do the same on minority communities, Tamils and Muslims, withinthe Sri Lankan national borders.

In talking about indigenous intellectuals, Amarasekara had listed only Sinhala intellectuals, from Anagarika Dharmapala to Martin Wickremasinghe.In contrast Richard was saying, This seems to suggest that there were either no Tamil or Muslim intellectuals, or that the Tamils and Muslims are not indigenous to this island. His tone was not angry but sarcastic.

Nothing Subversive

There was no indication, in this article, that Richard was supporting the JVP or its violence. Only sympathetic comment was in respect of JVPs alleged distancing from Amarasekaras or communalist ideology. There are only three sentences where JVP appears. The rest of the article was generally theoretical. It is possible that those who ordered Richards abduction did not at all understand what he was saying. It is true that Richard was believing in Marxism-Leninism, right or wrong. The following is the way he summarized his Manifesto for an Alternative Society.

The answer is surely a secular-state, truly secular, with icons except the institutions of the state itself, and guided by the principles of sound management within an ideological framework which does not carry within itself the seeds of either extremism of JathikaChinthanaya or the potential anarchy of cultural pluralism.

I suggest that Marxism-Leninism in its original form does provide the theoretical basis, which must be flexible enough to accommodate the strains arising along the way. It is not cynical to declare that politics is the art of the possible, as long as one does not equate possible with anything goes.

Context of Gross Violations

I was about to make a statement on the patterns of gross human rights violations before the UN Commission on Human Rights in Geneva on behalf of the World University Service (WUS), whenChakravarthi Raghavan of the Inter Press Service (IPS) came to me and handed over a telegram that he had received from their headquarters in Lisbon. It was 19 February (Monday) around 11.30am. IPS communications were so quick.

I read the telegram as a part of my statement and asked for a clarification from the Sri Lankan representative. It was shocking in the Commission room because of the quickness (and perhaps my loud voice!). Itwas Sunil de Silva, then Attorney General, who was at the Commission as the key representative of Sri Lanka. He immediately left the chamber, and in the afternoon made a statement stating that the government would be inquiring the incident. It never happened thereafter. Sunil himself had to leave the country in 1992.

Richard de Zoysas killing was not an isolated incident during that time. Even before and after, there had been an evolving pattern of gross violations by the Ranasinghe Premadasa government, the JVP and the LTTE, to name only the main perpetrators. Let me quote the first two paragraphs of the Country Report of the Human Rights Watch for the year 1990 to summarize the situation.

Violence against civilians by all parties to the conflict continued to characterize the war in Sri Lanka in 1990. In the south, the murder in February of a prominent journalist brought world attention to the activity of government-backed death squads, which then seemed to subside. An armed Sinhalese nationalist group, the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP), which was responsible for several thousand killings, appeared to be crushed when its top leaders were apparently killed in custody in late 1989. By late 1990, however, both the JVP and the death squads had resurfaced. In the northeast, human rights conditions reached a new low in June, after the breakdown of a 14-month ceasefire between the Sri Lankan government and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), the largest Tamil opposition group.

Even for Sri Lanka, the utter brutality on all sides that followed the LTTE's June attacks on police stations and military installations in the northeast was unprecedented, creating an atmosphere of terror. The LTTE and the Sri Lankan security forces both carried out massacres of civilians. The army summarily executed suspected Tamil insurgents; the LTTE did the same to Sri Lankan police officers. Both the LTTE and the security forces used civilians as shields against attacks. The army engaged in heavy bombing in civilian areas, resulting in damage to homes, hospitals, temples, churches, and pedestrians. Burning bodies appeared along roadsides in many parts of the country, and reports of mass arrests and disappearances increased.

Conclusion

As Roel Raymond has emphasized in her article on Richard de Zoysa (her deceased uncle), power politics is the main reason for the violent situations then and today, in Sri Lanka and almost everywhere. There is a need for a new generation of people who think, speak and act differently, considering politics not as a means for power, but as an avenue for Dhamma (virtue) and peace. This may be unimaginable for some today. But it should come sooner than later. The power-based politics, not only in the government but also in the opposition, should be discouraged and disapproved. That is the only way to preserve souls like Richard de Zoysa.
Union Pacific's historic No. 4141 train, built in honor of former President George H.W. Bush, has taken its final trip.

The iconic blue and white locomotive painted to match Air Force One will be permanently located on the grounds of Bush's presidential library and museum, according to a press release.

HISTORIC THEATRE CLOSES: Farewell, River Oaks Theatre: Negotiations fail, forcing venue to close

Blanketed under a blue cover, the train was pulled into College Station by No. 1943 "The Spirit" on Sunday and lifted off the tracks by two 500-ton cranes and transported across the Texas A&M campus to the George H.W. Bush Presidential Library and Museum.

Chancellor John Sharp of the Texas A&M University System welcomed the train home.

What a historic day for our community, Sharp said. President Bush loved trains and we love everything associated with the legacy of President Bush. Congratulations to the crew at Union Pacific, our hauling contractor and everyone at the Bush Center at Texas A&M who worked to bring 4141 home.

The No. 4141 engine led the Bush funeral train from Houston to College Station in 2018, where the former president was laid to rest next to former First Lady Barbara Bush on the library grounds.

In 2019, Union Pacific announced it would donate the train built in 2005 to the museum, according to the release.

"The Texas A&M University System Board of Regents approved a $1 per-year lease which allotted two acres to expand the grounds of the museum." ABC 13 reported.

The multi-million dollar expansion is part of the George and Barbara Bush Presidential Foundation and will include exhibits for the locomotive and later a Marine One Helicopter, according to the release.

Officials hope to have the expansion completed by 2024 to mark the 100th anniversary of Bush's birth.
Deadly drug-resistant superbug found in the wild in Andamans

by Esha Roy

March 22,2021 | Source: Indian Express

A deadly hospital pathogen, the Candida Auris, has for the first time been identified in the environment, off the coast of South Andaman district in the Andaman and Nicobar islands.



This study was carried out by the Vallabhbhai Patel Chest Institute, Delhi in collaboration with the Department of Ocean Studies and Marine Biology, Pondicherry University.



Candida Auris, or C.auris, is a multidrug resistant pathogen that presents a serious global threat to human health, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.



First identified in 2009 in a patient in Japan, the fungus has now emerged in more than 40 countries across five continents in the last decade. Being an emerging pathogen, very little is known about the fungus so far.



The study, carried out by the Vallabhbhai Patel Chest Institute, has for the first time established that the fungus is found in tropical marshes and marine environments, outside hospital environments.



The study sampled coastal wetlands, including rocky shores, sandy beaches, tidal marshes, and mangrove swamps around the Andaman group of islands  48 samples of sediment soil and seawater were collected from eight sampling sites across the east and west coast of South Andaman district. C.auris was isolated from two of the eight sampling sites  a salt marsh and a sandy beach.



Two colonies of C.auris were found at the salt marsh from the composite soil sediment and 22 colonies were found at the beach and these were distributed in both the sediment and water samples, establishing that the fungus is both marine and terrestrial.



Interestingly, both multidrug-susceptible and multidrug-resistant C.auris isolates were found in the sample. The fact that viable C.auris was detected in the marine habitat confirms C.auris survival in harsh wetlands. Fungi are present in the environment as degraders of organic matter. Fungi predominately thrive in tropical and subtropical areas, Dr Anuradha Chowdhary, lead author of the research, said.



The significance of this report is that so far, the environmental niche of C.auris was not explored. So, this is the first study that detected this fungus in the environment. It was not known before this that it existed outside the hospital environment, she said.



According to Dr Chowdhary, the transmission pathway of the fungus  from the environment to patients in hospitals  is yet to be established and still needs to be explored. But what is now known is that even the drug-susceptible fungus, that can be treated with medication, can adapt inside the human body and become drug resistant. This makes the pathogen difficult to treat.



The C.auris can be deadly for immunocompromised patients. While incidence of patients dying from this fungal infection has been found to be higher in other countries, such as the US and the UK, its prevalence is less in Indian hospitals. But the research has found presence of the fungal infection in patients in ICUs across the country. The fungus is deadly when it enters the bloodstream, or inhabits the body of a patient suffering from a serious disease such as cancer.



Generally, fungi have high mortality in immunocompromised patients. Serious invasive infections due to fungi occur only in



immunosuppressed patients who are already sick. So, the true attributable mortality due to C.auris is not truly known. However, some studies have reported mortality in 30-60% patients who already were critically ill and admitted in ICUs. It can enter the body through invasive procedures or even devices like catheters, Dr Chowdhary said.



Previous theories regarding C.auris have said that the fungus might be native to wetlands and that its emergence as a human pathogen might have been linked to global warming effects on wetlands. The C.auris thermal and salinity tolerance is because of its adaptation to global warming, which makes the human body more susceptible as a host since most other fungi cannot flourish due to the high temperatures inside the body. But this theory also needs more investigation, experts have said.



An escalating number of infections across the globe in healthcare facilities have been attributed to the unique characteristics of this yeast because it can survive and persist within the hospital environment for prolonged periods. Its ability to survive on dry environmental surfaces for prolonged periods suggests that this yeast is well adapted to survival outside human host settings as well.



Candida auris belongs to the Candida haemulonii clade of the Metschnikowiaceae family of the order Saccharomycetales. The related species of the Metschnikowiaceae family have been detected in plants, insects, and aquatic environments, as well as from human body sites.



The closest known relative of C.auris is C. haemulonii, which was first discovered in 1962 from the gut of a blue-striped grunt fish, the skin of dolphins, and the seawater off the coast of Portugal.



In contrast to the related species, C.auris had not been reported from natural environments. The retrospective analyses of clinical yeasts showed that the earliest known clinical isolates of C.auris date back to 1996 in South Korea and 1997 in Japan. However, unlike the clinical settings, the detection of C. auris in the natural environment has not been explored, the study stated.

 2021 The Indian Express [P] Ltd. All Rights Reserved

Theme(s): Others.
Last week, Worcester Medical Director Dr. Michael Hirsh said as vaccine numbers increase, COVID testing numbers in the city have dropped.

Hirsh, who is also the director of trauma services and surgeon-in-chief of the Childrens Medical Center at UMass Memorial Health Care, said even as fully vaccinated medical workers gather at the hospital, testing is required for meetings.

A lot of the faculty at UMass was surprised, Hirsh said.

Earlier this month, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released guidelines for maskless gatherings for groups that have been fully vaccinated.

However, in the past during the weekly COVID briefing at Worcester City Hall, Hirsh has reminded the public that the vaccines are not 100% effective. Even Moderna and Pfizer, which have the highest efficacy rates, are still only 95% effective.

I think [the vaccine] has affected the testing, Hirsh said. They think its better to concentrate trying to wait online for a vaccine than for a test.

This week, three free walk-up COVID testing clinics are available in Worcester.

Through a partnership with the city of Worcester, UMass Memorial Health Care will offer free walk-up testing on Monday, Tuesday and Thursday from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at 201 Commercial St.

Appointments are not offered at the site located at the intersection of Commercial and Mechanic Streets. Last Thursday at around 11 a.m. a small line formed outside the testing site. In recent weeks, though, participants have been able to receive tests without any way at all.

Last week, officials in Worcester reported a drop in cases from the previous week. Despite the drop, the case total remained higher than the total from two weeks ago.

Weve essentially had a situation where the numbers have plateaued not just locally in Worcester but across the country at a level where most of the epidemiologists and infectious disease specialists are still worried about a potential of another flare up, Hirsh said.

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KYIV -- Police in Kyiv have launched a probe into protests by supporters of Serhiy Sternenko, the controversial former leader of a far-right Ukrainian paramilitary group who was sentenced to seven years in prison on robbery and illegal weapons charges last month in a high-profile abduction case.



The Kyiv police department said on March 21 that the investigations were being launched into hooliganism and the damage done to the building of the president's office by Sternenko's supporters the previous day.



According to the police statement, one of the protesters, an individual born in 1995 whose identity was not disclosed, was arrested for possessing an illegal weapon.



On March 20, hundreds of Sternenko's supporters rallied in front of President Volodymyr Zelenskiy's office with torches and fire-crackers demanding the immediate release of Sternenko and several other pro-Ukrainian activists.



During the rallies, the walls of the building were painted with graffiti while firecrackers and flash grenades were thrown into the buildings windows.



The president's office estimated damages caused by the protesters to the late-19th century building at 2 million hryvnyas ($71,500).



A court in Kyiv on February 23 found Sternenko, who once led the Right Sector group in the city of Odesa, guilty of kidnapping, robbery and the possession of an illegal weapon in a case involving the abduction of a local lawmaker in 2015.

The court at the time ruled that, due to the statute of limitations, Sternenko could not be sentenced for kidnapping. It did, however, sentence him to seven years in prison on the other two charges.



Sternenko is also a suspect in another high-profile case that has been challenged by his supporters for years.



He is accused of premeditated murder and of possessing an illegal-bladed weapon in the killing of a man almost three years ago.

Sternenko claims he acted in self-defense while being attacked by two men late in the evening on May 26, 2018.



As he fought off the attackers, suffering numerous head injuries and a cut to his arm in the process, Sternenko injured one of the assailants who later died in hospital.



Investigators say that, after Sternenko defended himself using his knife, the attackers fled the scene. But Sternenko, whose life and health were no longer in danger, then reportedly chased one of them and stabbed him several times, inflicting wounds that led to the man's death, investigators say.



The attack was the third against Sternenko in three months.
Sport utility vehicles or recreational vehicles account for more than half of Hyundai and affiliate Kia's sales so far this year.

They sold a combined 157,488 cars in Korea in January and February, and about 52 percent of them, or 81,938 cars, were SUVs. They saw a sharp increase in sales of their flagship SUV models, headed by Carnival (14,196), Tucson (12,602) and Sorento (12,425).

Additionally, Hyundai's premium brand Genesis released its luxurious SUV lineup including the GV70 and GV80, and they are selling well.


A prominent Big Tech critic could join the Federal Trade Commission, which is one of the US agencies enforcing antitrust laws

US President Joe Biden on Monday named a prominent advocate of breaking up Big Tech firms to a key regulatory post, in a move suggesting an aggressive posture on antitrust enforcement.

The White House said it was submitting the nomination of Lina Khan, an associate professor of law at Columbia University's law school, to the Federal Trade Commission, an agency with authority over some mergers and antitrust policy.

The move follows the naming of Tim Wu, another Big Tech critic, to an economic advisory post in the White House.

Khan previously served as counsel to the US House of Representatives' subcommittee on antitrust, which last year released a lengthy report suggesting grounds for breaking up giants such as Facebook, Google, Amazon and Apple.

She also authored a 2017 paper called "Amazon's Antitrust Paradox," which outlined the growing dominance of the e-commerce and tech giant, which some say helped shift sentiment on antitrust.

Khan worked in the office of Federal Trade Commission member Rohit Chopra and was legal director at the Open Markets Institute, a think tank which has been highly critical of the Silicon Valley giants.

The news comes amid a growing backlash against tech behemoths that have dominated key economic sectors and seen their influence grow during the coronavirus pandemic.

President Joe Biden's choice for Federal Trade Commissioner suggests an aggressive antitrust approach which could mean tougher scrutiny for Big Tech firms

The move is likely to trigger a contentious nomination fight, with some Republicans already expressing opposition to Khan.

Utah Senator Mike Lee said earlier this month that "being less than four years out of law school," Khan "lacks the experience necessary for such an important role as FTC Commissioner."

Additionally, Lee said, "her views on antitrust enforcement are also wildly out of step with a prudent approach to the law" and that her appointment "would signal that President Biden intends to put ideology and politics ahead of competent antitrust enforcement."

But Charlotte Slaiman of the consumer advocacy group Public Knowledge welcomed the news, saying earlier this month that Khan's appointment "will signal that antitrust enforcement and important competition policy changes will be a high priority."

Lawmakers and policymakers in recent years have been mulling the decades-old "consumer welfare" standard of antitrust enforcement, which allows for a largely hands-off approach for big firms as long as prices are not impacted.

Critics say this approach has allowed Big Tech firms to grow unchecked with unprecedented power over key sectors of the economy.

Last week, acting FTC chair Rebecca Slaughter suggested heightened antitrust scrutiny, including of the digital economy.

"The increasing presence of large technology companies in our daily lives and in our economy animates recent calls for antitrust reform," Slaughter told a congressional panel.

Explore further Biden eyes Big Tech critic for regulatory post: media

 2021 AFP
Tara ONeill / Hearst Connecticut Media

NEW HAVEN  A city man remains hospitalized after being shot in the back Sunday night, according to police.

Capt. Anthony Duff said first responders were dispatched to the area of Pardee and East Ferry streets just before 9 p.m. following 911 calls about a person shot.
Melbourne councils say land has become so expensive they cannot afford to provide enough open space for their residents.

Yarra Council alone calculates it would need $894 million to adequately accommodate its residents.

Melbourne, Yarra, Moonee Valley and Port Phillip councils on Monday addressed a Victorian parliamentary committee hearing on community access to parks, open space and sporting fields.

Cambridge Street Reserve in Collingwood, which has very little open space and a growing population, on a rainy Monday. Credit:Eddie Jim

City of Melbourne told the hearing there was a shortfall of at least 40 hectares, despite between $60 million and $70 million in open space payments from developers yet to be spent.
More rain was expected to inundate Queenslands south-east on Tuesday, with flooded roads after days of downpour prompting the states Premier to plead drivers to stay home if possible.

Fire and Emergency Services Minister Mark Ryan said the worst of the weather was expected to develop overnight on Monday, with 169 millimetres expected to fall in six hours in some regions.

Rain leaves a deluge that blocks roads in the Gold Coast hinterland Credit:Facebook

Deception Bay received 50 millimetres, Horse Crossing copped 80 millimetres, Carbrook had 88 millimetres and Upper Springbrook received 75 millimetres within about eight hours on Monday.

There have been more than 680 requests for assistance to SES between 5am on Sunday and 4pm on Monday. Most of the calls were from Brisbane and Gold Coast residents.
A German politician has died in hospital in Ireland after she became unwell onboard a transatlantic flight.

She has been named as Karin Strenz (53), a member of Angela Merkels CDU party.

Ms Strenz was travelling on a flight from Cuba to Germany when she suddenly fell ill on Sunday morning. She is understood to have been travelling with her husband at the time.

The plane was diverted to Shannon Airport early on Sunday morning and Ms Strenz was transferred to University Hospital Limerick, where she later died.

It is understood she suffered a possible cardiac incident.

Condor flight DE-199 was en route from Varadero in Cuba to Frankfurt when the crew declared a medical emergency while the flight was still west of Ireland.

The crew reported they had a female passenger on board who had fallen ill and requested cleared to divert to Shannon asking that emergency medical services be on standby for their arrival.

The Boeing 767-300 jet landed safely in Shannon at 7.36am and was met at the terminal by airport personnel, National Ambulance Service paramedics and gardai.

A post mortem examination is expected to be carried out while a coroners inquest will be held at a later date.

The flight later continued to Frankfurt.
Enfield Police / Contributed Photo

ENFIELD  Police said Monday they are still investigating a crash last week that left one person with serious injuries.

First responders were dispatched to a crash in the area of Route 5 and Bridge Meadow Boulevard around 2 p.m. Friday.
Mumbai, March 22 : Actress Shilpa Shetty Kundra on Monday expressed concern over the ongoing Covid pandemic a year after Janta Curfew, which was imposed on March 22 last year. Shilpa said, the situation continues to be worrisome.

The actress shared a yoga video on Instagram where she is performing Eka Hasta Utthita Chaturanga Dandasana, Vasisthasana, and Utthita Chaturanga Dandasana.

"Some mornings bring in a different kind of energy. Exactly a year ago, the Janta Curfew was levied to ensure we can curb the effects of the pandemic. But, the situation continues to be worrisome. So, today's Yoga session was a little more intense than usual," she wrote with the video.

Sharing the benefits of the asanas, she added: " Today's flow involved Eka Hasta Utthita Chaturanga Dandasana, Vasisthasana, and Utthita Chaturanga Dandasana. This powerful combination of asanas helps strengthen the wrist, arms, and shoulders. It also helps build core strength, improves balance & concentration, and helps tone the arms. It effectively works on the entire body. Take good care of yourselves; we can overcome this and we will!" Shilpa's Instagram post comes a day after Maharashtra's Covid cases jumped to a new high of over 30,000 on Sunday, while Mumbai recorded 3,000 -plus fresh infections. The number of deaths have also started shooting up in the "second wave" that has gripped the state.
You cant taste a freshly fried Hubigs pie just yet. And Andrew Ramsey knows some locals still doubt they ever will again.

But Ramsey is confident the factory hes building will soon be churning out the beloved little hand pies by the thousands, putting a revered local brand back in circulation.

After nine years in limbo, Hubigs Pies are almost back. Ramsey, the next-generation owner of the company, wont lay out any precise timelines. But as of today, he believes the pies will be back on store shelves in a matter of months.

We are in the final stretch, Ramsey said.

Work has been progressing at the new production facility and home base for Hubigs, located in a warehouse just off Jefferson Highway near the Huey P. Long Bridge.

+6 Dixie Beer name removed from New Orleans brewery; see timeline to become Faubourg In about a month, the beer that New Orleans has sipped for generations under the name Dixie will start hitting the shelves under its new name,

The company has brought back some of its former employees from the old days, including key production and operations personnel, and it is now posting job ads for more workers.

Throughout the process though, Ramsey has been reluctant to make promises about return dates. He knows how much Hubigs means to many people, and he doesn't want to set expectations when he cant control the myriad factors needed to fulfill them.

As a company, we lost everything except our goodwill," he said. "And we dont want to burn through that.

In business since 1921, Hubigs Pies became more than just a familiar convenience food in New Orleans. The grab-and-go treats, which could be found at the grocery, the hardware store or gas station, were inexpensive products that became part of New Orleans' daily routine, and thus ingrained in the hearts of a city that loves its rituals.

A fire wiped out Hubigs historic home in Faubourg Marigny back on July 27, 2012. Its owners pledged to return, but a split in the business partnership behind the company led to many years of delays.

+6 Matassa's Market reopens in French Quarter with changes, familiar faces, more to come The neighborhood dogs knew change was afoot for Matassas Market. After all, the old corner grocery was part of their daily rhythm, too.

Early last year, Ramsey said he was hopeful production could begin in the summer of 2020. Of course, 2020 had other ideas in store, and the pandemic brought cascading delays.

But Ramsey acknowledges his own approach has been a painstaking one. Thats because hes not just out to relaunch a well-known brand, but also bring back an experience. Hes determined to recreate each detail of the pies  the flavor, the feel, the look and even the feel of the crinkly paper wrappers.

The next pie you have will resemble the last pie you had in every which way, said Ramsey. Its going to be identical.

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Hubigs was known for cooking from scratch, and now the company is being remade from scratch, too.

Ramsey has been foraging for vintage equipment from old plants and former suppliers, and refurbishing pieces that were salvaged from the Marigny facility.

He bought one machine, which cuts dough into oblong hand pie shapes, from the grandson of the guy who sold the original to my grandfather, Ramsey said.

And the process continues, with icing mixers, pot washers, dough mixers, fryers, cooling spirals and wrapping machines.

Month after month, the many different pieces required to bring back these little hand pies have been building up.

Ramsey knows anticipation for Hubigs lovers has been building too. Thats why hes zeroed in on making sure the revived pies are up to the standard people remember.

Were making progress, Ramsey allowed.

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Before the fire, the plant produced an average of 25,000 pies a day. Ramsey said the new facility will have the capacity to exceed that number. Theyll be distributed to lots of different outlets, including groceries, gas stations and convenience stores.

The lineup of flavors will be the same as before, with apple, lemon, peach, pineapple, chocolate and coconut prepared year-round. Seasonal flavors will also return to the roster for limited runs, including blueberry, blackberry, cherry and sweet potato.

The Hubig's pie origin story goes back to the early 20th century, when Simon Hubig set up a bakery in Fort Worth, Texas. He expanded to build a regional chain that reached as far as Cincinnati.

All of the factories folded as the Depression and the rationing of World War II took their toll, with the lone exception of the New Orleans location. It kept churning out the hand pies from the same Dauphine Street building until the 2012 fire.

Note: this story has been edited to correct the year Hubig's Pies started business.

+7 As vaccinations rise, older customers head back to New Orleans restaurants to celebrate 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
Unionists are opposed to the protocol, claiming it undermines Northern Irelands place in the UK internal market (Liam McBurney/PA)

The DUP has reiterated its commitment to the New Decade, New Approach Agreement - and with it the provision for Irish language legislation - after a report the party would block any new act over the NI Protocol issues.

BBC Radio Ulster's Nolan Show reported the long-awaited legislation will be "off the table" while the protocol remains in place.

It comes after First Minister Arlene Foster said a wider languages and cultural bill would be introduced at the Assembly before next year's election.

Responding to the reports, the party said: "The DUP is committed to the balanced upholding of all aspects of the devolution settlement.

Each strand can only fully function when the others are working properly. They are all interdependent.

We have seen the erection of barriers between GB and NI on trade and the application of laws governing our country as well as blatant disrespect for the unionist identity.

We remain committed to New Decade New Approach. All of these issues must be addressed and resolved along with the NDNA commitments if we are to achieve stability for Northern Ireland.

The way forward is through dialogue and political discussion.

Read More

While the DUP has never admitted agreeing to an Irish Language Act, Irish language provision was agreed as part of the New Decade, New Approach agreement to restore the Assembly.

It will include the appointment of an Irish Language Commissioner and official recognition of the language's status.

Mrs Foster told the Assembly earlier this month that legislation on a wider "package of identity and cultural pieces", including the Irish language and Ulster Scots, would be introduced before the end of the current mandate.

Deputy First Minister Michelle O'Neill said the legislation must be honoured and delivered by the Executive and the UK and Irish Governments.

"There will be no renegotiating or backsliding on commitments," she warned.

Her party colleague John O'Dowd said "the rights of the Irish language community cannot be held hostage to the disaster of the Tory DUP Brexit".

This commitment must be delivered on," the Upper Bann MLA said.

Alliance Parry MP Stephen Farry described the DUP source's comments as "disappointing and concerning".

"This was a core issue as to why the Assembly was down for almost three years, three years where a lot of damage was done to our public services and our economy," the North Down MP said.

Mr Farry accepted the Assembly was dealing with the Covid-19 pandemic, but said it was "frustrating" Irish language legislation had not yet materialised.

"I think this just adds more instability, uncertainty, it undermines the foundations of devolution. None of this is good whatsoever and the strategy the DUP are employing is going to be entirely self defeating and counter productive," he said.

SDLP MLA Matthew O'Toole said the DUP's actions had been "pretty shabby".

"They should come out and be clear about where they are on an Irish Language Act," the South Belfast MLA said.

"This constant drumbeat of ramping up tensions, with unnamed quotes, threats to bring down Stormont or blocking an Irish Language Act if they don't get what they want over the protocol, how undemocratic is that?"

Unionists are furious at the protocol, which they believe cuts them off from the rest of the UK after the creation of a trade border in the Irish Sea to prevent a hard border on the island of Ireland post-Brexit.

While Prime Minister Boris Johnson has promised to address unionist concerns, the Loyalist Communities Council (LCC), which represents paramilitary groups including the UVF and UDA, wrote to the PM saying they were withdrawing their support for the Good Friday Agreement over the issue.

LCC Chairman David Campbell has claimed the DUP will be willing to collapse Stormont if the protocol is not addressed.

However, the party rejected this, saying they were "bemused" at Mr Campbell's comments and called on him to withdraw them "in the interests of accuracy".

The Irish language has proved controversial in Northern Ireland for many years, with unionists associating it with the Republican movement.

After the collapse of the Assembly in January 2018 failure to agree a way forward on Irish language legislation repeatedly scuppered attempts to restore the institutions.
Hampden Township Veterans Recognition Committee and the Lower Allen Veterans of Foreign War Post 7530 will sponsor a National Vietnam War Veterans Day ceremony at 2 p.m. on Sunday, March 28 at Hampden Township Veterans Park at 4345 Marketplace Way.

National Vietnam War Veterans Day is Monday, March 29.

Speaker will be Vietnam War veteran and Purple Heart recipient, Jay Dunn, of Lower Allen Township. Dunn is a member of VFW Post 6730.

Guests invited include Congressman Scott Perry, State Senator Mike Regan, State Representatives Greg Rothman, Sheryl Delozier and Dawn Keefer, Cumberland County Commissioners, Hampden Township Commissioners along with state and national VFW officers.

National Vietnam War Veterans Day was first observed in 2012 to honor military members who served during the war, 1955-1975.
Mexico announced Monday that several top U.S. advisors on border and immigration issues will meet with Mexican officials on Tuesday to discuss migration and development in Central America.

The talks come as a surge of migrants has hit the U.S. southern border. The trip to Mexico will include Roberta Jacobson, the White Houses lead adviser on the border, and Juan Gonzalez, the National Security Councils senior director for the Western Hemisphere.

Roberto Velasco, Mexicos director for North American affairs, said the talks will focus on the two countries "joint efforts for secure, safe and regulated migration," and plans to provide economic development in southern Mexico and Central America so people won't come under pressure to migrate.

PRI*185969551 Special Assistant to the President and Coordinator for the Southern Border, Ambassador Roberta Jacobson is traveling to Mexico amid the escalation of immigration and childhood arrivals

Mexican immigration agents stop people who crossed the Suchiate River, the natural border between Guatemala and Mexico, to see their identification documents as they enforce limits on all but essential travel near Ciudad Hidalgo, Mexico, Monday, March 22, 2021

Since Bidens inauguration, the U.S. has seen a dramatic spike in the number of people encountered by border officials. There were 18,945 family members and 9,297 unaccompanied children encountered in February - an increase of 168% and 63%, respectively, from the month before, according to the Pew Research Center.

U.S. border patrol officials had encountered more than 29,000 unaccompanied minors since Oct. 1, nearly the same number of youths taken into custody for all of the previous budget year, according to administration officials.

Mexico announced restrictions last week on nonessential travel across its southern border with Guatemala and Belize "to prevent the spread of COVID-19," and sent hundreds of immigration agents and National Guard to the southern border to clamp down on crossings.

Mexico did not explain why the measure was announced now, more than a year after the start of the pandemic, but it came on the same day the U.S. confirmed it will send 2.5 million doses of the AstraZeneca coronavirus vaccine to Mexico.

Aerial view of a migrants camp where asylum seekers wait for US authorities to allow them to start their migration process outside El Chaparral crossing port in Tijuana, Baja California state, Mexico on March 17, 2021

President Joe Biden and members of his administration have told would-be immigrants not to come amid the backlog in processing them

Officials say migrant traffickers are encouraging people to make the trip by claiming the U.S. border is open to migrants, while Biden administration officials have stressed that the border is not open.

Mexico has cooperated with U.S. efforts to stem the flow, while stressing that the problem can only be solved by addressing the root problems of poverty and joblessness that lead many to migrate. Mexico has proposed massive investment to promote economic development in those areas.

The move to dispatch top emissaries follows a trip by HHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas to the border on Friday, as the Biden administration continues to face pressure on the issue.

Biden's team faced more questions about U.S. policy at the border following the emergence of newly revealed images taken inside facilities used to detain unaccompanied children.

With Mayorkas taking to the Sunday shows to defend the handling of the crisis, former President Donald Trump delighted in the seemingly big breaking news that Mayorkas was leaving his post  only to have to walk back his comment upon learning his interviewer gave him bad information.

'I'm not surprised, good. That's a big victory,' Trump said Monday when Fox News host Harris Faulkner told him that Mayorkas was resigning.

The development had the potential to add more drama to the clash over the crush of child migrants at the border  until Harris acknowledged there was no resignation happening.


Mayra is a 17-year-old migrant from Guatemala who recently crossed the Rio Grande River with her small child Marvin on her back. The river marks the border between the U.S. state of Texas and Mexico.

Mayra had joined a group of about 70 migrants that crossed the river in the dark on small rafts. The group was mostly Guatemalan and Honduran women with young children and about 25 teenagers traveling alone. Mayra hoped that, as a teenaged mother, she would be permitted to stay in the United States.

The group is among the thousands of migrants who have been crossing the U.S.-Mexico border in recent weeks. The administration of President Joe Biden is trying to put the migrants in government housing during the coronavirus health crisis.

A top Biden administration official said the number of migrants arriving at the U.S.-Mexico border in 2021 is expected to be the highest in 20 years. At least 9,200 children, who had arrived without adults, are in custody of the Office of Refugee Resettlement. That government agency deals with migrant children.

Mayras group arrived in Penitas, Texas after crossing the river. The teens and parents then made the final part of their trip: walking to the U.S. border wall. There, they waited for U.S. border officers to take them into custody.

Mayra went down a dirt road in between cotton fields on the way to the tall metal wall. Her baby was tired and crying.

I heard on the news that mothers with their babies and minors could come, she said.

When a neighbor offered to help pay for her trip, she felt like she had no choice. Her father was dead. Her mothers health was getting worse. She was earning $5 a day planting corn. She sometimes took extra work washing clothes. Marvins father had disappeared. He left us, she said while crying. We have nothing.

The group spent the final night of their trip on the floor of an empty building on a farm near the river. We slept like animals, one young mother said.



Now, its finally real

People in the group said word is spreading in Central America that people aged 17 and under and mothers of young children can enter the country. These claims, they said, caused them to take the long trip  in buses, on foot, and in trucks  to get to the Rio Grande River.

Biden has said he wants to follow a more humane immigration policy than the policies of former president Donald Trump. Biden has begun to let in children who are not traveling with a parent or guardian. But he has kept in place Trumps public health order that closes the border to almost all asylum seekers.

Some families with young children are also being let into the United States. That is partly because one Mexican border state, Tamaulipas, would not accept their return.

However, Biden administration officials have urged migrants not to make the dangerous trip north. They explain that the border is not open and that most people crossing the border illegally will be sent back.

Keiby is a 17-year-old woman from Honduras. She was the first among Mayras group to arrive at the border wall. There was an open gate with no patrol agents, so she walked through and sat down to rest. She had heard she could be sent to a shelter for a few weeks before rejoining her family in the United States.

She was excited to reunite with her mother, whom she had not seen for 14 years. Now its finally real she said. Thank God.

Members of the U.S. military arrived in a truck and offered water to the migrants. A border patrol truck also arrived and agents stepped out.

Then more agents arrived, separating the unaccompanied children, mostly teens, from those traveling as families.

The border patrol agents lined up the minors likely to be traveling without adult guardians against large vehicles. They sat the families against the wall.

Mayra stood at the end of the line of minors. Worried and crying, she fed Marvin and waited for border patrol agents.

She said she has family members in New York and would like to start a life there in order to provide for her child. She also wants to send money back to her mother in Guatemala to buy medicine.

I hope theyll let me go to my sister, she said.

Im Alice Bryant. And Im Jill Robbins.





Reuters news agency reported this story. Alice Bryant adapted it for VOA Learning English. Mario Ritter, Jr. was the editor.

________________________________________________________________

Words in This Story

migrant n. a person who goes from place to place especially to find work

raft n. a flat structure used to float on water like a boat

custody n. the state of being held by officials of the law; a state of being detained or held for protective reasons

humane adj. kind or gentle to people or animals

patrol n. people or vehicles that go through an area to make sure it is secure

gate n. an entrance in a fence or wall

unaccompanied adj. without another person; alone; without someone who is responsible

minor n. a person who is not yet old enough to be considered an adult
Mario Falcone has credited his sister Giovanna Fletcher for saving his life from a suicide attempt nine years ago.

In this week's HELLO!, the former TOWIE star, 33, reflected on seeking help from the I'm A Celebrity's current Queen of The Castle, 36, when he struggled with his mental health.

The businessman, who posed in an accompanying shoot with fiancee Becky Miesner and son Parker, two, said: 'The 'Mama Gi' we saw on TV... she has always been that. She is super organised in a crisis and knew what to do and got me to counselling.

'She saved me': Mario Falcone has credited his sister Giovanna Fletcher for saving his life from a suicide attempt nine years ago (pictured with fiancee Becky Miesner and son Parker, two)

'As a man you have your guard up and I felt I had to put on this kind of bravado, but she told me ''you need to open up''. That saved my life without a doubt.'

The reality star is now an ambassador for Papyrus, a national charity dedicated to the prevention of young suicide.

Mario explained he was horrified to discover how primary age children suffer with mental health issues and suicidal thoughts.

'She is super organised in a crisis': The ex-TOWIE star, 33, reflected on seeking help from the I'm A Celebrity's current Queen of The Castle, 36 (pictured in 2016)

Doting: The podcaster (pictured in 2020) set up four days worth of counselling for Mario at a top London doctor, followed by ten additional follow-up appointments

The TV star added: 'The thought of young children even having those thoughts is shocking. I will always want Parker to be aware he can talk to us, to communicate how he is feeling.

'You teach your children how to walk, how to talk, I think you have to teach them how to open up, so it becomes second nature.

Out now! This week's HELLO! magazine is available now

'I know that feeling of darkness. Not everyone is as lucky as I am to have transitioned from the place I was in to where I am now.

'I have an amazing fiancee, a beautiful son, and a sense of accomplishment in my journey from there to where I am today.'

In his personal life, the media personality was forced to call off his Italian wedding last year due to the coronavirus pandemic.

The father-of-one and the make-up artist were scheduled to tie the knot last May in the hard-hit country following a three-year engagement.

Mario insisted he's hopeful their nuptials will go ahead this summer, sharing: 'We hope to have the wedding in June, so we have to see how guests feel and if it's safe to fly.

'I always wanted to get married in Italy because of my heritage and we found this venue on the coast with insane views.'
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Germany is topping the table for the number of flight searches for travellers to the Costa del Sol this summer according to the latest research data.

The German market, usually the second most important for the Costa, is the most active at the moment and has overtaken the United Kingdom, which is normally the leader.

This is confirmed in by a report by the Turismo Costa del Sol tourism authority which says that there have been more than 70,000 flight searches from Germany to Malaga in the last two weeks - representing 22.4 per cent of global searches.

In second place is the number of searches from the UK, followed by Belgium, France and Denmark.

Searches for the Costa del Sol have increased in all 15 of the most important countries for tourism in southern Spain, with an increase of 113.2 per cent from 1 March to 14 March, over searches carried out the previous month according the Junta de Andalucia data.

Turismo Costa del Sol reveals that Frankfurt is the city where there is most interest in the Costa del Sol, with 15,000 searches in the last two weeks, followed by Berlin, with slightly more than 12,000 in that period.

For the Costa de Sol, German tourism is the second most important international market. Before the pandemic 787,962 travellers arrived at Malaga airport, which after the Covid crisis was reduced by 76 per cent in 2020.

A report by ReiseAnalyse said that the desire to travel remains strong among Germans despite Covid.

Spains national tourism board, Turespana, has already forecast a recovery of German tourists between May and June, and in July and August it expects to reach 50 per cent of the 2019 figures.
The results argue for a comprehensive approach to disease prevention. The scientists have now published their findings in the journal Nature Medicine.

Many elderly people suffer simultaneously from several, frequently very different diseases, a condition also known as multimorbidity. Their quality of life is severely restricted, and they receive medication from different doctors, a process which is difficult and often insufficiently coordinated. Observations indicate that certain diseases commonly occur together, but the causes of this are largely unknown.

Data from over 11,000 participants

In a recent study, a team led by Dr. Claudia Langenberg, BIH Professor of Computational Medicine, and scientists from Munich and the United Kingdom have now identified a number of metabolic processes that are associated not only with one, but simultaneously with up to 14 diseases. The scientists analyzed data from more than 11,000 participants in the EPIC-Norfolk prospective cohort study. This records hundreds of measurements from blood samples, as well as clinical data on diseases over more than 20 years of follow-up.

"We wanted to know whether there are certain markers in the blood that indicate a risk, not only for one but for several diseases at the same time," Langenberg explains. To do this, the scientists first examined the concentration of hundreds of different molecules in the blood samples of a total of 11,000 study participants. They then examined how the concentration of individual metabolites was related to the onset of a total of 27 serious diseases in the participants. The metabolites included not only known metabolic products such as sugars, fats and vitamins, but also substances whose concentration depends on genetic or environmental factors. For example, the scientists were able to detect the degradation products of medications, coffee consumption or the presence of gut bacteria using a process known as "molecular profiling."

Over 20 years of electronic medical data

The blood samples had already been taken from the participants more than 20 years ago and been stored at minus 196 degrees Celsius since then. At that time, the people were mostly healthy. The diseases they developed afterwards were systematically recorded in detail for more than 20 years through electronic hospital data. "This allowed us to explore how the concentration of hundreds of molecules in the blood is linked to the development of one or multiple diseases," Langenberg explains.

For example, the team found that the concentration of many metabolites in the blood that were associated with disease onset were explained by impaired liver and kidney function, obesity or chronic inflammation. But they also discovered that certain lifestyle factors or a reduced diversity of intestinal bacteria, also known as the gut microbiome, influence blood levels and can thus provide clues to the development of diseases over time. It turned out that half of all detected molecules were associated with an increased or decreased risk of at least one disease - the majority with multiple, sometimes very different, diseases, pointing to metabolic pathways that increase the risk of multimorbidity.

Two-thirds of all metabolites associated with more than one disease

"We found, for example, that an increased concentration of the sugar-like molecule N-acetylneuraminate increased the risk of no less than 14 diseases," explains Maik Pietzner, a scientist working with Claudia Langenberg and lead author of the paper. "Gamma-glutamylglycine, on the other hand, is exclusively associated with the occurrence of diabetes. Other members of the same molecular groups simultaneously increase the risk of liver and heart disease." Langenberg adds: "Overall, we observed that two-thirds of the molecules are associated with the occurrence of more than one disease. This is in line with the fact that patients often develop a range of diseases in the course of their lives. If we succeed in influencing these key factors, this could make it possible to counter multiple diseases simultaneously."

All results are publicly available

The scientists' extensive analysis enables insights into the various factors influencing human metabolism that were previously not possible in this level of detail. To make this reference available to scientists around the world, the authors have developed a web application called "omicscience.org." It makes all the results publicly available in graphical form so that they can be used in new studies. Langenberg adds: "The website enables scientists to determine key influencing factors for any molecule they are interested in or to uncover completely new connections between diseases. All of this was only possible due to our systematic, data-driven approach."

###
The CEO of Goldman Sachs has responded to complaints from junior bankers, saying management is going to work harder to give them Saturdays off after a group complained they were being forced to work 100 hours a week.

CEO David Solomon made the promise on a voice memo to staffers on Sunday, days after a group of junior bankers' PowerPoint presentation complaining of work conditions leaked in the media.

The 13 first-year analysts, who make $91,000 a year before bonuses that can double their compensation, complained they were working nearly 100 hours a week and sleeping five hours a night to keep up with an over-the-top workload and 'unrealistic deadlines.'

Half of the group, which consisted of 13 first-year employees, said they were likely to quit by summer unless conditions improved - with one claiming that his experience at Goldman was 'arguably worse' than his childhood in foster care.

Goldman Sachs CEO David Solomon has responded to complaints from junior bankers, saying management is going to work harder to give them Saturdays off

In response, Solomon told employees in a voice note the bank sent on Sunday night that it will strengthen enforcement of its Saturday rule, which holds that employees cannot work from 9pm Friday night to 9am on Sunday except in certain circumstances, in order to ensure they have at least one day off each week.

'In this world of remote work, it feels like we have to be connected 24/7,' Solomon said in the memo, according to Reuters. 'This is not easy, and we're working hard to make it better.'

'We want a workplace where people can share concerns freely,' Solomon said in the late Sunday voice memo, according to a transcript obtained by The New York Post. 'We want to encourage all of you to take the opportunity to speak with your management.'

The bank will also accelerate an effort launched in January to hire more junior bankers and will reassign others from less busy divisions to busier ones to alleviate the work.

In the leaked PowerPoint presentation, the analysts alleged they were 'very unsatisfied' with the firm, citing grueling hours, unrealistic deadlines and unpleasant senior staff.

'My body physically hurts all the time and mentally I'm in a really dark place,' one of the young employees wrote in the presentation.

In the leaked PowerPoint presentation, the analysts complained of grueling hours, unrealistic deadlines and unpleasant senior staff. Goldman's Manhattan headquarters is seen above

Another stated: 'What is not okay to me is 110-120 hours over the course of a week! The math is simple, that leaves 4 hours a day for eating, sleeping, showering, bathroom and general transition time. This is beyond the level of 'hard-working''.

'The sleep deprivation, the treatment by senior bankers and physical stress I've been through foster care and this is arguably worse,' a third person was quoted as saying.

On average, the 13 first-year analysts gave Goldman Sachs a score of 2 out of 10 for workplace satisfaction.

Meanwhile, 83 percent of respondents said they had experienced 'excessive monitoring or micromanagement'. Seventeen percent said they 'frequently encountered shouting or swearing'.

A majority of the analysts claimed they felt like they had been a victim of workplace abuse, while three-quarters said they had sought or considered counselling due to stress.

The Powerpoint presentation concluded with a slide titled 'Rectifying The Situation', in which the analysts proposed ideas to senior staffers that would help them feel better about the workplace.

The group proposed a maximum work capacity of 80 hours per week, stating: ' In order to do our best work and deliver for the firm's clients we need to be rested and free from juggling an insurmountable amount of conflicting work streams'.

They also stated: 'Junior bankers should not be expected to do any work after 9pm Friday or all day Saturday without a pre-approved exception, as that is the only safe-guarded personal time that we get'.

Goldman Sachs is one of the most prestigious investing banking firms, and first-year analyst jobs are extremely coveted.

More than a dozen first-year analysts at Goldman Sachs have complained about 'inhumane' conditions they claim to have endured while working at the investment bank

According to Business Insider, banks like Goldman Sachs their first-year investment banking analysts a cool $91,000.

The sum does not include any bonuses, which are usually paid toward the end of the year.

Bonuses for people at the associate level can range from around $45,000 to more than $100,000, according to figures collected by MergersandAcquisitions.com.

Solomon said in the voice memo that he takes the first-year analysts' complaints seriously and understands staff are facing pressure from the pandemic, which has resulted in most employees working from home for a year, and from the surge in demand for blank-check IPOs.

Funds raised through initial public offerings of special purpose acquisition companies, or SPACs, have this year already surpassed the $83.4 billion the sector raised in all of 2020, and banks play a key role in those deals.

Solomon also expressed support for the bank's Asian colleagues in light of what he said were the 'horrific attacks' last week in the U.S. city of Atlanta, where eight people, including six women of Asian descent, were killed.

Asian staff at Goldman have faced verbal and physical abuse in the United States and elsewhere, Solomon said, and he will meet with Asian partners and others to discuss what the bank can do to protect them and promote inclusivity at work.
Racism deniers are either evil, naive or just dumb. Not to mention overrepresented among White male podcasters, Fox News hosts, and radio commentators.

On his podcast, Ben Shapiro  a white conservative who should stop talking about race altogether  offered a nugget of wisdom that was actually fools gold.

The left decries anti-Asian hate, but only when they believe the culprit is whiteness, Shapiro told listeners.

Sometimes, it seems like Americans of all colors cant stop talking about race. Then, one day, something truly racist happens. And people want to talk about anything but race.

Now the deniers are at it again, all spun out over an attack last week on three Asian spas near Atlanta.

In a horrifying take on Groundhog Day, Americans are  because of their failure to acknowledge and confront white supremacy  cursed to relive the same kind of tragedies.

The actors change, but the script always has a familiar rhythm. A young white male, feeling powerless against forces he cant control, channels his anger at people of color. So he grabs a gun and seeks out a place where these people gather.

In 2015, 21-year-old white supremacist Dylann Roof found his way to the Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston, S.C., and killed nine African Americans who had gathered for Bible study.

In 2019, 21-year-old white supremacist Patrick Crusius traveled halfway across Texas to a Walmart in El Paso, where he allegedly killed 23 people and wounded 23 others. Most of the victims were Mexican or Mexican Americans.

And last week, near Atlanta, 21-year-old Robert Aaron Long allegedly shot and killed eight people - including six Asian women  at three spas known to employ Asian women, at least one of which was owned by an Asian woman.

Those are the facts. Now for the context.

First, the attacks on the spas took place on the heels of a wave of anti-Asian violence over the last several weeks, including acts of violence against elderly Asian Americans.

Next, we just closed out 2020, which produced a slew of anti-Asian hate crimes amid a global pandemic that then-President Donald Trump blamed on China and dubbed Kung Flu.

Over the course of roughly a year during the pandemic, there were nearly 3,800 anti-Asian hate incidents, which include everything from shouting slurs to violent acts, according to the group Stop AAPI Hate. Sixty-eight percent of these attacks were aimed at Asian women, compared with 29 percent at Asian men.

Finally, there is the history of anti-Asian violence in the United States.

This dates back to the mid-1800s, when Chinese immigrants first arrived in California to do jobs that native-born Americans wouldnt do. One task was dangling from ropes to lodge sticks of dynamite into mountainsides to build a railroad.

In 1882, Congress passed the unambiguously titled Chinese-Exclusion Act to ban further migration from China. As the curtain fell on the 19th century, in towns across the West, there were anti-Chinese leagues. There, likeminded citizens banded together to rid their communities of the same Chinese immigrants they had once welcomed as essential workers.

The 20th century bought more bigotry and pain. In the 1940s, during World War II, Japanese Americans were put in internment camps. During the 1970s and 1980s, in Central California, the new target were refugees from Southeast Asia  including the Hmong, many of whom fled Laos after the fall of Saigon because they feared punishment for having helped CIA operatives during the Vietnam War.

Brushing all that aside, there are a lot of Americans on social media and talk radio who still seem desperate to deny that race played any part whatsoever in the Asian spa shootings.

The deniers fall back on the familiar line that this was a lone gunman with some mental defect. Authorities have even said that in the case of the accused shooter of the Asian spas, that defect is a sex addiction that supposedly led the suspect to target massage parlors that he saw as a temptation.

Of course, we heard that from the Cherokee County Sheriffs Department, and the department is now under scrutiny. Capt. Jay Baker, the director of communications and community relations for the department, glibly told reporters that Long had a really bad day. In April 2020, Baker posted racist material on Facebook, showing off a T-shirt that blamed China for the pandemic. It read: Covid 19 imported virus from Chy-na. In the post, which was removed, Baker wrote: Love my shirt.

This is not a guy who should decide what is, or isnt, racist toward Asian Americans.

Who could deny that?

ruben@rubennavarrette.com
Police tape is seen near the scene of a shooting in a file photo. (Sarah Blake Morgan/AP Photo)

Colorado Police Warn of Active Shooter at Grocery Store

Police in Boulder, Colorado, reported an active shooter situation at a grocery store on Monday afternoon, and officials have called on people to avoid the area.

An alleged incident occurred at King Soopers, a grocery store on Table Mesa, at around 3 p.m. local time. It is not clear if there were any injuries or deaths.

A tweet from the Boulder Police Department said, Active Shooter at the King Soopers on Table Mesa. AVOID THE AREA. PIO is en-route.

ALERT: Active Shooter at the King Soopers on Table Mesa. AVOID THE AREA. PIO is en-route.  Boulder Police Dept. (@boulderpolice) March 22, 2021

Numerous police and first responder vehicles, including SWAT officers, were seen outside the store, according to video footage published by CBS Denver. Three medical helicopters were seen in the vicinity.

Live video showed police around the building as some could be heard over the loudspeaker announcing: This is the Boulder Police Department  come out with your hands up.

An employee at a local sandwich shop, who didnt give his name, told Fox News he and his coworkers heard gunshots before they moved to the back of the store.

King Soopers is a supermarket subsidiary of Kroger in the Rocky Mountain region.
To listen to the podcast, click on the play button below:

The situation of the Chinese Muslim community, known as the Uighurs (and sometimes spelled Uyghurs), has been causing concern around the world. There are a plethora of reports from activists, journalists and human rights experts that at least one million are being detained in camps in the remote western region of Xinjiang. China denies using torture, forced labour and sterilisations. Do these practices amount to genocide? If so, do states have to declare it? What responses are available? Is it a genocide if no court has yet ruled that it is?

Two genocide experts join us: Dr Melanie OBrien from the University of western Australia Law School, and second vice president of the International Association of Genocide Scholars (We last had Mel on to comment on the genocide case between Gambia and Myanmar at the International court of Justice); and Dr Ewelina Ochab, a human rights advocate, and Co-Founder of the Coalition for Genocide Response.

Also we hear from the British lawyers at Essex Court Chambers who recently gave a legal opinion based everything thats out there from researchers into alleged Uighur genocide.

If you want to understand states responses and responsibilities when it comes to genocide, then this is for you.

Janet, Stephanie and Ewelina (bottom left) are introduced to Poppy dog by Mel (top right)
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By Andrew Chung

(Reuters) - Supreme Court justices on Monday appeared ready to further curb the power of organized labor in the United States by rolling back a decades-old California regulation that lets union organizers enter agricultural properties without an employer's consent.

The court, with a 6-3 conservative majority, appeared sympathetic during more than an hour of oral arguments toward an appeal by two fruit companies in the most populous U.S. state seeking to halt enforcement of the California Agricultural Labor Relations Board regulation, which has been in place since 1975. The justices wrestled over how far they should go in bolstering the property rights of owners.

A lower court rejected the companies' argument that the regulation violated the U.S. Constitution's Fifth Amendment prohibition on the government taking private property for public use without just compensation.

Conservative justices seemed to agree that California's regulation went too far. Chief Justice John Roberts asked questions that indicated the rule placed few limits on unions. Justice Clarence Thomas wondered how it would be different if the state commandeered a farm to train its police, even if only intermittently.

Liberal justices raised doubts that any regulation like California's should always be considered unconstitutional, as the companies have asserted.

California, defending the regulation, said that beyond affecting the ability of unions to organize, the case has the potential to reverberate more widely, casting doubt on food, factory and social work inspections, or even Border Patrol entries onto private property to enforce immigration laws.

The Supreme Court in 2018 dealt a big blow to organized labor by ruling that non-members cannot be forced, as they are in certain states, to pay fees to unions representing public employees.

The California regulation allows union organizers, with notice to regulators and the employer, to enter agricultural premises to talk with employees for three non-working hours per day during four 30-day periods each year. The organizers do not require an employer's consent.

Story continues

Unions have said the rule in practice affords them little time to reach workers during the narrow window of seasonal farm work either before or after work. They have said farm workers often are migrants who change job sites frequently and may not understand English or Spanish, making work site access one of the only ways to inform them of their labor rights.

Dorris, California strawberry producer Cedar Point Nursery and Fresno-based Fowler Packing Company, which ships grapes and mandarin oranges, called the regulation outdated. They said farm employees are easier to reach than ever, including through smartphones and radio stations, and that nearly all of their 3,000 workers can communicate in English and Spanish.

On Monday, the justices asked both sides tough questions about the circumstances under which a property owner's rights should be considered to have been violated.

Liberal Justice Elena Kagan seemed skeptical that the companies' interest in barring the unions counted as a genuine property right.

Conservative Justice Brett Kavanaugh suggested that a sweeping ruling in favor of the companies might not be necessary given that the California regulation allows unions greater access than the court has said is available under federal labor law.

"You probably prevail under that rule," Kavanaugh told Joshua Thompson, an attorney for the Pacific Legal Foundation, a conservative legal group representing the companies.

The companies challenged the regulation after disputes with the United Farm Workers union in 2015. Organizers disrupted work on Cedar's property with bullhorns, while Fowler was accused of denying organizers access, drawing a complaint with regulators, according to the lawsuit.

The San Francisco-based 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals threw out the case in 2019.

Former President Donald Trump's administration had backed the companies, but Democratic President Joe Biden's administration reversed that position, asserting that the regulation is lawful.

(Reporting by Andrew Chung in New York; Editing by Will Dunham)
INDIANAPOLIS, Ind (WTHI) - More police cars will be on patrol, watching for motorists who endanger students who ride the bus.

Officers from more than 200 agencies will participate in the program. Law enforcement officers will be located along school bus routes watching for stop-arm violations and unsafe driving behavior.

Money to keep officers on the overtime duty is provided by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration through the state's Stop Arm Violation Enforcement (SAVE) program.

As drivers, we all have a responsibility to make sure students arrive to and from school safely, Gov. Holcomb said, announcing the campaign. Everyone needs to do their part by slowing down and watching for buses. As soon as you see those red lights flashing and stop-arm extended, that means stop.

We still have far too many people speeding and not paying attention to the road, said Devon McDonald, Indiana Criminal Justice Institute Executive Director. One glance at your phone is all it takes to cause a tragedy. Children are unpredictable, so its important to stay alert and be prepared to stop at all times.

In Indiana, its against the law for motorists to pass a bus thats stopped and has its red lights flashing and stop-arm extended. This applies to all roads, with one exception. Motorists who are on a highway that is divided by a barrier, such as a cable barrier, concrete wall, or grassy median, are required to stop only if they are traveling in the same direction as the school bus.
A Pennsylvania woman who beat and choked her 11-year-old son because she wrongly thought he had stolen her drugs cant escape her aggravated assault conviction and prison sentence, a state Superior Court panel decided Monday.

The boy claimed his mom, 35-year-old Sharee Vaughn, assaulted him twice in March 2018 after she couldnt find her drugs in their Philadelphia home, Judge Jacqueline O. Shogan noted in the state court opinion denying Vaughns challenge to her 5- to 10-year jail term.

The second attack ended only when the child escaped, ran away barefoot in the cold clad only in sweatpants and was rescued by a SEPTA worker who called the police, Shogan wrote. She noted the assaults, which Vaughn committed with her bare hands and a leather belt, left the boy with red marks on his neck and bruises on his neck, chest, arms and legs.

Sharee Vaughn

On appeal, Vaughn contested Philadelphia County Judge Mia R. Perezs finding that she had tried to cause serious bodily injury to her son. She claimed her jail term is excessive and unreasonable. She also challenged Perezs order that she have no contact with any children during the 14 years she will be either in prison or on probation.

Vaughn won only that final argument. Shogan found Perez had no authority to impose the no contact provision because the state parole board is the agency that will determine what restrictions will be imposed on Vaughn once she is released from prison.

In upholding Vaughns aggravated assault conviction, Shogan found it is justified by the evidence, including a videotaped statement Vaughn gave to police. Shogan cited Perezs description that the recording showed Vaughn confirming unapologetically that she had beaten her son because (she thought) he had stolen her drugs.

The state judge also pointed to Perezs conclusion that the prison term is justified by the nature of the crime, specifically that the assault took the form of a physical beating that resulted in the childneeding to escape his own home and mother and run barefoot in the cold seeking help from strangers.
At least 10 tornadoes struck Alabama and Mississippi this week during a severe weather outbreak that could have been worse if temperatures hadnt remained relatively low, forecasters said.

Teams from the National Weather Service in Mississippi found evidence of five weak tornadoes in Simpson, Lincoln, Lamar, Copiah and Wayne counties, where an EF2 twister with winds of as much as 135 mph (217 kph) ripped apart chicken houses and damaged homes.

Five more twisters were confirmed in Alabama in Moundville, south of Tuscaloosa; Fairview in Cullman County; Cottondale and Kellerman in Tuscaloosa County; and Chilton County. There, an EF2 tornado with maximum winds of 130 mph (209 kph) damaged and destroyed homes near Pools Crossroads.

Storm surveys were continuing, and the weather service said additional tornadoes could be added to the tally.

While forecasters had predicted the possibility of larger tornadoes that stayed on the ground for miles, the weather service said the storms were less intense because heavy rains kept temperatures from rising and providing more energy to the atmosphere.

NWS also confirmed that a tornado hit southwest Georgia on Thursday.

A preliminary survey shows a twister with top winds of 100 mph (160 kph) struck in Lee County. The tornado, rated EF1 on the enhanced Fujita scale, traveled more than 10 miles (16 kilometers) from a spot on U.S. 19 south of Leesburg. The twister traveled northeast with a maximum width of 50 yards (50 meters), dissipating northeast of Leesburg.

The tornado ripped a carport of a home and damaged a garage on one residence. The tornado also snapped and uprooted trees and destroyed a shed. No one was injured.

Copyright 2021 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways on Sunday alerted NHAI, NHIDCL and its other wings besides automobile makers to augment their IT security systems after reports regarding threats of possible cyber attacks targeted at the Indian transport sector.

The ministry said it has received an alert from the Indian Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT-In) about possible cyber attacks.

"The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways received an alert from CERT-In regarding targeted intrusion activities directed towards Indian Transport sector with possible malicious intentions. The Ministry has advised departments and organisations under transport sector to strengthen the security posture of their infrastructure," the Ministry said in a statement.

It has requested NIC, National Highways Authority of India (NHAI), National Highways and Infrastructure Development Corporation (NHIDCL), Indian Road Congress (IRC), Indian Academy of Highway Engineers (IAHE), State PWDs, Testing agencies and Automobile manufacturers to conduct the security audit of the entire IT system by CERT-In certified agencies.

It advised such security audits on a regular basis besides taking all actions as per their recommendations.

Also it asked the audit report and the action taken report to be regularly submitted to the ministry.

Last year in June also NHAI has reported a cyber attack on its email server and had said that prompt action resulted in no data loss. It had shut down its server then as a precaution.

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Head of Psychology at the University of Ghana, Professor Joseph Osafo says the culprits caught in the theft and sale of COVID-19 vaccines should be punished according to the laws of Ghana.



Three persons have been arrested by National Security officials for their alleged involvement in the act.



The culprits are 37-year-old Disease Control Officer of the Greater Accra Regional Hospital, Stephen Dzisenu; 42-year-old Occupational Health and Safety Officer, Cosmos Allotey and a Project Assistant and a former Laboratory Technician at the Greater Accra Regional Hospital, Joseph Knight Gaisie.



A fourth suspect, a Disease Control Officer at the La Bawalashie Polyclinic, Lord Pabitey is reportedly at large and the security officers are on a manhunt for him.



The Ghana Health Service (GHS) has also initiated an inquiry into the alleged stealing and selling of COVID-19 vaccines in Ghana at GH 200 per jab.



Addressing the issue on Peace FM's ''Kokrokoo'', Prof. Joseph Osafo feared these persons' act could have eroded public confidence in the COVID-19 vaccine program by the government, hence compounding the current situation facing the country.



He called for the culprits to face the full rigors of the law.



"It's so heartbreaking. I mean like what is wrong with us? My people, what is wrong with us? We all know this disease demands vaccine but even with the vaccine, we are now working to get public confidence. If you sell this vaccine or inject someone with the vaccine and the person experiences post-vaccine complications, we're dealing with the hesitancy already. You'll ruin the thing entirely.



"When I heard it, that was my major worry. If someone had come to say I have been injected but I have encountered A,B,C,D,E complications, what are we doing with ourselves? We're eroding public confidence in going for the vaccine. So, the culprits must face the full rigors of the law," he bemoaned.





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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Hong Kong, March 22 : Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam was administered the second shot of the Covid-19 vaccine on Monday after which she urged residents of the city to actively get the jab in an effort to return to normal lives soon.

She was vaccinated at the government headquarters along with multiple officials, nearly a month after the local mass inoculation program started, Xinhua news agency.

So far, more than 350,000 people have been given the first shot in Hong Kong and the second doses will begin to be administered this week.

Given the shortage of vaccine supplies globally, Hong Kong is fortunate to get doses enough for all its residents, Lam said.

She added that Hong Kong can overcome the pandemic and the lives of people can return to normalcy soon if more people get vaccinated.

There are two vaccines currently available in Hong Kong, produced by Sinovac Biotech and Fosun Pharma/BioNTech, respectively.

Lam stressed the vaccination is a science-based program and urged residents to refer to the official vaccine information and professional opinions of health experts, instead of listening to rumours and disinformation.

Hong Kong has so far reported 11,379 confirmed coronavirus cases and 203 deaths.

For the second time in the past few months, the East Baton Rouge Metro Council will vote Wednesday to consider a modest pay raise for Baton Rouge police officers, who remain underpaid compared to their counterparts at other agencies.

After several years of stagnant wages, BRPD officers received a 3% salary bump at the start of 2021 after the council approved funding a $1.8 million annual increase in their 2021 operating budget.

Now another 3% raise is on the table, again without increasing tax bills for Baton Rouge residents, thanks to an unexpected pot of state funding the Louisiana Legislature appropriated for BRPD during a special session last fall.

+2 Baton Rouge police to get pay raise, bringing them closer to other agencies' salaries The Metro Council agreed to a 3% pay raise for Baton Rouge police officers Tuesday, an increase Mayor-President Sharon Weston Broome called th

Officials have a plan to temporarily cover the cost using the roughly $2 million in state funds issued as reimbursement for COVID-related expenses incurred by the city police department. That $2 million would fund the raises through the remainder of 2021 and into 2022, officials said. Then "departmental efficiencies"  ongoing efforts to make the department more efficient, including through reorganization and reduced overtime costs  would continue funding the proposed increase, which applies across the board to all police personnel.

"The state allocation basically helps us jump ahead of the efficiency moves. Those come over time, but this allowed us to move up when we could fund the raise," said Darryl Gissel, the city-parish's chief administrative officer. Approval from the council will bring starting base pay to about $36,000 after an officer has completed academy and spent six months on the job, then $42,000 after one year.

State Sen. Bodi White, a Republican from Central, spearheaded efforts last year to get the $2 million allocated to BRPD, coordinating with the mayor to make sure the money would result in higher salaries.

"The Baton Rouge Police Department has been through a lot the past few years. It's a tough job to do, and hard to raise a family starting out at such a low rate," he said. "The vast majority of their officers are good people, well-trained and professional."

News of the latest potential raise comes amid an unfolding scandal in the BRPD narcotics division. An ongoing corruption probe has resulted in the recent arrests of two detectives and transfers of four supervisors, effectively cutting the division in half. Officials have declined to say whether additional arrests and discipline are expected.

Aside from the recent drama, local leaders have long agreed that BRPD officers should make more money. The department faces issues recruiting and retaining officers, sometimes losing members to other agencies where salaries are better. Many Baton Rouge cops also rely on overtime and extra duty assignments to supplement low salaries.

The department recently commissioned an efficiency study, in part to find hidden savings that could support a substantial pay raise. Researchers identified several recommended changes to make the department more efficient, including reorganizing its leadership structure, eliminating some high ranking positions and reducing overtime assignments. Those changes could save about $10 million annually, according to the study.

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That would be just under half the estimated cost of bringing BRPD salaries in line with peer agencies, according to another study commissioned the year before whose authors found Baton Rouge cops are underpaid by about 30% on average.

Reorganization of Baton Rouge Police Department could save $10 million per year; here's how A comprehensive reorganization of the Baton Rouge Police Department could save $10 million per year by eliminating some commander positions an

The Metro Council will also consider setting a public hearing for its April 14 meeting to discuss appropriating another $2.4 million to replace 50 BRPD vehicles. Officials said that will save money in the long run because the aging fleet is driving up maintenance and repair costs.

BRPD leadership has already implemented some of the changes that were suggested to heighten efficiency, including adding a fourth deputy chief position to organize the department into four bureaus and placing either civilian employees or lower ranking officers in positions that, the consultants determined, do not require decades of experience or even law enforcement certification and training. One example is replacing a commissioned officer with a civilian employee overseeing building maintenance for BRPD facilities, officials said.

Some of those changes have met with disapproval from leadership of the BRPD union.

Union leaders have long argued about the importance of giving officers a raise, but then they balked at the idea of adding more deputy chiefs, saying adding boots on the ground is more urgent than yet another administrative role. To get their message out to a broader audience, union leaders launched a billboard campaign last year. One current billboard sitting along Interstate 110 southbound warns drivers entering the city that BRPD officers are some of the lowest paid in the nation.

BRPD reorganization, pay increase reignite battles between police chief and union leaders After years of public sparring and infighting, conflicts between the Baton Rouge police chief and leadership of the BRPD union are unfolding o

This latest opportunity for a 3% bump comes after Mayor-President Sharon Weston Broome promised during her recent reelection campaign to make police pay a priority during her second term. When the Metro Council approved a similar measure in December, Broome called the change "an honorable step in the right direction" but committed to doing more.

Officials said Baton Rouge police officers could receive another raise before 2022, though the timeline remains uncertain.

In addition to the BRPD raise, councilmembers will vote Wednesday on whether to offer similar pay increases to officers with the Baton Rouge City Constable's Office and the Baton Rouge Airport Police, two much smaller law enforcement agencies in the parish. Both would receive a 6% increase, funded through efficiency measures in the constable's office and through self-generated revenue at the airport.
[March 22, 2021]

AMETEK Announces Agreement to Acquire Abaco Systems

BERWYN, Pa., March 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- AMETEK, Inc. (NYSE: AME) today announced that it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Abaco Systems, Inc., a leading provider of mission critical embedded computing systems, from Veritas Capital in an all-cash transaction valued at $1.35 billion.

Abaco Systems specializes in open-architecture computing and electronic systems for aerospace, defense, and specialized industrial markets. Their ruggedized products are designed to withstand harsh operating environments such as extreme temperature and high vibration.

"We are excited for the opportunity to acquire Abaco Systems. Their market leading embedded computing solutions are ideally positioned across a number of attractive aerospace and defense platforms, further broadening our differentiated product offering serving these markets," comments David A. Zapico, AMETEK Chairman and Chief Executive Officer.

Abaco Systems has annual sales of approximaely $325 million and is headquartered in Huntsville, Alabama. The transaction is subject to customary closing conditions, including applicable regulatory approvals, and is expected to close mid-2021. Upon closing, Abaco Systems will join AMETEK as part of its Electronic Instruments Group (EIG) - a leader in advanced analytical, monitoring, testing, calibrating and display instruments with annualized sales of $3.0 billion.







Corporate Profile

AMETEK is a leading global manufacturer of electronic instruments and electromechanical devices with annual sales in 2020 of more than $4.5 billion. The AMETEK Growth Model integrates the Four Growth Strategies - Operational Excellence, New Product Development, Global and Market Expansion, and Strategic Acquisitions - with a disciplined focus on cash generation and capital deployment. AMETEK's objective is double-digit percentage growth in earnings per share over the business cycle and a superior return on total capital. The common stock of AMETEK is a component of the S&P 500.

Contact:

AMETEK, Inc.

Kevin Coleman

Vice President, Investor Relations

1100 Cassatt Road

Berwyn, Pennsylvania 19312

kevin.coleman@ametek.com

Phone: 610.889.5247

View original content:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/ametek-announces-agreement-to-acquire-abaco-systems-301252795.html

SOURCE AMETEK, Inc.
Credit: Unsplash/CC0 Public Domain

Swiss regulators on Monday gave the green light to Johnson & Johnson's COVID-19 vaccine, after already authorising the jabs made by Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna.

The Swissmedic regulatory authority said in a statement that it had authorised the use of the vaccine, which has the advantages of being a single-shot jab that can be stored with regular refrigeration rather than at ultra-cold temperatures.

"Following a careful review of all the submitted documentation, Swissmedic has granted the 'COVID-19 Vaccine Janssen' temporary authorisation," it said.

"This brings to three the number of vaccines officially authorised for distribution in Switzerland for the prevention of COVID-19," it said, adding that the jab could be used for those over the age of 18.

Switzerland was the first country on continental Europe to start using the Pfizer-BioNTech jab, and it has also signed off on another mRNA vaccine, produced by Moderna.

It has, however, not yet authorised the use of the AstraZeneca vaccine, saying last month that it would wait for more data on the "safety, efficacy and quality" of that jab.

The Johnson & Johnson vaccine has shown an overall efficacy of 66.9 percent in clinical trials, but has proved more effective among older people and was shown to be 85 percent effective against serious illness.

Swissmedic also highlighted the fact that the vaccine had proven to be effective against more contagious variants of the virus first detected in Brazil and South Africa.

The vaccine has already been approved by the World Health Organization, the European Union, the United States, Canada and South Africa, among others.

Like much of Europe, Switzerland is bracing for a third wave of infections, and last week decided to postpone plans to loosen restrictions.

The country of 8.6 million people has to date counted more than 580,000 cases of COVID-19 and nearly 9,500 deaths.

So far, nearly 1.2 million vaccine doses have been administered in the country, and over 433,000 people have been fully vaccinated.

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

 2021 AFP
For those with the disorder, when an alternate identity takes over, the person may lose track of time and have no memory of what the other personality did while it was out. Ms. Marshall said one woman she treated had an alternate personality who was a shoplifter and when she reverted to her main identity, had no idea how she had acquired all the things in her apartment.

Dissociative identity disorder is both underdiagnosed and often misdiagnosed as depression or anxiety disorder and consequently mistreated, Dr. Spiegel said. Once affected individuals acknowledge that they have a problem, it takes an average of six years for them to learn what is causing their symptoms if they should seek help, he said.

Some people with the disorder never do, and somehow manage to live normal lives until and unless something very stressful causes their alternate identities to take over and disrupt their ability to function. For example, Ms. Marshall told me, one person in the film performed well as a company executive for many years until a family trauma so unnerved her that her identities split, very hostile and disabling personalities emerged and she could no longer do her job.

Dr. Spiegel said some people with the disorder are afraid of treatment or ambivalent about it; they dont believe Im here to help them because, based on their history, they see helpers as potentially harming them.

Alternate identities can also emerge at the same time, as if the person is two people who oppose one another. The identities develop specialized roles, coming out under certain circumstances, Dr. Spiegel said. For example, one identity may protect against another that might be aggressive or harmful. The protective identity may think, Im going to stay out while so-and-so is around, he said. As Ms. Marshall explained, people can have one or two identities that act as gatekeepers, keeping the others inside.

In treatment, by identifying and emphasizing the persons core values and beliefs, the persons adult identity that enables them to function normally can learn to take over for identities that are distressing or troublemakers, Ms. Marshall said.

Her approach to treatment does not necessarily try to rid people of their alternate identities unless, of course, thats what they want to accomplish. Rather, she said, they may learn to use their alternates constructively so they can live a normal life as an adult in society.
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LARAMIE, Wyo.  Ask Aaron Appelhans if he ever wanted to be a sheriff, and hell say no.

I dont necessarily represent or identify with everybody in law enforcement, said Sheriff Appelhans, who was appointed as sheriff of Albany County, Wyo., in December. I come in with some different ideas of how to go about doing things.

Sheriff Appelhans, a Black man, is now at the helm of one of the most historically white law enforcement institutions in Wyoming, one of the countrys whitest states. He is the first Black sheriff in the 131 years that Wyoming has been a state.

The appointment is symbolic for both Wyoming and the Mountain West, which has been insulated from much of the national reckoning over race and policing. Advocates of overhauling law enforcement say Sheriff Appelhanss tenure will be a test of whether change can take root in a law enforcement culture that has historically entrenched itself against it.

The concept of reform that everybody keeps talking about, its coming, whether they want it, whether they like it, or not, said Charles P. Wilson, the chairman of the National Association of Black Law Enforcement officers, which represents around 9,000 Black and brown officers across the country.
A lot of the attention around "pandemic pets" has focused on families with children getting a cat, dog or other pet in 2020, during a time when many people were learning or working from home.

But a new poll shows that older adults also got in on the trend.

According to the National Poll on Healthy Aging, 10% of all people between the ages of 50 and 80 got a new pet between March 2020 and January 2021.

The percentage was indeed higher - 16% -- among the people in this age range who have at least one child or teen living with them. But the vast majority of people between the ages of 50 and 80 don't live with someone under age 18 -- and nearly 9% of them also got a pet during the pandemic.

All told, 59% of people age 50 to 80 who completed the poll in January 2021 are pet owners. Among those who said in January that they are pet owners, 17% had gotten at least one pet since the pandemic began. The poll did not ask if this was their first pet or an additional pet.

Pet ownership was higher among those age 50 to 64, women, white respondents and those who live in single-family detached homes or are employed. Twelve percent of older adults who are employed said they got a pet since March 2020.

The poll is based at the University of Michigan's Institute for Healthcare Policy and Innovation and receives support from AARP and Michigan Medicine, U-M's academic medical center.

The new data are an update to a previous report by the poll team, published in April 2019. That full report showed that older adults say having a pet helps them enjoy life, reduce stress, have a sense of purpose, and stick to a routine, as well as connect with other people and be physically active, especially for dog owners. Among those older adults who lived alone or were in fair or poor health when the 2019 poll was done, nearly three-quarters said the pet helped them cope with physical or emotional symptoms.

Of those who live alone, the percent having a pet jumped 12 points between the sample reported in 2019 and the January 2021 sample. The role of pets as companions for older adults living alone is an important one, especially during the pandemic when many older adults stayed home because of their higher risk of developing severe COVID-19 if they caught the coronavirus.

Poll director Preeti Malani, M.D., has first-hand experience with getting a "pandemic puppy" to join her family, which includes a high schooler studying at home. It's the first time they've had any type of pet.

Malani notes that on the one hand, her family's new dog has demanded more attention than they might have expected - especially given that she and her husband are busy physicians working both remotely and face to face with patients. But on the other hand, walking, playing and cuddling with the dog has been a welcome distraction during troubling times.

"Sully has been a great addition," she says. "He makes sure we get outside every day. I've also met several other dog owners in the neighborhood."

The animal shelter nearest the University of Michigan, the Humane Society of Huron Valley, has seen record-high adoption rates in the past year, says Wendy Welch, director of communications.

"We are delighted to see not just worthy animals get homes, but also to see people get much needed unconditional love as well," she says. "While grandparents have sadly been separated from hugging their grandchildren, furry friends have been okay to snuggle. It's well documented that pets can help lower our blood pressure, ease anxiety and improve symptoms of depression. And of particular interest during this isolating pandemic, companion animals certainly stave off the silent killer: loneliness. We are so thankful to the older adults who've opened up their hearts and homes to shelter animals during this time."

The poll data from January come from a sample of 2,019 people, similar in size to the sample reported in the previous pet report.

###
MINSK -- A court has extended the pretrial detention of Ihar Losik, a popular blogger and RFE/RL consultant jailed in Belarus since last June on charges his supporters say are trumped up.

The blogger's wife, Darya Losik, told RFE/RL on March 22 that her husband's pretrial detention had been prolonged until May 25.

"We have just learned about the extension of his time in custody. Unfortunately, I do not know if its somehow linked with new charges. But we were told that he will spend at least two more months behind bars," Darya Losik said.

"RFE/RL condemns in the strongest terms the extension by Belarusian authorities, without explanation, of Ihar Losiks time in pretrial detention for another two months," RFE/RL President Jamie Fly said.

Subscribe To RFE/RL's Watchdog Report Watchdog is our curated digest of human rights, media freedom, and democracy developments from RFE/RL's vast broadcast region. In your in-box every Thursday. Subscribe here.

"Ihar, his wife, his daughter, and his RFE/RL colleagues are waiting impatiently for this injustice to end, and for Ihar to be where he should have been all along -- free, with his family," he added.

On March 11, Losik was informed of additional unspecified charges that have never been made public. After hearing of the charges, he slit his wrists and launched a four-day hunger strike.

Losik's lawyer, Dzmitry Lepretar, has said he cannot talk about the charges due to an agreement with investigators.

Losik, who has already spent 270 days in pretrial detention, had been charged initially with allegedly using his popular Telegram channel to "prepare to disrupt public order" ahead of an August 9 presidential election that incumbent Alyaksandr Lukashenka subsequently claimed he won by a landslide amid allegations of widespread fraud.

Since then Belarus has witnessed daily protests against the result. More than 30,000 people have been detained, hundreds beaten, several killed, and journalists targeted in a government crackdown on demonstrators.

Lukashenka and top officials have been slapped with sanctions by the West, which refuses to recognize him as the legitimate leader of Belarus.

Hunger Strike

Losik, a consultant for RFE/RL on new-media technologies, ended his hunger strike less than two months after he first went on 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.

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.

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.

Fly repeated that call in remarks delivered remotely on March 22 to the Kalinowski Conference on the political crisis in Belarus, adding that Losik and RFE/RL's Belarus Service, known locally as Svaboda, had been targeted by the Lukashenka government because of their commitment to "the truth."

The oversight agency for RFE/RL and other U.S. international broadcasters has condemned the Belarusian authorities' decision to heap further charges on Losik and has demanded his release.

The U.S. Agency for Global Media (USAGM) statement on March 12 cited "false charges" that have kept Losik in detention.

"It's unacceptable that reporting on the Belarusian election cost a respected journalist his freedom," USAGM acting Chief Executive Officer Kelu Chao said in a statement. "Belarusian authorities should drop all charges against Ihar and immediately release him."
"The Whopper is an icon, and we know how much our guests love its unique, flame-grilled taste. But, we also know those guests - and really, all Canadians - are always looking for more choice, and are increasingly interested in options without beef," says Matt Wright, General Manager, Burger King Canada. "That's why we're thrilled to have worked with the team at Impossible Foods to create a burger that is truly just as juicy and delicious as the classic Whopper."

Just like the classic version, the Impossible Whopper is made with a flame-grilled patty topped with freshly sliced tomatoes and onions, crisp lettuce, creamy mayonnaise, ketchup, and crunchy pickles on a toasted sesame seed bun.

"We've been delighted by the popularity of the Impossible Whopper in the United States and are thrilled to bring it to our Impossible Foods fans in Canada," says Dennis Woodside, President of Impossible Foods. "Our mission is to sell Impossible products everywhere conventional animal meat is sold today, and that includes Burger King, whose huge footprint and affordable prices can make delicious plant-based burgers accessible to more Canadians than ever before."

According to the Restaurants Brands for Good 2020 Year in Review report from the parent company of Burger King, guests who chose the Impossible Whopper in 2020 avoided the equivalent greenhouse gas emissions of driving about 520 million miles in an average passenger vehicle.

About BURGER KING:

Founded in 1954, the Burger King brand is the second largest fast food hamburger chain in the world. The original Home of The Whopper, the Burger King system operates more than 18,600 locations in more than 100 countries. Almost 100 percent of Burger King restaurants are owned and operated by independent franchisees, many of them family-owned operations that have been in business for decades. To learn more about the Burger King brand, please visit the Burger King brand website at www.bk.com or follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

About Impossible Foods:

Based in California's Silicon Valley, Impossible Foods makes delicious, nutritious meat and dairy products  with a much smaller environmental footprint than meat from animals. The privately held company was founded in 2011 by Patrick O. Brown, M.D., Ph.D., Professor Emeritus of Biochemistry at Stanford University and a former Howard Hughes Medical Institute investigator. Investors include Khosla Ventures, Bill Gates, Google Ventures, Horizons Ventures, UBS, Viking Global Investors, Temasek, Sailing Capital, and Open Philanthropy Project.

For more information, please visit impossiblefoods.com or follow us on Twitter, Facebook or Instagram.

Press kit:

www.impossiblefoods.com/media

SOURCE Burger King

For further information: Burger King Media Contact: Ali Azzopardi, [email protected], 416-606-5060; Impossible Foods Media Contact: Esther Cohn, [email protected]
[March 22, 2021] Girls in Tech Study on Workplaces in the Pandemic: Male Bosses are the Leading Cause of Burnout for Women

SAN FRANCISCO, March 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Girls in Tech , a global nonprofit working to erase the gender gap in tech, is publishing results today from its 2021 study "The Tech Workplace for Women in the Pandemic." The study demonstrates the devastating effect of COVID-19 on women in the tech workforce, including the alarmingly high rate of burnout among working women with male bosses. Girls in Tech also announces new signatories to its open letter to tech leaders demanding adherence to the " Half the Board: 50/50 by 2025 " pledge that calls upon corporate boardrooms to be composed of at least 50% women by Dec. 31, 2024. "The results from our study were abundantly clear: women in technology are burned out from COVID..." "The results from our study were abundantly clear: women in technology are burned out from COVID and organizations must recognize this is at crisis-level," said Adriana Gascoigne, Founder and CEO, Girls in Tech. "We were particularly stunned to learn the impact a supervisor's gender has on women's burnout rate. For this Women's History Month, we call upon organizations to acknowledge this disparity, dig deeper to better understand the issue, and take real, meaningful action towards positive change." Key Findings from Girls in Tech's "The Tech Workplace for Women in the Pandemic" Study:

"The Tech Workplace for Women in the Pandemic" asked how Girls in Tech members nationwide are coping during the COVID-19 pandemic. In short, the survey found that male bosses are burning women out at a far greater clip than female bosses. Among the study's top findings was that 63% of respondents with male supervisors reported feeling burned out, as compared to 44% of those with female supervisors. Furthermore, when the top most executive at the company (e.g., CEO) is male, even higher burn out rates were reported: specifically, 85% of those respondents working at organizations where the topmost executive is male report being burned out compared to just 15% when the top executive is female. Overall, nearly 76% of respondents reported being burned out since the COVID pandemic hit in March 2020. While burn out rates are extremely high, an overwhelming percent (93%), of full-time employees say they are lucky to have a job. Below are highlights of the first-ever national Girls in Tech study: Working Moms are Burning Out at Higher Rates: 78% of those who have kids in the house agreed it's difficult to juggle work and home responsibilities; and, the majority, 79%, of those who have children in the household report feeling burned out.

78% of those who have kids in the house agreed it's difficult to juggle work and home responsibilities; and, the majority, 79%, of those who have children in the household report feeling burned out. Worklife Post-Pandemic: 87% of full-time employees expect the workforce to look very different after the pandemic with more than 82% expecting employers will adjust to meet the different needs of their employees after te pandemic and 88% expecting different benefits from their employers post pandemic.

87% of full-time employees expect the workforce to look very different after the pandemic with more than 82% expecting employers will adjust to meet the different needs of their employees after te pandemic and 88% expecting different benefits from their employers post pandemic. Work From Home vs. Work From Office: 76% of full-time employees prefer working from home over working in the office. Many do not anticipate returning to the office in-person once COVID restrictions are lifted.

76% of full-time employees prefer working from home over working in the office. Many do not anticipate returning to the office in-person once COVID restrictions are lifted. Racial Inequality in Tech: Nearly 41% say there is racial inequity at their workplace.

Nearly 41% say there is racial inequity at their workplace. Sexual Harassment in Tech: More than one in four women (27%) report being sexually harassed in the workplace.



Adriana Gascoigne (Chief Executive Officer and Founder), Sandy Carter (Chairman of the Board)*, Jonathan Abrams *, Donna Boyer *, Sastry Durvasula *, Julie Mathis *, Sanjay Mehta *, Raquel Tamez * and Alyson Welch * are new signatories Laura Drabik * (Member of the Board, Girls in Tech), Sandra Lopez * (named "Top 100 Women in Technology" by Technology Magazine, 2021), and, Brad Chase * (Half the Board Committee, Girls in Tech and Chase Global Media Group). To read the open letter to tech leaders and make the Half the Board pledge to help end systemic gender discrimination in tech boardrooms, visit www.HalftheBoard.com .

Follow Half the Board on Twitter ( @HalfTheBoard ) and LinkedIn . *Individuals have signed the "Half the Board" pledge in a personal capacity and their participation does not necessarily reflect the views or participation of the organizations for which they work. Survey Methodology

Survey results are based on 552 interviews completed online between September 15, 2020 and October 22, 2020 with members of Girls in Tech. Girls in Tech distributed email invitations to complete the survey to a sample list of 40,000 individuals in the Girls in Tech database. Cypress Research and Martin Research Consulting developed research methods, designed the survey questionnaire, managed survey implementation, and analyzed results. Because this is a census survey distributed to all members of the Girls in Tech sample list, no margin of error due to random sampling is calculated. About Cypress Research

Using high-level analytics, Cypress focuses on optimizing the performance of products and services in the market. Cypress identifies optimal design features, pricing approaches and strategy using a wide variety of data tools. About Martin Research Consulting

Over 20 years of experience in consumer insights and market research. Excel in developing both primary and secondary research strategies that result in actionable insights. Highly skilled in survey questionnaire design and online survey methodologies. Possess extensive qualitative research and focus group moderation experience. About Girls in Tech

Girls in Tech is a global non-profit that works to erase the gender gap in tech. Today, every industry is a tech industry, with a need for people of all skills and backgrounds. We offer education and experiences to help people discover their unique superpower and hone it. We aim to see every person accepted, confident, and valued in techjust as they are. The Girls in Tech board of directors is chaired by Sandy Carter, VP, AWS WWPS Partners and Programs, and composed of Jonathan Abrams, Co-founder and General Partner of 8-Bit Capital; Donna Boyer, SVP Product at Teladoc Health; Janice Bryant Howroyd, ActOne Founder & CEO; Candi Castleberry Singleton, Twitter Vice President of Diversity Partnership Strategy & Engagement; Kim DeCarlis, CMO of PerimeterX; Laura Drabik, Guidewire Software Chief Evangelist; Sastry Durvasula, Global Chief Technology and Digital Officer, McKinsey & Company; Adriana Gascoigne, Founder and CEO, Girls in Tech; Mayumi Hiramatsu, VP at Amazon Web Services; Sanjay Mehta, Chief Cloud Officer, Tackle.io; Julie Mathis, Communications Lead, Girls in Tech; Darrell Mockus, CTO of The Myers-Briggs Company's Innovation Labs; Stephen Snyder, CFO at Addepar; Raquel Tamez, CEO of the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers; Susie Wee, CTO at Cisco's DevNet; and Alyson Welch, VP of Sales at Twilio. For more information, visit www.GirlsInTech.org or follow on Instagram and LinkedIn . Media Contacts:

Julie Mathis

Julie.Mathis@girlsintech.org Brad Chase

Brad.Chase@girlsintech.org View original content:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/girls-in-tech-study-on-workplaces-in-the-pandemic-male-bosses-are-the-leading-cause-of-burnout-for-women-301253057.html SOURCE Girls in Tech

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Beginning this week, the Alabama National Guard plans to vaccinate around 16,000 Alabamians in rural parts of the state, and especially in the Black Belt region, over the next twelve days.

The temporary clinics will not require an appointment.

When theres a crisis, we drop what were doing and step up to help our neighbors get back to a sense of normalcy. Its our hope this mission and this vaccine will do that, said Maj. Richard Bolt, the operations medical planner in a press release Thursday.

More than 100 military medical personnel will set up and move temporary vaccine clinics throughout 24 counties to administer vaccines. The operation starts Tuesday in Covington County.

Being from rural Alabama myself, ensuring folks in those counties have an easy way to get their COVID-19 vaccine is important to me, Gov. Kay Ivey said in a press release last week. I am proud that our guardsmen stand willing to help our great state in any way, especially as we look to put this virus in our rearview mirror.

The national guard hopes to vaccinate about 1,000 Alabamians per day as part of the effort.

Alabamas rural counties present a logistical obstacle to the vaccine rollout, but already the Black Belt region is leading the state in vaccination rates.

Maj. Gen. Jerry Martin, Alabama National Guard assistant adjutant general and lead military officer for the mission called it a huge operation.

I firmly believe this will help save the lives of people in our state, he said.

The rural vaccine clinics will be open from 9a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Friday and will be free of charge. No appointments are necessary, and masks are required.

 First Dose: March 23, 2021 County: Covington Second Dose: April 13, 2021; Address: Kiwanis Building: 2085 Kiwanis Drive, Andalusia, AL 36420

 First Dose: March 23, 2021 County: Sumter Second Dose: April 13, 2021; Address: Jaycee Park: Hopkins St., Livingston, AL 35470

 First Dose: March 24, 2021 County: Coffee Second Dose: April 14, 2021; Address: Enterprise Civic Center: 2401 Neil Metcalf Road, Enterprise, AL 36330

 First Dose: March 24, 2021 County: Greene Second Dose: April 14, 2021; Address: Greenetrack: 524 Co Rd 208, Eutaw, AL 35462

 First Dose: March 25, 2021 County: Dale Second Dose: April 15, 2021; Address: Ozark Civic Center: 320 East College Street, Ozark, AL 36360

 First Dose: March 25, 2021 County: Hale Second Dose: April 15, 2021; Address: Boys and Girls Club: (Old National Guard Armory) 515 Green Street, Greensboro, AL 36744

 First Dose: March 26, 2021 County: Henry Second Dose: April 16, 2021; Address: Calvary Baptist Church: 310 Dothan Road, Abbeville, AL 36310

 First Dose: March 26, 2021 County: Perry Second Dose: April 16, 2021; Address: Marion Military Institute

 First Dose: March 30, 2021 County: Dallas Second Dose: April 20, 2021; Address: Bloch Park: 108 Dallas Avenue, Selma, AL 36701

 First Dose: March 30, 2021 County: Lowndes Second Dose: April 20, 2021; Address: Old National Guard Armory: 5 Gilmer Hills Road, Fort Deposit, AL 36032

 First Dose: March 31, 2021 County: Bullock Second Dose: April 21, 2021; Address: Union Springs Elementary School: 211 Conecuh Avenue West, Union Springs, AL 36089

 First Dose: March 31, 2021 County: Choctaw Second Dose: April 21, 2021; Address: Heritage Church of God, 161 Main Street, Gilbertown, AL 36908

 First Dose: April 1, 2021 County: Macon Second Dose: April 22, 2021; Address: ALNG Armory: 1101 Chappie James Avenue, Tuskegee, AL 36083

 First Dose: April 1, 2021 County: Marengo Second Dose: April 22, 2021; Address: Old ALNG Armory Maintenance Shop: 2420 Alabama Highway 28 East, Linden, AL 36748

 First Dose: April 2, 2021 County: Russell Second Dose: April 23, 2021; Address: Chattahoochee Valley CC: 2602 College Drive, Phenix City, AL 36869

 First Dose: April 2, 2021 County: Wilcox Second Dose: April 23, 2021; Address: Wilcox Central H.S.: 1310 T. L. Threadgill Road, Camden, AL 36726

 First Dose: April 6, 2021 County: Butler Second Dose: April 27, 2021; Address: Southside Baptist Church: 211 King Street, Greenville, AL 36037

 First Dose: April 6, 2021 County: Conecuh Second Dose: April 27, 2021; Address: Liberty Hills Shopping Center: 78 Liberty Hill Place, Evergreen, AL 36401

 First Dose: April 7, 2021 County: Crenshaw Second Dose: April 28, 2021; Address: Tom Harbin Farm Center: 816 Airport Road, Luverne, AL 36049

 First Dose: April 7, 2021 County: Monroe Second Dose: April 28, 2021; Address: Monroe County HS: 212 Tiger Drive, Monroeville, AL 36460

 First Dose: April 8, 2021 County: Clarke Second Dose: April 29, 2021; Address: SP Hudson Park: 115 Park Street, Grove Hill, AL 36451

 First Dose: April 8, 2021 County: Pike Second Dose: April 29, 2021; Address: Sportsplex: 701 Enzor Rd Troy, AL 36079

 First Dose: April 9, 2021 County: Barbour Second Dose: April 30, 2021; Address: Baker Hill School: 24 School House Road, Eufaula, AL 36027

 First Dose: April 9, 2021 County: Washington Second Dose: April 30, 2021; Address: 111 River Road (Just off HWY 43), Mclntosh, AL 36553
NEW YORK, March 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Atento S.A. (NYSE: ATTO), the largest provider of customer relationship management and business process outsourcing solutions (CRM/BPO) in Latin America and among the top five providers worldwide, announced today that its Annual Report on Form 20-F for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2020 has been filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission and is available on Atento's Investor Relations website at http://investors.atento.com or at http://www.sec.gov.

Investors can receive a printed copy of this report, including the Company's complete audited financial statements, free of charge upon request by contacting Atento's Investor Relations team in one of the emails listed below.

About Atento

Atento is the largest provider of customer relationship management and business process outsourcing ("CRM BPO") services in Latin America, and among the top five providers globally. Atento is also a leading provider of nearshoring CRM BPO services to companies that carry out their activities in the United States. Since 1999, the company has developed its business model in 13 countries where it employs approximately 139,800 people. Atento has over 400 clients to whom it offers a wide range of CRM BPO services through multiple channels. Atento's clients are mostly leading multinational corporations in sectors such as telecommunications, banking and financial services, health, retail and public administrations, among others. Atento's shares trade under the symbol ATTO on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE). In 2019, Atento was named one of the World's 25 Best Multinational Workplaces and one of the Best Multinationals to Work for in Latin America by Great Place to Work. Also, in 2021 Everest named Atento as a star performer and Gartner named the company as a leader in the 2021 Gartner Magic Quadrant. For more information visit www.atento.com

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of words such as "may," "should," "expects," "plans," "anticipates," "believes," "estimates," "predicts," "intends," "continue" or similar terminology. These statements reflect only Atento's current expectations and are not guarantees of future performance or results. These statements are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in the forward-looking statements. In particular, the COVID-19 pandemic, and governments' extraordinary measures to limit the spread of the virus, are disrupting the global economy and Atento's industry, and consequently adversely affecting the Company's business, results of operation and cash flows and, as conditions are recent, uncertain and changing rapidly, it is difficult to predict the full extent of the impact that the pandemic will have. Risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, competition in Atento's highly competitive industries; increases in the cost of voice and data services or significant interruptions in these services; Atento's ability to keep pace with its clients' needs for rapid technological change and systems availability; the continued deployment and adoption of emerging technologies; the loss, financial difficulties or bankruptcy of any key clients; the effects of global economic trends on the businesses of Atento's clients; the non-exclusive nature of Atento's client contracts and the absence of revenue commitments; security and privacy breaches of the systems Atento uses to protect personal data; the cost of pending and future litigation; the cost of defending Atento against intellectual property infringement claims; extensive regulation affecting many of Atento's businesses; Atento's ability to protect its proprietary information or technology; service interruptions to Atento's data and operation centers; Atento's ability to retain key personnel and attract a sufficient number of qualified employees; increases in labor costs and turnover rates; the political, economic and other conditions in the countries where Atento operates; changes in foreign exchange rates; Atento's ability to complete future acquisitions and integrate or achieve the objectives of its recent and future acquisitions; future impairments of our substantial goodwill, intangible assets, or other long-lived assets; and Atento's ability to recover consumer receivables on behalf of its clients. In addition, Atento is subject to risks related to its level of indebtedness. Such risks include Atento's ability to generate sufficient cash to service its indebtedness and fund its other liquidity needs; Atento's ability to comply with covenants contained in its debt instruments; the ability to obtain additional financing; the incurrence of significant additional indebtedness by Atento and its subsidiaries; and the ability of Atento's lenders to fulfill their lending commitments. Atento is also subject to other risk factors described in documents filed by the comp any with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission.

These forward-looking statements speak only as of the date on which the statements were made. Atento undertakes no obligation to update or revise publicly any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

SOURCE Atento S.A.

Related Links

http://www.atento.com


A Latvian man who transported 19,240 worth of cannabis to help pay off a business debt has lost an appeal against the severity of his five-year prison sentence.

President of the Court of Appeal Mr Justice George Birmingham said Jurijs Savcuks (39) made a decision to get involved in drugs and added: "such decisions have consequences."

Savcuks, with an address at Chapelton, Hollystown, Dublin 15 pleaded guilty at Cork Circuit Criminal Court to possession of drugs for sale or supply at Kilshanny, Mitchelstown, Co Cork on January 30, 2020.

His barrister Paula McCarthy BL argued today to the three-judge Court of Appeal that sentencing judge, Judge Sean O Donnabhain, did not give enough credit to Savcuks for his previous good record and the fact he was acting under duress.

Counsel outlined the background to the offence, telling the court that her client was trying to set up his own business but when he failed to get a loan he decided to take money from a "not legitimate source".

He was under "significant duress" to repay the debt, she said, and so agreed to transport the drugs from Cork to Dublin.

Counsel said her client has no previous convictions, had not previously come to the attention of gardai and had a good work record since coming to Ireland.

Ms McCarthy asked the court to find that the sentence of six years with the final year suspended was too high and a greater portion should have been suspended.

President of the Court of Appeal Mr Justice George Birmingham dismissed the appeal, saying Savcuk was not addicted to drugs, as is often the case among people committing similar offences. He was, the judge said, "someone who made a decision to get involved in drugs and such decisions have consequences."

Mr Justice Birmingham said he saw no error in principle in how Judge O Donnabhain approached sentencing and therefore said he would not interfere with the sentence imposed.

At the sentence hearing last year Detective Sergeant James OShea said investigating gardai stopped a speeding car on the M8 motorway travelling towards Dublin on January 30, 2020. The detective's colleague got a strong smell of cannabis coming from the car and when they searched it they found three mobile phones, a walkie-talkie radio, 1,000 in cash and almost 1kg of cannabis in a bag with sausages.

Savcuk, who was the passenger in the car, received a longer sentence than the driver as Judge O'Donnabhain accepted garda evidence that Savcuk was the organiser of the crime.

The court also heard, however, that Savcuks only got involved to pay off a non-drug related debt.

He had borrowed money to set up his own business and was under pressure to repay.

Ms McCarthy pointed out that when arrested he made admissions and pleaded guilty at the earliest opportunity.
Hurricane season 2021 is here: How do storms get their names?
Local community radio set to continue as former Calon FM presenters get green light to revive a station

This article is old - Published: Monday, Mar 22nd, 2021

A group of former Calon FM presenters are set to take over the former radio stations assets in a bid to restart FM community radio in the local area.

Earlier this year it was announced that long running community radio station Calon FM was to close, with the final transmission taking place on January 20th.

At the time the closure after 13 years was attributed to the withdrawal of support from Wrexham Glyndwr University, which the radio station board said left them in an untenable position.

Shortly after a group of volunteers organised and entered a process alongside two other interested entities to effectively take over the remnants of the Calon FM setup and then reboot a local station.

Association of Voluntary Organisations (AVOW) ran a well attended selection process to identify a group to take over the physical and financial assets from Calon Communications Ltd as it is wound up, they said, Proposals had been received from a number of groups from Wrexham and further afield to progress the establishment of a new station following a community radio station operating for more than 13 years in the area.

John Leece Jones  Chairman of AVOW said We were extremely pleased with the level of submissions that were received- the appointment Panel decided to appoint Wrexham Community Broadcasting as the group to now take forward their proposal to Ofcom why will need to approve their plans for the future. The group who has a number of volunteers who were involved previously with Calon FM will now be seeking support from across our community.

The selection panel included representatives from the world of Community Radio in Wales and the rest of the UK were brought together to assist AVOW, who say the knowledge and expertise of the Panel ensured that a robust transparent process has been run addressing technical, financial, Governance, Ofcom key Commitments and level of engagement with volunteers and the broader community.

A spokesperson from Wrexham Community Broadcasting said, After 8 weeks and a very tough application process, weve met every requirement laid out in front of us, we are absolutely delighted that we have retained the community radio license for Wrexham. So much hard work went into securing this license by an absolutely incredible group of volunteers with the best community spirit.

Now we move forward, the real work begins getting Calon FM back on air and doing what we do best  serving our amazing community.

Wrexham Community Broadcasting give an overview of their story on their site:

We are current Calon FM presenters working together to ensure a continuing community radio service for our community, and an enduring legacy for the station we love being part of. Theres about 30 of us spanning our service of the past radio station over 13 years. We have inbuilt knowledge of community radio operations, requirements and best practice. We have seen so many different presenters come through the doors and break out into different parts of the media industry. We want to continue Calon FMs mission of providing: a channel to encourage and facilitate the empowerment, lifelong learning, development and regeneration of the larger community regardless of race, gender and disability. We look to be volunteer-led, democratic and inclusive in our approach; promoting a sense of community and shared ownership.

The group are inviting any interested parties to get in touch with them via calon@wrexhamcb.live or visit the new site at wrexhamcb.live

Top pic: The Zoom call where the group were told of their success.
The Shackleton Museum in Athy is to receive 1.3m in funding from Kildare Co Council, Minister of State Martin Heydon confirmed.

Last month, the Shackleton Museum was one of 11 museums in Ireland that received the coveted accreditation under the Museum Standards Programme for Ireland (MSPI) from the Heritage Council.

Kildare South TD Martin Heydon said he welcomed the announcement of the 1.3m funding by the Chief Executive of Kildare County Council at the recent Athy Heritage Museum AGM.

Cllr Ivan Keatley, who a director of the Athy Heritage Museum, said This commitment of funding will ensure that this really exciting project will be funded through to completion.

Athy hosts the worlds only permanent exhibition to the Kilkea-born 20th Century Polar explorer Ernest Shackleton.

Shackletons 1914-16 Endurance Expedition to the Antarctic is regarded as one of the epic stories of human survival and it is only right and fitting that he be honoured and celebrated in his own locality in this manner.

Minister Heydon, who is also Chairman of the Friends of the Athy Heritage Centre/Shackleton Museum stated: The commitment of this funding from Kildare Council Council is in addition to the previous Government allocation through the Rural Regeneration Development Fund of 2.7m for the museum and upgrade of Emily Square.

"As we approach the centenary of Shackleton's death in Jan 1922, a significant step is being made to reclaim the strong Irish/Kildare connection to this globally figure.

"The completion of this project will be a key driver of tourism for Athy as well as greatly enhancing the public realm in the heart of the town.
COVID-19 vaccine eligibility is expanding once again in Louisiana.

Gov. John Bel Edwards announced the expanded rules last week. They go into effect Monday, March 22.

The new requirements cover essential jobs, including grocery store, postal and waste management workers.

More than 1.5 million vaccine doses have been administered in Louisiana. Nearly 600,000 people are fully vaccinated statewide.

The Louisiana Department of Health is expected to release updated vaccine numbers at noon Monday.

Those looking to obtain a vaccine must have an appointment, whether it's at a private pharmacy or through a mass vaccination event.

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

Click here for a list of mass vaccination events happening soon in Louisiana.

Below is a list of 652 vaccine providers taking appointments this week, according to the Louisiana Department of Health. Can't see the PDF below? Click here.

Here's a full list of the state's coronavirus eligibility requirements as of Monday, March 22.

Information provided by Louisiana Department of Health.
ARCHIVED - Ryanair announces 70 routes and 800 weekly flights within Spain from July 1



21 airports are included within the programme

Alicante, Ibiza, Menorca, Mallorca, Zaragoza, Seville, Tenerife, Lanzarote, Malaga, Santander, Fuerteventura, Valencia and Gran Canaria are all included within the new routes.



In anticipation that domestic travel restrictions will be eased for the summer and Spanish residents will be keen to move around within their own country for holidays and visits, Ryanair has announced a new schedule of flights starting from July 1st.



The airline says this is its largest ever offering of internal Spanish flights, spread across 70 routes, with 800 fliights every week between 21 airports.



Some of the routes already exist, but the company has increased flight frequency on many of them and is focusing on increasing connectivity between mainland Spain and the offshore Canary and Balearic Islands..

As normal, the company is offering special prices from 19,99 upwards to try and fill as many seats as possible between 1st July and the end of October, with promotions available on their webpage from March 13 onwards.

Unfortunately for residents of the Region of Murcia, none of these new routes are available from Corvera airport, but several do depart from and arrive at, Alicante airport.

New routes:


New Delhi, March 22 : As the government plans to reopen schools with its new unlocking regulations, the majority of students on the Poland-based online learning platform Brainly are comfortable with the new school unlocking norms, the company said on Monday.

The survey, based on a sample size of 3,397 students, 62 per cent gave a positive glimpse into students' perceptions vis-a-vis relevant issues before the schools reopen this year.

Brainly is the world's largest online learning platform, with a monthly audience of over 200 million students, parents, and teachers around the world, and over 25 million across India, in solving their academic problems.

"We have observed that a lot of Indian students have become active self-learners during the lockdown as they kept looking for solutions to their problems across online platforms. This increased access to learning resources has brought a shift in their self-learning patterns while providing them more flexibility," Rajesh Bysani, CPO at Brainly, said in a statement.

Over 21 per cent of Indian students claimed that they were not sure of their feelings about the new guidelines while 16.4 per cent of them were apprehensive of the development.

More than half of the overall survey respondents (51.4 per cent) felt safe while going back to school in the new normal. The remaining students were split as they either considered it unsafe (25.5 per cent) or hard to say (23.2 per cent).

Their opinion could be a part and parcel of their parents' perception about reopening schools. Nearly 55.4 per cent of the students said their parents were supportive of it while 26.3 per cent of parents were concerned about their child's safety.

The survey further revealed that most of the students were optimistic and could adapt to the desired safety precautions. When asked if they will be able to adapt, 61.3 per cent of the respondents said 'yes' while only 17.7 per cent went with 'no'.

Nearly 21 per cent of students deemed it was 'hard to say'. Half of the students (52.1 per cent) also claimed that they find remote schooling challenging in the current situation.

However, 57.4 per cent said that they would prefer a hybrid learning model with a mix of online and offline education after their schools reopen.

The company has US headquarters in New York City and is backed by Naspers, Point Nine Capital, General Catalyst, Runa Capital, Learn Capital and Kulczyk Investments.
Its official. Marty Walsh is going to Washington.

The Senate on Monday confirmed the two-term Boston mayor to lead the U.S. Department of Labor Monday afternoon. Walsh will be the first union member to serve as Labor secretary in nearly a half century. He was the last of President Joe Bidens cabinet secretary nominees to be confirmed.

Walsh said he will be sworn in Tuesday in Washington, D.C.

This has been a very, very bittersweet last eight weeks. I have been very emotional in my office because I love the people I work with. Im amazed. I love being mayor of the city I grew up in, the Boston Democrat said. I am honored to have been called by President Biden to serve in his cabinet. I think, honestly, now thinking about it, I try to get every single last second out of being mayor of the city of Boston, and thats what Im going to do for the next two-and-a-half hours.

In an emotional address to city employees, he told the crowd, I love you all after the Senate vote.

These folks work in every single department, from the front lines to the cabinet, he said. We share a bond that cant be and never will be broken.

Congratulations on making history, @Kim_Janey. I know you are going to continue serving our city and supporting an equitable recovery from #COVID19. I am always here for you, my friend. pic.twitter.com/rR3lrOoMBy  Mayor Marty Walsh (@marty_walsh) March 22, 2021

Walshs confirmation marks a historic moment for Boston: City Council President Kim Janey will take over as acting mayor, the first woman or person of color to hold the seat in the citys 200-year history.

The Senate voted, 68-29, to confirm Walsh. Massachusetts Sens. Ed Markey and Elizabeth Warren cast their vote for him.

Today, we will confirm Boston Mayor Marty Walsh as Secretary of Labor



His story reminds me of my own family



His parents from Ireland, my grandfather from Eastern Europe, we both have family backgrounds of immigrants who joined the labor movement in the US to help their families  Chuck Schumer (@SenSchumer) March 22, 2021

The Dorchester native leaves Boston amid a crowded mayoral race. At least six people have declared their candidacy, including City Councilors Michelle Wu, Andrea Campbell and Annissa Essaibi George. Another eight are rumored to be considering a run for the seat. Walsh said he doesnt plan to endorse a candidate for mayor.

Walsh represented Dorchester in Massachusetts House of Representatives for 17 years before successfully running for mayor. Under his tenure, the city created the Office of Recovery Services and a Chief of Equity position.

From a family whose parents immigrated to this country, being elected mayor of Boston was a dream for me, said Walsh, whose parents emigrated from Ireland.

As mayor, Walsh gained national recognition for his vocal stance against then-President Donald Trump, speaking out against efforts to ramp up deportations, the travel bans that made international headlines and the initial response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

But Walshs tenure was also marred by a series of crises, ranging from the failed Olympics bid to the indictment of two city officials on federal charges related to the Boston Calling Festival in 2014. Prosecutors said Kenneth Brissette and Timothy Sullivan had pressured organizers to hire union workers to curry favor with Walsh, NBC Boston reported. They were found guilty, but a federal judge later tossed their convictions.

John Barros, the citys former economic development chief and now a mayoral candidate, praised the confirmation of his old boss.

As millions of Americans struggle to recover from the devastating impacts of the pandemic, we now have a Secretary we can trust to advocate for the needs of working families across the nation, Barros said in a statement.

Carol Rose, executive director of the ACLU of Massachusetts, praised Walsh as an advocate for workers rights but also said she looks forward to seeing Janey make history as the citys first Black and first female mayor.

This milestone comes at a crucial time for Boston; the next administration must do all that it can to ensure an equitable COVID-19 recovery, an end to policing as usual and a meaningful commitment to government transparency, Rose said in a statement. The ACLU of Massachusetts looks forward to working with Acting Mayor Janey to build a Boston that centers civil rights and civil liberties for all.

Related Content:
Former parliamentary staffer Brittany Higgins has revealed that she felt she had to stay quiet about allegedly being raped by a colleague because of weird party stuff.

The new details emerged via a tearful audio recording broadcast on Monday night by the ABCs Four Corners.

Brittany Higgins at the Womens March 4 Justice at Parliament House in Canberra last Monday. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen

Ms Higgins alleges a colleague took her to the office of Defence Minister Linda Reynolds in March 2019 after a night out drinking and raped her. She said that she told Senator Reynolds about the rape, but at the time Ms Higgins said that she did not want it reported to police.

Senator Reynolds is on stress leave. She apologised to her former aide after calling her a lying cow although Senator Reynolds said that comment was in relation to the complaint handling process, not about disputing her account of being sexually assaulted.
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Barron Trump rang in his 15th birthday over the weekend with social media tributes from his mother Melania and half-sister Tiffany, who shared a sweet throwback photo of them together.

Since leaving the White House in January, the teen has been living with his parents at their Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach, Florida, which is partly closed due to a COVID-19 outbreak last week.

It's unclear how Melania, 50, and her husband, former President Donald Trump, 74, celebrated their son's big day, but she made sure to give him a shout-out on social media.

Motherly Love: Melania Trump, 50, wished her son Barron a happy 15th birthday on Twitter Saturday. They're pictured in August 2020

Tribute: Melania tweeted an image of two floating black number balloons marking her son's age on Saturday, writing: 'Happy birthday BWT'

The former first lady tweeted an image of two floating black number balloons marking her son's age on Saturday.

'Happy birthday BWT,' she wrote, adding three heart emoji.

The initials stand for Barron's full name: Barron William Trump.

Melania's photo and message were nearly identical to the tribute she shared last year for Barron's 14th birthday.

However, Tiffany's birthday message to her youngest brother was a bit more personal as it featured an old photo of them laughing together when he was a little boy.

In the snapshot, she is holding a large Minnie Mouse stuffed animal on her lap while Barron is leaning next to with an open-mouth smile.

Looking back: Meanwhile, Barron's half-sister Tiffany Trump, 27, posted an old snapshot of them laughing together when he was a little boy

'I love you!' Tiffany called Barron 'B' when she wished him a happy birthday in the caption

'Happy 15th Birthday B! I love you!' the 27-year-old captioned the image.

Melania and Tiffany were the only members of the teen's immediate family to celebrate his birthday on social media.

Barron's father is still banned from Twitter and couldn't post a message even if he wanted to, while his other half-siblings tend to only celebrate their parents' and significant others' birthdays online.

The day before the teen's birthday, it was reported that Mar-a-Lago was partially closed until further notice because of a COVID-19 outbreak.

'Out of an abundance of caution we have quarantined some of the workers and partially closed a section of the club for a short period of time,' a source told DailyMail.com.

Close: Tiffany was the only one of Barron's half-siblings to celebrate his birthday on social media

Family: Former President Donald Trump has five children: Don Jr., Ivanka, Eric (center, left to right), Tiffany (far right), and Barron (far left)

Trump was hospitalized with COVID-19 last fall while his wife and youngest son  who also caught the virus  quarantined at the White House. The former president was vaccinated against the virus before he left office.

The former president has three children  Donald Jr., Ivanka, and Eric  with his first wife, Ivana Trump, and one daughter, Tiffany, with his second wife, Marla Maples.

He and Melania, his third wife, welcomed Barron on March 20, 2006, a little over a year after they got married.

Barron was raised in Manhattan, and while his mother took great care to keep him out of the spotlight, that all changed when his father ran for office.

He was just nine years old when his father announced his run for president in July 2015. A year later, he famously yawned his way through Donald's lengthy speech at the 2016 Republican National Convention.

Throwback: The Trumps welcomed Barron on March 20, 2006, a little over a year after they got married

Special: After his father's inauguration, he became the first young boy to move into the White House since John F. Kennedy's toddler son John in the 1960s

Growing boy: Over the past four years, Americans have watched him go from a little boy to a teenager who towers over his 6-foot-3-inch dad

Barron was also seen yawning at his dad's inauguration in 2017 when he became the first young boy to move into the White House since John F. Kennedy's toddler son John in the 1960s.

Over the past four years, Americans have watched him go from a little boy to a teenager who towers over his 6-foot-3-inch dad.

Unlike his older siblings, Barron rarely makes public appearances and his parents have kept him out of the public eye for the most part.

Most of the Trumps have relocated to Florida following President Joe Biden's inauguration, with Ivanka and Tiffany living in Miami, about an hour and a half away from Palm Beach.

Donald Jr. is also understood to be living in Florida with his girlfriend Kimberly Guilfoyle, leaving only Eric Trump and his wife Lara in New York.
70-Year-Old Marine Vet With Lung Problems Runs Into Burning House, Saves Neighbors Life

A 70-year-old Marine Corps veteran with poor lung health didnt hesitate to intervene when he saw a neighbors house ablaze. Not only did the vet run into the burning building without protective gear, he also saved a life.

James Cowboy Johnson of Norristown, Pennsylvania, is a local hero. Johnson had just returned from a trip to the bank at around 10 a.m. on the morning of March 15 when he noticed fire coming from a neighbors house. He called 911.

When I first saw it, it was kind of light. Driving up there, it got heavier, Johnson told WPVI. I banged on the door, knocked and hollered and screamed  nobody answered. I knew somebody had to be in there.

James Cowboy Johnson called 911 after seeing his neighbors house ablaze. (Courtesy of Norristown Fire Department)

Johnson kicked in the front door with the help of two boys. The trio yelled for all residents to evacuate before Johnson rushed to the second floor to find a man trapped.

He was on fire! I said, We got to get him out quick! Johnson recalled. I drug him down the stairs, brought him outside, and Im just putting the fire out in his hair. The former Marine recalled having little concern for his own wellbeing during the rescue. That doesnt faze me, he said. I worried about saving a life.

Norristown Fire Department arrived to contain the blaze, later posting about Johnsons heroism on Facebook.

What a remarkable man, they wrote, explaining that Johnson had grabbed the trapped resident by the waist to lead him to safety, then used a blanket to put out the flames.

The man he saved was then flown to a trauma center in Philadelphia for treatment, they added. The Norristown Fire Department salutes Mr. Johnson for his service to our country and our community.

Johnson had just returned from a trip to the bank at around 10 a.m. on the morning of March 15 when he noticed fire coming from a neighbors house. (Courtesy of Chris Camarda/Norristown Fire Department)

Before heading home, Johnson thanked firefighters and Plymouth Community Ambulance medics for making sure he was unharmed.

On the evening of March 15, Magistrate Judge Gregory Scott, also a Norristown firefighter, showed up at Johnsons home in person with a certificate to honor his bravery. I appreciate you so much, Scott told the veteran.

The city plans to formerly recognize Johnson at its next municipal council meeting.

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Amid the growing assertiveness of Beijing, it is time that a Quad security council is established, which gives veto powers to its permanent members United States, Japan, Australia and India. Meanwhile, EU & others can become a part of QPSC as non-permanent members.

The increasing assertiveness of Beijing in the Philippine waters and repeated incursions in the Taiwan Air Defense Identification Zone requires that the Quad leaders take immediate action and establish a Security Council that can challenge China for its actions. The Quad countries called for an inclusive Indo-Pacific that is anchored by democratic values, and unconstrained by coercion.

Philippines had reported that 200 fleets had been spotted near the disputed Witson Reef whereas Japan had spotted a Chinese destroyer in their waters. In another instance, the Chinese airplane had intruded into the Taiwan Air Defense Identification Zone and has been the first incursion since March 17. This must be perceived as mounting pressure on Taiwans independence. Over the past few month, such cases have been reported almost every single day. Air Defence Identification Zones are indicators that help countries detect incursions into their airspace. However, these zones have been labelled as International Airspace and it is imperative that the aircraft that crosses through AIDZ notifies of its route to the host nation, although the pilots are not bound to do so.

On the other hand, the United Nations Security Council has still not taken any action against Chinas expansionist aims. India has stressed upon the urgent need to reform the UNSC. VADM (R) S. Sinha believes that the ASEAN countries will feel divided because of the formation of the Quad. William Yang, an East Asia Journalist comments that veto must be taken into consideration for the Quad. He also emphasized that China and Russia have been garnering leverage with their veto powers as the Permanent Members of the UNSC. Not only that, Human Rights have been redefined by China and it has a huge influence. Namrata Hasija, a Resaerch Fellow at CCAS clearly put forward the view that the China sees itself overtaking the USA which is why it acts in such a manner.

Also Read: China bans Tesla cars in military complexes over security concerns, Elon Musk denies claims

Also Read: Mansukh Hiren Murder Case solved, Sachin Vaze main accused; ATSs presser likely to be held today

This comes amidst tensions in the region as Beijing has ramped up pressure against Taipei. Not only that, she has threatened that Taiwans independence means war. J.K.S. Parihar, a Defense Expert and a Former Diplomat commented that stringent action needs to be taken against China. Mr. Parihar emphasized, Her actions signify that she has been warning the USA that they must not interfere against Chinas activities and if they attempt to control, Taiwan will bear its grunt.

Also Read: Ken-Betwa River: Historic Interlinking Project Between UP and MP To Be Inked Today
Ms. O'Leary was Governor Newsom's Chief of Staff from his transition in November 2018 until January of this year, leading his administration through the coronavirus pandemic, the challenges faced by the state's energy sector due to climate change, and other major issues. Previously, she was a senior policy advisor to Hillary Clinton's 2016 presidential campaign and was Senator Clinton's legislative director in the US Senate. As a lawyer and crisis leader, she has worked on significant workplace, climate, energy, economic, and public health issues. Ms. O'Leary will be a co-chair of the firm's Government Controversies and Public Policy Litigation Practice .

Partner Reid J. Schar will serve as Managing Partner of the San Francisco office. Mr. Schar is a co-chair of Jenner & Block's 400-lawyer Litigation Department and a fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers. A former federal prosecutor, he joined Jenner & Block in 2012.

"Ann is a leading figure in both California and Washington, DC, she shares our values, and we are delighted to welcome a lawyer of her stature as we establish our presence in the Bay Area," the firm's Co-Managing Partners, Katya Jestin and Randy Mehrberg, said. "California is a vibrant marketplace for companies from around the world, and now is the perfect moment to launch our second California office, under Reid's leadership, so we can provide even better service to clients doing business in the state," they said.

Jenner & Block represents some of the world's biggest technology companies, and counts companies such as Uber, Pacific Gas and Electric, and Shift Technologies among its clients. The new office will further expand the firm's ability to represent companies from a wide variety of industries in litigation, investigations, transactions, crisis management, and regulatory matters. Jenner & Block is in the final stages of securing a lease in San Francisco, and will fully open the office as soon as the pandemic permits. The firm opened its first California location, in Los Angeles, in 2009.

"Jenner & Block is a natural choice for me because of its leading global investigations practice, commitment to diversity in the legal profession, and because of its extensive pro bono work in issues that are important to me, including gender justice, civil rights, and voting rights. The firm's values, priorities, and experience align perfectly with companies throughout the Bay Area and beyond," Ms. O'Leary said. "I'm looking forward to returning to client work and am both proud and excited to join Reid in helping the firm grow and become a fixture in Northern California," she said.

Immediately before becoming Governor Newsom's Chief of Staff, Ms. O'Leary was a partner in the San Francisco office of another major law firm, where her work included representing clients in the technology industry on some of their most sensitive matters and investigations. She has advised many high profile organizations, including the Silicon Valley Community Foundation as it investigated and navigated allegations of a toxic work environment. On a pro bono basis, Ms. O'Leary represented law professors in defending California's Sanctuary City laws and the National Women's Law Center in combating workplace sexual harassment. She received her JD from Berkeley Law, a Masters from Stanford University, and her undergraduate degree from Mount Holyoke College.

Mr. Schar has represented clients in high-stakes multi-district litigation, nationwide class actions, consumer and securities fraud claims, contract disputes, civil RICO matters, professional malpractice claims, antitrust issues, and in high-profile investigations. He previously served for 13 years as an assistant US attorney for the Northern District of Illinois, where he led a number of significant prosecutions and trials, including the case that led to the conviction of former Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich. Mr. Schar, who received his JD from Northwestern University Law School and his undergraduate degree from Stanford University, will return to the Bay Area from Chicago.

"Our strategy is to grow the office over time and to lead with the firm's values, which include providing excellent service for our clients, championing diversity and inclusion, and remaining fully committed to pro bono and public service," Mr. Schar said. "With a robust list of clients that includes some of the Bay Area's most prestigious companies, we enter the market with confidence and conviction. I am looking forward to working with Ann to represent the firm's clients and build our presence in the Bay Area."

The lawyers based in San Francisco will continue the firm's representation of tech industry clients in a variety of matters. With close proximity to the California Public Utilities Commission and the state's capitol in Sacramento, the firm's lawyers will also continue to advise clients on matters involving utilities, telecommunications, and state enforcement and regulation issues. The firm also counsels companies and large organizations in matters that require a mix of litigation, regulatory, public policy, legislative, and communications skills, and represents individuals and corporations in complex criminal investigations and prosecutions, as well as in internal investigations.

"More than ever, technology companies need lawyers with government experience in both California and Washington, DC. Ann brings the perfect combination of experience, and I am delighted for her to join me in leading our Government Controversies team," said Jenner & Block Chair Thomas J. Perrelli. "Reid, Ann, and the lawyers establishing our office in San Francisco will build a powerful, diverse team that is well positioned to represent these businesses in their most consequential legal issues."

The San Francisco team includes Partner Brian Hauck, a co-chair of the firm's State Enforcement and Regulation Practice and a member of the Government Controversies and Public Policy Litigation Practice, and Partner Zeb Zankel, a member of the Communications, Internet, and Technology Practice. Partners Lindsay C. Harrison, a member of the Appellate and Supreme Court and the Complex Commercial Litigation Practices, and Keisha N. Stanford, a member of the Investigations, Compliance, and Defense and Government Controversies and Public Policy Litigation Practices, will split their time between San Francisco and Washington, DC. The San Francisco office will also draw upon the strength of the firm's Litigation Department across the United States and in London.

California features some of the strictest laws and regulations in the country relating to antitrust, consumer matters, and data privacy, and Jenner & Block lawyers counsel clients on all of these issues. With more than a third of all food and beverage federal class actions filed in California, and the vast majority of copyright, trademark, and trade secret cases filed in the state, the firm's class action and intellectual property litigators provide representation in all of these types of cases. The San Francisco office will also give the firm's Japan Practice a second hub on the Pacific Rim to serve Japanese clients doing business in the United States.

ABOUT JENNER & BLOCK

Jenner & Block LLP is a law firm with global reach, with offices in Chicago, London, Los Angeles, New York, San Francisco, and Washington, DC. The firm is known for its prominent and successful litigation practice, global investigations, and experience handling sophisticated and high-profile corporate transactions. Its clients include Fortune 100 companies, technology companies, large privately held corporations, emerging companies, Native American tribes, and venture capital and private equity investors. In 2020, The American Lawyer recognized the firm for the fourth consecutive year as the #1 pro bono firm in the United States, marking the 10th time in 13 years the firm has received this recognition. In 2020, the publication also recognized the firm as the #3 international pro bono firm, and in 2018, named the firm as its first "Pro Bono Champion." In 2020, Reuters Legal named the firm its inaugural "Pro Bono Hero."

SOURCE Jenner & Block LLP
Amid surge in novel coronavirus in Maharashtra, state health minister Rajesh Tope said Monday that Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray is "worried" about the increase in the number of COVID-19 cases.

"Chief Minister is very worried about the situation in the State. He has requested people to behave responsibly to avoid COVID, otherwise, the government will have to resort to imposing a lockdown. People must adhere to the guidelines," said Tope.

He also informed that the numbers are increasing hence there will be a discussion with all officials.

"With the increase in the number of COVID19 cases, we will have to be more prepared. We will have to activate our Jumbo Covid centres which were active earlier," said Tope.

"Earlier we had a rule that only hospitals with 100+ beds can be given permission for vaccination but now vaccination can happen at hospitals with even 20+ beds," he added.

He also informed the reporters that amid the surge in cases, 85% cases are asymptomatic even as active virus cases in the state has reached 2.10 lakh.

"Cases are rising in metro cities like Pune, Mumbai. Around 3 lakh testing per million are being conducted in Pune," said the state health minister.

On the vaccination front, the minster informed that so far, the state government has vaccinated 45 lakh, people, while adding that every day 3 lakh people are being vaccinated.

"We are making arrangements so that people can get vaccinated at a place near to them," he said.

Meanwhile, Maharashtra on Sunday reported 30,535 fresh COVID-19 cases, the highest rise in a single day, the state health department said.

With this, the state's overall tally of the infections mounted to 24,79,682 while 99 fatalities pushed the toll to 53,399, it said.

The fresh spike in the cases came just three days after Maharashtra recorded its highest rise in a single day at 25,833. The previous highest spike was 24,896 in September 2020.

Maharashtra, along with Punjab, Karnataka, Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh are reporting a surge in the COVID-19 daily cases and account for 80.5 per cent of the total new cases registered, the Union Health Ministry said on Monday.

India saw 46,951 new cases being registered in a day, the highest single day rise so far this year.

Maharashtra has reported the highest daily new cases at 30,535 (65.03 per cent). This is followed by Punjab with 2,644 while Kerala reported 1,875 new cases.

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LAVAL, QC, March 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ - Alimentation Couche-Tard Inc. ("Couche-Tard" or the "Company") (TSX: ATD.A) (TSX: ATD.B) announced today an agreement to sell 49 sites in Oklahoma to Casey's General Stores Inc. for $39 million in an all-cash transaction. The transaction includes 46 leased and 3 owned properties and is expected to close by July 31, 2021. Matrix Capital Markets Group Inc. acted as financial advisor to Couche-Tard on the transaction.

In a separate but related initiative, the Company has retained a real estate advisory firm specialized in the convenience and fuel industry to coordinate the sale of 306 sites across its North American network. The mandate includes 269 sites across 25 states in the United States and 37 sites across 6 provinces in Canada, with an average store size of approximately 2,600 square feet and an average lot size of 29,500 square feet. Of the 306 sites, 122 are fee-owned and 184 are leased, while 238 properties sell fuel and 68 are convenience only. Expressions of interest are due in early May.

Brian Hannasch, President and CEO of Couche-Tard said: "The decision to divest select stores fits within the Company's network optimization strategy and follows a comprehensive and uniform network planning process that began in the Fall of 2020. Through this process, we have identified sites that no longer fit our strategic objectives, either from a brand perspective or from a regional scale perspective. Concurrently, we have identified many opportunities to expand our footprint through new store builds and will continue to allocate capital to upgrade the size and scale of our locations, improve store layouts, and allow for the best utilization of our Fresh Food, Fast program as well as other initiatives which improve the customer journey."

About Alimentation Couche-Tard Inc.

Couche-Tard is a global leader in convenience and fuel retail, operating in 26 countries and territories, with more than 14,200 stores, of which approximately 10,800 offer road transportation fuel. With its well-known Couche-Tard and Circle K banners, it is the largest independent convenience store operator in terms of the number of company-operated stores in the United States and it is a leader in the convenience store industry and road transportation fuel retail in Canada, Scandinavia, the Baltics, as well as in Ireland. It also has an important presence in Poland and Hong Kong. Approximately 135,000 people are employed throughout its network.

For more information on Alimentation Couche-Tard Inc. or to consult its quarterly Consolidated Financial Statements and Management Discussion and Analysis, please visit: https://corpo.couchetard.com.

Forward-Looking Statements

The statements set forth in this press release, which describes Couche-Tard's objectives, projections, estimates, expectations or forecasts, may constitute forward looking statements within the meaning of securities legislation. Positive or negative verbs such as "believe", "can", "shall", "intend", "expect", "estimate", "assume" and other related expressions are used to identify such statements. Couche-Tard would like to point out that, by their very nature, forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties such that its results, or the measures it adopts, could differ materially from those indicated in or underlying these statements, or could have an impact on the degree of realization of a particular projection. Major factors that may lead to a material difference between Couche Tard's actual results and the projections or expectations set forth in the forward-looking statements include the effects of the integration of acquired businesses and the ability to achieve projected synergies, uncertainty related to the duration and severity of the current COVID-19 pandemic, fluctuations in margins on motor fuel sales, competition in the convenience store and retail motor fuel industries, exchange rate variations, and such other risks as described in detail from time to time in the reports filed by Couche-Tard with securities regulatory authorities in Canada. Unless otherwise required by applicable securities laws, Couche-Tard disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. The forward-looking information in this release is based on information available as of the date of the release.

SOURCE Alimentation Couche-Tard Inc.

Related Links

http://corpo.couche-tard.com


(Reuters) - Investigators in a criminal probe of former U.S. President Donald Trumps real-estate business are combing through millions of pages of newly acquired records with an eye toward identifying witnesses who can bring the documents to life for a jury, say two people familiar with the probe.

Some of the cases key figures are well-known. Trumps former attorney and fixer, Michael Cohen, met on Friday with prosecutors in the Manhattan District Attorneys office, his eighth such interview. And District Attorney Cyrus Vance Jrs team is interested in getting testimony from the Trump Organizations long time chief financial officer, Allen Weisselberg, according to the two people familiar with the investigation.

But a growing universe of people, institutions and agencies are being scrutinized by Vances prosecutors as potential witnesses in the case.

Prosecutors are looking to gather information and testimony from bankers, bookkeepers, real-estate consultants and others close to the Trump Organization who could provide insights on its dealings, according to interviews and court filings. The process of identifying all witnesses and targets could take months.

The next phase is identifying targets for subpoenas and testimony, said one person familiar with the case.

Vance has not accused Trump or his associates of wrongdoing but is examining, among other things, whether property values were manipulated to reduce Trumps taxes or obtain other economic benefits. The case is being heard by a grand jury that will decide whether there is evidence to indict Trump or his associates.

Vances investigators need insiders who can provide the narrative behind any conflicting numbers on Trumps financial records and testify to Trumps knowledge and intent, said former prosecutors of white-collar fraud cases.

Even in the most heavily document-dependent case, you need witnesses to tell the story, said Reed Brodsky, a longtime white-collar defense lawyer and former federal prosecutor.

The Supreme Court forced Trumps longtime accountants Mazars USA to comply with a subpoena on March 1. Since then, investigators have poured through Trumps tax filings, business documents and internal correspondence, looking for discrepancies between information provided to creditors and data given to tax authorities, said two people familiar with the probe.

Forensic accounting specialists at FTI Consulting Inc, retained by Vance, are helping analyze the tax records, said a source with knowledge of the matter.

Vances investigation is one of two known criminal probes of the former president. Reuters has identified four other ongoing investigations involving Trump and at least 17 active lawsuits.

A lawyer for Trump declined to comment on the probes.

In Vances investigation, Mark Pomerantz, a former federal prosecutor hired last month as a special assistant, is leading the interviews with some witnesses. Pomerantz, 69, prosecuted Gambino crime family boss John Gotti's son in the 1990s and is known for his expertise in white-collar crime.

ACCOUNTANTS, APPRAISERS

Several potential key figures in Vances investigation are current or former employees of outside companies - from financial and real estate consultants to legal advisors - with inside knowledge of Trumps dealings, according to court filings and the two people familiar with the investigation.

Some performed crucial roles for many years, such as Mazars accountant Donald Bender. His signature is on the tax returns of the Donald J. Trump Foundation, which was dissolved in 2018 after a probe by the New York attorney general found that the organization misused charitable funds. Trump was ordered to pay more than $2 million in damages.

Bender has led the team managing Trumps accounts at Mazars for more than a decade, court records show. He has worked for Mazars since 1981 and helps steer its real-estate practice. Mazars predecessor companies began working for Trumps father, Fred, in the 1950s.

Bender was the only Mazars accountant singled out by name in Vances subpoena seeking records between 2011 and 2018, including "all communications" between Donald Bender and any representative of Trumps businesses.

Illustrating Benders importance in Trumps empire, Weisselberg testified in 2008 that, when Trump met with representatives from Forbes magazine to discuss his net worth, Weisselberg made sure Bender was there to help answer questions.

Bender and Mazars did not respond to requests for comment.

Real estate brokerage Cushman & Wakefield Plc, which worked for the Trump Organization for many years, could also figure prominently in Vances investigation, legal experts say. Chicago-based Cushman was subpoenaed in a separate New York state attorney generals probe of Trumps company, and Cushman staff have given sworn testimony.

Both probes have shown keen interest in the values that Trump attached to conservation easements  agreements to preserve open space on his properties in exchange for tax breaks, court records show.

Based on a Cushman appraisal, Trump claimed a $21.1 million value for an easement at his Seven Springs estate north of New York City, based on the lost profits from luxury homes he could have built. Cushman was also the appraiser on a $25 million easement at a Trump golf course in Los Angeles that has been scrutinized in the attorney generals investigation.

Cushman did not respond to a request for comment.

Vances investigators have also requested records and spoken with officials from Trumps two biggest creditors, Deutsche Bank AG and Ladder Capital Corp, Reuters has previously reported. Both firms declined to comment.

THE INSIDERS

Vances investigation will likely rely heavily on Trumps closest associates - people who can address the key question of what Trump was thinking when he made the financial claims now under scrutiny. Only a core group of Trumps confidantes can address that state-of-mind question, which is critical to proving criminal intent.

They include Weisselberg, 73, who began working for Trumps father, Fred, in 1973. Legal experts and a source familiar with the investigation say prosecutors apparent goal is to convince Weisselberg to cooperate. Also under scrutiny are Weisselbergs adult sons - one who has worked for the Trump Organization. The other son worked for Ladder Capital, though theres no evidence he was involved in Ladders loans to Trump.

Vance has not said whether prosecutors are talking with Allen Weisselberg or his sons. None of the three Weisselbergs have been charged with wrongdoing. A lawyer for Allen Weisselberg declined to comment.

Jennifer Weisselberg - the former wife of Allens older son, Barry Weisselberg - told Reuters that she has spoken with Vances office five times since November. The day after the first interview, she said, DA investigators visited her to retrieve tax and financial records for her and her former husband.

She acknowledged that prosecutors have shown interest in an apartment in a Trump-owned building where she and her former husband lived rent-free for seven years - an arrangement that could have legal implications if it represented compensation not properly reported in tax filings.

Barry Weisselberg managed an ice-skating rink that Trump operates in Central Park. A lawyer representing him did not respond to a request for comment.

Jennifer Weisselberg said she believed her father-in-law would never testify against Trump voluntarily. She envisions Allen Weisselberg flipping only if he or his sons are facing prosecution. But no one, she said, knows more about Trumps finances.

The most visible cooperator in the criminal investigation is Cohen, Trumps personal lawyer for nearly a decade. He is serving a three-year sentence after pleading guilty in 2018 to crimes including tax evasion, orchestrating hush money payments to two women who said theyd had affairs with Trump, and lying to Congress about negotiations over a proposed Trump development in Moscow that never materialized. Cohen is in home confinement due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Trump has attacked Cohens credibility by highlighting how he lied under oath. Legal experts say Trumps attorneys could make similar arguments if Cohen becomes a key witness. At his sentencing, Cohen took "full responsibility" for his actions but claimed he made the payments at Trumps direction.

Cohen told Reuters he has evidence to overcome any questions about his credibility. Unfortunately for Trump, I have backed up each and every question posed by the district attorneys office, Cohen said, by providing documentary evidence.

If prosecutors can corroborate Cohens testimony, his story could be very powerful before a jury, said Brodsky, a partner at Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher. The government loves people who plead guilty to crimes, take the stand and say  I participated in a crime with that person sitting right there at the defense table, Donald J. Trump.

(Reporting by Jason Szep and Peter Eisler; editing by Brian Thevenot)
The Philippines has called on China to withdraw more than 200 Chinese fishing boats it said had been spotted at a reef in the disputed South China Sea.

About 220 vessels were spotted by the Philippine coast guard moored at the boomerang-shaped Whitsun Reef, which Beijing also claims, on 7 March. The Philippines said the boats appear to be crewed by Chinas maritime militia.

We view with grave concern the presence of 220 Chinese militia boats in the Julian Felipe Reef (internationally known as Whitsun Reef, located within Union Reefs) in the West Philippine Sea. This is a clear provocative action of militarising the area, defence secretary Delfin Lorenzana said in a statement.

He said that these territories are within Philippine Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) and Continental Shelf (CS) where Filipinos have the sole right to resources under international law and the 2016 arbitral ruling.

Chinas claim over 90 per cent of the South China Sea has been disputed by the Philippines, Brunei, Malaysia, Taiwan and Vietnam. Beijing has also refused to recognise a 2016 ruling by an international tribunal which invalidated its claims in the waterway.

Mr Lorenzana said that the Philippines call on the Chinese to stop this incursion and immediately recall these boats violating our maritime rights and encroaching into our sovereign territory.

Read more:

Foreign Secretary Teodoro Locsin has also lodged a diplomatic protest over the ships.

A government task force overseeing the disputed region said that large numbers of Chinese boats are a concern due to the possible overfishing and destruction of the marine environment, as well as risks to safety of navigation.

The United States has often accused China of militarising the South China Sea. Former US secretary of state Mike Pompeo had said last year that China was militarising the South China Sea and illegally claiming more territory there, threatening vital sea lanes.
A new shipment carrying 2 million doses of the Sinovac COVID-19 vaccine arrived in Chile on Sunday. Health Minister Enrique Paris and China's ambassador to Chile Niu Qingbao, and Rodrigo Yanez, undersecretary for international economic relations received the shipment.

This is the sixth COVID-19 vaccine shipment arriving in Chile.

The doses will be distributed throughout the country and will allow the vaccination campaign against COVID-19, which began on March 3rd, to continue.

With this new shipment, the total number of vaccines, including those from Sinovac and Pfizer-BioNTech, received in Chile to date is more than 13 million.

The country on Saturday reported its highest daily count of 7,084 coronavirus infections since the start of the pandemic despite widespread restrictions and progress on vaccinations.

Chile has given at least one vaccine shot to more than 29% of the population and both doses to 15% - far more than in other nations in the region.

(Disclaimer: This story is auto-generated from a syndicated feed; only the image & headline may have been reworked by www.republicworld.com)
March is playing out to be a memorable -- and potentially life-saving -- month for Sharon Stone.

The Academy Award-nominated actress received the first batch of her upcoming memoir in the mail on March 9; celebrated her 63rd birthday the following day on March 10; and now she's received the first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine on Sunday, March 21..

'Got my first vaccine. Come to @coreresponse / Carbon Health. It was easy to get an appointment,' she captioned a photo showing herself getting the vaccination shot in her left arm.

Scroll down to videos

Potentially life-saving: Sharon Stone, 63, took to Instagram on Sunday to reveal that she received the first of two COVID-19 vaccinations

The Casino star sat outdoors for her first of the two shots she will need for maximum protection while dressed in a black corduroy top.

Being an advocate for coronavirus awareness over this past year, Stone made sure to wear a protective mask over her mouth and nose during her appointment.

Like many people in the U.S. and around the world, the Pennsylvania native has had to deal with the tragic results of COVID-19, as it claimed the lives of her grandmother and godmother in Montana.

Her story: Stone is poised to release her memoir --The Beauty Of Living Twice -- March 30

Plus, Stone's sister, Kelly, and brother-in-law, Bruce, had to be hospitalized last summer, where they were described at one point as 'fighting for their lives' during their health crisis.

The couple got through the worst of the symptoms and eventually tested negative for the coronavirus in September of last year, according to Stone's social media posts.

Stone has also been using her social media platforms to promote her upcoming memoir -- The Beauty of Living Twice -- that's set to hit shelves on March 30.

Heartfelt moment: The Academy Award-nominated actress shared a video clip of the moment her mother, Dorothy, realized she dedicated her memoir to her

emotional: Stone and her mother embraced after reading her memoir's dedication

Just days ago, she shared a video clip of the moment she showed her mother, Dorothy, the dedication page to her memoir.

It starts with the proud daughter helping her mom put her reading glasses on. She then lets her glance over the dedication, which she soon realizes is to her.

It's at this point that mother and daughter embrace in a tear-jerking moment that any family would cherish.

Honored: Stone gave her mother the very first copy of her memoir when a big box of the books were delivered to her home in West Hollywood on March 9

Proud: 'I'm an author,' the Ratched star pronounced while triumphantly raising her arms in the air after receiving the first batch of her memoir

Stone also gave her mother the very first copy of her memoir when a big box of books were delivered to her home in West Hollywood on March 9.

'I'm an author,' the Ratched star pronounced while triumphantly raising her arms in the air.

'Possibility made me write this book: the opportunity to grow, and to share that growth. I have learned to forgive the unforgivable. My hope is that as I share my journey, you too will learn to do the same,' the actress said in a previous post on Instagram.

The Beauty of Living Twice is Stone's first literary effort.
Mr. Polovets' decision not to remain on the Board of Directors follows the merger between Anchiano and Israel-based Chemomab Therapeutics, announced on Monday, March 16. The merged company, which is now traded on NASDAQ under the ticker CMMB, will expand its scope of operations and focus on discovering and developing innovative therapeutics for conditions with high unmet needs that involve inflammation and fibrosis.

During approximately one year that Mr. Polovets served as chairman of Anchiano, the company's stock appreciated 630%, while some of its peers declined 10% during the same period (see chart). With the exception of several companies involved with the development of COVID-19-related drugs, Anchiano's share price performance was one of the best in the biotech space.

Stan Polovets said: "I am very proud of the work of the senior management of Anchiano, whose talent, hard work and dedication made such a phenomenal outcome possible. I am particularly grateful to Anchiano's CEO Neil Cohen and CFO Andrew Fine, our counsel Aaron Lampert, and our excellent advisors from Cooley and Oppenheimer. I am certain that the combined company, with its outstanding leadership and strong investor base, will enjoy even greater success." As part of the merger, Chemomab received additional financing from prominent healthcare-focused investors Cormorant Asset Management, OrbiMed, Peter Thiel and Christian Angermayer's Presight Capital and Apeiron Investment Group.

The largest investor in ANCH was Access Industries, a company controlled by prominent industrialist and philanthropist Len Blavantik. Over the past twenty years, Mr. Polovets has worked on a number of ventures with Mr. Blavatnik, including TNK-BP, one of the largest oil companies in the world. Created with the original investment of $100 million in the late 1990's, TNK-BP was sold to Russia's state oil company Rosneft for $55 billion in 2013.

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The prosecution team of the Lagos State Government has rejected the plea bargain agreement proposed by Joshua Usulor, a 21-year-old chef who allegedly killed a lawyer at the Citiheights Hotel, Opebi, Lagos.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that during Mr Usulors trial for murder on Monday at an Ikeja Special Offences Court, the prosecution counsel, O.A Bajulaiye-Bishi, informed the court that the Lagos State Directorate of Public Prosecution has rejected the agreement.

My lord, the defendant through his counsel Mr Spurgeon Ataene had applied for a plea bargain agreement proposing a sentence of 25 years imprisonment.

Unfortunately, the plea bargain agreement has been rejected and we will proceed with the trial, Mrs Bajulaiye-Bishi said.

The prosecutor informed the court that the Investigating Police Officer in the case, John Babalola, was, however, unavailable to continue his testimony.

The IPO is not around, he is on an official assignment, on the next adjourned date, he will continue his evidence, she said.

The judge, Oluwatoyin Taiwo, adjourned the case until April 28 for the continuation of trial.

NAN reports that the prosecution alleged that Mr Usulor, a resident of No. 30, Fadiya St., Ketu, Lagos had on Jan. 26, 2019, murdered Feyisayo Obot, 34, an Abuja-based mother of two, in the room she had lodged in at the Citiheights Hotel.

Mr Usulor, who was also a lodger in the hotel, had allegedly gone into Mrs Obots room to rob her in order to offset his outstanding hotel bills.

The defendant allegedly murdered the lawyer during the robbery by slitting her throat.

Mrs Obot, an employee of an Abuja-based non-governmental organisation called Save the Children, was in Lagos for a few days to write a project management examination.

She was allegedly killed on the day she was due to check out of the hotel.

Mr Usulor faces a charge of murder, in accordance with Section 223 of the Criminal Law of Lagos 2015.

The law prescribes a death sentence for any individual found guilty of the offence.

The witnesses, who have testified so far for the prosecution are  the hotel receptionist, Lateefat Adebayo; the hotel Operations Manager, Olabanji Ibitunde; the brother of the deceased, Ige Afolabi; and the IPO.

(NAN)
Congolese refugee Josephine Mbayo now spends more time tending her crops than queueing for water thanks to improvements to Tongogara camp's water system.  UNHCR/Tsvangirayi Mukwazhi

Josephine Mbayo faced many difficulties looking after her eight children in a refugee camp in southeast Zimbabwe, but getting enough clean water for her family proved the biggest challenge.

For years, the 48-year-old waited for hours each day to collect water at a pump at the Tongogara camp, which hosts more than 14,500 people, mostly from the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). Josephine had no extra time to work or even care properly for her children.

When the water ran dry, women waited all day for the borehole to regenerate. Sometimes, the water would come out in a dirty trickle, but there was no choice but to use it.

There was only one hand pump in the section that everyone queued at to get water from as early as 4 a.m., said Josephine, a single mother and one of thousands forced to flee fighting between government forces and various armed groups in the DRC in 2012.

"People would quarrel and almost fight for water."

People would quarrel and almost fight for water, she adds.

Across Africa, refugees, especially women such as Josephine, face a similar problem. The lack of reliable water supplies threatens childrens health particularly and costs women essential time they could be using to earn money, leading to increased levels of poverty.

According to standards set by UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, each refugee should have access to at least 20 litres of water per day. UNHCR and its partners are striving to improve the situation for refugees such as Josephine.

In 2016, the agency worked with partners to introduce a piped water system to replace the hand pump, installing three taps in Josephines section of the Tongogara camp that opened for two hours each day.The new system helped improve the quality and quantity of the water, but Josephine and the other refugees found there was still a shortage.

Last year, a project funded by the African Development Bank (AfDB) led to the installation of new high-capacity boreholes and an expanded and better engineered piped water system, known as a water reticulation system, that runs on solar power and can deliver piped water to all 10 sections in the camp. The water project has also benefitted the residents of the surrounding host communities in Chipinge district, where the camp is located.

Josephine Mbayo uses one of the newly installed taps in Tongogara refugee camp to fill a bucket of water. The taps are part of a piped water system that uses solar power and high-capacity boreholes.  UNHCR/Tsvangirayi Mukwazhi

The AfDB-funded initiative  Innovative Solutions to Support Livelihoods of Vulnerable Communities  which includes the water reticulation systems, is part of a broader strategy to enhance the economic and technical capacity of refugees and their host communities.

The project has made available public lighting, potable water and a vibrant irrigation scheme, among other innovations. Refugees are now working in newly allocated plots to produce food for their familes.

We are continually improving our search for groundwater by drilling more high-yielding boreholes and powering them with solar energy, said Nosakhare Boadi, UNHCRs Water and Sanitation officer based in Harare.

Groundwater is more sustainable and less vulnerable to pollution than surface water sources and solar power is more ecofriendly as well as cost-effective.

Eventually, water supply will be more reliable as pumping will no longer be dependent on the national grid or diesel generators, he added.

Easy access to water has improved Josephines familys well being, allowing her more time to work. She also has time to grow more food on her land to sell in the market. Her monthly income has risen to around US$75 from less than US$5, helping her better care for her children. The new public lighting in the camp has also made her family feel safer when they fetch water at night and also deters animals, including the elephants that used to pose a major problem.

Quarrels at the bush pumps deprived me of peace but now we greet each other cheerfully as we fetch our water, she said. My neighbours are the only family I have in this country and if we can co-exist peacefully, that makes me happy.
All liver and kidney transplant surgeries will be performed in Ukraine this year, according to Health Minister Maksym Stepanov.

The team of the Health Ministry of Ukraine is constantly making efforts to increase funding for transplant services so that Ukrainian doctors can adopt the best world experience. This year we will double the number of transplant operations performed in Ukraine. In 2021, Ukrainians who need a liver or kidney transplant will not be sent abroad - all these surgeries will take place in Ukraine, Stepanov wrote on Facebook.

According to Stepanov, over the past year, up to 30 regulations and laws have been adopted and amended in Ukraine to regulate the sector of transplant services. "These are our confident steps to gain full transplant independence for Ukraine. We are building a new healthcare system that we can be proud of," he added.

As reported, in September 2020, the Ukrainian government approved a draft decision "On the establishment of a specialized state institution Ukrainian Transplant Coordination Center. The main function of the center is to provide organizational and methodological guidance and coordination of healthcare institutions that provide medicalcare using transplant services.

iy
Clementine Ford has brutally slammed Married At First Sight groom Johnny Balbuziente for claiming that he was suffering from 'blue balls' during Sunday night's commitment ceremony.

The feminist writer was left unimpressed when Johnny told the experts that he was in physical discomfort due to pent up sexual frustration - a condition colloquially referred to as as 'blue balls'.

'It isn't some kind of horrible punishment for men to have to wait for someone to have sex with them,' Clementine said in an Instagram Stories video as she watched the scene from her couch.

Clementine, who was recently slammed by former MAFS stars for claiming that this season's grooms deserved to have their 'd**ks fall off', continued: 'There is no such thing as 'blue balls''.

'That is something that people say who are emotionally unreconstructed and who are bad in bed,' she added.

Moments later, Clementine re-shared an Instagram post that read: 'IDK who needs to hear this but... blue balls are not a real thing.'

'There is no such thing as 'blue balls': Clementine Ford (left) brutally slammed Married At First Sight groom Johnny Balbuziente (right) for claiming that he was suffering from 'blue balls' during Sunday night's commitment ceremony

Opinion: 'It isn't some kind of horrible punishment for men to have to wait for someone to have sex with them,' Clementine said in an Instagram Stories video as she watched the scene from her couch

PSA: Moments later, Clementine re-shared an Instagram post that read: 'IDK who needs to hear this but... blue balls are not a real thing'

During Sunday night's commitment ceremony, Johnny told sex expert Alessandra Rampolla that he was 'all built up' and couldn't wait to jump into bed with his new bride.

Fans watching at home had a range of reactions to the comment, ranging from amusement to shock.

One person Tweeted: 'Johnny and Kerry please keep the blue balls subject to yourselves'.

Eager: During Sunday night's commitment ceremony, Johnny told sex expert Alessandra Rampolla that he was 'all built up' and couldn't wait to jump into bed with his new bride Kerry Knight (right)

Another commented: 'Never thought I would hear the expression blue balls on TV on a Sunday night oh boy lol'.

Someone else added: 'Hearing a discussion about blue balls on prime time TV is exactly why we watch this show'.

One more jokingly wrote: 'Johnny's about to blow a gasket' while another said: 'Now we're talking about blue balls' alongside a laughing gif.

Reactions: Fans watching at home had a range of reactions to the comment, ranging from amusement to shock

Yet another said that, 'Everyone discussing Johnny's blue balls' and added a gif that implied it was 'disgusting'.

Intruder groom Johnny, who is a theatre producer from Brisbane, married Queensland occupational therapist, Kerry, during last Monday's episode.

Although the pair have a strong spark and have been getting along well, the physical side of their relationship is developing more slowly.

Married At First Sight continues Monday at 7.30pm on Nine
avid_creative / Getty Images

NEW HAVEN  A Meriden man was sent to a hospital with non-life-threatening injuries following a Saturday shooting, according to police.

The 35-year-old received a gunshot wound to the thigh and a graze gunshot wound to the ear, according to an emailed statement from Capt. Anthony Duff.
Photo: (Photo : Macau Photo Agency / Unsplash )

The Moderna COVID-19 vaccine trials for kids ages 12 to 17 have already begun with 3,000 participants. Moderna also conducted a separate clinical trial in children under 12 years old, the youngest six months of age. Once the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine's effectiveness for this age group is affirmed, the FDA may authorize vaccination for emergency use for around 25 million teens in the U.S.

13-Year-Old Brothers Participate in Moderna COVID-19 Vaccine Trial

Teenage brothers Gavin and Emmett Preston received their Moderna COVID-19 vaccine shots in Charleston, South Carolina. While the 13-year-olds are not necessarily eligible for a coronavirus vaccine since the Food and Drug Administration is yet to approve the vaccine for kids under 16, the two teenagers participated in the clinical trial of randomized, double-blind studies, Business Insider reported. In the trial, half of the participants got vaccinated, while the others get a placebo.

The participants were tasked to note their side effects on an app. Emmett said a sore shoulder and feeling a bit run down after his first shot. Meanwhile, his brother Gavin reported minor fatigue two days after the second shot.

Emmett's initial reaction when hearing about the COVID-19 vaccine clinical trial from his adopted mother was interesting. The Preston brothers have already been participating in another long-term research-the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development Study. His brother Gavin was keen on assisting in scientific research, himself wanting to research memory loss in the future.

ALSO READ: One-Third of COVID-19 Positive Kids Asymptomatic, Vaccine Much Needed

Brothers Unafraid of In-Person School after Getting Vaccinated

The brothers also wanted to get vaccinated for the sake of their adopted mother, who has an autoimmune disease. Now that they are going back to in-person schooling and not desiring to return to virtual school, the brothers did not want to bring the virus back home to their mom. "It makes me feel positive inside to be able to protect myself and my family from COVID-19," Gavin beamed.

Siblings Wanted to End Online Learning So Badly. They Got Vaccinated

Animi, 14, and Adonye Williams, 16, have been online learning for almost a year now, just like most kids their age due to the pandemic. The teens wanted virtual schooling to end so badly. They decided to volunteer to join the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine trials, Houston Chronicle reported.

DM Clinical Research and the Texas Center for Drug Development started enrolling Houston teens in the trial to test the effectiveness of the Moderna vaccine in kids ages 12 to 17.

DM Clinical Research's executive director Elizabeth Hoff noted that the COVID-19 vaccine could make the kids "feel empowered to help the country." Animi understands this saying, "getting vaccinated will benefit everyone someday." Adonye proudly said about getting vaccinated, "I took [vaccine] like a champ."

Fini Tuamokomo found out that Moderna was looking for Black teenagers to participate in the trial. Tuamokomo, a social worker, and her eldest child, Amieh, have already been vaccinated. Hence she signed up her two youngest for the trial. The children's reported side effects included sore arms as well as fatigue on the second day. The siblings made over $200 from participating in the clinical trial.

ALSO READ: NOT Likely Cancer: Doctors Say Not to Worry About Breast Lumps After COVID Vaccine

Teens Want to Help Beat the Pandemic

Four 7th-graders Zoey Frank, Janie Palan, Peyton Riegel, and Willa Nelson, volunteered to participate in the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine trial, WPRI reported. Frank, whose brother also participated in the trial, said she first heard about the Moderna vaccine from a fellow student's mother. "At first, it seemed scary being the first ones getting the vaccine, but I did it because it would help people," the 7th-grade girl revealed.

While the participants were not told whether they received the vaccine or placebo, the teens revealed "feeling great to be part of something bigger than themselves." Riegel gushed about how cool it was to be "one of the few kids in this big world helping figure out the whole pandemic."

Some of the reported side effects from these participants included a swollen arm, feeling very tired, and getting a coldsymptoms, which, participant Nelson said, were all worth it.

ALSO READ: COVID-19 Vaccine Distribution Plan Should Prioritize Teachers as Recommended by CDC
A tragic Kansas City fact of life: Good intentions can land people in the poor house. And so this baller deserves credit for allowing his management to do their job.

Money line . . .



"Hill, 27, signed a three-year, $54 million contract extension with the Chiefs in 2019 . . . The superstar wide receiver said this week that the Chiefs asked him to restructure his contract, though he was not for it.

Read more as fanbois won't admit the team is falling apart and Mr. Mahomes believes he'll be able to keep his nice guy image by litterally playing ball for less money . . .
A Florida man has been sentenced to three years in federal prison for lying about damage caused by Hurricane Irma.

Steven Rembert, 49, of Orange County, was sentenced Monday in Orlando federal court, according to court records. He pleaded guilty in December to disaster assistance fraud.

In September 2017, Rembert falsified records concerning his primary residence when submitting an application for assistance to the Federal Emergency Management Agency, according to an indictment.

Hurricane Irma struck Florida in September 2017, causing about $50 billion in damage throughout the state.

Copyright 2021 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Topics Catastrophe Natural Disasters Florida Hurricane
South Korean electronics major LG Electronics may soon shut its mobile communication business as its tentative plans for sale failed to materialise. LG's discussions with two potential companies - Germany's Volkswagen AG and Vietnam's Vingroup JSC - on the possible sale of the smartphone business fell apart.

Now, LG is likely to opt for pulling the plug on its phone business instead of searching for more candidates, reports South Korea's DongA Ilbo. LG has also shelved the planned rollout of all new smartphones for the first half of this year, the report adds.

LG Electronics' CEO Kwon Bong-seok, in January, said that all options were on the table for the loss-making operation. LG may share its decision on the business' fate with employees as soon as early April.

In a letter to employees, Bong-seok explained the company's intentions to quit the smartphone industry after the company reportedly lost around $4.5 billion (Rs 32,856 crore) over the past five years.

"Since the competition in the global market for mobile devices is getting fiercer, it is about time for LG to make a cold judgment and the best choice. The company is considering all possible measures, including sale, withdrawal and downsizing of the smartphone business," The Korea Herald had quoted a LG official in January.

The company has halted the development of phones with a rollable display last month and shelved a planned first-half rollout of all new smartphones, said DongA. The phone, dubbed 'The Rollable', was showcased by LG back at the CES 2021 and was slated to be out later this year.

The low-end smartphones by LG may be sold to manufacturing partners, while the company may retain the control of high-end phones. LG's high-end phones include the new Velvet range and the LG Wing, a dual-screen phone that opens like wings.

Also Read: Manufacturing sector to rebound in Q4FY21; investment outlook improves

Also Read: Hyderabad's Virchow to produce 200 million doses of Russia's Sputnik V vaccine

Also Read: One year of lockdown: 5 reasons why COVID-19 panic has decreased in India
The notion that Americans will always be free is part of the catechism that is force-fed to public school students. For hundreds of years, philosophers, politicians, and reformers have touted a law of history that assures the ultimate triumph of freedom. Oppressed people cannot remain oppressed forever. The urge for freedom will eventually come, Martin Luther King Jr. wrote in his famous Letter from Birmingham Jail.

But few political follies are more hazardous than presuming that ones liberties are forever safe. None of the arguments on why liberty is inevitable can explain why it has not yet arrived. Most of the human race existed with little or no freedom for 95+ percent of recorded history. If liberty is Gods gift to humanity, then why were most people who ever lived on Earth denied this divine bequest?

Many efforts at limiting state power have failed almost immediately. In the thirteenth century, oppressed English nobles revolted and sought to bind their kings in perpetuity. King John signed the Magna Carta in 1215, petulantly accepting a limit to his prerogative to pillage everything in his domain. While the Magna Carta is celebrated nowadays as the dawn of a new age, it failed to even bind the king who signed the document. The ink on his signature was barely dry before King John brought in foreign forces and proceeded to slaughter the barons who forced his signature. King John died just after his vengeance commenced, providing a respite for Englishmen. In the final realm, the Magna Carta was simply a political pledge that was honored only insofar as private courage and weaponry compelled sovereigns to limit their abuses.

History is a chronology of nations pillaged by reckless regimes. English kings recited coronation oaths that limited their power. Such oaths were as binding as a congressional candidates campaign promises. Rampaging kings sometimes converted smouldering discontent into a raging fire of resistance. Historian Thomas Macaulay summarized Englands path to its Glorious Revolution of 1688: Oppression speedily did what philosophy and eloquence  failed to do. King James II was ousted in 1688 and Parliament speedily enacted laws to curb all subsequent monarchs.

The United States was the first government to be created with strict limitations on its power, enshrined in the Constitution. As James Madison wrote in the Federalist Papers, If men were angels, no government would be necessary. If angels were to govern men, neither external nor internal controls on government would be necessary. The Founders included numerous checks and balances in the Constitution to restrain political ambition. But they were never so naive as to presume that a parchment barrier would keep American liberty safe in perpetuity.

Within the first decade of the nations existence, Congress and President John Adams enacted the Alien and Sedition Acts, which destroyed freedom of the press and speech. Thomas Jefferson responded by writing a resolution in 1799 that warned, Free government is founded in jealousy, not confidence. In questions of power, then, let no more be heard of confidence in men, but bind him down from mischief by the chains of the Constitution. Senator John Taylor, in his 1821 book Tyranny Unmasked, scoffed at presuming our good theoretical system of government is a sufficient security against actual tyranny.

Those chains of the Constitution have often been illusory or merely a placebo phantasm for government victims. Politicians perennially invoke the Constitution to prove that citizens have no reason to fear the government. When the House of Representatives considered the PATRIOT Act in October 2001, Representative James Sensenbrenner (R-WI) assured fellow members of Congress that the bill does not do anything to take away the freedoms of innocent citizens. Of course we all recognize that the Fourth Amendment to the Constitution prevents the government from conducting unreasonable searches and seizures, and that is why this legislation does not change the United States Constitution or the rights guaranteed to citizens of this country. Sensenbrenner talked as if that the mere existence of the Bill of Rights shackled Congress. This is akin to claiming that because automobiles have brakes, drivers can never exceed the speed limit. The PATRIOT Act unleashed a constitutional crime wave, as the Bush administration suspended habeas corpus and conducted waves of secret arrests, unleashed the FBI to conduct hundreds of thousands of warrantless searches, and entitled the National Security Agency to vacuum up Americans emails and other personal data.

American presidents take an oath of office solemnly swearing to preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States. But this has long been an empty ritual, akin to Roman emperors making public sacrifices to pagan gods they knew did not exist. Fealty to the Constitution has evaporated in part because philosophical trends have long favored absolute power.

Intellectual servility has been perennially profitable and there has never been a shortage of writers exalting supreme rulers. Writing in 1651, English philosopher Thomas Hobbes labeled the state as Leviathan, our mortal God. Leviathan signifies a government whose power is unbounded, with a right to dictate almost anything and everything to the people under its sway. While Hobbes was reviled in the first century after his book was published, his ideas later became fashionable as academics rushed to echo his derision of tyrannophobia. Hobbes declared that it is forever prohibited for subjects in any way to speak evil of their sovereign regardless of how badly they are abused. Hobbes offered suicide pact sovereignty: to recognize a governments existence is to automatically concede the governments right to destroy everything in its domain.

Hobbes profoundly influenced subsequent political philosophers, including German philosopher G.W.F. Hegel, who trumpeted the doctrine that history is the actualization of freedom. But Hegel was not using freedom in the sense that the Founding Fathers did. Instead, Hegel declared, The State in-and-for-itself is the ethical whole, the actualization of freedom. Hegel also proclaimed that [t]he State is the Divine Idea as it exists on earth and derided the notion of freedom as individual choice as uneducated superficiality. Hegels slavish version of freedom was difficult to distinguish from Hobbes s totalitarian vision of sovereignty.

Hegel had a profound influence on communism (via Marx), fascism, and on the most popular philosopher in Washington in recent decades. Francis Fukuyama, a State Department functionary, hailed Hegel as the supreme philosopher of freedom. In 1989, Fukuyama proclaimed the unabashed victory of economic and political liberalism and boasted that we in the liberal West occupy the final summit of the historical edifice. He announced the end of history as such: that is, the end point of mankinds ideological evolution and the universalization of Western liberal democracy as the final form of human government.

Fukuyamas law of history supposedly proved that government was no longer a threat to freedom. By making political power appear innocuous, Fukuyama became an instant hero inside the Beltway. Fukuyamas end of history revelation was zealously embraced by the political-media establishment. Fukuyama provided a law of history that supposedly negated all the warnings from history about political power.

Fukuyamas doctrine liberated presidents in the name of freedom. In his 2002 National Security Strategy, President George W. Bush echoed Fukuyamas view: The great struggles of the twentieth century between liberty and totalitarianism ended with a decisive victory for the forces of freedomand a single sustainable model for national success: freedom, democracy, and free enterprise. At a 2002 Republican fundraiser dinner, Bush declared: We will do whatever it takes to make the homeland secure and to make freedom reign across the world. In his 2005 inaugural address, Bush whooped, We go forward with complete confidence in the eventual triumph of freedom. Bush used freedom bosh to sanctify his wars, torture regime, and militaristic threats against any foreign regime that disobeyed Washington.

Why would history stop after either liberty or democracy is achieved? The experience of many countries has been one person, one vote, one time. Faith in democracy as a perpetual guarantor of freedom is tricky to reconcile with the collapse of more than thirty democracies around the globe in recent years. Few of the democracies that have survived have fastidiously respected citizens rights.

Some libertarians are confident that, despite post9/11 debacles, liberty will inevitably triumph in the end. But why would freedom be safer in the future than now? Because of a law of history that was never enacted by God, a convocation of cardinals, or even the Arkansas state legislature?

Presuming that America or any other nation is destined to be free lulls people against potential oppressors. Author Robert Anton Wilson observed, Every national border in Europe marks the place where two gangs of bandits got too exhausted to kill each other any more and signed a treaty. Similarly, the current extent of government power marks the boundary of political onslaughts into the private domain of liberty.

There will be no perpetual truce along this border, because political marauders will continually create new pretexts to invade citizens lives. The private domain relies primarily on voluntary agreements, independence, and peaceful coexistence. The political domain relies on command and control, subjugation, and threats and penalties.

One of the greatest perils to the private domain is the notion that Leviathan is more legitimate than liberty. Downplaying government coercion is the key to this propaganda coup. For most of the American media, compelling submission to political commands is a nonissue, equivalent of the sun rising in the east each morning.

At the time when political power began soaring, in the 1930s, American political thinking systematically disregarded the danger from government. In the 1940s, as Professor David Ciepley observed, the State was dropped from American social science, as part of the reaction to the rise of totalitarianism. All traces of state autonomy, now understood as state coercion, were expunged from the image of American democracy. Ciepley explained that the emergence of Hitler and Stalin as the ultimate social engineers led American political scientists to  fall silent about all such activities in the American governmental system. If totalitarianism means elite social engineering, then American democracy must mean popular control. Democracy became the purported champion of freedom, because people were taught that democracies were inherently nonoppressive. But as Senator John Taylor warned two centuries ago, Self-government is flattered to destroy self-government.

For many people, liberty is an abstraction until government agents ravage their lives. A lucid recognition of the coercive nature of Leviathan is vital for the defense of freedom. Leviathans abuses and atrocities must be weaponized to awaken as many people as possible to the perils they face.

Legitimacy spawns a political fog that obscures peoples recognition of their own victimhood. Lenin reputedly said that the capitalists would sell communists the rope with which the capitalists were hanged. Similarly, Leviathan perennially provides ample gunpowder for detonating its legitimacy. Leviathan without legitimacy is simply a regime that must rely on brute force to compel submission to its decrees. At some point, the brute force becomes too great for regime lackeys to cover up.

Once legitimacy is lost, governments can collapse like overheated souffles. For instance, East Bloc regimes imploded much faster than almost anyone expected. Prior to 1989, Soviet leaders believed that cosmetic reforms would keep people subdued despite a failing economic system. CIA analysts predicted that 100+ million people in East Europe would remain docile and downtrodden for decades longer. But proliferating protests in several nations spurred the Hungarian government to permit a breach in the Iron Curtain along the Austrian border in May 1989. That breach quickly spurred a flood of humanity rushing to escape communism, taking with them the tattered remnants of regimes legitimacy. Six months later, the Berlin Wall was breached and governments fell like dominos. On Christmas Day, Romanian soldiers celebrated by lining their dictator and his wife up in front of a stone wall and executing them.

Most contemporary governments have more popular support than Soviet Bloc regimes received in the 1980s. But sustained abuses can be an acid drip that eventually topples any government regardless of its purported mandate. More Americans believe in witches, ghosts, and astrology nowadays than trust the federal government. In the covid-19 era, America is degenerating into a cage keeper democracy, where voters merely select the politicians who place them under house arrest.

Expecting liberty to permanently triumph would require rulers to miraculously become selfless if not self-sacrificing. But, as Hayek warned in his essay Why the Worst Get on Top, power is a magnet for the dregs of humanity. Faith in the state will continue reviving as long as some people feel entitled to domineer other people. Political action pays a higher premium on deceit than almost any other human activity and thus will remain perilous to everything decent. Eternal vigilance is the price of liberty, as our forefathers recognized in the nineteenth century.

To presume that liberty is inevitable is to absolve oneself from fighting oppression. As soon as people drop the reins on government, politicians will leash the people. Rather than hoping for an end of history triumph, people must battle forever to defend their rights. As long as individuals continue to defy oppressors, the seeds of resistance will produce bountiful harvests of freedom in better times.
Indian origin filmmaker Zafar Anjums Singapore Vignettes scores OTT release

Singapore-based writer and filmmaker Zafar Anjums feature-length anthology of three short films, Singapore Vignettes, made in Singapore with local cast and crew, has been released globally by MX Player.

All the three films have been adapted from literary material (plays and short stories) with Singaporean writers involved in the scriptwriting. Photo courtesy: Filmwallas

The film is available in India, US, Canada, UK, Australia, New Zealand, Bangladesh, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Bhutan, Maldives, Afghanistan and the UAE. There will be a special screening of the movie in Singapore on April 11, 2021.

Featuring Anthony Morse, the well-known TV series show host of Hidden Cities (History Channel) and The New Silk Road (CNA, MediaCorp), and Shishir Sharma, veteran Indian film and theatre actor, 'Singapore Vignettes' (SV) comprises three shorts: 'More Chai Please' (set in Singapore and Lucknow in Urdu/Hindi), 'The Corporate Wolf' (English) and 'Sirf Main' (Hindi).

It took us three years to make these films, an average of one film a year. Last year, when we were stuck due to the pandemic, we got the editing of the last film done, Zafar told Connected to India.

This anthology is a tribute to the beautiful Little Red Dot, telling distinct stories of the new Indian expats in Singapore, along with the story of a corporate fraud that delivers befitting justice to a group of disgruntled older workers in a factory. All the three films have been adapted from literary material (plays and short stories) with Singaporean writers involved in the scriptwriting.

It took us three years to make these films, an average of one film a year. Last year, when we were stuck due to the pandemic, we got the editing of the last film done, Zafar told Connected to India.Photo courtesy: Filmwallas

In 'The Corporate Wolf', an adaptation from the prize-winning Singapore Crimes Stories, David (Anthony Morse), a proud member of the elite society of Singapore, decides to adopt drastic measures to revamp his late fathers cosmetics company.

'More Chai Please' is about a young Muslim couple in Singapore who are about to get married and the would-be groom Salaars (Charan Singh) obsession with a tea recipe for his new cafe in Singapore. His search takes him all the way to Lucknow and takes a toll on his relationship with his fiancee Inayaa (Neha Zest).

'Sirf Main' (Only Me) is the story of Aarti (Renita S Kapoor), a middle-aged Indian woman living in Singapore, who discovers that her wealthy businessman husband Sanjeev (Neeraj Sujanani) has been having an affair. Her friend from her college days in India, Viren (Shishir Sharma), helps her make the right choice about what to do.

Zafar spent almost two decades in the media sector with the Encyclopedia Britannica, Fairfax Business Media and MediaCorp, and then went on to found his own media companies, Kitaab and Filmwallas.

It has been a learning journey. I have been trying to actively learn filmmaking since 2010, learning how to write scripts, produce and edit films through various workshops, he says. Now that this film is out, it seems that I have now hit a milestone and I feel that now I am ready to make my first proper feature film.

A lot of friends helped in the process. It's really a team effort, says Zafar. Photo courtesy: Filmwallas

So whats next for Zafar? He says it would be nice to follow Singapore Vignettes with an adaptation of his collection of stories The Singapore Decalogue.

I want to make feature films and content for streaming platforms. I have already made a few proposals to a talent agency in Mumbai and let's see how it goes. On the top of my list is 'The Singapore Decalogue'. I am also trying to produce a horror/revenge drama on child sex trafficking set in Indonesia and Singapore, written by one of my Singaporean scriptwriter friends, he said, signing off.
The exploration drilling campaign is targeting a total 97 million barrels of conventional oil and includes exploration wells at Kurrajong and Rafael prospects in addition to a development well on the Ungani Oilfield.

A major seismic program is also planned with the contract expected to be awarded in the coming weeks.

Buru Energy Limited ( ) (OTCMKTSL:BRNGF) (FRA:BUD) is set to kick off a major exploration program in the Canning Basin that will include three wells and a regional seismic program.

The Kurrajong 1 exploration well will be the first well in the drilling program, followed by the Ungani 8 development well and then the Rafael 1 exploration well - with the program expected to commence in early to mid-June.

This drilling campaign is targeting a total of 97 million barrels of conventional oil with 28 million barrels from Kurrajong and 69 million barrels from Rafael (mean prospective resources).

Access approvals for the program are in place with the WA regulatory authorities recently providing environmental approvals while negotiations for the rig contract are underway.

The company is also planning a program of around 1,200 kilometres of seismic surveys.

Exploration program on track

Buru executive chairman Eric Streitberg said: Our exploration program is on track, with a lot of hard work and attention to detail paying off.

We are planning to use a large rig run by an experienced contractor and have put in place a very experienced drilling team to run the program.

We are drilling two of the largest onshore oil exploration targets in the country at a time of rising oil prices and critical domestic oil production declines.

This is the largest and most exciting exploration program in the Canning Basin for many years and we are very keen to get started.

Drilling program

The Kurrajong 1 exploration well is expected to have similar good quality reservoir to the Ungani Oilfield and is at similar depths, with the total depth of the well expected to be around 2,500 metres.

The Rafael 1 well has over 450 metres of mapped closure and is a large regional structure that is interpreted to have similarities to Devonian aged carbonate structures in Western Canada that are very large and prolific oil producers.

The total depth of the well is expected to be around 3,800 metres.

Major seismic program planned

Streitberg said: In parallel with the drilling program, we will be acquiring a major seismic program that will help us fill our prospect inventory and set us up for a continued drilling program next year.

The Celestine 2D survey across the EP 457 and EP 458 area is planned as the first and largest part of the program to further define a new geological concept that has the potential for large conventional oil accumulations.

Program location map.

Farm-in agreements

This is the most wide-ranging exploration program in the Canning Basin for many years and under the terms of the farm-in agreements executed in December with ( ), Buru will be carried for $16 million of the cost of the drilling of the two exploration wells, as well the seismic program across several permits.
PASADENA, Calif., March 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Fox Dealer, the award-winning eCommerce and digital marketing company, is now a Certified Website Partner featured by Toyota Motor Corporation's Dealer Digital Solutions. Prominent dealers like Wilson Automotive Group and Findlay Automotive Group have already signed up their Toyota stores, citing an increasing need for a strong online sales solution.

"We were looking for a sharp, responsive website provider and digital marketing partner to propel our internet presence and sales efforts," Claremont Toyota General Manager Brad Pringle said. "We found all of that and much more in Fox Dealer."

As part of the Toyota Dealer Digital Solutions Program, Fox Dealer provides Toyota dealers with beautiful, brand compliant websites that deliver an easy, content rich experience for Toyota shoppers. The websites include 24/7 availability with a dedicated support staff, and a dashboard so dealers are given full visibility to how their Fox Dealer website compares to others regionally and nationally. A periodic scorecard with Toyota's unbiased analysis of each provider is a part of Toyota's comprehensive vendor performance accountability so dealers can make an informed decision when choosing from Toyota Dealer Digital Solutions.

About Fox Dealer

Fox Dealer connects dealers to car shoppers across the US and Canada with custom websites, stunning creative design, eCommerce solutions, and cutting-edge digital and social media marketing products including Facebook Messenger ads and Instagram videos. We are a Google Premier Partner recognized for excellent AdWords skills and SEO know-how, a winner of the Automotive Website Awards and recognized by Inc. 500 and LA Business Journal. Now offering TagRail, an advanced retailing platform to help you increase sales with a seamless online-to-showroom shopping experience. With white glove customer support available 24/7, Fox Dealer is here when you need us.

Visit www.foxdealer.com or talk to Fox Dealer support staff at 866-391-1718 or via email at [email protected] to launch your next top-performing eCommerce and digital marketing solution.

Contact:

Gary Delossa

VP, Account Services

310-487-3393

[email protected]

SOURCE Fox Dealer
RTHK: Judge orders US Capitol suspect detained

A judge in West Virginia ordered US Capitol riots suspect George Pierre Tanios detained on charges he conspired with a friend to assault three police officers with chemical spray, including one officer who later died.

US Magistrate Judge Michael John Aloi lamented a "culture, radicalised by hate" that played out at the Capitol on January 6 during a peaceful transition of power.

"We all witnessed it as Americans: Forcing yourself against law enforcement officials that had nothing but bike racks," Aloi said. "Why wouldn't you just turn the other way and go home? The fact that all of them weren't thinking that - it's just frightening to me."

Hundreds have been charged with taking part in an attack that led to five deaths after a mob of then-President Donald Trump's supporters stormed the building in a failed bid to stop Congress from certifying President Joe Biden's election victory.

In an emotional court hearing that featured testimony from Tanios' family, prosecutors presented evidence that Tanios had purchased the bear and pepper sprays which he later brought with him to the Capitol. One of the sprays was used by his friend to spray police, prosecutors said.

Prosecutors also said they had reason to believe that Tanios' mother would try to help her son flee the country to her native Lebanon if he is released from custody. The mother denied the claim in court.

Tanios of Morgantown, West Virginia, and a friend, Julian Elie Khater, of State College, Pennsylvania, are facing multiple criminal counts, including assaulting police with a deadly weapon and obstructing an official proceeding.

Khater and Tanios are not charged with killing the officer,

Brian Sicknick. His cause of death remains unclear.

Prosecutor Sarah Wagner told the judge that Tanios' co-defendant admitted to the FBI in an interview that he had travelled with his friend to attend Trump's "Stop the Steal" rally on Jan. 6 and shared a hotel room.

Both Khater and the manager of a store in West Virginia that sells guns and other weapons confirmed that Tanios had purchased cans of both bear spray and pepper spray to bring to Washington after he was told he could not bring firearms or a pepper ball gun into the city, Wagner told the court.

Although she said the evidence suggests Khater, 32, and not Tanios, did the actual spraying, he assisted with the "purchasing" and the "planning" of the sprays.

She also showed body camera and open source videos, including one featuring Sicknick shortly after he had been sprayed with a chemical irritant.

In the video, which Wagner also described for the court, he "appears to be attempting to walk off the effects of the pepper spray, rinsing his eyes with more water and pausing at times, while crouched over with his hands on his knees."

Tanios' mother, Maguy Tanios, told the court in tears that she had escaped war-torn Lebanon to start a new life after several of her family members were killed.

She said her son, who is 39, goes to church and is a family man who has three small children. "My son is not a bad kid," she said, and explained his role at the US Capitol as him being "in the wrong place at the wrong time."

Tanios' attorney Elizabeth Gross said the evidence presented against him in favour of detention was "minimal" and "limited."

The Justice Department has charged more than 400 people in the Capitol attack, a prosecutor told "60 Minutes" in an interview that aired on Sunday. Hundreds are accused of trespassing and more than 100 accused of assaulting officers.

About two dozen members of far-right militias are facing conspiracy charges that carry particularly severe sentences.

Prosecutors are preparing to start plea discussions as early as this week, the Washington Post reported on Monday. (Reuters)

This story has been published on: 2021-03-22. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
This is something you don't see every day.

A pod of rare killer whales swam alongside a fishing boat out in Galveston on Wednesday, according to boating company Galveston Party Boats, Inc.

"Rare killer whale sighting from the New Buccaneer's 30-hour trip today," the boating company posted on Facebook. "These beautiful creatures put on quite the show - enjoy."

Check out the video below:

READ MORE FROM PRISCILLA: I visited a San Antonio 'living land museum' you can only access 2 Saturdays a month

The fishing boat left on a 30-hour trip for tuna fishing and saw the creatures Wednesday morning about 130 miles south of Galveston, the Galveston Party Boats, Inc. told MySA.com. This was the first time the captains have ever seen killer whales in the Gulf of Mexico, the business said.

Captains Matt Smith and Sam Hardeman, who weren't available for an interview at the time this article was published, told Fox 26 Houston that they first thought they were pilot whales, but then quickly realized they were orca whales. Smith said they stayed swimming alongside them for about 30 minutes.

"I've never seen an orca out of Galveston before," Hardeman told Fox 26 Houston. "I was very surprised to see them."

Smith said they had about 30 people on the boat for that trip, adding he's never seen anything like this. He said he's only ever seen them at SeaWorld.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration told MySA.com it's "uncommon" to see whales off the coast of Galveston. NOAA also shared a 2020 preliminary report that estimated 267 killer whales live in the Northern Gulf of Mexico. The most recent final stock assessment in 2012 estimated just 28 orcas in that region.

READ MORE: Here's why San Antonio's Northside looked dusty earlier this week

Galveston Party Boats are original operators of catamaran fishing vessels in Galveston, according to its Facebook page.

The species is not listed as threatened or endangered under the Endangered Species Act, but like all marine mammals, is protected under the Marine Mammal Protection Act.

The killer whale, also known as orca, is one of the top marine predators. It is the largest member of the Delphinidae family or oceanic dolphins. Found in every ocean in the world, they are the most widely distributed of all cetaceans (whales and dolphins).

Priscilla Aguirre is a general assignment reporter for MySA.com | priscilla.aguirre@express-news.net | @CillaAguirre
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By MARCIA DUNN

AP Aerospace Writer

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla.  President Joe Biden has chosen a former senator from Florida who flew on the space shuttle right before the Challenger accident to lead NASA.

Biden on Friday announced his intent to nominate Bill Nelson as the space agency's administrator.





. . .
SUV

As awesome as anyones first car is, it is almost always an econobox, to put it delicately. In the United States, turning 16 means the possibility you might get your parents hand-me-down or a used car off the lot, whose description can usually be summed in a single word ranging from s**tbox to decent.Exceptions to the rule do exist, of course, and you have to look no farther than celebrities kids to find them. In the world of multi-millionaire stars, a decent first car is a brand new Mercedes-BenzKevin Harts eldest child, Heaven, turned 16 earlier this month, and the actor and his ex-wife, Torrei, celebrated by hosting a Sweet Sixteen party at the house this weekend. The event was put together by bDASHd Event Planning and Bakery, which posted videos of the party on social media. This is where the video below also popped up, showing the moment in which Heaven got her birthday present from her dad.In the video, Heaven is being escorted outside the house by her mom, Torrei. Parked in the driveway, she finds a brand new SUV: what looks very much like a Mercedes-Benz GLA with two giant red bows on it. Heaven is quite stunned by the present, and she opens the doors to check out the interior, gets inside to try out the driver seat, and then returns to the partyafter all, its not like she could take it out right then and there. Her parents had thrown for her a My Hero Academia-themed bash, and all her friends were there.As you probably expected, reactions to the video range from way to go, Kevin for doing his best to give his kids a good life to way to spoil them, you irresponsible parent! In the end, its no ones business what one does for their kids, with their own money. But maybe it should come as no surprise that Kevin Hart, a well-known car enthusiast and collector , is looking to inspire the same kind of love for all things on four wheels in his children.
The U.S., E.U. and other countries announced new sanctions on China, with respect to human rights abuses. Did anything happen, that happened in Anchorage affect that? Well, on the first question, Im not aware of any linkage or plans to pull that back. Obviously, this was a reaction to what we felt were serious human rights abuses. Obviously, the Europeans felt this as well against members of Xinjiangs ethnic and religious minority groups. No meeting would change our concerns related to that. And we took action, as you noted, in unity with the United Kingdom, Canada and the European Union, who also acted against human rights abusers in connection with these atrocities. And we continue to have grave concerns about Chinas crimes against humanity and genocide on Uyghurs in Xinjiang. But I dont have anything to predict for you on future sanctions. Obviously, this is an issue that was raised in this meeting last week and was an issue that was raised by the president in his conversation with President Xi just a few weeks ago. What will the U.S. do, if anything, if China doesnt change its approach? This is, again, we will be evaluating what the appropriate next steps are in close coordination with our partners and allies around the world. And as secretary of state noted in his comments after this meeting, we are certain that the Chinese are noting that we are working much more closely with our allies and partners than had happened over the last four years, that we are focused on taking steps to invest in and improve our economic competition here at home. Those are all steps were certain are taking note of.
Of all water on the planet, only about one per cent is easily accessible fresh surface water available for consumption by the almost eight billion humans that inhabit it. Approximately 97 per cent is salt water, while the majority of remaining freshwater is frozen in ice caps and glaciers, or difficult to access groundwater. Two decades ago, Ford set out to reduce its per-vehicle water usage by an astonishing 72 per cent.

By 2013, Ford had already saved more than 10 billion gallons of water. In perhaps more digestible terms, thats the same as 15,000 competition-sized swimming pools, or over three hours forty minutes of thunderous Niagara Falls flow.

At Fords Chennai Vehicle Assembly and Engine Plant (CVAEP), freshwater consumption is down to an incredible 1.17 cubic meters per vehicle - from 7.3 cubic meters per vehicle only a decade ago. Having identified an alternate source of greywater to treat for use in non-production activities, the smart water efficiency processes see it recycle almost 100 per cent of industrial wastewater for use in manufacturing.

At Fords Sanand Vehicle Assembly and Engine Plant in Gujarat, there is zero water discharge with a 110,000 cubic meter rainwater harvesting pond used for pallet washing, irrigation, and with plans in place to replace the cooling towers water with rainwater, too.

Fords Global Business Technology and Business Center in Chennai (GTBC) can also claim zero discharge, thanks to its 100 per cent reuse of treated wastewater for dual plumbing, horticulture, and cooling tower chiller. Ford GTBC (since 2019) earned its Platinum green building rating at launch; the highest possible certification for sustainable buildings.

Similar efforts have been put in across Fords other manufacturing units globally.

Ford
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The Army will shrink by around 10,000 troops by 2025 in a major overhaul of the military aimed at boosting drones and cyber capability.

Defence Secretary Ben Wallace argued technological advances mean greater effect can be delivered by fewer people as he broke a Conservative pledge in the last election to maintain the size of the military.

With troop numbers dropping to the lowest level since 1714, Mr Wallace urged MPs not to play Top Trumps with force numbers as he detailed a a major modernisation of the armed forces on Monday.

But Defence Committee chairman Tobias Ellwood warned against the dramatic cuts to conventional military strength as Labour criticised the plan for fewer troops, fewer ships, fewer planes.

The changes set out in a defence command paper include 3 billion for new vehicles, long range rocket systems, drones, electronic warfare and cyber capabilities.

Numerous aging RAF planes will be retired, as will the oldest Chinook helicopters, while Navy frigates and destroyers drop from 19 to 17 in the coming years.

A third of the 227 Challenger tanks will be scrapped, with the rest of the fleet being upgraded at a cost of 1.3 billion.

Mr Wallace argued that the Army has not been at its established strength of 82,000 since the middle of last decade, but that it would reduce from 76,500 trade trained personnel currently to 72,500 by 2025.

The Armys increased deployability and technological advantage will mean that greater effect can be delivered by fewer people, he said.

These changes will not require redundancies and we wish to build on the work already done on utilising our reserves to make sure the whole force is better integrated and more productive.

Following the publication last week of the Integrated Review of foreign and defence policy, Mr Wallace argued that previous reviews were overambitious and underfunded, leaving forces that were overstretched and underequipped.

But, anticipating the anger from some Tory MPs, he recalled his own Army experience that despite the troop numbers boasted it was in truth a hollow force.

Mr Ellwood, a senior Conservative backbencher, welcomed investment in cyber as among the advances but warned they come at a huge price to our conventional defence posture.

He said there are dramatic cuts to troop numbers, tanks and RAF aircraft, which he suggested would not pass if the plans were put to a Commons vote.

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For Labour, shadow defence secretary John Healey warned his counterpart in Government that size matters, adding: This is a plan for fewer troops, fewer ships, fewer planes, over the next few years.

The cuts come despite the Prime Minister definitively ruling out any when launching his manifesto for the 2019 general election.

We will not be cutting our armed services in any form. We will be maintaining the size of our armed services, he said.

The Government argued modernisations are needed to create a more agile military able to counter evolving threats around the globe in a defence command paper published on Monday.

Titled Defence in a Competitive Age, it sets out how forces will spend more time deployed overseas to support allies and deter hostile powers such as Russia, which was identified in the Integrated Review as the most acute threat to the UK.

Mr Johnson spoke to Nato secretary general Jens Stoltenberg ahead of the Government detailing the major overhaul.

The Prime Minister told him of the wholescale modernisation of the armed forces and said a 24 billion increase in the defence budget brought spending to significantly above the Nato target, according to No 10.
THE PECH VALLEY, Afghanistan  A valley of wood workshops and green wheat fields, torn apart by violence during two decades of war in eastern Afghanistan, is now strangely quiet  the result of an uneasy truce between the Taliban and the local Afghan government, forged by a mutual enemy.

The two sides worked practically side by side to oust the Islamic State from Kunar Provinces Pech Valley  a strip of mountains and earth that saw fierce fighting at the height of the American-led war. The Islamic State had taken root there before Afghanistans president, Ashraf Ghani, claimed it was obliterated in late 2019.

Now the Islamic State attacks are rare and come only at night, residents say, by fighters from areas outside of Taliban and government control. Yet while smaller and more amorphous after its military defeat, the terror group still poses a threat to the region as it recruits both in cities and the countryside, waiting to take advantage of whatever might follow in the wars next iteration.

The coming months could signal a shift in the groups prominence, should the Taliban agree to stop fighting the Afghan government on a national scale and disenfranchised fighters  who have spent much of their lives at war  seek a new group with whom to ally in return for a steady paycheck.
Botswanas Former President Lt Gen Ian Khama this week defended a controversial shoot-to-kill policy used by its army, the Botswana Defence Forces (BDF), against suspected poachers.

Lt Gen Khama said that the shoot to kill policy is an operational procedure adopted by most countries and their security forces around the world, and applied depending on the situation at hand. It is not unique to Botswana.

An example of such a situation is where armed officers assigned to protect a VIP are confronted by an assassin, will draw their weapons and shoot to kill the assailant to save the life of the VIP, said Lt Gen Khama, Botswanas president from 2008 to 2018.

They are normally trained to fire two rounds in quick succession at the attacker to make sure he goes down and poses no more threat as he would if wounded.

The former President and Army Commander also drew an analogy between the situations the BDF anti-poaching unit finds itself in, and that of a civilian who finds themselves in a kill or be killed situation. He says other similar situations include those of terrorists, and armed robbers among others.

Poachers who cross the international boundary to shoot wildlife and those who protect [wildlife] are obviously risking their lives because no soldier when confronted by an armed aggressor anywhere will wait to be shot at first when it is his duty to protect himself, others and our national resources, he said.

Khama says there is no poacher who does not know that in Botswana the wildlife is protected by the BDF who are armed and will open fire to defend what they are deployed to do. Khama, a staunch conservationist, says he urged the authorities in the countries where poachers came from to educate and emphasise to their people the risks they took crossing the border armed and with the intention to kill Botswana soldiers.

Do not confuse shoot to kill with shoot on sight, Khama advises. Shoot to kill is only done in unique circumstances and when one usually has a split second to decide on the threat to themselves and others and is carried out based on instructions and training on orders for opening fire and rules of engagement, Khama explains.

Shoot on sight is indiscriminate and without consideration of the necessity whether to open fire or not. It has never been the practice in the BDF.

Khama would not comment specifically on the recent shooting of Namibians. I cannot comment as to whether the recent incident which resulted in the deaths of Namibians as reported was justified or not because I do not know the facts around what took place, he said.

(Space for Giants)

This article is reproduced here as part of the Giants Club African Conservation Journalism Fellowships, a programme of the charity Space for Giants and supported by the owner of ESI Media, which includes independent.co.uk. It aims to expand the reach of conservation and environmental journalism in Africa, and bring more African voices into the international conservation debate. Read the original article here
(Alliance News) - Minoan Group PLC on Monday said it has seen increased investor interest in Greece and has raised GBP187,000 via a placing.

The Surrey-based Greek hotel investor said despite the heavy impact of Covid-19 on the tourism sector, it has been encouraged by an upturn in investor sentiment towards Greece and its real estate and tourism industries.

"The importance of tourism to the Greek economy cannot be overstated and this, plus investor sentiment, are being reflected not only in ongoing Greek government initiatives but also by the interest being shown in the company's project in Crete from an ever increasing number of potential commercial partners," Minoan said.

Minoan is currently developing a resort in Crete.

Minoan expects to be able to progress with "one or more of these" once discussions with all interested parties have been concluded.

In light of these movements, Minoan has appointed the consulting division of a "top four" accountant with major expertise in the tourism market to refine its business plan, a process which is largely complete, in order to assist in achieving a successful outcome.

Additionally, Minoan said it raised GBP187,000 via a placing of 17 million shares at 1.1 pence each.

Minoan shares sunk 24% at 1.11 pence each in London on Monday morning.

By Greg Roxburgh; gregroxburgh@alliancenews.com

Copyright 2021 Alliance News Limited. All Rights Reserved.
Hagens Berman: Oregon State University Hit by Class-Action Lawsuit Seeking Tuition and Fee Repayment Amid COVID-19 Switch to Online Education at OSU

Students at Oregon State University filed a class-action lawsuit against OSU and its board of trustees, demanding repayment for tuition and other mandatory fees citing the university's COVID-19 campus closure and transition to online learning, according to attorneys at Hagens Berman representing the proposed class.

If you are paying for college tuition, and/or room and board at any U.S. college or university closed due to COVID-19, find out more about the lawsuit and your rights.

The lawsuit was filed Mar. 5, 2021, in the Circuit Court for the state of Oregon, Multnomah County, and accuses the university of breach of contract and unjust enrichment. The law firm representing the student has also brought similar lawsuits against Boston University, Brandeis University (News - Alert) , Brown University, Emory University, George Washington University, Harvard University, Hofstra University, University of Miami, New York University, Pepperdine University, Quinnipiac University, Rutgers University, University of Oregon, University of Southern California, Vanderbilt University, University of Washington and Washington University in St. Louis for failure to repay tuition-payers for their losses.

"So much of a college student's educational experience involves hands-on, in-person access to campus events, facilities, instruction and collaboration," said Steve Berman, managing partner of Hagens Berman and attorney for students in the class action. "We believe that when OSU closed its campus, transitioning to onine-only classes, it barred tuition payers from the very things they paid for, and in our opinion, they deserve repayment."







The complaint reads, "Despite sending students home, transitioning to online instruction, and closing its campuses, Oregon State University continued to charge for tuition, and/or fees as if nothing changed, continuing to reap the financial benefit of millions of dollars from students. OSU did so despite students' complete inability to continue school as normal, occupy campus buildings and dormitories, or avail themselves of school programs and events."

The students bringing the lawsuit states that they paid OSU for "opportunities and services they did not receive, including on-campus education, facilities, services, and activities."

"Plaintiffs applied to the University and accepted its offer of admission understanding that it constituted an offer for in-person classes for the duration of the undergraduate or graduate period for which they were offered enrollment," according to the lawsuit. "While Plaintiffs could have pursued their degrees exclusively online, they instead specifically selected an on-campus experience for the variety of educational and extracurricular opportunities and benefits that only an in-person program can provide."

The lawsuit highlights that the plaintiffs enrolled to obtain in-person, on-campus instruction including ability to attend professors' office hours and access campus amenities and faculty mentorship.

Other Affected Universities

Hagens Berman is investigating the rights of those who are currently paying for tuition and fees at all U.S. colleges and universities that have been forced to close and offer online only courses due to the outbreak of COVID-19. This may include parents, guardians or college students who are paying for their own costs of college.

Despite orders from colleges and universities sending students home and offering only online courses, these institutions of higher learning continued to charge for full tuition and fees. Collectively, these institutions are continuing to receive millions from students despite their inability to continue school as normal or occupy campus buildings and/or dorms.

Find out more about the class-action lawsuit against colleges and universities for tuition, room and board and other costs incurred during the outbreak of COVID-19.

About Hagens Berman

Hagens Berman Sobol Shapiro LLP is a consumer-rights class-action law firm with 10 offices worldwide. The firm's tenacious drive for plaintiffs' rights has earned it numerous national accolades, awards and titles of "Most Feared Plaintiff's Firm," MVPs and Trailblazers of class-action law. More about the law firm and its successes can be found at www.hbsslaw.com. Follow the firm for updates and news at @ClassActionLaw.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210322005746/en/
Armenia MFA information department chief: All deputy FMs carrying out their duties

Ardshinbank invited children to the cinema on International Childrens Day

Armenia judiciary to have 10 more judges

Armenia acting premier: We had recorded 40% increase in tax revenues according to 2019 results

Armenia acting PM on Artsakh war casualties bodies: We have 50 remains in which case DNA was not separated

Azerbaijan authorities plan to "squeeze" everything from "terrorist show" related to Armenian captives

Ameriabank Announces a Contest for Bank Card Design

108 new cases of COVID-19 confirmed in Armenia

Armenia parliament convenes special session

Armenia interim government holding Cabinet meeting

Catholicos of All Armenians heads for Syunik Province, Artsakh

World oil prices going up

Iran loses right to vote in UN General Assembly

Newspaper: Armenia authorities come up with new way of punishing unwanted characters

Newspaper: Russia army Southern Military District deputy commander to arrive in Yerevan Thursday

Lebanese Armenian man taken prisoner by Azerbaijan is hospitalized

Armenia ex-President Kocharyan: Are we getting under the burden? Then lets get under to the end

Armenia acting health minister on keeping fallen soldiers bodies in bags: What else should they be kept in?

Armenia acting health minister on citizens' demand for her resignation

Karabakh's new State Minister Artak Beglaryan on his appointment and future activities

Armenian, Russian and Azerbaijani representatives hold consultations in Moscow

2 Armenian soldiers receive slight injuries after incident with Azerbaijani servicemen in Armenia's Gegharkunik

Armenian boy weighing 5 kg born at Goris Medical Center

"Armenia" bloc representative presents purpose of participation in elections and plans

Isaac Herzog elected President of Israel

Rouhani: Main issues between Tehran, Washington resolved in Vienna

Charles Michel calls on Armenia and Azerbaijan to resume constructive negotiations

US Department of State responds to Pashinyan's proposal to deploy international observers on Armenia-Azerbaijan border

Head of Armenia 2nd President's Office: Robert Kocharyan's public meetings are held in warm atmosphere

Opposition "Armenia" bloc's representative on photos and videos showing bags of deceased servicemen's bodies

Armenia Ombudsman, AGBU President discuss war crimes committed by Azerbaijan during Karabakh war

Opposition "Armenia" bloc's representatives to hold briefings three times a week

Opposition "Armenia" bloc member: Blood-freezing photos and videos from morgue in Abovyan are authorities' reflection

Yerevan mayor receives Netherlands Ambassador

Armenia Health Ministry, Investigative Committee keep info about sending remains of dead soldiers abroad confidential

Armenia Prosecutor General's Office launches case regarding leaving sacs of servicemen's bodies/remains in basement

Peskov: Putin and Biden to discuss cybersecurity issues

Armenia's Pashinyan meets with Belgian PM Alexander De Croo

Armenia acting MOD receives Netherlands Ambassador

Armenia Police: 3 citizens apprehended during protest demanding acting health minister's resignation

NATO warns Minsk about further consequences of Ryanair incident

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
For months, San Antonians have endured another sort of COVID-19 fatigue  the mental drain of trying to secure a vaccine.

It goes like this: refreshing browser tabs; redialing 311; checking incoming text messages while wishing for an appointment to open up with one of Metro Healths providers.

Readers have also told the Express-News theyve enlisted family, friends and neighbors in the hunt, and have praised waitlists in other communities  from Schertz to Houston  that deliver quick results, even if they require a daytrip.

On Tuesday, the citys Community Health and Equity Committee again debated establishing a vaccine registry as San Antonio remains the only big city in Texas without one. At this point, lets call it a missed opportunity  one that would have eased anxiety in the early months of vaccine distribution. The White House is launching a call center and a website  VaccineFinder.gov  set to go live May 1 to help the public register with vaccination sites near them.

President Joe Bidens initiative to get the nation closer to normal by July Fourth also includes shifting its distribution policy to deliver more than 81 million vaccinations to Americans in seven weeks. One-third of vaccines would go to retail pharmacies, and the remainder to hospitals, health care systems and 900 community centers that would receive up to $80 per fully vaccinated person. This likely will make a local waitlist unnecessary.

Still, without a waitlist, San Antonio deserves a pat on the back. Its texting service, which allow residents to sign up for alerts as new appointments open, has bigger potential: The city already has partnerships with providers like those Biden describes.

Waiting for VaccineFinder.gov to launch might work in San Antonios favor. Registries in other Texas cities have their limitations: Residents who sign up in Austin  as well in Harris and Dallas counties  must manually complete appointments, as Express-News reporter Joshua Fechter has outlined.

Even a state-level effort wouldnt guarantee success; after Massachusetts expanded eligibility for the COVID-19 vaccine last month, its website crashed.

More and easier vaccine appointments by summertime? Hopefully in May, well start hearing more sighs of relief than busy signals.
New Delhi, March 22 : With the BJP leaving no stone unturned to garner people's support to form the government for the second term in Assam, its strategists are working on getting over one crore votes as they believe it will ensure their party's victory.

As per the arithmetic, the BJP calculates that of the 2.3 crore total voters in Assam about 1.60 crore will cast their votes in the ensuing assembly polls to be held in three phases from March 27 to April 6. If they secure more than one crore votes, then it will be difficult for political rivals to stop the saffron party from forming the government again.

To achieve this target, the BJP is working on two fronts -- one, asking its workers to get one vote each from their family members and friends. The BJP has around 50 lakh workers which include 42 lakh online workers and eight lakh other workers. On another front the BJP is reaching out to beneficiaries of different government schemes across Assam. The saffron party has identified 96 lakh beneficiaries of such schemes.

A senior party leader said that the target to get more than one crore votes is realistic and it can be achieved easily by working on both fronts of workers and beneficiaries. "We asked our workers to get an additional vote from their family members and friends. Similarly, we are reaching out to the beneficiaries to convince them, if the maximum of them vote for the BJP, then we will easily win the Assam polls," he said.

The BJP is contesting on 92 seats and its alliance partners AGP and UPPL are contesting on 26 seats and eight seats respectively. Polling for the 126 Assam Assembly seats will be held in three phases from March 27 to April 6. The counting of votes will take place on May 2.
Sports

National rally cship from Apr 23 in Chennai; Nagaland to host final round

CHENNAI, MAR 22 (IANS) | Publish Date: 3/22/2021 1:46:52 PM IST

The first round of the Indian National Rally Championship will be held on April 23 and 25 in Chennai. The championship, which also doubles as one of three Asian rounds of the FIA Asia Pacific Rally Championship, will consist of six rounds with the final round planned in Nagaland from November 12 to 14.

The second round will be held in Bengaluru (May 28-20), followed by Coimbatore (July 17-18), Delhi-NCR (August 27-28) and Hampi (October 1-3). This years championship will see the SUV class added into the mix.

We could not go all guns out last year due to reasons known to all. The pandemic had tied our hands and it was very difficult for us to organise a full season but still we did what we could do best and completed three rounds. But we are back on the track again and will have six rounds again this year, Vamsi Merla, director of Champions Yacht Club and promoter of INRC said.

When we came into motorsports, it was always our mission to take the sports to all the parts of the country and make it more inclusive and that is the reason we have given a chance to three new clubs. We are anticipating a great year ahead and hope that it exceeds all our expectations, he added.

INRC 2021 Calendar:

Round 1 - Chennai: Madras Motor Sports Club - April 23-25

Round 2 - Bengaluru: Karnataka Motor Sports Club -May 28-30

Round 3 - Coimbatore: Coimbatore Auto Sports Club - July 17-18

Round 4 - Delhi: Subject to FMSCI inspection and confirmation of organizer by the FMSCI - August 27-28

Round 5 - Hampi: Motorsports Academy of Vijayanagar - October 1-3

Round 6 - Nagaland: Subject to FMSCI inspection and confirmation of organizer by the FMSCI - November 12-14
The banning of menthol cigarettes, the mint-flavored products that have been aggressively marketed to Black Americans, has long been an elusive goal for public health regulators.

But Covid-19 and the Black Lives Matter movement have put new pressure on Congress and the White House to reduce racial health disparities. And there are few starker examples than this: Black smokers smoke less but die of heart attacks, strokes and other causes linked to tobacco use at higher rates than white smokers do, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. And 85 percent of Black smokers use Newport, Kool and other menthol brands that are easier to become addicted to and harder to quit than plain tobacco, according to the Food and Drug Administration.

Covid-19 exposed the discriminatory treatment that Black people have been facing for hundreds of years, said Dr. Phillip Gardiner, a co-chairman of the African American Tobacco Control Leadership Council, which has been pushing for menthol bans in communities across the country. Calling menthol cigarettes and cigarillos main vectors of disease and death among Black Americans, he added, Its precisely at this time that we need strong public health measures.

There is now growing momentum in Congress to enact a ban. In states and municipalities across the country, Black public health activists have been organizing support and getting new laws passed at the state and local level. Public opposition among white parents to all flavored e-cigarettes, including menthol, has brought new resources to the issue. And the F.D.A. is under a court order to respond to a citizens petition to ban menthol by April 29.
11:01 | Viru (La Libertad region), Mar. 22.







Unfortunately, this discovery did not come to light as a result of a planned research activity, but because of the destruction of the site by a group of individuals seeking to expand their agricultural fields.

Traces of heavy machinery used for such purpose to the detriment of the heritage are still present in the area.





On November 11, 2020, archaeologist Regulo Franco known for finding the funeral bundle of the Lady of Cao  states that he was alerted to the appearance of this iconography by a person close to him.

According to Franco, he went immediately to the area after he was told about this evidence.





"When I reached the place, I was so surprised to see such an impressive facade with geometric figures. The types of adobe found there bore no relationship with the Moche occupation, but with Cupisnique's," he told Andina news agency.









"After taking a close look at the evidence, I have come to the conclusion that this monument belongs to the formative or initial stage, that is to say, it dates back around 3,200 years," he said.





The archaeologist believes that 60% of the huaca or burial mound has been destroyed and that only a small building of around 15 meters in diameter and 5 meters high remains.









(END) LPZ/MAO/RMB





Located in the middle of avocado and sugar cane crops in the heart of Viru Province's valley in La Libertad region there is a huaca (a burial site) whose southern facade features a wall painting that is more than 3,200 years old and belongs to Peru's ancient Cupisnique Culture.Published: 3/22/2021
ACWORTH, Ga.  Mario Gonzalez heard the gunfire from inside Youngs Asian Massage and immediately worried about his wife, who was in another room. But before he could check on her, he said, law enforcement officials handcuffed and detained him for about four hours while they worked to determine the identity of the gunman.

During that time, officers told him that his wife, Delaina Ashley Yaun, 33, had been killed.

Gonzalez described Tuesday's shooting and the confused hours that followed in a video interview and news story published by the Spanish-language news site Mundo Hispanico. He expressed his frustration with law enforcement officials for detaining him, suggesting that he might have been treated poorly because he is Latino, and shared his anguish over the loss of his wife.

They took away the most precious thing that I have in my life, Gonzalez said of the gunman, before stopping himself and correcting tenses. That I had.

The attack at Youngs Asian Massage was part of a shooting rampage at three spas in and around Atlanta. Yaun was among eight people killed by a gunman who intentionally targeted employees at those businesses, law enforcement officials said.

Representatives for the Sheriffs Office did not immediately respond to messages seeking comment on Sunday, but the accusations leveled by Gonzalez come after the agency had already faced scrutiny after a spokesman for the Sheriffs Office described the gunman as having a really bad day.

The spokesman, Capt. Jay Baker, was no longer the offices public representative on the case, and the sheriff, Frank Reynolds, apologized and defended Baker as not intending to disrespect the victims or their families. We regret any heartache Capt. Bakers words may have caused, Reynolds said.

Efforts to reach Gonzalez in recent days have also been unsuccessful.

Tuesday had been a date night for Gonzalez and Yaun, and the couple, who married last spring, went after work to Youngs Asian Massage, in the Atlanta suburb of Acworth. They arrived shortly before the shooting started, Gonzalez said in the video interview, and they were ushered into separate rooms for their massages.

The authorities said Robert Aaron Long, 21, began his rampage shortly before 5 p.m. at Youngs, which is wedged in a small shopping center between a boutique and hair salon.

Gonzalez told Mundo Hispanico that he heard the gunshots but that he was too afraid to open the door to see what was happening. He feared the bullets were flying into the room where his wife was taken.

Once Cherokee County sheriffs deputies arrived, he was detained and held for about four hours, Gonzalez said, according to Mundo Hispanico.

He said he did not see his wife as he was led out of the spa, and officers did not let him get close to her. Eventually, he said, officers told him that his wife had been killed.

And they knew that I was the husband, Gonzalez said of the authorities. He held a photograph of himself with his wife as he spoke. They gave me the news that she was dead.

He questioned why it took officials so long to tell him that his wife had died, and he wondered why they had detained him in the first place.

Maybe because Im Mexican, I dont know, he said. Because the truth is they treated me badly. He showed the camera the marks left on his arm from the handcuffs placed on him by officers.

Gonzalez had met Yaun at a Waffle House restaurant, where he was a customer and she was a server. Yaun had been a single mother, raising a 13-year-old son. The couple married last year and had a daughter, who is now 8 months old. What I need most right now is support, Gonzalez said in the interview.

After the shooting at the Acworth spa, the authorities said that Long continued his attack. Gunfire was reported at two other massage parlors near each other in Atlanta.

His car was spotted two hours later, about 150 miles south of Atlanta, in Crisp County, Georgia, officials said.

Investigators said Long appeared to have been motivated by an addiction to sex. He targeted the spas as an outlet for something that he shouldnt be doing, Baker said in a news conference last week.

Long has been charged with eight counts of murder. On Sunday, Crabapple First Baptist Church, the conservative congregation that had been central to his life, formally ejected him from church membership, saying it could no longer affirm that he is truly a regenerate believer in Jesus Christ.

In Sunday services, the first since the rampage, the sermon was devoted to grief and pain, including biblical passages of loss and lament. The names of the eight victims were read aloud.

All of our hearts are broken, said Jerry Dockery, the senior pastor, adding that the congregation had been gutted by the hatred and violence of the attacks.

It was a sense of devastation that Gonzalez struggled with as he contemplated raising his stepson and his daughter without Yaun.

That murderer, he said in the interview, only left me pain.

This article originally appeared in The New York Times.
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Police in Kirinyaga County have in their custody a man who allegedly killed his colleague following a disagreement over who between them should prepare supper.

According to witnesses, the deceased Charles Mbogo, 30, who worked as a farmhand, picked a quarrel with his colleague on Saturday night in Mungetho village, Ndia Constituency.

The assailant then picked a kitchen knife and stabbed the victim repeatedly in the chest, killing him on the spot.

A resident, Manases Kariuki, said he tried to restrain the assailant from attacking his colleague in vain.
DHS chief says US-Mexico border is closed'; over 15K unaccompanied minors in US custody

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Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas on Sunday said the United States southern border is closed to migrants  a claim refuted by a Republican senator  as there are said to be at least 15,500 unaccompanied migrant minors housed in U.S. custody.

The message is quite clear, do not come. The border is closed, the border is secure, Mayorkas said on ABCs This Week."

We are encouraging children not to come, Mayorkas added. Now is not the time to come. Do not come. The journey is dangerous. We are building safe, orderly and humane ways to address the needs of vulnerable children. Do not come.

Amid increasing criticism from Republicans and some Democrats who say there is an ongoing crisis at the border, the Biden appointee assured during the interview that the administration knows how to address it.

We have a plan, we are executing on our plan, and we will succeed, he said. This is what we do.

Mayorkas blamed the Trump administration for the border situation.

The entire system under United States law that has been in place throughout administrations of both parties was dismantled in its entirety by the Trump administration, he alleged. So we are rebuilding the system as we address the needs of vulnerable children who arrive at our borders.

Data reviewed by CBS News suggests that the U.S. government is housing about 15,500 unaccompanied migrant minors, including 5,000 teenagers and children stranded in Border Patrol facilities not designed for long-term custody, as of Saturday.

According to the data, unaccompanied children are spending an average of about 136 hours in Customs and Border Protection custody even though U.S. law says the limit is 72 hours.

More than 100,000 people crossed the southern border illegally in February.

Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., refuted the claims made by Mayorkas.

Hes basically saying the United States will not secure our border and that is a big welcome sign to migrants from across the world, Cotton told Fox News Sunday.

The border is wide open. There are reports now Custom and Border Patrol may be directed to simply start processing people into the country without even giving them a notice to appear in court, he said

And, of course, all of these bogus asylum claims are taking up so much manpower and resources of the border, that means that we also have other threats, like increases in fentanyl and other kinds of drug trafficking or persons on the terrorist watch list crossing to our border, he added. The border right now is wide open because the Biden administration dismantled the very effective policies of the Trump administration and the agreements we had with Mexico and other Latin American countries.

Cotton called on Biden to reinstate a public health restriction for minors and carry on with Trump-era policies that sought to keep pending asylum seekers in Mexico and required migrants to make asylum claims outside of the U.S.

Rep. Henry Cuellar, D-Texas, believes that the Biden administration may force some migrants to wait on the other side of the border while their asylum claims are adjudicated.

The Secretary now has said that they're going to be looking at some sort of processing centers in Mexico, but they need Mexicos help to process people before they come into the U.S. In my opinion, its a modified version of the MPP, Cuellar said in an interview with "Full Measure," referring to the Migrant Protection Protocol.

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott ordered an investigation into the water supply at a camp for migrant children opened by the Biden administration in Pecos after the water supply in another center was undrinkable.

The Biden administration continues to show that it is dangerously unprepared to handle the surge in illegal border crossings as they rush to open yet another facility for unaccompanied minors in Texas, the Republican governor said in a statement.

President Joe Biden said Sunday that he plans to visit the Mexico border at some point.

At some point, I will, yes, he told reporters at the White House after being asked if he wanted to see first-hand whats happening at overcrowded migrant processing centers, according to Bloomberg. I know whats going on in those facilities.

The Washington Post recently reported that the Biden administration planned 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 recently at a press briefing.
Japan will emerge from 10 weeks of coronavirus restrictions on Sunday, just in time for the peak of the annual cherry blossom viewing season.

In normal years, the appearance of the delicate pink flowers is the cue for friends to spread out picnic blankets and lose their inhibitions in a ritual that often involves copious quantities of food and drink, and a nodding recognition of the floral spectacular. But the lifting of the state of emergency, announced earlier this month by the prime minister, Yoshihide Suga, will not be celebrated beneath the sakura.

In Tokyo parks that would normally be filled with picnicking families, signs warn that flower-viewing parties are forbidden. Popular spots have been roped off and festivals cancelled or scaled down. Illuminations will not be switched on and security guards will be on the lookout for anyone grabbing a furtive beer and bento. Instead, blossom viewing will be restricted to masked strolls in designated areas.

And the end of the state of emergency in Tokyo and three neighbouring prefectures on Sunday will not be quite as liberating as it sounds  the ban on boozing beneath the blossoms is only one of several restrictions that will remain. Bars and restaurants that have been asked to close at 8pm will be allowed to stay open for one more hour, and residents are encouraged to avoid non-essential outings. Japans ban on virtually all inbound foreign travellers will stay.

While Suga said the improved availability of hospital beds had made it possible to ease restrictions, the governor of Tokyo, Yuriko Koike, warned that the overall situation in the capital remained severe and asked people to avoid non-essential outings.

While daily cases are much lower than in early January, the end of the emergency measures has drawn criticism for coming at a time when infections in Tokyo are creeping back up. Its daily tally remains far higher than Koikes target of reducing the seven-day average by 70% or more than the preceding week. The city reported 342 cases on Saturday  compared with an all-time peak of 2,520 on 7 January  but this was higher than the previous four Saturdays.
Source: Xinhua| 2021-03-21 23:31:28|Editor: huaxia

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BEIJING, March 21 (Xinhua) -- China's TV and radio integrated broadcasters shall launch special channels and frequencies, time slots, sections, and modes for programs targeting minors as an audience, says a draft law on TV and radio.

The law urges mechanisms, such as the commissioner for the protection of minors and the evaluation committee for programs targeting minors, to ensure the content is appropriate for children and minors' interests are better protected.

The audience should be warned when a program may contain content unsuitable for minors and make a rational arrangement on the program release time and layout, the draft law states.

Public opinion is being invited until April 16, 2021, for the draft law, which is available on the website of the National Radio and Television Administration.

The draft law is yet to be tabled before lawmakers for deliberation, which is part of the legislation procedure. Enditem
The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways on Sunday alerted NHAI, NHIDCL and its other wings besides automobile makers to augment their IT security systems after reports regarding threats of possible cyber attacks targeted at the Indian transport sector.

The ministry said it has received an alert from the Indian Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT-In) about possible cyber attacks.

"The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways received an alert from CERT-In regarding targeted intrusion activities directed towards Indian Transport sector with possible malicious intentions. The Ministry has advised departments and organisations under transport sector to strengthen the security posture of their infrastructure," the Ministry said in a statement.

It has requested NIC, National Highways Authority of India (NHAI), National Highways and Infrastructure Development Corporation (NHIDCL), Indian Road Congress (IRC), Indian Academy of Highway Engineers (IAHE), State PWDs, Testing agencies and Automobile manufacturers to conduct the security audit of the entire IT system by CERT-In certified agencies.

It advised such security audits on a regular basis besides taking all actions as per their recommendations.

Also it asked the audit report and the action taken report to be regularly submitted to the ministry.

Last year in June also NHAI has reported a cyber attack on its email server and had said that prompt action resulted in no data loss. It had shut down its server then as a precaution.

This story has been published from a wire agency feed without modifications to the text. Only the headline has been changed.
MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russia's RDIF sovereign wealth fund said on Monday it had reached an agreement with India's Virchow Biotech to produce up to 200 million doses a year of the Sputnik V vaccine in India.

RDIF said full-scale commercial production would start after completing the transfer of technology in the second quarter.

The announcement follows similar deals with Indian pharmaceutical firms Gland Pharma, Stelis Biopharma and Hetero.

"Virchow's proven capabilities in large-scale drug substance manufacturing should help meet the global demand for this vaccine," Dr. Tummuru Murali, Managing Director of Virchow Biotech, said in a statement issued by RDIF.

India, the world's largest vaccine maker, has become one of the biggest producers of the Sputnik V shot outside Russia. Other countries producing it include Brazil, China and South Korea.

Dr. Reddy's Laboratories Ltd, which has run small clinical studies of Sputnik V in India, sought emergency-use approval for the vaccine last month, but India's drug regulator asked for more data from the Sputnik V developers.

(Reporting by Anton Kolodyazhnyy; Writing by Gabrielle Tetrault-Farber and Polina Ivanova; Editing by Edmund Blair)
DENVER, March 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Venice Ristorante & Wine Bar, a local Italian restaurant in Downtown Denver, has been voted "Best of Denver" for its elite venetian cuisine combined with an exclusive wine list curated by Chef & Restauranteur Alessandro Carollo with his elite culinary and service teams.

Front Entrance to Venice Ristorante & Wine Bar Denver

Founded in 2002, Venice Ristorante & Wine Bar is not only a great Italian restaurant, but easily one of the best wine bars in Downtown Denver. Venice is also considered one of the best fine dining restaurants to take a date. This combination of quality food and excellence in service, led by Alessandro and his team, are what have created a Denver staple for authentic Italian.

In a conversation with Alessandro, he said, "It's such an honor every time we win an award or are placed onto a 'Best Of' list. It validates all the hard work that our team puts in everyday, to provide the best fine dining experience in downtown Denver for our customers. I couldn't imagine doing anything else. This is the American Dream."

After nearly 20 years in business, Venice Ristorante & Wine Bar has become one of Denver's most recognizable establishments, with its prime location at the corner of 17th and Wynkoop, across the street from Union Station, and one block up from 16th St. Mall in Downtown Denver, it offers a comfortable patio setting on both sides of its restaurant to enjoy outdoor dining. Whether coming and going from work in the Central Business District or touring Denver on vacation, Venice is a stop to make if you want to find some of the best Italian Food in Denver.

This isn't the first time that Venice has been awarded for its quality and ambiance. Alessandro and his team are one of the most awarded Italian restaurants in Denver. If you haven't stopped in before, come by and check out their happy hour, once again, one of the best in the city. The food and wine pairing capabilities are on par with Denver's other top options, which only gets better with the ambiance.

On any given night in Venice whether at one of the tables or at the wine bar, you get to see an assortment of professionals, socialites, and couples in love - both young and old. Mix that with soft lighting and a combination of modern and traditional Italian music results in one of the most desirable date settings in Downtown Denver.

When it's time to look for a restaurant to take that special date, if you want to find some of the best Italian food in the city, or you seek a great place for food and wine pairing, then Venice Ristorante & Wine Bar is one of the best options to go with. Call the restaurant today at 303-534-2222 or stop by 1700 Wynkoop St. Denver, CO 80202 to ask any questions or set a reservation. They open at 4pm daily, and close at 10pm.

Contact:

John Piccone

3035342222

[email protected]

SOURCE Venice Ristorante & Wine Bar
In a world where lockdowns and shelter-in-place orders restrict physical movement, digital technology is filling the void to keep households connected, supplied, entertained and informed.

But amid the increased demand for digital products and services  and the logistical challenges associated with a massive work-from-home transition  many tech companies have not forgotten those who are struggling right now. We asked leaders at 100 startups and larger tech companies across the United States to describe how theyre giving back to their local communities during this uncertain season, and the responses offer a fine example of our industrys wealth of ingenuity.

There are many ways in which successful businesses can offer support when society needs it. Among the responses listed here, we find data science companies offering their services to health organizations, fintech startups helping small businesses navigate the federal stimulus package and wellness apps helping doctors and nurses on the pandemics front lines look after their own mental health. Meanwhile, other companies are supporting food banks, replacing school lunches and donating personal protective equipment.

https://builtin.com/united-we-tech/tech-companies-giving-back-during-coronavirus
Police officers and SWAT teams enforced restrictions against spring break partiers after chaos erupted in South Beach. The lack of masks and social distancing has authorities worried about another COVID-19 spike. CBS News' Elise Preston joins "CBSN AM" with more.

Video Transcript

- And now we're going to take you to Miami, where authorities were forced to keep strict restrictions against spring breakers in place after chaos erupted in South Beach over the weekend. The city is being criticized after police and partiers clashed in Miami Beach. And officers are accused of using pepper balls to clear the crowds.

Meanwhile, many of the people out on the streets were not wearing masks. And officials are concerned that this may lead to another surge in coronavirus cases, just as the fight to end the pandemic in the US is hanging in the balance. Elise Preston is with us now in New York. Elise, what's the latest?

ELISE PRESTON: Good morning, Anne-Marie. Well, COVID travel recently hit a record, as more Americans are starting to visit cities like Miami. Officials in Miami Beach have announced they're extending an 8:00 PM curfew in highly trafficked areas through April 12, that after thousands of spring breakers, many maskless, flooded the streets, defying a Saturday night emergency curfew.

The SWAT team needed to help break up the crowd, which some feared could spark a new coronavirus surge. The city's mayor announced the extended measure during an emergency virtual session yesterday.

DAN GELBER: --could reach 1,000 infections a day on most days. And 50 to 100 people are still checking into the hospital every day in Dade County. And our city isn't escaping that, even with so much of the vaccine being delivered.

ELISE PRESTON: Florida is leading the country in cases of the highly contagious variants first discovered in the UK and Brazil. Still, some vacationers insist the strict measures Miami Beach is implementing are excessive.

- I'm from Detroit. They come to our city and act up. But our mayor don't shut-- make it a curfew because of that.

Story continues

ELISE PRESTON: As more than a dozen states are seeing rising COVID cases, Americans are increasingly on the move. More than 1.4 million fliers went through US airports on Friday, setting a pandemic record. Still, health experts remain cautiously optimistic, thanks primarily to more than 81 million American adults having received at least one vaccine dose.

- There's enough of a backstop here that I don't think you're going to see a fourth surge.

ELISE PRESTON: More than 13% of the US population is fully vaccinated. And there is growing concern this morning about variants. Experts say it's unclear how effective they are against-- how effective the vaccines are against them. Anne-Marie.

- Yeah, of course. Let's go back to Florida. City officials decided to extend the emergency curfew through April 12. Do we know why they decided to keep it that long? Is it just because they expect more spring breakers to be sort of coming down as different schools, I guess, break at different times? And also before the crowds arrived, were there restrictions in place?

ELISE PRESTON: Well, that's exactly it, Anne-Marie. As far as that question, now, the April 10 extension, that extension for a few weeks, that goes along with that typical spring break timeline. Now prior to the spring break season, many businesses in the area, they were actually really looking forward to an economic boost to their businesses. They hadn't seen those tourism dollars throughout the pandemic.

- Yeah, I bet they need it too, but safety first, of course. Elise, thank you very much.
Payment will be made at the rate of 250 / ha for those applicants who chop and incorporate oats, rye, wheat or barley, and oil seed rape will be paid at the rate of 150 / ha. Photo: (PA)

Details of a new Straw Incorporation Measure (SIM) have been announced with a total fund of 10 million is available for 2021.

The scheme will support Irish tillage farmers who decide to chop and incorporate the straw into the soil after harvest.

Announcing the opening of SIM, Minister for Agriculture Charlie McConalogue said, This is an important initiative firstly for tillage farmers, but also for the environment. It will help farmers who want to increase their soil organic carbon levels by means of straw chopping and incorporation. I am confident that this focused type of intervention can act as a model for future scheme development.

Applications can be made from today (March 22) via the BPS online application form, available at agfood.ie. The closing date for applications is Monday 17 May.

Payment will be made at the rate of 250/ha for those applicants who chop and incorporate oats, rye, wheat or barley, and oil seed rape will be paid at the rate of 150/ha.

The minimum application is 5 ha, with a maximum of 40 ha. If the Measure is over-subscribed a process of ranking and selection will be applied.

An application for SIM does not guarantee entry. In circumstances where SIM is over-subscribed a process of ranking and selection will be applied.

Commenting further the Minister said, Im acutely aware that a vibrant tillage sector is crucial for Irish agriculture. I am confident that SIM can make an important contribution to the long term sustainability of the tillage sector and I look forward to seeing tillage farmers actively engage in the measure.

"I know that advisors and indeed officials from my Department are there to assist with the application process. I support the long-term viability of the tillage sector and will listen to and engage with the sector in the time ahead.

How to qualify

You must be cultivating any or all of the following crops which must be declared on your Basic Payment Scheme application:

winter or spring oats

rye

winter or spring wheat

winter or spring barley

winter or spring oil seed rape

As soon as possible after the crops have been harvested, the straw must be:

chopped

spread evenly

incorporated into the soil

You can get paid on at least 5 hectares but on no more than 40 hectares. If you apply for more than 40 hectares you will have to carry out the measure on the whole area applied for but not get paid for more than 40 hectares.

There is a budget of 10 million for this scheme. If more people apply for it than can be paid using the budget, then applications will be ranked.

We will notify you in June if your application is successful.

Rate of payment

Oats, Rye, Wheat, Barley - 250/ha

Oil Seed Rape - 150/ha
Yooma, in which FastForward holds a 5.1% stake, said the US$25mln acquisition of the cannabinoid ingredients maker will expand its geographic footprint into the US

FastForward Innovations Ltd (LON:FFWD) has highlighted an announcement that its investee Yooma Wellness Inc, in which it holds a 5.1% stake, has acquired Socati Corp, a US-based maker and seller of cannabinoid ingredients and consumer products.

In its announcement, Yooma said the acquisition will expand its geographic footprint into the US after recently acquiring various UK and European wellness brands, including Blossom, MYO Plant Nutrition, What the Hemp and Hello Joya.

Yooma also said the purchase will provide vertical integration opportunities, with the ability to manufacture functional ingredients to use in its growing portfolio of cannabinoid and hemp-derived wellness products.

Under the terms of the deal, Yooma has paid US$25mln through the issue of around 23.3mln shares in the company at a price of C$1.34 each.

"Socati's unique ability to deliver consistent cannabinoid ingredients and finished products that meet industry-leading quality standards makes Socati a natural fit for Yooma. The Socati acquisition further expands Yooma's global footprint by adding Socati's customer base which includes some of the largest consumer brands in the CBD and wellness space across North America", Yooma chairman Lorne Abony said in a statement.

"We are delighted with Yooma's rapid progress; this latest acquisition demonstrates its international ambition to expand beyond Asia into all the major cannabinoid markets including the US and Europe", added FastForward chief executive Ed McDermott.

Shares in FastForward jumped 4.3% to 9.2p in late-afternoon trading on Monday.
Atletico Madrid are still being hunted down by the chasing pack in LaLiga Santander. Matchday 28 saw Diego Simeone's side win, but so did both of their rivals.

After Real Madrid's 3-1 win over Celta Vigo and Barcelona's 6-1 thrashing of Real Sociedad, Los Colchoneros are still feeling the heat at the top.

After the international break, the final 10 matchdays of the 2020/21 LaLiga Santander season will be played, with 30 points up for grabs.

There are two remaining fixtures between the three title favourites, with El Clasico on Matchday 30 and Barcelona hosting Atletico on Matchday 35.

Sevilla could close the gap on the teams above them if they take points off the likes of Atletico on Matchday 29 and Real Madrid on Matchday 35.

With their four-point lead over Barcelona still intact, Atletico are the only team that have their fate in their own hands. They have an inferior head-to-head record against Real Madrid, though, should they finish level on points with their neighbours.
MILAN, MAR 22 - Lombardy Governor Attilio Fontana said Monday that he was going to oust the executives of a regional agency in relation to the chaos that has hit the region's COVID-19 vaccination roll-out. The northern region, which was the hardest hit by the first wave of the coronavirus, has performed badly with respect to other parts of Italy in getting people vaccinated. Furthermore, at the weekend the campaign was hit by a failure of the IT and text-message systems run by the ARIA agency to inform people that they have an appointment for a jab. As a result, in the city of Cremona on Sunday the number of people to turn up for jabs was only a fraction of the number of doses available. "I have asked the members of the ARIA board to resign," Fontana said. "If they don't, I will remove the board and put Director General Lorenzo Gubian in charge of the agency. "The critical situations like those that occurred at the weekend give a distorted image of the results we have achieved". (ANSA).
"We are extremely excited to welcome Natalie to the TritonExec team. Natalie brings a wealth of experience that will be key to continuing our growth within the US market," says Jonathan Morris, Partner and Co-Founder. "Her work with leading technology-focused private equity firms and their portfolio companies will add to our firm's strength in these practice areas. Her passion for DE&I initiatives will have an immediate impact on our company's culture, values and growth."

A market leader in digital transformation, Natalie has delivered on executive level searches for both single search and multi-hire projects for over a decade. Previously Natalie was Managing Director of a UK headquartered Technology Recruitment Firm where she was responsible for scaling their America's business.

"It's incredibly exciting to be joining the TritonExec family," says Zingo, "Their sector specialism and innovative approach to search brings tremendous value to the marketplace, and their innovative service offerings, specifically hiring executives at scale, separate them from the old school and rigid qualities existing in traditional executive search. I am looking forward to continuing to drive growth and to bring flexibility and results to clients in the technology and private equity sectors."

About TritonExec

TritonExec focuses on executive search and talent advisory services for the Digital and Technology, Professional Services, and Private Equity industries. Its growing business and influence is headquartered in London, with US offices in Atlanta and New York.

Taking clients on a journey to reimagine the talent acquisition process while curating world class candidate experiences to drive the most successful hiring outcomes, TritonExec enables growth in their clients' businesses.

By innovating beyond rigid and traditional recruitment solutions and removing the transactional nature of hiring processes, TritonExec offers specialized services for executive leadership hires, board-level placements, multi-hire programs, and Executive Search Process Outsourcing (ESPO).

Photo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1459399/TritonExec_Natalie_Zingo.jpg

SOURCE TritonExec
Border Patrol agents arrest seven illegal immigrants who tried to evade capture near Penitas, Texas, on March 15, 2021. (Charlotte Cuthbertson/The Epoch Times)

Former Trump Immigration Adviser: Bidens Policies Incentivizing Parents to Send Children

President Joe Bidens immigration policies are motivating parents in other countries to send their children alone to the United States southern border, a former top immigration adviser during the previous administration said on Sunday.

The administrations policy of resettling any 17-year-old or younger who was trafficked to our borders, is a global policy of family separation. What they are saying to every family on planet Earth, is split off your own children and put them into the hands of coyotes and cartels if you want them to gain entry to this country, Stephen Miller, who advised former President Donald Trump, said on Fox Business Sunday Morning Futures.

So instead of working through an actual humanitarian refugee processthats what you want to do, where you go in country with the U.N., any part of the world where you want to, and you have an actual refugee screening process, and you establish a transparent refugee ceiling. Instead of doing that, what they are doing is they are incentivizing long-term family separation. That is the policy of the Biden administration. And that needs to be said, it needs to be said clearly, he added.

After the COVID-19 pandemic started, Trump administration officials utilized Title 42 powers to expel illegal immigrants who crossed into the United States, including unaccompanied minors, or children who arrive at the border with no adult.

The Biden administration, as part of its reversal of a number of key Trump-era policies, stopped expelling illegal immigrant children in January.

Wristbands used by smuggling organizations and cartels are found discarded near the border after illegal immigrants remove them, in Penitas, Texas, on March 14. 2021. (Charlotte Cuthbertson/The Epoch Times)

We are expelling families. We are expelling single adults. And weve made a decision that we will not expel young, vulnerable children, Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said on NBCs Meet the Press.

Miller said that unaccompanied minors are typically between the ages of 14 and 17 years old.

Mayorkas, like other administration officials, has claimed the border is closed. But on March 1, he told reporters that the message was to come, but to wait for a period of time.

We are not saying, Dont come. We are saying, Dont come now because we will be able to deliver a safe and orderly process to them as quickly as possible,' he said at the White House.

Rep. Michael McCaul (R-Texas), speaking on ABCs This Week, said those remarks were very irresponsible rhetoric, especially coming from the secretary of the Department of Homeland Security.

The change to the messaging is too little, too late, because the traffickers know they can take children from Central America, extort the families, exploit the children on the dangerous journey back to the United States, he said. And now, you know, theyre calling back home saying, hey, we got in.'

Biden and his officials should consider reimplementing the Migration Protection Protocols, which kept asylum seekers waiting outside the country and deterred many from making the journey to the United States, he recommended.
Pacific Investment Management Co, which is seeking to decarbonise its investment portfolio, has stopped participating in the bond offerings of & Special Economic Zone because of its links to a controversial coal project in Australia, according to a person familiar.

Pimco, owned by Germanys Allianz SE, did not participate in Adani Ports $500-million bond sale in January, the person said, though existing holdings in would be allowed to run to maturity. A spokesperson for Allianz declined to comment.

Adanis Australian mining unit  last year re-branded as Bravus Mining & Resources  has drawn fierce opposition from environmental groups over the 10-million-tons-per-annum Carmichael thermal coal project.

The companys plans to transport the coal to the Abbot Point export terminal  controlled by the broader Adani Group  via a new 200 kilometer (124 mile) rail link is set to open up a region of previously untouched bushland to mining.

Allianz belongs to a group of insurers and pension funds that have pledged to run carbon-neutral investment portfolios by 2050 as part of the so-called Net-Zero Asset Owner Alliance. In January, the group said it may cut investments in the stocks and bonds of that werent making sufficient progress toward that goal.

Adani is self financing Carmichael after local banks refused to back it, while a number of companies, including Greyhound Australia and engineering consultant Aurecon, have ruled out doing contract work for the project, which has become a lightning rod for climate protesters in Australia amid a broader backlash against the most polluting fossil fuel.

A spokesperson for did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Adani Ports jumped 5.2 per cent in Mumbai on Monday.
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.
By Rep. Amen Brown

This week, I announced a historic agreement between Pennsylvanias largest gun show promoter Eagle Arms Productions, the Attorney Generals office, and other community partners to take concrete steps to make Pennsylvania, and our communities in Philadelphia, safer.

This voluntary agreement was a moral decision made by the gun show promoter and not a legislative action. While it respects the legal and guaranteed right to bear arms and purchase a 80% frame kit  or ghost gun  the agreement to ban them at Eagle Arms gun shows will make it harder for criminals to do so.

Some people are taking advantage of a loophole in the law that does not require background checks when purchasing frame kits at gun shows, completing the gun to make it functional and then selling it (for double the price of purchase) to people who are not able to legally obtain a firearm for various reasons.

The 18th District Philadelphia Police Captain shared with our office that there have been 35 Violation of Uniform Firearms Act (VUFA) arrests made in 2021 so far, with 20% of those arrests involving ghost guns, or completed 80% frame kits. This is a 51% increase from the previous year to date numbers. Please note, this is just one of the 21 Police Districts in Philadelphia.

Especially in Philadelphia and larger cities around PA, a criminals open access to illegal guns is a real issue. My neighbors, friends, family, and community members are SCARED for their lives, SCARED to walk down the street, SCARED for their children to play in the streets.

Without infringing upon Second Amendment rights of our citizens to own guns for their own protection, the decision to stop these kit sales means those who refuse to complete an appropriate background check now cannot buy a ghost gun.

Those who wish to purchase a kit legally may still do so online or at a licensed gun shop, after completing the appropriate background check. The decision to stop selling this type of gun kit at most shows in Pennsylvania will decrease criminals ability to buy and sell large numbers of them without traceability.

Our collaborative action is an example of cooperation and understanding and shows that there is room for bipartisanship and work with partners from across the political spectrum. We must continue to come together and do the right thing every day. The epidemic of gun violence has ravaged our communities for too long. Enough.

This takes us a step closer to healing and feeling safer  and I will do everything in my power to continue this progress.

State Rep. Amen Brown (D) represents District 190-Philadelphia.
Fifty miles southeast of Grand Isle, La., sits the Lena, which used to be an oil rig owned by ExxonMobil. After the site stopped producing oil, the company hauled away the above-water platform and in July finished the job by disconnecting the structure from the sea floor and toppling it over. Now its an artificial reef.

In the U.S., its the law: As an offshore oil well drips out its last barrels, producers must prepare to seal it and dismantle the rig and restore the ocean floor to its original condition. Left to stand, the rig may pose risks during hurricanes, prevent future oil exploration, or in some places stand in the way of wind-power development.

Theres more to a rig than metal and concrete. Over the course of its life, the structure becomes home to coral, mussels, and many other sorts of marine life. By the time a companys lease is upsometimes after a quarter century or longerthere can be an established ecosystem down there.

About 1,700 Gulf of Mexico rigs will eventually require decommissioning. Collectively theyre called idle iron. Instead of being removed, 560 U.S. platforms in the Gulf have been left underwater and become permanent artificial reefs since the 1980s.

There is no such thing as an average structurethey vary widely in their characteristics, said Mike McDonough of the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries.

Rigs to reefs programs make the coral, shellfish, fish, and fishing boats happy. And theyre certainly cheaper for oil companiesreefing costs about half what a full decommissioning does. Companies give half that savings to states that take on liability for the artificial reef sites.

ExxonMobil first experimented with an artificial reef in 1979. Louisiana and Texas are the states with the largest reefing programs, though Mississippi, and California have programs, too. This arrangement has earned Louisiana $100 million since 1986, according to an analysis of the program. Between 2012 and 2018, Louisiana earned almost $562,000 per rig.

Even the ocean is finite. Texas has already reefed at least half of its available rigs, while Louisiana has converted just a third of its likely space. With the oil industry restructuring globally, these states should start planning for a future where the income generated from future projects diminishes, the study authors wrote.

Decommissioning an offshore operation is epic. The planning takes years of work across multiple U.S. and state agencies and the company itself. ExxonMobils Lena Compliant Tower weighed 27,000 tons. With its platform, the entire facility was 50 feet taller than the Empire State Building.

There are three ways to turn a rig into a reef. It can be towed away to a designated reef area elsewhere in the Gulf. Sometimes it can be left in place, if its at least 85 feet below the surface. Or, in the case of the Lena, it can be toppled in place. Unmooring a rigs structure and safely pushing it over can damage some of the existing reef life, according to the U.S. Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement, but not enough to destroy the entire ecosystem. (ExxonMobil declined to comment.)

Environmentalists say that turning rigs into reefs doesnt fulfill the commitment companies make by taking on the lease in the first place. If you could drain all the water out of the Gulf of Mexico now, said Richard Charter, a senior fellow at the Ocean Foundation, the amount of junk that would be laying around out therenobody would believe it.

Whether rigs to reefs programs are a constructive way to convert old rigs or a strategy for oil companies to avoid a harder fix, one thing we know is theyll be a thing of the past if oil use dropsnations will decommission themselves out of the oil age and into something cleaner.
Not for distribution to United States newswire services or for dissemination in the United States

TORONTO, March 22, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- PIMCO Canada Corp. (PIMCO Canada) is pleased to announce today that it has declared monthly distributions on its Class A Units (the Units) of the PIMCO Canada closed end funds (the Funds). The distributions will be paid on April 15, 2021 to the holders of record at the close of business on March 31, 2021.

Details of the distribution amounts are as follow:

Fund Name Ticker Cash Distribution per Unit Change from Previous Month Percentage Change from Previous Month PIMCO Global Income Opportunities Fund PGI.UN $ 0.05688 - - PIMCO Tactical Income Fund PTI.UN $ 0.05208 - -

Unitholders are reminded that each Fund offers a distribution reinvestment plan (DRIP) which will provide unitholders with the ability to automatically reinvest their distributions. Eligible unitholders are encouraged to contact the institution through which they hold their Units to confirm enrollment procedures and timelines. A copy of the DRIP is available at www.pimco.ca.

The Manager, PIMCO Canada, retains Pacific Investment Management Company, LLC (PIMCO), to provide investment management services to the Funds.

About PIMCO

PIMCO was founded in 1971 in Newport Beach, California and is one of the worlds premier fixed income investment managers. Today we have offices across the globe and 3,000+ professionals united by a single purpose: creating opportunities for investors in every environment. PIMCO is owned by Allianz S.E., a leading global diversified financial services provider.

This is not an offer to sell Units and not a solicitation of an offer to buy Units in any region where the offer or sale is not permitted. Before you invest, you should carefully read the Funds disclosure documents and consider carefully the risks you assume when you invest in the Units. There can be no assurance that a Fund will achieve its investment objectives or be able to structure its investment portfolio as anticipated. Copies of the Funds disclosure documents may be obtained from your financial advisor.

Forward-Looking Statements

Certain statements included in this news release constitute forward-looking statements, including, but not limited to, those identified by the expressions expect, intend, will and similar expressions to the extent they relate to the Funds. The forward-looking statements are not historical facts but reflect each Fund, PIMCO Canada and/or PIMCOs current expectations regarding future results or events. These forward-looking statements are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results or events to differ materially from current expectations, including, but not limited to, market factors. Although the Funds, PIMCO Canada and/or PIMCO believes that the assumptions inherent in the forward-looking statements are reasonable, forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and, accordingly, readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on such statements due to the inherent uncertainty therein. The Funds, PIMCO Canada and/or PIMCO undertakes no obligation to update publicly or otherwise revise any forward-looking statement or information whether as a result of new information, future events or other factors which affect this information, except as required by law.

You will usually pay brokerage fees to your dealer if you purchase or sell Units on the Toronto Stock Exchange (the TSX). If the Units are purchased or sold on the TSX, investors may pay more than the current net asset value when buying Units and may receive less than the current net asset value when selling them. There are ongoing fees and expenses associated with owning Units. An investment fund must prepare disclosure documents that contain key information about the fund. You can find more detailed information about the Funds in these documents. Investment funds are not guaranteed, their values change frequently and past performance may not be repeated.

Each Fund is a closed end exchange traded investment fund. Closed end funds, unlike open end funds, are not continuously offered. After the initial public offering, shares of closed end funds are sold on the open market through a stock exchange. For additional information, contact your financial advisor.

For a summary of the risks of an investment in each Fund, please see the Principal Risks of the Fund section of the prospectus. Units of closed end funds frequently trade at a discount to their net asset value, which may increase risk of loss. Distributions are not guaranteed and are subject to change and/or elimination.

PIMCO as a general matter provides services to qualified institutions, financial intermediaries and institutional investors. Individual investors should contact their own financial professional to determine the most appropriate investment options for their financial situation. This material contains the current opinions of the manager and such opinions are subject to change without notice. This material has been distributed for informational purposes only and should not be considered as investment advice or a recommendation of any particular security, strategy or investment product. Information contained herein has been obtained from sources believed to be reliable, but not guaranteed. No part of this material may be reproduced in any form, or referred to in any other publication, without express written permission. PIMCO is a trademark of Allianz Asset Management of America L.P. in the United States and throughout the world. 2021, PIMCO

The products and services provided by PIMCO Canada Corp. may only be available in certain provinces or territories of Canada and only through dealers authorized for that purpose.

PIMCO Canada has retained PIMCO LLC as sub-adviser. PIMCO Canada will remain responsible for any loss that arises out of the failure of its sub-adviser.

PIMCO Canada Corp. 199 Bay Street, Suite 2050, Commerce Court Station, P.O. Box 363, Toronto, ON, M5L 1G2, 416-368-3350

Contact:

Agnes Crane

PIMCO  Media Relations

Phone: +212 597.1054
Hurricane season 2021 is here: How do storms get their names?
(Reuters) Hundreds of demonstrators gathered outside the Georgia State Capitol in Atlanta on Saturday in support of the Asian American community after a shooting at three local day spas on March 16 left eight people dead, six of them Asian women.





The killings followed a year of mounting anti-Asian violence in the US.

Crowds of people wearing masks, waving American flags and carrying posters that read "We are not the virus" and "Stop Asian Hate" stood in front of the golden-domed Georgia State Capitol building on Saturday.

"I want to make sure the world and the people know that I am here and I am visible," said rally-goer Sunghee Han from Georgia.

"The women who perished,... I see my family in them," Timothy Phan from Port St. Lucie, Florida, who drove eight hours to attend, told CNN. "I feel like far too often, we're just erased."

Georgia Senators Raphael Warnock and Jon Ossoff, both Democrats elected in January, led the demonstrators in a moment of silence for the victims, a video on Twitter showed.

"Let us build a state and a nation where no one lives in fear because of who they are or where they or their family come from," Senator Ossoff said.

Georgia authorities have yet to determine what drove the suspect, a 21-year-old white man, who was charged with the killings at spas in and around Atlanta on Tuesday. Robert Aaron Long told investigators sex addiction led him to violence, but lawmakers and anti-racism advocates have said anti-Asian bias could have been at least part of the motivation.

"I'm not interested in whether or not he had a bad day," said Warnock, blasting a comment by an Atlanta-area sheriff's department spokesman about Long's state of mind.

"No matter how you want to spin it, the facts remain the same," Georgia State Representative Bee Nguyen told the crowd. "This was an attack on the Asian community." Some of the women killed were immigrants and mothers, described by family and friends as hard-working, loving and beloved.

Hyun Jung Grant was among those killed at Gold Spa in Atlanta. Her son, Randy Park, set up a GoFundMe page to raise money for himself and his brother, who are alone now in the US while the rest of their family is in South Korea.
SuiteCentric | NetSuite Solution Provider & NetSuite Commerce Partner of the Year Award Winner for 2020

SuiteCentric, an Oracle NetSuite Solution Provider, announced that it ranked No. 62 on the Inc. Magazine second-annual Inc. 5000 Regionals: California list, one of the most prestigious rankings of the fastest-growing California-based private companies. Inspired by the annual Inc. 5000 franchise, this regional list represents a unique look at the most successful companies within the California economys most dynamic segmentits independent small businesses.

We are honored and grateful to be recognized among so many impressive companies throughout California, said Adam Baruh, founder and CEO of SuiteCentric. Im most proud of my teams dedication and resilience, particularly over the past year or so. Earning this is a testament to their hard work and commitment to our company philosophy of TransCAREncy."

The companies on this list show stunning rates of growth across all industries in California. Between 2017 and 2019, these 250 private companies had an average growth rate of 535 percent, and in 2019 alone, they employed more than 40,000 people and added nearly $7 billion to the California economy. Companies based in major metro areasLos Angeles, the Bay Area, and San Diegobrought in the highest overall revenue.

Complete results of the Inc. 5000 Regionals: California list can be found at https://www.inc.com/inc5000/regionals/california starting March 16, 2021.

This list proves the power of companies in California no matter the industry, says Inc. editor-in-chief Scott Omelianuk. The impressive revenues and growth rates prove the insight and diligence of CEOs and that these businesses are here to stay.

About SuiteCentric

SuiteCentric is an Oracle NetSuite Solution Provider, and winner of NetSuite's Commerce Partner of the Year award in 2020. With decades of combined experience as NetSuite end users and consultants, we are dedicated to delivering scalable, long-term solutions that support customer growth and longevity. As NetSuite resellers, our in-house team of certified NetSuite developers and solution consultants strive to maximize customer business potential and advance solutions that align with business goals.

For more information, please visit http://www.suitecentric.com.

For questions about NetSuite pricing, please visit http://www.suitecentric.com/netsuite-pricing.

Media Inquiries

Nick Weidmann

Marketing Director

nick.weidmann@suitecentric.com

(760) 520-1611 x114

More about Inc. and the Inc. 5000 Regionals

Methodology

The 2021 Inc. 5000 Regional are ranked according to percentage revenue growth when comparing 2017 and 2019. To qualify, companies must have been founded and generating revenue by March 31, 2017. They had to be U.S.-based, privately held, for-profit, and independentnot subsidiaries or divisions of other companiesas of December 31, 2019. (Since then, a number of companies on the list have gone public or been acquired.) The minimum revenue required for 2017 is $100,000; the minimum for 2019 is $1 million. As always, Inc. reserves the right to decline applicants for subjective reasons.

About Inc. Media

The worlds most trusted business-media brand, Inc. offers entrepreneurs the knowledge, tools, connections, and community to build great companies. Its award-winning multi-platform content reaches more than 50 million people each month across a variety of channels including websites, newsletters, social media, podcasts, and print. Its prestigious Inc. 5000 list, produced every year since 1982, analyzes company data to recognize the fastest-growing privately held businesses in the United States. The global recognition that comes with inclusion in the 5000 gives the founders of the best businesses an opportunity to engage with an exclusive community of their peers and the credibility that helps them drive sales and recruit talent. The associated Inc. 5000 Conference is part of a highly acclaimed portfolio of bespoke events produced by Inc. For more information, visit http://www.inc.com.
ARLINGTON, Va., March 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Bloomberg Law today announced the availability of a suite of skills-oriented Practical Guidance developed for lawyers to help them meet the exacting demands of their practices and develop the core competencies that legal professionals need to set them apart from their peers.

The new content includes the In Focus: Core Skills - Litigation page and companion Practical Guidance toolkit, which are dedicated to helping litigators with core tasks such as legal research, writing, and document review. Project and time management, maintaining client relations, and understanding data  skills essential to all attorneys' long-term career success  are covered in the In Focus: Lawyer Development page and companion Practical Guidance toolkit.

Bloomberg Law's new skills-oriented Practical Guidance helps lawyers develop important core competencies. Tweet this

"With our newest Practical Guidance, Bloomberg Law is going beyond traditional legal research to focus on the fundamentals of lawyering," said Joe Breda, President, Bloomberg Law. "We're committed to continuously expanding both the depth and the breadth of what we offer on Bloomberg Law and these new resources are a testament to that."

As with all enhancements to the Bloomberg Law platform, these resources are available to current subscribers at no additional cost. To request a Bloomberg Law product demonstration, visit http://onb-law.com/EiJ950E52GZ.

About Bloomberg Law

Bloomberg Law helps legal professionals provide world-class counsel with access to actionable legal intelligence in a business context. Bloomberg Law delivers a unique combination of comprehensive primary and secondary source material, real-time news, expert analysis, time-saving practice tools including Practical Guidance, market data, and business intelligence. For more information, visit pro.bloomberglaw.com.

SOURCE Bloomberg Law

Related Links

https://pro.bloomberglaw.com


Microsoft Exchange Server On-Premises Mitigation Tool. Credit: Microsoft

In light of the plethora of cybercriminals who have attempted to attack unpatched on-premises versions of Exchange Server 2013, 2016 and 2019, Microsoft has ramped up its support of customers and partners in securing their environments and responding to related incidents.

So far, the company has introduced a comprehensive Security Update, a detailed guide to help address these attacks and a single-click interim Exchange On-Premises Mitigation Tool for both current and out-of-support versions of on-premises Exchange Servers. The Security Update involves recommendation to begin remediation by updating any Exchange Servers connected to or published on the Internet, as attackers have been exploiting HTTPS Web access.

For customers who have yet to implement this upgrade and so remain at risk, Microsoft has released a security intelligence update including Microsoft Defender Antivirus and System Center Endpoint Protection that will automatically defend against this threat, CVE-2021-26855, on any affected vulnerable Exchange Server. To activate this functionality, customers should either turn on automatic updates or simply install the latest security intelligence update 1.333.747.0.

In fact, this security update offers users time to implement the latest Exchange Cumulative Update for their version of Exchange. Additionally, Microsoft intends to collaborate with its security partners so they may apply similar mitigations for their own products.

For Microsoft customers who might be wondering whether the automatic definition updates default setting is enough to cover this change, they only have to make sure to install Microsoft Defender Antivirus. At this point, the customer will be able to select and add the new detection build 1.333.747.0, or higher.

That said, customers should still make sure that security updates are a continued top priority for their Exchange Server, as many vulnerabilities may still emerge. Fortunately, however, in the meantime, Microsoft will automatically detect vulnerable installed Exchange Servers and apply all mitigations as soon as the customer deploys the security intelligence update. Each impacted machine will receive this mitigation.

Furthermore, while cloud protection is not required to obtain this mitigation, such protection is always a helpful security measure to protect both company and user assets against all of the dynamic cyber threats out there. Therefore, Microsoft encourages customers to enable cloud protection for whichever type of cloud environment their company uses.

Finally, customers who do not yet have Microsoft Defender Antivirus can begin by downloading the One-Click Microsoft Exchange On-Premises Mitigation Tool and immediately running the tool on their Exchange servers. For those already using Microsoft Safety Scanner, this tool and the Mitigation Tool can be used in unison.

Explore further New ransomware strain exploits Microsoft Exchange security flaw

More information: "Automatic on-Premises Exchange Server Mitigation Now in Microsoft Defender Antivirus." Microsoft Security, Microsoft, 19 Mar. 2021, "Automatic on-Premises Exchange Server Mitigation Now in Microsoft Defender Antivirus." Microsoft Security, Microsoft, 19 Mar. 2021, www.microsoft.com/security/blo  -defender-antivirus/

 2021 Science X Network
JACKSON COUNTY, MI -- Pigs, dogs, cats and other animals were rescued from a house fire in Tompkins Township on Sunday.

Firefighters on the scene were surprised to see the squealing pigs as they entered the home in the 8200 block of Dixon Road at around 6 p.m. March 21, Rives Tompkins Fire Chief Bryon Deraedt said.

Two pigs, cats, dogs and rabbits were inside the house, Deraedt said. Most were saved, but a few of the cats and rabbits are still missing, he said.

Someone passing by saw the home was on fire and knocked on the door to get the residents out, Deraedt said. The four adult residents of the home were not injured and have been referred to the American Red Cross for further assistance, Deraedt said.

About three quarters of the house is still standing, but it sustained a lot of smoke and water damage, Deraedt said The cause of the fire is undetermined and still under investigation, he said.

Neighbors with a barn have offered to house the animals until the owners can take them back, Deraedt said.

The Henrietta, Parma-Sandstone, Hamlin, Onondaga, Blackman-Leoni and Springport-Clarence fire departments and the Blackman-Leoni Department of Public Safety assisted at the scene.

Read more:

Fire displaces residents from Spring Arbor home

Jackson mayor highlights achievements during pandemic year in State of the City address

Jackson woman killed in shooting Saturday night
While Four Corners journalist Louise Milligan has been rebuffing offers from members of the public to pay her legal fees, pointing out that the ABC indemnifies her, for barrister Sue Chrysanthou SC, who is representing Attorney-General Christian Porter in his defamation case against the ABC and Milligan for reporting rape allegations, it is a very different story.

Sue Chrysanthou. Credit:John Shakespeare

Apart from the usual vile Twitter abuse, Chrysanthou has been receiving hate mail via email for taking on the case. Not even her status as an inner-city lefty has inoculated her from the case.

There has been extra venom because Chrysanthou successfully represented Greens senator Sarah Hanson-Young against former senator David Leyonhjelm as well as venture capitalist Elaine Stead against the Australian Financial Review and its columnist Joe Aston.

Oh, and Chrysanthou and solicitor Rebekah Giles also represented former Parliament House staffer Brittany Higgins in her settlement against Defence Minister Linda Reynolds.
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BANGKOK (NNT)  AstraZeneca has approved safety standards at Thailands vaccine factory and will send the first batch of raw materials for vaccine production in June.

Public Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul said an AstraZeneca representative had visited the Thai plant and was satisfied with the manufacturing standards. Siam Bioscience is upgrading its plant in Pathum Thani to produce millions of AstraZeneca doses for Thailand and neighboring countries in Southeast Asia.

Meanwhile, the Public Health Ministry will launch a project on Covid-19 vaccine efficiency among people who received the Sinovac or AstraZeneca vaccines to learn more about their ability to build up immunity in the body.

Results of the test project are expected to be known within the next two months and will help shape the governments vaccine policy for the next 12 months.

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Rewriter : Paphamon Arayasukawat

National News Bureau & Public Relations : http://thainews.prd.go.th
UNHRC needs to ensure that human rights and accountability developments in Sri Lanka firmly remain on the international agenda

Following statement issued by the Global Tamil Forum

The Global Tamil Forum (GTF) welcomes the new resolution A/HRC/46/L.1/Rev.1 (Promoting reconciliation, accountability and human rights in Sri Lanka) tabled on March 16th to the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) by the core group of countries that include Canada, Germany, Malawi, Montenegro, North Macedonia and UK. We call upon all member countries of the Council to support and non-member countries to co-sponsor the resolution. This will ensure that human rights and accountability in Sri Lanka remain on the international agenda and the hope of the thousands of victims of violence in Sri Lanka for justice is not abruptly extinguished.





The Tamil community in Sri Lanka suffered enormously during the war, and twelve years on accountability and justice are completely denied to them. There are also victims from other communities who are seeking answers about the fate of their loved ones. For all those who were denied due process and justice in Sri Lanka, the international community through its concerted initiatives at the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC), has provided much needed hope.

Now Sri Lanka has withdrawn from its sponsorship of UNHRC Resolution 30/1, with very little progress to show. In the meantime, Sri Lankas problems have multiplied. The nature of governance in the country, the human rights and freedoms enjoyed by its citizens have taken a dramatic U-turn in the past 12-18 months. The minority communities - Tamils and Muslims in particular - are being proactively marginalised, with a clear sense of 'second class citizenship' in their own country.

A simple illustration is the enormous amount of pain the Muslim community was unnecessarily subjected to due to forced cremation of its COVID dead and now the planned burqa ban.

The report dated January 27, 2021 by the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Michelle Bachelet, powerfully articulates that Sri Lanka is on an alarming path towards recurrence of human rights violations and calls for urgent action from the international community, with the key objectives of ending entrenched impunity and preventing future conflicts.

The recommendations of the High Commissioner to the Council were focussed on continuing and enhanced OHCHR role for reporting on human rights, accountability, and reconciliation, and strengthen its capacity to collect, preserve and analyse evidence of past crimes to support future accountability processes. The report also called upon the States to explore the possibilities of serving justice under universal and extraterritorial jurisdiction and imposing targeted sanctions that include travel ban and asset freeze.

Whilst exploring the possibilities and effectiveness of all multilateral and bilateral instruments, the current UNHRC session is hugely important. Any failure in Geneva will remove Sri Lanka from the only multi-lateral forum, the UNHRC agenda. This will be a serious blow to the victims and their families who have been waiting and some bravely fighting for nearly twelve years, for accountability and justice. It will also expose the ineffectiveness of the UNHRC (and indeed the UN system) and set a dangerous precedent for budding tyrants and dictators that they could sit out without facing consequences for their actions.

It is absolutely essential therefore the UNHRC, which was established 15 years ago to replace the widely criticised Commission on Human Rights, does not fail and faithfully remain the voices of the victims of human rights abuses all across the world.

It is in this context that the core group of countries under the leadership of the UK has presented this new resolution. Many among the Tamil community, particularly those who are directly impacted by the violence, are disheartened by its content. They feel the gravity of the Report of the UN High Commissioner for human rights and recommendations have not been faithfully captured in this resolution, and that their hope for accountability and justice is yet again delayed into a distant (unknown) future.

We, at the Global Tamil Forum (GTF), while identifying and recognising the genuine concerns and disappointments of many in our community, understand and appreciate the rationale behind the content and the tone of the resolution. Fully capturing the sentiments of the victims and converting all of the recommendations from the High Commissioner into a winnable resolution at the UNHRC is a near impossible task, and fraught with many risks and potential setbacks. It is in this context that we appreciate and respect the well-balanced and competent role played by the core group of countries and are truly grateful for their leadership on this important issue.

Most fundamentally, keeping Sri Lanka firmly on the international (UNHRC) agenda and systematically preparing towards delivering justice under opportune circumstances are crucial when Sri Lanka is showing every sign of being at a tipping point to transform into an authoritarian, militarised and exclusively majoritarian state. We believe this hugely important undertaking will continue to face many challenges and obstacles in the coming years. One important and essential step in this difficult path is to pass the resolution A/HRC/46/L.1/Rev.1 with overwhelming support of the Council. We plead with all member countries of the UNHRC to ensure such an outcome.
BRASILIA (Reuters) - The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) has agreed to help Brazil acquire sedatives and other drugs it urgently needs for the intubation of patients seriously ill with COVID-19 due to a shortage in the current surge of serious cases.

PAHO Assistant Director Jarbas Barbosa said the regional branch of the World Health Organization is already looking for suppliers of the so-called "intubation kit" that Brazil can then purchase through PAHO's strategic fund.

"Knowing the country's difficulty, we are already looking for supply alternatives with international producers," Barbosa told Reuters.

Brazil is facing record deaths from COVID-19 that have overwhelmed intensive care wards in major cities, some of which are running out of the sedatives and muscle relaxants needed to treat serious cases.

The Brazilian government has also instructed its ambassadors to look for drugs and equipment supplies in countries that produce them, two diplomats told Reuters.

The supplies sought include midazolam, propofol and fentanyl, used to sedate and relax intubated patients.

Last week, Brazilian governors wrote to President Jair Bolsonaro warning his government that their supplies of these medicines were running low and covered only 20 days of hospital needs, while new stocks were hard to find and prices had soared.

Last week was Brazil's deadliest since the coronavirus pandemic began a year ago, with a record 2,841 deaths on March 16 and an accumulated toll of more than 294,000 dead by Sunday.

(Reporting by Lisandra Paraguassu; Writing by Anthony Boadle; Editing by Jonathan Oatis)
Source: Xinhua| 2021-03-22 13:35:15|Editor: huaxia

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People take part in a protest against Asian hate in New York, the United States, on March 21, 2021. Eight people, six Asians and two Whites, were killed in shooting incidents in the Atlanta area by a suspect this week. The attacks came amid a troubling spike in violence against the Asian American community during the coronavirus pandemic. (Xinhua/Wang Ying)

by Xinhua writer Liu Yanan

NEW YORK, March 21 (Xinhua) -- As of Sunday, around 10 rallies have been held in New York City to mourn the victims in last week's SPA shootings in Atlanta, and to protest against anti-Asian violence.

Union Square in Manhattan witnessed such rallies for three days in a row with hundreds of participants each time, attended mainly by Asian Americans, with appearance of elected officials and representatives of other ethnical groups.

BREAKING SILENCE

On Sunday morning among demonstrators at Union Square, Xue Zhou, a programmer working in New York, said that she joined the rally on Sunday to make her voice heard as many Asian Americans were used to being silent and thus neglected.

Shocked and angered by the Atlanta shootings that killed eight, including six Asian Americans, Asian descendants in America have shown solidarity so loud and firm as in these rallies.

"All the Asian including Chinese (Americans), we need to show our anger. We don't want to be silent and don't want to be a scapegoat," said Grace Jin in the rally.

"Now we need everyone to know in this country we are citizens. Nobody can do the same thing to us like before, like 100 years ago. That's why we stand here (to let) everyone know we're not viruses," Jin added.

"What happened in the past few days, it's really, really, really hits home for me as an Asian American woman, so I'm here to fight against racism and sexism, and the intersection of those things that really plague our daily lives," said Yaine Dong, another demonstrator.

Ray Li, a ride-hailing driver, said sometimes people shouted at him "Go back to China or Chinese virus leave America" when he stopped at crosswalks.

According to a new USA TODAY/Ipsos poll conducted after the Atlanta mass shootings, one in four Americans, including nearly half of Asian Americans, in recent weeks have witnessed someone blame Asian people for the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Anti-Defamation League (ADL), the world's leading anti-hate organization, and Committee of 100 (C100), a non-profit organization of prominent Chinese Americans, jointly issued a statement on Wednesday calling on all elected officials and law enforcement to urgently address racism, discrimination and violence against Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders with concrete actions.

"The violence and rhetoric that is happening now in these communities across the U.S. is horrific, sad, and unacceptable," said C100 President Zhengyu Huang.

SHOWING SOLIDARITY

The common cause to fight against social injustice and vibrancy of the local community also drew support from a wide range of people regardless of race, gender or age, showing the spirit of solidarity.

"We're all here, Asians, Asian Americans and non-Asian Americans. We're here to provide support for each other," said Dong, adding that, "We're waking up and we're taking steps, and we're taking the steps to start conversation so that we can take more actionable steps and create a safer, brighter future for all of us."

"What we need to do is we need to unite together ... If we all get together, then we're not the minority, we're the majority," said Wally Green, a well-known black ping pong player from New York and a father. His wife is an Asian.

"We can fight together for the cause that we believe in. It shows that we all have love for one another, whether it be Asian, black, Korean, Japanese. It doesn't matter," Green told Xinhua.

It's good to see the participation of other ethnical groups and all the victims of racism and discrimination, said Li. The driver also called the media to well put hate crimes under the spotlight.

Calling the recent attacks at the Asian American community horrifying, the Asian American Federation (AAF) demands the lawmakers and government to address the issue on state and national levels with actions to support vulnerable communities.

"We will not let bigotry prevail against Asian Americans or any American. We know that violence and bigotry against one is violence and bigotry against all. We stand firm. We speak to the better angels of America," U.S. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said at a vigil organized by AAF on Friday evening.

Schumer called on people to speak out against racism with everyone having an obligation to act.

New York Mayor Bill de Blasio condemned Wednesday the Atlanta shootings as "domestic terrorism" and said, "We have to stop Asian hate."

According to de Blasio, there has been a major deployment of counterterrorism forces under the New York Police Department (NYPD) in some of the most prominent Asian communities in the city, and NYPD officers are trained to give warnings to people who have racist conduct but not rising to a criminal level.

Andrew Yang, who is running for New York city mayor, called for full funding for the NYPD Asian Hate Crime Task Force, which was unveiled last August in response to a rise in hate crimes targeting Asians and Asian Americans. Enditem

(Xinhua reporters Zhang Mocheng and Xie E also contributed to this story.)
Charlton striker Conor Washington has been ruled out of Northern Irelands opening World Cup qualifiers through injury.

The 28-year-old was withdrawn just a few minutes into the Addicks League One draw with AFC Wimbledon on Saturday with what manager Nigel Adkins indicated was a hamstring and back problem.

Ian Baraclough has called up Linfield striker Shayne Lavery to replace Washington in the squad for the qualifiers away to Italy and at home to Bulgaria, with a friendly at home to the United States coming in between.

Lavery, who has five caps for Northern Ireland, has scored 19 goals for Linfield in the Irish League this season, and was on the scoresheet against Crusaders at the weekend.

Baraclough has also added Liverpool goalkeeper Liam Hughes to the group, expanding it to a 27-man squad.

It is a first senior call-up for Hughes, who joined Liverpool from Celtic in January. Derry Citys uncapped stopper Nathan Gartside is also in the group.

Northern Ireland travel to Parma to face Italy on Thursday before facing the United States at Windsor Park on Sunday before Bulgaria visit on March 31.
BENGALURU, India, March 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), India's largest volunteer, non-governmental organization, has again answered the call to serve during the COVID-19 Pandemic. RSS provided the details of its response to the COVID-19 Pandemic in its annual report issued during its annual national meeting on March 19, 2021 at Bengaluru, India. Under the banner of its service department Rashtriya Seva Bharati, RSS made sure to take along various community organizations and reach out to the country and serve people. Over half a million RSS volunteers served at 92,656 towns in the country. RSS distributed food supplies to 7.3 million needy families and distributed food packets to 45 million people. RSS volunteers actively distributed over 9 million masks and donated more than 60,000 units of blood. RSS volunteers ensured that no section of Indian society was neglected, providing timely aid even to 250,000 nomadic people during this difficult period. In serving 250,000 migrant workers, RSS organized 1,778 food centers, 483 medical centers at various locations, and 935 help centers at bus and railway stations.

COVID-19 Relief Work by RSS Volunteers

During its annual meeting, the RSS national body passed a resolution recognizing the need for working together: "Bharat (India) stands as 'One' against Covid -19 Pandemic." This resolution recognized and put on record "the exemplary, collective and comprehensive response of Bharatiya society to the global pandemic Covid-19 and heartily appreciated the role played by every section of the society in containing the ill effects of the Pandemic."

In another resolution, the RSS national body appreciated the massive outreach and fundraising campaign for Shri Ram Temple's construction at Ayodhya. The Shri Ram Mandir campaign has been successful in expressing the emotion of unity of the country. Over two million volunteers reached out to 120 million citizens of the land in more than half a million cities and towns. RSS appreciated overwhelming public support from all the sections and sects of society and described the same as "unparalleled enthusiasm."

The RSS national body also elected Mr. Dattatreya Hosabale as its new General Secretary ("Sar-Karyavah"). Mr. Hosabale said, "Sangh (RSS) and Swayamsevaks (Volunteers) will work towards inculcating family values, support for environmental issues, and social harmony." Mr. Hosabale will be in charge of the organization's day-to-day work for the coming years.

RSS, as known as the "Ready for Selfless Service" organization, is India's largest all volunteer organization. Since its founding in 1925, RSS has developed hundreds of thousands of social workers who have contributed their skills and expertise in all walks of life through nearly 200,000 service projects and independent organizations.

Contact:

Prafulla Ketkar,

[email protected]

+91 9968686006

SOURCE Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh
This undated handout photo taken by the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) and received from the Philippine Communications Operations Office (PCOO) on March 22, 2021 shows Chinese Maritime vessels anchored at the Whitsun Reef, around 320 kilometres (175 nautical miles) west of Bataraza in Palawan in the South China Sea. Yonhap-AFP



The Philippines complained to China on Monday about what it described as the "swarming and threatening presence" of Chinese vessels in disputed waters in the South China Sea and demanded they be withdrawn from the area.



Philippine officials on Sunday reported about 220 vessels, believed to be manned by Chinese maritime militia personnel, were seen anchored at the Whitsun Reef, which Manila calls the Julian Felipe Reef, on March 7.



The Chinese Embassy in Manila said on Monday the boats spotted in Whitsun Reef were fishing vessels and were taking shelter due to rough sea conditions.



"The continued deployment, lingering presence and activities of Chinese vessels infringe upon Philippine sovereignty," the Philippine foreign ministry said in a diplomatic protest.



"Their swarming and threatening presence creates an atmosphere of instability and is a blatant disregard of the commitment of China to promote peace and stability in the region," it said.



The Chinese Embassy in Manila rejected the accusations.



"There is no Chinese maritime militia as alleged. Any speculation as such helps nothing but causes unnecessary irritation," it said in a statement.



Philippines Defence Secretary Delfin Lorenzana said on Sunday the presence of militia boats in Whitsun Reef was a "clear provocative action of militarising the area" and urged China to recall the vessels violating the country's maritime rights.



An international tribunal invalidated China's claim to 90% of the South China Sea in 2016, but Beijing does not recognise the ruling and has built islands in the disputed waters equipped with radar, missiles batteries and hangers for fighter jets.



Jay Batongbacal, an expert on the South China Sea at the University of the Philippines, said President Rodrigo Duterte's "friendship policy" to move away from Washington and align more closely with China was to blame for the incursions.



"Whatever opportunities there were for us to slow them down or stop them they have been lost," Batongbacal said.



China claims almost all of the energy-rich South China Sea, which is also a major trade route. The Philippines, Brunei, Vietnam, Malaysia and Taiwan have overlapping claims. (Reuters)




Washington, DC, March 16, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Aspen Security Forum will host Dominic Raab, Foreign Secretary and First Secretary of State of the United Kingdom, as he delivers a live policy address A Force for Good'  Global Britain in a Competitive Age on Wednesday, March 17, at 9:00am EDT, 1:00pm GMT. The event will conclude at 10:00am EDT, 2:00pm GMT.

The address will be followed by a one-on-one conversation between Secretary Raab and Andrea Mitchell, NBC News Chief Foreign Affairs Correspondent, Chief Washington Correspondent, and host of Andrea Mitchell Reports on MSNBC.

The Foreign Secretary is expected to present a substantive strategic global vision for the United Kingdoms role in the world through to 2030 during his remarks. This will cover the UKs Integrated Review - launched today, and the UKs plan to become a Science and Tech superpower by 2030. The Foreign Secretary will also discuss plans to address the critical challenges of climate change and biodiversity, the shifting geopolitical landscape, transnational issues, defense modernization, and how the UK will build resilience both at home and abroad.

This event is part of the ongoing Aspen Strategy Groups Global Leaders Series, which convenes sitting heads of state, government and cabinet-level ministers from around the world for high-level, one-on-one conversations about their most pressing foreign policy and national security challenges.

Register to watch this conversation here: https://aspeninst.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_OucdJpluSnWJrPYEHnQQQA

Editors Note: Members of the media with questions or those interested in broadcasting footage from this interview, please contact Ben Berliner: Ben.Berliner@aspeninstitute.org. Join the conversation on social media with #AspenSecurity and follow the event on Twitter @AspenSecurity.

The Aspen Strategy Group provides a non-partisan forum to explore the pre-eminent national security and foreign policy challenges facing the nation. Its cross-disciplinary and high-level examination of policy strategies to address emerging topics makes it a crucial resource for the American and global policy communities. For more information, please visit https://www.aspeninstitute.org/programs/aspen-strategy-group/

The Aspen Institute is a global nonprofit organization committed to realizing a free, just, and equitable society. Founded in 1949, the Institute drives change through dialogue, leadership, and action to help solve the most important challenges facing the United States and the world. Headquartered in Washington, DC, the Institute has a campus in Aspen, Colorado, and an international network of partners. For more information, visit www.aspeninstitute.org.

Ben Berliner The Aspen Institute ben.berliner@aspeninstitute.org

Source: The Aspen Institute
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Tamil Nadu: Tiruvottiyur, a highly industrialised, coastal region awaits answers

by Serena Josephine M.

March 22,2021 | Source: The Hindu

A long coastline and scores of industries have shaped the identity of Tiruvottiyur constituency. The latest infrastructural addition, the Metro, has undoubtedly changed the skyline of a segment of this constituency  starting from Kaladipet to Wimco Nagar  but at the ground level, a number of issues, such as industrial pollution and factors affecting the livelihood of fisherfolk, still remain unaddressed. Nearly 20 fishing villages and a number of highly industrialised areas make up a major portion of Tiruvottiyur in Tiruvallur. The constituency includes areas such as Tiruvottiyur, Manali, Chinnasekkadu, Ernavoor and Kathivakkam. The coastline extending from the fishing villages of Nalla Thaneer Odai Kuppam to Nettukuppam, Thalankuppam, falls in the constituency. With fisherfolk having a significant vote bank, the constituency will see a former councillor and a former Member of Legislative Assembly from the two Dravidian parties contest for the seat. K.P. Sankar, brother of DMK MLA and former Fisheries Minister K.P.P. Samy, who passed away in 2020 leaving the seat vacant, and K. Kuppan of the AIADMK are in the fray. Both candidates evoked a mixed response among a cross-section of residents, who will also see Naam Tamilar Katchis chief coordinator Seeman in the fray.



How members of the fishing community vote would be one of the major deciding factors, leaders of the fishing community said. The fishing community definitely has a big role. This constituency is among nearly 37 constituencies in 13 districts that has a high presence of fisherfolk. We need better representation as some of our issues remain unresolved. The Ennore Creek should be protected. There is indiscriminate discharge of effluents by industries and environment monitoring is poor. There is no denying that we need developmental activities but the Kattupalli port expansion project will hit the fishing industry badly here too, K. Bharathi, president of the South Indian Fishermen Welfare Association, said. The port project, P.R. Mahendran of Nalla Thaneer Odai Kuppam, said, would have an adverse impact on their livelihood. Already, the number of people taking up fishing have dwindled over the years. We get a good catch of crab and prawns every January. We call it the Pongal bonus but if the port is expanded, it will be against the natural course, resulting in dwindling marine life. When will they understand that it is a question of our livelihood, he said. Demands to deepen the Ennore estuary are still pending. The estuary was polluted with fly ash from industries. V. Desingh, of Nettukuppam, another fishing village, said it involved the livelihood of 30,000 to 40,000 fishermen. Our lives are endangered, and materials, including fishing nets and boats, worth lakhs of rupees are damaged in tidal action, raising the need for deepening the estuary, he said.



Industrial pollution remains a cause of concern for residents in Manali, Tiruvottiyur and Ennore. We grapple with air pollution. Many residents suffer from respiratory problems, a resident of Tiruvottiyur said. Industrial pollution has not spared even the groundwater, added Annadurai of Manali. We are purchasing water from private lorries. Applications for Metrowater connections for households have been pending for nearly seven years. Many say Manali, a highly industrial area, is an unfit place for people to live, and this is true on many grounds. The road in Chinnasekkadu was in a bad condition and had not been laid in nearly 10 years. A government hospital with specialities was another need. Palani, a shopkeeper in Wimco Nagar, said, Tiruvottiyur has a number of private hospitals but many cannot afford to pay for healthcare. We need to visit Chinna Stanley (Government Peripheral Hospital, Tondiarpet) or the Government Stanley Medical College Hospital. Access to healthcare will improve if a government hospital is set up here.

 2021, THG PUBLISHING PVT LTD.
TigerRisk adopts the full RMS global models suite

NEWARK, Calif.  March 17, 2021  RMS, the worlds leading catastrophe risk solutions company, and TigerRisk Partners, the leading risk, capital, and strategic advisor to the global insurance and reinsurance industry, today announced the expansion of their partnership to include additional models and data in a new multiyear agreement. With this agreement, TigerRisk can now access the full RMS global natural catastrophe risk models suite. This includes RMS High Definition Models such as the RMS North America Wildfire HD Models, RMS Europe Flood HD Models, and RMS Europe Severe Convective Storm HD Models. This complements TigerRisks longstanding implementation of the RMS natural catastrophe view of risk in the U.S. on RMS RiskLink.

We are committed to providing our clients with best-in-class solutions as they navigate this volatile risk landscape, said Rod Fox, chief executive officer of TigerRisk. Our clients depend on us to help them maintain a competitive edge, and its important we work alongside organizations that can help us support their needs. Our expanded partnership with RMS ensures that we can increase the value we bring to our clients and continue to deliver solutions for managing global risk profitably.

Karen White, chief executive officer of RMS, said, TigerRisk Partners has established themselves as an innovative reinsurance broker and capital advisor firm in the market. As a valued partner of RMS for over a decade, their investment in analytics aimed at providing the best insights and services for their clients mirrors our commitment to the market. We look forward to continuing to support TigerRisk with the most trusted view of risk in the industry as they grow their business and enhance their services.

About RMS

Risk Management Solutions, Inc. (RMS) shapes the worlds view of risk for insurers, reinsurers, financial services organizations, and the public sector. We empower organizations to evaluate and manage global risk from natural and man-made catastrophes, including hurricanes, earthquakes, floods, climate change, cyber, and pandemics.

RMS helped pioneer the catastrophe risk industry, and continues to lead in innovation by offering unmatched science, technology, and 300+ catastrophe risk models. Leaders across multiple industries can address the risks of tomorrow with RMS Risk Intelligence (RI), our open, unified cloud platform for global risk, which enables them to tap into RMS HD Models, rich data layers, intuitive applications, and APIs.

Further supporting the industrys transition to modern risk management, RMS spearheaded the Risk Data Open Standard (RDOS), a new modern open standard data schema designed to be an extensible, flexible, and future-proof asset within modeling/analysis systems.

RMS is a trusted solutions partner, enabling effective risk management for better business decision-making across risk identification and selection, mitigation, underwriting, and portfolio management.

Visit RMS.com to learn more and follow us on LinkedIn and Twitter.

For More Information Contact:

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+1 551 226 1604

PRTeam@rms.com

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+44 7584 333485

PRTeam@rms.com

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Topics Catastrophe
Screenshot / Middletown police video

MIDDLETOWN  City police are urging people to keep their vehicles locked, even when the car is in their own driveway, after the report of two thefts Monday morning.

Two automobiles were stolen in broad daylight Monday morning: a white Audi A3 bearing Connecticut registration AT56891 on Westfield Terrace; and a white Land Rover from Country Club Road, police said on the Middletown Police Department - Connecticut Facebook page.
Following the budget that was read on behalf of the President by the Minister of Parliamentary Affairs, the NPP Northern Regional Secretary, Mr. Sibdow Ahassan Yakubu also known as Alhaji Sey has commended President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo Addo, for the aspect of the budget allocated for Northern Region.



In the view of Mr. Sibdow, the budget will go a long way to change the face of the region. He mentioned that the expansion of the Tamale International Airport, works on the Yendi water project, and among other very key initiatives in the enclave is remarkable, and the good people of the region will never take that for granted.



He added that the Northern region has so many talents in the creative area and the Presidents commitment to harness these talents by way of establishing a Creative Arts school in Ghana will go a long to unearth these enormous potentials for national development.



The President has fulfilled his promise to the good people of the North and we are extremely grateful for that, he said.



Mr. Sibdow concluded by also pointing to the Presidents effort to establish a University for Sports, which in his candid opinion, will serve as an economic driving force since it will translate into the creation of employment and development.



The many plans of the government to complete old projects across the country will benefit the North as well.

The plans for the expansion of agriculture which is the main occupation of the people of the North are also important and will be useful to the people.

Source: peacefmonline.com









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

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Last week, Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards announced hed appointed a son of John Alario Jr., a key political ally, to the board that regulates the Mississippi River pilots who navigate massive shipping vessels between New Orleans and Baton Rouge.

Now, a legal controversy has erupted over the move.

The board filed a scathing lawsuit on Wednesday alleging that the governor skirted the law while ignoring Kevin Alarios accident history as a river pilot when naming him and another captain, Casey Clayton, to the board.

There were no vacancies until 2027 on a board with three members who serve 12-year terms, according to the lawsuit filed in St. Tammany Parish against Alario and Clayton, both residents of the parish. Edwards replaced two-thirds of the board as a political favor, the suit alleges, and as payback for the board's Feb. 26 decision to discipline Alario over a 2017 river crash.

The lawsuit claims the board received heavy pressure from Edwards office to not take any disciplinary action against Alario before it acted.

Matthew Block, executive counsel to Edwards, on Friday called that allegation categorically false.

Neither Edwards, "nor anybody who works for the governor, pressured them to do anything other than give Captain Alario a fair hearing in rendering a punishment that they may have found necessary, Block said. Any suggestion otherwise is just not true.

The suit is noteworthy for two reasons: Its defendant is the son of a Louisiana political legend who played a key role in shepherding the Democratic governor's agenda through the Republican-dominated Legislature during Edwards' first term; and the plaintiff is the Board of Examiners for the New Orleans and Baton Rouge Steamship Pilots, and its president, Robert Heitmeier, brother of former state Sen. Francis Heitmeier  long a close friend and ally of John Alario.

Sen. John Alario: Louisianas most powerful legislator He's been compared to John Wayne, Tip O'Neill and even LeBron James. But, he also has been criticized as an opportunist, a political chameleon

Edwards administration, though, says Robert Heitmeier isnt a member of the board anymore.

The suit asks a judge to block the appointments of Kevin Alario and Clayton, and to declare that board members may be removed only for cause.

Gov. Edwards is appointing Alario while ignoring the plain legal requirements and safety of this states waterways and thus its citizens in an effort to appease his political ally, John Alario, the suit alleges.

The board oversees a politically connected bunch of river pilots tasked by state law with helping steer foreign shipping vessels through the bends of the Mississippi.

The New Orleans and Baton Rouge Steamship Pilots Association is one of three pilot groups that work segments of the Mississippi River from its mouth to Baton Rouge, where they exert considerable influence at the state Capitol.

For years, the pilots have won pay raises  to the chagrin of the chemical industry and others that pay for their services  and that trend has continued in recent years. Edwards miffed the chemical industry in 2018 when he appointed allies of the river pilots to an independent board that decides the question of how much the pilots are paid.

River pilot pay fight with petrochemical industry continues; commission accepts retired judge's opinion A commission that oversees pay rates for Mississippi River pilots that can run as high as $800,000 a year is sticking with a salary and reimbu

The answer: quite well. Most of the pilots who traverse the waters between New Orleans and Baton Rouge made $500,000 to $700,000 in 2020, regulatory filings show.

The pilots political action committee gave $50,000 to a super PAC supporting Edwards in 2017. Campaign filings show that pilots and their spouses donated thousands of dollars more to Edwards in 2019, amid a close race for reelection against the Donald Trump-backed Republican candidate, Eddie Rispone.

Top stories in New Orleans in your inbox Twice daily we'll send you the day's biggest headlines. Sign up today. e-mail address * Sign Up

Francis Heitmeier, the powerful former state senator from Algiers, is one of the groups lobbyists. His son, Cory Heitmeier, joined Kevin Alario in becoming a river pilot in 2000.

But Edwards move on March 12 to appoint Kevin Alario and Clayton to the board effectively ousted Robert Heitmeier, whom Gov. Bobby Jindal appointed to the board in 2015.

The Alario and Heitmeier families have been close for many, many years, and its unfortunate its come to this, said attorney Michael Riess, who filed the lawsuit for the board.

Kevin Alario did not return a call seeking comment. The suit says he may not serve under board regulations because of his involvement in a major 2017 accident on the river. According to a National Transportation Safety Board report, a 623-foot long bulk carrier smashed into a concrete dock near New Orleans. The collision caused $1 million in damages to both the vessel and wharf.

The boards lawsuit says Alario was the pilot at the time of the crash, and, last month, the board ordered him to undergo 80 hours of remediation training and classwork.

Block confirmed that the governor named Alario and Clayton to replace Robert Heitmeier and William Lashley on the board. Edwards had appointed Lashley in 2016.

The nominations are subject to approval from the state Senate, where John Alario presided for years as its president before retiring in 2019. The 2021 legislative session begins next month.

Block, meanwhile, rejected the lawsuits allegations.

He said Kevin Alario has been a river pilot for a long time and that the governor has every confidence in Captain Alarios ability to be a strong and diligent board member. He said Edwards appointed Clayton as the first woman to chair the board because shes a tremendous leader.

The purported 12-year terms are not based in law, Block said. He said the board's rule that pilots with a major incident on their record cant serve as members was made only this month.

In any case, he said, the governors authority to make appointments trumps board rules.

While Edwards isnt named as a defendant in the suit, Block said its likely the governors office will intervene.

Riess, the boards attorney, pointed to the state law that grants the governor the authority to appoint members to the board with the Senates consent. The statute says that the board shall make a recommendation to the governor to fill a vacancy on the board, and that examiners shall be removable by the governor for cause.

Riess said Edwards had no cause to replace two board members and unilaterally just appointed two members to a board that already has three.

The board is in an apparent power struggle while the legal drama plays out.

Block insists Clayton and Alario are rightful board members, though he said Heitmeier and Lashley held a meeting anyway last week with the remaining board member, Lee Jackson. He said the two ousted members no longer hold that authority, though Riess said the board hasnt been notified of any removals.

A hearing before Judge Alan Zaunbrecher of the 22nd Judicial District is scheduled Friday.
MANILA, Philippines, March 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Consumer groups in the Asia-Pacific region warned that a blanket ban on e-cigarettes and heated tobacco products (HTPs) in low- and middle-income countries, as proposed by an anti-tobacco non-government organization funded by Bloomberg, will only inflame the smoking epidemic and result in higher death toll from smoking-related diseases.

INNCO said the move to ban harm reduction products should be evaluated carefully.

The Coalition of Asia Pacific Tobacco Harm Reduction Advocates (CAPHRA) issued the statement in support of a report released by the International Network of Nicotine Consumer Organisations (INNCO) that tobacco harm reduction (THR) alternatives like e-cigarettes and HTPs would help, and not hinder, the aims of global tobacco control.

"The recommendation by the International Union Against Tuberculosis and Lung Disease (The Union) for blanket ban on electronic nicotine delivery systems and HTPs in LMICs is ill-conceived, prejudicial to LMIC consumers and detrimental to public health," said Nancy Loucas, Executive Coordinator of CAPHRA.

The Union, a Bloomberg partner for 'The Initiative to reduce tobacco use', published its fourth position statement on e-cigarettes last year which called for a blanket ban on all electronic nicotine delivery systems and HTPs in LMICs.

INNCO, a global member association that advocates for tobacco harm reduction and proportionate regulation of low-risk alternative nicotine products, criticized The Union report, saying the move to ban harm reduction products should be evaluated carefully.

It cited 10 reasons why blanket bans of e-cigarettes and HTPs in LMICs would do more harm than good. "Such bans will mean that more people will keep using cigarettes, or obtain alternative products through illicit markets with no safeguards," it said.

Such bans are an overly simplistic solution to a complex issue and will not work, according to INNCO. It said the smoking problem is a complex issue that is the leading cause of preventable death worldwide, causing more than 8 million deaths per year.

It said the MPOWER strategies crafted by the World Health Organization proved unworkable in many LMICs due to lack of access to smoking cessation services and other resources. "In this context, it is clear that pragmatic approaches are needed, including the availability of a wide selection of products proven to reduce harm," INNCO said.

Samrat Chowdhery, president of INNCO, said The Union's assertion that LMICs do not have the regulatory capacity to manage and oversee a market of ENDS and HTPs was simply wrong and condescending.

"LMICs are composed of complex and highly-diverse societies, and a 'one-size-fits-all' approach such as a blanket ban would be ill-advised. I believe that a blanket ban on alternative products will not improve the situation. In fact, I believe it will actually worsen it," said Chowdhery, who is from India, an LMIC with diverse cultures.

Samsul Arrifin, president of Malaysian Organisation of Vape Entities (MOVE), agreed, saying that "any move to deprive smokers and consumers of better alternatives to cigarettes such as vapes would only contribute the problem that is seeks to address.'

INNCO said prioritizing the banning of reduced harm alternatives over cigarettes is also illogical. It said that by denying smokers access to a much safer alternative while leaving cigarettes on the market, policymakers would leave only two options on the table  quit or die.

It also said that reduction and substitution are valid goals for smokers in LMICs as replacing combustible tobacco with alternative nicotine products can significantly reduce risk of harm by at least 95 percent.

INNCO said smokers should be given the right to choose their own path to better health. "By removing reduced harm alternatives from the marketwhile leaving the significantly more dangerous cigarettes availablecountries would remove this right from the individual," it said.

It said reduced harm alternatives can significantly contribute to the aims of global tobacco control, with the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) itself recognizing 'harm reduction' as a key strategy in tobacco control.

The INNCO report said lack of research in LMICs should not be a valid reason to ban reduced harm alternatives. It said that while more research needs to be conducted in LMICs on tobacco control and specifically harm reduction measures, governments should not deny people living in poor and developing countries access to potentially life-saving products in the meantime.

It also said that the prohibitionist approach in LMICs is outdated, unrealistic and condescending. INNCO said such discriminatory policies serve to further increase health inequalities between high-income countries and LMICs.

Jagannath Sarangapani, director of Association of Vapers India (AVI), agreed with the INNCO's observation that bans in LMICs would only lead to illicit markets. "In India and Thailand, the bans on e-cigarettes created an underground industry of these products, with no product regulation and taxation."

INNCO also said banning reduced harm alternatives would only lead people back to smoking and greater harm. It said blanket bans in LMICs are a form of 'philanthropic colonialism'.

Peter Paul Dator of Vapers Philippines said this is the same issue hounding the Philippines, after the local Food and Drug Administration confirmed in a congressional investigation it received thousands of dollars from anti-tobacco group The Union to craft guidelines on vaping. "The Philippine Congress passed laws to regulate, instead of ban these products. Unfortunately, the FDA passed guidelines that restrict the availability of e-cigarettes and HTPs," Dator said.

INNCO said global organizations such as the WHO, Bloomberg Philanthropies and The Union wield great influence in LMICs through sponsorship of healthcare programs and public initiatives.

"We believe that awareness of and access to reduced-harm products is a fundamental human right, and that denial of this right will prevent significant health benefits in LMICs," INNCO said.

About CAPHRA:

The Coalition of Asia Pacific Tobacco Harm Advocates (CAPHRA) is a regional alliance of consumer tobacco harm reduction advocacy organizations. Its mission is to educate, advocate and represent the right of adult alternative nicotine consumers to access and use of products that reduce harm from tobacco use.

For more information, please contact:

Jena F. Fetalino

Email Address: [email protected]

Phone: 09178150324

Jena Fetalino Public Relations Consultancy

SOURCE CAPHRA
ROCKVILLE, Md., March 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- RegeneRx Biopharmaceuticals, Inc. (OTCQB: RGRX) ("RegeneRx"), a clinical-stage drug development company focused on tissue protection, repair and regeneration has posted information on its website regarding the estimated timing of the statistical and regulatory plan for its phase 3 dry eye clinical trial (ARISE-3). This summary was provided to RegeneRx by GtreeBNT, the operating entity of its U.S. joint venture, ReGenTree LLC and sponsor of the ARISE-3 trial, which was generated at GtreeBNT's shareholder meeting on Friday March 19, 2021: http://www.regenerx.com/March-22-2021-Update-on-ARISE-3-Statistical-and-Regulatory-Plan or navigate to RegeneRx's home page at http://www.regenerx.com.

About RegeneRx Biopharmaceuticals, Inc.

RegeneRx is focused on the development of novel therapeutic peptides, including Thymosin beta 4 (T4) and its constituent fragments, for tissue and organ protection, repair, and regeneration. RegeneRx currently has three drug candidates in clinical development for ophthalmic, cardiac/neuro and dermal indications, four active strategic licensing agreements in the U.S., China, and Pan Asia (Korea, Japan, and Australia, among others), and the EU, and has patents and patent applications covering its products in many countries throughout the world.

Forward Looking Statements

Any statements in this press release that are not historical facts are forward-looking statements made under the provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Any forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to be materially different from historical results or from any future results expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements in this press release include, but are not limited to, information on phase 3 trial results, competitive products, statements from us, or our U.S. joint venture partner, GtreeBNT, Ora, Inc. and its biostatistics affiliates, or derived from independent market research reports regarding strategic and research partnerships, status of clinical trials, reclassification of our drug candidates from drugs to biologics, regulatory applications and approvals, the development and value of our drug candidates, and the use of our drug candidates to treat various conditions. All forward-looking statements are expectations and estimates based upon information obtained and/or calculated by the Company or its joint venture partner and its affiliates at this time and are subject to change. Moreover, there is no guarantee any clinical trial will be successful or confirm previous clinical results. Please view these and other risks described in the Company's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC"), including those identified in the "Risk Factors" section of the annual report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2020, and subsequent quarterly reports filed on Form 10-Q, as well as other filings it makes with the SEC. Any forward-looking statements in this shareholder letter represent the Company's views only as of the date of this release and should not be relied upon as representing its views as of any subsequent date. The Company specifically disclaims any obligation to update this information, as a result of future events or otherwise, except as required by applicable law.

SOURCE RegeneRx Biopharmaceuticals, Inc.

Related Links

http://www.regenerx.com



HOUSTON, March 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Leading factoring company Charter Capital recently announced the creation of a $10 million working capital Fund for small B2B businesses. The Fund will be disbursed on a first-come, first-served basis via invoice factoring at no charge for the company's initial services to qualified businesses. By accelerating B2B accounts receivable payments and unlocking working capital at a reduced cost, the company hopes to help those hit hardest by the pandemic. Businesses interested in applying can do so at chartercapitalusa.com.

The news comes on the heels of an Atradius release indicating late payments are up 25 percent year-on-year. Without a cash flow accelerant such as factoring, businesses may lack the working capital to continue operations. Factoring further helps businesses by increasing access to cash without taking on debt and serves as a flexible funding solution with an easy qualification process.

Late payments have posed issues for B2B businesses for some time. However, additional delays due to the economy and limited credit availability are proving especially problematic today. An estimated nine million small businesses report being at risk for closure this year per the latest Federal Reserve survey. Industries such as transportation, manufacturing, oil and gas, and services, all of which routinely leverage factoring, are also presently experiencing higher payment delinquency rates and challenges securing credit. These and similar industries are expected to benefit most from the $10 million Charter Capital Fund.

"Small B2B businesses have been underserved by traditional lenders for some time," explains Charter Capital Co-Founder and Executive Manager Joel Rosenthal. "Many held hope that government programs would keep them afloat during the pandemic, but relief hasn't materialized in a meaningful way, and businesses are closing every day while they wait."

In general, factoring is an ideal solution for businesses facing challenges like these because the approval process is quick, most B2B businesses qualify, and funding is fast, Rosenthal notes. However, Charter Capital's program is unique under the Fund because the charge for initial services is waived, and there's no obligation to continue factoring after the term concludes. Small business owners can tap into the program, pay nothing to secure a portion of the $10 million Fund, and use their factoring cash to cover anything they wish, from ongoing expenses like payroll to things like purchasing PPE or adapting their business to meet social distancing guidelines.

"We're proud to play a role in the health of small businesses, especially at a time when so many are struggling," Rosenthal says.

Participation in the program is subject to Charter Capital's terms and conditions. Businesses interested in learning more or applying are encouraged to visit chartercapitalusa.com to request a quote.

About Charter Capital

Headquartered in Houston, Texas, Charter Capital has been a leading provider of flexible funding solutions for the B2B sector for more than 20 years. Competitive rates, a fast approval process, and same-day funding help businesses across various industries secure the working capital necessary to manage daily needs and grow. To learn more, visit chartercapitalusa.com.

Related Images

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Charter Capital

Factoring Made Simple

SOURCE Charter Capital
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STAMFORD  Not everyone was immediately enthusiastic about getting the COVID-19 vaccine and you can count the head of Stamfords health department, a local family doctor and the president of the citys NAACP chapter among their number.

But all three overcame their own reservations and they shared how during a virtual town hall Thursday in the hopes that their experiences might help reassure residents, especially those within communities of color.

Dr. Jennifer Calder, who has been the citys health director since 2016, said that even she was initially reluctant to get the vaccine.

I too had questions and originally  despite being a trained molecular biologist and infectious disease epidemiologist who understands vaccine development in clinical trials  I was not going to take the vaccine, Calder said. But once I had the opportunity to read the pages of clinical trials and the results reported to the FDA, I changed my mind and I took the vaccine because I am convinced its safe.

Dr. Tabitha Fortt, a family physician in Stamford, said she was also hesitant at first.

Ive heard of messenger RNA, Fortt said. Ive heard it used in rare instances  in cancer gene therapy, but I never heard it used on a widespread basis for vaccinations. So I waited. I educated myself on the facts and the data.

The Pfizer and Moderna vaccines are both mRNA vaccines.

Fortt said she thought about her focus as a family doctor on preventing illness, and after learning how effective the different vaccines were at preventing symptomatic and severe disease, she was convinced she needed to get it.

One of the worst things we can do in regards to our health is to wait until the crisis sets in, when the situation is so severe that we have to be rescued, she said. And I didnt want to put myself in that situation.

When I look at the opportunity to use everything available to prevent severe disease, hospitalization and even death, my logical conclusion was that I had to get the vaccine, added Fortt, who has partnered with the city and the NAACP to conduct testing in Stamford.

Guy Fortt, the president of the Stamford NAACP and Dr. Tabitha Fortts husband, said he initially wasnt interested in receiving the vaccine partly because of incidents in history, like the Tuskegee experiment involving black men in Alabama. But then he spoke to his wife and read a number of studies.

Im in the age category that theyre talking about people passing away or getting sick from this virus, and I did not want to do that, Guy Fortt said.

He received his first shot at Stamford Hospital earlier this month, alongside Mayor David Martin.

And believe me, it was very, very scary for me, Guy Fortt said. But at the end of the day, I had to do it, and I knew that I had to do it.

Calder said communities of color have had lower adoption rates of COVID-19 mitigation habits and higher rates of COVID vaccination hesitancy. At the same time, she noted, such communities have been disproportionately impacted by the pandemic.

The city, Stamford Health and community groups have worked together on an initiative called No Barriers, with vaccination events aimed at socially vulnerable populations.

Guy Fortt said the NAACP would never tell you, You have to make a decision on what it is that you need to do.

Still, he said, if youre not interested in doing it, really rethink your mindset, and consider the risk.
(Reuters) - Serena Williams said on Sunday she will not compete at this week's Miami Open as the 23-times Grand Slam champion is recovering from oral surgery.

The 39-year-old Florida resident has won the Miami Open a record eight times and joins several other big names in missing the event including Novak Djokovic, Rafa Nadal and Roger Federer.

"I am disappointed to withdraw from the Miami Open because of recent oral surgery," Williams said in a statement.

"Miami is a special tournament for me because its my home and I am sad I wont be able to see the incredible fans this year, but I look forward to coming back soon."

Williams fell to eventual champion Naomi Osaka in the semi-finals of the Australian Open last month.

(Reporting by Rory Carroll in Los Angeles and Manasi Pathak in Bengaluru, Editing by Toby Davis/Peter Rutherford)
Paducah Farmers' Market Meeting for New Vendors

By West Kentucky Star Staff

PADUCAH - Anyone interested in becoming a new vendor at the Paducah Homegrown Farmers' Market is invited to attend a meeting on Tuesday.The meeting will take place at 5 p.m. under the downtown Farmers' Market pavilion.The meeting is for any and all sellers who are considering becoming a new vendor for the market.Social distancing will be observed at the meeting.
Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal has stated that Ukraine aspires to become a member of the European Union in the next 5 to10 years.

"We aspire to become a EU member in the next 5 to10 years. Of course, this also depends on 27 other countries, not only us. The same concerns NATO. Ukraine aspires to join the North Atlantic Alliance. We are already working very closely with NATO. NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg's statements that NATO's door remains open for Ukraine strongly testify to this," Shmyhal said in an interview with the Handelsblatt German newspaper.

Shmyhal notes that he does not see any fundamental obstacles. There are two reasons why we are still not in the EU. We are still working to reach the European standards, but we are confident that we will make significant progress, not least through digitalisation. Second, there are countries in the EU that are skeptical about its further enlargement, the Prime Minister stressed.

He is convinced that Ukraine is ready to become a EU member and wants to do so as soon as possible.

As reported, the Ukrainian delegation led by Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal made a working visit to Dusseldorf and Berlin (Federal Republic of Germany) on March 18-19, 2021.

During the visit, several working meetings with high-ranking German officials were held.

The Ukrainian delegation also took part in the 4th German-Ukrainian Business Forum.

ol
[March 22, 2021] With Reopening on the Horizon, Yext Launches #Back2Biz Program with Special Pricing to Help Boost Businesses

NEW YORK, March 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Yext, Inc. (NYSE: YEXT), the Answers Search Company, today announced an incentive program for its Listings product as part of its #Back2Biz campaign, which aims to put businesses at an advantage as COVID restrictions loosen and reopening ramps up. With Yext Listings, businesses can show up on approximately 200 of the top apps, maps, and services that customers use to search for them  from Google and Amazon Alexa to Facebook and Yelp. Additionally, they can make and communicate swift changes to their business information as restrictions change, including hours of operations for physical locations, updated COVID protocols, special "back to business" offers, and more with the click of a button. As businesses reopen and re-prioritize foot traffic, delivering accurate, up-to-date information on their search listings will ultimately help customers who are looking to transact be more confident, knowledgeable, and comfortable walking through the door. "The COVID-19 pandemic has taken a heavy toll on businesses, especially those in the food services, retail, and hospitality industries," said Howard Lerman, Founder and CEO of Yext. "With reopening on the horizon, now is the time for businesses to seize the tools and strategies that will jumpstart their foot traffic and keep them ahead of the competition. With Yext's #Back2Biz program, we're helping businesses cut costs so they can come back better and stronger than before." Through the program, businesses that qualify can take advantage of special pricing for Listings for a limited time if they sign up . Yext is also helping qualified businesses working with other search providers switch easily to Listings with a contract buyout incentive. Businesses can sign up for the offer at www.yext.com/resources/back2biz .



For more information about Yext's #Back2Biz program, click here. About Yext

The ultimate source for official answers about a business online should be the business itself. However, when consumers ask questions on company websites, too often they are left in the dark with wrong answers. Yext (NYSE: YEXT), the Search Experience Cloud, solves this problem by organizing a business's facts so it can provide official answers to consumer questions  wherever people search. Starting with the company website, then extending across search engines and voice assistants, businesses around the world, like T-Mobile, Jaguar Land Rover, BBVA USA, and Kiehl's  as well as organizations like the U.S. State Department and World Health Organization  trust Yext to radically improve the search experience on their websites and across the entire search ecosystem. Yext's mission is to help businesses and organizations around the world deliver official answers everywhere people search. Yext has been named a Best Place to Work by Fortune and Great Place to Work, as well as a Best Workplace for Women. Yext is headquartered in New York City with offices in Amsterdam, Berlin, Chicago, Dallas, Geneva, London, Miami, Milan, Paris, San Francisco, Shanghai, Tokyo, and the Washington, D.C. area. CONTACT: Amanda Kontor, pr@yext.com View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/with-reopening-on-the-horizon-yext-launches-back2biz-program-with-special-pricing-to-help-boost-businesses-301253158.html SOURCE Yext, Inc.

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New Delhi:

Hurricane Irma, the most powerful category 4 storm barreled towards the Florida and set off a 11th-hour scramble for safety on Saturday after completing a devastating march along Cuba's northern coast.



It was expected to pass through Florida's southern archipelago on . Till Now, Irma has killed at least 22 people in the Caribbean, was considered a life-threatening danger to Florida as well.



It will likely inflict billions of dollars in damage in the third-most-populous U.S. state.



When Irma crashed into the Cuba it was Category 5 storm, but it was gradually weakened to a Category 3 storm as it rammed along the island's northern coastline.

According to the US National Hurricane Centre (NHC), maximum sustained winds stayed around 125 mph (201Kph).But it is expected to regain strength as it streams over warm waters south of Florida, NHC added.

The National Weather Service predicted a high rain of up to 25 cm to 51 cm over Florida and southeast Georgia through It is just a fraction of what Hurricane Harvey dropped on Texas and Louisiana two weeks ago which almost killed 60 people and caused property damage of an estimated US$ 180 billion.

Destruction in Cuba



As Irma barreled towards the Cuba, the destruction along the north central coast was almost on similar lines that saw on other Carribean islands over the last week.



High winds of Irma has toppled trees and utility polls or ripped apart roofs. Cubans passed through ankle deep water in Caibarien, a fishing town where streets were flooded and covered in seaweed.



Since 1932 this was the first storm which had made landfall in Cuba.



Irma has forced to evacuate nearly 6.3 millions people which are nearly about a third of the state's population. It also caused massive traffic jams on highways and overcrowding shelters.



This was the strongest storm Caibarien ever had. It will take a while to recover from this, at least a few years, said Risle Echemendia, 28.

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Kemp won Trumps endorsement in a heated Republican primary for governor in 2018 and has never publicly criticized the president. He even reaffirmed recently that hed back Trump if he sought the White House again in 2024. Raffensperger has pushed back more directly, arguing forcefully in national media interviews last fall that the election was accurate and fair. He wrote an op-ed saying he felt thrown under the bus by a president hed supported. Weeks before the Capitol insurrection, a Raffensperger aide angrily predicted the presidents rhetoric would lead to violence. Since then, both Kemp and Raffensperger have tried, carefully, to appeal to the Republican base by calling for changes to the states election law. Most specifically, the two men support requiring voter identification for absentee voting to replace the current signature-match requirement. But some GOP lawmakers want to go considerably further, rolling back Georgias no-excuse absentee voting altogether, contracting weekend early voting options in some counties and ending automatic voter registration.
The launch makes Tunisia the sixth African country to have a homemade satellite in space

Tunisia celebrated the launch Monday of its first domestically made satellite, hoping it would inspire young engineers to reach for the stars at home rather than join those emigrating overseas.

Challenge-1, built by a team from telecommunications giant TelNet, blasted off along with 37 other satellites aboard a Russian Soyuz rocket from the Baikonur cosmodrome in Kazakhstan on Monday.

That made Tunisia the sixth African country to manufacture its own satellite and see it reach space.

"It's a source of pride to have taken part in this project," said Khalil Chiha, 27, who trained at Tunisia's National Engineering School in the central city of Sfax.

"Working in the aeronautical or aerospace sector is a dream."

Tunisia had been struck by an economic crisis and skyrocketing unemployment even before the coronavirus pandemic, and recent months have seen growing anti-government protests.

Several thousand engineers leave each year to seek work abroad.

Many of the Challenge-1 engineers were educated in Tunisia and are aged between 25 and 30 years old.

Officials hope the success will show young people there is a future for them in the North African nation.

The Challenge-1 is set to collect data including temperature, pollution and humidity readings over areas without internet coverage, as part of efforts to gather such information from areas beyond terrestrial phone networks.

"We are very emotional, after three years of intense work," said engineer Haifa Triki, 28, who followed the flight live from Tunis.

"We made a lot of sacrifices, but it was worth it".

The satellite blasted off with 37 other satellites aboard a Russian rocket

'Dream come true'

President Kais Saied, joined engineers and journalists to watch the launch live on screen at TelNet headquarters in Tunis.

"Our real wealth is the youth who can face obstacles," Saied said, stressing that Tunisia lacks not resources but "national will" amid its dire social and political crises.

"We are proud of our youth," he said.

The Challenge-1 team was supported by expatriate Tunisian engineers, one of whom took part in NASA's Mars Perseverance mission.

"It really is a dream come true," TelNet project manager Anis Youssef told AFP, ahead of the launch.

While the aerospace industry is in full development in the Arab world, and 11 countries have launched satellites across Africa, making a homemade satellite is a harder task.

"The club of those who manufacture them is quite closed," said Tunisian aerospace engineer Ahmed El Fadhel, based in Belgium and president of Tunisian Space Association, a collective of scientists, experts and students interested in space technology.

TelNet intends to launch within three years, in partnership with other African countries, a network of over 20 satellites.

"This paves the way for the opening of an innovative service for the region in a rapidly expanding field," said TelNet CEO Mohamed Frikha.

Beyond technological progress, it marks the "opening of local job prospects for Tunisian engineers", he added.

"Job opportunities exist in Tunisia. The problem is to make young engineers want to stay."

 2021 AFP
03/22/2021

Photo (c) Unimagic - Getty Images Coronavirus (COVID-19) tally as compiled by Johns Hopkins University. (Previous numbers in parentheses.)

Total U.S. confirmed cases: 29,821,403 (29,799,255)

Total U.S. deaths: 542,382 (542,168)

Total global cases: 123,321,541 (123,040,456)

Total global deaths: 2,716,990 (2,712,656)

AstraZeneca vaccine shows 79 percent efficacy in U.S. trial

The U.S. could soon have a fourth vaccine to use against the coronavirus (COVID-19). AstraZeneca reports that its vaccine was 79 percent effective in just-concluded U.S. clinical trials. The company plans to seek authorization to distribute the vaccine in the U.S.

The vaccine has been widely used in Europe, but it was sidelined earlier this month after reports of some vaccine recipients developing blood clots. After an investigation, European health regulators determined there was no proven link between blood clots and the vaccine.

This analysis validates the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine as a much-needed additional vaccination option, offering confidence that adults of all ages can benefit from protection against the virus, said Ann Falsey, a professor at the University of Rochester School of Medicine and co-lead principal investigator for the trial.

Spring break crowds pose virus threat, police say

Law enforcement officials in Miami Beach are expressing frustration at the growing crowds of young people gathering on beaches and at nightspots, many of whom are foregoing masks and social distancing. Police imposed an 8 p.m. curfew over the weekend to try to disperse the crowds.

Authorities have suggested that Florida is experiencing an influx of out-of-state people, in part, because of its relaxed coronavirus restrictions. Florida no longer has a statewide mask mandate.

Police used force Saturday night to remove people from the streets after the curfew. They say they made more than 1,000 arrests, with 90 percent of those arrested being from out of town.

Royal Caribbean ready to set sail

After being sidelined for nearly all of 2020, the Royal Caribbean International cruise line has announced a summer lineup of seven-night cruises onboard Adventure of the Seas. The voyages will set sail this June from a new homeport in Nassau, The Bahamas.

Destinations for the trips include Coco Cay, various ports in The Bahamas, and Cozumel, Mexico. Travelers can start booking as soon as Wednesday, March 24, and set sail starting June 12. The new itineraries departing through August, which will sail with a vaccinated crew, will be available to adult guests who are fully vaccinated against COVID-19 and those under the age of 18 with negative test results.

"The vaccines are clearly a game-changer for all of us, and with the number of vaccinations and their impact growing rapidly, we believe starting with cruises for vaccinated adult guests and crew is the right choice, said Michael Bayley, president, and CEO, Royal Caribbean International.

Many Americans are taking it slow

You wouldnt know it by the crowded stores, restaurants, and airports, but a new poll shows that a majority of Americans are leery of getting back to normal while the pandemic is still going on. Sixty-two percent of people questioned by healthinsurance.com say they worry about getting the virus.

A quarter of those in the survey said they would unfriend someone if they exposed them to COVID-19, and seven in 10 say they have or know someone who has tested positive for COVID-19.

Most say they plan to get the vaccine, but even after being vaccinated, 62 percent said they have apprehensions about life "returning to normal.".

Texas Roadhouse CEO dies after COVID-19 battle

Texas Roadhouse founder and CEO Kent Taylor is the latest high-profile victim of COVID-19. His family confirms that Taylor took his own life over the weekend after suffering extremely severe symptoms of the virus.

"Kent battled and fought hard like the former track champion that he was, but the suffering that greatly intensified in recent days became unbearable, the company said in a statement.

Taylors family said one of the most severe symptoms was tinnitus, a common condition involving ringing or other noises in the ears. Although its not that common, health experts say the coronavirus can exacerbate tinnitus problems.

Around the nation
What some residents reported as sludge was actually some fill the Hammond Port Authority was using for a planned parking lot project by the pavilion this summer, McDermott said. The city also took five soil samples from fill near the pavilions south parking lot, he said. The material had very low levels of metals that were within range for that use. It was recently moved there and not related to the birds deaths, he said.
Bangui, Central African Republic, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 21st Mar, 2021 ) :Central African Republic former president Francois Bozize has taken charge of a rebel alliance aiming to overthrow the central government, the group's spokesman said Sunday.

Bozize seized power in the former French colony in 2003 and was ousted a decade later, an act that sparked a civil war along sectarian lines.

The government has accused him of being behind a failed offensive against President Faustin Archange Touadera in December.

Bozize's spokesman Serge Bozanga confirmed to AFP on Sunday that he had agreed in February to become "general coordinator" of the so-called Coalition of Patriots for Change (CPC), which attempted to block Touadera's reelection, only to see their offensive repulsed.

Bozanga confirmed the authenticity of a document dated February 18 stating that Bozize had accepted the CPC's leadership "call".

The coalition brought together six of the armed groups that control much of the country in mid-December to launch the offensive against Touadera, just over a week before presidential and legislative elections.

Bozize, who voiced support for the CPC in December while urging a boycott of the elections, denied allegations of heading the group.

On January 4, the government launched an inquiry into him for "rebellion".

Up against a 12,000-strong UN peacekeeping force as well as hundreds of Russian and Rwandan soldiers and paramilitaries deployed in late December, the rebels have been in retreat since a January 13 attack on the capital Bangui was thwarted.

The government alleged that they had acted in concert with Bozize.

The constitutional court earlier blocked Bozize's bid to stand in the December presidential election, on the grounds that he was under UN sanctions over his alleged support for militias held responsible for war crimes and crimes against humanity committed during the 2013-14 conflict.

Touadera won re-election in the first round of the polls, according to official figures, but the turnout was just 35 percent as many voters were unable to cast their ballot.

Bozize fled abroad after being toppled in 2013.

He returned in late 2019, stoking fears that the troubled nation would be plunged once more into a full-fledged conflict.

Landlocked car is one of the world's poorest nations and has seen a string of coups and wars since it gained independence from France in 1960.

Violence remains endemic in a country where two-thirds of the territory is controlled by militia groups.

Thousands of people have died in the CAR since 2013 and more than a quarter of the population of 4.9 million have fled their homes.

Of these, 675,000 are refugees in neighbouring countries.
Aisha Saeed is the Pakistani American author of the YA novel Written in the Stars, the middle grade novel Amal Unbound, and the picture book Bilal Cooks Daal, among other books. She is also a former second grade teacher, education attorney, and a founding member of the nonprofit We Need Diverse Books. Recently, she tapped into Wonder Woman lore to create her Wonder Woman Adventures trilogy, including Diana and the Island of No Return and her latest, Diana and the Underworld Odyssey; book three is on the way. PW spoke with Saeed about how her early experiences and teaching background have allowed her to discover her own powers to tell her stories, to create diverse characters, and to take down stereotypes.

Can you tell us about your teaching background and how it has inspired and influenced your writing?

I received my bachelors and masters degrees in elementary education at the University of Florida, and went on to teach second grade in Michigan, Florida, and Georgia. Second grade is what I mostly taught; its my favorite year! I also have specialties in special education and ELL. I especially love working with elementary students because theyre so curious about learning, and school is their whole world. They are also still getting the fundamentals of reading and writing down. So it was a magical place to see them developing and blooming as readers and writers. I primarily taught at at-risk schools. I specifically chose schools where I could contribute the most personally.

Being a teacher is part of who I am, and it hasnt gone away. I often channel my former students and my children as I write. I think about what interests and matters to them, and keep these things in mind as I write. For example, I have a new book about bullying called The Together Tree (Simon & Schuster) illustrated by LeUyen Pham coming out in 2023. The students that I taught, and the moments I experienced as a student in the classroom, inspired the story. Being a teacher and interacting with students every day gave me, and still gives me, a different lens when I write and when I visit schools.

When did you actually start writing?

Ive always loved writing and thought I might write a book one day. Writing has always been an escape for meand part of who I am. For a time, as I began college, I stopped writing when I looked at the kind of stories that were on bookstore bookshelves. I never saw any Brown, Asian, or Muslim stories for kids there, and I started thinking there was no space or interest in my stories.

And, then when I began writing again, I found it difficult to start writing without having publication in mind. I started comparing my first drafts to other published works, became so overwhelmed, and thought that publishing a book was so inaccessible that I almost gave up.

I was in my last year of college when I was also working at Borders Bookstore that I found the book The Interpreter of Maladies by Jhumpa Lahiri, a South Asian author, and it was selling well. It was then that I thought, maybe, there was a market for my stories. My co-workers also encouraged me, [saying] that just because I dont see my stories there, that maybe I could be the one to add them to the shelves.

In addition to teaching, you also practiced law, and became a mother. How have you balanced your legal work, writing dream, and motherhood?

After I graduated with my masters, and taught for 4 1/2 years, I went to law school. I became an attorney so I could help kids with chronic illnesses and disabilities in the education system. While teaching, I saw so many gaps in services, especially in low-income schools, that I wanted to do something to help. I didnt practice very long, only 2 years, but, I liked it, and Im proud of the work that I did helping the kids that I did.

Then, when I realized I was pregnant with my son, I realized I couldnt be a mom, a lawyer, and a writer, and do them all well. So, I decided to leave the law, and to parent and write full-time. I thought that I would give myself a year or two of balancing parenting and writing to follow my dream of becoming a published writer. Luckily, it happened!

So when did you start writing and publishing your books for kids?

I had started writing my first YA novel, Written in the Stars, while I was teaching and through law school. I finished it while my first son was napping, and at nighttime. When I began submitting Written in the Stars to agents, I started Amal Unbound.

While I was able to find an agent who loved Written in the Stars quickly, it wasnt published right away. My greatest fears, the ones I had when I looked at the bookshelves in college, had come true! Publishers would say to us that they already had an Indian book, but Im not Indian, or that my book would not be commercially successful. It was very disappointing to hear that there was no place for my book or room for a South Asian author because they already had one. It had nothing to do with my voice or the book.

However, after two rounds of submitting to publishers, Written in the Stars found a home with Nancy Paulsen Books at Penguin. The publisher had published a number of South Asian stories, and was looking for qualitynot a quota.

Can you tell us how Amal Unbound came to be?

It came from my desire to set a story in Pakistan, in my familys fictitious ancestral village. I felt there were not a whole lot of books set in Pakistan, and I wanted to set one there. Also, at school visits Id hear kids share that before they read Written in the Stars they thought that Pakistan was a place with only sand and terrorists. This contrasted so much with the Pakistan that I knew growing up. So, I thought that I would write a story for kids who might never get to visit Pakistan, but could with my book.

On top of the setting, I also wanted to write about a girl. I had read about Malala Yousafzai, and how the world was rallying behind her. And I started thinking about all of the other kids who never get their names in headlines who also matter. I thought about my own students that I worked withso many refugee childrenand the stories they had about losing parents in land mines. I wanted to capture the bravery of all of these children in a story. This bravery is at the heart of Amal Unbound.

 Being a teacher and interacting with students every day gave me, and still gives me, a different lens when I write. 

What has the response to the book meant to you?

I have been completely taken back by all of it. This is especially true when I was visiting schools for Written in the Stars. Someone at a signing had heard about my writing Amal Unbound and said to me that books set in other countries dont sell because kids are only interested in reading about kids that they could relate to, in their own countries. So, as I continued writing it, I kept hearing this persons words in my head. But I also kept writing it because the story mattered to me. But then Nancy Paulsen Books and the PRH marketing team connected with the story; and, then the book was chosen as a Global Read Aloud, and that gave it a huge boost.

With the GRA, teachers around the world opt in, pick one of the chosen read-aloud books, collaborate on curriculum surrounding the stories, read certain chapters together, have Skype visits, send postcards, etc. As a result of this, I did a lot of school visits and compiled many of the resources that teachers pulled together on my website to offer another avenue to find these resources. It was an honor to be part of it.

With your background as a Pakistani American Muslim, can you share why representation and inclusivity are important to you and your books?

Growing up I never saw it, or knew to want it. Shortly before I read The Interpreter of Maladies, I had discovered Shabanu: Daughter of the Wind by Suzanne Fisher Staples and saw for the first time anyone like mea South Asianon a cover of a book. I was in college at that time. And the power of seeing someone who looked like me, it stayed with me. Its hard to put into words. Theres a power in being seen, and for others to see you as you really arebeyond the stereotypes. Because thats all I got when growing upunnamed terrorist #1 or #2 or the man who owns the convenience store.

These negative stereotypes contributed to the bullying and the things I experienced. Because of the certain stereotypes created by the media, it is important for me to have authentic representation in books. This helps shape how you relate to the world around youboth by being seen and seeing others.

Can you talk about the importance of inclusivity and representation in the greater landscape of childrens literature?

They remain as important as ever. But I think it can feel misleading for authors, educators, and certain publishing people because you are in this particular bubble of being aware of more diverse books coming out, and seeing that there is more diversity. Im not sure it always translates to libraries and classrooms.

Its wonderful that there are so many diverse books coming out, but I want to see a greater awareness of those books, and to see more of them implemented into the curriculum. I have seen it happening with the Global Read Aloud, and Project Lit bringing greater awareness of diverse books into more classrooms and libraries. And there are many conscientious teachers and educators that are doing the work. But, from first-hand knowledge, I dont think it is as mainstreamed as people think it is.

Can you tell us about your Wonder Woman Adventures trilogy in the works? How did you find yourself creating these stories?

Editor Chelsea Eberly at Random House approached me to write the WW Adventures trilogy. It was interesting to me because its not typical of what I write. But I was excited about it because its playing in such a big cultural spaceWonder Woman is everywhere! And I could bring myself, a Muslim South Asian, to the page and write WWs origin storythe story before she knew who she was.

While I explained to [Chelsea] that I dont usually write these kinds of stories, she said that she chose me because I write about friendship, girls, and girls having agency, and she wanted me to bring those things to the stories. That really hooked me, along with the fact they gave me so much freedom to write any kind of stories and to include characters I wanted to write in this universe. So Princess Dianas best friend in the series is Sakina, whose people are the scholars: the Keepers of the Libraries. And, while shes not explicitly named, she is coded as a South Asian girl. It was nice to include within this American story other Americans who historically havent been depicted in this Universe. I feel incredibly grateful to play in this pond.

What are your greatest hopes for your growing list of books?

I want kids to read and to fall in love with them. I also hope that when they do that, they feel that theyve read good stories that are fun, engaging, that have moved them, and that they have learned about a different culture or faith. But kids know when theyre being taught something, so my goal is to tell good stories the best way that I can where readers can be seen, learn about other people, and see the shared thread of humanity that binds us altogether.

What you working on now?

Im writing a companion book to Amal Unbound called Omar Rising. Its about Amals best friend, Omar, as he heads off to boarding school. Im also finishing my third book in the Wonder Woman Adventures. Itll be out in May 2022.

Do you have any advice for fellow teachers/librarians who might like to use the power of the pen like you?

Because teaching is all-consuming, there are often no boundaries. Teachers need to give themselves permission to carve out time just for themselves to write. Even if its just a few minutes a day or a few hours on a Sunday, they have to do this. Im speaking from experience. I was writing my debut Written in the Stars while I was teaching second grade. But you wont find the time: you have to take it. So, take it!
SARATOGA SPRINGS  City leaders have revised a resolution proposed last week that dismissed many of the recommendations of the citys Police Reform Task Force.

Commissioner of Accounts John Franck said that the original resolution, which was unveiled March 16 during a City Council meeting, prompted complaints because it disregarded the 12-member task forces recommendations including bias training, demilitarization of the police force, banning no-knock warrants and collaborating with social workers. The earlier resolution also pushed back on plans to create a civilian review board.



I wouldnt have voted for the resolution, Franck said. Im with the task force. We picked the people on the task force. They gave their recommendations. The resolution did not reflect their recommendations.



The new resolution, which will be discussed by the city council on Tuesday night, gives more credence to the task force that has been meeting since August. City officials now agree to consider hiring an external consultant to address the tension between the community and the department, revising the use of force policy to prioritize de-escalation and protection of life and revising policy on limiting cooperation with federal immigration agents. It also agrees to evaluate and develop a pilot program with social workers and terminate paramilitary training.

Previously:

Saratoga Springs' police reform efforts to include civilian board, de-escalation policies

Saratoga Springs survey finds residents want police reforms

Use of pepper spray on Saratoga Springs protesters haunts reform efforts



Racial justice advocate Lexis Figuereo said city officials made the changes to try to defend themselves from public rebuke by the task force's co-chairs and racial justice activists, who are expected to gather on the steps at city hall at 5:30 p.m. on Monday.

If they did it in the beginning, then it would actually be real, Figuereo said. They are just now doing this because we have a press conference planned. It's not enough.



He said he is also disappointed that the new resolution says nothing about Darryl Mount, Jr., the 21-year-old bi-racial man who died from injuries after being pursued by police in 2013. Mount's death remains a point of contention with activists and city police who, police said, fell from a scaffold, sustaining his injuries.

Figuereo also is upset that the new resolution wont ban no-knock warrants and is only considering a civilian review board.

Camille Daniels, co-chair of the task force, noted in a press release that the revised resolution on police reform "still does not adequately address the demands of the community."

In addition to Mount, she mentioned the "refusal to adopt" a civilian review board and accountability over the July 30, 2020 counter-protest to a rally in support of police that ended when the Saratoga County Sheriffs Office showed up with a tank-like vehicle and shot pepper spray pellets at protesters.

"The councils resolution also rejects and undermines the measures in the task forces 50-point plan that aim to ensure that this never happens again," a press release from the task force noted. "For an all-white city council to release a resolution that did not acknowledge the majority of the plan created by a majority-Black volunteer body, and in many cases modified or weakened the recommendations of the task force, is exemplary of institutional racism at work. The city councils conduct over the past year -- appointing a majority-Black volunteer body to the task force, providing no support throughout the process, quibbling with its research-based recommendations, and producing its own uninformed, watered-down resolution -- validates the fears of racial justice supporters: our local elected officials, who were forced into symbolic actions by the 2020 protests, will do all they can to block or slow-walk, meaningful policy action."



Mayor Meg Kelly, whose nephew, Franck confirmed, is president of the Saratoga Springs Police Benevolent Association, did not return a Times Union phone call for comment about the resolutions. On Monday morning, the citys Commissioner of Public Safety Robin Dalton also did not comment on the public response, nor did Commissioner of Public Works Anthony Skip Scirocco, who during last week's city council meeting called the original resolution a work in progress.

Commissioner of Finance Michele Madigan said the second resolution is a good second draft.

It works toward getting the council together to accept the recommendations of the task force, subject to state laws, local laws (modifying local laws if necessary), and certain rules and regulations, Madigan said. My thinking continues to evolve on the task force's recommendations and I have no issues with banning no-knock warrants at the local level. This will likely come up for discussion tomorrow evening, but I also understand the police department having an issue with banning these outright. The resolution states they should be used rarely, if ever, and I will likely inquire as to how often our department has had to utilize them in the past.



A recent survey, conducted by the task force, shows that of the nearly 1,900 people who took the survey the majority approve of the task force's police reform recommendations. It found that 78.7 percent want body camera footage to be released, 75.4 percent want bias training, 71.8 percent want strict de-escalation rules and 64.4 percent want civilian oversight. Of those who took the survey, 90 percent live in Saratoga County.



City officials plan to adopt a police reform resolution on the evening of March 31, just hours before the state's April 1 deadline on police reform, as required by Gov. Andrew Cuomos Executive Order 203.



Franck said that reforms, as recommended by the task force, need to be adopted.



I remember the 1960s, Franck said. Seems to me its being cycled around again. When are we going to fix it? How long are we going to wait?

Note: This story was updated on March 24 to indicate that the police investigated Mount's death and found he fell from a scaffold.
CO2 GRO (CVE: GROW- OTCQB: BLONF) Vice President of Sales and Strategic Alliances Arron Archibald joined Steve Darling from Proactive to share details the company has scored another sale of their CO2 Delivery Solutions System. This time to a Canadian cannabis licensed producer who operates a facility of approximately 20,000 square feet.

Archibald talks about that contract and he also recaps what a very busy month for the company including binging in another 700 thousand dollars to the treasury thanks to the exercise of warrants from long-term shareholders.
The here on Monday said it is closely following up with the Chinese authorities about the concerns of thousands of Indian students who are stuck back home and unable to return to to re-join their universities due to COVID-19 restrictions imposed by Beijing.

There are over 4.40 lakh foreign students from across the globe in This includes over 23,000 Indians, mostly studying medicine in various Chinese medical colleges after paying heavy fees.

Citing COVID-19 restrictions, has been advising the students to continue with the online classes in their respective countries. The students, however, have been stating that as most of them are pursuing science courses, they need access to laboratories for practical training.

They have also complained that their scholarships have been suspended.

In a press release, the in Beijing said, "As noted in its previous communications, the Embassy of India in Beijing has continued to follow up closely with Chinese authorities, including the Ministry of Education of the People's Republic of China, regarding the concerns of Indian students in China, especially their early return to colleges/universities in this country.

"It will continue to engage with the Chinese side to seek progress on the issue of movement of people between the two countries," it said.

Chinese authorities at various levels continue to maintain their position that, on account of last year's announcement by the foreign ministry and the State Administration of Immigration to suspend temporarily the entry of foreigners holding valid Chinese visa and residence permits following the outbreak of COVID-19 in many countries, overseas students are temporarily unable to enter China, the embassy said.

It underlined that Chinese authorities have also conveyed that they are aware of the concerns of the students and have asked all relevant Chinese universities to maintain close contact with the students and keep them informed, besides continuing with the online courses.

"It has also been suggested by Chinese authorities that Indian students stay in touch with their universities and pursue their studies in accordance with the suggestions and guidance of the universities," the release said.

The embassy advised the Indian students to monitor its website and social media channels to remain updated about the evolving situation in connection to the return of foreign students to China.

The release also cited Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian's response to queries on the issue at a media briefing on March 19.

The Chinese government attaches high importance to protecting the rights and interests of foreign students in China. Academic institutions are required to keep in close contact with those students abroad, make good arrangements for online courses, and properly address their legitimate concerns and appeals. On the pre-condition of observing containment protocols, the Chinese authorities will study this matter in a coordinated manner and keep in communication with relevant parties, it said quoting Zhao.

Recently, Chinese authorities have issued a notification relating to visa facilitation for foreigners travelling to China, the release noted, referring to a notice from the Chinese Embassy in India stating that it is mandatory for people coming from India and 19 other nations to get Chinese-made COVID-19 vaccines if they want to travel to the country.

However, it urderlined that the notification does not apply to foreign students.

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
NEW HAVEN  A 28-year-old woman was shot and killed in Fair Haven Heights Monday, according to New Haven police, with a person of interest in the case later taken into custody on an unrelated matter.

Officers had responded to the area of Clifton and Lenox streets Monday morning soon after the fatal shooting occurred at approximately 9:19 a.m., according to Capt. Anthony Duff.

Interim Chief Renee Dominguez identified the victim as Alessia Mesquita at a press conference Monday afternoon.

After Mesquita was shot, Rashad Newton, considered a person of interest in the case, allegedly left the area with the 1-year-old child he shared with Mesquita, Dominguez said, then later was found with the baby on Eastern Street. The child was unharmed and sent to the hospital for precautionary reasons, Dominguez said.

Newton was in a relationship with Mesquita, she said.

Newton, 27, was taken into custody on a warrant charging him with first-degree assault out of West Haven, Dominguez said.

Later Monday in a press release, police referred to Newtown as a suspect in the investigation. But at that time, he had not been charged in connection with the homicide, which remained under investigation.

Detectives and patrol worked extremely hard and extremely fast on this case. Right from the beginning, we got multiple community members who came forward and were able to provide information that was able to lead us in the right direction, said Dominguez. We are just extremely grateful for the men and women of the New Haven Police Department and the work that they did to be able to provide this family just a small piece of peace at this extremely difficult time.

Mayor Justin Elicker and Dominguez noted the difficulty of the day, both for the city and for police.

We lost a member of our community. My heart goes out to Ms. Mesquitas family, said Elicker, praising the Police Department for its quick action in the case.

It was a very emotional day for everyone here. Anytime a life is taken, its emotional; add to that a young mother... and then just the uncertainty to where the child was.... (Its) very emotional for the officers, many of them are parents. Its difficult to try to go through and keep your head focused, but thats obviously what the officers did, said Dominguez.

Mesquitas death is the ninth homicide of the year in New Haven. In a GoFundMe posted to raise money for her funeral expenses, a person who identified herself as Mesquitas sister said she is and always will be an amazing loving mother of two (2) beautiful babies who loved her more than anything.

Before this incident, Alfreda Youmans, Jeffery Dotson, Jorge Osorio-Caballero, Marquis Winfrey, Joseph Mattei, Kevin Jiang, Angel Rodriguez and Dwaneia Turner were killed.

There had been one homicide in the city by this point in 2020.

william.lambert@hearstmediact.com
Srinagar, March 22 : Two unidentified terrorists have been killed in an ongoing encounter between terrorists and security forces at Manihal area in South Kashmir's Shopian district on Monday morning, officials said.

Earlier a firefight between terrorists and security forces started on Sunday night after security forces cordoned off the area and launched a search operation on the basis of a specific information about presence of terrorists.

As the security forces zeroed in on the spot where terrorists were hiding they came under a heavy volume of fire that triggered the encounter.

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
[March 22, 2021] Rentschler Biopharma and Leukocare extend service offering with joint U.S. site

Leukocare joins Rentschler Biopharma in the U.S., facilitating integrated alliance capabilities and enhanced service for North American clients





Client-focused approach and integration of best-in-class formulation throughout the development process create significant value and speed time-to-market





Companies celebrate fourth anniversary of highly successful strategic alliance for biopharmaceutical development and formulation LAUPHEIM, Germany and MARTINSRIED, Germany, and MILFORD, Mass., March 22, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Rentschler Biopharma SE, a leading global contract development and manufacturing organization (CDMO) for biopharmaceuticals, and Leukocare AG, a German biotechnology company specialized in the field of biopharmaceutical formulation development, celebrate the fourth anniversary of their unique strategic alliance. Established in 2017 and recently expanded into the U.S., this highly successful alliance integrates best-in-class and tailored formulation development into every step of the manufacturing process and helps to efficiently address the challenges of increasingly complex biopharmaceuticals. Clients benefit from this alliance through shorter development timelines, cost savings and potentially additional patent protection, leading to a competitive edge and enhanced client satisfaction. During these past four years, the alliance has successfully completed a large number of projects for companies around the globe. The project areas range from established monoclonal antibodies to innovative multispecific formats, as well as novel enzymes and scaffolds. They include both early- and late-stage development programs, highlighting the adaptability and flexibility of tailored services offered by the partnership. With the recent opening of Leukocares U.S. development labs and offices at Rentschler Biopharma's facility in the Greater Boston area, the two companies will work together closely and seamlessly in the U.S. as well as in Europe. Dr. Frank Mathias, CEO of Rentschler Biopharma SE, commented: Our strategic alliance with Leukocare is a great success for our two companies and, importantly, for our clients. Formulation issues often lead to the failure of drug development projects or significant delays both in early and late clinical stage, making formulation a critical success factor. Drug development and formulation need to cooperate, and, together, our two companies can address client needs in early- or late-stage development, as well as in commercial manufacturing optimization. We are delighted that this alliance now has a solid footprint in both Europe and the U.S. Michael Scholl, CEO of Leukocare AG, added: Both of our companies are highly focused on not just meeting but exceeding client expectations. Already four years ago, we recognized an increasing demand for advanced and accelerated formulation development services combined with excellent CDMO services. We are excited to expand our presence into the U.S., enabling us to work closely with Rentschler Biopharma on both sides of the Atlantic to provide optimal solutions and customized services for each joint project. We very much look forward to continuing this strong and highly fruitful partnership. Biopharmaceuticals are becoming increasingly complex, bringing new challenges in both biomanufacturing and formulation development. Rentschler Biopharma and Leukocare have solved many complex challenges through innovation, cutting-edge technology, and their teams extensive expertise. Formulation development projects within the alliance included: adjustment of existing formulations and creation of novel formulations for improving stability or extension of storage time at room temperature. Integrating formulation development know-how in downstream processing often creates additional benefits for clients, e.g., by increasing product yield. The coming together of world-class capabilities in formulation development and high-quality biomanufacturing offer best-in-class project delivery for clients along the entire biopharmaceutical value chain.



About Rentschler Biopharma SE Rentschler Biopharma is a leading contract development and manufacturing organization (CDMO) focused exclusively on client projects. The company offers process development and manufacturing of biopharmaceuticals as well as related consulting activities, including project management and regulatory support. Rentschler Biopharma's high quality is proven by its long-standing experience and excellence as a solution partner for its clients. A high-level quality management system, a well-established operational excellence philosophy and advanced technologies ensure product quality and productivity at each development and manufacturing step. In order to offer best-in-class formulation development along the biopharmaceutical value chain, the company has entered into a strategic alliance with Leukocare AG. Rentschler Biopharma is a family-owned company with about 1,000 employees, headquartered in Laupheim, Germany, with a second site in Milford, MA, USA. In Stevenage, UK, Rentschler Biopharma has launched a company dedicated to cell and gene therapies, Rentschler ATMP Ltd.

For further information, please visit www.rentschler-biopharma.com . Follow Rentschler Biopharma on LinkedIn and Facebook . About Leukocare AG Leukocare AG, located in Martinsried/Munich, Germany and Milford, MA, USA, is a biotechnology company specialized in the field of biopharmaceutical formulation development. Operating at the interface of drug substance and drug product development, Leukocare combines sound knowledge of formulation development with bioinformatics and artificial intelligence.

The formulation development approach consists of two elements: a library of up to 100 different regulatory well-established and employed excipients and a rational development approach which employs statistical software and self-learning algorithms as well as state of the art design of experiment (DoE) matrices. By utilizing the artificial intelligence elements, Leukocare is able to specifically combine excipients leading to stabilizing formulations tailored to the drug products needs.

Leukocares superior and innovative drug product formulations can be applied to a broad range of applications: biologics & biosimilars, vaccines & viral vectors and biofunctionalized devices. www.leukocare.com About the Rentschler Biopharma and Leukocare alliance Launched in 2017, the global alliance between Rentschler Biopharma SE and Leukocare AG aims at integrating formulation development strategically into every step of biopharmaceutical value chain. Working closely with the client ensures a tailored and best-in-class approach for the clients drug product. This innovative approach offers clients significant competitive advantages, enabling them to optimize time-to-market and exploit the full commercial potential of their products and markets. Contact:

Rentschler Biopharma SE

Dr. Cora Kaiser

Senior Director Corporate Communication

Phone: +49-7392-701-874

communications@rentschler-biopharma.com Leukocare AG

Rebekka Strover

Specialist Communications & Marketing

Phone: + 49-89-7801-665-14

rebekka.stroever@leukocare.com Media inquiries:

MC Services AG

Eva Bauer

Phone: +49-89-210228-0

rentschler@mc-services.eu U.S.

Laurie Doyle

Phone: +1-339-832-0752



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Nadakuduru, March 22 : A woman killed and then partially burned her paramour's body at a secluded place in Andhra Pradesh's East Godavari district recently. Police managed to crack the case six days later.

Around noon on Tuesday last week, Nadakuduru village revenue officer (VRO) Tatapudi Somaraju from Karapa mandal lodged a complaint with the police that an unknown man's body was found on the northern side of the bypass road leading from Turangi to Yanam.

On reaching the spot, police found a partly burnt man's body and they registered a case under Indian Penal Code (IPC) Sections 302 and 201, read with 34 and began a probe.

As the dead man was not identified, police gave wide publicity which led to his relatives turning up and identifying him as Pepakayala Satish Kumar, resident of Vella village in Ramachandrapuram mandal in the district.

Kumar got married 16 years ago to Peddireddi Suneetha and was blessed with a boy and a girl. He used to eke out a living by renting a public address system, besides working as a watchman in a rice mill.

However, since the last five years he contracted a chronic disease and was taking treatment for it at the Government General Hospital in Kakinada.

Meanwhile, Kumar began an extramarital affair with Thota Arjiveni (25), which continued for some time but the latter started distancing herself from him because of the disease as she feared getting infected.

Depressed over these developments, Kumar attempted suicide by consuming a pesticide on March 3 but survived on being treated at the area hospital in Ramachandrapuram.

"At that time, the wife of the deceased (Kumar), Suneetha, went away to her parents' home along with her children," said a police official.

Following that incident, Kumar started pestering Arjiveni to abandon her husband and elope with him, which she did not agree to.

Arjiveni then went to her sister Ireddy Rajeswari's (29) home and opened up to her about Kumar. After deliberating on the matter, the sisters determined to eliminate Kumar.

They hatched a plot and lured Kumar to a vacant plot of land belonging to one Gollapalli Suryanarayana. The sisters carried two litres of petrol with them to execute their murder plan.

When Kumar arrived they sat down and chit chatted for some time. Seeing an opportunity, Arjiveni suddenly hit Kumar on his groin with her right knee.

As her paramour writhed in pain, Arjiveni sat on him and tied a piece of cloth around his neck and both the sisters strangled him.

With the aim to destroy evidence, they doused his body with the petrol and set him ablaze.

Police swooped on the sisters on Sunday morning around 7 a.m. and arrested them, and aeized two cell phones belonging to Kumar from their possession.
Won't it be marvellous when the museums and galleries open again and we can actually see real art, real sculpture, real antiquities? Online is fine, but "being there" is the experience.

Museums and galleries are hugely popular. When I was a youngster, you'd nearly have the National Gallery in Dublin to yourself. By 2019, art galleries always seemed thronged.

Last time I visited the Musee d'Orsay in Paris, it was like being at a football match - elbowed aside by bustling crowds, often taking selfies of themselves before a Berthe Morisot. As for trying to view Klimt at the Belvedere in Vienna - what a scrum.

But, post-lockdown, that's one thing that will change about our art experiences, says Sir Charles Saumarez Smith, the renowned art historian and former director of London's National Gallery.

We have now acquired the habit of "social distancing" - and that practice will probably continue, with a limited number of people looking at pictures or objects in each room. "We'll be spending more time at each picture," he says. And that's good.

Museums used to be about conserving the past. "They were quite didactic - teaching people the history of art," says Saumarez Smith. But, in recent decades, they've also been about forging the present and even predicting the future.

The old-style museum was a classical building in the middle of a city. The museum of today can be anywhere, and look like anything - Tate Modern in London was a former power station. There's a brilliant museum, MONA, on an island in Tasmania. Museums have events, displays, narratives - and much better shops. Shops are enormously popular: when Saumarez Smith was CEO of the Royal Academy of Arts in London, Tracey Emin's coffee cups and David Hockney's ashtrays sold like hot cakes. "Sixty per cent of tourists to an art gallery want a souvenir," says the former National Gallery boss.

So, what are the future trends and developments? In his new book, The Art Museum in Modern Times, Saumarez Smith identifies two: one is the growth of the architect-designed museum, like the stunning Guggenheim in Bilbao, designed by Frank Gehry.

The second is the rise of private museums, globally: "Rich people who decide not to give their collection to the state museum - who want to do their own thing."

The rich have got richer during the Covid pandemic - unfair, but there it is - and they will want to spend their money on art, but as they choose.

"They like working with architects. It's partly self-aggrandisement. But they want their collection to be seen."

The Menil Collection in Houston, Texas, is a leading example - "the product of a very forceful, strong-willed and driven private collector".

The De Menil family were originally inspired by a Dominican priest, Fr Couturier, who had managed the Matisse Chapel at Vence. (Although there could well be a reaction against private wealth curating their own collections, rather than donating to public institutions.)

Two other issues are also emerging: one is the controversial question of restitution. This began with Greece's claim that the British Museum should restore the Elgin Marbles.

There are now growing claims from Africa for restored treasures and Sir Charles's younger son is engaged in recording works from Africa which have been forcibly stolen.

His own view - which he says is probably "old-fashioned" (he's 66) - is that the main thing is just to be honest about where everything came from and in what circumstances.

One day, the Rosetta Stone could be restored to Memphis, Egypt, from where it was seized by a Napoleonic officer and captured by the British.

The second theme is the growing demand for women artists. In the art world, the future is female. Sir Charles knows an internationally well-regarded Irish-born artist working in London, but galleries have made it clear that male artists are just not their priority right now.

"They are trying to be more diverse. Everyone is trying to rebalance their programmes by providing work that is less conventional, less traditional, less white, less old, less male," says Saumarez Smith.

"There's now a new risk that, over the next 15 years, you'll get a generation of older, white artists whose work is not seen."

It's a social correction that's just happening, and the white male artist is having a tougher time.

And yet, surely, art that inspires will always break through. Art is "a search for the sacred". The wonderful expansion and enhancements of museums and art galleries over recent times are a witness to that.

When they open again, people will flood back to galleries and museums, even if still maintaining some social distance.

Saumarez Smith illuminates many terrific museums and galleries in his book: one for my personal bucket list, post-lockdown, is the impressive Louvre Abu Dhabi, where the French brought a dazzling white-stoned edifice to the desert.

The art is historically international, religiously ecumenical and "treats all cultures from across the globe as of equivalent value".
Don't even think about heading to Denton's Legends Diner if you're not planning to wear a mask. The fee is $50 if "we have to explain why a mask is mandatory," Legends Diner owner Wayne LaCombe told Chron.

Posted right outside LaCombe's restaurant is a bright pink sign with the rules: "Our new surcharge: $50 if I have to explain why masks are mandatory; $75 if I have to hear why you disagree."

LaCombe and his wife, Kat, have asked their customers and employees to continue to wear masks after the Texas mask mandate was lifted on March 10.

"Customers laugh at the sign and think it's great," LaCombe told Chron. "I just wanted to get the message out. The sign has served its purpose. We had more trouble before than we do now."

DOCTOR'S NAME CLEARED: Texas Medical Board clears Houston-area doctor accused of stealing COVID-19 vaccine

Legends Diner co-owner Kat is a retired nurse who worked 28 years in oncology. In a Facebook post, she underscored the real threat of the virus and her desire for customers to stay vigilant.

"All we ask is that customers wear a mask as they walk past another person that is eating and not wearing a mask," Kat posted. "Sure doesn't seem like a lot to ask...but apparently it is. I with my husband try to protect and respect the people who come to our restaurant. The sign was a sort of joke....it was aimed at the people who feel the need to try to argue (and of course they're not wearing masks at the time)."

The tongue-in-cheek sign has actually brought in brisk business for the restaurant.

"We had a record day yesterday. About 500 came into our restaurant," LaCombe told Chron. "I'm getting calls from all over the country. I got a call today from Virginia, saying 'Thank you!' We even got flowers. It's awesome."

It's not just Texans supporting Legends Diner's message, but Americans all across the nation have weighed in on their safety-conscious decision.

"Thank you for standing up for intelligence and science and the CDC," Jerm Tzu wrote on Facebook.

"I LOVE your sign! I wish we lived down there--we'd be regulars for sure!! Thank you for being responsible," Jan Hood added.
Hollywood celebrated its best and brightest writers at the 2021 Writers Guild of America Awards on Sunday night, with Promising Young Woman and Borat 2 coming up big.

Writer-director Emerald Fennell took home the Best Original Screenplay award for her critically-acclaimed revenge thriller Promising Young Woman (via THR).

Sacha Baron Cohen and his team of writers Anthony Hines & Dan Swimer & Peter Baynham & Erica Rivinoja & Dan Mazer & Jena Friedman & Lee Kern took home Best Adapted Screenplay for Borat 2, while Ted Lasso took home two TV awards.

Winner: Hollywood celebrated its best and brightest writers at the 2021 Writers Guild of America Awards on Sunday night, with Promising Young Woman and Borat 2 coming up big

Emerald wins: Writer-director Emerald Fennell took home the Best Original Screenplay award for her critically-acclaimed revenge thriller Promising Young Woman (via THR)

Sacha wins: Sacha Baron Cohen and his team of writers Anthony Hines & Dan Swimer & Peter Baynham & Erica Rivinoja & Dan Mazer & Jena Friedman & Lee Kern took home Best Adapted Screenplay for Borat 2, while Ted Lasso took home two TV awards

Fennell's Promising Young Woman beat out Judas and the Black Messiah, Palm Springs, Sound of Metal and The Trial of the Chicago 7 for the Best Original Screenplay award.

'I wish I could be the room see everyone in person. As it is, I will say thank from my bleak writers room in England,' Fennell said in her speech.

Fennell now becomes a front runner for the Best Original Screenplay category, with the winner of the WGA award usually going on to win the Oscar.

Best Original: Fennell's Promising Young Woman beat out Judas and the Black Messiah, Palm Springs, Sound of Metal and The Trial of the Chicago 7 for the Best Original Screenplay award

Speech: 'I wish I could be the room see everyone in person. As it is, I will say thank from my bleak writers room in England,' Fennell said in her speech.

Awards Watch journalist Erik Anderson mentioned on Twitter that the last time the WGA winner didn't win the Oscar was 20 years ago, when You Can Count On Me won the WGA award but Almost Famous won the Oscar.

Baron Cohen's Borat 2 beat out Ma Rainey's Black Bottom, News of the World, One Night in Miami and The White Tiger for the Best Adapted Screenplay award.

'I can't help but think that we won it because 60 percent of the Writers Guild worked on this movie,' Baron Cohen joked of his numerous co-writers.

Very nice: Baron Cohen's Borat 2 beat out Ma Rainey's Black Bottom, News of the World, One Night in Miami and The White Tiger for the Best Adapted Screenplay award

'A film like this is extremely hard to write, partly because it stars real people whose behavior is completely unpredictable. Well, apart, of course, for Rudy Giuliani, who did everything we hoped for,' he added.

The Dissident, which failed to make the Oscar shortlist for Best Documentary Feature, won the Documentary Screenplay award.

The film about the murder of Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi beat All In: The Fight for Democracy, Herb Alpert Is..., Red Penguins and Totally Under Control.

Hard to write: 'A film like this is extremely hard to write, partly because it stars real people whose behavior is completely unpredictable. Well, apart, of course, for Rudy Giuliani, who did everything we hoped for,' he added

The Dissident director and co-writer Bryan Fogel thanked the Human Rights Foundation and honored reporters, stating, 'to journalists all over the world that work to make this world a better place.'

On the TV side, The Crown won Best Drama Series, beating out Better Call Saul, The Boys, The Mandalorian and Ozark.

Ted Lasso was the big winner of the night, taking home two awards, Best Comedy Series and Best New Series.

Big winner: Ted Lasso was the big winner of the night, taking home two awards, Best Comedy Series and Best New Series

The Crown wins: On the TV side, The Crown won Best Drama Series, beating out Better Call Saul, The Boys, The Mandalorian and Ozark

It beat out Curb Your Enthusiasm, The Great, PEN15 and What We Do in the Shadows for Best Comedy Series, and Dave, The Flight Attendant, The Great and Lovecraft Country for Best New Series.

Series co-creator Bill Lawrence said he was, 'grateful that anybody is watching anything.'

He also gave a shout out to their writers assistants, adding, 'Youre writing the show without us and we just stamp our name on it at the end,' before thanking his other nominees, adding, 'Were sad that you lost but happy that we won. Is that how this works?' while co-creator Jason Sudeikis, laughed in agreement.

Grateful: Series co-creator Bill Lawrence said he was, 'grateful that anybody is watching anything'

Creators: He also gave a shout out to their writers assistants, adding, 'Youre writing the show without us and we just stamp our name on it at the end,' before thanking his other nominees, adding, 'Were sad that you lost but happy that we won. Is that how this works?' while co-creator Jason Sudeikis, laughed in agreement

Other winners included Judas and the Black Messiah writers Will Berson, Shaka King and Keith and Kenny Lucas, who took home the Paul Selvin Award, named for the union's late general counsel of 25 years, which is, 'given to the member or members whose script best embodies the spirit of constitutional and civil rights and liberties.'

Mrs. America won for Original Long Form, while The Queen's Gambit won Adapted Long Form and BoJack Horseman won the Animated award.

Ozark won Best Episodic Drama and The Great won Best Episodic Comedy while Desus and Mero won Best Comedy/Variety Talk Series.

Adapted: Mrs. America won for Original Long Form, while The Queen's Gambit won Adapted Long Form

Episodic Comedy: Ozark won Best Episodic Drama and The Great won Best Episodic Comedy while Desus and Mero won Best Comedy/Variety Talk Series

Animated: BoJack Horseman won the Animated award
Lyon County Sheriff's Office Charges Three

By West Kentucky Star Staff

LYON COUNTY - The Lyon County Sheriff's Office has charged three people in separate incidents since Friday.They report that Friday evening, a traffic stop for speeding on US 62 found that 18-year-old Nickalus S. Havener, of Utica, allegedly was in possession of marijuana and drug paraphernalia.Havener was charged with speeding and several other traffic offenses, as well as possession of marijuana and drug paraphernalia.Sunday shortly after noon, Sheriff Brent White answered a disturbance call on Elkhorn Tavern Road, east of Eddyville.At the scene, Sheriff White found the caller, 42-year-old Stephanie A. Miles, to be involved in the dispute.Further investigation showed that Miles had been released from jail last week, and a condition of her release was to immediately report to an inpatient drug rehabilitation program.She failed to report as instructed, and was subsequently arrested and charged with contempt of court. Miles was taken to the Crittenden County Detention Center.Later Sunday afternoon, just before 4:30, Sheriff White and a deputy were called to the Eddyville City Park for a suspicious person complaint, with children nearby.They found 32-year-old Jeffrey A. Perry, of Carrolton, slumped over near a tree.Perry was determined to be under the influence of methamphetamine and marijuana. He was arrested and charged with public intoxication- controlled substance, possession of marijuana, and possession of drug paraphernalia.At the time of the offense, he was on parole out of Carroll County for a 2014 manufacturing methamphetamine conviction for which he received a 12 year prison sentence.
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ALTON  Three area lawmakers shared their views Monday morning on the future of Illinois.

State Rep. Amy Elik, R-Fosterburg, was joined in a Zoom conference by state Rep. Charlie Meier, R-Okawville, and David Friess, R-Red Bud, to discuss the House Republican caucus new comprehensive platform called Reimagine Illinois introduced March 17.

The House Republican caucus introduced dozens of bills tied to Reimagine Illinois. The four-point plan includes:

Ending the culture of corruption

Responsible fiscal leadership

Growing jobs and opportunities for our families

Ensuring public safety

Friess said Illinois needs to end the culture of corruption that has infested Springfield for far too long.

Illinois is a state brimming with opportunity if only we dare to reach for it, he said. To achieve this, we must first remove conflicts of interest in lobbying, starting with an outright ban of members being consultants on the side.

Elik, a CPA, said she understands the importance of responsible fiscal leadership. She said all budgets need to balance and transparency in budgeting is critical for Illinois taxpayers.

For decades the Democrat-controlled legislature approved some of the worst budgets in the nation with less than a few hours notice, Elik said. We can put a stop to this reckless spending by passing budgets that do not spend more than Illinois estimated revenue and provide the public with at least a three-day notice before the legislature approves a state budget.

All spending bills should have a process in place to allow the public more time to review and provide input as the current process is broken, she said.

Meier said growing jobs and opportunities for families should be a priority. He also said Illinois needs to scale back regulations and red tape.

Illinois has a lot of assets in terms of creating jobs across the state, he said. We need to eliminate countless regulations and red tape and allow job creators a chance to grow and the freedom to be flexible.

If we enact common-sense economic policies introduced by our House Republican colleagues, Illinois can and will be the leader in job creation and job retention, he said.

All three lawmakers said legislative members must ensure public safety in Illinois.

In Chicago and across the river in St. Louis, crime is out of control, said Elik. It is hurting families and economic growth.

We can ensure public safety in our state by creating a back the badge program to recruit and keep the best officer we can on the streets, eliminate the FOID for law-abiding gun owners, and study bail reform, she said. The recent changes signed into law unfortunately will put criminals on the streets much faster, even without cash bail.
Lindsay Boylan, 36

Former aide Lindsay Boylan, 36, was the first woman to accuse Cuomo of sexual harassment in a Medium post on February 24. She claimed that the governor asked her to play strip poker and kissed her on the lips without her permission when she worked for him in 2017.

Lindsay Boylan, 36

Charlotte Bennett, 25

Charlotte Bennett, 25, came forward a few days after Boylan and claimed that Cuomo sexually harassed her last June while she was working as a health policy adviser in his administration at the height of the COVID-19 crisis.

Bennett accused Cuomo of 'grooming' her and asking inappropriate questions about her sex life.

She also claimed that he told her he was open to dating women in their 20s.

BENNETT said the governor asked her about her love life - including whether she ever had sex with older men - and talked about his own, saying that age differences didn't matter in relationships and he was open to dating women over 22.

During a meeting alone in his office, the governor said he was lonely and talked about wanting to hug someone, Bennett said.

She said she swiftly complained to Cuomo's chief of staff and was transferred to another job.

She said she spoke to a lawyer for the governor, but didnt insist on further action because she liked her new post and wanted to move on.

Charlotte Bennett, 25

Anna Ruch, 33

Anna Ruch was the third woman to accuse Cuomo of sexual harassment and the only one thus far who did not work with him in a professional capacity. She claimed that Cuomo put his hands on her face and asked if he could kiss her just moments after they met at a September 2019 wedding in Manhattan.

Anna Ruch, 33

Ana Liss, 35

Ana Liss, 35, a former aide, said Cuomo asked her whether she had a boyfriend, once kissed her hand at her desk and called her by patronizing names, including 'blondie,' 'sweetheart' and 'honey.'

At a reception, the governor hugged her then put his arm around her lower back and waist as they posed for photo, Liss said.

She said she eventually asked for a job transfer. In an interview, Liss said she was 'not claiming sexual harassment per se,' but felt the administration 'wasn't a safe space for young women to work.'

Liss, who previously served as Cuomo's policy and operations aide between 2013 and 2015, told the Wall Street Journal that during her time in his administration, the governor had subjected her to unsolicited advances, including touching her lower back, kissing her hand and quizzing her about her love life.

Ana Liss, 35

Karen Hinton, 62

The oldest allegations against Cuomo came from Karen Hinton, who served as a press aide for him when he led the US Department of Housing and Urban Development two decades ago and she was a consultant for the agency. Hinton told the Washington Post about a 2000 incident when she said Cuomo summoned her to his 'dimly lit' hotel room and embraced her after a work event. She said she tried to pull away from Cuomo when he pulled her back and held her before she managed to escape the room.

Karen Hinton, 62

Unnamed sixth accuser

The most damning allegations leveled against Cuomo to date came from a sixth accuser, whose name has not been released.

The accuser, who is a member of Cuomo's staff, alleged that he closed a door, reached under her blouse and fondled her after summoning her to the governor's mansion in Albany for help with his cellphone, according to the Times Union of Albany.

It first reported on her accusation last month; she then gave more detail in her first interview on the matter, published Wednesday.

The woman spoke on the condition of anonymity to protect her privacy, although her identity is known within the governors circle, the Times Union reported.

The woman, an executive assistant, told the Times Union the governor gave her kisses on the cheek and inappropriately tight hugs for years and made remarks including, 'If you were single, the things that I would do to you' and 'I'm single and ready to mingle.'

Then, one day in November, she was summoned to his Executive Mansion office to help him with a cellphone problem, she said.

He got up from his desk, started groping her and told her 'I don't care' after she tried to deflect him by saying he was going to get them into trouble, and then he slammed the door, she said.

Then he reached under her blouse and clutched one of her breasts over her bra, she told the newspaper.

The woman told a colleague this winter about the alleged encounter, and the co-worker told a supervisor in early March, according to the newspaper.

Cuomo called the report 'gut-wrenching' in a March statement and said: 'I have never done anything like this.'

Another female aide, who has remained anonymous, claimed he called her to his Executive Mansion last year, reached under her blouse and fondled her

Jessica Bakeman

Jessica Bakeman claimed in a first-person article for New York Magazine that she was sexually harassed by Cuomo on several occasions since the start of her journalism career in 2012.

Bakeman added her voice as the seventh accuser as she detailed inappropriate touching by the governor as he continued to deny all of the claims.

'He took my hand, as if to shake it, then refused to let go,' Bakeman wrote of an interaction with Cuomo as she said goodnight at a holiday party in 2014 when she was only 25 years old.

'He put his other arm around my back, his hand on my waist, and held me firmly in place while indicating to a photographer he wanted us to pose for a picture.'

At the time Bakeman had been working for what is now Politico New York and claimed that red flags went up as her 'job was to analyze and scrutinize him'.

'I didn't want a photo of him with his hands on my body and a smile on my face,' she wrote.

Jessica Bakeman, a reporter who once covered the Cuomo administration, was the seventh woman to come forward with claims of harassment

'But I made the reflexive assessment that most women and marginalized people know instinctively, the calculation about risk and power and self-preservation. I knew it would be far easier to smile for the brief moment it takes to snap a picture than to challenge one of the most powerful men in the country.'

In an earlier 2012 incident while she was working for USA Today, Bakeman also claims that Cuomo kept her pinned to his side as he told a story to her male colleagues.

'He left it there, and kept me pinned next to him, for several minutes as he finished telling his story,' she said. 'I stood there, my cheeks hot, giggling nervously as my male colleagues did the same. We all knew it was wrong, but we did nothing.'

The reporter, who now works in Florida, claimed that Cuomo 'never let me forget I was a woman' as she also alleged that he made frequent attempts to humiliate her, including calling out her purple phone instead of answering her question during a press gaggle.

Alyssa McGrath, 33

McGrath, a current administrative assistant in Cuomo's office, told The New York Times that he looked down her shirt, quizzed her about her marital status, and told her she was beautiful, using an Italian phrase she had to ask her parents to interpret.

McGrath didn't say the governor made sexual contact with her but thought his behavior was sexual harassment.

She recalled Cuomo kissing her on the forehead and gripping her firmly around the sides while posing for a photo at a 2019 office Christmas party.

Alyssa McGrath (pictured) is one of two aides who have come forward to accuse the governor of harassment

Sherry Vill, 55

Sherry Vill, 55, accused Cuomo of sexual misconduct during a press conference with her attorney Gloria Allred on Monday.

She alleges Cuomo grabbed her face and kissed her 'aggressively and in a sexual manner' on both cheeks in May 2017 while he was touring her home in Greece, near Rochester, as he inspected local flood damage.

Vill, who said she felt uncomfortable at the time, shared an image her daughter took on the day that showed Cuomo holding her face as he kissed her cheek and her attorney held up multiple photos showing the Governor inside her home.

The same photos appear on Cuomo's Flickr account, as well as multiple others that show him kissing and greeting residents as he toured the town.

None of the women in the other photos have accused the governor of inappropriate behavior or wrongdoing.
COLUMBUS, OhioGov. Mike DeWine has written to state lawmakers, asking them not to override his upcoming veto of legislation restricting his ability to issue health orders, saying the measure would be unconstitutional and hamstring the states response to health crises.

The five-page letter, sent to all 132 state lawmakers, shows how concerned DeWine is about his fellow Republicans in the legislature overriding his veto of Senate Bill 22, as well as the effects of the bill itself. Its the first time DeWine has written lawmakers in this way ahead of a promised veto.

In his letter, DeWine states that SB22 could create a serious tragedy by limiting local health officials power to require people to quarantine or self-isolate without a specific medical diagnosis. Such a limitation, he stated, would leave health officials helpless to stop the spread of a disease or food-borne illness while they wait on test results.

SB 22, DeWine continued, would also create an avalanche of lawsuits, as it would allow Ohioans to sue over the constitutionality of any state emergency order in their home county and pay them attorney fees if they win.

The governor suggested that such a law would lead to lawsuits about emergency orders that have nothing to do with public health  such as when officials ordered certain roads closed during the 2016 Republican National Convention in Cleveland.

DeWine further asserted that significant portions of SB 22 are unconstitutional, as they violate the Ohio Constitutions separation of powers doctrine embedded in the Ohio Constitution, among other things.

For all these reasons, I will veto SB 22, DeWine concluded, though he added he still believes he and state lawmakers can reach an agreement that will provide for legislative oversight while also protecting Ohioans.

Speaking during a televised news conference Monday, DeWine said he wrote the letter after consulting with medical and legal experts.

I understand that there are members of the general assembly who dont agree with many of the things that we did during this pandemic, DeWine said. This bill goes so far beyond that, though.

DeWine said he will veto the legislation on Tuesday.

Dan Tierney, a spokesman for the governor, said that the letter was sent in part because many parts of SB22 were inserted very late in the legislative process, so there was not an opportunity for the administration to testify to the members of the General Assembly on these provisions.

Despite DeWines arguments, it appears likely that after he vetoes SB22, legislative Republicans have the three-fifths majorities in the Ohio House and Senate needed to override the governors veto.

Proponents of SB22 say it will provide legislative oversight for the DeWine administrations coronavirus orders, which over the past year have unilaterally shut down businesses for weeks, required most Ohioans to remain home, and imposed a mask mandate in many public locations, among other rules.

Heres the full letter DeWine sent to all state lawmakers:

Read more Ohio politics and government stories:

Gov. Mike DeWine to authorize health departments to give extra coronavirus vaccine doses to all Ohioans 16 and up

Ohio to reach 1 million mark for coronavirus cases on Monday

Gov. Mike DeWine says he wouldnt have voted for federal coronavirus stimulus package

Has the dip in Ohio coronavirus cases flattened out?

Gov. Mike DeWine names former Franklin County judge head of state utilities commission
She arrived in Australia in January to film her part as warrior Sif in Marvel's Thor: Love And Thunder.

And it appears American actress Jaimie Alexander has wrapped her role in the upcoming movie, as she was spotted jetting out of Sydney airport on Monday.

The 37-year-old rugged up for Sydney's wild wet weather and wore a comfortable-and-casual ensemble for the long flight home.

Jetting out: American actress Jaimie Alexander (pictured) flew out of Australia on Monday after wrapping filming for her role as Sif in Thor: Love and Thunder in Sydney

The Hollywood actress dressed down in trackpants, a jumper and a large black coat with tartan detailing.

Jaimie's cropped raven tresses were swept back into a messy top bun, and she appeared to opt for minimal makeup.

On her feet she sported a pair of socks teamed with leather slides.

The Blindspot star gave a friend a hug as she was waved off at the terminal, and was seen pushing her luggage through the airport.

Safe travels: The Blindspot star gave a friend a hug as she was waved off at the terminal, and was seen pushing her luggage through the airport in socks and slip-on sandals

Jaimie had told her followers on Sunday that she was enjoying her 'last day in Sydney', and on Monday shared a photo after she boarded her flight.

She wrote: 'In pajamas ready for take off, and ready for some sleep.'

The American star completed Australia's mandatory 14-day hotel quarantine in Sydney when she arrived in the country in January amid the coronavirus pandemic.

Keeping it casual: The Hollywood actress dressed down in trackpants, a jumper and a large black coat with tartan detailing

'In pajamas ready for take off, and ready for some sleep': Jaimie appeared to have a long flight home ahead of her and was preparing to get some decent shut eye aboard the aircraft

As reported by Deadline, the actress will not only return to the Thor movies with the new Thor, but also is likely to appear on the upcoming Disney+ series offshoot Loki.

Jaimie first portrayed Sif in 2011's Thor, before reprising the role in Thor: The Dark World two years later.

She was not included in 2017's third installment, Thor: Ragnarok, which is regarded as the best of the series so far.

Buzz for the new film, to be directed by Ragnarok's Taika Waititi, has already been high, as it will feature Oscar winner Natalie Portman - who has been in Australia a number of months - taking on the mantle of Thor.
Am I the only one? After weeks of anticipation, awaiting the return of television's most intelligent and heart-stopping thriller, I sat through Line Of Duty (BBC1) on Sunday night with a mixture of frustration and bemused disappointment.

A series that once dared to be as witty as it was ingenious  violent, emotional, tense and boisterous in equal measure  was now plain unbelievable. Worse than that, it was incomprehensible. Even worse than that, parts of it were flat-out boring.

Line Of Duty is renowned for opening episodes that deliver pulsating shocks, with ambitious set-piece scenes and dramatic deaths. That just didn't happen on Sunday. Not only were there no explosive surprises, but writer Jed Mercurio failed even to light the fuse.

Much of the time I was left scratching my head over echoes from events years ago, offered without explanation or context. This show is renowned for its sleight of hand and clever misdirection  which is very different from simply baffling the viewer with obscure references.

The story veered from the low-key to the miserable. Depression, prescription drugs, ugly break-ups and petty office politics make a dreary mix.

Line of Duty season six. Pictured: DI Kate Fleming (Vicky Mcclure), left, and DCI Joanne Davidson (Kelly MacDonald), centre

Most uncomfortable of all was the trademark police interview  the flint-edged detective quizzing a sad and puzzled man with Down's syndrome about a crime he could not possibly have committed.

The script has become a swamp of acronyms, like wading through cold alphabet soup.

When Line Of Duty launched in 2012, the injections of jargon, spelled out by initials, carried a frisson of excitement. Once it was revealed that OCG stood for organised crime group and SFC was strategic firearms commander, viewers felt like insiders, initiated into a dangerous world.

But the opening five minutes this time were worse than parody. 'Intel has graded the info 1A on the matrix,' barked one character, a copper identified only as 'Five-Three', with a tip-off from a CHIS [Covert Human Intelligence Source]. 'Mike India two zero, state five,' snapped another.

As the MIT (murder investigation team) leapt into a convoy of black vehicles, following 'the Super's conflab with the directed surveillance authority', the show turned into a parody of itself.

Picture shows DS Steve Arnott (Martin Compston) and, Superintendent Ted Hastings (Adrian Dunbar), centre

I half-wondered if this was some elaborate spoof for Comic Relief, and expected Lenny Henry in body armour to stride into the station barking three-letter commands into the walkie-talkie on his chest  'OMG! FFS! WTF!' (Switch on your subtitles and you might discover that this stands for, 'On My Go-ahead! Forward Firearms Squad! Wholesale Translation Function!')

At least Sir Len, at 6 ft 2 in, could play a copper with the traditional build. If Line Of Duty is to be believed, the thin blue line now consists mostly of women so petite, they're shorter than their extendable truncheons.

Anneika Rose plays PC Farida Jatri, who looks about 13.

She's the vengeful ex-girlfriend of a much senior but barely taller officer, DCI Jo Davidson  actress Kelly Macdonald, who was excellent as a gangster's abused wife in Boardwalk Empire but who, on the evidence of the first hour, is miscast as a career copper.

Macdonald looks hesitant and lost in uniform. She has the manner of a shy primary school teacher. We're meant to accept she's an instinctive crime-buster, able to spot an armed robbery in progress within a split-second, just because the getaway van is badly parked. I struggle to believe she would cope as a lollipop lady.

That's a let-down, because Line Of Duty has a first-rate record with credible, compelling female characters. Vicky McClure as DI Kate Fleming continues to carry off her role with deadpan ambiguity. Has she really quit the anti- corruption unit to go back to ordinary policing? Is she still loyal to her old boss, Ted Hastings (Adrian Dunbar), but working undercover? Or is she, as many fans suspect, the ultimate traitor, relaying secrets to the criminal gang?

For me, like many viewers, the series was at its peak when Keeley Hawes played the devious DI Lindsay Denton. Throughout the second and third seasons, we wondered constantly whether she was a woman misjudged, or rotten to the core.

She insisted the whole world was against her and, at times, she convinced everyone  including randy DS Steve Arnott (Martin Compston).

He hunts coppers with dirty secrets but appears intent on sleeping with half the women on the force. Now there's a conflict of interest.

At the show's centre is Superintendent Hastings, the one character who would not look out of place in the long-ago cop shops of Z Cars or Softly, Softly.

Line Of Duty has a first-rate record with credible, compelling female characters

Actor Dunbar has imbued Ted with depth by giving him the swagger of a working-class Northern Irishman. The Super's pet slang has bestowed catchphrases on the show  'Mother of God! Now we're sucking diesel. The letter of the law, fella!' But Ted barely got a look-in on Sunday night.

In a couple of scenes, he appeared a broken man, at first lacking the courage to order an investigation and then unable to withstand Arnott's insistence. Not so long ago, he'd have sent his presumptuous junior fleeing from the office with one whiskey-saturated roar.

Then he went whinging to his own boss that she no longer invited him to meetings. When she told him to hold his tongue, he skulked off like a whipped cur.

Hastings has always seemed proud  pig-headed, too eager to trust his instincts when they have frequently proved wrong  but never weak.

Suddenly, he's cringeing like Uriah Heep. It makes no sense  and when characters stop making sense, viewers stop caring.

None of this would matter much if Line Of Duty were ordinary primetime fare.

We have just sat through four weeks of the ludicrous Bloodlands with James Nesbitt, for example, and nobody feels particularly betrayed by its nonsensical plot or daft ending. Bloodlands was simply insignificant.

But Line Of Duty is different. Its creator, Mercurio, talks of it on Radio 4 and BBC Two as a serious indictment of endemic police corruption. Agog viewers comb every scene for clues like forensics officers searching for strands of DNA.

For everyone who, like me, enjoys their telly in deadly earnest, any sign of collapse in Line Of Duty is worrying.

And there are a lot of us: 9.6 million people tuned in on Sunday night. We love the show  there's a great deal riding on this.

It is a couple of years since fans' obsessive loyalty to Game Of Thrones was repaid with a dire final season. Characters became unrecognisable, storylines fell apart and everyone felt cheated.

Mother of Dragons, fella, no one wants that to happen again.

baffled? WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW

Line Of Duty has a reputation for leaving viewers stunned and baffled, with shock twists and sudden deaths.

It is possible that Sunday's lacklustre opener was designed to lull us into a false sense of complacence.

If Ted Hastings is just biding his time before launching his strike, if Kate Fleming is a double agent working in plain sight, if newcomer Jo Davidson is going to lead us to the criminal top copper known as 'H', this could yet turn out to be a brilliant season  worthy of all those that have gone before.

But that's not much use if you haven't got a clue what's going on.

And Sunday night's starter was decidedly short on explanations.

For those still working out what they watched, here's what AC-12 might call 'B-GLOD'  the Bluffer's Guide to Line Of Duty.

WHY IS STEVE POPPING PILLS?

In Series four, our man in the fancy waistcoat had a run-in with a villain in a balaclava who was probably an undercover officer himself.

Steve was thrown over a banister in an office block and fell three flights, landing on his back.

With his spine fractured, it seemed unlikely, at first, that he would ever walk again. But after several episodes in a wheelchair he made an almost full recovery.

It does seem, though, that his injuries have left him in chronic pain, and perhaps with an addiction to opiate-based painkillers. In the new episode we saw him touring the local pharmacies, buying maximum-strength drugs over the counter and later downing them by the handful.

WHY IS TERRY BOYLE'S FRIDGE IMPORTANT?

Tommy Jessop plays Terry, a man with Down's syndrome who is ruthlessly exploited by the criminals.

DCI Davidson's squad arrested him on suspicion of the assassination of a journalist, Gail Vella, though it seems obvious that Terry is not capable of carrying out such a crime.

We first met Terry in the first series, in 2012, though you would be forgiven for not recognising him. He was played by a different actor, Elliott Rosen.

He's a significant character because the gang used his fridge to store the dismembered body of property developer Jackie Laverty (Gina McKee).

In Sunday night's episode, Ted Hastings referred to Terry as a 'local oddball', a dismissive term that provoked an angry reaction from disability campaigners yesterday.

Writer Mercurio defended the language, saying it was a reference to the 1999 murder of TV presenter Jill Dando.

Police arrested Barry George, who was wrongly imprisoned for the killing. He later said his only crime was to be the 'local oddball'.

WHY IS TED DOWN IN THE DUMPS?

The Super was briefly suspended from duty in the last series, with questions over his behaviour as a young officer in Northern Ireland, as well as the puzzle about why he should destroy a perfectly good laptop (he says he was ashamed of himself for watching porn  'nothing extreme').

Coincidence or not, we know that the police mole was feeding information to the criminals from a computer.

To make matters worse, Ted's estranged wife was tortured by an undercover police officer, and he is on the verge of bankruptcy after a disastrous investment  so skint that he could hardly pay the bill at the cheap hotel where he bedded down. And his colleague, police lawyer Gill Biggeloe (Polly Walker), was in the pay of the crooks.

In short, Ted doesn't have much to smile about.

IS KATE STILL PART OF AC-12?

We know she's a brilliant spy who has infiltrated other police teams on multiple occasions. This time, she insists she has quit AC-12  but she would say that, wouldn't she?

Former partner DS Arnott clearly believes she is no longer working for anti-corruption, which is why he is trying to recruit her back. But as to her real status, well, that would be YGIA-GAA (Your Guess Is As Good As Anybody's).

THAT ROBBERY . . . WHAT WAS GOING ON?

DCI Davidson claimed to detect a hold-up in progress at a betting shop, based on a fleeting glimpse of a getaway vehicle. She diverted a police swoop on a murder suspect, claiming that lives could be at risk from the gunmen.

In the ensuing chaos, one of the robbers was shot. Leave aside the question of whether anyone has held up a betting shop since 1986  most of the old-school 'blaggers' are in nursing homes these days.

What we need to know is whether Davidson staged the robbery as a diversion to give the murder suspect time to switch places with Terry Boyle and escape.

One alternative explanation is that another senior officer, perhaps Davidson's weedy superintendent, set it up, knowing his DCI would spot the van and take action.

ARE THOSE ACRONYMS THE REAL DEAL?

The official Home Office Twitter account confirmed yesterday that CHIS is a genuine police abbreviation: 'For those who watched Line Of Duty last night,' it said, 'CHIS stands for covert human intelligence source. The work of these undercover agents is vital in safeguarding victims from serious crimes including terrorism.'

Back in the days of The Sweeney, they were known as informants, or 'narks', a politically incorrect term now regarded as offensive to anyone who self-identifies as a CHIS.

ARE PEOPLE TAKING IT A BIT TOO SERIOUSLY?

You might say that. Ten minutes into the episode, several viewers who apparently believed they were still watching Top Gear took to Twitter to complain that one of the cars in the police convoy was being played by two different BMWs  the first a saloon with a black radiator grille, the second with chrome trim.

We can only hope lockdown will be over soon and these people can get back to trainspotting.
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70 tonnes of algae collected from Patong Beach

PHUKET: A mass clean-up operation led by Patong Municipality environmental health officers collected some 70 tonnes of algae at Patong Beach yesterday (Mar 21).

marinepollutionenvironmentnatural-resourceshealthtourism

By The Phuket News

Monday 22 March 2021, 04:41PM

An officer at the Division of Public Health and Environment told The Phuket News that a campaign had been launched to clear the algae from the bay.

Our staff collect the algae two times every day. The first time is 8-10am and the second time is 2-3pm, she explained.

If we do not collect the algae, it will start to rot and make a bad smell along the beach, she said.

The algae is collected from where it washes up onto the sand, and some officers venture out into the shallow water with a net and haul the algae caught up onto the beach, the officer added.

Asked where the algae came from, the officer replied, The algae bloom occurs every year, around February to March. Im not sure if it grows in the shallow water or if it comes from deeper waters.

Early last week, respected marine life expert Dr Kongkiat Kittiwatanawong, Chief of the Phuket Marine Biological Centre (PMBC) identified wastewater released into the sea as among the key contributing factors leading to red sea urchins being washed ashore at Patong Beach.

The phenomenon of sea urchins stranded on the beach is explained by the phenomena of these algae blooms, together with this period being the spring tide with high tides, he added.

For algae to be able to bloom, it needs food like fertilizer we use to feed plants, he said.

These fertilizers do not come from just anywhere, but are elements of the wastewater that we release into the sea, he said.

Meanwhile, Nattawut Thepthon, Chief of the Patong Municipality Sanitation Division, later told The Phuket News that wastewater was not a factor for the algae bloom.

We collect and test samples of the treated wastewater every week, and the result has shown that the water has passed the standard required for treated wastewater, he said.
Wagington:

US President Donald Trump has signed a USD 15 billion hurricane relief package passed by Congress, one that also raises the debt ceiling and avoids a looming shutdown by funding the government into early December.

Hours earlier the House of Representatives voted 316 to 90 to approve the package, which was the result of an agreement struck between Trump and congressional Democrats in a hurried effort to free up emergency funding after Hurricane Harvey swamped Texas, and as a second monster storm bears down on Florida.

The Senate easily passed the bill Thursday, 80 to 17. Trump signed the measure on Friday "providing much-needed support for storm survivors", White House spokeswoman Sarah Huckabee Sanders said on Twitter.

The bill extends US borrowing authority and funds the federal government until December 8 and frees up emergency relief funding just as Florida braces for a direct hit from Hurricane Irma, which has already been blamed for 17 deaths across the Caribbean.

Read more: Mexico's biggest earthquake in century kills at least 60

Some Republican conservatives had strongly objected to the deal because they wanted a stand-alone hurricane relief bill unconnected to efforts to raise the federal borrowing limit and keep the government open.

All 90 House members against the measure were Republicans, including four from storm-ravaged Texas.

"Disaster assistance should be considered on its own --not to advance another agenda", Texas Republican MacThornberry said after voting against the package.

House Republican Sean Duffy called the deal "foolish, "stressing Trump inadvertently handed Democrats substantial leverage ahead of fiscal debates in December, in large part because Republicans will be pressing ahead at that time with a tax reform bid.

Congress's immediate focus, however, was funneling sufficient funding to government authorities like the Federal Emergency Management Administration, which has been helping victims of Hurricane Harvey that recently pummeled Texas, and is preparing for devastation in Florida.

House Republican Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, whose Florida district was bracing for a direct Irma impact, expressed her "heartfelt gratitude" to Congress for the aid.

Of the $15.25 billion in relief funding, about half is designated for FEMA's disaster relief fund.

FEMA has burned through much of its funding, due to the scope of Harvey and technical advancements that allow the agency to distribute money more quickly than in previous disasters.

Trump's homeland security advisor Tom Bossert said FEMA was operating at full tilt, "but there will be a break in their operations if they run out of money. That's why that supplemental legislation was so necessary."

With Harvey relief efforts expected to top USD 100billion, lawmakers and officials agreed that the latest aid should be just a first step in broader federal assistance to come.

"Congress came and stepped up in a bipartisan way", Bossert told reporters at the White House.

"We're going to have to go back I'm sure for additional resources as these storms continue to hurt our states and our citizens", he added.

As Floridians prepared for the storm or evacuated, Trump assured that authorities were ready for Irma.

"It's a really bad one, but we are prepared at the highest level", Trump shouted to reporters as he boarded a helicopter for Camp David, the retreat in Maryland where he will hold a weekend cabinet meeting and monitor the storm. The National Hurricane Center offered blunt warnings about the "extremely dangerous" storm.

"Irma is likely to make landfall in Florida as a dangerous major hurricane, and will bring life-threatening wind impacts to much of the state regardless of the exact track of the center."

For all the Latest World News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps.
Xi Jinping on archeological research

Xinhua) 08:19, March 22, 2021

Photo taken on March 19, 2021 shows bronze wares unearthed from a sacrificial pit at the Sanxingdui Ruins site in southwest China's Sichuan Province. Chinese archaeologists announced Saturday that some new major discoveries have been made at the legendary Sanxingdui Ruins site in southwest China, helping shed light on the cultural origins of the Chinese nation. (Xinhua/Li He)

BEIJING, March 20 (Xinhua) -- Chinese archeologists announced Saturday that some new major discoveries have been made at the legendary Sanxingdui Ruins site in southwest China, helping shed light on the origin of the Chinese civilization.

President Xi Jinping, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, has stressed the significance of archeological research. The following is a selection of his remarks on the subject.

-- Historical and cultural heritage is a non-renewable, irreplaceable resource, and protecting it should always come first.

-- Archeological findings reveal the origin and evolution of the Chinese civilization, its glorious achievements and great contributions to human civilization.

-- There are still many unknown areas in the ancient history of China, and archeological work remains an arduous task and still has a long way to go.

-- Archeology is an important cultural undertaking as well as a piece of work with great social and political significance.

-- Historical and cultural heritage not only vividly tells the past but also profoundly affects the present and future; it belongs not only to us but also to future generations.

-- Having gone through over 5,000 years of vicissitudes, the Chinese civilization has always kept to its original roots. As a symbol of the Chinese nation's unique spirit, it provides the nation with abundant nourishment to grow and prosper.

-- Through exchanges with other civilizations, the Chinese civilization has contributed to the world a profound system of thoughts, a wide range of scientific, technological, cultural and artistic achievements, and unique institutional creations, thereby deeply influencing the development of the world's civilizations.

-- We should encourage different civilizations to respect each other and live in harmony, and make exchanges and mutual learning between civilizations a bridge for enhancing friendship among the peoples around the world, a driving force for the progress of human society, and a bond for safeguarding world peace.
Hurricane season 2021 is here: How do storms get their names?
KYIV. March 22 (Interfax-Ukraine)  Every third Ukrainian polled (34%) trusts incumbent President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky, and 29% are ready to vote for him if the elections were held next Sunday, according to a sociological poll conducted from March 3 to March 13 by the Ukrainian Institute for the Future (UIF), presented at Interfax-Ukraine on Monday.

At the same time, it is noted that the confidence in Zelensky grew by 5% over the month.

At the same time, the level of mistrust in the incumbent president remains high and, and according to the poll, is 62%.

Among other political figures, the highest level of trust is enjoyed by Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada Dmytro Razumkov - 26% of respondents (respectively, 57% do not trust), co-chairman of the Opposition Platform - For Life faction Yuriy Boiko - 22%, (respectively, 66% do not trust), leader of the Batkivschyna party, MP Yulia Tymoshenko - 19% (respectively, 77% do not trust), Health Minister Maksym Stepanov - 18% (respectively, 68% do not trust), Minister of Internal Affairs Arsen Avakov - 18% (respectively, 73% do not trust), leader of the European Solidarity party, MP Petro Poroshenko - 17% (respectively, 78% do not trust), one of the leaders of the Opposition Platform - For Life party, MP Viktor Medvedchuk - 16% (respectively, 73% do not trust), Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal - 14% (respectively, 71% do not trust), head of the President's Office Andriy Yermak - 12% (respectively, not 64% trust), and blogger Anatoliy Shariy - 9% (respectively, 64% do not trust).

If the presidential elections in Ukraine were held next Sunday, then among those who decided to vote, 29% of respondents would vote for Zelensky, 14% for Poroshenko and the same amount for Boiko; 11% for Yulia Tymoshenko, and 5% for Ihor Smishko.

At the same time, Zelensky's rating increased by 4%. A month ago, 25% of respondents were ready to vote for him.

If the elections to the Verkhovna Rada were held next Sunday, then among those who decided to vote, 22% would vote for the Servant of the People party, 18% for the Opposition Platform - For Life party, 15% for the European Solidarity party, 13% for Batkivschyna party, and 5% for the Strength and Honor party.

At the same time, the rating of the Servant of the People party also increased by 4%. A month ago, 18% of respondents were ready to vote for it.

According to the poll, 39% of citizens are aware of the imposition of sanctions by the NSDC and their signing by President Zelensky against Viktor Medvedchuk and his wife Oksana Marchenko, 36% had never heard of this, and 25% were well aware of such sanctions.

Some 41% of Ukrainians support the imposition of sanctions against Medvedchuk and Marchenko, 24% do not support, and 35% found it difficult to answer.

At the same time, 29% of respondents call such imposition of sanctions a fight against Russian aggression, 20% - a fight of oligarchs, 19% - an attempt to divert the attention of citizens from the failures of the authorities in the economy, an increase in tariffs and vaccinations, 16% - a fight between the authorities and political opponents, and 35% found it difficult to answer.

The poll was conducted from March 3 to March 13, 2021 among 2,400 respondents aged 18 and over throughout Ukraine (excluding the temporarily occupied territories of Donbas and the Autonomous Republic of Crimea) by the "face-to-face" method using a structured interactive questionnaire. The statistical error does not exceed 2.05%.
GENOA, Italy, March 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Costa Cruises, the Italian company of Carnival Corporation & plc (NYSE/LSE: CCL;NYSE: CUK), has revised its plans moving its restart to May. The decision has been taken in consideration of the restrictions still in place in Italy and other European countries to contain Covid-19. Such measures do not allow the Company to offer the best cruise vacations to its guests, especially for what concerns the experience ashore.

In line with the new plan, Costa Smeralda's departure in Italy is planned for May 1st, with an unchanged itinerary, sailing guests to beautiful Italian locations, with 3- and 4-day mini-cruises or alternatively a 7-day cruise, calling at Savona, La Spezia, Civitavecchia, Naples, Messina and Cagliari.

From June 12, Costa Smeralda will return to sailing one-week cruises in the western Mediterranean, with visits to Italy (Savona, Civitavecchia and Palermo), France (Marseille) and Spain (Barcelona and Palma de Mallorca).

The departure date of Costa Luminosa, the second Costa ship scheduled to resume service, is postponed to May 16 from Trieste, and the following day from Bari, confirming its program of one-week cruises in Greece and Croatia, in accordance with recent roadmap for the resumption of international tourism in Greece.

The restart of Costa cruises will continue to be supported by the implementation of the Costa Safety Protocol. The protocol contains operational measures related to all aspects of the cruise experience, both on board and ashore, which were implemented in the past months of cruise operations. Such measures include limited capacity, swab tests for all guests and crew, temperature checks when disembarking and re-embarking the ship, protected shore excursions, physical distancing on board and at the cruise terminals, new ways of using on-board services, enhanced sanitation and medical services, and use of protective face masks when necessary.

Furthermore, the company is also working with national and local authorities of the countries included in the itineraries of its ships outside Italy to define the details of the resumption of its cruise operations.

As previously announced, all other cruises scheduled until the end of May, and not included in the Costa Smeralda and Costa Luminosa programs updated today, are cancelled. Costa is in the process of informing travel agents and customers affected by changes.

SOURCE Costa Cruises
An independent report has cleared Nicola Sturgeon of breaching the ministerial code (Andy Buchanan/PA Wire)

An independent report has cleared Scotlands First Minister of breaching the ministerial code following her governments botched handling of harassment allegations against Alex Salmond.

Nicola Sturgeon welcomed the results of the investigation, which was carried out by James Hamilton QC and challenged her political rivals to respect his verdict.

The Conservatives, however, insisted that she was not free and clear despite Mr Hamilton stating the First Minister did not breach the provisions of the ministerial code.

Scottish Tory leader Douglas Ross hit out: This report does not change the overwhelming evidence that Nicola Sturgeon misled Parliament, her government badly let women down and wasted more than 500,000 of taxpayers money.

The former first minister was awarded more than 500,000 when the Court of Session in Edinburgh ruled the Scottish Government had acted unlawfully in the way it handled harassment allegations made by two women.

Ms Sturgeon again apologised to them for the way they had been let down by the Scottish Government.

She said: I want, once again, to remind people that at the heart of this case were women who had the courage to come forward and complain.

Mr Hamilton, a former director of public prosecutions in the Republic of Ireland, is the independent adviser the Scottish Government on the ministerial code, a set of rules about how ministers should conduct themselves.

After his findings were published Ms Sturgeon said she was happy that his reports findings clear me of any breach of the ministerial code.

The First Minister insisted: I sought at every stage in this issue to act with integrity and in the public interest.

As I have previously made clear, I did not consider that I had broken the code, but these findings are official, definitive and independent adjudication of that.

And she added: Prior to its publication, opposition politicians stressed the importance of respecting and accepting the outcome of Mr Hamiltons independent inquiry, and I committed wholeheartedly to doing so.

Now that he has reported, it is incumbent on them to do likewise.

Ms Sturgeon had insisted to Parliament that she only became aware of the allegations against her predecessor in a meeting at her Glasgow home on April 2 2018.

For months @NicolaSturgeona has faced a barrage of abuse. Our First Minister has acted with dignity, focused on tackling Covid and always accepted our failure to protect women who made complaints. The words below from the Independent Inquiry are a complete vindication of her. pic.twitter.com/xYpdwa4jUz  John Swinney (@JohnSwinney) March 22, 2021

Mr Hamilton said that by failing to mention a meeting she had with his former chief of staff Geoff Aberdein just days earlier, on March 29, which she later said she forgot the First Minister had given an incomplete narrative of events.

But he added: I accept that this omission was the result of a genuine failure of recollection and was not deliberate.

That failure did not therefore in my opinion amount to a breach of the ministerial code.

Regarding claims she failed to comply with Scottish Government legal advice to the former first ministers civil action, Mr Hamilton said she did not break the code.

Ms Sturgeon said she welcomed the comprehensive, evidence-based and unequivocal conclusion.

Ms Sturgeon had referred herself to the independent adviser on the ministerial code following Mr Salmonds successful legal challenge.

Mr Hamiltons investigation was paused in early 2019 to avoid prejudicing criminal proceedings brought against Mr Salmond.

He was acquitted of 13 charges, including sexual assault, indecent assault and attempted rape, in March 2020 following a High Court trial and Mr Hamiltons inquiry was delayed again by the pandemic, before resuming in August 2020.

A planned no-confidence vote Ms Sturgeon is now likely to fail after the Scottish Greens said they will not support it, saying the Tories have shown they have no interest in establishing the truth, in lodging it before the report was published.

But Mr Ross insisted he could not agree with Mr Hamiltons assessment.

I respect this judgement but we cannot agree that the First Minister suddenly turned forgetful.



It is up to Parliament to decide if she has been misleading, as James Hamilton says.



This report does not change the overwhelming evidence against Nicola Sturgeon.



Full statement  pic.twitter.com/W64MYdgyGq  Douglas Ross MP MSP (@Douglas4Moray) March 22, 2021

The Conservative MP said: The First Minister has been given a pass because it has been judged her failure of recollection was not deliberate.

I respect Mr Hamilton and his judgment but we cannot agree with that assessment.

Nicola Sturgeon did not suddenly turn forgetful.

He added: As James Hamilton says, it is up to the Scottish Parliament to decide if the First Minister has been misleading.
The suspect in an attack on a 68-year-old man Asian man on the New York City subway has appeared in court, accused of shouting racial insults at the older man in another incident of anti-Asian hate.

Marc Mathieu, 36, of the Bronx was arrested on Sunday and charged with assault after NYPD Transit cops recognized his image on a wanted poster. Mathieu has nine prior arrests, a police source told DailyMail.com.

Authorities upgraded the charge to assault as a hate crime, ABC 7 New York reported Monday.

Narayange Bodhi, originally from Sri Lanka, was commuting to his job as a security guard at 2:40pm Friday when an attacker viciously punched him on a 1 Train in Lower Manhattan, police and witnesses said.

Mathieu is accused of the attack on Bodhi while shouting 'You Asian motherf*****!' according to witness George Okrepkie, who aided the victim until police arrived.

'I could not believe that somebody would attack a man of that age,' Okrepkie told WNBC-TV. 'Before I could even look he was standing on top of him.'

Narayange Bodhi, originally from Sri Lanka, was commuting to his job as a security guard at 2.40pm on Friday when the attacker viciously punched him on a 1 Train in Lower Manhattan

The alleged assailant (seen above) randomly attacked Bodhi while shouting 'You Asian motherf***er!' according to witness. Police had sought help identifying the attacker. He was arrested Sunday night

Mathieu was arrested in the late evening hours of March 21 wearing clothing matching the description of the attacker - a black fedora, pink hoodie, black leather motorcycle jacket, large chain necklace and light colored pants.

He was taken into custody and charged with second degree assault and transported to the Manhattan Criminal Court, where he was arraigned Monday.

A prosecutor requested $25,000 bail, while his public defender argued Mathieu was not the person who committed the assault, despite the clothing matching video footage and the accounts of eyewitness.

The judge determined Mathieu was a flight risk and ordered him to be held in custody in lieu of $25,000 bail.

Mathieu's next court appearance is scheduled for March 26.

The NYPD said Sunday it did not yet have evidence the attack was racially motivated.

The department's Hate Crimes Task Force published a call for information about the attacker without calling the incident a hate crime.

Okerpkie tried to grab the attacker, but said the man escaped out the subway doors as the train came to a stop at the Franklin Street Station in Manhattan.

The Good Samaritan took off his scarf and helped Bodhi use it to stop the bleeding until police arrived.

Bodhi's family told the NBC affiliate that he has no memory of the attack, and suffered bruising on his face.

A man holds a child on his shoulders at the Rally Against Hate to protest the recent violence aimed at the Asian American community in New York on Sunday

Demonstrators attend the Rally Against Hate to protest the recent violence against the Asian American community at Columbus Park Rally Against Hate in New York on Sunday

It comes amid national outcry over anti-Asian violence, which has skyrocketed in the coronavirus pandemic.

Last week, the NYPD revealed that it had recorded a 1,300 percent increase in anti-Asian hate crimes during the pandemic.

On Sunday, thousands marched in Atlanta, New York and Washington DC, among other cities, following the mass shooting last week at Asian-owned spas in Georgia.

The shooter, Robert Aaron Long, admitted to the murders but denied racial motives, claiming he was a frustrated sex addict who had frequented the spas and wanted to 'eliminate' a temptation.

Asian Americans have expressed outrage at the police for refusing to declare the shooting a hate crime, however.

In New York, mayoral candidate and former Democratic presidential hopeful Andrew Yang invited demonstrators to raise their hand if they had seen a spike in anti-Asian racism since the start of the pandemic.

Many activists blame the antagonism toward Asians on former president Donald Trump, who frequently called COVID-19 the 'China virus'.

Another Asian man, 66, was also punched in the face in an apparent random attack on Saturday morning in Manhattan's Chinatown.

In that incident, an unknown man believed to be homeless approached the victim, began yelling at him and then struck him in the face with a closed fist.
The Cabinet of Ministers has recommended to ministries and other executive authorities located in Kyiv to transfer the work of the maximum number of employees to a remote mode of work.

"On March 20, 2021, the State Commission on Technogenic and Environmental Safety and Emergency Situations decided that from 00:00 on March 23, 2021, the city of Kyiv will enter the 'red' zone. In this regard, today during an extraordinary meeting of the Cabinet of Ministers Ukraine, a protocol instruction regarding the recommendation to the ministries and other executive authorities located in the city of Kyiv was adopted to transfer the work of the maximum number of employees to a remote mode of work," Minister of the Cabinet of Ministers Oleh Nemchynov wrote in the Telegram channel.
Hazleton, PA (18201)

Today

Rain showers in the morning with thunderstorms developing for the afternoon. A few storms may be severe. High 71F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 90%..

Tonight

Showers this evening then scattered thunderstorms developing overnight. Low 59F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 60%.
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ANN ARBOR, MI  An Ann Arbor man who attacked a 15-year-old boy in a parking lot and sent the teen to the hospital is going to prison.

Keith Delamore Newbern was sentenced to serve 29 months to 10 years in prison by Washtenaw County Trial Judge Patrick Conlin Monday, March 22, after agreeing to follow a plea agreement to sentence him on the low end of his sentencing guidelines tabulated by the Probation Department.

Newbern, 21, pleaded no contest, Feb. 8, to one felony count of assault with intent to do great bodily harm, court records show.

I went off my impulses, Newbern said in court, apologizing to the victim. I know it could have been different. (The argument) couldve have been resolved without violence.

Teen in serious condition after being beaten in Ann Arbor parking lot

His defense attorney, Gina Noveskey, told the court Newberns diagnosis for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder contributed to the events that led to his arrest in October.

Newbern was arrested and charged in connection with the beating of two 15-year-old boys in a parking lot in the 2500 block of Jackson Avenue on Oct. 26, according to the Ann Arbor Police Department.

Police were called to the parking lot about 3:15 p.m. where they found the two teens. One suffered minor injuries while the other appeared to have a significant head injury and was going in and out of consciousness, police said.

The severely injured teen was taken to C.S. Mott Childrens Hospital for treatment. He has since been released, police said.

Detectives investigating the assault found a video posted on social media allegedly showing Newbern and another suspect, a juvenile, attack the pair, stomping the one teen in the head 12 times before fleeing, police said.

Investigators said they dont believe the attack was random. Detectives discovered there was ongoing conflict between the two groups involving an incident from more than a year ago, police said.

No charges were sought against the juvenile as his role in the assault appeared to be minimal, police said.

Newbern was not credited for any of the days he served in jail since his arrest.

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Monday represented two weeks since the nurses at Saint Vincent Hospital began a strike to increase staffing levels at the hospital. While the two sides continue to release updates on their positions, a bargaining meeting hasnt occurred since the start of the strike on Mach 8.

On Monday, the Massachusetts Nurses Association lobbied claims that the replacement nurses at the hospital are substandard and provide unsafe care. The MNA said Tenet Healthcare, the Dallas-based parent company of the hospital in Worcester, has already spent $16 million to prolong the strike.

Tenet Healthcare is operating the hospital with a cadre of replacement nurses who have never worked in the facility, at times using the physicians and other staff in the hospital to deliver care generally provided by the nurses, the MNA said in a statement. According to a number of accounts received by the MNA, the MNA believes that these strike replacements are providing substandard care.

The MNA specifically cites a pair of incidents reported by the Telegram and Gazette that described the atmosphere as a complete horror show. The claims include a man saying he was verbally threatened by a nurse and a couple saying the nurses were completely unfamiliar with the hospital.

The union also described incidents where replacement nurses were unable to operate a robot device in the operating room.

During a COVID-19 new briefing at city hall last week, Worcester Medical Director Dr. Michael Hirsh spoke specifically about COVID care and said the strike hasnt diminished patient care.

Over the weekend, Saint Vincent Hospital reached an agreement with the United Food and Commercial Workers, which represents employees including patient care assistants, critical care techs, housekeepers, transporters and unit secretaries.

The negotiations between both sides began on Jan. 15 and came to an end after 10 sessions, Saint Vincent Hospital said.

With regards to the MNA, Saint Vincent Hospital has offered the nurses more pay. CEO Carolyn Jackson in the past has said the increased benefits would lure more nurses and increase staffing, which is the main concern of the MNA.

On Monday, Saint Vincent Hospital called on the MNA to focus on the wages of their members rather than staffing.

The MNA bargaining committee should be more concerned with the need to increase wages for earlier tenured nurses to improve recruitment and retention, which is what the hospitals generous proposal aims to address, the hospital said in a statement.

The hospitals nurse salary structure has 21 steps, Saint Vincent said. The hospital said its proposal aims to increase the competitiveness of the wages by offering increases of 30% to 36% for all but the top five steps in the wage scale. The hospital also said it proposed increasing wages for nurses in the top five steps by 9% to 25%.

The MNA represents 800 nurses at Saint Vincent Hospital. According to the hospital, about 15% of those nurses opted not to participate in the strike.

Last week, Saint Vincent Hospital accused the MNA of bullying some of its members who crossed the picket lines and opted to continue working.

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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The tale of the goose that laid the golden eggs is the best moral warning we have about greed, the importance of patience and why one shouldnt be tempted by get-rich-quick schemes.

In what is one of the best known of the hundreds of Aesops Fables, a cottager and his wife own a goose that lays one golden egg. Rather than be happy with this miracle, the couple instead become fixated on the belief the goose must have gold inside of her. They kill the goose only to realise there is no gold and they have destroyed the source of their wealth.

Defining the objective of superannuation in law would be a strong step for stability. Credit:Photo: Jessica Shapiro

Today, youre most likely to see an image of a golden nest egg when reading about the superannuation industry. The image has become so synonymous with the industry that even the 600-page Retirement Income Review, released in late-2020, warns about the conservative impact this framing is having on retirees spending.

In the past few months the concern from Labor, the unions and the super funds about what the Morrison government is planning for the superannuation system has started to sound remarkably like the 2500-year-old Greek tale.
A mum has revealed the miracle product which cut through the thick grease on her oven door and left it sparkling clean and 'smelling great'.

The Australian woman used Orange Power to achieve the incredible results and showed-off the amazing before and after photos to prove how well the product worked.

The oven door looked like new in the after photos - prompting hundreds of responses from fellow homemakers and cleaners.

Scroll down for video

The oven sparkles after being cleaned with the cheap supermarket product

'I just used a damp non-scratch scourer and applied the Orange Power straight onto it,' the mum said.

She then wipes the oven out 'a few times' with a clean, damp cloth before heating it up 'to get rid of any smells.

The woman goes through a whole bottle of the $4.20 cleaning product each week but says she 'uses it for everything'.

'This is the best product, I use it to get the markers off the walls,' one mum revealed.

'Wow I bought this to get rid of stickers, never realised I could do this with it,' one woman said, after buying a $70 product for her oven.

Others were impressed no mask was needed to apply the non-toxic product and traded stories about the heavy duty oven cleaners they had used in the past.

The before shot shows how filthy the oven was and is a stark contrast to the 'after' shot

The Orange Power product range is made in Australia and is 'grey water safe', non-toxic, palm oil free and vegan.

The company was born from the orange fields in Mildura, where it was discovered the oil from orange skins could be used as an effective cleaning product.

She isn't the first mum to get excited over a 'miracle' cleaning product for her oven.

Another mother has turned her oven racks from grimy to gleaming with a 'no scrub' cleaning product from Aldi - and hundreds are raving about the result.

These photos uploaded to Australian Facebook group Aldi Mums show the racks before and after cleaning

She used $8.70 Oven Power, a kit from Queensland cleaning brand Oz Kleen which contains a detergent and plastic bag that racks can be left to soak in overnight.

The kit, which is also stocked in other major supermarkets including Coles and Woolworths, comes with gloves to protect your hands from chemicals.

The mother said she left her racks in the bag for 24 hours, 'turning often' to ensure the detergent covered every inch.

Photos uploaded to Australian Facebook group Aldi Mums show the racks before and after cleaning.

'I swear by this product I bought a while ago from Aldi and was hesitant to use,' the mother wrote.

Oven Power (pictured) is a kit from Queensland cleaning brand Oz Kleen which contains a detergent and plastic bag that racks can be left to soak in overnight

'Wow, I should have used this a long time ago. Never ever will I use anything else again. Best product by far on the market for your ovens and barbecues.'

'I've been using it for years. I love it. Soak the racks then into the dishwasher, no scrubbing at all,' one woman replied.

'Yes it's great, it's from a family-owned company and has no harsh chemicals or strong smell,' added a second, while a third wrote: 'This is the only oven cleaner I use. It's superb.'

A fourth called the kit 'the best thing since sliced bread'.

Oz Kleen started as a small shop in Beenleigh, 32 kilometres from Brisbane, Queensland, in 1995 and has since grown to become one of Australia's leading cleaning labels.
Demonstrations and vigils against anti-Asian violence took place across the US over the weekend in the aftermath of the shootings in Atlanta last Tuesday in which eight people were killed, six of whom were Asian women.

Hundreds assembled at Woodruff Park in Atlanta at noon on Saturday and marched a half-mile to the Georgia State Capitol chanting Stop Asian hate and Asians are not a virus. They rallied with hundreds of others at Liberty Plaza across the street from the Capitol.

The protest was promoted with the hashtag #StopAsianHate and brought together many people of Asian descent who were participating in a demonstration for the first time in their lives. For example, 54-year-old Elisa Park, from Marietta, Georgia, told the New York Times, I was staying in silence for a while, you know, sweep it away, keep head down, work hard. But not this time.

Protesters Dana Liu, center front, and Kexin Huang, right, both of Newton, Mass., display placards during a rally held to support Stop Asian Hate, Sunday, March 21, 2021, in Newton. (AP Photo/Steven Senne)

Many participants in the Atlanta rally noted the increase in the instances of attacks on Asian Americans since the onset of the pandemic and, in some cases, pointed out that people they know have been living in fear for months. Ms. Park said that her aunt was afraid for her safety and others have been afraid to simply walk their dog.

The protesters mourned those who were shot and killed at the three Atlanta establishments on March 16, all of whom have been identified by authorities. The police identified the four victims shot at Youngs Asian Massage in Acworth, Georgia, as Delaina Ashley Yaun, 33; Paul Andre Michels, 54; Xiaojie Tan, 49; and Daoyou Feng, 44.

Elcias R. Hernandez-Ortiz, 30, an immigrant from Guatemala who was walking past the massage parlor to a money exchange business next door, was also shot and critically injured at the location in Acworth. Doctors told Hernandez-Ortizs wife that he had been wounded in the forehead, throat, lungs and stomach and would face a long recovery. Flor Gonzalez told the New York Times of her husband, Hes still alive, hes fighting for his life.

Those killed at Gold Spa include Hyun Jung Grant, 51; Suncha Kim, 69; and Soon Chung Park, 74, and the shooter killed Yong Ae Yue, 63, at the Aromatherapy Spa across the street from the Gold Spa.

On Wednesday the shooter, Robert Aaron Long, 21, of Woodstock, Georgiaa town of 33,000 people in Cherokee County and about 36 miles northwest of Atlantawas charged with eight counts of murder. As the shooter remains held without opportunity for bail in Cherokee County, officials state that the investigation into the murders is ongoing.

Long has maintained that the attacks were not racially motivated and that he had a sex addiction and that he saw the spas as a temptation  that he wanted to eliminate. Atlanta police have reported that it is too early to know the suspects motives for shooting nine innocent people.

Rallies and demonstrations were also reported in San Francisco, Houston, New York City, Pittsburgh, San Antonio, Buffalo, New York and Boise, Idaho. Thousands marched in Montreal on Sunday against racism and hate crimes against Asians. The instances of racist hatreds against Asians have also been on the rise in the capital of Quebec over the past year. Authorities reported that 22 heinous crimes were committed against Asians in Montreal in 2020, a five-fold increase over 2019.

Hundreds of protesters gathered in New York Citys Union Square on Sunday morning, one of several events scheduled across the five boroughs of the city. WPIX reported that there have been at least 14 anti-Asian assaults in New York City so far in 2021. On Saturday, police reported that a man yelled anti-Asian slurs at a 66-year-old before punching him in the face in Chinatown.

The protests in Atlanta and elsewhere in the country were reminiscent of the George Floyd demonstrations against police violence of last spring and summer in that those participating came from a wide range of ethnic backgrounds. Thousands of peopleyoung and old, black and white, foreign and native bornhave turned out with hand-made placards, signs and banners demanding equality, justice and an end to discrimination and racialist hatred.

The overwhelming majority of the public is outraged by the horrific increase in anti-Asian racism and violence that has been intensifying across the US in correspondence with the lies advanced by sections of the American political establishment and the corporate media along with far-right conspiracy theorists that the COVID-19 pandemic was deliberately spread in the US by the Chinese government.

The protests expressed the broad sentiments of the US population, who thoroughly reject the xenophobic anti-Asian and anti-Chinese propaganda being spewed out by both the Democrats and Republicans that is behind the growth in the number and severity of the attacks on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders across the country.

Public opposition to anti-Asian attacks has been building for months with protests taking place in many cities prior to the shootings in Atlanta last week. Hundreds had previously gathered in New York City on February 20 and February 27 in support of the Asian community and against white nationalist hate crimes. In the first two weeks of March there were also a series of protests in Los Angeles, Seattle and Philadelphia.
London, March 22 : A once-a-decade census has been carried out in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, trying to provide insights into the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic and Brexit on people's lives.

The census on Sunday, organised by the British Office for National Statistics (ONS), asked households to fill in an online questionnaire about every person living at the property, including their age, race, occupation and relationship status, Xinhua news agency reported.

Local media reported that the census includes voluntary questions for over-16s on gender identity and sexual orientation for the first time. Besides, it is also the first time people are asked whether they have served in the armed forces.

The ONS said the census aims to gather vital information to help plan services such as transport, education and healthcare.

By law, all households should complete or be accounted for in the census. Those who fail to fill it in or give false information can be fined up to 1,000 pounds (about $1,387).

Because of the Covid-19 pandemic, this year people in Britain are asked to complete the survey online, with unique access codes being sent out to households. In Scotland, the census has been delayed to March 2022 as a result of Covid-19 restrictions.

Census field officers will follow up with households after Sunday if people have not completed their questionnaire. The census results will be available within 12 months, although personal records will be locked away for 100 years.

Ian Diamond, Britain's national statistician who chairs the Social Security Advisory Committee, told local media that the 2021 census could be the last one ever to be carried out, as he was examining cheaper and "more quickly" alternatives to the 10-yearly compulsory questionnaire delivered to every British household.

Britain's first official census was carried out in 1801, according to data.

On February 22, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced his long-anticipated "roadmap" exiting the lockdown. The March 8 reopening of schools was the first part of the four-step plan which is expected to see all legal restrictions in England being removed by mid-June.

Other parts of Britain, including Wales and Northern Ireland, 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.

Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19)
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, March 22)  Travelers who booked trips in the next two weeks, including Holy Week, will be able to reschedule their flights and hotel reservations without trouble, the Department of Tourism said on Monday.

The government agency thanked hotels and airlines for allowing their clients to rebook without penalties as Metro Manila's neighboring provinces Bulacan, Cavite, Laguna, and Rizal enter into a sudden two-week "general community bubble." Travelling for leisure outside of the bubble is strictly prohibited until Easter Sunday, April 4.

"The Holy Week has always been a strategic opportunity for growth in the tourism sector. However, given the recent surge in COVID cases, our goals for the sector will have to yield to public health concerns," it said in a statement.

Cebu Pacific Air will continue to operate scheduled flights until Wednesday. It said passengers may postpone their flights two hours before their trip.
SPRINGFIELD, Ore.--The home of former Willamette Country Music Festival owner Anne Hankins was raided by FBI agents last Tuesday.

An FBI spokesperson confirmed the raid was the result of a federal search warrant, which remains sealed and no other details were released.

The home belongs to Hankins, who once ran the now-defunct Willamette Country Music Festival in Brownsville.

The law enforcement presence comes after Hankins was sued for $12 million by Endeavor, the company that purchased a controlling share of the festival from Hankins in 2013.

When Endeavor bought the festival, it kept Hankins as president and she remained in charge of the event. In the lawsuit, Hankins was accused of lying and defrauding her corporate bosses out of millions of dollars.

But it wasnt until years later in 2018, after the company bought the remaining shares, that it learned Hankins had a conviction for bank fraud from 2001, a fact she allegedly did not disclose during the purchase process.

Endeavor quickly began a review and started finding other problems.

The company claims between 2016 and 2018, Hankins took out more than $8 million in loans without the company's permission or knowledge. They also accuse her of siphoning off money from ticket revenue to line both her and her family members pockets.

"Hankins...processed sales through her own credit-card machine, which diverted the money to an account that she controlled," the lawsuit said. "Hankins then inputted these orders as free tickets reserved for Festival sponsors, even though the sales were not to sponsors and were not free. Hankins erased many of these transactions from the bank statements."

And to cover her tracks, the company claims Hankins doctored bank statements and falsified financial reports to avoid suspicion and make the company look more profitable than it was.

The scheme allegedly boiled over when Linn County commissioners learned of her criminal history and booted the festival from Brownsville.

For some vendors at the 2018 event, it took a year and a half to get the money they were owed.

Earlier this month, a judge dismissed the Endeavor lawsuit against Hankins, saying it should be arbitrated in California where Endeavor is based.

When we reached Hankins by phone, she said the dismissal speaks for itself, but declined to comment about why federal agents were seen searching her home.
A passenger inside a disabled car on the New Jersey Turnpike was killed early Monday after the vehicle was struck by a pickup truck, authorities said.

The crash occurred about 4:10 a.m. in a southbound lane at milepost 105.7 in Newark, according to New Jersey State Police.

The car became disabled in the right lane of the highway and was hit from behind by a pickup truck, according to Sgt. Philip Curry.

The impact slammed the car into a concrete barrier as the pickup truck overturned, resulting in moderate injuries to the driver of the pickup, Curry said.

The driver of the disabled car suffered serious injuries and was taken to a local hospital, authorities said.

The southbound inner lanes were closed for about five hours after the crash, resulting in traffic backups, Curry said.

The names of the victims were not immediately released. The accident remained under investigation.

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.
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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
Head of the Servant of the People faction David Arakhamia hopes that the support of the U.S. Congress in Ukraine, including in the military sphere and the strengthening of sanctions against the Russian Federation, will continue.

"We are grateful to our partners from the United States for the bipartisan support of the policy of our country and the actions of President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky. Now we are actively communicating ... developing materials in the field of military support for Ukraine from the United States, combating corruption and strengthening the sanctions policy against the Russian Federation," the Servant of the People quoted Arakhamia on the party website as saying.

The Servant of the People told Interfax-Ukraine that during Arakhamia's online meetings with representatives of the U.S. Congress last week, an updated Act in Support of Ukraine's Security was presented.

"It provides for monetary aid and strategic support. In particular, we are talking about permission for military financing of Ukraine in the amount of up to $300 million per year. The document also proposes to appoint a special envoy for Ukraine, who will become a liaison with the United States at the negotiations in the Normandy format," the website of the party notes.

According to Arakhamia, the United States' support for Ukraine's security is a logical step in a set of measures to strengthen cooperation between Ukraine and the United States.

He also announced an agreement that online meetings with U.S. congressmen and senators will become permanent and may already take place in the coming weeks.
She never puts a foot wrong when it comes to style.

And Amanda Holden looked the epitome of Parisian chic as she left her Heart Radio breakfast show on Monday.

The presenter, 50, stepped out in a sleeveless navy sweater dress and a sheer white Pussy bow blouse after finishing work at the Global Radio studios in central London.

Stylish: Amanda Holden looked the epitome of Parisian chic as left her Heart Radio breakfast show on Monday

The broadcaster looked office ready in the elegant ensemble as she paired the dress with simple black stilettos and a matching leather handbag.

The mother-of-two accessorised the outfit with a glamorous pair of round framed sunglasses that kept the spring sunshine out of her eyes.

The Britain's Got Talent judge was well-groomed as ever as she flaunted a flawless red manicure and a fresh blow dry.

Amanda's caramel tresses bounced around her shoulders as she strode confidently along the street in her pointy-toed heels.

Chic: The presenter, 50, stepped out in a sleeveless navy sweater dress and a sheer white Pussy bow blouse after finishing work at the Global Radio studios in central London

The outing comes after Amanda recently shed light on how she goes about selecting her daring ensembles for Britain's Got Talent.

The TV judge famously racked up 235 Ofcom complaints during last year's series 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 said: '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".

Work wardrobe: The broadcaster looked office ready in the elegant ensemble as she paired the dress with simple black stilettos and a matching leather handbag

'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.

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.

Shady lady: The mother-of-two accessorised the outfit with a glamorous pair of round framed sunglasses that kept the spring sunshine out of her eyes

'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.'
Foodies are racing to enjoy one of Australia's most unique dining experiences at a pop-up restaurant hidden inside a 120-year-old tree before it closes next month.

A visit to the Enchanted Fig Tree, on Kangaroo Island, SA, is said to be like stepping into the pages of a children's storybook.

Visitors can enjoy a handcrafted menu of Australian dishes nestled between the gnarled limbs and shimmering leaves of the majestic tree, where kitsch cups and Enid Blyton books are scattered beneath a canopy of twigs and twinkling fairy lights.

Cocktails and canapes are served at the mouth of the Alice In Wonderland-esque eatery, which can be reached by taking a 40-minute flight from Adelaide to Kingscote and driving just under an hour to Snelling's Beach.

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Foodies are racing to enjoy one of Australia's most unique dining experiences at a pop-up restaurant inside a 120-year-old tree (pictured) before it closes in April

Lucky visitors can enjoy a handcrafted menu of Australian dishes nestled between the gnarled limbs and shimmering leaves of the majestic tree

Once inside, guests are greeted by a network of intimate 'living rooms' adorned with charming tables which provide the setting for a fine dining feast.

Fresh seafood, locally sourced meat and decadent desserts flavoured with figs dominate the food menu.

Meanwhile the standout on the drinks list are the premium whites and reds from vineyards on Kangaroo Island.

Once inside, guests are greeted by a network of intimate 'living rooms' adorned with charming tables which provide the setting for a fine dining feast

Fresh seafood (pictured), locally sourced meat and decadent desserts flavoured with figs dominate the food menu

Cocktails and canapes are served at the mouth of the Alice In Wonderland-esque eatery

Diners have described the experience as 'magical' and 'simply spectacular'

Hayley Pearson, co-host of SA travel podcast Adelady, told 9Honey if you only have time to do one thing on Kangaroo Island, this has to be it.

Reviews posted on social media describe the restaurant as 'simply spectacular' and 'the most magical' experience.

One woman said: 'Words can't describe eating in a beautiful fig tree, pictures just don't do this place justice.'

Fashion blogger Olivia Molly Rogers is pictured outside the Enchanted Fig Tree at Snelling's Beach on Kangaroo Island

The Enchanted Fig Tree is one of a number of private dining experiences run by Gastronomo, a company that specialises in temporary wilderness restaurants

The Enchanted Fig Tree is one of a number of private dining experiences run by Gastronomo, a company that specialises in temporary wilderness restaurants.

Gastronomo tapped some of South Australia's best chefs to oversee a guest-chef campaign that launched in December and runs until April 9, with menus designed by the likes of Simon Bryant from ABC's The Cook and the Chef.

While the restaurant's summer season of evening dinners has come to an end, guests can still book in for an extravagant lunch from 12.30pm Wednesday to Sunday for $135 per person.
Hundreds of protesters have gathered in the United States state of Georgia to display their support for the Asian American community. The community has been rocked by three shootings the previous week, which left eight people dead. Six of the fatalities were Asian women.

Rallies Against Anti-Asian Violence

The gunnings at three day spas follow one year of mounting anti-Asian brutality in the US. According to community leaders, the increase is courtesy of Asian Americans being blamed for COVID-19, which was first detected in the Chinese city of Wuhan in late 2019.

In Charlotte, hundreds came to Marshall Park on Sunday to stand in unity with the Asian American community. The vigil comes nearly a week after the incident. At the vigil on Sunday, there was a moment of reflection, lighting of candles, hugs, and tears. The victims' names were read aloud.

New Yorkers protested in multiple locations in the city on March 21 to protest against anti-Asian violence. They came five days after the Georgia shootings. Demonstrators demanded more resources from the government to support Asian Americans and called for solidarity among minority groups.

On Sunday, hundreds of people also demonstrated outside Chandler City Hall to protest the killing of the Asian Americans. They also cited the recent rise in anti-Asian hate incidents nationwide amid the novel coronavirus pandemic. Former Chandler City Councilmember Sam Huang, hailing from Taiwan, helped organize the protest. He said he was impressed with the result taking into consideration it was organized in less than 24 hours.

According to Sam, "We want to replace division with unity. We want to replace hate with love." He added it sounds like a type of slogan or something, but it is what they are aiming for, reported AZ Central.

Atlanta Spa Shootings: Get To Know the People Who Lost Their Lives

Meanwhile, a group named "Justice Southbury" held a peaceful rally at Playhouse Corner on Sunday. This is also in the wake of a recent surge in hate crimes against Asian-Americans in the United States.

Like many of New York's 1.9 million Asian-Americans, Grace Lee, 41, fears she will become a victim of a surge in violence against their community. "I stand in the middle of the platform," she said, fearing she will be shoved in front of a subway train by a racist attacker, reported Yahoo News.

People across the US are taking a stand against Asian American racism. In front of the National Underground Freedom Center, according to Viviana Algeo of Wyoming, "We are not enemies, we are not virus, we are just human beings. My kids were telling me that we are all different, we should love each other, I think that's a great message, simple and clear," reported WLWT5.

Over 1,000 people took to the streets on Sunday in San Francisco to put an end to hatred and violence against Asian Americans. It reportedly may have been the largest show of solidarity yet for a community in pain. The massive crowds took over Market Street. According to Sophia Larioza from San Francisco, she would like to stop the hate crimes because they are human too.

Georgia Massage Parlor Shootings Leave 8 Dead

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By Maha El Dahan and Laila Bassam

BEIRUT (Reuters) - Lebanon's financial crisis intensified on Monday after Prime Minister-designate Saad al-Hariri publicly repudiated President Michel Aoun, saying the latter wanted to dictate cabinet membership and grant veto powers on policy to his political allies.

After the latest of more than a dozen meetings with the president to form a new cabinet, Hariri called Aoun's demands "unacceptable". Hariri's televised announcement dashed hopes for an end to five months of political deadlock between the two and a reversal of the country's financial meltdown.

"This is a catastrophe for the country, we were holding on by a thread but now we're heading towards a total crash," one official source told Reuters, asking to remain anonymous due to the sensitivity of the issue.

Lebanon has been without a government since shortly after the Aug. 4 chemical explosion that destroyed the port of Beirut and devastated downtown areas of the capital, killing hundreds of people, injuring thousands and making 300,000 homeless.

The giant blast accelerated the downward spiral of an economy trapped in debt, banking, financial and fiscal crises, while foreign donors refuse to bail out Lebanon until it forms a government of capable technocrats committed to reform.

Aoun sent a list suggesting different scenarios for a cabinet of either 18,20 or 22 ministers, with names to be filled in, Hariri said.

"This is unacceptable because it is not the job of the prime minister-designate to fill forms from someone else or of the president to form a government."

In a statement read by the presidency spokesperson, Aoun said he was "surprised" by Hariri's comments and that his proposal to Hariri had not included a blocking minority.

The lack of agreement came after a hint of a breakthrough on Thursday when the two last met and Hariri had said he saw an opportunity to be seized.

Story continues

"The current deadlock and dim outlook will certainly have a toll on the exchange rate, making it more difficult for the average worker to get by without food aid," said Mohanad Hage Ali of the Carnegie Middle East Center.

The Lebanese pound dropped to over 13,000 to the dollar on the informal market after news of the outcome of the meeting, having traded earlier in the day at around 11,000.

Lebanon's economic crisis, which is posing the biggest threat to its stability since the 1975-1990 civil war, has seen the Lebanese pound sink by almost 90%, plunging many into poverty.

As businesses shut down, joblessness and hunger are rising. Lebanon's banks, having lent 70% of their assets to an insolvent state and central bank, have locked most depositors out of their savings.

Hassain Diab's cabinet, which resigned after the Beirut port blast, remains in a caretaker capacity until a successor is formed but fractious politicians have been unable to agree a government since Hariri's nomination in October.

There is no budget and there will soon be no hard currency to pay for imports of subsidised wheat, medicine and fuel.

Under a sectarian power-sharing system, Lebanon's president must be a Maronite Christian and the prime minister a Sunni Muslim. Aoun is an ally of Hezbollah, listed as a terrorist group by the United States.

Veteran Sunni politician Hariri was nominated to form a cabinet of specialists that could enact reforms and unlock foreign aid.

The Shi'ite Amal movement, headed by Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri who backs Hariri, called for it to be formed urgently on Monday.

But Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah said on Thursday that even though he would approve a government of technocrats if formed, a cabinet with no politicians would not last long.

(Reporting By Laila Bassam, Maha El Dahan and Ellen Francis; Editing by Samia Nakhoul, Giles Elgood and Bernadette Baum)
FLINT, MI -- A 33-year-old man was shot to death Sunday evening outside of a Flint liquor store.

Police responded around 9:15 p.m. Sunday, March 21, for a shooting incident at a business on the 1500 block of Pierson Road, according to a Michigan State Police news release.

The victim, identified as 33-year-old Kenyon Powell, was found in the parking lot. Hed suffered multiple gunshot wounds fired from a rifle, police said.

Powell was transported to Hurley Medical Center where he was later pronounced deceased due to the injuries.

No suspects are in custody at this time, police said. The incident remains under investigation.

Anyone with information about the shooting incident may contact the Flint Police Department at 810-237-6800 or, to remain anonymous, contact Crime Stoppers of Flint and Genesee County at 1-800-422-JAIL (5245), on the P3 Tips mobile app, or online at crimestoppersofflint.com.

Videos, photos, and audio can be submitted via the Crime Stoppers app or website.

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The state saw 30,535 new infections, up from Saturday's 27,126, and 99 deaths, taking up the state tally to 24,79,682 and toll to 53,399, respectively - both highest in the country.

Mumbai: Sending alarms bells ringing, Maharashtra's Covid-19 cases jumped to a new high of over 30,000 on Sunday, with deaths also shooting up in the "second wave" that has gripped the state, while Mumbai recorded 3,000 plus fresh infections, health officials said.

For the first time, Mumbai figures have shot up over 3,000 to 3,779, and this is attributed to the rapid antigen tests being conducted at malls and public places to trace infectees as the city reels under the surge.

The state's recovery rate came down from 89.97 per cent to 89.32 per cent, while the death rate stood at 2.15 percent, as compared to 2.18 per cent a day earlier, while the number of active cases jumped up sharply from 191,006 to 210,120.

The number of people sent to home isolation shot up to 969,867 while those shunted to institutional quarantine increased to 9,601 on Sunday.

Pune saw the maximum fatalities, 25, while there were 17 deaths in Nagpur, 11 in Jalgaon, 10 in Mumbai, seven in Akola, four in Thane, three each in Nashik, Nandurbar, and Aurangabad, two each in Raigad, Satara, Ratnagiri, Beed, Nanded, Wardha, and Chandrapur, and one each in Sangli and Latur.

The developments came two days after Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray warned that "lockdown is an option in future" before the government, and solicited peoples' voluntary cooperation as the new cases surpassed all previous records.
Kolkata: The Congress on Monday released its manifesto for West Bengal assembly polls, stressing that it wants to restore the glory that the state enjoyed in the 1950s and 60s under the then chief minister, Bidhan Chandra Roy, widely regarded as the architect of modern Bengal.

The Congress, which has forged an alliance with the Left Front and the newly formed Indian Secular Front (ISF) for the assembly elections, said in the document that it does not believe in "politics of freebies", but would ensure wholesome development of West Bengal.

Maintaining that Bengal had progressed well during the tenure of BC Roy, who brought several heavy industries to the state, WBPCC president Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury said the party has highlighted eight issues that it wishes to address, if voted to power.

The Congress, if allowed to form government, will prioritise the state's law and order situation, women's safety, social security, industrialisation and job creation.

The manifesto also promised to take steps for farmers' development, which include at least 20 per cent subsidy on the electricity that will be used for irrigation.

The party gave assurance that it would strength education and health infrastructure, preserve the state's culture, heritage and art, and provide clean drinking water to every household in the state.

"People should not make the mistake of choosing the TMC or the BJP, claiming that they are two flowers of the same stem. We have framed a new slogan -- 'Extend your hand, save Bengal. We are the only party that could work for the betterment of the state's future," the Congress leader said.

Admitting that several Congress activists have objected to the choice of candidates, Chowdhury said the grand old party, however, had to put up with "little hassle" as compared to the TMC or the BJP.

"The protests show that many people are interested in representing the Congress, which is nothing but a very healthy sign. Seats in our quota are limited, and that is the reason (we could not please all)..."

The Congress is contesting from 90-odd constituencies, as part of the alliance stitched for assembly polls, which will be held in eight phases for the 294-member House.


Lex Greensill promoted his business as the future of finance, talking up a technology superior to Wall Street rivals that allowed him to lend at super-low rates based on real-time information.

But former staff at Greensill Capital, as well as others familiar with its computer systems, paint a very different picture of the technological abilities of the lender.

Rather than risk being assessed through proprietary tech innovations, much of the work was done on spreadsheets or other basic programs. New projects were not always successful, and even near the end, the business was scrambling to find a partner to fill the gap in its tech capabilities.

Read more: Tokio Marine Faces Larger-Than-Expected Exposure to Greensill Capital Meltdown

The companys inner workings have been in the spotlight after it collapsed this month, and the descriptions raise fresh questions about how it went from startup to tech unicorn to an estimated $7 billion valuation at one point. Along the way, its Australian founder lured in investors such as SoftBank Group Corp., had former UK Prime Minister David Cameron as an adviser, and forged lucrative ties with Credit Suisse Group AG.

This story is based on conversations with people involved with Greensill and familiar with its operations, who spoke on condition of anonymity, as well as court filings and documents.

A key example of Greensills hype was its reliance on tech partner Taulia Inc., which provided a platform to link to firms using supply-chain financing.

As Greensill went into meltdown, Taulia secured funding from banks including JPMorgan Chase & Co., allowing it to keep servicing firms that had previously relied on Greensill. That killed plans by Apollo-backed Athene Holdings Ltd. to buy Greensills IT systems and intellectual property.

The fact that Athene walked away is indicative of the low value of Greensills tech. Even during negotiations, Athene was willing to pay just $60 million.

According to one person familiar with the company, there was a telling moment as the crisis escalated. In the week before its collapse, staff at the lender approached a fintech rival, admitting that Greensill had little in the way of tech and asking if the competitor could become a service provider for the firm. Due to Greensills collapse, those conversations never progressed. Administrators for Greensill declined to comment for this story.

Some of what Greensill did required very little in the way of advanced software, particularly supply chain finance, the business it was most vocal about. Financing invoices is a straightforward process, involving buying the promise of future payment at a discount, so that you can receive the full payment later. The more complicated tech was the interface between firms and fund providers, much of which was handled by partner Taulia Inc. and other third party providers.

But Greensill had another business called future accounts receivable finance.

It publicized this offering in its early payment scheme for UK pharmacies, where it would extend what were effectively unsecured loans to small chemists at ultra-low rates. Similar facilities were provided to Bluestone Resources Ltd., Softbank portfolio firms and, its biggest client, Sanjeev Guptas GFG Alliance.

Related: Credit Suisse Faces Questions from Regulators, Insurers After Collapse of Greensill Funds

What Greensill said it could do was look at past payments and, using complex algorithms, figure out future receivables and lend against sales that hadnt yet happened. While this is a riskier form of lending, Greensill said the systems were highly accurate and it could charge lower rates than might otherwise be offered. Many of these were then sold on to funds run by Credit Suisse.

Tech capabilities were one of the chief reasons that Greensill could compete with financial giants like Citigroup Inc. and HSBC Holdings Plc, it said.

But all the staff Bloomberg News spoke to deny that it could have predicted future payments with accuracy. Fluctuations in the price of some of the goods sold, steel for instance, made this an almost impossible task, some of the people said.

Over the last year, it had made a concerted effort to replace outdated technology, hiring London-based tech consultancy Equal Experts. But Equal Experts withdrew from the project early, frustrated that it couldnt put forward ideas freely without being shot down, people familiar with the matter said. Equal Experts didnt respond to requests for comment.

Greensill said it was changing finance to change the world. But while it had made some progress on machine learning and AI, those efforts were still in their infancy. Much of the company was still run off basic spreadsheets even at the end.

Top photograph: A visitor exits the Greensill Bank AG offices in Bremen, Germany, on Friday, March 12, 2021. Germanys financial regulator is nearing a decision to wind down Greensill Bank after its parent company filed for insolvency, opening the door for most depositors to get reimbursed. Photographer: Dominik Reipka/Bloomberg

Copyright 2021 Bloomberg.
CLEVELAND, Ohio  Cuyahoga County Sheriff Christopher Viland late Friday allowed deputies and corrections officers to resume working part-time security at bars after a brief moratorium following the fatal shooting of an off-duty jail officer.

Viland, in an email to employees released to cleveland.com/The Plain Dealer said he will draft permanent changes to the departments policy in the future, but for now will require deputies and officers to notify the sheriff departments dispatchers when they plan to work at a bar, restaurant or anywhere that sells alcohol.

Viland temporarily suspended deputies and officers from working off-duty security at bars March 13 after corrections officer Timoteo Cruz died in a shootout at Rookies Bar and Grill in Parma. Cruz was working as a bouncer for the bar at the time of the shooting.

Deputies and officers must tell dispatchers where theyre working off-duty, their start time and left of shift and must notify dispatchers when theyre leaving, according to the email.

An attorney for the Ohio Patrolmens Benevolent Association, the union that represents deputies and corrections officers, said last week the union understood the need to protect workers, but that any delay would hurt the officers ability to collect extra income.

OPBA attorney Dan Leffler said on Monday he was pleased Viland rescinded the order.

We had a good conversation with the sheriff about the suspension on secondary employment last week and we commend the sheriff for acting quickly and getting that policy rescinded, Leffler said.

A gunman opened fire in the bars parking lot on March 13, killing bar patron Sean Michael Acierno, 29. Cruz grabbed his gun, went outside and drew fire from the gunman. He shot back and hit the gunman in the hip, likely stopping the attack, according to court records.

Cruz was shot multiple times and died at a nearby hospital. He had been a corrections officers since 2017.

The suspected gunman, Juan Carlos Perez, and his brother, Luis Carlos Canderlario, face charges in connection with the shooting. Perez was indicted on two counts of aggravated murder and other charges, and Candelario was indicted on involuntary manslaughter charges.

Court records say Perez fired at least 30 shots before Cruz shot him.

Read more from cleveland.com:

Cuyahoga County Sheriff temporarily suspends deputies, corrections officers from working off-duty at bars following jail officers slaying

Cuyahoga County Jail officer killed in Parma bar shootout hailed as hero, was loving father and friend to many, father says

Two dead, two hurt in Cleveland diner shooting, suspected shooter among the injured
After seven weeks of steady declines in COVID-19 cases coming off the winter surge, the World Health Organization (WHO) is warning of a steady rise in new cases globally over the past five weeks.

The week beginning March 15 saw 3.28 million new cases, up from 2.49 million the week of February 15, just one month ago. This is equivalent to 100,000 new cases per day globally.

In five of six regions of the worldthe Americas, Europe, Southeast Asia, the Eastern Mediterranean and the Western Pacificcases have been rising. The number of new infections across the African continent has plateaued at high daily rates.

In a word, the spring surge is well underway.

Demonstrators protest the president's handling of the COVID-19 pandemic outside Planalto presidential palace in Brasilia, Brazil, Friday, March 19, 2021. The signs read in Portuguese "Almost 300,000 dead. Bolsonaro genocide", left, and "Vaccinations save lives." (AP Photo/Eraldo Peres)

Even more concerning is the fact that the weekly decline in deaths due to COVID-19 has ceased, and deaths are now on the upturn. After a low of 59,000 deaths worldwide the week beginning March 8, the death count for the week beginning March 15 has increased to over 60,000 and is still climbing. The WHO has confirmed that since the beginning of the pandemic just over a year ago there have been more than 22.5 million COVID-19 cases globally and over 2.7 million deaths.

The pandemic has led to a massive loss of jobs in low- and middle-income countries, threatening hundreds of millions of people with hunger and homelessness, on top of illness and death. A report published in Science Advances in February found startling levels of income loss, with 70 percent of households across nine countries in Africa, Asia and Latin America reporting financial losses, forcing millions of people to eat smaller meals or skip them entirely.

According to Edward Miguel, a University of California, Berkeley economist, in the early months of the pandemic, the economic downturn in low- and middle-income countries was almost certainly worse than any other recent global economic crisis that we know of, whether the Asian financial crisis of the late 1990s, the Great Recession that started in 2008 or the more recent Ebola crisis. The economic costs were just severe, absolutely severe.

Vaccine nationalism has exacerbated the pandemic. As of March 21, close to 440 million doses of COVID-19 vaccine had been administered worldwide, equivalent to 5.7 doses for every 100 persons. However, the distribution of these lifesaving medications has been inequitable and chaotic.

The lions share of vaccines has been administered in the United States, with 124.5 million shots-in-the-arm reported, or 28 percent of all vaccines given globally. The United States accounts for only 4.25 percent of the world population.

The US has provided at least one dose of a vaccine to 25 percent of its people so far. The seven-day average stands at around 2.6 million per day.

By comparison, Europe, which has been struggling with issues related to production and distribution, and more recently concerns over AstraZenecas COVID-19 vaccine, has managed to inoculate only 13 out of 100 persons with at least one dose.

In the latest tally, most of the world has yet to see a COVID-19 vaccine, and, by all accounts, may not until well into next year. According to the New York Times, residents of wealthy and middle-income countries have received about 90 percent of all the vaccines so far delivered.

Low-income countries have asked the WHO to help them procure these lifesaving vaccines and provide scientific and technological support to build vaccine manufacturing capacity in their countries. The US, the UK and the EU have resisted such measures.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen warned that she was ready to introduce emergency controls on COVID-19 vaccine production and distribution to ensure that Europeans are vaccinated as soon as possible. She even threatened to invoke Article 122 of the EUs Lisbon Treaty, allowing it to use emergency measures to secure the necessary vaccine stocks, further exacerbating the overall scarcity of supplies and their highly unequal distribution.

US President Joe Biden has repeatedly stated his intention to vaccinate the American population first. Were going to start off making sure Americans are taken care of first, he said recently. But were then going to try and help the rest of the world.

The second part of his statement is nothing more than diplomatic jargon. The US will use its stranglehold on vaccine intellectual properties and production capacity as a lever in pursuing the geo-political and profit interests of the American corporate elite against nominal friends and foes alike. In particular, it will be used to prosecute its aggressive policies against China and Russia and the demand that its European and Asian allies line up behind its effort to maintain US global hegemony.

The pandemic has become a weapon in the hands of the ruling elites. Presently, the pandemics epicenter is Brazil. Jair Bolsonaro, the countrys fascistic president, is essentially conducting a laboratory experiment in which the dangerous P.1 variant rampages throughout the country, while he tells the population to stop whining about COVID-19.

Brazil has recorded 12 million cases of COVID-19 and is rapidly approaching 300,000 deaths, the last 100,000 of these having occurred since the beginning of 2021. Official death tolls of more than 2,700 a day are in reality vast undercounts, as people die at home while health systems collapse, unable to handle the flood of new COVID-19 patients. The Oswaldo Cruz Foundation (Fiocruz), a public health research institution, has warned, Brazil is experiencing a historic collapse of its health services as intensive care units in hospitals run out of capacity.

India is in the early stage of a second wave. Cases are rapidly accelerating as new, more virulent strains appear. With more than 47,000 new cases of COVID-19 reported Saturday, infections have increased nearly fivefold from just a month ago. This has been accompanied by a rise in the daily death toll. Active cases have risen in 29 of the 36 Indian states. There have been 400 cases of virulent variants detected in India, with 158 reported in just the last two weeks.

With the spring surge, in part attributable to the B.1.1.7 variant, gaining momentum across Europe, several countries have imposed new restrictions.

French Prime Minister Jean Castex placed about one-third of the populationsome 21 million people in 16 regions of the country, including Parisunder lockdown, in the face of surging infections. Last week, the number of people in intensive care units reached over 4,200, the highest level since November. Daily cases of COVID-19 stand at more than 35,000.

Germanys seven-day-average is accelerating, having climbed to over 12,000 cases per day, and the death toll has stopped declining. Chancellor Angela Merkel noted in a press conference that an emergency brake likely needs to be applied and lockdown measures reimposed. The health minister said that Europe lacked the vaccines required to significantly reduce cases.

Poland and Ukraine have reimposed lockdown measures as new cases near their previous peaks from November. Health systems are once more being battered.

The Czech Republic, where cases had been dropping, is reporting numerous cases of multi-system inflammatory syndrome (MIS-C). Without proper treatment, this condition can cause severe organ damage and even failure, leading to death. Additionally, the repeated imposition and lifting of restrictions is heightening social tensions. Demonstrations against coronavirus restrictions are flaring in several European cities, including Amsterdam.

The US remains in a precarious position, where the daily case count has stabilized at around 55,000. The daily death toll continues to decline, but remains at a seven-day moving average of more than 1,000. However, several regions of the country are experiencing new surges in cases, even as the Biden administration touts the success of its vaccination campaign.

The seven-day moving average in New York State is over 7,000 per day and has held steady for a month; the positivity rate has not dipped below 6 percent in months.

Cases in New Jersey have been steadily rising since February 25. Rhode Island is slowly trending upwards, while Massachusetts has plateaued at around 1,600 cases a day. Florida is holding steady at 5,000 cases per day. Michigan, however, has seen a dramatic rise in cases.

Many health experts warn that even as the race to vaccinate Americans continues, if proper safety and mitigation measures are not followed, the US could see a resurgence of COVID-19 infections. Scenes of vacationers and spring break revelers in Miami Beach over the weekend raise significant concerns that the situation threatens to become explosive.
SAN FRANCISCO, March 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Thoma Bravo, a leading private equity investment firm focused on the software and technology-enabled services sectors, today announced that it has reached an agreement to acquire Calypso Technology, Inc. ("Calypso") from international private equity group Bridgepoint and global growth investor Summit Partners. The deal, which is subject to customary regulatory approvals, is expected to close in the second quarter of 2021. Financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

Founded in 1997 and headquartered in San Francisco with offices around the world, Calypso is a cloud-enabled provider of cross-asset, front-to-back solutions for financial markets with over 35,000 users in 60+ countries. Its award-winning software improves reliability, adaptability, and scalability across several verticals, including capital markets, investment management, central banking, clearing, treasury, liquidity, and collateral. Calypso leverages innovative cloud microservices and blockchain distributed ledger technology (DLT) based solutions to reduce trading costs and improve time to value.

"We are thrilled to begin the next chapter of our story alongside Thoma Bravo and are grateful to Bridgepoint and Summit Partners for their support and partnership. Our acquisition by Thoma Bravo is further validation of the unique value Calypso creates for its customers, employees, and investors and a direct reflection of the hard work, collaboration, and strong results the team has achieved," said Didier Bouillard, Chief Executive Officer of Calypso. "Thoma Bravo has a proven track-record of supporting its portfolio companies by investing in growth initiatives and strategic acquisitions designed to drive long-term value and we are excited to continue delivering innovative solutions to the financial markets while accelerating our growth."

"For more than a decade, we have admired Calypso's position as a leader in the global capital markets software space with a highly differentiated and modern, integrated front-to-back technology platform across a wide range of asset classes," said Holden Spaht, a Managing Partner at Thoma Bravo. "Calypso's technology allows its world-class customer base to navigate the highly complex and regulated capital markets with greater transparency and lower costs. We look forward to partnering with Didier and his team to continue building on their great momentum supported by increased investment and innovation and a maniacal focus on customer success."

Brian Jaffee, a Principal at Thoma Bravo, added, "We are thrilled to partner with such a high-quality franchise and management team to help drive continued growth both organically and through M&A. Calypso's financial services end market is massive and it is well positioned to capitalize on the strong trend of technology outsourcing to best-in-class platform vendors, particularly as the move to the cloud accelerates. We look forward to supporting the company in this next chapter of exciting growth."

"We are proud to have partnered with Calypso and its management team to achieve the significant transformation of the business which led to this exceptional result. Alongside a range of operational initiatives, the transition of the business to a cloud model combined with best-in-class client service was undoubtedly key in accelerating growth. With this transformation now complete and having demonstrated very robust growth throughout the COVID pandemic, the business is well placed for the next stage of its evolution under new ownership," said David Nicault, Partner and Global Head of Digital, Technology & Media at Bridgepoint.

"As the regulatory and competitive environment grows more complex, we have seen financial institutions shift their capital markets technology spend from legacy, internally developed platforms to modern, cloud-based software solutions," said Scott Collins, Managing Director at Summit Partners. "Calypso has supported financial institutions across developing and emerging markets on their modernization journeys. We are grateful for the partnership of the Calypso and Bridgepoint teams, and we look forward to following the company's continued impact in the financial services sector."

Kirkland & Ellis, LLP is serving as legal counsel to Thoma Bravo. Evercore and Jefferies are serving as financial advisors and Latham & Watkins is serving as legal counsel to Calypso, Bridgepoint, and Summit Partners.

About Calypso Technology, Inc.

Calypso Technology, Inc. is a cloud-enabled provider of cross-asset front-to-back solutions and managed services for financial markets with over 40000 users in 60+ countries. Its award-winning software improves reliability, adaptability, and scalability across several verticals, including capital markets, investment management, central banking, clearing, treasury, liquidity, and collateral. Calypso is pioneering innovative technologies (native cloud technology, AI, Big data) that reimagine capital markets.

"Calypso" is a registered trademark of Calypso Technology, Inc. in the U.S., EU and other jurisdictions. Other parties' trademarks or service marks are the property of their respective owners.

About Thoma Bravo

Thoma Bravo is a leading private equity firm focused on the software and technology-enabled services sectors. With more than $76 billion in assets under management as of December 31, 2020, Thoma Bravo partners with a company's management team to implement operating best practices, invest in growth initiatives and make accretive acquisitions intended to accelerate revenue and earnings, with the goal of increasing the value of the business. The firm has offices in San Francisco and Chicago, with a planned expansion to Miami in the second half of 2021. For more information, visit thomabravo.com.

About Bridgepoint

Bridgepoint is a major international alternative asset fund management group, focused on the Middle Market providing private equity and private debt lending solutions to the middle market. We focus on acquiring or investing in businesses with strong market positions and earnings growth potential where significant additional value can be created through expansion and operational improvement. With over 26 billion of assets under management, we invest internationally in six principal sectors - business services, consumer, financial services, healthcare, medtech & pharma, manufacturing & industrials and digital, technology & media - via a platform of offices in Europe, US and China.

Bridgepoint has operated in North America since 2016 with a team of 15 investment professionals in New York and San Francisco. In addition to identifying new investment opportunities, the team manages existing Bridgepoint investments and acts as a gateway for Bridgepoint's European portfolio companies where the US market represents a significant source of revenue for them. See www.bridgepoint.eu

About Summit Partners

Founded in 1984, Summit Partners is a global alternative investment firm that is currently managing more than $23 billion in capital dedicated to growth equity, fixed income and public equity opportunities. Summit invests across growth sectors of the economy and has invested in more than 500 companies in technology, healthcare and other growth industries. Summit maintains offices in North America and Europe and invests in companies around the world. For more information, please see www.summitpartners.com or follow on LinkedIn.

In the United States of America, Summit Partners operates as an SEC-registered investment advisor. In the United Kingdom, this document is issued by Summit Partners LLP, a firm authorized and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. Summit Partners LLP is a limited liability partnership registered in England and Wales with registered number OC388179 and its registered office is at 11-12 Hanover Square, London, W1S 1JJ, UK. This document is intended solely to provide information regarding Summit Partners' potential financing capabilities for prospective portfolio companies.

SOURCE Thoma Bravo
NW China's Qinghai releases snow leopard wearing satellite collar into wild

People's Daily Online) 10:26, March 22, 2021

Lingzhe, a snow leopard, is released into the wild. (Photo/ Qilian Mountain National Park management bureau in Qinghai)

On March 16, a rescued snow leopard named "Lingzhe" was released into the wild after it recovered in the Qilian Mountain National Park's section in northwest China's Qinghai province. Before being released, the snow leopard was fitted with a satellite collar to assist with research in a bid to protect the species.

With plenty of sunshine, dense vegetation and an abundant water supply, the Qilian Mountain National Park in Menyuan Hui Autonomous County, Qinghai is an ideal habitat for snow leopards.

The animal was discovered on March 11 after it strayed into a villager's home and injured its head after breaking a window. Fortunately, it was taken in that day by the wildlife rescue and breeding center in Qinghai.

After taking its blood sample and giving it a health check, the center found that the animal's blood calcium level was below 1.0 mmol/L, less than the lower limit of the reference range. Then they gave the animal liquid calcium.

Luckily, the animal showed no obvious signs of illness and was able to perform actions such as jumping and roaring. But there was still a likelihood of it becoming infected with some common feline diseases due to its low level of autoantibodies, according to animal experts with the management bureau of the Qilian Mountain National Park and the Wildlife Institute of Beijing Forestry University.

On March 15, animal experts gave the snow leopard a comprehensive health check to make sure it had met the conditions for release into the wild. Before it was released, the animal experts put a satellite collar on the animal in order to obtain more information about it.

"Lingzhe" was the first case involving rescue, release and monitoring of snow leopards for scientific research in China.
Nifty futures on the Singapore Exchange traded 0.18 per cent lower at 14,720, indicating a tepid start for benchmark indices on Monday.

Here are the top stocks that are likely to be in focus today:

Adani Green Energy: The company has signed definitive agreements with the Toronto-headquartered SkyPower Global to acquire 100 per cent stake in a special purpose vehicle that owns 50 MW operating solar asset in Telangana.

Tata Motors: The company said Marc Llistosella will not be joining as its CEO and Managing Director as was communicated earlier. The auto major had last month announced that Llistosella would be joining as CEO and MD of the firm with effect from July 1 this year.

Future Retail: The Future Group moved the division bench of the Delhi High Court against the order directed to stay its deal with Reliance Industries.

Tata Power: Competition Commission of India said it has cleared Tata Power's proposed acquisition of 51 per cent stake in North Eastern Electricity Supply Company of Odisha Ltd.

Power Grid: The company said it has signed a share purchase agreement with Jaiprakash Power Ventures to acquire 74 per cent stake in Jaypee POWERGRID for Rs 351.64 crore.

NTPC: The output of NTPC's Bongaigaon plant in Assam has crossed its installed capacity of 750 MW for the first time since the commissioning of all its units two years ago.

RIL: Reliance Industries (RIL) has sold three-fourth of the gas from coal seams in Madhya Pradesh to an affiliate of the company at a price of just over $6 at current oil prices.

Srei Infra: Srei Infrastructure Finance Ltd said its company secretary Sandeep Kumar Lakhotia has resigned. The move comes following the salary cap imposed on the company by its lenders amidst pandemic-induced stress on its business.

Voda Idea: Vodafone Idea admitted it has found an "inadvertent error" in the subscriber data for January 2021 reported to TRAI, and has now corrected and submitted revised information to the regulator. The statement by the company comes after TRAI subscriber data for January 2021 showed VIL's mobile net additions at 1.7 million, with a spike in UP (West) circle.

Prabhat Dairy: The company has received in-principle approval for the delisting offer from BSE and NSE. The bid for the delisting offer opens March 24 and will close on March 31.

Dredging Corp: Dredging Corporation of India on Friday said it has elevated D Subbarao as Chief Financial Officer with immediate effect.

Bharti Airtel: The company entered into an agreement for acquiring 17,43,560 shares (representing 7.48 percent of paid-up equity) in Sandhya Hydro Power Project Balargha, a special purpose vehicle (SPV), the telecom operator said in its BSE filing.

JSW Energy: The companys subsidiary JSW Future Energy has received an order for a total Wind capacity of 450 MW from Solar Energy Corporation of India.

Bharat Dynamics: Ministry of Defence has signed a contract with the company for supply of Milan-2T Anti-Tank Guided Missiles to Indian Army at the cost of Rs 1,188 crore.

Majesco: Aurum Platz has made an open offer to public shareholders to acquire up to 26 per cent of the total equity in the company. The offer price of Rs 77 per share is at a premium of over 21 per cent to Friday's closing price.

Great Eastern Shipping: The company has signed a contract to buy a secondhand mid-sized gas carrier of about 35,188 cbm. The vessel is expected to join the company's fleet in Q1FY22.
Mike has reported on the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem's wildlife, wildlands and the agencies that manage them since 2012. A native Minnesotan, he arrived in the West to study environmental journalism at the University of Colorado.

Trump: America No Longer Has a Free Press

Former President Donald Trump, in an interview, decried the media landscape in the United States, saying it no longer has a free press.

Using the current border crisis as an example of the lack of proper coverage, Trump said, This is not a free press, during an interview on Lisa Boothes podcast on March 22.

This is a press that we have to be very, very smart to get around, but they dont cover bad things if it happens to be bad for Democrats. Its pretty amazing. You take a look at some of the coverage and some of the travesty thats taking place at the border, and the coverage is not commensurate, he said.

If you look at NBC, ABC, CBS, and of course CNN and MSNBC, and seeif you look at some of those networksits just not covered. Its covered so little. Its amazing. And its a massive story because its going to destroyits going to destroy our country.

Throughout his presidency, Trump decried the fake news media, using the pejorative to describe outlets that he believed promoted narratives that targeted him and supporters of the America first agenda while generally promoting his opponents or critics. The former president also repeatedly panned MSNBC, The New York Times, and CNN, saying that these outlets are essentially wings of the Democratic Party.

Over the weekend, longtime Getty photojournalist John Moore called on the Biden administration to allow media workers to observe U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agents operate as a massive surge of illegal immigrants arrives at the southern border.

I respectfully ask US Customs and Border Protection to stop blocking media access to their border operations, Moore wrote on Twitter on March 19. I have photographed CBP under Bush, Obama and Trump but nowzero access is granted to media. These long lens images [were] taken from the Mexican side.

Theres no modern precedent for a full physical ban on media access to CBP border operations. To those who might say, cut them some slackthey are dealing with a situation, Id say that showing the U.S. response to the current immigrant surge is exactly the medias role.

Recent polls have suggested that Americans are largely distrustful of corporate, mass media. A Gallup poll released last year showed that only 9 percent of Americans trust the media a great deal and 31 percent trust it a fair amount. Meanwhile, 33 percent have no trust at all in the media and 27 percent dont trust the media very much, according to the survey. In other polls, a significant number of Americans have blamed mass media for exacerbating the political divide in the United States.
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CHICAGO, March 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- NuggMD , the nation's leading medical cannabis telemedicine platform, is launching their services in Connecticut and in Illinois. The popular platform will now be available in 11 states, including New York, Nevada, Missouri, Pennsylvania, Ohio, California, New Jersey, Virginia, and Oklahoma. NuggMD has connected more than 700,000 patients to their medical marijuana doctors since 2016 and is now available to over 100 million Americans.

Both Connecticut and Illinois have revised their policies due to COVID. Governor Lamont's March 2020 Executive Order 7L allows residents in Connecticut to receive their medical marijuana evaluation via telemedicine for the duration of the COVID emergency. Illinois residents are also no longer required to obtain their medical marijuana evaluations in-person; state-licensed physicians can issue recommendations via telemedicine until further notice . Patients in both states can now receive safe and socially distanced MMJ telehealth evaluations without risking unnecessary exposure to illness in a medical environment. This, among many other safety modifications, is making access to cannabis safer for at-risk patients.

"We applaud states taking a compassionate stance on patient-safety," said Kam Babazade, NuggMD Co-Founder and COO. "The most at-risk cannabis patients no longer have to brave public waiting rooms to get the relief they need. This is a huge step in the right direction to help everyone stay healthy."

Connecticut decriminalized small amounts of cannabis possession in 2011. Governor Malloy, who signed the legislation, stated that he was reprioritizing law enforcement for violent and more serious crimes. The following year he signed the medical cannabis program into law. The state is now actively considering legislation that would legalize recreational sales by 2022, but it's not certain yet whether the bill has enough support to pass. To qualify for use of medical marijuana, a Connecticut resident must have one of the state's more than 3 dozen qualifying conditions . Some of the more common conditions that are approved for medical marijuana treatment in Connecticut are cancer, PTSD, interstitial cystitis, and chronic pain of at least 6 months duration associated with a specified underlying chronic condition refractory to other treatment intervention.

In contrast, recreational marijuana has been legalized in Illinois, but the medical marijuana program is still extremely popular. Registered patients can receive discounts at dispensaries and are exempt from paying the cannabis excise tax, which can be up to 25%. Registered patients can also purchase more than twice as much cannabis as a recreational patient--up to 2.5oz, and can skip the long recreational lines at dual-licensed dispensaries. Patients can also grow up to five plants at home -- a privilege not granted to recreational users at all. To qualify for Illinois' medical marijuana program, patients must have one of the more than 50 qualifying debilitating conditions for medical marijuana use . Some of the more common conditions on the list are cancer, post traumatic stress disorder, osteoarthritis, migraines, irritable bowel syndrome, and chronic pain.

NuggMD's fully-licensed physicians are available in both states from 8am to 10pm every day, including weekends, with no appointment necessary. Evaluations in Connecticut are $149 and are priced at $99 in Illinois. Patients who don't qualify for medical marijuana treatment in their state will always receive their evaluation for free.

About NuggMD:

NuggMD is the nation's leading medical marijuana technology platform, serving patients in California, New York, Nevada, Oklahoma, Missouri, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Virginia, Illinois and now Connecticut. They have connected over 700,000 patients with their new medical marijuana doctors face-to-face via their state-of-the-art telemedicine platform. They believe that every human being has the right to explore the benefits of medical cannabis and are fully committed to helping each patient explore all of their options in their journey to wellness. For further information, visit Nuggmd.com/connecticut and Nuggmd.com/illinois .

Press Contact: Renee Cotsis

MATTIO Communications

[email protected]

SOURCE NuggMD
(Newser)  AstraZeneca's COVID-19 vaccine provided strong protection against disease and complete protection against hospitalization and death across all age groups in a late-stage US study, the company announced Monday. AstraZeneca said its experts also identified no safety concerns related to the vaccine, including a rare blood clot that had thought to be linked in Europe, per the AP. The US study comprised more than 30,000 volunteers, of whom two-thirds were given the vaccine, while the rest got dummy shots. In a statement, AstraZeneca said its COVID-19 vaccine had a 79% efficacy rate at preventing symptomatic COVID and was 100% effective in stopping severe disease and hospitalization. Scientists found no increased risk of clots among the more than 20,000 people who got at least one dose of the AstraZeneca shot. Investigators said the vaccine was effective across all ages, including older peoplewhich previous studies in other countries had failed to establish.

story continues below

Julian Tang, a University of Leicester virologist unconnected to the study, described it as "good news" for the AstraZeneca vaccine. "Now the US clinical trial has confirmed the efficacy of this vaccine in their own clinical trials," he said. Although AstraZeneca's vaccine has been authorized in more than 50 countries, it hasn't yet been given the green light in the US. Last week, more than a dozen countries temporarily suspended their use of the AstraZeneca shot after reports it was linked to blood clots. On Thursday, the European Medicines Agency concluded that the vaccine didn't raise the overall risk of blood clots, but it couldn't rule out that the vaccine was connected to two very rare types of clots. France, Germany, Italy, and other nations subsequently resumed their use of the shot on Friday. The early findings from the US study are just one set of information AstraZeneca must submit to the FDA before the agency decides whether to allow emergency use of the vaccine.

(Read more AstraZeneca stories.)
iStock/Evgenia Parajanian (WASHINGTON, D.C.) -- The Biden administration is grappling with a growing emergency at the U.S. border as unaccompanied minors continue showing up in droves -- taxing resources already spread thin due to the surge.

Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas said in an interview with ABC News that he blames the prior administration for the influx, saying former President Donald Trump "dismantled" the immigration system "in its entirety."

"So we are rebuilding the system as we address the needs of vulnerable children who arrive at our borders," continued Mayorkas.

He also said his message to migrants remains clear, "Now is not the time to come. Do not come. This journey is dangerous. We are building safe, orderly and humane ways to address the needs of vulnerable children, do not come."

Three sources tell ABC News that there are over 5,000 unaccompanied minors in Border Control custody. Those same sources say at least 600 of that number has been in custody for over 10 days.

The number of unaccompanied minors being cared for by the U.S. Health and Human Services has jumped to 10,500.

To meet the growing number, a new HHS Office of Refugee Resettlement center is being constructed in Pecos, Texas -- which intends to offer long-term care to unaccompanied minors until they are claimed by a sponsor.
Armenia MFA information department chief: All deputy FMs carrying out their duties

Ardshinbank invited children to the cinema on International Childrens Day

Armenia judiciary to have 10 more judges

Armenia acting premier: We had recorded 40% increase in tax revenues according to 2019 results

Armenia acting PM on Artsakh war casualties bodies: We have 50 remains in which case DNA was not separated

Azerbaijan authorities plan to "squeeze" everything from "terrorist show" related to Armenian captives

Ameriabank Announces a Contest for Bank Card Design

108 new cases of COVID-19 confirmed in Armenia

Armenia parliament convenes special session

Armenia interim government holding Cabinet meeting

Catholicos of All Armenians heads for Syunik Province, Artsakh

World oil prices going up

Iran loses right to vote in UN General Assembly

Newspaper: Armenia authorities come up with new way of punishing unwanted characters

Newspaper: Russia army Southern Military District deputy commander to arrive in Yerevan Thursday

Lebanese Armenian man taken prisoner by Azerbaijan is hospitalized

Armenia ex-President Kocharyan: Are we getting under the burden? Then lets get under to the end

Armenia acting health minister on keeping fallen soldiers bodies in bags: What else should they be kept in?

Armenia acting health minister on citizens' demand for her resignation

Karabakh's new State Minister Artak Beglaryan on his appointment and future activities

Armenian, Russian and Azerbaijani representatives hold consultations in Moscow

2 Armenian soldiers receive slight injuries after incident with Azerbaijani servicemen in Armenia's Gegharkunik

Armenian boy weighing 5 kg born at Goris Medical Center

"Armenia" bloc representative presents purpose of participation in elections and plans

Isaac Herzog elected President of Israel

Rouhani: Main issues between Tehran, Washington resolved in Vienna

Charles Michel calls on Armenia and Azerbaijan to resume constructive negotiations

US Department of State responds to Pashinyan's proposal to deploy international observers on Armenia-Azerbaijan border

Head of Armenia 2nd President's Office: Robert Kocharyan's public meetings are held in warm atmosphere

Opposition "Armenia" bloc's representative on photos and videos showing bags of deceased servicemen's bodies

Armenia Ombudsman, AGBU President discuss war crimes committed by Azerbaijan during Karabakh war

Opposition "Armenia" bloc's representatives to hold briefings three times a week

Opposition "Armenia" bloc member: Blood-freezing photos and videos from morgue in Abovyan are authorities' reflection

Yerevan mayor receives Netherlands Ambassador

Armenia Health Ministry, Investigative Committee keep info about sending remains of dead soldiers abroad confidential

Armenia Prosecutor General's Office launches case regarding leaving sacs of servicemen's bodies/remains in basement

Peskov: Putin and Biden to discuss cybersecurity issues

Armenia's Pashinyan meets with Belgian PM Alexander De Croo

Armenia acting MOD receives Netherlands Ambassador

Armenia Police: 3 citizens apprehended during protest demanding acting health minister's resignation

NATO warns Minsk about further consequences of Ryanair incident

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
From My Heart to Your Heart: a wise, biblically inspired guide to personal freedom. From My Heart to Your Heart is the creation of published author, Kathleen Sargent, the founder and administrator of Prophetic Advancement Ministries and A Refuge in the City.

Sargent writes: The natural heart is at the center of the circulatory system that pumps blood to your body. It is a muscular organ that needs to remain strong and healthy in order to keep the body in proper working order. This book, From My Heart to Your Heart, is the book that will help keep the emotional part of our heart in good working order. Its simple, clear, and authentic.

Published by Christian Faith Publishing, Kathleen Sargents new book is a highly encouraging, consoling, and inspirational exploration of the means by which the bereft, the heartbroken, the mistreated, the vulnerable, the hurt, and the undervalued alike might attain emotional freedom.

Part memoir and part guide for others who have endured similar struggles, Sargents book is told with refreshing candor and is best viewed as a tool with which readers might restore hope, renew joy, and find the path towards restoration, hope, and authentic, unhindered living.

View a synopsis of From My Heart to Your Heart on YouTube.

Consumers can purchase From My Heart to Your Heart at traditional brick & mortar bookstores, or online at Amazon.com, Apple iTunes store, or Barnes and Noble.

For additional information or inquiries about From My Heart to Your Heart, contact the Christian Faith Publishing media department at 866-554-0919.
I want the community in Illinois to know that I see you  and I want you to know that Illinois is your home, Pritzker said, addressing the Asian American and Pacific Islander communities, at Ping Tom Memorial Park in Chicago. I will do everything in my power as governor to protect you and to welcome you.
Dr. Lisa Gruenberg started writing her family memoir, My City of Dreams, in 2004 when her elderly father began having flashbacks and nightmares about surviving the Holocaust.

Harry Gruenberg escaped from Vienna to England in 1939, after the annexation of Austria by Germany. Most of his family perished in the Holocaust, including his parents and his sister Mia, who was deported to Germany in 1941 at the age of 15, where she disappeared and likely died in 1942.

The memoir explores Lisa Gruenbergs upbringing in Syracuse, where her father taught electrical engineering at Syracuse University for 30 years. Using archival documents, dream journals, photographs, writings, and research, she reexamines her own memories within the context of her fathers history.

Gruenberg will be host a virtual reading tonight at 7:30 p.m. through Temple Concord. Online registration is required.

In her talks, Gruenberg underscores that her memoir is not just another Holocaust book.

What makes these sad stories still relevant is their ongoing impact, she writes on her blog. We all struggle with aging, with family issues. Some of us struggle with depression. These are some of the other things I speak about in the book.

Connecting with the past

My City of Dreams begins in the same way as the late Harry Gruenbergs unfinished memoir, the first sentence of which is pulled from a famous Viennese song  Wien, Wien, nur Du allein wirst stets die Stadt meiner Traume sein. (Vienna, Vienna, only you will always be the city of my dreams!)

Lisa Gruenberg - now a medical educator and volunteer physician based in Boston - traveled to Vienna and Germany in search of answers to her familys lost stories.

Her memoir is broken into three parts, starting with Unraveling, an examination of her new understanding of her fathers Vienna. She notes that he always spoke of it with a particular fondness, until his own haunting which set in around 2001 and remained until his death in 2005.

My fathers early stories were charming, and he maintained that optimistic and positive view of the world for most of his life, even visiting Austria many times with my mother as a tourist, Gruenberg wrote on her blog. It was only in old age that he began having flashbacks and a recurring nightmare about being buried alive.

As a part of her own unraveling within this section, Gruenberg is haunted by her late aunt Mia, piecing together her story to better understand what happened to her fathers mysterious young sister.

In the memoir, Gruenberg uses imaginative storytelling to incorporate Mias perspective and youthful innocence, contrasting the horror of her disappearance.

Both the youngest sisters to their three older brothers, Gruenberg and Mia had a deeper connection than simple genetics. Gruenbergs father never spoke Mias name until he neared the end of his life, when he began to refer to his sister as Lisa and mixed up the girls childhood stories and memories.

Because of this conflation, Gruenberg began to doubt her fathers love. In her exploration of her fathers past and her own life, she is able to understand that her father loved her, even though his affection was never as forward as she may have expected or hoped for.

Thats a lot of what this book is about  trying to understand what was underneath all along I think that this is really a love story, said Gruenberg. She explained that her father would never say I love you first and that surprising him with a hug would often cause him to recoil and pull away. I think I spent a lot of this story searching, and then finding, or re-finding, that love. Because there was really a lot of love there.

Harry and Eden Gruenberg, Syracuse circa 2002.

Vienna to Syracuse

In the second part of the book, Illumination, Gruenberg explores her upbringing in Syracuse and how it can be reexamined within the context of her fathers history. Using family letters, photographs, and stories directly told to her by her father before he passed, Gruenberg is able to connect the pieces of the past to the circumstances of her childhood.

Lisa Gruenberg was only a toddler when her family moved to Syracuse from Ottawa. She grew up in the outer Comstock area and graduated from Nottingham High School in 1972. Harry Gruenberg was a professor of electrical engineering at Syracuse University from 1956 to 1987.

Eventually, Central New York felt more like home than his beloved Vienna.

I think there was always a piece of him that had this idealized world as being kind of the epicenter, and I think it was a source of his joy and optimism, said Gruenberg. He had Parkinsons at the end. I think he was probably depressed, and I think that the meds, or the disease, or age kind of broke down a lot of walls and he was haunted more by the reality of what happened there [Vienna]. So I think it was no longer home.

The process of writing helped Gruenberg connect with her familys past and her father in a different way.

It is a Holocaust tale, but it is also very much a modern day love story, of one father and his daughter, about how trauma travels down though generations and about how we all find meaning in our lives, she wrote on her blog.

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Tanya Walt who sneaked into a family home has been jailed after her distinctive scarf was spotted on a video doorbell. (SWNS)

A burglar has been jailed after she was caught up close on the propertys doorbell camera.

Tanya Walt, 43, crept through the front door of the house in Sunderland on July 25 last year.

The homeowners were watching television in the front room when they heard the door open and went out to confront the intruder.

Walt immediately fled the property but her face had been captured on the doorbell camera when she had tried to enter the house.

To catch the burglar, the family uploaded the clip from their doorbell camera to Facebook and appealed to people to identify the woman.

Read: Asda security guard jailed for trying to run over suspected shoplifter in van

Walts own cousin who recognised her and reported her to the police.

When officers went to Walts home, they found the same pink scarf she wore during the botched break-in.

Tanya Walt who sneaked into a family home has been jailed after her distinctive scarf was spotted on a video doorbell. (SWNS)

Walt admitted to burglary with intent to steal on Friday at Newcastle Crown Court and was jailed for ten months.

Detective Sergeant Chris-Raper Smith, of Northumbria Police, said: This was a fairly unsophisticated crime as Walt sneaked into a family home late at night in a bid to get her hands on anything of value.

But her deception was uncovered by the victims who heard the front door open, and sure enough footage on their video doorbell led to Walt being quickly identified as the offender.

Watch: Police find burglar sleeping at crime scene next to half-eaten cheesecake

With the evidence against her already overwhelming, officers carried out a search of her address and located the same pink scarf that she had been wearing during the commission of the offence.

I would like to thank the victims for their cooperation throughout this case and make no apology for taking burglars off our streets.

Read: 'Disgraceful and outrageous': Bristol rioters condemned after police attacked during night of violence

Burglary is such an intrusive crime and we will continue to use every tactic at our disposal to put burglars and thieves before the courts.

Watch: Bungling burglars in Shanghai caught on CCTV footage
Charleston, WV (25301)

Today

Showers and thunderstorms. Storms may contain strong gusty winds. High 77F. Winds SSW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 70%..

Tonight

Thunderstorms early, then cloudy skies after midnight. Areas of patchy fog developing. Low 62F. Winds SW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 70%.
A vaccine war with the EU risks undermining the UKs escape from coronavirus by allowing mutant variants of the disease to develop on the continent, Boris Johnson has been warned.

It came as the prime minister acknowledged that any third wave of Covid-19 in continental Europe would wash up on our shores as well.

Medical experts also warned that even with more than half the adult population having received at least one jab, it remains inevitable that the UK will face further waves of the disease, driven by escape variants.

Mr Johnson is engaged in a last-ditch drive to see off a threatened EU ban on vaccine exports to the UK, speaking to German chancellor Angela Merkel and French president Emmanuel Macron by telephone ahead of a crucial EU summit on Thursday.

As Whitehall sources said the UK wanted to turn down the temperature on the issue, the prime minister said he was reassured that EU leaders were not looking for a blockade.

Read more:

But EU sources turned their fire on AstraZeneca, the global pharmaceutical giant producing the widely-used Oxford vaccine, with one official saying: The UK is not to blame. The EU is not to blame. Its about everyone finding agreement with a company that has been over-selling its production capacity. AstraZeneca has to deliver doses to its EU customers.

As the UK passed 30 million administered vaccines, a leading communicable disease expert said that fighting with Europe over supplies was against the UKs own self-interest.

Dr Bharat Pankhania of Exeter University told The Independent: Unless you suppress infection globally, you are not out of the woods. To pursue a policy of wanting the UK to be 75 or 80 per cent immunised before paying attention elsewhere is short-sighted.

The danger of the UK forfeiting the progress made by its successful vaccination campaign by reimporting a mutant strain was heightened by the current spike in cases in countries like France, Germany and Italy, he warned.

If you allow infections to carry on unabated anywhere, that gives rise to variants and if the variant is able to bypass the protective effect of the vaccine, you are back to square one, he said.

Professor in medicine Paul Hunter, of the University of East Anglia, said it was inevitable the UK would face a further wave of Covid-19, though it was unlikely to be as devastating as the first and second waves.

If we manage to keep the new escape variants under control then we should be able to have a reasonably relaxed summer, but these mutations do seem to be spreading in Europe and so could be introduced into the UK when travel restrictions are relaxed, he warned.

The EU has so far administered vaccine shots to only 13 per cent of its population, compared to 44 per cent in the UK  the equivalent of more than half of Britains adults.

The European Commission, which has coordinated the order of vaccines for all 27 EU countries, said the key point was reciprocity. It had exported some 35 million doses since the end of January, including 10 million to Britain, but Britain had not exported any, despite two UK facilities featuring in the EU contract with AstraZeneca.

An EU official said on Sunday that Brussels was opposing the export to the UK of AstraZeneca doses from the Halix plant in the Netherlands, which is listed as a supplier of vaccines in contracts that AstraZeneca has signed with both the UK and the EU.

UK news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 UK news in pictures UK news in pictures 31 May 2021 People enjoy the hot weather at Brighton beach Reuters UK news in pictures 30 May 2021 People venture into the sea as they enjoy themselves during a hot day on Brighton Beach AP UK news in pictures 29 May 2021 Swimmers at the Stonehaven Open Air Pool in Aberdeenshire, which reopens after lockdown restrictions were eased PA UK news in pictures 28 May 2021 Britain's Prime Minister Boris Johnson gestures as he meets Hungary's Prime Minister Viktor Orban at Downing Street in London REUTERS UK news in pictures 27 May 2021 White Pelicans in the sunshine in St James's Park, London PA UK news in pictures 26 May 2021 Boats are seen at Southsea Moorings in Portsmouth Reuters UK news in pictures 25 May 2021 York Glaziers Trust employees Kieran Muir (left) and Emily Price (right) remove a stained glass window panel at the start of a new five year, 5m project to conserve York Minsters South East Transept and its medieval St Cuthbert Window PA UK news in pictures 24 May 2021 Dark rain clouds above an oast house at Bewl Water reservoir near Lamberhurst in Kent during one of the rainiest Mays on record, with the UK seeing 131 per cent of the usual months rainfall already PA UK news in pictures 23 May 2021 The Premier League trophy with the Manchester City club colour ribbons on, at Etihad Stadium, prior to the last Premier League match of the season. City will finally pick up the trophy after they won the league on 11 May Getty UK news in pictures 22 May 2021 Gary Kenny lifts the Buildbase FA Vase Trophy after Warrington Rylands won the FA Vase Final against Binfield at Wembley Stadium Getty UK news in pictures 21 May 2021 A family buffeted by the wind whilst crossing the the Millennium Bridge in London, with wind and rain forecast to ravage the UK on the first Friday that people have been allowed to meet in large groups outside in England PA UK news in pictures 20 May 2021 Devon And Cornwall Police Demonstrate Their Skills For Policing The G7 Summit Getty Images UK news in pictures 18 May 2021 An employee stands before a costume for the Queen of Hearts by Bob Crowley on display at the Alice: Curiouser and Curiouser exhibition at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London PA UK news in pictures 17 May 2021 Passengers prepare to board an easyJet flight to Faro, Portugal, at Gatwick Airport after the ban on international leisure travel for people in England was lifted following the further easing of lockdown restrictions in England PA UK news in pictures 16 May 2021 Emergency workers at the scene of a suspected gas explosion, in which a young child was killed and two people were seriously injured, on Mallowdale Ave Heysham which caused 2 houses to collapse and badly damaged another PA UK news in pictures 15 May 2021 Pro-Palestinian activists and supporters let off smoke flares, wave flags and carry placards during a demonstration in support of the Palestinian cause as violence escalates in the ongoing conflict with Israel, in central London AFP via Getty UK news in pictures 14 May 2021 Member of staffs tighten screws and paint a Marlin skeleton, before it goes on display at the Natural History Museum in London, as the museum prepares to reopen to the public on 17 May, following the further easing of lockdown restrictions in England PA UK news in pictures 13 May 2021 A worshipper at the Baitul Futuh Mosque in Mordon, south London, ahead of Eid al-Fitr. The celebration marks the end of the Muslim month of fasting, called Ramadan. PA UK news in pictures 12 May 2021 A couple have wedding photos taken in Westminster, London Getty UK news in pictures 11 May 2021 The sun rises on Coquet Island, off Amble on the Northumberland coast, where as many as 35000 seabirds cram onto this tiny island to breed PA UK news in pictures 10 May 2021 Newly elected for a second term Mayor of London Sadiq Khan during his signing in ceremony at Shakespeare's Globe Theatre on Londons Southbank PA UK news in pictures 9 May 2021 People mill around St. Michael's tower on top of Glastonbury Tor as it is seen through blooming yellow rapeseed on a day of mixed weather in Glastonbury, Somerset PA UK news in pictures 8 May 2021 Wales First Minister Mark Drakeford elbow bumps newly elected MS Labour candidates Elizabeth Buffy Williams, Rhondda, left, and Sarah Murphy, Bridgend & Porthcawl Labour, right, as they meet in Porthcawl, Wales PA UK news in pictures 6 May 2021 A group of five Sisters from Carmelite Monastery in Dysart cast their vote in the Scottish Parliamentary election at Dysart Community Hall, West Port, Dysart PA UK news in pictures 5 May 2021 Leader of the Labour Party Sir Keir Starmer (centre) with West Midlands Metro Mayor candidate Liam Byrne (far right) and Labour Deputy Leader, Angela Rayner (far left) during a visit to Birmingham, whilst on the election campaign trail PA UK news in pictures 4 May 2021 Artists Heather Ackroyd and Dan Harvey stand within 100 oak saplings which form part of a living art installation entitled Beuys' Acorns by the UK-based artist duo, outside the Tate Modern in London PA UK news in pictures 3 May 2021 Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Willie Rennie feeds the Gentoo penguins during a visit to Edinburgh Zoo on the campaign trail for the forthcoming Scottish Parliamentary Election on May 6 PA UK news in pictures 2 May 2021 Chelsea players celebrate their fourth goal during the Womens Champions League semi-final second leg against Bayern Munich, at Kingsmeadow Stadium in south west London. The Blues won the game 4-1, (and the tie 5-3 on aggregate) sending them through to their first Champions League final AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 1 May 2020 Demonstrators during a march through London during a 'Kill the Bill' protest Angela Christofilou UK news in pictures 30 April 2021 Shoppers queue outside Primark in Belfast as shops reopen and hospitality is able to open outdoors in Northern Ireland where lockdown restrictions have begun to gradually ease PA UK news in pictures 29 April 2021 Specialist operators at the Royal Air Force Museum Cosford, near Telford, Shropshire, clean the Hawker Hunter aircraft displayed within the museum's National Cold War Exhibition, during annual high-level aircraft cleaning and maintenance PA UK news in pictures 28 April 2021 Millions of tulips in flower near Kings Lynn in Norfolk, as Belmont Nurseries, the UK's largest commercial grower of outdoor tulips, offers socially-distanced visits to its tulip fields at Hillington to raise funds for local charity The Norfolk Hospice Tapping House PA UK news in pictures 27 April 2021 Paula Laughton checks one of the newly installed Lego models in the new Lego Mythica land at Legoland Windsor Resort PA UK news in pictures 26 April 2021 A red panda rests on a tree at Manor Wildlife park, which reopened its doors as lockdown restrictions continue to ease, in Tenby, Wales Reuters UK news in pictures 25 April 2021 Sheep climb the hillside as flames from a moor fire are seen on Marsden moor, near Huddersfield AFP via Getty UK news in pictures 24 April 2021 Supporters protest against Manchester United's owners, outside English Premier League club Manchester United's Old Trafford stadium in Manchester AFP via Getty UK news in pictures 23 April 2021 People enjoy the warm weather at City Hall near Tower Bridge in central London PA UK news in pictures 22 April 2021 Uyghurs during a demonstration in Parliament Square, London, which is being held ahead of a House of Commons debate, bought by backbench MP Nus Ghani, on whether Uyghurs in China's Xinjiang province are suffering crimes against humanity and genocide PA UK news in pictures 21 April 2021 People walk at the Taihaku Cherry Orchard in Alnwick REUTERS UK news in pictures 20 April 2021 People stand in front of anti Super League banners outside Anfield as twelve of Europe's top football clubs, including Liverpool, launch a breakaway league Reuters UK news in pictures 19 April 2021 Women enjoy sunny weather in Greenwich, amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, in London, Britain, Reuters UK news in pictures 18 April 2021 Stephen Maguire (right) of Scotland interacts with Jamie Jones of Wales during day 2 of the Betfred World Snooker Championships 2021 at The Crucible, Sheffield PA UK news in pictures 17 April 2021 Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburghs coffin, covered with His Royal Highnesss Personal Standard arrives by Landrover Defender at St Georges Chapel carried by a bearer party found by the Royal Marines during the funeral of Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh at Windsor Castle Getty Images UK news in pictures 16 April 2021 Scotland's First Minister, Nicola Sturgeon, checks the teeth of "Dentosaurus" during a visit to the Thornliebank Dental Care centre in Glasgow, as she campaigns ahead of the 2021 Scottish Parliamentary Election AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 15 April 2021 Myanmar's former ambassador to the UK, Kyaw Zwar Minn, outside his residence in north west London. The ambassador has been barred from entering the Myanmar embassy in Mayfair after he was removed from office PA UK news in pictures 14 April 2021 People take part in coronavirus surge testing on Clapham Common, south London. Thousands of residents have queued up to take coronavirus tests at additional facilities set up after new cases of the South African variant were found in two south London boroughs. 44 confirmed cases of the variant have been found in Lambeth and Wandsworth, with a further 30 probable cases identified PA UK news in pictures 13 April 2021 The core of the Milky Way becomes visible in the early hours of Tuesday morning as it moves over Bamburgh Lighthouse at stag Rock in Northumberland PA UK news in pictures 12 April 2021 Rebecca Richardson (left) and Genevieve Florence, members of the Aquabatix synchronised swimming team, during a practice session in the swimming pool at Clissold Leisure Centre in north London, which has reopened to the public. Many facilities have reopened in the latest easing of lockdown include pubs and restaurants who can serve outside, non-essential shops, indoor gyms and swimming pools, nail salons and hairdressers, outdoor amusements and zoos PA UK news in pictures 11 April 2021 A pub staff pins up a sign announcing the reopening of the Fox on the Hill pub on Denmark Hill in London EPA UK news in pictures 10 April 2021 The Death Gun Salute is fired by the Honourable Artillery Company to mark the passing of Britain's Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, at the The Tower of London AFP via Getty

This is not about banning vaccine exports, this is about making sure that companies deliver on their commitments to the member states and the European Union that are inscribed in the contracts that they have with us, chief commission spokesperson Eric Mamer told a news conference.

He said the European Union was also in talks with Britain on the issue, but did not give further details.

AstraZeneca declined to comment on the row, which blew up as new data from a US-led trial showed that the Oxford product is 79 per cent effective at preventing Covid-19 and offers 100 per cent protection against severe disease.

While France, Germany and Italy support tighter export curbs on countries that do not reciprocate, others including the Netherlands, Belgium and Ireland are more cautious about cutting off the UK.

Irish PM Micheal Martin said any EU restrictions on vaccine exports would be a retrograde step, which would risk disrupting complex supply chains involving components sourced from around the world.

But he said it was time for London to stop the argy-bargy and accept that some doses manufactured in the UK should be making their way to the EU.

Mr Johnson sought to play down the conflict after talks with Ms Merkel and Mr Macron.

Im reassured by talking to EU partners over the last few months that they dont want to see blockades, I think thats very important, said the PM.

Clearly what matters to us in the UK is we get on with the rollout of the vaccine programme. Were on course to do everybody in priority groups ... 1-9, all the over-50s, by 15 April  and then well just bash on with the roadmap weve set out.

As daily reported UK deaths from Covid dropped to a six-month low of 17, Mr Johnson warned that the country cannot isolate itself from infections spikes across the Channel.

You can see sadly there is a third wave underway, he said.

And people in this country should be under no illusions that previous experience has taught us that, when a wave hits our friends, Im afraid it washes up on our shores as well.

The prime ministers official spokesperson told reporters: Ursula von der Leyen confirmed earlier this year the focus of their mechanism was on transparency and wasnt intended to restrict exports by companies where they are fulfilling contractual responsibilities.

We expect the EU to continue to stand by that commitment.
The Indian Army displays BrahMos weapon systems during a full-dress rehearsal for the Republic Day parade in New Delhi, Jan. 23, 2015.

Updated at 2:15 p.m. ET on 03-22-2021

The Philippines has a deal in the works with India for the potential acquisition of supersonic BrahMos missiles that would represent a leap for Manilas defense of its territorial interests in the contested South China Sea, analysts say.

In early March, the government of the archipelagic Southeast Asian nation inked a general agreement with New Delhi to procure defense assets which would possibly include a battery of the Indo-Russian-made missiles.

Philippine officials, however, have not disclosed a price-tag or other details about the potential deal. But if it goes through, it would mark the countrys first acquisition of major military hardware from India, Chinas regional rival, as part of a multi-billion-dollar program by Manila to modernize its military.

As of this time, there are no substantial developments regarding the project as it is still in the initial stages of the acquisition process, Arsenio Andolong, a spokesman for the Philippine Department of National Defense, told BenarNews late last week.

The BrahMos PJ-10 missile, the worlds fastest cruise missile, flies three times faster than the speed of sound and can be deployed and fired from land as well as from navy ships and submarines, according to reports.

The possible acquisition is being seen as a value-for-money choice for a country that needs to be more judicious about its defense spending, analysts said, adding that acquiring the BrahMos system would help Manila build a credible defense posture.

Its a cost-effective solution for the navy to have a sea-denial capability. Right now Chinese vessels are operating with impunity in our EEZ, said Rommel Jude Ong, a retired Navy admiral now affiliated with the Ateneo School of Government in Manila, referring to the Philippines exclusive economic zone in the South China Sea.

The BrahMos, with a 290-km [180-mile] range, will provide a defensive buffer across a certain extent of the EEZ, Ong told BenarNews.

The potential acquisition comes amid tensions in the South China Sea and Beijings expansionist activities in the maritime region. The Philippine government confirmed it had lodged a new diplomatic protest on Sunday against Beijing over reports that about 220 boats manned by Chinese militia had been spotted within Philippine territorial waters.

Between January and August 2019, the Philippine defense department recorded at least 25 instances in which vessels of Chinas Peoples Liberation Army Navy had passed through the Philippine EEZ and territorial waters without official notice to Manila.

The BrahMos would be the first weapon in the Philippine arsenal that could substantially hurt an aggressor out on the contested waters, according to Ong.

It gives the navy a mission-kill option in case of conflict. In peacetime it will provide strategic deterrence, he said.

However, some observers believe that the Philippine military would do better to make it a priority to improving its surveillance capability and integrating a missile system into that.

A missile system provides a deterrence. A requirement of a deterrent and defense system is the need for eyes and ears, Edilberto Adan, a retired Philippine military general, told BenarNews.

It has to be integrated with a surveillance and intelligence capability for the simple reason that what you cannot see or what you cannot detect, you cannot engage.

Modernization program

The Philippines, meanwhile, is set to spend more than U.S. $6 billion (291 billion pesos) between 2018 and 2022 through the current stage of its military modernization program.

Last month, the country acquired its second brand-new, Korean-made naval frigate, the BRP Antonio Luna (FF-151), which is capable of being armed with missiles. The Luna and its sister ship, the BRP Jose Rizal (FF-150), together cost the Philippine government roughly $330 million (16 billion pesos).

Before these acquisitions, the Philippine naval fleet consisted mostly of dated hand-me-downs from other countries, including long-time defense ally, the United States.

Despite the spending spree, the countrys defense expenditure falls below the global average ratio to gross domestic product (GDP). In 2019, even with military acquisitions under way, Manila spent slightly under 1 percent of its gross domestic product on defense, compared with Beijings 1.9 percent, and Washingtons 3.4 percent, according to data from the World Bank.

Acquiring new aircraft and ships should remain a priority, even if it takes longer to shore up the funds to buy them, analyst Adan said.

While ships and planes can act as eyes and ears for the military, missiles cannot, he said.

A missile system would require a robust command-and-control [facility] in place, meaning there is detection, there is analysis, then there is a decision process for the government to engage either by sending ships or aircraft, or firing the missiles, he said.

That is true especially when dealing with a potential adversary of far superior might in China, the retired general warned.

Knowing our adversary, it has infinitely more capability than us. Expect a robust retaliation once you fire a missile, Adan said, noting that the cost of acquiring a missile would run into the millions of dollars. And that is [just] for one shot.
The Pound US Dollar (GBP/USD) exchange rate fell today as a row has erupted between the UK and the EU after the bloc threatened to ban exports of the crucial AstraZeneca coronavirus vaccine to Britain. The pairing is currently fluctuating around $1.38.

Vaccine Export Blocks: Pound Dollar Falls as UK Market Mood Sours Over UK-EU Vaccine Tensions

UK markets have become more cautious after Prime Minister Boris Johnson commented that the EUs third-wave of Covid-19 could threaten the UK. He highlighted the possible lack of access to the AstraZeneca vaccine as being a problem for the UK in the months ahead.

Mr Johnson said:

One thing thats worth stressing is that, on the continent right now you can see, sadly, there is a third wave under way, and ...previous experience has taught us that that when a wave hits our friends, it Im afraid washes up on our shores as well. And I expect that we will feel those effects in due course.

Thats why were getting on with our vaccination programme as fast as we can.

As a result, Pound traders are becoming more concerned about the outlook for the UK economy should the nation suffer a third-wave of Covid-19.

The Pound US Dollar is down as a result, as UK market confidence has been dampened by the growing feud between the UK and the EU.

US Dollar (USD) Exchange Rates Rise on Renewed Safe-Haven Demand

The US Dollar (USD) benefited from a surging demand for safe-haven currencies today amid rising concerns over growing number of coronavirus cases in Europe. Added to this, US-China tensions have dampened global risk-sentiment.

Talks between the US and China  the worlds two largest economies  intensified in high-level talks in Alaska.

Paul Haenle, a former top China aide to George W Bush and Barack Obama, commented on the situation between the two countries:

The Biden team was right to push back against China, but in a sense thats mostly what we got from [Donald] Trump. I hope the approach moves beyond simply pushing back and that we dont get a China policy that is being dictated by Trump from his political grave in . . . that theyre so worried the Republicans will label them soft on China.

In US economic news, today saw the release of Februarys Chicago Fed National Activity Index, which fell below forecasts to -1.09.

As the outlook for the US economy continues to falter, investors are seeking out safe-haven currencies as the worlds largest economy struggles to shrug off the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Pound Dollar Forecast

Pound (GBP) traders are looking ahead to tomorrows publication of the latest UK ILO Unemployment Rate figure for January.

Any significant rise in joblessness in Britain would be GBP-negative.

Tomorrow will also see a speech from the Bank of Englands (BoE) Governor, Andrew Bailey.

If he is notably bullish about the UK economy like last week, then we could see the Pound US Dollar (GBP/USD) exchange rate head higher.

US Dollar (USD) investors will be awaiting tomorrows testimony from the Federal Reserves Chairman Jerome Powell.

The Pound to Dollar exchange rate could fall, however, if dovish comments from Mr Powell spark off a safe-haven currency buying-spree.
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March 21, 2021 Drilon alarmed by reported administrative order to block select firms from buying COVID-19 vaccines, says it is illegal, unauthorized

'Who is playing God here once more? asked Drilon, adding that it is everyone's moral responsibility to share the vaccine in these difficult times Senate Minority Leader Franklin M. Drilon on Sunday warned the Department of Health (DOH) that barring several companies from procuring vaccines for their employees is patently "illegal and unauthorized" and can expose them to legal liabilities. Drilon was reacting to the news reports that the Department of Health (DOH) had submitted to the President a draft administrative order that will ban several private companies from procuring their own COVID-19 vaccines. "I am deeply disturbed by this report. If indeed such a draft administrative order exists, that is a clear violation of the COVID-19 Vaccination Act of 2021. Such a policy is discriminatory and morally unacceptable. The DOH does not have the authority to do that," Drilon said in a statement on Sunday. In the alleged draft administrative order circulating in the social media, it is provided for that "the NTF, together with the DOH shall review the requests of private entities to procure vaccines to ensure that private entities who will be part of the agreement are not in any way related to the tobacco industry, products covered under EO 51 series of 1986 or the "national Code of Marketing of Breastmilk Substitutes, breastmilk Supplement and Other Related Products" or other industries in conflict with public health." "It will be unlawful for the DOH and the National Task Force (NTF) Against COVID-19 to do that. Republic Act 11525 allows private entities to procure COVID-19 vaccines in cooperation with the DOH. The law does not discriminate against or exclude companies based on their products, services or lines of business. The supposed administrative order, therefore, is discriminatory and it would go beyond the law and would constitute an actionable wrong," said the former justice secretary. "Who is playing God here once more?" Drilon asked. "Please stop playing God. This is not the time for politics and selfish agenda. It is our moral responsibility to share the vaccine." Republic Act 11525 of the COVID-19 Vaccination Act of 2021 was passed by Congress last February to aid the speedy vaccination program against the coronavirus disease, he noted. Section 5 of the law, according to Drilon, states that "private entities may procure COVID-19 vaccines only in cooperation with the DOH and the NTF through a multiparty agreement, which shall include the DOH and the relevant supplier of COVID-19 vaccine." Drilon warned Health Secretary Francisco Duque III that he will call for a Senate investigation if Duque insists on banning private entities from taking part in the vaccination program. He said it would be best for the DOH to recall the alleged order immediately. The draft administrative order is reportedly submitted to the President for signature. "The law recognizes the role of the private entities in arresting the pandemic. That law made them partners of government in ensuring that the workforce is safe and protected from the COVID-19," he added. Drilon said the vaccination program should cover all sectors. "Wala pong pinipili ang virus kaya sana huwag natin piliin kung sino ang ating babakunahan o kung sino ang pwedeng bumili ng bakuna," he said. "Our economic workers risk their lives daily. It is our responsibility to protect them too. Besides, each patient vaccinated by the private sector would mean two doses that the government will no longer spend for," he said. Drilon warned DOH and NTF officials could expose themselves to legal liabilities, including nonfeasance under the Revised Penal Code.
HOUSTON - (March 22, 2021) - There are many ways to test municipal wastewater for signs of the virus that causes COVID-19, but scientists in Houston have determined theirs is the best yet.

A study led by environmental engineer Lauren Stadler of Rice University's Brown School of Engineering with the aid of the City of Houston Health Department and Baylor College of Medicine compared five processes used by labs around the country to concentrate samples and find the virus in wastewater from six Houston plants.

The process employed at Rice and now Baylor, called "electronegative filtration with bead beating," proved the most sensitive to signs of the virus as well as the most cost-effective.

The study appears in the Elsevier journal Water Research.

There is no standard test, according to the study, but all of the processes -- including electronegative filtration with elution, ultrafiltration, precipitation and direct extraction -- are effective to a degree.

"The virus is extremely dilute in wastewater, so we need a way to concentrate it," Stadler said in explaining the Rice process. "First, we add salt to the wastewater sample to enhance adsorption of the virus to the electronegative filter. After filtration, we physically beat the filter with glass beads to release the virus into a lysate. Even though this process might break up the virus, we only detect tiny fragments of its RNA genome to quantify it."

Established in spring 2020, the Houston coalition was on the leading edge of what became a nationwide effort to find the SARS-CoV-2 virus in wastewater. The technique quickly proved able to anticipate COVID-19 outbreaks and allowed health officials to ramp up testing where needed.

"When we started testing, Baylor was using a different method," Stadler said. "That gave us the opportunity to do a lot of head-to-head comparisons about which method to use. And that led us to want to do a more comprehensive evaluation of several methods that were commonly being used to concentrate SARS-CoV-2 in wastewater by other groups around the world.

"There's not one right method, but we wanted to be sure we considered other options," she said. "Our recommendation and final method selection was based on finding a balance between sensitivity, throughput and cost.

"The method we selected originally turned out to have the lowest detection limit, while also being relatively high-throughput and cost effective," Stadler said. "Baylor switched over to the same concentration method as a result, which gave us confidence that we were truly generating the best possible data for the city."

The Houston researchers hope the study will guide municipalities around the world that have, or are considering, their own wastewater testing labs.

"A lot of major cities are already doing this, and there are now statewide programs emerging in Michigan, Wisconsin, North Carolina and a few others," Stadler said. She noted the Houston labs are already looking for COVID mutations. "We're doing research on sequencing wastewater samples to be able to detect highly transmissible variants circulating in the community," Stadler said.

That the study even happened is a bonus, considering the workload for Stadler's Rice lab and counterparts at Baylor and the Houston Health Department. Since ramping up in mid-2020, the labs have analyzed hundreds of samples a week from the city's 39 wastewater plants. Since then, Houston has added testing points at dozens of nursing homes, schools and other critical locations.

"The city is planning to expand the number of stations to get zip code-level information, and we're working with them to analyze that data," Stadler said. "Someday, it could be a tool to look for a panel of viruses, not just this one."

###

Rice graduate student Zachary LaTurner is lead author of the study. Co-authors are Rice postdoctoral researcher David Zong and graduate students Prashant Kalvapalle, Kiara Reyes Gamas, Tessa Crosby and Priyanka Ali; Austen Terwilliger, director of operations of the TAILOR Labs at Baylor; Baylor staff scientist Vasanthi Avadhanula, lab assistant Haroldo Hernandez Santos, research technician Kyle Weesner, Pedro Piedra, a professor of molecular virology and microbiology, and Anthony Maresso, an associate professor of molecular virology and microbiology; and Loren Hopkins, chief environmental science officer for the Houston Health Department and a professor in the practice of statistics at Rice. Stadler is an assistant professor of civil and environmental engineering.

The Houston Health Department, National Science Foundation, Johnson & Johnson, the Environmental Research and Education Foundation and a National Academies of Science, Engineering and Medicine Gulf Research Early Career Research Fellowship supported the study.

-30-

Read the abstract at https:/ / www. sciencedirect. com/ science/ article/ pii/ S0043135421002414

This news release can be found online at https:/ / news. rice. edu/ 2021/ 03/ 22/ houston-refines-hunt-for-covid-in-wastewater/

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Related materials:

Rice helps give Houston early COVID-19 warnings:

http://news. rice. edu/ 2020/ 09/ 24/ rice-helps-give-city-early-covid-19-warnings/

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HA filtration and bead beating ticked all the boxes for most efficient method to find signs of the SARS-CoV-2 virus in wastewater, according to a new study led by Rice University. The study could serve as a guide to municipalities setting up their own testing facilities. (Credit: Zachary LaTurner/Rice University)

Located on a 300-acre forested campus in Houston, Rice University is consistently ranked among the nation's top 20 universities by U.S. News & World Report. Rice has highly respected schools of Architecture, Business, Continuing Studies, Engineering, Humanities, Music, Natural Sciences and Social Sciences and is home to the Baker Institute for Public Policy. With 3,978 undergraduates and 3,192 graduate students, Rice's undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio is just under 6-to-1. Its residential college system builds close-knit communities and lifelong friendships, just one reason why Rice is ranked No. 1 for lots of race/class interaction and No. 1 for quality of life by the Princeton Review. Rice is also rated as a best value among private universities by Kiplinger's Personal Finance.
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The COVID-19 pandemic has had a profound impact on our world, with disequilibrium, uncertainty, and human suffering making it difficult to envision a human, societal and individual future. Milan Zeleny, Ph.D., Professor Emeritus of Management Systems, Fordham University, New York, NY, U.S., and world-recognized authority on decision making, productivity, knowledge management, and more recently the corporation as a living organism, says that "COVID-19 is rapidly changing from a cause to one of the symptoms of an increasingly unhinged world."

Writing in the journal Human Systems Management, published by IOS Press, Prof. Zeleny discusses the consequences of disequilibrium across business, political, and other systems and proposes new models that may help systems evolve to succeed in the future.

"Accelerating speed of change is a natural evolutionary phenomenon, originally noticeable over many generations and now emerging within a single generation. It is the most important causal factor of our disequilibrium, yet it is virtually ignored or misunderstood by science and philosophy," notes Prof. Zeleny. "The faster the new emerges, the more of the old that must be abandoned. This leads to resistance, political disruptions, and populist defense of the status quo. New and reliable Evolutionary Economics [a name coined by Prof. Zeleny for this new science] must be recognized."

Economic differences between nations are fast disappearing, while inequalities in terms of local and reginal economies are widening even faster. "Well balanced regional and local economies are the only assurance of a well-balanced country or nation as a whole. New and lasting improvements can emerge by not ignoring, but by respecting and enhancing natural evolutionary tendencies," explains Prof. Zeleny.

Other pressures Prof. Zeleny explores include conflicts between state intervention and self-organized natural response; an imbalance between rates of accepting the new and abandoning old; conflicts between the man-made and the naturally occurring world; and emerging needs for multidisciplinary education thinking, research, and action.

The most significant challenges to overcome include the protection of old paradigms, overcoming tendencies towards preserving status quo, or returning to the old "normal," especially for political reasons.

Rotary Management principle, evolved as ZIPF, in the 90s by Prof. Milan Zeleny. Credit: Milan Zeleny

Prof. Zeleny reviews the management system concept he developed, known as the Zeleny ZIPF, or Rotary. It rotates and revolves around customer satisfaction to drive innovation, improve processes, and achieve financial success. He also draws on the experience of the Bata Management System, now celebrating (as BSO in India) its 126th anniversary, which was organized to behave as a living organism: learning, adjusting, and self-organizing.

Prof. Zeleny asserts that in a rapidly evolving environment, additional cultural traits should be acquired within a properly run ZIPF or a similar rotary management system. For example, rapid change does not allow for a traditional strategy; you have to handle the future. He calls this the Strategy of the first step. You take the first step, evaluate the impacts, and then take the next first step. It is like every day is the Day 1!

To achieve equilibrium in human systems, Prof. Zeleny introduces the idea of Integrated Productive Environments (IPE), in which regions, localities, and communities are allowed their economic independence, self-sufficiency, entrepreneurship, and innovative originality. Such independence and self-determination, he says, will lead to cooperation, coordination, and local exchanges of specific knowledge products and services, in the interest of continued self-enhancement.

The highest IPE would be a complete town: productive, flexible, modular, fully equipped to provide food, products, and services, all in the closest proximity to regional or local customers. The first such IPE town was the Bata-Zlin in Moravia, which was "exported" all over the world, and is still functional even today.

"Such orientation requires competent cooperation of many individuals, companies, and institutions at multilayered cultural, professional and knowledge levels," says Prof. Zeleny. "It is this kind of deep cooperation that is needed to restore regional and local equilibrium."

IPEs are also needed in education, government, healthcare, defense, and environmental protection. "As we are abandoning the old to embrace the new, we cannot remain the narrow specialists or 'experts.' We have to become multidisciplinary polymaths," he concludes.

Prof. Zeleny is the Founding Editor of Human Systems Management, which is celebrating its 40th anniversary in 2021. His article is the first in a new section of the journal, "Strategic revival of Human Systems Management." Editor-in-Chief Nada Trunk Sirca, Ph.D., International School for Social and Business Studies, Euro-Mediterranean University, University of Primorska, Slovenia, explains that articles in the new section will address how the concepts raised by Prof. Zeleny can be woven into human systems management research and applications. "The journal will continue as a self-renewing, evolving entity, open to new paradigms, new technologies, timely adaptations, and trailblazing new authors from around the world," she says.

Explore further Russia plans return to Mars, Moon despite money woes

More information: Milan Zeleny et al. Entering the age of accelerated change: In search of equilibrium, Human Systems Management (2020). Milan Zeleny et al. Entering the age of accelerated change: In search of equilibrium,(2020). DOI: 10.3233/HSM-209002
(Natural News) Republican lawmakers in the Oklahoma House on Wednesday, March 10, approved legislation that would grant immunity to drivers who unintentionally run over protesters blocking the road.

In an early morning vote along party lines, with 79 votes in favor and 18 votes against, the state lawmakers passed House Bill 1674 that grants civil and criminal immunity for any driver who unintentionally injures or kills protesters while fleeing from a riot.

The bill would also allow protesters to be charged with a misdemeanor if they unlawfully obstruct traffic, punishable by up to a year in jail and $5,000 in fines.

Authored by Rep. Kevin West (R-Moore), the bill outlines punishments and fines for organizations involved in the planning of a riot.

Democrat lawmakers said their Republican counterparts were lashing out at protesters instead of taking steps to address systemic racism and that have spurred widespread Black Lives Matter (BLM) protests.

Rep. John Waldron (D-Tulsa) called the bill draconian and accused legislative Republicans of intentionally bringing the measure up for the vote around 12:30 a.m. in order to avoid public scrutiny.

Republican legislators insisted they were just trying to protect drivers from riots or violent protests.

West said the bill is a well thought-out measure and not a knee-jerk reaction to recent protests. He even praised BLM protesters in Oklahoma City for largely demonstrating in a series of peaceful rallies over the summer.

HB 1674 promotes peaceful protests

Rep. Kevin McDugle (R-Broken Arrow), who presented the bill on the House floor, said he supports the rights of Oklahomans to protest peacefully, but riots are unacceptable.

This bill simply says, please stay to the peaceful protests,' he said. Dont block roads. Dont impede on the freedoms of others.

McDugle referenced an incident in Tulsa where a pickup pulling a horse trailer drove through a group of BLM protesters demonstrating on a highway. Several protesters were seriously injured, including a man who was paralyzed from the waist down after falling from an overpass.

The Tulsa County district attorney did not file charges, saying several protesters attacked the pickup in which a man was driving his children. (Related: Should homeowners start shooting back at Black Lives Matter terrorists who violently assault them and their neighbors?)

McDugle noted that the driver acted out of fear.

But House Democrats pointed to larger, more complicated issues that have driven minorities to protest.

Maybe the way to prevent something like this from ever happening again is to make reforms on the broader systemic issue, said Rep. Monroe Nichols (D-Tulsa), alluding to criminal justice and police reforms to address systemic racism.

Nichols, who is Black, said he dreads having to tell his 12-year-old son that the Oklahoma House made it so that folks who may advocate for people who look like him can be run over with immunity.

Rep. Regina Goodwin (D-Tulsa) questioned if the Oklahoma Legislature cares about the real issues that led people of color to speak out.

Something happened over the summer, she said, referencing racial justice protests across the country. If we were honest with ourselves, stuff didnt just happen over the summer. Stuff has been happening for centuries. Could we be reasonable? Could we try to get to the root cause of why people are in the streets in the first place?

HB 1674 now heads over to the state Senate where similar legislation has been introduced.

Oklahoma state senator authors bill with similarities to HB 1674

Sen. Darrell Weaver (R-Moore) authored Senate Bill 806, which would make it a misdemeanor for protesters to block or restrict traffic on public streets or highways as a result of a riot or unlawful assembly.

Critics warned the bill could have a chilling effect on free speech.

Weaver said hes a proponent of free speech, but hes concerned blocking roadways could become a hazard for drivers.

I dont think anybody has a problem with protesters walking down the sidewalk with signs and doing whatever chants. I 100% agree with that, he said.

SB 806 would also classify willful or unlawful touching of a law enforcement officer as assault and battery, which some have construed as bumping into or accidentally touching an officer.

You have a right to peacefully assemble. Thats America 101. Just dont lay your hands on a police officer. Dont willfully do that, said Weaver, a former law enforcement officer himself.

Theres another way to harm police officers without getting close to them. That is by doxxing them, or posting personal and threatening information about them online. (Related: Its time to arrest people for doxxing others and endangering their lives and livelihood as political retribution, and we can start with Joaquin Castro.)

Sen. Paul Rosino (R-Oklahoma City) authored Senate Bill 6 to address that. The bill seeks to prevent the doxxing of law enforcement officers.

But Rosino noted that the legislation would criminalize only those instances in which a photo or video of an officer is posted with the intent to intimidate, stalk or harass.

Its just protecting the people who protect us, he said.

Follow Rioting.news for more news and information related to riots and protests.

Sources include:

Oklahoman.com 1

HuffPost.com

Oklahoman.com 2
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STOCKHOLM, March 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Bambuser today announced the extension of its Live Video Shopping platform with a globally-known, multinational Japanese cosmetics group.

The new agreement follows a successful pilot activation which included five brands between July 2020 and February 2021. The new agreement allows all of the group's brands in all markets to leverage Bambuser's robust platform for shoppable livestreams as part of a digitally-driven growth strategy.

"We created Bambuser's Live Video Shopping technology to help brands and retailers offer engaging, exciting and impactful shopping experiences in a way that is more robust and enterprise-ready than were the social shopping livestreams that first gained popularity in Asia," said Maryam Ghahremani, CEO of Bambuser. "We are honored to be the partner of choice for one of the most esteemed beauty companies in the world, and we look forward to helping them achieve their goals."

The agreement initially runs for 12 months, starting March 2021, and is based on a combination of fixed and variable costs. The variable monthly revenue cannot be estimated in advance as it depends on a combination of a number of different parameters such as usage, number of brands, countries and regions. As a result, Bambuser cannot today assess the size of the contract value.

This is information that Bambuser AB is obliged to make public pursuant to the EU Market Abuse Regulation. The information was sent for publication, through the agency of the contact persons set out below, on March 22, 2021.

Contact information

Maryam Ghahremani, CEO | +46 8 400 160 02 | [email protected] or visit bambuser.com/ir

Bambuser is a software company specializing in interactive live video streaming. The Company's primary product, Live Video Shopping, is a cloud-based software solution that is used by customers such as global e-commerce and retail businesses to host live shopping experiences on websites, mobile apps and social media. Bambuser was founded in 2007 and has its headquarters in Stockholm.

This information was brought to you by Cision http://news.cision.com

https://news.cision.com/bambuser/r/bambuser-signs-contract-with-japanese-multinational-company,c3307790

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Day 21: The Negro Motorist Green Book (The Green Book)

There will be a day sometime in the near future when this guide will not have to be published. That is when we as a race will have equal opportunities and privileges in the United States. It will be a great day for us to suspend this publication for then we can go wherever we please, and without embarrassment.

That was how the authors of the Negro Motorist Green Book ended the introduction to their 1948 edition. In the pages that followed, they provided a rundown of hotels, guest houses, service stations, drug stores, taverns, barber shops and restaurants that were known to be safe ports of call for African American travelers. The Green Book listed establishments in segregationist strongholds such as Alabama and Mississippi, but its reach also extended from Connecticut to Californiaany place where its readers might face prejudice or danger because of their skin color. With Jim Crow still looming over much of the country, a motto on the guides cover also doubled as a warning: Carry your Green Book with youYou may need it.

First published in 1936, the Green Book was the brainchild of a Harlem-based postal carrier named Victor Hugo Green. Like most Africans Americans in the mid-20th century, Green had grown weary of the discrimination blacks faced whenever they ventured outside their neighborhoods. Rates of car ownership had exploded in the years before and after World War II, but the lure of the interstate was also fraught with risk for African Americans. Whites Only policies meant that black travelers often couldnt find safe places to eat and sleep, and so-called Sundown Townsmunicipalities that banned blacks after darkwere scattered across the country. As the foreword of the 1956 edition of the Green Book noted, The White traveler has had no difficulty in getting accommodations, but with the Negro it has been different.

Inspired by earlier books published for Jewish audiences, Green developed a guide to help black Americans indulge in travel without fear. The first edition of his Green Book only covered hotels and restaurants in the New York area, but he soon expanded its scope by gathering field reports from fellow postal carriers and offering cash payments to readers who sent in useful information. By the early 1940s, the Green Book boasted thousands of establishments from across the country, all of them either black-owned or verified to be non-discriminatory. The 1949 guide encouraged hungry motorists passing through Denver to stop for a bite at the Dew Drop Inn. Those looking for a bar in the Atlanta area were told to try the Yeah Man, Sportsmans Smoke Shop or Butlers. In Richmond, Virginia, Rest-a-Bit was the go-to spot for a ladies beauty parlor.

The Green Books listings were organized by state and city, with the vast majority located in major metropolises such as Chicago and Detroit. More remote places had fewer optionsAlaska only had a lone entry in the 1960 guidebut even in cities with no black-friendly hotels, the book often listed the addresses of home owners who were willing to rent rooms. In 1954, it suggested that visitors to tiny Roswell, New Mexico, should stay at the home of a Mrs. Mary Collins.

The Green Book wasnt the only handbook for black travelersanother publication called Travelguide was marketed with tagline Vacation and Recreation Without Humiliationbut it was by far the most popular. Thanks to a sponsorship deal with Standard Oil, the Green Book was available for purchase at Esso gas stations across the country. Though largely unknown to whites, it eventually sold upwards of 15,000 copies per year and was widely used by black business travelers and vacationers alike. In his memoir A Colored Mans Journey Through 20th Century Segregated America, Earl Hutchinson Sr. described purchasing a copy in preparation for a road trip he and his wife took from Chicago to California. The Green Book was the bible of every Negro highway traveler in the 1950s and early 1960s, he wrote. You literally didnt dare leave home without it.

As its popularity grew, the Green Book expanded from a motorists companion to an international travel guide. Along with suggestions for the United States, later editions included information on airline and cruise ship journeys to places like Canada, Mexico, the Caribbean, Africa and Europe. We know a number of our race who have a long standing love affair with the tempestuous city of Paris, the 1962 Green Book noted. The guide also offered travel tips and feature articles on certain cities. The 1949 edition shined the spotlight on Robbins, Illinois, a town owned and operated by Negroes. In 1954, readers were encouraged to visit San Francisco, which was described as fast becoming the focal point of the Negroes future.

In offering advice to its readers, the Green Book adopted a pleasant and encouraging tone. It usually avoided discussing racism in explicit termsone article simply noted that the Negro travelers inconveniences are manybut as the years passed it began to champion the achievements of the civil rights movement. In one of its last editions in 1963-64, it included a special Your Rights, Briefly Speaking feature that listed state statutes related to discrimination in travel accommodations. The Negro is only demanding what everyone else wants, the article stressed, what is guaranteed all citizens by the Constitution of the United States.

Victor Hugo Green died in 1960 after more than two decades of publishing his travel guide. His wife Alma took over as editor and continued to release the Green Book in updated editions for a few more years, but just as Green had once hoped, the march of progress eventually helped push it toward obsolescence. In 1964, the Civil Rights Act finally banned racial segregation in restaurants, theaters, hotels, parks and other public places. Just two years later, the Green Book quietly ceased publication after nearly 30 years in print.

BLACK HISTORY IS AMERICAN HISTORY!

By: U.S. Marine Corps Major Larry Black
A boyfriend raised the alarm after he watched his girlfriend trying to kill herself on FaceTime at a 33,000-a-year public school, an inquest has heard.

Joy Chan, 18, was alone in her room at Haberdashers' School for Girls in Monmouth, Wales, while online with her boyfriend Jeremy Mak, who was 6,000 miles away in Hong Kong.

During the FaceTime call, Mr Mak saw Joy trying to kill herself and he immediately called the school to alert them.

Staff members found the A-level pupil unconscious and Joy was rushed to Nevill Hall Hospital in Abergavenny.

Joy Chan, 18, was alone in her room at Haberdashers' School for Girls in Monmouth, Wales, (pictured) while online with her boyfriend Jeremy Mak, who was 6,000 miles away in Hong Kong

But Joy, described as a 'ray of sunshine', died four days later in hospital with her heartbroken parents at her bedside.

She had been suspended from the school after being caught buying alcohol for under-age pupils.

The inquest in Newport heard Joy had boyfriend trouble and was 'grounded' after being caught buying the alcohol for younger Chinese pupils.

Emma Butts, assistant house parent at the school, said: 'I had to dial 999 for a girl who drank too much alcohol.

'Joy was suspended - it was explained to her that what she did was illegal and had consequences.

'Basically she was grounded in the boarding house - she was unhappy but she took it maturely.'

During the FaceTime call, Mr Mak saw Joy trying to kill herself and he immediately called the school to alert them

An entry was made in a duty book at the boarding school, which read: 'Joy is having issues with boyfriends', the inquest heard.

She had been upset after an ex-boyfriend had tweeted an image of her but there was no evidence it had been distributed to anyone else.

Joy, who was applying to go to university, had also done badly in a mock A-level economics exam and was 'upset with herself'.

PC Rebecca Hamilton told the hearing in a written statement: 'Her boyfriend in Hong Kong was desperate after seeing Joy trying to hang herself on FaceTime.'

Joy's school friend Maria Toma, who has a room opposite her, told the hearing in a written statement: 'Every time I saw her she was smiling - she had a bubbly personality.

'But on a few occasions I heard Joy crying in her room, she would be arguing in Chinese and kicking things.

'She smoked and drank and was considered a bad example and not liked by other Chinese girls at the school.'

Joy, whose Chinese name was Hei Tung Chan, was regarded as a 'pupil of concern' with a record of self harm at the school where she had used a knife to cut her legs and held scissors to her own throat.

She filled in a questionnaire on her mental health before she died saying she was overwhelmed by her problems and was 'unhappy most of the time'.

Joy died at Nevill Hall Hospital in Abergavenny on 9 February last year, four days after she was found unconscious in her room.

Her organs were used in transplant operations,

The 400-year-old Haberdasher's school, known as Habs, has 600 pupils, with 156 boarders.

The inquest continues.

For help call Samaritans for free on 116 123 or visit www.samaritans.org


Earn your Associate of Applied Business in Business IT (BIT) degree online from the University of Cincinnati. This program can be completed fully online, with curriculum customized to fit your schedule, interests and how quickly you want to complete your degree. Application deadline July 1, 2021. Learn More 

An online map of surveillance cameras in New York City is in the works.

The map project is part of a larger campaign called "Ban the Scan," sponsored by Amnesty International, which is partnering on the initiative with several other tech advocacy, privacy, and civil liberties groups.

"We need a map so citizens can have a sense where they are being observed by the NYPD as they go about their everyday lives," explained Michael Kleinman, director of Amnesty USA's Silicon Valley Initiative.

"It also gives the citizens of New York, and more broadly people who are concerned about the issue of facial recognition, a sense of just how pervasive this kind of surveillance is," he told TechNewsWorld.

Data for the map will be "crowdsourced" by volunteers. This spring the volunteers will be able to roam the streets of Gotham and identify surveillance cameras using a software tool that runs in a Web browser. Data gathered by the tool is integrated with Google Street View and Google Earth to create the map.

"To surveil the population as a whole, you don't need a special facial recognition camera," Kleinman explained. "As long as law enforcement has the imagery from that camera, they can conduct facial recognition at the back end."

"That's why we say that in any city you can think of, facial recognition is just one software upgrade away," he continued.

"It's not an issue of I'm going to reroute my daily commute away from facial recognition cameras," he added. "We can push the New York City Council to ban police use of this technology."

Measures banning or restricting the use of facial recognition have already been adopted in Boston, San Francisco and Portland, Ore.

Game Changing Technology

Yuanyuan Feng, a researcher at the Institute for Software Research at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh explained that there's a transparency problem with the way the technology is used now.

"There's no transparency about the retention time of the data, what it's being used for, and what are the sharing practices," she told TechNewsWorld.

Most police departments are secretive about this, not only to the public, but to individuals that are arrested, added Jake Laperruque, senior counsel for the Project on Government Oversight, a government watchdog group in Washington, D.C.

"Most departments take the position that if it isn't introduced as evidence in a court case, they don't have to talk about it at all," he told TechNewsWorld.

That stance seems to belie the significance of the technology to law enforcement.

"This isn't just the latest model of car or walkie talkie," Laperruque said. "This is game-changing technology for how policing works."

Politicized Technology

Karen Gullo, an analyst with the Electronic Frontier Foundation, a San Francisco-based online rights advocacy group, explained that facial recognition is one of the most pervasive and intrusive of all surveillance technologies.

"It's being utilized by law enforcement and government entities with little to no oversight and limitations," she told TechNewsWorld.

"Face surveillance is becoming an all-encompassing tool for government to track where we are, what we are doing, and who we are with, regardless of whether we're suspected of a crime or not," she continued.

"Programs that provide the public with information about how and where surveillance tools are being used to spy on people...are an important check on law enforcement and give citizens knowledge to demand accountability and public input," she added.

Facial recognition has become a politicized technology, argued George Brostoff, CEO of Sensible Vision, a face authentication company in Cape Coral, Fla.

"When something becomes politicized, everything becomes black and white," he told TechNewsWorld. "There are few things in this world that are black and white."

"People don't want to be tracked," he said. "That's what should be discussed, not just facial recognition. What does the government know about me? How does the government use my information, including my face? Those are things that should be discussed in general."

Racial Bias

One of the chief criticisms of facial recognition systems is not only are they inaccurate, but biased.

Gullo noted that there are studies and research that show facial recognition is prone to errors, especially for Black Americans.

A 2012 study co-authored by the FBI, for example, showed that accuracy rates for African Americans were lower than for other demographics.

In fact, Gullo continued, the FBI admitted in its privacy impact assessment that its system "may not be sufficiently reliable to accurately locate other photos of the same identity, resulting in an increased percentage of misidentifications."

In another study by MIT, she added, there were error rates of 34 percent for dark women compared to light-skinned men in commercially available facial recognition systems.

Gender Shades study: How well do IBM, Microsoft, and Face++ AI services guess the gender of a face?

"This means that face recognition has an unfair discriminatory impact," Gullo said.

She added that cameras are also over-deployed in neighborhoods with immigrants and people of color, and new spying technologies like face surveillance amplify existing disparities in the criminal justice system.

Hampering Law Enforcement?

Since those studies were performed, facial recognition technology has improved, Brostoff countered, but added that even better technology can be misused. "The question is not is facial recognition biased, it's is the implementation biased?" he asked.

He added that not all facial recognition algorithms are biased. "The ones tested had an issue," he said.

"Even in those tested," he continued, "not all of them had inaccuracies solely due to a bias. They were also due to their settings. The percentage for a match was set too low. If a match is set too low, the software will identify multiple people as potentially the same person."

"Some of it was the quality of images in the database," he added. "If an algorithm doesn't have a filter to say this image is too poor to be accurate, then a bad match will result. Now, 3D cameras can be used to generate depth information on a face to produce more detail and better accuracy."

When facial recognition bans are proposed, law enforcement's response is that removing the technology from its toolbox will hamper their efforts to keep the public safe. Critics of the technology disagree.

"They can use other tools to track down criminal suspects," observed Mutale Nkonde, CEO of AI For the People, a nonprofit communications agency and part of Ban the Scan Coalition.

"For example, during the riot at the Capitol, the FBI used cell phone data to find out who was there and to create a no fly list," she told TechNewsWorld.

"The idea that by not using facial recognition, law enforcement will not be able to do their job requires quite a leap of faith when you consider all the power and all the resources law enforcement already has," Kleinman added.

"Our concern should not be that law enforcement has too little power," he continued. "Our concern should be what does the expansion of the power of law enforcement mean to all of us?"

"The argument that if we can't do X, then we will be crippled is an argument that can be used to justify an endless expansion of law enforcement power to surveil us," he added.

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.



Health officials on the Fond du Lac Reservation in northern Minnesota partnered with the Park Nicollet health care system to provide breast cancer screenings on a Mobile Mammo Bus.

Mammograms are the best way to find breast cancer early. They can find cancer years before symptoms start.

But fewer American Indian women get mammograms than members of other racial and ethnic groups in the United States. Barriers to these life-saving screenings include limited health care and cultural differences.

On the Fond du Lac Reservation in northern Minnesota, health officials are working to overcome these challenges. The Fond du Lac Human Services Divisionexternal icon is an awardee of CDCs National Comprehensive Cancer Control Program. It also works with Minnesotas Sage Screening Programs,external icon which provide free and timely access to breast and cervical screenings for state women.

In 2019, the division partnered with Park Nicollet, one of the nations largest health care systems. Together, they provided breast cancer screenings at Fond du Lacs clinics in Duluth and Cloquet through a Mobile Mammo Bus.

But in 2020, health care providers postponed routine care like mammograms during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. They prioritized urgent needs to reduce the risk of spreading the virus. Fond du Lacs Public Health Emergency Preparedness team canceled all tribal health events.

Outreach Worker Helps Women Keep Appointments

Despite these challenges, the division continued to provide cancer screenings for tribal members. Clinic staff mailed reminders to encourage women to schedule their mammograms. The divisions cancer outreach worker, Denise Houle, contacted patients to discuss any concerns they had and to set up appointments.

To ensure the safety of patients and staff, we limited the number of people we saw onsite, said Houle. This meant we no longer saw walk-in appointments.

All clients were screened by phone before their appointments to assess possible COVID-19 exposure. The clinics continued to use the Mobile Mammo Bus, but staff wore masks at all times and sanitized the bus between patients.

These efforts helped 63 women get mammograms at the Cloquet clinic in 2020, which is only slightly lower than the 80 women screened in 2020.

Houle continues to reach out to women who are eligible to schedule their mammograms. She takes time to build their trust. She encourages the women to put their health first. She talks to them like a friend and gives support when they are scared or unsure.

Houles work helps the Fond du Lac Human Services Division increase breast cancer screenings and serve the community better. By keeping a focus on mammograms, even during a pandemic, the division continues to improve womens health.
A newborn baby in Japan is believed to have contracted COVID-19 from the mother. This may be the first case of mother-to-baby coronavirus transmission in the country, news agency ANI reported quoting the NHK public broadcaster on March 22. As per the Japanese media outlet, researchers from the Japan Pediatric Society have studied 1,124 medical facilities that have pediatric departments across the country.

First case of mother-to-baby COVID transmission

According to the survey conducted by Pediatric society, 52 babies were born at 31 facilities to corona positive mothers last year. One of the 52 babies was said to be COVID-19 infected. The child reportedly did not have health problems. NHK public broadcaster cited researchers as saying that there had been other similar cases about mother-to-baby COVID-19 transmissions reported from other countries. Morioka Ichiro, a professor at the Nihon University School of Medicine said that there are low chances of mothers passing the coronavirus on to their babies and said that the infected newborn develops light symptoms. There have been such reports coming from several other countries including Singapore and Bulgaria where mothers gave birth to babies after becoming corona positive during pregnancy.

New 'distinct' COVID-19 Mutation in Japan

Meanwhile, on March 14, health officials in Japan had sounded alarm over a new distinct variant of coronavirus found in the country in late February. As per Japans ministry of health, the lethal mutation was discovered in a traveller who arrived at Narita Airport near Tokyo from the Philippines. The traveller, in their 60s, was asymptomatic but tested positive whilst staying in mandatory quarantine. In the aftermath, the National Institute of Infectious Diseases has suggested an enhancement in travel restrictions and border control. The diagnosis of the new SARS-CoV-2 comes as scientists across the world warn that the new mutant virus could possibly resist vaccine jabs. The new mutation was officially confirmed by the Japanese health ministry on March 13, following which it immediately raised an alarm.

(Image Credits: AP/Unsplash)

(Inputs from ANI)
(@fidahassanain)

The United Arab Emirates which has close ties with both Pakistan and India has played role to bring both sides close, reports Bloomberg, pointing out clues of this development over the past few months.

DUBAI: (UrduPoint/UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News-March 22nd, 2021) The United Arab Emirates (UAE) brokered secret talks for cease fire between Paksitan and India, Bloomberg reported on Monday.

The cease-fire is the only start of a larger roadmap towards a lasting peace between both the nuclear-armed neighbors, the International tv reported while mentioning the official UAE readout of Feb 26 which unveiled meeting between UAE Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed and Indian counterpart Subrahmanyam Jaishankar.

Both leaders discussed all regional and international issues of common interest and views on them during their meeting, it reported.

Under this new deal, both Pakistan and India would also reinstate their diplomats in Islamabad and Dehli. But, Bloomberg reported that the both sides would not go beyond the return of envoys and a resumption of trade through their Punjab land border.

However, it reported that Pakistans Foreign Ministry did not comment on the talks or the role of UAE for peace between both countries while the foreign ministries of both UAE and India were also silent.

The report has come a week after Pakistans Chief of Army Staff General Qamar Javed Bajwa asked India to bury the past and move forward. The Army Chief said that the military was ready to enter talks to resolve all our outstanding issues. Prime Minister Imran Khan had also said earlier for peaceful resolution of Kashmir issue, saying that it is the one issue that held them back.

Indian PM Modi also wished him speedy recovery after PM Khan contracted COVID-19another sign that both sides getting a bid closer.

There were many other clues over the past few months that pointed out at UAEs role, it claimed.
The author says that, as Christianity swept the Western world, swearing became known as when you used a deitys name to give your words more emphasis or power. Nowadays, a swear word is synonymous with a bad word. In fact, American treasure Nicolas Cage hosts a show on Netflix called History of Swear Words.
Pope Francis speaks to French President Emmanuel Macron by phone, discussing his recent visit to Iraq and the challenges of a post-Covid world.

By Vatican News staff writer

Pope Francis and Frances President Emmanuel Macron spoke by phone on Sunday, according to a press release from the Presidents Office at Elysee Palace.

The call, which was requested by the Pope, marks the fifth time the two world leaders have spoken since Macrons election in 2017.

Their conversation reportedly lasted around 40 minutes, and came after President Macron sent the Pope a message on the occasion of the 8th anniversary of his election to the papacy.

The last time they spoke was October 30th of last year, after the attacks on the Cathedral of Nice, which killed 3 people.

Iraq visit a turning point

The Elysee press office said that during their Sunday conversation the two spoke at length about Pope Francis recent Apostolic Journey to Iraq.

Macron said the visit marked a true turning point for the Middle Eastern region.

The pair also dwelt on their thoughts and concerns about several crises affecting various parts of the globe.

These included the expansion of jihadism in Africaboth in the Sahel region and the continents east coast, as well as the critical situation in Lebanon.

Post-pandemic world

According to the Elysee press statement, President Macron also spoke to the Pope about the challenges of a post-Covid world.

Pope Francis published a book with British journalist Austen Ivereigh on the subject, in which he said humanity has been given the opportunity to build a better world after the pandemic.

Soon after the start of the pandemic, the Pope set up a special Vatican Covid-19 Commission, to help humanity think about the challenges it faces moving forward.
After departing the nation's capital in the mid-2000s, trainer Victor Puddy has made an awful lot of noise since returning to Rideau Carleton Raceway with a string of horses last fall.

Puddy, whose starters eclipsed the million-dollar benchmark in five seasons through the 2010s, has campaigned primarily in southern Ontario since 2007, reestablished his presence in Ottawa last October. In the short time since he returned to the capital city, he has climbed to third in the training standings, trailing perennial kingpin Guy Gagnon in both wins and earnings. But Puddy has his eye on greater success at Rideau, largely due to the string of horses he effectively hand picked to make the trek from his southern Ontario operation.

"I've been away probably about 14 years," Puddy told Rideau Carleton's Graeme Mitchell in a recent interview. "I came back; we're going to do a split stable  probably about 15 in Toronto and 15 or so here all summer."

Among the horses that Puddy brought east with him are a pair that he claimed for owners Gord McDonald and Christopher Boland: Racemup and Crossfit.

"I claimed Racemup for $25,000," Puddy recounted of acquiring the now six-year-old Manitoba-bred pacer in the fall of 2019. "We got him that night, and I never really talked to Gord. Gord texted me after to ask what I thought of him, and I said, 'Raced good, I kind of like him.' We never really talked about what to do with him, and I put him right back in the same class for $25,000. I think he won by seven or so in 1:50, and we lost him. Gordon called me right after and said, 'We've got to get that horse back!' The next week, we went back to get him, but we didn't get him  somebody else got him. Then the next week, we got him, and he's never been in a claimer since. He's just a nice horse.

"Crossfit was the same thing. Gord McDonald claimed him for me out of Toronto. I told him I was going to have a split stable in Ottawa and Toronto, so we claimed hopefully that he'd do in the Preferred here."

So far, both Racemup and Crossfit have performed admirably at their new home track, with Racemup hitting the board in seven of nine tries in Preferred company and Crossfit finishing third or better in half of his six starts in the Preferred Trot at Rideau.

With other consistent performers such as Reys N A Rocket and Red John filling out his eastern base, Vic Puddy is optimistic that both his Ottawa and Toronto operations can enjoy success in 2021 and beyond:

"I just hope that we have some good luck in Ottawa and, hopefully we have some real good luck in Toronto. It's all we can hope for right now. The staff in Ottawa's great, and the staff in Toronto's doing good. It's a little tough on me back and forth, but we're just hopeful we can make it work."

To watch the full interview with Puddy, click below:
OKLAHOMA CITY, March 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Many Americans take clean water for granted, but you might be surprised to learn that nearly one-third of people  nearly 2.2 billion  around the world don't have access to safe drinking water. And, at a time in history when we're still fighting a global pandemic, the importance of clean water has become even more evident. That's why Feed the Children is celebrating World Water Day in hope of bringing awareness to this critical issue.

The nonprofit recognizes the importance of access to clean water and works with corporate and community partners across the U.S. and in nine countries around the world to help maintain access to this vital resource.

In the U.S., Feed the Children works with partners such as Niagara Bottling to ensure families have access to clean water  especially following natural disasters. In 2020 alone, Niagara Bottling donated 90 semi-truck loads of its bottled water to aid the nonprofit's disaster relief efforts. Other partners who supply water for Feed the Children's work in the U.S. include Nestle Waters, Hint Water, Safeway, Waiakea Water, CVS and Taste Nirvana.

Feed the Children's water and sanitation intervention in communities across El Salvador, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, Kenya, Malawi, the Philippines, Tanzania and Uganda are crucial in protecting children and their families from the illnesses caused by waterborne diseases, which can often be fatal  especially for children under the age of five. The nonprofit focuses on improving access to safe and clean water for parents and children and encourages the adoption of water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) practices through child-focused community development programs.

As COVID-19 was spread through communities around the world, Feed the Children's international teams increased their emphasis on the importance of handwashing and, in several communities, established extra handwashing stations.

Last year, Feed the Children promoted WASH practices to nearly 13,000 children to keep them healthy. The nonprofit's health and water program impacted more than 391,000 children and caregivers in the communities where the organization works.

With help from corporate partner P&G, the nonprofit distributed 1.3 million point-of-use water purification packets in 2020 alone. These were used to help maintain access to clean, safe water in international communities where it isn't always readily available.

While Feed the Children's work to support vulnerable children and families continues, it cannot be done alone. To learn how you can help make a difference, visit feedthechildren.org.

About Feed the Children

At Feed the Children, we feed hungry kids. We envision a world where no child goes to bed hungry. In the U.S. and internationally, we are dedicated to helping families and communities achieve stable lives and to reducing the need for help tomorrow, while providing food and resources to help them today. We distribute product donations from corporate donors to local community partners, we provide support for teachers and students, and we mobilize resources quickly to aid recovery efforts when natural disasters strike. Internationally, we manage child-focused community development programs in nine countries. We welcome partnerships because we know our work would not be possible without collaborative relationships. Every dollar given goes eight times as far to provide food, hope, dignity and comfort.

For more information, visit feedthechildren.org

SOURCE Feed the Children

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The European Union and the United States slapped sanctions Monday on top police and military commanders linked to last month's coup in Myanmar, as pro-democracy demonstrators went back to the streets in defiance of a violent crackdown on protest.

The junta is increasingly using deadly force to crush activists who have risen up against the military's ousting of civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi on February 1.

In a bid to pile international pressure on the regime, the European Union on Monday placed Myanmar junta chief Min Aung Hlaing on an assets freeze and visa ban blacklist.

Min Aung Hlaing is "responsible for undermining democracy and the rule of law in Myanmar", its official journal said.

The EU also hit nine other senior military officers and the head of Myanmar's election commission with travel bans and asset freezes, in the 27-nation grouping's most extensive response yet to the February 1 coup.

In Washington, the Treasury Department sanctioned Myanmar's police chief and an army special operations commander, saying they were responsible for using lethal force against demonstrators.

When anti-coup protests began the security forces did not use force to counter demonstrators -- but since Than Hlaing was made police chief and deputy home affairs minister on February 2 "Burma's police have engaged in brutal acts of violence against pro-democracy protesters," it said, using an alternate name for Myanmar.

Army commander Aung Soe was responsible for sending in troops to confront protesters using battlefield weapons and tactics, "demonstrating that lethal force is being used in a planned, premeditated and coordinated manner against the anti-coup protests," the Treasury Department said.

The sanctions also named two army infantry divisions involved in putting down the protests.

Myanmar's top junta leaders are already under US sanctions.

More than 2,600 people have been arrested and 250 killed since the coup, according to the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP), a local monitoring group that has warned fatalities could be even higher.

Story continues

One of those held, Aung Thura, a journalist with the BBC's Burmese service, was freed on Monday, the broadcaster said in a news story on its website.

Men in plain clothes detained him while he was reporting outside a court in the capital Naypyidaw on Friday. A second journalist detained at the same time, Than Htike Aung from the local outlet Mizzima, remains in custody.

The junta has sought to stem the flow of news about the protests and crackdown, revoking the licenses of independent local media -- including Mizzima -- raiding newsrooms and arresting journalists.

Scores of people, including teachers, marched on Monday through the pre-dawn streets of Mandalay, the country's second-largest city, some carrying placards calling for UN intervention in the crisis.

Mandalay has seen some of the worst violence of the crackdown and recorded eight more deaths on Sunday, a medical source told AFP, adding that as many as 50 people were wounded.

Machine gun fire rang out late into the night across the city of 1.7 million.

"People were really scared and felt insecure the whole night," a doctor told AFP by phone.

To protest against the brutal crackdown, a group of doctors in Mandalay staged a "placard only" demonstration by lining up signs in the street, Voice of Myanmar reported.

A group of monks staged a similar "monkless" protest.

There were also early morning protests in parts of Yangon, the commercial capital and country's largest city, where drivers honked their horns in support of the anti-coup movement.

Residents in Yangon's Hlaing township released hundreds of red helium balloons with posters calling for a UN intervention to stop atrocities, local media reported.

And hundreds demonstrated in the central city of Monywa, angry over the death of a man killed during clashes Sunday with security forces, according to local media.

- 'Unbearable' level of murder -

Myanmar's generals have shown little sign of heeding calls for restraint.

"The number of murders has reached an unbearable level, and that is why we will not be able to avoid imposing sanctions," said Germany's Heiko Maas as EU foreign ministers gathered in Brussels to sign off on the sanctions.

Britain has already taken similar steps.

The latest EU and US sanctions "send a strong signal that we will... continue to take action against coup leaders and those who perpetrate violence," said US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken.

In the region, Indonesia and Malaysia called for an emergency summit of the 10-country Association of Southeast Asian Nations to discuss the crisis.

Following the call, Singapore's Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan embarked on a whistle-stop diplomatic tour including meetings in Brunei, Malaysia and Indonesia.

On the commercial front, French energy giant EDF announced that a $1.5-billion hydropower dam project in Myanmar had been suspended in response to the coup.

Australia and Canada meanwhile confirmed they are providing consular assistance to two business consultants detained in Myanmar.

Matthew O'Kane and Christa Avery, a dual Canadian-Australian citizen, are reportedly under house arrest after trying to leave the country on a relief flight Friday.

The couple run a consultancy business in Yangon.

The Canadian and Australian foreign ministries have refused to comment further on the case.

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COLUMBIA  Thousands of South Carolina capital region teachers are expected to be getting coronavirus shots over the next few weeks, as districts are setting up vaccination events and giving staff off days to ensure they can be protected from the virus.

Theyll be joining the nearly 1.5 million people statewide who have already been fully or partially inoculated against the disease as a deeper vaccination eligibility pool and federal health guidance have led more and more districts to resume full-time classroom operations.

State Department of Education spokesman Ryan Brown said his agency doesnt have data on how many teachers so far have gotten shots.

Heres a look at what local districts have done or are planning for their staff.

Richland One

Officials in South Carolinas 10th-largest school district partnered with Prisma Health to offer its more than 4,500 employees a chance to be vaccinated March 12 at Baptist Hospital or the University of South Carolinas Gamecock Park on March 13.

Schools and administrative buildings were closed on March 12 to allow employees time for a vaccination.

District spokeswoman Karen York said it was unknown how many Richland One employees took advantage of the opportunity.

Since the start of the academic year, 1,019 Richland One staff members have been quarantined, and there are currently nine with active COVID-19 cases, district data shows.

Richland Two

Because getting a coronavirus vaccine is not required, districts have no way to track for certain who has received a shot.

But Richland Two spokeswoman Libby Roof told The Post and Courier that around 1,100 of the districts 3,600 employees in the state's fifth-largest district have or are receiving vaccines through healthcare providers.

Another 1,800 are signed up for Richland Two-sponsored vaccine clinics, which are scheduled for March 25 and 26 and April 15 and 16 at Westwood High School in Blythewood.

Lexington-Richland 5

On March 8, district officials announced a partnership with Lexington Medical Center that will allow staff members to get inoculated on March 26 and April 16 at Dutch Fork High School.

Officials plan to use pre-recorded materials and posted assignments to make those days virtual for students.

The shift will mark the first time Lexington-Richland 5 has used its new status as an e-learning district, granted last summer by the state Education Oversight Committee as part of an ongoing pilot program created pre-pandemic to ensure learning continues when schools are closed.

Lexington One

The Palmetto States sixth-largest district is administering shots not only to members of its own staff, but also workers in the smaller Lexington County Three and Four districts, Amy Wood, Lexington Ones nursing and health services director, told trustees on March 16.

Officials planned to inoculate 3,500 staffers across the three districts over two days earlier this month, but instead uploaded their data into the states vaccine management system once Gov. Henry McMaster announced that Phase 1B of eligibility would open March 8, giving access to nearly 2.5 million South Carolinians.

McLeod Health, a regional hospital system based in Florence, received a special exemption to begin Phase 1B injections on March 5 due to vaccine availability. It partnered with Darlington Raceway, and Wood said the information of Lexington County school employees who signed up for a local event were able to get a shot there instead.

Wood said an additional 650 employees got shots March 12 at White Knoll High School, part of a district-hosted vaccination event. Another will be held on April 2 for those staffers to get their second dose.

As of March 16, Lexington One had 10 active coronavirus cases among its staff.

Lexington Two

A day-long vaccination event on March 22 at the districts community education center has already led to 240 people signing up, spokeswoman Dawn Kujawa said.

Superintendent Nicolas Wade is set to update the districts board of trustees on COVID-19 vaccination plans during a March 23 meeting.
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Wuhan launches 2021's first tourist train

Xinhua) 15:24, March 21, 2021

WUHAN, March 21 (Xinhua) -- This year's first tourist train from Wuhan, capital of central China's Hubei Province, was launched Saturday, according to local transport authorities.

The train carrying nearly 900 tourists is scheduled for the city of Xiangyang in the province. During the two-day journey, tourists can visit a popular movie location and other tourist destinations, said the operating company of the train.

"The tourist train is quite cost-effective and the travel arrangements are suitable for us middle-aged and elderly people," said a tourist surnamed Wang.

The company also plans to launch other short-distance tourist train routes, along with long-distance ones to regions outside the province.
For the uninitiated and the unconvinced, a little history: Our story starts in 1798, when Thomas Bruce, the 7th Lord of Elgin, decided to draw and take casts of sculptures decorating the Parthenon in Athens. When he got there, though, and saw the one-of-a-kind marbles, magnificent depictions of the Greek gods by the famed sculptor Phidias, Elgin decided theyd look much better in his house than on some dumb ancient temple, so he hacked off half of them and put them on a boat to England.
STONE MOUNTAIN, Ga., March 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Grover Jackson, Mary Fullard, and E. Christine Jackson announced the upcoming release of a multimedia presentation and lecture to pair with their recently published coauthored memoir, "A Journey of Love, Faith, Strength, and Determination." As part of the epic family journey detailed in the book, Grover's powerful and transformative two-year Peace Corps deployment to Kenya in 1967 is reexamined as a legacy journey of personal understanding. Grover returned to Kenya in January of 2020 to revisit the places and people that touched and changed him as a young man in the 1960s; and to help promote the importance of his memoir as a living contribution to Black History, Grover will offer a full multimedia presentation of both journeys to East Africa. "Back to Kenya" will be presented at: April 22 via Zoom presented by Brightside Global Trade, a multichannel magazine and producer of Virtual events and broadcasts https://us02web.zoom.us/j/85639009965

"I was first introduced to Kenya as a junior in college, some 52 years ago," said Grover. "At that time, it was just an exotic place on the map to me  East Africa. But I was very interested in learning more and in 1966, I got the opportunity. I was selected as part of a larger group to train with an agricultural program to Kenya, created as part of U.S. Foreign Aid to developing countries. This was a deep-level program, with extensive training in language, practical experience, and all of tools necessary to help a country that had just come through a brutal revolution against British colonial oppression  becoming an independent state in 1963. To be selected to go was a great honor. And for a young Black American, the son of sharecroppers, this was a profound visit that would continue to shape the rest of my life."

"Back to Kenya"  East Africa Revisited

The multimedia presentation includes written background details, personal stories from Grover and his Kenya traveling companions, with both video and still pictures of Kenya today  specifically focusing on the Nakuru area where Grover worked and lived during his days as a Black American abroad. Although Grover's first Kenya visit is explored briefly in his memoir, the "Back to Kenya" presentation includes a comprehensive retrospective study: both pictures and videos of places as they existed then, and how they appear today. Along with his friend and former PCV, Jess Womack, who accompanied him, Grover visited multiple farms to speak with native farmers. They discussed farming in Kenya today  as part of what he and other Peace Corps volunteers helped galvanize  while viewing firsthand the differences between Kenya now and the Kenya of his youth.

The full table of contents for the "Back to Kenya" presentation may be viewed online: www.JacksonsBookJourney.com on April 1.

"A Journey"  An Epic Autobiographical Story of Black History In America

"From share-cropping to Wall Street, by way of Africa, our family history is Black History."

Chronicling the lives of 14 siblings raised by poor but loving sharecropper parents who were directly descended from slaves, "A Journey" begins as a biography set in the mid-1800s, and recounts early days of hard work and a country filled with ever-present, white-supremacist dangers. Working through the fog of history and the deliberate erasure of Black stories, the authors managed to pull together facts, oral stories, and family legends that weave the early tale of a strong, determined family who refused to be broken by circumstance or hard times.

The family was held together by a determined mother who was "a woman of great wisdom and acumen  the matriarch who saw fit to encourage her older children to move north and prepare a place for the rest who would come when it was fitting to do so." Each child later grew to become an accomplished adult with a rich story of their own to share.

"'A Journey' tells not only how the Jackson family got from here to there, but why"  "The success of the Jackson siblings  10 earning college degrees, five earning graduate degrees, with many who traveled widely  is a global tale. Grover's trip to Kenya, East Africa, via the Peace Corps is of particular interest" Geraldine Smith-Wright, Professor Emerita, Drew University.

"A Journey" is available as a hardcover or e-book purchase through Amazon.com, Barnes & Noble, Kobo.com, and other fine booksellers. An autographed copy may be ordered directly from Grover's website once it goes live on or after April 1, including a download of the "Back to Kenya" presentation. Learn more about all three authors and the Jackson siblings at: www.JacksonsBookJourney.com or reach out through the contact information below.

Media Contact:

Grover Jackson

1-404-376-6715

[email protected]

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SOURCE Grover Jackson
The mainstream media is struggling to reconcile its attacks on Donald Trump for speaking harshly about nations like China and Iran with its approval of (or at least non-judgmental posture towards) Joe Biden doing the same thing. To this struggle, we can add the task of defending Bidens anti-China rhetoric while continuing to blame Trumps rhetoric for hate crimes against Asian-Americans.

Two Asian-American professors, Viet Thanh Nguyen and Janelle Wong, have written an article for the Washington Post called (in the paper edition) This is what happens when you vilify Asia. This means the murders of Asian sex workers in Atlanta.

The article is silly at several levels. First, there is no evidence Im aware of that the Atlanta shootings were motivated by anything other than a loathing of prostitutes (a form of self-loathing, given the shooters penchant for frequenting massage parlors).

Second, no U.S. official has vilified Asia per se. Particular Asian regimes have been criticized based on their policies. Chinas and North Koreas are the modern examples. But in recent times, U.S. officials and politicians have also been highly critical of Russia, Cuba, Venezuela, and even Israel.

Third, U.S. officials and politicians should continue strongly to criticize our adversaries, including Asian ones. We cannot conduct foreign policy based on the extent, if any, to which our policies and pronouncements might affect the treatment of citizens with roots in a given nation or conduct. Wokeness and political correctness cannot override legitimate foreign policy objectives.

Nguyen and Wong acknowledge that there are grounds on which China fairly can be criticized. But then, they quickly resort to good, old-fashion moral equivalency arguments.

They note that China has not routinely used bombings and drone strikes as tools of foreign policy, or established military bases in dozens of nations, as America has. They also claim that, like China, the U.S. uses widespread surveillance against its own population, and goes even further to employ espionage and covert action, on foreign populations  including in efforts to weaken and overthrow governments with which it does not agree, from Iran to Guatemala [note: almost 70 years ago].

These are Red Chinas talking points, including some of the very ones used by China in its 20 minute anti-American harangue in Anchorage.

If you believe that the U.S. and China are about equally horrible, then, yes, it is hypocritical (though perhaps still in the national interest) to criticize the Chinese communists. But if you understand that China is a deeply repressive, expansionist dictatorship and that the U.S. isnt, then our leaders should not feel constrained in criticizing China, even if it could be demonstrated (and I doubt that it can be) that their criticism is producing an appreciable increase in offenses against Asian-American.

Nguyen and Wong manage to get one thing right. They emphasize that criticism of China by American officials and politicians is bipartisan. Indeed, they say that China is one of the few issues about which Democrats and Republicans agree. Thats true, at least when it comes to talk.

The question becomes whether, now that Biden and his Secretary of State are harshly calling China out, the media will blame crimes against Asian-Americans on the administrations anti-China rhetoric. I think we know the answer to that one.
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Apartment buildings in Seoul / Korea Times file









By Lee Kyung-min







The recent public fury over employees at the state-run Korea Land and Housing Corp. (LH) engaging in real estate speculation using insider information has prompted the need to set up a real estate monitoring body, a discussion stalled for months after President Moon Jae-in proposed the idea in August last year.







The delay was due to concerns of possible abuse of private data by the government and subsequent infringement of people's property rights under the guise of rule of law.







Also raising a major red flag is a clear lack of specifics to resolve the apparent conflicts of interest resulting from the make-up and management of the body to be supervised by the land ministry, since little accountability is expected from an investigation not overseen by a disinterested third party that remains free from identifying and making public a slew of suspected wrongdoings.







Experts say lingering concerns of greater government control and overstepping in private property rights can be mitigated by making the body by law an independent organization with clear objectives and limits in investigative rights, followed by measures to preclude the government from arbitrarily meddling in private property transactions.







Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Hong Nam-ki attends a finance committee meeting at the National Assembly, March 19. Korea Times file









The government, the ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) and Cheong Wa Dae are believed to have reached an agreement that the body should be set up as early as possible, with the ruling party saying the timeline can be moved up to within the next two or three months.







DPK lawmaker Jin Sung-joon sitting on the National Assembly's Land, Infrastructure, and Transport Committee said a bill he proposed to establish legal grounds on which to set up the body has been pending since last November, adding that talks should advance now given the groundswell of public support calling for the complete eradication of real estate speculation by public officials.







"Many people are understandably and rightfully outraged by the shameless conduct by the very figures we depend on and trust to help guarantee stable and fair supply and execution of state-run housing projects. The body can be set up as soon as the opposition bloc moves forward with the idea," the lawmaker said.







The move is bolstered further by Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Hong Nam-ki who urged the National Assembly to promptly pass the pending bill for the government to better crack down on speculation and bring soaring housing prices under control.







"The delay in setting up the body has led to the inefficient implementation of real estate policies. The envisioned body is needed to identify speculators in advance and investigate them, a key measure to prevent the recurrence of the LH scandal," Hong said during a finance committee meeting, March 18.











The bill should outline clearly the functions, roles and limits of the body to allay concerns that the government will abuse it as a legitimate means of infringing on individual property rights, according to experts.







The concerns of what many consider "big brother" is mounting, understandably because the government authorities according to the bill can have full access to financial and credit data on whether certain properties were bought with loans and, if so, whether the borrowings granted were subject to strict lending rules. Also among the data will be property owners' tax return records.







"The role of the government should be limited to monitoring and tracking market data, not supervising," Myongji University real estate professor Kwon Dae-jung said. "Otherwise, excessive government control will lead to a drop in the property market, causing an adverse outcome with the people's right to pursue wealth violated in the process."







The government is trying to ride on the public fury over the LH scandal, he added, since setting up of the body is irrelevant to prohibiting public officials from using insider information for personal gains, much less property speculation made by private individuals.







"Regulatory measures should be about whether public servants with information on redevelopment or reconstruction plans bought land or buildings before the information was made public. It lacks reason for the government to monitor real estate trading made by a majority of people seeking asset increases."


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STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- After nearly two months of operation, the city says the vaccination site at Empire Outlets will soon be brought up to full capacity following an influx of vaccination supply into New York.

New York will get 1.65 million coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccines every week by the end of April as part of a vaccine supercharge. The 1.65 million doses represent a 33% on-average increase from current shipments.

The increase in vaccines to the state, and ultimately the city, will allow mass vaccination sites  like Empire Outlets in St. George  to finally run 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Empire Outlets has been operating from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., seven days a week.

We are getting more supply and thats what weve been needing, so we do intend to see Empire go 24/7 in the next week or two, Mayor Bill de Blasio told the Advance/SILive.com on Monday.

The issue has always been supply, he said.

There have been a number of sites that are well-suited for 24/7 so long as we can get enough supply so you should expect that with Empire for sure, the mayor continued.

Dr. Brahim Ardolic, executive director of Staten Island University Hospital, which staffs the site, said with full vaccine supply, his staff at Empire Outlets has the ability to vaccinate 600 people per day.

Empire Outlets opened on Feb. 19 after nearly a month-long delay due to late vaccine shipments and lack of overall supply citywide. It was first slated to open on Jan. 22, but the opening was postponed just days before due to a delayed shipment and shortage of the Moderna vaccine.

The site is now outfitted with the ultra-cold freezers that allows storage and distribution of the Pfizer vaccine.

City Health + Hospitals Gotham Health/Vanderbilt clinic has been operating 24 hours a day, seven days a week since Jan. 13, a Health + Hospitals spokeswoman told the Advance/SILive.com.

Few Staten Islanders have reported getting vaccinated overnight and in the early hours in the morning as appointments have been scarce, however, and with the influx of doses more appointments will become available.

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DAKAR (Reuters) - A cloud of dust brought by dry winds from the Sahara has settled over much of West and Central Africa, reducing visibility, choking residents, and disrupting fishing in the Senegal's capital Dakar.

Each year, dry, dusty winds sweep in from the Sahara and cover much of West Africa and the Gulf of Guinea. The yearly phenomenon, known as the Harmattan season, runs from November through March.

"Those who have toddlers with poor health like mine, who is not yet one year old, cannot work properly," said Khoudia Ndiaye, who sells fish at a market in Dakar. "Yesterday I couldn't work because of the dust, I had to go home."

The hazy weather has blanketed Senegal's capital since the start of the week, coating the city with fine dust particles that have prompted health and air quality warnings from the environment ministry.

In a statement, the ministry urged people to curb outside sporting activities and suggested that children, the elderly and those suffering from respiratory problems remain indoors. The importance of wearing face masks, which have become commonplace in the COVID-19 era, was reinforced.

Authorities in Cameroon this week also warned that a huge plume of Saharan dust carried by Harmattan winds was expected to hit its three northern provinces, reducing visibility. It urged residents not to travel.

The dust cloud in Senegal reduced visibility to a few dozen metres, leading to a reduction of fishing, an essential source of income for many families, along Dakar's shoreline.

At Soumbedioune, one of the city's main fish markets, a few fishermen loiter around the shipyard. A barely visible red flag flutters in the wind.

"You can see the red flag behind me indicates that it is still dangerous," said Moustapha Ndoye, the head of the fishmongers' association.

Some fishermen have been unable to fish for several days, he added.

(Reporting by Cooper Inveen and Ngouda Dione; Writing by Bate Felix; Editing by Alex Richardson)
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The central government may guarantee the bonds, debentures, and loans issued by the new DFI if the infrastructure lender wants. The DFI will be able to borrow money from the Reserve Bank repayable on demand or on the expiry of fixed periods not exceeding ninety days from the date on which the money is so borrowed against the security of stocks, funds or securities ..., ...

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BEIJING (Reuters) - China has freed eight Hong Kongers jailed last year for illegally crossing the border after they completed their prison term, police in the southern Chinese city of Shenzhen said on Monday.

They have been deported, Shenzhen police said.

They were among 12 activists whose boat was intercepted at sea by mainland authorities in August 2020 allegedly en route to the democratic island of Taiwan.

(Reporting by Ryan Woo; Editing by Toby Chopra)

An aspiring ninja who has spent 34 years behind bars for murdering a student despite there being no physical evidence tying him to the crime scene may soon have his sentence overturned.

Temujin Kensu, 57, was convicted of of murdering student Scott Macklem in 1987.

Prosecutors presented the theory that he rented a plane to fly him from one side of Michigan to the other where he allegedly shot Macklem then flew home quickly, without anyone ever tracing him to the scene.

The motive, they said, was to get rid of Macklem so Kensu could 'control' Macklem's girlfriend, who he had dated six months earlier.

Macklem's girlfriend told police she had dated Kensu and that he was 'heavy into ninja' but didn't want anyone to find out, and that he'd kill her if she told anyone.

Temujin Kensu, 57, was convicted of of murdering student Scott Macklem in 1987. Kensu is shown, left, in the 1980s when he was convicted and right, in a recent jail picture

A photo from the 1980s shows Kensu with nun-chucks

She testified that he was violent when she dated him, that he raped her, and that it was a 'living hell' being with him.

At trial, there was no physical evidence tying him to the parking lot where Macklem was found shot dead.

Kensu's ex-girlfriend testified at trial that he was obsessed with becoming a ninja

Instead, Kensu's lawyer says police and prosecutors decided he was guilty then worked backwards from there to fill in the gaps.

His case is currently being reviewed by the Conviction Integrity Unit, which examines contested convictions in Michigan.

In 1987, Kensu was 23. His real name is Fred Freeman but back then he was going by John Lamar.

He had used aliases to dodge other arrest warrants for assault and other alleged crimes.

At trial, the ex-girlfriend Crystal Merrill said: 'He threatened me. He says if you dont quit lying to me, he says, Im going to kill you, and he says if Macklem doesnt stop bothering you, Im going to take care of him, too.'

She and Kensu worked together at a video store at the time.

She also testified that he told her he was a 'higher up' in Japanese organized crime.

This is the parking lot in Michigan where the victim was shot dead. There was no physical evidence that tied Kensu to the scene

She also told NBC in a recent interview that she still believes he is guilty.

'After thirty-four years, I am still 100% positive that Freeman killed Scott as he had threatened to do so often, along with my family,' she said.

Kensu was living with another woman at the time and they had moved 400 miles away.

He had an alibi which put him in the town where he was living at the day and time of the murder.

Kensu - whose real name is Fred Freeman - with his current fiancee, Paula Randolph, in prison

The only possible way he could have committed the murder was if he flew there.

There was no record of him chartering a plane, but a witness at the trial said there were private pilots hanging around the airport waiting for people to pay them for rides.

He said it was possible Kensu had chartered a plane this way and that it had just never been logged formally.

A jailhouse informant also claimed that Kensu told him when they were locked up for a few hours together that he'd carried out the murder.

The defendant's girlfriend, Michelle Woodworth, told police that she was with him the exact moment the murder happened but she was not allowed to testify and neither was he.

Instead, prosecutors showed photos of his ninja weapons.

Members of the jury later told local news outlets that they believed he chartered a plane, that there was no record of it and anyone who said they'd seen him in the town where he said he was was mistaken.

Now, he is hopeful his conviction will be overturned, despite having had all of his previous appeals either ignored or turned down.
Prof. Milan Zeleny addresses the driving forces of disequilibrium in contemporary human systems and suggests new systems to help them evolve and thrive in Human Systems Management

Amsterdam, NL, March 22, 2021 - The COVID-19 pandemic has had a profound impact on our world, with disequilibrium, uncertainty, and human suffering making it difficult to envision a human, societal and individual future. Milan Zeleny, PhD, Professor Emeritus of Management Systems, Fordham University, New York, NY, USA, and world-recognized authority on decision making, productivity, knowledge management, and more recently the corporation as a living organism, says that "COVID-19 is rapidly changing from a cause to one of the symptoms of an increasingly unhinged world."

Writing in the journal Human Systems Management, published by IOS Press, Prof. Zeleny discusses the consequences of disequilibrium across business, political, and other systems and proposes new models that may help systems evolve to succeed in the future.

'Accelerating speed of change is a natural evolutionary phenomenon, originally noticeable over many generations and now emerging within a single generation. It is the most important causal factor of our disequilibrium, yet it is virtually ignored or misunderstood by science and philosophy," notes Prof. Zeleny. "The faster the new emerges, the more of the old that must be abandoned. This leads to resistance, political disruptions, and populist defense of the status quo. New and reliable Evolutionary Economics [a name coined by Prof. Zeleny for this new science] must be recognized."

Economic differences between nations are fast disappearing, while inequalities in terms of local and reginal economies are widening even faster. "Well balanced regional and local economies are the only assurance of a well-balanced country or nation as a whole. New and lasting improvements can emerge by not ignoring, but by respecting and enhancing natural evolutionary tendencies," explains Prof. Zeleny.

Other pressures Prof. Zeleny explores include conflicts between state intervention and self-organized natural response; an imbalance between rates of accepting the new and abandoning old; conflicts between the man-made and the naturally occurring world; and emerging needs for multidisciplinary education thinking, research, and action.

The most significant challenges to overcome include the protection of old paradigms, overcoming tendencies towards preserving status quo, or returning to the old "normal," especially for political reasons.

Prof. Zeleny reviews the management system concept he developed, known as the Zeleny ZIPF, or Rotary. It rotates and revolves around customer satisfaction to drive innovation, improve processes, and achieve financial success. He also draws on the experience of the Bata Management System, now celebrating (as BSO in India) its 126th anniversary, which was organized to behave as a living organism: learning, adjusting, and self-organizing.

Prof. Zeleny asserts that in a rapidly evolving environment, additional cultural traits should be acquired within a properly run ZIPF or a similar rotary management system. For example, rapid change does not allow for a traditional strategy; you have to handle the future. He calls this the Strategy of the first step. You take the first step, evaluate the impacts, and then take the next first step. It is like every day is the Day 1!

To achieve equilibrium in human systems, Prof. Zeleny introduces the idea of Integrated Productive Environments (IPE), in which regions, localities, and communities are allowed their economic independence, self-sufficiency, entrepreneurship, and innovative originality. Such independence and self-determination, he says, will lead to cooperation, coordination, and local exchanges of specific knowledge products and services, in the interest of continued self-enhancement.

The highest IPE would be a complete town: productive, flexible, modular, fully equipped to provide food, products, and services, all in the closest proximity to regional or local customers. The first such IPE town was the Bata-Zlin in Moravia, which was "exported" all over the world, and is still functional even today.

"Such orientation requires competent cooperation of many individuals, companies, and institutions at multilayered cultural, professional and knowledge levels," says Prof. Zeleny. "It is this kind of deep cooperation that is needed to restore regional and local equilibrium."

IPEs are also needed in education, government, healthcare, defense, and environmental protection. "As we are abandoning the old to embrace the new, we cannot remain the narrow specialists or 'experts.' We have to become multidisciplinary polymaths," he concludes.

Prof. Zeleny is the Founding Editor of Human Systems Management, which is celebrating its 40th anniversary in 2021. His article is the first in a new section of the journal, "Strategic revival of Human Systems Management." Editor-in-Chief Nada Trunk Sirca, PhD, International School for Social and Business Studies, Euro-Mediterranean University, University of Primorska, Slovenia, explains that articles in the new section will address how the concepts raised by Prof. Zeleny can be woven into human systems management research and applications. "The journal will continue as a self-renewing, evolving entity, open to new paradigms, new technologies, timely adaptations, and trailblazing new authors from around the world," she says.

###
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y.  Staten Island high school students returned to campus on Monday excited to finally be out of the house, seeing their friends and teachers in-person for the first time since schools closed in mid-November due to rising coronavirus (COVID-19) cases.

The citys oldest public school students were the last to return to school buildings as part of New York Citys phased-in reopening, joining elementary, middle and District 75 school students.

At two Staten Island high schools, students shared their excitement and nerves upon returning to campus on Monday.

About 55,000 students across the five boroughs who opted for in-person learning this school year were eligible to return to campus  representing less than 20% of all high school students citywide. And 17,000 staff members also returned to buildings. About half of all high schools will be able to bring back students to five-day-a-week learning.

At both Curtis and New Dorp high schools, students are learning on a hybrid schedule.

*** CLICK HERE FOR COMPLETE COVERAGE OF CORONAVIRUS IN NEW YORK ***

Students filled out their daily health screening at New Dorp High School. (Staten Island Advance/Annalise Knudson)

Students at New Dorp High School were greeted by a large Welcome Back Cougars! sign at the front of the school building, as teachers and staff directed students to separate socially distanced lines depending on their academic department.

Staff ensured students filled out their daily health screening.

Additional safety protocols at schools involve social distancing, face coverings and more.

Im excited to see my kids today, Im really excited, said Deirdre DeAngelis, principal of New Dorp High School. Im looking forward to getting back to normal as quickly as possible.

DeAngelis added she is looking forward to even more students returning to their classrooms, after Mayor Bill de Blasio said Friday that the city would open an opt-in period starting Wednesday for city public school students to go back to in-person learning.

I think the students really need to be back, I think they need to be with each other safely, and I think our staff needs to have contact with them face-to-face, DeAngelis said. Weve been doing the best we can. We have open lines of communications, its been really strong and supportive and weve had a lot of academic and social-emotional supports available to the students but nothings better than being in person.

Across all grades, students were all excited for the same reason  to finally be out of their house again.

Freshman Raymond Rivera said it will be kind of weird to return to class after months of remote learning at home, but he has been stuck in the house. Senior Areli Garcia also remarked that shes finally out of the house. Now that shes back to in-person learning, she said shes looking forward to getting her grades up.

Sophomores Thomas and Eddie, and junior John  who all declined to give their last name  said they feel great and look forward to seeing everyone on campus.

I can get out of the house finally, and I can actually learn, said John. Ill learn a lot better than remote.

It was a similar scene at Curtis High School during arrival, as many students gathered near the front entrance ahead of the start of the school day. Many said they couldnt wait to get back to campus, including junior Andeta Kapica who said learning is way better in person.

Like New Dorp High School, students at the St. George school were asked to show their completed daily health screening before they could enter the building. Ayodele Law, a sophomore, made sure to get to school early, saying: Those straight As aint going to make themselves.

There was excitement as students lined up socially distanced outside of the school, as cheerleaders gathered to welcome students back to campus, including junior Leidy Rodriguez.

Its stressful especially being a junior with SATs coming up and everything, but were holding in there, Rodriguez said.

WHAT ELSE YOU SHOULD KNOW

New York City will offer public school families a new opt-in period for in-person learning from Wednesday, March 24, to Wednesday, April 7.

The announcement comes after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released new guidelines for K-12 schools, reducing the recommended distance between students from 6 feet to 3 feet. The agency said students can safely sit just 3 feet apart in the classroom as long as they wear a mask, but should be kept the usual 6 feet away from one another at sporting events, assemblies, lunch or chorus practice.

This will be a great relief to a lot of parents to know there is a chance to get their kids back into school, said Mayor Bill de Blasio at a press conference Friday afternoon.

Students in 3-K, pre-K, elementary school and District 75 schools who choose to return for in-person learning during this new opt-in period will be back in schools next month. While older students are included in the new opt-in period, more work needs to be done in bringing those additional middle and high school students back to campus.

New Dorp High School students wait to be let into the building Monday morning. (Staten Island Advance/Annalise Knudson)

Students returning to campus are required to consent to mandatory weekly coronavirus testing.

School buildings will only shutter if there are multiple confirmed cases. When a school closes or a classroom quarantines, students and teachers move to remote learning. The city Department of Education created a daily COVID case map that shows all known cases of coronavirus at public schools.

You can go here for a closer look at what happens if there are confirmed coronavirus cases in a school.

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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A federal jury in Texas said Apple Inc must pay about $308.5 million to Personalized Media Communications LLC (PMC) for infringing a patent associated with digital rights management.

The jurors late on Friday directed Apple to pay a running royalty to PMC, which is generally based on the amount of sales of a product or service.

Apple said it was disappointed with the verdict and planned to appeal.

Cases like this, brought by companies that dont make or sell any products, stifle innovation and ultimately harm consumers, it said in an emailed statement.

PMC, a licensing firm, had originally sued Apple in 2015 alleging the tech giants iTunes service infringed seven of its patents.

Apple successfully challenged PMCs case at the U.S. patent office, but an appeals court in March last year reversed that decision, paving the way for the trial.

Sugarland, Texas-based PMC has infringement cases pending against companies including Netflix Inc, Alphabet Incs Google and Amazon.com Inc.

(Reporting by Derek Francis and Bhargav Acharya and additional reporting by Aakriti Bhalla in Bengaluru; Editing by Kim Coghill and Grant McCool)
Akhil Gogoi first in Assam to win election from jail

Who will be the next CM of Assam? Sarbananda Sonowal or Himanta Biswa Sarma?

Voting for Congress means bringing darkness: BJP chief in Dibrugarh

India

oi-Deepika S

Tingkhong, Mar 22: BJP national president J P Nadda on Monday accused the Congress of practising "politics of opportunism" and said Assam will head into days of "darkness" if the opposition party is voted to power.

Addressing an election rally at Tingkhong in Dibrugarh district, he said the BJP has always been at the forefront to protect and serve the people of Assam.

"The Congress'' only aim is politics of opportunism. They are with the Muslim League and fighting against the CPI(M) in Kerala, but joined hands with it in West Bengal and Assam," Nadda said.

Like a tusker, the Congress has "two teeth" -- one to show off and another to chew, he said.

Priyanka Gandhi attacks PM Modi on lack of empathy for Assam

"The Congress says something and always does the opposite... It is dividing the society," the senior BJP leader said.

Repeatedly attacking the Congress, he said the opposition party "means darkness" while the BJP stands for development.

Anil Deshmukh Corruption row: NCP says 'no need for resignation'| Oneindia News

"If you need darkness, then go with the Congress. But if you need development, hold the hands of Prime Minister Narendra Modi," Nadda said at the rally.
CLEVELAND, Ohio Two men are in custody after a shootout inside a diner in Clevelands Cudell neighborhood left two people dead and the gunmen wounded, police said.

Keondre Austin, 27, of Cleveland, and Geongela Rivera, 21, of Euclid, both died in the shooting, according to the Cuyahoga County Medical Examiner.

Cleveland police arrested a 25-year-old man, who suffered gunshot wounds to the arm, face and leg, and a 29-year-old who was shot in the leg, in the shootout. Formal charges have not been filed as of 5 p.m. Monday.

The shooting happened about 4 a.m. at My Friends Restaurant on Detroit Avenue and West 117th Street in the citys Cudell neighborhood after two separate groups arrived at the restaurant about the same time.

Austin and the 25-year-old man argued while they sat at their respective tables, police said. The 25-year-old man and 27-year-old man pulled out guns and opened fire, according to police.

Austin suffered a gunshot wound to the neck, and the woman several gunshots to her body, according to police. Both were shots inside the restaurants dining area, police said.

Police found the 27-year-old man in the restaurants kitchen. The 25-year-old man drove from the restaurant to MetroHealth.

The buildings owner, Daniel Budish, issued a statement that called the shooting tragic and that he is working with police, city council and the Cudell Community Development Corporation to find more ways to make the area safer.

Our resolution and commitment to reduce violence in our community is absolute, said Budish, son of Cuyahoga County Executive Armond Budish. We mourn the losses that were experienced today and hope that our continued work and investment in the neighborhood will help create the kind of place where everyone can feel safe and welcome.

Read more from cleveland.com:

Two dead, two hurt in Cleveland diner shooting, suspected shooter among the injured

Cuyahoga County Sheriff allows deputies, jail officers to resume working part-time security at bars following fatal shooting

Ohio resident accused of storming the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6 in support of Trump
Zac Efron has been hard at work filming his new Netflix eco-travel show, Down to Earth, in Australia.

On Monday, the actor, 33, was shooting scenes at an 'urban farm' sustainability installation, created by zero-waste champion, Joost Bakker, in Melbourne's Federation Square.

On hand to lend her support was the actor's Australian model girlfriend, Vanessa Valladares, 26.

Working: Zac Efron (centre) has been hard at work filming his new Netflix eco-travel show, Down to Earth, in Australia

Vanessa was casually dressed in a loose pink t-shirt in a neon tone, with an elaborate design on the front.

She added a pair of black, chunky sneakers worn with white socks, and maroon gym tights.

Zac was also dressed down, choosing an olive green t-shirt and a pair of black shorts, both from LSKD.

Eco friendly: On Monday, the actor, 33, was shooting scenes at an 'urban farm' sustainability installation, created by zero-waste champion, Joost Bakker, in Melbourne's Federation Square

Lady love: On hand to lend her support was the actor's Australian model girlfriend, Vanessa Valladares, 26 (left)

Think pink: Vanessa was casually dressed in a loose pink t-shirt in a neon tone, with an elaborate design on the front

Casual: She added a pair of black, chunky sneakers worn with white socks, and maroon gym tights

Chill: Zac was also dressed down, choosing an olive green t-shirt and a pair of black shorts, both from LSKD

Run for it: He added a pair of white sneakers to the ensemble, as well as black socks, and had his hair meticulously styled

He added a pair of white sneakers to the ensemble, as well as black socks, and had his hair meticulously styled.

The High School Musical star sat down to a meal at the location, with a salad placed in a white bowl in front of him.

He appeared to tuck in on camera, as Vanessa had also enjoyed a meal, but sat down to eat hers before he began shooting.

Rabbit food: The High School Musical star sat down to a meal at the location, with a salad placed in a white bowl in front of him

Munchies: He appeared to tuck in on camera, as Vanessa had also enjoyed a meal, but sat down to eat hers before he began shooting

Chats: The Lucky One star inspected nuts and other food items in a bowl, as he was talked through what he was consuming

The Lucky One star inspected nuts and other food items in a bowl, as he was talked through what he was consuming.

Zac was shown around the grounds, inspecting various plants and what appeared to be a wooden hive.

He seemed to be in great spirits, smiling widely as he was introduced to various workers at the project.

Walk around: Zac was shown around the grounds, inspecting various plants and what appeared to be a wooden hive

All smiles: He seemed to be in great spirits, smiling widely as he was introduced to various workers at the project

Chats: Zac stopped to chat with the film crew in between takes

Deep in concentration: He listened closely, taking in the information on offer

The Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile actor vanished into the crops at the location, laughing with a group of men as he wandered through corn stalks.

The appearance comes after Australian model and filmmaker Ben Waddell claimed Netflix stole his idea for Zac's Down to Earth documentary series.

Waddell said the eco-travel show, now filming its second season in Australia, is an almost exact copy of the concept he shopped around the US in 2018.

Shown around: The We Are Your Friends actor was given a tour of the premises

Children of the corn: Zac vanished into the crops at the location, laughing with a group of men as he wandered through corn stalks

Giggles: The Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile actor laughed heartily when one of the crew made a joke

Staying close: A cameraman stayed close to the actor as he moved through the space

Eco-friendly: The installation demonstrates how an eco-friendly zone can be established even in a bustling city

American producers balked at the idea because they wanted a celebrity as the host, and Waddell returned to Australia to shoot a local version.

Then suddenly Efron's show appeared on the streaming platform last year without him even realising it was in production.

'I was sitting on my couch during lockdown and turned on Netflix and it was trending as the second-biggest show in the US,' he told Daily Mail Australia from New York.

Blooming lovely! The American actor stood alongside a very healthy-looking cabbage

Demonstration: He was given a crash course on how to create an urban farm

So green! The space is in the middle of Melbourne's CBD but is blooming beautifully

Screaming: In the show, Zac travels around the world with wellness expert Darin Olien to find sustainable ways to live

Shooting all over: He also filmed scenes for the show in the picturesque region

Down Under: Zac has been in Australian since last year and appears to have made Down Under his home

'I fell out of my chair, I was shocked. It was brutal, gut-wrenching.

'Now they're making a season 2 in Australia just to kick me when I'm down.'

The Australian presenter and production partner Whitney Smith shot a pilot for 'Down to Earth with Ben Waddell' at an eco-retreat in Mexico in July 2017.

On the move: The star has taken girlfriend Vanessa on his adventures around Australia

Close: The couple have been together for over a year after meeting in Byron Bay, NSW

Woes: The appearance comes after Australian model and filmmaker Ben Waddell claimed Netflix stole his idea for Zac's Down to Earth documentary series

After it was not picked up in the US, he began plans to shoot in Australia but had to shut down discussions with Channel 10 after seeing the Efron version in June.

Waddell, through his production company Ghost Donkey Media, is now suing Netflix and Down to Earth makers The Nacelle Company.
A Christian reporter revealed how President Joe Biden's Administration restricts media access to the White House while other members of the press speak out against its press policies that "favor the rich."

The Christian Post (CP) reported on Thursday that a Christian reporter and lead investigative journalist on Religious Freedom and anti-Semitism has joined a Playboy correspondent to protest against Biden's press policies, referring to InterMountain Christian News Publisher Dr. Matthew Anthony Harper and Playboy White House Correspondent Brian Karem.

In an interview with CP, Harper said that the restriction involved limiting his access to the White House grounds from daily during former President Donald Trump's administration to once a week.

He also cited that the new press policies included having journalists pay the cost of coronavirus testing, which is needed for their access. This is a "gross injustice putting a wall up for press access directly affecting our freedom of the press," Harper said.

According to CP, a diverse group of journalists including Harper and Karem have expressed in a letter their concerns against the press policies of Biden's administration. The letter, dated January 22, was led by Karem and given to White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki.

Per CP, the letter expressed the journalists' concerns about having restricted access to the White House due to the pandemic. The White House limited entry to only 80 members of the press at any given time. Karem said Psaki gave a generic response to the letter.

Karem had a follow-up on the letter through an email on February 26 to Psaki where he raised that the said new press policies of the White House in line with members of the press shouldering the cost as "dangerous and wrong," CP noted. He then explained in a March 4 article that "independent reporters are being penalized by the Biden administration's new White House entry policies that favor wealthy corporate outlets."

"These restrictions punish independent reporters, foreign bureaus and freelancers, myself included. It is favoritism for the rich," Karem noted.

The letter said that the 80-person limit "solves a problem that doesn't exist" and is "arbitrary" because many people come and go in the White House for various editorial reasons such as to "simply shoot a standup or to type a story or meet a source and then leave" and thus the actual number people are "nowhere near 80 these days."

The other members of the press who signed the letter are national political reporter Hugo Lowell, Ami Magazine Chief Political Correspondent Jake Turx, The Daily Caller Senior White House Correspondent Christian Datoc, Politico Correspondent Andrew Feinberg, India America Today Foreign Correspondent Tejinder Singh, The Pavlovic Today Founder-Publisher Ksenija Pavlovic McAteer, and MVS Noticias White House Correspondent Bricio Segovia.

Segovia, being a member of the National Association of Hispanic Journalists, talked about the policies in a series of tweets.

"Basically, the Biden Administration is preventing foreign journalists from taking part in the White House press briefings," he said.

Meanwhile, the only female signatory in the letter, McAteer, has pinned in her Twitter account an open letter to Psaki and Biden on the COVID-testing.

"I am writing to ask you to reconsider your new policy of charging members of the White House press for COVID testing [$170 per test]. By requiring reporters to pay for COVID testing as a condition of access discriminates against independent journalists as well as the foreign press," she said in her open letter.

McAteer pointed out the importance of "diversity of viewpoints" to democracy and that "America needs independent voices who do high-quality, original journalism" such as those of Martha Kumar and the likes "from both sides and center of the political spectrum." She stressed that the new policy opens the "door to 'pay to play' journalism."

CP cited an email sent by Psaki to the White House Correspondents' Association through its Executive Director Steven Thomma last February 26 that explained the "budgetary constraints" have limited the "government's ability to provide the daily COVID-19 testing that the White House requires for journalists on campus" and, as such passed the burden of paying the $170 per testing fee to the members of the press.

The said email also explained that the members of the press are being limited to be "physically on the campus at any time" because of the pandemic and to ensure social distancing protocols are followed. For this to be done fairly, "a lottery program has been instituted to ensure fair access for news organizations that are not in the daily pool." Yet, as per CP, it is the mainstream outlets are favored for this.
These marshes were fed by two freshwater creeks, Huichica and Carneros. The names of each stream translates into reflections of the areas heritage. Huichica is the Native American name for the little ground or burrowing owls that inhabited abandoned squirrel holes in the banks of this creek.

Carneros Creek, or El Arroyo de Los Carneros, means the creek of the sheep. According to the late Luisa Vallejo Emparan (18561943), her father Mariano Vallejo told her how this name came about. In an area where the stream ran 20 feet or so below the hills, a flock of frightened sheep stampeded and plunged over the cliff to their deaths in such numbers that their bodies blocked the channel. When referring to the stream, many cited the accident and dubbed it Carneros Creek.

These streams were lined with willow, alder and ash. Prior to the 1830s and 1840s, the rolling hills and small valleys of the area were covered with magnificent oaks and wild oats. These grasses stood shoulder high. These wild grains provided fodder for both wild and domesticated animals.

Tule elk and deer grazed on those wild oats while the bear, cougars, bobcats and other predators fed on squirrels, rabbits and other small animals. To quote Duhig again, he remarked, What a wildlife preserve it was in its early days.
Gandhinagar, March 23 : Gujarat's Labour and Employment Minister Dilip Thakor on Monday could not specify the number of work hours fixed by the government for a farm labourer to avail the minimum wages, despite his department fixing and revising the time and wages just two months back.

Responding to Congress member Imran Khedawala's question on minimum wages set for a farm labourer as of January 31, 2021, Thakor, in a written reply, said that the government had fixed the minimum wages at Rs 178 for a daily wage labourer while for a regularised permanent labourer, the rate was Rs 64,970 for a year, as fixed on September 19, 2019.

Rising to answer during a discussion on the issue, Thakor said that according to the latest revised rates mentioned in the Government Resolution (GR) issued on January 1 2021, the basic wage rate was fixed at Rs 268 and a special allowance was set at Rs 56.20.

But as Khedawala wanted to know that for how many hours was the farm labourer required to work to be eligible for these wage rates, the Minister was at a loss. Despite Speaker Rajendra Trivedi repeatedly warning the Minister to come to the point and answer the question precisely, Thakor could not give a satisfactory answer.

However, the GR clearly states that the basic minimum wages for farm labourers is set for eight hours of work per day.
EXIT THE KING

Old Fitz Theatre, March 21



Finally returning to the Old Fitz held a particular joy, as if this tight little crucible is the canary in the Sydney theatre coalmine, and alls well when its on the wing. This feeling was compounded when, upon entering the theatre proper, we seemed to fall through a crack in reality into a medieval morality play (with music to match), encountering a tableau of actors on Veronique Benetts mind-bending, silver set, before a word was uttered.

Shakira Clanton, as Queen Marguerite, tries to reconcile King Berenger to his impending doom. Credit:Robert Catto

The makeup-caked actors were covered in wisps of cobweb, and, as people took their seats, Juliette, the put-upon maid (Emma OSullivan), meticulously de-cobwebbed them with a feather duster. This suggested the characters had long been waiting to return to (post-COVID) life, and indeed King Berenger (Jonny Hawkins) has supposedly been on the throne for centuries  if one is optimistic enough to take anyone on stage as a credible witness.

Eugene Ionesco penned his 1962 play when unwell, calling it an apprenticeship in death, because Berenger is told early on that his demise is imminent. The ostensibly wicked doctor (Rob Johnson) and first wife, Marguerite (Shakira Clanton), try to reconcile him to his impending doom, while his second wife, Marie (Dalara Williams), the guard (Toby Blome) and Juliette are more inclined to prop him up on pillows of false hope. Deep beneath the gaudiness, meanwhile, lies a parable about the all-too-common inability to relinquish power.
HALIFAX, NS - March 22, 2021 (Investorideas.com Newswire) Fortune Bay Corp. (TSXV: FOR, Frankfurt: 5QN) ("Fortune Bay" or the "Company") is pleased to announce a new Mineral Resource Estimate ("MRE") for its 100% owned Goldfields Project ("Goldfields" or the "Project") located in northern Saskatchewan (Figure 1). This new MRE replaces the historical MRE, as outlined in the historical 2011 Pre-Feasibility Study, and serves to classify current mineral resources for the Project in accordance with National Instrument 43-101 ("NI 43101").

Mineral Resource Estimate Highlights:

Indicated Mineral Resources of 975,000 oz of gold (22.6 million tonnes at an average grade of 1.34 g/t);

Inferred Mineral Resources of 176,000 oz of gold (6.0 million tonnes at an average grade of 0.92 g/t);

Based on verified historical drilling data and new geological and mineralization models that incorporate structural controls on gold mineralization;

Reconciles to within 1% of historical mine production;

Indicated Mineral Resources comprise 85% of the estimate, with the remaining 15% classified at an Inferred level of confidence; and

Confirms resource expansion opportunities at both the Box and Athona deposits, and resource upside through further infill and confirmatory drilling.

Dale Verran, CEO for Fortune Bay, commented, "The resource estimate marks an important milestone for the Goldfields Project by confirming almost one million Indicated ounces of open-pit constrained gold within a more reliable and geologically representative estimate. A significant amount of work, in both the office and field, has gone into preparing the estimate which has included verification of the vast historical data set, the development of new detailed geological and mineralization models for both deposits, and a comprehensive estimation process."

Mr. Verran further added, "Mineral resource estimates are ultimately judged through reconciliation with mine production. The precise reconciliation of the resource estimate with historical mine production at the Box deposit provides substantial confidence in the estimate and a solid foundation on which to advance the project."

The MRE was prepared by SRK Consulting (Canada) Inc. ("SRK"), an independent consulting firm with significant experience in the estimation of gold deposits, both in Canada and internationally. SRK was also responsible for the development of the supporting mineralization models which were based upon structural and petrographic studies conducted by SRK, in addition to reviews of the historical data.

Details of the Mineral Resource Estimate

Geological Modelling and Resource Estimation

The Goldfields MRE is predicated on a drillhole database containing a total of 826 drill holes of which 488 are located within the Box deposit and 338 within the Athona deposit. A total of 38,560 sample intervals with gold assay information are contained in the database with approximately 60% of these located within the Box deposit and 40% within the Athona deposit.

Geological and vein mineralization models ("vein models") were created to support modeling of gold mineralization within the host "Mine Granites" at Box and Athona, where higher grades are evident in quartz vein sets that exhibit preferred structural orientations. The vein models were based on an integration of assay result composites at a lower cut-off of 3 g/t Au with known quartz vein orientations, from both historical reporting and new field measurements on site. Composited assay data provided compelling support for modelling of vein sets corresponding to the known structural orientations.

The vein models allowed for the spatial constraint of higher grade results within the grade model using hard boundaries for grade estimation. The vein models do not constrain all the mineralization, as the Athona and Box Mine Granites also host mineralization related to the presence of smaller and less continuous quartz vein sets, or vein stockworks, that cannot be reasonably represented by vein models. Grade was therefore estimated into the Mine Granites using the assay results falling outside of the vein models.

Grade estimation was carried out based on assay data composited at 1.5 metre intervals using the Ordinary Kriging interpolation method with appropriate search parameters. This approach has generated grade models for Box and Athona that have been estimated into block models using a block size of 5x5x5 metres (sub-blocked to 1x2.5x1 metres for Box and 1x1x1 metres for Athona) that are deemed to be geologically representative of the nature of the mineralization present. Models for the Box and Athona Deposits are provided in Figures 2 and 3, respectively.

Reconciliation with Historical Mine Production

Historical underground gold mining at the Box Mine produced approximately 64,000 ounces from 1.29 Mt at 1.54 g/t during the period 1939 to 1942, when it was closed due to work force shortages brought about by World War II. Void space 3D models have been created to represent the mined-out volumes, and the MRE has been corrected for the historically mined-out material. These void space models also allow for reconciliation of the MRE against historical production. The total gold content extracted from the MRE block model using these void space models amounts to 66,110 oz, which reconciles to within 1% of historical production when the historically reported process plant recovery efficiency of 96% is applied.

Data Verification

The substantial Goldfields resource database includes records generated during the period 1935 to 2011. All resource data have been recompiled and verified by Fortune Bay. This process has involved recapture and verification of drill information, verification of assay results and transformation of datasets from local mine grids (for Box and Athona) into a UTM NAD83 projected coordinate system. Drill collar locations were verified in the field using a sub-meter accuracy GPS, providing confidence in both collar locations and the transformations to UTM NAD83. The data verification completed as part of the new MRE complements historical data verification carried out for historical MREs and provided confirmation that the historical data records are suitable for reliable estimation of mineral resources.

As part of the data verification process SRK conducted a site visit to the Goldfields project in September, 2020, during which drill core from the Box and Athona deposits were reviewed and relogged, a total of 70 samples were collected for assay verification purposes, 48 samples were collected for petrographic analysis to assess for the presence and controls of gold mineralization, outcrop mapping was conducted at both deposits and drill hole positions and collar coordinates were confirmed in the field. Further details of this data verification process are provided in the Company's news release dated November 25, 2020.

Qualified Persons and Technical Report

The Mineral Resource Estimate was prepared by Mr. Cliff Revering, P. Eng., Principal Consultant at SRK and Dr. Ron Uken, PhD, P. Geo, Principal Consultant at SRK, who read and approved the related disclosure about the mineral resources in this news release. Both are independent Qualified Persons in accordance with the requirements of NI 43-101. The technical information contained in this news release has been reviewed and approved by Mr. Dale Verran, MSc, P.Geo, Pr.Sci.Nat., Fortune Bay's Chief Executive Officer, who is also a Qualified Person in accordance with the requirements of NI 43-101. An updated independent Technical Report will be prepared for the Goldfields Project and will be filed on SEDAR (www.sedar.com) within 45 days of this news release.

About Goldfields

The 100% owned Goldfields Project is the Company's most advanced asset located in northern Saskatchewan, approximately 13 kilometres from Uranium City. The Project is endowed with established infrastructure including existing roads, a powerline to site, and nearby facilities and an airport at Uranium City. The Project has a history of gold production (64,000 oz Au produced between 1939 to 1942), numerous exploration drilling campaigns (~80,000 metres of drilling in ~675 drill holes) and various historical mining studies (including a 2007 Feasibility Study for the Box deposit and a 2011 Pre-Feasibility for the Box and Athona deposits that were prepared in accordance with NI 43-101). The Box open-pit mine and mill development is permitted having received Ministerial approval under the Environmental Assessment Act in May 2008. The 10,300 hectare Goldfields property presents numerous exploration opportunities, including the potential to expand the Box and Athona deposits and discover additional resources at several other gold prospects and occurrences.

About Fortune Bay

Fortune Bay Corp. (TSXV:FOR, Frankfurt: 5QN) is a gold-focused exploration and development company with 100% ownership in two advanced gold exploration projects in Canada, Saskatchewan (Goldfields Project) and Mexico, Chiapas (Ixhuatan Project), both with exploration and development potential. The Company has a goal of building a mid-tier gold exploration and development Company through the advancement of its existing projects and the strategic acquisition of new projects to create a pipeline of growth opportunities. The Company's corporate strategy is driven by a Board and Management team with a proven track record of discovery, project development and value creation. Further information on Fortune Bay and its assets can be found on the Company's website at www.fortunebaycorp.com or by contacting us as info@fortunebaycorp.com or by telephone at 902-334-1919.

On behalf of Fortune Bay Corp.

Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Information

Information set forth in this news release contains forward-looking statements that are based on assumptions as of the date of this news release. These statements reflect management's current estimates, beliefs, intentions and expectations. They are not guarantees of future performance. Fortune Bay Corp. ("Fortune Bay" or the "Company") cautions that all forward-looking statements are inherently uncertain, and that actual performance may be affected by a number of material factors, many of which are beyond Fortune Bay's control. Such factors include, among other things: risks and uncertainties relating to metal prices, changes in planned work resulting from weather, COVID-19 restrictions, logistical, technical or other factors, the possibility that results of work will not fulfill expectations and realize the perceived potential of Fortune Bay's mineral properties, uncertainties involved in the interpretation of drilling results and other tests, the possibility that required permits may not be obtained in a timely manner or at all, risk of accidents, equipment breakdowns or other unanticipated difficulties or interruptions, the possibility of cost overruns or unanticipated expenses in work programs, the risk of environmental contamination or damage resulting from the exploration operations, the need to comply with environmental and governmental regulations and the lack of availability of necessary capital, which may not be available to Fortune Bay, acceptable to it or at all. Fortune Bay is subject to the specific risks inherent in the mining business as well as general economic and business conditions. Accordingly, actual and future events, conditions and results may differ materially from the estimates, beliefs, intentions and expectations expressed or implied in the forward-looking information. Except as required under applicable securities legislation, Fortune Bay undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise forward-looking information. Fortune Bay does not intend, and does not assume any obligation, to update these forward-looking statements, except as required under applicable securities legislation. For more information on Fortune Bay, readers should refer to Fortune Bay's website at www.fortunebaycorp.com.

Figure 1: Goldfields Project infrastructure and location map. (CNW Group/Fortune Bay Corp.)

Figure 2: Box Deposit Models. (CNW Group/Fortune Bay Corp.)

Figure 3: Athona Deposit Models. (CNW Group/Fortune Bay Corp.)

SOURCE Fortune Bay Corp.

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They were recently spotted on a date in Noosa.

But Jake Edwards and his new squeeze Sophie Guidolin returned to the Married at First Sight hunk's hometown of Melbourne on Sunday.

The charity CEO and his nutritionist girlfriend couldn't keep their hands off each other, packing on the PDA in the Victorian capital.

Home turf: Jake Edwards and his new squeeze Sophie Guidolin returned to the Married at First Sight hunk's hometown of Melbourne on Sunday.

Jake, who opted to stay with 'wife' Rebecca Zemek during MAFS' Sunday night commitment ceremony, had clearly put the Channel 9 experiment behind him as he held hands with the mother-of-four.

Guidolin showed off her stunning figure in a white denim mini-dress, paired with tan heels.

She wore her wavy ombre tresses loose and cascading across her shoulders as she and her reality TV star beau exited the busy airport.

Honeymoon phase: The charity CEO and his nutritionist girlfriend couldn't keep their hands off each other, packing on the PDA in the Victorian capital

Moving on up: Jake, who opted to stay with 'wife' Rebecca Zemek during MAFS' Sunday night commitment ceremony, had clearly put the Channel 9 experiment behind him as he held hands with the mother-of-four

Loved up: At one point the couple stopped so that the former AFL star could passionately kiss his new girlfriend

At one point the couple stopped so that the former AFL star could passionately kiss his new girlfriend.

Edwards rocked a casual look in distressed cutoff denim shorts, a grey T-shirt and white Converse sneakers.

While he held Sophie's hand, he sipped a takeaway coffee with his free hand.

Taking it easy: Edwards rocked a casual look in distressed cutoff denim shorts, a grey T-shirt and white Converse sneakers

The look: She wore her wavy ombre tresses loose and cascading across her shoulders as she and her reality TV star beau exited the busy airport

Jake, 33, was spotted enjoying a low-key dinner date in Noosa with his new squeeze last Wednesday.

The following day, Jake appeared in an Instagram video Sophie posted from the beach, which she captioned: 'Birthday swims.'

Later, Sophie hinted her boyfriend had given her a memorable birthday present, but said she couldn't provide any details for 'a couple of days'.

The fact they are being so open about their relationship suggests Jake and Beck's departure from Married At First Sight is on the horizon.

New love: Jake, 33, was spotted enjoying a low-key dinner date in Noosa with his new squeeze last Wednesday

Snapped up: On Monday, Sophie told her 535,000 Instagram followers she was 'taken' after ending her long-term relationship with bodybuilder Nathan, last year

Sophie confirmed on Monday night she was in a new relationship by sharing a photo of herself cuddling a man in a green shirt.

While the man's face wasn't visible in her Instagram post, the shirt resembled one Jake was pictured wearing during filming in November.

The man's upper-arm tattoos also matched Jake's.

Earlier on Monday, Sophie told her 535,000 Instagram followers she was 'taken' after ending her long-term relationship with bodybuilder Nathan, last year.




Position Objective: To provide therapeutic services to patients at pathways and to provide direct liaison to the program supervisor regarding the status of the therapeutic community. This individual must have a clear understanding of age related development issues and chemical dependency. Pathways provides multiple levels of care; every staff member has a role in our patients' success. Staff may be asked to work in other areas of treatment or administration as needed. Essential Job Duties: Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions Able to assess data reflective of the patient's status and interpret the appropriate information needed to identify each patient's requirements relative to his or her age-specific needs. Performs duties according to established standards for age groups adolescence through geriatric. Conducts patient and family interviews and provides referrals to appropriate level of care and to community resources. Demonstrates knowledge of ASAM and DSM V criteria relative to the assessment of patient needs throughout the course of treatment. Provides case management for assigned clients and maintains competency to evaluate and care for these patients following program protocols. Maintains accurate and complete chart documentation regarding patient attitude and progress in the treatment process following program protocols. Documents attendance and demonstrated knowledge/understanding of program/meeting content. Performs utilization review as needed according to program protocols. Provides liaison services between patients and other agencies. Communicates, monitors, and ensures patient/family quality and continuity of care throughout the continuum of treatment, using established procedures following program protocols. Completes family assessments to identify family /relationship problems and incorporate problem formulation into the individualized Treatment Plan, using established procedures and within designated time frames following program protocols. Completes intake documentation with applicants, gathering sufficient history of psychoactive substance use and behavioral consequences to permit evaluation of history as it relates to admission criteria. Reviews, monitors and implements admission criteria for determining appropriateness of patient for entry into treatment at Pathways. Provides communication with the nursing, medical and clinical staff regarding potential admission and new admissions. Completes preliminary insurance and financial information data with applicant and/or family following per program protocol. The data will be provided to the financial counselor or designee for verification of benefits for admission by Insurance and/or managed care companies. Refers applicant/family to the financial counselor regarding a blending of clinical and financial data to achieve adequate contract consistent with the approved Pathways financial counseling guides. Attends and participates in program staff meetings, multidisciplinary clinical staff meetings and in service training. Participates on committees and quality assessment/improvement activities Educational/Experience Requirements: Bachelor degree in related field required. Currently pursuing a Masters in behavioral health preferred.

Ability to work flexible hours.

Two years' work experience and direct practice in the area of behavioral health care to include group and individual counseling.

Familiarity with, and agreement to adhere to, established core competencies, global criteria and ethical standards for Substance Abuse Counseling. Required License/Certifications: Valid Maryland driver's license and a driving record with no more than two points.

Approval as an Alcohol and Drug Trainee (ADT) is required.

Certification as a Supervised Counselor or Associate Counselor Alcohol and Drug (CSC-AD,CAC-AD) or higher from the MD BOP is required prior to expiration of ADT approval date.

Current American Health Association Health Care Provider Basic Life Support (BLS) CPR certification within 30 days of hire Working Conditions, Equipment, Physical Demands: There is a reasonable expectation that employees in this position will be exposed to blood-borne pathogens. Physical Demands - Light work. Exerting up to 20 pounds of force occasionally, and/or up to 10 pounds of force frequently, and/or a negligible amount of force constantly to move objects. If the use of arm and/or leg controls requires exertion of forces greater than that for sedentary work and the worker sits most of the time, the job is rated for light work. The physical demands and work environment that have been described are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this position. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions in accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act. The above job description is an overview of the functions and requirements for this position. This document is not intended to be an exhaustive list encompassing every duty and requirement of this position; your supervisor may assign other duties as deemed necessary.


STATEN ISLAND, N.Y.  A 36-year-old Bronx man, arrested on the Staten Island Ferry Sunday after he allegedly assaulted a senior citizen on a Manhattan subway train two days prior, was arraigned Monday in Manhattan Criminal Court.

Marc Mathieu, of Bronx Boulevard, faces one charge of second-degree assault in the attack on the 68-year-old man, according to a criminal complaint. Manhattan Assistant District Attorney Katherine Demartini said an investigation to discern if the incident was a hate crime is still underway.

Authorities allege Mathieu struck the man in the face on a subway car stopped at Franklin Street and Varick Street at around 2:40 p.m. on Friday, causing the victim to sustain critical injuries to his head before being removed in stable condition by EMS to New York-Presbyterian Lower Manhattan Hospital.

Mathieu fled the scene following the attack, police said, before being apprehended in distinctive clothing similar to what was worn during the incident.

A witness said he allegedly shouted anti-Asian slurs during the beating, according to a source with knowledge of the probe. A witness told the New York Daily News and NBC that the attacker allegedly said Asian motherf-----, during the incident.

The victim is Sri Lankan, according to NBC.

The initial information provided to police was that it was an unprovoked attack and that no words were exchanged, a source said.

At the arraignment Monday, Demartini said the victim in the case was struck hard enough to lose consciousness temporarily, adding that Mathieu has two prior misdemeanor cases, including one for third-degree assault, and also has an open menacing and criminal mischief case in the Bronx for which he was arrested just a day before the alleged attack.

Bail was set by a judge for Mathieu at $25,000 cash, $50,000 insurance company bond and $75,000 partially secured surety bond.

His next court date is on March 26. His lawyer, James McQueeney, declined to comment.

Authorities have been alarmed at the rise in anti-Asian hate crimes across the nation in recent months. Civil rights activists fear the spike in incidents stems from the coronavirus pandemic, which originated in China.

Hundreds gathered in Manhattans Chinatown Sunday to rally against racism and xenophobia and denounce shootings at massage businesses in Georgia that left eight people dead, six of whom were Asian.

While officials said they have not seen a rise in such incidents in our borough, last week the State Island Hate Crimes Task Force condemned the disturbing national trend.

The Asian American Pacific Islander community on Staten Island is an essential part of the fabric of our borough and while we are exceptionally fortunate not to have seen any anti-Asian bias incidents or crimes since the outset of the pandemic, we will not let our guard down, and we will continue to stand with them in the face of bigotry and hatred.
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U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin met Afghan President Ashraf Ghani in an unnanounced visit to Kabul on Sunday as Washington reviews the peace process there and its planned troop withdrawal.

Austin said on Twitter he had come to "listen and learn", on his first trip to Afghanistan since his appointment.

"This visit been very helpful for me, and it will inform my participation in the review we are undergoing here with (U.S. President Joe Biden)," Reuters cited him as saying.

The meeting comes at a crucial time for the Afghan peace process ahead of a May 1 deadline for the withdrawal of U.S. troops agreed by the insurgent Taliban and the administration of previous U.S. President Donald Trump.

Negotiations between the Taliban and the Afghan government in Qatars capital Doha have struggled to gain momentum and violence has risen.

Afghanistans presidential palace said on Sunday Austin and Ghani discussed the peace process and concerns over rising violence.
The board considers Zaninovich brings significant hands-on experience in strategic planning, mining feasibility studies, project development and operational readiness.

Maximus acknowledges the commitment and guidance Gerard Anderson has provided as acting chairman over the past two years

Resources Ltd ( ) (FRA:M5F) ( ) has strengthened its board with strategic planning and engineering experience following the appointment of Steve Zaninovich as independent non-executive chairman.

Zaninovich is a highly qualified and experienced engineer with more than 25 years' project management experience in Australia and internationally.

He was previously project director for Tawana Resources with responsibility for delivery of the Bald Hill Lithium Project in Western Australia, followed by commissioning and handover.

Prior to that, he was vice president of major projects and part of the executive management team at Teranga Gold Corporation following its acquisition of Gryphon Minerals, after spending five years as the latter's chief operating officer.

Previous experience

Zaninovich is currently a non-executive director of ( ), ( ) and ( ).

He was previously executive director with Ltd ( ) and Limited ( ) and held non-executive director roles with Centaurus Metals Limited ( ), Gryphon Minerals and Orway Minerals Consultants.

Maximus believes Zaninovich brings significant hands-on experience in strategic planning, mining feasibility studies, project development and operational readiness.

These skills are considered invaluable in supporting the companys planned acceleration of exploration and mining studies across its Spargoville granted mining leases.

To remain non-exec director

The company acknowledges the commitment and guidance that Gerard Anderson has provided over the past two years as acting non-executive chairman.

Anderson will remain as a non-executive director of Maximus assisting with his 43 years experience in exploration, mine and resource geology.
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Two men have been arrested for allegedly drugging and raping a woman who later died in her hotel room while on spring break in Miami.

Evoire Collier, 21, and Dorian Taylor, 24, both from Greensboro, North Carolina, allegedly gave 24-year-old Christine Englehardt a 'green pill' and then took her back to her hotel in South Beach.

The two men are accused of raping Englehardt, who was visiting from Pennsylvania, before stealing her phone, cash and credit cards which they then used as they carried on partying in the spring break hotspot.

Englehardt's semi-naked dead body was found on the bed in her hotel room Thursday.

Investigators are now working to determine if her death was caused by the pill given to her by the two suspects.

24-year-old Christine Englehardt was reportedly given a 'green pill' before being raped then murdered

Evoire Collier, 21, (left) and Dorian Taylor, 24, (right) were arrested for allegedly drugging and raping a woman who later died in her hotel room while on spring break in Miami

According to a police report, Collier told officers the two men met Englehardt at a local restaurant before giving her the drug as they walked along Ocean Drive.

The group then headed back to the Albion Hotel at 1650 James Avenue, reported the Miami Herald.

Surveillance footage taken from the hotel lobby shows the two men entering the hotel with Englehardt at around 1 am Thursday.

As they walked into the elevator in the building, the woman was staggering and Taylor was holding her from behind 'by the neck so she could stand', Miami Beach Detective Luis Alsina said in a court hearing Monday.

Collier said he and Taylor each had sex with Englehardt and that Taylor raped her as she seemed to be unconscious, authorities said.

Police said Englehardt was not able to have consented to sex with either of the two men while under the influence of alcohol and narcotics.

Collier and Taylor then stole her phone, cash and credit cards and left her unconscious in the room 'without any concern for her welfare or safety,' the police report said.

The two men were then captured on the hotel surveillance cameras leaving the building around an hour after they arrived.

They then allegedly went on a spree using the victim's cards at 'various locations' across Miami Beach including at liquor store South Beach Liquors.

Englehardt's semi-nude body was found on the bed in the hotel room Thursday and emergency services were called.

A cause of death is yet to be determined with the Miami-Dade Medical Examiner's Office carrying out further tests to learn if she died from an overdose from the pill given to her by the suspects, the Herald reported.

Englehardt's semi-nude body was found on the bed at a room at the Albion Hotel, Thursday

The two men, both from Greensboro, North Carolina, allegedly gave 24-year-old Christine Englehardt a 'green pill' and then took her back to her hotel in South Beach. Pictured Taylor in a court hearing Monday

The two men are accused of raping Englehardt, who was visiting from Pennsylvania, before stealing her phone, cash and credit cards which they then used as they carried on partying in the spring break hotspot. Collier in court Monday

Collier claimed he thought the pill they gave Englehardt was Percocet, a powerful pain reliever, but authorities are investigating the possibility it was a narcotic such as fentanyl.

It is not clear if she took the drug willingly or if she was spiked.

The net closed in on the suspects when police watched the surveillance footage.

Officers picked up Collier Saturday on Ocean Drive at Eighth Street where he was wearing the same pants in the footage, police said.

He allegedly had the woman's phone and the green pills in his possession at the time.

Collier and Taylor were both arrested and booked into a Miami-Dade jail Sunday.

They are facing charges of burglary with battery, sexual battery, petty theft and credit card fraud.

They could also face murder or manslaughter charges if tests show the drug they gave Englehardt played a role in her death.

Miami Beach officials have implemented an 8pm curfew and declared a state of emergency amid fears that the influx of partygoers will lead to both a surge in COVID-19 infections and unruly behavior. Revelers party in Miami Beach Saturday night

Authorities are facing allegations of racism after using pepper balls and sounds cannons on a largely black crowd Saturday night

Collier and Taylor appeared in court Monday where a judge granted the prosecution's request that they remain in custody citing concerns they will leave the state if released.

They will be arraigned in a few weeks' time.

The shocking death of the 24-year-old comes as Miami officials are struggling to maintain control after an influx of partygoers flocked to the city in recent weeks to celebrate spring break.

Miami Beach officials have implemented an 8pm curfew and declared a state of emergency amid fears that the influx of partygoers will lead to both a surge in COVID-19 infections and unruly behavior.

Mayor Dan Gelber told an emergency meeting of the city commission last week that all manner of out-of-town and out-of-state visitors, not just college students, were filling the streets since Governor Ron DeSantis on February 26 called the state an 'oasis of freedom' from coronavirus restrictions.

Miami Beach police have arrested more than 1,000 people in the past month.

But authorities are facing allegations of racism after using pepper balls and sounds cannons on a largely black crowd Saturday night.
WASHTENAW COUNTY, MI  Jimena Loveluck and much of her staff at the Washtenaw County Health Department have gone more than a year without a vacation.

As Washtenaw Countys top health official, Lovelucks last 12 months have been taken over by the COVID-19 pandemic, which has taken the lives of 238 people and accounted for 19,548 confirmed and probable infections across the county.

Initially, people speculated about how long the spread of the virus might last. Two to three weeks quickly turned into two to three months. Because of her experience in public health, particularly working to combat the spread of the HIV/AIDS, Loveluck said she had an inkling, though, that it would be here for the long term.

Were still understanding so much that we didnt know about the virus and its impact, so, I didnt completely predict all of this, but I did have a sense that this could be a long haul for our health department and for us as a community, Loveluck said.

The goal for Washtenaw County now is to create an environment where getting a COVID vaccination is as easy as getting the flu shot, Loveluck said. With vaccines more available than ever before, Loveluck said shes proud of the health departments work, but knows more challenges are likely inevitable.

Washtenaw County residents can now self schedule for COVID vaccine appointments

For many of us this has been the biggest professional and personal challenge that weve faced, Loveluck said.

The first months of the coronavirus spread

Loveluck became the countys health officer in 2019. Prior to that, she was the health departments deputy officer, writing grants to bring in new funding and staff. She also served as president/CEO of the HIV/AIDS Resource Center in Ypsilanti for 15 years.

Weeks before the first confirmed COVID-19 case was reported in Michigan on March 10, 2020, the health department was monitoring travelers, Loveluck said.

Gov. Whitmer declares state of emergency as first coronavirus cases confirmed in Michigan

Before COVID testing was available, there were a series of tests done to rule out flu and other possible viruses. And all tests were sent to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta, which was not an efficient process, Loveluck said.

I remember the wait for that first positive test result. Every test wed be waiting for notice from the CDC about the results and I remember everyday going through the suspected cases, what their story was, what their possible exposure was, Loveluck said.

It wasnt until later in March that health systems were performing COVID tests locally, and even then testing was not available in the capacity it is now.

Testing was super challenging early on, you had to be symptomatic, it wasnt just going to CVS like you can now, she said.

Loveluck recalls how quickly the pandemic accelerated, a sign it would take much longer than a few months to bring an end to the spread of the virus, she said.

Assume coronavirus may be present in public places, Washtenaw health officer warns

On March 12, 2020, Washtenaw County reported its first confirmed case, and by March 22 there were 34 more cases and one death, an elderly man with underlying health conditions, the health department reported.

There have been times where Ive had to use my authority as a public health officer to put in additional restrictions because of the situation that we were facing, whether it was cases spiking like the surge in cases on the University of Michigans campus, as well as businesses, asking employers to screen employees before those were statewide expectations., Loveluck said.

University of Michigan students told to stay home as virus variant cases climb

The health department and University of Michigan have partnered on two orders recommending all students living on or near the Ann Arbor campus stay in place. One came during the fall 2020 semester when more than 1,000 cases were identified in the UM community, and the other in January when the health department responded to fears of the rapid spreading B.1.1.7. variant.

Inequalities exacerbated by effects of pandemic

The health department has focused on addressing health equity throughout Washtenaw County, which has been highlighted by the pandemic.

Weve seen how communities of color have been particularly impacted by COVID, how certain geographic areas of our county have been impacted and it shows how much more work there is to do, Loveluck said.

In Washtenaw County, 9.4% of vaccinations have been received by Black people, who account for 12.3% of county residents, 13% of coronavirus cases and 22% of deaths. White people make up 74.1% of the countys population and have received 76% of first doses of the vaccine, according to the data.

Inequities, coupled with mixed messaging early on made adhering to mitigation strategies like mask wearing and social distancing more difficult, Loveluck said.

From a public health standpoint, that was confusing before we had a clear indication that mask wearing was beneficial not only to protect individuals but others around you.

Requests for public assistance saw a 250% increase in Washtenaw County compared to years past, according to a county report. Early on, some people lacked the resources to change their normal behaviors, Loveluck said, adding many didnt have the ability to obtain a face covering once it became the norm.

It meant distributing masks when we had masks, it meant getting donations of cloth masks early on, as well as donations for other supplies like hand sanitizers and soap and cleaning supplies that many community members really needed, Loveluck said.

Vaccines provide hope the end is near

Cindra James, the health departments emergency preparedness administrator, is excited to be at the vaccination stage of the pandemic, she said. The light at the end of the tunnel is visible, James said, but the process is not gong as quickly as some had hoped.

The Washtenaw County Health Department received its initial 1,950-dose shipment of COVID-19 vaccine on Dec. 17, and began vaccinated people soon after. The health department has been steadily increasing the number of vaccinations per week since, but the supply still isnt enough to vaccinate everyone eligible.

Washtenaw County Health Department receives first shipment of COVID-19 vaccine

Surrounding the box containing 1,950 COVID-19 vaccine doses is health officer Jimena Loveluck, biologics clerk Rachel Avedisian, Rebecca Longhany, outreach and education nurse coordinator, spokesperson Susan Ringler Cerniglia, Gregory Dill, county administrator Charlyn VanDeventer, public health educator.

Since everything started weve all wanted to get to this point where were able to give out vaccines, the hard thing is knowing that we dont have enough vaccine to do more, James said.

James has worked as site coordinator at the health departments Ypsilanti vaccine clinic at Eastern Michigan Universitys Convocation Center. James communicates with Eastern Michigan University officials at the venue, as well as local law enforcement to ensure the clinic operates effectively, she said.

We want this to be a good experience for them and we want to be the trusted partner in the community and show that we are and want to continue that legacy, James said.

The health department also has another clinic at Chelseas Pierce Lake Elementary School.

Second COVID vaccination site opening in Washtenaw County as vaccine supplies increase, officials say

As of March 17, 35,304 first and second doses have been administered by the health department and 90,152 Washtenaw residents have received at least one dose from health providers across the county.

Improvements have been made to speed up the vaccination process throughout the county, as there is no longer a request process or waitlist for appointments. Toward the end of February, 20,000 people had signed up and were waiting for appointments. Still, vaccine supply challenges remain, Loveluck said.

Were happy that everyone older than 16 will be eligible in April, but are hoping to see a regular increase in our vaccine supply, Loveluck said.

As available appointments are based on vaccine supply, it still may take weeks for people to schedule an appointment. A new online self-scheduling process will allow people to make appointments for upcoming clinics as they become available.

New appointments will be added at least weekly or as existing appointments are cancelled, officials said. To register for an appointment, click here.

READ MORE FROM THE ANN ARBOR NEWS:

Michigans positive test rate and daily coronavirus cases continue to climb

Michigan unsure when it will see boost in COVID-19 vaccine allocation

9,000 newly eligible Washtenaw County residents waiting for COVID vaccination appointments
About two weeks from now, itll be a year since people riding public transit in New Jersey have been required to cover their faces on trains and buses to prevent spread of the coronavirus.

It was April 11, 2020 when Gov. Phil Murphy ordered transit riders to wear masks, rules that were eventually mirrored by federal officials. New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo issued a similar order on April 17 and last month the Biden administration issued an order that masks be worn on transit and aircraft.

But some transit riders said that despite the efforts of transit agencies to get compliance, some passengers traveling in off-peak, night hours are going barefaced.

Hi @PATHTrain - after skipping the packed 11:55 WTC train and seeing several unmasked people including one vaper, Im curious about how many $50 fines have been given. @CommutingLarry  Josh Beckerman (@BeckermanJosh) March 18, 2021

Are we starting to see COVID carelessness?

Over a million New Jerseyans are fully vaccinated and capacity limits for restaurants, bars, casinos, gyms, personal care services and amusement venues were recently increased from 35% to 50%.

But there is good cause for concern.

On Sunday, the state reported that the number of COVID-19 cases crept up to another 2,599 confirmed cases of the coronavirus and 40 additional confirmed deaths. That was despite Murphys statement on Friday that he believed the pandemics second wave had plateaued.

A survey currently being conducted by PATH asks riders for their observations about mask use and if passengers believe there is more, the same or worse compliance in 2021 as there was in 2020. In a Sept. 2020 survey, NJ Transit riders said over 70% of their fellow riders wore masks.

Regional transit agency officials said the compliance rate remains high, and the number of summons written is in the low double digits for the entire pandemic. Officials have emphasized getting compliance, including handing out free masks, over issuing summons.

A total of 22 summonses have been issued to PATH riders who refuse to wear masks, in violation of Port Authority policy, said Scott Ladd, a PATH spokesman. A total of 33 summons have been issued to mask less riders on New York City Transit, MTA statistics said.

NJ Transit police conducted several hundred mask details over the past months, issuing three summons. The first summons was issued to a bus passenger in December. No summonses were issued in February and the first half of March, police said.

Summons are issued only to passengers who refuse to cover their faces, even when offered a free mask. A summons issued on PATH and MTA subways and buses carry a potential fine of up to $50. NJ Transit police can cite an offender for a disorderly person offense that carries a fine up to $500.

The vast majority of riders are fully compliant with our face covering policies, Ladd said. Our police have had nearly 81,000 interactions with the public, agency-wide during the pandemic, to educate and advise on mask-wearing while in Port Authority facilities.

Transit agency officials have even held massive mask giveaway programs during the pandemic to get that compliance.

MTAs Mask Force has distributed more than 550,000 masks since July 2020, officials said. NJ Transit, PATH, SEPTA and Amtrak added their individual mask distribution efforts to the MTAs to form a regional mask force on Nov. 19.

Port Authority employees have distributed more than 1.4 million masks to passengers across the agencys facilities, Ladd said, with 1 million plus masks handed out at the midtown Bus Terminal since the beginning of last summer.

NJ Transit distributed 50,000 masks as of March 10, said Kevin Corbett, CEO.

The force was strong! It was great handing out masks to so many of our customers today. Please be sure to properly wear your face mask while riding NJ TRANSIT. As a reminder, please visit our Customer Service offices if you are in need of a mask. #NJTMaskForce pic.twitter.com/Rusk3TlfH2  NJ TRANSIT (@NJTRANSIT) February 26, 2021

We also have a group of PATH staff that serve as Mask Ambassadors, Ladd said. They ride the trains parts of four days a week to answer questions from riders and ensure that they are in compliance.

Thats augmented by the agencys mask on, ride on campaign of signs and posters on PATH platforms and in stations. Other signs remind riders to keep their masks on when leaving the train and station.

NJ Transit has bright red and white mask safe signs and ads displayed on the statewide transit system.

Nationally, the U.S. Department of Transportation kicked off a national ad campaign on Friday to ensure people comply with a February 1 order requiring masks be worn on transit and on airplanes, based on Centers for Disease Control guidelines.

Repeat or egregious offenders also can be referred to the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) for civil penalties. Locally, NJ Transit made one such referral to the TSA, said agency police Chief Christopher Trucillo. Neither the MTA or PATH have referred such a case to the TSA.

If the transit agency/police report a case to TSA, a follow-up investigation will be done to determine whether a federal civil penalty is warranted, said Lisa Farbstein, a TSA spokeswoman.

Based on the circumstances of the violation, someone can receive a fine ranging from $250 for the first offense up to $1,500 for repeat offenders, she said. If there are substantial aggravating or mitigating factors, TSA may seek a sanction outside of that range.

She had no information about whether the case referred by NJ Transit resulted in a civil penalty.

Please subscribe now and support the local journalism YOU rely on and trust.

Larry Higgs may be reached at lhiggs@njadvancemedia.com.
Three persons have been arrested for their alleged involvement in the stealing and sale of COVID-19 (COVISHIELD) vaccines in Ghana.



The three were arrested by National Security officials.



They are 37-year-old Disease Control Officer of the Greater Accra Regional Hospital, Stephen Dzisenu; 42-year-old Occupational Health and Safety Officer, Cosmos Allotey and a Project Assistant and a former Laboratory Technician at the Greater Accra Regional Hospital, Joseph Knight Gaisie.



A fourth suspect, a Disease Control Officer at the La Bawalashie Polyclinic, Lord Pabitey is now at large and the security officers are on a manhunt for him.



Dzisenu is said to have stolen 36 vials of COVIDSHIELD and while Pabitey, now at large, also allegedly stole 26 vials of COVIDSHIELD.



Allotey is said to have received the stolen COVIDSHIELD from Pabitey and Dzisenu and then allegedly administered the vaccines at a cost of GH200 per jab.



Gaisie on his part is being held for abetment of crime.



The three  Dzisenu, Gaisie and Allotey  have been remanded into custody by an Accra Circuit Court to reappear on April 1, 2021.



Prosecuting, Detective Sergeant Frederick Sarpong, prayed the Court, presided over by Mrs. Afia Owusuaa, not to take the pleas of the accused persons as investigations were ongoing and efforts were underway to arrest others believed to be involved in the crime.



Pre Order Ghana Year Book 2021

Charges of the accused were not read out to them. However the facts of the case were read out in open court.



Detective Sergeant Sarpong said accused persons, when granted bail may not only interfere with investigations but other witnesses.



He said from the facts, other persons involved were yet to be arrested and prayed the Court to remand them.



Lawyers of the accused persons prayed for bail, saying their clients were servants of the Republic and they would not do anything to interfere with investigations.



According to the lawyers, the accused had fixed places of abode and people who would stand as sureties for them when granted bail.



The Court turned down the bail application put in by defence counsel, and said it was inclined by the facts the prosecution had told the Court that other accused persons were yet to be arrested and investigations ongoing.



The facts as presented by the prosecution were that the complainants were National Security Operatives.



The prosecution said during the first week of March this year, the operatives received intelligence that some health officials had been stealing and selling the Covid-19 vaccines brought in by the Government of Ghana.



Detective Sergeant Sarpong said through intelligence, Alloteys name was mentioned and his phone number obtained as the one who injects the Covid-19 vaccines for a fee.



He said the complainant contacted Allotey and feigned interest in buying some of the Covid-19 vaccines, so he charged the complainant GH200.00 per vaccination.



The prosecution said on March 16 this year, Allotey was arrested when he was invited to Labone in Accra to inject the complainant at a fee of GH200.00.



He said when Allotey was searched, eight COVIDSHIELD vials, eight used COVIDSHIELD, 173 pieces of 0.5 ml unused injection syringes and cotton were found on him.



The prosecution said during interrogation, Allotey mentioned Dzisenu and Pabitey as his source.



He said Allotey led the National Security operatives to arrest Dzisenu and Gaisie.



The prosecution said Allotey, in his investigative caution statement, admitted buying 36 of the vials of government procured COVIDSHIELD vaccine at the cost of GH18,000.00.



According to him, Allotey further said that, he sold 20 of the vials of COVIDSHIELD at a cost of GH16,000.00 and later returned 15 vials to Dzisenu.



The prosecution said Allotey said he also bought 26 vials of the COVIDSHIELD from Pabitey at the cost GH4,800.00.



Mr Sarpong said Dzisenu in his caution statement, mentioned Gaisie as the one who aided and facilitated the sale of the stolen CONVIDSHIELD vaccines to Allotey.



The Prosecution said efforts were underway to arrest Pabitey and others.

Source: Graphiconline.com









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[March 22, 2021]

Avicanna Inc. to Webcast Live at Life Sciences Investor Forum March 25th

TORONTO, March 22, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Avicanna Inc. (TSX: AVCN) (OTCQX: AVCNF) (FSE: 0NN), biopharmaceutical company focused on the development, manufacturing and commercialization of plant-derived cannabinoid-based products, today announced that Aras Azadian, Chief Executive Officer, will present live at LifeSciencesInvestorForum.com on March 25th.



DATE: Thursday, March 25th

TIME: 2pm ET

LINK: https://bit.ly/3qVRFyI

This will be a live, interactive online event where investors are invited to ask the company questions in real-time. If attendees are not able to join the event live on the day of the conference, an archived webcast will also be made available after the event.

It is recommended that investors pre-register and run the online system check to expedite participation and receive event updates.

Learn more about the event at www.lifesciencesinvestorforum.com.

Recent Company Highlights

Avicanna Enters Multi-level Strategic Partnership with Al Harringtons, Harrington Wellness Inc., to Commercialize re+PLAY Branded Products in Canada and the United States

Avicanna Launches RHO Phyto Topical Gels in Canada and Initiates Clinical Studies







Avicanna Advances Pharmaceutical Epilepsy Program with Collaboration with The University Health Network and GMP Manufacturing Of Its First Pharmaceutical Preparation

Avicanna Expands Access To Its Advanced And Evidence-based Rho Phyto Medical Products Through Provincial Retailers Across Canada

Avicanna Expands Distribution Network In South America Through Commercial Partnerships In Ecuador And Commercial Export Of Feminized Seeds To Uruguay

About Avicanna Inc.

Avicanna is an Ontario, Canada based corporation focused on the development, manufacturing, and commercialization of plant-derived cannabinoid-based products through its two main business segments, cultivation and research and development.

Avicannas two majority-owned subsidiaries, Sativa Nativa S.A.S. and Santa Marta Golden Hemp S.A.S., both located in Santa Marta, Colombia are the base for Avicannas cultivation activities. These two companies are licensed to cultivate and process cannabis for the production of cannabis extracts and purified cannabinoids including cannabidiol (CBD) and tetrahydrocannabinol (THC).

Avicannas research and development business is primarily conducted out of Canada at its headquarters in the Johnson & Johnson Innovation Centre, JLABS @ Toronto. Avicannas scientific team develops products, and Avicanna has also engaged the services of researchers at the Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy at the University of Toronto for the purpose of optimizing and improving upon its products.

Avicannas research and development and cultivation activities are focused on the development of its key products, including plant-derived cannabinoid pharmaceuticals, phyto-therapeutics, derma-cosmetics, and Extracts (defined as plant-derived cannabinoid extracts and purified cannabinoids, including distillates and isolates), with a goal of eventually having these products manufactured and distributed through various markets.

SOURCE Avicanna Inc.

About Life Sciences Investor Forum

Life Sciences Investor Forum is the leading proprietary investor conference series that provides an interactive forum for Life Sciences companies to meet with and present directly to investors.

A real-time solution for investor engagement, Life Sciences Investor Forum is powered by Intrado Digital Media and specifically designed for more efficient investor access. Replicating the look and feel of on-site investor conferences, Life Sciences Investor Forum combines leading-edge conferencing and investor communications capabilities with a comprehensive global investor audience network.

CONTACTS: Avicanna Inc. Ivana Maric Executive Vice President, Marketing Phone info@avicanna.com Life Sciences Investor Forum John M. Viglotti SVP Corporate Services, Investor Access (212) 220-2221 johnv@lifesciencesinvestorforum.com
By Ritah Kemigisa

President Museveni has revealed that he had written to the fallen president of Tanzania John Pombe Magufuli two weeks ago informing him about the signing off of the remaining key agreements for the oil pipeline project.

The major meeting to sign off these agreements for the commercialisation of the proposed East African Crude Oil Pipeline (EACOP) between Uganda, Tanzania and Total SA was meant to be held today.

This meeting has however since been called off to allow the mourning of Magufuli who died last week due to heart complications.

While commiserating with the people of Tanzania at their Ugandan embassy along Kagera road, Museveni said when he wrote to Magufuli, he joked that today would be a day of double victory for them.

Museveni added that sadly, little did he know that his hope for victory as they sign the final oil agreement would instead turn out to be a condolence signing off ceremony.

The agreement details the structure of 1,443km pipeline from Hoima in Uganda to Tanzanias port of Tanga.

The construction of the pipeline is expected to commence later this year if the Financial Investment decision is closed by early April.
Dear Reader,

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"Our posture's gonna be that we're posted outside of DC, awaiting the president's orders. We hope he will give us the orders. We want him to declare an insurrection, and to call us up as the militia."

Oath Keepers founder Stewart Rhodes, in November, looking ahead to Jan. 6
A new trailer for writer/producer Chuck Lorre's upcoming CBS sitcom "The United States of Al" is facing backlash for the casting and portrayal of a U.S. military interpreter from Afghanistan.

Set to premiere April 1, "Al" centers on the friendship between Riley (Parker Young), an ex-Marine attempting to adjust to life outside of the service, and his unit's interpreter, Awalmir, aka Al (Adhir Kalyan).

In a series of tweets over the weekend, executive producer Reza Aslan urged critics to "speak from facts, not feelings" and wait until they see the full show before forming an opinion.

"The only way you will no longer be underrepresented on TV is if people like me try to do something about it. And people like you support it," Aslan, who was born in Iran, tweeted Saturday in response to critics. My whole life Ive been misrepresented on TV. Thats why I came to Hollywood to change that. You dont have to support the effort. But maybe watch it then (expletive) on it not other way round."

USA TODAY has reached out to Lorre and CBS for further comment.

Adhir Kalyan and Parker Young star in upcoming CBS comedy "United States of Al," its fifth from producer Chuck Lorre.

Many on social media took issue with the fact that Kalyan is not Afghan but plays one in the show. Aslan noted on Twitter that four of the five Afghan characters on the show are played by Afghans.

"I crave Muslim content but this is offensive," tweeted "General Hospital" actress Maysoon Zayid.

"I know @rezaaslan has other producing credits, and I honestly believe his heart *was* in the right place," tweeted Broadway performer Pia Glenn. "But at some point the decision presented itself to make some CBS sitcom (expletive) OR a show honoring Afghan soldiers, and he chose the former."

"We saw 100 Afghan leads but sitcom is a specialized genre and its very tough to play," Aslan wrote. "But we also have four Afghan writers/producers on the show whove done a great job helping Adhir."

Story continues

Others worried that the sitcom's portrayal would whitewash and stereotype nuanced relationships between U.S. military members and Afghan interpreters: "gotta love sitcoms romanticizing occupation forces and the relationships they build along the way," wrote AJ+ host Sana Saeed.

"You are literally talking about a true story," Alsan added in response to those who worried the storyline was romanticized. "There are dozens and dozens of Afghan interpreters living with US soldiers. We know cause we actually spoke to them. This is literally their story."

Aslan also said the show works "hand in hand" with No One Left Behind, a non-profit dedicated to "ensuring that America keeps its promise to our interpreters from Iraq and Afghanistan," and the International Refugee Assistance Project, which provides legal and systemic advocacy to refugees, "to make sure we arent just talking about SIV program and the plight of Afghan interpreters."

He added: "We are trying to do something about it. Actually changing policy."

Fellow executive producer Mahyad Tousi added the characters and storylines had been "mined from deep research and interviews with dozens of folks who have walked in these shoes in order to make nuanced commentary on how war affects people."

Contributing: Erin Jensen

Your favorite shows, new addictions: 2021 TV premiere dates, including 'The Handmaid's Tale,' 'AGT'

Interview: Chuck Lorre adds fifth CBS comedy to his TV empire, adjusting to pandemic protocols along the way

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Chuck Lorre's new CBS sitcom 'United States of Al' faces backlash
SPRINGFIELD  The Community Foundation of Western Massachusetts is working with 10 local colleges, community colleges and universities helping students meet basic needs and finishing their degrees using a $125,000 state earmark announced Monday morning.

Now is the time of year when students are getting so close to completing, but something trips them up, said Katie Allan Zobel, president and CEO of the Foundation. And in this time of COVID, it can be a grocery bill.

Or the cost of rent, utilities, supplies and  especially during the pandemic  of crucial internet connectivity needed to learn remotely.

Since the state of the pandemic, the Community Foundation of Western Massachusetts has provided nearly $12 million in grants to organizations across Hampden, Hampshire and Franklin counties.

Zobel said the Foundation will work with the schools to determine need, and she doesnt yet know how many students will benefit.

State Sen. Eric P. Lesser, D-Longmeadow, announced the earmark at a Monday news conference along with newly elected state Sen. Adam Gomez, D-Springfield and state Rep. Jake Oliveira, D-Ludlow.

The money was passed last year as part of the current fiscal 2021 budget.

We do need to pay attention to the disparate impact on the virus, Lesser said. We need to be mindful that the recovery is equitable.

COVID-19 and the measures taken to stop its spread have disproportionately hurt low income communities, as well as Black and Latino residents.

Gomez said its important to address needs in the community as the pandemic enters the recovery stage. He also urged people to get vaccinated when its available to them.

We almost there, he said.

Oliveira, who like Gomez was elected to the Legislature for the first time in November and took office earlier this year, spoke about the pandemics harder impact on lower income groups.

The pandemic has really highlighted those inequities that we always knew existed, he said.

Last week, the Community Foundation announced $859,560 in grants to 18 nonprofit organizations providing direct financial assistance and support to immigrant and non-English speaking individuals and families experiencing severe economic hardship due to the pandemic.

That money also came through a state grant, but a different program: the Community Foundations Grant Program for COVID-19 Relief, administered by the Commonwealths Executive Office of Housing and Economic Development and the Department of Housing and Community Development.

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Indian heritage is diverse, deep, and unexplored. In its quest to unearth the brilliance of the Indian culture, Zee Live saw the third edition of its unique festival, Arth - A Culture Fest, held from 19th March to 20th March 2021 culminate on a resounding note. The festival brought together experts from all segments of Indias cultural landscape to offer their knowledge about the motherlands rich and timeless culture, heritage, and legacy. Owing to the current circumstances, the event took place on a virtual platform and was live-streamed on the Facebook and YouTube channels, Zee News and Arth - A Culture Fest.

The first day kicked off with the inaugural and keynote address by Shri Subhash Chandra, Member of Parliament, Rajya Sabha and Chairman, Essel Group. Following the address, Sri Sri Ravishankar graced the event by shedding light on spirituality during the pandemic and what India has to offer in a conversation with Vasanthi Hariprakash. Keeping in tune with Indian culture, the next session by Uday S. Kulkarni in conversation with Amit Paranjape took the audience on a historical tour of the 18th Century Maratha Epoch. Lok Sangeet ke Vivadh Aayama by Malini Awasthi in conversation with Yatindra Mishra and Musings with the Maestro with Pandit Birju Maharaj in conversation with Saswati Sen highlighted the intrinsic role music plays in the Indian way of life. Adding another flavour of musical spice to the festivalwere the musical renditions by Bhuvanesh Komkali and Sudha Raghuraman, in Do Jugalbandis Really Work?

When talking about the Indian culture, one cannot forget the love for cinema and representing this vital aspect was the acclaimed director Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra conversing with Aditi Awasthi on the art of storytelling in Indian Cinema. On the political front ofIndian cinema, a lot was also spoken about political biographies and their sustenance in the industry by panellist members Dhaval Kulkarni, Gautam Chintamani and Ramesh Kandula in a discussion that was moderated by Abhinav Prakash. In addition to the debate, an exclusive insight by Prasenjit K. Basu on Netaji and INAs vital role in Asias rebirth also garnered attention for its unique concept and role in shaping the Indian culture.

Moving to a current scenario, Indias very own Covid warrior Sonu Sood talked about his adventures and journey, where he helped daily wage labourers and other affected sections of the society during the pandemic, to Milee Ashwarya. This was followed by a discussion on the role of the opposition that saw Salman Khurshid in conversation with Rasheed Kidwai.

The final events of the day comprised of Sudha Murthy discussing in-depth The Joys of Storytelling in a Difficult World with Vasanthi Hariprakash. Abby V and Kaushiki Chakraborty talking about reintroducing classics with moderator Vikram Sampathand the Representation of India in the Foreign Media by panellists Amy Kazmin, Anuraag Saxena, Arijit Ghosh, R. Jagannathan, and Smita Prakashthat was moderated by Vasanthi Hariprakash

The second day of the Arth festival started with a discussion on Redefining The Center in Indian politics by Milind Deora with Hindol Sengupta followed by a discussion on the Vajpayee legacy by Shakti Sinha. The day also witnessed an interesting discussion on Indias unique response to the pandemic by panellist members Dr. Chandrakant Lahariya, Dr.Gagandeep Kang, and Dr. Randeep Guleria that was moderated by Dr. Anand Ranganathan. Diving into the deep Indian cinema culture were the panellist members Ani. I. V. Sasi, Sameer Vidwans, and Sayani Datta, in conversation with Gautam Chintamani.

Following this in a thought-provoking discussion,Shri Nitin Gadkarispoke at length about the Indian culture and heritage with Sudhir Chaudhary. The conversation continued in the form of a panel discussion on the Vision of India for the future by Amrita Narlikar, Gautam Chikermane, Harsh Gupta Madhusudan and Rajeev Mantri moderated by Palki Sharma.

The explosive discussion was followed by a conversation between Bhawana Somaaya and Shubhrastha about Exploring a new dimension of PM Modi. Emphasizing the effect that the covid has had on the Indian economy and our path to recovery was Shri Piyush Goyal with RajatSethi. Adding to the cultural dive, the festival saw interesting conversation with Ustad Amjad Ali Khanin the panel A Life in Music: Reminiscences of a Master, followed by an in-depth discussion between Anupama Kylash and Madhu Natraj on Naayika Bhaav: Dimensions & Dynamics

Taking the conversation ahead on the Indian cinema and its history were Ashutosh Gowariker and Kaveree Bamzai at the panel History, Myth and Making Movies. Following this was the panel, Stories of Our Past Retold For Our Future with Deepak Ramola and Karuna Ezara Parikh.

Concluding day two of the festival, were Anand Ranganathan, J. Sai Deepak, Krishna Bir Chaudhary, Ravinder Singh Cheema, Sanjay Jha and Tehseen Poonawalla sharing their thoughts, differences and point of view with Abhinav Prakash, on the panel The Toolkit Saga: Bridging the Gulf between Dissent & Sedition

Addressing the youth at the festival, Shri Subhash Chandra, Member of Parliament, Rajya Sabha and Chairman, Essel Group in his keynote address said, Arth, over a period of time has become a centre place to celebrate the Indian culture, civilisation, and art. It is becoming a meeting place for everyone who is interested in knowing about their roots. As someone said, a man who doesnt know his culture, and his past is like a tree without the roots. Similarly, there has been and there still is a lot of confusion in the minds of the youth about our culture and if they are better off imitating the culture of the West. The last one year has been unfortunate as the pandemic has given a lot of grief to the entire society. But, it has also given us a time to think, reflect and learn about our culture.

Commenting on the 5 trillion-dollar economy goal, Shri Piyush Goyal, Minister of Railways; Commerce & Industry; Consumer Affairs and Food & Public Distribution, Government of India. Shri Goyal said, My compliments on the conceptualisation of Arth  A Culture Fest. Its truly very important that the nation connects with its history, art and culture. I think the Zee Network is doing a wonderful service to the nation in connecting the dots and including the economy within those dots. Clearly, COVID-19 is a force majeure situation which brought with it huge challenges for the economy, but the good part is that the Honble Prime Minister was on top of the entire situation.

Shedding light on his experience at the festival, veteran sarod player Ustad Amjad Ali Khan said, With modernization and a new generation taking over, musical genres too are reinventing. It is commendable that a platform like Arth  A Culture Fest is bringing it into the mainstream conversation and is being a custodian to this heritage. I am glad that I got the chance to share my experiences and was able to give my bit.

Ashutosh Gowariker, Indian film director, It is heartening to witness a space like Arth - A Culture Fest, being created where we can discuss everything that represents India. Right from our cinemas, music to the political landscape of our country. I am delighted to be a part of this iconic festival and wish the ARTH team all the best for their every attempt to REDISCOVER, REVISIT and RECONNECT.

Commenting about how the festival shows the way ahead, Salman Khurshid - Indian politician, designated senior advocate, eminent author and a law teacher, said I am a firm believer of the fact that solutions require pragmatism & dialogue. Arth- A Culture Fest is a platform that highlights important issues and brings experts together who work in tandem for resolutions. I am glad to be a part of the cultural festival and hope that this conversation keeps on growing and reaches more people across the country.

Talking about showing a cause above self, Bollywood actor Sonu Sood said, The uncertainty of the pandemic has altered the course of life for everyone. It has resulted in many being rendered jobless. This was especially true for wage workers who relied on continuous daily work to be able to fend for their families. Witnessing the severity of the situation made me realize that we as individuals should do as much as possible to help. I would also like to thank the organizers of Arth- A Culture Fest for bringing forth the discussion on Covid and having me on board.

Speaking about the pressing need to preserve Indias culture, Sudha Murty - Chairperson of the Infosys Foundation, said, "A lot has changed over the years, especially with the recent pandemic. It is important that we discuss the future of the socio-cultural landscape of the country while preserving the ancient knowledge. I believe Arth- A Cultural Fest offers a magnanimous opportunity to bring forth discussions and ideas pertaining to India and its heritage and I was glad to be a part of the same."

Urging the youth to make a difference for the better, Tehseen Poonawalla, Entrepreneur, activist, political analyst and co-anchor of 'Bhai vs Bhai, India is a diverse country with different points of views and I applaud platforms like Arth that celebrate these differences and allow people to express their points of views. Ultimately in a democracy we must speak to one another and understand each other.
Representatives of victims and others mark the anniversary of the attack at the airport in Brussels (Stephanie Lecocq, via AP)

The king and queen of Belgium have paid tribute to the victims of the suicide bombings that killed 32 people and injured hundreds more in the Brussels subway and airport exactly five years ago.

King Philippe and Queen Mathilde started the commemorations at Brussels airport alongside Prime Minister Alexander De Croo.

They met victims and their relatives after the king laid flowers in front of a memorial plaque.

They continued their journey to the Maelbeek metro station in downtown Brussels, observing another moment of silence at 9.11am, the exact time that the explosion went off in a subway train close to the citys European Union buildings.

Expand Close Representatives of victims and others mark the fifth anniversary of the Brussels terror attacks (Stephanie Lecocq, via AP) AP/PA Images / Facebook

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Whatsapp Representatives of victims and others mark the fifth anniversary of the Brussels terror attacks (Stephanie Lecocq, via AP)

Earlier this year, 10 people, including the lone known surviving suspect in the 2015 deadly Paris attacks, were ordered to stand trial in connection with the Brussels suicide bombings.

Among those to stand trial is Salah Abdeslam, who is also suspected of playing a major role in the Paris attacks, and Brussels native Mohamed Abrini. No date has yet been set for the trial.

Abdeslam was captured in Brussels on March 18 2016. Four days later, suicide bombers detonated their explosives in the Brussels airport and metro during the morning rush hour.

In Paris, a network of French and Belgian extremists killed 130 people in attacks at the Bataclan concert hall, the national stadium and in bars and restaurants.

Around 900 people suffered physical or mental trauma in the Brussels attacks, which were claimed by so-called Islamic State.
Thousands of people gathered in a stadium in central Moscow on Sunday to celebrate the spring festival of Nowruz.

The festival featured traditional food, sports, music and dances of the Pamir people, an ethnic group from the mountain region on the border of Tajikistan and Afghanistan.

It was organized by the Moscow-based Nur cultural organization representing the Pamir diaspora, as well as the embassy of Tajikistan.

Nowruz is traditionally celebrated across Central Asia, as well as in the Caucasus, Iran and Turkey.

The event in Moscow featured musicians from Tajikistan, Iran and India, who performed while the traditional wrestling sport of Gushtingiri was underway, together with volleyball and ping pong.

"You see, everyone misses the home country, and this is a small opportunity for them to experience it," said organizer Rano Amirbekova.

"The Pamir people and the Tajik people generally don't require any extra encouragement to make merry," she added.

(Disclaimer: This story is auto-generated from a syndicated feed; only the image & headline may have been reworked by www.republicworld.com)
Drugstore giant Rite Aid has apologized to undocumented immigrants who had been denied COVID vaccines at its Southern California stores, saying it was done by mistake.

Sebastian Araujo's parents were waitlisted for over a week for leftover COVID vaccines. The family was relieved when they received a call, and the pharmacy told them that two spots had opened.

However, Araujo's mom, Graciela, 55, was turned away after she could not provide a state-issued ID or social security number since she is an undocumented immigrant.

Graciela provided a Matricula Consular, Mexico's consular ID but was deemed not enough, according to a KYMA News report.

A similar situation happened to a babysitter, who is also an undocumented immigrant. The Biden administration earlier said that even undocumented immigrants are allowed to get COVID vaccines regardless of immigration status.

Rite Aid spokesperson said that both undocumented immigrants had been invited back by Rite Aid to receive their COVID vaccine doses.

Rite Aid spokesperson Christopher Savarese said that those cases were isolated, which resulted from workers at the stores not following established protocols for vaccine eligibility. He added that the employees were re-briefed on the protocols.

"We've administered over 1.2 million vaccines and have had two of these complaints," Savarese said on Sunday as ABC News reported.

"In such an unprecedented rollout, there are going to be mistakes and there will be always areas for providers to improve -- we're seeking out those opportunities every day," read the Rite Aid statement released by officials.

READ NEXT: Vaccine Hesitancy High Among Latinos, Experts Weigh in on Why

Undocumented Immigrants Vaccination

Dr. Ranit Mishori, a senior medical adviser for Physicians for Human Rights, said he is very concerned as non-citizens who live in the U.S. should also be inoculated to achieve herd immunity.

Mishori added that many undocumented immigrants have already been disproportionately affected by the pandemic since many of them are frontline essential workers, making them exposed to the virus.

Since December last year, immigration activists and lawmakers are rallying to make sure that the 11 million undocumented immigrants in the U.S.'s food production and service industry sectors would not be left out on the vaccination program.

According to a USA Today report, experts earlier said it is unlikely that health officials would discriminate against undocumented immigrants. There were concerns that immigrants might be unwilling to come forward and get their vaccines after years of restrictive policies from the Trump administration.

One immigrant, Beatriz Gutierrez, said they don't want to be vaccinated if it is going to cause them problems, such as deportation. If not for that possible scenario, she said she is willing to get a vaccine.

Last month, President Joe Biden said that undocumented immigrants in the U.S. should be able to get the COVID vaccine without the fear of being singled out by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

"They should... not be arrested for showing for being able to get a vaccination," Biden said as National Review reported.

The Department of Homeland Security earlier announced that ICE would not conduct enforcement activities at or near vaccination sites.

The DHS said it is a moral and public health imperative to ensure that all people in the U.S. should be able to get a vaccine.

The Biden administration has been focusing on distributing the vaccine to underserved communities and even undocumented immigrants.

READ MORE: Biden Says U.S. in Talks With Other Countries for COVID Vaccine Supply

WATCH: Undocumented Immigrants Wrongly Denied COVID Vaccines in Texas - From NBC News NOW






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The Northern Governors Forum on Sunday described Saturdays attack on Benues Governor Samuel Ortom motorcade by bandits as disturbing.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that bandits attacked Mr Ortoms motorcade on Saturday at Tyo-Mu community near Makurdi.

Chairman of the forum and governor of Plateau, Simon Lalong, said the incident must be investigated thoroughly.

Mr Lalong said in a statement issued by his Director of Press and Public Affairs, Makut Macham, in Jos that the attack was another attempt by criminals to cause mayhem in Benue and in the nation as a whole.

He tasked all relevant security agencies to conduct a thorough investigation to fish out those behind the attack and their sponsors

ALSO READ: Buhari speaks on attack on Benue governor Ortom

He commended security details attached to the governor for repelling the attack and securing Mr Ortom and members of his entourage.

The chairman of the forum said that all hands must be on deck to address the lingering degeneration of security in the country as it threatened its corporate existence.

Mr Lalong said governors in the northern part of Nigeria were in solidarity with their colleague and the entire people of Benue State.

He assured that they would continue to engage and support security agencies in their duty of securing the region and nation. (NAN)
Georgian Ambassador to the European Union Natalie Sabanadze has announced her resignation after having represented Georgia in Brussels for almost eight years.

"It has been a great honour and a responsibility. It has been a mission full of successes as well as challenges and at times moral dilemmas. Time has come to move on," she wrote on Facebook today.

Without giving the exact reason for her decision Sabanadze said she decided to submit her resignation to Foreign Minister David Zalkaliani last week which he accepted.

"Georgias European future is a cause worth fighting for. It is a cause in which I believe; it is not merely about the EU membership but it is about living in freedom and dignity," Agenda.ge cited her as saying..

Thanking her team in Brussels for their work and dedication Sabanadze said civil servants like them are a backbone of our state, to be cherished and appreciated.

In response to her announcement, the Georgian foreign ministry noted that Sabanadze decided to vacate her position after the recent EU-Georgia Association Council held in Brussels on March 16 'in agreement with the leadership of the institution'.

Wishing her success in her future endeavours the ministry said her activities within the framework of the mission 'were full of successful steps in terms of EU-Georgian relations'.
A split decision by the New Hampshire Supreme Court released Friday offers a lesson to insurance agents about the importance of checklists.

Three justices overruled two dissenters to affirm a Superior Court jurys verdict that Foy Insurance Group was negligent for failing to advise a hotel owner to buy sufficient insurance to rebuild before his property was severely damaged by a 2015 fire.

The plaintiff, 101 Ocean Blvd. LLC, argued that use of a simple checklist would have revealed that the $10,000 limit on law and ordinance costs was not enough coverage for a building constructed in the 1920s with an overall policy limit of $2 million.

Use your voice and tell the insurance industry not to sell these policies under the name of replacement costs if they have co-insurance in them, plaintiffs attorney John G. Cronin told the jury during closing arguments. Tell them not to sell them as replacement costs if they dont provide adequate coverage for law and ordinance.

Foy appealed the verdict on the grounds that Cronins closing statements were prejudicial and that the jury instructions and verdict form were flawed. The defense attorney also said the court improperly admitted as evidence a checklist that some agents use to insure properties have adequate coverage.

Two justices agreed with some of those points, but the majority decided to let the jurys judgment stand.

Although we do not condone the challenged portions of Oceans closing argument, under the circumstances of this case, we cannot conclude that the trial courts failure to interrupt Oceans closing and/or immediately provide additional instructions amounted to a plain error that affected Foys substantial rights, the majority opinion says.

Albert J. Bellemore Jr. has relied on Foy, an agency with several New Hampshire offices, to find insurance for his properties since the early 2000s, according to the opinion. After he purchased the hotel on Ocean Boulevard he bought $1 million in coverage for the building.

In 2011, agent Heidi SansSouci urged him to increase that coverage to $2 million. Bellemore refused at first because of the recession, but in 2013 he took SanSoucis advice and purchased a $2 million policy with Lloyds of London. The insurer declined to renew the policy, so Bellemore bought a $2 million policy with AIX Specialty Insurance Co., a unit of The Hanover.

Bellemore testified that he relied on the Foy agencys advice on insurance matters. However, he did not purchase flood or liquor liability insurance when SanSouci suggested it. The law and ordinance limit, however, remained at $10,000.

After the hotel was severely damaged in the 2015 fire, Bellemore hired an engineering firm and discovered that it would cost approximately $1.1 million to rebuild, but an additional $905,070 to comply with the current building code. He decided to demolish the structure instead of rebuilding it. AIX paid $910,141.

Bellemores business sued Foy for the difference. A Hillsborough County jury found that Foy was indeed negligent and responsible for 75% of the fault. The opinion does not state the amount of damages awarded.

Reached by telephone on Friday, Cronin said he makes no apology for his passionate closing arguments. He said Bellemore is not a big-league developer, hes a working man who makes a living by buying properties and fixing them up.

Cronin said while researching the case, he learned that some agents use a checklist to make sure the coverage on a property is adequate. He said they are not required, but a checklist would certainly have been useful in Bellemores situation.

He said in 2002 the New Hampshire Supreme Court ruled in Sintros v. Harmon that if insureds have a special relationship with their insurance agents, the agent has a duty to provide advice about the availability or sufficiency of insurance coverage.

The Supreme Court opinion says that the existence of a special relationship is decided case by case, but generally can be established by showing that both parties understood that the policyholder relied on the agent for advice about coverage decisions.

Cronin said his client certainly relied on SanSouci for sound advice. He said an expert testified at trial that for only $500, Oceans policy could have been structured to provide $700,000 to $900,000 in additional law and ordinance coverage but with a lower replacement cost limit. That would provide the full $2 million in coverage that Bellemore thought he was buying, he said.

How insurance is sold and delivered, its not like you can got to the lot, open the hood and kick the tires. You go in the office and somebody tells you to fill out a form, they give you a binder and six weeks later you get a thick envelope in the mail and youre expected to read it and understand it.

The two dissenters wrote in their separate decision that they would have reversed the jury verdict because the hotel owner did not show that any damages were suffered. While a higher policy limit for law and ordinance chances may have solved the problem, no evidence was presented to show that such coverage was actually available, they said.

About the photo: Hampton Beach State Park in Hampton, New Hampshire, as seen on Oct 3, 2020.

CORRECTION: An earlier version of this story incorrectly stated that Bellemore had purchased liquor liability insurance. He did not purchase that coverage, according to Jeffrey Foy, chief operating officer and principal for the agency.
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Francesca Paris is The Eagle's data and public records reporter. She was previously the North Adams reporter. A California native and Williams College alumna, she has worked at NPR in Washington, D.C. and WBUR in Boston. Find her on Twitter at @fparises.
Damage at the hospital in the town of Atareb in northwestern Syria. Photo: Khalil Ashawi

A child was among six patients killed when Syrian government artillery shells hit a hospital in a rebel-controlled town in the north-west of the country.

At least 14 medical staff were also injured when the shells landed at the entrance and in the courtyard of the hospital in Atareb, a town in rural western Aleppo, according to the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

The hospital is located underground, a tactic used by the opposition to avoid targeting in the conflict-prone area.

The Syrian American Medical Society, the aid group that supports the hospital, said three artillery strikes early yesterday caused extensive damage to the building, including destroying the orthopaedic clinic and knocking out the electric generators on the roof.

The hospital has been evacuated for the moment, said Fadi Hakim, spokesman for the Syrian American Medical Society, who added that the emergency room had also sustained damage.

Four of the injured people have been evacuated to Turkey for emergency treatment.

Among those killed were a child and a woman, according to the Syrian Civil Defence volunteers, known as the White Helmets.

A video posted on the local health directorates Facebook page showed debris and blood stains outside the hospital.

The medical staff was in a state of panic, said Omar Halaq, the director of the hospital in Atareb.

Attacks on hospitals are common in the Syrian conflict, and are mostly blamed on government and its allied forces.

Government forces knew about the hospital location, according to the Syrian American Medical Society, which had shared the coordinates of the hospital through the United Nations notification system, said partner aid organisation the International Rescue Committee (IRC).

Health facilities are protected under international law and should be safe havens in times of crisis, but after 10 years of war this is not the case in Syria, said Rehana Zawar, IRC country director for northwest Syria.

This is the fifth attack on health care recorded this year, IRC said, adding that facilities it supports have been attacked 24 times since 2018 alone.

The US-based Physicians for Human Rights has documented 598 attacks on at least 350 separate health care facilities in Syria since March 2011.
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By Benjamin Jumbe

Uganda wildlife Authority has strongly condemned the continued illegal killing of wildlife.

This follows the killing of 6 Lions in the Ishasha sector of Queen Elizabeth National Park which are believed to have been poisoned.

The Authoritys communications manager Bashir Hangi says killing of wildlife does not only impact negatively on the countrys tourism, but also revenue generation which supports conservation and community work in protected areas.

He assures the public that the authority will continue to strengthen the protection of lions and other wildlife in Uganda and will pursue this matter to its logical conclusion.
By Lambert Strether of Corrente

When I read Adam Gopniks Paris to the Moon (2000) I loved it, because it arrived at a time in my life when I was staying for long periods of time in different cities, several foreign, not simply visiting them; not being a tourist, but something of a resident. I felt I knew the Paris Gopnik described so lovingly, or was at least adjacent to that Paris. (Gopniks young son went to the piscine at The Ritz; I was not a swimmer.) It helped that Gopnik wrote as elegantly and sinuously as the Art Nouveau entrances to the Paris Metro. Here is one of my favorite set pieces of the many set pieces in Paris to the Moon:

So I was pleased when I felt able[1] to include Gopniks New Yorker article, A Brief Anatomy of Outdoor Dining, in Links on March 21. But an alert reader showed me that my pleasure was misplaced. Hence I hasten to rectify my error, lest readers be deceived.[2]

Here is an extended excerpt from Gopniks Anatomy:

Christopher Alexander, who, in a memorable series of books, asked us to see buildings not in terms of fixed blueprints and famous designers but of vernacular rhythms, with self-emergent forms rising from self-healing communities. Alexander celebrated what he called pattern languages that give those who use them the ability to create new structures. All acts of building are governed by a pattern language of some sort, he insisted. The quality without a name appears . . . when an entire system of patterns, interdependent at many levels, is all stable and alive. Outdoor-dining venues were high on his list of institutions that made people comfortable, and deep seated in respect for themselves. Well, the people of New York City have been in the improbable midst of such a moment, as witness to, and makers of, an emergent pattern language, reflecting something almost desperately livedour shared pandemic. This pattern language, of course, is the newly invented art form of the Outdoor-Dining Shelter, which began to appear on New York curbs in midsummer, blessedly taking over the parking spaces outside restaurants that serviced only cars, those anti-urban engines. The outdoor-dining structure, it would seem, comes in three essential patterns or modesthe Hut, the Shed, and the Tentwith many hybrids and crossovers. The Shed is the primal form of outdoor pandemic dining: a simple overhang made of wood or corrugated plastic, extended out over a frame, usually with a lean-to bias, and with one side open to the elements or, at most, covered with a transparent, plastic-shower-curtain-like material. The Hut is an extension of the Shed into a conscious representationthough often only a representation, a convincing fictionof a more fully formed building, with doors that close and windows that open. Often, too, it contains cosmetic representations of the normal appurtenances of permanence: the Hut looks like a tavern, or a fairy cottage, or an auberge. The Tent, by contrast, uses flexible materialawnings and circus-like topswith ventilation and circulation as much implied as achieved. Tents often give away their makeshift origins elsewhereas wedding tents, or rent-a-tents for other outdoor occasions, pressed into service as lifeboats for this one.

Readers will at once see why Gopniks article made me, well, a little swoony. First, it is beautifully written (and in the sort of style  , who,   that I fancy I can at times emulate). It is perambulatory, with Gopnik as flaneur, not just strolling through Manhattans streets, but through concepts. Second, theres (be still my beating heart) a classification scheme: the Hut, the Shed, and the Tent. Third, I stan for Christopher Alexander, as well as pattern languages and their realization in the vernacular. Finally, I love Manhattan just as much as Paris, so I have a rooting interest. I thought I had not surrendered my critical faculties. As it turns out I had. Gopnik needed a theory checker.

Gopniks piece was published on March 20. Yesterday, alert reader Nikki sent me the following article from USA Today, Seating in outdoor structures isnt always safer than indoor dining. Heres why. That piece was published on March 17. From that piece:

COVID-19 ushered in a new era of outdoor dining as struggling restaurants tried to stay in business while minimizing guests chances of infection. Yet, creating temporary dining rooms in parking lots or sidewalks outside doesnt always mean its safer. In some situations this fall and winter, it possibly increased diners odds of infection.  A structure located outside can be just as hazardous to its occupants, and perhaps more so, if it is not designed to properly control infectious aerosol concentration , says William P. Bahnfleth, an engineer and a professor of architectural engineering at Penn State. So what makes a dining environment safe? USA TODAY worked with Qingyan Chen, professor of Mechanical Engineering at Purdue University, to simulate how the virus can spread in a sample structure to help you make more informed decisions.

USA Todays simulations include Gopniks Shed and Tent (but not Hut). The simulations  like the famous El Pais aerosol simulations  are interactive and mobile-friendly, and not so easily reproduced for the desktop. (They not mathematical models of the structures; they are meant for subjective guidance.) First, here is a problematic Shed:

(There are other simulations, with windows open, and windows removed.) Obviously, a shed with closed windows is dangerous, and you should avoid it. Here is the simulation of a problematic tent:

Here, you have to be aware of which way the wind is blowing, and avoid tents where the wind is blowing the wrong way. (There are other simulations for tents, and the article also includes igloos and pods, which Gopnik does not include in his classification scheme.)

If you plan on dining outdoors in New York, I highly recommend the USA Today simulations; the extracts above are not meant to be, er, exhaustive. Now, Gopnik does mention both aerosols and ventilation. He writes:

Yet the challenge of the outdoor-dining structure, underlined by all those minute regulations, is actually simple: it has to persuasively declare itself outside ventilated , open, and discouraging to the implied, if invisible, transmission and circulation of aerosolized sputum while still maintaining many qualities that one might normally associate with, well, the tricky concept of indoors: heat, shelter, and possible propinquity to others. This fiendishly intricate double demand has been met in many ways.

([A]erosolized sputum. Bravo!) And:

The Tent, by contrast, uses flexible materialawnings and circus-like topswith ventilation and circulation as much implied as achieved.

Thats it. But Gopnik needed a theory checker. Gopnik has nothing to say about whether dining within any given Hut, Shed, or Tent is safe. Surely a central concern for a New Yorker writer writing on outdoor dining during a pandemic should be the health and safety of New Yorkers? Gopnik mentions aerosols, and mentions ventilation but, it seems, only to show that he has done the reading. Ventilation implied, forsooth! A theory checker would have shown Gopnik that his three categories for outdoor dining structures, albeit elegant, were empty unless they satisfied the needs of actual New York diners (as opposed to flaneurs). A theory checker would have pointed out to Gopnik that those diners require atmosphere  that is, an atmosphere not saturated with infectious aerosols. A theory checker would have explained to Gopnik that he could have empowered his readers by showing them which structures are safe, and which are not, and why. You dont need a magazine printed on slick stock to avoid the plague, apparently; what you need is the newspaper dumped in front of every hotel and motel room in America. And ditto for their respective websites.

I know that played his readers for chumps sounds harsh. I meant it to sound harsh. I  and I would guess other readers  was seduced by Gopniks stylish prose, and his display of various class and cultural markers, into ignoring the most basic, humane requirement: The safety of readers. Id prefer not to speculate as to motive; my conjecture: Gopnik feels that service piece journalism is beneath him. But surely a writer as talented as Gopnik could get the news you can use part done while retaining his characteristic eclat?

NOTES

[1] As I would not have felt so with Gopnik on politics. Post-20008 Hendrik Hertzberg cast some sort of evil spell over Gopnik, inducing him to write West Wing-style, and I dont mean the physical West Wing.

[2] I was going to write a post on how truly horrid a President Obama was, an idea approaching conventional wisdom status among some non-hippie Democrats. So at least Herttzberg has one thing to be thankful for.
In this photo released by Executive Yuan, Taiwan's Premier Su Tseng-chang receives a shot of the AstraZeneca vaccine at National Taiwan University Hospital in Taipei, Taiwan, Monday, March 22, 2021. Health care workers received the first shots in Taiwan's COVID-19 vaccination drive Monday, beginning a campaign that won't use supplies from China amid uneven distribution of the vaccines globally. (Executive Yuan via AP)

Health care workers received the first shots in Taiwan's COVID-19 vaccination drive Monday, beginning a campaign that won't use supplies from China amid uneven distribution of the vaccines globally.

Taiwan has on hand 117,000 doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine, which it is distributing to healthcare workers across 57 hospitals.

Taiwanese premier Su Tseng-chang launched the drive by receiving the first shot at National Taiwan University Hospital in the capital Taipei. "After 30 minutes of rest, there's no signs of any discomfort," he said.

The rest period is for monitoring recipients for any adverse reactions.

Last week, more than a dozen nations suspended use of the AstraZeneca vaccine after a few dozen people among the millions who've received the vaccine developed blood clots. The European Union's drug regulatory agency concluded after a review it couldn't rule out a direct link but the benefits of using the vaccine outweigh the possible risks.

Taiwan has signed contracts securing 10 million doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine, 5.05 million doses of the Moderna vaccine, and 4.76 million doses of vaccines through COVAX.

Currently, Taiwan has recorded 1,006 confirmed cases of COVID-19, most of those from visitors coming from abroad. It has been one of the most successful places in the world in the battle against the pandemic, owing to strict public health and border control measures.

The island is planning to administer its full initial supply to 117,000 individuals to ensure the broadest protection. The first dose provides an efficacy rate of 71% and the second dosemeant to be given eight weeks laterboosts its effectiveness to 81%, authorities have said previously.

Taiwan has yet to announce a vaccination campaign for the public.

Countries around the world are scrambling for vaccines, which have been distributed unevenly with rich countries buying up a majority of the doses. China has stepped in to offer hundreds of millions of doses of its own vaccines across the developing world, but Taiwan has refrained from buying them.

Taiwanese law bans import of Chinese vaccines made for human use. The island's health minister had said in February there were no considerations to amending the law and no experts have made a special recommendation for Chinese vaccines.

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.
U.S. Rep. Tom Reed (R-N.Y.) speaks to reporters during a news conference at the U.S. Capitol in Washington on March 22, 2018. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

NY Rep. Reed Apologizes After Sexual Misconduct Claim, Says He Wont Seek Office in 22

Rep. Tom Reed (R-N.Y.) has apologized to the woman who last week accused him of sexual misconduct and said he will take full responsibility for the allegations made by the former lobbyist.

Reed, a married father of two, said he will no longer be seeking office in 2022. Last month, he said he was considering a run against New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who has been accused of sexual misconduct by at least eight women, including current and former aides.

Nicolette Davis, an Army second lieutenant, told The Washington Post in a story published on March 19 that the Republican congressman sexually harassed her on a 2017 networking trip, when she was working as an insurance lobbyist.

She alleged that he drunkenly approached her at an Irish pub in Minneapolis, rubbed her back, unhooked her bra strap, and placed his hand on her thigh, before a person seated nearby escorted him out of the building after she asked for help.

Reed initially told the Post that the account of his actions is not accurate, but later published an apology on Twitter.

First, I apologize to Nicolette Davis. Even though I am only hearing of this matter as stated by Ms. Davis in the article now, I hear her voice and will not dismiss her. In reflection, my personal depiction of this event is irrelevant, he wrote.

Simply put, my behavior caused her pain, showed her disrespect, and was unprofessional. I was wrong, I am sorry, and I take full responsibility.

Reed in his statement apologized to his wife, children, family members, colleagues, supporters, and the people of the 23rd District.

He noted that the incident occurred at a time in my life in which I was struggling, noting that he was battling with alcoholism at the time and has been recovering from his addiction for four years.

This is in no way an excuse for anything Ive done, he wrote. As I go forward, I will strive to be a better human being, continue to fight for what I believe in, and to make peoples lives better in any way I can. I hope this formal apology is just the start.

He also announced that he will no longer be seeking office when his term ends and will be retiring from public service on Jan. 2, 2023.

Last month, he said he was considering a run against Cuomo amid the states nursing home scandal.

People across the district, across the state, are saying, You need to take a look at this. Im humbled by that, but Im also energized by it, Reed said on Fox Across America in February. Given an opportunity to do my part to serve and try to change the direction of the state, we are definitely looking at it.

Ive been asked by many people for months now to consider this because I believe in New York, and one party control in New York is killing us. And Governor Cuomo needs to be taken down.
ASIOs Director-General Mike Burgess has announced that ASIO isnt going to use words connected with Islam when talking about Islamist terrorism nor use the words right-wing extremist. He says ASIO is conscious that the names and labels used are important because words can be very powerful in how they frame an issue and how they make people think about issues.

ASIO will now use the terms religiously motivated violent extremism and ideologically motivated violent extremism.

ASIO chief Mike Burgess. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen

This shift in terminology by our internal security service is a mistake. The fact is that terrorists operating against Western targets claim their acts are inspired, and in many cases required, by Islam. Believers in Islamist ideology, a philosophy and program of action which emerges out of one interpretation of Islam, are a small minority of Muslims. But we dont want any of them to turn fiery rhetoric into bloody action.

Its very disappointing that ASIO is dancing around this issue. They should absolutely call Islamist terrorism and right-wing terrorism for what it is. Pretending that the public dont understand that the inspiration for Islamist terrorism is jihadist teaching is insulting their intelligence. They also know that the vast majority of Muslims in Australia reject extremism.
A woman has been taken in for questioning after a dilapidated building in Perths CBD was gutted by fire in the early hours of Monday morning.

Emergency services were first alerted to the blaze at Hostel Milligan on the corner of Milligan Street and Murray Street in Perths west end at 1.30am on Monday.

This empty building in Perths CBD was gutted by fire in the early hours of Monday morning. Credit:Cameron Myles

Crews arrived to find the fire had spread across several floors in the former hostel, and police were told people had been seen leaving the area just before the fire started.

A WA Police spokeswoman said officers patrolled the area and tracked down a woman matching the description of one of the people seen leaving the building. She was arrested and is assisting police with their inquiries. No charges have been laid yet.
TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP)  Health care workers received the first shots in Taiwan's COVID-19 vaccination drive Monday, beginning a campaign that won't use supplies from China amid uneven distribution of the vaccines globally.

Taiwan has on hand 117,000 doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine, which it is distributing to healthcare workers across 57 hospitals.

Taiwanese premier Su Tseng-chang launched the drive by receiving the first shot at National Taiwan University Hospital in the capital Taipei. After 30 minutes of rest, there's no signs of any discomfort, he said.

The rest period is for monitoring recipients for any adverse reactions.

Last week, more than a dozen nations suspended use of the AstraZeneca vaccine after a few dozen people among the millions who've received the vaccine developed blood clots. The European Unions drug regulatory agency concluded after a review it couldn't rule out a direct link but the benefits of using the vaccine outweigh the possible risks.

Taiwan has signed contracts securing 10 million doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine, 5.05 million doses of the Moderna vaccine, and 4.76 million doses of vaccines through COVAX.

Currently, Taiwan has recorded 1,006 confirmed cases of COVID-19, most of those from visitors coming from abroad. It has been one of the most successful places in the world in the battle against the pandemic, owing to strict public health and border control measures.

The island is planning to administer its full initial supply to 117,000 individuals to ensure the broadest protection. The first dose provides an efficacy rate of 71% and the second dose  meant to be given eight weeks later  boosts its effectiveness to 81%, authorities have said previously.

Taiwan has yet to announce a vaccination campaign for the public.

Countries around the world are scrambling for vaccines, which have been distributed unevenly with rich countries buying up a majority of the doses. China has stepped in to offer hundreds of millions of doses of its own vaccines across the developing world, but Taiwan has refrained from buying them.

Taiwanese law bans import of Chinese vaccines made for human use. The island's health minister had said in February there were no considerations to amending the law and no experts have made a special recommendation for Chinese vaccines.
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It took a hit Broadway comedy about the ethics of truth in journalism to bring Sigrid Thornton to the Sydney Theatre Company.

Ive never really been asked, the legendary Australian actor said when asked why it had taken so long, before correcting herself, Oh once, and then the play wasnt right.

Charles Wu and Sigrid Thornton star in Sydney Theatre Companys The Lifespan of a Fact. Credit:Rene Vaile

In her debut stage performance with the STC, Thornton will perform in The Lifespan of a Fact, which looks at one of the great ethical debates of our time: what is truth and how do we separate fact from fiction?

Thornton said the issues the play raises around so-called fake news couldnt be more relevant.
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(TNS) - Mar. 22Three thousand people received the novel coronavirus vaccine at the Butler County Fairgrounds last week, and another 3,000 will receive it this week.And as soon as the Butler County General Health District is allocated more of the COVID-19 vaccine, it will increase the number of people it can vaccinate at its Wednesday and Friday drive-thru clinics, said Health Commissioner Jenny Bailer.According to data on Friday from the Ohio Health Department, nearly 74,500 people have started the inoculation process in Butler County. More than 43,300 people have completed the process. Statewide, nearly 2.65 million have received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, and more than 1.52 million are completely vaccinated.Currently, each drive-thru clinic at the fairgrounds can handle 1,500 people, and when whenever the health district receives an increased supply, "which we're told we will, then we'll go to 2,000 (people per clinic)."But the county health district isn't just inoculating people who live or work in Butler County at the fairgrounds. Bailer said the Butler County General Health District has utilized "strike teams" made up of registered nurses deployed into the community."On Tuesdays and Thursdays, they're going directly to people who would have a hard time getting to the fairgrounds or who just have other kinds of challenges," she said.This outreach program targets vulnerable populations that may face disparities associated with access to receiving the vaccine, she said. Smaller vaccination events occur in churches, community centers and other partner organizations within the county that are located in high to moderately high social vulnerability opportunities."As those requests (for smaller vaccination events) come in, we slot them in through our calendar," Bailer said.The mass vaccination clinics for March 31 and April 2 will be posted on the health district's Facebook and Twitter accounts, as well as its website. Appointments are required.Bailer said the vaccination program had been made possible with the Butler County Commission, Butler County EMA and Butler County Fair Board.Doug Turner, Butler County Fair Board president, said it was an easy decision to help, including working with Butler County Emergency Management Agency Director Matt Haverkos and Bailer."We've done an excellent job in partnering withMatt and Jenny at the county health department, and I think it's work out well," Turner said. "We're very excited and very happy to be of service to the county."HOW TO SIGN UPAll mass vaccination sign-up links will be made announced through the Butler County General Health District's Facebook page, Twitter page, and website, health.bcohio.us.The Ohio Department of Health provides a list of all 1,325 locations statewide that offer the vaccine at coronavirus.ohio.gov.___(c)2021 the Journal-News (Hamilton, Ohio)Visit the Journal-News (Hamilton, Ohio) at www.journal-news.comDistributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
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Technology giant launched the fourth edition of its "Call for Code Global Challenge," which seeks to use technology to solve a pressing societal issue. This year, the challenge focuses on

"The winning team from each Call for Code Global Challenge receives $200,000, and support from the Service Corps, technical experts, and ecosystem partners to incubate their technology, open source their code to make it available for anyone to use, and deploy their solution on the ground in communities around the world," said David Clark, CEO of David Clark Cause, and Creator of Call for Code. "This year the competition focuses on three sub-themes that are key to combatting climate change: clean water and sanitation; zero hunger; and responsible production and green consumption."

Launched on World Water Day by Call for Code creator David Clark Cause, charitable partner United Nations Human Rights, and the Linux Foundation, said Monday that the competition was open for software developers and innovators globally to combat with open source-powered technology.

In its fourth year, the Call for Code Initiative has grown to more than 400,000 developers and problem solvers across 179 nations, and has generated more than 15,000 applications. Call for Code aims to drive immediate and lasting humanitarian progress around the world through the creation of practical applications built on open source-powered software, including Red Hat OpenShift, IBM Cloud, IBM Watson, IBM Blockchain, atmospheric data from IBM's Weather Company, and developer resources and APIs from partners like Intuit and New Relic, the tech giant said in a statement.

Among supporters of Call for Code are UN World Food Programme Innovation Accelerator experts, Arrow Electronics, Black Girls Code, Caribbean Girls Hack, Clinton Foundation, Clinton Global Initiative University, Ingram Micro, Intuit, Kode With Klossy, NearForm, United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction, United Way, and World Institute on Disability.

To help take on climate change, IBM is announcing new partnerships this year with Heifer International and charity: water. Heifer International joins the Call for Code movement, contributing their world-renowned expertise in mitigating hunger and poverty by investing in local farmers and their communities.

"Smallholder farmers produce the majority of the world's food and are on the frontlines of the climate crisis. With access to information and technology, they can make informed decisions on what to grow and when, enabling them to increase their incomes, while feeding the world," said David Gill, Senior Director of Technology Innovation for Heifer International. "We're excited to join IBM and the developer and open source communities in supporting these solutions that have the potential to increase access to water, food, and markets for millions of people around the world."

Last year's winning solution, Agrolly, is an app designed to support small farmers by providing climate and crop predictions and recommendations.

Since October, the Agrolly team has expanded their solution to new markets and provided hands-on training to more than 500 rural farmers across Mongolia, India, and Brazil, who are testing and using the app to fight the effects of Agrolly is also working with the IBM Service Corps on a deployment plan to improve and test their technology in the coming months.

"Climate change is one of the most pressing issues of our time, and we must apply our collective ingenuity and cutting-edge technologies to make a lasting difference," said Ruth Davis, director of Call for Code, IBM. "Together with our ecosystem of partners, IBM will work with the winning team to incubate and deploy their solution in communities where it's most needed, just as we've done with past winners. I encourage every developer and innovator around the world to seize this opportunity through Call for Code to change our climate trajectory."
closed its embassy in on Sunday after announcing that it is cutting ties with Kuala Lumpur over the extradition of its citizen to the United States for alleged money laundering.

A North Korean diplomat read out a statement to the media, calling extradition an "unpardonable crime," NHK World reported.

On Friday, said that it will sever diplomatic relations with for extraditing one of its nationals to the US to face money laundering charges.

According to Yonhap News Agency, the North Korean businessman living in is accused of supplying prohibited luxury items from Singapore to Pyongyang, in violation of UN sanctions.

Malaysia's top court ruled that the businessman can be extradited to the US, rejecting his appeal challenging the extradition request.

"This world-startling incident is an out-and-out product of anti-DPRK conspiracy created from the heinous policy of hostility by the US aimed at isolating and suffocating our country and the pro-US subservience by the Malaysian authority," the official Korean Central News Agency said.

also warned that the US will 'pay a due price', accusing it of being the "backstage manipulator and the main culprit of this incident".
[March 22, 2021] Alan Turner Appointed HSBC Bank Canada Head of Commercial Banking

Alan Turner is appointed Head of Commercial Banking effective today, succeeding Linda Seymour who took on the role of President and Chief Executive Officer of HSBC Bank Canada in September 2020. In this role, Turner has responsibility for HSBC's Large Corporates and Small and Medium Enterprise banking segments, as well as leading Global Trade and Receivables Finance in Canada. Alan was most recently Head of Commercial Banking for HSBC in Singapore. Before joining HSBC in 2017, Alan spent 25 years at a major British bank, working in corporate and investment banking in London, Hong Kong and Sydney with roles at the local, regional and global levels. This includes 10 years in Asia, with regional and sector expertise gained from a variety of senior executive roles across trade finance, liquidity and cash management, and leveraged finance. Linda Seymour, President and Chief Executive Officer, HSBC Canada, said: "I am delighted to welcome Alan to our Commercial Bank in Canada. His strong sector and global expertise, paired with HSBC's network covering 90% of global trade flows, will help accelerate our progress in better supporting clients in their international expansion plans." HSBC Canada's Commercial Bank is HSBC Group's third most profitable Commercial Banking division.1 Building long-term relationships with customers is core to our growth strategy and organizational values. In 2020, we continued to invest in our business while supporting customers throughout the pandemic with payment deferrals and access to government support programs. Turner said: "No one is better placed to serve Canadian companies doing business here a home or internationally. Our transactional banking solutions, access to our international network and relationship driven model, place us well to support their ambitions. I look forward to leading the talented Canadian team at the heart of our business' success."



In 2020, HSBC was voted the number one Domestic Cash Manager and best for service in Canada in the Euromoney Cash Management Survey. In addition, HSBC was named the number one trade finance bank and number one in service quality in Canada in the 2021 Euromoney Trade Finance Survey. Note to editors:

1 HSBC's Annual Report and Accounts, 2020, page 100 HSBC Commercial Banking For over 150 years we have been where the growth is, connecting customers to opportunities. Today, HSBC Commercial Banking serves around 1.4 million customers across 53 markets, ranging from small enterprises focused primarily on their home markets through to corporates operating across borders. Whether it is working capital, term loans, trade finance or payments and cash management solutions, we provide the tools and expertise that businesses need to thrive. As the cornerstone of the HSBC Group, we give businesses access to a geographic network covering more than 90% of global trade and capital flows. For more information visit: www.hsbc.com/about-hsbc/structure-and-network/commercial-banking HSBC Bank Canada HSBC Bank Canada, a subsidiary of HSBC Holdings plc, is the leading international bank in the country. We help companies and individuals across Canada to do business and manage their finances internationally through three global business lines: Commercial Banking, Global Banking and Markets, and Wealth and Personal Banking. HSBC Holdings plc, the parent company of HSBC Bank Canada, is headquartered in London. HSBC serves customers worldwide from offices in 64 countries and territories in Europe, Asia, North America, Latin America, and Middle East and North Africa. With assets of US$2,984bn at 31 December 2020, HSBC is one of the world's largest banking and financial services organizations. For more information, visit http://www.hsbc.ca or follow us on Twitter (News - Alert) : @hsbc_ca or Facebook: @HSBCCanada View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210322005077/en/

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Myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) is a disease of the stem cells in the bone marrow, which disturbs the maturing and differentiation of blood cells. Annually, some 200 Finns are diagnosed with MDS, which can develop into acute leukaemia. Globally, the incidence of MDS is 4 cases per 100,000 person years.

To diagnose MDS, a bone marrow sample is needed to also investigate genetic changes in bone marrow cells. The syndrome is classified into groups to determine the nature of the disorder in more detail.

In the study conducted at the University of Helsinki, microscopic images of MDS patients' bone marrow samples were examined utilising an image analysis technique based on machine learning. The samples were stained with haematoxylin and eosin (H&E staining), a procedure that is part of the routine diagnostics for the disease. The slides were digitised and analysed with the help of computational deep learning models.

The study was published in the Blood Cancer Discovery, a journal of the American Association for Cancer Research, and the results can also be explored with an interactive tool: http://hruh-20. it. helsinki. fi/ mds_visualization/ .

By employing machine learning, the digital image dataset could be analysed to accurately identify the most common genetic mutations affecting the progression of the syndrome, such as acquired mutations and chromosomal aberrations. The higher the number of aberrant cells in the samples, the higher the reliability of the results generated by the prognostic models.

Diagnosis supported by data analysis

One of the greatest challenges of utilising neural network models is understanding the criteria on which they base their conclusions drawn from data, such as information contained in images. The recently released study succeeded in determining what deep learning models see in tissue samples when they have been taught to look for, for example, genetic mutations related to MDS. The technique provides new information on the effects of complex diseases on bone marrow cells and the surrounding tissues.

"The study confirms that computational analysis helps to identify features that elude the human eye. Moreover, data analysis helps to collect quantitative data on cellular changes and their relevance to the patient's prognosis," says Professor Satu Mustjoki.

Part of the analytics carried out in the study was implemented using the Helsinki University Hospital (HUS) data lake environment, which enables the efficient collection and analysis of extensive clinical datasets.

"We've developed solutions to structure and analyse data stored in the HUS data lake. Image analysis helps us analyse large quantities of biopsies and rapidly produce diverse information on disease progression. The techniques developed in the project are suited to other projects as well, and they are perfect examples of the digitalizing medical science," says doctoral student Oscar Bruck.

"[This] study provides new insights into the pathobiology of MDS and paves the way for increased use of artificial intelligence for the assessment and diagnosis of hematological malignancies," says PhD Olivier Elemento from the Caryl and Israel Englander Institute for Precision Medicine in his commentary to the article in Blood Cancer Discovery, a journal of the American Association for Cancer Research.

###
German Chancellor will join state leaders on Monday to discuss whether a return to a harder lockdown is needed after the country surpassed a key threshold in infection numbers.

Despite hopes for more lockdown relaxations in time for the Easter holiday weekend, which falls at the start of April this year, is likely to halt its plans for reopenings after the seven-day incidence of new infections passed the critical benchmark on Sunday, reports Xinhua news agency.

Officials previously agreed to use an "emergency brake" and renew restrictions if the number of new infections per 100,000 inhabitants during the course of a week exceeded the threshold of 100 for three consecutive days.

On Sunday, this seven-day incidence figure rose to 103.9.

Government officials and state leaders, speaking online, are also set to debate the possibility of at least allowing citizens to travel to holiday homes in their own state during the Easter holidays.

As of Monday morning, has reported 2,670,001 cases and 74,715 deaths.

--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.)
Vietnamese land-rights activist Trinh Ba Phuong (center) is shown with his mother, Can Thi Theu, and brother, Trinh Ba Tu, in an undated photo.

Vietnamese land-rights activist Trinh Ba Phuong is being held in a state-run mental hospital after being transferred from his former detention center, according to his wife, who was informed of his whereabouts on Monday.

After visiting Hanoi police on March 22 to ask about her husband, Phuongs wife Do Thi Thu was told he had been sent to the hospital in Hanois Thuong Tin district for evaluation after refusing to cooperate with investigators, Thu told RFA on Monday.

It was [investigating officer] Le The Bac who told me in person that my husband had been sent to the National Psychiatric Hospital No. 1 on March 1, Thu said, adding she was told that her husband had been uncooperative with police, refusing to look at his interrogators or answer their questions.

Because of this behavior, prosecutors asked that an assessment of Phuongs health be carried out for around four to six weeks, Thu said she was told.

Investigators had previously summoned Phuongs family members on Sept. 3, 2020 to ask about Phuongs behavior at home and whether there was a history of mental illness in the family, Thu said. I told them that when he was at home, Phuong was healthy and loved his wife and children, and that there is no one in my family with mental health problems.

Then, in December, Phuong asked someone to call me, and that person told me that Phuong had said he would uphold his right to silence until he could see his lawyer. That person also said that Phuong wanted to remind us not to say anything to police ourselves, as we too have the right to silence.

Calls seeking comment from the National Psychiatric Hospital No. 1 were answered by a receptionist who said she did not know of any patient there named Trinh Ba Truong and that there were over 600 patients in the hospital.

Calls to the hospitals General Planning Department were not picked up on Monday.

The right to maintain silence

Speaking to RFA, Phuongs defense attorney Dang Dinh Manh said his client was within his rights under Vietnams Criminal Code not to give testimony against himself or to plead guilty, adding that he plans to file a complaint in the case with prosecutors and the Hanoi Security Investigation Office.

The Criminal Code stipulates that defendants have the right to maintain silence, the lawyer said. Thus I was very surprised to hear that not giving responses [to investigators] should be taken as a sign of mental illness and that assessments are needed.

Because I got this information from Phuongs family and not in an official notice given to me as his lawyer, Ill ask the Security Investigation Office to confirm it," he said.

"And if they do, Ill take further legal steps which could include filing a complaint about Phuongs transfer for health assessments without legal justification."

A well-known land-rights activist in Hanoi, Trinh Ba Phuong was arrested on June 24, 2020 with his younger brother, Trinh Ba Tu, and his mother, Can Thi Theu, on charges of creating, storing, and disseminating information, documents, items and publications opposing the Socialist Republic of Vietnam.

The three family members had been outspoken in social media postings about the Jan. 9, 2020 clash in Dong Tam commune in which 3,000 police stormed barricaded protesters homes at a construction site about 25 miles south of the capital, killing a village elder.

They had also offered information to foreign embassies and other international figures to try to raise awareness of the incident.

While all land is ultimately held by the state, land confiscations have become a flashpoint as residents accuse the government of pushing small landholders aside in favor of lucrative real estate projects, and of paying too little in compensation to farming families displaced by development.

Reported by RFAs Vietnamese Service. Translated by Anna Vu. Written in English by Richard Finney.
MANILA, Philippines (AP)  The Philippine defense chief on Sunday demanded more than 200 Chinese vessels he said were manned by militias leave a South China Sea reef claimed by Manila, saying their presence was a provocative action of militarizing the area.

We call on the Chinese to stop this incursion and immediately recall these boats violating our maritime rights and encroaching into our sovereign territory, Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana said in a statement, adding without elaborating that the Philippines would uphold its sovereign rights.

A government watchdog overseeing the disputed region said about 220 Chinese vessels were seen moored at Whitsun Reef, which Beijing also claims, on March 7. It released pictures of the vessels side by side in one of the most hotly contested areas of the strategic waterway.

Foreign Secretary Teodoro Locsin tweeted late Sunday the Philippines has filed a diplomatic protest over the Chinese presence.

The reef, which Manila calls Julian Felipe, is a boomerang-shaped and shallow coral region about 175 nautical miles (324 kilometers) west of Bataraza town in the western Philippine province of Palawan. Its well within the countrys exclusive economic zone, over which the Philippines enjoys the exclusive right to exploit or conserve any resources, the government watchdog said.

Related: Why is everyone fighting over the South China Sea?

The large numbers of Chinese boats are a concern due to the possible overfishing and destruction of the marine environment, as well as risks to safety of navigation, it said, although it added that the vessels were not fishing when sighted.

Chinese fishing fleets have long been suspected of being utilized as maritime militias to help assert Beijings territorial claims, although China has played down those claims.

Philippine military chief Lt. Gen. Cirilito Sobejana said the militarys utmost priority remains to be the protection of our citizens in the area, particularly our fishermen, through increased maritime patrols.

Story continues

Chinese Embassy officials did not immediately issue any comment. China, the Philippines and four other governments have been locked in a tense territorial standoff over the resource-rich and busy waterway for decades.

Critics have repeatedly called out President Rodrigo Duterte, who has nurtured friendly ties with Beijing since taking office in 2016, for not standing up to Chinas aggressive behavior and deciding not to immediately demand Chinese compliance with an international arbitration ruling that invalidated Beijings historic claims to virtually the entire sea. China has refused to recognize the 2016 ruling, which it called a sham, and continues to defy it.

When Xi says I will fish, who can prevent him? Duterte said two years ago as he defended his nonconfrontational approach, referring to Chinese President Xi Jinping.

If I send my marines to drive away the Chinese fishermen, I guarantee you not one of them will come home alive, Duterte said then, adding that diplomatic talks with Beijing allowed the return of Filipinos to disputed fishing grounds where Chinese forces had previously shooed them away.

Duterte has sought infrastructure funds, trade and investments from China, which has also donated and pledged to deliver more COVID-19 vaccines as the Philippines faces an alarming spike in coronavirus infections.
By Andrew Hammond





The most important meeting in international relations so far this year took place Thursday and Friday with the diplomatic mood as frosty as the freezing Alaska weather.







Expectations around the U.S.-China session were played down, yet the diplomatic sparks at the session, between U.S. Secretary of State Anthony Blinken plus National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan and counterparts Wang Yi and Yang Jiechi, will help shape the tone of the world's most critical bilateral relationship for the next four years.







This is because, while economic and security fundamentals will largely determine the course of ties in coming years, personal chemistry between the Washington and Beijing teams  or the absence of this  could also be key.







The importance of this personal factor was shown during the Trump era when the former president's erratic nature accentuated the natural volatility in ties. During the Obama years, by contrast, the fact that relations remained generally cordial reflected, in significant part, the commitment of Barack Obama and Xi Jinping to bilateral stability.







Obama pursued a strategy that promoted cooperation on softer issues like climate change, while seeking constructive engagement on vexed, harder issues such as South China Sea tensions.







Moreover, Xi outlined a desire to fundamentally redevelop a new type of great power relationship with the United States to try to avoid the conflictual great power patterns of the past.







Biden was a key part of the Obama team, however, and he knows that the dynamics of the bilateral relationship have changed significantly since then. This is not just because of extra uncertainty injected into bilateral ties by Trump.







Many of China's policies that the United States finds troubling, including in Hong Kong, heightened rhetoric against Taiwan and actions in the South China Sea, were a lower-level feature of the Obama era too. And the Obama team's constructive engagement approach with China did not produce many of the desired results in terms of shaping Beijing's behavior.







Both sides put these issues "on the table" in Alaska, and although Blinken said that the session is "not a strategic dialogue," Washington and Beijing will ultimately prefer to work toward a framework to underpin a renewed basis for bilateral relations into the 2020s if this is possible. They know that this could have a broader, positive effect for international relations, and potentially forestall significant further bilateral tensions that may be otherwise "baked in."







The in-built hazards in the U.S.-China bilateral landscape that could cause tensions in coming years include new U.S. legislation such as the Hong Kong Human Rights and Democracy Act.







This legislation, which has infuriated Beijing as an "intervention" in its internal affairs, will require an annual check on whether Hong Kong has sufficient political autonomy from Beijing to qualify for continued special U.S. trading consideration that enhances its status as a world financial center, creating a yearly mechanism around which tension could coalesce.







With the two sides far apart on many key issues, the Alaska session was a chance to size each other up and gauge intent. This is true just as much for the Chinese officials as for Blinken and Sullivan, as Beijing tries to get a better sense of what Biden's election means for bilateral relations.







For all of the new U.S. president's indications that he might reverse some of Trump's overt hostility to China, Biden has yet to backtrack on any of his predecessor's policies. Indeed, he has reaffirmed several of them, including maintaining sanctions in response to human rights abuses in western Xinjiang and Hong Kong and rejecting nearly all of China's maritime claims in the South China Sea.







Amid all the disagreements that exist, what remains unclear is the degree to which the Biden team might seek to work with Beijing in areas where there are clearly defined common interests like climate change.







Tackling global warming is a key political priority of both nations and there may be a window of opportunity before the U.K.-hosted U.N. climate summit in November for a U.S.-China initiative in this area.







It is sometimes forgotten that a key precursor for the Paris deal in 2015 was a U.S.-China agreement. So, with climate-skeptic Donald Trump out of the White House, this could become a rejuvenated topic of conversation for Beijing and Washington.







Another possible area of collaboration, building on the so-called "stage 1" bilateral trade deal negotiated in 2018 and 2019, is the possibility of further economic agreements between the two. The scope for this is underlined by the fact that the Trump agreement covers few of the areas that China is often accused of misdemeanors from currency manipulation to intellectual property theft.







If the two sides can find such areas of agreement, it will demonstrate that the direction of Washington's bilateral relations with Beijing need not inevitably be a force for greater global tension. Moreover, this might even provide a pathway toward a deeper strategic partnership that helps underpin bilateral relations in the post-pandemic era.











Andrew Hammond ( andrewkorea@outlook.com ) is an associate at LSE IDEAS at the London School of Economics.
Former Fort Worth Mayor Mike Moncrief and his wife Rosie on Monday endorsed Mattie Parker in the race to replace Betsy Price.

Price, who wont seek a sixth term as mayor, also endorsed Parker, a former City Council chief or staff. The Moncriefs, in a statement, said they believed Parker would listen to citizens and solve problems with innovation and collaboration.

She has what is required to do the job. After careful consideration, we are proud to support Mattie Parker and her vision for the future of Fort Worth, the couple said in a statement.

Mike Moncrief was mayor from 2003 to 2011, when Price was first elected.

Parker is the founding CEO of education nonprofits Fort Worth Cradle to Career and the Tarrant To and Through Partnership.

She has several prominent endorses, including from the Fort Worth Police Officers Association. The list includes Republican state Reps. Phil King and Craig Goldman as well as Democrat Pete Geren, a former congressman, outgoing councilman Dennis Shingleton and former council members Danny Scarth, Bill Meadows and Zim Zimmerman. Ramona and Lee Bass, Sid Bass, Mike Berry and Dee Kelly Jr. are among prominent citizens backing Parker.

The Fort Worth election is May 1 and includes 10 mayoral candidates.

Tarrant County Democratic Chairwoman Deborah Peoples also has a growing list of endorsements including County Commissioner Roy Brooks, Texas Board of Education member Aicha Davis and The Collective PAC, a national political action committee focused on electing Black candidates to local offices.

Councilman Brian Byrd has been endorsed by Republican U.S. Rep. Kay Granger.

Other candidates include councilwoman Ann Zadeh and real estate broker Steve Penate.
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.
SPRINGFIELD  Police are investigating a Sunday night shooting at a busy Boston Road intersection that was described as very dangerous and involving a very uncooperative victim.

Police Commissioner Cheryl Clapprood and department spokesman Ryan Walsh provided details of the shooting on Monday. Clapprood asked that any witness or anyone having information to contact the Detective Bureau.

Nine shell casings were found on Boston Road near Breckwood Boulevard where the shooting occurred, Walsh said. A victim was brought by car to Mercy Medical Center approximately 7:40 p.m., after being shot once in the arm and once in the leg, he said.

The weapon used was believed to be an AK-47 or similar-type firearm due to the 7.62 founds located at the scene, Walsh said.

Clapprood said the injured man in his late 20s was non-cooperative, is a known gang member and has a history of dozens of arrests. Ryan said that included a history of gun violence.

There were no 911 calls, but a witness did flag down police to report that a shooting had occurred. Walsh said.

Mayor Domenic J. Sarno noted the shooting Monday and a previous incident on Saturday that left three people injured in the Forest Park area on Commonwealth Avenue. He criticized low bails, adding the courts need to keep violent repeat offenders in jail.
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Globally, every March 22 has been observed by the United Nations (UN) as World Water Day. The event is used to celebrate water and create awareness about the over two billion people worldwide living without access to safe and portable drinking water .

Governments are urged to take action on the global water challenge and support the attainment of the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 6:Water and Sanitation for all by 2030.

The importance of water and its value cannot be over emphasised, particularly at this time when health professionals and government alike urge citizens to maintain a high sense of hygiene to curb the spread of the coronavirus.

As Nigeria join the rest of the world in commemorating the 2021 World Water Day which has theme: Valuing Water, we must reinforce the fact that water is the sustainer of life and livelihoods. The burden is then on governments in their policies, to recognize water as a right of citizens because of its vital role it plays in meeting households needs ,health care needs and religious obligations.

In Nigeria the public water utility companies have largely been neglected. The waterworks in cities like Lagos experience epileptic production and distribution with weighty implications on residentswho will have to go the extra mile to get water. Areport How Acute Water Shortage May Jeopardize COVID 19 Response in Lagos, published by Corporate Accountability and Public Participation Africa (CAPPA) in 2020 exposes the depth of the neglect of the water infrastructure in the state. The report details the findings of CAPPA after a three-month factfinding exercise to ascertain the status of the waterworks at the peak of the pandemic in the second quarter of 2020.

The report exposed the deplorable state of water infrastructures in 11 local government areas of the state and how most of the waterworks did not produce a drop of water during the first wave of the pandemic and how many have not produced for years.

Despite the clear recommendations to government inthe report , the water situation in Lagos has not improved as the government is yet to prioritize rehabilitation of waterworks as it part of its core agenda in the water sector. As the theme of this years World Water Day reflects, valuing water should be a priority by government at all levels. It must necessarily involve fixing the waterworks and sustained investment of public funds in the sector.

The idea of privatizing the water utility assets under a Public Private Partnerships (PPP) or other models of privatisation as is being pursued by the Lagos state government and other governments across the federation is best described as abdication of responsibility. The PPP for instance, is a failed initiative that will further add to the water crisis and put a free natural resource in the hands of forprofitonly entities. Several global reports have shown this

It is more worrisome that most states in the federation are bent on going ahead with privatisationat a time when countries in the continent have chosento remunicipalize because of privatisation failed promises that are manifest in soaring water bills, poor quality water and shut offs for low income communities.

It is ironic for instance, that Lagos that is surrounded by water, is not able to guarantee adequate and safe drinking water and sanitation for residents. Today, Lagos residents are still battling with illnesses such as dysentery and water related borne disease and now the increasing spread of the COVID-19 pandemic.

To reverse lingering water crisis, governments across all level must begin to value water as a basic necessity to human survival. To do this, they must develop the political will to prioritize water for the people by making public investment in the water infrastructure to guarantee universal access which will create jobs , improve public health and invigorate the economy. They must also recognise and uphold human right to as an obligation of the government representing the people and reject all forms of water privatisation and commodification.

Olatunji Buhari is Associate Director at Corporate Accountability and Public Participation Africa.
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The Minister of Public Health, Social Development and Labor (VSA), Richard Panneflek hereby informs the public that as of March 23rd, 2021 the countries Bonaire and Curacao, as is the case for Aruba will be graded High Risk. Effective immediately,The United Kingdom which was previously on the ban list was moved to High Risk. All travelers coming from the above mentioned destinations will be required to be in position and upload a negative RT-PCR test not older than 72 hours. For further information and updates visit (EHAS) at www.stmaartenentry.com.




Civil society and student groups in Myanmars restive Rakhine state denounced the military junta Monday for unlawfully seizing power and using lethal force to quell peaceful protests, saying the people of the war-torn region know what the nation is going through.

Rakhine has been a theatre of heavy fighting between Myanmars military and the rebel Arakan Army (AA) since late 2018. About 300 civilians died during the conflict, while more than 600 others were injured, and at its peak, 230,000 people were displaced.

Shortly after the Feb. 1 coup that ousted Aung San Suu Kyis civilian government, widespread anti-military protests erupted across the country.

In Rakhine however, the protests happened only sporadically in a few townships in the southern part of the state, with none at all in the war-torn north.

The military junta, meanwhile, has been making overtures to the AA in an effort to garner their support, including removing a terrorist designation applied in 2020 to the armed group.

Though the AA welcomed the move, not all residents of Rakhine were swayed.

The 77 civil society groups Monday made three demands of the junta: release of all persons detained since the coup, renounce the unlawful military takeover, and recognize the need for a federal union style of government, based on local self-autonomy.

The statement said the civic groups not only felt sadness amid so many dead and wounded, but they also empathized with the people who now live in a state of fear, noting that Rakhines have been living in constant fear for as long as armed conflict had been going on in their state.

We are seeing a lot of young people beaten and tortured and getting arrested and killed. We want an immediate end to all this, Daw Nyo Aye, the chairwoman of the Rakhine Womens Network told RFAs Myanmar Service Monday.

If we are going to have a true democracy, the authorities should consider all the requests from any state or division in the country, she said.

Than Hla of the Rakhine New Generation Network told RFA that Rakhines understand firsthand what the rest of Myanmar is experiencing now.

There was so much suffering, much worse than what we are seeing now, in the ethnic areas where there was a lack of media, he said.

Now we can see all the unacceptable and inhuman violence perpetrated even in areas where there is a presence of powerful media. We condemn the brutal violence of the military authorities, said Than Hla.

In a separate statement, 11 Rakhine student unions pledged their support to the countrys students and activists standing up against the military in what they called the Spring Revolution.

We cannot accept the fact that the military robbed power from the elected government and is brutally suppressing the people, Mai Khine Zin May Than, president of the Chin University Students of Rakhine (CUSR), told RFA.

Political analysts, meanwhile, said that the violence and the fighting in Rakhine was a result of flaws in the design of the civilian government, under which the military held a guaranteed one-quarter of seats in Myanmars parliament.

All the problems we are facing today are the result of a messed-up political system. The best solution for the country is to have a federal system without any intervention from the military, Khin Maung Gyi of the Rakhine National Unity Committee told RFA.

Hla Myint, spokesman from the Arakan League for Democracy political party, told RFA that peace could only last if Myanmar adopts a federal democratic style of government.

All the detainees must be released as a first step, and then we can start a dialogue that would be beneficial for the whole country, he said.

All three points demanded by these CSOs are in line with our partys stand. If the current trend continues, the whole country will be heading for total destruction, said Hla Myint.

RFAs phone calls to the military spokesman Major General Zaw Min Tun went unanswered.

Expediting legal cases

As a result of the junta lifting the terrorist designation on the AA on March 11, authorities in Rakhine are expediting the cases of residents detained on suspicion of having a connection with the rebel group, lawyers representing the detainees told RFA.

The State Council has given instructions to expedite these cases. It wants a quick end because we are now in a national reconciliation period, said Aung Sit Min, a lawyer representing 22 villagers in pretrial detention for the past two years.

Myo Myat Hein, the director of a Sittwe law firm, said hearings for AA-related cases are happening more quickly now.

We used to have court hearings for these cases once every one or two weeks, but now we are having two hearings per week, he said.

The authorities have declared that the AA is not a terrorist organization anymore. Its a bit unusual that the hearings have been expedited, said Myo Myat Hein.

Relatives of the detainees told RFA they were happy with the expedite order.

Our husbands are innocent. I wish all these villagers could be released as soon as possible, Thein Ma Yin, wife of Khin Maung Soe, currently in detention on terrorism charges, told RFA.



Than Than Htay of Ponnagyun township told RFA that she wanted a quick release for her brother Nyi Nyi Aung, who she says is innocent.

He doesnt know anything. He is a simple man and even so, the soldiers arrested him. If he has done anything wrong, then he deserves to be under arrest, but now we know he is innocent, she said.

We dont want to blame anybody for all this. I just want him to be released, said Than Than Htay.

The lawyers estimated there are at least 300 people who were charged under anti-terrorism laws in various parts of Rakhine State over the past two years.

Reported by RFAs Myanmar Service. Translated by Khin Maung Nyane. Written in English by Eugene Whong.
Pathkind Labs presents its digital mandate to Team Pumpkin, a full-service Digital Marketing and PR agency. As a part of the mandate, Team Pumpkin will facilitate Pathkind with strategy and execution to scale up the brands digital footprint.

In just a little over 3 years of starting the operations, Pathkind has set up 65+ Labs (including 15 Hospital Lab implants) and a highly responsive robust network of about 1200+ Collection Centres across 17 States of India. Given the expertise of the team, Pathkind is already reaching out to around 100,000 doctors/ prescribers and getting samples from over 100 hospitals. Setting up Labs inside the hospitals and running those Labs is Pathkinds forte.

Pathkind is on its course to have an efficient network of labs across every part of India over the next 2 years.

Having a presence in Delhi, Mumbai and Bangalore, Team Pumpkin will be servicing Pathkind Labs from their Delhi office. The key areas of engagement are managing Social Media, Media Planning, Media Buying and SEO for the brand. The agency will be strategizing the digital way-forward to build a loyal customer base, and drive innovations in the awareness-to-purchase cycle for the brand. Apart from that, Team Pumpkin will also be developing digital properties with branded microsites and offering digital support for their events and activations.

Swati Nathani, Co-founder & Chief Business Officer, Team Pumpkin, said, Ive got to be honest here, this is exciting! Being awarded two sub-brands from the same parent company in such little time difference tells us that we are doing something right! That said, we see a long road ahead with Pathkind, and we sure are going to do our best at making this ride a smooth and rewarding one. With new opportunities to explore, come new challenges to overcome, and we can already visualize how we ace them all!

Sanjeev Vashishta, MD & CEO, Pathkind Labs, said, Our partnership with Team Pumpkin excites us, and we are confident that it would translate into something truly amazing to bring the patients/customers to the Pathkind Network to get the flavour of superior quality diagnostics services in the quickest possible time. After all, they are the ones who are going to help us capitalize on the potential of the digital medium!
The recent spike in new cases of the coronavirus in New Jersey likely means there wont be any additional announcements in the near future about loosening restrictions, Gov. Phil Murphy said Monday morning.

My guess is we wont be opening up further capacities for some time now  because of the caseload, Murphy said during a TV interview on CNN.

The states seven-day average of new cases was 3,329 cases as of Sunday, up 8% from a week ago and 29% from a month ago. Hospitalizations have also risen in recent weeks and currently hover between 1,900 and 2,000 patients after hitting a low of 1,785 earlier this month.

Murphy continued to express concern about the spread of more contagious COVID-19 variants as the state pushes forward with its effort vaccinate 70% of the population by May. As of Monday morning, 3.45 million vaccine doses have been administered. More than 1.2 million people have been fully vaccinated.

Murphys comments come only days after he loosened indoor capacity limits at businesses like restaurants and gyms. The increase from 35% to 50% for those businesses  and others, like casinos, personal care services and amusement venues  took effect at 6 a.m. Friday.

On Friday, Murphy said the state had definitely plateaued when it came to fighting back the second wave of the pandemic. But recent numbers show daily COVID-19 cases are climbing.

CORONAVIRUS RESOURCES: Live map tracker | Newsletter | Homepage

The statewide rate of transmission also continues to climb in recent days. It increased to 1.08 on Sunday, up from 1.07 the previous day. Any number over 1 indicates that the outbreak is growing, with each new case leading to at least one other case. Officials warned Wednesday that the rate may creep up in the coming days.

In terms of total per capita cases, Monmouth County led the state, adding 34.4 new cases per 10,000 residents. Also in the top five were Morris County (31.4 new cases per 10,000 residents), Ocean County (28.2), Passaic County (27.7), and Essex County (26.8).

The lowest number of new cases came in Cape May County. While the county was up 18.5% from last week, it added just 10.2 new cases per 10,000 residents. No other county was under 14.

In all, New Jersey has now reported 764,990 confirmed coronavirus cases out of more than 11.5 million PCR tests in the year since the state reported its first case on March 4, 2020. There have also been more than 100,896 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 24,174 residents have died from complications related to COVID-19  21,659 confirmed deaths and 2,515 fatalities considered probable.

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

Matt Arco may be reached at marco@njadvancemedia.com.
Shiv Sena says BJP's focus is UP polls instead of tackling COVID-19

Shiv Sena rules out troubled NCP leader Anil Deshmuk's resignation

India

oi-Deepika S

Mumbai, Mar 22: Amid former Mumbai police chief Param Bir Singh's corruption allegations against Maharashtra home minister Anil Deshmukh, the Shiv Sena has questioned the need for his resignation if the key parties are open to the idea of probing the issue.

"HM (Anil Deshmukh) said that the contents of 'letter bomb' should be probed, CM should probe it. NCP chief said that it should be investigated. If the govt is ready to accept the challenge of probing this, then why is the issue of resignation being raised repeatedly (by the opposition BJP)," Sanjay Raut told reporters.

"If NCP chief has decided that the allegations should be probed, then what is wrong? Anyone can level any allegation. If people take ministers' resignation just like that then it will be difficult to run the government," Raut added.

No question of Maharashtra Home Minister Anil Deshmukh resigning: NCP

He also warned the opposition BJP against making attempts to destabilise the Maha Vikas Aghadi government of the ShivSena-NCP-Congress in the state.

"If someone is attempting to get President's Rule imposed in Maharashtra by misusing central agencies, then I am warning them - you yourself will get burnt in that fire," he alleged.

Meanwhile, senior NCP leader Nawab Malik said that there will be a probe against Home Minister Anil Deshmukh.

"Resignation has been asked on basis of letter, no question that it will happen. Party will take a call only after probe," Malik said.

On Sunday, Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar, state unit NCP chief Jayant Patil, and Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut separately met NCP supremo Sharad Pawar in Delhi.

The meetings took place hours after Pawar told reporters that Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray will decide the fate of Deshmukh, an NCP leader, amid speculation in state political circles that Maharashtra may soon have a new home minister.

Singh has claimed Deshmukh wanted police officers to collect Rs 100 crore monthly from bars and hotels in Mumbai.

Anil Deshmukh Corruption row: NCP says 'no need for resignation'| Oneindia News

Deshmukh had denied these allegations as baseless.
Actress Kriti Sanon will play diverse characters in upcoming films such as "Bhediya", "Mimi" and "Adipurush". She feels now she is in a position to try something different and challenging.

"When you establish yourself a bit and people are liking you and the film is doing the numbers that you want to do, it gives you confidence to take up something challenging. I feel as an actor you also get bored repeating yourself and the audience also gets bored seeing you in same kinds of films. Yes, there is a deliberate attempt to try do something different and not repeat yourself," she tells IANS.

She adds: "I have also been lucky enough to have liked scripts that belong to different genres. If tomorrow there are two horror comedies I am loving, I would do both. It is a nice feeling for me to do something different and not repeat myself."

The actress, who made her Bollywood debut with "Heropanti" (2014) reflects on the projects she has done in the last few years that have helped her get a strong footing in the industry.

"Bareilly (Ki Barfi) was a milestone because someone believed in me and that was (director) Ashwiny Iyer Tiwari, (co-writer) Nitesh (Tiwari) sir and Dinesh (Vijan) who was the producer. They believed that I could play Bittu in the film. I feel that you have to have belief in an actor rather than the characters, or how I look at the red carpet. They had that belief and I am glad that they did. That film was so out of the box from what I had done. It gave me the opportunity of coming away from hair, make-up and songs, to getting into something that was de-glam and I just enjoyed the characters. After that 99 per cent characters I have been offered were from small towns," says recalls Kriti.

She also credits her 2019 film "Lukka Chuppi" for giving a much-needed boost.

"With 'Luka Chuppi' doing well, I got confidence to take risk. 'Panipat' was one film where Ashu sir (Ashutosh Gowariker) pushed me so good. The character could have gone missing and I think he did push me beyond where I could take myself as an actor. I was very surprised when I got the feedback. When I was shooting I didn't know that this character could be so strong," she says.

Text: IANS

Images: Kriti on Instagram
Life Upended. The coronavirus outbreak has had a devastating impact on our nation, and it has touched Staten Islanders in countless ways. In this series, reporter Tracey Porpora will share the stories of those who have been thrust into situations that were unimaginable just a few months ago -- those who have seen their life completely upended. This is the thirty-eighth story of Life Upended.

STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- Deric Borrero and his partners in the Resource Room, a successful tutoring service, were getting ready to open their third Staten Island location in Charleston when the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic shuttered all non-essential entities in March 2020.

We were supposed to open on March 19, 2020, but we never got the opportunity, said Borrero, who is also an assistant principal with the city Department of Education and a Grasmere resident. Because we had started to introduce our existing clients to the new location, we were actually booked from March to June of 2020 at the new site. We had booked something like 200 appointments.

While that location never opened, Borrero and his partners also decided it was financially unfeasible to keep the two existing Island locations open when so many students were engaging in virtual tutoring sessions amid the pandemic. They made the tough decision to shutter the New Dorp location of the Resource Room in October.

The Resource Room's first location in West Brighton opened in 2015. (Courtesy of Deric Borrero)

REVENUE DOWN

Down 67% in revenue, Borrero said he and his partners decided to only keep their flagship location -- the first Resource Room that opened in 2015 on Forest Ave. in the heart of West Brighton -- open.

Due to the large-scale job loss during the pandemic, many parents told Borrero they simply couldnt afford tutoring services for their kids. In addition, with Regents exams cancelled in 2020 and many colleges not requiring SAT or ACT scores for admission, the Resource Rooms client base greatly decreased during the pandemic.

We went from March to August last year with no revenue, said Borrero. We had to reassess and say, We dont need the brick and mortar anymore. We put our emphasis on building the virtual platform, where we were able to do classes and small, individualized approaches.

The use of face masks is just one of the safety protocols in place at the Resource Room. (Courtesy of Deric Borrero)

While Borrero and his partners were able to benefit from the Paycheck Protection Program, the money still wasnt enough to keep two locations running, he said. He added that they also had to lay off more than half the staff, which before the pandemic was 46 people.

Since the pandemic I was only able to bring back 13 people, he said.

And to keep the business open and abiding by all coronavirus mandates -- which included the installation of a new air filtration system -- Borrero said he had to funnel $100,000 into the Resource Room.

Once the pandemic happened, we had no choice but to convert all of our services into Zoom and Google Meets and teach people how to do it. Making that pivot was easy for us to do, because our platform was already in place," explained Borrero. (Courtesy of Deric Borrero)

GOING VIRTUAL

Luckily, the Resource Room, which is a family-owned business that also has locations in North Carolina, already had a remote learning platform up and running for its high school seniors and college students prior to the pandemic.

Once the pandemic happened, we had no choice but to convert all of our services into Zoom and Google Meets and teach people how to do it. Making that pivot was easy for us to do, because our platform was already in place. But it was very difficult to accommodate our younger students, especially those with IEPs [Individualized Education Plans], said Borrero.

Now, they are trying to recoup a lot of their business by offering some in-person programs and tutoring students virtually.

Virtual tutoring was very difficult for our younger students, so we did training seminars for our parents. This allowed the students to learn how to interact with their teachers, said Borrero.

We couldnt continue doing business like we did before. So we put in more affordable programs that would allow students to stay longer with us. If kids needed to do extra homework they could stay at our place for Study Hall, where they could use the computers and printers, and the staff to help with their projects, he added.

The Resource Room also has programs for kids to do their remote learning onsite. In an effort to expand services, the Resource Room also recently partnered with Wagner College to offer STEM classes, explained Borrero.

The Resource Room offers an array of turoring services. (Courtesy of Deric Borreno)

A PLACE WHERE EVERYONE KNOWS YOUR NAME

For students who choose to take in-person tutoring at the Resource Room, the owners want everyone to feel like family. For this reason, every student who attends the Resource Room gets a mask with their name printed on it, said Borrero.

When you walk through that door, we want it to be like Cheers. ...We really want this to be a place where everyone knows your name... Sometimes, when youre wearing a mask no one knows who you are anymore, he said. The masks make the kids feel welcome.

And while in-person tutoring is available, due to coronavirus capacity limits, the Resource Room can only accommodate eight students per class, said Borrero.

Our strategy is to continue to try to build back the in-person clientele and continue with the virtual, said Borrero.

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The last 12 months have posed unique challenges for schools and families alike, and Sunny View School in Torremolinos takes great pride in the way its entire school community has worked together to keep its students safe and thriving throughout these unprecedented circumstances.

From immediately rolling out a robust online teaching and learning programme when schools were closed by the lockdown last March, to launching the current academic year onsite with comprehensive safety measures, Sunny View has adapted swiftly to provide the best educational experience throughout the evolving situation.

All members of the school community  teachers, staff, students and parents  have contributed to this success. Working together to ensure strict adherence to safety measures and protocols, they have made it possible for school life to flourish, adapting the schools vast array of activities to the necessary guidelines.

While everyone eagerly awaits the day when face masks and bubble groups are no longer necessary and schools can return to their normal routines and large-group events, Sunny Views current focus is to ensure that, until then, its students continue to thrive  academically, emotionally, personally and socially  within a safe and healthy environment.

As always, at each stage of the curriculum from Preschool to A levels, the schools team of experienced, UK-trained teaching staff strive to make learning fun, interactive, engaging and inspiring, with students actively involved in their own learning and development. A wide variety of activities inside and outside the classroom allow students to broaden their experience and take on new challenges in an inclusive and supportive atmosphere that engenders confidence and an enthusiasm for learning.

These hallmarks of Sunny View, along with its well-equipped facilities and modern resources, have underpinned the schools success throughout the years  as well as during this uniquely challenging time  and they will continue to do so in the bright future that lies ahead.

To see for yourself what makes Sunny View School so special, contact us to arrange a visit

Email: admissions@sunnyviewschool.com

Telephone: 952 38 31 64
Source: Xinhua| 2021-03-22 21:08:09|Editor: huaxia

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ADEN, Yemen, March 22 (Xinhua) -- A senior military commander of Yemen's pro-government forces was killed by the Houthi militia in the country's southwestern province of Taiz on Monday, a security official told Xinhua.

The local security official said on condition of anonymity that "Colonel Abdoh Nuaman, commander of the 1st battalion of the pro-government forces, was killed along with two of his bodyguards in the fighting against the Houthis in Taiz."

The source said that the pro-government forces, including the 1st battalion, launched a military operation against the Houthis in Taiz's southern countryside.

He noted that the pro-government forces managed to capture key areas from the militia's grip following the military operation.

The government forces continued their attacks and advanced against the Houthis on the outskirts of Taiz province, according to the official.

The Yemeni government forces, backed by the Saudi-led coalition, have been locked in clashes with the Iran-allied Houthi military in the north, east and west of Taiz since April 2015.

Yemen has been mired into a civil war since late 2014, when Houthis overran much of the country and seized all northern provinces, including the capital Sanaa. Enditem
There is a crisis on the border that President Biden did not inherit but instead created, and while he belatedly tries telling migrants to stay home, some progressives are mad he isnt doing more for the thousands packing overcrowded, unsuitable facilities. These same Democrats wanted Vice President Kamala Harris to overrule the Senate parliamentarian and include a $15 minimum wage increase in their COVID relief bill. Now they are demanding a kitchen sink of liberal wish-list items that have no chance to pass the 50-50 Senate, insisting Biden relent and agree to abolish the filibuster to pass climate legislation, the John Lewis Voting Rights Act, immigration reform, expanded health care and environmentally reimagined infrastructure.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer is cheering those frustrated progressives on, telling Rachael Maddow on her show last week: We will change America in a big, bold way. We must. It's an imperative, and failure is not an option.

One could say Schumer is just keeping the party unified, doling out happy talk about things that, again, cant happen as the rules currently allow. He is, after all, up for reelection next year and working to fend off a primary challenge from the left wing of his party. No one has to tell Schumer twice that the progressive left is a threat to his own seat and his position in history as the nations first Jewish Senate majority leader. Their energized faction has captured enough critical mass within the Democratic coalition that Bidens victory in the nominating fight was considered an eleventh-hour surprise.

From student debt to cannabis, progressives now have Schumer on the front lines of policy debates that might have shocked his younger self. The once moderate lawmaker, who entered Congress 40 years ago as a law and order Democrat, helped write the 1994 crime bill progressives have castigated Biden for. He also voted against gay marriage in 1996, for the Iraq War in 2003 and for a border wall in 2006. After years of shoring up his reputation as a strong ally of Wall Street, Schumer now spends much of his time talking about wealth inequality and racial justice.

There is a lot Schumer is likely doing right. Yet he is gratuitously alienating Republicans in a 50-50 Senate where -- while he is technically majority leader -- Democrats preside over the chamber without truly controlling it. An evenly split chamber does not change America in a big, bold way. On most votes the vice president cannot break a 50-50 tie, so 10 Republicans are required for 60 votes to overcome a filibuster. For now Schumer is making it harder to find those Republican votes, not easier.

No one knows better than the four-term senator that the entire Biden presidency now revolves around the decisions made by fellow Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin, who is feeling quite comfortable bashing his own leader for refusing to court Republicans.

I havent seen an effort by any of our leadership to go sit down and work with them, Manchin said last week. Just make that effort. Make a little bit more of an effort with him and Mitch McConnell and make an effort with the leadership. John Thunes a very good guy. Roy Blunt, I hate to see Roy leaving. These are all good people.

It was a one-two punch, not only fingering Schumer for failing to reach across the aisle but complimenting Republicans. One Republican he didnt name is Sen. Susan Collins. Manchin and Collins are close, he endorsed her in her race against her Democratic opponent, and together they lead the Common Sense Coalition. The bipartisan group counts more than two dozen senators and works directly with the bipartisan Problem Solvers Caucus in the House.

Not only has Schumer neglected to mend fences with Collins, or attempted to work together on legislation, he recently blamed her for Democrats taking too long to negotiate, and ultimately watering down, a bipartisan compromise for President Obamas stimulus program in 2009. He also criticized the compromise Republicans, led by Collins, offered to Biden in the COVID-relief negotiations this year.

We made a huge mistake in 2009 and 10. Susan Collins was part of that mistake. We cut back on the stimulus dramatically and we stayed in recession for five years, Schumer said on CNN. What was offered by the Republicans was so far away from whats needed, so far away from what Biden proposed.

Collins was clearly horrified by Schumers outburst. Why Chuck seems to be going out of his way to alienate the most bipartisan member of the Senate is a mystery to me, Collins told Politico, adding, It must just reflect his extraordinary frustration at having wasted $100 million in the state of Maine in an attempt to defeat me. And for me to win by a strong margin.

In 2009, Collins noted, then Vice President Biden thanked her for her vote on their stimulus plan. For Sen. Schumer to now say that this was a huge mistake and try to blame me, when he was in leadership and helping with the negotiations and voted the same way, it's bizarre. It makes no sense, she said.

Collins has also expressed concern that Bidens chief of staff, Ron Klain, pushed the president away from compromise with the GOP on the American Rescue Plan and has retweeted posts critical of her. However, Klain has spoken with Collins about such concerns, and White House aides communicate with Collins and her staff several times every week, the Wall Street Journal reported. Schumer has not spoken to Collins since the election.

As the administration tries to sell their American Rescue Plan, they are also entering a period of negotiations with Republicans they hope will produce some, albeit smaller, bipartisan compromises as they push for a large infrastructure package Republicans arent likely to support. One of those initiatives is a Schumer project -- introduced with Republican Sen. Todd Young -- known as the Endless Frontier Act, which would overhaul the National Sciences Foundation. Young is also a member of the Common Sense Coalition that Manchin and Collins lead -- the very first place Schumer would go to pick up GOP votes for his initiative.

So far Schumer seems far more focused on pleasing progressives than cooperating with Republicans, impressing Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez while he disses Collins. Ocasio-Cortez, who would represent the most serious threat to Schumer in any field of left-wing Democrats, has said she hasnt made up her mind about challenging the incumbent next year, but that she is pleased the idea of her running has pushed Schumer left. Throughout, the newly progressive 71-year-old leader has kept Sen. Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren close as well -- they meet with him every Monday night at weekly leadership team meetings that also include Manchin and Sen. Mark Warner, another moderate Democrat.

Schumer is known for his constant contact, phoning Democrats at all hours to keep them united, but as they head toward a rough midterm cycle next year they will be known only for the bills they get signed into law. With just five seats needed for the GOP to gain control of the House and only one in the Senate, delivering results is the Democrats only hope to stave off losses that traditionally plague the party in control of Congress and the White House in a first term of a new president. Schumer, that former moderate, has watched a volatile electorate shift control of Congress numerous times throughout his career.

If he had every Democrat on board to nuke the legislative filibuster, wooing Collins -- who has indicated she is willing to work with Democrats on raising the minimum wage and other issues -- would still be the smartest course. But he does not. Both Manchin and Sen. Kyrsten Sinema have been emphatic about keeping the filibuster in place, and that while they may be willing to make it harder to use, they oppose eliminating it.

Schumer wants progressives to think hes preparing to end the filibuster. Yet when Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell issued his threat of retribution last week, saying, Nobody serving in this chamber can even begin to imagine what a completely scorched-earth Senate would look like, he knew Schumer could imagine just that.

Since Schumer wont just make that effort to reach out to Blunt or McConnell or Thune or Collins, as Manchin urges, it seems that failure is actually an option for the majority leader -- as long as he wins his primary.




A group of nongovernmental organizations said Monday it has petitioned the United Nations over a case in which a military court cleared two naval officers of raping a female sailor, citing a lack of resistance by the victim.







The two officers were initially sentenced to 10 years and eight years in prison for raping their female subordinate, who is a sexual minority, while on a voyage in 2010.







In November 2018, the High Court for Armed Forces reversed the ruling, saying the woman did not physically resist. The case is pending at the Supreme Court for more than two years.







Her advocates said it was difficult for her to resist her superiors because she had to spend a long period of time with them in isolated conditions on the ship. One of the perpetrators was its captain, who wielded absolute power on the vessel, they said.







A joint committee of 10 civic organizations campaigning for the victim filed a petition on March 12 to the U.N. special rapporteur on violence against women and the U.N. independent expert on sexual orientation and gender identity, it said.







The petition claimed the high court ignored precedents on sexual violence that have respected gender sensitivity in rulings, and thus failed to fulfill the state's obligation to protect human rights.







The committee, including the Center for Military Human Rights Korea, asked the U.N. experts to recommend the Supreme Court review the case promptly.







The group also called on them to urge the South Korean government to make efforts to protect gender minorities and prevent sexual violence in the military and introduce a comprehensive law to fight all forms of discrimination. (Yonhap)


THE WOODLANDS, Texas, March 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- TETRA Technologies, Inc. ("TETRA" or the "Company") (NYSE:TTI) announced that its senior management will do a virtual presentation at the 49th Annual Scotia Howard Weil Energy Conference on Wednesday, March 24, 2021 at 3:00 PM CST. Interested investors can listen to the Company's presentation by registering on the link below:

https://www.meetmax.com/sched/event_69739/investor_reg_new.html?attendee_role_id=INVESTOR

The Company's presentation material will be posted to TETRA's website prior to the March 24 session. Please visit the Investor Relations section of the website at https://tetratec.com under "News & Events" then "Presentations."

Company Overview and Forward-Looking Statements

TETRA Technologies, Inc. is a geographically diversified oil and gas services company, focused on completion fluids and associated products and services, water management, frac flowback and production well testing.

SOURCE TETRA Technologies, Inc.

Related Links

http://www.tetratec.com


The Florida Office of Insurance Regulation will conduct a virtual rate hearing this week on a proposed 24.9% rate increase filed by National Specialty Insurance Co. for its homeowners multi-peril lines of business.

Velocity Risk Underwriters, LLC is the Florida general agent and exclusive program administer for National Specialty Insurance Co., a subsidiary of State National Insurance Co.

The hearing, to be held Thursday, March 25 at 10 am EST, will also allow for public comment on the proposed rate filing.

As of Sept. 30, 2020, National Specialty/Velocity Risk had nearly 45,000 policies in force in Florida and more than $87 million in annualized written premium.

If approved, the effective date for the increase would be Feb. 15, 2021, for new business and April 14, 2021, for renewal business. Last year, Velocity requested and was approved for a 28.1% rate increase for 35,000 of its HO-3 policies.

National Specialty is domiciled in Texas and authorized to transact insurance in the state of Florida. As a State National Insurance Co. subsidiary, National Specialty Insurance holds an A rating with A. M. Best. The ratings of both companies were affirmed Sept. 11, 2020 with an outlook of stable. Markel acquired State National and its subsidiaries in 2017.

OIR is required by law to hold public rate hearings when a rate filing exceeds 15%. Florida law also allows OIR to hold a public hearing for any purpose within the scope of the Insurance Code deemed to be necessary. Input from consumers and interested parties, as well as from representatives of National Specialty Insurance Co., will be received at this virtual public hearing.

Those wishing to participate can register here or by phone at: (866) 901-6455; Access Code 118-572-617. Comments can also be sent to the Florida Office of Insurance Regulation at ratehearings@floir.com; the subject line of the e-mail should read National Specialty Insurance Company. The record will be open for public comment until April 8, 2021.

Topics Trends Florida Pricing Trends
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Emily B. Penaskovic is a corporate attorney at Cook, Little, Rosenblatt & Manson, where she advises entrepreneurial clients on a variety of business matters, including entity formation, capital raising, and equity compensation plans. Emily is also on the Board of Directors of the New Hampshire Tech Alliance and chairs NHTAs Startup Committee. Emily can be reached at epenaskovic@clrm.com.

Armenia MFA information department chief: All deputy FMs carrying out their duties

Ardshinbank invited children to the cinema on International Childrens Day

Armenia judiciary to have 10 more judges

Armenia acting premier: We had recorded 40% increase in tax revenues according to 2019 results

Armenia acting PM on Artsakh war casualties bodies: We have 50 remains in which case DNA was not separated

Azerbaijan authorities plan to "squeeze" everything from "terrorist show" related to Armenian captives

Ameriabank Announces a Contest for Bank Card Design

108 new cases of COVID-19 confirmed in Armenia

Armenia parliament convenes special session

Armenia interim government holding Cabinet meeting

Catholicos of All Armenians heads for Syunik Province, Artsakh

World oil prices going up

Iran loses right to vote in UN General Assembly

Newspaper: Armenia authorities come up with new way of punishing unwanted characters

Newspaper: Russia army Southern Military District deputy commander to arrive in Yerevan Thursday

Lebanese Armenian man taken prisoner by Azerbaijan is hospitalized

Armenia ex-President Kocharyan: Are we getting under the burden? Then lets get under to the end

Armenia acting health minister on keeping fallen soldiers bodies in bags: What else should they be kept in?

Armenia acting health minister on citizens' demand for her resignation

Karabakh's new State Minister Artak Beglaryan on his appointment and future activities

Armenian, Russian and Azerbaijani representatives hold consultations in Moscow

2 Armenian soldiers receive slight injuries after incident with Azerbaijani servicemen in Armenia's Gegharkunik

Armenian boy weighing 5 kg born at Goris Medical Center

"Armenia" bloc representative presents purpose of participation in elections and plans

Isaac Herzog elected President of Israel

Rouhani: Main issues between Tehran, Washington resolved in Vienna

Charles Michel calls on Armenia and Azerbaijan to resume constructive negotiations

US Department of State responds to Pashinyan's proposal to deploy international observers on Armenia-Azerbaijan border

Head of Armenia 2nd President's Office: Robert Kocharyan's public meetings are held in warm atmosphere

Opposition "Armenia" bloc's representative on photos and videos showing bags of deceased servicemen's bodies

Armenia Ombudsman, AGBU President discuss war crimes committed by Azerbaijan during Karabakh war

Opposition "Armenia" bloc's representatives to hold briefings three times a week

Opposition "Armenia" bloc member: Blood-freezing photos and videos from morgue in Abovyan are authorities' reflection

Yerevan mayor receives Netherlands Ambassador

Armenia Health Ministry, Investigative Committee keep info about sending remains of dead soldiers abroad confidential

Armenia Prosecutor General's Office launches case regarding leaving sacs of servicemen's bodies/remains in basement

Peskov: Putin and Biden to discuss cybersecurity issues

Armenia's Pashinyan meets with Belgian PM Alexander De Croo

Armenia acting MOD receives Netherlands Ambassador

Armenia Police: 3 citizens apprehended during protest demanding acting health minister's resignation

NATO warns Minsk about further consequences of Ryanair incident

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
IONIA COUNTY, MI - A 15-year-old girl from Ionia County has been reported missing since Sunday morning, police said.

Troopers received a missing persons report from the girls parents on Sunday, March 21 and responded to their home in the 2000 block of North State Road in Ionia, per an Endangered Missing Advisory issued by Michigan State Police.

Police are searching for Tisa Marie Butler, whose parents told troopers that she left their home in the Evergreen Mobile Home Community with an unknown man around 11:15 a.m. Sunday.

The teen and man left in a gold Chevrolet Uplander, police said.

Butler stands 5-foot-8 inches tall, weighs 260 pounds and has brown hair and blue eyes. She was last seen wearing black leggings, a black sweatshirt, and black and white checkered shoes.

The man is in his mid-to-late 20s with dark hair and stands 6-foot-tall.

The gold Chevrolet Uplander driven by the unknown man that left with Tisa Butler, 15, on Sunday, March 21. Photo courtesy of the Michigan State Police.Courtesy Photo

Butler and the mans location is unknown at this time.

State police are requesting the publics help to locate her. Anyone with information on Butlers whereabouts, or the identity of the unknown man, may call 911 or the MSP Lakeview post at 989-352-8444.

Read more from MLive:

Man allegedly stealing property shot dead by Michigan homeowner, police say

Woman, 60, injured in Bay City hit and run, police searching for vehicle

Indiana woman dies in freeway crash in Cass County

1 killed in rollover crash on I-94 in Detroit, police say

Jackson woman killed in shooting Saturday night

Family safe, cat missing after fire heavily damages Grand Blanc Township home

Man dies after rollover crash in Cass County

1 dead, 1 critical after rollover crash on I-96 in Detroit

Man injured after vehicle goes off road, hits tree in Cass County
YEREVAN, MARCH 22, ARMENPRESS. The ministry of emergency situations reports that several roads are closed across Armenia.

The ministry told Armenpress that the roads leading to the Amberd Fortress and Lake Kari in Aragatsotn province, as well as the Vardenyats Pass, Berd Chambarak highway are closed.

The Georgian side informs that the Stepantsminda-Lars highway is closed for trucks.

Drivers are urged to use snow tires.

Editing and Translating by Aneta Harutyunyan
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.
Israel special event/contest

Operators Ruben/4Z5FI and Jan/4X1VF will be active as 4X73T during the Holy Land Contest between 2100 UTC,

Friday, April 16th, and 2100 UTC, Saturday, April 17th.

The special contest callsign is being used to celebrate 73rd anniversary of Israel's Independence.

This will be the first time 4XFF-019 will be activated from the Dead Sea area and will take place from a very rare Holy Land Square L19BL. A special QSL will be sent out for every contact.

QSL via the Bureau.

OPDX


The Taoiseach has said he is against the EU placing export bans on Covid-19 vaccines, describing it as a "retrograde step".

Micheal Martin also reiterated that it was vital vaccine supply chains remained open.

However, he said the UK should engage with the EU and reciprocate on vaccine flow.

EU leaders will meet this week to consider export controls on the movement of EU-manufactured vaccines out of the EU.

'Keep supply chains open'

"I'm very much against it," Mr Martin told RTE Radio 1's News at One.

"I think it would be a very retrograde step. I've met all of the companies and it's absolutely vital that we keep supply chains.

"If you take the Pfizer vaccine, 280 materials are going to making the Pfizer vaccine; 86 suppliers supply those materials from 19 countries around the world.

You start putting up barriers, other countries may follow suit in terms of some of those vital raw materials that are required.

"If we start that we are in trouble."

Mr Martin said the UK needed to stop the "argy-bargy" and engage with the EU.

'UK needs to reciprocate'

"The European Union has played this straight and I think the UK needs to reciprocate in terms of vaccines manufactured in the UK, particularly AstraZeneca vaccines, and stop the argy-bargy and get down to reality of the situation, which is that AstraZeneca vaccines manufactured in Europe had been facilitated to go to Britain," he said.

"That needs to be acknowledged by the UK side and, in my view, reciprocated to some degree."

European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen, who has come under pressure over the EU's relatively poor vaccine rollout, said the EU has the power to "forbid" doses from leaving the bloc.

Her comments reflect growing frustration that the EU is not getting the supplies it expected from the Anglo-Swedish pharmaceutical giant AstraZeneca, which is manufacturing the Oxford vaccine.

Johnson 'reassured' by EU

However, Boris Johnson, the British prime minister, has said he does not think the EU wants to block vaccine exports from reaching the UK.

Yesterday, Mr Johnson said he was "reassured", talking to EU partners over the last few months, that they did not want to see blockades.

He is due to hold further conversations with his EU counterparts ahead of the EU's virtual summit on Thursday.
Srinagar, March 22 : At least three terrorists were killed in an ongoing encounter in South Kashmir's Shopian district on Monday, according to authorities.

The encounter is underway in Manihal area.

"One more unidentified terrorist killed in Shopian encounter, total three terrorists killed, operation is going on," police said.

On Sunday night, a gunfire erupted between terrorists and security forces afterthe area was cordoned off and a search operation was launched to nab the militants.

As the security forces zeroed in on the spot where the terrorists were hiding, they came under fire that triggered the encounter.
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Sweden has been ranked first in Euromonitor International's Sustainable Travel Index, which ranks 99 countries worldwide based on their commitment to sustainable tourism.

"Sweden is a leader in lifecycle appraisal analysis, which is crucial to understanding the full effect of customer behavior and usage patterns," said Caroline Bremner, head of travel for Euromonitor International.

She emphasized that Sweden protects Arctic ice and permafrost, which help to slow climate change, and that the country is committed to the Sustainable Development Goals.

The Scandinavian country was followed by Finland, Austria, Estonia as well as Norway, based on the recent report released by the independent provider of strategic market research, Euromonitor International, SchengenVisaInfo.com reports.

According to the survey, European countries have been placed in the top 20 places in the Sustainable Travel Index for the 2020s, which takes into account environmental factors and social effects on many countries, among other items.

Related Article: Electricity: Alternative Renewable Sources Beat Fossil Fuels for First Time in History

Determining Factors

The ranking of countries was based on seven main factors of sustainable tourism, according to Euromonitor International:

Environmental sustainability

Social sustainability

Economic sustainability

Risk

Sustainable demand

Sustainable transport

Sustainable lodging

Sustainable Travel Index 2020

The top 20 countries on the Sustainable Travel Ranking for 2020 are as follows.

Sweden

Finland

Austria

Estonia

Norway

Slovakia

Iceland

Latvia

France

Slovenia

Switzerland

Lithuania

Croatia

Czech Republic

Ireland

Germany

Belgium

Denmark

Netherlands

Portugal

According to the Sustainable Travel Index, Bolivia, New Zealand, and Canada have also made strides in terms of clean transportation.

The United States was ranked 35th, followed by the United Kingdom (40th), South Africa (46th), and Japan (53rd).

Continued Search

Euromonitor International conducts research and collects data on a broad range of goods and services around the world.

"Travel bans, social sanctions, and emerging health protocols have continued to threaten the travel and tourism industry one year later. According to the firm, the global pandemic revealed vulnerabilities in conventional volume-driven tourism models, which are no longer fit for purpose in the post-pandemic period.

Why is it Being Monitored

According to Euromonitor International, the Sustainable Travel Index was developed to assist travel companies in transitioning to a "more sustainable and purpose-driven model," which will be critical in the future.

The new survey on sustainable tourism showed that 66.4 percent of customers worldwide want to see a positive effect on the climate by their daily activities by 2021.



World Tourism Organization

The World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) also urged a sustainable and healthy regeneration of the tourism industry during a discussion at ITB Berlin Now, a multimedia meeting of the global travel sector that aims to support the travel and tourism market, which is currently facing several challenges due to the Coronavirus pandemic outbreak.

Portugal has also been identified as one of the European countries that supports the European Union Member States' joint efforts to identify ambitious, long-term solutions to revitalize the tourism industry in EU countries.

The Airports Council International Europe (ACI) has previously advised the European Commission to ensure that airports can use the 672.5 billion EU Recovery and Resilience Facility (RRF) to help finance their sustainable strategies.

Over 60 organizations from across Europe have campaigned for tourism to be included in the EU's national recovery and resilience strategies.

ALSO READ: Agrivoltaics: The Answer to Water Demand, Carbon Emissions, and Rural Areas

For more news about sustainability, don't forget to follow Nature World News!
Chinese female translator at China-US talks showing her power applauded by Chinese netizens

Global Times) 10:33, March 22, 2021

Zhang Jing/File Photo

Chinese translator Zhang Jing has earned a lot of fans on Chinese social media following her solid performance and accurate translation at the high-level China-US meeting in Alaska on Friday, leading to applause for the Chinese female diplomatic personnel taking part in the mission.

The highlight of Zhang's interpretation came when she smoothly translated several speeches by the Chinese delegation that were more than 10 minutes long fluently and accurately into English, which earned her applause and respect from netizens, including many majoring in interpretation.

Zhang, who graduated from China Foreign Affairs University, has been praised on Chinese social media for "fully showing the elegant demeanor of China's diplomats in the new era."

A photo with the hashtag "she is the on-site translator at high-level China-US talks" has gone viral on China's Twitter-like Sina Weibo with views surpassing 400 million.

According to a media interview with Zhang's high school teacher, Zhang had been capable to enter top Chinese universities like Peking University and Tsinghua University, but she chose to go to China Foreign Affairs University to one day serve her country at the ministry of foreign affairs.

"Zhang Jing helped convey China's voice to the world through her specialty; and compared to the US translator, she performed far better. She also showed 'her power' of Chinese women," one netizen commented on Sina Weibo.

Compliments for female diplomatic staff also extended to other diplomats such as Hua Chunying.

"I think the women who have appeared in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in recent years are wonderful. They have presented China's image on the international diplomatic stage and have increased China's reputation with their talents," another Sina Weibo user wrote.

Zhang's experience inspired many students majoring in interpretation.

"I also want to use my specialty to contribute to my country's diplomacy and I will go on improving myself," a junior college student in Beijing majoring in translation told the Global Times on Sunday.
By Bill Moore

There are many Republicans and Independent Trump Supporters that feel the Party is doing little to address the obvious election frauds that occurred in the 2020 Election. However, that appears to be farthest from the truth.

The fact is the Republican Party is continuing to take steps to ensure what happened in 2020 is not repeated in 2022 or 2024. On the National Level the Party has put a task force together to help better prepare state party officials for the next elections. In North Carolina we should be proud that our State Leader, Michael Whatley, has been asked to chair the task force and train other states in what North Carolina did to minimize fraud and deliver the state to Donald Trump.

What is not being reported except in Conservative papers like the NY Post or the Epoch Times, is the concerted effort State Party elected leaders are taking to minimize or eliminate the issues. In all the following, a bill is at some level working its way through 1 or both houses.

In Arizona legislation has been introduced and passed in at least one level of their Legislature. The legislation targets the following areas:

Requires ID proof to accompany an absentee ballot.

Eliminates Same day voting.

Bans Election officials form sending out absentee ballots that were not requested.

Requires mail- ins to be postmarked by the Thursday prior to the election and received by the close of business on Election Day.

Makes it a felony for election officials to change dates or deadlines unless authorized by the Courts or the Legislature.

Bans private funding for in state elections.

In Michigan there are bills to purge the voting rolls of anyone who has not voted since 2000 and require voters to provide their correct date of birth or face being purged after failing to provide the information after 2 election cycles.

In New Hampshire there is a bill being worked on that would require voters to include their Id number and the last four digits of their social security number on all absentee ballot forms.

Pennsylvania has several bills still in Committee to purge voter rolls from dead or ineligible voters. In addition, they are trying to pass a bill that would eliminate no excuse mail in voting. There are bills in Wisconsin that would make minor changes to the election law.

The greatest number of changes to election law is currently being discussed in Georgia. Both Houses of their Legislature are passing bills that will have to be worked out in committee They include:

Voter number or ID on absentee Ballots

Use of last four digits of your Social Security number on absentee ballot envelope.

Limit number of drop boxes and ban them on Election Day.

False signature on absentee ballot if forged would become a felony.

Provisional ballots not accepted on Election Day.

Replacing Secretary of State as head of the State Election Board with someone appointed by the Legislature.

Limiting early voting locations

Ballot counting cannot stop until it is complete.

Eliminate no excuse absentee balloting.

In 2021, despite what is being said, it is obvious that many Republican state legislatures are taking the necessary steps to protect the integrity of the ballot in 2022 and 2024. In my opinion their biggest liability is their inability to share with their membership the steps they are taking to resolve the issues. Perhaps they prefer to wait until the bills become law before they tout them to the electorate. Remember in North Carolina we had major victories in the election. Despite attempts to change the results we

Delivered the State to President Trump

Elected 8 of 8 State- wide Republican Judges.

Elected Republicans to 6 of the 10 Council of State Positions. (an accomplishment that had never been reached before)

Won the US Senate Seat

Won 8 of 13 House of Representatives Seats

Over 60 % of the County Governments are now Republican.

WE need to share this information with fellow Republicans/ Trump supporters as these actions will never be shared by the Establishment Media. One final note. Unlike the Democrats we are a big tent party. This means we do not march in lock step and will on occasion disagree. It was Ronald Reagan that I will paraphrase: If you agree with a candidate or elected official 70% of the time that is your man/woman.

Most Republicans are listening to their membership and together we will make a difference!!!
Russia's RDIF sovereign wealth fund said on Monday it had reached an agreement with India's Virchow Biotech to produce up to 200 million doses a year of the Sputnik V vaccine in India.



RDIF said full-scale commercial production would start after completing the transfer of technology in the second quarter.



The announcement follows similar deals with Indian pharmaceutical firms Gland Pharma, Stelis Biopharma and Hetero.



"Virchow's proven capabilities in large-scale drug substance manufacturing should help meet the global demand for this vaccine," Dr. Tummuru Murali, Managing Director of Virchow Biotech, said in a statement issued by RDIF.



India, the world's largest vaccine maker, has become one of the biggest producers of the Sputnik V shot outside Russia.

Other countries producing it include Brazil, China and South Korea.



Dr. Reddy's Laboratories Ltd, which has run small clinical studies of Sputnik V in India, sought emergency-use approval for the vaccine last month, but India's drug regulator asked for more data from the Sputnik V developers.
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Governor Rotimi Akeredolu of Ondo State has said Yoruba cannot break away from Nigeria.

Mr Akeredolu said while it is right for citizens to fight against what they consider wrong in their region, breaking away out of Nigeria is not an option to be considered.

The governor disclosed this on Monday during the swearing-in of some government officials including the new Secretary to the State Government, Oladunni Odu.

The event took place at Akure, the state capital.

To comment on the current agitation by some people who express grievances arising from the challenge of nationhood. The noises generated by seeming inaction or passive indifference on the part of the elected and appointed representatives of the government at all levels appear to be responsible for the growing disaffection in the land.

There is problem, no doubt. While some have been measured in their reaction to this problem, others have been less diplomatic. It is common to find groups and individuals purporting to act or speak on behalf of the rest of us. Did you ask them to speak for us? People just stand up and say they are speaking for a people.

While it is right for citizens to discuss, agitate, even fight to right perceived wrongs and even people for self-determination. I dont think there is anything wrong with this but this must be done within an acceptable parameter. We cannot continue the way we are going, all of us must be concerned and agree to achieve a desirable end.

There must be a common platform through which the demands for the most mundane to the sublime be presented. There must be general consensus. This must be articulated and presented after rigorous engagements on the level of intellection and agendum for the action.

Self-determination must be a collective programme of action. Nobody can speak when others are not part of it.

Let me state unequivocally that Ondo State under my watch will stay in the Federal Republic of Nigeria as constituted.

We recognise that there are reasons that certain anomalies be right. Nobody is running away from it but we will continue to encourage dialogue as an effective tool in resolving disputes. We will also not shy from joining others to insist on socio-economic justice.

We will, however, not subscribe to banditry and recklessness in putting forward our demands. We will not in Ondo State subscribe to that. So, if people are shouting out there at this time, Igboho will speak for you. It is not going to work and those who have not been speaking for us will not speak for us. Let us be clear on it. We will stay in Nigeria. We are not running away, he said.

Mr Akeredolus statement comes as a reaction to the agitation of some people calling for the establishment of a Yoruba nation.
Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey is promoting the use of masks after the statewide mandate expires on April 9.

In a press release and on Twitter, the governor urged businesses to encourage people to wear masks after the mandate ends.

The governors office released images of signs suggesting how business owners could get that message across. The suggestions include Thank You For Wearing a Mask, Masks Required For Service, and Please Wear A Mask.

After April 9, masks will no longer be a mandate, but they remain one of the most successful tools we have to keep folks safe from #COVID19. My office has created mask signs to help businesses prepare for the transition. #alpolitics



Download them here: https://t.co/g4l8460qIV pic.twitter.com/wdyoNBRuFG  Governor Kay Ivey (@GovernorKayIvey) March 22, 2021

After April 9, masks will no longer be a mandate, but they remain one of the most successful tools we have to keep folks safe from COVID-19, Ivey said. I hope these are helpful to businesses around the state as they set their own protocols to operate safely. Masks are soon to be a memory but until then, lets wear them out!

The mask mandate has been in place in Alabama since July. On March 4, Ivey extended it for the last time, announcing it would end on April 9, a reliance on personal responsibility rather than a mandate.

Alabamians are smart, Ivey said at the time. They have good common sense. They know what works.

Related: Alabama health officials to public: Please continue to wear masks after April 9
JUNEAU, Alaska - Regulators amid much fanfare in early 2020 approved two cannabis lounges in Alaska, making it one of the few states where customers would be allowed to use marijuana at retail pot shops.

FILE - In this June 9, 2016, file photo shows then-Alaska Marijuana Control Board member Brandon Emmett at the board's meeting in Anchorage, Alaska. Regulators amid much fanfare in early 2020 approved the first cannabis lounges in Alaska. It was a milestone for the state's legal marijuana industry. Then the pandemic hit. An owner of one of the shops hopes to open later this year. An owner of the other said his shop opened briefly last fall before having to hit pause amid a surge in COVID-19 cases across the state. Emmett, a former member of the Marijuana Control Board who strongly advocated for rules to allow onsite use, said he thinks the number of cannabis lounges or cafes in the state will be limited "for at least a couple years." (AP Photo/Mark Thiessen, File)

JUNEAU, Alaska - Regulators amid much fanfare in early 2020 approved two cannabis lounges in Alaska, making it one of the few states where customers would be allowed to use marijuana at retail pot shops.

Then the pandemic hit.

One of the sites opened briefly in Ketchikan in October, near the start of a statewide COVID-19 surge that an owner said forced it to hit pause. The other, in Fairbanks, hopes to open later this year.

Records show a small number of other shop owners have filed paperwork signalling plans to seek approval for consumption hangouts  where customers can smoke marijuana or eat or drink marijuana products  though the virus has caused some of them to delay their efforts too.

One is Joe McAneney, who owns The High Expedition Co. in the tourist town of Talkeetna. He has long envisioned a two-story lounge behind his shop, with a cigar bar feel and views of the northern lights and Denali, North Americas highest peak. McAneney said he recently considered pursuing an interim plan, such as refurbishing old buses in which private parties could gather to partake for set blocks of time, but thought better of it.

To start a new business and to spend money and create ... a new thing during this time, to me, its not very responsible; it doesnt make a lot of sense, he said. McAneney said he aims to return to his original plan, with hopes to open for summer 2022.

He and other business owners say they have been able to weather the pandemic, even with last years crash in tourist numbers. Marijuana businesses were allowed to stay open, and he said he was pleased by the level of support from Alaskans and independent travellers.

The business also has found ways to run more efficiently, such as with online ordering, he said.

Dan Peters, an owner of GoodSinse in Fairbanks, said he was surprised by how many people were buying cannabis. I think maybe even bulk amounts of purchasing were happening, he said.

I just assume that people are stuck at home and needed things to do, he said. Thats something fun that doesnt cause too much trouble.

GoodSinse was one of the first two businesses approved for on-site use by the state Marijuana Control Board in January 2020. Over the last year, Peters said he focused on other aspects of the business, which include retail, cultivation and manufacturing, because the pandemic  and social distancing  made it hard to create the experience he wanted for the planned cafe-style consumption area.

As more people are vaccinated, he said he expects to resume work on the consumption area and hopes to open it this summer.

Elsewhere in the U.S., a small number of cities, including in California, have authorized marijuana lounges. But Chris Lindsey, director of government relations with the Marijuana Policy Project, said on-site consumption is so new, we dont know yet if its a great business model.

Lindsey said providing a place for people to use cannabis legally has been a driver in the push for these sites.

A major consideration for Alaska's Marijuana Control Board in establishing rules for on-site use, for example, was giving tourists a place to smoke or consume edibles.

Smoking marijuana in public is prohibited in all states. In Colorado, property owners can ban marijuana in rental units.

Brandon Emmett, an executive with Good Titrations in Fairbanks, hopes to be able to open what he calls a cannabis cafe on April 20, a date on which marijuana users have long celebrated a love of cannabis. He said he thinks many residents are ready to come out and have things be normal again.

The business currently suggests patrons wear a mask, and it would most likely encourage people to wear one in the consumption area when they arent eating, drinking or smoking, he said. While some Alaska cities require masks in businesses, Fairbanks does not.

Emmett, a former member of the Marijuana Control Board who strongly advocated for rules to allow on-site use, said he thinks the number of cannabis lounges or cafes in the state will be limited for at least a couple years. He cites rules dealing with ventilation and other building restrictions, which he supported, and what could be a second year without major cruise ships visiting Alaska.

Emmett said he feels a strong sense of accountability in moving forward.

There is very much a light shining on us, and it is imperative that we at Good Titrations set the example for how it could be done responsibly, he said.
Kylie Jenner shared a fun flashback photo on Monday that was taken in September of last year.

The 23-year-old makeup mogul posed in the driver's seat of her shiny black Rolls Royce with custom pink interior. She let her golden brown tresses poke out from under a bubblegum pink Prada bucket hat that matched the mini Birkin bag in her hands.

This comes after she was accused of not giving her former stylist enough money towards his medical expenses even though she met his GoFundMe goal.

Think pink: Kylie Jenner shared a fun flashback photo on Monday that was taken in September of last year. The 23-year-old makeup mogul posed in the driver's seat of her shiny black Rolls Royce with custom pink interior. She let her golden brown tresses poke out from under a bubblegum pink Prada bucket hat that matched the mini Birkin bag in her hands

In the flashback photo, shared to her Kylie Comsetics Instagram account, she looked ready for a heatwave.

Kylie showcased her smooth decolletage and sculpted shoulders in a silky tube top that featured a chic squiggle pattern made by Pucci.

To complete her outfit, the youngest daughter of Kris Jenner threw on some white joggers and a pair of off white Nike sneakers.

She had two gold chains, including a personalized necklace by Adina's Jewels, hanging around her neck and she decked out her wrists in various bangles and a glistening gold watch.

Bling it on: She had two gold chains, including a personalized necklace by Adina's Jewels, hanging around her neck and she decked out her wrists in various bangles and a glistening gold watch

And on Saturday she posted cute photos of her daughter Stormi Webster in leather pants as she played at home on the stairs.

Kylie and her ex Travis Scott are co-parenting the little girl who is best friends with Rob Kardashian's daughter Dream.

Over the weekend Jenner was put in a bad situation by trolls who did not have all of the information.

She came under fire after asking her fans to help pay for a makeup artist's brain surgery that was required after a car accident.

The star requested her followers go to a Go Fund Me campaign to chip in which revealed the TV star had put in $5,000 herself.

Her cutie: And on Saturday she posted cute photos of her daughter Stormi Webster in leather pants as she played at home on the stairs

Happy kid: Kylie and her ex Travis Scott are co-parenting the little girl who is best friends with Rob Kardashian's daughter Dream

But the initial goal was $10,000 and there was already $6,000 pledged so she added another $5,000 to bring it over its goal. The amount pledged ballooned to over $100,000 after Jenner's support became public.

Still, Jenner - who is worth around $1billion thanks to the success of her Kylie Cosmetics - was criticized for not doing more for the makeup artist.

He was not her makeup artist but rather a man she worked with only twice in 2015 when he was a stylist.

Kylie wrote: 'May God watch over you and protect you @makeupbysamuel everyone take a moment to say a prayer for Sam who got into an accident this past weekend. And swipe up to visit his families go fund me.'

A fun pink top: Her T-shirt featured the Chicago Bulls in a cartoon

She must have a huge closet! Her leather pants were gray as they matched her Nike sneakers

The online campaign is soliciting donations for Samuel Rauda, a makeup artist who underwent emergency surgery after sustaining multiple injuries in a recent car accident.

Many of the reality television personality's fans were quick to notice that she had only donated $5,000 to her friend's medical fund.

But they did not know that the initial fund was for only $10,000. When she dropped in her $5,000, the fund had $6,000 in it, bringing the amount past its goal.

Still, the haters took to their social media outlets, particularly Twitter, to voice their disapproval of Jenner's donation.

A good cause: The 23-year-old star requested her followers go to a Go Fund Me campaign to chip in which revealed the TV star had only put in $5,000 herself. But when she made the donation, the goal was at only $10,000 and already had $6,000 in it

One Twitter user commented: 'Wait so kylie jenners make up artist got into a car accident and needed $60k for emergency brain surgery and she asked her fans to donate???? and then only donated $5,000 when shes a literal billionaire?'

It is not officially known how much the surgery cost.

Another made the observation, 'No way billionaire kylie jenner opened a Go Fund Me for her stylist??? sis how about you GO FUND HIM.'

Bella Thorne also matched Jenner's $5,000 donation, and Sofia Richie and Bebe Rexha both gave smaller amounts to the campaign.

The largest contribution was made by a user with the name Mjay Al Thani, who donated $12,000 to Rauda's medical fund.

Giving something: Jenner's donation of $5,000 is currently one of the campaign's top contributions, with the highest being in the amount of $12,000

Calling her out: Many of the influencer's fans noted that her financial situation is stable enough to the point where she could have comfortably funded all of Rauda's medical expenses

Not having it: Another Twitter user urged Jenner to provide more funds for her makeup stylist, writing that she should 'GO FUND HIM'

Last week, Amelia Hamlin, who also spread the news about the incident, reposted a story from a friend of Rauda's that explained what happened to him and how he was doing after undergoing medical treatment.

The friend, with the Instagram handle @itslademi wrote: 'This weekend @makeupbysamuel went into brain surgery and is still in the hospital on a road towards a very long recovery.'

She added: 'An awful accident happened & he flew off a moving vehicle crushing his head into the pavement, suffering from internal bleeding and 8 different injuries to his brain.'

Rauda's friend noted, 'The surgery went well and now we are all just waiting for when Sam wakes.'

Letting everyone know: Not long after the campaign was founded, Amelia Hamlin reposted an Instagram Story to her own to let her fans know how Rauda was doing after surgery and to raise awareness for the campaign

'During this time I ask you to join in and help Sam & his family with the overwhelming medical expenses. His family has started a go-fund-me, so if you can... anything helps and adds up,' she wrote.

Adding: 'Please keep Sam in your prayers and thoughts, he is the most talented and charismatic person I've yet to know. I can't wait to give him a hug and tell him how much he is loved.'

Amelia wrote in the repost: 'My heart is breaking. may god protect your beautiful soul. You are in our prayers. Let us pray for a speedy recovery.

The Go Fund Me campaign, which was started on March 16, has raised $97,443 with an updated goal of $120,000; the organizers initially sought to raise $10,000 for Rauda's medical care.

Recovery: The Go Fund Me has raised $97,443 for his care with an updated goal of $120,000

The Go Fund Me page gave further detail, noting that his surgery took place on Sunday, March 14.

In the description for the campaign read, 'Anyone who knows Samuel can say he is the most loving and kind person you could ever meet!' He has a big heart and doesn't hesitate to help someone in need.'

'When you are having a rough day, he certainly knows how to make you laugh and turn that frown upside down. At this moment he needs our support and prayers more than ever,' it read.
The border force has implemented flexible, practical, and effective plans to raise local people's awareness about crime prevention and to create trust among people for border security.

Willingness to stay in jungles

Colonel Ho Quyet Thang, Deputy Commander and Chief of Staff of Nghe An Provinces Border Guard, said that 212 officers and soldiers submitted a request to be on duty in jungle instead of returning home for the 2021 Tet (lunar New Year) holiday.

Nghe An, located in the key North-Central region, has Vietnams longest land border of 468.281 km. The geography is complicated and diverse with different entrances and trails. Being aware of the Covid-19 pandemic, the Border Guard quickly carried out dual duty  protect border security and national sovereignty on one hand and effectively prevent the pandemic on the other hand.

The Provincial Border Guard set up one front command division, 56 fixed units, and 11 patrol units with 545 officers and soldiers. They are the human fence along the border.

Captain Ngo Quang Hieu, Commissar, and Deputy Chief of Border Post at Nam Can international border checkpoint, said that six posts were set up, each with five people always available at border crossing points. Among those, two drivers and two military healthcare workers have not been home since the start of covid-19 pandemic.

Soldiers are always responsible and stay on alert even in cold and rainy nights in the mountainous terrain of the border area with Laos.

However difficult it is in the jungle, we are determined to be ready to cope with any risk to protect the border, said captain Hieu.

One night, at the border area with Laos, it was rainy, windy, and cold; captain Hieu led us to visit the officers and soldiers guarding at the post number 4. According to the post head, captain Nguyen Canh Thao, the weather changes unpredictably while the mountainous terrain causes a lot of troubles for patrolling and controlling.

All solders were unwavering to fight the pandemic as an enemy, thus having raised their responsibilities and combat readiness. Since March 2020, Capital Thao has visited home only twice to see his wife and new born baby. My wife often calls to encourage me to perform my assigned works well, said Thao.

Political commissar has Tet far from home

Due to the complicated development of the pandemic, all officers and soldiers continue to stay on duty for 24/7. To timely monitor, motivate, and push up the force, I decided to stay, said Colonel Nguyen Xuan Toan (first from left).

In Quang Tri province where the river runs 70 km out of 180 km boundary with Laos, during the dry season, the people can cross the river on foot, notwithstanding other trails and open passages to Vietnam.

Colonel Nguyen Xuan Toan, the Political Commissar of the Quang Tri Provincial Border Guard, shared that since late November 2020, there have been more Vietnamese people returning home. Many people have not legally entered via border checking points to avoid quarantine.

Quang Tri Border Guard deployed 85 fixed posts with 268 officers and soldiers and 15 patrol units to control and prevent illegal border crossings. There are 467 people on duty 24/7.

Nevertheless, many individuals continue to contact brokers and make the most of their relationship with local people to organize illegal border crossings into the country.

From November 2020, the Provincial Border Guard has arrested and tackled nearly 250 illegal border crossings from Laos. In November, the Border Guard set up the peak season plan to tackle pre, during, and after Tet crimes.

We have strengthened the mobilization of anti-drug trafficking task force and special force and coordinated with police, custom, market management, etc to further control border crossing points, trails, and passages at every moment. Due to the complication of the pandemic, officers and soldiers at border posts continue to stay on duty for 24/7. To timely monitor, motivate, and push up the force, and under my responsibility, I decide to stay and go to each post to encourage them to be on duty to ensure security during Tet, said the Hanoian Political Commissar about his Tet away from home.

Warmhearted civil-military relations

Each person becomes a border officer, soldier, and special force to strictly protect the national sovereignty and border security.

In the last days of the lunar year, Huong Lap border post (Huong Hoa district, Quang Tri) appealed to organizations, companies, and individuals to fund and assist the poor during Tet. The households of ethnic minorities in two communes of Huong Viet and Huong Lap were gifted with 150 packages with the value of 350,000 dong each. Furthermore, the border post coordinated with Love Connection Group to hand over 250 national flags for the two communes. By conducting activities to assist the peoples social security, the cordial civil  military relationship has been increased, hence strengthening the peoples front and the public security in the boundary area, said Lieutenant Colonel Nguyen Cong Trinh, the Chief of Staff.

Mr. Ha Sy Dong - the Standing Vice Chairman of Quang Tri Peoples Committee and Head of Border Steering Committee  said that the border force has implemented flexible, practical, and effective plans directly related to the people to raise their awareness about crime prevention and to create trust among people for border security.

"There are tremendous challenges in the national sovereignty protection, crime prevention, anti-illegal border crossings, and cross-border trade frauds in land border and sea border regions. Thanks to the border posts efficient work at grass-root level, they have been assisted by local people. Each person became an officer, a soldier, and a force to strictly protect the national sovereignty and border security.

Mr. Ha Sy Dong (White shirt), Standing Vice Chairman of Quang Tri Peoples Committee and Head of Border Steering Committee, during his visit to border soldiers as Tet approached.

For the soldiers, Tet celebration in the border region is a cozy moment in civil-military relationship. Whenever Tet comes, local mothers and sisters carry vegetables, squashes, leaves to offer the soldiers. These images remain deep in the heart of Border Guard officers and soldiers, easing their homesickness.

Tet, for the Border Guard officers and soldiers, is the chance for spring celebration with their peers and the ethnic people while staying alert to any potential risks. The command from their hearts is: Stay awake for the peoples sleep. Protect the peoples spring celebrations.

Thai An - Quoc Huy - Hien Anh
Source: Xinhua| 2021-03-22 15:07:57|Editor: huaxia

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People take part in a protest against Asian hate in San Jose, California, the United States, on March 21, 2021. Eight people, six of whom were Asian and two were white, were killed in three shooting incidents in massage parlors in the Atlanta area by a suspect. The attacks came amid a troubling spike in violence against the Asian American community during the coronavirus pandemic. (Photo by Dong Xudong/Xinhua)
There is hope that the search for the remains of Red Hugh ODonnell in Spain can resume.

A major excavation in the historic city of Valladolid in the Castille Y Leon region took place last May. O'Donnell is believed to be interred in the now buried Chapel of Wonders in the convent of San Francisco.

Around 20 sets of skeletal remains were unearthed during last years archaeological dig. It had been hoped that the Donegal chieftains remains would be among them. But preliminary investigations suggest that they all predate ODonnells burial.

Archaeologists now believe that the Chapel of Wonders extends beneath the Santander Bank in Valladolid. Authorities in the city are in negotiations with the bank to resume the excavation with a view to finding the remains of Red Hugh ODonnell.

The Donegal chieftan arrived in Spain in early 1602. His journey followed the famous unsuccessful attempt in Kinsale to break the English siege on Spanish troops during the Nine Years War against the occupying English.

O'Donnell's mission was to garner further support from King Felipe III. The king promised troops but they never materialised.

In 1602 while awaiting an audience with the Spanish king, O'Donnell died suddenly while en route to the then capital of Spain, Valladolid. He was just 29 years of age. One theory is that he was poisoned by an Irish traitor paid by the English. It has also been suggested that he died from a parasitic infection.

Such was his regard in Spain that King Felipe III ordered a funeral with full honours.

O'Donnell was laid to rest in the convent of San Francisco at Valladolid.

According to the Annals of the Four Masters: His body was conveyed to the kings palace at Valladolid in a four-wheeled hearse, surrounded by countless numbers of the kings state officers, council, and guards, with luminous torches and bright flambeaux of beautiful wax-light burning on each side of him.

Historians say O'Donnell's skeleton will be easily identifiable since it is well documented that he lost toes to frostbite following his escape from Dublin Castle in 1591.

Last years excavation generated huge interest, not just in Donegal and Ireland but around the world. O'Donnell was described in international news coverage as the William Wallace of Ireland.

The Spanish are greatly interested in this major excavation of their former capital city. Authorities, archaeologists and historians are all hoping that the dig can resume and the chieftains remains will be found.

Henry Diltz/Reprise Records

In 1971, Canadian folk icon Neil Young was hot off the success of his work with Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young and his acclaimed solo album, "After the Gold Rush."

Embarking on his "Journey Through the Past" solo tour to celebrate the release of "After the Gold Rush," Young found himself across the country performing at some of the most intimate venues imaginable.
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NEW YORK  Authorities are still investigating claims made by a man charged in a New Jersey slaying who has said he killed a total of 16 people in multiple states, though a law enforcement official confirmed Sunday that he is the primary suspect in the killing of his ex-wife and three others found in a car in New Mexico.

Local law enforcement officials in New Mexico and in New Jersey are working with federal agents on the veracity of claims by Sean Lannon, including that he killed 11 other people, the official said. The official, who had direct knowledge of the probe, could not discuss the investigation publicly and spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity.

Authorities said in court documents that Lannon, 47, made the admission in a phone call to a relative, who told investigators he expressed remorse.

Investigators are searching missing persons records and other police reports to try to identify any potential victims and determine if he was telling the truth during the confession, according to the official. The investigators are still reviewing electronic records, communications, surveillance video and financial documents as part of the investigation and are working to try to track down additional witnesses in the case, the official said.

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Law enforcement officials are also still trying to compile additional information to better understand why he was in St. Louis, where he was arrested March 10.

The case began on March 5, when the bodies of Lannons ex-wife and three other people were found in a vehicle in a parking garage at Albuquerque International Sunport. Its not clear how they were killed. Police say three of them were reported missing in January from Grants. The victims were identified as Jennifer Lannon, 39; Matthew Miller, 21; Jesten Mata, 40; and Randal Apostalon, 60.

Albuquerque police spokesman Gilbert Gallegos Jr. said Sunday that of the four bodies found at the airport, it appeared one was killed in Albuquerque and that is what our detectives are focused on while the other three appeared to have been killed in the Grants area of Cibola County.

Shortly after Mr. Lannon was arrested, our detectives went to St. Louis and interviewed him about the case, he said. Right now, we are still looking for evidence, doing search warrants and talking to a lot of people but nobody has been charged yet.

On March 8, three days after the remains were found in New Mexico, the body of Michael Dabkowski was discovered in his New Jersey home, just south of Philadelphia, after a welfare check. Lannon is accused of breaking in and beating the 66-year-old to death with a hammer, according to an affidavit. Gloucester County prosecutors announced March 10 that Lannon was charged with multiple counts of murder, robbery, burglary, motor vehicle theft and weapons counts.

Prosecutors said during a detention hearing Friday that he said he killed the four whose remains were found in a vehicle and 11 other individuals, NJ.com reported. Lannon has been charged only with the death in New Jersey.

Chris Whitman, Jennifer Lannons brother, said that Sean Lannon told the family in January that Jennifer had run off with some friends, possibly to Arizona, and Whitman told the AP on Saturday that the story didnt sound right because she was a great mom and, just, it would be uncharacteristic of her to not be with her children.

Lannon told investigators that Dabkowski had sexually abused him as a child and that he had gone to the home to retrieve sexually explicit photos. Dabkowski mentored Lannon and his twin brother through a Big Brothers program in the 1980s, NJ.com reported.

Whitman said the family did not know of the alleged abuse. In fact, he said he met Dabkowski at the birthday party of one of the Lannon children a couple of years ago, and all seemed fine.

I knew he was a close, just a close friend to Sean, and that he was a father figure, Whitman said. But outside of that, we knew nothing else.
Pinnacol Assurance in Colorado is distributing general dividend checks to its customers totaling $50 million

This is the sixth straight year the workers compensation carrier has distributed dividends.

Nearly 53,000 employers in all counties throughout the state, or roughly 95% of Pinnacols policyholders, are eligible to receive a dividend.

The average 2021 dividend check will be $949. Checks will be mailed to employers beginning March 23.

During this year when Colorado businesses and their employees are facing significant financial hardships, were glad to be in a position to return some money to our policyholders, Pinnacol president and CEO Phil Kalin said in a statement.

Eligibility is based on commitment to safety with timely claims reporting and investments in safety education, technology and equipment.

Pinnacol has returned $320 million in total dividends to Colorado businesses since 2016, or roughly 10% of premium. In 2020, Pinnacol distributed $70 million in dividends to customers during the coronavirus lockdown.

Pinnacol Assurance is the states largest workers comp carrier.

Related:

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Legal finger-pointing in a lawsuit alleging election fraud has led to a hearing in a northern Michigan courtroom set for 11:30 a.m. Monday morning.

An attorney representing William Bailey, a Central Lake Township resident who sued Antrim County in November alleging election fraud, claims Secretary of State Jocelyn Bensons office is withholding records it was ordered by Grand Traverse County Circuit Judge Kevin Elsenheimer to turn over in February.

Conversely, the state attorney generals office, which is representing Benson, accuses Bailey and his attorney of dodging depositions that its been trying to schedule with the plaintiff and his expert witnesses since early January.

The judge on Monday is expected to refine his expectations regarding the cooperation of both sides.

Another hearing is scheduled for April 12 to determine if the secretary of states office will be able to turn over certain documents under a protective order, meaning only specific parties -- attorneys and witnesses, for instance -- will have access to them. Assistant Attorney General Erik Grill in a brief said the requested protective order only applies to a small number of documents concerning physical security at the polls that state police were reluctant to release without a protective order in place.

Benson wasnt initially named in the lawsuit, but asked to become a defendant, in part because the allegations extended statewide. Bailey, through the complaint filed by his attorney, Matthew DePerno, claimed voter tabulation machines manufactured by Dominion Voting Systems that are used in Antrim County and across the state were vulnerable to hacking, possibly manipulated and contributed to voter fraud.

Republican-leaning Antrim County on election night erroneously reported preliminary results indicating now-President Joe Biden won the county where nearly 62% of voters cast ballots for former President Donald Trump in 2016. The results were quickly corrected and eventually a hand county revealed Trump won with nearly 57% of the vote.

The mistake was attributed to human error, a failure by election officials to update software in response to certain ballot and candidate changes, thereby causing votes to be reported for the incorrect candidates. The secretary of states office said it was not due to any inherent flaws in the software or malicious tampering and that the errors would have been caught by the canvassing process that matches precinct totals against tabulator results.

The scope of the lawsuit expanded to include allegations that the state didnt spend federal grant money it received to properly train election staff on Dominion Voting Systems software and instead used private nonprofit grant money originating from Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg to install so-called Zucker-boxes throughout Michigan. DePerno requested the judge order Benson to turn over various documents and communications.

While Zuckerberg and his wife, Priscilla Chan, did donate nearly $400 million to help local election clerks across the nation facilitate election last fall -- including millions spent in Michigan -- the funds were given directly to local clerks by a nonprofit named the Center for Tech and Civic Live and not to the secretary of state, according to an investigation conducted by MLive.

Opponents of the private election funding claim the money was disproportionately granted to high-population, Democrat-majority cities, in some cases to purchase absentee ballot drop boxes.

Related: Zuckerberg and wife spent millions on Michigan elections

This led the plaintiff to request a wide array of documents from Bensons office, including an accounting of money spent on drop boxes and any communications with Facebook, Amazon, Google and Apple. The discovery demand also included any communications between the the secretary of state or the bureau of elections, which Bensons office oversees, and Dominion Voting Systems, Antrim County officials or the Legislature related to the election.

Judge Elsenheimer granted the request and the assistant attorney general claimed all of records that apply were turned over on Feb. 8; however, DePerno doesnt believe Bensons office fully complied.

My review of these documents leaves me to believe that defendant Benson is in violation of the courts order requiring production, DePerno wrote to Assistant Attorney General Erik Grill in a March 15 email that was included as an exhibit in a subsequent court filing. " ... It appears your client made a voluminous document dump of random and haphazardly organized documents set up in 707 unsearchable files designed to entirely delay, increase expenses and create the illusion of legitimate production.

Deperno in his email said the attorney generals office provided no documentation related to election funds the secretary of states office received from the federal government, spending or placement of drop boxes or communications with the Legislature or Antrim County regarding the local election results mishap.

It is hard to imagine that considering the fraud that occurred in Antrim County, that not one person in the defendants office made one single cable to Antrim County, DePerno wrote. Further, there is not one single correspondence, communications or document produced between defendant Benson and the Michigan House or Senate regarding Antrim County.

When contacted by MLive for comment regarding his email to the assistant attorney general, DePerno replied via email: I literally have no idea what you are talking about. I suppose you will write whatever nonsense you want that will support the SOS. Thats my comment.

Following Trumps election loss, numerous lawsuits were filed in Michigan and across the nation alleging voter fraud. Most were dismissed or denied by the courts. The Antrim County case is one of at least two in Michigan that remain unresolved.

The other lawsuit is filed against Benson in the state Court of Claims by voters who allege election law was violated when local clerks accepted nonprofit grant funds to administer elections without state oversight, guidance or monitoring.

That lawsuit is in the discovery phase, which is scheduled to be completed by July 16.

More on MLive:

Zuckerberg and wife donated millions to Michigan election clerks

SOS ordered to turn over communications with big tech

Antrim County hand recount results in 12 new votes for Trump

Software isnt good at detecting human error

Election recount, legal challenges unlikely to overturn Bidens win in Michigan

Judge allows forensic investigation of Dominion machines

Michigan election software could be better at detecting human error
New York City parents whose children have been learning remotely this year in the citys public schools system will have another opportunity to sign up for in-person learning, starting this Wednesday until April 7, Mayor Bill de Blasio said Monday.

While all parents can indicate interest, the city only has plans for now to bring more elementary school students into school buildings in April. Mr. de Blasio said last week that younger grades will switch from six feet of distancing in classrooms to three feet, a change prompted by recent guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on social distancing in schools. The city has not yet determined whether it will shift the distancing rules for middle and high school students.

New York City high schools also opened for in-person classes on Monday for the first time since November. The mayor said that about half of high schools will be able to offer full-time instruction for students. But some parents have expressed frustration that their children are returning to high school classrooms where they will log onto remote school along with their peers learning from home, rather than getting typical classroom instruction.

Mr. de Blasio announced Monday that over 800 city schools have lost enrollment during the pandemic but will not lose funding as a result. Federal stimulus money has allowed the city to return roughly $130 million to schools that saw budget cuts earlier this school year, the mayor said.
HARRISBURG, Pa.  Pennsylvania plans what Gov. Tom Wolf calls the largest government solar-energy commitment in the United States, tapping electricity from seven solar arrays on farmland in the central part of the state.

The "Pennsylvania PULSE" initiative will provide about half of the electricity used by state government starting in 2023. Lightsource bp, a London-based company, will operate the solar fields, and Chicago-based Exelon Corp. will distribute the energy from 191 megawatt project.

The seven arrays will cover 1,800 to 2,000 acres total in Columbia, Juniata, Montour, Northumberland, Snyder and York counties. Pennsylvania will buy energy at a fixed, undisclosed price for 15 years. The state is not making any upfront investment.

"This clean environmentally friendly solar energy will lower our annual carbon dioxide emissions statewide," Curt Topper, secretary of the state's General Services Division, said at a news conference on Monday. He said the reduction will be the equivalent of taking 34,000 cars off the road.

In 2019, Wolf signed an executive order to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 80% by 2050, compared to 2005, to cut down on pollution and fight climate change.

Building the solar fields will create 400 construction jobs, Kevin Smith, chief executive of Lighthouse bp's Americas division said. Once they are built, he said there will be "a handful" of maintenance workers at the sites. The seven fields are in various stages of development now.

Smith said the company looks at various sites for solar panels, but farmland is well suited to the use.

"We're leasing land on a long-term basis from farmers," he said.

Typical leases are for 30 years, and the solar equipment will be removed and recycled when contracts are up. The solar use does not contaminate the soil, and Smith said it can be used for farming again when contracts expire. Meanwhile, agriculture continues on the rest of the farmers' land.

"They continue farming the balance of their land and stay in the family business," he said.

Smith said solar contracts provide an extra stream of income that can help families stay on their land.

"Farmers are soliciting us to operate on their land," he said, because revenue diversification helps provide steady income.

Department of Environmental Protection Secretary Patrick McDonnell said the use of clean energy will help stave off climate change and the extreme weather, such as increased rainfall, that comes with it.

The solar initiative will have an education aspect, according to Cindy Dunn, secretary of the state Department of Conservation and Natural Resources. She said the 45 million annual visitors to state parks will see information about Pennsylvania's green initiatives.

A local solar-power expert was skeptical of the education aspect of Pennsylvania PULSE.

Wes Checkeye of Evoke Solar in Hellertown, Northampton County, said unless the state runs an advertising campaign, the clean-energy initiative will not be noticed, and the fields of panels will be in remote places.

"The systems aren't going to be in a field off Route 22," Checkeye said.

Checkeye said his business has grown steadily over 18 years because it offers freedom from utility payments.

"We keep plugging away at residential and small commercial," he said.
NORWALK, Conn., March 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- As daylight savings time begins and the promise of warmer weather becomes more and more realistic, Radeberger Gruppe USA, an importer of brands of its parent company Radeberger Gruppe, Germany's largest brewing group, is excited to announce its latest offering in its successful portfolio of beers - Schofferhofer Passion Fruit.

NEW - Schofferhofer Passion Fruit to Arrive on Store Shelves Starting in April 2021

With a taste sensation reminiscent of a tropical breeze in a bottle, Schofferhofer Passion Fruit is made of 50% authentic unfiltered German Hefeweizen and 50% passion fruit juice for a refreshingly crisp taste and perfect for warm summer days and nights. At only 2.5% ABV (alcohol by volume), Schofferhofer Passion Fruit is as dangerously delicious as other products in the Schofferhofer portfolio of beers (Schofferhofer Grapefruit and Schofferhofer Pomegranate). It will be nationally distributed and available beginning in April 2021, through Summer.

Since its debut in 2014, Schofferhofer Grapefruit has taken the United States by storm and gaining widespread popularity and success for its refreshing taste. Schofferhofer Pomegranate debuted to equal success in limited availability in 2018, prior to a national distribution rollout in 2019. Schofferhofer Passion Fruit is the third line extension in the Schofferhofer portfolio and will be available in bottles at off-premise locations throughout the United States.

"We listened closely to our customers and discovered they are always seeking flavored beer options that are lower in alcohol and highly refreshing," said Michael Binder, Chief Executive and Operating Officer, Radeberger Gruppe USA. "At only 2.5% ABV, Schofferhofer Passion Fruit meets that need and opens the door to a new generation of fans who will become 'passionate' about our products."

To support the launch, the brand is planning a digital advertising campaign throughout key markets as well as a social media engagement program. The brand will also be offering an "ultimate backyard prize pack" sweepstakes including large screen televisions, outdoor furniture and more. In addition, the brand will be further supporting the launch with new beer cocktail recipes featuring Schofferhofer Passion Fruit for consumers to make at home.

"After a year of being confined to our homes, this prize pack will be especially exciting to encourage the use of outdoor spaces - safely - with friends and family," added Binder. "Together with Schofferhofer Passion Fruit, we're looking forward to a great summer ahead."

About Radeberger Gruppe USA

Radeberger Gruppe USA is an importer of brands of its parent company, Radeberger Gruppe, Germany's largest brewery group belonging to the family business Dr. August Oetker KG in Bielefeld. With a clear commitment to the regionality and the high emotional boosting of its brands, Radeberger Gruppe is cultivating German beer and beverage diversity and is actively developing the German beer and drink market with an innovative company model. Radeberger Gruppe USA's distribution includes Radeberger Pilsner, Schofferhofer Grapefruit, Schofferhofer Pomegranate, Schofferhofer Passion Fruit, Sion Kolsch, Clausthaler Original, Clausthaler Dry Hopped, Clausthaler Grapefruit, Santa Clausthaler, DAB and Braufactum.

Contact: Craig Alperowitz

Bolide Communications

+1 973.975.3037

[email protected]

SOURCE Radeberger Gruppe USA
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The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) is enforcing rights under its financing and security documents with regards to Danube Logistics Holding BVs shareholding in Danube Logistics SRL (Danube Logistics), the operator of Giurgiulesti International Free Port in the Republic of Moldova.

The EBRDs enforcement action, which commenced on 18 March 2021, aims to ensure the uninterrupted operations and ongoing expansion of Giurgiulesti International Free Port and to safeguard the EBRDs financial interests in the project.

The EBRD is seeking to prevent any attempt at redirecting funds out of Danube Logistics as a result of the external administration imposed on the company, due to concerns that it will put the company in severe financial difficulties.

The action is in response to the decision by a Moldovan bailiff on 25 February to appoint an external administrator of the assets of Danube Logistics, following a disputed claim against one of Danube Logistics Holding BVs ultimate beneficiaries.

The EBRD considers this appointment an interference with the running of the company, having a direct negative impact on its ability to continue to operate and repay its debts, as well as conflicting with EBRDs legitimate interests as a lender holding security over the shares in Danube Logistics and as an economic beneficiary of those shares.

The EBRD has supported Danube Logistics development of Giurgiulesti International Free Port since 2005. As of today, the EBRD is Danube Logistics largest creditor as well as the main beneficiary of Danube Logistics Holding BVs shareholding in Danube Logistics.

Giurgiulesti International Free Port is the Republic of Moldovas only sea-river port located on the river Danube. On average, the port facilitates the international trade of Moldovan companies with more than 50 countries every year.
Read what is in the news today:

Society

-- Vietnams Expanded Program on Immunization said on Monday that 1,530 more people had received shots of AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine on Sunday, raising the total number to 33,891.

-- Checkpoints for COVID-19 prevention and control at the entrances to northern Quang Ninh Province have been removed from Monday.

-- A woman died and another was severely injured after a 29-seater passenger bus carrying 19 women had lost control, slid to a drainage ditch and overturned on National Highway 6 on its way from northern Son La Province to Hanoi on Sunday morning.

-- Border guards at the Tinh Bien international border gate in southern An Giang Province discovered 61 Vietnamese people making illegal entry into Vietnam from Cambodia on Saturday, said Colonel Nguyen Thuong Le, head of the border guard station, on Sunday.

-- About 4,000 liters of diesel oil has been pumped out of the sunken ship carrying 1,500 metric tons of fly ash off Mui Ne in the south-central province of Binh Thuan as part of the ongoing salvage operation.

-- An ongoing cold wave compressing a low-pressure trough has caused medium to heavy downpours and thunderstorms while lowering temperatures to 15-18 degrees Celsius in northern and north-central Vietnamese localities from Sunday morning.

Business

-- The Ho Chi Minh City Peoples Committee has set a target of earning US$70 billion in export turnover by 2025 and $108 billion by 2030, and maintaining an average annual export growth rate of nine percent in 2026-30.

Education

-- The Vietnamese Ministry of Education and Training has turned down the proposals of non-public schools for opening journalism and communications faculties. Presently, only nine public schools are permitted to train journalism students in Vietnam.

Lifestyle

-- The UK-based newspaper Daily Mail has recently voted the Golden Bridge in the central Vietnamese city of Da Nang as a new wonder of the world.

World news

-- Germany is set to extend a lockdown to contain the COVID-19 pandemic into its fifth month, according to a draft proposal, after infection rates exceeded the level at which authorities say hospitals will be overstretched, Reuters reported.

Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam!
President Joe Biden dispatched U.S. envoys, including White House border coordinator Roberta Jacobson, to the two countries on Monday for talks on how to manage the increase in the number of migrants heading for the U.S.-Mexican border.

When asked if the U.S. delegation would seek support from local officials, Psaki told a news briefing:

"Absolutely, part of our objective as Roberta Jacobson... conveyed when she was in here just a few weeks ago, was that we need to work in partnership with these countries to address the root causes in their countries to convey clearly and systematically that this is not the time to travel."

Psaki also said the Biden administration has placed 17,118 radio ads in Spanish, Portuguese and 6 indigenous languages to discourage U.S.-bound migration from Central America and Brazil. She said 589 digital ads have also been placed.

Video Transcript

JEN PSAKI: Go ahead, Steve.

- We saw the statement about the trip Roberta Jacobson and Juan Gonzalez to Guatemala and Mexico. Are they going to specifically ask those countries to help stem the tide of the migrants?

JEN PSAKI: Absolutely. Part of our objective, as Roberta Jacobson conveyed-- ambassador Jacobson-- when she was in here just a few weeks ago, was that we need to work in partnership with these countries to address the root causes in their countries, to convey clearly and systematically that this is not the time to travel.

So here's a few things we're doing, and this will obviously increase over time, but just to give you a sense of our investment. The State Department continues to-- we have placed an estimated 17,118 radio ads in Brazil, El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras since January 21st in Spanish, Portuguese, and six indigenous languages. These ads played on 33 radio stations reaching an estimated 15 million individuals. The Department has also worked with Facebook and Instagram on an advertising campaign that put our migration messages in the social media streams of millions of individuals who fit the profile of intending migrants. These are very targeted, of course.

And we're also taking creative approaches in different countries to make sure we're reaching people, meeting people where they are. In some ways, how we try to do things in the United States. So, as an example, NBC San Salvador "Oscuro" comic book and animated show seeks to deter irregular migration by addressing violence as a driver. Content focused on violent reduction reached 240,000 young Salvadorans in the targeted audience. The two animated episodes in this past year have been viewed by 3.6 million individuals. So each country is taking different approaches.

Our embassies on the ground are obviously the experts working with countries, to your point, Steve, to figure out how to communicate clearly in languages that will be received by the people in these countries and communicate clearly this is not the time to come, our borders are not open, and we will continue to pick this up in the months-- weeks and months ahead.
In this Friday, March 19, 2021 file photo, an airliner lands at Tampa International Airport in Tampa, Fla. On Sunday, March 21, more than 1.5 million people streamed through U.S. airport security checkpoints, the largest number since the pandemic tightened its grip on the United States more than a year ago. However, passenger traffic remains far below 2019 levels. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)

More than 1.5 million people streamed through U.S. airport security checkpoints on Sunday, the largest number since the pandemic tightened its grip on the United States more than a year ago.

It marked the 11th straight day that the Transportation Security Administration screened more than 1 million people, likely from a combination of spring break travel and more people becoming vaccinated against COVID-19.

Airline executives say they have seen an increase in bookings during the last few weeks.

However, passenger traffic remains far below 2019 levels.

The TSA said Monday that it screened about 1.54 million people on Sunday, which appeared to be the largest number since March 13, 2020. It was more than triple the 454,516 people that TSA reported screening on the comparable Sunday a year ago, and the seven-day rolling average of screenings has doubled since Feb. 1.

Still, the number of people passing through airport checkpoints Sunday was about one-fourth below the number on the closest Sunday in 2019.

In this Wednesday, March 17, 2021 file photo, travelers walk through the Salt Lake City International Airport in Salt Lake City. On Sunday, March 21, more than 1.5 million people streamed through U.S. airport security checkpoints, the largest number since the pandemic tightened its grip on the United States more than a year ago. However, passenger traffic remains far below 2019 levels. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer)

Explore further US air travel rises to highest levels yet since pandemic hit

 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
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Paris Hilton wouldn't "be the woman she is today without" her mother Kathy Hilton.
The entire senior staff at the San Francisco school district on Sunday denounced a school board members racist tweets against Asian Americans, saying she hasnt adequately taken responsibility for them.

In an open letter to district staff and the school board obtained by The Chronicle, all 19 top administrators at the districts central office  including deputy superintendents and department heads  condemned the tweets board Vice President Alison Collins posted in 2016.

The top leadership members work directly for the superintendent, but their employment contracts are approved by the school board. The contracts of all 19 administrators are awaiting a board vote, which is scheduled for Tuesday in closed session.

The top officials said they are united in a responsibility to share the grave concerns of scores of colleagues and community members.

The administrators said they agreed with board members Jenny Lam and Faauuga Moliga, as well as former board members and city officials, that the tweets perpetuate gross and harmful stereotypes and leave no room for nuance or potential misunderstanding.

The letter from district staff was the latest in a string of condemnations from officials regarding Collins tweets. On Saturday, the citys top elected officials, including the mayor, state legislators and nearly all supervisors, called for her resignation, as did Lam and Moliga. Several community groups also asked her to step down.

The controversy over the tweets arrived as the district rushes to get some of its students back in the classroom starting in mid-April. The district  already hit with a lawsuit over reopening and a second over a contentious decision to rename 44 schools  is now facing a possible third lawsuit over the boards decision to strip Lowell High School of merit-based admissions.

As of Sunday afternoon, Collins, who was elected in 2018, had not resigned and the 2016 tweets were still posted online.

She did not return requests for comment about the letter Sunday.

In the thread of tweets on Dec. 4, 2016, Collins said that Asian Americans had used white supremacist thinking to assimilate and get ahead. Collins explained in the thread that she was seeking to combat anti-black racism in the Asian community and at my daughters mostly Asian Am school.

The posts also contained racial epithets, including a reference comparing Asian Americans to house n***ers.

Collins expressed regret in an online post Saturday morning for the pain her words caused. She declined to identify her tweets as racist and repeatedly insisted they were taken out of context.

Several officials, including the mayor and Lam, said Collins did not take responsibility for her words. Lam called it a non-apology.

Superintendent Vince Matthews declined to address the tweets specifically, but sent a note to district staff Saturday saying, We have to band together and speak up when we see or hear racist actions or behaviors perpetrated against any member of our community.

Board President Gabriela Lopez defended Collins on Saturday, saying she appreciated her colleagues apology.

A statement posted on social media Sunday asked supporters of Collins to sign in support, saying she has been one of the few consistent anti-racist voices amongst politicians in this city.

The opportunistic targeting of Commissioner Collins distracts from the national conversation around addressing anti-API and anti-Black hate, the unnamed authors said.

As of Sunday evening, the page showed 61 people had signed onto the statement, including parents and teachers in the district.

In contrast, the districts top administrators said they are disappointed that Collins has not seemed willing to take meaningful responsibility for her actions.

They called on the school board to join them in condemning racist, hurtful language.

School board members Matt Alexander, Kevine Boggess and Mark Sanchez have not responded to requests for comment since the tweets resurfaced Thursday.

As public servants, we work for the Board of Education through the superintendent, but we serve the students and families of San Francisco, the 19 administrators said. Although we believe it would be inappropriate for us to call for the resignation of an elected official who is part of the governing body of our district, our silence should not be interpreted as complicity or approval. We condemn Vice President Collins statements in the strongest possible terms.

Jill Tucker is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: jtucker@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @jilltucker
In what amounted to what officials deemed a domesticated animal mass casualty incident, 34 cats were killed and three people hospitalized after a fire in Massachusetts over the weekend.

The blaze broke out around 9:40 a.m. Sunday at a two-family home at 303 County St. in New Bedford, according to a Facebook post from the citys fire department. When first responders arrived at the house, they saw a heavy fire on the first floor of the wood-frame building.

Three people were trapped on the second and third floors of the house. Firefighters positioned two ladders in the rear of the building to rescue them, the department said.

A man was trapped in a third-floor bedroom and jumped onto the ladder as soon as it was placed below the window. New Bedford Firefighter Paul Medeiros was able to hold onto the man until another firefighter helped him down the ladder, according to the department.

Two women were carried down ladders from the second-floor apartment. They were taken to St. Lukes Hospital in New Bedford, while the man was taken to Rhode Island Hospital in Providence. All three individuals are in stable condition, authorities said.

First responders also located and removed 60 cats from the home. Twenty-six of them were treated and resuscitated by New Bedford EMS paramedics, Animal Control officers, Police Department officers and available firefighters, according to officials.

The members of these agencies worked seamlessly to provide these animals care in what rapidly evolved [into] a domesticated animal mass casualty incident, the New Bedford Fire Department said in its post.

Animal control officers took the 26 cats to veterinary emergency clinics in West Bridgewater, Swansea and as far away as West Greenwich, Rhode Island. All of them needed hyperbaric treatment and oxygen overnight, according to the department.

Thirty-four cats died in the fire. EMS personnel and firefighters were equipped with animal rescue masks. However, their supply ran out Sunday, the department noted.

The blaze was brought under control in less than hour. The cause of the fire is being investigated by the departments Fire Investigation Unit and the State Fire Marshals Office. Investigators are determining if the home had working smoke detectors

The department said its proud of District Fire Chief Michael Dandurand and the members of Engine Co. 6 and Ladder Co. 3 for their skill and quick actions in rescuing the three victims.

The Providence Canteen provided support and rehabilitation services to a large number of first responders during the blaze as well, according to the department.

We appreciate and thank you for your efforts, the department said.
The Laois and Offaly sides of the Slieve Bloom mountains have been granted 770,000 to boost visitor facilities, with most of it going to Offaly.

The Department of Rural and Community Development is giving 270,000 to Laois County Council for a project called 'Destination Slieve Bloom'. It is for the design and installation of new road signs directing visitors to the Slieve Blooms, and interpretative signs in the mountains.

The project "seeks to develop an integrated programme by all stakeholders for the Slieve Bloom area under the Slieve Bloom Development Partnership.

Offaly County Council has received 500,000 to create a route from Kinnitty village to the starting point of the Slieve Bloom Mountain Bike Trails, and to build a new Kinnitty Woods Novice-Grade mountain bike trail loop'.

Offaly has also received funding for a project called 'Rediscovering Castle Bernards Historic Bridges.



The projects are aimed to compliment Coillte's Slieve Bloom Mountain Bike Trails, which is partly completed. Short trails are already open at Kinnitty in Offaly, and Baunreagh near Mountrath in Laois.

There is now a 9km 'red grade' route opened in Baunreagh, for experienced mountain bikers, and a 10km 'blue grade' moderate to difficult route in Kinnitty. The trails are planned to eventually join across the mountains in some 70km of routes. Laois is planned to eventually have a visitor hub with toilets, bike hire, bike wash and cafe at the trailhead, while in Offaly, visitor facilties are already available locally in Kinnitty village.

In all over 6 million was announced for 14 large-scale projects under Measure 3 of the Outdoor Recreation Infrastructure Scheme, by Minister Heather Humphreys TD.

The investment involves a significant development of popular outdoor amenities such as trails, walkways, cycleways, and blueways.

It is in addition to the 9.7 million approved for 212 small and medium projects earlier this year, and is being funded in partnership with Failte Ireland.

Minister Humphreys announced the funding on March 22.

I know how important our outdoor amenities have been to everyone during Covid-19. Thats why one of my main priorities is investing in the great outdoors. Our greenways blueways, trails, cycle paths and forest walks. These projects will benefit local communities and visitors alike, she said.

Other examples of the projects awarded funding include:

 Co. Galway  Improvements to the Connemara Trails and Eurovelo Route, including the replacement of two bridges along the Western Way and an upgrade to the mountain bike trail at Derroura Oughterard: 500,000.

 Co. Wicklow  Development of the Blue-light Blueway from Bray along the coast of Wicklow to Wexford: 499,338.

 Co. Limerick  Upgrade to the Limerick Greenway (Abbeyfeale, Newcastle West, Rathkeale and surrounding areas): 418,662.

 Co. Roscommon  Investment in the Mote Forest Park Outdoor Recreation Trail Experience and Cycle Link to Beara Breifne Way: 500,000.

 Co. Carlow - Connecting the Wicklow Way with the South Leinster Way: 371,250.

 Co. Monaghan  Significant enhancements of Hollywood Forest Park, which include the provision of a quality freshwater bathing site: 276,385.

 Co. Donegal  Letterkenny to Burtonport Greenway  The Muckish Railway Walk enhancement: 500,000.

 Co Cavan  Improved access to the new Killykeen Way, a 12km cycle and walking trail linking Killykeen Forest Park and Killeshandra.

 Cos. Cork, Mayo, Leitrim & Galway - Improved safety and sustainable access at four angling locations, including wheelchair accessible platforms: 500,000.
For Immediate Release (Bon Aqua, TN)  Lifest Music City has announced the addition of the band Sidewalk Prophets to perform at their event to be held at Hideaway Farm in Bon Aqua, Tennessee, July 29-31, 2021. With five #1 hit songs and eight top 5 national hits, Sidewalk Prophets has solidified its place in the Christian music genre in the past few years. Though the pandemic affected the touring schedule of the band as it did so many other artists, Sidewalk Prophets pivoted quickly to a virtual online tour, and the response, according to band member Dave Frey, has been overwhelming.

We were on our way back from the West Coast finishing our spring tour last year and getting ready to play a sold-out show at Ryman Auditorium and then the country shut down, says Frey. We began doing live stream concerts ever since. We found out there are a lot of people who actually prefer the ability to watch these concerts in the privacy of their own homes. We work really hard to add connection points for the audience during the live shows. These connection points may be zooming with fans, taking questions during the show, or offering props used in the set during the shows. The best part of the live stream shows has been the online community that has been cultivated. We have this close-knit group of fans that come to every show. They know each other and look forward to connecting each night. Its really special!

Sidewalk Prophets has a long-standing relationship with Lifest, having performed at the Lifest event in Oshkosh, Wisconsin on numerous occasions. Frey says he believes the event will be a boost to the Nashville music community.

Weve been friends and big supporters of Lifest for many years now, says Frey. In Wisconsin, they have created a really amazing event that has changed the culture of the surrounding areas in a profound way. Were excited for the Lifest team to bring that same energy to the Music City, and to see how the event helps bring this great community closer together.

In addition to the Sidewalk Prophets, headline acts for Lifest Music City include Newsboys, Skillet, Matthew West, Danny Gokey, Lecrae, with others still being added.

This family-friendly event will mark Hideaway Farms first music festival and will benefit Dignity Revolution, a movement supporting mental health and wellness which educates youth to overcome bullying and stand up for the value of every person.

Camping will be available for the duration of the festival, as well as food vendors, marketplace shops, and activities for children. From now until March 31, tickets for the 3-day event are on sale for just $60 for adults, $30 for ages 8 to 15. For ticket information visit https://lifest.com/music-city.

About Life Promotions:

Life Promotions is a nonprofit organization focused on instilling hope in todays youth. Founder and Chief Visionary Officer, Bob Lenz, is featured each year as a keynote speaker at Lifest, and speaks year-round in public schools, conferences, community outreaches, and other events. Visit https://lifepromotions.org for more information.

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The National Police Federation, a union representing the mounted police, countered the reports findings, saying it advances a perspective that disrespects our members and brings their impartiality, dedication and professionalism into question. In a separate response to the report, the union dismissed the commissions account of events at Ms. Baptistes house contending that it solely reflects the Boushie familys interpretation of the interaction, and did not reflect the accounts of the attending officers.

The R.C.M.P. union is still asking people in this country not to believe this woman, Chris Murphy, a lawyer for the Boushie family told reporters. Shame on them.

The killing and the acquittal remain sources of anger for many Indigenous Canadians who have argued the case exposed significant flaws in Canadas legal system. Mr. Boushies family and others said that police were racially discriminatory toward them while being deferential to a farmer who was ultimately charged with murder.

Mr. Boushie had gone swimming with friends when a tire went flat on their Ford Escape near Mr. Stanleys farm in central Saskatchewan. Mr. Stanley testified that he and his son thought the group, many of whom were intoxicated, was trying to steal vehicles. The two men came out with guns and also attacked the Escape with a hammer. After Mr. Boushie was killed, the others fled.

As a result, the commission found, police descended on Ms. Baptistes house on the Red Pheasant Cree Nation, her Indigenous community, with two goals: to inform her of Mr. Boushies death and to search for a member of Mr. Boushie's group of friends as part of a related investigation into theft and attempted theft. No one from the group was ultimately charged with theft.

Officers armed with rifles encircled Ms. Baptistes house and told her about her sons death when she came to the front porch. After hearing the news, Ms. Baptiste collapsed and was brought inside by police.

Ms. Baptiste displayed distress at the news they had just given her, one member told her to get it together, the report found. One or more RCMP members smelled her breath apparently for signs of alcohol.

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Professor Joseph Osafo, Senior Psychologist of the University of Ghana, has appealed to Ghanaians who have received the COVID-19 vaccine dose not to throw caution to the wind.



He advised that, until a significant number of the Ghanaian population are inoculated, those who have been vaccinated are still at risk of contracting the disease.



He asked them to continue to adhere to the COVID-19 safety protocols stressing the vaccination is not a 100 percent proof of immunity against the disease.



The Government of Ghana, in March 2021, welcomed her first batch of the COVID-19 vaccines under the COVAX programme.



Six hundred thousand (600,000) vaccines were acquired by the government to vaccinate frontline health workers, government officials and the media among others.



The government expects to procure forty-two (42) million more vaccines with a target of 20 million Ghanaians to be vaccinated.



Speaking on ''Kokrokoo'' on Peace FM, Prof. Joseph Osafo said; "Until we know a really significant percentage of Ghanaians have been inoculated, we have to be careful not to say we have been vaccinated, so I have thrown away caution to the wind because there are few issues in other areas where some people have received the vaccine dose and they are still having some problems. Some have even been vaccinated but have been reinfected. Even if we want to create herd immunity and about 10 people have been vaccinated and you don't, you can't say you have been vaccinated; so you won't protect yourself because you're still at risk."



"It's not 100 percent efficacious . . . So, people must understand that when you take the vaccine, keep applying yourself to all the necessary protocols," he stressed.





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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Mr. Le Viet Hai, Chairman of Hoa Binh Construction Group, was one of the businessmen set to run for election for the 15th National Assembly term from 2021 to 2026. In a conversation with Saigon Investment, Mr. LE VIET HAI expressed his views on several important issues concerning the private sector.

JOURNALIST: - Sir, as manager of a private firm, how do you rate the role of the private sector?

Mr. LE VIET HAI: - Currently, authorities are gathering opinions to amend a number of issues related to the Law on Enterprises. One of the contents discussed was when will a company that has capital from State Capital Investment Corporation (SCIC) operate under SCIC. Many suggested that when returning to SCIC, state-owned enterprises are considered normal enterprises, not state-owned enterprises (SOEs). In my opinion, the authorities' point of view is quite clear, which is to appreciate the dynamics and efficiency of private firms. The private equitization policy is also a policy to help businesses operate moreefficiently under the new model. Thus, the current private sector is not only private capital but also originates from state capital. I affirm that this is the right policy and the role of the private sector is increasingly being promoted.

However, my concern is how SOEs can have more favorable conditions for development, and for the private sector to be seen as motivation force for economic development of the country. The private sector and the state economy must be treated fairly, with transparency, even though there are many difficulties in SOEs management. According to my research, the responsibilities of the Chairman of the Board of Members, and the general director of SOEs are huge, but the interests do not commensurate, so there is lack of dedication of business leaders.

It could also be that the criteria for selection, appointment, and dismissal of SOE managers are not specific and clear, so it is difficult to recruit talented people, or encourage heads of enterprises to come up with long-term strategies for the company. These are problems that we need to research thoroughly and overcome, in order to select talented people and operate businesses in the most effective way. We even have to concretize these processes and contents in laws and decrees.

- Sir, if you are elected a member of the National Assembly, what will be your concerns for private sector development?

- Currently, the State takes the private sector very seriously. However, the legal system needs to be more complete to develop the private sector, overcome its many limitations, as the private sector forgets social responsibility when chasing profits. Accordingly, the law not only supports, but also helps the private sector develop in the right direction.

In the position of a member of the National Assembly, not only will I personally offer legal solutions, but I will also enthuse people to use and apply solutions wisely. The legal system needs creativity, not a stereotype of another country, but we must continue to learn from developed countries. We should combine world views to Vietnamese creativity to have the most suitable legal system.

- Sir, can it be said that the private sector has not been promoted in the best way possible?

- For a long time now, we have talked about delays and sluggishness in the private sector, which are caused by administrative procedures that have not met the requirements of enterprises. However, this is not the root of the problem. The basic problem lies in the development strategy, and first of all, we must determine what is a key economic industry, why is it a key economic industry and what solutions are there for that industry to develop.

We have a lot of industries and services, so it is necessary to have a deeper assessment of each field, each industry, and listen to opinions from experts, businesses, and managers for their competitiveness, challenges, as well as opportunities. After that, we can determine which industries have opportunities to become key economic sectors in the country, so then we can have appropriate strategies and solutions. The construction industry is the field in which I have directly operated for many years. I see that this industry can completely become a key economic industry. I have shared this thought with state management agencies, colleagues and received much enthusiasm from everyone.

As I said, solving a difficulty is only solving the top part of the problem. Identifying new strategic tasks can solve the root of the problem. The strategic issue here is to identify the key industries, markets and economic products in a competitive environment. After that, we must have global competitiveness in every industry that we think is strategic. The problems of administrative procedures are actually not so important to me, but we must have breakthroughs to bring the economy into deeper integration with the world.

- Sir, can you give a clearer example of the field of businesses in which you are operating?

- First, I think there is a strategy to create an economic breakthrough for Vietnam. It is not because I work in construction that I recommend this. But I see a huge opportunity for the construction industry to effectively contribute to the economic boom, if we export construction. The foreign construction market is worth USD 12,000 bn, 750 times more than the domestic market which is worth USD 16 bn. If we have a national strategy, we can create conditions for the realization of such a goal.

In my opinion, this needs to be done quickly because the Covid-19 pandemic has hurt the entire world economy, and all countries choose construction as an industry that governments can intervene in through public investment. Many countries have policies to limit the use of Chinese goods and services, while Japan and South Korea advocate not developing overseas construction because they are no longer competitive. Therefore, this is the time and opportunity for Vietnam to rise to the occasion and replace China, South Korea or Japan in the world construction market, and make construction a key economic sector of the country. In the role of a National Assembly member, I think my voice will have more weight in policy formation and implementation of this strategy.

- Sir, what are your concerns about the private sector, as well as the development of the construction industry, and what do you expect after becoming a member of the National Assembly?

- The issues that I have just spoken about are issues I have presented many times in many forums and I have been heard by many authorities, economic managers and experts. However, if this time I become a National Assembly member, I think my voice will hold much more weight, and the chance to share my views will be better as I will be able to contribute towards my ideas more effectively.

If I am elected as a National Assembly member, I will study more closely the frustrations and concerns of the business community, especially private firms, to lend a voice for them. I will also help authorities to correct several shortcomings, in order to create a transparent and healthy business investment environment.

I know that questioning is one of the most important tasks of National Assembly deputies. However, it is important to have many solutions to make strict and transparent legal regulations. Currently, in our country, there is a situation that the laws have not yet been enforced. Therefore, it is necessary that the laws must accompany implementation guidelines, so that we do not need to wait for the Government to issue decrees and circulars to apply them. Looking ahead, if I have some views then I can use the platform of the National Assembly to suggest to the Government to make laws and regulations accordingly.



I have already freed myself of some of my current responsibilities by transferring these to my son, who is now in the position of CEO. If I continue to hold position of chairman and CEO, there will be no time to do justice to my work. Now, I have more time to participate in the conference, and I think I will be able to gather knowledge from many people in the business world, as well as seek ideas, initiatives and solutions from many worlds, and many contributors.

- Thank you very much.

Do Tra Giang
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New Delhi: Uttarakhand Chief Minister Tirath Singh Rawat to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Thursday (March 25). The meeting comes days after CM Rawats ripped jeans remark, which sparked a huge controversy across the nation.

Soon after assuming the top office in the state, Rawat found himself at the centre of a row over his comments disapproving of women wearing ripped jeans, suggesting that this goes against India's cultural norms.

The controversy was sparked after a video of CM Tirath Singh Rawat speaking at a public gathering went viral on social media. In the video Uttarkhand CM said, If such women go out in the society to meet people and solve their problems, what kind of message are we giving out to society, to our kids? It all starts at home. What we do, our kids follow. A child who is taught the right culture at home, no matter how modern he becomes, will never fail in life.

[Women] showing bare knees, wearing ripped denim and looking like rich kids These are the values being given now [at home]. Where is this coming from, if not at home? he added.

Earlier last week, on March 21, CM Rawat also held a meeting with BJP president J P Nadda and party general secretary (organisation) B L Santhosh in the national capital.

In his last visit to Delhi, Rawat also held meetings with party workers and officials from the state stationed in the Capital.

Uttarakhand CM in his meetings discussed and reviewed the situation in the pilgrimage towns of Kedarnath and Badrinath.

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After an explosive interview with Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, Oprah Winfrey spoke to Priyanka Chopra. The White Tiger actress spoke about a host of issues, including religion and spirituality. However, one particular statement made by Chopra has not gone down well with netizens. She is being trolled on social media for saying that she knows about Islam as her father used to sing in a mosque.

Chopra highlighted her spiritual foundation while growing up in India. She spoke about the swirling number of religions that 'live within the country'. "I grew up in a convent school. I was aware of Christianity. My dad used to sing in a mosque, I was aware of Islam. I grew up in a Hindu family, I was aware of that. Spirituality is such a large part of India that you really cannot ignore it," she said.

Netizens questioned the actress and asked how it is possible to know about an entire religion just because her father used to sing in a mosque.

My dad used to reads books, so I am writer now#PriyankaChoprapic.twitter.com/aw6OhgCaSK     (@UJALAAshraf2) March 22, 2021

I used to eat dates a lot

I know everything about dating ! #PriyankaChopra#PriyankaChorhoo

      pic.twitter.com/9WsIcB7ovq  Mahira Khan Fan Club (@ClubMahira) March 22, 2021

My dad watched "the mask of Zorro"

I'm aware of Zoroastrianism. #PriyankaChoprapic.twitter.com/hAK4iIFnDW  Brandy Kaur (@brandybruja) March 21, 2021

I saw the movie "Judaai".

I am aware of Judaism. #PriyankaChoprahttps://t.co/fJ0f3XeMmB  Amit Shirodkar (@amit_shirodkar) March 21, 2021

Some even questioned the accuracy of the statement and said that "singing" is not really allowed in a mosque.

I thought singing wasn't allowed in mosques or do i know wrong ??  Winterdeame|Forever (@alaska4pinkss) March 20, 2021

Someone tell #PriyankaChopra that mosque and dargah are two very different things! No one sings in a mosque. We only pray there. The singing is done at Sufi shrines called dargah! International level ka ignorance hai inka  pic.twitter.com/155LPZHZEQ   (@AmzzWonderland) March 22, 2021

Priyanka Chopra also spoke about her memoir, Unfinished, which was released recently. She spoke about how she feels more secured now and that she left all the insecurities of her 20s behind.

"I have a little bit more confidence in myself and what I bring to the table, professionally, personally. I think that really helped me address my life. I always wanted to write a book and I thought the easiest thing I could write about is my life," she said.

Also read: Did Meghan Markle, Prince Harry make money from Oprah interview?

Also read: 49.1 million people watched Harry, Meghan interview with Oprah Winfrey
Wes Moore, bestselling author and youth advocate, will be virtually visiting Adelphi University to discuss the deeper meaning behind his book, The Other Wes Moore, and how we are products of expectations. Moore, the CEO of Robin Hood (one of the largest anti-poverty forces in the nation), a combat veteran, and a social entrepreneur, will touch on how we can discover our own path to purpose and reveal that our truest work happens when we serve others.

From the world of business, to giving back, to the journey of belonging, Wes Moore will take us through a life well-lived.

This conversation will be moderated by Katie Laatikainen, professor of political science and academic director of Levermore Global Scholars.

To act on Moores message, please participate in other Adelphi University events taking place during the month of March, Adelphi Gives Back Month.

This event is sponsored by the Student Government Association.

This event is open to the public but registration is required.
We're always interested in hearing about news in our community. Let us know what's going on!

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Cheshire to Consider Substantial Salary Increases

CHESHIRE, Mass.  The Selectmen plan to open up a deeper conversation about salaries in town, starting with the police and fire chiefs.

The board continued its review of the budget last week with the Finance Committee and both bodies agreed that the town needed to look at salary increases within emergency services leadership.

"I think we are ready to have that discussion," Finance Committee Chairman John Tremblay said. "We know [the fire chief and police chief] are worth more than what we are paying them."

Police Chief Tim Garner was first to present his essentially level-funded budget. Although he put forth salary increases for his officers, he took no increase.

This did not sit well with the board.

"It just seems a little weird that the chief is not getting a higher percentage than the other officers," Selectman Mark Biagini said. "If he is OK with it then I am fine. But it just doesn't seem right."

Garner said he has never put in for an increase and would "rather take care of his officers." He said he does make an hourly rate when he is out on patrol so does have the opportunity to increase his pay.

But this is not the case for the fire chief who is only paid a fixed amount.

Chief Thomas Francesconi did ask for a 3 percent raise, bringing his salary up to $3,979, however the Selectmen felt this was still way too low and nowhere close to what other similar communities pay.

"That needs to be looked at, and I think we are the lowest around for a town of our size," Selectman Ronald DeAngelis said. "That salary is like a dollar a person in town ... for the amount of responsibility we put on him we have to compensate him."

He said this could also be said for the chief of police.

Selectman Jason Levesque said the town also has to think long term and once Garner and Francesconi retire, he anticipated that the town will have a difficult time finding replacements at this pay.

"I am not saying go anywhere, but we have to think about succession," he said. "We can move incrementally or make a giant leap when it is time to refill the position."

Biagini recommended that the Selectmen simply round up each salary and double it. Both chiefs would receive an $8,000 salary bump.

Tremblay agreed with Biagini's sentiment, but did not want to input a number without any research.

"It is no surprise to anybody that these folks are well underpaid. My concern is that we are shooting in the dark, and if we are going to have salary discussion let's gather some more information," he said. "I think we need to talk about real numbers."

The board agreed to undergo a more thorough salary study but did stick the $8,000 salary in the budget as a placeholder.

Selectwoman Michele Francesconi left the room for the conversation because she is married to the fire chief.

The fire chief had some other budget updates and said he will use $18,000 from his budget to repair the pump on Engine 2.

He said Engine 2 is a mini pumper and is often used for brush fires and in inclement weather. Because of its smaller size, it can go places where larger engines can't. The cab and chassis on the engine were replaced in 1995 but the actual pump is original to the 1976 vehicle.

Francesconi also asked for a town meeting article to allocate $15,000 to purchase a used pickup truck to act as the department's brush truck. This vehicle will replace a military surplus vehicle from 1984.

"I think this is necessary for the town, and I think unfortunately ... we are upside down with it," he said. "I don't think it is responsible for us to use taxpayers' money on a truck that is just going to cost us."

He went over a complicated ritual he needs to go through to make the vehicle go into drive where he needs to keep one foot on the gas and another on the break so he can keep it running and stopped at the same time so it doesn't stall.

He said he did apply for a $95,000 Assistance to Firefighters Grant to purchase a new truck but was unsuccessful. With the dry season coming, he preferred to have a working brush truck in the fleet.

He also asked for another $10,000 to give to Adams Ambulance to offset the salaries of emergency medical technicians stationed in the Fire Department.

"I thought it would be a good gesture for Cheshire to give back to them," he said.

Two years ago, the town asked Adams Ambulance to leave a vehicle stationed in Cheshire. With low volunteerism, especially during the day, the town has to rely on Adams Ambulance to respond to medical calls that are on the rise.

He said with ambulances either traveling from Adams or Berkshire Medical Center in Pittsfield, response time was a concern.

The town set this arrangement up with Adams some years ago. Cheshire had difficulties finding volunteers to cover the town during daytime hours. He said this became more critical with increased medical calls. This also cut down on response time.

Francesconi said Adams Ambulance did not request this amount, but he just felt it was fair to offset the additional salaries they have to incur by occupying Cheshire.

Tremblay agreed with Francesconi but wanted to see more data and reasoning behind the $10,000. DeAngelis added that he wanted reassurance from Adams Ambulance that it would stick around for the foreseeable future.

Francesconi said he would talk to ambulance and see what kind of information he could find.
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The issue received bids for 3.20 crore shares as against 1.35 crore shares shares on offer.

The initial public offer (IPO) of Suryoday Small Finance Bank received bids for 3.20 crore shares as against 1.35 crore shares on offer, according to the stock exchange data. The issue was subscribed 2.37 times.

The retail individual investors category was subscribed 3.09 times. The qualified institutional buyers (QIBs) category was subscribed 2.18 times. The non-institutional investors category was subscribed 1.31 times.

The issue opened for bidding on Wednesday, 17 March 2021, and it closed on Friday, 19 March 2021. The price band for the IPO was set at Rs 303-305 per share.

The issue comprised of 1.90 crore equity shares comprising a fresh issue of up to 81.50 lakh equity shares and an offer for sale of up to 1.09 crore equity shares.

Ahead of the IPO, the bank finalized allocation of 55.77 lakh shares to anchor investors at a price of Rs 305 per share, aggregating to Rs 170.12 crore.

The bank proposes to utilize the net proceeds from the offer towards augmenting bank's tier I capital base to meet future capital requirements. The listing of the bank is also in line with terms of the RBI in-principle approval, RBI final approval and SFB licensing guidelines, requiring the bank to list its equity shares on the stock exchanges within three years from the date of commencement of business.

The small finance bank (SFB) reported a net profit of Rs 54.87 crore and a net total income of Rs 418.20 crore in the nine months ended on 31 December 2020.

Suryoday Small Finance Bank is among the leading Small Finance Bank (SFBs) in India in terms of net interest margins, return on assets, yields and deposit growth and had the lowest cost-to-income ratio among SFBs in India in FY2020. It has been serving customers in the unbanked and underbanked segments in India and promoting financial inclusion for over a decade, operating as a Non-Banking Finance Company prior to converting to SFB. The company started operations as an SFB on 23 January 2017 and it was included in the second schedule to the RBI Act on 24 July 2017. Over the years, the bank has diversified its loan portfolio to include non-micro banking loans thereby reducing dependence on micro banking business.

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Rep. Michael McCaul speaks with the media after meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump to discuss the situation with Turkey at the White House in Washington on Oct. 16, 2019. (Brendan Smialowski/AFP via Getty Images)

Illegal Border Crossings Could Hit One Million by Summer: Rep. McCaul

Rep. Michael McCaul (R-Texas) on Sunday issued a stark prediction that the border crisis would grow more acute in the coming months, estimating that 1 million people would try to make their way into the United States by summer.

Its going to get worse. Its going to get a lot worse, springtime, summer, more and more come over. The message is coming back that, Hey, we got a new president, come on in, were open for business to the traffickers, McCaul said in an interview on ABCs This Week.

I predict a million people trying to get into this country by the summertime, McCaul said.

In recent days, the numbers of children and families caught trying to enter the United States illegally from Mexico has grown to magnitudes unseen since before the pandemic. Customs and Border Protection has noted a more than 100 percent month-over-month increase in February in two categories of illegal aliensfamily units and unaccompanied minors.

President Joe Biden has faced criticism from Republicans for reversing some of the immigration policies of former President Donald Trump, which they argue has led to a surge of people seeking to cross the border illegally.

After taking office, Biden proposed a pathway to citizenship for millions of people in the United States unlawfully, and promised in an executive order to create a humane asylum system.

Rep. Brian Babin (R-Texas) told The Epoch Times American Thought Leaders last week that Bidens rhetoric was fueling what he described as a humanitarian and national security crisis.

Hundreds of countries are sending people over to the United States because of these promises, Babin said.

Come on up here, step one foot in, and you will be admitted, Babin said, characterizing the thrust of the Biden administrations messaging on immigration. And eventually you will be on a path to citizenship and youll receive an education  youll get free health care, you will get even stimulus checks, he added.

The Democratic mayor of a southern border town told the New York Post in an interview on Sunday that hes incensed over the Biden administrations handling of the immigration crisis in his backyard.

You have a breach on national security levels that have never before been seen in modern history and youre not even batting an eye about it, youre not even calling it a crisis, youre calling it a challenge, Mayor Bruno Lozano, a Democrat who represents Del Rio, Texas, told the outlet.

Its a slap in the face, Lozano added.

Biden addressed the border surge as he returned to the White House from the Camp David presidential retreat on Sunday, telling reporters a lot more could be done to stem the flow of people seeking to enter the United States illegally.

We are in the process of doing it now, including making sure we reestablish what existed beforewhich is they can stay in place and make their case from their home countries, he said.

While the Biden administration has insisted that would-be immigrants should still follow the legal process for entering the country and that the border has not, as some contend, been flung open, the recent surge of illegal immigration suggests that is how its being interpreted by many.

Edgar Benjamin Paz, a Honduran man whose familys tent is among the hundreds that have filled every spot in a Mexican plaza in Tijuana, near the busiest U.S.-Mexico border crossing, told The Associated Press in a recent interview that many migrants have interpreted the Biden administrations messaging on immigration to mean the border was open.

In a bid to persuade would-be immigrants not to rush the border, the Biden administration has rolled out more aggressive communications. Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas was interviewed on four Sunday news shows in an effort to drive this home.

Our message has been straightforwardthe border is closed, Mayorkas said. We are expelling families. We are expelling single adults. And weve made a decision that we will not expel young, vulnerable children.

Trump weighed in on the matter, issuing a statement on Sunday blasting Bidens policy shift and urging him to complete Trumps signature border wall.
New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday (March 22) launched the Jal Shakti Abhiyan:Catch the Rain campaign on World Water Day via video conferencing. On the occasion, the Prime Minister also interacted with sarpanches and Ward Panches in Rajasthan, Uttarakhand, Karnataka, Maharashtra, and Gujarat, said a government statement.

A memorandum of agreement was also signed between the Union Minister of Jal Shakti and the Chief Ministers of Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh to implement the Ken Betwa Link Project, the first project of the National Perspective Plan for interlinking of rivers, in the presence of the Prime Minister.

Speaking on the occasion, the Prime Minister said, "on International Water Day, a major step has also been taken for the Ken-Betwa Link Canal along with the introduction of the Catch The Rain campaign," adding "this agreement is important to realize Atal Ji's dream in the interest of millions of families of Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh."

Rapid development is not possible without water security and effective water management, he said, adding that the vision of India's development and India's self-reliance, is dependent on our water sources and our Water Connectivity.

The Prime Minister noted that the challenge of the water crisis is increasing equally with Indias development. He said it is the responsibility of the present generation of the country to fulfill its responsibility for the generations to come. He asserted that the government has made water governance a priority in its policies and decisions. In the last 6 years, many steps have been taken in this direction. He talked about Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchai Yojna, water campaign to every farm - Har Khet ko Paani, 'Per Drop More Crop' campaign and NamamiGange Mission, Jal Jeevan Mission or Atal Bhujal Yojana. Work is being undertaken rapidly on all these schemes, he said.

The Prime Minister pointed out that the better India manages rainwater, the lesser the country's dependence on groundwater. "Therefore, success of campaigns like 'Catch the Rain' is very important," he said and noted that both urban and rural areas have been included in the Jal Shakti Abhiyan.

He called upon to step up water conservation efforts in the days leading upto Monsoon. Emphasizing the importance of sarpanches and DMs/DCs, PM Modi said that the Jal Shapath which is being organized all over the country should become everybodys pledge and second nature, adding "when our nature changes with respect to water, nature will also support us."

He noted that apart from rainwater harvesting, the management of river water in our country has also been discussed for decades. To save the country from a water crisis, it is now necessary to work rapidly in this direction. He said the Ken-Betwa Link Project is also part of this vision. He lauded both the Government of Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh for making this project a reality.

The Prime Minister said just 1.5 years ago, just 3.5 crore out of 19 crore rural families in our country got piped drinking water. He expressed happiness that after the launch of Jal Jeevan Mission, about 4 crore new families have piped drinking water connections in such a short time. He noted that public participation and the local governance model are at the core of the Jal Jeevan Mission.

The Prime Minister remarked that for the first time after independence, a government is working so seriously with regard to water testing. He pointed out that rural sisters and daughters have been made stakeholders in this campaign of water testing.

Live TV

During the Corona period itself, PM Modi said, about 4.5 lakh women were trained for water testing, adding "Every village is getting at least 5 trained women for water testing. Better results are a certainty with increased participation of women in water governance."
Global Iron Deficiency Anemia Treatment Market - Scope of Report. This report on the global iron deficiency anemia treatment market studies past as well as current growth trends and opportunities to gain valuable insights of these indicators of the market during the forecast period from 2020 to 2030.

New York, March 22, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Reportlinker.com announces the release of the report "Iron Deficiency Anemia Treatment Market - Global & India Industry Analysis, Size, Share, Growth, Trends, and Forecast, 2020-2030" - https://www.reportlinker.com/p06036498/?utm_source=GNW

The report provides revenue of the global iron deficiency anemia treatment market for the period 20182030, considering 2018 as the base year and 2030 as the forecast year.



The report also provides the compound annual growth rate (CAGR) for the global iron deficiency anemia treatment market during the forecast period.



The report has been prepared after primary and secondary researches.Primary research involved bulk of research efforts, wherein analysts carried out interviews with industry leaders and opinion makers.



Secondary research involved referring to key players product literature, annual reports, press releases, and relevant documents to understand the global iron deficiency anemia treatment market.



Secondary research also included Internet sources, statistical data from government agencies, websites, company presentations, sales data, and trade associations. Analysts employed a combination of top-down and bottom-up approaches to study various phenomenon in the global iron deficiency anemia treatment market.



The report includes an elaborate executive summary along with a snapshot of the growth behavior of various segments included in the scope of the study.Furthermore, the report sheds light on the changing competitive dynamics in the global iron deficiency anemia treatment market.



These indices serve as valuable tools for existing market players as well as for entities interested in entering the global iron deficiency anemia treatment market.



The report delves into the competitive landscape of the global iron deficiency anemia treatment market.Key players operating in the global iron deficiency anemia treatment market have been identified, and each one of these has been profiled for distinguishing business attributes.



Company overview, financial standings, recent developments, and SWOT are some of the attributes of players in the global iron deficiency anemia treatment market that have been profiled in this report.



Key Questions Answered in Global Iron Deficiency Anemia Treatment Market Report



What is the scope of growth for companies in the global iron deficiency anemia treatment market?

What will be the Y-o-Y growth of the global iron deficiency anemia treatment market between 2020 and 2030?

What is the influence of changing trends in treatment for iron deficiency anemia treatment on the global iron deficiency anemia treatment market?

Will North America continue to be the most profitable market for iron deficiency anemia treatment treatment?

Which factors are anticipated to hamper the global iron deficiency anemia treatment market during the forecast period?

Which are the leading companies in the global iron deficiency anemia treatment market?



Research Methodology

A unique methodology has been utilized by the analyst to conduct comprehensive research on the growth of the global iron deficiency anemia treatment market and arrive at conclusions on its growth prospects. This research methodology is a combination of primary and secondary research, which helps analysts warrant the accuracy and reliability of the drawn conclusions.



Secondary research sources referred to by analysts during the production of the global iron deficiency anemia treatment market report include statistics from company annual reports, SEC filings, company websites, investor presentations, regulatory databases, government publications, and industry white papers. Analysts have also interviewed senior managers, product portfolio managers, CEOs, VPs, and market intelligence managers, who contributed to the production of This study on the iron deficiency anemia treatment market as primary methods.



These primary research respondents have provided exclusive information during interviews, which serves as a validation from the iron deficiency anemia treatment market leaders.Access to an extensive internal repository and external proprietary databases enabled this report to address specific details and questions about the global iron deficiency anemia treatment market with accuracy.



The study also uses the top-down approach to assess the revenue of each segment and the bottom-up approach to counter-validate them. This has helped in reaching estimates on future prospects of the global iron deficiency anemia treatment more reliably and accurately.



Regional Segmentation of Global Iron Deficiency Anemia Treatment Market



North America

U.S.

Canada

Europe

Germany

U.K.

France

Italy

Spain

Rest of Europe

Asia Pacific

China

Japan

India

Australia & New Zealand

Rest of Asia Pacific

Latin America

Brazil

Mexico

Rest of Latin America

Middle East and Africa

GCC Countries

South Africa

Rest of Middle East and Africa

Read the full report: https://www.reportlinker.com/p06036498/?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




An Australian paramedic has issued a timely warning to parents about the danger of chocolate eggs in the run up to Easter.

In a recent Instagram post, Nikki, a retired mother-of-two from Queensland, said the small, solid eggs are choking hazards for young kids.

Much like grapes, the size and shape of can obstruct toddlers' airways, while the tight seal produced by the smooth surface makes them tricky to shift, even with first aid manoeuvres.

Nikki urged parents to buy larger, hollow eggs instead, as they break up into flat pieces that are much less dangerous for littles ones.

Scroll down for video

Instead of buying chocolate mini eggs, Australian paramedic Nikki urged parents to stock up on larger, hollow eggs which can be broken up for kids to enjoy

Paramedic Nikki (pictured) says mini chocolate eggs can be a choking hazard for kids

'Up to 85 percent of choking deaths are caused by food and with Easter around the corner I want this to be at the forefront of your mind,' Nikki wrote in the caption.

'Choking is silent, it happens quickly and knowing exactly what to do in a choking emergency is the difference between a scare and a life-changing moment.'

Accidental threats to breathing, including choking and suffocation, accounted for 11 percent of deaths in children under eight years of age in 2020, research from Life Vac Australia shows.

An average of 80 people die each year from choking in Australia.

Nikki reminded her followers that children should be supervised while eating at all times.

Her warning, which has amassed 1,717 'likes' since it was uploaded on Saturday, has sparked grateful responses from parents who say they never realised how dangerous mini eggs could be.

'This is not something I've ever thought about,' one woman replied.

Dozens more tagged their friends, alerting them to the danger.

And it's not the first warning Nikki has issued about child safety.

In January, she warned parents about how easy it is for young children to drown in shallow pools of water which are often hiding in plain sight inside the home.

Nikki (left and right) says it is imperative for parents to empty plant buckets and keep toilet seats closed this summer to reduce the risk of childhood drowning

Nikki highlighted four household hazards that appear innocent at first glance, proving that even tiny pools just five centimetres deep can prove fatal for infants.

This volume can be contained in breakfast bowls, plant buckets, toilets and mixing jugs - meaning it's vital to empty or keep kids away from them at all times.

'The drowning jobs I attended as a paramedic still haunt me to this day,' she wrote in the caption.

'It happens with only a small amount of water, in just 20 seconds, and is silent.'

Tips for preventing infant drowning * Always supervise children while they are in and around water * Eliminate hazards - tip water out of containers * Restrict access by ensuring there is a barrier between your child and any body of water * Teach your children how to swim and to be wary of drains * Learn CPR - just five percent of Australians are qualified in the life-saving technique Source: Tiny Hearts Education Advertisement

Drowning is the world's leading cause of unintentional death for children aged one to three.

Yet just five percent of Australians are trained in CPR.

Nikki's warning, which has amassed 1,455 likes since it was uploaded online six hours ago, has drawn dozens of responses with followers tagging their friends, alerting them to the danger.

'This is important for all babysitters to know too,' one mother wrote.

Nikki encouraged viewers to share the video with loved ones to ensure families 'enjoy summer with their bubs in the safest way possible'.
Source: Xinhua| 2021-03-22 23:24:16|Editor: huaxia

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LUSAKA, March 22 (Xinhua) -- Zambia on Monday joined the rest of the world in commemorating the 2021 World Water Day with the government pledging its commitment to ensuring sustainable management of water because of the value it plays in various economic activities.

Minister of Water Development, Sanitation and Environmental Protection Raphael Nakachinda said the importance of water in the country's economic development cannot be underestimated as there was no sector that does not require it for smooth operations.

He said the theme for this year "Valuing Water" was appropriate as it signifies that the value of water was beyond pricing but also social, cultural and economic.

The government, he said, has since put in place legislation and policies aimed at ensuring sustainable management of water.

He further said the government has embarked on the sensitization drive across the country through exhibitions and roadshows in order to inculcate a sense of value for water among citizens.

Kelvin Chitumbo, director of the National Water Supply and Sanitation Council (NWASCO) called for concerted efforts by all stakeholders in ensuring that the value of water was recognized.

He said it was imperative that all stakeholders played their role in ensuring that the value of water was appreciated, adding that the theme focuses on the important role that water plays in people's everyday lives.

"Water should not be valued from a pricing perspective only because it is one resource that cuts across all spheres of life and is, therefore, a unique resource that must be protected and well-managed," he said. Enditem
Banca Ifis develops the first securitisation in Italy of NPLs assisted by orders of assignment

The Group acts as pathfinder: the pioneering transaction for finance is new for this type of non-performing exposure

Moodys and Scope have assigned the senior notes a rating of A2 and A-, confirming the quality of the NPL portfolio and Banca Ifiss ability to service

Milan, 22 March 2021 - Through the subsidiary Ifis Npl Investing, Banca Ifis achieves its aim of financing the very first securitisation in Italy of a non-performing portfolio, mostly made of unsecured loans assisted by orders of assignment. The transaction is an innovative solution in the Italian Npl market whereby the recovery process of this type of non-performing exposures envisaging the debt collection procedure through compulsory enforcement (attachment of one fifth of the salary/pension) is already at an advanced stage of recovery.

The transaction will allow Ifis Npl Investing to obtain funding for an amount up to 350 million Euro, without deconsolidating the underlying credits which will remain within the Banca Ifis Group. The loan portfolios included in the transaction (a portfolio of secured loans and a portfolio of unsecured loans assisted by orders of assignment) owned by Ifis Npl Investing, have been transferred to a newly-established SPV named IFIS NPL 2021-1 SPV S.r.l., which will issue senior, mezzanine and junior notes.

The mezzanine and junior notes have been entirely subscribed by Ifis Npl Investing and will not be transferred. The two classes of senior notes, net of 5% that will be retained at the originator, will be admitted for trading on the Borsa Italiana ExtraMOT debt market, and will be refinanced on the institutional investors market.

The transaction will allow Ifis Npl Investing to finance itself and to affirm in the Italian Npl servicing market its ability to service non-performing loans through the subsidiary Ifis Npl Servicing, also for the benefit of third parties.

Story continues

The ratings agencies Moodys and Scope have respectively assigned, for the first time ever in Italy for this asset class, the senior notes ratings of A2 and A- and the mezzanine note a rating of B2 and B+, thereby highlighting the strength of the product (i.e. assignment order) and future emphasize Banca Ifiss servicing capability.

The transaction involved JP Morgan and Deutsche Bank as arrangers, the law firms BonelliErede (on behalf of the Banca Ifis Group) and Orrick Herrington & Sutcliffe (on behalf of the arrangers) and Banca Finint as Corporate Servicer.





Rosalba Benedetto

Director of Communications, Marketing

and External Relations

Banca Ifis S.p.A.







Eleonora Vallin

Head of the Press Office

Banca Ifis S.p.A.

M. +39 342 8554140







Andrea Nalon

Press Office

Banca Ifis S.p.A.

M. +39 335 822 5211











Martino Da Rio

Head of IR and Corporate Development

Banca Ifis S.p.A.

M. +39 02 24129953







Cristina Fossati, Luisella Murtas

Press Office

Image Building

+ 39 02 89011300







www.bancaifis.it

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Mr McAreavey shared a family picture of the christening on his Instagram captioning the picture, Special day.

John McAreavey and wife Tara Brennan christened their son James over the weekend.

Mr McAreavey shared a family picture of the christening on his Instagram, captioning the picture, Special day.

Instagram users quickly shared their congratulations to the new parents.

John and Tara welcomed the birth of their son James last December. He announced the news on social media captioning it, Let the adventures begin James.

John and Tara were engaged in October 2015 and married in private wedding in September 2016.

Johns first wife Michaela Harte was murdered in their hotel room while on their honeymoon in Mauritius in 2011.

Speaking previously on the birth of their son, John told the Pat Kenny Show that life has been good to him despite the devastation he has dealt with since Michaela's death.

"I think people, at times, think that when you have suffered the way that I have suffered, that maybe you just have to continue to be clouded by negative energy and you have to live your life a certain way, almost in victim mode, but the reality is that life has been very good to me, he said.

Speaking recently on a podcast about the murder of his late wife, the Down man said the trauma from her death leaves him worried that Tara will be taken from him too.
The first cell culture medium on the market that mimics the metabolic profile of human plasma that is designed to provide researchers with a realistic view of cell growth within the human body

Thermo Fisher Scientific has launched the new Gibco Human Plasma-like Medium (HPLM), the first cell culture medium on the market that mimics the metabolic profile of human plasma that is designed to provide researchers with a realistic view of cell growth within the human body.

Gibco HPLM contains the same salt concentrations found in human plasma, as well as the same concentrations of over 60 polar metabolites, such as amino acids, nucleic acids, sugars and small organic acids. By resembling the natural cellular environment found in the body, HPLM provides researchers the ability to study the impact of physiologically relevant cell media on their specific research applications, including cancer and other diseases. When supplemented with fetal bovine serum (FBS), HPLM can support cell growth and viability that are comparable to that of conventional basal media formulations supplemented with FBS. For most cell lines, adaptation is not required to transition from conventional medium to HPLM.

"Innovative technology such as the Gibco Human Plasma-Like Medium is testament to the incredible work being led by Thermo Fisher's research partners," said Amy Butler, President, Biosciences, Thermo Fisher Scientific. "Collaboration between industry and academia is vital to the pursuit of innovation and development of fit-for-purpose materials that improve scientists' understanding of human disease and strategies to address them.

Human Plasma-like Medium was invented by Jason R Cantor of the Morgridge Institute for Research in Madison, Wisconsin and David M Sabatini of the Whitehead Institute at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Cambridge, Mass. Drs Cantor and Sabatini are inventors on a patent application for HPLM assigned to Whitehead Institute.
Caesar Sengupta, Vice President and General Manager, Payments and Next Billion Users initiative at Google, is leaving the company after a 15-year stint.

Announcing his resignation in a LinkedIn post, Sengupta said that he was leaving Google to start a "new mission."

During his tenure at Google, Sengupta led the company's payments plans, including Google Pay. His last day at Google will be April 30.

"I know that my decision may come as a shock to many of you, and I apologize for any pain or disappointment this might cause. But you've often heard me say that our time on earth is our most precious resource, and it's time for me to find a new way to make my impact on it," Sengupta said in a letter to his team and colleagues.

"I leave, my heart full of gratitude and joy, celebrating the many many beautiful moments Google and all of you have given me."

Sengupta also thanked Google CEO Sundar Pichai for taking a "bet" on him.

A Google spokesperson said that Sengupta has made a personal decision to leave the company and start something entrepreneurial outside of Google.

"Through his time at Google, Caesar has played a key role in starting, building and leading initiatives such as ChromeOS, Next Billion Users and Google Pay. We are excited to see what he builds next and wish him the best in his new journey," said the spokesperson.


MUMBAI: Maharashtra BJP leader Ram Kadam has demanded that both Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray and states Home Minister Anil Deshmukh should undergo a narco analysis test and tender their resignations while referring to a row over former Mumbai police chief Param Bir Singh's allegations of corruption against the latter.

The image of Maharashtra and Mumbai Police has been tarnished under the leadership of the chief minister. In the history of independent India, there has never been such a heinous crime in the past. This happened right under the nose of the CM. This country and the entire world have seen him supporting the Vaze gang, Ram Kadam said on Sunday.

Today morning 11 am we wil meet mumbai police commissioner shri hemant nagrale regarding #Vajhegang unfortunately #Vasulisarkar trying to protect #Vajhegang.  Ram Kadam -   (@ramkadam) March 22, 2021

Another BJP leader Kirit Somaiya said that it was the gang of now suspended API Sachin Vaze that used to collect Rs 100 crore for the Maharashtra Home Minister.

The Thackeray government which has been in power for the last 15 months, will have to give account of the Rs 1500 crore that would have been collected by now, Somaiya alleged.

The BJP leader demanded that now Sachin Vaze, Sanjay Patil, Param Bir Singh, Anil Deshmukh and the officials of the chief ministers office must also be investigated.

As the BJP mounted pressure on the MVA government, a meeting was held at Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Sharad Pawar's residence to discuss the row involving Maharashtra Home Minister Anil Deshmukh.

After the meeting, the NCP ruled out Anil Deshmukhs resignation. The meeting was held in view of former Mumbai police chief Param Bir Singh's allegations of corruption against Deshmukh.

It was attended by Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar, state unit NCP chief Jayant Patil, Praful Patel, Supriya Sule and Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut. "There is no question of Anil Deshmukh's resignation. ATS is investigating the case and we believe the culprit will be punished," Jayant Patil was quoted as saying by ANI.

Later, Shiv Sena later Sanjay Raut too endorsed Patil and said that a probe into the matter is underway. The meeting took place hours after Pawar told reporters that Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray will decide the fate of Deshmukh.

Param Bir Singh has claimed Deshmukh wanted police officers to collect Rs 100 crore monthly from bars and hotels in Mumbai. Deshmukh has denied these allegations as baseless.

Live TV
The move comes following accusations that a member of Dobrik's vlog squad sexually assaulted a woman. David Dobrik / Vlog Squad

Venture capital firm Spark Capital said it was severing ties with Dispo, a photo-sharing app co-created by YouTuber David Dobrik.

Last week, Insider released an investigation into Dobrik's "Vlog Squad."

One of its members has been accused of rape by a woman who appeared in a video about group sex.

See more stories on Insider's business page.

Dispo, the photo-sharing app co-created by YouTuber David Dobrik, is in trouble after venture capital company Spark Capital announced it would sever ties with the company.

On Sunday evening, the company tweeted: "In light of recent news about the Vlog Squad and David Dobrik, the cofounder of Dispo, we have made the decision to sever all ties with the company. We have stepped down from our position on the board and we are in the process of making arrangements to ensure we do not profit from our recent investment in Dispo."

Dispo had recently raised around $20 million at a $200 million valuation during a Series A funding round led by Spark Capital. That followed a seed funding round in October that raised $4 million, led by Reddit cofounder Alexis Ohanian's firm Seven Seven Six.

Last week, Insider's Kat Tenbarge released an explosive investigation into allegations from a woman who said Dominykas Zeglaitis, a member of Dobrik's "Vlog Squad," sexually assaulted her while filming a video about group sex. Zeglaitis has not responded to the allegations.

Read more: A woman featured on YouTube star David Dobrik's channel says she was raped by a Vlog Squad member in 2018 the night they filmed a video about group sex

Since then, several key sponsors of Dobrik's YouTube channel, which currently has 18.7 million subscribers, have cut ties with him, including DoorDash, EA Sports, and Dollar Shave Club. Dobrik has also lost approximately 200,000 subscribers since the allegations were reported, according to data accessed by Social Blade.

Dobrik, along with Daniel Liss and Natalie Mariduena, created the photo-sharing app in a bid to mimic the experience of non-digital photos. Users must wait several hours until their digital images "develop" and can be shared.

Story continues

In February, a New York Times profile of the app referred to it as "the next Instagram."

Insider has reached out to Spark Capital and Dispo for comment.

Read the original article on Business Insider
While we're still currently in the midst of a global pandemic, I never thought I'd see the day I'd be able to enjoy a concert like I used to.

I always had ever-looming questions about what a concert would look like post-pandemic: "Can we really stand next to each other? Will we have to wear masks?" or "How do you socially distance with seating?"

CONCERTS IN A PANDEMIC: Distanced 'Candlelight' concerts join Houston's COVID-era event offerings

But Gas God's Texas Smoke Break Fest made it happen without a hitch. The group, whose goal is to challenge what it means to be a cannabis consumer through the arts, fashion, music, and education, did just that with its music festival on Saturday.

The music festival marks one of the first live music events to happen after Governor Greg Abbott ended the mask mandate and allowed businesses to reopen at 100 percent capacity.

While I was slightly apprehensive about attending my first live concert in person, upon arrival I noticed just how socially distant this concert would be. The socially distanced event gave temperature checks upon entry and requested guests wear masks.

(Photo Via Elliot Guidry)

The musical festival adapted to the times using White Oak Music Hall's GRID system, where festival-goers were able to purchase sections of White Oak's lawn, to enjoy with friends.

While the thought of the grid separation seems like a killjoy, fans were still able to enjoy the show, especially with the lineup the Gas God's brand had in store.

The smoke-friendly endeavor brought out a large crowd for the sold-out event. Festival-goers were able to enjoy music from local acts like Marqus Clae and Big Jade as well as Houston OGs Devin The Dude and Slim Thug.

(Photo Via Elliot Guidry)

Also in the musical lineup was San Antonio native 7098, Le$ and out-of-towner Larry June, who closed out the show.

(Photo Via Elliot Guidry)

BRINGING STREETWEAR BACK: 'Dios' lifestyle brand brings big names to exclusive pop-up shop

The show also had a few surprise guests as well, including Alief representer Maxo Kream and UGK legend Bun B.

What really kept the show going wasn't just the musical acts, but their DJs. The musical architects kept the festival rolling in between acts.

Photo by Doogie Roux

While I might've thought a year-long pandemic would've made artist performances lackluster, Texas Smoke Break Fest proved just the opposite. The show revealed a hunger that almost all of the artists had to get back to performing onstage. Everyone approached their performance with a very laid-back but electric energy that I haven't seen in a while.

And like a perfect storm, the weather in Houston was just right for an evening concert: no rain in sight, and not too cold or hot. It was ideal outdoor concert weather. The festival offered the Roovy App, which allowed patrons to order and pay for food and drinks, which was perfect for the already socially distant environment.

Once the concert ended, I was made aware of two things:

1. If this is the future of concerts, I look forward to more.

2. Someone should direct me to the next Gas God's sponsored event.
Source: Xinhua| 2021-03-22 18:56:00|Editor: huaxia

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BEIJING, March 22 (Xinhua) -- The development of China-Russia ties does not target any particular country, and the bilateral relationship is open and aboveboard, unlike the cliques with hidden conspiracies seen in a few other countries, a foreign ministry spokesperson said on Monday.

Spokesperson Hua Chunying made the remarks at a daily press briefing in response to a question on whether Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov's visit to China is an intentional arrangement made after the China-U.S. high-level strategic dialogue.

China and Russia have always been close partners, maintaining frequent exchanges at all levels, Hua said, adding that as members of the UN Security Council, China, Russia, and the United States all bear important responsibilities concerning global peace and stability.

The more unstable the world is, the greater the need for China-Russia cooperation to continue, she noted.

"China and Russia, standing shoulder to shoulder with close cooperation and firm opposition to hegemony and bullying, have been a pillar of world peace and stability," she said.

Hua expressed the belief that Lavrov's visit would further consolidate the good momentum of the high-level development of China-Russia ties and strengthen strategic coordination between the two countries on international affairs.

Lavrov is visiting China from Monday to Tuesday, at the invitation of Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi. Enditem
Reveal Group announced that it is a Leader with highest current offering category score in Midsize RPA Services, Q1 2021 analyst report.

NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Reveal Group, a specialist Intelligent Automation service provider, is a Leader in the inaugural Forrester Wave: Midsize RPA Services, Q1 2021. The report assessed the most significant global robotic process automation (RPA) mid-sized service providers on a 21-criterion evaluation. Among 12 vendors, Reveal Group received the highest score in the current offering category and the highest possible scores in eight criteria including Customer results and business outcomes.

The report notes that Reveal Group is unique among boutique RPA service firms; it focuses on making automation simpler and cheaper. According to the Forrester report: Reference customers speak very positively about the energy, innovation, industry best practices, and deep product knowledge that Reveal Group brings to the table. Choose Reveal Group for structure and efficiency in RPA deployments when your chosen product is Blue Prism or UiPath.

The report cites, The jewel in Reveal Group's crown is RoboSuite, a collection of tools to design, code-check, and manage automation creation and deployment.

Founded in 2005, Reveal Group is headquartered in New York, USA, with teams across North America and Australia.

Benjamin Lingard, Reveal Group RPA Practice Leader, says: We are thrilled to be named a Leader in this evaluation. Reveal Group continues to focus on and invest in our people, capabilities, and accelerator tools to help our customers realize the potential of RPA and Intelligent Automation. We believe Forresters evaluation further validates our commitment to delivering outstanding, innovative solutions to customers across a diverse range of industries and locations.

Ian Crouch, Reveal Group co-founder and CEO says: We see this recognition as an important milestone and a testament to Reveal Groups commitment to quality and continuous improvement. From a small business with big aspirations, to being recognized as a Leader marks a moment to celebrate and thank the customers weve worked with and the industry-leading team who got us here.

Adoption of RPA continues to grow, and were seeing explosive demand from organizations around the world specifically for our Reveal RoboSuite automation accelerator tools and soon to be released Design Authority of the Future and Citizen Developer tools.

www.revealgroup.com

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210314005045/en/

Media contact: Charley Vokoun - marketing@revealgroup.com

Source: Reveal Group
Accompanying commentary warns further research is needed to ensure the burden of health system failures does not disproportionately fall on people of color or other marginalized communities

(Boston)--There are two simultaneously occurring pandemics in the U.S.: Racism and COVID-19. "These mutualistic pandemics have thrown into stark focus the separate and unequal systems through which people access health care," explained corresponding author Emily Cleveland Manchanda, MD, assistant professor of emergency medicine at Boston University School of Medicine.

Cleveland Manchanda and colleagues authored a JAMA Network Open commentary explaining that it is imperative that crisis standards of care (CSC), guidelines designed to ensure the fair allocation of scarce hospital resources across racial and ethnic groups, do not exacerbate racial inequities further. Their commentary is in response to a study also published in JAMA Network Open that found no racial disparities in simulated patient prioritization for resource allocation using CSC guidelines at two Miami hospitals.

Throughout this past year Black, Latinx, Indigenous and other people of color (BIPOC) have suffered grossly disproportionate effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. According to Cleveland Manchanda, under-resourced communities of color typically rely on health care facilities, especially safety-net hospitals that have been hit the hardest by surges in COVID-19. Ill-equipped to handle these surges, many of these safety-net hospitals have had to cancel income-generating elective surgical procedures because their inpatient beds are filled with COVID-19 admissions.

"Safety-net hospitals thus become reliant on a tenuous stream of government funding and may be more likely to enact CSC than better-resourced facilities. Additionally, the resource constraints at safety-net hospitals in diverse communities may lead to compromised care even before CSC enactment," adds Cleveland Manchanda, who also is director for Equity Initiatives in the Emergency Medicine Department at Boston Medical Center.

Cleveland Manchanda stresses that to prevent CSC from compounding harm during a public health crisis, resource allocation criteria must be developed, revised and implemented through an identity-conscious lens. "Failure to explicitly consider the particular risks faced by BIPOC, disabled and other marginalized populations may lead to unintended harms."

Cleveland Manchanda believes that if we are forced to activate CSC guidelines for critical care resource allocation, we must ensure that they equitably serve our most marginalized and at-risk patients populations. "Further prospective and validation studies are needed before CSC can be deemed free of racial and other biases."

###
Erika Jayne's contentious divorce has already provided plenty of drama, fueled by allegations of rampant cheating and a link to a multi-million dollar embezzlement scheme.

But the reality star, 49, didn't look like anything was weighing on her shoulders when she left lunch at trendy Hollywood eatery Robata JINYA beaming from ear-to-ear.

The Real Housewives Of Beverly Hills blonde's outing came not long after Bravo ringleader Andy Cohen revealed that Jayne's split from her 81-year-old husband over two-decades will be featured on next season of the show.

Smiley: Erika Jayne looked like she was in a great mood while leaving lunch in Hollywood after news her divorce from Tom Girardi will be part of the next season of Real Housewives Of Beverly Hills

'No, I mean listen, this is what you have to know - we started shooting Beverly Hills and everything was Kumbaya,' he said on the podcast B**** Sesh: A Real Housewives Breakdown earlier this week.

'This all happened as we were shooting, so - and she continued shooting, and so you see a lot unfolding.'

And Jayne looked like she was ready to speak her truth after her lunch outing, radiating confidence in a snakeskin jacket with tight black pants, a sheer top and chain choker.

Continuing the black and silver theme, the mask-free diva completed the ensemble with a tiny studded purse and classic black Louboutins.

Drama: Jayne's contentious divorce has already provided plenty of drama, fueled by allegations of rampant cheating and a link to a multi-million dollar embezzlement scheme

You glow girl! Jayne radiated confidence in a snakeskin jacket with tight black pants, a sheer top and chain choker as she sauntered out of the restaurant in Louboutin heels

She raked her platinum blonde hair up into a ultra-high ponytail and amped up the glamour with rosy eyeshadow, bronze cheeks and a glossy pout, glowing as she sauntered to her car and headed home.

News Erika and Tom were divorcing emerged last November, just weeks before a class action suit was filed against the pair.

The duo are alleged of embezzling $2million meant for families who lost loved ones in the 2018 Lion Air plane crash. They are also being accused of using their separation to protect themselves financially.

A class action lawsuit filed by Edelson PC on December 2 in Illinois accuses Jayne and Girardi of embezzling money meant for his law firm clients because he's 'on the verge of financial collapse' and needed to finance their lavish lifestyle.

The suit seems to further claims that the divorce is a strategy to protect their money from debt collectors.

Good timing: News Erika and Tom were divorcing emerged last November, just weeks before a class action suit was filed against the pair. They're seen in 2016 together above

'At the heart of this deception is Defendant Girardi and his need to fund outrageous lifestyles for himself and his soon-to-be ex-wife, Erika Jayne,' the complaint, obtained by DailyMail.com, said.

He is also being sued by Wells Fargo Vendor Financial Services for $882,715.52 of unpaid office lease and business supply charges, according to court documents obtained by Page Six.

Furthermore, Girardi is facing a lawsuit from from Robert Keese, a partner in his law firm who claims Girardi owes him over $500,000 and is also named in Edelson PC's class action suit.

Following the slew of legal challenges, Girardi was stripped of his law license from the State Bar Of California.

And now it appears things are being complicated by the disgraced attorney's declining health.

Last month he was put under a temporary conservatorship and earlier this month a doctor in the case testified that Girardi has Alzheimer's Disorder.
Hearing loss and other auditory problems are strongly associated with Covid-19 according to a systematic review of research evidence led by University of Manchester and NIHR Manchester Biomedical Research Centre (BRC) scientists.

Professor Kevin Munro and PhD researcher Ibrahim Almufarrij found 56 studies that identified an association between COVID-19 and auditory and vestibular problems.

They pooled data from 24 of the studies to estimate that the prevalence of hearing loss was 7.6%, tinnitus was 14.8% and vertigo was 7.2%.

They publish their findings in the International Journal of Audiology.

However, the team - who followed up their review carried out a year ago - described the quality of the studies as fair.

Their data primarily used self-reported questionnaires or medical records to obtain COVID- 7 19-related symptoms, rather than the more scientifically reliable hearing tests.

The study was funded by is NIHR Manchester Biomedical Research Centre (BRC)

Kevin Munro, Professor of Audiology at The University of Manchester and Manchester BRC Hearing Health Lead said: "There is an urgent need for a carefully conducted clinical and diagnostic study to understand the long-term effects of COVID-19 on the auditory system.

"It is also well-known that viruses such as measles, mumps and meningitis can cause hearing loss; little is understood about the auditory effects of the SARS-CoV-2 virus."

"Though this review provides further evidence for an association, the studies we looked at were of varying quality so more work needs to be done."

Professor Munro, is currently leading a year-long UK study to investigate the possible long-term impact of COVID-19 on hearing among people who have been previously treated in hospital for the virus.

His team hope to accurately estimate the number and severity of COVID-19 related hearing disorders in the UK, and discover what parts of the auditory system might be affected

They will also explore the association between these and other factors such as lifestyle, the presence of one or more additional conditions and critical care interventions.

A recent study led by Professor Munro, suggested that more than 13 per cent of patients who were discharged from a hospital reported a change in their hearing.

Ibrahim Almufarrij said: "Though the evidence is of varying quality, more and more studies are being carried out so the evidence base is growing. What we really need are studies that compare COVID-19 cases with controls, such as patients admitted to hospital with other health conditions.

"Though caution needs to be taken, we hope this study will add to the weight of scientific evidence that there is a strong association between Covid-19 and hearing problems."

Professor Munro added: "Over the last few months I have received numerous emails from people who reported a change in their hearing, or tinnitus after having COVID-19.

"While this is alarming, caution is required as it is unclear if changes to hearing are directly attributed to COVID-19 or to other factors, such as treatments to deliver urgent care."

###

People lined up to receive the vaccine at a number of sites, including the Victorian Aboriginal Health Service Respiratory Clinic in Fitzroy in Melbournes inner north. Loading Mass vaccination hubs at the Royal Exhibition Building and the Melbourne Convention Centre have also opened their doors, with the states next round of critical workers filing into the landmarks to receive their first dose of the coronavirus vaccine. People aged over 70, those with an underlying medical condition or disability, workers in critical professions like police officers, and healthcare workers not already vaccinated, are among those who will be immunised against the virus during the second phase of the rollout. The state Health Departments coronavirus testing commander, Jeroen Weimar, said on Monday morning he expected more than 20,000 Victorians to be vaccinated against COVID-19 this week.

Loading The rate of that continues to ramp up. I reckon well do 20,000 to 25,000 this week, the rate will go beyond that, and well get to around 300,000 [a week] by the end of April, Mr Weimar told ABC Radio Melbourne. Its a big ramp-up in the state program. The Exhibition Building was once a makeshift hospital for thousands of Melburnians who fell ill with the Spanish flu in 1919. On Monday morning, a new era began as Victorians, including front line police officers, filled its northern wing to be immunised against coronavirus. More than 10,000 people a week, dependent on supplies and staff, are soon expected to be immunised at the 140-year-old Exhibition Building.

With 6.13 million people eligible, Phase 1b is the largest phase of the program so far, and it has not been without teething issues. The federal governments vaccine booking website continues to frustrate some GPs, with a number of doctors saying on Sunday that patients continue to deluge them with calls despite no appointments being available for weeks. The mass vaccination centre at the Royal Exhibition Building. Credit:Luis Enrique Ascui Its a nightmare to do it on the phone. Every second call is for this stuff. Every message we have on social media is please do not call us, Melbourne GP Todd Cameron said on Sunday. Sale-based doctor Yousuf Ahmad said his respiratory clinic had already done about 70 vaccinations by Monday morning. The first round of jabs went to staff at the clinic on Friday.

Dr Ahmad said the doses on Monday had gone to a mix of people over 70, some over 55 with chronic health conditions and front-line health workers. Theyre looking forward to hopefully having normality in their life, he said. Some people are talking about being able to travel overseas or across Australia. Im not sure joy is the right word, but relief, definitely.

Dr Ahmad said the respiratory clinic would get about 2000 doses a week, but he was aware that general practices were more likely to get only about 50 in the first instance, raising concerns about shortages. Loading For us to provide [vaccines] to all the catchment area and patients, were still concerned about whether we will have sufficient ongoing supply. In north-east Victoria, Bright-based doctor Paul Duff said his practice was waiting to receive 50 doses on April 5. We could get those done in two days, he said.



Dr Duff said demand for the vaccine had been sky-high in his region after the federal government released the list of GP clinics that would offer the jabs.

Our phones were running off the hook the morning after the announcement from the federal Health Minister. Supply issues meant many clinics have been given as little as 50 doses of vaccine a week and it remains unclear, even to the government, just when more supply will be forthcoming. Nine GP clinics on the federal governments vaccine clinic finder told The Age at the weekend they had no available vaccine appointments for weeks.

However, the federal government remains confident every single practice due to start vaccinations this week has received their supplies. Loading About 200,000 doses will be delivered to GPs this week, with that number rising to 400,000 doses across more than 4000 GPs over the coming month, a spokeswoman for federal Health Minister Greg Hunt said on Sunday. On Monday morning, Deputy Chief Medical Officer Michael Kidd called for patience as he acknowledged that people had been finding it difficult to book appointments with their GP to get the vaccination. At the moment we have 1000 general practices which are starting this week to deliver the vaccines, but over the next three to four weeks another 3500 general practices right across the country will be coming online, he told radio station 3AW.

New Delhi: The parliament on Monday (March 22) passed the Insurance (Amendment) Bill, 2021, which seeks to raise the FDI cap to 74 per cent from 49 per cent.

During the discussion on the Bill in the Lok Sabha, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said that raising the FDI limit in the insurance sector was necessary to help insurers deal with issues concerning financial stress.

The Bill was passed in the Rajya Sabha last week on March 18.

Sitharaman on Monday said that the insurance companies are facing solvency related issues, adding, "if growth capital is hard to come by, there will be a stress situation. In order that the stress situation is not left unattended, we need to raise the FDI limit."

The COVID-19 pandemic, Sitharaman said, has further added to the woes of the insurance companies.

The minister further said that the FDI limit was being raised on the recommendations of the regulator IRDAI which had held extensive consultations with the stakeholders.

Sitharaman said that since the FDI cap was increased from 26 26 per cent to 49 per cent in 2015, it has resulted in significant inflow helping the sector immensely.

As much as Rs 26,000 crore has come as FDI in the insurance sector since 2015, she said, adding the asset under management (AUM) in this sector too have grown by 76 per cent during the last five years.

Last week in the upper house, Sitharaman said that while control will go to foreign companies, the majority of directors and key management persons will be resident Indians.

"Majority of directors in the board and key management persons to be resident Indians which means every law of the land will be applicable to them. And a specific percentage of the profits is to be retained as general reserves. It cannot be (taken away)," she had said.

The opposition members of the UPA opposed the government's move. Congress leader Manish Tewari said the Bill will have large implications.

Live TV
Proactive's mining maven, Ryan Long, examines the remarkable progress three of the world's largest mining companies have made in becoming greener

Over the past 10 years, global carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions are estimated to have increased by 6.5% to 36.44 billion tones. Increased production of greenhouse gases has far-ranging effects on our planet, affecting our climate by trapping heat and affecting our health from exposure to air pollution.

As one of the worlds two critical primary industries (alongside the agricultural industry) that supply source materials required for almost all secondary and tertiary industries, the mining industry has long been labelled as a major polluter and producer of greenhouse gases, including CO2.

But are these preconceptions deserved?

To examine this question, we have looked at the greenhouse gas emissions of the world's three largest mining companies, ( ), ( ) and ( ) over the past 10 years.

Between 2011 and 2013, greenhouse gas emissions from these three companies increased by 25.7%, to 121.2 million tonnes (Mt) of carbon dioxide equivalent (Co2e) but rather surprisingly since 2013, these three companies have collectively reduced their greenhouse gas emissions by a staggering 45% (54.9Mt Co2e) to 66.3Mt Co2e (Figure 1).

Figure 1: Greenhouse Gas Emissions from the Worlds Largest Mining Companies

Source: Mining and Metals Research Corporation Ltd.

Is this a real reduction in emissions or does it simply reflect lower-operational levels from these companies during the period?

Since 2013 the collective underlying earnings (EBITDA) from these three companies is up 4%, which suggests lower operational levels are not influencing the reduced greenhouse gas emissions.

To confirm this, we have examined the amount of EBITDA generated by these companies to produce 1t of Co2e over a ten-year period. This gives a clearer picture of the increase, or decrease, of these companies greenhouse gas emission efficiency over time, and also allows environmentally conscientious investors to assess the greenhouse gas footprint of their investments.

This data shows that operations from the world three largest mining companies have become much more environmentally efficient over the past seven years, generating 102% more EBITDA for every tonne of Co2e they produce, when compared to 2013.

Which miner is leading the way?

Well, its not an even improvement across the board; BHP Group PLC has increased the amount of EBITDA it generates for every tonne of greenhouse gas it produces by 211% since 2013, while Rio Tinto PLC has increased its EBITDA/t Co2e by 59% and Glencore by 35% (Figure 2).

Figure 2: EBITDA per tonne of Greenhouse Gas Emissions from the Worlds Largest Mining Companies

Source: Mining and Metals Research Corporation Ltd.

As a result, BHP Group PLC is the most environmentally efficient major mining company, as it generates the highest level of EBITDA for every tonne of greenhouse gas produced by some way, US$1,399/t Co2e, compared to US$912/t Co2e for Rio Tinto PLC and US$477/t Co2e for Glencore.

How have the majors improved the environmental footprint of their operations?

A large part of this improvement has been driven by a reduction in energy consumption. Since 2013, the three major mining companies have reduced their energy consumption by 27% (Figure 3). Thats 285 petajoules of energy, which to give some context is equivalent to 4.5% of the UKs total energy consumption in 2019.

Figure 3: Energy Consumption from the Worlds Largest Mining Companies

Source: Mining and Metals Research Corporation Ltd.

Also contributing to this improvement is a change in the energy sources used by the majors with both Rio Tinto and BHP Billiton and increasing their use of hydropower and other renewables and or reducing their use of coal-based power sources.

Is mining a green industry?

Clearly, the leaders of the mining industry have come a long way in the past seven years reducing their greenhouse gas production by nearly half is an amazing achievement.

While these companies can still improve, and indeed plan to improve, perhaps the stereotypical view of mining as an industry that is destroying the planet needs to be re-examined.
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Volunteers Help Area Clean Up After Storm Team Rubicon, a veteran-led global disaster response organization, recently assisted an Abbott resident as part of its volunteer effort to help Texans who were impacted by February's winter storm.



Homeowner Kim Holley was recovering from an injury at her daughter's home in east Texas when Winter Storm Uri hit the area. When she returned back to her home on Houston Street in Abbott, she found that pipes had frozen and burst, causing extensive water damage to her flooring and walls.



Holley's daughter, Michaela Gates, said that even before she knew her mother's home had been damaged, she was already looking for ways to get help to Hill County residents.



Gates said that she reached out to County Judge Justin Lewis and Emergency Management Coordinator Tom Hemrick and she appreciated their efforts in working to get help for the community. She also began searching social media and the internet for assistance, and that's when she found Team Rubicon.



After learning of her mother's damages, Gates said she called Team Rubicon late one night and received a call the next day.



Thirteen Team Rubicon volunteers, who refer to themselves as "greyshirts," began the cleanup and removal of sheetrock and flooring on Saturday, March 6.



Team Rubicon made repairs in Holley's laundry room, kitchen, bathroom and hallway, and wet insulation was removed from under the home.



Six volunteers completed the cleanup the following day and had a walk-through with the homeowner to ensure that she was satisfied with the work.



While the repairs will have to be made by professionals, the volunteer crew helped Holley get the project started.



"They have hearts of gold," Gates said. "And not just in coming and doing the removal and helping with cleanup. They wanted to make sure she was okay mentally, too."



Gates said that, like many Hill County residents, her mother was not prepared for something like winter storm damage. She received very little disaster assistance and has to fund the repairs with the help of her savings and family members.



"It hits really hard. Their heart was in making sure she was okay in all aspects," Gates said.



Receiving help from the veteran-led organization was special to the family, as Holley's late husband was a veteran.



Holley said that she was grateful for the volunteers, and Gates and three of her children are looking into becoming greyshirts themselves after meeting the Team Rubicon volunteers and seeing what they did for their family member.



Also on site while the work was done was a camera crew from the 'just keep livin' Foundation, founded by Matthew and Camila McConaughey, who filmed the work for a virtual benefit.



That foundation is also working to assist and raise money for Texans as they clean up damage from the storm, and Team Rubicon is one of the organizations benefiting from the proceeds.



For more information about Team Rubicon, visit www.teamrubiconusa.org.


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CATANZARO, MAR 22 - A row was erupted in Italy after a Senator went to a provincial health agency in Calabria and upbraided officials after he failed to book vaccinations over the phone for his over-80 in-laws. Nicola Morra, 57, until recently a leading member of the populist 5-Star Movement (M5S), was said to have "swept into" the Cosenza health offices Saturday and argued with an official who had a bad turn and took several days off sick as a result. Morra, who was ejected from the M5S over his failure to vote for Mari Draghi's new government, allegedly scolded the official over faults in Calabria's vaccine rollout. Morra was also accused of using his police escort officers to identify doctors and nurses working for the provincial health agency. Nationalist League leader Matteo Salvini was among those calling on Morra to resign from parliament and his post as chair of the parliamentary anti-mafia commission, saying "Morra should resign, from everything. Solidarity to the doctors he attacked". Morra was sticking to his guns Monday saying "perhaps the national health service should have another look at its vaccine rollout". One of the other officials Morra took issue with said "he was very rude; he accused us of being incompetent". The opposition nationalist Brothers of Italy (FdI) party said Morra's actions had been "an example of bad behaviour" that should his immediate resignation. (ANSA).
Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro dubbed state governors and mayors as 'tyrants,' after officials in Brazil imposed lockdowns as a safety measure in containing the COVID-19 outbreak.

While addressing supporters during his birthday celebrations in Brasilia, the Brazilian President shared that his administration had done all they could. Bolsonaro also emphasized that it is already time for economic reopening.

However, according to BBC, Brazil's leading health institute Fiocruz sent a warning last week regarding a historic collapse in the health service of the country. The health institute pointed out that those intensive care units in hospitals were starting to run out of capacity.

On Sunday, the 66-year-old Brazilian President consistently opposed the imposed quarantine measures by state governors and mayors. The President argued that the collateral damage to the economy would be worse than the effects of the coronavirus itself.

Also, earlier this month, Bolsonaro told Brazilians to stop whining regarding the pandemic. The handling of the outbreak by the Brazilian president has prompted widespread criticism not only in Brazil but also abroad.

Meanwhile, in a separate development, the health ministry of Brazil mentioned on Sunday that it was lifting its requirement for local authorities to reserve half of their vaccine stockpiles for second doses. Based on a report, Eduardo Pazuello, the outgoing Health Minister, stated that their target was to get at least one coronavirus vaccine dose to the maximum number of individuals as fast as possible.

ALSO READ: 'Something's Not Right' With Biden's Health, Former White House Physician Says

Moreover, the Brazilian government has been struggling with the rollout of its vaccination program around the vast country. The health ministry of Brazil has been using vaccines from makers Oxford-AstraZeneca and the CoronaVac of China; both of the vaccines require two jabs.

But aside from the mentioned vaccine makers, Brazil has also placed orders for other vaccines. The Brazilian government had already placed their requests for vaccine doses from Johnson & Johnson, Sputnik V, and Pfizer-BioNTech, Independent reported.

Based on the data from America's John Hopkins University, Brazil has the second-highest number of coronavirus-related deaths, only behind the United States. Since the start of the pandemic, more than 294,000 individuals have already died, along with close to 12 million confirmed infections.

In addition, not less than 2,200 individuals on average are dying of coronavirus in Brazil on a daily basis. The recent surge in cases has been attributed to the spread of the recently discovered highly contagious variants of the virus.

Brazilian health institute's statement

Based on the analysis of their researchers, it suggests that it will be the biggest collapse of the hospital and health service in the history of Brazil. The data in Fiocruz shows that COVID-19 units in all but two of the 27 states of Brazil were at or above 80% capacity.

Fiocruz continuously warned the government regarding the possibility of a historic collapse in the health service of the country. But the Brazilian President remained in denial regarding the possible collapse. The health institute also stated that in the Rio Grande do Sul, there were no intensive care beds available at all, Republic World reported.

WATCH: Bolsonaro asks court to reverse Brazil's COVID-19 restrictions - from Al Jazeera

RELATED ARTICLE: Ecuador's Third Health Minister to Resign Amid Coronavirus Pandemic Only Served for 19 Days
FikaIt's a no-brainer that the restaurant at the American Swedish Institute is celebrating Vaffeldagen. Chef Blake Meier's "Waffles-To-Go" package ($40) includes four waffles paired with on-the-side toppings that cover cravings for both sweet (apples with cinnamon and caramel) and savory (cream cheese, house-cured lox, "everything" bagel seasoning, dill and onion). Order online (at exploretock.com/fika) by March 23 for pick up on March 25.

2600 S. Park Av., Mpls., 612-524-5108, asimn.org

Krown Bakery & EateryOwners Eva and Fari Sabet are holding out until March 27, when they'll be serving five waffle varieties ($11.99 to $13.99) that include salmon-arugula-sour cream, lingonberry jam with cardamom-scented whipped cream and caramel sauce, and a Thai-style blend of caramelized bananas, toasted coconut, mango-caramel sauce and fresh cream. There's a gluten-free option, too. Phone orders start at 7:30 a.m. and doors are open from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.

530 W. Main St., Anoka, 763-427-0506, krownbakeryandeatery.com

Nordic WafflesNever mind that owner (and Norwegian ex-pat) Stine Aasland calls it International Waffle Day. "As a proud Norwegian, it is hard to admit it, but yes, International Waffle Day originated from Sweden," she said. "It is like our own birthday at Nordic Waffles." On March 25, Aasland is offering a four-waffle "flight" ($8.75), topped with berries and cream, Norwegian brown cheese with berry sauce, butter with cinnamon-sugar, and salmon-cream cheese-onions.

Potluck food hall, Rosedale, 1595 Hwy. 36, Roseville, 651-760-3356, nordicwaffles.com
This year is going to be the Year of Mars. It is the year that we learn a lot more about our sister planet than ever before, thanks to three space probes.

The Emirates Mars Mission was the first to arrive at the planet on February 9. This is an orbiter mission  it will not actually land on the planet but orbit around, analysing daily and seasonal weather cycles. It will also study hydrogen and oxygen loss from Mars.

The second probe arrived on the surface of Mars on February 18. This is the NASA-built Perseverance rover, which had a picture perfect landing on the red planet. Already we have seen some amazing pictures from the surface. This is just the beginning. Once the rover gets going, we should see some awesome photos.

Built into the rover is another amazing machine. For the very first time, NASA will launch a helicopter drone, named Ingenuity, on another planet. Ingenuity will demonstrate the technology for rotorcraft flight in the extremely thin atmosphere of Mars. This will enable scientists to fly around the surface and take a close look at items of interest that would otherwise be inaccessible to the rover.

The primary mission of Perseverance is to look for possible life that existed on Mars millions of years ago. It will also be looking at the geology on Mars and how it has changed over time.

The third mission to the red planet is Tianwen-1, a Chinese orbiter and rover. It arrived on Mars on February 10, but will remain in orbit for about two months before attempting a landing. If all goes well, the lander will deposit the rover onto the surface where it is planned to function for 90 days.

The objectives of the Chinese mission relate to the geology of Mars, the current and past presence of water, the internal structure of the planet, the identification of minerals and different types of rocks on the surface, as well as the characterisation of the space environment and atmosphere of Mars.

The name Tianwen comes from a long poem of the same name written by poet Qu Yuan (about 340278 BC). It means questions to heaven or quest for heavenly truth.

These three missions are vital for our understanding of whether life evolved on Mars, as well as whether we, as a species, could one day settle and live on Mars.

Elon Musk has already stated his desire to see a colony on Mars and is working hard to make this a reality. His new large rocket, designed specifically to get people to Mars, is in its final stages of testing, with an earth orbit planned for later this year. He plans to send people to the Moon by 2032 and then to Mars shortly after.

Our local rocket company, Rocket Lab, has just announced development of its own large rocket. Although it has not been said yet, it would also be capable of taking equipment, or people, to the red planet.

We are certainly living in exciting times, particularly when dreams about living on Mars seem more likely to become reality. My question is: Have we learnt enough about how we treat our own planet before we start living on another?
Almost six years after her high-profile divorce from multi-millionaire businessman Geoffrey Edelsten, Brynne Edelsten has found love once again.

In an interview with New Idea magazine on Monday, the 38-year-old American socialite said she believes her new boyfriend Brok Eastwood could be 'the one'.

'I just love spending time with him and he makes me smile every day. I never saw it coming, but I could not be happier,' she told the publication.

Ready for round two: Almost six years after her high profile divorce from multi-millionaire businessman Geoffrey Edelsten, Brynne Edelsten (pictured) has found love once again

Brynne said she first met Brok, 38, back in 2014 through mutual friends, but they didn't reconnect until recently when he messaged her on Facebook.

She said they had their first date in January, and things have been going so well, she's 'literally not gone home to my apartment since'.

Although the relationship is still new, Brynne knew she was in love with Brok 'straight away', and she's already met his family, having attended his sister's wedding.

New love: In an interview with New Idea magazine on Monday, the 38-year-old American socialite said she believes her new boyfriend, Brok Eastwood (pictured), could be 'the one'

'I have never had someone treat me so well... I have never had that with someone,' she added.

After catching the bouquet at Brok's sister's wedding, Brynne said she gave her new beau a time frame of when she expected him to propose.

'I turned around and was like, "I'm not waiting seven-and-a-half years. I'm not waiting seven-and-a-half months!"' she confessed.

Ex factor: Before dating Brok, Brynne was married to Geoffrey Edelsten (left) for five years, and confessed their high-profile split made her 'more held back' when it came to new relationships

Before dating Brok, Brynne was married to Geoffrey, 77, for five years, and confessed their high-profile split made her 'more held back' when it came to new relationships.

The former couple married in November 2009 in a lavish ceremony at Melbourne's Crown Casino, before splitting in 2014 and finalising their divorce in April 2015.

'It was a very lonely marriage because he worked very hard,' Brynne told the Herald Sun's Stellar Magazine in November 2019 of her marriage to Geoffrey.
EUREKA, Mo. (AP)  Kathy Butler now keeps waders, rubber boots and water pumps in her law office.

The old brick building on South Central Avenue wasnt in the flood plain in the 1980s. But it is now. In 2015, the Meramec River filled her crawl space and lapped at her front door. Two years later, sandbags just barely kept the water at bay.

And that makes Butler another advocate for change in this west St. Louis County river town.

I dont know how you continue, said Butler, who also serves as the city attorney. Either you have to shut down this whole area, or you have to stop the water coming in, somehow.

Eureka is now rethinking flood management in a way it never has. The city and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers are evaluating a dozen strategic options, from the use of levees and walls, to buyouts of high-risk properties, to the restoration of flood plain as water storage, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.

The unfolding conversation facing the community _ St. Louis Countys fastest-growing city _ reflects one of the defining questions of the time: How to live amid increasingly wild and unpredictable surroundings. And the breadth of solutions under consideration in Eureka hint at the changing ways that towns are thinking about their relationships with local rivers. Long-prevailing practices like levee-building and flood plain development are attracting mounting skepticism about their compatibility with a more erratic climate.

Things are slowly changing, said Jon Remo, a Southern Illinois University Carbondale professor specializing in flood and river management. Were seeing more broad thinking about how to address these flood mitigation issues under a changing climate.

These towns on the Meramec are going to have to decide what theyre going to do if they keep getting repeatedly flooded, Remo said. We all have to think about our relationship with rivers, and not only what makes sense today, but also what makes sense in the future.

`Green infrastructure

The earths warmer atmosphere has the potential to hold more moisture, increasing the likelihood of heavier downpours. And as St. Louis-area cities grow and add homes, streets and shopping centers, all of that concrete increases runoff into the regions rivers. To make matters worse, sections of river no longer have room to spread out into natural flood plain, as they once did. Levees hold swollen waterways in channels, which can exacerbate flooding both upstream and downstream, experts say.

Those problems have added momentum to flood-prevention alternatives, such as buyouts of high-risk properties that flood repeatedly and are increasingly in harms way. And a newfound emphasis on green infrastructure aims to restore flood plains and harness natures ability to absorb water.

Experts said that, in the last five to 10 years, the mounting toll of floods has helped spark a pronounced movement away from conventional river management. Instead, natural solutions for water absorption have become a top priority, particularly in areas of repetitive loss, said Colin Wellenkamp, executive director of the Mississippi River Cities and Towns Initiative, which works with mayors of communities throughout the river corridor.

Those can regulate and tame a whole lot more water than any built infrastructure ever could, said Wellenkamp. Its the only thing we really can afford, and its the only method that really reduces risk at a systemic level, at corridor scale. Thats really the direction where our mayors are headed.

He provided some regional examples. In the Metro East, for instance, he said current work is exploring the potential for Horseshoe Lake to serve as a basin for water storage. Similarly, flood plains have reopened for water diversion by Grafton, near the confluence of the Illinois and Mississippi rivers. And by the mouth of the Meramec, the river communities of Arnold and Kimmswick recently agreed that Arnold would not build a flood wall.

Eureka faces some tricky dilemmas, as it eyes the flood control playbook. Creeks that cut through the town on their way to the Meramec serve as direct channels for floodwater, endangering areas like the downtown district. While experts and residents alike think that some creekside levees could be needed, the community might ultimately face some unenviable choices and trade-offs.

Maybe some of their old downtowns got to go, said Bob Criss, a Washington University professor who studies flooding. A big flood wall right through the city, thats going to be ugly, too.

People in town recognize that something has to be done. Theyre just not sure what that might be.

`Its just when

Floods in 2015 and 2017 confronted Eureka with the Meramecs highest crests on record, which inundated homes and businesses. The city estimates that damages exceeded $10 million _ and would have reached far higher if not for substantial sandbagging efforts in 2017.

Many city residents and business owners have said they would not be able to financially recover from another major flood, said Mayor Sean Flower.

But another, residents say, is inevitable.

Its not a question of if its going to flood again, its just when, said Butler, the city attorney. We need to do something.

The corps Eureka study examines the costs and benefits of various flood control options. Costs of the study, itself, are being split evenly between the city and the corps. If a project of up to $15 million from the list is ultimately approved _ a determination that is not expected until next year _ the city will shoulder about one-third of the construction costs, with the rest covered by the corps. Flood management projects over $15 million require separate authorization.

The study is examining where to place flood control structures  whether levees, flood walls or berms  to protect the towns high school and sewage treatment lagoon, as well as Missouri Highway 109, which carves through Eurekas heart. The corps has already screened out ideas deemed inefficient or expensive. Meanwhile, 51 structures have been identified in the 100-year flood plain, which could require mitigation  such as relocation, elevation or flood-proofing. Use of temporary floodwalls and nature-based solutions also remain on the table.

The city passed a local sales tax in 2018 to fund construction of two flood walls by Eureka High and the sewer plant _ both of which sit near tributaries to the Meramec that have become sprawling backwaters during recent floods. The proposal, being reviewed by the corps, attracted a couple hundred comments from the public.

One thing many arent considering: A big new levee.

Not far downstream from Eureka, the Valley Park levee has fueled fierce controversy. In Eureka, residents say they dont want to pursue projects that divert flood risk to neighboring areas. During a recent presentation by the corps and city officials, multiple area residents asked how flood walls might affect flooding elsewhere. Officials insisted the Eureka High walls, at least, would not create new flood risks.

A lot of people in their head have a vision of, like, the Valley Park levee or the Chesterfield levee _ something that would be right on a river, said Flower, the mayor, during a virtual meeting in January. These are a mile, mile-and-a-half back and theyre more around structures, like our sewer plant. So, theyre a little different.

Something has to be done, said attorney Mark Antonacci.

His South Central Avenue building suffered $125,000 worth of damage from the 2015 flood, he said.

I still keep stuff a couple feet off the ground, said Antonacci, gesturing toward boxes and items perched along the edge of his office. He said that flood risk wasnt even a part of the conversation when he bought the property 13 years ago.

Things have changed, he said. The problem is the changing of the climate.

Corps officials said that, later this year, a tentatively selected plan for local flood control efforts will be identified, subject to public review. After that, a recommended plan will officially be endorsed. Approval of a final report is not targeted until 2022.

Copyright 2021 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Kathmandu, March 22

The central bank of Nepal has suspected that a Mauritian company sending remittance to Nepal is involved in illegal transactions.

The Nepal Rastra Bank has urged the Nepali individuals and remittance companies not to make transactions through M&M Remit. Nonetheless, they can take out the money from the company if any, according to the NRB Executive Director Ramu Paudel.

Paudel says the central bank has launched an investigation into the issue, without divulging details of the suspected fault.

For now, we have directed against any transaction with the company. Further investigation is underway.
Atlanta: Former president Donald Trump on Monday (Tuesday AEDT) endorsed a conservative Georgia congressman in his bid to unseat the Republican secretary of state who refused to help overturn the November election results.

Representative Jody Hice, a tea party favourite and Trump acolyte, is the first major challenger to Brad Raffensperger since the secretary of state certified President Joe Bidens narrow victory in Georgia and disputed Trumps false allegations of fraud.

Trump has given his support to Representative Jody Hice, in his run to be secretary of state of Georgia. Credit:Bloomberg

Trumps endorsement marks his most direct attempt at retribution against those he blames for his loss and reaffirms his continued influence over the Republican Party.

Jody has been a steadfast fighter for conservative Georgia values and is a staunch ally of the America First agenda, Trump said in a statement that repeated the unsupported allegations of fraud.
 NY Times Praises Ilhan Omars Book While Glossing Over Her Antisemitism | Main

March 22, 2021

NY Times Defends Holocaust-Inversion

The historian Deborah Lipstadt described Holocaust inversion  the act of described Jews in Israel as the new Nazis  as a form of "soft-core denial." This style of Holocaust denial is part of an equation that, when looked at from one direction, amounts to hateful anti-Israelism, and from the other, as no less than historical revisionism about the Nazis. In Lipstadt's words, Holocaust inversion is "a false comparison which elevates by a factor of a zillion any wrongdoings Israel might have done, and lessens by a factor of a zillion what the Germans did."

It seems that Mike Isaac, a tech writer for the the New York Times, would prefer his readers think of the phenomenon as innocent commentarycertainly not something that a social-media site should regard as hateful speech.



Isaac's March 19 piece in the paper's Technology section speaks of how Facebook's algorithms, and even its human moderators, sometimes fail to recognize satire and so wrongly flag as hate-speech political cartoons that are in fact meant to mock and highlight hate-speech. Or as the story's headline and subhead put it, "For Political Cartoonists, the Irony Was That Facebook Didnt Recognize Irony; As Facebook has become more active at moderating political speech, it has had trouble dealing with satire."

As an example, the piece points to a cartoon mocking violent inclinations of the far-right "Proud Boys," which Facebook removed from its site because it wrongly interpreted the cartoon as "advocating violence.

Later in the piece, the author turned to what he cast as another example of Facebook screwing things up:

When Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in 2019 that he would bar two congresswomen  critics of Israels treatment of Palestinians  from visiting the country, Mr. Hall drew a cartoon showing a sign affixed to barbed wire that read, in German, Jews are not welcome here. He added a line of text addressing Mr. Netanyahu: Hey Bibi, did you forget something? Mr. Hall said his intent was to draw an analogy between how Mr. Netanyahu was treating the U.S. representatives and Nazi Germany. Facebook took the cartoon down shortly after it was posted, saying it violated its standards on hate speech.

Here's the cartoon in question:

In the view of many Jews and others, the content of this cartoon is indeed an example of hate speech. It's not only Deborah Lipstadt, who specializes in the history of the Holocaust, who has argued as much. The International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (or IHRA), a multinational Holocaust-education organization, includes in its definition of antisemitism the following example of the hatred: "Drawing comparisons of contemporary Israeli policy to that of the Nazis." (A similar definition was used by the Obama-era State Department.)

And so a Times piece meant to show Facebook failing recognizing the difference between hate and satire itself failed to distinguish between Holocaust minimization and innocent irony. What more should we expect from a newspaper with a history of failing to recognize antisemitism?



Posted by gi at March 22, 2021 11:45 AM

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PHOENIX, March 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- TerraCap Management LLC, a privately held investment firm with its headquarters in Naples, Florida, announced today the acquisition of Koll Cotton Center for $30.9 million. Located in Phoenix, AZ, Koll Cotton Center is a seven-building, single-story office/flex park totaling 225k square feet. Built in 2000, the property is located in Cotton Center Business Park, a 286-acre mixed-use development that totals over 3 million square feet of real estate.

TerraCap Management

Steve Hagenbuckle, Founder and Managing Partner of TerraCap said, "The TerraCap team is excited about taking over and continuing the blueprint that BKM laid out at Koll Cotton Center. We believe that they did a great job with the property, and we look forward to continuing such work during our ownership."

Koll Cotton Center is located in the Airport submarket, which has seen minimal new construction over the past decade. The Airport submarket also had a positive net absorption in 2020 despite the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. The property itself is less than 5 miles from Sky Harbor International Airport and is just south of I-10, granting connectivity to all of metro Phoenix.

TerraCap plans to implement several capital projects at Koll Cotton Center during their hold period, including replacing the roofs, improving the exteriors, and repositioning the vacant suites to make them more useable and appealing to new tenants. These improvements will allow for the opportunity to quickly reposition the asset by leasing up the vacancies and increasing rates. Matthew Hart, TerraCap Partner and Director of Investment Analytics, said, "We're excited to continue our growth into the Phoenix market, especially with such an institutional quality property with an ideal location for this product type."

The seller BKM was represented by Mark Detmer of JLL. Voya Investment Management provided debt financing for TerraCap with assistance from Kevin MacKenzie and Jason Carlos from JLL's debt team. CBRE was hired for the leasing assignment, and BKM was retained as property manager.

About TerraCap Management LLC

TerraCap Management LLC considers thematic factors such as business formation, employment growth and population growth on a market-by-market basis, as most metros and submarkets have different economic-based industries and therefore move through their economic cycles differently. TerraCap makes moderate strategic overweighting or underweighting to markets, depending on the specific economic drivers influencing supply and demand.

The Investment Manager has been in operation since 2008 with its headquarters located in Naples, FL, the firm also has offices in Tampa, FL, Atlanta, GA, and Denver, CO. As operators, TerraCap believes it can make decisions more efficiently while leveraging expertise from property to property. The firm has over seven million square feet of commercial assets within its portfolio, with over one billion dollars of assets under management.

More information can be found at terracapmgmt.com.

For More Information, Contact:

Steve Good

239.898.4454

TerraCap Management LLC

[email protected]

SOURCE TerraCap Management

Related Links

https://terracapmgmt.com


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More than 3 million people in Pennsylvania have now received a COVID-19 vaccine.

The Pennsylvania Department of Health said Monday 2,884,556 people have had at least one shot, while 1,529,898 are fully vaccinated. Most of the vaccines given in Pennsylvania thus far are the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines, which require two doses to be fully vaccinated.

The state data does not include the city of Philadelphia, which is overseeing its own vaccine distribution and get supplies directly from the federal government.

In Philly, 415,676 people have received at least one shot and 164,057 are fully vaccinated, according to the citys health department.

Combining the city and state data, a little more than 3.3 million people in Pennsylvania have had at least one shot and nearly 1.7 million are fully vaccinated.

Earlier this month, Gov. Tom Wolf said he hopes everyone in Phase 1A can get an appointment for a vaccine by the end of March. This phase has included health care workers, those 65 years old and over, and younger adults with certain medical conditions, such as cancer, heart disease and diabetes.

Its not clear yet when the state can begin Phase 1B, which includes law enforcement, firefighters, grocery store employees, and food and manufacturing workers, among others. Wolf said last week the vaccination of teachers and school staff is ahead of schedule and should be largely complete by the end of the month.

The Wolf administration has received criticism for the pace of the rollout and the low vaccination rate of those in minority groups. State officials have said they are making progress but also conceded there is room for improvement in both the speed and equity of the vaccine rollout.

The Pennsylvania Health Department reported a two-day total of 3,920 new positive cases of COVID-19, bringing the statewide total to 988,435. The health department reported 1,578 new COVID-19 cases Monday, in addition to 2,342 new cases Sunday. (The department doesnt publish updates on case numbers on Sundays, which is why the new report includes two days of data.)

The state reported 15 new deaths tied to COVID-19 over the previous two days (14 on Saturday and one on Sunday). Statewide, 24,789 deaths have been tied to COVID-19, according to the health department. More than half of those deaths have occurred in long-term care facilities, such as nursing homes.

The health department reports 1,577 people are being treated in hospitals for the coronavirus, down from a peak of about 6,300 in December.

Most of those who are infected with the virus endure relatively mild symptoms and many never get sick, but health officials stress COVID-19 poses risks to everyone, particularly seniors and those with certain medical issues.

More from PennLive

Pa. eases face mask order for people fully vaccinated against COVID-19

Child abuse reports have dropped sharply in Pa. and experts are worried
Francesca Paris is The Eagle's data and public records reporter. She was previously the North Adams reporter. A California native and Williams College alumna, she has worked at NPR in Washington, D.C. and WBUR in Boston. Find her on Twitter at @fparises.
BEIJING - A second Canadian went on trial in Beijing on Monday after being detained for more than two years in apparent retaliation for the arrest in Vancouver of a top executive with Chinese telecom giant Huawei.

Jim Nickel, centre, the deputy chief of mission for the Canadian Embassy in China, and foreign diplomats gather outside the No. 2 Intermediate People's Court as they arrive to attend former diplomat Michael Kovrig's trial in Beijing, Monday, Sept 22, 2021. The Beijing court was is expected to put on trial Monday the second Canadian citizen held for more than two years on spying charges in apparent retaliation for Canada's arrest of a senior executive of the telecoms giant Huawei. THE CANADIAN PRESS/AP, Andy Wong

BEIJING - A second Canadian went on trial in Beijing on Monday after being detained for more than two years in apparent retaliation for the arrest in Vancouver of a top executive with Chinese telecom giant Huawei.

The trial of former diplomat Michael Kovrig on spying charges follows an initial hearing in the case of Canadian businessman Michael Spavor, who faces similar charges, in the northeastern city of Dandong on Friday.

Canadian diplomats were denied access to the trials with the explanation the hearings were being held behind closed doors because of alleged national security concerns.

Diplomats and journalists showed up nonetheless to seek information and show support, a move that was applauded by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau Monday as he again condemned the arrests.

"We continue together to demand their release," Trudeau said in French during an event in Trois-Rivieres, Que.

"Their arbitrary detention is unacceptable and we will not give up until both are home."

Canada's ambassador to Beijing, Dominic Barton, was in Toronto for previously scheduled discussions on Canada's China policy as the trials began, a senior Canadian government official said late Monday.

But outside Beijing's No. 2 Intermediate Court, Jim Nickel, the Canadian Embassys deputy chief of mission, said he was barred from entry in what he complained was a violation of China's international and bilateral treaty obligations.

Michael Kovrig has been detained for more than two years now. He's been arbitrarily detained and now we see that the court process itself is not transparent," Nickel told reporters.

Nickel said 26 countries had sent representatives to show their support, including the U.S., the U.K., Australia and many European nations.

Foreign Affairs Minister Marc Garneau also thanked them all for their efforts.

The eyes of the world are on these cases and proceedings," he said in a statement.

U.S. Sen. Jim Risch, the ranking Republican on the powerful Senate foreign relations committee, added his own condemnation via his committee's Twitter account Monday.

"It is reprehensible that (China) is holding trials in secret against Canadians Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor," he wrote on Twitter.

"China should stop taking hostages and instead uphold basic human rights and rule of law. Both men should be released immediately."

The Chinese government has provided almost no information about the accusations against the two, but a newspaper run by the ruling Communist party alleges they collaborated in stealing state secrets and sending them abroad.

No verdicts have been announced and it wasn't clear if additional hearings would be held.

However, such cases are almost always predetermined in China, and Beijing is seen as using Kovrig and Spavor as leverage to obtain the release of Huawei executive Meng Wanzhou, who was arrested at the request of the U.S. at the airport in Vancouver in December 2018.

The two Canadians were detained in China just days later and have been held ever since, while Meng has been released on bail and remains under house arrest at her Vancouver mansion.

Kovrig and Spavor were finally charged in June 2020 under Chinas broadly defined national security laws.

Meng, meanwhile, is wanted by the U.S. on fraud charges related to Huaweis dealings with Iran, which is under American financial sanctions.

China's Foreign Ministry has denied any wrongdoing in the handling of Kovrig and Spavor's cases, attributing the timing of their trials to little more than coincidence.

Mengs case has deeply angered Chinas government, which sees her detention as a deliberate attempt to malign Chinese companies and impede the nation's growing economic and political clout.

Beijing has demanded her immediate and unconditional release and has also restricted various Canadian exports, including canola seed, and handed death sentences to another four Canadians convicted of drug smuggling.

Canada and the U.S. have pledged to work together with China to seek the release of the two Michaels, but meetings between top U.S. and Chinese diplomats last week seemed to offer little hope.

While the U.S. and Canada joined with the U.K. and EU Monday to levy sanctions against Chinese officials over human rights violations against minority Muslims in the country, Trudeau said there was no link between that action and joint efforts to free the two Canadian men.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 22, 2021.

 With files from The Associated Press
Microsoft has said it will start to bring staff back to its Washington headquarters on March 29 - after its own survey found 73 per cent of workers want flexible working conditions to continue.

In a post Monday on the company's corporate blog, the tech giant detailed its plans to start to reopen facilities it largely shuttered during the coronavirus pandemic.

Executive Vice President Kurt DelBene said Microsoft has been monitoring local health data and decided it can bring more employees back to its Redmond campus.

DelBene said workers will have the choice to return to headquarters, continue working remotely or do a combination of both.

The company's Work Trend Index, released Monday, found that 73 per cent want flexible working conditions to continue.

Using data from 30,000 workers around the world it also shows 40 per cent of those surveyed are considering leaving their jobs this year. A total of 46 per cent say they plan to move thanks to remote working.

Microsoft has said it will start to bring staff back to its Washington headquarters on March 29

The company's Work Trend Index , released Monday, found that 73 per cent want flexible working conditions to continue. Using data from 30,000 workers around the world it also shows 40 per cent of those surveyed are considering leaving their jobs this year. A total of 46 per cent say they plan to move thanks to remote working

The survey notes: 'The data is clear: extreme flexibility and hybrid work will define the post-pandemic workplace.

'Employees want control of where, when, and how they work, and expect businesses to provide options.

'The decisions business leaders make in the coming months to enable flexible work will impact everything from culture and innovation to how organizations attract and retain top talent.'

More than 50,000 people work at the companys headquarters campus in Redmond, 15 miles east of Seattle. Essential workers have remained on site throughout.

Executive VP Kurt DelBene said: 'Our goal is to give employees further flexibility, allowing people to work where they feel most productive and comfortable, while also encouraging employees to work from home as the virus and related variants remain concerning.'

On Monday, Washington state moved into Phase 3 of its COVID-19 reopening plan, meaning all of the state's 39 counties will be allowed to relax coronavirus restrictions.

Under Phase 3, all indoor spaces - including indoor dining at restaurants, indoor fitness centers, and retail - can increase capacity from 25 per cent to 50 per cent.

Larger events like concerts and graduation ceremonies will also be OK since up to 400 people will be allowed to gather for indoor and outdoor activities as long as physical distancing and masking are enforced.

Executive Vice President Kurt DelBene, pictured, said Microsoft has been monitoring local health data and decided it can bring more employees back to its Redmond campus. DelBene said workers will have the choice to return to headquarters, continue working remotely or do a combination of both

Microsoft said: 'Weve been closely monitoring local health data for months and have determined that the campus can safely accommodate more employees on-site while staying aligned to Washington state capacity limits

Karin Kimbrough, chief economist of LinkedIn, told CBS: 'During this pandemic we've observed a swift acceleration of certain pre-COVID trends.

'But perhaps one of the most exciting trends is this rise in remote work.'
After spending only 19 days in his post, the health minister of Ecuador stepped down as prosecutors cast investigations towards the vaccine rollout in the South American nation. There had been allegations that well-connected individuals receive COVID-19 vaccines out of turn.

In his resignation letter submitted on Friday, Rodolfo Farfan shared that he was resigning in his position as the head of the Health Ministry of Ecuador for 'strictly personal' reasons. The resignation of Farfan came after came after the raid of authorities in the health ministry and a hospital in Quito, which is the country's capital, regarding the irregularities in the vaccination plan of Ecuador.

According to Aljazeera, Farfan was the fourth health minister under the current administration after replacing the previous health minister, Juan Carlos Zevallos, who resigned in February due to the emergence of reports about his participation in an inoculation effort at the nursing home where his mother is living. Also, Farfan was the third health minister to resign during the pandemic.

Moreover, Zevallos, who is currently under investigation for influence peddling, had also faced the possibility of impeachment in the National Assembly because of his alleged poor handling of the pandemic and an inconsistent vaccination process. Based on the recent reports, well-connected politicians, academics, and journalists in Ecuador were vaccinated when coronavirus vaccinations were meant to be reserved for their frontline healthcare workers and the elderly care homes' residents.

ALSO READ: Biden Administration To Share Millions of AstraZeneca Vaccine To Mexico

Based on the latest tally from Johns Hopkins University, the country has reported more than 309,000 coronavirus cases. The data also includes the numbers regarding coronavirus-related deaths, which reached 16,400 recorded deaths, CGTN reported.

COVID-19 Scandals

In addition, the country of Ecuador is only one among Latin American countries where scandals in relation to COVID-19 vaccination efforts emerged. But based on the data shown by the government of Ecuador, around 120,000 individuals have received at least one shot of the coronavirus vaccine.

On the other hand, in the county of Argentina, large protests were observed as it was prompted by the vaccine queue-jumping, which is considered nationwide as the 'VIP vaccine scandal.' The said scandal forced the Argentine health minister to also step down.

Also, the health and foreign affairs ministers of Peru were forced to step down along with several officials after the revelation that close to 200 officials of the government had received coronavirus vaccines. The scandal turned to worse as officials received COVID-19 jabs even before the vaccines were available to be administered to the general public.

Meanwhile, back in Ecuador, the administration of Ecuador President Lenin Moreno named Mauro Falconi as the new health minister. The term of Moreno will end in May, and a runoff election scheduled for April 11 will see economist Andres Arauz and former banker Guillermo Lasso vie for the next Ecuadorian President, US News reported.

The ongoing pandemic has worsened an already dire situation of the economy of Ecuador, stirring growing discontent among voters in the country. But based on the authorities of Ecuador, they have already arranged to purchase 20 million doses of the vaccine in order to vaccinate the 60% of the country's population that is above the age of 18 by the end of the year.



WATCH: Ecuadors health minister resigns over vaccine scandal - TeleSUR English

RELATED ARTICLE: CDC: New COVID Variant is Nearing on Taking Over 2 States of America
Steve Garbacz is executive editor of KPC Media Group and editor of The News Sun. At 34, he expects hell soon be eligible for a vaccine, which he will get. Email him at sgarbacz@kpcmedia.com.
North West Hampshire MP self-isolating with his household in London

Policing Minister Kit Malthouse  the Conservative MP for North West Hampshire  triggered a coronavirus alert in the Home Office after testing positive for the disease, it has emerged.

Officials said Mr Malthouse promptly left the departments headquarters in Marsham Street, central London, on Monday last week after being informed of the result of a lateral flow test he took on the way into work.

However The Sunday Times reported a number of staff from two teams of officials working in the building had been required to self-isolate as a result.

Officials insisted no protocols were broken and that the Home Offices Covid team had been informed promptly and verbally of what had happened.

Mr Malthouse was said to have driven himself in his own car back to his London home where he is now self-isolating with members of his household.

Following his departure a deep clean was carried out in his office and those areas he had been in contact with.

The Sunday Times, however, said official documents showed there had been no report of what happened to the Governments Covid directorate.

Home Office sources said that filling in a form was not mandatory and that it is the process being followed that is important.

There was said to be no protocol which required a positive Covid test to be reported to the Cabinet Office.

A Home Office spokeswoman said: The Policing Minister received a positive Covid test result on Monday.

This was a precautionary test as the minister had no symptoms.

The minister promptly left the building and is now self-isolating with his household.

A deep clean was conducted of his office and areas he came into contact with.
Roxy Jacenko made headlines in 2017 when she began an affair with her ex-boyfriend Nabil Gazal Jnr while her husband Oliver Curtis was in prison for insider trading.

But Sydney property developer Nabil has well and truly moved on from the scandal, and is believed to be expecting his first child with fashion publicist girlfriend, Tahlija Wall.

According to Sydney Morning Herald's Emerald City, the couple, who have been dating since 2019, were 'delightfully surprised' by the recent pregnancy news.

Baby joy! Nabil Gazal Jnr (left) is expecting his first child with with pregnant girlfriend Tahlija Wall (right) - years on from his affair with married PR maven Roxy Jacenko

In May 2019, the publication revealed the notoriously private founder of Gazcorp, one of the countrys major real estate investment companies, was in the early stages of dating Tahlija.

The couple's happy news comes just a few years after Nabil was embroiled in a highly publicised affair with Sydney PR professional and Sweaty Betty founder Roxy Jacenko.

Roxy's husband Oliver Curtis had been convicted of insider trading and sentenced to two years in prison in 2016.

Case of the ex : The couple's happy news comes just a few years after Nabil was embroiled in a highly publicised affair with Sydney's Sweaty Betty founder Roxy Jacenko (pictured)

He served the majority of his sentence at Cooma Correctional Centre before being released after 12 months on a good behaviour bond.

During Oliver's year behind bars, Roxy had a romantic relationship with millionaire property developer Nabil, who she had previously dated until 2010.

Their relationship was exposed after Daily Mail Australia published images of them passionately kissing at Nabil's Sydney apartment in late April 2017.

Past: Roxy's husband Oliver Curtis (right) had been convicted of insider trading and sentenced to two years in prison in 2016. He served the majority of his sentence at Cooma Correctional Centre before being released after 12 months on a good behaviour bond

Tough: The disgraced former investment banker learned about his wife's infidelity while still in prison, but they have since reconciled and put the affair behind them

At the time, Oliver was due for release in just eight weeks.

The disgraced former investment banker learned about his wife's infidelity while still in prison.

Sources later claimed that he decided to forgive Roxy for her indiscretion if she forgave him for the past criminal behaviour that let to his conviction.

The couple - who share two children, nine-year-old daughter Pixie and son Hunter, six- reconciled shortly after Oliver's release.
Chennai, March 22 : The Lulu group owned by multi-billionaire Keralite businessman M.A. Yusuf Ali has, heeding the call of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to support the Kashmiri apple farmers, imported around 400 tons of Kashmiri apples to the Middle East.

Yusuf Ali, the Chairman and Managing Director of the group while speaking to IANS said, "I have always considered that it is the prime responsibility of all Indians to accept and act upon the policies of Government. Naturally when PM Modi during his UAE visit in 2019 put forth the idea of investing and supporting the state of Kashmir, I was the first one to give my commitment and we have imported more than 400 tons of Kashmiri apples during the last year and it is continuing but it's slightly less than the target owing to Covid related issues." The businessman employs more than 30,000 people and most of them are Indians. Of these Indians more than sixty percent are from Kerala with a larger percentage from his home district, Thrissur.

Yusuf Ali had reached the Middle East in 1973 and since then he had struggled to reach the top. Now the Lulu group has more than 198 stores in various sizes spread across the Gulf Cooperation Council(GCC), Egypt, India and the Far East and it caters to more than 16 lakh shoppers per day.

Yusuf Ali said, "I had never thought of this type of expansion and now have retail operations in GCC, India, Africa and the Far East and our sourcing offices are there in all the major cities across the globe." The Lulu group and Yusuf Ali have always been in the news for supporting people who get stuck over court cases or become jobless in the UAE and is often addressed as the "Unofficial Indian Ambassador". When asked about this Yusuf Ali said, "My philosophy of philanthropy is based on the teaching of Prophet Mohammed which says that if your neighbour goes hungry, you should be held responsible and I keep a very sizable portion of my earnings for charitable activities not only in India but across the globe. The focus areas are health care, public welfare, disaster/calamity support and education." This was seen during the Covid crisis when not a single employee was terminated from the company nor was salary reduced owing to Covid. The group is now in the process of opening one of the largest shopping malls of South India at Thirvuvananthapuram in Kerala with a built up area of 1,999,934 sq ft with an investment of around Rs 2000 crore.

The group is on an expansion spree and has diversified into money exchange, hospitality business and has a hospital chain in the Middle East.
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Editor: U.S. Reps. Glenn Thompson, of Centre County, and Fred Keller, of Snyder County, voted no on the American Rescue Plan Act.

In fact, not one Republican voted in favor of a bill that 65% of Americans support.

When I see how Thompson and Keller vote in Washington, it appears they follow the axiom, Vote the way the least-informed voter in your district would vote. Follow the party line, no matter how counterproductive.

The pandemic has taken the lives of 540,000 Americans, leaving many in financial ruin. The act provides relief for struggling families, revenue for infrastructure and health care for those who need it. It helps county and local governments, small businesses and restaurants.

It provides relief to schools; Keller sits on the Education Subcommittee, yet he voted not to assist our local schools.

The act provides funding for veterans and agriculture. I guess Thompson, the Republican leader of the House Agriculture Committee, doesnt think our farmers need assistance.

Keller and Thompson voted in favor of the fundamentally flawed 2017 tax law, a scam that cost $2 trillion and cut taxes on multinational corporations foreign profits, benefitted wealthy shareholders and highly paid executives. But they say the American Rescue Plan is too expensive.

According to Centre County Republican social media pages, now that help is on its way, they want Republicans to believe they support the bill.

Keller and Thompson should stop underestimating voter intelligence. We know who in Washington has our backs and votes on our behalf.

MARGIE SWOBODA

JULIAN, CENTRE COUNTY

Editor: Some people refuse to take the coronavirus vaccine because of things they have read on the internet.

For example: I heard if you take it and you want to have a baby you wont be able get pregnant. Thats nonsense, of course. But we hear that women have had much more difficulty becoming pregnant over the past few decades and in carrying a child to term.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that 12% of females ages 15 to 44 have fertility problems. I looked at the research and found an interesting article written by Latonya Jackson, Ph.D., a University of Cincinnati assistant professor of biology, about hormones in sewage and the effects of estrogen on fish.

In the Oct. 26, 2020, issue of Applied Science she wrote an article, The profound effect of human hormone in wastewater on fish populations. Androgen and synthetic estrogen, ingredients in birth control pills, when excreted by someone using birth control or hormone therapy and flushed into wastewater treatment plants, eventually enters nearby streams and rivers as clean recycled water but has reportedly been found to result in smaller fish populations, gender imbalance and other oddities in our drinking water and eventually our food.

Jackson is working with the Environmental Protection Agency to see how these hormones affect female fish and other aquatic animals offspring and infertility. Perhaps human fertility has been affected also.

NANCY NON

PLEASANT MOUNT, WAYNE COUNTY

Editor: Today marks the annual observance of World Water Day.

According to the United Nations, which organizes the campaign, 2.2 billion people worldwide use sources of drinking water that are contaminated with feces.

This isnt just a problem for the Third World. In just one year, 10,261 community water systems in the United States serving more than 12 million Americans had fecal bacteria violations above maximum contamination levels. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that 7.15 million Americans suffer from waterborne illnesses each year. This breaks down to more than 600,000 emergency room visits, 6,630 deaths and an estimated $3.3 billion in health care costs annually.

Today and every day, we should remember that access to clean drinking water is vital. But with infrastructure and contamination issues creeping  often unknowingly  into our waterways, we are a long way from being able to trust our tap water supply. See the Environmental Protection Agencys data on how your water system is doing at IsTapWaterSafe.com.

WILL COGGIN

CENTER FOR ACCOUNTABILITY IN SCIENCE

WASHINGTON, D.C.

Editor: As a citizen who hates former President Trump, I respond to Jean Black (Trump hate noxious, March 11).

Trump is a liar. We are more alike than Black thinks.

I do not want open borders. I want an immigration plan without children in cages. When Trump told you I want open borders, he lied. He also lied when he told you Mexico would pay for the wall.

I do not favor reparations. I favor equality and equity. I want to be safe. If moving or adding funds to law enforcement and letting police do police work defunds police, I favor that. I do not want to be less safe. When Trump told you I favored becoming less safe, he lied.

I am not in favor of abortion on demand or killing babies. I believe the rights of a woman to choose what happens with her body must be considered when establishing abortion laws.

All citizens should get one vote. When Trump told you I voted multiple times, he lied.

Trump supporters point to the appointment of many conservative judges as an accomplishment. Isnt that court packing? Coincidentally, some of those judges looked at Trumps allegations that the election was stolen and said they had no merit. That means he lied.

I do not want to confiscate your gun. When Trump told you that, he lied. I want gun violence addressed, dont you? I hope everyone opposes violence. Yet Trump encouraged a mob that attacked our very seat of democracy on Jan. 6.

I dont want you deprogrammed. Mark Twain said: Its easier to fool people than it is to convince them that they have been fooled.

Trump lied about establishing a better health care system and winning the election. Our political views do not divide us. Lies and unfounded fear keep us apart.

TIM HOLLAND

MOOSIC
Days after stirring a hornet's nest with his remarks over women wearing ripped jeans, Uttarakhand Chief Minister Tirath Singh Rawat has courted yet another controversy.

In his latest speech at Nainital's Ramnagar, Rawat said people should have produced 20 children to get more ration. Talking about the foodgrain distribution during the pandemic, Rawat said, "Those having 10 children got 50 kg while those with 20 got one quintal. People with two children got 10 kg. People built stores and found buyers."

He further added, "Who is to blame for this? Now you are jealous of it. When there was time, you produced only two. Why didn't you produce 20?" In this speech, Rawat committed another gaffe and confused Britain for US as he said America ruled over India for more than 200 years.

While referring to America's handling of the pandemic, the Garhwal MP mentioned that America, which enslaved India for 200 years, ruled over the world. He said that the empire on which the sun never set, is today struggling, adding that India with a population of 130-135 crore people feels relieved under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

National Congress spokesperson Randeep Singh Surjewala also reacted to these statements by the Uttarakhand CM. Taking a swipe at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Surjewala said he picks such "learned talent" and also mocked Rawat's statement that the US ruled over India for 200 years.

Also read: Uttarakhand CM Tirath Singh Rawat tests positive for COVID-19

Also read: #RippedJeansTwitter: Women take on CM Rawat; share images wearing ripped jeans
Mensah Demary, who was promoted to editor-in-chief at Soft Skull Press to replace Yuka Igarashi, begins his new position today.

Not only is he energized, Demary told PW, to concentrate his energy upon a venerated literary press, but he has a clear vision for the direction in which he wants to take the press. Demary wants to evolve Soft Skull Press from its present form while operating in a unique space within independent publishing, as elsewhere in the publishing industry, consolidation accelerates.

We will directly compete with bigger publishers for new talent and highly sought-after writers, Demary wrote in an email, Soft Skull will transform into an inviting, liberating house for literary artists seeking support for their fiction, nonfiction, and poetry titles as cool, refined, and radical works of art. We will publish an increasingly diverse list of authors  those here in New York, throughout America, and around the world  including, but not limited to, Black literary writers who might be too risky for the bigger presses, but will find a home with us as new Soft Skull authors.

Andy Hunter, Catapult co-founder and publisher , described Soft Skull Press as having experienced years of growth and critical acclaim under Igarashis leadership, including this past year, when Where the Wild Ladies Are by Aoko Matsuda (translated from Japanese by Polly Barton), was named one of Time magazine's best 10 fiction books of 2020. While sorry to lose Igarashi to Graywolf, Hunter praised Demary for his incredible range as an editor, adroitly handling material ranging from the experimental Shelley Jackson to Francois Clemmons' autobiography, Officer Clemmons. Even more important, Hunter noted, Demary has an inspiring vision for the future of Soft Skull Press that will keep it relevant, dynamic, and pushing the boundaries of contemporary literature.

Demary was hired as an associate web editor at Catapult in 2015 when the online magazine launched. After Soft Skull and Counterpoint Press merged with Catapult in 2016, Demary became book editor for both Catapults book publishing and magazine divisions. He was promoted to executive editor last year, acquiring titles across all three imprints.
As hotels across the U.S. continue to face the financial turmoil of the coronavirus pandemic, the high-end Kimpton Nine Zero Hotel in Boston fired a majority of its staff this week, amounting to more than 50 union-backed workers who are now laid off.

The Unite Here Local 26 union that represents much of the Kimptons staff announced in a statement that the company fired 52 long-standing employees of its 77 union-backed workers, marking more than two-thirds of the hotels total workforce.

I am in shock. Im 53 years old. Ive given nearly two decades to this company. We are going to fight this, Stephen Stern, a 19-year server at the Nine Zero Hotel, said in a statement.

The union claimed the mass terminations violate its contract with the Nine Zero Hotel, which it argued allows workers to be fired outright for just cause only, like stealing, habitual neglect of duty or violations of lateness policies. Otherwise, the company needs to bargain with the Local 26 to terminate an employee.

The Local 26 said it intends to pursue every legal avenue possible to maintain the rights of the fired hospitality workers.

What the Nine Zero Hotel has done is disgusting, Local 26 President Carlos Aramayo said in a statement. It is a cynical move by this hotel and its owner to fire these workers in the middle of the pandemic. The Union will do whatever it takes to get these workers jobs back.

The hotels layoffs comes after months of mass firings in the hospitality industry at non-union properties, like the Marriott Copley, the Revere Hotel and the Four Seasons.

However, the Local 26 noted, the Brookfield-owned Nine Zero Hotel is the first and only hotel with union-backed employees to take such action while under contract. Thirty Boston hotels have agreed to recall their workers, according to the union.

A union spokesperson told MassLive the fired employees received termination notices from the hotel Monday, a year after workers at the at the Kimpton were furloughed due to the financial fallout of the COVID-19 public health crisis. However, many of the workers first learned about the layoffs from the Local 26.

For more than a decade, Alexia Figueroa has worked at the Kimpton as a supervisor, hostess and server in the hotel restaurant, among a variety of roles, doing pretty much everything, she said. Receiving her termination notice Monday morning was a shock.

I was really happy with my job. Its just shocking, being fired after so many years, Figueroa told MassLive. Its hard to believe we just got a letter.

Because of her job at the hotel, Figueroa was able to buy a house in Everett with her husband, pay her mortgage, have solid health insurance and help provide for her two children, she noted.

Its sad, because I have been working for this company for 15 years, and then knowing they just take advantage of the situation, the pandemic, is sad, Figueroa said. I know hospitality has been hit very hard by the pandemic, but I was hoping to get recalled when the jobs came back.

Its hard to believe, she added.

The mass layoffs come within days of labor contract provision running out allowing employees to return to work and secure seniority a year after being laid off because of economic reasons, according to the spokesperson.

The provision has to do with seniority. That has nothing to do with the hotels ability to terminate, the spokesperson said.

In a statement sent to MassLive, Kimpton said its working diligently with the union in search of the best solution for its employees and business, which it noted has been significantly impacted by the pandemic.

The actions taken by the hotel comply with the union contract that has been in place for years. We are hopeful that conversations with our union partners remain constructive during these very difficult and unprecedented times, the statement said.
Turkey's jailed Kurdish leader accuses Erdogan of power grab Selahattin Demirtas pictured in 2016, the year he was arrested

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is seeking to ensure victory in the next election by "illegally" trying to ban Turkey's pro-Kurdish party, its former leader told AFP from jail on Sunday.

The Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) -- the third largest group in the parliament -- has been under pressure for years over alleged links to Kurdish militants who have been waging a deadly insurgency against the state since 1984.

Dozens of HDP lawmakers and leaders have been arrested and jailed on terror and other charges which they deny and rights groups view as politically motivated.

Former HDP co-leader Selahattin Demirtas -- a two-time challenger to Erdogan in presidential elections -- has been behind bars since 2016 despite calls from the European Court of Human Rights for his release.

The party now faces the risk of being shut down after Turkey's top public prosecutor accused it of links to the Kurdish militants in a filing with the Constitutional Court on Wednesday.

"The main reason they are trying to shut down the HDP is to let the People's Alliance win the upcoming election," now scheduled for 2023, Demirtas said in a written response to questions from AFP.

He was referring to the electoral alliance between Erdogan's ruling AKP and its ultra-nationalist junior partner, the MHP, who are slowly losing support in most opinion polls.

"This reason alone is enough to make the case (against the HDP) illegal and illegitimate," he said from the prison in Edirne, northwestern Turkey, where he is being held.

"I hope the Constitutional Court will not give credence to this irrational behaviour and will reject the case."

- 'Immature democracy'-

Turkey's Western allies have roundly condemned the attempt to dissolve the HDP.

The United States said it would "further undermine" democracy while the European Union warned it "would violate the rights of millions of voters".

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Demirtas called the prosecution of his party a symbol of Turkey's "immature democracy and repressive mentality".

Turkey has in the past shut down other pro-Kurdish parties for alleged links to Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) militants whose insurgency has claimed tens of thousands of lives.

The PKK is recognised as a terror group by Ankara and its Western allies. The indictment before the Constitutional Court accuses the HDP of having "organic" ties to the militants.

Demirtas rejected the charges.

"No matter what kind of obstacles are put in our way, our politics will continue to grow," he said.

"The only thing I am sure of is that we will not give up on the right to democratic politics and governance."

But he added in a self-critical note that the party should consider whether it was making any political mistakes.

"I want to say independent from the closure case that we should review our own shortcomings through self-criticism," he said.

"We should better explain ourselves to the society. We should do this no matter whether (the party) is shut down or not."

- 'Keep on fighting' -

Demirtas risks up to 142 years in prison if convicted of links to the PKK and other charges now before the courts.

The indictment put before the Constitutional Court last week accuses the HDP of being a threat to the "indivisible integrity of the state" and seeks to ban 687 party members -- including Demirtas -- from engaging in politics for five years.

The bans appear to be aimed at making sure current members are unable to form a new party under a different name should the HDP be shut down.

Asked about his political future, Demirtas said he was already "de facto politically banned" due to his detention.

But "even if I am not a member of a political party or I am not a candidate, I will keep on fighting together with the people, shoulder to shoulder," he said.

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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 Friday, in the morning, at Government House, His Excellency the Honourable Paul de Jersey AC, was interviewed, via telephone, by ABC Western Queensland Breakfast presenter, Mr Dan Prosser.

Following, His Excellency and Mrs Kaye de Jersey departed Government House for official travel to Windorah and Longreach.

In the afternoon, at the Windorah Community Centre, Windorah, His Excellency and Mrs de Jersey received a briefing from Barcoo Shire Council representatives.

Following, at the Windorah Community Centre, Windorah, His Excellency and Mrs de Jersey hosted an afternoon tea in support of the Windorah Community, and the Governor addressed guests.

In the evening, at the Qantas Founders Museum, Longreach, His Excellency and Mrs de Jersey attended the official opening of the new airpark roof and luminescent, and the Governor addressed guests, and turned on the luminescent sound and light show.
Irans Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei is 81 years old. For years now, a report every few months raises concern about his health. He has been described as ailing in many media reports, though there is no proof that the man who has been ruling Iran since 1989 is really in bad health. On Dec. 15, he made an appearance in front of cameras while receiving the family of late Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Quds Force commander Qasem Soleimani and a committee organizing commemorations for the first anniversary of the generals assassination Jan. 3 in Baghdad by US drones.

A video showing Khamenei walking in what appears to be good health and several photos showing his face released by his office were probably aimed at refuting a rumor claiming he was ill and had passed his powers to his son, Mujtaba. The rumor made headlines during the first week of December based on one source on Twitter without fact-checking the source who broke the news about Khameneis deteriorating health on four previous occasions between 2013 and 2020.

Khamenei made another appearance Dec. 20 when he delivered a televised speech on the occasion of National Nurses Day and the birth of the Prophet Muhammads granddaughter, Zeinab.

The reports of Khamenei's health and his son possibly being next in line call to mind similar reports from a different era. In the last few years of Khameneis predecessor and mentor, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, there were similar suggestions claiming that with Khomeinis health deteriorating the strongest candidate for his succession was going to be his son Ahmed Khomeini. His son was a mid-level cleric known to be his fathers confidant. At the time, articles cited the powers that the son enjoyed and his strong influence that made him one of the candidates for succession.

Even after Khamenei was elected as a temporary supreme leader in June 1989 following Khomeinis death, speculation in the media continued to suggest a power struggle was ahead, putting out lists with as many names as possible, including Ahmed Khomeini once again.

Those who suggest Mujtaba Khamenei is going to be Irans next [supreme] leader lack the basics of post-revolution Iranian politics, an Iranian Principlist cleric told Al-Monitor on condition of anonymity. The cleric added, The Iranians wont accept to go back in history to the days when a ruler will bequeath the nation to his son, no matter who the father and the son are.

According to the same source, those circulating these rumors are creating an atmosphere of skepticism over the process of succession that whenever the time comes it should be smooth and quick, given the fact that after 40 years the revolutions institutions are capable of managing transitions, and the number of candidates for such a role are more than enough for the members of the Assembly of Experts to choose from.

As reported previously by Al-Monitor, the Assembly of Experts has a secret subcommission of three persons elected to put together a list of potential successors. The committee updates its list and keeps it classified until the day comes.

In a recent interview with Fars News, Ayatollah Mohsen Araki, a member of the Assembly of Experts, stressed that there are already three names on the list and they remain classified. He noted that being a member of the assembly is not a condition for being on the shortlist.

Araki explained that the list will be reviewed and those who qualify for leadership will be registered in a secret and confidential manner, so that they can be presented to the Assembly of Experts whenever necessary.

Another source, who leans more toward the Reformist camp, agreed that the idea of Mujtaba Khamenei succeeding his father is more of a dream to some radicals. He added, They are aware that in a country like Iran this is difficult, though it is known that the election of a successor will need the blessing of the current leaders strong son, the seminary in Qom, and the IRGC. The 1989 succession saw Ahmad Khomeini  along with Hashem Rafsanjani  emerging as kingmakers.

The health of the supreme leader is always a topic of analysis in the media, with many thinking that Irans direction is decided based on who is chosen. This has prompted many to put out lists of candidates over the past years, with names such as late Mahmoud Hashemi Shahroudi, Ibrahim Raisi, Sadegh Larijani, Hassan Khomeini, President Hassan Rouhani, Ahmad Khatami, among others, scattered in the media; each had or still has the qualifications that makes them a contender for supreme leader. However, a very important factor is missing in these reports, i.e., the supreme leader is alive and isnt ailing, and if theres nothing from God he can just live as other clerics do, a source close to the house of the supreme leader told Al-Monitor. We know he is healthier than both [outgoing US President Donald] Trump and [President-elect Joe] Biden, and they will continue to spread rumors because this reflects their wishful thinking.

However, some of those who have the qualifications and are potential candidates, or lobbies backing them within the establishment, seek to position themselves in a good place ahead of the anticipated battle. This is well portrayed in the political battles that are being fought on the sidelines of Iranian politics. Following the December 2017 demonstrations, despite the social and economic instigators, there were accusations aimed at the Principlists that they lit the first spark in an attempt to hit Rouhani hard and end any chance in the future of him seeking the top position. Rouhanis victory in the 2017 election over Raisi was also seen as a hurdle in the latters path to becoming the countrys supreme leader in the future. Some analysts also suggested the accusations of corruption aimed at one of Sadegh Larijanis aides are aimed at diminishing his chances of becoming Khameneis successor.

Other candidates who arent known to the public, or not in the spotlight for the position, might rise to the scene as a surprise for observers, but they will be in the slow process of manufacturing Irans future leader. A look back at how Khamenei ascended to the highest post could be useful.
The on Monday released a list of its 'star campaigners' for the assembly polls third phase and it includes Sachin Pilot who had revolted against the party's government in Rajasthan and Manish Tewari who along with 22 leaders had written to Sonia Gandhi seeking organisational overhaul.

The list of 30-star campaigners also includes president Sonia Gandhi, former prime minister Manmohan Singh, party leaders Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge and Leader of the in Lok Sabha Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury.

The eight-phase assembly polls will start on March 27 and the third phase has been scheduled on April 6 for 31 seats.

Chief ministers Ashok Gehlot, Amarinder Singh and Bhupesh Baghel, Congress chief spokesperson Randeep Surjewala and party leader Navjot Singh Sidhu, who had quit from the Punjab Cabinet, are also among the star campaigners for the the third phase of the elections.

Jitin Prasada, who was among the 23 Congress leaders who had written to Sonia Gandhi in August last demanding elections for every post in the party and an overhaul of the organisation at all levels, is part of the list.

Prasada is the All India Congress Committee's in-charge of

Some other leaders who have been included in the star campaigners list are R P N Singh, Mohd Azharuddin, Deepa Dasmunsi, Abhijeet Mukherjee, Deepender Hooda and Jaiveer Shergill.

(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.)
Unlike the now-retired C7 Z06, the C6 generation is a naturally aspirated monster (expect the atmospheric thrills to return for the C8 Z06 ). As such, the Golden Bowtie machine is animated by a monstrous 7,011cc (427.8ci) V8, which churns out 505 hp (512 PS) in factory form.Then again, this C6 Corvette Z06 isn't stock, as it has been fitted with ported cylinder heads, a more aggressive cam setup, custom exhaust and intake, as well as an E85 tune. As such, YouTube label auto glory, who brought the racing action to us, mentions an output of over 600 hp at the wheels. Given the Chevy's manual gearbox, which is the only transmission fitted to the car, we can estimate that the crankshaft number sits well above 650 ponies.While that figure would've brought the 'Vette close to the 707 hp (717 PS) delivered by the factory-supercharged 6.2-liter V8 of the Challenger Hellcat, you should know the HEMI has also been massaged. We're not aware of its new muscle number, but we can tell you the list of aftermarket bits involves the lower pulley, the exhaust headers, and a 93-octane tune.The Mopar machine also has the upper hand in the transmission department since it comes in eight-speed auto form. Then again, if we compare the scale footprints of the two, the drawback of the muscle car becomes obvious since it is well over 1,200 lbs (544 kg) heavier than the Z06.The two duked it out on two occasions, and, as mentioned in the title, a clear winner emerged, albeit with the other vehicle putting up a respectable fight. However, please keep in mind to avoid such street brawls, and head over to the drag strip when you feel like doing battle.Oh, and since the Hellcat expected traction issues, with its tires listed as the main culprit, the drivers agreed to kick things off at 60 mph (96 kph) on both occasions.
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Hero kiKahani, the Hindi version of the national bestseller, The Making of Hero, authored by Sunil Kant Munjal is all set to be launched on the 25th of this month in the city of lakes, Bhopal, by Madhya Pradesh Chief MinisterShivraj Singh Chouhan.

The book is available on pre-order on Amazon India and will be available at leading bookstoresacross the countrypost the launch.

The Making of Hero was published by HarperCollins Publishers India in January, 2020 and went on to feature in the Top Ten bestsellers listover first four weeks of its launch (Nielsen ranking). The book also won the Business Book of the Year 2020 award at the Tata Literature Live!Festival. The Hindi edition- Hero kiKahani takes the Hero story to the Indian heartland.

After the English edition was published, we received feedback from several quarters that the story needed to be read and imbibed by a wider audience. We wanted this AatmanirbharBharat experience, which is written simply for easier readability, to reach people without the barrier of language. This is a story of how Indian entrepreneurship evolved through difficult times; it narrates the circumstances in which my father and uncles lived and how they laid the foundations for Hero.We simply had to share the story with a wider audience, so that they too might aspire for success and a better quality of life, revealed Sunil Kant Munjal, Chairman, Hero Enterprise.

This saga traces the journey of the Munjal brothers from the by lanes of Kamalia and Quetta in Pakistan to Ludhiana and is set against the backdrop of Indias evolution in the decades before and after Independence, leading up to the new millennium. The chapters recreate many of the efforts made by the brothers to provide for their families and to build sustainable businesses, and how the foundations they laid helped create a world-scale organisation.

Vikas Rakheja, Managing Director, Manjul Publishing House says, We are delighted to bring out the Hindi version of this wonderful story. This tale is inspiring, full of interesting anecdotes and showcases the Heros time-tested tenets of hard work, relationship-building and integrity. Along with their own journey, this book also traces the journey of our country through multiple eras.

Hero began its journey in the 1950s by trading in and manufacturing bicycle parts. In subsequent decades, the founders diversified into bicycles, mopeds, automotive parts, motorcycles and scooters, and today the restructured group also encompasses service businesses and infrastructure. In 1986, thirty years after its inception, Hero Cycles became the largest bicycle maker in the world. In the next fifteen years, the motorcycle venture Hero Honda also became the largest in the world, and both pole positions are held firmly even today.

The book is being published by Manjul Publishing House.
Intelligent automation platform deployed to scale efforts of Missouri COVID-19 vaccine coalition.

SAN MATEO, Calif., March 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Notable Health, the leading intelligent automation company for healthcare, announced today a partnership with North Kansas City Hospital (NKCH) and its Meritas Health clinics to support COVID-19 vaccine distribution to Missouri residents. NKCH was chosen as one of Missouri's 16 high throughput health providers and deployed Notable to scale their COVID-19 vaccination efforts through a coalition called Operation Safe.

Operation Safe was formed with the goal of vaccinating up to 4,000 Missouri residents per day. Together, Notable and NKCH invited 40,000 patients in the first month of operation.

By using Notable to digitize and automate identification, outreach, scheduling, and pre-visit intake workflows, NKCH is vaccinating more patients, faster, by screening for risk factors and collecting informed consents before patients arrive onsite.

"Notable enables us to rapidly scale the progress that has been made so far," said Kristen Guillaume, vice president and chief information officer at NKCH. "Intelligent automation has become vital for maximizing capacity and throughput while ensuring a positive patient experience, as we remove frustration from the process."

Using a technology called Robotic Process Automation (RPA) and Fast Healthcare Interoperability Resources (FHIR), Notable can train bots or "digital assistants" to scan an EMR for open appointment times for patients that meet eligibility recommendations such as a patient's age or preexisting health conditions.

Any individual from the state of Missouri can request a COVID-19 vaccine appointment through the Operation Safe website. From there, Notable initiates a digital pre-visit screening to eligible patients in the Cerner EHR; collects informed consent and schedules the appointment. After the first vaccination is administered, Notable's digital assistants automatically reach out to the patients to schedule their second vaccine dose and remind patients of the upcoming appointment.

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"We went live with Notable in just one week and scheduled more than 100 patients in the first minute of availability, and 1600 in the first 45 minutes," said Todd Beardman, MD, chief medical information officer at NKCH and Meritas Health. "By automating core workflows like patient registration, check in and follow up, we have been able to power more than 420 appointments per hour. Intelligent automation gives us the agility to increase the volume of vaccinations on demand, as more supply becomes available, which is our ultimate goal."

Notable is optimized for ease of use: patients do not need to download an app or create a log-in to complete registration, and information shared from previous visits is automatically populated for patients to review and confirm. As a result, Notable averages a 96% patient satisfaction rating across all patient cohorts, including minorities, patients aged 65+ and patients who are visually impaired or have other disabilities.

Recent patient feedback from the Operation Safe clinic include:

"Clear expectations for those like me who got our first shot at Operation Safe."

"I completed the information on my iPhone using voiceover because I am totally blind. The experience was accessible and easy."

"[Notable] gave explicit directions and was simple to use. I am 93!"

"Very user friendly! I've been so frustrated in trying to obtain an appointment by other methods."

Since the start of the pandemic, hundreds of thousands of automated COVID-19 pre-visit screenings have been performed using Notable's COVID Triage solution , and thousands of high-risk ambulatory patients were identified and rerouted to telehealth or urgent care.

"The pandemic exacerbated the need for health systems to become more proactive in the way they engage with patients," said Pranay Kapadia, co-founder and CEO at Notable. "NKCH embraced logistical constraints as an opportunity to leverage automated scheduling capabilities to create a delightful and operationally-efficient workflow for patients, without the manual coordination required by call center staff. We're proud to support NKCH on their journey to digitally remagine the patient experience and ensure as many patients as possible can access this life-saving vaccine."

To learn more about how Notable is helping health systems improve health outcomes, go to www.notablehealth.com .

About Notable Health

Notable Health is the leading intelligent automation company for healthcare. Three of the top 15 US health systems, including Intermountain Health and CommonSpirit, use Notable to identify and engage more patients in need of care by automating hundreds of repetitive workflows like patient intake, care outreach, registration, documentation, and billing. With Notable, staff and clinicians report saving 1,000 hours of administrative work per provider per year; increased patient visit volume; a provider NPS score of 74; and an industry-leading patient satisfaction rating. Based in San Mateo, Calif., Notable is backed by leading investors, including Greylock Partners, F-Prime, Oak HC/FT, Maverick Ventures, and 8VC. Learn more at notablehealth.com and follow @notablehealth .

About North Kansas City Hospital and Meritas Health

North Kansas City Hospital has been the Northland's preferred healthcare provider since 1958. An acute-care facility with 451 licensed beds and 550 physicians, representing 49 medical specialties, offers a Level III neonatal intensive care unit, Level II trauma center, certified stroke, cardiovascular and orthopedic programs, home health and hospice care. Through its Meritas Health subsidiary, NKCH provides the largest network of provider practices in the Northland, with more than 140 primary and specialty care physicians in 30 convenient locations. The hospital's mission, vision, and values reflect a strong commitment to the health and well-being of the Northland community and beyond. Explore the full range of services NKCH and MH provide.

About Operation Safe

Operation Safe is a public-private coalition formed to provide eligible Missourians an opportunity to receive the COVID-19 vaccine as soon as possible within the State of Missouri's tiered structure. The coalition consists of Clay County Public Health Center, North Kansas City Hospital, Liberty Hospital, Cerner Corporation, and the cities of Clay County. Learn more at operation-safe.com or find us on Facebook @OperationSafeVaccines .

Media Contact

Gianna Fornesi

gianna@notablehealth.com

Notable (PRNewsfoto/Notable Health)

Cision

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SOURCE Notable Health
TEL AVIV, Israel , March 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The Tel-Aviv Stock Exchange (TASE: TASE) launched the TASE UP platform this morning with Veev, the first private company to list its shares on TASE UP.

Having completed a financing round of approximately US$ 100 million, starting today the shares of Veev will be listed on TASE UP, an innovative platform that allows technology companies to raise capital without performing an IPO. On TASE UP, private companies can access capital from institutional and qualified investors and remain private.

From right to left: Sharon Fridrich. Sales and Market Development, TASE; Hadas Shaked, Chief of staff, Veev; Hila Corem Cohen, Head of Finance, Veev; Jay Klein, CTO, Veev; Yaniv Cohen, Lead Structure Engineer, Veev; Ami Avrahami, Co-Founder and Chief Product Officer, Veev; Tammy Yaniv, Lead Architect, Veev; Dana Raichel, Lead Digital Twin, Veev; Alon Klein, VP R&D Software, Veev; Shai Shachrur, VP Platform, Veev; Orly Sharabi, Head of Operations, Veev; Lior Navon, Head of Sales and Market Development TASE and Amnon Neubach, TASE Chairman.

Leading public institutions in Israel, including More Investment House, Migdal Insurance Company, Psagot Investment House and Shavit Capital contributed to the approximately US$ 100 million financing round. The capital raising was accompanied by Leader Issuances and will be listed on TASE UP.

As a way of reaching out to the qualified investors, the company has allotted US$ 5 million to a market maker, which will be available for trading on TASE UP, allowing the qualified investors to purchase company shares directly through their securities account at the price paid by the institutional investors in the financing round.

Veev, a property technology company founded by entrepreneurs Amit Haller, Ami Avrahami and Dafna Ben-Porat Akiva, developed a cost-effective and efficient building method that is based on automation and prefabrication and delivers superior quality. The company has close to 300 employees in its Tel Aviv and San Mateo (Silicon Valley) offices. The business model of Veev requires a flexible capital raising structure to support its accelerated growth.

Veev believes homes are the ultimate consumer product and that existing, traditional home building is inefficient, making it difficult to meet the ever-growing demand for housing. Veev has successfully vertically integrated technology, design, modular fabrication, and building to make better quality homes, at half the cost and four times faster than the industry standard.

The company arrives at the current financing round having already achieved several significant milestones. Among others, Veev recently completed a 78-unit residential project in collaboration with the City of San Jose, in an unprecedented record time of less than 90 days. The company is working in collaboration with local and national organizations to expand its footprint in California and nationwide, with more than 130 completed homes in the Silicon Valley region.

Amit Heller, CEO and Co-Founder of Veev, said: "Being one of the most complex and bureaucratic sectors in the world, home building requires a particularly flexible capital raising framework. We chose TASE UP, since it provides us with the financing and liquidity that are necessary to support our vision of reinventing traditional home building, while allowing us to remain a private company. With additional capital to fuel our rapid growth, we can maintain our focus on improving building standards and using our innovative building technology to facilitate an exceptional quality of life for the entire population."

Lior Navon, Head of Sales and Market Development at TASE, said: "We welcome Veev, the first private technology company to raise capital and list its shares on TASE UP, which we are launching this morning. As home to Israeli growth companies, the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange is committed to the encouragement of entrepreneurs and dedicated to strengthening the ties between Israeli high-tech and the Israeli capital market and investors. Veev has paved the way for other companies to raise capital from institutions and qualified investors and list on TASE UP, enjoying the benefits of TASE, such as investor accessibility and liquidity of the company shares, while remaining a private company. I would like to thank Veev's winning team, headed by CEO Amit Heller, for showing their confidence in TASE UP and in the Israeli capital market."

Additional information on Veev is available on MAYA: https://maya.tase.co.il/company/1837?view=details

Contact:

Orna Goren

Head of Communication and Public Relations Unit

Tel: +972-76-816-0405

[email protected]

SOURCE The Tel Aviv Stock Exchange Ltd.
Press Release

March 22, 2021 Hontiveros objects to the presence of 220 Chinese militia vessels in WPS, backs filing of diplomatic protest Senator Risa Hontiveros has objected to the presence of 220 Chinese maritime militia vessels spotted by the Philippine Coast Guard in the West Philippine Sea, calling it a "severe provocation" that only escalates tensions in the disputed waters. Hontiveros also backs the filing of diplomatic protests to China over the matter. "Habang nagkakandarapa pa tayo sa pagtaas ng mga kaso ng COVID-19 sa bansa, ang Tsina naman walang pakundangan ang pagsulong sa ating karagatan. Not aggravating the tensions in our seas is the absolute least China could have done in the middle of a global pandemic. Respeto nalang sana, hindi pa maipakita," Hontiveros said. Hontiveros, who has been vocal about China's incursions in the WPS, added that the presence of the Chinese vessels in Philippine territory does not build peace or stability in the region. As the diplomatic protest takes its course in this issue, Hontiveros said the government should also study more tangible ways to make China pay. Hontiveros also emphasized the environmental damage and the natural resources that could be further lost due to the presence of the vessels in Julian Felipe Reef, which is within the Philippine Exclusive Economic Zone and Continental Shelf. "We have exclusive rights over the resources -- fish, oil, and natural gas -- in Julian Felipe Reef. Atin lang dapat iyan pero pilit na naman nang-aagaw ang Tsina ng mga bagay na hindi kanila. Nakakagalit. It's maddening how China continues to snatch away our nation's wealth while we're in the depths of an economic crisis," the senator said. Last month, Hontiveros revealed that China owes Filipinos over P800 Billion in marine damage and losses due to its adventurism in the WPS. In April 2020, the senator also filed Senate Resolution No. 369 demanding that China pay 200 billion worth of reparations, which could be used in the country's fight against COVID-19. "China really has no plans of recognizing and respecting the 2016 Hague ruling that favors our country. Hindi na nakakatuwa ang patuloy na panggagahasa ng ating likas-yaman. Mag-ipon na ang Tsina kasi magbabayad sila," Hontiveros concluded.
The Harris County Sheriff's Office was busier than usual this weekend.

More than 100 arrests were made over the weekend as the office cracked down on illegal street racing in the county.

IN HOUSTON: 5 things to know about Houston's new police chief

The Sheriff's Office also seized several vehicles and weapons, according to its vehicular crimes division Twitter account. The office previously announced it had arrested 43 people for street racing just on Thursday night, HCSO Assistant Chief Mike Lee wrote on Twitter.

The influx of arrests came the same weekend hundreds of race fans headed to Baytown for the TX2K21 Roll & Drag Race Nationals.

Street takeovers and racing have grown into an "epidemic" in Houston, become more and more popular in recent years, the Houston Chronicle's Anna Bauman and Nicole Hensley reported last month. Two children were killed in February at a car meet after a street racer slammed into another car that then plowed into a group of bystanders.

LOOKING TO MOVE?: This booming Houston suburb was crowned the best city to live in America

Its lawless activity. Its wreaking havoc on the public, Captain Tommy Shelton of the Harris County Sheriffs Office said, according to Bauman and Hensley. Its not uncommon for us to find weapons on the drivers or even the people there  they like to shoot them in the air. And you got underage drinking going on, and then you got this car thats slinging in the pit, and then next thing you know somebody could be injured or killed  and it does happen.
The problem of piracy and maritime crimes in the Gulf of Guinea seem not to have received the attention it deserves. The region is the hotbed of these crimes, and nowhere else in the world do pirates strike more often than in the Gulf of Guinea.

Last week, something with significant but far-reaching diplomatic implications happened in security circles, particularly in the maritime security sphere. Denmark, a tiny European country of 5.3 million people, less than the size and population of Rivers State in Nigeria, resolved to send a frigate to patrol and police the waters of the Gulf of Guinea. The decision followed the call for a more assertive response to the embarrassing high level of sea crimes, piracy and kidnapping for ransom taking place in the region, for which international perception puts Nigeria at the centre.

According to the Danish Minister of Defence, Trine Bramsen, This is initiated because the maritime security is challenged. Pirates are behind several severe kidnappings in the area. It threatens the security of Danish and foreign crews. In such a situation we cannot and shall not just watch. We must stand up for the right to free navigation. The Danish Navy has previously proved to be strong and important in the combating of the pirates. However, if we are really going to get security under control in the Gulf of Guinea, an international military presence is necessary. From the Danish side, we try to have more countries takingresponsibility.

The problem of piracy and maritime crimes in the Gulf of Guinea seem not to have received the attention it deserves. The region is the hotbed of these crimes, and nowhere else in the world do pirates strike more often than in the Gulf of Guinea. According to the International Maritime Bureau, in its 2020 annual report, 95 per cent of the 135 seafarers seized worldwide were kidnapped in the Gulf in 22 separate incidents. Pirates took the hostages to the creeks in the Niger Delta, where stakeholders negotiate ransoms.

The Gulf of Guinea is proving more dangerous than even the Somali coast. Last January, a regular script played out when the container ship, MV Mozart, was more than 200 nautical miles off the Nigerian coast and pirates suddenly struck. According to news reports, there were dramatic scenes on board the vessel, with the ships crew cowered in a safe room, fearing for their lives, and the pirates quietly set about the work of getting to them.

The criminals spent six hours before they were able to open the Citadel door and then snuff life out of one crew member, while kidnapping 15 others. Allegedly, the pirates got a ransom before they released the seafarers they abducted.

The Gulf of Guinea is considered a strategic location due to its natural resources, so it remains a critical maritime route for international shipping from Europe to America, to West, Central and Southern Africa. The regions importance in global energy supply is evident in its proximity to Europe and North America, as a channel for the transportation of crude oil and gas from the area. It is estimated that at least 20 per cent of Europes oil and gas comes from the Gulf of Guinea.

It is understandable why the Danes would be interested in protecting the Gulf of Guineas dangerous waters. Copenhagen-based Maersk, the worlds biggest shipping company, is responsible for more than a third of maritime trade in the Gulf of Guinea. Simultaneously, as many as 40 Danish-operated vessels sail through the area daily.

Maritime transportation itself is necessary for the stability of Nigerias economy. And the country as a coastal and import-oriented state depends primarily on international shipping for revenue from the mining of its natural resources, mainly crude oil. Yet, the activities of maritime criminals on the countrys coastal waters have resulted in economic sabotage that affects the countrys image on the international scene. Nigeria loses 150,000 barrels of crude oil every day to oil thieves, which amounts to about N2.5 billion daily, and over N900 billion annually.

It is understandable why the Danes would be interested in protecting the Gulf of Guineas dangerous waters. Copenhagen-based Maersk, the worlds biggest shipping company, is responsible for more than a third of maritime trade in the Gulf of Guinea. Simultaneously, as many as 40 Danish-operated vessels sail through the area daily. However, it is disturbing that we need foreigners before we can secure our waters. The attendant security implications are dire, and the consequent perpetuation of our countrys perception as largely dysfunctional does us no good.

This plan of action has far-reaching implications for Nigerias status, stature, and sovereignty, and I will share a few here. First, the country faces severe security challenges on all fronts that have questioned our capacity to manage security in our country. The security challenge manifests as Boko Haram, farmer-herdsmen clashes, kidnapping for ransom, and ethnic tension. Some international institutions have even derided us as being at the early stage of a failed state. Added to these security challenges is a spike in maritime insecurity. This is a challenge that will diminish the confidence of the international community in our country.

Second, Denmarks action, supported by the international shipping community, allegedly because international ship traffic is threatened by criminal activities, is technically branding Nigeria and sister countries around the Gulf of Guinea as having failed to police their territorial waters, which confers on them their true sovereignty. By international law, it is when a country or a region fails or is failing in its primary responsibility of securing its waters that international partners can give support. How can countries in the gulf of Guinea region, especially Nigeria, be candidates for the international communitys sympathy? There has been the lame argument that Denmarks action is outside the territorial waters of any particular country in the region. It is evident that global naval action at sea was prominent and successful in countering Somalian piracy in the Gulf of Eden, because the country was adjudged a failed state.

Third, any international naval intervention is an insult to our naval powers. Is it that our security agencies lack the capabilities and capacity to match and eliminate amateurish pirates and other criminals terrorising our waters?

Fourth, without security at sea, Nigeria would find it harder to achieve economic prosperity. Nigerias piracy problem is linked to the countrys dysfunctional oil industry and the violent activities in the Niger Delta and other parts of the country. Corruption, pervasive poverty, and weak law enforcement drive piracy and insecurity. Some government officials  maritime professionals, naval and paramilitary law enforcement personnel  allegedly collude with pirates and criminals generally, by providing them with insider information that aids their nefarious activities, for which they get shares of the ransoms collected in return.

Fifth, the reputation of Nigeria among the comity of nations is at stake. When small countries like Denmark provide security in the Gulf of Guinea, what does that say about Nigerias image as Africas economic giant? Nigeria built a strong reputation as a regional power within West Africa in the recent past. But with the current spate of insecurity and piracy, this reputation is gradually fading away. It is high time Nigeria worked collaboratively with sister nations around the Gulf of Guinea to provide adequate security for the maritime sector. This can be done when the ancillary factors leading to maritime insecurity are resolved. An excellent strategic security plan should be developed, implemented, and evaluated to provide adequate security in the region and across the country.

The military should be provided with better equipment to fight pirates and armed robbers at sea. The Nigerian Navy has shown its military prowess in fighting piracy within the Niger Delta and the Gulf of Guinea. However, fighting crime at sea requires teamwork that should involve other stakeholders

I must point out that I am not against foreign countries coming to help states of the region to provide security in the Gulf of Guinea or elsewhere. Still, I feel that Nigeria should play the lead role in a coalition of naval security apparatus from the international community this is providing security in the Gulf of Guinea. Individual foreign state actors intervening unilaterally, although with good intentions, has global security and bilateral relations consequences. If Nigeria and other Gulf of Guninea states keep allowing foreign countries to police their waters now, couldnt this lead to the surrendering of their total sovereignties to them in due time?

A pertinent question arises at this point: Has Nigeria failed in its primary responsibility of maintaining law and order in its territorial waters? I do not think so, save that we have treated the situation with the same lackadaisical attitude informing how we treat most national issues. I am aware that the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), working with the Navy and other sister security agencies, put in place a new maritime security architecture code-named the Deep Blue Project. This is an end-to-end solution covering intelligence; response capacity, including assets acquisition; training and interagency/ inter country collaboration, but the execution so far seems to have gone awry. The programme has turned into an instrument of high wired intrigues in political circles. Not even the total commitment of the Minister of Transportation and incumbent Director-General of NIMASA has helped matters.

The Navy, on her part, has embarked on several special operations in the past two years that ordinary observers may have lost count of such specific and unique operations, from Exercise Shark Shiver, Exercise Prosperity to Exercise Nemo.

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To tackle piracy, we need to address the problem of pervasive poverty, unemployment, inequality, and corruption in the country, especially in the Niger Delta region. If the youths do not have access to legitimate means of earning income, some will likely take to crime and criminality. Grievances among marginalised coastal communities in the Niger Delta should be investigated so that most restive youths in the region can pursue legitimate means of livelihood and escape the cycle of deprivation that exposes them to crime. Provision of social amenities and job creation would be vital in tackling piracy.

The military should be provided with better equipment to fight pirates and armed robbers at sea. The Nigerian Navy has shown its military prowess in fighting piracy within the Niger Delta and the Gulf of Guinea. However, fighting crime at sea requires teamwork that should involve other stakeholders and security agencies in a coordinated manner.

We also need to enforce our existing laws to bring arrested pirates to book and deter would-be pirates. The SPOMO Act 2019, enacted by the government with NIMASA as major facilitator, should consistently be enforced whenever pirates are arrested. The scourge of piracy and armed robbery at sea cannot be tackled by the Federal Government alone. States and companies operating in the region should join hands with the lead state institutions in tackling piracy and other maritime crimes that have constituted a dark cloud over our land.

In conclusion, we have enough problems at hand, and we should quickly arrest this deteriorating darkness at sea, so we can focus all our efforts in stamping out insecurity on land.

Dakuku Peterside is a policy and leadership expert.
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Albuquerque Mayor Tim Keller on Monday formally announced his reelection bid, saying he thinks he has moved his hometown forward and wants to stay in the drivers seat.

During a news conference with his wife and children, Keller said he had filed his candidate paperwork and is prepared to start campaigning in earnest next month when the qualifying period for public financing begins.

Now I believe our city is finally going in the right direction, and we must keep the course, Keller said while standing near City Hall in Downtown Albuquerque. Its time we hit the accelerator and we do not go backwards.

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Keller, 43, beat a large field to become mayor in 2017 and will face at least some opposition as he seeks a second term. Bernalillo County Sheriff Manuel Gonzales III has submitted a candidate registration form for the race but has declined to confirm he is running, saying earlier this month he filed the paperwork to better explore a potential run. Nicholas Bevins, a 25-year-old activist, has confirmed he is running for mayor, and Patrick Ben Sais also has filed registration as a mayoral candidate.

Nearly 3 years into his first term, Keller said Monday the signature accomplishment of his administration has been the citys performance during COVID-19. He has regularly touted the municipal governments ability to avoid employee layoffs and continue delivering  and, in some cases, expanding  services despite the pandemic. While the $150 million in federal relief money the city received last spring was a major factor, Keller contends that Albuquerque fared better than other comparable cities during the crisis. He said his administration is ready to carry the momentum forward.

Shepherding our city, leading our city, making those tough decisions was a trial like no other. I think its shown we are tested by a crisis our city has not seen in decades, or in modern history, he said. That puts us in a great position going forward.

The economy is often a central theme in local elections, and Keller expressed confidence in the citys current position. While numbers from the citys newly released progress report show Albuquerque ranks last among six peer cities in job growth, Keller said there are thousands of good-paying jobs in the pipeline. In addition to Netflixs expansion at Mesa del Sol, he has touted Group Orions proposed development on city land near the Albuquerque International Sunport. Representatives for the aerospace company in November told the Albuquerque Environmental Planning Commission they want to build a massive campus by 2023 that could have 1,000 jobs at opening and potentially expand to 2,500.

As for the citys own finances, Keller will soon release his proposed budget for the fiscal year that starts July 1. The city was expected to enter the year with a $35.9 million surplus, thanks largely to 2020s federal COVID-19 relief. That was before the latest round of federal stimulus, which will bring another $114 million.

Keller said he does not anticipate raising taxes, something the city did a few months after he took office. Though he had said during his 2017 campaign he would not increase taxes without voter approval  and the 2018 tax hike never went before voters  Keller defended that move Monday, saying the extra revenue helped the city weather the pandemic.

In seeking a second term, Keller is likely to face criticism over Albuquerques crime. Though overall crime has fallen  led by a 10% decline in property crime from 2019 to 2020  violent crime has remained a scourge. Albuquerque has had more homicides the past two years than any years in recent memory, with 80 in 2019 and 76 in 2020.

Meanwhile, the court-appointed monitor evaluating the Albuquerque Police Departments progress toward U.S. Department of Justice-mandated reforms blasted the city last fall for an inability to police its own officers and warning in a report that the department was on the brink of a catastrophic failure.

Part of Kellers new strategy is to add a second APD leader. In addition to Police Chief Harold Medina, the mayor recently announced a new executive-level position to oversee reforms, officer discipline and police academy operations.

Dividing responsibilities should allow greater focus on both crime fighting and reform, Keller has said.

The mayor also hopes to remove some work from the police sphere through the new Community Safety Department. Keller announced it last summer as a third option  beyond police and firefighters  for answering 911 calls related to homelessness, behavioral health and more.

The city intends to hire the departments leadership by this summer, he said, and should have about 10 social workers staffing it this year.

Were going to start it this year, but the scaling of it  when people are really going to feel it when they call 911  thats all lined up for 2022, he said. Thats why its so important, I believe, that I get reelected.
Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas went on almost every Sunday talk show to deliver a message about immigration through the U.S.-Mexico border: "The border is closed." He told NBC News the Biden administration is "expelling families" and "single adults," though not unaccompanied minors. "We are not expelling children, girls, 5, 7, 9 years old back into the desert of Mexico, back into the hands of traffickers," Mayorkas told MSNBC.

Clearly, the southern border isn't "closed." Some families with small children are being allowed in, and the number of unaccompanied migrants has pushed sanctioned shelters far above capacity, leaving hundreds of children in crowded Customs and Border Protection facilities past the allowed three-day maximum. Mayorkas told CNN that DHS is "working around the clock to move these children out of the Border Patrol facilities into" appropriate shelters.

A federal judge had blocked former President Donald Trump from returning unaccompanied migrants to Mexico since November. President Biden did not resume the expulsions when an appellate court reversed that decision in January.

But the border also isn't "open," as many Republicans claim. The Biden administration has been using Trump's pandemic-linked Title 42 emergency health order to turn away adults and many families, though Mexico stopped taking back families with young children for several weeks. And while border crossings have risen since Biden took office  apparently fueled largely by smugglers selling migrants on the idea that Biden will be more lenient than Trump  the uptick began almost a year before Biden took office, according to CBP data collected by the American Immigration Council.

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Without Trump's draconian policies to rally against, Democrats don't really have a coherent immigration policy, David Leonhardt writes at The New York Times. "The U.S. could increase legal immigration. It could build more detention facilities with humane conditions. It could do more to improve conditions in Latin America and to push Mexico to control its own southern border. The Biden administration is pursuing many of these policies." But, he adds, "if Biden and his aides appear to be less steady on immigration than many other policy areas, there is a reason for that: They are less steady."

More stories from theweek.com

There is no immigration crisis

What the woke revolution is  and isn't

A jump in Social Security benefits


Oil fell with the near-term demand outlook remaining in focus after slumping the most since October last week.

Brent futures declined by about 0.5 percent on Monday after dropping 6.8 perce t last week. Oils demand recovery is being threatened by new lockdowns in Europe and a haphazard vaccine rollout, with new virus restrictions in France and Italy and Germany proposing an extension to lockdown measures. Meanwhile, new data show crude imports for India -- the worlds third-biggest oil importer -- plunged in February, while the number of unsold cargoes of West African crude is also higher than normal, hinting at weak buying interest.

However, theres continued optimism over consumption in the U.S. as the Biden administration unleashes a wave of stimulus. The number of passengers checking through airport security in the country rose to the highest in just over a year on Sunday. That could provide support for jet fuel, the worst-hit oil product -- at least in relative terms -- during the coronavirus crisis.

As crude plunged last week, the total number of futures contracts held by traders dropped by about 7 percent -- a sign that many in the market fled for the exit. Others are confident about the long-term outlook and a return to higher prices. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. said the recent selloff was transient and that the market rebalancing would continue with vaccinations driving higher mobility.

There is still some residual pessimism in the market, with Europe seeing pockets of increased Covid-19 cases, said Louise Dickson, an oil markets analyst at consultant Rystad Energy. If vaccination campaigns continue to face challenges going forward, 2021 may see up to 1 million barrels of oil demand per day not recovering this year, compared to a smooth recovery scenario, she said.

Since crudes slump last week, attention is also growing on the amount of oil Iran -- currently under U.S. sanctions -- is exporting, particularly to China. The worlds largest importer released data showing it received no Iranian crude for the first time in months, a sign supplies could be masked as originating from other countries.

Irans Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, meanwhile, said his country was in no hurry to revive the nuclear deal, although he reiterated that Tehran was still prepared to return to the original terms of the agreement once the U.S. has lifted sanctions.
Melbourne councils say land has become so expensive they cannot afford to provide enough open space for their residents.

Yarra Council alone calculates it would need $894 million to adequately accommodate its residents.

Melbourne, Yarra, Moonee Valley and Port Phillip councils on Monday addressed a Victorian parliamentary committee hearing on community access to parks, open space and sporting fields.

Cambridge Street Reserve in Collingwood, which has very little open space and a growing population, on a rainy Monday. Credit:Eddie Jim

City of Melbourne told the hearing there was a shortfall of at least 40 hectares, despite between $60 million and $70 million in open space payments from developers yet to be spent.
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Good morning, North State. Here's what you need to know to start your day on Monday, March 22.

Police investigating body found near missing person's car

Anderson police are investigating a body found Saturday near a vehicle linked to missing person Steven Bedwell. The Anderson Police Department said Bedwell's car in a remote area of Shingletown and a search of the nearby area turned up a body. Bedwell went missing over a month ago. The Shasta County Coroner's Office has not yet confirmed if the body is Bedwell.

75-year-old man dies on Upper Bidwell Park trail

Investigators are working to learn more after a man died in Upper Bidwell Park. Chico police said they got a call of a medical emergency on the Upper Rim Trail of Bidwell Park Sunday. Enloe flight care and several EMS crews responded and found an unresponsive 75-year-old man. Medics tried to save the man's life there at the park, but he was pronounced dead at the scene.

Chase from Redding to Red Bluff ends with arrest of wanted felon

Redding police said 32-year-old Ruben Ybarra, led police on a chase Sunday from Redding to Red Bluff, where he ran into the Holiday Inn. Police, the CHP, and Sheriff's deputies surrounded the hotel and a K-9 officer helped located Ybarra in a closet. He then tried to escape down a laundry shoot but an officer was waiting there to arrest him.

Suspect and officer injured during Chico party arrest



Chico police said 21-year-old Tony Alvarado-Tafoya ran from officers responding to a party noise complaint in the La Vista Verde apartments. One officer broke his foot during the chase. Police said Alvarado-Tafoya then broke his foot while jumping from a second-story window. Officers said Alvarado-Tafoya had a ghost gun on him that he now faces charges for.

California adopts 3-foot distancing rule for classrooms

Students in California classrooms can sit three feet apart instead of six, under new guidelines adopted by the state. The recommendations were announced over the weekend after federal health officials relaxed social distancing guidelines for schools nationwide.

121 million doses of COVID-19 vaccine administered in U.S., CDC says

Across the country, over 121 million doses have been administered. CDC data shows, about 77% of delivered vaccines are now in arms. The latest seven-day average shows about 2.4 million daily administrations, and about 43 million people are fully vaccinated.

Border Patrol numbers show another jump in the number of children held for more than 10 days

This week, the Biden Administration is fighting a growing problem at the border. As of Monday, nearly 5,000 unaccompanied children are in custody at the southern border, some 10,000 more around the country. Health and Human Services is opening temporary facilities to house, educate and care for the children until the government can find a sponsor for each one.
RTHK: US announces sanctions over Myanmar

The United States imposed sanctions on Monday targeting individuals and groups linked to Myanmar's military and its repression of pro-democracy protesters, the U.S. Treasury Department said.

The US action came on the heels of the European Union imposing its own sanctions on Monday on 11 individuals linked to the Feb. 1 coup in Myanmar, also known as Burma, the EU's most significant response since the military began suppressing protests violently.

"The Burmese security forces lethal violence against peaceful protesters must end, said Andrea Gacki, director of the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control. "We continue to stand with the people of Burma."

Treasury's action targeted Than Hlaing, a police force leader, and military officer Aung Soe, as well as two military groups, the 33rd Light Infantry Division of the Burmese Army and the 77th Light Infantry Division of the Burmese Army. (Reuters)

This story has been published on: 2021-03-22. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
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EAST HAMPTON - Town Manager David E. Cox will present the proposed $49.8 million budget for fiscal year 2021-22 to the Board of Finance Monday, March 21.

The proposal for the new fiscal year that starts July 1 is $2.328 million, or 4.19 percent, higher than the current fiscal years budget.

The largest share of the budget is earmarked for education.

The Board of Education is requesting $33.187 million for the coming year.

That is a proposed increase of $1.1 million, or 3.28 percent, from the current education spending plan.

The general government - or town portion of the budget - funds the daily governmental functions: police and public safety, the Highway Department and other municipal departments.

The town budget also includes funds for capital expenditures for large, one-time purchases .

Cox is requesting $12.1 million overall, an increase 3.8 percent.

The current tax collection rate is 98.5 percent, according to the budget proposal.

The third component of the budget is debt service, the money spent on projects that were previously approved by residents.

Debt service increases this year to accommodate costs related to the High School project and the Town Hall, the plan says. Significant application of premiums paid to the Town during the bond sale process was made to reduce the payments for FY 2022 and will be used again in FY 2023. The total amount of debt service to be paid by the Town is expected to plateau in FY 2023 assuming no significant new debt is issued.

If the budget were approved as proposed, it would require a 1.59 mill increase in the tax rate, to 34.73 mills, according to the budget proposal.

The proposal includes a contingency allocation, according to the document. This allocation of $30,000 is intended to provide funding for any extraordinary, unplanned, unusual and/or necessary emergency expenses during the fiscal year as determined by the Town Manager. the document says.

In a letter to the Board of Finance - and residents - in the introduction to the budget, Cox said he had endeavored to plan spending in a holistic way.

That required assessing the future of the community, he said, with an effort to provide sufficient and appropriate resources so that program needs can be met or can be enhanced.

Efforts are made to assess what plans are realistic and what concepts might be beyond our reach, Cox wrote, adding, Your Town staff are very conscientious employees (who) strive to do everything; provide every service and program, be anywhere we need them at the exact moment we need them.

However, according to Cox, The departments presented recommendations that were mindful of the current economic and financial situation.

Increases in expenses were primarily driven by increases in costs outside of the towns control or related to contractual obligations, according to Cox.

As Town Manager, I have attempted to balance those challenges with a measured approach to increasing the cost of government, he wrote.

The budget presentation will begin at 6:30 p.m. and can be accessed via Zoom at https://www.easthamptonct.gov/.

Comments on the proposed budget can be made by accessing budget@easthamptonct.gov.
Reuters

NEW YORK (Reuters) -JPMorgan Chase & Co is halfway through a campaign to open 400 new bank branches and is closing in on being the first U.S. bank to have a brick and mortar presence in every state except Alaska and Hawaii, a bank executive said on Wednesday. JPMorgan is already the largest American bank by assets, providing loans, credit cards, savings accounts and other services to nearly half of all U.S. households. In 2018, the bank said it would open 400 branches in new markets to try to get more business from existing clients, said head of Chase branch expansion Dan Deegan.
Dr. Anthony Muiru remembers being one of the only Black pre-med students inside UC Berkeleys crowded lecture halls in 2002.

He found the experience isolating. A Kenyan immigrant who attended public schools in the East Bay, Muiru said he didnt feel as though his high school education prepared him for the academic rigors at UC Berkeley.

Coming from an under-resourced high school, youre very vulnerable, Muiru said. As soon as that imposter syndrome kicks in, youre going to fall off of the wagon.

A friend referred Muiru to UC Berkeleys Biology Scholars Program. Created in 1992, BSP offers peer mentoring, academic advice, internships and other resources to mostly low-income students of color who have chosen to pursue careers in STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics). The program has cultivated more than 3,000 students, many of whom were the first in their families to attend college.

Muiru, 36, a nephrologist at UCSF who treats patients with kidney disease, credits BSP for his success in medicine  and for giving him a sense of belonging when he was the only Black person in the room.

I stop and think about what would have happened to me (without BSP), Muiru said. I honestly dont think I wouldve pulled it off.

Sarahbeth Maney / Special to The Chronicle

As BSP approaches its 30th anniversary, the programs future isnt guaranteed.

BSP founder and director John Matsui says the program has about $1.2 million left  enough for another 18 months. He worries the universitys roughly $200 million deficit will prevent it from financially supporting BSP in the coming years.

The uncertainty has mobilized BSP alumni, who see the program as a critical pipeline, one that is actively diversifying the medical profession at a time when the coronavirus pandemic has exposed glaring health disparities in the United States.

A lot of minority physicians have been leaned on heavily to reach out to minority populations, said Dr. Maria Garcia, an assistant professor of medicine at UCSF and co-director of the Multiethnic Health Equity Research Center, as well as a BSP alumna. Having that health care workforce that can relate to some of the issues and concerns of the population at large is crucial.

Indigenous, Black and Pacific Islander people across the U.S. have experienced the highest death tolls from COVID-19, according to the APM Research Lab. Latinos bear the brunt in California, accounting for 46% of deaths despite representing just 39% of the population, according to state data.

The disparities also play out in the Bay Area. In San Francisco, Latinos and Pacific Islanders are among the most impacted by the virus. Pacific Islanders have a case rate of 1,477 per 10,000 residents, while Latinos have a case rate of 1,077 per 10,000, according to county data. By comparison, white residents have a case rate of 213 per 10,000.

We need scientists of color, Matsui said. We need people from low-income backgrounds.

Sarahbeth Maney / Special to The Chronicle

Matsui said he and Berkeley colleagues Corey Goodman and Caroline Kane created the program three decades ago. Its a personal mission for Matsui, who said he grew up in a low-income household in west Berkeley, where he was the first to go to college and wasnt given a second look by professors.

This has nothing to do with their motivation or ability, or their willingness to put in the long hours, Matsui said. But they come from backgrounds where their chemistry course was taught by somebody who was unqualified to teach chemistry. They had many other obligations pulling on them and to this day still do. The playing field is not level. ... And so this program has provided an environment and interventions. ... We help them succeed.

According to a May 2019 report by UC Berkeleys Office of the President, 85% of BSP graduates are accepted to medical school. About 60% of BSP participants were from underrepresented groups, 70% were women and 80% were low-income or first-generation college students, the report stated.

Many BSP alumni work in underserved communities, aiming to address the health disparities that plagued their own families.

Michael Botchan, UC Berkeleys dean of biological sciences, said the university strongly supports the program and has pledged more than $400,000 annually through 2022. Matsui said that BSPs annual operating budget is around $800,000, and that UC Berkeley historically covered 75% of that.

The university is struggling with a multimillion-dollar deficit caused by the coronavirus pandemic. In December, UC Berkeley Chancellor Carol Christ said the university managed to eliminate $140 million of its $340 million deficit, but that it would need to implement further changes to close the gap.

About 400 students are currently enrolled in BSP. The program covers the $2,000 enrollment fee required per student and pays four staff members to mentor students.

For students, the program can be life-changing.

Muiru immigrated to Oakland with his family at age 14. The concept of primary care in the U.S. astounded the teen, who was struck by how much access Americans had to medical treatment. Something as simple as being able to call 911 surprised him. Back in Kenya, in a remote village about two hours from Nairobi, people only saw a physician if it was a matter of life or death, he said. It didnt take long for Muiru to decide to pursue medicine.

When he started his pre-med track as an undergraduate student, Muiru said he was enrolled in a series of difficult classes that he mightve dropped if his BSP mentor didnt help him customize his course load. Muiru says the program helped him stay the course, even after he graduated and didnt find the same support at Harvard Medical School.

It made me feel not so lonely, he said. Going from a lecture hall where youre the only Black person to a BSP room where you see a bunch of other people who are from underrepresented backgrounds, who are your friends, it just made the community at Berkeley go from an ocean to a very small pond.

Though his initial plan was to return to Kenya after medical school, Muiru saw a need in his own community.

In 2018, Muiru became the first Black man to join UCSF Healths nephrology department, though other Black UCSF nephrologists were based at San Francisco General Hospital and the San Francisco Veterans Administration Medical Center.

The lack of representation in his department shocked and saddened him, he said, given the prevalence of kidney disease among Black Americans. Black people suffer from the disease at a rate three times higher than white people, according to the National Kidney Foundation. Its a disparity he aims to address at UCSF.

We serve a very unique role that is life-saving, Muiru said. Were able to get to patients who look like us in ways that other people cannot. I think if we are serious about making sure that what happened with COVID is not going to happen again, we really do have to diversify the medical field.

Tatiana Sanchez is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: tatiana.sanchez@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @TatianaYSanchez
The approval represents the final primary environmental approval for the project and facilitates the construction of the crushing and screening plant and associated infrastructure on site.

A letter of intent has recently been signed aimed at appointing Big Yellow as mining contractor

Fe Ltd ( ) (FRA:B4T) has been granted a key environmental approval for its Wiluna West JWD Iron Ore Project in Western Australia as the project gets moves closer to the start of mining.

The company has received formal notification from the Department of Water and Environmental Regulation (DWER) that it has granted the Works Approval for the JWD Project.

This represents the final primary environmental approval for the project and its grant facilitates the construction of the crushing and screening plant and associated infrastructure on site.

Preparation for mining

Fe Ltd executive chairman Tony Sage said: "We are pleased that the works approval has been granted, which largely completes the permitting process for the JWD project.

As I mentioned in the last company update, we are now starting to see the results flow through from all the teams work and we expect to continue to announce a steady stream of milestones being achieved in coming weeks as we finalise our preparation for commencement of mining."

Appointment of contractor

Last week, the company signed a letter of intent aimed at appointing emerging mining contractor Big Yellow as mining contractor for the West Wiluna JWD project.

The full contract is expected to be completed within the next 30 days, subject to receipt of necessary environmental approvals and logistic contracts.

The LOI will enable Big Yellow to allocate the necessary mining fleet and people to the project.

Offtake arrangements

FEL has a number of parties interested in securing the JWD product and is working to finalise the optimal offtake arrangement utilising the companys extensive industry contracts.
The IRS said last week that it has already sent out around 90 million stimulus checks under the American Rescue Plan passed earlier this month  but some people have reported only getting partial payments.

It was a pretty big shock when we thought we were going to receive $4,200 and only got $2,100, Joshua Bair of Kentucky told King5.

Who qualifies for a stimulus check?

Individuals making under $75,000 and couples making under $150,000 qualify for the full $1,400 payment, plus $1,400 per child or adult dependent.

The payments phase out for individuals earning more than $75,000 a year and joint filers earning more than $150,000 a year, with payments capping out at annual incomes of $80,000 and $160,000, respectively.

Whats the issue?

Cassie Greaney and her husband Marc of Payson, Arizona, said they have two daughters they claimed as dependents, 12 News reported, but still havent received their full payment despite qualifying for $1,400 checks.

According to the IRS, they have sent the full $5,600 owed to us. According to my bank, they have received $2,800 and there are no pending deposits, Greaney said, according to the station.

The IRS has not commented publicly on the reported issue. McClatchy News has reached out to the agency to request comment.

Frustration from only receiving half of eligible payments has spawned a Facebook group called Half Stimulus Missing/Received Status.

Under the guidelines we should have received $5600, for my husband and I and our 2 children, Sarah Conley of Indiana wrote in the Facebook group. We only received half, $2800. But when I go to the IRS get my payment tool, when I put in mine OR my husbands info, it says there are errors so I cant even see what the status is.

For married couples who file jointly, some have said they realized after checking the IRS Get My Payment tool that the dates for when the IRS says money will be deposited differ for each person.

My husbands stimulus status updated today to a deposit on March 24th, wrote Jamie Lee Morales of Arizona. Previously it said March 17th and I had only gotten half. Not sure what happened, but glad it got fixed for us.

Story continues

More stimulus payments on the way

The IRS announced Monday that another wave of stimulus payments will be issued this week, with a large number of prepaid debit cards and paper checks being mailed.

For people receiving stimulus checks through direct deposit, this round of payments began processing on Friday and will officially land in bank accounts on Mar. 24, the agency said.

Taxpayers who do not receive a direct deposit by March 24 should watch the mail carefully in the coming weeks for a paper check or a prepaid debit card, known as an Economic Impact Payment Card, or EIP Card, according to the IRS.

An IRS spokesperson told WHAS-TV last week that stimulus checks are coming out in batches and encouraged people to be patient.

IRS Commissioner Chuck Rettig added: Since this new set of payments will include more mailed payments, we urge people to carefully watch their mail for a check or debit card in the coming weeks.

Checks seized by debt collectors?

Theres also a possibility that the third round of stimulus checks could be seized by private debt collectors, experts say.

The third round of stimulus checks cant be seized by the government to pay off child support debt or IRS tax debt, but could still be garnished by debt collectors to pay off private debt, according to Garrett Watson, senior policy analyst at the Tax Foundation, CNET reported.

But if your third stimulus check is missing and you have to claim it on your taxes next year, the IRS could use some or all of the money issued as a Recovery Rebate Credit for unpaid student loans or child support, according to the publication.
Cybersecurity

CISA head: Group of SolarWinds victims is 'solidified'

Brandon Wales, the acting director of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, said on Monday the list of victims from the attack on SolarWinds Orion has "solidified" and he is not expecting many more organizations to come forward.

"When it comes to the SolarWinds and Microsoft Office 365 compromises from last year, I would say the victim space is largely solidified now," Wales said during an online forum hosted by the McCrary Institute at Auburn University in Alabama. "Were not expecting to see a lot of new victims."

Anne Neuberger, the deputy national security advisor for cyber and emerging technology, has previously said nine federal agencies and roughly 100 private companies were victimized by the campaign against SolarWinds Orion, an IT management software.

Asked a similar question about victims of the recently discovered vulnerabilities in Microsoft Exchange, Wales said CISA is continuing to work with federal agencies to understand if any have been compromised. He said he could not give a definitive answer yet on if some were breached.

"Different from the Microsoft Exchange vulnerability, theres a relatively smaller universe -- still quite large -- of companies that are utilizing things like SolarWinds Orion network management software," he said.

During the virtual event, Wales also sounded the alarm on the threat posed by ransomware and discussed his agencys new awareness campaign.

"Ransomware continues to kind of bedevil the cybersecurity community in part because these ransomware operators are looking broadly," he said. "When were facing up against nation state adversaries, theyve got a purpose behind what theyre doing. Theyre looking for information. But for ransomware operators, theyre looking at anyone."

The CISA director also noted -- as private-sector companies have outlined in reports -- the spike in remote work and digital activities as a result of the coronavirus pandemic brought with it a spike in ransomware attacks in 2020.

"If the business model remains viable, if criminal actors can continue to profit from ransomware, we are unlikely to see a significant reduction in the activity from these ransomware operators," Wales said.
AstraZeneca says advanced trial data from a US study on its COVID vaccine shows it is 79% effective.

The US study comprised 30,000 volunteers, 20,000 of whom were given the vaccine while the rest got dummy shots. The results were announed Monday.

The early findings from the US study are just one set of information AstraZeneca must submit to the Food and Drug Administration. An FDA advisory committee will publicly debate the evidence behind the shots before the agency decides whether to allow emergency use of the vaccine.

While the AstraZeneca vaccine has been authorized in more than 50 countries worldwide, scientists have been awaiting results of the US study in hopes it will clear up some of the confusion about just how well the shots really work.

Also read: Over 6 crore COVID-19 vaccine doses sent to 76 nations: Harsh Vardhan

Also read: WHO approves AstraZeneca's COVID-19 jab due to 'tremendous potential'
Chennai, March 22 : Tamil Nadu Chief Minister and senior leader of AIADMK, E. Palaniswami, has promised a new district, Arni, which will be carved out of Tiruvannamalai district.

The chief minister made the announcement during a slew of public programmes on Sunday evening.

Palaniswami lashed out against DMK President M.K. Stalin calling him a "fake" farmer and informed that he, himself, and his family were the ones into farming for the past seven years.

The chief minister challenged Stalin as to whether he could even till a land.

Palaniswami claimed that he could till a land easily as it was his family's vocation.

He also charged that senior leader V.R. Nedunchezhiyan was cheated by Stalin's father, M. Karunanidhi for the post of chief minister whereas the sitting AIADMK CM became the chief minister only after being elected by a majority of legislators.

Addressing a public programme at Vandavasi in the Tiruvannamalai district, Palaniswami said that his government has won the prestigious "Krishi Karman Award" initiated by the central government for the past five years and added that it was his government's consistent dedication and commitment that made it possible.

He also said that Tamil Nadu has achieved its food production target of 100 lakh tonne, which was yet another milestone for his government.

The AIADMK has stitched a pre-poll alliance with the BJP in power at the Centre for the upcoming April 6 state Assembly elections.
Kosovo lawmakers gathered in Pristina for the first parliamentary session since the country held a snap election on February 14. The parliament is expected to meet again in the coming days to vote on a new prime minister. Albin Kurti, the leader of the Self-Determination Movement, has been nominated for the post.
Elsa Peretti, a fashion model in the 1960s and 1970s who became more renowned as a designer of jewelry, including her "bone cuff" bracelet - one of the most recognizable accessories of the past 50 years - died March 18 at her home in the Spanish village of Sant Marti Vell. She was 80.

Her death was announced in a joint statement from her company and the Nando and Elsa Peretti Foundation. She died of natural causes.

When Peretti moved to Barcelona to become a model in the mid-1960s, her wealthy Italian family cut off financial support. She became part of an artistic enclave that included surrealist artist Salvador Dali before moving to New York in 1968.

"I arrived with a black eye, from my lover, who didn't want me to go," she later recalled to Vanity Fair.

With her tall, elegant appearance, she became a favorite model of designers, including Issey Miyake, Charles James and especially Halston, who went by just one name.

"Elsa was different from the other models," Halston once said. "The others were clothes racks - you'd make them up, fix their hair, and then they'd put their blue jeans back on. But Elsa had style: She made the dress she was modeling her own."

While working as a model in New York, Peretti began to design accessory items, including belts and a tiny silver bud vase worn as pendant on a chain or leather strap. (The vase was functional and could hold a small flower.)

Inspired in part by Halston's minimalist style, she became a designer for Tiffany & Co. in 1974. She also designed a perfume bottle for Halston, with a rounded teardrop shape.

Peretti and Halston became close friends and were often seen together at New York discotheques in the 1970s, including Studio 54. During those years, Peretti admitted to subsisting on little more than caviar, cocaine, vodka and cigarettes. She was fluent in English, Italian, Spanish and French and often mixed all four during a conversation.

Strong-willed and tempestuous, she had a fiery temper that she sometimes turned on Halston, despite their close relationship. He had given her a sable coat for designing the perfume bottle, but after an especially heated argument, she threw the coat in a fireplace, where it was immediately consumed by flames. They reconciled before Halston's death in 1990.

By then, Peretti was already celebrated for her jewelry designs. Instead of gold, she turned to silver as her primary metal, preferring its stark clarity and relative affordability. She often based her ideas on simple shapes found in nature, such as beans, scorpions and snakes.

Peretti traveled the world to find skilled jewelry makers and held each item in her hand, testing its contours and heft, as if it were a living thing. One of her earliest designs was a necklace shaped exactly like a kidney bean but made in silver or gold. She later incorporated the bean design into countless other items, from cuff links to purses.

She designed earrings shaped like teardrops and used finely woven gold and silver mesh to create a feathery metallic scarf that could be draped or tied. One necklace design, on closer examination, was a metallic representation of the curving skeleton of a snake.

"Good line and good form are timeless," Peretti told the Wall Street Journal last year, adding, "I want my designs to be clear, simple but sublime."

One of her most familiar designs was the "bone cuff," a wide metal band worn as a bracelet. It included a noticeable protuberance in the metal, allowing it to fit comfortably over the wrist bone. Peretti got the idea from handling bones, which she sometimes stole as a child from underground crypts in Rome.

"Things that are forbidden remain with you forever," she said.

She also developed the concept of diamonds and pearls "by the yard," placing them widely on a necklace to keep prices lower. One of her most popular designs, the "open heart" necklace, is a heart-shaped frame of silver, with a chain through the empty center.

Over the years, Peretti maintained tight control over the design and manufacture of her items, which came to include tableware, drinking glasses and leather goods.

In 2019, Tiffany estimated that its stores around the world sold an object designed by Peretti once every minute. Items with her "open heart" design were sold once every three minutes. (Last year, Tiffany was bought by LVMH Moet Hennessy Louis Vuitton for about $16 billion.)

"The day Elsa Peretti became a part of Tiffany & Co. was the day we entered a new era in our history of design innovation," company chairman William R. Chaney said in 2001. She "not only created a model for style and elegance that defined contemporary life, she changed forever the way people think about jewelry and incorporating fine taste in their lives."

In 2012, Peretti announced that she was planning to retire. At the time, her designs accounted for 10 percent of Tiffany's annual sales of about $3.8 billion. When the company offered to buy her name, designs and intellectual property, she balked. Instead, she negotiated a new 20-year contract, in which she retained control of her line of products. She received an outright payment of more than $47 million, plus an additional $450,000 a year and a 5 percent royalty on net sales of her designs.

"It was my price for the past," Peretti told Vanity Fair about the contract, which remains in force after her death. "It might look like a lot, but, after taxes, it's not really, for the work I've done."

Elsa Peretti was born May 1, 1940, in Florence and grew up in Rome. Her father was the founder of an oil company; her mother did not work outside the home.

She was educated in Rome and Switzerland and was a ski instructor and French teacher before moving to Barcelona.

When Peretti was featured in a 1977 cover story in Newsweek magazine, her father finally took pride in her accomplishments - and died months later. Peretti inherited 44.25 percent of the shares of her father's company. Her older sister, Mila, her only sibling, received 55.75 percent.

Peretti sued her sister and brother-in-law, seeking to obtain an equal stake in the company. Her percentage of the stock was raised to 49 percent through arbitration. Afterward, Peretti demanded that her sister and brother-in-law buy her out. The rift between the sisters never healed. Peretti received hundreds of millions of dollars, which she used to establish a charitable foundation named after her father and herself.

Peretti never married but had numerous relationships with men, including photographer Helmut Newton. Her longest relationship was with an Italian contractor, Stefano Magini. Their first encounter was an animated argument after he knocked down a gate at her home with his truck.

"We were together 23 years," Peretti told Vanity Fair in 2014. "Ten were great."

Through the years, she had homes in New York, Barcelona, Rome and Porto Ercole, Italy. Her primary residence, however, was in Sant Marti Vell, Spain, a medieval village outside Barcelona, where she bought a house in 1968.

"My first years," Peretti told Vanity Fair, "things were still in ruins, many of the houses didn't have roofs, and I slept on a bench and washed myself on the stone floor."

She restored many buildings throughout the town, planted a vineyard, launched a wine label and stayed in close touch with the Barcelona metalworkers who executed her jewelry designs.

"I didn't want to become someone," she said of her retreat from the limelight. "I wanted to do what I wanted, to work with artisans, with my people. They bring my fantasies to life."
Among the military memorabilia and team awards displayed at the Levi Rodgers Real Estate Group office hangs a photo that humbles the owner each time he sees it.

Inside the frame, a rugged U.S. Army Special Forces A-team looks out from a distant post in Helmand Province of Afghanistan. The image was taken on Sept. 15, 2009, just hours before a moment that took a devastating toll on Rodgers life.

Each day, the first thing he does is stop at the wall. Then he places a palm below the photo to remember the three soldiers and an Afghan translator who died while riding with him in the vehicle that struck an improvised explosive device.

The former Army Green Beret suffered shattered bones and severe injuries that required two years of surgeries and rehabilitation.

Its important to remember what its all about for me, Rodgers, 43, said with a tremble in his voice. Nothing else is on this wall for a reason.

The memory of the fallen men drives every waking moment.

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His years of military service serve as a team concept for his operation that takes up a third floor suite on Paesanos Parkway. In 2016, Rodgers founded the real estate group thats become one of the leading sales teams in the nation. His 20 employees, including military veterans and spouses, provide more than 50 real estate agents with business opportunities.

Rodgers mission is serving those who have served, but the company reaches out to civilians as well across San Antonio, known as Military City USA.

The whole goal here is by, with, through and for our community, Rodgers said. Just go out and have an impact. I feel when I lay down at night I have a responsibility to everybody thats trusted me. Not just the clients, but to those that work here. Its a huge part of my life.

The veteran-owned company was one of 15 recipients of the 2019 Secretary of Defense Employer Support Freedom Award. The award is the highest U.S. government honor bestowed to employers who go above and beyond for National Guard and Reserve employees.

Rodgers is a Purple Heart recipient and was awarded four Bronze Stars and a Legion of Merit.

His military career began as a 17-year-old high school graduate seeking new vistas beyond Sacramento, Calif. He enlisted in the Army in 1996 and worked as a heavy equipment operator. While deployed to Bosnia, he was curious about a group of armed, bearded men dressed in civilian clothes.

Who are those guys? he asked his squad leader.

Those are Green Berets, came the reply.

Rodgers was intrigued. He researched their mission as elite soldiers and knew this was the path he wanted to pursue. In 1998, he applied and was selected to train at Fort Bragg, North Carolina. The training pushed the former high-school athlete to his limits, physically and mentally.

When Rodgers graduated from the year-long program, he said he gained a lifelong commitment to men he could count on no matter what and would drop everything if called upon for help.

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From 2000 to 2009, Rodgers served on a special forces A-Team that worked in Central and South America. then he was deployed to the Middle East in Iraq and Afghanistan.

When you serve in combat with another human being, the relationships created on the field of battle are hard to replicate, Rodgers said.

That bond was intact on the night the chief warrant officer led a convoy from an Afghan village back to their home base. The ground mobility vehicles were traveling at a fast clip. Then the explosion happened  his vehicle had hit an IED. Three team members, Brad Bohle, Josh Mills, Shawn McCloskey, all died. So did Rasool, the young Afghan translator riding in the combat vehicle.

Sgt. Pedro Solis, the teams dog handler, ran to the fiery scene and pulled Rodgers from the wreck as fellow soldiers fired back at the enemy. Solis, from the Southwest Side of San Antonio, recalled that his team leader was still conscious, giving commands.

Forty percent of Rodgers body was burned. He had internal damage. Both of his legs and back were broken. He was flown to Landstuhl Regional Medical Center in Germany and then to the Brooke Army Medical Center burn unit.

He was the lone survivor.

For more than a month, Rodgers was in a medically-induced coma. He went though rehabilitation at the Center for the Intrepid.

His entry into selling homes came from the impact a real estate agent had on his life. He was 22 years old, stationed in North Carolina, when he called real estate agent Gary Langdon to buy a double-wide trailer with a Jacuzzi tub. Thirty seconds after they met, Langdon tore up the contract.

Son, Langdon said, this house is going to depreciate, not appreciate.

Instead, he sold Rodgers a one-story ranch-style house that his family lived in for 12 years. Sale of the home helped the family pay off debt and Rodgers real estate classes.

He found mentors in Samuel Raia and Lawrence Raia, co-founders of Homes Fit for Heroes. Since 2009, the organization has provided free housing to 250 wounded special operations service members and their families while they go through treatment and recovery.

Rodgers and his family were among early recipients of a free, furnished unit at the Vista Ridge Apartments while he recovered at BAMC from his injuries. When he heard the news he wanted to personally thank the founders. Four months after he was out of the hospital, he met the duo during a military-related trip to New York City.

Knowing about Rodgers extensive injuries, Lawrence Raia, 52, recalled sitting with his cousin Samuel in a bistro, waiting for a man in a wheelchair. When Rodgers walked in with a cane and introduced himself, the men couldnt help but stare, astounded to see him on his feet.

After the 90-minute meeting, the Raias became Rodgers confidants, sharing their business acumen and helping him evaluate different opportunities.

Hes taken his chapter in civilian life and paid it back, Lawrence Raia said during a phone conversation. He helps them (veterans) buy homes in a way that Gary Langdon helped him. Its been a singular honor to be a part of his life and watch him reinvent himself and achieve what hes achieved.

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Rogers retired from the Army in October 2012. Every goal he accomplishes is with the thought that he doesnt want to waste his life.

Its not just my story, Rodgers said. I feel its a duty and everything Im doing is for those who didnt make it. Im committed to this and its what Im here for, the families and their sacrifice.

The team photo on the wall is his memorial to the fallen men and their loved ones he will never forget. Nor can he forget the man who ran to his aid without regard for his own safety.

Today Solis is director of logistics of Rodgers team, still a brother in arms at his side.

vtdavis@express-news.net
ABOUT THIS SERIES: There is no minimizing the 525,000 American lives lost to COVID-19. But something else was lost: the lifestyles, livelihoods and those many seemingly ordinary things we once loved to do, all disrupted by the pandemic and resulting societal restrictions. Marking the one-year anniversary of Pennsylvanias lockdown, PennLive is chronicling the stories of What We Lost  people, places and things changed by the coronavirus.

This was a different kind of writers block. The kind imposed by all the anxiety, uncertainty, even depression, brought on by the coronavirus pandemic.
Gurugram, March 22 : Industry bodies on Monday criticised the Haryana government's Bill providing 75 per cent reservation in the private sector to job seekers from the state, saying that the government should have increased the job opportunities by bringing in new investment in the state rather than introducing the reservation policy.

Scores of industrialists from Manesar, Gurugram, Sonipat, Panipat, Panchkula, Rohtak and Faridabad have also moved the Punjab and Haryana High court against this Bill.

"The government should have consulted with the entrepreneurs or industrial association before passing the Bill, then we would have suggested them against the move before it became a law. Later, the Additional Chief Secretary (Labour) has sought our advice on it but to no avail as it has now become a law," K.K. Gandi, president, Sector-37 Industrial Association told IANS.

"Industrialists everywhere seem unhappy with this decision. The Haryana government may have done it for their youth but presently, the employment-oriented party is looking far away from its decision. It should not be the case that the Haryana government has decided to benefit the youth of their state, wheather it is in the IT sector or the manufacturing sector. If the existing industries shift from the state to other states, then there is loss instead of profit," Pawan Yadav, president IMT Industrial Association told IANS.

"The reservation in private sector is immoral. Here your value depends on your quality. You should get employment opportunities according to your ability. Had the government thought about the well-being of the youth of the state, then it should have increased employment opportunities by bringing in new investment rather than reservation," he said.

"If the Haryana government was willing to reserve a certain per cent of seats for the local people, there is a way in implementing such Bill, it should have been done with a relatively low percentage. Initially the Haryana government should have started with a 25 per cent reservation and concurrently launched various skill development programmes to train them on technical skills, but on the contrary, the government increased the reservation. This law will create a huge problem to all the firms across the state, whether it is IT, Auto sector or construction sites," Yadav added.
The new stimulus bill made tens of millions of Americans eligible for new health insurance subsidies. But many will have to wait to get help: It will probably take a year for the full emergency aid to reach people, because of website complications and other logistical problems.

President Biden has promoted the subsidies as fulfilling his campaign promise to shore up the Affordable Care Act. And for many uninsured Americans, the new program will offer free or inexpensive health plans that were previously unaffordable.

But the health laws complex structure makes it hard to retool insurance subsidies, let alone create a new program for the unemployed. The systems that distribute the benefits depend on government coders who update websites, and marketers who help people understand the new programs and jump through various administrative hoops to collect them.

I dont think there is enough Xanax out there for this, said Jodi Ray, project director at Florida Covering Kids and Families, which manages the states health law outreach efforts.
As part of its reckless reopening of the economy, with everything to be fully reopened by June, the UK Conservative government is to end its ban on private sector evictions for rent arrears on May 31. The ban on evictions was introduced in March last year and has been extended several times.

The government was forced into maintaining an eviction ban out of fear of the social backlash to hundreds of thousands of people being made homeless in the midst of a pandemic.

With Prime Minister Boris Johnson declaring that the current lockdown will be the last, a massive wave of homelessness is set to hit the UK in England and Wales when the ban is lifted in just over two months.

On March 10, Housing Minister Robert Jenrick announced that the evictions ban, that had been due to end March 31, would end May 31. The Tory government came under pressure from housing organisations and charities for the new extension because of the high number of renters who have fallen into rent arrears as a result of the impact of Covid-19 on jobs and incomes.

A homeless person in Manchester city centre sleeps as the temperatures reached freezing in January 2019 (credit: WSWS)

The Welsh Labour Party-run devolved government last week extended current restrictions on evictions to the end of June. The Scottish National Party government announced that the eviction ban extension will last until September 30. However, the ban on evictions in Scotland only applies to those in areas subject to the higher level 3 and 4 Covid restrictions, meaning that evictions can proceed in areas where there are lesser restrictions in tiers 0, 1 and 2.

In what is falsely described as a major concession, landlords and letting agents in England will, from May, have to give six-months notice of eviction, meaning that physical evictions can still start in November. However, those tenants with over 6 months accumulated rent arrears will still be able to be evicted after May 31 with just four weeks notice. Those deemed guilty of anti-social behaviour will also be able to be evicted with four weeks notice. The other main exemption is that landlords will be able to evict with just three months notice those deemed to have breached immigration rules under the Right to Rent policy.

Housing charity Shelter warned that many tenants remain in a precarious position. In a press release, Shelter chief executive Polly Neate stated, These extensions will come as a relief to the frightened renters whove been flooding our helpline with calls. While the threat level from the virus is still high, its right that renters can stay safe in their homes.

But as we follow the roadmap out of lockdown, the destination for renters remains unknown. The pandemic has repeatedly exposed just how broken private renting is, leaving many people hanging onto their homes by a thread. And, although the ban and longer notice periods are keeping renters safe for now, they wont last forever.

Shelter issued a March 16 press release based on a poll carried out for the charity by data analysis firm YouGov. The survey found around 14 percent of the population in England, around six million people feared homelessness because of big reductions in incomes and job losses following on from the pandemic.

Shelter predicted, With peoples incomes slashed, job losses mounting and people hanging onto their homes by a thread, the charity expects the pressure on its frontline services to grow.

The poll showed those renting privately were those most concerned about becoming homeless, with more than one in four (27 percent) expressing such fears. Nearly half (47 percent) of private renters were depressed or anxious about the housing situation compared to 26 percent of the general population.

A quarter of private renters (2 million people) have suffered a cut in their incomes over the last six months leading to problems paying their rent. Over the last month, the survey showed, 24 percent of private renters have had to borrow money to meet their rent, while 18 percent had missed meals or cut back on food and 12 percent had cut back on heating in order to cover rent costs.

Over the last year, said Shelter, around two-thirds of calls to its emergency helpline were from those homeless or under risk of becoming homeless.

These findings were echoed in a report by debt charity StepChange. It highlighted that 150,000 private renters were at risk of eviction due to the financial hardships of the Covid-19 pandemic leading to rent arrears. The report noted, Renters are in need of urgent help to avert a crisis of widespread housing insecurity, homelessness and long-term problem debt.

StepChanges research showed half of private renters (3.7 million people) have seen a fall in their income since March last yearthe beginning of the pandemic. Over the same period, the number of those who have fallen behind with their rent has doubled to 460,000.

The report noted, our research reveals 25bn of arrears and borrowing directly attributable to Covid has been built up since the start of the pandemic, with more than 19 million people (38% of British adults) having faced a loss of income in this period. Meanwhile, the number of people in severe problem debt stands at 1.8 million, up from 1.4 million in September.

StepChange called for a further extension to give renters more chance to get back on their feet, while noting, however the report finds this alone would not be enough to hold back the rising tide of debt many private renters are battlingone in five expects it to take at least six months until they can even afford all their household bills again.

Speaking to the reports findings, StepChange CEO Phil Andrew said, The pandemic has taken an enormous financial toll on many households, but renters have been particularly badly hit: they are more likely to work in sectors affected by Covid, more likely to have lost income and more likely to have suffered mental ill-health. At the outset of the pandemic the Housing Secretary stated that no-one should lose their home because of the pandemic, but a year on this is a very real prospect for hundreds of thousands of people.

The Governments continued suspension of rental evictions until the end of May is a positive step, but this alone will only serve as a stay of execution for those with unmanageable rent arrears.

Many MPs benefit from extortionate rents in the private sector, with much of the governments personnel landlords themselves. Compared to the figure of five percent of the general population estimated to be landlords, for Parliament the figure is around 20 percent. For government ministers the figure is around 25 percent. The percentage of landlord MPs is highest for the Tories at 24 percent, followed by the Lib Dems (18 percent), Scottish National Party (9 percent) and Labour (8 percent).

The pandemic has also revealed the staggering level of people rough sleeping. A parliamentary Public Accounts Committee reviewed the impact of the Everyone In initiative, in which local authorities were given 3.2 million to offer accommodation to rough sleepers to help them to self-isolate in hotels or hostels at the start of the first national lockdown in March 2020. Rough sleepers were accommodated because to leave them on the streets would add to the risk of spreading Covid-19 at a time when it was feared that the pandemic could overwhelm the National Health Service.

The report found that over 37,000 rough sleepers had been offered accommodation up to January this year. This figure for rough sleepers was around nine times more than previous estimates of rough sleepers obtained by carrying out snapshot surveys in autumn each year.

Jenrick has recently pledged an extra 212 million to house 6,000 rough sleepers by the end of the current parliament but this should be judged by his previous pledges. In October last year, he announced that 3,300 homes would be ready to house people by March this year, but they have failed to materialise. Responding to the broken promise co-founder of the Museum of Homelessness, Jessica Turtle said, The picture could not be more grim. Our Dying Homeless Project showed the awful results of people stuck in inadequate emergency accommodation for far too long with a 37-percentage increase in deaths of homeless people who are indoors, not on the streets.

Its pure negligence not to develop proper solutions to homelessness so people no longer have to choose between horrible, possibly fatal, emergency accommodation or the streets.
Ingestum: The extensible, scalable, free open source ingestion engine. Data and Analytics executives tell us that unstructured documents are full of data they need but cant access. We want organizations to benefit from AI and ingestion is a significant barrier. We think open-sourcing Ingestum will democratize ingestion, said Dipanwita Das, Sorcero CEO & Co-founder.

Sorcero Inc., a rapidly growing Washington, DC enterprise AI software startup, announces the release of Ingestum (ingestem), a free and open source software (FOSS) unified content ingestion framework that supports sourcing and transformation of a wide variety of data and document types into a uniform document format.

Ingestion of arbitrary and unstructured content formatsPDF files, Microsoft Office documents, email threads, and so onpresents a challenge in the AI industry. The ingestion market is extremely fragmented. There are many niche players, and most AI firms handle the ingestion of unstructured text in-house. This is the challenge the Ingestum framework meets head-on: it is a methodical, reusable, extensible, and scalable framework for ingesting content, free and open to all.

Written in Python and built around reusable, programmable pipelines, Ingestumfrom the Latin word to ingest or toss inis largely agnostic of both source and output formats; it is designed to be extended through the use of plugins, and it can be deployed as a command-line tool or as a web service. Ingestum integrates existing FOSS projects such as PDFMiner, Googles Tesseract-OCR Engine, and Mozilla's Deep Speech speech-to-text engine.

Data and Analytics executives tell us that unstructured documents are full of data they need but cant access. We want organizations to benefit from AI and ingestion is a significant barrier. We think open-sourcing Ingestum will democratize ingestion, said Dipanwita Das, Sorcero CEO & Co-founder.

Ingestum leverages many existing open source projects, so no one has to reinvent the wheel; it can easily integrate existing workflows, or incorporate existing software as plugins, said Walter Bender, CTO and Co-founder of Sorcero, who revealed Ingestum yesterday at the LibrePlanet FOSS conference.

Sorcerorecently featured at the LOINC and InsurTech NY conferencesinvites IT directors, software engineers, and AI researchers to download and use Ingestum today (git clone https://gitlab.com/sorcero/community/ingestum.git).

About Sorcero:

Sorcero was founded in Washington, DC in 2018 by Dipanwita Das, Richard Graves, and Walter Bender. Sorceros Language Intelligence Platform uses domain understanding to power mission-critical decision-making across enterprises in life sciences and insurance. The companys mission is to inform critical decisions to improve lives through access and understanding of the worlds knowledge. To date, the company has raised $5.4 million in funding from Leawood Venture Capital, WorldQuant Ventures, Castor Ventures (the MIT Alumni fund), and H/L Ventures.


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March 22, 2021 (BRONX, NY)-- Most people with cancer who are infected by the novel coronavirus produce antibodies at a rate comparable to the rest of the population--but their ability to do so depends on their type of cancer and the treatments they've received, according to a new study by researchers at Montefiore Health System and Albert Einstein College of Medicine. The findings, published online today in Nature Cancer, may lead to better care for cancer patients, who face a heightened risk of dying from COVID-19, and suggests that cancer patients should respond well to COVID-19 vaccines.

"We conducted the study out of our concern that cancer patients who develop COVID-19 may not benefit from the same degree of antibody protection as people without cancer, given that many are immuno-compromised," said Astha Thakkar, M.B.B.S., a Montefiore hematologic oncology fellow and first author of the paper. "Our findings provide assurance that most people with cancer are able to mount an antibody response to the coronavirus that is similar to the general population. People with a history of cancer are likely as protected from reinfection as those without a history of disease and are likely to respond well to vaccines, according to our study."

The retrospective study involved 261 cancer patients, 77% of whom were diagnosed with solid malignancies and 23% with hematologic (blood) malignancies. Their overall rate of seroconversion (production of antibodies in response to infection) was 92%. However, when patients with solid and blood malignancies were compared, patients with blood cancers had a seroconversion rate of only 81.7%--significantly lower than the 94.5% seroconversion rate for patients with solid tumors.

"The treatments commonly given to patients with blood cancers--anti-CD20 antibody therapy, stem-cell transplants, and steroids--are known to suppress the immune system, which may explain the lower rate of antibodies developed in these patients and their increased risk for severe COVID-19 disease," said senior author Balazs Halmos, M.D., M.S., director of the Multidisciplinary Thoracic Oncology Program at Montefiore, professor of medicine at Einstein, and a member of the Albert Einstein Cancer Center (AECC).

"We need to pay special attention to patients with blood cancers and think through proactive strategies to ensure this patient population is appropriately cared for," said Sanjay Goel, M.B.B.S., a medical oncologist at Montefiore, professor of medicine at Einstein, a member of AECC, and a coauthor on the paper. "This study also raises the need for additional research on COVID-19 vaccines and current treatments for people with blood cancer."

In a paper published last year in Cancer Discovery, Dr. Halmos and colleagues found that COVID-19 patients with blood cancers had significantly higher mortality rates compared with patients who had solid tumors. Mortality was more closely related to age and co-morbidities than active cancer therapy.

The study participants were cared for at Montefiore between March 1, 2020 and September 15, 2020 and tested positive for COVID-19 through PCR tests to detect coronavirus or prior COVID-19 exposure through antibody testing, or both. The patients had an average age of 64 and were almost evenly split between men and women. Fifty-six percent of patients (147/261) had symptomatic coronavirus infection, while 44% (114/261) had an asymptomatic infection.

More than 40% of patients were African American; 30% were Hispanic, nearly 15% were Caucasian, 3% were Asian, and 6% belong to other ethnic groups.

###

The paper is titled "Patterns of seroconversion for SARS-COV2-IgG in Patients with Malignant Disease and association with anti-cancer therapy."

Additional Montefiore-Einstein authors are: Kith Pradhan, Ph.D., Shawn Jindal, M.D., Zhu Cui, M.D., M.P.H., Bradley Rockwell, M.D., Akash Pradip Shah, M.S., Stuart Packer, M.D., R. Alejandro Sica, M.D., Joseph A Sparano, M.D., D. Yitzhak Goldstein, M.D., and Amit Verma, M.B.B.S.

This study was supported in part by the Albert Einstein Cancer Center (P30 CA013330 and NCORP grant 2UG1CA189859-06) and by the Jane A. and Myles P. Dempsey fund and the Pelka family fund. The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

About Montefiore Health System

Montefiore Health System is one of New York's premier academic health systems and is a recognized leader in providing exceptional quality and personalized, accountable care to approximately three million people in communities across the Bronx, Westchester and the Hudson Valley. It is comprised of 11 hospitals, including the Children's Hospital at Montefiore, Burke Rehabilitation Hospital and close to 200 outpatient care sites. The advanced clinical and translational research at its medical school, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, directly informs patient care and improves outcomes. From the Montefiore-Einstein Centers of Excellence in cancer, cardiology and vascular care, pediatrics, and transplantation, to its preeminent school-based health program, Montefiore is a fully integrated healthcare delivery system providing coordinated, comprehensive care to patients and their families. For more information please visit http://www. montefiore. org . Follow us on Twitter) and view us on Facebook and YouTube.

About Albert Einstein College of Medicine

Albert Einstein College of Medicine is one of the nation's premier centers for research, medical education and clinical investigation. During the 2020-21 academic year, Einstein is home to 721 M.D. students, 178 Ph.D. students, 109 students in the combined M.D./Ph.D. program, and 265 postdoctoral research fellows. The College of Medicine has more than 1,900 full-time faculty members located on the main campus and at its clinical affiliates. In 2020, Einstein received more than $197 million in awards from the National Institutes of Health (NIH). This includes the funding of major research centers at Einstein in aging, intellectual development disorders, diabetes, cancer, clinical and translational research, liver disease, and AIDS. Other areas where the College of Medicine is concentrating its efforts include developmental brain research, neuroscience, cardiac disease, and initiatives to reduce and eliminate ethnic and racial health disparities. Its partnership with Montefiore, the University Hospital and academic medical center for Einstein, advances clinical and translational research to accelerate the pace at which new discoveries become the treatments and therapies that benefit patients. Einstein runs one of the largest residency and fellowship training programs in the medical and dental professions in the United States through Montefiore and an affiliation network involving hospitals and medical centers in the Bronx, Brooklyn and on Long Island. For more information, please visit einsteinmed.org, read our blog, follow us on Twitter, like us on Facebook, and view us on YouTube.

OTTAWA COUNTY, MI  Police identified Trent Payne, 26, of Zeeland, as the motorcyclist who was killed Sunday, March 21, in a crash.

The crash happened just before noon on East Lakewood Boulevard near North Park Drive in Holland Township, Ottawa County sheriffs deputies said.

Payne was riding a 2015 Harley-Davidson west on Lakewood when the driver of an oncoming 2018 Honda Civic started to turn left in front of the motorcycle. The driver was going to turn into a driveway on the north side of the road, police said.

Payne was airlifted by Aero Med helicopter to Spectrum Health Butterworth Hospital.

The Honda driver, a 31-year-old Holland Township man, suffered minor injuries. His name was not released.

The crash remains under investigation.

The motorcyclist was not wearing a helmet, police said.

Read more:

3 injured in Ottawa County crash after driver falls asleep

See Class of 2020 graduation rate for any Michigan public high school
Friend, I think the most important thing is to try to keep a cool head, not continue to brood, because whats coming is very, very, very serious. They brought forward the curfew because it was known that the strategy is to break the entire supply chain, food, even in some zones the water supply, pharmacies, they tried to burn down a hospital and tried to take over the airport, in other words, we are absolutely overwhelmed, its like a foreign invasion, alien invasion, I dont know how you say it, and we dont have the means to fight them. Please, lets keep calm, lets call the people of good will, take advantage of rationing the food, and were going to have to diminish our privileges and share with others.

In this leaked conversation of October 21, 2019, Cecilia Morel, the first lady and wife of the richest man in Chile, President Sebastian Pinera, gives a sense of the overriding fear that gripped the ruling class with the massive social explosion beginning that month. One gets the impression that she felt her Marie Antoinette moment had come, that the days of obscene privilege of the Pineras and their class were numbered.

The mobilizations formed part of an eruption of the global class struggle, illustrating that the enemy of the working masses is one and the same financial and corporate capitalist elite. From Chile to Lebanon, Iraq, Argentina, Bolivia, and Ecuador, across Europe, Asia and the United States, millions upon millions have taken to the streets over the last two years against wanton death caused by capitalisms criminal response to a deadly pandemic, as well as years of social inequality, poverty, the threat of fascism and dictatorship and ever-growing police-state violence.

Surrounded by military personnel from the Santiago garrison, Sebastian Pinera declared "we are at war" on national television (credit: Presidencia de Chile) Gen. Augusto Pinochet signs dictatorial decree in 1973

Despite the immensity and potential of the protests, demonstrations and strikes that shook Chile in 2019, the working class has been unable at this point to pose a revolutionary alternative to capitalism. This is fundamentally due to the political domination of the nationalist left, beginning with the Communist Party (PCCh), the pseudo-left Frente Amplio coalition, the Socialist Party and its countless satellite tendencies and organizations.

Amid the greatest crisis of bourgeois rule since the revolutionary period of 196873 and the growing danger of police-state dictatorship, the Chilean leftthrough its control of the union apparatus, domination of social and community organizations and posts in the municipal and regional governments and the national Congressplayed a decisive role in saving capitalism.

As in the 1970s, the task fell to the Chilean Stalinists to lead this campaign. Having broken with revolutionary Marxism very early in its existence, the PCCh has remained wedded to the Stalinist interwar Popular Front and the Menshevik two-stage theories, which advanced a national and parliamentary road and the formation of coalitions with the native bourgeoisie.

Part and parcel of this ideology is their promotion of national exceptionalism, which claims that Chile has democratic traditions and adheres to constitutional norms. This specious theory was used throughout the 20th century to deny the necessity of the working class taking up a socialist and internationalist revolutionary struggle against capitalism. The PCChs primary function has been to sow illusions in parliamentary democracy.

This political straitjacket proved decisive in allowing the debilitated Pinera regime to remain in power, recalibrate and lay the groundwork for dictatorial rule.

How the pseudo-left saved Pinera

In November 2019, the Chilean left accepted Pineras call for national unity talks. The meaning of national unity became clear during the pandemic when the Congress rubber-stamped pro-business policies. The union apparatus implemented these policies, forcing the export-oriented sectors back to work, helping impose wage cuts, agreeing to the furloughing of hundreds of thousands of workers and refusing to call any industrial action against poverty, hunger, insecurity and evictions impacting the working class.

Amid hunger riots, wildcat strikes and protests against continued police murders, torture and mutilations ,the parliamentary left channeled popular anger into toothless appeals to reform the virtually autonomous, militarized Carabineros. A few symbolic human rights cases that were permitted to proceed through the courts were cynically exploited by the pseudo-left to sow illusions in the institutions of the bourgeois state.

They also initiated parliamentary proceedings against the police director, the interior minister, the health minister and even Pinera, knowing full well that the right and centre parties in Congress would quash these actions.

The most significant political operation orchestrated by the pseudo-left was the year-long referendum campaign to overturn the 1980 authoritarian constitution and to promote illusions in the election this April of a Constituent Assembly, whose function will be to draft a new constitution.

Unlike all the other machinations, this gargantuan effort has proved temporarily effective from the standpoint of blinding the working class to the preparations being made for dictatorship.

On the day of the referendum last October 25, Pinera said, Until now, the Constitution has divided us. As of today, we should all collaborate in making the new constitution a symbol of unity and stability.

In one way or another, this cynical lie was echoed by the entire pseudo-left. Today we are celebrating a great triumph of the sovereign people  and a new historical and democratic cycle for our country, said Frente Amplio Senator Juan Ignacio Latorre. Unity is required, social and political unity, great alliances for the transformations that are coming for the Chile of the future.

Pinochets 1980 constitution

Undoubtedly, Augusto Pinochets 1980 Constitution was an authoritarian instrument aimed against the working class. The main author of the dictators constitution was Jaime Guzman, founder of the fascistic UDI, who drew inspiration from Nazi German jurist Carl Schmitt and reactionary Spanish clericalism.

Some of Guzmans politically authoritarian and neoliberal economic philosophy codified in the constitution are well known. It enshrined the conception of the subsidiary state, which meant subordinating all social areas: education, health, social security, utilities and water to the market, and proscribed any attempt at nationalization. Changes to articles concerning political parties, the military, the electoral system, mining and constitutional reform required a two-thirds majority approval.

Gen. Augusto Pinochet signs dictatorial decree in 1973

Less discussed was Guzmans embrace of the State of Exception theory that Schmitt developed as part of providing a quasilegal garb to Adolf Hitlers dictatorship. The theory essentially granted the dictator extraordinary powersgiving him executive, as well as legislative powers and possessing the highest legal authorityin a period of exception or emergency. Both the separation of powers and the rule of law were subsumed in the rule of the Fuhrer.

In Chile this served to provide post factum legal immunity to the countless crimes committed during the counterrevolution against the politically radicalized working class, student youth and political opposition. The fascist-military junta orchestrated a political genocide, an attempted extirpation as Pinochet called it. During military rule, especially its first five years, the courts repeatedly declared human rights cases inadmissible, rejecting thousands of complaints and habeas corpus writs and systematically refusing to investigate state crimes.

Articles 40 and 41 in the 1980 Constitution concerned the State of Siege, one of the four States of Constitutional Exception. Article 40 stated that in the case of internal war or internal commotion, the president could declare a state of siege on all or part of the territory. Congress had a deadline of 10 days to accept or reject the decree, and silence was consent. Only by a two-thirds majority could Congress terminate the state of siege.

Article 41 dealt with the suspension of rights. It stated that the president may:

move people from one point to another in the national territory, arrest them in their own homes or in places other than prisons or other intended for the detention or imprisonment of common criminals, and expel them from the national territory. (He) may also restrict the freedom of locomotion and prohibit certain persons from entering or leaving the territory. (He) also, may suspend or restrict the exercise of the right of assembly and freedom of information and opinion, restrict the exercise of the rights of association and syndication and impose censorship on correspondence and communications.

The article went on to state that with regards to the courts:

Appeal for protection shall not proceed in states of exception with respect to acts of authority adopted subject to the Constitution and the laws that affect the constitutional rights and guarantees that, in accordance to the rules governing said states, may have been suspended or restricted.  In the cases of the previous paragraphs, the courts of justice may not, in any case, enter to qualify the factual basis of the measures that the authority has adopted in the exercise of its powers.

The center-left governments that have ruled for 24 of the past 30 years since the return to civilian rule in 1990 kept these provisions, albeit in modified form. The reason why must be clearly understood so workers and youth do not fall into the deadly trap of believing that reforming the charter will guarantee democratic and social rights or change class relations. Far from it.

Under capitalism, the purpose of the Constitution is first and foremost to uphold and protect the sanctity of the private ownership of the means of production. Private property is consecrated even in the revolutionary documents of the French and American constitutions that are imbued with the spirit of Enlightenment. The 18th century constitutions and the principles they articulate were the cause and the effect of a national revolutionary struggle between feudalism and the forces of reaction against the great mass of the nation, given political leadership by the then revolutionary bourgeoisie.

But with the further development of the productive forces arose sharp and irreconcilable antagonisms between the two main classes within the international capitalist economic order: capital and labor.

The rapid expansion of the proletariat in Chile took place alongside the explosive development of capitalism sponsored by incursions of imperialism into Latin America in the late 19th and 20th centuries. British and American capitalism dominated the technology, supplies, railroads, shipping and finance associated with their almost complete control of Chiles nitrate and copper mines.

At no point has there ever been a sector of the Chilean capitalist class that sought to rally the nation in an anti-imperialist bourgeois revolution. This class, which consisted of the wealthiest landowners and simultaneously constituted between a third to half the parliament, happily lived off mining export revenues and never hesitated to drown revolutionary struggles in blood in the interests of mining barons.

The struggle against imperialist domination and superexploitation and for the defense of democratic and civil rights and for social gains has been left exclusively to the proletariat. The working class must be organized in opposition to the bloodstained, ruthless and venal Chilean bourgeoisie utterly subordinate to its imperialist masters.

What the working class has lacked in its entire history is a leadership able to transform an insurgent class struggle into the fight for the conquest of power.

Outside a brief window with the founding of the Chilean section of the Communist International in 1922, the young, untested and inexperienced cadre of the PCCh came under the influence of the rightward shift that accompanied the rise of the Stalinist bureaucracy in the Soviet Union. It was soon co-opted into the state and participated in drafting the 1925 constitution as the country, in the middle of a deep economic crisis provoked by the collapse of saltpeter exports and declining British imperialist interests, was in the throes of explosive labor struggles and a military revolt.

Preparations for dictatorship

When Pinera decreed for the first time in the 30 years of civilian rule a state of emergency and brought the armed forces onto the streets, this shocked the country, and it drew international attention. The unprecedented police-state violence resulted in untold numbers of deaths and thousands of injuries and mutilations, the reports of mock executions, rape, torture and torture chambers, of severe beatings resulting in death and forced disappearances.

However this was only the most visible component of Pineras war against a powerful, ruthless enemy.

In the past year and a half, with the tacit and explicit endorsement from Congress, the ultraright government has passed more than a dozen laws beefing up the state, revamping anti-terror laws, utilizing the military to impose order, granting legal immunity to the repressive forces, erecting multi-institutional and multinational intelligence and surveillance task forces, and criminalizing social protest, targeting refugees, indigenous communities and the youth. All these measures are beginning to take form and are being used today.

For the first time since the military dictatorship, the country has been kept in a permanent state of emergency with tens of thousands of national defense forces controlling checkpoints in the 16 regions. The measure was sanctioned by Congress last March to contain the spread of the pandemic. In reality, it has been used to monitor and control the population.

Also the Army has been deployed to protect critical infrastructure, and the Marines, armed with the latest military equipment, have been deployed to reinforce Carabinero police in border control and surveillance.

And last February, parliament approved the dispatch of military personnel and a massive battery of armored vehicles to reinforce Carabinero Special Forces in the south. Ostensibly aimed at countering a wave of violence and acts of terrorism, which the government and the corporate media have without evidence accused the Mapuche indigenous population of inciting, the armed forces will provide intelligence and conduct policing operations in the regions of La Araucania, Biobio and Los Rios.

The bourgeoisie has used the constitutional convention as a deliberate decoy to grant itself time to prepare for the inevitable social eruption that will come as a result of the criminal mishandling of the pandemic and the unprecedented growth of unemployment, poverty and social inequality.

This is the significance of the increasingly indiscriminate use of the armed forces, and it must scream danger! The drive to dictatorship is real and far advanced.

The only progressive alternative lies in the political mobilization of the working class and youth in the fight for a workers government based on a revolutionary socialist program. This means breaking with the entire fake left and developing an independent political movement of the working class.

Chilean workers must turn to their international class brothers and sisters who are their true allies, adopting a program of world socialist revolution and building a section of the International Committee of the Fourth International, the party founded by Leon Trotsky.
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A Fulani community leader involved in peace building efforts in Kaduna State has been assasinated in an incident in which his brother was injured.

Lawal Musa, popularly known as Alhaji Maijamaa, was killed by armed bandits on Sunday night in Doka in Kajuru Local Government Area of the state.

The state commissioner for Internal Security and Homeland Affairs, Samuel Aruwan, made this known in a statement on Monday.

Mr Aruwan said security agencies working in the area informed the state government of the incident in their daily security updates.

Lawal Musa was a Fulani community leader in the Doka general area of Kajuru LGA who worked closely with with other community leaders towards the success of peace building efforts in the area.

Lawal Musa was brutally killed by armed bandits in his settlement, right before his family.

He was on a motorcycle with his elder brother, Alhaji Gide Musa, when some assailants opened fire on them. Alhaji Gide Musa escaped with gunshot injuries, while the gunmen got hold of Alhaji Maijamaa and hacked him to death.

He has since been buried according to Islamic rites. His brother is recuperating in an undisclosed hospital.

Late Lawal Musas contributions were instrumental towards the re-opening of the Doka weekly market, peaceful resumption of activities at abandoned places of worship and resumption of grazing and farming in the Doka general area.

Governor Nasir El-Rufai expressed sadness at the report of the assassination, and hailed the deceased as an exemplary leader and a champion of peaceful coexistence.

He prayed for the repose of Alhaji Lawal Musas soul, and sent his condolences to his family.

The Governor also wished the brother of the deceased, Alhaji Gide Musa, a speedy recovery, the statement said.

Mr Aruwan also said seven people were killed in a seperate attacks by bandits in Kuzachi village, in Kauru Local Government on Saturday.

According to security report on saturday, 56 homes were also torched and 16 motorcycle also burnt by the bandits.
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Streaming services like Spotify and Apple Music rescued the music industry. Theyre also tearing it apart.

My colleague Ben Sisario says that musicians complain about streaming economics that can translate millions of clicks on their songs into pennies for them. Last week, a group of musicians protested outside Spotify offices for changes in how they are paid from streaming.

Ben spoke with me about why streaming music has been a letdown for many musicians. The challenges reflect a larger question: What happens when the promise of making a living online from music, writing or building apps doesnt match the reality?

Shira: How has streaming changed the music industry?

Ben: Its been the industrys salvation. Largely because of Spotify and other subscriptions, streaming provided the industry something it never had before: regular monthly revenue.
58-year-old man allegedly commits suicide by setting himself ablaze after killing three pet dogs

India

oi-Madhuri Adnal

Thane, Mar 22: A 58-year-old man allegedly committed suicide after killing his three pet dogs in Badlapur in Thane district as he was depressed after his wife left him and their children started staying elsewhere, police said on Sunday.

Badlapur West police station senior inspector DS Gawde said Satyapreet Chatterjee first killed his three pet dogs and then set himself ablaze in his 7th floor flat on Friday.

A suicide note was found which said Chatterjee was depressed as his wife had left him and their children were staying elsewhere, he added.

Anil Deshmukh Corruption row: NCP says 'no need for resignation'| Oneindia News
IT has been well established that the countrys most effective mobilisation system is the election machinery based on political affiliation.

With this in mind, the current crisis in the country regarding the frightening spread of the coronavirus calls for a different kind of intervention. It is past time for the declaration of a political truce. We call on the countrys two major political machines, PNM and UNC, and all other existing political parties and groups, to come together in the national interest.
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(Straits Times)  The response rate from Malaysian cargo drivers selected for Covid-19 vaccination in Singapore has been very positive so far, the Ministry of Trade and Industry (MTI) said on March 21.

The drivers and those accompanying them who have been inoculated here since Saturday have received the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, the ministry said in response to queries from The Straits Times.

MTI did not give figures for the response rate among those that have been contacted so far.

ST reported on Saturday that vaccination for selected cargo drivers and accompanying workers had begun. Two designated facilities  in Boon Lay and Woodlands  have been set up near the land checkpoints.

MTI said it will continue to contact those who have been selected and schedule them for vaccination.

Those who are not vaccinated in Singapore will still be allowed entry, subject to the prevailing border health measures such as on-arrival tests.

And all cargo drivers and accompanying personnel must still adhere to existing safe management measures while working, regardless of their vaccination status, said MTI.

These include limiting movement to delivery points only, ensuring that SafeEntry and temperature checks are done before entering the delivery site, and observing safe distancing at all times, including during the unloading and delivery of cargo.

The authorities had said earlier this month that cargo drivers who regularly come into Singapore from Malaysia will be offered Covid-19 vaccination to minimize the risk of transmission from workers who transport essential goods here.

Those who have taken both doses of the vaccine in Singapore will receive an immunization certificate and be exempted from daily on-arrival tests 14 days after the second dose.

But they may continue to be subjected to testing at Singapore's land checkpoints from time to time.

Since Jan. 22, a compulsory Covid-19 antigen rapid test has been progressively rolled out for cargo drivers entering Singapore at land checkpoints.

This is in line with Singapore's strengthened border controls, which require all travelers to take Covid-19 tests upon arrival to manage the risk of imported cases.

This article was originally published by The Straits Times

Contact editor Yang Ge (geyang@caixin.com)

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Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain

Germany is poised to prolong and tighten a partial lockdown into April as new virus cases soar, according to a draft document seen by AFP ahead of a strategy meeting on Monday.

Europe's biggest economy had begun easing restrictions, first reopening schools in late February, before allowing hairdressers and some shops to resume business in March.

The meeting between Chancellor Angela Merkel and the leaders of Germany's 16 states was originally scheduled to discuss a further relaxation, but a third wave of the virus driven by new variants has changed the agenda dramatically.

Lifting restrictions on dining, cultural and leisure facilities will now have to be delayed and instead, worst-hit areas may from Monday have to reimpose measures and order shops and some schools to close again.

"Without significant restrictions, the number of new infections will increase to the point that the health system risks being overwhelmed by April," the draft reads.

Requirements that employees work from home whenever possible will be extended to April 18, according to the document, instead of ending on March 28.

To prevent any contagion at the workplace, companies will be required to provide at least two rapid tests a week to employees who are unable to work from home, it said.

With an eye on upcoming Easter school holidays, those who go abroad would be required to be tested and go into quarantine when they return to Germany.

And, most controversially, overnight curfews could be imposed for the first time across the country in regions where the seven-day incidence rate surpasses 100 per 100,000 people.

'Emergency brakes'

On Monday, the national incidence rate reached 107.3, with more than 7,700 new cases and 50 deaths reported.

Merkel and regional leaders agreed at the last round of talks that authorities would tighten the screws again if that rate struck 100 over three days.

"Unfortunately, we are going to have to use these emergency brakes," Merkel warned on Friday.

The draft document calls for these brakes to be brought in wherever they are necessary, and to be applied consistently across the country.

It lays the groundwork for the closure of some schools that have only just reopened, and urges people to avoid travelling over Easter.

However leaders were also considering introducing some exceptions over the Easter holiday as they had over Christmas, allowing relatives from several households to gather.

But as the shutdown drags on, shop owners were watching developments nervously, with the German retailers' association warning that 120,000 shops could go bust if the shutdown persists.

'Exponential' rise

"Given the current infection dynamics accelerated by the COVID-19 variants, forceful action is still required," the text reads.

Health authorities warned on Friday that coronavirus case numbers are rising at a "very clearly exponential rate".

"It is very possible that we will have... very high case numbers, many severe cases and deaths, and hospitals that are overwhelmed," Lars Schaade, vice president of the Robert Koch Institute for infectious diseases, told reporters.

The grim news came with the country also struggling to accelerate its inoculation campaign.

Dogged by supply issues and mistrust over AstraZeneca's jab, Germany's vaccination campaign has been sluggish compared to the British or US programmes.

The use of AstraZeneca's vaccine was suspended for several days last week by major European countries, including Germany, over fears it may cause blood clots.

After the EU medicines regulator cleared it for use following a review, Merkel herself sought to shore up confidence in the jab.

"Yes, I would take the AstraZeneca vaccine," Merkel said on Friday.

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

 2021 AFP
Two Australians Detained by Myanmar Junta

Two Australian business consultants have been detained in Myanmar while trying to leave the country which is gripped by a military coup.

News agency AFP named the pair as business consultants Matthew OKane and Christa Avery.

They are believed to be under house arrest after trying to leave the country on a relief flight on Friday.

The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade told AAP on Monday it was providing consular assistance, but could not comment further.

Consular assistance can include visits to detention centres to monitor welfare, liaison with local authorities regarding well-being, provision of lists of local lawyers, and assistance communicating with family or other contacts.

OKane and Avery operate a business consultancy AOK, which has been working in Southeast Asia for over two decades and on the ground in Myanmar for seven years.

It has worked on a range of projects in the clean energy, technology, agriculture, and retail sectors.

Avery is a graduate of the Institute of Environmental Studies at the University of NSW.

OKane is a US-trained chartered accountant and a graduate of Australian Institute of Company Directors.

A third Australian Sean Turnell, an economic advisor to deposed leader Aung San Suu Kyi, was detained last month.

Protests continue in Myanmar in opposition to military rule as the death toll at the hands of security forces rises to more than 200.

The violence since the February 1 coup comes after a decade of tentative steps towards democracy in Myanmar.

Western countries have condemned the bloodshed and Australia has suspended military co-operation with Myanmar and redirected aid to non-government organisations in response.

Today

Cloudy skies this morning followed by scattered showers and thunderstorms during the afternoon. Storms may contain strong gusty winds. High 81F. Winds SSW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 60%.

Tonight

Thunderstorms likely this evening. Then a chance of scattered thunderstorms overnight. Low 62F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 80%.

Tomorrow

Cloudy skies early will become partly cloudy later in the day. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. High 84F. Winds light and variable.
Source: Xinhua| 2021-03-22 13:10:14|Editor: huaxia

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by Yosley Carrero

HAVANA, March 21 (Xinhua) -- A batch of 150,000 volunteers will be inoculated with Cuba's Soberana 02 COVID-19 vaccines starting on Monday, according to its Center for State Control of Medicines, Equipment and Medical Devices.

The shots will target medical frontline workers, scientists from the local biotechnological industry, as well as personnels working in the high-risk areas, the center said.

It came as Cuba on Sunday registered 796 new confirmed cases of COVID-19 and two more related deaths, bringing the total accounts to 66,758 and 394 respectively.

Francisco Duran, national director of hygiene and epidemiology at the Cuban Ministry of Public Health, told Xinhua that Havana remained the hardest-hit province.

"With COVID-19 cases in all of its municipalities, the disease transmission rate in Havana is high despite measures adopted to bring the pandemic at bay," said Duran.

He also said that along with social distancing guidelines and COVID-19 combating rules, mass vaccination could help the country address the emergency.

In Havana, some 44,000 volunteers were already vaccinated after the homegrown Abdala COVID-19 vaccine entered phase three of clinical trials earlier March.

"I have reported no symptoms after three days of being inoculated with the first dose," said Havana resident Aydenis Ortega, who took part in phase three clinical trials of the vaccine.

"My family and I are lucky to be chosen. I feel optimistic," he said.

Local authorities in Havana, home to two million inhabitants, have set up 79 isolation centers and 12 COVID-19 wards for admitting active cases.

Meanwhile, partial lockdown restrictions remained in place across the country, as the Caribbean nation faces the sharpest rise in infections since the pandemic began in March 2020.

The island country has reported 54,702 COVID-19 cases with 248 deaths so far, according to official statistics.

Starting on Monday, some 48, 000 volunteers from the eastern provinces of Granma, Guantanamo, and Santiago de Cuba would also be administered shots of the locally produced Abdala COVID-19 vaccines, which also entered phase three of clinical trials.

Antonio Emilio Vallin, director of Cuban laboratories, said that the country could produce all the vaccines needed to immunize its 11 million inhabitants by August.

"From that moment on, we can continue working on making vaccines not only for Cuba but also for other countries, which have shown interest in acquiring them," he said.

By the end of the year, Cuba plans to produce 100 million doses of its homegrown vaccines. Enditem
[March 22, 2021] Welspun One Logistics Parks announces first close of its warehousing AIF; targets total investment of USD 265 mn over the next 3 to 4 years

As a part of its investment outlay, the company plans to develop and lease a portfolio of 7 - 8 million square feet of Grade-A warehousing spaces across India MUMBAI, India, March 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Welspun One Logistics Parks, an integrated fund, development and asset management platform backed by the USD 2.7 billion Welspun Group has raised upwards of USD 42 mn from a set of investors comprising domestic high-net-worth investors and family offices towards the first close of its Alternative Investment Fund (AIF) "Welspun One Logistics Parks Fund I". Launched early this year, this is India's first warehousing AIF for domestic investors; key distributors of which are Sanctum Wealth Management, Edelweiss and InCred Wealth. The amount raised is a part of its USD 70 mn maiden fund which, when fully raised along with associated bank financing, will enable Welspun One to develop Grade-A warehousing assets worth USD 265 mn; including its flagship 2.7 million square feet project in Bhiwandi which is currently underway. In total, the company expects to deliver a portfolio with an estimated leasable area of 7 to 8 million square feet over the next 3 to 4 years in pre-identified high growth markets such as Mumbai, Pune, Bangalore, NCR, , Kolkata and Lucknow.



Welspun One's investment strategy is focused on sourcing and developing feasible land parcels which suit institutional investors and get leased by valued occupiers, whilst maintaining high levels of compliance, safety and zero tolerance to regulatory lapses across the project lifecycle. BK Goenka, Chairman, Welspun Group, said, "Led by an experienced team, Welspun One's unique proposition of being an integrated platform which is able to execute deals from acquisition to development, leasing and divestment has resonated well with investors; as it mitigates some of the key concerns associated with similar products in the past." He added, "We continue to be very bullish about this sector and are keen to meaningfully increase our allocation of capital through the Welspun One platform."

"Being the first mover in announcing a warehousing fund that focuses on domestic investors and achieving a strong first close of 60% of our target fund size is a milestone for us at Welspun One. This puts us firmly on track to deliver at least a million square feet of space by the end of this year followed by more than two million square feet annually," said Anshul Singhal, Managing Director, Welspun One Logistics Parks. Accelerated adoption of e-commerce, same day or next day delivery commitments fulfilled by third-party logistics companies, and the need to diversify supply chain backed by a favourable regulatory backdrop along with the announcements of the Union Budget 2021 are further expected to boost the infrastructure spend and in turn the overall demand for modern warehousing in the future. About Welspun One Logistics Parks Welspun One Logistics Parks (WOLP) is an integrated fund, development and asset management organization; designed to deliver large format, institutional, Grade-A logistics parks across India. It is the only industrial warehousing platform backed by a global conglomerate - the USD 2.7 billion Welspun Group; one of India's fastest-growing multinationals with businesses in line pipes, home textiles, infrastructure, steel, advanced textiles and flooring solutions. The core of Welspun One's business offering is to solve the location needs of its customers and provide them with best-in-class real estate solutions, to better manage their supply chain needs. WOLP's management team comes with an average relevant experience of 18 years and a cumulative track record of delivering over 115 MM SF of construction projects in India. Welspun One aspires to become the most preferred warehousing company in India, by sourcing and developing feasible land parcels which suit institutional investors and get leased by valued occupiers, whilst maintaining high levels of compliance, safety and zero tolerance to regulatory lapses across the project lifecycle. For further details, visit www.welspunone.com Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1470553/Welspun_One_Logistics_Parks_Logo.jpg

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Protestors attend a rally for the Uyghur community at Parliament House in Canberra, Australia on March 15, 2021. (Sam Mooy/Getty Images)

Australian Politicians Push Resolution Condemning Chinas Abuse of Uyghurs

Politicians from both sides of the Australian parliament have criticised China for serious and systemic breaches of human rights in Xinjiang.

Liberal Kevin Andrews and Labors Chris Hayes are putting forward a resolution sharply critical of the Chinese regimes treatment of Uyghur, or Uighur, people.

The government has allowed debate on the bipartisan motion to condemn the Chinese government for its abuse of Uyghurs in Xinjiang.

Andrews told the parliament on Monday, There is overwhelming evidence of the cruel, inhumane, and brutal practises of the Chinese communist regime.

The United States, Canada, and The Netherlands have all officially recognised the situation in Xinjiang as a genocide, Andrews added.

This is a time when this parliament should speak with one voice. I cannot think of any member or senator who would vote against this motion, he said of the resolution.

Bahtiyar Bora from the Australian Uighur Association encouraged parliamentarians to show their support.

At least one million innocent civilians have been locked up for no reason in a network of several hundred prisons, he said.

This must be challenged by democratic nations like Australia.

All members of parliament should support this motion and demand that the Australian government take much stronger action on what many believe is genocide taking place in plain sight, he said.

A recent Senate motion declaring the situation a genocide failed to win support from the two major parties.
Passengers at the airport and all railway stations will be randomly tested, the Delhi Disaster Management Authority (DDMA) decided on Monday, March 22.

The decision comes in the wake of the surging COVID-19 caseload in Delhi. The national capital witnessed over 800 new coronavirus cases on Sunday, March 21.

An official who was part of the meeting told the Hindustan Times that regardless of a few reports, there will be no blanket ban on Holi celebrations in Delhi.

Also Read: COVID-19 vaccine free for all in govt facilities in Delhi

However, a comprehensive SOP (Standard Operating Procedure) is expected to be issued by the UTs (Union Territory) governments to ensure COVID-19 appropriate behaviour as is done during any such festivity happening in the national capital.

The authorities will intensify enforcement and carry out a crackdown against those who don't wear facemasks or maintain social distancing.

"Since there are festivals coming, experts and the lieutenant governor stressed the need for more caution and regulation. It was decided that the government will start random testing at the Delhi airport and all railway stations. Passengers coming from states with high incidences of COVID-19 cases will be the main focus of such random testing. But others will also be checked," the official said.

Also Read: Entire Delhi population can be vaccinated in 3 months if eligibility criteria relaxed: Kejriwal

Meanwhile, the Delhi government will also intensify its vaccination drive with a special focus on economically weaker sections, since they can't access digital platforms to register themselves to get inoculated, another source told the publication.

Simultaneously, the existing approach of cluster-based surveillance, testing, and genome sequencing will continue.

Delhi, on March 21, registered 823 fresh coronavirus cases in 24 hours, as per the data from the health department.

There are 3,618 active cases in the national capital as of March 22, with the fatality rate reaching 10,956.
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by Vladimir Rozanskij

Agreement drafted ahead of US troops withdrawal after 20 years. Those present include former President Hamid Karzai and Mullah Abdul Gani Baradar. The agreement was signed by the four countries, but not by Kabul and the Taliban. Concerns about drug trafficking and the push towards an Islamic emirate. In 40 years, at least 1.5 million deaths.

Moscow (AsiaNews) - A few weeks ahead of US troops withdrawal from Afghanistan (next May 1, after 20 years of presence on the territory), a conference was held in Moscow on March 18 with all parties to the conflict and the representatives of the USA, Russia, China and Pakistan, seeking an armistice. On the Afghan side, the government delegation was led by former president Hamid Karzaj; the Taliban by one of the founders of the movement, Mullah Abdul Gani Baradar.

The final statement of the meeting reads "at this decisive moment, our four states are calling on the parties to begin negotiations and reach a peace agreement that will put an end to the war in Afghanistan, which has now lasted for over four decades".

Government forces and the Taliban are invited to de-escalate the level of violence in the country, and the military to refrain from attacks, which regularly occur during the spring-summer. The four mediator countries declare themselves ready for the political and economic support of Afghanistan, in the period following the hoped-for pacification.

Negotiations between Kabul and the Taliban had begun last September in Qatar, but had stalled due to the government's accusations against the rioters of doing nothing to stop the violence in the country. In Moscow, the largest possible delegations from the government and the Taliban intervened, giving the conference a high profile. The four mediator states also presented high level delegations.

The new Biden administration, with Secretary of State Antony Blinken, has decided this time to go all the way, aiming for a final stop in Istanbul, which should take place in April. The meeting in Moscow therefore had to eliminate the main obstacles to reaching the final agreement, and was organized by the special representative of the president of Russia in Afghanistan, Zamir Kabulov. The format has been called the "enlarged troika", adding Pakistan to the US-Russia-China triad.

Americans have always been rather sceptical about the Russians' efforts in settling the Afghan question, but this time they had to acknowledge the validity of the proposal. After some uncertainties, Zalmay Khalilzad, the US president's delegate for the Afghan question, also arrived in Moscow.

US State Department spokesperson Jalina Porter said that we clearly see the challenges Russia is calling us to face; when there is the possibility of developing constructive relations with Russia in the interest of both, we are ready to work together ". And this, despite the fact that in the same hours the controversy between Biden and Putin broke out over the US presidents labelling his counterpart a killer.

The final resolution of the meeting was signed only by the four mediators and not by the parties to the conflict, but we are confident in the next solution to the question. Sergej Lavrov, Russian foreign minister, addressing the participants before the end of the meeting, recalled that "the representatives of the Afghan government and the Taliban had already met in Moscow in 2018, in the presence of delegates from more than ten countries".

Lavrov also complimented the presence of some women in the Afghan delegation. In his speech he noted that he was much more concerned about Isis's revival plans in the Central Asian region: "This raises fears for further development of the drug trafficking, which is the real threat to Afghanistan, for the whole region and for the whole world, sponsoring terrorist activities. One of the fundamental points of the agreement proposed to the parties concerns the elimination of terrorist groups in the country.

According to the text, the mediating countries "do not support the restoration of the Islamic Emirate, and invite the government of the republic of Afghanistan to start a discussion on the political future of the country with the Taliban movement".

But this would be contrary to the stated goals of the Taliban themselves, who dream of the Emirate. Representatives of the Taliban declined to comment on this point in front of reporters, even though the Afghanistan.ru website reported a statement by Baradar saying peace in the country will only be possible "after the establishment of an Islamic system".

The sense of the delicacy of the moment was increased yesterday the US Defense Secretary, Lloyd Austin, who paid a surprise visit to Afghanistan, chatting with the president Ashraf Ghani. A few days earlier, President Joe Biden said it would be "difficult" to withdraw all American troops by May 1st. This slowness also meets the wishes of the Kabul government, which would like to maintain their presence as long as possible.

According to various humanitarian organizations, in more than 40 years (including the period of Russian occupation) the war in Afghanistan has caused at least 1.5 million deaths, hundreds of thousands of wounded and maimed, and over 4 million refugees.
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The research team demonstrated their AI platform's capabilities on a microaneurysm-on-a-chip, a microfluidic device that the team designed to mimic blood flow in round microaneurysms, the most common type found in diabetic patients. Credit: NTU Singapore

An international team of scientists from Nanyang Technological University, Singapore (NTU Singapore), Brown University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) has developed an artificial intelligence (AI) platform that could one day be used in a system to assess vascular diseases, which are characterized by the abnormal condition of blood vessels.

The AI-powered platform combines machine learning and a specially-designed microfluidic chip with analysis of 2D video images of blood flow and the application of physical laws, to infer how blood flows in 3D. In tests, it accurately predicted blood flow characteristics such as speed, pressure, and shear stress, which is the stress exerted by the blood flow on the vessel wall.

The ability to determine these characteristics accurately could be a critical support for clinicians in detecting and tracking the progression of vascular diseases since the abnormalities that the platform could spot (such as an abrupt change in speed or shear stress of blood flow) may indicate the presence or progression of a vascular disease.

The platform and its proof-of-concept findings from the research team led by NTU President and Distinguished University Professor Subra Suresh, Brown Professor George Em Karniadakis, and MIT Principal Research Scientist and NTU Visiting Professor Ming Dao are reported in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences on 22 March.

To validate the platform, the scientists tested it on simulated microaneurysms of the eye, using a microfluidic chip that is smaller than a thumbnail. Microaneurysms are bulges in the micro-scale blood vessels of a diabetic patient's eye, and are the earliest signs of diabetic retinopathy, the leading global cause of vision loss and blindless in diabetic working adults.

When the AI platform was given images of blood flow in a device that simulates microaneurysms, it successfully predicted the characteristics of blood circulation within it.

The AI platform and the microaneurysm-on-a-chip could one day help medical practitioners with monitoring vascular disease progression in humans and may be particularly useful for diseases of the body's smallest blood vessels.

Prof Subra Suresh, the study's senior author, said: "Currently, measuring the mechanics of blood flow in the smallest blood vessels requires sophisticated equipment and trained personnel. Our AI technology integrates images, experimental data, and the underlying physics, enabling microcirculation blood flow to be analyzed easily and accurately to assess vascular injury and disease state. With this platform, we can now gain important mechanical information and insights into disease evolution mechanisms that were previously very cumbersome to extract."

While the platform was developed for microaneurysm monitoring, it could be adapted to monitor other diseases of impaired blood vessels, said the scientists.

An international team of scientists from Nanyang Technological University, Singapore (NTU Singapore), Brown University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) has developed an AI platform that can infer blood flow in 3D, and could one day be used in a system to assess vascular diseases. Credit: NTU Singapore

Prof George Karniadakis, the study's co-corresponding author and professor of Engineering and Applied Mathematics at Brown University, said: "We tested our platform on microaneurysms, the earliest symptom of diabetic retinopathy, which is the leading cause of vision loss in working-age diabetic patients globally. Our ultimate goal is to use the platform in clinical settings for diabetic retinopathy diagnosis and prognosis as well as in other diseases involving impaired blood flow."

The team hopes to test their platform on clinical imaging data of microaneurysms in order to correlate the blood flow characteristics of microaneurysms to factors such as disease severity and potential risks.

The challenge of monitoring blood vessel disease progression

Despite rapid advances in imaging techniques such as retinal photography analysis and optical coherence tomography, it is not feasible to observe biological processes in microcirculation in real time, such as the rupture of a microaneurysm in the eye's blood vessels and the development of blood clots.

As a result, to learn more about how these diseases progress, scientists have been using traditional microfluidic devicesdevices that shuttle around miniscule amounts of fluids in tiny channels carved into a microchipto mimic the physiological conditions of a vascular disease.These existing methods, which either rely on visual image analysis, or the application of the physical laws underlying blood flow, do not provide an accurate assessment of blood flow characteristics, particularly in vessels with complex geometries, such as a microaneurysm in the eye.

The research team demonstrated the AI platform's capabilities on a microaneurysm-on-a-chip, a microfluidic device that the team designed to mimic blood flow in round microaneurysms, the most common type found in diabetic patients .

A 20-microlitre blood sampleabout half a drop of bloodwas loaded onto the chip, and a high-speed camera was used to capture images of blood moving through the microchannels.

The scientists found that their AI platform predicted the characteristics of blood flow such as speed, pressure, and stress exerted by the blood flow on the vessel wall in small, intermediate, and large microaneurysms more accurately and efficiently than existing computational methods.

The team believes their technology may become a powerful tool in the diagnosis and monitoring of microaneurysms using images taken from actual microaneurysms. It could also potentially be combined with microfluidic devices that simulate other types of disorders involving impaired blood vessels to predict blood flow characteristics and monitor other vascular diseases.

Explore further Ultra-wide field retinal imaging techniques cannot be used interchangeably

More information: Shengze Cai el al., "Artificial intelligence velocimetry and microaneurysm-on-a-chip for three-dimensional analysis of blood flow in physiology and disease," PNAS (2021). Journal information: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences Shengze Cai el al., "Artificial intelligence velocimetry and microaneurysm-on-a-chip for three-dimensional analysis of blood flow in physiology and disease,"(2021). www.pnas.org/cgi/doi/10.1073/pnas.2100697118
New Delhi: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Monday (March 22, 2021) released its manifesto for the forthcoming Tamil Nadu Assembly elections and promised to hand over the control of Hindu temples to Hindu scholars and saints.

"The administration of Hindu temples will be handed over to a separate board comprising Hindu scholars and saints," the manifesto read.

Union Ministers Nitin Gadkari and VK Singh released BJP's manifesto. BJP State President L Murugan was also present on the occasion.

Releasing BJP Tamil Nadu Manifesto https://t.co/zntor1QlPA  Nitin Gadkari (@nitin_gadkari) March 22, 2021

BJP also mentioned that a strict anti-conversion law will be made to criminalize religious conversion by force or allurement.

Another major point of BJP's manifesto is that it said that recommendations will be made to provide Indian citizenship to Sri Lankan Tamils living in refugee camps in Tamil Nadu.

BJP also promised 50 lakh new jobs in the state.

"Fishermen assistance of Rs 6000 per year would be provided like its being provided for farmers," BJP said.

It said that Tamil Nadu will be made 'Number 1 state' in South India in Ease of Doing Business.
Police in Hong Kong on Monday detained eight democracy activists returned to the city by China, which jailed them after they tried to flee by speedboat.



The detainees were handed over by Chinese police after being driven in police vehicles, curtains drawn, across the internal border from Shenzhen, where they had served prison sentences for "illegally crossing a border" after their speedboat was intercepted by the China Coast Guard.



"Shortly after 10am, several cars with drawn curtains crossed the border at Shenzhen Bay and travelled to Tin Shui Wai Police Station. Further batches of vehicles were seen in the afternoon, although it wasn't clear who was inside on each occasion," government broadcaster RTHK reported.



News footage showed at least two were in handcuffs with black hoods over their heads.



"The Hong Kong Police Forces states that the eight suspects were returned after completion of legal proceedings by the mainland authorities," RTHK quoted a police statement as saying.



On Dec. 31, 2020, a court in the southern Chinese province of Guangdong handed down jail terms of seven months to the eight detainees for "illegally crossing a border." They were handed over to the custody of the Hong Kong police after time already served was taken into account.



The Yantian District People's Court in Guangdong's Shenzhen city also sentenced Tang Kai-yin to three years' imprisonment for "organizing others to cross a border illegally," and fellow activist Quinn Moon to two years on the same charge.

All 12 detainees were consistently denied access to defense attorneys hired by their families and allocated government-approved attorneys to represent them at a trial that was effectively held behind closed doors.All had already faced actual or potential criminal charges in Hong Kong in connection with the 2019 protest movement.Andy Li was taken to Yuen Long police station soon after arriving back in Hong Kong and arrested for "colluding with foreign forces" under a draconian national security law imposed on Hong Kong by the ruling Chinese Communist Party (CCP) from July 1, 2020.As the cars arrived at their initial stopping point at Tin Shui Wai police station, family members and supporters gathered outside shouting "Come home!" and "Hire a lawyer!" as dozens of police officers patrolled the gates.The remaining seven detainees were also likely to be arrested on arrival, as they had faced charges before they left Hong Kong.

Families kept in the dark



Barrister Chow Hang-tung, who works with the Save 12 Hong Kong Youths Concern Group, said the families hadn't been given any information about their loved ones' return.



"It's been seven months since they last saw their family members," Chow said. "All they wanted to do was to see that they were OK, to wave at them even, but the police haven't communicated with the families at all."



"The families were calling the police stations over and over until this morning to ask if they had come back yet, and the police just said 'no, not yet'."



"It is ridiculous that they had to get this information from the media," Chow said. "The detainees have a right to meet with their families and their lawyers."



Chow said Tang Kai-yin and Quinn Moon had left the Yantian Detention Center following their sentencing, with Tang serving his jail term in Conghua Prison and Quinn Moon sent to the Baiyun District Women's Prison.



She said their families had received letters from each of them since the transfer, and called on the Hong Kong authorities to assist in arranging family visits.



The remaining two detainees -- Liu Tsz-man and Hoang Lam-fuk -- were sent back to Hong Kong after escaping prosecution as they were under 18 at the time of their arrests.



However, Chow said they are currently on remand at the Pik Uk Prison awaiting trial after charges were brought linked to their escape bid on their return.



Reported by Gigi Lee and Lau Siu Fung for RFA's Cantonese Service. Translated and edited by Luisetta Mudie.
By Cui Xu and Liu Wen

BEIJING, Mar. 22 -- A petrol, oil and lubricants (POL) support group of the navy under the PLA Northern Theater Command organized a wartime POL support training drill recently. Unlike the past, the training was held in the simulation training room instead of the docks.

The service members have used a VR simulation training and assessment platform to complete the training of such subjects as equipment structure disassembly, fault identification and pipeline repair.

"Training on the platform is free from the weather and equipment loss, which can effectively improve training efficiency and shorten the generation cycle of warfighting capability," said the head of the group.

In the past, their training usually focused on subjects like pipeline plugging and cutting, while emergency equipment repairs and other complex subjects were trained less due to the difficulty of organization.

To make up for shortcomings, the group developed a VR simulation training and assessment platform along with civilian manufacturers. The service members can now conduct more challenging subjects in virtual environment and effectively improve their POL supply and emergency response capabilities.

It is learnt that the group will work with civilian manufacturers to upgrade the software and expand the coverage of the simulation training.
A fire at a semiconductor chip plant in Japan threatens to make life worse for automakers already struggling to get critical chips amid a global shortage.

The big picture: The chip industry was already facing its biggest supply challenge in years amid unexpectedly strong demand, exacerbated by an earthquake in Japan and snow storm in Texas.

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Driving the news: The fire, which occurred Friday at a plant owned by Japan's Renesas, has done serious damage to the facility, with losses estimated at $160 million per month, per the Wall Street Journal.

Although the fire only directly damaged a small fraction of that plant's equipment, an entire building will have to be shut down as its operations are all tightly integrated. Renesas said that it aims to get production at the plant resumed within a month. Production at a neighboring Renesas facility can continue without interruption.

Two-thirds of the chips made there were used by carmakers, amplifying the impact as carmakers were already curtailing production.

Shares of Japan's three major automakers all fell in Monday trading amid the news.

Go deeper:

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It was a morning of selfies, smiles and playground screams for Education Minister Peter Weir as he visited schools in Northern Ireland to see first hand the return to the classroom of thousands of pupils across Northern Ireland.

Those in exam years in post primary schools were back to face to face teaching, while the return of the P4-P7 age year groups meant that for the first time this year primary schools across the country were full once more.

P1 to P3 pupils and those at nursery school had returned on March 8, but the Education Minister said he was delighted to see the enjoyment back on the faces of so many more young people.

Visiting St Annes Primary School in south Belfast, Peter Weir said the onus was now on parents and society as a whole to make sure there is no return to the lockdown which had seen pupils miss so much time in class.

Im delighted, I think the enjoyment is clear for all to see, he said after meeting pupils in the Finaghy Primary School.

Its been critical that we get young people back, not just from the point of view of the academic side of things but for pupils to meet each other again.

Theyve been apart for three months and I think its very good for their wellbeing as well.

Today is a very positive day. A big step forward for our young people.

The Executive has taken a cautious approach on the basis of trying to take steps that are not retrograde, he said.

Theres a role for all of us, including parents, in ensuring we all play our part in making sure that we create an environment that not only allows schools to continue but also ensures we see a further reduction in the virus.

Today were seeing the actual joy of pupils being back in class.

Thats very positive, not just for our young people but for society as a whole.

This is a significant milestone in the return to a normalised educational environment. It has been a very challenging period for us all and given the significant disruption to our childrens learning and mental health our focus now must be educational and wellbeing support.

Principal at St Annes Michael Keenan said he was delighted to hear the sounds of laughter from the playground again.

I havent heard that sound since December 18 and you can see from the smile on my face that its fantastic to have that noise in the playground back, he said.

We had our P1 to P3 and nursery pupils back last week and there was a real buzz around that part of the school, he said. Its wonderful to have the same buzz around today for the P4 to P7 group.

This week will be really about re-engaging with the pupils face to face, he added. And were giving them a chance to re-engage with each other. They havent, in many cases, seen each other since December so its a great day for the school community to have them all back together.

No matter how hard children work at home, no matter how hard parents work with them, no matter how hard teachers and staff work to provide home learning, nothing beats face to face teaching. Thats what teachers are all about.

The staff were delighted when we heard the children were going to be able to rejoin us in school this week.

Mr Weir said his focus was now on developing plans to help children catch up on what they had missed out on during lockdown.

He said he would be bringing proposals to the Executive that included a wide range of summer school provision.

At Wallace High School in Lisburn it was straight back into lessons for the year 12-14 students, who will all now face grading assessments from teachers to determine this summers A Level, AS Level and GCSE results.

The A Level biology class was, ironically, catching up on contagious virus part of their course. But there was still time for the Minister to pose for selfies with some of the pupils, who had re-engaged with their friends over hot chocolate and ice-creams to start their first day back.

Lateral Flow Covid tests have arrived at the school, with pupils to spend the next two days learning how to use them before those who have consented to take the tests receive their kits on Wednesday.

Principal Deborah OHare said that despite the upheaval to the school year, it was great to finally have pupils back in the classroom.

Were absolutely delighted to have the three years groups back in school, she said.

Online learning has been successful, but theres no replacement for the social, face to face learning for pupils.

Theyre all in lessons with teachers today. Its an opportunity for the young people to meet their friends, be with their teachers and ask those questions about assessment they may have about how grades are going to be awarded.

But today is about not worrying about anything, its about being happy and reassured.

Our goal this week is to have open and honest conversations, she added. There will be pressures. In any normal year there are pressures on examinations. But this is a different kind of pressure and not one they really understand.

The difficult part for them is that they would normally start a year with a goal at the end of it, but how that goal is being assessed has changed. We have to be really careful with how were explaining how that process is going to be managed, she added.

We want to give every young person the opportunity to show their best work. Thats the important thing right across Northern Ireland. They must all have the opportunity to show their best work.

The right approach is just to take one day at a time. Things have been changing so quickly and often without notice. Its not the right time to plan ahead. We need to take stock now and reflect on the lessons learned.

While primary schools will not be involved in the programme in Covid testing for pupils and staff until after Easter the Minister stressed it was vital that as many as possible consent to the tests which are not compulsory.

This week is largely a demonstration week, a trial week, he said.

There is a level of flexibility built in. Schools can do the lateral flow tests or they can demonstrate them. These can be done pretty much at home.

Pupils in Years 8-11 are due to return to school on April 12 after the two-week Easter break.
Pandemic mortgage protections also could be having some effect, he said. The federal government has allowed residents to pause payments on federally backed mortgages and some private lenders have offered mortgage payment deferrals. The measures, which have helped some families weather the pandemic, also mean the best option for these homeowners is likely to stay where they are, he said.
Data: Investing.com; Chart: Axios Visuals

The value of the Turkish lira fell by more than 15% against the dollar, reaching 8.48 lira per dollar after President Recep Tayyip Erdogan fired yet another central bank governor over the weekend.

What happened: Now ex-governor Naci Agbal was relieved of his duties after a surprise 200 basis point increase of Turkey's interest rates last week as part of an effort to restore the credibility of the country's monetary policy and bring down inflation.

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The currency had strengthened to 6.96 lira per dollar as recently as Feb. 21 thanks to Agbal's embrace of orthodox monetary policies.

How we got here: Erdogan fired central bank governor Murat Cetinkaya, who was seen as credible in the eyes of the market, in July 2019 and replaced him with Murat Uysal, who was seen as essentially an Erdogan puppet.

Uysal was replaced in November 2020 by Agbal after inflation surged and the lira hit its weakest ever against the dollar.

Also in November, Turkey's minister of finance and treasury, Berat Albayrak, Erdogan's son-in-law, announced on Instagram that he would step down from both roles to spend more time with his family.

Where it stands: "The shock firing of central bank chief Agbal over the weekend may deal a fatal blow to investor confidence in Turkey," Win Thin, global head of currency strategy at Brown Brothers Harriman, wrote in a note to clients.

"After regaining investor confidence with a series of aggressive rate hikes, Turkey has snatched defeat from the jaws of victory."

Between the lines: "At this point, it doesnt matter who Agbals replacement is or what they say, as its clear that Erdogan is running the show," Thin continued. "USD/TRY is likely to test the all-time high near 8.58 from November, and could even surpass it."

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UK Slaps Sanctions on Chinese Officials Over Xinjiang Abuse

Britain on Monday announced sanctions in coordination with its Western allies against Chinese officials over the human rights abuses of Uyghur Muslims.

This is the first time the UK has targeted Chinese officials with its Magnitsky-style sanctions regime, which was adopted in July 2000.

In a statement, the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) said, The UK will, for the first time, impose asset freezes and travel bans against four Chinese government officials, as well as a Xinjiang security body, under the UKs Global Human Rights sanctions regime for systemic violations against Uyghurs and other minorities.

Alongside the EU, United States and Canada, we are imposing sanctions against those responsible for the serious and systematic human rights abuses against the Uyghur Muslims in Xinjiang. https://t.co/LtmbFO6F7y  Dominic Raab (@DominicRaab) March 22, 2021

Speaking in the House of Commons, Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said, I can tell the House today that Im designating four senior individuals responsible for the violations that have taken placeand persistagainst the Uyghur Muslims in Xinjiang.

The evidence of widespread human rights abuses in Xinjiang cannot be ignoredincluding mass detention and surveillance, reports of torture and forced sterilisation, Raab said in the FCDO statement.

Working with our international partners we are imposing targeted sanctions to hold those responsible to account.

Buildings at the Artux City Vocational Skills Education Training Service Center, believed to be a re-education camp where mostly Muslim ethnic minorities are detained, north of Kashgar in Chinas northwestern Xinjiang region, on June 2, 2019. (Greg Baker/AFP via Getty Images)

Earlier on Monday, the United States announced sanctions on two more Chinese officials linked to Xinjiang, and the European Union imposed sanctions on four Chinese officials.

The UK imposed sanctions on the same officials targeted by the EU.

Zhu Hailun, former secretary of Xinjiangs Political and Legal Affairs Committee, was described by the EU as the architect of the large-scale surveillance, detention, and indoctrination programme targeting Uyghurs and people from other Muslim ethnic minorities.

The list also includes Wang Junzheng, Communist Party chief of the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps (XPCC), a state-owned economic and paramilitary organisation.

In addition to implementing the mass detention programme in the XUAR, the EU said Wang is also responsible for the XPCCs systematic use of Uyghurs and people from other Muslim ethnic minorities as a forced workforce, in particular in cotton fields.

Farmers picking cotton in the fields during the harvest season in Hami, in northwest Chinas Xinjiang region on Sept. 20, 2015. (STR/AFP via Getty Images)

The two other sanctioned individuals are Wang Mingshan, secretary of the Political and Legal Affairs Committee, who used to serve as Xinjiangs police chief, and Chen Mingguo, the current police chief.

Apart from being directly responsible for the mass detentions, they have been linked to Xinjiang polices Integrated Joint Operations Platform, a big data programme used to track millions of Uyghurs in the region and flag those deemed potentially threatening to be sent to detention camps, the EU said.

In addition to these individuals, the UK also sanctioned the XPCCs Public Security Bureau, which is the policing department of the organisation.

Beijing responded to the EU by saying it had decided to impose sanctions on 10 EU individuals, including European lawmakers, the EUs main foreign policy decision-making body known as the Political and Security Committee and two leading think-tanks in a rare escalation of diplomatic tensions.

Reuters contributed to this report.
STRATFORD  Dealing with tragedy is a familiar concept for Dylan Connor.

The Bunnell High School Latin teacher and singer-songwriter has taken several trips to Syria to call attention to the humanitarian crisis spawned by the countrys civil war.

But his latest single is about processing loss closer to home.

Titled Bring you Back, its an elegy dedicated to those who have lost loved ones to the senseless tragedy of an automobile accident.

Its really a sad song because I have in my years of teaching lost several students, Connor said. Whether students at Bunnell or students that I had to these automobile accidents that happen all too frequently across the nation, they really rock the town and the community.

You know that awkwardness that sometimes happens around a tragedy? How do you comfort people without ruffling feathers or making it worse? I had lost another student recently, Connor said. Often the way to deal with the worst emotions or the hardest emotions is to write a song.

A somber, black and white music video features Connor singing the song and grayscale images created by artist Marc Nelson, a teacher and artist who draws pictures about the Syrian conflict.

The video was directed by Lou Spetrino, who teaches video production at Bunnell.

The song is also featured in a movie released late last year called Adverse, that features Mickey Rourke, Penelope Ann Miller, Lou Diamond Phillips and Sean Astin.

Connor said he got a call from the director of the movie, Brian Metcalf, a couple years ago after meeting him while screening a movie about the Syrian civil war in which he had a song featured.

Contributed / Marc Nelson

We exchanged numbers, and a year later or so he called me out of the blue and was just like, Hey, Im making a movie, I want you to take a look at it and see if you want to contribute a song for it, Connor, who was in the middle of writing Bring You Back at the time, recalled.

So he finished the song and sent it to Metcalf.

I presented the song to the director, he liked it and said Id love to use it, Connor said.

The movie is a revenge action thriller  not the first thing that comes to mind hearing Connors solemn, acoustic song. But it also deals with the concept of loss, which is universal.

The song is featured in a scene with Rourke, who portrays an aging crime lord named Kaden.

In a review published last month, Varietys Joe Leydon said the very best thing in the entire movie is Rourkes surprisingly affecting and consistently riveting portrayal of Kaden as a melancholy monster who is at once painfully self-aware and unapologetically amoral.

When the film came out on DVD and on demand, I came home and got it up on Amazon Prime, fast-forwarded to the scene I know my song was in and turned it way up, Connor said. It was really kind of a great moment to be like Wow, theres Mickey Rourke... and theres my song playing in the background.

The pandemic has not been good for musicians who rely on live performances to grow their fan base and make money.

Connor says hes lucky to have a day job to pay the bills so he can focus on coming up with new songs.

I think thats a benefit of the pandemic, he said. Weve all turned inward a little bit. I didnt have to worry about playing gigs until 2 in the morning, so I could write. But its been really challenging for musician buddies of mine who havent been able to play live. It crushes their soul a little bit.

The pandemic has also kept Connor away from traveling to Syria.

But hes working to find sponsors for families he met during his last trip there just before COVID-19 shut down international travel and is also standing for election to be a national board member of the Syrian-American Council.

Anyone willing to help can contact Connor at dylanconnor@mac.com to find out more. So far he said hes found sponsors to pay for about half of the families he met with while in Syria.

Were checking off one at a time, and I wont stop until Ive gotten them all squared away, he said.

Unfortunately, our website is currently unavailable in your country. We are engaged on the issue and committed to looking at options that support our full range of digital offerings to your market. We continue to identify technical compliance solutions that will provide all readers with our award-winning journalism.
simon2579/iStockBy IVAN PEREIRA, ABC News

(NEW YORK) -- About a quarter of California's population has received one shot of the coronavirus vaccine so far, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. However, most of the shots so far appear to have gone to populations that are less vulnerable than others.



State health officials say they are working to improve those numbers.



The CDC issued a report last week that measured counties' vaccine rollouts with regards to "social vulnerability." The vulnerability index included several factors including race, education, poverty level and housing, which the agency noted has also been linked to higher coronavirus rates.



"The results of this study indicate that COVID-19 vaccination coverage was lower in high vulnerability counties than in low vulnerability counties, a finding largely driven by socioeconomic disparities," the report said.



The report examined roughly 49 million shots distributed between Dec. 14 and March 1. Of the 48 states surveyed in the report, California ranked 44th when it came to vaccinations among residents in the highest socially vulnerable counties. About one in four shots went to those counties, the CDC said.



The states that ranked below California in vaccine distribution in the most vulnerable counties were Kansas, Maryland, Idaho and New Hampshire.



The CDC report acknowledged that states have different vaccination rollout strategies and that because doses were given out based on population densities, less vulnerable counties may have received more of the shots. The agency also reiterated that each state's priority list for eligible patients differed.



During the earlier months of the rollout, California prioritized medical workers, the elderly and the highest risk residents.



The CDC highlighted Montana, Arizona and Alaska, where 40% of the vaccines went to high socially vulnerable counties. The report noted that those states took early action to address vulnerable populations through outreach, particularly through tribal health organizations, directing the shots to those communities and, in some cases, offering free transportation to sites.



"Vaccination promotion, outreach, and administration might focus on high vulnerability populations within counties (e.g., providing resources to federally qualified health centers when socioeconomic disparities are identified)," the report recommended.



On March 4, California Gov. Gavin Newsom and state health officials announced a plan to double the allocation of vaccines to the hardest-hit areas in order to address the inequities of the vaccine rollout. In a statement to ABC News, the California Department of Public Health said the CDC report underscores their latest efforts to get the shots to the state's most vulnerable communities.



"With the implementation of the Statewide Vaccine Network, the state will be able to accurately collect data on who has been vaccinated and direct vaccines and resources to communities where vaccinations have lagged," the department said in the statement.



Copyright  2021, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday virtually launched the 'catch the rain' campaign programme and also congratulated the Chief Ministers of Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh for signing an MoU on the Ken-Betwa link project.

The launch was organised to mark World Water Day to raise awareness about water conservation. Speaking on the occasion, the Prime Minister said, "The more we encourage our 'Nari Shakti', the better will be our 'Jan Bhagidari' in conserving our water resources. I congratulate the government of Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh for the Ken-Betwa link project, it will change the water landscape of the nearby areas."

"People from Rajasthan and Gujarat understand water related problems well as there is water scarcity. I am also from Gujarat and faced such problems too. And it is the reason that in the Union Water Ministry we have a minister from the region to tackle such issues," the Prime Minister said.

He also said that there will be more women participation in Jal Jeevan Mission as no one understands the worth better than them. It will be the first time since Independence that a government has worked so seriously for water-testing. Over 4 lakh women have been trained for (rain) water testing, he said.

As per the Ministry, the Jal Shakti Abhiyan -- 'Catch the Rain' will be taken up in all districts, rural as well as urban areas with the main theme "Catch the Rain, where it falls, when it falls". The campaign will be implemented during the period from March 22to November 30 -- the pre-monsoon and monsoon period in the country.

The campaign is being launched as a Jan Andolan to take water conservation at grassroots level through people's participation to accelerate water conservation across the country.

In the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the Union Minister of Jal Shakti and the Chief Ministers of Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh signed the agreement to implement the Ken-Betwa Link Project (KBLP), the first project of the National Perspective Plan for interlinking of rivers.

KBLP involves transfer of water from the Ken to the Betwa River through the construction of Daudhan Dam and a canal linking the two rivers, the Lower Orr Project, Kotha Barrage and Bina Complex Multipurpose Project. The project will provide an annual irrigation of 10.62 lakh hectares, drinking water supply to about 62 lakh people and also generate 103 MW of hydropower.

The Project will be of immense benefit to the water-starved region of Bundelkhand, spread across Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh, specifically to the districts of Panna, Tikamgarh, Chhatarpur, Sagar, Damoh, Datia, Vidisha, Shivpuri and Raisen of Madhya Pradesh and Banda, Mahoba, Jhansi and Lalitpur of Uttar Pradesh.
Cape Town, South Africa, March 21, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- South African-based digital agency, Mashcor, has launched an indigenous African search engine aimed at connecting the continents burgeoning tech industry to the world.

The new search engine can be accessed here: https://mashcor.com

The new search engine has compiled over 2 million African websites to date and is entirely independent of other global search engines.

With a population of over 1.2 billion, the African continent has the potential to rival other populous nations such as China and India. Historic events, however, have limited this potential but the past decade has seen an upsurge of investment in many industries across Africa.

Of particular note is the African tech industry, and Maschors new search engine was created to combine this growth across the continent in a more coordinated manner.

There are now over 700 technology innovation hubs across the African continent and the industry has seen a growth of over 50% in recent years.

Such growth has not gone unnoticed, with Microsoft (for example) investing over $100 million dollars in a new development center. African Industry leaders are eager to retain independence, and Mashcors new search engine is one example of such efforts.

African talent has traditionally been underutilized, owing to the geographical constraints of the continent and insufficient infrastructure. However, with modern connectivity allowing people to work from anywhere, Mashcor has recognized an opportunity to unify African talent and drive growth.

The continent still faces challenges, with 4G connection still being rolled out. However, industry giants such as Google and Facebook are also investing heavily in the development of high-speed fiber-optic cables.

With Africa representing 1/7th of the global population, its no surprise that companies such as Microsoft, Google, and Facebook are investing in the region. However, Mashcors launch of an independent search engine is a reflection of African pride and a desire to be a global player in their own right.

Mashcor is based in Capetown, SA, and encompasses the new search engine, digital marketing, information blogs, and a TV streaming service.

A representative of the company stated: We live in an amazing continent and we believe that Africa is not only poised to become the most powerful continent in the world, but we also have the tools to bring that dream into fruition.

Interested parties can see the new search engine at https://mashcor.com
As the federal government grapples with Russia and China's widespread and damaging hacks, the Biden administration is seeking new methods for better early threat detection of these sophisticated intrusions. Both the SolarWinds espionage hack attributed to Russian operatives and the exploits of the Microsoft Exchange server vulnerabilities attributed to China were uncovered by private firms, cybersecurity giant FireEye and Microsoft.

Both attacks originated on servers within the US, placing them out of reach of the National Security Agency's (NSAs) powerful detection capabilities, which US law restricts to international activities. The new cybersecurity leadership in the Biden White House is brainstorming methods to establish new early warning systems that combine traditional intelligence agency methods with private sector expertise. The White House announced on March 17 the formation of a task force it calls the Unified Coordination Group consisting of federal and private sector representatives charged with finding a "whole of government" response to the Microsoft Exchange attack.

Reportedly chief among the new approaches is establishing more profound information-sharing methods with the private sector. The concept is to set up a real-time threat sharing mechanism where data could be sent to a central repository and paired with intelligence gathered by the NSA and other intel agencies to provide organizations with more immediate threat warnings.

The notion of private sector organizations sharing threat and vulnerability information with the federal government has been visited and revisited for at least the past ten years. One bill, the Cybersecurity Information Sharing Act of 2015 (CISA), was passed to make information-sharing easier. Among other things, that law gives companies certain liability protections and privileges as a means of motivating them to share sensitive information with the Department of Homeland Security and the Department of Justice.

During a Senate hearing on both the SolarWinds and Microsoft hacks, witnesses (including the CEOs of Microsoft, FireEye and Crowdstrike) and some senators, called for even greater transparency and information-sharing when it comes to significant cybersecurity threats. However, experts say that information-sharing efforts following the 2015 Act have sputtered and really never caught fire due to at least four main reasons.

Companies fear reputational or financial damage

"I've seen the Information Sharing Act and the different ISACs [information sharing and analysis centers] all over the place," Casey Ellis, founder, chairman, and CTO of vulnerability disclosure company Bugcrowd tells CSO. "They got off to a slow start where the companies being attacked don't necessarily want to hang their dirty laundry out in front of the competition. The security vendors often treat their information as proprietary. These are two very practical business limitations to how successful [information sharing] can be."

Ron Bushar, senior vice president and CTO for FireEye's Government Solutions, agrees with Ellis that corporate fear of damage to their reputations and finances inhibits companies from fully embracing information sharing. "There's a risk side of this for corporate America, which is liability," he tells CSO. There are a lot of organizations, especially outside of the cyber vendor community, who are very averse to sharing any information because if they've had a breach or they suspect they've had a breach, then it becomes a material issue for the company."

One factor limiting information-sharing is that so far, it's been voluntary. "There's been a lot of information sharing. I'll call it infrastructure in place for cyber for a number of years through [the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, also known as CISA], " Bushar says. "The challenge with that information sharing model is it's voluntary, and it relies on the private sector entities to determine what's valuable information and what they should share with the government."

The government doesn't share information and process complex data well

Because the federal government rarely shares information back, private sector companies don't have much of a feedback loop, Bushar says. "A lot of corporate folks tend to say, 'Well, we share it. We provide a lot of information, but we don't know what happens to it. We don't know if it's good or bad or indifferent or useful or not. And we don't get anything.'"

Yet another factor that could hamper information sharing is the government's inability to process the information it receives. The government has to "be able to piece the intelligence together in a way that allows them to make accurate assessments. They have to have context," Bushar says. "They have to know which sectors are being hit, what the adversary in that particular campaign seems to be interested in, either data collection or destruction. Companies might be willing to share, 'here's a piece of malware we found, or here's an IP address, but we're not telling you how many accounts were compromised and what data was taken. There are blind spots there."

Ellis agrees that the government might not be able to cope with all the data even if companies gladly send it. "I think it's becoming more practical, but it's still difficult. I think the government's ability to consume what the different industries are up to will be challenged by the fact that the government likes things to be done in certain way."

Information sharing may not improve the speed of threat response

Even if the government could ingest and properly analyze mounds of complex information, it's unlikely it could do so fast enough so that organizations can contain threats like SolarWinds or Microsoft's Exchange vulnerabilities more quickly than they do today. "FireEye released indicators of compromise like TTPs [tactics, techniques and procedures] that were observed. All that information got dropped out onto the internet pretty quickly within a matter of a couple of days," Ellis says.

FireEye's Bushar says the "question is not just about what gets shared, but how fast it gets shared. Again, there are a lot of disincentives to rapid sharing because there's a lot of analysis beforehand. What the impacts might be and the who, what, where, when, and how of it. Once you get legal and financial regulation, regulatory pieces involved, it slows everything down."

Noted security veteran and former NSA hacker Dave Aitel minces no words when sizing up the need for or effectiveness of information sharing as a means to develop a better early warning system. "No sane legal advisor would allow sharing of the nature that would help the US government find these sorts of hackers better. Network-based surveillance, itself troublesome, would probably not have discovered these two attacks any earlier," he tells CSO.

Companies fear their data might not be secure

Finally, fears over the lack of data security are also a crucial consideration in the decision to share information with the government. "A good example is the whole thing with the [Microsoft Exchange} ProxyLogon exploits," Ellis says.

"There's a lot of conversation going around about the degree to which those exploits have leaked from the different people involved in the security research and the different recipients. It's not entirely clear what happened yet other than the fact that they were being exploited before they should have been, which suggests people knew about it who shouldn't have."
Lawyer in Kemerovo Region gets 10 years behind bars for extortion

 RAPSI, Vladimir Burnov

16:36 22/03/2021

MOSCOW, March 22 (RAPSI)  A court in Russias Kemerovo Region on Monday sentenced a 28-year attorney to 10 years in high-security prison for extortion and illegal deprivation of freedom, the press service of the regional Investigative Committee reports.

His accomplices received jail terms ranging from 9 to 11 years.

The court held that in 2017 local entrepreneurs turned to the lawyer after 33 million rubles disappeared from the bank accounts of their firms. The defendant found an alleged thief and invited him to his office. They beat the victim and demanded their money. The man insisted that he knew nothing about the stolen funds but failed. They restrained him in a flat and beat him for 2 weeks. Later, they understood that the victim was not involved in the crime and freed him, the statement reads.




President Joe Biden is reportedly pursuing an ambitious $3 trillion spending package on green infrastructure and other priorities, which could be funded by tax hikes on the wealthy and corporations.

Biden advisers are preparing to recommend he splash out the trillions in tax dollars to boost the economy, reduce carbon emissions and narrow economic inequality, beginning with a giant infrastructure plan, according to multiple media reports.

It's unclear how the plan would be funded, but Biden has previously proposed raising taxes on those making more than $400,000, as well as hiking the capital gains and estate taxes.

White House spokeswoman Jen Psaki, speaking to reporters on Monday, declined to confirm reports on the spending plan, but said Biden would be briefed this week by his economic advisers on 'the size and scope' of the proposals.

In a separate statement, Psaki said Biden and his team were considering 'a range of potential options for how to invest in working families and reform our tax code so it rewards work, not wealth.'

President Joe Biden's advisors are looking at new ways to raise revenue by taxing the wealthy, in part due to the way different groups of Americans have fared during the pandemic

The $3 trillion effort was expected to be broken into two parts, one focused on infrastructure, and the other devoted to other domestic priorities, such as universal prekindergarten, national childcare and free community college tuition, according to multiple reports.

Many questions remain about how to structure and pay for for such a massive spending package, and what Republicans in Congress might vote for.

'Were hearing the next few months might bring a so-called 'infrastructure' proposal that may actually be a Trojan horse for massive tax hikes and other job-killing left-wing policies,' Minority Leader Mitch McConnell said on the Senate floor on Monday.

The Times said administration officials have considered financing the plan by reducing federal spending by as much as $700 billion over a decade, and raising the top marginal income tax rate to 39.6 percent from 37 percent.

Biden campaigned on a variety of proposals to increase the tax share on the wealthy, and his economic team has been analyzing several of them, even as the $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief plan made its way through Congress as a protected 'reconciliation' package.

One idea is to push through ways to tax capital gains at the same rate as ordinary income  Biden campaigned on raising the rate for long-term capital gains from 20 per cent to 39.6 per cent during the campaign for those earning more than $1 million a year.

Another is to change the stepped-up basis provided for estate assets that allows heirs to avoiding some potentially massive tax hits. It is an idea pitched by David Kamin, deputy diretor of Biden's National Economic Council, who wrote a 2019 paper called 'Taxing the Rich.'

Advisors are preparing a massive infrastructure package that includes green energy

Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said last week the administration was open to a potential wealth tax  an idea pitched by Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.)

'The idea of finally eliminating what is a massive loophole, in that the highest income Americans escape tax on their wealth by addressing step up in basis and then taxing capital gains as ordinary income, is a major reform of our system, which I think is needed,' Kamin told Bloomberg News.

Providing the step up in basis can allow heirs to mitigate gains when disposing of an assets like stocks or real estate that may have gone up considerably over a period of years.

'These would be major accomplishments, which would pretty fundamentally shift how our tax system treats the richest Americans and the largest corporations so they can't escape tax in the ways they now can,' he added.

Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said last week the administration was open to a potential wealth tax  an idea pitched by Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.).

'That's something that we haven't decided yet and can look at,' Yellen said. 'Those are alternatives that address, that are similar in their impact to a wealth tax,' she told ABC's 'This Week.'

Economic advisor David Kamin

Also on the table are an increase in the corporate tax rate and rolling back some of the Trump tax cuts  something Biden addressed in his recent interview with ABC's George Stephanopoulos.

'Anybody making more than $400,000 will see a small-to-a-significant tax increase,' he said.

Getting any tax package through the Senate will pose a challenge. The $1.9 trillion coronavirus package performed well in public opinion polls, but Biden couldn't peel off a single Republican vote for it.

According to the Bloomberg report, the K-shaped nature of the recovery is contributing to the desire to focus tax increases on the wealthy  with some Americans socking away pandemic gains through investments while working from home, while others getting hammered by job losses or and sectors that have been hammered.

The New York Times reported Monday reported that Biden's advisors are preparing to recommend a massive $3 trillion infrastructure package. The total would include spending on clean energy, infrastructure, high tech infrastructure like broadband, rail and bridges, and electric vehicle charging stations.

Officials are looking at using corporate tax rates as a pay-for, boosting them above current 21 per cent levels.
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US President Joe Biden says he is ready to talk to Tehran

Iran is deliberately concealing key components of its nuclear programme from UN inspectors that can be used for producing atomic weapons, according to the latest reports received by Western intelligence officials.

The equipment being hidden from UN inspectors includes machinery, pumps and spare parts for centrifuges, the machines used to enrich uranium to weapons grade.

Materials such as carbon fibre, which can be used in the production of advanced centrifuges, are also being stored at secret sites in Iran and administered by Irans Revolutionary Guard Corps, which has overall responsibility for Irans nuclear programme.

Intelligence officials believe the material, which is supposed to be declared to UN inspectors under the terms of Irans 2015 nuclear deal, is being stored in 75 containers. The containers are regularly transported around the country to sites administered by the Atomic Energy Agency of Iran (AEOI).

According to recent images collected by intelligence satellites, some containers were stored at the AEOIs uranium conversion facility at Isfahan.

Under the terms of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), the nuclear deal that former US president Barack Obama negotiated with Tehran, Iran is required to make a full disclosure of all the equipment and materials related to Irans nuclear activities.

But UN inspectors, who are supposed to make regular assessments of Irans nuclear facilities, have accused Iran of deliberately concealing key elements of its nuclear activities. Last year, the US, Germany, Britain and France condemned Iran for denying access to two key nuclear sites.

Since then, the Iranian majlis, or parliament, has passed a resolution ordering Irans nuclear scientists to begin enriching uranium to 20pc, far beyond the 4pc limit agreed under the JCPOA. They have also banned inspectors from making further inspections.

The new revelations that Iran is trying to conceal vital elements of its nuclear programme from the outside world show that Tehran has no intention of complying with its international obligations under the terms of the nuclear deal, commented a senior Western intelligence source. It is yet another indication that the regime remains committed to acquiring nuclear weapons.

Tehran has consistently denied accusations that it is trying to acquire a nuclear weapons arsenal, although US intelligence officials have concluded that Iran had an active nuclear weapons programme until 2003.

With tensions mounting between Washington and Tehran in the wake of the Trump administrations decision to withdraw from the nuclear deal, there are now serious concerns that Iran has resumed work on developing nuclear weapons.

Yesterday, Iran ruled out holding an informal meeting with the US and European powers to discuss ways to salvage the unravelling 2015 deal with major powers, insisting that Washington must first lift all its unilateral sanctions.

The US said it was disappointed, but that it remained ready to re-engage in meaningful diplomacy on the issue.

The new administration of President Joe Biden has said it is ready to talk to Iran about both nations returning to the accord, which scrapped United Nations sanctions against Iran in return for curbs intended to prevent it acquiring nuclear weapons  something Iran says it does not want.

But the parties cannot agree who should make the first move. Iran says the US must lift sanctions while Washington says Tehran must return to compliance with the deal, which it has been progressively breaching.

Accusations that Iran has deliberately concealed key elements of its nuclear programme have been circulating in intelligence circles since the early 2000s, when the existence of the Natanz enrichment facility was first revealed by Iranian dissidents.

Intelligence officials believe some of the equipment now being held in the storage containers was already in Irans possession prior to the 2015 nuclear deal, while other components have been acquired on the black market in violation of the accord.

Much of the equipment was being stored at warehouses in Isfahan until recently.

Telegraph Media Group Limited [2021]
Charting the Course: NREL Team To De-risk Desal Device Deployment

NREL Researchers Work To Transform Seawater Into Drinking Water as We Commemorate World Water Day 2021

March 22, 2021

NREL's hydraulic and electric reverse osmosis (HERO) wave energy converter (WEC) device is helping Waves to Water Prize competitors chart their course and advance the cause of marine energy. Image by NREL

It is easier to dive in with confidence after testing the water firstand National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) researchers are building this confidence with the development of a simple, easily deployable wave-energy-powered desalination device. Their goal? Reducing the deployment risk for competitors of the Waves to Water Prize.

Supported by the U.S. Department of Energys (DOEs) Water Power Technologies Office (WPTO) and administered by NREL, the five-stage, $3.3 million contest aims to accelerate innovation in small, modular, wave-powered desalination systems capable of producing clean water in disaster and recovery scenarios, as well as in water-scarce coastal and island locations.

Today, as we commemorate World Water Day 2021, more than 1.1 billion people lack access to potable water, and the growing impacts of climate change are likely to worsen this reality. Through competitions such as the Waves to Water Prize, NREL and WPTO are inspiring climate innovators to rise to meet our resiliency challenges.

Diving In

Jennettes Pier in North Carolinas Outer Banks will host the cadre of Waves to Water competitors in April 2022.

The prize is currently in the CREATE Stage, and teams have 180 days to build a functional prototype or proof of concept of their system. The competitors will also have a unique opportunity to collaborate with external organizations that are supporting their innovations.

Janicki Industries, an aerospace engineering firm, will provide valuable design-for-manufacturing feedback, as well as offer office hours for the competitors. The International Desalination Association will host technical seminars for the teams on desalination and commercialization principles as well as promoting these solutions to the international desalination community.

In April 2022, as part of the final DRINK Stage, teams will deploy their devices, demonstrating their concepts' viability in real ocean conditions.

Ensuring Smooth Sailing

Employing hydrodynamic modeling coupled with top-notch simulation capabilities, NREL researchers are ensuring a fair contest by building a robust desalination device to crystalize the metrics by which competitor designs will be evaluated in the Waves to Water Prize.

In development of their hydraulic and electric reverse osmosis (HERO) wave energy converter (WEC) device, the NREL team was guided by the parameters to which Waves to Water Prize competitors must adhere. However, unlike the competitors, NREL designed and built their system to provide the CSI team installation practice and validation of measurement practices, rather than produce the most or cleanest water.

The resulting device features a modular power take-off, with the capabilities to test both hydraulic and electric systems to better understand how the deployment process might vary between these types of submissions. The device will enable the researchers to effectively assess various aspects of the competition process, including measurement techniques.

A primary focus of the team is ensuring the efficiency and safety of device installation and removalfor both the Coastal Studies Institute (CSI), the partner for the final stage of the prize, as well as for the competitors.

Additionally, NREL is evaluating the complexities involved in anchoring the devices. As part of this work, they will determine guidelines for electric, hydraulic, and anchoring connection points to inform the competitors in their design process, as well as identify possible device failure points.

Once the device is finalized, NREL intends to publicly release associated modeling results, design drawings, and a list of build materials to address information gaps and encourage others to replicate and build upon the technology.

From Prizes to Power at Sea

NRELs work on the desalination HERO WEC device carries implications that extend beyond the Waves to Water Prize. Future marine energy developers can build upon the resulting data and use the device as a baseline of comparison with other marine energy devices, helping to advance their own research.

Through the development of a publicly available device, NRELs intention is to assist other innovators by pinpointing what works, what does not, and provide a basis from which others can build and modify their own designs. Industry can apply lessons learned from this device to produce future technologies that can provide power at sea and build resilient coastal communities, evolve ocean observation, or support post-disaster relief efforts.

Learn more about the Waves to Water Prize and how you can support the work of these daring competitors.
By Simon Lewis and Doina Chiacu

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Treasury Department said on Monday it was imposing sanctions on two members of Myanmar's ruling junta, including the chief of police, and two military units linked to the deadly repression of protests again the army's coup, as Washington warned of more action.

President Joe Biden's administration has already blacklisted top junta members and some military-owned companies, but the military has refused to change course and increasingly used violence against anti-coup demonstrators, killing more than 250 people so far.

"Today's actions send a strong signal that we will follow through on our pledges to continue to take action against coup leaders and those who perpetrate violence," Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a statement.

The U.S. action came on the heels of the European Union imposing its own sanctions on Monday on 11 individuals linked to the Feb. 1 coup in Myanmar.

The U.S. Treasury's action targeted Than Hlaing, a military officer who was appointed to lead the police force after the coup, and Lieutenant General Aung Soe, a special operations commander overseeing the crackdown.

The move essentially freezes any U.S. assets of those blacklisted and generally bars Americans from dealing with them.

The Treasury also blacklisted the army's 77th Light Infantry Division and 33rd Light Infantry Division, which have been deployed to suppress anti-coup demonstrations in the largest city, Yangon, and second city of Mandalay.

"Video footage shows security forces riding pickup trucks while apparently indiscriminately firing live ammunition in multiple directions, including into people's homes," the Treasury said of the crackdowns.

The 33rd was one of two of the army's elite light infantry units already under U.S. human rights sanctions for their roles in the military's 2017 assault on Rohingya Muslims, which were first detailed in a Reuters special report.

(Read the 2018 special report here: https://www.reuters.com/investigates/special-report/myanmar-rohingya-battalions)

(Reporting by Simon Lewis and Doina Chiacu; Editing by Nick Macfie and Rosalba O'Brien)
A Scranton man faces charges after police said he stole more than $1,000 from a downtown drugstore Saturday afternoon.

Police responded to Rite Aid, 201 N. Washington Ave., at 4:22 p.m. for the report of a robbery. Store employees told police the man threatened clerks and took $1,061 after telling them it was a robbery and demanding all the money from the register.

Once on scene, officers spotted the suspect, wearing a tan pullover and black hat, heading on foot toward the door of a rooming house at 505 Linden St. Officers called for the man to stop, but he entered the building. Officers later saw the man near the outside rear stairs and asked him to stop again, but he went back into the building, police said.

When searching the building, officers heard someone inside Room 4 and saw feet on a bed. After repeated calls from police for the occupants to respond went unanswered, the landlord opened the door. A man matching the description of the suspect was lying on a bed on a tan pullover, and a large amount of cash was on the floor, police said.

The man, later identified as Kevin A. Parks, struggled with officers as he was being arrested, police said. They recovered $1,060 along with the pullover and black hat from the room.

Rite Aid employees identified Parks as the person who robbed the store, police said.

Officers also found Anthony Woytach, who they say lives in the apartment, hiding under a pile of clothes in another room. Woytach told police Parks was visiting him and borrowed the tan pullover to go to the store.

Parks, 49, 315 Hughes Court, was charged with robbery and resisting arrest.

Bail and preliminary hearing information was unavailable Sunday.
TEL AVIV, Israel, March 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Swimm , the company that allows knowledge building through continuous, auto-synced documentation, announced Elinor Guetta and Tim Post's addition to the team. Guetta joined the company as Head of Business Operations, while Post took the role of Principal Dev ReI.

Previous to Swimm, Guetta was Head of Growth at Gett , the global corporate ground travel leader, where she focused on sales operations and customer success. Guetta also worked closely with Swimm's co-founders as COO at ITC , an educational organization that trains talented professionals to develop careers in technology.

"The rise in productivity tools for engineering teams have left users with a sea of choices and uncertainty regarding where to place efforts," said Guetta. "To tap into the true potential of engineering teams' productivity, Swimm is working on a robust developer platform to sync teams and their code, with a unique developer experience."

"I am looking forward to reuniting with the team at Swimm whom I have previously worked with. Swimm's ultimate goal is to help engineering teams better understand their code and create a strong knowledge base, so understanding and integrating customer feedback into Swimm's growth will be a top priority," she added.

Tim Post is the former Community Evangelist for Stack Overflow, where he served as the outward voice of the company and community and worked to ensure that Stack Overflow was a welcoming and inclusive site for all developers. Tim developed and managed special projects designed to drive both users and business engagement during his time there. With nearly two decades of experience as a Software Engineer, Post will integrate into the team as Principal Developer ReIations, to grow and maintain Swimm's community.

"Swimm is a platform that at its core makes developers' lives easier," said Post. "Having spent a significant portion of my career as a software engineer and then as a community builder, I'm excited about how Swimm is going about solving some of the biggest pain points engineers face. I look forward to opening discussions with the developer community about why this is a must-have tool in their stack."

"We are thrilled to have Elinor and Tim aboard the Swimm team, together they will help emphasize our commitment to deliver a great experience for customers. Their track record and vast experience will be invaluable to open channels of communication, allowing us to build strong relationships with our users," said Oren Toledano, CEO and Founder of Swimm."

Media Contact

Kevin Capon Goldszmidt

[email protected]

+972585-190791

SOURCE Swimm

Related Links

https://swimm.io/


Meyer said that the first round of PPP funding got him through some rough times.

November and December, those were some dark days, he recalled. For this next round of aid, Im just waiting around to see where the checks fall.

I feel really lucky we got the checks we have so far, said Meyer. It put us in a decent position now. We were able to keep quite a few (employees) on throughout this. And we wouldnt have been able to do that without the PPP.

If theres more on the way, thatd be helpful. Hes just not sure how that aid will trickle down to him, said Meyer. Everyones in a little bit of wait and see pattern.

Aubrey Bailey of Cadet Wine & Beer Bar in downtown Napa also said that 2020 was a difficult year. Cadet was forced to shift to to-go wine and beer sales.

That was our only avenue for revenue, Bailey said. As a small business owner, you know how to hustle and work hard to begin with, but I think this stretched all of us into the deepest corners of our creativity, said Bailey. And were still restricted as how we can be open. Moving into indoors was a godsend, but by no means are all of us out of the woods.
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By Alexis Akwagyiram and Angela Ukomadu

LAGOS (Reuters) - Modern African music is altering perceptions of the continent as part of a global cultural shift that marks a "big moment", Nigerian music artist Burna Boy told Reuters after hailing his first Grammy award.

Burna Boy was awarded a Grammy for the Best Global Music Album this month for 'Twice As Tall' which was released last year.

He is part of a generation of Nigerian music artists, which include Wizkid and Davido, that has enjoyed global success in recent years as proponents of the Afrobeats sound. The African genre is now almost as likely to be heard in London or Los Angeles as it is in Lagos.

"It's a big moment and a big time for African music and Africans in general," said Burna Boy, during an interview at his home in Nigeria's commercial capital Lagos.

The artist, whose real name is Damini Ogulu, said his award was part of a "domino effect" that gives Africans more control over the way they are perceived through technology, as streaming services take the continent's arts to a global audience.

"I didn't even want to be African when I was little," he said. "I wanted to be anything but who I was, because who we are wasn't really the cool thing to be," said the artist, who grew up in southern Nigeria and moved to London as a child before returning to the west African country.

He said his win showed that African music was attracting worldwide respect.

Those sentiments were shared by many at Edge Music Academy, in the Jakande district of Lagos, where students compose music in a studio decked out with microphones, laptops and a keyboard.

"The future is bright," said student Obi Prince. "The way Afrobeats is represented in the world right now can only be a start for Nigerian artists. We just have to do our thing and bring out ourselves more globally," he said.

The academy's chief executive officer, Michael Tijani, said Burna Boy's win was a "huge deal" for Nigerian music.

Story continues

"People coming into the industry now have a more concrete belief that you can actually get as far as anybody else in the world can go," he said.

Reclining in a chair in his home studio, Burna Boy reflected on his success.

"You can't mention the top five musicians in the world without throwing me or an African in there," he said, smiling. "Now we're eye to eye with the people we used to look up to."

(Writing by Alexis Akwagyiram; Editing by Marguerita Choy)
AUSTIN, Minn. - After a brief and unplanned week off from in-person learning, students in Austin are heading back to school.

Austin Public Schools switched to all distance learning almost two weeks ago because of an outbreak among bus staff. Taking the time off to clean the buses and have everyone in the school district quarantine wasn't ideal, but the superintendent , David Krenz, said that's what was needed to be able to head back to school. For any parents who might have some concerns, he explained he understands. "The patience of our parents. I know there's frustration there and I know that they need to be working and feel the kids need to be in school," said Krenz. "We agree with that. We just want to make sure it's a safe environment."

Krenz said distance learning has made a huge impact on the students and their engagement in class has gone down significantly. But with almost all of the teachers and staff now vaccinated, he feels they're getting closer to everyone learning in-person again. "All of our staff who have wanted vaccinations, which is almost 700, have gotten their first," he explained. "We believe our numbers are that by the end of next week, all will have their second dose. That's critical."

Elementary students in Austin are returning back to school four days a week and the older students are still following the hybrid model for the time being. The CDC recently updated its guidance now allowing desks in school to be 3 feet apart instead of the original recommendation of 6 feet.
Pune, India, March 22, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- According to the World Bank, approximately 84% populace in Germany depend on Internet and around 75% populace in the U.S. are subscribers of the Internet, which augments the global ePharmacy market growth. Fortune Business Insights states that the global ePharmacy market is projected to reach US$ 177,794.9 Mn by 2026, thereby exhibiting an impressive CAGR of 17.3% during the forecast period (2019-2026). The company further states that the global market was valued at US$ 49,727.7 Mn in 2018. According to a published report by Fortune Business Insights, titled, ePharmacy: Global Market Analysis, Insights and Forecast, 2019-2026, the global ePharmacy market will witness notable growth during the forecast period due to the technological advancements based on artificial intelligence.





Request a Sample Copy of Research Report: https://www.fortunebusinessinsights.com/enquiry/request-sample-pdf/epharmacy-market-100238





Increasing Adoption of E-commerce Websites to Favor Growth in Asia Pacific

Geographically, the global ePharmacy market is grouped into Asia Pacific, North America, the Middle East and Africa, Europe, and Latin America. Out of these regions, North America is expected to remain in the leading position in the global ePharmacy market during the forecast period. The growth is attributed to the rapid shift of consumers towards online retailers from offline pharmacies. Also, increasing usage of smartphones and high speed of the Internet are expected to aid North America in gaining the highest global ePharmacy market share in the forthcoming years. Furthermore, a rise in geriatric population, increasing online orders, and growing adoption of online platforms will drive the market growth in this region.

Europe and Asia Pacific, on the other hand, are projected to exhibit significantly high CAGR during the forecast period. In Europe, numerous prominent market players have begun offering products at lucrative rates. This will positively impact growth of ePharmacy market in this region. Asia Pacific, on the other hand, has been witnessing higher adoption of e-commerce websites and increasing patient pool. Moreover, the healthcare infrastructure in this region is on the verge of becoming prosperous. All these factors are anticipated to fuel ePharmacy market growth in Asia Pacific in the coming years.





For more information in the analysis of this report, visit: https://www.fortunebusinessinsights.com/industry-reports/epharmacy-market-100238





Key Market Players to Focus on Bagging Funds for Expanding Online Platforms

Several key market players operating in the global ePharmacy market have begun exploring and implementing new strategies to provide the consumers with smooth service. Fortune Business Insights has listed a few key developments that have occurred in the global ePharmacy market since the past few years:

Meds, a Swedish online pharmacy announced in January 2019 that it raised US$ 5.5 million in a funding round conducted by Inbox Capital, a family-owned venture capital company, headquartered in Sweden. The total amount of the startup has increased to US$ 10.5 million. Meds sells healthcare, beauty products, prescription, and non-prescription drugs. They have received permission from the Swedish Medical Product Agency to sell those. According to the company, approximately 40% of the sales come from the households in the Stockholm area as the home delivery service takes less than two hours. After receiving the funds, the company declared that it would soon expand their area of delivery to both Gothenburg and Malmo. Also, the company has planned to expand its warehouse area.





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Rite Aid Corp, a drugstore chain in the U.S., announced that it acquired Envision Rx Options, a pharmaceutical company, headquartered in Ohio in June 2015. The acquisition would aid Rite Aid in expanding its retail healthcare platform and boost its health and wellness products. The mixture of Envision Rxs pharmacy-related businesses and Rite Aids online platform would provide the consumers with vast offerings across mail-order, specialty, and retail channels.





The Report Lists the Key Players in this Market:

 DocMorris

 CVS Health Corporation

 Express Script Holding Company

 Walgreen Co.

 Optum Rx, Inc.

 Giant Eagle, Inc.

 Walmart Stores, Inc.

 Rowland Pharmacy

 The Kroger Co.

 Other players





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Detailed Table of Content:

Introduction Research Scope Market Segmentation Research Methodology Definitions and Assumptions

Executive Summary

Market Dynamics Market Drivers Market Restraints Market Opportunities

Key Insights Key Start-ups and Funding Overview Key Industry Developments - Mergers, Acquisitions, and Partnerships, 2018 Overview of Regulatory Scenario - Key Countries Key Industry Trends Overview of e-Commerce Penetration  Key Countries

Global ePharmacy Market Analysis, Insights and Forecast, 2015-2026 Key Findings / Summary Market Analysis, Insights and Forecast  By Product Over-the-Counter Products Prescription Medicine Market Analysis, Insights and Forecast  By Region North America Europe Asia Pacific Rest of World

North America ePharmacy Market Analysis, Insights and Forecast, 2015-2026 Key Findings / Summary Market Analysis  By Product Over-the-Counter Products Prescription Medicine Market Analysis  By Country U.S. Canada

Europe ePharmacy Market Analysis, Insights and Forecast, 2015-2026 Key Findings / Summary Market Analysis  By Product Over-the-Counter Products Prescription Medicine Market Analysis  By Country/Sub-region U.K. Germany France Spain Italy Scandinavia



TOC Continued.!!!





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HOWELL, N.J., March 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Greenland Technologies Holding Corporation (NASDAQ: GTEC) ("Greenland"), a technology developer and manufacturer of electric industrial vehicles and drivetrain systems for material handling machineries and vehicles, announced today it plans to release audited results for the fourth quarter and full year 2020 ended December 31, 2020 on March 30, 2021.

(PRNewsfoto/Greenland Technologies Holding Corporation)

The Company released select preliminary results on January 13, 2021, subject to final audit. The Company, subject to final audit, now expects revenue for the fourth quarter of 2020 ended December 31, 2020 increased by approximately 25.5% to approximately RMB 73.2 million when compared to approximately RMB 58.3 million in revenue for the same period one year ago.

The Company reiterated it was encouraged by the acceleration in revenue growth in the fourth quarter of 2020, as it benefited from both strong Company and market fundamentals, with business momentum expected to continue through 2021 given the fact that its growth is coming from a diversified product mix and customer base.

About Greenland Technologies Holding Corporation

Greenland Technologies Holding Corporation (NASDAQ: GTEC) is a developer and a manufacturer of drivetrain systems for material handling machineries and electric vehicles, as well as electric industrial vehicles. For more information visit www.gtec-tech.com .

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains statements that may constitute "forward-looking statements." Such statements reflect Greenland's current views with respect to future events and are subject to such risks and uncertainties, many of which are beyond the control of Greenland, including those set forth in the Risk Factors section of Greenland's Annual Report on Form 10-K and Definitive Proxy Statement on Schedule 14A filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC"). Copies are available on the SEC's website, www.sec.gov . Words such as "expect," "estimate," "project," "budget," "forecast," "anticipate," "intend," "plan," "may," "will," "could," "should," "believes," "predicts," "potential," "continue," and similar expressions are intended to identify such forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements include, without limitation, Greenland's expectations with respect to future performance. In addition, there is uncertainty about the further spread of the COVID-19 virus or the occurrence of another wave of cases and the impact it may have on the Company's operations, the demand for the Company's products, global supply chains and economic activity in general. Should one or more of these risks or uncertainties materialize, or should assumptions underlying the forward-looking statements prove incorrect, actual results may vary materially from those described herein as intended, planned, anticipated or expected. Statements contained in this news release regarding past trends or activities should not be taken as a representation that such trends or activities will continue in the future. Greenland does not intend and does not assume any obligation to update these forward-looking statements, other than as required by law.

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SOURCE Greenland Technologies Holding Corporation
An Indiana couple faces child neglect and drug possession charges after they drove while high on the synthetic cannabinoid K2 with a child in the car and the husband was found 'acting like a zombie' and growling, police said.

Officers from the Evansville Police Department arrested Anthony Monarch, 32, and Lindsey Monarch, 31, after finding drugs in their car and observing behavior leading police to determine they were both high while driving from Chandler to Evansville, Indiana.

Anthony Monarch was charged with neglect of a dependent child and possession of methamphetamine, another controlled substance and drug paraphernalia.

Lindsey Monarch was charged with neglect of a dependent child and possession of a controlled substance.

The couple were booked into the Vanderburgh County jail after 1 p.m. Saturday.

Anthony Monarch (left) was charged with child neglect and possession of methamphetamine and another controlled substance. Officers say when they tried to wake him he began growling, foaming at the moth and moving erratically. Lindsey Monarch (right) was charged with child neglect and possession of a controlled substance. Police say she was inside the couple's car with a child and told officers there was more synthetic marijuana in the vehicle. Police allege she was also coming down from a K2 high

K2 is one of the various names for Synthetic cannabinoids, which the National Institute on Drug Abuse says are 'human-made mind-altering chemicals that are either sprayed on dried, shredded plant material so they can be smoked or sold as liquids to be vaporized and inhaled in e-cigarettes and other devices'

Vanderburgh County Sheriff's Office online records indicate both Monarchs were released after posting bonds of $1,000 for Anthony and $500 for Lindsey.

The child was released into the custody of a family member, authorities said.

Officers responded to a call Saturday about a man rolling around on the ground and 'acting like a zombie' outside a Thorntons convenience store in Evansville, KFVS 12 reported.

Officers found Anthony Monarch passed out in the grass beside the store. They were able to wake him but he began growling, foaming at the mouth and moving erratically, police said.

Officers said they found synthetic marijuana, methamphetamine and another substance in his pocket.

Officers from the Evansville Police Department (file image) in Indiana found the Monarchs at a Thorntons convenience store in the city. A caller reported a man rolling around on the ground and 'acting like a zombie'

Lindsey Monarch was in the couple's car with the child and told officers there was more synthetic marijuana inside the vehicle. She also was coming down from a K2 high, police said.

Synthetic cannabinoids are 'human-made mind-altering chemicals that are either sprayed on dried, shredded plant material so they can be smoked or sold as liquids to be vaporized and inhaled in e-cigarettes and other devices,' according to the website of the National Institute on Drug Abuse.

The drug variations are often referred to as K2, Spice, Joker, Black Mamba, Kush and Kronic, the institute said.
Patricia Caterino Zangardi, 69, of Dunmore, unexpectedly passed away Friday evening at home and is now reunited with her son and husband. She was the widow of the late Armand V. Zangardi, who passed away Nov. 24, 2015. At the time of Armands passing, the two had been married for 41 years and together for more than 47 years.

Born in Scranton, Pat was the daughter of the late Michael J. and Marilla Gibbons Caterino. She was a graduate of West Scranton High School and upon graduation was employed by the Scranton School District and later served as an administrative assistant in the office of the Lackawanna district attorney. She, along with her husband, Armand, then served in the health care industry. Together they owned and operated Regina Manor and the Green Ridge Assisted Living for 30 years before retirement.

Pat was a loving wife, mother, grandmother, sister and friend. She dedicated her life to raising her two wonderful sons, Armand AJ and Michael. Affectionately known as Nana Z, the joys in her life were her three grandchildren. She was very active in their lives and was their biggest supporter, never missing a game or an event. Patricia spoiled her family and friends with wonderful Italian cooking and always made dishes sure to satisfy the individual tastes of everyone at her table.

Pat and Armand had a true and deep love for each other. They laughed, joked and cried together. They were inseparable and stood by one another through the good and bad times. Their love was a testament to what a wonderful relationship should be.

Also surviving are her son, Armand AJ Zangardi, of Jefferson Twp.; her three beautiful grandchildren, Pia, Mira Belle and Armand Pauly, of Jefferson Twp.; her sister, Addie Smith and husband, Tom, of Scranton; her brother, Guy Caterino and his wife, Joanne, of Westerville, Ohio; brother-in-law, Sandor Sonny Zangardi and his wife, Bonnie, of Wyoming; nieces and nephews; and friends.

She was also preceded in death by her beloved son, Michael Zangardi, who passed away Sept. 12, 2012.

Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated Wednesday at 10:30 a.m. in St. Pauls Church, 1510 Penn Ave., Scranton.

All CDC regulations will be observed including the mandatory use of face coverings and social distancing.

The Mass will be livestreamed on the Vanston and James Funeral Home Facebook page. Friends may call Wednesday morning from 9 to 10:20 a.m. in the church. Interment, Cathedral Cemetery, Scranton.

In lieu of flowers, the family encourages memorial contributions may be made to the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network by visiting pan-can.org/donate or by mail at 1500 Rosencrans Ave., Suite 200, Manhattan Beach, CA 90266.

Arrangements have been entrusted to and are under the care and direction of the Vanston and James Funeral Home, Scranton.

To share a memory or to express your condolences to the family, please visit www.vanstonandjames.com.
This New York Times article, headlined "Mexico Set to Legalize Marijuana, Becoming Worlds Largest Market," reports on the latest reform developments from south of the border. Here is how the piece gets started:

Lawmakers in Mexico approved a bill Wednesday night to legalize recreational marijuana, a milestone for the country, which is in the throes of a drug war and could become the worlds largest cannabis market, leaving the United States between two pot-selling neighbors.

The 316-to-129 vote in Mexicos lower house, the Chamber of Deputies, came more than two years after the Mexican Supreme Court ruled that the countrys ban on recreational marijuana was unconstitutional and more than three years after the country legalized medicinal cannabis.

The chamber approved the bill in general terms Wednesday evening before moving on to a lengthy discussion of possible revisions introduced by individual lawmakers. In its final form, though, the measure is widely expected to sail through the Senate before being sent to President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, who has signaled support for legalization.

The measure, as of Wednesday night, would allow adults to smoke marijuana and, with a permit, grow a small number of cannabis plants at home. It would also grant licenses for producers  from small farmers to commercial growers  to cultivate and sell the crop.

Today we are in a historic moment, said Simey Olvera, a lawmaker with the governing Morena party. With this, the false belief that cannabis is part of Mexicos serious public health problems is left behind.

If enacted, Mexico would join Canada and Uruguay in a small but growing list of countries that have legalized marijuana in the Americas, adding further momentum to the legalization movement in the region. In the United States, Democrats in the Senate have also promised to scrap federal prohibition of the drug this year.

For Mexico, given its size and its worldwide reputation for being damaged by the drug war, to take this step is enormously significant, said John Walsh, director of drug policy for the Washington Office on Latin America, a U.S. advocacy group. North America is heading toward legalization.
Hurricane season 2021 is here: How do storms get their names?
Monday, March 22, 2021

I have been privileged to have the opportunity to teach a seminar on marijuana reform nearly every year at The Ohio State University Moritz College of Law since way back in Fall 2013. This opportunity in part helped lead to (a) the creation of this blog in 2013, (b) the establishment of The Ohio State University's Drug Enforcement and Policy Center (DEPC) in 2017, and (c) the publication of the text Marijuana Law and Policy by Carolina Academic Press in 2020.

More broadly, teaching a seminar on marijuana reform multiple times over the last decade has been so interesting (and a lot of fun). Recent years have brought historic policy changes expressed in formal laws and market practices, in Ohio and nationwide, and law students have brought great energy and insights into the classroom as we work together to figure out the realities of the past, present and future of reform. (Some of the great work by students in my more recent marijuana reform seminars now appear in the DEPC's student paper series).

When I started teaching my marijuana reform class in 2013, I was not surprised to learn that there were few other courses like it and I knew I would need to assemble my own materials for classroom use. But now there are three law school texts dedicated to this topic (and another focused on illegal drugs), and yet it still seems as though there are relatively few classes in the typical law school curriculum focus on either the "war on drugs" generally or the changing legal landscapes of marijuana policy in particular.

The Drug Enforcement and Policy Center has been engaged since its founding on how law schools currently approach these issues and to identify how drug policy and law could be better incorporated into law school curricula. In a April 2019 workshop, DEPC assembled 20+ legal scholars who work in this space to begin identifying law school courses currently taught and the primary obstacles to teaching this subject matter. Most recently, DEPC conducted a third survey of all accredited law schools in the U.S. on this topic. The results show that the vast majority of law schools do not teach courses touching on drugs or the evolving legal structures around cannabis, and this is true even for law schools located in states with legalized cannabis markets. (I am pleased that the Moritz College of Law is an exception, and I sincerely believe both law faculty and law students would benefit greatly from more attention to these issues in the law school curricula.)

In an effort to support more law schools offering law course dealing with drug-related issues and marijuana reform topics, DEPC has created this ever-developing website to host teaching resources, reports, course information and other content. As we continue to build out these resources, wed like to get feedback as well as build a community of instructors teaching in this area.

Do you teach (or would like to teach) a law course touching on drugs or the legal structures around cannabis? Tell us about yourself and share your interest in future programing. Take the short survey at go.osu.edu/teaching-drugs-survey.

https://lawprofessors.typepad.com/marijuana_law/2021/03/seeking-more-information-and-input-on-teaching-about-marijuana-reform-and-drug-issues-in-law-school.html
BRUSSELS - The European Union, Britain, Canada and the United States on Monday launched co-ordinated sanctions against officials in China over human rights abuses in the far western Xinjiang region, provoking swift retaliation from Beijing.

European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell arrives for a European Foreign Affairs Ministers meeting at the European Council headquarters in Brussels, Monday, March 22, 2021. (Aris Oikonomou, Pool Photo via AP)

BRUSSELS - The European Union, Britain, Canada and the United States on Monday launched co-ordinated sanctions against officials in China over human rights abuses in the far western Xinjiang region, provoking swift retaliation from Beijing.

The EU targeted four senior officials in Xinjiang. The sanctions involve a freeze on the officials assets and a ban on them travelling in the bloc. European citizens and companies are not permitted to provide them with financial assistance.

The 27-nation bloc also froze the assets of the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps Public Security Bureau, which it describes as a state-owned economic and paramilitary organization that runs Xinjiang and controls its economy.

British Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said the measures were part of intensive diplomacy by the U.K, the United States, Canada and the 27-nation EU to force action amid mounting evidence about serious rights abuses against the Uyghur Muslim people.

European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell speaks to the media prior to a meeting of the European Foreign Affairs Ministers, at the European Council headquarters in Brussels, Monday, March 22, 2021. (Aris Oikonomou, Pool Photo via AP)

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a statement that a united transatlantic response sends a strong signal to those who violate or abuse international human rights, and we will take further actions in co-ordination with likeminded partners."

We will continue to stand with our allies around the world in calling for an immediate end to the PRCs crimes and for justice for the many victims," Blinken said.

China responded immediately to the EU's move, slapping sanctions on 10 European individuals and four institutions that it said had damaged Chinas interests and maliciously spread lies and disinformation.

Initially, China denied the existence of camps for detaining Uyghurs in Xinjiang but has since described them as centres to provide job training and to reeducate those exposed to radical jihadi thinking. Officials deny all charges of human rights abuses there.

Xinjiang had been a hotbed of anti-government violence, but Beijing claims its massive security crackdown brought peace in recent years.

European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell, left, talks to Cypriot Foreign Minister Nikos Christodoulides during a European Foreign Affairs Ministers meeting at the European Council headquarters in Brussels, Monday, March 22, 2021. (Aris Oikonomou, Pool Photo via AP)

Chinas Foreign Ministry denounced the EU sanctions as based on nothing but lies and disinformation as it issued its own retaliatory measures.

The ministry announced sanctions against 10 individuals and four institutions, saying that they and their family members would be barred from entering mainland China, Hong Kong or Macao and cut off from financial dealings with those areas.

Among those targeted was Adrian Zenz, a U.S.-based German scholar who has publicized abuses against minority groups in Chinas regions of Tibet and Xinjiang. China has said companies and individuals have petitioned to sue Zenz, but it wasnt clear who the plaintiffs were or how they would pursue legal action across borders.

Others targeted for sanctions include five members of the European Parliament: Reinhard Butikofer, Michael Gahler, Raphael Glucksmann, Ilhan Kyuchyuk and Miriam Lexmann.

The ministry did not say what measures would be taken against the organizations. They were listed as the Political and Security Committee of the Council of the European Union, where the 27 national envoys decide foreign and security policy; the EU Parliaments Subcommittee on Human Rights; the German-based Mercator Institute for China Studies; and the Alliance of Democracies Foundation in Denmark.

EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell, who chaired the meeting of foreign ministers, expressed dismay at China's reaction and said the EU's sanctions respect the highest standards of rule of law.

Rather than change its policies and address our legitimate concerns, China has again turned a blind eye, and these measures are regrettable and unacceptable," Borrell said.

There will be no change in European Union determination to defend human rights and to respond to serious violations and abuses, he added, and described the co-ordination between the EU, Britain, Canada and the U.S. as "perfect.

The new EU sanction system is similar to the Magnitsky Act  Obama-era legislation that authorizes the U.S. government to sanction those it sees as human rights offenders, freeze their assets and ban them from entering the United States.

As part of Monday's move, the EU also imposed sanctions over repression in North Korea, extrajudicial killings and enforced disappearances in Libya, torture and repression against LGBTI people and political opponents in Chechnya in Russia, and torture, extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions and killings in South Sudan and Eritrea," a statement said.

Those targeted in Libya were Mohammed Khalifa al-Kani, leader of Libyas notorious al-Kaniyat militia, and his brother Abderrahim al-Kani, a member of the same militia. Both are accused of committing extrajudicial killings and enforced disappearances between 2015 and June 2020 in the town of Tarhuna, which they had controlled for years.

Since their escape from Tarhuna last summer following a military defeat, dozens of mass graves have been discovered and attributed to al-Kaniyat militiamen. Last year, the U.S Treasury targeted al-Kaniyat and its leader over the same alleged crimes.

Christopher Bodeen in Beijing, and Noha ElHennawy in Cairo, Egypt, contributed to this report.
New Delhi, March 22 : The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Monday filed a supplementary chargesheet against three persons, including arrested Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) youth wing chief Waheed-ur-Rehman Parra, who allegedly worked as a financier for Hizbul Mujahideen in connection with the case related to former Deputy Superintendent of Police Davinder Singh.

An NIA spokesperson said here that the agency filed the chargesheet against two gun runners -- Shaheen Ahmad Lone and Tafazul Hussain Parimoo -- along with Parra, who had recently won in the District Development Council polls in J&K.

The official said that Parra was part of the "conspiracy" to raise and transfer terror funds to Hizbul Mujahideen militants for the procurement of terrorist hardware and was also a crucial player in sustaining the political-separatist-terrorist nexus in J&K.

Parra was instrumental in the revival of the PDP in south Kashmir, especially in the militancy-affected Pulwama district.

The official said that during probe, it was revealed that chargesheeted accused Lone and Parimoo were involved in gun running from across the Line of Control (LoC) for the militants of banned terrorist organisations Hizbul Mujahideen and Lashkar e Taiba (LeT) besides channelising funds to the militants for sustaining terrorist activities in J&K at the behest of handlers located in Pakistan.

Another NIA official related to the probe said that Parimoo used to bring arms and ammunition from the Tangdhar region in Kashmir and then handed them over to one of the close associates of Tariq Mir, the former sarpanch of Maldera in Shopian district. The official said that Parimoo used to get the weapons from one Pakistan-based arms supplier named Javed, who has been arrested by the Pakistani agencies.

Tangdhar is a border village in Kupwara district, which is very close to the LoC.

The NIA official said that the agency is probing with whom did Parimoo meet in Tangdhar and who arranged for his stays and meetings with the Pakistani arms suppliers.

Parimoo was arrested by the NIA on October 12 last year.

The official said that they have been charged under several sections of the Indian Penal Code, the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA), Arms Act and Explosive Substances Act in connection with the Davinder Singh case.

Suspended police officer Singh is currently lodged in Kathua jail at Hiranagar in Jammu division. He was arrested by the police on January 11 last year on the Jammu-Srinagar National Highway while transporting two Hizabul terrorists -- Naveed Babu and Rafi Ahmad Rather -- and a law school dropout, Irfan Shafi Mir, to Jammu.

After the arrest of Singh, initial investigations were done by the J&K Police before the case was handed over to the NIA. The police had said that the two terrorists and the lawyer had planned to travel to Pakistan.

The NIA had earlier claimed that its probe has revealed that the accused were part of a deep-rooted conspiracy hatched by the Hizabul and Pakistan to commit violent acts and wage war against India.
[March 22, 2021] Cogeco Accelerates the Expansion of its High-Speed Internet Network in Quebec in Collaboration with the Provincial and Federal Governments

Thirteen network expansion projects will be completed by Cogeco in several Quebec regions MONTREAL, March 22, 2021 /CNW Telbec/ - Cogeco Communications Inc. (TSX: CCA) is proud to announce that Cogeco Connexion, its Canadian broadband subsidiary, will carry out 13 high-speed Internet network expansion projects in several regions of Quebec, in collaboration with the provincial and federal governments. At a virtual news conference, the Operation haute vitesse (Operation High-Speed) announcement was made by the Prime Minister of Canada, Justin Trudeau and Quebec Premier Francois Legault, who were accompanied by Francois-Philippe Champagne, federal Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry, and Gilles Belanger, Parliamentary Assistant to the Premier of Quebec on the high-speed Internet file. These regional infrastructure projects represent an investment of approximately $240 million, of which $208 million will come from the provincial and federal governments as part of an agreement signed with Cogeco Connexion. Once these projects are completed, more than 54,000 omes and businesses will be connected to Cogeco's high-speed Internet services, including 35,880 primary residences identified by the Government of Quebec as part of Operation haute vitesse. These digital infrastructure investment projects are scheduled to be completed by September 2022.



"Our expertise in rolling out high-speed Internet and our ongoing commitment to serving the regions, coupled with the governments' decision to accelerate investments in connectivity, will help bridge the digital divide between major cities and rural regions," said Philippe Jette, President and Chief Executive Officer of Cogeco Inc. and Cogeco Communications Inc. He added: "Connectivity is essential to ensure digital inclusion in our society and is a powerful driving force for the economic and social development of our communities. We applaud the governments' vision and the collaboration between the levels of government that will make this major strategic project a success for Quebec. And we are very proud to be contributing to it." "Our teams are already hard at work to develop and deploy these major high-speed connectivity projects," stated Frederic Perron, President of Cogeco Connexion. "Thanks to the government's collaboration, we can continue supporting our communities and contributing to the economic vitalily of rural regions by accelerating the expansion of our network and leveraging the latest technological advances."

About Cogeco Communications

Cogeco Communications Inc. is a communications corporation. It is the 8th largest cable operator in North America, operating in Canada under the Cogeco Connexion name in Quebec and Ontario, and along the East Coast of the United States under the Atlantic Broadband brand (in 11 states from Maine to Florida). The Corporation provides residential and business customers with Internet, video and telephony services through its two-way broadband fibre networks. Cogeco Communications Inc.'s subordinate voting shares are listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX: CCA). SOURCE Cogeco Communications Inc.

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Kate Garraway has converted her home for husband Derek Draper's return amid his year-long coronavirus battle.

The TV presenter, 53, has made their North London property wheelchair accessible and installed a hospital bed in the lounge room as the virus has damaged the former lobbyist's muscles.

Viewers will be able to see the renovation work take place when the Good Morning Britain star's documentary, Kate Garraway: Finding Derek, airs on Tuesday.

Changes: Kate Garraway has converted her home for when husband Derek Draper returns amid his year-long coronavirus battle

The broadcaster transformed the ground floor of their house last year as she hoped the author would have recovered before the third lockdown, but sadly, his condition hasn't improved and she hasn't been able to see him since Christmas.

Kate shared an update on her long-term partner, also 53, in an interview with The Mirror, admitting: 'He has changed. Derek is physically very affected. His legs are like sticks, he has no muscle left. In terms of his movement, hes physically affected.'

The couple, who share children Darcey, 15, and Billy, 11, have been married since 2005.

In a teaser clip from the programme, the TV star recalls the 'devastating' moment Derek told her he feared he couldn't go on.

Adaptations: The TV presenter, 53, has made their property wheelchair accessible and installed a hospital bed in the lounge room (the former lobbyist pictured in hospital)

Upcoming: Viewers will be able to see the renovation work take place when the Good Morning Britain star's documentary, Kate Garraway: Finding Derek, airs on Tuesday

Kate says it was 'terrible' to think he had reached such a low point as they spoke on the phone.

She confesses: 'Derek had been drifting in and out of consciousness and when he said that, it was absolutely devastating, but it showed me he was still in there. Even though it was terrible to think his spirits were so low'.

Kate also tells her husband he will get better with time, before he can eventually resume his old life.

Harrowing: In a teaser clip from the programme, the media personality recalls the 'devastating' moment Derek told her he feared he couldn't go on

Fans will later see Kate vowing to save Derek as she helped to bring him back from his darkest point back in November.

The TV star added to The Mirror: 'After that call, it was then time to go into GMB and go on air, having been up all night, it was a tough night actually. But everyone at ITV has been so incredibly supportive. I managed to get through.

'And in the end, I said to him, "Just stay with me, Im going to keep talking to you". And he was obviously exhausted. Because thats the other thing, is that the tiniest thing completely exhausts him.'

The ITV star spoke to Derek on the drive into work that day and then told the doctor's to put on Good Morning Britain so he could see her.

Long-term: The TV star and psychotherapist Derek, also 53, share children Darcey, 15, and Billy, 11, and have been married since 2005 (pictured in 2008)

While Covid is no longer in Derek's system, the virus left him battling kidney failure, liver failure, heart failure and damage to his pancreas.

The journalist first invited a crew into her home last September with the hope that the film would end with him returning home.

But seven months later, the show will instead focus on his stint in hospital as well as the many months of recovery that are left.

The psychotherapist has lost eight stone, with Kate claiming he will behave differently.

However, she believes his comeback may be a 'beautiful thing' as they will have the chance to fall in love all over again.

Tragic: While Covid is no longer in Derek's system, the virus left him battling kidney failure, liver failure, heart failure and damage to his pancreas (Kate pictured in the programme)

During an appearance on The One Show last Thursday, the media personality said her spouse is 'trapped in the middle ground' as he is sometimes able to communicate with her before slipping out of consciousness.

Kate said: 'One of things I'm here to talk about is the documentary and what you will see is that this time last year, I was, like a lot of us, wondering what was coming our way.

'I was fearing the worst, on air reading headlines about the earliest cases of people contracting coronavirus and then I suddenly found myself right in the middle of it.

'And I'd say there was weeks and months of living minute by minute, wondering if I was going to get the call to say whether he lived or died.'

His rock: Fans will later see Kate vowing to save Derek as she helped to bring him back from his darkest point back in November

Doting mother: The strong mother also tells her husband he will get better with time, before he can eventually resume his old life with their kids (pictured)

Pushing through: A brave Kate stepped out in London to host her Smooth Radio show on Monday

Turning heads: The newsreader teamed a green jumper with a floral print maxi skirt and white boots

Derek is considered to be the longest surviving COVID-19 patient in the country, and on more than one occasion his heart stopped beating, he battled bacterial pneumonia and fought multiple infections which punctured holes in his lungs.

She previously said: 'What I feel like is that I'm on a life boat somehow and he's coming up and down. You're on this precipice trying to hold onto him.

'There'll be moments where he bubbles up and you have contact with him on FaceTime because of the Covid restrictions. 'It feels like you're going to have to fill him with so much positivity because he's going to sink down.

'His brain has always been his best friend. Suddenly his brain is no longer his best friend and he's fighting to get out. It's very, very tough. But if it's tough for me, it must be tougher for him.'
Cities across the country are hosting vigils and ralleis in honor of the victims of last week's mass shooting in Georgia.

It is in order to bring awareness to the alarming increase in violence directed at people of Asian descent.

A vigil was held in Birmingham Sunday night. Hundreds from across the state attended including Quang Do.

He said he has been to several other gathering to support Black Lives Matter, but Sunday night's vigil was different for him.

"The emotional part for me was not only the different people that came, but really my people stepping up for the very first time and saying, Hey! We're hurting and we need you to see us hurting and stand with us," Do said.

He said people must recognize the issues facing Asian, Black, immigrant and LGBTQ+ communities are one in the same and something must be done to stop the hate.

Hole MK-20-259 intersects 8.46 g/t Au over 13.8 metres, including 132 g/t Au over 0.8 metres.

Recent intersection shows continuity, located 50 metres south of the previous intersection of 13.95 g/t Au over 14.35 metres (MK-20-255).

Mineralized envelope continues to expand, with new intersections outside of the limits of the current resource estimate.

Results are pending for six drill holes of the Phase 1 12-hole drilling program totalling 5,912 metres. Phase 2 program of 8,700 metres to start in April or May, following spring break-up.

MONTREAL, March 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ - MONARCH MINING CORPORATION ("Monarch" or the "Corporation") (TSX: GBAR) (OTCMKTS: GBARF) is pleased to announce the first set of results from its 2020-2021 exploration diamond drilling program on its wholly-owned McKenzie Break project, located 25 kilometres north of Val-d'Or, Quebec. The results include several significant intersections as Monarch continues to expand the high-grade section of the recently estimated resource towards the south, east and west.

"We are very pleased that we have been able to expand the mineralized envelope beyond the limits of the previous resource estimate with wide intersections from holes like MK-20-259, and that there is continuity between drill holes, even with 50-metre step-outs," said Jean-Marc Lacoste, President and Chief Executive Officer of Monarch. "We are continuing to follow and expand this high-grade section of the resource estimate by drilling, and will also be testing similar features elsewhere on the newly-expanded property."

Phase 1 diamond drilling was carried out on 50-metre step-out holes, with 5,912 metres drilled. Assay results are available for 6 of the 12 holes drilled. The most significant result includes 8.46 g/t Au over 13.8 metres from hole MK-20-259, drilled 50 metres south of hole MK-20-255, which had returned an assay of 13.95 g/t Au over 14.35 metres (see press release dated July 23, 2020). Strong results were also obtained 50 metres west of hole MK-20-255, with 19.5 g/t Au over 1.0 metre and 7.83 g/t Au over 1.0 metre in hole MK-20-257. Other significant results are shown on figure 1 and in table 1, below.

Figure 1: McKenzie Break property with recent assay results.

Table 1: Significant assay results

Hole From (m) To (m) Width* (m) Au (g/t) MK-20-256 287.0 289.0 2.0 2.89 MK-20-257 251.0 252.0 1.0 7.83 MK-20-257 270.0 271.0 1.0 19.50 MK-20-258 262.5 274.5 12.0 1.29 Including 268.5 270.0 1.5 5.41 MK-20-258 336.0 338.0 2.0 6.35 MK-20-259 290.0 303.8 13.8 8.46 Including 290.0 292.0 2.0 4.57 Including 303.0 303.8 0.8 132.00 MK-20-260 319.0 320.0 1.0 1.70 MK-20-263 207.0 208.0 1.0 1.47 *The width shown is the core length. True width is estimated at 80-85% of core length.

Table 2: Drill hole location

Hole Easting (UTM) Northing (UTM) Azimuth () Dip () Length (m) MK-20-256 310135 5358497 230 -88 420 MK-20-257 310106 5358452 230 -88 420 MK-20-258 310106 5358402 230 -88 420 MK-20-259 310156 5358402 230 -88 420 MK-20-260 310253 5358399 230 -88 453 MK-20-263 310206 5358352 230 -88 467

Gold mineralization occurs in an elongated diorite unit or lens within a shallow embayment of the Pascalis Batholith. Monarch continues to have drilling success beyond the limits of the recent resource update provided by Geologica and GoldMinds (see table 3 and press release dated February 8, 2021). The Corporation will continue drill testing the limits of the mineralized envelope as well as other priority targets on the property, including targets on the newly-staked claims to the south (see press release dated March 8, 2021), with its 8,700-metre Phase 2 drilling program. Drilling is expected to resume in April or May following the spring break-up.

Table 3: Combined resources (in-pit and underground) by category for the McKenzie Break deposit at the selected cut-off grades

Area (cut-off grade) Indicated resource Inferred resource Tonnes (t) Grade

(g/t) Ounces

(Au) Tonnes (t) Grade

(g/t) Ounces

(Au) Pit-constrained (0.50 g/t Au) 1,441,377 1.80 83,305 2,243,562 1.44 104,038 Underground (2.38 g/t Au) 387,720 5.03 62,677 1,083,503 4.21 146,555 TOTAL 1,829,097

145,982 3,327,065

250,593

Notes:





1 Mineral resources which are not mineral reserves do not have demonstrated economic viability. An Inferred Mineral

Resource has a lower level of confidence than that applying to a Measured and Indicated Mineral Resource and must

not be converted to a Mineral Reserve. The estimate of mineral resources may be materially affected by

environmental, permitting, legal, title, market or other relevant issues. The quantity and grade of reported inferred

resources are uncertain in nature and there has not been sufficient work to define these inferred resources as indicated or measured resources. 2 The database used for this mineral estimate includes drill results obtained from historical records and up to the

recent 2018-2020 drill program. 3 Mineral resources are reported at a cut-off grade of 0.50 g/t Au for the pit-constrained and underground mineral

resources are reported at a cut-off grade of 2.38 g/t Au within reasonably mineable volumes. 4 These cut-offs were calculated at a gold price of C$1,980 ounce. 5 The pit-constrained resources were based on the following parameters: mining cost $3.5/t, processing,

transportation + G&A costs $27/t, Au recovery 95%, pit slopes 15 degrees for overburden and 50 degrees for rock. 6 The underground reasonably mineable volumes were based on the following parameters: mining cost $98/t,

processing, transportation + G&A costs $27/t, Au recovery 95%, dilution of 15% at 0 g/t Au with a minimum stope dimension of 10m x 10m x 5m. 7 The geological interpretation of the deposits was based on lithologies and the typical mineralized interval mainly

composed by diorite hosted shear zones. 8 The mineral resource presented here was estimated with a block size of 5m X 5m X 5m for the pit-constrained and

for underground. 9 The blocks were interpolated from equal length composites calculated from the mineralized intervals. Prior to

compositing, high-grade gold assays were capped to 60 g/t Au applied on 0.6-metre composites. 10 The mineral estimation was completed using the inverse distance squared methodology utilizing two passes. For

each pass, search ellipsoids followed the geological interpretation trends were used. 11 Tonnage estimates are based on rock specific gravity of 2.77 tonnes per cubic metre for all the zones. Results are

presented undiluted and in situ. 12 Estimates use metric units (metres, tonnes and g/t). Metal contents are presented in troy ounces (metric tonne x

grade / 31.10348). 13 This mineral resource estimate is dated February 1, 2021, and the effective date for the drillhole database used to

produce this updated mineral resource estimate is September 28, 2020. 14 No economic evaluation of the resources has been produced.

The resource estimate was prepared by Merouane Rachidi, P.Geo., Ph.D., and Claude Duplessis, P.Eng., of GoldMinds Geoservices Inc., both qualified persons in accordance with National Instrument 43-101 standards.

Sampling consists of sawing the NQ-size core into equal halves along its main axis and shipping one of the halves to the AGAT Laboratories in Mississauga, Ontario for assaying. The samples are crushed, pulverized and assayed by fire assay, with atomic absorption finish. Results exceeding 3.0 g/t Au are re-assayed using the gravity method, and samples containing visible gold grains are assayed using the metallic screen method. Monarch uses a comprehensive QA/QC protocol, including the insertion of standards, blanks and duplicates.

The technical and scientific content of this press release has been reviewed and approved by Louis Martin, P.Geo., the Corporation's qualified person under National Instrument 43-101.

About Monarch

Monarch Mining Corporation (TSX: GBAR) is a fully integrated mining company that owns four advanced projects, including the fully permitted past-producing Beaufor Mine, which has produced more than 1 million ounces of gold over the last 30 years. Other advanced assets include the Croinor Gold, McKenzie Break and Swanson properties, all located near Monarch's wholly owned and fully permitted Beacon 750 tpd mill. Monarch owns 28,725 hectares (287 km2) of mining assets in the prolific Abitibi mining camp that host 588,482 ounces of combined measured and indicated gold resources and 329,393 ounces of combined inferred resources.

Forward-Looking Statements

The forward-looking statements in this press release involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause Monarch's 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.

Table 4 - Monarch combined gold resources



Tonnes (metric) Grade

(g/t Au) Ounces Croinor Gold1





Measured Resources 80,100 8.44 21,700 Indicated Resources 724,500 9.20 214,300 Total Measured and Indicated 804,600 9.12 236,000 Total Inferred 160,800 7.42 38,400 Beaufor mine2





Measured Resources 121,000 5.62 21,900 Indicated Resources 310,100 7.10 70,800 Total Measured and Indicated 431,100 6.68 92,700 Total Inferred 134,600 6.96 30,100 McKenzie Break3





In-pit





Total Indicated 1,441,377 1.80 83,305 Total Inferred 2,243,562 1.44 104,038 Underground





Total Indicated 387,720 5.03 62,677 Total Inferred 1,083,503 4.21 146,555 Swanson4





In-pit





Total Indicated 1,864,000 1.76 105,400 Total Inferred 29,000 2.46 2,300 Underground





Total Indicated 91,000 2.86 8,400 Total Inferred 87,000 2.87 8,000 TOTAL COMBINED5 Measured and Indicated Resources Inferred Resources



588,482 329,393

1 Source: Monarch Gold prefeasibility study (January 19, 2018) and resource estimate (January 8, 2016). This resource

was completed for Monarch Gold and has not been reviewed by a qualified person for Monarch Mining as required

under National Instrument 43-101 and is thus considered as an historical estimate. 2 Source: NI 43-101 Technical Report and Mineral Resource Estimate for the Beaufor Mine, December 18, 2020, Val-d'Or,

Quebec, Canada, Carl Pelletier, P. Geo., InnovExplo Inc. and John Langton, P. Geo., JPL GeoServices Inc. 3 Source: NI 43-101 Technical Evaluation Report on the McKenzie Break Property, February 1, 2021, Val-d'Or, Quebec,

Canada, Alain-Jean Beauregard, P.Geo., Daniel Gaudreault, P.Eng., Geologica Groupe-Conseil Inc., and Merouane

Rachidi, P.Geo., Claude Duplessis, P.Eng., GoldMinds GeoServices Inc. 4 Source: NI 43-101 Technical Report and Mineral Resource Estimate for the Swanson Project, January 22, 2021, Val-

d'Or, Quebec, Canada, Christine Beausoleil, P. Geo. and Alain Carrier, P. Geo., InnovExplo Inc. 5 Numbers may not add due to rounding.

SOURCE Monarch Mining Corporation
Ashoka Univ acknowledges lapses in institutional processes

India

oi-Vicky Nanjappa

New Delhi, Mar 22: Ashoka University on Sunday acknowledged "lapses in institutional processes" and expressed "deep regret" at the recent events surrounding the resignations of political commentator Pratap Bhanu Mehta and noted economist Arvind Subramanian from its faculty.

Meanwhile, Mehta wrote a letter to students, urging them to not "press" for his return asserting that the circumstances that led to his resignation will not change in foreseeable future.

The university in Haryana's Sonipat became the centre of a controversy earlier this week, when Mehta, who had resigned as its vice chancellor two years back, chose to step down as professor, saying that the founders made it "abundantly clear" that his association with the institution was a "political liability".

Subramanian, the former chief economic advisor to the government, had resigned from the university two days later in solidarity with Mehta.

"We acknowledge that there have been some lapses in institutional processes which we will work to rectify in consultation with all stakeholders. This will reaffirm our commitment to academic autonomy and freedom which have always been at the core of the Ashoka University ideals," the institution said in a statement.

"Ashoka has been privileged to have been led, guided and counselled by Pratap first as Vice Chancellor and then as senior faculty. Subramanian brought eminence, stature, fresh ideas and energy to the university and his exit leaves a void that will be hard to fill," it added.

The statement has been jointly issued by the university chancellor, vice chancellor and the chairman of Board of Trustees, along with Mehta and Subramanian.

"Pratap and Arvind would like to emphasize that Ashoka University is one of the most important projects in Indian higher education. They are sad to be leaving Ashoka, especially its outstanding students and faculty. They continue to believe strongly that Ashoka University should embody a liberal vision and commitment to academic freedom and autonomy.

"And they remain lifelong friends and well-wishers of the institution and are committed to its success wherever they are," the statement said, adding that the two professors will remain "available for advice and consultation to the university in the future".

The students have called for a two-day boycott of classes from Monday in protest over the developments. Mehta, however, said he wants to close this chapter.

"The underlying circumstances that led to the resignation will not change for the foreseeable future, in my case, at any rate. So I must close this chapter. I urge you not to press on this matter. I know you will be disappointed. But if I may exercise one last bit of professorial discretion: your mission is larger than the fate of two Professors, Mehta said in his letter addressed to the students.

"The poise and articulacy with which your defended important values and demanded accountability should make anyone want to associate with this university. You are its beating heart and soul and nothing can damage that," he said.

Anil Deshmukh Corruption row: NCP says 'no need for resignation'| Oneindia News

"Second, it is not for me to intercede in this matter. But I imagine your voice will, in the long run make Ashoka a better university and get it to recommit to its ideals and values. So your outpouring is already a victory of sorts. You have taught us by example, what we were badly trying to teach you by lectures," he added.
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken will travel to Brussels on March 22 to meet with NATO and European Union leaders as part of President Joe Biden's efforts to repair transatlantic ties.



Blinken will attend a meeting of NATO foreign ministers and consult with allies and the alliance's Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg on March 23 and March 24, according to the State Department.



The meetings in Brussels are meant to "underscore the Biden administration's determination to strengthen the transatlantic alliance and reinvigorate our ties with allies through NATO," the State Department said.



Among the topics on the agenda are concerns over China and Russia, as well as NATOs role in Afghanistan, cybersecurity, combating terrorism, climate change, energy security, and other common challenges, according to a State Department statement.



While in Brussels, Blinken will also meet with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell for talks on the COVID-19 pandemic recovery, climate change, and how to strengthen democracy.



In a briefing ahead of the trip to Brussels, Philip Reeker, acting assistant secretary of state at the Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs, said the United States remains committed to close consultation with NATO allies and other partners on the military mission in Afghanistan.



"We went in together. We will adjust together as we have over the years. And when the time is right, we will leave together," Reeker said.



There are about 10,000 troops in the U.S.-led NATO force in Afghanistan helping to train and advise Afghan security forces.



Biden has said a May 1 deadline set out in a deal with the Taliban for the withdrawal of U.S. and NATO troops will be "tough" for Washington to meet as peace talks between the militant group and Afghan government struggle to advance.



The relationship with Russia will also be a topic during Blinken's trip to Europe, Reeker said, noting that the Biden administration seeks a relationship that is predictable and stable.



"We will engage with our allies to discuss different views of Russia and how we can engage with Russia in ways that obviously advance our collective interests but remain very clear-eyed about the challenges that Russia poses," he said.

"Given Russia's conduct in recent months and years, there will also be adversarial elements, as the secretary has underscored, and we're not going to shy away from those," Reeker said.



Anatoly Antonov, Russias ambassador to the United States, returned to Moscow on March 21 after being recalled for emergency consultations amid rising tensions with Washington following Biden's comments that he believed his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, was a killer.



Blinken's trip is another illustration of a foreign policy reset under Biden that stresses diplomacy and backing for long-standing relationships after former President Donald Trump pursued an "America first" policy that tended to treat traditional allies more as rivals than partners.



As the new Biden administration seeks to reassure NATO allies, it also has to coordinate with European partners on a host of issues, including the Iran nuclear deal, policy toward China, climate change, and lingering disputes over trade.
Albany, NY -- (SBWIRE) -- 03/22/2021 -- Disposable blood bags' is a term primarily associated with storage, collection, transportation as well as transfusion of blood along with its components viz. RBCs, WBCs, and platelets. These components, in particular, require sophisticated disposable blood bags. Moreover, disposable blood bags have greatly replaced glass bottles for the collection and storage of blood and its components, which would drive the global market for disposable blood bags. Demand for disposable blood bags is rising, due to the increase in demand for sterile processes of transportation and transfusion of blood and its components. The market for disposable blood bags is expected to expand at a significant rate in the next few years. However, lack of unprofessional staff to handle the disposable blood bags can prove to be a restraint for the market, especially in low-to-medium-income countries of the world.



However, growing incidence of blood-related illnesses and rising demand for transfer bags are factors expected to drive the global disposable blood bags market during the forecast period. Moreover, the increasing number of blood transfusion procedures is expected to fuel the demand for disposable blood bags during the forecast period. Furthermore, rising incidence of accidents in developed as well as developing countries is poised to augment the demand for blood transportation and transfusion. This is likely to propel the global disposable blood bags market. Different types of disposable blood bags are available all over the world; for example, CPDA blood bags, CPD/SAGM blood bags, and transfer bags.



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The transfer bags segment is projected to witness rapid growth in the near future. This can be primarily attributed to the storage capacity of these bags, which ranges from 150 ml to 1000 ml. This enables the separation of blood components in a more sterile manner and eliminates the requirement for cleaning processes. The disposable blood bags market is anticipated to expand at a high rate in the next few years, owing to increase in the number of accidents/trauma incidents. Moreover, scientific improvements and increase in the requirement for blood transfusion and transportation worldwide would promote the market growth.



The disposable blood bags market can be segmented on the basis of product type, end-user, and geography. Based on product type, the disposable blood bags market can be categorized into CPDA blood bags, CPD/SAGM blood bags, transfer bags, and others. The product type segments can be sub-segmented on the basis of usage into single, double, triple, and quadruple blood bags. Furthermore, based on end-user, the disposable blood bags market can be segmented into surgery and/or operation units, emergency units, intensive care units (ICUs), ambulatory centers, and others.



Globally, North America was observed to be the leading market for disposable blood bags, due to extensive use of blood tests alongside a large number research and development activities in the region. Additionally, the U.S. and Canada have been successfully utilizing a large number of blood bags. This, in turn, would boost the market for disposable blood bags in North America during the forecast period. Moreover, presence of well-established health care organizations, government initiatives in promoting the use of disposable blood bags, and constantly improving sterility aspects would further propel the market in the region in the near future. Europe is likely to be the second leading market for disposable blood bags in the next few years, owing to enhanced health care processes and growing concerns about health in the region.



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Asia Pacific is estimated to be the rapidly expanding market for disposable blood bags during the forecast period. Major factors that would drive the disposable blood bags market in Asia Pacific include the increasing number of accidents/trauma, and the rising number of blood transportation and transfusion procedures. China and India are emerging economies in the region and hence, they would increasingly contribute toward the growth of the market for disposable blood bags in Asia Pacific. In Latin America, Mexico and Brazil are the countries with significant potential for growth of the market, due to development of medical organizations and rising disposable incomes in the two countries.



Key players operating in the global critical care diagnostics market are Poly Medicure Limited, Grifols, S.A., Macopharma Bharat Transfusion Solution, Fresenius Kabi India Pvt. Ltd., TERUMO PENPOL Pvt. Limited, HLL Lifecare Limited, and Span Healthcare Private Limited.



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LONDON--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Future Planet Capital has invested in a $168m Series B financing announced today by Vaccitech Ltd. Future Planet joins other leading investors including M&G Investment Management, Tencent, Gilead Sciences, Monaco Constitutional Reserve Fund and fellow existing investor, Oxford Sciences Innovation. As part of the Series B financing, $43 million in convertible loan notes previously issued by Vaccitech will convert into Series B shares, resulting in total gross proceeds to Vaccitech of $168 million before expenses.

Douglas Hansen-Luke, Executive Chairman of Future Planet Capital, explained: "Our decision to support Vaccitech last year, before the results of the COVID-19 Vaccine AstraZeneca trials were known, has been vindicated by the vaccines approval for emergency use by national and international regulators. The success of the COVID-19 Vaccine AstraZeneca has increased our confidence in Vaccitechs immunotherapy platform and our continuing support is signalled by our investment today.

Bill Enright, CEO of Vaccitech, said: We expect this financing to enable us to reach key value inflection points for our lead programs. We now look forward to advancing key programs towards generating proof-of-concept data in indications with significant need of effective new treatments.

Ed Phillips, Head of Origination at Future Planet, concluded: This is a concrete example of our vision in action  financing the best minds to address global challenges. We look forward to working with other entrepreneurs and businesses dedicated to solving global challenges in the future.

Vaccitech is a clinical stage biopharmaceutical company engaged in the discovery and development of novel immunotherapeutics and vaccines for the treatment and prevention of infectious diseases and cancer; in 2020 it co-invented a COVID-19 vaccine candidate with the University of Oxford, AZD1222, which is known as the COVID-19 Vaccine AstraZeneca.

-ends-

About Future Planet Capital

Future Planet Capital is a global impact-led venture capital firm built to invest in growth companies from the world's top universities. The firm invests in leading entrepreneurs and businesses profitably addressing the world's greatest challenges across Climate Change, Education, Health, Sustainable Growth & Security.

About Vaccitech Ltd.

Vaccitech is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company engaged in the discovery and development of novel immunotherapeutics and vaccines for the treatment and prevention of infectious diseases and cancer. The companys proprietary platform comprises proprietary modified simian adenoviral vectors, known as ChAdOx1 and ChAdOx2, as well as the well-validated Modified Vaccinia Ankara, or MVA, boost vector, all of which lack the ability to replicate in humans. The combination of a ChAdOx prime treatment with subsequent MVA boost has consistently generated significantly higher magnitudes of CD8+ T cells compared with other technologies and approaches. The company has a broad pipeline of both clinical and preclinical stage therapeutic programs in viral infections, solid tumors and prophylactic viral vaccine programs. The company is also co-developing prophylactic products for MERS coronavirus and Herpes Zoster with international collaborators. Vaccitech co-invented a COVID-19 vaccine with the University of Oxford (now known as AZD1222), which is now approved for use in many territories and exclusively licensed worldwide to AstraZeneca through Oxford University Innovation, or OUI. Vaccitech is entitled to receive a share of the milestones and royalty income received by OUI from AstraZeneca. Vaccitech is backed by leading institutions, including M&G, GV, Sequoia Capital China, Gilead Sciences, Tencent, Korea Investment Partners and Oxford Sciences Innovation.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210317005087/en/

Future Planet Capital

Ed Phillips

Head of Origination

[e] e.phillips@futureplanetcapital.com

Sciad Communications

Richard Anderson / Emma Pickup

[e] richard@sciad.com

[e] emma@sciad.com

Source: Future Planet Capital
Medical workers move a patient between ambulances outside of the Royal London Hospital amid the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic in London on Jan. 27, 2021. (Toby Melville/Reuters)

Updates on CCP Virus: More Than 1,000 Spring Breakers in Miami Arrested After Flouting Curfews

Miami officials announced that more than 1,000 people have already been taken into custody and about 80 guns have been seized since early February, when spring breakers started pouring into the Florida city famous for its nightlife and beaches.

Since Friday [March 19], we have made over 50 arrests and confiscated eight firearms, the Miami Beach Police Department stated on Twitter.

The curfews are intended to effectively shut down a famous hotspot for spring breakers in one of the few states nationwide that has already fully reopened from lockdowns over the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus pandemic.

2.5 Million Getting COVID-19 Vaccines per Day in US, CDC Warns New Variants May Cause Avoidable Surge

About 2.5 million people are receiving COVID-19 vaccines per day in the United States, according to the Biden administration, while the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) warns of an avoidable surge amid increases in cases attributed to new variants of the CCP virus.

Andrew Slavitt, acting administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Service, told reporters at a virtual press conference that the 2.5 million figure was an increase from 900,000 per day at the start of the Biden administration.

This weekend was the first time that the U.S. reported vaccinating more than 3 million people on consecutive days, he said Monday.

Schools Canceled After Teachers, Staff Ill From the Effects of the Vaccine: Superintendent

A school district in New Hampshire canceled school on Monday when too many staff called in sick after receiving a COVID-19 vaccine the day before, Superintendent Kathleen Murphy said in a message to parents.

Early this morning, after receiving communication from our building Principals, I made the decision to close school for the day, Murphy said. This decision was the result of a significant number of staff who became ill from the effects of the vaccine they received on Sunday.

The District just did not have enough substitutes or personnel to cover classrooms and common areas, she added.

National Anthem Singers Silenced by COVID-19 Guidelines as Athletes Play

Saddleback Valley Unified School District recently cleared its schools to resume sports and performing artsonly to later cancel live musical acts due to COVID-19 restrictions.

Natalie Moreta, a senior at Mission Viejo High School (MVHS), was selected to sing the national anthem before an upcoming football game, only to have her performance canceled March 19. The performances of other students who were set to sing at different games were also canceled.

Natalies mother, Sarah Moreta, told The Epoch Times she is frustrated with COVID-19 rules that seem contradictory.

Senior Fox News Producer Dies From COVID-19

Senior Fox News and Fox Business producer Eric Spinato has died from COVID-19, according to his family.

Spinatos brother, Dean, wrote on social media that the CCP virus was his cause of death.

COVID took my brother today, he wrote, referring to the disease caused by the CCP virus. He was a gem and one of a kind. Im so broken and lost for words.

A letter sent by Fox News managers to staffers also confirmed his death.

UK Daily Death Toll Falls to 6-Month Low

The United Kingdoms daily death toll from the CCP virus fell to 17 on Monday, the lowest figure in about six months, official data showed.

Figures showed 17 people had died within 28 days of having received a positive test for the disease, and that deaths in the last seven days were down 42 percent on the week before.

While deaths have dropped sharply in recent weeks, daily new cases have remained steady at around 5,000 to 6,000 this month. The data showed 5,342 new cases were recorded on Monday. The seven-day figure was down 4.7 percent.

Jailed Alberta Pastor to Be Released From Jail With $1,500 Fine

A judge has ruled a jailed Edmonton-area pastor can be released immediately but has to pay a $1,500 fine.

James Coates, who preaches at GraceLife Church, was charged after officials said the church violated public-health measures meant to help contain the spread of the CCP virus.

Putin to Receive Vaccine Shot in Russia on Tuesday

President Vladimir Putin said he will get a COVID-19 vaccine shot on Tuesday, several months after widespread vaccination started in Russia.

Kremlin opponents have criticized Putin for not getting vaccinated amid a comparatively slow rollout of the shot in Russia, arguing that his reluctance is contributing to the already extensive hesitance about the vaccine. In Russia, 4.3 percent of the 146-million population have received at least one dose.

AstraZeneca Says Vaccine Effective, No Safety Concerns

AstraZeneca said its COVID-19 vaccine is safe and effective following an interim analysis of data from a U.S.-based Phase 3 trial involving more than 32,000 participants.

The company said that the U.S. Phase 3 trial of the vaccine showed that it is 79 percent effective at preventing symptomatic illness, and 100 percent effective against severe or critical disease and hospitalization.

Last week, more than a dozen nations suspended the use of the AstraZeneca vaccine, called AZD1222, after a few dozen people who received the vaccine developed blood clots. The European Unions drug regulatory agency subsequently carried out a review and concluded that, while it couldnt rule out a direct link to thrombotic eventsor blood clottingthe benefits of using the vaccine outweigh the possible risks.

New York Lowers Vaccine Eligibility Age to 50

New York will join a handful of U.S. states that have lowered their eligibility age for COVID-19 vaccines to 50, Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced on Monday.

With the change, which takes effect on Tuesday, New York joins Florida, the third-largest state, which lowered its eligibility age on Monday, and a handful of other states that have made vaccines available to healthy people who are 50 years old or younger.

US Air Travelers Top 1.5 Million for First Time Since March 2020

The number of U.S. air passengers screened topped 1.5 million Sunday for the first time since March 2020, as air travel continues to rebound from a pandemic-related drop, the U.S. Transportation Security Administration (TSA) said Monday.

The CCP virus devastated air travel demand, with U.S. airline passengers down 60 percent in 2020. TSA said it screened 1.54 million people Sunday, the highest single day since March 13, 2020, and the 11th consecutive day screening volume exceeding 1 million per day.

Lebanon Reopens Restaurants With Precautions

Lebanon has eased its nearly two-month lockdown because of the CCP virus, with restaurants opening to the public for the first time in two months amid strict measures to prevent the spread of the virus.

Restaurants will be allowed to have a 50 percent capacity indoor with a 6-foot distance between each table while outdoors they will be allowed to have a 75 percent capacity.

Bells Toll to Honor Czech Victims

Bells tolled across the Czech Republic at noon on Monday to honor those who have died of COVID-19, the disease caused by the CCP virus. Czech Republic in one of the hardest-hit European Union countries.

The death toll has reached almost 25,000 since the start of the pandemic in the nation of 10.7 million and has almost 1.5 million confirmed cases.

Crowds Protest Restrictions Across Europe

Tens of thousands of protesters took to the streets in cities across Europe over the weekend as part of rallies against restrictive lockdowns implemented to combat COVID-19.

Demonstrations against lockdown measures were seen continent-wide on March 20, including in Austria, the UK, Finland, the Netherlands, Romania, and Switzerland.

LA Teachers Union Agrees to Reopen Schools From April

Public schools in Los Angeles are set to reopen from next month after a teachers union approved a plan for a physical and hybrid return to classes.

Many schools continue to teach students remotely more than a year after the CCP virus prompted widespread closures across the United States, and the Biden administration has been aiming to reopen in-person learning for millions of public school students without sparking COVID-19 outbreaks.

Education officials at the Los Angeles Unified School district are tentatively planning for physical classes to restart at elementary and preschools by mid-April, while grades 7-12 are scheduled to return by about the end of April.

Lorenz Duchamps, Mimi Nguyen Ly, Meiling Lee, Drew van Voorhis, Isabel van Brugen, Tom Ozimek, The Canadian Press, Reuters, and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
(@FahadShabbir)

Amman, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 21st Mar, 2021 ) :Jordan on Sunday made public a defence agreement with the United States that allows free entry of US forces, aircraft and vehicles onto the kingdom's territory.

Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi told parliament that the defence accord was "the fruit of long negotiations".

The agreement was signed in January and the government approved it last month, but in an exceptional move it bypassed parliament. The royal decree was published in the official journal this week.

The terms of the agreement, published on Jordanian news site Ammon, stipulate that "US forces may possess weapons and circulate with them on Jordanian territory while exercising their duties".

It also states that US forces may transport and stock equipment and that personnel, their aircraft and ships are authorised to "freely enter and exit Jordanian territory".

Islamist lawmaker Saleh al-Armuti decried the lack of parliamentary oversight and called on the government to cancel the accord, claiming it "violates the constitution and affects Jordan's sovereignty".

But Safadi pushed back, saying the agreement "in no way affects Jordan's sovereignty, and everything it contains is subject to Jordanian law and is compatible with international law".

"The agreement does not authorise American forces to carry out combat actions within the kingdom," he told lawmakers.

"The agreement aims to frame defence cooperation and reinforce US support for defence programs and the kingdom's security and stability through military training and equipment," Safadi said.

The US State Department considers the Hashemite kingdom "a vital US partner on a wide range of regional security issues".

Jordan is a key recipient of American financial aid -- including $425 million in military assistance annually, according to Safadi.
Demonstrators march against the ongoing coronavirus restrictions during an anti-lockdown protest in central London on March 20, 2021. (Niklas HALLE'N / AFP) (Photo by NIKLAS HALLE'N/AFP via Getty Images)

UK Racks Up Unimaginable COVID Debts, Extra Deaths by Choosing Lockdowns

News Analysis

A damning report by the UK parliaments Public Accounts Committee on the Johnson governments Test and Trace flagship scheme, which was introduced after the first lockdown for combating the spread of COVID-19, has just been published.

Committee Chairwoman Meg Hillier MP said, Despite the unimaginable resources thrown at this project [$51 billion], Test and Trace cannot point to a measurable difference to the progress of the pandemic, and the promise on which this huge expense was justifiedavoiding another lockdownhas been broken, twice.

This amount equals the entire budget of the UK Department of Transport and is just under the punitive $54 billion figure demanded by the EU for Britains post-Brexit trade deal. However, that was to be paid over three years rather than the one year of Test and Trace.

And this program accounts for just part of the total COVID-19 bill, alongside lost productivity, increased health care costs, paying people not to work, and reduced taxation.

To pay for the three lockdowns, the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) claims the extra borrowing of $492 billion for the current financial year could need a further $325 billion next year, which would take the COVID bill to $817 billion over two years.

In comparison, World War II cost far less. According to the UK National Archives, In 1939 the British held half the foreign investments in the world. By the time the war concluded the British were in debt.

Its national debt by 1945 was $29 billion, which is around $1.3 trillion at todays rates. That puts six years of fighting World War II at the equivalent of $218 billion per year, and two years of fighting COVID-19 at $408 billion per year, meaning Churchill needed around half the amount per year that the Johnson government is spending on COVID-19.

Lives Lost

The COVID-19 cost in human lives lost has been excessively high too. As of 3/18/21, Britain had 125,831 COVID-related deaths whereas Taiwan, which lies 110 miles off the Chinese mainland and didnt choose lockdown, has had just 10 COVID-19 deaths. Taking population differences into account, Taiwans success would be the equivalent of 28 COVID-19 deaths in the UK and 139 COVID-19 deaths in the United States.

Taiwan is a remarkable success story. However, Sweden, which chose herd immunity and eschewed lockdowns, has suffered far fewer deaths1,304 deaths per million people compared to Britains 1,847.

Throughout this period, the UK governments policy has largely been driven by advice it gets from its Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (SAGE). But this arrangement is also now under scrutiny.

The Telegraph has recently questioned the influence SAGE, which was formed under the last Labour government, has over Prime Minister Johnson and his closest ministers. Its headed up by the governments chief scientific adviser, Sir Patrick Vallance, and professor Chris Whitty, its chief medical officer.

Vallance initially favored herd immunity growing naturally within the UK population. He told Sky News that not suppressing the virus completely would allow enough of us who are going to get mild illness to become immune to this. About 60 percent is the sort of figure you need to get herd immunity.

The following day, hundreds of academics published a joint letter stating, Going for herd immunity at this point does not seem a viable option, as this will put the NHS (National Health Service) at an even stronger level of stress, risking many more lives than necessary.

However, many of the signatories were drawn from mathematics rather than medicine, with very few specialists in infection control and no leading experts in the spread of disease, Sky News reported at the time.

Soon afterwards, Vallance became a lockdown advocate.

Another leading member of SAGE is Dr. Neil Ferguson, often disparaged as The Master of Disaster after his costly recommendations for previous health crises. Immediately following the emergence of COVID-19, he managed to influence both the UK and U.S. governments into adopting the lockdown model in early 2020.

The epidemiologist was forced to resign from SAGE after breaking his own lockdown rules to allow his mistress to visit him, but he has continued as a government adviser.

It is now recognized that once a nation goes into lockdown, a national vaccination program is the only way out. In Ireland, the BBC reports that more than 4,000 red flag (life-saving) cancer procedures have been cancelled in Northern Ireland since the beginning of the pandemic.

The Irish taoiseach (prime minister), Micheal Martin, recently informed his confined population that he hoped to allow for non-COVID healthcare to restart safely.

The vaccination programme will completely change the landscape and transform the options available to us as a society for reopening and renewing our country, he said.

In a statement that was initially withheld, Vallance candidly admitted that lockdowns in the UK would claim their own grim toll, with 200,000 extra deaths due to expected delays to hospital treatment, suicide, and domestic violence.
As families across Northern Ireland filled in their census forms yesterday, DUP MP Gregory Campbell urged people to remember the 40th anniversary of the murder of census worker Joanne Mathers.

The young mum was just 29 years old when an IRA gunman shot her dead on the doorstep of a Gobnascale home while she talked to the householder on an April afternoon in 1981.

The murder occurred in the midst of a republican campaign to stop the public co-operating with census takers after the terrorists claimed the forms were being used to gather intelligence.

Her husband, Lowry Mathers, was left to bring up their young son Shane alone.

Mr Campbell said: "Mrs Mathers was carrying out census duties near the Gobnascale area of Londonderry in April 1981.

"She was carrying out this task and was singled out as an innocent victim and brutally gunned down in cold blood.

"The Provisional IRA were responsible for the attack but no one has ever been convicted of Mrs Mathers' murder," he added.

"The added irony now is that people all across Northern Ireland are being asked to complete their census forms safely and many will be done online.

"Forty years ago in 1981 it was done door to door and a young innocent woman was gunned down while carrying out the task.

"A close relative of Joanne's told me recently that the guilty people haven't served any of the life sentence they deserve, but the family were still serving theirs," the MP said yesterday.

"Like numerous other vicious killings no one has been made amenable for her murder."

The DUP MP said he had questioned the late Deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness about IRA murders in Londonderry carried out while he was in charge.

"On every single occasion I confronted him about what part he played in or what knowledge he had of any of these atrocities, his answer was always the same, he knew nothing and approved nothing.

"Most people could see through the brazen denials for what they were.

"As we try and build a better future for all our people, we cannot and must not forget the past, lest there be those who would take refuge in trying to repeat or rewrite it," Mr Campbell said.
Hurricane season 2021 is here: How do storms get their names?
Moscow hopes that the United States will implement its earlier voiced intentions to return to the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) under the Iran nuclear program, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said in an interview with the Chinese mass media.

According to Lavrov, after having announced its withdrawal from the deal, Washington not only stopped with the implementation of its obligations, but also prohibited the rest of involved countries with the implementation of the UN Security Council Resolution.

"The West took that decision as what can we do because it was the U.S. decision; this is the reality, although it would have been good if they continued with the implementation of the Iranian nuclear deal resolution," TASS cited the Russian foreign minister as saying.

"However, this is not the reality, but a blatant violation of international rights, and a demonstration of the governments complete inability of reaching agreements," Lavrov said. "I hope that today the U.S. administration, which expressed intentions to return to the nuclear deal, will fulfill its voiced intentions."
The inaugural Adweek Performance Marketing Action Awards recognize the year's best campaigns and top executives who created results-driven, targeted marketing that rose above the rest with strategies and innovation to deliver a lead, click or sale. These marketers embody the accountability businesses demand, as well as the creativity the practice celebrates.

While political mail has been a major source of revenue for USPS, mail is still perceived as outdated by many, contributing to a decline in mail volume across industries. With an aggressive 2020 political mail revenue goal, MRM was tasked with reframing political mail as relevant to a new, rising generation of political strategists, driving awareness of USPS mail innovations and mail's influence on voters. MRM launched a new political mail brand campaign in the run-up to the 2020 election season.

The brand campaign allowed MRM to leverage new trends, reach younger, more digitally savvy decision-makers, and reenter the political campaigning conversation. The campaign vastly expanded the USPS political pipeline and brought in 112% more closed sales revenue than in previous election years.

"We are beyond grateful for our partners at USPS who push us to create such meaningful, inspiring work," said Kate MacNevin, Global Chairwoman & CEO, MRM.

The winners of this award will appear in the March 22 print edition of Adweek and online.

This honors follows several years of continued success, growth and recognition for MRM, which includes being named a "Best Workplaces for Innovators" by Fast Company, Ad Age's 2018 B-to-B Agency of the Year, and for the first time, WARC's global Effective 100 ranking in its top 40 effective digital agencies listing for 2020. In 2020, MRM was designated for the fourth straight year as a "Leader" in Gartner Inc.'s prestigious "Magic Quadrant for Global Marketing Agencies."

ABOUT MRM

MRM is a leading marketing agency. Through a strong foundation in strategy, data science, technology and creativity, MRM helps transform businesses by helping brands grow meaningful relationships with people. MRM is part of the Interpublic Group (NYSE: IPG) and a top agency in the McCann Worldgroup network, with 40-plus offices across North America, Latin America, Europe, the Middle East and Asia Pacific. For more information, please visit www.mrm.com.

SOURCE MRM

Related Links

http://www.mrm.com


No matter what city or town you live in, or whether you're in an urban, suburban, or rural area, our nations affordable housing crisis is only getting worse.

PadSplit, a mission-driven marketplace that helps solve the affordable housing crisis, is announcing its entry into the Richmond market, alongside a unique partnership with Anthem Healthkeepers Plus (Anthem). PadSplits proven model addresses the housing crisis by aligning incentives between property owners, cities, businesses, and individuals who seek affordable housing.

PadSplit is entering the Richmond metro area with 12 units, all of which will be available to local individuals who require affordable housing after undergoing medical care and need assistance with a transition back into the community. This unique partnership with Anthem is a first of its kind for PadSplit and will serve as a model for community assistance programs that help local individuals who may be dealing with homelessness.

At Anthem, we are committed to improving the lives of the people we serve and through this partnership with PadSplit, we will be able to address a need within the Richmond community, said Jennie Reynolds, Anthem Healthkeepers Plus Medicaid Plan President. By working with PadSplit, well ensure that recently discharged individuals have access to quality, affordable housing and supportive services, which typically results in the most successful outcomes for the vulnerable populations we serve.

Founded in 2017 and headquartered in Atlanta, PadSplit provides shared housing  a PadSplit  with private, furnished bedrooms and fixed utility costs as well as access to 24/7 telehealth services so that members can obtain safe, clean, and affordable housing. PadSplit members average $25,000 in annual income and report $516 in monthly savings between housing, utility, and transportation costs. Each PadSplit home must meet specific design guidelines designed to exceed HUD standards, while members must pass a criminal background check and screening process to qualify.

PadSplits model is overall designed to leverage housing as a vehicle for financial empowerment, and to that end, it has helped its members increase their credit scores by an average of 102 points. Many members have been able to save enough to purchase their own vehicles, move into their own apartments and even purchase their own homes, which they could then convert to PadSplits to begin the cycle for others.

No matter what city or town you live in, or whether you're in an urban, suburban, or rural area, our nations affordable housing crisis is only getting worse, said PadSplit founder and CEO Atticus LeBlanc. Its impossible to build our way out of this crisis. Rather, we need out-of-the-box thinking  our shared housing model and our partnership with Anthem are the kind of creative solutions that can rapidly increase affordable housing supply while making a positive impact in communities.

In Atlanta, where it has more than 1,200 units, including single and multi-family properties, PadSplit has increased profitability by more than 60 percent for property owners by using existing housing stock as shared housing, which further incentivizes more affordable housing supply. PadSplit serves as a resident manager for all units handling the marketing and lead-generation, application and screening process, payment processing and collections, as well as a peer review system. These services allow owners to focus on increasing the supply of profitable workforce housing and less on managing day-to-day interactions with residents.

As PadSplit expands to Richmond, it will continue to grow its alliance of nonprofits and civic organizations that are working to house the vulnerable individuals they service. Through this initiative, called Starting Point, nonprofits and government agencies are able to more quickly identify housing opportunities for their clients and save on placement costs. In addition to Anthem, PadSplit partners with Housing Families First and Safe Harbor in the Richmond metro area.

For more information about PadSplit, or to become a member, property owner or partner, visit PadSplit.com.

###

About PadSplit

PadSplit is a mission-driven company that helps to solve the affordable housing crisis, one room at a time. Through its shared-housing model, the company aligns incentives between cities, nonprofits, and property owners to spur cost-effective housing creation without public subsidy, all while providing safe and affordable housing for working class individuals. PadSplit was founded by an affordable housing advocate and is advised by a team of nationally recognized housing leaders and investors including Enterprise Community Partners, the UC Berkeley Terner Center for Housing Innovation Lab, Kapor, Impact, Engine, and the Citi Impact Fund amongst others. Headquartered in Atlanta, PadSplit operates in several cities throughout the United States. For more information about the company or how to become a member or property owner, visit https://www.PadSplit.com.

About Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield

Anthem Health Plans of Virginia, Inc. trades as Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield in Virginia, and its service area is all of Virginia except for the City of Fairfax, the Town of Vienna, and the area east of State Route 123. Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield and its affiliate HealthKeepers, Inc. are independent licensees of the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association. ANTHEM is a registered trademark of Anthem Insurance Companies, Inc. The Blue Cross and Blue Shield names and symbols are registered marks of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association. Additional information about Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield in Virginia is available at http://www.anthem.com. Also, follow us on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/anthemBCBS and on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/AnthemBlueCrossBlueShield.
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While Germanys Robert Koch Institute (RKI) is warning of unprecedented coronavirus incidence levels and scientists across the board are speaking of a third wave of the pandemic, the German federal and state governments remain determined to open the schools and the economy. The Network of Rank-and-File Committees for Safe Education (Netzwerk der Aktionskomitees fur sichere Bildung) met on Monday to organize the growing opposition to these policies and to discuss an independent perspective.

We are at a critical turning point, Phillip Frisch, a teacher from North Rhine-Westphalia and writer for the World Socialist Web Site, noted at the beginning of his opening remarks. Throughout Europe and around the world, governments are reopening all areas of public life. All remaining restrictions are being systematically weakened and lifted. The effects of this incipient third wave, Frisch said, are already evident in Eastern Europe: In the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Poland, infection and death rates are reaching record levels. There are cases of hospitals no longer able to treat patients.

Frisch noted that the greatest danger is posed by the more contagious and deadly variants of the virus. But it was the governments re-opening policies that provided the fertile ground for mutants to spread so rapidly and for so many people to get sick and die from them. This policy served the profit interests of a tiny, extremely wealthy minority of pandemic profiteers who were able to increase their fortunes by trillions of dollars and euro amid mass death and suffering. In Germany alone, he said, the net wealth of the ultra-rich increased by nearly 80 billion to 486 billion between March and July 2020.

Central train station in Frankfurt, Germany, Thursday, Oct. 8, 2020. (AP Photo/Michael Probst)

Meanwhile, countless scientists and medical experts have unequivocally condemned the removal of pandemic safeguards, highlighting in particular the key role played by schools in the spread of the virus. Virologist Melanie Brinkmann, for example, expressed horror at the unsecured opening of schools, calling the current guidelines an intellectual insult to everyone. The respected BMJ (formerly the British Medical Journal ) recently reported that a significant number of COVID-19 patients suffering long-term repercussions are younger than 19 years old.

School openings are supported by all the parties in the parliament, Frisch said. The unions are providing cover for the school openings against the will of the teachers and have claimed that face-to-face teaching works well. To advance the interests of students, teachers and parents, he said, it is therefore necessary to build rank-and-file committees that are independent of unions and established parties.

That these developments are international in character was illustrated by a report from Liz Smith, founding member of the UK Educators Rank-and-File Safety Committee. As she reported, 10 million children and 2 million teachers were recently forced back into schools in the UK, even though the reproduction rate there is only just below one and hundreds of workers die every week. Prime Minister Boris Johnson recently made it clear that he would not tolerate another shutdown and demanded that the public accept more deaths.

The policy of herd immunity is, at its core, about sacrificing the lives of the vulnerable, poor and working people to defend the profit interests of the ruling class, Smith said. Contrary to media coverage that glorifies school openings as a joyous event, a brief review of the past 12 months shows that school openings are in fact the single most important factor in the transmission of the virus, she said. Scotland and Wales, which had opened schools about three weeks earlier, were now seeing the highest infection rates.

When schools were forced to close last March 23, it was because of a mass uprising of teachers and workers who refused to send their children to school, Smith reported. The unions did not call for any action. Johnsons subsequent attempt to reopen the schools met with mass resistance from teachers and parents but was supported by education unions. The weekend before the return to schools, the growing anger among teachers and school employees was reflected in the attendance of 400,000 people at an NEU union rally.

But the union did not call for any sort of organized struggle. Within seven weeks, support for the union turned into bitter hostility. When the NEU refused to heed the call for a strike at an event attended by 25,000 people on March 1, the union leaderships disdain and utter indifference to endangering the health of its members was on open display.

The past year has proven that workers cannot fight for their basic interests without a rebellion against the Labour Party and the unions, Smith concluded. Building a new political leadership is a matter of life and death.

Student Tamino, who is building an action committee of students in southwest Germany, spoke of the governments policy of progressive re-opening, which has already led to a rapid increase in the number of cases. In the middle of a wave of contagion, governments are driving to resume normal operations as quickly as possible in order to keep the profits of large corporations flowing. Even before the pandemic, governments were pushing through cuts in the social system, health care and education. Now the pandemic is being used by the government and corporate bosses to broaden these cuts and further increase social inequality. This is precisely why working class students are being left behind and hundreds of thousands are being pushed into poverty.

Helmut, a teacher from Berlin, reported catastrophic conditions at the schools: We stand in class for at least two to three hours without a proper breakwhile we should actually let our masks dry out every 75 minutes at the latest. But thats not even feasible for our colleagues because of our additional duties. Children from working class families can often not afford to regularly buy new masks. The planning and implementation of rapid testing is also a disaster! As a tester, I first have to test my colleagues at my school for five hours before I give my lessons. In the afternoon, I go to a day care centre to test the educators there because they dont have the chance to do it themselves at all.

Simone, a teacher from Baden-Wurttemberg, also reported on the unsanitary and unsafe working conditions in many schools. However, she explained that she had been active in the education union GEW for a long time and could not understand the rejection of the unions by the action committees. The GEW, she said, did not have the legal right to strike against the unsafe conditions.

This was contradicted by numerous members of the action committee. The GEW had not only led no industrial action, it had actively supported the opening of the schools, explained Martin Mauer, an educator from Dresden, who is also a candidate for the Sozialistische Gleichheitspartei (Socialist Equality Party, SGP) in the German federal elections. He recalled the five-point plan the union presented when the schools closed in December that was intended to get them open as soon as possible. The plan even fell short of the RKIs guidelines and did not include serious safeguards at all for elementary schools and day care centres.

Other members talked about how the unions Verdi and IG Metall and the other members of the German Trade Union Confederation (DGB) had also pushed unsafe working conditions onto workers. If workers want to defend their rights, they have to organize independently of the unions in action committees that unite internationally and prepare a general strike. This is shown, for example, by the WISAG workers at Frankfurt Airport, who left Verdi to pursue industrial action against their dismissals.
Source: Xinhua| 2021-03-22 16:34:03|Editor: huaxia

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Chief Executive of China's Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Carrie Lam receives an interview after taking her second shot of the COVID-19 vaccine in Hong Kong, south China, March 22, 2021. Carrie Lam on Monday took the second shot of the COVID-19 vaccine and called on Hong Kong residents to actively get the jab so as to return to normal lives at an early date. (Xinhua/Wang Shen)

HONG KONG, March 22 (Xinhua) -- Chief Executive of China's Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) Carrie Lam took the second shot of the COVID-19 vaccine on Monday and called on Hong Kong residents to actively get the jab so as to return to normal lives at an early date.

She got fully vaccinated at the government headquarters along with multiple officials on Monday, nearly a month after the local mass inoculation program started.

So far, more than 350,000 people have been given the first shot in Hong Kong and the second doses will begin to be administered this week.

Given the shortage of vaccine supplies globally, Hong Kong is fortunate to get doses enough for all its residents, Lam said, adding that the more people get vaccinated, the sooner Hong Kong can overcome the epidemic and the lives of people can return to normalcy.

There are two vaccines currently available in Hong Kong, produced by Sinovac Biotech and Fosun Pharma/BioNTech, respectively.

Lam stressed the vaccination is a science-based program and urged residents to refer to the official vaccine information and professional opinions of health experts, instead of listening to rumors and disinformation. Enditem
Recently, three newly-discovered species of Australian beetles were discovered by two entomologists. The catch? They were named after the three Legendary birds in "Pokemon" - the ice/flying bird Articuno, the electric/flying bird Zapdos, and Moltres, the fire/flying-type pokemon.

This not only brought a sudden rush of nostalgia to the two scientists but also to everyone who grew up with Ash Ketchum on his way to the "Pokemon" League from his hometown in Pallet Town.

What's The Reason Why the Two Experts Arrive with Such Bizarre Names?

According to a report by Kotaku, the Australian beetles are now named Binburrum articuno, Binburrum zapdos, and Binburrum moltres. The two entomologists seemed to have been acquainted with the popular anime-turned-video game series.

Scientific explorations are indeed a difficult job for scientists. The naming of the beetle species after the legendary "Pokemon" birds could be their only way to escape the exhausting workload for the time being.

Dr. Darren Pollock, an entomology professor from the Eastern New Mexico University, and Yun Hsiao, a Ph.D. student from the Australian National University, arrived with the strange pattern of giving the brightly-colored beetle species a unique and unforgettable name.

The names of these three beetles would surely bring joy, especially to "Pokemon" fans. Who would not want to adopt a "Pokemon" name since these three legendary birds are some of the strongest legendaries in the series?

In an interview with the Eastern New Mexico University last week, Pollock said that he first met Hsiao, who was still a novice student in entymology, five or six years ago.

"When he first made contact with me, it was very apparent that he knew his (beetle) stuff and was very enthusiastic about some of the same things I was," Pollock added.

Furthermore, it was followed by Pollock's discovery of the new genus of the insect. Later, he decided to name it Binburrum. Since that time, his companion Hsiao also applied the same genus name to other beetle species that he discovered.

Read Also: 'Pokemon Go' Kanto Tour Guide: Raid Collection Challenges, Tasks and MORE

The name of the beetles can be seen in a study entitled "Contribution to the knowledge of the endemic Australian genus Binburrum Pollock, 1995 (Coleoptera: Pyrochroidae: Pilipalpinae), with a description of three new species" published in The Canadian Entomologist publication.

Moreover, Pollock acknowledged that their decision to finalize the name of the new species was not trivial. In that case, the entomologists wanted the three beetles to be more unique compared to the other species.

Pollock said that giving a never-before-used name for the species in scientific discovery leads to the uniqueness of a certain species among others.

Our paper has been published online in @CanEntomologist! We review Binburrum Pyrochroidae and described 3 new species, which are named after the 3 legendary birds of #Pokemon, referring to the rareness of these species that have only few specimens @EcoEvo_ANU @CSIRO @ColeopSoc pic.twitter.com/Im0lEVCYJ2  Yun Hsiao (   ) (@YHsiaoBeetle) January 2, 2021

Meanwhile, Hsiao said that since he was young, he aspired to become a "Pokemon trainer." He came up to name the three specimens after three legendary birds due to their rarity. In "Pokemon," encountering legendary monsters is rare, and sometimes they are the hardest to catch.

How it is Related to the Idea of the 'Pokemon' Director?

Pollock and Hsiao also planned to finish their paper with more "Pokemon" names used in their upcoming discoveries. But, this idea could somehow be related to the original director of the "Pokemon" franchise, Satoshi Tajiri.

When Tajiri was a child, he was fond of collecting insects, so his classmates gave him the nickname "Mr. Bug." It seems that his childhood idea took him to places, as he used it to create a Game Boy game where several monsters battle with each other.

Six years later after Tajiri decided to come up with the concept, "Pokemon" was born. "Pokemon Red" and Pokemon Green" were the first versions of the video game series which were released in Japan in 1996.



Related Article: Scientists Name Spiky Sea Snail after Joe Strummer from The Clash

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Written by Joen Coronel

 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
Last Tuesday morning, I wrote in this newsletter about a recent NPR series that used the case of the Capital Gazette, in Annapolis, Maryland, to illuminate the inadequacy of the news cycle that typically follows mass shootings in America: messy breaking news, followed by thoughts and prayers, coverage of vigils, stories about the victims and survivors, then, all too quickly, silence. By Tuesday night, the cycle had started again: a gunman murdered eight people at three spas in the Atlanta area; six of the victims were Asian women. This time, though, the cycle felt different, or at least slowed down. As I wrote on Friday, we had, to that point, learned astonishingly little about the Asian victims, in particularfour of them had yet to be named officially; observers apportioned blame, too, to newsrooms lack of diversity and consequent inability to adequately cover communities across language and cultural barriers. Since then, we have learned more: officials identified the remaining victims as Soon Chung Park, Hyun Jung Grant, Suncha Kim, and Yong Ae Yue, and major national outlets finally published more details about some of the victims lives, as well as interviews with loved ones. Still, though, there are gapsand we knew much more, much sooner, about the gunman than his victims.

The post-Atlanta news cycle has differed from past shooting stories in another important respect: the emphasis placed on subsequent calls for gun reform. There have been some stories in that direction. We learned about the weapon the gunman apparently used (a nine-millimeter handgun) and how he obtained it: legally, at a store, just hours before the shootings. Some commentators pointed out that there are greater delays involved in registering to vote and having an abortion in Georgia than in buying a firearm; as Slates Christina Cauterucci put it, There are few clearer statements of a societys values than this: We place more trust in the self-knowledge and decision-making skills of a would-be mass murderer than we do in a pregnant woman. Gun-control advocates called for change in Washington, as did some media commentators. The satirical site The Onion ran the same headline that it always runs after mass shootings: No Way To Prevent This, Says Only Nation Where This Regularly Happens. (The Onion satirized policeand, by extension, mediacredulousness in a separate headline: Atlanta Police Rule Out Mass Shooting As Cause Of Death After Suspect Says He Didnt Shoot Anyone.)

Related: Hesitant coverage of the hateful Atlanta shootings

In general, though, such stories have not added up to anything approaching a focused, national-level debate about Americas gun laws. Across the agenda-setting Sunday shows yesterday, gun reform was mentioned only in passing on NBCs Meet the Press and Fox News Sunday, and not at all on ABCs This Week, CBSs Face the Nation, or CNNs State of the Union, where the word weapon was used only to refer to the Senate filibuster; of the first ten articles that appeared in a quick Google News search for gun control this morning, six were not at all tied to Atlanta, and two of the other four were right-wing writeups of comments that the Democratic Georgia Senator Raphael Warnock made on Meet the Press. This absence is especially curious given that the gun debate has otherwise been in the news of late. Five days before the Atlanta shootings, the House of Representatives passed a pair of measures that would broaden and stiffen background checks for gun purchases. These appear doomed in the Senate unless Democrats move to abolish the filibusterbut this is a story in its own right, and in any case, the broader debate is not yet dead. As BuzzFeed reported on Friday, prominent Democrats are mulling more limited proposals in the hope of attracting some bipartisan support.

There are numerous possible reasons why Atlanta has not accelerated this debate. President Biden has not set the agenda from the top; more justifiably, conversations about anti-Asian racism and inadequate hate-crime laws have gained momentum in the press, even if the coverage has often been hesitant or otherwise flawed. Centering hate, however, need not come at the expense of a conversation about gunsnot just because the news media should be able to interweave divergent threads of big stories, but because hate laws and firearms laws speak with equal urgency to different parts of the crime; as the gun-reform advocate Kris Brown told The Guardian, Hate exists everywhere in the world and Americas unfettered access to weapons makes that hate lethal. In August 2019, racism and gun reform shared the media spotlight to a greater extent after a gunman murdered twenty-three people, the vast majority of them Hispanic, at a Walmart in El Paso. In that case, a racist screed written by the El Paso gunman and a near-simultaneous shooting in Dayton, Ohio, added obvious fuel to these respective components of the news cycleand even then, the coverage of both was very far from perfect. The New York Timess headline Trump urges unity vs. racism was widely criticized, as was its second effort, Assailing hate but not guns. (The latter, at the very least, channeled a duality of focus.)

Both these focuses pretty quickly faded, both in Washington and in the press. Those two spheres are, of course, connected: journalists are generally much better at reacting to the movements of politicians than using their agenda-setting power to keep intractable problems front-of-mind for the nation. In the wake of the Atlanta shootings, there are plenty of contingent reasons for the lack of focus on gun laws, but its hard to avoid the conclusion that both apathy and cynicism about the prospects for change have played a central role. Normalization probably has, too; in different senses, normalization has also hamstrung coverage of anti-Asian racism, and of the victims. As NPRs Capital Gazette podcast showed, the typical mass-shooting news cycle is profoundly inadequate, but in the case of Atlanta, its arguably its absence that feels most jarring. When it comes to guns, we cant prolong policy debates beyond the aftermath of a tragedy if those debates never start.

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Jon Allsop is a freelance journalist. He writes CJRs newsletter The Media Today. Find him on Twitter @Jon_Allsop.
A COVID-19 vaccine candidate developed by AstraZeneca and the University of Oxford has proven effective in U.S. clinical trials, according to data released by the company Monday, March 22.

The two-dose regiment proved 79% effective at preventing symptomatic COVID-19, and 100% effective against severe or critical disease and hospitalization, according to the report. There were 32,449 participants enrolled in the Phase III trials in the U.S., Chile, and Peru.

AstraZeneca plans to submit its data to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in a request for emergency use authorization in the coming weeks. The FDA has granted EUA to three other vaccines to date, developed by Pfizer, Moderna and Johnson & Johnson.

Its not yet clear when the fourth vaccine could be available to Americans.

The U.S. government already agreed in May 2020 to fund up to $1.2 billion to AstraZeneca to develop a vaccine and provide the U.S. with 300 million doses when it becomes available. At that time, the first doses were projected to be available by October 2020.

AstraZenecas clinical trials were put on pause in September after a volunteer developed an unexplained illness. The trials resumed in late October after health regulators determined there was no evidence that the vaccine caused the neurological symptoms that appeared in two participants.

Then in November, the company announced it mistakenly gave some British volunteers half-dose shots, which raised questions about its clinical data.

AstraZenecas shot is already approved in more than 70 countries. However, many countries paused using the vaccine -- and recently resumed administering it -- over fears of blood clots as a side-effect.

The company said it conducted a specific review related to blood clot concerns and found no increased risk of thrombosis or events characterized by the thrombosis among the 21,583 participants receiving at least one dose of the vaccine.

The vaccine candidate uses a replication-deficient chimpanzee viral vector based on a weakened version of a common cold virus that contains the genetic material of the SARS-CoV-2 virus spike protein. After vaccination, the spike protein is produced, priming the immune system to attack the virus if it later infects the body.

Phase III clinical trials for the latest vaccine candidate used a 2:1 ratio for volunteers receiving the vaccine versus a placebo. Two doses were administered four weeks apart.

Among the participants, 79% were white, while 8% were Black/African American, 4% were Native American, 4% were Asian, and 22% were Hispanic. About 20% were 65 years or older, and about 60% had co-morbidities associated with increased risk for severe COVID-19.

The AstraZeneca vaccine can be stored at normal refrigerated conditions for at least six months.

There are already three COVID-19 vaccines available in the U.S. The Pfizer and Moderna vaccines require two doses administered three and four weeks apart, respectively, while the Johnson & Johnson shot only requires one dose for full immunity.

As of Thursday, March 18, Michigan had administered 3.4 million doses to about 2.2 million residents. That means about 27.1% of the states 16 and older population has received at least their first dose to date.

Read more on MLive:

Monday, March 22, coronavirus data by Michigan county: 20 counties over 10% positivity, including Macomb, Genesee

Pharmacies help ramp up coronavirus vaccines in Michigan

The pandemic changed the way we eat and get food
NEW YORK and TOKYO, March 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Thrasio, the consumer goods company reimagining the world of commerce and consumer products, is expanding its international operations with the establishment of Thrasio GK, a Japanese subsidiary located in the Ginza district of Tokyo. Thrasio has made an initial commitment of $250 million to acquire and grow brands and products sold on Amazon Japan and other ecommerce platforms. Japan marks the third international market Thrasio has announced in as many monthswith locations in Germany and the UK already rapidly acquiring local ecommerce businesses .

The company has appointed Kazuhiro Ninomiya as its head of its Japan business. Previously Ninomiya managed McKinsey's investment team and its strategic initiatives, and in his new role at Thrasio is rapidly expanding its native Japanese professional teams across M&A, brand management, and other key functions to join the Thrasio team of 850 people across the globe.

"We are excited to work closely with Japanese sellers and to provide a positive and lucrative experience when they are ready to sell their Amazon or ecommerce brand," says Thrasio co-founder and co-CEO Carlos Cashman. "We are known across the US and EU for being fair, fast, and reliable and we will bring those qualities to our deals here. Japanese sellers should be confident that they are leaving their brand in good handsour team will not only look after and grow their business, but also provide them hard won financial returns on their entrepreneurial investment."

"We see tremendous potential for Japanese products as part of Thrasio's global portfolio," continues Thrasio COO Stephanie Fox. "Not only are we expanding capabilities to onboard Japanese ecommerce brands onto Amazon Japan and drawing on the success they're having across leading platforms like Rakuten and Yahoo! Japan, we are creating a vehicle for these sellers to see their exceptional goods sold on Amazon and elsewhere around the world."

Thrasio President Danny Boockvar affirms this is just the first step in the company's plans for Asia: "Japan is a significant ecommerce market in the global economy: 72% of Japanese shoppers make purchases online, and Amazon.co.jp averages 89 million visitors a month, second only to the US. Japan is the first foothold in our expansion into Asia, and we know Asia will provide significant and exciting opportunities for Thrasio."

In the US, Thrasio has quickly gained the trust of the FBA community with a reputation for closing more than 95% of the deals they enter, most in under 35 days. Businesses brought into Thrasio's global portfolio of 100 brands typically outperform their peers, and the performance-based incentives that accompany most deals allow sellers to benefit with strong payouts after they have trusted their brands to Thrasio.

The Thrasio Japan team is available to meet sellers at every stage. Japanese businesses that are thinking of selling or believe their products have viability to expand should visit www.thras.io/jp or contact [email protected]

About Thrasio

As the largest acquirer of Amazon FBA brands globally, Thrasio boasts a massive innovation and experimentation platform that brings high-quality products to market across digital marketplaces and retailers globally. With the experience of evaluating 6,000 Amazon companies, acquiring 100 top-rated brands, and managing the scale of nearly 15,000 category-leading products, Thrasio's brands are more profitable, grow faster, and outperform almost every other seller on Amazon. Under Thrasio's management, Amazon native brands compete with top household name labels, quickly becoming the trusted items that consumers turn to for their everyday needs. Thrasio brands include the Vybe Percussion deep tissue massage gun , Circadian Optics bright light therapy lamps , and skincare products from Sdara Skincare . For more information, visit https://thras.io .

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STORY LINK Pound to Canadian Dollar Exchange Rate Forecast: GBP/CAD Sinks as UK-EU Vaccine Tensions Weigh

Pound Canadian Dollar Falls as EU Threatens to Suspend Critical Vaccine Exports to UK

Canadian Dollar (CAD) Rises Despite Falling Oil Prices

GBP/CAD Forecast

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The Pound Canadian Dollar (GBP/CAD) exchange rate fell today as tensions between the UK and the EU continue to escalate after the EU threatened to ban importing AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccines to the UK. The pairing is currently trading around CA$1.73.Prime Minister Boris Johnson is now due to speak to EU leaders to stop the ban being imposed on crucial vaccines being exported to the UK.UK Health Minister Helen Whately, was confident that the EU would stick by their original commitments, however, saying:We expect the European Union to stick by their commitments and Im sure the prime minister will be in contact with European counterparts  he speaks to European counterparts regularly  but I dont think this debate is helpful to anybody.However, GBP investors are becoming concerned about the EUs threat, seeing it as an obstacle to tackling cases of Covid-19 infections throughout the UK.Presently Covid-19 infection rates have stabilised, while those hospitalised are continuing to fall.Nevertheless, tensions between the UK and EU has dampened confidence in the outlook for the UK economy in the months ahead.The oil-sensitive Canadian Dollar (CAD) rose against the Pound (GBP) despite falling oil prices as WTI crude fell below $60 a barrel last week.Canadas retail sales fell below forecasts in January, leaving some Loonie investors feeling cautious about the outlook for the nations economy in the months ahead.Benjamin Reitzes, a rates, and macro strategist at Bank of Montreal, was however more confident about the data, commenting on Februarys estimate:The strong February estimate is welcome news  likely driven by a rebound in Canadas two largest provinces  and bodes well for the economy as it continues to heal from last years trauma.However, CAD investors are also concerned about rising numbers of the coronavirus spreading throughout Canada.Canada's chief public health officer Dr Theresa Tam describes Canadas Covid-19 situation:In parts of Canada, variants of concern represent an increasingly high proportion of cases and are being associated with a greater number of outbreaks. If we can keep up with personal protective measures and limit our contacts for a final push to keep COVID-19 infection rates down as vaccine programs scale up, we can keep the path clear for vaccines to do their part.As a result, we could see the CAD/GBP exchange rate begin to struggle today if Covid-19 infections continue to rise.Pound (GBP) investors will be awaiting tomorrows release of Januarys ILO Unemployment Rate, which is expected to rise by 5.2%.Any signs of an unemployment crisis in the UK, however, would drag down the Pound Canadian Dollar exchange rate.Tomorrow will also see a speech from the Bank of Englands (BoE) Governor Andrew Bailey.If his notably upbeat in his outlook for the UK economy, however, then the GBP/CAD exchange rate could begin to claw back some of its losses.Canadian Dollar traders will be eyeing tomorrows speech from the Bank of Canadas (BoC) Deputy Governor, Toni Gravelle.The Pound to Canadian Dollar exchange rate could fall, however, if the BoC is notably more optimistic about the outlook for Canadas economy.

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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Get AfricaFocus Bulletin by e-mail! Format for print or mobile Sahel: Questioning Counterterrorism? AfricaFocus Bulletin

March 22, 2021 (2021-03-22)

(Reposted from sources cited below) Editor's Note In the context of complex and protracted conflicts, it is time to rethink the role of the international community and acknowledge its limits. Today, success depends first and foremost on the willingness (much more than on the capacity) of corrupt leaders to reform and renew their social contract with citizens, especially in rural areas. International efforts will fail as long as impunity prevails and local armies can kill civilians and topple governments without consequence. - Chatham House Research Paper The critique is not new (see, for example, earlier reports in Africafocus in 2017, 2009, and 2007). What is new is that the critique now seems to be the consensus in elite Western policy circles, as reflected in the report cited and excerpted below from Chatham House in London and two very similar analyses from CSIS in Washington and the International Crisis Group in Brussels. All seem to agree that Western counterterrorism policy in the Sahel has been both over-militarized and ineffective. All suggest, in slightly varying language, that policy must be rebalanced or rethought to emphasize governance and diplomacy, including talking with terrorists. The emphasis on governance as well as military action has long been part of the rhetoric of the international community and of the powers most engaged in the region. But the tone is now clearly different and the recognition of the failures to date is widespread. Unfortunately, it seems likely that the policy in practice is still unlikely to follow the rhetoric, as the institutions invested in military solutions have far more influence due to their bureaucratic weight and untested assumptions such as that military success must come first. Attention to the realities of national governments and local communities is sporadic and inconsistent in contrast to globally reinforced counterterrorism dogma. And there are strong incentives for policy makers to resist the realization that their military action is not only ineffective but in fact often accelerates violence. This is now painfully being illustrated across the continent, as the United States and other Western powers are moving to provide new military support for Mozambican government forces in Northern Mozambique fighting against a brutal Islamist insurgency there. This comes against the advice of virtually all knowledgeable about the conflict (see new reports last week in the New York Times and in the well-informed newsletter on Mozambique edited and published by Joseph Hanlon). In addition to excerpts from the Chatham House report on the Sahel, this AfricaFocus Bulletin contains brief excerpts from three new reports on U.S. counterterrorism interventions in the Sahel and elsewhere in Africa, as well as excerpts from a report from the New Humanitarian on new secret negotiations with jihadist insurgents in Burkina Faso. For previous AfricaFocus Bulletins on peace and security, visit http://www.africafocus.org/intro-peace.php +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ AfricaFocus Bulletin is a strategic partner of the new US-Africa Bridge Building Project, and will periodically be including excerpts and short links related to that project. Introducing Tax Justice Network Africa Interview with Farah Nguegan, Manager, Communications, Campaigns and Outreach March 2021 The Tax Justice Network Africa (TJNA), founded in 2007, has been one of the most active and successful of the regional federations working to stop tax evasion and illicit financial flows. Since 2015, the Mbeki report from the UN Economic Commission for Africa and the civil society Stop the Bleeding Africa campaign brought much wider recognition of the fundamental importance of tax justice to solving the critical problems both of Africa and of a grossly unequal world. Yet Covid-19 has made it clear that inequality is still being deepened, while a global elite continues to control a larger and larger share of the worlds wealth. We asked Farah Nguegan of TJNA to answer a few questions. Click here to read the interview.  Imani Countess ++++++++++++++++++++++end editor's note+++++++++++++++++ U.S. Counterterrorism Operations in Africa Nick Turse, Stunning Classified Memo Details How U.S. Commandos Are Getting Beaten By Terrorists in Africa, Vice, March 18, 2021 Full article at https://www.vice.com/en/article/4adzpb/secret-plans-detail-failures-of-us-commandos-in-africa Excerpt: Special Operations Command Africa is responsible for countering the VEO threats in Africa, reads a formerly secret set of plans obtained by VICE World News. This foundational document laying out SOCAFRICAs campaign activities over the years 2019 to 2023, not slated to be declassified until May 2043, details how the command intends to achieve its mission of degrading, disrupting, and monitoring violent extremist organizations over the next five years. But halfway through their campaign, Americas commandos are already failing, according to a recent Pentagon report. That analysis, authored by the Africa Center for Strategic Studies, a Defense Department research institution, paints a troubling portrait of the security situation on the continent, showing a 43 percent spike in militant Islamist activity and sharp increases in violence in 2020 as part of a steady and uninterrupted rise over the last decade. Nani Detti, Assessing counterterrorism operations in the Sahel, Center for International Policy, US-Africa Policy Monitor, February 23, 2021 Full article at:https://mailchi.mp/debbf09e76a5/the-continent-us-africa-policy-monitor-23-february-13356971?e=ab1b4c604e Excerpt: For the last two decades, the U.S. has provided nearly $1.4 billion in security assistance to the G5 Sahel, and in the past few years, France has spent 600 million euros annually to sustain its military operations in the region. But despite their costly military expenditures, neither the U.S. nor France have been successful in stopping the increase in extremist violence in the region. The time is long past due for both France and the U.S. to reassess their militarized foreign policy in the Sahel and initiate a different approach. Why the USs counterterrorism strategy in the Sahel keeps failing, by Frank Andrews Mail & Guardian, 16 Feb 2021 Full article at: https://mg.co.za/africa/2021-02-16-why-the-uss-counterterrorism-strategy-in-the-sahel-keeps-failing/ Excerpt: In mid-2011, Matthew Page and his team at the United States Defence Intelligence Agency (DIA) began to suspect something was awry in Mali. As the DIAs senior analyst for West Africa, Page had access to highly-classified signals intelligence from the National Security Agency and reports from the department of defence (DOD) and CIA. Together, they told a troubling story: one of corruption and discontent in the Malian military, a long-term beneficiary of US training and weapons that had recently sustained brutal losses to armed groups in the northern deserts. But Page, now an associate fellow with the Africa programme at Chatham House, an independent policy institute based in London, felt the diplomatic cables coming out of the US embassy in the capital, Bamako, were painting a far rosier picture. We were pretty sceptical of how all this training and engagement had magically transformed the Malian military into a much more professional fighting force, he said. So, at their huddle of desks in the DIA headquarters in Washington DC, Page and his colleagues wrote several reports on the fragilities in Malis military. This narrative was really not welcomed by the ambassador at the time, said Page, referring to then-US ambassador to Mali, Gillian Milovanovic, who really savaged the assessment we made. She declined to answer questions about her recollection of this exchange. Analysts sometimes get pushback from ambassadors, said Page, who spent more than a decade in government as an intelligence analyst covering West Africa and Nigeria. Pages concerns proved to be well-founded. In March 2012, Amadou Sanogo, a Malian captain who had trained in the US, overthrew Malis democratically-elected government. It was a disaster for the US, who for a decade had pumped tens of millions of dollars in counterterror training and weapons into Mali. Nine months after [the embassy] received our note, said Page, the elite unit had killed the other half of the elite unit we had trained and buried them in shallow graves. ********************************************************************* Rethinking the Response to Jihadist Groups Across the Sahel The solution to insurgency in the Western Sahel lies in human security and better governance, not military action Chatham House Research Paper 2 March 2021 https://www.chathamhouse.org/2021/03/rethinking-response-jihadist-groups-across-sahel Dr Marc-Antoine Perouse de Montclos Senior Researcher, Institut de recherche pour le developpement The dominant narrative of a global jihadi threat has overshadowed the key role played by military nepotism, prevarication and indiscipline in generating and perpetuating conflict in countries of the Western Sahel. This narrative has pushed the international community to intervene to regulate local conflicts that have little to do with global terrorism or religious indoctrination. Mali offers a clear example of how structural failings that long predate the war on terror  evident in poor governance and weak state security mechanisms  have been the main driver of the growth of insurgent groups over the past decade. By contrast, the recent experience of Niger, which shares many of the structural and historical challenges faced by Mali, demonstrates that progress is possible where deliberate steps are taken to achieve more inclusive governance. External actors  national and multilateral  see engagement in the Sahel as critical, but a primary focus on insurgent groups as terrorists limits the policy options available to them to help promote regional stability and limit human suffering. Reframing responses away from hard counterterrorism towards a more holistic view of human security, and an emphasis on tackling underlying challenges of governance, impunity and development, may offer a more durable route to peace and stability in the Sahel. Summary Rather than the ideology of global jihad, the driving force behind the emergence and resilience of non-state armed groups in the Sahel is a combination of weak states, corruption and the brutal repression of dissent, embodied in dysfunctional military forces. The dominant narrative of a global jihadi threat has overshadowed the reality of the key role played by military nepotism, prevarication and indiscipline in generating and continuing conflict in the Sahel  problems that long predated the war on terror. Moreover, it has pushed the international community to intervene to regulate local conflicts that have little to do with global terrorism or religious indoctrination. Mali offers a clear example of this. The widespread use of poorly controlled militias, the collapse of its army, two coups  in 2012 and 2020  and a weak state presence in rural areas, on top of a history of repression and abuse suffered by its northern population, has done much more to drive the growth of insurgent groups than did the fall of the Gaddafi regime in Libya in 2011, Salafist indoctrination, or alleged support from Arab countries. It is time to rethink the role of the international community and acknowledge its limits in this context. Today, success depends first and foremost on the goodwill (much more than on the capacity) of political leaders to reform and renew their social contract with citizens, especially in rural areas. International efforts that seek to support military action against armed groups will fail as long as impunity prevails and local armies can kill civilians and topple governments without consequence. The recent experience of Niger might not offer a model that can be replicated in its entirety in Mali, or elsewhere in the Sahel, but it demonstrates that there are possibilities for improvement. Though by no means perfect, Nigers democratic experience shows that it is possible for states in the region to overcome the legacy of their bloody and divided past. 01 Introduction Structural problems that long predate the war on terror underline that poor governance and the weakness of state security mechanisms lie at the root of violence in the Sahel. The liberation war of Mali is over. It has been won. The intervention of the French military has helped this country to recover its sovereignty, restore its democratic institutions, organize elections, and foster national unity. - Jean-Yves Le Drian, 2014 [French Defense Minister at the time] Rather than the ideology of global jihad, the driving force behind the emergence and resilience of non-state armed groups in the Sahel is a combination of weak states, corruption and the brutal repression of dissent, embodied in dysfunctional military forces. These are structural problems that long predate the war on terror, and they serve to underline that bad governance and the weakness of state security structures, including police and justice, lie at the root of violence in the region. Mali offers a clear example in this regard. The collapse of its army, two coups  in 2012 and 2020  and a weak state presence in rural areas, on top of a history of repression and abuse suffered by its northern population, have done much more to drive the growth of jihadist groups than did the fall of Muammar Gaddafis regime in Libya in 2011 or the rise of so-called radical Islam, the power of Salafist indoctrination and alleged support from Arab countries. By contrast, the relative resilience in recent years of Niger, a country that shares many of the structural and historical challenges faced by Mali, demonstrates that progress is possible if more inclusive governance can be built. In such a context, international responses that seek to support military action against armed groups without tackling deeper challenges of governance, especially in the domain of police, defence and justice affairs, are very unlikely to succeed. The dominant narrative of counterterrorism and religious extremism obscures underlying political grievances and dysfunctionality, and the widespread use of poorly controlled state-aligned militias to tackle insurrection  in the absence of effective state military capacity  has only served to fuel violence and worsen intercommunity tensions.3 Figure 1. Jihadist group presence in the Western Sahel Source: Map extract by the author and Eric Opigez, IRD-CEPED, based on map published in Perouse de Montclos, M.-A. (2018), LAfrique, nouvelle frontiere du djihad? Paris, La Decouverte, pp. 2021; translations for this extract by Chatham House staff. Note: The boundaries and names shown and designations used on the map do not imply endorsement or acceptance by the author or Chatham House. It has also resulted in the pursuit of ineffective and often counterproductive policy by international actors, which risks building resentment among Sahelian governments and citizens alike, and which over time may undermine the political will to maintain costly military cooperation at all. Undoubtedly, insurgencies in the region are a pressing issue. The terrorist threat is the main driver of foreign support in the Sahel. Yet it might not be as global a threat as it is perceived to be, and its existence does not justify why other unstable African countries receive less attention. Moreover, international support always risks providing a security net that deters the military and the ruling class from reforming governance. In Mali, for instance, strong international support did not prevent a coup in 2020 or the expansion of so-called jihadi groups since 2013. Reframing policy away from hard-edged counterterrorism towards a more inclusive view of human security, and an emphasis on tackling the underlying challenges of governance, impunity and development, may offer a route out of the acute policy dilemma faced by those seeking peace in the Sahel.  07 Conclusion: the end of military cooperation? In the context of complex and protracted conflicts, it is time to rethink the role of the international community and acknowledge its limits. Today, success depends first and foremost on the willingness (much more than on the capacity) of corrupt leaders to reform and renew their social contract with citizens, especially in rural areas. International efforts will fail as long as impunity prevails and local armies can kill civilians and topple governments without consequence. Prospects for peace in the Sahel should not exclude any option in this regard, from negotiating with jihadists to naming and shaming those responsible for abuses perpetrated by national armies or their proxies, strengthening aid conditionality, or even considering the possibility of disengagement. A change in international community policy in the Sahel is inevitable. Frances intervention in the Sahel has become increasingly difficult due to resentment that has built up against the former colonial power, particularly in countries such as Mali and Burkina Faso with strong anti-imperialist sentiment dating back to the Cold War era. Over time, French troops who were initially seen as liberators have begun to be perceived as an occupying force, amid suspicions that France is trying to gain control of resources and markets: this view is echoed by some external observers. In 2013 the French government even blocked the Malian authorities from sending troops to Kidal  to avoid the risk of Malian soldiers massacring civilians in revenge for the killings of Malian soldiers there  by withholding the technical support, security and transport that the Malian military needed in order to carry out its planned operation. This act of obstruction was subsequently publicly denounced by President Keita in an interview with the daily newspaper Le Monde. Not only does this damage the all-important goodwill that will be necessary for meaningful reform. There is an additional risk that continued setbacks will undermine political support within France for continuing these international efforts. Operation Barkhane, in particular, seems to have reached a peak in terms of public support in France, given the difficulties experienced by the French army in terms of recruitment, logistics and renewal of equipment. More than 50 soldiers have been killed while deployed to the operation since 2013, and some members of the French parliament have challenged its continuation. Addressing the deep-rooted governance and development challenges that drive violence in the Sahel, and the replacement of a counterterrorism imperative with counter-insurgency approaches that focus on human security, and recognize the importance of winning hearts and minds, may be long overdue. There are signs that some in the international community are beginning to recognize these imperatives. In a report published in 2015, for instance, members of the French parliament highlighted the contradiction of spending 1 billion a year on Operation Barkhane while cutting development budgets without tackling the root causes of the crisis. Some senators went even further in recognizing that justice and the fight against impunity were probably the first demand of the people, before education or economic prosperity. Niger might not offer a model that can be replicated in its entirety in Mali, or elsewhere in the Sahel, but it demonstrates that there are possibilities for improvement. Not least through a high voter turnout, the most recent presidential election, which took place over two rounds in December 2020 and February 2021, has so far confirmed the democratic foundations of the country. Though by no means perfect, the experience of Niger shows that it is possible for states in the Sahel to overcome the legacy of a violent and divided past. Sahelian governments and their external partners alike need to learn the lessons of history, both recent and of earlier decades, in order to avoid a repetition of past mistakes. ********************************************************************* Burkina Fasos secret peace talks and fragile jihadist ceasefire For us not to return to the jihadists, we expect the government to help us and stop killing us. Sam Mednick, Freelance journalist covering Africa New Humanitarian Exclusive, March 11, 2021 https://www.thenewhumanitarian.org/news/2021/3/11/Burkina-Faso-secret-peace-talks-and-jihadist-ceasefire Djibo, Burkina Faso In early October, Abu Sharawi got a call from his commander to lay down his gun. He had been fighting for more than three years with a jihadist group in Burkina Fasos northern Sahel region but was told an agreement had been reached with the government to stop the attacks, which have killed thousands of people and driven more than one million from their homes. [They said] We decided to stop fighting. Its time to sit and discuss. Many people have died, and animals and resources were lost. Using guns will not solve the problems, recalled 28-year-old Sharawi. Three men sit on the ground under a shelter, looking up at the camera. The community in Djibo say they are caught in the middle between the security forces, volunteer fighters, and the jihadists. (Sam Mednick/TNH) Seated in a restaurant in the capital, Ouagadougou, the now-former jihadist said he was instructed to spread word of the ceasefire to fellow fighters in his al-Qaeda-linked Group to Support Islam and Muslims (JNIM) and return home. The New Humanitarian is using Sharawis jihadist name to protect his identity in case of government retaliation. The government of Burkina Faso is publicly opposed to negotiating with terrorists, yet a months-long investigation by TNH reveals a series of secret meetings between a handful of high-level officials and jihadists, beginning before Novembers presidential elections. That has resulted in a makeshift ceasefire in parts of the conflict- hit West African nation with some of the extremist groups under the JNIM umbrella, according to diplomats, analysts, jihadists, and aid workers familiar with the discussions. What remains unknown is what the overall goal of those negotiations are, whether they extend beyond a ceasefire, and whether the dialogue includes the Islamic State of the Greater Sahara (ISGS)  the other major transnational extremist group operating in Burkina Faso. The dialogue has nevertheless coincided with a sharp drop in fighting. Since 2016, jihadist-linked violence has been roiling Burkina Faso, getting worse by the year. But according to research by the Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project (ACLED)  made available to TNH  there were nearly five times fewer clashes between jihadists and security forces from November 2020 to January 2021 compared to the same period a year earlier. Secret talks In the months leading up to the November 2020 general elections, several rounds of truce talks are believed to have been held in the heart of JNIMs area of violence, near Djibo town in Soum province. They have been so secretive that even community leaders  normally consulted on such issues  say theyve been left in the dark. TNH visited Djibo in February, becoming some of the first journalists to do so in years, as the town is off limits due to the security situation. Local residents said the jihadists, who used to come to the market to kill people, were now coming to trade cattle and buy motorbikes. Government officials and the police, who had fled the town, were also beginning to return. Since the beginning of October, locals say at least 50 unarmed jihadists have been coming regularly into Djibo from surrounding villages, or from camps in the bush. TNH spoke to two of them, and both said they were ready for peace, as long as the army stopped killing civilians  especially young Fulani men. Soum province is a predominantly Fulani region. Its a community JNIM has allegedly drawn the bulk of its recruits from, with the promise of a more equitable society and protection from both the security forces and volunteer groups armed by the government who have targeted Fulani men. For us not to return to the jihadists, we expect the government to help us and stop killing us, said Mohamed Taoufiq, a 27-year-old fighter who told TNH he joined JNIM in late 2018 in revenge for the armys killing of civilians. Again, TNH is using only his jihadist name to protect his identity. What remains unclear is why the militants  whose leaders say they are fighting for the establishment of an Islamic state across West Africa  have agreed to the government's ceasefire offer, and how long-term that peace can be. Militarily, JNIM has been a particular focus of French-led Operation Barkhane, a counter-insurgency mission aimed at uprooting jihadist fighters across the Sahel. The al-Qaeda-linked group has reportedly sustained significant losses, and there is speculation they may need to reorganise, an analyst  who asked not to be named  told TNH. Changing positions News of the fragile ceasefire and peace talks with the jihadists in Burkina Faso does not come entirely out of the blue. President Roch Marc Christian Kabore has repeatedly stressed the need for national reconciliation. In January, Prime Minister Christophe Dabire signalled for the first time he might be open to talks, saying that for the five years of ever-worsening violence to end, the government might have to engage in discussions with these people. Although government spokesman Ousseni Tamboura told TNH no negotiations were underway, he said the government was encouraging religious and community leaders to reach out to jihadist recruits in their areas to urge them to lay down their weapons and help rebuild the country. Community leaders, though, say they have received no guidance on how to handle any potential local peace agreements  or on the reconciliation and reintegration of defecting fighters. We havent received any information from anyone, Boukari Belko, the chief of Djibo, told TNH. We are so confused. Until the government gives them the official go ahead, residents in the town and nearby villages said they were too afraid to speak with the jihadists  even though many of them are local and known to them. They are worried the army might still accuse them of having links to the extremists, and arrest them. Human rights groups are also concerned that without a coordinated response from the authorities on how to deal with returning jihadists  and a clear strategy for their reintegration  the frustrated expectations of ex-combatants could reignite large-scale violence. Even though there are negotiations today and people are coming back, if they have nothing to do, theyll return [to the fight], said Mamoud Diallo, executive secretary for Tabital Pulaaku, an international Fulani rights group.  [more] AfricaFocus Bulletin is an independent electronic publication providing reposted commentary and analysis on African issues, with a particular focus on U.S. and international policies. AfricaFocus Bulletin is edited by William Minter. For an archive of previous Bulletins, see http://www.africafocus.org, Current links to books on AfricaFocus go to the non-profit bookshop.org, which supports independent bookshores and also provides commissions to affiliates such as AfricaFocus. AfricaFocus Bulletin can be reached at africafocus@igc.org. Please write to this address to suggest material for inclusion. For more information about reposted material, please contact directly the original source mentioned. To subscribe to receive future bulletins by email, click here.
Afghanistan Foreign Minister Mohammad Haneef Atmar is scheduled to arrive in New Delhi today for talks with his Indian counterpart Dr. S. Jaishankar. Atmar is expected to arrive at Indira Gandhi International Airport at around 1:30 pm local time, where he will meet with officials and other dignitaries. Apart from holding talks with Indias Foreign Minister, Atmar is also expected to meet Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The visit comes days after Washington unveiled its new approach toward the Afghan peace process, including India as a direct stakeholder.

Whats in Afghan-India talks?

Experts suggest that Atmar will seek Indias support on behalf of Afghanistan President Ashraf Ghani, who doesnt want to see an interim government being formed in the country with the Taliban members as constituents. Earlier this month, the US administration had expressed the desire to see an interim government in Afghanistan with Taliban members as representatives in order to bring them at par with the elected establishment. Ghani has clearly opposed the idea for an interim government in Afghanistan, saying as long as I am alive its not going to happen.

Earlier this month, in his letter to Ashraf Ghani and chairperson of Afghan peace process Abdullah Abdullah, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the new Biden administration aims to accelerate the stalled peace talks between the Afghan government and the Taliban. Blinken, in his letter, said Washington is planning to ask the United Nations to convene a meeting of Foreign Ministers and envoys from Russia, China, Pakistan, Iran, India, and the United States, making New Delhi a stakeholder in the process.

Afghan peace talks

In February 2020, the United States and the Taliban agreed to a historic deal in an attempt to end the ongoing conflict in Afghanistan. The deal requires parties to follow three key objectives - withdrawal of US and NATO troops from Afghanistan, end of violence in Taliban-controlled areas, and commencement of intra-Afghan talks. In September 2020, talks between the Afghan government and the Taliban started in Doha, Qatar. However, the negotiations have suffered major roadblocks in the recent past over issues pertaining to release of prisoners.

On March 18, Russia hosted a meeting of all the stakeholders, including representatives from China, Pakistan and the United States. At the meeting, all parties unanimously rejected the idea of an Islamic Emirate, similar to the government run by the Taliban prior to the US invasion of Afghanistan. The paricipants also called on the Taliban to reduce violence in order to see the talks moving forward and reach a conclusion.
[March 22, 2021] Instem Acquires Market Leader d-wise to Further Accelerate Life Science Development

Instem, a leading provider of IT solutions and services to the global life sciences market, announced today that it has acquired clinical trial technology and consulting leader d-wise, Inc. (d-wise) as part of its mission to enable clients to bring their life enhancing products to market faster. The further consolidation of key application areas will help customers streamline and accelerate their research and development processes, while access to a broader range of data from across the R&D continuum will increase the power of future in silico modelling and prediction solutions. Founded in 2003, d-wise are well respected clinical trial technology domain experts who advise on and build clinical trial analysis and data anonymization solutions, leveraging open-source and cloud technologies. For 19 of the top 20 global pharmaceutical companies, d-wise has made a significant impact in creating operational and clinical data efficiencies that have accelerated clinical trial analysis and regulatory submissions. d-wise supports its global customer community through its U.S. headquarters based in Research Triangle Park, North Carolina, along with an office location in Manchester, United Kingdom. Instem sees the acquisition of d-wise as an integral part of its transformational growth strategy, extending its ability to further deliver solutions that meet the rapidly expanding needs of life science organizations for faster data-driven decision making, leading to safer, more effective products. "More than a growth-based acquisition, this can truly help transform the industry landscape," states Phil Reason, CEO at Instem. "Our combined capabilities will help us meet the demand from our clients to create a more connected ecosystem across the life sciences in the global effort to brig life enhancing products to market faster. And, behind all of the technology, is a highly talented, experienced and motivated d-wise team who shares our mission and values. They are widely trusted industry thought leaders and practitioners, committed to delivering an exceptional client experience."



Reason continues, "The d-wise organization is well known for its drive to transform the life sciences through open and flexible access to data. They act as strategic advisors to many of Instem's existing clients and are one of the leading IT solution engineering and integration partners in the market today. We are extremely excited about future opportunities to leverage wider areas of data and knowledge, backed by leading technologies and services, to maximize client value in ways we and the industry have only dreamed of in the past." John Leveille, CEO at d-wise comments, "Our mission has always been to help our clients navigate technology change in pursuit of human health and wellbeing. Today is a watershed moment in our journey, as we take d-wise products and services to the next level and achieve even greater reach and impact. We are excited to be part of Instem, a growing global organization of over 400 professionals with a shared purpose of helping our clients in their life changing missions."

Leveille continues, "Instem's reputation is stellar and we share many of the same core values which will enable a solid cultural fit. Being part of a large, publicly traded organization will enable us to more rapidly develop and introduce new innovative products and services. By providing solutions across a wide area of the life science R&D continuum, I'm certain that as part of Instem we will accelerate clinical development timelines and have an even broader impact on human health and wellbeing." "Better Together"

A key internal theme of the acquisition, the combined strength of Instem & d-wise positions the group as the foremost authority and driving force in generating, analyzing and leveraging data from Discovery through late-stage Clinical Trials. Instem and d-wise will be poised to deliver unique value to clients as one, unified technology-driven powerhouse. The d-wise team and its solutions will create a new business unit at Instem known as Clinical Trial Acceleration Solutions. Additionally, Instem reports that planning has begun to develop innovation teams that will be exclusively focused on leveraging the combined capabilities to further expand areas of application as they look to connect and leverage data across a wider area. More about d-wise solutions, now part of Instem

d-wise offers technology products and services to biometric and transparency leaders, helping clients understand the technology options available to connect and automate systems and workflows. Designed to always meet individual client needs, d-wise solutions provide validated pathways for cloud adoption and open-source clinical analysis. d-wise Clinical Trial Acceleration

d-wise provides strategy, services and products that leverage open source and public cloud for biometrics, data science and submissions. With domain expertise in R&D product development, IT systems architecture, and change management, d-wise is the preferred advisor and technology implementation partner of controlled clinical analytics environments to some of the world's most prominent pharmaceutical organizations. d-wise Clinical Trial Transparency

d-wise transparency software and services empower sponsors to meet EMA (News - Alert) Policy 0070 and Health Canada's Public Release of Clinical Information and support industry wide sharing initiatives. Built in collaboration with industry leaders, d-wise offers Blur, the #1 clinical anonymization software solution that automates anonymization of both document and data through Natural Language Processing. Available as a SaaS (News - Alert) technology solution, or as an outsourced service, d-wise enables sponsors to share anonymized data and documents efficiently, helping to drive medical innovation. About Instem

A global provider of leading software solutions and scientific insight services, Instem is helping clients bring their life enhancing products to market faster. From Concepts to Cures, we enable organizations in the life sciences to more efficiently collect, report and submit high quality regulatory data, while offering them the unique ability to generate new knowledge through the extraction and harmonization of actionable scientific information. Across the entire drug development value chain, every day Instem solutions are meeting the rapidly expanding needs of life science organizations for data-driven decision making, leading to safer, more effective products. Instem supports its global roster of clients through offices in the United States, United Kingdom, France, Japan, China, and India. http://www.linkedin.com/company/instem/

https://twitter.com/Instemsoftware View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210322005196/en/

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Armenian News - NEWS.am presents the daily digest of Armenia-related top news as of 22.03.21:

Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan issued a statement on Monday noting that Artak Davtyan is considered to have been appointed, by virtue of law, Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Armenia.

On March 10, the PM submitted a proposal to the President to appoint Davtyan to the aforesaid post, also attaching a respective draft decree.

But on March 11, the PMs office received the President's objections to the above-mentioned draft.

The objections submitted by the President, however, were not accepted by the PM, about which a letter was sent to the President on the same day.

As per the PMs statement, taking into account the fact that the President did not sign the draft submitted by the PM and did not apply to the Constitutional Court within the timeframes set by the Law on Military Service and the Status of a Soldier, guided by the Constitution as well as the aforesaid law, Artak Davtyan is considered appointed, by virtue of law, to the post of Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Armenia as of Monday.

Commenting on his appointment, Davtyan noted that the situation was resolved after the well-known statement by the command staff of the Armed Forces, and the existing disagreements were transferred to the legal field.

Meanwhile, Gasparyan's lawyer Artur Hovhannisyan, in turn, noted that the executive power ignores judicial act.

"Naturally, with this, they prevent in every way Mr. Gasparyan from exercising his powers on the basis of the judicial act, and we believe that there are interest-based motives here."

The Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh) defense army has reported that 192 more soldiers, reservists, and volunteers had fallen during the recent battles for the defense of the homeland.

According to the official data published by the Artsakh Defense Army, the number of such casualties from the Armenian side has now reached 2,624.

Contact with two contract servicemen was lost Sunday, in the conditions of a severe snowstorm, and while they were heading from one outpost to another outpost of a military unit, the Armenian defense ministry noted.

It added that the incessant snowstorm hinders the search and rescue operations that started Sunday.

All the necessary measures are taken to find these soldiers.

The planned search in the Hadrut region of Artsakh for the remains of soldiers fallen and for those still missing during the recent hostilities has been postponed due to low visibility.

A total of 1,518 bodies have been retrieved so far as a result of the search operations since the ceasefire was established in November 2020.

The burnt body of a 48-year-old resident of Karabakh Vrezh Poghosyan was found in the administrative territory of the region.

Poghosyan had left his house at around 11 p.m. on Saturday and hadnt returned.

The Investigative Committee of Artsakh is conducting a preliminary investigation to clarify the details of the incident.

Armenian POWs torture by Azerbaijan may amount to crimes against humanity, Armenian MFA spokesperson Anna Naghdalyan noted.

"The Human Rights Watch documented large-scale war crimes committed against the Armenian prisoners of war (PoWs)," she added.

The report establishes that a number of Armenian soldiers were last seen in Azerbaijans custody and Azerbaijan has failed to account for them. This indicates a high probability of large-scale enforced disappearances not only among soldiers, but also captive civilians.

The continued captivity of the Armenian PoWs and civilian hostages after four months of ceasefire clearly demonstrates that the violations of international humanitarian law by Azerbaijan are ongoing.

506 new cases of the coronavirus were confirmed in Armenia, and the total number of these cases has reached 184,219 in the country.

Also, 12 more deaths from COVID-19 were registered, making the respective total 3,360 cases.

Three more cases of COVID-19 patients dying from some other illnesses were recorded in Armenia in the past day, and the corresponding overall death toll in the country is 860 now.

The number of people who have recovered over the past one day is 432, the total respective number so far is 168,721.


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After 30 days of boiling their water to get rid of contaminants and sometimes no water at all, Jackson residents are finally able to drink the water from the tap after officials lifted a boil water advisory put in place in mid-February when a deep freeze wreaked havoc on their water infrastructure.

The citys 43,000 surface water connections were released Wednesday from the boil advisory put in place on Feb. 16. A boil notice had previously been lifted for the citys 16,000 well water connections on March 10.

After officials said cold weather froze equipment at the citys water treatment plant, thousands of water customers went weeks with low pressure or no pressure at all, collecting water in buckets from distribution sites throughout the city to flush toilets and clean themselves. National Guard members were called in to help distribute water. Volunteers loaded tanks of water on trucks to deliver to apartment complexes housing seniors and those without transportation.

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 because of 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 related to sewer and roads.

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.

___

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 Mississippi Numbers
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Britain's coronavirus death toll has plunged by three-quarters in a week to the lowest daily figure since before the second wave spiralled out of control six months ago.

Department of Health bosses posted another 17 Covid fatalities today, below the 64 recorded last Monday. It was the smallest daily death toll since September 28, when 13 victims were added to the official tally.

Another 5,342 positive tests were also registered in the last 24 hours  up five per cent in a week.

But swabbing figures have ramped up drastically since March 8, when schools in England were allowed to reopen with students and teachers asked to take two tests a week. Almost 1.9million coronavirus swabs were conducted yesterday, compared to 965,000 last Sunday.

The positivity rate  one of the most accurate ways of measuring the true scale of an outbreak when more swabs are done  is still dropping across all regions.

And Britain's vaccine roll-out  which must go smoothly for No10 to relax lockdown restrictions over the coming months  had its best ever Sunday performance yesterday, dishing out 420,000 jabs. It means almost 28million Britons have now had their first dose.

It comes after Boris Johnson warned today a third wave of Covid that is currently battering Europe could 'wash up on our shores'. Infection numbers are surging again in France, Germany, Belgium and the Netherlands.

And in an attempt to defuse tensions with the EU, which is threatening to push ahead with an extraordinary export ban that could hamper Britain's vaccine roll-out, it was claimed that the Prime Minister was prepared to offer the bloc a 'share' of millions of doses of the AstraZeneca jab made at a Dutch factory.

Boris 'will offer to SHARE millions of doses of AstraZeneca's jab made at Dutch factory with the EU' Britain will offer to share millions of doses of AstraZeneca's Covid vaccine made at a factory in the Netherlands in a desperate peace offering to the European Union, it was claimed today. Boris Johnson is trying to defuse a vaccine stand-off with EU chiefs, who are facing a third wave of coronavirus on the continent. The Prime Minister warned today that 'previous experience has taught us that when a wave hits our friends, it washes up on our shores as well' and said the UK's best defence was to keep vaccinating at full speed. Infection numbers are surging again in major countries across the channel, including France, Germany, Belgium and the Netherlands but, for now, they remain flat and low in the UK, which has a far better vaccine programme. Mr Johnson's comments come amid growing fears the EU will push ahead with an extraordinary export ban on Pfizer and AstraZeneca jabs made on the continent, in a move which could delay the UK's rollout by months. The row appears to be centred around a factory run by the firm Halix in Leiden, Netherlands, which has promised supplies of the AstraZeneca jab to both the UK and Europe but is not yet an approved supplier to either so none of its goods can be used. Halix has already shipped a batch of unknown size to Britain, MailOnline understands, and is reported to be in possession of five to 10million more doses that the EU and UK are now wrangling over. European chiefs are threatening to shut down exports if they don't get priority access to vaccines made on their turf, regardless of companies' agreements with the UK, so Downing Street is considering offering some of the supplies as a compromise, The Times reports. Rows over vaccine supply have erupted after Britain set up side deals with factories abroad to boost supplies and the PM must now appeal to other leaders to resolve the crisis. He spoke with EU heavyweights Angela Merkel and Emmanuel Macron last night to try and persuade them to soften their stance and has also sent Lord Lister, a government ally, to India to ease tensions over the delay to a batch of five million UK-bound doses of the vaccine. Britain's bargaining chip is its ability to cut off supplies of a crucial ingredient for Pfizer's vaccine  the fat blobs that are used to carry the vaccine material are made in a factory in North Yorkshire, and ministers have privately admitted the UK could stop these being shipped if left with 'no choice'. But rifts are already emerging within Europe and leaders already disagree on what to do. Irish PM Michael Martin said blocking vaccine supplies would be 'a very retrograde step' and added 'I'm very much against it'. Advertisement

Discussing the third wave of coronavirus that Europe is currently facing, the PM said that 'previous experience has taught us that when a wave hits our friends, it washes up on our shores as well'.

He said the UK's best defence was to keep vaccinating at full speed.

Mr Johnson's comments come amid growing fears the EU will push ahead with an extraordinary export ban on Pfizer and AstraZeneca jabs made on the continent, in a move which could delay the UK's rollout by months.

The row appears to be centred around a factory run by the firm Halix in Leiden, Netherlands, which has promised supplies of the AstraZeneca jab to both the UK and Europe but is not yet an approved supplier to either so none of its goods can be used.

Halix has already shipped a batch of unknown size to Britain, MailOnline understands, and is reported to be in possession of five to 10million more doses that the EU and UK are now wrangling over.

European chiefs are threatening to shut down exports if they don't get priority access to vaccines made on their turf, regardless of companies' agreements with the UK, so Downing Street is considering offering some of the supplies as a compromise, The Times reports.

Rows over vaccine supply have erupted after Britain set up side deals with factories abroad to boost supplies and the PM must now appeal to other leaders to resolve the crisis.

He spoke with EU heavyweights Angela Merkel and Emmanuel Macron last night to try and persuade them to soften their stance and has also sent Lord Lister, a government ally, to India to ease tensions over the delay to a batch of five million UK-bound doses of the vaccine.

Britain's bargaining chip is its ability to cut off supplies of a crucial ingredient for Pfizer's vaccine  the fat blobs that are used to carry the vaccine material are made in a factory in North Yorkshire, and ministers have privately admitted the UK could stop these being shipped if left with 'no choice'.

But rifts are already emerging within Europe and leaders already disagree on what to do. Irish PM Michael Martin said blocking vaccine supplies would be 'a very retrograde step' and added 'I'm very much against it'.

It was also revealed today that Germany looks set to tighten lockdown measures and extend them into April, as Europe's Covid third wave bites amid the bloc's shambolic jab roll-out.

Angela Merkel is meeting with Germany's regional leaders today for a summit that was supposed to be about easing restrictions.

But as Covid cases spike, leaked documents suggest the leaders will actually move to tighten a partial lockdown that has been in place since last year.

Meanwhile, ministers in the Netherlands and Belgium have also warned that measures may have to get stricter as cases spike.

And in France thousands of fed-up people took to the streets of Marseilles on Sunday to flout lockdown rules - with protests also taking place in Germany, Holland, Austria, Bulgaria, Switzerland, Serbia and Poland.

The streets of Paris were also packed with spring sun-seekers despite the city going back into lockdown last week.

Europe's third wave of Covid infections is gathering pace amid a woefully slow vaccine roll-out that has seen just eight per cent of its population given at least one dose - leaving the rest vulnerable to infection.

The fixer: Prime Minister Boris Johnson (pictured today) has sent one of his closest allies to India this week in hope of resolving the diplomatic stand-off which could see Britain miss out on 5m doses of AZ vaccine made at the nation's Serum Institute
An international team of scientists from Nanyang Technological University, Singapore (NTU Singapore), Brown University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) has developed an artificial intelligence (AI) platform that could one day be used in a system to assess vascular diseases, which are characterised by the abnormal condition of blood vessels.

The AI-powered platform combines machine learning and a specially-designed microfluidic chip with analysis of 2D video images of blood flow and the application of physical laws, to infer how blood flows in 3D. In tests, it accurately predicted blood flow characteristics such as speed, pressure, and shear stress, which is the stress exerted by the blood flow on the vessel wall.

The ability to determine these characteristics accurately could be a critical support for clinicians in detecting and tracking the progression of vascular diseases since the abnormalities that the platform could spot (such as an abrupt change in speed or shear stress of blood flow) may indicate the presence or progression of a vascular disease.

The platform and its proof-of-concept findings from the research team led by NTU President and Distinguished University Professor Subra Suresh, Brown Professor George Em Karniadakis, and MIT Principal Research Scientist and NTU Visiting Professor Ming Dao are reported in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America on 22 March.

To validate the platform, the scientists tested it on simulated microaneurysms of the eye, using a microfluidic chip that is smaller than a thumbnail. Microaneurysms are bulges in the micro-scale blood vessels of a diabetic patient's eye, and are the earliest signs of diabetic retinopathy, the leading global cause of vision loss and blindless in diabetic working adults.

When the AI platform was given images of blood flow in a device that simulates microaneurysms, it successfully predicted the characteristics of blood circulation within it.

The AI platform and the microaneurysm-on-a-chip could one day help medical practitioners with monitoring vascular disease progression in humans and may be particularly useful for diseases of the body's smallest blood vessels.

Prof Subra Suresh, the study's senior author, said: "Currently, measuring the mechanics of blood flow in the smallest blood vessels requires sophisticated equipment and trained personnel. Our AI technology integrates images, experimental data, and the underlying physics, enabling microcirculation blood flow to be analysed easily and accurately to assess vascular injury and disease state. With this platform, we can now gain important mechanical information and insights into disease evolution mechanisms that were previously very cumbersome to extract."

While the platform was developed for microaneurysm monitoring, it could be adapted to monitor other diseases of impaired blood vessels, said the scientists.

Prof George Karniadakis, the study's co-corresponding author and professor of Engineering and Applied Mathematics at Brown University, said: "We tested our platform on microaneurysms, the earliest symptom of diabetic retinopathy, which is the leading cause of vision loss in working-age diabetic patients globally. Our ultimate goal is to use the platform in clinical settings for diabetic retinopathy diagnosis and prognosis as well as in other diseases involving impaired blood flow."

The team hopes to test their platform on clinical imaging data of microaneurysms in order to correlate the blood flow characteristics of microaneurysms to factors such as disease severity and potential risks.

The challenge of monitoring blood vessel disease progression

Despite rapid advances in imaging techniques such as retinal photography analysis and optical coherence tomography, it is not feasible to observe biological processes in microcirculation in real time, such as the rupture of a microaneurysm in the eye's blood vessels and the development of blood clots.

As a result, to learn more about how these diseases progress, scientists have been using traditional microfluidic devices - devices that shuttle around miniscule amounts of fluids in tiny channels carved into a microchip - to mimic the physiological conditions of a vascular disease. These existing methods, which either rely on visual image analysis, or the application of the physical laws underlying blood flow, do not provide an accurate assessment of blood flow characteristics, particularly in vessels with complex geometries, such as a microaneurysm in the eye.

The research team demonstrated the AI platform's capabilities on a microaneurysm-on-a-chip, a microfluidic device that the team designed to mimic blood flow in round microaneurysms, the most common type found in diabetic patients .

A 20-microlitre blood sample - about half a drop of blood - was loaded onto the chip, and a high-speed camera was used to capture images of blood moving through the microchannels.

The scientists found that their AI platform predicted the characteristics of blood flow such as speed, pressure, and stress exerted by the blood flow on the vessel wall in small, intermediate, and large microaneurysms more accurately and efficiently than existing computational methods.

The team believes their technology may become a powerful tool in the diagnosis and monitoring of microaneurysms using images taken from actual microaneurysms. It could also potentially be combined with microfluidic devices that simulate other types of disorders involving impaired blood vessels to predict blood flow characteristics and monitor other vascular diseases.

###

Other authors involved in the study are NTU research fellow Dr Kong Fang, former visiting NTU research fellow and MIT postdoc Dr Fuyin Zheng, and Dr Shengze Cai and Assistant Professor He Li from Brown University.

Dr Cai, Asst Prof Li, Prof Dao, Prof Karniadakis, and Prof Suresh have filed a patent for the AI platform.

Note to Editors:

Paper 'Artificial intelligence velocimetry and microaneurysm-on-a-chip for three-dimensional analysis of blood flow in physiology and disease' published in PNAS. 2021 Vol. 118

DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2100697118

***END***

Media contact:

Foo Jie Ying

Manager, Corporate Communications Office

Nanyang Technological University

Email: jieying@ntu.edu.sg

About Nanyang Technological University, Singapore

A research-intensive public university, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore (NTU Singapore) has 33,000 undergraduate and postgraduate students in the Engineering, Business, Science, Humanities, Arts, & Social Sciences, and Graduate colleges. It also has a medical school, the Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine, established jointly with Imperial College London.

NTU is also home to world-class autonomous institutes - the National Institute of Education, S Rajaratnam School of International Studies, Earth Observatory of Singapore, and Singapore Centre for Environmental Life Sciences Engineering - and various leading research centres such as the Nanyang Environment & Water Research Institute (NEWRI) and Energy Research Institute @ NTU (ERI@N).

Ranked amongst the world's top universities by QS, NTU has also been named the world's top young university for the past seven years. The University's main campus is frequently listed among the Top 15 most beautiful university campuses in the world and has 57 Green Mark-certified (equivalent to LEED-certified) buildings, of which 95% are certified Green Mark Platinum. Apart from its main campus, NTU also has a campus in Novena, Singapore's healthcare district.

Under the NTU Smart Campus vision, the University harnesses the power of digital technology and tech-enabled solutions to support better learning and living experiences, the discovery of new knowledge, and the sustainability of resources.
Spain has become the fourth country in Europe to legalize the practices of euthanasia and assisted suicide.

The Spanish legislature passed a new law last Thursday that is set to be implemented in June to permit adults with "serious, chronic illness with no chance of recovery and with unbearable suffering" to opt to end their lives with either euthanasia or doctor-assisted suicide.

Before the bill's passage, assisting someone in death was punishable by up to 10 years in prison.

With a vote of 202-140 and two abstentions, lawmakers in the Spanish Parliament's lower house approved the bill's final passage. The law has reportedly been three years in the making.

Source:The Christian Post
A brewery near Dame Vera Lynns home has made a donation in her memory from the proceeds of an ale named after her.

The Forces Sweetheart, who entertained troops with morale-boosting visits to the front line during the Second World War, died in June last year aged 103.

Bedlam Brewery, near to Dame Veras home in Ditchling, East Sussex, launched The Dame in her honour, a limited 4.2% ABV amber ale.

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The brewery said it did extremely well in its first three months of release and sold 4,608 pints in cask and 1,765 500ml bottles.

As a result, Bedlam donated 1,274 to The Dame Vera Lynn Charitable Trust. Sales director Danny Hoskins handed the cheque over to Dame Veras daughter Virginia Lewis-Jones and son-in-law Tom Jones, trustees of the charity.

Mrs Lewis-Jones said: We are thrilled that the beer has been popular and sold so well  and are extremely grateful for Bedlams interest and involvement with the Dame Vera Lynn Charitable Trust. We send a great big thank you for your generous donation.

Mr Hoskins said: We were delighted with how well The Dame was received during these challenging times, as many of our customers took the opportunity to raise a glass in her memory and also to make a small contribution to causes dear to her heart.

The Dame Vera Lynn Charitable Trust benefits those who served in the Armed Forces, children with disabilities and the NHS.
Americas defence secretary arrived in Kabul yesterday on a surprise visit amid uncertainty around the May 1 deadline for the total withdrawal of US forces from Afghanistan.

Lloyd Austin, a retired army general, said the Biden administration wanted a responsible end to this conflict and a transition to something else.

The deadline for withdrawal was negotiated by the Trump administration last year. About 2,300 US soldiers have died in Afghanistan since the conflict began in 2001, in the wake of 9/11.

Mr Biden warned that meeting the deadline could be tough, indicating forces may remain, if just for a short time. However, the Taliban threatened reaction if the deal was not honoured.

At the height of the conflict, the US had more than 10,000 troops there.

Today it stands at 3,500  a thousand fewer than a congressional study suggested was needed to sustain the Afghan government. Peace talks in Doha have stalled, leaving the Biden administration in a dilemma. US peace proposals included an interim government that would include the Taliban.

It is obvious that the level of violence remains pretty high in the country, Mr Austin said after his arrival in Kabul. Wed really like to see that violence come down. If it does come down, it can begin to set the condition for some really fruitful diplomatic work.

Mr Austin last month pledged a thoughtful and deliberate review of US strategy in Afghanistan, saying there would be no surprises for the Afghan government or US allies with troops in the country.

Im in the process of making that decision now, as to when theyll leave, Mr Biden said. That was not a very solidly negotiated deal.
Over the past five years, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has not conducted asset quality review (AQR) of any non-banking finance company (NBFC), says finance minister (FM) Nirmala Sitharaman.

Replying to question in writing in the Lok Sabha, the minister says, "RBI has informed that it assesses the asset quality of banks and NBFCs on a regular basis as part of its supervisory process. No asset quality review has been done for NBFCs in last vie years. RBI has further informed that at present, it does not foresee a requirement for additional asset quality review for NBFCs."

Khagen Murmu, a member of Parliament (MP), had asked a question about government's plan to call for an AQR of NBFC to identify and deal with under-capitalised firms, as well as an attempt to revive stalled infrastructure projects.

FM Sitharaman told him that RBI is the regulator and had not conducted any AQR of NBFCs over the past five years.

Only last month, ratings agency CRISIL has warned about stressed assets of NBFCs, which it expected to reach Rs1.5 lakh crore-Rs1.8 lakh crore, or 6.0%-7.5% of the assets under management (AUM), by the end of the current fiscal. While the reported non-performing assets (NPAs) of NBFCs will rise, the restructuring may provide some respite, the agency had said in a research note.

Along with wholesale loans, which are dominated by real estate and structured credit, vehicle finance, micro, medium and small enterprises (MSMEs) finance and unsecured loans have been in spotlight this year due to a rise in stressed assets.

According to the ratings agency, the big challenge this year will be the unsecured personal loans segment, where underlying stress has increased significantly with early-bucket delinquencies more than doubling for many NBFCs. This segment had last seen such pressure in 2008-10, after the global financial crisis, it added.

Unsecured loans to MSMEs, as per the report, is another area where underlying borrower cash-flows have been affected. However, it says, despite the potential asset-quality stress, reported metrics may stay benign on the back of high write-offs.

Read: NBFC Stressed Assets May Hit Rs1.5-1.8 Lakh Crore by Fiscal-end: Report ) Rahul Malik, associate director of CRISIL Ratings, says, How NBFCs approach restructuring will differ by asset class and segment. While the traditional ones such as home loans have seen sub-1% restructuring, for unsecured loans it is substantially higher at 6-8% on average, and for vehicle loans 3-5%. A good proportion of real estate and structured credit is also expected to benefit from the RBI move to afford flexibility on date of commencement of commercial operations, so recast under the Covid-19 scheme could be limited. (

In 2015, RBI introduced the AQR. After this, there was a sudden spurt in NPAs of public sector banks (PSBs). In FY2015-16 itself, the NPAs jumped 93.9%. Even before FY14-15, PSBs had consistently churned out high levels of NPAs, which were camouflaged with myriads of restructuring schemes of the RBI, mercifully withdrawn in February 2018.

Few days ago, Anurag Thakur, minister of state for finance, told the Lok Sabha that as a result of governments strategy of recognition, resolution, recapitalisation and reforms, gross NPAs of scheduled commercial banks (SCBs) have declined by Rs2.79 lakh crore to Rs7.56 lakh crore as per provisional data on 31 December 2020.

Quoting inputs from the RBI, the minister says, primary reasons for the spurt in stressed assets have been observed to be, aggressive lending practices, wilful default, loan frauds and corruption in some cases, and economic slowdown.

The Chicago suburb of Evanston, Illinois, is gearing up to hand out its first round of reparations to black residents whose families suffered lasting damage from decades of discriminatory practices.

Evanston established its reparations program - the first of its kind in the US - in 2019, committing $10million over a decade using funding from the city's three percent tax on recreational marijuana sales.

On Monday the city council will finally vote to launch the program with a $400,000 round of payments focused on addressing housing inequities.

The first phase will provide $25,000 to up to 16 eligible black residents for home repairs, down payments or mortgage payments in a nod toward historically racist housing policies.

Black residents are eligible for the housing program if they, or their ancestors, lived in the city between 1919 and 1969 or if they can show they suffered housing discrimination due to the city's policies.

The recipients will be randomly selected if there are more applicants than available funds in the housing program.

The Chicago suburb of Evanston, Illinois, )pictured in a file photo) is gearing up to hand out its first round of reparations to black residents whose families suffered lasting damage from decades of discriminatory practices

Among those praising the landmark effort is Delois Robinson, 58, whose great-grandmother decades ago was forced to run a restaurant out of her kitchen and park cabs for her taxi company in her backyard because black residents were effectively barred from owning or renting storefronts in town.

'It's about time that something has come from the hard work of African Americans in this city, proving that they should be treated as anyone else,' Robinson, 58, told Reuters.

Evanston's program could become a model for other cities and states grappling with whether to pursue their own reparations programs.

What are reparations and what is being done to implement them in the US? Reparations for slavery is a political justice concept that argues that the descendants of slaves should be compensated for the lasting impression slavery has left on the US. Calls for reparations have been around for centuries but have reached a fever pitch in the past year following the May 25 death of George Floyd. Democrats in Congress introduced a bill - House Resolution 40 - in 2019 that would form a committee to further study the issue of reparations. The House Judiciary subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights, and Civil Liberties met last month to discuss the legislation. Public support for federal reparations remains relatively low. An ABC News/Ipsos poll conducted last June found that 73 percent of Americans do not believe that the federal government should financially compensate black people who are descendants of slaves. But in the absence of federal support, local leaders in some communities including Evanston have worked to come up with their own measures to introduce reparations. Advertisement

The burgeoning national movement has gained traction amid a reckoning on racial inequity following the police killing of George Floyd and other black Americans last year.

In Congress, a bill that would establish a national reparations commission to study the issue has drawn around 170 co-sponsors in the House of Representatives, all Democrats.

President Joe Biden has not endorsed the legislation but says he supports a study. Advocates plan to lobby the White House for executive action if the bill, as expected, fails to pass a divided Senate.

Other cities, including Chicago; Providence, Rhode Island; Burlington, Vermont; Asheville, North Carolina; and Amherst, Massachusetts, have launched initiatives, though none has yet identified specific funding.

California passed a bill modeled after the federal legislation, and lawmakers in New York and Maryland have introduced similar measures.

Private institutions have also announced campaigns. The Jesuit order of Catholic priests last week pledged $100 million to benefit the descendants of the enslaved people it once owned.

'Reparations is the public policy prescription that addresses - and redresses - systemic racism,' said Ron Daniels, who oversees the National African American Reparations Commission, which consulted with Evanston on its proposal.

The practicality of implementing reparations programs, especially on a national scale, is still a matter of debate.

Reuters/Ipsos polls taken in June 2020, at the height of racial justice protests, found only one in five respondents agreed the United States should pay damages to descendants of enslaved people.

Some opponents ask whether taxpayers can afford to pay out what could be billions, or even trillions, of dollars.

Others question how eligibility for such programs would be determined, whether by race, ancestry or evidence of discrimination.

Some black Evanston residents have objected to the city's plan's scope and size as inadequate, highlighting the difficulties inherent in designing a program that by all accounts can never fully ameliorate centuries of discrimination.

Robin Simmons (pictured) proposed the legislation for Evanston's reparations program over a decade ago

Evanston, home to Northwestern University, lies between Chicago to its south and the wealthy North Shore suburbs along Lake Michigan. About 16 percent of its 75,000 residents are black.

As across the United States, blacks in Evanston were subjected to 'redlining', a practice in which banks refused to make housing loans in predominantly black neighborhoods. That kept black residents from home ownership, a key source of wealth.

The impact of historic and systemic discrimination on Evanston's black community persists.

The Fifth Ward, where Robinson's great-grandmother ran two businesses out of her home, is predominantly black and struggling with inferior infrastructure.

'We're trying to catch up from hundreds of years of being suppressed, and its just hard to catch up without some assistance,' said Evanston resident and real estate agent Vanessa Johnson-McCoy, who is black.

The city's campaign will draw from a new tax on legalized marijuana. Supporters say the funding mechanism is particularly apt, given how devastating the country's criminalization of marijuana has been to black communities.

A sign demanding reparations sits in the snow in Evanston

Evanston Rejects Racist Reparations, an opposition group, has noted that the initial payments will cover only 16 households. The group also opposes restricting that money to housing needs.

'True reparations repair you - you get a chance to say what it is that repairs you,' said Rose Cannon, a member of the group, who is black.

National advocates say viewing reparations as only cash payments is far too reductive and that there is a need for policies that tackle the institutional racism that created the inequities in the first place.

'These vestiges have to be addressed - or they will continue on into the future, no matter how many equity programs are in place,' said Kamm Howard, co-chair of the National Coalition of Blacks for Reparations in America, or N'COBRA.

Even in cities facing limited resources, local governments can still make restitution by updating school curricula, improving business development, providing housing opportunities and offering apologies for past racism, Howard said.

Evanston Alderman Robin Rue Simmons, who is Black, spearheaded her city's initiative. She sees the upcoming payments as a critical first step.

'This is about our humanity,' she said. 'It's overdue, and the time is now.'
Holi, for the first time, will be celebrated with grandeur at the Ram Janmabhoomi temple here.

This is the first Holi when the Ram Lalla's idol is not in a tent but is ensconced in a proper temple.

The chief priest of the Ram Janmabhoomi temple, Acharya Satyendra Das, said, "Ram Lalla stayed inside a temporary tent for three decades and was kept away from festivity. He will bless devotees this year after the liberation of his birthplace."

Dr. Anil Mishra, member of the temple Trust, said, "After Mughal king Babar's commander Mir Baqi attacked the premises in 1528, Holi celebration was muted and limited to traditional rituals. Five hundred years later, we will celebrate the festival of colours at Ram Lalla's court. A new era has begun."

Natural colours and scented 'gulaal' will be used in celebrations in the court of Ram Lalla.

The entire temple complex will be decorated with flowers in different hues, sourced from different parts of the country.

The Trust has already begun discussions with priests on rituals scheduled for Holi.

Celebrations will be doubled because the construction of the has also begun in earnest.

The Supreme Court, in November 2019, had handed over the land for the construction to the Hindus, setting at rest the long-pending dispute.--IANS

amita/dpb

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
ATLANTA  Bouquets of harlequin flowers and handwritten signs blanketed the entrance of Gold Spa, the bright colors standing out against the salons dim interior. Hyun Jung Grant loved karaoke she made the worlds best kimchi stew, age 51, one sign read. We are not scapegoats! another said. In the parking lot in front of the salon, tree branches painted pink were arranged to spell Love.

Several dozen men, women and children gathered Sunday for a somber Korean-language vigil and prayer service to honor the victims of Tuesdays shootings, in which a white man is accused of having killed eight people at three spas in the Atlanta area. Six of the victims were of Asian descent, and four were of Korean origin.

The four women killed in the two Atlanta spas were identified Friday as Soon Chung Park, 74; Hyun Jung Grant, 51; Suncha Kim, 69; and Yong Yue, 63. The remaining victims, who were killed at a spa in Cherokee County, about 25 miles north of the city, were Delaina Ashley Yaun, 33; Paul Andre Michels, 54; Xiaojie Tan, 49; and Daoyou Feng, 44.

Image:; Asian American church leaders held a vigil Sunday in front of the Gold Spa in Atlanta. (Hanna Park)

Local Asian American Christian leaders who organized the vigil said it was intended not only to offer a space of healing for the community, but also to decry the rise in hate crimes against Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders over the past year.

Ive received calls from people saying that there are several complicated issues to the Atlanta spa shootings, the Rev. Byeong Han said in Korean during the vigil, referring to investigators' statements that the suspect had claimed that he was motivated by a sexual addiction, not racism. This incident is not complicated. Its clearly a hate crime from a white man targeting Asian women.

Han said later in an interview that the suspects claim that he had had a bad day was a poor excuse, saying Asian Americans have been having bad years.

Image: Flowers left in front of Gold Spa in Atlanta (Hanna Park)

Some also called for greater solidarity with other communities of color.

Aside from religious services, the church also plays a huge role as a social center, so it should be our obligation and moral responsibility to provide support and honor the lost members of our community, said Wonchul Shin, 36, a Christian ethics professor at Columbia Theological Seminary near Atlanta, who led a prayer during the vigil.

Story continues

Hyejin Kim, 31, a second-generation Korean American, lives across the street from Gold Spa. She recalled the spa workers' singing hi (annyeong) or you came again (ddo wah ssuh) to her any time she passed by. Its kind of sickening to think about, because it's so close, she said.

Kim, whose brother knew the son of one of the victims, said she also worries for her and her familys safety, saying, I've never felt that I was so different until this happened.

She said she also understands the burden the women faced as immigrant parents, because her father worked at a grocery store 16 hours a day. All these parents sacrificed everything they could, she said.

Image: Demonstrators marched in Atlanta Saturday to rally against anti-Asian violence. (Hanna Park)

At #StopAsianHate rallies nationwide Saturday, lawmakers, celebrities and community leaders condemned anti-Asian violence and called for better tracking of hate crimes. Georgia didnt have a hate crime law on the books until last year, when lawmakers passed legislation after the killing of Ahmaud Arbery that would allow additional penalties for certain crimes motivated by a victims race, sex, sexual orientation, religion or other factors.

In Atlanta on Saturday, hundreds marched from Woodruff Park to the State Capitol, chanting Stop Asian Hate. Signs reading not your fetish, we are not a virus and f--- your model minority myth dotted the crowd.

Democratic state Rep. Sam Park, Georgias only Korean American legislator, said he was surprised by the size and diversity of the turnout Saturday, which included Asian, Black and Latino people. He said he remains hopeful that the Asian community can bring about meaningful change.

Image: Georgia state Rep. Sam Park speaks at a rally against anti-Asian violence. (Hanna Park)

We saw an unprecedented number of Asian Americans vote" in last years elections, "which helped change the course of this country, Park said. That's the power that the Asian American community in Georgia has. They need to understand that and need to use it again to ensure justice for our community moving forward.

Other speakers included Sens. Rafael Warnock and Jon Ossoff, D-Ga., the Rev. William Barber, co-chair of the Poor Peoples Campaign, and state Rep. Bee Nguyen, the first Vietnamese American elected to the Legislature.

Jung Wook Lee, 45, who has lived in Atlanta since 2006, was one of the hundreds of protesters who marched Saturday. We're not going to be silent about it, and I think that is empowering for all of us, Lee said.
China has the strongest military force in the world while India stands at number four, according to a study released on Sunday by the defence website Military Direct.

"The USA, despite their enormous military budgets, comes in 2nd place with 74 points, followed by Russia with 69, India at 61 and then France with 58. The UK just about makes the Top 10, coming in 9th place with a score of 43," said the study.

The study said the "ultimate military strength index" was calculated after taking into consideration various factors including budgets, number of inactive and active military personnel, total air, sea, land and nuclear resources, average salaries, and weight of equipment.

China has the strongest military in the world, scoring 82 out of 100 points in the index, it noted.

"Based on these scores, which account for budgets, men, and things like air and navy capacity, it does suggest that China would come out as top dog in a hypothetical super conflict," it mentioned.

The world's biggest military spender with a budget of $732 billion per year is the USA, it noted, adding that China comes second with $261 billion, followed by India at $71 billion.

"China would win by sea, USA by air and Russia by land" in this hypothetical conflict, it said.

"USA wins in an aerial war with 14,141 total airships vs Russia with 4,682 and China with 3,587. The Russian Federation wins in a land war with 54,866 vehicles vs USA with 50,326 and China with 41,641," it mentioned.

China wins in a sea war with 406 ships vs Russia with 278 and the USA or India with 202, it said.
 Flash

On March 15, 2021, the 65th session of the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women commenced at the UN Headquarters in New York. The priority theme of this session was "Women's full and effective participation and decision-making in public life, as well as the elimination of violence, for achieving gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls." Zhang Yinjun, director of the China Economic and Social Council (CESC), director of the AIDS Prevention Education Project for Chinese Youth (APEPCY) Office, president of the Beijing Changier Education Foundation, and dean of Confucius Nishan College, together with 41 representatives of the Changier Education Foundation, attended the session.

The session emphasized the effective participation and decision-making role of women in public life and called for the full protection of women's rights in accordance with the law. It also stressed the importance of the establishment of specific indicators to ensure women's equal representation, the promotion of women's participation in economic activities, and the protection of women from exploitation. Moreover, the conference elaborated on the empowerment of women and the realization of the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). In his speech at the opening of the session, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres emphasized the "challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic for women's equality and empowerment" and encouraged post-pandemic reconstruction"in a gender-responsive manner, in a greener manner and in an inclusive manner."

On behalf of the Beijing Changier Education Foundation, President Zhang Yinjun delivered a speech via video link at the session. In her speech, Zhang pointed out that the transformation of women's status will be the leading force in the transformation of human society. Women's equality and empowerment will effectively promote women's participation in social and public affairs, which in turn will accelerate the realization of the 2030 SDGs. The speech further explained that as a foundation with a special consultative status at the UN Economic and Social Council, the Beijing Changier Education Foundation and its founding philosophy are highly consistent with the theme of the session. The efforts of the Changier Project over the years have been to unremittingly promote gender equality, from encouraging women's participation in economic and social life and helping women and children from less privileged families obtain basic means to survival and education through public welfare and charity to assisting women and children with AIDS in maintaining human dignity. Changier holds firm to the belief that it is through eliminating gender discrimination and liberating women's productivity that we fight to achieve a leap to a better life.

The 41 representatives of Changier from China, the United States, Canada, Singapore, and other countries and regions joined the discussions at the session. In terms of gender composition, not only women but also men actively participated. Representatives share utterly different ages and backgrounds: among them are high school students, graduate students, and doctoral students. Among them were also founders of public welfare groups, business leaders and social managerial professionals. Although the participants, male and female, are quite different in terms of age and background, the unbranching consensus is their active awareness of women's equality and determination to promote women's empowerment.

These 41 representatives not only made great speeches at the session, but also demonstrated their remarkable personalities. As the first collective appearance at a session of the UN Commission on the Status of Women, they have gained wide attention.

Affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, the 65th session moved most of its meetings online, but the means and separation did not diminish anyone's enthusiasm towards gender concerns. United Nations Representative & Chief Administrative Officer for Changier Education Foundation Emma Chen-Banas particularly noted, "I have participated in the sessions over the years, but this year is the most special. Although I missed the opportunity to interact with representatives from around the world face-to-face, the virtual content is far richer and fuller in meaning. The meetings covered challenges and opportunities that were faced globally by women in aspects of politics, economics, science and technology, health, and welfare. It encourages women of all ages to participate in public affairs and assume the responsibilities of leaders."

In her speech at the session, Changier representative Jiang Yuwei said, "During the COVID-19 pandemic, women are active in the front line against the virus. But at the same time, women also suffer disproportionately under the influence of the pandemic in unemployment and violence because of gender discrimination. This is an issue that cannot be ignored by society, and I urge the public to pay more and closer attention to it."

Representative Wu Jianyun noted, "I think the conference helped me deepen my understanding of male privilege. Especially with the recent rise in anti-Asian and misogynistic attacks, it's more important than ever to honor and respect women, to prioritize equity before so-called equality, to realize that gender equality is a process."

Representative Lixin Du talked about her impressions after attending several meetings. She said that she not only broadened her understanding from the macro level but also appreciated gender equality efforts at the practical level. "We need to provide more detailed support to increase women's physical and mental health," remarked Lixin Du. "Services are needed more than ever, such as providing women's anti-domestic violence classrooms to raise people's awareness of gender equality and improvingknowledge lectures about caring for women's health."

The representatives of Changier fully highlighted and expressed the purpose of the foundation during the 65th Session of the Commission on the Status of Women. This session also further enriched the participants' experience in promoting women's equality and empowerment and greatly equipped the representatives with full confidence on this arduous yet rewarding journey towards gender equality. It is without a doubt that the Changier Foundation and all its representatives will further contribute to improving women's equality and implement the foundation's public welfare objectives in the future.

Established in June 1946, the UN Commission on the Status of Women serves as one of the nine functional committees under the UN Economic and Social Council (UN ECOSOC), dedicating itself to elevating the role of women in economic and societal development. The commission is committed to accelerating the realization of gender equality on a global scale. The commission meets once a year, and this session will end on March 26. Thousands of representatives from non-governmental organizations from all over the world participated in the conference. UN member states, UN departments, and civil society organizations organized more than 100 parallel meetings and side events.
The owner of a Mandeville-area interior decorating company has been sentenced to 30 years in prison for defrauding clients who hired her for home renovations, according to 22nd Judicial District Attorney Warren Montgomery's office.

Danielle Gaspard, 36, pleaded guilty in February in two separate cases, both involving multiple victims who paid her company, Belissimo Interiors, for home renovation work that either was not completed or not done at all.

Gaspard's attorney asked for a lesser sentence than the 20-year mandatory minimum for some of the charges. But the Ponchatoula woman had seven prior theft and fraud convictions, including issuing worthless checks and bank fraud, and District Judge Scott Gardner sentenced her Friday as a multiple offender, he news release from Montgomery's office said.

Assistant District Attorney Elizabeth Authement prosecuted the case, which was investigated by Detective Donald Plaisance of the St. Tammany Parish Sheriffs Office.

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Gaspard pleaded guilty to six counts in the first case and seven in the second.

In the first, Gardner sentenced Gaspard to 30 years for one count of theft of $25,000 or more; 20 years each on four counts of theft of $5,000-$25,000; and 20 years for one count of theft of $1,0000-$5,000.

In the second case, she was sentenced to 30 years for one count of residential contractor fraud of $25,000 or more and 20 years for a second count of the same charge; 20 years each for two counts of misapplication of payments over $1,000; 20 years each for two counts of residential contractor fraud of $5,000-$25,000; and 20 years for one count of forgery of a certificate of insurance.
Following an article about Jack Whomes being released from prison we have been informed that the accompanying photographs were of his brother William. We are happy to clarify this and apologise for any distress or embarrassment caused.

To report an inaccuracy, please email corrections@mailonline.co.uk. To make a formal complaint under IPSO rules please go to www.mailonline.co.uk/readerseditor where you will find an easy-to-use complaints form. You can also write to Readers' Editor, MailOnline, Northcliffe House, 2 Derry Street, London W8 5TT or contact IPSO directly at ipso.co.uk
GBP/AUD Exchange Rate Muted amid UK-EU Vaccine Spat

The Pound to Australian Dollar (GBP/AUD) exchange rate is struggling to advance today, amidst concerns the UKs vaccine programme could be derailed by a spat with the EU.

Pound (GBP) Exchange Rates Side-lined by Risk of Vaccine Shortage

The Pound (GBP) is off its best levels against the Australian Dollar (AUD) today as growing concerns over a short of coronavirus vaccines is offsetting optimism that the UK has passed a key milestone in its immunisation programme.

Over the weekend it was confirmed that over 50% of adults in the UK have now received at least one coronavirus jab, after a record number of doses were administered on Saturday.

While this is a major step towards the UK lifting lockdown measures and reopening its economy, there are fears that a shortage of vaccines could delay this process.

Last week, the NHS warned it faces a significant shortfall in vaccines in April due to delays in production in India.

But perhaps even more worrying was an announcement from European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen over the weekend in which she suggested the EU may forbid the export of vaccines.

In an analysis done for the Guardian, data analytics company Airfinity suggests that a total block on all EU vaccine exports to the UK, could delay the UKs vaccination programme by two months, potentially derailing the governments current roadmap for reopening the economy.

Boris Johnson will reportedly phone EU leaders at the start of this week in an effort to persuade EU leaders not to impose a blanket ban on vaccine exports, ahead of Thursdays summit, in which leaders are likely to discuss a potential ban.

Australian Dollar (AUD) Exchange Rates Undermined by Risk-Off Trade

At the same time, the Australian Dollar (AUD) is facing an uphill battle at the start of this weeks session as investors shy away from the high-risk currency amidst a prevailing risk-off mood.

This gloom mood comes amidst rising concerns over a coronavirus resurgence, as Europe faces down a third wave of infections, which could dent the global economic recovery.

Also sapping market sentiment is the situation in Turkey, with the overnight collapse of the Turkish Lira (TRY) following the shock sacking of Naci Agbal as chief of Turkeys central bank has rippled through financial markets and further undermined market risk appetite.

GBP/AUD Forecast:

Looking ahead, aside from ongoing coronavirus developments, a key catalyst in the Pound to Australian Dollar (GBP/AUD) exchange rate tomorrow will be the UKs latest jobs report.

Tuesdays data is expected to report that unemployment in the UK ticked higher again in January, rising from 5.1% to 5.2% as the latest national lockdown kicked into effect.

However, Sany pullback in Sterling could be limited by the accompanying earnings figures, which are expected to report wage growth accelerated to nearly 5% over the same period.

Meanwhile, the focus for AUD investors tomorrow will be on Australias latest PMI releases, with the Australian Dollar likely to find support if economic activity continued to accelerate this month.
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TROY  A City Court judge has dismissed a lawsuit filed by a certified nursing assistant who claimed her landlord wrongfully evicted her from her Fourth Street apartment after she needed to quarantine due to a COVID-19 exposure.

Judge Matthew J. Turner determined that the tenant, Chasity Moran, the mother of a young son, had never been evicted from the apartment at 108 Fourth St. and that, had she elected to remain there, the landlord would have been unable to pursue an eviction due to restrictions in place during the pandemic.

The judge dismissed Morans legal action against the landlord, Michael Ginsberg, the proprietor of Lambert Building Co., and awarded Ginsberg $270 based on evidence that he was entitled to clean the apartment to rent it again.

Turner said both parties acted in a manner inconsistent with maintaining the landlord-tenant relationship.

Ginsberg characterized the ruling as a vindication of any allegations he had mistreated the tenant. He also noted that judge concluded that Moran had not been coerced or threatened into terminating the lease, as had been alleged.

"Under the COVID-19 moratorium on evictions at the time no eviction proceeding could be brought on the basis of non-payment," Ginsberg said in an emailed statement. "It is important to recognize that in this matter, and as confirmed by the court, no eviction proceeding was ever brought or even threatened."

Matthew Toporowski, the attorney for Moran, told the Times Union in an email that his client is back working as a nursing assistant at a nursing home on the front lines of the COVID-19 pandemic, providing for herself and her son and has put this incredibly difficult ordeal behind her.

Toporowski added:  This experience has taught her that she can rely on the incredible community in Troy in difficult times of need, who helped her secure safe housing during a deadly pandemic.

The judges decision, rendered Feb. 19, described the sequence of events as follows:

On May 27 last year, Moran signed a lease agreement for one year at a total cost of $15,720. The agreement allowed Moran to pay monthly installments of $1,320 for tenants convenience only.

The agreement said: If tenant defaults, landlord may give notice to tenant that tenant may no longer pay rent in installments. The entire rent for the remaining part of the term will then be due and payable."

Moran, who worked at a local nursing home, was exposed to COVID-19 in August. As a result, she was forced to quarantine. Moran informed Ginsberg that she would not be able to pay her next rent installment due Sept. 1. She was intending to pay it in two weeks. On Sept. 15, when the money still had not been paid, Ginsberg notified Moran that, per their lease agreement, the "convenience" of paying the rent in monthly installments was being revoked.

Ginsberg sought $13,100 in damages the remaining balance due  and filed a complaint with the court for an alleged breach of contract. That was not an eviction. Ginsberg and Moran later agreed that Moran would leave the apartment by Sept. 30. In turn, Moran would not be responsible for the $13,100.

A Ginsberg representative later reminded Moran she needed to be out of the apartment by Sept. 30. In response, Moran noted she had dropped in the mailbox a signed form from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention highlighting a temporary halt of evictions during the pandemic.

There was no evidence that Ginsberg or Ginsberg's representative prevented Moran's access to the apartment, the judge ruled.

In court, Ginsberg testified he went to the apartment and found most of Moran's belongings gone. He said there was no place to sit, sleep, eat, no toiletries and that furniture was disassembled. Ginsberg sent maintenance workers into the apartment in September and October. They had discovered dirty dishes, spoiled food and a fly infestation, he said. There was no indication anyone had returned, he testified during a hearing.

Some days later, Ginsberg changed the lock on the building's exterior door, but not the door to Moran's unit.

Moran and a tenant advocacy group, in turn, contacted Ginsberg to arrange a time to remove the rest of Moran's belongings. They planned it for Oct. 22, but it was prevented by a protest organized there on Moran's behalf in which those who gathered believed she had been illegally evicted.

"Such false assertions have the effect of damaging and undermining the legitimacy of activities aimed at helping those who are truly in need and actually experiencing a housing crisis," said Thomas Lavery, Ginsberg's attorney in the case.

Moran filed a lawsuit seeking permission to get back into the apartment, civil penalties for what she alleged was an illegal eviction, damages for the loss of belongings, legal fees and the dismissal of Ginsberg's claims.

Ginsberg sought a dismissal of Moran's lawsuit and rent from the months of September and October. He also wanted to recover damages for cleaning the premises.

In the judgement, Turner dismissed Moran's suit and granted Ginsberg the damages for the cleaning of the apartment.
Anti-coup protests broke out again across Myanmar early Monday as popular acts of defiance against the military junta continue despite the regimes violent and increasingly deadly pushback.

Hundreds of demonstrators marched along a main road in Mandalay before dawn, many of them doctors, nurses, students and other medical personnel wearing white coats, repeating a similar demonstration carried out the night before.

Scores of motorists in the commercial capital of Yangon honked their car horns in response to a call on social media, according to Reuters.

Myanmar has been in turmoil ever since the military jailed de facto leader Aung San Suu Kyi and other members of the democratically elected civilian government on February 1. At least three people were killed Sunday in violent clashes between police and civilians, including two in Mandalay, Myanmars second-largest city and a major hub of opposition.

An activist group, the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners, said nearly 250 people have been killed since the coup, with more than 2,000 people detained.

Australian authorities confirmed Sunday that two of its citizens, businesspeople, were detained in Myanmar. Australias government declined to provide further details, citing the privacy of the concerned parties.

Singapores Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan will visit Brunei Darussalam on Monday before going to Malaysia and Indonesia as part of a regional diplomatic push to bring an end to the crisis in Myanmar, Reuters reported.

On Monday, the European Unions (EU) foreign policy chief Josep Borrell who is in Brussels for EU foreign ministers meeting said the EU will impose sanctions in connection with the violence. We are going to take sanctions against 11 persons involved in the coup and the repression of the demonstrators.

The United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres strongly condemned the continuing brutality of the Myanmar military, after at least eight anti-coup demonstrators were killed in the central town of Aungban in eastern Shan state.

The killing of peaceful demonstrators and arbitrary arrests, including of journalists, is utterly unacceptable, Guterres spokesman Stephane Dujarric told reporters Friday. The military continues to defy calls, including by the [U.N.] Security Council, to end violations of fundamental human rights and return to the path of democracy.

He said that a firm, unified international response is urgently needed.

The secretary-general will continue to stand with the people and their aspirations to achieve a peaceful, stable and prosperous Myanmar, Dujarric added.

VOA Burmese Service contributed to this report.
Logos of the Big Tech giants are displayed on a tablet on Oct. 1, 2019. (Denis Charlet/AFP via Getty Images)

Australian Senators Motion for Big Tech Committee Stalls

A motion to establish a Senate select committee to examine the influence and censorship of Big Tech companies has stalled, with the Senate vote split evenly 32-32.

Liberal Senator Alex Antic was prompted to raise the motion in January after tech giant Twitter permanently banned former U.S. President Donald Trumps social media account.

Big Tech companies such as Twitter are now effectively the arbiters of who is entitled to freedom of speech. This is enormously dangerous, Antic previously told The Epoch Times.

The committee would have been charged with investigating issues such as disinformation, misinformation and malinformation, including shadow banning, de-platforming, no-platforming, and demonetisation.

Liberal Senator for South Australia Alex Antic delivering his maiden speech in the Senate chamber at Parliament House in Canberra, Tuesday, September 17, 2019. (AAP Image/Lukas Coch)

While senators from the Liberal, National and One Nation parties voted in favour, the Labor Party, Greens, and independent Senators Rex Patrick, Stirling Griff, and Jacquie Lambie opposed, citing concerns over the Senates increased workload and the number of committees currently operating.

Normally, we do work collaboratively with all senators in this place around the establishment of committees and referrals to committees, Labor Senator Katy Gallagher told the Senate.

We were advised by the government that they are concerned at the number of select committees that are currently operating in the Senate, she said.

Independent Senator Patrick said he would have supported the motion if it was calling for a references committee instead of a select committee.

Rex Patrick speaks in the Senate at Parliament House in Canberra, Australia, on July 4, 2019. (Tracey Nearmy/Getty Images)

A (Select Committee) chair receives $23,240 of additional payment, and a deputy chair receives $11,620, so this is a cost to the taxpayer of $34,000. At the same time, we are paying a stipend for the references committee chairs and deputy chairs, and they seem to be underutilised, he said.

Greens Deputy Leader Senator Nick McKim said there was no doubt an inquiry was needed into its impact on democracy and how it has allowed the proliferation of far-right extremism. However, he was also concerned by the language used in the motion, calling it right-wing.

This motion contains language which concerns the Greens, McKim told the Senate. It is language, which is used overwhelmingly by the far right, including terms like shadowbanning and de-platforming.

In response to the vote, Senator Antic told The Epoch Times that a broader enquiry headed by a select committee was needed to investigate the huge influence Big Tech had over the lives of Australians.

In this photo illustration, a message is seen on Facebook mobile, on February 18, 2021, in Melbourne, Australia. (Robert Cianflone/Getty Images)

The topics which were to be covered include fundamental tenets such as the importance of freedom of speech and go to the very heart of our Australian democracy, he said.

On any measure, it is deserving of its own committee enquiry, and a select committee is the best vehicle to investigate, he added.

This issue is too important to be dropped, and I will be exploring other options to pursue the line of enquiry, such as a referral to a standing committee.

Currently, the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) is spearheading the governments efforts to regulate Big Tech.

The ACCC is carrying out an extensive, five-year investigation into the influence of the Silicon Valley giants, including the market dominance of Googles search, browser, and ad tech services.

Last month, the government passed a world-first media payment law, which the ACCC designed, that would force Google and Facebook to pay news media companies for displaying their content.

Facebook responded to the law by removing news content and suspending news media companies pages from its platform.

However, the ban caused widespread disruption across Australia after it inadvertently suspended the Facebook accounts of several non-media related entities, including non-profit organisations, unions, businesses, emergency services, the weather bureau, and government departments.
Laois has been urged to "step up to the plate" to get the same level of funding for the Slieve Blooms as Offaly has just received.

Offaly has been granted 500,000 to develop new walks and a 2km cycleway in Kinnitty to compliment Coillte's Mountain Bike Trails, while Laois has received 270,000 for new direction and interpretative signs near and in the mountains for visitors.

Read full details of the grants here

It is among over 6 million of grants announced this Monday for major adventure tourism projects in Ireland by Minister for Rural and Community Development, Heather Humphreys TD.

Laois Offaly TD Sean Fleming, Minister of State at the Department of Finance is urging his county to come up with more proposals.

"I welcome the substantial progress being made on the Offaly side of the Slieve Blooms. It is vital that County Laois steps up to the plate with proposals to develop this great outdoor recreation facility to ensure both counties benefit equally under this Oudoor Recreation and Tourism Scheme.

He welcomed the announcement of funding of 270,000 for Laois.

"This funding will support the expansion of outdoor amenities including the bike trail which will benefit local communities and visitors alike.

"It is for the project Destination Slieve Bloom which is for the development and implementation of signage, orientation and an interpretation strategy in the area. This will help develop an integrated approach by all involved in the partnership for the Slieve Bloom development area. It will contribute to supporting healthy active lifestyles and build on the tourism potential of the area and will have major spin-off economic benefits locally.

He is calling on Laois County Council and Failte Ireland to work closely together to ensure that a substantial proposal is submitted for further funding from this scheme.

Laois Offaly TD Charlie Flanagan has also welcomed the 770,000 of funding.

This has been a priority of mine for some time and I am delighted more money has become available for routes in the Slieve Bloom Mountain Trails, development of trails and a novice loop. Outdoor pursuits and recreation has a huge role to play in our lives and I am delighted that the money has become available for the Slieve Bloom Mountains, a recreational facility on our own doorsteps.

Offaly Green Party Senator and Minister Pippa Hackett also welcomes the money.

Outdoor recreation in Laois-Offaly is receiving 770,000 funding in this latest announcement. Mountain biking has become a hugely popular activity and its great to see it being developed in the Slieve Bloom mountains, with Kinnitty as a base. 500,000 is to be spent developing the biking trails. A further 270,000 will be spent on an orientation strategy for the mountain range. In addition to recent spending on the Grand Canal Greenway and the Shannon Master Tourism Plan, this adds greatly to Laois-Offalys tourism offering, she said.

The fund is separate to Coillte's Slieve Bloom Mountain Bike Trails, which is partly completed with short trails already open at Kinnitty in Offaly, and Baunreagh near Mountrath in Laois.

There is now a 9km 'red grade' route opened in Baunreagh, for experienced mountain bikers, and a 10km 'blue grade' moderate to difficult route in Kinnitty. The trails are planned eventually join across the mountains in some 70km of routes. Laois is planned to eventually have a visitor hub with toilets, bike hire, bike wash and cafe at the trailhead, while in Offaly, visitor facilties are already available locally in Kinnitty village.

See Coillte's Slieve Bloom MTB Trails website here for details
British woman Sarm Heslop's boyfriend and the last person believed to have seen her alive before she went missing was previously arrested for domestic violence after allegedly breaking his ex wife's teeth.

American yachtsman Captain Ryan Bane, 44, was arrested in 2011 and charged with simple assault against his then-wife Cori Stevenson, according to Crime Online.

Speaking to DailyMail.com, Stevenson's fiance detailed how Bane allegedly broke her teeth during one violent confrontation.

'He must have beat her up 100 times while they were together,' fiance Ralph Carpenter told DailyMail.com.

Court records show Bane was jailed for 21 days in 2011 after leaving her bloodied and with a chipped tooth following a row.

Stevenson, 43, told police in Oakland County, near Detroit in Michigan, that she was dragged out of their truck before having her head slammed into the ground in the night-time attack.

And, she told police, her husband had been violent before. The police report said: 'She states that Ryan has been becoming increasingly verbally abusive toward her, and that he has been physically abusive one time previously.

'She states that this incident happened about six months ago, that the incident went unreported, and that it caused her to miss multiple days of work with marks to her face.'

British woman Sarm Heslop, 41, vanished while on board her American boyfriend Ryan Bane's 47ft yacht moored in the Virgin Islands on March 7. The couple are pictured together with his dog Hunter

Bane (left) was arrested in 2011 and charged with simple assault against his then-wife Cori Stevenson (right), according to Crime Online

Bane and Stevenson met in Michigan and she says that his demeanor completely changed after their 2008 wedding. She said she ended their honeymoon early because she feared for her safety.

The couple divorced in 2014 and Bane moved to the Caribbean in 2015.

In 2011, Bane attacked Stevenson after the pair attended a wedding party and argued on the way home, according to a police report.

The report added: 'Ryan continually got frustrated with her asking for directions while he was trying to sleep.' When they got home at 5am, 'Ryan grabbed her and dragged her out of the truck,' officers wrote.

'Ryan grabbed her in the dining room, threw her to the ground, and smashed her head in to the floor, chipping one of her teeth.'

Police said there were clear signs of a struggle, noting that Stevenson's 'right tooth had a chip out of it, her right ear lobe was bloody and scratched, her right shoulder and side of her neck showed red scratches...'.

Bane was taken to police cells before appearing in court charged with domestic violence. Despite having told officers he was 'defending himself', he pleaded guilty and was jailed for 21 days.

In 2013 he was jailed again, for ten days, for violating his two-year probation. He had been ordered not to contact his wife.

Stevenson now says that she is communicating with the Virgin Islands police about Bane's past and has provided authorities with court documents related to their marriage and divorce.

Speaking to DailyMail.com, Stevenson and her new fiance Carpenter say that they suspect foul play in Heslop's disappearance.

The couple said that Bane's father has flown to the Virgin Islands to be with his son.

Stevenson and her new fiance Ralph Carpenter (pictured together left) tell DailyMail.com that they suspect foul play in Heslop's disappearance (right)

On Sunday March 7, Heslop vanished from Bane's 47ft yacht, the Siren Song, moored off the coast of St John in the U.S. Virgin Islands and hasn't been seen since.

According to Bane, the couple had been for dinner in a restaurant, leaving at 10pm in line with the local Covid curfew and taking their dinghy back to the vessel, anchored 120ft from secluded Frank Bay.

They went to sleep, Bane says, and when he woke at 2am after his yacht's anchor alarm sounded, Heslop had gone.

Bane called the Coast Guard's San Juan station reporting that 'his girlfriend may have fallen' from the yacht.

Police searching for the missing 41-year-old from Southampton, England have been scouring land and sea off the island of St John, where the yacht was moored.

But the officers have been stopped from stepping foot on the Siren Song by Bane who is not cooperating.

Virgin Islands Police Department (VIPD) spokesman Toby Derima said officers had performed an 'initial land search', adding on the BBC: 'Soon after reporting Ms Heslop missing, Mr Bane acquired the services of an attorney.

'Upon his attorney's advice, Mr Bane exercised his constitutional right to remain silent and denied officers' requests to search the vessel.'

It has been widely reported that Bane, who is still on board Siren Song, waited almost ten hours to report his girlfriend missing.

His lawyer, David Cattie, has said this is 'categorically false' and that, in fact, Ryan called the police at 2.30am after discovering she had disappeared.

Police searching for the missing 41-year-old from Southampton, England have been scouring land and sea off the island of St John, where the yacht was moored

A search of land and sea was undereway by the police and an army of local volunteers. Their efforts have dredged up no discoveries as to Sarms whereabouts. Pictured is the Siren Song catamaran

But while Heslop's friends have launched desperate appeals for information, Bane has yet to speak publicly about her, save for a brief statement that was released through his lawyer.

'Mr Bane's only hope is that Sarm is found alive and well,' it read.

'His thoughts and prayers are with Sarm and her family... Mr Bane has spent countless hours searching for Sarm, and will continue to do so. Ryan is devastated that Sarm is missing.'

This comes as a friend of Heslop's in the UK said they were told that her phone, passport and belongings had all been left behind on the yacht.

The friend added: 'We would like to thank all the local community for their support in searching for Sarm both on water and land.

'They have been so amazing but we urge them not to give up until she is found or we have more information.'

Heslop's friends insist they are not 'pointing fingers' at Bane but are calling on the American, who moved to the Caribbean in 2015, 'to provide as many details as possible'

She was on board the Siren Song with American yachtsman, Captain Ryan Bane. He has yet to speak publicly about her, except for a brief statement that was released through his lawyer

Heslop's friends insist they are not 'pointing fingers' at Bane but are calling on the American, who moved to the Caribbean in 2015, 'to provide as many details as possible'.

Heslop is described as a slim woman with a southern English accent and a tattoo on her left shoulder.

Police spokesman Toby Derima said: 'Divers from various law enforcement agencies have searched hundreds of square feet of water for Heslop.

Volunteers from the Virgin Islands have also scoured the area around Cruz Bay during daylight hours, police said.
Taoiseach Micheal Martin said he is against the EU placing export bans on Covid-19 vaccines, describing it as a retrograde step.

Mr Martin also reiterated that it was vital that vaccine supply chains remain open.

But he said the UK should engage with the EU and reciprocate on vaccine flow.

EU leaders will meet later this week to consider export controls on the movement of EU-manufactured vaccines out of the EU.

Im very much against it, Mr Martin told RTE Radio 1s News at One.

Use of the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine has been restarted after a temporary pause. The AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine is safe and effective. Go to your appointment if this vaccine is offered to you. Visit: https://t.co/cCTPQAmaeF#HoldFirm #CovidVaccine pic.twitter.com/69wiIwpveO  HSE Ireland (@HSELive) March 22, 2021

I think it would be a very retrograde step. Ive met all of the companies and its absolutely vital that we keep supply chains.

If you take the Pfizer vaccine, 280 materials are going to making the Pfizer vaccine, 86 suppliers supply those materials from 19 countries around the world.

You start putting up barriers, other countries may follow suit in terms of some of those vital raw materials that are required.

If we start that we are in trouble.

Mr Martin said the UK needed to stop the argy bargy and engage with the EU.

The European Union has played this straight and I think the UK needs to reciprocate in terms of vaccines manufactured in the UK, particularly AstraZeneca vaccines, and stop the argy bargy and get down to reality of the situation, which is that AstraZeneca vaccines manufactured in Europe had been facilitated to go to Britain, he said.

You start putting up barriers, other countries may follow suit in terms of some of those vital raw materials that are required Taoiseach Micheal Martin

That needs to be acknowledged by the UK side and, in my view, reciprocated to some degree.

European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen, who has come under pressure over the EUs relatively poor vaccine rollout, said the EU had the power to forbid doses from leaving the bloc.

Her comments reflect growing frustration that the EU is not getting the supplies it expected from the Anglo-Swedish pharmaceutical giant AstraZeneca, which is manufacturing the Oxford vaccine.

But UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson has said he does not think the European Union wants to block vaccine exports from reaching the UK.

On Monday Mr Johnson said he was reassured, talking to EU partners over the last few months, that they do not want to see blockades.

Their turn having come, President Higgins and Sabina were grateful to receive their first COVID-19 vaccination from their local GP on Friday.  President of Ireland (@PresidentIRL) March 22, 2021

He is due to hold further conversations with his EU counterparts ahead of the EUs virtual summit on Thursday.

Meanwhile, President Michael D Higgins and his wife Sabina have received their first doses of the coronavirus vaccine, it has been confirmed.

A statement posted on Twitter on Monday said: Their turn having come, President Higgins and Sabina were grateful to receive their first COVID-19 vaccination from their local GP on Friday.
ALBANY  Starting Tuesday morning, any New Yorker age 50 and older will be eligible to sign up for COVID-19 vaccinations, Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo announced.

Cuomo delivered a Monday speech at Grace Baptist Church in Mount Vernon, announcing an initiative he called the "Roll Up Your Sleeve Campaign."

The state will provide vaccines to churches, synagogues, mosques and other religious facilities that can partner with local health organizations to vaccinate people at the religious facilities. The goal of this initiative is to expand the vaccine distribution network and to bolster public trust in the vaccines. Cuomo said he thinks endorsement from religious leaders for the vaccines could bring more trust than the endorsements of political leaders or others.

The Capital Region has already seen vaccinations done at churches, temples and mosques in tandem with local health departments and pharmacies.

Members of the press were not allowed inside the church and the governor took no questions, although he had a conference call later where he took some questions from select media outlets. Cuomo has not taken questions on-camera in weeks, and he has not taken questions in-person  where his aides are unable to control who gets called on  in months.

Over the last several weeks, the governor has hosted several events at Black churches, flanked by Black clergy, as Cuomo seeks to outlast the calls for his resignation in the wake of the nursing home and alleged sexual harassment scandals that he faces. Polling has suggested that Black voters have stood by Cuomo more so than white voters thus far.

The governor has loosened restrictions on restaurants, casinos and microclusters, and has opened up vaccine eligibility, over the last few weeks. He points to low positivity rates  they are roughly in line with New York's from a month ago  as well as low hospitalization and death numbers, while political critics say Cuomo may be loosening restrictions as a way to prop up his own popularity.

Republican legislative leaders held a press conference at the state Capitol Monday afternoon calling on the Democrats to repeal Cuomo's curfew on restaurants and the executive order that require patrons to purchase food when they buy beverages.

"Are we really supposed to believe that casinos and pool halls are safe from COVID after 11 p.m., but not restaurants? Or that having a cheeseburger on the table keeps us safe from the virus?" said Assemblyman Jarett Gandolfo. The purpose of the governor's orders is to stop crowds from gathering and socializing at bars, Cuomo has said, which the Republicans did not acknowledge.

Cuomo has said his office is reviewing the curfew on restaurants and would have an announcement about it in April. Republicans are frustrated that while Democrats in the Legislature made headlines by rolling back Cuomo's emergency powers, the governor still has a lot of authority over managing the state's response to COVID-19.

The statewide positivity rate reported Monday was 4.1 percent, up slightly from recent weeks, but the death count reported was 46, the lowest number since Thanksgiving. Cuomo and his health adviser said variants, including the Brazilian one identified over the weekend in a New York City man, are a concern and could be more dangerous and more transmissable.

About 5 million New Yorkers have received at least one dose of the vaccine, and 2.6 million are fully inoculated.

"Over the last couple weeks, the number has basically been flat in the allocation from the federal government. What you will see in the next couple of weeks is a dramatic increase in the allocation," Cuomo said, particularly if the federal government gives approval to the AstraZeneca shot.
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- Hundreds gathered in Manhattans Chinatown Sunday to denounce shootings at massage businesses in Georgia that left eight people dead, six of whom are Asian, and rally against racism and xenophobioa.

The rally, one of numerous gatherings that took place across the United States this weekend, drew Asian Americans and their allies to Columbus Park in massive numbers, with some participants holding signs that read, Stop Asian Hate and Asians are not viruses.

The Atlanta shootings, which came amid an increase of hate crimes against the Asian community including several incidents in New York, sparked responses from Staten Island officials who vowed to stand beside the boroughs Asian community.

The Asian American Pacific Islander community on Staten Island is an essential part of the fabric of our borough and while we are exceptionally fortunate not to have seen any anti-Asian bias incidents or crimes since the outset of the pandemic, we will not let our guard down, and we will continue to stand with them in the face of bigotry and hatred, said District Attorney Michael E. McMahon.

The Staten Island Not for Profit Association (SINFPA) condemned the killings and vowed to support efforts to raise awareness and share facts, and to end the hatred and fear fueling the violence.

The increase in anti-Asian hate and violence can be tied to the national rhetoric around the origins of the pandemic, said Adrienne Abbate, the SINFPA board chair. There is no place for hate in our work serving the Staten Island community.

A recent Anti-Defamation League report indicated that the distribution of white supremacist propaganda nearly doubled last year compared to 2019  a trend that includes anti-immigrant attacks and pandemic-driven anti-China references related to the coronavirus.

Protesters Dana Liu, center front, and Kexin Huang, right, both of Newton, Mass., display placards during a rally held to support Stop Asian Hate, Sunday, March 21, 2021, in Newton. A gunman has been charged with killing eight people at three Atlanta-area massage parlors in an attack Tuesday, March 16. Seven of the eight people killed in the attacks were women, six were of Asian descent. (AP Photo/Steven Senne) AP

People take part in a rally against hate at Columbus Park on Sunday, March 21, 2021, in New York. (AP Photo/Eduardo Munoz Alvarez) AP

People take part in a rally against hate at Columbus Park in Chinatown, on Sunday, March 21, 2021, in New York. (AP Photo/Eduardo Munoz Alvarez) AP

People take part in a rally against hate and confront the rising violence against Asian Americans at Columbus Park in the Chinatown section of the Manhattan borough of New York, on Sunday, March 21, 2021. (AP Photo/Eduardo Munoz Alvarez) AP

People take part in a rally against hate and confront the rising violence against Asian Americans at Columbus Park in the Chinatown section of Manhattan borough of New York, on Sunday, March 21, 2021. (AP Photo/Eduardo Munoz Alvarez) AP
Kansai Nerolac Paints Ltd. (KNPL), one of the leading paint brands in the country has inaugurated an exclusive art installation, titled Murmurations as a dedication to the city of Chandigarh. The citys first big public installation Murmurations, features 300 birds and was inaugurated under the aegis of Nerolacs novel public outreach programme Nerolac Breathing City at the citys prominent landmark, Matka Chowk by Mr. Manoj Parida, IAS, Advisor, UT Chandigarh in the presence of Mr. Surinder Kaul, Divisional Sales Manager, Kansai Nerolac Paints Ltd. This is the second installation in the Nerolac Breathing City series. Nerolac had earlier successfully unveiled a unique and functional installation in the city of Vishakhapatnam in 2019.

Nerolac Breathing City programme aims to contribute towards creating transformative living spaces that are functional and aesthetically appealing. Under this programme, the brand is looking to draw attention to and promote conversations about the need for better urban spaces, living conditions and public health. Murmurations at Chandigarh visualises the relationship between a group and the individual by mimicking a swarm of 'starlings' which are migratory birds. The artwork poetically illustrates how we, as humans, strive to live autonomously within societies defined by rules and conventions.

Speaking on the occasion, Mr. Anuj Jain, Executive Director, Kansai Nerolac Paints Ltd. said, The Nerolac Breathing City initiative is our endeavour to beautify urban spaces with innovative ideas and unique concepts to drive conversations that are of civic and environmental importance. It reflects our brand purpose of creating environments for a healthy and beautiful future. Murmurations is inspired by The City Beautiful and migratory birds visiting the Sukhna lake every year. The installation bearing 300 birds and covering a total of 2000 sq. ft. has been designed after a meticulous understanding of the context, site, vistas & the heritage values of the chowk. It has been ensured that the view of the vistas and the mountains are not obstructed.

Dr. Sandeep Goyal, Chairman Mogae Group said, The Murmurations installation is a new landmark for The City Beautiful. It is a proud moment for us that the city stands enriched in its beauty and the new artwork is a harbinger of both harmony and peaceful co-existence.

Carol Goyal, Trustee, Kailasham Trust said, Public installations are like the jewels of a city. They add beauty and character to a cityscape. At Kailasham we endeavour to bring art and administration together for better citizenry.

Kansai Nerolac Paints Ltd. (KNPL) has collaborated with Studio Emergence to design and bring alive this unique installation.

Nerolac has also ensured that the clay pot from which Matka Chowk derives its name is retained and its beauty is emphasized by adding a flock of birds around the beautiful water sculpture. This enhances the charm of the Matka and shows how art is ephemeral and constantly changing. It further showcases that new additions do not mean tearing down our old roots but maintaining heritage sculptures and giving them their due respect.

As part of its strong commitment towards nurturing a beautiful and healthy future for our generations to come, the brand has consistently worked towards offering paints which are not merely colour but care for family and society through product interventions with pioneering steps such as making paints lead free, low VOC (volatile organic compounds), fungal resistant and anti-bacterial paints etc. in vibrant colours. Early this year, Kansai Nerolac Paints Ltd. launched its campaign, Aaj Careful Toh Kal Colourful with an intent to underline the importance of taking necessary precautions in the current Covid-19 situation to ensure a colourful future.
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Urban Company, India and the UAEs largest tech-enabled home services marketplace, has open-sourced a specially crafted ESOP (employee stock ownership plan) policy for startups in collaboration with MyStartupEquity, a platform of venture capital firm LetsVenture.

Urban Company, which is backed by Accel Partners, Ratan Tata, and Flipkart CEO Kalyan Krishnamurthy, said the framework is available free. With ESOP implementation generally being a tedious process, the framework aims to guide startups and other on structuring terms and conditions.

Abhiraj Bhal, co-founder of Urban Company, said the firm has created value for its employees through ESOPs, conducting three secondary sales in less than six years for existing employees worth nearly $8 million.

We believe a robust, employee-friendly ESOP programme is one of the pivotal pillars in attracting and retaining talent and building team morale, said Bhal. We now want to extend this framework to budding entrepreneurs and lend a helping hand in their entrepreneurial journey.

The framework can be used and modified by or startups while building their ESOP policy. This framework is a legally vetted document and the cornerstone of the policy is having simple vesting terms, a reasonable exercise price on options and a generous exercise period. The framework also comes with easy to use templates for grant and exercise letters.

Sanjay Jha, co-founder and chief product officer at MyStartup Equity said, talent is the most important growth driver for a startup. Therefore, he said its not only important to attract top talent but also to retain and reward them.

We have seen play a very important role here, said Jha. This ESOP framework helps startups in India adopt not only an employee-friendly policy but also addresses the interests of the companys side as well.

Urban Company, in six years, has conducted three secondary share sales giving its employees a benefit of about $8 million. The companys last ESOP secondary sale was held in August 2020, when 180-plus eligible employees participated and each ESOP was valued at Rs 110,000.

Under the new programme, employees have the option of liquidating their vested on friendly terms. These include an exercise price of Re 1, accelerated vesting, a flat 4-year vesting schedule (25 per cent each year) and an infinite hold period to exercise the after the employee exits the company.
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Although it was hardly surprising, President Joe Bidens moratorium on new oil and gas leasing on federal lands announced his first week in office sent shock waves through the industry, along with states like New Mexico where oil and gas is a major economic engine  both in private sector activity and the revenue it generates for state coffers.

Biden, in seeking to fulfill climate change commitments to environmental activists who are an energetic part of his base, said the pause was needed to allow for a thorough review of federal policies. That goes down easy if you are in Washington (non-oil-and-gas state with zero fracking) or Vermont (no known frackable gas reserves). Its a lot harder if you are in New Mexico, Texas, Wyoming or any major producing state.

Responses to Bidens announcement were varied. Texas threatened to sue. Wyoming quickly asked for a waiver. The Western Governors Association asked for consultations. While some responses fell along predictable party lines, this one didnt: Now is not the time to jeopardize American jobs, or the critical tax and royalty revenues federal leases generate for local, state and federal government. That was signed by four Democrats in the Texas congressional delegation  Reps. Henry Cuellar of Laredo, Lizzie Fletcher of Houston, Vicente Gonzalez of McAllen and Marc Veasey of Fort Worth.

Republican U.S. Rep. Yvette Herrell, who represents the southeastern New Mexico oil patch, is critical of the move. Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham and her fellow Democrats in our congressional delegation havent criticized the pause but have strongly cautioned it cant go on too long or be too restrictive.

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The governor put her cards on the table last week. She said in a letter to Biden that New Mexico could lose nearly three quarters of $1 billion over the next few years if theres even a modest reduction of oil and gas production due to federal government curbs. With more than half of all oil and gas wells in New Mexico on federal land, the governor noted any changes to leasing and permitting would disproportionately affect the state and push producers to states like Texas where there are more opportunities on private land.

Those shifts would not only cause economic harm to New Mexico, but would actually lead to increased emissions by shifting productions to areas that have not adopted our strict environmental standards. This, she told the president, runs counter to our shared climate goals.

She acknowledged about one-third of the states general fund revenue is generated by the industry and shutting off the revenue spigot would have a serious impact on the states ability to achieve goals like universal access to early childhood education  part of a strategy to turn the tide in a state plagued by high poverty rates and poor educational outcomes.

The governor talked about the states Energy Transition Act and its timeline for getting away from fossil fuels for electricity, a clean fuel standard and a statewide greenhouse gas reduction target laid out in one of her executive orders.

New Mexico, she argues, should get credit for being a good soldier in the climate change wars. Presumably this would be flexibility on new leasing and drilling on federal lands here. We need the money, she argues, to support what her administration is trying to do. That has to include building a bridge to cleaner energy vs. taking the state over a revenue cliff.

We still dont know exactly what will happen next. Is there a way to get credit and therefore more leeway as the governor suggests? Meanwhile the Associated Press reports the Interior Department would resume the standard permitting process for activities on public lands and noted even Sens. Martin Heinrich and Ben Ray Lujan welcomed that news as they had said earlier any extension beyond 60 days would have significant consequences for New Mexico.

Whatever the process is, it will be under the ultimate direction of new Interior Secretary Deb Haaland, who until last week represented New Mexicos 1st Congressional District.

The governor is crystal clear anything resembling a significant reduction or permanent moratorium will have a devastating impact on New Mexicos economy and funding she says is essential to address our last-in-most-everything rankings. Lets hope her approach finds a receptive audience with the new secretary and her boss. Otherwise, as the governor artfully emphasizes, this state is in for some very difficult times.

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.
Many irregular migrants who fail to enter Europe settle in Libya, but this journey towards the North, most often turns into a nightmare.



Statistics from the Ghana Immigration Service (GIS) reveal only five per cent of all migrants who attempt to enter Europe through the Sahara Desert and the Mediterranean Sea are able to reach their destination.



Unfortunately, the remaining 95 per cent ends up in detention camps and prisons, while others die of thirst, hunger, human abuse and torture on the desert.



Scenarios

Many African migrants also die through accidents on the high seas by drowning.

Despite dangers associated with the perilous journey, many young people contemplate traveling, and in fact find possible and all available means to go abroad and seek greener pastures.



Traveling abroad in general is not a bad idea; the big question however, is how potential migrants consider travelling outside their home country  either through appropriate or inappropriate routes.



EU-IOM Joint Initiative Project

Thanks to the European Union (EU) for its intervention towards supporting returnees to be reintegrated in the Ghanaian society.



The EU is funding the International Organisation for Migration (IOM-Ghana), implementing the EU Emergency Trust Fund for Africa to strengthen the protection and reintegration of migrants in Ghana.



Titled EU-IOM Joint Initiative for Migrants Protection and Reintegration; Ghana, is making a significant impact on the lives of returnees in the country.



Objectives

The overall objective of the project is to contribute to strengthening the governance of migration and ensuring sustainable reintegration of returning migrants in Ghana.



One of the core pillars of the initiative is Awareness Raising about the risks of irregular migration and the opportunities that are available in Ghana for youth.



Through its awareness raising activities, the project aims at influencing the decision-making of returning migrants, potential (irregular) migrants, as well as family members in the communities of origin who provide support to migration decisions.



The aim is to inform them about the risks of irregular migration, and legal channels of migration, and to foster better understanding between migrants/returnees and their societies.



Inspiring stories

I migrated to Libya, where I suffered badly. Luckily, I came back home and I was able to set up a shop. Today, Im making a profit selling groceries, a returnee shares her story on condition of anonymity.



Another potential migrant only known as Leticia from Takoradi narrating her story said she considered migrating to Europe by irregular means, but joined the National Vocational Training Institute when a close relation motivated her.



I learned from the returnees on the programme about the inhuman treatment they faced on their journey. Today, I am a licensed forklift operator and have the opportunity to make a living in Ghana, Leticia said.



For Adam Hamidu from Kumasi, he migrated to Libya because of financial difficulties. I faced a depressing situation there than in Ghana. Today I am working to develop my business, and with the sales I hope to support my family and brother.



The situation in Ghana may not be the best. But it is better to use your savings that you intend to spend to travel to Libya, to rather start a business.



It is not worth it to suffer like I did. Traveling irregularly is one of the biggest mistakes anyone can make, Kesse, another returnee in Techiman stated.



For Emmanuel in Kumasi, he spent a year and a half and over GH 8,000 trying to reach Italy.



I survived a shipwreck on the Mediterranean Sea. The horrors I experienced are still vivid in my memories. But today, I am optimistic about my future as I focus on rebuilding my life.



No Place like Home Campaign

The campaign No Place like Home implemented by the IOM-Ghana builds on the testimonies of hundreds of Ghanaians who have left their country in search for greener pastures.



Its purpose is to inform the youth on the risks of irregular migration and on opportunities available in Ghana.



While the campaign aims at raising awareness, it also aims at giving hope to all those who returned to Ghana; letting them know they can reintegrate into their communities successfully and that their return can benefit the entire society.



It further promotes sustainable reintegration back home by encouraging communities to embrace returnees and not stigmatize them.



Throwing more light on the EU-IOM project, Mr Collins Yeboah, the Community Outreach Officer, IOM-Ghana explained the project had supported 1,800 Ghanaians to return to their home country.



Majority of the returnees are from Bono, Bono East, Ahafo, Greater Accra, Ashanti and Western regions, with increasing cases of high returns in the Northern region, with over six per cent returns.



MICs

Considering the high returns, Mr Yeboah explained the EU-IOM project has supported the Ghana Immigration Service (GIS) to set up and commissioned Migration Information Centres (MICs) in Tamale, Accra and Sunyani.



The MICs provide returnees and prospective migrants with accurate and reliable information on migration for them to make informed migratory decisions.



They also facilitate and empower migrants to travel in a legal, voluntary and protected way, he said, adding plans were far advanced to set up another MIC in Takoradi to serve potential migrants with the same services in the Western Region.



Mr Yeboah explained the project had rolled-out a series of training sessions to build the capacities of GIS officers attached to the MICs on safe migration and Information and Communication Technology to empower officers to exert their mandate effectively and professionally.



The main objective of this training is to build the awareness raising and IT capacity of MIC Officers in Tamale, Sunyani and Takoradi to be able to undertake and manage information campaigns, he added.



Highlighting some achievements, the Deputy Commissioner of Immigration (DCI) Eric Afari, the Bono Regional of the GIS, explained since the MICs were established in 2016 the number of migrants returnees from Libya had reduced from 18,512 in 2011 to 4,031 in 2017 and further dropped to 741 in 2018.



It is also significant to note that of the 2011 figure, 52 per cent of the returnees came from Bono, Bono East and Ahafo Regions. This figure reduced to 39 per cent (1,562) in 2017, and further dropped to 38 per cent (284) in 2018, he said.



The dramatic reduction of the number of returnees are partly due to the impact of the consistent sensitization campaigns of the MICs, which serve as reference points for potential migrants to verify the genuineness of their traveling documents.



While commending the EU and the IOM-Ghana for the establishment of the MCIs, DCI Afari urged the youth to access the centres, and desist from migrating through irregular routes to Europe to save their lives.

Source: GNA









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Swiss regulators on Monday gave the green light to Johnson & Johnson's Covid-19 vaccine, after already authorising the jabs made by Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna

Geneva, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 22nd Mar, 2021 ) :Swiss regulators on Monday gave the green light to Johnson & Johnson's Covid-19 vaccine, after already authorising the jabs made by Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna.

The Swissmedic regulatory authority said in a statement that it had authorised the use of the vaccine, which has the advantages of being a single-shot jab that can be stored with regular refrigeration rather than at ultra-cold temperatures.

"Following a careful review of all the submitted documentation, Swissmedic has granted the 'Covid-19 Vaccine Janssen' temporary authorisation," it said.

"This brings to three the number of vaccines officially authorised for distribution in Switzerland for the prevention of Covid-19," it said, adding that the jab could be used for those over the age of 18.

Switzerland was the first country on continental Europe to start using the Pfizer-BioNTech jab, and it has also signed off on another mRNA vaccine, produced by Moderna.

It has, however, not yet authorised the use of the AstraZeneca vaccine, saying last month that it would wait for more data on the "safety, efficacy and quality" of that jab.

The Johnson & Johnson vaccine has shown an overall efficacy of 66.9 percent in clinical trials, but has proved more effective among older people and was shown to be 85 percent effective against serious illness.

Swissmedic also highlighted the fact that the vaccine had proven to be effective against more contagious variants of the virus first detected in Brazil and South Africa.

The vaccine has already been approved by the World Health Organization, the European Union, the United States, Canada and South Africa, among others.

Like much of Europe, Switzerland is bracing for a third wave of infections, and last week decided to postpone plans to loosen restrictions.

The country of 8.6 million people has to date counted more than 580,000 cases of Covid-19 and nearly 9,500 deaths.

So far, nearly 1.2 million vaccine doses have been administered in the country, and over 433,000 people have been fully vaccinated.
" " The late paleobiologist Zofia Kielan-Jaworowska's research is behind much of what we know about the early evolution of mammals. HowStuffWorks

Scattered bones called out to her. On July 9, 1965, a visiting scientist  the late Zofia Kielan-Jaworowska  took a stroll through the Mongolian Gobi Desert. Little did she know she was about to discover one of the weirdest non-avian dinosaurs known to mankind.

Her 2013 book "In Pursuit of Early Mammals" describes the scene:

One rainy day, very rare in the Gobi Desert during summer, I was walking alone along the gullies... and found an unusual skeleton consisting of complete forelimbs and a shoulder girdle of enormous size, along with fragmentary ribs.

Strewn across a desert hill, the giant fossilized arms were unlike anything paleontologists had ever seen before. Each of these three-fingered limbs measured about 8.2 feet (2.5 meters) long. Impressed scientists named the animal Deinocheirus, which means "horrible hand."

From 1963 through 1971, Kielan-Jaworowska led several joint Polish-Mongolian Field Expeditions through the Gobi. The discovery of Deinocheirus in '65 was among their many highlights.

By the 1960s, Kielan-Jaworowska's name was well-known to scientists around the world. A preeminent paleontologist in her native Poland, she'd pursued her education at great personal risk during World War II.

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Research and Resistance

Born Zofia Kielan in Sokoow Podlaski, Poland, on April 25, 1925, she was 14 years old when Germany invaded her homeland during the fall of 1939, setting off World War II. German troops would continue to occupy Poland until January 1945.

Wanting a subservient workforce, the Nazis segregated learning institutions. Non-Germans living in Polish territory were barred from receiving secondary or higher educations.

Yet there were those who defied the edict. From her 2013 book:

[At] the risk of the death penalty, Poles organized a clandestine countrywide system of education at all levels. High school teachers and university professors continued to give lessons and lectures in private homes. Gradually, a secret network of instruction was established, constituting part of the Polish resistance.

Starting in 1943, Kielan-Jaworowska took covert classes through the University of Warsaw. She chose to study zoology.

Earlier in the war, Kielan-Jaworowska had joined a resistance organization known as the "Grey Ranks." They trained her to become a medic; she'd put those skills into practice during the Warsaw Uprising of 1944, a failed attempt to oust the German invaders for good.

" " Kielan-Jaworowska led seven dinosaur excavation expeditions into the Gobi Desert, including one in which she discovered the "fighting dinosaurs" fossil. The fossil, which is a Velociraptor and Protoceratops preserved in a deadly fight, is considered a national treasure of Mongolia. Wikimedia/(CC BY-SA 4.0)

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A Rising Star

Kielan-Jaworowska credited Roman Kozowski (1889-1977) with kindling her interest in prehistoric life.

A distinguished paleontologist, Kozowski became one of Kielan-Jaworowska's professors in 1945, after the University of Warsaw resumed normal operations.

Poland has an abundance of marine invertebrate fossils. Ergo, most of Kielan-Jaworowska's early research focused on trilobites, ancient creatures related to horseshoe crabs. While studying these bug-like critters, she earned her Ph.D. in paleontology from the university in 1953. It was during her graduate school years that she met her future husband, radiobiologist Zigniew Jaworowska. They were introduced during a 1950 mountain-climbing trip and tied the knot eight years later.

The year 1953 saw Kielan-Jaworowska join Kozowski at the Institute of Paleobiology, an organization run by the Polish Academy of Sciences. It was one of the many scientific enterprises that came of age during the Cold War.

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The Politics of Fossil-Hunting

Back in the Roaring '20s, the American Museum of Natural History (AMNH) had organized multiple expeditions through the Mongolian Gobi, a land rich in fossils.

By all metrics, the campaigns were successful. AMNH researchers discovered a whole slew of fascinating "new" dinosaurs (such as the now-famous Velociraptor and Protoceratops) from the Cretaceous Period, a stretch of deep time that lasted between 145 and 66 million years ago.

Then geopolitics intervened. Sandwiched between China and the U.S.S.R., Mongolia emerged as a Soviet satellite. Few researchers from Western countries were allowed to visit its bountiful dig sites once the Cold War arrived.

But the situation was different for their counterparts behind the Iron Curtain, as Kielan-Jaworowska found out.

Paleontologist and science communicator Donald Prothero explored Kielan-Jaworowska's career in his book, "The Story of the Dinosaurs in 25 Discoveries: Amazing Fossils and the People Who Found Them."

"She [Kielan-Jaworowska] took advantage of the fact that, although Outer Mongolia was under Soviet domination and closed to western scientists, Polish scientists could get permission and funding," Prothero says via email.

" " This artist's rendering shows what the Deinocheirus dinosaur might have looked like. Kielan-Jaworowska discovered the first skeleton of a Deinocheirus in the Gobi Desert in 1965. Elena Duvernay/Stocktrek Images/Getty Images/Stocktrek Images

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The Desert Beckons

Kielan-Jaworowska became the Institute of Paleobiology's director in 1961, the year after Kozowski retired.

These two scientists weren't done collaborating, however. Kozowski hatched the idea of organizing a series of collaborative Polish-Mongolian paleontology expeditions through the Gobi. At his suggestion, Kielan-Jaworowska wrote a detailed proposal for three such journeys.

Both the Polish and Mongolian Academies of Science signed off on the project. Kielan-Jaworowska was chosen to be the initiative's lead scientist and its chief organizer.

Annalisa Berta is a paleontologist at San Diego State University who specializes in whale evolution. She also co-wrote the book "Rebels, Scholars, Explorers: Women in Vertebrate Paleontology" with Susan Turner.

As Berta says via email, these Gobi Desert adventures made Kielan-Jaworowska "the first woman to lead a dinosaur excavation expedition."

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Gems of the Gobi

There were eight Polish-Mongolian expeditions in total; Kielan-Jaworowska led seven of them.

Besides Deinocheirus, Prothero says the participants unearthed "lots of tyrannosaurs called Tarbosaurus. They found huge sauropods, and many different kinds of 'bone headed' dinosaurs, or pachycephalosaurs... a bunch of primitive horned dinosaurs (Ceratopsia), and lots of ostrich dinosaurs (ornithomimids), including the famous Gallimimus from Jurassic Park. The list goes on and on." Her team shipped back at least 20 tons of fossils to Poland in 1965 alone.

Two particular dinosaurs stood out. In 1971, an expedition member by the name of Andrzej Sulimski noticed a beautiful Velociraptor skeleton. As the group dug it up, a second tail appeared. It turned out this raptor's fossilized body was intertwined with that of a plant-eating Protoceratops.

Now internationally famous, those "fighting dinosaurs" are housed at a museum in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, the nation's capital.

Even the best-planned journeys carry unexpected risks. During the last of the Polish-Mongolian expeditions, Kielan-Jaworowska ruptured her left eardrum and went home to Poland on the advice of a local doctor. Three weeks later, she flew back to the Gobi.

" " Kielan-Jaworowska continued researching and publishing up until her death at age 89. She published "In Pursuit of Early Mammals" in 2013, and "Mammals from the Age of Dinosaurs" was published 25 years after the first collection. Wikimedia/(CC BY-SA 2.0)

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Our Place in Nature

"As fossils from the expeditions came pouring in, she navigated Cold War roadblocks to establish ties with leading Western scholars, notably those in Britain, France and the United States," Berta says of Kielan-Jaworowska. "She built an impressive science network from her hub in Warsaw that extended throughout the world."

Although Kielan-Jaworowska began her career as an invertebrate specialist, her attention later shifted to prehistoric mammals.

"Before her work, most Cretaceous mammals were only known from a few jaws and some teeth," explains Prothero. "She found dozens of complete skulls and skeletons of nearly all the major groups of mammals that were around in the Late Cretaceous."

Beyond that, Kielan-Jaworowska changed the way scientists view some important lineages. Deltatheridium  a rat-sized mammal that coexisted with Velociraptor  was originally considered a placental mammal. But newer specimens Kielan-Jaworowska and her teams brought to light indicated the creature was more akin to marsupials.

Kielan-Jaworowska died in Warsaw March 13, 2015, just a few weeks shy of her 90th birthday. Glowing obituaries appeared in the journals "Nature" and "Acta Palaeontologica Polinica," with both publications calling her "a peerless role model."

"She set in motion a remarkable new age of exploration and discovery," Berta says. If there are any budding young dinosaur enthusiasts in your life, you'd do well to tell them her story.

HowStuffWorks may earn a small commission from affiliate links in this article.

NOW THAT'S INTERESTING Another female paleontologist who took part in the Polish-Mongolian expeditions was Halszka Osmolska (1930-2008), an expert on meat-eating dinosaurs. In 2017, a bizarre semiaquatic predator from the Late Cretaceous was named Halzkaraptor in her honor.
Maharashtra, Punjab, Karnataka, Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh are reporting a surge in daily COVID-19 cases and together they account for 80.5 per cent of the total new cases registered in the last 24 hours, informed the union health ministry on Monday.

In the last 24 hours 46,951 new cases were registered and out of these, 84.49 per cent are reported from Maharashtra, Punjab, Kerala, Karnataka, Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh.

According to the health ministry, Maharashtra reported the highest daily new cases at 30,535 (65.03 per cent), followed by Punjab with 2,644 and Kerala with 1,875 new cases.

"India's total active caseload has reached 3,34,646 today. India's present active caseload now stands at 2.87 per cent of India's total positive cases. A net incline of 25,559 cases has been added to the total active caseload in the last 24 hours," the ministry informed.

The daily positivity rate (7-day average) currently stands at 3.70 per cent whereas eight states and union territories have a weekly positivity rate more than the national average.

"India's cumulative recoveries stand at 1,11,51,468 today. The national recovery rate is 95.75 per cent. 21,180 recoveries were registered in the last 24 hours. On the other hand, 212 deaths were reported in the last 24 hours," it said.

Six states account for 85.85 per cent of the new deaths. Maharashtra saw the maximum casualties (99). Punjab follows with 44 daily deaths and Kerala reported13 deaths in the last 24 hours.

The case fatality rate currently stands at 1.37 per cent and is continuously declining.

Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Uttarakhand, Lakshadweep, Sikkim, Ladakh (UT), Daman and Diu, Dadra and Nagar Haveli, Meghalaya, Manipur, Tripura, Nagaland, Mizoram, Andaman and Nicobar Islands and Arunachal Pradesh did not report any COVID-19 deaths in the last 24 hours.

On the other hand, the total vaccination coverage in India has crossed the 4.5-crore mark.

More than 4.50 crore (4,50,65,998) vaccine doses have been administered through 7,33,597 sessions, as per the provisional report till 7 am today. These include 77,86,205 HCWs (first dose), 48,81,954 HCWs (second dose), 80,95,711 FLWs (first dose) and 26,09,742 FLWs (second Dose), 37,21,455 beneficiaries aged more than 45 years with specific co-morbidities and 1,79,70,931 beneficiaries aged more than 60 years have also received the 1st Dose.

As on Day-65 of the vaccination drive, a total of 4,62,157 vaccine doses were given. Out of which, 4,49,115 beneficiaries were vaccinated across 8,459 sessions for the first dose (HCWs and FLWs) and 13,042 HCWs and FLWs received the second dose of vaccine.

(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.)
Union Minister on Monday sent a letter to Union Home Minister Amit Shah, demanding President's Rule in Maharashtra.

"A detail investigation should be done in the allegations made by Parambir Singh letter against the Maharashtra Home Minister. The people of Maharashtra have lost their faith in this government over the law and order issue. So, the Maharashtra government should be dissolved and president rule shall be imposed in the state," read a press statement by Athawale.

He also said that he would be meeting Shah in a couple of days and will raise the issue.

Earlier, Shiv Sena, in its mouthpiece 'Saamna', alleged that former Mumbai Police Commissioner Param Bir Singh had written the letter at the behest of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

"If someone is attempting to get president rule imposed in Maharashtra by misusing agencies, then I am warning them- you yourself will get burnt in that fir," Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut had said.

Singh on Saturday alleged that Maharashtra Home Minister Anil Deshmukh had indulged in "malpractices" and asked suspended API Sachin Waze to collect Rs 100 crore every month.

In the letter, Singh, who has now been posted as Commandant General of Home Guards, also said that he has been "made a scapegoat to divert attention from the actual wrongdoers".

He further said that Sachin Vaze, who was heading the Crime Intelligence Unit of the Crime Branch of the Mumbai Police, was called by Deshmukh to his official residence several times in the last few months and "repeatedly instructed to assist in the collection of funds".

The allegations made by Singh came a day after Deshmukh had said that Singh was moved out as Mumbai Police Commissioner so that cases pertaining to Waze were probed without obstruction.

(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.)
Hundreds gather in Atlanta for "Stop Asian Hate" rally

Xinhua) 13:35, March 21, 2021

WASHINGTON, March 20 (Xinhua) -- Hundreds of protesters of all ages and ethnicities gathered Saturday in Atlanta, Georgia, to protest hate crimes against Asian Americans, days after multiple shootings in and around the city killed eight people, among whom six were Asian women.

The protest, which saw demonstrators march from Woodruff Park to the State Capitol, was billed as a #StopAsianHate event calling on people to "come together to grieve, heal and support."

The crowd was heard chanting slogans including "Stop Asian hate!" and "We are what America looks like," as they proceeded and ultimately gathered at Liberty Plaza beneath Georgia's Gold Dome. The demonstrators were also waving American flags and carrying posters that read "We are not the virus," among others.

In front of the State Capitol, Georgia's two newly-elected senators, Raphael Warnock and Jon Ossoff, led the crowd in a moment of silence.

"I just wanted to drop by to say to my Asian sisters and brothers, 'We see you, and, more importantly, we are going to stand with you," said Warnock, calling for a "reasonable gun reform."

Warnock, Georgia's first African-American senator, was joined by Ossoff, who said, "Let us build a state and a nation where no one lives in fear because of who they are or where they or their family come from."

Robert Aaron Long, 21, a white man, admitted to police that he had killed four people inside two spas in Atlanta and four others at a massage parlor in suburban Cherokee County on Tuesday. Six of the eight victims were women of Asian descent.

Police are still working to establish a motive, including looking into whether racism played a role in the slayings and if the attacks can be classified as hate crimes.

"No matter how you want to spin it, the facts remain the same: This was an attack on the Asian community," said Georgia state Representative Bee Nguyen, the first Vietnamese American to serve in the Georgia House.

Noting that the shooter targeted businesses run by Asian Americans, Nguyen said, "Let's join hands with our ally community and demand justice for not only these victims, but for all victims of white supremacy."

President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris traveled to Atlanta Friday, meeting with Asian-American community leaders there and imploring the American people to stand up to and speak out against hate directed at Asian Americans.
The NPP Greater Accra Regional Youth Organizer, Hon. Moses Abor engaged all Constituency youth organizers within the region at the Accra Mayor's residence to discuss pertinent matters ahead of the 2024 elections on March 17, 2021.



Hon. Moses Abor is of the view that the victory that lies ahead in "breaking the 8-year Jinx" for the upcoming 2024 elections will essentially be based on the fact that the party starts to work assiduously now at the Grassroot level. It is therefore important we move away from just repeating our zeal of 'breaking the 8' just by word of mouth with no action or work done to back our quest.



Hence, Hon. Moses Abor has admonished all Constituency youth organizers in the region not to rest until 2023 but rather start the work now ahead of the 2024 elections to maximize our efforts at securing more seats in Greater Accra Region.



Together with his team, The Regional Youth Organizer will be hitting the grounds soon as the work starts now in mobilizing the Grassroots to break the 8-year jinx for victory 2024 agenda.

Source: peacefmonline.com









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

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The group has hired Morgan Stanley to conduct a strategic review of its infant formula unit Mead Johnson in Greater China, the sources said

Group PLC ( ) is mulling the sale of its infant formula business in Greater China, in a deal that could value the business at more than $2bn, Reuters reported, citing two people with knowledge of the matter.

The group has hired to conduct a strategic review of its infant formula unit Mead Johnson in Greater China, the sources said.

A sale process could start in the second quarter after the bank gets initial feedback from potential buyers, which include both strategic and private equity firms, the sources said.

Reckitt Benckiser, a leading consumer health and hygiene company, bought the whole of Mead Johnson in 2017 for $17.9 bln in cash and net debt. Mead Johnson has more than 70 products - including infant formula brands Enfamil, Enfapro and Lactum - in over 50 countries.
Dublin Lord Mayor Hazel Chu pictured in the centre of Dublin City. Photograph by Gerry Mooney

Lord Mayor of Dublin and Green Party chairperson Hazel Chu has secured nominations to run as an unofficial Green Party candidate for the Seanad by-election.

Having failed to gain her partys backing in the running, Ms Chu has secured the necessary nine nominations herself from both Green Party and Independent TDs and Senators.

She received nominations from Green Party Minister Catherine Martin, Green TDs Neasa Hourigan, Patrick Costello and Francis Noel Duffy, Green Party junior minister Joe OBrien, Green Party Senator Vincent P Martin, Independent TD Marian Harkin and Independent Senators Lynn Ruane and Eileen Flynn.

Candidates wishing to run for the Seanad by-elections have until tomorrow to gather their nominations.

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There are two vacancies in the Seanad, one on the Agricultural Panel and the other on the Industrial and Commercial Panel. Ms Chu is running for the seat in the Industrial and Commercial Panel.

In a letter to party members, Ms Chu said that there are no rules within Government as to who can run or cannot run or nominate candidates for election.

She said that there are no regulations within the Green Party forbidding anybody from running for a Seanad by election seat, without the backing of the party.

In a statement to Independent.ie, Minister Catherine Martin said that she was delighted to nominate Cllr Chu.

She said that Ms Chu faced a barrier in getting her name on the ballot paper.

I have spoken on countless occasions over the years about the barriers facing womens participation in politics. The barrier that Hazel faced was that of getting her name on the ballot paper as she sought an opportunity to run in this election, she said.

She said that it will come as no surprise that Minister Martin nominated Cllr Chu.

Nominating Hazel reflects the spirit of the Green Party, one that supports and embraces diversity and inclusion in politics.

The by-elections arise because Michael DArcy, a former minister of state at the Department of Finance, controversially resigned last September to take up the post of chief executive of the Irish Association of Investment Managers.

The following month saw the abrupt departure of Sinn Fein senator Elisha McCallion after she was disciplined by her party over the receipt and non-return of 10,000 in Covid business grants in Northern Ireland.

Fianna Fail and Fine Gael, have a deal that should see each take a further seat in the upper house.

The berths formerly belonged to Fine Gael and Sinn Fein, with Leo Varadkars party looking to hold onto a seat while Micheal Martin is aiming to pick up a seat.

Postal voting will be held between April 7-21.

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Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, March 22)  A lawmaker expects the government to lose around 11.5 billion in revenues if it pushes through with slashing tariffs on pork imports.

Ang estima namin mga [Our estimate is around] 11 billion pesos eh," Sen. Francisco Kiko Pangilinan said in a media interview over the weekend on the potential losses.

Collections from imported pork would stand at 13.8 billion at the current 30% in-quota tariff, according to his computations. This is assuming the minimum access volume for hog imports per year is bumped up to 404,210 metric tons from the 50,000 MT in place now.

If the levy on pork product imports is cut to only 5%, government would only be raking in 2.3 billion pesos, he noted. Such estimates are similar to the one given by former solon and current Agriculture Sector Alliance of the Philippines president Nicanor Briones during the Senate Agriculture Committee hearing a month ago, added Pangilinan.

The senator noted this means less financial support for hog raisers. Hog farmers have been bearing the brunt of the African Swine Fever, which had triggered the hundreds of thousands of livestock to curb the spread of the disease.

The countrys pork importation has recently attracted controversy after Sen. Panfilo Ping Lacson sounded the alarm on possible corruption in the issuance of meat import certificates under the MAV scheme, with a syndicate within the Agriculture Department allegedly gaining kickbacks from every kilo of imported products.

The agency, along with the Presidential Anti-Corruption Commission and the Senate, announced separately they would be investigating the said allegations.

The DA has likewise recommended to the Palace the declaration of a state of national emergency as pork supply continues to take a hit from ASF, over a week after the Senate panel urged it to do so.

While the department opted not to release a copy of the draft executive order, Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque earlier said among the recommendations contents is a 1 billion contingency fund for indemnification and hog repopulation for ASF-affected farmers and authority to refocus and realign the agency's current budget to address ASF concerns.
A woman was killed and another injured after a passenger bus crashed into a roadside ditch and tipped over in the northern Vietnamese province of Son La on Sunday.

The accident happened along a section of National Highway No. 6 in Long Luong Commune, Van Ho District at around 6:15 am, according to preliminary information.

Hoang Van Hoa, 37, was driving the passenger bus when he lost control of the vehicle and slammed it into a ditch along the side of the road, causing the bus to tip over and end up on its side.

The vehicle was carrying 19 women at the time of the accident.

A passenger bus tips over after crashing into a roadside ditch in Son La Province, Vietnam, March 21, 2021. Photo: N. Son / Tuoi Tre

One of them was thrown out of the bus during the crash and was killed on the spot.

She was later identified as 25-year-old D.T.H..

Another passenger suffered serious injuries and was rushed to the hospital for emergency treatment.

Police officers have launched an investigation to determine the cause of the crash.

Quick tests revealed that the driver was not under the influence of alcohol or drugs.

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NASA's Ingenuity helicopter has been seen on Mars for the first time, strapped to the belly of the Perseverance rover, ahead of its first flight next month.

The debris shield, covering the small helicopter, was discarded by Perseverance on Sunday, revealing Ingenuity tucked up and stowed sideways under the vehicle.

It was 'folded up and locked in place,' according to NASA, who said there would be 'some reverse origami' required before it can be deployed to the Martian surface.

Perseverance will now begin its 'couple of days' drive to the designated helipad inside the Jezero crater, where Ingenuity will begin its maiden flight.

NASA says it will launch 'no earlier than the first week of April,' at which point they will have 30 days to make the first launch of a helicopter on another world.

NASA's Ingenuity helicopter has been seen on Mars for the first time, strapped to the belly of the Perseverance rover after the debris shield was dropped from the vehicle

NASA's Ingenuity helicopter preps for its 'Wright brothers moment' NASA is set to fly where no one has flown before  Mars' atmosphere. Named Ingenuity, the craft will fly at an altitude that is similar to 100,000 feet on Earth, allowing it to gather geology data in areas the rover can't reach. NASA is comparing this mission 'to the Wright brothers moment,' as it will be the first time in history an aerial vehicle has flown on another world. It will first spend up to 60 days charging strapped to the Perseverance rover, before being released. If it survives the hard -90C Martian night, NASA will make the first flight attempt within 30 days. 'Since the Wright brothers first took to the skies of Kill Devil Hills, North Carolina, December 17, 1903, first flights have been important milestones in the life of any vehicle designed for air travel,' NASA said in a statement Advertisement

Before it can track the first flight of an aircraft on the Red Planet, Perseverance needs to 'drop off' Ingenuity in a clear, safe area that will become the first Martian helipad.

The debris shield was designed to protect the 4lb chopper during the '7 minutes of terror' landing on the Red Planet on more than a month ago February 18, 2021.

Removing the debris shield before making the trip reduces the amount of debris that could cause problems for the helicopter landing back on Mars, says NASA.

Ahead of the first flight the US space agency has also been tracking the weather on Mars to ensure it is safe to fly - much like a pilot on Earth gets a weather forecast.

'The obvious weather we are interested in could be called Atmospheric Weather, but there is also a different kind of weather we care about  Space Weather, which has to do with the fact that Ingenuity is as much a spacecraft as an aircraft,' said NASA.

Atmospheric weather relates to conditions such as air density at flight time, which affects the thrust that can be produced by the rotor. Temperature and wind profiles during the day are also used to estimate the energy required to operate heaters.

Winds at the time of the flight are tied to risks associated with takeoff, landing, and flying in high winds or very gusty conditions.

'All the things that a pilot on Earth would care about too,' the agency wrote.

Ingenuity, a technology demonstration experiment, will be the first aircraft to attempt powered, controlled flight on another planet. Artist impression

'Luckily for Ingenuity, weather forecasting on Mars is in some ways more straightforward than on Earth,' the agency explained.

'The absence of oceans leads to a fairly repeatable pattern and so looking at the weather forecasts and data on the days leading up to the flight informs us on conditions for the actual flight.'

Space weather is linked to the radiation coming from the sun and how that affects Ingenuity, according to NASA, who said everything on Mars is baths in cosmic rays.

The team behind the 4lb chopper are narrowing down on a launch site, that will become the first 'airfield on another world' when Ingenuity makes its maiden flight

The helicopter has a number of components not specifically engineered to cope with the high energy particles coming from our star, NASA has to keep a close eye on solar weather events including coronal mass ejections.

If an event is predicted and will be intense, then it could delay the operation of Ingenuity for a day or two until the surge of particles passes by, said NASA.

Ingenuity, a technology demonstration experiment, will be the first aircraft to attempt powered, controlled flight on another planet.

The exact timing of the first flight will remain fluid as engineers work out details on the timeline for deployments.

Perseverance is continuously sharing new images of the Red Planet, included of the rock-strewn landscape that mission command are using to find a take-off location for Ingenuity.

The rover will deploy the helicopter and provide environmental monitoring and imaging support once a suitable location has been found.

The rover also hosts Ingenuitys base station, enabling communication with mission controllers on Earth.

After it detaches from Perseverance NASA will want to ensure it can charge itself from solar panels and survive the brutal average -90C overnight temperatures found on the Red Planet.

The Perseverance rover has been on Mars for a month, collecting data and finding a location to deploy the Ingenuity helicopter

Before deployment Perseverance will ensure Ingenuity has enough stored energy to maintain heating and other vital functions for its first solo night on Mars, the agency said.

It will also make sure the craft can maintain optimal battery health, as this is all essential to the success of the Mars Helicopter, the space agency explained.

Initially Perseverance gave Ingenuity a 'one-hour power-up' that boosted the rotorcraft's batteries to about 30% of its total capacity.

An illustration of NASAs Ingenuity Helicopter on Mars. The space agency confirmed that the 30 days 'test flight window' for the rotorcraft will begin 'no earlier than the first week of April'

PERSEVERANCE ROVER COMES WITH 23 CAMERAS There are 23 cameras mounted to the Perseverance rover including: Nine engineering cameras, seven science cameras and seven for entry, descent and landing. The engineering cameras give detailed information in colour about the terrain the rover has to cross. They measure the ground for safe driving, check out the status of hardware and support sample gathering. There are Hazcams for hazard detection and Navcams for navigation. Science cameras record in more detail and can even capture 3D images. The Mastcam-Z on a 2 metre arm has a zoom feature for focusing on distant objects and can film video. The Supercam fires a laser at mineral targets beyond the reach of the rovers arm to analysed the chemical composition of the rock. Advertisement

A few days after that, they were charged again to reach 35%, and since then there have been weekly charging sessions.

If Ingenuity succeeds in taking off and hovering during its first flight, over 90% of the project's goals will have been achieved.

If the rotorcraft lands successfully and remains operable, up to four more flights could be attempted, each one building on the success of the last.

'We are in uncharted territory, but this team is used to that,' said MiMi Aung, project manager for the Ingenuity Mars Helicopter at JPL.

'Just about every milestone from here through the end of our flight demonstration program will be a first,' she explained.

Adding that 'each has to succeed for us to go on to the next. We'll enjoy this good news for the moment, but then we have to get back to work.'

Assuming Ingenuity is succesful, future Mars missions are likely to include an aerial component in the form of a rotorcraft - descendants of Ingenuity.

These advanced robotic flying vehicles would offer a unique viewpoint not provided by current orbiters high overhead or by rovers and landers on the ground.

NASA's $2.2 billion Perseverance rover and accompanying helicopter successfully landed on Mars on February 18 following a 239 million-mile journey.

Perseverance touched down at the base of an 820ft-deep (250m) crater called Jezero, a former lake which was home to water 3.5 billion years ago.

The Martian surface is littered with craters but what makes Jezero Crater so special is that it has an inflow and outflow channel, which suggests it was filled with water some 3.5 billion years ago.
Activists in Myanmar have continued their dogged opposition to military rule despite a rising death toll as two more people died in the violence.

The country has been in turmoil since the military overthrew an elected government led by Nobel peace laureate Aung San Suu Kyi on February 1, bringing an end to 10 years of tentative democratic reform.

One man was shot dead and several were wounded when police opened fire on a group setting up a barricade in the central town of Monywa, a doctor there said as a community group issued a call on Facebook for blood donors.

Later, one person was killed and several were wounded when security forces fired on a crowd in the second city of Mandalay.

At least 249 people have now been killed since the coup, according to the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners activist group.

The violence has forced many citizens to think up novel ways to express their rejection of a return to army rule. Protesters in 20 places across the country staged candle-lit protests over the weekend, from the main city of Yangon to small communities in Kachin State in the north, Hakha town in the west and the southernmost town of Kawthaung, according to a tally of social media posts.

Hundreds of people in Mandalay, including many medical staff in white coats, marched in a dawn protest before sunrise yesterday.

Failure of the military regime, our cause our cause ... federal democracy, our cause our cause, the crowd chanted as the sky was beginning to brighten and birds called from trees lining deserted streets.

Protesters in some places were joined by Buddhist monks holding candles while some people used candles to make the shape of the three-fingered protest salute.

Others came out later yesterday, including the crowd in Monywa, where police opened fire.

Sniper, sniper, people can be heard shouting in a video clip shortly after the man was shot in the head and more shots rang out.

State media said yersterday that men on motorbikes attacked a member of the security forces who later died. The military said two policemen were killed in earlier protests.

The junta says a November 8 election won by Ms Suu Kyis party was fraudulent, an accusation rejected by the electoral commission. Military leaders have promised a new election but have not set a date.

Western countries have condemned the coup and the violence. Asian neighbours, who have for years avoided criticising each other, have also begun speaking out. Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore have denounced the use of lethal force and called for the violence to stop.

Indonesia and Malaysia want an urgent meeting of Southeast Asias regional grouping, of which Myanmar is a member, on the crisis.

But the military, which sees itself as the sole guardian of national unity and ruled for nearly 50 years after a 1962 coup, has shown no sign of even considering back-tracking on its seizure of power.

Coup leader General Min Aung Hlaing visited the Coco islands, one of Myanmars most strategically important outposts, 400km south of Yangon, on Saturday and reminded members of the armed force there that their main duty was to defend the country against external threats.
From shutting down unexpectedly to exploding, electronics can wreak havoc when they overheat. A Florida-based company called Protodromics LLC has licensed a NASA technology that takes advantage of a physical force called electrohydrodynamics (EHD) to pump water or other fluids and cool overheated electronics. Due to the technology's low power consumption, modular nature, and small size, it can be embedded into a variety of electronic devices, including ultra-cold storage containers, drones, and spacecraft instruments.

"Thermal control is a significant limiting factor in electronic power consumption today, and this technology seeks to overcome some of those limitations," said Eric McGill, a senior technology manager with the Strategic Partnerships Office at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland.

The micro-scale EHD modular cartridge pump, or EHD pump for short, uses electric fields to move fluid in a thermal loop, which dissipates excess heat and keeps electronics running smoothly. Because the EHD pump is small and consumes little power, it has a wide range of potential applications. The pump can integrate with computer chips for a seamless design.

"When electronics get too hot, they have to slow performance or shut down," said Adam Wexler, founder and CEO of Protodromics. "For a gaming computer, it's a mere annoyance, but it's a serious thing if the motor of your drone overheats and shuts down mid-flight."

While pursuing his graduate degree, Wexler studied the interaction of water and electric fields, including an EHD phenomenon that makes water "float" by applying high voltage to two beakers of distilled water. Wexler found Goddard thermal engineer Jeffrey Didion's work online and coordinated with Goddard to license the EHD pump in 2020. Now, with support from Florida business incubator Groundswell Startups, he's exploring ways the technology can be infused into various commercial applications.

"One great feature of this tech is its ability to pump fluids very efficiently through tiny spaces," Wexler said. "We're looking at use cases such as the power modules for electric vehicles, where removing the highly concentrated heat is important for range as well as reliability."

The pump is part of a larger, ongoing project studying EHD force, with hardware development run by Didion and research headed by Jamal Yagoobi of Worcester Polytechnic Institute in Worcester, Massachusetts. Their work began in 1992, and they've taken their research from scientific concept to thermal hardware demonstrations on the International Space Station.

"The pump itself was built entirely at Goddard," Didion said, "from assembly to integration and testing."

Protodromics is collaborating with a University of Florida initiative called the Innovation Fellows Program, which brings together engineering and business students to develop new projects or technologies. Together, they are studying how the EHD pump could meet the thermal challenges of high-performance edge computing to boost the reliability of 5G networks and factories that utilize artificial intelligence. The EHD pump also has demonstrated potential in addressing performance limitations for electric vehicles, a market expected to experience global growth in future years.

While potential market opportunities abound, Wexler said his company will focus on manufacturing in the coming months. Protodromics will continue to study how to turn NASA's EHD pump design into a product that can be manufactured at scale and modified to accommodate an assortment of applications. Wexler said that technologies like the EHD pump further the field of additive manufacturing or 3D printing, which he sees as advancing technology capabilities in space and on Earth.

"It's been fantastic to learn about the Startup NASA license and how accessible NASA's technology is," Wexler said. "I'm excited to take this technology that Goddard has created and bring it to the market."

The EHD pump was invented by Matthew Showalter, Jeffrey Didion, Mario Martins, and Franklin Robinson, all members of the Mechanical Systems Division at Goddard. NASA Headquarters in Washington, D.C., provided funding for technology demonstrations aboard the space station and on NASA aircraft. Additional funding sources include the Goddard Internal Research and Development Program.

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To learn more about NASA's Technology Transfer program and space technologies available for license, please visit:
A Devon seaside town has become a sea of yellow thanks to a former resident who left it his fortune when he died and flooded the area with flowers.

Sidmouth has burst into colour thanks in part to Keith Owen, a Canadian investment banker who lived there.

He died in 2007 but left his entire 2.3million savings to the town's Sid Vale Association, with his dying wish for a million flowers to be planted.

Sidmouth has burst into colour thanks in part to Keith Owen, a Canadian investment banker who lived there

Keith Owen died in 2007 but left his entire 2.3million savings to the town's Sid Vale Association

A young girl smiles as she enjoys the fields of flowers in the Devonshire seaside town of Sidmouth

The Canadian's dying wish for a million flowers to be planted. It is hoped the flowers will bring joy to residents and visitors

Richard Eley, President of Sidmouth Chamber of Commerce said: 'One of the last instructions he gave was the money should be used for big ideas and imaginative projects.

'And so instead of just planting some daffodil bulbs, Sidmouth decided to plant a million.

'It was a huge community effort over two or three years and so there are daffodils all over the valley and it looks great.

'It brings life and a sense of springtime to the whole town.

'We've got an awful lot of footpaths here - 62 miles within the parish - and so walking has become a big thing.

'So the appreciation of the countryside and the wildlife has been accentuated I think as a consequence of the pandemic and so I think the daffodils probably have helped people get through the whole process.'

Daffodils burst into bloom in Sidmouth's 'valley of a million bulbs' eight years the fortune was donated to the town

Former RAF pilot Keith Owen planned to retire to Sidmouth where his mother lived, but he died in 2007 after being diagnosed with terminal cancer

Peter Moss, who is on the committee for the Keith Owen Fund, helps choose which community projects get funding and said the town had been 'incredibly fortunate'

Peter Moss, who is on the committee for the Keith Owen Fund, helps choose which community projects get funding.

He said: 'We help all sorts of organisations get funding, mainly organisations where people have put voluntary time and effort into it.

'I think there has been something over a hundred awards at the moment, so we are incredibly fortunate.'

With the daffodils in place, the hope is that Keith's legacy will bring happiness to locals and visitors for generations to come
Lenovo on Wednesday unveiled four new gaming laptops from its Legion gaming product line that utilises Advanced Micro Devices' (AMD) next-generation mobile Ryzen processors at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) 2021. Image Source: IANS News

New Delhi, March 22 : After making tremendous strides in smartphone manufacturing in the past few years, India now appears set to seize the opportunity to manufacture laptops and tablets.

The Union cabinet in February approved a Rs 7,325-crore production linked incentive (PLI) scheme for laptops, tablets, all-in-one-personal computers, and servers.

"In a post-virus era, amidst the ongoing realignment of global value chains, the PLI scheme for IT hardware will give a strong impetus to India's manufacturing competitiveness," Prabhu Ram, Head-Industry Intelligence Group (IIG), CMR, told IANS.

"On the back of mobile manufacturing success story, the PLI for IT hardware is a game-changer that will lead to increasing domestic value addition and more importantly, position India as a major exports hub." A boost to the laptop and tablet manufacturing is particularly significant as it can help reduce imports and dependence on China for these devices which have become all the more important as their usage skyrocketed amid Covid-19 restrictions.

The rise in online learning amid the pandemic particularly increased their usage and utility among students.

"The pandemic has made all of us realise how important digital is as a medium. We equally require devices to interface, for example in education. That is where we have huge potential for laptops which intersects affordability and reliability," said Faisal Kawoosa, Founder & Chief Analyst, techARC.

According to a report from the International Data Corporation (IDC), the year 2020 ended as the biggest year for notebooks with 7.9 million unit shipments during the year. Notebook shipments grew by 6 per cent in 2020.

Similarly, the India tablet market recorded 14.7 per cent year-over-year growth with shipments totalling 2.8 million units in 2020.

According to a recent joint report by industry body India Cellular & Electronics Association (ICEA) and global consultancy major EY, boosting export-oriented local manufacturing of laptops and tablets can open up $100 billion opportunity for India by 2026.

Currently, the global manufacturing hubs for laptops and tablets are limited to a handful of countries with China being the predominant supplier to the world with 66 per cent market share in 2019, worth $100 billion.

"This presents an opportunity for India to ramp up the export of 'Made in India' laptops and tablets. By making in India for the world and obtain a sizable share of the global market will give us a manufacturing value of $100 billion by 2025," ICEA Chairman Pankaj Mohindroo had said.

"It will also create five lakh additional jobs and a cumulative inflow of foreign exchange to the tune of $75 billion; and investment of over $1 billion," Mohindroo said.

In addition, the right policy interventions to boost laptop and tablet manufacturing in India would negate imports of targeted products from China leading to the reduced trade deficit and greater self-reliance, he said.

Companies such as Foxconn, Flextronics, Jabil and Wistron already have a presence in India.

Global brands such as Samsung, Apple, HP, Dell, ACER, Lenovo and ASUS are also expanding their presence in India, while domestic companies are also building capacities in the mobile manufacturing space.

Incentivising them and the Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEM) players to undertake manufacturing of this product category appears to be not just a logical step but a significant geopolitical opportunity for India to seize a sizable share of the global market, said the ICEA-EY report.
Second of three parts.

As common as total knee replacement has become, the surgery is not without its risks. We talked last week about manipulation under anesthesia (MUA) as a way to mitigate some of these risks. Today well look at factors that might predispose a patient to excessive scar tissue formation after surgery.

Along with muscle weakness due to disuse and immobility, scar tissue formation is thought to be a major cause of persistent pain and limited functionality after knee replacement. Scar tissue is described as excessive collagen production and adhesions, causing contractions in the joint, that limits movement and is associated with pain and discomfort. In the knee, symptoms are intensified when walking and standing and are often more debilitating than the original condition. MUA involves manipulating the knee joint under anesthesia to forcefully release the adhesions.

Risk factors for scar tissue formation

Many potential factors have been studied, but theres no clear consensus on which factors increase the likelihood of excessive scar tissue formation after surgery. Some studies indicate that being younger or female might suggest a stronger immune response, leading to increased scar tissue formation. Similarly, but inconclusively, early-onset osteoarthritis might be a risk factor. A higher body mass index, previous knee surgery, diabetes, pulmonary disease and depression all have been evaluated to differing degrees, none showing clear causation.

Risk-cutting strategies

Surgery outcomes vary by individual, but an appropriate risk-reduction strategy is progressive range-of-motion and strengthening exercises through physical therapy. Physical therapy should ideally be initiated before surgery and continued after surgery. This approach reduces the likelihood of additional interventions to release scar tissue adhesions, including MUA.

Why start PT before surgery?

Its important to get a head start on PT. The rationale is that the pre-surgery range of motion and strengthening of the joint is a predictor of the final outcome. It also allows you to establish a relationship with your PT health care team and understand what the path ahead requires. It helps you set up your support group and will increase your odds of success.

About 25% of patients will fear using the joint after surgery. Having established your PT relationship, and discussed and tried out your exercise program beforehand, greatly reduces this risk of post-operative complications.

What to expect from PT

Outpatient physical therapy should be highly individualized and needs to be performed in a clinic under the supervision of a licensed physical therapist, preferably one who specializes in orthopedics. Your program will include strengthening, stretching and functional exercises with the incorporation of balance training.

Stretching and movement allow the range of motion to be increased and help prevent scar tissue formation. Strengthening addresses the concern of quadriceps weakening in the first weeks after surgery  a strong predictor of functional performance. Balance training is important to reduce the risk of falls and further injury. Outpatient PT can be complemented by a home program or telerehabilitation; you can continue your program on the days youre not receiving formal PT, or in case of illness or bad weather. Hard work, dedication and compliance are a vital to prevent complications and produce good outcomes.

An estimated 82% to 89% of first-time total knee replacement patients are satisfied with their outcomes. This suggests that several patients are not achieving their goal of relieving pain and restoring functionality. Its important to establish clear and realistic expectations for your outcome. This requires frank and open discussion with your health care team, allowing you to be an empowered participant in regaining your best joint functionality.

Most patients attain satisfactory recovery in four to six months, but full recovery can take up to two years for some. The best long-term results are found in those initiating PT for range of motion and strengthening before surgery and continuing immediately after surgery.

Next week, in Part 3, well talk about the importance of prehab.
MBABANE  Eswatini, through the Deputy Prime Ministers Office, is challenged when it comes to tracing of parents or guardians who default on paying child maintenance.

The kingdom has been recording an increase in child maintenance cases, causing a headache for maintenance officers as the parents evade paying and/or cannot be traced. Recently, this publication reported how in the past three months, the Manzini Magistrates Court has been issuing at least a garnishee order every three days against a member of the Umbutfo Eswatini Defence Force (UEDF). The orders for maintenance were issued by the Manzini Magistrates Court since mid-October 2020 to late January 2021. Garnishment is a legal process for collecting a monetary judgment on behalf of a plaintiff from a defendant. Garnishment allows the plaintiff to take the money or property of the debtor from the person or institution that holds that property. In the Kingdom of Eswatini, the legal instrument that deals with maintenance issues is the Childrens Protection and Welfare Act (CPWA) 2012.

Education

Section 212 of the Act stipulates that a parent or any other person who is legally liable to maintain a child or contribute towards the maintenance of the child is under a duty to supply the necessities of food, clothing, health, life, education and reasonable shelter for the child. As per the provisions of the Act, the Department of Social Welfare carries a mandate to ensure that the basic needs of children are met through enforcing maintenance laws to parents who infringe on the rights of children who need to be taken care of by their parents. The DPMs Offices annual performance report for the financial year 2020/21 states that maintenance complaints still continue to lead the departments service delivery.

In the Social Welfare Offices around the country, there are sometimes serious challenges experienced towards getting respondents to comply with invitations because of changed addresses and contact numbers, and some just defy the invitations. Subsequently, such challenges significantly contribute towards increasing the number of cases that are kept pending for longer periods, reads part of the annual report. It further states that the department refers such matters to court for purposes of obtaining garnishee orders in cases wherein the respondents fail to comply with the agreement made at the Social Welfare Offices. In neighbouring South Africa, it was announced last month that the Department of Justice and Correctional Services says its coming for child maintenance defaulters who dont want to be found.

According to IOL News, the department will soon implement a new system using various online databases and information hubs to track and trace parents who refuse to pay child maintenance. It plans to use company registrations, cellphone numbers registered with network service providers, credit bureau info, vehicle registrations, and other paper trails to find maintenance defaulters. The new system, according to the publication, will help the courts finalise more cases and assess those errant parents who should be paying child support.

The latest developments in the neighbouring country raise the question whether the Kingdom of Eswatini could go the same route.

This publication engaged the Deputy Prime Ministers Offices Social Welfare Department on the issue and, through its Communications Department; it confirmed that it faced challenges.

The department said all it did was mediate on issues of maintenance whereby it brought the concerned parties and discussed on how a child could be maintained and further advised the parties on the laws regulating maintenance. Once parties reach a consensus, then an agreement is made and the expectation is that parties will be bound by the agreement. We do not have a mechanism of tracing maintenance defaulters as in most cases we rely on the information that is given to us whether by the complainant or the respondent. We do not have means to trace a defaulter if their place of employment, abode or contact is not known as we do not have any other mechanism to do the tracing. Once a person changes his or her employment without giving notice, it becomes a problem to trace him or her, the department stated.
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y.  An advocacy group is calling on Cardinal Timothy Dolan, the archbishop of New York, to remove from ministry a pastor and parochial vicar at Our Lady Star of the Sea R.C. Church in Huguenot amid sex-abuse allegations.

The Rev. Thomas Devery, pastor of the large parish on the South Shore, acknowledged in a letter to parishioners dated March 18 that sex-abuse claims are pending against both him and the Rev. Basil Akut, a parochial vicar.

The pastors letter came days after the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (SNAP), a support group for victims of alleged abuse, issued a news release on March 15 claiming that Cardinal Dolan did not inform Sea parishioners about the allegations.

SNAP alleged that Fathers Devery and Akut were allowed to continue in ministry after claims were made against them.

It seems to us that in the interest of openness and transparency, Archdiocesan officials, including Cardinal Timothy Dolan, owe it to the faithful at Our Lady Star of Sea to inform them of such allegations and urge anyone with information to come forward and report to law enforcement, SNAP said.

The release continued: It also seems to us to be irresponsible for the Archdiocese of New York to allow both clerics to remain in ministry despite the allegations. We urge Cardinal Dolan to remedy this disturbing situation immediately.

Zach Hiner, executive director of SNAP, told the Advance/SILive.com that it is our position that neither of these men should be serving in any parish position until the investigation is completed. If the investigation does bear out that the claims are credible, then they should be defrocked so they cannot use their position of power and prestige to hurt anyone else in the future.

I am not going to comment on SNAPs statement, said Joseph Zwilling, director of communications for the archdiocese. They dont have any credibility.

Zwilling referred the Advance/SILive.com to Father Deverys letter to parishioners.

LETTER FROM PASTOR

In his letter, Father Devery said that Father Akut no longer is serving the parish.

Although Fr. Basil denies the accusation, and should be considered innocent until proven guilty, he has voluntarily stepped away from the parish until the matter is investigated, the pastor wrote. The case has been referred to the district attorney.

Father Devery said in the letter that about four years ago, one person filed an unsuccessful claim against him through the Archdioceses Independent Reconciliation and Compensation Program (IRCP) alleging that nearly four decades ago I had committed an act of abuse with a minor.

Under the archdiocesan policy at the time and with the knowledge of the district attorney, allegations brought under the IRCP did not result in a priests immediate removal from the parish, and so I was permitted to remain a pastor while the matter was thoroughly investigated by law enforcement, independent forensic investigators, and ultimately, the archdiocesan lay review board. In the end, the allegation was found to be unsubstantiated, and the individuals claim was denied.

The same alleged victim filed a lawsuit against Father Devery under the Child Victims Act, the pastor said.

Once again, I steadfastly deny the allegations. Because the matter has already been investigated and found to be unsubstantiated, I have been permitted to remain in my role as your pastor.

Father Devery became pastor of Our Lady Star of the Sea in 2014 after serving as administrator of Our Lady of Pity R.C. Church in Bulls Head, according to Advance/SILive.com records.

Our Lady Star of the Sea R.C. Church in Huguenot as photographed on March 22, 2021. (Staten Island Advance/Jan Somma-Hammel)

THE LAWSUITS

The Jeff Anderson & Associates firm filed a lawsuit on behalf of an anonymous victim in August 2019 in state Supreme Court in Manhattan alleging that Father Devery abused an altar server at St. Elizabeth Ann Seton R.C. Church in Shrub Oak, Westchester County.

In approximately 1984, when plaintiff was approximately 15 years old, Fr. Devery engaged in unpermitted sexual contact with plaintiff, according to the lawsuit.

Named as defendants are the Archdiocese of New York and the parish in Westchester.

The defendants negligently retained Fr. Devery in a position where he had access to

ren and could foreseeably cause harm which plaintiff would not have been subjected to had defendants taken reasonable care.

In failing to timely remove Fr. Devery from working with children or terminate the employment of Fr. Devery, defendants failed to exercise the degree of care that a reasonably prudent person would have exercised under similar circumstances.

The filing alleges that the victim suffered physical, emotional, and psychological injuries, along with pain and suffering.

A separate lawsuit filed earlier this month alleges that Father Akut sexually assaulted a divorced women from Staten Island who was seeking counseling.

Father Akut, the lawsuit alleges, used his position as a priest to offer counseling services... in order to isolate, manipulate, and groom her for sexual abuse in or around 2015.

The lawsuit  filed against Father Akut, the archdiocese and Our Lady Star of the Sea  seeks unspecified damages.

The woman, whose identity is not disclosed in the court filings, started receiving counseling from Father Akut after she had been through a divorce and was suffering, among other things, from a deep depression, low self-esteem, and anxiety, the lawsuit alleges.
Dozens of people were displaced early Monday when a fire damaged an apartment complex in the Copperfield area.

The Cy-Fair Fire Department responded to a report of a two-alarm fire around 1:30 a.m. at 15550 block of Kingfield Drive., southeast of Spencer Road and Texas 6.
GV Ramakrishna, second chairman of the Securities & Exchange Board of India (1990-1993), and by far the most effective one so far, passed away in Chennai this morning. He was 91.

GVR, as he was popularly called, has had an illustrious career in the Indian Administrative Service (IAS) that ran for as long as 50 years. He became the Chief Secretary of Andhra Pradesh in 1983, and then worked with the union government in the ministries of finance, industry, steel, coal and petroleum. Early in his career he went to Harvard University for his Masters in Public Administration. He retired from the IAS in 1988 but his expertise continued to be sought by the government.

He was appointed Indias Ambassador to the European Union in 1989. The fact that he was making waves in Brussels apparently did not go down well with some powerful bureaucrats in Delhi. So, he was sent to Mumbai as SEBI chairamn, to what was considered a dead-end posting outside his area of competence. SEBI did not have statutory powers at that time.

When Ramakrishna, a sharp, upright and no-nonsense bureaucrat, took charge of SEBI, brokers controlled the stock exchanges; there was no sanctity to settlements; defaults were frequent; and investors were hapless victims with no recourse.

Even though SEBI was powerless on paper, GVR created a storm in the stockmarkets by talking of investor protection, disclosure, transparency and accountability of all the market players. He started by asking various market intermediaries to register themselves with SEBI. This immediately caused deep anger and resentment among brokers. At that time, the broker controlled Bombay Stock Exchange was the largest exchange and extremely powerful, because of the political connections of brokers. GVR had no hesitation in taking on the power structure at the BSE. And yet, he openly met a wide spectrum of people connected with markets and listened to them.

His table used to be stacked with copies of the laws and rules governing the capital market  the Securities Contracts Regulation Act, the BSE bye-laws, the listing agreement of stock exchanges and more. Pretty soon, he was rattling the BSE administration by asking pointed questions about the implementation of their own rules. He forced listed companies to pay attention to SEBI through the simple and effective strategy of name and shame, by releasing the list of companies with the highest investor complaints every fortnight. Pretty soon, companies worked at getting their names off the list. His table used to be stacked with copies of the laws and rules governing the capital market  the Securities Contracts Regulation Act, the BSE bye-laws, the listing agreement of stock exchanges and more. Pretty soon, he was rattling the BSE administration by asking pointed questions about the implementation of their own rules. He forced listed companies to pay attention to SEBI through the simple and effective strategy of name and shame, by releasing the list of companies with the highest investor complaints every fortnight. Pretty soon, companies worked at getting their names off the list.

Old timers still remember his Assocham speech, where he laid out his agenda for change by listing all that was wrong with the capital market. This included, inadequate disclosure and transparency, poor investor protection, a secular imbalance building up between supply and demand, outdated rules and procedures at stock exchanges, poor quality prospectuses and the complicity of merchant bankers in keeping investors ill-informed. He outlined steps needed to fix the problem and to improve investor protection.

He caused an upheaval and made headlines when he banned badla (BSEs carry forward system), which was prone to speculative excesses, was poorly supervised and often led to broker failures.

In effect, GVR took on every segment of the capital market -- capital-raising companies, mutual funds, brokers, merchant bankers, underwriters, registrars and stock exchange boards. Consequently, each segment wanted him out. Even UTI had refused to come under SEBI regulation at that time, arguing that it was a unique Indian financial institution. At one time, GVR stopped many mutual funds from launching new schemes till they created appropriate structures: asset management companies, trustees, custodians and arms-length relationship with the sponsors.

In just two years, GVR had laid the foundation for a modern regulatory framework that covers the core of the market today  stockbrokers, mutual funds, investment bankers, insider trading etc. This led to intense lobbying by power brokers and stockbrokers to get him out.

Here is a story, probably apocryphal, which we heard at that time. Sometime in the second quarter of 1993, a Union Cabinet minister is supposed to have met Prime Minister P.V. Narasimha Rao in New Delhi with an unusual one-point agenda. With him were some top businessmen. These gentlemen, the minister told the Prime Minister, had traditionally been supporters of the Congress (I) and they could be of help to the party in the state elections, which were around the corner. But they were sore because the SEBI chairman was making life difficult for them with unnecessary rules and an unreasonably tough attitude. Could the Prime Minister help, asked the Cabinet minister? "But I am told that the SEBI chief is not tough enough," the Prime Minister is believed to have replied. "Can you suggest someone who is tougher? I will consider installing him." Both the businessmen and the minister were out of the Prime Minister's office in a matter of minutes. This story illustrates the implicit support GVR initially had from the Prime Minister Rao and finance minister Manmohan Singh. So, he survived for three long years, and seemed to get stronger with each crisis.

When the Harshad Mehta scam broke, one of Narasimha Raos son was found to be involved. In April 1992, scamster Hiten P Dalal had withrawn Rs two crore from his account at Andhra Bank and paid the money to a company called Goldstar Steels, through Andhra Bank Financial Services. The money was meant to shore up subscriptions to its rights issue, which was floundering and scheduled to close on 11 May 1992. Narasimha Raos son PV Prabhakara Rao was closely connected with Goldstar and it was clear that Hitens generosity was influenced by that connection. SEBI was asked to conduct an inquiry, which corroborated the irregularities that were alleged. In December 1993 when SEBI banned badla, the brokers shut down market. At the end of December, GVR was removed by making him a member of the Planning Commission, probably because he refused to water down the Goldstar report. When the Harshad Mehta scam broke, one of Narasimha Raos son was found to be involved. In April 1992, scamster Hiten P Dalal had withrawn Rs two crore from his account at Andhra Bank and paid the money to a company called Goldstar Steels, through Andhra Bank Financial Services. The money was meant to shore up subscriptions to its rights issue, which was floundering and scheduled to close on 11 May 1992. Narasimha Raos son PV Prabhakara Rao was closely connected with Goldstar and it was clear that Hitens generosity was influenced by that connection. SEBI was asked to conduct an inquiry, which corroborated the irregularities that were alleged. In December 1993 when SEBI banned badla, the brokers shut down market. At the end of December, GVR was removed by making him a member of the Planning Commission, probably because he refused to water down the Goldstar report.

By the time GVR left SEBI, he had used his deadly combination of brilliance, strategy and scrupulous honesty to challenge and change every entrenched capital market lobby. He had brought mutual funds, brokers, sub-brokers and stock exchanges under regulation, introduced Application Supported by Blocked Amount (ASBA) for public issues, introduced the idea of Self-regulatory organistions (SRO) under which the Association of Mutual Funds of India (AMFI) was set up.

After a stint in the planning commission he was appointed chairman of the Disinvestment Commission for a three-year term that ended in 1999. Some of his observations about the ideal disinvestment process that ought to be followed are relevant even today.

His final assignment with the government was as the chairman of the Construction Industry Development Council (set up jointly by the Planning Commission and the Construction Industry to achieve excellence in all areas of the construction activity), which ended in June 2003.

Although GVR is known today for his pioneering role in transforming the capital market, it was his run in with Prime Minister Rajeev Gandhi over the Rs 1700 crore Hazira-Bijaipur-Jagdishpur pipeline project that first made him famous for his integrity and steely determination. He has recounted the episode in detail in his memoir titled -- Two score and Ten My Experiences in Government . It provides an inside account of the clout of an Italian national called Ottavio Quattrochi and the power that he wielded through his connection with Rajiv Gandhis family. Quattrochi was also a key suspect in the Bofors gun scandal that marred Rajiv Gandhis tenure as prime minister.

In 1985, GVR, as union Petroleum Secretary was shepherding the HBJ pipeline project, which was to carry natural gas for ONGC across 1,00 kilometers from the fields of South Bassein. Although the Spie Capag-led consortium won the pipeline bid in an open tender, the Rajiv coterie subjected the bidding process to scrutiny by several committees, all the time trying to find ways to hand over the contract to Snam Progetti, which Quottrochi represented.

GVR braved the wrath of the prime minister and refused to bow to pressure and ensured a clean bidding process with legal opinions to back all his actions and absolutely no slip up. In fact, petroleum minister, Naval Kishore Sharma paid the price and was shunted out. But there is a twist in the tale. After the deal was done, the Spie Capag representative met GVR to offer him a 5% kickback -- a massive Rs34 crore for making the deal happen. A stunned GVR called in his Financial Advisor and director and asked the representative to repeat the offer before them. He then forced Spie Capag to offer a further Rs34 crore discount on the project cost as a gesture of goodwill, without informing the minister about the reason for this generosity.

GVR documents how the PM called eight meetings to review the implementation of the HBJ pipeline project, often cancelling them at the last minute. Quottrochis constant attempts to thwart the project continued, and by the time the Bijapur fertiliser plant was ready, GVR was so fed up of the project that he did not attend the inauguration. Despite the unsavoury HBJ episode, GVRs personal experience of Rajiv Gandhi had a poignant ending. In May 1991 Rajiv Gandhi sent for him and asked if his assistance would be available to him after the general elections. He told his secretary Vincent George to give GVR priority on appointments and his direct personal number. A few days later, Rajiv Gandhi had been assassinated and was no more. GVR documents how the PM called eight meetings to review the implementation of the HBJ pipeline project, often cancelling them at the last minute. Quottrochis constant attempts to thwart the project continued, and by the time the Bijapur fertiliser plant was ready, GVR was so fed up of the project that he did not attend the inauguration. Despite the unsavoury HBJ episode, GVRs personal experience of Rajiv Gandhi had a poignant ending. In May 1991 Rajiv Gandhi sent for him and asked if his assistance would be available to him after the general elections. He told his secretary Vincent George to give GVR priority on appointments and his direct personal number. A few days later, Rajiv Gandhi had been assassinated and was no more.

GVR was unafraid of powerful politicians or about being shunted from one position to another. His book recounts the long list of run-ins he had with politicians -- Dr Charanjit Chanana, an acolyte of Sanjay Gandhi, the energy minister, Shiv Shankar (who wanted a say in the way the coal companies placed their equipment orders) and the Andhra Pradesh chief minister, NT Rama Rao, who was upset that Ramakrishna settled a mining strike without waiting for Rao to return to the state and gain political mileage from it. But though he spoke his mind (Enron deal, the power policy, and the Oman gas pipeline project for example), he was not pigheaded. He got his work done through the system with intelligence, integrity and ingenuity and was always open to feedback from every stakeholder. It was an extraordinary life dedicated to public service.
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ANN ARBOR, MI  Two men charged in connection with a pair of armed home invasions in Ann Arbor, accused of tying up and threatening to kill their occupants, are heading to trial.

Spencer John Payne, 26, waived his preliminary examination Thursday, March 18, sending his case to trial on 16 felony charges, court records show.

His codefendant, Cedrick Michael Sims, 22, waived his preliminary examination in November ahead of Payne. He is similarly charged.

Ann Arbor home invasion suspects accused of tying up families arraigned on 16 felonies

The pair were arraigned Nov. 11 on multiple felony charges in connection with two home invasions that occurred Oct. 8 in a southeast Ann Arbor neighborhood where the pair allegedly tied up multiple victims and threated to kill them.

Both men are each charged with five counts of armed robbery, five counts of conspiracy to commit armed robbery, two counts of first-degree home invasion, two counts of conspiracy to commit first-degree home invasion and two counts of unlawful imprisonment.

During the course of two home invasions spanning two hours around the 3000 block of McComb Street, the pair allegedly tied up several residents and their children at gunpoint while demanding valuables, drugs and cash, police said.

Forensic evidence collected at the scene led to Sims being identified as a suspect. Sims was on parole for perjury in the Keandre Duff homicide case.

Both men are currently lodged in the Washtenaw County Jail with bond set at $500,000. They are scheduled for pretrial hearings on April 5 before Washtenaw County Trial Judge Patrick Conlin.

More from The Ann Arbor News:

EPA open to Superfund cleanup in Ann Arbor if state is on board

Women in STEM are important, says co-founder of Ann Arbor mechatronics company

Ann Arbor may toss idea of reduced trash pickup in the waste basket
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[March 22, 2021] Plug and Play To Expand its Global Innovation Alliance Program to The Philippines

SINGAPORE, March 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Plug and Play APAC will be organising the inaugural Tech Showcase in Manila under the Enterprise Singapore's Global Innovation Alliance (GIA) Manila program launched in December 2020.[1] Startups and SMEs will pitch their solutions to the problem statements submitted by Plug and Play APAC's network of corporates with business matching taking place across the span of a month. This initiative looks to boost the innovation and transformation efforts of both the Singaporean startup participants and participating Philippine corporates. The upcoming GIA Manila Tech Showcase will take place on 24 March 2021 at 2pm SGT. Some highlights of the event include a panel session on the topic of Financial Inclusion and the Fintech landscape in Manila. Panelists invited on this panel include senior executives from Filinvest Development Corporation and the Rizal Commercial Banking Corporation as well as startups from both Singapore and the Philippines. The event will also be graced by the Singapore Minister of State, Alvin Tan, and the Philippines Undersecretary of Competitiveness and Innovation Group at the Department of Trade and Industry, Dr Rafaelita Aldaba. Rachael Sum, Regional Director, Enterprise Singapore Manila Overseas Center said "We look forward to working with Plug and Play in our Global Innovation Alliance (GIA) program in Manila. Through the GIA program, we will help plug Singapore SMEs and startups into the Philippines' vibrant innovation ecosystem. This will create opportunities for the Singapore and the Philippines enterprises to work together and co-innovate." Jojo Flores, Co-Founder, Plug and Play, said "The fintech trends for 2021 are continuously gaining momentum and we have yet to see how these smart technologies will transform the finance industry as we face the recovery phase of the global crisis. I am excited to hear from the startups that are pitching at the event, how their product can offer innovative solutions in areas such as financial inclusion here in the Philippines." If you'll like to join us at the GIA Manila Tech Showcase event, you can drop us a note at: https://www.plugandplayapac.com/tech-showcase-registration Global Innovation Alliance Manila  Tech Showcase Programme Date: 24 March 2021 (Wednesday) Time: 2pm  4pm (PHT)







2.00pm  2.05pm Opening by Plug and Play 2.05pm  2.10pm Welcome Address 2.10pm  3.00pm Panel: Financial Technology in Manila 3.00pm  4.00pm Startup Pitches 4.00pm End

About Plug and Play: Plug and Play is a global innovation platform. Headquartered in Silicon Valley, we have built accelerator programs, corporate innovation services, and an in-house VC to make technological advancement progress faster than ever before. Since inception in 2006, our programs have expanded worldwide to include a presence in over 30 locations globally, giving startups the necessary resources to succeed in Silicon Valley and beyond. With over 30,000 startups and 400 official corporate partners, we have created the ultimate startup ecosystem in many industries. Companies in our community have raised over $9 billion in funding, with successful portfolio exits including Danger, Dropbox, Lending Club and PayPal. For more information, visit: https://www.plugandplayapac.com [1] https://www.enterprisesg.gov.sg/-/media/esg/files/media-centre/media-releases/2020/dec-2020/media-release---inaugural-southeast-asia-open-innovation-challenge-launches-at-switch2020.pdf?la=en SOURCE Plug and Play APAC

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A LECTURE on the plantation of Leix and Offaly during the Tudor period will take place via Zoom tonight (Monday, March 22) at 7.30 pm.

The lecture, entitled We adore chaos because we love to produce order: 'English colonialism and the Leix-Offaly Plantation, will be given by Dr Diarmuid Wheeler.

Email Offaly History at info@offalyhistory.com for the link and mark your email as Zoomlecture

The origins of the midlands colonial project can be traced back to the early sixteenth century when the Tudor government, who firmly believed that Ireland rightfully belonged to the English crown and that the countrys keeping was essential to Englands overall safety, sought to restore the island to its twelfth century conquered state from which the crown hoped to profit.

The Tudor government decided to shire the Gaelic lordships of Leix and Offaly and extend English common law and language as well as the Protestant reformed faith throughout the region so as to bring it to civility.

In other words, remodel the midlands in the image of England. What the government failed to realise was that the great majority of Irelands native inhabitants had little interest in partaking in such a scheme and were bitterly resistant to any form of English encroachment on their domains.

The end result was decades and eventually centuries of war, famine disease and devastation. Dr Wheelers talk will examine how the plantation ultimately shaped Offaly and the midlands region as a whole as well as the effect it had on the natives of the area and their English counterparts.
Lisa Taylor receiving a COVID-19 vaccination from as part of a vaccine study at Research Centers of America on August 7 in Hollywood, Florida. Joe Raedle/Getty Images

The COVID-19 shot from Oxford University and AstraZeneca was 79% effective in a large US trial.

The vaccine was safe, and there was no evidence of blood clots in the US trial.

AstraZeneca can now submit the data to the FDA seeking authorization for the shot.

Visit the Business section of Insider for more stories.

The COVID-19 vaccine codeveloped by AstraZeneca and Oxford University was 79% effective at protecting against the novel coronavirus in the vaccine's largest trial yet, the drugmaker said Monday.

The vaccine was 100% effective at preventing severe COVID-19 and hospitalization, AstraZeneca said in a press release.

The drugmaker can now submit the data from the trial to be scrutinized by the US regulator, the Food and Drug Administration.

Sarah Gilbert, a professor of vaccinology who is the lead researcher on Oxford University's vaccine team, told BBC Radio 4 on Monday that it could take "some weeks" for the FDA's final decision.

The results come at a difficult time for AstraZeneca. The company is at the center of a political fight between the UK and the European Union over supply of the vaccine.

And in recent weeks, more than a dozen countries suspended use of its shot to investigate a so-far unsubstantiated link between getting the shot and developing blood clots.

The European regulator said Friday that the vaccine did not increase one's risk of clots overall but that it was further investigating reports of rare blood clots in the brain. Some European countries lifted their suspensions following the regulator's ruling.

In the US trial, the vaccine was found safe and there was no evidence of blood clots in the brain, which researchers specifically looked for.

AstraZeneca trial in US had 32,000 participants

The US trial tested AstraZeneca's two-dose shot to see whether it protected against symptomatic COVID-19, looking at cases that occurred at least 15 days after the second dose.

The trial included more than 32,000 participants over 18 years old across 88 locations in the US, Chile, and Peru.

Story continues

The results are yet to be published in a peer-reviewed journal to be scrutinized by experts.

Existing coronavirus vaccines in the US from Moderna and Pfizer-BioNTech were roughly 95% effective at protecting against COVID-19 in trials of similar size in November.

The World Health Organization recommended AstraZeneca's vaccine for those over 18 years old on February 10. The shot is already authorized for emergency use in the UK, the EU, and several other countries.

COVAX, the World Health Organization's global initiative to ensure equal distribution of COVID-19 vaccines, said February 8 that it planned to distribute nearly 350 million doses of AstraZeneca's vaccine in the first half of the year. The vaccine is easier to store and distribute than those available from Moderna and Pfizer, which require colder temperatures.

It is also cheaper because AstraZeneca has said it will sell its vaccine without a profit throughout the pandemic.

The company said in November that it was making manufacturing capacity for up to 3 billion doses of the vaccine in 2021, on a rolling basis.

2 full doses, 4 weeks apart

The US trial was a less complicated design than previous trials run by Oxford and AstraZeneca.

Studies run out of the UK and Brazil found that the shot was 72% effective, on average, at protecting against symptomatic COVID-19. That figure was an average because the vaccine worked differently at different doses, with 62% efficacy when two full doses were given but 90% efficacy when the first dose was halved.

In the US trial, participants got two full doses of the vaccine.

Effective in older people

Gilbert told BBC Radio 4 on Monday that there was no drop in protection for older people and that it was "just as good" as for younger people.

Approximately 20% of trial participants were over 65 years old, according to the groups' press release.

There have been confusing rulings about its effectiveness in older people.

Germany, France, and others did not initially authorize it for people over 65, citing insufficient evidence in this age group, despite the European Medicines Agency's ruling that the vaccine was safe and effective.

Germany, France, and most other European countries have since backtracked.

Read the original article on Business Insider
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BJP Telangana State president Bandi Sanjay on Sunday accused the (TRS) of misusing its power during the MLC polls conducted at Mahabubnagar-Rangareddy-Hyderabad and Warangal-Khammam-Nalgonda Graduates' constituencies.

"All the parties that contested the recent MLC had aimed to defeat BJP. The TRS party has misused its authority of being in power. They spent hundreds of crores during the election," Sanjay told media here.

"TRS had promised unemployment allowance during the of 2018 which is not fulfilled yet. Pay Revision Commission (PRC) must also be increased to the employees compared to that of the last PRC," Sanjay said.

"The state government must release job notification immediately as they had promised earlier," he added.

The Telangana BJP chief further said, "Despite 70 per cent of graduate votes being against the TRS party, they won as votes were split. All the parties that have contested in the graduate MKC election only aimed to defeat BJP.

The MLC were held on March 14 in Mahabubnagar- Rangareddy-Hyderabad and Warangal-Khammam- Nalgonda Graduates' constituencies.

(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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Amidst different claims and liabilities for the 24th February outage, the National Stock Exchange, has now blame storage area network (SAN) system, especially the failover logic provided by its vendor for the trading halt.

In a statement, NSE says, "...on 24th February, post link failure, the SAN system at the primary data centre stopped functioning, which was completely unexpected. Subsequent incident analysis showed that the problem was caused by failover logic implemented by the vendor, which did not conform to NSE's stated design requirements, coupled with issues in the configuration done by the SAN vendor that triggered the failover logic. We note that the specific failure logic used by the vendor is not documented, was not communicated to NSE, and was not appropriate for NSE's setup. The resultant SAN failure led to the incident on 24th February."

According to NSE, SAN is a fault tolerant system designed to function seamlessly even in the event of telecom link failures between primary and near disaster recovery (NDR) copies. "One of the features of SAN that was deployed in October 2020 was designed to provide not just zero data loss but also zero down time. Before deployment, the system was tested against various scenarios including link failures and functioned properly," it claimed.

NSE has its primary data centre is in Bandra-Kurla Complex (BKC), an NDR site maintained in Kurla, both in Mumbai and the disaster recovery (DR) site in Chennai. It claims that there is synchronous data replication between NSE's primary site in BKC and NDR site to ensure no data loss in case of primary site failure, and asynchronous replication to its DR site in Chennai, which is designed to take over with zero data loss in case of disaster at the primary site.

"Between our primary and NDR sites, NSE has multiple telecom links with two service providers to ensure redundancy. On 24 February 2021 we had instability in links from both service providers primarily due to digging and construction activity along the path between the two sites. The replication to NDR is designed such that in the event of the links between primary and NDR getting cut, the primary continues operations without any direct effect. Post earlier link failures in February 2021, operations continued without any interruption," it says.

However, NSE says, "on 24th February, post link failure, we saw unexpected behaviour of the SAN system, with the primary SAN becoming inaccessible to the host servers. This resulted in the risk management system of NSE Clearing Ltd (NCL) and other systems such as clearing and settlement, index and surveillance systems becoming unavailable."

"While there was no impact on the trading system, given that the risk management system was unavailable, allowing trading to continue on NSE posed an unacceptable risk, and hence trading had to be halted," the Exchange added.

According to the bourse, on 24th February, NSE Clearing's risk management system (RMS) at BSE and MSEI was functioning and cleared trades executed on BSE and MSEI within the collateral levels available at the time NCL's RMS at the primary site became unavailable. It says, "Updation of collateral was not available as part of the design which is being addressed as part of the strengthening of certain aspects of interoperability that all MIIs are collectively working on with SEBI."

NSE says it took various steps and few others are under implementation to address the SAN and telecom link issues. "We had already placed orders in January for two additional telecom provider links and have removed the SAN software that caused the incident. We are also exploring alternate solutions to de-risk dependency of critical applications to a single storage device," it added.

Last week, the Reserve Bank of India, in its monthly bulletin, had blamed the massive shutdown at NSE on the closure of the NSE Clearing.
Party General Secretary and State President Nguyen Phu Trong, Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc, National Assembly Chairwoman Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan, and State Vice President Dang Thi Ngoc Thinh sent congratulatory messages to State President Thongloun Sisoulith, Prime Minister Phankham Viphavan, National Assembly Chairman Saysomphone Phomvihane, and Vice State Presidents Bounthong Chitmani and Pany Yathotou, who were elected at the first session of the 9th-tenure National Assembly of Laos.

In their messages, the Vietnamese leaders said the elections demonstrated the Lao parliament and people's trust in and high evaluation of the new leaders' capacity, prestige, and important contributions to the revolutionary cause and the national construction, defence and development of Laos.

They expressed their beliefs that the new leadership will effectively direct the implementation of the resolution issued at the 11th National Congress of the Lao People's Revolutionary Party as well as the socio-economic development plan for 2021 - 2025, thereby successfully building Laos into a country of peace, independence, democracy, unity, and prosperity with an increasingly important role in the region and the world.

The leaders of Vietnam also affirmed the continuation of close cooperation with their Lao counterparts to unceasingly consolidate and develop the great friendship, special solidarity, and comprehensive cooperation between Vietnam and Laos, for the prosperity and happiness of the two countries' people.

The same day, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Pham Binh Minh sent congratulations to Saleumxay Kommasith on the latter's re-election as Minister of Foreign Affairs of Laos.

Minh expressed his belief that Saleumxay Kommasith will continue leading the Lao Foreign Ministry to effectively carry out the country's foreign policy of peace, independence, friendship, and cooperation for development, in which the special Laos - Vietnam relations and the two foreign ministries' cooperation will be further promoted.


China's development blueprint to stabilize global economic recovery

Xinhua) 08:27, March 22, 2021

Aerial photo taken on Sept. 11, 2020 shows the city view of Shenzhen, in south China's Guangdong Province. (Xinhua/Mao Siqian)

BEIJING, March 20 (Xinhua) -- China has mapped out its social and economic development priorities for the coming five years and the decades beyond in a recently released development blueprint, and analysts believe the country's consistency on policy will help stabilize and boost the global market prospects.

Instead of focusing on the pace of growth, China is striving to pursue high-quality development. Increasing people's incomes, boosting domestic consumption, seeking to foster a world-class business environment and building an innovation-driven society, among others, are high on the agenda in China's Outline of the 14th Five-Year Plan (2021-2025) for National Economic and Social Development and the Long-Range Objectives Through the Year 2035.

MARKET POTENTIAL

Over the next five years, the country will increase the disposable income per capita basically in line with its growth in gross domestic product, and continue expanding its middle-income group and tapping the market potential.

According to the plan, the country will boost and upgrade domestic consumption, reduce import tariffs and institutional costs, and expand imports of high-quality consumer goods, advanced technologies, crucial equipment and energy resources.

With the burgeoning demand and purchasing power, the country will become a huge market that is increasingly important for global goods.

China is a mega economy with long-term potential for high economic growth, said Zhang Liqun, a researcher with the Development Research Center of the State Council.

As an essential locomotive for world economic growth, the Chinese market will help pull the world economy out of difficulties, Zhang said.

In the first two months of 2021, China's total goods imports and exports expanded 32.2 percent year on year to 5.44 trillion yuan (about 838.16 billion U.S. dollars), according to the General Administration of Customs (GAC).

The country's imports grew 14.5 percent year on year, topping 2.38 trillion yuan during the period, GAC data shows.

BETTER BUSINESS CLIMATE

Besides predictable surging demand, the country also showed prospects for a greater degree of opening-up. It will further improve its business environment to attract and better utilize foreign capital.

China will advance the opening of related businesses in the fields of telecommunications, the Internet, education, culture and medical care in an orderly manner, according to the new five-year plan.

The latest report from Fitch Ratings shows that China had seen a steady increase in high-tech foreign direct investment over the past decade. It attributes the increase to strong government support, foreign companies' growing interest in China's market sales opportunities, as well as an improving innovation ecosystem.

Fitch Ratings expects the research and development activities of the foreign-invested enterprises in China to increase as the country continues emphasizing and promoting innovation and improving intellectual-property protection to drive high-quality economic growth, as outlined in the new five-year plan.

Besides, the plan underlines continuous efforts to further improve the country's business environment that is based on market principles and governed by the law and meets international standards.

With an improved and more predictable business environment in the coming five years, foreign-funded enterprises can make full use of the opportunities, explore new fields and achieve high-quality development along with China, said Obara Masamichi, vice president of the Japanese Chamber of Commerce and Industry in China.
Contra Costa County on Monday announced it is expanding coronavirus vaccine eligibility to people 50 and older who live or work in the county, becoming the second Bay Area county after Solano to do so.

California has not expanded eligibility to people 50 and older, but does plan to open up vaccinations to people 16 and older by the last week of April, Gov. Gavin Newsom said Friday. The California Department of Public Health on Monday declined to say whether it will first expand eligibility to those 50 and older before opening it up to everyone else.

If California goes the same route as New York and a number of other states, it could take the incremental step of adding those 50 and older to the priority list soon. California is currently giving vaccine priority to people 65 and older, essential workers in certain sectors, homeless and incarcerated residents, and people between 16 and 64 with disabilities or underlying health conditions.

Its been about two months since the state opened eligibility to people 65 and over. Older adults are at greater risk of becoming severely ill or dying from COVID-19, so basing eligibility on age was an effort by policymakers to lessen the burden on hospitals.

Contra Costas announcement allows people 50 to 64 who do not have a disability or underlying medical condition, or work in a qualifying sector, to get vaccinated. The move comes as many states are loosening their age or other requirements for vaccinations. New York on Tuesday will make residents 50 and older eligible for vaccines, and Arizona on Wednesday will open eligibility for residents 16 and older at state-run vaccination sites in three counties, state officials said Monday.

Alaska, Mississippi and West Virginia have opened up vaccinations for everyone 16 and older. And at least 20 states have announced plans to do so in March or April, according to the New York Times.

In Contra Costa County, about 235,000 residents 50 to 64 are now eligible, according to officials. The expansion comes as the county has begun receiving additional vaccine from the U.S. government for its federally qualified health centers.

We look forward to the coming months when we can do away with vaccine eligibility, when anyone and everyone is eligible, Contra Costa County Board of Supervisors Chair Diane Burgis said in a statement. More and more doses of vaccine are coming into the county each week and we expect that trend to continue.

Other Bay Area counties said Monday they are not yet expanding eligibility to those 50 and older, and are monitoring the states next steps for guidance. They would like to make vaccines available to more people, they said, but supply constraints make it difficult to predict exactly when that will happen.

At this point, we are sticking with the states current eligibility groups, said Marin County spokesperson Laine Hendricks. We estimate about 160,000 Marin residents are eligible under those definitions and still have a number of people to reach until we deem those groups as saturated. That being said, if the state were to signal a change and open that group, we would align with the state and begin vaccinating those individuals.

Expanding eligibility does not necessary mean everyone who is eligible will be able to get their shots immediately because vaccine supply remains unpredictable. Last week, as the state opened up eligibility to people 16 and older with disabilities and underlying medical conditions, some were not able to book appointments right away.

Solano County last week expanded eligibility to people 50 and older. On Monday, county officials said they have seen a steep 60% drop in vaccine supply in the past two weeks, and must put off scheduling many first-dose appointments at mass vaccination clinics.

Vaccine supply coming to California, which is currently around 1.6 million to 1.7 million doses a week, is expected to double by the end of April if projections from the Biden administration and vaccine manufacturers hold true, said Blue Shield of California, which manages vaccine distribution for the state. That increase will mostly be driven by the expected influx of more Johnson & Johnson vaccine starting in early April, Blue Shield chief executive Paul Markovich said in an interview Friday.

The addition of the vaccine made by AstraZeneca, which on Monday released promising results from a large U.S. trial showing a 79% efficacy rate at preventing COVID-19 symptoms, could also bode well for speeding up vaccinations. AstraZeneca plans to apply for emergency use authorization in the United States in the coming weeks and has already been approved in dozens of other countries, including much of Europe. Concerns over a small number of blood clots in people who were recently vaccinated temporarily halted the administration of the vaccine in some countries earlier this month, but many have resumed the shots after European regulators deemed it safe.

Its unlikely the AstraZeneca vaccine would gain FDA authorization before May, and by then the U.S. may not need it because there will be more Pfizer, Moderna and Johnson & Johnson vaccines available.

As of Monday, nearly 10 million Californians, about 30% of the states 16-and-older population, are at least partially vaccinated. Of that group, 5.2 million, or 16%, are fully vaccinated, according to state data.

Chronicle Staff Writer Erin Allday contributed to this report.

Catherine Ho is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: cho@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @Cat_Ho
[March 22, 2021] Nuvemshop Raises $90M As It Catalyzes E-Commerce And Entrepreneurship Across Latin America

Nuvemshop, the leading e-commerce platform in Latin America, today announced a $90M Series D investment led by Accel with participation from ThornTree Capital and existing investors Kaszek, Qualcomm Ventures (News - Alert) LLC and others. In conjunction with the investment, Accel Partner, Andrew Braccia, who sits on the board of directors of global leaders like Slack, Squarespace, PagerDuty and Cornershop, joins Nuvemshop's board. Several prominent e-commerce leaders also participated in the round, including Mike Micucci (former CEO of Salesforce CommerceCloud), Mark Lavelle and Mark Lenhard (former CEO and SVP of Strategy at Magento, respectively), Jamie Sutton (former Head of Tech Partnerships at Shopify), Kevin McKeand (former Head of Strategic Partnerships at BigCommerce), and Minesh Shah (COO of Stitchfix). The company, also known as Tiendanube in Spanish speaking countries, is the dominant e-commerce platform in Latin America, empowering entrepreneurs to build and grow thriving online businesses. Nuvemshop's platform, which is both powerful and easy to use, serves nearly 80,000 merchants across Brazil, Argentina, and Mexico, ranging from direct-to-consumer (DTC) upstarts to dominant brands such as Play Mobil, Osram, Billabong, Coppel, Luigi Bosca, Zaira Beauty, and Lolja. With tremendous momentum over the past year, Nuvemshop tripled its customer base and has been a key enabler of commerce in the region. Latin America is not only a huge market (with over 650 million consumers), it is now the fastest growing e-commerce market in the world, reaching $85 billion in total sales. Brazil, the most populous country in the region and the fifth largest on the planet, doubled e-commerce penetration last year from approximately 5% to 10%. Given Latin America's low e-commerce penetration, by offering the leading product built and tailored specifically for its markets, Nuvemshop is poised for tremendous growth and economic impact in the region. "Latin America is a vast market, filled with talented entrepreneurs, yet many lack the tools and resources needed to thrive," said Santiago Sosa, CEO and co-founder of Nuvemshop. "Our purpose with Nuvemshop is to rduce these barriers to entry for entrepreneurs, and we're proud to be the e-commerce platform of choice for businesses looking to build, launch and promote their online presence."



"Over the past decade, direct-to-consumer has become one of the most important drivers of entrepreneurship globally," said Andrew Braccia, Partner at Accel and member of the Board of Directors for Nuvemshop. "Latin America is no exception to this trend, and we believe that Nuvemshop is uniquely positioned to help merchants in this region build direct relationships with their customers. We're thrilled to support them in their next stage of growth as Nuvemshop becomes the de-facto e-commerce platform of Latin America during this unprecedented time of e-commerce adoption." Nuvemshop is supported by a rapidly growing ecosystem, with hundreds of app partners in its ecosystem, as companies build on the regional leader's platform. In addition, a large network of marketing agencies and freelancers help merchants set up stores and tailor the platform to their specific needs.

"Region-specific challenges make Latin America a difficult market for non-local players to penetrate. Nuvemshop has a demonstrated record of success here, with a deep understanding of the local digital payments and logistics infrastructure, and a mastery of multiple currencies, languages, regulations and deep integrations with key local ecosystem partners to provide a complete end-to-end solution," said Ethan Choi, Partner at Accel. "As the leading regional player, Nuvemshop is providing merchants and its ecosystem with the tools and resources they need to grow this massive market." The investment will enable Nuvemshop to continue improving its platform for merchants, including new solutions for payments and logistics management in order to make the process of selling and shipping even easier. The company will also develop and grow its ecosystem, extending support to merchants of all sizes, while boosting their presence in Brazil, Argentina and Mexico, and expanding into new markets including Colombia, Chile and Peru. About Nuvemshop Nuvemshop is the leading e-commerce platform of Latin America, transforming and building the largest e-commerce ecosystem throughout the region. With the mission of reducing the barriers to entry for entrepreneurship, Nuvemshop powers nearly 80,000 merchants seeking to launch, develop and promote their own online businesses. By providing a platform with a comprehensive partner ecosystem of solutions and services around payments, shipping, inventory management, marketing and more, SMBs and mid-size businesses can access world-class technology and achieve economies of scale that only enterprise-level retailers once could. About Accel Accel is a global venture capital firm that is the first partner to exceptional teams everywhere, from inception through all phases of private company growth. Atlassian, Braintree, Cloudera, Crowdstrike, DJI, DocuSign, Dropbox (News - Alert) , Etsy, Facebook, Flipkart, Freshworks, Jet, Pillpack, Qualtrics, Slack, Spotify, Supercell, Tenable, UiPath, and Venmo are among the companies Accel has backed over the past 35+ years. We help ambitious entrepreneurs build iconic global businesses. For more, visit www.accel.com or www.twitter.com/accel. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210322005251/en/

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TORONTO - Brookfield Asset Management Inc. has hired former Air Canada chief executive Calin Rovinescu as a senior adviser within its global private equity group.

Air Canada president and CEO Calin Rovinescu arrives for the airline's annual meeting Monday, April 30, 2018 in Montreal. Brookfield Asset Management Inc. has hired former Air Canada chief executive Calin Rovinescu as a senior adviser within its global private equity group. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Paul Chiasson

TORONTO - Brookfield Asset Management Inc. has hired former Air Canada chief executive Calin Rovinescu as a senior adviser within its global private equity group.

Rovinescu retired as head of Canada's largest airline in February after leading it for 12 years.

He is also a former chair of the Star Alliance chief executive board and of the board of governors of the International Air Transport Association.

The alternative investment manager says Rovinescu will help in finding and executing on investment opportunities, with a focus on the aviation and aerospace sectors.

Cyrus Madon, CEO of Brookfields private equity group, says Rovinescu's insights and expertise will be beneficial to the team.

Rovinescu co-founded independent investment bank Genuity Capital Markets and was the managing partner of Stikeman Elliott in Montreal, where he practiced corporate law for more than 20 years.

He is also a board member of the Bank of Nova Scotia

This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 22, 2021.

Companies in this story: (TSX:BAM.A, TSX:BNS)
"We conducted the study out of our concern that cancer patients who develop COVID-19 may not benefit from the same degree of antibody protection as people without cancer, given that many are immuno-compromised," said Astha Thakkar, M.B.B.S., a Montefiore hematologic oncology fellow and first author of the paper. "Our findings provide assurance that most people with cancer are able to mount an antibody response to the coronavirus that is similar to the general population. People with a history of cancer are likely as protected from reinfection as those without a history of disease and are likely to respond well to vaccines, according to our study."

The retrospective study involved 261 cancer patients, 77% of whom were diagnosed with solid malignancies and 23% with hematologic (blood) malignancies. Their overall rate of seroconversion (production of antibodies in response to infection) was 92%. However, when patients with solid and blood malignancies were compared, patients with blood cancers had a seroconversion rate of only 81.7%significantly lower than the 94.5% seroconversion rate for patients with solid tumors.

"The treatments commonly given to patients with blood cancersanti-CD20 antibody therapy, stem-cell transplants, and steroidsare known to suppress the immune system, which may explain the lower rate of antibodies developed in these patients and their increased risk for severe COVID-19 disease," said senior author Balazs Halmos, M.D., M.S., director of the Multidisciplinary Thoracic Oncology Program at Montefiore, professor of medicine at Einstein, and a member of the Albert Einstein Cancer Center (AECC).

"We need to pay special attention to patients with blood cancers and think through proactive strategies to ensure this patient population is appropriately cared for," said Sanjay Goel, M.B.B.S., a medical oncologist at Montefiore, professor of medicine at Einstein, a member of AECC, and a coauthor on the paper. "This study also raises the need for additional research on COVID-19 vaccines and current treatments for people with blood cancer."

In a paper published last year in Cancer Discovery, Dr. Halmos and colleagues found that COVID-19 patients with blood cancers had significantly higher mortality rates compared with patients who had solid tumors. Mortality was more closely related to age and co-morbidities than active cancer therapy.

The study participants were cared for at Montefiore between March 1, 2020 and September 15, 2020 and tested positive for COVID-19 through PCR tests to detect coronavirus or prior COVID-19 exposure through antibody testing, or both. The patients had an average age of 64 and were almost evenly split between men and women. Fifty-six percent of patients (147/261) had symptomatic coronavirus infection, while 44% (114/261) had an asymptomatic infection.

More than 40% of patients were African American; 30% were Hispanic, nearly 15% were Caucasian, 3% were Asian, and 6% belong to other ethnic groups.

The paper is titled "Patterns of seroconversion for SARS-COV2-IgG in Patients with Malignant Disease and association with anti-cancer therapy."

Additional Montefiore-Einstein authors are: Kith Pradhan, Ph.D., Shawn Jindal, M.D., Zhu Cui, M.D., M.P.H., Bradley Rockwell, M.D., Akash Pradip Shah, M.S., Stuart Packer, M.D., R. Alejandro Sica, M.D., Joseph A Sparano, M.D., D. Yitzhak Goldstein, M.D., and Amit Verma, M.B.B.S.

This study was supported in part by the Albert Einstein Cancer Center (P30 CA013330 and NCORP grant 2UG1CA189859-06) and by the Jane A. and Myles P. Dempsey fund and the Pelka family fund. The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

About Montefiore Health System

Montefiore Health System is one of New York's premier academic health systems and is a recognized leader in providing exceptional quality and personalized, accountable care to approximately three million people in communities across the Bronx, Westchester and the Hudson Valley. It is comprised of 10 hospitals, including the Children's Hospital at Montefiore, Burke Rehabilitation Hospital and more than 200 outpatient ambulatory care sites. The advanced clinical and translational research at its medical school, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, directly informs patient care and improves outcomes. From the Montefiore-Einstein Centers of Excellence in cancer, cardiology and vascular care, pediatrics, and transplantation, to its preeminent school-based health program, Montefiore is a fully integrated healthcare delivery system providing coordinated, comprehensive care to patients and their families. For more information please visit www.montefiore.org. Follow us on Twitter and view us on Facebook and YouTube.

About Albert Einstein College of Medicine

Albert Einstein College of Medicine is one of the nation's premier centers for research, medical education and clinical investigation. During the 2020-21 academic year, Einstein is home to 721 M.D. students, 178 Ph.D. students, 109 students in the combined M.D./Ph.D. program, and 265 postdoctoral research fellows. The College of Medicine has more than 1,900 full-time faculty members located on the main campus and at its clinical affiliates. In 2020, Einstein received more than $197 million in awards from the National Institutes of Health (NIH). This includes the funding of major research centers at Einstein in aging, intellectual development disorders, diabetes, cancer, clinical and translational research, liver disease, and AIDS. Other areas where the College of Medicine is concentrating its efforts include developmental brain research, neuroscience, cardiac disease, and initiatives to reduce and eliminate ethnic and racial health disparities. Its partnership with Montefiore, the University Hospital and academic medical center for Einstein, advances clinical and translational research to accelerate the pace at which new discoveries become the treatments and therapies that benefit patients. Einstein runs one of the largest residency and fellowship training programs in the medical and dental professions in the United States through Montefiore and an affiliation network involving hospitals and medical centers in the Bronx, Brooklyn and on Long Island. For more information, please visit www.einstein.yu.edu, read our blog, follow us on Twitter, like us on Facebook , and view us on YouTube.

SOURCE Montefiore Health System; Albert Einstein College of Medicine
Belarusian opposition leader Svyatlana Tsikhanouskaya has expressed gratitude for the international community's support for her country's "peaceful fight for human dignity," but says the West needs to continue to help in the battle to remove the regime of authoritarian leader Alyaksandr Luksashenka.

"We are thankful for the help we have already received," she told the Kalinowski Forum, a conference on Belarus organized by the Lithuanian parliament in Vilnius, on March 22.

"Every gesture of solidarity, every sanction toward the dictatorship, every Belarusian refugee saved, every action that makes Belarusians acquire human rights is bringing up a step closer to democracy."

She stressed, however, that Belarus was still in the process of "making a government for the nation" as the opposition continues protests against long-ruling strongman Luksashenka.

"We need your help," she said.

The conference, which featured presentations by the heads of the parliamentary Foreign Affairs Committees of all three Baltic countries, the European Parliament, Poland, and the Czech Republic, was being held to exchange ideas on what can be done to achieve the goal of "free and democratic elections under the auspices of the" Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe.

Crisis In Belarus Read our coverage as Belarusians continue to demand the resignation of Alyaksandr Lukashenka amid a brutal crackdown on protesters. The West refuses to recognize him as the country's legitimate leader after an August 9 election considered fraudulent.

Belarus, a Central European country of some 9.4 million people, has been rocked by continual protests since an August 2020 presidential election that was widely seen as having been falsified in favor of Lukashenka, who has ruled the country since 1994.

The European Union, the United States, Canada, and other countries have refused to acknowledge Lukashenka as the country's president and have called for an end to the crackdown, the release of detainees, and the holding of a new free and fair election.

Lukashenka's government has responded to the protests with a massive crackdown on dissent that has seen more than 30,000 people detained.

"Over 1,000 cases of torture have been documented by human rights NGOs," Tsikhanouskaya said. "There are 290 political prisoners in Belarus at the moment, and this number is increasing every day. At least eight peaceful protesters were killed."

Tsikhanouskaya stressed that since the election, the Belarusian people had "learned to speak our mind."

"We are better in expressing our opinions and needs, our dreams and worries, our frustrations and fears," she told the forum.

Speaking from Washington later in the day, U.S. Ambassador to Belarus Julie Fisher said the United States supported Tsikhanouskaya's call for new elections this year.

Fisher added that the "last chapter" of Lukashenka's political legacy had "not yet been written" and called on him to open an inclusive dialogue leading to internationally monitored elections before the end of the year.

Many of the speakers at the one-day conference emphasized that Russian President Vladimir Putin's support of Lukashenka was a crucial factor in determining Belarus's future.

Anatol Lyabedzka, the head of the European Dialogue Center who played a leading role in the opposition's Public Constitution Commission in 2020, said the Lukashenka government rested on four pillars: the Kremlin's support, the security forces, the public's fear, and the economic dependence of many Belarusians on the state.

If not for the Kremlin's support for Lukashenka, Lyabedzka said, the Belarusian opposition would not need outside help. He warned Europeans to resist efforts by Lukashenka and Moscow to divide them.
BASEL, Switzerland and LONDON, UK, March 22, 2021 / B3C newswire / -- Celonic Group, a Swiss-German contract development and manufacturing organization (CDMO), and University College London, UK, are excited to announce their partnership for the production of therapeutic protein candidates using Celonics CHOvolution cell expression platform. The goal is to establish stable high-performance cell lines for the expression of recombinant human proteins and variants for planned proof of concept clinical trials.

This partnership allows UCL access to Celonics CHOvolution, an industry-leading cell line development platform. CHOvolution is based on CHO-K1 host cell line and is suitable for a broad range of applications  from non-GMP R&D testing to GMP development and commercial market supply.

Professor Howard Clark (UCL Institute for Womens Health) said: Efficient GMP production of human biologicals with anti-inflammatory and immunomodulatory properties allows for rapid translation of new agents into phase 1 safety and efficacy trials and faster exploitation of UCL basic science. This platform will facilitate testing of newly developed mimics of natural innate inmmune defence proteins with potential to treat inflammatory lung diseases ranging from neonatal chronic lung disease in babies to asthma and chronic obstructive lung disease in adults.

We are delighted to be supporting University College London with the clinical development of these novel protein therapeutics. The market-leading CHOvolution platform combined with our expertise in GMP production of recombinant proteins will help cut the time and costs required to bring these innovative therapeutics to clinical trials, said Konstantin Matentzoglu, CEO of Celonic AG.

For high resolution please click the image.

About CHOvolution

CHOvolution is a CHO-K1 and SEFEX-based (Serum Free Expression Technology) cell expression platform suitable for applications ranging from non-GMP R&D testing to GMP development and commercial market supply. The CHOvolution cell line development platform combines high productivity with a fast-track, streamlined workflow. CHOvolution enables high-yield, large-scale production of mAbs and recombinant proteins in fed-batch culture processes. CHOvolutions streamlined workflow using FACSAria Fusion cytometer and single cell printer greatly reduces time-to-clinic and cGMP material for clinical trials can be delivered within 14 months from DNA sequence. CHOvolution enables high genetic stability and is scalable from 250 mL to 1000 L single use bioreactors. Besides offering cell line development services, Celonic is selling and out-licensing the system to other service providers and drug developers. CHOvolution is easy to implement with an industry-compliant user protocol and is free of royalties and milestone payments. Celonic offers an integrated support system, including expert advice from our scientists.

For more information, visit www.celonic.com/chovolution

About University College London (UCL)

UCL is a diverse community with the freedom to challenge and think differently.

Our community of more than 41,500 students from 150 countries and over 12,500 staff pursues academic excellence, breaks boundaries and makes a positive impact on real world problems.

We are consistently ranked among the top 10 universities in the world and are one of only a handful of institutions rated as having the strongest academic reputation and the broadest research impact.

We have a progressive and integrated approach to our teaching and research  championing innovation, creativity and cross-disciplinary working. We teach our students how to think, not what to think, and see them as partners, collaborators and contributors. For almost 200 years, we are proud to have opened higher education to students from a wide range of backgrounds and to change the way we create and share knowledge.

We were the first in England to welcome women to university education and that courageous attitude and disruptive spirit is still alive today. We are UCL.

About Celonic

Celonic Group is a privately-owned CDMO based in Basel, Switzerland, with a state-of-the-art biomanufacturing facility in Heidelberg, Germany. Celonic provides comprehensive development and manufacturing services for biotherapeutics including cell line development, USP and DSP development, GMP and non-GMP manufacturing of biopharmaceutical drug substances and drug products, along with cell expression platforms and diagnostics. Celonic offers cell line development services for a wide range of protein therapeutics using CHOvolution and GEX cell expression platforms. With a new state-of-the-art GMP manufacturing facility for gene vectors and cell therapy, Celonic is soon expanding its existing ATMP development and GMP manufacturing capacity.

For more information, visit www.celonic.com and follow us on LinkedIn, Twitter, YouTube.

Celonic Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains forward-looking statements that are based on current expectations and beliefs of Celonic and are subject to risks and uncertainties. All statements, other than statements of historical fact, are statements that could be deemed forward-looking statements. Risks and uncertainties include but are not limited to, financial metrics, impact of pharmaceutical or biopharmaceutical industry regulation and healthcare legislation in the United States and internationally; industry and competitive developments, development and manufacturing results or practices; Celonics proprietary technologies, processes, and other innovative outcomes; and the exposure to litigation and/or regulatory actions. Celonic is providing this information as of the date of this press release and does not undertake any obligation to update any forward-looking statements contained in this document as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise. No forward-looking statements can be guaranteed, and actual results may differ materially from those described in the forward-looking statements due to unforeseen changes and/or developments.

Contacts

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Keywords: Humans; Cell Line; CHO Cells; Bioreactors; Cell Proliferation; Cell Line Development; Cells, Cultured; Recombinant Proteins; Pharmaceutical Preparations; Biological Products; Productivity; Commerce; London; Switzerland; United Kingdom; Industry

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Endemic corruption and curbs on free speech like a ban on sending propaganda leaflets to North Korea are among the human rights concerns the U.S. State Department has flagged in South Korea in an annual global report.

The State Department's 2020 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices will be published later this month.

A summary of this year's report cites the South Korean government's ban on sending anti-communist propaganda leaflets over the border into North Korea as a worrying infringement on the freedom of expression of human rights activists and opposition figures.

Another major concern is corruption, exemplified by fly-by-night Justice Minister Cho Kuk and his family, who have been accused of influence peddling and nepotism, and ruling-party lawmaker Yoon Mee-hyang, who has been charged with embezzlement and breach of trust for her misappropriation of funds for victims of wartime sex slavery.

The report also mentioned sexual harassment brought to light by charges against former Seoul mayor Park Won-soon and ex-Busan mayor Oh Keo-don.
No, I hadn't see this news item late last week, about George Bush suddenly not "owing" another president his "silence," in his string of lip-curling insults directed at President Trump. Guess I don't view him as worth watching much. But sure enough, he had plenty of hateful things to say about President Trump for the left-wing media, and he's the smaller for it.

Here were his three worst whoppers, as cited by Business Insider:

In an interview with the Texas Tribune's Evan Smith, Bush described how watching the January 6 attack "really disturbed" him, both then and now. "I was sick to my stomach ... to see our nation's Capitol being stormed by hostile forces," he said. "And it really disturbed me to the point where I did put out a statement, and I'm still disturbed when I think about it. It undermines rule of law, the ability to express yourself in peaceful ways in a public square. This was an expression that was not peaceful." Bush has kept a relatively low political profile since leaving office, becoming known for taking up painting. But following the attack on the Capitol, he issued a statement saying he was "appalled" by the behavior of some political leaders  an apparent reference to Trump. He also compared the rioters' tactics to those of a "banana republic."

And this:

In his Texas Tribune interview, portions of which were later aired by CNN, he gave a blunt no to the question of whether he thought the election was stolen from Trump.

And finally, this revolting glurge:

But Bush said he was "optimistic" about democracy, and that the current "anger in the system" may "eventually work its way out of the system." "The history of the United States has shown these populist movements begin to fritter over time," he said.

So now Bush is freely taking potshots against President Trump, something he only occasionally did when Trump was president and something he never did against President Obama, who did more to destroy the institutions of the U.S. and wokester-fy the U.S. military and Justice department than anyone. Maybe he's trying to suck up to Joe Biden, an old acquaintance, and now trying to get his licks in. Maybe he's just still seething, and it's boiling over.

Bush has never liked President Trump.

Unlike Obama, Trump made Bush's own record as president look awful in comparison.

Unlike Trump, Bush did a paltry tax cut and got a paltry, barely there, recovery. He got the U.S. into a string of useless never-ending wars, none of which gained the U.S. anything, and all of which were costly in terms of U.S. blood and treasure, never recognizing the folly of nation-building. The only people who gained were Bush-linked "consultants." He did nothing as the media attacked him as "Hitler," he never liked his Republican voters, and he always tried to suck up to the swamp establishment, hoping to extend his political power to his relatives in a sort of "dynasty," which is revolting to voters. He was also big on expanding government power  in the Patriot Act, which is now being abused on Republicans instead of bloodthirsty terrorists, and in bringing us the TSA, targeting old blue-haired ladies instead of angry Middle Eastern military-aged young men. Maybe his biggest failure was that he and his brother, terrified of what consultants called "the Latino vote" constantly sucked up to the open borders lobby narrative on immigration, leaving the U.S. border open, and attempting and failing to get an amnesty bill through in 2007. (Do you wonder what he thought of those majority votes for Trump in Texas's solidly Latino Rio Grande Valley? Anyone ask?) Bottom line: what a shambles of a president he was.

Bush hated Trump for his bold manner, for his harsh treatment of his brother Jeb Bush on the 2016 campaign trail, and for his repudiation of the Bush foreign policy, replacing it with something way better  zero wars, and much of the Arab world and the Israelis, of all things, friends, something Trump should have been awarded a Nobel Peace Prize for. Nobody ever brought up Bush for one of those things, and for Bush, that's the holy grail.

So now he's back to blaming President Trump for the Capitol riot and intoning pieties about an attack on "democracy," which is garbage. Hundreds of thousands of people rallied for President Trump over the serious issue of election fraud, and a few hundred, apparently allowed into the Capitol by the Capitol police, got out of control and, yes, acted like creeps. Most are now going to jail for it, which nobody opposes. And were they Trump-supporters? Nope, most didn't vote, didn't know much about politics, and at least one was linked to Antifa. In other words, they were typical riot-goers, for whom this sort of thing is a way of life. Banana republic? Please. Where were the guns? Real banana republics do their coups with guns and palace massacres. These people were clowns taking an opportunity presented to them by inept cops and made a stink and got busted. That's all. But Bush intones the pieties.

Second, Bush thinks there was no election fraud, despite the suitcases in Atlanta, the sudden stop of counting in four states at 2:00 A.M., the transported ballots from New York to Pennsylvania, the witness testimonies in various states, the blocked observers, the ignored court orders, the ballot harvests, the usurped power from legislatures, the unchecked signatures, the backdated ballots, the unfolded ballots, and massive other irregularities, which are only now getting a court rulings critical of these obvious cheatings. Bush's pig-stupid single "no" answer, with absolutely nothing to argue against this mountain of evidence everyone sees and knows about, says mountains about where he's coming from. He likes the election fraud. Anything that Gets Trump is good to him, and too bad about that actual threat on democracy.

The third one's the biggest whopper. Bush dismissed President Trump as an ephemeral populist who will eventually "fritter away," imagining that everyone will come back to Bush and his swamp model of governance as the standard as time passes. All he needs is time and everyone will come to love him, despite the fact that his stature as ex-president has fallen, not risen, as he had expected. In Bush's mind, Trump was an aberration. We'll all snap out of it. We are all supposed to miss Bush now and long for politics as usual again.

It's a complete delusion. Trump just came out with a stellar statement that reminded voters just how great he really was and how unjust this recent election stolen from him was:

"We proudly handed the Biden Administration the most secure border in history. All they had to do was keep this smooth-running system on autopilot. Instead, in the span of a just few weeks, the Biden Administration has turned a national triumph into a national disaster. They are in way over their heads and taking on water fast. The pathetic, clueless performance of Secretary Mayorkas on the Sunday Shows today was a national disgrace. His self-satisfied presentation  in the middle of the massive crisis he helped engineer  is yet more proof he is incapable of leading DHS. Even someone of Mayorkas' limited abilities should understand that if you provide Catch-and-Release to the world's illegal aliens then the whole world will come. Furthermore, the Mayorkas Gag Order on our Nation's heroic border agents and ICE officers should be the subject of an immediate congressional investigation. But it's clear they are engaged in a huge cover-up to hide just how bad things truly are. The only way to end the Biden Border Crisis is for them to admit their total failure and adopt the profoundly effective, proven Trump policies. They must immediately complete the wall, which can be done in a matter of weeks  they should never have stopped it. They are causing death and human tragedy. In addition to the obvious, drugs are pouring into our country at record levels from the Southern Border, not to mention human and sex trafficking. This Administration's reckless policies are enabling and encouraging crimes against humanity. Our Country is being destroyed!"

Imagine Bush making such a statement like that. Wouldn't happen. Bush was Mr. Mumbles, dismissed at the time as just an absence of articulation talent, but in hindsight, it was probably a reflection of his lack of clarity, given his leftist impulses. It's hard to be two things at once, and at the time, he was playing Republican. Trump's statement had stellar clarity, both of the situation and of the disastrous political decision-making, reading Biden's failure like a book. It also had a strong direction, a genuine recognition of the problem, a no-bones take on the failures of the Biden minion leadership and a capacity to articulate what voters are thinking. Trump is going to rise on statements like these and, if the electoral system is repaired, re-take the White House and "beat them three times," as he said at a rally a few weeks back.

Bush doesn't rally people like that. He barely rallies the fawning media. Now he's taking potshots at Trump and it's reducing his stature even further. What a nasty, bitter little man he is becoming now that he's opening his mouth. He's a mouse compared to Cat Trump but one who has ambitions of becoming a rat. This is wretched. He should go back to dog paintings.

Image: Pixabay, Pixabay License.
Exclusive: Mexico seeks better trade terms from Vitol following bribery scandal A sign is pictured in front of the Vitol Group trading commodities building in Geneva

By Stefanie Eschenbacher, Adriana Barrera and Ana Isabel Martinez

MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - Mexico is looking to renegotiate some of its hundreds of millions of dollars-worth of contracts with Vitol SA after the global energy trader acknowledged paying kickbacks to win business with state oil company Pemex, Reuters has learned.

The dispute in Mexico, the world's fourth-largest importer of refined oil products, is part of the fallout from a December agreement that Houston-based Vitol Americas made with the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ).

The energy trader agreed to pay $164 million to U.S. and Brazilian authorities after admitting it bribed officials in Mexico, Brazil and Ecuador between 2015 and 2020 to obtain and retain business with state oil companies there, the deferred prosecution agreement showed.

Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador on March 3 announced his government has launched its own criminal investigation into the scheme.

In addition, Pemex is scouring existing contracts with Vitol for signs of anything "irregular," and will be looking to jettison provisions it considers unfavorable, Chief Executive Octavio Romero Oropeza told Reuters in an interview Thursday.

"Now we need to question practically everything," Romero Oropeza said. "If we can't come to an agreement, we'll stop doing business with Vitol."

The Mexican government's push to seek better terms from Vitol has not been previously reported.

Collectively, Pemex's deals with the global trader amount to "more than $1 billion" said a person with direct knowledge of the review. "The whole universe of contracts, any contract (Pemex) considers disadvantageous, is going to be taken to the negotiating table," the person said.

Beyond confirming that the Vitol contracts are under review, Pemex, or Petroleos Mexicanos, did not respond to detailed questions from Reuters.

Vitol would not comment on how many active contracts it has with Pemex, the value of those deals or whether Pemex is looking to renegotiate some or all of those agreements. The Geneva-based company said it had a longstanding and respectful relationship with Pemex and "always cooperates with the relevant authorities."

Story continues

The Vitol corruption case is the latest graft scandal to explode in the region since Brazil's Operation Car Wash, a public contracting kickback scheme whose tentacles reached across Latin America.

Since taking office in 2018, Lopez Obrador has taken ever-bolder steps towards rebalancing Mexico's energy markets in favor of Pemex and federal power utility Comision Federal de Electricidad (CFE).

Mexico has renegotiated several contracts with international companies, including pipeline operators, changes the government claims have saved taxpayers hundreds of millions of dollars. Such moves reflect Lopez Obrador's desire to strengthen Mexico's state-run companies, and his belief that previous governments awarded contracts to private-sector companies in exchange for kickbacks.

For Vitol, the world's largest independent oil trader, the prospect of Mexico unearthing more evidence of corruption could result not only in costly renegotiations of its contracts, but further damage to its reputation.

Competition for government energy contracts in oil-producing countries such as Mexico is often fierce, several sources familiar with the market said.

PHONE LOGS, EMAILS, TRAVEL RECORDS

In all, Reuters spoke to seven people with knowledge of Vitol's business dealings in Mexico. The news organization reviewed internal communications of Pemex and Vitol, including letters, memorandums and shipping documents, as well as a Pemex contract obtained through searches of publicly available company archives.

The sources and documents, along with Romero Oropeza's comments, reveal heightened scrutiny by Mexican officials regarding the government's business with Vitol.

As part of the process, Pemex has ordered an internal evaluation of all company pacts with Vitol since 2015, warning employees not to delete any correspondence with the trader, including emails, phone logs and travel records, according to a source familiar with the situation and company memorandums viewed by Reuters.

Executives of various Pemex units have been asked by the company's legal department to identify contract terms they would like changed in negotiations with Vitol, the person familiar with the review said.

Several Pemex units have contracts with Vitol, including the trading arm PMI Comercio Internacional, gas trader Mex Gas Supply Ltd and petrochemical unit Pemex Transformacion Industrial, the person said.

Two other sources familiar with the situation estimated the company had more than ten contracts with Pemex.

Among them is a deal for Vitol to supply Pemex with ethane gas. That 2018 agreement is worth about $230 million. As of early March, Pemex was still importing shipments of ethane as part of that contract, according to a person familiar with Vitol's transport of ethane and Refinitiv Eikon tanker tracking data.

That ethane contract, reviewed by Reuters, was signed by Javier Aguilar, a former Vitol trader at the heart of the DOJ investigation into the company's business in Ecuador, according to the DOJ's deferred prosecution agreement.

Aguilar could not be reached for comment. His attorney said in a statement that "the Department of Justice determined this matter did not warrant formal prosecution." He declined further comment.

Aguilar last year was charged with conspiring to violate the anti-bribery provisions of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act and money laundering conspiracy for his alleged involvement in a scheme that paid bribes to Ecuadorian government officials. The case is still ongoing, a review of court records shows.

SNUB OF $30 MILLION

Earlier this month, Lopez Obrador said Vitol had offered to pay Pemex around $30 million in damages for the alleged bribes in Mexico. He said he was not satisfied with that offer, in part because Vitol declined to reveal who it had paid off and for which contracts.

In the case unveiled in December, the DOJ said Vitol employees and agents had used an intermediary to bribe Mexican officials in order to receive inside information to obtain a contract with an unidentified Pemex subsidiary.

Unnamed Mexicans set up sham consulting agreements with shell companies that issued fake invoices to disguise the bribes, the deferred prosecution agreement showed. The DOJ said it detected more than $2 million in bribes paid by Vitol between 2015 and 2020 in Mexico and Ecuador alone. It did not name the officials bribed in the scheme.

The DOJ declined to comment.

Lopez Obrador said on March 3 that Pemex had referred the case to Mexico's Attorney General's office, and that he hoped prosecutors would seek details of the alleged wrongdoing from U.S. authorities.

The Attorney General's office and Pemex did not respond to requests for comment about the complaint or whether Mexico is seeking information from the United States.

(Reporting by Stefanie Eschenbacher and Adriana Barrera in Mexico City, and Ana Isabel Martinez in Villahermosa; additional reporting by Marianna Parraga in Mexico City, and Dmitry Zhdannikov and Jonathan Saul in London; editing by Frank Jack Daniel and Marla Dickerson)
By Ritah Kemigisa

Government has asked Ugandans not to give up on the preventive measures learnt against covid19 a year after the pandemic hit the country.

Today marks exactly one year after Uganda confirmed its first case of covid19 on March 21st 2020.

The confirmed case was of a 36-year-old male resident of Kibuli, Kakungulu zone in Kampala, who had travelled to Dubai on March 17, 2020 for a business trip and reportedly returned to Uganda on March 21, 2020 at around 2 am aboard Ethiopian airlines.

According to the ICT and national guidance minister Judith Nabakooba, its because of the strong enforcement and awareness that Uganda has managed to reduce the number of people catching the virus from 300 to under 20.

She has now asked people to continue wearing masks when in public, washing hands and social distancing further warning against spreading fear and false information about the vaccine that the country recently acquired.

Uganda has since acquired 964,000 of the AstraZeneca vaccine with vaccination ongoing in the country among the priority groups.

Uganda as of Saturday had 40,651 of covid-19 cases and 334 death cases.
With factory workers at risk of exposure to COVID-19 and the governments vaccination campaign criticized as sluggish, Indonesian employers have taken the initiative to launch and pay for inoculation drives.

About 11,000 companies in Southeast Asias most populous country have sought to buy doses of vaccine from the government for inoculating staff and their families under the so-called gotong royong (burden-sharing) scheme, according to the Indonesian Chamber of Commerce.

With gotong royong vaccinations, we want to speed up the vaccination program so that herd immunity can be achieved sooner rather than later, Siti Nadia Tarmizi, a health ministry official and spokeswoman for the coronavirus vaccination drive, told BenarNews.

The initiative, expected to start next month, is ahead of similar programs being established by neighbors Thailand and the Philippines.

The Indonesian government is backing the initiative even though epidemiological experts warned that a private drive could divert limited stocks of vaccines from people who need them most, namely the elderly and other vulnerable people.

In December, Indonesian President Joko Jokowi Widodo said coronavirus vaccinations would be free for everyone. His announcement was an about-face amid public criticism after the government had announced that jabs would be given at no cost to only 30 percent of the population deemed vulnerable.

Since the governments free vaccination program kicked off in January, nearly 5.2 million Indonesians have received shots using the vaccine developed by Chinas Sinovac Biotech, according to the Health Ministry.

Indonesia aims to vaccinate 181.5 million of its 270 million people by March 2022, but the target is a tall order at the current rate, according to experts.

The government wants private companies to start their programs in April but details, including costs, have not been finalized, officials said.

Siti said companies would pay for the vaccines, so there would be no cost to workers or their families, and private clinics and hospitals would administer the shots instead of public health facilities.

This program will not interfere with the governments one that is ongoing because the vaccines used will be different from the ones we are currently using, she said.

Indonesias pharmaceutical holding company Bio Farma, tasked by the government to acquire vaccines, said it expected to receive more than 20 million doses of vaccines to be used in the private inoculation drive as early as later this month.

At least 15 million doses will be supplied by the Chinese state-owned firm Sinopharm, while the remainder will come from Moderna, a Massachusetts-based biotechnological company, said Bio Farma director Honesti Basyir.

But some experts questioned the move.

We are in a pandemic situation, a national disaster. This means that the government is obliged to provide a pandemic control strategy by providing vaccines to groups with the highest risk, not groups with money, said Dicky Budiman, an Indonesian epidemiologist at Australias Griffith University.

The private scheme will raise the issue of inequality and questions about the quality of vaccines, he said. The private companies have agreed to use their own money, but it is not only about how much the cost they are willing to pay, it is about equity and accessibility.

Budiman accused the government of putting the economy before peoples health.

During the first year, Indonesia tried to strike a balance between the economy and health, however this strategy didnt work because we couldnt control the transmission of the virus, he said.

In the second year, Indonesia is focusing more on the economy than health. I think they care more about the economy, he said.

Indonesia, the worlds fourth most populous country, has the highest COVID-19 caseload in East Asia. As of Monday, the nation had recorded nearly 1.466 million cases, with nearly 40,000 deaths linked to the global pandemic.

Millions are expected to be vaccinated under the private scheme, said Anindya Bakrie, a deputy chairman of the Indonesian Chamber of Commerce.

Within companies, 3.5 million have been registered. We are confident there will be more, Anindya told Antara, the Indonesian state news agency.

We are collecting the data, which will be verified by the government, he said, describing the program as a smart way to distribute vaccines.

A coalition of activists and health experts, meanwhile, warned that the private program was prone to abuse.

Apart from opening up unequal access and unequal distribution of vaccines, this program also has the potential to miss the target, said Yeyen Yenuarizki, a spokeswoman for the coalition.

Allowing companies to vaccinate employees and their families violates the governments commitment to vaccinations based on risk such as age or comorbidities, she said.

The scheme is also prone to corruption and conflicts of interest, she said.

Similar programs

Other countries in Southeast Asia are seeking to establish private COVID-19 vaccination programs.

While Indonesia expects to receive 20 million doses for private distribution, Thailand will procure an additional 100,000 doses of the Sinovac COVID-19 vaccine to be used and paid for by businesses during the first phase of its private sector scheme, Reuters news service reported last week.

Meanwhile, the Philippine Department of Health and the National Task Force against COVID-19 issued a news release on Monday reiterating that private sector companies may procure vaccines as long as they entered into three-way agreements with the government and the manufacturer.

The news release noted three reasons for such agreements: manufacturers require that the government cover indemnification before any deal can be made; that the government should shoulder costs of adverse effects; and that vaccines are provided only under Emergency Use Authorization and cannot be sold commercially.

Indonesia has so far received about 40 million doses of vaccines, all but 1.1 million from Sinovac. On Friday, the Food and Drug Control Agency (BPOM) gave the go-ahead to use those 1.1 million doses developed by AstraZeneca after a delay over concerns in Europe about blood clots linked to the vaccine.

The benefits of the AstraZeneca vaccine outweighs the risk, so we can start to use it, the BPOM said in a statement on its website.

Other vaccines ordered by the government for its subsidized program include those produced by U.S. firms Novavax and Pfizer.

And in another development on Friday, the Indonesian Council of Ulema, the countrys semi-official authority on Islam, said the AstraZeneca vaccine was haram, or forbidden, because it contained porcine trypsin, yet it was permissible for Muslims to take the vaccine because of the emergency situation.

There are not enough halal vaccines to support our goal to achieve herd immunity, said Asrorun Naim Sholeh, the head of the councils fatwa commission.

Muslims have an obligation to participate in the governments COVID-19 vaccination program, he said.

In response, AstraZeneca said the vaccine does not contain any ingredients derived from pork, according to media reports.
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Anti-coup protesters flash three-fingered gesture, a symbol of resistance, during a rally outside their homes in downtown Yangon, Myanmar (AP)

Health care workers have marched through Myanmars second-biggest city as part of a broad civil disobedience movement against last months coup.

While their protest was left alone, security forces used violence elsewhere and shot dead at least one person.

About 100 doctors, nurses, medical students and pharmacists, wearing long white coats, lined up on a main road in Mandalay on Sunday to chant slogans and voice their opposition to the February 1 coup that toppled the elected civilian government of Aung San Suu Kyi.

Mandalay has been a major centre of opposition to the takeover, and later in the day engineers there held what has been dubbed a no-human strike, an increasingly popular tactic that involves lining up signboards in streets or other public areas as proxies for human protesters.

Expand Close Armed police remove makeshift blockages set up by protesters in downtown Yangon (AP) / Facebook

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Whatsapp Armed police remove makeshift blockages set up by protesters in downtown Yangon (AP)

Video recorded in Mandalay showed a motorcyclist apparently being shot off his motorbike by police on an empty street.

As the people who recorded the video shout Hes been hit! Hes been hit! Go and rescue him! police quickly appear and swarm around him just after he slumps to the ground.

Police led him away on foot while another officer rides off on the motorbike. It is not clear how badly he was hurt or what happened to him.

The civil disobedience movement has used widespread boycotts, strikes and other actions with the aim to restore civilian government and return Myanmar to its slow march toward democracy that began nearly a decade ago after a half-century of military rule.

In recent weeks, street protests have faded as a tactic in the face of rising deaths as police and soldiers have shot live fire into crowds and indiscriminately detained people.

Expand Close Myanmar nationals living in Taiwan hold placards to express their opinion against the military regime (Chiang Ying-ying/AP) / Facebook

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The independent Assistance Association for Political Prisoners had verified 247 deaths nationwide but says the actual total, including cases where verification has been difficult, is probably much higher.

At least one protester was shot dead on Sunday in Monywa, another central Myanmar city, according to the online news site Myanmar Now and numerous social media posts.

Myanmar Now, citing a doctor in Monywa, identified the victim as Min Min Zaw, who was shot in the head as he was helping assemble barricades for a protest.

Virtually all the dead since the coup have been shot, many of them in the head.

Elsewhere, students, teachers and engineers marched in Dawei, a city in southeastern Myanmar that has become a hotspot for opposition and has seen at least five killings by security forces.

On Sunday, protesters broke into small groups and varied the timings of their marches in an effort to avoid confrontations.

In a more rural outlying area, protesters from several villages in Launglone Township held their protest on motorbikes.

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In Yangons Thaketa neighborhood, a funeral was held on Sunday for 15-year-old high school student Aung Kaung Htet, who was killed a day earlier, Myanmar Now reported.

According to posts on social media, Thaketa was one of several areas where police fired their guns, the others including Tachileik and Taunnggyi in Shan State in eastern Myanmar, and Gangaw, a town in Magway Division in the west-central part of the country.

The protesters cause over the weekend received support from demonstrations in several places abroad, including Tokyo, Taipei in Taiwan and Times Square in New York City.

In addition to deaths since the coup, the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners has confirmed 2,345 people have been arrested or charged since the coup, with 1,994 still detained or sought for arrest.




Haiti - News : Zapping...





Covid-19, one year later

One year after the first 2 cases of the new Covid-19 coronavirus were confirmed positive by the National Public Health Laboratory of the Ministry of Public Health https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-30310-haiti-flash-2-cases-of-covid-19-confirmed-in-the-country.html the virus is still circulating in the country with a peak reached towards the end of May 2020. Since these first 2 cases Haiti has recorded 12,714 confirmed cases, 1,838 hospitalized, 10,612 people cured and 251 deaths. The latest epidemiological data show a marked decrease in the latter. Overall, Haiti has not suffered as many deaths or severe cases as we expected without still having enough scientific data to explain this state of affairs, informs Marie Greta Roy Clement, the Minister of Public Health and Population.



PNH : Fire in the dormitories

The director general of the national police (PNH), Leon Charles, went Saturday, March 20, 2021, to Gadkot known by all under the Haitian navy at Carrefour. The visit to Commander-in-Chief ai in Gadkot was to assess the damage caused by the fire in the maritime police dormitories on the night of March 19 to Saturday, March 20. According to the explanations of the base of Admiral Killick, the divisional commissioner Jean Pedro Mars would be a short circuit which would be at the base of this fire.



Police confirmation

Police confirm the gunshot death of police officer Jean Daniel Michel who participated in the looting of Universal Motors, by a group of vandals claiming to be Fantom 509 who stole cars and motorcycles there. The Simon Pele gang response comming to the rescue of the company left around 3 dead, including the Pele Israel gang leader fatally injured in the neck. Police are investigating the probable deaths of other police officers who participated in the looting.



Women : Flash mob

The Ambassador of France in Haiti Jose Gomez with his wife and his collaborators recently attended the Quisqueya University at the "Flash Mob" organized by the French Institute in Haiti and the French Development Agency. About a hundred young women from different neighborhoods in Port-au-Prince came together to claim their rights through choreography, song, dance and poetry under the direction of Gaelle Bien-Aime and Ericka Julie Jean-Louis.



3.5% of the 120,000 disabled children in Port-au-Prince have access to education

The United States Agency for International Development (USAID-Haiti) believes that education is a factor of equalization and empowerment, providing children and youth with the skills they need for life and work. However, students with disabilities often face barriers in accessing education, which is why USAID is working with Haitian researcher Dr. Rochambeau Lainy to increase inclusive education in Haiti. An estimated 3.5% of the 120,000 children with disabilities in Port-au-Prince have access to education.



HL/ HaitiLibre


















We finally have the coronavirus tamped down, with caseloads dropping and the momentum of the vaccinations on our side. The only thing that might derail this now is if we give the new variants enough oxygen to mount a comeback, as happened in the pandemic of 1918.

Thats what were seeing now in Europe, where cases are surging as the more contagious variants take root. None of these new variants interfere with the vaccine. But future variants might. The danger is that, like the Spanish flu, this novel virus could keep mutating.

It has the potential to wreak havoc again, yes, says Perry Halkitis, Dean of the Rutgers School of Public Health, who compared it to a super-strain of HIV for which many of our medications stopped working.

I think it is a race against time, Dr. Stephen Thomas, SUNY Upstate Medical Universitys chief of infectious disease, just told the New York Times. Every single person that we can get vaccinated or every single person that we can get a mask on is one less opportunity that a variant has.

That means getting the injection as soon as its available to you. This is a community effort; well only achieve the protection we all need if everybody gets the jab. The group posing the biggest challenge is Republican men: 49 percent say they would not be vaccinated, compared to 37 percent of Latinos and 25 percent of Black people.

African American hesitancy is born of a historic distrust, and documented abuses. But Republican men are even more hesitant due to hypermasculinity, Halkitis says  a sense of invincibility that interferes with their health. For these guys, its sort of like this anti-authoritarian, screw-the-man emotional life that they live in, where they feel cast aside and put upon, that interferes with their rational decision-making.

They need to understand that they are sabotaging this whole effort. Think of somebody in your life who can get sick and die. Envision that person hooked up to a ventilator, as nurses rush from bed to bed. Picture shuttered businesses, as this virus continues to spread. If you want our economy to get off life support, do your part: Get the shot.

Halkitis thinks of his own father, an immigrant from Greece who died at age 57, because he distrusted doctors and feared seeking out treatment for the stomach pain that turned out to be cancer. I personally think that there should be an accountability and responsibility by the FCC for people spreading false information, he adds. We got all bent out of shape about Janet Jacksons boob on the Super Bowl, but we allow falsehoods to propagate in our society.

That former President Trump did finally advise his supporters to get vaccinated helps. I would recommend it to a lot of people that dont want to get it and a lot of those people voted for me, frankly, he said on Fox News this week. It wasnt helpful, of course, that Trump got his vaccine quietly before leaving the White House, or that Fox News world is still messaging to viewers that rejecting facts from vetted sources about vaccinations is just the mark of an independent thinker.

More than 95 percent of doctors who have been offered the vaccine have gotten it as soon as they can, which speaks volumes about its effectiveness and safety. They know that tens of thousands of people participated in vaccine trials last year, and decades of prior research went into its development. But Fox News talking head Tucker Carlson never mentions that.

The next time he does his quizzical squint and asks, how effective are these vaccines? Are they safe?, and then refuses to answer any of his own questions, remember this: His billionaire employer, Rupert Murdoch, got the Pfizer vaccine the moment it was available to him in December. Theres your answer, folks. And, while youre at it, wear your mask.

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Members of the National Public Health Emergency Team (Nphet) called for hotel quarantining to be imposed on all passengers arriving in Ireland.

The long-awaited quarantine system will be introduced this week but will only be applied to people arriving from 33 countries deemed high-risk for Covid-19.

The Tifco Hotel Group will operate the system on behalf of the State, with four of its Dublin hotels being used - among them the Crowne Plaza and Holiday Inn Express near Dublin Airport. Clontarf Castle Hotel may also be used by the group in the initial phases of the system being introduced.

However, newly released minutes from a Nphet meeting last month show members of the public health taskforce wanted quarantining laws extended to all passengers flying into the country.

At a meeting on February 18 it was noted some members expressed the view that travel restrictions should be extended to all inbound travellers to Ireland, regardless of the origin of their destination.

The minutes said those who called for the quarantine system to be extended noted how quickly the epidemiological landscape is evolving and the importance of the national vaccination programme.

However, Nphet agreed the focus should be on implementing a robust strategy with a secure legal underpinning for travellers from high-risk countries in the first instance before any extension of the measures would be considered. Nphet also said it was cognisant of the impact of expanding the system on HSE resources.

Nphet first called for mandatory quarantining measures for overseas travellers to be introduced in May last year.

Opposition parties have been calling for the new quarantine laws to apply to all passengers arriving in Ireland for non-essential purposes.

Senior members of Cabinet also believe the system should be extend to all travellers.

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I think it makes logical sense to extend it to all countries if we are introducing it, a senior minister said.

Yesterday, Sinn Feins transport spokesperson Darren ORourke said the Government still has time to change tack and to extend the regime.

Given the fact that many European countries are in, or facing into, further lockdowns, with widespread community transmission of the virus, and with the growing threat of the importation and spread of variants in Ireland, thats exactly what they should do, Mr ORourke said.

At present, there are 33 countries on the so-called category two list of states deemed high risk for Covid. The majority of the countries are in Africa and South America and are not considered busy air traffic routes to Ireland.

The new rules apply to people arriving from South Africa and Brazil, where there are new strains of the virus, but the regulations do not apply to anyone travelling from Britain, where the dominant variant of Covid in Ireland first emerged.

Health Minister Stephen Donnelly has the power to add countries to the list but does so on the advice of the chief medical officer. Irelands quarantine system is the strictest of all EU member states.

Mr Donnelly will officially announce the introduction of the new restriction in the coming days.

Once announced, it will be three days before passengers from category-two countries will be required to book places in quarantine hotels.

Travellers will book their places in the hotels through an online portal run by the Government. It will cost just under 2,000 for an adult and around 500 for a child under three years old.

Passengers arriving in Dublin Airport from later this week will be transferred to one of the quarantine hotels on arrival. They will be required to produce a negative test taken within the three days before they travelled.

When in quarantine, they will be asked to take a test on the fifth and tenth day of their stay in a hotel. If their second test result comes back negative, they will be permitted to leave quarantine.

Those in quarantine will be allowed to leave their rooms once a day for some exercise or smoking. However, they will not be permitted to leave the grounds of their hotel.

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On the anniversary of the United States' closing of its borders to its neighbors to the north and south, lawmakers and families across the country separated by the border continue to languish with no clear end in sight.

"This has been a year of struggle for binational families," said Devon Weber, founder of Let Us Reunite, a campaign of 2,200 families lobbying the U.S. government for greater travel exemptions for communities separated by the border shutdowns.

"Your life is in limbo, and it's extremely frustrating. 'Heartbreaking' is the word that comes to mind," Weber said. Each month during the pandemic, border restrictions have been reauthorized with no clear end.

With a new administration in the White House, lawmakers have begun lobbying President Joe Biden for a clear timetable and reopening guidelines for the U.S.-Canada and U.S.-Mexico borders.

"I dont think there has been constructive, serious engagement. This could be done successfully and quickly, but it requires a strong will, Rep. Brian Higgins, D-N.Y., told USA TODAY. The congressman, whose district includes Buffalo, New York, has been an outspoken proponent of finding guidelines to ease international travel for border communities.

"The U.S.-Canadian relationship, generally speaking, took a major hit over the last four years, and in particular over the last 12 months, for no other reason than the silly personal politics between President Trump and Prime Minister Trudeau," Higgins said.

The White House is reportedly considering a normalization of the northern and southern borders in mid-May when vaccines will likely become widely available across North America. But there has been no formal announcement of such plans. The uncertainty continues to burden binational families and border communities.

In his first few days in office, Biden signed executive orders directing federal agencies to work with Canada and Mexico to determine a sound reopening policy for nonessential land travel across both borders, though so far no policy has been released.

Story continues

"The plan is late. I get that," said Higgins, who has challenged the White House to fully reopen the border by July 4. "I know from my conversations with people at the highest levels of the Biden administration that they are taking this seriously."

Weber said that while separated families "appreciate that there are rumblings from the Biden administration, they are still just rumbling."

The White House did not return USA TODAY's request for comment on the border closures.

When asked Monday about a timeline for reopening the border, White House press secretary Jen Psaki said the administration did not "have anything to preview" at the moment.

"We look at it through the prism of COVID and safety and obviously diplomatic relations," Psaki said.

Other lawmakers who represent border communities have called for greater travel access for those with family, property and business interests on both sides of the border.

In February, members of the Washington state congressional delegation sent an open letter to Biden urging him to make "safely reopening the United States-Canada border an immediate priority." On March 11, Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, called for an immediate easing of restrictions between the U.S. and Canada.

"I believe that we could implement procedures, such as requiring proof of a recent negative test or vaccination, to begin safely loosening the restrictions, which would be beneficial to families, the economy and small businesses that rely on Canadian customers," Collins said.

"I still think that this is the United States of America, and we could have put certain safeguards in the border to protect the border community," Rep. Henry Cuellar, D-Texas, said of the extension of border restrictions between the U.S. and Mexico in February. "There are ways to do this, but they have still yet not allowed" full travel across the land border, Cuellar sad, promising to find "a balance between the economy and the health of individuals."

Secretary of State Antony Blinken has met with his Canadian and Mexican counterparts to discuss border normalization, among other issues. The bipartisan critique of the administration, partly resulting from the diversity of affected communities, has increased pressure on the administration to act.

It is technically possible for Americans to fly to Canada and Mexico, though Canada requires stringent public health measures before a trip and flights are logistically and financially difficult for families who normally live within driving distance of each other, according to Weber.

Higgins believes that as the U.S. becomes increasingly vaccinated and the pandemic subsides, a reopening of the border makes more sense from an economic and public health standpoint.

"Last year, the United States was the global leader in COVID-19 deaths. This year, were the leader in vaccine manufacturing," Higgins said. "As Americans, we were told that the inflection point would be the deployment of a vaccine. We needed a benchmark, a goal to get back to normal. For us in Western New York and Ontario, a return to normal means reopening the border."

Weber said: "Were not asking for open borders. We are asking to see our families. We are well aware that many people in the United States have been in similar situations during this pandemic."

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Border: Biden facing pressure as families separated in Mexico, Canada
Help India!



The mainstream Manuwadi media and Savarna liberal media are always desperate to take note of the atrocities on Dalit-Bahujans in a particular fashion. The reporting of such cases does not favour the oppressed. On googling about the said incident, most of their reports write, Muslim boy beaten as a token. The dominant media informs the public about such incidents in a sensational manner.



Dipak Barkhade, TwoCircles.net

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Since 2014, the cases of atrocities against Dalit-Bahujans have been on the rise in India. It can be said that the Sanskritization of certain sections among Dalit-Bahujans is giving rise to a Nazi-style mentality. The socio-political change does not seem limited to the cultural realm of Hinduism now. It is slowly being appropriated into the entire structural domain. This observation can be demonstrated in the recent incident of violence against Asif, a fourteen-year-old Muslim boy in the Ghaziabad area of the North Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. The video of the assault  which went viral on social media, showed Asif being beaten by a man, who was later identified by the Ghaziabad police as Shringi Nandan Yadav. Yadav is from the city of Bhagalpur in the state of Bihar and belongs to the dominant OBC community. Asif was beaten after he entered a Hindu temple to quench his thirst.

The mainstream Manuwadi media and Savarna liberal media are always desperate to take note of the atrocities on Dalit-Bahujans in a particular fashion. The reporting of such cases does not favour the oppressed. On googling about the said incident, most of their reports write, Muslim boy beaten as a token. The dominant media informs the public about such incidents in a sensational manner.

The Dalit-Bahujans are not simple consumers of everyday violence against the members of their communities. The logic of capital at the hand of high-castes may not necessarily humanize the living issues of the oppressed. The serious Dalit-Bahujan media offers Ambedkarite imagination. It aims to look at the status of the oppressed. It attempts to enter into the world of the marginalized more than to a world of mere causality.

The experience and feeling of Dalit-Bahujan is at the centre of socio-political discourse. The Ambedkarite imagination of speaking about Dalit-Bahujans provides a counter-response to the upper-caste Hindu media. When invoked, it inspires Dalit-Bahujans to unlearn the long instilled impact of dominant representations of them. In this regard, the demand for reservation for the socio-economically challenged sections in Muslims and Christians is one of the objectives in Dalit-Bahujan discourse on identity.

Reservation is not based on the premises of economic inequalities. It is important to note that certain sections (here, Asifs family) in the Muslim community suffer the stigma of identity and forms of discrimination. His socioeconomic status reflects Dalitness.

In a government report on Dalit Muslim and Christian communities, Satish Deshpande and Geetika Bapna argue that, there is a strong case for according Schedule Caste status to Dalit Muslims and Christians (emphasis not mine). This demands a question: what is the situation of households like Asifs in comparison to other households in his own community? Let me highlight the situation of Asif and his family which reflects Dalitness in a Muslim household.

Asif belongs to the Muslim community. His family are migrants from Bulandshahar in Uttar Pradesh. His father, Anwar (name changed) is a daily wage-labourer. They live in an ordinary rented room. Asif himself is a rag-picker. He is deprived of education due to poverty. His innocence can be perceived in his face on being questioned for entering into the temple and beaten hatefully by the accused. For his young age, it is beyond his senses to reflect serious objections but confusion on facing inhumanity for simply drinking water in a temple premise. Against such a socio-economic status, why is it necessary to demand affirmative action for Dalit Muslims from a Dalit within Dalit perspective? I briefly answer this question from my personal account and highlight the possible side of the solution.

Our home is situated in the small town of Selamba in the Narmada district of Gujarat. We belong to an ethnolinguistic caste minority in the Dalit community. We are doubly marginalized: the neighbours practice untouchability with us and do not recognize our ethnic language and culture in the mainstream. We are upwardly mobile Dalits. We live in the middle of a town among the majority of high-castes. However, from time to time, it is seen that we can mingle with the members of our own ethnolinguistic caste minority. Our members live in the sapchidi (subsidy) areas or the caste-ghettos. We celebrate the events with them together in a rural space. Our ethnic language and culture bind us together. We can say that there is recognition of Dalits within Dalits in the particular case of my town. However, this form of social relation contradicts in urban space where the members of my ethnolinguistic caste minority are assimilated in the mainstream Gujarati culture, which is largely Brahmanical.

Deshpande and Bapna show that caste inequality among the Muslims is comparatively lower within religion than the Christians and Sikhs. But as far as the Dalitness of religious minorities within and without is concerned, the minors like Asif are at the bottom of the hierarchy of consumption in both rural and urban India. The identity of minors is not monolithic. It carries multiple shades of expression. There are multiple Muslim subjectivities. Asif is more than what is being reported in the dominant media. He is more than a Muslim body. The elite media ascribes the Muslim body through given categories. Quite often, this representation limits it to the markers of Muslim identity. While growing up what Asif would feel about his identity in his own terms should become more important.

Once understood the fact that the Dalit Muslims and Dalit Christian might be found relatively discriminated against and distanced in their own communities, there is no doubt that the high-castes would treat them inhumanly. In the present case of Asif, the priest of the temple expressed his Islamophobia in a naturalized sense. It implies the level of impunity the high-castes enjoy in the cow belt.

On a positive note, the middle-class Muslim men and women have accepted Ambedkar unlike before the anti-CAA protests. It can be said that the identity of Dalit-Bahujans in the context of violence cannot be reduced to a singular narrative. The resistance among Dalit-Bahujans, including by religious minorities against fascists elements, is under crystallization. It is being practised in constitutional means. The members of the Muslim community must keep both agitational and constructive politics on track for the well-being of the downtrodden with an Ambedkarite approach.

Dipak Barkhade is a PhD research scholar at the Center for Comparative Literature, University of Hyderabad.
About 122,410 Nigerians have received jabs of the Oxford-AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine, the Executive Director of the National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA), Faisal Shuaib, said on Monday.

Mr Shuaib while speaking at the weekly briefing of the Presidential Task Force (PTF) on COVID-19 said Nigeria has not recorded any serious adverse reaction following the administration of the Oxford-AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccines.

So far, 122,410 people have been vaccinated with Oxford Astrazeneca vaccine in Nigeria, he said

No Nigerian so far has developed any known severe side effect, while we have observed that there might be some mild symptoms like pain and swelling at the site of the vaccination, body pains and mild fever.

He explained that one can take the vaccine and have other diseases that are completely unrelated to the vaccination process.

Mr Faisal noted that the agency will continue to collaborate with the NAFDAC pharmacovigilance team to monitor the administration of the vaccine and document any adverse reactions.

This, he said, is to assure Nigerians that the government is honest and transparent in its choice of the vaccine to protect the citizens against the virus which has claimed over 2,000 lives in the country.

Nigeria in early March received 3.94 million doses of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine through the COVAX facility, led by the World Health Organisation, and has commenced vaccination beginning with healthcare workers and other provides of essential services.

The country also received 300,000 doses of the Oxford-AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccines from telecom giant, MTN, on Sunday, according to the Chairman of PTF on COVID-19, Boss Mustapha.

There has been controversy over the safety of the Oxford-AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccines.

Last week, authorities in Austria said they halted the use of the AstraZeneca vaccines while investigating the death of one person and the illness of another after taking the shots, according to Reuters.

In a swift move, over a dozen countries including Germany, France and Italy, said they were halting the use of the vaccine or some particular batches of it.

However, countries like Germany and France have since reversed the suspension following confirmation by both the World Health Organization (WHO) and the European Medicines Agency (EMA) that the shot is safe and effective against the virus.

Amidst safety concerns, some high-income countries like the UK and developing countries such as Nigeria and Ghana have chosen to continue the rollout of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine.

At the Monday briefing, the Minister of Health, Osagie Ehanire, said representatives of the Nigerian government met with an AstraZeneca team last week and the outcome was a reassurance of the safety and efficacy of the vaccine against COVID-19.

States distribution

Meanwhile, Mr Shuaib said COVID-19 vaccination has commenced in 33 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

Full implementation of the COVID-19 vaccination of eligible population has commenced in over 33 states and the FCT while four states (Kogi, Kebbi, Zamfara and Oyo) are yet to commence implementation, he said.

He, however, said Kebbi State had plans to flag off the vaccination campaign today.

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He said there are reports of alleged vaccine mismanagement at some vaccination sites including Police Clinic, Falomo, in Lagos State.

This is currently being investigated and we understand from the Lagos State Government that a report would be made available today, he said.

He said decisive action will be taken against anyone found culpable of subverting the vaccination process.

Mr Shuaib had announced that all Nigerian states except Kogi have received doses of the Astrazeneca COVID-19 vaccines.

He 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.
New Delhi, March 22 : The Delhi government on Monday announced that the legal age for purchasing or consuming alcohol has been lowered to 21 from 25 under its new excise policy, which is likely to be implemented soon.

While announcing some reforms under its new policy on Monday, the Deputy Chief Minister of Delhi, Manish Sisodia, justified the decision to lower the legal age for drinking to 21, comparing the move to the prevalent practice in other states such as Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Uttarakhand, West Bengal, Assam, Orissa and Tamil Nadu.

"There are many states where the legal age for drinking is 21 years, while in Goa and Andhra Pradesh, it is 18 years," Sisodia said.

Though the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government has claimed that the new excise policy has been framed with an aim to do away with liquor mafia and to increase its revenue collection by up to 20 per cent per annum, the decision to lower drinking age has come at a time when the national capital is again witnessing a surge in the number of Covid-19 cases.

The decision to lower the drinking age may raise the government's revenue share, but at the same time it may also increase the number of people heading to the liquor shops, which won't augur well for the city given that Corona cases are again on the rise in the national capital.

Also, with the festival of Holi just round the corner, increased footfalls in liquor shops may not be an ideal situation for a city battling to keep the Covid numbers low.

During the lockdown last year, the Delhi government had allowed liquor stores to open in May with an aim to shore up revenues, a decision that led to long queues outside the liquor vends, often throwing all social distancing norms to the wind.

Among the various reforms introduced in its new excise policy, the Delhi government has also decided that it will not operate any liquor shop and all shops will be run by private vendors. A bidding process will be conducted soon for this, Sisodia told the media on Monday.

At present, 60 per cent liquor shops in the national capital are run by the Delhi government, while the remaining 40 per cent are operated by private vendors.

Sisodia, who also holds the finance end education portfolios, also said the government will ensure that there is no open drinking in the market areas or near wine shops.
Editor's note: This story has been updated with the correct number of government agencies and private companies attacked.

In recent years, Microsoft has been in the forefront of the fight against governmental and foreign hacking, helping thwart countless attacks from Russian-linked attackers. It has publicly berated the US National Security Agency (NSA) for stockpiling software and hardware vulnerabilities so they can be exploited instead of working with companies to fix them. And it has called for an international agreement to ban cyberattacks modeled after the Geneva Convention, which bans many weapons.

But now Microsoft is being called to task by critics, including a prominent US Senator, for actions they say might have helped exacerbate the Russian-backed SolarWinds cyberattack against the US government and industry.

The question: Did Microsoft unintentionally abet the cyberstrike? To get at that answer, we need to first take a close look at the SolarWinds attack.

Inside SolarWinds
Financial regulators stress devotion to opening-up

From:ChinaDaily | 2021-03-22 07:28

Preventing risks, harmonizing practices with global standards are key goals

China's top financial regulators have reiterated over the weekend the country's commitment to advance financial opening-up while strengthening risk prevention, including in regard to the China-US dispute about listed companies' compliance with US auditing rules.

Experts said the country's efforts to more closely harmonize domestic financial practices with global standards have brought great opportunities to foreign investors, though further efforts in this respect are needed.

Yi Huiman, chairman of the China Securities Regulatory Commission, the country's top securities regulator, said that China will firmly open up the capital market and hold an open, supportive attitude toward foreign companies setting up institutions and rolling out services and products.

"In the meantime, we will also carefully coordinate opening-up with risk prevention," Yi said in his address to a roundtable of the China Development Forum, held in Beijing and due to conclude on Monday.

The commission will pay particular attention to stepping up efforts to prevent a massive amount of speculative capital, also called hot money, from entering or leaving the country. It also will continue to seek cooperation with regulators in the United States for a sound resolution of the dispute surrounding US-listed Chinese companies, Yi said.

"We have been trying to engage our counterparts in the US to effectively cooperate on this issue and proposed multiple solutions, but still have not received full and positive feedback. It is our firm belief that cooperation brings win-win results and that only by sitting down and consulting each other can problems be solved and differences resolved," Yi said.

The regulatory commission published Yi's address on its website on Saturday, on the heels of the conclusion of the China-US high-level strategic dialogue on Friday and amid the ongoing bilateral audit dispute that could force US-listed Chinese companies to delist.

The nine measures to open the capital market wider that China announced at the Lujiazui Forum in Shanghai in 2019 have proved effective, Yi said. Foreign money has posted a net inflow into the Chinese A-share market for three consecutive years. Foreign holdings in A-shares exceeded 3 trillion yuan ($461 billion) by the end of last year.

China's capital market has provided foreign investors with good returns and has great potential to further attract foreign capital, Yi said, adding that the proportion of foreign holdings in total A-share market capitalization has remained relatively low at less than 5 percent.

Having learned from best practices overseas, the country's registration-based reform has achieved breakthroughs with stable operation of the pilot registration-based initial public offering system on Shanghai's STAR Market and Shenzhen's ChiNext, Yi added.

The commission will take multiple measures to pave the way for implementing the registration-based system across the whole market in a steady manner, including to urge intermediary institutions to further conform with the new system, strive for a normalized pace of IPOs, and improve the regulatory framework, he said.

Prudent policy

Yi Gang, governor of the People's Bank of China, the central bank, said at a separate roundtable at the forum on Saturday that China's monetary policy should help create an enabling environment for financial reform and opening-up.

"We will continue to implement a prudent monetary policy, support firms and jobs, keep major financial risks at bay and deepen financial reform and opening-up," he said.

Eugene Qian, chairman of UBS Securities, the UBS AG joint venture with Chinese stakeholders, said the country's continuous steps to internationalize its huge and growing capital market have provided great opportunities for UBS to develop its business in China.

"All of our business lines see promising prospects in China, so we will devote more here," he told China Daily on the sidelines of the forum.

Registration-based reform has marked a milestone for China's capital market, Qian added, as it has made stock issuance more in line with international standards, though further efforts are needed to make the issuance process more predictable.
DUP MP Gregory Campbell has questioned the status of Northern Ireland's coronavirus vaccine rollout after the UK repeatedly smashed its record for daily vaccines administered last week.

While the UK as a whole managed a record 844,285 vaccine doses administered on Saturday, Northern Ireland recorded 6,423.

Mr Campbell said it was "difficult to understand why Northern Ireland completes not just yet another low daily number, but has the second consecutive week with low numbers".

However, the Department of Health said vaccine supply levels have fluctuated and numbers were expected to increase in the coming days.

A total of 746,254 vaccinations have been administered in Northern Ireland to date, with 667,758 first doses and 78,496 second doses.

Across the UK 27,630,970 people have received a first dose of the vaccine, while 2,228,772 people are now fully vaccinated.

As of March 20 the UK's rate of people receiving at least one vaccine dose per 100 people stands at 43.99, while Northern Ireland's current rate stands at 39.41. Wales leads the way with 50.68 people vaccinated per 100, England has 44.68 and Scotland 43.29.

Mr Campbell urged the Department of Health to address concerns that whilst the other UK regions roll out rate of the Covid-19 vaccine is speeding up and growing, Northern Irelands appears to be slowing down.

"Northern Ireland started off being the United Kingdom region with the highest numbers but has now fallen back considerably," the East Londonderry MP said.

"The Health Minister needs to spell out what the problem is, is it distribution or an internal problem within Northern Ireland?

Mr Campbell has repeatedly raised concerns over the apparent slowing of Northern Ireland's vaccination programme.

Expand Close DUP MP Gregory Campbell (Niall Carson/PA) / Facebook

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In response to Mr Campbell a Department of Health spokesperson said they had "always been clear that progress with the vaccination programme will be dependent on availability of supplies".

As expected, supply levels have fluctuated over the course of the programme to date," the spokesperson said.

Supplies to GPs had been limited for a period up until last week, when a significant new consignment was received. This has now been delivered to GPs and will be reflected in the vaccine numbers in the coming days.

We are very grateful to all those who are working very hard to deliver this unprecedented vaccination programme at pace.

This has now been delivered to GPs and will be reflected in the vaccine numbers in the coming days and weeks.

UUP MLA Alan Chambers has previously criticised Mr Campbell for his comments on the vaccine rollout.

I think Gregory Campbell is out of step with how the vast majority of people view the success of the vaccination programme in Northern Ireland and across the United Kingdom," the UUP health spokesperson said.

"Gregory's comments are ironic given that his own MLA colleagues were heaping praise on the vaccination programme at Thursday`s meeting of Stormont`s Health Committee.

It's deeply regrettable that once again here we have a senior DUP politician trying to score political points, and in the process, criticising the amazing work of the vaccination teams in GP Practices and Vaccination Centres."

Prime Minister Boris Johnson hailed Saturday as a "record-breaking day" for the vaccine rollout across the UK.

"A huge thank you to everyone involved and please come forward to get your jab when you are invited to do so," he said.


Siddharth Chatterjee has been the United Nations Resident Coordinator in China since January 16, 2021. He is the highest-level resident representative of the United Nations development system.

In an exclusive interview with the China Media Group reporter Akhil Parashar (CMG), Siddharth Chatterjee (Siddharth), UNRC in China, acknowledged China's poverty alleviation efforts amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

He praised China's achievements in poverty alleviation as a major contribution to the global cause of poverty alleviation and an important inspiration for other developing countries to get rid of poverty.

He also said China's poverty alleviation experience has provided substantial reference for other developing countries. The representative also touched on the UN's role in helping China shake off poverty, ways China and the UN can jointly deal with climate challenges, and how China and the UN can cooperate in minimizing the impact of COVID-19.

The Transcript of exclusive interview with UNRC Siddharth Chatterjee is following:

CMG: In one of your articles, you have said that when you arrived in China, you were not afforded any preferential treatment. You were subject to the same requirements mandating certificate proof of a negative COVID-19 nucleic acid and IgM antibody test issued no more than two days before travel. How was your experience and what have you witnessed while arriving in China?

Siddharth: Thank you for having me on your show. What COVID-19 this microscopic virus has done is it also does not discriminate between rank or person status. It has permeated some of the highest institutions and the highest leadership in countries in different parts of the world. So it is clear that a public health response must have everybody at the same equal level. And that equal level means being put through the same regimen of testing right from the beginning. So I have to say that I commend China's public health response, primarily because the testing didn't start when I arrived in China. The testing started even before when I was in Kenya. That is where my formal duty station was. So in Kenya, I traveled, I had my IgM test and then NAT test. And then I came to Dubai because I had to break the journey in Dubai. After all, there was no direct connecting flight, which I had to repeat the tests all over again, even at the airport. And the process of checking it was a very rigorous process of checks and making sure that people had the green code and then arriving in Guangzhou, which I came. This is my first time in China. I was quite impressed by the professionalism, by the level of knowledge, by the approach taken by not just one entity of the government, but different entities coming together to make sure that things moved smoothly, things moved effectively, but the testing process was in place and from there was minimal contact. We were moved straight to the quarantine hotel. And to me, those three weeks were very important because it allowed me it was the first time I had experienced a quarantine ever. And, you know, three weeks in a hotel room was quiet for me. Personally, it was one of the best periods I've ever experienced, simply because Kenya had been very, very busy. You know, you have a small sun. You know my work Kenya was looking at a triple emergency, which included not just COVID, but a major locust invasion and floods. So it had kept me very busy. So it allowed me to slow down. And, you know, I could read a hardcover book. But what I realized was the sequence of constant temperature monitoring twice a day, you know, all that minimal aspects, all those minimum requirements to make sure that the isolation and quarantine are effective. There's no point in going into quarantine if you are still intermingling with people. So by the time I came out of my three weeks, I must say that I came down from the hotel room and someone from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs was there to receive me downstairs, and he put out his hand to shake my hand. And I was reluctant because for one year in Kenya, for example, he had stopped any form of physical contact wearing a mask, you know, keeping physical distancing. And that's when I realized how the effectiveness of a public health response should be that in China, actually, by and large, people have gone back to a level of normality, yet at the same time maintaining all the preventive measures. And I think the future of pandemics will be how effective we are on the prevention side. So in many ways, China is setting a model which many other countries can emulate. And not just that. If every country observed the same discipline and regimen as China, I think we would flatlander the curve. But I also have not just to commend the leadership of the Chinese government, but also the people for their self-awareness and discipline, and ability to accept these strict measures. And that is what is making China successful in managing this pandemic.

CMG: In February, China announced victory in the fight against absolute poverty. This achievement has attracted worldwide attention, bringing benefits to the world as a whole. Recently, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres congratulated President Xi Jinping on this significant milestone. Sir, How do you evaluate the efforts of China in the fight against extreme poverty?

Siddharth: You know, President Xi Jinping has to be commended that in the last seven years, he has able to transform the lives of a hundred million people. And you know, what is most important in this is political will. So when you look at China over the last 40 years and the fact that it has managed to bring about eight hundred million people out of absolute poverty is quite a remarkable achievement. And this must be shared. This must be spoken about. It must stand up as a role model for many other countries that are working hard to end poverty. Because when you end poverty, you end many things. You end inequality, you end, you know, marginalization, you end exclusion. You give better opportunities for everybody to come up and join the mainstream. And as a result, one of the things that China has been also able to do is it's been able to pick up people right from. Rural side and bring them into high levels and government because they got an opportunity not only to get out of poverty but be educated, get trained, get skilled. And therefore, in many ways, you know, when we talk about human development, it is crucial that we leave no one behind. The secretary-general reminds every UN resident coordinator in the world; our role is to be fit for purpose in the country we are serving it. Number two to deliver is one. And number three, to leave no one behind. China in many ways is showing it by example by doing it, that it's leaving no one behind. So it deserves to be given a full commendation for this very remarkable success. And what we will do with the government of China through a cooperation framework is we do not lose the gains that China has made. So we will work very hard with the Chinese government. And it's already in the 14th five-year plan so that we minimize inequalities and make sure that we leave no one behind.

CMG: The Sustainable Development Goals are just 10 years away. What lessons can China provide the world in abolishing poverty?

Siddharth: On multiple levels. You know, it is ultimately when a nation-state embraces strong political will, the right public policies, and the right partnerships, things start to change. And I've seen this in I've served for 25 years in the UN and I've seen it in countries where there is strong political leadership and they want to see this change happen. It happens, but this must be underpinned with big data, with technology, with innovation, which is what China has done. So it's in the space of agriculture, in the space of infrastructure, in the space of manufacturing, in the space of tech, in the space of innovation. China approached the issue of poverty from a multi-dimensional side rather than one particular side, which is what, is needed. You know, you can also go hand out free food to the poorest. But what youre doing is creating a level of dependency and which is what has happened in many parts of the world. If you go to many parts of Africa, Asia, where you still find people are very dependent on external need, but self-sufficiency means how to catalyze that external aid. And that is why, you know, the SDGs, the Sustainable Development Goals, is like the North Star. It's the polestar into which the whole world has said, let's unite, let's get to 2030. Let's make sure that the first five goals are even more critical. That's the unfinished business. Goal No.1, ending poverty. Goal No. 2, ending hunger. Goal No. 3, is making sure that everybody is healthy and fit. You know, universal health coverage. Goal No. 4, quality education and skills. Goal No. 5, gender equality. When a nation-state gets these five right, the path to prosperity is dramatic, which is what China is doing, which is what many countries in Western Europe did after the post the Second World War, which many of the Asian tigers, such as countries such as South Korea, Japan, Malaysia, Singapore, I mean, look at the phenomenal rise that has taken place. So I think it's an exciting time for the United Nations system, particularly in China, to be able to partner with China not only to address issues that will lead to China achieving the full sustainable development goals but also to share lessons from China, particularly with the development of the developing world, in how to learn lessons from this so that they could, you know, put it into their development context.

CMG: What has the UN done to help China alleviate poverty?

Siddharth: The UN family has been in China since 1979. And, you know, agencies such as UNDP, UNFPA, UNICEF, and ILO have been doing important work with the Chinese government. They have shared knowledge. They have shared people in terms of human capital. They've worked with different aspects of government. They've strengthened governance. They've looked at rural poverty issues. So at multiple levels, the UN family has been working in lockstep with the government of China. But I would add another thing. I am also very privileged as the UN resident coordinator in China to serve in a country that believes and values multilateralism. And that is, I think, where the biggest partnership between the United Nations and the government, in the spirit of embodying multilateralism. And if you heard President Xi Jinping's speech at Davos recently, 2021, which is online, he repeated emphasis on multilateralism, he repeated emphasis that we would also pass through the COVID pandemic. But once we come out of it, we must build a resilient society. We must move towards global prosperity. All this will not happen by one country or two countries doing it. All this will happen when we all unite in a common purpose that the first five goals of the SDG that I talked about will be key to making sure that we succeed across all the 17 goals of the Sustainable Development Goals.

CMG: So how will China and the U.N. work together to minimize the covid-19 negative impact?

Siddharth: So, you know, what COVID-19 has done is. It put a spotlight on health systems all over the world where we believe that certain countries that had the strongest health systems were the ones that crumbled the fastest. You know, that we understood that if you don't have people observing, You know, wearing a mask and ensuring physical distancing and maintaining respiratory etiquette, washing their hands. We found that those countries became much more vulnerable. And this is not about how societies have evolved or their academic qualifications. It is about maintaining rigor and discipline from a preventive side. So I think China has shown the world important areas into which the world could converge behind because this is not the last pandemic. There are perhaps many more zoonotic, you know, because, you know, the human population has expanded exponentially. You know, I mean, by 2050, the world's population is going to be about 10 billion. Now, if we are looking at a world population where the planet has not expanded, the earth is still the same, you know. So what is shrinking is the wildlife space, the water space. Now, we are competing with that wildlife space, you see. So that is why into this mix is going to be the primacy of ensuring that every woman has the right over her reproductive health, maternal rights, the ability to decide how many children they want, how many children they should have because ultimately they must be part of the workforce. So a from a health perspective, the health of women and children is going to be crucial. To ensure universal health coverage and therefore to me, it is going to be very relevant that the UN will continue to work with China, but making sure that the World Health Organization, which is the premier multilateral institution, strengthens, is given the authority, the resources, and the power to be able to take universal health coverage to a whole different level. Keep in mind, every year, and this is Before COVID, 100 million people get trapped into poverty because of an out-of-pocket health shock. Now, that figure must have gone up exponentially during COVID. Who would have thought that in a country like Switzerland, people would line up for food?

You know, it is. It is it is inconceivable. So perhaps even from a development model, we need to revisit how development is going to work. So, therefore, again, important parts where I would want, as the resident coordinator will be working with the coordinators not just in Asia, but in Africa to with the Chinese government looking at around the food system summit, what is it that we should be thinking of in terms of achievement of the 2030 agenda, What is it that we could do in the social socio-economic transformation of Africa? I genuinely believe I've spent a fair amount of my career in Africa that a prosperous Africa will lead to a prosperous world and therefore we have to also invest in countries and continents that are left behind. Again, I see an important role between the UN and China coming together in this space.

CMG: since the start of a covid-19 pandemic. China has offered assistance to the world, especially developing countries. So what's your take on this?

Siddharth: It's been excellent. So I was in Kenya when the COVID-19 broke out and by the end of March, there was a global breakdown of supply chains. There were no gloves. There was no PPE. There were none of those things. By the end of March, a plane arrived, you know, from Addis, and suddenly a huge amount of supplies came in. And that was most important from a public health response. We were able to equip the frontline health workers with all the basic essentials that they needed. And this was not just limited to Kenya. Support was given throughout Africa. So I take this opportunity to commend the government and the people of China for their generosity. And I think it was very timely. And now, I mean, that experience was very important. And then that is why I wrote about my experience also in quarantine when I saw a real public health response in motion. I think these are important areas to share lessons, because ultimately when health is right, as Premier Li recently said, that, you know, health is the foundation of a nation's best. And once we've got the health right, we get everything else right. So that is going to become the anchor around which we will see the success of the human race of human development and our humanity.

CMG: How have China and the UN cooperated in tackling climate change and what are the measures China is expected to take in the future?

Siddharth: Look, the environment is another place where the world could unite to work together. You know, climate, health, you know, prosperity should not be defined by politics. It should be defined by global cooperation, global partnerships. Because without that, you know, it was John Donne, the English philosopher, who once said that no man is an island. Every man is a piece of the continent. So our approach needs to be that. So the environment is crucial. We are seeing the UN secretary-general, Antonio Guterres has declared a climate emergency. We in a race against our survival and China's role is going to be critical. I'm pleased that the United States of America is back in the Paris agreement. I believe that the European Union, the US, China, you know, the Asian tigers can all come together to have a unified approach to dealing with the urgency with which we have to deal with the environment. I mean, just today we are talking about once in two decades and we have a sandstorm going on outside in Beijing, which is quite unbelievable. And, you know, people are surprised. But this is not China's unique problem. The climate is interplay. It's between the whole world. We have a shared responsibility to preserve what we have around us. So I think, again, China's leadership over here is going to be crucial. And, you know, again, reminding us what President Xi Jinping recently said in his speech to he's talking about the Green Mountains, which are the mountains of gold. And that is what it is going to be very significant to a program of reforestation, a program to make sure that our industrial activity. Instead of focusing on the second and third industrial revolution in Africa, let's go to the fourth industrial revolution directly where it becomes much more digital, it becomes the green economy, becomes the blue economy. You know, my friend. Nothing is a limitation to what we can do together. It's only our imagination.

CMG: Thank you, sir. Thanks for giving your precious time.
Dublin, March 22, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The "Biochar Market Research Report by Row Material (Biochar Source Material and Soil/Substrate), by Feedstock (Agricultural Waste, Animal Manure, and Woody Biomass), by Technology, by Application - Global Forecast to 2025 - Cumulative Impact of COVID-19" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.



The Global Biochar Market is expected to grow from USD 1,594.47 Million in 2020 to USD 3,305.51 Million by the end of 2025.

This research report categorizes the Biochar to forecast the revenues and analyze the trends in each of the following sub-markets:

Based on Row Material, the Biochar Market is examined across Biochar Source Material and Soil/Substrate. The Biochar Source Material further studied across Citrus wood, Gasifed Rice Hulls, Hardwood, and wheat Straw. The Soil/Substrate further studied across Coconut Fiber, Peat, Peat Moss, Pine Bark, and Soil.

Based on Feedstock, the Biochar Market is examined across Agricultural Waste, Animal Manure, and Woody Biomass.

Based on Technology, the Biochar Market is examined across Gasification and Pyrolysis.

Based on Application, the Biochar Market is examined across Agriculture, Energy Production, and Water & Waste Water Treatment.

The Asia-Pacific is projected to witness the highest growth during the forecast period



Based on Geography, the Biochar Market is examined across Americas, Asia-Pacific, and Europe, Middle East & Africa. The Americas region surveyed across Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Mexico, and United States. The Asia-Pacific region surveyed across Australia, China, India, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Philippines, South Korea, and Thailand. The Europe, Middle East & Africa region surveyed across France, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Qatar, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Spain, United Arab Emirates, and United Kingdom. The Americas commanded the largest size in the Biochar Market in 2020. On the other hand, the Asia-Pacific is expected to grow at the fastest CAGR during the forecast period.



Company Usability Profiles:



The report deeply explores the recent significant developments by the leading vendors and innovation profiles in the Global Biochar Market including 3R ENVIRO TECH Group, Agri-Tech Producers, LLC, Airex Energy, Aries Clean Energy, ArSta Eco, Biochar Products, Inc., Biochar Supreme, LLC, Carbon Gold, Clean Fuels B.V., Cool Planet Energy Systems Inc., Diacarbon Energy Inc., Earth Systems PTY. LTD., Pacific Pyrolysis, Phoenix Energy, The Biochar Company, and Vega Biofuels, Inc..



Cumulative Impact of COVID-19:



COVID-19 is an incomparable global public health emergency that has affected almost every industry, so for and, the long-term effects projected to impact the industry growth during the forecast period. the ongoing research amplifies the research framework to ensure the inclusion of underlaying COVID-19 issues and potential paths forward. The report is delivering insights on COVID-19 considering the changes in consumer behavior and demand, purchasing patterns, re-routing of the supply chain, dynamics of current market forces, and the significant interventions of governments. The updated study provides insights, analysis, estimations, and forecast, considering the COVID-19 impact on the market.



FPNV Positioning Matrix:



The FPNV Positioning Matrix evaluates and categorizes the vendors in the Biochar Market on the basis of Business Strategy (Business Growth, Industry Coverage, Financial Viability, and Channel Support) and Product Satisfaction (Value for Money, Ease of Use, Product Features, and Customer Support) that aids businesses in better decision making and understanding the competitive landscape.



Competitive Strategic Window:



The Competitive Strategic Window analyses the competitive landscape in terms of markets, applications, and geographies. The Competitive Strategic Window helps the vendor define an alignment or fit between their capabilities and opportunities for future growth prospects. During a forecast period, it defines the optimal or favorable fit for the vendors to adopt successive merger and acquisition strategies, geography expansion, research & development, and new product introduction strategies to execute further business expansion and growth.



The report provides insights on the following pointers:

1. Market Penetration: Provides comprehensive information on the market offered by the key players

2. Market Development: Provides in-depth information about lucrative emerging markets and analyzes the markets

3. Market Diversification: Provides detailed information about new product launches, untapped geographies, recent developments, and investments

4. Competitive Assessment & Intelligence: Provides an exhaustive assessment of market shares, strategies, products, and manufacturing capabilities of the leading players

5. Product Development & Innovation: Provides intelligent insights on future technologies, R&D activities, and new product developments



The report answers questions such as:

1. What is the market size and forecast of the Global Biochar Market?

2. What are the inhibiting factors and impact of COVID-19 shaping the Global Biochar Market during the forecast period?

3. Which are the products/segments/applications/areas to invest in over the forecast period in the Global Biochar Market?

4. What is the competitive strategic window for opportunities in the Global Biochar Market?

5. What are the technology trends and regulatory frameworks in the Global Biochar Market?

6. What are the modes and strategic moves considered suitable for entering the Global Biochar Market?



Key Topics Covered:



1. Preface

1.1. Objectives of the Study

1.2. Market Segmentation & Coverage

1.3. Years Considered for the Study

1.4. Currency & Pricing

1.5. Language

1.6. Limitations

1.7. Stakeholders



2. Research Methodology

2.1. Research Process

2.1.1. Define: Research Objective

2.1.2. Determine: Research Design

2.1.3. Prepare: Research Instrument

2.1.4. Collect: Data Source

2.1.5. Analyze: Data Interpretation

2.1.6. Formulate: Data Verification

2.1.7. Publish: Research Report

2.1.8. Repeat: Report Update

2.2. Research Execution

2.2.1. Initiation: Research Process

2.2.2. Planning: Develop Research Plan

2.2.3. Execution: Conduct Research

2.2.4. Verification: Finding & Analysis

2.2.5. Publication: Research Report

2.3. Research Outcome



3. Executive Summary

3.1. Introduction

3.2. Market Outlook

3.3. Row Material Outlook

3.4. Feedstock Outlook

3.5. Technology Outlook

3.6. Application Outlook

3.7. Geography Outlook

3.8. Competitor Outlook



4. Market Overview

4.1. Introduction

4.2. Cumulative Impact of COVID-19



5. Market Insights

5.1. Market Dynamics

5.1.1. Drivers

5.1.1.1. Globally increasing demand for the product in organic farming

5.1.1.2. Increasing consumption in livestock feed and awareness pertaining to the benefits of biochar

5.1.1.3. Increasing use to improves soil fertility

5.1.2. Restraints

5.1.2.1. Undefined standard procedure resulting in highly variable Biochar pH

5.1.3. Opportunities

5.1.3.1. Energy production and greenhouse gas remediation

5.1.3.2. Wide commercial production

5.1.3.3. Collaboration to deliver technology-oriented services and financing services for biochar projects

5.1.4. Challenges

5.1.4.1. Potential emission of toxins

5.1.4.2. Limited Social acceptance

5.2. Porters Five Forces Analysis

5.2.1. Threat of New Entrants

5.2.2. Threat of Substitutes

5.2.3. Bargaining Power of Customers

5.2.4. Bargaining Power of Suppliers

5.2.5. Industry Rivalry



6. Global Biochar Market, By Row Material

6.1. Introduction

6.2. Biochar Source Material

6.2.1. Citrus wood

6.2.2. Gasifed Rice Hulls

6.2.3. Hardwood

6.2.4. wheat Straw

6.3. Soil/Substrate

6.3.1. Coconut Fiber

6.3.2. Peat

6.3.3. Peat Moss

6.3.4. Pine Bark

6.3.5. Soil



7. Global Biochar Market, By Feedstock

7.1. Introduction

7.2. Agricultural Waste

7.3. Animal Manure

7.4. Woody Biomass



8. Global Biochar Market, By Technology

8.1. Introduction

8.2. Gasification

8.3. Pyrolysis



9. Global Biochar Market, By Application

9.1. Introduction

9.2. Agriculture

9.3. Energy Production

9.4. Water & Waste Water Treatment



10. Americas Biochar Market

10.1. Introduction

10.2. Argentina

10.3. Brazil

10.4. Canada

10.5. Mexico

10.6. United States



11. Asia-Pacific Biochar Market

11.1. Introduction

11.2. Australia

11.3. China

11.4. India

11.5. Indonesia

11.6. Japan

11.7. Malaysia

11.8. Philippines

11.9. South Korea

11.10. Thailand



12. Europe, Middle East & Africa Biochar Market

12.1. Introduction

12.2. France

12.3. Germany

12.4. Italy

12.5. Netherlands

12.6. Qatar

12.7. Russia

12.8. Saudi Arabia

12.9. South Africa

12.10. Spain

12.11. United Arab Emirates

12.12. United Kingdom



13. Competitive Landscape

13.1. FPNV Positioning Matrix

13.1.1. Quadrants

13.1.2. Business Strategy

13.1.3. Product Satisfaction

13.2. Market Ranking Analysis

13.3. Market Share Analysis

13.4. Competitor SWOT Analysis

13.5. Competitive Scenario

13.5.1. Merger & Acquisition

13.5.2. Agreement, Collaboration, & Partnership

13.5.3. New Product Launch & Enhancement

13.5.4. Investment & Funding

13.5.5. Award, Recognition, & Expansion



14. Company Usability Profiles

14.1. 3R ENVIRO TECH Group

14.2. Agri-Tech Producers, LLC

14.3. Airex Energy

14.4. Aries Clean Energy

14.5. ArSta Eco

14.6. Biochar Products, Inc.

14.7. Biochar Supreme, LLC

14.8. Carbon Gold

14.9. Clean Fuels B.V.

14.10. Cool Planet Energy Systems Inc.

14.11. Diacarbon Energy Inc.

14.12. Earth Systems PTY. LTD.

14.13. Pacific Pyrolysis

14.14. Phoenix Energy

14.15. The Biochar Company

14.16. Vega Biofuels, Inc.



15. Appendix



For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/xq25l
Heart problems in pets could be linked to the Kent Covid variant, often referred to as 'super-covid', a team of vets warn in a new study.

The experts from Ralph Veterinary Referral Centre (RVRC) in Marlow, Buckinghamshire found a small number of cats and dogs infected with B117, which was first identified in Kent in November.

They say the animals developed myocarditis  inflammation of the heart muscle  suggesting the condition could have been caused by B117, although this was not confirmed.

B117, which has led to a massive surge in Covid-19 cases in the UK since the start of the year, is thought to be about 70 per cent more infectious and 30 per cent more deadly than the original strain of SARS-CoV-2.

A small number of pet cats and dogs have already been reported to be infected with SARS-CoV-2 in several countries, including the UK and the US.

It is unknown whether the mutated strain B117 can more easily infect certain animal species or increase the possibility of human-to-animal transmission than the original strain, the team say.

UK vets have detected the Kent variant B117 in a small number of dogs and cats with inflammation of the heart (stock image)

What is the 'mutant COVID strain' and why are experts concerned? Coronaviruses mutate regularly, acquiring about one new mutation in their genome every two weeks. Most mutations do not significantly change the way the virus acts. This super strain, named B117, was first identified in the UK in November. It has since been found in France, Spain, Italy, Iceland, Japan, Singapore, Australia and now the United States. The new COVID-19 variant has a mutation in the receptor binding domain (RBD) of the spike protein at position 501, where amino acid asparagine (N) has been replaced with tyrosine (Y). It is more infectious than previous strains and potentially more harmful to children. It is not, however, believed to be any more lethal. Public Health England researchers compared 1,769 people infected with the new variant, with 1,769 who had one of the earlier strains of the virus. Forty-two people in the group were admitted to hospital, of whom 16 had the new variant and 26 the wild type. Twelve of the variant cases and 10 of the 'older' virus cases died within four weeks of testing. Neither the hospitalization nor the mortality differences were statistically significant. Advertisement

As of February 7, 2021, B117 comprised roughly 95 per cent of new SARS-CoV-2 infections in the UK and has now been identified in at least 86 countries, including the US.

Florida now leads the US in confirmed cases of the B117 variant, although it is also widespread in Texas and California.

The team of vets from RVRC have detailed their findings in a pre-print paper, yet to be peer reviewed.

'We report a sudden increased number of domestic dogs and cats presented with myocarditis at [RVRC]... between December 2020 and February 2021, with an unexpected rise in incidence from 1.4 to 12.8 per cent,' the team say.

'Further studies are therefore urgently required to investigate the likelihood of pet-to-pet transmission, as well as pet-to-human transmission of the B117 variant.'

The team stress that the dogs and cats were likely infected with B117 due to transmission from humans.

'We don't want to spread panic unnecessarily, especially because at the moment we have a strong suspicion of transmission from human to pet, but not vice versa  and we don't know this for sure,' study author Luca Ferasin at RVRC told the Guardian.

'But vets ought to be aware of this so that they can start testing if they suspect a potential case of Covid infection.'

From December and February, the team admitted 18 pets with myocarditis  nearly 10 times more than normal for that time of the year.

'This sudden surge of cases appeared to mimic the curve and timeline of the Covid-19 human pandemic in the UK due to the B117 variant, starting in mid-December 2020, peaking at the end of January 2021, before returning to the historical rate by mid-February 2021,' the team say.

None of the pets had a previous history of heart disease but had symptoms including acute onset of lethargy, lack of appetite, abnormally rapid breathing and shortness of breath, and, in some cases, loss of consciousness.

Many owners and handlers of the pets had developed Covid respiratory symptoms three to six weeks before their pets became ill and had also tested positive for Covid-19.

To see if the pets had been infected too, blood samples were collected from seven animals (six cats and one dog) between January 22 and February 10.

CATS AND CORONAVIRUS A pet cat became the first animal in the UK to be diagnosed with Covid-19, it was revealed in July 2020. Officials said the cat - which wasn't identified but lived in England - caught coronavirus from its owners and 'not the other way round'. Downing Street said the feline suffered from nasal discharge and some shortness of breath, a symptom that also strikes humans. Experts have generally reiterated since the pandemic began that domestic cats don't carry the virus to humans. There have been a small number of cases of cats having Covid-19 around the world, but in those instances it was likely the humans had infected the cats, according to the British Veterinary Association (BVA). The fact that cats can carry the coronavirus on their fur makes them as much as a risk to humans as other high-contact physical objects like doorknobs, the BVA said. Advertisement

During the same period, the team collected blood samples from four other pets (two cats and two dogs) during their recovery, two to six weeks after they developed signs of myocarditis.

Out of the 11 tested in total, five had contact with a Covid-19 positive case. It was unknown if the other six had contact with somebody with Covid.

All but one of the 11 animals with myocarditis clinically improved within a few days of intensive care. Unfortunately, one cat had to be put down.

Of the 11 animals, two cats and a dog tested positive specifically for the B117 variant, while another three were found to have SARS-CoV-2 antibodies.

It is possible that more of the animals with myocarditis would have tested positive if these tests had been performed earlier, according to the team.

The team can't conclude that myocarditis is a symptom of infection by B117, especially considering how small the sample of animals was.

However, it's likely B117 is more infectious than the original strain for cats and dogs, just like it is for humans.

'Given that it appears to be more easily transmitted in humans, we also shouldnt be surprised if it might be better at infecting cats and dogs,' Mick Bailey, a professor of comparative immunology at the University of Bristol, who was not involved in the study told the Guardian.

Natural infection of any animal by the B117 variant has never been documented, in England before, although there have been reports of cases in Texas and Italy.

Several cases of SARS-CoV-2 infection have been reported worldwide in domestic pets, especially cats and dogs, likely infected by human owners or handlers.

Natural infection of any animal by the B117 variant has never been documented, in England before, although there have been reports of cases in Texas and Italy (stock image)

These infections mostly resulted in unapparent to mild digestive and respiratory symptoms such as cough, runny nose, sneezing and conjunctivitis.

But the chance of your dog catching Covid-19 strain is very slim, according to the World Health Organisation (WHO).

Throughout the pandemic, organisations such as the British Veterinary Association have been keen to stress that humans pose more of a risk to pets when it comes to Covid.

B117, which is one of several deadly variants and swept across the UK at the end of last year before spreading across the world, is between 30 per cent and 100 per cent more deadly, according to another recent study.

Epidemiologists from the universities of Exeter and Bristol said the data suggests the variant is associated with a significantly higher mortality rate among adults diagnosed in the community compared with previously circulating strains.

B117 is one of several variants. Cases of the Brazilian and South African variants have been found in the UK, with surge Covid testing employed to help prevent their spread

'In the community, death from Covid-19 is still a rare event, but the B117 variant raises the risk,' said the lead author of this study, Robert Challen from the University of Exeter.

'Coupled with its ability to spread rapidly, this makes B117 a threat that should be taken seriously.'

The researchers looked at death rates among people infected with the new variant and those infected with other strains.

They found that the variant first detected in Kent led to 227 deaths in a sample of 54,906 patients  compared with 141 among the same number of closely matched patients who had the previous strains.
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y.  New York Citys high school seniors will have to miss out on one of the most highly anticipated nights of their high school career due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

The New York City Department of Education (DOE) announced that proms  typically held in the spring from April to June for high school seniors  arent permitted at this time.

SAFETY COMES FIRST

Safety comes first, and we must keep common-sense measures in place in our schools to limit exposure and stop the spread, said Nathaniel Styer, spokesperson for the DOE. We look forward to a time when there can be large gatherings with eating and dancing, but at this time they are not permitted.

The DOE explained that proms usually involve eating and drinking, which require the removal of a face covering. Dancing can also potentially promote transmission of the coronavirus.

As a result, the DOE said in-person proms  both indoor and outdoor  arent permitted at this time for public schools citywide. Its unclear if proms could potentially be held later this school year should coronavirus cases decrease and vaccines become more widely available.

*** CLICK HERE FOR COMPLETE COVERAGE OF CORONAVIRUS IN NEW YORK ***

It will be the second year in a row that high school seniors in New York City public schools will miss out on their prom due to the pandemic.

SAD NEWS FOR SENIORS

High school seniors at New Dorp High School said they were sad to hear that proms arent permitted  and they arent hopeful that it could possibly happen later this school year. In years past, New Dorp usually held its prom in May.

Im sad, I was really looking forward to that, said Areli Garcia, a senior at New Dorp. I guess they had to cancel it.

The coronavirus pandemic canceled many special events for graduates last year, including commencement and award ceremonies, proms and senior trips. Some schools on Staten Island came up their own celebrations -- like drive-by parades, outdoor celebrations and virtual commencements. New York City held a citywide virtual graduation celebration for the Class of 2020 last June.

CATERED AFFAIRS ACROSS THE STATE

This years prom announcement was made just days after New York State began to allow catered affairs, like weddings and Sweet 16s, with strict safety measures like mandatory table seating, coronavirus testing, and the creation of dancing zones. Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced that catered affairs, with up to 150 people or 50% capacity of a catering hall space, were able to occur starting March 15.

Some strict guidelines include showing a negative rapid or PCR test prior to the event, assigned seating, masks at all times except while eating, and providing contract tracing information. The guidelines also say attendees may only dance with members of their immediate party/household/family seated at their table.

More extensive guidance can be found here.

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Senior Biden administration officials are traveling to Mexico on Monday to discuss managing migration with government officials amid a surge of unaccompanied minors crossing the US-Mexico border.

Roberta Jacobson, the Biden administration's coordinator for the southern border, and Juan Gonzalez, the National Security Council's senior director for the Western Hemisphere, will be making the trip, according to NSC spokeswoman Emily Horne.

The two will be joined by the State Department's Northern Triangle special envoy Ricardo Zuniga. Zuniga is a career member of the Senior Foreign Service and his appointment as special envoy was announced Monday by the State Department.

Gonzalez and Zuniga will then travel to Guatemala, where they will meet with President Alejandro Giammattei, foreign minister Pedro Brolo and others, according to senior administration officials.

"This is an important trip and one that builds on the administration's focused work on addressing the root causes of irregular migration as a cyclical regional issue that neither starts nor stops at the southern border of the United States," a senior administration official said.

The officials plan to discuss managing migration in the short term with government officials but also looking at longer-term plans to address the root causes of migration and ways to expand economic opportunity, according to the officials.

The trip comes as the Biden administration races to accommodate a surge in unaccompanied minors arriving at the border, which has overwhelmed and strained government resources. Administration officials said Thursday that the federal government had more than 14,000 migrant children in its custody.

"We are working round the clock 24/7," Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas told CNN's Dana Bash on "State of the Union" on Sunday.

Mayorkas declined on Sunday to provide a timeline for when the administration would open new facilities capable of handling the surge, but said it would be "as soon as possible."

He said the coronavirus pandemic has partly complicated the administration's efforts, and has also blamed Trump administration policies for dismantling the immigration system.

President Joe Biden on Sunday said he would travel to the border himself "at some point."

"I know what's going on in those facilities," Biden told reporters.

More than 800 unaccompanied migrant children have been in Border Patrol custody for more than 10 days, according to documents reviewed by CNN.

Federal law requires unaccompanied children to be turned over within 72 hours to the Department of Health and Human Services, which oversees a shelter network designed to house minors, but amid constraints related to the pandemic, children are staying in custody for longer than the 72-hour limit.
School officials are making decisions on whether to return to full, in-person learning following the release of new state guidelines.

The Illinois State Board of Education is advocating for the return to in-person learning across the state, leaving the option for school districts to continue providing remote learning for all students, or just limiting it to those students that have a documented medical excuse or live with someone who does.

That could mean students without a medical necessity could be required to return to in-person learning, though many districts are planning to continue with the remote learning option.

We are going to stay consistent for the last 90 days, said Waverly Superintendent Dustin Day. For now we are just going to stay consistent. We feel what we have is working for the last nine weeks.

Though Day said the district has very few students that have remained on remote learning, he said the district currently does not plan to make them return to in-person learning until next school year.

The Illinois State Board of Education released its new recommendations, supporting in-person learning, but has required continued safety precautions including facial coverings, social distancing, contract tracing and quarantining in conjunction with local health departments, school wide cleaning and disinfection, and promotion of hand washing and respiratory etiquette.

Consistent with the updated guidance from the CDC, families of students who are at increased risk of severe illness (including those with special health care needs) or who live with people at increased risk must be given the option of remote instruction.

The Jacksonville school district will also continue with its remote learning program, but has released a statement about evaluations at the end of the school year.

In an email to district students, staff and parents, Superintendent Steve Ptacek said while they believe in-person learning is the most beneficial for students, the district will not require in-person learning for all its students for the remainder of the year.

We took into consideration that many of our families are still highly concerned with the virus, many have actively supported our remote learning process, and mandating a return in the last eight weeks might create hardships for both our families and our teachers, Ptacek said in the email. However, we acknowledged there are other learners unsuccessful in the remote model. We believe that all students should be in school with their teachers and peers. However, after much discussion, we dont feel it is best to mandate a return for all students.

Because of the decision not to mandate a return, the district is planning to have assessments for each elementary grade level. Each student will receive a pass/fail assessment that will help the district determine if they will move to the next grade, require summer schooling or repeat the grade.

District officials are planning a full return to in-person learning for the 2021-22 school year.

We need to keep our focus on our mission of preparing students for post-secondary success, Ptacek said. Our mission is not to simply graduate students, it is to prepare them. If a student has been at home for a year, and this has resulted in the student being substantially behind, it is better for that student to remain in the current grade level and learn the skills and knowledge necessary for future success instead of socially promoting them forward into failure.

Day said the district staff will be evaluating its remote learning program for any potential future events.

We want to review our policies and plans, see what works and what could be improved, Day said. We want to make sure we have the plans in place if something like this were to happen again and that they are in the best interest of our staff and students.
When Disneyland reopens on April 30, the park will welcome guests with an experience substantially different from the one it offered before the pandemic. There will be fewer attractions to enjoy, like parades and fireworks, and none of the perks like Fast Passes or Magical Mornings. If the California Attractions and Parks Association has their way, there wont even be screaming on roller coasters.

But despite all that  or really, because of it  the reopened Disneyland will offer an experience unlike any it has ever offered before. Per Californias guidance for the red tier, the parks will be opening at 15 percent capacity, and only California residents will be allowed to visit. Smaller crowds will offer better ride experiences, and limited capacities in stores will give people space to shop without crowds. For many, the trade-offs of mask wearing and being stationary while eating or drinking will be worth it for the experience of being in the park with so few people. While Disney does not release attendance numbers, DisneyNews.us estimates that Disneyland had about 51,000 visitors per day across parks in 2019. At 15 percent capacity, the parks will open with a cap of just under 20,000 total people daily.

The joy and laughter and magical moments of the Disneyland Resort will soon return to its theme parks as Disneyland Park and Disney California Adventure Park are planning to officially reopen to the public on April 30, 2021, with limited capacity, Disney said in a release shared with SFGATE on March 17.

The small number of guests who are able to buy tickets within that 15 percent capacity will have to make reservations for Disneyland Park or Disney California Adventure for the day they want to attend. Those guests wont be able to utilize Fast Passes, the system that allowed a limited number of people into a shorter queue for certain rides, both because ride capacity has to be strictly managed and because the park needs that line space for social distancing of the regular queue. On those rides, there will be distancing between parties, and depending on configuration, some rides will have plastic barriers installed between rows.

But with such a substantially lowered capacity in the park, the lines will almost definitely be the shortest parkgoers have ever seen. I was at Walt Disney World for Magic Kingdoms opening day last July, which opened to 25 percent capacity but has a larger footprint and more rides than Disneyland Park. Even with no Fast Passes, the lines were the shortest Ive ever seen.

Space Mountains wait time was zero minutes. Zero. "Relish that time frame," the greeter said as I walked onto the ride. "You'll never see it again."

Disneyland Park can hold an estimated 50,000 people, but Magic Kingdom in Orlando is estimated to hold nearly double that. The company does not release those figures, but theme park experts put Disney California Adventure at about 80,000 capacity.

Rather than parades, Magic Kingdom has been holding character cavalcades, where one or two parade floats will transport characters through the park at unannounced times. Disneyland has not confirmed whether that will happen, but has said, Beloved characters will pop up in new ways and sometimes in unexpected places as they remain mindful of physical distancing.

There is speculation that by the time Disneyland opens, Orange County could be in the orange tier, which allows for 25 percent capacity at theme parks and 50 percent capacity for indoor dining. But it seems unlikely that Disneyland will allow that many people in during the very early opening, simply for the sake of working out the kinks in the system with fewer people there.

An area where those kinks will likely present themselves: with food. Disney is placing an increased emphasis on mobile ordering and contactless payment through the Disneyland smartphone app. At opening day of A Touch of Disney, March 18, pickup times for mobile orders were 60-90 minutes away from order times. As people learn new procedures for how to order food, there are likely to be long lines as Cast Members field questions from guests.

Disneyland has not clarified whether indoor dining will be available at all, but has confirmed that restaurants with outdoor seating like The Plaza Inn and River Belle Terrace will be open.

Shows like Frozen Live at the Hyperion and Mickey and the Magical Map are likely gone forever, not just on pause. Indoor rides will definitely be open, though, and some of them will be new.

Snow Whites Enchanted Wish, a reimagining of what was formerly Snow Whites Scary Adventures in Fantasyland, will debut when the park reopens. The timeless tale comes alive in dazzling new scenes, Disneylands release said, including a dancing figure of Snow White joining the dwarfs in their cottage as the scent of a baking pie wafts through the air.

Disneyland has also announced new magic for Haunted Mansion, which was under refurbishment last March when the park closed, though what that new magic will be is unclear.

In Disney California Adventure, the new Avengers Campus is nearly complete, but will not open when DCA opens on April 30. This week, The Little Mermaid: Ariels Undersea Adventure had scaffolding on the outside of the building.

Disneyland has not yet announced when tickets for its reopening will be on sale.
Garin Huxman cleans out his locker May 19 at North Middle School in Colorado Springs. Students at the District 11 school were allowed to return to school to clean out their lockers and collect their belongings after it was closed March 13, 2020, because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Armenian Pastinfo newspaper reports the following: During the preliminary investigation, the Special Investigation Service of Armenia used all the possible resources to examine the financial operations of second President of Armenia Robert Kocharyan and former top servicemen Yuri Khachaturov and Mikayel Harutyunyan, but failed to find anything. Even international partners have refused to collaborate, stating that there is a political component in the persecution.

In particular, according to Pastinfos sources, the Armenian authorities had addressed Switzerland with the request to provide information about the bank accounts of ex-officials arrested under the cases of the events of March 1-2, 2008 (Robert Kocharyan, Yuri Khachaturov, M. Harutyunyan) and impose attachment on those bank accounts, saying that they might have bank accounts in Switzerland. Let us note that the Special Investigation Service assumed that there may be bank accounts, but the Swiss authorities responded very sharply.

Recording the fact that the Armenian authorities havent presented any actual data (neither bank account nor name of bank nor any other specific information), Swiss law-enforcement authorities emphasized the following: It is impossible to process the claim for international mutual assistance filed on August 14, 2018. In reality, this claim does not provide sufficient details to consider the activities of the suspected persons as doubtful and does not provide evidence that there are funds in a Swiss bank. Besides, the connection with Switzerland is not clear in the claim, and the requested actions are formulated very extensively. Moreover, Switzerland noted that from the study of the submitted motion it follows that the study concerns political violations.

The Swiss governments response states that, according to Swiss law, the Swiss authorities cant grant the claim for mutual assistance, if it concerns an offense that is a political or related offense for the claimant.

The Armenian authorities had addressed Switzerland with a motion to impose attachment on the properties of Robert Kocharyan and other ex-officials right after Kocharyan was arrested and charged with overthrow of the constitutional order in 2008. Basically, even the distant Switzerland had noticed the political nature of the charge and refused to collaborate with the Armenian authorities.

The sensational document sent to the Armenian authorities is signed by the Federal Office of Police of Switzerland.
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The U.S. State Department says Secretary of State Antony Blinken has strongly condemned recent attacks against Saudi territory from Iranian-aligned groups in the region, and discussed cooperation to end the war in Yemen in a call with Saudi Arabias foreign minister.

During his March 22 conversation with Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud, Blinken also reiterated our commitment to supporting the defense of U.S. ally Saudi Arabia, the department said in a statement.

It said the two discussed their close cooperation to support the efforts of UN Special Envoy Griffiths and U.S. Special Envoy Lenderking to end the conflict in Yemen, starting with the need for all parties to commit to a cease-fire and facilitate the delivery of humanitarian aid."

The phone call came as Saudi Arabia presented a new peace initiative to end the Yemeni conflict, widely seen as a proxy war between Saudi Arabia and Iran, including a nationwide cease-fire under UN supervision and the reopening of air and sea links.

The offer was welcomed by the UN and the Saudi-backed Yemeni government based in the southern port of Aden, but the Iranian-aligned Shiite Huthi rebels said the initiative provided "nothing new" as did not appear to go far enough to lift a blockade.

Deputy State Department spokeswoman Jalina Porter welcomed the commitment of Riyadh and Yemen's internationally recognised government to a cease-fire and negotiations.

The Saudi initiative would include the reopening of Sanaa airport, and would allow fuel and food imports through Hodeidah port, both of which are controlled by the Huthis.

Saudi Arabia has been under increasing pressure to put an end to the six-year Yemeni conflict since U.S. President Joe Biden signaled Washington would no longer support Riyadh's military intervention in the country.

Yemen was plunged into a civil war in 2015 that has killed some 130,000 people and displaced more than 3 million Yemenis.

The Huthis have launched drone and missile attacks targeting the Saudi kingdom's oil infrastructure and other sites.

Earlier this month, the UN said around 16 million Yemenis, more than half the population, were going hungry. Of those, 5 million are on the brink of famine.

In its statement, the U.S. State Department said Blinken and his Saudi counterpart also discussed the importance of stabilizing the Yemeni economy.

The state secretary underscored the importance of continued progress on human rights and expressed support for Saudi Arabias ongoing social and economic reforms, it said.

With reporting by Reuters and AP
[March 22, 2021] Moody's Analytics Wins Award for Best Use of AI in Banking or FinTech

Moody's Analytics has won Best Use of AI in Banking or FinTech at the 2021 Global Achievement Awards for AI. This award recognizes the Credit Sentiment Score solution, an AI-powered tool to strengthen credit assessment and monitoring processes. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210322005403/en/ Our solution uses artificial intelligence techniques to automatically identify adverse credit signals in the news. Lenders and investors, needing to evaluate the credit quality of many different companies, leverage this information when making credit decisions and as part of ongoing portfolio risk monitoring. Signals of credit distress regularly emerge in news stories six months or even longer before major credit events. This tool creates awareness of those signals so they can factor into decision-making throughout the credit lifecycle. "Tracking credit-relevant news stories has become invaluable in how companies are monitored, especially outside of the reporting cycle. With our solution it can be done much more quickly, broadly, and cost-effectively than was previously possible," said Nihil Patel, Managing Director at Moody's Analytics. "We're honored to win this award, which showcases how we combine emerging technologies with Moody's unique data and credit expertise to help ourcustomers make better credit decisions."



The winning offering is part of the Moody's Analytics suite of credit scoring and monitoring solutions. Learn more about this award, which adds to the industry recognition for Moody's Analytics.

Read about the Global Achievement Awards for AI. About Moody's Analytics

Moody's Analytics provides financial intelligence and analytical tools to help business leaders make better, faster decisions. Our deep risk expertise, expansive information resources, and innovative application of technology help our clients confidently navigate an evolving marketplace. We are known for our industry-leading and award-winning solutions, made up of research, data, software, and professional services, assembled to deliver a seamless customer experience. We create confidence in thousands of organizations worldwide, with our commitment to excellence, open mindset approach, and focus on meeting customer needs. For more information about Moody's Analytics, visit our website or connect with us on Twitter and LinkedIn. Moody's Analytics, Inc. is a subsidiary of Moody's Corporation (NYSE: MCO). Moody's Corporation reported revenue of $5.4 billion in 2020, employs approximately 11,400 people worldwide and maintains a presence in more than 40 countries. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210322005403/en/

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Mumbai, March 22 : The Reserve Bank's committee for evaluating applications for universal as well as small finance banks will be chaired by its former Deputy Governor Shyamala Gopinath.

According to the RBI, besides Gopinath, four other members are part of the 'Standing External Advisory Committee' (SEAC) including Revathy Iyer, Director, Central Board, RBI, B. Mahapatra, former Executive Director, RBI and presently Chairman, NPCI, T.N. Manoharan, former Chairman, Canara Bank and Hemant G. Contractor, former MD, SBI and former Chairman, PFRDA.

Earlier, the RBI had stated that a SEAC comprising eminent persons with experience in banking, financial sector and other relevant areas, will evaluate the applications.

"The tenure of this SEAC will be for three years," the RBI said in a statement.

"The secretarial support to the committee would be provided by the Department of Regulation, Reserve Bank of India."
LEBANON, Ore.  A Lebanon man has been arrested for multiple sex crimes related to alleged contact he had with an underage girl, police said.

Cody Lamar Baker, 20, was arrested early Sunday afternoon by Lebanon police on charges alleging he had sexual contact with an underage girl. The alleged crimes occurred at several locations within the Lebanon city limits, police said. At this time, police do not know of any other victims.

Baker was arrested on charges of third-degree rape, third-degree sodomy, second-degree sex abuse, contributing to the sexual delinquency of a minor, second-degree encouraging child sex abuse and tampering with evidence. He was taken to Linn County Jail.

Police said this is an ongoing investigation and anyone with information about the case is asked to contact Lebanon Police Officer Colter Hessel at (541) 258-4316.
Brussels, March 22 : The European Union (EU) is sanctioning China for human rights abuses against the Uighur ethnic minority, an informed source from the 27-member bloc said on Monday.

The source told dpa news agency that the decision came following an agreement from the bloc's Foreign Ministers.

The last time the EU imposed punitive measures on Beijing for human rights violations was after the Tiananmen Square massacre in 1989.

The names of the targets for measures like EU asset freezes or travel bans are due to be officially published shortly, the final step that implements sanctions, according to the source.

In the last few years, hundreds of Uighurs, Kazakhs and Huis have testified about being held in internment camps as part of what observers say is a government campaign to forcibly assimilate ethnic minorities.

According to the Chinese government, the camps, estimated to have held more than 1 million people since 2017, are "vocational education centres" to eradicate extremism and terrorism.

Also on Monday, the EU's High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell said the Eu is set to sanction 11 individuals involved in the Myanmar military coup, as well as for the repression of the demonstrators in the country.

The EU Foreign Ministers are holding a meeting here during which they are also likely to sanction several individuals and entities from North Korea, Russia, Libya, Eritrea and South Sudan on the basis of that instrument.

Aside from endorsing sanctions, the ministers are expected to discuss the politically sensitive issues of Turkey and Russia, attempting to hash out their strategic positions to both countries.
Gov. Beshear Vetoes Senate Seat Vacancy Bill

By The Associated Press

FRANKFORT - Governor Andy Beshear has vetoed a bill that would empower Republican leaders to influence his choice to fill a U.S. Senate seat temporarily should a vacancy occur.The governor said Monday the bill would wrongly empower party bosses.The bill passed by veto-proof margins in the GOP-led legislature. The measure would require a governor to choose from a three-name list provided by party leaders from the same party as the senator who formerly held the seat.With McConnell and fellow Republican Rand Paul holding the Senate seats from Kentucky, that would designate GOP leaders to submit the names.Republican House Speaker David Osborne issued a statement after hearing news of the vetoes issued by Governor Andy Beshear. He said they are further evidence that Beshear has no intention of working with anyone who may differ in opinion.Osborne said, "Instead, it is clear he plans to continue dictating inconsistent and arbitrary policies from behind a desk in the Capitol. The executive branch is just one of our state's three branches of government, and each possesses a specific responsibility and corresponding authority. In the midst of a global pandemic, Kentuckians sent supermajorities to represent them in the House and Senate. They sent us here to enact good long-term public policy, restore common sense to our state government, and serve as a check to his attempts to unilaterally decide the will of the people. We fully intend to continue doing so."Beshear signed a total of 13 bills, including House Bill 95, which would put a cap the amount of money paid by diabetics for a month-long supply of insulin. He vetoed a total of 5 bills, all of which he says would strip power from his executive branch of government. See the full list at the link below.On the Net:
As West Virginians receive the COVID-19 vaccine at record rates, citizens credit the power of medical science for making that shot in the arm possible.

But there's a different kind of science that is driving a critical, yet less recognized role in the state's vaccine rollout: data science.

For West Virginia University data scientists Brad Price and Katherine Kopp, who joined forces with Dariane Drake to form Data Driven WV in 2019, big data has shaped their careers in the John Chambers College of Business and Economics.

Now, it's helping to shape the state in a transformative way as West Virginians count on COVID-19 vaccines to move the Mountain State past a pandemic.

Price and Kopp have implemented data science to support vaccine supply chain efforts by developing dashboards for the West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources around populations in West Virginia, including how to identify those who are at-risk. This work was developed as an experiential learning project with five students from the M.S. in Business Data Analytics program.

Most notably, they have built a robust and agile digital inventory management system to track vaccine demand and inventory around the state.

"When we think about vaccines, most people don't think about data," said Price, assistant professor of Business Data Analytics in the Chambers College. "Before that shot goes in the arm, there has to be a plan to get it where it needs to go in the state. You have to set-up the whole supply chain and track where it is, where it's going and understand how much you have and how much you need for it to be successful. Working without that piece would leave our state leadership operating blindfolded with vaccine distribution."

The inventory management system Price and Kopp produced consists of eight web-based applications that manages demand from various entities, including county clinics, pharmacies, higher education and K-12. They match demand to the number of vials that are allocated.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention ships vials weekly, and the Data Driven WV team automates the process for recommending how many trays and boxes go to each of the five hubs in the state across five counties, including Kanawha, Monongalia, Cabell, Berkeley and Greenbrier. They then determine how many vials from the trays and boxes need to be transported to and from each hub to meet the demand. It also has checks and balances to determine how many vials have been distributed and how many are still on hand.

"There are eight applications running at any given time, and they're all talking to each other," Kopp said. "It's an incredibly agile system running at a low cost, and as new vaccines come online like Johnson & Johnson, we have the ability to add them to the system and test in a day."

It's quite a leap from where it started. At its inception, it was a manual process with Google Docs and Microsoft Excel spreadsheets that has evolved into a complex inventory management system with automation.

When Price and Kopp were called into action by the DHHR and the West Virginia National Guard through Maj. Ryan Coss (who is also an adjunct lecturer in the Chambers College) in early 2021 to help with the vaccine rollout, they jumped in without hesitation - and they did it fast.

"In a normal software development process, what we did in a six-day period would probably take six weeks," Kopp said. "By bringing in RStudio, our partners who provided the tool we used to build the application, utilizing students to turn it into an experiential learning opportunity and partnering with the state, we solved problems quickly."

Price and Kopp have plenty of practice with moving fast to solve problems with data. It isn't the first time the Data Driven WV duo has stepped up to help the state during COVID-19 through their work with the Joint Interagency Task Force.

Since the early days of the pandemic, they've been supporting PPE supply chain efforts by creating a forecasting model at the facility level for each hospital in the state. The model considers behaviors of West Virginians and how they migrate to healthcare in emergency situations; it was used to create a state stockpile to create backups for hospitals low on supplies. Reporting on these efforts is continuing, with weekly reports distributed each Thursday with the help of graduate assistant Ryan Midkiff.

Price, Kopp and Drake were recognized with a Civilian Service Achievement Award from the West Virginia National Guard during the summer of 2020 for their efforts.

According to retired Maj. Gen. (Ret.) James Hoyer, who continues to lead the Governor's Joint Interagency Task Force in his new role at WVU, the Data Driven WV team has played an integral role in shaping the state's perseverance through the pandemic.

"Preparation has been critical to protecting our citizens during COVID-19, and Data Driven WV has been the force behind the scenes that has allowed that preparation to happen at a very high level," Hoyer said. "Their ability to use data to forecast PPE and track inventory for vaccines has allowed the state to be ready and nimble to shift with the unpredictable tides of the pandemic."

While the accolades are appreciated, that's not what fuels their team through the late nights of forecasting and building applications that has become commonplace over the last year.

It's a bigger calling to serve West Virginia that keeps them going.

"It's our job to fulfill our land-grant mission and protect the population of the state," Price said. "If we can help West Virginia get to the other side of the pandemic, I'm all in. We're not going to say 'no' to those calls."

###
In another episode of bizarre incidents, a man has been arrested for trespassing into Johnny Depps home in Hollywood hills. Yes, he entered Johnny Depps house and made himself feel at home.

The perpetrator was caught after a neighbour spotted an unidentified man hanging out in their backyard, near the pool. The local police were alerted about the unidentified man who hoped a gate when he was asked that what was he doing there.

When the cops reached Johnny Depps mansion, the trespasser was caught taking a shower and refused to open the door until he was forced to get out of the house. According to TMZ, the intruder also made a drink for himself from the actors collection of liquor.

Now, he has been booked for felony vandalism for a broken door. This is not the first time that someone broke into the actors home; back in January, an unidentified woman had broken into the actors house.

However, Johnny Depp at the moment is caught up in a legal battle with his ex, Amber Heard. The star is trying to overturn the ruling in his wife-beater case.

In his court appeal last week in London, his lawyer appealed the November 2020 judgment because Heards pledge to donate her $7 million divorce settlement to charity was a calculated and manipulative lie.

Amber Heards legal team stated that she has done nothing dishonest with her donations and that she had pledged to pay over 10 years.

What do you think? Let us know in the comments section below!
ATHENS (Reuters) - Greece has ordered private sector doctors in the broader Athens region to assist its public health system, which has struggled to fight fast-spreading COVID-19 infections.

The government had earlier called on private sector doctors to help out as Greece's public hospitals have been overwhelmed by surging admissions of COVID-19 patients and intensive care wards are running out of beds.

Greece said that about 200 doctors were needed but only sixty one volunteered to help, while hospitals have been under huge pressure to treat some 5,000 people across the country.

"For weeks, the Health Ministry addressed an invitation - an appeal - to private doctors, to strengthen the hospitals of the National Health Service during the third major wave of the COVID-19 pandemic. Unfortunately, very few private doctors came," Health Minister Vassilis Kikilias said.

"Taking into account the emergency conditions ... the Health Ministry is ordering the personal services of doctors in the specialties of physicians, pulmonologists and general practitioners," he said.

With some 500 coronavirus patients being admitted to hospitals every day, out of which more than 200 are in the Athens metropolitan area, it's like having a countryside hospital filled up overnight, a health ministry official said.

Greece reported 1,707 new coronavirus infections and 69 deaths on Monday, bringing the total number of COVID-19 deaths to over 7,500.

The country has inoculated about 930,000 people with one dose of the COVID-19 vaccines, about 9.8% of its population so far, and plans to ramp up vaccinations in April before reopening its tourism sector to foreign travellers, a major source of revenue for its tourist-reliant economy.

(Reporting by Karolina Tagaris and Angeliki Koutantou; Editing by Christian Schmollinger and Aurora Ellis)
We interrupt the Dustin Hoffperson movie, All the President's People of Indeterminate Gender, for an urgent statement from Josepha Mad Again.

Cut to a feline figure perched, amid a bonfire of local newspapers, on the high horse that is her natural terrain.

Riding crop uncoiled, Mad Again is, well, mad again and she ain't going to take it no more.

Lecturing to the little people comes as naturally to this TD - it stands for Tone Deaf, in case you were wondering - as finding ever more irritatingly woke ways to thrust herself onto centre stage.

So, here she comes again, the Minister with her Finger Several Constituencies from the Pulse.

Perhaps, like the rest of us, Mad Again is apoplectic that a government of which she is a vocal component vaccinated just 301 people last Sunday, while the UK, racing to a freedom of which we can but dream, inoculates 620,000 per day?

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Or maybe the volcano of her fury erupted upon reading the HSE's latest target: To inject a Pfizer vial into everybody over the age of 137 within a decade of Mayo winning five All-Irelands in a row.

The nation will certainly stand behind her if she regards it as an affront to decency that the boss of that secretive, unfit-for-purpose monolith is remunerated to the tune of 420,000-per-annum - dwarfing his NHS equivalent's 195,000.

Surely Mad Again's entire focus is on urgently ending a lockdown as lengthy as a politician's pension entitlements, one that is smashing the economy, destroying livelihoods, crushing mental health and sapping our will to live?

Could it be that she finally flipped when Nphet's Ronan Glynn - like a 1950s' parish priest chastising a destitute congregation for failing to contribute money they didn't have to the weekly church collection - demanded that people who have nothing left to give "do a little more"?

It would be understandable if she flipped after watching one more doomsday proclamation from the cabal of attention-seeking scientists and medics whose addiction to the spotlight is matched only by their power-crazed urge to control every microscopic facet of your life.

Or was she incredulous that her colleague Patrick O'Donovan, in a condescending rush of prohibitionist zeal that would do Eliot Ness proud, sought to thrust a pioneer pin into all our lapels.

"Steer away" from alcohol over the St Patrick's Day festivities scolded O'Donovan, a witless busybody who seems to believe he was elected on a Taliban manifesto.

Nope. Mad Again has bigger fish to fry.

The Minister for Taking Offence won't sleep until a 117-year-old newspaper changes its name, one her forever vexed sensibilities alone seem to find grotesquely insulting.

And the name of the publication in question: The Kerryman.

Apparently Mad Again deems such a vicious and odious title as an existential threat to the female population.

To which the only sane response is Jesus, Mary and Josepha

My straw poll of six independent-minded ladies listed The Kerryman non-issue outside their top one million priorities - below the mating habits of the Naked Mole Rat - at this despairing moment in time.

As one pithily remarked: "Maybe, while we she's at it, Josepha should invade the Isle of Man."

Their conclusion was that no matter what attention-seeking, PC high-horse Mad Again mounts, she'll never come within 100 furlongs of Rachel Blackmore - colossus of the equine world and composer of an inspiring Cheltenham hymn.

To be fair, Mad Again has achieved the impossible: Placing the entire country on Michael Healy-Rae's side as he destroyed her "balderdash" argument with one killer line about whether she would also like to rename the manholes.

But, in the spirit of fair play, we now go over to Government Buildings for a national address from the Minister for Picking Daft Arguments while Ignoring the Crisis she's Paid to Address.

"Bomber Liston, Fungie, Daniel O'Connell, Tom Crean, John B Keane, Daithi O Se, Con Houlihan, Gooch, every flat-cap wearing Healy-Raedon't make me angry, you wouldn't like me when I'm angry.

"I'm Mad Again, the Minister for Picking Pointless Fights and I love the smell of burning, misogynistic journals in the morning.

"It's no wonder Peig Sayers went a couple of Blaskets short of a full archipelago living in such a forsaken bastion of self-satisfied male chauvinism.

"Was it for this my friend Maria Bailey fell from her swing?

"As Minister for the National Mood, I have a sixth sense which empowers me to see through the fog of media deflection.

"All this talk about petty irrelevances like lockdown, job losses, a mental health crisis and housing rollout is not for one moment fooling this 21st century Lady Godiva.

"I'll spell 'Micheal O Muircheartaigh' backwards while standing on my head sipping a Sex on the Beach before falling for the propaganda that the big issue in Kerry is how to knock Dessie Farrell's Dublin off their f***ing perch.

"Living as I do in leafy south Dublin, I am uniquely equipped to condescend to the people of Cahirsiveen, Annascaul and Ballyferriter.

"I know that you want organic kale- infused breakfast shakes, you want vegetarian sausages and crushed avocado, you want the arena where you play that uncouth bogball thingy to which you pleb-types seem to be addicted renamed Fitzgeraldine Stadium.

"You want me, the Meghan Markle of the Dail, to take on The Firm and not to rest until every Healy-Rae flat cap is impaled on my avenging sword.

"And at last, Kerry is re-imagined as the Queendom, with I Princess Mad Again as your beloved monarch."
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Stephan Weil, minister-president of Lower Saxony, is calling for authorisation to travel to the Balearic Islands to be suspended.

Weil, who is minister-president of the fourth largest German state by population, said on Sunday that the decision of the federal government to lift its advice against travel to Mallorca "has been a serious mistake". The best thing that the government could do would be "to backtrack". "If Angela Merkel is unwilling to do so, it will be necessary to open a serious debate on strict testing and quarantine requirements for returning passengers. The infection rate in Mallorca may not be critical, but if people from all over Europe gather on the island at Easter, we will have an immediate focus."

He added that it is "difficult to explain" that you cannot book a family holiday in Luneburg Heath (which is in Lower Saxony) but that you can travel by plane to Mallorca.

Merkel is due to meet the heads of the governments of Germany's Lander on Monday and analyse steps to be taken in face of the rise in infections, with a seven-day cumulative incidence now above 100 per 100,000. Indications are that "an emergency brake" will be applied and that decisions will be taken regarding internal mobility over Easter.

There isn't, as yet, any indication that the government will backtrack on the travel advice for Mallorca, but Manuela Schwesig, the minister-president of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, echoes the views of Stephan Weil in failing to understand "that the option of a holiday in Mallorca now prevails over one in Germany itself for epidemiological reasons".
WASHINGTON  The Supreme Court on Monday searched for a middle ground in a case pitting union organizing campaigns against private property rights.

A majority of the justices seemed uneasy with a California regulation that allows union representatives to meet with farmworkers at their worksites for up to three hours a day for as many as 120 days a year. The regulations drafters said this was the only practical way to give the workers, who are often poorly educated and hard to locate, a realistic chance to consider joining a union.

But several justices said they were concerned about ruling that the regulation amounted to a government taking of property, fearing such a decision could endanger all kinds of laws authorizing entry onto private property, including government safety inspections and visits from social services workers.

Justice Stephen G. Breyer said a broad ruling could affect dozens and dozens and dozens of other laws, including one allowing inspections of coal mines four times a year. At nuclear power plants, Justice Sonia Sotomayor said, there are inspections almost on a daily basis, if not a weekly or monthly basis.
[March 22, 2021]

Plintron powers a unique educational initiative by SmartCentric

CHENNAI, India, March 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Plintron has supported SmartCentric in starting a unique educational initiative covering 9100 schools, in 91 districts across 19 states of India and benefiting 15,00,000 students.

SmartCentric along with its NGO partner enabled a technological breakthrough in the learning process of students by providing tablets with educational content on General Knowledge, English, Science, Mathematics and Computer Science for a government project.

The tablets are powered by SIMs from National Mobile Virtual Network Operator (MVNO), Plintron.

These tablets have a voice interface that allows students to ask questions. If the answers to such queries are not found in the educational database, the software would search the internet for answers and provide them to the students.

Plintron's wide data coverage throughout Inia enables these tablets to connect to the internet via the software. This motivates and enthuses the students resulting in positive outcomes like increased class attendance and improved class participation.







The scheme has already been rolled out in 7500 schools covering 75 districts despite the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Plintron is the first operational national Virtual Network Operator (VNO) licensee in India and has data coverage even in remote areas which made the SmartCentric project feasible as many of the schools being benefited under the project are located in far-flung places.

Plintron looks forward to continue catalysing the Digital India revolution by supporting such innovative social initiatives and digitally enable other tech start-ups in India, IoT service providers and Enterprises.

About Plintron:

Plintron Group is the World's largest Multi Country end to end MVNA & MVNE and CPaaS provider with a client base in 6 continents. With mobile network services in 30 countries spanning 6 continents supported by 1000+ telecom professionals, Plintron has launched 120+ MVNOs and 140 million+ mobile subscribers. Visit www.Plintron.com

About SmartCentric:

SmartCentric was established in 2019 and creates remarkable hardware, software and curates a unique partner ecosystem for its customers.

The company focuses its development initiatives on key technologies such as AI/ML, IoT and Blockchain. Its founders have a track record of delivering complete solutions to verticals like education, logistics, and Banking. SmartCentric simulates learning through AI while bringing technologies like ML, RPA, IoT, Cloud and Blockchain together.

Media Contact :

Shamik Biswas

marketing@plintron.com

Plintron

Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1459856/Plintron_Logo.jpg
K-pop acts continue enjoying its growing popularity worldwide. Due to the stiff competition, most South Korean artists consider surpassing millions of views mark on YouTube a huge achievement.

Here are the top 7 music videos that broke the 100 million views mark, so far, in 2021. Keep on reading to know if your favorite K-pop acts made it to the list this time.

1. "Black Mamba" by aespa

The track is the debut single of the South Korean group, which was released on No. 17, 2020. Musically, "Black Mamba" by aespa is being described as a dance-pop and electropop track with a signature bass, synth and EDM sound.

The official music video of "Black Mamba" surpassed the 100 million views mark on Jan. 7. As of this writing, the clip already amassed 131,885,820 views, more than 2.7 million likes and more than 607,000 comments.

2. "Lights" by BTS

The South Korean all-male band recorded the song for their fourth Japanese studio album titled "Map of the Soul: 7 - The Journey" in 2020. It was released as a double A-side single with the "Boy with Luv" track's Japanese version.

The official music video of "Lights" broke the 100 million views mark on Jan. 11. As of press time, the clip already has a total of 108,473,040 views with more than 4.4 million likes and more than 319,000 comments.

3. "Boom" by NCT Dream

Coming in the third spot is "Boom" by NCT Dream. The said track marked as an explosive and thoughtful return for the teenage all-male K-pop band. The song addressed how the members have grown up and developed in the limelight.

The official music video of "Boom" was able to reach the 100 million views mark on Jan. 19. As of late, the clip already garnered a total of 108,247,780 views with more than 2.5 million likes and more than 219,893 comments.

4 "Kick It" by NCT 127

NCT 127 secured the fourth spot with the official music video of their "Kick It" track. The said song was released as the carrier single of the group's second studio album titled "Neo Zone" on March 6, 2020.

The official music video of "Kick It" garnered 100 million views on Jan. 24. As of this writing, the clip already has a total of 110,983,281 views with more than 3 million likes and more than 440,324 comments.

5. "Dynamite" (Choreography Version) by BTS

It comes as no surprise that "Dynamite" is included in the list as the track continues to break records after records each passing day. The said track dominated various music charts worldwide and became one of the most-streamed songs in major online music streaming sites.

The choreography version video of "Dynamite" reached the 100 million views mark on Jan. 30. As of press time, it already massed 125,579,687 views, more than 3.7 million likes, and more than 131,000 comments.

6. "Egotistic" by MAMAMOO

Most, if not all, fans are aware that "Egotistic" is the carrier single of MAMAMOO's seventh extended play titled "Red Moon." The track saw huge success after it peaked at No. 4 on the Gaon Digital Chart, Billboard World Digital Songs Sales, and Billboard Korea K-Pop Hot 100 charts.

The official music video of "Egotistic" broke the 100 million views mark on Feb. 7. As of late, the clip already has a total of 103,162,585 views with more than 1.5 million likes and more than 74,475 comments.

7. "Ice Cream" (Dance Performance in ZEPETO) by BLACKPINK and Selena Gomez

Securing the last spot is BLACKPINK and Selena Gomez with the dance performance in ZEPETO version of their chart-topping track titled "Ice Cream." The said track marked as the first collaboration of the South Korean girl group and the Disney album, alongside Ariana Grande as one of its composers.

The said clip got more than 100 million views on Feb. 19. As of this writing, it already has 104,106,374 views, with more than 4 million likes and more than 155,694 comments.

Did your favorite track and K-pop acts make it to the list? Who else should be included? Sound off in the comment section below.

For more K-Pop news and updates, always keep your tabs open here on KpopStarz.

KpopStarz owns this article.

Written by Nica Vaughn
CHAPEL HILL, N.C., March 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- MPH Online ( http://www.mphonline.org/ ), an independent online guide for prospective public health students, is pleased to share a new ranking of the best dual MPH and MBA programs:

Top 30 MPH/MBA Dual Degrees for 2021

https://www.mphonline.org/best-mph-mba-dual-degree/

The American public health system is not so much a system as a collection of extremely diverse entities, public and private, government and industry, healthcare and social services, non-profit and for-profit. But because healthcare in the US is so scattered, and management is so crucial, an education that combines expertise in public health with expertise in business and management is becoming especially important. With so much at stake (as a pandemic year has demonstrated), it is critical for public health professionals to have strong training in administration. That is why the editors of MPHOnline have ranked the best Dual Master of Public Health and Master of Business Administration programs in the US.

The Best MPH/MBA Dual Degree Programs ranking includes both schools of public health, and business schools, working together to offer a combined degree program, usually in a shortened time frame.

The top 10 MPH/MBA programs are:

1. Yale University - New Haven, CT

2. University of California, Berkeley - Berkeley, CA

3. UCLA - Los Angeles, CA

4. University of Virginia - Charlottesville, VA

5. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign - Urbana, IL

6. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill - Chapel Hill, NC

7. University of Georgia - Athens, GA

8. University of Michigan - Ann Arbor, MI

9. University at Buffalo (SUNY) - Buffalo, NY

10. Columbia University - New York, NY

The editors of MPHOnline congratulate all of the best MPH/MBA dual programs.

The full list, in alphabetical order, appears at the end of this press release.

As the editors of MPHOnline state, "Dual MPH and MBA programs offer several benefits to students who choose to go the extra mile by taking a double major." With a highly demanding and highly competitive job market, "Dual MBA programs that include a public health administration degree allow the graduate to meet the strict educational requirements of high-level leadership positions in both the public and private sectors," the editors state; "Earning a dual MBA and MPH makes it possible to pursue employment at the highest tier." This flexibility can take graduates nearly anywhere, according to the editors: "There are many job opportunities that call for both Public Health and Business Administration. This includes administrative roles in local government or health care facilities."

As the editors further explain, "Public health in the US is complicated, especially because the public health system is a complex web of public and private agencies, organizations, companies, and institutions." According to the editors, "Many of the best dual MBA programs are at institutions that offer MBA dual degree programs online, making this degree very convenient for working public health professionals who are looking to advance in their public health administration careers." By featuring programs with the highest value, and the most affordable, MPHOnline's rankings point students to the best programs for their individual needs.

MPH Online is designed to provide an authoritative source of useful information for prospective Master's of Public Health students, including new college graduates, working adults looking for a career change, and professionals already in the public health field who need further credentialing.

The Top 30 MPH/MBA Dual Programs for 2021 (in alphabetical order) are:

Benedictine University

Boston University

Campbell University

Case Western Reserve University

Claremont Graduate University

Columbia University

Dartmouth College

DePaul University

Drexel University

Emory University

Johns Hopkins University

Rutgers University

Stony Brook University (SUNY)

UCLA

University at Buffalo (SUNY)

University of Alabama at Birmingham

University of Arizona

University of California, Berkeley

University of Georgia

University of Illinois at Chicago

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

University of Michigan

University of Nebraska Medical Center

University of Nebraska at Omaha

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

University of Texas at San Antonio

University of Toledo

University of Virginia

Washington University in St. Louis

Yale University

Sam MacArthur

Lead Editor, MPH Online

[email protected]

(919) 864-2220

SOURCE MPHOnline
The Northwest Passage  In the Wake of the Great Explorers is a 26-day itinerary taking expedition fans from the Gold Rush town Nome in Alaska through the Bering Strait, Chukchi Sea, Beaufort Sea, and the Amundsen Gulf before arriving at Halifax. The onboard Expedition Team includes experts covering biology and wildlife, a professional photographer, an archaeologist, and one or more Inuit cultural interpreters.

Known as one of the most challenging stretches of water to navigate, the MS Roald Amundsen will navigate the ice floes and islands of the stunning Northwest Passage whilst bringing to life for guests the local history and culture of the surrounding area. The onboard Expedition Team will choose locations along the route to arrange escorted landing, small boat cruising for onshore exploration, and opportunities to spot wildlife in all its natural habit from whales, seals and, on the rare occasion, polar bears.

"This is one of our most ambitious and adventurous itineraries to date, offering our guests the chance to become true explorers as we navigate one of the most challenging stretches of water in the world. We believe in delivering truly life-changing and memorable experiences for our guests and navigating the Northwest Passage is certainly a once in a life-time experience," said John Downey, President Hurtigruten Americas. "Following a year of lockdowns, we know from our customers that their appetite for exploration certainly hasn't dwindled, and we look forward to welcoming them onboard for their next adventure with us."

MS Roald Amundsen  a small, more sustainable, battery hybrid-powered expedition cruise ship

Hosting around 500 guests, MS Roald Amundsen is a state-of-the-art battery hybrid-powered expedition cruise ship  the first vessel of its kind in the world. Specifically designed for expedition cruising, MS Roald Amundsen features a revolutionary battery hybrid propulsion system, together with other green technology to reduce fuel consumption and cut CO2 emissions by 20%.

Onboard, guests can expect a welcoming and comfortable environment in the public spaces and personal cabins and are spoilt for choice when it comes to where to dine, with restaurants Aune, Fredheim and Lindstrm serving Norwegian and Nordic tradition, as well as international cuisine and local inspiration.

Handpicked Expedition Teams

On all Hurtigruten expedition cruises, you will encounter a handpicked Expedition Team  a dedicated group of experts that help guests discover and better understand each destination. Experts in marine biology, arctic survival, photography, oceanography and more, the team hosts lectures which delve into the history of locations, and informally brings this knowledge to life by leading activities on adventurous excursions.

Citizen Science

Feed your curiosity in our Science Center, join fun talks, wildlife spotting and experiments with our scientists and Expedition Teams, and help contribute to research through Citizen Science projects around the world. The impressive Science Centre is the heartbeat of MS Roald Amundsen staffed by Hurtigruten's handpicked Expedition Team and packed with state-of-the-art technology and high-tech gadgets - there is no better place to learn about the remote locations and areas of natural beauty on the itinerary.

Itinerary Details

The Northwest Passage  In the Wake of the Great Explorers

Duration: 26 days

26 days Departure date: 18 th August 2023

18 Ports: Vancouver , Nome , Ilulissat, Sisimiut, Red Bay , Corner Brook and Halifax (in addition to escorted landings and small boat cruising throughout the sailing).

, , Ilulissat, Sisimiut, , and (in addition to escorted landings and small boat cruising throughout the sailing). Ship: MS Roald Amundsen

About Hurtigruten and its fleet

Building on 127 years of Norwegian pioneering heritage, Hurtigruten is today the world's largest expedition cruise company.

Hurtigruten's rapidly growing fleet of custom-build expedition ships takes modern-day adventure travellers to the world's most spectacular destinations on our Planet - from the High North to Antarctica in the south. Being the world leader in exploration travel comes with a great responsibility. Hurtigruten is enhancing destinations and runs a responsible, sustainable global operation. Read more about Hurtigruten's sustainability efforts here.

Hurtigruten introduced the world's first hybrid battery powered cruise ship the MS Roald Amundsen in 2019, and followed this with sister ship, the MS Fridtjof Nansen, in 2020.

Hurtigruten takes the health and safety of crew and passengers seriously and is constantly updating protocols based on the latest Government advice. More information can be found here.

SOURCE Hurtigruten
Dear Reader,

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As we battle the economic impact of the pandemic, we need your support even more, so that we can continue to offer you more quality content. Our subscription model has seen an encouraging response from many of you, who have subscribed to our online content. More subscription to our online content can only help us achieve the goals of offering you even better and more relevant content. We believe in free, fair and credible journalism. Your support through more subscriptions can help us practise the journalism to which we are committed.



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Digital Editor
As a parent and an educator, I share the communitys concerns about students mental wellbeing. It is understandable that we want our kids back in school or spending more days in the classroom, where the best learning happens.

On behalf of educators, I am asking for patience.

The members I represent, who pre-pandemic regularly worked 50 hours a week to meet students needs are now pushing 65 hours weekly. The hybrid model requires us to keep tabs on the students in front of us and the ones at home.

The last 12 months have changed a lot in all our lives, but it has not changed our priorities as educators to provide a safe learning environment for all our kids. We cannot rush back to business as usual out of pandemic fatigue and risk the health of our communities.

As of Friday, almost 84,000 Pennsylvania school employees had received their COVID-19 vaccination. That is something to celebrate, but still accounts for far fewer than half of the school staff in the commonwealth.

Officials estimate having enough vaccine doses for the remaining staff by the end March, so again I ask for patience. We want nothing more than to spend more time in the classroom with our students as soon as it is safe to do so.

Kevin Deely

English teacher and Easton Area Education Association local president
Two people have been arrested after police responded to what they called a suspicious fire at a hotel in Berlin that critically injured a woman.

A fire ignited in the 56-year-old womans room at the Hilltop Inn, Berlin police said.

No one at the hotel called authorities to report the fire, and it was approximately six hours before an ambulance was called and took the injured woman to the University of Vermont Medical Center in Burlington, police said.

Police said that they arrested Melissa Guptil, 32, who used to work at the hotel, on charges of reckless endangerment and tampering with facilities for disabling the smoke detector in the womans room. David Darnell, 39, who lives and works at the hotel, is facing a charge of reckless endangerment. It was not immediately known if either has an attorney.

The fire started on the floor and was contained to one room; no one else was injured, police said.

State and town fire officials did a fire safety compliance inspection of 57 of the 82 hotel rooms and found that some fire doors were not closing properly and some exit signs and emergency lighting systems were not functioning, police said. They also found that the fire alarm system was working and only one unit did not have compliant smoke detectors. A follow-up check will be done in about 30 days, police said.

A staff member at the Hilltop Inn said Monday that she could not comment and directed any questions to the Berlin police chief.

Guptil and Darnell are scheduled to be arraigned on April 29.

Copyright 2021 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Topics Numbers Arson
MALARIA DENGUE TB PLAY SECOND FIDDLE TO COVID-19

Although India has worked relentlessly towards developing innovative testing solutions for COVID-19 throughout last year, the timely detection of a number of other infectious diseases has been sidelined. In India, the range and burden of infectious diseases such as tuberculosis, malaria, filariasis, leprosy, HIV infection, typhoid, hepatitis etc., are enormous. In fact, inadequate containment of the vector has resulted in recurrent outbreaks of dengue fever and re-emergence of chikungunya virus disease and typhus fever. If India can develop more than 20 different diagnostic tests or devices in a single year to fight COVID-19, many more such innovations can be brought to effectively detect other infections looming in our country.
(@FahadShabbir)

A BBC journalist detained in Myanmar has been released, the British broadcaster said Monday

Yangon, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 22nd Mar, 2021 ) :A BBC journalist detained in Myanmar has been released, the British broadcaster said Monday.

"Detained BBC journalist Aung Thura has been released in Myanmar, days after he was detained," BBC World news reported, adding he was taken away by men in plain clothes while reporting outside a court in the capital Naypyidaw Friday.
DALLAS, March 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- On World Water Day, Kimberly-Clark reaffirmed its commitment to drive water stewardship in water-stressed regions around the world with the launch of WaterLOUPE 2.0, an updated version of an innovative, open-source tool to help communities analyze local risks to freshwater resources and create sustainable mitigation strategies.

Co-developed with Dutch research institute Deltares, the WaterLOUPE dashboard depicts water scarcity risks for an entire watershed due to the impacts of climate change, population growth and other factors over a 30-year time horizon. Local stakeholders including municipalities, communities, businesses, and NGOs use the insights gained from WaterLOUPE to identify potential solutions to conserve freshwater supplies and reduce the risk of water shortages.

WaterLOUPE 2.0 adds a scenario modeling capability, which helps users quantify water shortage, risk reduction and economic consequences of potential solutions and choose the best strategy to close the water scarcity gap.

Since 2018, WaterLOUPE has provided a platform to bring together multiple stakeholders to find solutions at a local level that drive economic, environmental, and social value.

"The co-creation process with a multinational like Kimberly-Clark and the engagement with stakeholders in the basins that we put 'under the loupe' has been essential for the results we've achieved so far. In order to improve water stewardship initiatives, a scientific sound knowledge base reflecting the local situations is key," said Sophie Vermooten, groundwater expert and project leader WaterLOUPE at Deltares.

Kimberly-Clark has deployed the tool in the catchment areas around water-stressed cities such as Cali, Colombia; Cape Town, South Africa; and Sao Paulo, Brazil to foster collaboration with NGO partners and key stakeholders to develop sustainable water management plans at the local level.

"If we want to protect our natural resources and minimize the impact of our planet, we know that we have to take responsibility and align our business to solve global challenges such as water scarcity," said Gonzalo Uribe, President of Kimberly-Clark Latin America. "Through WaterLOUPE, we are able to engage local farmers, industries, and stakeholders in identifying vulnerabilities and being part of the solution needed now and for the future."

Along with the launch of WaterLOUPE 2.0, Kimberly-Clark and Deltares are expanding their reach, with new WaterLOUPE studies being carried out in Lima, Peru and Chennai, India as well as across Israel and Bahrain.

"As we deploy the WaterLOUPE tool in other basins, we are exploring ways to engage with local suppliers and other stakeholders to create a collective action group to solve water challenges together," said Vetri Dhagumudi, global water program leader at Kimberly-Clark.

In the coming months, Kimberly-Clark and Deltares will organize a WaterLOUPE 2.0 webinar to present the newest developments. Companies are invited to join the initiative and become part of the WaterLOUPE community by contacting [email protected].

WaterLOUPE is an integral part of Kimberly-Clark's 2030 strategy to reduce its water footprint by 50% by creating significant improvements in in its supply chain and the surrounding communities, ensuring access to fresh water for all.

The company aims to address the social and environmental challenges of the next decade with commitments to improve the lives and well-being of 1 billion people in underserved communities around the world with the smallest environmental footprint.

For more information about Kimberly-Clark's 2030 ambitions, visit kimberly-clark.com/esg.

View our World Water Day video here: http://spr.ly/6008HSQls

About Kimberly-Clark

Kimberly-Clark (NYSE: KMB) and its trusted brands are an indispensable part of life for people in more than 175 countries. Fueled by ingenuity, creativity, and an understanding of people's most essential needs, we create products that help individuals experience more of what's important to them. Our portfolio of brands, including Huggies, Kleenex, Scott, Kotex, Cottonelle, Poise, Depend, Andrex, Pull-Ups, GoodNites, Intimus, Neve, Plenitud, Sweety, Softex, Viva and WypAll, hold the No. 1 or No. 2 share position in 80 countries. We use sustainable practices that support a healthy planet, build stronger communities, and ensure our business thrives for decades to come. To keep up with the latest news and to learn more about the company's nearly 150-year history of innovation, visit kimberly-clark.com.

[KMB-S]

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SOURCE Kimberly-Clark Corporation

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Another Christian teenager in Pakistan was forced to convert to Islam and marry her abductor.

According to Morning Star News, Shakaina Masih, a 13-year old Christian, was abducted in Lahore on Feb. 19. She was working as a domestic help with her mother, Samina, in the local town of Valencia. Upon learning that her daughter was missing, Samina reported to the police. But the authorities did not accommodate her request to file the First Information Report (FIR) for two days.

On Feb. 21, Samina and her husband, Johnson, were finally able to file the FIR. After a few days, the police told the couple that their daughter was already married to a Muslim guy named Ali Bashir, showing an Islamic marriage certificate. Shakaina was illegally married in Okara after her forced conversion to Islam by her kidnapper.

But the girl's father contended that Shakaina is just a teenager and thus, her marriage is illegal. He even showed them the girl's birth certificate but the authorities did not act upon it. They also ignored his request to see his daughter and was told to take the matter to court if he wants to see her.

The lawyer for the family, Rana Abdul Hameed, petitioned the Lahore High Court to recover Shakaina from her kidnapper, citing Pakistan's law on statutory rape and illegal marriage.

"It is great injustice for the poor family. Their daughter is missing for the last so many days but there's no information yet about her safety and well-being," Hameed said.

The lawyer revealed that the cases of forced conversion of minority children are rising in the country due to the connivance of judicial officials and police authorities.

"Laws barring underage marriage are in place, but police do not apply them in the cases. Moreover, sections related to rape and abduction are also ignored, which enables the perpetrators to obtain bail and walk free from the case. This prejudicial attitude is putting the security of all minority girls at risk and needs to end immediately," he added.

Shakaina's father said that he will not stop until he gets his daughter back.

"My family's shattered, and each passing day adds to our misery. Is there no law or justice for poor Christians like us?" he stated sadly.

Incidents of forced marriage, such as of Shakaina's, are notably increasing in Pakistan. Open Doors said that the country has the worst case in the world, with approximately 1,000 Christians forcibly married to Muslim men, based on the record from November 2019 to October 2020. The country also ranks fourth with most abduction cases.

On Feb. 16, the Stymie Forced Religious Conversion Bill was forwarded to the Senate. The legislation recommends that the change in religion shall be limited to adults, after an appearance before a senior district judge.

Asiya Nasir, a Christian activist and former lawmaker, said that the Islamic forces in the government have been opposing legislation on minority protection.

"Last month the Senate's Committee on Religious Affairs rejected a bill seeking protection for minorities against religiously motivated violence, including forced conversions and misuse of the blasphemy law. Such draft legislation has previously also been opposed, which has emboldened perpetrators of this heinous crime, and we are now witnessing a record increase in cases," Nasir said.

She added that it takes time before minority families can recover their children from abductors.

"It's time that the political parties realize the consequences of this crucial human rights violation and do something worthwhile to end the sexual exploitation of the minority girls in the name of religion," the activist further stated.

The World Watch List ranks Pakistan as fifth country in the world where Christians are most challenged.
During his usual audience after the Angelus on Sunday, Pope Francis denounced the "mafia" for "exploiting the pandemic" and invited Christians to "renew" their "commitment against the mafia."

Breitbart reported that the Pope slammed the mafia for exploiting the pandemic to get rich. The media outlet said that the Pope, over the years, has been speaking against the mafia and has even compared it to abortionists.

"Dear brothers and sisters, today in Italy we celebrate the Day of remembrance and commitment in memory of the innocent victims of the mafia. The mafia are present in various parts of the world and, exploiting the pandemic, they are enriching themselves through corruption," Pope Francis revealed as per the transcript of his message in the Vatican website.

"Saint John Paul II denounced their 'culture of death', and Benedict XVI condemned them as 'ways of death'," he pointed out, quoting from his predecessors.

"These structures of sin, mafia structures, contrary to Christ's Gospel, exchange faith with idolatry," he stressed. "Today let us remember all the victims and let us renew our commitment against the mafia."

Breitbart cited that in 2014 during a pastoral visit to Cassano all'Jonio in Calabra, Italy, the Pope said that those who engage in the mafia and other organized crime are "excommunicated" because what they do is an "adoration of evil."

"Those who follow this evil path in life, such as members of the mafia, are not in communion with God: they are excommunicated!" The Pope said during the homily of the Holy Mass held at Piana di Sibari on June 21, 2014.

The Pope, during the said Holy Mass, was speaking about the "adoration of money" that took the place of the "adoration of the Lord," which he said is a "pathway" that "leads to sin to personal interest and exploitation" and those that do so become "adorers of evil" since they live in violence and dishonesty. He called it a "'ndrangheta," which means an "adoration of evil and contempt for the common good". He called on the need to fight such evil and to cast it out, something each one should say "no" to.

The same thing goes for abortion, which should be said "no" to being an organized crime based on the statements of the Pope. Breitbart highlighted in its June 1 report that the Pope compared abortion to the Mafia because like its members who "take out" a person when the person gets in their way, abortion does the same.

Speaking in a meeting with a group of gravely ill children and their families held in the Chapel of the Domus Sanctae Marthae on May 29, 2015, the Pope was speaking on the different miseries children experience and spoke about abortion and how "never is a problem resolved by discarding a person," which he attributed as similar to the "Mafia rulebook" that states if "there's a problem let's just get rid of it" by violence as the organization is known for.

In similar news, The Guardian previously reported that Italy began last January the biggest trial against 'Ndrangheta, which a powerful mafia who has 350 high officials and politicians as members. The trial was held in high security in a 1,000-capacity caged courtroom in Lamezie Terme in Calabria, Italy as there are 900 witnessess testifying. The Guardian said it is the biggest trial against the mafia in 30 years.

According to the Federal Bureau of Investigation website, the mafia has arms in the United States which began in 1881 through the migration of Giuseppe Esposito, who is a Sicilian Mafia member.
PHILADELPHIA, March 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Please see below for links to each of the Aberdeen Standard Investments U.S. closed-end monthly factsheets including performance and portfolio composition as of February 28, 2021.

Equity Funds

Aberdeen Australia Equity Fund, Inc. ("IAF") Factsheet

Aberdeen Emerging Markets Equity Income Fund, Inc. ("AEF") Factsheet

Aberdeen Global Dynamic Dividend Fund ("AGD") Factsheet

Aberdeen Japan Equity Fund, Inc. ("JEQ") Factsheet

Aberdeen Standard Global Infrastructure Income Fund ("ASGI") Factsheet

Aberdeen Total Dynamic Dividend Fund ("AOD") Factsheet

The India Fund, Inc. ("IFN") Factsheet

Fixed Income Funds

Aberdeen Asia-Pacific Income Fund, Inc. ("FAX") Factsheet

Aberdeen Global Income Fund, Inc. ("FCO") Factsheet

Aberdeen Income Credit Strategies Fund ("ACP") Factsheet

Property Funds

Aberdeen Global Premier Properties Fund ("AWP") Factsheet

Important Information

In the United States, Aberdeen Standard Investments is the marketing name for the following affiliated, registered investment advisers: Aberdeen Standard Investments Inc., Aberdeen Asset Managers Ltd., Aberdeen Standard Investments Australia Ltd., Aberdeen Standard Investments (Asia) Ltd., Aberdeen Capital Management, LLC, Aberdeen Standard Investments ETFs Advisors LLC and Aberdeen Standard Alternative Funds Limited.

Closed-end funds are traded on the secondary market through one of the stock exchanges. The Fund's investment return and principal value will fluctuate so that an investor's shares may be worth more or less than the original cost. Shares of closed-end funds may trade above (a premium) or below (a discount) the net asset value (NAV) of the fund's portfolio. There is no assurance that the Fund will achieve its investment objective. Past performance does not guarantee future results.

If you wish to receive this information electronically, please contact: [email protected]

# # #

SOURCE Aberdeen Standard Investments Inc.
[March 22, 2021] Global Inventory Tags Market 2021-2026: High Cost Associated with Software and Equipment Integration Restraining the Market

DUBLIN, March 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The "Inventory Tags Market - Growth, Trends, COVID-19 Impact, and Forecasts (2021 - 2026)" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering. The inventory tags market is estimated to grow at a CAGR of 4.7% over the forecast period 2021-2026. Works towards normalization, growing application segments, increasing awareness of using inventory tags, augmented integration of advanced technologies to improve existing technology and mounting knowledge among the general population are major factors that drive the growth of the global inventory tags market. Moreover, rising disposable incomes in developing economies are expected to augment demand for several retail products. This is another primary factor anticipated to propel the growth of the global inventory tags market. Inventory tags connected products help secure identification and tracking, reduce human error, and hence assist in effective supply chain management. Inventory tags provide detailed information about products that can later be used and even let the stock be tracked, making warehousing and logistics opting just in time for their inventories. When inventory levels are chronically inaccurate, it is next to impossible to manage replenishment schedules, leading to stockouts. It also leads to poor customer experience as customers must either wait longer to receive their orders or face canceled orders once the error is realized. The average U.S. retail operation has an inventory accuracy of only 63 %. American businesses have yet to get on for the proper inventory management for preventing leading to errors, lost opportunity, and increased costs. Inventory, along with accounts receivable and accounts payable, has tied up USD 1.1 trillion in cash equivalent to 7% of the U.S. GDP (source REL). This caters to the market penetration forthe inventory tags in the region.



Furthermore, inventory tags are used by the hospitals to create smart cabinets where all medications or other products that are being brought into a hospital are being put. These smart cabinets sync with the hospitals' inventory management systems, making it easier for authorized personnel to locate products when required. These smart cabinets can have huge budget ramifications. After implementing an RFID tracking system, Adventist Health White Memorial in Los Angeles was able to reduce its manual inventory counting time by 67% and reduced costs by USD 120,000 per year by using products before expiration. Furthermore, the impact of Covid-19 disrupted the supply chain distribution in significant industries., which has directly impacted the sales of inventory tags. In order to contain the spread of the virus, Governments in various countries imposed curfews and quarantines across the country from the end of January 2020 onwards. This also affected the economy, as many production sites closed in order to reduce possible contact between individuals.

Competitive Landscape



The inventory tags market is moderately competitive and consists of a significant number of global and regional players. These players account for a considerable share in the market and focusing on expanding their customer base across the globe. These vendors are focusing on the research and development investment in introducing new solutions, strategic alliances, and other organic & inorganic growth strategies to earn a competitive edge over the forecast period.



Key Topics Covered:



1 INTRODUCTION

1.1 Study Deliverables and Study Assumptions

1.2 Scope of the Study



2 RESEARCH METHODOLOGY



3 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY



4 MARKET DYNAMICS

4.1 Market Overview

4.2 Market Drivers

4.2.1 Real-Time Tracking

4.2.2 Provides Protection Against Loss, Theft, and Counterfeiting

4.2.3 Remote Identification of Products

4.3 Market Restraints

4.3.1 High Cost Associated with Software and Equipment Integration

4.4 Industry Attractiveness - Porter's Five Forces Analysis

4.4.1 Threat of New Entrants

4.4.2 Bargaining Power of Buyers/Consumers

4.4.3 Bargaining Power of Suppliers

4.4.4 Threat of Substitute Products

4.4.5 Intensity of Competitive Rivalry

4.5 Assessment of COVID-19 on the Industry



5 MARKET SEGMENTATION

5.1 Technology

5.1.1 RFID

5.1.2 Barcodes

5.1.3 Other Technologies

5.2 Type

5.2.1 Plastic

5.2.2 Paper

5.2.3 Metal

5.2.4 Other Types

5.3 End-user Industry

5.3.1 Industrial

5.3.2 Retail

5.3.3 Transportation & Logistics

5.3.4 Other End-user Industries

5.4 Geography



6 COMPETITIVE LANDSCAPE

6.1 Company Profiles

6.1.1 Avery Dennison Corporation

6.1.2 3M Company

6.1.3 Zebra Technologies Corporation

6.1.4 Alien Technology, LLC

6.1.5 Brady Worldwide, Inc.

6.1.6 Tyco International Plc

6.1.7 Smartrac N.V.

6.1.8 Johnson Controls International Plc

6.1.9 Cenveo Corporation

6.1.10 Checkpoint Systems, Inc.

6.1.11 Hewlett Packard Enterprise Development LP



7 INVESTMENT ANALYSIS



8 MARKET OPPORTUNITIES AND FUTURE TRENDS



For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/erpar5 Media Contact: Research and Markets

Laura Wood, Senior Manager

press@researchandmarkets.com



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Fax (outside U.S.): +353-1-481-1716 View original content:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/global-inventory-tags-market-2021-2026-high-cost-associated-with-software-and-equipment-integration-restraining-the-market-301252934.html SOURCE Research and Markets

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Salt Lake City, Utah--(Newsfile Corp. - March 22, 2021) - Gaensel Energy Group Inc. (OTC Pink: GEGR) announces the conclusion of a further agreement aimed at acquiring a major stake in RE-YOU SUISSE SA, a start-up active in the field of regenerative medicine. By investing in an important and long-term way in the SSCB Stim Cell Bank and ReYou Suisse companies which are synergistic and complementary linked, Gaensel Energy Group Inc. thus confirms its intention to focus in the future, decisively on the stem cell and regenerative medicine sector.





Gaensel Energy Group Inc.



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ReYou Suisse



To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit:

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CHI E' RE-YOU SUISSE

RE-YOU SUISSE deals with regenerative medicine, a branch of medicine that aims to repair damaged tissue through cell regeneration and not substitution. It is based on the use of autologue cells and tissues, able to recreate locally the best conditions for tissue self-regeneration, a natural and spontaneous process that our organism, if helped, is in grador to perform.

It's a whole new concept, which we could call regenerative medicine 2.0.

Regenerative medicine 2.0 is the medicine of the future. It focuses on the body's natural ability, where properly stimulated, to reconstruct tissues and cells, from the skin to the organs, from cartilage to hair. Fundamentals of regenerative medicine are research, molecular biology, autologhe cells, able to stimulate the healing of tissues and organs.

THE EXCELLENCE OF RE-YOU SUISSE

"RE-YOU SUISSE will develop stem cell application centres across Europe for regenerative medicine treatments for therapeutic and aesthetic purposes, well aging, genetic analysis and nutrition concepts, in collaboration with top medical experts in their respective fields," says the Director of RE-YOU SUISSE.

RE-YOU SUISSE will create its own treatment protocols for the different areas of application of regenerative medicine, in collaboration with its network of specialized doctors.

Within the centres, RE-YOU SUISSE will offer its technical and scientific advice for projects to setup laboratories for cellular therapies and aesthetic medicine, genetics and nutrition.

RE-YOU SUISSE will organize and manage training courses and professional updates in collaboration with medical staff from all over Europe.

FIELDS OF APPLICATION OF REGENERATIVE MEDICINE

Conventional therapeutic approaches are based on the use of drugs that modulate the body's response, but rarely have regenerative abilities and almost never lack side effects. Cellular therapies, on the other hand, offer absolutely safely, the possibility to cure and regenerate the entire tissue.

Thanks to their potential for self-renewal and differentiation into different types of cells, and their safety, stem cells will in the near future allow to treat diseases that were previously considered incurable. The growing interest of medical science in this new therapeutic frontier is evidenced by the growing number of clinical trials initiated and conducted worldwide: in 2009 there were 9; in 2018 there were 244.

Today, there are more than 300 and concern various pathologies including chronic inflammatory bowel diseases, liver pathologies, neurodegenerative diseases, respiratory diseases (including COVID-19), diabetic pathologies, skin diseases, ulcers and difficult wounds, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, multiple sclerosis, systemic sclerosis, osteoarthritis and many others.

GENETICA - WELL AGING

SPORTS PATHOLOGIES

WOUND HEALING (CURA DELLE FERITE)

COSMETIC AND RECONSTRUCTIVE SURGERY

DIABETOLOGY

TRICOLOGY

PAIN THERAPY

Gynecology

SPINAL DISEASES

Ophthalmic

Orthopedics

MARKET DATA FOR REGENERATIVE MEDICINE

2020 was an unprecedented year for the field of regenerative medicine and advanced therapies. Not only because of the inevitable impact due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but above all because, despite the consequent economic crisis generated by the global emergency, the sector demonstrated a remarkable resilience in the first half of 2020. Patients continued to benefit from cellular and gene therapies currently on the market and being tested. Investment in the sector has been robust and significant gains have been made by improving market access policy.

"Clinical progress has continued, although with new obstacles caused by the pandemic and its effects," writes Janet Lambert, CEO of Alliance for Regenerative Medicine (ARM), an international advocacy organization dedicated to regenerative drugs and advanced therapies, in the recent report "Innovation in the Time of COVID-19".

UNPRECEDENTED GROWTH

The data gives you reason. In the first half of 2020 alone, the sector raised $10.7 billion globally, exceeding the total amount raised throughout 2019 with a 120% year-on-year increase.

With gene and cell therapies driving this market share, with $7.9 billion and $7.5 billion raised in the first half of 2020, respectively: 81% and 387% more than the previous year. European and Israeli companies did just as well, with $2.6 billion raised in the first half of 2020, 103% more than in 2019. "Even with many delays in clinical trials, regulatory slowdowns, and the challenge of managing research and development from home, companies have been able to attract investors and raise significant funding for their programs," comments Mandy Jackson, Commercial Editor for Scrip Informa Pharma intelligence.

For the first time, moreover, the number of companies engaged globally in the development of gene, cellular and tissue and biomaterial engineering therapies has exceeded one thousand, with almost half of them engaged in clinical trials. The United States leads once again with 543 biotechs, followed by Europe/Israel with 238.

"Although the COVID-19 pandemic is far from over - with the long-term impacts on the sector that remain to be seen - the first half of 2020 was, without a doubt, the strongest half with regard to the collection of funding in regenerative medicine and advanced therapies to date," reads ARM's report. Investors remain optimistic about the potential of these therapies, beyond the immense economic challenges of the emergency.

GAENSEL ENERGY GROUP'S STRATEGY

The complementarity and synergistic potential of SSCB (a leading company in stem cell bancage) and RE-YOU SUISSE (a start-up that aims to become a leader in the field of regenerative medicine, based on the use of stem cells) are evident. GAENSEL ENERGY GROUP, a company listed on the American stock exchange since 2002, firmly believes in the field of stem cells and regenerative medicine and, also thanks to its experience in the financial sector and its connections in multiple countries, it aims to invest decisively in this field, making it one of its main activities, in order to further develop its potential.

RE-YOU SWITZERLAND SA

Independence Square, 3 Lugano (CH)

www.reyousuisse.com

ABOUT GAENSEL ENERGY GROUP, INC. (GEGR)

Gaensel Energy Group asset base currently consists of proven companies in Biotech, Commodities, Apparrel - Fashion, Green and Renewable Energy, and Technology. The management teams for each of these divisions are actively seeking similar partners in each space for expansion and additional acquisitions. We have been listed on the United States OTC Markets since 2002 and the Company is current.

Gaensel Energy Group, Inc.

57 West 200 South

Suite 300

Salt Lake City, UT 84101

admin@gegrgroup.com

Twitter: @gegrgroup

Phone: +1 518-567-3649

https://www.gegrgroup.com

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/78157
Complaint against investigators actions as to Navalnys hospitalization rejected

 RAPSI

12:29 22/03/2021

MOSCOW, March 22 (RAPSI)  The 235th Garrison Military Court on Monday dismissed an appeal lodged by Alexey Navalny against the investigators actions as to the summer incident and hospitalization of the blogger, RAPSI reported from the courtroom.

On Monday, a judge said that transport police had conducted check over Navalnys hospitalization and refused to open a criminal case over this fact.

Navalny refused to participate in the hearing via videolink from a penal colony.

In late August, investigators of the Siberian Federal District transport police started a pre-investigation check over hospitalization of Navalny in Omsk on August 20. As part of the probe, the police searched a hotel room where Navalny stayed and examined objects and sites on his route. Over 100 items which may be evidence were seized; video records were analyzed. More than 20 criminal examinations are conducted including medical forensic, biological and physical and chemical evaluations. By today, no potent or narcotic substances were found, the police statement reads.

On August 20, a plane departed from Tomsk to Moscow with Navalny onboard urgently landed in Omsk after the blogger became heartily sick. He was taken to a hospital in coma. Later, he was transported to Berlin. Russian medics said no poison was found in the bloggers body.
Quentin Dupieux is getting a moment in the local spotlight. The French electronic musician and filmmaker has carved out a niche with a host of offbeat and comedic films, many of them ripe for cult fandom. Keep an Eye Out, a deadpan comedy about a blase policeman and murder suspect, just ran at Zeitgeist Theatre & Lounge. And now his most recently released film, 2020s absurd comedy Mandibules, is a highlight of the French Film Festival.

The New Orleans Film Society presents the festival March 23-31 at Broadside and online. The lineup includes more than 20 features and short films in French with English subtitles exploring francophone culture from Vietnam to Africa. There are documentaries and features on subjects ranging from picking grapes for Champagne to coming of age dramas. The festivals hybrid schedule includes five movies and one slate of short films that are available online only. All films can be streamed except Mandibules, which runs at 7:45 p.m. Tuesday, March 30, at Broadside.

Dupieux broke out in the film world with Rubber, a 2010 conceptual horror comedy in which a malevolent tire goes on a killing spree, rolling through the highways and roadside motels of the American Southwest. Dupieuxs Deerskin follows a man whose life is falling apart when he buys a ridiculous jacket and tries to live up to his imagined new self-image.

Mandibules picks up elements of those films, but it resembles a Dumb and Dumber set on the coast of France. Two bumbling friends, Jean-Gab (David Marsais) and Manu (Gregoire Ludig), come into possession of a giant fly, and their plan to monetize its attributes leads them on a string of misunderstandings and misadventures. The comedy involves harmless absurdity and slapstick and some Farrelly brothers-style humor with a character whose brain injury has left her with awkward social habits.

Canadian director Sophie Deraspes Antigone was the nations official selection for the 2020 Academy Awards. In a retelling of the Greek tragedy, Antigone is a high school girl from an Algerian family that has immigrated to Montreal. When her brother is arrested, she tries to keep him out of jail. But matters are complicated when he doesnt cooperate, and public resentment of immigrants politicizes their plight. Its available online during the run of the festival.

Belgian/Cameroonian filmmaker Rosine Mfetgo Mbakams Chez Jolie Coiffure is a documentary shot in an underground hair salon in Brussels. Sabine, an immigrant from Cameroon, runs the salon as a hub for immigrant women from West Africa and the film explores diaspora issues and people living with ties to two continents. Its available online during the festival run.

Tribute reading with Alan Cumming, Ann Manguson, Blair Underwood and others highlights Tennessee Williams Festival events March 24-28 Though Tennessee Williams reached the height of his success relatively early in his career with Broadway and film success in the 1940s and 50

The festival screens Senegalese filmmaker Ousmane Sembenes 1968 film Mandabi. The writer and filmmaker worked to build up African cinema, and Mandabi is the first film made in the Wolof language. In a more-money, more-problems story, Ibrahima Dieng receives a large money order from a family member living in Paris. As word of his windfall spreads, his neighbors come looking for financial assistance, but he has enough problems cashing the money order. It screens online and at 7:45 p.m. Monday, March 29, at Broadside.

Festival films address a wide array of topics. Food documentaries include A Chefs Voyage, about David Kinchs pilgrimage to cook in restaurants in France, and Wine Crush, about a community of French grape pickers. Fabulous is a 46-minute documentary about dancer Lasseindra Ninja, who builds her career in New York, France and Brazil and tries to introduce vogue performance in her home of French Guiana, confronting homophobia there. Mafia Inc. is a drama about a crime boss trying to legitimize his operations. For information about these and other films, visit the film festival website.
Share of LafargeHolcim Group companies ACC and Ambuja Cements rallied up to 7 per cent on the BSE in the intra-day trade on Monday, in an otherwise weak market, on the back of heavy volumes amid positive outlook.

Individually, ACC rallied 7 per cent to Rs 1,865, trading close to its record high level of Rs 1,893.80, touched on March 5, 2021. Trading volumes on the counter more-than-doubled with a combined 4.8 million equity shares changing hands on the NSE and BSE till 12:59 pm. In comparison, the S&P BSE Sensex was down 1 per cent at 49,341 points.

Shares of Ambuja Cements, meanwhile, were up 4 per cent at Rs 295.35, and were trading near its all-time high level of Rs 298.25, hit on March 5. The company, in its calendar year 2020 (CY20) annual report said, the outlook for the cement sector in the medium-term remains positive with continued focus on affordable housing.

"The government is aiming at completing construction of all houses under the scheme by 2022, which could accelerate the pace of demand recovery. Over the medium-term, we expect all India cement demand to grow at around 5-6 per cent on average mainly on the back of rural housing (accounts for 30 per cent of the cement consumption), followed by the infrastructure segment (20-25 per cent), mainly railways, roads and housing for all," it said in its report.

ACC, on the other hand, highlighted in its annual report that its cost optimization efforts (project Parvat), sustainability initiatives, brand portfolio, innovative product offerings and capex plans are boding well. The management claims to have saved Rs 250 crore through initiatives taken under project Parvat.

Given this, analysts at Nirmal Bang Equities say that while the report talked about optimistic demand expectations, they believe that ACCs capex, which is happening after a long time, is delayed and the company is likely to report lower than industry average volume growth from CY21-CY23.

"A large part of the cost savings for ACC is due to lower input costs, which will also reverse going forward. Other efficiency parameters like specific heat consumption and electricity consumption per unit remain below average," it added.

As regards Ambuja Cements, the firm will add 3mn mt clinker unit and 1.8mn mt grinding unit at Marwar Mundwah (Rajasthan) by Q2CY22. The management has indicated that it will evaluate Greenfield and brownfield capacity expansions and will update in the next few months.

"However, the current expansion is just 6 per cent of the companys total cement grinding capacity. While this expansion will address clinker constraints in North India and possibly add additional volume of around 4mn mt, and it will not be enough to arrest the market share loss," Nirmal Bang Equities' analysts said in the December quarter results update.

It added: The management is also undertaking underground mining development at the Gare Palma coal block, which will extract 1mn mt of coal per annum, addressing major part of the companys coal requirement. The audit committee of Ambuja Cements has approved the renewal of the Master Supply Agreement with ACC for 3 years w.e.f. May 2021, with a cost-saving objective of 5 per cent of profit before tax.

"Over the next two years, Ambuja Cements profitability will benefit from its capacity expansion in the north and low-cost waste heat recovery system (WHRS) and solar power expansions. The company also hinted that it is exploring capacity expansion at various locations to drive long-term growth visibility," analysts at HDFC Securities said in a report. The brokrage maintains 'BUY' rating with a revised target price of Rs 308 per share.
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Looking around, it sometimes seems like COVID-19 restrictions aren't being adhered to like they were a year ago. In the UK, for example, there have been frequent reports of people not following lockdown rules, with sharp rises in the number of penalties issued to rule-breakers in recent months. But is it really the case that people are taking things less seriously?

Last spring, I wrote about how movement data gathered from Google devices might indicate how lockdown compliance had changed over time. With this same dataset, we can now compare different periods of restrictions to get a rough indication of whether adherence is lower now than before.

Of course, this approach is limited. Not everyone uses a Google device, and tracking mobile devices doesn't definitively show what people's movements have been. Greater movement also doesn't necessarily mean people have been breaking the rules. This method provides is a suggestion of how behaviors and attitudes have changed, rather than concrete proof.

Since the beginning of the pandemic, Google has been releasing mobility data gathered from devices using its software (such as Android and Google Maps). Places people visit are broken down into six categories: homes, workplaces, parks, public transport stations, grocery shops and pharmacies, and retail and recreational locations.

For over 200 countries and territories, Google then aggregates visits to each of these location types and compares this to a baseline: January 3 to February 6 2020. As no special events happened during this period, subsequent deviation from the baseline (apart from seasonal trends, like people going to the beach in the summer or shopping before Christmas) can be interpreted as people's collective response to the pandemic and restrictions.

Using this data, I've then compared behaviors in several European countries between mid-February 2020 and late February 2021. As suspected, it appears people haven't responded as strongly to restrictions in the second wave.

Note: graphs use a seven-day moving average to create a smoother line. Countries are ranked and coloured separately on each graph according to their average reaction over the period. Author provided

Comparing compliance

This first graph shows how much time people have spent at home during the pandemic. In most countries, people appear to have stayed at home substantially less during the second wave (late 2020 onwards) than they did in the first (spring 2020). This is especially striking considering case rates have been higher and the weather less inviting in the second wave.

However, not all countries' measures were as stringent across both waves. Italy, for example, entered a nationwide lockdown in March 2020, shutting all schools and non-essential industry. But when cases rose again in the autumn, it introduced a tiered lockdown system that still allowed some parts of the country certain freedoms. Only now is it moving back to something resembling a full lockdown.

So to make sure that we're looking at differences in compliance and not in the restrictions themselves, let's focus on countries whose control measures were similarly restrictive across the first and second waves. The Reuters COVID-19 Tracker suggests that the UK, Denmark, Greece and Ireland fall into this category. Sweden, consistently having very few legally binding restrictions, is added for comparison.

As cases rose last autumn, lockdowns were introduced in the UK, Greece and Ireland. You can see the clear effects of these, with time at home rising sharply in these countries in late October-early November. However, as the Reuters data shows, these countries' autumn lockdowns tended to be less strict than those seen previously. Schools, for example, tended to be left open. This may explain why stay-at-home rates were lower in autumn 2020 than in spring.

Author provided

However, after some loosening around Christmas, lockdowns tightened. By January 2021, the strength of measures in these countries was very similar to spring 2020. Yet, time spent at home was still much lower.

In some countries restrictions have actually been stronger this time round. In Greece, for example, a curfew was imposed in the second wave, unlike the first. Still, the data suggests that in February 2021 Greeks spent only about 10% more time at home compared to last February when there were no measures at all.

Among the countries depicted, only Denmark witnessed a peak in stay-at-home hours in the second wave that's comparable to that in the first. Note that its restrictions intensified later than the other countries, which explains its stay-at-home rate remaining low in November-December 2020.

Altogether, we can perhaps consider these trends a sign of adaptation and fatigue, that nine months into the pandemic, people had got used to bad news and were tired of staying at home. However, what people have been doing when not at home has varied from country to country. Take, for instance, grocery shopping.

In Greece, the data suggests people have been visiting grocery stores a lot in 2021, at times even more than in the pre-pandemic benchmark period. In the UK, Denmark and Ireland people have responded to this year's restrictions by shopping less, though shop visits have crept up over time.

Author provided

In these latter three countries, this is perhaps another sign of fatigue, or maybe a response to perceived risk, given that cases fell and vaccine coverage rose in all three over this period (especially in the UK). Of these three, only Denmark appears to have matched its shopping behaviors seen in the first wave.

Finally, let's look at visits to workplaces. Tougher restrictions after Christmas seem to have reduced the time spent at workplaces, though not as much as in spring 2020.

Note, though, that workplace attendance hasn't crept up in 2021 in the same way as grocery shopping, particularly in the UK and Ireland. This perhaps suggests something interesting: that people may be more consistent in adhering to restrictions when these are mediated by someone else (their employer) but less so when they alone are in charge.

Why this matters

Remember, mobile data doesn't provide definitive proof of whether people adhered to restrictions, so any conclusions drawn from it are only tentative. Nevertheless, the data suggests that overall adherence hasn't been as strong in the second wave as it was in the first, and that it has tailed off over time.

Author provided

This is important. Facing rising cases, some European countries are now reintroducing lockdowns. Others, such as the UK, have plotted long exits from lockdown that will require citizens to continue following restrictions for months.

Looking at past mobility data suggests that in both scenarios, compliance could wane, which could impact case numbers and deaths. Governments, when planning next steps, should factor in that public behavior is unlikely to be consistent.

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

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
Ahead of the in four states and one Union Territory, Rajasthan Chief Minister on Sunday accused the Central government of keeping the stable for political gain.

He mentioned that there was a continuous spike in prices of petrol and diesel on a daily basis before the announcement of the

In a tweet in Hindi, Gehlot said, "Before elections were announced in five states on February 26, prices of diesel and petrol were increasing daily. In 15 days, petrol and diesel became expensive by about Rs 5. Then the Modi government had said about crude oil being expensive and the government's control being not there. But the situation changed after the election was announced."

He said despite an increase in the crude oil prices by around USD 8 per barrel, prices of diesel and petrol had not increased a penny from February 28 till March 21.

"After the announcement of elections from February 28 till March 21 the prices of diesel and petrol have not increased by a penny, while the prices of crude oil have increased by about USD 8 per barrel in the international market. The country has now understood these tricks of the central government very well," Gehlot said in another tweet.

Earlier, Union Petroleum and Natural Gas Minister Dharmendra Pradhan had said the increase in international crude prices had led to the rise of in the country and noted that "temporary" rise will come down gradually.

Speaking to ANI, Pradhan had said the government is in talks with oil-producing countries so that there is a reduction in the prices of petroleum products.

(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.)
Ireland can avoid a fourth wave of coronavirus if people stick to public health measures and avoid indoor gatherings, the Taoiseach has said.

Micheal Martin said the measures had worked in bringing the case numbers down significantly but he was now concerned that numbers were flattening.

Mr Martin told RTE Radio 1s News at One: People have been extremely good here in terms of the impact theyve had on the virus.

We have to stand back and say weve brought numbers down very, very significantly from where they were two months ago.

Use of the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine has been restarted after a temporary pause. The AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine is safe and effective. Go to your appointment if this vaccine is offered to you. Visit: https://t.co/cCTPQAmaeF#HoldFirm #CovidVaccine pic.twitter.com/69wiIwpveO  HSE Ireland (@HSELive) March 22, 2021

I mean, two months ago we had 2,000 people in hospital.

We have to avoid that kind of pressure ever again going on our hospital system, so we are concerned that the situation has remained static.

The Taoiseach described the UK variant as the most significant factor, combined with more congregation and a degree more mobilisation that is allowing the figures to flatten and increase somewhat in the last number of days.

What I would say to people is that we have control of this and we must avoid congregation indoors at all costs, Mr Martin said.

If we stick with this and if we manage to adhere (and) keep outdoors, avoid the indoor congregations, I think we can avoid a fourth wave.

The Taoiseach said the mental health and wellbeing of people would be taken into account when Cabinet meets to consider any easing of public health restrictions from April 5.

He also said the reopening of schools had worked well and that he did not foresee any changes to the timeline for the return of other students, despite the rising cases of the virus.

Face coverings can help prevent the spread of #COVID19. But if you wear one, you should still do the following:

a social distancing

a covering your mouth & nose when you cough & sneeze

a washing your hands

a not touching your eyes, nose or mouth pic.twitter.com/2IRs1NVwtX  HSE Ireland (@HSELive) March 22, 2021

Mr Martin added that the Government would make a comprehensive announcement early next week to tell people what will happen after April 5, when the current restrictions are due to lapse.

His remarks come as a senior health official warned Ireland is in danger of facing another wave of Covid-19 cases.

Monday saw one further death from coronavirus in Ireland and another 520 confirmed cases, a decline on the 768 reported on Sunday.

Deputy chief medical officer Dr Ronan Glynn said the numbers have been volatile.

Were at least static and there has been a drift upwards in the five-day moving average over the last few days, he told a briefing on Monday.

Statement from the National Public Health Emergency Team



The Health Protection Surveillance Centre @hpscireland has today been notified of 1 additional death related to #COVID19.



There has been a total of 4,588 COVID-19 related deaths in Ireland.  Department of Health (@roinnslainte) March 22, 2021

Dr Glynn said the reason for the stagnation in falling case numbers was a mixed picture.

He said: For example, in Limerick we have a student outbreak thats ongoing.

We have a number of outbreaks in the Irish travelling community in a number of counties across the country.

We have a small number of outbreaks in schools, and I think a well-publicised outbreak in a childcare facility in Offaly.

We have a number of outbreaks in workplaces particularly meat processing facilities.

There isnt one outbreak dominating in only one area of the country.

He said there were also issues with household outbreaks and an influx of cases following St Patricks Day.

Its all adding up to the stasis that were seeing, unfortunately he added.

We do need to be conscious of all of the exposures that happen around schools Dr Philip Nolan, National Public Health Emergency Team

There is some concern about a possible increase in cases among children up to the age of 12, Dr Philip Nolan of the National Public Health Emergency Team said.

I would be confident in the level of investigation that colleagues in public health are doing on that, when they tell us that there is very low detection and very low probability of transmission within schools.

Im certainly not concerned about this. We do need to be conscious of all of the exposures that happen around schools. Getting to and from schools, social interaction outside the school setting and so on.

Its a very high level of investigation of any concerns about transmissions in schools.

But at the same time we are seeing, possibly, an increase in incidence in children of school-going age, which well have to analyse and monitor very closely over the coming fortnight.

There has been a total of 4,588 Covid-19 related deaths in Ireland.

The HSEs lead for infection control, Professor Martin Cormican, described case numbers as stuck and possibly rising.

Sunday saw 769 new cases of Covid-19 confirmed by the Department of Health, the highest daily increase in cases reported since February 26.

There were also two more deaths of people with Covid-19.

It makes no difference to the virus if it is a wake or a birthday party Professor Martin Cormican

Prof Cormican told RTE Radio 1s Morning Ireland programme: [Cases] are pretty much stuck, possibly going back upwards a bit. Theres a real danger of another surge.

We certainly all hoped to be in a better place than we are. We need to deal with the reality of where we are and we need to be very careful.

Prof Cormican described the increase in case numbers as disappointing and urged the public to continue in their social distancing efforts because the more people come together, the more the virus spreads.

Thats really hard because whats got us through so far is that people have put up with a great deal of isolation and loneliness, and burdened it as necessary to control the virus, he said.

Unfortunately it is still necessary because the new strain does seem to spread faster than the one we were used to. And that makes everything harder and makes it harder for everyone.

He added: The vast majority of people are trying really hard to adhere to the restrictions as much of the time as they possibly can.

There are some people who are less careful and I suppose we continue to appeal to them and to explain to them that the risks that theyre taking is not just a risk for them, the risk that theyre taking is a risk for everyone they know and care about in the two weeks after they take that risk.

Prof Cormican said the situation in hospitals had improved and described schools as stable, but warned they were seeing a spread in infection in workplaces and other settings where people gather together, such as birthday parties and wakes.

It makes no difference to the virus if it is a wake or a birthday party, he added.

His comments come as the countrys long-awaited mandatory quarantine system is set to become operational later this week.

People arriving from 33 countries flagged as high risk will have to quarantine in hotels for 14 days.

Mandatory quarantine will also apply to people arriving into Ireland without a negative PCR test.

Meanwhile, as of March 18, 654,251 doses of Covid vaccines have been administered in Ireland.
Patna: The Bihar School Examination Board (BSEB) is likely to release results for class XII soon. As per the latest update, the state board will be releasing the class XII Result 2021 for all the three streams soon.

Reportedly the BSEB Class XII Results will be declared by the end of March. However, the state board is yet to formally notify the candidates.

As per the reports, the bihar board will be following the last years trend of being the first education board in the country to complete the checking of answer sheets.

The results for the BSEB Class XII examinations will be declared on the official website of the state board: biharboardonline.bihar.gov.in.

Heres step-by-step guide to check the results:

Step 1: Visit biharboardonline.bihar.gov.in

Step 2: Click on Results

Step 3: Click on Bihar board Class XII results'

Step 4: Select stream

Step 5: A new page will open

Step 6: Log in with your credentials

Step 7: Your result will now be displayed on the screen

Step 8: Download the results and take a printout for future references

The reports also reveal that the state board has already completed the checking of its examination answer sheet on March 19, 2021. In an effort to declare the results as soon as possible, the BSEB facilitated smooth checking of the answer booklets even during the pandemic.

The BSEB Intermediate examination which was conducted this year from February 1 to 13 was taken by over 13.5 lakh students in the state, out of these, 7.03 lakh were boys and 6.46 lakh were girls.

The board has also taken another big step to make it easier for the candidates appearing in the examinations to score better in the wake of COVID-19 pandemic. The state board has modified the passing criteria in order to provide some relief to the students. Now the marks of the additional subject chosen by the candidates will also be considered, in case he/she fails in the compulsory subject.

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Heroic Rescue Dog Saves New Owners Life by Dragging Him After He Suffered a Stroke

When a man from New Jersey rescued a German shepherd from a shelter, little did he know the canine he gave a second chance at life to would return the favor by helping save his life one day.

On Jan. 16, 2021, Brian Myers, 59, suffered a stroke and collapsed on the floor of his bedroom. However, instead of just watching him lay on the floor, 6-year-old Sadie, who was rescued from Ramapo-Bergen Animal Refuge, sprang into immediate action to help him.

Not leaving her owners side, Sadie sat beside him and kept licking his face to keep him awake.

I thought maybe I could use her as a counterweight to get myself up off the floor, and I grabbed her collar to try to do so, and she some how instinctively knew to help me by pulling her body weight, Myers said, according to WABC.

The loyal dog pulled Myers enough to give him the strength to get out of the corner that he was stuck in.

Sadie then dragged Myers across the room so he could reach his phone and call for help, according to CBS.

Due to Sadies quick thinking, Brian was rushed in time to Englewood Health, where he spent a couple of weeks in recovery. However, unable to separate from Sadie, the two would FaceTime each other while Sadie lived with the family.

I was very lucky to have her the night that I had the stroke, Myers later told the news outlet.

Brian Myers with his dog, Sadie. (Courtesy of Ramapo-Bergen Animal Refuge)

Recalling Sadies heroic action, Myers added that he doesnt believe Sadie has ever had training as a service dog.

Myers had adopted Sadie in October 2020. According to a Facebook post by Ramapo-Bergen Animal Refuge, the dog had been surrendered at the shelter as the previous owner was moving. She was confused and seemingly lost upon rescue, having suddenly lost the only family that she knew, the shelter wrote. Sadie is a loyal dog, but nervous and protective with new people, making her a more difficult placement.

Though her bio noted that she was especially nervous with men, Brian felt a special bond with Sadie, as he valued her intelligence, hesitancy to trust, and fierce loyalty once she did form that trust, the shelter added.

Myers believed that he could work through her issues after he gave Sadie a second chance.

Over the months, the two seemed to share a unique, special bond, and eventually, Sadies protectiveness paid off when Myers needed her the most.

After a couple of weeks of treatment at the hospital, when Myers was released from Englewood Health, he received a visit from Sadie, who was absolutely thrilled to see him.

She just immediately jumped on me and was kissing my face, knocked my glasses and my mask off, and I just thought, I love this dog, Myers told CBS.

Sadie and Brian when they were reunited with each other. (Courtesy of Ramapo-Bergen Animal Refuge)

Brandon Goldstein, social media manager at Ramapo-Bergen Animal Refuge, shared an update with The Epoch Times that Myers and Sadie are both currently doing well.

Physical therapy challenges [Brian], but he pushes himself to improve more and more each day, Brandon said. Sadie has settled in and is her loving, cheerful self now that she knows Brian is back with her.

Brandon also added that Myers hasnt yet been able to walk Sadie on his own, but hes starting to be able to take long walks on his own with the help from rehab and physical therapy.

Share your stories with us at emg.inspired@epochtimes.com, and continue to get your daily dose of inspiration by signing up for the Epoch Inspired newsletter at TheEpochTimes.com/newsletter
Taxpayers are funding millions of dollars in contracts for companies that flout laws meant to reveal action on sexual harassment and pay equity, sparking Labor demands for federal intervention to force compliance.

Big companies are winning the government business despite being named on a non-compliant list that is meant to bar them from procurement contracts and financial assistance.

Foreign Minister Marise Payne, who is also the Minister for Women, has signalled further measures to encourage women in the workplace. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen

Almost a decade after big employers were told to report on the treatment of women in the workplace, the number of non-compliant companies has spiked while penalties appear to have softened.

The findings come as the treatment of women dominates Parliament, which resumes on Monday with government officials likely to face questions in Senate estimates hearings about the alleged rape of Brittany Higgins two years ago.
A Peruvian judge denied a request for preventive detention of 18 months requested by the prosecution against former president and candidate for Parliament Martin Vizcarra Thursday, while he is being investigated for alleged crimes of corruption. Anti-corruption judge Maria Alvarez concluded that it was not necessary for Vizcarra to go to prison for the prosecution's investigation to be guaranteed.

She considered that the case was not at risk if the former president remained free. Vizcarra is running for Parliament and if he is elected legislator, he would have immunity. Alvarez imposed restrictions on the former head of state such as not being absent from his town without authorization, presenting himself to the authority when required, not communicating with the people involved in the investigation or contacting the entities involved, not talking to the media about the case and pay a bond of about 27,000 US dollars.

The prosecution announced that it will appeal the resolution for not being satisfied with the decision. "We continue in the electoral campaign and we continue as candidates for Congress with stronger than ever for this April 11 (election day)", said Vizcarra after the sentence was read. Prosecutor German Juarez is investigating Vizcarra for allegedly receiving 619,000 US dollars from two local construction companies while he was governor of a southern region seven years ago.

The prosecutor calculates that, if the prosecution is successful, Vizcarra, 57, must be sentenced to 34 years in prison for the crimes of aggravated collusion, passive bribery and conspiracy to commit a crime, the various types of variants of corruption punished in the Peruvian penal code.

On Tuesday night Juarez seized 21 properties belonging to Vizcarra to secure future payment of reparations. Juarez has attached alleged new evidence to the case, including a list of phone calls that Vizcarra made to the owners of local companies that built a hospital and an irrigation network in the arid Moquegua region, where Vizcarra was governor between 2011-2014.

Due to this investigation, last November Vizcarra was dismissed as president by Parliament, which used the investigation as the reason. Following his departure, Vizcarra announced that he was going to collaborate with the investigations and shortly after confirmed that he was going to run for legislator amid enormous popularity.

Vizcarra is the sixth former president to be suspected of corruption in almost 40 years, a crime that he himself promised to fight and skyrocketed his popularity among Peruvians disappointed in its leaders. Alan Garcia (1985-1990 and 2006-2011), committed suicide before being arrested, while under investigation. Vizcarra, 57, had gained popularity among Peruvians for showing himself as a champion in the fight against corruption of power groups that included judges, legislators, prosecutors and businessmen who handled justice to favor each other.

(Disclaimer: This story is auto-generated from a syndicated feed; only the image & headline may have been reworked by www.republicworld.com)
Nicola Sturgeon leaving her home in Glasgow hours before the report was published (Andrew Milligan/PA)

The Scottish Greens have slammed ridiculous attempts to pursue a political scalp by the Scottish Conservatives after Nicola Sturgeon was cleared of breaching the ministerial code.

An independent investigation by James Hamilton QC found she did not breach the code in relation to allegations she failed to record meetings with Alex Salmond and others in 2018.

He also examined the allegation that Ms Sturgeon misled Parliament in relation to the meetings, again finding there was no breach.

Expand Close Former first minister Alex Salmond preparing to make his opening statement to the Scottish Parliament Harassment committee last month (Andy Buchanan/PA) PA / Facebook

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Whatsapp Former first minister Alex Salmond preparing to make his opening statement to the Scottish Parliament Harassment committee last month (Andy Buchanan/PA)

Reacting to the news, Ms Sturgeon said: Prior to its publication, opposition politicians stressed the importance of respecting and accepting the outcome of Mr Hamiltons independent inquiry, and I committed wholeheartedly to doing so.

Now that he has reported, it is incumbent on them to do likewise.

Now that this investigation is complete and its conclusions public, I will continue to devote all of my time and energy to leading Scotland, to helping the country through the pandemic, and to ensuring that as we rebuild from the hardships of the last 12 months, we do everything we can to protect jobs, support our health service and rebuild our communities for the better.

Scottish Greens co-leader Patrick Harvie echoed Ms Sturgeons sentiments and confirmed his party would not support the vote of no confidence being pushed by the Tories.

Certain MSPs have shown contempt for the women involved & for the rules of @ScotParl by leaking confidential evidence and conclusions. If anyone's resignation is still needed, it is these MSPs who should step down now, and who should not be candidates for re-election in May. https://t.co/7PY087RtjR  Patrick Harvie  (@patrickharvie) March 22, 2021

The MSP said: In lodging a vote of no confidence before this report was published, just as they called for the First Ministers resignation before she even gave evidence to the parliamentary committee, the Tories have shown that they have no interest in establishing the truth.

This entire saga should have been about examining a process that let down women and ensuring that was never repeated.

In their ridiculous attempts to pursue a political scalp the Tories have completely ignored that fact. Ruth Davidson and Douglas Ross have shown that they have absolutely nothing positive to offer the people of Scotland.

Worse still, members of the parliamentary committee have shown utter contempt for the women involved, and for the rules of the Scottish Parliament, by leaking confidential evidence and their own conclusions.

If anyones resignation is still needed, it is these MSPs who should step down now, and who should not be candidates for re-election in May.

What is clear is that this entire process has deeply damaged public trust in our politics at a time of national crisis, and there are absolutely no winners today Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar

Meanwhile, Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar said: Unlike others, we have been clear from the outset that we would not prejudge the outcome of this inquiry.

We acknowledge the findings of the report and we await the publication of the committee inquiry and whether its members conclude the First Minister misled parliament.

What is clear is that this entire process has deeply damaged public trust in our politics at a time of national crisis, and there are absolutely no winners today.

At the heart of this are two women who have been badly let down by the government, and it remains the case that nobody has taken responsibility.

There are still questions of judgement and an urgent need to restore trust, confidence and transparency in our institutions.

However, Scottish Conservative leader Douglas Ross replied to the reports findings by suggesting the First Minister is not free and clear.

He also confirmed the partys vote of no confidence will still go ahead.

Mr Ross said: The First Minister has been given a pass because it has been judged her failure of recollection was not deliberate.

I respect Mr Hamilton and his judgment but we cannot agree with that assessment. Nicola Sturgeon did not suddenly turn forgetful.

She is not free and clear. The First Minister promised to respect the decisions of both inquiry reports, not to pick and choose which one suits her and try to discredit the other.

Expand Close Douglas Ross said the First Minister is not free and clear (Colin D Fisher/Scottish Conservatives/PA) PA / Facebook

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Whatsapp Douglas Ross said the First Minister is not free and clear (Colin D Fisher/Scottish Conservatives/PA)

He also claimed the SNP have accelerated the vote to avoid MSPs scrutinising that report.

The MP added: The SNP spin machine will go into hyper-drive to again attack the committee report because theyre running scared of its findings.

This report does not change the overwhelming evidence that Nicola Sturgeon misled Parliament, her government badly let women down and wasted more than 500,000 of taxpayers money.

If Nicola Sturgeon wont accept responsibility, then I urge opposition parties to back our vote of no confidence.

Nationalist or unionist, left or right, none of the usual political divisions matter now. Either we respect the fundamental principles of democratic accountability  or we dont.

Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Willie Rennie said the report does not give the First Minister a clean bill of health.

He added: The judgment from James Hamilton does not make the First Ministers resignation automatic but no-one can deny that her errors of judgment still make resignation a live consideration.

I am delighted that @NicolaSturgeon has been exonerated by James Hamilton that she did not breach the Ministerial Code. She has shown strong leadership through a challenging time and is worthy of the trust the voters in Scotland have put in her. https://t.co/Ek3bWsCOZ9  Ian Blackford (@Ianblackford_MP) March 22, 2021

Ian Blackford, Westminster group leader for the SNP, said he was delighted that Nicola Sturgeon has been exonerated by James Hamilton.

He tweeted: She has shown strong leadership through a challenging time and is worthy of the trust the voters in Scotland have put in her.

SNP President, and Scotlands Constitution Secretary, Mike Russell, also tweeted: The Hamilton report alone should make any motion of no confidence tomorrow not just irrelevant but malevolent if the Tories persist with it.

I hope they will put parliament and the Scottish people before their (shrinking) political gallery.
Emma Cline shot to fame aged 25, when she signed a $2-million (1.7 million) deal to write three books following frenzied bidding by publishing houses. She has done little to disappoint since then, specializing in honing in on situations of extreme moral ambiguity with an unblinking stare.

Her 2016 debut novel The Girls cemented her reputation for digging into lifes queasy grey areas. The book centers on a 14-year-old girl who toys with joining a cult with a more than passing resemblance to the infamous Manson Family. Instead of entering the mind of the psychopath like so many before her, the California-born author decided to focus on the young women drawn to the cult. These girls might have been capable of committing atrocious crimes with angelic smiles, but were also victims themselves.

Politics requires drawing boundaries, and for that reason, its not a space in which I can operate as an author

In The Girls, there is constant tension between the youth and beauty of the characters, the stunning Californian landscapes, and the dark and ominous sentences that are themselves exquisitely written. Theres something very disturbing about Americas heartland. Its a gorgeous, magnetic place, but it hides an ugliness that has been repressed for a long time and is now coming to the surface with movements like Black Lives Matter, Cline says. For a lot of people, its hard to accept that it can be a wonderful place and, at the same time, hide that rottenness inside.

When the book was published, the global #MeToo movement against sexual abuse had yet to begin, and the novels handling of issues of consent and manipulation was not always immediately welcomed. I was even met with some resistance, Cline, now 31, tells EL PAIS on a video call from her brightly lit bedroom in the Silver Lake neighborhood of Los Angeles. I was told that my portrayal was too extreme, that it happened in the 1960s, but that everything had improved a lot since then. One of the things I was interested in saying was precisely that it didnt end in that decade.

But this perspective changed with the sexual assault case against Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein, whose fall from grace is the subject of Clines new book Harvey. Written during Weinsteins rape and sexual assault trial in 2020, Cline delves directly into her notorious main characters vulnerability, while never using his family name. I read an article, I think in The New York Times, that described how Weinstein was waiting for the verdict: at a friends house, Googling himself and watching a lot of Netflix series, she says. This banal reaction as his world collapsed around him fascinated Cline.

Harvey Weinstein arriving at court for his sexual assault trial in February. LUCAS JACKSON / Reuters

Harvey purposely walks a tightrope between empathy and condemnation of the disgraced producer. I understand the desire to portray people as heroes or villains. We all like the binary choice of black and white. Our brains enjoy those categorizations. But Im not a lawmaker, Im not in charge of legislating on sexual harassment in the workplace. What I am is a novelist, and so I have to explore all the grays, Cline explains. Fiction can never be subject to moral scrutiny, because it doesnt work by the standards on which we operate as a society. And thats what I think is great about it.

The novel Harvey takes place in the 24 hours before the protagonist receives his sentence [he was handed down 23 years in prison]. The thought that most occupies Weinstein during this time is a future adaptation of White Noise, the supposedly unfilmable novel of the same name by Don DeLillo. (Harvey was first published in The New Yorker in June 2020 under the title White Noise.) His initial confidence  He believed, truly, that he would be exonerated. How could he not be? This was America  gradually shatters into despair as he realizes he is on his own.

If we are good, it is by sheer moral luck. Were good because the forces of the universe have spared us the opportunity to behave badly

Cline doesnt believe that digging into Weinsteins psychology is a dangerous exercise. Writing about a person I have no empathy for or interest in doesnt strike me as a challenge. If Im going to write about someone, its because I see a human being with many different faces, the same ones I have. No one is a monster 24 hours a day, not even him, she asserts. That is far from saying she does not agree with Weinsteins fate. I think its great that people pay for having caused pain to others. But, once again, thats not my job. Actually, fiction is not a good tool for activism, she says. I supported #MeToo, but that has nothing to do with my writing. Politics requires drawing boundaries, and for that reason, its not a space in which I can operate as an author. If we start asking whether an author  or, worse, a character  has exemplary morals, thats the end.

Her recent book of short stories, Daddy, is also filled with older men who exhibit less than exemplary behavior. Im interested in talking about that generation of men who must find their place in a world that has changed and where they feel they no longer fit, says Cline. In a recent conversation with the director Brian de Palma, published by the online magazine Interview, the writer admitted to having a difficult relationship with her own father, though she declines to talk further about it during our interview. Where does her interest in the boomer generation come from? Things have changed a lot in a very short period of time. Things that were normal five years ago are now totally unacceptable. And there is a whole generation of men and women who are disoriented and alienated by this new culture, Cline responds.

The writer does not believe that human beings are good by definition. If we are good, it is by sheer moral luck, she says. Were good because the forces of the universe have spared us the opportunity to behave badly, because weve had the good fortune to drive drunk without killing anyone on the way home. People are not, she believes, evil by default, but we are all capable of exercising evil. Thats what many people find intolerable and what produces these caricatured depictions of characters like Weinstein, as if they are totally different from us, as if they dont belong to our species. Her books are a reminder that they are part of us. Could anyone end up acting like Harvey? Not necessarily in the same way, but, given the right circumstances, if one benefits from decades and decades of power and money, it seems hypocritical to me to think he was just an anomaly, she says.
Police assisted EMS with a man at the shopping plaza at 115 Browns Ferry Road. EMS asked for police due to the man wanting to go to the hospital, but he was giving fake information and was having a hard time and making a scene. After speaking to the man, he was complaining that his feet had some sort of disease on them. The EMT said the man's feet were just wet and cold and that he needed to find a place to sleep, or go home to where he could get dry. The man said he was homeless, so police offered to take him to the Community Kitchen, but he refused to be transported.

EMS did not take him to the hospital, due to it not being a medical emergency. The man said he would sleep at the church down the street. He walked off and did not want police assistance anymore.* * *A man on E. 47th Street told police that he needed assistance to help remove unwanted house guests from his house. The man said he allowed several people to come inside his house and clean and shower, but they continued to stay after he asked them to leave. Police had everyone inside the home leave and told them not to return or they would be taken to jail for trespassing. Everyone left the residence without incident.* * *Police were called to a residence on N. Parkdale Avenue for a disorder. A woman told police she and her husband were involved in a verbal disorder. The couple remained calm while police were on scene and the husband agreed to leave after getting a cigarette.* * *A woman on E. Brainerd Road called police to report her vehicle had been vandalized. She said someone was able to get into the vehicle, but there was nothing taken. The vehicle had been rummaged through. Glass was broken and there was damage to the door where someone used a pry bar to open the door. Other vehicles were also damaged in the area. There are no leads, witnesses or suspect information. The woman requested her residence be placed on the watchlist for the next two weeks.* * *A man on Green Forest Drive told police that around 4:45 a.m., four to five individuals pulled into the cul-de-sac and at least four of them began checking for unlocked cars at his and neighboring houses. When the motion activated lights and cameras came on, he said the individuals fled. The man provided police with security footage that showed the individuals, who were riding in what appeared to be a silver sedan. No damage or thefts were reported in the area.* * *A manager at Aldi's, 5706 Lee Hwy., told police that three black females attempted to push out two grocery carts of miscellaneous merchandise without attempting to pay for them. She said she was able to retrieve all the merchandise from the suspects before they exited the store. She said the three left in a light blue four-door sedan with a paper temporary registration.* * *A man reported a theft at Gold's Gym, W. 4th St. He told police he left his wallet in a locker that was secured with a padlock in the locker room and he last saw it around 3 p.m. When he got back to the locker about 45 minutes later, he discovered that someone had broken the lock off and his wallet was gone.* * *A man on Tunnel Boulevard called police and said that he allowed a man to spend the night at his house. He left to go to the store, and when he returned, the man was preparing to leave. The man told him that he was going to stay over at his mother's house and left. He was not aware that the man had taken his cell phones and debit cards. He said he does not know anything else about the man; he was a friend of a mutual friend. He said that his phone was pinging near Kirby Avenue and Willow. He said he notified his financial institutions to have his debit cards canceled. He said he also notified AT&T about the phones. He said he would continue to try to find out the man's real identification.* * *A woman called police from the Chatt Inn, 2000 E. 23rd St., and said she stays in a room at the Chatt Inn, however, had recently been hanging out in another room with acquaintances of hers. She said an acquaintance asked to borrow her vehicle the previous night to take his belongings to an unknown location. She said she allowed him to take her vehicle. She told police that she has messaged him to return the vehicle, however, he has not responded. She said she can see when he reads the messages, but he does not respond. She said she did not want to prosecute and that she just wanted her vehicle returned. Police BOLO'd the vehicle citywide. The woman was told to contact police if the vehicle is returned or if she sees the man. The woman contacted police a couple of days later regarding a change in her decision to prosecute. She said she now wants toprosecute for the theft. The vehicle was entered into NCIC as stolen. She told police she would like her ex-husband to retrieve the vehicle if it is located by police and she is unable to be reached for any reason. Prosecution against the man for the original theft is pending further investigation.* * *An employee of Pediatric Healthcare, 103 Jordan Dr., told police that the day before there was a disorder at her business. She said that she and another employee had fired a woman. When they fired her, they had asked for the company property (phone and keys) back. She said at first the woman refused and supposedly pushed the other employee into a printer. Police were unable to confirm this because she was not on scene, and she said when police arrived the day before, they had decided not to press charges or make a report. She said eventually the woman had given back the company property, but she left before police arrived on scene. She said they just needed the report for company purposes and no further action was needed.* * *A woman on Holiday Hills Circle told police that someone had knocked over her mailbox with a vehicle at an unknown time. She said that she did not see it occur and does not know who caused the damage. She said the cost to repair her mailbox is $150.* * *Police responded to a disorder at a residence on Crestview Drive. A woman said she and her boyfriend had been in an argument and that he scared her and he did not respect her. Police met with the man. He said that he had broken up with the woman two weeks ago and she just showed up at his doorstep and came in the house. He said he finally convinced her to leave and he shut and locked the door behind her. He denied any physical contact and insisted the whole situation was a loud verbal altercation. The woman left the scene without incident.* * *While on patrol at 1000 Market St., police observed two vehicles driving fast on Market St. Police thought they were racing at first, but discovered after investigation the drivers were having a road rage incident. They both apologized for their behavior and said they would go home. After checking DL status and warrants, police released them.* * *Officers noticed a truck that was parked in the middle of the street near S. Orchard Knob Avenue/E. 17th Street. The truck pulled into and parked at J&R Liquor, 2121 E. 23rd St. The officer saw a white male driver and a black female passenger inside the front seat of the truck. The man appeared to be heavy set and clean shaven. The truck then left the parking lot and went to the Waffle House on E. 23rd Street and parked in the parking lot. The officer noticed the truck traveling west on E. 23rd Street, and the driver of the truck was holding his cell phone in his hand while operating a motor vehicle. The officer attempted a traffic stop on the truck at Tienda Quetzal, 1303 E. 23rd St. The vehicle pulled into the parking lot and then pulled out and fled at a high rate of speed going east on E. 23rd Street. The truck almost hit a vehicle on E. 23rd Street/4th Avenue. The officer did not pursue.* * *Police responded to a noise complaint at a residence on E. Martin Luther King Blvd. Police on scene could hear unreasonably loud music from the street resonating from the address. Police spoke with a man who was hosting a party. The man said he was the primary resident for the location. Police told him they received complaints of noise coming from his location and instructed him to turn the music down. The man was told that if police received any further complaints he would be issued a citation for noise violation. The man said he would turn the music down. Police made contact with the complainant who is remaining anonymous. The complainant said the noise violation is an ongoing issue and they would call again if the issue persisted.* * *A man on 12th Avenue told police that his brother came over and broke the front window out of his house. Officers observed the front window to be broken out. The man said that he did not wish to press charges, but just wanted his brother to come back.* * *A woman called police from Battery Heights Apartments, 3401 Campbell St., and said she was walking on the sidewalk in the apartment complex when a black male wearing a white shirt with red writing had a verbal altercation with her. She said she didn't know his name, but know he lives in the apartment complex somewhere.

* * *



Police responded to a residence on Esquire Lane where a woman said her 2007 Pontiac Grand Prix was stolen. She said when she came out that morning, she found her vehicle was gone. She said the neighbors said it was gone at 8 a.m. She said the keys are with the vehicle. She said that there is a smiley face drawn on the front passenger side door window and a "LOVE" sticker in the back window with the "O" as a softball. There is no suspect information and the vehicle was entered into NCIC.
A new study from YSE researchers investigates the complex world of crop insurance, suggesting an adjustment in determining insurance premiums could be beneficial to both farmers and insurers in the face of increased extreme weather events.

The increasing frequency and severity of extreme weather events like droughts and floods have taken a toll on the midwestern U.S. in recent years, putting a major strain on the region's farmers. From 2001 to 2010, the Federal Crop Insurance Program, a government program created to protect farmers from crop loss, covered $4.1 billion in damages; in 2011 alone, the program paid out $10.8 billion.

With the largest U.S. crop -- corn -- conservatively estimated to drop in yield anywhere from 20 to 80 percent due to extreme weather exacerbated by climate change, insurance claims may skyrocket to levels that may not be sustainable. But researchers from the Yale School of the Environment (YSE) found that by considering soil properties when determining insurance premiums could be beneficial to both farmers and insurers.

A study published in Environmental Research Letters uses years of data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to outline how higher levels of soil organic matter improve water retention, which can mitigate crop yield losses from drought. If insurers were to include oft-omitted data on soil health when determining premiums, the researchers say, insurance liabilities could drop considerably, while food security increases.

"It's been commonly thought for a while that if you have more soil organic matter, you are more drought resilient," says Dan Kane, a PhD student at YSE and lead author of the study. "What we're able to show is data backing this -- and how much more resilient the crops can be in more severe weather conditions."

Using USDA data on county-wide corn yields, the researchers determined that increasing soil organic matter by one percent would reduce the average proportion of liabilities under severe drought conditions by 36 percent. It would also increase corn yields by roughly 35 bushels per acre, they estimate -- roughly one ton.

Additional co-authors include Mark Bradford, professor of soils and ecosystem ecology at YSE; Emily Oldfield '19 PhD, a postdoctoral fellow at the Environmental Defense Fund; Stephen Wood, a research scientist at YSE and The Nature Conservancy; and Emma Fuller, director of sustainability science at the farming software company Granular.

The current system for providing crop insurance is complex. The Federal Crop Insurance Program, which is partially subsidized by federal dollars, very strictly controls insurance premiums and which local insurers can sell and service insurance policies. Kane explains that these premiums are typically determined by historical yield data, which may prove ineffective when faced with increasingly variable and extreme weather.

"There need to be other factors added to the equation, and the soil itself seems an obvious one for land-based agriculture" Bradford says, adding that the USDA data also identifies counties where corn has not been a successful crop.

Bradford, Kane, Oldfield and Wood were also authors of a quarterly research review published by the Aspen Global Change Institute this month, titled "Understanding Soil Carbon Science To Identify Strategies for Climate Mitigation and Adaptation." The review focuses on a November 2019 study published in Nature Sustainability, led by Bradford, which raised concern over the public debate on the potential for soil carbon to mitigate climate change.

"Given the momentum in the soil carbon space, the need for clear communication is more important than ever and will help ensure policy, markets, and management actions are well-informed and successful," the authors wrote in the review, offering suggestions for moving forward.

###
UPDATE: Facebook Runs Ads for Products of Genocide in China

As an international coalition implemented sanctions, and the UK Parliament debated legislation, responding to the Chinese regimes genocide of the Uyghurs, The Epoch Times received evidence linking Facebook ad revenue to Chinese companies profiting from that genocide. The advertisement of Uyghur hair on Facebook places the social media giant at odds with policymakers, human rights activists, and its own stated policies.

The Background

On Aug. 20, 2020, the Epoch Times reported that U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CPB) seized over 13 tons of human hair products from the Western province of Xinjiang. In the report, Investigative journalist Ethan Gutmann stated, My back-of-the-envelope calculation is that this shipment represents the hair of approximately 90,000 women, incarcerated in re-education camps. Although this sort of long, exotic hairdeep chestnut browns, red highlightsare usually identified in Chinese catalogs with the euphemism Mongolian, the hair is shaved from the heads of Uyghur, Kazakh, Kyrgyz, and Hui women.

Shortly after the CBP discovery, the Trump Administration swiftly responded, issuing strict sanctions on CCP-linked companies, later expanding those sanctions on Chinese officials.

This week the United Statesalong with international allies in the Five Eyes intelligence allianceannounced new sanctions against at least two Chinese officials.

In a joint statement issued on March 21 the group writes, The evidence, including from the Chinese Governments own documents, satellite imagery, and eyewitness testimony is overwhelming. Chinas extensive program of repression includes severe restrictions on religious freedoms, the use of forced labor, mass detention in internment camps, forced sterilizations, and the concerted destruction of Uyghur heritage.

In the UK, measures had been introduced through an amendment by Lord David Alton to the ongoing post-BREXIT legislation on commerce and trade, which were debated on March 21. The amendment presented would establish a parliamentary panel of judicial experts given power to determine whether any proposed signatory to a trade agreement with the UK had committed genocide.

Commenting exclusively to The Epoch Times, Lord Alton addressed his disappointment that the measure he proposed did not fully pass, and his determination for his amendments to BREXIT Trade legislation to continue. 300 MPs brought the Government within a whisker of defeat in the (House of Commons) and majorities of over 100 in the House of Lords have demonstrated the strength of feeling and that, as new Genocides occur in places like Xinjiang, this argument is far from over and will not go away. Alton wrote in an email to the Epoch Times.

The Government has inched its way to finally accepting that its policy has consistently failed victims of genocide, Alton went on. By establishing a degree of parliamentary accountability it narrowly avoided defeat in the Commons but has left a way open for Parliament to name atrocity crimes for what they are and for our duties under the 1948 Convention on the Crime of Genocide to be fulfilled. He explained.

This latest legislation, however, was not enough for the British leader in human rights advocacy. The Government has also continued to resist the fundamental principle that the UK should not trade with a State credibly accused of Genocide and they cling to their policy that only a Court can fully determine whether a genocide is occurring, Alton wrote. They do so knowing that no such domestic Court is empowered to do this and that international courts will be blocked from doing so by the perpetrators of genocide. The parliamentary debates on the Trade Bill have exposed this for the sham it is.

Exclusive Evidence: Profiting from Genocide Continues

On top, a screenshot of a message sent through Facebook messenger to Beijing YSG Human Hair products that includes a copy of the companys Facebook ad. Below, a screenshot of the reply through Facebook messenger by YSG. (Screenshot /Beijing YSG)

Screenshot from the website of Beijing YSG Human Hair Products Trading Company, Ltd. on March 21, 2021. (screenshot/Beijing YSG)

A source in Italy provided Epoch Times with screenshots of a conversation with an established companyBeijing YSG Human Hair Products Trading Company, Ltd.reportedly telling the source it is located in Hong Kong, but whose location on its page and its name suggest it is within mainland China. Within the conversation, as seen in the screenshots provided, the source asked YSG where the hair was obtained, and if it was from the Uyghur ethnic group.

YSG responded, Hello, dear friend, our hair [is] Uyghur hair.

The Epoch Times followed up with several other sources, confirming a pattern of similar companies engaging in similar transactions on Facebook, targeting Western European and U.S. women. Sources explained that when they searched for real hair extensions or real hair wigs, ads would begin appearing on their Facebook timelinesads with the same videos, same claims, but different company names. When contacted, these companies all claim to be located in Hong Kong, and that their real human hair products were of the highest quality.

As of March 21, YSG continues selling through Facebook hair it admitted was from Uyghurs. Similar companies suggested by the social media platform appear also to be selling Uyghur hair. Since a womans long hair is highly valued in Uyghur culture, the hair products being sold are almost certainly a product of the ongoing persecution, and not donated or sold freely.

How Facebook Makes Its Money

According to a report issued by Statista, in 2020 over 97.9% of Facebooks global revenue was generated from advertising with Facebook ad revenue (standing) at close to 86 billion U.S. dollars.

When a company (or companies) generate an advertisement for the sale of products or services on the social media platform, each ad goes through an approval process as determined by Facebook advertisement policies, (see here). Not only does Facebook receive revenue from the advertisements purchased, but they claim strict oversight and approval of all such advertisements.

A screenshot from the Facebook website. (screenshot/Facebook)

Human Rights and Big Tech

On March 16, 2021, Facebook announced a new commitment to human rights policy.

Within the initiative, Facebook declares, Our goal is for Facebook, as a business and a platform, to be a place for equality, safety, dignity and free speechthe core principles of human rightsand to build systems that respect human rights and guidance of the UNGPs [UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights].

Facebook did not respond to a set of questions about the ads from The Epoch Times.

The Epoch Times also contacted Beijing YSG Human Hair Products Trading Company, Ltd. for comment on our report to confirm the continuance of their trade in Uyghur hair, and to confirm their suppliers, but YSG has also not responded.

This article was updated on March 23, 2021 to include information about new sanctions imposed by the Five Eyes alliance, the attempts in the UK Parliament to pass legislation addressing genocide, and the effort to solicit comments from YSG.
Getting the gun was as simple as going to a local sporting goods store. Passing the background check took a matter of minutes.

Then it was a short drive to Youngs Asian Massage, where surveillance video obtained by The Washington Post shows a suspect spent more than an hour before opening fire.

Within hours of purchasing a handgun on Tuesday, police allege Robert Aaron Long, a White man, had shot and killed eight people  six of them of Asian descent and all but one of them women.

Demonstrations unfolded across the country on Saturday as activists and officials linked the massacre in Atlanta to a surge in violence against Asian Americans amid the Covid-19 pandemic.

In San Franciscos Chinatown, children drew chalk butterflies on sidewalks to symbolise the people killed.

In Atlanta, Senator Raphael Warnock, issued a call for solidarity: To my Asian sisters and brothers, he said, we see you. And, more importantly, we are going to stand with you.

Read more:

Meanwhile, a growing chorus of advocates has called for a renewed federal effort to fight gun violence, arguing that, amid rising racism, lax gun laws make it too easy for someone to act on their hate.

The victims  Soon Chung Park, Hyun Jung Grant, Suncha Kim, Yong Ae Yue, Delaina Ashley Yaun, Xiaojie Tan, Daoyou Feng and Paul Andre Michels  ranged in age from 33 to 74. They included a business executive two days from her 50th birthday. A single mother striving to support her sons. An army veteran. A woman who loved to dance.

Yet activists say the attacks fit a pattern of racism and misogyny directed at Asian American women, as well as a broader trend of hate-fueled gun violence.

(REUTERS)

Time and time again youve seen some of the most vulnerable communities in this country threatened by this lethal nexus of hatred and unregulated access to firearms, said Peter Ambler, executive director of the gun control advocacy group launched by former congresswoman Gabby Giffords.

He listed the targets of recent mass shootings motivated by prejudice: Latinos at a Walmart in El Paso, Texas. A synagogue in Pittsburgh. A gay night club in Orlando, Florida. A Black church in Charleston. A Sikh temple in Wisconsin.

Using data collected in the National Crime Victimization Survey, Mr Amblers organisation has found that 10,000 hate crimes involving guns occur in the United States each year.

A complex matrix of inadequacy and failure enables these crimes and foments the hatred that fuels them, Mr Ambler said. This isnt tolerable any more.

Georgia has some of the countrys loosest gun laws. There is no waiting period for firearm purchases, a policy adopted by 10 states and the District of Columbia. Like most states, it does not bar people convicted of a hate crime from buying a weapon.

In Georgia, State Senator Michelle Au, a Democrat, has proposed a bill that would close the loophole for background checks to include private gun sales and transfers, but has not been able to get a hearing in committee, she tweeted.

In a private meeting with Joe Biden and Kamala Harris on Friday, Senator Au said she also raised the need for universal background check legislation.

Georgia State Representative Sam Park, a Democrat and the states only Korean American legislator, expressed outrage on Saturday that many of his constituents waited in line to vote for longer than it took Tuesdays massacre to unfold.

Bee Nguyen, another Georgia state representative, tweeted: It wasnt a bad day. It was a brutal and violent crime in which racism, misogyny, gender-based violence, and lax gun laws intersect.

More than a year into a global pandemic that has sparked record gun sales as well as racist rhetoric and attacks against Asians in the United States, lawmakers are now debating the best way to stem future violence.

Representative Grace Meng, and Senator Mazie Hirono, D-Hawaii, have introduced a bill that would require the Justice Department to appoint an official to review all pandemic-related incidents that are reported to federal or local officials.

But previous legislative attempts to bolster hate-crime tracking have been blocked by Republicans, who have said existing laws are adequate to punish crimes.

The House of Representatives passed legislation this month that would require background checks for all gun buyers and give law enforcement agencies more time to inspect people who are flagged by the check system.

This would close the Charleston loophole, which enabled a White supremacist to buy the weapon used to kill nine Black people at Mother Emanuel AME church in that city.

The bills face an uphill battle in the Senate, where they are unlikely to receive the 60 votes needed to overcome a filibuster.

Those rules would not necessarily have prevented the shooting in Atlanta. A lawyer for Big Woods Goods  the store where the suspect is alleged to have purchased his gun  said there was no indication of anything improper in the transfer of the weapon. The store is cooperating with law enforcement.

Experts have found that active shooters typically purchased their guns legally, including, in many cases, buying them specifically to carry out the attacks.

But stricter gun laws can prevent future racially motivated shootings, said Vanderbilt University sociologist Jonathan Metzl, whose book Dying of Whiteness examines the intersection of White supremacy and gun violence.

(REUTERS)

There are racists all over the world, but there arent mass shootings all over the world, he said. Part of the issue is just access to guns. We make it too easy for people who have these kinds of predilections or intentions to go get guns.

At the demonstrations on Saturday, protesters voiced a desire to turn grief into action.

We have a tendency to internalize our struggle, said Jennifer Chan, 27, one of the three women who co-organized the event in Chicago.

She invoked the colloquial Chinese expression of eating bitterness  the notion of virtuously enduring hardship.

Ms Chan said she was surprised not only by the turnout at the rally  which drew an estimated 250 people  but by its diversity.

She underscored the importance of building solidarity not only with other racial groups but within the broad and diverse ranks of the Asian diaspora.

She spoke of traditional rivalry between groups like Koreans, Chinese and Japanese, or how the American experience varies among Southeast Asians and South Asians, or immigrant Asians compared to ones who are American-born.

Tracy Wang, who attended the protest with several of her relatives, including her older sister, said she felt a sting of familiarity during the past week as the discourse turned to the twin threats of sexualized and radicalised violence that Asian women so often face.

She said she endured name-calling and sexual harassment as a law student in rural Ohio decades ago but that Asian women in the United States are still disrespected and stereotyped as hypersexual yet submissive.

Were going to break that image, Ms Wang said, who plans to attend a second rally set for Chicagos Chinatown next week. As a woman, as an Asian, we cant stay silent anymore.
16-time WWE world champ John Cena embraced his second wife Shay Shariatzadeh as they left a gym in the pouring rain while visiting her native Vancouver on Sunday.

The Massachusetts-born muscleman - turning 44 next month - wed the 31-year-old Sonatype product manager on October 12 in Tampa after a 19-month romance.

John originally met Shay while he was filming Andy Fickman's 2019 dismally-reviewed comedy Playing with Fire in the Canadian city.

Keeping her warm: 16-time WWE world champ John Cena embraced his second wife Shay Shariatzadeh as they left a gym in the pouring rain while visiting her native Vancouver on Sunday

The Cenas were both protecting themselves and others from the coronavirus by wearing matching black face masks.

As of Sunday, there has reportedly been 934K confirmed COVID-19 cases in Canada (90K in British Columbia) leading to 22,676 deaths.

The Mountain Dew brand ambassador has been hard at work filming James Gunn's eight-episode Suicide Squad spin-off Peacemaker, which premieres next January on HBO Max.

Holding hands: The Massachusetts-born muscleman - turning 44 next month - wed the 31-year-old Sonatype product manager on October 12 in Tampa after a 19-month romance

Still going strong! The Cenas were both protecting themselves and others from the coronavirus by wearing matching black face masks

'The big balls are back!' John will next co-host the 20-episode reboot of ABC game show Wipeout - premiering April 1 on TBS - alongside Nicole Byer (R)

John will next co-host the 20-episode reboot of ABC game show Wipeout - premiering April 1 on TBS - alongside Nicole Byer.

Cena will then portray Dom Toretto's (Vin Diesel) villainous brother Jakob in F9, which hits US theaters on June 25 and UK theaters on July 8.

Justin Lin's ninth installment of the action-packed franchise will also star Cardi B, Charlize Theron, Michelle Rodriguez, Helen Mirren, Jordana Brewster, Ludacris, and Tyrese Gibson.

Postponed blockbuster: Cena will then portray Dom Toretto's (Vin Diesel, L) villainous brother Jakob in F9, which hits US theaters on June 25 and UK theaters on July 8
NEW DELHI: Southern actor Vishnu Vishal, who has been dating badminton player Jwala Gutta for several years now, is all set to take his relationship a step ahead and tie the knot. At a pre-release event of 'Aranya', his upcoming film, the actor opened up about his relationship and confirmed that they are planning to tie the knot soon.

The actor also used the platform to thank Jwala for her unconditional support during the shooting of 'Aranya', a trilingual. "We are going to tie the know real soon and I am going to become a Telugu alludu (son-in-law) now. I am extremely happy about it. I will announce the wedding date soon," Vishnu said addressing the gathering.

"I want to thank Jwala. She was of huge support while shooting this film as she was there for me throughout," the actor said at the event, disclosing that the badminton player stood by his side throughout the shooting of the film.

On September 7, 2020, Vishnu Vishal surprised Jwala Gutta by proposing to her on her birthday. The actor went all the way to Hyderabad to make the day quite memorable for her.

Taking to Twitter, Vishnu Vishal wrote, "Happy birthday @Guttajwala. New start to LIFE...Lets be positive and work towards a better future for us,Aryan,our families,friends and people around..Need all your love n blessings guys..#newbeginnings. thank you @basanthjain for arranging a ring in d middle of d night (sic)."

Happy birthday @Guttajwala

New start to LIFE..

Lets be positive and work towards a better future for us,Aryan,our families,friends and people around.. Need all your love n blessings guys..#newbeginnings thank you @basanthjain for arranging a ring in d middle of d night.. pic.twitter.com/FYAVQuZFjQ  VISHNU VISHAL - V V (@TheVishnuVishal) September 7, 2020

Vishnu Vishal was earlier married to Rajini Natraj, daughter of the actor K. Natraj. However, the couple separated in 2018. The estranged couple has a three-year-old son, Aryan. The actor got engaged to Jwala in 2020 during the lockdown period.
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Children and young people are being radicalised in the sprawling camp in Syria housing families of the Islamic State group, where those who renounce the IS risk being killed, British broadcaster Sky News reported.

At the Al-Hol camp in northern Syria, a 17-year-old woman said she was shot four times after denouncing her IS-supporting mother to local authorities.

She told Sky News that she had been forced into marriage age 11 to a 24 year-old IS fighter, becoming a widow just three months later.

Al-Hol houses the wives, widows, children and other family members of IS militants  more than 80% of its 62,000 residents are women and children.

The majority are Iraqis and Syrians, but it includes some 10,000 people from 57 other countries, housed in a highly secured separate area known as the Annex.

Many of them remain die-hard IS supporters.

The camp has long been chaotic, with the hardcore militants among its population enforcing their will on others and seeking to prevent them from cooperating with Kurdish authorities guarding it.

It has been nearly two years since the US-led coalition captured the last sliver of territory held by the Islamic State group, ending their self-declared caliphate that covered large parts of Iraq and Syria.

The brutal war took several years and left US-allied Kurdish authorities in control of eastern and northeast Syria, with a small presence of several hundred American forces still deployed there.

Kurdish military spokesman Kino Gabriel told Sky News camp residents follow Sharia Law and "have their own police", while women indoctrinate children and young people.

Gabriel warned that "if not dealt correctly with they will create the next generation of jihadists."

Some 27,000 non-Syrian children are stranded in Al-Hol, including some 19,000 Iraqi children and 8,000 from other countries, according to Sky.

On January 30, UN counterterrorism chief Vladimir Voronkov urged home countries to repatriate the children, warning that they are at risk of radicalisation.

(Disclaimer: This story is auto-generated from a syndicated feed; only the image & headline may have been reworked by www.republicworld.com)
Nigerian geologists and mining engineers added their voice to the deteriorating state of security in the country at the just concluded 56th annual International conference of the Nigerian Mining and Geosciences Society (NMGS), in Ibadan where President Muhammadu Buhari, while declaring the conference open, agreed with them that as a nation, we are currently battling various forms of security challenges and working relentlessly in providing innovative solutions to the myriads of challenges that are confronting the citizens.

Trying to douse the restive mood of the mining community, President Buhari spoke on the security problems that miners say have kept them from exploration sites and have harmed governments revenue efforts. A few of our people had resulted in breaking the law and outright criminality by engaging in banditry in all sorts of illegal activities. This nefarious activity has serious implications for the various reform agenda this administration embarked upon in the mineral, energy, and agricultural sectors, the president said.

Accepting that The reality of this truth is most obvious in the minerals sector given the fact that mining activities take place in remote localities, the president remarked that Our intelligence gathering efforts have confirmed that most of these criminal elements have infiltrated the mining industry and are using it as means of funding their despicable activities. It is with this understanding that we recently took the painful but necessary decision of banning all forms of mining activities in Zamfara State where armed banditry has persisted.

President Buhari, therefore, canvassed for collaboration between the solid minerals sector, state governments, and relevant security agencies to ensure the security and safety of all mining areas, because, as he put it, any environment plagued with security challenges will find it difficult to achieve any meaningful development.

The Director-General of the Mining Cadastre Office (MCO), Simon Nkom, who doubles as the president of the Nigerian Mining and Geosciences Society (NMGS), laid the ground for the presidents remarks saying the NMGS lost some of its members and colleagues in the Northeast to insurgents while discharging their professional mandate.

Our members work mainly in remote areas to explore, prospect, and produce these mineral and energy resources. As a major stakeholder in the Nigerian Enterprise, we will devote this Conference to identifying and proffering solutions to the security challenges being encountered in the country. We are apolitical and our deliberations will be so centered. We are not here to point fingers and trade blames but to dispassionately discuss and proffer the way forward said Mr Nkom.

He remarked that the need for security cannot be over-emphasized. All the policies can only bring the desired optimum results when there is a secured national space. Private and multilateral investments needed to undertake these initiatives and programmes can only be obtained when the security of such investments is guaranteed not only in terms of returns on investments but in the physical environments where the investment is operating.

Security and political analysts speaking on the theme of Responsible Exploration and Exploitation of Mineral Resources in a Secured Environment at the pre-panel discussions of the conference took a different view of the issue, pointing accusing fingers, and hauling blames at the government.

Foreigners are stealing gold illegally, and the government has proven itself as incapable of dealing incisively with these foreigners, said Babajide Otitoju, a television journalist, who argued that the infringement of foreigners on Nigerian soil is an indication of the governments lackadaisical attitude towards the sector.

The Chinese have come to take what belongs to us and the government ought to be fully in charge of the exploration of gold in the Ilesha area. They are literally invading and digging up peoples farms to look for gold. It is the responsibility of the government to put an end to this and protect the Nigerian resources.

Same in Zamfara which is one of the poorest states in the country but paradoxically has gold deposits in many of its local government, Mr. Otitoju said, adding, no Nigerian can go to any foreign land to cart away mineral resources and get away with it. He called on the Nigerian government to arrest illegal miners at the mining sites to serve as a deterrent for others and provide good and responsible leadership in such a manner that mining sites are secured and free of undesirable elements.

No one, including the foreigners should freely come to our land and explore our natural resources, he said to the cheer and acceptance of many of the conference attendees and industry stakeholders, some who called on the governments support to beef up security around the mining sites.

Kidnappers Den

Narrating his ordeal in the hands of the kidnappers, a lecturer at the Geology Department, University of Benin, who went to Igala, Kogi State on a field trip with his students, said it is a memory nobody wants to recount.

This time last year we were on the field around Igala. We were around that place when about six people obviously herdsmen emerged from nowhere, and for us, as geologists when you see anything on the field that is so exciting, you are completely consumed. We were so focused on the details we got from the rock, so we were not worried about people moving around as it was not an unusual thing.

But this time around it became so unusual, before we could think of anything, we were surrounded, and it became my responsibility to avoid casualty by protecting the children. These people were willing to waste anybody and everybody.

They came and selected those of us they wanted, and the journey started thereafter. On an estimate, we were wandering in the bush for about three to four hours. There was no specific direction initially until we got to a point and they decided to break us into two.

It was already getting late, then God in His infinite mercy intervened. Apparently, they were not so familiar with the terrain. In the process of moving us around, they took us back to the village, and apparently, some chiefs in the bush saw what was happening and went to report to the community people, the vigilante and the National Security Civil Defence Corp who all combed the forest.

God so good, they rescued and brought everybody back to the village. The last student was found around 9 pm the same night.

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Kidnapping has become rampant in Nigeria with abductors taking citizens hostage and demanding huge amounts of money as ransom for their release. PREMIUM TIMES, in a 3-year analysis of the mineral royalties contribution by states/regions reported that the Northwest and Northeast regions recorded the least in the years under review due to insurgency.

The activities of bandits and kidnappers are also having a negative toll on the education system in the country especially in the Northwest and Northeast regions where the government is shutting the schools as a measure to curb the danger of exposing school children/students to the acts of these bandits.

The Consequence

A field trip is a major component of geology and geosciences without which the course of study is not complete. For a responsible exploration and exploitation of minerals in a secured environment, experts believe the insecurity in the country must be urgently addressed.

Mr. Salami while speaking on the consequence of insecurity on the sector, said without fieldwork, there is no geology and geosciences. And a situation where you go to the field and you are not sure of coming back calls for a lot of thinking, reasoning, and planning because whatever it takes for us to do fieldwork, we just have to do that.

The aborted fieldwork is being planned again. We are not afraid of going back but we are requesting that security should be provided. That is where the question comes in, security is expensive. We dont even have enough. What is the future of geosciences under this circumstance? Its a question that we must ask ourselves, he concluded.
We have entered a time where, seemingly, interconnectedness is the new enemy, staying in is the new going out, and antisocial is the new social. COVID-19 has brought us on the cusp of growing accustomed to new norms and sounded a wake-up call in terms of how we live.

An unexpected start

Traditional brick-and-mortar retail has suffered tremendously, as countries have been implementing effective stay-at-home and social distancing policies to mitigate virus spread, while those worst hit have enacted strict draconian lockdowns. Inevitably, increased reliance on e-commerce has brought about a surge in online sales and tectonic shift in consumer behaviour, with the logistics sector, consequently, playing a crucial role.

Against this backdrop, and in the context of a severe and ubiquitous threat to public health, it is critical to assess the efficacy of e-commerce logistics and the supply chain.

Developers, landlords and tenants may look to re-evaluate their operational models, focusing on how best to mitigate or at least minimise transmission in the event of another contagion scenario. Considering the extent of Chinas supply chain disruption in February and March, such exercises could prove invaluable to future-proof operations.

Looking to Industry 4.0

Historically, e-commerce logistics has been labour-intensive. However, new technologies such as AI, machine learning, and the Internet of Things, collectively known as Industry 4.0, have allowed for greater automation of tasks, increased productivity, better utilisation of space, and as a by-product, reduced human physical interaction, which is a proxy for reducing viral transmission. This builds even greater impetus to embrace Industry 4.0 innovations.

Warehouse robotics

In recent times, the sector has been progressively using robots for routine or high-volume tasks, especially to sort, process, select and package items, independently and efficiently. In some cases, collaborative robots or cobots are deployed to work alongside humans; some have goods-to-person functions that reduce human movement within facilities.

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Collaborations can be more flexible and more productive, especially in cases of inventory unpredictability, where the objective is to optimise throughput whilst minimising avenues for transmission. Besides processual enhancements, robots can be utilised directly to screen for temperatures, sanitise areas and even monitor social distancing.

Beyond the warehouse

China has faced vast disruptions to its supply chains due to factory closures, which subsequently affected deliveries. Delivery automation through autonomous vehicles such as self-driving robots and drones can provide an effective end-to-end supply chain solution, with such benefits as increased parcel volume and expedited deliveries, whilst at a reduced cost; and automated vehicles would likely be exempt from transport and distribution restrictions. Furthermore, packages with built-in digital capabilities could control their own dispatch and book

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He was an important figure in laying the groundwork for the anti-Blackness that fueled the anti-abolitionist movement, that fueled the backlash against Reconstruction, that fueled the Jim Crow era, Mehta said. He played a pivotal role in providing pseudoscientific justification for a lot of the racism we see and experience today. He wielded power as a scientist, and he used that to provide cover and justification for white supremacy. That they put his name on a school, an institution of education, is all the more reason for us to interrogate his history. And its all the more reason for us to take the name off the school.
Eduardo Rodriguez pitched just 2 innings in the Boston Red Soxs 10-4 win over the Tampa Bay Rays in Grapefruit League action Monday. He simulated two more innings in the bullpen.

I was a little bit out of command. I threw too many pitches in those two innings, Rodriguez explained. So we talk in the dugout if I want to go back there or go to the bullpen and finish the work over there. I just go to the bullpen and finish the work over there.

The lefty  who will start Opening Day  allowed two runs (one earned), three hits and two walks while striking out one in his 2 innings.

He dismissed the idea he might have dead arm at this stage of spring training. It isnt uncommon for pitchers to experience dead arm during the lengthy spring.

No, like I said, those two innings I throw like 40-something pitches, Rodriguez said. So we just want to get an up and down, up and down at least four of five times.

Manager Alex Cora said, Its one of those that during spring, you can see how they feel stuff-wise. Throughout the week, its not like hes hurt or whatever, but he didnt look great. You hit the wall throughout. Thats part of spring. So let him face the lineup once and finish up in the bullpen. He didnt look great either location-wise. So we just took care of him.

This marked Rodriguezs fourth Grapefruit League start. He has allowed four earned runs in 13  innings (2.63 ERA).

Im feeling good, Rodriguez said. Today was one of those days that I really like to have especially during spring training because then you know where the pitches are, what you have to keep working on. It was kind of a good day to learn from.

He will make one more start before Opening Day on April 1.

It feels amazing, Rodriguez said about being the Opening Day starter. To have the chance after all those legends who have been the Opening Day starter. So for me, it feels really good to be part of it.

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[March 22, 2021] Eutelsat Procures EUTELSAT 36D Satellite from Airbus for Service Continuity at Its Key 36 East Orbital Position

Regulatory News: Eutelsat (News - Alert) Communications (Euronext Paris: ETL) has signed a contract with Airbus for the procurement of EUTELSAT 36D to succeed EUTELSAT 36B, expected to reach its end of life at the end of 2026, at its key 36 East orbital position. With coverage of Africa, Russia and Europe, 36 East is a key orbital slot for Eutelsat, ranking third in terms of overall revenue generation, after 13 East (HOTBIRD) and 7/8 West, and second for Government Services, with an exceptional fill rate reflecting the ongoing robust demand in its footprint. Its two satellites, EUTELSAT 36B and EUTELSAT 36C, together notably support the broadcast businesses of major anchor customers including Multichoice and ZAP (News - Alert) in Africa and Tricolor and NTV+ in Russia. With 70 physical Ku-band transponders, the all-electric EUTELSAT 36D will assure all the main legacy missions of EUTELSAT 36B, with enhancements to coverage areas and performance. Based on the state-of-the-art Airbus Eurostar Neo platform, it combines increased payload capacity and more efficient power and thermal control systems with reduced production time and optimised costs. The satellite is due for launch in the first half of 2024 with a substantial protection loop that reflects its mission-critical importance to its main customers. This procurement does not alter Eutelsat's capital expenditure objective. Commenting on the prcurement, Pascal Homsy Eutelsat's Chief Technical Officer said: "We are delighted to rely once again on one of our longstanding partners, Airbus, to assure this critical satellite program. This new state-of-the-art satellite will assure enhanced service continuity for our key DTH customers in the major markets of Africa and Russia."



Francois Gaullier, head of Telecom Systems at Airbus added: "We are delighted to help Eutelsat provide broadcast and data connectivity, including to remote regions where it's needed most. More personally, the continuing confidence of Eutelsat in our products is high praise of the reliability of our work and a source of pride for our skilled teams." About Eutelsat Communications

Founded in 1977, Eutelsat Communications is one of the world's leading satellite operators. With a global fleet of satellites and associated ground infrastructure, Eutelsat enables clients across Video, Data, Government, Fixed and Mobile Broadband markets to communicate effectively to their customers, irrespective of their location. Over 6,600 television channels operated by leading media groups are broadcast by Eutelsat to one billion viewers equipped for DTH reception or connected to terrestrial networks. Headquartered in Paris, with offices and teleports around the globe, Eutelsat assembles 1,200 men and women from 50 countries who are dedicated to delivering the highest quality of service. For more about Eutelsat go to www.eutelsat.com www.eutelsat.com - Follow us on Twitter (News - Alert) @Eutelsat_SA View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210322005178/en/

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A study conducted at the University of Colorado and National Institutes of Health, USA, has revealed that the resistance developed by newly emerging variants of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) against host interferon responses could serve as a potential driving force for viral evolution. The study also highlights that the enhanced lethality of emerging variants could be associated with their ability to evade interferon-mediated innate immune responses. The study is currently available on the bioRxiv* preprint server.

Background

Since the emergence of SARS-CoV-2, the causative pathogen of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), many studies have highlighted the association between type I interferon responses and COVID-19 severity. Several clinical trials have also been done to investigate the efficacy of interferons in treating moderate to severe COVID-19 patients.

Interferons (IFNs) are a group of glycoproteins that act as the first-line of defense against invading pathogens, such as viruses. There are three types of IFNs in humans namely type I IFNs (IFN, IFN and IFN), type II IFNs (IFN), and type III IFNs (IFN1, IFN2, IFN3, and IFN4). After production and secretion from a variety of cells in response to viruses or cytokines, IFNs bind to high-affinity cell surface receptors to mediate a wide range of cellular activities, including regulation of inflammatory responses, transcriptional activation of genes required for viral clearance, and induction of innate and adaptive immune responses.

In the current study, the scientists have explored the ability of newly emerging SARS-CoV-2 variants in modulating IFN-induced host immune responses. Specifically, they have investigated SARS-CoV-2s inhibitory effects of different types of IFNs.

Study design

The study was conducted on five SARS-CoV-2 isolates from prominent lineages, including the standard USA-WA1/2020 isolate from lineage A, D614G isolate from lineage B, the Italian isolate from lineage B.1, the UK isolate from lineage B.1.1.7, and the south African isolate from the lineage B.1.351. The scientists tested the antiviral activities of experimental IFNs using a human alveolar epithelial cell line stably expressing human angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2). Initially, they pretreated these ACE2-expressing cells with 17 types of recombinant IFNs, followed by experimental infection with live viral isolates.

Important observations

The findings revealed a range of antiviral activities of 17 types of IFNs against five viral isolates, with IFN subtypes (type III IFNs) showing the weakest effect and type I IFNs showing the highest effect. Among various type I IFNs, the most potent antiviral activity was observed for IFN8, IFN and IFN. All tested IFNs showed comparable antiviral efficacy against the D614G variant of SARS-CoV-2.

Using an IFN-sensitive reporter cell line, the scientists observed a correlation between type I IFN receptor signaling and antiviral activities of IFN subtypes against the viral lineages A and B. However, they did not observe any such correlation for the lineages B.1, B.1.351, and B.1.1.7.

The scientists generated a heat map to thoroughly investigate the antiviral activities of 14 type I IFNs against five viral isolates. Using an ancestral lineage (Germany/BavPat1/2020) as a reference, they observed that all newly emerging viral variants developed 17 to 122-fold resistance against type I IFNs. The isolate belonging to the B.1.1.7 lineage displayed the highest type I IFN resistance. By conducting similar experiments using the USA-WA1/2020 strain as a reference, they observed 25 to 322-fold higher resistance for newly emerging viral variants.

While comparing the antiviral activities of type I and type III IFNs, they observed that the viral inhibitory activities of both IFN and IFN1 were lower against the B.1.1.7 lineage compared to the B lineage. Interestingly, they observed that both IFN and IFN1 failed to achieve the highest inhibition against the B.1.1.7 lineage. Furthermore, they observed a similar trend for the B.1.351 lineage, which showed significantly higher resistance to both IFN and IFN1 compared to the B lineage. Taken together, these observations indicate that newly emerging SARS-CoV-2 variants are highly resistant to both type I and type III IFN responses.

Study significance

The study highlights the importance of type I IFNs as potential anti-SARS-CoV-2 therapeutics. According to the study findings, a higher dose of type III IFNs might be required to achieve similar antiviral efficacy as type I IFNs.

Importantly, the study reveals that newly emerging SARS-CoV-2 variants develop significant resistance against both type I and type III IFNs. Based on this observation, the scientists believe that evasion of host innate immune response might serve as a potential driving force for the viral evolution.

*Important Notice

bioRxiv publishes preliminary scientific reports that are not peer-reviewed and, therefore, should not be regarded as conclusive, guide clinical practice/health-related behavior, or treated as established information.
She recently became the first British woman to be nominated for a Best Director Oscar with her film Promising Young Woman.

And Emerald Fennell is proving to be an unstoppable force as it's been revealed she will write the upcoming movie adaptation of the DC Comics heroine Zatanna.

The first-time director, 35, will take the reins on the big-screen adaptation of the superhero's first franchise appearance, which will be released in cinemas, according to Variety.

Girl power: Emerald Fennell is proving to be an unstoppable force after it was revealed she will write the upcoming adaptation of the DC Comics heroine Zatanna

The character of Zatanna - a magician who is considered one of the most powerful sorcerers in the DC universe - is best known in the franchise for her involvement with the Justice League.

Zatanna was previously played by Serinda Swan in the later seasons of the CW series Smallville, but the role in the upcoming movie has not yet been cast.

It will be the first appearance for the titular superhero in a DCEU movie and only the second female DC hero to headline a film, following on the Wonder Woman flicks.

Little is known about the project, but the movie - from Warner Bros. DC Films and J.J. Abrams Bad Robot Productions - is set to be released theatrically.

Upcoming movie: The character of Zatanna, a magician who is considered one of the most powerful sorcerers in the DC universe, will see her first adaptation on the big screen

Emerald's attachment to the project comes after she revealed she was feeling 'shell-shocked and overwhelmed' after making Oscars history last week.

Promising Young Woman landed five Academy Awards nods; Best Picture, Best Film Editing, Best Director, as well as Best Original Screenplay and Best Actress for Carey Mulligan, 35.

Speaking to The Guardian, Emerald said: 'Carey and I are quite shellshocked and overwhelmed. I still feel my brain is somewhere else... You have to moderate your expectations. And so for this to happen is just amazing.'

Promising Young Woman has been classed as a #MeToo revenge movie, with Mulligan starring as Cassie, a 'Vengeance Barbie' on a mission to avenge her best friend's rape and subsequent suicide.

It sparked anger at its premiere at last year's Sundance Film Festival and some have been critical at the film's handling of the sensitive themes, such as sex assault.

'Shell-shocked': Promising Young Woman director Emerald and star Carey Mulligan, 35, were 'overwhelmed' after making Oscars history with their nods last week (pictured in January 2020)

Emerald insists the film was not intended to be political or 'part of a movement' but said she does feel 'enormous pressure' when tackling difficult issues addressed in the movie.

She said: 'It's really difficult when you're talking about women's stories  there is an enormous pressure to be cathartic and to be empowering.'

The movie also came up big at the 2021 Writers Guild of America Awards on Sunday night, and Emerald took home the Best Original Screenplay award.

The film features Cassie, played by Mulligan, a 30-year-old medical school dropout, whose performance has won her an Oscar nomination.

By day, Cassie has a dead-end job in a cafe but at night she trawls nightclubs pretending to be drunk to get 'nice guys' to take her home.

She waits for them to try to take advantage of her and then turns the tables, hurting them or scaring them into changing.

As an actress, Emerald is currently best known for playing Camilla Parker Bowles in the third and fourth series of Netflix's The Crown opposite Josh O'Connor as Prince Charles.

She has also starred in Anna Karenina, The Danish Girl and TV series Call the Midwife.
She recently got into a bit of hot water after knocking Meghan Markle over her tell-all Oprah interview, before the bombshell chat had even aired.

But Bethenny Frankel didn't seem to be worrying about any controversy while enjoying a sunny family vacation to Florida with daughter Bryn Hoppy, 10, and boyfriend Paul Bernon last week.

The 50-year-old businesswoman/reality star truly made a splash as she jumped into the ocean wearing a one-piece swimsuit which was both sexy and sophisticated.

Making a splash: Bethenny Frankel enjoyed the cool Atlantic Ocean while vacationing in Florida with her boyfriend Paul Bernon and daughter Bryn Hoppy last week

Fits like a glove: The RHONY alum looked sensational in a classically cut suit which was cut high on her thighs to showcase her toned legs while a cheeky Brazilian-style bottom revealed her pert derriere

Bethenny looked sensational in a classically cut suit which was cut high on her thighs to showcase her toned legs while a cheeky Brazilian-style bottom revealed her pert derriere.

Up top, the piece dipped low to offer up a tasteful amount of decolletage while the sides featured tiny cut-outs for an extra hint of sex appeal.

And adding to the allure, the RHONY alum's suit had a beautiful illustration of two tigers in a lush jungle covering the front and back.

While Frankel's suit was clearly an attention-getter, even more eye-catching was the huge diamond ring decorating her engagement finger.

Bonding time: While Bethenny enjoyed the ocean boyfriend Paul spent time with Bryn, seen walking around together

Chic: The 50-year-old businesswoman/reality star truly made a splash as she jumped into the ocean wearing a one-piece swimsuit which was both sexy and sophisticated

Skin is in: Up top, the piece dipped low to offer up a tasteful amount of decolletage while the sides featured tiny cut-outs for an extra hint of sex appeal

She continued to glam things up with a platinum chain, fancy watch, and set of shiny bracelets, tying the look together with a beach hat and wide sunglasses from her own brand.

While Bethenny enjoyed the ocean boyfriend Paul spent time with Bryn, seen walking around together.

Bryn is the Skinny Girl mogul's daughter with estranged husband Jason Hoppy, who she is still legally married to despite the fact they split in 2012.

Bling! While Frankel's suit was clearly an attention-getter, even more eye-catching was the huge diamond ring decorating her engagement finger

Rawr! Her outfit had a beautiful illustration of two tigers in a lush jungle covering the front and back

Hot mama: Bryn is the Skinny Girl mogul's daughter with estranged husband Jason Hoppy, who she is still legally married to despite the fact they split in 2012

Frankel's relaxing trip comes after Bethenny faced loud backlash for her take on the Duchess of Sussex.

In her post, she poked fun at Markle's privilege and criticized the former actress for not being able to handle 'two years' of being part of the British institution.

'Cry me a river... the plight of being a game show host, fairly unknown actress, to suffering in a palace, w tiaras & 7 figure weddings for TWO WHOLE YEARS to being a household name w @Oprah on speed dial, fetching 7 m for interviews, hundreds of millions in media deals. #MARRY' the reality star wrote on Twitter on Sunday ahead of Meghan and Harry's explosive sit down with Oprah.

Frankel later apologized to Markle for her remarks after she watched the Oprah interview which aired on CBS earlier this month.
Credit: Unsplash/CC0 Public Domain

Rich nations should consider paying for elderly people to live in care homes in lower income countries in a bid to ease the pressure on domestic residential and nursing care provision, argues an ethicist in the Journal of Medical Ethics.

Providing such a move wouldn't disadvantage local residents, and that appropriate quality checks could be made, this policy would enable older citizens to access affordable and decent care when they need it, contends Dr. Bouke de Vries, University of Umea, Sweden.

The reality is that many higher-income countries are struggling to provide affordable and decent care for their relatively old and ageing populations, says De Vries.

Something has to be done, and there are already examples of German and Swiss citizens who have opted to live in care homes in Eastern Europe and South East Asia, he points out.

Paying for provision in lower income countries would be morally acceptable if five criteria are met he suggests:

a significant proportion of citizens don't currently have access to adequate residential or nursing carethe care in homes abroad isn't worse than that provided in domestic care homessending states conduct regular quality checks or delegate this to reliable local monitoring bodiesappropriate steps are taken to ensure that this type of migration doesn't disadvantage local residents in the receiving countriesthe public money allocated for this isn't better spent on other ways of easing the pressure on domestic care/nursing homes

How much a richer nation should pay will depend on several factors, he suggests. These include its wealth; the magnitude of the strain on domestic provision; and how much the public purse will save, as well as the amount of taxpayers' money needed to convince citizens to make the move, to monitor the quality of those care homes, and to offset any disadvantage to local citizens.

This disadvantage might include fierce competition for care home places that would otherwise be available to locals and/or increasing the costs of residential care, because of the ability of migrants from richer countries to afford higher prices.

But this could be overcome by the sending countries subsidising the construction of affordable care homes for local people or building care homes within the receiving countries that partly if not wholly accommodate their own citizens, suggests De Vries.

In a linked blog, De Vries acknowledges that this migration policy is not the only solution to the crisis facing elderly care.

Others include paying formal caregivers more; providing better support to informal caregivers; and investing in robot caregivers and other forms of assistive technology. But he nevertheless believes his solution shows "great promise."

Some people might object on the grounds that the policy might put undue pressure on people on lower incomes to migrate while others might simply feel that it is unpalatable.

"My proposal for higher-income countries to pay their residents to move to care homes within lower-income countries will undoubtedly prove controversial," he accepts.

But should it, if the eligibility criteria are strictly adhered to? he asks.

"The proposal could have significant benefits for lower-income countries. "By incentivising comparatively wealthy foreigners to live in care homes within these countries, it might indirectly stimulate their economies. In addition, it might reduce the need for local clinicians and care workers to move to higher income countries to earn higher wages, meaning that fewer of them would be separated from their family and friends," he writes.

More information: Should higher-income countries pay their citizens to move to foreign care homes? Journal of Medical Ethics (2021). Journal information: Journal of Medical Ethics Should higher-income countries pay their citizens to move to foreign care homes?(2021). DOI: 10.1136/medethics-2020-106380
ALBANY  A rally to stop hate crimes against Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders will be held in a downtown park late this afternoon.

The "Stop Asian Hate" gathering at Academy Park is scheduled to begin at 5:15 p.m. It is happening amid a rise in hate crimes against those groups and local people from those communities said they fear an increase in threats and violence tied to xenophobic responses to the coronavirus.

They say the ongoing coronavirus which first emerged in China is fueling a surge fears about verbal confrontations or attacks.

The atmosphere is not friendly to me, Dibao Zhou, a semiconductor professional who lives in Halfmoon, told the Times Union last week. I do feel personally that its getting more frequent. When Im on the street, I dont feel as safe as before.

Now Zhou, a semiconductor professional who lives in Halfmoon, approaches even ordinary tasks with an additional layer of alertness, and hes taken to rolling up the windows in his car.

Anti-Asian bias has long gurgled under the surface, according to local community members of Asian descent.

But the racism and xenophobia that has been simmering in the coronavirus era exploded earlier this week when a white gunman was arrested and charged with killing eight people, six of them Asian women, at Atlanta-area massage businesses.

The Associated Press reported the suspect in the Atlanta slayings, Robert Aaron Long, 21, told police that the attacks Tuesday at two spas in Atlanta and another massage business near suburban Woodstock were not racially motivated. He claimed to have a sex addiction. Authorities said he apparently lashed out at what he saw as sources of temptation but were still investigating his motive.

Late last week, police said nothing is off the table in the investigation of the deadly shootings, including whether the slayings were a hate crime.

Anti-Asian attitudes have waxed and waned throughout history, with cycles of intensified rhetoric pinned to the political climate tending to peak when people feel threatened, said Angie Chung, a sociology professor at the University at Albany. The fear surrounding the coronarvirus pandemic is just a continuation of falling back on xenophobia when confronted with perceived threats.

Academy Park has long been associated with protests for civil rights, justice reform and economic rectification. Nearly a decade ago, demonstrators who demanded economic reforms occupied the park for weeks until Albany police forced them out.
Millicom CEO Mauricio Ramos joins Broadband Commission for Sustainable Development

Luxembourg, March 22, 2021  Millicom, a leading provider of fixed and mobile services operating under the TIGO brand in Latin America and Africa, is pleased to announce the appointment of Millicoms CEO, Mauricio Ramos, to the Broadband Commission for Sustainable Development as a Commissioner.

Established in 2010 by the ITU and UNESCO, and with the aim of boosting the importance of broadband on the international policy agenda, the mission of the Broadband Commission is to bridge the digital divide, bringing the goal of universal connectivity to the forefront of policy discussions through the facilitation of impactful public-private partnerships.

It is an honor to join the Broadband Commission to further the development of a sustainable digital ecosystem that will ultimately help attract investment, to accelerate the adoption of digital technology across Latin America and beyond, commented Ramos. Our primary purpose at Millicom is to build the digital highways that connect people, improve lives, and develop communities, and we are clearly aligned with the Broadband Commission manifestos call to recognize digital connectivity as the foundational element of the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. I am pleased to join and to contribute with my expertise to an organization so close to us.

Mauricio Ramos is an active member of various boards of directors of corporations, educational institutions, and business associations. He has been a member of the Board of Directors of Charter Communications (U.S.) since 2016. He is the Chair of the Digital Communications Industry Community of the World Economic Forum, and this year he was elected as Chair of the U.S. Chambers U.S.-Colombia Business Council (USCBC).

The Broadband Commission is comprised of more than 50 Commissioners representing top CEOs, industry experts, senior policymakers, government officials, and more, leveraging collective membership expertise to advocate for meaningful, safe, secure, and sustainable broadband communications services that are reflective of human and childrens rights.

-END-

Spanish version.

For further information, please contact:

Press:

Vivian Kobeh, Corporate Communications Director

+1 786-628-5300

press@millicom.com Investors:

Michel Morin, VP Investor Relations

+1 786-628-5270

investors@millicom.com



Sarah Inmon, Investor Relations Manager

+1 786-628-5303

investors@millicom.com

About Millicom

Millicom (NASDAQ U.S.: TIGO, Nasdaq Stockholm: TIGO_SDB) is a leading provider of cable and mobile services dedicated to emerging markets in Latin America and Africa. Millicom sets the pace when it comes to providing high-speed broadband and innovation around The Digital Lifestyle services through its principal brand, TIGO. As of December 31, 2020, Millicom operating subsidiaries and joint ventures employed more than 21,000 people and provided mobile services to approximately 55 million customers, with a cable footprint of more than 12 million homes passed. Founded in 1990, Millicom International Cellular S.A. is headquartered in Luxembourg.

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Ikea's French subsidiary and several of its executives are set to go on trial Monday over accusations that they illegally spied on employees and customers.

Trade unions reported the furniture and home goods company to French authorities in 2012, accusing it of collecting personal data by fraudulent means and the illicit disclosure of personal information.

The unions specifically alleged that had paid to gain access to police files that had information about targeted individuals. denied on anyone, but Sweden-based fired four executives in after French prosecutors opened a criminal probe in 2012.One accusation alleged that Ikea France used unauthorised data to try to catch an employee who had claimed unemployment benefits but drove a Porsche. Another says the subsidiary investigated an employee's criminal record to determine how the employee was able to own a BMW on a low income. Customers the company was in a dispute with also allegedly had their personal information inappropriately accessed.

The former head of Ikea France's risk management department, Jean-Francois Paris, acknowledged to French judges that 530,000 to 630,000 euros a year ($633,000 to $753,000) were earmarked for such investigations.
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The organised labour in Cross River has given Governor Ben Ayade a 24-hour ultimatum to secure the unconditional release of the kidnapped state Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) Chairman, Ben Ukpekpi.

Mr Ukpekpi was kidnapped on March 21 by gunmen in his residence in Akpabuyo Local Government area of the state.

The ultimatum is contained in a communique jointly signed on Monday in Calabar by the NLC Vice Chairman, Lawrence Achuta and the Trade Union Congress (TUC) Chairman, Monday Ogbodum.

The unions urged the state government and security agencies to ensure that the NLC chairman was released unharmed or be ready to face a showdown by labour.

We want the state government to ensure the release of the NLC Chairman unharmed within 24 hours or labour unions will shut down activities of government in the entire state.

Failure to secure the release of the abducted chairman, the organised labour would be forced to withdraw services.

We appeal to the state government and all security agencies to live up to their responsibilities of securing lives as enshrined in the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

All civil/public servants should note that at the expiration of this ultimatum and the NLC chairman is not released, all workers should shut down and stay at home, they stated.

(NAN)
Reiterated holdups in the distribution of the Covid-19 vaccine developed by Oxford-AstraZeneca, coupled with the recent scare over its side effects, have dangerous ramifications for Europe that go beyond a delayed appointment for a vaccine shot.

The fiasco involving a vaccine that was meant to power the bulk of the continents inoculation campaign could damage the EUs strategy to overcome the coronavirus health and economic crisis on the continent. This strategy is based on a swift mass-vaccination drive in order to return to near-normal mobility by June and breathe back some life into the struggling services sector.

But governments are getting skittish after initially raising peoples hopes of a quick return to normalcy once vaccination got underway, only to run into a reality that is proving tougher to turn around than expected.

A make-or-break month

Following the problems with the vaccine rollout in the first quarter of the year, combined with new infection spikes across the continent, all of the European Commissions health and economic targets are now up in the air.

Its going to be make-or-break for the European Commission during the four weeks of April, warns Nicolas Gonzalez Casares, a Member of the European Parliament (MEP) with the Group of the Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats who also sits on the parliaments Industry, Research and Energy Committee monitoring the vaccination strategy.

If the dose distribution speed does not pick up at the beginning of the second quarter, the EU Commission will face an explosive political situation, with a rising wave of infections, a population that is increasingly weary of restrictions and governments that will blame Brussels for the mess, he predicts.

The EU Health Commissioner, Stella Kyriakides, admits to being disappointed with the Anglo-Swedish lab. With AstraZeneca, theres been constant problems, she said on Wednesday at a meeting with the media. With Pfizer-BioNTech, instead, we had trouble at first but then they managed to increase their production capacity and they have been much more reliable.

More information How weve changed after one year of the coronavirus pandemic

The tension can be felt in Brussels, and the first cracks in the common strategy are already apparent. Austria, which had originally favored AstraZeneca and bought very few vaccines from Pfizer-BioNTech, is now leading a request by several central and Eastern European countries to correct alleged inequalities in the distribution of doses among the 27 member states. Other members are rejecting the idea.

The clash over fair vaccine distribution could sour a European summit due to take place on Thursday and Friday of this week. The formal goal of the gathering is to rethink the EUs geostrategic future, particularly with regard to Russia and Turkey. But diplomatic sources admit that it could instead turn into a crisis meeting to try to save national vaccination campaigns.

Slow rollout

Empty vials of the AstraZeneca vaccine, whose use was temporarily suspended by many European countries in recent weeks. Piroschka van de Wouw / EFE

Brussels was expecting to distribute around 160 million doses during the first three months of 2021, enough to give 22% of the adult population their two shots. It was also expecting to receive as many as 380 million doses during the second quarter, allowing health authorities to increase the immunized population to over 60% of the total.

In combination with eased restrictions, this would have given the economy an initial boost during the first quarter and really put it into gear during the second. The first-quarter goals have already been abandoned.

The dream of a speedy recovery is vanishing, and the EU is reaching the end of March with fewer than 70 million doses distributed (compared with 154 million in the United States) and only 4.2% of the population fully immunized with both shots.

AstraZeneca is now planning to deliver 100 million doses during the first half of the year, that is to say, 170 million fewer than it had pledged. This means that 85 million people will go without their double-dose treatment.

Meanwhile, the continent is experiencing a new spike in infections and several major countries are reintroducing confinement measures, including France and Italy. In the former, 21 million people  a third of the population  will be under restrictions for at least four weeks. Around 110,000 retail establishments are being forced to close, half of them in the Paris region, according to French government figures.

Health concerns

Compounding the problems is the shadow of suspicion cast over the AstraZeneca vaccine in recent weeks, when half of the EUs members  Spain included  decided to suspend its use and wait for a conclusion by the European Medicines Agency following several reports of blood clots among recipients. The regulator ultimately said that the medication is safe and effective although it admitted that the vaccine may be associated with very rare cases of blood clots associated with low levels of blood platelets. Even so, the benefits of the vaccine in combating the still widespread threat of Covid-19 (which itself results in clotting problems and may be fatal) continue to outweigh the risk of side effects.

Germany, France and Italy started to distribute the vaccine again at the end of last week, and political leaders such as Angela Merkel said they would receive AstraZeneca shots. But it is unclear whether confidence in the vaccine can be restored. In France, only 20% of the population trusts the AstraZeneca vaccine compared with 52% who trust Pfizer-BioNTech, according to a survey for the TV station BFMTV.

Political fallout

EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen removes her protective mask at the start of a news conference about a common EU Covid-19 vaccination certificate in Brussels. POOL / Reuters

At the political level, the EU Parliament is starting to lose patience with its own executive, and could start asking for accountability if the vaccination campaign derails in the second quarter of the year.

The Commission asked to lead the vaccination strategy without having the powers to do so, and once member states agreed to hand over this power, it has proven incapable of organizing [the campaign], says an EU source familiar with the situation.

Faced with the risk of having her own leadership questioned, EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has begun adopting a tougher tone against the United Kingdom, where AstraZeneca factories have yet to produce a single dose for delivery to the EU. Von der Leyen on Wednesday warned that nothing is being ruled out, not even a ban on vaccine exports from the EU to Britain, which has already received 10 million doses from the continent (mostly from Pfizer-BioNTech), while none have made the opposite journey.

Veronique Trillet-Lenoir, a French MEP with the liberal group Renew and member of the Health and Environment Committee, says that the time has come for the EU to show its teeth to AstraZeneca and, by extension, to the UK. In her opinion, the confrontation with this company will require a two-pronged solution: a contractual one that could end up in the courts, and a diplomatic one with the British government. But experience with Brexit indicates that it will not be easy.

English version by Susana Urra.
Etihad Airways, the national carrier of the UAE, said it is trying out different travel pass apps as it expects a stronger demand in the second half of the year and full recovery by 2024, a media report said.



Iata Travel Pass will be tried on North American routes in April, Chris Youlten, executive director, Operations Strategy, Etihad Airways, was quoted as saying in a Khaleej Times report.



Iata is but one of the travel passes that we are currently exploring. It is a very difficult app to put together, and put together accurately, primarily because at the back end, any travel pass is going to have to be able to collect the medical records of passengers, that is death certificates or vaccination certificates, and that is a very complex world to get into, Youlten said during a media briefing.



Martin Drew, senior vice-president, global sales and cargo, said the airline was seeing a return in demand, especially on Pakistan and Bangladesh routes.



We are already starting to see some demand returning on some routes. When the restrictions start to get lifted, what we will see is the segments that will come back first will certainly be the VFR (visiting friends and/or relatives) traffic and also leisure. Business travel is going to take some time to return, he said.



Were expecting to see stronger demand certainly in the second half of the year. Our latest view is that well see a full recovery now by 2024, previously it was 2023, Drew added.






(Natural News) You may or may not have heard that Democratic darling and California Gov. Gavin Newsom is about to face a pretty rare thing in his deep blue state: A recall.

The effort began last year after Newsom locked down his state due to the COVID-19 pandemic and pretty much left it locked down ever since, even though its obvious lockdowns dont work because the virus is still spreading throughout his state and people are still dying from it.

That could be due, in part, to violations of his mask and social distancing mandates. Or perhaps violations of his inside dining restrictions.

Yes, thats it; the latter. Inside dining restrictions.

Which brings us back to Newsoms recall.

Again, the effort began last year but it really picked up steam after he was busted last fall dining inside a swanky eatery known as the French Laundry with a lot of close (rich and powerful) friends, none of whom were distancing or wearing masks.

I should have stood up and  drove back to my houseThe spirit of what Im preaching all the time was contradicted, he said after he was caught and outed.  I need to preach and practice, not just preach.

Sure. Oh, and tell everyone else to leave, too, since they were also violating his order. But he didnt because rich and powerful lobbyists were in the vicinity. Of course.

It didnt take long and the group focused on recalling Newsom gathered the required 1.5 million-plus signatures to get the recall on the fall ballot (though the verification process is ongoing).

But Newsom either didnt learn a single thing from his French Laundry escapade or he simply doesnt care because he doesnt think the voters will remove him  one or the other. (Related: BREAKING: California judge slaps down Gov. Newsoms unconstitutional covid lockdowns and mandates, issues INJUNCTION against further Newsom tyranny.)

Because he just got busted violating his own indoor dining ban again.

Fox News reports:

California Gov. Gavin Newsom appeared indoors at a restaurant in a county where indoor dining is not allowed, but the governors office has said he did not dine at the restaurant.

He was there to meet with the restaurants owners, who received a relief grant, Newsom spokesperson Daniel Lopez told Fox News.

Newsom posted a video to his TikTok account with celebrity George Lopez talking about where to look for coronavirus vaccine eligibility. Newsom and Lopez were in Fresno, Calif., and are inside Los Amigos restaurant.

So, got that? If youre the governor or a rich celebrity in California, you have a status to do whatever you want and without any restrictions. (And as an aside, how many celebrities in California have harped on and lectured ordinary Americans about wearing masks, socially distancing, and doing all the other things the science tells us to do during this pandemic?)

Now, as the video shows, Newsom was at least wearing a mask this time. But the point is he violated his own order  again  as throngs of small businesses and restaurants continue circling the economic drain while they struggle to survive his restrictions.

Gavin Newsom continues to show that hes nothing but an incompetent elitist who could [not] care less about California families, John Burke, communications director for Kevin Faulconer for Governor, a Republican planning to run against Newsom, told Fox News. His failures have crippled our states economy and upended the lives of millions of families. Were going to recall him and begin a California comeback to get our state on track.

What Newsom did, again, was obscene and insulting, but its par for the course  not just for Newsom but several prominent California Democrats: House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and San Francisco Mayor London Breed have also been caught violating the Newsoms orders, but again, theyre rich, powerful Democrats in the bluest of blue states and so their behavior doesnt count.

See more reporting like this at NewsomWatch.com



Sources include:

FoxNews.com

MSN.com

NaturalNews.com
We placed a purchase order on a Chinese supplier. Due to non-availability of containers and vessels, they are unable to ship as per the agreed dispatch schedule. They have asked us to buy the items locally and agreed to compensate us for the differential purchase price (which is akin to the risk purchase clause). Please guide how to issue a service invoice mentioning Heading  Damages claimed for non-supply of goods as per Risk Purchase Clause. What about HSN and taxability or other issues,if any?



The payment from the Chinese supplier is a consideration for your tolerating his act of not supplying the goods as agreed. S.No. 5(e) of Schedule II of the CGST Act, 2017 (relevant extracts) specifies the activity of agreeing to the obligation to refrain from an act, or to tolerate an act, or a situation, or to be treated as supply of service. Also, Section 2(31)(b) of CGST Act, 2017 (relevant extracts) says that consideration includes the monetary value of any act or forbearance, in respect of, in response to, or for the inducement of, the supply of goods or services... S.No. 720 in the Table given in the notification 11/2017-CT (Rate) dated June 28, 2017, mentions agreeing to tolerate an act against the service code 999794. S.No. 35 in the Table in the notification 8/2017-IT (Rate) dated June 28, 2017, prescribes 18 per cent for services specified in that residual entry under the heading 9997. In my opinion, as it is a service you provide to the foreign party, it can be treated as export of service and be zero-rated.

In our EPCG Authorisation the duty saved amount is mentioned on the basis of our application and the export obligation is mentioned at six times the duty saved. Due to lower prices and exchange rate variations, the actual duty saved on our imports is much less. We want to know whether our export obligation will continue to be as mentioned in the EPCG authorisation, or get reduced based on the actual duty saved?



The export obligation will get reduced on the basis of actual duty saved.

Our account with the Customs was flagged as risky exporter and our claim for refund of IGST paid on export goods was blocked. We were instructed to comply with CBIC Circular no. 131/1/2020 dated January 23, 2020. We have complied and our jurisdictional authority has sent the compliance report. We want to know the basis for blocking our account and who is authorised to remove the flag so that we get the IGST refund.



The MF (DR) Circular No. 16/2019-Cus. dated June 17, 2019, gives the administrative instructions regarding the identification of suspicious cases, inserting alerts in the system, examination of the export goods, suspension of IGST refunds, verification by GST formations and action to be taken by customs on receipt of verification report from GST formations. It says that Customs officers at the port of export shall process the IGST refund to the extent verified by the GST authorities.

Business Standard invites readers SME queries related to excise, VAT and exim policy. You can write to us at smechat@bsmail.in
New Delhi:

Hurricane Irma was heading rapidly towards Florida on Saturday, where some 5.6 million people faced orders to evacuate as the monster storm made landfall in Cuba.



Irma killed at least 19 people and devastated thousands of homes in the Caribbean made landfall late Friday on the Camaguey Archipelago of Cuba as a maximum-strength Category 5 storm.



The hurricane weakened slightly after 4 hours later, swirling some 245 miles (395 kilometers) away from Miami and packing still powerful maximum sustained winds of 155 miles per hour, according to the US National Hurricane Center.



More than a million people on the Caribbean's largest island have evacuated as a precaution, authorities said.



Irma is expected to strike the Florida Keys late today and tomorrow before moving inland, and many residents have joined a mass exodus amid increasingly dire alerts to leave.



"Irma remains an extremely dangerous hurricane!" tweeted the National Weather Service early today.



"It's not too late to get off the Keys!!!" the agency said. "You still have time, this morning, to get out! Please, the Keys are not safe."



According to Florida's Division of Emergency Management some 5.6 million residents have been ordered to evacuate -nearly a quarter of the state population.



Warning that Irma would be worse than Hurricane Andrew -which killed 65 people in 1992 - Florida's governor said all 20.6 million Floridians should prepare to flee.



"If you're in an evacuation zone, you should be very cautious, you should get out now," Governor Rick Scott told CNN. "This is a powerful storm bigger than our state."



Bumper-to-bumper traffic was snaking north out of the peninsula, with mattresses, gas cans and kayaks strapped to car roofs.



North of the Keys, in Miami Beach, 82-year-old Cuban-American Orlando Reyes had suddenly to flee his assisted living facility.



The storm ravaged a series of tiny islands before slamming into the Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico.



Meteorologists meanwhile were closely monitoring two other Atlantic storms. Jose, another powerful Category 4 storm, was heading towards the same string of Caribbean islands Irma has pummeled in recent days.



Katia made landfall in eastern Mexico late yesterday - just as the country was grappling with its worst earthquake in a century - as a Category 1 hurricane.



It was later downgraded to a tropical storm but was still bringing rains that could bring "life-threatening flash floods and mudslides."

For all the Latest World News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps.
TROIS-RIVIERES, Que. - For the second week in a row, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau shared a stage with Premier Francois Legault Monday as they made a joint funding announcement aimed at improving access to high-speed internet in Quebec.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau jointly announces high speed internet for Quebec regions, as Quebec Premier Francois Legault, left, looks on, Monday, March 22, 2021 in Trois-Rivieres Que. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jacques Boissinot

TROIS-RIVIERES, Que. - For the second week in a row, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau shared a stage with Premier Francois Legault Monday as they made a joint funding announcement aimed at improving access to high-speed internet in Quebec.

Before last week, Trudeau told reporters, it had been nearly a year since the two leaders met in person, and recently Legault has been at the forefront of a call by provincial and territorial premiers for more health-care funding, which he says must come without conditions.

But as they announced $826.3 million in funding to bring high-speed internet to nearly 150,000 Quebec households by September 2022, Trudeau hailed Quebec's leadership and Legault praised Ottawa's "flexibility."

Asked if the friendly words were a sign of improved relations between the two, Legault responded: "I hope so."

Trudeau said that despite "long traditions in various parts of the country around standing up for your region by picking a fight with Ottawa," there is also plenty of common ground. "One of the things we've seen through this pandemic is citizens want their various orders of government to work together," he added.

Both leaders said fast internet has become more important than ever.

"High-speed internet is becoming a basic utility, like water, or electricity. People need to have access to data," Trudeau said.

The new funding  with half coming from each level of government  will be used to subsidize telecommunications companies. Those companies will be required to connect all households in specific regions to high-speed internet by fall 2022 and to charge those residents the same rates Quebecers pay in big cities.

Asked about the decision to give hundreds of millions of dollars to already profitable telecom companies, Legault said the government is compensating them for the higher cost of connecting homes in less densely populated rural regions.

"It's normal," he said. "We can't force a business to offer a service at a loss."

Montreal-based Videotron and Cogeco will each receive more than $200 million in subsidies and will be expected to connect more than 35,000 households each to high-speed internet. Bell will receive $161.5 million and be expected to connect nearly 31,000 households, while other large participants include Xplornet, Sogetel and Telus.

Legault said that there are 36,000 households in the province that don't have access to high-speed internet and are not part of an agreement to connect them. He said he remains hopeful those households will be connected by September 2022.

Trudeau said Ottawa's goal is to connect all Canadians to high-speed internet by 2030.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 22, 2021.

 By Jacob Serebrin

This story was produced with the financial assistance of the Facebook and Canadian Press News Fellowship.


Scientists say that for the first time, they have developed early human-like embryo structures in a laboratory. The research could lead to new methods in reproductive technology. It is also likely to raise new ethical questions.

Researchers say the lab-created structures seemed to model blastocysts, which form during the early stages of human embryonic development. Two separate research groups say they used human cell material to successfully create the structures.

The results were recently described in two papers in the publication Nature. The teams noted that their work was carried out only for research purposes, not with the goal of reproducing human embryos.

The findings could help scientists gain a better understanding of early human development. The area of research has historically been very difficult to study. That is because few human embryos are available and such studies are subject to many ethical and legal restrictions, an article in Nature noted about the research.

Progress in the field of early human development could lead to improved infertility treatments and help prevent pregnancy loss and birth defects.

Jun Wu is a molecular biologist at Southwestern Medical Center at the University of Texas. He led one of the research teams. He told The Associated Press he thinks the results can support new research in the field without the need to experiment on human embryos.

Wus team used embryonic stem cells to produce the blastocyst-like structures. The second team used a reprogramming method to turn human skin cell tissue into stem cells for research.

Blastocysts form a few days after an egg has been fertilized, but before the cells attach to the uterus to become an embryo. Wu said the new models were similar to blastocysts about three to 10 days after fertilization.

Both groups said the lab-created structures were not the same as naturally formed embryos and it is unclear whether they could develop into actual embryos.

Scientists had already created similar structures of mouse cells in a lab, but this is the first time they were made from human cells. Researchers attempted to turn the lab-generated mouse cell structures into embryos, but they were not successful.

In the United States, federal funding is not available for research involving human embryos or blastocysts. Several states ban such research altogether.

Some scientists use blastocysts donated from fertility centers for research into the cause of infertility and diseases present from birth. The new work should permit them to expand such research.

The researchers noted that their creations were not meant to be used for human reproduction. There is no implantation, said Amander Clark, a stem cell biologist at the University of California, Los Angeles who took part in the experiments. These structures are not transferred to a uterus or uterus-like structure, she said. There is no pregnancy.

But one scientist not involved in the research said it could be difficult to see clear differences between blastocysts resulting from fertilization and the structures created in a lab. Shoukhrat Mitalipov, a human embryologist at Oregon Health and Science University, told the AP that both groups show how closely they resemble real embryos.

Mitalipov said, If they are really as good as embryos, should they be treated as embryos? This brings new ethical issues.

Im Bryan Lynn.

Bryan Lynn wrote this story for Learning English, based on reports from The Associated Press and Nature. Ashley Thompson was the editor.

We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments section, and visit our Facebook page.

Quiz - Scientists Use Human Cells to Copy Early Embryo Development Start the Quiz to find out Start Quiz

_______________________________________________________________

Words in This Story

ethical  adj. relating to what is right or wrong

defect  n. a problem or fault that makes someone or something not perfect

implant  v. to place something into someones body in a medical operation

transfer  v. to move something from one place to another

resemble  v. to look like or be very similar to someone or something else
One arrested and seized 26 goats

Nashik, Mar 21 (UNI) Nashik police team areested one suspect from Mumbra in Thane district and seized 26 goats from his possession .

According to Satpur police on March 17 that the thief broke the lock of the godown and stole 26 goats from the godown in Satpur area .. A case of burglary was registered at Satpur police station on Thursday (Mar. 18). It was clear from the CCTV footage that the thieves had removed the goat from the car .


COLUMBIA  The research done in Chuanbing Tangs University of South Carolina chemistry lab is rooted around sustainability  from development of germ-killing materials to clean-energy storage methods.

But the prize-winning scientist is also preparing for the future by investing in a readily available but vulnerable commodity: Midlands high school students living in poverty.

A decade ago, Tang founded what is still the states only Project SEED (Summer Experiences for the Economically Disadvantaged) program. It's an initiative of the American Chemical Society that exposes high school juniors and seniors to career paths in chemistry alongside college mentors through paid 10-week summer internships.

In Richland County, which has a 16 percent poverty rate, over 40 students have moved through Tang's laboratory in the past decade.

All have gone on to college  some as the first members of their family to do so.

I'm so proud, and sometimes so touched, how students transform themselves, Tang said. I think of it more broadly. One student from this family can influence their own siblings and then they can spread word on their street, so I think this probably has a ripple effect.

Students from several area high schools have participated over the years, including graduates of Eau Claire, Ridge View, Spring Valley and W.J. Keenan high schools.

The pupils arent just doing busy work. Theyre required at the end of their time in the program to present research. Think of it as a science fair for chemists, on topics such as soybean-based copolymer latexes and synthesis of nanostructured fluorine-doped tin oxide in thin films.

Meghan Lamm, who received her doctorate in organic chemistry from USC in 2019, spent three years as a Project SEED mentor.

"For many of them (interns), I think it is a great chance for them to trial research-based science and help decide a career path. We have had many students decide to pursue careers in science after this program, said Lamm, now a research associate at the U.S. Department of Energys Oak Ridge National Laboratory in Tennessee.

The pandemic halted Project SEED for the first time, but Tang hopes to get students back behind microscopes by 2022.

Tangs SEED students join the more than 11,000 nationally that have gone through the program since its 1968 inception.

Because it is a competitive, academic-based initiative, Tang said participating students are committed to the work.

Its not research they do. We also talk with them about future career paths to inspire them to go to college, Tang said. We want to enrich them academically.

Lamm, who mentored the same student for two years and still keeps in touch with him, said the Project SEED participants are engaged because Tang doesnt hold them back from research.

The students actually get to be hands-on, which I believe really shows in their confidence and excitement progresses over the summer, she said.
Opportunities for Italian and Libyan enterprises, Italian PM 'Combine formats to enable dialogue'

(ANSAmed) - ROME, MARCH 22 - "We will work together for new opportunities for our businesses, bringing together formats enabling Libyan businesses and the economic world to work with us and create new opportunities on both fronts," Italian Foreign Minister Luigi Di Maio said Sunday after visiting Tripoli.



"One year after the Berlin Conference, which Italy backed, we have a different Libya, with united institutions that represent the entire country. At this time Italy is the top interlocutor - it has a longstanding friendship with the Libyan population - and today I am the first EU foreign minister to go to Libya and meet with the new institutions," he added. (ANSAmed).





A new agri-tech company aims to ease pressures on seasonal labour by introducing self-driving mini tractors to farms.

The availability of agricultural workers is a growing concern for farmers and growers since the UK left the European Union.

Kernow Robotics, founded in 2019, aims to ease this pressure by rolling out a fleet of self-driving farms across the country.

Having gained experience of fruit picking robots when working with Fieldwork Robotics, founder Ben Green saw potential to overcome the labour issue.

"This pressure is unlikely to change so we started looking at using robots for tasks instead, Mr Green explained.

With Brexit restricting availability of seasonal workers from abroad, labour shortages have been an ongoing trend, he noted.

I think Cornwall got 200 workers on the new seasonal worker scheme, which is enough for one daffodil farm  nowhere near the requirements.

However, the robot is not necessarily designed to replace jobs, but to supplement them: For example, you wouldnt pay someone to walk around a field scaring crows all day but with a mobile robot theres no cost, Mr Green said.

He added: For precision spraying you can have a small robot driving over every row of vegetables with a camera that specifically identifies a weed and has a nozzle to spray it.

Chemical usage could be cut down to more sustainable levels. Thats the exciting bit for us because were enabling brand new schools of thought on how we can approach these barriers that have always seemed insurmountable.

The first prototype could be up and running by the end of April, with the machine ready to hit the commercial market in three years, priced at around 10,000.

Kernow Robotics is now looking to form partnerships with local producers and farmers, to work together while generating interest about what the robots can do.

The firm plans to offer the whole service as a package, in which the farmer will contract the team to bring robots to a field and oversee the process, without the farmer needing to be there or having to shell out for the robot itself.

Beginning with local challenges, Kernow Robotics will focus on how the machines can help Cornish daffodil farmers before looking into options on livestock farms.

As the firm goes forward, Mr Green said it would discover more uses for the machines, such as robotic monitoring for calving or lambing.

"The robot will be able to identify when an animal is in labour and send a message to the farmer in case it needs assistance," he added.

Im really focussing on local problems and helping local farmers  I hope to make a real difference to the future of Cornish farming.
Will the cult of Anthony Fauci ever end?

First it was Fauci underwear, branded by TMZ in its SEO link as a "hot commodity trend" and reported to be a "huge online seller." Then it was Fauci socks, branding him a "hero." There were Fauci face masks. There was a Fauci Fan Club on Twitter, which is still up, its pinned tweet showing Fauci apparently leaning down to kiss a dog. There also was nomination of Fauci petition for People magazine's sexiest man alive. And this idiocy about how Fauci, plus New York's disgraced Gov. Andrew Cuomo and California's about to be booted Gov. Gavin Newsom, form a "dream team" of rulers for us ignorant masses.

Now the Fauci cult is spreading like an infectious disease into storybooks for kids, undoubtedly fodder for the next drag queen story hour.

According to Business Insider:

A children's book about the life of Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation's leading infectious-diseases expert, is set to be published June 29, publisher Simon & Schuster said Sunday. The book, titled "How a boy from Brooklyn became America's doctor," will detail Fauci's life from his childhood in New York through medical school, to ultimately working alongside seven US presidents, including President Joe Biden, the publisher said. "His father and immigrant grandfather taught Anthony to ask questions, consider all the data, and never give up  and Anthony's ability to stay curious and to communicate with people would serve him his entire life," the book description says. Kate Messner, the book's author, told CNN Business that "before Tony Fauci was America's doctor, he was a kid with a million questions, about everything from the tropical fish in his bedroom to the things he was taught in Sunday school."

The lefties will lap it up.

Seems there's nothing off limits to this cult's praise of Anthony Fauci.

The storybook is particularly obnoxious, as it involves indoctrinating kids into considering Fauci is a hero, which is pretty much opposite of the case.

Fauci is a hack, a political hack, whose every decision on COVID-19 was either wrong or grossly behind the curve of conventional wisdom. Far from being much of an expert as he is billed, he's made some very ignorant calls, for example on wearing masks and taking cruise travel, that have had to be walked back in order to keep himself from looking stupid, or else stubbornly stuck to, such as lockdowns and no pandemic end, no matter what the consequences of society. And he's well known for sucking up to Democrat politicians as well as loudly criticizing President Trump.

Glenn Reynolds, of Instapundit, wrote a few days ago in his New York Post column:

Fauci also told us last April that it would be at least a year to 18 months before we saw a vaccine, when in fact one was deployed as early as November of the same year. When asked about herd immunity, Fauci moved the goalposts, when experts were saying that the threshold for herd immunity was 60 percent of the population being vaccinated or immune. Then he revised the number up to 70, 75 and eventually 85. Why? As Fauci admitted, he was manipulating us: "When polls said only about half of all Americans would take a vaccine, I was saying herd immunity would take 70 to 75 percent. ... Then, when newer surveys said 60 percent or more would take it, I thought, 'I can nudge this up a bit,' so I went to 80, 85." People noticed, partly because he was bragging to a New York Times reporter when he said that. Likewise, lockdowns were widely prescribed, and continue to be, even though the World Health Organization admits they don't work. (A recent paper in Nature came to the same conclusion.) Where's the science?

I commented on that here.

That's a lot of wrongness. Fauci is a medical bureaucrat who has expanded his power in the name of bigger government and only managed to bumble, blunder, and hamper medical science along the way. He didn't achieve anything during this pandemic, other than holding onto his job.

Now the Fauci culties are holding him up as a hero to entirely innocent children. Heroic how?

It's sad stuff, because the lefties will lap it up. What the kids won't get are stories of real heroes, people who made a difference, people who did extraordinary things in their times, people to look up to.

One who is, and who is in the news now because he just died, is the truly heroic yet little known Glynn Lunney, flight director of NASA during the stunning space rescue of the three American astronauts on the ill fated Apollo 13. If you can remember the year 1970, you can probably remember praying as a kid for the poor astronauts who had an explosion on their rocket ship and were facing the terrifying prospect of running out of air and being left in outer space forever. Stuff like that scares kids, and this incident scared everyone. Even the pope was praying for the astronauts up there in limbo. Lunney was the little pocket-protector guy who had the brains to figured out on the fly and, with no bureaucrat manual, how to mobilize the great space apparatus the United States built to bring the three American astronaut heroes back alive.

Like Fauci, Lunney was a bureaucrat, but unlike Fauci, he really was heroic. Fauci has no such comparable feats, yet somehow, he's starring in a storybook for kids, while Lunney isn't.

It's likely that Lunney was featured in the movie Apollo 13, an exhilarating film of how the impossible rescue was achieved, which incidentally was a feat that added amazing luster to America's reputation and standing in the world. Compare and contrast that to Fauci and pals' miserable handing of the coronavirus, which included lockdowns, school closures, shifting goal posts in the name of extending the pandemic, suppression of medicines that work such as hydroxychloroquine, and the world's highest coronavirus death toll at around 500,000, which put the U.S. to shame in comparison to poor African and Latin American countries, where those medicines were available over the counter and whose nations had no big death tolls as a result.

Hero? Not Fauci. Blundering bureaucrat, with some kind of "god" complex and a disgusting talent for self-promotion, especially to the left. He's a hero to them for opposing lockstep Donald Trump, which to leftists is virtue enough. Maybe he will join that triumvirate Cuomo and Newsom on the path to oblivion now, as his uses are peaking.

But so long as publishers are now mythifying him as a hero, the cult extends, and Fauci emerges as a fugazi hero. This storybook thing for kids is nothing but political indoctrination for a very unworthy hero. It's a shame that kids get this slop instead of books about real heroes.

Image: Official photo, public domain, filtered with FotoSketcher.
OSU students sue university for payback of tuition and fees for loss of access to on-campus amenities, in-person education and more

Students at Oregon State University filed a class-action lawsuit against OSU and its board of trustees, demanding repayment for tuition and other mandatory fees citing the universitys COVID-19 campus closure and transition to online learning, according to attorneys at Hagens Berman representing the proposed class.

If you are paying for college tuition, and/or room and board at any U.S. college or university closed due to COVID-19, find out more about the lawsuit and your rights.

The lawsuit was filed Mar. 5, 2021, in the Circuit Court for the state of Oregon, Multnomah County, and accuses the university of breach of contract and unjust enrichment. The law firm representing the student has also brought similar lawsuits against Boston University, Brandeis University, Brown University, Emory University, George Washington University, Harvard University, Hofstra University, University of Miami, New York University, Pepperdine University, Quinnipiac University, Rutgers University, University of Oregon, University of Southern California, Vanderbilt University, University of Washington and Washington University in St. Louis for failure to repay tuition-payers for their losses.

"So much of a college students educational experience involves hands-on, in-person access to campus events, facilities, instruction and collaboration," said Steve Berman, managing partner of Hagens Berman and attorney for students in the class action. "We believe that when OSU closed its campus, transitioning to online-only classes, it barred tuition payers from the very things they paid for, and in our opinion, they deserve repayment."

The complaint reads, "Despite sending students home, transitioning to online instruction, and closing its campuses, Oregon State University continued to charge for tuition, and/or fees as if nothing changed, continuing to reap the financial benefit of millions of dollars from students. OSU did so despite students complete inability to continue school as normal, occupy campus buildings and dormitories, or avail themselves of school programs and events."

Story continues

The students bringing the lawsuit states that they paid OSU for "opportunities and services they did not receive, including on-campus education, facilities, services, and activities."

"Plaintiffs applied to the University and accepted its offer of admission understanding that it constituted an offer for in-person classes for the duration of the undergraduate or graduate period for which they were offered enrollment," according to the lawsuit. "While Plaintiffs could have pursued their degrees exclusively online, they instead specifically selected an on-campus experience for the variety of educational and extracurricular opportunities and benefits that only an in-person program can provide."

The lawsuit highlights that the plaintiffs enrolled to obtain in-person, on-campus instruction including ability to attend professors office hours and access campus amenities and faculty mentorship.

Other Affected Universities

Hagens Berman is investigating the rights of those who are currently paying for tuition and fees at all U.S. colleges and universities that have been forced to close and offer online only courses due to the outbreak of COVID-19. This may include parents, guardians or college students who are paying for their own costs of college.

Despite orders from colleges and universities sending students home and offering only online courses, these institutions of higher learning continued to charge for full tuition and fees. Collectively, these institutions are continuing to receive millions from students despite their inability to continue school as normal or occupy campus buildings and/or dorms.

Find out more about the class-action lawsuit against colleges and universities for tuition, room and board and other costs incurred during the outbreak of COVID-19.

About Hagens Berman

Hagens Berman Sobol Shapiro LLP is a consumer-rights class-action law firm with 10 offices worldwide. The firms tenacious drive for plaintiffs rights has earned it numerous national accolades, awards and titles of "Most Feared Plaintiffs Firm," MVPs and Trailblazers of class-action law. More about the law firm and its successes can be found at www.hbsslaw.com. Follow the firm for updates and news at @ClassActionLaw.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210322005746/en/

Contacts

Media

Ashley Klann

pr@hbsslaw.com

206-268-9363
Jerusalem, March 22 : Israel has lifted a restriction on the number of incoming and outgoing passengers at the airport after the Supreme Court ruled that the two-month-long measure has been "unconstitutional".

The coronavirus cabinet decided on Saturday night to lift a measure that restricted the number of arrivals at Israel's international Ben Gurion Airport to 3,000 per day, effective from midnight between Saturday and Sunday, a government statement said on Sunday, Xinhua news agency reported.

The number of inbound and outbound flights on a daily basis at the airport will be limited in accordance with "the effective capacity of the airport and the need to keep the coronavirus requirements of social distancing and the need to carry out tests," according to the statement.

"The obligation to measure heat for passengers at the entrance to the terminal and before boarding will be cancelled," said the statement.
After 2 decades, the IRDAI has proposed a modification to its regulations on advertising insurance products in India. What are the existing regulations? What are the modifications proposed by IRDAI? What are the Dos and Donts that govern advertising in the Insurance sector? Part 26 of the series of articles on Misleading Ads by Advocate Aazmeen Kasad is the third part of a series on Advertising in the Insurance sector in India, and serves to demystify and provide an in-depth understanding of what the law on the same is for advertisements through the Internet or electronic media, how claims related to rating/ ranking and awards should be made, how joint-sale advertisements or co-branding can be engaged in by insurance companies, etc.

The Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (IRDAI) has notified that Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority (Insurance Advertisements and Disclosure) Regulations, 2000 (Regulation), the Master Circular on Insurance Advertisements, the Consumer Protection Act, 2019 and the Advertising Standard Council of Indias Code on Self-Regulation in Advertising, to protect the interests of the public, enhance their level of confidence on the nature of sales material used and ultimately encourage fair business practices.

Also read:

The Dos and Donts that govern advertising in the Insurance sector



These provisions are to be complied with by all insurers (life insurers, non-life insurers and health insurers), agents, point of sales persons, motor insurance service providers and insurance intermediaries.

Provisions applicable to published advertisements apply equally to advertising through electronic media, that is, advertisements through a telephonic interactive mode or on the Internet.

Internet

Insurance Advertisements should ensure that the following rules prescribed by the IRDAI are complied with:

In case of communications on/through the Internet, an insurer should ensure that the recipients/viewers have the opportunity to view the full text of the relevant key features; terms and conditions; any other applicable risk information required by these guidelines and they shall not be hidden away in the body of the text. It shall be easily obtained, before any application form is offered. In case of e-mail communications there should be a provision to unsubscribe from the mailing list. Text, graphics, hyperlinks and sound should be entirely consistent with all the specified requirements. Insurers should take an undertaking from the prospective policyholders that they have read the entire text, features, disclosures, terms and conditions, etc., while applying for insurance online. Mandatory provision of a helpline or help number to further provide all information that a policyholder would reasonably expect. Insurers should provide a hard copy of the necessary information on request.

Telephonic Interactive Mode:

Promotional activities through cold-calls shall be preferably by a licensed intermediary. In case it is done by other than licensedintermediary, responsibility of compliance with the advertisement regulations and the related circulars/ guidelines vests with the insurer/ intermediary that has outsourced this activity. The telephone caller shall take necessary steps to ensure that they do not intrude into the privacy of the receiver. They should disclose their identity and proceed to converse only after permission. A reference on the access to full information about the available products and the importance of financial need analysis along with the contact phone numbers which can provide such information shall be placed before closing the call. Every insurer shall facilitate an access to do not call registry with the contact numbers of the persons who wish not to be contacted, which should be referred to, before every call.

Spurious Phone Calls and Fictitious/ Fraudulent Offers

All Life Insurers should mandatorily flash on the Home Page of their websites, the following Public Notice issued by IRDAI cautioning the general public about spurious calls and fictitious offers. This may also be inserted in a box item prominently at the end of all their product advertisements in print media, including pamphlets, publicity material, etc., with a view to educate the customers on the role of Regulator and also caution the public on spurious calls.

BEWARE OF SPURIOUS PHONE CALLS AND FICTIOUS/ FRADULENT OFFERS

IRDAI is not involved in activities like selling insurance policies, announcing bonus or investment of premiums. Public receiving such phone calls are requested to lodge a police complaint.

Joint Sale Advertisements (JS)

Any insurance advertisement brought out jointly by an insurer either with its corporate agent or with a micro-insurance agent constitutes a Joint Sale ad and such ads could relate to promotional activities where the logo/ trademark/ trade names of the participating parties are displayed jointly.

Joint sale advertisements in the nature of Insurance advertisements can be released without prior approval of the IRDAI in accordance to the applicable regulations/ circular provisions and file the same along with a certificate from the appointed Actuary that it presents the same features of the product. All the joint Sale Advertisements released shall be filed separately specifically mentioning therein that the Advertisements filed are Joint Sale Advertisements.

Branding with Third parties

Third parties (any individual/ association/ entity other than insurance intermediary)s branding can be used on any advertisement of insurer/ intermediary only when it does not urge the prospect or a policyholder to purchase, renew, increase, retain or modify a policy of insurance.

An exemption is, however, given to insurance schemes sponsored/ subsidised by Central/ State government (s) in which case branding is permissible in any category of advertisements.

The onus vests with the insurer as to the compliance requirements of the Advertisement Regulations and the related circulars/ provisions issued from time to time, in such cases.

Rating/ Ranking/ Awards

Any claim of rating/ award should be based only on those declared by entities which are independent of the insurers and its affiliates. Insurers and its affiliates should not procure services from such independent entities so as to get a rating/ award.

The source of such rating/ award is to be disclosed conspicuously and legibly in such advertisements.

No claim of ranking by Insurer, as regards its position in the insurance market, based on any criteria (like premium income or number of policies or branches or claims settlements etc.,) is permissible in any of the advertisements.

3.1 Life insurers shall use/ publish only Annual Figures of Death Claims paid ratios, based on the number of policies alone. These figures shall reflect the entire financial year and shall be based upon:

 Latest IRDAI Annual Report (or)

 Latest Annual Audited final figures submitted to the IRDAI

3.1.1 If an Insurance Advertisement contains Death Claims paid ratio, then the data for individual and group polices shall not be clubbed together. The Insurance Advertisements for group products shall reflect only group Death Claims paid ratio and individual products shall reflect only individual Death Claims paid ratio. In case of advertisements promoting the Companys brand without reference to products, only individual death claims paid ratio be used.

3.1.2 The method of calculation for arrival of Death Claims paid ratios for a financial year shall be as followed for reporting in the IRDAI Annual Report.

No other information related to death claim payments than what is specified above shall be used as part of any Insurance Advertisement/s.

Under the Consumer Protection Act, the Central Consumer Protection Authority will regulate matters relating to violation of rights of consumers, unfair trade practices and false or misleading advertisements which are prejudicial to the interests of public and consumers to promote, protect and enforce the rights of consumers. This Authority is headquartered in the National Capital Region of Delhi and may have regional and other offices across India.

A complaint relating to any false or misleading advertisements may be forwarded either in writing or in electronic mode, to any one of the authorities, namely, the District Collector or the Commissioner of regional office or the Central Authority. After a preliminary enquiry is made, if the Central Authority is satisfied that a prima facie case exists, an investigation shall be conducted.

Where the Central Authority is satisfied after conducting the investigation that the advertisement for which a complaint is received is false or misleading and is prejudicial to the interest of any consumer or is in contravention of consumer rights, it may, by order, issue directions to the concerned trader or manufacturer or endorser or advertiser or publisher, as the case may be, to discontinue such advertisement or to modify the same in such manner and within such time as may be specified in that order. If the Central Authority is of the opinion that it is necessary to impose a penalty in respect of such false or misleading advertisement, by a manufacturer or an endorser, it may, by order, impose on manufacturer or celebrity endorser a penalty which may extend to Rs 10 lakh: Provided that the Central Authority may, for every subsequent contravention by a manufacturer or endorser, impose a penalty, which may extend to Rs 50 lakh. Additionally, where the Central Authority deems it necessary, it may, by order, prohibit the celebrity endorser of a false or misleading advertisement from making endorsement of any product or service for a period which may extend to one year: For every subsequent contravention, prohibit such endorser from making endorsement in respect of any product or service for a period which may extend to three years. Where the Central Authority is satisfied after conducting an investigation, that any person is found to publish, or is a party to the publication of a misleading advertisement, except in the ordinary course of his business, it may impose on such person a penalty which may extend to Rs 10 lakh. The defence that the false or misleading advertisement was published in the ordinary course of business shall not be available to such person if he had previous knowledge of the order passed by the Central Authority for withdrawal or modification of such advertisement.

In light of the newly introduced provisions under the Act which came into force from July 20, 2020, it is advisable for both the advertisers and the endorsers to exercise caution in the claims that form part of the advertisement of the goods/ services. The ensuing Parts of the series will pertain to various aspects of what constitutes Misleading Advertising and key judicial precedents on the same.

Advocate Aazmeen Kasad is a practicing corporate advocate with over 20 years of experience, with a focus on the Media, Technology and Telecom industries. She is also a professor of law since 14 years. She is a member of the Consumer Complaints Council of the Advertising Standards Council of India. She is a speaker at several forums.
Authorities on Monday identified 58-year-old John Hebert as the person who was killed during a fire in Ware on Friday.

Officials said on Saturday that the cause of the fire at the single-family home at 502 Palmer Road was accidental.

Firefighters responded to an alarm at about 7:20 p.m. on Friday and extinguished the flames shortly after. Hebert was found inside the home and first aid was attempted, authorities aid.

Fire investigators ruled out electrical faults as a cause of the fire but noted an area in the basement where smoking and candle use was evident.

Investigators also said that the homes smoke alarms appeared to be more than 10 years old and apparently inoperative.

Fire investigators with the Ware Fire and Police departments and Massachusetts State Police troopers assigned to the State Fire Marshals Office and the Northwest District Attorneys Office participated in the investigation. The state Department of Fire Services and the State Police Crime Scene Services Unit assisted.
We did nothing wrong, say police

THAILAND: Police have defended their harsh actions against protesters at Sanam Luang on Saturday night (Mar 20) amid mounting criticism from activists and academics.

politicsviolencepolice

By Bangkok Post

Monday 22 March 2021, 10:06AM

Police say protesters started the violence. Photo: AFP.

The violence left 20 people, including three reporters, and 13 police injured, according to the Erawan Medical Centre. A reporter from Channel 8 TV was hit in the head with a rubber bullet. About 20 protesters were arrested for breaking public gathering laws and insulting the monarchy.

Police insisted yesterday that their operations using batons, rubber bullets, tear gas and water cannon were in accordance with international standards.

Violence originated from the protesters side and police have to defend the law and protect state assets, said a deputy commissioner and spokesman for the Metropolitan Police Bureau.

Police faced a firestorm of criticism after a video clip showing police chasing protesters and hitting them with batons to subdue resisting protesters went viral.

One of the protesters was hit after he fell down with others fleeing police in riot gear. Some protesters abandoned their motorcycles. Another video showed people taking refuge from tear gas in a restaurant.

The incident in the clip took place about 10pm at Chaloem Wanchat Bridge in Bang Lamphu area. Police said they fired tear gas after some protesters hurled Molotov cocktails at them.

Police then decided to arrest them and eight people were nabbed at the scene.

However, protesters slammed police for causing the violence.

Violence came from them [police] as they used tear gas and water cannons before protesters did anything, said activist Rukchanok Srinork, 27, who was at the rally. They have helmets, shields, crowd control training. If there is a stone thrown, raise your shields.

Prinya Thaewanarumitkul, deputy rector at Thammasat University who is a legal scholar, said authorities shooting rubber bullets was problematic.

A screen capture from a video clip which has gone viral shows a protester being attacked by anti-riot police on Chaloem Wanchat Bridge on Saturday night.

He said their method of shooting rubber bullets violated a universal guideline on deploying kinetic impact projectile weapons by the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR).

According to the OHCHR guideline, guns must be aimed below the abdomen or the legs, but as far as I can see, the guns were parallel to the ground which was unlawful as it could cause people [to lose their] lives.

They also deployed the weapons when people were about to disperse, and towards journalists, he said. Some injured people were hit by bullets in the temple, chest and upper torso.

Six media organisations yesterday called on both protesters and riot police to refrain from using weapons and force and provoking violence. They urged journalists covering such conflicts to ensure their own safety.

Once again every reporter and cameraman covering a political rally should wear a press armband any time they go out to work.

After all, the arm band doesnt guarantee their safety but their [police] protective gear does, said the groups in joint remarks.

The six organisations were the National Press Council of Thailand, the News Broadcasting Council of Thailand, the Thai Journalists Association (TJA), the Thai Broadcast Journalists Association (TBJA), the Online News Providers Association, and the National Union of Journalists, Thailand.

National Human Rights Commissioner of Thailand Prakairat Tanteerawong said the NHRC would hold a meeting on the issue today.
Some investors have started distancing themselves from Dispo, a fast-growing photo-sharing app, after its co-founder, the YouTube creator David Dobrik, became embroiled in controversy.

Dispo, which launched in 2019, is a photo-based social platform similar to Instagram that mimics the experience of using a disposable camera. Photos taken through the Dispo app take 24 hours to develop and appear on a users feed.

In October, Dispo raised $4 million in a funding round led by Seven Seven Six, the firm of Alexis Ohanian, the Reddit co-founder. In February, the company garnered an additional $20 million in a financing led by Spark Capital; the funding valued Dispo at $200 million.

But in an investigation by Insider that published last week, Mr. Dobrik was accused of playing a role in a sexual assault scandal involving a former member of his Vlog Squad. He later told The Information that he would leave Dispo and step down from its board. And some of Dispos investors have also started backing away.
Queen Maxima of the Netherlands looked very much the lady in red during a visit to the Dutch Dance Theatre in The Hague on Tuesday.

The royal, 49, cut a stylish figure in a smart red blouse featuring drape detail, which she tucked into a below-the-knee maroon-coloured leather skirt and paired with matching stilettos by Gianvito Rossi.

During the working visit, the mother-of-three, who put safety first in a matching red face mask, learned how the dance company were surviving amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

She also heard how the company is working on maintaining quality and launching online programming throughout the crisis.

Queen Maxima of the Netherlands, 49, looked very much the lady in red during a visit to the Dutch Dance Theater in The Hague today (pictured)

The working visit was devoted to the question of how the dance company can survive the Covid-19 pandemic. Pictured, Queen Maxima of the Netherlands

Queen Maxima opted to wear her blonde hair down and kept her makeup minimal - with just a touch of pink blusher on her cheeks and mascara on her eyelashes.

She accessorised with a pair of statement purple and turquoise dangling earrings and red clutch bag.

The visit came as the dance theatre prepared for their upcoming production, 'Mist,' which was not able to take place in May 2020 due to the pandemic, but is set to premiere virtually in May 2021.

The Dutch contemporary dance company is based at the Lucent Danstheater in The Hague, but artists perform all over - including venues in the Netherlands, such as Amsterdam's Het Muziektheater and Nijmegen's Stadsschouwburg.

During the working visit, the mother-of-three put safety first in a red face mask which coordinated with her ensemble (pictured)

The royal spoke to performers and learned how the dance company were surviving amid the COVID-19 pandemic (pictured)

The royal (pictured) cut a stylish figure in a smart red blouse featuring drape detail, which she tucked into a below-the-knee maroon leather skirt

Queen Maxima (pictured) opted to wear her blonde hair down and kept her makeup minimal - with just a touch of pink blusher on her cheeks and mascara on her eyelashes

Queen Maxima of The Netherlands visited the Netherlands Dance Theatre to be informed about the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on the dance group

The royal accessorised with a pair of statement turquoise and purple earrings for the working visit

During her visit, the royal also visited the costume department and engaged in conversation with the head of the atelier to learn all about the design process for each performance.

It comes weeks after King Willem-Alexanderand Queen Maxima delighted royal fans with a playful snap recreating their engagement.

Having celebrated their 19th wedding anniversary two weeks earlier by sharing throwback pictures of their big day, the couple shared an intimate and playful picture on Instagram, showing the King down on one knee on a frozen pond at Huis Ten Bosch Palace in The Hague.

The couple, who share three daughters, got engaged in March 2001 and tied the knot in a grandiose ceremony in February 2002.

'More than 20 years later, same place. Enjoy on the ice,' the couple wrote, sharing the picture on the official Instagram account of the Dutch royal court.

The visit came as the dance theatre prepared for their upcoming production, 'Mist,' which was not able to take place in May 2020 due to the pandemic (pictured)

The production of 'Mist' is set to premiere virtually in May 2021 - a year later than initially planned. Pictured, Queen Maxima

During her visit, the royal (pictured) also visited the costume department and engaged in conversation with the head of the atelier to learn all about the design process for each performance

The Dutch contemporary dance company is based at the Lucent Danstheater in The Hague. Pictured, Queen Maxima watching a dance performance

The dancers (pictured) also perform all over - including venues in the Netherlands, such as Amsterdam's Het Muziektheater and Nijmegen's Stadsschouwburg

The beaming couple, who've been together for more than two decades, looked relaxed in casual winter clothes as they took to the ice.

Willem-Alexander, wearing a navy blue beanie hat, a blue puffer jacket and a pair of jeans got on one knee, as he did when he asked Maxima to marry him nearly 20 years ago.

Maxima, wearing a similar outfit to her husband's and donning a similar beanie hat, smiled as he grabbed her glove-clad hand to re-enact the moment.

At the time, the fact that Maxima, who was a 28-year-old economist, was the daughter of Jorge Zorreguieta, who served as Secretary of Agriculture under General Jorge Rafael Videla, during Argentina's military dictatorship raised eyebrows.

Hello Magazine reported in 2016 that Willem-Alexander put his foot down and was so set on marrying Maxima he was ready to renounce the throne to be her husband.

Maxima, who was born in Buenos Aires endeared herself to the Dutch people thanks to her warm personality and the nuptials went ahead on February 2 2002 at Nieuwe Kerk in Amsterdam church.

The mother-of-three was treated to a performance by the skilled dancers during the working visit today

The royal made the working visit to learn how the dance company (pictured) were surviving amid the COVID-19 pandemic

On the day, the bride wore a beautiful gown by Valentino, which bears some similarities to the Givenchy wedding dress Meghan Markle wore on the day she tied the knot with Prince Harry in 2018.

Made of ivory mikado silk and with a cowl neckline and three-quarter sleeves just like the Duchess of Sussex's, the dress also had a 16.4ft lace train.

Maxima topped off the look with a diamond tiara and a beautiful lace veil.

Willem wore his navy uniform, decorated with the Accession Medal 1980, ribbon and star of a Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Lion of the Netherlands, the Officer's Cross and star of a Knight of the House Order of the Golden Lion of Nassau.

Willem-Alexander became King of the Netherlands in April 2013 following the abdication of his mother Queen Beatrix.

The couple have been married for 19 years and celebrated their Bronze wedding anniversary on February 2.

They have three daughters: Princess Catharina-Amalia, 17, Princess Alexia, 15, and Princess Ariane, 13.
Immediately after the International Criminal Court Pre-Trial Chamber and Prosecutor rendered the decisions to open an investigation into the territories of the West Bank, Gaza and east Jerusalem, the Israeli government issued a number of counter narratives. Looking more specifically at Israels Facebook page in France, and the Prime Ministers official statement available online in English, these narratives can be divided into two kinds of discourses: delegitimizing and dialoging narratives.

Among the delegitimizing discourses appears the victimhood argument, which is based on strong individual and collective emotions. It is portrayed with the help of an image of a Nazi camp, and it goes as follows: the ICC was established in order to prosecute Nazi-like crime, mass atrocities that profoundly shocked humanitys conscience, of which the Jewish people were the victims.

Screenshot of Israelis government video online explaining why the ICCs investigation is illegitimate. The Court was created to address mass atrocities that profoundly shock the conscience of humanity.

According to this framing, having been the victims of Nazi crimes, the Jewish people are the only and perpetual victims (of the Nazis in Europe and/or of terrorism in Israel), and therefore the Jewish state is not  and cannot  be a perpetrator. Thus, if the ICC is going after Israel, it is because it is an anti-Semitic institution, against which Israel needs to protect itself.

Engaging the ICC while not officially cooperating with it

A second delegitimizing argument that also requires Israel to protect itself is the politicization of the court, its double standards and its use by anti-Israeli forces that want to destroy it. This argument is constructed as follows: while the ICC refuses to investigate crimes committed in Syria and Iran, where real crimes are committed on a daily basis, it goes against Israel  the only democracy in the Middle East  to look for fake war crimes. This shows that the ICC is not a court, but a political body, which is being used as an anti-Israel propaganda tool. To conclude, Israels Prime Minister states that we will fight this perversion of justice with all our might, taking a similar tone to former US President Trump.

A different set of arguments are the dialoging/engaging arguments. Among those, Israel advances legal (and political) arguments challenging the decisions of the court in the exercising of its competences while arguing that the Palestinian authority is not a state and, as Israel has not ratified the Rome Statute, the ICC founding treaty, it lacks jurisdiction. It highlights, in particular, the dissenting opinion of the judge from Hungary in the ICC Pre-Trial Chamber decision. By doing so, it addresses legal considerations and engages with the ICC on the merits. Indeed, although not officially collaborating with the ICC, Israel has been engaged with the court for many years. Among many examples are the diplomatic efforts that Israel carried out in order to convince states and other relevant parties to submit to the ICC Pre-Trial Chamber an amicus curiae, when it was considering the question of territorial jurisdiction. Another example is the detailed 34-page legal memorandum regarding the competence of the ICC by the Israeli Advocate General published in December 2019.

Another set of arguments, from an institutional point of view, state that the ICC was not created for democracies with a functioning legal system, opening the door for complementarity. This is indeed a challenging question for the ICC: does it also exist for democratic states?

Taking the ICC threat seriously

Israel is situating itself in between negating the basic legitimacy of the court and actively engaging and exchanging in an open dialogue about legal questions. In comparison with other rule of law states such as the US and the UK, which have found themselves in a similar situation of being examined at the ICC, the reaction of Israel can be situated in the middle of the delegitimizing-cooperating scale. On one extreme of this scale is a position of total delegitimation  as we saw with the harsh reaction of the US following the decision of the ICC prosecutor to open an investigation into Afghanistan, without any legal dialogue on the case itself (The United States will use any means necessary to protect our citizens and those of our allies from unjust prosecution by this illegitimate court) and including imposing personal sanctions on the ICC Prosecutor. At the other extreme, is the cooperation of a member/supporting state in order to block ICC jurisdiction  as we saw with the UK, a European member state which supports the ICC. It collaborated with the court, and created a complex net of national inquiry mechanisms, which resulted in the recent closure of the preliminary investigation by the ICC prosecutor in December 2020, despite the lack of actual prosecutions in the UK.

Israel, like the US and UK, acts to prevent the ICC from exercising its competences, but they do this through different strategies. Indeed, when reviewing the Hebrew Israeli press, it becomes evident that Israeli officials take the ICC threat very seriously. It has been written in many press articles that secret arrest warrants may be issued, while mentioning a list of 200-300 persons that may be directly affected and thus prevented from going to ICC member states such as those in Europe.

Lessons for the Gaza case

As for the Gaza case, if it engages with the ICC, Israel could act as the UK did and address complementarity, while creating mechanisms for national investigations (as it already has in the past) and advancing legal defenses. Indeed, one of the lessons that arose following its non-cooperation with the two UN fact-finding missions was that Israel not being able to present its position and thus not being able to influence the decisions was harmful to its position. In this context, see the ICC Prosecutors referral to the Pre-Trial Chamber:

With respect to the admissibility of potential cases concerning crimes allegedly committed by members of the IDF [Israeli Defense Forces], the Office notes that due to limited accessible information in relation to proceedings that have been undertaken and the existence of pending proceedings in relation to other allegations, the Offices admissibility assessment in terms of the scope and genuineness of relevant domestic proceedings remains ongoing at this stage and will need to be kept under review in the context of an investigation. However, the Prosecution has concluded that the potential cases concerning crimes allegedly committed by members of Hamas and PAGs [Palestinian Authority in Gaza] would currently be admissible pursuant to article 17(1) (a)-(d) of the Statute.

Recommended reading Palestine Situation before the ICC: reflections and views of Israel

An exit strategy in the settlement case

The settlements case is, however, radically different. Here, complementarity would be irrelevant as Israeli governments and army have always supported them in a direct and explicit manner. Hence, the only possible legal way to block ICC competence is through the interest of justice (= the start of a transitional justice process). This was the case with Colombia, which had been under preliminary examination since 2003. The case did not proceed to investigation following national transitional justice processes and justice mechanisms, most notably the Special Jurisdiction for Peace. As stated by the Deputy Prosecutor of the ICC regarding The Role of the ICC in the Transitional Justice Process in Colombia:

The concept of transitional justice embraces a full range of processes that societies employ to deal with the legacy of past human rights abuses and to achieve accountability, justice and reconciliation. In the context of transitional justice, this assessment should be holistic: the criminal justice features of the system may be considered in the broader context of other relevant transitional justice mechanism.

It may therefore be useful to compare the Israeli and Colombian situations before the ICC as they are both engaged in a prolonged armed conflict with belligerents that are there to stay; it is not an extraterritorial armed conflict as is the case of the UK in Iraq or the US in Afghanistan. Hence, the only escape door could be the initiating of a transitional justice process  a positive option for both sides to move on productively. If this door is opened and the ICC triggers, along with other actors, the start of a transitional justice process, this is good news for all of the parties, including the ICC itself. Lets hope it does!
"Vincenzo" Episode 10 was intense! Vincenzo Cassano (Song Joong Ki) put his life in line to catch "Babo," or the real Babel Boss.

Warning: Huge spoilers ahead!

Knowing the possible culprits behind the plotted deaths of the victims' families and Director Gil Jong Moon in "Vincenzo" Episode 9, Hong Cha Young (Jeon Yeo Bin) and Vincenzo Cassano set out to gather evidence and to lure the real boss of Babel Group from his cave. Both rage and desire for revenge are evident in the two lawyers.

Vincenzo and Hong Cha Young Want Nothing but Revenge

The two protagonists want to bring justice to the victims' families. The prosecution ruled the case as suicide, but the Jipuragi squad believes it was murder, and Hong Cha Young knows that either the Babel Group or the Wusang Law Firm are the mastermind.

Vincenzo and Cha Young went to the police station to ask the detectives to re-investigate the case, but the latter shooed them away.

Meanwhile, Vincenzo wants to remain productive and not distracted. He thought of killing the people behind the deaths of their most cherished clients. Hong Cha Young, who made him swore back then that she doesn't want anyone to die, surprisingly agreed to it.

As they are both aware that the police in charge of the case were bribed to cover up the murders, Vincenzo tailed the two and caught them splitting stacks of cash. He beat the two policemen and tied them on to swivel chairs. Vincenzo threatened he will kick them down the solid ground if they don't re-investigate the case. He also told them to resign after handing them the evidence.

Hong Cha Young, who personally asked Vincenzo to save the last kick for her, made her entrance while clad in sneakers. She kicked the tied-up men, leaving them closer to the edge of the building. To save themselves from the situation, the two policemen agreed.

The Blossoming Romance Between Vincenzo and Hong Cha Young

Amidst their ongoing fight, Vincenzo and Hong Cha Young can't help but show care for each other. The female attorney currently stays on Vincenzo's apartment, and the two now has more moments to share.

After a tiring day, instead of sleeping at her house, Hong Cha Young decided to go to Vincenzo's apartment without him knowing. The two drank makgeolli until they fell asleep. Hong Cha Young then asked him again if he'd leave if they finally end their fight against the Babel Group, but Vincenzo didn't answer, a sign he is unsure anymore on what he'd do.

To help Vincenzo and Cha Young, the Geumga residents reunited and agreed to the brilliant idea of the lady lawyer. They set up a live-streamed news channel and hid their identity through masks. Via the televised talk show, they revealed the corruption of Babel and Wusang.

Meanwhile, Choi Myung Hee (Kim Yeo Jin), Mr. Han (Jo Han Chul), Jang Han Seo (Kwak Dong Yeon), and Jang Jun Woo (2PM's Ok Taekyeon) squad watched the talk show. Jang Jun Woo believes Vincenzo and Hong Cha Young are trying to lure him out.

The next day, Choi Myung Hee, Mr. Han, Jang Han Seo received threats from a person with the name initial of "C." Jang Jun Woo was informed about the threats and became curious.

After he requested a background check on Vincenzo, Jang Jun Woo discovered he was in one of the deadliest mafias in Italy. This served as a sign for him to come up with a better and careful plan to take him down.

Unexpected Hero Appeared in Geumga Plaza

A new gang was hired by the Babel Group to force and threaten the tenants of Geumga Plaza to move out. They used violence, making the residents terrified to fight back. But when they dragged Seo Mi Ri (Kim Yoon Hye) by her hair and was about to assault her, Tak Hong Sik (Choi Duk Moon) appeared holding his scissor, which he always uses in his dry cleaning shop.

What he did next amazed the tenants as this was the first time they saw him in action. Mr. Tak scuffled with them like a real fighter, and managed to take them all down.

Vincenzo's True Color Starts to Come Out

There is no way that could stop Vincenzo from doing his thing. After publicizing the evidence, via a new live stream, that the victims' families were murdered, he took the matter in his own hands to lure "Babo" out. He exchanged gunshots with three attackers and he successfully won over them.

Vincenzo asked one of the attackers who their real boss is, but Hong Cha Youn, Jang Jun Woo, Mr. Nam (Yoon Byung Hee), and Lee Cheol Wook (Yang Kyung Won) arrived.

Hong Cha Young, with tears in her eyes, rushed towards the mafia lawyer to hug him - and he hugged her back.

Vincenzo then confessed he already knows who the real owner of Babel Group is, and the two looked intently at Jang Jun Woo.

We truly can't wait for the next weekend! Check out the preview for "Vincenzo" Episode 11 here!

Have you watched "Vincenzo" Episode 10? What are you most excited about the upcoming episodes? 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
Facebook said it deleted accounts intended for targeted audiences in the southern provinces of Thailand, where Muslim insurgent groups fight with the Thai military.

Facebook announced that it has removed 185 military-run Thailand accounts and groups  the first time the US content-sharing company has removed accounts linked to the Thai government.

Accounts were removed after Facebook found evidence of coordinated inauthentic behavior on the platform which included 77 accounts, 72 pages and 18 groups on Facebook and 18 accounts on Instagram.

Those accounts targeted audiences in the southern provinces of Thailand, where a decade long conflict opposes Muslim insurgent groups to Thai military to demand independence.
Press Release

22 March 2021

More than 400 tourism leaders and industry gurus gathered in Bangkok today - in a safe and socially-distanced format - for the 10th annual edition of the Thailand Tourism Forum 2021 (TTF), Thailand's premier travel, tourism and hospitality powwow.



Hosted at Conrad Hotel Bangkok on Monday 22nd March 2021, and organised by C9 Hotelworks hospitality consulting group, this year's TTF took place amid the biggest crisis tourism has ever faced: the COVID-19 global pandemic. Against this unprecedented upheaval, many of Thailand's leading hotel operators and other key players came together under the #ThaiTourismUnited banner, creating a single unified voice to drive the Kingdom's recovery.



Despite the challenges faced by hoteliers and tourism providers in Thailand this year, registrations for TTF 2021 were full in three hours for the in-person event during which guests were presented with a content-packed agenda featuring some of industry's most respected figures, including owners, presidents and chief executives.



The event kicked off with a "Thai Hotel Leaders' Roundtable" discussion which saw the CEOs of Thailand's biggest hotel groups discuss ways to revive the country's tourism and hospitality sectors. The top-level debate included Thirayuth Chirathivat, CEO of Centara Hotels & Resorts; Stephan Vanden Auweele, Chief Hospitality Group Officer of Asset World Corporation; Bill Heinecke, CEO of Minor International; Dirk De Cuyper, CEO of S Hotels & Resorts; Marisa Sukosol, President of the Thai Hotels Association; and Salanroj Sutaschuto, Director of the Central and Eastern Regional Office of the Thailand Convention & Exhibition Bureau.



Bill Barnett, Managing Director of C9 Hotelworks, kickstarted TTF 2021 in his own inimitable style, with an opening address entitled "Lost in Thailand, The Ultimate Survival Story." Attendees were then able to choose from a series of quick-fire "Bang Bang" forums and discussions, including an economic assessment of Thailand's tourism sector; an overview of the Kingdom's beleaguered aviation industry; an insight into innovation and disruption within the hotel sector, and many more.

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Leading Thai hotel owners, CEOs and influencers talking about the recovery of Thailand's tourism industry  Photo: C9 Hotelworks Ltd.

Photo: C9 Hotelworks Ltd.

Photo: C9 Hotelworks Ltd.

One of the most eagerly-anticipated sessions saw Jesper Palmqvist, STR's Area Director for Asia Pacific, reveal the latest hotel performance data and analysis for Thailand, including forecasts for the future.

Mr. Palmqvist said: "After a particularly challenging January 2021, Thailand's hotels at least end the first quarter with similar patterns as seen by the end of 2020. There are early signs of reservations in June but also some for November-December. In light of Thailand's dependency on international arrivals... the STR forecast for Bangkok has been downgraded for the full year of 2021. We do foresee 2022 as a bigger comeback year on many fronts across the country."

Bill Barnett, Managing Director of C9 Hotelworks and organiser of TTF 2021, commented: "COVID-19 has impacted almost every country on Earth, and while Thailand has enjoyed considerable success in controlling the spread of infections, the pandemic's impact on tourism has been cataclysmic. International visitors previously accounted for more than 70% of tourism spending in Thailand*, so this year's border closures have left a huge hole in the economy. But the recovery starts here; TTF 2021 is a unique opportunity for the Kingdom's travel, tourism and hospitality industry to unite, unify and usher in a bright future."

TTF 2021 will be hosted in compliance with all necessary health and safety regulations. The host venue, Conrad Hotel Bangkok, is Thailand Safety & Health Administration (SHA) certified and all attendees will be required to follow SHA guidelines, including temperature checks upon arrival, the wearing of face masks, and social distancing.

The 10th annual Thailand Tourism Forum 2021, #ThaiTourismUnited, is a free-to-attend event, but advanced registration is required. To book your place, please CLICK HERE. For more information, please visit www.thailandtourismforum.com.

*https://wttc.org/Portals/0/Documents/Reports/2020/EIR%202020%20Data%20Tables_Top%2020%20Final.pdf?ver=2021-02-25-183017-490
PARIS and CAMBRIDGE, England, March 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Depixus, a biotechnology company developing a unique platform technology for the fast, accurate, and inexpensive extraction of multiomic information from DNA, RNA, and protein, today announces the publication of a scientific paper in the peer-reviewed journal Communications Biology, part of Nature Research journals. The paper, entitled 'Detection of genetic variation and base modications at base-pair resolution on both DNA and RNA', can be freely downloaded from https://doi.org/10.1038/s42003-021-01648-7.

Dr. Gordon Hamilton, co-founder and Chief Executive Officer of Depixus, said: "Our novel technology, known as MAGNA, can decode many new layers of dynamic genetic information held within DNA, RNA, and proteins. These information layers  that can be collectively described as the 'dynamic genome'  include the multitude of base modifications that pattern both DNA and RNA, as well as the many ways in which these nucleic acids can be constructed, folded, and packaged within cells. In this paper, we are excited to be publishing data that demonstrates how our MAGNA platform can sequence a wide range of base modifications on long molecules of both DNA and RNA with very high accuracy and without need for sample amplification. We also provide an example of how the technology, when applied to analysis of genetic disease from DNA coming from a female carrier of Fragile X Syndrome, can reveal the extent of the genetic and epigenetic perturbations that are associated with disease severity.

"Progress in decoding the dynamic genome is currently hampered by the lack of robust tools. The MAGNA platform was purpose-designed to resolve this problem and is being developed to allow researchers to open up new areas of genetic science, in particular in the burgeoning fields of epigenomics and epitranscriptomics. The data provided by MAGNA will help in better understanding the genomics of biological systems and will provide new insights into the pathogenesis of disease. The current coronavirus pandemic has highlighted the need for a much deeper understanding of the role that RNA base modifications play in virus-host interactions. The analysis of base modification patterning on DNA is already transforming the field of liquid-biopsy for early cancer detection."

Epigenetics refers to a "heritable" phenomenon in which phenotype changes are driven by processes that are independent of DNA sequence. DNA base modifications play central roles in such epigenetic processes. Epitranscriptomics, a new but fast-growing field, is the study of the enormous number of chemical modifications to RNA, and the proteins that write, erase, and read these modifications. In recent years, reversible modifications on nucleic acids (DNA and RNA) have been shown to play essential roles in many biological processes in health and disease.

Depixus is developing its MAGNA technology for future commercial launch. The company is based in Paris, France and Cambridge, UK, and over 2021 will be actively recruiting top talent to join its team.

For further information, please contact:

Depixus Gordon Hamilton, CEO gordon.hamilton@depixus.com

Optimum Strategic Communications Supriya Mathur, Shabnam Bashirdepixus@optimumcomms.com +44 (0) 203 922 0891

About Depixus and MAGNA

Depixus is a fast-growing innovative biotechnology company based in Paris, France, and Cambridge, UK, developing its cutting-edge MAGNA technology to reveal the secrets of the dynamic genome. The technology is set to transform our understanding of how genetics is regulated and provide powerful new insights into the mechanisms of disease.

The MAGNA technology is based on an instrument system called a 'magnetic trap'. Samples of nucleic acid are captured within a flow cell and then can be analyzed at multiple levels of resolution. The following animation  available at https://vimeo.com/394930924  introduces the way the MAGNA technology works and some of the many different assays that can be performed with the platform.

For further information, please visit www.depixus.com

View original content:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/depixus-announces-peer-reviewed-publication-describing-the-detection-of-sequence-variation-and-base-modifications-on-dna-and-rna-using-its-novel-magnatm-technology-301251186.html

SOURCE Depixus
Power outages, sewer backups and roaches. Rooms so riddled with mold they sent one 16-year-old to the hospital. As captured in the Houston Chronicle series Living Hell, life for tenants at Sandpiper Cove in Galveston is a waking nightmare.

In 2016, the company said it was going to fix up Sandpiper Cove by repaving the parking lot, upgrading the units and dealing with the sewage and water issues. Three years later, when the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development came to inspect the complex, the sewage still backed up, the AC units still leaked and wires were still exposed. HUD flunked the complex on its inspection, and so did the contractor HUD used to do a follow-up inspection.

What happened next? Nothing. HUD doesnt have enough manpower to hold landlords like The Millennia Companies  the Cleveland-based firm that bought Sandpiper Cove in 2015 amid commitments of a total makeover  accountable. Henry Cisneros, the ex-San Antonio mayor who served in President Clintons Cabinet as HUD secretary, told the editorial board HUD offices have so much territory to cover, there arent enough employees to personally ensure that repairs are made.

For Aaliyah Lewis, the 16-year-old with asthma sent to the Galveston hospital, that meant living in an apartment her mother and her doctor believed made her sick. It also meant for years, blocking off her room and shoving a towel under the door to protect her from mold.

A national problem

The HUD-subsidized housing complex is just one of 250 facilities owned or managed by The Millennia Companies across the United States. In Kansas City, in Riviera Beach, Fla., Cleveland and Baltimore, HUD paid Millennia approximately $137 million in contracts on project-based rental assistance properties, excluding federal, state and local housing tax breaks the company has won  the company can charge tenants fair-market rent (one-third of their income) and still make a profit. It also has a long history of complaints from tenants who say they are forced to live in unsanitary and often dangerous conditions. Research from Texas Housers, a low-income housing advocacy group, estimates that about 20 percent of privately-owned subsidized housing is not maintained and doesnt meet the HUD standard of decent, safe and sanitary.

Millennia has failed to meet requirements to remodel rundown subsidized housing projects across the country. The 12-month Chronicle investigation reported dangerous health violations that tenants say werent fixed, a former Millennia employee in Kansas City alleged work orders were repeatedly ignored, and contractors have filed lawsuits against the company for unpaid wages.

The investigation also found that across the country cities havent strengthened their housing codes to give themselves leverage against HUD-subsidized developers or, if they have, they havent enforced them.

The company argues that most of the properties it purchases are already in deep disrepair, that it also had had successes, and that it takes time to make lasting improvements. Fair enough  to a point  but that doesnt excuse many documented instances where problems arose after Millennia took over. That leaves tenants languishing in unsafe conditions for years.

Reform efforts arent new

Some efforts to change this system have been in the works for years. In 2019, Rep. Al Lawson, D-Fla., filed the HUD Inspection Oversight Act, which would have given HUD greater enforcement over companies like Millennia when they failed to improve conditions. But the act didnt pass  in fact it didnt even get a vote. Its now 2021, and some Millennia tenants are still fighting for repairs.

Texas Housers rightly sees that as unconscionable. It recommends that properties that fail two consecutive HUD inspections should have their HUD contracts immediately terminated and tenants issued housing choice vouchers.

That latter remedy would amount to a fundamental shift in how HUD works. Instead of giving the subsidy to developers in return to making the units available at fair-market rent, it would give the subsidy  and thus the leverage to insist on repairs  to tenants. Currently, tenants who leave a dilapidated building do so with no guarantee theyll find an affordable home elsewhere. If property owners knew that if they failed repeated inspections, tenants would gain control over the subsidy payments, the landlords would face a powerful incentive to pass those inspections.

But the reforms shouldnt stop there. After HUD provides vouchers, states should step in and provide assistance to help tenants find quality housing. If they dont, poor tenants risk becoming homeless when they fall through the cracks.

Congress must lift up tenants voices

HUD must give tenants a stronger voice in the inspection process  and if it wont do so, Congress should mandate the change. Tenants should be able to go directly to HUD in the complaint process, and HUD should promptly verify the complaints without allowing the owner or manager to explain them away. Renters should be able to accompany inspectors and work with HUD to plan repairs. The Chronicles reporting found instances of painting over mildew and closing out work orders that havent been fixed. These short cuts wouldnt pass muster if tenants had a say.

For that matter, Congress must find its own voice  and learn to use it on behalf of their constituents who live in these rundown apartments. HUD has an office that specifically responds to congressional inquiries, and Cisneros told the board that HUD listens closely to complaints originating from Congress. Its a very effective way to draw the attention of the agency to the problem, he said.

HUD must reform itself first

Congressional remedies will take time, even under the best circumstances. And for residents in units like the ones that sent young Lewis to the hospital, time is a luxury they cant afford. Besides, faster remedies are available if only HUD took responsibility, Cisneros said.

Its not a matter of a bill, Cisneros said. Its a matter of people doing their jobs.

As it happens, HUD is under new management. HUD Secretary Marcia Fudge, a former congresswoman from Ohio, should make it a priority to work with properties like Sandpiper Cove and groups like Texas Housers to give tenants vouchers to move to better living conditions until the apartments are built back better. Some of these fixes arent just one-and-done repairs. Massive sewer backups cant be solved with a simple call to a plumber. These take time and money. In the end, HUD has the capacity to make things happen  if only it would make its tenants a priority.

Just because its subsidized housing doesnt mean it should be substandard living.

Access to safe housing directly supports mental and physical health and creates better educational opportunities for children. Better housing means healthier Americans, and congressional leaders and HUD must ensure that struggling Americans can depend on them when they need it the most.

The difference such changes would make are profound. In the days after The Chronicles series was published, Lewis and her mother received some good news. They got a move-in deal from a private apartment complex, one that didnt risk putting her back in the hospital, but they were forced to leave behind the subsidy that allowed them to afford the rent.

Ready for our big moment? her mother asked as they walked up to their new apartment.

Its time America commit to housing and join Lewis in a resounding, Yes.
From time to time, whether motivated by politics or articulating a misinformed position, commentators will seek to claim Trinidad and Tobago is a failing state.

I take serious umbrage to that because when one understands what a failing state or economy looks like, it is clear we are very far from that. In fact, by independent measures, we are closer to the opposite side of that spectrum.
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Every Monday at 4:30 pm British time -- 5.30 pm in France -- Elliot Bellman, 20, keeps an unlikely appointment with 97-year-old Jacqueline Tolu.

"Comment allez-vous?" (how are you?) he asks Tolu over Skype.

Tolu, who lives in a retirement home in Bonneuil-sur-Marne, just outside of Paris, tells him she is doing fine.

The pair's weekly chats are breaking up the monotony and solitude of coronavirus restrictions imposed on both sides of the Channel.

Bellman goes on to tell her the latest news from Warwick University, in central England, where he is studying French, Spanish and Japanese.

Tolu, in turn, regales him with memories of the 14 years she spent in Africa.

The conversation, inevitably, turns to Covid-19 and the nonagenarian teaches her young digital pen pal a new phrase: she is "ras-le-bol" -- fed up.

Tolu said she was delighted by the duo's weekly sessions.

"Ah yes, at 5.30, there's little Elliot," she explained. "I'm happy on Mondays!"

Since the inception of the Share Ami programme last year, there have been 110 pairings of French seniors with French learners.

Nearly 50 of them are students at Warwick University, on the outskirts of Coventry, where Bellman is now in his third year of studies.

He enrolled in the pairing scheme late last year as the coronavirus caused major disruption to a language placement he had planned in Bordeaux, southwest France, as part of his course.

"I thought it could have been a good experience, even if there was the lockdown in France," Bellman, from Kent in southeast England, told AFP.

The online conversations have helped to stop his French from getting rusty -- and combat a sense of isolation in lockdown.

"I think that the two groups most affected by the pandemic and the lockdown are the younger generation and the older generation," he said.

"Especially for her (Tolu), she doesn't have any family left, it can be good to help her if she's lonely.

Story continues

"It's just nice to talk to someone, just randomly about anything."

-'Ethical investment'-

Cathy Hampton, an associate professor of French studies at Warwick, said along with exposing students to language and culture, the programme was also an "ethical investment".

Inspired by an existing initiative in Brazil, Share Ami began in March 2020 during the first lockdown in France, Clement Boxebeld, one of programme's founders said.

He had been working on the idea for two years and faced with the "great risk of social isolation", said it was a great time to get the programme off the ground.

Participants have a sense they are being "really being useful", he added.

The scheme has been so successful, learners have had to be patient.

The association has just over 480 registered seniors but more than 6,800 candidates who want to talk to them.

Around 50 volunteers are working to create the pairings according to participants interests.

Some of those helping, like Isabel Cartwright, a 20-year-old French and Chinese student at Warwick, have experience of the pairings themselves.

"For us all, to be honest, even for myself and I've got my family around me, sometimes it has been hard," she said, referring to the difficulties of lockdown.

"It's lovely to just create that friendship between generations," said Cartwright, who was one of the first students to enrol with Share Ami.

The second-year student has two pen pals on the other side of the Channel, Martine and Marie-Christine, who are both in their seventies.

"When I make mistakes, they encourage me, they are really patient with me," she said.

She hopes to meet them both when she goes to France for six months in August, a country she's never been to before, with the exception of a brief trip to Disneyland Paris as a child.

spe-csp/phz/har
Source: Xinhua| 2021-03-22 18:41:08|Editor: huaxia

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NIAMEY, March 22 (Xinhua) -- At least 40 civilians were killed Sunday night by unidentified gunmen in several locations in Niger's western region of Tahoua, close to the border with Mali, a security source told Xinhua on Monday.

According to the source, who requested anonymity, the perpetrators, coming in large numbers on motorcycles, attacked Intazayenne, Bakorate and other locations, burnt down houses and opened fire on local population.

Last week, 58 civilians were killed by suspected terrorists in the same area.

Western Niger has in recent years suffered terrorist attacks on security personnel and civilians, despite the presence of French anti-terror troops.

In January 2020, 100 civilians were killed by terrorists in the villages of Tchombangou and Zaroumdareye in this region. Enditem
New Delhi: The results for CA Foundation exam 2021 was declared on Sunday (March 21) by the Institute of Chartered Accountancy of India (ICAI). The candidates who appeared in the exam can check their score sheet online at ICAI website.

The institute has also declared the CA final old and new course exam results on its official website.

To check the results the candidates can visit these three official websites of ICAI:

https://icaiexam.icai.org,

Icai.org

Caresults.icai.org.

What documents will the candidate need:

The candidates will need their examination roll number and registration number to login on the official website.

If the students do not have the above, they can also register themselves at icaiexam.icai.org with their email address and check their results.

The candidates must note that if they register through email, they will receive their score sheet via email only.

Steps to download ICAI result 2021:

1. Go to the official website, icaiexam.icai.org, caresults.icai.org or icai.nic.in.

2. Click on the result link.

3. Login with your roll number and registration or pin number.

4. Submit and download scorecards.

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Frazer Harrison/Getty ImagesNicki Minaj's mother is seeking $150 million in a lawsuit filed against the driver who was charged in the February 13 hit-and-run death of Robert Maraj, the rapper's father.

Minaj's mother, Carol Maraj, has attorney Ben Crump and practice partner Paul J. Napoli to represent the case. The suit has been filed in the Supreme Court of the State of New York.

"[Robert Maraj] was fatally injured in a hit-and-run accident on February 12, 2021, when he was struck by a car being driven by Charles Polevich as Mr. Maraj walked along a Long Island road," the firm said in a statement over the weekend. "After striking Maraj, Polevich left the accident scene and did not call for emergency services or render aid to Maraj. Maraj was hospitalized and died later that day."

"Charles Polevich was not only irresponsible and negligent in hitting Rober Maraj, but he was more concerned about running away and hiding himself than in seeking help for the man he injured," the statement furthered. "His behavior was criminal, cowardly, and immoral. Through the filing of this lawsuit, we will hold Polevich responsible for his reckless actions and achieve justice for the victim's widow."

Polevich has obtained lawyer Marc C. Gann to represent him in the suit, who said in a statement obtained by The Hollywood Reporter, "While the civil suit is not unexpected, the criminal charges pending against Mr. Polevich have no bearing on the civil case. It has yet to be determined whether there was any negligence involved in the accident or the degrees of any negligence."

Added Gann, "I will add that the amount demanded is shocking to say the least and I dont believe is in any way reasonable."

Nicki Minaj has yet to comment on the suit.
The world almost ended again a couple of weeks ago when a huge doomsday asteroid whizzed by planet Earth. It actually only came to within around 10,000,000 miles, but that didnt stop the press from trying to convince us that were all going to die. That may sound like a long way away, but in solar system talk its what they call a near miss.

The real scare will be in about 8 years when it makes another flyby and this time it will be within a whisker (in space terms) or about 20,000 miles. We have satellites orbiting higher than that. It will be the closest pass of an asteroid of its size in recorded history. Astronomers are pretty sure it wont hit the Earth, but you might want to consider getting a job in a nice, deep coal mine or consider booking a weekend getaway to the Moon just in case around that timeframe.

Scientists dont seem to be worried though. But in the unlikely event that their calculations are off and it hits the planet destroying all life as we know it, one things for sure: there wont be anybody around to say, I told you so.

If this happens one idea being floated is to put up huge signs in geosynchronous orbit saying No Trespassing or You Are Going Wrong Way. However since asteroids cant read thats pretty much a non-starter.

When it does fly by Earth in 2029 it will be zipping along at approximately 19 miles per second making it even faster than a speeding bullet which only travels at a measly  mile per second. And it is also a lot bigger than a bullet measuring around 1,200 feet wide or as big as the Eiffel Tower minus the outrageous entry fee. If it hits our planet the Earth will need to take a pretty big Excedrin tablet to ease the headache its going to get.

Astronomers have christened it Apophis while the hysterics-driven media have chosen to call it God of Chaos in an effort to increase ratings and get anyone to pay attention to them after the election. Apophis is a demon serpent, who personified evil and chaos in ancient Egyptian mythology while Wall Street investors and the coronavirus personify evil and chaos in modern mythology.

Its next date for a close encounter with Earth (when it passes to within 20,000 miles) is scheduled for April 13, 2029, which incidentally also happens to be a Friday. Uh oh. Are you thinking what Im thinking?

These rocks start out as asteroids, then turn into meteors when they enter the Earths atmosphere and then meteorites if they actually strike the surface. This makes sense since if one of these space rocks hits the Earth it would be issuing last meteor-rites to anyone unlucky enough to be standing close by.

And lastly, they say that most people prefer the taste of asteroids over comets, because as everyone knows theyre a little meteor.

Joe Crawford is a longtime Alton resident who writes weekly columns for the The Telegraph. He can be contacted at crawfordjo@aol.com.


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GRAND RAPIDS, MI  Ohio Attorney General David Yost is asking a federal judge in Grand Rapids to block Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmers effort to shut down the Enbridge Line 5 pipeline, arguing on behalf of Ohio refineries and the state of Louisiana that closing the submerged oil line would have economic impact beyond Michigan.

Yost filed an amicus brief on Friday, March 19 in the case Enbridge brought against Whitmer last fall, which is pending before Judge Janet Neff in the Western District of Michigan. The case is scheduled to begin mediation in April.

In the brief, Yost argues that closing the pipeline segment under the Straits of Mackinac would cause economic hardship for businesses supplied by the pipeline.

In November, Whitmer announced termination of the 1953 easement that allows the pipeline to cross the lakebed where lakes Michigan and Huron connect. She gave Enbridge until May 12 to stop the oil flow, a deadline the company says it wont comply with absent a court order.

Ohio refineries, their employees, and key industrial stakeholders directly rely on Line 5s crude oil supply, and its economic effects are strongly felt in the Buckeye State and beyond, Yost wrote. Ohio, joined by Louisiana, respectfully urges the court to carefully balance protections for both the environment and the economic health of individuals and businesses on both sides of the border by allowing Line 5 to continue to operate safely.

Case documents indicate Michigan opposes the motion but the state has not yet filed a reply.

Enbridge allies have mounted a full-throated defense of the controversial pipeline this year. Canadian government and business officials are lobbying the Biden Administration to intercede in Whitmers decision and are threatening to invoke a 1977 treaty governing the operation of cross-border pipelines unless Michigan backpedals the closure order.

Seamus ORegan, Canadian natural resources minister, told a parliament committee earlier this month that the pipelines operation is non-negotiable.

The 68-year-old, 645-mile pipeline runs from Superior, Wisconsin to Sarnia, Ontario by way of Michigan. It is a key part of Enbridges Lakehead network that carries light crude and natural gas liquids under the Straits of Mackinac. Its existence has caused escalating concern since another Enbridge pipeline caused a massive oil spill in 2010 on the Kalamazoo River.

Because the pipeline crosses both Michigan peninsulas and many waterways, opponents see little benefit but substantial risk for the state from its existence and dismiss economic concerns around its closure as overblown.

Whitmer and Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel both campaigned on closing the pipeline. Whitmer based her easement revocation on past easement rules non-compliance. Enbridge has a history of allowing erosion to create unsupported spans under the dual lines. The governors office has maintained that an oil spill would cause substantial harm to Michigans economy and the Great Lakes.

Enbridge argues the pipeline operates safely and wants to replace it by building a massive utility tunnel under the straits. The company received several key permit approvals for tunnel construction from the state in January. Enbridge argues Michigan lacks authority to close the pipeline because it falls under the federal Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA), a sub-agency within the U.S. Department of Transportation.

In his brief, Yost argues the pipeline is vital to supplying oil refineries near Toledo and closing it would cause layoffs there. Attached exhibits contain Enbridge-generated economic impact estimations from a closure as well as letters supporting the pipelines operation from Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine, the PBF Energy and the North America Building Trades Union.

The Toledo refinery supplies jet fuel to Midwest airports and Yost wrote that its crude oil supply is heavily dependent on deliveries from Line 5 made via other Enbridge pipelines.

Yost did not detail the potential impacts on Louisiana.

Mediation in the case will begin April 16 before former federal judge Gerald Rosen.

Related stories:

Canadian minister: Line 5 operation non-negotiable

Canadian pressure mounts on Michigan governor

Whitmer releases propane plan for the U.P.

Some Michigan propane suppliers are switching to rail

Canadians argue for Line 5 at Michigan Senate hearing

Shutdown order creates a scenario for stopping tunnel

Possible Ice Age artifacts ignored by Line 5 tunnel survey

Fight to shutter Line 5 pipeline has waged for years

Line 5 is bent, deformed where Enbridge wants to anchor it
Although hes not been linked to the Gov. Gretchen Whitmer kidnap plot, a Michigan man with militia connections is facing felony gun charges after an altered firearm with a silencer was discovered in his home, Attorney General Dana Nessels office says.

The discovery came as a result of the kidnap plot investigation, according to the AGs Office.

Police have charged 22-year-old Maxwell Wyckoff of Clarkston with converting a semiautomatic weapon to an automatic weapon, punishable by up to four years in prison; and possessing a muffler or silencer device, punishable by up to five years in prison.

The AGs Office said Wyckoff is a member of the Wolverine Watchmen, a group whose members have been charged separately with crimes related to an alleged plot to commit violence against government officials, police and abduct Whitmer.

In all, 14 people have been charged in connection with the alleged kidnap plot.

As a member of the Wolverine Watchmen, Wyckoff attended multiple field training exercises at a location in Munith, Michigan, the AGs Office said. The FBI and the Michigan state police conducted an extensive investigation into the Wolverine Watchmen and their activities.

As a result of this investigation and the information obtained, search warrants were authorized on the residences of multiple members of the Wolverine Watchmen, including Wyckoff.

Nessel said modifying a firearm to increase the stealth capability and lethality of the weapon is a crime.

Prior testimony in the kidnap plot case indicated members of the Wolverine Watchmen were involved in creating ghost guns.

A ghost gun is basically a weapon that is created and has no serial number or no way to track the weapon, FBI Special Agent Richard J. Trask II testified on Oct. 13. Its not registered with any agencies.

Law enforcement also seized explosives during their investigation.

Wyckoff was arraigned in Oakland Countys 52nd District Court Monday and is scheduled to appear for a preliminary exam on April 8.

More on MLive:

FBI informant sheds light on kidnap plot

Feds want to share grand jury testimony

He cant believe he got involved

Ghost guns seized during searches

Citizens arrest defense probably wont fly

The ties that bind the suspects in alleged plot

Alleged kidnapping plot photos, video released

Liberate Michigan, Trump tweets

Whitmer said Trump is inciting domestic terrorism

Town alarmed by presence of militia plot

Men trained with guns, explosives, neighbors say
The entire NSW coast from Tweed Heads to the Victorian border has been warned to brace for damaging winds, heavy rainfall and wild surf as a weather system that has brought the worst flooding in decades continues to expand.

The Bureau of Meteorology said around 10 million Australians in every mainland state and territory except Western Australia were subject to the weather warning  an area similar to the size of Alaska, the largest state in the United States.

Swept away: Flooding in Harris Street, South Windsor on Monday. Credit:Nick Moir

The NSW SES received 1485 requests for assistance in the 24 hours to Monday night and completed 125 flood rescues including 70 in Sydney, predominantly around the Hawkesbury area.

The Australian Defence Force will also support NSWs flood emergency efforts from Tuesday, with two search and rescue helicopters operating out of the South Coast in 24-hour operations.
The former head of the Cream City Foundation, which sponsors Drag Queen Story Hour in Milwaukee, has been arrested on charges of possessing child pornography.

Milwaukee County Circuit Court Judge Brett Blomme was taken into custody by special agents following an investigation into multiple uploads of child pornography through a Kik messaging application account in October and November 2020, according to a statement.

38-year-old Blomme had uploaded 27 videos and images containing child pornography, including two files that were uploaded at the Milwaukee County government building.

Blomme, who is currently assigned to Milwaukee County Childrens Court, Was the head of the board of zoning appeals for the City of Milwaukee, appointed to the post by Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett, and head of the Cream City Foundation, which provides grant money to LGBTQ groups in the Milwaukee area, reports the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel.

A longtime LGBTQ activist, Blomme previously was director of major gifts at the AIDS Resource Center of Wisconsin for 18 months, following a stint at the Madison City Attorneys Office. From 2011 to 2015, he practiced criminal defense with the State Public Defenders Office, states the report.

Blomme, who championed himself as the progressive alternative during his last political campaign, is married to a man and has two adopted children.
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[March 22, 2021] b.well Connected Health CEO Kristen Valdes Selected as Finalist for Maryland Tech Council's CEO of the Year Award

BALTIMORE, March 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- b.well Connected Health, the platform designed to provide consumers a new front end to healthcare, announced that CEO and Founder Kristen Valdes has been selected as a finalist for the Chief Executive Officer of the Year Award in the Technology category by the Maryland Tech Council, Maryland's largest technology and life sciences trade association.



The 33rd annual award recognizes leaders and innovators in the life sciences and technology communities from Maryland and the Mid-Atlantic Region. Winners will be announced on May 20.

Valdes  the only woman selected in the category  is a transformative force in today's healthcare marketplace, spearheading the movement to improve the way consumers interact with the healthcare industry. Under her leadership, since 2015 large health systems, pharmacy chains and self-insured employers across the country have adopted b.well's digital transformation platform to simplify and improve the consumer health care journey. Today, hundreds of thousands of people use b.well to manage their health care in one location that is persistent, portable and personalized. A private company, b.well has received funding from investors including Johns Hopkins Technology Ventures, Thedacare Health, UnityPoint Health Ventures, the University of Maryland Medical System, and Well Ventures. "I am honored to be considered for the CEO of the Year Award by the Maryland Tech Council, whose goal of propelling Maryland to the nation's top innovation economy I fully support," said Valdes. "Within the digital health sector, where b.well sits, we believe Maryland has the potential to become the health IT capital of the country. We sit in the center of where all health policy is made and are centrally located to the top academic medical institutions in the world. For us, Maryland is a great place to do business." About b.well Connected Health

b.well Connected Health is a healthcare technology company providing platform services comprised of five core capabilities that work together to enable health systems, payers, and employers with a configurable and personalized digital health experience for their populations. The b.well technology platform is transforming how consumers interact with the healthcare system by integrating data, insights, and partners into a single customized solution that helps people take control of their healthcare experience. Media Contact:

Todd Stein for b.well

510-417-0612

todd@toddsteincommunications.com View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/bwell-connected-health-ceo-kristen-valdes-selected-as-finalist-for-maryland-tech-councils-ceo-of-the-year-award-301252870.html SOURCE b.well Connected Health

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Hong Kong: Vaccine procurement explained

Chief Executive Carrie Lam today said a fourth vaccine will strengthen Hong Kongs efforts to combat COVID-19.

Mrs Lam made the remarks after receiving her second COVID-19 jab today.

So far, Sinovac and BioNTech vaccines are provided free of charge under the COVID-19 Vaccination Programme to people aged 30 or above and in designated priority groups.

Mrs Lam said: Both vaccines are authorised, which means that they are safe, they are of quality and they are effective.

On top of the two vaccines, another vaccine developed by AstraZeneca in collaboration with Oxford University is expected to arrive in Hong Kong later.

As far as the advance purchase of a fourth vaccine for use by the Hong Kong community, that is part of the plan that has been approved by the Legislative Council when we obtained funding for the government vaccination programme. Firstly, at that stage we did not know the effectiveness of each vaccine. So for security, we have to buy more for the safety of Hong Kong people.

Secondly, up to this moment, no one could be very authoritative about the validity of the effectiveness - that is how long the vaccine could protect the individual and the community - and thats why we need to go for four different vaccines, each with a volume of 7.5 million doses.

I would suggest that members of the public should come forward to receive the vaccination and we will continue to supply the needed vaccines for the community.

Click here to reserve your COVID-19 vaccine.

This story has been published on: 2021-03-22. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
AUSTIN, Texas, March 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Citizens National Life Insurance Company, a subsidiary of Citizens, Inc. (NYSE: CIA) recently announced its entrance into the Florida insurance market with a new product and new services that capitalizes upon Citizens' long history selling insurance in Latin America. CNLIC has been in the insurance market since 1965 and entered the Florida market earlier this year, bringing its Whole Life insurance product that offers competitive advantages and its unique value proposition of providing outstanding service and dependable products, tailored for the Spanish and Portuguese speaking people of Florida. With over 50 years of experience in the insurance market through the stability and the support of its holding company, Citizens, Inc., and through its family of insurance companies that have clients all around the world, Citizens National is able to broker that experience to serve the needs of the Hispanic community in the Florida market.

Our new Whole Life product, the Longevity Max, offers a unique blend of life insurance coverage, lifetime income and savings protection, all with conservative and guaranteed returns in low-risk investments. Longevity Max is designed to provide customers with financial security and peace of mind.

Citizens National offers an exclusive, customized service with its understanding of the Spanish and Portuguese languages and the Hispanic culture so customers in Florida can be confident in making the most informed decisions. Our broad trajectory and experience in the life insurance market in Latin American, along with our excellent digital and customized service, make Citizens National a top option.

Robert Mauldin, President and Chief Marketing Officer said, "Citizens National Life Insurance Company is committed to delivering a new level of protection. The company's competitive life insurance policies offer the financial strength and confidence to enjoy life with peace of mind while providing financial security. Citizens National's broad experience in the Latin American insurance market makes it a top choice for our valued Hispanic clients."

To learn more about Citizens National or its products, you can visit, www.citizensinc.com/citizens-national

About Citizens National Life Insurance Company

Citizens National Life Insurance Company is a member of the Citizens, Inc. group of life insurance Companies. Citizens National was incorporated in the State of Texas on June 2, 1965 and began transacting business in 1966. CNLIC is licensed in 9 states. The company gains additional financial stability through the long trajectory and strength of its holding company, Citizens, Inc., which adds value to each of our policies by providing state-of-the-art technology systems, strong investment strategies and streamlined operational leadership.

About Citizens, Inc.

Citizens, Inc. is a financial services company listed on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol CIA. The Company utilizes a three-pronged strategy for growth based upon worldwide sales of U.S. Dollar-denominated whole life cash value insurance policies, life insurance product sales in the U.S. and final expense and limited liability property product sales in the U.S.

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Statements that are not historical facts, including statements about Citizens, Inc. and its affiliates beliefs and expectations, are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements involve inherent risks and uncertainties, and a number of factors could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in any forward-looking statement. These factors include, but are not limited to the Company's expectations regarding business performance, operational strategy, capital expenditures, technological changes, regulatory actions, and other financial and operational measures. In some cases, forward-looking statements can be identified by words such as "may," "will," "expect," "anticipate", "believe", "project" "intends," "continue" or similar expressions. All information provided in this press release is as of the date of this press release, and Citizens, Inc. undertakes no duty to update such information, except as required under applicable law.

For further information contact:

Marketing Department

[email protected]

SOURCE Citizens, Inc.

Related Links

http://www.citizensinc.com



Ecommerce platform Amazon has come up with a Fab Phones Fest sale which brings up to 40 percent discount on smartphones. The sale also offers no-cost EMI plans, exchange offers, and instant discounts on smartphones and accessories.

Amazon Fab Phones Fest sale is already live on the website today and will end on February 25, with phones from the latest OnePlus 9 series to Xiaomi, Samsung, Apple, Oppo, Honor and Vivo, and more on discount.

The details of the sale include offers like a 10% instant discount of up to Rs 1,000 on customers using ICICI Bank Credit Cards for their transactions. Also, there will be additional exchange offers up to Rs 2,000 along with a No-Cost EMI of up to 12 months.

Prime members can get an offer of No Cost EMI on HDFC bank debit and credit cards that provide lower EMI options starting at Rs 1,333 per month.

Check out the attractive deals on Amazon:

Xiaomi

Amazon Xiaomi Redmi 9 Power, Redmi 9, Redmi Note 9 Pro and others will be sold at a discounted rate on Amazon and further the prices can go down with additional bank offers as well as no-cost EMI options of up to 12 months. Also, there will be flash sales for several Xiaomi handsets at noon.

Samsung

Amazon is giving up to 25% off on Samsung M-series smartphones, with up to 6 months No Cost EMI. Samsung Galaxy M12 gets a flat Rs 1,000 cut with a bank offer, while the Galaxy M51 will be available with discounts up to Rs 6,000, along with additional offers.

Apple

iPhone 12 Mini will be available at a discounted rate of Rs 61,100 with bank offers.

Vivo

Up to 30% off is available on Vivo smartphones with an additional up to Rs 5,000 off with bank offers as well as up to Rs 2,000 off with exchange.

OPPO

Amazon is offering a 35% discount on OPPO smartphones during the sale, along with up to 12 months No-Cost EMI.

Also, there are discounts on accessories where customers can get price cuts on mobile accessories, including power banks, headsets and more.
An Upstate New York congressmans retirement announcement amid sexual misconduct allegations could have political implications beyond his House seat.

U.S. Rep. Tom Reed, a Republican from Corning, N.Y., who represents New Yorks 23rd Congressional District, announced Sunday that he will not seek another term or run for state governor after Nicolette Davis told The Washington Post that he groped her in an Irish pub in Minneapolis four years ago. Davis texted a friend that a drunk congressman is rubbing my back and alleged he unhooked her bra, then moved his hand to her thigh until she asked another person in the restaurant to help pull him away.

Reed, 49, apologized to Davis in a statement Sunday, saying the incident occurred at a time in my life in which I was struggling. He said he entered treatment that year and realized he was powerless over alcohol.

Reed also apologized to his wife and children, and said he planned to dedicate my time and attention to making amends for my past actions.

As I go forward, I will strive to be a better human being, continue to fight for what I believe in, and to make peoples lives better in any way I can, he said.

Reed, who was first elected to Congress in 2010 and was recently re-elected to a sixth term, had been an outspoken critic of Gov. Andrew Cuomo and said he was considering challenging Cuomo in the 2022 gubernatorial race. Cuomo, a Democrat, is currently facing multiple sexual harassment allegations and scrutiny over the states handling of data on Covid-19 deaths in nursing homes.

Spectrum News reports Reeds retirement makes it likely Rep. Lee Zeldin of Suffolk County or Rep. Elise Stefanik, who represents New Yorks 21st District in the North Country, will receive the GOP nomination in the 2022 race for New York governor. Zeldin and Stefanik, both Republicans, have been considered potential candidates and Zeldin has already expressed an interest.

After receiving many messages of encouragement in recent days and weeks and after discussing it at length with my wife and daughters, I announced that I am actively exploring a run for governor of New York against Andrew Cuomo in 2022, Zeldin said earlier this month. As a proud New Yorker, I just cant sit back and watch Cuomos attacks on our freedoms, our wallets, and our safety. After his nursing home cover-up, bullying, abuse, and harassment have come more to light in recent days and weeks, its clearer now more than ever that hes been in the governors office too long and its time for Cuomo to go.

Newsweek reports Stefanik was asked on the Ruthless podcast in early March if she was considering a run for governor, and she didnt rule it out.

I do think the dynamics are changing. I think (Cuomo) should resign, Stefanik said. If he does not resign, there is a path for a Republican to win statewide in New York.

A Republican has not been elected governor of New York since former Gov. George Pataki left office in 2006. Pataki held the office for a decade, but is the only GOP governor in the Empire State since Malcolm Wilson in 1974.

Cuomo, meanwhile, has refused to resign despite calls from both sides of the aisle over his scandals. Cuomo has hinted that hed run for a fourth term in 2022, but an impeachment investigation could put an end to that, leaving the gubernatorial race wide open.

As for Reeds House seat, Spectrum News points out that New York state could lose two House seats in the next election cycle due to population changes. Reeds district, a largely rural and conservative region that includes the Southern Tier and parts of Western New York, could end up being divided between neighboring House seats in 2022.
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At least according to his friends, Dr. Phil Wallace is an upstanding man who gives generously of his time and talents to his community. He might even have lost money on the contract he has had for years with the city of Dillon. Doubtless, like countless other elected officials, he also spends far more time attending to his duties as Dillons interim mayor than his City Council salary compensates.

For all of that, he is to be commended.

But all of that is irrelevant to the fact that for years, he has been ignoring S.C. law, which very clearly requires him to file a report each year with the State Ethics Commission detailing his contract to provide services to the government he helps run.

And it's irrelevant to the fact that for years, the city has been ignoring an S.C. law (5-21-30) governing city financial matters, which very clearly prohibits a city from entering into a contract with a council member unless the city opens the contract to public bids and other City Council members vote unanimously to award that contract

And it's irrelevant to the fact once a City Council member raised questions about the contract, and the council debated the matter, Dr. Wallace ignored the state law that clearly prohibits him from participating in that discussion and instead dressed down another council member who thought it might be a good idea for the city to obey the law.

As The Post and Couriers Stephen Hobbs and Thad Moore report in the latest installment of our Uncovered project, Dr. Wallace's business, Dillon Internal Medicine, has had a contract for more years than he or the city manager can remember to provide drug tests, physicals and other medical services for the city, but neither he nor the city followed state law until last summer.

These are not mere technical violations. There are two ways to handle conflicts of interest in government: Outlaw actions or require public disclosure, so voters can make decisions. South Carolina chose disclosure. The point of the ethics law, and of the municipal law that predates it by decades, is not to prohibit a council member from doing business with the municipality he helps govern. It's to make sure that everybody knows that a council member stands to benefit from his position.

If his fellow council members think he's actually giving the city a great deal, or even want to reward him for all of his other work by awarding him a too-generous contract, thats their right. The law simply requires that they make an informed decision, and that voters in turn can make an informed decision about the choices council members make.

Sign up for our opinion newsletter Get a weekly recap of South Carolina opinion and analysis from The Post and Courier in your inbox on Monday evenings. Email

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Unfortunately, Dr. Wallaces case is not an isolated one.

Whether by carelessness or deception, its all too common for elected officials to leave required information off their state-mandated statements of economic interest. Its all too common for elected officials, when they have a conflict of interest, to simply say theyre recusing themselves from a vote, without submitting an explanation in writing, as state law requires. Its all too common for elected officials who have a conflict to nonetheless participate in the discussion about the conflict, even though state law prohibits that as well. Wed guess that its not particularly uncommon for local governments to award contracts to council members without putting the business out to bid and requiring a unanimous city council vote to approve them.

But these violations keep happening  and some elected officials are able to benefit personally from their elective office  because no one is calling them on it. Other public officials and citizens either dont know about what the law requires or dont know about the conflict, or they don't care, so they dont raise the issue. And the State Ethics Commission doesnt have the tools to spot violations of the law unless someone files a complaint.

The obvious tool the Ethics Commission needs is more staff: It has just one auditor to review more than 22,000 filings each year from state and local elected officials, appointed officials and lobbyists. The agency has started conducting random audits, but that auditor checked only 327 of those reports last year. Such a low percentage frankly won't serve as much of a deterrent.

A less-obvious tool the commission needs is easy access to the documents that would allow it to make better use of extra staff, or of the staff it has.

Municipalities have to disclose any business dealings they have with their leaders in annual audits, but the Ethics Commission doesnt check those audits. Requiring officials to attach a link to the latest audit when they file their economic interest statement would make it easy for auditors to check them. It's the same idea as a proposal by ethics reformers to require elected officials to attach copies of their campaign bank statements to their campaign disclosure statements, so the commission can verify that the two match up.

Its unlikely that the Legislature will ever provide enough funding for the Ethics Commission to do a thorough review of all the reports, but with more staff and easier access to documents, the commission could do a much better job of spotting problems when they first pop up and warn officials to clear them up. Regardless of the circumstances, allowing public officials to violate the law year after year leads to an overall disrespect for our laws and undermines public trust in our government.
" " What do these numbers have in common? They're all prime! geralt/Pixabay

If you only vaguely remember your elementary school mathematics class, you may not remember what a prime number is. That's a pity, because if you're trying to keep your emails safe from hackers or surf the web confidentially on a virtual private network (VPN), you're using prime numbers without even realizing it.

That's because prime numbers are a crucial part of RSA encryption, a common tool for protecting information, which uses prime numbers as keys to unlock the messages hidden inside gigantic amounts of what's disguised as digital gibberish. Additionally, prime numbers have other applications in the modern technological world, including an important role in defining the color intensity of the pixels on the computer screen that you're staring at now.

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So, what are prime numbers, anyway? And how did they get to be so important in the modern world?

As Wolfram MathWorld explains, a prime number  also known simply as a prime  is a positive number greater than 1 that can only be divided by the one and itself.

"The only even prime number is 2," explains Debi Mink, a recently retired associate professor of education at Indiana University Southeast, whose expertise includes teaching elementary mathematics. "All the other primes are odd numbers."

Numbers like 2, 3, 5, 7, 11, 13 and 17 are all considered prime numbers. Numbers like 4, 6, 8, 9, 10 and 12 are not.

Mark Zegarelli, author of numerous books on math in the popular "For Dummies" series who also teaches test prep courses, offers an illustration involving coins that he uses with some of his students to explain the difference between primes and composite numbers, which can be divided by other numbers besides one and themselves. (Composite numbers are the opposite of primes.)

"Think about the number 6," says Zegarelli, citing a composite number. "Imagine that you have six coins. You could form them into a rectangle, with two rows of three coins. You can do that with eight, too, by putting four coins into two rows. With the number 12, you could make it into more than one type of rectangle  you could have two rows of six coins, or three times four. "

"But if you take the number 5, no matter how you try, you can't put it into a rectangle, " Zegarelli notes. "The best you can do it is string it into a line, a single row of five coins. So, you could call 5 a non-rectangular number. But the easier way to say that is to call it a prime number. "

There are plenty of other primes  2, 3, 7 and 11 also are on the list, and it keeps rolling from there. The Greek mathematician Euclid, back in circa 300 B.C.E., devised a Proof of the Infinitude of Primes, which may have been the first mathematical proof showing that there is an infinite number of primes. (In ancient Greece, where the modern concept of infinity wasn't quite understood, Euclid described the quantity of primes simply as "more than any assigned multitude of prime numbers.")

Another way of understanding primes and composite numbers is to think of them as the product of factors, Zegarelli says. "2 times 3 equals 6, so 2 and 3 are factors of 6. So, there are two ways to make six  1 times 6, and 2 times 3. I like to think of them as factor pairs. So, with a composite number, you have multiple factor pairs, while with a prime number, you have only one factor pair, one times the number itself. "

Proving that the number of primes are infinite isn't that tough, Zegarelli says. "Imagine that there is a last, biggest prime number. We're going to call it P. So then I'll take all the prime numbers up to P and multiply them all together. If I do that and add one to the product, that number has to be a prime. "

If a number is a composite, in contrast, it's always divisible by some quantity of lower prime numbers. "A composite could be divisible by other composites as well, but eventually, you can decompose it down to a set of prime numbers. " (An example: the number 48 has 6 and 8 as factors, but you can break it down further into 2 times 3 times 2 times 2 times 2.)

Why Prime Numbers Matter

So why have primes held such fascination among mathematicians for thousands of years? As Zegarelli explains, a lot of higher mathematics is based upon primes. But there's also cryptography, in which primes have a critical importance, because really large numbers possess a particularly valuable characteristic. There's no quick, easy way to tell if they're prime or composite, he says.

The difficulty of discerning between huge primes and huge composites makes it possible for a cryptographer to come up with huge composite numbers that are factors of two really big primes, composed of hundreds of digits.

"Imagine that the lock on your door is a 400-digit number," Zegarelli says. "The key is one of the 200-digit numbers that was used to create that 400-digit number. If I've got one of those factors in my pocket, I've got the key to the house. " But if you don't have those factors, it's pretty darn tough to get in.

That's why mathematicians have continued to labor to come up with increasingly bigger primes, in an ongoing project called the Great Internet Mersenne Prime Search. In 2018, that project led to the discovery of a prime number that consisted of 23,249,425 digits, enough to fill 9,000 book pages, as University of Portsmouth (England) mathematician Ittay Weiss described it in The Conversation. It took 14 years of computations to come up with the gigantic prime, which is more than 230,000 times bigger than the estimated number of atoms in the observable universe!

You can imagine how impressed Euclid might be by that.

Now That's Cool Though many have believed that primes are random, in a 2016 paper, two Stanford University mathematicians described a previously unknown apparent pattern, in which primes tended to be followed by other primes ending in certain digits, as this Wired article details. For example, among the first billion prime numbers, a prime ending in 9 is about 65 percent more likely to be followed by a prime ending in one than it is to be followed by a prime ending in nine.
New Delhi:

The organisation which oversees the Nobel Peace prize has stated Myanmar leader Aung San Suu Ki cannot be stripped of the prize she won in 1991.

Olav Njolstad, who is Norwegian Nobel Institute's head stated the same in an email to the Associated Press. He said that neither the Alfred Nobel's will (founder of the prize) nor the Nobel Foundation's rules offer any kind of possibility of taking back the honour from laureates.

Olav wrote that stripping a Nobel Peace Prize awardee once the award is bestowed is not possible. He added that none of the prize awarding committees in Oslo and Stockholm has considered revoking the prize after it is given.

As a matter of fact, over 3,86,000 people have signed an online petition on Change.org asking for stripping Suu Kyi of her Nobel Prize due to the persecution of Rohingya Muslim minority in Myanmar.

Aun San Suu Kyi was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for her non-violent struggle for human rights and democracy in Myanmar against military rule.

The popular leader emerged as Myanmar's de facto leader after the country conducted its first free election in the year 2012. She was instrumental in leading her party to a monumental victory.

For all the Latest World News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps.
STUDENT scientists from two Limerick schools will showcase their research projects at an innovative Science for Development showcase which will take place online later this week.

Projects from Aronnya Khan Zakaria of Castletroy College, and Ciaran Cronin, Jamie O'Connor, Enda Buckley of Colaiste Iosaef, Kilmallock have been selected for the event, which is organised by Self Help Africa in collaboration with Irish Aid, the overseas development arm of the Department of Foreign Affairs.

Around 100 teenagers from close to 30 post-primary schools will present their scientific projects, at the annual event which will take place via Zoom from 11am on Wednesday.

The event will also feature a virtual tour of Iveagh House, the headquarters of the Department of Foreign Affairs and traditional host venue for the showcase which features a wide variety of environmental, social science and global development focussed projects that had featured at this years BT Young Science and Technology Exhibition.

The Science for Development event will be officially opened by Colm Brophy, Minister of State for Overseas Development Aid and Diaspora and guests speakers will include BT Young Scientist Expo co-founder, Dr. Tony Scott, Botswanan social scientist, Lovemore Gwiriri from Rothamsted Experimental Research Centre in the UK, and former BTYSTE Science for Development award winner Timothy McGrath, who will speak about his newly created social enterprise, ReFRAME.

Aronnya Khan Zakaria from Castletroy College in Limerick won the Science for Development Award at this year's BT Young Science and Technology Exhibition with her project on The Development of Racial Prejudice in Children.

The students from Colaiste Iosaef in Kilmallock will present their project, Project Poles at the event.

If you are interested in attending the online event e-mail schools@selfhelpafrica.org
MBABANE  Siphiwe Tata Ngubane is expected to, among other things, reveal what Mbuso Ncaza Nkosi allegedly told him were the real reasons which resulted in the alleged bad blood between Sipho Shongwe and the late Victor Gamedze.

It is alleged Ncaza revealed the real reasons to Siphiwe after he persistently asked him why Gamedze was killed. Ngubane, who is an accomplice witness, is expected to give more details on this subject when he continues giving his evidence before Judge Nkosinathi Maseko this week. Although hearsay evidence is usually inadmissible in court, Ngubane reportedly disclosed in his statement what Ncaza allegedly told him was the real cause of the bad blood between the two businessmen. The trial resumed last Wednesday and it was allocated six days, March 17-24, 2021.

Accomplice

An accomplice witness means a witness to a crime who, either as principal, accomplice or accessory, was connected with the crime by unlawful or omission of his part. All along, in his evidence on this subject, Ngubane has been telling the court what was discussed in the alleged meeting in Eldorado Park, which he attended together with Shongwe, Dzodzo and Ncaza. During that meeting, according to Ngubane, Shongwe reportedly told them that kunensizwa, (gentleman) - a fellow businessman in Eswatini - who was taking all business opportunities because he had a lot of money and the problem was that they no longer worked together as before. These are allegations whose veracity is still to be tested and the witness (Ngubane) is yet to be cross-examined by Shongwes legal team.

Money

He alleged that Shongwe told them that he wished that the money the businessman, whose name he did not mention, carried in his car be taken from him. However, after Gamedze had been killed and Ncaza and Ngubane returned to South Africa, the former allegedly told the latter the real reason why the astute businessman (Gamedze) was murdered. When the matter resumed last Wednesday, Advocate Michael Hellens said the defence feared the evidence of Ngubane. Hellens said Ngubane would give evidence on what happened on the day of the shooting (Gamedzes murder), what happened in prison in Johannesburg where he (Ngubane) was incarcerated with Ncaza and also testify on the audio visual link (AVL) application by the Crown. However, Shongwes legal team has set down the AVL applicationfor arguments on Wednesday. In the same application, they are praying for an order that the Crown be ordered to pay costs.

Meanwhile, the Crown is left with six contentious witnesses to parade. These witnesses, among others, are Nkosi and Ngubane, who are both South African nationals, and chief investigator of the case Sikhumbuzo Fakudze. Some of the witnesses the Crown had paraded are ; Precious Chauya from Eswatini Revenue Authority, Registrar of Companies Msebe Malinga and Nontsikelelo Zwane, who was employed at Young Heroes. Others who testified are Chief Immigration Officer Makhosi Simelane, Xolani Nhleko of Young Heroes and Eswatini Water Services Corporation Director Strategic Services Sikhumbuzo Tsabedze.


Armenia MFA information department chief: All deputy FMs carrying out their duties

Ardshinbank invited children to the cinema on International Childrens Day

Armenia judiciary to have 10 more judges

Armenia acting premier: We had recorded 40% increase in tax revenues according to 2019 results

Armenia acting PM on Artsakh war casualties bodies: We have 50 remains in which case DNA was not separated

Azerbaijan authorities plan to "squeeze" everything from "terrorist show" related to Armenian captives

Ameriabank Announces a Contest for Bank Card Design

108 new cases of COVID-19 confirmed in Armenia

Armenia parliament convenes special session

Armenia interim government holding Cabinet meeting

Catholicos of All Armenians heads for Syunik Province, Artsakh

World oil prices going up

Iran loses right to vote in UN General Assembly

Newspaper: Armenia authorities come up with new way of punishing unwanted characters

Newspaper: Russia army Southern Military District deputy commander to arrive in Yerevan Thursday

Lebanese Armenian man taken prisoner by Azerbaijan is hospitalized

Armenia ex-President Kocharyan: Are we getting under the burden? Then lets get under to the end

Armenia acting health minister on keeping fallen soldiers bodies in bags: What else should they be kept in?

Armenia acting health minister on citizens' demand for her resignation

Karabakh's new State Minister Artak Beglaryan on his appointment and future activities

Armenian, Russian and Azerbaijani representatives hold consultations in Moscow

2 Armenian soldiers receive slight injuries after incident with Azerbaijani servicemen in Armenia's Gegharkunik

Armenian boy weighing 5 kg born at Goris Medical Center

"Armenia" bloc representative presents purpose of participation in elections and plans

Isaac Herzog elected President of Israel

Rouhani: Main issues between Tehran, Washington resolved in Vienna

Charles Michel calls on Armenia and Azerbaijan to resume constructive negotiations

US Department of State responds to Pashinyan's proposal to deploy international observers on Armenia-Azerbaijan border

Head of Armenia 2nd President's Office: Robert Kocharyan's public meetings are held in warm atmosphere

Opposition "Armenia" bloc's representative on photos and videos showing bags of deceased servicemen's bodies

Armenia Ombudsman, AGBU President discuss war crimes committed by Azerbaijan during Karabakh war

Opposition "Armenia" bloc's representatives to hold briefings three times a week

Opposition "Armenia" bloc member: Blood-freezing photos and videos from morgue in Abovyan are authorities' reflection

Yerevan mayor receives Netherlands Ambassador

Armenia Health Ministry, Investigative Committee keep info about sending remains of dead soldiers abroad confidential

Armenia Prosecutor General's Office launches case regarding leaving sacs of servicemen's bodies/remains in basement

Peskov: Putin and Biden to discuss cybersecurity issues

Armenia's Pashinyan meets with Belgian PM Alexander De Croo

Armenia acting MOD receives Netherlands Ambassador

Armenia Police: 3 citizens apprehended during protest demanding acting health minister's resignation

NATO warns Minsk about further consequences of Ryanair incident

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
A senior Army officer who claimed 50,000 in private school fees 'deliberately manipulated the numbers' about how much time his wife spent at their home, a court martial heard today.

Maj Gen Nick Welch, 57, is accused of abusing Continuity of Education Allowance (CEA) to send two of his children to the 37,000-a-year Clayesmore School and 22,500-a-year Hanford School, both in Dorset.

Prosecutors claim he lied to the Army that they were living in military quarters in London when they in fact spent most of their time at their 800,000 Dorset home, breaching allowance rules.

A court heard today that the father of three 'deliberately manipulated the numbers' to mislead military police about how much time wife Charlotte Welch had spent in London from December 2015 to February 2017.

To conform to the allowance rules, freelance consultant Mrs Welch, 54, could only spend 90 days away from the London address in a year.

Maj Gen Nick Welch, 57, allegedly abused Continuity of Education Allowance (CEA) to send two of his children to the 37,000-a-year Clayesmore School and 22,500-a-year Hanford School, both in Dorset

The hearing was told Maj Gen Welch provided 'significantly lower' calculations to the police so it seemed his wife was abiding by the 90 day rule, adding that he was 'trying to do all [he] could to knock these numbers down'.

Bulford Military Court, Wiltshire, heard that, on February 20 2017, Maj Gen Welch was made aware of an anonymous complaint about how much time his wife had been spending at the London address.

Prosecutor Sarah Clarke QC explained that the following morning, Maj Gen Welch and his wife spoke several times on the phone.

He admitted to the court that at this point he asked her to change her plans from staying in Blandford that weekend and instead drive to London.

She messaged her husband later that day, stating she had arrived at their London address and joked that she had 'beeped her horn very loudly all the way in'.

She added that she would be 'out and about and very sociable all week'.

During cross examination today, Maj Gen Welch accepted he must have told his wife about the complaint and added: 'I suspect I had told her to go to London. At that stage I still thought we were inside the rules.

'There was an accusation made against me but we wanted to make sure we were entirely inside the regulations.

'I wanted to make sure we were inside the rules. I didn't panic, nor did I ask her to make an impression on the neighbours.'

The 57-year-old, pictured in Afghanistan with then-Prime Minister David Cameron, denies fraud

The trial heard that his wife had texted a friend afterwards saying she had only just learned of the 'small print' in the regulations stating she could only spend 90 days away from the London address, so had to 'dash back up here to keep in line'.

Maj Gen Welch added: 'I thought she was aware; she tells me she wasn't aware.'

Maj Gen Welch told the court he and his wife spent that weekend going through calendars and diaries to plot their movements.

He then handed an envelope containing these calculations, along with the documents he had been working from, to military police who were investigating him.

His calculations of how many days his wife had spent away from London were shown to the court, but Ms Clarke said they were 'significantly lower' than the true number, which would have been clear from the various calendars and diaries also given to the police.

His calculations showed his wife was absent from London for 65 days between June 2016 and February 2017, and 79 days between May 2016 and March 2017.

But Ms Clarke pointed out that he had decided to omit January-April in both of these calculations, which would have added at least another 45 days in which Mrs Welch was absent from London.

When analysing month by month, Ms Clarke also found several discrepancies in his calculations 'which would have been obvious'.

She told Maj Gen Welch: 'This envelope that you handed to the military police to exonerate you actually did the opposite.

'Over the course of that weekend you deliberately manipulated the numbers to reduce them as much as you thought you could get away with.

'You and your wife were trying to do all you could to knock these numbers down.'

Maj Gen Welch claimed these were 'incomplete calculations', adding: 'What I had that weekend was insufficient to work out in detail where we had been.

'It took us an awful long time to decipher her diaries and plot her movements.'

The court heard that he told the investigation he believed he had complied with 'the spirit of the regulations'.

Maj Gen Welch had previously claimed he thought he satisfied the 'underlying principles' of the allowance rules as long as he and his wife 'endeavoured to be together'.

Maj Gen Welch, who has a glittering career and an OBE, is the most senior officer to face a court martial since 1815, when a Lieutenant General was convicted during the Napoleonic wars.

He denies fraud. The trial continues.
You are here: World

 Flash

At least 12 people have been killed and dozens injured in separate road accidents in Bangladesh.

Eight people were killed in two separate road accidents in the country's central Faridpur district, some 101 kilometers away from capital Dhaka.

Md Russell, a highway police officer, said the incidents took place in two separate places in the district early Sunday.

According to the official, dozens of others have also been injured in the accidents.

Earlier on Saturday afternoon, at least four people were killed and 10 others injured in a head-on collision between two buses in the country's Bogura district, 197 km northwest of Dhaka, said Ratan Hossain, a local Fire Service and Defence station officer.

Bangladesh has a higher fatality rate for road accidents in the world due to shoddy highways, poorly maintained vehicles, violation of traffic rules by inept drivers and lack of monitoring by the traffic department.
Autistic man drowns while searching for snails in pond

PHUKET: Police have confirmed that a Kamala resident who suffered from autism tragically drowned in a pond yesterday (Mar 21) while searching for snails with his brother.

accidentsdeath

By Eakkapop Thongtub

Monday 22 March 2021, 12:02PM

Natdanai Puekkhao, 18, of Ban Hua Khuan, Moo 5, Kamala, had accompanied his 9-year-old brother San to search for snails in the pond when he disappeared under the water and did not resurface.

Lt Col Somnuk Damkliang of the Kamala Police, together with rescue workers from Kamala Municipality and Kusoldharm Foundation, rushed to the scene at about 1:30pm yesterday where San informed them his brother was missing under the water.

Kusoldharm Foundation divers searched the pond for about 20 minutes before they found Mr Natdanais body. They confirmed he was discovered at the bottom of the pond, which was approximately 10 metres deep, roughly 5 metres away from the edge.

Mr Natdanai was taken to Patong Hospital for examination before his body was passed to relatives to allow them to make the necessary funeral arrangements.

Mr Natdanais aunt, 44-year-old Umaporn Hemra, explained that he generally stayed home, only occasionally venturing out to collect plastic bottles to exchange for money.

San told me that his brother had invited him to search for snails in the pond, so he accompanied him, Ms Umaporn said.

San waited at the edge of the pond and allowed his brother to search.

He explained that Natdanai was under water for a long time. San called out for him many times but received no response which is when he turned for help from some local people at the pond who were there fishing, she added.

One of the people called the police and advised San to inform me, which he did, Ms Umaporn concluded.
Emmy nominee Chris Pine ditched his Miami Vice muscle tee to better showcase his six-pack abs and bulging biceps while walking his dog in Los Angeles on Sunday.

The 40-year-old WW84 action star originally adopted his Pit Bull Wednesday Weld from Home Dog LA's North Central Animal Shelter back in 2016.

Chris also made sure to protect himself and others from the coronavirus by wearing a grey cloth face mask.

Adonis: Emmy nominee Chris Pine ditched his Miami Vice muscle tee to better showcase his six-pack abs and bulging biceps while walking his dog in Los Angeles on Sunday

Longest relationship? The 40-year-old WW84 action star originally adopted his Pit Bull Wednesday Weld from Home Dog LA's North Central Animal Shelter back in 2016

As of Sunday, there have been 1.2M confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Los Angeles leading to 22,797 deaths - according to Johns Hopkins University.

On March 14, Pine wrapped his role as CIA operative Henry Pelham on the Carmel-by-the-Sea set of Janus Metz's film All the Old Knives.

The reflective thriller - based on Olen Steinhauer's 2015 novel - also stars Thandie Newton, Laurence Fishburne, and Jonathan Pryce.

Before that, the third-generation Hollywood actor reunited with his People Like Us leading lady Olivia Wilde to act in her 1950s-set thriller, Don't Worry Darling.

'It's a wrap!' On March 14, Chris wrapped his role as CIA operative Henry Pelham on the Carmel-by-the-Sea set of Janus Metz's (R) film All the Old Knives

'Such a thrill to work with you!' Before that, Pine reunited with his People Like Us leading lady Olivia Wilde (L) to act in her second directorial feature, Don't Worry Darling, which wrapped on February 13

The 37-year-old Independent Spirit Award-winning filmmaker wrapped her second directorial feature on February 13 alongside Florence Pugh and Harry Styles.

'I've known the lovely Chris Pine for almost 16 years, and he has always been one of the most generous, supportive, intelligent, and skillful actors out there,' Olivia gushed on February 16.

'When I asked him to come play with us on Don't Worry Darling, despite his busy schedule, he replied in a singularly Chris way by saying, "Yeah buddy of course!"

'He then went on to deepen the character every day, without ever highjacking our intentions or stepping on our toes. He was there to serve the piece in any way he could, and boy did he serve one hell of a performance. Such a thrill to work with you, Chris.'

Instagram official! It's unclear if the third-generation Hollywood actor is still in a relationship with Boss Level star Annabelle Wallis (R, pictured in 2019), whom he hasn't been pictured with since August 16 in Los Feliz

'Underwater stunts': Last Thursday, the British 36-year-old wrapped her role in Floria Sigismondi's LGBT drama The Silence of Mercy, which shot in Ireland (pictured last Monday)

Still going strong? However, Annabelle did repost Bryan Ling's outtake-filled promo Chris starred in for vinyl seller In Sheep's Clothing back in November

It's unclear if Chris is still in a relationship with Boss Level star Annabelle Wallis, whom he hasn't been pictured with since August 16 in Los Feliz.

Last Thursday, the British 36-year-old wrapped her role in Floria Sigismondi's LGBT drama The Silence of Mercy, which involved 'underwater stunts' in Ireland.

However, Annabelle did repost Bryan Ling's outtake-filled promo Pine starred in for vinyl seller In Sheep's Clothing back in November.

The Quibi Princess Bride guest stars reportedly began dating way back in April 2018.
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The trial heard Hayne had been speaking to the victim on social media for a few weeks, but they met for the first time when Hayne  who was in Newcastle for a bucks weekend  stopped at her house on the evening of September 30, 2018, on the way back to Sydney. He arrived at her home at 9.07pm, drinking a Vodka Cruiser, and left his $550 taxi waiting outside, telling the driver he needed to pick up a bag. He left 46 minutes later. Convicted: Jarryd Hayne outside court on Monday. Credit:James Alcock The trial examined the conflicting accounts of what happened in that time, as well as messages and phone calls made before and after the incident. In one message, the woman told a friend Hayne had been so rough that blood started pouring all over the bed because he tore my vagina. Hayne denied assaulting the woman and said their consensual encounter ended when he injured her accidentally, which surprised him as much as her.

Loading In a series of phone calls intercepted by police in November 2018, Hayne described the woman as a full-blown weirdo, a young cow and a f---in idiot who got attached to him and started blowing up when he brushed her off. He said he would get her for defamation easy. It was the second time a jury had deliberated on the charges. The first trial ended in December last year with a hung jury, after eight men and four women were unable to reach a unanimous verdict. Speaking after the verdict, Detective Superintendent Stacey Maloney, the commander of the NSW Police child abuse and sex crimes squad, said it was an incredible feat for the victim to go through this process. She said the woman had shown courage, resilience and a steely nature, with the officer urging other victims to come forward to engage with police if they have been assaulted. We believe you, and well be on the journey with you, Ms Maloney said. Jurors in the second trial were only informed that the first trial did not conclude, and were instructed not to seek out the reason why. The evidence of Hayne and the woman was replayed from the first trial  the woman with video and audio, and Hayne with just audio.

In her evidence, the woman said she did not consent to the sexual activity and felt like an object ... degraded and upset and angry. She said Hayne tried to kiss her and she said no, but he didnt stop, and he pulled down her pants despite her efforts to hold them up. I think I froze in a way, because I cant remember a massive struggle; it was just really confusing. But he knew I didnt want it  I said no, the woman said. It was forceful and fast. Thats why I cant say for sure how the [genital] injury was done, whether it was his mouth, his teeth, his nails or a ring. I was numb. A doctor gave evidence that the two lacerations to the womans genitals were caused by the skin splitting after being stretched beyond its capacity.

Loading Hayne said the woman did not say stop or no at any stage. He said she was not happy after discovering the taxi waiting outside and didnt want to have sex, but he just wanted to please her in other ways. He said he used his hands and mouth on the woman and, during one of the sexual acts, he felt the sense of a different liquid hit my lip and jumped up in shock, looking straight at his hands to see blood. Hayne said the woman was a bit frazzled and he reiterated that it was an accident and told her to go to the doctor, before saying I better go and leaving. When he later received a message from the woman on Snapchat, indicating she had made a police complaint, he said he was fuming, because shes full of shit. The court heard in a pretrial hearing in February that police had approached the woman to ask if she would be willing to give evidence again, but she was resistant to return because she was significantly affected by the experience of testifying the first time.

In the first trial, the woman broke down in the witness box and began to cry, telling Haynes barrister that no means f---ing no. When she was asked to leave to take a break, she walked past Hayne in court and said to him, Youre a f---ing piece of shit. This exchange was not played in the new trial. The jury was also unaware Hayne had previously been accused of leaving a woman bleeding from her vagina after an alleged sexual assault in December 2015, while he was in the United States playing American football for the San Francisco 49ers. That woman, known only by her initials JV, brought a civil case against Hayne in 2017 because authorities did not have enough evidence to lay criminal charges. He settled with her for almost $100,000 in 2019. On Monday, after the jury in the present case had been deliberating for about two-and-a-half days, Judge Syme said the issues of sexual assault and consent had been in the news over the weekend. She urged jurors to disregard anything but the evidence they had heard in the case, and to avoid debating about consent law in general.
COLUMBUS, OhioCoronavirus restrictions on visits to Ohio nursing homes and assisted-living facilities are again being loosened, so that residents can have visitors in their private rooms and physically touch each other so long as masks are worn, Gov. Mike DeWine announced Monday.

Ohio nursing homes and assisted-living centers will now also be required to allow visits of at least 30 minutes so long as coronavirus rules are followed, the governor said during a televised press conference. Until now, such facilities were allowed, but not required, to permit indoor visits of that length.

DeWines announcement comes 11 days after he announced that, per revised federal health guidelines, Ohio nursing homes can again allow indoor visits at all times, so long as most residents are vaccinated and coronavirus cases in the surrounding area are limited.

DeWine also said Tuesday that he is expanding the number of circumstances when loved ones can schedule indoor compassionate care visits at nursing homes that arent yet permitted under COVID-19 rules to generally receive visitors. Loved ones of dying or struggling residents can arrange a compassionate care visit by calling the states long-term care ombudsman at 1-800-282-1206.

The governor said that indoor visits can still be limited when fewer than 70% of residents in the nursing home are vaccinated, the building is in a county with a COVID-19 test positivity rate greater than 10%, or theres an outbreak of coronavirus in the facility. Visitors will also be required to wear masks, wash hands, and schedule visits in advance.

Under new state rules announced Monday, staff at Ohio nursing homes must be tested for the coronavirus one per week if theyre vaccinated and twice per week if theyre not vaccinated.

The number of coronavirus cases at Ohio nursing homes has been steadily dropping in recent weeks, since hitting a high of more than 5,100 patient cases in mid-December. Last week, 570 patients and 423 staff in Ohio had reported cases of the virus, according to the state health department.

Read more Ohio politics and government stories:

Gov. Mike DeWine to authorize health departments to give extra coronavirus vaccine doses to all Ohioans 16 and up

Ohio to reach 1 million mark for coronavirus cases on Monday

Gov. Mike DeWine says he wouldnt have voted for federal coronavirus stimulus package

Has the dip in Ohio coronavirus cases flattened out?

Gov. Mike DeWine names former Franklin County judge head of state utilities commission
The Biden Administration collaborated with Texas-based non-profit organization, Endeavors, to secure shelter for families in the borders. Because of the collaboration, the Biden administration has awarded a contract costing $86.9 million to ICE, which will be spent on the hotel rooms near the border.

Fox Business noted that the hotel rooms will house families who have not been expelled from the United States but are placed for immigration proceedings. The movement follows the influx of illegal families crossing American borders.

ALSO READ: Pelosi Says Surge of Migrant Children At U.S.-Mexico Border Is a 'Humanitarian Crisis'

Biden Administration and Endeavors collaboration

The data from Customs and Border Protection showed an uptick in migrant family members that are caught crossing the southwest borders, according to a Pulptastic report. 7,000 migrant families were recorded in January, and this almost tripled to 19,000 in February. On the other hand, unaccompanied children and single minors increased to 9,297 in February from its record of 5,649 in January.

In response to this issue, the contract through Endeavors will provide not only beds for the families to sleep in but also "other necessary services" that will be needed by the migrant families. 1,239 beds will be secured by the contracts for the migrant families, along with comprehensive health assessments like COVID-19 testing.

Axios noted that migrant families and unaccompanied migrant children are exhausting the government resources. Because of the influx of migrants trying to seek asylum, utilizing the federal government devised hotel rooms for migrants. Immigration agencies have utilized hotel rooms in the past, and hotel rooms are a safer option than border patrol stations.

Jon Allman, Endeavors President, and CEO noted that "critical services to migrant families" will be provided by their contract with DHS. Allman added that the services they will be providing are a continuation of previous services they have delivered to the migrants since 2012.

Endeavors

Endeavors offers four major services. One of them is the migrant services, which is timely in the border crisis happening in the borders of Mexico and the United States. Apart from the beds and the health services the organization will provide the migrant families, Endeavors will also offer victim services, therapeutic regimens, educational resources, and even mental health care.

The organization also offers trauma-informed, child-centered, and culturally appropriate case management. The organization will also give home study and post-release services for unaccompanied children and their sponsors.

42 percent of the families were already expelled to Mexico last month. The figure of expulsion among migrant families is significantly lower than the 64 percent in January and 91 percent in October. Unaccompanied children are not included in the expulsion.

The border officials under the Biden administration still utilize the Trump-era method to quickly return many families to Mexico. However, Mexico has only limited capacity in accepting migrant families. Even with the help from Endeavors, the Biden administration has been pressuring the Mexican Government in increasing their immigration enforcement. That way, the surge of Central Americans seeking asylum in the U.S.-Mexico border might be slowed down.

RELATED ARTICLE: Biden Tells Migrants 'Don't Come' as U.S. Faces Biggest Migrant Surge in 20 Years

WATCH: Biden steps up family expulsions amid border surge - from Reuters
Death row inmate Derrick Quintero has passed away of apparent natural causes. Quintero, 59, was pronounced deceased at Riverbend Maximum Security Institution at 3:31 a.m. on Monday.

He was sentenced to death in 1991 for first-degree murder in Stewart County.

The exact cause of his death is pending official determination by the medical examiner.

On June 16, 1988, eight prisoners escaped from Three Cellhouse, the maximum security section of the Kentucky State Penitentiary in Eddyville, Ky. Three of the eight escaped prisoners, Billy Hall, Derrick Quintero and James Blanton, traveled together to Stewart County, Tn. 50 miles from the prison, where they murdered Buford and Myrtle Vester. The death certificates listed the date of death for both victims as June 22, 1988, the date their bodies were found.

Buford Vester was shot from an outside window. Myrtle Vester was shot once with a high-powered rifle, was shot again at close range with a sawed-off shotgun, and was stabbed repeatedly in the neck and chest.

Following a trial by jury, Hall, Quintero and Blanton were each found guilty of the murders of Buford and Myrtle Vester and sentenced to death.
SUV

After being shrouded in doubt for a short while, the consensus is now that Ferrari will indeed launch an(or crossover, that part is still not decided), and it will be called Purosangue. With the doubt gone, the only thing left shrouding the upcoming model is complete mystery, and that's because nobody knows what in the world this thing looks like.Well, you can imagine at least its designer and a few other people at Ferrari do, but the company has somehow managed to keep the project under wraps with surprising efficiency. We say that because we're living in times when everyone has a camera and a fax machine on them at every time, not to mention ways of remaining anonymous if some information were to make its way onto the World Wide Web.We don't know about you, but we quite like it. It feels stupid saying this after what happened last year (and is still happening), but the world does feel a little bit bereft of surprises. Is Ferrari going to manage to keep the Purosangue away from prying eyes up to the moment it decides to reveal it?Here's to hoping it will, if not for any other reason, then for allowing the independent designers of this world to give us their take on what the model might end up looking like. We've seen plenty of interpretations so far, some more exciting than others, and now we can add one more to the collection.This one comes courtesy of Giorgi Tedoradze, an industrial designer from Georgia whose works you might have come across before on our website. He seems to believe Ferrari won't do any half-measures and will go for an SUV the size of the Lamborghini Urus . That would mean four full doors and more interior room than all other Ferrari models combined, not to mention a ground clearance you could slip an SF90 Stradale through. Or something like that.It's not just the size that's reminiscent of Lambo's model, but also the styling. Admittedly, there are only so many ways to turn a supercar into an SUV and dealing with the extra verticality of the front end is definitely going to pose a challenge. Apart from looking somewhat generic, there's not much we can complain about Giorgi's take, with his Purosangue looking aggressive and capable, if a little bit too Lambo -like (or at least too little Ferrari-like).Meanwhile, at the rear, the rendering shows a blatant SF90 Stradale SUV conversion. The taillights almost entirely carry over, albeit with the now mandatory lightbar added to signal this model was penned after 2019. The two big exhausts protruding through the red metal also make a mostly unmodified appearance.That last bit can be interpreted in a design-related way (a stylistic touch meant to link the SUV with the brand's flagship model), or it could suggest the fact the Purosangue would borrow the SF90 Stradale 's 1,000-PS (986-hp) hybrid powertrain. If that were the case, even with a slightly nerfed power output, the Purosangue would definitely spell "game over" for the Urus, at least as far as the performance goes. Granted, it would also put Ferrari's model in a completely different price bracket, something that might happen even if the Purosangue ends up with a different engine/transmission combination.This may not be the most exciting take on the Purosangue we've seen so far. However, thanks to Ferrari's secretiveness, even a less exciting rendering of an exciting upcoming model is still very exciting.
[March 21, 2021] FICO Survey: 71% of Taiwanese Prefer to Use Digital Channels to Engage with their Bank During Financial Hardship

Appeal of in-person branch banking fading fast post pandemic TAIPEI, Taiwan, March 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Highlights: 71 percent of Taiwanese consumers prefer to use digital channels to engage with their bank during financial hardship.

prefer to use digital channels to engage with their bank during financial hardship. 31 percent of Taiwanese prefer to communicate using their mobile banking app; 22 percent preferred to use internet banking.

prefer to communicate using their mobile banking app; preferred to use internet banking. 24 percent of Taiwanese prefer to deal with just one primary bank with a further 40 percent saying that they 'somewhat agreed' this was their preference. A recent survey by global analytics software firm FICO has revealed that 71 percent of Taiwanese consumers prefer to use digital channels to engage with their bank during financial hardship. The poll conducted in December 2020, during the height of the global COVID-19 pandemic, demonstrates the willingness of consumers to embrace digital banking and the opportunities that exist for banks to further develop their offering. More information: https://www.fico.com/en/latest-thinking/market-research/advancing-new-experiences-digital-banking The high level of smartphone penetration in Taiwan meant that 31 percent of Taiwanese preferred to communicate about hardship using their mobile banking app; 22 percent wanted to use internet banking; 11 percent preferred to use phone banking; 5 percent communicated via email; and 2 percent wanted to use virtual conference technology. "The risk of infection and social distancing requirements made branch visits less appealing last year, accelerating a shift to digital banking channels globally," said Aashish Sharma, risk lifecycle and decision management lead for FICO in Asia Pacific. "Being able to deliver and manage numerous channels in line with customer preference and deliver a seamless and engaging experience is a challenge that is here to sty. Investment in customer management and communication tools that span these channels and product silos and can deliver personalization and improved decision making is key to making digital banking a success."



Customer attitudes to new technology from banks such as debt collection automation can yield some interesting preferences and behaviors. "It is worth noting that during periods of hardship, some customers prefer to deal with the issue using intelligent, automated online services, such as our FICO Customer Communication Services (CCS) so as to avoid the embarrassment of talking to an agent about outstanding loans. If customers prefer digital channels during times of hardship, their most difficult time, it seems to me we can expect branch banking to continue its decline." explained Sharma.

Importance of maintaining banking relationships Banks still have a data and relationship advantage when compared to fintech challengers. The survey revealed that across Asia Pacific, one in three consumers preferred to have all their banking needs serviced by one bank. In Taiwan this was slightly lower at 24 percent, with a further 40 percent saying that they 'somewhat agreed' they would like to deal with just one primary bank. "Managing multiple bank accounts or finance products with different lenders can often be a complex, time-consuming and costly process for the average banking customer," said Sharma. "Digital banking users today are looking for greater control and visibility of their financial position." When asked about their willingness to try a fintech or challenger bank, 22 percent of Taiwanese said that they were inclined to consider a competitor with a further 47 percent relatively open to the idea. "To consolidate and strengthen main bank engagement, lenders need to offer digital banking features that compete with the challengers to ensure the stickiness and viability of long-term customer relationships," added Sharma. Most appealing reasons to switch banks When asked about the reasons they would make the switch to a competitor, 42 percent of Taiwanese consumers said their number one reason would be to secure improved personalization and controls in their digital banking service. The poll defined this as the ability to view transaction history, update personal details, reset passwords and other such functions. Interestingly, personalization and control was also the top reason for switching across Asia Pacific (31%). Other top switching drivers across Asia Pacific were; the ability to control a payment card (set transaction limits, lock/unlock); the ability to set up recurring payments; and improved security features such as biometrics and two-factor authentication. FICO's Advancing New Experiences in Digital Banking survey was conducted in December 2020 using an online, quantitative poll of 5,000 consumers across ten countries and regions carried out on behalf of FICO by an independent research company. The countries surveyed were Australia, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Malaysia, New Zealand, Philippines, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand and Vietnam. About FICO FICO (NYSE: FICO) powers decisions that help people and businesses around the world prosper. Founded in 1956 and based in Silicon Valley, the company is a pioneer in the use of predictive analytics and data science to improve operational decisions. FICO holds more than 195 US and foreign patents on technologies that increase profitability, customer satisfaction and growth for businesses in financial services, manufacturing, telecommunications, health care, retail and many other industries. Using FICO solutions, businesses in more than 120 countries do everything from protecting 2.6 billion payment cards from fraud, to helping people get credit, to ensuring that millions of airplanes and rental cars are in the right place at the right time. Learn more at www.fico.com. Join the conversation on Twitter at @FICOnews_APAC. FICO is a registered trademark of Fair Isaac Corporation in the US and other countries. SOURCE FICO

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SAN FRANCISCO, March 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Recall committee spokesman Richie Greenberg today issued a scathing response to embattled San Francisco District Attorney Chesa Boudin, for his recent outrageous public comments and inciting abuse on social media.

"When you bash and demean our 29-member Recall proponent coalition, you attack our beloved San Francisco as a whole. You're inciting contempt for the young, the elderly, gay, straight, White, Latinx, African-American, Asian, Jewish, immigrant and local-born, single and married, new parents and grandparents, victims of crime, those with disabilities, women and men alike. Because that's who we twenty-nine coalition members are, the signers of the Notice of Intent to begin a recall. The City's voters are empowered now, we will not take your continued trashing us nor San Francisco lightly, especially now knowing how deeply political corruption has infiltrated your office. You appointed the chairman of the Democrat Party in San Francisco as your chief of staff, which clearly explains your highly-politicized and incendiary rhetoric. We call on you, Mr. Boudin for you and your minions to immediate cease the attacks and disparagement, to quit ignoring valid, legitimate inquiries from the media about your lack of virtually any effective criminal prosecutions turning San Francisco into a criminal's paradise, and to terminate the employ of the Democrat Party chair as your chief of staff, without further delay."

The Committee Supporting the Recall of District Attorney Chesa Boudin leads the recall effort, with website at https://RecallChesaBoudin.org .

MEDIA CONTACT:

The Committee Supporting the Recall of District Attorney Chesa Boudin

Richie Greenberg, Spokesman

Email: [email protected]

Office: 415-349-0106

SOURCE Committee Supporting the Recall of DA Chesa Boudin

Related Links

https://recallchesaboudin.org


New Delhi, March 22 : The Supreme Court on Monday sent a 74-year-old man to jail for not paying Rs 1.65 crore maintenance to his estranged wife.

A bench, headed by Chief Justice S.A. Bobde, orally told counsel appearing for Michael Arul that he "will go to prison for three months".

The top court, on February 19, had given the final opportunity to Arul to clear Rs 2.6 crore arrears of maintenance, along with monthly maintenance of Rs 1.75 lakh, to his estranged wife. On Monday, the bench, also comprising Justices A.S. Bopanna and V. Ramasubramanian, noted that on the last hearing, it granted Arul four weeks' time, yet he had not made the full payment.

"You are not concerned about the well-being of your wife," the bench noted.

Wife's counsel Ishaan George said the Supreme Court has made its position very clear that husbands who do not pay maintenance to their wives are liable to face imprisonment.

Arul's counsel insisted that his client is old and he should not be sent to jail, and insisted before the top court to him some more time to make the full payment.

George said that currently the balance maintenance payable is Rs 1.65 crore and added that the matter has been going on since 2009.

Arul's counsel argued that his client has a one-fourth share in an ancestral property and he is trying to monetise it to clear the maintenance amount. The top court did not pay heed to these submissions and reiterated that he got many chances in the past, still he has not paid in full.

However, the top court order detailing the exact time period for Arul's imprisonment was not uploaded till the end of day.

On the previous hearing, the top court had said: "Accordingly, by way of last chance, we permit the respondent to make payment of the entire outstanding amount along with the monthly maintenance regularly to his wife, within a period of four weeks from today, failing which, the respondent (husband) may have to be punished and sent to civil prison." "It is not disputed by the learned counsel appearing on behalf of the respondent and the respondent himself that he has been directed to pay money to his wife under two heads: one is the monthly maintenance of Rs 1,75,000 and the other is the past arrears of maintenance from the year 2009 which amounts to Rs 2.60 crore (approx), out of which an amount of Rs 50,00,000 has been paid to the wife," the top court had said in its February 19 order.
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Farm workers tend to strawberries growing in a field in Ventura County, Calif., on Feb. 10, 2021. (Patrick T. Fallon/AFP via Getty Images)

Farmers Ask Supreme Court to Strike Down California Rule Allowing Aggressive Labor Organizing

A California law that gives labor organizers permission to trespass on private property and disrupt business operations 120 days a year to recruit new members should be struck down as unconstitutional, farmers urged a seemingly receptive Supreme Court.

The case, Cedar Point Nursery v. Hassid, court file 20-107, is an appeal from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit. The telephonic oral arguments on March 22 lasted 69 minutes.

The petitioners are Cedar Point Nursery, a strawberry farm in Dorris, and Fowler Packing Co. Inc., in Fresno, which produces grapes and mandarin oranges. Together, they employ about 3,000 people. The lead respondent is Victoria Hassid, a Democrat, in her capacity as head of the California Agricultural Labor Relations Board.

If the Supreme Court rules in favor of the petitioners, some aggressive recruitment tactics by labor activists may be curbed.

California law forces agricultural producers to open their property and businesses to labor activists, which disrupts their business operations, effectively taking their property without compensation, the farmers argue. The state statute mirrors Section 7 of the National Labor Relations Act, which guarantees employees the right to self-organization, to form, join, or assist labor organizations, to bargain collectively through representatives of their own choosing, and to engage in other concerted activities.

But 46 years ago, the California Agricultural Labor Relations Board interpreted the law as granting union organizers the right to access the private property of all agricultural employers for the purpose of meeting and talking with employees and soliciting their support. Regulations dispense with any requirement that organizers obtain an employers consent before taking access.

Such a sweeping rule violates the property rights of the agriculture businesses, petitioners say, but the state argues the rule is not a taking under the Fifth Amendment because it doesnt authorize a permanent physical occupation of property. It allows only temporary and limited access to facilities so union organizers may speak with workers.

An access easement that takes the right to enter, occupy, and use anothers private property effects a per se physical taking under the Fifth Amendment, the petitioners lawyer, Joshua P. Thompson, told the justices during oral arguments.

The access regulation at issue in this case authorizes an easement on the property of petitioners for the benefit of union organizers. Under the terms of the access regulation, organizers may occupy the businesss property for three hours each day, 120 days each year. This court should hold that the taking of this easement violates the Fifth Amendment because it effects a physical taking without compensation, said Thompson, an attorney with Pacific Legal Foundation, a national public interest law firm in Sacramento.

The access regulation denies petitioners the right to exclude union organizers from their property.

If the government wants to take an access easement over private property, it has to pay for it. Failure to pay just compensation violates the Takings Clause, he said.

Justice Amy Coney Barrett seemed concerned that the California rule could foreshadow further government encroachments on private property.

Let me give you a hypothetical based on my personal residence, she told California Solicitor General Michael J. Mongan, who defended the rule.

Lets imagine that its situated on the corner of two busy streets and a city decides that it would be beneficial to allow people to protest on my lawn because its so highly visible to the traffic thats passing by. But exactly like this one  it says you can do it 120 days a year and three hours at a time just during rush hour.

During his opening statement, Mongan emphasized that the rule limits the activities of labor organizers.

The rule is not a taking, he said, adding that in this area of the law, the court has reserved such treatment for extreme regulations that are the functional equivalent of the government directly appropriating private property.

The farmers here cant credibly claim that the rule destroys all their rights to any part of their property or that its the functional equivalent of the government taking over their farm.

Chief Justice John Roberts asked, What do you do if theres more than one union that wants access? I mean  its not at all unusual for unions to be competing for representation. So does each union gets its own 120 days?

Mongan replied Yes, but said, as a practical matter  there are not typically situations where there are multiple unions  in a particular year, but that is theoretically possible.

Justice Brett Kavanaugh suggested Thompson was on the winning side here.

We decided unanimously in 1956 how to balance property rights against union organizing rights, he said. You probably prevail.

After the hearing, Thompson was optimistic about the case.

These two businesses have stuck to their guns from the get-go. Now, its just a matter of getting the result that were all hoping for, he said.
Albert Harris-Russell was pumping gas at a station across from the Orange County Jail when a stranger confronted him and yelled F- the Chinese.

It was mid-July, and it had become routine to hear former President Donald Trump and other Republican leaders refer to the coronavirus pandemic as the China virus or Kung flu even after the phrases had been decried as racist.

The mancontinued with his xenophobic tirade, also referring to COVID-19 as the China virus until Harris-Russell cut him off, telling the stranger he was Vietnamese not Chinese. At the same time, he said the man noticed the National Guard logo on Harris-Russells license plate. The man apologized and walked away.

I cant imagine if I was Chinese what could have happened to me, he said. He could have gotten physical.

Harris-Russell shared the story publicly for the first time after a series of shootings at three Atlanta spas left eight people dead, including six Asian-American women. Though the shooting has not been officially deemed a hate crime, it heightened the awareness of racially-motivated violence against Asian Americans.

Stop AAPI Hate, a coalition that tracks different forms of hate against Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders in the United States reported nearly 3,800 incidents nationwide since the start of the pandemic.

Though local law enforcement agencies say there has not been a spike in violence against Asian Americans, the data from Stop AAPI Hate show that the vast majority of incidents recorded were verbal attacks, deliberate avoidance and online harassment, actions unlikely to be reported to police.

Since the Atlanta attack, Central Florida residents  descendants of China, Vietnam, Korea, Laos, the Philippines and Taiwan  have opened up about harassment that has largely not escalated to physical violence but made them feel less safe in recent months.

I dont feel as safe

Tai Hai Le said a stranger yelled racial slurs at him both in Orlando near the beginning of the pandemic and while he was traveling through a Texas airport.

Story continues

Minkyung Chung, a mental health counselor who recently moved from Central Florida to Atlanta, said her family questioned if it was safe to leave home with masks  before Orange County made masks mandatory  for fear of harassment.

Dustin Sundara said he hasnt been attacked personally, but as a long-time gun owner, he bought a smaller one to conceal carry more often.

If you look Asian in general you can be seen as a target, Sundara said. Personally, I dont feel as safe. A lot of us are technically American. We work here. We pay taxes. Logically and rationally it doesnt make sense because we are all American.

Adrian Lee, a University of Central Florida junior and president of the Asian Pacific American Coalition, described an incident this year when another UCF student said he was approached late at night and asked if he was Vietnamese and if he had coronavirus.

Its easy to brush away, said Lee of the incident that might seem minor if it isnt taken into context with the violence that has erupted against Asian Americans across the country.

You really have to look at these incidents as a pattern in the way the pandemic has been racialized, she said.

Lee helped plan a vigil for 6:30 p.m. Tuesday on the University of Central Florida campus to honor the victims.

A legacy of anti-Asian discrimination

Investigators say accused shooter Robert Aaron Long, who is white, told police a sex addiction, not race, motivated the killings.

Still, Ryan Buyco, an Asian-American studies professor at Colorado College said the Atlanta incident is part of a centuries-long legacy of anti-Asian discrimination, sexism and sexualization.

These attacks towards Asians and Asian Americans are new for a lot of us...but we have to understand they arent new, and they are part of a longer history of anti-Asian racism in the United States, he said.

Its not just the shooter in Atlanta, but also the murder of Vincent Chin, Buyco said, referencing the killing of a Chinese-American man who was beaten to death in Michigan in 1982.

It goes back to the incarceration of Japanese Americans and to the [Chinese] exclusion laws [of the late 1800s], he added.

The Page Act of 1875, specifically barred Chinese women from entering the country, because of the assumption that they were prostitutes and would infect the morality of white men, said Buyco.

The shooting in Atlanta speaks to the sexist and racist history towards Asian women in particular, given that the suspect blamed his crime on his sexual addiction, said Buyco. Seeing these women not as people, but as sources of temptation, draws from long-standing stereotypes against Asian women as hypersexualized and subservient to men.

For Le, who was twice verbally harassed since the start of the pandemic, he wants better treatment and more empathy for other Asian Americans.

I hope that others can be mindful of the hardships and struggles that many Asian Americans face because of the boundaries systematically set in the United States that work against people of color, he said.

Reporters can be reached at achen@orlandosentinel.com and dstennett@orlandosentinel.com
New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on the occasion of World Water Day, will launch the 'Jal Shakti Abhiyan: Catch the Rain' campaign via video conferencing on Monday (March 22). PM Modi will launch the campaign at 12:30 pm today.

Taking it to his Twitter, PM Modi said, "Tomorrow, on World Water Day, the 'Catch the Rain Movement would be launched at 12:30 PM. This movement will take place across India based on the theme of 'catch the rain, where it falls, when it falls. It will strengthen water conservation efforts happening in our country."

Tomorrow, on World Water Day, a historic MoA for the Ken Betwa Link Project would be signed. This is a futuristic project that will particularly help the people of Bundelkhand. https://t.co/ONMfCQIjey  Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) March 21, 2021

Union Ministry of Jal Shakti and the governments of Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh will sign a Memorandum of Agreement for the first river-linking project of Ken-Betwa in the virtual launch.

This campaign will be implemented till November 30, this year. The theme of the campaign will be catch the rain, where it falls, when it falls. The essence of the campaign will be spreading awareness and implementation of the rainwater harvesting system in the country.

PM Shri @narendramodi will launch the 'Jal Shakti Abhiyan: Catch The Rain' campaign on World Water Day at 12:30 pm on 22nd March 2021. Watch on  https://t.co/ZFyEVlvvQi

 https://t.co/vpP0MI6iTu

 https://t.co/lcXkSnweeN

 https://t.co/jtwD1yPhm4 pic.twitter.com/mon8HGaDYK  BJP (@BJP4India) March 21, 2021

This agreement will take forward the vision of former PM Atal Bihari Vajpayee to direct the surplus water from some areas to water-scarce areas through river-linking projects with corporations between states.

The project will be implemented with the construction of Daudhan Dam and a canal which will link the Ken and Betwa river, providing drinking water supply to about 62 lakh people. This project will also generate over 103 MW of hydropower.

The benefits from this project will be received by regions of Panna, Damoh, Datia, Vidisha, Bundelkhand of Madhya Pradesh and Jhansi, Banda, Mahoba and Lalitpur of Uttar Pradesh.

Earlier, the Union Jal shakti minister emphasised on creating a resilient system to make water available to the most vulnerable areas in the country. "We need to make water available to the most vulnerable. At the same time, we need to build resilient systems that provide long term solutions for sustainable use of water," he said.

Live TV
Two Americans have been charged with facilitating the escape of former Nissan boss Carlos Ghosn from Japan. They face up to three years in prison, AFP reported.

The defendants, father and son, were flown to Japan earlier this month from the United States after losing the battle to avoid extradition.

Michael Taylor and his son Peter are charged with helping a criminal escape.

Ghosn is now out of the reach of Japanese justice in Lebanon, which does not have an extradition treaty with Tokyo.

The Taylors were arrested in the United States last year after Japan issued a warrant for them.

They tried to appeal Tokyo's extradition request, claiming that they would face conditions similar to torture while imprisoned in Japan, but the US Supreme Court rejected their appeal in February.

Ghosn was a global business superstar and head of an automotive alliance that included Nissan, Renault and Mitsubishi Motors before his career ended abruptly in November 2018.

The citizen of France, Lebanon and Brazil was ultimately accused of financial fraud.

After months in prison, Ghosn was released on bail pending trial and fled the country. Japanese prosecutors called it one of the most arrogant and well-planned escapes in recent history.

Allegedly, the former tycoon allegedly boarded a train to Osaka and then was flown by private jet and then to Lebanon. It is alleged that Ghosn was hiding in a box.

A Turkish court sentenced two pilots and another employee of a small private airline to four years and two months in prison for their involvement in Ghosn's escape.
Cheollian Satellite 2B / Courtesy of Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries



By Ko Dong-hwan



A Korean climate observation satellite started providing real-time images of air quality over Asia on Monday based on eight different concentration levels of pollution sources and other particulates. Expectations are rising over the climate watchdog role to be played by "Cheollian Satellite 2B" over the region.



Geostationary environment monitoring spectrometer (GEMS) atop Geostationary Korea Multi-Purpose Satellite 2B (GEO-KOMPSAT2B), which is its official name, was launched in February 2020 to monitor movements and concentration levels of nitrogen dioxide, aerosol, ozone, rainfall, three ultraviolet ray-related indices and sulfur dioxide. Images of the satellite's readings are available on the website of the Environmental Satellite Center , an arm of the National Institute of Environmental Research (NIER).



Hovering around 36,000 kilometers above the earth, Cheollian's GEMS scans the region's air quality for 30 minutes every hour starting 8:45 a.m. The satellite scans the region's air quality eight times a day.



Data from Cheollian represents air quality on the surface and throughout the stratosphere up to 50 kilometers above the earth's surface. That's why, according to the Ministry of Environment, the satellite's reading cannot be exactly the same as readings on air pollution sources like PM10 (particulate matters 10 micrometers thick or less) or PM2.5 by on-land scanning devices. Still, the authority said the satellite will hugely contribute to understanding how extensively aerosols and other airborne particulates are spread and concentrated.



The satellite already proved its effectiveness in reading nitrogen dioxide levels through images it took in February. The chemical usually gets in the air from automobile emissions and coal-fired power plants and damages human respiratory organs. Nitrogen dioxide reacts with other chemicals in the air to form ozone.





Images from Cheollian show nitrogen dioxide levels were worse on Feb. 9, left, than on Feb. 13 because of heavier traffic volume. Courtesy of Ministry of Environment
Secretary of State Brandon Lewis does not have the power to force Stormont to expand abortion services in Northern Ireland, according to a DUP MP.

But while Carla Lockhart argued it is entirely a devolved issue, others say Westminster has the legal power to act if the Department of Health fails to commission services across all the health trusts.

"This is an over-reach of the Secretary of State's powers. This is a health issue and therefore it is for our health minister to bring forward suggested regulations on the commissioning of services," Ms Lockhart told BBC Sunday Politics Programme.

Mr Lewis said he will this week take legislative action to force Health Minister Robin Swann to commission abortion services across Northern Ireland. Some trusts are providing abortion services, but in the absence of the department commissioning them, some women are still forced to travel to England.

Deirdre Heenan, professor of social policy at Ulster University, said that it is not just a health issue, which is devolved, but also about human rights, which is not.

She told Sunday with Steven Rainey on the BBC that the NI Secretary is "simply running out of patience with the Executive because they have a legal duty to... commission these services".

"People are, of course, entitled to their own opinions. However, the law is there and the law is clear."

The law allowing abortion in Northern Ireland was passed by MPs in late 2019, at a time when the Executive was not operating.

Ms Lockhart said the intervention was "unacceptable" and claimed people in Northern Ireland did not support the decision.

She also claimed the abortion legislation introduced by Westminster went "much further" than was recommended.

"Westminster has done what is required of them. If you actually look at the legislation, it mentions the Department of Health in terms of commissioning, therefore, it is not for them to get involved in this issue," she added.

"If the Northern Ireland Executive can't come to an agreement, it is up to the courts to determine what is required of our Executive."

Justice Minister Naomi Long said that the Assembly should proceed to commission the services that is required in law.

"I would prefer this is done by Executive, I would prefer the Executive would step up and undertake its duties properly," Ms Long said. "But in the absence of that, Brandon does have the right to take on these responsibilities."
(Natural News) A study led by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) suggests that Mars may be responsible for the zodiacal light, a faint cone of light commonly seen extending from the horizon before dawn and at dusk.

The zodiacal light is the sunlight reflected toward Earth by a cloud of dust particles orbiting the sun. Scientists previously thought that the dust came from asteroids and comets, but data from NASAs Jupiter-bound probe Juno shows that Mars may be the source of the dust all along.

The findings of the study were published in the Journal of Geophysical Research: Planets.

What Junos voyage reveals about the interplanetary dust cloud

Juno entered Jupiters orbit in 2016 after five years of traveling across space. During its voyage, four cameras aboard it snapped photos of the sky every quarter of a second to determine its orientation. One camera was further programmed to report things that appear in images but are not listed in the catalog of known celestial objects.

For a time, the camera sent back images of thousands of unidentifiable objects, which seemingly appeared and then disappeared from one image to the next.

We thought, Something is really wrong. The images looked like someone was shaking a dusty tablecloth out their window, said John Leif Jorgensen, a researcher from the National Space Institute at the Technical University of Denmark and the lead author of the study who designed the four Juno cameras.

After calculating the size and velocity of the objects, Jorgensen and his team concluded that the objects were tiny grains of dust smashing into the spacecraft at around 10,000 miles per hour. The grains chipped tiny pieces off the probe due to the sheer velocity of their impacts.

Even though were talking about objects with only a tiny bit of mass, they pack a mean punch, said Jack Connerney, the principal investigator for Juno and one of the study researchers.

The researchers analyzed the impacts sustained by Juno to plot the size and distribution of the interplanetary dust cloud. Their analysis showed that the clouds inner edge starts at Earths orbit, or at one astronomical unit (AU) from the sun. Meanwhile, its outer edge is around two AU from the sun.

Thats the dust we see as a zodiacal light, Jorgensen noted.

Also known as false dawn or dusk, the zodiacal light looks like a hazy pyramid that juts out from the horizon. It is caused by sunlight reflecting off grains of dust in the inner solar system.

The grains are spread out in the same flat plane of space that Earth and other planets in the solar system occupy. This flat plane translates on Earths sky to a narrow pathway called the ecliptic, which is the same pathway that the sun and moon travel as they journey across the sky.

Mars the source of the dust

The dust cloud ends somewhere beyond Mars, at which point Jupiters gravity prevents dust from crossing into the outer solar system. This phenomenon, known as orbital resonance, also prevents dust in deep space from crossing into the inner solar system.

The profound influence of Jupiters gravity indicated that the dust cloud is in a nearly circular orbit around the sun. This led the researchers to hypothesize that the dust grains originated from Mars, the dustiest planet in the solar system. As to how the team arrived at this hypothesis, Jorgensen explained that Mars, which orbits the sun at around 1.5 AU, is the only known object in a circular orbit around two AU from the sun.

To test their hypothesis, the researchers developed a computer model that predicts how sunlight would reflect off the dust cloud. The model takes everything into account, including the effects of Jupiters gravity. When the researchers plugged in the orbital elements of Mars, the model matched the signature variations of the zodiacal light.

That is, in my view, a confirmation that we know exactly how these particles are orbiting in our solar system and where they originate, said Connerney. (Related: Mysterious Mars: Methane burp previously detected on Mars seems to have disappeared.)

The researchers cannot yet explain how Martian dust escapes the planet. In all, the findings of the study can be used to design spacecraft that can better withstand dust impacts.

Read more fascinating finds in space at Discoveries.news.

Sources include:

DailyMail.co.uk

JPL.NASA.gov

EarthSky.org
US Secretary of State travels to Brussels, Belgium, on Monday to reaffirm America's commitments to its transatlantic alliances in meetings with counterparts and the leaders.

Blinken will participate in the Foreign Ministerial, engage with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell, hold talks with the Belgian Minister of Foreign Affairs Sophie Wilmes.

"The meetings in Brussels reaffirm the United States' commitment to our Allies and European partners on our shared agenda," the State Department said.

According to the statement, Blinken sees the ministerial and bilateral meetings as an opportunity to discuss the NATO 2030 proposals for alliance adaptation, concerns over China and Russia, as well as climate change, cyber security, combatting terrorism, energy security, and other common challenges.

"I think there will be clearly a discussion about Russia at the NATO ministerial and in the margins. We will engage with our allies to discuss different views of Russia and how we can engage with Russia in ways that obviously advance our collective interest but remain very clear-eyed about the challenges that Russia poses," Acting Assistant Secretary of State Philip Reeker told reporters.

He reiterated that US seeks "predictable and stable" relations with Russia, but won't shy away for "adversarial elements." "We expect even as you see in recent days our relationship with Russia to remain a challenge. Clearly NATO is very aware of it. And it is one, I think, we are prepared for," Reeker said.

Blinken plans to discuss with the EU leadership "transatlantic goals to contain the COVID-19 pandemic, pursue a sustainable global economic recovery, tackle the climate crisis, and strengthen democracy." Bilateral relations and "issues of global importance" will be on the agenda of Blinken's meetings with Wilmes, his Belgian counterpart, the State Department 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.)
Oregon will shift to allowing 3 feet of physical distancing in schools, down from 6, the Oregon Health Authority and Oregon Department of Education announced Monday.

They cited recent studies and new guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as saying 3 feet of separation is enough to prevent transmission of COVID-19 between masked students.

Oregon will allow schools to space elementary students 3 feet apart in all cases but will require 6 feet of spacing for middle and high school students if the countys rate of new coronavirus cases exceeds 200 per 100,000 residents over the course of 14 days.

The 3-foot flexibility means schools can put four times as many students in a classroom as under the previous rule.

Students and staff will have expanded opportunities and flexibility for in-person learning under this new guidance, Gov. Kate Brown said in a statement.

Schools will still need to ensure at least 6 feet of spacing when students from different classrooms are passing in hallways between periods or when students are eating, the agencies said.

-- Betsy Hammond; betsyhammond@oregonian.com; @ChalkUp
On the heels of several attacks against Asian American people in the Bay Area and across the country, a group of local elected officials and Asian community leaders gathered in Portsmouth Square Monday morning to demand an end to the violence.

The group assembled on hundreds of messages of love and unity written in chalk during rallies at the square over the weekend, with messages including, Asian elders, we love you, and Stop Asian hate.

Right at our feet are the words we have to pick up right now and run with, San Francisco Sheriff Paul Miyamoto said, pointing toward the chalked messages.

The people targeted right now arent just Asian  theyre elderly, theyre vulnerable, theyre people that we should be protecting as a whole.

Miyamoto also implored the groups of volunteers being set up to patrol in San Franciscos Chinatown neighborhood to behave responsibly.

While the recent spate of attacks has been particularly violent  including one that resulted in the death of Vicha Ratanapakdee, an 84-year-old Thai man  racist rhetoric against Asian Americans is nothing new, particularly in San Francisco, speakers noted.

There are many people in this community who remember the days when Chinese people could not cross Broadway into North Beach without fears of violence, said Supervisor Aaron Peskin, who represents the San Francisco district that includes Chinatown.

Assembly Member David Chiu said members of the Legislature are working on a wide variety of responses, but added there is no silver bullet that can end the hate.

He took aim against the organizers of the campaign to recall Gov. Gavin Newsom, some of whom have repeatedly called the coronavirus a Chinese virus since the pandemic began, echoing the rhetoric that Asian Americans say has contributed to the uptick of attacks.

This is behavior, this is activity that is rooted deep into our community, he said. We have to connect the dots. We have to rise up.

Michael Williams is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: michael.williams@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @michaeldamianw


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It is crucial to gain a better understanding of how an antibody response is developed against the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), and how long it lasts. This will determine the antibody titers and duration that protect against reinfection by the virus. A new preprint on the medRxiv* server shows this to be still a distant goal.

Seroconversion depends on severity of disease

It is known that among hospitalized COVID-19 patients, two out of three seroconvert within two weeks from infection, showing IgG antibodies. This figure approaches 90% still later on in the course of the disease.

In mild infection, only about half the patients seroconvert. There is a correlation between the strength of the disease and the antibody response, and the IgG titer changes over time.

Neutralizing antibodies (nAbs) are essential to clear the virus and inhibit its replication during ongoing infection, and probably also in preventing reinfection. The virus can produce a nAb response, but earlier research shows that nAbs also wane after six to eight months from infection, but their titers are higher after symptomatic infection.

Study aim

In order to understand the utility of convalescent plasma (CP) in COVID-19 patient management, the predictors of such a response need to be identified. This was the focus of the current study.

What are the results?

The researchers examined nAb IgG responses in a cohort of 200 participants, of which 55% were male, with a median age of 39 years. The vast majority had an ambulatory infection.

The median cycle threshold at the time of the diagnostic polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was 25, while IgG titers were high in only half of the population (including 80 participants who did not participate in the accompanying survey).

Of the cohort of 281 subjects, only 12.5% had repeated serologic testing at the time of CP donation. CP was tested in all subjects, however, irrespective of whether they donated CP or not.

IgG and neutralizing antibody responses

At the time of CP screening, the median IgG OD ratio was 3.1 among all 281 subjects. The median time of donation was 29 days from the resolution of symptoms and 34 days from the first positive PCR.

Almost 60% of them had a highly positive response, and a quarter had a positive response. However, 15% showed a failure to seroconvert or borderline IgG responses.

High nAb titers (above 1:80) were found in only a quarter of all seropositive subjects.

Age and severity associate with IgG titer

The highest IgG titer was in adults aged 18-29 years, falling in those aged 30-44 years, but then rising again in those between 45-60 years of age. This was not found in nAb titers. However, rising IgG and nAb titers were correlated.

The cycle threshold value of the diagnostic swab or the convalescent swab was not found to predict the IgG OD value of the screening CP sample.

Higher IgG titers were observed in people aged 45-60 years, and with people who reported that their activity was moderately or severely restricted by the illness. Again, high nAbs were found to be more common among males and a cycle threshold of 25-30.

Nucleoprotein assays for the virus showed a 73% correlation with the spike assay, but only 17% with the nAb assays.

Persistence of IgG titers

Among the 35 subjects who were tested again at 46 days after the convalescent test, the median IgG OD ratio was 3.7, and about three-quarters had high positive titers. The median increase over this period was 0.5, but nAb titers were uniformly low.

What are the implications?

Older patients with more severe disease had higher IgG titers, detected at 1.5 months after infection. The clinical characteristics failed to correlate with the neutralizing antibody response.

The nAb response also showed a waning in strength, which needs to be confirmed in future research. About 15% failed to seroconvert, agreeing with an earlier New Zealand study.

The earlier correlation of both advancing age and male sex with higher antibody responses was borne out in this study only in respect of neutralizing activity. The IgG titers did not reflect such an association.

Waning antibody responses may be most closely associated with asymptomatic infection, of which there were few in the current study. This may account for the fact that IgG titers were maintained in those with initially high levels even after 46 days.

The findings also emphasize the need to use CP from those who have recovered from a severe illness in order to provide plasma with high neutralizing activity. The collection date should also be as soon as feasible to exploit the high nAb titers in early convalescence.

*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.
European Council President Charles Michel has told Russian President Vladimir Putin that relations between the European Union and Russia are at a low point with disagreements in many areas, which the Russian leader blamed on the bloc's "confrontational policies."

Michel and Putin spoke by telephone on March 22 after the EU imposed sanctions on two Chechen officials over rights abuses in Russias North Caucasus region of Chechnya and ahead of a video conference of EU leaders on March 25-26 set to address EU-Russia ties.

"President Michel expressed the view that EU-Russia ties are at a low point and confirmed the EU's approach of the five guiding principles, based on the EU's core values," the European Council said in a statement, acknowledging that there is currently disagreement in many areas.

It said EU-Russian relations can only take a different direction if there is sustained progress on issues like the implementation of the Minsk agreements aimed at putting an end to the conflict in eastern Ukraine, where fighting between Ukrainian government forces and Moscow-backed separatists has killed more than 13,000 people since April 2014, as well as stopping hybrid and cyberattacks on EU member states, and respect for human rights.

Michel reiterated the EU's call on Russia to release opposition politician Aleksei Navalny and proceed with a transparent investigation into the assassination attempt on the jailed Kremlin critic.

Russian authorities have refused to launch an investigation into Navalnys poisoning in Siberia with a nerve agent last August.

According to a Kremlin statement, Putin gave an appraisal of the unsatisfactory state of Russia-EU ties which has emerged due to unconstructive, often confrontational policies of our partners."

The Russian leader stressed that Russia was ready to "resume normal depoliticized" ties with the EU if there's a will to do so in Brussels.

Speaking after an EU foreign ministers meeting, the blocs foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said that Russia "is drifting towards an authoritarian state and away from Europe, and Europe must draw the consequences of that.

EU leaders will continue the discussion on this important but difficult relationship later this week, Borrell added.

The comments came as the EU imposed sanctions on two Chechen officials accused of involvement in the torture and repression of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people in Chechnya and other individuals suspected of being opponents of the Moscow-backed regional leader, Ramzan Kadyrov.

Abuzayed Vismuradov and Ayub Katayev were targeted with asset freezes and visa bans, the EU said in its Official Journal on March 22, under the EU's new human rights sanctions regime that came into effect in December.

Rights groups have accused predominantly Muslim Chechnya of targeting sexual minorities, including the use of abductions, torture, and extrajudicial killings. Kadyrov has denied the allegations.

Katayev currently heads the Chechen Interior Ministrys branch in the city of Argun, while Vismuradov serves as Chechnyas deputy prime minister, commander of the Terek military unit that allegedly has been linked to the roundup of gay men in the region, and Kadyrovs unofficial bodyguard.

Vismuradov, Katayev, and Kadyrov have already been sanctioned by the United States over their involvement in gross human rights violations in Chechnya. Kadyrov was blacklisted by the EU in 2014 over his support for Russias forcible annexation of Ukraine's Crimea region.

Apart from the two Chechen officials, the EU also imposed sanctions on individuals and entities from China, Eritrea, Libya, North Korea, and South Sudan.

With reporting by AFP and Reuters
The Insurance (Amendment) Bill, 2021 was passed in the Lok Sabha on Monday, March 22. Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman moved the bill in the lower house of the parliament which sought to raise the FDI limit in the insurance sector to 74% from 49%.

Rajya Sabha had already passed the bill last week. FM Sitharaman, while moving the bill for consideration and passage, said that expanding the FDI limit in the insurance sector to 74% was necessary as it will help insurers deal with matters regarding financial stress.

The Finance Minister further stated that the insurance companies are facing solvency-related issues. She added that "if growth capital is hard to come by, there will be a stressful situation" and to ensure that this situation is not left unattended, "we need to raise the FDI limit" in the insurance sector.

Also Read: FM Sitharaman to move Insurance (Amendment) Bill in Rajya Sabha today

The COVID-19 pandemic, Sitharaman said, has further added to the woes of the insurance companies.

The minister observed that the FDI limit was being raised on the recommendations of the regulator, IRDAI, which had held extensive consultations with the stakeholders.

The FDI inflow in the insurance sector, the minister said, had increased significantly after the government decided to raise the cap from 26 per cent to 49 per cent in 2015.

As much as Rs 26,000 crore has been pumped in as FDI in the insurance sector since 2015, she said, adding the assets under management (AUM) in this sector too have grown by 76 per cent during the last five years.

Later, initiating a debate on the bill, Congress MP Manish Tewari said when the BJP was in the opposition, it objected to an increase in FDI. He said the then UPA government could not breach the wall put by the late Sushma Swaraj and Arun Jaitley in both Houses of Parliament.

Also Read: Bill to hike FDI in insurance sector to 74% tabled in Rajya Sabha

He said the decision to hike the FDI limit was like a somersault by the BJP.

He also referred to certain parliamentary committees where senior BJP leaders, including Yashwant Sinha, had opposed a hike in the FDI.

Tewari said though the bill is small, it has large implications.

Defending the bill, Jagdambika Pal (BJP) said the measure is in favour of India's growth story.

He also noted that while the FDI in the insurance sector will be increased, the government has put in place sufficient safeguards, keeping in mind the interests of people.
Taliban co-founder Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar (C) and other members of the Taliban delegation arrive to attend an international conference on Afghanistan over the peaceful solution to the conflict in Moscow on March 18, 2021. (Alexander Zemlianichenko/Pool/AFP via Getty Images)

Taliban Warns of Reaction If US Doesnt Leave Afghanistan

The Taliban has warned that there will be a reaction if the United States keeps its troops in Afghanistan beyond May 1.

Suhail Shaheen, a member of the Taliban negotiation team, told reporters in Moscow late last week that if U.S. troops were to stay beyond the deadline, it will be a kind of violation of the agreement.

That violation would not be from our side.  Their violation will have a reaction, he said.

The warning came a day after meeting with senior Afghan government negotiators and international observers to try to jump-start a stalled peace process to end Afghanistans decades of war.

Under the Trump administration, the United States and the Taliban reached an agreement last year. As part of the deal, the United States said it would withdraw 4,400 of its 13,000 troops in the short term, with the remainder exiting by May 1.

Trump decried what he described as Americas endless wars and hailed the deal in achieving his mission of removing troops from one of those conflicts.

The United States has had troops in Afghanistan since late 2001.

A Pentagon official told members of Congress in September 2020 that the military was making plans for a full withdrawal by May of this year if the conditions of the agreement were met. Those included a reduction in violence from the Taliban.

But the group has been blamed for numerous attacks over the past year, casting the complete drawdown in doubt.

U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin (L) meets Afghan President Ashraf Ghani at the presidential palace in Kabul, Afghanistan, on March 21, 2021. (Presidential Palace via AP)

U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, speaking to reporters in Kabul on March 21, said that the process of reviewing whether the conditions have been met is still ongoing.

I dont care to comment on that. And I wont comment on that. But what I will say is that its obvious that the level of violence remains pretty high in the country, he said. Wed really like to see that violence come down. And I think if it does come down, it can begin to set the conditions for, you know, some really fruitful diplomatic work.

Setting a specific end date for the engagement is up to President Joe Biden, Austin said.

Biden said last week that it will be tough for the United States to meet the May 1 deadline. But he also said that if the deadline is extended, it wouldnt be by a lot longer.

A statement released by the presidential palace on the meeting between Austin and Afghanistan President Ashraf Ghani said both sides condemned the increase in violence in Afghanistan. There was no mention of the May 1 deadline.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
(CNN) -- More than 18,000 people have been evacuated from their homes in Australia's New South Wales (NSW) as heavy rains and major flooding continue to inundate the state, causing some areas to resemble "inland seas."

Rains have been impacting communities since Thursday but flooding intensified over the weekend, with images showing roads, trees and houses completely submerged in floodwaters in some areas.

Up to 38 places across the state are regarded as natural disaster areas and 19 evacuation orders have been issued, with potentially more to come, NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian said in a news conference Monday.

Much of the flooding has hit the mid-north coast, from Hunter Valley near Sydney to Coffs Harbour, but severe weather warnings have also been extended to include districts on the state's south coast for Tuesday as the rains are forecast to shift. Heavy rainfall is also developing inland in the north of the state Monday, while in the east, the Australian Bureau of Meteorology has warned of "life-threatening" extensive flooding and heavy rain.

A severe weather warning has also been issued for neighboring Queensland, with heavy rains likely bringing flash flooding to southern and western parts of the state.

'Breaking point'

Homes that were ravaged by wildfires during Australia's record bushfire season in 2019 and 2020 are now being affected by the floods.

"Communities who were battered by the bushfires are now being battered by the floods and a deep drought prior to that. I don't know anytime in our state's history where we've had these extreme weather conditions in such quick succession in the middle of a pandemic," said NSW Premier Berejiklian.

"You've been through three or four incidents which are life changing on top of each other. It can make you feel like you are at breaking point."

Some locations have seen close to a meter (39 inches) of rain since Thursday, and increasing rainfall of 50-100 mm (2-4 inches) is expected across the Sydney region over next 24-36 hours, Bureau of Meteorology's Jane Golding said in a news conference Monday.

The worst-affected areas have seen rain totals up to five times the March monthly average falling in just four days.

The huge rainfalls have been driven by two weather systems colliding, she said. A "slow moving coastal trough" and the approach of another system coming through from the west is pumping down tropical moisture into the state, which is then being whipped up by strong easterly winds.

"With this approach of this new system coming from the west which is approaching today, we're expecting this heavy rain to fall in areas that haven't seen as much rain over the last few days, and we're expecting the flood risk to develop in those areas as well," Golding said.

Residents have been urged to monitor the weather warnings and heed the advice of emergency services.

Since Thursday, the State Emergency Service (SES) has responded to 8,000 calls for assistance, according to Berejiklian. Thousands of emergency workers and volunteers are on the ground, helping trapped residents.

Overnight, residents in Kempsey were told to evacuate as the Macleay River is expected to burst its banks, according to CNN affiliate Nine News. The town is currently split in two by the floodwaters and there is no access to the city center, Nine News reported.

BOM's national flood services manager, Justin Robinson, said in a news conference Monday the extreme weather is a record-breaking "state-wide flood event" and flooding on the Hawkesbury River, which runs north and west of Sydney, is as bad as a similar 1961 incident.

"I've been a flood forecaster in the Bureau for 20 years and this is probably the worst flooding that I've experienced and have had to forecast," he said. "We've got a flood watch that covers all the way from the Queensland border down to the Victoria border, along all those coastal rivers."

Increasing rainfall over the next few days is expected to bring renewed flooding in many communities that have already been impacted, Robinson said.

An 'inland sea'

Photos show backyards and homes half underwater and roads flooded to knee-high levels. In Emu Heights near heavily affected Penrith, one resident filmed a kangaroo swimming through floodwaters in a backyard, as submerged streets were turned to rivers, Nine News reported.

The NSW SES said many areas across the state "resemble an inland sea" and once the rain stops and the waters begin to reside, there will be a "massive combined effort to clean up."

To help with the recovery, Premier Berejiklian said she has spoken with Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison about calling for military backup. Berejiklian said the state may need the assistance of the Australian Defense Force (ADF). "It is an evolving situation, if we need their support we will ask for it," she said.

While NSW grapples with extensive flooding, the state government is in the middle of rolling out its Covid-19 vaccination program and has urged those residents who can to continue to get vaccinated.

Though Australia frequently experiences extreme weather events such as floods, bushfires, droughts and storms, climate change is making them worse.

The State of the Climate 2020 report from Australia's Bureau of Meteorology and Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization (CSIRO) said heavy rainfall events in the country are becoming more intense, and climate change is influencing the "frequency, magnitude and impacts" of such extreme weather.

This story was first published on CNN.com, "Thousands evacuated in Australia as 'life-threatening' floods inundate New South Wales"
Mandatory hotel quarantining will finally be a reality later this week. After enduring months of political pressure and spending even longer ignoring Nphet, the Government will introduce unprecedented travel restrictions for people arriving here from 33 countries deemed to be high risk for Covid-19.

Unlike other EU countries, the new rules apply to citizens of those countries and Irish residents flying in from the so-called category two countries. So its bad news for Botswana holidaymakers hoping to fly into Ireland for an Easter break who will now face being cooped up in a hotel near Dublin Airport for a fortnight before they can enjoy their stay.

Irish tourists planning two weeks by the coast in French Guiana or a city break in the Rwandan capital of Kigali will also have to think twice before they book their flights. If youve booked an early summer trip to Angola (the country, not our health service) youll have to factor the 2,000 per person for two weeks in quarantine into your holiday budget.
Sony debuted its immersive 360 Reality Audio music format in 2019. But until now, if you wanted to tap into the limited content library, you had to rely on another company's speakers to do so  like Amazon's Echo Studio. As part of its plans to expand 360 Reality Audio, Sony revealed that two speaker models of its own would go on sale this spring: the SRS-RA3000 and SRS-RA5000.

We didn't have to wait long for details. During CES, the company's UK site posted full specs on both speakers. The only thing left to confirm were the prices and when you would be able to buy each one. Well, today's the day as both models are now available for pre-order. The SRS-RA3000 is $300 while the more robust SRS-RA5000 is $700. Both speakers will ship on March 29th.

To recap, both the SRS-RA3000 and SRS-RA5000 have "ambient room-filling sound," according to Sony. The company says its spatial audio technology  combined with 360 Reality Audio content from streaming services like Amazon Music HD, Tidal and others  allows both of these speakers to beam music both horizontally and vertically. Since the 360 Reality Audio platform leverages sound locations to build a true 360-degree soundscape, Sony's take on high-res streaming is slightly different than just better overall quality.

Gallery: Sony SRS-RA3000 and SRS-RA5000 speakers | 14 Photos

























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Both the SRS-RA3000 and SRS-RA5000 are equipped to handle 360 Reality Audio. The only difference in terms of audio quality is the RA5000 is also Hi-Res Audio certified, which means it offers improved performance for those higher-resolution music files. Both speakers have a sound calibration feature that adjusts each unit for optimum performance in the room where it's positioned. While you'll need to press a button to carry out the action on the RA5000, the RA3000 does this automatically  even after you move it to a new spot. The two speakers also offer automatic volume adjustment to keep levels consistent across songs and both have Chromecast built-in and Spotify Connect over WiFi (in addition to Bluetooth) for wireless connectivity. Lastly, both models work with Alexa and Google Assistant, but not directly. You'll need a compatible device (Echo, Google Home, etc.) that can handle the voice commands and sync with these Sony speakers for your spoken cues to be heard. The microphones on Sony's speakers are dedicated to room calibration instead of voice control.

As part of today's pre-order news, Sony also announced that both the RA3000 and RA5000 will work with Alexa Cast in Amazon Music HD on April 6th in North America. If you're not familiar, think of it as Amazon's version of Chromecast but for Alexa-compatible devices. More specifically, it's a way to control music with your phone via Amazon Music when listening on a connected wireless speaker. 360 Reality Audio content was already available on Amazon Music HD, but both it and Dolby Atmos Music songs were both labeled with a generic "3D" marker. Sony says with this update, you'll be able to tell which songs are 360 Reality Audio as they'll be labeled clearly.

The real difference between the two speakers, besides overall size, is on the inside. The larger SRS-RA5000 packs in seven total drivers: three up-firing, three side-firing and a single subwoofer. The SRS-RA3000 uses a full-range speaker and a diffuser to spread the sound around the room. It combines those with two overlapping beam tweeters and a dual passive radiator that handles the low-end tone to complete the effect. Sony also made the RA3000 humidity resistant, so you can take it into the kitchen or bathroom without worrying that damp air will damage it. The speaker isn't waterproof though, so you'll still need to be careful to some degree.

Sony's final step for getting its new(ish) audio format into your home was its own hardware. Before now, the only gear the company had that allowed you to tap into 360 Reality Audio was select models of its headphones. While it has expanded the content library, the total number of tracks is still a modest 4,000 at last count, so there's more work to be done. But between debuting its own hardware, giving creators and engineers software tools to create their own 360 Reality Audio songs and leveraging the immersive tech for live performances, Sony is finally turning what initially seemed like a neat project into a full-on audio platform. And since the company is working with other manufacturers to certify more speakers and headphones to work with 360 Reality Audio, the number of options should increase soon.

Update 3/22/21 11:51AM ET: After publication, Sony confirmed the date listed on the Amazon product pages was correct. This post has been update to reflect the shipping date of March 29th.
Gardai have raided and shut down a suspected shebeen operating during Level 5 lockdown restrictions.

As part of Operation Navigation, Gardai at Henry Street Garda Station in Limerick searched a private premises in the city on Saturday, March 20 in relation to alleged breaches of liquor licencing legislation in support of current public health measures.

"Gardai discovered a fully operational, unlicensed bar in a garage adjacent to the premises.

"When Gardai had arrived, there were a number of glasses on the tables with the remnants of alcohol inside them. The premises was found to be equipped with a fully functioning toilet, a television and a dartboard. More below picture.

"A significant amount of alcohol, including six beer kegs, was seized during the operation along with refrigeration units, four beer dispenser taps, gas regulators and optic dispensers.

"No persons were present at the time of the search," said a garda statement.

Gardai say enquiries are ongoing and a file will now be prepared for the Director of Public Prosecutions.

Gardai add that the Covid-19 Pandemic remains a public health crisis and An Garda Siochana continues to appeal to all citizens to comply with Public Health Guidelines and Regulations in order to save lives.
DENVER, March 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Floyd's 99 Barbershop , a family-owned barbershop operating over 120 locations across the United States, announced the appointment of Phil Horvath as President. In this role, he will focus on enhancing the culture, building operational excellence and upgrading the company's technology platform as it looks to grow through franchise expansion. He will also put a renewed emphasis on growing the Floyd's product brand through e-commerce and other direct-to-consumer strategies.

Floyd's 99 Barbershop

"We are thrilled to welcome Phil to the Floyd's family. As a company founded by brothers, Phil's start in the industry at his own family's salon couldn't fit better," said Bill O'Brien, co-founder of Floyd's 99 Barbershops. "As we navigate the post-COVID-19 world, we will look to Phil to cement the brand into a premium category in the modern barbershop space and provide the leadership we need to continue to amplify the training, expertise and vibe of our brand and expand that into new markets."

"I am thrilled to join the Floyd's team and contribute to their purpose-driven culture," says Horvath. "We have the potential to become an iconic brand that creates inspiring careers for our people, provides a best-in-class client experience and holds a meaningful position as part of our local communities."

Horvath brings over 25 years of experience in the consumer, beauty and salon industry. Prior to joining Floyd's, Horvath spent 17 years at Ulta Beauty where he served in executive leadership roles in both salon and retail operations. During his tenure, he helped Ulta round out their salon services and grow their stores from 70 to over 900. Most recently, he was President and COO of Hair Cuttery, the largest privately held hair salon chain in the United States.

Brothers Paul, Rob, and Bill O'Brien established Floyd's 99 Barbershop in 1999 and their passion for service and experience has shaped Floyd's 99 and its staff, producing the magnetic atmosphere that draws its loyal clientele to return time and time again. Floyd's 99 also offers their own retail line of grooming products available in shop or on Amazon.

ABOUT FLOYD'S 99 BARBERSHOP

Floyd's 99 Barbershop is a family-owned company, established on the principle that success is driven by providing superior client service and that satisfied employees result in satisfied clients. With an old-school/new-style mentality, it mixes an old-school approach to providing excellent service with the new style appeal of on trend cuts and an experienced, talented staff. From the diverse styles and personalities of the stylists and barbers to the signature rock and roll poster wall plastered with a time machine of music memorabilia, Floyd's 99 is creating a welcoming, all-inclusive environment where each person who walks into the shops feels valued, cared for and comfortable to express their individual style. Floyd's 99 Barbershop operates 118 locations in 13 states, including AZ, CA, CO, FL, IL, KY, MA, MD, MI, MN, PA, TX and VA.

CONTACT:

Taylor Shields

[email protected]

702.271.1809

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He was looking for a job to keep himself off of the front lines and was learning to be a drone operator. He didnt want to put his family through something like this, Homer Talley said. He had seven children. The youngest is seven-years-old. He loved his kids and his family more than anything. Dozens of police and emergency vehicles, their lights flashing, escorted an ambulance carrying the officer from the shooting scene after nightfall. Some residents stood along the route, their arms raised in salute. Identities of the other nine victims were not disclosed as police were still notifying their family members. Police said it was too early to speculate on a motive and that the investigation involving local, state and federal agencies would take days.

The attack in Boulder, about 40 kilometres north-west of Denver and home to the University of Colorado, stunned a state that has seen several mass shootings, including the 1999 Columbine High School massacre and the 2012 Aurora movie theatre shooting. It was the seventh mass killing this year in the US, following the March 16 shooting that left eight people dead at three Atlanta-area massage businesses, according to a database compiled by The Associated Press, USA Today and Northeastern University. It follows a lull in mass killings during the pandemic in 2020, which had the smallest number of such attacks in more than a decade, according to the database, which tracks mass killings defined as four or more dead, not including the shooter. Police work on the scene outside a King Soopers grocery store where a shooting took place in Boulder, Colorado. Credit:AP Dean Schiller told The Associated Press that he had just left the supermarket when he heard gunshots and saw three people lying face down, two in the parking lot and one near the doorway. He said he couldnt tell if they were breathing.

Video posted on YouTube showed one person on the floor inside the store and two more outside on the ground. What sounds like two gunshots are also heard at the beginning of the video. Sarah Moonshadow told the Denver Post that two shots rang out just after she and her son, Nicolas Edwards, finished buying strawberries. She said she told her son to get down and then we just ran. Loading Replay Replay video Play video Play video Once they got outside, she said they saw a body in the parking lot. Edwards said police were speeding into the lot and pulled up next to the body. I knew we couldnt do anything for the guy, he said. We had to go.

James Bentz told the Post that he was in the meat section when he heard what he thought was a misfire, then a series of pops. I was then at the front of a stampede, he said. Bentz said he jumped off a loading dock out back to escape and that younger people were helping older people off of it. Colorado Governor Jared Polis tweeted a statement that his heart is breaking as we watch this unspeakable event unfold in our Boulder community.

Police had told people to shelter in place amid a report of an armed, dangerous individual about 5 kilometres away from the grocery store but said at the news conference later that it wasnt related to the shooting. Loading The FBI said it was helping in the investigation at the request of police. White House press secretary Jen Psaki tweeted that President Joe Biden had been briefed on the shooting. In a statement, the King Soopers chain offered thoughts, prayers and support to our associates, customers, and the first responders who so bravely responded to this tragic situation. We will continue to cooperate with local law enforcement and our store will remain closed during the police investigation.

Kevin Daly, owner of Under the Sun Eatery and Pizzeria Restaurant a block or so from the supermarket, said he was in his shop when he saw police cars arriving and shoppers running from the grocery store. He said he took in several people to keep them warm, and others boarded a bus provided by Boulder police and were taken away. A witness who spoke to The Denver Post said the shooter did not say anything - he just came in and started shooting. A man told a TV station that his grandchildren were in the store during the shooting. He said they hid in a closet as the incident unfolded and as police dropped in through the roof. Police work on the scene outside of a King Soopers grocery store where a shooting took place in Boulder, Colorado. Credit:AP Daniel Douglas was in the store, picking up lunch and flowers for his girlfriend when the gunshots began.

Nobody knew what was going on, so we started screaming: Hit the ground, he told Fox 31 Denver. At some point, he said, the shooter moved to the front of the shop, while Douglas and other customers rushed to the back of the building, where he said many others were hiding and trying to escape. A co-worker kicked open the emergency-exit door so people could get out, he said. A lot of people were petrified. A lot of people were crying, he said. Ryan Borowski, another survivor, expressed the same shock and disbelief about the shooting. Boulder feels like a bubble and that bubble burst, Borowski told CNN. It feels like nowhere is safe. Borowski said he was inside the supermarket to get a bag of chips and a drink when the shooting started.
Rating:

Cast: Arjun Kapoor, Parineeti Chopra, Jaideep Ahlawat, Raghubir Yadav, Neena Gupta

Direction: Dibakar Banerjee

Playing in theatres

There is really no reason to dislike Sandeep Aur Pinky Faraar.

The film  directed by Dibakar Banerjee that hes co-written with Varun Grover  opens with a scene that has the sharp bite and gritty traces of Kanu Behls saga of urban discontent and fury, Titli (2015).

We get a skewed view of three boys in a moving car in Haryana. They are discussing women.

Somewhere nearby, a girl is idling in her room at a posh hotel. She gets dressed, puts on red lipstick and goes to a restaurant to meet someone.

A journalist tries to draw her out, get her attention, invites her to a party.

A text is answered by a cop who arrives with a note and a car.

Bang bang Two worlds collide.

This opening sequence of events is an exciting forewarning that whips up high expectations. And for a while SAPF is engaging. The characters have layers, they feel real and are inhabited with warmth and confidence by skilled actors.

The problem is that the films plotting is sparse, and the direction confused.

Sandeep Aur Pinky Faraar is a road film that doesnt want to be a road film. It doesnt want to go in the usual direction of, and then they fell in love. Thats a welcome though, a noble enterprise! Problem is that SAPF doesnt know what else to do.

So while it takes the same road, and en route picks items from the buffet of events common to almost all road films  two strangers face threat, are forced to escape together, have arguments, reconcile because of fear of discovery, meet creepy and non-creepy people, suffer at least one assault or attempted rape, bad people get closer, tense climatic escape and, finally, ishk, ishk it just does it all slowly.

It also replaces melodrama with an immersive dekho around. Instead of giving us maudlin moments and mohabbatain, SAPF keeps a straight face, is often sullen, and prefers to gaze at trees and stuff.

As I said, theres nothing to dislike about Sandeep Aur Pinky Faraar. Its a decent film, but it promises more than it eventually delivers.

Satinder Dahiya urf Pinky (Arjun Kapoor) is a suspended cop, and Sandeep Walia urf Sandy (Parineeti Chopra) is a top honcho at Parivartan Bank. They are thrown together because of a massive bank scam around a government scheme that has the power to bring down the bank, and maybe the government as well.

Pinky thinks hes just running a chore, doing his former boss a favour till he realises his irrelevancce and their trechery. She takes a while to figure what is going on.

Desperate to survive, they head to Pithoragarh to cross over to Nepal. And this journey they undertake together highlights the difference between the two and the worlds they come from.

Sandy has money and Pinky understands how this strange, devious world works. She carries a Rs 2 lakh bag and he is helping her for Rs 10 lakh.

In Pithoragarh, Uncle (Raghuvir Yadav) and Aunty (Neena Gupta) and a shopkeeper father-son duo add some recuperative Uttarakhandi flavour to the film. There are also some cute moments around roti and achar when Pinky and Sandeep are forced to play house-house. But then

Dibakar Banerjee is a fabulous director and he does small town India very well. He is also very political.

Here too whats quite nice is that Dibakar and Varun make the girl rich, independent and someone who doesnt think much about sleeping with her boss. Im not some local chamiya, Sandy says to Pinky. And then there is Swabhiman scheme, Parivartan bank and a cop for us to read stuff into.

Shopkeeprs son Munna with his blonde mohawk hairdo, Uncle and Aunty who are forever quibbling, try to anchor the film. But SAPF wants to meander in Pithoragarh, instead it goes adrift.

Theres a dance at an engagement party, fighting off a creepy bank officer, and then a man dresses as a woman and dances in a baraat. In between are moments of dull nothingness.

What works for Sandeep Aur Pinky Faraar are its actors. All of them are very good though some of them are also playing the same roles we have seen them play before. Jaideep Ahlawat is a cop (Pataal Lok), Neena Gupta-Raghubir Yadav are husband wife (Panchayat), and Arjun Kapoor-Parineeti Chopra have been a thing since Ishaqzaade. She slapped him then, and she slaps him here.

Having said that, both Arjun Kapoor and Parineeti Chopra are quite good. He more than her.

Watch SAPF, but dont expect big thrills and high jinx. Expect some sweet moments and some pointless, dull meandering.
Former Speaker of the National Assembly of Armenia Ara Babloyans defense counsel Aram Vardevanyan took to his Facebook to report the following:

I would like to inform that today the court held another hearing under the extremely groundless and unlawful criminal case regarding former Speaker of the National Assembly of Armenia Ara Babloyan, after which Judge Manukyan ruled to grant my motion and lift the pre-trial measure chosen against Babloyan.

During the court hearing, I submitted a motion to lift the pre-trial measure chosen against Babloyan (signature to not leave the country). One of the grounds for this was that, since 2020, Babloyan has received permission to leave Armenia for a short period four times and has left and returned earlier than the prescribed period in three of the four cases. In one case, which was for leave in March 2020 and was granted by the Prosecutor Generals Office, Babloyan hadnt taken advantage of this during the preliminary investigations stage due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Despite these circumstances, as always, the prosecutors objected the motion, but the court truly implemented justice. Law-enforcement authorities need to realize that a pre-trial measure is not to be applied in all cases and there have to be legal grounds, and if there are no legal grounds, the pre-trial measure must be lifted.




SII to delay shipments to Brazil, Morocco, and Saudi Arabia

21 Mar 2021: SII to delay shipments to Brazil, Morocco, and Saudi Arabia

The Serum Institute of India (SII) will reportedly be delaying COVID-19 vaccine supplies to Brazil, Saudi Arabia, and Morocco amid criticism that India is not vaccinating enough people at home.

The SII is manufacturing doses of Covishield, developed by Oxford University and AstraZeneca.

Since the vaccination drive was launched in January, 4.46 crore people have been inoculated in India.

Here are more details.

Details: SII supplied millions of doses to 3 countries

A source informed the news agency Reuters that the SII has told Brazil, Saudi Arabia, and Morocco that further supplies of the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine will be delayed.

The institute has supplied half of the 10 million doses ordered by Britain.

Meanwhile, Morocco, Brazil, and Saudi Arabia have received 7 million, 4 million, and 3 million doses. They had ordered 20 million each.

Fact: SII working toward expanding monthly production

The source also told the news agency that the SII was working on expanding its monthly production to 100 million doses by April/May from 60 million to 70 million now, suggesting supplies could improve then.

Context: SII contributed doses after production issues at other AstraZeneca facilities

The SII was supposed to sell vaccine doses to middle- and low-income countries, mainly in Asia and Africa.

Production issues at other AstraZeneca facilities forced the SII to ship doses to several other countries.

Thus far, India has donated 8 million doses and sold nearly 52 million doses to a total of 75 countries, mainly the AstraZeneca shot made by SII.

Outbreak: 11.59 million people infected so far

According to the Union Health Ministry, as of 8 am on Sunday, India had reported a total of 1,15,99,130 COVID-19 infections.

Since the beginning of the pandemic, 1,11,30,288 patients have recovered since the beginning of the pandemic, and only 3,09,087 infections are active.

The death toll has risen to 1,59,755.

India added 43,846 new cases and new 197 fresh fatalities on Sunday.
Tennessee Craft seeks entries for the 2021 Best of Tennessee Craft Exhibition, a biennial event designed to highlight craft artists producing the "most diverse, highest quality craft pieces available in Tennessee."



Presented by Tennessee Craft and hosted by the Tennessee State Museum in Nashville, this

exhibit elevates and celebrates contemporary and traditional craft found throughout Tennessee, while encouraging a high standard of excellence and design among Tennessee craft artists.



The exhibition will be on view at the Tennessee State Museum in Nashville Friday, Oct. 29 through Sunday, February 20, 2022.

"Visitors can expect to see such craft as traditional Appalachian-inspired furniture, textiles incorporating modern materials and time-honored techniques and extraordinary turned pieces using found wood," organizers said. "The guest juror will select works for the exhibition from submitted entries and the award winners. Best of Show Award is a $1,500 cash award. Additionally, we will be exploring the diverse and rich history of craft in Tennessee through public programs at the Museum."

Submission deadline is June 1, 2021. Eligible crafts include: basketry, clay, fiber/textile, glass, jewelry, leather, metal, mixed media, paper, printmaking, sculpture, wood and other. Online entries may be submitted at callforentry.org.



Artists may submit up to three craft pieces for exhibit consideration. Each piece should be represented by one image; no detail views or images depicting the same piece from multiple angles. The competition is open to all craft artists 18 years or older who are current residents of Tennessee, including students. Work must be original, not previously exhibited at a Best of Tennessee Craft Exhibition and within generally accepted craft media. No person shall be excluded from entry on the grounds of race, national origin, sex, disability or age.

Jurying will be conducted solely from images submitted through callforentry.org.



A single non-refundable fee of $40 ($35 for current Tennessee Craft members) for up to

three works, payable by check, credit or debit card, must be included at the time of application.

Visit https://artist.callforentry.org/festivals_unique_info.php?ID=8196 to read

the eligibility requirements and to apply.
ALTON  Even before a pandemic stirred still-incomplete economic devastation, west-central Illinois was seeing geographic prosperity eroding in many counties, a new report says.

In its Distressed Communities Index report, Washington, D.C.-based Economic Innovation Group lists most area counties in the middle of its five-tier rating system, with Jersey and Madison counties considered comfortable. The full report is online at https://eig.org/dci.

Economic Innovation Group was founded in 2015 by several technology entrepreneurs. It mapped every ZIP code in the U.S. based on criteria that included poverty rate, adult unemployment, housing vacancies, median household income, percentage of population without a high school diploma, changes in employment and changes in establishments.

Each metric was chosen to capture a distinct aspect of economic distress. Combined, they provide a more complete assessment of a place than any single measure could in isolation, the reports authors state. For example, a low-income community with a thriving small business sector where work is plentiful and homes are occupied and maintained is very different from a high-poverty neighborhood where attachment to the labor force runs low, homes are abandoned, and businesses are closing.

From those statistics, it assigned each county a distress score between 1 and 100. The lower the score, the better.

More Information A deeper look The Distressed Communities Index assigns a rating of 1 to 100 based on key economic indicators and ranks them as prosperous, comfortable, mid-tier, at risk or distressed. Here are the ratings for towns and cities in the area: Alton | 91 (Distressed) Barry | 73.3 (At risk) Baylis | 64.9 (At risk Bethalto | 19.5 (Prosperous) Brighton | 33.1 (Comfortable) Bunker Hill | 54.1 (Mid-tier) Carlinville | 56.1 (Mid-tier) Carrollton | 69.8 (At risk) Cottage Hills | 96.7 (Distressed) Dow | 30.6 (Comfortable) Edwardsville | 15.7 (Prosperous) Elsah | 18.5 (Prosperous) Fieldon | 58.4 (Mid-tier) Girard | 67.9 (At risk) Glen Carbon | 21.1 (Comfortable) Godfrey | 16.8 (Prosperous) Golden Eagle | 57.4 (Mid-tier) Grafton | 53 (Mid-tier) Greenfield | 80.7 (Distressed) Hardin | 90.5 (Distressed) Hartford | 78.5 (At risk) Jerseyville | 60.5 (At risk) Kampsville | 82.1 (Distressed) Kane | 89.9 (Distressed) Moro | 34.4 (Comfortable) Palmyra | 70 (At risk) Pearl | 86.2 (Distressed) Pittsfield | 71.4 (At risk) Pleasant Hill | 88.5 (Distressed) Roodhouse | 95.3 (Distressed) Shipman | 39.5 (Comfortable) Staunton | 47.6 (Mid-tier) Virden | 53.6 (Mid-tier) White Hall | 94.1 (Distressed) Wood River | 76.7 (At risk) See More Collapse

Tiers were determined in 20-point increments, going from prosperous to comfortable, mid-tier, at risk and distressed.

Make no mistake, there is much to celebrate about the past decade and the breadth and duration of the economic expansion that followed the Great Recession, which demonstrated the positive impact tight labor markets can have for low-income families, the report concluded. Yet, now that the music has stopped, it is clear that modest gains briefly enjoyed can slip away in an instant, while the foundations of prosperity for well-off people and places stand on much firmer ground.

The extended shutdowns of many businesses, particularly lower-wage service industries, during the past year will compound the problem, it said.

Places and households that were finally beginning to benefit from a long economic growth cycle now face a slew of new challenges, from housing insecurity to business failures and immense uncertainty about what the future may hold. The pandemic will test the fragility of the more equitable, more diverse prosperity that was taking shape across the country and threaten the modest progress made in Black communities since the turn of the century, according to the report.

Sixteen Illinois counties were determined prosperous, with Grundy County in northern Illinois rated the highest at 1.5. Fourteen counties were in distress, with Alexander County in southern Illinois rated the lowest at 97.1.

Greene County was at 86.4, according to the study, significantly worse than its 68.8 at-risk status in 2000. While the nation averaged a 4.5% increase in businesses, Greene County lost 15.9% of its establishments, according to the report.

Calhoun County was rated at-risk, with a distress score of 74.7. Macoupin County received a mid-tier designation of 53.7, while Jersey and Madison counties were rated prosperous at 30.3 and 31.9 respectively.

This research is a sobering reminder that the United States has largely failed to translate national economic growth into tangible improvements for our countrys most vulnerable communities since the turn of the century, Economic Innovation Group President John Lettieri said. In the midst of the pandemic and economic crisis, policymakers move with greater urgency to lay the groundwork for a broad-based recovery  one that truly reaches the 50 million Americans living in distressed communities.

Statewide, 22.1% of Illinois residents live in economically distressed ZIP codes, the study found.
The Daily Beast

Chip Somodevilla/Getty What are Democrats willing to do to save our democracy, and how far are they willing to go? Thats the question they must answer now, while theres still time to protect our flawed and fragile democracy from an extremist, countermajoritarian Republican Party hellbent on subverting the political process to implement rule by and for a white Christian minority.For the past few months, it appeared that Democrats would respond to this daily threatwith the former president talk
One of the notorious Mexican cartels is the Jalisco New Cartel Generation, which is known for its aggressive use of violence and its public relations campaigns.

On Thursday, a dead's man body wrapped from head to toe in plastic was found on a park bench at Jardin Hidalgo in Jalisco, Mexico. He was suspected to be a former leader of the powerful New Plaza Cartel, New York Post reported.

Mexican officials believed that the corpse was that of Carlos "El Cholo" Enrique Sanchez, a former high-ranking member of Jalisco cartel who broke away from the group to form his own gang.

Police said the body was found with two signs pinned to his body with knives. According to United News Post, one of the signs read in Spanish, "the traitor El Cholo."

The corpse has yet to be officially identified. But he was found dead just hours after a video was posted online, showing the handcuffed narco being held in front of the Jalisco cartel's armed members, who claimed he cooperated with police.

"This material confirms the existence of an orchestrated strategy to destabilize the state by an organized crime group. Everything indicates that it's... Carlos Sanchez Martinez, nicknamed 'El Cholo'," Jalisco Attorney General Gerardo Octavio Solis Gomez said.

READ NEXT: Video Shows Jalisco Cartel Parading' Narco-Tank' in Mexico's Street

The Mexican Drug Kingpin

Sanchez was known to have been responsible for the December 2018 grenade attack at the United States Embassy in Guadalajara. No injuries or deaths have been reported in the said incident, according to a Daily Mail report.

Sanchez was reported to have broken off from the Jalisco cartel and their leader Nemesio "El Mencho" Oseguera in 2018 and formed the New Plaza Cartel with Erick "El 85" Valencia.

The New Plaza Cartel allegedly unleashed a series of terror attacks across Tonala, Tlaquepaque, Tlajomulco de Zuniga, and Zapopan.

The United States has already announced a $5 million reward for any information that could lead to the arrest of Valencia, who is facing drug trafficking charges.

Jalisco Cartel Attacks

Last year, Mexico City's security chief Omar Garcia Harfuch was injured after he and his bodyguards were attacked by a group of gunmen in the Lomas de Chapultepec, according to a Mexico News Daily report.

At the time, Garcia Harfuch traveled in an armored Suburban to his morning briefing with Mexico City Mayor Claudia Sheinbaum. Garcia Harfuch's vehicle was blocked by another truck, and several men jumped out of the first truck and gunned down Garcia and his men.

Attorney General Ernestina Godoy said that 12 arrests had been made in connection to the attack that was blamed on the Jalisco cartel.

On Thursday, Sanchez claimed that Garcia Harfuch aligned himself with his group to take down the Jalisco cartel. The Jalisco state Attorney General's Office has called on the authorities to investigate it.

Last March, Mexico's homicide rate peaked to a new record as violence continues to envelop the country despite the spread of COVID-19.

The Guardian reported that Mexico has 2,585 homicides in March last year, which is the highest monthly figure since 1997.

The increase in killings was attributed to federal and state officials putting resources into addressing the COVID-19 pandemic and responding to the possibility of the country's further economic decline.

"It's business as usual [for drug cartels] with a risk of further escalation, especially if at some point the armed forces are called away for pandemic control," Falko Ernst, senior Mexico analyst at the International Crisis Group, said in the report.

Criminal groups have allegedly been fighting over the central state of Guanajuato, which is now known to be one of Mexico's most violent states.

Francisco Rivas, director of the National Citizen Observatory, said they are seeing violence hitting its peak and wondering who will stop it.

READ MORE: Jalisco New Generation Cartel Has Taken Over Mexico

WATCH: NARCOGUERRA IN JALISCO: CJNG Recorded And Killed The Leader Of The Nueva Plaza Cartel - From El Caporal
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MEXICO CITY (AP)  Mexico announced Monday that several top U.S. advisers on border and immigration issues will meet with Mexican officials on Tuesday to discuss migration and development in Central America.

The talks come as a surge of migrants has hit the U.S. southern border. The trip to Mexico will include Roberta Jacobson, the White Houses lead adviser on the border, and Juan Gonzalez, the National Security Councils senior director for the Western Hemisphere.

The White House said Jacobson, a former U.S. Ambassador to Mexico, will go there Monday to engage with Mexican government officials to develop an effective and humane plan of action to manage migration.

Roberto Velasco, Mexicos director for North American affairs, said the talks will focus on the two countries joint efforts for secure, safe and regulated migration," and plans to provide economic development in southern Mexico and Central America so people won't come under pressure to migrate.

The White House said Gonzalez will then go on to Guatemala, to meet with Guatemalan government officials, as well as representatives from civil society and non-government organizations to address root causes of migration in the region and build a more hopeful future in the region.

Also among the U.S. officials is Ricardo Zuniga, who was named Monday as Special Envoy for the Northern Triangle, which includes El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras  three of the countries sending the most migrants to the United States.

The State Department said Zuniga will coordinate closely with the National Security Council staff on the administrations comprehensive efforts to stem irregular migration to the United States and implement President Bidens multi-year, $4 billion to address root causes of migration in Central America.

Since Bidens inauguration, the U.S. has seen a dramatic spike in the number of people encountered by border officials. There were 18,945 family members and 9,297 unaccompanied children encountered in February  an increase of 168% and 63%, respectively, from the month before, according to the Pew Research Center.

Story continues

U.S. border patrol officials had encountered more than 29,000 unaccompanied minors since Oct. 1, nearly the same number of youths taken into custody for all of the previous budget year, according to administration officials.

Mexico announced restrictions last week on nonessential travel across its southern border with Guatemala and Belize to prevent the spread of COVID-19," and sent hundreds of immigration agents and National Guard to the southern border to clamp down on crossings.

Mexico did not explain why the measure was announced now, more than a year after the start of the pandemic, but it came on the same day the U.S. confirmed it will send 2.5 million doses of the AstraZeneca coronavirus vaccine to Mexico.

Officials say migrant traffickers are encouraging people to make the trip by claiming the U.S. border is open to migrants, while Biden administration officials have stressed that the border is not open.

Mexico has cooperated with U.S. efforts to stem the flow, while stressing that the problem can only be solved by addressing the root problems of poverty and joblessness that lead many to migrate. Mexico has proposed massive investment to promote economic development in those areas.
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Copyright  2021 Albuquerque Journal

At the close of his first week in a freshly created position, Albuquerques interim superintendent of police reform says he has a lot to learn.

I have a lot of intelligence gathering within the agency here, Sylvester Stanley told the Journal on Friday. And this is a team effort. So this is not just Im coming in and turning the thing upside down. I mean, that would not be productive.

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Stanley, 66, began his law enforcement career more than four decades ago, starting with the military police when he was stationed overseas in South Korea. After leaving the U.S. Army he moved to Junction City, Kansas, in 1976 and joined the police department.

Six years later, in 1982, he moved to New Mexico and took a position with the Bernalillo County Sheriffs Office, where he moved up the ranks to captain before retiring in 2002.

Since then, Stanley has served as a police chief four times  in Isleta, Gallup, Jicarilla and Isleta again. He was let go from Isleta at the end of January after a change in administration.

Thats when, he said, he began seriously talking with city officials about the superintendent job.

I think I had a lot to contribute to this, Stanley said. I just left the police chief job at Isleta, and I thought this is actually a pretty good way to sort of wrap up a long career at the end of the day, whenever that might happen. But I thought this would be good if I could have a major impact on the reform of the largest law enforcement agency in the state.

In explaining the decision to create the position of superintendent of police reform, Mayor Tim Keller and Chief Administrative Officer Sarita Nair have said the search for a police chief uncovered the communitys desire for both an insider and an outsider.

So, they said, the administration appointed interim Chief Harold Medina to be police chief and oversee crime-fighting efforts, recruitment and morale boosting while Stanley, as an interim superintendent, handles the reform effort with the Department of Justice, the academy and the Internal Affairs division and discipline.

Both Medina and Stanley will report directly to Nair, and Stanley will also be deputy CAO. Stanleys salary was listed at $150,000 a year, and his office is on APDs fifth floor with the rest of the command staff, although he will likely also get an office at the academy.

Lay of the land

Although the administration has cited Stanleys status as an outsider, he was a sworn officer with APD working at the Metropolitan Court from 2009 to 2015, according to a department spokeswoman.

He is also not an outsider to the Albuquerque area. He said he and his wife didnt even have to move when he left the post with Isleta and took the job with the city.

And he has run for Bernalillo County sheriff twice, losing in the primaries to Sheriff Manuel Gonzales in 2014 and 2018. He said he has no plans to run again.

You dont have to beat me across the head too many times for me to learn that maybe that wasnt for me, Stanley said. No. We tried it. It was unsuccessful. I have no regrets other than the fact that I didnt get elected.

While head of the Gallup Police Department for three years, Stanley said, he had to fire 16 officers from the department, which had about 65 officers, he said.

At a City Council meeting last week, Stanley said that in most of those cases officers were fired for not being truthful rather than for the infraction itself.

We cant be lying about anything; we lose that integrity. We cant have people testifying in court that lied about some small fraction of what happened, Stanley told the Journal.

Stanleys tenure at the Gallup Police Department ended in 2007 with a change in administration. His termination coincided with a no-confidence vote from the union.

The Journal could not reach union officials from that time, and neither the current union president nor a spokeswoman for the Gallup Police Department responded to questions about what prompted the vote. However, a short contemporaneous article by the Associated Press said union members had been concerned about staffing levels in the Police Department and how the budget is managed and a city manager suspected the vote was issued out of concern about the current labor agreement that outlines officers wages.

Stanley said he was making some changes at the time that the union didnt like.

The members of the Union wanted to run the department, he said. Theres only room for one head to run the department, we are working together as a department. But theres only room for one chief.

Asked how he would handle the Albuquerque Police Officers Association  which the independent monitor overseeing the reform effort said interfered with internal affairs investigations  Stanley said he has met with the union leaders and will continue to do so.

I dont expect to agree on everything, he said. We have to agree to disagree  but whatever we do, it will be done in a professional manner.

New challenge

Although he was appointed in an interim capacity, Stanley said that if the permanent job opened tomorrow, he would apply.

Were excited about this, he said. This is a new challenge in my life, in my career.

He said spending so many years living in Albuquerque, as well as leading other departments around the state, has prepared him for the superintendent role. He is one of three African Americans who have made it to the rank of police chief in New Mexico.

I believe in community-based policing, and Ive been able to work with all walks of life, all different kinds of circumstances, Stanley said.

I was born and raised in the South to Southern sharecroppers.  Because I have those life experiences, I think that allowed me to go and be fair and professional.
The National Credit Union Administration (NCUA) recently published an administrative order against Live Life Federal Credit Union, a small federal credit union based in Michigan. The order states NCUA believed there were grounds to initiate a cease and desist action, and that Live Life  which wished to avoid the time, cost, and expense of administrative litigation  consented to the cease and desist order without admitting to any compliance violations or other grounds the NCUA believed to exist. While the order does not provide any specific factual allegations, the actions it requires Live Life to take could hint at possible deficiencies found by regulatory examiners.

Some context could be helpful here: In 2018, Michigan voters legalized marijuana for recreational use. NCUAs cease and desist order instructs Live Life to take a number of actions regarding their marijuana relates business (MRB) programs and policies, hinting that NCUA may have found deficiencies with Live Lifes compliance regarding that topic. This is notable, as it is the first NCUA enforcement action regarding marijuana related businesses (MRBs) and shows NCUA will be taking a serious look at MRB policies, procedures and practices during Bank Secrecy Act (BSA) examinations.

Serving MRBs can be complicated. Even though marijuana has been legalized at the state level for medicinal or even recreational use in a growing number of states, marijuana remains a schedule I drug under the federal Controlled Substance Act, meaning possession, cultivation, sale or other activities relating to marijuana remain illegal at the federal level.
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y.  As New York City public schools are seeing a steep drop in enrollment this school year due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, 877 public schools wont owe the city any funding -- thanks in part to federal stimulus money, Mayor Bill de Blasio and Schools Chancellor Meisha Ross Porter announced Monday.

Our school communities have been through so much this year, and thats why the mayor said we will be holding schools harmless for register losses this year, said Porter during a press conference. And I can tell you, there are a lot of schools who are really excited about that and we look forward to doing that for school communities, because we know how important the work is that we need to do.

The mayor said that the City Council and Council Speaker Corey Johnson have been urging the city to hear the concerns of schools in regards to funding that normally would be lost as part of the registration process, depending on what level of enrollment a school had.

The city Department of Education (DOE) announced earlier this month various measures to relieve some of that loss, which included reducing the money schools owed to the city by 25% if they experienced a drop in enrollment. But de Blasio said there was still a real challenge there.

After continued pressure from Johnson and the City Council, the city re-examined the situation. In the meantime, de Blasio said the city also received federal stimulus money, which he called tremendously helpful.

Now, schools with a drop in enrollment wont need to return a large amount of money back to the city this school year. Schools that already sent funding back to the city will have it returned.

We will now return to these schools the money that they wouldve had to give back to the DOE budget, de Blasio said. Thats $130 million that now will be returned to these 877 schools. We will make them whole. Again, heard the concerns from schools, heard the concerns from Speaker Johnson and the Council, and this is something were able to do now.

The good news, de Blasio explained, is that the money schools will no longer owe to the DOE will be able to fund educational opportunities.

[It] means more money for additional teachers, substitutes, for tutoring, for social and emotional learning, for anything the school community needs as part of this crucial moment to bring the schools back and addressing the learning loss, he said. We have to close that COVID achievement gap. We have to reach kids academically and emotionally, so very, very happy to say were going to leave those resources with the schools.

In a typical academic year, schools could be required to return a portion of funding from their budget mid-year if they have less students than what the city projected.

However, there were steep drops in enrollment this school year  a 4% drop citywide  as the enrollment projections were made prior to the pandemic. Enrollment of public school students on Staten Island has declined by at least 1.7% compared to last school year.

We were able to recently receive the federal stimulus funding, and as a former principal, I know what a huge relief this will be for our school leaders who have the opportunity to be forgiven the debt based on their register loss, and Im happy we can do this for them, but more importantly, what this will do for our students during this most challenging time, Porter said.

This is Porters second week in the role of schools chancellor, replacing Richard Carranza, who announced his resignation last month. Porter visited Staten Islands PS 45 in West Brighton Friday morning as part of a five-borough tour of the school system.

The funding schools receive for each student comes from the citys Fair Student Funding budget, which was at risk of $100 million cuts last summer for the 2020-2021 school year. However, the city restored the Fair Student funding before the school year began.

The Fair Student formula was introduced in 2007 by the city DOE and provides additional funding per student based on need. It provides the majority of most individual school budgets, and is used at the principals discretion.

This funding is typically higher at schools with large numbers of students with disabilities, English language learners, low-income students, and students performing below grade level.

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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A hot potato: Facebook broadly discloses the fact that it tracks people around the web even if they don't have accounts, by virtue of social plugins, Facebook-linked logins, Facebook Analytics, as well as ad measurement tools on some websites. However, its attempts to scale back a $15 billion class action lawsuit involving some of those practices have yet to succeed.

Earlier this year, Facebook reportedly considered taking Apple to court over iOS 14's App Tracking Transparency feature, after running an ample newspaper ad campaign to discredit the Cupertino's efforts as an anticompetitive practice. On the other hand, Facebook is embroiled in a legal battle of its own over the extensive use of user tracking for targeted advertising.

According to Reuters, the US Supreme Court turned away an appeal made by the social giant in a $15 billion lawsuit that alleges it had repeatedly violated a federal wiretapping law by tracking the internet activity of users beyond Facebook, even when logged off. This also brought the attention of the FTC, compelling the social giant to make several changes to its privacy policy and give users more control over the data collected by the company.

The class action started out as individual lawsuits dating back to 2011, which were then combined into a new filing in a Federal Court in San Jose, California. The plaintiffs accuse Facebook of violating the Wiretap Act by creating plugins for websites that added "Like" and "Share" buttons from the social platform, but at the same time tracked a user even if they didn't click on them.

Facebook tried to invoke an exception to the 1968 law, arguing that it's not liable under it because it was "not an uninvited interloper to a communication between two separate parties," but rather a "direct participant" to it. The social giant also noted that use of the data it receives is limited to tailoring content and ads for Facebook users, and as such the lawsuit would create a dangerous precedent that could outlaw commonplace data-sharing practices that enable most online advertising.

However, the San Francisco-based 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals rejected the argument and explained that the exception doesn't apply when a company is stealthily collecting data, as is alleged in the class action lawsuit. At the same time, Facebook's tracking methods don't afford users a "meaningful opportunity to control or prevent the unauthorized exploration of their private lives."
A new type of rock created during large and exceptionally hot volcanic eruptions has been discovered beneath the Pacific Ocean.

An international team of researchers including the University of Leeds unearthed the previously unknown form of basalt after drilling through the Pacific ocean floor.

The discovery suggests that ocean floor eruptions sourced in the Earth's mantle were even hotter and more voluminous than previously thought. Report co-author is Dr Ivan Savov, of Leeds' Institute of Geophysics and Tectonics, in the university's School of Earth and Environment.

He said: "In an era when we rightly admire discoveries made through space exploration, our findings show there are still many discoveries still to make on our own planet.

"The rocks that we recovered are distinctly different to rocks of this type that we already know about. In fact, they may be as different to Earth's known ocean floor basalts as Earth's basalts are to the Moon's basalts.

"Now that we know where and how this rock type is formed, we anticipate that many other rocks that we know were originally formed by ocean floor eruptions will be re-examined and potentially alter our wider understanding of the basalt formation."

The newly-discovered basalt is distinct from known rocks in both its chemical and mineral makeup.

Its existence was previously not known because no new examples have been formed in millions of years. As a result, the new basalt type lay buried deep beneath sediment at the bottom of the ocean.

To find the new rock, the research team, aboard the Research Vessel (RV) JOIDES "Resolution", sank their drilling equipment 6km down to the ocean floor of the Amami Sankaku Basin - about 1,000km southwest of Japan's Mount Fuji volcano.

They then drilled a further 1.5km into the ocean floor, extracting samples that had never before been examined by scientists.

The research area was part of the birth of the "Ring of Fire" - a horseshoe-shaped belt known for regular volcanic eruptions and earthquakes. It stretches about 40,000 km around the Pacific, and is thought to have begun forming at least 50 million years ago.

Dr Savov explained: "This was one of the deepest waters ever to be considered for drilling, using a research vessel specifically designed for such challenging deep sea environments.

"Basalt is among the most common type of rock on earth. We were looking for basalt that was formed during early Ring of Fire volcanic eruptions.".

The eruptions that created the newly-discovered basalt were very widespread (covering areas the size of western Europe) and occurred in a relatively short geological timescale of between 1-2 million years.

###

The research team's findings have been published in Nature Communications. The team included scientists from Australia, Japan, USA, Germany, UK, China, and Switzerland. Further information

Basalt derived from highly refractory mantle sources during early Izu-Bonin-Mariana arc development is published by Nature Communications. DOI: 10.1038/s41467-021-21980-0

The research was part of the International Ocean Discovery Program (IODP).

Dr Savov was funded by the Natural Environment Research Council.

The research team also included: Center of Deep Sea Research, Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Qingdao, China; Laboratory for Marine Mineral Resources, Qingdao National Laboratory for Marine Science and Technology, Qingdao, China; Center for Ocean Mega-Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Qingdao, China; Research School of Earth Sciences, Australian National University, Canberra, Australia; Geological Survey of Japan/AIST, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, Japan; Department of Earth & Environment, AHC5-394, Florida International University, Miami, USA; Department of Earth & Ocean Sciences, University of South Carolina, Columbia, USA; Institute of Earth Sciences, University of Lausanne, Switzerland; School of Earth Sciences, University of Bristol, UK; GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel, Germany; College of Earth, Ocean, and Atmospheric Sciences, Oregon State University, USA.

Picture credit: Exp. 351 Science Team

For further details, contact Ian Rosser in the University of Leeds press office on i.rosser@leeds.ac.uk
American Idol is continuing with the 6th episode of its 19th season on Sunday, March 21 at 8 p.m.

The series features host Ryan Seacrest, as well as recurring judges Katy Perry, Lionel Richie, and Luke Bryan. Bobby Bones will also return as the in-house mentor for the shows contestants.

Heres the information youll need to watch a free live stream of American Idol online without cable.

When is American Idol on?

American Idol begins its 19th seasons 6th episode on Sunday, March 21 at 8 p.m. on ABC. It will be followed by a new episode of Who Wants to be a Millionaire at 10 p.m.

How to watch American Idol without cable

If youre a cord-cutter or dont have cable, its easy to live stream American Idol on Fubo TV (free trial).

What channel is ABC?

You can use the channel finder on your providers website to locate it: Verizon Fios, AT&T U-verse, Comcast Xfinity, Spectrum/Charter, Optimum/Altice, DIRECTV, Dish.

How to watch American Idol online on-demand

If you missed an episode of American Idol or want to binge watch the series online as it becomes available, look for it on Fubo TV (free trial).

What is American Idol about?

According to the official ABC website: The gold standard of all music competition series, American Idol returns for a new season as superstar judges Luke Bryan, Katy Perry and Lionel Richie set out on a journey across the nation to discover a new crop of inspiring talent with a touch of Disney magic on The ABC Television Network... The groundbreaking series launched the careers of superstars Carrie Underwood, Kelly Clarkson, Jennifer Hudson, Katharine McPhee, Jordin Sparks, Adam Lambert and Chris Daughtry among many others. Idol alumni are responsible for 13 Grammys, over 61 million album sales, 47 Platinum records, 95 Gold records, 444 Billboard No. 1 hits, 257 million digital downloads, two Golden Globes and an Academy Award. Now, the search is on for the next American Idol.

Heres a look at American Idol, courtesy of the ABC official YouTube channel:

Related stories about streaming TV services

How to get a free month of horror movie streaming service Shudder  and what to watch with it

How do I watch Soul on Disney Plus?

How to watch HBO Max: What is it? How much does it cost? What movies and TV shows does it have?

What is Philo? Price, TV channels, how to get a free trial

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Joseph Rejent may be reached at jrejent@njadvancemedia.com.
As one of his first acts in office, President Biden revoked TC Energy Corp.s (NYSE:TRP) license on the controversial Keystone XL pipeline project. The project ran into trouble soon after TC proposed the pipeline in 2008, with environmental groups mainly citing the threat of spills.

Many were also keen on reducing the amount of oil extracted from Canadas oil sands, widely regarded as one of the worst polluters among oil-producing regions anywhere in the world. The 1,700-mile pipeline is an expansion of an existing pipeline, called Keystone, meant to move 800,000 barrels of oil a day from eastern Alberta to Nebraska.

But Bidens administration is about to deal Canadas crown jewel yet another sucker punch: Taxing Canadas oil sands crude.

On March 8th, Congressman Earl Blumenauer (D) Oregon and Ed Markey (D) Massachusetts, introduced a bill for spills that aims to slap an excise tax that could amount to a 5.5 U.S. cents tax on a barrel of oil sands crude to be paid into a fund for cleaning up oil spills.

Bill for spills

The bill for spills is a 180-degree reversal on a 2011 ruling by the U.S. Internal Revenue Service that oil sands crude is not technically considered crude and is therefore not subject to an excise tax. Blumenauer wants the tax code changed to specifically label oilsands products as crude oil.

According to Rep. Blumenauer, the United States is clearly in a climate emergency and must take action by holding fossil fuel polluters accountable. Blumenauer says the excise tax will generate US$665 million in additional taxes for the U.S. government over a decade.

Meanwhile, Sen. Markey has lamented the regulatory loopholes that give Canadas tar sands a free pass taxwise despite being a major source of greenhouse gases.

We cannot allow any oil company to evade the bill for spills. The dirtiest fuels must have the strictest requirements, not the largest regulatory loopholes. We need to close this tax loophole for tar sands and make sure every Big Oil company pays for their clean-up costs.

But their Canadian peers have warned that its the U.S. that will eventually have to bear the extra costs.

The hundreds of millions of Americans who depend on Canadian oil should know that such a move would ultimately result in their paying this tax at the pumps,Kavi Bal, spokesperson for Alberta Energy Minister Sonya Savage, has said. Related: The 3 Nations Vying For Global LNG Dominance



Crude oil is Canadas largest export category, with oil sands production in 2020 clocking in at 1.8 million barrels per day, good for 40% of Canadas production of 4.5 million barrels per day. Canada is the largest exporter of crude oil to the United States, shipping 3.63 million barrels of petroleum products to U.S. refineries daily.

The Jones Act

The latest U.S.-Canada oil saga brings into sharp focus an antiquated law that places limits on shipping oil and gas to customers in the U.S.: The Merchant Marine Act of 1920.

The century-old law, colloquially known as the Jones Act or simply JA, regulates maritime commerce in the United States in a way that could curtail the nations efforts at energy independence.

The JA demands that vessels undertaking shipments between two U.S. ports be U.S.-built, U.S.- owned, and U.S.-manned. Even foreign steel used in repair work on a JA vessel should not exceed 10% of the vessels original weight. However, that same requirement does not apply to shipments going from a U.S. port to a foreign port or vice versa, meaning any ship can make that trip.

Originally meant to protect U.S. fleets after suffering heavy losses in World War I, JA is now coming under scrutiny because it limits shipping oil and gas to customers in U.S. ports, encouraging American producers to send their low-cost oil and gas to consumers abroad.

In many cases, its much cheaper to ship U.S. products to foreign buyers in foreign ports considering that JA ships cost up to five times as much as their foreign-built counterparts. Further, a 2010 study by the US Maritime Administration (MARAD) revealed that the average operating cost of a US-flag ship was 2.7x greater than that of a foreign-flag ship. Obviously, this can lead to significantly higher prices for goods transported domestically, making them less competitive against imported products.

The JA has been detrimental for the U.S. energy industry because it limits inter-state trade in oil products and LNG with the high costs for US-built vessels forcing producers to turn to less efficient forms of transportation for crude and products.

The average cost of oil transport by huge oil tankers amounts to only US$5 to $8 per cubic meter ($0.02 to $0.03 per US gallon), the second cheapest after pipeline transport. Related: Texas Freeze Creates Global Plastics Shortage

Noncontiguous states and territories, like Puerto Rico, Alaska or Hawaii, are even more disadvantaged since no pipeline, rail, or truck transport of U.S. energy products can reach them forcing them to rely on imports. This problem is particularly salient in Puerto Rico, with economists estimating that the Jones Act cost Puerto Ricos economy $29 billion between 1970-2012.

Refineries searching for light oil make up the principal demand for Americas fracked oil.

The refineries at the epicenter of the shale boom are mainly located in the Midwest and the Gulf Coast, where many have upgraded to handle heavy oil from Canada, Venezuela, and Mexico. This leaves refineries on the U.S. east coast as the most obvious destination for light fracked oil.

Unfortunately, it costs ~3x to ship oil from Texas to refineries on the U.S. East Coast compared to shipping it further to refineries in Canada, thanks to the Jones Act. There are simply not enough JA-compliant ships to transport oil from Texas to the U.S. East Coast, meaning it must be shipped abroad. Similarly, it costs more than 3x for northeastern U.S. refineries to ship oil from Texas compared to shipping from West Africa or Saudi Arabia.

JAs basic structure has remained unchanged for decades, with the last major challenge to the law coming two decades ago when free-market advocates sought to weaken or repeal the act. Unfortunately, they were soundly defeated by a maritime industry coalition consisting of US-flag domestic carriers as well as shipyards and their suppliers. They did score a minor victory, though, in 2017 after forcing the US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) to withdraw a proposal that would have tightened US-flag shipping requirements by redefining components such as pipes and valves used in domestic offshore oil and gas construction as merchandise subject to JA.

By Alex Kimani for Oilprice.com

More Top Reads From Oilprice.com:
Just after Scott Morrison became Prime Minister, he was asked if the Liberal Partys rules should be changed to make it harder to remove prime ministers. He said that what needed to change was the culture. Regulating for culture, he said, was never effective.

Eight days later, Morrison called a snap meeting of his party. He had decided he wanted to change the rules after all. Asked why he had changed his mind, he said he had reflected deeply on the wishes of the Australian people. He might tell everybody that the Liberal Party was united  but by changing the rules, he was providing a practical demonstration of it to the Australian people, that we mean it. That were fair dinkum about it. Thats why the party has made this change.

Illustration: Simon Bosch Credit:

It was a good point, and the corollary was just as interesting. Morrison was implicitly conceding that without concrete action, Australians might conclude the words about cultural change were just words. What was absent might quickly become the most important thing.

In Australian politics, the past five weeks have been consumed with the issues of sexual violence and sexism. For many women, in particular, this has been exhausting. But unlike most issues that attract intense political focus, the issue itself is far from exhausted. There is a sense that we have barely begun to discuss this properly. That is because every topic leads quickly to another: there is no part of our society that is not shaped, in some way, by sexism.
Bharat Dynamics after market hours on Friday announced that it has signed a contract with Ministry of Defence for production and supply of Milan-2T Anti-Tank Guided Missiles.

The contract value is Rs 1188.12 crore including GST.

Shares of Bharat Dynamics rose 1.14% to settle at Rs 345.90 on Friday.

The stock hit a 52-week high of Rs 481.25 on 14 August 2020. The stock hit a 52-week low of Rs 147 on 24 March 2020.

Bharat Dynamics manufactures defense equipment. The company offers ammunitions, counter measures dispensing, infra red interference indicators, and missile systems. It serves military and aerospace industries in India. As of 31 December 2020, the Government of India held 74.93% stake in the company.

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
(Alliance News) - Centrica PLC's British Gas engineers staged their 38th strike on Monday ahead of a crucial few weeks in the dispute over pay and conditions.

The GMB union said its members have until Thursday to agree new contracts before another wave of four day strikes starts on Friday.

The union said that on Monday next week British Gas will give up to 12 weeks' formal notice of termination for staff who have not accepted the changes.

Staff who do not accept the new contracts will be sacked on April 1, with pay in lieu of up to 12 weeks' notice, said the GMB.

National officer Justin Bowden called on British Gas to pull back from the April 1 "cliff edge".

A British Gas spokesman said: "We must change to protect 20,000 UK jobs.

"We have a responsibility to reverse our decline which has seen us lose over three million customers, cut over 15,000 jobs and seen profits halved over the last 10 years.

"There is a job for everyone at the end of this difficult process and our new terms are fair and very competitive.

"Base pay and pensions have been protected from the outset and we have made sure colleagues have the information they need to make a choice."

By Alan Jones

source: PA

Copyright 2021 Alliance News Limited. All Rights Reserved.
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New Delhi: Water which is the basic building block of life and is essential for human survival is under threat due to climate change, industrialization, pollution, wastage and mismanagement. Every year March 22 is celebrated as World Water Day to raise awareness about this vital resource which is being depleted at a very high rate.

History of World Water Day

A resolution by the United Nations (UN) to celebrate World Water Day on March 22 was passed in Rio de Janeiro at the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development. Since 1993, each year March 22 is celebrated as World Water Day.

Significance of World Water Day

World Water Day aims to raise awareness about how quickly the water is being depleted by human actions and to mobilize action and change against the same. The day's core focus is to "support the achievement of Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 6: Water and Sanitation for all by 2030," as stated on the official UN website.

Theme of World Water Day

The theme for this year is 'Valuing Water'. "The value of water is about much more than its price  water has enormous and complex value for our households, food, culture, health, education, economics and the integrity of our natural environment. If we overlook any of these values, we risk mismanaging this finite, irreplaceable resource," explains the statement on the UN website.

It further states, "Without a comprehensive understanding of waters true, multidimensional value, we will be unable to safeguard this critical resource for the benefit of everyone."

Celebration of World Water Day

This year, due to the COVID-19 pandemic celebrations for World Water Day would be virtual. There will be "an online event from 13:00 to 14:30 (CET). The United Nations World Water Development Report will also be launched, including policy direction recommendations to decision-makers."

Celebration of World Water Day in India

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will launch 'Jal Shakti Abhiyan: Catch the Rain' movement at 12.30 pm through a video conference. The campaign will be undertaken across the country, from 22 March to 30 November - the pre-monsoon and monsoon period, in both rural and urban areas, with the theme "catch the rain, where it falls, when it falls.
After slowing down during the coronavirus pandemic, the charter school movement in Baton Rouge will resume its prior fast growth this fall when four new charter schools open their doors for students.

They include schools focusing on aviation and the legal profession. Both are ambitious new offerings from the people behind Mentorship Academy, a high school that has operated in downtown Baton Rouge for the past decade.

The other two new schools stress early preparation for college. They are led by BASIS and IDEA, two prominent out-of-state charter school networks that have quickly become big players in Baton Rouge since arriving in 2018.

Baton Rouge school leaders feared a coronavirus budget crisis. Their finances actually got better East Baton Rouge Parish school leaders feared the coronavirus pandemic could produce a budget crisis, but it turns out the district is actuall

These schools hope to educate about 800 students overall when the 2021-22 school year starts in August. But they have plans to grow much larger. At capacity, they hope to enroll 4,000 to 5,000 students from kindergarten to 12th grade. That expansion will bring with it tens of millions of dollars in educational funding.

Their growth, which will come primarily by drawing students from other East Baton Rouge Parish public schools, will put ever greater strains on local school finances. The district has been steadily losing students to charter schools for years. It sent $91.2 million to charter school in 2019-20, up almost $10 million from the year before.

BASIS and IDEA will operate their new schools out of new buildings that are currently under construction.

The new BASIS school, called BASIS Mid City, is a $9 million facility that is located on an old car dealership on Florida Boulevard west of Cortana Mall.

+4 IDEA charter group building third Baton Rouge school near Metro Airport to open in August A Texas-based charter school group is readying to open its fourth school in Louisiana and third in Baton Rouge this fall on 15 acres of vacant

The new IDEA school, called IDEA University Prep, is a $17 million project developing vacant land on Plank Road, just south of the Metro Airport. As part of the expansion, IDEA has taken over the operations of an existing elementary school, Baton Rouge University Prep, but is expanding over time all the way to 12th grade.

The new aviation school, called Helix Aviation Academy, will operate out of a retrofitted hangar/office building that sits on about 25 acres leased from the Baton Rouge Metro Airport. And the new legal school, called Helix Legal Academy, will serve as a feeder school to the Mentorship Academy, occupying the top floor of the bank building where Mentorship has leased space since it opened in 2010. The legal school, though, plans to move out into its own space in about two years.

Charter schools are public schools run privately via charters or contracts. Twenty-seven charter schools currently operate in East Baton Rouge Parish, educating nearly 20% of the parishs public schoolchildren.

Charter schools have been a flashpoint in local education debates for years, pitting supporters who say that parents need better educational options against critics who say the new schools come at the expense of traditional public schools.

The coronavirus pandemic temporarily superseded that debate. It also put a chill on the expansion plans of local charter schools.

One small charter opened last August, while another closed. Locally, charter schools added about 400 students overall this past year, half of their expansion the year before.

The aviation and legal schools had planned to open last August. But when the virus prompted schools across Louisiana to close, their parent organization, Helix Network of Educational Choices, decided to wait a year.

We just simply had no idea whether schools would return in the fall and what it would be like when they did, explained Preston Castile, Helixs president. Castille is an attorney in Baton Rouge and a member of the Louisiana Board of Elementary and Secondary Education.

Newly appointed East Baton Rouge Parish Superintendent Sito Narcisse has adopted an accommodating stance on charter school so far.

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At a webinar last week organized by the Baton Rouge Area Chamber, Narcisse made clear he is avoiding continued fights over charter schools. Rather, hes looking for ways the two can work together.

"Were moving away from this 'us against them' space, Narcisse said.

At the same time, Narcisse, however, said he will not give charters a free pass, saying he will exercise "quality control so that we are moving in the same direction."

The new schools opening this fall are sketching out different corners of the local school market.

Helixs new schools are recruiting just sixth-graders to start.

Helix Legal Academy, which later plans to add seventh and eighth grades, grew out of a partnership that Mentorship has with Southern Universitys law school. The law program is in addition to Mentorships historic focus on science, technology, art, engineering, art and technology, or STEAM.

Castille, himself an adjunct law professor at Southern for the past 18 years, said the new school, like the high school, will use its proximity to legal and government institutions.

We see downtown as the schools playground, he said.

The new school will excite their interest in the real world and make their learning that much more meaningful, Castille said.

Helix Aviation Academy, which will eventually stretch from kindergarten to 12th grade, is unique. Students will have a chance from a young age to embark on an aviation career, ranging from mechanics to technicians to engineers and pilots.

I wish both of those schools would have existed when I was a student, Castille said.

Basis charter school's rapid growth among affluent families in Baton Rouge prompts scrutiny Just nine months after opening its first school, BASIS.ed has won approval to open a second campus in Louisianas Capital City.

The new BASIS and IDEA schools are the second and third schools in Baton Rouge, respectively, for these charter school networks.

Both networks have reputations for high academic performance, particularly at their high schools, several of which make annual national "best-of" school lists.

Both organizations have made a splash in Baton Rouge. BASISs first school, located next to Womans Hospital, has about 700 students in grades kindergarten to six. IDEAs two schools in Baton Rouge have more than 1,800 students in kindergarten to eighth-grade.

Both networks plan to grow those schools, as well as their new ones, all the way to 12th grade. And both are bringing in school leaders and teachers who already work in other schools in the network.

Rosalind Thompson will serve as the founding head of school for BASIS Mid City. She said this will be the fifth BASIS school shes opened. She said having a corps of BASIS veterans there at the start is an important ingredient in the networks success.

It makes such a difference when you have veterans, Thompson said, because we have certain ways of doing things.
The European Union does not need the Russian Sputnik V coronavirus vaccine, European Commissioner for the Internal Market Thierry Breton noted.

According to him, the EU certainly has the opportunity to deliver 300-350 million doses by the end of June.

Besides, the EU Commissioner expressed confidence that the EU should help Moscow in the production of vaccines if necessary, but the priority should be given to European products.

Breton added that the doses required for vaccinations are already in place, now people have to accept the fact of vaccination.
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. - A man considered a person of interest in the deaths of his ex-wife and three other people in New Mexico was charged Wednesday with a separate killing in New Jersey.

This undated photo released by the Gloucester County ProsecutorAos Office shows Sean Lannon. Authorities on Wednesday, March 10, 2021, searched for Lannon, a man wanted for questioning in a homicide in New Jersey and in the slayings of four people whose bodies were found inside a vehicle parked in a New Mexico airport garage. (Gloucester County ProsecutorAos Office via AP)

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. - A man considered a person of interest in the deaths of his ex-wife and three other people in New Mexico was charged Wednesday with a separate killing in New Jersey.

Sean Lannon was arrested in St. Louis on Wednesday morning after a manhunt stretching from New Jersey to Missouri. Wednesday afternoon, authorities in Gloucester County, New Jersey, charged the 47-year-old with murder, robbery, burglary, theft of a motor vehicle and other offences in the death of 66-year-old Michael Dabkowski.

This undated photo released by the Gloucester County Prosecutors Office shows Sean Lannon. Authorities on Wednesday, March 10, 2021, searched for Lannon, a man wanted for questioning in a homicide in New Jersey and in the slayings of four people whose bodies were found inside a vehicle parked in a New Mexico airport garage. (Gloucester County Prosecutors Office via AP)

Dabkowski was killed Monday in his home in East Greenwich, about 20 miles (32 kilometres) south of Philadelphia. The cause of death was blunt force trauma, according to the Gloucester County prosecutor's office. Officers performing a well-being check found Dabkowski's body, according to the prosecutors office.

On Tuesday, the prosecutor's office said Lannon was believed to be driving a blue 2018 Honda CRV and had possibly been seen in Camden, in southern New Jersey. Lannon was considered armed and dangerous, and the marshals service had offered a $5,000 reward for information leading to his arrest.

Lannon also is a person of interest in the deaths of his ex-wife and three men whose bodies were found last week in a vehicle at the Albuquerque International Sunport garage, police said.

Police investigate a pickup truck where four bodies were found last Friday, March 5, on the upper level of the parking garage at the Albuquerque International Sunport, Wednesday, March 10, 2021, in Albuquerque, N.M. A man sought in the killings of four people in New Mexico and one in New Jersey was arrested Wednesday morning in St. Louis, the U.S. Marshals Service said. (Matthew Reisen/The Albuquerque Journal via AP)

Albuquerque police said three of the people were reported missing since January from Grants, about 80 miles (130 kilometres) west of the city.

Authorities have said that the bodies of Jennifer Lannon, 39, Matthew Miller, 21, Jesten Mata, 40, and Randal Apostalon, 60, were found inside a car parked on the top level of the garage on Friday. The cause of death wasn't immediately clear.

According to Grants Police, Jennifer Lannon, Miller and Mata were friends, and Apostalon lived out of his car and was known to give rides for money. The bodies were found in Apostalon's car.

Police investigate where four bodies were found last Friday March 5, on the upper level of the parking garage at the Albuquerque International Sunport airport, Wednesday, March 10, 2021, in Albuquerque, N.M. A man sought in the killings of four people in New Mexico and one in New Jersey was arrested Wednesday morning in St. Louis, the U.S. Marshals Service said. (Matthew Reisen/The Albuquerque Journal via AP)

Albuquerque police said Wednesday they will travel to St. Louis to interview Lannon about the New Mexico deaths. It was not clear on Wednesday if Lannon had an attorney.

Grants Police had posted on Facebook last month that they were seeking a different suspect in connection with the disappearances of Jennifer Lannon, Miller and Mata. Authorities did not offer further information about that potential suspect on Wednesday.

"Theres a lot of aspects to this. Were still finding out information as were going forward with this investigation. There are some things we can not release at this time," Grants police Lt. David Chavez said.

Property records show Lannons most recent address is in Grants, with numerous addresses in southern New Jersey prior to 2020. The couple filed for bankruptcy in New Jersey in 2015 and listed personal property assets of roughly $14,000 and liabilities of more than $550,000, including $83,000 in student loan debt. They listed combined monthly income of about $13,000.

This story originally published March 10, 2021, was corrected March 22, 2021, to show the former couple's monthly income, not annual income, was about $13,000.

Porter reported from New York.
BEIJING (AP)  A second Canadian citizen held for more than two years on spying charges in apparent retaliation for Canadas arrest of a senior executive of Chinese telecoms giant Huawei went on trial in Beijing on Monday.

The trial of analyst and former diplomat Michael Kovrig in Beijing follows an initial hearing in the case of entrepreneur Michael Spavor in the northeastern city of Dandong on Friday.

Canadian diplomats have been refused access to the trials and been told hearings would be held behind closed doors because of alleged national security concerns. Diplomats and journalists have shown up nonetheless to seek information and show support.

Outside Beijing's No. 2 Intermediate Court, Jim Nickel, the Canadian Embassys deputy chief of mission, told journalists he had been told the trial had begun, but was barred from entry in what he said was a violation of China's international and bilateral treaty obligations. Nickel remained outside the courthouse until after dark, despite the lack of information.

Michael Kovrig has been detained for more than two years now. He's been arbitrarily detained and now we see that the court process itself is not transparent," Nickel told reporters earlier in the day. We're very troubled by this but we thank those who have come out from the embassies here in Beijing and the international support that we've had for Michael, for Canada and the call that many of us are making for their immediate release."

Nickel said 26 countries had sent representatives to show their support, including the U.S., the U.K, Australia and many European nations. It wasn't clear how long the trial would last or when a verdict would be announced.

At a daily afternoon news briefing, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying said, The Canadian side made irresponsible remarks on Chinas law-based handling of the cases of Canadian citizens with some other countries diplomats in China, which is a gross interference in Chinas judicial sovereignty."

Story continues

China's handling of the cases is beyond reproach," Hua said, while calling Canada hypocritical because it also reserves the right to try cases involving state secrets behind closed doors.

The Chinese government has provided almost no information about the accusations against the two, but a newspaper run by the ruling Communist Party alleges they collaborated in stealing state secrets and sending them abroad. No verdict has been announced in Spavor's case and it wasn't clear if additional hearings would be held.

However, such cases are almost always predetermined in China, and Beijing is seen as using Kovrig and Spavor as leverage to obtain the release of Huawei executive Meng Wanzhou, who was arrested at the request of the U.S. at the airport in Vancouver, British Columbia, in December 2019. The two Canadians were detained in China just days later.

Meng is sought by the U.S. on fraud charges related to the telecom giants dealings with Iran, which is under American financial sanctions.

The two Canadians have been held ever since, while Meng has been released on bail. They were charged in June 2020 under Chinas broadly defined national security laws.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau blasted Beijing for holding the trial in secret without access for consular officials.

Their arbitrary detention is completely unacceptable, as is the lack of transparency around these court proceedings, Trudeau said in Ottawa.

China needs to understand that it is not just about two Canadians. Its about respect for the rule of law and relationships with a broad range of Western countries that are at play with the arbitrary detention and the coercive diplomacy that theyve engaged in.

Mengs case has deeply angered Chinas government, which has promoted Huawei as a global leader in mobile communications technology, and sees her detention as a deliberate attempt to malign Chinese companies and impede the nation's growing economic and political clout. Beijing has demanded her immediate and unconditional release and has also restricted various Canadian exports, including canola oil seed, and handed death sentences to another four Canadians convicted of drug smuggling.

The U.S. and Canada have pledged to work together with China to seek the release of Kovrig and Spavor, but meetings between top U.S. and Chinese diplomats last week  the first since President Joe Biden took office  seemed to offer little hope.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Chinese human rights abuses threaten the rules-based order that maintains global stability, while senior Chinese foreign policy adviser Yang Jiechi said China will not accept unwarranted accusations from the U.S. side, and that relations had fallen into a period of unprecedented difficulty."

President and head of the Chinese Communist Party Xi Jinping is driving the assertive approach to foreign relations, alongside bold domestic policies to eliminate poverty and restore rapid economic growth following the coronavirus pandemic, said Steve Tsang, director of the SOAS China Institute at the University of London.

Xi is extremely ambitious, and he compares himself ... to Mao Zedong and the first Emperor of China," Tsang wrote in an email to The Associated Press.

___

Associated Press writers Rob Gillies in Toronto and Jim Morris in Vancouver, British Columbia, contributed to this report.
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The United States, the European Union, Britain and Canada on Monday launched coordinated sanctions against officials in China over human rights abuses of the Uyghur Muslim people.

The U.S. Treasury Department said the individuals are 'perpetrators of serious human rights abuse and corruption,' as Secretary of State Antony Blinken blasted the People's Republican of China for 'continu[ing] to commit genocide and crimes against humanity in Xinjiang.'

'The United States reiterates its calls on the PRC to bring an end to the repression of Uyghurs, who are predominantly Muslim, and members of other ethnic and religious minority groups in Xinjiang, including by releasing all those arbitrarily held in internment camps and detention facilities,' Blinken said in a statement, according to CNN.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken blasted the People's Republican of China for 'continu[ing] to commit genocide and crimes against humanity in Xinjiang,' as the U.S. announced sanctions in conjunction with Canada, the E.U. and Britain on Monday

Detainees photographed in a camp in Lop County, Xinjiang China. Blinken said China could end the repression of the Uyghurs by 'releasing all those arbitrarily held in internment camps and detention facilities'

He also said 'a united transatlantic response sends a strong signal to those who violate or abuse international human rights, and we will take further actions in coordination with likeminded partners.'

'We will continue to stand with our allies around the world in calling for an immediate end to the [People's Republican of China's] crimes and for justice for the many victims,' Blinken said.

The sanctions announcement comes after Thursday's and Friday's meetings in Anchorage, Alaska between American and Chinese officials, in which there was public squabbling.

White House press secretary Jen Psaki was asked Monday if the meeting's tone had prompted the sanctions decision.

'This was a reaction to what we felt were serious human rights abuses, and obviously the Europeans felt this as well, against members of Xinjiangs ethnic and religious minority groups,' Psaki responded. 'No meeting would change our concerns related to that.'

Initially, China denied the existence of camps for detaining Uyghurs in Xinjiang but has since described them as centers to provide job training and to reeducate those exposed to radical jihadi thinking.

Officials deny all charges of human rights abuses there.

Xinjiang had been a hotbed of anti-government violence, but Beijing claims its massive security crackdown brought peace in recent years.

China's Foreign Ministry denounced the EU sanctions as 'based on nothing but lies and disinformation' as it issued its own retaliatory measures.

The EU targeted four senior officials in Xinjiang.

The sanctions involve a freeze on the officials' assets and a ban on them traveling in the bloc.

European citizens and companies are not permitted to provide them with financial assistance.

Th European Union also froze the assets of the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps Public Security Bureau, which it describes as a 'state-owned economic and paramilitary organization' that runs Xinjiang and controls its economy.

British Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said the measures were part of 'intensive diplomacy' by the U.K, the United States, Canada and the 27-nation EU to force action amid mounting evidence about serious rights abuses against the Uyghur Muslim people.

China responded immediately to the EU's move, slapping sanctions on 10 European individuals and four institutions that it said had damaged Chinas interests and 'maliciously spread lies and disinformation.'

The ministry announced sanctions against 10 individuals and four institutions, saying that they and their family members would be barred from entering mainland China, Hong Kong or Macao and cut off from financial dealings with those areas.

Among those targeted was Adrian Zenz, a U.S.-based German scholar who has publicized abuses against minority groups in China's regions of Tibet and Xinjiang.

China has said companies and individuals have petitioned to sue Zenz, but it wasn't clear who the plaintiffs were or how they would pursue legal action across borders.

Others targeted for sanctions include five members of the European Parliament: Reinhard Butikofer, Michael Gahler, Raphael Glucksmann, Ilhan Kyuchyuk and Miriam Lexmann.

The ministry did not say what measures would be taken against the organizations.

They were listed as the Political and Security Committee of the Council of the European Union, where the 27 national envoys decide foreign and security policy; the EU Parliaments Subcommittee on Human Rights; the German-based Mercator Institute for China Studies; and the Alliance of Democracies Foundation in Denmark.

EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell, who chaired the meeting of foreign ministers, expressed dismay at China's reaction and said the EU's sanctions respect the 'highest standards of rule of law.'

'Rather than change its policies and address our legitimate concerns, China has again turned a blind eye, and these measures are regrettable and unacceptable,' Borrell said.

'There will be no change in European Union determination to defend human rights and to respond to serious violations and abuses,' he added, and described the coordination between the EU, Britain, Canada and the U.S. as 'perfect.'

The new EU sanction system is similar to the Magnitsky Act - Obama-era legislation that authorizes the U.S. government to sanction those it sees as human rights offenders, freeze their assets and ban them from entering the United States.
By Chevel Johnson, Associated Press

From the port where enslaved Africans entered America to the home where Medgar Evers was murdered, a new guidebook helps readers explore for themselves the history, the landmarks and the watershed moments of the Black American struggle for equality and justice.

In Moon U.S. Civil Rights Trail: A Travelers Guide to the People, Places and Events that Made the Movement, author Deborah D. Douglas explores destinations like Selma, Alabama, and Memphis, Tennessee -- with historical background, itineraries and maps to help the traveler trace the steps of the heroes of the civil rights movement -- and understand the agonies that befell them and the triumphs they achieved.

Exploring the civil rights trail is a way of linking our lived experience to a time when Black Americans became united, committed and stronger, Douglas says in the books preface.

Its release comes as the U.S. undergoes a reckoning on racial injustice in the wake of the police killing of George Floyd last May in Minneapolis.

In an interview with The Associated Press, Douglas said when the opportunity to travel the trail presented itself, she took it.

The U.S. Civil Rights Trail is a collection of churches, schools, museums and other landmarks in the South where activists challenged segregation in the 1950s and 1960s to advance social justice, according to its website. The trail, announced in 2018, encompasses more than 100 surviving landmarks where major events of the civil rights movement occurred across 15 states.

Douglas book primarily details sites in the South  North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, Arkansas, Tennessee, Virginia and Washington, D.C.

The trail is vast, Douglas said. It goes as far east as Wilmington, Delaware to as far west as Kansas and south into Louisiana and Florida.

We are literally surrounded by greatness and dont even know it, she continued. So many of the places I visited in writing this book are part of the daily fabric of our lives, but we miss opportunities to engage with them from the viewpoint of greatness they represent.

She said her book, released in January, is not only a basic guidebook ... its also a history book, a civics book, a road map for activism and engagement with the Democratic experience.

There are snippets of information on some of the people who made the movement in each city she touches. In Charleston, South Carolina, for example, Douglas mentions Denmark Vesey, who bought his freedom using Charleston lottery winnings and in 1816 helped found Mother Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal, the church where nine Black parishioners were shot and killed by a white supremacist nearly 200 years later. And in Atlanta, she highlights the Rev. Martin Luther King and U.S. Rep. John Lewis.

Douglas said the trail helps people to understand what righteous people are fighting for.

When essential workers invoked living wage issues as a result of the pandemic, it goes back to the same issues that Dr. King was focusing on back in the day, she said. We are very much implicated in the things now that were happening 50, 60 years ago, she said.

Douglas said she hopes readers will embrace the guidebook by incorporating some of the itineraries created for each city and physically visit the historic sites listed - like the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma and Atlantas Sweet Auburn Historic District. She hopes theyll also get to know the voices, the stories and the culture that shape and celebrate the Black American experience in each city.

The book includes restaurant suggestions and music playlists that include modern classics like Nina Simones Mississippi Goddam, which bewails the racially motivated killings of Emmett Till -- a Black teenager lynched by a white mob in 1955 -- and civil rights activist Medgar Evers, slain in the driveway of his Jackson home.

An award-winning journalist, Douglas also has served as the Eugene S. Pulliam distinguished visiting professor of journalism at DePauw University. She was managing editor of MLK50: Justice Trough Journalism and is currently a senior leader of The OpEd Project, a global initiative to amplify underrepresented voices.

I tell you when to go, where to shop, where to hang out and, especially, where to eat, she said, laughing, referring to her guidebook. In the later chapters, I built timelines to tell you about the civil rights movement into 2020. Its a book about the past, but its also all about now.

Kabria Baumgartner, an associate professor of American studies and English at the University of New Hampshire, said the book is very timely.

Amid the wave of Black Lives Matter protests, more people seem to be visiting historic areas and sites that chronicle the history of racial justice movements in the United States, she said in an emailed statement. Once the pandemic subsides, well need to deal with our collective trauma in order to heal from it. In some ways, the U.S. Civil Rights Trail can help guide us, literally and figuratively, and push us along. "
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People around the state are mourning the loss of the 10 people who were shot and killed at a King Soopers in Boulder last week.
Next weekend the stretch formally becomes the grand auld stretch as we see the evening daylight benefits of the clocks going forward by one hour. It was to have been the last time that the daylight-saving ritual would be enacted.

But the hour-change will be with us for some time longer. That reality reminds us that while the European Union has agreed on many things, and agreed to disagree on many others, the clock has always beaten our leaders.

An almost agreement on the abolition of daylight-saving time (DST), voted for overwhelmingly by the European Parliament two years ago, did not get the necessary support from EU governments to make it happen. Ireland was among those governments reluctant to change the strange ritual which has been with us since May 1916, just weeks after the Easter Rising leaders were shot in Dublin, and weeks before the bloody carnage called the Battle of the Somme started.

The law on DST came into effect on May 21, 1916, across Ireland and Britain. It was followed soon afterwards by a successful move to have all of the then-United Kingdom, which included Ireland, to adopt London time.

Up to then, according to solar or local time, Dublin was 35 minutes behind London. The arrival of the railways, and other developments in trade and communications, influenced the need for standard timetables. The Time (Ireland) Act of October 1916 tied this island permanently to clocks on the adjacent island.

The only exception was an experiment between 1968 and 1971 when the clocks were not put back in October. This writer has vivid memories of watching dawn break over a Christian Brothers schoolyard long after 9am.

The idea back then was to get Irelands time co-ordinated with the bulk of our future fellow members of the European Economic Community. For a variety of reasons it was discontinued and Ireland has the same time zone as Britain and Portugal  Portugal, like Ireland, carried out similar brief experiments.

But the idea has never entirely died. In July 2013, Independent TD Tommy Broughan introduced a bill which would see clocks not going back one hour in October. His argument, that it would give people more winter daylight in the evenings, was met with the advice of then-justice minister Alan Shatter to get up earlier.

That brings us neatly to the original idea of daylight-saving time which is credited to Benjamin Franklin in 1784, who suggested that his late-night socialising in Paris caused him to stay in bed later. He proposed the hour change to give him brighter evenings but while the idea got sporadic support it did not really happen until World War I when Germany first introduced it to save fuel used on lighting and heating.

The other belligerents, including the UK as we have seen, followed suit. In 1918, after the US entered the war, it was introduced there. The US used the device again in World War II and during the 1970s oil crisis. But it has always been controversial there with differences in some states.

Read More

There is currently a move to abandon it across all US states, which has support from both Democrats and Republicans. Lets recall that they cannot often agree on much of anything.

Irelands primary reason for opposing the EU clock change in 2019 was the reality that in a post-Brexit world after 2016, as London announced no plans to change, there could be two time zones on the island of Ireland. A supermarket trip to Newry would be as near or far as ever, but could take an hour longer.

Most of Europe currently observes DST, which begins on the last Sunday in March, when Europeans move their clocks ahead one hour. DST ends on the last Sunday in October when clocks are moved back an hour.

For a long time, mainland Europe and Ireland and Britain changed their clocks on different dates, causing further confusion for weeks when both groups were on exactly the same time.

The only real progress on full EU agreement came in 1994 when the same clock-changing dates were agreed with effect from October 1996 and it has been that way since.

The exceptions are Russia, Iceland and Belarus, according to the handy website timeanddate.com.

In the UK, DST is called British Summer Time (BST), which leads us to the politics of using a different name to doll up conforming to neighbours clocks.

After the foundation of the Irish State some more ardent nationalists calls to revert to Irish time were conveniently ignored. But some technical pieces of legislation slipped in the title Am Caighdeanach Eireann, or Irish Standard Time.

Not all countries have this hang-up. DST is called Central European Summer Time (CEST) in Austria, France, Germany, Italy, Hungary, Norway, Poland, Spain and Switzerland. Daylight saving starts at 2am local time for these countries, when clocks are moved ahead an hour to 3am.

The same 2am clock change is followed for Bulgaria, Estonia, Finland, Greece, Latvia, Lithuania and Romania, which call DST Eastern European Summer Time (EEST).

The hour-change has often been wrongly billed as something which helps farmers. But the opposite is true as it has militated against outside work like agriculture and given more evening light to urban revellers.

Despite this, one of the most ardent advocates for abandoning this device is Fine Gael MEP and former GAA president Sean Kelly, who began life on a small farm in Kilcummin, high above the splendid town of Killarney.

He argues the hour-change is outmoded and unhelpful to both town and country.

But all subjects  including the clock  have their political side.
"Phenomenal" rainfall over the past week has led to some of the worst flooding in decades in Australia's state of New South Wales, officials said Monday, and some rivers are topping record levels.

Thousands of people have been forced from their homes and hundreds more had to be rescued from the rising floodwaters that have isolated dozens of towns in Australia's most populous state.

Around 18,000 people had been evacuated from flooding in New South Wales (NSW) by Monday and emergency services feared up to 54,000 people could be displaced with heavy rain forecast to continue until Wednesday.

"This is nothing like we've seen since the 1960s," said state Premier Gladys Berejiklian at a news conference, CNN reported. In parts of the state that have been hit harder, this is a once-a-century event; in other regions such as the Hawkesbury area, it's a "one-in-50-years" event, she said.

People stand on a flooded road near the Hawkesbury River at Richmond on the western outskirts of Sydney, Australia, on March 22, 2021.

Up to 38 parts of the state have been declared natural disaster areas.

As of Monday, there have been no reports of deaths from the flooding, AccuWeather said. More than 16 inches of rain has fallen along the northern New South Wales coast during the past seven days, according to the Australian Bureau of Meteorology.

The rain submerging large swathes of the state contrasts with weather conditions a year ago when authorities were battling drought and catastrophic bushfires, Reuters said.

"Communities who were battered by the bushfires are now being battered by the floods and a deep drought prior to that. I don't know any time in our state's history where we've had these extreme weather conditions in such quick succession in the middle of a pandemic," Berejiklian said.

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Some parts of Sydneys western regions have suffered the worst flooding since 1961, said authorities, who expect the wild weather to last until Wednesday, Reuters reported.

Bureau of Meteorology national flood services manager Justin Robinson described the rainfall as a very significant flood event for New South Wales.

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Ive been a flood forecaster with the bureau for 20 years and this is probably the worst flooding that Ive experienced, Robinson said.

The threat for heavy rainfall will diminish markedly as a front drives storms offshore by early Wednesday, ushering a cooler and drier air mass to clear the atmosphere, the Capital Weather Gang said.

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Snakes and spiders have been seen struggling to reach higher ground, CNN said. "It's still raining here and the floodwater is still rising, the water is getting closer to our home," NSW resident Matt Lovenfosse told CNN. "In the morning it should be inside and the spiders will be all over the house."

In addition, "the trees are full of snakes," he said. "If you take the boat out over the paddock they swim toward it trying to get on something dry, same with the spiders."

Contributing: The Associated Press

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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Australia floods: Thousands flee as record rains swamp New South Wales
The Court of Appeal, Abuja, Monday, fixed July 5 for hearing in a property ownership dispute suit filed against a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), Jonathan Majiyagbe, by Samuel Nwosu.

At the resumed hearing on Monday, the three-member panel of the court granted an application to substitute Skye Banks name with its new name Polaris Bank.

The court then ordered that all court processes relating to the appeal number CA/A/541/2018 be amended to reflect the name of Polaris Bank.

The court further made an order directing that fresh hearing notice be issued on the second respondent, Polaris Bank, which was not represented in court on Monday.

Earlier, counsel for the appellants, Chukwuma-Machukwu Ume, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, tendered a letter from the Deputy Registrar of the court confirming that the correct number of the appeal was CA/A/541/2018 and not CA/A/112/2017.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that a three-man panel of the appellate court headed by Abubakar Yahaya, had at its previous hearing, ordered lawyers to all the parties in the case to correct the discrepancies in the appeal number.

The courts order was sequel to an observation raised by G.O.A Ogunyomi, counsel for Majiyagbe, who said the motion that was filed by the appellants was marked CA/A/541/2018, while the original appeal number hand by by the court, was CA/A/112/2017.

The dispute

The appellants, Mr Nwosu and Chukwuemeka Anyaoha, had filed their suit at the FCT High Court over ownership dispute in respect of the property situated at Plot 222 Shehu Shagari Way, Asokoro, Abuja.

According to the appellants brief of argument, Mr Majiyagbe was their tenant and allegedly owed a years rent.

They said Mr Majiyagbe had suddenly issued a letter to his co-tenants that he is now the landlord of the same premises and that the co-tenants should henceforth pay their rents to him.

However, in his own amended statement of defence and counter-claim, Mr Majiyagbe said he bought the property from Skye Bank Plc, now Polaris Bank Ltd.

He said the property was sold to him after a company, Sam Total Trade Ltd, which used it as collateral, failed to pay N60 million mortgage loan it took from the bank.

Following Mr Majiyagbes claim, the appellants urged the lower court, FCT High Court to join the alleged debtor, Sam Total Trade Ltd, in order to give its own version of the said debt of N60 million.

But the appellants application to join Sam Total Trade Ltd as a party to the suit was struck out by the trial court.

The appellants are therefore praying the appellate court to set aside the ruling of the High Court of the trial court which rejected their application to join Sam Total Trade Ltd, as an interested party in the case.

They also pray the court to declare that the senior lawyer had no right to issue his co-tenants, any document purporting to claim that he was now the landlord of the property.

They are equally praying for an order of injunction restraining Mr Majiyagbe from asserting any right of ownership over the property.

(NAN)

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HARRISBURG  Survivors of child sexual abuse will have to wait until at least 2023 for the public to consider whether to grant them a special window to sue their perpetrators over conduct that happened many years ago and was, in many cases, systematically covered up.

Senate Majority Leader Kim Ward (R., Westmoreland) said in a statement Monday that her caucus does not believe the matter rises to the level of an emergency, effectively ending frenzied efforts in recent weeks to place the question before voters this May.

Lawmakers in the state House of Representatives pursued the emergency method after Gov. Tom Wolfs administration revealed it had failed to take the proper steps to get the referendum on the ballot for this years primary.

Instead, Ward said, the Senate will restart the legislative clock and use the traditional, but lengthy, process for amending the state constitution. The question would ask voters to create a two-year window for survivors who are legally time-barred to pursue litigation.

Pushing the matter off another two years is bound to devastate survivors anew.

Many have waited decades for a resolution and were heartened last month when the legislature signaled it would employ the rarely used emergency path to get the referendum on the May ballot, as had originally been planned.

But Ward said emergency constitutional amendments are only used when something is threatening or about to threaten the safety or welfare of the commonwealth.

The Wolf administration dropped the ball, Ward said in a statement, adding that the emergency route is not the right way to fix the problem.

Under state law, any changes to the Pennsylvania Constitution must pass the legislature in two consecutive sessions. The proposed change is then placed on the ballot for voters to make the ultimate decision.

After each passage, the Department of State is required to advertise the proposed amendment in all 67 Pennsylvania counties.

The legislature, in its 2019-20 session, approved five proposed changes to the state constitution. One was to provide a two-year reprieve in the statute of limitations so older sexual abuse survivors can sue.

The measure gained momentum after the 2018 release of a blistering, statewide grand jury report that documented decades of child sexual abuse and cover-ups in nearly every Catholic diocese in Pennsylvania. Lawmakers were on track to approve it for a second time earlier this year so that the question could appear on the May ballot.

But the Department of State, which oversees elections in Pennsylvania, failed to advertise the two-year window proposal after the legislature approved it for the first time. The error, discovered early this year, led to the resignation of the departments chief, Kathy Boockvar.

Wolf apologized for the mistake, which he said was caused by human error, though his administration has refused to release details. The state inspector general is investigating the matter.

After the admission, leaders in the state House of Representatives said they would push for an emergency constitutional amendment. Unlike traditional constitutional amendments, this kind of proposal only has to pass in one legislative session and can appear on the ballot as long as it has garnered the support of a two-thirds majority in both legislative chambers.

But last week, support in the GOP-controlled House for an emergency amendment also appeared to be waning.

In an interview Monday, House GOP spokesperson Jason Gottesman said that in light of the Senates announcement, it is unlikely the House would bring the emergency constitutional amendment to a vote.

We are not in the business of providing false hope, he said.

Democrats in the chamber pushed hard Monday for a floor vote on the emergency amendment, despite the Senates position on the issue. Several were apoplectic when GOP leaders moved to adjourn early, without considering the legislation.

In remarks on the House floor Monday, Rep. Jim Gregory (R., Blair), a child sexual abuse survivor and a key supporter of the two-year window, said survivors, many of whom spent the weekend in Harrisburg, want us to get something done.

We have to do something to get this moving, said Gregory, who also urged the Office of State Inspector General to conclude its review into the failure at the Department of State.

Ive been waiting seven weeks to find out whether or not its a mistake, whether it was human error, or  excuse me for suggesting the possibility  that it was done with intent when you consider the very sensitive nature of the crimes that were committed that bring us to this very day, he said.

Gottesman, the House Republican spokesperson, would not discuss specifics on what, if any, next steps the House would take. One option would be to follow the Senate and restart the clock on passing the proposed amendment in this session and next.

The other possibility would be to simply pass a bill to create a two-year window. The House has supported that route in the past, but in the Senate, it has been a nonstarter for years.

Many GOP senators believe that creating a two-year window amounts to making a retroactive change to state law, which would violate the remedies clause in the Pennsylvania Constitution. They have asserted that the only way to ensure the window is legal  and that it could withstand court challenges  is through a constitutional amendment.

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.
President Xi Jinping called on the governments and people of China and Colombia to work together for friendly cooperation in all areas, including the fight against COVID-19, as the latest shipment of vaccines from China arrived in the capital, Bogota, on Saturday.

Xi made the remark in a video speech delivered to the Colombian people at the invitation of Colombian President Ivan Duque. It was the third batch of vaccines that Colombia has purchased from China. The first vaccines arrived on Feb 20.

Xi said the two countries have assisted each other in overcoming the current difficulties and actively carried out anti-epidemic cooperation.

Even the vast Pacific Ocean cannot get in the way of the profound friendship between the two peoples, he said.

According to Xi, since the two countries established diplomatic ties 41 years ago, the Sino-Colombian relationship has achieved historic development.

Now China is the second-largest trading partner of Colombia, and Chinese enterprises have been actively engaged in Colombia's construction in all fields.

People-to-people exchanges between the two countries are flourishing, with China-Colombia friendship deeply rooted in the hearts of the two peoples, Xi added.

He called on the governments and people in both countries to push forward bilateral friendly cooperation to a new level, so as to better benefit the two peoples.

Duque, who held a special event to broadcast Xi's speech nationwide, thanked President Xi and the brotherly Chinese people for their deep friendship with the Colombian people as well as important support for the country's anti-epidemic efforts.

Developing relations with China is a broad consensus among all political parties in Colombia, Duque said, noting that his country stands ready to work with China to keep deepening the Colombia-China relationship.

China has provided or will provide vaccine aid to 80 countries and three international organizations, Tian Lin, a spokesman for the China International Development Cooperation Agency, said on Friday.




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By Ruth Anderah

Three other National Unity platforms MPs-elect have had their victory challenged before the High Court in Kampala.

Among these is the partys spokesperson Joel Ssenyonyi who is alleged to have connived with the Electoral Commission to commit several electoral offences including ballot stuffing and falsification of results to enable him win the Nakawa West parliamentary seat.

Ssenyonyis accuser is one Shukula Mukesh, who contested for the same seat in the January 14th polls.

The other is the Lubaga South MP-elect Aloysious Mukasa whose is said to lack the requisite academic qualifications for an MP.

According to court documents filed by his political rival Eugenia Nassolo, Mukasa only sat for one subject; (FineArt) at Alevel from Merryland High School in Entebbe and scored a C.

Nassolo who came 3rd in the race wants the court to declare her the duly elected MP for Lubaga South Constituency.

While the other is the Makindye Sabaagabo MP-elect David Sserukenya who has been dragged to court by his political rival and incumbent MP Emmanuel Ssempala Kigozi for allegedly offering himself for nomination and subsequent election well knowing that he lacks the minimum academic qualifications of an MP.

Ssempala Kigozi says Sserukenya who is a senior medical laboratory technician neither lacks both the Ordinary and Advanced level certificates of education.

These, together with Muhammad Ssegirinya who is also sued for not possessing the required minimum academic qualification of an MP and the Busiro North MP elect Paul Nsubuga will have to file their responses to defend their victory at a later date to be given by court.
The trial for Michael Kovrig, the Canadian detained more than two years ago in China on espionage charges, started in Beijing on Monday, with China-Canada relations in freefall.

The hearing comes days after the closed-door trial of another Canadian man, both detained in apparent retaliation for Canada's arrest on a US extradition warrant of Huawei executive Meng Wanzhou.

On Monday police cordoned off an area outside the Beijing court as Canadian diplomats were turned away from entering the courtroom.

Kovrig, a former diplomat, was detained in 2018 and formally charged last June with spying at the same time as his compatriot, businessman Michael Spavor.

Jim Nickel, the charge d'affaires of the Canadian embassy in Beijing, told reporters that the hearing had started and that diplomats' "access has been denied."

"We're very troubled by the lack of access and lack of transparency in the legal process," he said.

A court official on the steps of the court told reporters no entry was allowed because the trial is a national security case.

Representatives of 26 countries had gathered outside the court on Monday, Nickel said, and were "lending their voice" for Kovrig's immediate release.

Canadian diplomats were also barred from entering Spavor's trial in the northern city of Dandong on Friday, which lasted less than three hours and ended without any verdict being announced.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau reacted angrily to the closed-door trial, saying the two men's "arbitrary detention is completely unacceptable, as is the lack of transparency around these court proceedings."

The cases have sent relations between Ottawa and Beijing to their lowest point in decades.

The court dates for the two Canadians come as an extradition hearing for Meng enters its final months.

Meng, whose father is Huawei founder and CEO Ren Zhengfei, has been fighting extradition to the US on charges that she and the company violated US sanctions on Iran and other laws.

Story continues

Canada's former ambassador to China, Guy Saint-Jacques, told AFP he expected Kovrig's trial to also be short and behind closed doors.

"China does not even try to make this look like a real trial as evidence is not shared with the defense and the judge does not even take the time to review it," he said ahead of the hearing.

"It just confirms that the process is pre-ordained by the Communist Party and this is a political case."

China's judicial system convicts most people who stand trial and the two men face up to life in prison if found guilty of "espionage" and "providing state secrets".

Beijing has insisted the detention of the two Canadians is lawful, while calling Meng's case "a purely political incident".

"The message to the USA is: if you want to help the Canadians, make sure that Meng is returned quickly to China," said Saint-Jacques.

bur-rox/rma
COMPANY NEWS by ConnectWise: ConnectWise , the leading provider of intelligent software and expert services for technology solution providers (TSPs), today announced the dates and locations for its 2021 IT Nation events. Of the four conferences, two will be onsite with a hybrid virtual option to expand access to all who are interested in the content and community but unable to attend in person.

Kicking off the 2021 event calendar is IT Nation Secure, which will be offered in both virtual and in-person conference formats. The in-person event will take place in Orlando, Fla. Like last years inaugural event, IT Nation Secure will provide TSPs with a deep dive into cybersecurity training and education. As an industry event like IT Nation Connect, attendees are not required to be ConnectWise partners in order to participate. Registration for IT Nation Secure is now open. To register, please visit this link.

IT Nation Explore, which is focused on product training, will be a virtual-only event in order to create opportunities for more ConnectWise product users to engage with the conference. The event will be held this summer, and specific dates will be announced soon.

IT Nation Connect (APAC) will be returning to Gold Coast, Australia in September. This event will be in-person only.

Capping off the year is IT Nation Connect in Orlando in November. Like IT Nation Secure, IT Nation Connect will be offered virtually as well as an in-person option in Orlando, Fla. As always, IT Nation Connect will provide intensive thought leadership and training for TSPs, including cybersecurity training.

Registration for IT Nation Explore, IT Nation Connect and IT Nation Connect (APAC) will be open soon.

We couldnt be more thrilled about this years IT Nation line-up. Anchored by our two Orlando events -- IT Nation Secure in June and IT Nation Connect in November -- with IT Nation Explore and IT Nation Connect Australia in between, these are the premier conferences for TSPs in the industry, said Craig Fulton, chief customer officer, ConnectWise. With IT Nation Explore, we realize its a huge ask and expense to ask partners to take time away from work to travel across the country, so this year we are making it a virtual-only event, which will allow us to engage as many partners as possible.

The safety of IT Nation attendees is a top priority for ConnectWise. As such, all IT Nation in-person events will adhere to COVID-19 protocols, subject to change. This includes face masks, temperature checks, social distancing, hand sanitizer & hand washing, hotel sanitizing procedures and interaction levels. More details can be found here.

Ultimately, we want to make our events more accessible to all, and to educate and provide resources to as many partners as possible, continued Fulton. We understand not everyone is ready to attend in-person events, but after talking to our partners who are ready to meet in-person, we want to create opportunities to make that happen. We also recognize the importance of providing a safe environment for attendees, so we will be following to COVID-19 protocols for in person events.

IT Nation Conference Schedule

IT Nation Secure - June 21-23, Orlando - Focus: Cybersecurity. Audience: Owners, leaders and technical teams who are cybersecurity-focused.

IT Nation Explore - Summer 2021, Virtual Event - Focus: Product Training. Audience: ConnectWise product users.

IT Nation Connect (APAC) - September 1-3, Gold Coast, Australia - Focus: Product/Security/Thought-Leadership Training (In person only). Audience: ConnectWise product users as well as TSP owners and leaders looking to grow their businesses and teams.

IT Nation Connect (North America) - November 10-12, Orlando - Focus: Thought Leadership/Training for TSPs. Audience: TSP owners and leaders looking to grow their businesses and teams.

About IT Nation

The IT Nation is a global community of peers, thought leaders, and experts dedicated to pushing you and the industry to new heights. Between conferences, in-depth product trainings, and community-based events, youll never miss an opportunity to engage with your fellow IT Nation voyagers and help each other reach success. Wise Together. Rise Together.

About ConnectWise

ConnectWise is an IT software company powering Technology Solution Providers to achieve their vision of success in their As-a-Service business with intelligent software, expert services, an immersive IT community, and a vast ecosystem of integrations. The unmatched flexibility of the ConnectWise platform fuels profitable, long-term growth for our Partners. With an innovative, integrated, and security-centric platform, ConnectWise enables TSPs to drive business efficiency with business automation, IT documentation, and data management capabilities. And increase revenue using remote monitoring, security, and backup disaster recovery technologies. Visit ConnectWise.com.
TORONTO - Some of Canada's newsrooms will now permanently exist only in cyberspace, as publishers look to save money on physical offices amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Toronto Star building is shown in Toronto, Wednesday, June 8, 2016. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Eduardo Lima

TORONTO - Some of Canada's newsrooms will now permanently exist only in cyberspace, as publishers look to save money on physical offices amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

Torstar plans to permanently close the physical office spaces for the Waterloo Region Record and the St. Catharines Standard by the end of next month as the news media follows industries such as technology that have embraced remote work as a permanent default.

All staff at the two news outlets will work remotely on a permanent basis  following the same model as the Peterborough Examiner, which closed its offices last summer after the COVID-19 pandemic forced staff to work from home to avoid spreading the virus.

There will be no changes to headcount or the print and digital products as a result of the office closures, says Torstar spokesman Bob Hepburn, which allow the company to reduce office space leasing costs.

Torstar's decision comes amid a similar shift in the U.S. and U.K., where the New York Daily News no longer has a physical newsroom and the publisher of Britain's Daily Mirror is moving many employees to work from home near office hubs.

Recent journalism school graduates found that almost 57 per cent of 122 respondents said that it was either more difficult or much more difficult than normal to interact with co-workers under pandemic conditions, according to a study conducted by Carelton University assistant professor Aneurin Bosley and University of King's College associate professor Fred Vallance-Jone and published by J-Source.

However, all the respondents also said that journalists were able to continue doing their jobs during the pandemic, according to the survey of graduates from undergraduate journalism program graduates at Carleton University or the University of Kings College. Nearly two-thirds of respondents said journalists and communications professionals have worked "somewhat effectively" and more than one-third saying the work has been very effective.

Hepburn said that after a full year of remote work, the company views the model as a successful way to keep readers informed.

"Torstar remains fully committed to these publications, both in print and digital," said Hepburn.

James Compton, an associate professor at Western University's faculty of information and media studies, said the trend of working from home during the pandemic comes in a larger context for the journalism industry in both Canada and elsewhere. When media outlets are owned by hedge funds, for example, he said legacy newsrooms are often viewed as valuable real estate to be monetized.

December data from the Local News Map suggested that 38 Canadian news outlets closed between the start of the pandemic and Dec. 1, 2020. Compton said he also worries that remote work will make it more difficult for journalists to organize unions. Not being able to meet over a desk, swap ideas and hone a craft leads to "a weaker newsroom, no question," said Compton.

Laval University communications professor Colette Brin in Quebec City also noted the longer-term trend of newsrooms moving to smaller, more suburban offices with hot-desking models over the past few years. Even before the pandemic, some journalists found themselves working out of their cars in between interviews and paying for more expenses out of pocket, she said, as their desks were eliminated or shared with other colleagues. Freelancers and others with more precarious employment often shoulder the burden of reduced support and stability, Brin said.

Brin said it's likely too soon to speculate on how quality of news or the perception of news audiences will be affected by the lack of physical newsrooms, but she has concerns.

For example, a work-from-home arrangement is more likely to favour workers who have more room and privacy at home, she said. A journalist experiencing harassment online or struggling with mental health may also find it harder to reach out or report a toxic work environment, Brin added.

Alfred Hermida, professor at the University of British Columbia school of journalism, writing and media, said news organizations are taking a risk by eliminating the newsrooms, but that there is also an opportunity there. As mobile technology becomes lighter and more advanced, journalists are increasingly able to do more in the field with less equipment. Hermida said that  rather than just assign more work  publishers should allow workers to take more time to go out and embed themselves in their local neighbourhoods.

"There's a risk here: That the signal being sent to these communities is, 'We don't care enough about you to have a symbolic presence in your town." I don't think that's the message intended," said Hermida.

"But there's a risk that could be read as: By not having a physical presence in that town in that city, that you're not committed to covering that community."

 Torstar holds an investment in The Canadian Press as part of a joint agreement with subsidiaries of the Globe and Mail and Montreal's La Presse.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 22, 2021.

Note to readers: This is a corrected report. An earlier version incorrectly named the author of the survey of journalism school graduates
Hyundai Motor Company said it has signed a new five-year global business co-operation agreement with Royal Dutch Shell Shell with a renewed focus on clean energy solutions and carbon reduction in proactive response to market changes.

The agreement, which runs through 2026, marks the fourth extension of the partnership. It finds Hyundai looking to increase eco-friendly production and continue its transformation as a Smart Mobility Solution Provider.

Under this pact, Shell will also expand its role in providing Hyundai with cleaner mobility solutions.

"This time around we will join forces to drive positive change with clean mobility solutions that benefit all," said Un Soo Kim, the Senior VP and Head of Global Operations Division of Hyundai Motor Company, at the signing ceremony held online at Hyundai Motorstudio Goyang in Korea.

"With Shell, we will be securing our competitiveness within the automotive industry, continuing our transition as a smart mobility solution provider," he noted.

Carlos Maurer, Executive VP of Shells Global Commercial Business, said: "Accelerating the mobility sector to net zero will require collaborative pioneers willing to act now and establish the alignments needed to deliver a cleaner energy future."

"We believe we can best enhance Hyundais customer service experiences by tapping our EV charging expertise and our deep insights gathered from daily interactions with motorists at our 46,000 retail sites globally," noted Maurer.

The partnership will undertake cooperative projects that reflect this new direction, including a plan to establish new type of service channels specialized for mobility service providers, primarily in Asia.

Both companies will also discuss cooperation schemes for energy supply business, such as EV and FCEV charging services, he added.-TradeArabia News Service
On Tuesday and Wednesday last week, Moroccan riot police and plainclothes police launched a violent crackdown against a peaceful protest of thousands of teachers in the capital, Rabat.

The teachers were protesting conditions of temporary fixed-term contracts under which tens of thousands have been hired since 2016. Under the terms of these contracts, educators have lower pensions, less job security and are not able to obtain positions at schools in other regions around the country. Prior to 2016, educators were hired as public servants under the national education ministry. Teachers have warned that the aim of these measures is to end the public education system in Morocco.

Teachers protest in Rabat_ Morocco last week

On Tuesday and Wednesday, thousands of educators joined a protest march in the capital and attempted to hold a peaceful sit-in protest outside the parliament building and the education ministry.

Using the coronavirus pandemic as a pretext, the government claimed that the protests were a danger to public health and ordered police to violently disperse the crowd. Videos shared widely on social media showed riot police charging against the crowd of workers. In other videos, plainclothes police can be seen kicking and assaulting teachers.

Police assault a demonstrating teacher in Rabat, Morocco, Tuesday, March 16, 2021. (AP Photo/Mosa'ab Elshamy)

Images were shared on social media under the hashtag #protect_teachers_in_morocco of teachers bloodied and beaten on the streets. Media reported that police followed teachers returning to hotels and arrested them, on the grounds that they had traveled to the capital to participate in the protests. The education union reported that the government had banned teachers from booking hotel rooms in the leadup to the protest.

One of the teachers beaten by police

While the government claimed that it was opposed to the protest due to concerns of the spread of the virus, it has violently repressed similar protests that have been held regularly since 2018.

A teacher in Morocco, who spoke to a reporter for this article, described the conditions for educators in the country.

Teachers remain contractual teachers in spite of doing the same work that official teachers do, he said. Its important to indicate that the total number of these teachers has reached more than 102,000 so far.  We were obliged to be contractual teachers. In fact, there was no other choice. ... Many teachers were forced to sign the contracts without even being given enough time to read the [terms]. Therefore, there were only two choices: contracts or unemployment.

We do not have the same rights. ... Retirement, for instance, is one great issue that marks the difference between us as contractual teachers and official teachers. It does not matter how long we, contractual teachers, work. Our retirement will be low and cant go more than 350  per month, while officials can have up to 1200.

We as contractual teachers do not have the right to become university teachers even if we have all the qualifications needed for those jobs. On the contrary, other teachers will face no problem if they want to apply for teaching at university.

In addition, contract teachers are confined to work in the region where they were hired. As a consequence, there are a lot of married couples who live in difficult circumstances in which couples are sometimes from different regions of the country.

He added that the system of contractual teaching aims to, in the long run, efface the public employment in teaching, which is the ultimate goal of the Moroccan government.

A protester injured in the police attack

The education strikes in Morocco coincided with the mass Hirak protests and strikes that erupted in neighboring Algeria, which were triggered by the announcement of the presidential candidacy of Abdelaziz Bouteflika. The protests forced the removal of Bouteflika, while the regime remains in power.

The violent police crackdown reflects the immense fears in the Moroccan ruling class that a new wave of protests could trigger a broader movement in the entire working class across the region. Conditions of poverty and social inequality in the country that were already explosive have been further exacerbated by the coronavirus pandemic.

The official unemployment jumped from 9.2 percent in 2019 to 11.9 percent in the space of a year. The total number of unemployed jumped by 29 percent to 1.429 million, due to large scale layoffs in the agricultural and fishing industries.

The most affected have been the youth. Unemployment has jumped by 6.2 percent to 31.2 percent for those 16 to 24 years of age. The World Bank estimated a 6.3 percent contraction in the Moroccan economy in 2020 due to the pandemic.
SAN DIEGO, March 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Corrao Group, a Salesforce consulting partner since 2008, has launched its SurfaceTrends cleanliness solution for Coastal Health USA's customers. Built on the Salesforce Work.com platform, SurfaceTrends helps organizations of all sizes get back to work safely during COVID-19 and beyond. The solution provides visibility into the cleanliness of high-touch surfaces around the workplace to help reduce bacteria, viruses, and COVID-19.

Coastal Health USA creates infection control plans (ICP) that audit a facility's cleanliness, implements antimicrobial solutions and disinfectants, and continuously tests the facility's cleanliness to ensure it's still a safe place for employees and guests to visit. Averaging about 800-1,100 ATP swab tests per month and growing, Coastal Health USA's manual process of testing and reporting cleanliness data results in spreadsheets became quickly unscalable. They needed a solution that could analyze and trend the testing results as soon as possible. SurfaceTrends allows them to instantaneously provide their customers with real-time reporting on the cleanliness of the surfaces around their buildings. What was a manual documenting process of a week is now done within minutes with SurfaceTrends.

"We found that we could not do our full audit and trend analysis manually. Time-wise, a week's process was too late for our customers", said Frank Desanti, Founder of Coastal Health USA. "Now, the testing data is imported into SurfaceTrends immediately after audits. Instantly, our customers and internal staff have access to the testing results in real-time and receive crucial notifications of testing failures through SurfaceTrends or an attached Slack Channel."

Over the past month, the solution has been utilized by numerous Coastal Health USA customers in Southern California to help keep their employees and guests safe. The new solution from Corrao Group lives within the Salesforce Work.com platform, leveraging real-time analytics and trends over time to help companies know how effective their cleaning and disinfecting has been. SurfaceTrend's key capabilities include:

Real-time analysis and trending of the cleanliness of high-touch surfaces around the facility.

Automated alerts via Command Center and email for surfaces requiring immediate cleaning and disinfecting.

Automated Slack notification to your Janitorial Group based on nonconformant test results.

Makes employees and guests more comfortable knowing they're being protected from bacteria and viruses.

"Corrao Group and Coastal Health USA continue to work alongside each other to address the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond. Having real-time insight into your facility's surface cleanliness is just one of the many solutions to helping organizations get back to work safely" said Jack Corrao, Managing Partner of Corrao Group.

New features of SurfaceTrends are expected in the coming months.

To learn more about SurfaceTrends, please contact Ellis Davis at [email protected] .

Salesforce, Work.com and others are among the trademarks of salesforce.com, inc.

About Corrao Group

As everyday Salesforce power users, Corrao Group understands how flexible the Salesforce platform is to support every department of your business. They've worked with nearly 1,000 customers, implementing, customizing, and optimizing over 2,100 Salesforce projects. Since 2002, Corrao Group has helped B2B organizations of all sizes successfully optimize their business processes with Salesforce.

About Coastal Health USA

Coastal Health USA was established in 2018 with the mission of bringing Healthcare Infection Control solutions to the masses. Coastal Health USA audits the cleanliness of their customer's facilities, implements solutions to reduce bacteria, viruses, and COVID-19, and maintains the quality of these solutions over time. With over 15 years of Infection Control experience, their team has successfully implemented washable, antimicrobial, and UVC technology in facilities worldwide.

Media Contact:

Jack Corrao

(858) 210-8188

[email protected]

SOURCE Corrao Group
IT is hard to take in and accept that such a tall, slim and elegant lady has been taken from our midst in a little over two weeks after a hidden illness suddenly befell her in the prime of life.

Tricia Merrick, Carrigoreilly, Caherconlish was a woman on whom nature bestowed a gentle spirit of warmth and caring attributes. Tricia worked for nearly all of her adult life in the health services where her abilities in administration both in hospitals and as medical appointments secretary for a number of medical doctors were widely recognized.

She was a very affable woman, easy to converse with and those qualities were instantly recognizable by her many old and new-found friends and neighbours. She was a native of Mungret Village and daughter of the late Patsy and May Colfer.

Its said that our future is predetermined by our stars and true to that acclamation Tricia was to meet the apple of her eye when her future husband P.J. Merrick who worked there walked nonchalantly in her direction at the Regional Hospital, Limerick in 1988. By his own revelation, at her funeral Mass at Caherconlish Church, he admitted that his nonchalant approach soon changed mesmerically as he was immediately smitten.

Assuming that she just was visiting a patient that day, he confessed that once he realized that she was working in the hospital he wore a path for several weeks to where she was stationed. He eventually plucked up the courage to ask her out.

During their courtship, Tricia took up a medical post in Saudi Arabia for a year and on her return home the rest is history. The contract was made at Crecora Church in 1992 and the couple set up home at Carrigoreilly, in a house that they had spent a few years renovating. They settled down instantly and the following year, the first of their children, Kevin arrived to be followed by daughter Robyn and son Jack.

During the ensuing years, the couple and their family became important social members of the local community with Tricia quietly supporting husband PJ in his voluntary, social and community work and with the development of his business which he founded shortly after their marriage.

Their children too were valuable members of local clubs and school activities over their young lives. Tricia and PJ had an unbreakable bond and were always together in social and community events where the combined greetings were much appreciated by all of us who shared those memorable times.

Her many friends assembled on the public footpaths on both sides of the High Street at the recommended Covid-19 safety distancing to pay a public sign of respect to her memory. It was so much deserved. Tricias burial took place to Caherconlish Church Cemetery on Wednesday, February 17 last following Requiem Mass at Our lady Mother of the Church at which members of the Merrick and Colfer relatives contributed music, song and well-deserved eulogies. Sincere sympathy is offered to her husband PJ, children Kevin, Robyn and Jack, by sisters, her twin Annette Dundon (Pallaskenry) and Jackie Sinnott (Crecora), brothers Seamus (Raheen) and Bernard (Bournemouth, U.K.), her mother in-law Marie Merrick, nephews, nieces, aunts, uncle-in-law, brothers-in-law, sisters-in-law, cousins, great neighbours and many great friends. The Lord has prepared a well-deserved place for her in Paradise.

May she rest in peace.

She never ever said goodbye when leaving a conversation, it was always  See you later. That is our prayer and hope See you later Tricia.

*Patrick Hourigan is the Limerick Leader's note's correspondent for Caherconlish
HA filtration and bead beating ticked all the boxes for most efficient method to find signs of the SARS-CoV-2 virus in wastewater, according to a new study led by Rice University. The study could serve as a guide to municipalities setting up their own testing facilities. Credit: Zachary LaTurner/Rice University

There are many ways to test municipal wastewater for signs of the virus that causes COVID-19, but scientists in Houston have determined theirs is the best yet.

A study led by environmental engineer Lauren Stadler of Rice University's Brown School of Engineering with the aid of the City of Houston Health Department and Baylor College of Medicine compared five processes used by labs around the country to concentrate samples and find the virus in wastewater from six Houston plants.

The process employed at Rice and now Baylor, called "electronegative filtration with bead beating," proved the most sensitive to signs of the virus as well as the most cost-effective.

The study appears in the Elsevier journal Water Research.

There is no standard test, according to the study, but all of the processesincluding electronegative filtration with elution, ultrafiltration, precipitation and direct extractionare effective to a degree.

"The virus is extremely dilute in wastewater, so we need a way to concentrate it," Stadler said in explaining the Rice process. "First, we add salt to the wastewater sample to enhance adsorption of the virus to the electronegative filter. After filtration, we physically beat the filter with glass beads to release the virus into a lysate. Even though this process might break up the virus, we only detect tiny fragments of its RNA genome to quantify it."

Established in spring 2020, the Houston coalition was on the leading edge of what became a nationwide effort to find the SARS-CoV-2 virus in wastewater. The technique quickly proved able to anticipate COVID-19 outbreaks and allowed health officials to ramp up testing where needed.

"When we started testing, Baylor was using a different method," Stadler said. "That gave us the opportunity to do a lot of head-to-head comparisons about which method to use. And that led us to want to do a more comprehensive evaluation of several methods that were commonly being used to concentrate SARS-CoV-2 in wastewater by other groups around the world.

"There's not one right method, but we wanted to be sure we considered other options," she said. "Our recommendation and final method selection was based on finding a balance between sensitivity, throughput and cost.

"The method we selected originally turned out to have the lowest detection limit, while also being relatively high-throughput and cost effective," Stadler said. "Baylor switched over to the same concentration method as a result, which gave us confidence that we were truly generating the best possible data for the city."

The Houston researchers hope the study will guide municipalities around the world that have, or are considering, their own wastewater testing labs.

"A lot of major cities are already doing this, and there are now statewide programs emerging in Michigan, Wisconsin, North Carolina and a few others," Stadler said. She noted the Houston labs are already looking for COVID mutations. "We're doing research on sequencing wastewater samples to be able to detect highly transmissible variants circulating in the community," Stadler said.

That the study even happened is a bonus, considering the workload for Stadler's Rice lab and counterparts at Baylor and the Houston Health Department. Since ramping up in mid-2020, the labs have analyzed hundreds of samples a week from the city's 39 wastewater plants. Since then, Houston has added testing points at dozens of nursing homes, schools and other critical locations.

"The city is planning to expand the number of stations to get zip code-level information, and we're working with them to analyze that data," Stadler said. "Someday, it could be a tool to look for a panel of viruses, not just this one."

Explore further SARS-CoV-2 RNA detected in untreated wastewater from Louisiana

More information: Zachary W. LaTurner et al, Evaluating recovery, cost, and throughput of different concentration methods for SARS-CoV-2 wastewater-based epidemiology, Water Research (2021). Zachary W. LaTurner et al, Evaluating recovery, cost, and throughput of different concentration methods for SARS-CoV-2 wastewater-based epidemiology,(2021). DOI: 10.1016/j.watres.2021.117043
Ukraine looks forward to building consensus among the Allies and receiving NATOs Membership Action Plan in the near future.

Speaker of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine Dmytro Razumkov said this at a meeting with NATO Deputy Secretary General Mircea Geoana at the Alliances Headquarters on March 22.

"The receipt of NATOs Membership Action Plan will be a logical step on this path. We look forward to a consensus among the Allies and the granting of MAP to Ukraine in the near future. For the Verkhovna Rada, strengthening cooperation with NATO is a priority. Unfortunately, due to the coronavirus pandemic, the meeting of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly in Kyiv was postponed. But we are grateful to our partners for agreeing to hold it in May 2022 at the suggestion of Ukraine," Razumkov said.

According to him, reforming Ukraine's military and security sectors in line with NATO standards is a priority for the government. Ukraine has already taken some decisions that bring it closer to Euro-Atlantic integration and continues to move in this direction.

"We appreciate the Alliance's strong position on the annexation of Crimea and aggression in the east of our country, as well as support by NATO member countries for reforms in Ukraine," Razumkov stressed.

As Ukrinform reported, Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine Dmytro Razumkov is on a working visit to Brussels (the Kingdom of Belgium) and Luxembourg (the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg) on March 22-23.

ish
NORTHWOOD, Iowa  A Mason City man has been arrested for stealing catalytic converters in Worth County.

Jacob Allen Smith, 30, was booked into the Worth County Jail on Saturday on charges of ongoing criminal conduct, first-degree criminal mischief, three counts of second-degree theft, third-degree theft, fourth-degree theft, and three counts of trespass.

Law enforcement says Smith and another man went onto three separate locations on January 29 and cut five catalytic converters off vehicles. One location was in the 1500 block of Highway 9 in Manly and the other two were in the 3500 block of Orchid Avenue near Manly.

Court documents state three of the converters are valued at $1,500 or more, one is worth $1,400 or more, and one is valued at $400 or more. Investigators say removing the converters also did $13,658.96 in damage to the vehicles.

Smith is being held in the Worth County Jail on $10,000 bond.

There is no record of criminal charges being filed against the other suspect in this case.
The NSW government will consider easing further COVID-19 restrictions this week as the vaccine rollout pushes forward despite extreme weather warnings and dangerous flooding buffeting the state.

On Monday NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian urged the public to come forward for their booked vaccinations and symptomatic people to get tested for COVID-19, but only if it was safe for them to venture outside.

If you live in a community that can safely access the vaccine please do so. If you have symptoms and can get to a testing clinic please do so, or self-isolate at home until it is safe to go to a testing clinic, she said.

Ms Berejiklian, who was visiting Westmead Hospital on Monday, that it was unclear whether a vaccination clinic at Nepean in Sydneys west had been cut off due to the weather conditions.
Gov. Phil Murphy has exploited and betrayed the Black community that elected him in New Jersey, devalued women and other minorities, and needs to be held accountable by leaders of the Democratic Party, the pastor of a Newark church wrote in a new letter to national and local officials in the party.

The letter from Rev. David Jefferson, pastor of Metropolitan Baptist Church, comes as Murphy, an avowed progressive Democrat, vies for a second term in Novembers election.

Jefferson, a fellow Democrat but frequent Murphy critic, addressed the letter to Democratic National Committee Chairman Jaime Harrison, New Jersey Democratic Party Chairman John Currie, Essex County Democratic Party Chairman Leroy Jones  all of whom are Black.

Sadly, here in New Jersey, we have a governor who is a poster-child for the disingenuous politician talking the talk, but not walking the walk, Jefferson wrote.

Jefferson is also an attorney and a legal officer for Blueprint Capital, a Black-owned New Jersey investment firm suing Murphys administration over alleged racial bias.

In the letter, Jefferson wrote that Murphy on the campaign trail trumpeted loudly his deep devotion to the Black community, to other minorities, and to women but, once elected, forgot about them and immediately focused instead on his next political move and advancing his own personal prospects.

I am asking you to protect our party and hold Gov. Murphy to account, he added.

Murphys office deferred comment about the letter to the governors campaign and the state Democratic Party. Murphys campaign declined to comment. The state party did not immediately return a message seeking comment.

Jefferson told NJ Advance Media he sent the letter to help make sure the Democratic Party doesnt lose support from younger voters, who he said are losing faith in leaders.

This is a pattern, the pastor said. Lets fix these issues so people can get excited.

If theres no real transparency, if theres really no openness in terms of how the government conducts its business and we as citizens hold them accountable, ultimately our democracy will erode to the point we will have no ethics and have no fairness, Jefferson added. I have been a die-hard Democrat all my life, but I have seen tremendous moral erosion in our leadership.

Murphy has instituted numerous progressive policies since becoming governor in 2018, including signing equal pay legislation, increasing the minimum wage, installing a millionaires tax to bolster state budget funding, and appointing a Cabinet in which the majority of members are women and minorities.

But in his letter, Jefferson raised concerns about allegations that the governors 2017 campaign was a toxic place to work, accusations that Murphys inner circle mishandled Katie Brennans allegation that a top campaign official raped her, and recent allegations of beatings at New Jerseys womens prison.

He also said Murphy did not focus enough attention of vulnerable communities of color during the coronavirus pandemic.

The governor recently announced the state would prioritize distribution of the new one-dose Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine to New Jerseys Black and minority communities. Minority residents have been disproportionately affected by the virus.

Jefferson said the administration has not released enough documents to the public outlining how the coronavirus was handled in nursing homes and other long-term care facilities, where more than 7,000 people have died from the illness.

He also pointed to how Blueprint Capital filed a lawsuit alleging that Murphy, his administration, and investment firm BlackRock exhibited racial bias.

Jefferson was named Blueprints chief legal officer in November.

One of the people Jefferson quoted in the letter, Pastor Steffie Bartley of the New Hope Baptist Church in Elizabeth, said he did not say the quote attributed to him.

Another person quoted, Brandon McKoy, president of left-leaning think tank New Jersey Policy Perspective, also said his quote was used out of context and without permission.

The letter comes a week after Murphy faced criticism for not including a Black man on the commission to establish rules for New Jerseys marijuana industry, nor a representative the NAACP says meets a statutory requirement. The governor did appoint a Black woman, and may now appoint a Black man, according to sources.

Read the full letter here:

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.
SALEM, Ore.  The Oregon Department of Education released its updated guidance for classroom spacing on Monday to reflect new recommendations from the CDC issued at the end of last week.

Oregon school districts have been eagerly awaiting the updated plan from education officials, which is necessary for any public school to proceed with the CDC's change from six feet to three feet of required space for each student. The spacing change is expected to allow many schools to abandon hybrid learning in favor of full-time instruction on campus.

This shift will take time to digest, partner with staff, and integrate in many schools and districts. I know our educators have spent countless hours over the last year stretching to implement different learning models and safety protocols. It is my hope you maintain your spring break as a short time for renewal and come together after the break to plan together on how best to incorporate these changes, said ODE Director Colt Gill.

However, ODE's new plan is not without caveats. Elementary schools will be able to make the shift to three feet of spacing "to the maximum extent possible" without equivocation, but classrooms in middle and high school will be beholden to county case rates. This requirement largely aligns with the CDC's update, which called for more spacing in upper grades when counties are seeing higher rates of spread.

For both middle and high schools, the reduction to three feet of physical distance is allowed when the county case rate is below 200 per 100,000 people. If the county case rate is 200 or more per 100,000 people, six feet of distancing will be required.

The updated guidance also requires that schools maintain six feet between staff at all times, and six feet between staff and students "to the maximum extent possible."

A previous requirement that each student have 35 square-feet of space around them in the classroom has been removed in the new guidance, something that multiple southern Oregon superintendents said would be key to returning with full-time learning.

With the new recommendations for physical distancing from the CDC, I know I join students, parents, and educators across Oregon in welcoming the news that months of scientific research clearly demonstrates the risk of COVID-19 transmission is low in schools, said Governor Kate Brown. As with so many aspects of our lives this year, schools will not be able to return to normal overnight, as districts will need time to work with parents, educators, and staff to create plans at the local level to implement this updated guidance."

In a brief preliminary statement, the Medford School District said that it would be able to begin implementing the reduced spacing at elementary schools, but Jackson County's case rates would not allow for the same to occur at middle and high schools for the time being.

For schools that are cleared to begin the transition to reduced spacing, ODE underlined that the decision will be handled locally. School administrators will be charged with making the decision, and can choose to maintain six feet of spacing under many conditions.

ODE said that it may several weeks for schools to make the transition and adjust to new requirements.

Given this new and important progression in the science and standards, as set by the CDC, for schools during COVID-19; some schools and districts may wish to consider new models for Hybrid and new opportunities for fully On-Site instructional models," Gill said. "I strongly encourage school districts and schools to take the time they need to collaborate across school administrators, teachers and staff to convene school planning teams to review the new requirements and recommendations and to consider updating your schools Operational Blueprint to reflect any changes you will make under the new guidance.
The death has occurred of Marian Brown (nee O'Riordan)

Celbridge, Kildare / Dublin 8, Dublin



BROWN (nee ORiordan), Marian (Celbridge, Co. Kildare and formerly of Sandford Park, Dublin 8) March 20th, 2021. Passed away peacefully surrounded by her loving daughters Yvonne and Elaine and son Dave. Marian will be sadly missed by all who knew her, but most of all her loving family, her beautiful granddaughters Annelie and Croia, son-in-law Alan, Daves partner Niamh, sisters Jackie, Lorraine, Siobhan, Eileen, brothers Dennis and Anthony, brother-in-law Dermot, nieces, nephews, grandniece, grandnephews and her many close friends.

May She Rest in Peace

A private funeral will take place, due to government advice regarding public gatherings. When the current circumstances have passed we look forward to celebrating Marians life with friends and extended family at a later date.

Those who would have liked to attend the funeral; but due to current restrictions cannot, may join the private family Funeral Prayers on Wednesday, March 24th at 11am online by following this LINK followed by a private cremation at this LINK or, please leave your personal message by selecting Condolences below or alternatively leaving a message at www.cunninghamsfunerals.com.

Family flowers only, please. Donations if desired, can be made to St. Francis Hospice Blanchardstown with a special thanks to all their wonderful and compassionate staff for their excellent care of Marian and her family.

The death has occurred of Gerry Coleman

Ryevale Lawns, Leixlip, Kildare / Castleblayney, Monaghan



Late of Mullaghanee, Castleblaney, at Connolly Memorial Hospital, Blanchardstown, surrounded by his loving family. Gerry will be deeply missed by his children Barry, Eilis and the late Vincent and their mother Celia. Deeply regretted by his brothers Brian and Peter Castleblaney, sisters Vera Symmonds, Norfolk, UK, Claire Marron and Chrissie Finnegan, Carrickmacross, brothers-in-law Tom, James and Gordon, nieces, nephews and all his cousins in Carrickmacross, Castleblayney, and Norfolk. He will be sadly missed in and around Leixlip by his kind neighbours and many friends.

May He Rest In Peace





The death has occurred of Pauline (Bino) Cotter (nee McGuinness)

Celbridge, Kildare



Cotter (nee McGuinness), Pauline (Bino), Celbridge, Co. Kildare, March 20th 2021, peacefully, in her 91st year, in the loving care of the staff of Parke House Nursing Home, Kilcock, beloved wife of the late Paddy and mother in law of the late Shane, deeply regretted by her loving daughters Pauline, Mary, Yvonne, Bernie and Trish, sons in law John, Martin, Peter and Martin, grandchildren, brothers in law, sisters in law, nieces, nephews, relatives and friends.

Rest In Peace

Due to current government Guidelines, a private family funeral will take place for Pauline. Those who would of 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. Pauline's funeral mass can be viewed on Wednesday at 1pm by clicking on the following link: https://www.celstra.ie/live-feed/

The funeral cortege will be leaving Reilly's Funeral Home, Leinster St., Maynooth, on Wednesday at approx. 12.30pm to arrive at St. Patrick's Church, Celbridge for 1pm Funeral Mass, followed by burial in Donacomper Cemetery, for those that would like to line the route in a socially distanced manner.

Oliver Reilly Ltd. Funeral Directors accept no responsibility for any live webcam interruptions or issues.

The death has occurred of Charles (Charlie) McCABE

Rathcurragh, Newbridge, Kildare



McCABE Charles (Charlie) (Rathcurragh, Newbridge, Co. Kildare) Retd. Sergeant, Connolly Barracks, The Curragh, Past President O.N.E. - 20th March 2021 (peacefully) at Naas Hospital; sadly missed by his loving wife Rose, sons Jimmy, Eamon and Charles, brothers Jimmy and Eamonn, sister Loretta, daughters-in-law Loretta and Patricia, brothers-in-law Jack and Jim, grandchildren Emmet and Shauna, nieces and nephews, extended family, relatives and friends.



May Charles Rest in Peace



A private family funeral will take place due to advice on public gatherings. Removal from his residence on Tuesday to arrive at St. Brigid's Church, The Curragh for 11 o'clock Mass. Burial afterwards in St. Conleth's Cemetery, Newbridge. Charlie's funeral can be viewed on St. Brigid's Church Facebook page.



Those who would have liked to have attended the funeral but due to current circumstances cannot, can leave their condolences on the RIP condolence section below.

The death has occurred of Dermot O'Loughlin

Coolaghknock Avenue, Kildare Town, Kildare / Tallaght, Dublin



Formerly of Tymon North.

Peacefully at home. Son of the late Paddy and Bridie. Sadly missed by his loving partner Gina, son Shane and his mother Wendy, aunts, uncles, cousins, extended family, neighbours, friends and his work colleagues in Musgraves.

May Dermot Rest In Peace

Due to current government guidelines regarding public gatherings, a private family funeral will take place with a maximum of 10 people to attend the service. Those who would have liked to attend the service, but due to current restrictions cannot, please feel free to leave a message in the condolence page below.

A funeral service will take place at Newlands Cross Crematorium, Tallaght.

The death has occurred of Nuala Moten (nee Cummins)

18 Church View, Drumlish, Longford / Kilcock, Kildare



Formerly of 719 Courtown Rd, Kilcock, Kildare. Nuala passed away peacefully at home surrounded by her loving family on the 19/03/2021. She is predeceased by her parents Tommy and Ellen. Nuala will be forever remembered with love by her daughters, Hazel, Nina and Stephanie, brothers Johny and Patrick, sisters Christine, Mary and Teresa, brothers-in-law Liam, Larry and Jim, sister-in-law Barbara and Gean, nephews, nieces, grandnephews, grandnieces, neighbours and her many good friends both in Longford and Kildare.

Always in our thoughts, forever in our hearts.

Rest In Peace

Nuala will repose in the family home. House private at all times, due to government restrictions. Removal on Monday 22nd to St.Mary's Church, Drumlish for funeral Mass at 10am. Funeral Mass can be viewed live through this link http://www.drumlishparish.ie/content.aspx?par=6&ContentId=45. Following her Mass, Nuala's funeral cortege will travel via Kilcock, Kildare, on route to Lakelands Crematorium, Dublin Rd, Cavan, arriving at 2pm. Family flowers only, please, donations, if desired, to The Irish Cancer Society, c/o Connell Funeral Directors. Please adhere to social distancing guidelines at all times. If you wish to do so, you can leave a message for the family on the condolence link below.
YEREVAN, MARCH 22, ARMENPRESS. Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan visited today the defense ministry to introduce newly-appointed Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces Artak Davtyan to the senior officer staff, the PMs Office told Armenpress.

In his remarks Pashinyan expressed hope that Mr. Davtyan will continue his mission with the same high level as he did during his previous positions. Of course, this mission is not easy, as we are facing very difficult times, and the problems are more than serious. Number one task is to protect the Army, the Armed Forces and number two task is to do so that necessary reforms take place in the Armed Forces which will first of all strengthen the Armed Forces, Armenias external security defense level and of course, the trust of all of us to our Armed Forces and our security system.

Mr. Davtyan, I congratulate you on reassuming this high status. Let me express confidence that we will manage to solve the problems which are in the interests of our country and our people. I wish you good luck in your responsible position and hope that we will overcome the difficulties we are facing for known reasons as soon as possible.

I also would like to mention one more fact: in 2018 when I was introducing you as the Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces, I highlighted the fact of accurately maintaining the factor of the Armed Forces being as apolitical and I must say that you have also done this task at a very high level, Pashinyan stated.

He stated that the developments which took place starting from February to this day are understandable in many parameters. I want to note, assure that it didnt leave any human, political trace on me, I just want to ask lets agree that we must maintain the principles of the Armed Forces being as apolitical in the future. This is firstly necessary to the Armed Forces, not to me, or any concrete person or group, the PM said.

In his turn Artak Davtyan thanked the PM for the trust and stated: Of course, we will implement all the tasks and I am sure that the Armed Forces will not have participation to any political processes which are not envisaged by the Constitution and laws, he said, expressing hope that they will manage to solve all the problems facing the Armed Forces with joint efforts.

Editing and Translating by Aneta Harutyunyan
For the test, a person would use a fingerstick to collect their blood. Credit: Northwestern University

A new COVID-19 antibody blood test developed by Northwestern University scientists requires only a single drop of blood self-collected at home. It could generate estimates of herd immunity, measure vaccine effectiveness in the general population and model the course of future waves of infection.

For the test, a person would use a fingerstick to collect their blood sample on filter paper and mail it to a lab for analysis. This method would allow for large-scale testing of neutralizing antibodies against COVID-19. It also can be implemented in a short amount of time with widely available laboratories. Prior methods have used a blood draw from a vein, which requires patients to come to a hospital or clinic.

"Neutralizing antibodies are important because they measure the level of immune protection against infection," said senior study author Thomas McDade, professor of anthropology at Weinberg College of Arts and Sciences at Northwestern and professor of medical social sciences at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. "In the context of the pandemic, this is important for evaluating the efficacy of vaccination and the durability of immunological memory and protection following natural infection."

The study was published as a preprint and has not yet been peer reviewed. It is considered preliminary until it is published in a peer-reviewed journal.

"Our approach is minimally invasive and low cost," said co-author Alexis Demonbreun, assistant professor of pharmacology at Feinberg. "The test has tremendous potential to help accelerate our understanding of the immune response to COVID-19 vaccination and to natural SARS-CoV-2 infection."

The investigators are applying the method to study vaccine responses in people previously exposed to SARS-CoV-2. They also are using it in a large antibody study in the Chicago area. This studycalled SCAN (Screening for Coronavirus Antibodies in Neighborhoods)has enrolled more than 10,000 people to help understand how the virus has spread in the community and the level of protective immunity resulting from prior infection.

The investigators have not yet evaluated whether the test measures the effectiveness of neutralizing antibodies against emerging variants. They said, however, the method can be modified to test for specific variants as needed.

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

More information: Amelia Sancilio et al. A surrogate virus neutralization test to quantify antibody-mediated inhibition of SARS-CoV-2 in finger stick dried blood spot samples, (2021). Amelia Sancilio et al. A surrogate virus neutralization test to quantify antibody-mediated inhibition of SARS-CoV-2 in finger stick dried blood spot samples,(2021). DOI: 10.1101/2021.02.14.21251709
AKRON, Ohio  Summit County Republican Party Chairman Bryan Williams sent an email to supporters Monday asking for donations to offset the costs the party will incur suing Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose, a fellow Republican.

The legal battle, which targets LaRose over his rejection of Williams reappointment to the Summit County Board of Elections, is expected to cost the Summit GOP between $10,000 and $50,000, Williams said in the email.

It is so sad that a Republican Secretary of State would bring this expensive legal fight, Williams wrote, alleging LaRose has done this as a personal political vendetta against me and all of you.

At issue is LaRoses March 3 letter rejecting Williams reappointment to the board of elections, where he was a member since 2014 and worked as director and deputy director from 2004 to 2010. Also on March 3, Elections Director Amanda Grandjean penned a letter notifying the board it was under administrative oversight.

LaRose and Grandjean each listed the same seven reasons for their decisions, including the boards 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.

In his letter to Williams, LaRose wrote that he was also rejecting four other recommendations of both Republicans and Democrats to county boards of election. As you know, the Summit County Democratic Party did not submit the current member for reappointment. If they had, that recommendation too would have been rejected, LaRose wrote.

In his fundraising email, Williams answers the complaints this way: LaRose makes no allegation that I have done anything personally wrong, mind you. He simply wants me off the board because I do not show him sufficient political support The attack leveled by Secretary of State LaRose is not simply an attack on me, your Chairman. This wanton abuse of discretion is a ruthless political vendetta. And if we dont succeed on appeal, Ohio election security will be greatly jeopardized.

Williams and Attorney Stephen Funk, representing the partys executive committee, said as much in their lawsuit. They claim LaRose  a Summit County native  developed a political animosity toward Williams after Williams sponsored a fundraiser in 2018 for a potential Republican opponent in the primary race for secretary of state.

The case is to be heard by the Ohio Supreme Court.

Funk has sought to depose LaRose and Grandjean in the case, but the state requested a protective order to prevent the depositions. In a filing, assistant attorneys general said Funk and the GOP are not entitled to discovery because the case is expedited and LaRose should not be deposed because he is a high-ranking official. They also claim the depositions are seeking testimony that is unnecessary and irrelevant.

As much as the [Summit GOP Executive Committee] would like to make the Court think that the Secretarys rejection of their recommended candidate is because of some alleged political animosity towards Williams, the Secretarys rejection of [Executive Committees] recommendation of Williams is not really about Williams personally, the states filing says. By placing the Summit County Board of Elections under Administrative Oversight, the Secretary has made clear that there are problems at that Board that must be addressed. And in the Secretarys view, the way to begin addressing those problems is to change the leadership at the Board level.

The court has not yet determined whether the states protective order will be granted. The case has been expedited and filings are due on March 23, 26 and 29.

Cleveland.com Reporter Andrew J. Tobias contributed to this report.
WILTON  Alpin Haus, the outdoor recreation company based in Amsterdam, says it will be installing its first pool of the year Monday at a home in Wilton outside of Saratoga Springs.

Alpin Haus, which sells everything from RVs and boats to pools and snowmobiles, says there is record demand for backyard pools as customers seek pandemic-friendly recreational activities, especially outdoors.
Source: Xinhua| 2021-03-22 19:19:55|Editor: huaxia

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KAMPALA, March 22 (Xinhua) -- As the world commemorated the World Down Syndrome Day on March 21, a woman in the suburbs of the Ugandan capital Kampala is raising awareness about the genetic malformation in her community.

Rosemary Nambooze, 39, after going through the challenges of raising a child suffering from Down syndrome for over 10 years, decided to open up her home to children in her community who are facing the disability.

"My son was born with a heart-related condition. We had to visit hospitals constantly and adjusting to these challenges made me actually become aware of the deficiency of such services here," Nambooze told Xinhua in a recent interview.

Down syndrome is a naturally occurring chromosomal arrangement. It usually causes varying degrees of intellectual and physical disability and associated medical issues. The World Down Syndrome Day is a global awareness day which has been officially observed by the United Nations since 2012.

According to the Uganda Down Syndrome Association (UDSA), accurate figure on the prevalence of the malformation is not available although the number of babies born with the disability is estimated at about 1 in 1,000 births. With Uganda's population of about 45 million people, this translates to about 45,000 people with the disability.

Experts say obtaining data on the prevalence of Down syndrome in Uganda is challenging because some health workers have not been formally trained to identify the disability. The other factor is due to sociocultural factors where communities associate children with the disability being a bad omen.

Taking a step at a time, Nambooze opened up Angel's Center for Children with Special Needs in her shanty house in Nansana Municipality. She started with four children aged between one year and 12 years.

After the number became overwhelming, she moved the child center to a more spacious place that accommodated over 160 children.

At the center, the children undergo physical therapy sessions, which include speech and mobility training, games and writing.

"We accommodate some of the children here, but others are taken by their parents and report back on a weekly basis. We also limited the number of enrollment because we needed a small number that would be accommodative," Nambooze said.

When the COVID-19 pandemic broke out in the country a year ago, it hit her hard as all schools were closed under stringent lockdown measures that aimed at halting the spread of the pandemic.

"We used to get many volunteers and funders who used to come and help us out for various programs, but COVID-19 pandemic caused many of them to halt their journey," she said.

She said besides the effects of the pandemic, the center faces a challenge of lack of professional instructors. She said the children need a lot of attention and patience, especially during the learning session.

Despite the challenges, Nambooze is determined to push on in her efforts to raise awareness about the Down syndrome in her community.

She plans to scale up community-based psycho-social support in her community.

"We need to go to the communities around and offer counseling services to parents who have children with Down syndrome. Some of them hide them under beds so that the society out there does not see them for fear of segregating them," Nambooze said.

She said she has a vision to integrate children with special needs into the community after acquiring practical skills so that they fully realize and utilize their potential in society.

"We want to be a voice and break the silence of disability in communities through increasing access to information and service delivery," she said, noting that there is need to give disability a "human face".

"These children remain beautiful, lovely and important to the social network of society," Nambooze said.

Michael Okiro, head of UDSA said the country continues to network and strengthen collaborations with partners worldwide to help in raising awareness of Down syndrome.

Okiro said through this collaboration many children with Down syndrome have had heart surgeries.

"Throughout the year we have managed to get funders for heart surgeries for over 20 children," he said. Enditem
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New preclinical research led by Wensheng Wei from Peking University in China has proposed the development of a circular RNA vaccine. Their findings showed the circular RNA vaccine creates neutralizing antibodies and strong T-cell responses against the receptor-binding domain of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) spike protein.

The circular RNA vaccine also effectively neutralized the mutated receptor binding domain found in the B.1.351 variant. The B.1.351 variant was initially discovered in South Africa and could evade the immune system.

Currently approved messenger RNA (mRNA) vaccines from Moderna and Pfizer-BioNTech were developed before the variants emerged, so information is limited. The single-shot Johnson & Johnson vaccine was effective against the original strain in Wuhan, China, and the B.1.1.7 variant was first reported in South London last fall.

The results could help in dealing with the B.1351 variant and other variants of concern.

The authors write:

"Given that SARS-CoV-2 variants encoding E484K or N501Y or the K417N-E484K-N501Y evade certain neutralizing antibodies induced by mRNA vaccines, we anticipated that the effect of circRNA-encoded hACE2 decoy might not be affected by virus mutations."

The study "Circular RNA Vaccines against SARS-CoV-2 and Emerging Variants" is available as a preprint on the bioRxiv* server, while the article undergoes peer review.

Development of the circular RNA vaccine

The team used a Group I ribozyme autocatalysis strategy to produce circular RNA encoding antigens specific to the receptor-binding domain of SARS-CoV-2 (circRNARBD). A signal peptide sequence was added to the receptor-binding domain's N-terminus because of its secretory expression of antigens.

The IRES element was positioned before the receptor-binding domain coding sequence to start translation. An IRES-SP-RBD-T4 sequence was added to the cyclic vector to produce circRNARBD.

Circular RNA model shows high protein expression and thermal stability

Their circular RNA model proved to be more resistant against RNAase R than linear RNA. When the purified circRNARBD was placed into HEK293T cells, they found many antigens  50-fold more than linear RNARBD groups specific to the receptor-binding domain of SARS-CoV-2. These antigens prevented a SARS-CoV-2 pseudovirus infection.

They also showed high thermal stability. When stored at room temperature before transfection into HEK293T cells, circRNARBD continued to show expression two weeks after storage.

Humoral immune responses in mice immunized with SARS-CoV-2 circRNARBD vaccines. (A) Schematic representation of LNP-circRNA complex. (B) Representative of concentration-size graph of LNP-circRNARBD measured by dynamic light scattering method. (C) Schematic diagram of the LNP-circRNARB vaccination process in BALB/c mice and serum collection schedule for specific antibodies analysis. (D) Measuring the SARS-CoV-2 specific IgG antibody titer with ELISA. The data were shown as the mean  S.E.M. (n = 4 or 5). (E) Sigmoidal curve diagram of the inhibition rate by sera of immunized mice with surrogate virus neutralization assay. Sera from circRNARBD (10 g) and circRNARBD 260 (50 g) immunized mice were collected at 2 weeks post the second dose. The data were shown as the mean  S.E.M. (n = 4). (F) Sigmoidal curve diagram of the inhibition rate by sera of immunized mice with surrogate virus neutralization assay. Sera from circRNARBD (10 g) and circRNARBD (50 g) immunized mice were collected at 5 weeks post boost. The data were shown as the mean  S.E.M. (n = 5). (G) The NT50 was calculated using lentivirus-based SARS-CoV-2 pseudovirus. The data were shown as the mean  S.E.M. (n = 5).

Robust immune response in mice

Mice were intramuscularly injected with either 10 g or 50 g of experimental circRNARBD vaccine at a two-week interval. Immunity was measured two or five weeks after their booster shot.

The titers of immunoglobulin G (IgG) and antibodies were expressed in a dose-dependent manner and persisted two and five weeks after their booster shot. It also effectively neutralized a SARS-CoV-2 pseudovirus. The researchers suggest the circRNARBD vaccine creates an enduring immune response against SARS-CoV-2.

When evaluating CD4+ and CD8+ T cell immune responses after vaccination, the researchers found Th1-biased responses which produced interferon- (IFN-), tumor necrosis factor (TNF-), and interleukin-2 (IL-2). However, changes in interleukin-4 (IL-4) were not observed. The results of the circular RNA vaccines stimulated a Th1 but not Th2 immune response.

There were also several cytokine-producing CD8+ detected in circRNARBD vaccinated mice. Interestingly, the team also found more robust immune responses in CD4+ and CD8+ effector memory T cells at 10 g than 50 g. Although, 50 g induced higher potency of neutralizing antibodies in B cell responses.

Circular RNA vaccine is effective in neutralizing the B.1.351 variant

The team collected the serum of immunized mice 1 and 2 weeks after their booster shot. They found IgG titers specific for the spike protein's receptor binding domain with the 501.YV2 mutation.

The researchers next assessed mice's neutralizing activity with either the circRNARBD or circRNARBD-501Y.V2 vaccines against the D614G, B.1.1.7/501Y.V1, or B.1.351/501Y.V2 variants. The circRNARBD vaccine antibodies effectively neutralized all three viral strains with the highest activity against the D614G strain.

In contrast, the circRNARBD-501Y.V2 also neutralized all strains, with the highest neutralization activity against the corresponding variant, 501Y.V2.

"It's worth noting that both vaccines could neutralize all three strains albeit with variable efficacies. Nevertheless, the multivalent vaccines should have provided better protection for both native SARS-CoV-2 strain and its circulating variants," wrote the research team.

*Important Notice

bioRxiv publishes preliminary scientific reports that are not peer-reviewed and, therefore, should not be regarded as conclusive, guide clinical practice/health-related behavior, or treated as established information.
The Royal Marines are to be transformed into a new Future Commando Force (FCF) to be deployed around the world on an "enduring basis" in a major overhaul of the armed forces.

The Ministry of Defence said the FCF will take on many of the traditional tasks of the Special Forces, the SAS and SBS, alongside a new Army Ranger Regiment announced last week.

The changes are to be set out in a defence command paper, as forces are braced to lose some "industrial age" capabilities with older tanks, ships and warplanes to be axed or phased out early.

The biggest loser is expected to be the army, amid reports that around 10,000 troops are to be cut, reducing its overall strength to around 72,500.

Following the publication last week of the Integrated Review of Foreign and Defence Policy, ministers say the changes are necessary to create a more agile military capable of countering evolving threats around the globe.

It will mean forces spending more time deployed overseas, either on operations or training, to support allies and to pre-empt and deter hostile powers such as Russia, identified in the review as the "most acute threat" to the UK.

Read more:

The FCF will see the Royal Marines evolve from an "amphibious infantry" held at readiness in the UK to a versatile, special operations-capable force "persistently forward deployed".

It will receive over 200m of direct investment over the next decade to carry out maritime security operations and to "pre-empt and deter sub-threshold activity, and counter state threats".

The head of the army General Sir Mark Carleton-Smith indicated at the weekend that the creation of the Rangers alongside the FCF would free up the Special Forces to focus on the "most persistent and lethal threats" associated with "hostile state actors".

Ahead of the publication of the command paper, defence secretary Ben Wallace, said: "From striking Daesh terrorists in Iraq, disrupting drug shipments and deterring Russian aggression in the Baltics, our armed forces already reach where others cannot.

"In the coming years, we will broaden the spectrum of this worldwide engagement even further.

"Across a vast global footprint, we will be constantly operating to deter our adversaries and reassure our friends, integrating with our allies, and ready to fight should it be necessary."

The government has already announced that the HMS Queen Elizabeth carrier strike group will deploy to the Indo-Pacific region later this year.

The command paper will set out plans for Royal Navy patrol ship HMS Trent to operate out of Gibraltar, supporting Nato allies and the Mediterranean and joining international counter piracy operations in the Gulf of Guinea off the coast of west Africa.

Overall, there will be more money for new capabilities such as electronic warfare and the development of autonomous systems such as drones.

The National Cyber Force will be expanded and there will be a new space command to coordinate the UK's military and commercial space operations.

At the same time, the paper is expected to mean the army's Challenger 2 main battle tanks cut by a third and the Warrior infantry fighting vehicle and the C-130J Hercules transport aircraft taken out of service altogether.

It is reported that 24 Typhoon fighters and four Type 23 frigates will be retired from service while new capabilities are developed with the Royal Navy's 13 minesweepers reportedly in line to be replaced by underwater drones.

Labour shadow defence secretary John Healey said: "Further army cuts could seriously limit our forces' capacity simultaneously to deploy overseas, support allies and maintain strong national defences and resilience.

"There's a gulf between the government's ambitions and its actions, which is set to grow with this new review."

PA
KYODO NEWS - Mar 22, 2021 - 19:26 | All, Japan

Doraemon, the blue cat-robot from the future in a popular Japanese comic series, has turned green to deliver the message of the need for a sustainable society.

Green Doraemon has been tapped as casual clothing brand Uniqlo's special envoy for that goal, its operator Fast Retailing Co. said Monday.

"I'm Doraemon and now I am Green! I'll do my best as Uniqlo Global Sustainability Ambassador to help create a much brighter future!" the Japanese apparel maker quoted the robot as saying.

"Doraemon Sustainability Mode" will be featured in Uniqlo stores and on the brand's websites together with his message as Fast Retailing strives to create a better world with the use of its clothes, said the company, which operates over 2,200 stores in Japan and abroad.

"We believe that the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, social transformations, and evolving consumer attitudes make it more important than ever to collaborate with customers and other stakeholders in driving positive social change," said Koji Yanai, a Fast Retailing senior executive officer.

The stories of Doraemon, who travels from the 22nd century with his wacky gadgets to the present day to help clumsy elementary school kid Nobita, has been made into movies, games and an animated series.

Related coverage:

50-year-old Japanese comic series Doraemon a smash hit in pandemic

Original comic strips by Tezuka to be released in book form

Doraemon train debuts in Tokyo, celebrating icon's 50th anniv.
Source: Xinhua| 2021-03-22 01:38:20|Editor: huaxia

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A man receives the COVID-19 vaccine during a vaccination campaign in the West Bank city of Ramallah, on March 21, 2021. Palestine on Sunday launched a mass vaccination rollout campaign against coronavirus in a bid to combat the fast-spreading virus across the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. (Photo by Luay Sababa/Xinhua)

RAMALLAH, March 21 (Xinhua) -- Palestine on Sunday launched a mass vaccination rollout campaign against coronavirus in a bid to combat the fast-spreading virus across the West Bank and the Gaza Strip.

Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammed Ishtaye started the campaign in the West Bank city of Ramallah.

"The vaccination rollout will be carried out with full transparency, and anyone exceeding priorities regarding inoculating the vaccines will be held accountable," Ishtaye said at a press conference held in Palestine Medical Complex in Ramallah.

"Vaccination will be conducted according to the registration platform," he said.

Ishtaye added that Palestine is set to receive more vaccines, including a shipment of 100,000 doses of coronavirus vaccines from China.

On Wednesday, Palestine received the first batch of the coronavirus vaccine from the global COVAX program, which has some 62,000 doses, including 38,000 doses of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine and 24,000 of the AstraZeneca vaccine.

COVAX is a global initiative aimed at equitable access to coronavirus vaccines, co-led by the World Health Organization and its partners.

Meanwhile, Mai al-Kaila, the Palestinian health minister, said that launching the national vaccine campaign against coronavirus "is a new promising stage that requires everyone's efforts to reach the required immunity."

"The health ministry has completed all technical and logistical arrangements related to launching the campaign, which will proceed according to a gradual plan," she said.

On Sunday, Palestine recorded 2,247 new coronavirus cases, 21 deaths and 1,753 recoveries in 24 hours, according to the Health Ministry.

Currently, 198 coronavirus patients remain in intensive care units, the ministry said. Enditem
Microscopic cross-section of the new basalt type. Credit: EXP 351 Science Team

A new type of rock created during large and exceptionally hot volcanic eruptions has been discovered beneath the Pacific Ocean.

An international team of researchers including the University of Leeds unearthed the previously unknown form of basalt after drilling through the Pacific ocean floor.

The discovery suggests that ocean floor eruptions sourced in the Earth's mantle were even hotter and more voluminous than previously thought. Report co-author is Dr. Ivan Savov, of Leeds' Institute of Geophysics and Tectonics, in the university's School of Earth and Environment.

He said: "In an era when we rightly admire discoveries made through space exploration, our findings show there are still many discoveries still to make on our own planet.

"The rocks that we recovered are distinctly different to rocks of this type that we already know about. In fact, they may be as different to Earth's known ocean floor basalts as Earth's basalts are to the Moon's basalts.

"Now that we know where and how this rock type is formed, we anticipate that many other rocks that we know were originally formed by ocean floor eruptions will be re-examined and potentially alter our wider understanding of the basalt formation."

The newly-discovered basalt is distinct from known rocks in both its chemical and mineral makeup.

Its existence was previously not known because no new examples have been formed in millions of years. As a result, the new basalt type lay buried deep beneath sediment at the bottom of the ocean.

To find the new rock, the research team, aboard the Research Vessel (RV) JOIDES "Resolution", sank their drilling equipment 6km down to the ocean floor of the Amami Sankaku Basinabout 1,000km southwest of Japan's Mount Fuji volcano.

They then drilled a further 1.5km into the ocean floor, extracting samples that had never before been examined by scientists.

The research area was part of the birth of the "Ring of Fire"a horseshoe-shaped belt known for regular volcanic eruptions and earthquakes. It stretches about 40,000 km around the Pacific, and is thought to have begun forming at least 50 million years ago.

Dr. Savov explained: "This was one of the deepest waters ever to be considered for drilling, using a research vessel specifically designed for such challenging deep sea environments.

"Basalt is among the most common type of rock on earth. We were looking for basalt that was formed during early Ring of Fire volcanic eruptions.".

The eruptions that created the newly-discovered basalt were very widespread (covering areas the size of western Europe) and occurred in a relatively short geological timescale of between 1-2 million years.

Explore further Uplifting of Columbia River basalts opens window on how region was sculpted

More information: He Li et al, Basalt derived from highly refractory mantle sources during early Izu-Bonin-Mariana arc development, Nature Communications (2021). Journal information: Nature Communications He Li et al, Basalt derived from highly refractory mantle sources during early Izu-Bonin-Mariana arc development,(2021). DOI: 10.1038/s41467-021-21980-0
Amid a major crisis that health services in Brazil have suffered, President Jair Bolsonaro has described "tyrants" state governors and mayors for imposing lockdowns to contain the coronavirus outbreak. The Brazilian president observed that his government had already done everything to control the spread of the virus and rushed to state that "it is now time to reopen the economy."

The biggest collapse of health services in Brazilian history: Fiocruz

Bolsonaro made this statement even as the Health Ministry of Brazil has repeatedly alarmed the government over the lack of intensive care beds in the hospitals of the country. Brazil's top health institute Fiocruz also recently observed that the situation in the country was "extremely critical," and that "the studies by researchers have suggested it is the biggest collapse of the health care services in the history of Brazil," reports in US media said.



However, Bolsonaro who turned 66 recently as he celebrated his birthday, has argued that the mandatory quarantine measures will only damage the economy and it would be worse than the impact of coronavirus itself. He also called out on the Brazilians earlier this month and asked them to "stop worrying about the pandemic situation." Bolsonaro's handling of the pandemic in Brazil has led to widespread criticism that his government has received from fellow countries.

'Over 2,000 people dying every day due to Covid in Brazil'

Over 290,000 people have succumbed to Covid-19 in Brazil since the start of the pandemic. According to US' Johns Hopkins University, the country has at least 12 million active cases while over 2,000 people on average are dying due to Covid-19 in Brazil every day. It must also be noted that the deadly P.1 variant of SARS Cov-2 was first identified in Brazil and researchers have pointed out that vaccines are less effective on patients who are identified with this variant.



Brazil to date is facing challenges in rolling out the vaccinations for its citizens, while it has procured doses of Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine and CoronaVac of China, both vaccines are two-dose regimens. Bolsonaro government meanwhile has also placed orders for Russia's Sputnik V, Pfizer-BioNTech, and Jhonson & Jhonson vaccines.


A Russian man has pleaded guilty in the U.S. to offering a Tesla employee $1 million to cripple the electric car companys massive electric battery plant in Nevada with ransomware and steal company secrets for extortion, prosecutors and court records said.

In a case that cybersecurity experts called exceptional for the risks he took, Egor Igorevich Kriuchkov pleaded guilty Thursday in U.S. District Court in Reno. His court-appointed federal public defender, Chris Frey, declined Friday to comment.

Prosecutors alleged that Kriuchkov acted on behalf of co-conspirators abroad and attempted to use face-to-face bribery to recruit an insider to physically plant ransomware, which scrambles data on targeted networks and can only be unlocked with a software key provided by the attackers. Typically, ransomware gangs operating from safe havens hack into victim networks over the internet and download data before activating the ransomware.

The fact that such a risk was taken could, perhaps, suggest that this was an intelligence operation aimed at obtaining information rather than an extortion operation aimed at obtaining money, said Brett Callow, a cybersecurity analyst at anti-virus software company Emsisoft.

Its also possible that the criminals thought the gamble was worth it and decided to roll the dice, Callow said.

Charles Carmakal, chief technical officer at cybersecurity firm FireEye, agreed. You could have potentially done it from thousands of miles away without risking any asset, he said.

The FBI said the plot was stopped before any damage happened.

Kriuchkov, 27, told a judge in September that he knew the Russian government was aware of his case. But prosecutors and the FBI have not alleged ties to the Kremlin. Kriuchkov is in federal custody at the Washoe County jail in Reno.

His guilty plea to conspiracy to intentionally cause damage to a protected computer could have gotten him up to five years in prison and a $250,000 fine. But hes expected to face no more than 10 months under terms of his written plea agreement.

He already has been in custody for seven months, since his arrest in August in Los Angeles. Federal authorities said he had been heading to an airport to fly out of the country.

The swift response of the company and the FBI prevented a major exfiltration of the victim companys data and stopped the extortion scheme at its inception, Acting Assistant Attorney General Nicholas McQuaid said in a statement. This case highlights the importance of companies coming forward to law enforcement, and the positive results when they do so.

Tesla CEO Elon Musk has acknowledged his company was the target of what he termed a serious effort to collect company secrets. Tesla has a massive factory near Reno that makes batteries for electric vehicles and energy storage units. Company representatives did not immediately respond Friday to messages.

Court documents say Kriuchkov was in the United States for more than five weeks last July and August on a Russian passport and a tourist visa when he tried to recruit an employee of what was identified as Company A to install software enabling a computer hack.

The employee, who was no identified, was to receive payments in the digital cryptocurrency Bitcoin.

No other suspected co-conspirators were charged in the case. Some were identified in a criminal complaint by nicknames including Kisa and Pasha, and a person is identified as Sasha Skarobogatov.

Some meetings were monitored and recorded by the FBI, according to court documents. It was not clear from court records if money changed hands.

In court documents, Kriuchkov was quoted saying the inside job would be camouflaged with a distributed denial of service attack on plant computers from outside. Such attacks overwhelm servers with junk traffic. If Tesla didnt pay, the purloined data would be dumped on the open internet.

The documents also said Kriuchkov claimed to the prospective recruit that he had executed similar special projects on other companies on multiple occasions, with one victim supposedly surrendering a $4 million ransom payment.

Ritter reported from Las Vegas. Bajak reported from Boston. Sonner reported from Reno.

Copyright 2021 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Topics Cyber Nevada Tesla
Members of the Mexican National Guard patrol on the banks of the Suchiate River in Ciudad Hidalgo, Chiapas state, Mexico, on Jan. 16, 2021 as a new migrant caravan is expected to get to the Mexican border with Guatemala. The Mexican government said it would not allow the "illegal entry" of any migrant caravans and has deployed 500 immigration officers to the border states of Chiapas and Tabasco. (ISAAC GUZMAN/AFP via Getty Images)

Hundreds of Illegal Immigrants Found in Trucks Near Mexico-Guatemala Border

Mexican authorities said on March 19 that hundreds of illegal immigrants, including unaccompanied minors, were discovered crammed in three tractor-trailer trucks near the Mexico-Guatemala border.

During routine checks, Mexican migration agents along with National Guard police found 329 Guatemalans and Hondurans, including 114 unaccompanied minors, in the vehicles.

The tractor-trailer trucks were stopped on a highway south of Tuxtla Gutierrez, the capital of Chiapas state, according to a statement from Mexicos Interior Ministry.

The unaccompanied minors were given food and water, and were later transported to shelters run by the migration authority, while the adults were sent to to nearby offices to begin administrative processing, the Interior Ministry said.

It comes as Mexico launches an operation to crackdown on illegal crossings at its southern border with Guatemala, including monitoring entry points with drones, and stationing officers at parts of the border.

The rollout of measures to deter migrant smuggling is particularly aimed at people travelling with minors, and was announced a day after Mexico said it was barring entry for nonessential travel at the border to curb the transmission of COVID-19, the disease caused by the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus.

The Mexican government will carry out  operations on the southern border to protect the rights and safety of migrant minors from several Central American nations who are used by criminal networks as a passport to reach northern Mexico, Mexicos National Immigration Institute (INM) said in a statement.

INM said that since January, 4,180 accompanied and unaccompanied minors, mainly from Central America, had been found in Mexico without sufficient travel documents.

The INM said the latest measures were aimed at protecting minors from Central America, many of whom are being exploited by criminal gangs as part of efforts to illegally enter the United States. It said people are being told by criminal gangs that it will be easier to enter the United States if they bring children with them.

The latest restrictions coincide with a spike in the number of illegal immigrants reaching the U.S border through Mexico.

The influx of illegal immigrants, including many minors, at the U.S.-Mexico border has reached new highs since the last crisis in 2019. The number of illegal crossings is skyrocketing as President Joe Biden begins implementing his plan, which he campaigned on, to roll back Trump-era immigration rules and policies aimed at curbing the flow of illegal immigration.

The U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) this week announced a more than 100 percent month-over-month increase in February in two categories of illegal aliensfamily units and unaccompanied minors.

CBP statistics show that, in February, agents apprehended a total of 100,441 illegal aliens along the southwest bordera 28 percent increase compared to January.

Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said Sunday that although the southern border is closed, unaccompanied children who illegally enter the country wont be expelled.

Janita Kan and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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Chip Somodevilla/Getty What are Democrats willing to do to save our democracy, and how far are they willing to go? Thats the question they must answer now, while theres still time to protect our flawed and fragile democracy from an extremist, countermajoritarian Republican Party hellbent on subverting the political process to implement rule by and for a white Christian minority.For the past few months, it appeared that Democrats would respond to this daily threatwith the former president talk
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Kerala govt slammed for registering case against ED official

India

oi-Vicky Nanjappa

Thiruvananthapuram, Mar 22: Union minister Anurag Thakur on Sunday hit out at the CPI(M)-led LDF government for registering a case against Enforcement Directorate officials probing the gold smuggling case,saying any attempt to hamper it by such acts 'clearly shows what is troubling them".

"If they try to hamper progress of the ongoing investigation by filing a police case against ED officials, it clearly shows what is troubling them.

"... they are unable to answer questions raised by these officials", the union minister of state for Finance and Corporate Affairs told reporters here.

Centre, states need to think about reducing taxes on petrol, diesel: Thakur

Kerala police had registered the case against ED officials for allegedly forcing Swapna Suresh, key accused in the gold smuggling case, to give statements against Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan.

The case was registered under various sections of the IPC after Sureshwas questioned by ED on August 12 and 13 last year and was allegedly forced to give false statements against the chief minister in order to create fake evidence.

Thakur, who is in Kerala for campaigning for the BJP-NDA candidates in the April 6 assembly polls, demanded to know on whose instructions police had filed the case.

"Corruption is the hallmark of the Left government, he said adding the larger question at this juncture is, who is afraid ?.

The officials will bring out names after the probe, but people of Kerala are aware of those involved in the case.

Were senior officers, ministers involved ? or are they apprehending that more such corruption cases will come tumbling out in future?", he asked.

Suresh, a former employee of the UAE consulate here, is the prime accused in the case relating to the smuggling of gold worth 30 kg of gold worth Rs 14.82 crore in a diplomatic baggage and now under judicial custody since her arrest.

Besides the ED, the Customs and National Investigation Agency are also probing thecase.

Anil Deshmukh Corruption row: NCP says 'no need for resignation'| Oneindia News

Thakur also listed various central initiatives, including 'Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana', one of the biggest financial inclusion scheme and 'Jal Jeevan Mission',which aims to ensure access of piped water for every household in India.
MINNEAPOLIS (AP)  Minnesota health officials reported no new deaths due to COVID-19 on Monday for the first time in nearly a year.

The Minnesota Department of Health also reported more than 1,100 new cases, putting the state at more than 506,000 cases and nearly 6,800 deaths since the start of the pandemic a year ago. Despite the good news on deaths, health officials have said they're worried in recent weeks by the spread of coronavirus variants in different parts of Minnesota.

More than 2.2 million Minnesotans have received at least one dose of coronavirus vaccine and more than 850,000 have been fully inoculated as of Saturday.
 Israels bustling city of Eilat, at the northern tip of the Gulf of Aqaba and Red Sea, is renowned for beaches, hotels and one of the worlds northernmost coral reefs.

Magnificent, colorful, diverse corals, sponges, giant clams, fish and other marine life make these reefs a national and world treasure. Barely 40 feet offshore and only five miles long, the reefs link with Egypts reefs along the Sinai Desert to the south and lie just miles from reefs off Aqaba, Jordan, to the east.

But Eilats corals are being loved to death.

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Over 60,000 city residents join hundreds of thousands of tourists every year from Israel, Europe, the United States, newly friendly Middle Eastern countries and beyond. The new Eilat airport could bring even more, once COVID-19 travel restrictions ease.

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Pre-COVID, the reefs were already hosting over 350,000 scuba dives and many more snorkeling visits annually. Even careful visitors take a toll, and some arent careful or are just clumsy novices.

Israels current population of nine million people could grow to 15 million within 30 years. Eilats population could surge from 55,000 to at least 100,000 in even less time. Pressure on the fragile reefs will inevitably intensify.

How can Israel accommodate all these people and still protect precious reef habitats?

Wildlife authorities could close off more sections of the system, limit visitors or reduce the number of dives per location per year. But these measures would deny access to this incredible area for people who journey many miles to experience what some describe as visiting another planet. It would also reduce the economic value that many see in nature preservation.

In the long run, such tactics could actually decrease popular and financial support for the reefs. One recent study found that diving tourism alone brings over $23 million a year to Eilat, providing an enormous impetus for reef preservation.

Researchers from Ben-Gurion and Tel Aviv Universities, the Technion and the Israel Oceanographic and Limnological Research Institute are studying ways to actively restore reefs and create artificial reefs (ARs).

They believe the solution lies not in restricting access to the natural reefs, but in protecting them, while building man-made structures that entice people to visit and teach them how to take better care of reefs throughout the world.

A place to call home

Oceans teem with larvae, hatchlings and adults looking for homes, hiding places and food.

Like natural reefs, ARs rise above the seafloor, offer multiple nooks and crannies and provide hard surfaces for corals, sponges and shellfish to attach and grow. They create new habitats, ecological niches, living quarters and food supplies for diverse species, enabling more to survive, thrive and reproduce.

Prof.Nadav Shashar of Ben-Gurion Universitys Eilat campus deployed his first medium-size AR, Tamar, in 2007. Six years later, Tamar had already become a flourishing habitat for thousands of fish and other marine organisms.

Today, Tamars unique design and many corals, gorgonians, sponges, fish and shellfish attract both novice and veteran divers who want to observe the reef colonization process in action.

Shashar and his team also partnered with Jordanian colleagues to plan and install an AR off the Aqaba coast, while teaching coral preservation and restoration in Honduras and other parts of the world, and building relationships with marine biologists in other Red Sea nations. His team and local divers are also trying to repair sections of natural reefs that were badly damaged by storms.

Planting oceanic trees

The Jewish National Fund has planted trees in Israel since 1901. Perhaps planting oceanic trees (corals) and installing artificial reefs in the Gulf of Aqaba could be Israels next nature-enhancing project.

The BGU-Technion team recently received small grants from the Israeli Diving Federation and the Eilat municipality toward an innovative larger AR pilot project.

This signals a growing change in attitudes by the diving community and local governments toward artificial reefs as an important part of the solution to too-much-love challenges.

Perhaps the grants will help demonstrate to airlines, hotels, restaurants and other components of Israels tourism industryand to visitors, divers and readersthat building ARs is ecologically vital, socially responsible, and a rewarding way to give something back to communities and nature.

Some fish prefer artificial reefs

A study by graduate student Asa Oren was the first anywhere to employ accurately reproduced manmade corals that simulate the structure and some functions of natural, living corals.

Beginning in the laboratory, researchers evaluate various designs and materials, as well as surface composition, structural integrity, water flow, color and sand movement around coral structures.

The team next builds scale models and tests them in a specialized flow tank that mimics currents and sedimentation processes. It then investigates the preferences of fish, crabs, corals and other animals that might inhabit the new reef. Each species has its own desires, and all must be catered to.

Once full-scale corals are deployed, scuba-diving biologists track how the artificial corals are colonized.

Theyve found that fish not only accept the 3D-printed corals; some actually prefer certain designs and colors over natural live corals. This knowledge is then used to design larger-scale artificial reefs.

Since ARs are also intended to attract tourists, they must be interesting and attractive. That brought professor Ezri Tarazi to the Ben-Gurion University team as co-director.

An established designer and head of the Technions design lab, Tarazi has presented in galleries around the world. He is working on new reef designs that will add novel visual elements to dive experiences.

A website and interpretative materials will enable divers, snorkelers and landlubbers alike to understand nature in action.

Vibrant and entertaining

Over the coming years, each new artificial reef will grow and prosper, providing food and habitats for hundreds of species, and becoming as vibrant and entertaining as their natural cousins.

Some visitors might visualize how nature colonizes sunken ships. Others might compare the reef-building process to Israels modern cities rising out of desert sands, as seen in historical photos and films.

The newest artificial reef involves converting the pilings beneath Eilats old oil jetty into a living coral reef.

The team again employed 3D printing to create unique shapes and hiding places for fish, then turned the models into full-size circular platforms and other forms that they attach to the pilings or set on the seafloor. Finally, they affix live corals from fragments grown in the BGU coral nursery to jumpstart the reef-building process.

As Shashar puts it, the Bible commanded us lavda ve lshomrato work the land and safeguard it. People should move from the first towards the second, under guidelines for a new form of tikkun olam (repair of the world), to protect a small but important part of creation in Israels vibrant Gulf of Aqaba.

The projects also offer marvelous opportunities for Red Sea countries, biologists and people to work togetherto protect and restore natural reefs, build ARs and support more tourists without endangering wondrous underwater habitats.

These experts will also export their knowledge and successes to other nations that are experiencing the mixed blessing of tourists bringing money, jobs, better living standards  and growing pressure on ecological values.

In fact, Israel recently joined several neighboring Arab states in a program to protect Red Sea coral reef ecosystems. The Red Sea Transnational Research Center will be located in Bern, Switzerland and will host researchers from Israel, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Jordan, Eritrea, Sudan, Yemen and Djibouti.

Initiated by Bar-Ilan University professor Maoz Fine, the program will also include the University of Jordan marine science station in Aqaba and the King Abdullah University of Science and Technology in Saudi Arabia.

All of this is an exciting and promising venture in human, ecological and international relations.

Paul Driessen is a scuba diver and environmentalist who has made multiple trips to Israel and specifically to Eilat, written many articles for dive magazines and online media, studied natural and artificial reefs, and edited Creatures Corals and Colors in North American Seas by Dr. Ann Scarborough-Bull.

This article was first published by Israel21c.
Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - March 21, 2021) - Rhyolite Resources Ltd. (TSXV: RYE) (the "Company" or "Rhyolite") is pleased to announce that it has entered into a definitive share purchase agreement, dated March 21, 2021, with each of the shareholders (collectively, the "Vendors") of 2765798 Ontario Ltd. ("ONCorp") to acquire all of the outstanding share capital of ONCorp. ONCorp is a privately-held arms-length company which consolidated the Suku Passi Project (the "Project") in Suriname and holds an option to acquire a 70% interest in the Project. Under the terms of the purchase agreement, Rhyolite will issue 3,500,000 common shares (the "Consideration") to the Vendors in consideration for all the outstanding share capital of ONCorp (the "Transaction").

Highlights:

The recently consolidated 335-square-kilometre Suku Passi Project is a land package composed of five concessions located within the prolific Guiana Shield 20 kilometers from IAMGOLD's world-class Rosebel Gold Mine in Suriname (see Figure 1).

The Project has exploitation rights for mining development and production. Most of the mining and exploration to date has been conducted at the Suku Passi Pit and Bob's Pit.

At the Suku Passi Pit, the exposed mineralization is at least 30 meters wide with values up to 25.5 grams gold per tonne. At Bob's Pit, one channel sample panel of 17 meters in width averaged 9.5 grams gold per tonne (see Figure 4) and an adjoining panel returned 32 meters of 2 grams gold per tonne. Mineralization at both Suku Passi and Bob's Pits are open along strike and at depth and are part of the same mineralized zone.

There has been no drilling to date at the Suku Passi Project, but mining by concession holders in saprolite with sampling and mapping from 2014 to 2016 shows characteristics similar to IAMGOLD's Rosebel and Newmont's Merian deposits. Mining in soft rock recovered gold from highly altered sediments and quartz veins.

Richard Graham, President and Chief Executive Officer of Rhyolite, commented: "We are excited to grow our portfolio of highly prospective projects in Suriname with the Suku Passi joint venture. The addition complements the Company's Brothers joint venture which is also situated on the prolific Guiana Shield that hosts rich, underexplored gold mineralization, positioning the Company as a premier exploration company in Suriname. Suku Passi has potential for a large-scale discovery and is conceptually like Brothers, where pre-drilling exploration projects that have had artisanal mining in recent years uncovered high-grade quartz veins, hosted in the greenstone belt of the Guiana Shield. We look forward to commencing drilling programs on a number of defined targets on these projects this year."

The Suku Passi Project

The 335-square-kilometre land package held in five concessions consolidates for the first time the Suku Passi and Bob's concessions on the Guiana Shield in Suriname. The Project is accessible by road and is located approximately 20 kilometers from IAMGOLD's world-class Rosebel Mine.

The Suku Passi and Bob's mineralization extend to the north-northwest based on structural trends, small-scale mining, geophysical interpretation and auger data (see Figure 2).

The mineralized zone is similar to the Rosebel mines and is defined by multiple quartz veins of varying grade and thickness within a siliceous altered rock. Based on channel and grab samples, the mineralized zone seen in the Suku Passi Pit is at least 30 meters in width and is open at depth and along strike in both directions. At the adjoining Bob's Pit, one channel sample panel of 17 meters in width averaged 9.5 grams per tonne and an adjoining panel was 32 meters of 2 grams per tonne. The panels appear to be a sequence of tension veins. In both pits, only small-scale mining with sluice boxes took place and the mining stopped when sap-rock was encountered due to the harder rock encountered.

Grab and channel sampling present a compelling case for the gold potential of Suku Passi. A total of 219 rock chip samples were collected with 19 samples having values greater than 1,000 parts per billion and a high value of 25.5 grams (see Figure 3). At Bob's Pit, a total of 276 channel samples were also collected which returned significant gold values. Rhyolite will test around known mineralization exposed in the Suku Passi and Bob's pits, and conduct an airborne geophysical survey and Lidar survey. Drilling is expected to start in the long dry season after initial exploration and expansion of geophysical interpretation, geologic mapping, auger sampling and trenching.

Highlights of the Transaction



Upon closing of the Transaction, Rhyolite will acquire all of the outstanding share capital of ONCorp and will assume ONCorp's right to earn up to a 70% interest in the Project, which right is exercisable by completing the following:

Suku Passi concession

For a 51% interest: Initial cash payment of US$400,000 and issuance of the Consideration shares to the Vendors within 4 weeks from the date of the Suku Passi Joint Venture and Earn-in Agreement (the "SP Agreement Date") Cash payment of US$400,000 and committed work capital of US$500,000 within 12 months of the SP Agreement Date Cash payment of US$300,000, share payment of US$100,000 and committed work capital of US$1,000,000 within 24 months of the SP Agreement Date Cash payment of US$300,000, share payment of US$100,000 and committed work capital of US$1,500,000 within 36 months of the SP Agreement Date Cash payment of US$300,000, share payment of US$100,000 and committed work capital of US$2,000,000 within 48 months of the SP Agreement Date

For a 70% interest: Cash payment of US$300,000, share payment of US$100,000 and committed work capital of US$2,500,000 within 60 months of the SP Agreement Date Deliver a pre-feasibility study ("PFS") and cash payment of US$2,500,000 within 96 months of the SP Agreement Date



Bob's Pit concession

For a 51% interest: Initial cash payment of US$100,000 and issuance of the Consideration shares to the Vendors within 4 weeks from the date of the Bob's Joint Venture and Earn-in Agreement (the "Bob's Agreement Date") Cash payment of US$100,000 within 6 months of the Bob's Agreement Date Cash payment of US$150,000, share payment of US$50,000 and committed work capital of US$200,000 on or prior to each of the 12-month, 24-month, 36-month, 48-month and 60-month anniversary of the Bob's Agreement Date

For a 70% interest: Deliver a PFS and cash payment of US$750,000 within 96 months of the Bob's Agreement Date







Figure 1: Suku Passi is located on the prolific Guiana Shield.

To view an enhanced version of Figure 1, please visit:

https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/4392/78096_bd811543741458ae_002full.jpg

The Company is at arm's length from each of ONCorp and each of the Vendors. In consideration for all the outstanding share capital of ONCorp, the Company has agreed to issue 3,500,000 common shares to the Vendors. In connection with completion of the Transaction, the Company does not expect to assume any material liabilities other than in connection with the acquisition of an interest in the Project, nor does it expect to devote the majority of its working capital or resources to the development of ONCorp or the Project. As a result, the Transaction does not constitute a fundamental acquisition for the Company, within the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange. The Transaction will not result in the creation of a new insider or a change of control of the Company, within the meaning of applicable securities laws.

Completion of the Transaction remains subject to the approval of the TSX Venture Exchange, and other conditions customary for a transaction of this nature and cannot be completed until such conditions have been satisfied. No finders' fees or commissions are payable in connection with the Transaction.





Figure 2: Mineralized zones at the Suku Passi and Bob's pits.



To view an enhanced version of Figure 2, please visit:

https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/4392/78096_bd811543741458ae_003full.jpg





Figure 3: Quartz vein with gold and tourmaline (black mineral) from Suku Passi Pit.



To view an enhanced version of Figure 3, please visit:

https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/4392/78096_bd811543741458ae_004full.jpg





Figure 4: Quartz vein system in Bob's Pit that resembles tension veins. Assays indicate over 17 meters of 9.5 grams gold per tonne.

To view an enhanced version of Figure 4, please visit:

https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/4392/78096_bd811543741458ae_005full.jpg





Figure 5: Mining at Bob's Pit in 2014.



To view an enhanced version of Figure 5, please visit:

https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/4392/78096_bd811543741458ae_006full.jpg

Qualified Person



Dr. Dennis LaPoint, PhD, is a Qualified Person (QP) under National Instrument 43-101 "Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects" and has approved the technical information contained in this news release. Dr. LaPoint is not considered to be independent for the purposes of National Instrument 43-101.



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



Contact information



Richard Graham, P.Geol.

Telephone: 604-488-8717



About Rhyolite Resources Ltd.



Rhyolite Resources Ltd. is a Canadian-based, opportunity focused, resource company. Utilizing its technical strength and entrepreneurial drive, Rhyolite's corporate strategy is to enhance shareholder value through the acquisition of discovery to production staged projects.



Forward-looking statements



Certain statements in this release constitute "forward-looking statements" or "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable securities laws, including, without limitation, statements with respect to exploration, resource potential, production development and permits. Such statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and other factors which may cause the actual results, performance, or achievements of Rhyolite Resources Ltd., or industry results, to be materially different from any future results, performance, or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements or information including the Company obtaining the approval of the Offering from the TSX Venture Exchange. Such statements can be identified by the use of words such as "may", "would", "could", "will", "intend", "expect", "believe", "plan", "anticipate", "estimate", "scheduled", "forecast", "predict", and other similar terminology, or state that certain actions, events, or results "may", "could", "would", "might", or "will" be taken, occur, or be achieved.



These statements reflect the Company's current expectations regarding future events, performance, and results and speak only as of the date of this news release. Consequently, there can be no assurances that such statements will prove to be accurate and actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Except as required by securities disclosure laws and regulations applicable to the Company, the Company undertakes no obligation to update these forward-looking statements if the Company's expectations regarding future events, performance, or results change.

NOT FOR DISTRIBUTION TO U.S. NEWSWIRE SERVICES OR FOR DISSEMINATION IN THE UNITED STATES



To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/78096
Stormont Deputy First Minister Michelle ONeill in her office at Parliament Buildings in Belfast (PA)

Michelle ONeill has voiced support for a round-the-clock vaccination programme when supply in Northern Ireland allows.

The deputy First Minister said she would back a ramping up of the rollout to run 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

Ms ONeill was asked about the Executives Office view on a 24/7 strategy by DUP MLA Pam Cameron.

I dont think its a position advanced yet by the Department of Health, but certainly getting the vaccine out as quickly as possible is top of all of our agendas and making sure that we are protecting people, replied Ms ONeill.

So Im very open to supporting such a proposal.

Expand Close Northern Ireland chief medical officer Michael McBride receives his first dose of the Oxford/AstraZeneca coronavirus vaccine (Liam McBurney/PA) PA / Facebook

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Whatsapp Northern Ireland chief medical officer Michael McBride receives his first dose of the Oxford/AstraZeneca coronavirus vaccine (Liam McBurney/PA)

Such an expansion would appear unlikely in the near future, as the vaccine programme is set to slow down in the coming weeks due to supply issues.

Delays in sourcing deliveries of AstraZeneca ordered by the UK Government is set to delay the expansion of the programme to the over 40 age cohort.

That was anticipated at the end of March, however health officials have said the vaccine supply issues will lead to a delay of between two and four weeks.

During question time, Ms ONeill was challenged on the intensifying row between the UK and EU on vaccine supply and the prospect of the bloc preventing the export of supplies from European manufacturing plants.

The deputy First Minister said vaccines should not be treated as a commodity.

Access to the vaccine should be based on need, she said.

Anybody who needs to get the vaccine should have it. It shouldnt be a commodity, it shouldnt be there to be traded, it shouldnt be used as a bargaining chip.

So I would encourage that everybody works together to ensure that we globally vaccinate all the people because what happens in this part of the world and the pandemic has an implication for what happens elsewhere, and vice versa.
This photo provided by restaurant chain Texas Roadhouse shows company founder and CEO Kent Taylor. Taylor has died, according to the family and company on Sunday, March 21, 2021. (Ron Bath/Texas Roadhouse via AP)

Texas Roadhouse CEO Took His Own Life After COVID-19-Related Symptoms: Family

Texas Roadhouse CEO and co-founder Kent Taylor allegedly died from suicide due to CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus-related symptoms, his family said over the weekend. He was 65.

Taylors family and the restaurant chain told The Hill and other news outlets that he took his own life this week after a battle with post-COVID related symptoms, including severe tinnitus, referring to COVID-19, the disease caused by the CCP virus.

Kent battled and fought hard like the former track champion that he was, but the suffering that greatly intensified in recent days became unbearable, the statement reads. But in true Kent fashion, he always found a silver lining to help others. Most recently, he committed to fund a clinical study to help members of the military who also suffer with tinnitus, they added, referring to a symptom of buzzing or ringing in the ears.

The firm confirmed his death on social media last week.

We will miss you, Kent. Because of you and your dream of Texas Roadhouse, we get to say we [love] our jobs every day, Texas Roadhouse said.

The company said Taylor gave away his entire compensation package to support employees during the pandemic.

This selfless act was no surprise to anyone who knew Kent and his strong belief in servant leadership, Greg Moore, lead director, said in the companys statement. He was without a doubt, a people-first leader. His entrepreneurial spirit will live on in the company he built, the projects he supported and the lives he touched.

Taylor opened the first Texas Roadhouse restaurant in 1993 in Clarksville, Indiana, coming up with the idea on a cocktail napkin. It currently operates 610 restaurants in 49 states and 10 other countries. Texas Roadhouse is based in Taylors hometown of Louisville, Kentucky.

Taylor, who died Thursday, is survived by his parents, Powell and Marilyn Taylor; three children, and five grandchildren. Texas Roadhouse spokesman Travis Doster said a small private service is planned this week.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
The lawyer who successfully overturned the parole board's decision to release John Worboys from prison in 2017 has said the UK is still facing an epidemic of criminal justice system failings on crimes against women more than a decade after The Black Cab Rapist was locked up.

Speaking exclusively to FEMAIL, Harriet Wistrich, Solicitor and Director Centre for Womens Justice said that failings of the police and CPS mean many 'serial perpetrators are often free to act with impunity'.

It comes as Harriet spoke in a new documentary airing Wednesday on Channel 5 which will reveal shocking new details of the police case and failures in capturing the serial sex offender.

New clips from 'Predator: Catching the Black Cab Rapist', shared exclusively with FEMAIL, also show how Inspector Tim Grattan Kane, head of the operation set to catch Worboys was informed of a string of sex attacks across London over more than four years after police initially dismissed victims and even let Worboys go after initial questioning.

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Speaking exclusively to FEMAIL, Harriet Wistrich, Solicitor and Director Centre for Womens Justice said that failings of the police and CPS mean many 'serial perpetrators are often free to act with impunity'.

'Sadly at Centre for Womens Justice it feels as though we are dealing with an epidemic of criminal justice system failings,' Harriet told FEMAIL.

'We see exactly the same type of decisions being made by the police and or by the CPS in relation to the charging of suspects in rape cases and I am convinced that as a consequence there are many serial perpetrators free to act with impunity.

'I have seen some very committed and good policing and in recent years our focus has been on the CPS who have taken a risk averse approach to prosecution of rape  the refusal to charge cases where there is good evidence has in turn rubbed off on policing, so that even officers who are very committed to pursue a prosecution are demoralised by that approach.

'There are many lessons we can learn from the Worboys case  but perhaps the main one is that even where we have really good legislation and guidance about the investigation and prosecution or rape  which existed at the time, unless there is proper training, understanding and accountability within the police, then the laws and policies are not worth the paper they are written on.

Black cab rapist John Worboys kept a sick diary detailing excuses for his sex attacks in case he was stopped by police again

Police grilled victim on her lipstick and nail polish The woman, known only as NBV for legal reasons, says officers from the Met also asked about her drinking habits and choice of lipstick. NBV, who was being driven home in a black cab from a London nightclub by Worboys when he attacked her, said that the police interview was a humiliating experience. She said: They started off asking a lot of questions about myself. They had observed that I had nail polish on which was red. They asked me whether Id describe myself as a young lady who would wear red nail polish and red lipstick. They asked me how often I would go out drinking and they asked me how much I had drank that night. The way they behaved made me feel like anything that had happened to me was because I deserved it. NBVs lawyer, Phillippa Kaufmann QC, tells the programme: Its not his account, he is not even saying what happened. She [the police officer] is feeding him a defence, if sexual activity took place it was on the basis that NBV was prostituting herself and not paying the fare. If they had actually done some work they would have realised she did pay the fare. It makes it plain that they just didnt believe a word of it on her part. Advertisement

'The failures that took place in the police investigation that led to the failure to stop him before he attacked so many women, were down to a failure in policing culture and understanding  and that is down to poor leadership and police accountability,' she added.

Harriet's comments come as the new documentary reveals Worboys, now 63, wrote almost 200 pages of notes defending his horrific spree as Britain's most prolific serial rapist, written in question and answer form as a rehearsal for a police interrogation.

The former stripper was jailed in 2009 for 19 sex attacks on 12 women, although police believed he had more than 100 victims.

Police had the chance to catch Worboys after his 79th victim, a 19-year-old student, reported his attack in July 2007.

But blundering officers at Plumstead police station let him off without asking several obvious key questions, leaving him free to attack dozens more women after handing them spiked drinks.

Officers asked the woman, known only as NBV for legal reasons, if she was the 'type of girl who wore red lipstick and red nail polish' and questioned her about her drinking habits.

'The Worboys case is a good illustration of how the justice system fails women  as you see the same failure impacting right across the criminal justice system from policing through to prison and probation,' Harriet added.

Worboys is feared to have plied more than 100 women with Champagne or wine laced with sedatives from a 'rape kit' kept in his cab - which included sleeping tablets, plastic gloves and condoms

Worboys 'kept a diary to practice for police interrogation' Professor Aisha K. Gill, an expert criminologist at the University of Roehampton, analysed the disturbing diary. She told the programme: 'He is incredibly repetitive and he has got it into his own head what consent means to him. 'When she gets into the cab, for him that's a green light. That's consent. 'He has a very disturbing Machiavellian script that's very well rehearsed. He's covered all angles to lure, to violate and to abuse.' She highlighted how Worboys repeatedly tried to justify his actions by saying he did not find drunk women attractive. She said: 'What he tries to do is an attempt at self-repair. He wants to reassure everyone that will listen and hear what's going on in his own head, his own inner monologue that he is a decent man. He could not possibly be a serial rapist. 'What we get is actually a Jekyll and Hyde figure. He is presenting a front stage of a good guy, nice, easy-going but backstage a very violent man.' In his diary, Worboys wrote: 'Police must have faith in me to let me carry on working...Obviously think I'm a danger. Why did you let me carry on cabbing until today?' Reading his notes for the first time, one of his victims told the programme: 'It's incredibly alarming. He has prepared statements and comments about the police and he has said 'they can't think that I am that dangerous or guilty because they would have arrested me, especially being a cab driver'. 'It's clear from reading this diary that Worboy's experience with officers from Plumstead police station made him feel invincible.' Chatty Worboys would pick up young women and insist they have a drink to help him celebrate a big money win. But the alcohol would be spiked with over-the-counter medicines, rendering them stupefied with next to no recollection of the attack. In a statement to Channel 5, the Metropolitan Police said: 'The Metropolitan Police Service has previously apologised for mistakes made in the investigation of rapes committed by Worboys.' Advertisement

'In relation to the parole board decision, the failings in the assessment of risk are again down to a failure to understand the nature of his offending and this in turn is down to a lack of understanding within the criminal justice system of the nature of rape culture and male violence against women'.

Warboys was first convicted in 2009 and was jailed indefinitely for public protection with a minimum of eight years for drugging and sexually assaulting dozens of women.

But, in 2018, the Parole Board cleared him for release claiming the sex offender was now an 'open and honest' person in a blunder that shocked Britain.

Days later four women, represented by Hariiet, who had never contacted police because they believed Worboys would not be released, rushed to tell detectives their own horrific stories.

The sexual predator was then handed two life sentences in December 2019 - with the judge ruling that he posed an ongoing danger to women.

She also helped some of the victims bring a case against the Met for breaching their human rights by 'inhuman or degrading treatment' during the investigation.

Speaking about the case to FEMAIL, Harriet added: 'In the Human Rights Act claim we brought against the Metropolitan Police we identified numerous flaws at every level which revealed systematic failure in the investigation of rape.

'It is difficult to identify the biggest flaw in those circumstances, but perhaps the lesson as above is that the flaw stems from a lack of effective leadership and accountability that allowed so many opportunities to be missed.

'The one lesson and change following his conviction, as I understand, is that the police have improved their technological ability to more easily track to similar application of modus operandi which might have assisted in identifying him earlier.

'His method of conning women into accepting a drugged drink was very particular and if this pattern of offending had been picked up earlier he may have been stopped earlier

'The main way my clients felt failed when they reported Worboys was that they didnt feel the police believed them.

'This impacted on both of them very significantly. Recently following the Carl Beech case, Judge Henriques has admonished the police for "believing" his allegations and said this approach must stop.

'However, this can have the unintended consequence of undermining victims from pursuing allegations.

'A pro-belief approach should be one which encourages women to report and challenges a victim blaming culture  we need to be very careful we dont go back to the bad old days of sceptical policing because of a failure in one mans case,' she added.

Extracts from the new Channel 5 documentary feature his sick reasonings he wrote in case he was stopped in his black cab (pictured) again

John Worboys: 13-year timeline of black cab rapist's sexual assaults 1996 Worboys passes The Knowledge to become a taxi driver in London. He also continues working as a stripper at night. 2002 The first allegation of sexual assault is made that would later be linked to Worboys. Several more, all involving drivers of black cabs in London, are made over the next four years. 2006 October 14: A 25-year-old woman meets John Worboys in Fulham, West London, and wakes up after a drink to find him assaulting her November 9: A journalist gets into his cab in Regent Street and has a drink before falling unconscious, and later waking up with no memory of what happened 2007 April: Worboys offers a 22-year-old woman a lift from Oxford Street to Middlesex for 30, before becoming aggressive when she refused to take a drink he offered her June 29: Worboys offers to take an office worker from Regent Street to her home in Tufnell Park. She drank champagne and accused him of forcibly kissing her July: Worboys picks up a student in Chelsea and offers her 50 to drink a glass of vodka, but she refuses to perform a sex act for 350 July 26: Worboys forces a pill into the mouth of a teenage student who got into his taxi at Covent Garden July 27: Worboys is arrested after CCTV shows him carrying the teenager out of the cab at 4.30am, but he is released after denying sexual conduct December 21: Victim claims Worboys raped her while driving her home to Putney from Tottenham Court Road. His DNA is found in a semen stain on her underwear 2008 January 3: Worboys offers to take a 29-year-old insurance broker home to Hornchurch from the City for 20. She claimed he asked her to perform a sex act before exposing himself January 31: A 31-year-old advertising director gets into his cab outside a Soho club for Herne Hill. She drinks champagne and is assaulted February: A new mother returns home to Twickenham and her friend tells Worboys she is on maternity leave. She has a drink and felt drowsy, and her fiance later found her slumped by the toilet at home unable to move her legs February 13: A 30-year-old journalist takes a cab with a friend outside a Central London restaurant, but only pretends to sip a drink Worboys gives her after she noticed fizzing and foil in the glass. She claimed he asked her to perform a sex act for 5,000, but she told police after his arrest February 15: An 18-year-old woman and her friend get into Worboys cab at Oxford Street, and he offers her a drink after her friend is dropped off . She initially refused, before losing consciousness and finding herself still in the cab when she came round February 16: Police arrest Worboys February 18: Worboys faces charges including one count of rape, four counts of sexual assault and six counts of administering a substance with intent, following an investigation into five attacks. Police say 30 women answered an appeal. 2009 January 20: Worboys's trial begins as he denies 23 charges, including rape and sexual assault. He is accused of attacking 14 women March 13: Worboys is convicted at Croydon Crown Court of one count of rape, five sexual assaults, one attempted assault and 12 drugging charges, committed from July 2007 to February 2008 April 21: Worboys is jailed indefinitely at Croydon Crown Court and told he must serve a minimum of eight years 2010 January 20: The Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPPC - now the Independent Office for Police Conduct) publishes its inquiry into a series of blunders by Metropolitan Police officers, five of whom were disciplined. They are criticised for missing crucial chances to catch Worboys. June 15: Judges throw out Worboys' appeal against conviction. October 14: Scotland Yard reveals Worboys may have attacked at least 102 women and say that 19 more victims have come forward since his conviction. 2014 July 23: Two women who were seriously sexually assaulted by Worboys are awarded compensation totalling 41,250 from the Metropolitan Police. The force appeals the decision, finally losing the challenge in the Supreme Court in February 2018. 2017 November: John Worboys is granted release from prison by the Parole Board after just eight years behind bars 2018 January 4: The decision by the Parole Board is made public. Worboys' victims were not told about the decision before it was announced January 5: Professor Nick Hardwick, the Chairman of the Parole Board, apologises 'unreservedly' to victims who were not told about the decision January 9: MPs including Labour's Yvette Cooper and Tory Anna Soubry demand Worboys be banned from London over fears he knows where his victims live January 13: Justice Secretary David Gauke takes advice on whether a judicial review could reverse the Parole Board's controversial decision January 16: The head of the Parole Board criticises ministers for considering challenging the decision January 17: Victims launch crowdfunding campaign to raise funds to cover the legal fees for a judicial review of the case January 19: Government decides not to pursue a legal challenge over his release January 23: Worboys is transferred to HMP Belmarsh, south-east London, ahead of his release. Scotland Yard begin investigating a new sexual assault claim against him January 25: London mayor Sadiq Khan files an application for a judicial review January 26: Release of Worboys is put on hold after an 'urgent application' was made to the High Court on behalf of two of his victims for a stay of his release February 4: Worboys is moved back out of the capital February 7: Professor Hardwick outlines radical proposals to make the reasoning behind its decision public in the wake of outrage February 21: Supreme Court rules that Met breached the human rights of two of Worboys' victims by failing to properly investigate their claims, and awarded them 41,250. Decision could lead to other victims of serious crimes suing police forces March 13: High Court challenge against decision to release Worboys by victims begins. It is revealed that the Parole Board decided to release Worboys because he had learned 'not to hide negative thoughts and feelings' during 'positive' treatment with psychologists. Court also hears that the board only considered the 12 victims he was convicted of attacking, not the 105 he is suspected of assaulting March 28: High Court rules to overturn the decision to free him. Professor Hardwick stands down from role as Parole Board Chairman after being told by Justice Secretary David Gauke that his position was 'untenable' April 8: Mr Gauke admits he should take equal responsibility for decision that almost freed John Worboys May: Victims and members of the public can request details of decisions to release criminals from prison for the first time. August 13: Police question Worboys over more allegations of sexual assault November 19: Parole Board says Worboys will remain in prison after reversing an earlier decision that he should be released 2019 May 1: Worboys is charged with four further offences of drugging women to rape or sexually assault them May 23: Worboys appears at Westminster Magistrates' Court by video-link from Wakefield Prison. June 20: Worboys pleads guilty to two counts of administering a stupefying or overpowering drug with intent to commit rape or indecent assault and two counts of administering a substance with intent to commit a sexual offence under the Sexual Offences Act. December 17: Worboys is sentenced Advertisement

Predator: Catching The Black Cab Rapist is on Wednesday 24th March at 9pm, Channel 5
An Australian couple has been caught up in the chaos of the military coup in Myanmar and placed under house arrest in the main city Yangon after being denied permission to fly out.

Matthew OKane and Christa Avery, a Canadian-Australian, who run a business consulting firm for project development in the troubled south-east Asian nation, are receiving consular assistance from Australias Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade.

They were told to return to their home to Yangon after Avery tried to board a relief flight back to Australia last Friday but was blocked by authorities.

Matthew OKane, an Australian blocked from leaving Myanmar. Credit:Facebook

It was not apparent why she was not allowed to leave but a friend, Tim Harcourt, said she had spent a decade there dedicated to the cause of development in Myanmar.
[March 22, 2021] A3 Previews New Brand at Automate Forward

The Association for Advancing Automation (A3) today unveiled its united brand to thousands attending Automate Forward, the premier virtual automation trade show and conference. On April 14, the four A3 associations-the Robotic Industries Association (RIA), AIA (Advanced Vision + Imaging), Motion Control & Motor Association (MCMA) and A3 Mexico-will converge into the Association for Advancing Automation. At that time, a new website at www.automate.org will serve as the global hub for any company or organization looking to connect with the growing automation community. A3, which represents more than 1,100 member companies active in the automation industry, combines nearly 50 years of leadership and strong relationships within the robotics, machine vision, motion control and artificial intelligence communities to create the leading automation trade association. Under the new A3 brand, anyone interested in automation can take full advantage of the new home on automate.org -from education to connecting with new customers and suppliers to training to getting started, and more. Additionally, with just one membership, companies looking to maximize their involvement will have access to even more benefits. "As the automation industry expanded and evolved, companies worldwide have come to depend upon multiple technologies-not just robots or vision or motion control-to successfully develop and deploy their automation solutions," said Jeff Burnstein, president of A3. "Merging our associations into one makes it easier for anyone interested in automating their processes to get what we promise them: ongoing education about the automation market and the latest technologies and applications, connections with new customers, and workforce training opportunities. Together, we work to build a better world through automation." Companies interested in joining the growing A3 community can visit automate.org today to join the transformation and learn more about how A3 is helping drive the automation industry forward.



Highlights of Automate Forward More than 90 global experts speak this week at Automate Forward, including senior executives from 3M, General Motors, Intel, Microsoft, UPS, IBM (News - Alert) , GE, FedEx, Siemens and Proctor & Gamble. The agenda is available, and registration is free.

Automate Forward also features more than 270 leading companies in an expanded virtual exhibit hall and networking center. Attendees can connect directly with vendors and other experts to learn about products and systems that could solve their unique automation challenges and to get immediate answers to questions. The trade show is open daily from 9 a.m. - 5 p.m. Eastern. "This virtual event has drawn the same quality presentations, automation vendors and attendees as our in-person shows, demonstrating the value A3 offers the automation community as we learn, grow and adapt to the needs of organizations worldwide," Burnstein added. "We expect even more will join us this week to learn more about how automation improves business-from product quality to productivity to worker safety." About Association for Advancing Automation (A3) On April 14, 2021, the Robotic Industries Association (RIA), AIA (Advancing Vision + Imaging), Motion Control & Motor Association (MCMA) and A3 Mexico converge to become the Association for Advancing Automation (A3), the global advocate for the benefits of automation. A3 promotes automation technologies and ideas that transform the way business is done. Combined, these associations represent more than 1,100 automation manufacturers, component suppliers, system integrators, end users, research groups and consulting firms globally, all working to drive automation forward. A3 hosts industry-leading events, including Automate Forward (March 22-26, 2021) and the Automate Show & Conference (June 6-9, 2022, in Detroit, MI). Additional events include the virtual Vision Week (June 8-10, 2021) and The Vision Show (October 11-13, 2022, in Boston) View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210322005734/en/

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Demonstrators in Britain on Sunday clashed with police over a bill that will give the police more powers to deal with non-violent demonstrations.

Thousands of people turned up in Bristol, a city in western England, for the "Kill the Bill" demonstration against the government's Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill.

Officers have suffered suspected broken bones as violent scenes unfolded in Bristol city center, according to the BBC.

Demonstrators scaled the police station, threw fireworks into the crowd and daubed graffiti on the walls. At least one police van was set on fire, said the report.

"Officers are continuing to deal with a smaller number of protesters in Bridewell Street," a police spokesman said.

"They've had projectiles thrown at them, including a firework, and have been verbally abused," said the spokesman. "This is unacceptable behavior and those responsible for offenses will be identified and brought to justice."

The Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill would give the police in England and Wales more power to impose conditions on non-violent protests, including those deemed to be too noisy or a nuisance, according to Sky News. Those convicted under the bill could face a fine or jail.

Mass gatherings are currently banned under coronavirus legislation. On Saturday, more than 30 people were arrested during anti-lockdown protests in London.


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A graph showing how coronavirus hospital rates are plummeting in Britain while spiking or plateauing in the EU highlights the UK's vaccine triumph.

Latest data show there were 106 patients per million in British hospitals infected with the disease on March 15  down from a peak of almost 580 in mid-January.

By contrast, figures compiled by the Oxford University-based research platform Our World in Data show nations in Europe are still recording rates of up to 450.

Italy had a Covid hospital occupancy rate of 445 per a million people on March 14, one of the few countries where admissions have continued to rise. The rate in Italy was 340 a month ago.

France is recording 367 Covid patients per million people in its hospitals, a rate which has remained stagnant in recent weeks. And according to the most recent data for Spain, the country had 503 Covid hospital patients per million people on February 11.

The stark graph highlights the success of Britain's vaccine rollout, which has seen almost 28million Brits  40 per cent of the total population  given their first dose, and more than two million their second. On the other hand, Europe's shambolic roll-out has seen vaccines dished out to just eight per cent of its population.

Both Pfizer and AstraZeneca's vaccines, the two being rolled out in the UK and on the continent, have been shown to slash hospital admissions by more than 80 per cent after one dose and above 90 per cent after full vaccination.

The recent success of the current crop of vaccines on hospital rates in the UK have culminated in several intensive care wards announcing zero Covid patients for the first time in months over the weekend. A number of ICU nurses and doctors took to social media to share the triumph.

While the UK is preparing to start opening up from April 12 and drop the bulk of Covid restrictions by June, the whole of Italy and Spain, and the majority of France's major cities, have went back into lockdown again in a bid to stop the third wave rolling across the continent.

A graph showing how coronavirus hospital rates are plummeting in Britain but soaring in the EU has highlighted the UK's vaccine triumph

The recent success of the vaccines on hospital rates in the UK culminated in several intensive care wards announcing zero Covid patients for the first time in months. A number of ICU nurses and doctors to to social media to share the news

The EU is in the midst of third wave of the epidemic, with France, Spain, and Italy all in lockdown again and Belgium, Germany and the Netherlands are teetering on the brink of more curbs

The UK on the other hands has seen a rapid decline in cases. There was a small 5 per cent week-on-week increase today but that was down to testing almost doubling

Jose Alfredo, a critical care nurse in North East London, tweeted on Sunday: 'We have officially closed Homerton Covid ICU. I am crying! I never thought this day would come! Please stay locked!'

Lucy Jenkins, matron of critical care at Homerton University Hospital, shared a photo of an empty inpatient board, adding: 'Very strange feeling that doesnt feel quite appropriate to celebrate.'

The 18-bed intensive care unit at Homerton had 11 patients on March 14, NHS figures show.

Germany heads for new lockdown and Netherlands and Belgium warn restrictions may have to be extended Germany looks set to tighten lockdown measures today and extend them into April as Europe's Covid third wave bites amid the bloc's shambolic jab roll-out. Angela Merkel is meeting with Germany's regional leaders today for a summit that was supposed to be about easing restrictions. But as Covid cases spike, leaked documents suggest the leaders will actually move to tighten a partial lockdown that has been in place since last year. Meanwhile ministers in the Netherlands and Belgium have also warned that measures may have to get stricter as cases spike. And in France thousands of fed-up people took to the streets of Marseilles on Sunday to flout lockdown rules - with protests also taking place in Germany, Holland, Austria, Bulgaria, Switzerland, Serbia and Poland. The streets of Paris were also packed with spring sun-seekers despite the city going back into lockdown last week. Europe's third wave of Covid infections is gathering pace amid a woefully slow vaccine roll-out that has seen just eight per cent of its population given at least one dose - leaving the rest vulnerable to infection. By contrast, the UK has given at least one dose to 40 per cent of its total population and more than half of adults, meaning it is slowly easing restrictions as Covid cases plateau and deaths fall. That has led the EU to threaten to block jabs from coming to Britain in order to shore up supplies on the continent, with Germany and France supporting the move. A vote is due on Thursday. Advertisement

Wide vaccine coverage and high efficacy is behind the UK's flailing hospital and death rates, which were also boosted by the country's third national lockdown.

The EU, on the other hand, has been widely criticised for its slow vaccination programme.

Britain is currently jabbing at a rate of 44 per 100,000 people, according to Statista, compared to about 13 in Italy, Spain and France.

The woefully slow rollout has led the EU to threaten to block jabs from coming to Britain in order to shore up supplies on the continent, with Germany and France supporting the move. A vote is due on Thursday.

Europe's vaccine roll-out has been blighted by bureaucracy and supply issues, and most-recently a ban on AstraZeneca jabs in numerous EU states in what critics said was an attempt to discredit the British-made jab.

Most countries resumed using the jab last week when health bodies said it is not linked to blood clots, but data shows the move has destroyed confidence in the shot - with millions of doses sitting un-used on thew continent.

A majority of people in Germany, Spain and France now say the AstraZeneca jab is 'unsafe', while 43 per cent of Italians say the same.

Meanwhile confidence in the Pfizer jab has steadily risen, even though a similar number of blood clots have been reported after people were vaccinated with it.

It is thought there are now 7.2million doses of AstraZeneca spread among EU countries that are not being used because people refuse to take it.

Despite that, the EU is threatening to block an export of vaccine components from the Netherlands to the UK this week unless Britain hands over some of its jabs.

The EU commission is due to vote on the move on Thursday, with France and Germany supporting it.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson is thought to be calling leaders this week in an attempt to stop the move, amid warnings that it could delay Britain's world-beating vaccine roll-out by up to two months.

UK sources warned that the bloc is on the verge of going down a 'terrible path', pointing out that the UK invested millions in the Oxford University research and the vaccine is being provided to the world at cost.

Ministers stressed the EU has previously vowed it will not 'block companies from fulfilling their contractual obligations'. 'We expect the EU to stand by their commitments,' said care minister Helen Whately.

Mr Johnson is understood to have spoken to Ms von der Leyen, along with Dutch and Belgian prime ministers Mark Rutte and Alexander De Croo, last week and is set to make further calls in the coming days.

Experts have warned that EU action could hit UK supplies of the AstraZeneca vaccine in May and June. One source suggested the fall in supply could be as much as 20 per cent, but another said the figure was likely to be lower.

With the pace of the vaccine rollout already set to dip next month because of a shortfall in supply from India, the EU threat will raise fears about the Government's ability to hit its target of vaccinating all adults by the end of July.

Despite the furore, the EU vaccine tsar confidently predicted today that the bloc will reach herd immunity by July 14 and ahead of the UK by deploying vaccines.

Thierry Breton said that incoming jabs would speed up the roll-out, and told Europeans that they are in 'the final stretch'.

'Let's take a symbolic date: by July 14, we have the possibility of achieving immunity across the continent,' Thierry Breton, the EU's commissioner for the internal market told French broadcaster TF1.

'We're in the home stretch, because we know that to beat this pandemic there's just one solution: vaccination. The vaccines are arriving,' he said.
Editor's note: Dr. Jenny Radesky is a practicing developmental behavioral pediatrician and assistant professor of pediatrics at Michigan Medicine C.S. Mott Children's Hospital, a National Institute of Health-funded media researcher and author of the American Academy of Pediatrics policy statements on media and children.

(CNN)  My husband and I sent our 1st and 4th graders off to their last day of in-person school one year ago this month. I kissed them and pretended not to be terribly worried about the impending surge of patients to my hospital or the sacrifices we would all have to make to flatten the curve.

As the spring of 2020 wore on, we settled into a new routine of opening up laptops and tablets to see classmates' faces and hear teachers' lessons. I transitioned quickly to seeing my clinic patients via telehealth and managing my research lab over Zoom.

Humans have never been so dependent on technology as we have been this past year. Some of it has been fun and brilliant, some of it an exhausting battle for my family's attention span.

But as with any parenting experience, I see this is a teachable moment -- a time when we can reflect on what worked and what didn't, and how we need to move forward. Here are my main takeaways from this digital immersion we and our children have experienced over the past year.

Redefining 'screen time'

"Screen time" was not a helpful concept this year. When we live our lives through technology, the unidimensional concept of time doesn't capture how inspiring, meaningful or toxic a digital experience has been. Instead, I heard parents reflecting on these metrics of worthwhile media use:

Did my kids feel more connected to someone else's experience, or did they feel more divided from others?

Did I put down my device feeling more anxious and angry or feeling like life made more sense?

Did I feel like my family's behavior was being covertly tracked and nudged in one direction or another, or did I feel aware and in control?

How tech can sooth us

When life is stressful, screens can be soothing. When life is busy, screens can help us feel more in control and keep kids quiet. These are not new insights, but we've all experienced more of it this year as parents struggle with impossible role overload during a traumatic time.

Allowing frictionless feeds to soothe us can distract from the family interactions that actually help build resilience and make meaning out of stressful times. Now is our opportunity to figure out a balance between soothing away boredom and irritability or learning strategies to manage it in other ways.

As the pandemic wears on, this might be deciding where technology "lives" in your house, and where it "sleeps" overnight, so it doesn't invade all of your downtime. It might mean seeing a therapist to work on strategies for you and your child to handle negative emotions and conflict.

With evidence that technology platforms are trying to identify our emotions for marketing purposes, it's more important than ever to understand our emotional relationships with our devices.

As parents, it can be difficult to build these insights into technology when it is intentionally designed to not make us think and reflect. But as we emerge from this pandemic, I would love for parents to demand more helpful, honest design in the tech products we use.

Algorithms amplify tech junk food

Being around our kids so much, parents have had an opportunity to peek inside our kids' digital worlds, and it's not always pretty. My research suggests that kids' digital spaces provide easy access to violent, age-inappropriate and commercialized content.

There's a lot of positive tech for kids out there, but algorithms are amplifying the garbage. Platforms elevate the most "engaging" media, amplifying the apps and videos engineered to keep kids' attention for longer. That lets these companies make more ad dollars, even as kids find themselves not wanting to hand over their tablets -- which makes parents' jobs harder.

For now, parents need to have an active role in helping their kids search for the best content by using resources like Common Sense Media, an independent, research-based group that rates content for kids.

Responsibility of tech companies

Profit-centered tech design is often at odds with our parenting goals. Tech companies make more ad revenue if our children watch longer into the evenings, but this is at odds with our goal of getting them a good night's sleep. Video gaming or video-streaming websites make more ad revenue if children play or watch them throughout the day -- a problem that I've heard from many parents managing remote schooling this year -- but this is at odds with our goal of having our children learn and concentrate.

Securly, a company that monitors students' school-issued devices and provides teacher and parent controls, shared information with me about the extent of digital distraction this year.

Its Securly Classroom program allows teachers to see what extraneous browser tabs their students have open during lesson. The company reported that the 10,168 teachers in this program closed a total of 5,789,0000 distracting tabs so far this year!

The top websites blocked on school devices by parents of K-12 students were, not surprisingly YouTube (#1), Facebook (#2), Instagram (#3), Twitter (#4), Snapchat (#5), and TikTok (#6).

A time for action

These reflections bring me to my main conclusion from watching families use technology this year: the power differential between big tech and little humans (and the exhausted parents who raise them) is too big.

It is not a fair fight to ask a child to resist a recommendations feed that has algorithmically predicted what they want to watch next.

It is not fair to ask parents whose heads are filled with other stressors to curate their children's every move through a messy digital playground.

There is not enough consideration of children's needs by the companies that make our kids' entry points to the digital world or the financial incentives that determine what kids are offered first.

As a result, parents become the rule-setters and micro-managers, not the media mentors I wish we could be.

The US Congress now has the opportunity to consider child technology legislation. Members of Congress have introduced bills to update children's online privacy protections--first conceived in the dial-up era--and address concerning design practices that keep our kids hooked on their devices and make our jobs as parents harder.

Just last week, the American Academy of Pediatrics testified before Congress to urge action, and there is finally momentum building for them to do so.

It shouldn't be all on parents, who seem to be fighting a losing battle. It's time we change the conversation from "screen time" and what parents need to be doing differently to what technology companies need to do better.

This story was first published on CNN.com "Screen time and kids: What have we learned in the last year?".
SUPER CHIX Opens First Idaho Franchise Location

March 22, 2021 // Franchising.com // Salt Lake City, UT. - SUPER CHIX is pleased to announce the first franchise location in Idaho opened in Ammon (Idaho Falls) on March 17, 2021. The new SUPER CHIX Restaurant is located at Hillcrest Plaza, 2671 E. Sunnyside Rd., Ammon, ID.

Hillcrest Plaza is the perfect location for the new-to-market SUPER CHIX thanks to its easy accessibility and location in the prominent shopping area in Ammon and near Hillcrest High School. Idaho Falls area residents, as well as travelers, have another great choice for a fast-casual lunch with healthy options, and dinner guests will discover a new quality eatery they can enjoy with family and friends. Additionally, we are very excited for the strong Southern Idaho franchise group and their first Idaho restaurant. Congratulations to Bill Hawes, Alison Hawes, Nate Kenyon and their team, said Darryl Neider, CEO of SUPER CHIX.

2021 is stacking up to be a great year for SUPER CHIX. The latest stores in the system in Idaho Falls, ID and Bozeman, MT are our first new restaurants in 2021 and both opened to tremendous success  having record opening-day, single-day and weekly sales. We anticipate many additional restaurant openings this year and, in fact, have three restaurants in and four nearing construction covering Utah, Nevada, Colorado, South Carolina and Northern California. Our next five openings will be in Spanish Fork, UT in March followed by St. George, UT in April and Reno, NV in May, and San Jose, CA and Fort Mills, SC in June said Neider.

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North Carolina  Should a child that believes in Santa Claus, the Easter Bunny and the tooth fairy be making life-altering decisions? asked New Hanover County Chief District Court Judge Jay Corpening. This is a question which has come up repeatedly in the state of North Carolina as dozens of children as young a six are being processed into the criminal justice system. The latest case involves a 6-year-old boy who was arrested and forced to go to court because he picked a flower while waiting for the bus.

Attorney Julie Boyers child client was on trial for injury to real property after he stopped to pick a flower from a yard near his bus stop, according to The Herald-Sun. Illustrating the ridiculous nature of sending a child to court for picking a flower is the fact that he had no idea what was going on.

Boyer said she had to give the boy some crayons and a coloring book during the proceedings because he did not have the mental capacity to understand what was happening to him.

I asked him to color a picture, she said, so he did.

This is a serious problem and speaks to the archaic nature of the law in the state of North Carolina. Currently, the states juvenile system has the lowest minimum age in the world to enter the court system  which is six.

Advocates for children have been trying unsuccessfully for years to change the law but to no avail. This is worrisome as statistics show the earlier a child is brought into the system, the chances that the remain in that system increase drastically.

A 6-year-old  were talking about someone thats in kindergarten, first grade. They dont understand the process, the dont understand whats going on, they probably dont even know their address, Lyana Hunter, a New Hanover County public defenders office employee told WECTNews. The earlier that you introduce a child to the criminal justice system, the higher the chances are that they will remain in the criminal justice system.

Hunter explained that representing children under 9 is a common practice, illustrating how widespread the problem is.

I think the youngest I actually had in a trial they were eight. Some were.. seven, eight, maybe a 9-year-old. Literally their feet theyre just swinging from the chairs because they couldnt reach the floor, said Hunter.

Luckily for the flower-picking kindergartner, the judge dismissed the case after the boys mother couldnt make the intake meeting, according to The Herald-Sun. Unfortunately, even though the case was thrown out, the process of being brought into the criminal justice system could change the boys life forever.

He gets served with papers. His mom gets served with papers, Boyer explained. It was just appalling.

Sending a little boy to court for picking a flower is most certainly appalling but the fact that this is not an isolated incident should shock the conscience.

A 6-year-old cannot comprehend what is taking place in court, but probably will never forget being labeled a delinquent, Satana Deberry, district attorney for Durham County wrote in an email.

Equally as egregious as arresting and trying a 6-year-old little boy for picking a flower is that this not only happens often but it happens mostly to children of color. According to a report from the Winston-Salem Journal:

From 2015 through 2018 nearly 7,300 complaints were filed against children age 6 to 11 years old, according to numbers from the state Juvenile Justice section. Of those complaints, 47% were against Black children, 40% were against white children and 7% against Hispanic or Latino children. In general, 22% of the states population is Black, 70% is white and 10% is Hispanic. Roughly 82% percent of the complaints were against boys.

It is a suspected statistic, said Yakob Lemma, 17, an Enloe High senior and co-founder of the Wake County Black Student Coalition. This is just proof that we have been criminalized since were young, since we are little kids, and we have to grow up all our lives like that, with being criminalized and being actively targeted.

Childhood mistakes should never be criminalized but in case after case, situations like this unfold in other states as well. Earlier this month, TFTP reported on the state of Wisconsin in which children are being fined hundreds of dollars for missing online classes. If they cannot afford the fines, these children have to work them off in community service.
Its been three long decades since the late U.S. Rep. Lindy Boggs retired from Congress, and just as long since Louisiana sent any woman at all to serve in the U.S. House. U.S. Rep.-elect Julia Letlow, who was overwhelmingly elected in Saturdays 5th Congressional District special election, fills Boggs long-vacant shoes in more ways than one.

Like Boggs, Letlow succeeds a spouse elected to the seat but tragically lost. Boggs replaced her husband Hale, then House majority leader and representative from the 2nd District, after his plane went missing in Alaska in 1972. Letlow will complete the term to which her husband Luke was elected just last fall, before he died from COVID-19 complications days ahead of his swearing in.

Some may have viewed Boggs a placeholder at first, but she became a legend, passing landmark legislation benefiting women and ending her career as the countrys ambassador to the Vatican.

Letlow, a respected administrator at the University of Louisiana Monroe and mother of two young children, brings a perspective thats been missing from the House delegation lo these many years (Mary Landrieu raised her kids while a senator, but never served in the House). She too has the potential for a long, impactful tenure in Washington.

And that may throw a wrench into some other peoples plans.

Its almost time for the state Legislature to redraw Congressional district lines, as it does every ten years after the U.S. Census is complete. Louisiana wont gain or lose seats, but theres long been talk that north Louisianas population no longer justifies anchoring two districts, one including Shreveport and the other Monroe. Indeed, a glance at the map shows that each district extends far south, with the 4th represented by U.S. Rep. Mike Johnson stopping not far north of Lake Charles and Lafayette, and Letlows 5th stretching from the states northeast corner all the way down to the Florida Parishes.

In a radio interview last month, state Senate President Page Cortez of Lafayette predicted that the big debate will be whether to go with just one north Louisiana district and plug the other one in in the south, where the bulk of the state's population  and the political power  resides.

Luke Letlow was well known and liked by his colleagues, but as the delegations most junior member, he might have had trouble fending off such a move. Julia Letlows election, though, makes any such effort that much more treacherous.

Now the lowest person on the ladder is the delegations only woman, one who has enormous public sympathy and who broke an important barrier as the first Republican woman representing bright red Louisiana in Congress.

The question now before all those politicians whove been itching to dismantle the district is: Do they dare try?
International

Myanmar protesters defy juntas external threats

Protesters take cover during clashes with security forces in Monywa, March 21. (Reuters)

MONYWA, MAR 21 (REUTERS) | Publish Date: 3/21/2021 1:53:40 PM IST

Demonstrators in Myanmar maintained their unflinching opposition to military rule on Sunday despite a rising death toll at the hands of security forces as the junta appeared equally determined to resist growing outside pressure to compromise.

One man was killed and several were wounded when police opened fire on a group setting up a barricade in the central town of Monywa, a doctor there said as a community group issued a call on Facebook for blood donors.

The violence has forced people determined to resist a return to military rule after a decade of tentative steps towards democracy to think up novel ways to make their stand.

Protesters in nearly 20 places across the country staged candle-lit protests on Saturday night and into Sunday, from the main city of Yangon to small communities in Kachin State in the north and the southernmost town of Kawthaung, according to a tally of social media posts.

Hundreds of people in the second city of Mandalay, including many medical staff in white coats, marched before sunrise in a Dawn protest, video posted by the Mizzima news portal showed.

Failure of the military regime, our cause our cause ... federal democracy, our cause our cause, the crowd chanted as the sky was beginning to brighten and birds called from the trees lining the otherwise deserted streets.

Protesters in some places were joined by Buddhist monks holding candles while some people used candles to make the shape of the three-fingered protest salute.

Others came out later on Sunday, including the crowd in Monywa, where police opened fire.

Sniper, sniper, people can be heard shouting in a video clip shortly after the man was shot in the head and more shots rang out.

The spokesman for the junta was not available for comment but has previously said security forces have used force only when necessary.

With the latest killing, the death toll since the coup rose to at least to 248, based on a tally by the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners activist group.

The military has said at two policemen have been killed in the protests.
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ThunderYard Liberty JV is selected by the United States Department of Veterans Affairs as the primary contractor for the Transformation Twenty-One Total Technology Next Generation (T4NG) On-Ramp.

FREMONT, CA: The United States Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) choose ThunderYard Liberty JV LLC (TLJV) as the main contractor for the Transformation Twenty-One Total Technology Next Generation (T4NG) On-Ramp.

TLJV outbid other opponent companies to secure one of the nine new roles on the T4NG Indefinite Delivery/Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) contract vehicle's five-year option term of success. T4NG, which has a $22.3 billion ceiling, is intended to update the VA's information technology (IT) infrastructure. TLJV will compete for task orders to help any technology transformation element across the IT lifecycle by using this On-Ramp.

"We are extremely proud to have been entrusted as a T4NG On-Ramp Prime. ThunderYard works to accelerate meaningful change for our Veteran community and through TLJV, we can expand our footprint while delivering solutions to VA's most critical initiatives," said Larry van der Oord, CEO of ThunderYard.

TLJV incorporates future emphasis with validated implementation as a partner in the Small Business Administration (SBA) All Small Mentor-Protg Program. ThunderYard is a growing force in the sector, delivering the VA on various IT transformation project.

"Looking forward to teaming up with ThunderYard," said Bill Greene, CEO of Liberty IT Solutions. "Liberty has a strong Veteran heritage and with our TLJV, we're helping innovative SDVOSBs make an impact for our Veterans."

Liberty is witnessing exponential growth in Federal Health after five years on the T4NG contract vehicle, with $2.1 billion in contracts awarded in the last 18 months, including the most recent $974 million Product and Technology Ecosystem Management Services (PTEMS) award.

Liberty's President Scott Hanawalt expressed, "Our contribution in TLJV, supports SDVOSBs dedication to helping Veterans. As a Prime on T4NG, the Joint Venture will leverage both of our core capabilities to enable customers to adopt agile, DevSecOps and cloud-based products which will exceed modernization milestones for the VA."

ThunderYard was based on a firm belief in the VA's mission and realized that innovation could start in the cloud and deliver positive change in the individuals. Their commitment to navigating and progressing cloud-native solutions, as a purpose-built Force for the Future, will improve customers worldwide.
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Espionage trial starts for second detained Canadian

Espionage trial starts for second detained Canadian

The trial of Michael Kovrig, who has been held in China for more than two years on espionage charges, is under way in Beijing in a closed courtroom, days after the United States raised concerns over his case at tense bilateral talks with China in Alaska.



China arrested Kovrig, a former diplomat, and fellow Canadian Michael Spavor in December 2018, soon after Canadian police detained Meng Wanzhou, the chief financial officer of Chinese tech company Huawei Technologies, on a US warrant.



Beijing insists the detentions are not linked to the detention of Meng, who remains under house arrest in Vancouver as she fights extradition to the United States.



Jim Nickel, charge d'affaires of the Canadian embassy in China, told reporters outside the Beijing court that the trial had begun but that he has been denied access over national security reasons.



Diplomats from more than 20 countries, including Canada the United States, were on site ahead of the trial.



"[US] President [Joe] Biden and [Secretary of State Antony] Blinken have said that in dealing with the cases of Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor, the United States will treat these two individuals as if they were American citizens," William Klein, charge d'affaires of the U.S. embassy in China, told reporters as he stood beside Nickel.



On Friday, Spavor, a businessman, also stood trial in a closed courtroom in the northeastern city of Dandong.



That court said it would set a date later for a verdict.



Canadian and other diplomats were not allowed to attend Spavor's trial on what China said were national security grounds, a lack of transparency that Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau called "completely unacceptable."



Observers have said the likely convictions of the two men could ultimately facilitate a diplomatic agreement whereby they are released and sent back to Canada.



Chinese courts have a conviction rate of over 99 percent.



"Michael and Michael Spavor are innocent Canadians caught up in a bigger geopolitical dispute," Kovrig's wife, Vina Nadjibulla, told Reuters.



"Their detention is profoundly unjust and our focus must remain on securing their freedom," she said. (Reuters)
More than 1.5 million people streamed through US airport security checkpoints on Sunday, the largest number in more than a year when the pandemic first brought the travel industry to a crashing halt.

The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) said Monday it screened about 1.54 million people Sunday, which appeared to be the largest number since March 13 2020.

This marked the 11th straight day that numbers topped more than one million, as a growing number of people are taking to the skies after becoming vaccinated against COVID-19 or being drawn by the lure of spring break season.

While this comes as welcome news for the airline industry which was one of the hardest hit over the last year, the trend flies in the face of guidance issued by the nation's top health experts.

The CDC has warned that a surge in travel could kick off another wave of the virus - a worrying trend that was witnessed first after Thanksgiving and, second, after Christmas.

This chart shows the number of daily travelers passing through US airports is now higher than it was this time last year

March 2021: Travelers arriving into Miami airport on Friday during the spring break season

March 2020: Empty shops and passenger areas at Newark Airport Terminal B in New York

TSA data shows more than triple the number of people passed through airport security Sunday than the comparable Sunday one year ago when just 454,516 people traveled.

The seven-day rolling average of screenings has also doubled since February 1.

This comes after the US hit a key milestone Wednesday when it marked the first day this year when there were more travelers than the same time last year.

A total of 1.1 million people passed through airport security that day compared to 953,699 on the same day in 2020.

From Wednesday onward, the number of travelers passing through US airport security has risen every single day.

By contrast, the number of travelers continued to decline daily from the same day last year.

On 13 March 2020, the US banned foreign travelers from most of Europe before extending the ban the next day to include the UK and Ireland.

At the time, much of the world was also introducing travel bans too and holidaymakers and visitors abroad were flocking back to their home countries to beat the restrictions coming into place.

Reagan Airport in Washington DC is busy this month as people take to the skies again. More than 1.5 million people streamed through US airport security checkpoints on Sunday

Travelers arriving into Miami airport last week. The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) said Monday it screened about 1.54 million people Sunday, which appeared to be the largest number since March 13 2020

In the months that followed, airlines cut thousands of flights and thousands of staff were laid off or furloughed as borders stayed closed and stay-at-home orders and fears of the virus dissuaded travelers and left planes sitting empty on runways.

Now, one year on, US borders remain shuttered to international travelers from many countries including much of Europe but Americans have resumed domestic travel within the US.

The US has seen several other surges in travel in recent months but not on the scale being seen now.

In the lead-up to the Thanksgiving holiday, the biggest travel day of November 22 saw 1.05 million passengers pass through airport security.

And, in the lead-up to Christmas, the busiest day was December 23 when 1.19 million traveled, followed by 1.28 million on December 27 as many returned from the holiday or jetted off for New Year's Eve celebrations.

College students descended on Fort Lauderdale for spring break against the advice of the CDC

Large crowds gathered on Ocean Drive in Miami on Sunday where officials have implemented a curfew and declared a state of emergency amid fears that the influx of partygoers - in a state with no mask mandate - will lead to a surge in infections

But these figures are still shy of the current levels, as spring breakers flock to and from the beaches and bars of popular destinations such as Florida.

Airline executives also say they have seen an increase in bookings during the last few weeks after US airline passengers were down 60 percent in 2020.

However passenger traffic still remains far below 2019 levels before COVID-19 started ravaging the world, with the 1.5 million travelers Sunday still only about a quarter of the number on the closest Sunday that year.

Trade group Airlines for America said passenger demand is still down 47 percent compared to pre-pandemic levels, while international travel demand is down 68 percent.

The group is calling on the federal government to issue vaccine passports, in a bid to help the industry get back on its feet.

But the Biden administration's stance is that people should still avoid non-essential travel until the population is vaccinated against COVID-19.

CDC Director Dr Rochelle Walensky said during a White House briefing Monday that fully vaccinated people should avoid 'non-essential travel' amid concerns that spring break travel will lead to an surge in infections.

'Every time there's a surge in travel, we have a surge in cases in this country,' Walensky said.

CDC Director Dr Rochelle Walensky is urging fully vaccinated people to still avoid 'non-essential travel' amid concerns of a new wave

'What we have seen is that we have surges after people start traveling, we saw it after July 4, we saw it after Labor Day, we saw it after the Christmas holidays.'

She warned that many variants of COVID-19 now spreading in the US started in other countries.

'We remain in the midst of a serious pandemic and still over 90 per cent of our population is not fully vaccinated, though we are working hard to get there,' Walensky said.

'Therefore, everyone, whether vaccinated or not, should continue to avoid medium and large-sized gatherings as well as non-essential travel,' she said.

Meanwhile, officials in spring break destinations are also voicing concerns of a travel-related surge in the virus.

Miami Beach officials have implemented a curfew and declared a state of emergency amid fears that the influx of partygoers - in a state with no mask mandate - will lead to a surge in infections.

Mayor Dan Gelber told an emergency meeting of the city commission last week that all manner of out-of-town and out-of-state visitors, not just college students, were filling the streets since Governor Ron DeSantis on February 26 called the state an 'oasis of freedom' from coronavirus restrictions.

Walensky said the CDC is not yet issuing new guidance for vaccinated Americans because it doesn't want to prompt further travel.

Nationwide, 24.5 percent of Americans have had at least one shot while 13.3 percent are fully vaccinated with around 2.5 million people being vaccinated every day.

Three vaccines have so far been approved in the US - the Moderna and Pfizer which both involve two separate doses, and the Johnson & Johnson one-shot vaccine.

Joe Biden has said that all adult Americans should be eligible to get the vaccine by May 1 based on the three approved vaccines while a fourth - AstraZeneca - would help scale up the rollout.

But the approval process is slowing things down with AstraZeneca saying Monday it will file for Food and Drug Administration (FDA) authorization of its COVID-19 vaccine in the first half of April.

The Trump administration made a deal with AstraZeneca for 300 million doses of AstraZeneca's vaccine last year, and the federal government is currently sitting on nearly 30 million which can't be used until the shot is authorized by the FDA.

Nearly four million of those doses were sent to Mexico and Canada which have both already authorized the shot, since they are useless to Americans for the time being.

US trials have found the vaccine is 100 percent effective at keeping people out of hospital and stopping them dying of the disease and 79 percent effective at stopping all symptomatic infections.

The vaccine rollout has become a race against time to both meet the new administration's target and get the population inoculated to prevent another wave.
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A Labour MP today refused to condemn protesters who went on a rampage through Bristol setting police vehicles on fire and leaving 20 officers injured.

Nottingham East MP Nadia Whittome said she wished 'everyone who has been hurt a speedy recovery' but insisted she will not 'condemn protesters until we know exactly what happened' - calling for an investigation into the police response.

The comments came despite Boris Johnson, Sir Keir Starmer, the Labour mayor of the city and a host of other senior figures branding the events 'inexcusable' and 'completely unacceptable'.

Appearing on the BBC's Politics Live, Ms Whittome - at 24 the youngest MP in Parliament - was pressed repeatedly by host Jo Coburn on whether she would condemn the scenes.

'Of course Jo I don't want to see violence against anybody. I wish everybody who's been hurt in this a speedy recovery,' Ms Whittome said.

'As I've already said, I am not going to get into the business of condemning protesters until we know exactly what happened.'

Coburn said it was 'quite clear' in the footage that people were setting fire to police vans and 'attacking the police'.

'Do you just want to straightforwardly say that was wrong?' the presenter said.

But Ms Whittome replied: 'I don't want to see violence being perpetrated against anybody. I wish everybody who has been harmed a speedy recovery.

'But as I say, I am not going to get into condemning protesters when we don't know what has happened yet.

'We need a full investigation into what's happened on the side of the protesters as is happening, but also on the side of the police. That's just the function of a democratic society.'

The violence erupted at a 'Kill the Bill' protest against the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill.

In tweets later, Ms Whittome said she was 'strongly against the use of violence against anyone'. But she insisted: 'What must not be lost in this conversation is the Policing Bill itself. It represents the biggest assault on the right to peaceful protest in a generation.

'It is an illiberal and draconian Bill that must be scrapped. If we want peaceful protest, peaceful protest must be allowed.'

Nottingham East MP Nadia Whittome said she wished 'everyone who has been hurt a speedy recovery' but insisted she will not 'condemn protesters until we know exactly what happened' - calling for an investigation into the police response

Avon and Somerset police have condemned scenes last night that saw a police station come under siege

A vandalised police van on fire outside Bridewell Police Station, as other police vehicles arrive

In tweets later, Ms Whittome said she was 'strongly against the use of violence against anyone'

Police said seven people had been arrested, six for violent disorder and a seventh for possession of an offensive weapon, following Sunday night's riot.

Twenty police officers were injured, two seriously, when what started as a peaceful demonstration turned violent after about 500 protesters descended on the New Bridewell police station.

Speaking to broadcasters at BAE Systems in Preston, Boris Johnson said: 'I think all that kind of thing is unacceptable and the people obviously have a right to protest in this country.

'But they should protest peacefully and legally.'

Two of those injured were treated in hospital after suffering a punctured lung and broken ribs, and a fractured arm, respectively. Both have since been discharged.

Police said between 2,000 and 3,000 people had gathered at College Green on Sunday to protest against the Government's Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill, which will see the police handed new powers to tackle demonstrations.

Andy Marsh, chief constable of Avon and Somerset Police, claimed the event had been 'hijacked by extremists' and said there was no 'prior intelligence' that any disorder was planned 'on this scale'.

Asked whether the much-criticised way the Metropolitan Police handled the vigil for murdered Sarah Everard earlier this month had made a difference to how officers behaved in Bristol, Chief Constable Marsh said: 'Every protest and the police response to it needs to be dealt with in the context of that protest.'

He said today: 'A tactical decision was made to deal with these criminals retrospectively and not make a significant number of arrests last night, which would have impacted significantly on our resources at the scene and created a greater risk of damage to property and injuries to the reduced number of officers left to deal with the disorder.

'There was a hardcore of serious criminals hidden within those 3,000 people - perhaps 400 or 500 people - and we certainly didn't trigger this.

'By the time it got to 5.30pm, it became clear that whatever we did we would not be able to avoid a very violent confrontation.'

As a huge clean-up operation gets underway, Bristol Mayor Marvin Rees said the so-called activists were 'a group of people running around the country looking for any opportunity to enter into physical conflict with police or representatives of what they see as the establishment.'

Sir Keir said the events in Bristol were 'inexcusable' and 'completely unacceptable'.

The former director of public prosecutions said he hoped those responsible for the violence were brought to justice.

'I hope that the perpetrators are identified and prosecuted where that's appropriate,' Sir Keir told LBC Radio.

Darren Jones, the Labour MP for Bristol North West, said: 'You don't campaign for the right to peaceful protest by setting police vans on fire or graffitiing buildings.'

The PM described the violent scenes that marred a 'Kill the Bill' protest in Bristol as 'unacceptable'.

Speaking to broadcasters at BAE Systems in Preston, the Prime Minister said: 'I think all that kind of thing is unacceptable and the people obviously have a right to protest in this country.

'But they should protest peacefully and legally.'

'Kill The Bill' protesters were fighting with the police into the early hours of Monday morning after the day of unrest in Bristol

The scene in Bristol today, where graffiti remains on the New Bridewell Street police station

A huge clean-up operation is underway this morning, as Bristol Mayor Marvin Rees condemned the violence which marred a protest about the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill

The group was 'creating a scene' outside Bridewell police station, where initially about 50 police officers were present

Rioters set police vehicles on fire as protesters clashed with officers in the shocking scenes last night

A demonstrator skateboards in front of a burning police vehicle during a protest against a new proposed policing bill, in Bristol, Sunday

A vandalised police van explodes outside Bridewell Police Station, after protesters set it on fire

People watch a burning police vehicle during the protest, which has become violent with protesters attacking a police station




leader will arrive in Kerala on Monday as part of campaigns for the upcoming assembly polls.

" will be in Kerala tomorrow to begin a two-day visit to the State," tweeted on Sunday.

He will take part in public meetings organised at several districts.

On February 24, Gandhi had taken a dip into the sea with fishermen in Kerala's Kollam. Later he joined them for fish and experienced their daily lives.

is contesting 91 seats in the Assembly polls. Among the United Democratic Front (UDF) allies, Indian Union Muslim League ( IUML) will be contesting on 27 seats, Kerala Congress, the splinter group headed by PJ Joseph having prominence in Christian dominated Kottayam-Idukki belt will field its candidates contesting on 10 seats.

Under the UDF banner, the Revolutionary Socialist Party ( RSP) will field its candidates on five seats while the Mani C Kappan-led faction that broke away from the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), ahead of assembly polls has been given two seats.

The election for 140-member Kerala Assembly will be held on April 6. The counting of votes will take place on May 2.

(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 United States did not accept Russian President Vladimir Putin's offer to hold a conversation with his US, counterpart, Joe Biden, the Russian Foreign Ministry said on Monday

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 22nd March, 2021) The United States did not accept Russian President Vladimir Putin's offer to hold a conversation with his US, counterpart, Joe Biden, the Russian Foreign Ministry said on Monday.

Last week, Biden said in an interview with the ABC news that Putin would have to "pay a price" for the alleged interference in the 2020 US presidential election. The US leader was also asked if he considers the Russian president a "killer" and he replied in the affirmative. Putin invited Biden to hold live talks on March 19 or March 22.

"We say with regret that the American side did not support the proposal of Russian President Vladimir Putin to hold a conversation with US President Joe Biden on March 19 or [March] 22 in the format of an open videoconference to discuss the bilateral problems, as well as issues of strategic stability," the ministry said in a statement.

The ministry also said that another opportunity to find a way out of the deadlock in the Moscow-Washington relations was missed and the US is to blame for it.
Point

Epithelial cell rests of Malassez derived from the periodontal ligament were transformed into progenitor stem-like cells by stimulation with epigenetic agents.

Subsequently, the progenitor stem-like cells were directly differentiated into endothelial, mesenchymal stem, and osteogenic cells that constitute the periodontal ligament. Background

Stem cells derived from the dental pulp or periodontal ligament have been used for regenerative dentistry. Although it is relatively easy to collect the dental pulp stem cells, it is difficult to obtain adequate numbers of good quality cells; a stable supply is required for their application in regenerative dentistry. In the present study, we generated the progenitor-stem-like cells from ERM cells in the periodontal ligament using the epigenetic modifications without gene transfer. The progenitor stem-like cells were differentiated into endothelial, mesenchymal stem, and osteogenic cells--which constitute the periodontal ligament--using a direct reprogramming method that induces the differentiation of progenitor stem cells into the target cells. Methods and Results

The isolated ERM cells were induced to differentiate into progenitor stem-like cells, which were similar to stem cells, following stimulation with the epigenetic agents, 5-Azacytidine and Valproic acid, for 1 week. The progenitor stem-like cells expressed the protein stem cell markers NANOG and OCT3/4, which were also observed in the iPS cells (Figure 1).

The progenitor stem-like cells were differentiated into endothelial, mesenchymal stem, and osteogenic cells. The expression of the specific marker for each cell type was confirmed (Figures 2 and 3). Future prospects

The findings of the present study may contribute to the development of new periodontal regenerative therapy. Epigenetic agents have been successfully applied in various human diseases, including cancers. Nonetheless, further investigations are needed to confirm the findings of this study.

###

Research grants

This research was supported by the Grant-in-Aid for Early-Career Scientists from the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (No. 18K17091). Press information

Press; Scientific Reports

Title; Direct reprogramming of epithelial cell rests of malassez into mesenchymal-like cells by epigenetic agents

Authors; Koki Yoshida, Osamu Uehara, Yoshihito Kurashige, Durga Paudel, Aya Onishi, Puja Neopane, Daichi Hiraki, Tetsuro Morikawa, Fumiya Harada, Rie Takai, Jun Sato, Masato Saitoh, Yoshihiro Abiko*. (*; Corresponding author)

Online publication date and Embargo; 20th January 2021 at 10 am (UK time).

DOI; 10.1038/s41598-020-79426-4 Contact About research

Yoshihiro Abiko, BA, DDS., Ph.D., Division of Oral Medicine and Pathology, Department of Human Biology and Pathophysiology, School of Dentistry, Health Sciences University of Hokkaido, 1757 Kanazawa, Ishikari-Tobetsu, Hokkaido, 061-0293, Japan

Tel. +81-133-23-1390 ; Fax. +81-133-23-1390 : e-mail: yoshi-ab@hoku-iryo-u.ac.jp Public relations

International Education and Exchange Center, Health Sciences University of Hokkaido, 1757 Kanazawa, Ishikari-Tobetsu, Hokkaido, 061-0293, Japan

Tel. +81-133-23-1211 : e-mail: globalnetworkingoffice@hoku-iryo-u.ac.jp
Former President Donald Trump slammed President Joe Biden for turning the migrant situation at the southern border into a full-fledged "national disaster" on Sunday. Trump also encouraged Biden to finish building a border wall in a statement issued Sunday evening after accusing the new administration of causing death and human disaster.

Trump claims the President turned the border into a 'national disaster'

Trump said, "Within few weeks, the Biden Administration turned a national victory into a national disaster." Since Trump left office, thousands of migrants have moved to the US-Mexico border, prompting the Biden administration to host unaccompanied children in migrant facilities, as per NY Post. Biden, who Republicans have mocked for reversing some of Trump's border measures, said on Sunday that he expects to visit the border "at some point."

Biden's Border Policies Cause Smuggling of People

After returning to the White House from Camp David, Biden told reporters that his administration is trying to ensure that future immigrants seeking asylum in the United States do so in their home countries. Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas speaking on Fox, NBC, ABC, and CNN, said that the United States would not remove unaccompanied children. Trump also slammed Mayorkas in his speech.

"Secretary Mayorkas' pathetic, clueless appearance on the Sunday Shows was a national disgrace," said the former president. "His self-satisfied presentation, released in the midst of a massive crisis he helped to create, proves that he is unfit to lead DHS," To protect the international crossing, Trump added that a border wall, which he made a focus of his first presidential campaign, is also needed.

On Sunday, Mayorkas blamed a lack of press access on the unfolding COVID-19 pandemic. He said that the Border Patrol agents concentrate on activities, border security, and meeting young children's needs. As his administration struggles with an influx of migrants at the border, Biden last week advised migrants not to make the trip to the United States. According to CBS News, the number of migrant children in U.S. detention has reached 15,000 for the first time.

Democrats Divided on Border Crisis, Biden Administration Loses Messaging Battle on Migrants

Migrants wanting to reach the US through the southern border increased

According to Mayorkas, the latest influx of migrants attempting to reach the United States via Mexico's southern border is the strongest in 20 years. There are reportedly 14,000 migrants in federal custody, with thousands expected to settle in the United States.

Although the Biden administration has stated that it is focusing on long-term immigration solutions, it does not have a mechanism to deal with the ongoing migration crisis. After Biden's win and the announcement that Trump's immigration policy will be overturned, career immigration officials predicted a massive surge, The Sun reported.

Since Biden's inauguration in January, the number of people met by border officials has risen significantly. Officials in the department have consistently blamed the present crisis on the Trump administration, arguing that Biden inherited a mess from Trump's immigration scheme. During an interview with ABC News's George Stephanopoulos, Biden said, "You have to try to get rid of the mess that was inherited."

President Joe Biden, VP Kamala Harris Extend Support to Asian Americans, Vow to Stand Against Racism

@ 2021 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
Only five percent of all coronavirus vaccine doses administered since the beginning of March have been from Johnson & Johnson.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 45.3 million Americans have received at least one COVID-19 vaccine dose since March 2.

Of that total, 43 million people were given either the Pfizer-BioNTech or the Moderna immunization.

Just 2.3 million received the one-shot J&J jab, raising questions about how soon the pharmaceutical company can get doses to the U.S.

But the firm insists it will deliver 20 million doses to America by the end of the month.

Since March 2, just 2.3 million coronavirus vaccine doses of the more than 45 million administered have been from Johnson & Johnson (above)

J&J has promised 20 million doses to the U.S. by the end of March, but has only delivered 4.3 million to date (file image)

J&J's vaccines combines genetic material from the new virus with the genes of the adenovirus - which causes the common cold - to induce an immune response.

It is the same technology the company used to make an experimental Ebola vaccine for people in the Democratic Republic of Congo in late 2019.

The J&J vaccine can be stored in normal refrigerator temperatures, making it easier to store than Pfizer or Moderna's vaccines, which use newer mRNA technology.

Additionally, the fact that J&J's inoculation is a single shot means it is easier to distribute, especially among people that have difficulty returning for a second appointment.

However, the average number of people receiving the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines is about nine times greater than those being given J&J.

In August 2020, the U.S. government signed an agreement to pay J&J more than $1 billion in exchange for 100 million doses of its vaccine.

The contract is priced at roughly $10 per vaccine dose, including a previous $456 million the government promised to J&J for vaccine development in March last year.

J&J has promised 20 million doses to the US by March 31, but only about 4.3 million doses have been delivered to date - a concern that White House officials expressed during a press briefing on Monday saying the company has 'a lot of increases to do to meets its supply goal.'

In addition, last week, only about one million people were given the one-shot jab, making up six percent of all doses administered.

'The information on our supply...still stands and we expect to deliver 20 million single-shot vaccines by the end of March,' a J&J spokeswoman told DailyMail.com in a statement.

On average, more than two million people are being vaccinated every day in the U.S.

As of Tuesday, more than 81.4 million Americans - 24.5% of the population - have received at least one dose and 44.1 million - 13.3% - are fully immunized

The authorization of the J&J vaccine by the FDA was supposed to help jump-start the nation's return to normalcy.

Instead, immunizations have lagged.

Two senior administration officials told Politico that they believe states are holding back doses to reach specific groups, such as homebound seniors.

However, several state officials, such as from Florida, have told the news organization they've used up all doses they received.

'You can't distribute the vaccine equitably if there aren't enough doses to distribute,' one unnamed health official told Politico.

The slowness of the rollout has made many wonder if the U.S. will be able to be somewhat back to normal by July 4 as President Joe Biden hopes.

As of Tuesday, more than 81.4 million Americans - 24.5 percent of the population - have received at least one dose and 44.1 million - 13.3 percent - are fully immunized.

More than two million people are being vaccinated every day.

On Monday, during a press briefing, the Biden administration also announced that FEMA would be opening a new federally-run community vaccination center in Washington state.

The site will be in Yakima County and will be able to administer up to 1,200 shots per day, according to White House COVID-19 senior adviser Andy Slavitt.

'Today we're taking another step in building an equitable and efficient response. The state of Washington will receive its first federal community vaccination site,' he said.

This marks the 22nd federally-run site that has opened this year, which have been administering a combined 100,00 shots every day

'All of the sites are in areas defined by the CDC is having a high social vulnerability rating,' Slavitt said.

'In fact, against a backdrop of inequity in vaccine distribution generally, and the severe toll taken by the virus on people of color, in federal vaccination centers, over 60% of the shots have gone to people of color.'
Srinagar, March 22 : Describing stone pelting as more serious an issue than terrorism, Inspector General Police Kashmir range Vijay Kumar said nobody will be allowed to disrupt peace in the valley by indulging in stone pelting.

Speaking to reporters at a press conference in Srinagar he said stone throwing incidents create a negative impact on tourism, the annual Amarnath Yatra and also lead to closure of schools and colleges.

He said law and order issues are a bigger worry for the security forces.

"Stone pelting is a larger issue that involves the society, so we are taking stone pelting more seriously," he said.

"We don't want schools to close, business activities to close and tourists stop coming, so law and order is a more serious issue for us," he said.

He said when there is an exchange of fire between militants and security forces locals are asked to come out of their residences. "Some locals resort to stone pelting near the encounter site," he said. "We handle them accordingly; we arrest them and book them under PSA." The IGP Kashmir said youth from neighbouring areas do not come to pelt stones at the encounter site.

He said a summer strategy is ready that includes setting up new naka points and shifting camps in some places.
SYLVANIA TOWNSHIP, Ohio  A police officer shot and killed a home burglary suspect during a foot pursuit Sunday morning, with the suspect reportedly claiming he was armed with a firearm and making threatening move toward the officer.

No weapon was found on the suspect after the shooting, police tell WTOL Channel 11.

WTVG Channel 13 reports that while running from the officer, the suspect reached into his waistband and turned toward the officer. He then raised his arm in a threatening manner, police say. The officer fired multiple times, hitting the unidentified suspect in the legs and face, WTVG reports.

In the end, there was no weapon recovered. It was just the suspect telling officers he had one, Police Chief Paul Long said during a news conference Sunday, according to WTOL.

The suspect, a 24-year-old Hispanic male, was taken to a hospital but died of his wounds. He reportedly was from a state that was not near Ohio, but no details were released.

WTOL reports the officer who fired the shots, Kyle Andrews, has been placed on administrative leave while the state Bureau of Criminal Investigation investigates the shooting. Andrews has been an officer in Sylvania Township for two years and has eight years of experience overall.

For the officer, its what he perceives and what he knows and the facts he knows. We dont have to wait for someone to shoot at us because the bottom line is if they shoot first, maybe were never shooting back, Long said, according to WTVG. Unfortunately thats happened across the country, its happened here locally with two Toledo officers in the last year.

WTOL reports this is the third shooting by a Sylvania Township police officer since 2020. Its the second fatal shooting.
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The technology transfer is expected to be completed in the Q2 of 2021 followed by full-scale commercial production of Sputnik V

The Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF) and Hyderabad based Virchow Biotech Private Limited (part of the Virchow Group), one of the leading vaccine and pharmaceutical producers in India, announce the agreement to produce in the country up to 200 million doses per year of Sputnik V, the worlds first registered vaccine against coronavirus.

The technology transfer is expected to be completed in the Q2 of 2021 followed by full-scale commercial production of Sputnik V. Virchow Biotech capacities will help facilitate global supply of Sputnik V to international partners of RDIF.

Kirill Dmitriev, CEO, Russian Direct Investment Fund, commented, Vaccine partnerships are the only way to overcome the pandemic. The world continues its fight against coronavirus and we see a growing interest in Sputnik V vaccine as it is one of the most efficient vaccines available. The agreement with Virchow Biotech is an important step to facilitate the full-scale local production of the vaccine in India and to supply our international partners globally.

Dr Tummuru Murali, Managing Director, Virchow Biotech, said, We are glad to sign a cooperation agreement with RDIF to produce the Sputnik V coronavirus vaccine. Virchows proven capabilities in large scale drug substance manufacturing should help meet the global demand for this vaccine. We are also happy to learn of the positive feedback that this vaccine has been receiving from all countries.
Credit where it's due . . . A recent editorial is based mostly on hearsay and speculation but it's entertaining and offers a glimpse at middle-class denizens flexing on police who were granting BLM protesters a great deal of leeway during suburban neighborhood protests.



Panicky souls might suggest this story reveals how quickly community frustration can escalate whilst more skeptical denizens might recognize tough talk and veiled threats as the strategy of cowards.

Check-it . . .
Source: Xinhua| 2021-03-22 19:54:45|Editor: huaxia

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KATHMANDU, March 22 (Xinhua) -- The Nepali government started census of the rhinoceros population on Monday in Chitwan National Park and Parsa National Park in central Nepal.

The census carried out every five years was supposed to be done last year but was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Last counting of the endangered species was done in 2015 when 645 rhinos were found across Nepal with 605 living in Chitwan National Park alone.

"The census has commenced Monday. We hope to complete the counting next three weeks," Haribhadra Acharya, spokesperson at the Department of National Parks and Wildlife Conservation, told Xinhua. "The results will be out within a month."

Acharya said the counting in Bardiya National Park and Shuklaphanta National Park will start on Wednesday and Friday respectively. The rhinoceros were spotted in the four national parks located in southern plains of the Himalayan nation.

As many as 300 people with an expertise in wildlife have been mobilized while 60 elephants are being used for travel in the jungle for the counting. The department had conducted a necessary training before starting the census.

Inaugurating the census at a ceremony held in the village of Sauraha in the Chitwan region, Minister for Forests and Environment Prem Bahadur Ale said he was very concerned about an increase in the death toll of rhinoceros.

"Rhinoceros have an immense contribution in Nepal's tourism as a huge number of tourists come to Nepal to see them," he said. "I direct all the concerned authority to take strong measures to control the poaching."

As many as 26 rhinos have been killed, including four by poachers in the current fiscal year beginning July 2020. Nepal started its rhino census from 1994 and this year marks the seventh of its kind.

Some 12.5 million Nepalese rupees (about 108,000 U.S. dollars) are planned to be spent in the rhino population census. Enditem
New Delhi, March 22 : The Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi (GNCTD) (Amendment) Bill, 2021 was passed by the Lok Sabha on Monday, providing a major setback to the Delhi government ruled by the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP).

The GNCTD (Amendment) Act, 2021 was introduced to enhance powers of the Lieutenant Governor (LG), vis-a-vis the elected government.

It may be recalled that the AAP government and Delhi Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal have been at loggerheads on the issue of constitutional power since 2015.

The AAP has been opposing the Bill since the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) led Centre said it will present it in the Lower House of Parliament.

To oppose the Centre's move, the AAP had protested at Jantar Mantar on March 17. Leading the protests, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal had accused the BJP of trying to run the Delhi government by proxy. Kejriwal had then raised a few questions: What would happen to the people of Delhi? What would happen to the Chief Minister? Why were the elections held, then? One big objection to the Act, which led to the AAP's protests was that the LG's opinion will have to be sought on decisions taken by the ministers. The Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi (Amendment) Bill, 2021, enhances the powers of the LG, who represents the Centre, in comparison to the national capital's elected government.

After the Bill was passed in Lok Sabha on Monday, Arvind Kejriwal said on Twitter, "Passage of GNCTD Amendment Bill in Lok Sabha today is an insult to the people of Delhi. The Bill effectively takes away powers from those who were voted by people and gives powers to run Delhi to those who were defeated. BJP has cheated the people."
Mitsui O.S.K. Lines, Ltd. (MOL) will invest in Norway-based Larvik Shipping AS, a ship management company for liquefied CO2 carriers, marking MOLs first foray into the liquefied CO 2 ocean transport business.

Liquefied CO 2 ocean transport plays a key role in carbon dioxide capture utilization and storage (CCUS) value chains as a means of effectively connecting collection sites with storage or usage sites. CCUS is drawing attention as a technology to collect and store CO 2 or use it effectively, and a step toward realizing a low-carbon society. According to a report by the International Energy Authority (IEA), CCUS targets a 15% reduction in cumulative CO 2 emissions by 2070. This is expected to contribute to a reduction of about 6.9 billion tons per year when carbon neutrality is achieved.

Larvik Shipping has managed industrial liquefied CO 2 tankers serving Europe for more than 30 years, and has a strong track record in safe transport of liquefied CO 2 and extensive cargo-handling know-how. MOL will soon enter the liquefied CO 2 ocean transport business, which is positioned for significant growth in step with the increasing adoption of CCUS.

MOL will contribute to further expansion of the business by combining its accumulated expertise and technological capabilities in safe operation with Larvik Shippings knowledge and solid experience. Both companies will discuss the adoption of larger ships with an eye toward expanding both upstream and downstream and in the CCUS value chain.
OTTAWA COUNTY, MI  The B.1.1.7 COVID-19 variant has been found in two more residents of Ottawa County, health officials said Monday, March 22.

The virus mutation was confirmed in one person younger than 20 years old and another person in their 20s, according to the Ottawa County Department of Public Health. Both cases had no travel history.

There have now been three confirmed cases of the virus mutation in Ottawa County. The first case was identified in a person under age 20 who had no travel history, the health department announced last week.

Related: U.K. variant of COVID-19 found in Ottawa County young person

The COVID-19 variant was first identified in the United Kingdom and has since been confirmed in several countries. Health officials say the mutation is concerning because it is estimated to be 50% more contagious and could lead to faster spread of the virus.

We are encouraging everyone who may have been exposed to COVID-19, or have symptoms of the disease, to please seek out testing, Ottawa County deputy health officer Marcia Mansaray said in a news release statement. Testing is more important than ever. If we cant find the virus, we cant stop it!

Health officials encouraged residents to get vaccinated once theyre eligible for the COVID-19 shot. The health department said the vaccines appear to be effective against the new variant.

With the high rate of transmissibility of the B.1.1.7 variant, vaccination is more important than ever, officials said in the news release.

On Monday, Michigan expanded its eligibility requirements to all residents 50 years and older, as well as younger residents with underlying health conditions. Vaccine appointments can be scheduled through local health department and retail pharmacies including Meijer, Walgreens and Ride Aid.

Michigan reported 616 cases of the B.1.1.7 variant as of March 12, according to the federal Centers for Disease Control. That is only second to Florida, which had 1,040 cases of the mutation.

There have been 6,390 cases of the B.1.1.7 COVID-19 variant across the U.S.

More on MLive:

Michigan adults with underlying health conditions now eligible for COVID-19 vaccine

4th coronavirus vaccine candidate reports successful U.S. trials

Michigan reports 4,801 new coronavirus cases, 6 new deaths for Sunday and Monday, March 21-22
IDEMIA, the global leader in Augmented Identity, today announced a top tier finish during the 2020 Biometric Technology Rally, hosted by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Science and Technology Directorate (S&T). The event tested how accurately algorithms could match images of subjects wearing face masks and IDEMIAs algorithm garnered a True Identification Rate (TIR) of over 90%.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210322005392/en/

(Photo: Business Wire)

In the face of the pandemic, the 2020 Biometric Technology Rally challenged the biometric industry to bring forward new algorithms that could correctly identify individuals while wearing face masks. During the rally, acquisition systems collected biometric images from a demographically diverse set of volunteers. The images were then processed by matching systems, which consisted of software systems driven by biometric algorithms. Notably, this Rally was specifically designed to see how these systems would hold up in real-life applications, including at airports or ports of entry.

IDEMIAs algorithm, along with three others, surpassed the Rally goal of a 99% TIR when identifying someone without a mask on. When the Rally switched to matching volunteers with a mask, IDEMIAs algorithm received over a 90% TIR, placing it as one of the top five algorithms during the rally.

"The strong performance of IDEMIAs matching algorithm at the Biometric Technology Rally is a testament to IDEMIAs 40+ years of leadership in the industry and our commitment to developing the best available solutions for public security, civil identity and border control challenges," said Lisa Sullivan, Vice President of Transportation at IDEMIA. "The 2020 Rally was truly an exciting event as we worked alongside other industry leaders to help enable a seamless identification process, even while individuals are wearing masks."

As the world continues to grapple with the pandemic, it is imperative that DHS is able to provide travelers with low-touch options when moving through high traveled areas. Additionally, with President Bidens recent policy changes around mask wearing, it will be vital for biometric algorithms to meet the rising need for contactless solutions. The 2020 Biometric Technology Rally and IDEMIAs algorithm shows the industry has made great strides in turning contactless solutions into reality  even with masks.

About IDEMIA

IDEMIA, the global leader in Augmented Identity, provides a trusted environment enabling citizens and consumers alike to perform their daily critical activities (such as pay, connect and travel), in the physical as well as digital space.

Securing our identity has become mission critical in the world we live in today. By standing for Augmented Identity, an identity that ensures privacy and trust and guarantees secure, authenticated and verifiable transactions, we reinvent the way we think, produce, use and protect one of our greatest assets  our identity  whether for individuals or for objects, whenever and wherever security matters. We provide Augmented Identity for international clients from Financial, Telecom, Identity, Public Security and IoT sectors. With close to 15,000 employees around the world, IDEMIA serves clients in 180 countries.

For further information, go to www.idemia.com and follow @IdemiaGroup on Twitter.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210322005392/en/
HOLLAND, MI  With the shuttered Marlenas Bistro & Pizzeria as backdrop, state Republican lawmakers on Monday, March 22, blamed partisan politics for the jailing of Holland restaurant owner Marlena Pavlos-Hackney.

Pavlos-Hackney is in the Ingham County Jail for allegedly violating court orders over her defiance of state rules intended to slow the spread of COVID-19.

State Sen. Aric Nesbitt of Lawton said the Holland restaurant owner is victim of a political attack by state Attorney General Dana Nessel and Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, both Democrats.

Its time to fully open up Michigan safely, he said, in a press conference across the street from the restaurant on Lincoln Avenue, just off U.S. 31.

Supporters of the restaurant owner waved flags, cheered the lawmakers and held signs that read: Stop Whitmers Tyrannical Rule Over Our Constitution! and Wake Up, America!!!

Pavlos-Hackney has a wide following. Her GoFundMe page has raised $240,000 so far for her legal fees.

She is held without bond.

A judge last week said she would be held until state prosecutors are convinced she has closed the restaurant while the legal process plays out.

Local and state health officials say she disregarded orders in mid-November to close and has openly defied authorities by refusing to require masks or social distancing.

Her food license has been suspended.

Its hard to believe  locked up in jail, day three, Meshawn Maddock, the state Republican Party co-chair said.

State Rep. Mary Whiteford, R-Casco Township, said the jailing of the business owner and closing of her restaurant are heart-breaking for Pavlos-Hackney, her family and the community.

She said customers should be able to decide if they want to patronize the restaurant.

They know the risk. They want to support a hard-working woman, she said.

Lawmakers did not directly respond to questions about the message sent to businesses that followed the states orders in response to the coronavirus.

State Rep. Steve Johnson, R-Wayland, said many are upset that Nessel has worked to jail a woman trying to make a living for herself and her workers but refuses to investigate the governors handling of COVID-19 in nursing homes.

He called the case against Pavlos-Hackney political bullying.

Nessels office issued a statement.

Marlena Pavlos-Hackney had countless opportunities to comply with even the most basic health and safety protocols to protect her community from the spread of COVID-19. She defied her local health department and the court at every turn, spokeswoman Kelly Rossman-McKinney said.

Nessel said last week: This owner has continued to willfully violate the states food laws, public health orders and the order of the court - a dangerous act that may have exposed dozens of diners and employees to the virus following the discovery that one of Marlenas customers tested positive for the virus within two days of eating there.

Pavlos-Hackney was arrested early Friday, March 19, by state police. Her restaurant opened for the day but was closed the next day and boarded up.

Read more:

Michigan restaurant owner to remain in jail on charge of violating COVID-19 orders

Marlenas Bistro supporters see restaurant closure as latest fight for freedom in pandemic

They can arrest me: Holland restaurant owner defies state coronavirus order
SUV

Designed with lots of styling improvements and sporting many technological advancements , the 70 series was Toyotas way of updating the FJ40 for the modern age without losing any of its innate off-roading abilities. Still, the model wasnt exactly official in the United States, so its a rather rare and interesting find whenever one pops up for sale.On this occasion, we have a 1990 Toyota Land Cruiser RJ70 that fortunately comes with left-hand drive because it reportedly spent most of its compact off-roading career somewhere in Switzerland; you know, that European country famous for its neutrality, great winter adventures, mountains, and lilac-colored cows.Its up for grabs from a private party that recently imported thein America (September 2020) after owning the Land Cruiser for around two years. Although its more appropriately dressed up for some desert action thanks to its beige exterior paint job and tan cloth upholstery, the RJ70 actually comes with a clean New Hampshire title.The compact Troop carrier has neatly contrasting exterior details, such as the black grille, bumpers, mirrors, steps, and even the mud guards. Before going for a virtual ride inside the cockpit, another element of interest is the rear door assembly, which provides easy access to the trunk area in a very appropriate van-like way.Inside the cabin, there are front seats with a tan cloth pattern and brown sides that get matched by the door trim and the foldable rear seats. A quick look at the instrumentation will reveal one of the main assets of this ridethe odometer reads less than 29,000 kilometers (which is around 18,000 miles). That's rather uncommon for an SUV thats more than three decades old.Even better, the 2.4-liter 22R-E inline-four delivers its 112 horsepower to all four wheels through a five-speed manual gearbox and a dual-range transfer case. Theres just one issue: there isnt much time left on the auction clock for anyone to ponder if this is the right Land Cruiser. But it could be an easy pick; after all, its up for grabs at no reserve.
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Chennai: Air Customs officials at Chennai arrested six international passengers for smuggling gold and foreign currency via different means including concealment in wigs, socks, innerwear, rectum.

According to a statement issued by the Air Intelligence Unit (AIU), the arrested passengers have been identified as Balu Ganesan (42), Anbazhagan (24), A Thamin Ansari (26), Syed Ahamedulla (22), Santhosh Selvam (33), and Abdullah (35).

Based on intelligence, officials intercepted Magroob Akbarali of Ramanathapuram and Zubair Hassan Rafiyutheen of Chennai, who arrived from Dubai by FlyDubai FZ8515.

According to officials, the passengers were examined as their hairstyles raised suspicion. On examination they were found to be wearing wigs over their partly tonsured heads. Two gold paste packets weighing 595 grams were found concealed under their wigs.

In another incident, at least 622 grams of gold was confiscated from Balu Ganesan who arrived via the same flight. The former was smuggling three bundles of gold. The passenger was also arrested.

On Saturday, Air Customs officials intercepted and frisked another passenger from whom four packets of gold paste weighing 1.5 kg was recovered from inside his socks and stitched inside his inner garment. On extraction 1.33 kg gold valued at Rs. 62 lakhs was recovered and seized.

Additionally, A Thamin Ansari, a resident of Chennai, who was the receiver of gold was also nabbed from outside the airport when he approached the passenger to take the gold. Both smuggler and receiver were arrested.

Over 10 Tola gold bars with foreign marking weighing 933 grams, valued at Rs. 43.30 lakhs were also seized after rummaging of Indigo Flight 6E 66. The gold bars were found in a cloth bag concealed in the hollow pipe beneath one of the aircraft seats.

Officials also intercepted and frisked Dubai and Sharjah returnees Syed Ahamedulla, Santhosh Selvam and Abdullah, as their hairstyles seemed suspicious. They were found to be having partly tonsured heads and wearing wigs, under which three gold paste packets weighing 2.41 kgs were concealed and all the three passengers were arrested. On extraction, 2.08 kg gold valued at Rs. 96.57 lakhs was recovered and seized under Customs Act.

In another case, four passengers bound for Sharjah by flights 6E8415 and G9472, were intercepted in the departure terminal after they had cleared immigration and were proceeding towards the security hold area. In search of their suspicious hairstyles, 67500 Saudi Riyals, 4750 USD, 6500 Dirhams, 800000 Takas were found concealed under their wigs and pant pockets.

Foreign currency worth Rs. 24.06 lakhs was recovered and seized under Customs Act read with FEMA regulations 2015.

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For most of the last 12 months, Paul Smiths life at his retirement community has been intensely restrictive. Ever since nursing homes and long-term care facilities became ground zero for the COVID-19 pandemic, the wide range of amenities offered at Buckner Parkway Place in Houston have been severely curtailed.

Swimming pools, recreation and exercise programs were shut down. The on-site cinema shuttered. Interaction with other residents was limited to small tables in the cafeteria, separated by plastic. One of the only activities permitted was solitary hours in the communitys wood shop, where Smith could tinker with small chairs and toys.

Weve been able to go there and work, Smith said. We feel good about that.

But after receiving the second and final dose of the COVID-19 vaccine in February, Smith, 86, and his wife, Virginia, 90, will soon be able to reclaim some of the comforts and freedom of retirement they were accustomed to.

No longer will the Smiths have to share meals with other couples at Buckner separated by a plastic screen at their table. They can even go out to the grocery store, as long as they check in and provide a detailed account of where theyve gone after leaving the facility.

We were very happy to get the vaccination and to get the doors open a little bit for us, Smith said.

While Texas has lagged behind most states in getting its eligible population vaccinated, senior residents of long-term care facilities have, by some metrics, proved to be a notable exception.

As of Sunday, only 12.9 percent of Texans were fully vaccinated  the fourth-worst rate in the country  while 11.2 percent of the state has received at least one dose, according to a Houston Chronicle analysis. But only two states, California and Pennsylvania, have more fully vaccinated long-term care residents than Texas, with 173,088, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

State data, however, paints a more complicated picture. The Texas Health and Human Services Commission, which regulates all of the states registered long-term care facilities, reported out of more than 2,600 facilities, 77,803 of nursing home and assisted living residents have been fully vaccinated, while 91,603 have received at least one dose. According to the Department of State Health Services data, there are 271,813 long-term care residents eligible for the COVID-19 vaccine, although that includes adult day care and activity centers, as well as intermediate care for people with intellectual disabilities.

The gulf between the state and federal data can likely be attributed to the CDCs much broader definition of a long-term care facility. While the HHSC released data only for nursing homes and assisted living facilities, the CDC includes a plethora of senior housing in its vaccination numbers: skilled nursing facilities, continuing care retirement communities, residential care communities, adult family homes, federal supportive housing for seniors, state-run veterans homes and any senior housing where individuals receive care or supervision.

Advocates were disappointed the HHSC didnt include the broader definition of long-term care facilities after months of delaying the release of data. Without a clear census of how many residents and staff are in each facility, they say, its difficult to get an accurate read on how high the vaccination rate is.

Were hearing that (the vaccination) rate among residents is pretty high, said Amanda Fredriksen, state director of outreach and advocacy for AARP Texas. But until you see the numbers, its really hard to confirm that. The (long-term care) staff numbers, were hearing a lot like 50 percent, which is concerning.

The accuracy of comprehensive data on long-term care facilities has implications for whether the state will issue revised COVID-19 guidance for long-term care residents, now that Gov. Greg Abbott has rescinded the states mask mandate and ended restrictions on businesses.

The percentage of (long-term care residents) getting vaccinated, I really expect will be influential in policymaking for long-term care facilities, said Patricia Ducayet, the states long-term care ombudsman. If (seniors) are highly vaccinated, that should have an effect on their rights being restored.

The federal Pharmacy Partnership for Long-Term Care Program, which is tasked with facilitating on-site vaccination of residents and staff, has reduced the burden on long-term care facilities to manage the vaccination process.

The program allows large chain pharmacies such as CVS and Walgreens to enroll directly with the CDC and receive shipments of the vaccine at multiple locations across the state. Those pharmacies can then partner with local long-term care facilities  defined by the expansive federal criteria  to set up clinics for their residents.

The pharmacy partnership guarantees three vaccine clinics for long-term care providers, enough for residents and staff to get the required two doses of the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines. Though with most of those clinics now complete, providers are now wondering how to get continued access for residents and staff who might have been initially hesitant to get vaccinated.

How are we going to get these vaccines for staff who did not get it, new employees that will be starting with us, new patients and residents and seniors that will be moving in? said Abraham Mathew, executive director of Buckner Parkway Place in Houston. CVS and Walgreens said we can have only three clinics on your site, which weve done. So we really need some help on how we can have access to these vaccines on an ongoing basis.

Advocates worry that some seniors and long-term care staff and residents are falling through the cracks after the state opened up its priority list to all Texans over the age of 50 on March 15. State legislators have raised the issue that some facilities missed the registration window for the federal pharmacy partnership.

State Rep. Steve Toth, R-The Woodlands, said roughly one-quarter of long-term care facilities in Montgomery County failed to sign up for vaccines.

Regulated facilities needed to just simply reach out to the county health department and get put on a list and, you know, get in line, Toth said. And they just never did it.

The Texas Department of State Health Services is still allowing facilities to register for the pharmacy partnership, Toth said, and would still be at the front of the line to get vaccinated.

Vaccine data provided by DSHS shows significant racial disparities among all seniors as well. As of Sunday, 667,242 white seniors have been fully vaccinated, compared with 190,920 Hispanic seniors, 70,013 Black seniors and 59,724 Asian seniors.

Homebound seniors, who are not clearly accounted for in any state data, also may be having trouble gaining access to vaccines, particularly when waiting lists require some level of fluency with technology.

How do we get homebound seniors outside of these (retirement) communities access to vaccine, low-income senior affordable housing access to this vaccine? said Alyse Meyer, vice president of advocacy for LeadingAge Texas, a nonprofit representing aging services providers.

In the meantime, long-term care facilities with large numbers of vaccinated residents and staff are still awaiting updated guidance from the state as to whether they, too, can loosen restrictions.

Abbotts ending of the state mask mandate notably did not include long-term care facilities. A previous executive order signed by Abbott in September allowed residents at facilities that meet certain standards  such as not having a recent COVID-19 outbreak  to have indoor visits from up to two designated essential caregivers who have tested negative for the virus.

Ducayet, Texass long-term care ombudsman, said she is concerned that the state has created two separate sets of rules for seniors and the general population. Specifically, long-term care staffers have freedoms not granted to the people they care for, which could put seniors at risk.

People who work in (long-term care) facilities and go home, that level of risk is elevated by policies changing or orders changing by the state government, Ducayet said. What may be the outcome is well see new cases in our facilities, and thatll mean facilities get locked down again, where most visitation isnt allowed. It does seem unfair to me.

Correction: A previous version of this story stated that 28 percent of nursing home residents have been fully vaccinated out of 271,813 across the state in nearly 2,600 facilities, while 33 percent have received at least one dose. The exact vaccination rate is unknown because the Department of State Health Services and Texas Health and Human Services Commission's respective vaccine data sets include different definitions of long-term care residents.

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Durham, NC - The standard of treatment for bone tumors is often two-fold: surgery to remove the cancerous section followed by radiation therapy to ensure all the cancerous cells have been killed off. This is an effective way to defeat bone tumors; however, it often results in large bone defects and hampers wound healing because of extensive tissue cutoff and irradiation-induced tissue damage. A new study published in STEM CELLS Translational Medicine demonstrates how stem cells primed with ferulic acid can repair such bone damage and how this occurs. The information this study provides could aid in the development of new treatments for irradiated bone injuries.

Heng Zhu, M.D., Ph.D., of the Beijing Institute of Radiation Medicine (BIRM), and Li Ding, M.D., Ph.D., of the Air Force Medical Center in the People's Republic of China, were co-corresponding authors of the paper. BIRM colleagues Jia-Wu Liang, M.D, and Pei-Lin Li, M.D., were co-first authors.

"One prime concern of radiation therapy is that it impairs the 'stemness' of skeletal stem cells (SSCs), meaning that it affects their ability to self-renew and differentiate, which are assets critical to bone regeneration and repair," said Dr. Zhu. "Despite this, little information is available regarding the change in SSC stemness after irradiation and the related underlying regulatory factors. This limits our level of understanding regarding SSC-based bone regeneration."

While seeking a way to restrict radiation's harmful effects on SSCs, Dr. Zhu and his team became interested in ferulic acid (FA). FA is a potent antioxidant commonly found in fruits and vegetables that exhibits strong anti-inflammatory properties and has been widely applied in the prevention of cardiovascular disease, diabetes, cancer and more. It is also known to alleviate radiation-induced stem cell damage.

"Given the fundamental role of SSCs in bone regeneration and the potential role of FA in irradiation protection, we hypothesized that FA combined with SSCs might be effective in reconstructing irradiated bone defects. We explored this idea using an in vitro cell model and an in vivo animal model. Moreover, the cellular and molecular mechanisms underlying the protective effects of FA on SSCs were also investigated," Dr. Ding said.

For the in vitro phase of their study, the researchers seeded irradiated SSCs and nonirradiated SCCs onto culture plates and then added FA at different concentrations to determine the potential effects of FA on SSC proliferation, differentiation and self-renewal.

To explore the repairing capacity of SSC on irradiated bone defects in an animal model, the hind limbs and lower abdomens of mice were locally irradiated and then bone defect surgeries were conducted an hour later. Nonirradiated mice that underwent surgery served as bone defect controls. Microcryogels that had been seeded with either FA-primed SSCs or SSCs alone were then injected into the bone defect areas of the irradiated mice. The same concentration of microcryogel without SSCs was used in another group of irradiated animals, as a control. Finally, to study the effects of FA on bone repair, FA solution was injected into irradiated bone defects.

The results were then evaluated at intervals of one, two and three weeks post-radiation. They showed that FA significantly rescued the radiation-induced impairment of SSCs by activating the p38/MAPK and ERK/MAPK pathways, which are chains of proteins in cells that communicate signals from receptors on a cell's surface to its DNA. As such, they play an important role in proliferation, differentiation, development, transformation, apoptosis and other complex cellular programs.

Moreover, the FA substantially enhanced the bone repair effects of SSCs in the irradiated bone defect mice.

"This work unveils that FA promotes the maintenance of skeletal stem cells' stemness after irradiation. It also defined activation of the p38/MAPK and ERK/MAPK pathways as the molecular underlying mechanism governing FA activity," said Dr. Liang "Notably, our data shows that SSC is very sensitive to irradiation and exhibits impaired stemness, which adds new information to understanding bone osteoporosis and hindered bone repair post-radiation."

"While several studies previously published have shown that FA can enhance and improve stem cell self-renewal and that its activity is mediated through activation of p38/MAPK and ERK/MAPK pathways, ours is the first to demonstrate that FA enhances the bone repair effects of SSCs," Dr. Li added. "As such, we believe that targeting SSCs has potential as a novel strategy in treating irradiated bone injury."

"In the current study, promising data demonstrates that stem cells combined with ferulic acid, a potent antioxidant agent, enhanced the bone repair effects of skeletal stem cells in an irradiated bone defect," said Anthony Atala, M.D., Editor-in-Chief of STEM CELLS Translational Medicine and Director of the Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine. "These findings could someday lead to new treatment standards for bone tumors."

###

The full article, "Ferulic acid promotes bone defect repair after radiation by maintaining the stemness of skeletal stem cells," can be accessed at https:/ / stemcellsjournals. onlinelibrary. wiley. com/ doi/ abs/ 10. 1002/ sctm. 20-0536 .

About STEM CELLS Translational Medicine:

STEM CELLS Translational Medicine (SCTM), co-published by AlphaMed Press and Wiley, is a monthly peer-reviewed publication dedicated to significantly advancing the clinical utilization of stem cell molecular and cellular biology. By bridging stem cell research and clinical trials, SCTM will help move applications of these critical investigations closer to accepted best practices. SCTM is the official journal partner of Regenerative Medicine Foundation.

About AlphaMed Press:

Established in 1983, AlphaMed Press with offices in Durham, NC, San Francisco, CA, and Belfast, Northern Ireland, publishes two other internationally renowned peer-reviewed journals: STEM CELLS, celebrating its 39th year, is the world's first journal devoted to this fast paced field of research. The Oncologist, also a monthly peer-reviewed publication, entering its 26th year, is devoted to community and hospital-based oncologists and physicians entrusted with cancer patient care. All three journals are premier periodicals with globally recognized editorial boards dedicated to advancing knowledge and education in their focused disciplines.

About Wiley:

Wiley, a global company, helps people and organizations develop the skills and knowledge they need to succeed. Our online scientific, technical, medical and scholarly journals, combined with our digital learning, assessment and certification solutions, help universities, learned societies, businesses, governments and individuals increase the academic and professional impact of their work. For more than 200 years, we have delivered consistent performance to our stakeholders. The company's website can be accessed at http://www. wiley. com .

About Regenerative Medicine Foundation (RMF):

The non-profit Regenerative Medicine Foundation fosters strategic collaborations to accelerate the development of regenerative medicine to improve health and deliver cures. RMF pursues its mission by producing its flagship World Stem Cell Summit, honouring leaders through the Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine Action Awards, and promoting educational initiatives.
EDWARDSVILLE  While helping to bring the community together, the Edwardsville Rotary Club is also doing its part to help people in need.

On Saturday at Edwardsville American Legion Post 199, the club held its fifth annual food packaging event for the hungry in Nicaragua.

The event was held in conjunction with the NiCE (Nicaragua Christian Education) Foundation of Highland.

It seems like each year we increase the amount that we do, said Marc Voegele, president of the Edwardsville Rotary Club. Last year, we did 12,000 food packets and our goal this year was 15,000, but we ended up with 17,280.

The enthusiasm of the volunteers was especially satisfying for Voegele.

As you can tell from the energy in the room, its exciting and everyone has a smile on their face, Voegele said. Where else can you go on a Saturday morning and help feed more than 17,000 people?

Saturdays event featured about 80 volunteers from a variety of organizations, including the Edwardsville Rotary Club, the NiCE Foundation, Highland Rotary Club, Rotary Club of the Riverbend from Alton, Silver Creek Rotary from Troy, SIUE Rotaract Club, Edwardsville High School Interact Club, the Edwardsville High School CEO Program, Express Employment, Goshen Rotary Club and Infinite Wellness.

The NiCE Foundation came to Edwardsville several years ago and did a program and it struck a chord with our membership, Voegele said. We wanted to do something to help.

The Edwardsville Rotary Club board votes on and the membership approves the money to buy the food and other supplies and this year it was $5,250. We invite the other clubs because this is an opportunity for the Rotary clubs in the Metro East to come together and do something. We see a lot of familiar faces each year.

For NiCE Foundation volunteer Bob Sylvester, the foundations partnership with Edwardsville Rotary Club and other local organizations for the food packaging event is a perfect example of how people can come together to make a difference.

People are happy to throw a few dollars in a hat to help other people do something, but this is an event where you bring the community together and youre doing something for a common cause, Sylvester said.

I went around the tables and the morale is so high. I think they wish they could pack 50,000 meals.

For Sylvester, the commitment to helping Nicaragua goes far beyond Saturdays event.

I retired from the Air Force in 2019 after 33 years and I was waiting to see where God was going to have me serve, and He gave me the NiCE Foundation, Sylvester said. Ive only been with the foundation for about 18 months and my very first food packaging was the one here with the Edwardsville Rotary Club last year.

Our focus is on three areas  educating children in a Christian environment, feeding children so they are not hungry when they go to school, and mission trips to support churches and Christian schools.

Sylvester, who has been on several mission trips, has no doubt about the importance of the foundations mission, especially when it comes to feeding people in Nicaragua.

The education rate in Nicaragua is probably the lowest in the Caribbean and Latin America, Sylvester said. Their malnutrition rate is nearly twice that of the rest of the region. Thats why this is such an important mission.

The event started with setup at 8 a.m. Saturday and volunteers started packaging food at 9 a.m.

By 10:45 a.m., they were finished and packing 80 boxes of food on a truck to go to Highland before the food eventually goes to Nicaragua.

Everyone has a specific role in the food packaging process, much like an assembly line.

Someone at a station scoops out a measured portion of rice, someone scoops a portion of soy and someone scoops a portion of vegetables and protein, Voegele said. Its measured to confirm the right amount and changed if needed. Then its sealed, boxed, packaged and labeled and we stack up the boxes.

As with nearly everything in the past year, the COVID-19 pandemic forced some changes to the food packaging event.

But for Voegele and his fellow volunteers, the adjustments were relatively minor.

This year everyone is wearing masks, but we normally wear hairnets and use hand sanitizer, and gloves are available as well, Voegele said.

For the most part, though, everything went smoothly.

We had one issue this morning. I left the boxes back in Highland and I had to drive back and get them, Sylvester said. Otherwise, its a well-oiled machine and you can tell theyve done this before. We feel really blessed and so are the children of Nicaragua for their help.

For Brian Mulhall, a past president of the Edwardsville Rotary Club, the annual event has become a highlight of the clubs schedule.

This is a multiple-year project for us that we are honored to be a part of, Mulhall said. We have kids here that are 4 or 5 years old and we have people in their 80s, and everywhere in between.

Rotary stands for service above self and a day like today is where you pitch in to help others around the world that may not know where their next meal is coming from.

Steve Grant, another past president of the club, was thrilled with the turnout and the number of meal packages prepared.

We had the folks from the NiCE Foundation at an Edwardsville Rotary meeting years ago and we liked it so much that we wanted to help them out, Grant said. It not only gets our club together, but we have clubs from all over the area.

Its a nice morning where we can make a difference and help other people out. We help people in our community, but we also help people around the world.

After the food is packed, it goes to a warehouse in Highland where it awaits shipment to Nicaragua.

Once every quarter, we have a container that comes in and we load it, Sylvester said. Half of it is filled with food and half is filled with school supplies and other items.

At that point, its loaded onto a truck, which goes to Miami, and then its loaded on a ship which goes through the Panama Canal to Nicaragua. The only person we pay is in Nicaragua and he helps with customs and mission teams.

For more information about the NiCE Foundation, visit https://www.thenicefoundation.org/, email thenicefoundation2020@gmail.com or call 618-882-6090.
Source: Xinhua| 2021-03-22 17:16:00|Editor: huaxia

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BEIJING, March 22 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping on Monday exchanged congratulations with Emir of Kuwait Sheikh Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah on the 50th anniversary of the establishment of the two countries' diplomatic relations.

In his congratulatory message, Xi said he attaches great importance to the development of China-Kuwait relations, and is willing to work with the Kuwaiti emir to take the 50th anniversary as an opportunity to carry forward the traditional friendship and deepen cooperation in various fields within the framework of the Belt and Road Initiative, so as to bring benefits to the two countries and peoples.

Xi said the traditional friendship between the two countries has withstood the test of time and grown even stronger since the establishment of diplomatic ties 50 years ago.

In recent years, the two countries have formed a strategic partnership, continuously deepened mutual political trust and achieved fruitful results in cooperation in various fields, Xi said, adding that both sides understand and support each other on issues of the other's core interests and major concerns, and have closely coordinated in international and regional affairs.

Since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, Xi said, the two sides have worked together to fight the disease, which demonstrates the high level of China-Kuwait relations.

For his part, the Kuwaiti emir said that Kuwait-China relations are strong and continuing to develop and deepen.

The two sides have cooperated on major projects within the framework of their strategic partnership, maintained communication and coordination on international and regional issues and jointly safeguarded world peace and security, he said.

The two countries have carried out active coordination and close cooperation in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic, he said, adding that he is looking forward to further strengthening the bilateral relations and enhancing their cooperation in various fields.

On the same day, Chinese Premier Li Keqiang also exchanged congratulatory messages with Kuwaiti Prime Minister Sheikh Sabah Khaled Al-Hamad Al-Sabah.

In his message, Li said that since China and Kuwait established diplomatic ties 50 years ago, bilateral relations have developed smoothly with both sides increasingly deepening their mutual political trust and steadily advancing the Belt and Road cooperation.

The two countries have also gained fruitful results in cooperation in such fields as energy, infrastructure, finance and people-to-people exchanges, with mutual understanding and friendship between the two peoples continuing to grow, Li added.

China is ready to work with the Kuwaiti side to push forward their strategic partnership to achieve greater development, Li added.

The Kuwaiti prime minister said in his message that friendly ties between Kuwait and China are sound and close, and bilateral cooperation has achieved fruitful results.

The Kuwaiti side highly values the friendly relations with China, and hopes to continue to work with China to promote their strategic relations in all aspects and meet the expectations of their friendly countries and peoples, he said. Enditem
March 29 YONGALA WRECKAGE WASHED UP ON THE COAST. CARGO FROM LOWER HOLD. NO TRACE OF PASSENGERS OR CREW. ALL HOPE ABANDONED. TOTAL OF 141 SOULS ON BOARD. The worst is feared. Wreckage cast ashore at Cape Bowling Green, on the Queensland coast, has been identified as having came from the missing steamer Yongala, concerning which there has been great anxiety for some days past.

March 27 YONGALA MISSING. GRAVE ANXIETY. TWO DAYS OVERDUE IN THE NORTH. SEARCH STEAMERS OUT. BRISBANE, Sunday. The Adelaide Companys steamer Yongala, 3663 tons, in command of Captain Knight, on her usual trip north, left Mackay on Thursday at 1.40 p.m. for Townsville, and had not arrived there up till this morning.

The Yongala is known to have met with the full force of the cyclonic storm which was experienced in the north towards the end of last week, and all hope for her safety has now been practically abandoned. There was some slight hope up to yesterday morning, despite the fact that the vessels sent in search could find no sign of her; but the wreckage washed ashore at Cape Bowling Green, a notoriously treacherous spot, and elsewhere, is ominous, and little hope remains.

The Yongala had on board 141 souls all told  a crew of 73 and 68 passengers in all classes. It is feared that all have been lost.

IN THE TEETH OF THE GALE.



The Yongala, which was built in 1903, belonged to the Adelaide S.S. Company. On Thursday afternoon last, at 20 minutes to 2, she left Mackay for Townsville, with Captain Knight in charge. Townsville is 208 miles distant from Mackay, and the steamer was due to reach there during Friday night or early on Saturday morning.

When Saturday night came, and she had not arrived, some uneasiness was felt, in view of the stormy weather that had been reported along the coast; but it was hardly thought that disaster had overtaken the vessel, for she had the name of being a stanch and comfortable sea boat. Sunday came, and there was still no sign of her, and the anxiety increased. It was at first thought she had been obliged to seek shelter, but when she failed to put in an appearance on Sunday there was genuine alarm. Still it was not thought by the owners that she had met with anything more serious than a mishap to her machinery, and the search was continued in the hope that she was drifting and would be picked up.
RTHK: Extradited North Korean citizen appears in US court

A North Korean citizen accused by the United States of laundering money to circumvent US and UN sanctions over his country's nuclear weapons programme appeared in a US court on Monday after extradition from Malaysia.

The US Justice Department said Mun Chol Myong, a businessman it said was affiliated North Korea's primary intelligence organisation, the Reconnaissance General Bureau, was the first North Korean ever extradited to the United States.

It said Mun appeared in federal court in Washington, where he was indicted in May 2019 on six counts of money laundering, including conspiracy to commit money laundering.

Mun was arrested in Malaysia in 2019 after the United States accused him of laundering funds through front companies and issuing fraudulent documents to support illicit shipments to North Korea. He denied the allegations, saying they were politically motivated.

North Korea said on Friday it would sever diplomatic relations with Malaysia after the extradition.

It called it a "nefarious act and unpardonably heavy crime" by Malaysian authorities, who had "offered our citizen as a sacrifice of the US hostile move in defiance of the acknowledged international laws."

North Korea warned that Washington, "the backstage manipulator and main culprit of this incident," would be "made to pay a due price."

John Demers, US assistant attorney general for national security, said Mun's actions were aimed at evading both US and UN sanctions.

"We will continue to use the long reach of our laws to protect the American people from sanctions evasion and other national security threats," he said in a statement.

Alan Kohler, assistant director of the FBI's counterintelligence division, said bringing overseas defendants to justice was one of the division's biggest challenges, especially in the case of North Korea.

"We hope he will be the first of many," he said.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said last week the Biden administration will complete a review of U.S. policy toward North Korea in the next few weeks. (Reuters)

This story has been published on: 2021-03-22. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
Armenia MFA information department chief: All deputy FMs carrying out their duties

Ardshinbank invited children to the cinema on International Childrens Day

Armenia judiciary to have 10 more judges

Armenia acting premier: We had recorded 40% increase in tax revenues according to 2019 results

Armenia acting PM on Artsakh war casualties bodies: We have 50 remains in which case DNA was not separated

Azerbaijan authorities plan to "squeeze" everything from "terrorist show" related to Armenian captives

Ameriabank Announces a Contest for Bank Card Design

108 new cases of COVID-19 confirmed in Armenia

Armenia parliament convenes special session

Armenia interim government holding Cabinet meeting

Catholicos of All Armenians heads for Syunik Province, Artsakh

World oil prices going up

Iran loses right to vote in UN General Assembly

Newspaper: Armenia authorities come up with new way of punishing unwanted characters

Newspaper: Russia army Southern Military District deputy commander to arrive in Yerevan Thursday

Lebanese Armenian man taken prisoner by Azerbaijan is hospitalized

Armenia ex-President Kocharyan: Are we getting under the burden? Then lets get under to the end

Armenia acting health minister on keeping fallen soldiers bodies in bags: What else should they be kept in?

Armenia acting health minister on citizens' demand for her resignation

Karabakh's new State Minister Artak Beglaryan on his appointment and future activities

Armenian, Russian and Azerbaijani representatives hold consultations in Moscow

2 Armenian soldiers receive slight injuries after incident with Azerbaijani servicemen in Armenia's Gegharkunik

Armenian boy weighing 5 kg born at Goris Medical Center

"Armenia" bloc representative presents purpose of participation in elections and plans

Isaac Herzog elected President of Israel

Rouhani: Main issues between Tehran, Washington resolved in Vienna

Charles Michel calls on Armenia and Azerbaijan to resume constructive negotiations

US Department of State responds to Pashinyan's proposal to deploy international observers on Armenia-Azerbaijan border

Head of Armenia 2nd President's Office: Robert Kocharyan's public meetings are held in warm atmosphere

Opposition "Armenia" bloc's representative on photos and videos showing bags of deceased servicemen's bodies

Armenia Ombudsman, AGBU President discuss war crimes committed by Azerbaijan during Karabakh war

Opposition "Armenia" bloc's representatives to hold briefings three times a week

Opposition "Armenia" bloc member: Blood-freezing photos and videos from morgue in Abovyan are authorities' reflection

Yerevan mayor receives Netherlands Ambassador

Armenia Health Ministry, Investigative Committee keep info about sending remains of dead soldiers abroad confidential

Armenia Prosecutor General's Office launches case regarding leaving sacs of servicemen's bodies/remains in basement

Peskov: Putin and Biden to discuss cybersecurity issues

Armenia's Pashinyan meets with Belgian PM Alexander De Croo

Armenia acting MOD receives Netherlands Ambassador

Armenia Police: 3 citizens apprehended during protest demanding acting health minister's resignation

NATO warns Minsk about further consequences of Ryanair incident

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
Treasurer Frydenberg Considers Overhaul for JobMaker Scheme

The Morrison governments $4 billion JobMaker hiring credit scheme has been snubbed by employers, forcing Treasurer Josh Frydenberg to make changes to it in the upcoming May budget.

The scheme, which was expected to create a total of 450, 000 jobs in two and a half years, has so far failed to generate any real success, with only 521 jobs being createdfar from the Treasurys expectation of seeing 10,000 jobs by this stage. Currently, the hiring credit has had 15,000 registrations and paid out only $800,000 so far.

While the JobMaker program is still in its early stages, given the take-up to date, the government will examine its criteria and settings in the context of the budget, Frydenberg told the Australian Financial Review on Monday.

Announced in the October 2020 budget by the federal government, the JobMaker scheme aimed to help younger people obtain a job in the post-pandemic economy by rewarding employers $200 every week for a new hire aged 16 to 29 and $100 for a new hire aged 30 to 35.

This meant that employers could receive up to $10,400 for younger employees and $5200 for those aged 30-35 over a year. But employers must be eligible for the scheme, and they can only access the package if they hire young employees between Oct. 7, 2020 and Oct. 6, 2021.

Treasurer Josh Frydenberg reacts during Question Time in the House of Representatives at Parliament House on March 16, 2021, in Canberra, Australia. (Sam Mooy/Getty Images)

The Treasury believes the slow uptake of the JobMaker scheme is due to the increasing levels of employment across the country.

Last week, the ABS released data showing that the countrys overall unemployment rate had decreased from 6.3 percent in January to an unexpected 5.8 percent in February, which is only 0.6 percent points above the March 2020 figures.

In February, the unemployment rate fell from 6.3 per cent to 5.8 per cent, with 88,700 jobs created. Importantly, more than 40 per cent of these jobs went to young people, Frydenberg reportedly told the Australian. Employment is now back at pre-pandemic levels while the participation rate remains at a record high  These factors have contributed to fewer businesses taking up the credit.

Frydenberg also said that while there would be some changes to the schemes eligibility criteria, he insisted that the 16 to 35 age limit for workers remains unchanged.

Jim Chalmers, the opposition treasury spokesman, said last year that it is vital that the new wage subsidy scheme is better designed, better implemented and better monitored than JobKeeper, which will end on March 28.
The NSW Police Force has implored survivors of sexual assault to come forward with their stories after fallen NRL star Jarryd Hayne was convicted of raping a woman in her Newcastle home in 2018.

Hayne, 33, had denied assaulting the woman, saying the incident in her bedroom had been consensual.

After nearly 18 hours of deliberations, the Sydney District Court jury on Monday found Hayne not guilty of both counts of aggravated sexual assault inflicting actual bodily harm.

Hayne, 33, had denied assaulting the woman, saying the incident in her bedroom had been consensual

But Hayne was found guilty of two alternative counts of sexual intercourse without consent.

Judge Helen Syme said Hayne would face an 'inevitable' jail term and tightened his bail conditions.

He'll face a sentence hearing on May 6 in Newcastle.

'It's unfortunate, it's disappointing but at the end of the day they've come to a decision and I respect that,' Hayne told reporters outside court.

Detective Superintendent Stacey Maloney said on Monday that the woman's 'courage, resilience and steely nature' throughout the court process was laudable.

She acknowledged the legal process could be difficult for victims but encouraged all survivors of sexual assault to come forward and report incidents to police.

'I'd like to say in terms of victims coming forward, I know there has been a lot of comments around this lately, but we want people to come forward to us, we want to hear your story,' Det Supt Maloney told reporters.

'We need you to know that we believe you and we'll be on the journey with you in relation to this process.'

The verdicts on Monday came after a Newcastle jury in December proved unable to return verdicts to the same charges.

After nearly 18 hours of deliberations, the Sydney District Court jury on Monday found Hayne not guilty of both counts of aggravated sexual assault inflicting actual bodily harm

The Crown had argued in both trials the former State of Origin player felt entitled to sex when he went to the woman's home on 2018 NRL grand final night, having left his friends drinking at a bucks party.

The woman, then 26, testified Hayne was 'rough, forceful and inconsiderate,' despite her protests of 'no' and 'no Jarryd,' and pushed her face into the pillow before ripping her jeans off.

Hayne testified that the woman had become 'filthy' after finding out a taxi was waiting for him outside her home, and knew she did not want sex.

But he wanted to 'please her' and the pair kissed before he began consensual oral and digital sex, he said.

The assault lasted for about 30 seconds before the woman started bleeding from her genitals.

The Crown successfully argued Hayne had no reasonable grounds for believing the woman would have consented to any sexual activity that evening.

1800 RESPECT (1800 737 732)

Lifeline 13 11 14
Just found this interesting.while walking with Svetochka. My shoulder feels great and we had a good long walk

Svetochka seemed surprise and said, Oh! Water area for in case a fire at the dachas!

But I said, It is outside of the dacha area?

Sveta said, I dunno! and shrugged her shoulders

Yet I still liked it and took a picture

Seemed so like Russia.giant hole, no protective fence, no water, sign of what it is, not at location of dachas and in a actual village. Just kinda very Russian in all ways

Then I said, I dunno! and shrugged my shoulders

I just love Russia

WtR
Queen Rania of Jordan has paid a sweet tribute to her four children to show recognition on Mother's Day.

Posting on Instagram, she shared a selection of old family photos showing herself with Crown Prince Hussein, 26, Princess Iman, 24, Princess Salma, 20, and Prince Hashem, 16 as toddlers.

The mother-of-four, 50, who has been married to King Abdullah II for 27 years captioned the post in both Arabic and English, saying: 'I see my whole world in your eyes. Happy Mother's Day #Mothersday #Love #Jordan #LoveJO'.

Mother's Day is celebrated in Jordan on 21st March every year.

Queen Rania of Jordan, 50, has posted a tribute to her children on Instagram to mark Mother's Day. Pictured: The mother-of-four with Crown Prince Hussein

Queen Rania beamed in the photographs with her children as toddlers. Pictured left to right Princess Iman and Princess Salma

Queen Rania appeared in good spirits in a throwback snap with Prince Hashem (pictured), who celebrated his 16th birthday last month

In the first photo she cradles her eldest child, with both mother and son looking co-ordinated in all-white outfits.

Another snap with Princess Iman, shows the mother-of-four in a black knitted top, with her hair worn in a relaxed style with loose waves.

She appears equally glamorous in the photos years later giving Princess Salma a ride on her shoulders and posing alongside Prince Hashem outside on a summer's day.

The monarch who boasts more than 6 million followers on Instagram, showed the close relationship she has with her family just last month when she posted a tribute to celebrate her husband and Prince Hashem's shared birthday.

Queen Rania and King Abdullah II, who got engaged just six months after they first met at a dinner party hosted by a mutual friend, have been married since June 1993.

Queen Rania and King Abdullah II have been married since June 1993. Pictured: The couple and their children in 2020

Queen Rania went to school in Kuwait and studied a business degree in Cairo, Egypt, before marrying into royalty.

She received an overwhelming flood of messages from her followers wishing her a Happy Mother's Day and racked up over 300,000 likes on the photos of her children, as the annual celebration was marked on 21 March in Jordan.

One person wrote: 'Whenever I'm amazed of what your children have done, I remember that they were raised by such a great mother like you. They are very lucky to have you as their mother. Happy Mother's Day, Queen Rania!'

'You are the sweetest and most beautiful mother... every moment and second, and you and your children are fine... My Lord preserves you. You are the most beautiful queen and the most beautiful spreading of light and knowledge. All respect and great appreciation will make you happy and help you for all good, another said.

A third added: 'Happy Mother's Day to our beautiful Queen'
Rep. Dean Phillips (D-Minn.) questions witnesses during a hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington on Sept. 16, 2020. (Kevin Dietsch/Pool/Getty Images)

Democratic Lawmaker Breaks With Pelosi on Possibly Overturning US House Race

Rep. Dean Phillips (D-Minn.) says the Houses Democratic leadership should refrain from efforts to overturn a U.S. House race in Iowa.

Losing a House election by six votes is painful for Democrats, Phillips wrote in a tweet.

But overturning it in the House would be even more painful for America, added Phillips, who sits on the House Ethics Committee and is a member of the bipartisan Problem Solvers Caucus.

The race in question was in Iowas 2nd Congressional District, in which Republican Mariannette Miller-Meeks was certified the winner by Iowa officials and was seated in January.

Democrats on a House panel are pursuing an investigation of the election and holding open the possibility of reversing the results, even after criticizing similar efforts by former President Donald Trump and his lawyers.

It was six votes, and our candidate Rita Hart, the Democratic candidate, asked for this process to begin, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) said in a recent television interview.

She has also said that the scenario of the House declaring Hart the winner and unseating Miller-Meeks could happen.

Miller-Meeks last week called the effort disappointing, adding: honestly, people should be outraged.

Hart skipped trying to present her case in Iowa courts and instead went to Congress, Miller-Meeks noted.

U.S. House candidate Mariannette Miller-Meeks answers a question during a debate in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, on Oct. 8, 2020. (Rebecca F. Miller/The Gazette via AP)

Rita Hart answers a question during a debate in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, on Oct. 8, 2020. (Rebecca F. Miller/The Gazette via AP)

Harts lawyers filed a notice of contest on Dec. 22, 2020. She alleges 22 ballots were wrongfully excluded by state and county election officials.

As a result of these errors, the State Board of Canvassers certified as the winner the candidate who received fewer lawful votes, the notice stated, depriving Contestant Hart of the certification to which she was entitled.

Marc Elias, the lawyer who is representing Hart, also represents Rep. Zoe Lofgren (D-Calif.), the chairwoman of the House panel thats considering the election claim.

Republicans alerted Lofgren to the alleged conflict of interest on March 19, writing that Mr. Elias simultaneously represents Members of the Committee, the triers of fact and law, and parties to these contests, an arrangement clearly prohibited by attorney ethics rules and obligations.

Elias represented Democrats and Democratic plaintiffs in election-related cases across the country before and after the 2020 election. Hes known in some circles for his work for 2016 Democrat presidential nominee Hillary Clinton, whose campaign paid for the opposition research firm he hired, Fusion GPS.

Fusion GPS produced the discredited Steele dossier containing multiple false allegations against former President Donald Trump that was at the center of the Russiagate scandal.

Lofgrens office didnt respond to a request for comment.

Mark Tapscott, Masooma Haq, and Jack Phillips contributed to this report.
The Daily Beast

Chip Somodevilla/Getty What are Democrats willing to do to save our democracy, and how far are they willing to go? Thats the question they must answer now, while theres still time to protect our flawed and fragile democracy from an extremist, countermajoritarian Republican Party hellbent on subverting the political process to implement rule by and for a white Christian minority.For the past few months, it appeared that Democrats would respond to this daily threatwith the former president talk
Brattleboro, VT (05301)

Today

Rain showers this morning with isolated thunderstorms developing during the afternoon hours. High near 75F. Winds S at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 60%..

Tonight

Rain early...then remaining cloudy with showers overnight. Low 61F. Winds SSW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 70%.
New York Mayor Bill de Blasio says NYPD officers should pay people home visits if they engage in hurtful behavior to others even if the action isnt criminal.

What could possibly go wrong?

Even if something is not a criminal case, a perpetrator being confronted by the city, whether its NYPD or another agency, and being told that what theyve done was very hurtful to another person  and could, if ever repeated, lead to criminal charges  thats another important piece of the puzzle, de Blasio told reporters.

The Mayor failed to define precisely what he meant by hurtful, but since he framed it in the context of non-criminal behavior, he can only be referring to mean words.

De Blasio urged officers to confront people to tell them their behavior is not appropriate, urging alleged victims to make more reports to authorities.

He then even suggested that cops, instead of responding to actual crimes, should visit New Yorkers homes to police their speech.

I assure you, if an NYPD officer calls you or shows up at your door to ask you about something you did, it makes people think twice, he said. We need that.

De Blasio made the comments in light of yet another contrived moral panic, this time over an alleged rise in hate crime towards Asians.

The narrative was bolstered after a gunman slaughtered eight people  including six Asian women  at massage parlors across Atlanta, Georgia.

The media has either glossed over or outright ignored the fact that two white victims also lost their lives and that the attack was motivated by the killers sex obsession and had nothing whatsoever to do with race.

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The path of the truck used in the attack. Credit: University of Gothenburg

Research has found that experiencing a traumatic event at close quarters changes people's political attitudes. However, in the case of the 2017 terrorist attack in Stockholm, proximity to the attack had no additional political significance. Research from the University of Gothenburg shows that Swedes' attitudes toward terrorism-related questions were affected equally, regardless of whether they happened to be close to the attack.

On 7 April 2017, Rakhmat Akilov stole a truck and ran down multiple people on Drottninggatan, a street in central Stockholm. Five people died, fifteen were injured and many people witnessed the events. Akilova sympathizer of the terrorist organization Islamic State (IS)  was later arrested and subsequently sentenced to life imprisonment for his actions.

In the case of terrorist attacks, it is common for a population to react by becoming more patriotic, more negative toward out-groups (such as immigrants), and stronger proponents of various types of security measures. There has been a consensus in the research literature that these types of changes in political attitudes are reinforced when people experience a terrorist attack personallythey hear screams and experience things that are assumed to also have an impact on their political attitudes.

Researchers refer to this reinforcement as "vividness." This assumption has gained widespread acceptance among researchers, but it has not been fully tested empirically until now.

"We need before and after surveys from a sufficient number of people who were caught up in a truly dramatic event to be able to measure this. This is not something that can be done experimentally," says Jacob Sohlberg, a researcher in political science.

Together with his political scientist colleague Mattias Agerberg, he has investigated whether people who were either on or in the vicinity of Drottninggatan during the attack and who saw, heard or in some other way experienced the events of that day changed their political attitudes more than people who were elsewhere in Sweden.

The study is based on data from the Swedish Citizen Panel. The researchers looked into several different questions related to terrorism and politics, such as national identification, confidence in the Riksdag (the Swedish parliament) and the Swedish Government, whether Swedes believe that Muslims are a threat, attitudes toward immigrants and views on questions related to security and surveillance.

When the attack occurred in 2017, there was a previous survey wave available. Since a number of the respondents included in the Swedish Citizen Panel were in the vicinity of Drottninggatan during the terrorist attack, it was also possible to carry out a survey right after the events. The results of the study indicate that previous theoretical explanations linking the experience of a traumatic event with changes in political views have been exaggerated.

"Although people who were in the vicinity of Drottninggatan were much more affected, they did not change their views on terrorism-related questions any more than Swedesin general. Just because you experience trauma does not mean you change your fundamental attitudes or worldview," says Mattias Agerberg.

The study therefore challenges the vividness assumption and makes an important theoretical contribution to research on terrorist attacks. At the same time, the study confirms that Swedesregardless of where they happened to bereacted in more or less the same way as people in other countries during similar events. For example, Swedes subsequently became more patriotic in their outlook.

Explore further How attitudes to diversity change after a terrorist attack

More information: Mattias Agerberg et al. Personal Proximity and Reactions to Terrorism, Comparative Political Studies (2021). Mattias Agerberg et al. Personal Proximity and Reactions to Terrorism,(2021). DOI: 10.1177/0010414021997162
Yokogawa Electric Corporation (TOKYO:6841) announces the launch of Yokogawa Bio Frontier Inc. to develop businesses related to the production and sales of innovative plant-derived biomass materials, as well as associated licensing and consulting activities. The new subsidiary will officially kick off business operations on March 22.

Yokogawa Bio Frontier will focus on developing and commercializing high value-added plant-based biomass materials, such as nanocellulose and lignin monomer, which can be used to substitute chemicals and materials currently derived from fossil resources, thereby enabling a sustainable carbon cycle. The company will apply Yokogawas long experience in industrial automation to develop highly efficient extraction and production processes and facilities, and will market biomass materials to a wide range of customers in the chemical, food & beverage, pharmaceutical, and other industries.

The bioeconomy is considered to be an important pillar for building a sustainable society, and is one of the focus areas defined in Yokogawas long-term business framework. The rapidly expanding biomass materials market has been identified as a field in which Yokogawa can leverage its core technologies and global sales and service network. To obtain technologies and expertise in this field, Yokogawa has already taken steps such as investing in and partnering with AlgaEnergy, a Spanish company that is a technology leader in the production and application of microalgae, and Bloom Biorenewables SA, a Swiss startup focusing on the utilization of biomass with its highly efficient lignin extraction technology. Yokogawa Bio Frontier will work with these and other strategic partners to contribute to the development of a circular economy.

About Yokogawa Bio Frontier Inc.

Location: Musashino City, Tokyo, Japan

President and CEO: Mitsuhiro Iga

Capital: 100M JPY (Yokogawa Electric Corporation 100%)

Established: January 2021

Start of operation: March 22, 2021

Business: Biomass material production and sales, licensing, and related consulting.

Website: www.yokogawa.com/ybf



About Yokogawa

Founded in 1915, Yokogawa engages in broad-ranging activities in the areas of measurement, control, and information. The industrial automation business provides vital products, services, and solutions to a diverse range of process industries including oil, chemicals, natural gas, power, iron and steel, and pulp and paper. With the life innovation business, the company aims to radically improve productivity across the pharmaceutical and food industry value chains. The test & measurement, aviation, and other businesses continue to provide essential instruments and equipment with industry-leading precision and reliability. Yokogawa co-innovates with its customers through a global network of 114 companies spanning 62 countries, generating US$3.7 billion in sales in FY2019. For more information, please visit www.yokogawa.com.

The names of corporations, organizations, products, services and logos herein are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Yokogawa Electric Corporation or their respective holders.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210322005003/en/
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, March 22) - President Rodrigo Duterte defended on Monday how the national government finances its COVID-19 response, amid criticisms from some lawmakers.

"If you are afraid of corruption, let your mind go easy because these things are not susceptible to anything. The money is in the hands of the bank and they (the manufacturers) collect...from the bank, hindi sa atin (not from us)," Duterte said during the weekly meeting of the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases.

The President made the remark after Senator Risa Hontiveros sought an audit on the national government's use of funds, particularly for the much-delayed COVID-19 vaccination program.

Duterte emphasized the government pays the COVID-19 vaccines procured through the lending banks, where the money will be coursed through to the vaccine manufacturers.

"Kung maniwala kayo sa kanila, sige bahala na doon na kayo. Kung maniwala kayo sa amin na walang singko sentimos na hinahawakan po namin. It's the bank who will pay, upon our advice na na-deliver na 'yung bakuna. Hindi tayo ang magpunta," said Duterte.

[Translation: If you believe them, then just go join their side. You should believe us that we do not have in our hands even five centavos. It's the bank who will pay, upon our advice that the vaccines were delivered. We will not go to them to pay.]

Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez III backed the President's explanation.

"We only withdraw when we pay. Hindi pa due ang payment (The payment is still not due), so we'll keep (the money) in the bank first," said Dominguez.

Dominguez said the national government has allocated 82.5 billion for the national pandemic response this year, which covers vaccine procurement, logistics and other supplies, and waste disposal. The amount came from the 2021 national budget, international lending institutions, and official development assistance.

The country's finance chief underscored that this year's fund for the pandemic response is "enough" to vaccinate all Filipino adults in 2021.

Vaccine czar Carlito Galvez Jr. said the national government aims to inoculate around 70 million Filipinos against COVID-19 this year.
Around Rs 1 lakh was stolen from a purse hanging outside a trial room in a popular Noida shopping mall on Sunday, March 21. The incident reportedly took place at DLF Mall of India located in Noida's Sector 18.

As soon as the theft was reported, Noida police reached the spot to investigate the matter. Police officials have claimed that the complainant went out of the trial room to hang her purse and then started trying on clothes inside.

When she came out of the trial room, she found that around Rs 1 lakh was missing from her purse. Police have registered an FIR in the case at Noida's Sector 20 police station and an investigation is currently underway. Officials are questioning the mall staff and examining CCTV footage.

The incident came to light weeks after Noida police nabbed seven people, including a security guard of a factory on theft charges in Noida's Sector 63. Officials recovered 110 packets of branded clothes worth Rs 22 lakh from them. The guard used to allegedly leak information to 6 of his cohorts about factories in the vicinity after which the thefts were carried out, Noida police officials told Hindustan Times.

Also read: Want to work in foreign ministry? Send you CVs here
The scene at Derrycoole Way, Rathcoole, Co Antrim.

Tributes have been paid to the victims of a double murder in Newtownabbey in Co Antrim on Friday evening.

It is understood Ken Flanagan stabbed his mother Karen McClean to death, then attacked and killed his girlfriend, Stacey Knell, before taking his own life.

Ms McClean was killed in her home on the Rathcoole estate shortly before 11pm.

Flanagan then travelled to nearby Glenville Road where he murdered Ms Knell (30), a mother-of-one.

The PSNI confirmed that a murder investigation into the incident is now under way and appealed for information from the public.

Police confirmed, however, that they was not looking for anyone else in connection with the incidents.

The tragic scenes have left the community in the area stunned, according to local politicians, with people struggling to come to terms with how it happened.

Friends of the victims took to social media to pay tribute.

One friend of Ms Knell wrote online that their hearts were hurting for the loss of the woman, who was originally from east Belfast.

Writing online, Belfast woman Melissa Morrison said: Yesterday I was in shock and today I just feel numb and emotional.

You had your whole life ahead of you.

Another friend, Zoe Allen, wrote: I honestly cannot get my head around this at all. Life can be very, very cruel and horrible. A beautiful life taken away, and what for?

Holywood woman Hollie Herron said she had known the mum-of-one for around eight years.

She described Ms Knell as a delightful person.

She was (an) angel. She was so lively and excitable and there was never a dull moment, said Ms Heron.

She was the light of the party and really was a credit to her family and above all else, an amazing caring friend.

I couldnt ask for better to be honest.

Me, my mum, and my sister loved her to bits and she will be really missed.

She was like a daughter to my mum and a sister to us.

The tragedy has led to calls for greater action to tackle the issues of violence towards women and to help those suffering from mental health and addiction struggles in north Belfast.

Rev Michael Rutledge of Abbots Cross Presbyterian Church in Newtownabbey said all three victims were included in the churchs prayers yesterday.

I think we are all just in shock and trying to find what we can do to make sure this doesnt happen again, whatever the circumstances that led to it, he explained.

Everyone is just kind of shocked that something like this of this kind of magnitude has happened in the area, he added.

Alliance Party councillor Billy Webb said the deaths of the two women required the Stormont government to take action.

The community I know is absolutely devastated by what has happened and our sympathies go out to all the family and friends of the deceased, he said.

I think the Executive have to be looking at some intervention at community level to help address people who are in difficulty.
CBS recently announced that the curtains would be closing on one fan-favorite show. The announcement followed the cancellation of another hit NCIS spinoff, NCIS: New Orleans, closely. However, fans will be getting a new spinoff called NCIS: Hawaii.

Reports indicate that the network has ordered a direct-to-series for the new spinoff. Although CBS and showrunners are still casting for the shows pilot, fans already speculate about what the new show will be about and whether their favorites from Hawaii Five-0 will reprise their roles for the new show.

CBS didnt say why they canceled the cult-favorite

#H50 Ohana, be there for the final five episodes and say a last #Aloha. Hawaii Five-0 to conclude its successful 10-season run with a two-hour series finale, Friday, April 3: https://t.co/ARUarqTFbG pic.twitter.com/Ms81f3wY8F  HawaiiFive0CBS (@HawaiiFive0CBS) February 28, 2020

CBS announced that the last episode of the hit drama Hawaii Five-0 would be airing on April 3, 2020. However, the network had to reschedule the episodes air date due to the coronavirus, which meant that instead of the 2-hour special finale, viewers got two final episodes aired separately.

The episode that wrapped up the island-set show was titled Aloha. The episode saw Danny getting abducted and wounded by Wo Fats wife, whos after vengeance, but Steve saves him in the nick of time. Steve finally solved the case his father had left him a decade earlier.

CBS remained mum on why they canceled the show, but sources suggest that the show ended because Scott Caan and Alex OLoughlin were ready to leave. Loughlin, in particular, had indicated his departure from the show earlier on, saying that he was having a hard time dealing with the effects of a back injury he sustained on set. Caan wanted to leave to be close to his family.

The actors contracts were also coming to an end, which also contributed to them exiting the series. The cast of Hawaii Five-0 had glowing things to say about their time working on the show. OLoughlin said in a statement that he was glad to have been a part of this.

Fans were shocked at the announcement

Pictured L to R: Ian Anthony Dale as Adam Noshimuri and Alex OLoughlin as Steve McGarrett | Karen Neal/CBS via Getty Images)

The news of the shows cancellation came as a shock to fans everywhere. Some fans couldnt believe that they would not see their favorite characters anymore. Others had plenty of questions about why CBS decided to wrap up the show despite its solid ratings.

Generally, fans and viewers everywhere had great things to say about the show. Many praised the actors who brought their favorite characters to life, while others praised the fitting plotlines. However, some fans didnt have glowing comments about the finale.

A number of fans felt betrayed by the ending, saying that the finale didnt do justice to McGarrett and Dannys relationship. Fans were mad that McGarrett chose to go away with a girl instead of sticking around for and with Danny.

Others were upset that McGarrett left his dog behind. Some fans couldnt handle the teary goodbyes between McGarrett and his dog Eddie. However, a few fans held out hope that the writers would leave a window of opportunity for McGarrett and Danny to reunite, possibly in another show.

Will fans get to see their fan favorite Hawaii Five-0 characters again?

How lucky we are to have something that makes saying "aloha" so hard . 10 years of Hawaii Five-0 come to an exhilarating end on the series finale, streaming now . https://t.co/gRkNTUgcf1 pic.twitter.com/dhzS70oH8V  HawaiiFive0CBS (@HawaiiFive0CBS) April 4, 2020

As fans bid goodbye to Hawaii Five-O, they said hello to a new and exciting show NCIS: Hawaii. Many people speculated that NCIS: Hawaii would be replacing Hawaii Five-0, considering that CBS will be shooting on location.

Deadline reports that CBS will be using the production facility they used for Hawaii Five0 to film NCIS: Hawaii. There is no official confirmation on whether fan-favorite Hawaii Five-0 characters will be making a cameo in NCIS: Hawaii, but fans have held out hope for that to happen.

One fan on Reddit said, I cannot help but wonder if this would be the way they bring back McGarrett. Another user added, I wonder if theyll utilize some of the Hawaii Five-0 characters like Kamekona or how many ex-Hawaii Five-0 cast that enjoy being based in Hawaii are going to join.
Forced deportation of Ukrainian citizens, who do not have passports of the Russian Federation, continues in the occupied Crimea.

As Vitaliy Khylko, a representative of the UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine, said on the air of Dom TV channel, citizens of Ukraine, who do not have passports of the Russian Federation and live in Crimea without a so-called residence permit, are subject to deportation.

Such persons are considered foreigners under the legislation of the Russian Federation.

In 2020, we documented 178 cases when courts in the Autonomous Republic of Crimea delivered judgments obliging this category of people to leave Crimea. In particular, 105 citizens of Ukraine received such a judicial precept, Khylko said.

According to him, 416 people (at least 292 of them are citizens of Ukraine) were ordered to pay a fine for violating the so-called migration rules in force in Russia.

Khylko noted that those are usually ordinary Crimean residents who had lived on the peninsula before and stayed here after 2014.

"The only thing that needs to be clarified is that these people did not receive a Russian passport and do not have a certificate of temporary or permanent residence. Usually, these are persons who do not have a residence permit in Crimea. I underscore  usually  because there are exceptions. Perhaps, some of them came to Crimea after the occupation to work or visit their relatives, or just use the right to move freely across the territory of Ukraine," added the representative of the UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine.

It is noted that there are two types of deportation  forced and voluntary departure. If a "court" orders that a person must leave voluntarily but a person did not leave the occupied territory, he or she is detained again and already faces the forced deportation.

In case of forced deportation, the detainees are placed in detention centers. And these persons will be deported. We document such cases. They are deported either first to the territory of the Russian Federation (usually to Rostov region) and then to the territory of Ukraine through Kharkiv region, or directly through the administrative border with Crimea to the territory of mainland Ukraine, Khylko explained.

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About 60 per cent of hearing loss in children is due to avoidable causes, the WHO's World Report on Hearing says. Credit: Direct Relief (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0).

One in four people around the worldnearly 2.5 billioncould face some degree of hearing loss by 2050 with at least 700 million requiring access to treatment and rehabilitation, a WHO report warns.

The first World Report on Hearing predicted that in 2050 the highest number of people with some degree of hearing loss is likely to be found in the WHO Western Pacific regionwhich includes Cambodia, Malaysia, the Philippines, and Vietnamwith nearly 760 million, and the South-East Asia regionwhich includes Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, and Indonesiawith nearly 660 million.

The report emphasized the urgent need for initiatives to prevent and tackle hearing loss by funding and widening access to ear and hearing care services.

"Investment in ear and hearing care has been shown to be cost-effective," and governments can "expect a return of nearly US$16 for every US$1 invested," the WHO said in a press statement launching the report on 2 March.

Ear and hearing-related treatment is currently not integrated into the national health systems of most countries and human resources are often lacking, according to the report. It said 78 percent of low-income countries have less than one ear, nose and throat (ENT) specialist doctor per million population and 93 percent have less than one audiologist per million population. The African region fared slightly better with 56 percent of all countries having fewer than one ENT specialist per million of population.

By integrating ear and hearing care into primary health care, using strategies such as task sharing and training, inadequate human resources can be overcome, the report said, adding that early medical and surgical treatment, rehabilitation and the use of hearing aids and cochlear implants are valuable.

World Health Organization infographics on the key findings of the World Report on Hearing on the WHO Western Pacific and South-East Asia Regions. Credit: WHO

Nearly 60 percent of hearing loss in children can be prevented by measures including immunization against rubella and meningitis, improvement in maternal and neonatal care, and screening for otitis media (middle ear inflammation).

"In adults, noise control, safe listening and surveillance for ototoxic medicines (medicines used to treat serious infections but can also damage the ear) together with good ear hygiene can help maintain good hearing and reduce the potential for hearing loss," the report noted.

Anil K. Lalwani, director of the division of otology, neurotology, and skull base surgery at Columbia University, in the US, says "the absence of ready access to hearing health across the globe is a modern travesty of monumental proportions."

"Though hidden, its devastating consequences are all too apparent in economic hardship, employability, cognition and quality of life. We must act, and we must act now," he tells Scidev.Net. "We need to make hearing health accessible and affordable. The use of community health workers can improve accessibility while cheaper effective technology will improve affordability."

Kaukab Rajput, consultant physician in audiovestibular medicine at Great Ormond St Hospital Foundation Trust, London, recommends "regular hearing tests like people having their sight checked at least yearly."

"Early intervention and optimization would minimize the impact of hearing loss, and as technology progresses the stigma and hesitation to use hearing aids or implants will become things of the past," he tells Scidev.Net.

Shantanu Panja, consultant ENT specialist at Apollo Gleneagles Hospital, in Kolkata, India, says hearing screening should be mandatory at birth and included in routine school health check-ups. "It should be an integral part of geriatric or senior citizen care as well," he recommends.

According to Panja, more screening and hearing solutions events should be undertaken. "Awareness of hearing issues can be propagated through public events, social media and more and more public participation and support groups."

Explore further One in four people will have hearing problems by 2050: WHO

Provided by SciDev.Net
Denton, TX (76205)

Today

A mix of clouds and sun during the morning will give way to cloudy skies this afternoon. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. High 82F. Winds ESE at 5 to 10 mph..

Tonight

Mostly cloudy skies this evening will become partly cloudy after midnight. Low 63F. Winds SE at 5 to 10 mph.
Contentious: a report on flags and identity was submitted eight months ago

The Assembly will today hear calls for the publication of a 800,000 report into flags, identity, culture and tradition in Northern Ireland which was submitted to the Executive eight months ago.

The long-awaited report, produced by a 15 strong Commission appointed back in 2016, was given to the First and Deputy First Ministers last July.

A motion criticising the Executive Office for the delay has been proposed by the Alliance Party.

Speaking ahead of the debate, South Belfast Alliance MLA Paula Bradshaw said: "We need the Executive Office to stop making excuses and start the real action. It is beyond parody that 800,000 of public money could be spent on a report for it to lie hidden from public scrutiny and subject to endless, unaccountable working groups.

"Also now concealed in the black hole of the Executive Office is the Office of Identity and Cultural Expression, promised over a year ago but still delayed.

"Everything, from flags and memorials to language and heritage, continues to be abused to perpetuate the divide rather than promoted as a common cultural wealth. Constant inaction from the Executive Office merely allows this to continue.

"The days of abusing democratic rights and legitimate cultural expression must be in the past. We need publication of the report, bringing forward the legislation and the drafting of a legislative framework to promote legitimate cultural expression, ending the intimidatory use of symbols immediately."

The SDLP also called for the publication of the report.

South Down Colin McGrath MLA, chairman of Stormont's Executive Office scrutiny committee, will also urge on Arlene Foster and Michelle O'Neill to meet their obligations under New Decade, New Approach to establish the Office of Identity and Cultural Expression.

"The Joint First Ministers received and have been considering the report for the Commission on Flags, Identity, Culture and Tradition (FICT) since July 2020," he said.

"I understand that these are complex matters requiring detailed consideration but 248 days later, there is no excuse for continuing to hold the report in secret.

"If there is any intention to act on the content of the Commission's work, it needs to be undertaken before the end of the mandate.

"I am also concerned about the pace of work to establish the Office of Identity and Cultural Expression, as required under New decade, New Approach.

"The commitments entered into under that document are the reason the SDLP entered the Executive. The glacial progress on important obligations is becoming a matter of concern.

"We are calling on the Joint First Ministers to take action.

"The FICT Commission report should be published in full along with a plan to reconcile our communities on these difficult issues.

"Legislation to establish the Office of Identity and Cultural Expression should also be progressed immediately."

The Executive Office was contacted in connection with this report, but had not responded by the time of going to press.
By Jacob Gronholt-Pedersen

COPENHAGEN (Reuters) - Denmark said on Saturday that one person had died and another fell seriously ill with blood clots and cerebral haemorrhage after receiving the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccination.

The two, both hospital staff members, had both received the AstraZeneca vaccine less than 14 days before getting ill, the authority that runs public hospitals in Copenhagen said.

The Danish Medicines Agency confirmed it had received two "serious reports", without giving further details. There were no details of when the hospital staff got ill.

Denmark, which halted using the AstraZeneca vaccine on March 11, was among more than a dozen countries that temporarily paused use of the vaccine after a small number of reports of cases of rare brain blood clots sent scientists and governments scrambling to determine any link.

Some countries including Germany and France this week reversed their decision to suspend use of the vaccine following an investigation into the reports of blood clots by the European Union's drug watchdog, which said on Thursday it is still convinced the benefits of the vaccine outweigh the risks.

Denmark - along with Sweden and Norway - said on Friday they needed more time to decide whether to use the vaccine.

"We prioritize reports of suspected serious side effects such as these and examine them thoroughly to assess whether there is a possible link to the vaccine," Tanja Erichsen, acting director of Pharmacovigilance at the Danish Medicines Agency, said in a tweet on Saturday.

"We are in the process of dealing with the two specific cases."

European Medicines Agency (EMA) director Emer Cooke said on Thursday the watchdog could not definitively rule out a link between blood clot incidents and the vaccine in its investigation.

But she said the "clear" conclusion of the review was that the benefits in protecting people from the risk of death or hospitalisation outweighs the possible risks. The issue deserves further analysis, the EMA said.

Story continues

The EMA's review covering 20 million people in the UK and the European Economic Area (EEA), which links 30 European countries, included seven cases of blood clots in multiple blood vessels and 18 cases of a rare condition that is difficult to treat called cerebral venous sinus thrombosis (CVST).

AstraZeneca, which developed the shot with Oxford University, has said a review covering more than 17 million people who had received its shots in the EU and Britain had found no evidence of an increased risk of blood clots.

The company on Saturday declined to comment on the new cases in Denmark, but referred to a statement published on Thursday, in which its chief medical officer, Ann Taylor, said:

"Vaccine safety is paramount and we welcome the regulators' decisions which affirm the overwhelming benefit of our vaccine in stopping the pandemic. We trust that, after the regulators' careful decisions, vaccinations can once again resume across Europe."

(Reporting by Jacob Gronholt-Pedersen,; Editing by Alexander Smith and Frances Kerry)
I will leave to other more politically oriented and outspoken writers to express their preferences in the upcoming city of Chattanooga run off elections for mayor and two council seats.

However, the continuous increase in population in the tent cities around the town needs to be discussed in greater detail than has so far been publicized other than a recent article in the Chattanooga Times Free Press.

A trip in an eastward direction on East 11th Street just past the headquarters of our local daily newspaper beginning at the railroad overpass adjacent to the city of Chattanooga Wellness Center and a police precinct reveals a disturbing situation.

A large number of tents, uncollected garbage, unsanitary conditions, fire hazards, street hustlers, and homeless local and transient people are now part of our population and can be included in the regular designation of Best or Worse mid-sized cities subjective rankings in America.

Two blocks further towards Missionary Ridge the Community Kitchen provides food and shelter during inclement weather as part of their dedicated mission to support the needy of our community. However, Chattanooga should not be the destination for other cities to dump their homeless population into a community that is historically known to show compassion for the less fortunate.

Unfortunately, East 11th Street is not the only local site of the accumulation of the genuine needy, free loaders, or others with legitimate mental and physical disabilities.

One local business leader has related that he has been told that our city has become a dumping ground from other larger municipalities because we are a caring community.

The former Gateway Motel site near the Bachman Tubes going into East Ridge, St. Elmo, the base of Signal Mountain, and nearly every viaduct or underpass have often become campgrounds for the homeless.

Panhandlers soliciting money from our visiting tourist population in our downtown area also are not part of a favorable image of Chattanooga.

A lack of police presence also projects an eerie potential danger for the male and female joggers in the downtown area. Would one police officer on a motorcycle or squad car patrolling from Main Street to the River on Market and Broad Streets help to project a police presence of some safety protection to our visitors?

Maybe even a walking officer from Martin Luther King Boulevard to 2nd Street on Market and Broad with a welcoming smile and friendly greeting could make a positive impression for our city? Sounds old fashion but it once worked.

Is asking for an increased discussion on these ever-increasing issues of safety, sanitation, crime control, etc. too much of our slate of public leaders asking to be selected by the voters of the city of Chattanooga on April 13, 2021? As of March 22 this topic has not been a priority item for the mayoral and council candidates during both primary and general election campaigns.

Jerry Summers

* * *

Jerry Summers, a well know and highly respected attorney, is exactly correct about our homeless problem in Chattanooga. The shame of this situation should not be directed merely at those in our community who are trapped in this dilemma, rather shame should be directed at those in political power who have the authority and responsibility to curb this problem, yet they turn their back on it and allow it to grow. I called it a dilemma because a very high percentage of the homeless suffer some form of mental illness and are therefore faced with difficult choices, more than just where to set up their tent. They could be stopping traffic and robbing people, burglarizing and taking from others whatever they need to get by, but they are not. They are just suffering whatever the environment foist upon them.

Listen to me on this: I dont like the victim card and/or playing it because it is done far too often by those who are not really victims of anything but their own poor choices or behavior. Homelessness is different because of the mental health aspect. Whatever we do (or dont do that we could) unto these people we are doing unto our Lord. His words, not mine.

Tim Kelly has promised to follow in the footsteps of our current disaster of a mayor, Andy Berke. We cannot afford it or allow it. We have to have someone with Kim Whites skill sets, energy and ethics. I dont mean to make this political because Mr. Summers did such a wonderful job of educating all of us on the blight that will define our city. I for one dont want to be San Francisco but its the direction we are headed in. Former Mayor Ron Littlefield, thank you for trying to make sure we wouldnt face this today. You did your best and I for one appreciate your efforts.

J. Pat Williams

* * *

Chronic homelessness actually got its start long before Andy Berke became mayor. Homelessness has always been a factor in Chattanooga as well as around the nation. The problem here, same as everywhere else, escalated and worsen under such initiatives as "weed and seed" initiatives and gentrification.

When Andy Berke was elected mayor he just inherited a problem that had already long existed through these initiatives and plans to chase the poor from the city, tossing them like uprooted "weeds" then "seeding" the city with more desirables with higher incomes.

Brenda Washington
ROCHESTER, Minn. - Researchers are now finding the United Kingdom variant of COVID-19, also called B117, is not only more easily transmitted, but also more deadly. On Friday, Dr. Anthony Fauci cited two studies showing there's a 61-64% higher risk of death for patients with the UK variant.

While the UK variant has been confirmed in Minnesota, it has not yet been detected in Olmsted County. Olmsted County Public Health director Graham Briggs tells KIMT handling the variants is a bit of a cat and mouse game. The best way we can stop the virus from replicating and making new versions of itself is by vaccinating as many people as quickly as possible. The faster that happens, the better off we'll be as a society.

"In infectious disease, every day is an opportunity to interrupt what's happening. and every day you lose, it becomes harder and harder to stop," he explains.

Because Olmsted County Public Health and its partners have learned so much about COVID-19 over the last year, Briggs explains they're not able to have an inkling of when someone seems out of sorts about a particular cluster of cases. They can then send a sample to be sequenced to see if it is in fact a variant.

If variants do start to work around our vaccines, Briggs says that MRNA vaccine developers can quickly alter the genetic code to adapt and stay ahead of the virus. In that situation, we may need booster shots in the future to protect against whatever strains are prevalent at that time.
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Highlights Airtel and Vi give 75GB data with its Rs 499 individual postpaid plan with unlimited calling and 100SMS.

Jio is the only telco that gives access to Netflix with all its postpaid plans starting at RS 399.

Jio and Vi give a postpaid plan priced at Rs 799 while Airtel gives a postpaid plan priced at RS 749.

Jio introduced its Jio Postpaid Plus plans last year starting at Rs 399. The telco offers a range of plans with many streaming benefits including Netflix, Amazon Prime and Disney+ Hotstar. Airtel and Vi also offer postpaid plans around the same price. All postpaid plans give access to family add-on connections.

After the introductory postpaid plans at Rs 399, the telcos offer postpaid plans at Rs 499 and Rs 599. Airtel gives 75GB of data with its Rs 499 postpaid plan with unlimited calling and 100SMS. The streaming benefits of this plan include Prime Video, Disney+ Hostar and Airtel Xstream. At the same price Vi gives 75GB data with 200GB rollover data, and access to Amazon Prime and Disney + Hotstar. These plans from Airtel and Jio are individual postpaid plans. Now coming to Jio's Rs 599 postpaid plan, it gives 100GB data with 1 additional family add-on connection after which the telco charges Rs 10 per GB. It also gives 100SMS per day with unlimited voice calls. The plan gives a subscription to Netflix, Amazon Prime, Disney+ Hotstar VIP with access to Jio apps.





Jio Rs 799 Postpaid Plan: This postpaid plan by Jio is a mid-range plan and gives 150 Gb total data after which it is reduced to Rs 10 per GB. The telco also gives a rollover benefit of 200GB, with two additional SIM cards for family members. It also gives 100SMS per day with unlimited voice calls. The plan gives a subscription to Netflix, Amazon Prime, Disney+ Hotstar VIP with access to Jio apps.

Vi Rs 799 postpaid plan: Now, Vi also offers a family postpaid plan for Rs 799 and it gives 120GB data with unlimited calla and 100SMS. The plan also gives 200GB rollover data with access to Amazon Prime and Disney+ Hotstar with Vi Movies and TV. The plan allows two family add ons and gives 30Gb data with each secondary add-on, while the primary user gets 60GB =, taking the total to 120GB.

Airtel Rs 749 postpaid plan: Coming to Airtel, it has a mid-range postpaid plan of Rs 749. This postpaid plan gives 125GB with unlimited calling and 100SMS. The plan also gives access to Amazon Prime and DIsney+ Hotstar along with Airtel XStream. It also gives two free family add-ons out of which is a regular and one is a data add-on.




Lawsuit over Mount Rushmore fireworks dismissed

U.S. District Court Judge Roberto Lange in a ruling Wednesday dismissed a lawsuit brought against President Joe Biden's administration by Gov. Kristi Noem after the NFS a fireworks display there next month.
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After a year-plus of discourse around journalism-industry reckonings, one of the few outlets that has effectively reoriented the way news is delivered is Prism, which aims to cover injustice from the perspective of the people, places, and issues currently underreported by national media. Started in June 2019 by a staff composed entirely of women of color, with freelance contributors primarily from oppressed groups, Prism soon found itself covering intersecting crisesa pandemic, police brutality, Black people murdered at the hands of white vigilantesthat all disproportionately devastated communities of color; plus, there was the presidential election. To Ashton Lattimore, Prisms editor in chief, the combination of events made clear how her newsroom could offer what legacy publications did not. I think we kind of came into an environment media-wise that was right for us, she said.

Lattimore, who is thirty-four, joined the staff of Prism a few months after it launched. Its founder, Iara Peng, a nonprofit entrepreneur based in Oakland, developed the idea after talking with community organizersconversations she came away from feeling frustrated that theyd been so consistently left out of major-media narratives. Peng then read a report by Color of Change, a civil rights advocacy nonprofit, about how national and local media tend to associate families of color, especially Black families, with poverty and criminalityand how that coverage has had consequences at the level of policy. When Markos Moulitsas, the founder of the Daily Kos, approached Peng about funding a nonprofit journalism venture, I jumped at the chance, she said. Journalism is the everyday storytelling we tell ourselves as a society, and so this is the most powerful communication tool we have to really correct the record.

Peng started mapping out markets and meeting reporters; she sought out people closest to the stories that Prism would cover. She also tapped justice organizers such as Patrisse Cullors, Mary Hooks, and LaTosha Brown to pair their subject-matter expertise with Prisms editorial resources as part of a six-month fellowship program that would produce work for the site.

Doing so meant challenging some journalistic norms. Immediately, when you build a newsroom that looks like the one that we built, people are questioning your objectivity, Lattimore said. But objectivity is neither required nor desired at Prism. The way that the idea of objectivity tends to be practiced is that people who are reporting the news are expected to stake out a position somewhere between two polar opposites, she explained. But because of the nature of what this country is, very frequently what people end up doing is trying to stake out a middle ground between white supremacy and the livelihood of Black people, Indigenous people, of other folks of color, as if those two positions are morally equivalent. Consider the news surrounding the fight for a fifteen-dollar minimum wage, she pointed out: where traditional outlets have tended to frame it as a political contest between Democrats and Republicans, Prism has covered the story through the workers who have been organizing for years. Thats just accurate, Lattimore said.

Prisms sensibility is most evident in the way it organizes beats: visitors to the site wont find coverage filed under politics, business, or health; instead theyll see electoral justice, workers rights, gender justice, and racial justice. Even those distinctions can be artificialIts very unusual, for example, to have a gender justice story thats not also a racial justice story, Lattimore saidbut organizing Prism that way speaks to its interest in centering collective organizing power. This approach is also directly tied to Prisms revenue structurezero of its money comes from media philanthropy. I went to funders of social justice and said, Hey, youre funding all of these great organizations that do incredible work around the country, but no one knows what theyre doing,  Peng recalled saying to potential benefactors.  Would you help me set up a vertical in gender justice? 

Her appeal proved successful. The Libra Foundation, for one, provides grants for Prisms gender justice coverage; the Ford Foundation does the same for workers-rights coverage. These funds make up 67 percent of Prisms revenue and are used to underwrite freelance work, pay staff writers, and cover overhead for the twelve people on staff. Prism was designed to operate remotely, so theres no office to pay for; employees are scattered everywhere from Georgia and North Carolina to New York and California.

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With a new administration in the White House that some major outlets are hailing as a return to normal, Lattimore believes that Prisms mission remains no less urgent. I think people sometimes mistake news outlets that are BIPOC-led as instruments of the political left, instruments of the Democratic Party, and that is very much not what it is, she said. The idea that because now a Democrat is in office our function as journalists changes somehow is not how we see it. Recently, for instance, Tina Vasquez, a senior reporter, interrogated Joe Bidens practice, during Black History Month, of deporting Black immigrants. The goal is for our work and our style of reporting to be so disruptive to the industry that people cannot ignore it, Lattimore said. And that it fundamentally reshapes not just how we are reporting on communities of colorbut that it forces other news outlets to rethink the way that they are doing journalism.

ICYMI: Apocalypse Then and Now

Has America ever needed a media watchdog more than now? Help us by joining CJR today

Feven Merid is a CJR fellow.
CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas, March 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ - Uranium Energy Corp (NYSE: UEC), (the "Company" or "UEC") is pleased to announce the closing of its previously announced offering of an aggregate of 10,000,000 shares of common stock of the Company (each, a "Share") at a purchase price of $3.05 per Share and for gross proceeds of $30,500,000 in a registered direct offering (the "Offering")

The Company offered and sold the Shares pursuant to a Securities Purchase Agreement, dated March 17, 2021, with certain institutional investors.

UEC anticipates that the net proceeds of the Offering will be used for additional uranium purchases and for general corporate and working capital purposes.

Following the closing of this offering the Company has approximately $95 million in cash and equity holdings, which includes $61M in cash.



UEC's physical uranium initiative is fully funded with cash on hand and now includes 1.4 million pounds of U.S. warehoused uranium with 1,000,000 pounds delivered by May 2021 and another 400,000 pounds delivered by March 2022.



H.C. Wainwright & Co., Haywood Securities Inc. and TD Securities (USA) LLC acted as lead placement agents for the Offering. Roth Capital Partners acted as co-placement agent for the Offering.

The Shares were offered by the Company pursuant to a prospectus supplement to the Company's effective shelf registration statement on Form S-3 (File No. 333-236571) previously filed with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC") and which became effective March 3, 2020. The Offering was made only by means of a prospectus supplement and accompanying prospectus that form a part of the effective shelf registration statement. A prospectus supplement relating to the Offering was recently filed by the Company with the SEC. Electronic copies of the prospectus supplement and accompanying base prospectus relating to the Offering may be obtained from the SEC's website at http://www.sec.gov, or from H.C. Wainwright & Co., LLC, 430 Park Avenue, 3rd Floor, New York, NY 10022 by e-mail at:[email protected] or by telephone at: (212) 856-5711.

This press release shall not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy any of the securities, nor shall there be any sale of the securities in any state or jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful prior to registration or qualification under the securities laws of any state or jurisdiction. The securities being offered have not been approved or disapproved by any regulatory authority, nor has any such authority passed upon the accuracy or adequacy of the prospectus supplement, the prospectus or the Company's shelf registration statement.

About Uranium Energy Corp

Uranium Energy Corp is a U.S.-based uranium mining and exploration company. As a leading pure-play American uranium company, UEC is advancing the next generation of low-cost and environmentally friendly In-Situ Recovery (ISR) mining uranium projects. In South Texas, the Company's hub-and-spoke operations are anchored by our fully-licensed Hobson Processing Facility which is central to our Palangana, Burke Hollow, Goliad and other ISR pipeline projects. In Wyoming, UEC controls the Reno Creek project, which is the largest permitted, pre-construction ISR uranium project in the U.S. Additionally, the Company's diversified holdings provide exposure to a unique portfolio of uranium related assets, including: 1) major equity stake in the only royalty company in the sector, Uranium Royalty Corp; 2) physical uranium warehoused in the U.S.; and 3) a pipeline of resource-stage uranium projects in Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico and Paraguay. In Paraguay, the Company owns one of the largest and highest-grade ferro-titanium deposits in the world. The Company's operations are managed by professionals with a recognized profile for excellence in their industry, a profile based on many decades of hands-on experience in the key facets of uranium exploration, development and mining.

Stock Exchange Information:

NYSE American: UEC

WKN: AJDRR

ISN: US916896103

Safe Harbor Statement

Except for the statements of historical fact contained herein, the information presented in this news release constitutes "forward-looking statements" as such term is used in applicable United States and Canadian laws. These statements relate to analyses and other information that are based on forecasts of future results, estimates of amounts not yet determinable and assumptions of management. Any other statements that express or involve discussions with respect to predictions, expectations, beliefs, plans, projections, objectives, assumptions or future events or performance (often, but not always, using words or phrases such as "expects" or "does not expect", "is expected", "anticipates" or "does not anticipate", "plans, "estimates" or "intends", or stating that certain actions, events or results "may", "could", "would", "might" or "will" be taken, occur or be achieved) are not statements of historical fact and should be viewed as "forward-looking statements". Such forward looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause the actual results, performance or achievements of the Company to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Such risks and other factors include, among others, market and other conditions, the actual results of exploration activities, variations in the underlying assumptions associated with the estimation or realization of mineral resources, the availability of capital to fund programs and the resulting dilution caused by the raising of capital through the sale of shares, accidents, labor disputes and other risks of the mining industry including, without limitation, those associated with the environment, delays in obtaining governmental approvals, permits or financing or in the completion of development or construction activities, title disputes or claims limitations on insurance coverage. Although the Company has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual actions, events or results to differ materially from those described in forward-looking statements, there may be other factors that cause actions, events or results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. There can be no assurance that 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 contained in this news release and in any document referred to in this news release. Certain matters discussed in this news release and oral statements made from time to time by representatives of the Company may constitute forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and the Federal securities laws. Although the Company believes that the expectations reflected in such forward-looking statements are based upon reasonable assumptions, it can give no assurance that its expectations will be achieved. Forward-looking information is subject to certain risks, trends and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those projected. Many of these factors are beyond the Company's ability to control or predict. Important factors that may cause actual results to differ materially and that could impact the Company and the statements contained in this news release can be found in the Company's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. For forward-looking statements in this news release, the Company claims the protection of the safe harbor for forward-looking statements contained in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. The Company assumes no obligation to update or supplement any forward-looking statements whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. This press release shall not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy securities.

SOURCE Uranium Energy Corp

Related Links

http://www.uraniumenergy.com/


The worlds oldest known wooden sculpture  a nine-foot-tall totem pole thousands of years old  looms over a hushed chamber of an obscure Russian museum in the Ural Mountains, not far from the Siberian border. As mysterious as the huge stone figures of Easter Island, the Shigir Idol, as it is called, is a landscape of uneasy spirits that baffles the modern onlooker.

Dug out of a peat bog by gold miners in 1890, the relic, or whats left of it, is carved from a great slab of freshly cut larch. Scattered among the geometric patterns (zigzags, chevrons, herringbones) are eight human faces, each with slashes for eyes that peer not so benignly from the front and back planes.

The topmost mouth, set in a head shaped like an inverted teardrop, is wide open and slightly unnerving. The face at the very top is not a passive one, said Thomas Terberger, an archaeologist and head of research at the Department of Cultural Heritage of Lower Saxony, in Germany. Whether it screams or shouts or sings, it projects authority, possibly malevolent authority. Its not immediately a friend of yours, much less an ancient friend of yours.

In archaeology, portable prehistoric sculpture is called mobiliary art. With the miraculous exception of the Shigir Idol, no Stone Age wood carvings survive. The statues age was a matter of conjecture until 1997, when it was carbon-dated by Russian scientists to about 9,500 years old, an age that struck most scholars as fanciful. Skeptics argued that the statues complex iconography was beyond the reach of the hunter-gatherer societies at the time; unlike contemporaneous works from Europe and Asia featuring straightforward depictions of animals and hunt scenes, the Shigir Idol is decorated with symbols and abstractions.
Following an uptick in pets diagnosed with myocarditis at a specialist veterinary hospital in Buckinghamshire during the pandemic's second surge, veterinarians warn of a potential association between a novel form of coronavirus and heart attacks in cats and dogs.

"We don't want to generate undue fear, particularly because we have a clear hypothesis of transmission from human to pet but not vice versa - and we don't know for sure. However, veterinarians should be mindful of this to begin checking if they consider a possible Covid infection case, according to Luca Ferasin, a cardiologist at the Ralph Veterinary Referral Centre (RVRC) in Marlow Buckinghamshire, who led the study.

Related Article: Apes are Being Vaccinated from Covid-19 to Protect Staff, Inhabitants

B117 Variant

The highly transmissible B117 variant was first discovered in Kent in December. It has quickly risen to become the most common circulating type in the UK, accounting for nearly 95% of infections. It has been used in at least 85 other countries around the world.

While earlier versions were known to affect cats and dogs, the symptoms were often respiratory: a runny nose, coughing, sneezing, or conjunctivitis. The cases in Buckinghamshire are among the first known B117 variant animal infections.

Heart Problems

Ferasin and his colleagues advise colleagues to search for cats or dogs with heart disease signs and have them screened for coronavirus, particularly if their owners have recently been infected. The veterinarians hope that this will help them understand how the current strain affects the two species and their likely role in virus transmission.

The team found a rise in the number of dogs and cats admitted to the RVRC with myocarditis between December and February (inflammation of the heart muscle). The number of cases was not high - there were just 18 in all - but it was almost ten times what the animal hospital usually sees at this time of year.

The animals were referred after showing signs of heart disease, such as lethargy, a loss of appetite, heavy breathing or shortness of breath, and serious life-threatening arrhythmia (irregular heartbeat). There were fainting episodes in two of the incidents. Myocarditis was found after further studies.

The animals referred to the RVRC, unlike previously reported Sars-CoV-2 infections in cats and dogs, have no other respiratory symptoms.

Testing the Samples

Ferasin took blood samples and swabs from the noses, lungs, and rectums of six cats and one dog presenting with myocarditis between late January and early February, wondering if these heart abnormalities could be attributed to the rise in human Covid cases. Sars-CoV-2 antibodies, or antibodies to the virus, were tested on these.

They also collected blood samples from two cats and two dogs in the intensive care unit suffering from myocarditis. Two cats and a dog tested positive for the virus in their rectal tests, and two other cats and dogs tested positive for Sars-CoV-2 antibodies in their blood. If these studies had been done earlier, Ferasin believes that more people may have tested positive.

Results

Many of the cats are doing fine following veterinary attention, except for one cat that had to be put down. In humans, Covid has also been linked to heart injury.

Precaution

However, Margaret Hosie, a comparative virology professor at the University of Glasgow's center for virus studies, said it's still uncertain if the virus triggered the animals' symptoms. "It's difficult to rule out the chance that Sars-CoV-2 shedding was an unintended consequence, and it's unavoidable that a proportion of every group of animals would test positive for [antibodies to coronavirus] at the time of the second wave's peak," she stated.

"The advice to pet owners is the same - if you have Covid-19, be mindful that it can be spread to pets, but prevent contact with your pet if at all practicable and, if it is not possible, wear a mask, such as while cooking the pet's food," Hosie said.

ALSO READ: Scientists Double Effort to Find Possible Next Pandemic, Caused by Other Zoonotic Diseases

For more wildlife news, don't forget to follow Nature World News!
By Damali Mukhaye

The Uganda Coffee Development Authority (UCDA) has revealed that coffee exports in February amounted to 563,763 60kg bags, worth 50.5m USD, (approximately Shs185.281bn).

According to the authoritys report for the period between March 2020- February 2021, the exports comprised 500,685 bags of Robusta coffee valued at US$40.96m and 62,078 bags of Arabica coffee valued at US$9.59m.

The report released this morning also indicates that Coffee exports for the 12 months (March 2020-Feb ) amounted to 5,558,175 60kg bags compared to 4,744,275 bags the previous year.

The report indicates that as much as Robusta coffee exports increased by 28.72% and 18.17% in quantity and value respectively, Arabica exports decreased in both quantity and value by 26.40% and 20.72% respectively.

This decrease in Arabica monthly exports is attributed to the off-year biennial cycle characteristic of Arabica production while the increase in Robusta exports during the month was on account of fruition of the newly planted coffee as well as favorable weather.
A Place for All Conservatives to Speak Their Mind.
Albany defense attorney Danielle Smith, part of the defense team for NXIVM leader Keith Raniere, has left the case and departed the law firm of longtime area attorney Paul DerOhannesian.

Smith, a University at Buffalo Law School graduate who has worked for DerOhannesian & DerOhannesian since 2013, left the firm to move closer to her family, according to an email. Smith was one of four trial attorneys who sat in a federal courtroom in Brooklyn with the reputed cult leader known within NXIVM as "Vanguard."
The surge appears to have surprised the Biden administration, as Doris Meissner of the Migration Policy Institute, who ran the Immigration and Naturalization Service in the 1990s, told me. Republicans have pounced, accusing Democrats of favoring an open border.

Some Democrats are unhappy, too. Bidens policy incentivizes droves of people to come, and the only way to slow it down is by changing policy at our doorstep, Representative Vicente Gonzalez of Texas told The Washington Post. Henry Cuellar, another House Democrat from Texas, said the administration was sending a terrible message.

It all stems from the fact that the Democratic Party no longer has a clear policy on immigration.

Trump obscured the debate

While Donald Trump was president, he smoothed over the Democrats internal tensions because they could unite in opposition to him. Trump used racist language; Democrats abhorred it. Trump separated families and locked children in cages; Democrats promised to end those policies. Trump said he would build a border wall, paid for by Mexico; Democrats mocked his failure.

With Trump out of office, however, the party faces some hard, unresolved questions, including:

Do Democrats still favor the deportation of anyone? Some activists criticized Obama as the deporter in chief. But he focused deportations on only two groups: recent arrivals and immigrants who committed serious crimes.

If Democrats prefer a more lenient policy than Obamas, it isnt clear whether they support the deportation of anybody  or whether they instead believe that the humane solution is to allow everybody who manages to enter the U.S., legally or illegally, to remain. The partys 2020 platform doesnt mention any conditions in which deportation is acceptable. Bidens attempt to halt deportations for 100 days highlights the partys new attitude.
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Bet types in which punters can wager on an individual player to score a try wont be banned despite abhorrent social media abuse sent to Roosters veteran Josh Morris, where a man called him a dog c--- and threatened to wait for him outside Campbelltown Stadium because of a losing bet.

Australian Rugby League Commission boss Peter Vlandys insists his focus is on driving abusers out of the game - and not eradicating the bet types - after NSW Police were referred a complaint in the matter. It is the most serious incident since players escalated their campaign against betting trolls.

Josh Morris was targeted by a disgruntled punter on social media after the Roosters win on Sunday. Credit:Instagram, Getty

Bookmakers have already closed accounts in the name of the person after Morris re-posted a private Instagram message from a disgruntled bettor, who said you wont know what hit ya (sic) after Trent Robinsons side smashed the Wests Tigers on Sunday.

Wagering companies offer individual performance markets for all matches, including for a player to score a try. Morris didnt cross the line in the seven-tries-to-one rout as his twin brother Brett (three tries) and James Tedesco (two) ran amok.
They're one of Ireland's hottest new bands, and rock trio N.O.A.H have been making the most of lockdown.

While the pandemic put their live shows on hold, childhood pals Ryan Hill, Ronan Hynes and Adam Rooney have used the time to create a wealth of songs.

"If the pandemic hadn't hit, we would all have been either working or in college and we wouldn't have had the time to put into the band," Adam Rooney tells Shuffle.

"Since we were afforded all this extra time, we moved in together and then we started having proper writing camps. Right now we have a batch of 35 songs that we wouldn't have had."

The trio from Ratoath, Co Meath, created their own Covid bubble by deciding to live together in Adam's family home.

Read More

"Yeah, we're all in my house with my parents," Adam tells me. "My mam and dad have inherited two more smelly sons. It's not too bad, to be fair. My dad is a chef, so he's in work during the day. My mam works from home, but is in her office upstairs. So, the house is pretty much empty all day.

"In December and January we took a complete break and everyone went home. Since last month we started back at it again because we need to get the plan together for an eventual release of an EP in August.

"When we decided we'd have to start writing again it was so much easier to be with each other."

N.O.A.H, who've been championed by celebrities including Kodaline and Laura Whitmore, are now primed for take-off when Covid restrictions are lifted.

This week it was announced that they've signed a deal with Mother Artists in the UK, who are high powered booking agents for live acts that include Foster The People, Idles, Foals and First Aid Kit.

"They're going to be looking after all our gigs and tours globally, apart from the US," Adam says. "So fingers crossed for 2022 when hopefully we can play international gigs when the opportunity comes around."

Although they have yet to play a live gig as N.O.AH, the trio used to perform in their teen band known as Electric Shore. "I had a bass guitar, Ronan had a drum kit, but Ryan was the only one that could play his guitar when we started off at the ages of 13 and 14," Adam reveals.

"We were doing covers of songs by the likes of Kings of Leon, U2 and Red Hot Chili Peppers. Doing the covers helped us to develop our own unique style of playing."

Ronan and Ryan went to BIMM music college, while Adam studied music technology in Maynooth University.

"We're fortunate to have the skill sets to record ourselves and release music," Adam says. "And because we've been playing music together since we were teenagers, we've acquired a lot of instruments and equipment over the years.

"We have all the recording equipment that we need to do all our demos."

The three rising stars also have the full support of their respective parents as they follow their dreams.

"Some of them are living their dream vicariously through us," Adam laughs. "My dad plays guitar. He's never in bands, but there has always been musicology in the house. There was always a guitar lying around and bands like U2 playing at home, and Bruce Springsteen.

"It's the same with the other lads. Ronan's dad, Carl, is the biggest U2 fanatic I've ever met in my life. He even has framed pictures of Bono around the house. So they are all as obsessed with music as we are."

With hit singles Shine and Darkest Hour to their credit, N.O.A.H's success has taken the sting out of missing out on performing at all the major Irish festivals last year. "We were booked for all of them," Adam adds.

N.O.A.H'S new single, Darkest Hour, is out now.
2021-03-20

Maeci

At the initiative of Minister Luigi Di Maio, European Commission Vice-President and Trade Commissioner Valdis Dombrovskis has presented the new Communication on the review of the EU trade policy today at the Foreign Ministry, during a videoconference debate attended by representatives of Italian business and trade associations and civil society.

The Foreign Minister has thanked Vice-President Dombrovskis for the work of the Commission, in support of the European Union's competitiveness and post-Covid-19 economic recovery. Minister Di Maio has also highlighted the innovative nature of the Commission document, praising its approach in line with the growing awareness of European citizens regarding environmental and social sustainability, which are core issues on the agenda of the Italian G20 Presidency.
Chandigarh, March 22 : Akshyae Singh, who crowdsourced a video from his friends and family in Mohali on air pollution in Punjab, has bagged the first prize in the Clean Air Punjab competition. The second and third prizes were won by two students from Amritsar and Kharar, respectively.

In an initiative to empower the citizens, especially the students, to use smartphones to narrate powerful stories that talk about the rising air pollution and its health impacts, 'Let Me Breathe' -- a community platform which documents and shares stories on environment and sustainability -- recently conducted the Clean Air Punjab storytelling workshop.

As part of the workshop, Clean Air Punjab invited submissions in three categories -- decoding the sources of pollution, people's pollution stories and 'pind di' clean air innovation.

The competition drew a lot of interest among schools and college students who used innovative ways to narrate their stories visually. The competition also saw participation from young startup founders, climate activists as well as other citizens.

The first prize for the competition was bagged by Akshyae Singh, 18, who crowdsourced the video. The video had a visual-fiction start, covered the latest data points and included 10-plus interview bytes from residents.

The video highlights multiple issues such as sources of pollution like industrialisation and its health effects on children.

Anvi Sadana, a student of Class VIII from Amritsar, won the second prize, while the third prize went to Avneet Kaur, 15, from Kharar. Akshyae, Anvi and Avneet will pocket a purse of Rs 15,000, Rs 10,000 and Rs 5,000, respectively.

Even though as per the world air quality report, Punjab houses six of the world's 50 top polluted cities, the air pollution conversation in Punjab is often reduced to just stubble burning, ignoring the other sources of pollution.

The contest sought to capture these different sources of pollution and received over 70 entries.
[March 22, 2021] Introducing the METZ Blue MUC 7 Series Powered by Android 10.0

PARIS, March 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- With more than 80 years of history, METZ is revered as one of the world's most innovative and industry-leading TV manufacturers. A trusted brand, METZ has stood as Markt Intern's NO.1 partner for 25 consecutive years, also earning recognition from the Plus X "Special Retailer" Award. Following its 80th anniversary milestone back in 2018, it also introduced its new global brand "METZ blue", which is aimed at a broad market segment and will be available on all continents in the long term. Introducing the brand-new METZ Blue MUC 7 Series, powered by Android 10.0. With the latest Android 10.0 operating system, the METZ MUC 7 Series sets itself to becoming a multifunctional device that supports smart-home device connectivity for over 1,000 smart-home products and 100 Google-related brands. Tanks to Google Assistant's Voice Control feature, users can now take absolute control of their Smart Home with simple commands: "Dim the lights", "Adjust the air-conditioner", "Activate the pool system", and so much more. The possibilities are endless.



The METZ MUC 7 Series is one the leading TV devices running on the latest Android 10.0, making TV viewing user-friendly for the entire family to enjoy. Featuring only the smartest technology from privacy protection, to dynamic partition storage, this device is an environmentally-friendly Smart TV with ground-breaking capabilities. One major secret to the MUC 7 Series' amazing image clarity is credited to deeply embedded within the hardware: The latest Chameleon Extreme 2.0 chip.

With picture quality-processing engine optimization, Chameleon Extreme 2.0 introduces new technologies including: Dynamic Remodel, Super Resolution, Contrast Enhancement, as well as AI Self-Adaption. All four features combine to display the most realistic colours through all 8.29 million display pixels. Expect additional features from Boundless Wisdom to 4K HDR10 display alongside world-renowned hardware and software like Dolby & DTS TruSurround sound, Android 10.0 OS, and AV1. Make the METZ MUC 7 Series yours today at https://bit.ly/2OVtvqf. You can also search for "METZ Blue MUC 7 Series" on Amazon.com, and experience the full power of Android 10.0. Hurry, while stocks last! SOURCE METZ blue

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~Possibility of tax harmonization between both sides.~

PHILIPSBURG:--- Minister of Finance, Ardwell Irion and President of the Overseas Collectivity of St. Martin, Daniel Gibbs, together with their delegation, met on Friday, March 19th to discuss how both sides of the island could achieve tax cooperation. With the support of the Department of Foreign Affairs, both parties expressed the desire for research into areas of possible tax harmonization, highlighted gaps in the systems, and presented possible solutions.

During the meeting, there were discussions about a system where both governments can have access to certain data that would be beneficial to both parties and improve on leakage. Topics such as turnover tax, transactional tax, income tax, and sin tax were discussed. A follow-up meeting will be organized in quarter two.

The reality of two countries sharing one island with an open border brings with it complexities as it relates to taxes. These discussions are therefore crucial and necessary as we continue the tax reform process. The goal with the tax reform is to simplify the process, minimize tax evasion and increase revenue.
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Berlin, March 22 : German Chancellor Angela Merkel will join state leaders on Monday to discuss whether a return to a harder lockdown is needed after the country surpassed a key threshold in coronavirus infection numbers.

Despite hopes for more lockdown relaxations in time for the Easter holiday weekend, which falls at the start of April this year, Germany is likely to halt its plans for reopenings after the seven-day incidence of new infections passed the critical benchmark on Sunday, reports Xinhua news agency.

Officials previously agreed to use an "emergency brake" and renew restrictions if the number of new infections per 100,000 inhabitants during the course of a week exceeded the threshold of 100 for three consecutive days.

On Sunday, this seven-day incidence figure rose to 103.9.

Government officials and state leaders, speaking online, are also set to debate the possibility of at least allowing citizens to travel to holiday homes in their own state during the Easter holidays.

As of Monday morning, Germany has reported 2,670,001 coronavirus cases and 74,715 deaths.
Day 15: Dr. Mary McLeod Bethune

Born on a farm near Mayesville, South Carolina in 1875, Mary McLeod Bethune, the 15th child of former slaves, rose from humble beginnings to become a world-renowned educator, civil and human rights leader, champion for women and young people, and an advisor to five U.S. presidents.



Education was the first step in her remarkable journey. The young Mary McLeod worked in the fields alongside her parents and siblings, until she enrolled at the age of 10 in the one-room Trinity Presbyterian Mission School. There, she learned to read, and, as she later noted, the whole world opened to me. She went on to study at Scotia Seminary in North Carolina and Moody Bible Institute in Chicago with the goal of becoming a missionary. When no missionary openings were available, she became a teacher, first at the Haines Institute in Augusta, Georgia and then at the Kendall Institute in Sumter, South Carolina, where she met and married Albertus Bethune. The dream of opening her own school took Mary McLeod Bethune to Florida first to Palatka and then to Daytona Beach, where she started the school that would become Bethune-Cookman University.



As she worked to build the school that she founded, she also became a national leader on issues related to civil rights, education, women and young people. As president of the State Federation of Colored Women's Clubs, she organized the group to fight against school segregation and inadequate healthcare for black children. She later served as president of the prestigious National Association of Colored Women's Clubs and founded the National Council of Negro Women. She was appointed to numerous national commissions including the Coolidge Administration's Child Welfare Conference, the Hoover Administration's National Commission on Child Welfare and Commission on Home Building and Home Ownership. She eventually became an advisor on minority affairs in the Roosevelt Administration, organizing two national conferences on the problem of black Americans. As a member of the advisory board that in 1942 created the Womens Army Corps, Bethune ensured it was racially integrated. Following an appointment by President Harry S. Truman, Bethune was the only woman of color at the founding conference of the United Nations in 1945.



While she gave counsel to presidents and made connections with America's elite, Mary McLeod Bethune was readily accessible to average men and women and the college students that she mothered and mentored. Her access to people of power and privilege was never something she used to benefit herself. It was always an opportunity to gain access for those shut out of opportunities in our society. She enlisted leaders of government and industry to support her vision and dreams for her school in Daytona Beach, for social justice and positive change for all.



Wherever Dr. Bethune saw a need, she found a way to meet that need and move society closer to her vision. When a black student was turned away from the hospital in Daytona Beach, she opened a hospital to serve the black community. When the nation mobilized resources for the first and second World Wars, she pressed for the integration of the American Red Cross and Women's Army Auxiliary Corps. She led voter registration drives and anti-lynching campaigns.

Additionally, Bethune was a businesswoman who co-owned a Daytona, Florida resort and co-founded the Central Life Insurance Company of Tampa.



Through it all Dr. Bethune relied on faith and prayer for guidance and inspiration, saying, Without faith, nothing is possible. With it, nothing is impossible. Honored with many awards, Bethunes life was celebrated with a memorial statue in Washington DC in 1974, and a postage stamp in 1985. Mary McLeod Bethune's vision lives on today at the school that she founded which continues to sustain her legacy of faith, scholarship and service.

BLACK HISTORY IS AMERICAN HISTORY!

By: U.S. Marine Corps Major Larry Black
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The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge. LEON NEAL/AFP via Getty Images

Prince Harry told Oprah that the royals wine and dine tabloid journalists for better coverage.

The tabloids have exclusive access to the royals through the rota system.

The family has an "invisible contract" with journalists from these publications.

Visit Insider's homepage for more stories.

The royal family's relationship with the British tabloids was something of a mystery to the general public until recently.

Prince Harry lifted the veil on the family's "invisible contract" with the tabloids during his and Meghan Markle's interview with Oprah Winfrey earlier this month. He also implied that the royals wouldn't defend Markle from the press' unfair treatment because they were "scared" of "the tabloids turning on them."

"There's what's termed or referred to as the 'invisible contract' behind closed doors between the institution and the tabloids, the UK tabloids. To simplify it, it's a case of if you as a family member are willing to wine, dine, and give full access to these reporters, then you will get better press," Harry said.

Here's everything we know about the royals' complicated relationship with the tabloids.

Tabloids have had exclusive access to the royals for more than 40 years

The royal rota is a system that was established more than 40 years ago in order to allow UK newspapers exclusive access to engagements carried out by the royal family.

The members of the rota include: The Daily Express, The Daily Mail, The Daily Mirror, The Evening Standard, The Telegraph, The Times, and The Sun.

Journalists and photographers from these publications spend a lot of time with the royal family during both local engagements and international tours.

The royals also attend events hosted by some of these publications, and work in partnership with them for specific events.

For instance, Harry, Prince William, and Kate Middleton have previously shown support for The Sun newspaper's Military Awards, an event sponsored and organized by the publication to honor the military community.

Story continues

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and Prince Harry attend The Sun military awards in 2011. Anwar Hussein/Getty Images

Another example includes Prince Charles' partnership with The Sun at the Prince's Trust and RBS Celebrate Success event back in 2006. Charles and Camilla joined royal photographer Arthur Edwards on stage to present the Young Achiever Award, sponsored by the newspaper.

The Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall with Arthur Edwards. Tim Graham Picture Library/ Getty Images

Charles and Camilla publicly acknowledged their friendship with Edwards last year by writing a birthday tribute to him on social media - something the royals rarely do publicly unless for another member of the family.

This content is not available due to your privacy preferences. Update your settings here to see it.

Edwards did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment.

Kate Middleton's strategy to keep her children out of the tabloids was previously used by Princess Diana

The Duchess of Cambridge keeps the British tabloids at bay by providing official photos of her children on their birthdays each year.

She uses her Instagram account, @kensingtonroyal, to share the photos - which she takes herself - and gives British newspapers permission to print them.

In return, Middleton and her children are rarely targeted by the paparazzi, and most photos of them in the press are from official engagements by photographers that have been pre-approved by the palace.

"In regards to the royal family, they will give a little bit, and the media will give a little bit, therefore they can come to a satisfactory outcome, certainly in regards to access," former royal protection officer Simon Morgan previously told Insider.

"Obviously the Cambridges are very good at that, with regards to the duchess' pictures that she puts into the press. So the press ultimately don't follow them around looking for those types of pictures. It's a two-way scenario."

This strategy is likely what Princess Diana and Prince Charles had in mind when they invited the British press to photograph their children at milestone events, including their birthdays. The below photo shows Prince William at Kensington Palace on his second birthday.

Prince William is photographed by the British press at Kensington Palace. Tim Graham Photo Library via Getty Images

There was an understanding that the tabloids would leave William and Harry alone while they attended private school in exchange for occasional staged photo-ops, BBC News reports.

One example of this included William's 18th birthday at Eton College, the publication adds.

Harry and Markle cut all ties with the British tabloids after their step back

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are no longer required to take part in the royal rota system now that they have stepped back from their senior working roles.

The couple announced in April 2020 that they had cut off all contact with The Sun, the Daily Mail, the Daily Mirror, and the Daily Express, saying that they would no longer respond to media requests from these tabloids.

In a letter sent to each publication, the Sussexes said they no longer wanted to "offer themselves up as currency for an economy of clickbait and distortion."

The duchess struggled with racist coverage from the tabloids since her relationship with the Duke of Sussex was made public in 2016. Harry made a statement condemning this behavior at the time, calling out the "racial undertones" he identified in articles written about the then-actress.

Speaking to Oprah about the racist coverage, Harry said it "hurt" that nobody from his family stood up to the tabloids during the three years that Markle experienced it.

Harry also said that they had asked the palace to use its existing relationship with the tabloids to "share some truth" and "call the dogs off," however they refused to do so.

Royal commentator Kristen Meinzer previously told Insider the press show double standards in their coverage of Markle, and that she wouldn't "be facing any of these double standards if she were white."

Buckingham Palace did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment.

Read the original article on Insider
Searches for wetsuits are up 495 per cent on mountainwarehouse.com. Pictured is the Shorty womens wetsuit, which is available from the retailer at the end of March for 69.99

Britons have turned to making lemon drizzle cake and sourdough bread to help get them through lockdown and millions have taken up running.

To this list we can now add wild swimming, with searches for wetsuits up by 495 per cent on the mountainwarehouse.com website and sales up by 229 per cent compared to the same time last year, with over 2,000 units sold in the coldest winter months.

Google search volume for the trend, meanwhile, has grown by 86 per cent year on year, with 8,100 searches for wild swimming in the past two weeks alone.

Plus, Tik Tok videos of people taking the plunge into cold open water are going viral.

Britons are being inspired by the likes of Tik Tok content creators Hebridean Baker and Miss Elsa Grace, who have both posted wild swimming videos.

One video posted by the Hebridean Baker, real name Connaich McLeod, shows his partner Peter taking a dip in Clachan Sound off the Isle of Seil before he is seen paddleboarding with his dog.

He captioned the Tik Tok clip: 'The only way to swim in Scotland - head to toe in neoprene! And yes, its freezing.'

The video has received over 3,900 likes with one Tik Tok user, Elmer Heiji, commenting: 'I honestly got shivers from here! Looks refreshing, though!'

Tik Tok content creator the Hebridean Baker posted a clip of his partner Peter, pictured, enjoying a wild swim in the Clachan Sound off the Isle of Seil

Miss Elsa Grace's video contains tips on how to get started when wild swimming.

The video, which has been liked more than 33,000 times, shows her and a friend easing themselves into open water in bathing suits.

In the voiceover she suggests: 'Maybe you could start by putting cold water on your wrists to acclimatise yourself, but don't stay in too long because it can get uncomfortable.

'Lovely clean swimming and canoeing' is possible at this beauty spot from the bank opposite Ulting Church, pictured, by the River Chelmer on the Essex Coast. Image from the book Wild Guide to London & South East and courtesy of Wild Things Publishing

This idyllic spot, called Wadenhoe on the River Nene in Northamptonshire, is a 'wonderful place for messing about in the water', according to the Wild Guide to London & South East (image from the book and courtesy of Wild Things Publishing)

'Make sure you warm up with lots of nice layers and drink a warm tea and walk home if you can.'

In 2018, the British Medical Journal cited open water swimming as a possible treatment for depression, following a case study undertaken in the UK.

The report suggested that putting our bodies into fight or flight mode can help us better adapt to stress.

Not sure where you can wild-swim in the UK? Two books by Wild Things Publishing reveal all you need to know.

Wild Guide London & South East lists secret beaches, rivers and lakes perfect for swimming and Wild Swimming reveals information on '300 hidden dips in the rivers, lakes and waterfalls of Britain'.

Wetsuit prices at Mountain Warehouse vary from 49.99 for a kids full wetsuit to 99.99 for the newest adults styles.
Top quartile Lloyds Syndicate 1225, managed by AEGIS Managing Agency Ltd. (AEGIS London), is moving to a new office to accommodate its growing number of employees.

The office, which will open fully once COVID restrictions are eased, is located on the first and second floors of 25 Fenchurch Avenue, close to the Lloyds building. AEGIS Londons new office will accommodate AEGIS Londons increasing number of employees with the potential to expand this as the business grows.

Having outgrown our premises at 33 Gracechurch Street, weve been looking for a contemporary base with space for agile working and collaboration areas. Office life after COVID-19 will not be the same, so our new office has been designed with employees wellbeing front of mind and flexible technology to support new working patterns. It also features a larger broker zone than weve had previously, said Marianne Harvey, chief operating officer, AEGIS London.

AEGIS Londons former 150-person office at 33 Gracechurch Street has now been vacated. The business is donating its old office furniture to a range of schools in London.

Source: AEGIS London

Topics Carriers Excess Surplus London Lloyd's
Armenia MFA information department chief: All deputy FMs carrying out their duties

Ardshinbank invited children to the cinema on International Childrens Day

Armenia judiciary to have 10 more judges

Armenia acting premier: We had recorded 40% increase in tax revenues according to 2019 results

Armenia acting PM on Artsakh war casualties bodies: We have 50 remains in which case DNA was not separated

Azerbaijan authorities plan to "squeeze" everything from "terrorist show" related to Armenian captives

Ameriabank Announces a Contest for Bank Card Design

108 new cases of COVID-19 confirmed in Armenia

Armenia parliament convenes special session

Armenia interim government holding Cabinet meeting

Catholicos of All Armenians heads for Syunik Province, Artsakh

World oil prices going up

Iran loses right to vote in UN General Assembly

Newspaper: Armenia authorities come up with new way of punishing unwanted characters

Newspaper: Russia army Southern Military District deputy commander to arrive in Yerevan Thursday

Lebanese Armenian man taken prisoner by Azerbaijan is hospitalized

Armenia ex-President Kocharyan: Are we getting under the burden? Then lets get under to the end

Armenia acting health minister on keeping fallen soldiers bodies in bags: What else should they be kept in?

Armenia acting health minister on citizens' demand for her resignation

Karabakh's new State Minister Artak Beglaryan on his appointment and future activities

Armenian, Russian and Azerbaijani representatives hold consultations in Moscow

2 Armenian soldiers receive slight injuries after incident with Azerbaijani servicemen in Armenia's Gegharkunik

Armenian boy weighing 5 kg born at Goris Medical Center

"Armenia" bloc representative presents purpose of participation in elections and plans

Isaac Herzog elected President of Israel

Rouhani: Main issues between Tehran, Washington resolved in Vienna

Charles Michel calls on Armenia and Azerbaijan to resume constructive negotiations

US Department of State responds to Pashinyan's proposal to deploy international observers on Armenia-Azerbaijan border

Head of Armenia 2nd President's Office: Robert Kocharyan's public meetings are held in warm atmosphere

Opposition "Armenia" bloc's representative on photos and videos showing bags of deceased servicemen's bodies

Armenia Ombudsman, AGBU President discuss war crimes committed by Azerbaijan during Karabakh war

Opposition "Armenia" bloc's representatives to hold briefings three times a week

Opposition "Armenia" bloc member: Blood-freezing photos and videos from morgue in Abovyan are authorities' reflection

Yerevan mayor receives Netherlands Ambassador

Armenia Health Ministry, Investigative Committee keep info about sending remains of dead soldiers abroad confidential

Armenia Prosecutor General's Office launches case regarding leaving sacs of servicemen's bodies/remains in basement

Peskov: Putin and Biden to discuss cybersecurity issues

Armenia's Pashinyan meets with Belgian PM Alexander De Croo

Armenia acting MOD receives Netherlands Ambassador

Armenia Police: 3 citizens apprehended during protest demanding acting health minister's resignation

NATO warns Minsk about further consequences of Ryanair incident

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

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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

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Several Artsakh roads to be improved this year

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WASHINGTON (AP)  Somehow, they didnt see it coming.

Within weeks of Inauguration Day on Jan. 20, the Biden administration had reversed many of the most maligned Trump-era immigration policies, including deporting children seeking asylum who arrived alone at the U.S.-Mexico border and forcing migrants to wait in Mexico as they made their case to stay in the United States.

While the administration was working on immigration legislation to address long-term problems, it didnt have an on-the-ground plan to manage a surge of migrants. Career immigration officials had warned there could be a surge after the presidential election and the news that the Trump policies, widely viewed as cruel, were being reversed.

Now officials are scrambling to build up capacity to care for some 14,000 migrants now in federal custody  and more likely on the way  and the administration finds itself on its heels in the face of criticism that it should have been better prepared to deal with a predictable predicament.

They should have forecasted for space (for young migrants) more quickly, said Ronald Vitiello, a former acting director of Immigration and Customs Enforcement and chief of Border Patrol who has served in Republican and Democratic administrations. And I think in hindsight, maybe they should have waited until they had additional shelter space before they changed the policies.

The situation at the southern border is complex.

Since Bidens inauguration, the U.S. has seen a dramatic spike in the number of people encountered by border officials. There were 18,945 family members and 9,297 unaccompanied children encountered in February  an increase of 168% and 63%, respectively, from the month before, according to the Pew Research Center. That creates an enormous logistical challenge because children, in particular, require higher standards of care and coordination across agencies.

Still, the encounters of both unaccompanied minors and families are lower than they were at various points during the Trump administration, including in spring 2019. That May, authorities encountered more than 55,000 migrant children, including 11,500 unaccompanied minors, and about 84,500 migrants traveling in family units.

Career immigration officials, overwhelmed by the earlier surges, have long warned the flow of migrants to the border could ramp up again.

Biden administration officials have repeatedly laid blame for the current situation on the previous administration, arguing that Biden inherited a mess resulting from President Donald Trumps undermining and weakening of the immigration system. The White House says it has taken several steps to address the situation.

Migrant children are sent from border holding cells to other government facilities until they are released to a sponsor. That process was slowed considerably by a Trump administration policy of enhanced vetting, in which details were sent to immigration officials and some sponsors wound up getting arrested, prompting some to fear picking up children over worries of being deported. Biden has reversed that policy, so immigration officials hope the process will speed up now.

The White House also points to Bidens decision to deploy the Federal Emergency Management Agency, known for helping communities in the aftermath of a natural disaster, to support efforts to process the growing number of unaccompanied migrant children arriving at the border. HHS announced Saturday that it was opening an additional facility in West Texas to help with influx of unaccompanied minors. The facility will initially accommodate about 500 children but can be expanded to house 2,000.

Biden and others have pushed back on the notion that what's happening now is a crisis.

We will have, I believe, by next month enough of those beds to take care of these children who have no place to go, Biden said in a recent ABC News interview, when asked whether his administration should have anticipated the surge in young unaccompanied migrants as well as families and adults. He added, Lets get something straight though. The vast majority of people crossing the border are being sent back ... immediately sent back.

Adam Isacson, an analyst at the human rights advocacy group Washington Office on Latin America, said Republicans insistence that there is a crisis at the border is overwrought, but that the surge in migrants was predictable.

He called it a perfect storm of factors: hurricanes that hit Central America last fall; the economic fallout caused by the coronavirus pandemic; typical seasonal migration patterns; the thousands of Central American migrants already stuck at the border for months; and the persistent scourge of gang violence afflicting Northern Triangle countries  Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador.

Isacson said the Biden administration may have been two or three weeks slow in preparing for the increase in unaccompanied young migrants and the subsequent housing crunch after announcing in early February it would stop deporting unaccompanied youths.

But Isacson added that the bottleneck was also affected by the lack of cooperation by the Trump administration with the Biden transition.

The Biden administration announced on Feb. 2 it would no longer uphold the Trump administration policy of automatically deporting unaccompanied minors seeking asylum. Two weeks later, the White House announced plans to admit 25,000 asylum-seekers to the U.S. who had been forced to remain in Mexico.

In subsequent weeks, the number of young migrants crossing without adults skyrocketed. Both Customs and Border Protection, and Health and Human Services officials have struggled to house the influx of children. Immigration officials say the number of adult migrants and families trying to enter the U.S. illegally also has surged.

Border patrol officials had encountered more than 29,000 unaccompanied minors since Oct. 1, nearly the same number of youths taken into custody for all of the previous budget year, administration officials say.

Getting capacity up to deal with the unaccompanied minors is critical, but the numbers just dont bear out to pointing to a crisis, Isacson said.

That hasnt stopped Republicans -- including Trump and House Republican leader Kevin McCarthy of California -- from pillorying Biden.

Its more than a crisis. This is a human heartbreak, said McCarthy, who led a delegation of a dozen fellow House Republicans to El Paso, Texas, on Monday.

Biden is also facing criticism from Republicans that his administration has sent mixed messages.

Critics have focused on public comments from Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, who earlier this month said the administration's message to migrants was dont come now and a slip by Roberta Jacobson, the White House's lead adviser on the border, who said in Spanish during a recent briefing the border is not closed, before correcting herself.

The president and other administration officials in recent days have stepped up efforts to urge migrants not to come. Embassies in Northern Triangle countries are airing public service announcements underscoring the dangers of making the trek north.

Eric Hershberg, director of the Center for Latin American and Latino Studies at American University, said Biden's team faces a powerful counter-narrative as it attempts to persuade desperate Central Americans to stay put: chatter on social media from migrants who successfully made it across the border and smugglers who insist that now is the ideal time.

Hershberg cites a Honduran friend's reaction to U.S. warnings that migrants could face danger on the journey: "You know, you dont need to go with such uncertainty. You can just stay here and know that youll be raped or killed.
Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is the causative pathogen of the ongoing coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic.

The pandemic has now led to over 2.7 million deaths around the world. COVID-19 is primarily a respiratory illness, but with the increasing severity of illness, multiple organs can be affected. The organ damage appears to be the result of both direct infection and of accompanying inflammation.

An interesting new study has appeared online in the journal Hormones that discusses the effects of COVID-19 on the male and female gonads.

Sexual dimorphism in COVID-19

Males are more susceptible to severe COVID-19 than females. The researchers sought to examine the gonads in both sexes to identify any changes which could impact male fertility and gonad functions.

The viral receptor, the human angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (hACE2), is expressed on all testicular cells. The expression of this receptor on lung epithelium is regulated by estrogen, which, along with testosterone, affects the course of disease and outcomes between males and females. Females have higher immune responses, which may explain why they are less prone to severe COVID-19.

The current study reviews all studies on reproductive functions in both males and females.

Estrogen and female-sparing effects of ACE2

There is lower COVID-19-related morbidity and mortality infection among females compared to males. Not only do men die at twice the rate that women do, but over 80% of severe COVID-19 cases occur in men.

This effect seems to be largely mediated by the ability of sex hormones to regulate the immune response differentially.

Estrogen is known to regulate both innate and adaptive immunity, in the form of estradiol, which acts through estrogen receptors (ER). These are expressed at high levels on T lymphocytes, and ER- on B cells.

As the innate immune response sets in following viral infection, estrogen activates immune cell ERs, causing the release of pro-inflammatory cytokines and interferons. The subsequent activation of lymphocytes and alveolar macrophages arrests virus replication, in a rapid immune defense.

This is followed by adaptive immunity, where estrogen induces high antibody production and activates B cells to produce antibodies. Apart from these effects, females show higher leukocyte activity and macrophage phagocytosis in response to a pathogen than males do, leading to rapid clearance.

However, in other conditions that involve immunity other than those caused by infections, such as autoimmunity, this aspect of estrogens immunomodulatory activity is often undesirable, as it acts via its metabolites, whether in circulation or directly synthesized within the cells, to stimulate autoimmune phenomena.

COVID-19 and female gonads

Earlier studies showed ACE2 to be expressed in the human ovaries, the oocytes and the endometrial tissue, and that it may regulate the production of both estrogen and progesterone. In addition, it may increase ovulation and oocyte maturation, while regulating endometrial and myometrial activity.

TMPRSS2 is another enzyme involved in the virus-cell membrane fusion. This is also found in the endometrium and the testes, indicating these are potential targets of this virus.

Estradiol may regulate ACE2 expression. However, no evidence gathered so far suggests that SARS-CoV-2 infection is unlikely to have long-term effects on female fertility.

Studies in COVID-19 during pregnancy have also shown little evidence of significantly increased maternal morbidity, especially related to lung pathology or preterm birth, and pregnancy outcomes following severe COVID-19 are not very different from those of control pregnancies. Most cases were asymptomatic and the pregnancy course did not differ from what was expected.

Can estrogen treat COVID-19?

Estrogen is also a potential treatment for COVID-19, with earlier studies showing that its immunomodulatory activity is dose-dependent. High-dose estradiol may reduce ACE2 mRNA transcription, and could also prevent or reduce endothelial damage and resultant ischemic injury to multiple organs.

Estradiol is also anti-inflammatory in its activity, like the well-known glucocorticoids. It also increases the number of CD8 T cells specifically targeting this virus, besides reducing viral gene transmission and the trafficking of the virus within the host cell.

Recent in vitro studies thus indicate the possibility that estrogen may regulate virus-induced inflammatory changes in the lung, and may even help prevent the infection.

COVID-19 and male gonads

Not only is COVID-19 more severe in males, but the comorbidities that are known to be risk factors for severe COVID-19 are also more common in males. These include lifestyle factors such as hypertension, smoking, alcohol consumption, and diabetes. These are also found to occur at younger ages in males.

A similar male predilection has been found in male mice, especially with age, and comorbidity-adjusted data shows that their presence is not the only reason for the higher rates of disease in males.

Smoking does increase the severity of COVID-19, but SARS-CoV-2 infection is not more common among smokers than in the general population.

The presence of male baldness, which may suggest high androgen levels, was proposed to be associated with high patient mortality (the so-called Gabrin sign). Other scientists showed the presence of bilateral pneumonia in 71% of COVID-19 male patients with male baldness.

Male sex steroids act through the ARs in both sexes. Increased sensitivity to androgens is associated with the length of CAG repeats, with short CAG repeat lengths being associated with excessive androgen production, acne and male baldness.

However, the metabolic effects of short CAG repeats in men include lean body mass and insulin sensitivity, but in women, abdominal obesity and insulin resistance. Shorter CAG repeats in the AR gene may have negative consequences in polycystic ovarian syndrome and androgen receptor (AR) polymorphisms.

Androgens may suppress the innate immune response, but also increases circulating neutrophil number and function. These cells may then increase growth factor and interleukin production, thus modulating the immune response to the virus.

Androgens also modulate the TMPRSS2 and ACE2 expression in many tissues, and in prostate cancer cells, TMPRSS2 is upregulated. Both AR and TMPRSS2 genes are expressed highly in response to androgens.

ARs, ACE2 and multiple immune response genes are located on the X chromosome. The single X in males may thus explain the high susceptibility to severe viral infection. Thus, men may be at risk in relation to their level of production of androgens and ARs.

Androgens increase lung vulnerability

Male mice show higher viral titers and inflammatory infiltrates in their lungs, and for their age, greater edema of lung tissue, than female mice. Even as newborn mice, males are more at risk for neonatal respiratory distress syndrome than females. Lung development in male fetuses follows a delayed timeline relative to females, with fewer surfactant-producing type II pneumocytes.

Androgens affect surfactant synthesis. Moreover, AR expression is also dominant within the epithelium of the bronchi and type II cells. These may indicate that the male susceptibility to SARS-CoV-2 is present from birth.

The brain-testicular axis

All testicular tissues show high levels of ACE2 mRNA, which indicates they are affected by the virus with ease. However, the virus has not been detected in semen after 43 days from a positive polymerase chain reaction, on average. Other reports are conflicting, and sexual transmission has never been reported.

However, testicular involvement has been reported in a recent histopathological study, including the epididymal tissue, and germ cell apoptosis. The researchers also observed high immune responses against the infected testicular tissue.

These results showed that COVID-19 disease may have a greater impact on male fertility than expected.

What are the implications?

The opposing effects of androgens and estrogens on ACE2 expression seem to favor viral entry in males, but a stronger immune response in females may indicate rapid viral clearance in females.

Immunomodulatory effects of male and female sex hormones may thus explain the differences in morbidity and mortality in males and females.

The current study indicates the increasing weight of evidence as to the effect of SARS-CoV-2 on male gonads, suggesting a potential reduction in fertility and in sex steroid synthesis in males to be one result. Therefore, these patients require monitoring for testicular function and for fertility.

The potential use of estrogen as a treatment for COVID-19, as well as in its prevention, should be explored, as well as androgen receptor antagonists and other drugs that reduce androgen activity.
KYODO NEWS - Mar 22, 2021 - 17:07 | All, Japan

Japanese prosecutors indicted two American men Monday on charges of aiding former Nissan Motor Co. Chairman Carlos Ghosn to flee the country and escape trial in 2019.

Michael Taylor, 60, a former Green Beret, and his son Peter, 28, helped Ghosn, 67, jump bail, despite knowing that the former auto titan was prohibited from traveling overseas based on his bail conditions, according to the indictment by the Tokyo District Public Prosecutors Office.

The two allegedly helped Ghosn, who is charged with financial crimes, flee his home in Tokyo on Dec. 29 and make their way to Kansai International Airport, having first stopped in a hotel in Tokyo and then another in the western prefecture of Osaka.

At the airport they hid Ghosn in a box allowing him to pass through airport security, and then flew with him in a private jet to Turkey.

Ghosn then flew to his childhood home of Lebanon, which does not have an extradition treaty with Japan.

The Taylors were arrested after arriving in Japan early this month under an extradition treaty with the United States.

The two had fought extradition through U.S. courts and appealed to the State Department. But their appeal was rejected by the U.S. Supreme Court in February, and the State Department approved turning them over to Japan in October.

Ghosn, who was arrested in 2018, is charged with underreporting his remuneration by millions of yen over a number of years and with misuse of Nissan funds. He has denied all charges, saying he is the victim of a coup staged by Nissan executives.

Related coverage:

Japan court OKs detention of Americans accused of aiding Ghosn escape

Americans suspected of helping Ghosn flee taken into custody in Japan

U.S. suspects in Carlos Ghosn's escape to be turned over to Japan: sources
Given the challenges Christians are facing due to their belief, an author said that they must fight to live out their faith in the workplace.

In his book, "31 Degrees of Blessing for Your Work Life," Os Hillman shared his views on how people of God can bring the light of Christ at work and support their fellow believers as well.

Speaking to The Christian Post, Hillman said that Christians must both be "witnesses" and "problem solvers." Their behavior at work will also help show the character of Jesus to their colleagues.

"The first thing we need to understand is that you as a follower of Christ are the witness, whether you say anything or not, it's ... how you conduct yourself in your workplace that's going to reveal the character of Christ. The second thing is that we need to be praying for our co-workers and those above us so that God can work through ... you in their lives," he said.

"That's what Jesus did. He was a problem solver. Every time he met somebody, he solved a problem first. And when we solve problems, we have influence," Hillman continued.

He also advised Christians to use their time at work appropriately.

"[D]on't use company time to discuss faith issues. [Use] your coffee breaks or [free time] before or after work so that you're not accused of stealing time from your employer. And you ... want to honor the company that you work for," the author stated.

Hillman founded Marketplace Leaders in the 1990s. Upon learning that Christians are challenged with integrating their faith into their jobs, he published the devotional, "Today God is First," to help Christians with the issue. He said that for the last 15 years, the book has improved believers' awareness in understanding the relevance of "bringing Christ" to their work and calling in life.

The author also thinks that a lot of believers are unaware of their rights to share the gospel with their workmates. He further said that Christians have "to stand" and know their rights to self-defense, as well as understanding freedoms of speech and religion.

In a hostile environment at work, Hillman said that believers must stand their ground "as much as possible". But if the situation turned so bad in a way that believers cannot function at work anymore, he said that they can choose to either take the matter to court or leave the job.

He added that no matter how difficult one's boss can be, as what happened to Joseph, Daniel and Nehemiah who were persecuted for their faith and belief, God can work miracles through any situation.

Further, Hillman said that believers must also support faith-based companies and businesses owned by Christians, often targeted with "cancel culture."

Citing the story of Chick-fil-A, wherein LGBT advocates pushed for its boycott due to their opposition with its CEO's biblical belief on sexuality. But Christians showed their massive support to the company, making it one of the organization's biggest sales in history.

The author also commended Hobby Lobby for standing against Obamacare Health and Human Services that supports abortion. He said that believers must stop their support for companies that "stand for unrighteousness," urging them to "vote with our pocketbook to be able to influence the activities of companies."

He is also concerned with the Equality Act's implications to Christians, in their work and businesses.

"This legislation certainly will remove some of the protections Christians have to be able to refuse employment to those that may be ... involved in a lifestyle that would be contrary to the Christian value system," the author said.

Hillman said that the bill will impact the believers immensely and warned that it will nullify the exemption of the church from taxes, for its opposition on marriage with the same gender.
Fix Our Failed Health System Instead of Protecting It With Lockdowns

Commentary

New variants of SARS-CoV-2 hit England last fall. Over 70 percent of those infected in Englands second wave tested positive for the more-lethal B.1.1.7 variant. As the National Health Service struggled, the government responded with stay-at-home orders, school closures, and strict non-pharmacologic interventions.

New research on the variants hit the scientific press this month and are causing concern in Ontario. Increased risk of death and higher rates of transmission seem destined to overwhelm the health-care system.

Although Canada faced a lighter burden of disease, some regions have been hit hard. Caring for critically ill patients weighs on clinicians at any time. Trying to manage preventable suffering in crowded hospitals can lead to despair.

Alarm about the new variants is right, but often for the wrong reasons. And the wrong people are becoming alarmed.

Worry About the System, Not the Virus

Canadian health care has struggled every winter for decades. Medicare left over a million people on waitlists long before COVID. The pandemic made it worse. For the most part, COVID has not made people panic about the systemit has made them panic about catching the virus.

It has been a full year since the pandemic began, during which time the system could have been fixed, but leaders continue to employ lockdowns to protect a failed system. Politicians seem to manage the pandemic by handing over management of government to public-health officials. At some point, politicians will need to take back leadership and attend to the rest of their mandate.

At the peak of wave two, Ontario had 1,600 hospitalized patients with COVID. Premier Ford added 3,100 new beds in 2020. If we took all the new beds, built one giant COVID hospital and put all the COVID patients into it, the hospital would be just over half full.

But perhaps fresh research on the new variants warrants more lockdowns?

New Data, Finding Perspective

Scottish historian Thomas Carlyle called statistics the dismal science. Most people hate it for good reason. But we must dip our toe into the statistical pool to see past the headlines.

The British Medical Journal (BMJ) reported a 64 percent increased risk of death from the new variant B.1.1.7. Nature estimated close to the same: 61 percent.

A 64 percent increase in anything sounds significant, especially death. However, data points mean little by themselves. Even a 100 percent increase in a tiny number is still a tiny number. If we look more closely at each article, we find a big increase in a very small number, which remains relatively small.

On March 10, the BMJ noted that variants carry a 64 percent higher risk of death, but the risk was still relatively low.

[T]he most probable hazard ratio estimate [is] 1.64, or a 64% increased risk of death. The absolute risk of death in this group of community-identified participants, however, remains relatively low, increasing from 2.5 to 4.1 deaths per 1,000 cases, it stated.

On March 15, Nature reported that the new variants are more transmissible and make people sicker.

[An]  absolute risk of death for a 5569-year-old male increasing from 0.6 percent to 0.9 percent (95 percent CI 0.81.0 percent) within 28 days after a positive test in the community, it stated. [W]e estimate a 61 percent (4282 percent) higher hazard of death associated with B.1.1.7.

The males in the study had a 1 in 167 chance of dying from the old variants, and a 1 in 111 from the new. By comparison, males have a 1 in 5 lifetime risk of dying from cancer. The new variants are worse but cannot compare with other health risks.

What About Lockdowns?

In February, Dr. Ari Joffe, critical care doctor and member of the health ethics centre at the University of Alberta, published COVID-19: Rethinking the Lockdown Groupthink. He referenced 275 articles in his review.

Dr. Joffe suggests lockdowns rest on three false assumptions: that they work, that the benefit outweighs the risk, and that they are the only option. But data do not support these assumptions. Dr. Joffe shows that lockdowns offer marginal benefit, if any. They carry up to 10 times the risk, and far better options exist, such as focused protection based on core principles of emergency management. He suggests we focus on preventing the most harm to the whole society rather than focusing on preserving health-care capacity as the only goal. The ministry of health has many ways to build surge capacity; it should pursue these and prevent another shutdown.

Ontario now has the new variants, and numbers are climbing fast. Even small bumps in hospitalized patients threaten the system. Sunnybrook Hospital put up field hospitals, which seems appropriate. Will they prevent stay-at-home orders? Will public health advocate for anything less than a lockdown? Will politicians resume their role of watching everything else, instead of focusing only on COVID?

We shall see. But unless voters push back, we should prepare for wave three and more inevitable lockdowns.

Shawn Whatley is author of the new book, When Politics Comes Before Patients: Why and How Canadian Medicare is Failing. He is a physician and a senior fellow with the Macdonald-Laurier Institute.

Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.
A section of a natural gas pipeline in Venezuela exploded on Saturday, which the countrys energy minister blamed on an attack, Reuters reports, citing a document produced by state energy company PDVSA.

According to the same document, PDVSA had to suspend operations at the reinjection plant that the pipeline supplied with gas to stop the resulting fire and evaluate the damage.

Energy minister Tareck El Aissami blamed the explosion on a terrorist attack without elaborating. Last year, an explosion at a refinery in northern Venezuela was also blamed on a terrorist attack with a large and powerful weapon, as per President Nicolas Maduro.

Blackouts and other problems with the countrys energy infrastructure have also been blamed on terrorist attacks and sabotage, while critics of the government have blamed neglect and underinvestment.

Venezuelas crude oil and refined product exports plummeted in 2020 to their lowest level in 77 years as the U.S. continued to step up sanctions against Maduros regime and anyone found dealing with it. Last year, Venezuelas oil exports plunged by 37.5 percent, reaching just 626,534 barrels per day (bpd), the lowest level since the early 1940s, according to data from Refinitiv Eikon and internal documents from PDVSA, cited by Reuters.

Yet Caracas seems to be planning to reverse this: recent reports say that Maduro is preparing to end the monopoly that PDVSA has on the local energy market and encourage foreign oil companies to return to Venezuela. The plan signals hope that the Biden administration will lift crippling sanctions that have sent Venezuelas economy into a free fall.

Currently, foreign companies can operate in Venezuelas oil industry, but their investments can only total 49 percent of any project to maintain majority ownership for the state. If this changesand if Washington removes the sanctionsVenezuela could rise from the ashes. For now, however, the chances of sanction removal are slim: Reuters recently reported that the Biden administration was in no rush to lift them until Maduro made some serious steps in negotiating with the Venezuelan opposition.

By Charles Kennedy for Oilprice.com

More Top Reads From Oilprice.com:
A lawyer has described as bombshells comments made by the magistrate judge in the ongoing lawsuit between the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and blockchain payments tech provider Ripple.

In a YouTube video published Saturday, attorney Jeremy Hogan, who is not involved in the case, said Judge Sarah Netburn of the Southern District Court in New York interrupted the discussion to apparently suggest the XRP cryptocurrency is more like a currency than a security.

My understanding about XRP is that not only does it have a currency value but it has a utility, and that utility distinguishes it from bitcoin and ether, the judge said, according to Hogan.

Related: Korean Government Approves Crypto AML Rule Set to Come Online Thursday

This matter is at the heart of the SECs case against Ripple because the regulator claims XRP had been sold by the company and its executives without either being registered as a security or the firm seeking an exemption.

No matter what the SEC may try and argue, a currency and a security are, by definition, in opposite  These are two different things, Hogan said. He added the judge offering the view that XRP has utility is exactly what Ripple wants the court to be thinking.

Netburns comments came during a virtual hearing, observed by Hogan, over the SECs attempt to obtain personal financial information from Ripple CEO Brad Garlinghouse and Executive Chairman Chris Larsen.

The second bombshell, said Hogan, came as Netburn questioned whether everyone who sold XRP  including you and me  are selling illegal securities based on the SECs prior argument. The SEC attorney responded by saying that, under Section 4 of the Securities Act, only Ripple and its affiliates (meaning employees, Hogan said) could be accused of illegal sales.

Related: Bitcoin Could Top Out at $150K to $300K in 2022, Says Large BTC Miner

Story continues

This being the case, exchanges that have stopped selling XRP since the SEC action could now potentially relist it, according to Hogan, who stressed he wasnt offering legal advice.

However, Park Bramhall, senior counsel at Lowenstein Sandler LLP, takes a different view. The fact that the SEC has apparently stated that parties other than Ripple and its affiliates can resell XRP under Section 4 of the Securities Act doesnt mean that exchanges are free to relist XRP, he said.

What the SEC appears to be saying here is that, in its view, parties other than Ripple and its affiliates can rely on the exemption from registration provided under Section 4(a)(1) of the Securities Act for resales of XRP, and that exemption is only relevant if XRP is deemed to be a security, he told CoinDesk.

See also: Ripples Chris Larsen Files Motion to Dismiss SEC Case Over XRP Sales

Netburn is not the primary judge in the case but she is assisting District Judge Analisa Torres with aspects of the case such as discovery and mediation.

If Im Ripple, Im feeling pretty good that my mediator and consulting summary judgment judge just said on the record what I essentially argued in my pleadings, Hogen said.

There was no official court documentation on the hearing available at press time.

UPDATE (15:25 UTC, March 22 2021): Add comment from Park Bramhall.

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Iran has made threats against Fort McNair, an Army post in the U.S. capital, and against the Armys vice chief of staff, two senior U.S. intelligence officials said.

They said communications intercepted by the National Security Agency in January showed that Irans Revolutionary Guard discussed mounting USS Cole-style attacks against the Army post, referring to the October 2000 suicide attack in which a small boat pulled up alongside the Navy destroyer in the Yemeni port of Aden and exploded, killing 17 sailors.

The intelligence also revealed threats to kill Gen. Joseph M. Martin and plans to infiltrate and surveil the installation, according to the officials, who were not authorized to publicly discuss national security matters and spoke on condition of anonymity. The Army post, one of the oldest in the country, is Martins official residence.

The threats are one reason the Army has been pushing for more security around Fort McNair, which sits alongside Washingtons bustling newly developed Waterfront District.

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................................................................

City leaders have been fighting the Armys plan to add a buffer zone of about 250 feet to 500 feet (75 meters to 150 meters) from the shore of the Washington Channel, which would limit access to as much as half the width of the busy waterway running parallel to the Potomac River.

The Pentagon, National Security Council and NSA either did not reply or declined to comment when contacted by The Associated Press.

As District of Columbia officials have fought the enhanced security along the channel, the Army has offered only vague information about threats to the installation.

At a virtual meeting in January to discuss the proposed restrictions, Army Maj. Gen. Omar Jones, commander of the Military District of Washington, cited credible and specific threats against military leaders who live on the Army post. The only specific security threat he offered was about a swimmer who ended up on the installation and was arrested.

Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton, the districts sole representative in Congress, was skeptical. When it comes to swimmers, Im sure that must be rare. Did he know where he was? Maybe he was just swimming and found his way to your shore? she said.

Jones conceded that the swimmer was not a great example there, but our most recent example of a security breach.

He said the Army has increased patrols along the shoreline, erected more restricted area signs and placed cameras to monitor the Washington Channel.

Puzzled city officials and frustrated residents said the Armys request for the buffer zone was a government overreach of public waterways.

Discussions about the Fort McNair proposal began two years ago, but the recent intelligence gathered by the NSA has prompted Army officials to renew their request for the restrictions.

The intercepted chatter was among members of the elite Quds Force of Irans Revolutionary Guard and centered on potential military options to avenge the U.S. killing of the former Quds leader, Gen. Qassem Soleimani, in Baghdad in January 2020, the two intelligence officials said.

They said Tehrans military commanders are unsatisfied with their counterattacks so far, specifically the results of the ballistic missile attack on Ain al-Asad airbase in Iraq in the days after Soleimanis killing. No U.S. service members were killed in that strike but dozens suffered concussions.

Norton told the AP that in the two months since the January meeting, the Pentagon has not provided her any additional information that would justify the restrictions around Fort McNair.

I have asked the Department of Defense to withdraw the rule because Ive seen no evidence of a credible threat that would support the proposed restriction, Norton said. They have been trying to get their way, but their proposal is more restrictive than necessary.

She added: I have a security clearance. And they have yet to show me any classified evidence that would justify the proposal. Norton pointed out that the Washington Navy Yard and Joint Base Anacostia-Bolling, which also have access to district waters, do not have restricted zones along their shorelines and have not requested them.

The proposed changes, outlined in a Federal Register notice, would prohibit both people and watercraft from anchoring, mooring or loitering within the restricted area without permission.

The notice specifies the need for security around the Marine Helicopter Squadron, which transports American presidents, and the general and staff officers quarters located at the waters edge. The southern tip of Fort McNair is home to the National War College, where midlevel and senior officers gunning for admiral or general study national security strategy.

The Washington Channel is the site of one of the citys major urban renewal efforts, with new restaurants, luxury housing and concert venues. The waterway flows from the point where the citys two major rivers, the Potomac and Anacostia, meet.

Its home to three marinas and hundreds of boat slips. About 300 people live aboard their boats in the channel, according to Patrick Revord, who is the director of technology, marketing and community engagement for the Wharf Community Association.

The channel also bustles with water taxis, which serve 300,000 people each year, river cruises that host 400,000 people a year and about 7,000 kayakers and paddleboarders annually, Revord said during the meeting.

Residents and city officials say the restrictions would create unsafe conditions by narrowing the channel for larger vessels traversing the waterway alongside smaller motorboats and kayakers.

Guy Shields, a retired Army infantry colonel and member of the Capitol Yacht Club who opposes the restrictions around Fort McNair, said during the meeting that waterway restrictions wouldnt boost security.

Those buoys arent going to do anything to enhance security. It will increase congestion in an already congested area, Shields said. And Ill say, signs do not stop people with bad intentions.

Its unclear whether the new intelligence will change the citys opposition to the Armys security plan. Irans mission to the United Nations did not immediately respond to a request for comment Sunday. Iranian state media did not immediately acknowledge the AP report.

___

LaPorta reported from Boca Raton, Florida. Associated Press writer Jon Gambrell in Dubai contributed to this report.

___

Contact APs global investigative team at Investigative@ap.org
[March 22, 2021] Unit4 Announces Strategic Growth Buyout by TA Associates for a Transaction Value in Excess of US$2 Billion

LONDON, March 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Unit4, a global leader in enterprise cloud software for people-centric organizations, today announced it has signed a definitive agreement to receive a majority investment from TA Associates, a leading global growth private equity firm. Partners Group, a leading global private markets firm, will invest alongside TA, on behalf of its clients. Mike Ettling, CEO of Unit4, will continue to lead the company, supported by the existing management team. Advent International, the current majority shareholder in Unit4, will exit its stake in the company. Unit4 and TA will partner to further accelerate the company's vision of "people-centric ERP" (Enterprise Resource Planning) for mid-market enterprise organizations. As a leader that innovates for and serves people-based services industries including professional services, public sector, nonprofit and higher education, this partnership with TA will help Unit4 address the specific challenges and requirements of organizations in these industries globally. "Our partnership with TA and Partners Group couldn't come at a better time. With the launch of ERPx, our next generation cloud-native ERP platform, expansion of our global partner ecosystem, the creation of a strong and viable customer community with Community 4U, and deeper "people" investment in our core and growth markets, Unit4 is poised to see dramatic growth through this next phase of our journey," said Mike Ettling, CEO of Unit4. "Our customers have expressed a need for rapid innovation, not just efficiencies, to support their growth aspirations while continuing to navigate the headwinds of the global pandemic. We believe our game-changing software and people-first, services-based mindset will help our customers thrive as the market begins to regain its momentum." "We have followed Unit4 for many years and have been impressed with the company's growth and dedication, under Mike's leadership, to serving mid-market, people-centric organizations, which aligns well with our investment philosophy," said Morgan Seigler, a Managing Director of TA and co-head of TA's Europe Technology Group. "We are excited to partner with Mike and the Unit4 team in the next phase of their journey and to help them invest in and deliver industry-relevant enterprise solutions that drive retention, expansion and growth in organizations across the globe." "Unit4 is a high-quality software solutions business with strong fundamentals and significant potential for transformative growth. TA is a firm we know very well, and we are delighted to partner with them on acquiring this exciting business," added Bilge Ogut, Partner, Global Head Private Equity Technology, Partners Group. The transaction is expected to close in early summer of 2021 pending customary regulatory approvals and closing conditions. Arma Partners and Evercore are serving as financial advisors and De Brauw Blackstone Westbroek s acting as legal counsel to Unit4. Alvarez & Marsal is serving as financial and tax advisor, and Kirkland & Ellis is acting as legal counsel to TA Associates.



About Unit4

Unit4's next-generation enterprise software supports our customers in delivering an exceptional People Experience to their own customers  from students and professionals to the citizens and constituents they serve. Unit4 transforms work to be more meaningful and inspiring through software that's self-driving, adaptive and intuitive, intelligently automating administrative tasks while providing easy access to the answers people need. Unit4 works with people the way people work. For more information please visit https://www.unit4.com/, follow us on Twitter @Unit4global , or visit our LinkedIn page About TA Associates

TA is a leading global growth private equity firm. Focused on targeted sectors within five industries  technology, healthcare, financial services, consumer and business services  the firm invests in profitable, growing companies with opportunities for sustained growth, and has invested in more than 500 companies around the world. Investing as either a majority or minority investor, TA employs a long-term approach, utilizing its strategic resources to help management teams build lasting value in high quality growth companies. TA has raised $33.5 billion in capital since its founding in 1968 and is committing to new investments at the pace of over $3 billion per year. The firm's more than 100 investment professionals are based in Boston, Menlo Park, London, Mumbai and Hong Kong. More information about TA can be found at www.ta.com.

About Partners Group

Partners Group is a leading global private markets investment manager. Since 1996, the firm has invested over USD 145 billion in private equity, private real estate, private debt and private infrastructure on behalf of its clients globally. Partners Group is a committed, responsible investor and aims to create broad stakeholder impact through its active ownership and development of growing businesses, attractive real estate and essential infrastructure. With over USD 109 billion in assets under management as of 31 December 2020, Partners Group serves a broad range of institutional investors, sovereign wealth funds, family offices and private individuals globally. The firm employs more than 1,500 diverse professionals across 20 offices worldwide and has regional headquarters in Baar-Zug, Switzerland; Denver, USA; and Singapore. It has been listed on the SIX Swiss Exchange since 2006 (symbol: PGHN). For more information, please visit www.partnersgroup.com or follow us on LinkedIn or Twitter. Press Contacts: For Unit4:

Communications@unit4.com For TA Associates:

Marcia O'Carroll

TA Associates

+1 617-574-6796

mocarroll@ta.com Stephen Fishleigh

BackBay Communications

+44 203 475 7552

stephen.fishleigh@backbaycommunications.com View original content:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/unit4-announces-strategic-growth-buyout-by-ta-associates-for-a-transaction-value-in-excess-of-us2-billion-301252695.html SOURCE Unit4

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Swampscott High School has moved to remote learning amid what officials in the town are calling the largest outbreak of coronavirus cases the community has seen since the pandemic started.

In a letter to families in the community, Superintendent Pamela Angelakis wrote the high school was forced to switch back to a remote instruction model for the next two weeks due to the COVID-19 spike in the town.

It has resulted in a large number of positive individuals and even large numbers of close contacts, and these numbers are still evolving as contact tracing continues, she wrote, noting the school will return to in-person learning Monday, April 5.

Little Stanley, DLC and the Harbor Program, a supportive learning community, are unaffected by the transition to remote learning and will continue their in-person instruction model, according to Angelakis.

The Boston Globe reported the outbreak in the community followed an off-campus, non-school event town health and school officials became aware of last week.

The outbreak has led an estimated 100 residents to become exposed to the virus, Sean Fitzgerald, the town administrator, told the Globe. That number could change as contact tracing continues, he noted.

According to the towns website, there have been 994 lab-confirmed cases of coronavirus in Swampscott and 19 COVID-19-linked deaths since the public health crisis began.

Fitzgerald told the Globe any unvaccinated resident should get tested for the virus, even if they dont have any links to the high school.

We certainly have a significant outbreak and we all have to be mindful that our behavior affects the entire community and the entire Commonwealth, he said during an interview with the newspaper Saturday afternoon. We cannot let our guard down.

The town administrator didnt respond to MassLives requests for comment.

The Swampscott Health Department said a mobile unit was expected to be set up at the high school Monday for drive-thru testing.

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People look on as flood water rises over the New Windsor Bridge on The Hawkesbury River in Windsor in Sydney, Australia on March 21, 2021 . (Jenny Evans/Getty Images)

New South Wales Braces for More Floods, Lasting Damage

Major flooding along the Hawkesbury River in the Australian state of New South Wales (NSW) could displace residents and cause utility outages for months, authorities say.

The Bureau of Meteorology (BoM) expects Monday to bring the worst flooding event to the area northwest of Sydney since November 1961, nearly 50 years ago.

Floodwaters are expected to rise to major levels on Monday morning and inundate places such as Windsor, Pitt Town, North Richmond, Freemans Reach, and Colo.

The Hawkesbury River is predicted to reach peaks of up to 15 metres (49 feet) and the State Emergency Service says homes and properties will be flooded, some up to roof height.

The floods will cut off evacuation routes and cause lasting outages to utilities, the SES said as it urged residents to prepare to evacuate.

Extensive outages of water, electricity, sewerage, telecommunications, and gas are expected to last many weeks or months, the SES said early on Monday.

People look on as flood water spills onto the streets from the Hawkesbury River in Windsor in Sydney, Australia on March 21, 2021 . (Jenny Evans/Getty Images)

The event is likely to exceed the capacity of emergency crews, who have already responded to some 8,000 calls for help, the SES said.

Flooding along the Hawkesbury and Nepean rivers comes after the Warragamba Dam spilled over, prompting some concern.

Parts of Penrith and other areas along the Nepean were ordered to evacuate on Sunday as NSW battles devastating floods after days of unabated rain.

Scores of people have already been rescued from floodwaters, while prison inmates have been evacuated and more than 100 schools remain shut.

Those saved include an 80-year-old woman who became trapped in her car at Wyong on the Central Coast on Sunday.

Police spotted the half-submerged car while attending to another incident nearby and realised the driver was still inside.

An officer waded out into the waters on foot and freed the woman before the car was pushed by the fast-moving waters into the nearby Wyong River.

BOMs Agata Imielska said the severity of rainfall in greater Sydney would ease on Monday but the mid-north coast would continue to be drenched and inland NSW would be pounded by rain.

She said the NSW northwest slopes and plains would receive four times more rain in two days than the entire March monthly average.

Premier Gladys Berejiklian earlier said the floods in the Hawkesbury Nepean Valley could prompt an additional 4,000 evacuations.

Parts of Port Macquarie, Taree and nearby towns have also flooded in what Berejiklian labelled a one-in-100-year event for the region.

The federal governments natural disaster arrangements have been activated for 18 local government areas across NSW.

By Rick Goodman
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- The former head of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) expressed concern Sunday that a coronavirus (COVID-19) variant first detected in New York could be responsible for infecting people who previously tested positive  driving up infection rates in pockets of New York City.

The New York variant, known as B.1.526, carries similar mutations to the variant first discovered in South Africa  B.1.351  which has been found to skirt some of the protection offered by vaccines.

When you look in certain parts of New York, Brooklyn, parts of Queens, parts of Staten Island, the positivity rate is approaching 15%, said Dr. Scott Gottlieb on CBS Face the Nation. What we dont understand with 1.526 is whether or not people are being reinfected with it and whether or not people who might have been vaccinated are now getting infected with it.

Great Kills has the highest rate of infection in Staten Island at 14.8% over the past seven days, city Health Department data shows, though the total number of tests taken in the area remains low compared to multiple other areas in the borough  potentially skewing the results towards more symptomatic people being tested.

Additionally, the city Health Department said some data from this past week  including the number of people tested  would be lower than expected due to delays in receiving figures from New York State, potentially swaying the test positivity rate.

Gottlieb said that the South African variant has been known in certain cases to cause reinfection in people who already had the coronavirus, prompting concern that the New York variant could do the same.

Variants, which have been found in some cases to be more contagious than the initial form of the virus that launched the pandemic last year, make up more than half of New York Citys coronavirus cases, the city Health Department said less than two weeks ago.

A variant that was found in Brazil  known as P.1  is the latest to be found in a New York City resident, Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced Saturday.

NEW YORK WARNING: Former FDA Commissioner @ScottGottliebMD tells @margbrennan as cases and hospitalizations go down, the COVID variant B-1526 is concerning



Says its unclear whether New Yorkers with B-1526 are getting reinfected, or if theyre getting infected after vaccination. pic.twitter.com/5g6dexvydj  Face The Nation (@FaceTheNation) March 21, 2021

And so the question is- is whether 1.526 is responsible for some of the increases that were seeing in New York right now and whether this is the beginning of a new outbreak inside the city, said Gottlieb.

Genetic sequencing, which allows scientists to discern the variant of coronavirus that infected an individual, has not been completed fast enough to truly understand the true presence of variants in the five boroughs, Gottlieb commented.

Were just not very good right now at collecting the cases and linking it back to the clinical experience, he said. So we need to step in much more aggressively and start sequencing cases, especially people who report that they either were previously vaccinated or already had COVID.

Additionally, the presence of the United Kingdom variant, which sparked shutdowns overseas when it was first discovered and was expected to be the dominant form of the virus in the U.S. by March, could be causing health authorities to miss the more-recent New York variant, Gottlieb worried.

Right now, more than 50% of the infections in New York we know are with variants, said Gottlieb, adding that the New York variant is the most prevalent right now.

Were probably undercounting it because were biasing our -- our screening, our sequencing towards B.1.1.7, said Gottlieb, referencing the U.K. variant. So were probably missing cases of B.1.526 right now. Its probably more prevalent than what were detecting.

While some variants  specifically the mutated form of the virus that emerged in South Africa  have been shown to be more resistant to already-approved vaccines, Gottlieb expressed confidence that any spikes would be localized and the country wouldnt face a fourth wave.

I think what were seeing around the country is parts of the country that are plateauing, and were seeing upticks in certain parts of the country, he said.

Noting that more than 120 million Americans have already been infected with the coronavirus, offering some level of protection against reinfection, along with a vaccination effort that has seen more than 100 million shots administered in the U.S., he said, were talking about some form of protective immunity in about 55% of the population.

So theres enough of a backstop here that I dont think youre going to see a fourth surge, Gottlieb said.
The mid-century house at Field Farm was built by Lawrence Bloedel, who attended Williams College and later worked as the college's librarian.

Trustees Welcome Guests Back to Iconic Williamstown, Ipswich Inns



The grounds at Field Farm features more than a dozen works of art and miles of trails.

WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass.  The Trustees of Reservations is now accepting applications at the Guest House at Field Farm in Williamstown and The Inn at Castle Hill in Ipswich, appealing to travelers with intimate, small-scale boarding, outdoor recreation, and historical accommodations that make you "feel like you're staying in a museum."

It has quite the year for the travel industry. In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Trustees are utilizing technology and encouraging guests to explore the natural beauty that their properties boast.



"There was a lot of growing pains," Trustees Director of Recreational Enterprise Matthew Krumme said. "In terms of staffing and running the operation, very, very different, but as we got later and people feel more comfortable in the summertime, it did feel a little bit more normal and people were also very conscious of COVID because everyone's living in it wherever they are."



Krumme oversees the Guest House at Field Farm and aims to build more awareness around the property because he feels like many people don't know about it.



"I still don't feel like there's an awareness out there how cool this place is because we get a lot of people coming to the property itself, not just for the bed and breakfast, but for the four or five miles of trails and the landscape that's there," he said.



The Williamstown property, built in the mid-1940s, is an authentic mid-century modern bed and breakfast experience that offers "unparalleled" views of Mount Greylock and more than 300 acres of conservation land. Its six guest rooms feature furnishings that are meant to transport guests back in time and the building is renovated to restore its original state.



For art lovers, the Guest House features 13 sculptures in the surrounding gardens including works from Richard M. Miller and Herbert Ferber. Other works of art include reproduced Eileen Gray tables and George Nelson saucer pendant lamps, a Noguchi coffee table, Kagan sofas, and a reproduction Eames chair.



"When you're staying there, you almost feel like you are on the set of 'Mad Men,' at least that's the way I feel when I walked in, and so it's just very quirky and interesting, and there's no other than breakfast like it," Krumme said. "Each room is very different has different furnishings, so each room has its own real story."



Being only 10 minutes from the center of town, guests have easy access to MASS MoCA in North Adams, the Clark, and Williams College Museum of Art.



The house was built by Lawrence Bloedel who attended Williams College and later worked as the college's librarian. He purchased the property as a farm and was very interested in architecture, art, and woodworking. This contributed to the style of the building.



"It's amazing to me because a lot of that furniture is still there in the bed and breakfast," Krumme said. "so when you're staying there, it is a mid-century modern Museum in a way, so for people who are coming out to Williamstown and they're going to Mass MoCA, they're going to the Clark it's a way to really almost feel like you're staying within a museum, a lot of the furniture is original."



To make guests feel safe within the walls of the Guest House, there is touch less check-in, optional guest service, and grab-and-go breakfast among a few of the changes Krumme said the inn has made.
New Delhi, March 22 : The Confederation of All India Traders (CAIT) has praised FICCI President Uday Shankar for taking a stand on FDI policy e-commerce.

"At the outset, we at CAIT appreciate you for standing up for Indian people and taking a clear stand by demanding clarifications in FDI policy in e-commerce for enhancing transparency and its strict implementation in letter and spirit by each player, be it foreign or Indian, big or small," CAIT said in a letter to Uday Shankar.

"Uday ji, your letter to DPIIT with a clear stand, raises your stature to a statesman who has courage to stand for Indians and Indian industry. More than 8.5 crore members of CAIT and their families would remain indebted for such a strong support coming from FICCI under your leadership," it added.

"CAIT, being encouraged by the strong support from FICCI for the smaller merchants and people of our country, is now expecting similar support from Uday Kotak, President, CII, Vineet Agarwal, President, ASSOCHAM, Sanjay Aggrwal, President PHDCCI and other associations like NASSCOM, IAMAI, etc. we are sure that saner counsel will prevail upon them and we together can bring reality into the vision of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi of 'vocal on local' and 'Atmanirbhar Bharat'," it added.

Inaction by the authorities on the blatant violation of FDI policy in the e-commerce sector has already mortgaged the livelihood of over 40 crore citizens to the foreign e-commerce behemoths. More regretfully certain sections in our country are acting as stooges serving the colonising power, CAIT said.

Major e-commerce companies have scant respect to Indian laws, rules and regulations, and have made a joke to the country's marketplace model of e-commerce allowed for these foreign e-commerce platforms. They are behaving like 'cowboys' in India for far too long and their business model persists with gross malpractices despite several public warnings by Piyush Goyal, Minister of Commerce & Industry from time to time.

"We cannot allow the few foreign companies to treat our country as a banana republic where they can get impunity to flout the laws and regulations," CAIT said in the letter.
Car Designers Create Sleek Batmobile-Esque Solar Car That Never Needs to Be Charged

Manufacturers have experimented with solar-paneled cars for decades. Now, with sights set on cutting emissions, California-based Aptera Motors believes it has perfected a Never Charge solar electric vehicle, capable of efficient performance even after the sun goes down.

We see solar as the main driver of our business, Aptera co-creator Chris Anthony told The Washington Post. It enables so many things.

Anthony and creative partner Steve Fambros venture occupies part of a 60,500-square-foot (6,085-square-meter) campus in San Diego. With efficiency front and center, Apteras Never Charge solar electric vehicle (sEV) is a sleek, aerodynamic three-wheeled car, with a body made of just four composite parts stronger than steel.

The car is covered in 34 square feet (approx. 3 square meters) of solar cells. An estimated 90 percent of the power these produce goes directly toward making the vehicle drive.

We think energy should be used to turn your wheels, Anthony said in a launch video. That starts with aerodynamics.

Aptera founders Steve Fambro (L) and Chris Anthony (Courtesy of Aptera Motors)

ApteraGreek for wingless flightunveiled the new sEV in a press release on Dec. 4. As for solving the problem of after sundown, the cars low-drag profile gives it the longest range of any production vehicle known, meaning charges last longer. The car can also be charged using a regular 100 Watt outlet, and it can travel up to 1,000 miles (approx. 1,600 km) per full charge.

Its Never Charge solar technology means it can harness over 40 miles (64 km) per day from sunlight alonefree energy. The quiet, aerodynamic vehicle can reach 60 mph (96 km/h) in just 3.5 seconds and tops out at 110 mph (177 km/h).

Currently undergoing safety tests, the sEV is expected to begin mass production by the end of 2021, for sale starting at $25,900 a unit.

Apteras initial attempt to produce its Batmobile-esque sEV ended in bankruptcy amid federal grant negotiations. The design was polarizing; the money never came. The company was liquidated in 2011, five years after its inception.

Then Anthony and Fambro rebooted Aptera in 2019 after a crowdfunding campaign. Advances in technology made their work easier, their design cheaper and more plausible.

The two-seater sEV has met some criticism for its limitations in the consumer market. Timothy Lipman, co-director of the Transportation Sustainability Research Center at the University of California at Berkeley, told the news outlet, This is a niche kind of thing.

He suggested, nonetheless, that advances in solar car technology could help make electric cars more efficient and effect lower energy consumption more broadly.

Driving alone in this vehicle uses less energy than the most efficient transit systems in the world, robo-car expert Brad Templeton wrote in Forbes. Yet from the standpoint of reducing emissions, he added, it would be better to install solar panels on the roof of your house than to put them on your car.

Still, investors believe in Aptera.

Aptera will change the minds of so many people that I had to be an investor to help them on their journey to getting game-changing cars into the exploding EV market, investor John Overstreet wrote on WeFunder after contributing $20,000 to the campaign, which ended up raising $4.6 million.

In December 2020, Aptera slated 330 preorders for the sEV in 24 hours. They have since surpassed 7,000 preorders, totaling a quarter-billion dollars in sales.

Potential clients are diverse. Both keen to drive the sEV are: Tyler Perkins, 27, a vegan camping enthusiast and hybrid car driver from Oklahoma City; and Nick Field, 36, a technology buff and accountant based in London.

Im in the category of, I want to enjoy my life, said Field. I just like fast cars  I think its really cool.

Theyre actually like, Lets build a futuristic car, because if we dont do it no one will, Perkins marveled. And thats how the future happens.

Share your stories with us at emg.inspired@epochtimes.com, and continue to get your daily dose of inspiration by signing up for the Epoch Inspired Newsletter at TheEpochTimes.com/newsletter
MIPEL Digital Days (March 23-24) To Kick Off MIPEL 119 Edition

MILAN, March 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- MIPEL, the leading international B2B event dedicated to the leather goods industry, is moving into the digital arena by offering a completely and exclusively online event that will kick off on March 23rd and run until mid-July.

"MIPEL119 The Digital Show" ( www.mipelthedigitalshow.com ) will represent the digital version of what is normally a physical trade fair event, augmented by the many opportunities offered by digital technology: it will provide brands with the tools to display products and tell their story, as well as giving buyers visiting the event the chance to talk directly to exhibitors online, and allow them to discover the FW2021/2022 collections of the various brands through 360 virtual showrooms, video presentations and product photos.

The new MIPEL platform will therefore make it possible to immerse oneself in an all-digital world, bearing in mind the real needs of operators in the sector and providing them with the tools to satisfy them even without being physically present at the event: discovering new brands, contacting those already known, talking to and meeting exhibitors via instant connections and ZOOM videocalls, doing business and networking, discovering the latest in the sector. Buyers will be able to visit the fair, enter the stands of interest, talk to the staff, ask for information, view the collections remotely and hopefully place their orders, just like in a physical fair.

The exhibition, promoted by Assopellettieri  a trade association member of Confindustria Moda - was organised with the support of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation and ITA  the Italian Trade Agency, and sponsored by the Municipality of Milan.

Inaugurating the on-line event will be the MIPEL Digital Days: two days - 23 and 24 March  rich in virtual content, talk shows, webinars and interviews with industry leaders, taste-makers, buyers and experts, curated by well-known journalist and writer Alan Friedman, in collaboration with Armando Branchini, former Vice President of Altagamma and undisputed expert in the fashion and luxury sector. The digital content for Mipel Digital Days is produced by Milan-based Synchronicity Media Srl in collaboration with Assopelletieri.

Among the topics to be discussed: the role and importance of Italian leather goods in the world, sustainability issues, the value of Made in Italy, market trends and prospects for the future, generational changeover and new ways of communicating, the need for companies in such a traditional sector to innovate, retail transformation and much more.

The official opening of MIPEL119 The Digital Show, is scheduled for 23 March at 10 a.m. (GMT+1) on the platform ( www.mipelthedigitalshow.com ) and live streaming on the MIPEL Facebook profile: a round table involving the Undersecretary of State for Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Manlio Di Stefano, the President of Agenzia ICE, Carlo Ferro and the President of Mipel and Assopellettieri Franco Gabbrielli, moderated by Alan Friedman.

SOURCE Assopellettieri - Mipel
Source: Xinhua| 2021-03-22 22:45:00|Editor: huaxia

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NEW YORK, March 22 (Xinhua) -- The recent development of COVID-19 vaccines, achieved at record speed and financed by massive public funding in the United States, the European Union and Britain, "represents a great triumph of the pandemic," but "this Western success" has created stark inequality in vaccine access, The New York Times reported Monday.

Residents of wealthy and middle-income countries have received about 90 percent of the nearly 400 million vaccines delivered so far, and under current projections, many of the rest will have to wait for years, said the newspaper.

"Growing numbers of health officials and advocacy groups worldwide are calling for Western governments to use aggressive powers -- most of them rarely or never used before -- to force companies to publish vaccine recipes, share their know-how and ramp up manufacturing," said the report. "Public health advocates have pleaded for help, including asking the Biden administration to use its patent to push for broader vaccine access."

However, "governments have resisted. By partnering with drug companies, Western leaders bought their way to the front of the line. But they also ignored years of warnings -- and explicit calls from the World Health Organization -- to include contract language that would have guaranteed doses for poor countries or encouraged companies to share their knowledge and the patents they control," the report wrote.

The prospect of billions of people waiting years to be vaccinated poses a health threat to even the richest countries. For example, in Britain, where the vaccine rollout has been strong, health officials are tracking a virus variant that emerged in South Africa, where vaccine coverage is weak. "That variant may be able to blunt the effect of vaccines, meaning even vaccinated people might get sick," it added.

Western health officials said they never intended to exclude others. But with their own countries facing massive death tolls, the focus was at home. Patent sharing, they said, simply never came up, according to the report.

"It was U.S.-centric. It wasn't anti-global," Moncef Slaoui was quoted as saying. He was the chief scientific adviser for Operation Warp Speed, a Donald Trump administration program that funded the search for vaccines in the United States. "Everybody was in agreement that vaccine doses, once the U.S. is served, will go elsewhere," he added.

U.S. "President (Joe) Biden and Ursula von der Leyen, the president of the European Union's executive branch, are reluctant to change course," said the newspaper.

Biden has promised to help an Indian company produce about 1 billion doses by the end of 2022 and his administration has donated doses to Mexico and Canada. But he has made it clear that his focus is at home, it added.

"We're going to start off making sure Americans are taken care of first," Biden was quoted as saying recently. "But we're then going to try and help the rest of the world."

As rich countries fight to keep things as they are, others like South Africa and India have taken the battle to the World Trade Organization, seeking a waiver on patent restrictions for COVID-19 vaccines, said the paper.

Russia and China, meanwhile, have promised to fill the void. The Gamaleya Institute in Moscow, for example, has entered into partnerships with producers from Kazakhstan to South Korea, according to data from Airfinity, a science analytics company, and UNICEF. Chinese vaccine makers have reached similar deals in the United Arab Emirates, Brazil and Indonesia, added the U.S. newspaper. Enditem


Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Resettlement Minister Dr Anxious Masuka fired the head of an Agricultural Rural Development Authority (Arda)-run agriculture scheme in Lupane on the spot and said the parastatals operations are not in sync with the Second Republics thrust of transforming the countrys economy through agriculture.

Dr Masuka was also riled by the fact that Government has had to write off a sorghum crop at the Bulawayo Kraal Irrigation Scheme in Binga as a result of remote management, leading to a wastage of resources.

He breathed fire during a tour of the Bubi-Lupane Irrigation Project and the Bulawayo Kraal Irrigation Scheme on Friday, where he was accompanied by Matabeleland North Provincial Affairs and Devolution Minister Richard Moyo.

The minister said a lackadaisical approach to work had no place in the Second Republic that was anchored on maximisation of resources and betterment of citizens lives through production.

Despite the ineptitude at the irrigation schemes, the country is on the verge of its largest harvest in 37 years with farmers expecting to reap between 2,5 and 2,8 million tonnes of maize and above 360 000 tonnes of traditional small grains following above normal rains that fell countrywide this year.

Dr Masuka was not impressed with the sorghum crop in Lupane and said it was unlikely that a meaningful yield would be realised. He instructed that it be removed.

The crop was not properly planted leaving a lot of gaps in between, leading the minister to conclude that poor agronomic work was on display.

The Bubi-Lupane Irrigation Project is being revived and benefited from three centre pivots from Government. Arda is the project manager and works with the local community in planting of crops.

Dr Masuka fired on site, the Bubi-Lupane Irrigation Project manager for alleged incompetence saying the same will befall officials who fail to meet Governments expectations in the transformation of the agriculture sector.

Chronicle could not establish the officials name.

Im not happy with Ardas performance, you are still in the past. Arda must wake up to the realities of the Second Republic and the Presidents thrust of using agriculture as a vehicle for the attainment of vision 2030, said Dr Masuka.

He said Government has set minimum requirements for managing Arda irrigation sites. Dr Masuka said going forward, Government wants Arda managers to be stationed on-site as opposed to visiting the farms.

When you employ you must pay only a basic survival salary to that scheme manager. It must be a performance-based contract and 75 percent of the annual salary must come from a crop production bonus. The crop production bonus is predetermined. For wheat we want 4,5 to 5 tonnes per hectare they (farm managers) get their two percent on the net. If they are unable to do that then it means they will be a sunset clause in that contract which says the moment they harvest and it not happened (achieving the yield target) it means the contract automatically lapses, said Dr Masuka.

So, we dont deal with this perennial problem of hiring mediocre people that do not want to grow this community. This scheme in the years ahead will be the envy of many districts. It is our intention with Minister Moyo to bring the Presidency here to launch the 200 hectares per district. This will be the first district to attain 200 hectares. We want that wheat to be a classic crop so that we can plan for launch of the 200 hectare per district by the President and I suggest that it takes place here. It has to happen.

He said Government is moving towards having each district having 200 hectares of crop under irrigation as part of measures to ensure the country has food security.

Government policy is that Zimbabwe is going to get drier in the decades ahead. So, we must climate proof our agriculture. Our population is increasing and vision 2030 beckons. Therefore, we must prepare and transform agriculture and through it transform rural livelihoods.

That is why the President has indicated that he wants to see 200 hectares per district, he said.He said the sorghum crop was a write-off and Arda should bear the cost.

This crop is unlikely to yield anything due to poor agronomy. So, the intervention is that we convert this immediately into fodder and stop the irrigation. We plan for winter wheat for pivot number one and pivot number two with all the water now going to pivot number three where we have 60 hectares of sugar beans, where we are likely to salvage something if its not commercial then its for the communities that have already worked and we pay them for their labour and everything through that. You as Arda you will recoup your costs on the next wheat crop without burdening the community. The communitys investment is to make a living out of agriculture and agriculture as a business, he said.

Dr Masuka said Arda should start preparing for winter wheat farming as it removes the sorghum.

As you can see the planting itself was done poorly and it is our considered view that at this stage we must prepare better for the next crop. We must admit that we have failed on this crop and we must pledge and commit to do better on the next crop. We will be employing a professional scheme manager who will be assisting in the management of the scheme and we will replicate this, said Dr Masuka.

At the Bulawayo Kraal, the minister did not mince his words as he read a riot act to the new Arda board and management to up its game and prove its worth.

He said full-time managers must be stationed at Bulawayo Kraal and Bubi-Lupane Irrigation as one of the remedial measures.

Today we were touring Arda estates in Matabeleland North. We started with Bubi-Lupane and now we are at Bulawayo-Kraal. At both schemes we learnt about how not to farm and clearly the two schemes at this stage are a write-off.

We are disappointed that resources went down the drain but however, we are pleased that the new Arda board chairman and chief executive are with us to see why we have been talking about Arda needing a transformation. I look forward to this board and management transforming Arda and agriculture as well as the rural landscape in pursuit of the noble vision by the President for an upper and empowered middle-income society by 2030, said Dr Masuka.

Minister Moyo said the scheme requires a hands-on approach. He said plans are underway to prepare for planting winter wheat and beans in the next few weeks.

The Bulawayo Kraal project has been failing to produce a successful crop due to a myriad of challenges including recurrent pipe leaks. The projects seek to create employment for locals and alleviate poverty through transforming the area into an economic hub.

Binga District is traditionally viewed as lagging in terms of development and the irrigation scheme is one of the many projects in the area to show the potential of the district to sustain itself and feed the province.

The scheme will cover 15 000ha and will provide food and nutrition security in the country in the backdrop of climate change and recurrent drought.

Arda entered into partnership with a local investor to develop the 15 000ha piece of land into a food and export crops as well as crocodile farming zone.

Irrigation equipment including three centre pivots and pipes to draw water from Zambezi River are already in place.

Newly-appointed Arda board chairman Mr Ivan Craig said a mammoth task lies ahead of the parastatal and this will include proper planning and having on-the-ground managers. Chronicle
The late Robert Conquest, historian and poet, declared: 'The simplest way to explain the behaviour of any bureaucratic organisation is to assume that it is controlled by a cabal of its enemies.'

No better example has ever been provided of the accuracy of this witticism than by the European Commission over the Covid-19 vaccine rollout.

So when the Commission's president, Ursula von der Leyen, over the weekend once again threatened to punish Britain for, in effect, outpacing the EU on vaccine delivery, you might almost think this was Nigel Farage wearing an Ursula von der Leyen latex face mask.

European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen has once again threatened to punish Britain for, in effect, outpacing the EU on vaccine delivery

Even the former Ukip leader could not have dreamt of a more ingenious way to make the British people grateful that they had voted to leave the European Union.

It comes barely a month after von der Leyen threatened to create a hard border between the north and the south of Ireland, supposedly to prevent the UK from receiving vaccine supplies via any EU nation (although it is the Republic of Ireland which would very much like to have the sort of supply being enjoyed by Northern Ireland, as part of the UK).

Humiliated

In both cases, von der Leyen acted imperiously, without consulting properly at the national level.

When, in February, she threatened to fracture the Good Friday Agreement  the guarantor of what is known as the 'all-Ireland economy'  the Irish and British premiers made clear to her she must have lost her senses, and von der Leyen backed down.

Now she has tried another way, saying: 'We have the option of banning a planned export. That is the message to AstraZeneca: you fulfil your contract with Europe first before you start delivering to other countries.'

France's President Macron has supported von der Leyen's stance against the UK amid the vaccine row

As a German journalist friend explained to me (though it was obvious): 'By other countries, she means the UK.'

Yet while France's President Macron has supported her stance, other EU member states such as the Netherlands, Belgium and Ireland are far from happy at the idea of the Commission using an unprecedented export ban to prevent private companies on their soil from meeting their contractual obligations.

It is clear that Ursula von der Leyen is humiliated by the fact that the Anglo-Swedish manufacturer of the vaccine created by Oxford University's Jenner Institute has been fully meeting its order book with the UK, but is struggling to do so with the EU.

It is a particular problem for her because it was she who demanded that the vaccine procurement process should be handed over lock, stock and vial to the Commission, rather than let the 27 member states negotiate their own arrangements.

This is especially a cause of fury in her own country, Germany, since the Pfizer vaccine  which the UK was the first in the world to deploy  was actually invented by its German partner, BioNTech.

Not only are German newspapers now running headlines such as 'We envy you, Britain', the state of Israel, which has an economy no larger than that of Ireland's and which has relied entirely on the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine, has also shown how a little country can show a clean pair of heels to the lumbering giant of the EU.

AstraZeneca's chief executive Pascal Soriot (pictured) said an agreement was signed with the UK three months before one was struck with Europe

This lesson has not been lost on some of the smaller EU nations, such as Hungary and Slovakia, which are now acting outside the Brussels-led procurement scheme to purchase millions of doses of the Russian Sputnik V Covid-19 vaccine.

Last week, even the German health minister, Jens Spahn, said he might follow suit and do a deal with Moscow: 'I am very much in favour of doing it nationally if the EU does not do something.'

This is a definite stab at Chancellor Angela Merkel, who had ordered the German health ministry to hand over vaccination procurement negotiations to the European Commission (i.e. Ursula von der Leyen, who had failed upwards into the Brussels firmament, having been a notably incompetent minister in several of Merkel's administrations).

It's clear there has been a genuine problem for the EU (one not entirely of its making) in that the Belgian plant where most of its AstraZeneca doses are being made has been plagued with production problems, resulting in it being unable to meet its promised delivery schedule to the European Union.

Favourable

At the same time, AstraZeneca is not only having no such problems with its manufacturing here, it is still supplying us with vaccines from its Belgian plant.

There are two reasons for that  and neither puts the Commission in a favourable light. The first was explained by AstraZeneca's chief executive Pascal Soriot in an interview two months ago with a group of European journalists.

Guy Verhofstadt pointed out that the British negotiated a much better and more thorough deal with AstraZeneca than the EU

'We basically signed an agreement with the UK three months before we did it with Europe,' Soriot said. 'So they had a head start. We were able to quite quickly take the UK supply chain and improve it.'

In other words, perfecting the complex process of manufacturing billions of doses of a biological entity, and with elements from different sites, had been given the necessary lead time in the UK.

The other reason lies in the differing nature of the contracts drawn up between AstraZeneca and these two buyers. It was the former Belgian PM and strongly Euro-federalist leader of the European Parliament's Brexit Steering Group, Guy Verhofstadt, who has spelt this out most clearly.

He examined the two contracts and observed: 'Unlike the EU, the UK contract has an additional article stating that AstraZeneca 'shall not enter into any agreement with any foreign government . . . that would by its terms conflict with AZ's obligation hereunder'.'

And Verhofstadt also pointed out: 'The EU contract is based on an 'estimated time schedule', full stop. In the British contract, by contrast, there is a precisely described procedure to guarantee a timely delivery of doses.'

In other words, the British negotiated a much better and more thorough deal. This is quite something from Guy Verhofstadt, who had been more voluble in his denunciations of Brexit than perhaps any other European politician.

But there is worse to come (especially if you are President Macron).

Contemptible

Last week, the first batch of a Covid-19 vaccine made by Valneva in Livingston, Scotland, rolled off the production line.

The UK Government had ordered 100 million doses of the Valneva product, making it our equal first choice along with the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine.

Yet Valneva is. . . a French company.

Its chief executive, Franck Grimaud, explained why it will be delivering to the UK months before it will to the EU (probably not until 2022): 'The UK responded the fastest. They took all the risks . . . and immediately forwarded 96 million to use before the end of last December. It's logical that, under contract, we undertook to deliver to them first.'

It is, of course, Macron who had also foolishly denigrated the AstraZeneca vaccine as being 'quasi-ineffective' in older people.

It is partly as a result of such unwarranted aspersions of this nature  similar false claims had been propagated via the German health ministry  that vast stocks of the vaccine are lying unused in those countries (at least six million doses in Germany and France).

This was actually pointed out by the EU's health commissioner, Stella Kyriakides: 'Even with the regrettable challenges around production capacity and deliveries, there are reports of unused reservoirs of vaccines across the EU.'

This makes von der Leyen's threats all the more contemptible. I can't improve on the assessment of her fellow countryman, Wolfgang Munchau, the founder of the EuroIntelligence group.

Last week, Munchau observed: 'EU leaders keep discrediting AstraZeneca to distract from their own mistakes and to puncture the notion of a Brexit-induced British success story.

'In their vengeful spite, EU leaders damaged the only strategy they had for getting out of the mess . . . They resort to what they know best  the blame game. It was always like this, but this time it costs thousands of lives.'

But we should not retaliate in like manner. In this, the UK is on the moral high ground, and we should stay there.
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Sameh Shoukry

Holly Strategies is providing government relations services to Egypt in its role as subcontractor to Brown Hyatt Farber Schreck.

It has a one-year deal worth $120K to promote the Arab Republic of Egypt's interests and strengthen its relationships with the US via outreach to American officials and non-governmental entities.

Secretary of State Anthony Blinken spoke to Egyptian foreign minister Sameh Shoukry last month and raised concerns over Egypts human rights abuses and potential purchase of fighter aircraft from Russia. He also praised Egypts cooperation in counterterrorism efforts.

Josh Holly launched Holly Strategies in December 2017 following the implosion of The Podesta Group, where he did a six-year stint.

His firm also represents Iraqs US embassy.
?? Incrementamos las plantas de oxigeno medicinal en un 150 % ????



Esto significa una mayor capacidad de produccion, que paso de las 41 toneladas por dia a 101. ??



El gobierno de transicion y emergencia mantiene su compromiso de adquirir y llevar mas oxigeno a la ciudadania. pic.twitter.com/dS4TH0fyPK
Vodafone Ghana has once again proven to be a pacesetter in achieving and sustaining gender diversity and equality. The telecommunications giant recognises the competence and unique contribution of women and is fully committed to the cause of ensuring equal opportunity, empowerment and adequate representation of women in all sectors of national endeavour.



With a senior leadership team composed of three men and five women including CEO, Patricia Obo-Nai, and a workforce that is admirably balanced along gender lines across departments, Vodafone is leading the clarion call for gender-balance and diversity and exemplifies gender inclusivity through its actions and policies.



The telecommunications giants passion and relentless commitment to champion this agenda came to the fore during this years International Womens Day as Vodafone Ghana carried out a number of remarkable activities and events to mark the week-long celebration.



Under the customized theme: Women in Leadership: Achieving an equal future in a COVID-19 world with the hashtag #ChooseToChallenge, the scheduled activities were executed with the objective of shining a light ongender bias and inequity while seeking out and celebrating womens achievements.



Workshop



As part of efforts to increase womens engagement in science and technology, Vodafone Ghana through its Foundation, organised an experiential Information Communication Technology (ICT) training on coding and robotics for a cross-section of female students and graduates from selected tertiary institutions across the country. The training equipped participants with practical know-how on the basics of computer programming, coding and robotics.

Mentoring.



The ICT Workshop was concluded with a mentoring session which entailed a special no holds barred interactive conversation between the participants and all five female members of the Senior Leadership Team of Vodafone namely Patricia Obo-Nai CEO, Ashiokai Akrong  Director, Human Resources, Tawa Bolarin Director, Vodafone Business, Geta Striggner-Quartey  Director, Legal and External Affairs, and Angela Mensah-Poku  Director - Digital Transformation and Commercial Operations. The Directors took turns to share experiences and nuggets of advice with the young women to inspire them towards higher heights in their chosen career paths.



Advocacy



Known for her passion and advocacy for increased female participation in STEM, CEO Patricia Obo-Nai shared her thoughts at a number of high-profile events including a webinar on STEM and Gender organised by the British High Commission as well as a Glitz Africas SHE Boss event, an annual IWD networking event on gender parity. Other female members of Vodafones Senior Management Team also followed suit with gender parity advocacy activities on other platforms; Director of Digital Transformation and Commercial Operations, Angela Mensah-Poku, made a strong case for women to embrace digitalization and be considered for more spots in digital technology led careers during an interview on Uniiq FM.



Donations



Another keen area of interest to Vodafone Ghana is the security and safety of women in society. With the reportedly rising cases of domestic violence against women, the organisation has resolved to support and resource Ghanas Police Service in their battle to curb the menace. To wrap up activities for IWW, Vodafone donated in cash and essential office resources to the regional offices of the Domestic Violence and Victims Support Unit (DOVVSU) in Takoradi (Western Region), Koforidua (Eastern Region), Kumasi (Ashanti Region) and Tamale (Northern Region).



Internal



Internally, the celebration kicked off with a social media blitz; female staff took to their personal social media pages to pledge their support for gender equality using the hashtag #ChooseToChallenge. Vodafone also organised a series of employee webinars which touched on a variety of pertinent topics with expert resource persons present to share critical insights. Some of the topics discussed were: Understanding womens life cycle  from the pre-birth stage to menopause, Understanding mens hormonal health, Women in leadership supporting women in business in Ghana, Domestic violence and abuse, and Choose to Challenge thriving as a woman in a mans world.



Beyond the IWW celebrations, the company has moved its commitment a notch higher by undertaking a number of policy initiatives and engaging in a series of pragmatic activities that has given the women empowerment agenda a further shot in the arm. The company is already actively running a number of inclusion-driven programmes including: Reconnect  a programme that gives internships and job opportunities to women who have been off the job-market due to childbirth; Female Engineering Student Sponsorship Programme (FESSP) - a policy initiative, which gives internship, mentorship and job opportunities to brilliant female engineering students; as well as various digital inclusion and entrepreneurship training programmes for women.



It goes without saying that the leadership and staff of Vodafone Ghana are fully devoted to championing the drive for womens empowerment and gender-parity. It is a cause that they are passionate about and determined to realize.

In the words of the CEO, Patricia Obo-Nai, The crusade for gender balance and womens inclusion is one that should be of interest to all of us because closing the gender gap in the workplace, business, governance and other critical sectors of national life is a win-win for everyone as it is linked to economic growth and development.

Source: Peacefmonline.com/Ghana









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Featured Video
Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeons hold on power is weakening as a vicious three-year faction fight within and around the Scottish National Party (SNP) and the Scottish government comes to a head.

An attempt by Sturgeons close allies to railroad former SNP leader and Sturgeon's mentor Alex Salmond to jail on MeToo-inspired sex charges has backfired spectacularly, with an election to the Scottish parliament due on May 6.

Scotland's First Minister Nicola Sturgeon. (AP Photo/Virginia Mayo, Pool)

A confidence vote in the Scottish parliament against Sturgeon may be called next week. The SNP does not currently have a majority, relying instead on the Greens.

Sturgeon has been accused by the all-party Committee on the Scottish Government Handling of Harassment Complaints of providing misleading information. Leaks suggest the committee has concluded it was hard to believe Sturgeon's account of when she knew about sexual complaints against Salmond and that her account of a meeting with her predecessor in April 2018 was inaccurate.

Sturgeon therefore misled parliament, breaching a ministerial code to which she wrote the foreword, although the committee is said to have omitted accusations that she did so knowingly. The final report is due to be released Tuesday. Another inquiry, led by former Irish Director of Public Prosecutions, James Hamilton into possible breaches of the ministerial code by Sturgeon is also due to report shortly.

Sturgeon and her government have been on the defensive since Salmond gave long-delayed evidence to the harassment committee late February this year. The committee was established following Salmond's 2019 victory in a judicial review, which found that the Scottish government's moves against him were unlawful in respect that they were procedurally unfair and were tainted by apparent bias.

The Scottish authorities nevertheless persisted with a criminal trial. Salmond was duly acquitted on all 13 counts, including attempted rape, in March 2020.

In a statement to the harassment committee, Salmond accused leading SNP figures, including Sturgeon's husband, Peter Murrell, of a malicious and concerted attempt to damage my reputation and remove me from public life in Scotland. He told the committee that text messages between SNP officers amounted to behaviour that was about not only pressurising the police... but about pressurising witnesses and collusion with witnesses. We are talking about the construction of evidence, because the police were somehow felt to be inadequate in finding it themselves.

Sturgeon's performance at the committee five days later was evasive on key issues. She rejected Salmond's charges but suffered several memory lapses. In her opening statement, she insisted the first she heard of allegations against Salmond was April 2, 2018, a moment in my life that I will never forget. The committee appear to have rejected Sturgeon's version of this meeting.

Much hypocritical outrage is being vented at Sturgeon's expense. Labour and the Conservatives, both trailing far behind the SNP in the Scottish polls, sense an opportunity to damage the SNP and derail moves towards a second independence referendum.

We cannot set a precedent that a First Minister of Scotland can mislead the Scottish Parliament and get away with it, said Scottish Tory leader Douglas Ross, whose party in the UK is led by serial liar Boris Johnson. This is about the integrity of our Scottish Parliament and upholding standards in public life, said newly elected Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar, whose party has just witch-hunted its own membership and driven out its former leader, Jeremy Corbyn, on bogus anti-Semitism charges.

Supporters of both Salmond and Sturgeon are savaging each other on social media and in the press. Neither side deserves the slightest support or political sympathy.

Salmond, on available evidence, has been the target of a factionally motivated campaign by the SNP leadership, utilising a sex scandal, and all the resources available to a ruling party against him. But he led the SNP for decades and has played a major role in creating its internal life.

Fundamentally, the methods of settling differences deployed by the SNP are an expression of its character as a bourgeois party and the social types it attracts and for whom it speaks. The sex scandal is the traditional tool of bourgeois score settling precisely because a frank exposure of the actual class agendas and interests animating faction fights within ruling circles must be concealed from the broad mass of the working-class population.

The SNP's perspective is to create a more or less independent capitalist state in Scotland, based on hiving off as much as possible of the UK's assets and resources to create an investment platform, primarily oriented to the European Union (EU), based on cheap labour and austerity for workers and tax breaks for the financial oligarchy.

Appealing to a wealthy layer of Scottish based capitalists, the country's large financial and service sector, investment agencies, sections of the upper middle class and trade union bureaucracy, the SNP conceals this bitterly anti-working-class agenda through routine deployment of Scottish nationalism, identity politics, and a marginally more left or progressive sounding tone than the rightward-careening Labour Party in both Edinburgh and in London.

The party is aided in this by a jumble of pseudo-left tendencies, think tanks and campaigns promoting the lie that Scottish independence might create a platform for social reform.

Beyond personal feuding, the SNP's crisis hinges above all on how to sell this perspective to the Scottish population as a viable alternative, while securing the backing of the European Union, on which the fate of the independence agenda rests.

The SNP has long coined the slogan Independence in Europe, on the understanding that access to European markets, trade and cheap labour was essential to the expansion of corporate profit in tiny Scotland. One factor which lost the SNP the 2014 independence referendum by 55 to 45 percent was that continued membership of the EU could only be guaranteed through maintaining the 300-year-old United Kingdom, then an EU member. The EU itself, with an eye on similar separatist movements in Belgium, Italy and particularly Spain, avoided giving any encouragement to the SNP.

In 2016, the UK voted to leave the EU, while Scotland voted by a large majority, 62 to 38 percent, to remain. Sturgeon, who replaced Salmond following his resignation in the aftermath of the 2014 poll, announced that a second referendum was inevitable. But she became the de facto leader of efforts to keep the UK in the EU by overturning the Leave vote. Moves to a second independence poll were kicked down the road.

Salmond, and a layer of close political allies, aided by the pseudo-left, let it be known they were unhappy with this. When the Catalan regional government held a referendum without approval from the central government in Madrid in 2017, many within and around the SNP considered this a model worth emulating. The campaign for indyref2, which served as a diversion for growing class tensions and hostility to the SNP's ever more right-wing social policy, began to build momentum.

Sturgeon was not of this opinion, believing that any embrace of a constitutionally illegal separatist agenda would still alienate the EU, even given post Brexit tensions with the UK. The European parliament this month laid the basis for the Catalan leaders who organised the peaceful protests brutally attacked by police, and the 2017 poll, to be extradited to Spain to face up to a decade in jail. Joining the EU would also entail an international border between Carlisle and Newcastle, dividing Scotland from its largest market England and Wales.

All manner of shifts and splits in the SNP could still emerge, but none of them will have the slightest progressive content. All variants under Sturgeon, Salmond, or any of their potential successors are deeply reactionary and rest on the vicious cranking up of the exploitation and division of the working class, under a toxic smokescreen of nationalism.

Workers and young people in Scotland have no reason to side with any faction of the SNP, its pseudo-left hangers on, or with the hated Labour and Tory parties of British imperialism. The task is the building of the Socialist Equality Party, rejecting all forms of nationalism and uniting workers against imperialism and for a socialist Britain within a United Socialist States of Europe, as part of a world socialist federation.
He was a household name during the 2000s, known for his work as a Channel V presenter and co-host on Australian Idol with Osher 'Andrew G' Gunsberg.

But these days James Mathison lives a much quieter, low key life away from the spotlight.

Now aged 42, the TV presenter is based in Sydney and is a doting father to two daughters - Luca and Celeste - who he shares with his wife Carlie Fowler.

Whatever happened to Australian Idol co-host James Mathison? Fans will remember the former Channel V star presenter who became a household name in the 2000s. He has since swapped the TV spotlight for politics and activism

Last year he briefly resurfaced to share the small screen with Osher for an episode of Channel 10's Drunk History.

After more than a decade, the two reunited for reenact the disastrous expedition of Burke and Wills, as told by the inebriated comedian Harley Breen.

James famously entered politics in the 2016 election, running as an independent candidate in the federal seat of Warringah, a seat held by then-Prime Minister Tony Abbot.

Family man: These days the 42-year-old lives a quieter, low key life away from the spotlight with his family. Pictured is James with his wife Carlie Fowler

Doting dad: The former TV presenter is based in Sydney and is a doting father to two daughters - Luca and Celeste - who he shares with his wife Carlie. Pictured is James with one of his children

He was unable to oust the political powerhouse and garnered only 11.4 per cent of the primary vote.

James has largely steered away from uploading details about his personal life on social media.

Instead, he uses Twitter to regularly share his political opinions, including advocating for action on climate change and the legalisation of psychedelics.

Small screen reunion: James did, however, emerge on screens last year with Osher Gunsberg for an episode of Channel 10's Drunk History. After more than a decade, the two former Australian Idol co-hosts reunited for reenact the disastrous expedition of Burke and Wills

Politics: Fans will remember James famously entered politics in the 2016 election, running as an independent candidate in the federal seat of Warringah, a seat held by then-Prime Minister Tony Abbot which he was unable to win

In 2019, he spoke to Nova's Fitzy and Wippa about Legalise Nature Australia, a group he established to advocate and research plant-based psychedelic medicine.

'I'm involved in this group I've started up called Legalise Nature Australia, trying to get a bit of advocacy and research around plant-based psychedelic medicine,' he said.

James explained: 'At the moment we have never known more about the brain, the body.

Private: James has largely steered away from uploading details about his personal life on social media

Household name: James began as a reporter with the now defunct pay-TV music network, Channel V 2001. But he rose to fame in 2003, as a co-host Australian Idol alongside Osher Gunsberg, then known as Andrew G

'We have never had more psychotherapists, counsellors, health professionals. Yet we've never had higher rates of suicide, depression, anxiety, addiction, alcoholism in this country. So something is going wrong,' he said.

'Plant medicine, I'm talking about magic mushrooms, psilocybin... the heart of the issue is that you want to crack some of these problems affecting society.'

'There is amazing around this that we can unlock potential in humans. And also, we should as adults be able to explore our own consciousness without the government telling us what we should do.'

Moving on: James quit his hosting post with Idol in 2009 and moved to The Project where he became a part-time panellist during the show's early years. Pictured is Osher and James with Lionel Ritchie in the 2007 Australian Idol final

Breakfast TV: After a stint on Channel Seven, James returned to Channel Ten in 2012 to co-host the network's new breakfast show Wake Up! with Natarsha Belling (centre) and Natasha Exelby (left). The show was axed after six months because of poor ratings

James began as a reporter with the now defunct pay-TV music network, Channel V 2001.

In 2003, he went on to co-host Australian Idol alongside Osher Gunsberg, then known as Andrew G.

James quit his hosting post with Idol in 2009 and moved to The Project where he became a part-time panellist during the show's early years.

He defected to Channel Seven in 2012, becoming a film critic for Weekend Sunrise.

Location, location! Last year, James revealed to TV Tonight why the show was 'the most disastrous thing I've ever been anywhere near' and explained it was an uphill struggle to get talent to the studio at Queenscliff Surf Club at Manly Beach in the early hours

However, he returned to Channel Ten the following year to co-host the network's new breakfast show Wake Up! with Natarsha Belling and Natasha Exelby.

The program failed to attract impressive ratings and was axed after just six months.

Last year, James revealed to TV Tonight why the show was 'the most disastrous thing I've ever been anywhere near'.

He explained that it was an uphill struggle to get talent to the studio at Queenscliff Surf Club at Manly Beach in the early hours.

Pals: Despite that, James noted: 'But what came out of it was a very close, beautiful relationship with a super, dear friend of mine, Natarsha Belling. So that was my big takeaway from what was not an overly glorious moment for 10'

'It was like the Frontline of breakfast TV, the sequence of events around that,' he added referencing the ABC series that parodied current affairs shows like 60 Minutes and often poked fun at hapless hosts and executives.

James continued: 'But what came out of it was a very close, beautiful relationship with a super, dear friend of mine, Natarsha Belling. So that was my big takeaway from what was not an overly glorious moment for 10.'

Over the years, James also made appearances on The Celebrity Apprentice, and Studio 10.

In 2019, he co-hosted Thrones 360, a Foxtel produced companion series for Game of Thrones, with video game critic Stephanie 'Hex' Bendixsen.
I overheard a colleague of mine, while watching me do the news that evening, tell a room full of people that I looked like a me sucky sucky love you long time whore.

In the wake of the violent attacks that left eight women, including six Asian women dead, former MTV News correspondent, SuChin Pak recently opened up about what she describes as a misogynistic, violent, racist experience at her former workplace.

Years ago, when I was a news correspondent at MTV, I overheard a colleague of mine, while watching me do the news that evening, tell a room full of people that I looked like a me sucky sucky love you long time whore, Pak wrote in a lengthy Instagram post on Wednesday. The line is a reference from the 1987 film, Full Metal Jacket set in Vietnam.

Read More: Keisha Lance Bottoms speaks on shootings, anti-Asian violence

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Pak only identified the person who made the remarks as a white male executive. She wrote that at the moment, she did not say anything out of fear of being seen as difficult or too sensitive.

I woke up the next day though and it hit me that he said it in a room full of people, mostly women, who somehow now think subconsciously or consciously that this kind of [misogynistic], violent, racist language could be overlooked and dismissed and that worse, that someone like me would just swallow it and shrink into the small space that I was allowed to occupy.

Pak wrote that she later appealed to MTV executives to have the man removed, but that the network attempted to work with her through a mediation process.

It dragged on for months. I did not do this because I had an agenda or even courage, I just had this sinking feeling in my gut that I had to do this. Its the kind of sinking feeling though that doesnt give you strength, or bravery, it was the kind that kept me in bed for a month, crying, scared and uncertain about everything.

Read More: Zendaya reflects on Giuliana Rancics derogatory dreadlocks comment

Story continues

SuChin Pak appears on MTVs Total Request Live at MTV Studios July 15, 2005 in New York City. (Photo by Evan Agostini/Getty Images)

Read More: Holly Robinson Peete: Sharon Osbourne complained I was too ghetto for The Talk

She later notes that she hired a lawyer to help her navigate the situation which she called a luxury that many other oppressed people lack.

Pak, who was born in South Korea immigrated to the United States at the age of 5, said that she has carried the memory of the incident with her. She indicated that she was prompted by the attack to share her story. She left MTV in 2008.

In this moment, as many of you are shaking with fear, uncertainty and anger, feeling like you dont have any power to do anything, know that in the midst of feeling small and invisible, you have a deep sense of dignity, of self-worth and holding on to that in the darkest of places is enough.

Have you subscribed to theGrios new podcast Dear Culture? Download our newest episodes now!

TheGrio is now on Apple TV, Amazon Fire, and Roku. Download theGrio today!

The post SuChin Pak reveals misogynistic, violent, racist experience at MTV News appeared first on TheGrio.
Burma Myanmar Regime Troops Shoot Eight People Dead in Mandalay Night Raid

Residents of Aung Pin Lae set roadblocks on fire on Sunday to stop advancing security forces. / The Irrawaddy

Eight people were shot dead and more than 30 were injured when police and soldiers opened fire with live rounds during a raid on residential areas in Mandalay on Sunday night.

The shootings followed a deadly confrontation between security forces and anti-regime protesters earlier in the afternoon.

Including the night raid fatalities, 249 people have been killed by the military regime as of Sunday night during crackdowns on peaceful pro-democracy supporters.

Local said security forces opened fire with automatic weapons in Aung Pin Lae in Mandalays Chanmyathazi Township. Rescue groups and locals said the shooting continued until midnight. In a video filmed by a resident, the sound of gunfire can be heard.

A 16-year-old teashop waiter was one of the victims of the violence, along with a 43-year-old member of a charity group who died after being shot, according to a local charity group. Security forces also broke into homes and beat residents.

Earlier on Sunday afternoon, police and soldiers also fired live rounds while cracking down on a protest by residents in Aung Pin Lae. One man was killed after being shot in the head and at least six people were severely injured.

There were also reports of the military opening fire on anti-coup demonstrations in the Shan State capital Taunggyi on the night of March 21, with roadblocks erected by protesters set on fire.

You may also like these stories:

Firmly on the Regimes Enemies List, Myanmar Journalists Continue to Document Its Atrocities

Two More Australians Arrested by Myanmar Military Regime

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The Egyptian Ministry of Interior has recently granted citizenship to three stateless individuals who were born in the south Sinai Peninsula.

In a decision issued Feb. 11, the Ministry of Interior said it was granting Egyptian citizenship to three brothers who had no nationality  namely Salem Halil Nasr Salem, born in south Sinai on Sept. 25, 1977; Radhia Halil Nasr Salem, born in south Sinai on Sept. 25, 1975; and Abdallah Halil Nasr Salem born on Nov. 5, 2001, in accordance with the fifth paragraph of Article 4 of Law No. 26 of 1975 concerning the Egyptian nationality.

Article 4 stipulates that the Egyptian nationality may be granted by decree of the minister of interior to whoever is born in Egypt of a father of Egyptian origin, if he applies for the Egyptian nationality after having made his ordinary residence in Egypt, and is of full age at the time he applies for the nationality.

The article further states that nationality is granted to whoever belongs to an Egyptian origin whenever he applies for Egyptian nationality after five years of ordinary residence in Egypt, provided he has already attained full age at the time he submits the application.

According to the same article, nationality may be granted to any foreigner born in Egypt of a foreign father who was also born in it, if such a foreigner belongs to the majority of inhabitants in a country whose language is Arabic, or religion is Islam, if he applies for the Egyptian nationality within one year from the date he attains full age.

As per the article, nationality is also granted to each foreigner who has made his normal residence in Egypt for 10 consecutive years at least before he submits an application for the Egyptian nationality, if he is of age.

The stateless people in Egypt live in border and mountainous areas that are mainly marginalized or in conflict areas. They do not hold official papers or birth certificates as they are not recognized by the law nor by the government. Without papers and personal documents, stateless persons are deprived of their right to education, health care and even burial as state cemeteries do not receive bodies without official papers. They may not marry or inherit, face all kinds of obstructions and may also be subject to arbitrary arrest.

According to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), at least 10 million people in the world today are stateless.

According to the UNHCR, there are more than 30 countries where stateless individuals need official papers to be provided with health care, and in more than 20 countries children without official papers cannot legally receive vaccinations. These children are often forced to go to expensive private hospitals, as state hospitals do not receive people without official papers. According to a UNHCR investigation, there are children who have never been to a hospital for a checkup.

The UNHCR had announced in 2014 a plan to end statelessness by 2024.

In Egypt, however, there are no official statistics by local authorities or the UNHCR on the number of stateless individuals, and there are no laws that define how they deal with official matters. In addition, there are no official numbers of these stateless individuals having tried to apply for citizenship. Meanwhile, the government continues to delay a solution to this problem.

In Halayeb and Shalateen, a border area claimed by both Egypt and Sudan, many tribesmen are stateless. Since Egypt annexed the territory in 1902, several people have returned to Sudan. But those who remained have yet to receive the Egyptian citizenship, mainly from al-Atman and Rashaida tribes. The Egyptian authorities have refused to grant them any official papers proving their right to Egyptian citizenship.

Salem al-Rasheed, 50, who was born in Halayeb and Shalateen and belongs to the Rashaida tribe, never left the area in all his life for fear of arrest since he does not have any identification papers.

Even if I die, I will not be entitled to a death certificate, just like I was not entitled to a birth certificate when I was born. In this world, it is as though I do not exist, and I will die like any cat or dog that was run over by a car on a public road, Rasheed told Al-Monitor.

He added, We are paying the price for disputes between Egypt and Sudan over the territory as the government stands idle. Over the past 10 years, we have been receiving promises whereby applications for citizenship would be accepted. We were repeatedly told that the crisis is about to be solved. You will practice politics, and you will have a member of parliament. But nothing has materialized.

Tribesmen in Sinai also suffer this ordeal. The Azazma tribe members still do not have Egyptian citizenship years after they remained in Sinai, after Israel ended its occupation of the peninsula in 1982.

Tribe member Amin Atallah told Al-Monitor, Only fear [of arrest] is preventing us from taking new steps [to demand citizenship]. We prefer a peaceful solution, but the Egyptian government keeps ignoring us.

Atallah said, No one cared to come and see the tin houses we lived in until 1998 before the government allowed us to build brick homes. We do not dream of much, only of some dignity that allows our children to learn in public schools and be treated in a nearby [state] hospital or medical center.

No one understood on what grounds Egypt decided to grant [citizenship] to a select few," he said, in reference to the three brothers who recently received their citizenship, in addition to dozens of others over the past years.

It may be that the government is granting citizenship [as a reward] for those who are cooperating with the Egyptian security services [in their fight against Islamist groups in Sinai]. Some refused to cooperate, which may be the reason why the Egyptian government did not grant them citizenship. Other tribes living in north Sinai received identity cards and their names were included in official records. But the Azazma tribe refused [to collaborate with the security forces], so they were forced to live a life marred by difficulties, Atallah concluded.
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Trampled Rose Rescue & Rehab started as a one-woman operation.

Founder Holly Williams started rescuing dogs independently in southeast Louisiana for a few years. In 2018, the rescue gained its nonprofit status, and last year Williams brought on Olivia Nicholson as adoption coordinator and Jordan Buckey as foster coordinator.

The extra hands on deck have allowed Trampled Rose to dramatically expand its reach. In the last six months, theyve rescued 100 dogs, according to Nicholson, and theyre on track to rescue 150 to 200 more in the next year.

The rescue focuses on dogs with high medical needs. Many of the pups they pick up have experienced abuse, cruelty or neglect in some form, and the vast majority are heartworm positive. They find dogs through word of mouth, social media and relationships with local animal shelters.

Our brand is really bottom of the barrel, Nicholson says, We try to say yes to the things that others probably wouldn't or dogs that would end up getting euthanized if they were brought somewhere else. We try to be a last chance for some of these animals.

Which is why its name, derived from the 2004 Tom Waits song, is so fitting.

Because it's something beautiful but damaged, Nicholson says. That's kind of how we feel about these animals  most of our dogs all have some kind of obstacles to overcome.

The pandemic has resulted in a surge of households looking to adopt a new pet, and some major cities nationally, including Boston, Chicago, and D.C., have even seen animal shelters still trying to keep up with the heightened demand a year later.

However, pet overpopulation is a huge problem in Louisiana, and there are always plenty of animals looking for homes locally, like the dogs at Trampled Rose, who just need a little extra love.

It's oftentimes a strange winding process that leads a dog to us, but there's never any shortage, Nicholson says. We never have to seek them out.

Trampled Rose relies entirely on its volunteers and foster homes. It doesnt have a shelter. Instead, it places all its dogs in foster homes  and eventually permanent adoptive homes. Nicholson says this system works better for dogs with high needs, as it is a less stressful environment where they can work on socialization and behavioral issues.

Nicholson estimates the rescue is currently working with 30 foster families, with 20-25 dogs actively being fostered. Most of the foster families are located in the New Orleans area, though the rescues reach extends well beyond that.

Trampled Roses online foster application is full of jokes. For the May we visit your home prior to application approval? applicants can choose either I suppose, Regular or Decaf? Not Likely or I Reserve the Right to Shoot.

But at the same time, the application questions show just how serious the rescue is about making sure its animals go to pet-friendly homes with families who can address the animals needs  whether thats giving them medicine, reinforcing boundaries to deal with behavioral issues, slow feeding an emaciated animal or being gentle with an animal thats been neglected.

The adoption application process is equally thorough. After applicants fill out the initial form, Nicholson will call their vet to make sure the owners have a history of vaccinating their pets and the landlord to make sure the property allows for pets. If both are good to go, shell schedule a home visit to make sure the home is secure for pets. Then, she compares all the approved applications for a particular dog and determines which home will be the best fit for the dogs needs.

We're a bit of a matchmaking service, both with fosters and adopters, Nicholson says.

According to its website, each dogs medical costs average about $1,500 but the adoption fee is $150. To cover the rest of the cost, Trampled Rose entirely relies on small community donors.

Most of its donations come from its $5 Friday campaigns on Facebook where they encourage people to donate $5 to the rescue, though many will donate more, Nicholson says. They also do happy hours with local businesses such as Pepps Pub and Pythian Market. The next is at Pythian on March 27 from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m.

It really is small donations that keep us alive, she says. All of our money that we use to purchase supplies, pay vet bills and all of that comes from individuals who donate to us  it's just been a huge outpouring of community support for us.

One of Nicholsons favorite rescue success stories is when a friend from high school reached out to her about a family of dogs in rural Mississippi sifting through trash. She and Williams were able to pick up the dad and the puppy but werent able to find the mom when they got there. Months later, the mother of the person who abandoned the dogs reached out to her and said she had the mother dog. The same family who adopted the father dog ended up adopting the mother dog as well.

"When you're emotionally connected, it's like the amount of joy that it brings to know that whole little family went from digging through garbage to try to get their bellies full to now all three of them are just spoiled like crazy in wonderful homes, Nicholson says.

The rescues big push right now is finding a home for Zelda, a pit bull around three to four years old who was neglected in New Orleans last fall. Hurricane Zeta was about to make landfall, but Williams still drove to the city from Ponchatoula to pick Zelda up and make sure she didnt have to brave the storm alone.

Zelda was underweight and high heartworm positive then, but now shes a healthy weight and her heartworms have been treated. She's just the sweetest thing, Nicholson says. She needs to be sleeping in somebody's bed at night.

Nicholson doesnt mince words when it comes to the emotional work of rescuing animals. All three women running the rescue have other day jobs, and a call about an animal in need could come at any time of the day. But she says seeing animals who were suffering being nursed back to health and placed in loving homes makes that work worthwhile. You see the worst in the best of humanity every single day doing this, she says. Its all consuming in the sense that if you're in bed and you get a call at 11:30 that an animal needs your help, it doesn't wait. You kind of can't turn it off  you just feel connected to it all the time. I think that's why the wins are so important, because it really offsets a lot of the difficulty that comes with that otherwise. For more information about Trampled Rose, Zelda and the other pets it has up for adoption, visit trampledroserescue.org.

+9 Custom pet portraiture captures animal companions the way they are The reasons for commissioning a pet portrait are as unique as the animal
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, March 22)  The country broke its daily coronavirus record on Monday, with 8,019 more cases confirmed by the Department of Health.

This beat the previous high of 7,999 new cases logged just two days before.

It also raised the total to 671,792, of which 80,970 or 12.1% are active cases. This tally of currently ill patients is the highest since August 15 of last year and is the second highest since the pandemic started.

Of the active cases, the DOH said 95.4% exhibit mild symptoms, 2.2% have no symptoms, 0.9% are critical cases, 1% are severe, and 0.52% are moderate.

The department also added 103 to the recovery count, which climbed to 577,850. This means 86% of all those infected have already gotten well. Meanwhile, four more fatalities were confirmed, raising the death toll to 12,972, which accounts for 1.93% of the case tally.

The case bulletin also showed the latest daily positivity rate  or the percentage of those infected out of all tested in a single day  stood at 14.9% as of noon of March 21. This is considered high as the World Health Organization recommends that the number be kept below 5%.

Two testing laboratories failed to submit their daily report on time and were not yet included in the official figures, the DOH said. It added that it removed 21 duplicates from the overall tally, including seven recoveries, after final validation.

Among the reasons cited to be behind the spike in cases are the new and more contagious COVID-19 variants  one of which was first detected in the United Kingdom, while the other in South Africa. Health spokesperson Maria Rosario Vergeire confirmed the variants have spread in all 17 cities and municipality in Metro Manila.

To help address the surge, authorities have placed the capital region and the nearby provinces Bulacan, Cavite, Laguna and Rizal under a stricter general community quarantine. The four areas, also known as the NCR Plus, are placed under one 'bubble' setup from March 22 to April 4. This means only authorized persons can do essential travel into and out of these areas.

READ: EXPLAINER: What you need to know about the GCQ bubble

Among Filipinos abroad, the Department of Foreign Affairs logged 15 new COVID-19 infections, pushing the total to 15,985. Nine new recoveries raised the survivor count to 9,700, while fatalities stayed at 1,047. These bring the active cases to 5,238.
Turkish Driver Arrested in UK After 16 Migrants Found in Lorry

A Turkish lorry driver was arrested on March 21 on suspicion of people smuggling, the National Crime Agency (NCA) said.

The driver, 36, was detained after his vehicle was stopped at the M25s junction with the A3 at around 3:30 p.m., the NCA said in a press release.

A Turkish lorry driver has been arrested on suspicion of people smuggling offences on a motorway slip road, as part of a National Crime Agency investigation. Full story  https://t.co/qBieUJ2AKF pic.twitter.com/omYll6nBV8  National Crime Agency (NCA) (@NCA_UK) March 21, 2021

Sixteen migrants, who are nationals of Morocco, Algeria, and Pakistan, were found hidden in the lorrys trailer. They were all arrested on suspicion of immigration offences.

The operation was conducted by the NCA with the support of the Metropolitan Police and Surrey Police.

The driver, who is now being questioned by NCA investigators, is suspected of planning to move the migrants out of the UK illegally via the Channel ports, the NCA said.

People smuggling networks move migrants in both directions across the border, threatening the security of both the UK and our European neighbours, but also putting lives at risk, NCA branch operations manager Chris Hill said in a statement.

Working with our partners across UK law enforcement we are determined to do all we can to disrupt those networks.

UK police reported two similar incidents in February, both of which took place in Cambridgeshire.

On Feb. 17, three men were rescued from the back of an HGV on the A14 near Brampton. On Feb. 23, 18 people were rescued from the back of a refrigerated lorry at the Haddon services on the A1M near Peterborough.

The cases highlighted that slavery and trafficking are real and police need the publics help, Cambridgeshire police said at the time.

Human smugglers often hide illegal immigrants inside lorries to evade customs checks, a practice that puts the migrants lives in danger.

In October 2019, 39 Vietnamese men, women, and children were found to have suffocated to death in the back of a refrigerated truck as they tried to make their way to Britain.

Tran Thi Hien, mother of Anna Bui Thi Nhung, one of 39 Vietnamese people found dead in a truck in England in October 2019, cries while following an ambulance carrying her daughters coffin during the funeral ceremony at her village in Nghe An province, Vietnam, on Nov. 30, 2019. (Kham/Reuters)

In January, seven men were sentenced to a total of 93 years and eight months in prison after they were found guilty of manslaughter of the Vietnamese migrants.

In 2000, 58 Chinese migrants were found dead in the back of a truck in Dover. The driver was later found guilty of manslaughter.

Jack Philips and Lily Zhou contributed to this report.
WASHTENAW COUNTY, MI  The Washtenaw County Health Department is beginning a new vaccine scheduling process to accommodate the greater number of people now eligible for shots.

Instead of waiting to receive an appointment from the health department, people can now make appointments online themselves as they become available at mass vaccination sites in Ypsilanti and Chelsea. New appointments will be added to the health departments website at least weekly or as existing appointments are canceled, health officials said.

Light at the end of tunnel visible for Washtenaw County, health leaders say after one year of COVID

As of Monday, March 22, people age 50 and older can schedule an appointment for a vaccination. All Michigan residents age 16 and older can get vaccinated beginning Monday, April 5.

County health officials are asking those who schedule an appointment but find another option, or cannot make that appointment, to cancel it so someone else can take their place.

If no appointments are available, residents should check back at a later date. As before, anyone unable to schedule an appointment online can call the health department at 734-544-6700 for assistance.

The health department is expanding eligibility to include essential workers who have not been previously eligible under state guidelines. This includes grocery store workers, restaurant workers, veterinarians and others.

Any resident age 65 and older who has not yet received a vaccination is encouraged to call 734-544-6700 and leave a voicemail or email L-wchdcontact@washtenaw.org to schedule an appointment as soon as possible, officials said.

The health department is reporting more than 74% of Washtenaw County residents age 65 or older have received at least one dose of COVID-19 vaccine.

Retail pharmacies, like Kroger, Rite Aid, CVS, Walmart and Meijer, receive vaccine supplies directly from the federal government and may have more appointments available than local health departments, health officials said.

We are thrilled vaccine supplies are starting to improve for us as well as other providers, said Jimena Loveluck, Washtenaw County health officer. We also recognize there are still challenges.

Statewide prioritization and limited supplies have not allowed us to reach all of our essential workers and higher-risk community members, and we continue implementing strategies to increase access and strengthen equitable distribution.

Local vaccination efforts have expanded to include pop-up vaccination clinics to make vaccine more accessible to areas of the county where the impact of COVID-19 has been most severe or disproportionate.

Pop-up COVID vaccine clinics coming to Washtenaw Countys most at-risk communities

The Health Department will continue to organize community pop-up vaccine clinics with partner organizations and community leaders and vaccinate homebound individuals with its Nurse on the Run team.

A regularly updated list of COVID-19 vaccine providers in Washtenaw County can be found on the health departments website.

READ MORE FROM THE ANN ARBOR NEWS:

Ann Arbors TheRide to offer shuttle services to vaccination clinics

Washtenaw County prosecutor partners with LGBTQ justice project

Tens of millions of dollars in stimulus money expected to pour into Washtenaw County
Credit: CC0 Public Domain

It's well known that mentoring opportunities are critical for development and career advancement, and are associated with greater job satisfaction and increased earnings and promotions.

Yet a recent study co-authored by RMIT University's Professor Andrew R. Timming found women may be missing out on these opportunities due to fears by male managers of potential misconduct allegations.

"Workplace relations between males and females have changed over the past two years. Male managers are significantly less likely than female managers to mentor or interact one-on-one with female employees," Timming said.

"We found that male managers were less likely to work one-on-one in an office with the door closed and less likely to have a late-night dinner with female employees."

Despite this trend, the study also found a large portion of female employees reporting a willingness to be mentored by an older male co-worker, many of whom hold senior positions.

The study was co-authored with Professors Michael T. French and Karoline Mortensen at the University of Miami.

More than 2,000 participants in the United States completed the surveys, but Timming said the findings were highly relevant in Australia and other similar countries that have experienced their own #MeToo movements.

"Aside from cultural similarities between the US and Australia, both countries have recently experienced allegations of rape and sexual misconduct," Timming said.

"This research is critical for everyone in the workplace, male and female alike, across Australia."

"We need to ensure that women don't miss out on workplace mentoring opportunities because males fear misconduct allegations."

The study involved two surveys: one administered to female employees and another distributed to both male and female managers.

The surveys were conducted in the summer of 2018roughly one year after Hollywood celebrities began accusing powerful men in the film industry of sexual assault and harassment, starting the #MeToo movement.

More than 1,800 female employees were asked to answer questions relating to their level of comfort and willingness to be mentored by an older male co-worker.

From this survey, 38% of females under 35 years of age reported that their interactions with males were very to somewhat different today than they were 1-2 years agoprior to the #MeToo movement.

Only 11% of female participants overall reported an unwillingness to be mentored by an older male co-worker.

"Women are clearly still willing to be mentored by older males, but opportunities for such mentoring may not be as forthcomingas seen in our second survey."

The second survey presented 12 photographs of employees to more than 200 male and female managers, where they were asked three mentoring questions for each photographed individual.

The female managers reported a greater willingness and likelihood to mentor female employees than male employees.

In contrast, male managers were significantly less likely to mentor female employees, less likely to work one-on-one with female employees behind closed doors, and less likely to have a late-night dinner with female employees.

"Although we can't say with absolute certainty whether the #MeToo movement caused this reluctance, it seems reasonable to conclude that it may have played a role."

Explore further Proportionally more male bosses negative toward depression

More information: Michael T. French et al, A multivariate analysis of workplace mentoring and socializing in the wake of #MeToo, Applied Economics (2021). Michael T. French et al, A multivariate analysis of workplace mentoring and socializing in the wake of #MeToo,(2021). DOI: 10.1080/00036846.2021.1896673
The Ministry of Cult and Religion has asked a Kandal court to initiate an investigation into Pheng Vannak, who runs a popular Facebook page, for criticizing a Siem Reap monk for lashing three junior monks.

The Ministry of Cult and Religion wants the Kandal Provincial Court to prosecute Pheng Vannak, who disseminates news and information on his Facebook page and a website, according to a ministry letter to the court on March 19.

The allegations include insulting Buddhist monks, under Article 516 of the Criminal Code, Article 496 for incitement, and Article 233, which deals with death threats. The letter said Pheng Vannaks comment that he would not sue but shoot a perpetrator if they beat his children the way the monk chief beat his juniors amounted to a death threat.

The video, which Pheng Vannak commented on, has been circulating on social media platforms since March 14 and shows the chief monk of Siem Reaps Reach Bo Pagoda beating three younger monks with a stick. The incident led to an investigation by local authorities.

Last week, the Information Ministry revoked a media license for Pheng Vannaks online publication for affecting Buddhism.

Pheng Vannak met with the Siem Reap monk chief and apologized on Saturday, and also released a public apology, which was posted on his Facebook page.

Ministry of Cult and Religion spokesperson Seng Somony said that despite the apology, the ministry wanted to take legal action so others do not violate the law.

That was just a private meeting, but we need to pursue legal procedures, he said on Monday. An apology cant replace the insults and death threats.

Pheng Vannak couldnt be reached for comments on Monday. His social media page has more than half a million likes and is widely read for the information and news articles he disseminates.

Tin Sochetra, a Kandal Provincial Court spokesperson, said the court had received the ministrys request on Monday and would process it following judicial procedures.

Pin Sem, Reach Bo Pagodas chief monk, said he had accepted Pheng Vannaks apology and was not aware of the judicial proceedings against him.

If I dont forgive him, I would be a worse person than him according to Buddhism, he said.

Last week, Pin Sem defended his actions by saying that the beatings were not a violent act and an attempt to enforce monastic discipline.

Sok Sam Oeun, a Cambodian legal expert, said there seemed to be no concrete facts to prove a criminal offense was committed.
BOISE - Eight Idaho school districts and five community organizations have been selected to receive grants ranging from $100,000 to $175,000 to provide youth academic and enrichment opportunities through the Nita M. Lowey 21st Century Community Learning Centers (21st CCLC) program. Locally, the Kendrick School District will receive a $119,901 grant, while the Kamiah Upriver Youth Leadership Council will receive a $115,000 grant.

Idahos 21st Century Community Learning Centers support schools and communities by keeping students safe and academically engaged beyond regular school hours, helping to reduce achievement gaps and ease families child care costs, Superintendent of Public Instruction Sherri Ybarra said. Awarding these grants is an annual highlight for the State Department of Education.

The five-year 21st CCLC grants are awarded annually through federal Title IV, Part B funding for out-of-school and summer learning programs. This years recipients were selected from among 22 eligible applicants and total $1.65 million:

Upriver Youth Leadership Council $115,000

Blackfoot School District $168,500

Gooding Joint District $115,242

Boys & Girls Club, Magic Valley $115,000

West Side School District $118,922

St. Maries Joint District $124,469

Coeur dAlene School District $175,000

Lincoln County $141,224

Treasure Valley YMCA $102,835

Kendrick Joint School District $119,901

Wendell School District $142,030

Plummer-Worley School District $113,519

Boys & Girls Club, Nampa $100,000

The SDE anticipates hosting multiple Request for Applications (RFA) virtual workshops for next years grant competition in November 2021. Workshop dates and times will be made available on the departments events page online during the month of October 2021
Armenia MFA information department chief: All deputy FMs carrying out their duties

Ardshinbank invited children to the cinema on International Childrens Day

Armenia judiciary to have 10 more judges

Armenia acting premier: We had recorded 40% increase in tax revenues according to 2019 results

Armenia acting PM on Artsakh war casualties bodies: We have 50 remains in which case DNA was not separated

Azerbaijan authorities plan to "squeeze" everything from "terrorist show" related to Armenian captives

Ameriabank Announces a Contest for Bank Card Design

108 new cases of COVID-19 confirmed in Armenia

Armenia parliament convenes special session

Armenia interim government holding Cabinet meeting

Catholicos of All Armenians heads for Syunik Province, Artsakh

World oil prices going up

Iran loses right to vote in UN General Assembly

Newspaper: Armenia authorities come up with new way of punishing unwanted characters

Newspaper: Russia army Southern Military District deputy commander to arrive in Yerevan Thursday

Lebanese Armenian man taken prisoner by Azerbaijan is hospitalized

Armenia ex-President Kocharyan: Are we getting under the burden? Then lets get under to the end

Armenia acting health minister on keeping fallen soldiers bodies in bags: What else should they be kept in?

Armenia acting health minister on citizens' demand for her resignation

Karabakh's new State Minister Artak Beglaryan on his appointment and future activities

Armenian, Russian and Azerbaijani representatives hold consultations in Moscow

2 Armenian soldiers receive slight injuries after incident with Azerbaijani servicemen in Armenia's Gegharkunik

Armenian boy weighing 5 kg born at Goris Medical Center

"Armenia" bloc representative presents purpose of participation in elections and plans

Isaac Herzog elected President of Israel

Rouhani: Main issues between Tehran, Washington resolved in Vienna

Charles Michel calls on Armenia and Azerbaijan to resume constructive negotiations

US Department of State responds to Pashinyan's proposal to deploy international observers on Armenia-Azerbaijan border

Head of Armenia 2nd President's Office: Robert Kocharyan's public meetings are held in warm atmosphere

Opposition "Armenia" bloc's representative on photos and videos showing bags of deceased servicemen's bodies

Armenia Ombudsman, AGBU President discuss war crimes committed by Azerbaijan during Karabakh war

Opposition "Armenia" bloc's representatives to hold briefings three times a week

Opposition "Armenia" bloc member: Blood-freezing photos and videos from morgue in Abovyan are authorities' reflection

Yerevan mayor receives Netherlands Ambassador

Armenia Health Ministry, Investigative Committee keep info about sending remains of dead soldiers abroad confidential

Armenia Prosecutor General's Office launches case regarding leaving sacs of servicemen's bodies/remains in basement

Peskov: Putin and Biden to discuss cybersecurity issues

Armenia's Pashinyan meets with Belgian PM Alexander De Croo

Armenia acting MOD receives Netherlands Ambassador

Armenia Police: 3 citizens apprehended during protest demanding acting health minister's resignation

NATO warns Minsk about further consequences of Ryanair incident

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
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The RAF is to lose 114 manned aircraft including Typhoon jets under the defence review announced today that puts faith in drones.

Under plans unveiled by the Government today a vast slew of fighters, transport aircraft, trainers and helicopters will be phased out over the next few years.

They will be replaced by the next generation of unmanned fighting platforms, including long-range Protector aircraft and 'swarming drones' that work alongside conventional attack aircraft.

The changes were set out in a defence command paper that includes 3 billion for new vehicles, long range rocket systems, electronic warfare and cyber capabilities.

Titled 'Defence in a Competitive Age', it sets out how forces will spend more time deployed overseas to support allies and deter hostile powers such as Russia, which was identified in the Integrated Review as the 'most acute threat' to the UK.

It sets out plans to retire the RAF's fleet of 14 Hercules C-130 transport aircraft, 24 Typhoon fighters, the four aircraft of the Royal Flight, 36 Hawk training jets, and seven E-3D Sentry early warning aircraft, plus 20 Puma and nine Chinook helicopters.

24 Typhoon fighters are among 114 RAF aircraft that will be grounded in the coming years, to be replaced by drones

Mr Wallace said nine Reaper drones supporting counter-terror operations will be replaced by 16 Protectors (top) in 2024, explaining: 'These new platforms provide enhanced strategic ISR (Intelligence, Surveillance, Reconnaissance) and strike capabilities that are so vital for all our forces.'

Defence Secretary Ben Wallace said the E-3D Sentry will be replaced by a 'more capable fleet' of three E-7 Wedgetail in 2023, telling MPs: 'These will be based at RAF Lossiemouth, transforming the United Kingdom early warning and control capabilities, as well as contributing to Nato.

'As the transport fleet improves availability, we will retire the C-130J Hercules in 2023 after 24 years' service - 22 A400Ms alongside the C-17 will provide a more capable and flexible transport fleet.'

Mr Wallace said nine Reaper drones supporting counter-terror operations will be replaced by 16 Protectors in 2024, explaining: 'These new platforms provide enhanced strategic ISR (Intelligence, Surveillance, Reconnaissance) and strike capabilities that are so vital for all our forces.'

He hailed the Typhoon's success before noting 2 billion will be invested in the 'future combat air systems' over the next four years, with development also taking place of 'combat drone swarm technologies'.

Announcing the pivot towards unmanned aircraft the defence paper notes: 'The introduction into service of the 16 long-range Protector remotely piloted systems will be the backbone of persistent, multispectral surveillance, with the ability to strike and act decisively against our potential adversaries around the globe.'

It also adds: 'We will also make a strategic investment of more than 2bn over the next four years in the Future Combat Air System (FCAS).

'FCAS will deliver an innovative mix of crewed, uncrewed and autonomous platforms including swarming drones.

'This will deliver an advanced combat air system capable of fighting in the most hostile environments.

'The development of novel technologies, and a step change in how we use simulators for mission rehearsal and training, will enable the Royal Air Force to be among the most technologically innovative, productive and lethal air forces in the world.'

Mr Wallace said that previous reviews have been 'overambitious and underfunded'.

He told the Commons: 'In the past, we have been too tempted to fund equipment at the expense of our service personnel's lived experience. That is why over the next four years we will spend 1.5 billion on improving single living accommodation and 1.4 billion on wrap around childcare over the next decade.'

Mr Wallace continued: 'Previous reviews have been overambitious and underfunded, leaving forces that were overstretched and underequipped. This increased funding offers defence an exciting opportunity to turn our current forces into credible ones, modernising for the threats of the 2020s and beyond and contributing to national prosperity in the process.

'It marks a shift from mass mobilisation to information age speed, readiness and relevance for confronting the threats of the future.'

Shadow defence secretary John Healey said he fears the review will 'repeat many of the same mistakes' of the past.

He told MPs: 'We need this reassessment because the last two Conservative defence reviews have weakened the foundations of our armed forces. Cut our full time armed forces by 45,000, cut the defence budget by 8 billion, cut critical defence capabilities and upgrades largely to deal with budget pressures.

'Now the Prime Minister promised an end to this era of retreat. The Defence Secretary pledged this review would be different. Yet I fear this defence review is set to repeat many of the same mistakes.

'The strength of our armed forces cut again, crucial military capabilities cut again, plans to complete a full overhaul of the army in 10 years' time again. So how can I say to the secretary of state does the Government square this circle?'

Warning the 'threats to Britain are increasing', Mr Healey added: 'This is a plan for fewer troop, fewer ships, fewer planes, over the next few years.'
[March 21, 2021] Emerging tech trends for Asia Pacific to be defined at Greater Bay Area Blockchain Week 2021

HONG KONG, March 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- GBA Blockchain Week 2021 (March 29th - April 1st), hosted by NexChange Group, brings a world-class expertise to the table, with 100+ speakers featured on the agenda of the core 2-day Virtual Summit (March 30th and 31st) and live broadcast globally and in China. The conference will also host a chain of dedicated side events from the largest blockchain community keepers and industry leaders. Alber Isola, Minister for Digital and Financial Services, Government of Gibraltar: "I am delighted to be taking part in the Greater Bay Area Blockchain Week's virtual conference. The development of a sustainable blockchain ecosystem is deeply rooted in enhanced education and wider business use. Now more than ever, as we emerge from the pandemic, it's important that the bockchain industry stays connected, and continues to keep education and development at the top of the agenda."



Themes on the GBA Blockchain Week 2021 agenda will spin around the major Bitcoin bull run, and how digital assets continue to gain traction amongst institutional investors. Where does it put global trade, capital markets and incumbent financial institutions, speakers will confer about during the series of high-level panel discussions. Sheila Warren, Head of Data, Blockchain, and Digital Assets, Member of the Executive Committee, World Economic Forum:

"2020 was definitely a year for the books. In addition to seeing a huge increase in institutional investment, we also saw CBDC experiments move into production, most notably China's DCEP. The Forum started the year with the release of our CBDC Policy Maker Toolkit during Davos and continued with our Supply Chain Toolkit in the spring. This latter guidance has proven essential for designing solutions that work for a multitude of actors, including smaller players who may not have access to the resources required to unlock the value of blockchain technology." About NexChange: NexChange Group is a venture builder and media platform specializing in Blockchain, FinTech, HealthTech, AI, and Smart Cities. NexChange is known for hosting annual Hong Kong Blockchain Week, a premiere blockchain event organised in closed collaboration with local governments. For more information on the speakers, agenda, side events and partnerships, please visit https://www.gbablockchainweek.net or contact: info @nexchange.com * PR Newswire is the Official Press Release Distribution Partner of Greater Bay Area Blockchain Week 2021. Media Contact: Jenny Leung

Contact number: +852 3595 3680

Email: info@nexchange.com SOURCE NexChange Group

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Dubais Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) has signed an agreement with Sharjah Commerce and Tourism Development Authority (SCTDA) to promote the RTAs marine transport line for ferry riders between the two emirates.



Ahmed Hashim Bahrozyan, CEO of the Public Transport Agency, RTA and Khalid Jasim Al Midfa, Chairman of Sharjah Commerce and Tourism Development Authority, signed the memorandum of understanding (MoU) remotely via video telecommunication.



"The signing of the MoU is part of the RTAs efforts to boost strategic partnerships with several federal and local entities to improve our services. Under the MoU, RTA is committed to providing information and data to the SCTDA about its marine transit modes and lines to enable SCTDA to promote marine transit means among citizens and residents and highlight their importance in easing the mobility of people, said Bahrozyan.



The two parties will share information about participation in workshops and promoting the culture of sustainable transport. They will hold periodic meetings to assess achievements made and coordinate the announcement of any emergencies relating to marine transport between the two emirates.



Khalid Jasim Al Midfa, Chairman of Sharjah Commerce and Tourism Development Authority said: "We believe this MoU will step up the strategic relationships between the two parties and serve the public interests of Sharjah and Dubai. We will utilise our marketing and promotional vehicles to promote the RTAs marine transport services," he commented.



"In line with the MoU, we will address all entities and partners associated with tourism, management of hotel facilities and grand shopping centres in Sharjah to familiarise them with marine transport services and lines of Dubais Roads and Transport Authority, Al Midfa added.



''We will also invite the RTA to any events, conferences and meetings we hold to boost the promotional and marketing efforts provided for in the MoU. We are looking forward to wider future cooperation between the two parties towards realising the shared vision that views marine transport means as a key contributor to easing the mobility of people between the two emirates.  TradeArabia News Service
Jenny and Narumi wept for happiness last week when a Japanese court ruled that barring same-sex marriages was unconstitutional, a decision that allowed them to move a step closer to a legal marriage and starting a family.

The ruling by the Sapporo district court, the first in Japan on the legality of same-sex marriages, was a major symbolic victory in Japan, the only country in the Group of Seven major nations to not fully recognise same-sex partnerships.

For Jenny and Narumi, who plan on a life together and have held a non-legally binding marriage ceremony, it was much more personal.

I felt light, the light of hope, said Narumi, 27. Both she and Jenny declined to give their last names to Reuters due to Japans still-conservative views on lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) couples.

It was a soft hope that perhaps soon, I dont know when, I might be able to marry Jenny in Japan.

Lesbian couple Jenny and Narumi cook together at Jenny's parents' house in Tokyo, Japan, March 19, 2021. Photo: Reuters

It was love at first sight for Jenny, 28, when she met Narumi in January 2020 via a dating app.

Their romance developed quickly, and by August they were living together and had taken out a partnership certificate, which helps with renting apartments and hospital visits but doesnt provide legal guarantees such as inheritance rights or custody of a partners children.

Were really happy, said Jenny, who is half-American and half-Japanese. But if we could get legally married, for example, we could become parents.

As it is, the child would be legally registered as having only one of us as its parent.

The two have discussed moving to the United States if nothing changes in Japan, since Jenny is a U.S. citizen.

Last weeks ruling was on one of five similar ongoing cases in Japan. The ruling could set a precedent that influences other cases, but for same-sex marriage to be allowed, a new law needs to be put in place, which is likely to take some time.

Public thinking is changing, though. A weekend opinion poll by the Asahi Shimbun found 65% of respondents supported the ruling.

Both women said a big part of their joy was a sense the voices of LGBT Japanese residents had finally been heard in high places.

I felt something long suppressed within myself come bursting out, that wed finally been recognised, Narumi said.

Lesbian couple Jenny and Narumi hold hands during an interview with Reuters at Jenny's parents' house in Tokyo, Japan, March 19, 2021. Picture taken March 19, 2021. Photo: Reuters

Jenny said she realises being able to marry legally could take some time, but she is holding onto her dreams.

If we could have the same legal guarantees as everyone else, Id like to have children and live with Naru-chan, she said, using an affectionate nickname.

Id like to live in a house full of children, dogs and cats, a warm place full of laughter.

Lesbian couple Jenny and Narumi pose at Shibuya crossing in Tokyo, Japan, March 19, 2021. Photo: Reuters
'Ukraine 30. Small and Medium Business and the State' all-Ukrainian forum takes break for three weeks due to lockdown in Kyiv

The organizers of the weekly all-Ukrainian forum "Ukraine 30. Small and Medium Business and the State" are taking a three-week break due to enhanced quarantine in Kyiv.

"The All-Ukrainian Forum is taking a break for three weeks due to the introduction of a number of quarantine restrictions in Kyiv. We care about the health of the participants and guests of the event," reads a message posted on Facebook.
The great patriotic anthem saga that has consumed Singapore for the past week has finally reached its coda after the Indian composer who claimed to be the author of Count On Me, Singapore, evidently fessed up that it was all bogus.

The culture ministry yesterday said the whole thing was settled and that it indeed holds the rights to the 1986 hit written by Canadian composer Hugh Harrison. It said Indian composer Joseph Mendonza, aka Joey Mendoza, has apologized and retracted statements that he wrote the tune under the name We Can Achieve three years earlier in Mumbai, admitting he has no evidence to prove it.

He has unconditionally and irrevocably withdrawn any claims of whatsoever nature, directly or indirectly, with regard to the lyrics and tune of We Can Achieve, which is similar to the Song, the ministry wrote online yesterday.

He in fact does not have any evidence to substantiate his claim that he had written We Can Achieve in 1983, and he also does not lay any claim to the lyrics and tune of the Song.

Mr Joey Mendoza had earlier claimed that he wrote We Can Achieve, a song that is practically identical to Count on Posted by Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth  MCCY on Saturday, 20 March 2021

According to the ministry, Mendonza has accepted that the Singapore government holds the copyright to the song and has asked associates and networks to take down We Can Achieve from all social media platforms after pushing for him to come forward with proof since Thursday.

Mendonza did not respond to messages seeking comment Monday morning, Singapore time.

The ministry also said he apologized for the confusion caused, asserting that he had no intention of attacking the integrity or professionalism of Harrison.

The ministry added that it found Mendonzas claims untenable after Singaporean composer Jeremy Monteiro swore to witnessing the song being developed with Harrison in 1986.

Mendonza told Coconuts last week that he wrote the song in 1983 for 250 orphans to perform at Mumbais Bal Bhavan orphanage and later sold the rights to Pauline India in 1999 for only INR2,000 (S$37 or US$27). He had said recordings of the song were lost in a 2005 flood. This bizarre claim came after Singaporeans discovered renditions of the song on YouTube.

Story continues

Other stories you should check out:

Puzzled Singaporean officials waiting on proof Indian composer wrote patriotic anthem

250 orphans are living proof my song came before Count On Me Singapore: Indian composer

Indian teacher called out for copying patriotic Singapore song removes video

This article, Singapore victorious in song squabble over untenable authorship claims, originally appeared on Coconuts, Asia's leading alternative media company.
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M&A

Cubic to consider second acquisition offer

Cubic Corp. now has a competing offer to consider alongside its signed agreement to be acquired by private equity firm Veritas Capital and an activist hedge fund.

Singapore Technologies Engineering has made an unsolicited proposal to acquire Cubic for approximately $2.41 billion in cash at $76 per share, Cubic said Monday.

ST Engineerings bid is an 8.6-percent premium over the $70-per-share proposal by Veritas and Elliott Investment Management announced and agreed upon in early February.

Cubic has not withdrawn from that agreement nor is the board of directors changing its recommendation that stockholders vote to accept the Veritas-Elliott offer. But Cubic will engage in discussions with ST Engineering as the board of directors believes that bid is or would reasonably be expected to lead to a superior proposal," the company said.

Veritas and Elliotts Evergreen Capital private equity arm would pay $2.21 billion in cash and assume approximately $600 million in Cubic debt to acquire the San Diego-headquartered defense and transportation company. Veritas and Elliott could of course return with another offer to try and top that of what ST Engineering has now put in.

Cubic would be subject to a $45.5 million payment if it terminates the agreement with Veritas and Elliott.

ST Engineerings proposal to buy Cubic has a second piece to it. Upon closure, ST Engineering would then sell the Cubic defense business to private equity firm Blackstone.

Alongside the Veritas-Elliott bid, the other main competing written offer Cubic received in its process of deciding on a sale of the company had that same structure.

That second offer from a Strategic Party C was primarily focused on Cubics transportation business and would have been subject to a review by the Committee on Foreign Investment in the U.S. A second party would concurrently be in the frame to buy the defense business.

Strategic Party Cs series of offers got as high as $72.00-$75.00 per share in cash.

J.P. Morgan is acting as lead financial adviser to Cubic, while Sidley Austin LLP and Faegre Drinker Biddle & Reath LLP are acting as legal counsel.

Cubics stock price was up 9 percent in morning trade Monday and hit a new all-time record shortly after the open.

While Veritas effort to buy Cubic awaits further clarity, the private equity firm has found a buyer for one of its other assets in aerospace-and-defense electronics company Abaco Systems..

Ametek said Monday it has agreed to acquire Abaco in an all-cash deal valued at $1.35 billion including debt expected to close in the middle part of this calendar year. Veritas acquired Abaco in 2015 when the business was the embedded technology and systems division of General Electric.
LOUISVILLE, Ky.  A hangover from Trump-era tariff disputes could become even more painful for American whiskey distillers unless their entanglement in a trans-Atlantic trade fight is resolved soon.

Bourbon, Tennessee whiskey and rye whiskey were left out of recent breakthroughs to start rebuilding U.S. trade relations with the European Union and the United Kingdom in the wake of Donald Trumps presidency. Tariffs were suspended on some spirits, but the 25% tariffs slapped on American whiskey by the EU and UK remain in place. And the EUs tariff rate is set to double to 50% in June in the key export market for U.S. whiskey makers.

A leading spirits advocate is imploring top U.S. trade envoy Katherine Tai to not leave whiskey producers behind. The Distilled Spirits Council of the United States urged her to press for an immediate suspension of the European tariffs and to secure agreements removing them.

Swift removal of these tariffs will help support U.S. workers and consumers as the economy and hospitality industry continue to recover from the pandemic, the council said in a recent statement after Tai was confirmed by the Senate.

American whiskey makers have been caught up in the trans-Atlantic trade dispute since mid-2018, when the EU imposed tariffs on American whiskey and other U.S. products in response to Trumps decision to slap tariffs on European steel and aluminum.

Since then, American whiskey exports to the EU are down by 37%, costing whiskey distillers hundreds of millions in revenue between 2018 and 2020, the council said. American whiskey exports to the UK, the industrys fourth-largest market, have fallen by 53% since 2018, it said.

The tariffs amount to a tax, which whiskey producers can either absorb in reduced profits or pass along to customers through higher prices  and risk losing market share in highly competitive markets.

Amir Peay, owner of the Lexington, Kentucky-based James E. Pepper Distillery, said American whiskey has become collateral damage in the trade disputes. Its cost him about three-fourths of his European business, and the looming 50% EU tariff threatens to drain whats left.

That could possibly end our business in Europe as weve known it over the years, Peay said in a phone interview Thursday.

Hes already curtailed some whiskey shipments to Europe as a hedge against the potential doubling of the EU tariff. His distillerys signature bourbon and rye brand is James E. Pepper 1776.

Peay spent years and significant money cultivating European markets, especially in Germany, France and the UK. He was planning to double his European business before the trade disputes hit.

The way things are going, everything that we invested to date looks like it could be destroyed, he said.

The tariffs have hurt spirits industry giants as well.

We estimate that our company ... has borne roughly 15% of the entire tariff bill levied against the U.S. in response to steel and aluminum tariffs, Lawson Whiting, president and CEO of Louisville, Kentucky-based Brown-Forman Corp., said recently. They have become a big problem for us and its imperative that we get it resolved as soon as possible.

Brown-Formans leading product is Jack Daniels Tennessee Whiskey, a global brand.

For Kentucky bourbon producers, tariffs slashed their exports by 35% in 2020, with shipments to the EU plummeting by nearly 50%, the Kentucky Distillers Association said.

The EU had traditionally been the largest global market for Kentucky distilleries, accounting for 56% of all exports in 2017. Its now about 40%, the association said.

Our signature bourbon industry has sustained significant damage for more than two years because of a trade war that has nothing to do with whiskey, KDA President Eric Gregory said. And it will get much worse if we cant deescalate this dispute.

Kentucky distilleries craft 95% of the worlds bourbon supply, the association estimates.

The thaw in the U.S. disputes with the EU and UK were part of an effort to resolve a longstanding Airbus-Boeing dispute. The tariff suspensions applied to duties that had been imposed on some spirits producers on both sides of the Atlantic. But the breakthroughs left plenty unresolved, including disputes that led to the retaliatory tariffs still hitting American whiskey.

The suspended tariffs mean some European spirits producers can ship their products into the U.S. duty free, while American whiskey makers are still subject to tariffs, Whiting said.

We just want a level playing field for American whiskey, he said.

-- The Associated Press
This Arctic warming, occurring at twice the speed of the global average rise in temperatures is what is causing deadly heat waves in India over the past few years, researchers have discovered. (Representational image/AFP)

Hyderabad: What is happening about 9,000 km north of India is the cause of the thousands of deaths of humans and livestock in the country and the world over. The temperatures in the otherwise bone-chillingly cold icy Arctic up in the north are rising. This Arctic warming, occurring at twice the speed of the global average rise in temperatures is what is causing deadly heat waves in India over the past few years, researchers have discovered.

These heatwaves have also been contributing to increased heat stress related deaths in India. While the country recorded 55 such deaths in 2000, by 2015, this category of fatalities rose to 2,081.

Chart shows the number of people who died in heatwaves, till 2015.

Caused as a result of climate change and global warming, the Indian heat waves occur due to a phenomenon called Planetary Rossby Waves (PRWs). These are large scale disturbances of the atmospheric circulation. When these disturbed atmospheric circulation patterns clash with similar largescale atmospheric movements that arise horizontally from the earths rotation, the resulting phenomenon, called Quasi-Resonant Amplification, is said to play a key part in how the weather in India is impacted.

Chart shows temporal distribution of 2m-air temperature anomalies in the Arctic region during the 1900-2020 period using global datasets.

Researchers who concluded this, presented their findings in a study article titled Large-scale connection to Deadly Indian Heatwaves.

They found that the high-latitude warming during the spring months of April and May in the Arctic region relate to the heatwaves occurring in the same months. This analysis of Arctic warming in spring and its consequences for planetary wave changes is a novel aspect found by the researchers, not analysed earlier, the study said.

Surface maximum temperature in India during heatwaves: (a) Climatology (1979- 2018); (b) 2010 mean; (c) 2013 mean; and (d) 2015 events mean

Explained D. Goverdhan, one of the authors of the study, and a researcher from the Centre for Earth, Ocean and Atmospheric Science, University of Hyderabad: This Arctic warming reduces the normal Equator-to-Pole temperature gradient, because normally the Arctic region is very cold. Decrease of temperature gradient favours decrease of zonal wind, wind from west to east, which occurs in the mid-latitudes, and its vertical shear. A decrease of zonal wind favours, in some special conditions that are becoming more frequent recently, an increase of Rossby wave amplitudes.

On how this impacts India, he said: The positioning of amplified Rossby waves is such that in some specific locations, especially over India, a high-pressure cell occurs, leading to sinking motion and increasing surface temperature drastically. This increase of surface temperature causes heat waves.

The results of the study confirmed that maximum surface temperatures in spring over India show predictability with high statistical significance, about four days ahead. Therefore, to predict heat waves, maximum surface temperatures can be used, the researchers said.

A group of researchers from India and Brazil conducted the research study, the results of which were published in a reputed British journal, Quarterly Journal of Royal Meteorology. Dr V.B. Rao, National Institute for Space Research, INPE, Brazil, Dr K. Koteswara Rao (corresponding author from Azim Premji University), Dr B. Mahendranath, (Andhra University), Dr T.V. Lakshmi Kumar (SRM Institute of Science and Technology), and PhD student Govardhan Dandu (University of Hyderabad), were part of the research team.
Chennai, March 22 : With the increase in Covid 19 cases, the Puducherry government has closed the schools, (State board, CBSE and ICSE) till May 31.

The decision was taken following a recommendation by a committee on the Covid vaccine which was chaired by Puducherry Lieutenant Governor Tamilsai Soundararajan.

There will be no classes for students from Class 1 to Class V111. However there will be online classes for students in Classes 9 to 12 which will be held five days a week.

This was announced by the Puducherry higher education director Rudra Goud here on Sunday.

The test positivity rate was 4.46%, the case fertility rate 1.67% and the recovery rate 97.45%. The number of active cases in Puducherry was 353 with 189 in hospitals and 164 under home isolation.

The Covid vaccinations touched 40,522 with 1096 persons from the general public, 808 health workers and 384 frontline workers being vaccinated on Saturday.

Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19)
I have never understood why the nationally well-known Democrats have never taught the American people what the difference is between a Social Democrat (which most of our allies are) and a Socialist (which none of the Democrats are). It is so simple.

A Social Democrat wants to keep our market-based capitalist economic system, but wants to have a lot of federal government social programs such as Social Security, Medicare, and College Student Loans in order to help the lower and middle classes. They know that a truly Socialist economy has never successfully worked in any large-scale society.

A Socialist wants to abolish capitalism and replace it with a genuine socialist economy in which the workplaces are owned and controlled by some kind of entity such as the state, the government, or the people.

They are not the same thing. How can someone be a socialist when they want to keep capitalism? They cant.

If supporting a social program such as Social Security makes someone a socialist, then that would make Dwight Eisenhower, Richard Nixon, and John F. Kennedy socialists. We all should know that they werent.

Bernie Sanders and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez are not true socialists. They are Social Democrats just as most of our allies are. They want us to have more spending on social programs to help our people just as our allies do.

It is ridiculous and absurd for anyone to claim that anyone and everyone who is at all to the political left-of-center is somehow some kind of socialist or communist, or Marxist or radical-leftist.

Stew Epstein, Rochester, Ny.
The Indian Navy ship INS Jalashwa reached the port of Ehoala in Madagascar today to deliver 1,000 metric tonnes of rice and 10,000 tablets of hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) in order to help Madagascar authorities tackle the ongoing drought in the southern part of the country. According to a press release, Indian ambassador Abhay Kumar will hand over the humanitarian aid to the Prime Minister of Madagascar Christian Ntsay in an official ceremony on March 23. Earlier this month, Indian Foreign Minister Dr. S. Jaishankar had a telephonic conversation with his counterpart in Madagascar, where he promised to provide assistance to the country in handling the natural disaster.

The @indiannavy ship Jalashwa reached the port of Ehoala, #Madagascar today to deliver a consignment of 1000 metric tonnes of rice and 100,000 tablets of HCQ to help Madagascar in dealing with the drought situation in South Madagascar.@MEAIndia @diplomatieMg @MDN_Madagascar pic.twitter.com/mh8RWj3xiG  India in Madagascar & Comoros (@IndembTana) March 22, 2021

On March 14, INS Jalashwa had arrived at Port Anjouan, Comoros to deliver 1,000 metric tonnes of rice. On March 15, an official ceremony was held to hand over the humanitarian aid to the government of Comoros on behalf of the Indian government. The ceremony was attended by Comoros Foreign Minister Dhoihir Dhoulkamal. INS Jalashwas Commanding Officer Captain Pankaj Chauhan handed over the aid on behalf of the Indian government. Last year, the Indian Navy had delivered medical consignment to Comoros and also deployed a medical team to provide assistance for dengue fever related emergencies.

Comorian daily Al Watwan on the arrival of @indiannavy ship Jalashwa in Anjouan, #Comoros with 1000 tonnes of rice.

 pic.twitter.com/AyqULxrlqa  India in Madagascar & Comoros (@IndembTana) March 16, 2021

India's vision SAGAR

Both Madagascar and Comoros are key allies of New Delhi in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR). India has always stepped-up to help countries in the region as it continues to provide humanitarian aid in times of need, highlighting the importance accorded by India to IOR nations. On March 20, Indian Navy ship INS Shardul arrived at port of Antsiranana in Madagascar, underscoring the deepening defence ties between both nations. Last year, INS Shardul had visited Madagascar carrying 600 tonnes of rice to provide assistance to flood victims.

The supply of humanitarian aid to Indian Ocean Region is in line with Prime Minister Narendra Modi's vision SAGAR, also known as Security and Growth for All in the Region. In August last year, the Indian government sent heavy equipment to Mauritius to help authorities clear the massive oil spill in the Indian Ocean, which posed huge risks to marine environment.

(Image Credit: IndembTana/Twitter)
Colorado Springs, CO (80903)

Today

Partly cloudy. High 78F. Winds E at 5 to 10 mph..

Tonight

Some clouds this evening will give way to mainly clear skies overnight. Low 53F. Winds SSW at 5 to 10 mph.
There is absolutely no immigration crisis on the southern border. Thats the repeated message from the Biden administration. It simply isnt true.

Our leaders are telling Americans to ignore the overcrowded immigrant centers and caravans on the way. Dont look at unaccompanied minors, arriving in record numbers. Those are mere challenges. Want to see for yourself? Sorry, no can do. The administration has blocked journalists from inspecting immigration facilities or accompanying the Border Patrol on their rounds. This is not the way to discuss democratic choices. Its the way to grow mushrooms.

The media blackout and litany of false statements are reminiscent of the most dazzling press spokesman of modern times, Baghdad Bob. The mouthpiece for Saddam Hussein during the Iraq War famously told the world press, There are no American infidels in Baghdad. Never!" What made his statement so memorable was that, just behind him on camera, American bombs were exploding. American troops were swarming into the country. He bravely -- inanely -- denied it all. U.S. soldiers, he said, hold no place in Iraq. This is an illusion. He was soon captured by those illusory troops.

Bagdad Bob set the gold standard for government flacks and the politicians who hide behind them. But he has plenty of imitators. Donald Trumps first press secretary, Sean Spicer, repeated his bosss ludicrous claims that the 2017 presidential inauguration was the best-attended in U.S. history. Aerial photographs proved otherwise. But Spicer stuck with his story, to mounting ridicule. He knew who had hired him. Today, his old boss wont even admit he lost the 2020 election or had anything to do with losing Georgias two Senate seats, which cost Republicans control of the upper chamber.

In the annals of public deceit, the Trump administration leaves big shoes to fill. The Biden administration is making an impressive effort to fill them, shoveling steaming heaps of disinformation about its immigration policies. Joe Biden doesnt do that himself. He avoids answering questions or speaking off the cuff, apparently for good reason. So its up to his press secretary, Jen Psaki, and the secretary of homeland security, Alejandro Mayorkas, to explain how the administration is handling immigration. Their answers have only a glancing relationship with the truth.

After considerable prodding, Mayorkas finally agreed to visit the border, witness the problems first-hand, and speak to beleaguered Border Patrol agents and local officials. Following the administrations practice, he kept the media at arms length. He prevented reporters from entering migrant facilities and failed to hold a press conference. Biden himself wont go near the border.

Meanwhile, Jen Psaki keeps spinning tales to a docile press corps, refusing to use words like crisis or emergency. She did blurt out crisis once but quickly realized the error and retracted it. She had committed what Michael Kinsley famously dubbed a Washington gaffe, where you accidently tell the truth.

If the problem at press briefings is deceit, the problem at the southern border is far worse. The hard truth is that there isnt just one crisis, there are three -- all intertwined and mutually reinforcing. One is the humanitarian disaster on the border and in Mexico, where migrants pay criminal gangs to lead them north from Central America. En route, they are exploited, some horrendously: raped, robbed, starved, left to die in the desert, or drowned trying to swim across the Rio Grande. The carnage is horrific.

The second crisis is a breakdown of our own countrys rule of law, encouraged by the administrations fiat policies and its refusal to admit obvious failures. Laws regulating who can enter and stay in the country are basic to any nations sovereign authority, including our own. To demand enforcement of those laws is not a criticism of immigration. Its a criticism of illegal immigration and the governments failure to stop it.

Progressives now consider the very term illegal immigration so toxic they refuse to utter it. They pour scorn on anyone who does. The Biden administration adheres to that script. They soften (and distort) the issue by speaking only of undocumented immigrants, as if they somehow left their papers in the top dresser drawer. The administration is even test-driving new language to replace illegal border crossing. Their new, disingenuous term is irregular. Cant these people talk straight? The short answer is No. No, they cant.

The third crisis is a dust storm of deception and secrecy by the very politicians who produced this mess. Despite mounting evidence, they refuse to acknowledge the gravity of the problem. They deny all responsibility for creating it. And they prevent American citizens from seeing what is happening on border patrols and in detention facilities, some of which are now five to seven times over capacity.

Whats the justification for this media blackout in a democracy? None really, beyond political self-protection. The Biden administration didnt pay for these facilities; American citizens did. Their elected representatives passed the laws being willfully ignored. These citizens have every right to see what is happening -- and to demand something better.

Journalists should insist on transparency. They should demand to know why the Biden administration abolished an effective policy that kept asylum seekers in Mexico. Remember, U.S. courts ultimately turned down three-quarters of those applications and an even higher percentage from Central America.

Given those numbers and the huge backlog of court cases, it made sense to keep applicants in Mexico and to send a strong, clear message to Central America and beyond: Seek asylum only if you have compelling claims.

The new administration did exactly the opposite, ending those policies with a stroke of Joe Bidens pen. Now, anyone who manages to get across the U.S. border can claim asylum. They will be processed by Customs and Border Control, released into the U.S., and told to come back later for a court date when their asylum claims will be heard. Few will bother.

What is the rationale for these new policies, aside from appeasing progressives and reversing anything Trump did? Why stop construction on a border wall that has already been authorized and funded by Congress? The 1974 Budget Impoundment Act requires the president to spend those authorized funds. He has no discretion in the matter. That law was passed by a Democratic Congress over President Nixons veto, specifically to limit his imperial presidency. It applies to would-be emperors from either party.

The most pressing questions should be obvious. When will the Biden administration recognize its immigration policies have failed? When, if ever, will it summon the political will to reverse those policies? It will take gumption since it means doing two things politicians hate most: admitting their mistakes and facing down supporters who promoted the failed policies. It also means talking honestly to the American people, letting them see what is really happening at the border, in facilities they paid for. Its time to end the secrecy and deceit. Its time to admit these unforced errors and start solving the problems they created. Actually, its long past time.
Brussels, March 22 : The European Union (EU) is set to sanction 11 individuals involved in the Myanmar military coup, as well as for the repression of the demonstrators in the country, the bloc's High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell said on Monday.

The situation is deteriorating in the country, Borell said on his way into talks with the 27 EU Foreign Ministers in Brussels, dpa news agency reported.

"We don't want to punish the people in Myanmar with sanctions," German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas said.

"We are still pushing to stay in dialogue for a peaceful solution." The Myanmar coup was staged on February 1 as the military alleged massive voting fraud in the 2020 general elections, which saw National League for Democracy, the party headed by former de facto leader Aung San Suu Kyi, win a majority of seats.

In response to the coup, Myanmar has witnessed continued protests demanding her release, as well as a return of the democratically-elected government.

According to the Myanmar prisoners' aid organisation AAPP, 235 people have been killed and some 2,330 temporarily detained in the country.

At the meeting on Monday, the EU Foreign Ministers are also likely to agree on sanctioning four individuals and one entity from China for their involvement in human rights abuses of the Uighur population in Xinjiang province, according to diplomatic sources from the bloc.

The bloc is also likely to sanction several individuals and entities from North Korea, Russia, Libya, Eritrea and South Sudan on the basis of that instrument, the sources added.

Aside from endorsing sanctions, the ministers are expected to discuss the politically sensitive issues of Turkey and Russia, attempting to hash out their strategic positions to both countries.
MUMBAI: Bollywood actress Kangana Ranaut has once again attacked the Maharashtra government on social media. The actress reacted to a news piece on Twitter that says former Mumbai Police commissioner Param Bir Singh has alleged that Maharashtra Home Minister Anil Deshmukh asked Sachin Vaze to collect Rs 100 crore every month.

Reacting to the news piece, Kangana wrote on Twitter, "When I called out corruption and ill administration of Maharashtra government I faced so much abuses, threats, criticism I retaliated but when my loyalty for my beloved city was questioned I cried silently. When they illegally demolished my house many cheered and celebrated."

"In coming days they will be fully exposed, today I stand vindicated, hence it is proven in my brave Rajputana blood flows the loyalty and true love for the land that feeds me and my family. I am a true desh bhakt not haramkhor #MahaVasooliAghadi #AnilDeshmukh #ParambirSingh," she added.

In September last year, the BrihanMumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) had demolished parts of Kangana's office located in Bandra, citing illegal construction. The demolition work was stopped midway after a stay order from Bombay High Court on September 9.

Kangana recently paid a visit to her Bandra office for a meeting and expressed on social media that she is heartbroken once again to see its condition.
The Lulu group owned by multi-billionaire Keralite businessman M.A. Yusuf Ali has, heeding the call of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to support the Kashmiri apple farmers, imported around 400 tons of Kashmiri apples to the middle east.

Yusuf Ali, the Chairman and Managing Director of the group while speaking to IANS said, "I have always considered that it is the prime responsibility of all Indians to accept and act upon the policies of Government. Naturally when PM Modi during his UAE visit in 2019 put forth the idea of investing and supporting the state of Kashmir, I was the first one to give my commitment and we have imported more than 400 tons of Kashmiri apples during the last year and it is continuing but it's slightly less than the target owing to Covid related issues."

The businessman employs more than 30,000 people and most of them are Indians. Of these Indians more than sixty percent are from Kerala with a larger percentage from his home district, Thrissur.

Yusuf Ali had reached the Middle East in 1973 and since then he had struggled to reach the top. Now the Lulu group has more than 198 stores in various sizes spread across the Gulf Cooperation Council(GCC), Egypt, India and the Far East and it caters to more than 16 lakh shoppers per day.

Yusuf Ali said, "I had never thought of this type of expansion and now have retail operations in GCC, India, Africa and the Far East and our sourcing offices are there in all the major cities across the globe."

The Lulu group and Yusuf Ali have always been in the news for supporting people who get stuck over court cases or become jobless in the UAE and is often addressed as the "Unofficial Indian Ambassador". When asked about this Yusuf Ali said, "My philosophy of philanthropy is based on the teaching of Prophet Mohammed which says that if your neighbour goes hungry, you should be held responsible and I keep a very sizable portion of my earnings for charitable activities not only in India but across the globe. The focus areas are health care, public welfare, disaster/calamity support and education."

This was seen during the Covid crisis when not a single employee was terminated from the company nor was salary reduced owing to Covid. The group is now in the process of opening one of the largest shopping malls of South India at Thirvuvananthapuram in Kerala with a built up area of 1,999,934 sq ft with an investment of around Rs 2000 crore.

The group is on an expansion spree and has diversified into money exchange, hospitality business and has a hospital chain in the Middle East.
About 24 hours after military chiefs from India and Pakistan surprised the world last month with a rare joint commitment to respect a 2003 cease-fire agreement, the top diplomat of the United Arab Emirates popped over to New Delhi for a quick one-day visit.

The official UAE readout of the Feb. 26 meeting gave few clues of what Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed spoke about with Indian counterpart Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, noting they discussed all regional and international issues of common interest and exchanged views on them.

Yet behind closed doors, the India-Pakistan cease-fire marked a milestone in secret talks brokered by the UAE that began months earlier, according to officials aware of the situation who asked not to be identified. The cease-fire, one said, is only the beginning of a larger roadmap to forge a lasting peace between the neighbors, both of which have nuclear weapons and spar regularly over a decades-old territory dispute.

The next step in the process, the official said, involves both sides reinstating envoys in New Delhi and Islamabad, who were pulled in 2019 after Pakistan protested Indias move to revoke seven decades of autonomy for the disputed Muslim-majority state of Jammu and Kashmir. Then comes the hard part: Talks on resuming trade and a lasting resolution on Kashmir, the subject of three wars since India and Pakistan became independent from Britain in 1947.

Over the years, India and Pakistan have routinely made peace overtures only to have them quickly fall through, particularly as both sides frequently use the issue to stir up emotions around election time. Officials said expectations were low that the current detente would achieve much beyond the return of envoys and a resumption of trade through their Punjab land border.

But this process appears to be the most concerted effort in years, and comes as the Biden administration is seeking wider peace talks on Afghanistan -- a place both countries for years have battled for influence. Indian Prime Minister wants to shore up growth and focus military resources on the border with China, while Pakistans leaders are also facing economic woes and looking to make a good impression with the U.S. and other powers.

Pakistans Foreign Ministry didnt comment on the talks or the role of the UAE, while the foreign ministries of India and the UAE had no immediate comment.

Last week Pakistan army chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa asked India to bury the past and move forward while saying the military was ready to enter talks to resolve all our outstanding issues. The comments came a day after Prime Minister after called for a resolution on Kashmir, which he described as the one issue that holds us back.

On Saturday, Modi sent a tweet wishing Khan well after he was diagnosed with Covid-19 -- another sign that relations between the countries are getting warmer.

The UAE, which has historic trade and diplomatic links with India and Pakistan, has taken a more assertive international role under de facto ruler Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan. The biggest shift has been in the Middle East where the Gulf Arab state has intervened in conflicts and backed groups and regional leaders. But it has also looked to Asia as it strengthens political alliances beyond its role as a global trade and logistics hub.

India-Pakistan ties were effectively cut off two years ago after a suicide attack in India-controlled Kashmir killed 40 Indian soldiers, prompting Modis government to authorize air strikes on alleged terror facilities inside Pakistan. The joint statement last month said the two sides agreed to address each others core issues, signaling a wider discussion on Kashmir and terrorism.

Several clues over the past few months pointed at the UAEs role. In November, Jaishankar met bin Zayed and the crown prince on a two-day visit to Abu Dhabi, followed by Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi the following month. Roughly two weeks before the Feb. 25 announcement, the UAE foreign minister held a phone call with Pakistan Prime Minister wherein they discussed regional and international issues of interest. And just days before, India allowed Khans aircraft to fly over Indian airspace as he headed to Sri Lanka for a state visit -- a practice suspended since the 2019 hostilities.

After the cease-fire, the UAE was one of a handful of countries to issue a statement welcoming the cease-fire announcement, highlighting the close historical ties it has with both India and Pakistan and hailing the efforts made by both countries to come to this agreement. In Washington, State Department spokesman Ned Price dodged a question on what role the U.S. played in bringing the two sides together while urging Pakistan to play a constructive role in Afghanistan, Kashmir and other places.

Obviously Pakistan has an important role to play when it comes to Afghanistan and what takes place across its other border, Price said on Feb. 25. So clearly, we will be paying close attention.

--With assistance from Sylvia Westall and Faseeh Mangi.
As I autographed a copy of my book Retirement Musings for the young Major, I asked for a confirmation of the date. Today is 15 March 2021 Sir, he said. Wow! Beware the ides of March! I exclaimed instinctively, leaving the Major in wonderment about what I meant!



Julius Caesar is a Shakespearean tragedy we loved quoting from in school. It was based on the life of the Roman General/Statesman Julius Caesar. Some of the quotes were;



1. Friends, Romans, countrymen, lend me your ears. I come to bury Caesar, not to praise him. The evil that men do lives after them; the good is oft interred with their bones. by Mark Anthony in his eulogy of Caesar.



2. Et tu Brute? (And you too Brutus?) by Caesar after his closest friend Brutus stabbed him.



3. Beware the ides of March by a soothsayer/Caesars wife.



4. Rubicon crossed. The die is cast (alea iacta est) by Caesar daring the Roman Senate.



Ides of March



Monday, 15 March 2021 was the Ides of March in the Roman calendar. It was the day in 44 BC when Julius Caesar was stabbed twenty-three times to death by a group of senators led by his bosom-friend Brutus.



Roman history states that, he was earlier warned by a soothsayer not to go out on the Ides of March, 15 Mar 44 BC, a warning reinforced by his wife.



Beware the Ides of March subsequently became synonymous with being warned, but displaying pig-headed obstinacy going against advice, and paying with ones life as happened to Caesar.



Caesar



Starting his military career as a teenager, Caesar rose to become a General. Considered a threat by Pompey, the Head of State,/equivalent of the Roman Republic, Caesar was sent out of the Republic to Gaul in Northern Italy to fight. Rome and Gaul were separated by a shallow River Rubicon.



After Caesar successfully completed his Gallic campaigns, Pompey ordered him to demobilise his army before returning to Rome. Caesar refused and subsequently crossed the Rubicon, declaring alea iacta est (the die is cast), his final act of throwing down the gauntlet at Pompey!



Indiscipline



During the week, TV news showed pictures of the island separating the two sides of the Accra-Tema Motorway, being illegally and dangerously crisscrossed.



It also reminded me of my stay in Uganda over twelve years ago where I served as the Senior Military Adviser to the Special Envoy of the UN Secretary-General, President Chissano of Mozambique. Reacting to daily screaming newspaper headlines of murders, I asked a colleague why the murders. His answer was simply,



When laws fail to be applied because of political influences, indiscipline and impunity take over.



He also lamented the concentration of power in one hand. That sounded familiar!



Constitution



When the 1992 Constitution was promulgated, analysts opined that, like the Ugandan case, our Constitution was designed for one person. Otherwise, how could virtually all power be concentrated in the President?



In 2012, President Mills created a Constitution Review Committee headed by the venerable Professor of Law, Dr Fiadjoe.



A flaw which many Ghanaians hoped would be corrected early was the requirement for a majority of Ministers to come from Parliament. A question that arose was, how could new MPs who were made ministers combine the two jobs effectively, being simultaneously legislators and executors/implementers?



Meanwhile, Ghana still awaits the implementation of the Fiadjoe Report!



Conclusion



On Thursday, 18 March 2021, Ghanas foremost playwright Ebo Whyte in his bi-weekly radio-presentation submitted that, despite the semblance of development, Ghana is in fact sliding backwards.



Indiscipline shows at all levels of Ghanaian society!



Uncle Ebo stated that, we have lost our sense of shame and moral compass. For example, young girls bragging about their affairs with big men evoke no shame. Young men insult adults old enough to be their fathers/grandfathers in the name of politics.



Road traffic indiscipline resulting in carnage on our roads appears to have gained acceptability as normal.



Disgraceful open defecation is part of us!



No country has succeeded by brandishing indiscipline/impunity the way we are! Singapore/Rwanda did not!



On Friday 19 March 2021, the World Bank lamented Ghanas premature de-industrialisation! For an import-substituting country which under President Nkrumah before the 1966 coup produced car tyres, jute-bags, glass, matches/machetes, canned fruits/vegetables and had Ghana Airways and Black Star Shipping Line, our current manufacturing input of only 4% contribution to GDP is sad!



Ghana! Beware the Ides of March! We are on a slippery slope.



Unlike Julius Caesar, listen to good advice from Ghanaians, irrespective of political persuasion. For, Ghana belongs to all Ghanaians.



Fellow Ghanaians, WAKE UP!



Brig Gen Dan Frimpong (Rtd)



Former CEO, African Peace Support Trainers Association



Nairobi, Kenya



Council Chairman



Family Health University College



Accra



[email protected]













Source: Brig Gen Dan Frimpong (Rtd)/ [email protected]









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

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Actor Vicky Kaushal, who has a slew of films in the pipeline, kick-started his Monday with an intense workout at the gym. Vicky shared a picture from his gym in which he held a rod. The actor had a bandaid tied to his finger. Sharing the same, he wrote, Monday morning starts with blood, sweat and dirt. After this, he took to Instagram and shared an array of pics from his latest shoot.

Vicky, all decked up in a white tee, smiled away to glory. Sharing the first pic, he penned, Dekha Hai Aise Bhi. Sharing another pic, he further penned, Kisi ko Aise hi, and later wrote, Haste hasaate yun sabko manaate hum jaayengey in the caption. As soon as Vicky Kaushals photos were up on the internet, it met with a flurry of comments. A user wrote Damn, such a cutie, whereas another fan penned God, you are so handsome.

How Vicky kick-started his Monday

(Photo credits: Vicky Kaushal's Instagram)

Meanwhile, a lot of Bollywood stars are appealing to fans to mask up during the Covid times as the cases are rising in Maharashtra. Alia Bhatt on Saturday took to her Instagram story and shared a picture of a news report about the rise in Coronavirus cases. Please be safe guys, the Gangubai Kathiawadi actor wrote alongside the post. Alias Raazi co-star Vicky also posted a pic of himself with a mask and urged fans to wear it without fail.

On the work front, Vicky Kaushal is all set to start shooting for The Immortal Ashwatthama from August in Ukraine. According to Pinkvilla, the first schedule of the film will begin in Ukraine, after which it will be shot at other multiple international locations. The director of the film Aditya is currently in the stage of finalising his other shooting spots, added the report.

A source close to the site also mentioned that the team had earlier decided to begin shooting in June, however, they later decided to start from August. Vicky and Aditya will be reuniting for The Immortal Ashwatthama after they worked together on the 2019 hit, Uri: The Surgical Strike, which garnered massive love from the audience. Apart from this, the actor also has Shoojit Sircar's Sardar Udham Singh in his kitty.

Get the latest entertainment news from India & around the world. Now follow your favourite television celebs and telly updates. Republic World is your one-stop destination for trending Bollywood news. Tune in today to stay updated with all the latest news and headlines from the world of entertainment.
Egypts Minister of Irrigation and Water Resources Mohamed Abdel-Ati urged the public to ration their water consumption to alleviate the challenges the country is facing, including the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD).

Ethiopia reiterated its intention to start the second phase of filling the massive dam's reservoir this July despite the lack of a legally binding agreement with downstream countries Egypt and Sudan.

Abdel-Ati, in remarks to Al-Ahram published on Sunday, slammed Ethiopia's unilateral actions regarding the filling and operation of the GERD, saying Egypt will not accept their grave implications which should be referred to the UN Water Day held annually on 22 March.

Egypt has recently welcomed a Sudanese proposal to form a quartet comprising the UN, the European Union, the US, and the African Union to mediate stalled talks on the GERD.

Egypt and Sudan demand that a legally binding agreement is reached before the second filling to secure their water interests and protect their peoples from the implications of filling the mega dam.

Abdel-Ati told Al-Ahram Egypt is facing many water challenges besides the GERD, including the increasing demand on water and climate change.

He noted that these challenges require Egyptians to rationalise their water consumption. Parliament, he added, is set to pass a host of legislation and the state is implementing several projects to preserve water.

The minister said parliament is scheduled to pass a new irrigation bill that bans all activities wasting water resources. These activities include throwing dust or clay in public waterways, storm drains and water networks, which may block them.

The new 131-article bill aims to improve the development and management of water resources and ensure the fair distribution of water, Abdel-Ati said.

The new bill also seeks to determine the areas allocated for agriculture and regulate irrigation and drainage works in new plots, the minister said. It also ensures that no lands are allocated for horizontal agricultural expansion unless approved by the irrigation ministry.

Abdel-Ati spoke about the state project to line water canals. The first phase of the project aims to rehabilitate 7,000 kilometres of water canals and is set for completion in 2022 at the cost of EGP 18 billion.

He added that the ministry has rehabilitated 1,248 kilometres of canals and is working on 4,417 more kilometres. The project is meant to improve the management and distribution of water.

Abdel-Ati also called on the public to protect the project's waterways from pollution.

The ministry, in parallel with the project of rehabilitating and lining water canals, encourages farmers to adopt modern irrigation techniques instead of surface irrigation to reduce water consumption, Abdel-Ati said.

Some 237,000 feddans are irrigated with modern techniques, the minister added.

Egypt suffers from a water deficit of 30 billion cubic metres; it annually needs at least 110 billion cubic metres of water. However, it currently has only 80 billion cubic metres, 55.5 billion cubic metres of which come from the Nile.


Traffic Stop Leads to Murray Man's Meth Arrest

By West Kentucky Star Staff

MURRAY - A Murray man was arrested Saturday on methamphetamine charges.The Murray Police Department said an officer conducted a traffic stop on a vehicle on South 12th Street just after 12:00 am.The officer utilized K-9 Ringo to assist on the traffic stop, which led to the discovery of approximately 8.4 grams of methamphetamine, other illegal items and cash.The driver, 34-year-old Robert Simmons was arrested and lodged in the Calloway County Jail. He's charged with trafficking in methamphetamine, improper turning and failure to signal.
The Tifco Hotel Group will operate the countrys mandatory quarantine regime  with four of its Dublin hotels believed to be earmarked for use.

These are the Hard Rock Hotel and the Clontarf Castle Hotel in Dublins city centre, and the Crowne Plaza and the Holiday Express Inn, both located in Santry near Dublin Airport.

How much will the stay be, and do I get to choose my hotel?

The price of mandatory quarantine will not be provided by the state, it must be paid for by the traveller.

The two-week stay will cost just under 2,000 per adult and around 500 for any child over three years old.

Do I get to choose my hotel?

A person staying in a quarantine hotel will also not get to choose where they stay, and will be assigned a hotel at random. The cost does not differ depending on the hotel.

Can I leave my hotel room to avail of the hotel's facilities?

The mandatory quarantine list includes 33 countries deemed high-risk for Covid-19. It is not believed that those in mandatory quarantine can use any of the amenities mentioned that are not in the bedroom.

Those in quarantine will be allowed to leave their rooms once a day for some exercise or smoking. However, they will not be permitted to leave the grounds of their hotel.

What do we know about the Crowne Plaza?

The Crowne Plaza Hotel is 3.4km from Dublin airport. A one-night stay on a Friday in June 2021 would have cost 151, if the hotel wasnt being used for mandatory quarantining. The Crowne Plaza is located in Northwood Park, Santry, a seven-minute drive from Dublin Airport.

The four-star hotel has 209 guest rooms. It also has a club lounge, a 1000-seat conference centre, a coffee lounge, a restaurant and a bar, none of which will be available to quarantine guests.

It was taking bookings for essential accommodation up to Saturday, however, now it is closed for guest stays believed to be used for mandatory quarantine.

What do we know about the Holiday Inn Express?

The Holiday Inn Express is 3.3km from Dublin airport. A one-night stay on a Friday in June 2021 would have cost 169, if the hotel wasnt being used for mandatory quarantining. Also located in Northwood, Santry, the Holiday Inn Express is located within 85 acres of mature parkland.

It has 214 bedrooms on-site, all of which are supplied with air-conditioning, heating controls, interactive smart TVs, blackout windows hades anda workspace - ideal for anyone planning to work throughout mandatory quarantine.

What do we know about the Clontarf Castle Hotel?

one-night stay on a Friday in June 2021 would have cost 199, if the hotel wasnt being used for mandatory quarantining. The Clontarf Castle Hotel is located in the stunning location of the reworked 12th-century medieval building. Boasting views of mountains and the sea, it was listed in Conde Nasts Readers Choice top 10 hotels in Ireland. The hotel is 10km from Dublin Airport and a

The four-star hotel has 111 rooms, which all include an interactive TV, pillow-top mattresses, air conditioning and heating and tea and coffee making facilities.

What do we know about the Hard Rock Hotel?

This hotel is located 11km from Dublin Airport, and those quarantining in this hotel will have spectacular views of the city. Located next to Dublin Castle and Temple Bar, the Hard Rock hotel has 120 unique rooms that include pieces like retro vinyls and Kurt Cobains sweaters.

The city centre hotel was only refurbished last year and the development cost a total of 52 million. A

Rooms in the rocking hotel include a flat-screen TV with content mirroring technology, bay windows and rain showers.

believed to be On its website, it currently says its closed due to government restrictions - but it is nowearmarked to become one of Ireland's first mandatory quarantining hotels.
A confidentiality agreement between Michigan's governor and the former Department of Health and Human Services director was waived on Thursday.

Robert Gordon headed MDHHS through 10 months of the COVID-19 pandemic, and left suddenly in January. Gordon was paid $155,506 as part of a severance package.

Rep. Annette Glenn, R-Midland, said waiving the agreement is a positive step, but added that more comprehensive and significant reform is needed to make state government more accountable and transparent to the people of Michigan.

Glenn called on Gov. Gretchen Whitmer to rescind what Glenn called taxpayer-financed hush money" in early March.

Clearly, the governor feels the pressure as we work to hold her accountable in the Legislature, Glenn stated in a press release. Im pleased she is taking some steps to reverse her mistakes. This gag clause needed to be reversed, as I said the day it was exposed  and now that has finally happened."

Glenn said Michigan taxpayers and families demand and deserve much broader, more significant reforms to improve government transparency. Glenn  who serves as chair of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy  is pushing for all House Appropriations subcommittee chairs to include language in their budget proposals aimed at exposing and preventing similar hush money contracts.

Glenn is pushing for more transparency and accountability in several other ways. Her legislation requiring the governor and Legislature to follow freedom-of-information laws was unanimously approved by the Michigan House on Thursday.

Glenn also is advancing legislation to establish whistleblower protections for state employees who raise concerns about how their departments operate.
Dr Munoz suspected some patients had read only initial news articles detailing the widespread pause on the vaccination and not subsequent reports in which Europes medicine regulator clarified there was no evidence the vaccine was associated with an increased risk of blood clots overall. There is still a question mark over links to two blood clot issues that are extremely rare. It is going to take a huge effort to undo the real damage in confidence in the vaccine those reports from overseas have created, with people jumping the gun and releasing that information without really getting the clear epidemiology and evidence, Dr Munoz said. Federal Health Department secretary Professor Brendan Murphy said the small number of blood clot cases had created some tension. Loading Replay Replay video Play video Play video The European Medicine Authority has intensely examined this issue and, despite a lot of anxiety in Europe, they have come up with a completely conclusive statement to say they think this vaccine is safe and effective and that it should be continued to be rolled out across the whole population, Professor Murphy said.

He added the Therapeutic Goods Administration would continue to monitor the safety data. Whenever there is anxiety, that creates issues with confidence, and we need to inform our health professionals the best advice so that it can provide that reassurance, he said. Loading I am very confident this vaccine is safe and effective. Otherwise, I wouldnt have had it myself. Melbourne GP Mukesh Haikerwal said he and his staff spent four hours on the phone on Sunday calling patients in their 80s and 90s to directly offer appointments on Monday at his Altona North Respiratory Clinic, but encountered hesitancy.

It was quite a struggle, he said. People are spooked about what they have read [about] Europe. Theyve read the bad news, that there was a problem, but theyve not read the good news. Dr Haikerwal said of the 150 people that were called, about five or six refused the jab outright and another dozen said they wanted to hold off before making up their minds. He hopes that as people see others getting vaccinated without ill-effect, confidence will grow. Loading Among those at the Altona clinic on Monday was John Manolakakis, 65, who said he was not bothered which jab he received, rolling up his sleeve for the AstraZeneca vaccine alongside his 90-year-old parents.

Something is better than nothing and when you have been given something for free youve got to be a dill to start whinging and carrying on, he said. Mr Manolakakis, who has an autoimmune disease, said he had been worried for the safety of his parents Jim and Pagona Manolakakis during Melbournes coronavirus outbreaks, and receiving the vaccine felt like a weight off his shoulders. We live in the luckiest country on Earth, he said. Professor Julie Leask, a leading vaccine uptake expert with the University of Sydney, said while it wasnt entirely clear what led overseas regulators to suspend the vaccine programs under limited evidence of harm, the impacts on public confidence were likely to be long lasting.

She said some people were always going to have health issues after a vaccination, but it didnt mean the vaccination caused or contributed to those health issues. Meanwhile, we still have a vaccine thats going to protect us from COVID and do a very good job of protecting us against severe disease and hospitalisation and death, she said. So even if there were a tiny, tiny, tiny risk to be confirmed, which is itself probably unlikely, the vaccines benefits can far outweigh the risks. This is the communication challenge we face. Federal Health Minister Greg Hunt said people who were most concerned about the vaccine were worried about safety.
Three young men charged with murdering a 20-year-old tradesman, who was shot dead while visiting a friends home, have pleaded not guilty and been committed to stand trial.

Adrian Pacione was visiting a friend in Lalor on the night of July 18 last year to provide support following a relatives death, when he was hit in the head by a gunshot fired from outside the house.

Adrian Pacione. Credit:

Police allege a group of men had earlier tried to force their way into the house and fired multiple shots from a semi-automatic gun when they could not get in.

On Monday, three men from Melbournes northern suburbs all pleaded not guilty to murder and other charges during a short hearing in Melbourne Magistrates Court.
New Delhi:

One person was killed when police in Jaipurs Ramganj area opened fire on a mob after it went on a rampage, setting ablaze a power house and several vehicles. The incident took place after a constable allegedly assaulted a couple which aggravated the mob, police said on Saturday.

Following the incident, curfew was imposed and Internet services were suspended in at least four police station areas, a senior police official said. As a precautionary measure, schools were also asked to shut down in the curfew-laden areas.

Sanjay Agarwal, the Jaipur Police Commissioner said, A petty dispute between a police constable and a motorcycle-borne couple late last night led to clashes between the locals and the police, following which the curfew was imposed around 1 AM in Ramganj area, where the violence broke out.

ALSO READ: Widow branded witch, forced to eat faeces, beaten to death in Rajasthan

The constable allegedly assaulted the couple, which led to aggravation among locals and they gathered around Ramganj police station. Later, the mob indulged in arson and set ablaze at least five vehicles & damaged 21 others, Agarwal said.

Police fired tear gas shells and rubber bullets to disperse the mob.

When the situation went out of control, police opened fire on the agitators in which one person, identified as Mohammed Raees, was killed, Agarwal said. The Delhi-Agra route through Jaipur has also been diverted.

Security forces, including Rajasthan Armed Constabulary (RAC) and home guard jawans, have been deployed in the violence-hit areas, the commissioner said.

(With PTI inputs)

ALSO READ: Scientists confirms 14th meteorite incident in Rajasthan's Jaipur

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Non-examination school classes, universities and colleges re-opened smoothly yesterday with teachers, lecturers, pupils and students following the strict World Health Organisation (WHO) and Government public health guidelines.

The three examination classes were brought in a week earlier to settle before yesterdays rush and as these classes are the most senior in the schools, and provide the pupil leadership such as prefects or their equivalent, they were well prepared to help settle in the more junior classes when they turned up yesterday.

The odd angry voice calling for a teachers strike were ignored. In Harare pupils were being checked for temperature and sanitising hands at the gate before admission. Everyone was wearing a facemask and no one was crowding. At class doors, there were buckets to wash hands before entering.

Visits were made to both Government and private schools to assess how the reopening was working: Harare High School, Zengeza 4 Primary, Allan Wilson High School, Bright Daises primary and secondary schools and Avondale Primary School.

For the tertiary end, visits were made to the University of Zimbabwe and Harare Polytechnic. Principal of Bright Daises primary and secondary schools in Chitungwiza, Mrs Daisy Mukariri, said they had made sure the required health measures are conducted before any child was admitted into school premises.

As a school we are managing to sanitise and maintain social distance. Our only challenge was in the morning when parents came in numbers to pay fees and register the new classes, but we managed to contain that. Teachers attended to classes, she said.

Harare High School head Priscilla Marjorie Satande said all was progressing smoothly at the school.

In Masvingo, most schools announced revised school attendance programme to decongest classes in a move that will see pupils going to school on different days of the week.

At Victoria Junior, pupils would alternate to go to school for three and two days every week to reduce overcrowding and limit sizes of classes to able to maintain social distancing.

University and college students here also started tripping back to their seats of learning on Sunday with students at Great Zimbabwe University and Masvingo Polytechnic undergoing body temperature checks and sanitisation before entering into the premises.

Learners were made to occupy halls of residents and classrooms that had been disinfected to contain spread of Covid-19.

In Mashonaland East at Marondera High school, Nagle House, Wise Owl and Robert Mugabe Primary School there was a high turnout of pupils and teachers.

Mashonaland East Provincial Education Director Ms Anatoria Ncube said: We had a good start. Our teacher attendance for today was 83,5 percent whereas learner percentage was 72.3 percent.

Normalcy also prevailed in Mashonaland West. Provincial education director Mr Gabriel Mhumha said yesterday that preliminary findings showed that it was business as usual. Attendance of teachers and learners was both in the normal category.

Kariba district education officer Mr Jason Dzveta said he toured schools in the area and the attendance was normal with only those exempted being absent.

In Matabeleland South province most schools opened as scheduled with boarding schools including Matopo High phasing arrivals to avoid crowds of parents. Form One pupils arrived on Sunday while Forms Two and Three arrived yesterday.

Authorities at most schools in the province have installed more handwashing basins and acquired temperature scanners to screen everyone entering the premises.

In Gwanda there was a last minute rush with people seeking to buy school uniforms and related items for their children. In Beitbridge schools opened with many pupils and teachers reporting in their numbers.

The second phase of schools opening went well in the Midlands province with the majority of teachers reporting for duty.

Midlands Provincial Education Director, Mr Robson Machimbira said schools will be adopting phased approach to avoid congestion in classes.

In line with the Covid-19 guidelines pupils will be attending classes on different days especially where there are a lot of pupils so that we avoid congestion and maintain social distance in classes, he said. Herald
[March 22, 2021] Psychedelic Joint Venture Between Mycotopia Therapies and Natural MedTech Brings Research and Drug Development to Test Active Ingredient In Psychedelics

MIAMI, March 22, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- 20/20 Global, Inc. dba Mycotopia Therapies, (OTC Pink: TWGL) (the Company), a company focused on psychedelic therapies, announced today it has formed PsyBioMed  Australia and entered into a letter of intent to jointly conduct clinical trials in Australia using psychedelics to treat mental illness. PsyBioMed  Australia will be a joint venture between Mycotopia Therapies and Melbourne, Victoria based psychedelic research and development company Natural MedTech. It is expected that PsyBioMed-Australia will build and develop a R&D laboratory and a manufacturing facility in Victoria using technology to be provided by Ehave, Inc. (OTC: EHVVF) to capture and analyze data. According to data released by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare 4.3 million Australia patients (17.1% of the Australian population) received a mental health-related prescription in 201819 with 70.9% (27.6 million) of those being antidepressant medications. With anti-depressant usage on the rise over the years and currently with over 3 million Australians on anti-depressants, there are hundreds of thousands of patients that meet the criteria for psychedelic assisted therapies in Australia. PsyBioMed aims to close the loop in the broken supply chain and produce Current Good Manufacturing Practice (cGMP) psychedelics in Australia, while researching various other molecules that can be translated into clinical practice. Medically supervised, legal access to evidence-based Psychedelic-Assisted Psychotherapy is becoming increasingly available through clinical trials for multiple conditions throughout Australia. The Australian government through the Medical Research Future Fund (MRFF) has allocated $15 million to fund clinical research into Ketamine, Psilocybin and MDMA Assisted therapies in order to fully ascertain the safety and impacts of these kinds of drugs compared to existing drugs. This research by the Australian government into whether psychedelic drugs are more effective than existing treatments sets the stage for large-scale clinical trials.



PsyBioMed-Australia intends to obtain licences and permits to legally possess, supply, sell and manufacture Schedule 8 & 9 Drugs (Schedule 9 is equivalent to Americas Schedule 1) in order to produce cGMP psychedelics in Australia. PsyBioMed-Australias Victoria, Australia based facilities will have the capabilities to undertake genetic approaches and apply both mycology and synthetic biology techniques in both R&D and full GMP environments. PsyBioMed-Australia plans to produce medicine at a standard for human consumption, develop IP and supply upcoming clinical trials, as well as health institutions and physicians when appropriate. The partnership with Natural MedTech provides PsyBioMed access to various forms of intellectual property, an expert team of local scientists, medical professionals, university, and industry partners that are pioneers in their respective fields and are passionate about developing novel therapies for the unmet need that is mental ill health. Mycotopia Therapies, through its relationship with Ehave, provides PsyBioMed with IP access to digital therapeutic blockchain technology that allows for the secure and compliant capture of in-depth data sets. This data capture will be used to clinically validate some of these more experimental forms of therapy including psychedelic and ketamine treatments whilst allowing patients to own their own daa and do what they want with it.



This type of data capture will allow for effective N-of-1 type studies in alignment with the Royal Australian and New Zealands College of Psychiatrist Clinical Memorandum  Therapeutic use of psychedelic substances. Ben Kaplan, CEO of Mycotopia Therapies, said, It is estimated 4 million Australians experience a mental health disorder every year, and almost half of all Australians will be affected at some point in their lifetime. PsyBioMed-Australia will provide the opportunity to boost local research into potentially lifesaving therapies while creating a supply chain for their distribution.

Dr. Manideep Gopishetty, CMO of Mycotopia Therapies, said, Increasing research evidence suggests MDMA, commonly known as ecstasy, could be an effective adjunct to psychotherapy for people with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Meanwhile, clinical trials of psilocybin, the psychoactive component of magic mushrooms, show it could assist psychotherapy in the treatment of anxiety, depression, addiction and other mood-based disorders all of which aligns with our research and drug development roadmap. We strongly believe Australia would be a pivotal point for global distribution of psychedelics and special access program of Australia designed for medical consumption of psychedelics in chronic mental health conditions is a perfect model created by the Australian government to enable this drug delivery process very seamlessly by having all regulatory protocols in place. Mark Hestermann, CEO of Natural MedTech, said, Australia is often considered a lucky country, but we have one of the highest rates of mental ill health globally. Something is wrong. I believe that people deserve better than to live with symptom management when there are more promising treatment options at our doorstep. Our mission is to break the symptom management cycle thats all too prevalent in mental healthcare and offer alternative and meaningful solutions for people who are suffering. Dr Jamie Rickcord, Founder of Ananda Clinics, said, In order for us to safely introduce psychedelic assisted therapy into Australian practice, having access to GMP grade psychedelic medicines is an urgent need. Recent announcements from the Australian government of $15 million to fund research into psychedelic therapies highlights the need for these medicines to be available. Australia will soon be on the leading edge of the renaissance and as we build data and experience in psychedelic medicine it will be another leap to have access to locally produced medicines. The combination of local research and production will allow suffering Australian's to access these therapies safely and in timely manner. This partnership is the innovation and forward thinking required at this crucial stage in the introduction of psychedelic medicine in Australia. About Mycotopia Therapies Mycotopia Therapies focuses on helping you heal and reclaim your life. Your journey of healing is an understanding of the causes and works to mental wellness through psychedelic enhanced psychotherapy, integrated with a professional team of mental wellness practitioners and cutting-edge technology. Psychedelic therapy is a holistic and spiritual approach providing healing and has shown successful treatment for many years. Additional information on Mycotopia Therapies can be found on the Companys website at: https://www.mycotopiatherapies.com . About Natural MedTech Natural MedTech is a biotech company driven by a passion to bring optimum health and wellness by translating modern advancements into meaningful action. Natural MedTech conducts drug development, engages and supports clinical trials with the goal of advancing clinical application of psychedelics and other scheduled compounds of therapeutic relevance. Our initial focus is to manufacture GMP psilocybin in Australia and provide innovative solutions to address current public health challenges of today. We are focused on psychedelic advancements, but we understand that psychedelics arent the whole picture. Natural MedTech promotes its Seven (7) pillars of health, which are in Personalized Nutrition, Exercise, Personalized Medicine, Mindfulness Meditation, Breathwork, Sleep, and Psychedelic Medicines. https://www.naturalmedtech.com Forward-Looking Statement Disclaimer This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Such statements may be preceded by the words intends, may, will, plans, expects, anticipates, projects, predicts, estimates, aims, believes, hopes, potential or similar words. Forward-looking statements are based on certain assumptions and are subject to various known and unknown risks and uncertainties, many of which are beyond the Company's control, and cannot be predicted or quantified and consequently, actual results may differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements: (i) the initiation, timing, progress and results of the Companys research, manufacturing and other development efforts; (ii) the Companys ability to advance its products to successfully complete development and commercialization; (iii) the manufacturing, development, commercialization, and market acceptance of the Companys products; (iv) the lack of sufficient funding to finance the product development and business operations; (v) competitive companies and technologies within the Companys industry and introduction of competing products; (vi) the Companys ability to establish and maintain corporate collaborations; (vii) loss of key management personnel; (viii) the scope of protection the Company is able to establish and maintain for intellectual property rights covering its products and its ability to operate its business without infringing the intellectual property rights of others; (ix) potential failure to comply with applicable health information privacy and security laws and other state and federal privacy and security laws; and (x) the difficulty of predicting actions of the USA FDA and its regulations. All forward-looking statements included in this press release are made only as of the date of this press release. The Company assumes no obligation to update any written or oral forward-looking statement unless required by law. More detailed information about the Company and the risk factors that may affect the realization of forward-looking statements is contained under the heading "Risk Factors" in 20/20 Global, Inc.s Registration Statement on Form F-1 filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) on September 24, 2015, as amended, which is available on the SEC's website, http://www.sec.gov. Contact for 20/20 Global and Ehave Media Inquiries: Gabe Rodriguez Email: Gabe@Ehave.com Investor Relations: Email: Ir@Ehave.com Phone: (623) 261-9046



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ROME, N.Y. -- Birnie Bus is expressing its profound disappointment with Utica City School Districts decision to go with another bus provider after the two have worked together for nearly 25 years.

Last week, Utica CSD Superintendent Bruce Karam said after the contract with Birnie Bus ends in June, an Illinois-based company called Durham School Services will take over bussing for the district.

Karam said Durham came in as the lowest responsible bidder, and the district expects to save about $5 million under the five-year contract.

Rocky Corigliano, vice president of operations at Birnie Bus, says the company made the district aware of what they felt were inconsistencies in the bidding process, and asked to meet with Karam and the Board of Education. According to Corigliano, the meeting never happened.

Corigliano also says the District decided to present the Boards approval of the over $10 million annual multi-year contract on the consent agenda with other normal recurring Board business. There by by-passing taxpayers ability to question the Board on this significant change and expenditure.

In October, the district cited a bus driver shortage as the reason it couldnt begin its hybrid schedule the following month as planned. Birnie Bus responded, saying a number of viable transportation proposals were submitted to the district, but were never discussed.

Corigliano says Birnie Bus is committed to providing quality transportation to the students and parents of the Utica City School District through the end of the 2020  2021 school year.
Wheaton College announced its plan to rephrase dehumanizing wording included on a plaque honoring Christian martyr Jim Elliot and the four missionaries killed by the Waorani people in Ecuador due to pejorative language referring to the tribe as savage.

In a letter sent to students, faculty and staff last Wednesday, the Illinois-based evangelical higher education institution's president, Philip Ryken, said some individuals recently expressed concerns that the language on the plaque was offensive.

Specifically, the word savage is regarded as pejorative and has been used historically to dehumanize and mistreat indigenous peoples around the world, Ryken said in the letter obtained by The Christian Post. Any descriptions on our campus of people or people groups should reflect the full dignity of human beings made in the image of God.

The class of 1949 dedicated the plaque on Jan. 8, 1957, in memory of Edward McCully and James Elliot, both from the class of 1949. They were murdered while sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ to an unreached people group in Ecuador during "Operation Auca."

Source:The Christian Post
He announced on Instagram in November that he and his wife Liv Lo are expecting their first child together.

And on Saturday, Henry Golding and Lo were seen enjoying an outing together in Los Angeles.

The Crazy Rich Asians star, 34, and the TV host strolled arm in arm as they headed to a neighborhood restaurant.

Relaxed outing: Henry Golding and his pregnant wife Liv Lo strolled arm-in-arm as they headed to a neighborhood restaurant on Saturday

Golding was dressed in a black t-shirt, trousers and quilted jacket with white trainers and a white face mask.

Lo was a contrast in a white and pale blue stripy shirt left untucked over white jeans.

She wrapped her baby bump in a gray cardigan and stepped out in brown leather flat sandals.

She also wore a mask and sported sunglasses.

Parents-to-be: The Crazy Rich Asians star, 34, was dressed in a black t-shirt, trousers and quilted jacket with white trainers. Lo was a contrast in a white and pale blue stripy shirt left untucked over white jeans

Golding had excitedly revealed in November that he is going to be a dad by sharing photos of his wife's baby bump.

'2021 is already looking brighter,' he wrote on Instagram.

The British-Malaysian actor told Good Morning America that the baby news 'definitely came at the appropriate time.'

He explained: 'We've been together for about 10 years now, married for the past four years. We've gone to a place in our lives where we were ready and so we were actively trying.

'It's a miracle when you do find out that you're pregnant. We were very lucky and I think a lot of people don't often get to our stage, so we're very grateful.'

'2021 is already looking brighter': Golding had excitedly revealed in November that he is going to be a dad and shared photos of his wife's baby bump to Instagram
Source: Xinhua| 2021-03-21 22:11:25|Editor: huaxia

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Staff members load luggage onto a bus at the embassy of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) to Malaysia in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, March 21, 2021. The Malaysian government on Sunday expelled all diplomats of the embassy of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) here in response to the latter's decision to sever diplomatic ties. (Photo by Chong Voon Chung/Xinhua)

KUALA LUMPUR, March 21 (Xinhua) -- The Malaysian government on Sunday expelled all diplomats of the embassy of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) here in response to the latter's decision to sever diplomatic ties.

The expulsion has been carried out in conformity with Article 9 of the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations 1961 and that the Malaysian government was forced to take this action in response to the DPRK's "unilateral and utterly irresponsible decision to sever diplomatic ties with Malaysia," Malaysian Foreign Minister Hishammuddin Hussein said in a statement.

"The action by the Government of Malaysia has become a necessity in order to protect Malaysia's sovereignty and safeguard our national interest," he said.

Vehicles carrying the DPRK's diplomatic staff and their families were seen leaving their embassy in Kuala Lumpur in the morning and headed to the airport.

Before leaving the embassy, Charge d'Affaires Kim Yu Song told the media that by extraditing a DPRK citizen to the United States, the Malaysian authority had destroyed the entire foundation of the bilateral relations.

The official Korean Central News Agency reported on Friday that the DPRK has decided to cut diplomatic relations with Malaysia after Malaysia's top court ruled in favor of extraditing a DPRK businessman to the United States to face money laundering charges.

The report said that the DPRK businessman was engaged in "legitimate external trade activities" and warned that the Malaysian authority would "bear full responsibility for all the consequences to be incurred between the two countries."

Malaysia's Foreign Ministry stressed that the extradition of the DPRK national was conducted in accordance with the principles of justice, rule of law and independence of judiciary.

The DPRK citizen was detained by the Malaysian authority in May 2019 pursuant to the provisional arrest warrant issued following allegations of conspiracy to launder money as well as violating United Nations sanctions, the ministry said. Enditem
The last time state jury trials resumed in the Capital Region, the second wave of COVID-19 made it a very short return.

But on Monday, as top state court officials optimistically navigate the judicial systems slow rebound from more than a year in a coronavirus-plagued legal world, jury trials will once again return to courthouses in Albany and Schenectady.

It is just a few trials, but it is a start.

As you know, the COVID metrics have improved and the vaccination campaign is expanding to reach more and more people in New York, Chief Judge Janet DiFiore said last Monday in her latest weekly address amid the lethal pandemic.

As such, DiFiore said, the court system would move forward with its plan to incrementally expand in-person operations and, once again, start limited civil and criminal jury trials.

The key word? Incremental.

As a reminder of the very present threat of coronavirus in courts, one need only log onto the state court system's website, nycourts.gov, and view the section titled "Tested Positive For COVID-19." One visitor to Tioga County Court in Owego tested positive for COVID-19 on Thursday. Two days earlier, two non-court employees in Buffalo City Court tested positive. Other positive COVID-19 tests last week were reported in Yonkers, Queens and Nassau County.

The vast majority of court matters will continue to be handled virtually "for the foreseeable future," DiFiore said.

"To be clear, our commitment to expanding in-person services and restarting jury trials does not mean that we have any intention of returning to the kind of courthouse density that existed before the arrival of COVID-19," she said.

Here's what is in store in the Capital Region:

In Schenectady, City Court Judge Robert Hoffman has a criminal jury trial of a defendant charged with unlawful imprisonment and menacing scheduled to start Monday at 8:30 a.m. A commercial claims civil trial was set to begin on Monday in City Court at 1:30 p.m.

In Albany, a jury trial in an asbestos-related suit is scheduled to begin on Tuesday before Justice Erin Gall in state Supreme Court at 10 a.m.

It is the start of what court officials hope will be a return to (almost) normal.

We will continue to prioritize and enforce social distancing, the use of personal protective equipment, our strict cleaning regimen, and the maintenance of an environment where everyone - jurors, lawyers, litigants, witnesses, judges, staff and all other participants - feels comfortable and confident about the safety of our courthouses, DiFiore said in her address.

Back in November, as trials were set to resume in Albany County, a single trial involving a parole violation got under way before acting Supreme Court Justice Roger McDonough. Only the judge, parties, staff, deputies and jurors were allowed inside the courtroom. Observers could watch from a room across the street in the historic Albany County Courthouse.

But nearly as quickly as the new beginning started, the coronavirus poked out its ugly spiked head. Lawrence Marks, the state's chief administrative judge, announced that because of rising cases of COVID-19, jury trials had to be suspended again.

Raniere lawyer leaves case, firm

Albany defense attorney Danielle Smith, part of the defense team for NXIVM leader Keith Raniere, has left the case and departed the law firm of longtime area attorney Paul DerOhannesian.

Smith, a University at Buffalo Law School graduate who has worked for DerOhannesian & DerOhannesian since 2013, left the firm to move closer to her family, according to an email. Smith was one of four trial attorneys who sat in a federal courtroom in Brooklyn with the reputed cult leader known within NXIVM as "Vanguard."

"Prior to leaving, she discussed the issue with Mr. Raniere who agreed that she would no longer represent him in this matter upon her departure from D&D," DerOhannesian informed Senior U.S. District Judge Nicholas Garaufis. "I have since spoken to Mr. Raniere and he once again reiterated his consent to Ms. Smiths withdrawal as an attorney in this matter. Mr. Raniere will suffer no prejudice as a result of her withdrawal. I therefore respectfully request that she be terminated as an attorney of record in the above matter."

Raniere, who was convicted of all charges, including sex trafficking, forced labor conspiracy and racketeering charges that included possession of child pornography, extortion and identity theft, is serving 120 years in a federal prison in Arizona.

Raniere's lead attorney, Marc Agnifilo, left the case last month along with Teny Geragos, another attorney at his firm who had been representing Raniere at trial.

DerOhannesian, at least for now, remains part of the legal team for Raniere, 60, formerly of Halfmoon. Raniere has hired appellate lawyers that include Jennifer Bonjean, Joseph McBride and Steven Alan Metcalf II.
New York, March 22 : British-Swedish pharmaceutical major AstraZeneca on Monday said its vaccine demonstrated efficacy of 79 per cent at preventing symptomatic Covid-19 and 100 per cent efficacy at preventing severe disease and hospitalisation in a phase-3 trial in the US.

The results come after several countries in Europe briefly suspended the use of the AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine over fears of harmful side effects.

In the US trial, the vaccine was well tolerated, and the independent data safety monitoring board (DSMB) identified no safety concerns related to the vaccine, AstraZeneca said.

The DSMB conducted a specific review of thrombotic events, as well as cerebral venous sinus thrombosis (CVST) - which refers to presence of a blood clot in the dural venous sinuses - with the assistance of an independent neurologist.

The board found no increased risk of thrombosis or events characterised by thrombosis among the 21,583 participants receiving at least one dose of the vaccine.

The specific search for cerebral venous sinus thrombosis found no events in this trial, AstraZeneca said, adding that vaccine efficacy was consistent across ethnicity and age.

Notably, in participants aged 65 years and over, vaccine efficacy was 80 per cent, the company said.

"These findings reconfirm previous results observed in AZD1222 trials across all adult populations but it's exciting to see similar efficacy results in people over 65 for the first time," Ann Falsey, Professor of Medicine, University of Rochester School of Medicine, US, and co-lead Principal Investigator for the trial, said in a statement.

"This analysis validates the AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine as a much-needed additional vaccination option, offering confidence that adults of all ages can benefit from protection against the virus." Several countries in Europe including Germany and France last week lifted suspension on the use of the AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine amid a renewed surge in cases.

AstraZeneca said it will continue to analyse the data from the US trial and prepare for the primary analysis to be submitted to the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for Emergency Use Authorisation in the coming weeks.

Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19)
A person holds a sign with photographs of Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor, who have been detained in China since December, 2018, as people gather for a rally in support of Hong Kong democracy, in Vancouver, B.C., Sunday, Aug. 16, 2020. (Darryl Dyck/The Canadian Press)

Michael Kovrig Goes on Trial in China on Spying Charges

BEIJINGThe second of Canadas two Michaels went on trial in Beijing on Monday after being detained for more than two years in apparent retaliation for the arrest in Vancouver of a top executive of Chinese telecom giant Huawei.

The trial of former diplomat Michael Kovrig on spying charges follows an initial hearing in the case of Canadian businessman Michael Spavor, who faces similar charges, in the northeastern city of Dandong on Friday.

Canadian diplomats have been denied access to the trials with the explanation the hearings were being held behind closed doors because of alleged national security concerns.

We are deeply troubled by the total lack of transparency surrounding these hearings and we continue to work toward an immediate end to their arbitrary detention, Foreign Affairs Minister Marc Garneau said in a statement Monday.

Michael Kovrig, an adviser with the International Crisis Group, a Brussels-based non-governmental organization, speaks during an interview in Hong Kong on March 28, 2018. (AP Photo/File)

Diplomats and journalists have showed up nonetheless to seek information and show support.

Outside Beijings No. 2 Intermediate Court, Jim Nickel, the Canadian Embassys deputy chief of mission, said hed been told the trial had begun, but was barred from entry in what he complained was a violation of Chinas international and bilateral treaty obligations.

Michael Kovrig has been detained for more than two years now. Hes been arbitrarily detained and now we see that the court process itself is not transparent, Nickel told reporters.

Were very troubled by this but we thank those who have come out from the embassies here in Beijing and the international support that weve had for Michael, for Canada and the call that many of us are making for their immediate release.

Nickel said 26 countries had sent representatives to show their support, including the U.S., the U.K, Australia and many European nations.

Garneau thanked them all for their efforts.

The eyes of the world are on these cases and proceedings, he said.

The Chinese government has provided almost no information about the accusations against the two, but a newspaper run by the ruling Communist party alleges they collaborated in stealing state secrets and sending them abroad.

No verdict has been announced in Spavors case and it wasnt clear if additional hearings would be held.

However, such cases are almost always predetermined in China, and Beijing is seen as using Kovrig and Spavor as leverage to obtain the release of Huawei executive Meng Wanzhou, who was arrested at the request of the U.S. at the airport in Vancouver in December 2018.

The two Canadians were detained in China just days later and have been held ever since, while Meng has been released on bail and remains under house arrest at her Vancouver mansion.

Kovrig and Spavor were finally charged in June 2020 under Chinas broadly defined national security laws.

Canadian Michael Spavor takes part in an interview in Yangi, China, on March 2, 2017. (AP Photo)

Meng, meanwhile, is wanted by the U.S. on fraud charges related to Huaweis dealings with Iran, which is under American financial sanctions.

At a news briefing in Ottawa on Friday, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said the arbitrary imprisonment of Spavor and Kovrig was completely unacceptable, as is the lack of transparency around these court proceedings.

The secretive nature of the Spavor hearing means it becomes extremely difficult to make judgments around whether or not the trial was fair, Trudeau added.
In this March 9, 2021, file photo, Army health specialists fill syringes with the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine in Miami. Despite the clamor to speed up the U.S. vaccination drive against COVID-19, the first three months of the rollout suggest faster is not necessarily better. (AP Photo/Marta Lavandier, File)

Despite the clamor to speed up the U.S. vaccination drive against COVID-19 and get the country back to normal, the first three months of the rollout suggest faster is not necessarily better.

A surprising new analysis found that states such as South Carolina and Florida that raced ahead of others to offer the vaccine to ever-larger groups of people have vaccinated smaller shares of their population than those that moved more slowly and methodically, such as Hawaii and Connecticut.

The explanation, as experts see it, is that the rapid expansion of eligibility caused a surge in demand too big for some states to handle and led to serious disarray. Vaccine supplies proved insufficient or unpredictable, websites crashed and phone lines became jammed, spreading confusion, frustration and resignation among many people.

"The infrastructure just wasn't ready. It kind of backfired," said Dr. Rebecca Wurtz, an infectious disease physician and health data specialist at the University of Minnesota's School of Public Health. She added: "In the rush to satisfy everyone, governors satisfied few and frustrated many."

The findings could contain an important go-slow lesson for the nation's governors, many of whom have announced dramatic expansions in their rollouts over the past few days after being challenged by President Joe Biden to make all adults eligible for vaccination by May 1.

In this Jan. 22, 2021, file photo, vehicles snake through a line beside a farm field in Poplar Bluff, Mo., for the state's first mass COVID-19 vaccination event. Despite the clamor to speed up the U.S. vaccination drive against COVID-19, the first three months of the rollout suggest faster is not necessarily better. (Robert Cohen/St. Louis Post-Dispatch via AP, File)

"If you're more targeted and more focused, you can do a better job," said Sema Sgaier, executive director of Surgo Ventures, a nonprofit health-data organization that conducted the analysis in collaboration with The Associated Press. "You can open it upif you have set up the infrastructure to vaccinate all those people fast."

Numerous factors stymied state vaccination performance. Conspiracy theories, poor communication and undependable shipments slowed efforts after the first vials of precious vaccine arrived Dec. 14.

But the size of the eligible population was always within the control of state officials, who made widely varying decisions about how many people they invited to get in line when there wasn't enough vaccine to go around.

When the drive began, most states put health care workers and nursing home residents at the front of the line. In doing so, states were abiding by national recommendations from experts who also suggested doing everything possible to reach everyone in those two groups before moving on to the next categories.

But faced with political pressure and a clamor from the public, governors rushed ahead. Both the outgoing Trump administration and the incoming Biden team urged opening vaccinations to older Americans.

Dr. Elizabeth Bergamini, pediatrician in suburban St. Louis, searches online for open COVID-19 vaccine appointments while holding her 4-month-old son, Louis, and supervising her 2-year-old son, James Jerome, at her home in Wildwood, Mo., on March 11, 2021. Bergamini drove about 30 people to often out-of-the way vaccination events after the state opened eligibility to those 65 and older Jan. 18 and then expanded further. (Sara Diggins/St. Louis Post-Dispatch via AP)

By late January, more than half the states had opened up to older adultssome 75 and above, others 65 and up. That's when the real problems started.

South Carolina expanded eligibility to people in Steven Kite's age group Jan. 13. Kite, 71, immediately booked a vaccination at a hospital. But the next day, his appointment was canceled along with thousands of others because of a shortage of vaccine.

"It was frustrating at first," Kite said. After a week of uncertainty, he rescheduled. He and his wife are now vaccinated. "It ended up working out fine. I know they've had other problems. The delivery of the doses has been very unreliable."

In Missouri, where more than half of adults were eligible for shots, big-city shortages sent vaccine seekers driving hundreds of miles to rural towns. Dr. Elizabeth Bergamini, a pediatrician in suburban St. Louis, drove about 30 people to often out-of-the way vaccination events after the state opened eligibility to those 65 and older Jan. 18 and then expanded further.

"We went from needing to vaccinate several hundred thousand people in the St. Louis area to an additional half-million people, but we still hadn't vaccinated that first group, so it has been this mad dash," Bergamini said. "It has just been a whole hot mess."

In this Monday, Jan. 11, 2021, file photo, Century Village residents wait before appointments are handed out for the COVID-19 vaccine in West Palm Beach, Fla. Despite the clamor to speed up the U.S. vaccination drive against COVID-19, the first three months of the rollout suggest faster is not necessarily better. (Greg Lovett/The Palm Beach Post via AP, File)

"It got a little chaotic," said Dr. Marcus Plescia, chief medical officer of the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials. "We created far more demand than there was supply. That stressed the system and that may have left the system less efficient."

Plescia said the analysis suggests that "a more methodical, measured, judicious, priority-based approachdespite people's perceptionactually can be as efficient, or more efficient, than opening things up and making it available to more people."

In retrospect, health workers and nursing home residents were the easy groups to vaccinate. Doses could be delivered to them where they lived and worked.

"We knew where they were and we knew who they were," Wurtz said. As soon as states went beyond those populations, it got harder to find the right people. Nursing home residents live in nursing homes. People 65 and older live everywhere.

West Virginia bucked the trend with both high numbers of eligible residents and high vaccination rates in early March, but the state started slow and built its capacity before expanding eligibility.

In this March 3, 2021, file photo, pharmacist Madeline Acquilano draws a syringe of Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 at Hartford Hospital in Hartford, Conn. Despite the clamor to speed up the U.S. vaccination drive against COVID-19 and get the country back to normal, the first three months of the rollout suggest faster is not necessarily better. (AP Photo/Jessica Hill, File)

Similarly, Alaska maintained a high vaccination rate with a smaller eligible population, then threw shots open to everyone 16 and older March 9. This big increase in eligible adults near the end of the period studied led the AP and Surgo Ventures to omit Alaska from the analysis.

The analysis found that as of March 10, Hawaii had the lowest percentage of its adult population eligible for vaccination, at about 26%. Yet Hawaii had administered 42,614 doses per 100,000 adults, the eighth-highest rate in the country.

Thirty percent of Connecticut's adult population was eligible as of the same date, and it had administered doses at the fourth-highest rate in the country.

In contrast, Mississippi had the sixth largest percentage of its adult population eligible at about 83%. Yet, Mississippi had administered only 35,174 total doses per 100,000 adults, ranking 43rd among states.

Missouri, with 61% of its population eligible, had dispensed 35,341 doses per 100,000 adults.

In this March 9, 2021, file photo, Liana Fonseca looks away as she receives the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine in Miami. Despite the clamor to speed up the U.S. vaccination drive against COVID-19, the first three months of the rollout suggest faster is not necessarily better. (AP Photo/Marta Lavandier, File)

Seven states in the bottom 10 for overall vaccination performanceGeorgia, Tennessee, Texas, Florida, Mississippi, South Carolina and Missourihad larger-than-average shares of their residents eligible for shots.

Among high-performing states, five in the top 10 for high vaccination ratesNew Mexico, North Dakota, Connecticut, Wyoming and Hawaiistuck with more restrictive eligibility. Another two high-performing states from the top 10South Dakota and Massachusettswere about average in how many residents were eligible for vaccine.

"This is a thorough analysis showing a clear association between breadth of eligibility and vaccination rates across states," said Dr. Mark McClellan, a former head of the Food and Drug Administration who was not involved in the new analysis but reviewed it for AP.

The better-performing states could be getting results by paying closer attention to vaccine supply, thoroughly vaccinating high-risk groups and then opening to additional categories more slowly as they wait for supplies to build, McClellan said.

What happens next will depend on how much states can improve their vaccine delivery systems and whether Americans remain eager for vaccination, even as the threat eases with more people protected and case numbers dropping.

"Have states used this time wisely and fruitfully to lay down the infrastructure needed to open it up to more people?" Sgaier asked.

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London: Twitter boss Jack Dorsey has sold his first tweet for just over $US2.9 million ($3.7 million).

The tweet is in the form of a non-fungible token (NFT)  a unique digital asset that has recently made headlines when a digital artwork sold for $US69 million.

Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey. Credit:Bloomberg

Each NFT has its own blockchain-based digital signature, which serves as a public ledger, allowing anyone to verify the assets authenticity and ownership. Blockchain is a type of database that stores information in blocks.

The tweet which says simply just setting up my twttr was Dorseys first, made on March 21, 2006.
Tokyo prosecutors on Monday charged two Americans with helping Carlos Ghosn, the former Nissan chief, jump bail in Tokyo, where he was awaiting trial on four counts of financial wrongdoing.

Japanese prosecutors said in an indictment that the two men, Michael Taylor, 60, a former Green Beret, and his son Peter Maxwell Taylor, 27, assisted Mr. Ghosns efforts to escape the country, helping him flee to Turkey and then on to Lebanon, where he has been beyond the reach of Japanese law.

American officials arrested the men last May in Massachusetts. Earlier this month, they were extradited to Japan, where they have been held in a Tokyo detention center while undergoing questioning by prosecutors. A third man believed to have aided Mr. Ghosns escape remains at large.

The Japanese authorities have accused Michael Taylor of helping Mr. Ghosn travel by train to the western city of Osaka, through security checks at a private jet terminal and then onto a plane bound for Turkey. Once there, Mr. Ghosn transferred to a flight bound for Beirut. Peter Taylor assisted in planning for the escapade, visiting Mr. Ghosn several times before the escape, officials say.
YEREVAN, MARCH 22, ARMENPRESS. Armenian foreign ministry spokeswoman Anna Naghdalyan has commented on the recent report of the Human Rights Watch relating to the Armenian prisoners of war who are in the Azerbaijani captivity.

Armenpress presents the MFA spokespersons comment:

The Human Rights Watch documented large-scale war crimes committed against the Armenian prisoners of war. As the Human Rights Watch report stresses the violation by Azerbaijan of international humanitarian law occurred in all stages of captivity of the prisoners of war and civilian hostages implied cruel and degrading treatment and torture.

The report establishes that a number of Armenian soldiers were last seen in Azerbaijans custody and Azerbaijan has failed to account for them. This indicates a high probability of large-scale enforced disappearances not only among servicemen, but also captive civilians.

The continued captivity of the Armenian PoWs and civilian hostages after four months of ceasefire clearly demonstrates that the violations of international humanitarian law by Azerbaijan are ongoing. Provided that the reports of ill-treatment and torture of the Armenian PoWs indicate their systematic nature, their continued captivity, humiliation and torture may amount to the crimes against humanity.
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It sometimes feels as though our democracy is broken, and I wonder if it is our own fault. We have the right to know what our government does on our behalf, but we have become an apathetic citizenry, apparently not caring enough to speak up when we dont like how politicians run the government or spend our tax dollars.

When was the last time you went to a City Council meeting, read a proposed piece of legislation or contacted an elected official to express your opinion about a bill you thought was a lousy idea? Im betting it was either a long time ago, or never.

The mainstream public has been effectively canceled by its own silence, and much smaller groups of outspoken activists have stepped into the void. As a result, politicians  and woke corporations  bend to interest groups desires even though it is clear their demands are not supported by the majority. Defund the police, keep the schools closed, refuse to prosecute for looting, arson or destruction of property, cancel nonconforming people and products.

Activists hammer on issues and politicians react. What the majority wants ceases to matter. This is not the way a democracy is supposed to function.

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Did you register opinions on allowing sanctuary cities, prisoners right to vote, national health care or recent unconstitutional voting law changes? Were you allowed input into President Joe Bidens executive order that suddenly halted drilling on federal lands and shut down construction of the XL pipeline, erasing thousands of American jobs?

For years now we, the public, have been left out of the right to know what our elected officials are doing before they do it. Presidential orders and mysterious congressional actions abound, initiated by both Republicans and Democrats.

I hadnt really pondered how often Americans have given up their right to know until I was contacted recently by an Italian named Matteo Angioli, secretary general the Global Committee for the Rule of Law. Matteo wanted to discuss one of my past columns in which I wrote,

We have entered a phase of politics where leading by partisan edict is becoming more frequent. No debate of issues, just politicians who feel emboldened to ram through their ideas.

Speaking via Zoom from his home near Florence, Italy, Matteo told me he thought those two lines summed up perfectly one of the biggest issues of our time.

We had a fascinating conversation about his efforts to change things by working with the Council of Europe, an international organization founded right after World War II and dedicated to upholding human rights, democracy and the rule of law. Matteos goal is tied to the Troms Convention, which calls for all European countries to increase government transparency, improve public access to official documents and politicians decision-making processes, and to restore citizens trust in government.

Wouldnt it be great if our state and national governments followed the Troms Convention? While Americans can file Freedom of Information requests for government documents, it is a cumbersome and arbitrary system. Yes, a few U.S. politicians still hold occasional town hall meetings, but open public debate forums should become the norm.

Matteo and I agreed civilians need to care about their right to know again. We have to find time in our hectic lives to get informed about where our country and our taxes are headed, and if we dont like it to voice our opposition. We need to fight our apathy so a sense of equality and justice can prevail.

The lynchpin in all this, of course, is a fair and impartial media. It is their job to report whats really important. Instead of concentrating on who-said-what-on-Twitter years ago, media outlets need to return to truly informing the public about government activities.

Another trillion-dollar spending bill is already in the congressional pipeline. Id like to see a full accounting of where that money will go before the bill passes.

Yes, American citizens have a right to know what our elected leaders are doing  every step of the way. But If we dont make our desires known to the politicians, those small groups of eager activists will continue to drive the national narrative. They will continue to erode our society.

Time to let politicians know what you want.

Diane@DianeDimond.com.
Lea Seydoux has recreated Marilyn Monroe's famous photoshoots for her latest Louis Vuitton campaign.

The 35-year-old actress recently channeled the late Hollywood legend for Vogue magazine, and now she has posed naked in bed with just the fashion house's Capucines handbag like the famous portrait Eve Arnold took of Monroe.

Lea also recreated Bert Stern's shoot that took place six weeks before the iconic actress died in August 1962.

Vuitton said in a statement: The campaign portrays the intimate relationship between a woman and her bag and highlights the timeless elegance of the Capucines bag."

Lea added: The Capucines represents for me the quintessence of French know-how. I am very proud to be the ambassador of this bag that I love and wear every day."

A spokeswoman for Vuitton added that while Monroe was an everlasting source of inspiration", they also wanted the snaps to showcase the "fantasy of Bond girls".

Lea is set to return as Madeleine Swann alongside 007 Daniel Craig in the upcoming James Bond film, 'No Time to Die'.

And the movie star recently admitted she doesn't like the term Bond girl and thinks Bond women are as much of an "object of desire" as Bond himself.

She said: "The roles have evolved a bit - the title is a bit old-fashioned now. I dont think that a Bond woman is any more an object of desire than Bond is. With him, I think there is a female gaze - you look at him in a sexy way. When he gets out of the water in his trunks, hes eroticized. Its obvious!"

OOSTBURG, Wis., March 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Dutchland Plastics, LLC ("Dutchland" or the "Company"), a leading contract manufacturer of custom rotationally molded ("rotomolded") plastics products, announced today the Company's new corporate social responsibility ("CSR") initiatives. These CSR initiatives will focus heavily on the issues directly impacting Dutchland's local community members in Wisconsin and Upstate New York, and will include:

- Corporate charitable donations to non-profit organizations;

- Support for social justice initiatives, including diversity-driven hiring efforts and resource building for local education systems; and

- Sustainability goals that will be determined through expert analysis and planning.

Dutchland's CEO, Raka Rao, will work closely with the Company's Lead Director, George Kollitides, to establish and expand these initiatives throughout the Company's larger go-forward strategy in order to create greater value for stakeholders and the communities in which Dutchland operates.

"I'm thrilled to launch these critical initiatives," said Mr. Rao. "At Dutchland, we are commited to not only operational excellence, but to being good corporate and community citizens. These long-term goals are a great step forward for us as an organization, and I'm excited to build upon these initiatives as core tenets of Dutchland for years to come."

To kick-off its new CSR program, Dutchland has made a contribution to the Wisconsin chapter of Susan G. Komen ("Komen"), the world's largest breast cancer organization. Since its founding in 1982, Komen has funded more than $1 billion in research and provided $2.2 billion in funding to screening, education, treatment and psycho-social support programs serving millions of people in more than 30 countries worldwide. Since its inception, Komen Wisconsin has invested more than $17.9 million in local community breast health programs and education as well as more than $6.1 million to the most promising breast cancer research programs. The Company was joined in its contribution to Komen Wisconsin by several donations from Dutchland's leadership and team members, including Mr. Rao and Mr. Kollitides.

"This is a phenomenal organization doing crucial work," said Mr. Kollitides, a partner with Dutchland's private equity sponsor, A&M Capital Opportunities. "When the opportunity to support Komen Wisconsin was first discussed, I immediately knew I wanted to join Dutchland in contributing to this powerful platform that's leading the way in the fight against breast cancer all over the world. These donations are the perfect way to launch our new CSR initiatives and I look forward to working closely with Raka to continue to establish and grow these efforts."

For more information about Susan G. Komen, including donations, please visit www.komen.org or www.komenwisconsin.org.

For more information about Dutchland, please visit www.dutchland.com.

ABOUT DUTCHLAND PLASTICS

Headquartered in Ootsburg, Wisconsin, Dutchland Plastics ("Dutchland") is leading contract manufacturer of custom rotationally molded ("rotomolded") plastics products. The company has been manufacturing high quality plastics products  from kayaks to coolers, jungle gyms to furniture  for nearly half a century at its state-of-the-art facilities in Wisconsin and New York. Founded in 1967, Dutchland proudly serves both domestic and international companies across several sectors, including but not limited to the recreational, commercial, outdoor, food and beverage, furniture and marine industries. For more information about Dutchland, please visit www.dutchland.com.

CONTACT

Gaffney Bennett PR

[email protected]

SOURCE Dutchland Plastics

Related Links

https://www.dutchland.com


ATLANTA - The first spa targeted in the Atlanta-area killings this week was in an area very familiar to accused gunman Robert Aaron Long: It's within a mile of an evangelical treatment facility where he spent time as a patient for what he described as "sex addiction," according to a former roommate.

The evangelical facility, HopeQuest in Acworth, Ga., sits in a secluded forest at the end of a residential street about 30 miles outside Atlanta and down the road from Young's Asian Massage. Police say that after killing four people and wounding a fifth there, Long drove 27 miles to two more spas in Atlanta where he fatally shot four more people.

HopeQuest has ties to major evangelical institutions and has promoted "ex-gay therapy," the idea that people can become heterosexual through counseling. Long, 21, who grew up in a conservative Southern Baptist church, was a patient at the treatment facility in 2019 and again in 2020, according to his former roommate Tyler Bayless.

Police said Long was a customer at the two Atlanta-based spas that he also targeted. He has been charged with eight counts of murder and homicide and one count of aggravated assault in attacks that left eight people dead, most of them Asian women.

The evangelical facility HopeQuest advertises its services for treating "sex addiction" and "pornography addiction," alongside several descriptions for what it believes these addictions could include. Bayless said Long blamed his descent into addiction on pornography, and used a flip phone instead of a smartphone to avoid temptation.

Most evangelical churches, including Southern Baptist churches, teach that sex is permitted only within heterosexual marriages, similar to teaching to the Catholic Church and other Christian traditions.

But several experts have said this week that Long's ties to evangelicalism shine a light into a subculture called "purity culture," a belief among some evangelicals that promotes the idea that any sexual desire outside of marriage is lustful, and therefore sinful. Some evangelicals are taught from a young age to control their sexual urges and if they cannot, they are sometimes labeled sex addicts or porn addicts.

HopeQuest is affiliated with several large evangelical churches in and around Atlanta, including the North Point megachurch and the historic First Baptist Church of Woodstock. With several counselors licensed by the state of Georgia, it is also a "professional" affiliate of evangelical organization Focus on the Family.

In addition to its work with patients on "sex addiction," HopeQuest was once a hot spot for what some call "gay conversion therapy" and "ex-gay" rehabilitation. Its founder and creator, Roy Blankenship, was once considered one of the nation's foremost conversion therapists.

Blankenship considered himself "ex-gay" and served on the board of the "ex-gay" Exodus International group, which was disbanded in 2013. In December 2018, Blankenship retired as board chairman at HopeQuest after 22 years. He renounced conversion therapy and publicly came out as gay the following year. Blankenship still offers therapy services on his website, including for "sex addiction."

Blankenship told The Washington Post he is no longer involved with HopeQuest. He declined further comment.

HopeQuest's director of clinical programs is Wayne Carriker, who considers himself ex-gay and has promoted conversion therapy. A since-removed biography on the HopeQuest website said Carriker had "embraced homosexuality and a lifestyle of addiction that led him to prison." Carriker joined HopeQuest in 2011 after his release from prison and receiving a master's degree from Wheaton College outside Chicago.

A HopeQuest staffer who declined to provide his name declined to comment further on behalf of the facility.

On its website, the HopeQuest facility posts a question, "How can I know if my husband is struggling with sexual addiction?" One of the answers includes, "You find receipts for sexually-related activities or purchases (i.e. drinks at a strip club, adult video rental, adult videos charged to hotel bills, etc.)."

"Although most men struggle with lustful thoughts, acting on those thoughts - whether through fantasy and masturbation, using pornography or actual contact with another person - is always hurtful to God and damaging to the marriage," the website states. "The struggle with sexual thoughts and behaviors becomes problematic when a man chooses to use his sexuality to attempt to meet needs for nurture, comfort, solace, significance and security outside of the marriage."

In some evangelical churches, sexual behavior outside heterosexual marriage is sometimes treated as a disease that can be fixed with the proper scriptural counseling.

Sexual sin plays an outsized role in many evangelical churches, said Sheila Wray Gregoire, Canadian author of "The Great Sex Rescue," a book about lies Christian women have been taught about sex. In popular evangelical literature, she found, wives are taught to have sex when their husbands want it so the men won't watch porn. They're also taught that all men struggle with lust.

"Women are not seen as people but as enemy who need to be defeated," she said.

Earlier this week, a sheriff's department official said that Long viewed the spas he targeted as "a temptation for him that he wanted to eliminate." In evangelical literature, women are often treated as a sexual threat or seen as sexual fulfillment, said Rachel Joy Welcher, Iowa-based author of the book "Talking Back to Purity Culture."

"They're telling them not to lust, but the solution is to avoid women until they get married and channel all your sexual energy into your wife," she said. "Wives are depicted as sexual outlets."

Bayless, who was Long's roommate at Maverick Recovery, a sober-living facility in Roswell, Ga., in 2019 and 2020 in the months between his stays at HopeQuest, said Long felt his very salvation was at stake, as he told his roommate that he was "living in sin" and "not walking in the light; he was walking in darkness."

Bayless was trying to recover from an alcohol and drug addiction, and Long was there for what he called "sex addiction."

"He was militant about it," Bayless said. "This was the kind of guy who would hate himself for masturbating; would consider that a relapse."

Residents at Maverick were encouraged to hold one another accountable, Bayless says, and at least three times Long called Bayless into his room so he could confess his sins. Bayless said Long came back from a spa and called him into his room saying he was having suicidal thoughts.

"He would say, 'I'm falling out of the grace of God and my pastor,' " Bayless said, and Long suggested church leaders agreed with him.

Crabapple Baptist Church said in a statement on its website that it was devastated and grieving over the deaths, acknowledging that Long's family members have been church members for many years. Long was accepted into membership, but the church said his actions directly contradict his confession of faith.

"He alone is responsible for his evil actions and desires," the church's statement said of Long. "The women that he solicited for sexual acts are not responsible for his perverse sexual desires nor do they bear any blame in these murders."

A spokesman for the church in Milton, about 40 miles north of Atlanta, said it would not comment further.

Bayless says that he urged Long to seek psychiatric or psychological counseling, but he refused.
By Lambert Strether of Corrente.

Bird Song of the Day

Most popular bird song audio at eBird today.

#COVID19

At reader request, Ive added this daily chart from 91-DIVOC. The data is the Johns Hopkins CSSE data. Here is the site.

I feel Im engaging in a macabre form of tape-watching. If we are in in the eye of the storm , we are still in the eye of the storm.

Vaccination by region:

Not sure whether were looking at a data artifact or not; the Johns Hopkins data was updated today. Bloomberg (also averaged) has a slight dip.  Early in February, I said a simple way to compare Bidens performance to Trumps on vaccination would be to compare the slopes of the curves. If Biden accelerated vaccine administration, post-Inaugural slopes would get steeper. They have not. The fragmented, Federalized, and profit-driven lumbering monstrosity that we laughingly call our health care system has not responded to energy in the executive, but has continued on its inertial path.

FL: Florida among states where rapid COVID-19 vaccine rollout backfired, analysis finds [Orlando Sentinel]. A surprising new analysis found that states such as Florida, South Carolina and Missouri that raced ahead of others to offer the vaccine to ever-larger groups of people have vaccinated smaller shares of their population than those that moved more slowly and methodically, such as Hawaii and Connecticut. The explanation, as experts see it, is that the rapid expansion of eligibility caused a surge in demand too big for some states to handle and led to serious disarray. Vaccine supplies proved insufficient or unpredictable, websites crashed and phone lines became jammed, spreading confusion, frustration and resignation among many people.

Case count by United States regions:

The curve has definitely been flatte rr nning for the last three weeks, and in the last two days seems to have flattened entirely (remember I use one-week averages to smooth out data artifacts). Thats not good, and when we look at the Northeast, its flattened entirely. Since these are averaged weekly, theres some momentum in the train, too. Before we break out the champers, we would do well to remember that cases are still well above the peak New York achieved early in the crisis, then regarded, rightly, as horrific.

Big states (New York, Florida, Texas, California):

New York leads, and is now hardly decreasing at all. Not good news, especially since an average of 16,584 cases per day, now felt to be normal, isnt all that less than 20,526 at New Yorks peak a year ago, then regarded as horrific. Im also loathe to give Floridas DeSantis permission for a happy dance, but theres no question that in the enormous natural experiment that is our Federalized response to Covid, Florida didnt do badly, and its case curve looks pretty much like that corrupt crook Cuomos, just with a later peak.

Test positivity:

Big jump in the South.

Hospitalization:

Hospitalization data is the best data we have, because hospital billing is a highly functional data acquisition system (ka-ching). That said, hospitalization is discretionary; they may also be reducing their admissions rate  relative to cases we cannot see in this data!  to preserve future capacity; or because hospitals have figured out how to send people home.

Case fatality rate (plus deaths):

Good to see those deaths dropping. The fatality rate in the West is where it was last May.

* * *

Politics

But what is government itself, but the greatest of all reflections on human nature? James Madison, Federalist 51

They had one weapon left and both knew it: treachery. Frank Herbert, Dune

They had learned nothing, and forgotten nothing. Charles Maurice de Talleyrand-Perigord

Capitol Seizure

I was sick to my stomach: George W. Bush denounces the Capitol riot in a new interview. [New York Times].  But torture? Hundreds of thousands of dead civilians? No problemo!

Biden Administration

Obama-era officials return to White House worth millions [ABC]. As several Obama-era officials return to the White House under President Joe Biden, their reunion comes with fuller pockets and deeper ties to corporate interests, new financial disclosure reports show. . High-ranking government officials typically divest their financial interests in specific private companies that they may regulate, as required by ethics rules, or recuse themselves from matters that could affect their personal financial interests. Some of the Biden White House officials have indicated in their disclosure reports that they will divest from their corporate interests, but the full extent of their plans to avoid conflict of interest are not yet known because ABC News has not yet obtained their ethics agreements. DHS secretary says border is closed: The message is quite clear, do not come' [The Hill]  Fundamentally, nothing will change. Biden promised change at the border. Hes kept Trumps Title 42 policy to close it and cut off asylum [Los Angeles Times].  Perhaps we look back, as some of us did with Obama and Bush, to find more continuities than differences with Biden and Trump. Republican AGs take blowtorch to Biden agenda [Politico]. Republican attorneys general are suing the Biden administration over the Keystone XL pipeline, and over its its immigration and climate policies. One is challenging the White Houses $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief package. Others have raised the specter of a constitutional challenge to the voting rights bill H.R. 1 With their party out of power in the White House and Congress, the nations 26 Republican attorneys general have emerged as the weapons division of the GOP, reprising a role played by Democratic AGs during the Trump era. Just as Democratic AGs served as the vanguard of the blue-state resistance, Republican AGs are leading the charge to stymie President Joe Bidens policy-making agenda.

Trump Legacy

Former Operation Warp Speed head takes credit for 90 percent of vaccine rollout so far [The Hill]. The former head of the White Houses Operation Warp Speed partnership, Moncef Slaoui, said on Sunday that the Trump administration was responsible for 90 percent of the COVID-19 vaccine rollout plan so far. I do think that we had plans and in fact 90 percent of whats happening now is the plan that we had. Of course the first thing was to accelerate the development of the vaccine, he continued. We constructed [contracted?] specifically 100 million doses of vaccine, but also built into the contract options to acquire more vaccines once we knew they are effective. And the plan was to order more vaccines when we knew they are more effective. Pres. Biden has criticized the Trump White House for failing to provide enough COVID-19 vaccine doses. Slaoui said that he believed that the former administration could take credit for most of the manufacturing and distribution of the coronavirus vaccines. However, he added that vaccine administration and the utilization of the Federal Emergency Management Agency was not part of the plan and acknowledged that the Biden administration had taken the lead in those areas.  90%? I dunno. What I do know is that the Trump administration is given no credit whatsoever, and thats just bogus.

Republican Funhouse

The Florida Theory Of Republican Power [The American Conservative]. The Sunshine State has become a veritable home of the Grand Old Party in exile. Its regional breakdown could be taken as a simile for the various power centers of the party as a whole. First, you have the Panhandle, most prominently represented in Congress by Matt Gaetz. Heading south, and you start heading into expatriate families from Americas more old guard climes real fast. Like many Republicans, Tucker Carlson has taken up residence off the Gulf coast, ditching D.C. The artist and TAC board member George ONeill Jr. has long lived in the middle of the state. Stopping there, you might assume the GOP was still all WASP stock at the commanding heights, like back in the old days. Moving right along, Fort Myers and Naples, where DeSantis spoke, have long been considered hotbeds for those leaving the Midwest Rick Scott, the former two-term governor and Floridas junior senator, hails from the Show Me State and calls Naples home. A little north, Tom Brady of Tampa, the peerless Super Bowl champion, has long been regarded as a crypto-Republican. In Miami, you encounter Floridas senior senator, Marco Rubio, the partys perennial once-and-future hope. You also run into more and more folks from Silicon Valley, who say theyre fleeing woke California. Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump have also decamped to a place there following their exodus from government. Miamis mayor, Francis X. Suarez, is certainly trying to make a name for himself, and like Rubio, is at the forefront of the partys attempts to court Hispanic Americans, which proved more successful than anyone imagined in 2020. And, of course, the secretive Matt Drudge has long convulsed the news cycle from his Miami-Dade compound.  Interesting.

Realignment and Legitimacy

Nev. Democratic Party in upheaval after progressive takeover [Associated Press]. [This week] a slate of Sen. Bernie Sanders-aligned progressives backed by a local chapter of the Democratic Socialists of America won the partys top leadership posts. The results prompted resignations of the partys staff and consultants. Nevada political operatives say the progressive takeover could diminish the power of the state party and jeopardize a push to make the state the first presidential nominating contest in 2024, ahead of Iowa and New Hampshire. Its unlikely that Whitmers leadership will weaken the broader, vaunted political Reid Machine or the 2022 reelection prospects of Nevadas U.S. Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto, three Democrats in the U.S. House and the states Democratic governor. It seems likely Reid and other establishment politicians may move to work outside the party structure to raise money, recruit candidates and run voter outreach.  Lol, unity. Trump adviser says former president will return to social media within months [The Hill]. Former Trump administration senior adviser Jason Miller said Sunday that the former president plans to return to social media in the coming months with his own platform.'  If your business depends on a platform Neil Gorsuch Supports an Originalist Theory That Would Destroy Modern Governance [Slate]. On Thursday, the Columbia Law Review published one of the most important and topical scholarly articles in recent memory, Delegation at the Founding. Its authors, Julian Davis Mortenson and Nicholas Bagley, put forth a sweeping argument: They assert that an ascendant legal theory championed by conservative originalists has no actual basis in history. That theory, called the nondelegation doctrine, holds that the Constitution puts strict limits on Congress ability to let the executive branch set rules and regulations. Congress, for instance, could not direct the Environmental Protection Agency to set air quality standards that protect public health, and let the agency decide what limits on pollution are necessary to meet that goal. Nondelegation doctrine has enormous consequences for the federal governments ability to function, since Congress typically sets broad goals and directs agencies to figure out how to achieve them. The theory is supported by a majority of the current Supreme Court; in 2019, Justice Neil Gorsuch signaled his eagerness to apply the doctrine, and at least four other conservative justices have joined his crusade.  Important, and well worth a read.

Stats Watch

February 2021 CFNAI Super Index Moving Average Index Declined [Econintersect]. The economys rate of growth declined based on the Chicago Fed National Activity Index (CFNAI) 3 month moving (3MA) average  and the economy remains below the historical trend rate of growth. This index is likely the best coincident indicator of the U.S. economy. A coincident indicator shows the current state of the economy. This month, only two of the four broad categories of indicators improved. The economy has slowed from its rate of growth in 2018 but now has moved above territory associated with recessions [a level below -0.7 indicates a recession is likely underway].

* * *

Shipping: Unvaccinated sailors risk deepening global supply chain crisis [Financial Times]. Of the worlds 1.7m seafarers, 900,000 are from developing nations, where vaccines might not be available for all until 2024, according to the International Chamber of Shipping, a trade association. Guy Platten, secretary-general of ICS, said it had received reports that three ports in China had prevented sailors from disembarking because they had not received a specific Covid-19 vaccine, foreshadowing a potential repeat of last years welfare crisis for seafarers and the challenges to rebooting international travel. If our workers cant pass through international borders, this will undoubtedly cause delays and disruptions in the supply chain, he said. Were really scared seafarers will become collateral damage again.'  Another aspect of the crew change problem; see NC here.

Tech: Zoom Pays $0 in Federal Income Taxes on Pandemic Profits [Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy]. Zoom Video Communications, the company providing a platform used by remote workers and school children across the country during the pandemic, saw its profits increase by more than 4,000 percent last year but paid no federal corporate income tax on those profits. The company reports that it made $660 million of pre-tax profits for 2020, an exponential increase from its $16 million in pre-tax profits in 2019. The immediate shift to online activity explains the companys unprecedented income growth. For many, Zoom has become a ubiquitous daily meeting space, both for work, class instruction, family gatherings and evening happy hours. But why was the companys income bonanza not matched by at least a token federal tax bill? The main answer appears to be the companys lavish use of executive stock options.

Tech: Creator who sold NFT house for $500,000: Well be living in an augmented reality lifestyle soon [CNBC]. Contemporary artist Krista Kim recently sold an NFT-minted digital house for 288 ether, valued at over $500,000 based on the cryptocurrencys trading price Wednesday. The creation  called Mars House  is part of Kims grand vision for the role augmented reality will play in the world.The new owner of Mars House, she said, will be able to upload the file into various metaverses  3D immersive worlds  and experience the digital real estate there. She said Mars House represents the next generation of NFT art. For me, I actually foresee that we will be living in an augmented reality lifestyle within a very short period, Kim said, predicting it could happen in a couple years.'

Concentration: A new effort to revive North American freight rail consolidation is under way. Canadian Pacific Railway agreed to acquire Kansas City Southern. in a deal valued at about $25 billion that would create the first single freight-rail network connecting the continent' [Wall Street Journal]. If approved by regulators, the deal would allow the combined carrier to link factories and ports in Mexico, farms and plants in the midwestern U.S. and Canadas ocean ports and energy resources. That approval carries high hurdles, and attempts by railroads to resume the large-scale mergers that marked the freight rail sector in the 1990s have foundered.

Supply Chain: The production end of the Covid-19 vaccine supply chain is speeding up. Drug makers Moderna, Pfizer and its partner BioNTech are using experience gained since the start of manufacturing to nearly triple their output of doses from last month to this month [Wall Street Journal]. That will push more vaccines into the immunization pipeline and draw greater attention to the final stages of vaccination that have proven challenging for many U.S. states. To boost factory output, the manufacturers have started making certain raw materials on their own, Pfizer has figured out how to stretch scarce supplies of special filters and Moderna shortened the time needed to inspect and package vials.

* * *

Todays Fear & Greed Index: 55 Neutral (previous close: 53 Neutral) [CNN]. One week ago: 60 (Greed). (0 is Extreme Fear; 100 is Extreme Greed). L Last updated Mar 22 at 12:20pm. One year ago, just after the Before Times: 8 (Extreme Fear).

Rapture Index: Closes down 1 on Food Supply. Corn, wheat, and soybeans have declined from recent highs [Rapture Ready]. Record High, October 10, 2016: 189. Current: 188. (Remember that bringing on the rapture is a good thing, so high is better.)

The Biosphere

How a Village United to Save Cinque Terres Ancient Terraces [Atlas Obscura]. For centuries, locals in Cinque Terre shaped the slopes to create terraces that allowed them to plant grapevines, olive trees, lemon groves, and more, the rows supported by dry stone walls that snaked across the hills. It took a millennium of hard work. By the 19th century, at their peak, these narrow strips of cultivated plots covered nearly 4,000 acres. In the 1950s, however, families began abandoning their plots.  Over the past three decades, the region has found new life as a tourist destination. As tourism boomed, the terraces were increasingly neglected, as were their stone walls. Dry stone walls, which are the backbone of Cinque Terres terraces, regulate water flows, function as fire barriers, and stabilize the slopes. They reduce the risk of landslides, floods, and avalanches, combat erosion, and can help keep the cultivated soil healthier and more productive. But if theyre falling apart, the walls may actually increase the risk of catastrophic events Starting with small meetings in homes, a group of local citizens created a foundation to restore the terraces.  It looks like the locals give their terraces to a Foundation.

Health Care

The tweet from the Times social media team includes this image:

The story from the clickthough includes this image:

(This is the second case where the Times tweet has shown a poorly masked kid, and the clickthrough a well-masked kid, but I didnt save the link, so youll have to take my word for it.) I assume #newsroom-feedback on the Timess Slack is full of outrage that the Black kid has no mask discipline, and the white kid does, but thats not my point. Rather, in the absence of vaccinating teachers and ventilation guidance, the CDC is betting the public school system on proper masking by children, which the Times choice of photos shows na ga happen.

How Japan reacted on ventilation, back in March 2020:

Japanese govt invoked precautionary principle on 9 March 2020 after careful analysis of clusters. Covid-19 seems to spread++ in poorly-ventilated, crowded places. Asked citizens to act BEFORE full scientific evidence. Saved 000s of lives.

*CovidIsAirborne*https://t.co/RtNjD4tIWk pic.twitter.com/k7ArLVtjZp  Trisha Greenhalgh  #CovidIsAirborne (@trishgreenhalgh) March 21, 2021

WHO started out wrong on aerosols, and to this very day they are wrong. Thread:

1/ A year ago, @WHO started propagating an enormous error. Now we know that #COVIDisAirborne, and that surface transmission is low and large droplet transmission is minor. But @WHO has yet admit this clearly, which continues to create great confusion. https://t.co/r8SbgOjpL0  Jose-Luis Jimenez (@jljcolorado) March 21, 2021

Could an accident have caused COVID-19? Why the Wuhan lab-leak theory shouldnt be dismissed [USA Today]. Interesting article. However, Im pulling this out. Forgive the length of the quote:

With the help of a tipster, I revealed that the CDCs then-new $214 million infectious disease lab building  a crown jewel in the nations race to defend against the threat of bioterrorism  suffered an hour-long power outage from a lightning strike and the failure of its emergency backup generators. The outage shut down key safety systems in the 368,000-square-foot concrete and glass research tower, known at the agency as Building 18, including specialized air pressure systems that help ensure lethal viruses remain inside individual labs. CDCs Building 18 houses numerous labs, including a suite of biosafety level 4 labs. Documents released under the Freedom of Information Act reveal a dramatic 2009 incident in a decontamination chamber in one of the BSL-4 labs. Whats worse, I later obtained internal documents and emails showing the CDC dismissed warnings from the agencys own engineering staff, years before the lab opened, that the backup power systems design gives us no protection whatsoever from many types of failures. Following up on another tip, I revealed that scientists in this same troubled building were conducting experiments on a type of dangerous bacteria in a biosafety level 3 lab  the second-highest security level  where the containment door was sealed with duct tape. The tape was applied around the edges of the door a year earlier, after it was discovered that a malfunctioning ventilation system was pulling potentially contaminated air out of the lab into a clean hallway, where others in the building walk around in street clothes and lack any gear to protect against infection. Nine workers who had been in the fallout zone were tested for potential exposure to the highly infectious bacterium that causes Q fever, which is classified as a potential bioterror agent and can cause mild to severe symptoms, including potentially fatal heart problems. No one was infected. As I stood in front of the duct-taped door on a summer day in 2008, escorted by five CDC officials, the head of the agencys occupational safety program downplayed the significance of the duct tape . The public was never at any risk, he said, the lab was perfectly safe, and the ventilation system had worked properly in the time since the incident happened a year earlier. Then why is the door still sealed with duct tape? I asked.  Its an enhancement , replied Patrick Stockton, who at the time was the CDCs safety and occupational health manager. We could take it off.

This is 2008. 2021  2008 = 13 years. The CDC has been broken for a long, long time.

Trump says Fauci a promoter more than anything' [The Hill].  Wheres the lie?

LAffaire Joffrey Epstein

Leon Black quits leadership positions at Apollo [Financial Times]. Leon Black has quit his leadership positions at Apollo Global Management, ceding power at the investment firm he co-founded 30 years ago after an outcry over his ties to the late paedophile Jeffrey Epstein. The relentless public attention and media scrutiny . . . have taken a toll on my health and have caused me to wish to take some time away from the public spotlight, Black wrote in an email to Apollo staff on Sunday. I will remain Apollos single largest shareholder and its biggest supporter, he wrote to Apollo staff on Sunday, adding: I hope to return at some point.'

Groves of Academe

New online reporting form allows students to report sexual harassment anonymously [Brown Daily Herald]. Any steps we can take to reduce barriers to reporting and to center marginalized populations, [Sexual Harassment and Assault Resources and Education advocates Alana Sacks and Elliot Ruggles wrote in an email to The Herald] can help us be more comprehensive and effective in dealing with interpersonal violence.'

The Agony Column

Keeping Up With the Kardashians is ending, but the familys influence on body image isnt [NBC]. Over the years, the Kardashians and Jenners have both embodied and encouraged a highly specific physical aesthetic, dubbed Instagram face by the New Yorkers Jia Tolentino. If you spend any significant time on social media, you likely know the look  lips filled with filler, arched eyebrows and high, plump cheekbones. Every member of the Kardashian clan boasts these attributes, in addition to countless influencers and celebrities (Addison Rae, Amelia Hamlin, James Charles) whove followed in their wake. The Kardashian appearance also entails ambiguously ethnic, highly tanned skin (sometimes questionably so), typically long dark hair, large breasts, a teeny-tiny waist and a sizable butt. Altogether, the look is instantly recognizable, next to impossible to replicate naturally and very, very popular.  Im so glad I have deliberately and successfully known as little as possible about the Kardashians.

I dont want sex with anyone: the growing asexuality movement [Guardian]. Yasmin Benoit realised she was asexual around the time her peers in Reading figured out they werent. Today, as well as being a fashion model, the poised 24-year-old is the worlds most prominent activist for asexuality, an orientation estimated to apply to 1% of the global population, although some think the number is higher. The asexuality movement is young and fast-growing, and it recently received a notable boost. Last September saw the release of Ace, a critically acclaimed book by asexual journalist Angela Chen. It illuminates the myriad shades of asexuality via a series of real-life profiles. Instead of getting bogged down in definitions, people can read those stories and think: does that resonate with my experience? says Chen, 29, who is based in Brooklyn.  Brooklyn. Of course.

And then theres this:

(This seems to be the original.) Musical interlude

Class Warfare

Why would anybody expect Amazon to obey the law? Important thread:

In short, Amazon violated a directive from the federal government when it placed a mail ballot dropbox at the entrance of its Alabama warehouse. The @NLRB had explicitly rejected Amazons request to host a dropbox during the union election. Amazon did it anyway. pic.twitter.com/kYqPh3WazT  More Perfect Union (@MorePerfectUS) March 22, 2021

And another episode

Amazon Illegally Interrogated Worker Who Led First COVID-19 Strikes, NLRB Says [Vice]. In March 2020, the first COVID-19 cases at an Amazon warehouse in the United States were reported at a delivery depot in Queens, New York City. At the time, Amazon warehouse workers at the facility staged two walkouts in protest of Amazons handling of the outbreak, kicking off a wave of COVID-19-related protests and strikes at Amazon facilities across the United States. A National Labor Review Board (NLRB) investigation has now found that Amazon illegally interrogated and threatened Jonathan Bailey, a lead organizer of the Queens Amazon walkouts, and has issued a federal complaint against Amazon, according to official NLRB documents obtained by Motherboard. The case was settled before it went to trial, but the issuing of the complaint means that an NLRB investigation found Amazon broke the law.

Old Boys Clubs and Upward Mobility Among the Educational Elite [NBER]. This paper studies how exclusive social groups shape upward mobility, and whether interactions between low- and high-status peers can integrate the top rungs of the economic and social ladder. Our setting is Harvard in the 1920s and 1930s, where new groups of students arriving on campus encountered a social system centered on exclusive old boys clubs. The club membership premium is large: members earn 32% more than other students, and are more likely to work in finance and join country clubs, both characteristic of the eras elite. The membership premium persists after conditioning on high school, legacy status, and even family.  We conclude that social interactions among the educational elite mediate access to top positions in the economy and society, but may not provide a path to these positions for underrepresented groups.  Well, that was almost a hundred years ago

News of the Wired

The Magicians Library [Walter Kirn, Unbound]. One of the special virtues of physical books is that they lie scattered about the world in no particular order and a title of interest can be discovered at random, serendipitously. This doesnt happen with digital books.

Dont try this at home!!!!

bad day for credulous francophobes. ht @mosheroperandi https://t.co/I3rC4XR6br  Steve Randy Waldman (@interfluidity) March 21, 2021

Why has this not already happened:

This is amazing. pic.twitter.com/AaifiD6hur  Dani Klein  YeahThatsKosher (@YeahThatsKosher) March 21, 2021

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Readers, feel free to contact me at lambert [UNDERSCORE] strether [DOT] corrente [AT] yahoo [DOT] com, with (a) links, and even better (b) sources I should curate regularly, (c) how to send me a check if you are allergic to PayPal, and (d) to find out how to send me images of plants. Vegetables are fine! Fungi and coral are deemed to be honorary plants! If you want your handle to appear as a credit, please place it at the start of your mail in parentheses: (thus). Otherwise, I will anonymize by using your initials. See the previous Water Cooler (with plant) here . Todays plant (AM):

AM writes; Anastasia State Park, St Augustine FL  sea grass and plant with leaves backlit by the sun in the dunes on Ground Hog Day, 2021.

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: Water Cooler is a standalone entity not covered by the recently concluded and  thank you!  successful annual NC fundraiser. So if you see a link you especially like, or an item you wouldnt see anywhere else, please do not hesitate to express your appreciation in tangible form. Remember, a tip jar is for tipping! Regular positive feedback both makes me feel good and lets me know Im on the right track with coverage. When I get no donations for five or ten days I get worried. More tangibly, a constant trickle of donations helps me with expenses, and I factor in that trickle when setting fundraising goals:

Here is the screen that will appear, which I have helpfully annotated.

If you hate PayPal, you can email me at lambert [UNDERSCORE] strether [DOT] corrente [AT] yahoo [DOT] com, and I will give you directions on how to send a check. Thank you!
For 2021 The Maria Edgeworth Literary Festival is going virtual from May 22 and will feature a number of exciting events including readings, conversations, music, workshops and competitions.

Contributors this year will include writer and author John Connell, poet Annemarie Ni Churreain, Creative Writer Laura McKenna, Edgeworth expert Cliona OGallchoir (UCC) and many local artist and musicians.

The Maria Edgeworth Writing Competition is an eagerly awaited event with many previous winners going on to cite the competition as being the catalyst for future creative works.

This year, the festival committee are delighted to announce a collaboration with a new initiative Digital Edgeworth Network: University College Cork and University of Oxford, in collaboration with the National Library of Ireland and Bodleian Libraries.

This is a very prestigious collaboration and is funded by UKRI-AHRC and the Irish Research Council under the UK-Ireland Collaboration in the Digital Humanities Network Call.

Maria Edgeworth was a prolific letter writer, her letters have left a social legacy of great importance. Fortunately, many of these letters have survived with the majority being held by the National Library of Ireland and the Bodleian Library at Oxford.

The remainder are held by institutions all over the world and recently a collection of notebooks and letters fetched in access of 200,000 at auction.

This year, the competition will have two categories with three prizes, post primary to Junior Certificate and post Junior Certificate to Leaving Certificate.

The competition is innovative in that entrants will be required to write a letter based on one of two selected letters.

Entrants will be guided through the letter writing process by adjudicator Laura Mc Kenna, Laura has a PhD in Creative Writing from UCC and an MA in Creative Writing from UCD. New Island has just published her novel Words to Shape My Name and she has been the recipient of many awards including the Penguin/RTE Guide Short Story Prize.

This is a great opportunity for young budding writers to participate in an innovative writing competition and be guided through the process by such a prestigious writer Laura Mc Kenna.

Details of the competition and the rules can be found at www.mariaedgeworthcentre.com
DALLAS, March 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Hunt Energy Network today announced it has formed a new venture, in collaboration with Manulife Investment Management, that will actively participate in the energy storage space within the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT). Manulife Investment Management's commitment was sourced for the John Hancock Life Insurance Company (U.S.A.) balance sheet as well as third party managed accounts (collectively "Manulife").

The new company will be called HEN Infrastructure, LLC, and will develop and manage a portfolio of 500 megawatts (MW) of distribution level energy storage assets in ERCOT, dispatched by Hunt Energy Network's proprietary TraDER platform.

"The open power market of Texas is a magnet for innovation," said Pat Wood, chief executive officer of Hunt Energy Network. "Our team is ready to speed the day when reliable electricity becomes more decentralized, more decarbonized, and more democratized. And we could not have found a better partner with whom to build that future."

HEN Infrastructure's energy storage assets will provide ERCOT with a portfolio of distributed, coordinated, fast-responding generation and load resources to efficiently balance power across the grid. Hunt Energy Network's TraDER platform, which creates data-driven strategies for project siting and asset-optimization in competitive markets, will automate trading and settlement activities across the portfolio.

"We are pleased to partner with Hunt Energy Network. The Hunt team brings deep market knowledge and has a strong reputation as being experts in the energy industry," said Steve Blewitt, Head of Private Markets, Manulife Investment Management. "The new venture is in keeping with Manulife's priority to strategically invest in private market assets across infrastructure, private equity and credit, timber, agriculture, and real estate."

"We are thrilled to be partnering again with Manulife on this new venture," said Hunter Hunt, CEO of Hunt Energy, LLC. "Manulife has been a valued partner for the Hunt organization across the energy spectrum. Hunt Energy Network will play a valuable role in efficiently managing resources within the electric grid in ERCOT, and HEN Infrastructure will be a meaningful contributor to creating a more robust grid, to the benefit of all Texans."

HEN Infrastructure currently has 100MWs of energy storage assets in advanced stages of development throughout the ERCOT footprint targeting operation by first quarter 2022, with an additional 400MWs to be deployed over the following 36 months.

Investment bank Javelin Capital acted as advisor to Hunt Energy Network on the transaction. "This new venture combines an experienced organization deeply rooted in the Texas energy markets with an investor with a track record of successful long-term partnerships," said Patrick Norton, Managing Director of Javelin Capital. "This is good news for Texas's grid reliability and for the broader, rapidly growing energy storage industry."

About Hunt Energy Network

Hunt Energy Network is a Dallas-based developer and operator of distributed energy resources. The company utilizes its TraDER platform to site distributed energy resources, integrate those resources into competitive markets, and operate those resources as optimized portfolios. HEN was created and incubated within Hunt Energy Enterprises, Hunt's energy technology venture business unit. It is part of a larger privately-owned group of companies managed by the Ray L. Hunt family that engages in oil and gas exploration, refining, power, real estate, ranching and private equity investments.

About Manulife Investment Management

Manulife Investment Management is the global wealth and asset management segment of Manulife Financial Corporation. We draw on more than a century of financial stewardship and the full resources of our parent company to serve individuals, institutions, and retirement plan members worldwide. Headquartered in Toronto, our leading capabilities in public and private markets are strengthened by an investment footprint that spans 17 countries and territories. We complement these capabilities by providing access to a network of unaffiliated asset managers from around the world. We're committed to investing responsibly across our businesses. We develop innovative global frameworks for sustainable investing, collaboratively engage with companies in our securities portfolios, and maintain a high standard of stewardship where we own and operate assets, and we believe in supporting financial well-being through our workplace retirement plans. Today, plan sponsors around the world rely on our retirement plan administration and investment expertise to help their employees plan for, save for, and live a better retirement.

Not all offerings are available in all jurisdictions.

Contact: Paul Schulze

(214) 978-8534

SOURCE Hunt Energy Network
The Government has refused to fund a controversial whitewater rafting project proposed by Dublin City Council.

It is estimated the facility would cost 25.4m, according to the council, which has sought 19m from the Urban Regeneration and Development Fund- noting it would be a major tourist draw.

However, Minister for Housing and Local Government Darragh OBrien turned down the request for funding from the scheme, which is set aside for the rejuvenation of Irish cities and large towns.

Minister OBrien said: Any plans for the further advancement of this or any other proposed development for Georges Dock is a matter for Dublin City Council.

This was in response to a parliamentary question from Fine Gael TD Neale Richmond, who said he would be sceptical of the project and suggested an outdoor swimming pool or lido could be more appropriate and more cost-effective.

He added: If Dublin City Council can make the case that this is a national sporting necessity, then more power to them. It is back to the council and its councillors now to support it.

The project was initially given the green light by Dublin City councillors in December 2019.

The proposed site is Georges Dock on the North quays, beside the IFSC, and the motion was passed by a majority of 37 votes to 19.

The facility includes a simulated white-water slalom course and flat pool that can be used for rafting, kayaking and canoeing.

It is intended to be a major tourist attraction, but will also be used as a water rescue training facility for Dublin Fire Brigade and visiting fire brigades from around the world.

The facility would take about 18 months to build and would take over the now vacant space beside the Epic Immigration Museum.

Director of Inner City Helping Homeless Anthony Flynn described the proposal as crazy given that Ireland is in the middle of a housing crisis.

When this was first proposed to us, the council had estimated that it would cost 12m, he said.

Now, it has risen to an astronomical 22m and who is to say that it wont increase further?

The council also wants this to be built in 18 months, but we cant even build houses that fast.

I just find it unbelievable that DCC can splash out this much money on a facility when there are thousands of people without a home. Theyre completely out of touch with reality and it seems all these decisions are being forced down councillors throats, he said.

Other city councillors have given their support to the development with former Lord Mayor Christy Burke describing the current barren basin as an ugly site.

"It reminds you of a huge open grave thats just left there. So I welcome this with open arms, he said.
BEIJING (dpa-AFX) - Japan will on Monday see final January results for its leading and coincident indexes, highlighting a modest day for Asia-Pacific economic activity. The leading index is expected to see a score of 99.1, up from 97.7 in December. The coincident is pegged at 91.7, up from 88.2 previously. The Philippines will see Q1 results for their consumer confidence index; in the three months prior, the index score was -47.9. Taiwan will provide February figures for export orders and unemployment. In January, export orders skyrocketed 49.3 percent on year and the jobless rate came in at 3.75 percent. China will see March prime rate information for one- and five-year loans; previously, they were at 3.85 percent and 4.65 percent, respectively. Hong Kong will provide Q4 numbers for current account and February figures for consumer prices. In the third quarter, the current account surplus was HKD96.5 billion, while consumer prices climbed an annual 1.9 percent in January. Thailand will release February figures for imports, exports and trade balance. In January, imports sank 5.24 percent on year and exports rose 0.35 percent for a trade deficit of $0.2 billion. 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.
Armenia MFA information department chief: All deputy FMs carrying out their duties

Ardshinbank invited children to the cinema on International Childrens Day

Armenia judiciary to have 10 more judges

Armenia acting premier: We had recorded 40% increase in tax revenues according to 2019 results

Armenia acting PM on Artsakh war casualties bodies: We have 50 remains in which case DNA was not separated

Azerbaijan authorities plan to "squeeze" everything from "terrorist show" related to Armenian captives

Ameriabank Announces a Contest for Bank Card Design

108 new cases of COVID-19 confirmed in Armenia

Armenia parliament convenes special session

Armenia interim government holding Cabinet meeting

Catholicos of All Armenians heads for Syunik Province, Artsakh

World oil prices going up

Iran loses right to vote in UN General Assembly

Newspaper: Armenia authorities come up with new way of punishing unwanted characters

Newspaper: Russia army Southern Military District deputy commander to arrive in Yerevan Thursday

Lebanese Armenian man taken prisoner by Azerbaijan is hospitalized

Armenia ex-President Kocharyan: Are we getting under the burden? Then lets get under to the end

Armenia acting health minister on keeping fallen soldiers bodies in bags: What else should they be kept in?

Armenia acting health minister on citizens' demand for her resignation

Karabakh's new State Minister Artak Beglaryan on his appointment and future activities

Armenian, Russian and Azerbaijani representatives hold consultations in Moscow

2 Armenian soldiers receive slight injuries after incident with Azerbaijani servicemen in Armenia's Gegharkunik

Armenian boy weighing 5 kg born at Goris Medical Center

"Armenia" bloc representative presents purpose of participation in elections and plans

Isaac Herzog elected President of Israel

Rouhani: Main issues between Tehran, Washington resolved in Vienna

Charles Michel calls on Armenia and Azerbaijan to resume constructive negotiations

US Department of State responds to Pashinyan's proposal to deploy international observers on Armenia-Azerbaijan border

Head of Armenia 2nd President's Office: Robert Kocharyan's public meetings are held in warm atmosphere

Opposition "Armenia" bloc's representative on photos and videos showing bags of deceased servicemen's bodies

Armenia Ombudsman, AGBU President discuss war crimes committed by Azerbaijan during Karabakh war

Opposition "Armenia" bloc's representatives to hold briefings three times a week

Opposition "Armenia" bloc member: Blood-freezing photos and videos from morgue in Abovyan are authorities' reflection

Yerevan mayor receives Netherlands Ambassador

Armenia Health Ministry, Investigative Committee keep info about sending remains of dead soldiers abroad confidential

Armenia Prosecutor General's Office launches case regarding leaving sacs of servicemen's bodies/remains in basement

Peskov: Putin and Biden to discuss cybersecurity issues

Armenia's Pashinyan meets with Belgian PM Alexander De Croo

Armenia acting MOD receives Netherlands Ambassador

Armenia Police: 3 citizens apprehended during protest demanding acting health minister's resignation

NATO warns Minsk about further consequences of Ryanair incident

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
Dozens of dead pigs pulled from Yellow River

China's pig population is slowly recovering after a widespread African swine fever outbreak killed or forced the culling of 100 million animals. Image: Shutterstock

Dozens of dead pigs mysteriously emerged on a riverbank in northern China, state media reported Monday, sparking an investigation and social media speculation about how they perished.



China has seen similar scandals in the past which have exposed some of the unsavoury practices in its food industry, including the shocking 2013 incident in which thousands of dead pigs were pulled out of a Shanghai river.



The country's pig population is slowly recovering after a widespread African swine fever outbreak killed or forced the culling of 100 million animals.



But it was unclear what caused the latest incident  at least 26 pig carcasses were found along the banks of the Yellow River last week near the city of Ordos in Inner Mongolia, according to a state media report.



Some were still floating, and local villagers said they had no idea where they had come from, said the report on the Banyuetan website.



The discovery brought back memories of the 16,000 dead pigs that were pulled out of a river in Shanghai, sparking widespread fears about food safety and pollution.



Those pigs believed to be diseased  were dumped in the water by farmers.



Many users on China's Twitter-like social media platform Weibo demanded harsh punishments for those responsible.



Others speculated that the pigs may have been diseased, or pumped full of illicit chemicals.



The local government said Sunday that the dead pigs were safely disposed of, and the agricultural disease control department had collected samples as they started to try and trace the carcasses and investigate the circumstances.



The African swine fever crisis caused China's pig herd to drop by nearly half, according to official data.



One pig farmer told AFP at the height of the outbreak that some affected farmers were quietly selling or disposing of dead pigs rather than declaring them to the government. (AFP)
For Christina Lew, its hard to talk about growing up Chinese in San Antonio.

In grade school, kids would make fun of the authentic meals her mother packed lovingly for her, or use their fingers to slant their eyelids. When she worked at a restaurant, customers would joke about her opening a Chinese restaurant.

Just a couple of years ago, while waiting for a shuttle, someone shouted at her, Let me have a taste of your fried rice. Scared by the incident, Lew confided in a friend  who laughed.

I think the problem is other people dont see what theyre saying as racist, she said. They brush it off as just something funny to say when in actuality it does hurt.

Lew, her daughter and mother were in the crowd of hundreds who gathered Saturday evening in Main Plaza, showing their support and solidarity with fellow community members at a vigil against anti-Asian hate crimes and racism.

On ExpressNews.com: Messages of 'love and support' replace anti-Asian hate speech at San Antonio's Noodle Tree

The event, organized by 2020 Democratic congressional candidate Gina Ortiz Jones, came after local restaurant Noodle Tree was vandalized last weekend with anti-Asian hate speech.

Noodle Tree owner Mike Nguyen was unable to attend the vigil due to death threats, Ortiz Jones said.

Last week, a gunman attacked three Atlanta spas, killing eight people  six of which were women of Asian descent.

Kin Hui, the president of the Asian American Alliance of San Antonio, called the deaths tragic.

These killings have placed Asian Americans in greater fear for our own safety and for the safety of our family and friends, Hui said. Each of us has the responsibility to call out and report racism; end injustice when we see it.

Racism and hate have no place in our society, and it must be swept away, Hui added.

Lew, president of the Chinese American Citizens Alliance San Antonio Lodge, said she hasnt spoken much of her personal experiences to her 9-year-old daughter, Janessa, but she spoke to her before the event, explaining the racially-charged shootings and encouraging her daughter  and reminding herself  to use their voices in times of adversity.

On ExpressNews.com: Officials, Asian American group speak out on hate crimes

Lews mother, 59-year-old Margaret Lew, who came to the United States from Hong Kong, is all too familiar with the insults and hurtful remarks.

I dont remember much of Hong Kong, said Margaret Lew, noting she moved to Texas when she was just 6 years old. I consider myself a Texan.

From March 2020 to the end of February 2021, there were 3,795 hate crimes reported against Asian Americans  or about 10 a day on average  according to Stop APPI Hates national report.

Myra Dumapias, a lead community organizer with Asian American and Pacific Islanders (AAPI) for Justice San Antonio, said its vital for the community to speak up against objectification.

Were not just fetishes, were not just cooks ... Were not just decoration, Dumapias said. Were people with a voice.

Kyle Huang, a senior at Brandeis High School and member of the San Antonio Chinese Alliance, added Asian Americans are not your punchlines or your scapegoats.

We are humans, he said. This is our country and we matter.

Local community leaders such as Mayor Ron Nirenberg, San Antonio Police Chief William McManus and former U.S. Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Julian Castro also spoke at the rally, denouncing the hate shown toward Noodle Tree and to the eight killed in the recent Atlanta shootings.

Hui held up a replica of the Congressional gold medal awarded to 30,000 Chinese American veterans in World War II and reminded the crowd: America is our home. Were not going anywhere.

To report a hate incident, go to StopAAPIHate.org. Hate crimes also can be reported to San Antonio police. Call 210-207-7273 for more information.

liz.hardaway@hearst.com | Twitter: @liz_hardaway
Consisting of Long An I and II, the VinaCapital GS Energy complex will be located on 90 hectares in the Southeast Asia Services Area, a part of Long An International Port of Long An province, and is expected to be started very soon.

VinaCapital GS Energy Pte. Ltd received the investment certificate for the $3 billion LNG-to-power complex

With a capacity of 3,000MW, the complex is expected to be put into operation in December 2025, consisting of two turbines with equal capacity.

The Long An LNG-to-power complex was granted an investment certificate on the occasion of Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc visited Long An on the same day, touring a range of other large-scale projects in this province.

PM Phuc highly appreciated the active preparation and handing over the investment certificate, as well as the close coordination among local authorities and ministries in the process to keep implementation on schedule.

Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc visited the LNG-to-power complex on March 21

Long An International Port is one of the biggest seaports in Vietnam with a total area of 147ha that includes nine berths that can serve 30,000-70,000 DWT ships.

Dong Tam Group is finishing the legal procedures to expand the scale of the Berths no. 8 and 9 to the designed capacity of 100,000 DWT.

In addition, the investor is also planning to build a special berth serving vessels containing liquid cargo of oil and liquefied gas. All constructions are being promptly constructed on schedule, with expectations of completing them in 2023.

In 2020, Long An International Port has signed a strategic cooperation agreement with ports in the Mekong Delta region, facilitating the development of a multimodal freight transport network. This will be the basis for Long An International Port to become a cargo transshipment centre of the Mekong Delta and the Southeast region to other regions domestically and internationally, contributing to reducing commodity costs and improving the competitiveness of regional enterprises.

In the first two months of 2021, the volume of goods imported and exported through Long An International Port reached nearly 200,000 tonnes. Besides, Long An International Port signed a cooperation agreement with wind power projects, officially becoming a strategic wind power centre for the southern area of the country.
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Ranchi, March 22 : Seventeen Maoist guerrillas carrying large cash rewards on their heads will face sedition cases in Jharkhand, an official said on Monday.

According to a source in the state government, the 17 Maoists include Anal Da, who carries a reward of Rs 1 crore on his head, and Ajay Mahto, who carries a bounty of Rs 25 lakh, among others. The other names include Krishna Da alias Krishna Hansda, Sahebram Manjhi and Jeetan Marandi.

The Giridih district administration had sought permission from the state to prosecute 17 Maoist guerrillas under sedition charges. The state government has now granted the permission to prosecute the Maoists under sedition charges.

Maoist guerrillas are active in 18 of the 24 districts in Jharkhand.
B.C. Attorney General David Eby talks about the details found in a recent report done by an expert panel about billions in money laundering in the province during a press conference at Legislature in Victoria, B.C., on Thursday, May 9, 2019. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Chad Hipolito
(Newser)  A New York City police officer whos been arrested twice for alleged brutality was arrested again Sunday after police on Long Island say he fired a pistol into the Atlantic Ocean while off duty, per the AP. David Afanador, 39, was carrying a loaded pistol and three loaded high-capacity magazines when officers investigating a report of shots fired in Long Beach saw him walking off the beach with three other people around 6:50am Sunday, police said. Afanador was to be arraigned in Long Beach City Court on charges of criminal possession of a weapon, prohibited use of a weapon, and possession of alcohol, which is banned at Ocean Beach Park. The officer was charged last year with putting a Black man in a banned chokehold while responding to a call at a Queens boardwalk.

story continues below

Afanador, whos been with the NYPD for more than 16 years, pleaded not guilty last June to strangulation and attempted aggravated strangulation charges after cellphone video showed him putting his arm around the mans neck on the Rockaway Beach boardwalk. The NYPD suspended him without pay after that arrest and then placed him on restricted assignment. The trial is still pending, per the New York Post. He is not authorized to carry firearms, and an NYPD spokesperson said Afanador has again been suspended without pay. In 2016, Afanador was acquitted on charges he pistol-whipped a 16-year-old boy during a marijuana bust, breaking two of his teeth. The beating, seen on video, continued until the boy dropped to the ground and was handcuffed.

(Read more NYPD stories.)
New Delhi: The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has filed a chargesheet against 18 gold smugglers in the Jaipur International Airport gold smuggling case.

Over 18 kg of smuggled gold was seized at the International Airport, Jaipur. The case was registered under section 120B of IPC and section 16 of UA(P) Act in New Delhi.

According to the agency, the investigation has led to recovery of various incriminating material including chats, audio messages and images from the digital devices of accused persons.

It was revealed that accused persons had conspired and formed an international gang for smuggling gold into India. The gold bars were being smuggled by the members of the gang to Jaipur from Saudi Arabia for its further delivery to gold dealers.

Live TV
A New York jury found an alleged associate of Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernandez guilty of drug trafficking on Monday following a two-week trial.

Geovanny Fuentes Ramirez was convicted of three counts, including one of weapon possession, after a day and a half of deliberations in a Manhattan federal court.

During the trial, US prosecutors said Hernandez had helped Fuentes smuggle tons of cocaine into the United States -- an allegation the Honduran president denies.

New York prosecutor Jacob Gutwillig told the court that Hernandez was paid a $25,000 bribe by Fuentes.

Hernandez described the testimony as "false" and "obvious lies."

The prosecutors from the Southern District of New York consider Hernandez a co-conspirator alongside Fuentes but have not charged him.

Hernandez, a lawyer who came to power in January 2014 and is in his second term, has styled himself as a champion in the fight against drugs.

"Any narrative regarding the battle against drug trafficking in Honduras that omits the unprecedented 95% reduction (official US data) we achieved, is usually just a vehicle for dramatic headlines to promote false testimony by narcos we defeated," he tweeted Monday.

Fuentes is due to be sentenced on June 22.

The president's brother, Tony Hernandez, was convicted of large-scale drug trafficking at a New York trial in 2019. His sentencing is expected next week.

Prosecutors say he was the middle man between Fuentes and the president.

President Hernandez was linked to drug trafficking at his brother's trial by Leonel Rivera, the leader of a Honduran drug trafficking gang called "Los Cachiros."

Rivera said the president received millions of dollars in bribes from drug traffickers to protect the cocaine shipments to the United States.

During Fuentes's trial, Rivera testified that he had worked with Fuentes from 2011 to 2013, until they got into a fight and the alleged trafficker tried to kill him.

Story continues

Rivera faces a life sentence plus 30 years in prison but hopes it will be reduced in exchange for his testimony.

He collaborated for two years with the US Drug Enforcement Administration until turning himself in to American authorities in 2015.

lbc/pdh/ec
President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has responded to the Coalition of Civil Society Organizations Against Corruption insisting that he never undermined Auditor-General, Daniel Domelevo.



The Coalition of Civil Society Organizations Against Corruption had claimed that the circumstances surrounding the decision to force Mr Domelovo into retirement was a travesty of Ghanas fight against corruption and appears to suggest that the government has lost interest in fighting corruption.



The questions regarding Mr Domelevos date of birth which formed the recent basis for the Presidents letter were not handled in accordance with the Constitutional directive in Article 23. The actions of the office of the President and the Audit Service affirm our belief that Mr Domelevo has been unfairly targeted they indicated.



But President Akufo-Addo in a 21-page response signed by his Secretary, Nana Bediatuo Asante said the Auditor General was "not targeted or chased out of office as has been wrongfully suggested in the public domain"



When the President assumed office, he worked and continues to work with all the constitutional office holders that had been appointed by his predecessor, former President Mahama including the Commissioner for CHRAJ, Mr Joseph Whittal, who, like Mr Domelevo, was appointed a few days to before Mr Mahama left office and the Chairperson of the National Commission of Civic Education Ms Josephine Nkrumah



Domelevo engaged in "unacceptable and unconscionable conduct"



The President has also indicated that Daniel Domelevo abused his office.



It is noteworthy that nary a sound of caution or condemnation was heard from you or your colleagues in civil society when Mr. Domelevo was using his office to engage in such unacceptable and unconscionable conduct. Indeed, a less charitable perspective would be that this was a patent abuse of office. Yet, there was no chatter from our friends of Civil Society part of the statement read.

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What lies beyond the pandemic? MassForward is MassLives series examining the journey of Massachusetts businesses through and beyond the coronavirus pandemic.

____________

Lt. Jim Johnson sat in an unmarked police cruiser in a parking lot situated between the Compass Tavern and Bay State Brewing a couple of weeks before St. Patricks Day. The long-time member of the Worcester Police Department finished some paperwork before the rest of his team arrived.

By 4 p.m. a pair of unmarked cruisers pulled into the lot along with a couple of city vehicles from inspectional services. Combined the team represents Worcesters COVID enforcement task force that since September has made about 2,000 visits to businesses in the city to ensure they are following proper guidelines.

Under Johnsons guidance, the crew can issue fines if necessary, but the primary purpose of the scheduled and impromptu visits is to answer questions and provide recommendations as to who to follow state and city COVID guidelines.

The COVID enforcement task force began their work on an evening in mid-March to prepare restaurants for increased visitors during St. Patricks Day and as the weather grew warmer.

First up was the Compass Tavern and owner Dave Domenick.

This is place an anomaly, Johnson said. Its so big and they can get a lot of people in here.

Worcester Police Lt. Jim Johnson (center) and James Racicot of Inspectional Services (right) examine the safety protocols at The Compass Tavern in Worcester. Johnson leads Worcester's COVID enforcement taskforce.

The capacity under normal conditions at the Compass Tavern is about 320 people. Even with restaurants allowed to open at full capacity with social distancing, The restaurant is capping its capacity at 200. Domenick said only recently with new guidelines has the restaurant experienced even close to that total.

The latest city guidelines allowed for restaurants to take advantage of bar seating again, but seats facing the prep area must be sectioned off with plexiglass.

The Compass Tavern instead placed tables perpendicular to the bar with the seats running adjacent to the prep area.

The Boynton and Oak Barrel Tavern, restaurants on the list of visits that night, each installed plexiglass dividers to take advantage of the space.

People love sitting at a bar, Sgt. Thomas Needham said in the Oak Barrel Tavern.

The dividers at each restaurant are adjustable allowing for parties of two to six people to sit together.

The Oak Barrel Tavern on Grove Street in Worcester implemented plexiglass dividers to utilize its bar seating.

At the Oak Barrel Tavern on Grove Street, manager Keith Bellerose said the top questions the restaurant received from patrons during the pandemic was when bar seating would return. With that in mind, the investment proved worth it.

The bar seats are filling up every day, Bellerose said.

When the COVID Enforcement taskforce enters an establishment they make known they are police officers. The team eyeballs the distance of chairs and tables. At Oak Barrel Tavern each table was clearly at least 6 feet apart.

For restaurants like the Boynton, social distancing of tables wasnt required due to plexiglass dividers.

Walking into the restaurant the team commented on the sign at the entrance that featured the Boyntons logo and read, Dont make us ask, wear a mask.

A sign reminding guests to wear masks greets patrons at the door at The Boynton in Worcester.

After introducing themselves and asking for a manager, the team follows the same routine it had at other restaurants, heading straight for the kitchen to ensure proper mask-wearing, followed by examining the dining area.

We want to make sure that everybody is doing everything right, Officer Pat Harrington said.

The Boynton implemented plexiglass extensions in each booth that measure a combined 6 feet. It allows the restaurant to reach a higher capacity.

Plexiglass pieces also surround the bar allowing for patrons to sit there too.

The bar is good business, Bill Bourbeau of the Boynton said. The whole goal the whole time is to try to get back to what we call normal and get people to feel like they are in a normal environment. It also allows to recreate that and make it safe.

Before the implementation, the Boynton could have about 80 people at 25% capacity. Currently, the restaurant is at about 150.

The Boynton on Belmont Street in Worcester implemented plexiglass dividers at its bar seating.

Earlier that night, Boubeau spoke with an older couple who was thrilled to sit at the bar.

They had the plexiglass on each side of them, they had their own little bubble, Bourbeau said. It was a nice response. It was nice to see that.

The team then made its way to Shrewsbury Street after its visits to the Boynton and Oak Barrel Tavern.

An impromptu stop at Mexicali led to the team reminding the restaurant that buzzers for those waiting for a seat were not allowed. Text message updates are preferred.

The task force also recommended that while the restaurant wasnt utilizing bar seating, tape should be placed across the seats at the bar to set a clear message.

Honestly, this is helpful, Giselle Mejia said. Because a lot of the things when they came the last time, it was a little hard, we had a lot of things we had to fix. We werent 100% sure on and obviously, we fixed them now and theyre happy with what they see.

From Mexicali, the team arrived at Volturno. On this evening, the team jotted down a gameplan of locations they wanted to stop at. Though at times the team may stop at a restaurant when they notice something from the street.

Worcester Police Lt. Jim Johnson examines the safety protocols at Volturno Pizza on Shrewsbury Street in Worcester. Johnson leads Worcester's COVID enforcement taskforce.

Entering Volturno, Johnson and his team were immediately impressed by the socially distanced seating along with plexiglass partitions, which mirror old school chalkboard that could be wheeled around to different locations.

Each plexiglass divider included Volturnos logo and a QR-code that allowed patrons to access the restaurants menu. The setup placed the restaurant at about 40% capacity.

The arrangement didnt occur overnight. The restaurant worked on it and improved it with each new regulation. They are tips the citys team can take to other businesses.

It was perfected, Once we started with outdoor seating, we had the QR-Code on the tables. Then we started doing seating in here and got the partitions. It made sense to put the QR-Codes up there, assistant manager Jonathan Aquafresca said. It was definitely a lot of work figuring out what works the best.

MassForward is MassLive's series examining the journey of Massachusetts' small businesses through and beyond the coronavirus pandemic.

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[March 22, 2021]

Castellum, Inc. Announces Brigadier General Craig Nixon, U.S. Army Retired to Join Advisory Board

POTOMAC, Md., March 22, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Castellum, Inc. (OTC: ONOV) announces Brigadier General Craig Nixon (Retired) has joined the Companys Advisory Board. Castellums Advisory Board seats individual entrepreneurs and senior cyber security / information technology (IT) executives with business, government and technical expertise useful for assisting in identifying, integrating and growing acquired companies.



Brigadier General Nixon is a graduate of Auburn University , decorated retired General Officer, successful entrepreneur, and passionate supporter of veteran non-profit organizations. He was selected for the Ranger Hall of Fame at Fort Benning, Georgia and Auburn University at Montgomery Top Fifty Alumni in 2017.

Over a 29-year Army career, Brigadier General Nixon served in a wide range of assignments including seven tours of duty in special operations units. He is a combat decorated soldier whose awards include the Distinguished Service Medal , Silver Star, and the Purple Heart.

After retiring from the Army in 2011, he was an original Partner at McChrystal Group and helped create a highly successful leadership consulting company that works with a number of Fortune 500 Companies. He left to become the CEO for ACADEMI and over three years through a combination of organic growth and acquisitions built Constellis Group - one of the worlds largest private security firms. He is currently the CEO of Nixon Six Solutions, a consulting firm focusing on growth and market entry strategy, leadership, and M&A. He is an avid supporter of veteran focused non-profit organizations.







Craig is an accomplished citizen soldier and former business leader of a company valued at nearly $1 billion, said Mark Fuller, President and CEO of Castellum . His experience in growth through M&A and subsequent integration is valuable for Castellum as we continue to grow through acquisition. He also brings access to deal flow and capital sources through his network of relationships.

About Castellum, Inc. Castellum, Inc. (OTC:ONOV) is a technology company which is executing strategic acquisitions in the cyber security, information technology, software engineering, information warfare, and electronic warfare space. In 2020, Castellum grew more than 20% organically and built a qualified sales pipeline of over $300 million, and earlier this year completed its second acquisition - https://castellumus.com/ .

Forward-Looking Statements:

This release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. All forward-looking statements are inherently uncertain, based on current expectations and assumptions concerning future events or future performance of the company. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which are only predictions and speak only as of the date hereof. In evaluating such statements, prospective investors should review carefully various risks and uncertainties identified in this release and matters disclosed at www.otcmarkets.com. These risks and uncertainties could cause the company's actual results to differ materially from those indicated in the forward-looking statements.

Contact:

Mark Fuller, CEO

info@castellumus.com

(301) 961-4895

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/f2a194ae-bdac-4f23-866e-bddefb08bf83
Recently, actor-filmmaker Satish Kaushik took to social media to inform fans that he has tested positive for COVID-19. Sharing details about his health, he had revealed that he was under home quarantine.

Now, the latest report states that the Tere Naam director has been shifted to Kokilaben Hospital in Mumbai for proper medical care.

Satish Kaushik's spokesperson confirmed this news and said that the filmmaker is on his road to recovery. He was quoted as saying in a statement, "Satish ji was planning to get vaccinated for Covid-19, however when he got tested after experiencing some weakness, he tested positive. He quarantined at home for two days, but he decided to get admitted at the hospital for proper medical care."

The statement further read, "He is grateful to his family, friends and well-wishers who are praying for his speedy recovery."

Last week, Satish Kaushik had taken to his Instagram page to inform fans about his COVID-19 diagnosis. He had posted, "Attention please!! I have been tested Covid positive. I would request everyone to get tested, who came in contact with me in the last few days. I am home quarantined. Your love, best wishes & blessings will help. Thanks."

Workwise, Satish Kaushik last helmed Pankaj Tripathi starrer Kaaghaz and also played a pivotal role in the film. The movie which premiered on Zee5, received rave reviews from the critics.

ALSO READ: Salman Khan Told Me Tere Naam Had The Wrong Message For Youth, Reveals Satish Kaushik

ALSO READ: Maidaan Director Amit Sharma Tests Positive For COVID-19
Niego la afirmacion de la ex ministra Astete. No nos informo de su vacunacion irregular, de la que nos enteramos el 14 de febrero cuando nos presento su renuncia. Nunca le sugeri que guardase reserva de nada, por el contrario al enterarnos le aceptamos inmediatamente su renuncia.
CLEVELAND, Ohio  A man and woman died, and two others suffered injuries in an early-Monday shooting at a diner near the Cleveland-Lakewood border, police said. One of the injured is the suspected shooter, according to police.

Cleveland police have not released additional information on the shooting.

UPDATED: Two arrested in shootout that left two dead at Cleveland diner, gunmen wounded, police say

The shooting happened about 4 a.m. Monday at My Friends diner on Detroit Avenue near West 117th Street in the citys Cudell neighborhood, according to police dispatch records.

Someone walked into the restaurant, which is open 24 hours, and opened fire.

Bullets struck three people inside the restaurant. A man suffered a fatal gunshot wound to the head, and the woman who died suffered fatal gunshot wounds to the back. A third person suffered non-life-threatening gunshot wounds on his ankle, according to dispatch records.

Police have not said how the suspect was hurt in the incident.

Read more from cleveland.com:

Cuyahoga County Jail officer killed in Parma bar shootout hailed as hero, was loving father and friend to many, father says

Man killed seeking ex at St. Patricks Day party in Cleveland, a month after he attacked her, police say

Solon principal had prior affair with ex-student behind recent allegation of inappropriate conduct, records say
Principal Paul Castro felt overwhelmed at first.

Enrollment at his Westside High in Houston ISD had grown by 300. Most of those students were behind academically, and many struggled when they re-entered a school building for the first time in what felt like an eternity.

When it happened there was a bit of  I dont know what to call it  I guess psychological damage of, when is this going to stop? When can we get back to normal? Castro said. The answer was we never got back to normal that year. We never got back to complete normalcy.

It was the year Hurricane Katrina blew thousands of students into Houston after the storm devastated New Orleans.

Sixteen years later, local educators say lessons they learned during that recovery could provide insight for schools nationwide as the United States eventually comes out of the coronavirus pandemic.

While there are obvious differences between a Category 5 hurricane and a pandemic, educators say the aftermath of the 2005 disaster bears some similarities to challenges now faced by schools across the country.

Chief among them is closing widening academic gaps due to the limitations of online classes while also addressing students emotional needs so they can concentrate on learning.

The mental health aspect will be especially important now, said Lorenzo Moore, a school psychologist who worked within Houston ISD in 2005 and now works for Aldine ISD. Not only have students been largely isolated from their peers, missing out on interactions that are crucial to social development, but many still are fearful of contracting and passing on the virus.

Katrina would be what we call a simple traumatic event, in that it happened over a shorter period of time. This is a prolonged, chronic event, Moore said. When that happens to kids, they dont feel safe in school. Theyll watch TV and get vicarious trauma watching and hearing about kids getting it in school, so theyll have a heightened level of anxiety in school.

Although Texas schools reopened last fall, many states began encouraging and ordering schools to reopen only in the past month. The Jefferson County School District in Louisville, Ky., began phasing in on-campus instruction on Wednesday, and high schools in Chicago likely will not reopen until April 19 at the earliest. States such as Missouri, Louisiana, Georgia and Indiana have left reopening decisions to local school districts. California Gov. Gavin Newsom, meanwhile, signed a bill this month to create a $2 billion pot to incentivize schools to reopen for in-person instruction.

Todd Miller, senior vice president of Rave Mobile Safety disaster communications group, said the ongoing process of bringing students back into classrooms has left recovery in limbo.

Usually theres a window of time thats intense, then the emergency goes away and youre in the recovery phase. This has been one of the longest running emergencies and disasters weve had to go through, Miller said.

Learning loss

Even in Texas, hundreds of thousands of students have not returned to physical classrooms, particularly in districts that serve high numbers of Black and Hispanic students.

About 8 in 10 students are back on campus in districts where Black or Hispanic students make up 10 percent or less of the school population, according to Texas Education Agency data. Fewer than half the students have returned in districts where 90 to 100 percent of the school population are Black and Hispanic.

Their absence from classrooms could turn existing achievement gaps between students of color and their white counterparts into a chasm, said Bob Sanborn, CEO of the Children at Risk nonprofit.

I think that one of the key things for low-income kids, Latino kids and African American kids is time on task. Its one of the equalizers  if they can spend more time on an academic task, theyll do well, Sanborn said. But with COVID, time on task has been minimized, so if kids arent online, they have, for all intents and purposes, dropped out. They may still be on the rolls, but theyre not really participating in school.

Those learning gaps are among the most striking similarities between COVID and the aftermath of Katrina, said Korbin Johnson, who came to Houston from New Orleans just after the hurricane and helped start the KIPP New Orleans West College Prep Academy in Houstons Third Ward. He said students in younger grade levels tended to be the furthest behind after the storm, but a pervasive idea also stood in the way of learning among students at all grade levels.

There was like this feeling among the kids like, Why is school so important? Weve been out of it for a while, Johnson said. We had a whole lot of conversations about why its so important to get back to normal, and it didnt take long for kids to totally agree and start working hard.

At the same time, schools were trying to diagnose just where and how far behind students were. Staff at the KIPP New Orleans West school debated when to give students diagnostic tests, with some arguing that they could not waste any time helping them catch up and others saying they would get a more accurate picture once students had some time to acclimate back to campus life.

At Westside High, Castro said the results of benchmark testing forced administrators to readjust some of the newcomers schedules. Some juniors who said they were taking Algebra II and pre-calculus were horribly unprepared for the coursework at Westside.

One in 4 Houston ISD students displaced by Katrina did not make enough academic progress to move onto the next grade level the following school year.

We held many parent conferences with families from Louisiana where they would say Why is my kid getting such a bad grade? They used to get great grades, Castro said. We had to recalibrate expectations to asking if the kid was doing the best he or she could do, but at the same time we didnt want to give a full endorsement and tell them youll have to take calculus even though youre not academically prepared.

Castro said he has been having some of those same difficult conversations now as superintendent of the A+UP Charter School in Third Ward.

Mental toll

Students suffering from trauma and anxiety often have difficulties concentrating, said Moore, the school psychologist. He likened it to a traffic jam in the brains frontal lobe, which is responsible for memories, emotions, problem-solving and impulse control.

If a student is worried about their flooded home or whether they or a family member will get sick, it makes it hard to concentrate, he said.

If I am not able to focus in the classroom, that means nothing is going in, Moore said. It wont make the transition from short-term memory to working memory to long-term memory. And if its never in long-term memory, that means Im starting all over again.

It is not just the students who may need help. Teachers and staff began to feel burned out after working overtime to meet the newcomers needs in 2005, Castro said.

We had to reserve time for staff with our social workers to debrief and have time to process, he said.

The burnout from COVID has been happening here for months, Castro said, as teachers struggle to provide instruction to students online and in the classroom simultaneously.

At the same time, many teachers are themselves fearful of getting infected with the virus as more students return to classrooms, which can make it harder for them to concentrate on helping students catch up.

After Katrina, schools ended up creating their own systems for helping students catch up. KIPP New Orleans West set aside a power hour each day in which teachers reviewed basic concepts at grade level or prerequisites students should have known already.

Calvert Elementary School in Aldine had skills teams that would pull out small groups to work with throughout the day, in addition to extended days and Saturday classes for some students. Teachers at Westside High created individual reports for each student so their families could see where they had deficits and help keep them focused on school work.

Those efforts cannot happen en masse until all students are back in their classrooms, Johnson said.

Were still trying to stop the ship from sinking in some respects, so wont be until next school year that we truly throw all we have into recovery, he said.

He said it is important for teachers and school leaders to keep their standards high and not be daunted by the work of remediation. While a student may have missed nearly a years worth of material, he said it does not always take that long to help them catch up.

If we come together and share those lessons, school will get better because of COVID, Johnson said. I truly believe that if were more unified behind this and behind the purpose of lost learning, it can have a much larger impact than anyone thinks.
NEW YORK, March 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- 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 CytoDyn, Inc. ("CytoDyn" or the "Company") (OTCQB: CYDY) from March 27, 2020 through March 9, 2021 (the "Class Period"). The lawsuit filed in the United States District Court for the Western District of Washington alleges violations of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934.

If you purchased CytoDyn securities, and/or would like to discuss your legal rights and options please visit CytoDyn Shareholder Class Action Lawsuit or contact Matthew E. Guarnero toll free at (877) 779-1414 or [email protected]

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." While the press release touted purportedly positive results, industry observers and analysts quickly characterized the Company's press release as misleading. For example, on March 8, 2021, Seeking Alpha published an article by Paul Santos entitled "CytoDyn: Parsing Failure." The 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 the Company as having effectively "buried" the results in its press release. Santos 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."

On this news, CytoDyn's stock price fell $1.70 per share, or 41.98 %, over the next two trading sessions, closing at $2.35 per share on March 9, 2021.

The complaint, filed on March 17, 2021, alleges that defendants violated provisions of the Exchange Act by making false and misleading statements concerning leronlimab being used as a treatment for COVID-19.

If you wish to serve as lead plaintiff, you must move the Court no later than May 17, 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 doesn't require that you serve as lead plaintiff. If you choose to take no action, you may remain an absent class member.

If you purchased CytoDyn securities, and/or would like to discuss your legal rights and options please visit https://www.bernlieb.com/cases/cytodyninc-cydy-shareholder-class-action-lawsuit-fraud-stock-381/apply/ or contact Matthew E. Guarnero toll free at (877) 779-1414 or [email protected]

Since 1993, Bernstein Liebhard LLP has recovered over $3.5 billion for its clients. In addition to representing individual investors, the Firm has been retained by some of the largest public and private pension funds in the country to monitor their assets and pursue litigation on their behalf. As a result of its success litigating hundreds of lawsuits and class actions, the Firm has been named to The National Law Journal's "Plaintiffs' Hot List" thirteen times and listed in The Legal 500 for ten consecutive years.

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BJD not to hold rallies, campaign meets for May 13 Pipili by- polls: Patnaik

Odisha CM Rolls Out Mo College Campaign: Initiative to Spread Across 755 Govt colleges, universities

India

oi-Vicky Nanjappa

Bhubaneswar, Mar 22: Riding on the success of Mo School campaign, the State Government today went a step further to connect global Odia alumni to their alma maters in Odisha.

The campaign aims at making the higher education eco-system more organic and innovative.

Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik today rolled out the Mo College Campaign, launched the web portal on virtual platform and called upon the Odia alumni across the globe to be a collaborative force in rebuilding their own Institutions in their motherland.

The Chief Minister said that the state government has been taking steps to enhance the structure and functioning of higher education.

Never the less, the personal contribution of the alumni will have a magical touch to it, he added.

The Chief minister believed that Mo College would bring similar response for higher education Institutions as that of the Mo School.

Welcoming the odia diaspora round the globe and Alumni members of different colleges who were connected through live streams the chief minister said that, this campaign is an emotionally invested platform reconnecting the Odia Alumni , and added that there's nothing more rewarding than going back to the treasured memories of our college days.

The CM further said that the campaign is not limited only to the alumni. Non- alumni philanthropists, charitable organisations, group of persons and institutions can also be part of this initiative, he added.

Saying that the Mission strives for a healthy learning atmosphere, the CM underlined, it is grounded on the principles of nation-building, promoting creativity, skill development and nurturing team work, thereby making the Colleges and Universities an innovative and exciting place to study.

Patnaik further said that we all should realize the joy of giving back to our respective Alma Maters, where we enjoyed the most vibrant period of our youth, and shaped our future.

Speaking on the occasion minister Higher education Arun Sahu described this campaign as a unique experiment of our chief minister to reconnect the alumni for development of our institutions.

He further said that ,the contribution of our schools and colleges are enormous in our life .So this is the right platform to be a part of the development of the alma mater he added.

Welcoming the dignitaries chairperson of the Mo college campaign Akash Sas Nayak gave a detail account about the campaign and it's future course of action. .

Among others chief secretary Suresh Chandra Mohapatra also spoke on the occasion .

Secretary Higher education Saswat Mishra proposed vote of thanks.

As many as 755 government colleges and universities including technical and professional institutions are included in the campaign .

A state level governing body and various committees have been set up for smooth functioning of the Abhijan. A corpus fund has also been constituted by the state govt to support the movement .

Luminaries from various walks of life including public representatives, litterateurs , scientists, educationists, artists also graced the ceremony. The Odia Diaspora around the globe also participated in the function through social media live streams.
Six old Kashmir girl makes this very adorable complaint to Prime Minister Modi

PM Modi launches historic Jal Shakti Abhiyan

India

oi-Vicky Nanjappa

New Delhi, Mar 22: Prime Minister Narendra Modi today launched the PM Modi launches Jal Shakti Abhiyan: Catch the Rain campaign. Today is World Water Day.

The historic MoU to implement the Ken Betwa Link Project, the first project of the national perspective plan for interlinking of rivers, will also be signed by Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh chief ministers at the event.

The PMO said in a statement that the campaign will be undertaken across the country in both rural and urban areas with the theme "catch the rain, where it falls, when it falls".

It will be implemented from March 22 to November 30 - the pre-monsoon and monsoon period in the country.

BJP's Bengal manifesto offers comprehensive vision for transforming state: PM Modi

It will be launched as a ''Jan Andolan'' (public movement) to take water conservation at the grassroot level through people''s participation. It is intended to nudge all stakeholders to create rainwater harvesting structures suitable to climatic conditions and subsoil strata, to ensure proper storage of rainwater, the PMO said.

After the event, gram sabhas will be held in all gram panchayats of each district (except in poll-bound states) to discuss issues related to water and water conservation. Gram sabhas will also take ''Jal Shapath'' (oath) for water conservation, it added.

The Ken Betwa link project agreement heralds the beginning of inter-state cooperation to implement the vision of former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee to carry water from areas that have surplus water to drought prone and water deficit areas through the interlinking of rivers, the PMO said.

This project involves transfer of water from Ken to Betwa River through the construction of Daudhan Dam and a canal linking the two rivers, the lower Orr project, Kotha barrage and Bina complex multipurpose project.

It will provide annual irrigation of 10.62 lakh hectare, drinking water supply to about 62 lakh people and also generate 103 MW of hydropower.

The PMO said the project will be of immense benefit to the water starved region of Bundelkhand, especially to the districts of Panna, Tikamgarh, Chhatarpur, Sagar, Damoh, Datia, Vidisha, Shivpuri and Raisen of Madhya Pradesh and Banda, Mahoba, Jhansi and Lalitpur of Uttar Pradesh.

Anil Deshmukh Corruption row: NCP says 'no need for resignation'| Oneindia News

It will pave the way for more interlinking of river projects to ensure that scarcity of water does not become an inhibitor for development in the country, the PMO said.
Members of the National Public Health Emergency Team (Nphet) called for hotel quarantining to be imposed on all passengers arriving in Ireland.

The long-awaited quarantine system will be introduced this week but will only be applied to people arriving from 33 countries deemed high-risk for Covid-19.

The Tifco Hotel Group will operate the system on behalf of the State, with four of its Dublin hotels being used - among them the Crowne Plaza and Holiday Inn Express near Dublin Airport. Clontarf Castle Hotel may also be used by the group in the initial phases of the system being introduced.

However, newly released minutes from a Nphet meeting last month show members of the public health taskforce wanted quarantining laws extended to all passengers flying into the country.

At a meeting on February 18 it was noted some members expressed the view that travel restrictions should be extended to all inbound travellers to Ireland, regardless of the origin of their destination.

The minutes said those who called for the quarantine system to be extended noted how quickly the epidemiological landscape is evolving and the importance of the national vaccination programme.

However, Nphet agreed the focus should be on implementing a robust strategy with a secure legal underpinning for travellers from high-risk countries in the first instance before any extension of the measures would be considered. Nphet also said it was cognisant of the impact of expanding the system on HSE resources.

Nphet first called for mandatory quarantining measures for overseas travellers to be introduced in May last year.

Opposition parties have been calling for the new quarantine laws to apply to all passengers arriving in Ireland for non-essential purposes.

Senior members of Cabinet also believe the system should be extend to all travellers.

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I think it makes logical sense to extend it to all countries if we are introducing it, a senior minister said.

Yesterday, Sinn Feins transport spokesperson Darren ORourke said the Government still has time to change tack and to extend the regime.

Given the fact that many European countries are in, or facing into, further lockdowns, with widespread community transmission of the virus, and with the growing threat of the importation and spread of variants in Ireland, thats exactly what they should do, Mr ORourke said.

At present, there are 33 countries on the so-called category two list of states deemed high risk for Covid. The majority of the countries are in Africa and South America and are not considered busy air traffic routes to Ireland.

The new rules apply to people arriving from South Africa and Brazil, where there are new strains of the virus, but the regulations do not apply to anyone travelling from Britain, where the dominant variant of Covid in Ireland first emerged.

Health Minister Stephen Donnelly has the power to add countries to the list but does so on the advice of the chief medical officer. Irelands quarantine system is the strictest of all EU member states.

Mr Donnelly will officially announce the introduction of the new restriction in the coming days.

Once announced, it will be three days before passengers from category-two countries will be required to book places in quarantine hotels.

Travellers will book their places in the hotels through an online portal run by the Government. It will cost just under 2,000 for an adult and around 500 for a child under three years old.

Passengers arriving in Dublin Airport from later this week will be transferred to one of the quarantine hotels on arrival. They will be required to produce a negative test taken within the three days before they travelled.

When in quarantine, they will be asked to take a test on the fifth and tenth day of their stay in a hotel. If their second test result comes back negative, they will be permitted to leave quarantine.

Those in quarantine will be allowed to leave their rooms once a day for some exercise or smoking. However, they will not be permitted to leave the grounds of their hotel.

Read More




Lawsuit over Mount Rushmore fireworks dismissed

U.S. District Court Judge Roberto Lange in a ruling Wednesday dismissed a lawsuit brought against President Joe Biden's administration by Gov. Kristi Noem after the NFS a fireworks display there next month.
NEWTOWN  Rescue crews searched briefly for two canoeists missing on Lake Lillinonah on Saturday night.

Emergency personnel were dispatched to the lake around 11:10 p.m. to look for the canoeists, who went missing after leaving from the boat launch off Hanover Road, according to dispatch reports.

As other towns like Middlebury started sending mutual aid to the scene, the two canoeists were found on an island near the Shepaug Dam shortly before 11:45 p.m.

According to Newtown Underwater Search & Rescue, they were cold but in good spirits when first responders found them.
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Thailand is cautiously heading to a phased reopening that is likely to kick-off this April but the doors may not fully open to welcome tourists until January 2022.

Awaiting cabinet scrutiny, the latest Ministry of Tourism and Sports staged recovery plan identifies four distinct opening phases starting with the Wellness Leisure area Q and Hotel Q due to start 1 April and continue to the end of May.

Wellness Leisure April to May

The five provinces that are eligible for relaxed quarantine rules are Phuket, Krabi, Surat Thani ( Samui, Tao and Phangan islands) Chonburi (Pattaya) and Chiang Mai.

Under its terms, visitors from the UAE, Israel, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Singapore, and possibly India and Russia line up for less daunting quarantine rules.

Groups of one to four tourists get to stay confined in their room from day one to day three, followed by restricted access to specified hotel facilities from day four to 14. Hotels must be certified, and the plan recommends that  health workers and risk groups should be vaccinated in the five provinces declared suitable for phase one of the reopening.

Phase 1  April and May: Tourists will be able to use fitness facilities, swim and go on cycle rides in the grounds (subject to protocols). They can eat food delivered from outside the hotels.

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Phase 2  June to September: would involve the setting up of an exclusive travel area or seal route in which tourists could move around while doing Area Quarantine for 10 days. They would be restricted where they could move.

After they have completed their quarantine they can travel anywhere in Thailand.

The plan is to have Area Quarantine in Phuket, Pattaya, Krabi, Chiang Mai, Surat Thani (Khon Tao, Koh Samui and Koh Phangan), Phangnga and Bangkok.

Phase 3 October to December: is called the Sand Box and will be done from October to December in seven specified tourism provinces that are mostly by the sea. This could involve one day in quarantine with a swab test requirement for tourists who have already been vaccinated twice abroad.

Along with it will be an end to the Certificate of Entry document that will be replaced by a vaccine certificate (perhaps the so-called vaccine passport).

Phase 4 from January onwards would see quarantine ended and free movement throughout the country though a one day quarantine with swab test might still be required. Tourists would still need to have been vaccinated twice abroad and have documentation related to that.

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Under the Open System tourists will be able to come for a stay of 45 days (up from the previous 30) or utilize Special Tourist Visas, Yacht Quarantine or Elite cards.

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The Iranian authorities are ready for dialogue with Saudi Arabia, despite the anti-Iranian rhetoric at the last meeting of the Cooperation Council for the Arab States of the Gulf (GCC).

"Saudi Arabia issued a statement on behalf of the Persian Gulf Cooperation Council, in which it made accusations against Iran," Iran's Foreign Ministry Spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh said on Sunday.

"Iran called for a regional dialogue in response to a message from the Emir of Qatar submitted to Tehran by its foreign minister," he tweeted.

Khatibzadeh stressed that now Middle East needs dialogue and shaping all-inclusive regional arrangements more than ever, IRNA reported.
Over glasses of margaritas and plates of Mexican food, police union supporters rallied Sunday against Proposition B, a measure on the May 1 ballot that would repeal police officers right to negotiate contracts with the city.

Danny Diaz, president of the San Antonio Police Officers Association, called the measure a form of defunding the police that would hurt officer recruitment, slow response times and lead to a rise in crime.

This is not Minneapolis. This is not Seattle, Diaz said into the mic before a crowd of about 200 on the patio of Viola's Ventanas in Westover Hills. This is San Antonio and we back the blue.

Behind him were leaders of Hispanic and Black police officer associations and dozens of officers who had also expressed their opposition to the measure.

If approved, Proposition B would remove from the city charter its granting of the right to collective bargaining to police officers, though it would not change the same arrangement with the cityre firefighters.

The local police union has used the process to ensure competitive pay, health insurance coverage, retirement benefits and other incentives such as bonuses for speaking another language or returning to college and earning a degree.

But the contract also covers disciplinary procedures, and an organization called Fix SAPD gathered more than 20,000 signatures to get Prop. B on the ballot by arguing that collective bargaining has made it too difficult to fire San Antonio Police Department officers for misconduct.

Under the current system San Antonio has had to rehire dismissed officers at a much greater rate than other major Texas cities, the group said in a flyer that was being distributed door to door by its volunteers Sunday. Passage of the ballot measure would result in less bad apples on the force, it said.

Look, we have our issues, but not the same issues that other cities do, said U.S. Rep. Tony Gonzales, R-San Antonio. We are a family and we have to vote against Prop. B. If we dont, then it starts here and itll never end.

On ExpressNews.com: S.A. police union urges voters to keep collective bargaining, calls ballot measure 'a form of defunding'

Alonzio Hardin, president of the San Antonio Black Officers Coalition and a 13-year SAPD veteran, likened Prop. B to throwing out the baby with the bath water.

Hardin said officers are willing to sit down and talk about disciplinary problems, but the ballot measure goes after their livelihoods and how they support their families.

I believe in this department. Im sincere about this department and I, as a Black man, will not turn the other cheek if I see police brutality or any mishandling of people in my community. Its just not going to happen on my watch. In my family, Im the first Black police officer that they love, but I am that example.

Hardin, a U.S. Army veteran, said he returned from a war zone to see how much of a war it is here at home.

Elena Rodriguez, president of the police wives auxiliary group, said the department is already understaffed and taking away contract bargaining power would make it even harder to recruit good officers.

I feel like there are bad people in every profession and if you ask any of these officers out here theyll tell you they dont want them on the force, either, she said.

Lets make the training tougher, Rodriguez said, adding that in recent years hiring requirements have been loosened to make up for waning interest in law enforcement as a career.

Rodriguez is the daughter of a police officer and the wife of a police detective. Her children didnt want to come to Sundays event because they were afraid that a large group of law enforcement officers would be a target, she said.

The union and the city are currently negotiating a new contract, and city officials are pushing for changes in the departments disciplinary rules.

If the contract is negotiated, ratified by union members and adopted by City Council before the election, and then voters decide May 1 to repeal collective bargaining rights, the contract would remain in effect and collective bargaining would end after it expires.

Without collective bargaining, police officers could still negotiate wages and benefits through meet-and-confer talks with the city, but union officials say the city would not be required to enter labor negotiations with them.

The last day to register to vote for the May 1 election is April 1.

laura.garcia@express-news.net

Rebecca Miano is a Kenyan lawyer and corporate executive, who has served as the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of KenGen Plc since November 2017.

She fielded questions from the public via Sunday Nation.

As a consequence of the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, the Ministry of Energy in October 2020 had indicated its intention to declare force majeure on power generation contracts due to a drop in demand. How has this gone down with Kengen? Joseph Kiambi, Mwea

Indeed, Covid-19 affected businesses in Kenya and the world over. We saw a drop in demand for electricity, but this was temporary and lasted for only a few months. We are glad that with the gradual re-opening of the economy, electricity demand has actually increased and surpassed the pre-Covid-19 levels. In March, the peak demand has risen to 1,980MW compared to 1,926MW in February 2020. We are hoping for continued economic recovery and a better future.

You are barely six months into your second term as the CEO of Kengen. What are your priorities before you exit? Bevin Amoke, Mlolongo

We are looking at achieving several things, including growth in electricity generation capacity. Some of the projects we expect to commission include the 172MW Olkaria V geothermal project, which is already complete and due for official opening. The others include 83MW Olkaria I unit 6 expected to be completed this year and a 140MW Public-Private Partnership project, which is currently under procurement.

As you are aware, we are also pushing on with our diversification strategy and I look forward to delivering two projects currently under implementation in Ethiopia and one in Djibouti. We are also exploring other opportunities to extend our footprint in Africa while helping other countries on the continent to develop their green energy resources.

On corporate social responsibility, I intend to complete and handover the Naivasha Level 5 Hospital, which is currently under construction and is on target for completion mid this year.

I would like to be remembered as the CEO who actualised the companys diversification strategy and expanded its operations to other African countries.

At every opportune moment, Kenya Power cites the high purchase price of electricity from Kengen and other electricity generators. What is the true position of these blame games? Komen Moris, Eldoret

Power pricing is an elaborate process, and the full mandate for pricing lies with the regulator, the Energy and Petroleum Regulatory Authority (EPRA).

For our part as Kengen, we have deliberately focused on renewable energy, which in the long run will lower the cost of power and also reduce the cost of doing business.

On average, KenGen today sells electricity to the off-taker at Sh5.40 per kWh. We are aware that this is the cheapest generation cost in the country.

Kengen currently generates about 254MW through thermal sources, accounting for about 15 percent of its total installed capacity. Already the government has talked about phasing out thermal power. If the government directive on thermal power comes to pass, what would be the future of the thermal plants that Kengen operates? Otieno Abanja, Kericho

We fully support the move to embrace renewable and clean energy. This is why today, close to 90 per cent of our installed capacity is from green sources. Going forward, we intend to convert some of our existing thermal power plants in Kipevu to gas. This will ensure that the plants remain on the grid going forward.

Kengen was among the few Nairobi Stock Exchange-listed companies that gave dividends to its shareholders, including myself last year, despite the economic meltdown caused by the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic. What measures have you put in place to ensure that the company continues to make profits? Dan Murugu, Nakuru

At Kengen, we are very strong on corporate governance. We recognise that good corporate governance practices form the strong foundation of any sustainable organisation. We have, therefore, engrained ethical and accountability practices in the building blocks of our growing business to safeguard the interests of our shareholders and financial health of the company. Our Board of Directors provides the requisite oversight over our business and have in place policies that guide the running of Kengen. At the same time, we are focussing on diversifying our business with a view to expanding our revenue streams. Currently, Kengen is offering commercial geothermal drilling and consultancy services in Ethiopia and Djibouti and continues to explore more opportunities both in Kenya and on the continent.

In 2019, the company formulated a Community Engagement Strategic Plan to cater for its Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) programmes and similarly to provide a mechanism for dispute resolution strategy. What has this plan achieved so far? Dan Murugu, Nakuru

The company, being a participant member of the United Nations Global Compact Network Kenya (UNGC), supports the 10 principles covering human rights, labour, environment and anti-corruption.

In doing so, Kengen is cognizant of the fact that all developments are people-centered and that communities residing in areas where we operate are our key partners. As a responsible corporate citizen, we are alive to the need to obtain the social licence to operate from host communities prior to and during project implementation.

Towards this end, the company has developed and is in the process of implementing a Community Engagement Strategy for a value-based, win-win partnership. This strategy was launched in 2019 and its overall purpose is to provide a general guidance on planning and conducting community activities.

Some investors bought Kengten shares when they were trading for as high as Sh40. Right now, the loss of capital value on the shares is almost 90 per cent, before considering the loss of income on those shares for the last 10 or so years. What are your plans for a turnaround to better value for the shareholders? Dhiru Shah

The money market, as you may be aware, is unpredictable and many forces determine how the shares behave in the market. Looking at the NSE 20 Share Index, we can see the same trend across all the counters. As a matter of fact, Kengen counter has maintained a steady performance over the years, sometimes outperforming the NSE 20 Share Index. We are hopeful that the trend will improve post Covid-19 as activity begins to pick up at the bourse.

Congratulations madam for winning the Trailblazer Award. Do you think Kenya is faring well in ensuring gender mainstreaming and equality? Davis Basweti Ombane, Juja

I am honoured and look forward to doing more. As a country, we are on the right track particularly noting laws and regulations that make it mandatory for both public and private organisations to embrace gender mainstreaming.

I, however, believe that we still have a lot to do. One of the ways is to encourage girls and women to take up Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) courses and professions. I believe this is one of the initiatives that will help to improve gender balance.

Since February KenGen has signed three geothermal drilling contracts in Ethiopia, Djibouti and Rwanda, with a combined worth of about Sh14 billion. How are these regional partnerships impacting Kenyas interests in continental free trade area? Davis Basweti Ombane, Juja

We are yet to sign a contract with Rwanda. So far, we have active contracts in Djibouti and Ethiopia. Indeed, this is a golden opportunity for Africans to support one another and take advantage of locally available resources and expertise. We welcome all our brothers and sisters to visit us in Olkaria, the home of geothermal in Africa.

What does the future look like for geothermal power generation in Kenya? Eliud Wanyaga, Karatina
Theresa May defended firing Gavin Williamson as defence secretary over a leak from a security meeting about Huawei today, saying his departure allowed security officials to 'speak freely' again.

The former prime minister said that the 2019 incident in which material from a National Security Council meeting about the Chinese tech giant was leaked to the press sent a 'slight judder' through members.

Mr Williamson was sacked by Mrs May following an inquiry into the leak of information about Huawei's involvement in the UK's 5G network.

He was later made Education Secretary by Boris Johnson three months later after working on his leadership campaign.

Theresa May was asked if the leak had affected how well the National Security Council operated and how long it took to recover, when she appeared today in front of the National Security Strategy Committee.

'I think there was a slight sense initially of concern, particularly obviously from those who weren't the politicians sitting around the table, about the advice and evidence that they were giving in to the council,' she told the committee.

'Because it had always been the case that the assumption was and it had practically been the case since it was set up that nothing leaked from the National Security Council.

'And it's really important that nothing leaks from it, because of the nature of the discussions we are having, and you want the agencies, Ministry of Defence and others, who are advising you, to believe and feel confident that they have the freedom to give their best and genuine advice, without feeling that they have got to hold something back.

'So, a slight judder, if you like, when this incident happened, when people were concerned initially, but I think we then got back into the rhythm of people recognising that they could speak as freely as they had done previously.'

The former prime minister said that the 2019 incident in which material from a National Security Council meeting about the Chinese tech giant was leaked to the press sent a 'slight judder' through members.

Mr Williamson was sacked by Mrs May following an inquiry into the leak of information about Huawei's involvement in the UK's 5G network. He was later made Education Secretary by Boris Johnson three months later after working on his leadership campaign.

Ministers have since declared that technology from Chinese firm Huawei must no longer be used in the UK's 5G communications network and that existing kit must be stripped out because of security fears.

Mrs May, who ended her turbulent reign as Tory leader in 2019, was also asked to what extent did her government assess long-term strategic issues, such as the UK's relationship with China.

'We have seen more recently more specific concerns around the human rights issues in China, and of course prior to that around the threat issue of China,' she told the committee.

'The Huawei issue was very live when I was prime minister, continued obviously after I had stepped down. The Government has now taken a decision as to where to go on that, but it was an issue when I was home secretary as well.

'These questions have been there, if you like, in the background I think and being considered. They have come into more public prominence, I would say, in recent years.'

Referring to the publication of the Government's Integrated Review of foreign and defence policy, Mrs May said that it had tried to strike a 'balance' in its view of China.

She said: 'It is a major economy, it is a major player on the world stage, we know the way it has reached out across the world. I don't think we can live in a world where we think we can shut China out in some sense.

'We have to find a way of balancing the relationship with China, which is economic on one side, and then the concerns about security and human rights on the other.'

It came as Britain joined the US, EU and Canada in slapping sanctions on senior Chinese officials today over Beijing's 'highly disturbing programme of repression' against Uighur Muslims.

Dominic Raab said the UK would join a travel ban and asset freeze affecting four senior figures accused of gross human rights abuses in Xinjiang Province.

The Foreign Secretary lashed out at China in the Commons, accusing it of 'egregious, industrial-scale human rights abuse' and of carrying out 'one of the worst human rights crises of our time'.

Rights groups believe at least one million Uighurs and other mostly Muslim minorities have been incarcerated in camps in the northwestern region, where China is also accused of forcibly sterilising women and imposing forced labour.
WE are now reading that the Minister of Sport has come out with a statement regarding our participation in the Tokyo Olympics.

As with the usual run-of-the-mill political type, the statement vacillates, kicks the can down the road and seeks to avoid the issue. Let us be clear on what the situation is regarding these Olympics.
Armenia MFA information department chief: All deputy FMs carrying out their duties

Ardshinbank invited children to the cinema on International Childrens Day

Armenia judiciary to have 10 more judges

Armenia acting premier: We had recorded 40% increase in tax revenues according to 2019 results

Armenia acting PM on Artsakh war casualties bodies: We have 50 remains in which case DNA was not separated

Azerbaijan authorities plan to "squeeze" everything from "terrorist show" related to Armenian captives

Ameriabank Announces a Contest for Bank Card Design

108 new cases of COVID-19 confirmed in Armenia

Armenia parliament convenes special session

Armenia interim government holding Cabinet meeting

Catholicos of All Armenians heads for Syunik Province, Artsakh

World oil prices going up

Iran loses right to vote in UN General Assembly

Newspaper: Armenia authorities come up with new way of punishing unwanted characters

Newspaper: Russia army Southern Military District deputy commander to arrive in Yerevan Thursday

Lebanese Armenian man taken prisoner by Azerbaijan is hospitalized

Armenia ex-President Kocharyan: Are we getting under the burden? Then lets get under to the end

Armenia acting health minister on keeping fallen soldiers bodies in bags: What else should they be kept in?

Armenia acting health minister on citizens' demand for her resignation

Karabakh's new State Minister Artak Beglaryan on his appointment and future activities

Armenian, Russian and Azerbaijani representatives hold consultations in Moscow

2 Armenian soldiers receive slight injuries after incident with Azerbaijani servicemen in Armenia's Gegharkunik

Armenian boy weighing 5 kg born at Goris Medical Center

"Armenia" bloc representative presents purpose of participation in elections and plans

Isaac Herzog elected President of Israel

Rouhani: Main issues between Tehran, Washington resolved in Vienna

Charles Michel calls on Armenia and Azerbaijan to resume constructive negotiations

US Department of State responds to Pashinyan's proposal to deploy international observers on Armenia-Azerbaijan border

Head of Armenia 2nd President's Office: Robert Kocharyan's public meetings are held in warm atmosphere

Opposition "Armenia" bloc's representative on photos and videos showing bags of deceased servicemen's bodies

Armenia Ombudsman, AGBU President discuss war crimes committed by Azerbaijan during Karabakh war

Opposition "Armenia" bloc's representatives to hold briefings three times a week

Opposition "Armenia" bloc member: Blood-freezing photos and videos from morgue in Abovyan are authorities' reflection

Yerevan mayor receives Netherlands Ambassador

Armenia Health Ministry, Investigative Committee keep info about sending remains of dead soldiers abroad confidential

Armenia Prosecutor General's Office launches case regarding leaving sacs of servicemen's bodies/remains in basement

Peskov: Putin and Biden to discuss cybersecurity issues

Armenia's Pashinyan meets with Belgian PM Alexander De Croo

Armenia acting MOD receives Netherlands Ambassador

Armenia Police: 3 citizens apprehended during protest demanding acting health minister's resignation

NATO warns Minsk about further consequences of Ryanair incident

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

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An embassy staff boards a shuttle bus before leaving their embassy in Kuala Lumpur on March 21, after the country severed diplomatic ties with Malaysia in response to the extradition of a North Korean citizen to the U.S. this month. AFP



A North Korean citizen was taken into U.S. custody on Saturday after being extradited from Malaysia to face money laundering charges, making him the first North Korean extradited to the U.S. to face trial.



Mun Chol Myong was in the custody of the FBI in Washington, D.C. on Saturday, according to documents obtained by The Associated Press. His extradition came after a Malaysian court rejected his assertion that the charges were politically motivated.



The Justice Department declined comment on Sunday.



A federal judge in Washington had issued a warrant for Mun's arrest on May 2, 2019 on money laundering and conspiracy charges. Mun, who is in his 50s, has lived in Malaysia for a decade and was arrested in May 2019 after the U.S. requested his extradition. Malaysia's government approved the extradition, but Mun challenged the bid.



His lawyer has said Mun worries he won't get a fair trial in the U.S. They have argued that the extradition is ''politically motivated'' and aimed to increase pressure on North Korea over the nation's missile program.



Mun has denied allegations that he was involved in supplying prohibited luxury goods from Singapore to North Korea in violation of U.N. sanctions before moving to Malaysia in 2008. He has also denied allegations he laundered funds through front companies and produced fraudulent documents to support illicit shipments.



North Korea said it had also terminated diplomatic ties with Malaysia over the decision to extradite Mun to the U.S. in the latest development in growing animosity between Washington and Pyongyang as the North ramps up pressure on the Biden administration over a nuclear standoff. (AP)


New Delhi:

Illegal explosives factory has been sealed, explosives and fire crackers has been seized inside self-proclaimed Godman Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh's Dera Sacha Sauda in Sirsa on Saturday.

Deputy Director (Public Relations) of the Haryana Government Satish Mehra told ANI "Explosives and fire crackers have been seized from the headquarters."

Mehra further told ANI that a set of walkie-talkies has also been found inside the room of convicted Dera Chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh.

Besides that, "Some minor children have been rescued, one is from Uttar Pradesh and the other is from Kaithal. They have been handed over to the district child protection officer," Mehra said.

He also said that unlabelled medicines have been found on the premises and handed over to the district administration.

Mehra confirmed that search operations would continue till the evening and action would be initiated thereafter.

On Friday, after Security forces conducted sanitisation operations a luxury car without aregistration plate and old currency notes were seized from the headquarters of the Sacha Sauda Dera, a sect whose head is in jail after being convicted for rape, an official said.

In a mammoth search operation being carried out by security forces and district authorities, some rooms were also sealed and hard disk drives and unlabelled medicines recovered, Haryana's Information and Public Relations DeputyDirector, Satish Mehra, who has been authorised by the administration to speak to the media, said.

The exercise is being conducted amid tight security bypolice and paramilitary personnel, besides senior officials of various government departments. "Some rooms have been sealed, computer hard disk drives,unregistered Lexus car, an OB van, Rs 7,000 of demonetised currency, Rs 12,000 cash and some pharma medicines without labels or a brand name are among other items which have been seized," he said.

Mehra said forensic teams had reached Sirsa from Karnaland Sonipat, while forensic experts had also been called infrom Roorkee in Uttarakhand. Reports of plastic "coins" or tokens being found during the operations could not be confirmed. The process, which began around 8 AM, is beingvideographed and monitored by retired District and SessionsJudge A K S Pawar, who was appointed as a Court Commissionerby the Punjab and Haryana High Court on Tuesday to oversee the exercise.

The roads are also blocked and no unauthorised person is being allowed to move towards the Dera premises. The Dera, spread over nearly 800 acres, has been divided into ten zones for the purpose of sanitisation and searches,with each zone under the control of a senior officer. Mobile Internet services have been suspended in Sirsa district till September 10 to curb the spread of rumours inview of the drive, and to prevent the disturbance of public order.

Journalists were stopped at the Shah Satnam Singh Chowk,about 7km from the headquarters. The chowk, which separates the heart of the city from the Dera, is also under heavy security. Security personnel had also been deployed in strength at other road blockades or 'nakas' around the Dera.

Earlier on September 5, the Punjab and Haryana High Court gave orders to conduct a search operation of Dera Sacha Sauda headquarters under the supervision of a judicial officer.

This order came after the Haryana Police seized 33 licensed weapons of the Dera Sacha Sauda. These weapons included 14 revolvers, nine guns, four rifles and other modified weapons.

The police later seized and sealed all weapons

With PTI Inputs

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What you need to know about Pa.'s UC system going offline Thursday
The issue of energy cooperation with Germany becomes increasingly important.

Vice Prime Minister of Ukraine for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration, co-chair of the Ukrainian-German high-level group for economic cooperation Olha Stefanishyna said this in an interview with Ukrinform.

According to her, the energy partnership was concluded between the countries last autumn, but Germany has been Ukraines strategic energy partner for many years. In particular, this partnership was strengthened after Ukraine declared its alignment with the European Green Deal, Stefanishyna noted. In addition to its ambitious environmental obligations, Ukraine also commits itself to the great path of "green transformation" which includes, inter alia, the transformation of coal regions. Germany has become Ukraine's largest ally, which can be seen as a long-term investment in Ukraine's development.

"This year, Ukraine and Germany are expected to agree on a program of a 'fair transition' and start implementing it through four pilot projects next year," the Vice PM said. According to her, the German government has provided significant funding. Stefanishyna did not mention specific sum, noting it totals "millions of euros." At the same time, the official acknowledged that this is not enough to achieve such an ambitious goal because "the needs reach tens of billions of euros." At the same time, even though funding is insufficient to achieve the goal, political support for this ambition remains very important to us, she added.

The Vice Prime Minister said that during the 4th German-Ukrainian Forum in Berlin on Friday, new projects were discussed, in particular, specific business cases on the relocation of some high-tech industries to Ukraine were considered.

One of the priorities is hydrogen as Ukraine has committed itself to aligning its policies with the European Green Deal goals, she added.

"We are talking about hydrogen, cooperation in the field of battery economy, etc.," Stefanishyna said.

According to her, German companies understand that achieving climate neutrality in Germany will increase the demand for electricity, and Ukraine is the source that can meet this demand.

Stefanishyna also underscored the high level of readiness of German companies to enter the Ukrainian market.

She also stressed that Germany is Ukraines main trading partner in the EU. At year-end 2020, Germanys share among EU countries is 17.6%. As of October 2020, Germany invested $1.67 billion in Ukraine's economy.

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Few places in California have been devastated by wildfire as acutely as Butte County, where a pair of the worst blazes in state history burned two years apart.

Yet for all the devastation caused by the historic 2018 Camp Fire and the 2020 North Complex fire, which laid waste to the towns of Paradise and Berry Creek, many forested neighborhoods in the area remain unscathed  and vulnerable.

So authorities are trying to help the countys Sierra Nevada foothill communities prepare for the next potential catastrophe. The Butte County unit of the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, or Cal Fire, has been sending inspectors out to educate residents about how they can make their homes more resilient. Theyre targeting 16,000 homes in the most dangerous areas, with the hope of reaching them all over two years.

Some protective measures, such as covering vent openings or cleaning up combustible vegetation, are affordable or even free. Other steps, such as replacing flammable home siding with stronger material, can be more expensive.

Nonetheless, officials have found their efforts getting a positive reception.

Ive definitely noticed that our community is more receptive, said Jacob Gilliam, a fire captain in the Cal Fire Butte Unit. A big reason is that weve had these devastating fires in the last few years. People are listening more.

Scott Strazzante / The Chronicle

Still, high costs remain a major barrier for many households that desperately want to better defend themselves against the states ever-growing fire threat. But the state may be about to unlock a massive new source of funding to help ease that financial burden.

SB440 would by 2024 provide an estimated $100 million annually  eventually more  to help homes in fire-prone areas withstand an onslaught of flames. The bill, which will have its first hearing in the Legislature on Thursday, would also set aside as much as $50 million each year to help fortify homes against the states constant threat of major earthquakes.

What it is in a nutshell is an opportunity to significantly increase investment in both wildfire and earthquake protection on a continuing, year-to-year basis, said state Sen. Bill Dodd, D-Napa, the bills sponsor.

The bill follows a series of efforts in the Legislature to confront the states worsening wildfire crisis, including by spending more money on forest thinning and trying to make power lines safer. They are in response to disasters that have set grim records for their death toll, size and number of homes destroyed in recent years. Dodds North Bay district has been an epicenter of the crisis, and he championed new laws intended to reduce the risk of ruinous fires and address the role of electric companies in starting many of them.

Yet lawmakers and fire-prevention experts acknowledge that focusing on the cause of fires is only one part of the solution. Millions of Californians live in communities that have been and will continue to be threatened when sparks start amid the perilously dry conditions that are becoming more severe and frequent because of climate change. Funds provided by the state could help spare those homes from total destruction, the bills proponents believe.

Scott Strazzante / The Chronicle

Dodd and adviser Michael Wara, a Stanford University climate expert, chose to put fire protection and seismic safety in the same bill because the money theyre seeking would come from the California Earthquake Authority, which sells residential earthquake policies to homeowners through insurance companies. But they also believe it makes fundamental sense to help strengthen homes against the states primary disaster threats in one piece of legislation.

The thinking goes that these are distinct risks, but theyre both catastrophic risks that the state faces, said Wara, director of the climate and energy policy program at Stanfords Woods Institute for the Environment. The goal here is to provide a broad benefit to many communities in California to make them safer.

To make the funds available, SB440 would change how the earthquake authority ensures its own ability to finance claims in the event of a major temblor. Currently, the authority buys whats known as reinsurance  essentially an insurance policy for an insurance company.

SB440 would replace much of the authoritys reinsurance with the ability to impose a 2% charge on all property and casualty insurance in the state  but only in the event of a catastrophic earthquake that crosses an extremely rare threshold. Wara said the event would have to be even worse than the 1906 San Francisco earthquake and cause more than $15 billion in damage to homes insured by the authority.

Scott Strazzante / The Chronicle

In exchange for the right to impose that charge, the authority would essentially pay the state a premium and would not need to buy as much reinsurance. Wara said that by 2024 the change would make $150 million available annually, with two-thirds of the money going to support fire protection of homes and one-third intended to address seismically dangerous buildings in urban areas.

By 2030, the total fund would grow to a projected $200 million annually, but the contribution for earthquake safety would be capped at $50 million annually, with the rest going toward fire protection. Most of the funds would go toward wildfires instead of earthquakes because the bill seeks to help as many areas as it can, since all Californians could be on the hook eventually.

The fact that everyone is going to be assessed means that we should try to spread the benefits as widely as possible, Wara said. If the earthquake authority ever had to implement the charge, he projects it would cost the typical family about $46 each year for a decade.

Because the charge that the authority could impose is considered functionally a tax, the bill will need approval from two-thirds of lawmakers in each chamber to become law. Dodd understands it could be a tall order.

We all have to understand that in these types of cases, by not acting right now and not doing these things, this problem could get so bad that all the costs are far greater, he said. Theres not a lot of options and not all the options are perfect.

The seismic funding provided by SB440 could help cities in the Bay Area and elsewhere do more to retrofit soft-story buildings, which have weak or open first stories that make them particularly prone to damage in an intense earthquake. Many such buildings collapsed in San Franciscos Marina District during the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake.

San Francisco has in recent years gone a long way toward bolstering many of its most vulnerable soft-story structures. About 80% of the more than 4,900 soft-story buildings targeted by a city program are now compliant with retrofit standards, according to the San Francisco Department of Building Inspection. But not all earthquake-exposed apartment buildings are part of the program  smaller complexes with only a handful of units are not included, department spokesman Bill Strawn said.

It could certainly help those people, Strawn said of SB440.

Interactive California Fire Tracker This interactive map provides information on wildfires burning across California and lets you explore coverage of past fire seasons.

Wara said he considers aid for soft-story retrofits an equity issue.

Who lives in those low rise, soft-story apartment buildings? That is renters  middle income, low income people, he said. Those are the buildings that fall down.

But the bills most urgent priority remains wildfire protection, in light of the sheer number of homes lost to firestorms in just the last five years.

In the Camp Fire alone, nearly 19,000 buildings burned down, the vast majority of them homes. Joe Cardoza was one of the lucky ones: The fire came within about 1,800 feet of his home in Magalia, north of Paradise, but didnt damage the structure.

Cognizant of the inherent fire danger living in the Sierra foothills, Cardoza and his wife had already cleaned up a lot of the vegetation around his property after moving there in 2017. Once he saw the horrific toll of the Camp Fire, that work became even more earnest.

They spent nearly $2,000 purchasing and painting fireproof vents to make sure that embers couldnt get inside their home the next time around. They took an even more cautious approach to vegetation, removing all bushes and plants on the ground within 5 feet of the house.

Money from SB440 could help Cardoza go even further by replacing the siding on his house with a more fire-resistant material.

We know it wouldnt cover the whole thing, but just that little boost would help us go there, he said.

Scott Strazzante / The Chronicle

Many other residents are similarly restrained in their ability to pay for fire-protection home upgrades, said Susan Beeler, a Cal Fire defensible space inspector in Butte County. Numerous residences in the county were erected in the 1970s using light materials that pose a unique threat when flames come through, she said.

Theyre the ones who are most vulnerable to the fire, because they dont have a hardened structure, Beeler said.

Of particular concern to Beeler are the countys older mobile homes, many of them built with single-pane windows and aluminum or vinyl siding, which is highly susceptible to damage by fire. A large number of their current inhabitants are senior citizens on fixed incomes who dont have the means to buy expensive, fireproof materials.

The only avenue she knows of to help people pay for fire protection upgrades is a low-interest federal loan program for low-income households. But Beeler doesnt know of anyone who has ever used one, possibly due to red tape.

I wish this bill would pass yesterday, Beeler said of SB440.

J.D. Morris is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: jd.morris@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @thejdmorris
Ireland is in danger of facing another wave of Covid-19 cases, senior health officials have warned.

The HSEs lead for infection control, Professor Martin Cormican, described case numbers as stuck and possibly rising, while HSE Chief Clinical Officer Colm Henry has described the situation as disheartening.

Sunday saw 769 new cases of Covid-19 confirmed by the Department of Health, the highest daily increase in cases reported since Friday February 26.

There were also two more deaths of people with Covid-19.

Read More

Prof Cormican told RTE Radio Ones Morning Ireland programme: [Cases] are pretty much stuck, possibly going back upwards a bit. Theres a real danger of another surge.

We certainly all hoped to be in a better place than we are. We need to deal with the reality of where we are and we need to be very careful.

Mr Cormican described the increase in case numbers as disappointing and urged the public to continue in their social distancing efforts because the more people come together the more the virus spreads.

Thats really hard because whats got us through so far is that people have put up with a great deal of isolation and loneliness and burdened it as necessary to control the virus, he said.

Unfortunately it is still necessary because the new strain does seem to spread faster than the one we were used to. And that makes everything harder and makes it harder for everyone.

He added: The vast majority of people are trying really hard to adhere to the restrictions as much of the time as they possibly can.

There are some people who are less careful and I suppose we continue to appeal to them and to explain to them that the risks that theyre taking is not just a risk for them, the risk that theyre taking is a risk for everyone they know and care about in the two weeks after they take that risk.

Prof Cormican said the situation in hospitals had improved and described schools as stable, but warned they were seeing a spread in infection in workplaces and other settings where people gather together such as birthday parties and wakes.

It makes no difference to the virus if it is a wake or a birthday party, he added.

Meanwhile, Colm Henry, Chief Clinical officer said; its disheartening to see those figures go up again - were not really seeing the dip we really hoped for.

Also speaking this morning, he said the HSE had planned to get cases down to about 200 a day by the end of February and now we find ourselves stuck at this 500 a day, and even higher cases per day.

Dr Henry says nursing home residents in Ireland are almost completely covered which is a huge achievement", and front-line health care workers are well into dose two.

He says cases amongst health care workers have fallen from almost 1000 per week in mid-January to "14 in one week a few weeks ago.

But it is too early to assume that increase vaccination uptake will immediately lead to an improving situation with the virus, he added.

The re-opening phase of the Level 5 lockdown is due to begin April 5th, however, Dr Henry said, At 500 or 600 cases a day it considerably narrows our choices

All those 500-600 cases, about 50-60 will translate into hospital admissions and 5 or 6 of those will end up entering intensive care.

Were seeing ongoing admissions of 20-30 per day into our hospital system  thats what concerns me, he told Newstalk Breakfast.

Dr Henry spoke on complaints in recent weeks over contract tracing and a lack in HSE resources.

About 70pc of cases maybe more, we know the sources  the remainder we dont, Dr Henry admitted.

He added that the HSE are planning in the next few weeks to roll out a more thorough case investigation in the remaining 20 or 30pc of unknown case sources.

The HSE is working with the GP community to vaccinate house-bound patients that cannot access a GP surgery.

There is somewhere between 1500, maybe up to a 1000, housebound people awaiting vaccination", she says.

Dr Henry added, as of last Friday, we got to 300, with the national ambulance service.

He added that vaccinating housebound patients it is a tricky exercise due to identifying those 5,6,7 people to use once that vial gets drawn up.

The comments come as the countrys long-awaited mandatory quarantine system is set to become operational later this week.

People arriving from 33 countries flagged as high risk will have to quarantine in hotels for 14 days.

Mandatory quarantine will also apply to people arriving into Ireland without a negative PCR test.

Meanwhile, as of March 18, 654,251 doses of Covid vaccines have been administered in Ireland.

Read More




Adobe Acrobat Pro DC now incorporates e-signing capabilities, allowing small businesses to take greater advantage of digital documents.

The integration of Adobe Sign within Adobe Acrobat Pro DC allows users to embed customer forms into a website with webforms, collect digital payments with Paypal or Braintree, add custom branding to electronic contracts and invoices, and use advanced form fields for complex customer workflows.

The adoption of e-signatures also grew rapidly during 2020: according to Adobe's research, 76% of people in APAC said they e-signed more documents in the last half of 2020, as opposed to the start of 2020.

The study also found that insurance policies (43%) and healthcare registration (38%) were among the most common documents to be e-signed in APAC.

In Australia, the clear leader was legal agreements (76%).

"Technology has been the lifeblood for many small-to-medium businesses throughout the pandemic," said Adobe Asia Pacific head of Adobe Document Cloud Chandra Sinnathamby.

"Over the past 12 months, we have seen small businesses turn to digital documents to e-sign documents, collaborate and speed up approvals. Acrobat Pro DC with advanced e-sign now allows small businesses to utilise our most powerful, enterprise-grade technology to streamline operations."

Adobe vice president for Australia and New Zealand Suzanne Steele said "Small-to-medium businesses are the driving force of the Australian economy.

"Many SMBs had to pivot operations and embrace digital transformation, moving from paper to digital. Our new solution is designed to continue supporting small businesses and entrepreneurs who want to embrace smart, digital technologies be more productive."
Drew Angerer/Getty

I respect Theresa Zubretsky's opinions in her commentary "Menthol-flavored tobacco is killing African Americans," March 1, and her work on tobacco cessation. I do not smoke nor do I write this in support of smoking. However, I come to ask: What happens when we prohibit a historically legal product making that product now illegal in the eyes of regulators, police and the communities of color that primarily favors it?

The product becomes a tool used to stop, question, frisk or worse. Police interactions with unarmed Blacks are more likely to involve pepper-spraying the victim, over-aggressive force and arrests for minor offenses.



Just look at these recent incidents involving the Rochester Police Department and unarmed Blacks: detaining and pepper-spraying a 9-year old girl; chasing and pepper-spraying a Black woman as she clinched the hand of her 3-year old; the death of Daniel Prude in police custody that resulted in a no criminal charges.



Our criminal justice and policing systems are failing us, and change is urgently needed before more state legislation stands to increase police interactions with the Black and Brown community.



Today, New York leads the nation in illegal cigarette loosie sales. Following the author's guidance would add another untaxed product to this underground economy. We dont need another Eric Garner who was stopped by police while selling loosies and died in police custody.
Twenty-one years after the massacre of innocent Sikh men of all age group, the people of Chittisinghpura in Anantnag district of Jammu and Kashmir Union Territory (J&KUT) gathered in a local Gurdwara on Sunday (March 21).

They held the gathering to remember and pay homage to the 35 people who were lined up before a wall and shot dead by masked men- a day before the arrival of the then US president Bill Clinton.

How can I forget the fateful day of March 20, 2000, when armed militants dragged innocent Sikh men, young and children, out of their houses and indiscriminately sprayed bullets on them and next day on March 21 we carried out their mass cremation,  said Nanak Singh, while talking to the media after the bhog ceremony of the Akhand Path which began on Saturday.

He was the only survivor of the incident and had lost his son, a brother and three cousins in the heart-wrenching incident.

Like Nanak Singh, Bobby Singh who had also lost his relatives in the Sikhs carnage said These wounds will never heal, though the government has given financial compensation and a job to a member of the deceased family but who attacked us and why is the big question.

The Center has also set up a permanent CRPF camp in the Chittisinghpura after the incident. Still, there are as many as over 300 houses of Sikhs in the village.

None of the successive governments held an inquiry to reveal the truth to the world and most importantly to the victims, Nanak Singh said

The then government had made a futile attempt to assuage our hurt feelings when a few days after the Chittishingpura massacre the government shot dead a few terrorists near the village claiming that they were responsible for the murder of Sikhs but eventually it proved to be a false claim.

A Sikh leader from Jammu Surinder Singh informed that the bhog of Akhand Path was also performed in Jammu in the memory of departed 35 souls. Several delegations have met the state and Centre leadership to hold an inquiry but to no avail, he said.

Surinder Singh, an advocate by profession, said that they had urged prime minister Narendra Modi to hold a fresh inquiry into the incident and let the truth come out. Truth will always be the truth and only the truth about the incident can offer us solace, he said.

Live TV
Day 28: Fred Hampton

Fred Hampton was the chairman of the Black Panther Partys Illinois chapter.

A young, gifted leader with a talent for organizing, Hampton was born in Argo, Illinois, a southwest suburb of Chicago, on Aug. 30, 1948. His neighbor in Argo was Mamie Till, the mother of Emmett Till, the 14-year-old Black boy murdered in Missouri for allegedly whistling at a white woman.

Hampton grew up mainly in Maywood, a west suburb. He attended Irving Elementary School and Proviso East High School. While in school, Hampton led a boycott of homecoming, forcing the school to allow Black girls to compete for homecoming queen, and became head of the schools Inter-racial Council, which met when there was racial friction in school.

While in high school, Hampton held several jobs and eventually earned enough to pay his college tuition. During those high school years, he noticed how few Black teenagers had jobs and pushed Maywood to fund a summer jobs program. He also organized community members to push Maywood leaders for an integrated pool and recreational center.

Hamptons organizing in Maywood caught the attention of Don Williams, the head of the West Suburban Chapter of the NAACP. He liked what Hampton had done, and since there was no youth section of the association in the area, he asked Hampton to start one.

After finishing high school in 1966, Hampton continued his activism, marching several times with Martin Luther King Jr. when he came to Chicago to fight for equal treatment of Black residents in housing, jobs and schools. Many white people, some dressed as Nazis, came to spit and throw rocks at marchers during that time. Seeing the violence directed towards them left Hampton feeling disenchanted with Kings nonviolent approach. He began to turn away from the NAACP and towards Malcolm Xs message of self-defense, and the growing movement of the Black Panther Party in Oakland, California.

In November 1968, Bobby Rush, current-U.S. Representative and then-Black Panther, received a mandate from the national party to start a chapter in Chicago. Having met Hampton and heard him speak at marches and protests, Rush recruited him right away, and they opened the office together. Hampton became chairman and Rush deputy minister.

One of 45 chapters in the county, the Black Panther Party chapter of Illinois militantly stood against "racism, capitalism and police brutality," according to the Chicago History Museums "Encyclopedia of Chicago." The chapter formed in the fall of 1968 and disbanded in 1973.

The group formed partnerships with Latino and white Chicagoans to create the Rainbow Coalition, which went after structural inequalities in neighborhoods around the city. They organized free breakfasts and offered free legal consultations to help disadvantaged populations.

The Panthers took a militant stance in the partys imagery, rhetoric and sometimes action, but at times this cost the party some support. Many white people, along with some conservative-leaning Black residents, and the mass media all criticized the Panthers, and law enforcement became especially keen on watching party members.

In Chicago, some Panthers did clash with police, sometimes violently, and Hampton, even before he became a Panther, personally faced harassment and multiple arrests for otherwise harmless or overblown crimes, such as traffic violations.

In 1968, FBI leader J. Edgar Hoover, a known bigot and opponent of the Civil Rights Movement, declared the Black Panthers the greatest threat to the internal security of the country, according to Curt Gentry's J. Edgar Hoover: The Man and His Secrets. He ordered agents to employ a range of tactics, many illegal, including mail openings, phone taps and bugs, burglaries and paid informants to bring the Panthers down. The bureau also used anonymous mailings, sent to Panther headquarters to try and stir up trouble and paranoia among the party members.

Hampton caught the bureaus attention Nov. 9, 1969, Gentry wrote. The Chicago field office received a tip from a paid informant that Hampton would be named chief of staff to replace David Hillard in the Panthers national party if he went to prison, a move that would have put Hampton in the national party leadership. Hoover and the bureau feared that Hampton, with all his talents of organizing, speaking and leadership, might become the new black messiah.

That paid informant turned out to be William ONeal, who was the chief of security for the Black Panther Party.

After a shootout between the Panthers and Chicago police, which left two officers and one Panther dead, local law enforcement began to focus more intensely on the Panthers, Gentry noted. The bureau then approached Chicago and state attorneys police with information from their paid informant, and together, they plotted to bring Hampton down.

In addition to tipping off the FBI about Hamptons upcoming promotion to the national party, ONeal also provided the feds with a treasure trove of information about Hampton and the layout of his apartment. His information eventually led to Hamptons murder.

At 5 a.m. on Dec. 4, 1969, Chicago and states attorney police raided the headquarters of the Black Panther Party at 2337 W. Monroe St. on the West Side of the city. They entered the apartment and fatally shot Hampton, who had been drugged the night before, as he slept in his bed. Mark Clark, a downstate party leader, was also killed.

Following the shooting, States Attorney Edward V. Hanrahan held a press conference where he told Chicago Daily News reporters that a gun battle broke out as states attorneys policemen tried to enter the apartment to search for illegal weapons. Hanrahan said the officers leading the raid allegedly announced themselves, only to be met with gunfire from the first-floor apartment, according to a Daily News article that ran the day of the raid. Three times, the states attorney claimed, officers ceased fire and demanded the occupants come out with their hands up, only to be met with more gunfire. The immediate, violent criminal reaction of the occupants in shooting at announced police officers emphasizes the extreme viciousness of the Black Panther Party, Hanrahan said. Police insisted that a gun was found next to Hamptons hand and that he had shot at them, pointing to a number of bullet holes in the wall, the Daily News report said.

Police were uninjured and had fired their guns 90-99 times. Throughout the assault Hampton had remained unconscious due to the drugging. During the assault, Hamptons pregnant fiance, Deborah Johnson, attempted to wake him but failed repeatedly. After police forced Johnson out of the bedroom, two officers entered the room where Hampton still lay unconscious. Johnson heard one officer ask, Is he still alive? After two gunshots were fired inside the room, the other officer said, Hes good and dead now.

Bobby Rush, current U.S. Representative and then-deputy minister of the Panthers, asserted that Hampton had been sleeping during the raid, the paper said. He then led reporters on a tour of the apartment, showing them bullet holes from police firing into the apartment but no shots fired out. Days after the shooting, Chicago Sun-Times reporter Joe Reilly received a tip that those were nail holes, not bullet holes. The story, which ran Dec. 12, 1969, started unraveling the narrative that police tried to spin. All the while, the FBI remained quiet about its role in Hampton and Clarks murder. It would be years before the truth of the bureaus involvement would come out.

Though only 21 when he was murdered by the FBI, Fred Hampton had already accomplished groundbreaking work. In addition to bringing together poor Latinos and Caucasians, Hampton was able to convince many of the street gangs in Chicago to put aside their differences and disputes to help build the community.

Today, Hamptons only child, Fred Jr. (born 25 days after his fathers assassination), continues the activism of his father. He is currently the President and Chairman of the Prisoners of Conscience Committee and the Black Panther Party Cubs.

BLACK HISTORY IS AMERICAN HISTORY!

By: U.S. Marine Corps Major Larry Black
Daniel McGhee was preparing to lead a weekly small group through 40 Days of Purpose by Rick Warren at his New York City church when pandemic restrictions began. The pastor of Connection Church in Queens quickly pivoted to Zoom and revised his plan. The small group still met every week online, but McGhee added another component to the study, which he hoped would alleviate the isolation people would feel in the weeks to come. He interviewed a church member every day for 40 days and posted the interviews on YouTube so others could watch them.

In this new virtual scenario, McGhee entered the homes of his church members in a different way. He would talk casually with them before and after their short interviews on Zoom. During those 40 days, he learned more about their lives. This led McGhee to begin texting or calling church members on a weekly basis tooa practice that is now part of his routine.

I would ask them in our conversations how I could pray for them, and I would write ...

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The largest mass vaccination event to date in Louisiana -- Metairie's 24-hour "Vaccine Fest," which will include themed playlists for some 6,500 people awaiting shots -- has been rescheduled due to the threat of severe weather this week, event organizers said Monday.

The around-the-clock, drive-thru event had been set to open Wednesday. But it will now take place next week, from 10 a.m. March 29 to 10 a.m. March 30, at the Shrine on Airline parking lot at 6000 Airline Drive, Ochsner Health said in a news release Monday.

Katie Fauquier, Ochsner's public relations director, said the event in partnership with Jefferson Parish government is "to honor the essential workers who support our community 24/7 during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic."

Gov. John Bel Edwards has announced expanded COVID-19 vaccine eligibility which took effect Monday. The new guidelines allow those with essential jobs, including grocery store, postal and waste management workers, to be vaccinated.

Some 6,500 first doses of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine will be administered at the event, making it the largest COVID-19 mass vaccination event to date in Louisiana, officials said.

Vaccine Fest will include festival-themed flair, Ochsner said in a news release, including themed playlists for the wait period, and food from Dragos Seafood Restaurant for Ochsner and Jefferson Parish health care workers and volunteer staff.

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The National Weather Service says there's a chance for heavy rain and storms across the region Tuesday-Thursday.

Fauquier said people who who had already scheduled an appointment before the postponement will be automatically rebooked and contacted with their new appointment date and time.

They will then have the option to reschedule online or by phone if the new time does not work for them, she said in an email.

In addition to the 24-hour event, Ochsner and Jefferson Parish announced new appointments this weekend:

Friday, March 26: 9 a.m.  5:30 p.m. (Pfizer vaccine)

Saturday, March 27: 7:30 a.m.  6:30 p.m. (Pfizer vaccine)

Vaccine Fest  Monday, March 29  Tuesday, March 30: 10 a.m.  10 a.m. (Moderna vaccine)

People seeking new appointments, who had not signed up for the mass vaccination event before Monday afternoon, can schedule their time slot starting at 4 p.m. online at myochsner.org or by phone at 844-888-2772.

Across the Mississippi River, the Alario Center will remain open for COVID-19 vaccine appointments because they are conducted inside. However, coronavirus testing there will be canceled from Tuesday to Thursday due to the rain. Testing will open back up at 8 a.m. Friday.
Students from Turkmenistan studying at the Belarusian State University (BSU) together with the student diaspora of Belarus, Azerbaijan, Iran, Tajikistan, Kazakhstan, Turkey and Uzbekistan took part in the Novruz university festival.

The festival started with an exhibition of national cultures featuring authentic oriental cuisines. A concert of students from different countries studying at the universities of the Belarusian capital was the main event of the festival. They performed folk and modern songs in different languages as well as incendiary national dances that drew thunderous applause from the audience.

The Novruz festival has been held at BSU since 2015. In 2017, it was awarded the first degree diploma of the nationwide Belarusian competition of interuniversity innovative projects and information-methodological modules "Students of the World: Creative Community.

 TURKMENISTAN.RU, 2021
Atlanta gunman's church revokes his membership, calls spa shootings rebellion' against God

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The 21-year-old man accused of killing eight people, mostly women of Asian descent, at three Atlanta massage parlors last week has been removed from the membership of his church as the congregations leaders say they can no longer affirm that he is truly a regenerate believer in Jesus Christ.

Crabapple First Baptist Church in Fulton County released a statement announcing that it has completed the process of church discipline to remove Robert Aaron Long from membership.

We want to be clear that this extreme and wicked act is nothing less than rebellion against our Holy God and His Word, the statement reads. Aarons actions are antithetical to everything that we believe and teach as a church. In the strongest possible terms, we condemn the actions of Aaron Long as well as his stated reasons for carrying out this wicked plan.

Seven of the eight people Long killed last Tuesday were women, and six were of Asian descent. Two of the victims were white.

Long told law enforcement that he would regularly visit two of the massage parlors he attacked, The Washington Post reported, adding that police had identified the spas as places where sex work and possible sexual exploitation regularly occurred.

The suspect told police he saw the people who worked at the spas as temptations he needed to eliminate. After commenters online were quick to criticize the Southern Baptist culture and teachings on sexual immorality, the churchs statement assured that Longs actions are a total repudiation of our faith and practice

[A]nd such actions are completely unacceptable and contrary to the gospel, the statement adds.

The church also assured that it does not teach that acts of violence are acceptable against certain ethnicities or against women. Additionally, the church rejected the notion that it teaches that women are responsible for mens sexual sin against them.

Each person is responsible for his or her own sin, the churchs statement explains. In this case, the shooter is solely responsible for his heinous actions, not the victims who were targeted.

The church called murder a heinous evil and grievous sin and denounced any and all forms of hatred or violence against Asians or Asian-Americans.

Scripture teaches and we believe that all human beings are created in the image of God. Every person is worthy of respect, the statement details. All people are equal in dignity, value, and worth. We repudiate any and all forms of misogyny and racism. We categorically reject the idea that violence is appropriate, regardless of ones issues or motivations.

The church also stated that it does not blame the victims.

He alone is responsible for his evil actions and desires, the statement adds. The women that he solicited for sexual acts are not responsible for his perverse sexual desires nor do they bear any blame in these murders. These actions are the result of a sinful heart and depraved mind for which Aaron is completely responsible.

Crabapple First Baptist has taken down its website and social media, explaining it feared for the safety of members of our church community.

Long has been charged with eight counts of murder and one count of aggravated assault, according to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

Many are demanding that hate crime be added to his charges. However, authorities said last week that they have not yet found enough evidence that clears the high bar for hate crime charges, according to The Associated Press.

Crabapple First Baptist says it is cooperating with law enforcement and denied that Longs father ever worked for the church.

Victims include 33-year-old Delaina Ashley Yaun, 54-year-old Paul Andre Michels, 44-year-old Daoyou Feng, 49-year-old Xiaojie Tan, 74-year-old Soon Chung Park, 69-year-old Suncha Kim, 63-year-old Yong Ae Yue and 51-year-old Hyun Jung Grant, who was a single mother.

A GoFundMe page has raised more than $2.7 million for Grant's two sons  22-year-old Randy Park and his 21-year-old brother, Eric.

I have no time to grieve for long, Randy Park wrote on the page. I will need to figure out the living situation for my brother and I for the next few months, possibly year.

Parks GoFundMe page is not the only one raising funds for the families of the shooting victims. According to USA Today, as much as $3.5 million has been raised to support victims' families.

The GoFundMe page supporting the family of Kim has raised over $150,000. Meanwhile, pages established to support the families of Yaun and Yue have both raised over $100,000. A GoFundMe page for Michels family has raised over $60,000. A page set up to support Tans daughter has raised over $3,000.
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One more person has died after contracting Covid-19 while 520 new cases of the virus were announced today.

The latest figures bring the death toll from the illness to 4,588 while the total number of confirmed cases now stands at 231,119.

As of 8am this morning, 359 people were in hospital with Covid-19, 81 of whom are in ICU.

Of the cases notified today:

258 are men / 262 are women

79% are under 45 years of age

The median age is 28 years old

242 are in Dublin, 36 in Meath, 30 in Offaly, 29 in Kildare, 25 in Wicklow and the remaining 158 cases are spread across 20 other counties.

Over 668,000 vaccine doses have been administered as of Friday, March 19, according to latest HSE data, with 487,466 first doses and 181,063 second doses given.

This equates to almost one in ten people in Ireland having received at least one vaccine dose.

Read More

It comes as a senior health official has warned Ireland is in danger of facing another wave of Covid-19 cases.

The HSEs lead for infection control, Professor Martin Cormican, described case numbers as stuck and possibly rising.

Sunday saw 769 new cases of Covid-19 confirmed by the Department of Health, the highest daily increase in cases reported since Friday February 26.

Prof Cormican told RTE Radio 1s Morning Ireland programme: [Cases] are pretty much stuck, possibly going back upwards a bit. Theres a real danger of another surge.

We certainly all hoped to be in a better place than we are. We need to deal with the reality of where we are and we need to be very careful.

Mr Cormican described the increase in case numbers as disappointing and urged the public to continue in their social distancing efforts because the more people come together the more the virus spreads.
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Ivan Belozertsev, the governor of Russia's Penza region and a vocal supporter of President Vladimir Putin, has been arrested and sent to pretrial detention for two months on corruption charges.



The Basmanny district court in Moscow ruled on March 22 that Belozertsev must remain in pretrial detention until at least May 20.



The Investigative Committee has accused Belozertsev of accepting a bribe worth of 31 million rubles ($420,000).



A local businessman Boris Shpigel, who heads up the BIOTEK pharmacy group, and several other individuals whose identities were not disclosed, were detained on suspicion of bribing Belozertsev in exchange for getting the inside track on business agreements with the local government.



Belozertsev, a member of the ruling United Russia party, has led the Penza region in the Volga Federal District since 2015.



Media reports said earlier that the bribes were given to Belozertsev in 2020 and included an expensive Mercedes car, a Breguet watch, and cash.



On March 22, Russian news agencies quoted sources close to the investigation as saying that Belozertsev, Shpigel, and other people detained in the case had pleaded not guilty.

A resident of Penza, the regions largest city and administrative center, told RFE/RL that he and many other friends believe Belozertsev is innocent of the charges against him.

We are unshaken in supporting him. We hope that law-enforcement bodies will examine all of this and that he will continue to work in his position as the governor of Penza, he added.

Another resident who said he didn't like him at all as governor, said Belozertsev hasn't done absolutely anything [good].

Under his rule, prices have gone up, there are no jobs anymore, and the young people who have jobs are like slaves -- they cannot say a word."

In recent years, several regional governors in Russia have been convicted on corruption charges.



The most high-profile case was the arrest of the governor of the Far Eastern Khabarovsk Krai region, Sergei Furgal, in July last year that sparked ongoing protests in the region.



Furgal was charged with being involved in several murders that took place more than 10 years ago. He and his supporters reject the charges, calling the case politically motivated. He was dismissed from the post after his arrest.

Furgal, of the nationalist Liberal Democratic Party of Russia, was elected in 2018 in a runoff that he won handily against the regions longtime incumbent of the ruling United Russia party.

With reporting by TASS and Interfax
FOTA Wildlife Park which has been closed to the general public since January 8, has received over 10,000 in individual private donations on their website in recent days.

The general public was reacting to recent financial concerns expressed by their team and how closure to the public was gravely affecting the Park which is a conservation charity.

Fota Wildlife Park is very dependent on visitor income and 95% of the operating costs are reliant on gate receipts, annual pass sales and gift shop revenues.

Recent government funding supports means that Fota Wildlife Park can survive financially until June 2021. However, if Fota Wildlife Park misses the peak visitor income period of July and August then the Park will be facing financing difficulties and possible closure for September and beyond.

They are hopeful they will be allowed to reopen in the coming weeks. Sean McKeown, Director of Fota Wildlife Park writing on their official blog said his team has been humbled by the response.

I would like to thank the public for their generosity. We have been humbled by their donations. We received over 10,000 of individual private donations on our website over the weekend and we have seen reports of members of the public setting up GoFundMe initiatives, he said.

Mr McKeown said the prospect of no income streams for the foreseeable future is very worrying.

The running costs at Fota are approximately 380,000 a month."

"It is a simple fact of life that if we have the continued prospect of no income and possible future Covid restrictions that would keep the Park closed until after the summer season, then closure may be a real possibility. However, we would like to stress that this would be a worst-case scenario, he added.

Recent government funding of 550,000 from the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage and the confirmation of 1 million in funding from the Office of Public Works to allow the completion of essential capital works that were commenced in early 2020, such as the sea-wall flood relief, means that Fota Wildlife Park can survive financially over the coming months.

Fota Wildlife Park, a not-for-profit organisation, is part of the Zoological Society of Ireland and is set on the scenic Fota Island in the heart of Cork Harbour. Fota Wildlife Park cares for 135 species of which 75 species at the Park face the danger of extinction in the wild.

Pre-Covid in 2019, Fota received 462,000 visitors and income from visitors amounted to 5.2 million annually. The overall impact of the Covid-19 pandemic was a loss of 18% in visitor numbers down to 385,000. Visitor income was also down 17% in 2020 compared to 2019. So far 2021 has seen only 3174 visitors compared to 41,623 in 2020 for the same period.
Since universities are the training grounds for our societal elites, some of the dominant narratives being taught in todays halls of learning could lead to a more closed, despotic, and totalitarian society. (Jen Wolf/Shutterstock)

From Postcolonial Theory to Toxic Masculinity: What Students Learn at Canadian Universities

Commentary

Did you know that all of the evil in the world was brought about by Western imperialism and colonialism? That is the message of postcolonial theory, the dominant narrative in university social sciences, humanities, and education. Canada in particular is a colonial settler society living on land stolen from First Nations.

But students are not taught about the expansionist ancient Chinese empire, the conquests and massive slavery of the Arab Islamic Empire, the atrocities of the Mongol Empire, the far-flung conquests of the Russian Empire, the Ottoman Empires genocide of the Armenians, the Soviet show trials and gulag, the Nazi Holocaust genocide, communist Chinas conquests of Tibet, Turkestan, and Inner Mongolia, the mass murder of the Khmer Rouge, or the Rwandan genocide. These cannot be taught because they contradict the postcolonial narrative of the West as the great villain of history.

Did you know that Canadian culture is a rape culture? This is what university students are taught by feminist anthropologists, sociologists, and cultural studies professors, and most female students firmly believe it. That this is false is obvious from the fact that Canadian parents do not tell their children that rape is good, schoolteachers do not teach how to rape, and we dont reward rapists but rather punish them severely. While there are some rapes, Canada has an anti-rape culture.

In spite of this feminist obsession, students are not taught that in the Islamic Republic of Iran, virgin female prisoners are raped before being executed so that they do not go to heaven; or that the Islamic State, having murdered all of the Yazidi boys and men, gang-raped Yazidi girls and women before selling them as sex slaves; or that reports indicate widespread rape of Uyghurs in communist Chinas concentration camps.

Did you know that all menyour father, brothers, husband, sonsare inherently evil people? For the threat of rape is just one of the many gender challenges that are taught by feminist professors. Other challenges result because all men, all around the world, are toxic: insensitive, unreliable, brutal oppressors of helpless females. Or as Brock Universitys vice-provost put it, the entire system of white masculinity is rotten, replete with male terrorism, hegemonic masculinity, white masculinity, and patriarchal domination.

But dont worry, the future is female. Females already dominate universities, making up 60 percent of students and increasingly the majority of professors and administrators.

But wait. Now it is forbidden to talk about males and females, or men and women, because they no longer exist. Students are now taught that there is no biological basis for gender or sex, and that there are no clear differences between males and females, just a continuum of variations. Never mind genetics, neurology, physiology, and psychology. The biology of sex is now forbidden in university because of the transsexual veto. Students learn that you can be any sex you choose to be, and that everyone else must say whatever words you dictate. (But dont try identifying with another racethat has been a major fail.)

It is a fact universally acknowledged by all university professors, and is a central theme in teaching, that capitalism is an evil system that despoils the environment, exploits workers, and leads to income inequality. And that it should be replaced by the more humane, egalitarian socialism, which a strong, benign central government could implement to everyones benefit.

And who doesnt love a utopian vision? It is easy to sell this to teenage university students who were never taught about the 100 million people murdered under communism in the Soviet Union, China, Cambodia, and North Korea as a whole, or the failures of collectivization, the equality of scarcity and famine shared by the victorious proletariat, and the totalitarian governance of the only party allowed and its agents in the secret police.

All Canadian students are now taught that science is just Western imperialist culture, just one colonialist kind of knowledge, neither better nor worse than that known by witchcraft doctors, voodoo priests, First Nations lore, alchemy, or astrology. Each of us has our own truth and no one should question anyone elses, and if someone does, that person is making them unsafe and must be cancelled. Reference to evidence is deemed to be debunked empiricism and positivism and can be justly ignored. Nothing is objective, and all subjectivity is absolutely valid. Thats why identity is sacred, and violating someones identity is a capital offence.

Academic work is passe, and universities are devoted instead to social engineering. Students learn that the objective of universities now is social justice, which means favouring some sexes, races, sexualities, medical conditions, and ethnicities over others. Individual qualities are not importantcategory membership is. All men, people who are white, Christians and Jews, Zionists, the able-bodied, and capitalists are oppressors who need to be suppressed. All females, people of colour, indigenous, LGBTQ++, Muslims, the handicapped, socialists, communists, and anarchists are victims who deserve preference and special benefits, especially in universities. Evil racism, sexism, and bigotry is to be replaced by social justice racism, sexism, and bigotry.

Over the 50 years I taught anthropology at McGill University, I saw the erosion of these academic values: the search for truth, the attempt to provide evidence before drawing conclusions, the willingness to engage in intellectual exchange, the tolerance of contrary views. In place of academic values was substituted an increasingly intolerant ideology, a neo-Marxist identity class conflict theory. This has divided categories of people into good and bad, silenced objections, cancelled dissidents, and thus has been turning universities into intellectually closed, quasi-religious spaces, increasingly like despotic and totalitarian societies.

Since universities are the training grounds for our societal elitesteachers, journalists, lawyers, NGO leaders, corporate leaders, tech leaders, public servants, politicianswe can expect, as we see currently in process, a more closed, despotic, and totalitarian society.

Philip Carl Salzman is professor emeritus of anthropology at McGill University, senior fellow at the Frontier Centre for Public Policy, fellow at the Middle East Forum, and president of Scholars for Peace in the Middle East.

Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.
A priest in Co Cavan has received a fine, understood to be 500, for celebrating mass with people present.

Fr PJ Hughes in Mullahoran was given the fixed penalty notice after being reported to Gardai.

Under Level 5 restriction, places of worship are to remain closed except for private prayer.

Writing in this weekend's parish bulletin, Fr Hughes said he had been "reported again" and had been issued a fine because he celebrated mass with people present.

"I will exercise my constitutional right even though people are complaining, even though I am not obeying my bishop when I go against his advice," he wrote.

The Cavan priest said he does not accept the "negative message" from the Government and health officials which he said is telling people to stray away from Jesus.

"Life has become burdened by restrictions, health officials telling us to wear masks and not to go to the church in case we catch the virus," Fr Hughes wrote.

He went on to say that restrictions have turned people against each other and that he is not obliged to challenge people who choose not to wear a mask. Fr Hughes said the choice to wear or not wear a mask is a constitutional right that shouldn't be taken from people.

In the lengthy address, Fr Hughes went on to say: "If Christians were as determined to spread the message that Christ is our Saviour as they are to challenge others for not obeying restrictions laid down by this government then we would be on the right track...May we recgonise God's mercy and be drawn to him rather than be obsessed by regulations and restrictions."

Speaking about Holy Week celebrations, which will begin next Sunday, the priest said it is hard to believe that for a second year people can't come to the church to take part.

According to the priest, the church has been deemed a "hot spot" for the spread of Covid-19 by gardai.

Fr Hughes said people were making a grave mistake by "rejecting" god by following the current restrictions and staying away from the church.

Today, the HSE chief Paul Reid warned that the number of Covid infections is on the rise as 1,294 cases were confirmed over the weekend.

Mr Reid also said the increase in hospital admissions this weekend is a cause of concern for health officials.
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The wife of a former Surveyor-General of Ekiti, Funmilola Osalusi, has been abducted by gunmen and taken to an unknown destination.

The News Agency of Niveria (NAN) reports that Mrs Osalusi, whose husband, Felix Osalusi, died recently, is a staff member of Ado Local Government Council.

NAN also reports that the police command in the state confirmed the kidnap on Monday, saying that the incident occurred at about 9:20 pm. on Sunday.

The commands Public Relations Officer, Sunday Abutu, said the woman was abducted by three gun- wielding men at her residence, behind Nigeria Immigration Service, Federal Polytechnic road, Ado-Ekiti.

Mr Abutu said Mrs Osalusi was tricked out of her house by her abductors and ferried away in their car.

The armed men, numbering three, were said to have knocked the gate of the victims residence and tricked her into coming outside the house.

She was said to have come out of the gate to ascertain the identities of the guests and as she did that, the gunmen quietly took her away in their vehicle, he said.

Mr Abutu further stated that the police commissioner in the state, Babatunde Mobayo, had already deployed detectives to the bushes where the woman might have been taken to by her abductors.

He added that the policemen would work with operatives of Amotekun corps, local hunters, Vigilante Group of Nigeria and other stakeholders to rescue the widow from captivity.

The police spokesperson urged members of the public to oblige the police with information that could help in rescuing the woman.

(NAN)
Ankara has informed Moscow that Syrias armed forces must stop combat operation in Idlib, the Turkish national defense ministry said on Sunday.

According to the Turkish defense ministry, Syrian troops "delivered strikes at a hospital in al-Atarib" some time ago and "now dwelling quarters in Kaha in the Idlib de-escalation zone and trucks near the city of Sarmad came under missile shelling."

"Russia was informed for immediate cessation of attacks. Our servicemen were warned, we continue to monitor the developments [in the region]," TASS cited the ministry as saying.
Armenia MFA information department chief: All deputy FMs carrying out their duties

Ardshinbank invited children to the cinema on International Childrens Day

Armenia judiciary to have 10 more judges

Armenia acting premier: We had recorded 40% increase in tax revenues according to 2019 results

Armenia acting PM on Artsakh war casualties bodies: We have 50 remains in which case DNA was not separated

Azerbaijan authorities plan to "squeeze" everything from "terrorist show" related to Armenian captives

Ameriabank Announces a Contest for Bank Card Design

108 new cases of COVID-19 confirmed in Armenia

Armenia parliament convenes special session

Armenia interim government holding Cabinet meeting

Catholicos of All Armenians heads for Syunik Province, Artsakh

World oil prices going up

Iran loses right to vote in UN General Assembly

Newspaper: Armenia authorities come up with new way of punishing unwanted characters

Newspaper: Russia army Southern Military District deputy commander to arrive in Yerevan Thursday

Lebanese Armenian man taken prisoner by Azerbaijan is hospitalized

Armenia ex-President Kocharyan: Are we getting under the burden? Then lets get under to the end

Armenia acting health minister on keeping fallen soldiers bodies in bags: What else should they be kept in?

Armenia acting health minister on citizens' demand for her resignation

Karabakh's new State Minister Artak Beglaryan on his appointment and future activities

Armenian, Russian and Azerbaijani representatives hold consultations in Moscow

2 Armenian soldiers receive slight injuries after incident with Azerbaijani servicemen in Armenia's Gegharkunik

Armenian boy weighing 5 kg born at Goris Medical Center

"Armenia" bloc representative presents purpose of participation in elections and plans

Isaac Herzog elected President of Israel

Rouhani: Main issues between Tehran, Washington resolved in Vienna

Charles Michel calls on Armenia and Azerbaijan to resume constructive negotiations

US Department of State responds to Pashinyan's proposal to deploy international observers on Armenia-Azerbaijan border

Head of Armenia 2nd President's Office: Robert Kocharyan's public meetings are held in warm atmosphere

Opposition "Armenia" bloc's representative on photos and videos showing bags of deceased servicemen's bodies

Armenia Ombudsman, AGBU President discuss war crimes committed by Azerbaijan during Karabakh war

Opposition "Armenia" bloc's representatives to hold briefings three times a week

Opposition "Armenia" bloc member: Blood-freezing photos and videos from morgue in Abovyan are authorities' reflection

Yerevan mayor receives Netherlands Ambassador

Armenia Health Ministry, Investigative Committee keep info about sending remains of dead soldiers abroad confidential

Armenia Prosecutor General's Office launches case regarding leaving sacs of servicemen's bodies/remains in basement

Peskov: Putin and Biden to discuss cybersecurity issues

Armenia's Pashinyan meets with Belgian PM Alexander De Croo

Armenia acting MOD receives Netherlands Ambassador

Armenia Police: 3 citizens apprehended during protest demanding acting health minister's resignation

NATO warns Minsk about further consequences of Ryanair incident

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"

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Missing soldiers relatives stage picket outside Russia embassy in Armenia

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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

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[March 22, 2021] Huawei Launches New Data Center and Power Supply Solutions Globally

SHENZHEN, China, March 22, 2021 /CNW/ -- Huawei launches next-generation Data Center and Power Supply Solutions at the Digitally Transforming Energy Infrastructure online event, the company also interpreted the latest trends in digital power development, tackling head-on the key questions of the day, from green energy to intelligent transformation. Make Any Room a Data Center Huawei promised to make any room a data center as it outlined a new, smart modular data center solution for small and edge computing scenarios, including three data center products  FusionModule2000, FusionModule800, and FusionModule500  designed for different industrial needs. Key to the Smart Modular Data Solution, SmartLi UPS  Huawei's smart lithium battery UPS  helps enterprises of all sizes turn any room into a data center. Doing away with the need for a traditional raised floor design, far lower requirements are placed on ceiling heights. Instead, air conditioner pipes and strong- and weak-current cables are routed from top-down, meaning that equipment can be accommodated even when ceiling heights are as low as 2.6 m, far below the 3 m minimum height required for a traditional data center. Huawei partner NetCraft Information Technology (Macau) has already adopted this solution, which NetCraft sales director Benjamin Wong praised at the event. "With the Huawei Modular Data Center Solution, all required components are modular," Wong said. "An easy way for customers to understand this solution is to consider that each component is like a building block: You can build up your castle by adding different blocks, so you can add more blocks in the future when needed." One Rack Supports One Megawatt of Power In next five years, Information Technology (IT) devices will continue to evolve, with ever-higher computing power and density needed. Inevitably, Central Processing Unit (CPU) and server power requirements will also increase. To balance efficiency and costs, data centers will therefore develop toward higher density models, precisely the direction that Huawei's ongoin Research and Development (R&D) investment has taken: namely, the implementation of a high-density, efficient, intelligent power supply and distribution system.



A direct result of that period of exploration, Huawei launched an ultra-high-density modular UPS product series  UPS5000-H  that uses a new 100 kVA/3 U ultra-high-density hot-swappable power modules. It is the industry's first UPS that enables a single standard rack to support one megawatt of power. With high-density, high-efficiency, and intelligence, this series effectively lowers the physical footprint and reduces the number of installation labor hours needed in comparison to other UPS solutions. And, once up and running, system efficiency reaches 97%; in addition, the system is low-load and efficient in hibernation mode.

Making Site Power Simple A defining trend of digital transformation is the widespread emergence of digital sites  telecom sites, edge computing sites, video sites, and more  reflecting increasing Information Communications Technology (ICT) convergence. Indeed, both Alternating Current (AC) and Direct Current (DC) power supplies are required to power diverse onsite sensing Internet of Things (IoT) devices, Communication Technology (CT) devices, and Information Technology (IT) devices. Unlike the traditional use of multiple AC and DC power systems, forming a kind of patchwork model, Huawei's iMagicPower adopts a multi-function, integrated design, supporting solar, Diesel Generator (DG), mains, and battery as power inputs. It also provides different power output modes, including 12/24/36/48 V DC output and 24/220/380 V AC output. With all functional parts available in a modular design, precise configuration is possible and future expansion is simplified, allowing enterprises to build according to their needs and means. For site level energy storage and backup, Huawei launched CloudLi, a fifth generation energy storage system. Compared with common lithium batteries, Huawei CloudLi offers improved performance in terms of power density and reliability, alongside a range of intelligent features to help customers reduce both Capital Expenditure (CAPEX) and Operating Expenditure (OPEX). Particularly important with staffing restrictions in place during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, CloudLi supports remote, intelligent Operations and Maintenance (O&M), doing away with manual tasks such as onsite inspection and onsite maintenance. Unternehmensvorstellung Wohrle, one of Huawei's power system partners based in Germany, has experience of using both iMagicPower and CloudLi. The company's Chief Technology Officer (CTO) has noted that the high reliability of the solutions ensures that they function safely in a wide temperature range even under harsh conditions, with intelligent features enabling optimal monitoring of the lithium batteries. About Huawei Huawei is a leading global provider of information and communications technology (ICT) infrastructure and smart devices. With integrated solutions across four key domains  telecom networks, IT, smart devices, and cloud services  we are committed to bringing digital to every person, home and organization for a fully connected, intelligent world. Huawei's end-to-end portfolio of products, solutions and services are both competitive and secure. Through open collaboration with ecosystem partners, we create lasting value for our customers, working to empower people, enrich home life, and inspire innovation in organizations of all shapes and sizes. At Huawei, innovation focuses on customer needs. We invest heavily in basic research, concentrating on technological breakthroughs that drive the world forward. We have more than 194,000 employees, and we operate in more than 170 countries and regions. Founded in 1987, Huawei is a private company fully owned by its employees. For more information, please visit Huawei online at www.huawei.com or follow us on: http://www.linkedin.com/company/Huawei

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http://www.youtube.com/Huawei View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/huawei-launches-new-data-center-and-power-supply-solutions-globally-301252657.html SOURCE Huawei

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Highlights Twitter has complied with Turkeys social media laws that require all platforms with more than one million unique daily users.

Except for Pinterest, all major social media platforms including Facebook, Vkontakte (VK), YouTube, TikTok, LinkedIn, and Dailymotion have also complied with the new laws.

Earlier this year, the Indian government asked Twitter to ban over 1000 Twitter accounts to which Twitter complied partially facing flak from the former.

Twitter has complied with Turkey's social media laws that require all platforms with more than one million unique daily users to appoint a local representative in the country. These representatives will have the authority to handle court orders to take down offending content within 48 hours. The law was passed in parliament by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's ruling party last year and went into effect from October 2020. Social media platforms are required to appoint



Omer Fatih Sayan, deputy Turkish transport and infrastructure minister noted that after Twitter's move all social media companies have accepted to appoint a local representative except for Pinterest. "It is gratifying to see that Twitter will fulfill the obligations of the law without applying sanctions to reduce the internet traffic bandwidth," the minister tweeted. He said representatives are important for eliminating violations of the law.

Facebook, VKontakte (VK), YouTube, TikTok, LinkedIn, and Dailymotion have also complied with the new laws and decided to assign local representatives. The non-compliance with the new policy will result in fines or restrictions on bandwidth, blocking access to the platforms, according to reports. Turkey has already started to implement advertisement bans for Twitter, Periscope, and Pinterest since January.

According to Turkish newspaper, Hurriyet Daily News, Turkey will limit the bandwidth of platforms that flout requirements by up to 90 per cent and ban Turkish-based firms from running advertisements on them. Social media giants that appoint local representatives after sanctions would have 75 per cent of the fine and bans waived and bandwidth restored. Last year, Turkey imposed a $5.43 million fine each on several social media platforms, including Facebook, Twitter and YouTube for not complying with the social media rules.

Earlier this year, the Indian government had sent Twitter a list of 257 tweets and accounts that it wanted to be blocked in India in the backdrop of farmers' protests. Twitter initially, most likely after prompting from its India team, complied with the order. The blocked accounts included accounts of Caravan magazine, a popular Bollywood actor and activists. The accounts were unblocked after public outrage followed a review decision from the Twitter team, likely in the US. The social media giant was also instructed to remove 1178 accounts on February 4, which according to sources were being run from Pakistan as that they were tweeting about the ongoing farmers' protests.

Twitter in a public blog postsaid it only partially complied with the orders after which the Indian government expressed disappointment in the platform. The accounts Twitter withheld were available in countries outside of India and did not act on accounts that consisted of news media entities, journalists, activists, and politicians facing flak from the government. "Secretary expressed his deep disappointment to Twitter leadership about the manner in which Twitter has unwillingly, grudgingly and with great delay complied with the substantial parts of the order," the government said in a statement.
Mr Stephen Ashitey Adjei, a member of the National Democratic Congress (NDC)in the Tema East Constituency has suggested that the party must work towards marketing a new Flagbearer for Election 2024.



He said, the party presented a particular flagbearer for both Elections 2016 and 2020, but the Ghanaian electorates rejected him, we must re-examine our product for the electoral market and present a new product.



Mr Adjei told the Ghana News Agency in an interview at Tema that the National Executive Committee of the party and functional executive must create an enabling environment for notable party members to contest for the flagbearership slot.



He said former President John Dramani Mahama had performed his bid for the party and nation, and humans had their limitations, as a party we must look at the bigger picture for the general interest of the nation.



Mr Adjei expressed concern that former President Mahama developed a close relationship with some leading members of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), a situation which he described as dangerous.



He, therefore, suggested to the party to look out for a flagbearer that would unite all the NDC members to fight a good course and win power in Election 2024.



Under our current leader, you could see that the party is divided and no party can win elections in Ghana with a divided front fighting against themselves, he alleged.



He also condemned some party loyalists with the penchant for attacking leading members including; Members of Parliament, the current Speaker of Parliament, National, Regional, Constituency leadership, and Council of Elders.



Mr Adjei who is also known as Moshake said some of the party commentators who were making divisive comments against some well-to-do members of the party were doing a dis-service as that at the long run could dent the image of the party.

Source: GNA









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Chennai, March 23 : Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways, Nitin Gadkari, said on Monday that there will be 'double engine' growth in Puducherry if the BJP-led alliance is voted to power in the Union Territory.

Addressing mediapersons at the BJP headquarters in Puducherry, Gadkari said that one engine will be that of the Narendra Modi-led government at the Centre, while the second will be that of the BJP-led alliance government in the UT.

Gadkari said that if a BJP-led government is formed in Puducherry, the projects initiated by the Central government will be implemented for the growth of the UT.

The Union minister also came down heavily on the previous government led by V. Narayanasamy, saying that it failed to implement several projects sanctioned by the Centre.

He said that infrastructure projects worth Rs 20,000 crore have been sanctioned by the Union government for Puducheery and Tamil Nadu, which, once implemented, would change the face of these two states.

Gadkari said that some of these projects are in the final stages of implementation while the others are in the process of finalising their detailed project reports.

The minister said that the Sagarmala project for the development of the port in Puducherry will lead to economic development. The total project cost is Rs 305 crore and it would be implemented in three phases. An amount of Rs 75 crore has been sanctioned for the first phase which is for capital dredging, the second phase is for Rs 60 crore which is for constructing berthing facilities in the old port and the third phase is of Rs 170.2 crore which is for the construction of a container terminal and berthing in the new port, the minister informed.

The minister said that trawlers which can travel up to 100 nautical miles are being developed at the Cochin Shipyard, which will boost the productivity by up to seven times.

Gadkari also refuted the charges of Narayanasamy that the BJP is trying to merge Puducherry with Tamil Nadu.
The new Environment Care Lighting technology range created by Linea Light Group using High Intensity Narrow Spectrum (HINS) light developed and patented by the University of Strathclyde in Glasgow, will enable the Woofer and Rollip appliances from the i-LeD Professional collection to decontaminate surfaces and prevent infection, destroying up to 70-80% of bacteria with continuous use.

By using a light wavelength of 405 mm, the Environment Care Lighting can light and decontaminate rooms, avoiding the need for more expensive Ultraviolet technologies which use frequencies between 240 and 260 nm, require rooms to be empty during disinfection, and can cause degradation effects on photosensitive mater

The action of two light sources, a violet-blue-dominated LED combined with a white power LED, enables the Environment Care Lighting technology to offer two functions at the same time: lighting and protection of human health.

Linea Light Group will be the first European-based company to use the HINS-light patent in combination with lighting appliances, making it available for the Woofer and Rollip collections. Thanks to the exceptional versatility of Linea Light Group products, these new functions can be used in offices and public spaces, hospitals and healthcare settings and residential areas and multi-purpose buildings.

The HINS-light technology was developed in The Robertson Trust Laboratory for Electronic Sterilisation Technologies (ROLEST) at the University of Strathclyde thanks to the work of a team of experts led by Professor Scott MacGregor, Vice-Principal of the University, with Professor John G Anderson, Dr Michelle Maclean and Professor Gerry Woolsey.

Linea Light Group's approach to luminaire design has always been unconventional, and we have a new way of thinking about the product that allows our R&D team the freedom to be creative." Gianluca Salciccia, Sales Director, Linea Light Group

"Experts in microelectronics, geometric optics, material science, digital information technology, and developers of mechanical prototypes and specialized machine operators speak daily with fashion designers, supermarket managers, executives of large hotel chains and of course professionals such as architects and lighting designers, to create innovative products for technology and application.

"Linea Light Group's products and projects put people in the spotlight. Lighting technology can be an important tool for wellbeing and improving people's quality of life. Linea Light Group's new Environment Care Lighting light range could also add a third dimension of physical wellbeing, with products capable of decontaminating the environments in which people live and work, protecting their health".

Professor John G. Anderson, Research Fellow in Electronic & Electrical Engineering at the University of Strathclyde and a member of the HINS-light technology research team, said: "The Environment Care Lighting represents a unique method of disinfection as it does not employ harmful chemicals or dangerous UV light but instead uses only visible light which is harmless to humans.

"The system works by using selected visible wavelengths which activate light sensitive molecules contained within microbes. This process creates biocidal chemicals which are lethal to bacteria such as methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, or MRSA, and Clostridium difficile, known as C.diff. The process can be operated continuously to achieve whole room disinfection in both the presence or absence of occupants."

Professor Scott MacGregor from the University of Strathclyde said: "HINS-light technology is a great example of how the University of Strathclyde is producing innovation that also benefits society. The technology is harmless to people, so it can be used continuously in different spaces, thus improving disinfection and preventing the spread of infection.

Linea Light Group's new Environment Care Lighting products means that many more people in healthcare, public spaces and in commercial, work and residential environments can benefit from this technology."
MLA Chandrikaben Baria recently made a controversial statement in Morva Hadaf of Panchmahala district in wherein she asked party workers to pelt stones on the house of the BJP candidates who won the recent panchayat elections, claiming they won by unfair means.

The by-election for Morva Hadaf seat is slated to be held on April 17 and is putting all its effort to win the seat as it is considered to be the stronghold of the party. state president Amit Chavda on Sunday organised a meeting in the electoral constituency which was led by Baria, the Congress MLA of the constituency.

During the meeting, Baria said, "BJP candidates who have won the recent panchayat elections should have their houses pelted with stones as they won with bogus votes using EVMs and by giving alcohol to voters."

She then challenged Chief Minister Vijay Rupani to contest against her in the upcoming state assembly elections.

"If I have to be defeated in the coming assembly elections, the Chief Minister will himself have to get into the field," the Congress MLA 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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The Akwa Ibom State Government has said the over 70 per cent drop in its revenue due to the force majeure declared by ExxonMobil would not have a negative impact on the economy of the state.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reported that ExxonMobil suffered a fire incident on December 13, 2020 on one of its platforms, which led to disruption in its production capacity, thereby forcing the oil giant to declare a force majeure.

The Commissioner for Information in Akwa Ibom State, Ini Ememobong, made the clarification in a statement on Monday in Uyo.

Mr Ememobong admitted that the force majeure declared by ExxonMobil in December had affected the revenue allocation of the state.

He, however, assured that Governor Udom Emmanuels administration was capable of weathering the economic storm while delivering his agenda for the people of the state.

The truth as admitted by ExxonMobil is that they declared a force majeure due to a fire incident on one of their platforms in December 2020.

It is common knowledge that our country depends almost solely on crude oil and any slight disruption in production will affect the countrys earnings, said Mr Ememobong.

According to him, this will in turn reduce the volume of revenue available in the distributable pool, from where states draw their statutory allocations.

The implication of this reduction in revenue obviously indicates that an economic challenge is en-route, but there is certainly nothing to worry about.

We have, as a state, been through an economic doom before in 2016, but divine providence, through our Governor Emmanuel, helped the state to weather the storm.

Despite the impending challenge, the factors that worked for us in the past have not changed and will sure work for us again.

The processes of production declaration, through to financial remittance to the federation account, and subsequent allocation takes an unabridged period of 90 days, which clearly explains why a force majeure declared in December 2020 can reflect and become an issue in March 2021, he said.

He explained some persons and groups had capitalised on the incident to cast aspersions on the government and feed the people with falsehood just to score cheap political points.

Mr Ememobong urged indigenes of the state to continue to support the current administration as the temporary setback would soon be over.

Our people are, therefore, invited to continue to offer their support to the government in varied ways, trusting that God, who was our help in ages past, will remain our present refuge and our future hope, Mr Ememobong said.

(NAN)
New Delhi, March 22 : The India-Pakistan ceaseefire marked a milestone in secret talks brokered by the United Arab Emirates (UAE) that began months earlier, according to a Bloomberg news report.

The UAE, which has historic trade and diplomatic links with India and Pakistan, has taken a more assertive international role under de facto ruler Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the Bloomberg report said.

About 24 hours after military chiefs from India and Pakistan surprised the world last month with a rare joint commitment to respect a 2003 ceasefire agreement, a top UAE diplomat flew to New Delhi for a quick one-day visit, the report said.

The official UAE readout of the February 26 meeting gave few clues of what Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed spoke about with Indian counterpart S. Jaishankar, noting they "discussed all regional and international issues of common interest and exchanged views on them", the report said.

The ceasefire, the newspaper quoted officials as saying, is only the beginning of a larger roadmap to forge a lasting peace between the neighbours, both of which have nuclear weapons and spar regularly over a decades-old territory dispute.

The next step in the process, the officials said, involves both sides reinstating envoys in New Delhi and Islamabad, who were pulled out in 2019.

Then comes the hard part, talks on resuming trade and a lasting resolution on Kashmir, the subject of three wars since India, the Bloomberg report said.

Last week, Pakistan Army chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa asked India "to bury the past and move forward" while saying the military was ready to enter talks to resolve "all our outstanding issues".

The comments came a day after Prime Minister Imran Khan called for a resolution on Kashmir, which he described as "the one issue that holds us back".

On March 20, Prime Minister Narendra Modi took to Twitter to wish his Pakistani counterpart well after the latter was diagnosed with Covid-19, another sign that relations between the countries are getting warmer.

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
Source: Xinhua| 2021-03-22 22:20:30|Editor: huaxia

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BEIJING, March 22 (Xinhua) -- The Standing Committee of the National People's Congress (NPC), China's top legislature, is expected to deliberate bills on amending the electoral system of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) from March 29 to 30.

Zang Tiewei, spokesperson for the Legislative Affairs Commission of the NPC Standing Committee, said the Council of Chairpersons of the NPC Standing Committee has decided to convene the 27th session of the 13th NPC Standing Committee from March 29 to 30.

Proposed agenda of the session includes reviewing draft amendments to Annex I and Annex II to the HKSAR Basic Law, according to Zang. The two annexes govern respectively the selection method of the HKSAR Chief Executive, and the formation method and voting procedures of the Legislative Council, Hong Kong's local legislature.

On March 11, the NPC adopted at its annual session a decision on improving the electoral system of the HKSAR. The decision authorized the NPC Standing Committee to amend the two Basic Law annexes.

During this year's "two sessions" of the top legislature and top political advisory body, many lawmakers and political advisors suggested that the NPC Standing Committee initiate the amending process as soon as possible for its early completion, Zang said.

The move of the NPC Standing Committee to deliberate the bills is of great significance to upholding and improving the institutional framework of "one country, two systems," safeguarding the constitutional order in the HKSAR as stipulated in China's Constitution and the HKSAR Basic Law, improving the electoral system of the HKSAR and developing a democratic political system suited to Hong Kong's realities, Zang said.

It is also of great significance to ensuring Hong Kong's long-term stability and prosperity, and safeguarding China's sovereignty, security and development interests, he added. Enditem
While summer is officially over in Australia, renowned rum brand Captain Morgan has released a new tropical flavoured beverage to keep the celebratory spirit alive.

Caption Morgan Tropical offers a fruity twist on the classic fine Caribbean rum by combining flavours of juicy pineapple and mango into one smooth drink.

Inspired by flavours of the South Pacific, each mouthful will make you feel as if you're 'on a relaxing holiday in paradise'.

Caption Morgan Tropical offers a fruity twist on the classic fine Caribbean rum by combining flavours of juicy pineapple and mango into one smooth drink.

The drink is best served over ice in a tall glass filled with 100mL of chilled soda water or dry ginger ale for a refreshing taste.

Each bottle contains 17 standard drinks, making it a suitable option to bring to a social gathering or celebration.

The new alcoholic drink is available in 700mL bottles around the country for $45 from leading liquor stores.

Other Captain Morgan flavours customers can purchase include spiced rum and imported Jamaica rum.

Mixers to use with Captain Morgan: Captain Morgan Tropical (30mL): Soda water

Ginger ale Captain Morgan Original Spice (30mL): Sodas - soda water, cola, lemon-lime, ginger ale

Ginger beer

Tropical fruit juices - mango, pineapple, and papaya

Iced tea

Coffee

Apple cider (hard or regular)

Cranberry juice

Butterscotch schnapps Advertisement

Since launching in stores, several customers have revealed how they prefer to enjoy the sweet beverage.

'Weekend cocktail alert! Rum punch! Pineapple, orange, cranberry juice with ginger and out friend the Captain,' Bar Beach Bowlo wrote and shared an image on Instagram.

Another customer also used the tropical rum to spice up a classic negroni mixed with Campari, dry vermouth and orange bitters.

Dont be scared, honey. Dont be scared, Joe Biden said to 8-year-old Layla Salas at a town hall meeting in Milwaukee. Youre going to be fine, and were going to make sure mommys fine, too.

Layla said later, When Joe Biden spoke to me, I felt more safe. ... It felt very comforting for me.

In that moment, Biden illustrated perhaps the sharpest difference between himself and his predecessor. Donald Trump is more dynamic and energetic, a far better performer than Biden will ever be. Biden is more decent and caring, a far better person than Trump will ever be.

As a result, Biden is successfully assuming one of the most important roles a president ever plays  Americas grief counselor, our consoler-in-chief. Since taking office, hes made the country feel more protected and more comforted, and, indeed, thats one of the main reasons he defeated Trump.

In exit polls, 53% of voters said Trump did not have the temperament to serve as president, and 89% of those doubters voted for Biden. Today, Bidens average approval rating is about 53%  far from spectacular, but well ahead of Trump, who averaged a 41% rating during his presidency, according to Gallup.

There are many reasons for this disparity, but Bidens grasp of the consoler-in-chief role is one central explanation. Karen Hughes, a top adviser to President Bush 43, described that role for The Washington Post: I think the presence of the president has become a visible symbol of the presence of the American people, of their love and their concern and their prayers.

Andy Card, Bushs chief of staff, told Politico: Its always important for the president to demonstrate he is emotionally connected to America and its problems, and it is critically important for the president to discuss what is happening and show great concerns for victims and community.

To understand fully how poorly Trump performed the consoler-in-chief role, just try to imagine him talking to 8-year-old Layla Salas with anything like Bidens sensitivity. Its totally impossible. For that matter, one cannot imagine Trump delivering the speech Biden did to mark a year of suffering from COVID-19.

While it was different for everyone, we all lost something  a collective suffering, a collective sacrifice, a year filled with the loss of life and the loss of living for all of us, Biden said. 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.

Trump couldnt console all of us because he thinks only about himself. Hes a man totally lacking in empathy for others. And having that capacity for connection is entirely a personal  not a political or partisan  question.

A conservative Republican, Ronald Reagan set the standard for future presidents when he addressed the nation after the Challenger disaster in 1986: We will never forget them nor the last time we saw them  this morning as they prepared for their journey and waved goodbye and slipped the surly bonds of Earth to touch the face of God.

A liberal Democrat, Barack Obama matched Reagans brilliance, breaking into the hymn Amazing Grace as he eulogized the Rev. Clementa Pinckney, one of nine worshippers gunned down at Charlestons Mother Emanuel Church in 2015.

Biden has many flaws as a communicator. In spontaneous settings, he can make embarrassing and damaging statements, which is why his advisers kept him quarantined in his Delaware basement during much of the campaign. Since hes taken office, the White House has carefully controlled his message, while avoiding a full-dress press conference where the president could stray off-script.

Hes taken some heat for this reticence  and rightly so. As Olivier Knox, former head of the White House Correspondents Association, wrote in the Post: The traditional news conference is important in part because its something a president can do in service of transparency and accountability even though it may not be obviously good for his political fortunes.

At his best, however, Biden has shown that he can connect and communicate on an emotional level. He has a compelling story to tell, a narrative of grief and pain that says, I lost a wife and young daughter in a car crash, and then my adult son to cancer. I know what youre feeling because Ive been there. I, too, have a hole in my heart. And thats why Layla Salas, and many other Americans, can say today, I feel more safe.

(Roberts is a writer for

United Feature Syndicate)


AAP leader Saurabh Bhardwaj Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Saurabh Bhardwaj on Sunday challenged Delhi's BJP unit for an open debate over who should reign over the national capital. The AAP has been at loggerheads with BJP after Central government has introduced the GNCTD (Amendment) Bill that aims to give overarching power to the Lt Governor. The city's ruling party also launched a stir on Wednesday against the Centre's move and announced that it will continue with a protest campaign across the city to explain the difference between an elected government and an appointed Lt Governor. Bhardwaj, at a press conference on Sunday, said: "Centre is trying to bring a new law by completely bypassing the elected government of Delhi. The Jan Sangh has fought to make Delhi a separate state for years after independence. We believed that at least the Delhi BJP will understand the seriousness of this matter." BJP in-charge of Delhi Baijayant Panda on Saturday told the media that the party will go door-to-door and tell people of the city that giving the reigns of governance in the hands of the Centre and the LG will benefit the people of the national capital. In response to that, Saurabh Bharadwaj said: "I challenge BJP state president Adesh Gupta to choose a constituency of his choice in Delhi and send his party's volunteers house-to-house to explain them how the rule of LG is better than the AAP government. I challenge him for an open debate that should be held in that constituency." The Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi (Amendment) Bill, 2021 was introduced in Lok Sabha on March 15 this year and amends certain powers and responsibilities of the Legislative Assembly and the Lt Governor.




ALBANY  Albany County officials are pushing the state to expand vaccine eligibility as the race continues to get shots into arms before more-contagious variants of coronavirus have a chance to spread.

Albany County Executive Daniel McCoy and county Health Commissioner Dr. Elizabeth Whalen on Monday said they wanted to see people age 50 and older, as well as more public-facing workers, become eligible for vaccination and would be calling on the governors office to expand eligibility to these groups.

Less than two hours after they issued that plea, Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo fulfilled one of those wishes by announcing that people 50 and older would become eligible starting Tuesday. The vaccine was initially eligible to people age 75 and older, then 65 and older, then 60 and older.

In terms of eligibility I believe that this will be opened up in the near future, but at this point it couldnt be soon enough, Whalen said. What we really want to do is be able to concentrate on getting as many vaccines out as we possibly can, so to have an expanded eligibility for some of the populationswill be very helpful.

While 20- to 29-year-olds have accounted for the largest share of coronavirus cases in Albany County, almost all coronavirus deaths in the county (99 percent) and the vast majority of hospitalizations (82 percent) have been among those 50 and older. Specifically, people age 50 to 74 have been the single-most likely age group to wind up hospitalized in the county and the second-most likely to wind up dead. They are the most likely group to wind up in intensive care, as well.

McCoy also called on the state to "broaden the definition of what they consider an essential employee. There are still too many people risking their health and wellbeing by going into work and keeping our economy running."

Meanwhile, efforts to vaccinate people who have a tough time leaving their home continue in the county. The county last week redistributed over 400 single-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccines to EMS teams in Colonie and Guilderland for the effort, as well as Marras Pharmacy in Cohoes, Eddy Senior Center and Eddy Visiting Nurse and Rehabilitation Center.

The county is also notifying people who were scheduled to receive a second dose of vaccine at the Times Union Center in Albany on Thursday Saturday and Monday, March 29 that the venue has been changed to the Albany Capital Center at 55 Eagle St. Individuals will be notified of the change by email, Whalen said.

Coronavirus cases rising

Coronavirus cases are trending up in Albany County but so far the county is not seeing a corresponding increase in hospitalizations and deaths, McCoy said Monday.

The county confirmed 50 new cases of the virus overnight Monday and the county is now averaging 62 cases of the virus a day over a seven-day average. This is up from 54 a week ago.

The good news, however, is that there were no new hospitalizations or deaths to report overnight. It was the first time since Nov. 26 that the county has been able to report no new hospitalizations in a 24-hour period and it was the ninth day in a row that the county has had no new deaths to report.

Similar trends are being seen across the region: the seven-day average for new daily cases has risen in the past week from 190 on March 14 to 200 on March 21, while hospitalizations appear to have plateaued. No deaths have been reported across the eight-county region for five days now. The last time the region went that long without a death was September.

Hospitalizations and deaths frequently lag behind an increase in diagnosed cases, but the recent rise in vaccinations may help curb that. As of Sunday, nearly 31 percent of Capital Region residents had received a first dose of vaccine and 15 percent had been fully vaccinated.

Speaking with reporters Monday morning, McCoy said he's "a little worried" about spring breakers bringing the virus back to the area after mass congregations of young people were reported in Miami and other parts of the country.

"I can assure you Dr. Whalen and I do not want a third wave and we dont want to take a step back with hospitalizations or anything like that or the huge spikes that we were getting before," he said.

Earlier: New York coronavirus cases stagnate while deaths drop - but variants are out there

Officials also warned of the rise in more-contagious variants of coronavirus. Over the weekend, a more-transmissible variant first discovered in Brazil was detected in New York City. The state has already seen variants from the United Kingdom and South Africa.

"The concern with those particular strains is that they are much more highly transmissible," Whalen said. "So this is why its very important for people to continue to use the mask in public and to continue to avoid large scale gatherings and to social distance."
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Chinese President Xi Jinping delivers a video speech to the Colombian people at the invitation of his Colombian counterpart, Ivan Duque, as the third batch of COVID-19 vaccines provided by China arrives in Bogota, capital of Colombia, on March 20, 2021 local time. (Xinhua/Li Xueren)

BEIJING, March 21 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping delivered a video speech to the Colombian people at the invitation of his Colombian counterpart, Ivan Duque, as the third batch of COVID-19 vaccines provided by China arrived in Bogota, capital of Colombia, on Saturday local time.

"Even mountains and seas cannot distance people with common aspirations," Xi said in his speech, noting that the vast Pacific Ocean cannot stand in the way of the profound friendship between the Chinese and Colombian people.

Over the past 41 years since the establishment of their diplomatic ties, the China-Colombia relations have achieved historic development, Xi said, with China becoming Colombia's second largest trading partner and China-invested enterprises actively participating in Colombia's development in various fields.

Cultural and people-to-people exchanges between the two sides are flourishing, and the China-Colombia friendship is deeply rooted in the hearts of the two peoples, Xi said.

In the face of the unexpected COVID-19 outbreak, Xi stressed that the two countries have worked in unity to help each other overcome difficulties and actively carried out anti-pandemic cooperation.

Two batches of Chinese vaccines purchased by Colombia have been delivered to the South American country not long ago, Xi said, adding that the latest batch of vaccines arrived today to help boost the national vaccination program of Colombia.

Xi said he hopes that the governments and peoples of the two countries will make joint efforts to strengthen friendly cooperation in various fields including the anti-pandemic fight, so as to elevate China-Colombia friendly cooperation to a new level from a new historical starting point and bring more benefits to the two peoples.

Duque, who was on a tour of inspection during the day, held a special ceremony and broadcasted Xi's speech to the whole country. He expressed gratitude to Xi and the brotherly Chinese people for their deep friendship to the Colombian people and their important support to Colombia's fight against the pandemic.

Duque said that developing relations with China is a broad consensus among different political groups in Colombia, and the country is ready to work with China to continuously deepen bilateral relations.

[ Editor: WPY ]
Gov. Gretchen Whitmer on Monday defended her recent loosening of the states COVID-19 restrictions after Dr. Anthony Fauci was critical of her actions in a television appearance on CNN last week.

Fauci, the chief medical advisor to President Joe Biden, said on CNN Whitmer was a good governor, But I am telling them, just hold off for a bit, on loosening some of the restrictions.

When you get the overwhelming majority of your population vaccinated, the chances of there being a surge are minuscule. So just hang in there, dont turn the switch on and off, just pull back gradually, not all at once everything all things are off and everything goes, thats not a good idea, Fauci said.

The remarks came after a big month of reopenings under Whitmers Michigan Department of Health and Human Services.

The state green-lighted a Feb. 8 start for winter contact sports. The governor urged schools to resume in-person instruction to start March 1. Restaurants went from 25% capacity to 50% capacity March 5. Stadium capacity increases

But asked about Faucis comments, Whitmer stood by the states reopening decisions.

I think that sometimes at the national level there is interchange between the thought that a state is dropping their mask requirement is the same as a state moving from 25% restaurants to 50% of restaurants, she said.

She said she had a great deal of respect for Fauci, whose guidance the state has followed throughout the pandemic. She also recognized Michigans numbers are increasing.

We do see our numbers up. We have the variants, which are highly contagious, and weve re-engaged these things. So hes concerned, Im concerned, Dr. Js concerned, she said, referencing Michigan Chief Medical Executive Dr. Joneigh Khaldun.

Michigans cases of COVID-19 have been trending up in recent weeks. The state has averaged 2,719 cases per day over the last week. On Feb. 20, the 7-day average of new cases was 814 per day. The average percentage of test coming back positive over the last 7 days is 7.95%, and on Monday the positivity rate was 9.62%.

Whitmer said the state was making good progress on distributing vaccines and would continue to ramp up distribution.

According to state vaccination data, Michigan had vaccinated 28.5% of its residents with at least one dose as of March 18.

More on MLive:

Michigans coronavirus numbers are going up, but will vaccinations blunt the impact?

Monday, March 22, coronavirus data by Michigan county: 20 counties over 10% positivity, including Macomb, Genesee

Michigan increases stadium capacity, requires more COVID-19 testing for high school sports

Michigan reports 4,801 new coronavirus cases, 6 new deaths for Sunday and Monday, March 21-22
Authorities have released the name of a man killed in a weekend shooting in Shelby County.

Coroner Lina Evans on Monday identified the victim as Brandon Trenell Patrick. He was 29 and lived in Montevallo.

Sheriffs officials said Shelby County 911 received multiple reports of shots fired in the 500 block of County Road 203 in the Aldrich community. The call came in at 12:24 a.m. Saturday.

Officers from multiple law enforcement agencies responded to the scene and found the man unresponsive. Life-saving measures were unsuccessful, and Patrick was pronounced dead at the scene.

Those agencies who assisted Shelby County are officers from Montevallo, University of Montevallo, Calera, Alabaster and Clanton police, as well as deputies from Bibb and Chilton counties. The Alabama Law Enforcement Agency also responded.

Authorities said the shooting happened at a large gathering and multiple rounds were fired. No additional details have been released and no arrests have been announced. Investigators said the investigation, however, is progressing.

Anyone with information is asked to call the Shelby County Sheriffs Office. Anonymous tips can be submitted to Crime Stoppers at www.crimestoppersmetroal.com or 205-254-7777.
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Saudi Aramco reports 44.4% slump in 2020 net profit over low crude oil prices

Saudi Arabian state oil giant Aramco said on Sunday it expects to cut capital expenditure after it reported a 44.4% slump in 2020 net profit, hit by lower crude oil prices and sales as the coronavirus pandemic depressed demand. The company lowered its guidance for spending to around $35 billion from a range of $40 billion to $45 billion previously.

COVID-19 in Rajasthan: Night curfew in 8 cities from today; visitors told to carry negative test reportAmid a surge in COVID-19 cases, the Rajasthan government has decided to impose night curfew in eight cities from 11 pm to 5 am and ordered closure of markets by 10 pm from Monday. The government has also made it mandatory for people coming to Rajasthan from other states to carry a COVID-19 negative test report along with them from March 25.

Govt issues IT security advisory amid cyber attack alert in transport sector

Indian Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT-In), under the Ministry of Information Technology, today alerted the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) about a possible cyber attack on various establishments under it. Responding to the alert, the ministry has issued an advisory to the various departments and organisations under it as well as the private sector to strengthen their IT security infrastructure.

Over 6 crore COVID-19 vaccine doses sent to 76 nations: Harsh Vardhan

More than 6 crore doses of COVID-19 vaccine have been sent to 76 nations, while 4.5 crore doses have been administered to beneficiaries in the country till now, Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan said on Sunday.

He also called for making the vaccination drive a "Jan Aandolan" (mass movement).

Elon Musk says Tesla cars cannot spy after China bans them from military areas

China, which is the world's biggest market for electric vehicles (EV) by the number of EVs sold every year, has reportedly banned military and government personnel from using Tesla vehicles, citing a potential data security risk posed by the Elon Musk-run electric carmaker.Commenting on the Chinese government's decision, Elon Musk stated that he would shut down the company if he finds that the cars are being used to spy.

Indian Railways issues guidelines to prevent incidents of crime against women

Indian Railways on Saturday issued detailed guidelines to prevent incidents of crime against women in trains and on railway premises. The guidelines include an action plan, preventive measures, sensitisation, surveillance over the identified vulnerable area, notice for passengers and special measures.
Workers walk by the perimeter fence of what is officially known as a vocational skills education centre in Dabancheng in Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, China, on Sept. 4, 2018. (Thomas Peter/Reuters)

West Sanctions China Over Xinjiang Abuses; Beijing Hits Back at EU

The United States, the European Union, Britain, and Canada imposed sanctions on Chinese officials on Monday for human rights abuses in Xinjiang, in the first such coordinated Western action against Beijing under new U.S President Joe Biden.

Beijing hit back immediately with punitive measures against the EU that appeared to be broader, blacklisting European lawmakers, diplomats, and think tanks, including families, and banning their businesses from trading with China.

Western governments are seeking to hold Beijing accountable for mass detentions of Muslim Uyghurs in northwestern China.

Amid growing international condemnation, [China] continues to commit genocide and crimes against humanity in Xinjiang, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in statement ahead of meetings with EU and NATO ministers in Brussels this week.

Canadas foreign ministry said, Mounting evidence points to systemic, state-led human rights violations by Chinese authorities.

Activists and United Nations rights experts say at least 1 million Muslims are detained in camps in Xinjiang. The activists and some Western politicians accuse China of using torture, forced labor, and sterilizations. China denies rights abuses in Xinjiang and says its camps provide vocational training and are needed to fight extremism.

The European Union was the first to impose sanctions on Monday on four Chinese officials, including a top security director, and one entity, a decision that was mirrored by Britain and Canada later in the day.

The United States had already last year blacklisted the top official in Xinjiang, Chen Quanguo, who was not targeted by the other Western allies on Monday, to avoid a larger diplomatic dispute, experts and diplomats said.

Those targeted by the EU, Canada, and Britain included Chen Mingguo, the director of the Xinjiang Public Security Bureau. The EU said Chen Mingguo was responsible for serious human rights violations.

First Major EU Sanctions in Decades

The United States added Chen Mingguo to its blacklist, as well as another senior official, Wang Junzheng, also targeted by the EU, Britain, and Canada.

The move follows two days of talks between U.S. and Chinese officials last week, which laid bare the tensions between the worlds two largest economies.

The EU accused Chen Mingguo of arbitrary detentions and degrading treatment inflicted upon Uyghurs and people from other Muslim ethnic minorities, as well as systematic violations of their freedom of religion or belief.

Others hit with travel bans and asset freezes were senior Chinese officials Wang Mingshan and Wang Junzheng, the former deputy party secretary in Xinjiang, Zhu Hailun, and the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps Public Security Bureau.

Unlike the United States, the EU has sought to avoid confrontation with Beijing. Mondays sanctions were the first significant measures since the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre, although Brussels targeted two computer hackers and a technology firm in 2020 as part of broader cyber sanctions.

The steps were praised by the United States. A united transatlantic response sends a strong signal to those who violate or abuse international human rights, Blinken said.

While mainly symbolic, the EU sanctions mark a hardening in policy toward China, which Brussels regarded as a benign trading partner but now views as a systematic abuser of basic rights and freedoms.

Britain has repeatedly denounced torture, forced labor, and sterilizations that it says are taking place against Muslim Uyghurs on an industrial scale in Xinjiang and repeated its criticism of Beijing on Monday.

Pointless

Beijings reprisal was swift.

Retaliation included sanctions on European lawmakers, the EUs main foreign policy decision-making body known as the Political and Security Committee, and two institutes.

German politician Reinhard Butikofer, who chairs the European Parliaments delegation to China, was among the most high-profile figures to be hit. The non-profit Alliance of Democracies Foundation, founded by former NATO secretary-general Anders Fogh Rasmussen, was on the list, according to a statement by Chinas Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The Netherlands summoned Chinas ambassador to The Hague after Beijing announced its measures on 10 Europeans, while the European Parliament, along with German, Dutch, Belgian, and other foreign ministers, rejected the Chinese retaliation.

As long as human rights are being violated, I cannot stay silent. These sanctions prove that China is sensitive to pressure. Let this be an encouragement to all my European colleagues: Speak out! Dutch lawmaker Sjoerd Sjoerdsma, who was put on Chinas sanctions list, said on Twitter.

Restricted from entering China or doing business with it, Beijing accused its targets of seriously harming the countrys sovereignty over Xinjiang.

All 27 EU governments agreed to the blocs punitive measures, but Hungarys foreign minister, Peter Szijjarto, called them harmful and pointless.

By Robin Emmott and David Brunnstrom
The COVID-19 Health Levy introduced by the government in the 2021 Budget Statement is not for the free water and electricity which was enjoyed by Ghanaians in 2020, the Minister of Information, Mr Kojo Oppong Nkrumah has said.

At a press briefing on Sunday afternoon [March 21, 2021], Mr Oppong Nkrumah said the claim that the government has said that people have to pay for the free water and electricity was false.



You know that government has never said that you have to pay for the free water and electricity, he said.



Rather, the COVID levy is not for free water and electricity. For the avoidance of doubt, the Ministry of Finances statement [ATTACHED BELOW] deals with it but if you also go into the budget, if you go to page 58 of the full document, it outlines the uses of the COVID levy.



Mr Oppong Nkrumah explained that the budget outlines what government has done with the COVID programme, listed it all in the budget and goes on to make the point that to provide a requisite resource to sustain the implementation of these measures government is proposing the introduction of a COVID-19 Health Levy of one percentage point increase in the National Health Insurance Levy and one percentage point increase in the VAT Flat Rate for that purpose.



So the correct position as highlighted by the Ministry of Finance should be noted, Mr Oppong Nkrumah said.



In a statement issued by the Ministry of Finance on Friday, March 19, 2021, the government provided details of how it intends to use the Covid-19 levy.



The explanation followed recent reports suggesting that the government will use the Covid-19 levy to pay for the 2020 free water and electricity which was enjoyed by Ghanaians



The government refuted claims that the newly-approved levy will be utilised in paying for the free water and electricity expenditure of 2020.



The statement outlined seven key areas on which it intends to spend the funds accrued from the levy.



According to the statement, the free water and electricity of 2020 ought not to be misconstrued to mean the new taxes of 2021 are a direct charge for those services.



Providing details on the appropriation of the levy, the statement noted that funds from the levy will be used in the procurement, distribution and administration of Covid-19 vaccines, establishment of 14 medical waste treatment facilities across the country for safe disposal of medical waste and the completion of 33 major health projects approved for implementation.



The statement also added that the levy will be used for the construction of 100-bed district hospitals in 101 districts with no hospitals, seven regional hospitals for the new regions under the governments Agenda 111, recruit more health care professionals to fill the 111 district hospitals and supplement the 100,000 health workers recruited so far under the current administration.



Watch a video of the press briefing below





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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New Delhi:

A 13-year-old rape survivor, who was 32-weeks pregnant, delivered a baby boy yesterday after the Supreme Court has allowed her to terminate her 32-week pregnancy.

The physical and mental condition of girl is stable and the surgery lasted for two hours.

According to the Dr. Ashok Anand, a gynecologist at the JJ Hospital,"The minor delivered a baby boy. She underwent a cesarean operation in the afternoon."

However, parents have not decided what to do with the infant, possibly they will keep the baby, but still elders and other family members will take a final decision.

The Supreme Court has allowed a 13-year-old rape survivor from Mumbai to terminate her 32-week pregnancy.

A three-judge bench, headed by Chief Justice Dipak Misra allowed the girl to abort after seeing her medical reports prepared by a Mumbai hospital.

Considering the age of the petitioner ( a rape survivor), the trauma she has suffered because of sexual abuse, the agony she is going through and the opinion of the medical board favoring termination of pregnancy, the termination of pregnancy should be allowed, the apex court order said.

According to Indian law, termination of pregnancy could be allowed on medical grounds after 20 weeks only.

The victims pregnancy came to light on August 9, when her parents took her to the hospital for the treatment of obesity. She was allegedly raped by her fathers colleague.
Veteran Congo President Denis Sassou Nguesso appeared on course for a fourth term on Monday after elections overshadowed by the sudden death of his main rival, Guy-Brice Parfait Kolelas, who passed away from coronavirus on polling day.

Provisional official results from 35 polling stations indicated that Sassou Nguesso, 77, was on track for a landslide first-round victory.

In the Poto-Poto district of the capital Brazzaville, for instance, he had picked up 89.15 percent of the vote, according to figures issued by the electoral commission.

"Across the country, the results are mostly in line with this trend," commission chief Henri Bouka said.

One of the world's longest-serving rulers, Sassou Nguesso was frontrunner in an election boycotted by the main opposition and under an internet blackout.

In power for a total of 36 years, he has long been accused by critics of iron-fisted rule and turning a blind eye to corruption, poverty and inequality despite abundant oil wealth.

Kolelas, 61, his only significant challenger, died on Sunday aboard a medical plane that took him to Paris, his campaign director Christian Cyr Rodrigue Mayanda told AFP.

A close friend of Kolelas told AFP that he had died five minutes after the plane touched down at Le Bourget airport north of Paris.

Kolelas had initially feared he had malaria, and discovered too late that it was coronavirus, the source said.

Unable to host his closing campaign rally in the capital Brazzaville, he posted a video from his sickbed, declaring he was "battling against death".

"Rise up as one person... I'm fighting on my deathbed, you too fight for your change," he urged his supporters, saying the election was "about the future of your children".

A Paris court said a criminal probe had been opened into the cause of death.

- Rose to power in 1979 -

Sassou Nguesso, a former paratrooper, first rose to power in the Republic of Congo in 1979.

He was forced to introduce multi-party elections in 1991 and was defeated at the ballot box a year later.

Story continues

But he returned to power in 1997 following a prolonged civil war and has won every election since then, in conditions that the opposition says were fraudulent.

A constitutional amendment in 2015, which ended a ban on presidential candidates aged over 70 and scrapped a two-term limit, allowed him to run again in 2016. Two candidates in that vote -- former army general Jean-Marie Michel Mokoko and ex-minister Andre Okombi Salissa -- were sentenced in 2018 to 20 years in prison for "undermining state security".

Kolelas was the only major contender this time around after Congo's largest opposition group, the Pan-African Union for Social Democracy (UPADS), announced a boycott and other candidacies were withdrawn or excluded.

He came second in the presidential election of 2016, picking up 15 percent of the vote against 60 percent for Sassou Nguessou, according to official results.

Speaking after he cast his ballot, Sassou Nguesso said the "atmosphere of peace" during the election campaign was "a good sign for our democracy".

But when asked about security when election results are announced -- a moment that triggered a wave of violence at the last vote in 2016 -- he responded: "I'm not God".

Full results are likely to be announced on Tuesday or Wednesday, according to the electoral commission.

Flanked by its giant neighbour the Democratic Republic of Congo, the former French colony, also known as Congo-Brazzaville, has suffered a succession of coups, attempted putsches and insurrections since independence in 1960.

It has large reserves of oil, its major source of revenue, but its economy is in a slump, hurt by a collapse in crude prices, long-standing debt as well as the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic.

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"I suspect that the AstraZeneca vaccine will play a limited role in the United States, but I think this is really important globally, said William Moss, M.D., executive director of the International Vaccine Access Center at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. Already the product has been distributed in 70 countries worldwide.

We have to take an international perspective on this because we need to control this pandemic globally in order to control the development of variants, said William Schaffner, M.D., an epidemiologist and professor of preventive medicine and health policy at Vanderbilt University. But that doesn't mean it might not be needed in the United States, he says. Each additional manufacturer is an insurance policy, Schaffner says. Suppose there were  I don't know, God forbid  a fire in the manufacturing facility of any one of these manufacturers, you like to have excess capacity, just in case you need it."

How COVID-19 vaccines are made

AstraZeneca's vaccine was developed using the same technology as the Johnson & Johnson product, which received an EUA on Feb. 27 for its one-dose product. The J&J vaccine was found to be 66 percent effective in its multi-country trials and 72 percent effective among U.S. participants.

There are differences and similarities between the two. AstraZeneca's vaccine requires two shots instead of the one needed for J&J, but like the J&J product, AstraZeneca's vaccine can be transported and stored at regular refrigerator temperature.

All COVID-19 vaccines are designed to stimulate people's immune systems to produce antibodies to the protein on the surface of the coronavirus, commonly referred to as the spike protein.

The AstraZeneca and J&J vaccines were created using what's called an adenovirus  a harmless virus that can no longer replicate  to send a genetic code to our cells. The adenovirus goes into the nucleus of our cells and uses our DNA to send the genetic code. That code triggers immune responses that will allow our bodies to make antibodies to the spike protein located on the surface of the coronavirus. Those antibodies will help fight a COVID-19 infection if the real coronavirus enters our body.

The Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna vaccines, which received EUAs in December 2020, use what's known as mRNA, to provide the genetic code our cells need to produce the antibodies. Both of these vaccines require two shots and were shown to be 94 to 95 percent effective.

The FDA has said that a COVID vaccine would have to be at least 50 percent effective in order to be authorized. Once AstraZeneca files an EUA application, an independent panel of experts would review a more detailed set of data than was released on Monday and discuss the application at a public meeting.

"I think all of the vaccines, this one included, are in the same ballpark in preventing the most serious disease, keeping you out of the hospital and the intensive care unit and preventing you from dying, Schaffner said. From that point of view, I think they're all comparable."

Dena Bunis covers Medicare, health care, health policy and Congress. She also writes the Medicare Made Easy column for the AARP Bulletin. An award-winning journalist, Bunis spent decades working for metropolitan daily newspapers, including as Washington bureau chief for the Orange County Register and as a health policy and workplace writer for Newsday.

Editor's note: This story has been updated to reflect new information.
Fulton County, Georgia was one of the locations that had a lot of mystery surrounding its vote counting on election night. Poll workers sent observers home that night, yet they continued counting votes for hours afterward  a count that shot Biden, who had been trailing, into the winner's circle. Georgia's officials vigorously denied all wrongdoing. However, emails that John Solomon's outlet, Just the News, obtained via a public records request seem to support Republican concerns.

I wrote a great deal about events in Fulton County on Election Night. This is the most comprehensive account. The short version is that, at 10:00 P.M., a poll worker sent election observers home, saying vote-counting would stop due to a burst pipe.

The video showed, however, that once the observers had left, several poll workers pulled boxes of ballots out from under tables and began running them through the scanners that count votes. Some poll workers were seen repeatedly running the same ballots through the machine. It's estimated that they counted 15,000-20,000 ballots.

After the election, Georgia officials claimed that what happened  observers kicked out and counting continuing  was all perfectly normal. Everyone knew all those uncounted boxes of ballots were there, said the officials, so there was nothing sneaky about clearing the room of observers and starting a vote count the moment the observers were gone. Moreover, the election officials insisted that the rescans were simply because of machine malfunctions, rather than examples of the same ballots being counted multiple times.

At the time, before the videos emerged of late-night counting, local and national media outlets announced that counting had stopped by 10:30 and would resume the next day. However, after the videos emerged, Regina Waller, a county spokesman, told Just the News that she had informed all those media outlets  the ones that claimed that everything stopped at 10:30, that counting had not stopped. Instead, she claimed that she "stated to all media ... that although several workers were released to go home, a small team remained behind to assist with scanning ballots."

Not a single media outlet, however, mentioned that counting would continue. Either Waller or the outlets were truth-challenged. Just the News reported on Sunday that it had obtained more information indicating that Waller's statement to Just the News was an after-the-fact retrofit meant to cover for a fake narrative on Election Night itself:

In the email, timestamped at 10:22 p.m. on Nov. 3 and addressed to several county officials as well as State Farm Arena spokesman Garin Narain, Waller wrote: "The workers in the Absentee Ballot Processing area will get started again at 8 am tomorrow." Waller goes on to request arrangements for news crews hoping to get live shots of the counting the following day. Reached for comment via email, Waller said the email "was in response to a question received asking when all workers would return." She did not respond to a request to see the original email to which she was responding.

That wasn't the only interesting email Just the News obtained:

In a message sent at 11:15 p.m. that night, Fulton County Interagency Affairs Manager Fran Phillips-Calhoun wrote to Waller and several other county staffers: "FYI  [the Secretary of State's office] just sort of threw the team under the bus stating that 'we had a great day, but we decided to throw in the towel for the night even though the public is waiting...' on results."

Again, the message lacks context, but it seems to hint that the official narrative for election night was that everyone was going home and that all counting would stop  except, of course, it didn't stop at all.

Just the News has more information about mixed messages from Fulton County. Witness affidavits, sworn under penalty of perjury, support the charge that something sneaky happened, and now the officials' own emails seem to bear that out. You can read the rest here.

The one thing that's certain about Election Night is that, as long as the Democrat-run counties across America that deviated from election norms continue to resist scrutiny, at least half of all Americans are going to assume that they're hiding election fraud that placed the wrong man in the White House.

Image: Peculiar doings in Fulton County. YouTube screen grab.
It is very likely that you know Nathan Apodaca, the TikTok skater who went viral in October 2020 with a single video.

The TikToker became famous after publishing a clip where he appears to be walking on his skateboard, while the song "Dreams" by the band Fleetwood Mac plays. Well now, he has decided to capitalize (even more) on his success and auction his first viral video as an NFT for a minimum of $500,000.

Nathan, aka "Doggface," landed a manager to further his career as an influencer. Part of the strategy is to bring Apodaca's fame on social media to crypto assets.

According to TMZ , the 23-second clip can be yours, at least in virtual form, since it will be auctioned on the Rarible.com page starting this Friday, with an initial bid of half a million dollars.

However, there is a catch. Since Nathan does not have the authorization of Fleetwood Mac or the rights to the song "Dreams," what will be sold will be the video with the original audio.

The clip caused a spike in the number of replays on Spotify of the song, which was released 40 years ago. Even Fleetwood Mac members Mick Fleetwood and Stevie Nicks recognized it and recorded their own versions of the video.

The video also stands out because Nathan appears to be drinking an Ocean Spray while skating. The company even gave him a truck, thanking him for the viral publicity they received from the now influencer. However, the video that is sold as NFT will have the logo of the bottle blurred, since it does not have the permission of the firm either.

Despite his fame and having his own product line, Nathan Apodaca is known to be a modest person. Right now, he lives in a mobile home, which he bought with donations after going viral.

With the proceeds from the auction, the TikToker plans to buy a house for his parents and one for himself, as well as pay off his debts so he can "start over," his representative told TMZ. He will also use part of the money to open an event center in his community in Idaho.

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WASHINGTON  Evidence the government obtained in the investigation into the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol most likely meets the bar necessary to charge some of the suspects with sedition, Michael R. Sherwin, the federal prosecutor who had been leading the Justice Departments inquiry, said in an interview that aired on Sunday.

The department has rarely brought charges of sedition, the crime of conspiring to overthrow the government.

But in an interview with 60 Minutes, Mr. Sherwin said prosecutors had evidence that most likely proved such a charge.

I personally believe the evidence is trending toward that, and probably meets those elements, Mr. Sherwin said. I believe the facts do support those charges. And I think that, as we go forward, more facts will support that.
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New Delhi: After Independent MP from Amaravati in Maharashtra, Navneet Rana on Monday (March 22, 2021) wrote to Lok Sabha Speaker alleging that member of Parliament Arvind Sawant had threatened her for raising Sachin Waze case in the Lower House, the Shiv Sena MP said it is not true.

Rana had during Zero Hour on Monday spoken against the Maha Vikas Aghadi government over the allegations made by former Mumbai Police Commissioner Param Bir Singh.

Rana alleged in her letter to Om Birla that Sawant had threatened her by saying "Tu Maharashtra mein kaise ghoomti hai main dekhta hun aur tere ko bhi jail mein daalenge (How will you move about in Maharashtra now, I will see how you can do so and you will be also put in jail)."

Rana also claimed that she was previously also threatened several times over the phone and via letters over acid attacks on her.

"The kind of language used against me by Arvind Sawant is an insult to me and also the women of the entire country. I wish that strict police action be taken against him," she wrote.

#WATCH Today,after I spoke on Mansukh Hiren& Sachin Waze cases in Parliament,ShivSena's Arvind Sawant said "ab tumhe jail mein bhejna hai."..Will a man tell me how to speak now? My colleague Bharat from Rajahmundry told me he heard what Sawant had said:Maharashtra MP Navneet Rana pic.twitter.com/6hGHkAkl65  ANI (@ANI) March 22, 2021

However, Shiv Sena MP Sawant told ANI that he did not threaten Rana.

"This is a big lie. Why will I threaten her? If there were people present near her at that time, then they can say if I had threatened her," he said.

Her way of talking and body language was wrong, Sawant said adding that Shiv Sainiks do not threaten women.

#WATCH Why will I threaten her? If there were people present near her at that time,then,they can tell if I threatened her. Her way of talking &body language is wrong: Arvind Sawant,Shiv Sena MP on MP Navneet Rana's allegations against him of threatening her in Parliament premises pic.twitter.com/VwJC6D9UFs  ANI (@ANI) March 22, 2021

Meanwhile, BJP MP Rama Devi said, "Navneet Rana has spoken to me on this. Arvind Sawant being an MP should not have said such a thing. I will ask the Speaker to take this seriously."

In the Lok Sabha, several MPs including Rana had raised questions on Shiv Sena and NCP over the extortion allegations against Home minister Anil Deshmukh.

Rana had said, "On what basis was a man suspended for 16 years and jailed, reinstated? During the term of the BJP government, Uddhav Thackeray had himself called up Devendra Fadnavis to reinstate Sachin Waze. Fadnavis had refused. When Thackeray government came to power, they reinstated him."

Former Mumbai Police Commissioner Param Bir Singh on Saturday wrote a letter to Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray, alleging that Deshmukh had indulged in "malpractices" and asked suspended API Sachin Waze to collect Rs 100 crore every month. The allegations made by Singh came a day after Deshmukh had said that Singh was moved out as Mumbai Police Commissioner so that cases pertaining to Waze were probed without obstruction.

In the letter, Singh, who has now been posted as Commandant General of Home Guards, had said that he has been "made a scapegoat to divert attention from the actual wrongdoers".

He had alleged that Sachin Waze, who was heading the Crime Intelligence Unit of the Crime Branch of the Mumbai Police, was called by Deshmukh to his official residence several times in the last few months and "repeatedly instructed to assist in the collection of funds".

Waze, Assistant Police Inspector in the Crime Intelligence Unit (CIU), who was transferred to the Citizen Facilitation Centre at Mumbai Police headquarters after his name came up in Mansukh Hiran death case, has been sent to the NIA custody till March 25, in connection with his alleged role and involvement in placing an explosives-laden vehicle near Mukesh Ambani`s residence.

Live TV

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov arrived in China on Monday, starting a two-day visit to the country at the invitation of Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi.

The ministers will discuss bilateral cooperation, including during the pandemic, communication at the highest levels.

Besides, the diplomats will exchange views on regional and international issues and address cooperation within multilateral formats, including the UN, BRICS, SCO and others.

The diplomats are expected to adopt a joint statement on global governance in modern conditions and sign the plan of bilateral inter-ministerial consultations for this year.

Earlier, in an interview with the Chinese mass media Lavrov said that Russia is convinced that the Treaty of Good-Neighborliness, Friendship and Cooperation with China will be automatically extended for five years in 2022.
On the stock market of Vietnam, many businesses offering unusual or specialty products and services have obtained impressive results.

Yen Bai Forest, Agriculture and Foodstuff JSC is known as an enterprise specializing in the production of votive products for export to Taiwan. This firm earns several billion of VND a day from votive products.

These include Hai Phong Burial Service Joint Stock Company (CPH) and Siam Brothers Vietnam Joint Stock Company (SBV) which specializes in manufacturing ropes and fishing nets, and Cat Loi company (CLC), which produces cigarette filters.

The Hai Phong Burial Service JSC is doing very well. According to its 2020 finance report, the companys net revenue is nearly VND109 billion compared to VND107 billion in 2019. Of that number, revenue from selling goods increased by VND2 billion, to VND53.7 billion. Revenue from service provision reached nearly VND51 billion, down VND1 billion. The rest was revenues from semi-finished products.

Its gross profit from sales and service provision reached VND32.2 billion, including VND25.7 billion from goods sales, accounting for nearly 80% of the total profit. After-tax profit was more than VND9 billion, 6.6% over the annual target. EPS was over VND2,060.

Yen Bai Forest, Agriculture and Foodstuff Joint Stock Company (CAP) has just announced the resolution of the Board of Directors to pay 40% cash dividend (equivalent to VND4,000 per share). This is a high dividend rate, much higher than that of large real estate corporations and similar to that of businesses with history of paying high dividends as Vietnams largest milk producer - Vinamilk.

Yen Bai Forest, Agriculture and Foodstuff JSC is known as an enterprise specializing in the production of votive products for export to Taiwan. This firm earns several billion of VND a day from votive products.

In 2020, this company saw a 33% increase in after-tax profit, with over VND30 billion. From October 1 to December 31, 2020, it recorded an increase of 2.4 times in after-tax profit, reaching more than VND16 billion. The current price for CAP shares is about 1.5 times higher than early 2021.

After nearly 30 years of operation, Siam Brothers Vietnam JSC (SBV) is now a leading manufacturer and supplier of ropes and fishing nets in Vietnam.

Despite the impact of the Covid-19 epidemic, its revenue in 2020 grew approximately 9% compared to the previous year, reaching VND506 billion, while its after-tax profit rose by 19%, to VND68 billion. Its EPS reached VND2,485. Charter capital of Siam Brothers Vietnam is approximately VND273 billion and its shares are traded at around VND13,000 per share. The market liquidity is quite stable with tens of thousands to hundreds of thousands of shares were sold each trading session.

Merufa Joint Stock Company (MRF) has been listed on the stock exchange since December 2017, becoming the first and only condom manufacturing company on the stock exchange. From early March, MRF share has increased from VND49,000 to VND60,000 per share.

Meanwhile, some companies that produce and offer specialty products and services saw losses on the bourse.

The price of RIC shares of Hoang Gia International JSC continued to fall. On the stock exchange, RIC is the only one firm with casino services on the stock market. Its revenue in 2020 decreased 47% compared to 2019, to nearly VND126 billion. By the end of 2020, RIC had accumulated loss of nearly VND310 billion.

The Thong Nhat Match Producing JSC (DTN) has officially left the stock market. The reason given by the Hanoi Stock Exchange (HNX) is: " Thong Nhat Match Producing JSC no longer meets the conditions as a public company."

Thu Ky
INS Jalashwa reaches the port of Ehoala, Madagascar

Antsiranana [Madagascar], March 22 (ANI): Indian Naval Ship (INS) Jalashwa on Monday reached the port of Ehoala, Madagascar to deliver a consignment of 1,000 metric tonnes of rice and 100,000 tablets of Hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) to help Madagascar in dealing with severe drought in South Madagascar.

According to a press release, the consignment will be handed over to the Prime Minister of Madagascar Christian Ntsay by Ambassador Abhay Kumar in an official ceremony on March 23.

INS Jalashwa had reached the port of Antsiranana, Madagascar on March 12 with an Indian Naval training team that has been deployed in Madagascar for capacity building and training of the Malagasy Special Forces for two weeks.

After that, it reached the port of Moroni in Comoros on March 14 to deliver 1,000 metric tonnes of rice to Comoros.

On March 1, External Affairs Minister (EAM) S Jaishankar held a phone conversation with the Madagascar Foreign Minister Tehindrazanarivelo Djacoba AS Oliva, wherein they discussed Indian assistance to deal with the humanitarian crisis in South of Madagascar due to severe drought

According to the release, the EAM recalled the excellent bilateral ties of friendship between India and Madagascar and that India has always been among the first responders when it comes to assisting the people of Madagascar in such humanitarian crises.

India has always been a reliable partner of Madagascar in time of need. Last year, INS Shardul had visited the Port of Antsiranana with relief material comprising 600 tonnes of rice on behalf of India to deliver quick relief to the flood victims of Madagascar.

It was the biggest relief load ever carried by any Indian warship, loaded, transported and unloaded in record time, for quick relief assistance.

The supplies of food assistance and support for capacity building to Madagascar is in line with Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi's vision of SAGAR and India's time-tested role as a net security provider in the Indian Ocean Region. (ANI)
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The two remaining Bi-Lo supermarkets in the Charleston area are set to close April 18 after an effort to find a buyer for them was unsuccessful.

Liquidation sales are expected to start March 24 at the grocery stores at 860 Folly Road on James Island and at 1200 Sam Rittenberg Blvd. in West Ashley, according to workers at both locations.

Starting discount amounts were not immediately available, but they generally begin in low percentages at grocery stores with closing sales and gradually increase until the shelves are empty.

Parent company Southeastern Grocers is phasing out Bi-Lo, which got its start in the South Carolina Upstate in the early 1960s. The Jacksonville-based firm plans to concentrate on its other supermarket brands, namely Winn-Dixie.

A Southeastern spokesman did not respond to a request for comment March 22.

All of the remaining Bi-Lo stores in the state are expected to go away in April, with many of them sold to competitors and undergoing changeovers to new brands.

Food Lion announced last June it was buying 38 Bi-Lo stores in South Carolina.

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Five are in the Charleston area: two stores in Summerville and one each in Edisto Beach, St. George and Walterboro.

One of the Summerville stores, at 1625 N. Main St., is changing over this month while the other, at 975 Bacons Bridge Road, recently made the switch to Food Lion. The other stores have already adopted the new grocery banner.

Southeastern Grocers also struck deals last September to sell 18 other Bi-Lo stores in South Carolina and four in Georgia, along with a Harveys supermarket in Ridgeland. The parent of Lowes Foods bought most of them.

Two stores, at 1000 Tanner Ford Blvd. in Hanahan and at 3125 Bees Ferry Road in West Ashley, became Lowes Foods supermarkets.

Two others, at 110 S. U.S. Highway 52 in Moncks Corner and 3575 Maybank Highway on Johns Island, are now KJs Market IGA stores.

Bi-Lo got its start 60 years ago after Frank Outlaw, a former Winn-Dixie executive, bought four grocery stores near Greenville in 1961. The brand originated in 1963 after his secretary won a store-naming contest.
Day 9: Robert Smalls

Robert Smalls was born into slavery in Beaufort, South Carolina on April 5, 1839. His mother, Lydia Polite, was a slave owned by Henry McKee, who may have been Smalls father. Roberts mother had grown up in the fields, and while he now worked in the house with her, she feared Robert would grow up without knowing the plight of the slaves forced to work in the fields on the plantation. She showed him the full horrors of slavery, making him witness the whippings of the field hands which were a frequent occurrence. After seeing the brutality of slavery, Robert grew defiant and frequently found himself in the Beaufort jail. His mother feared for his safety, so she arranged with McKee to send Robert to Charleston where he would work as a laborer. At the age of 12, Smalls made one dollar a week, with the rest of his wage sent back to his master.

Working at a variety of jobs aboard boats, Smalls learned to navigate the waterways of Charleston Harbor. Few knew Charleston harbor better than Robert Smalls. On December 24, 1856, Robert married Hannah Jones, an enslaved hotel maid. With their owners permission, they moved in together and had two children, Elizabeth, and Robert Jr. Smalls saved money and attempted to buy the freedom of his new family, but Hannahs owner demanded 800 dollars for her freedom. Robert knew as long as he and his family were in chains, they could not be sure of a future together, and it would have taken him years to save enough money. Smalls promised his wife they would one day escape from slavery.

At the beginning of the Civil War, Smalls worked as a pilot aboard the CSS Planter, a steamboat chartered by the Confederate government. Smalls piloted the Planter around Charleston harbor, gaining the confidence and trust of the black crew members and the three white officers. Knowing the crew trusted him, Smalls devised a plan of escape.

On May 12, 1862 he and other enslaved members of the crew were detailed to load some heavy guns onto the Planter to be taken to a Confederate fort. They stretched out the work so that the guns would have to remain aboard overnight. When the white captain, engineer, and mate went into town for the evening, Smalls put on the captains straw hat and sailed the vessel to another wharf where his family and friends were waiting. They boarded, and he sailed out of Charleston Harbor, blowing the steam whistle at the appropriate check points for safe passage past Forts Sumter and Moultrie. When the ship was just out of range of their guns, Smalls raised the white flag of surrender and turned over the Planter and all the guns and military supplies aboard to the USS Onward, part of the Union blockade fleet. He also volunteered his knowledge of Charlestons defenses, leading to the capture of Coles Island a week after his escape. Rear Admiral Samuel Francis DuPont wrote that Robert is superior to any who have come into our lines  intelligent as many of them have been.

The people of the North celebrated Smalls and his crew. Congress awarded them half of the value of the Planter as prize money. Smalls traveled to Washington to meet with President Abraham Lincoln, where he helped to persuade Lincoln to permit black men to serve for the Union army. Soon after the meeting, Secretary of War Edwin Stanton ordered 5,000 former slaves to fight for the Union. Recognized for his bravery and skill, Smalls became one of the first African American pilots in the United States Navy and went on to become Captain of the Planter, another historic feat.

After the war, Smalls returned to his native Beaufort. With prize money he received for capturing the Planter, Smalls bought the McKee (his former slave owners) house at 511 Prince Street in Beaufort where he and his mother had been enslaved before the war. His family lived in the house for the next 90 years. In 1868, Smalls was elected to the South Carolina House of Representative and later to the South Carolina Senate. In 1874, Smalls was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives. As a member of Congress, he fought against the disenfranchisement of black voters across the South. He represented South Carolinas Fifth Congressional District from 1875 to 1879 and from 1882 to 1883. Smalls served South Carolinas Seventh Congressional District from 1884 to 1887. In the 1890s, he was offered a U.S. Army colonels commission in the Spanish American War and the post of U.S. Minister to Liberia, but he turned down both offers.

Robert Smalls died of malaria and diabetes in 1915. He had witnessed slavery, emancipation, the right of African American men to vote and serve in the ranks of the U.S. government. W.E.B. Dubois said on the history of freedom that, The slave went free; stood for a brief moment in the sun; then moved back again toward slavery. Smalls was lucky to live in that moment in the sun. He died as the South worked to recreate slavery through the Black Codes and Jim Crow laws. Despite this, Smalls refused to engage in pessimism, telling the South Carolina legislature: My race needs no special defense, for the past history of them in this country proves them to be the equal of any people anywhere. All they need is an equal chance in the battle of life.

BLACK HISTORY IS AMERICAN HISTORY!

By: U.S. Marine Corps Major Larry Black
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Jim OCallaghan is to speak at the University of Cambridge

One of the two chambers of an all-Ireland parliament could be based in Belfast if the island unites, according to a Fianna Fail member of the Dail.

Unionists could be guaranteed cabinet positions, while the Irish constitution may have to be comprehensively rewritten for any future united Ireland, Jim O'Callaghan believes.

The TD for Dublin Bay South, who is tipped by some to be a future leader of the party, will lay out his current thinking on what a united Ireland might look like in a speech to the University of Cambridge tomorrow.

He will propose that the current two chamber system should be retained - but that either the Dail or Seanad would be based in Belfast.

"It would be beneficial for a new united Ireland to retain a bicameral system, with one house sitting in Dublin and the other sitting in Belfast," Mr O'Callaghan will say, according to a report in Dublin's Business Post.

He will deliver the speech to the university's Sidney Sussex College.

His voicing of proposals on what a united Ireland might look like contrasts with party leader and Taoiseach Michael Martin's position, according to the Post.

Mr Martin wants to dampen down any talk of preparation for a united Ireland or calls for a border poll, at least in the next few years.

But Mr Gallagher has decided to lay out his own vision - which also includes retaining the PSNI under a regional policing structure.

While power sharing will not work, he will argue, there may be a way of ring-fencing cabinet positions for unionists to ensure they retain influence.

He does believe unionists will, nevertheless, naturally develop alliances.

"In order to ensure that pro-union parties retained influence in an Irish government, there could be a requirement in the new constitution that a certain number of cabinet would be filled by representatives of unionist parties," he is expected to say.

The TD will play down fears that a new Ireland will not be able to match how much the UK spends on Northern Ireland through its subvention, known as the block grant.

"Harnessing the strength of the whole island would help make those six counties a more prosperous region of a prosperous country," he will say.
London: Fake news on social media about climate change and biodiversity loss is having a worrying impact in the battle to halt the growing environmental threats to the planet, a group of scientists and analysts have warned.

Trust is essential for governments to make long-term decisions, the report argues. Social media and access to reliable knowledge is also highlighted as a barrier to progress.

As the pressure of human activities accelerates on Earth, so too does the hope that technologies such as artificial intelligence will be able to help us deal with dangerous climate and environmental change, said Co-author Victor Galaz, Deputy Director of the Stockholm Resilience Centre.

Social media reports have created a toxic environment where its now very difficult to distinguish facts from fiction, said one author, Owen Gaffney, of the Stockholm Resilience Centre. One of the biggest challenges now facing humanity is our inability to tell fact from fiction. This is undermining democracies, which in turn is limiting our ability to make long-term decisions needed to save the planet.

That will only happen however if we act forcefully in ways that redirects the direction of technological change towards planetary stewardship and responsible innovation.

Human actions are threatening the resilience and stability of Earths biosphere  the wafer-thin veil around Earth where life thrives, according to the report published for the first Nobel Prize Summit, a digital gathering to be held in April to discuss the state of the planet in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic.

China: Espionage trial starts for second Canadian detained

New Zealand govt to announce date for trans-Tasman quarantine-free travel

Crossing border: Israeli troops arrest three Lebanese
Source: Xinhua| 2021-03-22 19:58:31|Editor: huaxia

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Ebogo Barbara, 57, mother of five, babysits her young granddaughter as she fetches water from a borehole in Ekie-South, a peri-urban neighbourhood in Cameroon's capital city Yaounde, March 19, 2021. (Photo by Jean Pierre Kepseu/Xinhua)

by Arison Tamfu

YAOUNDE, March 22 (Xinhua) -- In the shade of an imposing pear tree, over a dozen women and children gathered on a dusty road to fill buckets with water from a borehole in Ekie-South, a peri-urban neighborhood in Cameroon's capital city Yaounde.

Seventeen years ago, a group of Chinese engineers in collaboration with the Cameroon government came to the neighborhood and created a narrow, deep hole in the ground that started generating water, traditional leader of the community Alain Charles Mbida told Xinhua.

He said the borehole came as a big relief for the population that has been suffering from water shortage for decades, but it was not until the advent of COVID-19 last year that the residents understood how important water is to a healthy lifestyle.

Acutely aware of the dangers of the highly contagious virus that has infected over 42,000 people and killed more than 630 in Cameroon, residents of Ekie-South began taking pains to maintain good hygiene.

"Now we're using more water than we used to be. This borehole helps us a lot," Mbida said.

"We have been able to remain hygienic and in good health during COVID-19 thanks to this borehole," local resident Bengono Nkama Giovanni told Xinhua.

"I trekked for over one kilometer to fetch water here. The water is potable. We no longer buy water," said Agnes Ondoa, 42, mother of four.

"People come from everywhere to fetch water here," 57-year-old Ebogo Barbara told Xinhua. A mother of five, Barbara was babysitting her young granddaughter as she filled a bucket with water.

"We ensure that the surroundings of the borehole are neat, we avoid dirty buckets from coming here...we ask everyone to wash the buckets and wash hands before fetching the water," said Barbara.

Not a single person in Ekie-South has been infected by COVID-19 since the first case was detected in Cameroon in March 2020, she added.

But not every neighborhood in the Central African nation has been that lucky.

Dealing with the largest public health crisis in contemporary times, Cameroonian health authorities battling to stem a jump in novel coronavirus infections have made the phrase "Wash Your Hands" their mantra.

"But how and where?" said 25-year-old Jones Micheal, a resident of Damas neighborhood of Yaounde where the water crisis is rampant.

In most of Cameroon's urban areas, water has become a scarce resource in poor settlements. Yaounde, with a population of over three million, suffers a water supply-demand gap of 250,000 cubic meters daily, according to a study in 2018.

Without access to tap water, residents rely on wells, which usually dry up during the dry season. Others rely on rainfall. However, rainy seasons are shorter than they were 30 years ago, according to weather experts.

So dire is the situation that many people are now drinking water from unsafe sources.

Faced with water challenges, the COVID-19 pandemic has spurred the government to dispatch water tankers, drill boreholes, and repair taps in most localities.

The government has also equipped schools and hospitals with buckets that are regularly filled with water in a bid to allow school children and hospital staff, patients, and visitors to wash their hands at all times.

But as authorities scramble to boost immediate water supplies, experts and residents of thirsty slums and villages say the solutions must last long after the pandemic has passed.

"These (solutions) should be sustainable and cost-effective. As COVID-19 cases continue to surge, it is more critical than ever before to ensure that every Cameroonian has access to safe water and sanitation now and forever," Jude Jumbam, a researcher with a non-profit local water management NGO told Xinhua by phone.

"We need to use COVID-19 pandemic to look for both short-term and long-term water solutions," he added. Enditem
Lasting longer than a standard bottle of shampoo, reducing plastic waste and no annoying spillages...swapping to a solid shampoo bar seems like a no-brainer really.

But, if you havent yet embraced the haircare alternative, we understand; formulas havent always been so great and there hasnt always been the extensive variety available that there is today.

Thankfully, technology has advanced, formulas have been tweaked and now, theres a different option for every type of hair. So, whether you have fine, dry, coloured or curly hair, theres a shampoo bar to meet your needs.

There are some simple tips to remember though when you make the switch. While some shampoo bars will recommend applying the bar directly to your hair, we found lathering up the suds in our hands first, then working through the hair and onto the scalp was the most effective. Remember to follow up with a conditioner (bar or liquid) if you like that silky feeling.

If you want your solid shampoo to last, its best to keep it out of the direct flow of the shower and let the bar dry out between uses. Many brands sell trays or reusable containers if you want to keep your collection neat and tidy.

Read more:

When switching to a shampoo bar, its worth noting that different formulas will suit different peoples hair needs, so if you dont find one that works for you straight away, dont give up.

Some people also report experiencing a transition period but its worth persevering. A quick search online will bring up lots of tips to help with this and any issues you have with using shampoo bars in a hard water area. So do keep trying until you find the one for you.

On that note, weve tested the below shampoo bars during numerous hair washes, looking at how they lather, apply, rinse out, the finished results and how long they last.

You can trust our independent round-ups. We may earn commission from some of the retailers, but we never allow this to influence selections. This revenue helps us to fund journalism across The Independent.

KinKind nourish me! shampoo bar, 50g Handcrafted on the south coast of England, these shampoo bars from family run business, KinKind, are small but mighty. All their shampoo and conditioner bars are vegan, cruelty free and dont contain any silicones or parabens. Each 50g bar promises to last up to 50 washes, so a little goes a long way and we loved how quickly the bars lathered up and found the suds were easy to wash out. There are six different shampoo bars in the range, including a shine bar for those with coloured hair, a fragrance-free option and a soothing lavender and rosemary infused combo ideal for all hair types. And apart from the citrusy Cleanse me! bar, the rest are also sodium laureth sulfate (SLS)  the chemical agent that essentially helps soaps to froth  free. We especially liked the delicious scent of their best-selling Nourish me! bar, which is a hydrating formula enriched with coconut oil ideal for normal, dry or grey hair. It really invoked memories of sunny holidays which we loved. Buy now  5.40 , Kinkind.co.uk {{#hasItems}} Price comparison {{/hasItems}} {{#items}} {{ merchant }} {{ price }} Buy now {{/items}} {{#hasItems}} {{/hasItems}} Eco Warrior deeply nourishing shampoo bar, 100g This shampoo bar from the Little Soap Company is great value for money. If you dont know the cruelty free and vegan friendly British brand already, they have bar versions of almost every bathroom staple you can think of: shower gel, facial wash, scrubs, medicated body wash and even shaving foam. Coming in at 100g, the nourishing shampoo bar is almost double the size of others we tried and has a solid, weighty feel to it. Conveniently its also available at a number of big name retailers, with the Eco Warrior brand having launched as a Sainsburys future brand at the end of 2019. Featuring pink clay to cleanse and moisturise, the formula feels smooth and gentle once lathered up. It has a subtle scent from the orange and ginger essential oils and left hair feeling clean and shiny. Eco Warrior also proudly states that their ingredients are curly girl method friendly. Definitely, one wed pop in our basket next time were browsing the aisles. Buy now  3 , Sainsburys.co.uk {{#hasItems}} Price comparison {{/hasItems}} {{#items}} {{ merchant }} {{ price }} Buy now {{/items}} {{#hasItems}} {{/hasItems}} No Secrets solo nine shampoo and body bar, 50g This unassuming shampoo and body bar is a real must have if you havent yet tried a solid shampoo. We were really impressed at how quickly it produced a luxurious lather that was as easy to apply to hair as a squeeze of liquid shampoo would be. Free of parabens, phthalates and sulphates, all of the British brands products are vegan friendly and focus on natural ingredients. Before you even open the cardboard box packaging, you can smell the spa-like scent of essential oils in the products. We particularly loved the energizing Solo Nine bar, with its hit of bergamot, lime, grapefruit, lemon and orange, but all of the bars in the range boast delicious sounding ingredients. Another bonus was how well the circular bar kept its shape: even as it got thinner and thinner over multiple uses, it never snapped or crumbled apart. Buy now  7.50 , Nosecretsbeauty.com {{#hasItems}} Price comparison {{/hasItems}} {{#items}} {{ merchant }} {{ price }} Buy now {{/items}} {{#hasItems}} {{/hasItems}} Garnier Ultimate Blends sensitive oat shampoo bar, 60g Generally big brands have been pretty slow at embracing shampoo bars, so it was great to see beauty and haircare giant Garnier launch its range of solid shampoos late last year. There are four bars in the range: a coconut and aloe vera combo for hydration, a honey and beeswax blend for damaged hair, a revitalising ginger option for weak or dull hair, and our favourite  an oat softening bar for sensitive scalps and fragile hair. Lathering up easily, the shampoo bar containing sustainably sourced oat milk and rice cream has quite a rich feel to it  almost like a conditioner  but it isnt heavy. Hair was left feeling soft and lightweight, while the scalp felt soothed. The teardrop shape of the bar is designed to be easy to grip and we can confirm that, unlike others we tested, it didnt fly off across the bathroom. All of the range is also silicone free, and each bar is designed to last up to two months. Buy now  3.96 , Superdrug.com {{#hasItems}} Price comparison {{/hasItems}} {{#items}} {{ merchant }} {{ price }} Buy now {{/items}} {{#hasItems}} {{/hasItems}} Lore Originals the bar, 50g The brainchild of the international hairdressing team behind Taylor Taylor London, Lore is a firm favourite among beauty editors. Having won awards from magazines such as Vogue, the bar is housed in recyclable packaging with a design guaranteed to look chic in your bathroom. Happily, it also delivers results and leaves hair smelling like youve just stepped out of the salon. We really loved its luxurious scent. The small circular bar lathers up lightly but a little goes a long way and it was simple to rinse out. Containing almond, avocado and prickly pear seed oils, as well as green tea extract, its packed with natural ingredients rich in magnesium, vitamin E and omega fatty acids. The bar is designed to promote a healthy scalp and nourish hair, while also protecting colour. It might be the priciest option in our round-up, but its definitely a luxury buy thatll leave you feeling truly pampered. Buy now  15 , Loreoriginals.com {{#hasItems}} Price comparison {{/hasItems}} {{#items}} {{ merchant }} {{ price }} Buy now {{/items}} {{#hasItems}} {{/hasItems}} Ethique mintasy solid shampoo, 110g New Zealand zero-waste beauty brand Ethique have been producing solid versions of bathroom and beauty products for a little while now, and there was much excitement when the brand launched in the UK a couple of years ago. Their Pinkalicious shampoo bar is a major hit with fans, as is the puntastic Mintasy, which was actually their very first solid shampoo. Vegan friendly, cruelty free and with no plastics in their products and packaging, Ethique uses sustainable Fairtrade ingredients to make their bars. Mintasy, as the name suggests has a fresh minty scent from the peppermint oil in it. Cocoa butter and Fairtrade Samoan coconut oil help cleanse and moisturise strands. The sturdiness of the bar means its great at holding its shape and lasts well. It also lathered up easily and left hair feeling lightweight and soft. Its one we could see ourselves going back to again and again. Buy now  12.99 , Hollandandbarrett.com {{#hasItems}} Price comparison {{/hasItems}} {{#items}} {{ merchant }} {{ price }} Buy now {{/items}} {{#hasItems}} {{/hasItems}} Shine shampoo bar, 75g Developed by hairdresser Jonathan Harries  who owns Shine salon in Brighton and has more than 30 years experience in the business  the Shine shampoo bar is the result of his aim to provide customers with a way to reduce their plastic consumption without sacrificing professional results. Formulated of 99 per cent natural ingredients, the round charcoal grey bar, which also comes with a handy travel tin, contains quinoa to help prolong hair colour. If youre not a fan of heavily scented or sweet-smelling bathroom products then this is a good choice  the shampoo bar has a light spicy ginger and lemon scent, which doesnt leave hair heavily fragranced afterwards. It also lathers easily and a little goes a long way. Plus this little bar can last up to four times longer than a standard bottle of liquid shampoo. Buy now  9.50 , Shineshampoobars.co.uk {{#hasItems}} Price comparison {{/hasItems}} {{#items}} {{ merchant }} {{ price }} Buy now {{/items}} {{#hasItems}} {{/hasItems}} Love Beauty and Planet blooming colour shampoo bar, 90g If you like your beauty products to look cute, then Love Beauty and Planet have got you covered. Its heart-shaped shampoo bars come in cutesy floral cardboard boxes and ooze a sweet, floral fragrance. Paraben and silicone free, it lathers gently into a creamy foam thats a dream to use. Our favourite was the Blooming Colour, packed with hydrating murumuru butter to make hair glossy and infused with delicious Bulgarian rose petals. Buy now  5 , Sainsburys.co.uk {{#hasItems}} Price comparison {{/hasItems}} {{#items}} {{ merchant }} {{ price }} Buy now {{/items}} {{#hasItems}} {{/hasItems}} Christophe Robin hydrating shampoo bar with aloe vera, 110ml If you suffer with dry hair and trying to pack moisture into your strands, then look no further. Parisian haircare favourite, Christophe Robin have got you covered with their shampoo bar containing a hydrating trio of aloe vera, castor oil and glycerine. Its lather is minimal but its simple to use and rinses out easily. We liked how the product doesnt weigh down hair and left locks feeling nourished and soft. It also has a decadent scent that oozes luxury. You may not be able to visit Paris for a trip to the famed salon, but you can certainly bring it to your bathroom with this bar. Buy now  16 , Lookfantastic.com {{#hasItems}} Price comparison {{/hasItems}} {{#items}} {{ merchant }} {{ price }} Buy now {{/items}} {{#hasItems}} {{/hasItems}} Solidu grandma said shampoo bar, 65g Lithuanian brand Solidu, would certainly win for being the quirkiest shampoo bar we tried. Each of the geometrically shaped shampoo bars are housed in a compostable casing that is both plastic and paper free. It can also double up as a temporary container to store the product on your bathroom shelf. We were intrigued by Grandma Said  a formula that combines nutrient rich tamanu oil and stinging nettle. According to Solidu, in Lithuania, stinging nettle decoctions have long been used to stimulate hair growth, improve shine and appearance of hair. Theres lots to like about Solidus offerings, which have been made purposefully compact to reduce transport emissions, but their rich botanical scents wont be for everyone. The bars really do pack a punch, although once used on the hair the fragrance isnt so overpowering. If youre looking for a shampoo bar that isnt sweetly scented or pastel pink, then its definitely worth checking out this brand. Buy now  11.95 , Beyondliving.co.uk {{#hasItems}} Price comparison {{/hasItems}} {{#items}} {{ merchant }} {{ price }} Buy now {{/items}} {{#hasItems}} {{/hasItems}} Kind2 the hydrating one, 80g Made from plant-based ingredients, natural colour and fragrances, Kind2 like to keep things simple. It doesnt mean its not effective though, in fact their award-winning conditioner bar is one of the best weve ever tried. But, back to shampoos... Kind2 have three on offer and the Hydrating One is our pick of the bunch. Paraben, SLS and SLES free, the 80g shampoo bar is pH balanced and is infused with hemp seed, shea and macadamia oils. It didnt lather as much as some of the other bars we tried, so took a bit longer to apply but it did leave hair feeling soft and smooth afterwards. Buy now  12.50 , Kind2.me {{#hasItems}} Price comparison {{/hasItems}} {{#items}} {{ merchant }} {{ price }} Buy now {{/items}} {{#hasItems}} {{/hasItems}} Nuddy ultra volume shampoo bar, 100g Nuddy has an aim to make soap bars cool again, and looking at their range of products, wed say theyre well on their way. Their fun, cheeky branding is a millennial dream, while their shampoo bars boast rave reviews. Coconut oil and argan oil are a dream combo already but in their popular ultra volume shampoo bar, there is the addition of the delicious scent of acai berry and peach. The result is hair thats left feeling glossy and bouncy. Its also particularly good if you have fine hair and are looking for a boost in volume. We found it lathered well, worked through the hair easily and the bar kept its shape. Nuddy also has a subscription service where you can choose a delivery of your fave bars (with a handy 10 per cent off) to your doorstep every 30 or 60 days. Buy now  8.95 , Nuddy.co.uk {{#hasItems}} Price comparison {{/hasItems}} {{#items}} {{ merchant }} {{ price }} Buy now {{/items}} {{#hasItems}} {{/hasItems}} JR Liggets jojoba and peppermint shampoo bar, 99g If soap bars make you think of a time gone by, then these hand cut soap bars are probably close to what youre imagining. US zero-waste brand, JR Liggets, have been making soap bars for many years  a reference to a formula for the shampoo bar was reportedly found in an old New England cookbook. There are a number of shampoo bars in the range, all consisting of a 100 per cent vegetable oil formulation and free of detergents, but we liked the refreshing jojoba and peppermint version especially. It created a really good lather and was easy enough to rinse out. We also found the bars to be long lasting and left hair with a nice smoothness. Buy now  9.99 , Amazon.co.uk {{#hasItems}} Price comparison {{/hasItems}} {{#items}} {{ merchant }} {{ price }} Buy now {{/items}} {{#hasItems}} {{/hasItems}} Lush montalbano shampoo bar, 55g Lush are a big name when it comes to solid bars and zero-waste products, with their range of naked products boasting a cult following. There are a few different shampoo bar options available from Lush, but our favourite was the zesty montalbano bar. Its a vegan-friendly bar that contains Sicilian lemon oil to give hair shine, and rosemary oil to soothe the scalp. It also contains green olives, and strangely, popping candy. The circular shape of the bar means it was easy to create a lather in the hands, but we did find that it broke down quicker than some of the other shampoo bars we tried. It also contains SLS which Lush have a good explainer about on their website, but we know that for some people thats a big no-no. Buy now  8 , Lush.com {{#hasItems}} Price comparison {{/hasItems}} {{#items}} {{ merchant }} {{ price }} Buy now {{/items}} {{#hasItems}} {{/hasItems}}

The verdict: Shampoo bars Frankly we were blown away by the range of great shampoo bars currently on the market, so it was not easy to pick a favourite. Small family run business KinKind really impressed us with both their range of shampoo bars, and with their letterbox delivery service using minimal packaging, which is both effortless and eco-conscious. For effectiveness as a product, No Secret was also a firm favourite and one wed readily recommend to friends wanting to try out a solid shampoo for the first time. If youre on a budget, then you cant go wrong with Eco Warriors shampoo bar which is great value for money. For more good hair day products, read our review of the best anti-frizz hair products for every hair type

IndyBest product reviews are unbiased, independent advice you can trust. On some occasions, we earn revenue if you click the links and buy the products, but we never allow this to bias our coverage. The reviews are compiled through a mix of expert opinion and real-world testing.
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THAI airways is selling its Laksi training center building, in the Bangkhen district of Bangkok, its Nok-Air shares, its Bangkok Aviation Fuel Services (BAFS) shares and Boeing 737- 400 engines, after the bankruptcy court gave the go-ahead to do so.

THAI airways has been hit hard by limited travel due to the COVID-19 pandemic, which comes as they were entered bankruptcy protection and sit on the verge of liquidation.

The acting director of THAI airways, Chansin Treenuchagron, said that the funding derived from this sales of assets is for the business operations and investment in projects which can create further income, or to be used as permitted by law.

Potential buyers can contact THAI airways for the Terms of Reference, or access more details on its websites Property for Sale page.

The post THAI airways to sell assets to raise more funding first appeared on Thai PBS World : The latest Thai news in English, News Headlines, World News and News Broadcasts in both Thai and English. We bring Thailand to the world.

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Source: Xinhua| 2021-03-22 19:24:21|Editor: huaxia

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Some G7 nations have long poked their noses into China's Hong Kong affairs. The G7 issued a joint statement portraying in a bad light the decision by China to improve the HKSAR's electoral system. Any meddling in China's domestic affairs is doomed to be futile.

Produced by Xinhua Global Service
Saudi Arabias Royal Commission for Jubail and Yanbu (RCJY) will participate the Virtual Future Projects Forum (FPF) 2021, which will be launched today (March 22) with the participation of many government and private entities.



The Royal Commission will showcase its future projects in the cities affiliated with RCJY including Jubail, Yanbu, Ras Al Khair Industrial City, and Jazan City for Basic and Manufacturing Industries, reported Saudi Press Agency (SPA).



The projects will cover the fields of infrastructure, housing, health care, public facilities, security and safety.



The FPF, being held under the patronage of Prince Faisal bin Bandar bin Abdulaziz, Governor of Riyadh Region, is one of largest platforms in the Middle East to showcase future projects.



It aims to bring together project owners from government and private agencies with contractors and interested parties in one place to explore investment opportunities in the contracting sector and the mechanism of qualification and competition for them. It also aims to develop a wide network of relationships between contractors, investors and interested parties, in addition to creating partnerships between them.



The contracting sector in Saudi Arabia is the second largest non-oil sector and supports the realisation of the Kingdom's Vision 2030. Moreover, the contracting market in Saudi Arabia is considered to be the largest in the Middle East, where international reports indicate that the volume of new projects in the sector exceeds 5,000 projects with a value of up to SR6 trillion ($1.59 billion), according to the FPF website.
Patna, March 22 : A sarpanch in Bihar's Muzaffarpur district has been taken into custody by the police for favouring a rape accused, an official said on Monday.

The police said that an accused named Vikash Kumar had allegedly raped a disabled minor girl in Gaighat village on Sunday night. As the victim resisted the act, her father and mother, who were sleeping in another room, rushed to the spot and caught the accused red-handed. The victim's father later handed over Kumar to sarpanch Sitaram Mahto, who promised him of taking a decision on the matter on Monday morning.

When the victim's father went to the sarpanch's house on Monday morning, he found that the accused had fled from there.

Subsequently, the victim's father approached the Gaighat police station and submitted a written complaint against Kumar and Mahto.

"We have taken Sitaram Mahto into custody. A search is on to nab main accused Kumar, who has been booked under the POCSO Act. Further investigation is on," said Narendra Kumar, the SHO of Gaighat police station.
[March 22, 2021] Xplornet Announces Major Fibre-To-The-Home Expansion in Rural Communities across Quebec

Over 23,000 homes and businesses will soon have access to fast, reliable and affordable Internet services from Xplornet, with speed plans up to 1 Gigabit per second QUEBEC CITY, March 22, 2021 /CNW/ - Xplornet Communications Inc., Canada's leading rural-focused broadband service provider, is delighted to announce that seven of the company's projects have been selected by the Government of Quebec, as part of Operation Haute Vitesse, to deploy Fibre-To-The-Home high-speed Internet services to more than 23,000 homes and businesses by September 30, 2022.



"As a pioneer in the deployment of world-class broadband services to rural Canadians, Xplornet is looking forward to deploying more than 3,200 kilometres of fibre to rural communities in Quebec and providing Fibre-To-The-Home high speed internet services to tens of thousands of Quebec homes and businesses", said Allison Lenehan, President and CEO of Xplornet. "Our company has distinguished itself by its strong ability to carry out large-scale rural projects quickly. We support the Government of Quebec's determination to connect all Quebec homes as soon as possible and we are pleased with the efforts being made to achieve this."

The Government of Quebec will contribute $84.4 million toward this new fibre broadband network. Once the project has been completed more than 23,000 Quebec households and businesses will have access to fibre-to-the-home services, with broadband speed plans up to 1 Gbp/s. "This is a historic moment for our regional economic development," said Charles Beaudet, Xplornet's Vice President, Quebec. "Access to high-speed Internet services in rural and remote areas of Quebec has never been more important. These investments will promote sustainable job creation and economic dynamism in rural Quebec, benefitting all of Quebec. We are eager to start working on these projects." Construction will begin in the coming weeks and is expected to be completed by the end of September 2022. About Xplornet Communications Inc. Headquartered in Woodstock, New Brunswick, Xplornet Communications Inc. is one of Canada's leading broadband service providers. For over a decade, Xplornet has been providing innovative fixed and mobile broadband solutions to rural customers at work, home and play across Canada. Today, Xplornet offers voice and data communication services through its unique hybrid fibre wireless and satellite network that connects Canadians to what matters. SOURCE Xplornet Communications Inc.

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CPC Central Committee to hold press conference on CPC centenary celebrations

Xinhua) 13:39, March 22, 2021

Photo taken on May 22, 2020 shows flags on the Tian'anmen Square and atop the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China. (Xinhua/Xing Guangli)

BEIJING, March 22 (Xinhua) -- The Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee will hold a press conference on Tuesday to shed light on the celebration activities for the 100th anniversary of the founding of the CPC, according to the State Council Information Office.

The press conference, scheduled at 10 a.m., will be the first such event held by the CPC Central Committee this year.

Wang Xiaohui, deputy head of the Publicity Department of the CPC Central Committee, as well as officials from the Organization Department of the CPC Central Committee, the Institute of Party History and Literature of the CPC Central Committee, the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, and the Political Work Department of the Central Military Commission will brief the public on the activities and take questions from journalists.
Scott Morrison has denied misleading Parliament after revelations the head of his department put a review of who in the Prime Ministers staff knew about allegations of rape in a ministerial office on hold two weeks ago.

Mr Morrison had asked his department head, Philip Gaetjens, to check on whether his office was alerted to the rape allegation made by former Liberal staffer Brittany Higgins after contradictory claims about when those close to the Prime Minister were notified.

AFP commissioner Reece Kershaw and Philip Gaetjens, secretary of the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen

However, Australian Federal Police Commissioner Reece Kershaw told a Senate estimates hearing on Monday he was concerned the inquiry being undertaken by Australias top public servant would hamper the police investigation into the matter.

Mr Gaetjens told a separate estimates hearing Mr Kershaw had advised him of these concerns on March 9, leading him to pause the review.
(Removes paragraph 7 after the Budapest Semmelweis University said its statement had been dated March 2020.)

BUDAPEST (Reuters) - An appeal went out on Monday for volunteers to join hospital staff treating coronavirus patients in northwestern Hungary, as doctors said COVID-19 wards were overwhelmed, with the pressure only set to mount during the next few weeks.

New infections are surging in Hungary, hard-hit by the third wave of the pandemic, despite vaccination rates at the top of European Union nations, as a proportion of population.

Hungary was the first nation in the bloc to buy and use Chinese or Russian vaccines, as it said shipments from Western suppliers lagged.

Monday's call, posted on the Facebook page of the Hungarian Medical Chamber in the county of Gyor-Sopron, came just as the nation reported a record number of 11,276 patients in hospital, with 1,340 of them on ventilators.

"The COVID-19 departments in almost all the hospitals are hugely overburdened, there is a shortage of nurses and they are becoming increasingly exhausted," Laszlo Szijjarto, the chairman of the county chamber, said in the request.

He called for motivated and reliable volunteers to enrol in a 3 hour to 4 hour training course to join hospital staff and assist in monitoring and caring for patients.

The spreading third wave presents a big challenge for nationalist Prime Minister Viktor Orban, who aims to get as many people immunised as quickly as possible to reopen the economy.

Hungary still had plenty of free beds to treat coronavirus patients, Orban said on Friday.

"We haven't even reached half our capacity yet," he said, referring to the tally of beds with ventilators, while adding that the number of those free, but without ventilators, exceeded 10,000.

"The question is always whether there are enough doctors and nurses to operate these," Orban added, saying problems would be resolved.

With just over 1.589 million Hungarians inoculated, Orban said lockdown measures could start to ease once the figure reached 2.5 million, or a quarter of the population.

Story continues

(Interactive graphic tracking global spread of coronavirus: https://graphics.reuters.com/world-coronavirus-tracker-and-maps)

(This story removes paragraph 7 after the Budapest Semmelweis University said its statement had been dated March 2020.)

(Reporting by Krisztina Than; Editing by Clarence Fernandez)
There are fears a new Covid wave sweeping continental Europe could spread to the UK and Ireland.

There has been one further death from Covid-19 in Northern Ireland.

The latest figures from the Department of Health show the death occurred within the past 24 hours.

Northern Ireland's death toll from the virus now stands at 2,105.

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Over the past seven days there have been six deaths from the virus in the region, down from 20 the week before.

The department also confirmed 87 new cases of Covid-19 after 2,846 tests were carried out on 1,010 people on Sunday. It is the first time the daily case number has fallen below 100 in months.

A total of 116,019 people have now tested positive for the virus in Northern Ireland.

Over the past seven days 1,050 people have been diagnosed with Covid-19, down from 1,260 the week before.

There are currently 160 Covid-19 patients in Northern Ireland's hospitals, with 15 in an intensive care unit.

Hospital bed occupancy currently stands at 96%, while 18 intensive care unit beds remain free.

In Northern Ireland's care homes there are currently eight active outbreaks of the virus.

It comes after Prime Minister Boris Johnson warned the UK must brace for another wave of coronavirus infections being imported from Europe as cases rise on the continent.

Mr Johnson said he expected the third wave of Covid-19 infections, seen in countries such as France and Italy, to "wash up on our shores as well".

But he said he did not think the European Union wanted to block vaccine exports from reaching the UK, following suggestions Brussels could stop supplies from crossing the Channel amid struggles with its own rollout.

"If there is one thing that is worth stressing it's that on the continent right now you can see sadly there is a third wave under way," the PM said on Monday.

"People in this country should be under no illusions that previous experience has taught us that when a wave hits our friends, it washes up on our shores as well. I expect that we will feel those effects in due course.

"That's why we're getting on with our vaccination programme as fast as we can but a vaccination campaign and developing vaccines, rolling them out - these are international projects and they require international co-operation."

Expand Close Prime Minister Boris Johnson gave the warning during a visit to BAE Systems in Lancashire on Monday (Christopher Furlong/PA) / Facebook

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Whatsapp Prime Minister Boris Johnson gave the warning during a visit to BAE Systems in Lancashire on Monday (Christopher Furlong/PA)

His comments come after several regions in France, including Paris, spent their first weekend under a limited month-long lockdown.

Taoiseach Micheal Martin said a new wave of the virus could be avoided in the Republic of Ireland if people stick to public health measures and avoid indoor gatherings.

He described the UK variant as the "most significant factor" combined with more congregation and a degree more mobilisation "that is allowing the figures to flatten and increase somewhat in the last number of days".

"What I would say to people is that we have control of this and we must avoid congregation indoors at all costs," Mr Martin said.

Meanwhile, First Minister Arlene Foster and deputy First Minister Michelle O'Neill have lent their support for a day to remember those who have died during the pandemic and show support for everyone who has been bereaved.

Spearheaded by the Marie Curie charity, over 250 organisations are backing the initiative. The Day of Reflection is being held on March 23, the anniversary of the UK going into the first national lockdown.

"Ill be pausing for a minute silence at noon, as my way of showing my respect to those who have lost loved ones and to all who are going through difficult times just now," Mrs Foster said.

Ms O'Neill said she would light a candle to remember all those who have died.
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y.  Yes, Theyre Open is a web series highlighting local bars and restaurants that are open for takeout, delivery, pickup or dining during the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak.

Live streams from the featured restaurants are broadcast on the Advance Facebook page every weekday at around 3 p.m.

On Monday, the Advance/SILive.com visited Saladworks inside ShopRite at 3010 Veterans Road W., which is open for indoor dining, pickup and delivery from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily. Call 347-630-7968 to reach the location or visit saladworks.com for more information.

YES, THEYRE OPEN: Saladworks is open for indoor dining, pickup and delivery at 3010 Veterans Road W. The eatery, located inside the ShopRite in Charleston, is open 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily. Call 347-630-7968 to reach this location and visit saladworks.com for more information. Posted by Staten Island Advance on Monday, March 22, 2021

Staten Island restaurant owners: If you would like your establishment featured for free as part of Yes, Theyre Open, email reporter Victoria Priola at vpriola@siadvance.com.

WANT MORE YES, THEYRE OPEN?

Lebanese Eatery, 1686 Forest Ave.

Cantina Mexicana, 140 New Dorp Lane

Nurnberger Bierhaus, 817 Castleton Ave.

HoBrah, 31 New Dorp Plaza

Trackside Bar & Grill, 61 New Dorp Plaza

Fig & Vine, 710 New Dorp Lane
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Hyderabad: The Telangana government on Monday (March 22, 2021) announced 30 per cent fitment for all government employees and teachers and raised their retirement age from 58 to 61.

Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao, who made a statement in this regard in the state Assembly, said around 9.17 lakh employees and pensioners, including contract and outsourcing employees, would be given a salary hike from April 1, 2021.

Also, he announced an extension of the retirement age of government employees and teachers from the existing 58 to 61.

"I am happy to announce the good news to all state government employees and teachers that they will get 30 per cent fitment and to this effect, the orders will be implemented from April 1, 2021," Rao, who is also referred to as KCR, said.

He said the coronavirus pandemic had shattered the state's economy and due to an unexpected fiscal deficit, the 11th pay revision was delayed.

"In the present scenario of a recuperating economy, we are revising the 11th pay scale in a better manner that will cover all the employees, teachers," he said.

This time, too, the government revised the pay scales of employees, teachers and pensioners and decided to increase the salaries of contract employees, outsourcing employees, Home Guards, anganwadis, Asha Workers, Vidya Volunteers, Sarva Siksha Abhiyaan employees, daily wage and other employees, Rao said.

Totally, there are 9,17,797 employees in the government machinery, he said.

After the TRS came to power in 2014, Rao had announced the highest fitment of 43 per cent.

"As per the assurance given in our last election manifesto, the government is happy to announce enhancement of retirement age limit to 61years," he said.

"With an aim to utilise the services of experienced employees I announce the enhancement of retirement age limit and this decision will comeinto effect immediately," Rao said.

He further said after deliberations with employees, teachers unions, the government has taken up the process of promotions as requested by its staff.

Till now, 80 per cent of the promotion process of employees has been completed.

The government would immediately start the promotion process of remaining eligible employees along with eligible teachers.

After this process is completed, 100 per cent of eligible employees would get promotions and the government would soon start the process of filling vacancies created by promotions, he said.

The government also decided to reduce the age limit from 75 years to 70 years for 15 per cent additional quantum of pension to the retired government employees and teachers.

For the spouse of employees and teachers who are working in different districts, the government would immediately start the process of inter-district transfers to accommodate them to work in one district, Rao said.

The government adopted a broader vision in solving the employees and teachers issues, and expects that the employees would also respond accordingly and further dedicate themselves in discharging their duties and work with full commitment in public service without any lapses, he said.

The Telangana Chief Minister further said that along with financial recession across the country, the coronavirus pandemic severely shattered the state's economy.

Due to the lockdown imposed by the Central government, public life in the state came to a standstill and financial activities were also paralysed, he said.

Income levels declined and the state experienced a severe financial deficit, he said.

Though in a severe financial crisis, the government decided to give the 12 month arrears to the employees.It is ensured to get these arrears along with retirement benefits, Rao added.
Through NEXTAFF, well be able to benefit clients, employees, and patients around the Denver metro, touching lives along the way.

NEXTAFF, an industry leader in providing quality talent for businesses, announced the opening of a new staffing agency location today in Denver.

The Denver office is co-owned and operated by John Snellings and Dane LaRiviere and will serve Denver and the mountain region. The office will focus on caregiver and nurse staffing for long-term care and other healthcare facilities. We fill healthcare roles, including RCA, CNA, CMA, LPN, and RN.

Nursing and nurse staffing is a greatly needed and an often-under-appreciated profession, Snellings said. Through NEXTAFF, well be able to benefit clients, employees, and patients around the Denver metro, touching lives along the way. Our goal is to grow our company, becoming one of the most respected providers and a go-to resource in the mountain region.

NEXTAFF offers a proprietary recruiting method called X-FACTOR, which combines hiring methodologies that are statistically proven to outperform what typical staffing agency competitors and HR departments traditionally do. This methodology, combined with a robust back-office support structure, allows a staffing franchise office many distinct advantages over someone looking to start their own staffing agency.

We are pleased that John has selected Denver for his next office, said Cary Daniel, Co-founder and CEO of NEXTAFF. He has a wide range of business experience, bringing welcome expertise to the growing Denver market. His partnership with NEXTAFF will give him the support and infrastructure he needs to serve the business community in Denver as well as the surrounding area.

The office is located at 10303 East Dry Creek Road, Suite 400, Englewood, CO 80112. More information can be found at https://www.nextaff.com/locations/denver-co-healthcare/.

We look forward to building long-term partnerships not only with clients but also with area nursing professionals, continued Snellings. With NEXTAFFs proven process, well be able to identify, evaluate, and acquire quality talent in the Denver Market. This will mean better care for patients and maximum opportunity for our caregiving employees.

About NEXTAFF

NEXTAFF helps companies recruit, screen and hire quality talent through our proprietary X-FACTOR model. Our comprehensive approach is designed to considerably outperform a traditional temp agency supplier model. Each NEXTAFF office is locally owned and operated, which allows our clients to work directly with owners in finding quality employees. NEXTAFF offers a variety of custom solutions in commercial, information technology and healthcare industries. NEXTAFFs goal is to enable clients to concentrate on their core business activities while we partner to improve and simplify their hiring process.

For more information about NEXTAFFs services, visit https://www.nextaff.com/. Those interested in franchise opportunities can visit https://www.nextaff-franchise.com/.

###
Lucid Motors  focus of one of the most anticipated SPAC mergers of 2021  is out with some news on its battery plans and images for a new SUV.

What Happened: Lucid Motors, which is going public with Churchill Capital Corp IV (NYSE: CCIV), has unveiled plans to put its batteries to use in the energy storage market.

TechCrunch reported that Lucid Motors sees a second life for its electric vehicle batteries in the energy storage space. Lucid Motors is experimenting with energy storage systems for both commercial and residential customers.

Batteries typically retain a charging capacity of 70% after being removed from an electric vehicle. Lucid Motors wants ways to repurpose the batteries going forward.

New images also circulated online showing the Lucid Motors Gravity SUV. Electrek shared images that were filed with the European Union Intellectual Property Office.

The images differ from pictures the company had previously shared, including during its investor presentation. Changes include ore glass to the roof and a longer back.

Related Link: 9 Key Takeaways From The Lucid Motors SPAC Merger

Why Its Important: Lucid Motors is set to deliver its Lucid Air electric vehicle in the second half of 2021. The company is also working to complete its SPAC merger with Churchill Capital Corp IV.

The new battery plans and leaked images for the Gravity could help boost investor confidence in the long-term plans for Lucid Motors.

The Gravity SUV is scheduled to be released in 2023.

Plans are underway to complete Phase II of the companys Arizona production facility that could make space for Gravity production.

Lucid Motors CEO Peter Rawlinson told Jim Cramer on Mad Money last week that the companys order book was filling up. The CEO said the company plans to ramp up production in the third quarter of 2023 to 85,000 vehicles annually from the Arizona factory. The planned expansion for the facility could bring capacity to 365,000 units annually.

Story continues

Price Action: Shares of Churchill Capital Corp IV closed at $26.88 on Friday. Shares have traded between $9.60 and $64.86 over the last 52 weeks.

Disclosure: Author is long shares of CCIV.

Photo courtesy Lucid Motors.

See more from Benzinga

 2021 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved.
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Oman has launched a programme to attract private investments and support Omani exports in foreign markets was launched today during the first meeting of the supervisory committee tasked with this special programme.



The meeting was chaired by Qais Mohammed al-Yousuf, Minister of Commerce, Industry and Investment Promotion, in the presence of Dr Khamis Saif al-Jabri, Head of Oman Vision 2040 Implementation Follow-up Unit, reported Oman News Agency (ONA).



The programme is one of the accelerators of the first phase of Oman 2040 and it is closely associated with the themes of economy and development and fiscal sustainability.



The programme focuses on empowering the private sector to take the helm of economic development, a core objective of the Tenth Five Year Plan (2021-2025). The Council of Ministers financial and economic committee will supervise this programme, whose launch was flagged by the Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Investment Promotion in cooperation with the Oman Vision 2040 Implementation Follow-up Unit and the Ministry of Economy.



The programmes indicators will be listed under the banner of performance indicators of the Follow-up Unit, which will keep a regular record of the programmes progress.



The programme envisages a set of goals, including the analysis of the investment environment of local funds and foreign capital, addressing the challenges and studying successful global experiences of advanced nations.



The programme will focus on Omani exports and means of supporting them in foreign markets so that they could develop into a basic component of national economy.



Prior to the launch of the programme, a number of joint sessions were held among different economic sectors of relevance to the programme. The sessions aimed to establish consensus about the target investments that figure in the first package of the programme, which cover the sectors of tourism, fisheries, converting industries, information and communications technology, logistics services, energy and mining.



A list of initiatives and projects targeted by the programme will be developed over the next three years.



Other different sectors related to development will be incorporated in the future stages of programme targeting local and foreign investments, and these include the sectors of education, health and sports.



To ensure the success of the programme, a set of enabling programmes were included such as planning and development of instruments to stimulate investments and open up markets, streamlining and enumeration of government services, the development of special economic zones, free zones, mega projects and economic gateways, enhancing economic efficiency in governorates, developing national capabilities and employment, developing laws and legislations and management of the performance of related government establishments and media interactivity.


NEW YORK, March 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Tom Peters, #1 New York Times bestselling author, with Bob Waterman, of the global phenomenon In Search of Excellence, (ranked as the "greatest business book of all time" by Britain's Bloomsbury Publishing) will release his newest book EXCELLENCE NOW: EXTREME HUMANISM, a call to action to CEO's and all leaders of organizations to put people and communities first, and create products and services that serve humanity.

The announcement was made today by his publishers Networlding and un/teaching. The foreword for EXCELLENCE NOW: EXTREME HUMANISM was written by Vala Afshar, Chief Digital Evangelist for Salesforce. The book and social media campaign have been designed by Nancye Green and Stuart Lopez of Donovan/Green.

"What you are doing right now will be the hallmark of your entire career."

That's what Tom is insisting about the critical nature of leadership in current conditions. These tumultuous times demand deep engagement, human connection, and EXCELLENCE. Tom calls Excellence Now: Extreme Humanism his "Summa" (Latin for total) and it delivers an impassioned, yet clear-eyed plea that "excellence" now means an extreme focus on humanism as the only way any business or organization can sustain itself for the future.

From Peters: "The 43 years since our first book's research started were 43 years of waiting for this moment. The stuff I've been shouting about has moved from 'damn good business strategy' to 'undeniable necessity' in the face of triple madness: COVID-19, racial injustice, artificial intelligence at the tipping point. This multi-dimensional turmoil makes this book's message far more timely, far more powerful, far more pertinentand far more urgentthan I could have imagined.

Leading amidst chaos. Leading amidst the personal and economic anguish brought on by COVID-19. Leading amidst the social pain symbolized by loud, angry, renewed awareness of racial inequities that defy decades of efforts to bring about large-scale change. How do leaders copeand even thrive in their efforts to serve the communities in which they are imbeddedamidst this madness? I say for the umpteenth time 

People's Growth [REALLY] first, Community Engagement [REALLY] first, Planet Earth [REALLY] first, Products and Services that Serve Humanity rather than shareholder wealth accretion [REALLY] first. Now."

The book's pragmatism is pointedly aimed at the leaders who are making decisions right now, and those emerging leaders who are ready to boldly make decisions for themselves. Because there's no time to wait. Ten topics come with 75 "To-Dos," challenging each of us to get going. EXCELLENCE NOW: EXTREME HUMANISM is the leading edge of a campaign that brings a trio of tools for his final lessons in Excellence. The tools are Excellence Now: The Forty-Three Number Ones eBook, Excellence Now: Extreme Humanism hardback, and Excellence: Now More Than Ever six-part video course series, with a free preview available through Udemy.

EXCELLENCE NOW: EXTREME HUMANISM is being published jointly by Networlding Publishing and un/teaching. Audiobooks, in all formats, will be available in all places where audio books are sold.

ABOUT TOM PETERS

Tom Peters grew up in Annapolis, Maryland. After acquiring two engineering degrees from Cornell, he spent two years as a U.S. Navy combat engineer in Vietnam and two years as a Pentagon bureaucrat. Next, Tom earned an MBA and Ph.D. in organizational effectiveness from Stanford. In the middle of that time, he served for two years as a White House drug abuse policy advisor. He then joined McKinsey in San Francisco. He was given an "oddball" (by McKinsey standards) assignment to study organizational effectiveness and to figure out why big companies are consistently crappy at implementation. Out of that analysis came In Search of Excellence, published in 1982, which became a huge bestseller. It is commonly agreed to have reshaped global business thinking and has been anointed as "the best business book ever."

Along the way, Tom founded the Tom Peters Company. Labeled the premier "business guru," he has written 18 more books, including one released in March 2021, Excellence Now: Extreme Humanism. He has also delivered 2,500-plus speeches in 63 countries. His tireless focus has been on putting people first, developing leaders who stay in intimate touch with the front-liners who do the real work, selecting more women for top leadership roles, being a stellar community citizen, and making no less than inspiring productsall of which aim to make the world a little bit better and are also the best path to growth and profitability, and, for the individual, a life of honorable service. Tom repeatedly says that he does not understand why this straightforward, "not rocket science" message, which he has been ranting and raving about for 43 years, seems to be so hard to graspbut he will continue to "sell" these timeless ideas until his last breath.

ABOUT the Publishers

Networlding Is a hybrid, boutique publishing and book-creation firm that works with thought leaders who focus on socially conscious initiatives.

un/teaching builds platforms for ideas that will move us collectively out of fear, complacency and activate our extreme humanity.

ABOUT the Book Designers

Donovan/Green was founded by Michael Donovan and Nancye Green. Donovan/Green has invented, developed, designed, and produced in many forms for clients as diverse as Hoffman-La Roche, 3M, P&G, Marriott, the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library, American Express, GM, Sony, and American Girl Place, among many others.

EXCELLENCE NOW: EXTREME HUMANISM

By Tom Peters

Publication date: March 15, 2020



RELATED LINKS:

Amazon.com/Excellence-Now-Humanism-Tom-Peters/dp/1944027963

TomPeters.com

Networlding.com

Un-teaching.com

DGtwo.com

#ExtremeHumanism

SOURCE Un/Teaching

Related Links

https://un-teaching.com/


THERE needs to be additional garda resources on the citys northside following an upsurge in anti-social behaviour and crime.

Thats according to local Sinn Fein councillor Sharon Benson, who is bidding to persuade councillors to write to Garda Commissioner Drew Harris to address the issue.

The City North councillor had a notice of motion at this months metropolitan district meeting referred to the Joint Policing Committee.

It means her call will be discussed in the presence of Limericks most senior gardai at the next meeting later this year.

Cllr Benson said there has been an under-resourcing of Mayorstone garda station, and it is this which has led to a growth in crime north of the Shannon.

She said: Mary Street garda station closed in 2013 and the 18 Gardai stationed there were transferred to Mayorstone. However, by the end of that year there was a deficit of 19 Gardai in Mayorstone. In 2008 there were 104 Gardai stationed on the northside of the city but now there are only 50. This is totally unacceptable.

She wants Commissioner Harris to address this in light of recent incidents.

I received many calls from residents right across the northside over the past number of weeks regarding an increase in anti-social behaviour. Anti-social behaviour is a big problem in our city, which has escalated in recent years and people are really suffering. More Garda patrols and community policing are needed to effectively and fully tackle this problem. But the lack of resources is a continuous problem, and this is really being felt on the ground, she added.

Earlier this month, it was revealed by Chief Superintendent Gerard Roche that overall garda manpower levels in Limerick have not changed over the past year.
Power stocks were trading with gains, with the S&P BSE Power index rising 29.09 points or 1.15% at 2559.25 at 09:49 IST.

Among the components of the S&P BSE Power index, Adani Green Energy Ltd (up 5%), Adani Transmission Ltd (up 3.93%),Adani Power Ltd (up 3.63%),Tata Power Company Ltd (up 2.02%),Bharat Heavy Electricals Ltd (up 1.44%), were the top gainers. Among the other gainers were Siemens Ltd (up 1.27%), NTPC Ltd (up 0.97%), and Torrent Power Ltd (up 0.54%).

On the other hand, Power Grid Corporation of India Ltd (down 1.45%), NHPC Ltd (down 1.42%), and K E C International Ltd (down 1.22%) moved lower.

At 09:49 IST, the S&P BSE Sensex was down 57.7 or 0.12% at 49800.54.

The Nifty 50 index was down 3.4 points or 0.02% at 14740.6.

The S&P BSE Small-Cap index was up 198.64 points or 0.97% at 20669.18.

The S&P BSE 150 Midcap Index index was up 45.85 points or 0.68% at 6830.4.

On BSE,1425 shares were trading in green, 833 were trading in red and 130 were unchanged.

Powered by Capital Market - Live News

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
One of three stunning pools at Acqualina Resort located in Miami. We are thrilled to partner with Tradewind Aviation, who shares our elevated commitment to health and safety and our passion for offering personal attention and exclusive luxury experiences," said Deborah Yager Fleming, CEO and Partner of Acqualina Resort & Residences.

Acqualina Resort & Residences, a seaside haven set on nearly five acres of sand between Miami and Fort Lauderdale in Sunny Isles Beach, and Tradewind Aviation, a premier operator of private charter and shared charter flights throughout North America and the Caribbean, welcome couples and families for the Ultra-Lux Private Jet Getaway. The travel package combines a Five-Star Acqualina experience with a private jet experience offering exclusivity, opulence, flexibility and convenience. The luxury brands implemented a comprehensive health and safety plan amid the COVID-19 pandemic to ensure guests needs and concerns are addressed and exceeded.

When youre staying at Acqualina, you become accustomed to a certain level of service, and that should extend to your transportation, said Deborah Yager Fleming, CEO and Partner of Acqualina Resort & Residences. We are thrilled to partner with Tradewind Aviation, who shares our elevated commitment to health and safety and our passion for offering personal attention and exclusive luxury experiences.

The getaway begins aboard a Tradewind Citation CJ3 Jet from the guests home airport. The Citation Jet can seat up to 6 people, however, larger groups can be accommodated in Tradewinds partner operator network. Guests selecting this experience will receive complimentary roundtrip ground transportation between their U.S. home and the departure airport, thanks to Tradewind Aviation. Guests will also enjoy light inflight cuisine, and a 10% reduced rate toward a future trip with Tradewind Aviation to any destination of their choosing.

Arriving at Miamis Opa-Locka Executive Airport or Ft. Lauderdale Airport, guests will be personally greeted and whisked away to the pristine Acqualina Resort to enjoy three glorious nights in a luxury guestroom or suite of their choice. Wellness and pure bliss for the mind and soul will be a constant as guests will experience two Orange Blossom treatments followed by a healthy spa lunch served poolside at the Forbes Five Star Acqualina Spa by ESPA. The Orange Blossom treatment lasts one hour and 50 minutes featuring an ESPA Salt and Oil scrub followed by a massage using the signature ESPA Restorative oil and warm poultices along with a refreshing scalp massage.

Guests will enjoy a memorable evening with their families with an under the stars beachfront dinner steps away from the glistening Atlantic Ocean with a carefully crafted menu by Acqualinas talented culinary team. The tone will be set by melodic waves that caress the pristine white sand.

The getaway also includes daily breakfast and a complimentary upgrade to the next room category. Acqualina Resort is the perfect South Florida destination for travelers looking for a relaxing and tranquil beach resort experience, and the richly appointed accommodations, three oceanfront pools, a world-class spa, al fresco dining and breathtaking views are the hallmark of the guest experience at the property.

We are thrilled to partner with the preeminent Miami luxury property, said David Zipkin, Founder and Vice President of Tradewind. Acqualina shares our vision to create a memorable experience for every guest which now begins with a luxurious, safe and secure flight with Tradewind Aviation.

The Ultra-Lux Private Jet Getaway is bookable until December 23, 2021 and subject to availability. Additionally, guests can upgrade any aspects of the trip including the number of nights, amenity offerings and number of guests. Long term rates are available.

For reservations, call 305.918.8000 or visit acqualinaresort.com.

ABOUT ACQUALINA RESORT & RESIDENCES

Acqualina Resort & Residences is where the charm of a Mediterranean villa meets elegance on the beach. The lush grounds feature red couches set on Seashore Paspalum grass and are dotted with signature red umbrellas. A seaside luxury haven located on 4.5 beachfront acres in pristine Sunny Isles Beach, Acqualina Resort features 98 impeccably appointed guest rooms and suites and 188 residences with breathtaking views of the Atlantic Ocean, world-class dining including Il Mulino New York, the alfresco Costa Grill and the new Ke-uH Japanese restaurant, three oceanfront swimming pools, spacious meeting rooms and an innovative marine biology-based childrens program. A variety of lavish interior and exterior venues provide an ideal background for opulent weddings and memorable events. Acqualina Spa by ESPA, the first ESPA-branded spa in the United States, provides guests with an exquisite 20,000-square-foot, two-story tranquil sanctuary of excellence and relaxation. A family-owned and operated property, Acqualina is a recipient of the coveted Forbes Travel Guide Awards for both the hotel and spa and the AAA Five Diamond Award.

ABOUT TRADEWIND AVIATION

Founded in 2001 on the principle that every flight deserves the highest quality aircraft, crew and service, Tradewind Aviation is a regional mobility solutions provider operating on-demand private charter flights throughout North America and the Caribbean in their fleet of Citation Jet and Pilatus PC-12 aircraft. Tradewind also operates scheduled shared charter flights on its modern fleet of Pilatus PC-12 aircraft. Routes include Teterboro and Westchester Airports to Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket and throughout the Caribbean including San Juan, St. Barth, Anguilla, Antigua, and St. Thomas.
Palmdale, CA (93550)

Today

Sunny skies with gusty winds developing later in the day. Hot. High near 100F. SW winds at 10 to 20 mph, increasing to 20 to 30 mph..

Tonight

Clear. Windy early. Low 68F. SW winds at 20 to 30 mph, decreasing to 10 to 15 mph.
Dubai Aerospace Enterprise (DAE) has announced that it has substantially completed the agreement with American Airlines signed in the third quarter of 2020 to deliver 18 new Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft.

Firoz Tarapore, Chief Executive Officer of DAE, said: This transaction reflects our agility, our balance sheet strength, our underwriting capability, our ability to assist one of our long-term customers and our belief in the product strength of the 737 MAX 8 aircraft. We are delighted to see an increasing number of global aviation regulators return the MAX to the skies. We wish American and Boeing great success.

Ihssane Mounir, Senior Vice President of Commercial Sales and Marketing of The Boeing Company, added: DAE is putting their purchasing strategy and growth plan in action and helping operators during this challenging time in our industry. We are delighted to once again partner with DAE to support a valued customer such as American Airlines and we are honored by their trust and confidence in the Boeing 737 family. - TradeArabia News Service
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.
Kyle Sandilands and Tegan Kynaston debuted their romance early last year, following the shock jock's split from Imogen Anthony.

However, the radio star is 'not in a hurry' to marry his 35-year-old girlfriend, a new report claims.

'He hasn't proposed, they're not engaged,' an alleged insider told The Daily Telegraph on Monday.

Romance: Kyle Sandilands (right) and Tegan Kynaston (left) debuted their romance early last year but the radio star is 'not in a hurry' to marry his 35-year-old girlfriend, a new report claims

Daily Mail Australia has reached out to Kyle Sandilands for comment.

Last year, the KIIS FM breakfast host revealed his plans to 'settle down and have children' one day.

'Of course I want to [settle down and have kids], I'm the kid that was thrown into the gutter at 15. I'm always looking for someone to love me back,' he told 60 minutes.

Not yet: 'He hasn't proposed, they're not engaged,' an alleged insider told The Daily Telegraph on Monday

Baby love: Last year, the KIIS FM breakfast host revealed his plans to 'settle down and have children' one day. 'Of course I want to [settle down and have kids], I'm the kid that was thrown into the gutter at 15. I'm always looking for someone to love me back,' he told 60 minutes

'I've got a lot to give but, I want it back. Probably even more than I want to give,' he added.

Kyle began dating personal assistant, Tegan, following his split from his long-term girlfriend Imogen Anthony.

The radio titan announced his shock split from his girlfriend-of-eight-years on The Kyle and Jackie O Show in early November, 2019.

It's over: Kyle started dating his personal assistant, Tegan, following his split from his long-term girlfriend Imogen Anthony (right) in November 2019

He told listeners the couple 'haven't been living with each other' for months and their relationship had simply 'run its course'.

'We haven't been with each other for quite a few months now. Unfortunately it's run its course,' he said.

Tegan is director of communications for Sandilands' company, King Kyle Pty Ltd, and was previously the radio star's personal assistant.

Serious: Kyle Sandilands has spent more than $1million on a tropical retreat in Port Douglas, Queensland , which has been called a 'love nest' for himself and Tegan

Kyle Sandilands has spent more than $1million on a tropical retreat in Port Douglas, Queensland, which has been called a 'love nest' for himself and Tegan.

He will use the 2.5-hectare property primarily as a holiday home, but will also occasionally broadcast his KIIS FM breakfast show from there when he's not in Sydney.

While no sale price has been disclosed, the house was listed for $1.3million and it's believed Kyle paid about that figure, reports The Cairns Post.
Developing a standardized drying protocol for goldenseal could lead to more predictable health applications and outcomes by preserving the alkaloids found in the plant, which is native to Appalachia, according to Penn State researchers, who conducted a new study of the medicinal forest herb.

The roots and rhizomes of goldenseal -- Hydrastis canadensis -- have been used for hundreds of years as a source of antimicrobials and compounds to treat intestinal ailments, noted study co-author Eric Burkhart, associate teaching professor, ecosystem science and management.

"Three alkaloids -- berberine, hydrastine and canadine -- are recognized as the major bioactive constituents in goldenseal," said Burkhart, who also is program director, Appalachian botany and ethnobotany, at Shaver's Creek Environmental Center. "One important postharvest processing step for goldenseal is drying. However, before this study it was not known how drying temperature influences the concentrations of these alkaloids."

To investigate this question, researchers removed goldenseal samples from three plant colonies within a wild population located in central Pennsylvania. Fourteen "ramets," or bunches, were harvested from each plot in early April while plants were dormant.

Lead researcher Grady Zuiderveen, doctoral student in ecosystem science and management, freeze-dried or air-dried goldenseal samples at six temperatures, ranging from 80 to 130 degrees Fahrenheit, to determine the relationship between drying temperature and alkaloid content in the rhizome and roots.

In findings recently published in Hortscience, high performance liquid chromatography analysis showed that berberine and hydrastine levels were unaffected by drying temperature, while canadine levels decreased as temperature increased. On average, the level of canadine dropped by slightly more than half when samples were freeze-dried and fell by nearly a third when dried at 130 F.

While canadine is the least abundant alkaloid of the three, it is known to have key antibacterial properties, Zuiderveen pointed out, so developing a more standardized drying protocol for goldenseal could lead to a more predictable phytochemical profile.

"This work is important because canadine has been found to have significant activity against numerous strains of bacteria, and in previous research it was the only one of the three major alkaloids found to be active against Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Staphylococcus aureus," he said. "Also, canadine possesses significant antioxidant properties and has been identified as effective at strengthening the immune system."

###

Joshua Lambert, associate professor of food science, also contributed to the study.

The Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources' Wild Resources Conservation Program funded this research.
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China-Kuwait relations see great potential after 50 years of diplomatic ties: Kuwaiti ambassador

People's Daily Online) 18:02, March 22, 2021

Kuwait is prepared to continue consolidating strategic mutual trust with China, promote joint construction of the Belt and Road, as well as deepen the China-Kuwait strategic partnership in the new era for the benefit of the two countries and peoples, said Kuwaiti ambassador to China Sameeh Johar Hayat on March 22, a date that marks the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Kuwait.

According to the ambassador, the Kuwait-China friendly relationship had started before the official establishment of diplomatic ties between the two countries. It can be dated back to February 13, 1965 when the late Amir of the State of Kuwait, Sheikh Jaber Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, who was then the Minister of Finance, Industry and Commerce of Kuwait, visited China and met with the Chinese President and other Chinese leaders, a visit that served as a prelude to the Kuwait-China friendship.

Kuwaiti ambassador to China Sameeh Johar Hayat (Photo courtesy of the Kuwaiti Embassy in Beijing)

As the first Gulf Cooperation Council Arab country that established diplomatic ties with China since March 22, 1971, Kuwait has been a crucial partner of China among the Arab nations. The ambassador noted that the two nations have enjoyed deepening traditional friendship and smooth development of friendly and cooperative relations, as well as fruitful results achieved in various fields including politics, economy, trade, energy, finance and culture.

The two nations' relations were proven to be solid and healthy during last year's COVID-19 pandemic. The ambassador revealed that during the pandemic, Kuwait donated 21 million yuan in medical supplies to Wuhan City in China at the critical moment in its fight against COVID-19, while China made great efforts and assisted in facilitating the purchase of medical supplies in China and shipping back to Kuwait, organizing medical expert video conference and dispatching a team of medical experts to support Kuwait in fighting the pandemic.

"2021 is a significant year. It marks the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Communist Party of China, with whom we have long historical relations. It also marks the 60th anniversary of the National Day and the 30th anniversary of the Liberation of the State of Kuwait. March 22, 2021 will witness the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Kuwait and China," said the ambassador.

The ambassador's ideas of the two nations' bilateral cooperation development are shared by his Chinese counterpart, Chinese Ambassador to Kuwait Li Minggang. According to Xinhua, Li further added that the two nations' future cooperation will thrive in multiple areas, especially under the framework of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI).

"The BRI is highly compatible with Kuwait's Vision 2035, a national development plan designed to introduce a change in Kuwait's oil-reliant economic structure and transform the oil-rich Gulf state into a trade and financial hub by 2035," Li noted, adding that China has remained Kuwait's largest exporter and its largest non-oil trading partner.

"In 2020, the bilateral trade volume between China and Kuwait reached 14.3 billion U.S. dollars, more than 70 times that at the beginning of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries," Li said.

Chinese President Xi Jinping on Monday also exchanged congratulations with Emir of Kuwait Sheikh Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah on the 50th anniversary of the establishment of the two countries' diplomatic relations.

In his congratulatory message, Xi said he attaches great importance to the development of China-Kuwait relations, and is willing to work with the Kuwaiti emir to take the 50th anniversary as an opportunity to carry forward the traditional friendship and deepen cooperation in various fields within the framework of the Belt and Road Initiative, so as to bring benefits to the two countries and peoples.
New Delhi: Many drivers belonging to cab aggregators Ola and Uber went on a strike on Monday (March 22) leading to longer waiting time and surcharge in prices.

Demanding a hike in the base fare, the drivers protested in various parts of Delhi-NCR today.

Meanwhile, a commuter, who faced inconvenience due to the cab drivers strike, revealed her ordeal. I was trying to book a cab from my office when I realised that the app wasnt showing any cabs near me. I was surprised to see this, as it was the first time that both Uber and Ola cabs were unavailable, Shipra Parashar, a regular Uber user told Zee News.

After a wait of over 20 minutes, one of the Uber cabs accepted my ride but the fare tripled in the meantime. On a normal day I pay Rs 170 for my ride, but today it was showing Rs 450, she added.

Shipra said that after booking the cab at a higher price, the wait time was 14 minutes. When I asked the Uber driver what was the motive behind todays strike, he said that the drivers are asking for a hike in cab prices, she stated.

People took to Twitter to share their experiences. Have a look at how Twitterati reacted to the cab strike:

Ola drivers are on strike today. My ola driver informed. Got cab after long wait and two cancelations.  vedprabha (@ved_prabha) March 22, 2021

Earlier this month, Ola and Uber drivers had also held a strike in Kolkata, West Bengal to protest against the rise in fuel prices.
New Delhi, Mar 22 (UNI) Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday said India's development and self-reliance is dependent on water security and water connectivity, and urged all to take 'Jal Shapath' (water pledge).

Launching the 'Jal Shakti Abhiyan:Catch the Rain' campaign on World Water Day via video conferencing, Mr Modi said 'Jal Shapath', which is being organised all over the country should become everybody's pledge and second nature as 'when our nature changes with respect to water, nature will also support us.'

On the occasion, a Memorandum of Agreement was signed between the Union Minister of Jal Shakti Gajendra Singh Shekhawat and the Chief Ministers of Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh Shivraj Singh Chouhan and Yogi Adityanatah respectively, to implement the Ken Betwa Link Project, the first project of the National Perspective Plan for interlinking of rivers, in the presence of Mr Modi.

Mr Modi said the Ken-Betwa Link Project is also part of this vision. He lauded both the Government of Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh for making this project a reality.

Speaking on the occasion, Mr Modi said the agreement is important to realise Atal ji's dream in the interest of millions of families of Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh. He said rapid development is not possible without water security and effective water management.

The Prime Minister noted that apart from rain water harvesting, the management of river water in our country has also been discussed for decades.

Mr Modi also interacted with sarpanches and ward panches in Rajasthan, Uttarakhand, Karnataka, Maharashtra and Gujarat.

The Prime Minister noted that the challenge of the water crisis is increasing equally with India's development. He said it is the responsibility of the present generation of the country to fulfill its responsibility for the generations to come.

He talked about Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchai Yojna, water campaign to every farm - Har Khet ko Paani, 'Per Drop More Crop' campaign and NamamiGange Mission, Jal Jeevan Mission or Atal Bhujal Yojana. Work is being undertaken rapidly on all these schemes, he said.

The Prime Minister pointed out that the better India manages rainwater, the lesser the country's dependence on groundwater.

He called upon to step up water conservation efforts in the days leading upto Monsoon.

He expressed happiness that after the launch of Jal Jeevan Mission, about 4 crore new families have piped drinking water connections in such a short time. He noted that public participation and local governance model are at the core of the Jal Jeevan Mission.

Stating that during the Corona period itself, about 4.5 lakh women were trained for water testing, he claimed that every village is getting at least 5 trained women for water testing.

In the concluding remarks, Mr Modi said better results are a certainty with increased participation of women in water governance.

UNI SV SB 1529
A new commission created to relabel U.S. Army bases named for Confederate leaders has quietly undergone a major shakeup as the Biden administration has replaced last-minute Trump appointees with a diverse panel.

Driving the news: The eight-member commission established in a bill last year, after George Floyd's death brought attention to systemic racism, will include the first African American woman to command a U.S. Navy ship and a retired West Point historian who has compared the Confederacy to treason.

Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, the first Black American to hold the position, last month replaced four appointees assigned by the Trump administration. The new members are expected to approach the task with a critical eye toward the past and an emphasis on racial and ethnic diversity.

The law that authorized the commission tasked House and Senate Democrats and Republicans with appointing half the members, and the Department of Defense with designating the other half.

The details: The Biden administration's selections include Michelle Howard, the highest-ranking African American and woman in U.S. Navy history, and Ty Seidule, a retired U.S. Army brigadier general and historian.

Austin also appointed retired U.S. Marine Corps four-star general Robert Neller and Kori Schake, director of Foreign and Defense Policy at the American Enterprise Institute.

House Armed Services Committee Chair Adam Smith (D-Wash.) named American G.I. Forum national commander Lawrence Romo, who is Latino, to the commission.

What they're saying: "The Confederates killed more U.S. Army soldiers than anybody else in our history," Seidule said in an interview. "I don't like our enemies. I like Americans."

Seidule's new book, Robert E. Lee and Me: A Southerner's Reckoning with the Myth of the Lost Cause, shows how some bases adopted the names during 20th Century eras of racial terror and as white southerners embraced the revisionist history about the Civil War.

He told Axios that "treason is treason" and he sees no difference between those 19th-century figures and "American Taliban" John Walker Lindh.

The big picture: An Axios review of U.S. history shows how several of the men for whom bases are named held white supremacist views and had poor military track records.

Fort Bragg in North Carolina, named after Confederate Gen. Braxton Bragg, today is the Army's largest military installation with nearly 50,000 soldiers.

Bragg owned an enslaved labor farm in Louisiana and told Irish journalist William Howard Russell that "the only mode of making the Black race work was to hold them in conditions of involuntary servitude."

The West Point graduate lost most of his battles as a Confederate general. "None of Bragg's soldiers ever loved him. They have no faith in his ability," Private Sam Watkins wrote.

Fort Benning in Georgia is named after Confederate Brig. Gen. Henry L. Benning, a slave owner who warned that if slavery ended, the nation would see "Black governors, Black legislatures, Black jurors, Black everything."

"(The white race) will be completely exterminated, and the land will be left to the possession of the Blacks, and then it will go back to a wilderness and become another Africa," he once said.

Camp Beauregard in Louisiana is named after Confederate Gen. Pierre G.T. Beauregard, who was fired as West Point's superintendent for encouraging cadets to commit treason and protect slavery.

He fathered children with an enslaved woman who couldn't legally refuse sex with a slave owner.

Beauregard later became the Confederacy's first general and led forces that fired upon the U.S. Army to start the Civil War.

Fort Hood in Texas is named after Confederate Gen. John Bell Hood, who lost nearly 20,000 men in one battle.

"My hope is that the commission will honor Latino service members by naming at least one base after a Latino soldier who contributed greatly to the defense of our nation," Rep. Joaquin Castro (D-Texas) told Axios.

Domingo Garcia, national president of the League of United Latin American Citizens, wants Fort Hood changed to honor Roy P. Benavidez, a Medal of Honor recipient during the Vietnam War.

Editor's note: This article has been corrected to remove a claim that Fort Hood is located in El Paso. The fort is located in Fort Hood, Texas, between Waco and Austin.
In 2019, we reported that Comedy Central had ordered a series from comedian Phoebe Robinson. The premise was that Robinson is a workaholic who has the luxury of working from home most days at the expense of experiencing the world, so the series will follow her getting out of the house and meeting the people shes admired from afar. This, in retrospect, is hilarious. Working from home most days at the expense of experiencing the world could be in all of our bios, this past year. But were not comedians, and were not friends with eccentric famous people, and thats where the charm of Doing the Most with Phoebe Robinson comes in, because Robinson is both. In the ten-episode series first teaser, Robinson does a high ropes course with Kevin Bacon, tumbles with Amber Ruffin, bakes with Tan France, and learns magic with the Property Brothers. Gabrielle Union, Hasan Minhaj, and Ashley Graham will also make appearances in future episodes. Doing the Most with Phoebe Robinson premieres Friday, April 9 at 11 p.m. ET on Comedy Central. No Kevin Bacons were harmed in the making of this series.

Related
Like everyone else in the world, Steve Harvey has also fallen for Michael B. Jordans charms, but that doesnt mean he didnt try his best not to.

While appearing on a new episode of The Ellen DeGeneres Show, the Family Feud host reveals that like all of his daughter Lori Harveys boyfriends, he gave Jordan a hard time when the couple first started dating. However, after getting to know Jordan, Harvey is now a fan, even though he tried his best not to like the actor at first.

Steve Harvey hosting Celebrity Family Feud | Byron Cohen/Walt Disney Television via Getty Images

Steve Harvey reveals hes gotten rid of all Lori Harveys exes

Harvey may be a game show host, broadcaster, comedian, and bestselling author, but hes also a protective father who always has his guard up around his childrens significant others.

During an appearance on a March 22 episode of The Ellen DeGeneres Show, Harvey shared his thoughts on daughter Loris current boyfriend, actor Michael B. Jordan, and how he stacks up to her previous suitors.

Lori Harvey and Michael B. Jordan | Phillip Faraone/WireImage; Aaron J. Thornton/FilmMagic

RELATED: Steve Harvey on Lori Harveys Relationship With Michael B. Jordan: You Aint the Sexiest Man in the World to Me

According to Harvey, hes never approved of any of his daughters boyfriends. He even tried not to like Jordan and attempted to find something wrong with the Black Panther actor at first.

I have tried to find something wrong with him that I could dig in and go, Harvey tells DeGeneres in a clip from the episode. Cause I done got rid of all of them. All of them. Some of them that snuck in the back door on me and lasted a lot longer than I wanted it to.

For those of you who didnt know, Lori Harvey has been linked to plenty of high-profile men over the years, including rapper Future as well as Sean Diddy Combs and his son Justin Combs.

Though the Family Feud host didnt specify which of his daughters exes he didnt like, Harvey says that Jordan is one boyfriend he actually approves of.

Steve Harvey shares how Michael B. Jordan compares to Lori Harveys ex-boyfriends

Though Harvey tried his best not to like Jordan at first, hes since had a change of heart after having spent plenty of time bonding with the Hollywood heartthrob.

While speaking with DeGeneres, the comedian had nothing but nice things to say about the Just Mercy star, who he says is such a good guy.

He is one of the nicest guys, man. Ive met his father. Ive set up with him, weve talked for hours. I just cant find nothin wrong with him, The Steve Harvey Morning Show host confesses. Between me and you, Im hoping this lasts cause this is a really, really good guy, man. I cant whoop him. Most guys, I say I can jump on em and take em out, but he just looks like a real a**-whoopin in the making. So Im just hoping they make it.

Michael B. Jordan has Steve Harveys stamp of approval

Prior to his appearance on The Ellen DeGeneres Show, Harvey opened up about his daughters relationship with Jordan on an episode of Jimmy Kimmel Live!

RELATED: Lori Harvey and Michael B. Jordan Kept Their Relationship Private Before Going Public to be Careful

The comedian told Kimmel that Jordan is the only guy Loris dated that he actually approves of.

Look man, when your kids grow up  they can make decisions on their own, Harvey said. I justIm just happy that I can at least approve of one.
The board of Santee Cooper voted March 22 to settle four lawsuits, retire a coal-fired plant and approve a new rate deal that will keep Century Aluminums Berkeley County smelter operating for about three more years.

The state-owned utility will pay $2.8 million out of pocket to end a class-action complaint filed in 2015 over a Pee Dee coal plant that it approved but never built. The actual settlement amount of $12.5 million, which requires approval by a judge in Horry County, will be offset by $9.7 million Santee Cooper will receive from an insurer that it had sued in a separate but related case.

The two other lawsuits that were resolved at the four-hour board meeting in Pinopolis were filed by the city of Goose Creek and Century. No money will change hands under those agreements.

The resolution of the Century litigation allowed the board to approve a previously announced plan to continue delivering electricity to the metal makers Mount Holly smelter off U.S. Highway 52 at least through 2023.

The new contract takes effect April 1. It preserves about 300 existing jobs, and the company has said it expects to add 70 more workers as it increases production.

Moncks Corner-based Santee Cooper is providing Century with an "experimental rate" that takes advantage of excess capacity at the utility's Winyah station near Georgetown. The plan also frees up some transmission capacity Century had been using under a previous contract. Santee Cooper said it will use that capacity "for economic wholesale market sales and purchases that will benefit all customers."

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Last fall, Chicago-based Century warned employees that it would have to close the smelter near Goose Creek without a new power deal. In 2015, the company blamed high electricity prices for a 50 percent reduction in capacity at the site, causing 300 job losses. The plant has been operating at that level since. Century has said the new contract will eventually bring output back to around 75 percent.

The Mount Holly plant is a model of efficiency in its industry, an important employer in this area and a good corporate citizen, and Santee Cooper is pleased to continue to power its success, utility CEO Mark Bonsall said in a written statement.

Century declined to comment on the contract Monday, but CEO Mike Bless said during a conference call with analysts last month that our colleagues at Santee Cooper were really creative in helping us mutually reach this point, and were quite appreciative of their substantial commitment of time and resources."

S.C. Department of Commerce chief Bobby Hitt, who played a role in negotiations between Century and Santee Cooper, called the new contract "a balanced, mutually beneficial agreement that is positive for both the long-term prospect of Mount Holly operations and future economic opportunities."

Century said on Feb. 18 it plans to invest $50 million this year to increase Mount Hollys aluminum-making output. That includes replacing some of the plant's electrolytic cells where aluminum is formed. Those components fail over time and Century had not been replacing them because of the uncertainty over a new deal with Santee Cooper.

The newly settled Goose Creek litigation was tied to the city's plan to create a municipal electric utility to provide power to Century and bypass Santee Cooper. The new contract makes that proposal a moot point.

Also formally approved was Santee Cooper's previously disclosed plan to retire the four coal-fired units at the Winyah Generating Station near Georgetown by the end of 2027. New regulations require that they be shut down by late 2028, the utility said.
New Delhi:

Pakistan on Saturday violated ceasefire along Line of Control in Poonch sector in Jammu and Kashmir. Firing of small arms, automatics and mortars were seen across LoC.

Indian Army is strongly retaliating to the unprovoked firing.

Earlier on September 1, Pakistan on violated ceasefire in Poonch district in Jammu and Kashmir. An assistant Sub-Inspector of BSF lost his life in ceasefire violation by Pakistan.

Earlier on August 28, ceasefire violation by Pakistani troops along Line of Control (LoC), five civilians, including a woman and two minor boys were injured in the Poonch district of Jammu and Kashmir.

For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps.
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Like the rest of the world, her vacation plans have been impacted by the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

And Jourdan Dunn shared a series of stunning throwback photos on Monday as she looked ahead to future holiday plans.

The model, 30, showed off her slender figure in a black two-piece as she sipped on alcohol from the comfort a luxurious yacht.

Sensational: Jourdan Dunn showed off her slender figure in a black two-piece on Monday as she sipped on alcohol from the comfort a luxurious yacht in a series of throwback photos

Jourdan revealed her striking tattoos on her rib cage and hip in the Instagram snaps.

Her chocolate locks tumbled down in a natural curl as she rocked minimal make-up. 'Pending ...... #summer21,' she wrote.

For another video posted to her social media account, Jourdan appeared the picture of happiness as she tucked into a light meal while dancing to music.

She also perched on decking in her black swimwear with a fruit dessert at the ready.

Inked: The British model, 30, revealed her striking tattoos on her rib cage and hip in the Instagram snaps

The mother-of-one was feeling high-spirited as she sported red shades and playfully posed for the camera once more.

Jourdan added a touch of glamour with silver hoop earrings as she slinked across the boat with a champagne flute in hand.

It is unclear who joined the star on the yacht excursion, although she frequently travels abroad with her fiance Sincere and her son Riley .

She was left stunned as she was sent 11 bouquets of flowers from her partner in December to mark every year of motherhood.

Holiday bliss: Her chocolate locks tumbled down in a natural curl as she rocked minimal make-up and wrote: 'Pending ...... #summer21'

Grooving out: For another video posted to her social media account, Jourdan appeared the picture of happiness as she tucked into a light meal while dancing to music

The model took to her Instagram Stories to show off the elaborate display from the rapper, real name Dion Hamilton, as she gushed: '11 bouquet of flowers for 11 years of being a mother. Naaa my fiance is actually the best!' (sic)

Taking a trip down memory lane, the catwalk queen celebrated her son Riley's birthday by sharing sweet throwback snaps.

The fresh collection filled up the Vogue coverstar's corridor, featuring roses, orchids and irises.

The media personality went on to upload images of her mini-me, with one image showing the duo flashing thumbs up signs, while another saw the duo pull animated facial expressions.

Taking in the sights: She also perched on decking in her black swimwear with a fruit dessert at the ready

Holiday mood: The mother-of-one was feeling high-spirited as she sported red shades and playfully posed for the camera once more

Soak up the sunshine: Jourdan added a touch of glamour with silver hoop earrings as she slinked across the boat with a champagne flute in hand

Alongside a recent image of her child during a family dinner date, the bombshell wrote: 'Happy 11th birthday to my beautiful son Riley! Damn where has the time gone'. (sic)

Earlier in 2020, Jourdan shared her concerns for Riley's future in an emotional letter following 'cases of injustice and brutality against black people'.

The fashion star admitted that his innocence has been 'shaken' and she feels helpless trying to comfort him.

In the message, which was penned for the November issue of Harper's Bazaar, the Greenford native encouraged her little one to be a 'joyful black boy', in a world determined to paint him differently.

Incredible: The catwalk model concluded the throwback post with a picturesque photo of the setting sun

Family: It is unclear who joined Jourdan on the yacht excursion, although she frequently travels abroad with her fiance Sincere and her son Riley (pictured in 2019)

Celebrated: She was left stunned as she was sent 11 bouquets of flowers from her partner, real name Dion Hamilton, in December to mark every year of motherhood

An extract from the letter read: 'My love for you runs so deep. It's my mission to instil you with the greatest examples of affection, nurture and care.

'But I worry that this world will break your kind and loving spirit. Your innocence has been shaken by the recent cases of injustice and brutality against black people.

'At times, I've felt helpless finding the right way to comfort you while I myself am in pain  afraid, hurt and angry. Like me, occasionally you will lose faith in humanity, but it will be restored again and again.'

Jourdan returned to modelling nine months after giving birth to Riley at the age of 19, and has juggled parenthood and her career ever since.

Wow-factor: The fresh collection filled up the Vogue coverstar's corridor, and featured roses, orchids and irises

Nostalgic: Taking a trip down memory lane, the catwalk queen celebrated her son Riley's 11th birthday by sharing sweet throwback snaps
Opposed to health measures and fuelled by misinformation, a group of protesters rallied outside of city hall Saturday.

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Opposed to health measures and fuelled by misinformation, a group of protesters rallied outside of city hall Saturday.

Hugs were exchanged and hands were enthusiastically shaken as a group that organizers say peaked at approximately 40 people gathered to share their views regarding government response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Current provincial health regulations limit outdoor group gatherings to 10.

The group of mask-less protesters was beginning to disperse by the time the Sun arrived at mid-afternoon, when approximately a dozen people were still on site.

The reaction from passersby ran the gamut from honks of support to angry yelling and people flipping them off as they drove past the display.

Included in the group was Vic Falk, an outspoken Brandon man who has demonstrated at the site along a similar theme in the past.

He blames the pandemic for putting him in a wheelchair, saying surgeries to get his knees and hip replaced have been delayed. His wife, he added, is currently waiting for a liver transplant.

The protest, Falk clarified, did not carry an anti-mask message.

"Why is there a debate  dont you want freedom?" he asked. "Thats what were for. We dont care if you wear a mask, we dont care if you get vaccinated  every individual has a choice."

He doesnt want to follow rules imposed by any unelected officials "who says theyre a doctor," citing Manitoba chief public health officer Dr. Brent Roussin, federal chief public health officer Dr. Theresa Tam and Dr. Anthony Fauci, chief medical adviser to U.S. President Joe Biden.

All three are accredited doctors, according to numerous reports by reputable media outlets, with Roussin earning his credentials through the University of Manitoba, Tam receiving her education through the University of Nottingham and University of Alberta and Fauci training at Cornell University Medical College. The three doctors serve their respective jurisdictions in an advisory capacity.

Rejecting current measures taken to lessen the spread of COVID-19, protester Delorus Gerdun said the government should instead be doing whatever they do any other year.

"Its a flu, you guys  its a flu."

TYLER CLARKE/THE BRANDON SUN A trio of the more outspoken protesters opposed to COVID-related health measures are seen at Saturdays rally outside of Brandon City Hall. From left is Eric Cabernel, Delorus Gerdun and Vic Falk.

A passerby who overheard Gerduns comments encouraged the Sun to look up 2018 flu statistics, claiming more people died from the flu that year than have died as a result of COVID-19.

According to Shared Health, 17 people with lab-confirmed cases of the flu died in Manitoba that year. By the one-year anniversary of the first case of COVID-19 announced in the province, 919 people had died in Manitoba as a result of the virus. As of Sunday, the provinces death toll was 927.

In defence of the groups stance that masks are not necessary, Gerdun said its a matter of belief.

"I personally dont believe so, myself personally. I dont think it is. I think it is your immune system."

According to Health Canada, "COVID-19 spreads from an infected person to others through respiratory droplets and aerosols created when an infected person coughs, sneezes, sings, shouts or talks," among other things. They stress "it remains important that you wear a non-medical mask" when in a shared space with people from outside your household.

Pressed further, Gerdun reiterated her stance was "opinion."

"You can back it up with a lot of statistics, like for instance, where was Trudeau at Christmas time? Down in the States."

This is false, according to global fact-checking organization AFT Fact Check, which is backed by a network of journalists from around the country.

They cite CTV press gallery reporter Glen McGregor, who clarified Trudeau was in Harrington Lake, Que., during the holidays.

AFT Fact Check links the travel claim to a story by Conservative Beaver, a website whose reputability fact-checker website snopes.com calls to question and whose report was based on "anonymous sources and speculative tweets."

Gerdun said she hoped to see the group return for another protest in Brandon next month, and also plans to attend a rally in Calgary in the near future.

 tclarke@brandonsun.com

 Twitter: @TylerClarkeMB

UPDATE: This story has been updated to remove protester Delorus Gerdun's implication that she owns a restaurant in Souris. She is not even an employee, and only ever worked there on a casual basis, according to Main Street Cafe owner Brenda Hopkie.
From 4am on this Friday, mandatory hotel quarantine will come into effect, nearly two months after the plan was announced by the Government.

The two-week stay at a designated facility was signed into law by President Michael D Higgins two weeks ago, with more than 34,400 people having arrived in Ireland in the three-week period since Cabinet signed off on the plan, with about 1,200 coming from Covid hotspots.

While all of those people are required by law to isolate for two weeks, there has been criticism of the lack of enforcement.

Now, people who are on the list of so-called 'category 2' countries will have to book into hotels and stay for 14 days upon their arrival into the State.

The list of category 2 countries is subject to ongoing review, but currently lists Austria and the UAE as well as 17 African countries including South Africa, Zimbabwe and Mauritius and 14 South American countries including Argentina, Brazil, Uruguay, and Venezuela.

WHERE WILL THE HOTELS BE?

The Tifco Hotel group has been contracted by the State to provide what is being called a "one-stop shop to run the whole thing". This will include booking, transport, security, food and lodging.

Tifco owns the Crowne Plaza and Holiday Inn Express at Dublin Airport and Travelodge Hotels at both Dublin and Cork airports. It is understood the Crowne Plaza in Santry is among those hotels to be used.

WHAT WAS THE CRITERIA THE HOTEL PROVIDERS WERE REQUIRED TO MEET IN ORDER TO BE CONSIDERED FOR THE CONTRACT?

Given the necessity to establish the mandatory quarantine services in an expedited timeframe, an initial scoping exercise was conducted, involving a number of market operators.

These initial proposals were reviewed based on the capability to deliver the broad suite of services involved, capacity to deliver in an expedited timescale, and the proposed cost models.

WHAT ABOUT VENTILATION AND POSSIBLE TRANSMISSION BETWEEN ROOMS?

Tifco Hotel Group have implemented all measures related to ensuring the safe operation of ventilation and air conditioning systems fully in line with the Failte Ireland Guidelines for the Re-opening of Hotels and Guesthouses.

The hotels Ventilation Engineers have confirmed that there is no circulation of air between rooms.

WHO HAS TO QUARANTINE AND WHY?

People whose journeys originate in any country designated as a Covid hotspot or of being the site of a large proportion of a variant of concern of Covid-19 will have to book themselves into a designated facility.

Speaking on Monday, Taoiseach Micheal Martin said he expects the list of countries requiring quarantining will be increased from the current number of 33, but stopped short of saying if any EU countries would be on the list.

He said there had to be good grounds for other countries to be added.

The aim of this measure is to protect everyone - especially from challenges posed by new variants of concern. It will apply to all passengers travelling from designated States, including those who have transited through a port or airport in a designated State.  Stephen Donnelly (@DonnellyStephen) March 23, 2021

WHY ONLY A HANDFUL OF COUNTRIES?

The Government has been slow to adopt wide-scale quarantine like that seen in New Zealand and Australia, with Tanaiste Leo Varadkar previously calling the plan "disproportionate".

As an attempt to strike a balance, the Government is focusing on areas where more transmissible variants of the virus are popping up or where there is a perception that testing is not on par with Ireland's.

WHAT HAPPENS IF A PERSON DOESN'T QUARANTINE?

Under the new legislation, any arrival who fails to adhere to the rules will be fined as much as 4,000 and face a possible month in prison.

Gardai will not be stationed at the hotels, however, after resistance from gardai and the Department of Justice, but security will be provided by a private operator who will not have the power to arrest.

The Department of Defence and the Defence Forces will provide planning and logistical support, with An Garda Siochana called only if there's a breach of any law or guidelines.

IS THE AN APPEALS/WAIVERS PROCESS FOR MANDATORY QUARANTINING?

The provisions of the Health (Amendment) Bill 2021, published on Friday, February 19, allow for travellers to appeal decisions relating to their quarantine, provisions for leaving quarantine under exceptional circumstances (such as medical emergencies or for humanitarian reasons), and the special provisions which will allow those seeking international protection or unaccompanied minors to undertake their quarantine in appropriate circumstances.

WHO PAYS?

Under the plan, the person arriving into the country will pay for their own stay, with prices as high as 2,000 being quoted.

Guests will be delivered three meals a day, but will not be allowed to interact with other guests and will be released from quarantine with a negative PCR test on day 14.

HOW MUCH WILL IT COST?





A breakdown of the rates can be found on the table below:

Rate(for standard package of 12 nights inclusive of all services) Day Rate(for those entering from non-designated States with no pre-departure PCR Test) Rate for 1 Adult in 1 Room 1875 150 Additional Rate for 1 Adult Sharing (or child over 12) 625 55 Additional Rate for a Child Sharing Aged 4-12 360 30 Rate for Infant (0-3) 0 0





HOW MUCH HAS THIS SYSTEM COST THE STATE?

The Government has said costs will accrue once the system has become operational

WHAT SUPPORTS WILL BE AVAILABLE TO GUESTS?

Tifco Hotel Group will make a range of health and wellbeing supports available to guests. The HSE will undertake testing for Covid-19 and a separate healthcare provider will undertake an assessment of each guest and develop appropriate care plans where needed at each facility.

They will also conduct regular wellbeing check-ins.

WHAT ARE THE ARRANGEMENTS FOR FRESH AIR AND EXERCISE?

Designated fresh air breaks will be accommodated at the hotel.

A designated safe and secure space for fresh air breaks will be available at the hotel. These breaks should be booked in advance. The hotel will endeavour to accommodate guests at their preferred time.

At the requested time, a Security person will knock on the guests door and escort them to the designated area. All outdoor areas are monitored. Security will escort guests back to their bedroom after their break. In order to protect other guests and the hotel team, a fresh air break will only be permitted after you have received a negative Day 0 PCR test.

The possibilities for exercise/fresh air breaks may differ from one facility to another.

WHAT HAPPENS TO UNACCOMPANIED MINORS?

Unaccompanied minors arriving into the State who have travelled from or through a designated state in the 14 days prior to arrival in Ireland will not be permitted to enter a mandatory quarantine facility alone.

Either:

Their adult guardian can enter mandatory hotel quarantine with them; or

If this is not possible their guardian must sign a written undertaking to ensure the child will adhere to quarantine rules under their care at home or in a boarding school.

Any unaccompanied minor who requires state care will be taken into the care of Tusla and complete their mandatory quarantine at a separate facility

- More details on the mandatory quarantining plan, and the booking portal, can be found on www.gov.ie/quarantine
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention removed a significant hurdle for reopening schools with updated guidance for socially distancing students within schools. Under the new framework, students can be spaced at least 3 feet apart in elementary schools. Middle and high school students could be spaced at least 3 feet apart in communities with lower community transmission but should resort back to the 6-foot standard in communities with higher transmission.

American Federation of Teachers President Randi Weingarten issued a statement in response, saying, While we hope the CDC is right and these new studies convince the community that the most enduring safety standard of this pandemic  the 6-foot rule  can be jettisoned if we all wear masks, we will reserve judgement until we review them, especially as they apply in districts with high community spread and older buildings with ventilation challenges.

However, these are not new studies so much as an accumulating body of research that has been amassed over the last year. Our recent report summarizing more than 130 studies on schools and COVID-19 touches on some of this research, including a study conducted in 1941 that set the 6-foot distancing standard. Researchers found that the tiny droplets exhaled when people talk generally fall to the ground within 6 feet. But more recent scientific evidence suggests that 3 feet can provide adequate protection from SARS-CoV-2infection, particularly when other protective measures  most importantly, masks  are employed.

One seminal evaluation of 172 studies from 16 countries showed that physical distancing of at least 1 meter (3 feet) along with mask wearing was associated with a 75 to 85 percent reduction in the risk of infection. There is some additional reduction in likelihood of transmission from 3 feet to 6 feet in low-risk settings (such as a school requiring universal mask wearing, having enhanced ventilation and other mitigation measures), but it is relatively minor in comparison.

Story continues

The important question raised is whether the minor reduction of risk from 6 feet outweigh the costs in terms of making it difficult to bring more students back to school.

The answer for a number of scientific bodies has been: no. The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), World Health Organization, National Academies of Sciences Engineering and Medicine and Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health have recommended for months now that 3 feet of distancing can provide adequate protections when combined with other measures.

France, Ireland, Italy, Portugal, India and Norway are among the countries to have adopted 1 meter (3 feet) of distancing for their school reopenings. In justifying the change in guidance, the CDC noted that studies from Switzerland, Australia, Italy, the U.K. and Germany found limited transmission for K-12 schools that were using the 1-meter distance between students.

Massachusetts, Indiana and Virginia also allowed for 3 feet of spacing in the fall and did not see any surge of cases or hospitalizations compared with states that used the more conservative 6 feet standard. A new study published in the journal Clinical Infectious Diseases compared infection rates at Massachusetts schools that required at least 3 feet of distancing with those that required at least 6 feet. They found no significant difference in the coronavirus case rates among students or faculty.

A paper published March 20 provided additional details on a study of 17 rural Wisconsin K-12 schools that had full in-person instruction and found only seven cases among students that were linked to in-school spread. The new paper showed that 90.7 percent of elementary school students were seated less than 6 feet from each other and only 9.3 percent were distancing 6 feet or more. In secondary school classrooms, 86.2 percent of students maintained at least 6 feet of distance, 7 percent maintained between 3 and 6 feet and 6.8 percent less than 3 feet.

One consistent finding among these studies is the importance of other protective measures, particularly masks, with respect to evaluating the risks and benefits of distancing. Unpublished research from the Mayo Clinic shows exposure risk is nearly 100 percent if a person is not wearing a mask within 1 foot of an infected person. That risk drops to just 3 percent if the distance is increased to 6 feet. However, if masks are used, the risk exposure is essentially the same at 1 foot, 3 feet and 6 feet.

Another study from August explored risk based not just on distance, but also the amount of contact time, wearing of masks and type of activity taking place in the room. The result is a more nuanced model of risk, helping to put the social distancing in context. A scenario where more masked students are indoors in a well-ventilated room carries lower risk than one in which students are spaced out in a well-ventilated room while singing or shouting.

Related: Inside the Massachusetts Study that Helped Change the CDCs Stance on Social Distancing

The academy says, Schools should weigh the benefits of strict adherence to a 6-feet spacing rule between students with the potential downside if remote learning is the only alternative. Faced with these tradeoffs, more education leaders are adopting the 3-foot standard. Illinois adopted it as a recommendation for all the states schools. The City Schools of Decatur, an Atlanta-area district serving families of many CDC scientists, announced it will adopt the 3-foot standard to accommodate more in-classroom learners. I do think if people are masked it is quite safe and much more practical to be at 3 feet, said one nations leading infectious disease scientists in July 2020. That scientist was Rochelle Walensky, now director of the CDC, in a response to a question asked by her mayor.

The updated CDC guidance is welcome and long overdue, given the consensus that was appearing as early as last summer. The biggest challenge with reopening schools has not been a lack of studies in how to safely do so, but instead guidance lagging the growing body of research.

John Bailey is an adviser to the Walton Family Foundation and a visiting fellow at the American Enterprise Institute. He previously served in the White House and U.S. Department of Education. He worked on pandemic preparedness at the U.S. Department of Commerce in 2006.

Disclosure: The Walton Family Foundation provides financial support to The 74.

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Mar. 22Revamping school funding, regulating vicious dogs, legalizing concealed weapons without training or permits, banning LGBT discrimination  these disparate topics are among the bills Ohio lawmakers have repeatedly tried and failed to pass year after year.

Some advocates never give up hope that this will be the time they'll get a breakthrough.

"It remains the single top priority for the Buckeye Firearms Association. I can tell you there will be a 'constitutional' carry bill this year," association lobbyist Rob Sexton said.

State Rep. Tom Brinkman, R-Cincinnati, said bills to allow Ohioans to carry concealed weapons without permits or training mandates have been introduced nearly every legislative session since 1995. The value in introducing such bills is to strive for the ideal but then settle for incremental improvements to gun laws, he said.

The retread bills tend to fall into three categories: hot button social issues that address abortion, guns, the death penalty or gay rights; complex policies such as school funding reform or fixing the state unemployment compensation fund; and a hodge podge of ideas such as strengthening vicious dog laws or legalizing backyard fireworks.

In February 2014, two neighborhood dogs fatally attacked Klonda Richey, leaving her to die on her Dayton front yard and prompting state lawmakers to call for changes in Ohio's vicious dog laws.

Since then, six state lawmakers have taken up the cause. All six have failed. State Sen. Niraj Antani, R-Miamisburg, said he is once again redrafting legislation to reform the dog laws.

Although bills on these and other topics have repeatedly failed to clear all legislative hurdles, perseverance pays off sometimes.

After years of battle, anti-abortion groups got a heartbeat abortion ban law and pro-gun advocates got a "Stand Your Ground" law when Gov. Mike DeWine signed each bill.

State Sen. Nickie Antonio, D-Lakewood, has been a champion for two bills  repealing the death penalty and passing the Fairness Act, which would ban discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity  for her entire legislative career. This new legislative session, Antonio is sponsoring the bills, yet again.

Story continues

Antonio said public opinion on both topics continues to evolve and she continues to discuss the bills with her colleagues, hoping to win over support.

"It's the right thing to do and it affects the lives of people. The death penalty, I think sets the whole road map for the state of Ohio, whether or not we have that on the books, and the same could be said for the Fairness Act," Antonio said. "I think it's worth the long haul and the long fight, absolutely."

She added, "I've been told my whole life there are things I can't do. I refuse to accept that."

Ohio lawmakers often wrestle with the same issues year after year. Here is a sampling:

Ohio Fairness Act: Senate Bill 119, introduced every session since 2003, would prohibit discrimination in housing, employment or public places based on sexual orientation or gender identity.

Death Penalty Repeal: Senate Bill 103 would end the death penalty in Ohio. Repeal bills have been introduced for more than 15 years. Ohio's capital punishment law has been on the books since 1981.

School Funding Reform: House Bill 1 aims to solve problems that have lingered for 20-plus years since the state school funding formula was ruled unconstitutional.

Sports Betting: Two bills failed to clear the legislature last session. A special Senate committee is now hearing testimony on sports betting and e-bingo.

Backyard Fireworks: House Bill 172 and Senate Bill 113 would legalize the use of consumer-grade fireworks on private property. Local governments could place restrictions on hours and days. Attempts to revamp Ohio's fireworks laws stretch back more than 20 years.

Concealed Weapons: Ohio adopted its concealed weapons permit law in 2004. Since then, lawmakers have reduced training requirements and expanded places CCW permitholders may carry their weapons. A bill is expected to again be introduced that would allow adults to carry concealed firearms without meeting training requirements or obtaining permits.

Unemployment Compensation Fund: Despite recommendations going back to 2006 to stabilize the fund, the legislature has yet to take action. In 2009, Ohio started borrowing to keep the fund solvent, racking up a $2.6 billion debt. In 2020, the fund went broke again, forcing Ohio to borrow $1.45 billion so far. Lawmakers are looking for ways to fix the rampant problem of unemployment fraud. But structural changes to stabilize the fund are still under discussion.
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Titles like Taoiseach and Tanaiste may be inappropriate in a united Ireland that would include one million people who identify as British, Tanaiste Leo Varadkar has said.

Speaking on RTE's Claire Byrne Live programme on what a united Ireland would mean, Mr Varadkar said: "These are the titles of Gaelic chieftains, would they really be appropriate in a unified island where a million people are British?"

He said he was worried about the potential for a border poll campaign to polarise people and compared setting a date for a border poll to "setting a date for a marriage without a courtship".

Conversations need to take place on terminology and the Good Friday Agreement before a date is set, he said. "Setting a date now for a border poll (...) it won't allow for those conversations to happen."

Speaking on the programme, Sinn Fein leader Mary Lou McDonald said she doesn't want a border poll "tomorrow or next week".

Her fear is that politicians will be too slow to set a date, she said. "This conversation is underway in unionism too. We can't be deniers of the change that is around us," she said.

DUP MP Gregory Campbell said he believes a border poll is inevitable but said he would be in "perpetual opposition" to it, adding such a poll wouldn't be successful.

Mr Varadkar suggested a period of "joint sovereignty" could be put on the table to facilitate the transition to Irish unity. Mr Campbell said the Tanaiste "just doesn't get it..... three words: we are British".

There is nothing that could be said that would persuade unionists to vote for a united Ireland. "We are British, there's nothing you can do, nothing you can say that will change that.

"There isn't going to be unionist buy in for something that is anathema to us."
Swedish authorities used a controversial Israeli code-breaking firm to extract information from the mobile phones of an Irish tarmacking and driveway crew.

Hundreds of receipts, emails, texts and bank transactions were traced and documented to build up the case against the O'Connor family.

A family tree of the brothers, the firms and their Swedish associates are among thousands of pages included in the investigation file put before Stockholm District Court.

The documents show how investigators found Darren O'Connor had changed his name to James Kenneally and how the two identities were actually the same person.

While being interviewed, his wife Chantal said Darren - with whom she has three kids - had left her and that she had a new boyfriend called James Kenneally.

But when it was put directly to her that Darren and James were the same person she replied: "Yes." Darren O'Connor had previously left Sweden after going bankrupt and owing a tax debt, it is stated in the documents.

Expand Close Darren was seen at work for the firm. / Facebook

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The trawl of the O'Connors' mobile phones used software devised by Cellebrite, an Israeli-based, Japanese-owned company.

The company, which sells software to law-enforcement all over the world, has been accused of allowing its products to be used by repressive regimes.

The deep dive revealed Darren O'Connor's notes of transactions on his iPhone which kept track of how much he had been paid and what he had paid out in expenses.

The notes include items such as diesel and coffee, but also names beside much larger sums, all of which Darren denied any knowledge of or refused to comment on.

Investigators linked payments to their firm from customers which were then transferred to accounts controlled by family members.

Darren O'Connor claimed to have no knowledge of the accounts or that he shared the same iCloud account with members of his family.

The information extracted from Chantal's iPhone showed how it was used to transfer cash to a Bank of Ireland account from Sweden. Also extracted from the phones were WhatsApp messages which showed how John O'Connor quarrelled with business associate Caroline Lindstrom as the tax authorities closed in last October.

"One thing you remember for the rest of your life Caroline I have money my (w)hole life, money will never come between me and my family and real friends.

"I (am) the man who put you were you are today I wouldn't do that to you but you have to live with know (sic) good luck to you.

"Have a nice life you have a short memory.

"Don't call me anymore your (sic) no friend of mine," the message read. In the WhatsApp exchange, Ms Lindstrom urges John O'Connor to leave it to her to sort out, and tells him: "We need to show them a united front".

But John replied: "Told you don't text me biggest mistake I made was I should of let (sic) you in the petrol station in Bromma."

Investigators even tracked down footage from ATMs to see who withdrew cash from accounts owned by the brothers.

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Whatsapp Darren OConnor at the ATM.

When shown a photo of him withdrawing cash from Edward's account, Darren told investigators: "Maybe he asked me to make a withdrawal. I had no use for using his account otherwise, I had Chantal's account."

When Edward was asked about the same photograph he said he couldn't tell who it was at the cash machine.

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Other text messages also show Darren working closely with Caroline Lindstrom, organising jobs and dealing with customers and suppliers.

As well as the high-tech data crunching there are also some old-fashioned surveillance reports in the documents filed to the court.

A member of the Economic Crime Authority noted Darren turning up at jobs with his wife Chantal, including at one last May.

"Darren has on several occasions been visible in the various jobs, he has also been active and worked at the various workplaces.

"Darren has been wearing a yellow vest and driving an excavator adjacent to a workplace. Darren has also been in a car with the company logo on it," a surveillance report said.

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A series of photographs of the family members at work was also compiled by investigators to link to the firms at the centre of the money-laundering accusations.

A police report of a traffic stop reveals how Edward O'Connor was driving an 4x4 vehicle and trailer with the Swedco Drainage & Groundwork logo.

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Whatsapp This car was registered to Chantal OConnor.

He was identified using a Swedish tax agency ID card and his Irish driver's licence, while the passenger, his father John - also known as Jack - provided his Irish passport and UK licence as ID.

The authorities moved against the accused people on October 20 last when a number of arrests were made.

A number of vehicles were seized, including a 201-D reg Audi which Edward O'Connor had been driving at the time.

Each of the brothers was interviewed a number of times of by investigators with a lawyer and interpreter present.
Lawsuit over Mount Rushmore fireworks dismissed

U.S. District Court Judge Roberto Lange in a ruling Wednesday dismissed a lawsuit brought against President Joe Biden's administration by Gov. Kristi Noem after the NFS a fireworks display there next month.
Reiterating the need for urgent action to address the genocide and China's threat to the human rights mechanisms, the World Congress (WUC) asserted that the UN needs to "step up" and act in line with its self-pronounced core values.

In a statement on the occasion of the (UN) Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination on Sunday, the pro- body said that the decades of discriminatory policies introduced by successive Chinese governments, and the exclusion of Uyghurs from any meaningful participation in the political and economic processes in East Turkistan paved the way for the current genocide.

"In light of the Uyghur genocide and China's threat to the UN human rights mechanisms, the UN needs to step up and act in line with its self-pronounced core values," WUC President Dolkun Isa said.

"This includes the establishment of an independent Human Rights Council mechanism to assess and monitor the ongoing and egregious human rights violations in East Turkistan, as well as the appointment of a special rapporteur on China," Isa added.

Last week, European Union officials had approved sanctions on Chinese officials, who are accused of human rights abuses in Xinjiang province.

The penalties were approved at preparatory meetings for next week's Foreign Affairs Council, according to people familiar with the discussions.

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.

(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.)
Gardai have renewed their appeal for a man who is the subject of an ongoing missing person investigation which was upgraded to a murder investigation after arrests were made in 2019.

Gardai in Portlaoise are renewing their appeal to the public seeking assistance in trying to locate missing person William Delaney, aged 56 years of age when he was reported missing, from Portlaoise since Wednesday afternoon January 31, 2019.

William is described as 5" 6, with medium build, black/grey hair and blue eyes. Is it not known what William was wearing when last seen.

Anyone with information is asked to contact Gardai at Portlaoise on 057-8674100, the Garda Confidential Line on 1800 666 111 or any Garda Station.

Also read: Longford's Fran McNulty takes on RTE Prime Time role

Gardai have already carried out at least two extensive searches for Mr Delaney, who lived with family members in Fielbrook, Portlaoise before he disappeared. Suspects have also been arrested and questioned arising from his disappearance.

Gardai searched early the Grand Canal and lands around the area on the outskirts of Monsaterevin in Co Kildare in November 2020. Gardai were assisted by the Irish Army and the Garda Sub Aqua Unit.

Also read: Longford TD: 'People have lost faith in lockdowns and need to see pathway out of restrictions'

In June of the same year, Gardai and soldiers combed an area around the Rock of Dunamaise between Stradbally and Portlaoise in search of human remains. The search followed claims made on social medai.

They arrested two people on suspicion of murder as part of the search at the time. Both were questioned and subsequently released without charge.
Patient care by a single primary care physician is associated with many health benefits, including increased treatment adherence and decreased hospital admissions and mortality risk. But can the relationship built between doctor and patient also lead to unnecessary care?

A new University of Florida study finds that male patients who have a single general physician were more likely to receive a prostate cancer screening test during a period when the test was not recommended by the US Preventive Services Task Force. The study, which appears in Frontiers in Medicine, is the first to explore whether continuity of care may lead to patients complying with recommendations for low-value or even harmful care for any condition.

"The results show that the trust between a doctor and a patient is a strong bond, but it emphasizes that it is important that physicians practice evidence-based care," said Arch G. Mainous III, PhD, the study's lead author and a professor in the department of health services research, management and policy at the UF College of Public Health and Health Professions. "Patients look to their physician to act in their best interest and so physicians need to take that trust and provide the best care possible."

In 2012, the US Preventive Services Task Force recommended against prescribing the prostate specific antigen, or PSA, test, rating it a grade D test and concluding there is moderate or high certainty the test has no net benefit or that the harms -- including false-positive results, overtreatment and treatment complications -- outweigh the benefits. This recommendation stayed in place until May 2018, when the task force upgraded the PSA test to a grade C, one that is selectively offered based on a physician's professional judgment and patient preferences. While use of the PSA test declined between 2012 and 2018, a significant portion of men continued to receive the test during that period.

For the study, the UF team analyzed data from the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, a nationwide system of health-related telephone surveys that collects data about Americans' health-related risk behaviors, chronic health conditions and use of preventive services. The team looked at data from 2016, four years after the task force's recommendation against PSA tests.

They evaluated responses from men ages 40 and older with no symptoms or family history of prostate cancer. Survey questions asked if participants had a single personal doctor, if they had ever received a PSA test and what recommendations or advice they received about PSA tests from health care professionals.

Among 232,548 men who responded to the questions, nearly 40% reported receiving a PSA test during the timeframe when it was not recommended. Having a single personal doctor was associated with discussion of both advantages and disadvantages of PSA tests, but also a recommendation to receive a PSA test.

"The results do not suggest that interpersonal continuity with one regular doctor is not important. Quite the contrary, these results reinforce the power of that relationship," said Mainous, also vice chair for research in the UF College of Medicine's department of community health and family medicine. "The patient-physician relationship and trust in one's physician is critical in providing care, but responsibility falls to physicians to provide the best high-quality care."

###

The UF study team also included department of community health and family medicine colleagues Benjamin J. Rooks, MS, a clinical research coordinator; Elvira S. Mercado, MD, an assistant professor in the UF College of Medicine and medical director; and Peter J. Carek, MD, MS, a professor in the UF College of Medicine and chair of the department of community health and family medicine.
Nominations are open for the 2021 Friend of Tourism Award through the Jacksonville Area Convention & Visitors Bureau.

To nominate someone from the Jacksonville community who contributes to the tourism industry through time, skills or talents, email visitors@jacksonvilleil.org for a nomination form or call 217-243-5678.
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In a debate that took place years ago at Purdue University between Christian apologist Dr. William Lane Craig and atheist Dr. Alex Rosenberg on the topic Is Faith in God Reasonable, it took Dr. Rosenberg about ten seconds to start insulting Dr. Craig. In fact, much of his opening monologue contained belittling content that many debate reviewers found unnecessary and out of place at such an event.

By contrast, Dr. Craig used the time given for his initial statements to lay out eight reasons why faith in God was indeed reasonable, using both logical syllogisms and other evidential and historical arguments. Never once did he refer to Dr. Rosenberg in a disdainful way, but rather he quoted directly from his opponents book multiple times to showcase Rosenbergs extreme positions on scientism and naturalism, which supported Craigs arguments.

Why do such things happen? Why do unbelievers like Rosenberg choose to not only disagree with Christianity but be disagreeable in the manner with which they interact with those who believe in God?

The unkind be kind crowd

Before I say anything else, let's admit upfront that Christians are guilty far too many times of being discourteous to non-Christians and committing the error James wrote about long ago: With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in God's likeness. Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers, this should not be (James 3:9-10).

That said, I find it ironic that our secular cultures pulpit continuously streams preaching that can be summed up as Be inclusive; be kind and yet the people behind such talk behave in the exact opposite manner towards anyone who disagrees with them. And some of their preachers are being more open about that.

We hear atheist Bill Maher say, "We are a nation that is unenlightened because of religion . . . I think that religion stops people from thinking . . . I think religion is a neurological disorder . . . I am just embarrassed that it [the country] has been taken over by people like evangelicals, by people who do not believe in science and rationality.

Evolutionary biologist Rob Brooks, in a Huffington Post article, agrees with Maher when he states: As it becomes clearer that religion is, in some senses, the opposite of rational thinking, we may have to shed the comfort of I'm OK, you're OK ideas.

And we have Richard Dawkins famous statement where, speaking of religious people, he encourages unbelievers to Mock them, ridicule them in public.

It seems weve arrived at the point in our society described by G. K. Chesterton long ago:

You are free in our time to say that God does not exist. You are free to say that He does exist but He is evil. You are free to say like some poor satirists that He would like to exist if He could ... But if you speak of God as a thing like a tiger  as a reason for changing ones conduct  then the modern world will stop you somehow if it can. We have long past talking about whether an unbeliever should be punished for being irreverent; it is now thought irreverent to be a believer.

The biblical pattern of unbelief

Perhaps the best set of Scripture that showcases the pattern of vindictive unbelief is John 9 where we find Jesus healing of the man born blind and their treatment by the religious elite. While the Pharisees and scribes believed in Gods existence, they personified disbelief with their hatred of Christ: They profess to know God, but by their deeds they deny Him, being detestable and disobedient and worthless for any good deed (Titus 1:16).

In his message on the topic, John MacArthur perfectly nails the pattern of unbelief when he says, Unbelief is inimical, hostile; intractable; that is, rigid; and thirdly, unbelief is irrational. With true facts, if you come to a wrong conclusion, youre irrational . . . Finally, unbelief is insolent. What does insolent mean? Abusive, contemptuous . . . It starts intellectual, becomes emotional, then becomes verbal, and ends up physical.

Why do unbelievers act this way? David reveals the reason in Psalm 2: Why do the nations rage and the peoples plot in vain? The kings of the earth take their stand and the rulers take counsel together against the LORD and against His Anointed, saying, Let us tear their fetters apart and cast away their cords from us! (Psalm 2:1-3, emphasis added).

The Hebrew term translated fetters means bonds with the root word meaning to imprison someone. Cords simply refer to ropes, and is synonymous with the previous term.

The Psalmist says that people rage against God (note that the fury is directed at the Father and the Son) because they think He restricts them and interferes with what they want to do; God threatens their autonomy. As John Edward Carnell wrote: The individual who disclaims all expressions of authority simply makes himself his final authority.[1]

Because of that, we see God being constantly rejected in both the Old and New Testaments, with the clear message being: We do not want this man to reign over us (Luke 19:14).

Atheist philosophers such as Nietzsche, Sartre, Camus, and Heidegger have correctly observed that if God is sovereign, then humanity cannot be. Sartre, in particular, believed that only by rejecting God can humankind experience real freedom and morality.[2]

History shows that the exact opposite is true.

Hope for unbelief

A lot of people dont know that the late atheist Christopher Hitchens has a brother named Peter, who is an English newsman and author. Brought up in the same environment as his brother, Peter Hitchens describes how he initially felt about God in his book The Rage Against God in a chapter entitled The Generation Who Were Too Clever to Believe: I knew that there was no God, that the Old Testament was a gruesome series of atrocity stories and fairy tales, while the gospels where a laughable invention used to defraud the simple.[3]

But today? Hitchens is an outspoken Christian and defender of the faith. How did he change?

The route Hitchens and others take is very similar. Many begin by asking themselves why they have the confrontational spirit they do. Authors Jon Hinkson and Greg Ganssle write that they often say to students, Let me tell you why, if the biblical story is true, you will hear it threateningly, and why you ought to apply a hermeneutic of suspicion to that very reaction.[4]

Theres a natural rebellion in all of us that rejects God because we are born with sin (Rom. 5:12). But as God draws us to Himself, one of the incredible truths He reveals is that the supposed autonomy we desire is in actuality a slavery to sin.

R. C. Sproul explains it like this: If ever there is a genuine paradox to be found in Holy Writ, it is at the point of freedom and bondage. The paradox is this: When one seeks to rebel from God, he gains only bondage. When he becomes a slave to God, he becomes free. Liberty is found in obedience. The Anglican poet John Donne understood this when he wrote in a sonnet, Except you enthrall me, never shall I be free.[5]

When you come to Christ and surrender your declaration of autonomy to His will, the rage that was once in your heart disappears. Afterwards, the freedom you experience from the punishment of sin is the most intoxicating thing you will ever experience.

If you havent received Christ yet and experienced His truth and liberty, why not do that today? Lose the rage and anger and let something much better fill your heart.

[1] Carnell, John Edward. A Philosophy of the Christian Religion (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans Publishing, 1954), 30.

[2] R. C. Sproul, If Theres a God, Why Are There Atheists? (Ligonier Ministries, 1997), pg. 137.

[3] Hitchens, The Rage Against God, pg. 18.

[4] Hinkson, J., Ganssle, G. 2000. Epistemology at the Core of Postmodernism: Rorty, Foucault, and the Gospel in Telling the Truth, Evangelizing Postmoderns, D. A. Carson, general editor, (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2000), pg. 87.

[5] Sproul, 142.
BASEL (dpa-AFX) - Pharmaceutical company Novartis AG (NVS) announced on Monday the appointment of Karen Hale as Chief Legal Officer, effective May 15. She succeeds Shannon Klinger and will report to Vas Narasimhan, M.D and CEO. Interim Chief Legal Officer Tom Kendris will continue in his post till Hale joins. Hale will also become a Member of the Executive Committee of Novartis and will work from Basel, Switzerland. She is joining Novartis from AbbVie, where she is working as Vice President, Deputy General Counsel. Hale has more than 20 years-experience in the legal aspects of the pharmaceutical industry, having joined Abbott in 1997. Commenting on her appointment, Narasimhan said, 'Karen is a proven senior legal leader with extensive global experience across key healthcare legal and compliance domains. She also brings to the Novartis executive team deep US experience and a passion to advance racial justice.' Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX

Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann.
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The Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) in Osun on Monday confirmed the death of two persons, including a radio presenter, in an auto crash on Ilesa-Ile-Ife expressway.

Kudirat Ibrahim, the Osun FRSC sector commander, told journalists in Osogbo that the accident involving a luxury bus and a car occured opposite Old Sazo Oil station, Ilesa at 3:05 a.m. on Monday.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) learnt that the radio presenter, who works for a private station in Ilesa, was on his way to work in his Peugeot car when the accident occurred.

He was said to have been with two others in the car, one of whom also died in the accident.

The sector commander said the injured person had been taken to Wesley Guild Hospital, Ilesa, for treatment.

She said, The accident occurred on Monday morning at 3:05 a.m. involving a luxury bus with registration number LND 322XY and a Peugeot 406 with registration number SMK 312 GQ.

About 54 persons were involved in the incident which led to the death of two persons while one person sustained injury.

The deceased have been taken to a morgue in Ilesa, while the only victim with severe injury has been rushed to Wesley Guild Hospital in Ilesa for further treatment.

Mrs Ibrahim said the accident was as a result of speeding by the drivers of the vehicles. (NAN).


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Allison Haley announced that she will seek a second full term as Napa County District Attorney in the June 2022 election.

It has been my privilege to lead the Napa County District Attorneys Office through the tremendous challenges brought to us by a global pandemic: ensuring the fair treatment of criminal defendants, working collaboratively with criminal justice partners to ensure the health and safety of staff, survivors, witnesses, jurors, and defendants and seeking ways to increase access to services offered by our office, Haley said in a news release.

In her first term, Haley said her office opened a conviction integrity unit, a unit devoted to the unique needs of defendants suffering from mental illness, and the States first electronic expungement clinic.

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.

We have facilitated survivors of crime to participate safely in court proceedings through the use of technology. We have created a pre-filing diversion program to create alternatives to the criminal justice system and expanded our victim services to the LGBTQ and Latinx communities, Haley said.
A landlord threatened a former tenant he would get a gun and put a bullet in his head when he asked for his deposit back, it has been alleged.

Niall Cloke (49) is accused of telling the ex-tenant that he would pay 5,000 to get him shot, and he would be returning to his country either walking or in a box.

Mr Cloke is facing trial on a threat to kill charge after a judge ruled the case was too serious to be dealt with at district court level.

Judge David McHugh remanded him on continuing bail for further directions of the Director of Public Prosecutions.

Mr Cloke, with an address at Wheatfield Grove, Clondalkin, Dublin, is charged with threatening to kill or cause serious harm to the man at an unknown location in the State on November 11, 2019.

Garda Sergeant Walter Sweeney told Blanchardstown District Court in December that year that the alleged victim made a complaint to gardai that his former landlord, the accused, had made threats to him.

He told gardai this happened in the course of a telephone conversation when they had a discussion about the return of a deposit.

It was alleged by the man that the accused threatened to get a gun and put a bullet in his head, Sgt Sweeney said.

Mr Cloke told the former tenant he would pay a sum of 5,000 to get him shot and that the injured party would return to Romania either walking or in a box, he said.

The alleged victim said the verbal threat had a profound effect on him personally and professionally and he believed the accused would do these things to him.

It was also alleged the accused spoke about the mans girlfriend, saying he would watch her leaving work and where she lived.

The alleged victim feared for his girlfriends safety, the court heard.

According to gardai, the conversation was on loudspeaker on the alleged victims phone and video-recorded. This was provided to gardai and it was alleged the accused was listed as the owner of the number.

Mr Cloke later presented himself at Ronanstown garda station and was charged.

Sgt Sweeney said the Director of Public Prosecutions consented to summary disposal of the case in the district court subject to the judge accepting jurisdiction.

Judge McHugh refused jurisdiction after hearing the outline of the allegations.

He adjourned the case to a date in May for the further consideration of the DPP.

The accused has not yet entered a plea to the charge, which is under Section 5 of the Non-Fatal Offences Against the Person Act.
CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Rocky River schools placed members of high school staff on administrative leave after a report that they talked about a student in an inappropriate manner, according to a district communication.

The district is working with the Rocky River Police Department on the investigation. A video communication sent to families did not share further details about the situation, including what charges police may be investigating or potential school policy violations.

A human resources memo in the personnel files of those involved in the investigation points to potential violations of the schools Board of Education policies, as well as violations of the National Education Association and Association of American Educators codes of ethics and the states licensure code of conduct.

Six individuals are on leave as part of the investigation. Initially four staff members were placed on leave, but during the investigation process, two more staff members were added.

The potential violations vary between the letters of four staff members, provided as part of personnel files by the district. A request for two additional personnel files is pending. The letters state that the staff members reportedly talked with each inappropriately about one or more students, but did not specify what the communications involved.

The potential violations listed slightly vary between staff members. The Rocky River Board of Education policies potentially violated include:

-- staff ethics

-- student supervision and welfare

-- outside activities of staff

-- anti-harassment

-- bullying and other forms of aggressive behavior

These are broad sections of conduct in the board of education policies. The letter only listed the sections, not any specific violations within those sections.

As the investigation into the conduct of several Rocky River High School staff members continues, we are following our Board of Education policy for internal investigations, reads a statement sent by a district spokesman Monday. This includes interviews, review of pertinent materials as well as consideration of any new facts which may come to light. During this process, the district has made the decision to place two additional staff members on administrative leave. Currently, there are six individuals on such leave. We will continue to operate with the safety and well-being of our students as our top priority.

The staff involved are on leave until the investigation is completed.

Rocky River police would not further comment on the investigation when called for comment on Monday. There is a police report related to the investigation, but it has not yet been provided.
If you'd like to leave a comment (or a tip or a question) about this story with the editors, please email us

We also welcome letters to the editor for publication; you can do that by filling out our letters form and submitting it to the newsroom.
In an exclusive interview with The Grayzone, Col. Douglas Macgregor, a former senior advisor to the acting secretary of defense, revealed that President Donald Trump shocked the US military only days after the election last November by signing a presidential order calling for the withdrawal of all remaining US troops from Afghanistan by the end of the year.

As Macgregor explained to The Grayzone, the order to withdraw was met with intense pressure from the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS), Gen. Mark M. Milley, which caused the president to capitulate. Trump agreed to withdraw only half of the 5,000 remaining troops in the country. Neither Trumps order nor the pressure from the JCS chairman was reported by the national media at the time.

The presidents surrender represented the Pentagons latest victory in a year-long campaign to sabotage the US-Taliban peace agreement signed in February 2020. Military and DOD leaders thus extended the disastrous and unpopular 20-year US war in Afghanistan into the administration of President Joe Biden.

A peace agreement the Pentagon was determined to subvert

The subversion of the peace agreement with the Taliban initiated by the US military leadership in Washington and Afghanistan began almost as soon as Trumps personal envoy Zalmay Khalilzad negotiated a tentative deal in November 2019. The campaign to undermine presidential authority was actively supported by then-Secretary of Defense Mark Esper.

In February 2020, under heavy pressure to amend the agreement, Trump ordered Khalilzad to deliver the Taliban an ultimatum: agree to a full ceasefire as a prelude to a broader peace deal, including negotiations with the Afghan government, or the deal was off. The Taliban refused the immediate ceasefire with Kabul, however, offering instead a reduction in violence for seven days to establish a conducive atmosphere for implementing the peace agreement that had already been fleshed out in detail. It then gave the US its own ultimatum: if the US refused the offer, its negotiators would walk away from the table.

To salvage the deal, Khalilzad agreed to the Taliban proposal for a one-week reduction of violence by both sides. The adversaries reached further understandings on what such a reduction in violence would mean: the Taliban agreed there would be no attacks on population centers and Afghan stationary military targets, but reserved the right to attack government convoys if they exploited the reduction to seize control of new areas.

The US-Taliban peace agreement signed on February 29 called for a withdrawal of US troops from the country in two stages. First, the US agreed to reduce its troop levels to 8600 within 4.5 months and remove forces from five military bases ahead of a final withdrawal that would take place in May 2021. Second, the US and its allies pledged to refrain from the threat or use of force against the territorial integrity or political independence of Afghanistan or intervening in its domestic affairs.

The Taliban promised in turn that it would not allow any of its members, other individuals or groups, including al-Qaeda, to use the soil of Afghanistan to threaten the security of the United States and its allies.

Those two commitments obliged US and Taliban forces not to attack each other. The agreement also specified that the Taliban would enter into intra-Afghan negotiations on March 10, 2020, after the two Afghan parties were to have exchanged prisoners.

They also required the Taliban to keep al-Qaeda personnel out of Afghanistan  a pledge the Taliban military commission appeared to implement in February when it issued an order to all commanders forbidding them from bringing foreign nationals into their ranks or giving them shelter.

But the pact did not provide for the immediate ceasefire between Taliban and Afghan government forces which the U.S. military and Pentagon demanded. Instead a permanent and comprehensive ceasefire was to be negotiated between the two Afghan parties.

With startling swiftness and determination, Pentagon officials and military leadership exploited the open-ended terms of the ceasefire to derail the implementation of the agreement.

Secretary of Defense Esper claimed the peace deal allowed the US military to defend Afghan forces, blatantly contradicting the agreements text. He then pledged to come to the defense of the Afghan government if the Taliban began mounting attacks on its forces, setting the stage for American violations on the ground.

Espers promise of continued US military support, made public in Congressional testimony days later, gave the Afghan government a clear incentive to refuse any concessions to the Taliban. Afghan President Ashraf Ghani promptly refused to go ahead with a promised prisoner exchange until formal negotiations with the Taliban had begun.

The Taliban responded by initiating a series of attacks on government troops at checkpoints in contested areas. The US military command in Afghanistan responded with an airstrike against Taliban forces engaged in one of those operations in Helmand province. US officials said privately that the airstrike was a message to the Taliban to continue what they described as the reduction in violence commitment they had agreed

The combination of Espers assurance to the Afghan government and the US airstrike showed the hand of the Pentagon and military leadership. It was clear they had no intention of passively accepting a deal to withdraw the remaining US personnel from Afghanistan, and would do whatever they could to unravel it.

Gen. Kenneth McKenzie, the head of Central Command, further highlighted the Pentagons opposition to the deal when he declared in congressional testimony that troop withdrawals would be determined by conditions on the ground. In other words, it was up to the judgment of military commanders, rather than the terms of the agreement, to determine when U.S. troops would be withdrawn.

Shaping a false narrative on the agreement

The militarys plan to sabotage the agreement hinged on creating the false impression that the Taliban had reneged on its commitments. This ruse was advanced mostly publicly by Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Defense Secretary Esper.

In an interview with CBS News, Pompeo mentioned a detailed set of commitments that the Taliban have made about the levels of violence that can occur But that was a deliberate obfuscation. Though the Taliban had agreed to the seven-day reduction in violence, it did not apply to the peace agreement signed on February 29, 2020.

On March 2, Esper told reporters, This is a conditions-based agreement. Were watching the Talibans actions closely to assess whether they are upholding their commitments. That same day, US commander in Afghanistan Gen. Scott Miller stated through a spokesman on Twitter, The United States has been very clear about our expectations  the violence must remain low.

Once again, the Pentagon and the US command were dictating conditions to the Taliban outside the actual written terms of the peace agreement.

The Pentagon and military commands ploy was advanced through a story leaked to the New York Times and published on March 8. Below the headline, A Secret Accord With the Taliban: When and How the U.S. Would Leave Afghanistan, the story referred to two secret annexes to deceptively suggest that the agreements reached with the Taliban were not fully reflected in the publicly available text.

The Times ploy recalled the national hysteria the paper triggered last summer when it legitimized an Afghan intelligence fraud by publishing a series of lengthy articles claiming Russia had paid Taliban fighters bounties for dead American service members. Indeed, the secret annexes story was simply the latest political deception deployed by the Pentagon to torpedo plans for a US withdrawal.

Despite the articles assertion that the two documents lay out the specific understandings between the United States and the Taliban, the only specific reference in the story to any such understanding mentioned commitments from the Taliban not to attack American forces during a withdrawal. However, that explicit commitment was missing from the actual terms of the published accord.

As the Times acknowledged in its article, when Esper and Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Mark Milley appeared before the House Armed Services Committee just three days before the agreement was signed, both were asked about any side deals with the Taliban. Neither said they were aware of any unpublished agreements. Pompeo, who also denied the existence of any side deals with the Taliban, referred to them as military implementation documents.

The evidence clearly indicated that the so-called secret annexes were, in fact, internal US documents on US policy related to the agreement.

In April 2020, the Taliban accused the United States of flagrantly violating the deal, citing 50 attacks by US and Afghan forces between March 9 and April 10, including 33 drone attacks and eight night raids by Special Operations forces. By the summer, as the Taliban stepped up attacks on government checkpoints in areas bordering territory under their control, US forces in Afghanistan and the Defense Department informed the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR) that the orders to Afghan government forces allowed them to preemptively strike Taliban positions.

The war thus returned to the situation that prevailed before the agreement was signed and the peace deal was effectively shattered.

Meanwhile, the US military continued to accuse the Taliban of failing to adhere to the agreement. In July, the US government-run Voice of America reported that McKenzie had told VOA the Taliban has not kept up their commitments agreed to in the U.S.-Taliban peace deal, leading to one of the most violent periods of the war in Afghanistan.

Reversing a presidential order for withdrawal

Following Trumps defeat in the November 2020 presidential election, and after fashioning the strategy to sabotage the Afghan peace agreement, Esper, McKenzie, and Miller agreed on a memorandum from the chain of command warning Trump against further withdrawal from Afghanistan until conditions had been met. These terms included a reduction in violence and progress at the negotiating table.

Trump reacted to the memo with outrage, swiftly firing Esper on November 9. He replaced him with Christopher Miller, the former head of the US counter-terrorism center who agreed with Trump on withdrawal from Afghanistan.

That same day, Trump asked Col. Douglas Macgregor to serve as Millers senior adviser. Macgregor was an outspoken advocate of withdrawal from Afghanistan and a harsh critic of other US wars in the Middle East, from Iraq to Syria. During a January 2020 interview with Tucker Carlson on Fox News, Macgregor blasted Pentagon leadership for its failure to find a path out of Afghanistan.

Once inside the Pentagon, Macgregor immediately took on the task of enabling a rapid and complete withdrawal from Afghanistan. Just how close Trump came to withdrawing all US troops before leaving office had not been reported until now. Macgregor recounted the episode to The Grayzone.

According to Macgregor, he met Miller on November 10 and told him that a pullout from Afghanistan could only be accomplished by a formal presidential order. Later that day, Macgregor dictated the language of such an order to the White House by phone.

The draft order stated that all uniformed military personnel would be withdrawn from Afghanistan no later than December 31, 2020. Macgregor told the staffer to get a National Security Presidential Memorandum from the White House files to ensure that it was published in the correct format.

Macgregors White House contact informed him in the morning of November 11 that Trump had read the memorandum and immediately signed it. On November 12, however, he learned that Trump had met with Chairman of the Joint Chiefs Mark Milley, national security adviser Robert OBrien, and Acting Secretary Miller. Trump was told that the orders he placed in the memorandum could not be executed, according to Macgregors White House contact.

Milley argued that a withdrawal would harm the chances of negotiating a final peace settlement and that continued US presence in Afghanistan had bipartisan support, Macgregor was informed. Later that night, Macgregor learned that Trump had agreed to withdraw only half of the total: 2500 troops. Trump had once again given in to military pressure, as he did repeatedly on Syria.

The maneuvering by the Pentagon to obstruct the Trump administrations initiative to end an extremely unpopular war in Afghanistan was just one example in a long-established pattern of undermining presidential authority over matters of war and peace.

When he was vice president, Joe Biden witnessed first-hand the pressures the Pentagon brass imposed on Barack Obama to escalate the war in Afghanistan. With the peace agreements May 1 deadline for final US withdrawal just weeks away, Biden is certain to face another round of maximum pressure to keep US troops in the quagmire of Afghanistan, supposedly as leverage on the Taliban.
The number of women murdered in Northern Ireland since the beginning of lockdown is double what it was in the previous 12 months.

Eight women have been violently killed since the first lockdown in March last year.

There have been calls for an urgent gender-based Stormont strategy to deal with the increase in violence against women and girls after the murders of Karen McClean (50) and Stacey Knell (30), stabbed to death in the Rathcoole estate over the weekend.

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The only suspect in the case, Ms McClean's son, violent offender Ken Flanagan (26), was known to police and had been subject to preventative orders in the past over concerns that he may be a threat to close female relatives. Following the violent attack, Flanagan took his own life.

Social services had been involved with the family until 2019. The ex-partner of Miss Knell had also raised concerns about his nine-year-old daughter being in the company of Flanagan.

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The double murder-suicide has shocked the closely knit Rathcoole community.

Domestic killings of female victims are double what they were in the previous 12-months, when three women and a teenage girl were murdered.

Police are continuing to investigate the murder of Natasha Melendez (32). The mother-of-two died in hospital just over a week after being violently assaulted in her home in the Pond Park area of Lisburn.

A 23-year-old woman and 30-year-old man initially arrested in connection with the murder were freed on police bail pending further inquires.

Grandmother Elizabeth Dobbin (82) was found dead at her home in Larne, Co Antrim on March 30, 2020.

Her grandson Alan Gingles (32) who shared the home with her, has been charged with her murder. During an early court hearing a defence lawyer indicated that Gingles claims he acted with diminished responsibility due to a psychotic episode, claiming he was "seeing zombies" at the time of the pensioner's death.

Emma Jane McParland was stabbed to death following an attack at her flat in the Haywood Avenue area of south Belfast on April 22 last year.

Ms McParland's 22-year-old son Jordan Kennedy faces a single count of murdering his 39-year-old mother.

The body of Patrycja Wyrebek was found in the bath of her house in Drumalane Park in Newry on August 2. While her family were from Poland she had spent most of her life in Northern Ireland, a pupil of Holy Cross Girls School and Mercy College in north Belfast.

Her partner Dawid Lukasz Mietus (23), who is originally from Poland, has been charged with her murder. He is claiming a "rough sex" defence, alleging she died during a consensual sex act.

In November last year Justice Minister Naomi Long launched a public consultation on banning the use of "consent to serious harm for sexual gratification" as a defence.

Ms Long said following an amendment to the Westminster Domestic Abuse Bill: "I have broadened the review to include consent to serious harm for sexual gratification not being a defence, sometimes known as the 'rough sex' defence".

The murder of 21-year-old Katie Simpson was originally treated as a suspected suicide after the emergency services were called to her home on August 3 last year. Ms Simpson, from Middletown, Co Armagh, passed away in Altnagelvin hospital on August 9, 2020. However, earlier this month Jonathan James Cresswell (33) who was in a relationship with the victim's older sister, was arrested and charged in connection with Ms Simpson's death.

During a magistrate's court appearance, a detective said Miss Simpson suffered bruising to her legs, both hands - one of which was swollen - bruising to her right inner thigh, a cut lip and bruising to her forehead, adding Miss Simpson did not present as a hanging victim and features expected of such "were not present" on the victim.

The court was told that messages found on her phone "indicated Katie was in immense fear of this man". Cresswell was remanded into custody to appear again, via videolink on April 1.

Susan Baird (60) died in what police described as a "vicious attack" on August 16 last year.

The 60-year-old mother-of-four, who was an office administrator for Orangefield Presbyterian Church on Castlereagh Road, was killed at her marital home at Windermere Road in the Four Winds area.

Her husband Gary Alexander Baird (61) was originally detained under a Mental Health Order. In January he was charged with murder and granted bail but ordered to reside at the secure mental health unit.

Speaking about the dramatic increase in femicide in Northern Ireland, Sonya McMullan of Women's Aid said lockdown has "excluded pathways to support" for many women.

"There are families we are desperately trying to reach out to with public awareness, the 'Unlock your Lockdown' campaign, highlighting the importance of safety planning, safe words, having people to speak to and public consciousness that this is everyone's problem, urging people to check in with friends, family and colleagues if there are any concerns," she said.

"As usual in Northern Ireland we are so far behind and playing catch up. We have been campaigning for a strategy to look at violence against women and girls, and that's only started to gain support now with the highlight on recent tragedies."
In January, the Biden administration established a commitment to modernize the U.S. Immigration System that included multiple changes to both border security and immigration policy that would affect border cities on the south and north end of the country.

In Laredo, a number of community organizations and the city have not only had to continue their work during the COVID-19 pandemic but also contend with border security and the humanitarian aid of the men, women and children who reach its border.

Laredo Mayor Pete Saenz said there has been a significant increase to the number of single, male nationals that have evaded the border patrol and crossed into the U.S. In addition, approximately 500 individuals as part of the Migrant Protection Protocols, now terminated by Biden, are residing in Nuevo Laredo waiting to be processed.

The MPP had those without proper documentation, those seeking U.S. admission and/or those who entered the U.S. illegally wait in Mexico for the duration of their immigration proceeding. Once processed, they would be brought to shelters. However, numbers have been limited due to the COVID-19 pandemic. As a result, only those with a negative COVID-19 result would be allowed to enter the shelter.

Families, women and children have taken the perilous journey to claim asylum and are then led to one of the non-governmental organizations in Laredo, Saenz said. Approximately 20 to 30 individuals in the demographic are helped through the Holding Institute or the Catholic Charities.

The same perilous journey is now being undertaken by unaccompanied minors. On Monday, the U.S. planned to shelter these minors, including 3,000 that have been transported to the temporary FEMA shelter at the Hutchison Convention Center in Dallas.

Being a border mayor, Saenz said he hopes those sending the children know there are better ways to seek asylum. However, he understands there are multiple factors that make it difficult for families, including difficulties with the cartel and human smugglers.

According to Sister Rosemary Welsh, multiple forms of abuse have been found throughout the incoming immigrants, specifically women. In prior years, cases of domestic abuse would be a part of a protected population, but that has not been the case in recent years.

She told some stories from women that have made the journey who have been robbed, abused and taken advantage of by both authorities and cartel members. To elaborate on the difficulty of the journey, Welsh said some women told her they started birth control prior to their trip because they knew they would be raped on the way to the U.S.

Welsh addressed the issue during a Facebook Live Conversation with Cuellar event hosted by Rep. Henry Cuellar.

What we try to do when they come is not ask a lot of questions, because they are already traumatized, she said. We got a family the other day and a little 4-year-old kid, she fell apart.

However, the shelter and aid provided to migrants is a costly endeavor. In response, FEMA announced that food and shelter programs that helped with migrant individuals and families could receive reimbursements.

Approximately $115 million will be provided for humanitarian relief, Cuellar said during the panel discussion. Cuellar continued that millions of federal funds would help reimburse non-governmental organizations for their expenditures. The reimbursements were designed to circumvent state government, allowing NGOs to apply and receive their reimbursements without much delay.

Cuellar said NGOs must keep their receipts regarding their shelter, feeding, transportation, basic health and first aid, COVID services and other supported services. Applications will be available soon. Once available, NGO heads may start the process of applying for their reimbursements.

Welsh was among a number of NGO leads that help migrants once they have crossed the border who attended the panel. They participated and talked about additional funds similar programs would receive along with giving their perspective on the situation.

At the Laredo Regional Food Bank, services have continued through the pandemic and the demand has grown, Executive Director Carmen Garcia said. She added that the RFB is one of the few food banks that accepts an extended list of identification, including Mexican-based IDs to help those that are in the country illegally.

For me that is very important to be able to help those groups, and we continue to do so this year, so hopefully these new funds can help us continue to service that particular group here at the border, she said.

For the City of Laredo, Saenz said despite the tonal shift in administration on the issue of immigration and their plan to improve the policies, federal funding will need to be allocated to border communities. As both cities and NGOs provide support to Washington policies, proper reimbursement of all expenditures must be provided.

He added that from what he has been told, in both 2014 and 2019 the federal government are missing reimbursements to the city and certain NGOs. He believes that while the Biden Administration has a strong willingness to help the migrant population, help services will need to be properly managed and funded at both federal and city levels.

The first major hurdle that border communities and the federal government have address is the number of unaccompanied minors. Cuellar said that so far, a majority of minors are being found in the Valley.

Michael Smith, Executive Director at the Holding Institute, said that the shelter houses families and adult individuals, and it is not receiving unaccompanied adults at this time.

cocampo@lmtonline.com
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I call on political parties to continue to demand Nikol Pashinyans resignation, this agenda must remain unchanged. This is what Spokesperson of the Republican Party of Armenia Eduard Sharmazanov told reporters today, adding that Pashinyan was the one who unleashed the war with his irresponsible statements and that those who say the former and current authorities are to blame for the war are supporting Pashinyan.

How will the pre-election campaign be held? Will it be under the target of snipers who might shoot anyone who demands Pashinyans resignation? Sharmazanov asked reporters.

According to Sharmazanov, Pashinyan needs to be held liable, but everything has to be within the scope of the law. The Republican Party of Armenia is against unlawful actions. Pashinyans resignation is on our agenda, and we will fight until the end, even if we are the only ones fighting for it. We need Pashinyan alive so he can tell us how and why all this happened, he stated.

Sharmazanov expressed certainty that the elections will be falsified during Pashinyans administration and that the elections will be an attempt to lead citizens to clashes. At the end, he didnt rule out the meetings of the Homeland Salvation Movement in Armenias provinces.
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7 in a day: Number of terrorists gunned down in valley in 2021 stands at 31

Different terror groups, one master: What has made terrorists desperate in Kashmir

4 Lashkar terrorists gunned down by security forces in Shopian

India

oi-Vicky Nanjappa

New Delhi, Mar 22: Four terrorists were gunned down by security forces in an encounter in Jammu and Kashmir's Shopian early this morning. All three were part of the Lashkar-e-Tayiba.

Sources tell OneIndia that the terrorists were killed following an encounter that took place at around 2 am at the Manihal area in Shopian. After receiving information about the presence of terrorists in the area late on Sunday, an operation was launched by the Jammu and Kashmir police, Indian Army and CRPF.

The number of terror incidents in. Jammu and Kashmir until November 15 2020 reduced by 63.93 per cent, the Ministry of Home Affairs said. There was also a decrease in the fatalities of special forces personnel by 29.11 per cent.

In terms of civilian casualties there was a decrease by 14.28 per cent upto November 2020 when compared to the corresponding period in 2019, the MHA also said.

On August 5 2020, a year had passed since the abrogation of Article 370. On August 5, 2019, the Indian Parliament abrogated the article that gave Jammu and Kashmir special status.

In the past one year, Jammu and Kashmir has seen a considerable decline in the number of youth joining terror groups. While infiltrations or attempts to infiltrate into the Valley from J&K have remained high, terror groups operating in the Valley have suffered considerable losses.

A report prepared by the Union Ministry shows that the number of terror incidents have decreased since the abrogation of the Article. Between January to July 15 2019, there were 188 incidents that had been reported and for the same period this year, the number stood at 120.

Between January to July 2019, the number of terrorists killed stood at 126, whereas this year for the same period it was 136. In terms of grenade attacks last year the number was at 51 in comparison to 21 this year.

Last year between January and July 75 security personnel were martyred when compared to the 35 this year. In terms of civilian deaths, the number stood at 23 last year when compared to 22 this year between January and July 15.

In terms of IED attacks, there were six last year and just one between January and July 15, 2020.

In terms of terrorist deaths, 110 have been killed. The Hizbul Mujahideen lost 50 of its men, while the Lashkar-e-Tayiba and Jaish-e-Mohammad lost 20 each. 14 terrorists of the Ansar and ISJK were also killed.

Anil Deshmukh Corruption row: NCP says 'no need for resignation'| Oneindia News
New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday greeted people of Bihar on the occasion of 'Bihar Diwas' and wished that the state continues to create new dimensions of development.

'Bihar Diwas' is celebrated on March 22 every year to commemorate the date on which the province came into being during the British rule.

????? ???? ?? ????? ?? ??? ????????? ?? ????? ??????????? ???????? ???? ?? ?????? ???????? ?? ??? ????? ????? ???? ???? ?? ?????? ????? ?? ??? ?? ???? ????? ????  Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) March 22, 2021

"Wishes to all the residents of the state on 'Bihar Day'. May this state, which has a special identity due to its glorious past and rich culture, continue to create new dimensions of development," Modi tweeted.
What started three years ago as one of the first restaurant-to-home delivery services in South Mississippi boomed during the pandemic and now is Bite Squad.

Anthony Depreo said he founded Tiki Delivery in Diamondhead in May 2018 as a one man show, contracting with three restaurants in Bay St. Louis for delivery service.

Its more than one man now, he declared.

In December he sold the business to Waitr, parent company of Bite Squad, after expanding his delivery service with 90 restaurants  from Waveland to Gulfport  and 80 drivers.

COVID helped me for sure, Depreo said. Many of his drivers were employees of restaurants that closed in the early days of the pandemic, he said. They safely delivered food to people quarantined in their homes, which helped the restaurants that were still operating and Coast residents looking for their favorite dishes.

Louisiana-based Waitr getting into the marijuana delivery business; here's how it'll work Lafayette-based food delivery company Waitr said it is teaming up with Flow Payments to create a specialized platform for the sale and deliver

Bite Squad is taking what we built and expanding it to the next level, Depreo said.

He expects Bite Squad will have hundreds of restaurants and drivers and generate millions in revenue for South Mississippi restaurants, much like our sister company Waitr has done already, he said.

HOW BITE SQUAD WORKS

Bite Squad has delivery in Waveland, Bay St. Louis, Diamondhead, Kiln, Pass Christian, Long Beach and Gulfport and is adding more restaurants as it expands, Depreo said.

We have plans to launch Biloxi and Ocean Springs in April, he said.

Customers download the Bite Squad app from an app store on their phone or bitesquad.com and enter an address where they want the food delivered. If its to downtown Gulfport, for instance, a list of 25 restaurants pops up. Users can review the menus and order, and soon barbecue, seafood, tacos, breakfast, sushi or other cuisine will be on the way.

Inside info on doing business in Acadiana We'll keep you posted on the Acadiana economy. Sign up today. e-mail address * Sign Up

Your favorite restaurants, delivered, is how Bite Squad describes the service that has become even more popular in the age of the coronavirus and social distancing.

As an introductory offer, free delivery service is being offered on orders of $12 or more through April 29.

Delivery Dudes joining Waitr for food delivery expansion in Florida Lafayette-based Waitr Holdings Inc. signed a deal to acquire a competitor in Florida for $23 million in cash and stock.

The biggest changes as Tiki transitions to Bite Squad are the technology upgrades and more staff, said Depreo, who remains with the new company as market manager.

The Tiki app was functional. The Bite Squad app is gorgeous, he said, intuitive and responsive. It lets customers track the status of their delivery at five points, from the time they place their order to when their food is on the way to their door.

What hasnt changed is the relationship with the restaurants, Depreo said, and that he is still the person for them to contact.

Bite Squad also is adding a marketing coordinator, managers to oversee the operations, customer service staff and drivers who Depreo said are motivated by making some extra cash on the side.

Customers will see services like the ability to get unlimited free delivery from restaurants within a 7-mile radius and alcohol delivery from restaurants as Bite Squad continues to expand along the Coast.

Mary Perez is the business and casino reporter for the Sun Herald and also writes about Biloxi, jobs and the new restaurants and development coming to the Coast. She is a fourth-generation journalist.

See the original story on SunHerald.com.
One year on from the start of the first lockdown, the brutal price of this drastic policy is all too obvious. Amid battered public finances, rising unemployment and widespread business failures, entire sectors of the economy have been devastated.

At the same time, the quality of life for most of the population has been profoundly diminished, just as education from primary to degree level has been undermined and non-Covid healthcare disrupted.

Covid-dominated Britain is a bleak unnatural land where all our ordinary freedoms are locked away.

The advocates of lockdown argue that this approach has been necessary to tackle the unique challenges of coronavirus.

But I believe that the heavy-handedness of these measures has been out of all proportion to the level of threat and worse, they have also been ineffective, even counter-productive.

Throughout this long emergency, the supposed antidote has often been more harmful than the disease itself. The reality is that Covid represents little danger to the vast majority of people under the age of 60, yet our whole society has been upended by an exaggerated response. And the scars will last for many years.

In May last year, during the first lockdown, I wrote an essay in this paper which warned of the disastrous consequences of paralysing authoritarianism in the name of public protection.

On the basis of a panic fuelled by dubious science, I said, the British economy has been placed in an artificially induced coma, with much of the population under effective house arrest.

Given the potential scale of damage to the nations health and wealth, I described the Governments stance as reckless and irrational. And that was before a further 10 months of crippling restrictions.

Today, as the Mails comprehensive, depressing analysis makes clear, my darkest predictions have been realised. From the arts to the retail sector, the impact of successive lockdowns has been catastrophic, wiping out more than 500million of economic output every day.

The tale of misery created by officialdom, as set out in the Mails catalogue of wrecked businesses, record debts, worsening hardship and vanished dreams, might be justified if Covid had represented a truly lethal crisis for Britain, killing perhaps 10 per cent of the population and threatening the very fabric of society. But Covid is nothing like a menace on this scale. It is not a new Black Death or Spanish Flu, no matter how many doom-laden, personal stories are aired by broadcasters.

If Covid were a plague, it would be indiscriminate in its targets. Everyone would be at risk, including healthy children and young adults. But that is not the case. As with many infectious diseases, it is mainly the elderly and people with chronic health conditions who are at risk.

Indeed, the average age of Covid fatalities is over 82, higher than the UKs average age of death from all causes. And among those who contract the disease, just two in 1,000 (or fewer) actually die.

As soon as they became apparent, such facts should have been part of the wider debate about our Covid response.

But unfortunately we live in a climate of scare-mongering and misinformation.

Only last week, the BBC, in a typically apocalyptic report, stated that  due to Covid  the UK death rate in 2020 was 7 per cent higher than in a normal year.

But, while every death is a tragedy for bereaved families, 7 per cent above average does not strike me as a particularly shocking figure, especially since some of those deaths were caused by lockdowns themselves.

Some point to the Covid death toll, now over 125,000 in Britain, which is almost double the number of British civilians who died in the Second World War.

But we should remember that this represents two winter peaks (a time of year when it is not unusual for tens of thousands of Britons to die from respiratory diseases). And that some of the total is due to the manner in which we record Covid deaths: there is a big difference between dying directly from Covid, and dying after testing positive for Covid within the last 28 days, where other illnesses may well be responsible. Notably, we have never recorded respiratory deaths this way before.

So, with a worse than wasted year, the authorities may have a vested interest in exaggerating the incidence and deadliness of the disease. Similarly, they may be keen to play up the effectiveness of their hugely crippling social distancing and shutdown measures, for which there is precious little hard scientific evidence.

One example is the decision to repeatedly close the hospitality trade in Britain, when studies show an individual is less likely to contract Covid in pubs than in supermarkets, which have remained fully open throughout the pandemic.

In fact, there is no authoritative research that reveals a clear correlation between the severity of lockdowns and the avoidance of viral peaks.

France and Italy both had tough lockdowns last year, yet are now gripped by third waves of infections. In contrast, some US states remained largely open without devastation.

What is certain is the damage caused by lockdowns on every front, including economic meltdown, poor mental health, the inhumane neglect of the elderly and dislocated family relationships.

The greatest paradox of our Covid obsession is that it has undermined other forms of healthcare by warping the priorities of the NHS.

Tragically, tens of thousands of serious conditions, including cancer, have gone undiagnosed, while treatments are being delayed, operations abandoned and screening programmes curtailed.

Some experts like to talk of long Covid (which is a post-viral syndrome, as occurs with many other viruses), but far more worrying is the long-term social and economic impact of restrictions, especially for younger people, who have seen their education disrupted and their careers shattered.

Amid all the anguished propaganda that has underwritten state policy, there has been a severe lack of balanced, rational perspective. We cannot have a zero-Covid world, just as we cannot eliminate all risk from our lives. It is now time to move more quickly back to normality, and to courageously end this nightmare.
SAN MATEO, Calif., March 18, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Plus Products Inc. (CSE: PLUS) (OTCQX: PLPRF) (the Company or PLUS), a cannabis and hemp branded products company in the U.S., today announced that Jennifer Tung will be leaving her roles as Chief Risk Officer and General Counsel on April 15, 2021. She will remain a special advisor to the Board of Directors.



Ms. Tung, who joined PLUS in September 2018, has played a key role in the Company as it has navigated the emerging regulatory environment of the legal cannabis industry. She helped guide the Company through its Initial Public Offering and has provided support across the organization on key matters relating to compliance, governance, and general corporate strategy.

Jen has been an integral part of the PLUS leadership team during her time with the Company, stated Jake Heimark, Co-Founder and CEO. It was a pleasure to work with her over the last several years and we wish Jen the best as she heads into the next chapter of her legal career. We are pleased that Jen will continue her association with PLUS by remaining a special advisor to the Board as PLUS continues to operate within the rapidly changing cannabis regulatory landscape.

I am proud of what we have accomplished at PLUS over the past three years, and look forward to continuing to advise the company moving forward, stated Ms. Tung.

About PLUS

PLUS is a hemp and cannabis food company focused on using nature to bring balance to consumers lives. PLUSs mission is to make cannabis safe and approachable  that begins with high-quality products that deliver consistent consumer experiences. PLUS is headquartered in San Mateo, CA.

For further information contact:

Jake Heimark

CEO & Co-founder

ir@plusproducts.com

Investors:

Cole Stewart

Investor Relations

Cole@plusproducts.com

Tel +1 213.282.6987

Media:

plus@mattio.com

Mattio Communication

The CSE does not accept responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

Forward-Looking Statements:

This press release includes statements containing certain forward-looking information within the meaning of applicable securities law (each, a forward-looking statement). Forward-looking statements are frequently characterized by words such as plan, continue, expect, project, intend, believe, anticipate, estimate, may, will, potential, proposed and other similar words, or statements that certain events or conditions may or will occur.

These forward-looking statements are only predictions. Various assumptions were used in drawing the conclusions or making the projections contained in the forward-looking statements throughout this press release. Forward-looking statements are 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 projected in the forward-looking statements. These risks include, but are not limited to, the success of the Companys investments, the ability to retain key personnel, the ability to continue investing in infrastructure to support growth, the ability to obtain financing on acceptable terms, the continued quality of the Companys products, customer experience and retention, the continued development of adult-use sales channels, managements estimation of consumer demand in in jurisdictions where the Company exports, expectations of future results and expenses, the availability of additional capital to complete capital projects and facilities improvements, the ability to expand and maintain distribution capabilities, the impact of competition, the ability of the Company to implement initiatives and the possibility for changes in laws, rules, and regulations in the industry. The Company is under no obligation, and expressly 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 law.
Mumbai, March 22 : Actor Arjan Bajwa will be seen in the web series titled "The Bestseller She Wrote", which is based on the book of the same name by Ravi Subramanian.

The actor, whose web series "State Of Siege" completed one year recently, says he loves being a part of shows based on real life stories as well as series based on books.

"I feel fortunate to play a lot of author-backed roles and real life characters. It's easy to play fictional characters as you can give your own inputs to them. But when you are playing a real life character, you can't afford to go wrong in the portrayal. Like I played the role of Colonel Sunil Sheoran, the commanding officer of NSG who led the Black Tornado operation during the Taj Attacks in 2008 (in State Of Siege). I couldn't have gone wrong in his portrayal or what he said. because he is a celebrated army hero. So it's difficult and challenging to study everything about the character and then portray it on screen," he told IANS.

However, he adds that this challenge makes such roles interesting for an actor to portray.

"I think, as an actor, it is the fun of taking up a challenge like this and to come as close as you can to playing a real character. I feel lucky that my debut on OTT was based on the famous book, The Black Tornado, The Three Sieges of Mumbai 26/11 by Sandeep Unnithan. I am glad that whenever there is a real life character to be portrayed, the directors find me interesting enough for the role because I can mould myself to play the part in terms of looks and performance," he says.

"The Bestseller She Wrote" also stars Mithun Chakraborty and Shruti Haasan.
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The Securities and Exchange Commission today announced charges against an additional individual for unlawfully selling securities of 1 Global Capital, LLC, a South Florida merchant cash advance company, to retail investors. The SEC previously charged 1 Global, its owner, and others with operating a fraudulent scheme to misappropriate millions of dollars from at least 3,600 investors. The SEC also previously charged eight of 1 Global's top sales agents, for various registration violations.

The SEC's complaint alleges that the defendant, John W. Fisher, was among 1 Global's top revenue producers, selling more than $8.5 million of 1 Global's unregistered securities to numerous investors. According to the complaint, Fisher marketed 1 Global securities to investors as a safe and secure alternative to the stock market, baselessly claimed that the investments would achieve high single-digit or low double-digit annual returns, and earned $329,000 in commissions on his sales, even though he was not registered as broker-dealer or associated with a registered broker-dealer.

The SEC charged Fisher with violations of the securities registration provisions of Sections 5(a) and 5(c) of the Securities Act of 1933 and the broker-dealer registration provisions of Section 15(a)(1) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. In its litigated complaint against Fisher, the SEC is seeking an injunction, disgorgement of allegedly ill-gotten gains with interest, and a civil penalty.

The SEC's continuing investigation is being conducted by Gary Miller and Mark Dee, and supervised by Elisha L. Frank, Fernando Torres, and Glenn Gordon. The litigation is being led by Robert K. Levenson and supervised by Andrew Schiff.
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Paris, France (PANA) - A total of 72 illegal migrants of unspecified nationalities, including 11 minors, were rescued on Sunday off the coast of Calais and Boulogne-sur-Mer, in the English Channel, as they tried to reach the British coast, the local maritime prefecture announced in a statement
Fishermen in coastal city of Qingdao in east Chinas Shandong Province in war against starfish

March 22,2021 | Source: Xinhua

Authorities in the coastal city of Qingdao in east Chinas Shandong Province have greenlighted a mass cull by local fish farmers of starfish, as a surge in the population devastates the clam and oyster industry in the area.



Invading starfish feed on clams and scallops.



An area of 6,666 hectares of sea farming has been affected.



Economic losses are estimated at about 100 million yuan (US$15.4 million) at Jiaozhou Bay in Qingdao, according to the Qingdao Municipal Marine Development Bureau.



The municipal government reported to the provincial department of agriculture and rural affairs that farmers are to trap starfish or use trawls to haul them in until the end of April.



As starfish are difficult to catch, city authorities even allow farmers to set up cage nets, that are otherwise prohibited, to trap them.



Local farmers have already harvested about 225,000 kilograms of starfish so far.



Buyers from other cities are coming to purchase the starfish, which are edible or can be used in traditional Chinese medicine. But the sales cannot make up for the farmers losses due to the low price, said Zhao Yuchang, a local breeder of aquatic products with more than 30 years of experience.



The time has come for the farmers to release the clam seedlings, but they are too afraid to do so in large quantities as there are about 50 starfish per square meter in the release area.



I dare not invest now, said Zhao. But without the seedlings, I will have no income next year.



Technicians of the North China Sea Environmental Monitoring Center said the invading starfish are mainly spiny starfish widely distributed in the coastal waters of the North Pacific Ocean.



Its fertility rate is extremely high, and it usually breeds from October to January.



Since last autumn, various hydrological factors such as nutrients, pH value and temperature in the seawater have been conducive to the reproduction of starfish.



Researchers found that starfish have the tendency to gather in food-rich areas, such as the mariculture farms in the bay area.



According to the monitoring centers latest data, the number of starfish had been reduced to 6 to 8 per square meter by Friday, thanks to the massive netting of the invaders.



Qingdao, the host city of an annual international beer festival in summer, one of the largest in China, produces 150,000 tons of clams a year.



Drinking beer and eating the local delicacy of stir-fried clams are mainstays at the carnival.

 2021  Shanghai Daily. All Rights Reserved

Theme(s): Fisheries Resources.
A COUNTY Limerick teenager has been found safe and well after a major search was launched in the early hours of this Monday morning.

Limerick Land Search Team wrote in a Facebook post that at 0.04am their unit was tasked by Bruff gardai to assist in the search for a missing teenager in Ballylanders.

"Rapid Response Team (RRT) dispatched immediately from Limerick and were on scene 28 minutes later. After arriving in Ballylanders the local GAA club was chosen as the SAROPS base.

"After a briefing with gardai, two teams quickly set off to check two separate locations that were marked as points of interest. Whilst our two teams were searching these locations, along with local volunteers, it was decided between gardai and our base OPS the next option was to request the assistance of Coast Guard Helicopter Rescue 115 due to the large search area we were looking at," reads the Facebook post.

Thankfully while gardai were contacting the Coast Guard the teenager was located by gardai safe and well.

"Our unit was then stood down and returned to Limerick for 3.30am. It is another fine example of inter agency co-operation last night between everyone involved and a great result.

"Also a big thanks to the volunteers and the general Ballylanders community for the teas and coffees. Also a thanks to our colleagues in Cork City Missing Persons Search and Recovery

who were also en route. Also in attendance were Tipperary Search and Rescue," concluded the Facebook post.

Ballylanders GAA Club tweeted: "Thanks to the Limerick Land Search Team and all the volunteers who attended last nights search - thankfully a good outcome. Ballylanders GAA is always happy to offer the use of our facilities in these circumstances."
There has been one further death due to Covid-19 and 520 new cases of the virus confirmed by the National Public Health Emergency Team (Nphet) this evening.

This brings the total number of people who have died with the virus to 4,588 while the case count within the State has risen to 231,119.

There are 359 people in hospital with Covid-19 today, of which 81 are in intensive care.

Half of outbreaks are now in private houses with workplaces now accounting for roughly one in 10 outbreaks of the virus.

Schools are now accounting for 5pc of all outbreaks with childcare settings accounting for another 5pc of new outbreaks.

There have been 242 new cases confirmed in Dublin, 36 in Meath, 30 in Offaly, 29 in Kildare, 25 in Wicklow and the remaining 158 cases are spread across 20 other counties. Leitrim recorded no new cases in the last period of reporting.

Of the cases notified today; 258 are men and 262 are women; 79pc are under 45 years of age and the median age is 28.

The national 14-day incidence rate is now at 157.1.

Read More

Over 668,000 vaccine doses have been administered as of Friday, March 19, according to latest HSE data, with 487,466 first doses and 181,063 second doses given.

This equates to almost one in ten people in Ireland having received at least one vaccine dose.

Dr. Ronan Glynn, Deputy Chief Medical Officer, Department of Health, said the return of visitation to nursing homes is a very welcome development.

Dr Glynn said that Ireland should be able to look forward to a good summer premised on outdoor activities.

He also said that it is false hope if anyone says that we can all just return to normal on July 1. That would be false hope and no one is saying that."

He added that he is hopeful that the target of 80pc of adults having received one dose at least by June will still be met.

I would hope that we will have a summer like last Summer with lots of society open and lots of sectors open, with people having a largely normal day-to-day life. That is contingent on what happens over the next couple of months.

If case numbers go down and the vaccination programme remains on track, Ireland will hopefully be in a much, much brighter place in the summer months, the Deputy CMO said.

As we begin to experience the benefits of vaccination, it is a reminder of what we are collectively working towards, a vaccination rollout that, along with our other protective measures, will end this pandemic.

People have worked exceptionally hard over the past three months to reduce transmission in our communities. We have shown time and again that we can act collectively to protect one another. Please keep this going over the coming weeks.

Up to 35pc of contacts within a household will become infected when the virus gets into a house, with Prof Nolan saying, when the infection gets into a household, the attack rates are very high.

There has been a significant decrease in the incidence of the disease in people ages 19-24 but an increase in those aged 0-4, Philip Nolan said.

We do know where the majority of transmission is occurring, Prof Nolan said, adding that 60pc of new cases are confirmed close contacts of positive cases.

Stalled progression

We are dealing with a new virus versus 2020, that is for sure. And we have been dealing with significant levels of the virus in this country for some time this year, Dr Ronan Glynn said on the issue of stalled progression.

While we have case levels as high as we do now, this concept of seek and destroy which we would all aspire to, is not realistic when you have 500 or 600 or 800 cases per day.

You wont find a country in Europe that is seeking and destroying cases when there is an incidence near 160 cases per 100,000 people, Dr Glynn said.

There have been 26 cases of the variant first discovered in South Africa confirmed to date in Ireland but Dr Cillian de Gascun of Nphet has said that while people are concerned with the emergence of new variants, some people have forgotten about the significance of the impact of the UK variant, which is now responsible for over 90pc of cases in Ireland.

This variant is now seeing many European countries experiencing surges as it becomes the dominant strain.

We were hit quite early and frequently with B117 and we saw what happened throughout the course of January. Its important to highlight that other countries are now hitting the thresholds we have already seen.

Its important to let people know how well they have done to bring down the incidence of disease in the country despite a virus that is between 40 and 70pc more transmissible than it was last year, Dr de Gascun said.

Incidence is relatively stable among adults over 24 excluding the over 85 age group as the impact of the vaccine is seeing incidence tumble in the oldest group.

Only Spain, Portugal and the UK have an incidence lower than Ireland in the continent of Europe, when measured by an international review in the last number of days. Only Denmark and the UK have fewer people per million in hospital according to the review, Dr Mairin Ryan, Deputy CEO of HIQA and Director of Health Technology Assessment, said.

Health officials have warned that Ireland is in danger of facing another wave of Covid-19 cases.

The HSEs lead for infection control, Professor Martin Cormican, described case numbers as stuck and possibly rising, while HSE Chief Clinical Officer Colm Henry has described the situation as disheartening.

Mr Cormican described the increase in case numbers as disappointing and urged the public to continue in their social distancing efforts because the more people come together the more the virus spreads.

Professor Philip Nolan said there is concern that the number of hospitalisations and ICU admissions are plateauing and that, at best over the last 10-14 days these have been static.

There has been a slight uptick in the five-day moving average of cases in the last week, Prof Nolan said.

There was a 9pc increase in the week-on-week number of cases reported last week, Prof Nolan, said which is of concern and will require close monitoring.
In another gaffe within fortnight after assuming office, Uttarakhand Chief Minister Tirath Singh Rawat said the "United States ruled India for 200 years".

It was the third comment in a week for which Tirath Singh Rawat has been trolled.

Earlier, Tirath Singh Rawat was trolled for his comment on ripped jeans and equating Prime Minister Narendra Modi with Lord Ram.

"Who knows what would have happened to India had anyone else been the Prime Minister instead of Narendra Modi during this time. We would have been in a bad state. But the Prime Minister has gave us relief," Tirath Singh Rawat said.

Uttarakhand Chief Minister said: "As compared to other countries, India is managing Covid 19 crisis better. America, who ruled us for 200 years and ruled the world, is struggling during pandemic. Over 3,75 lakh people died in USA. In Italy, having best health facility in world, lost over 50 lakh people lives and heading for another lock down."

Rawat further stated that Prime Minister Modi worked to save us and people also followed his (Modi) instructions of wearing masks, sanitising, washing hands and following social distancing.

"Just another BJP leader reminding us about the value of quality education," Congress party office tweeted.

Samajwadi Party leader Juhie Singh asked, "America colonised India for 200 years ?When?".

Tirath Singh Rawat, who assumed office on March 10, faced criticism for his ripped jeans comment and was badly trolled on social media. Girls and women from all age groups flooded social media with pictures of them wearing ripped jeans.
By Jonathan Stempel

NEW YORK (Reuters) - A U.S. judge on Monday rejected Ghislaine Maxwell's third request for bail, after the British socialite had offered to renounce her British and French citizenships if she were freed.

U.S. District Judge Alison Nathan in Manhattan said Maxwell remained a "significant risk of flight" and that no conditions, including her proposed $28.5 million bail package, would reasonably assure she would show up in court.

Maxwell, 59, has pleaded not guilty to charges she helped the financier Jeffrey Epstein recruit and groom three teenage girls for sex between 1994 and 1997, and lied about her role.

She has been held in a Brooklyn jail since her arrest last July, which came 11 months after Epstein died in his Manhattan jail cell while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges.

Lawyers for Maxwell did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

After Nathan rejected two prior bail requests, Maxwell on Feb. 23 offered to renounce her non-U.S. citizenships, and move most of her and her husband's assets into an account to be monitored by a retired federal judge.

Her lawyers said Maxwell wanted to defend herself at trial, and the new conditions should assuage concern she might seek a "safe haven" in the United Kingdom or France.

But the judge said Maxwell could still resist extradition if she fled, and even with the monitor still had access to "sufficient" assets to help her evade prosecution.

Nathan is also considering 12 motions by Maxwell to dismiss, narrow or weaken the government's criminal case.

Maxwell has said the government targeted her only because Epstein killed himself and prosecutors wanted someone else to blame, and that she was covered by Epstein's own 2008 non-prosecution agreement with federal prosecutors in Florida.

The case is U.S. v. Maxwell, U.S. District Court, Southern District of New York, No. 20-cr-00330.

(Reporting by Jonathan Stempel in New York; Editing by Matthew Lewis)
Basel, March 22, 2021 - Novartis announced today the appointment of Karen L. Hale as Chief Legal Officer. She will report to Vas Narasimhan, M.D., CEO of Novartis and become a member of the Executive Committee of Novartis (ECN), effective May 15, 2021. Ms. Hale will be based in Basel, Switzerland and succeeds Shannon Klinger. Tom Kendris will continue as Chief Legal Officer ad interim until Ms. Hale joins.



Ms. Hale brings to Novartis over 20 years of deep, global legal and compliance experience in the pharmaceutical industry. She joins Novartis from AbbVie where she held the role of Vice President, Deputy General Counsel. Prior to this, she held the position of Chief Ethics & Compliance Officer at AbbVie for 6 years, leading the global compliance program and acting as a trusted advisor to AbbVie's Executive Leadership Team and Board of Directors. Ms Hale joined Abbott in 1997 and transitioned when AbbVie was created. She has overseen and managed complex commercial litigation globally and provided counsel on a variety of significant corporate issues.

Prior to joining Abbott, she was an associate attorney with the law firm Sidley & Austin in Chicago, Illinois. Karen earned a bachelor's degree in economics from Duke University and a Juris Doctor (JD) degree from the College of William and Mary in Virginia.

"Karen is a proven senior legal leader with extensive global experience across key healthcare legal and compliance domains. She also brings to the Novartis executive team deep US experience and a passion to advance racial justice," said Vas Narasimhan, CEO of Novartis. "I welcome her to Novartis and look forward to her contributing to Novartis' journey of reimagining medicine. I want to thank Tom Kendris for his continued service in this time of transition and for his ongoing commitment to Novartis."

Karen Hale said, "I am excited to join Novartis, a company dedicated to addressing some of society's most challenging healthcare conditions using innovative science and technology. As a member of the ECN, I look forward to contributing to the company's continued success."

Disclaimer

This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements can generally be identified by words such as "appoints," "appointment," "will," "continue," "until," "become," "effective," "look forward," "ongoing," "commitment," "continued," "ad interim," "may," "could," "expectations," or similar terms, or by express or implied discussions regarding the appointment of Karen Hale as Chief Legal Officer of Novartis and a member of the ECN. You should not place undue reliance on these statements. Such forward-looking statements are based on our current beliefs and expectations regarding future events, and are subject to significant known and unknown risks and uncertainties. Should one or more of these risks or uncertainties materialize, or should underlying assumptions prove incorrect, actual results may vary materially from those set forth in the forward-looking statements. There can be no guarantee that Ms. Hale will ultimately assume the role of Chief Legal Officer, or on any particular date. In particular, our expectations regarding the outcome of the forward looking statements in this press release could be affected by, among other things, general political, economic and business conditions, including the effects of and efforts to mitigate pandemic diseases such as COVID-19, and other risks and factors referred to in Novartis AG's current Form 20-F on file with the US Securities and Exchange Commission. Novartis is providing the information in this press release as of this date and does not undertake any obligation to update any forward-looking statements contained in this press release as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

About Novartis

Novartis is reimagining medicine to improve and extend people's lives. As a leading global medicines company, we use innovative science and digital technologies to create transformative treatments in areas of great medical need. In our quest to find new medicines, we consistently rank among the world's top companies investing in research and development. Novartis products reach nearly 800 million people globally and we are finding innovative ways to expand access to our latest treatments. About 110,000 people of more than 140 nationalities work at Novartis around the world. Find out more at https://www.novartis.com (https://www.novartis.com/).

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Sports

Chris Paul reaches 10,000 assists as Phoenix Suns beat Lakers

LOS ANGELES, MAR 22 (AGENCIES) | Publish Date: 3/22/2021 1:47:09 PM IST

Chris Paul became the sixth man in NBA history to reach 10,000 assists as his Phoenix Suns team beat a Los Angeles Lakers side without LeBron James.

Paul, 35, scored 11 points, with 10 rebounds and 13 assists as the Suns beat the Lakers 111-94. James injured his ankle in a defeat by the Atlanta Hawks on Saturday.

Charlotte Hornets point guard LaMelo Ball could be out for the season after he broke his wrist against the Los Angeles Clippers on Saturday.

The Houston Rockets slumped to their 20th straight loss, a 114-112 defeat by the Oklahoma City Thunder, despite Christian Wood scoring 27 points for the Rockets.

Julius Randles late three-pointer for the New York Knicks forced overtime, but he then missed a potential game-winner as the Philadelphia 76ers edged to a thrilling 101-100 victory.

The result also went down to the wire in Florida, where last seasons finalists the Miami Heat fell to the Indiana Pacers 109-106.

Blake Griffin had a successful debut for the Brooklyn Nets as he made his first dunk since 2019 in the 113-106 win over the Washington Wizards. Luka Doncic scored 37 points in the Dallas Mavericks 132-92 thrashing of the Portland Trail Blazers, the New Orleans Pelicans defeated the Denver Nuggets 113-108 and Jaylen Brown scored 10 three-pointers to lead the Boston Celtics to a 112-96 victory over the Orlando Magic. There was also a 116-105 win for the Cleveland Cavaliers over the Toronto Raptors, and the Chicago Bulls cruised past the Detroit Pistons 100-86.
Simon Institute virtual discussion to examine racial inequality, urban unrest

by Pete Rosenbery

CARBONDALE, Ill.  Historian Elizabeth Hinton, a professor at Yale University, will discuss her research on poverty, racial inequality and urban unrest in the United States during a discussion this week hosted by Southern Illinois University Carbondales Paul Simon Public Policy Institute.

Hinton and John Shaw, Simon Institute director, will also discuss Hintons upcoming new book, America on Fire: The Untold Story of Police Violence and Black Rebellion since the 1960s. The event, part of the institutes Understanding Our New World series via Zoom, is at 10 a.m., Thursday, March 25.

Hinton is an associate professor in the universitys history department and Department of African American Studies, with a secondary appointment as a professor of law at Yale Law School.

Hinton is a path-breaking scholar who has gained a global reputation for her research and writing on race, policing, mass incarceration, and urban violence in the United States, Shaw said.

Hinton will help participants understand current events and debates in the United States in their necessary historical context, Shaw said. This should be an illuminating and eye-opening discussion.

Prior to joining Yale University, Hinton was a professor in Harvard Universitys Department of History and Department of African American Studies. She is also the author of the 2016 book, From the War on Poverty to the War on Crime: The Making of Mass Incarceration in America."

Registration is open

Registration for the free Zoom meeting is available in advance. After completing registration, participants will receive an email confirmation with information about joining the meeting, along with the meeting ID and password.

Participants can submit a question for Hinton by email at paulsimoninstitute@siu.edu or by including it in the Questions and Comments section on the registration form.

More information on the Simon Institutes events is available at paulsimoninstitute.siu.edu/event-information/.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Monday said the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led Assam government will retain its power in the state as the people have realised that the Congress-AIUDF alliance will not be able to curb infiltrations and corruption.

Addressing three election rallies at Jonai, Majuli and Udalguri, Amit Shah said that the Congress must tell the people how it would check infiltrations from across the border.

"When our government is doing development in Assam, Congress forges an alliance with a communal force to win the elections," he said.

"The BJP government before 2016 Assembly elections promised to make Assam a corruption free, agitation free, infiltration free and terrorism free state. The (BJP) government during the past five years has achieved a lot. Not only that, the government has also made Assam a flood free state," Shah claimed.

The Union Home Minister alleged that during the Congress' rule in Assam, terrorists killed a large number of civilians and security personnel and no action was taken.

But in recent years, over 2,000 militants have surrendered and deposited thousands of arms and ammunition, he added.

Accusing the Congress for "not doing any significant development for Assam", he said that the NDA government has allocated Rs 53,000 crore for the constructions of a 20,000 km road; Rs 46,000 crore was being invested for for the projects in gas and oil sectors; and six mega bridges were constructed over the Brahmaputra river.

Appreciating the efforts of Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal and Health and Finance Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, Shah said that in Covid-19 management, the Assam government's performance was excellent in the entire country.

Sonowal, who accompanied Amit Shah in the three election rallies, is seeking re-election from Majuli, the largest river island of the world.

The 47 Assembly constituencies, including Majuli, would go to the polls in the first phase on March 27.

The 126-member Assam Assembly polls would be held in three phases.

In the second phase on April 1, polling will take place for 39 seats and in the last and third phase on April 6, elections will be held for the remaining 40 constituencies.

The results will be declared on May 2.
(Natural News) The head of accounting giant KPMGs British division has been fired from his position after making a politically incorrect comment about unconscious bias training.

During a Zoom call, KPMG United Kingdom Chairman Bill Michael scoffed at the concept, calling it complete crap. He added that after every single unconscious bias training [session] thats ever been done, nothings ever improved.

Unconscious bias training, in case you are unfamiliar with the term, is a reeducation effort that seeks to brainwash White employees into believing that they are inherently prejudiced against non-Whites. It is becoming a mainstay at many large corporations.

Michael also took aim at the Wuhan coronavirus (Covid-19), claiming his companys staff has been using it to play the role of the victim. They work in a very lucky sector, he added, saying they should take control of their lives rather than sit there and moan about the pandemic.

Hearing this, several disgruntled employees filed a complaint against Michael, prompting KPMG to launch an investigation into his comments. He initially stood aside to await the results, but has since chosen to resign with claims that his position is now untenable.

So ends his 30-year tenure at the company, reported spiked. But what Michael said was correct. Unconscious-bias training is complete crap.

These training sessions treat an absurd ideological claim  that we are all secretly racist, without even realizing it  as fact. They force people to admit to non-existent prejudices. They are not worth anyones time.

For the record, Michael also stated during the Zoom call that theres a lot  more generally, to change at KPMG. He does not, however, believe that unconscious bias training is the way to go.

That should not be a controversial opinion, spiked further reported. But such nuances have got lost in the clamour for him to be sacked.

The bean counters at KPMG clearly see themselves as social-justice advocates. It seems the Great Awokening has captured the corporate sector.

Men are no longer allowed to be men in the new world order

Michael had been in charge of KPMG in the U.K. since 2017. He made the offensive comments during a virtual town hall meeting with members of the financial firms consulting team.

The 52-year-old Australian later issued an apology claiming he regrets the comments he made. It would appear, though, that Michael was bullied into resigning, which is basically a firing.

I love the firm and I am truly sorry that my words have caused hurt among my colleagues and for the impact the events of this week have had on them, Michael stated.

In light of that, I regard my position as untenable and so I have decided to leave the firm. It has been a privilege to have acted as chair of KPMG. I feel hugely proud of all our people and the things they have achieved, particularly during these very challenging times.

In other words, Michael said it like it is, like any good man would do, which triggered the snowflakes at his former company into total hysteria. He then was beaten into submission, issued an apology, and quit.

This is cancel culture at its finest, all wrapped up in a tidy bow of decency that puts the feelings of the weak above difficult truths. No longer is anyone allowed to make anyone else feel uncomfortable, even though the things that make some people feel uncomfortable are constantly changing.

As this writer reported last summer, even the board game industry has succumbed to cancel culture as Scrabble was caught banning certain words that some people might find offensive.

For more related news, be sure to check out PoliticalCorrectness.news.

Sources for this article include:

Spiked-Online.com

TheGuardian.com

NaturalNews.com
Armenia MFA information department chief: All deputy FMs carrying out their duties

Ardshinbank invited children to the cinema on International Childrens Day

Armenia judiciary to have 10 more judges

Armenia acting premier: We had recorded 40% increase in tax revenues according to 2019 results

Armenia acting PM on Artsakh war casualties bodies: We have 50 remains in which case DNA was not separated

Azerbaijan authorities plan to "squeeze" everything from "terrorist show" related to Armenian captives

Ameriabank Announces a Contest for Bank Card Design

108 new cases of COVID-19 confirmed in Armenia

Armenia parliament convenes special session

Armenia interim government holding Cabinet meeting

Catholicos of All Armenians heads for Syunik Province, Artsakh

World oil prices going up

Iran loses right to vote in UN General Assembly

Newspaper: Armenia authorities come up with new way of punishing unwanted characters

Newspaper: Russia army Southern Military District deputy commander to arrive in Yerevan Thursday

Lebanese Armenian man taken prisoner by Azerbaijan is hospitalized

Armenia ex-President Kocharyan: Are we getting under the burden? Then lets get under to the end

Armenia acting health minister on keeping fallen soldiers bodies in bags: What else should they be kept in?

Armenia acting health minister on citizens' demand for her resignation

Karabakh's new State Minister Artak Beglaryan on his appointment and future activities

Armenian, Russian and Azerbaijani representatives hold consultations in Moscow

2 Armenian soldiers receive slight injuries after incident with Azerbaijani servicemen in Armenia's Gegharkunik

Armenian boy weighing 5 kg born at Goris Medical Center

"Armenia" bloc representative presents purpose of participation in elections and plans

Isaac Herzog elected President of Israel

Rouhani: Main issues between Tehran, Washington resolved in Vienna

Charles Michel calls on Armenia and Azerbaijan to resume constructive negotiations

US Department of State responds to Pashinyan's proposal to deploy international observers on Armenia-Azerbaijan border

Head of Armenia 2nd President's Office: Robert Kocharyan's public meetings are held in warm atmosphere

Opposition "Armenia" bloc's representative on photos and videos showing bags of deceased servicemen's bodies

Armenia Ombudsman, AGBU President discuss war crimes committed by Azerbaijan during Karabakh war

Opposition "Armenia" bloc's representatives to hold briefings three times a week

Opposition "Armenia" bloc member: Blood-freezing photos and videos from morgue in Abovyan are authorities' reflection

Yerevan mayor receives Netherlands Ambassador

Armenia Health Ministry, Investigative Committee keep info about sending remains of dead soldiers abroad confidential

Armenia Prosecutor General's Office launches case regarding leaving sacs of servicemen's bodies/remains in basement

Peskov: Putin and Biden to discuss cybersecurity issues

Armenia's Pashinyan meets with Belgian PM Alexander De Croo

Armenia acting MOD receives Netherlands Ambassador

Armenia Police: 3 citizens apprehended during protest demanding acting health minister's resignation

NATO warns Minsk about further consequences of Ryanair incident

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
During a surge in attacks on Asian-Americans last spring, Andrew Yang  then recently off the 2020 presidential campaign trail  wrote an op-ed suggesting that we Asian-Americans need to embrace and show our Americanness in ways we never have before.

To many Asian-Americans, the message seemed to place yet another burden on victims, and it stung.

One year later, as Mr. Yang hopes to make history as New York Citys first Asian-American mayor, some New Yorkers have not forgotten that op-ed, or their sense that Mr. Yangs remarks during the presidential campaign  describing himself as an Asian man who likes math, for instance  could feed stereotypical tropes.

But many Asian-Americans also see in his candidacy an opportunity for representation at the highest level of city government, an increasingly meaningful metric amid violent attacks on Asian-Americans in New York and across the nation, including the fatal shootings in the Atlanta area last week that left eight people dead, six of them women of Asian descent.

I grew up Asian-American in New York, and I was always accustomed to a certain level of bullying, of racism, but it took a form of mockery, of invisibility, of disdain, an emotional Mr. Yang said at a news conference in Times Square the next day. That has metastasized into something far darker. You can feel it on the streets of New York.
Dealing with a claim adjuster is not easy. Policyholders will have to prepare all the relevant documents if they want to obtain a fair settlement, said Russell Rabichev, Marketing Director of Internet Marketing Company.

Policyholders that got involved in a car accident and filed a claim to their insurers should expect to be contacted by a claim adjuster. These persons are sent by the insurance companies to investigate the claims and to negotiate settlements with the policyholders.

When negotiating with a claim adjuster, drivers should remember the next tips:



Keep all the relevant documents nearby. Policyholders should have all the documents and papers prepared and organized. It is important to gather all the medical records and bills, and repair receipts. Also, get a copy of the police report. Pre-accident maintenance receipts can help policyholders prove the condition and the value of the vehicle before the accident. All of these documents will be carefully analyzed by the adjusters.

Think about an initial settlement. Before the negotiations start, policyholders should decide upon a minimum settlement. They should take into account the cost of medical expenses, the cost to repair the vehicle and the lost wages.

Begin the negotiations. Drivers should start negotiating first and offer their settlements to the adjusters. To support their demands, policyholders must offer arguments. They can provide receipts, police reports, pictures, medical reports, and any other documents that can support their claims.

Never take the first offer. Drivers should acknowledge that a claim adjuster is an employee of the insurance companies. Their job is to minimize the financial losses of their employers. It is absolutely normal that the first offer provided by a claim adjuster to be very low. Policyholders should never take the first offer and they should demand some explanations for the low offer.

Cooperate with the adjuster. Policyholders should remain calm and professional during the whole negotiation process. Even though the initial offer was very low, policyholders can bring arguments, documents, and pieces of evidence in order to gradually increase the settlement offer.

For additional info, money-saving tips, and free car insurance quotes, visit http://compare-autoinsurance.org

Compare-autoinsurance.org is an online provider of life, home, health, and auto insurance quotes. This website is unique because it does not simply stick to one kind of insurance provider, but brings the clients the best deals from many different online insurance carriers. In this way, clients have access to offers from multiple carriers all in one place: this website. On this site, customers have access to quotes for insurance plans from various agencies, such as local or nationwide agencies, brand names insurance companies, etc.
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y.  A 78-year-old man was injured in a pedestrian crash in Port Richmond early in the Monday morning rush hour, according to police.

The crash, which was reported at 5:40 a.m., was in the vicinity of Post and Jewett avenues, according to spokesmen for the NYPD and the FDNY/EMS.

The man is in stable condition with an injury to his left leg at Richmond University Medical Center in West Brighton, according to the police and FDNY spokesmen.

The vehicle that hit the man remained at the scene, police said.

Police roped off the intersection and a damaged bicycle could be seen on the ground at a bus stop.

The police spokesman did not have any information about the bicycle.

More information will be published when it becomes available.

A man was injured in a crash in Port Richmond at Post and Jewett avenues on Monday, March 22, 2021. (Staten Island Advance/Jan Somma-Hammel)
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Longer lasting and faster to charge, Nissans automated guided vehicles  mobile machines that help workers in factories  are evolving thanks to the second life of Nissan Leaf batteries.

Automated guided vehicles, or AGVs, deliver parts to workers in a car factory. Imagine AGVs as robotic mail carriers, whizzing around magnetic tracks delivering parts when needed as cars are built. This means a worker doesnt waste time searching for a component and can stay focused on installing it. Saving time boosts a plants efficiency.

Car plants are busy places and AGVs have become indispensable. At Nissans Oppama plant, south of Tokyo, there are more than 700 AGVs. Peek inside Nissans car factories around the globe and youll find more than 4,000 AGVs hard at work. Its an orchestra of signals and sensors playing in perfect harmony to avoid bumps on the factory floor.

Nissan was exploring new ways to reuse its Nissan Leaf batteries, the mass-market electric vehicle that has spearheaded the companys journey towards zero emissions since 2010. And the world of Leaf and AGVs merged.

The first-generation Leaf was fitted with a 24-kilowatt-hour battery pack. These lithium-ion packs were made by combining 48 modules. About eight years ago, Nissans engineers found a way to take three of these modules, repackage them and fit them inside an AGV. Last year, they took this idea to a new level by using repurposed battery modules, instead of new ones, to power AGVs.

Nissan, together with 4R Energy, has been a pioneer in giving batteries from electric vehicles a new life in powering its AGVs  because they were not powerful enough anymore to run a car, but perfect for a machine scooting around the factory. This makes electrification of mobility an even more sustainable proposition.

AGVs with the lithium-ion batteries, new or repurposed, charge faster. Plus, workers no longer need to take out the batteries to plug them in. The AGVs simply stop momentarily at the charging station along their route and incrementally top up at each passing. This automation saves a great deal of time.

The repurposed Leaf batteries also last longer. A lot longer. While lead-acid batteries were typically replaced every year or two, the repurposed Leaf batteries are expected to last seven to eight years. Fewer batteries means less impact on the environment and another step towards being carbon neutral.

Our customers benefit too. When used EV batteries become more valuable, trade-in prices rise, says Masashi Matsumoto, who promotes the development of AGVs at Nissans Production Technology Research and Development Centre. With more ways to use batteries, the overall residual value of the Leaf has increased.

AGVs arent done evolving. For now, each machine is bound to the magnetic path laid down for it at a factory. Like a train on a track, it can only travel where the tape allows it. Changing these routes  pulling up tape, laying new tracks and updating computer programmes - takes time and money.

But maybe not for much longer. Just like the Leafs battery allowed AGVs to work longer, developments in autonomous driving could free factory assistants from the magnetic tape. In a far more controlled and predictable environment, the AGVs would need less technology than cars, but could still rely on sensors and algorithms to move around autonomously. Nissan is also researching connected technology to allow AGVs to stay in constant contact with the computer handling their movements.

Using our unique electric-driven and autonomous driving technologies to improve AGVs will bring major innovation to our factories, says Matsumoto. The supply of parts in factories is entering the age of electrification and automation. -- Tradearabia News Service
DUBLIN, March 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The "2021-2022 Workforce Management Product and Market Report" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.

The 14th edition of the Workforce Management Product and Market Report presents an in-depth analysis of the contact center WFM market, the competitive landscape, vendors, product suites, technology and innovation. The Report examines the business, market and technology trends and challenges confronting contact centers in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.

It explores the technology and applications of new-gen WFM, which is an essential part of the transformation taking place in contact centers. The Report analyzes WFM market activity and provides 5-year projections. It also presents customer satisfaction survey results that rate the vendors and their products.

The 2021 - 2022 Workforce Management Product and Market Report feature 5 WFM vendors: Aspect, Calabrio, NICE, Puzzel and Verint. It also provides a high-level overview of four new competitors in the WFM arena: Authority Software, Eleveo, Playvox and Salesforce.

The workforce management (WFM) market has attracted more investments and research and development (R&D) dollars in 2020 than ever before.

This market has been advancing slowly toward digital transformation in the last couple of years. The pandemic has compelled enterprise and contact center executives to recognize the need to speed up the overhaul of their service environments along with their agent onboarding, scheduling and oversight capabilities.

New-gen WFM: Uniquely suited to address pandemic-related challenges and beyond

The migration of workers to home offices has complicated the scheduling challenge and created new issues for contact center management. For agents working at home, the pandemic has also shifted the work/life balance in often unexpected ways. New-gen WFM solutions have been instrumental in addressing the work-at-home (WAH) staffing challenge, supporting flex scheduling, agent self-service, mobility, and virtual hiring and onboarding of new agents.

The more advanced WFM solutions have been essential tools for helping contact center supervisors and managers monitor their staff, regardless of where they are located, and keep them engaged. Among the most important capabilities for this purpose in WFM, suites are real-time adherence, intraday management, mobility, self-service. gamification and bi-directional communication.

Once the pandemic eases worldwide, businesses will be confronted with the challenge of bringing some or all of their staff back into the office. This will be another driver of WFM growth, as these solutions will be a critical part of the process. Contact centers will use WFM to build schedules that minimize service disruptions, and innovative WFM vendors will develop features that allow employees to work together safely on-site. The specialized forecasting, scheduling and oversight capabilities of WFM solutions give contact centers a major advantage over other departments that lack these tools.

The Report Includes:

Overview of the functional components that comprise a WFM solution, including core and optional modules offered in the 5 featured WFM suites, as well as small and mid-size business (SMB)/package solutions

Market, business and technology trends and challenges that are driving enterprise investments and influencing product development

WFM market innovation, including a review of recently introduced features and functionality and what is planned for the next 12 -18 months

Insightful exploration of New Gen WFM, highlighting the features, functionality and capabilities that make it a requirement for contact centers today and fortify its positioning as the future of WFM

Examination of WFM vendor opportunities precipitated by the COVID pandemic

In-depth analysis of WFM modules that facilitate engagement, empowerment and management of work-at-home (WAH) agents and remote staff

Review of the long-term planning capabilities, including hiring managers and workspace allocation capabilities, that will be instrumental in hiring and onboarding WAH/remote staff and facilitating the safe return to the office

WFM market activity analysis, adoption rates and 5-year market growth projections

Review and assessment of the WFM competitive landscape, including an overview of 4 new contenders in the WFM sector

WFM high-level functional summary, including user interfaces, security features and reporting and dashboards.

Implementation analysis, including implementation and return on investment (ROI) time frames, best practices, training and workshop offerings

Vendor pricing for a 250-seat on-premise and cloud-based voice-only and a voice and digital channel WFM implementation for core forecasting and scheduling plus incremental costs (if applicable) for intraday management, real-time adherence, agent self-service, vacation/time-off management, eLearning/meeting management, timekeeping/payroll management, long-term strategic planning, hiring management, workspace allocation, gamification, mobility, back-office and branch WFM

Comprehensive customer satisfaction survey results that measure and rank ratings across 10 product capabilities and 11 vendor categories

Detailed company reports for the 5 leading and contending WFM vendors, analyzing their products, functionality and future product development plans

Key Topics Covered:

1. Executive Summary

2. Introduction

3. Research Methodology

3.1 Report Participation Criteria

4. Workforce Management Defined

4.1 WFM Vendor Suite Overview

4.2 Vendor SMB/Packaged WFM Solutions

5. Workforce Management Trends and Challenges

5.1 Workforce Management Trends

5.2 Workforce Management Challenges

6. Workforce Management Market Innovation

6.1 New Product Features

6.2 Future Enhancements

7. New-Gen WFM is the Future

7.1 Omni-Channel is a Requirement for Delivering a Great Customer Experience

7.1.1 The Growing Importance of Providing Digital Channel Support

7.1.2 Omni-Channel WFM Requirements

7.2 Real-Time Adaptive Scheduling

7.3 Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning and Automation

8. WFM Opportunities Driven by the Pandemic

9. WFM Keeps WAH and Remote Staff Engaged and in Touch

9.1 Agent Self-Service

9.2 Mobility Features

9.3 Intraday Management

9.4 Real-Time Adherence

9.5 Gamification

9.6 eLearning/Meeting Management

9.7 Vacation/Time-Off Management

9.8 Timekeeping/Payroll Management

10. Looking Ahead: Planning for the New Normal

10.1 Long-Term Strategic Planning

10.2 Hiring Management

10.3 Workspace Allocation Module

11. Consolidating Front and Back-Office Operations

11.1 Functional Capabilities of Back-Office/Branch WFM Solutions

12. Workforce Management Market Activity Analysis

12.1 Validating Market Numbers

12.2 WFM Market Share Analysis

13. WFM Adoption Rate

14. WFM Market Projections

15. WFM Competitive Landscape

15.1 Vendors to Watch

15.2 Company Snapshot

16. High-Level Functional Summary

16.1 User Interfaces

16.2 Security

16.3 Dashboards, Reporting and Analytics

17. WFM Implementation Analysis

18. WFM Vendor Satisfaction Analysis

18.1 Summary of Survey Findings and Analysis: Vendor Categories

18.1.1 Vendor Satisfaction by Category and Customer

18.2 Summary of Survey Findings and Analysis: Product Capabilities

18.2.1 Product Capabilities Satisfaction by Category and Customer

18.3 Customer Background and Insights

18.3.1 Channels Supported

18.3.2 Top 3 - 5 Ways the WFM Solution Helped Address Pandemic-Related Challenges

18.3.3 Top 3 - 5 WFM Challenges

18.3.4 Additional Comments

19. Pricing

19.1 Premise-Based Voice-Only WFM Solution Pricing

19.2 Premise-Based Voice and Digital Channel WFM Solution Pricing

19.3 Cloud-Based Voice-Only WFM Solution Pricing

19.4 Cloud-Based Voice and Digital Channel WFM Solution Pricing

20. Company Reports

20.1 Aspect Software, Inc.

20.2 Calabrio, Inc.

20.3 NICE

20.4 Puzzel Ltd.

20.5 Verint Systems

21. Appendix: WFM Vendor Directory

For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/2dprih



Media Contact:

Research and Markets

Laura Wood, Senior Manager

[email protected]



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Star Trek's William Shatner is creating an artificial intelligence-powered version of himself to 'preserve his memory and legacy for generations to come'.

The actor will become the first person to have their life story captured by Los Angeles-based StoryFile's conversational, interactive AI-powered video technology.

The system will let you interact directly with the recording, asking questions about Mr Shatner's work and personal experiences, even after the man himself is gone.

The announcement today has been timed to coincide with Mr Shatner's 90th birthday, with his StoryFile conversation available to view on devices from May.

Mr Shatner is famous for playing Captain James T. Kirk in the Star Trek franchise, alongside lead roles in the police drama T.J. Hooker and the dramady Boston Legal.

Star Trek's William Shatner is creating an artificial intelligence-powered version of himself to 'preserve his memory and legacy for generations to come'. Pictured: Mr Shatner recording his StoryFile Life conversation for posterity in the firm's Los Angeles-based studio

The actor will become the first person to be captured by Los Angeles-based StoryFile's interactive AI-powered video technology. Pictured: William Shatner (right) and Leonard Nimoy (left) as Captain James Kirk and Mr Spock in the Star Trek episode Plato's Stepchildren

'I have a story to tell,' said Mr Shatner.

'Imagine if you could record yourself in a way that future generations, hundreds of years from now, could talk to you  and you could talk back. That's possible.

'With StoryFile, we can now be present in the future. Your authentic self, for all time.

'This is for all my children and all my children's children and all my children's loved ones and all the loved ones of the loved ones.

'That's my gift to you down through time,' he concluded.

HOW A STORYFILE COMES TO LIFE First, the person recording a StoryFile is filmed answering question about their life using special 3D video technology, depth kits and state-of-the-art sound equipment. Experts then process the footage, tagging clips and using it to train an artificial intelligence to provide responses to natural language questions. This finished product is then uploaded to the StoryFile platform, where people may then have a 'real-life' conversation with the film of the individual. According to the developers, StoryFile works with 'all connected devices' as well as 3D, augmented reality and virtual reality systems. 'StoryFile captures the individual's legacy in a way that no one else does by empowering them to pass on their values, struggles, life lessons, morals, decisions and more,' the Los Angeles-based company said. This, they added, comes 'all while inspiring and delighting friends, family, and even future generations.' Advertisement

'William Shatner is going where no one has gone before,' said StoryFile co-founder and CEO Heather Maio-Smith.

'Generations in the future will be able to have a conversation with him. Not an avatar, not a deep fake, but with the real William Shatner answering their questions about his life and work,' she continued.

'This changes the trajectory of the future  of how we experience life today, and how we share those lessons and stories for generations to come.'

'Imagine if you could record yourself in a way that future generations, hundreds of years from now, could talk to you  and you could talk back. That's possible,' Mr Shatner, pictured, said

Mr Shatner is famous for playing Captain James T. Kirk in the Star Trek franchise, alongside lead roles in the police drama T.J. Hooker and the dramady Boston Legal. Pictured: William Shatner reprising his role as Captain Kirk (centre) with co-stars Walter Koenig (left) and James Doohan (right) in the 1994 film Star Trek: Generations

'We believe every person's story matters,' said StoryFile co-founder Stephen Smith.

'Who better to show the world how StoryFile Life works than a man the world knows for stretching our imaginations about the future and life in this universe and beyond.'

'A man who has always generously shared the highs and lows with us, and who has mastered the art of storytelling.'

Visitors to the StoryFile website can sign up to receive a notification when William Shatner's conversation is live and ready to interact with.
European leaders were divided last night over whether to press ahead with an extraordinary ban on vaccine exports to Britain.

Brussels sources confirmed that the EU is ready to block a shipment of the AstraZeneca vaccine to the UK from a plant in the Netherlands.

But the issue has triggered a major rift among leaders of member states ahead of a key summit on Thursday.

One senior EU official described internal talks on the issue as a 'total s*** show'.

Boris Johnson has launched a diplomatic offensive in recent days in a bid to head off a ban which could delay the UK's vaccine programme.

The PM has sent his senior adviser Lord Lister to India for talks on unblocking a shipment of five million doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine delayed last week on orders of the New Delhi government.

Britain's prime minister Boris Johnson holds a power tool during a visit to BAE Systems at Warton Aerodrome in Preston, northwest England, on March 22

Government sources confirmed that the Prime Minister held private talks with Angela Merkel and Emmanuel Macron on Sunday in a bid to defuse the row.

Mr Johnson played down the threat yesterday, saying he was 'reassured by talking to EU partners over the last few months that they don't want to see blockades'. However, some ministers are alarmed by the protectionist rhetoric emerging from the EU and fear Brussels will press ahead with the ban in a bid to distract attention from the dismal performance of its own vaccine rollout.

One insider said: 'It is madness, but for some politicians it is easier to have a row with AstraZeneca and Britain than to have people focusing on the contracts they didn't get.' Both France and Germany indicated that they will back the hardline position adopted by European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen, despite Mr Johnson's diplomatic intervention.

French President Emmanuel Macron waits for the arrival of Prime Minister of Albania Edi Rama at the Elysee Palace in Paris, France on March 22

Mrs von der Leyen warned last week she was ready to block vaccine exports to the UK as part of a 'Europe first' agenda designed to ensure that AstraZeneca and other drug firms meet their commitments to the bloc before supplying others.

A spokesman for Mrs Merkel said factories in EU countries had exported 34million doses to 30 countries, but that those in Britain and the US had shipped 'almost nothing'. During a phone call on Sunday she told Mr Johnson that Mrs von der Leyen was right to be considering ways to further restrict shipments.

French Europe Minister Clement Beaune, a close ally of Mr Macron, said Paris also backed Mrs von der Leyen's plans. 'This must be the strategy of a Europe that moves faster and defends its interests: produce more, enforce contracts, and control exports,' he said.

The Netherlands also opposes the jab ban, with Dutch PM Mark Rutte (pictured) pushing for emergency talks between Mr Johnson

But a string of other EU countries are alarmed by the idea of blocking exports, amid fears it could do serious international damage to its reputation as a place to do business. Irish Taoiseach Micheal Martin warned that a ban would be 'a very retrograde step' which would prove counter-productive.

Mr Martin, who could face the prospect of the EU imposing a hard border with Northern Ireland to prevent vaccines entering the UK, said he had made it 'very clear' to fellow leaders he was opposed.

'They're not EU vaccines,' he said. 'These are vaccines paid for by other countries that are manufactured in Europe.'

Government sources confirmed that the Prime Minister held private talks with Angela Merkel (pictured) and Emmanuel Macron on Sunday in a bid to defuse the row

The Netherlands also opposes the jab ban, with Dutch PM Mark Rutte pushing for emergency talks between Mr Johnson, Mrs von der Leyen and AstraZeneca to thrash out a compromise.

EU sources yesterday suggested the first action against the UK was likely to be a block on the export of AstraZeneca vaccines from the Halix plant in the Netherlands.

The Dutch plan would see No 10 agree to free up some production capacity at the plant, which currently supplies only Britain, to make jabs for Europe as well.

A senior Dutch government source said Mr Rutte wants to avoid a 'lose-lose scenario' where Brussels forces his country to block exports: 'We must avoid a tipping point whereby exporting to third countries becomes problematic.'

Irish Taoiseach Micheal Martin warned that a ban would be 'a very retrograde step' which would prove counter-productive

Belgium also opposes the ban, fearing it could hamper supply chains worldwide. The Pfizer jab is produced there.

UK sources played down the idea of a compromise that would allow the sharing of vaccines produced at the Halix plant. A source said there had been 'no indication of that'. Health sources insisted that the bulk of the Britain's AstraZeneca supplies are manufactured in the UK.

The PM's spokesman said: 'We have said throughout the vaccination programme that supplies will fluctuate, but we remain confident in our supplies.'

However, one independent analysis suggested a total EU export ban could push the UK's vaccination programme back by two months, potentially delaying Mr Johnson's road map for lifting the Covid lockdown.

Whitehall sources played down this estimate but confirmed ministers had been warned a ban by the EU could hit supplies during May and June.

Vaccine supplies are already due to dip next month because of the delay to the shipment from India.

Downing Street said the vaccine rollout had to remain an 'international effort'.

The PM's spokesman told reporters Britain expects the EU to continue to stand by its commitment, adding: 'It's important that the whole world works together.'
Te Puke based company Trevelyan's Pack & Cool have been nominated for an award by the Ministry for Primary Industries.

Trevelyans are up for the Supreme Award at the 2021 Primary Industries Good Employer Awards.

The category recognises employers who provide great employment conditions in their business, demonstrate a commitment to diversity, share their ideas and resources among others to lift regional expectations of great employment and have a highly effective programme in employee development or health and safety.

Its for the whole organisation, says Trevelyans marketing, communications and sustainability manager Sarah Lei. Its across a number of initiatives.

Trevelyans staff have been offered a number of benefits including, but not limited to, a living wage for operational employees, subsidised flu vaccinations for permanent staff, emergency loans and healthy meals provided by our canteen.

They also supported staff in pursuit of full New Zealand drivers licenses, including Recognised Seasonal Employers workers Lauiga Toma and Tuaumu Tuaumu, who passed their tests in December and January respectively.

The one that I really liked was about sharing the ideas and resources among others to lift the expectations of great employment in the region, says Sarah, referencing the living wage commitment and drivers license scheme.

In what has been a challenging period for the primary sector, with Covid-19 restrictions having a major impact, not least through the decrease in RSE workers in the country, these nominations highlight those who have gone above and beyond during unprecedented times.

We are trying to lift the bar across the industry, she explains. Especially with the borders being closed and the limitations to the number of RSEs that we can bring in and backpackers around the country. It's really about telling that story.

Ministry for Primary Industries deputy director general Karen Adair acknowledges the past 12 months had been tough on employers but said the finalists had shown the passion, innovation and commitment required to be acknowledged.

Our food and fibres sector plays a vital role in the recovery of our economy, says Karen. Our people are our most important resource, and the finalists have all demonstrated that theyre putting their people first.

This is the second time weve run these awards, and I continue to be impressed at the calibre of the applicants.

Sarah makes it clear that this nomination is a reward for the entire Trevelyans team. She even namechecks team members who have gone above and beyond.

Mutu, Maki and Troy in particular have come up with initiatives, which we've implemented, which have improved sustainability metrics, she states.

Reducing packaging use, reducing water use, reducing refrigerant losses. So yeah it's really about empowering people to make a difference.

People just really want to be able to go to work and feel fulfilled and challenged, says Sarah. If we can make it work for people, and make interesting and challenging roles within their work, it makes it more likely for them to want to work for us and want to come back.

Trevelyans are nominated in the Supreme category alongside Align Clareview of Ashburton, Rayonier Matariki Forests of Auckland, Jaydee Partnership of Hamilton and T&G Global of Auckland.

The winners will be announced at Parliament in Wellington on Monday, April 12 2021.
A Korean research team has recently developed an innovative vesico-vaginal fistula treatment method using the mussel adhesive protein (MAP) that can effectively seal fistulas in organs even when exposed to urine.

Professor Hyung Joon Cha, Dr. Hyo Jeong Kim (currently at Korea Research Institute of Chemical Technology), and Dr. Tae Yoon Park of POSTECH's Department of Chemical Engineering with Professor Seok Ho Kang of the Department of Urology at Korea University School of Medicine and Professor Jong Hyun Pyun of the Department of Urology at Kangbuk Samsung Hospital have together improved the underwater adhesive using mussel protein and applied it to a pig model that simulated a vesico-vaginal fistula. As a result, it was confirmed that the fistula was sealed much quicker and more effectively than the conventional treatment method that uses sutures, and its treatment efficacy was proven to be superior.

Fistula refers to an abnormal opening between the organs consisting of two spaces, such as blood vessels or intestines. Among them, the bladder is in contact with various organs such as the intestine, uterus, and vagina in the abdominal cavity and a fistula here causes urine leakage that can induce serious complications such as fecal incontinence or bladder inflammation. This not only impairs the patients' quality of life, but female fistulas are stigmatized in many developing countries, affecting the human rights and dignity of women.

Currently, a physical suture method is typically used for treating vesico-vaginal fistulas. However, this technique has multiple limitations since the surgeries are difficult and the repetitive contraction and expansion of the bladder damages the tissue, which results in delayed healing of the wound.

To this, the POSTECH-Korea University joint research team developed a formulation in 2016 that uses the phase separation property of mussel adhesive proteins to develop a water-immiscible bioadhesive that does not dissolve in body fluids like blood or urine and exhibits excellent underwater adhesion. Moving further, the researchers conducted experiments on a pig model with vesico-vaginal fistula with improved water-immiscible bioadhesive for practical applications in clinical practice.

The joint research team used a liquid-liquid phase separation formulation with thixotropy to develop the adhesive so that the high-viscosity liquid adhesive can be accurately delivered to the fistula area via a thin syringe. In addition, after the fistula is sealed, it is designed so that it does not flow out or fall out of the fistula.

The researchers confirmed that by maximizing the concentration of catechol - which acts as an important functionality in underwater adhesion - the stability of the adhesion is increased even more in the presence of body fluids. It was also confirmed that the fistula's closing force continued to be maintained in the bladder, an organ that repeatedly contracts and expands, thanks to the flexible property of a protein-based adhesive, and the protein adhesive biodegrades and the fistula naturally regenerates.

With no immune response or inflammation observed around the sealed fistula, low surgical difficulty, and easy access to large quantities of materials, the adhesive is anticipated to be used widely in developing countries with poor medical facilities. The water-immiscible mussel protein-based bioadhesive (imWIMBA) has undergone a technology transfer to Nature Gluetech Co., Ltd. and is currently being commercialized.

"We have confirmed the mussel adhesive protein - a technology that originated in Korea - as an effective vesico-vaginal fistula treatment method by applying it to an actual vesico-vaginal fistula of a large animal model," explained Professor Hyung Joon Cha of POSTECH. "It is anticipated to be successfully applicable to fistulas and perforations in other similar environments."

"Vesico-vaginal fistula is a disorder difficult to treat and it significantly impacts the patient's quality of life," remarked Professor Seokho Kang of Korea University. "We expect the newly developed treatment method to be applicable to minimally-invasive surgical methods such as robotic surgery and endoscopic surgery as well as open surgeries in the future based on its excellent water-immiscibility and underwater adhesion."

###

The research findings were recently published in Acta Biomaterialia, an international journal on biomaterials. The research was supported by the Korea Health Industry Development Institute funded by the Ministry of Health and Welfare of Korea, the Industrial Core Technology Development Program funded by the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy of Korea, and as part of POSCO's strategic program.
The remains include Neolithic sling shots using which birds were scared away, as in modern times, for protecting crops existing 4000 BC. (DC photo)

Anantapur: A team of archaeological experts has on Sunday found prehistoric remains in Neelakanthapuram, an interior village in Madakasira mandal of Anantapur district located close to the Karnataka border. The remains include Neolithic sling shots using which birds were scared away, as in modern times, for protecting crops existing 4000 BC. In addition, iron slag and raw iron nodules from the Iron Age of 1500 BC have also been found.

The team included Dr. E. Sivanagi Reddy, CEO, Cultural Centre of Vijayawada and Amaravati, V. Rajitha, assistant director of Archaeology Department in Anantapur and Professor P. Chenna Reddy, former director of Archaeology Department.

Dr. Sivanagi Reddy told Deccan Chronicle that the team has explored the agricultural fields of former minister and ex-APCC chief N. Raghuveera Reddy on the latters invitation after he found the ancient objects while constructing a temple in his village since past one and a half years.

Further, an Eighth Centurys Mahishamardhini, 12th Centurys Sun God sculpture and 16th centurys Abhaya Anjaneya idol have been found in different segments of the agricultural fields belonging to Raghuveera Reddy.

Assistant archaeology director Rajitha said efforts have already been initiated to protect the site and sculptures for posterity.

Raghuveera Reddy said a book will soon be released on Neelakanthapuram and its history based on available prehistoric material.
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Copyright  2021 Albuquerque Journal

There were no new COVID-related deaths reported in New Mexico on Sunday, the first time since October the state didnt report any deaths in a day.

State health officials reported 176 new cases of COVID-19. Of those cases, Bernalillo County had the most, with 56, followed by Dona Ana County, with 20, according to a Department of Health news release.

For the past week, the state have averaged 203 cases and five deaths per day, according to a Journal analysis.

On Sunday, 122 people in were in New Mexico hospitals with COVID, according to the news release.

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................................................................

The state has had a 189,731 confirmed COVID cases and 3,889 virus-related deaths since the start of the pandemic.

A state vaccine dashboard updated Sunday showed that 38.6% of qualified New Mexicans have received at least one shot of the COVID vaccine and 23.5% were fully vaccinated.
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[March 22, 2021] Health Net Condemns Recent Rise in Hate Crimes Against Asian-Americans

Health Net stands with communities experiencing racism and discrimination - including our colleagues, our stakeholders and our members - in condemning recent violence and xenophobia. As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to impact all communities, we have seen a rise in racist attacks targeting Asian, Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islanders. Health Net strongly condemns these attacks. These horrible acts are painful reminders that we must continue to confront racism in all its forms, whenever it occurs. "The rise in anti-Asian hate, harassment, discrimination and violence in our communities is heartbreaking," said Brian Ternan, President and CEO of Health Net. "At Health Net, we strongly condemn racism of any kind. We believe all people deserve to be treated with dignity, courtesy and respect - no exceptions. We call on all Californians to join us in resolving to do what we can to stop the hate. Call it out. Name it. Speak against it. Report it.



About Health Net At Health Net, we believe every person deserves a safety net for their health, regardless of age, income, employment status or current state of health. Founded 40 years ago, we remain dedicated to transforming the health of our community, one person at a time. Today, Health Net's 3,000 employees and 85,000 network providers serve more than 3 million members. That's nearly 1 in 12 Californians. We provide health plans for individuals, families, businesses of every size, people with Medicare and people with Medi-Cal - Coverage for Every Stage of LifeTM. Health Net also offer access to substance abuse programs, behavioral health services, employee assistance programs and managed health care products related to prescription drugs. We offer these health plans and services through Health Net, LLC and its subsidiaries: Health Net of California, Inc., Health Net Life Insurance Company and Health Net Community Solutions, Inc. These entities are wholly owned subsidiaries of Centene Corporation (NYSE: CNC), a Fortune 100 company providing health coverage to more than 20 million Americans. For more information, visit HealthNet.com.

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I hesitated to post this video of Jewish Review of Books editor Abe Socher interviewing former Gulag prisoner Natan Sharansky and historian Gil Troy about their new book, Never Alone. The book is the subject of Sharanksys Exodus, the excellent review by Daniel Gordis in the Spring issue of the JRB. Gordiss review highlights the phenomenon of Orwellian doublethink  the round-the-clock public charade of knowing one thing but saying another that dominated Soviet life:

Doublethink, Sharansky believes, has many Israeli and Jewish leaders in its grip. He calls the late prime minister Shimon Peress book, The New Middle East, embarrassingly childlike, not, he intimates, because Peres ought to have known better but precisely because he must have. When Peres told Sharansky that he shouldnt insult Arafat because Arafat was the Palestinians leader and they love him, the former prisoner of the Gulag was utterly unmoved. They love Arafat no more than the Russians liked Stalin at the height of the purges, Sharansky told Peres. The conversation ended.

Israeli and Jewish leaders have nothing on us. The doublethink that was once a Communist vice has become an American habit.

Sochers interview is oriented to Jewish themes and Israeli issues. At several points, it anticipates the celebration of Passover starting this Saturday evening. However, important elements of the discussion should be of wide interest, as in the comments starting at 25:00 on the struggle against the fear society. Sharanskys comments regarding his interviews with Jimmy Lai, Vladimir Putin, and Margaret Thatcher are also intriguing.

Quotable quote (Sharansky at about 24:00): Again, I want to emphasize Im not speaking about the danger to democracy. Im speaking about the danger to the freedom of people. After all, freedom begins inside you. If you are afraid to speak publicly about your views, youre not a free person.
SALEM, Ore (AP)-- Walkouts by Republican lawmakers in Oregons Legislature have become so frequent that Democrats want to sanction boycotters torpedoing progressive legislation with $500 daily fines and even disqualify them from holding office.

The issue has become acrimonious, and Democrats say it harms the democratic functioning of the state. A Senate committee Thursday held a hearing on four measures that seek to deprive Republicans of the leverage from quorum rules.

Oregon is particularly vulnerable to boycotts because it requires a two-thirds majority to be present for a quorum. Forty-six other U.S. statehouses require only a simple majority.

Democrats have most of the seats in the Legislature, but lack the two-thirds majority to conduct business if Republicans stay away.
The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Monday carried out searches at six locations in Mumbai of the office premises and residences of three senior officials, including one general manager (GM) of Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) in connection with the multi-crore Saradha chit fund scam.

A CBI source related to the probe told IANS, "The agency is searching the official and residential premises of three SEBI officials in Mumbai, who were posted in West Bengal between 2009-13."

Another CBI source said that the searches are going on at the premises of a deputy general manager (DGM)-level officer and one of official is posted as general manager (GM). He, however, refused to share their identity.

Recently, CBI has quizzed several people connected with the Saradha chit fund scam as the state of West Bengal prepares for an eight-phased staggered Assembly election starting 27th March.

The Saradha scam of West Bengal came to light in April 2013 and is estimated at over Rs10,000 crore. Besides CBI, the enforcement directorate (ED) has also filed a case based on the first information report (FIR) filed by the agency.

Last week, Madan Mitra and Vivek Gupta, both candidates from Trinamool Congress for the Assembly poll, deposed before the ED officials in Kolkata in connection with the probe into Saradha chit fund scam.

Earlier, Mr Mitra, who is a former state minister and is contesting from Kamarhati Assembly constituency, was arrested by the CBI for his alleged involvement in the case. Later, he was granted bail.

Mr Gupta, who is contesting the elections from Jorasanko, admitted that he knew Sudipto Sen, the owner of Saradha, and had visited the ED office to submit income-tax details. He is a former member of Parliament from Rajya Sabha.
LOS ANGELES, March 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Modern technology helps a young woman seek vengeance for her past life killer in the upcoming sci-fi thriller feature film, ONE AND THE SAME. Helmed by first-time feature writer-director Felipe Cisneros, the film will release TVOD on March 23rd by Gravitas Ventures, a Red Arrow Studios company.

ONE AND THE SAME' a film by Felipe Cisneros; releasing March 23, 2021 by Gravitas Ventures New Sci-Fi Thriller 'ONE AND THE SAME' by Felipe Cisneros; releasing March 23, 2021 by Gravitas Ventures

Set in Sacramento, ONE AND THE SAME weaves together a mysterious science-fiction tale of vengeance and reincarnation. When a young woman, Lola, is invited to a secret facility, she discovers an experiment beyond space and time. After uncovering her own past self, a teenage boy named Robbie, she embarks on a malevolent path for justice against the ex-con who killed him.

The intense journey stars Glenn Plummer (South Central, Menace II Society, City of Lies) along with rising young talents Makena Taylor (Skyfire, Some Kind of Beautiful, Adolescence), Acorye White (Juanita, The Seventh Day, Under the Stadium Lights), and Ignacyo Matynia (Break Every Chain, Luke Cage).

Cisneros is excited to deliver a futuristic look at reincarnation, adding "It's been said: we only truly die, once someone has spoken your name for the last time. The idea of being forgotten forever scared me, but it also led me down a rabbit hole of finding a way to change that. With a bit of imagination, and a dash of science fiction, I surrounded that concept with the perils of what would happen if we knew too much about ourselves from a past life."

Produced by Cisneros under Shadow Clone Films and Nick Leisure (A Clear Shot) of Leisure Films, ONE AND THE SAME was shot in 2019 on a tight 16-day schedule with only 30 crew members in Baja, Mexico.

"I'm drawn to sci-fi because its only limit is our very own imagination. There's nothing more satisfying when you can bend the rules of what is expected," explains Cisneros.

Cisneros has been building a solid reputation for his talents on the independent film scene. The Sacramento native originally set his sights on acting, before discovering his true calling behind the camera. A self-taught screenwriter and director, Cisneros honed his skills by creating a series of notable short films, including A Cry for Vengeance, Not My Blood, and The Fringe of Existence.

Official Trailer: https://youtu.be/9VEWoXRVr7s

Official Website: OneAndTheSameFilm.com

Follow on Instagram: @oneandthesame.film

Available on iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/movie/one-and-the-same/id1552585782

Press contact:

Tammy Lynn, Spotlight PR Company

310.867.1952

[email protected]

SOURCE Gravitas Ventures
AJ Prichard has revealed his girlfriend Abbie Quinnen will be left with 'some scars' after she was badly injured in a horrific fire accident, but hopes they'll 'heal in time'.

Professional dancer Abbie, 23, suffered third-degree burns and needed three skin grafts after a video she was filming with her beau, 26, went wrong and saw a wine bottle explode in January.

Updating fans on her recovery in an interview with The Sun, the former Strictly pro explained that Abbie's surgeons are very happy with how her skin grafts are healing.

Permanent: AJ Prichard has revealed his girlfriend Abbie Quinnen will be left with 'some scars' after she was burned in a horrific fire accident (pictured together)

He said: 'There are different areas, and there are different degrees of burn and she will have a small scar in certain areas.

'But, as with time, they will heal and other areas will heal. I think the most important thing was that the skin grafts worked.'

The former Im A Celebrity added that he tried to reassure Abbie after the accident and admitted that they do both 'use' their looks working in the showbiz industry.

AJ said: 'So on that night I just tried to keep her calm and keep her focused on how we were going to help and how the NHS would do everything in their power as quickly as possible.'

Now two months on from the accident, AJ said hes still plagued by memories and sometimes wakes up during the night thinking about what happened, adding that he wouldn't rule out talking to a professional for help in the future.

He also told the publication that its all 'very traumatic' still and he tries to avoid anything on TV that involves fire as the horrific accident is still too raw.

Terrifying: The blonde was filming a video with her beau, 26, when the accident happened on January 19 and was driven to Ealing Hospital in London by her partner's brother, Curtis, 25

The dancer also reflected on rushing Abbie to the hospital from their flat in west London with his brother Curtis, saying the moments after the accident slowed down.

AJ explained how Abbie's 'body was engulfed' by the flames and he used wet towels to try and stop the fire.

Once Abbie was at the hospital AJ couldn't stay because of Covid rules however he made sure to be there for her on the phone for the four days they were apart.

He also candidly admitted that once the adrenalin of the accident started to wear off, he was a 'complete mess' and sat shaking in his car.

After days apart, Abbie didn't want AJ to see her wrapped up in bandages however the Strictly star explained how he just took her hand and became emotional.

AJ told The Sun: 'Seeing her walking to me, having got out of her wheelchair, it was the hardest day of my life but also the happiest.'

AJ's update comes after Abbie was pictured with her upper body and face wrapped in bandages during her recovery.

'I will be OK!' The professional dancer reassured fans she's recovering from the terrifying ordeal as she took to Instagram on Sunday (pictured before)

In the snap obtained by The Sun, Abbie was seen resting in bed with only a small section of her face visible underneath the dressings which cover one side of her head, her torso and right arm.

It is not known when the picture was taken, however Abbie broke her silence on the matter on Sunday and told fans she's 'OK' following the accident on January 19.

As well as reassuring followers she's recovering in her Instagram message, Abbie warned others to be 'careful' after a YouTube tutorial went terribly wrong.

She also thanked staff at the Chelsea & Westminster burns unit for their 'incredible care and treatment' as she continues to improve seven weeks after her ordeal.

The influencer said: 'I am sad I have been absent in the last few weeks and haven't posted much with AJ, we so desperately wanted to be able to share daily vlogs with you all but unfortunately I have had an accident.

'Whilst we were attempting to create a glass bottle into a vase following a YouTube tutorial it went terribly wrong and it resulted in me incurring injuries and burns requiring continuous hospital treatment over the past seven weeks.

'I really need you all to be careful with what you're doing and if you're copying any YouTube videos. I will be OK, I love you all

'I also want to say a massive thank you to the nurses and doctors and the Chelsea & Westminster burns unit for their incredible care and treatment.'

Recovery: The choreographer also thanked hospital staff at the Chelsea & Westminster burns unit for their 'incredible care and treatment'

'So much love for you!' The Voice's Lydia Lucy and fellow dancers Chloe Hewitt and Amelia Bath sent their well wishes to their pal

Also on Sunday, former Strictly star AJ declared 'our followers' messages keep us all going' as he thanked them for their support during the latest episode of podcast, AJ v Curtis.

Revealing he'll share more details on the scary ordeal in the near future, AJ said: 'It came out that the there was an accident with Abbie. And I just want to say just make it quite brief, to be honest.

'For anybody that hasn't seen the story yesterday where Abby had an accident. That's why I'm just saying thank you for all the lovely messages, thank you very much for all the love and support and the kind messages.

'I know we haven't replied to everybody. But yeah, thank you for that. And we will talk about it further down the line when we both feel comfortable.

'So yeah, just thanks for that love. It means a lot on your support, keeps those positive and keeps us all going.'

AJ was also seen for the first time since his girlfriend's injuries were revealed as he stepped out looking pained to buy papers and fuel on Sunday.

Since the awful incident, The Sun On Sunday reported that Abbie needed three skin grafts and made 20 hospital visits with AJ caring for her inbetween appointments.

A source explained how AJ quickly reacted to the fire and tried to put out the flames with a wet tea towel before calling 999.

Recovery: Since the awful accident in January, Abbie has needed three skin grafts and made 20 hospital visits

They told the publication: 'Abbie was shocked and in a great deal of pain but AJ sprang into action to put out the fire with a wet tea towel.

'He was terrified himself but he did all he could to stop her from burning. Abbies whole upper body went up in flames. It was like something from a horror film.'

Revealing how the duo are holding up, the source added that AJ has been there '24/7' for his girlfriend and has been changing her bandages.

The 999 operator reportedly informed AJ an ambulance would take some time to arrive so he and Curtis drove Abbie, who was in 'agony', to the hospital themselves.

Abbie is thought to have then been admitted to intensive care before being sent to a specialist burns unit at Chelsea and Westminster Hospital the next day.

Speaking about how the accident happened, the source said that AJ and Abbie had been filming a video for their Instagram followers.

The clip involved dipping a rope in a flammable chemical and setting fire to it once wrapped around the bottle in order to cut the bottle in half and make a vase.

Support: AJ has been caring for Abbie at their home and changing her bandages

However the couple's attempt went horribly wrong, with the bottle blowing up and causing Abbie's hair and clothing to catch fire.

A spokesperson for the couple told The Sun On Sunday that Abbie is continuing to receive treatment and the duo wish to thank all the doctors for their 'incredible' care.

MailOnline has contacted Abbie and AJ's representative for further comment.

AJ and Abbie have been dating since 2018 and seem to have gone from strength to strength during lockdown.

The I'm A Celebrity contestant recently gushed over his pro dancer love as he detailed how they've been discussing the future lots during the pandemic.

He told The Sun: 'You know when you see a series like Below Deck or Selling Sunset and there's a wedding? We always love talking about weddings.

Help: Curtis, 25, drove Abbie and AJ to the hospital on the night of the accident after they were told an ambulance would take some time to arrive (the brothers are pictured together in 2020)

'We were best friends before we were in a relationship and I think that really hits home that we love spending time together.

'We love doing everything together, to be honest, and it's been great. There has been no downside, there's been no arguments.'

Abbie has also gushed over her dancer beau in the past, admitting she believes AJ is 'The One' and that she was 'going crazy' without him by her side during his stint in the Welsh I'm A Celebrity camp last year.

In an exclusive interview with MailOnline, Abbie said: 'I am so desperate to see him  I am going crazy I feel like I have been lost without him.

'All I want to do is hug him and kiss him  it's been too long now! I definitely can see he is missing me.

'While AJ has been in the castle he organised some gifts for me that I'd have during his time in there to show he was still thinking of me.'
County library to unveil story walk project in Vanderbilt

The Otsego County Library is hosting a ceremony Saturday to formally open the latest story walk project.
By constantly strengthening our own knowledge, we create a sense of momentum within our team that encourages everyone to be their best.

Geoffrey Passehl, CLU, ChFC, CASL, RICP, founder of Passehl Financial Services, has earned the Wealth Management Certified Professional (WMCP) designation from The American College of Financial Services. The practices newest member, Joseph DeFazio, ChFC has earned the Chartered Life Underwriter (CLU) and Retirement Income Certified Professional (RICP) designations from The Amercian College. DeFazio joined the Passehl team in January of 2020 as Director of Investments and has greatly supported the firms growth despite the challenges of the pandemic. As a team, Passehl Financial now holds nine professional designations, and the firm continues to seek advanced education and training as it grows.

The Wealth Management Certified Professional brings a heightened level of expertise to investment and portfolio management. Financial professionals with this credential complete a rigorous course designed to amplify knowledge of goal-based wealth management with a focus on tax-efficient portfolios and client behavior research. This program develops expertise in goal identification, risk management and investment management plans; providing a unique education tailored to the needs of investors.

The Chartered Life Underwriter is the highest standard of knowledge and the world's most respected designation of insurance expertise. This prestigious course provides professionals with in-depth knowledge on the insurance needs of individuals, families and business owners. The program covers a broad range of financial topics including life and health insurance, pension planning, insurance law, income taxation, investments, financial and estate planning and group benefits.

The RICP is a rigorous three-course credential that helps professionals master retirement income planning, a key focus area not fully covered in other professional designation programs. From retirement portfolio management techniques to employer-sponsored benefits and determining the best Social Security claiming age, the RICP provides a wealth of practical information.

Passehl Financial strives to be at the forefront of knowledge for its clients and Mr. Passehl considers himself a perpetual learner. Passehl and DeFazio are committed to engaging with clients on a daily basis and they work hard to bring intentional value to the people they work with and the firm as a whole.

In order for us to provide our clients with the highest level of service and expertise, continued professional growth is essential, Passehl said. By constantly strengthening our own knowledge, we create a sense of momentum within our team that encourages everyone to be their best.

Passehl Financial Services is a holistic wealth management firm specializing in serving successful business owners and professionals with investment strategies, estate planning, business succession plans, and more. To learn more about Passehl Financial Services, visit the website at http://www.passehl-financial.com.

About the American College of Financial Services:

The American College of Financial Services was founded in 1927 and is the nations largest nonprofit educational institution devoted to financial services. Holding the highest level of academic accreditation, The College has educated one in five financial advisors across the United States and offers two masters degrees in management and financial services, along with prestigious financial planning designations such as the Retirement Income Certified Professional (RICP), Chartered Life Underwriter (CLU), Wealth Management Certified Professional (WMCP), Chartered Advisor in Philanthropy(CAP), Chartered Special Needs Consultant(ChSNC), Chartered Financial Consultant (ChFC), and education leading to the Certified Financial Planner (CFP)certification. The Colleges faculty represents some of the foremost thought leaders in the financial services profession.

About Northwestern Mutual:

Northwestern Mutual has been helping people and businesses achieve financial security for more than 160 years. Through a holistic planning approach, Northwestern Mutual combines the expertise of its financial professionals with a personalized digital experience and industry-leading products to help its clients plan for whats most important. With $308.8 billion in total assets, $31.1 billion in revenues, and $2 trillion worth of life insurance protection in force, Northwestern Mutual delivers financial security to more than 4.6 million people with life, disability income and long-term care insurance, annuities, and brokerage and advisory services. The company manages more than $200 billion of investments owned by its clients and held or managed through its wealth management and investment services businesses. Northwestern Mutual ranks 102 on the 2020 FORTUNE 500 and is recognized by FORTUNE as one of the Worlds Most Admired life insurance companies in 2021.

Northwestern Mutual is the marketing name for The Northwestern Mutual Life Insurance Company (NM), Milwaukee, WI (life and disability insurance, annuities, and life insurance with long-term care benefits) and its subsidiaries. Subsidiaries include Northwestern Mutual Investment Services, LLC (NMIS) (securities), broker-dealer, registered investment adviser, member FINRA and SIPC; the Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Company (NMWMC) (fiduciary and fee-based financial planning services), federal savings bank; and Northwestern Long Term Care Insurance Company (NLTC) (long-term care insurance).

Geoffrey J Passehl uses Passehl Financial Services as a marketing name for doing business as a representative of Northwestern Mutual. Passehl Financial Services is not a registered investment adviser, broker-dealer, insurance agency or federal savings bank. Geoffrey J Passehl is an Insurance Agent of NM and NLTC. Investment brokerage services provided as a Registered Representative of NMIS. Investment advisory services provided as an Advisor of NMWMC.

###
Several high profile cases may go to trial this year following Gov. Greg Abbott's latest COVID-19 order to reopen Texas.

Many of Bexar County's cases have been postponed because of the pandemic. Now that juries can be seated in-person, several cases will be rescheduled soon.

Some cases such as pretrial appearances, pleas and sentences were held virtually. Bexar County District Attorney Joe D. Gonzales, however, has opposed holding criminal trials virtually because lawyers on both sides rely on the ability to analyze facial expressions and body language during jury selection and the presentation of witnesses and evidence, the Express-News reported.

Scroll below to see the high-profile trials that may appear in San Antonio courts this year
A pick-up in spring break travel is pointing to the first signs of life for a battered jet fuel market, a trend that is likely to continue as more vaccinated Americans venture back onto airplanes this summer.

In U.S. airports, the number of passengers checking in through security hit the highest in a year this week, according to Transportation Security Administration data. The TSA is consistently seeing more than 1 million people a day pass through checkpoints. Traffic was half of that level just two months ago.

Jet fuel has proved to be the weakest link in the oil market since the emergence of Covid-19. Lockdowns early last year quickly led to travel restrictions, hundreds of parked airliners, and an overwhelming amount of the fuel planes use with nowhere to put it. Demand for jet fuel plummeted to the lowest on record last summer.

The U.S. is picking up, Amrita Sen, chief oil analyst at Energy Aspects Ltd., said in a Bloomberg Television interview. Potentially even within Europe, down the line, things will pick up, she said. A full-fledged recovery is unlikely until travelers can resume crisscrossing the globe like they did before the pandemic, she said. International travel constitutes the largest portion of jet demand, and I dont think weve still worked out vaccine passports.

Domestic passenger bookings have risen in recent weeks and U.S. airlines plan to respond by adding more flights to meet demand, according to Airlines for America. But the industry trade group said business still remains down about 50% in the U.S. from pre-pandemic levels and more than 60% internationally.

The U.S. load factor -- the average percentage of seats sold per plane -- has started to rebound as well among some of the largest domestic carriers, like United Airlines Holdings Inc., American Airlines Group Inc. and Delta Air Lines Inc., according to Bloomberg data.

As of now, the recovery is being led by leisure travel rather than business trips, said George Ferguson, senior aerospace and airline analyst at Bloomberg Intelligence

Most of the bookings are coming through online travel agencies, so it looks like a very price conscious, younger traveler, he said. A business and international rebound is late this year at best.
Total Safety, a global leader in industrial safety solutions, has announced the launch of their new SafeTekworker safety technology solutions that will improve the protection of workers worldwide. SafeTekis a continuation of Total Safety's commitment to delivering industry leading worker safety solutions that incorporate new and emerging connected, data-enabled technologies, equipment, and services.

Ensuring The Safe Wellbeing of Workers Worldwide

At Total Safety, providing a safe environment for workers worldwide is the company's highest priority. In fact, it's their mission. When it comes to hazardous conditions, no matter what industry or location, Total Safety is the company to count on to keep workers safe.

The Future of Worker Safety

"We are creating the future of worker safety with our advanced SafeTektechnology," said George Ristevski, Total Safety Chief Executive Officer. "As we look forward, we will lead the next generation of safety technology. We will continue to innovate our safety solutions and expand our global reach. We envision a future where technology can assist all workers in hazardous and life-critical situations to bring them home safely. Our SafeTeksolutions will be at the forefront of worker safety technology and will help set the gold standard for connected safety innovations."

Revolutionary Safety Technology

SafeTeksolutions empower work sites with the technologies and equipment to keep workers protected and connected 24/7. Industry leading safety monitoring software, wearable technologies, connected area monitoring, personal gas detection, and communications systems report critical safety related data in real-time, helping save lives and streamlining costs. Total Safety SafeTeksolutions include:

SafeTek Smart Monitor- Real-time integrated Centralized Confined Space Monitoring (CCSM) technology maximizes worker safety in confined spaces, monitoring work atmosphere, activities, and employee identification remotely from a central control room.

SafeTek Shield- From personal gas detection to lone worker location monitoring and fall recognition, wearable GPS-enabled devices with innovative technology monitor, alert, and provide immediate and real- time assistance to protect workers during critical situations.

SafeTek WorkZone- Advanced connected atmospheric monitoring, mobile-connected smart inspections, alerts, and asset distribution and tracking safeguard job sites and ensure work site safety and compliance with OSHA regulations.

SafeTek Communications- SafeTek's 2-way radios, networks, and real-time connected communication systems provide a direct link with workers to a centralized control room for immediate assistance and responsive incident resolution.

SafeTek eDistribution- Cutting-edge technology makes it easy to order, monitor, and distribute PPE and tooling. Total Safety's suite of eProcurement solutions combines technology and advanced reporting to ensure you have supplies in stock for workforce safety.

SafeTek Hub360- This multifunctional platform monitors worksites in real-time, displaying critical safety and performance data, incident reporting, gas exposure mapping, predictive analytics, and worker efficiency reports.

Compliance

Total Safety's innovative solutions and team of experts keep workers and worksites safe and in compliance with regulatory requirements. The company manages local, state, federal, and industrial compliance standards to ensure that businesses are OSHA compliant.

Making the Complex, Simple

Implementing permanent onsite digitization programs and/or temporary connected technology deployments for projects can be daunting, Total Safety has the data-enabled technology, equipment, people, and expertise to connect your workers to increase productivity and keep them safe. With Total Safety, you're not just buying a product or service, you're getting a safety focused, connected solutions technology partner who is reliable, professional, knowledgeable, and committed to protecting your business.

Join Us

Total Safety works with some of the world's largest companies, currently protecting 50 million workers worldwide in industries such as refining, aerospace, automotive, petrochemical, and more. Join us on a mission to protect 200 million workers by 2025. To get started, call to speak with one of our safety expert technicians. Also, visit https://www.totalsafety.com/safetek/ to find out more about SafeTekand how Total Safety solutions can help safeguard your workforce.

About Total Safety

Headquartered in Houston, Texas, Total Safety is a leading provider of global integrated industrial safety services, strategies, and equipment. With nearly 4,000 employees and over 180 locations worldwide, they help customers increase employee safety, meet compliance, boost productivity, and reduce downtime. Total Safety is driven by an unwavering commitment to their mission to ensure the safe Wellbeing of Workers Worldwide.

When Safety Matters, We're Ready

With advanced technology, over 250,000+ supplies and PPE, and a suite of comprehensive safety solutions, Total Safety has you covered providing immediate service when you need it most. Total Safety delivers complete, cost-effective safety service solutions as promised and without compromise, with the resources and the support to back it up.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210322005525/en/

Contacts:

Paul Tyree

Total Safety

ptyree@totalsafety.com
BRESCIA, MAR 22 - Italian police on Monday arrested six people in the death from a drug overdose of a 24-year-old Italian woman in the northern city of Brescia last August. The six have been charged with manslaughter for providing drugs to Francesca Manfredi, a Brescian woman found dead in her home on August 23. Manfredi died in her bath, which had been filled with ice by two friends of the same age, police said. Police said the man in most trouble was 33-year-old Michael Paloschi, who allegedly injected the heroin into Manfredi's body. He is accused of involuntary homicide because he injected the drug to give her a bigger high rather than having her smoke it, police said. Traces of cocaine, ketamine, benziodiazepines and cannabinboids were also found in her body, along with the heroin. (ANSA).
A batch of coronavirus vaccine developed by the Chinese pharmaceutical company Sinovac arrived in Cotonou, the economic capital of Benin, on Sunday evening

COTONOU, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 22nd Mar, 2021 ) :A batch of coronavirus vaccine developed by the Chinese pharmaceutical company Sinovac arrived in Cotonou, the economic capital of Benin, on Sunday evening.

"I salute the Chinese government which, through the cooperation between our two countries, has supported the Beninese authorities in their efforts to fight the pandemic, since the appearance of the first case of COVID-19 on the territory of Benin on March 16, 2020," said Health Minister Benjamin Hounkpatin as he welcomed the vaccines at Cardinal Bernadin Gantin International Airport.

For his part, Chinese Ambassador to Benin Peng Jingtao noted that the arrival of the Chinese vaccine in Benin, is part of the cooperation and solidarity between the two countries to fight against COVID-19.

"Since the start of the pandemic in Benin, cooperation between the two countries has been exemplary, pragmatic and effective. The Chinese vaccine is a global public good accessible to all developing countries, especially African countries," he said.
Day 23: Lewis Howard Latimer

Lewis Howard Latimer is considered one of the most important Black inventors for the number of inventions he produced and patents he secured, but also for the importance of his best-known discovery: a longer-lasting filament for the electric light. He also helped Alexander Graham Bell obtain the patent for the first telephone. Latimer was in great demand for his expertise later in his career as electric light spread across the country. Indeed, without Latimer's help and expertise, Thomas Edison may not have even received a patent for his light bulb. Yet, possibly due to the whitewashing of history, Latimer is not well remembered today for his many lasting accomplishments.

Lewis Howard Latimer was born on Sept.4, 1848, in Chelsea, Massachusetts. He was the youngest of four children born to George Latimer, a paperhanger, and Rebecca Smith Latimer, who both escaped enslavement. His parents had fled from Virginia in 1842 by hiding beneath the deck of a northbound ship, but his father was recognized in Boston by a former employee of their enslaver. George Latimer was arrested and brought to trial, where he was defended by noted 19th-century North American Black activist Frederick Douglass and William Lloyd Garrison. Eventually, a group of activists paid $400 for his freedom.

George Latimer disappeared shortly after the Dred Scott decision of 1857, in which the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that Scott, an enslaved man, couldn't sue for his freedom. Possibly fearing a return to enslavement, Latimer went underground. It was a great hardship for the rest of the Latimer family.

After his father's departure, Latimer worked to help support his mother and family. In 1864, at the age of 16, Latimer lied about his age in order to enlist in the United States Navy during the Civil War. Returning to Boston after an honorable discharge, he accepted a menial position at the Crosby and Gould patent law office. He taught himself mechanical drawing and drafting by observing the work of draftsmen at the firm. Recognizing Latimer's talent and promise, the firm partners promoted him from office boy to draftsman. In addition to assisting others, Latimer designed a number of his own inventions, including an improved railroad car bathroom and an early air conditioning unit.

Latimer's talents were well-matched to the post-Civil War period, which saw a large number of scientific and engineering breakthroughs. Latimer was directly involved with one of these inventions: the telephone.

In 1874, while at the firm, Latimer co-invented an improvement to the bathroom compartment of trains. Two years later, he was sought out as a drafter by an instructor of children who were hard of hearing; the man wanted drawings for a patent application on a device he had created. The instructor was Alexander Graham Bell, and the device was the telephone. Working late into the evenings, Latimer labored to complete the patent application. It was submitted on Feb. 14, 1876, just hours before another application was made for a similar device. With Latimer's help, Bell won the patent rights to the telephone.

In 1880, after relocating to Bridgeport, Connecticut, Latimer was hired as assistant manager and drafter for the U.S. Electric Lighting Co., which was owned by Hiram Maxim. Maxim was the chief competitor of Edison, who had invented the electric light. Edisons light consisted of a nearly airless glass bulb surrounding a carbon wire filament, typically made from bamboo, paper, or thread. When electricity ran through the filament, it became so hot that it literally glowed. Maxim hoped to improve on Edisons light bulb by focusing on its main weakness: its brief life span, typically only a few days. Latimer set out to make a longer-lasting light bulb. He developed a way to encase the filament in a cardboard envelope that prevented the carbon from breaking up, giving the bulbs a much longer life while making them less expensive and more efficient.

Latimers expertise had become well known, and he was sought after to continue to improve on incandescent lighting as well as arc lighting. As more major cities began wiring their roadways for electric lighting, Latimer was selected to lead several planning teams. He helped install the first electric plants in Philadelphia, New York City, and Montreal. He also oversaw the installation of lighting in railroad stations, government buildings, and major thoroughfares in Canada, New England, and London.

Latimer was in charge of setting up an incandescent lamp department for the Maxim-Weston Electric Light Company in London. As part of this role, he supervised the production of his own invention of carbon filaments. Yet it was in London that Latimer suffered some of the greatest discrimination he faced during his career because English businessmen there were not usedor receptiveto being directed by a Black man.

Latimer started working for Edison in 1884 and became involved in Edison's infringement lawsuits. He worked in the legal department of the Edison Electric Light Co. as the chief drafter and patent specialist. He drafted sketches and documents related to Edison patents, looked over plants in search of patent infringements, carried out patent searches, and testified in court on Edisons behalf. More often than not, Latimer's expert testimony helped Edison win his legal patent court fightsin such high esteem did the courts hold Latimer's testimony. Latimer's deep knowledge of both patents and electrical engineering made Latimer an indispensable partner to Edison as he promoted and defended his light bulb design. In 1890, Latimer published a book entitled Incandescent Electric Lighting: A Practical Description of the Edison System. He continued to work as a patent consultant until 1922.

Despite racism and discrimination and with unequal access to education and opportunity, Latimer played a major role in the development of two products that greatly impacted the lives of Americans: the light bulb and the telephone. The fact that he was a Black American born in the 19th century made his many successes even more impressive. Latimer died on Dec. 11, 1928, in the Flushing neighborhood of Queens, New York.

On Nov. 9, 1929, Latimer was among the figures honored at the "Light's Golden Jubilee," an event celebrating the 50th anniversary of Edison's invention of the light bulb, held in Dearborn, Michigan. Yet in 1954, at an event marking the 75th anniversary of the invention of the light bulb, "no mention was made of the role played by Lewis Latimer," wrote Louis Haber in his book, "Black Pioneers of Science and Invention," who added, "Was the only black member of the Edison Pioneers already forgotten?" No reason has been given for Latimer's exclusion from the 75th-anniversary event, but the occasion did take place during the Jim Crow era, a period when federal, state, and local laws barred Black Americans from being full citizens.

Latimer was honored on May 10, 1968, when a public school in Brooklyn, New Yorknow known as the PS 56 Lewis Latimer Schoolwas dedicated in his honor.

BLACK HISTORY IS AMERICAN HISTORY!

By: U.S. Marine Corps Major Larry Black
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The main purpose of the trial is to ensure that the efficacy of the erectile dysfunction gel does not wear off after more than three months of use.

( ) agreed with the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on the protocol for a small confirmatory clinical study of MED3000.

The study, dubbed FM71, will be conducted prior to formal regulatory submission for MED3000, Futuras erectile dysfunction gel, as a DeNovo Medical Device.

Detailed planning for the commencement of FM71 has now begun with the first patient dosing expected in the second half of 2021.

Futura said FM71 is designed to provide supplementary efficacy data to the previously reported FM57 study with a "least burdensome" approach and modest cost. While the overall design is similar to that of the previous large phase 3 FM57 study that recruited about 1,000 patients, no placebo cohort is required, hence the study is relatively smaller in size with about 100 patients.

This study will last six months whereas FM57 lasted three months. The idea is to reassure the FDA that the efficacy does not diminish over a longer period of time.

Futura is confident that reduced efficacy is unlikely as the FM57 study showed efficacy improved from the first to the third month of patient use.

The company has agreed with the FDA to include tadalafil  better known to your email spam filter as Cialis  at the lowest approved dose for on-demand use (5mg) for comparative purposes only on safety, speed of onset and efficacy; non-inferiority is not required to be shown.

The co-ordinating principal investigator on the study will be Professor Arthur Burnett, who expressed his pleasure in being able to support Futura Medical in the further clinical investigation of the companys flagship asset.

"In my humble opinion and as an expert in the field of erectile dysfunction management, I am very supportive of MED3000 and do believe that it offers an important and valid addition to the armamentarium of treatments we can offer our patients for erectile dysfunction, Burnett said.

James Barder, the chief executive of Futura, said the company was glad to have reached an agreement with the FDA on the clinical trial protocol, which is similar to agreements reached in Europe and China & the south-east Asia region.

These key milestones are indicative of the rapid progress we have made in the last few months on our journey to fully commercialise MED3000, Barder said.

Liberum Capital Markets, which has a buy rating and a 68p target price for the shares, said the minutes from Futura's meetings with the FDA "provide a clear pathway for Futura to start work on a small confirmatory study".

The US opportunity is worth at least twice that of the European opportunity where Futura received confirmation of approval (due by the end of May) last Friday. Todays announcement removes the uncertainty around the clinical trial structure for the US and adds to the significant momentum at Futura, the broker said.

Shares in Futura were the best performers in London on Monday, soaring 67% to 77p.

--- adds broker comment and share price reaction ---
The Mamprusis Community in the USA has congratulated their fellow native, Hajia Alima Mahama as Ghanas new ambassador to the United States.



The group in a statement signed by its President, Prince-Kamal Gumah said they are a delight with the presidents choice.



The Chiefs and elders of the Mamprugu community wish to thank His Excellency the President Nana Addo D. Akuffour for choosing their own for this extract ordinary position, we say thank you to Mr President, the statement read



President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo will soon be announcing former Minister of Rural Development Hajia Alima Mahama as the nations new Ambassador to the United States.

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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In late February, I walked into a Bigfoot trap in Siskiyou National Forest a few miles north of the California border with Oregon. It seemed amazing that people went to the trouble of building the large wooden structure with a metal trap door, now permanently held open by some cables. Posing for a photo inside pretending to be an oversized cryptid, I raised my own overly large foot for effect.

Its hard to take Bigfoot seriously, considering that if the hairy, smelly bipeds were real, wed likely have proven that by now. Scientists would have found and studied a bone, a body or DNA samples of some kind. Hikers would have snapped a million iPhone photos and videos. Drones would have filmed a reality show at Bigfoots place of residence.

But lately Ive been noticing that a lot of people around me, otherwise reasonable people, are convinced Bigfoot is real. Thats because about a year ago I moved to Arcata  a veritable epicenter of Sasquatch sightings  where Bigfoot-themed businesses, adornments and paraphernalia are commonplace and undoubtedly a tourist draw and economic boon to the area.

A scrap metal Bigfoot sculpture stands on a walking path in my town. Bigfoot erotica is an actual thing, and a new documentary that comes out in April claims Bigfoot is 1) real, and 2) might have violently killed some Humboldt weed trimmers.

The sheer concept of Bigfoot is fascinating, which is why I hiked to that trap, and why, when a friend recently mentioned an Intro to Bigfoot Studies online class with an instructor from Humboldt State Universitys Osher Lifelong Learning Institute, that seemed like fun.

Heres something not fun: having to question your own grip on reality.

And actually, thats part of why some people have a tough time acknowledging the possibility Bigfoot could be real, according to course instructor Steven Saint Thomas. It's a natural human tendency to want to be comfortable, Thomas says. So information that makes you uncomfortable is information you prefer to ignore.

Thomas is a journalist and former editor of six community newspapers in San Diego. Hes been writing magazines and newspaper articles for places like Time Magazine and the Denver Post for the better part of three decades. Back in the 70s while he was in journalism school at Northwestern University, he had what he calls an impactful encounter with J. Allen Hynek, the chair of the schools astronomy department. Hynek founded the Center for UFO Studies and although he started out a skeptic, he eventually became convinced that some UFO sightings could not be explained.

[Hynek] asked the question, can UFO phenomenon really be studied in a neutral, scientific way, Thomas said during his introduction to the class. The answer for him was yes, it can be. You can study UFOs as an astronomer and not be some kind of lunatic. And this, I think, also applies to Bigfoot.

There were seven students in Monday nights Zoom class, which sold tickets through Eventbrite. And although this class was not affiliated with HSU, Thomas also teaches the same one through OLLI, the universitys extended learning program for adults 50 and up.

To get a sense for where the class stood, Thomas asked each of us whether we had encountered a Bigfoot or knew anyone who had. Most of us didnt have any personal experiences, but one student who asked to be called The Captain, and who was smoking a pipe, did. He said one time he and his wife and another couple were river rafting at night during a full moon out near Willow Creek  widely regarded as the worlds Bigfoot capital  when some giant boulders got tossed into the water near them. Classic Bigfoot, wed later learn.

It raised a lot of curiosity, The Captain said.

Thomas then kicked things off by explaining how he approaches investigations. The job of a journalist, he said, is to find out the facts from credible sources and see where it all converges into a narrative. If many sources are saying similar things over a long time period, thats worth a journalists consideration.

When Thomas first moved to Humboldt three years ago, he got himself a copy of The Hoopa Project, a chronicle of three years of Bigfoot research conducted by former police investigator David Paulides. Paulides interviewed people living on or around the Hoopa Indian Reservation  which is about an hour northeast of Arcata  asking questions as if conducting a police investigation. He also had all 45 people interviewed sign affidavits swearing their testimonies were true and brought in a forensic sketch artist to create likenesses of the Bigfoots.

To Thomas, the similarities in the drawings and accounts are striking. For the most part, witnesses describe a large, tall creature with no ears, a flat face, broad shoulders and long limbs. In report after report, people say Bigfoot doesnt have a neck, Thomas said, and they say that when the creature turns, its head turns with its shoulders. Descriptions of how the sasquatchs move are also consistent  they cross the road in giant strides. Lots of accounts include high-pitched shrieks and rock-throwing.

So you're not the only one, Thomas told the Captain. Its been a very common occurrence in Bigfoot sightings, especially in Hoopa, where a boulder suddenly comes flying out of the forest and usually lands in a body of water. It never hits anybody.

From there, Thomas went through the history of Bigfoot chronologically.

Tribal stories and pictographs on caves of what many call the hairy man date back millennia, and Thomas showed us photographs created on the Tule Indian Reservation east of Porterville in Central California. In 1840, a diary entry from a Protestant missionary mentioned a race of giants known by the Spokane Indians to steal salmon and throw stones, and to have large feet and an intolerable smell. Other wild and cannibalistic men were reportedly living on the peak of Mount St. Helens around the same time, and in the 1920s, some Canadian newspaper articles described a race of giant hairy men that local indigenous people referred to as Sasqets, which became sasquatchs.

In 1940, Bigfoot entered the vernacular in a newspaper article published in Inyo County about some miners who encountered oversized footprints sometime around the 1860s. A TV and radio writer named Ruth Woodman found the article and copied it into her notes, which Thomas showed us, and which became fodder for a show about the Old West called Death Valley Days. But the article is important, Thomas said, because it shows that the dimensions of the footprints are relatively consistent with later reports, and the location isnt so far from the Tule Indian Reservation.

Measurement showed the foot to be 18 inches long with a breadth at the toes of six inches, Thomas read from Woodmans notes. The stride was about six feet and it was apparent that the steps were made while walking and not running.

Death Valley Days fictionalized the Bigfoot story and introduced a hoax plot twist, and was aired on television in 1956, Thomas told us. Two years later Bigfoot became a worldwide sensation after sasquatch footprints were discovered by a crew building a logging road in Six Rivers National Forest, and their equipment was vandalized. The incident was later revealed to be a hoax when retired logger Ray Wallace confessed to his children on his deathbed that he made the prints, and a story about that was published in the Seattle Times and then other newspapers. But Thomas takes issue with that.

It's a one-source story, which says, okay, I sat there and I interviewed a guy. Here's what he said. It must be true, Thomas said. The writer did not attempt to verify in any way, whether Wallace was lying then or lying before.

Inarguably, many Bigfoot hoaxes were to follow, to the point where the legend itself is often written off as a kind of hoax tradition. Heres the thing about the hoaxes, though, Thomas said  they dont actually disprove the existence of Bigfoot.

And heres what many Bigfoot enthusiasts do think proves the existence of the creature: the Patterson-Gimlin film. It was shot by two cowboys near Bluff Creek in 1967, capturing what appears to be a female Bigfoot striding across the forest, turning toward the camera in what has become an iconic stance, and disappearing forever.

Critics say its just a man in an ape suit, and indeed one man has claimed he was the one wearing it. But for more than 50 years, the film has stood up to careful scrutiny, defying the explanation of scientists, forensic analysts, Hollywood special effects experts and costume designers.

Bigfoot researchers say you can see Pattys trapezius, deltoid and triceps. Her shoulder blades move up and down, they say, and her trailing leg shows flexibility in the mid part of the foot. Thomas showed us the film, and Ive now watched it many more times since. Truly, it boggles the mind.

If it's a guy in a suit, the Patterson-Gimlin film is one of the great hoaxes of all time. If it's not, that would completely upend everything we understand about apes and evolution, said a narrator in an Oregon Public Broadcasting short film Thomas played for us. Either way, the Patterson-Gimlin film turned the Northwest local legend into a global icon. And it's interesting because it reminds us there's some things in the world we can never know for sure.

Other resources shared in the class included a video interview with Marlette Grant-Jackson, an HSU resource coordinator and academic advisor who grew up on the Hoopa Reservation and encountered Bigfoot. Thomas also presented us with a Sasquatch Field Guide created by Jeff Meldrum, the anatomy and anthropology professor at Idaho State University known for taking Bigfoot seriously.

Late in the class, Bigfoot buff and film location manager Rowdy Kelley joined the Zoom and spoke a bit about the Bluff Creek Project, a group of enthusiasts who rediscovered the Patterson-Gimlin film site around a decade ago and started doing research there, putting up game cameras that have captured thousands of cougars and bears and even the Humboldt marten, a woodland mammal previously thought extinct.

Of course we haven't gotten Bigfoot cause you guys would hear about it, Kelley said.

Kelley also makes Bigfoot films and has investigated numerous claims of Bigfoot encounters, which has given him some insight into which accounts are credible. Sometimes people arent very familiar with the woods, and are inclined to think everything that moves is a Bigfoot. Others are just very anxious to see one, and theres a self-fulfilling prophecy. Bears are often mistaken for Bigfoot, as are people wearing dark colors and wandering the forest.

I interviewed a lot of people, and I would say a majority of those people I believe, because they sounded sincere, Kelley said. They had good heads on their shoulders. They werent out-of-step characters or trying to get attention.

There was actually a Bigfoot sighting in southern Humboldt about a month ago by a retired law enforcement officer, Kelley said, and its under investigation. In addition to handling things like that, the Bluff Creek Project also has summer plans to replicate the original footage with the same kind of camera and film. In June and July there will be trips to the site, and Kelley invited me and Thomas to tag along. We accepted.

There was a whole lot more discussed in the class, and in working on this story, I was confronted with an unthinkable volume of information on the subject of Bigfoot. Truly wrapping ones head around the complicated legend would take years, which I didnt have. The only thing I knew for certain at the end of my research is that a lot of people want Bigfoot to exist, including Jane Goodall, and Im also one of them.

A few days later, Thomas and I met for coffee and he told me about how he thinks HSU or even the guys from the Bluff Creek Project should start a center dedicated to Bigfoot, just like Hynek had with UFOS. It could have a kitschy kind of aspect to it, with a bunch of Bigfoot gear, he said, but it would also be a place where you actually have some of this evidence, and people could come in to ask questions and talk.

It perplexes Thomas that no serious study of Bigfoot has ever been launched by any university, he told me. Just before we parted ways, I gave in to the urge to ask him what felt like a stupid question, but I couldnt help myself. Did he believe in Bigfoot?

Belief is a weird concept, he said. What does it even mean to believe something?

To me believing in Bigfoot is like saying, I believe Bigfoot is out there and everybody who doesnt is wrong, he said. I think that Bigfoot being out there is a possibility. Or maybe its even probable. I dont know. But I dont consider myself a believer or a non-believer.

Editors note: This story was updated at 2:04 p.m., March 20, to correct the names of Ruth Woodman and Ray Wallace, and to correctly attribute a quote about the Patterson-Gimlin footage to the narrator of short film created by Oregon Public Broadcasting.

Women are raving about a facial serum that promises to almost 'instantly' brighten your complexion, making skin look years younger.

The $55 'Skin-Brightening Serum', from Australian beauty brand Mecca, is packed with powerful ingredients such as ferulic, licorice root extract and vitamins C and E which help to strengthen the skin's barrier and reduce signs of ageing.

Customers have lavished praise on the serum in dozens of five-star reviews, with many hailing it the most affordable alternative to cult skincare products from expensive designer brands such as Drunk Elephant and La Mer.

Many said their dull, lacklustre skin has developed a radiant glow after applying it to their face, neck and decolletage once daily for just one week.

Women are raving about a $55 facial serum (pictured) that claims to 'instantly' brighten your complexion, making skin look years younger

Customers have lavished praise on the serum in dozens of five-star reviews, with many hailing it the most affordable alternative to cult skincare products from expensive designer brands such as Drunk Elephant and La Mer

'I bought this about four weeks ago and I am loving it,' one woman wrote.

'Great price point and I have already noticed a big increase in the brightness and dewiness of my skin. Will continue to use in my routine!'

A second, who wears the serum daily under sunscreen, said she has noticed a difference in her skin after just two weeks of use.

'It's super light and dries to the touch quite quickly. I notice I look a little "glowy" mid to end of day, but it's not an oil shine, more so a glow,' she wrote.

'I've been complimented on my skin lately too - I think it's working!'

But while the serum is advertised as 'fragrance-free', some complained they noticed an unpleasant odour when they were applying it to their skin.

The oil (pictured) - which is designed to be applied to the face, neck and decolletage once daily - has received rave reviews from customers and Mecca's in-house experts alike

Many said their dull, lacklustre skin has developed a radiant glow after applying it daily for just one week

'All the Mecca Cosmetica lines have been amazing so far, but unfortunately this one smells like chip fat,' said one woman, while a second added: 'It doesn't smell very nice.'

A third said: 'It does have a funny smell, but once I have applied the rest of my skincare I can't smell it anymore, and I think the benefits are worth it regardless of the smell!'

A product description on the brand's website warns users may notice a 'distinct scent', which is the result of mixing pure vitamin C with ferulic acid.

It certainly contains all the right ingredients, with vitamin C to promote collagen production - which strengthens skin, reduces the severity of fine lines and protects against harmful UV rays - and ferulic acid, to lessen the appearance of sun spots.

Mecca beauty writers say the 'powerhouse' serum (pictured) is the ideal addition to your everyday skincare routine, describing it as 'great skin in every drop

There's also lashings of licorice root extract, which has been linked to a reduction in pigmentation, and vitamin E, a wonder product that smooths, moisturises and protects skin from pollution, leaving complexions youthful and radiant.

Other ingredients include citric acid, a gentle exfoliant that cleans pores and evens skin tone, and aloe vera extract which calms irritation.

For best results the serum, which is available online and in stores across Australia, should be patted onto skin before moisturiser and sunscreen every morning.

Mecca beauty writers say the 'powerhouse' serum is the ideal addition to your everyday skincare routine, describing it as 'great skin in every drop'.
Gunmen on motorcycles have attacked a series of villages near Niger's troubled border with Mali, leaving at least 137 people dead in the deadliest violence to strike the African country in recent memory.

The latest village massacres come amid a dangerous escalation in attacks following the election of Niger's new president, Mohamed Bazoum, several weeks ago.

Government spokesman Abdourahmane Zakaria confirmed the latest killings took place on Sunday, the same day Niger's Constitutional Court officially declared Mr Bazoum as the winner of February's election.

He is due to take office on April 2 amid a rapidly deteriorating situation in Niger, long destabilised by the Islamic insurgency in neighbouring Mali.

In January, at least 100 people were killed in the western villages of Tchombangou and Zaroumdareye, the same day that Niger announced the presidential election would go to a second round on February 21.

Another wave of attacks less than a week ago killed at least 66 others.

There have been no claims of responsibility for the recent attacks on villages in Niger, although Islamic extremists rarely say they are behind violence when it kills civilians.

Niger and neighbouring Burkina Faso and Mali are battling the spread of deadly extremist violence, including from the Islamic State group and al-Qaeda, which has killed thousands of people and displaced hundreds of thousands despite the presence of thousands of regional and international troops.

Not only are jihadis active in the Tillaberi region, but the counterterrorism offensives against those extremists have helped give rise to ethnic militias, analysts say.

Intercommunal tensions have been exacerbated as a result, particularly near the border between Mali and Niger.
By Juliet Nalwooga

Police in Kampala have arrested 56 candidates from Lubiri Secondary School after they rioted last evening over an alleged assault on some of their colleagues by a teacher.

Addressing journalists, the deputy metropolitan Kampala police spokesperson Luke Owoyesigyire noted that some of the students have however been released on police bond and allowed to sit for their examinations.

He says upon interrogation, the students said that they were protesting assault meted on their female colleagues by a teacher identified as Benjamin Mulondo who is currently on the run.

The assaulted students include Brenda Nakayaga and a one Shamim Nalubega whom the suspect allegedly canned for unknown reasons.

Police say they have preferred charges of malicious damage against the students since a lot of property at school and neighboring areas was destroyed during the riot.

The arrested students are being held at Old Kampala and Lungujja police stations as investigations into the matter continue.
About Winter/Spring 2021 Summit Plug and Play Japan carried out their Winter/Spring 2021 Batch from December 2020 through March 2021 across 7 verticals which are IoT, Fintech, Insurtech, Mobility, Brand & Retail, Health, and Smart Cities. With 42 official corporate partners of Plug and Play Japan, they selected 103 Japanese and international startups, and 100 startups showcased their results of their 3-month programs to potential investors as well as business leaders and community.

Also, 26 awards went to the startups and corporate partners which collected the largest number of votes from the audience, celebrating their achievements and involvement to accelerate innovation and co-creation between startups and enterprises.

EXPO Startup Award

The multi-day Summit is split up into individual "EXPOs," where startups from each vertical pitch during that section. The startup that earns the largest number of votes from the audience during each EXPO receives an award. Award winners acquire the opportunity to give their pitches in front of venture capitals and international corporates at Plug and Play global offices. The EXPO Winners are listed below.

*The reward for this year is under consideration.

Brand & Retail

International Startup

Company: PICKL Inc.

Representative : CEO Ossie Cohen

Address: 65 Pine Ave Suite 117, Long Beach, CA 90802, United States

Business: Cloud sourcing for brands and retailers to gather product data from everyday shoppers.

HP: https://www.pickl.xyz/

Japanese Startup

Company: Flora Co., Ltd

Representative: CEO Anna Kreshchenko

Address: 32 Yoshidatachibana-cho, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto Japan

Business: Bringing cutting-edge technological solutions to prenatal care.

HP https://floramaternity.com/ecompany

Mobility

International Startup

Company: Anagog Ltd.

Representative: CEO Ofer Tziperman

Address: 52 Derech Menachem Begin Sonol Tower Floor 6 Tel Aviv, 6713701 Israel

Business: Developing customer-understanding solutions utilizing location intelligence and business analytics.

HP: https://www.anagog.com/

Japanese Startup

Company: AZAPA Co., Ltd.

Representative: Company President Seiji Takeuchi

Address: ORE Nishiki 2-chome Bldg. 2F, Nishiki 2-4-15, Naka City, Nagoya, Aichi Japan

Business: Interpretation of human emotions from biodata and activity records and converting it into services.

HP: https://www.project-olive.info/

Fintech

International Startup

Company: SESAMm SAS

Representative: Co-Founder and CEO Sylvain Forte

Address: 16 Rue de la Grange Bateliere, Paris France

Business: Analyzes big data and provides Machine Learning tools to build investment strategies.

HP: https://www.sesamm.com/

Japanese Startup

Company: Civitas, Inc.

Representative: Founder and CEO Masahiro Morishita

Address: Otemachi Building 4F FINOLAB, Otemachi 1-6-1, Chiyoda City, Tokyo Japan

Business: Blockchain based legal platform providing smart contract and ODR systems.

HP https://www.civitas.co.jp/

Company: REASE Inc.

Representative: CEO and Founder Yasunori Nakamichi

Address: Nishishinjuku 7-9-16 6F, Shinjuku City, Tokyo Japan

Business: Leasing credit service and AI credit scoring engine.

HP: https://rease.co.jp/

Insurtech

International Startup

Company: dacadoo AG, corporation

Representative: Founder, Chairman, President and CEO Peter Ohnemus

Address: Othmarstrasse 8, 8008 Zurich, Switzerland

Business: Measuring personalized health and risk evaluation.

HP: https://www.dacadoo.com/

Japanese Startup

Company: SELF, Inc.

Representative: CEO Shinji Nukumi

Representative: Nishishinjuku 6-15-1 6F, Shinjuku City, Tokyo Japan

Business: Providing personalized customer support to contribute to sales.

HP: https://selfmind.ai/

IoT

International Startup

Company: Origin Wireless, Inc.

Representative: CEO Ray Liu

Address: 500 Greenway Center DrGreenbelt, Maryland United States

Business: Wireless AI algorithm that detects indoor human & object movements.

HP http://www.originwirelessai.com

Japanese Startup

Company: PID, Inc.

Representative: Co-Founder and CEO Shiro Shimada

Address: Shinbashi 3-16-12 Yokoyama Bldg. 2F, Minato City, Tokyo Japan

Business: Multilingual communication support SaaS "Dicon" for real estate facility owners & residents.

HP: https://pid-corp.jp/

Health

International Startup

Company: Freer Logic Inc.

Representative: CEO Peter Freer

Address: P.O. Box 2147, Skyland, North Carolina, 28776

Business: Developing neural technology for automobiles, home appliances and training.

HP: http://freerlogic.com/

Japanese Startup

Company: Liquid Mine, Inc.

Representative:President and CEO Tomokazu Kishimoto , Founder and Representative Director and Doctor Kanya Kondo

Address: Shirokanedai 4-2-10-1101, Minato-city, Tokyo Japan

Business: Providing liquid biopsy for leukemia.

HP: http://www.liquidmine.co.jp/index.html

Smart Cities

International Startup

Company: Navmatic Inc.

Representative: Co-founder and CEO Boaz Mamo

Address: 550 California Ave, Palo Alto, California United States

Business: Provides a highly precise GPS solution for micromobility

HP: https://www.navmatic.io/

Japanese Startup

Company: otetsutabi, Inc.

RepresentativeCEO Rina Nagaoka

Address: Jingumae 5-53-67, Shiuya-city, Tokyo Japan

Business: Provides a platform that connects users to volunteer opportunities in travel destinations

HP: https://otetsutabi.com/

Corporate Innovation Award

Corporate Innovation Awards were given to the corporate partners who have passionately engaged with Plug and Play Japan's Winter/Spring 2021 Batch accelerator program from constructing the program to operating itself.

Company: Aisin Group

Company: OBAYASHI CORPORATION

Company: Coca-Cola(Japan)Company, Limited

Ecosystem Builder Award

Ecosystem Builder Awards were given to the Champions who were the most dedicated to build the startup ecosystem in Japan to speed up the innovation during the Winter/Spring 2021 Batch.

Company: The Dai-ichi Life Insurance Company, Limited, Naho Yoshimura

Company: TOSHIBA CORPORATION, Hiroyuki Aizawa

Startup Friendly Award

Startup Friendly Awards were given to the following partners in honor of being friendly to startups in the process of their meetings/collaborative projects. The award goes to the corporate partners on each vertical that gain the largest number of votes from startups selected in Winter/Spring 2021 Batch.

Brand & Retail

Company: Asahi Group Holdings, Ltd.

Mobility

Company: Tokio Marine & Nichido Fire Insurance Co., Ltd.

Fintech

Company: ORIX Corporation

Insurtech

Company: The Dai-ichi Life Insurance Company, Limited

IoT

Company: Mitsubishi Electric Corporation

Health

Company: SHIMADZU CORPORATION

Smart Cities

Company: DENTSU INC.

About the accelerator program in Plug and Play Japan

Plug and Play Japan provides accelerator programs across 7 verticals (IoT, Fintech, Insurtech, Mobility, Brand & Retail, Health, and Smart Cities). Their newest program, New Materials, was launched and will start in Spring/Fall 2021 Batch. While closely working with their official corporate partners, Plug and Play Japan supports startups in Japan and overseas to scale up their businesses and to enhance the co-creation with enterprises as well.

Summit is the final step on the accelerator program, giving pitches about their results from the program, and it is one of the great opportunities for the audience to meet cutting-edge technology ideas and new business partners.

About Plug and Play

Plug and Play is a global innovation platform. Headquartered in Silicon Valley, we have built accelerator programs, corporate innovation services, and an in-house VC to make technological advancement progress faster than ever before. Since inception in 2006, our programs have expanded worldwide to include a presence in over 18 countries with 30 locations globally, giving startups the necessary resources to succeed in Silicon Valley and beyond. With over 30,000 startups and 500+ official corporate partners, we have created the ultimate startup ecosystem in many industries. Companies in our community have raised over $9 billion in funding, with successful portfolio exits including Danger, Dropbox, Lending Club and PayPal.

For more information, visit https://www.plugandplaytechcenter.com/

Company Overview

CompanyPlug and Play Japan KK

Founded: 2017/7/14

AddressShibuya Center Place 3F 1-16-3, Dogenzaka, Shibuya, Tokyo, Japan

RepresentativePhillip Vicent

URL http://japan.plugandplaytechcenter.com/

Inquiry regarding this Press Release

Plug and Play Japan KK

The person in charge: Megumi Shoei

TEL : 050-5474-2808 / Mail : [email protected]

SOURCE Plug and Play

Related Links

http://japan.plugandplaytechcenter.com


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On Thursday, delegations headed by Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Chinese diplomat Yang Jiechi met at the Captain Cook Hotel in Anchorage. It was the first such meeting of the Biden administration. There were both public and private sessions. The parties agreed that the public session would begin with a two-minute statement by each. Blinken spoke for two minutes, after which Yang contemptuously ignored the agreed-upon protocol and delivered
WASHINGTON, March 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- A major Israeli human rights organization has declared apartheid is rampant both inside Israel and in the territories Israel occupies.

The web-based conference " End US Support for Israeli Apartheid ?" considers whether the United States should now cut off aid to Israel, or make any such future assistance conditional on negotiation of a genuine peace settlement, respect for Palestinian human rights, and adherence to international law.

IsraelApartheidCon is solely sponsored by the American Educational Trust, publisher of the Washington Report on Middle East Affairs, and the Institute for Research: Middle Eastern Policy ( IRmep ).

Wrapping around the annual meeting of the Israel lobby group J Street, IsraelApartheidCon will address U.S. financial support of Israel, the strengths and weaknesses of "liberal" lobby groups like J Street, prospects for a one- or two-state solution, and the progress of free speech organizations, the BDS (boycott, divestment and sanctions) movement and other forms of resistance, including solidarity between Palestinian activism and the Black Lives Matter movement.

While Congress wrangles over modest emergency pandemic relief for Americans, it obediently gives the nation of Israel $3.8 billion annuallyand even more covert aidwith barely a whisper of debate.

Any member of Congress who might question Washington's annual subsidy for Israeli militarization knows that he or she will incur the wrath of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) and other Israel lobby groups.

The lobby patrols the Congress to ensure that Israel, a small country of some nine million people, remains by far the largest recipient of U.S. foreign assistance since World War II. U.S. aid enables Israeli apartheid, new settlements in illegally occupied territories and ongoing violent repression of Palestinians.

Meanwhile, American citizens who question illegal Israeli policies and engage in nonviolent protest movements such as BDS are accused of being anti-Semites, and their free speech rights threatened.

Join us online to hear expert speakers discuss how Americans can push back against costly and harmful Israel lobby programs and corruption. View upcoming speaker announcements at www.IsraelApartheidCon.org and register online at Eventbrite .

IsraelApartheidCon does not replace or substitute the rescheduled conference " Transcending the Israel Lobby at Home & Abroad " to be held at the National Press Club on March 2 and 3, 2022. 2022 conference speaker information and tickets are available at https://IsraelLobbyCon.org/2022-conference .

SOURCE Institute for Research: Middle Eastern Policy

Related Links

www.irmep.org


Why Christian Porter May Lose His Defamation Case

Commentary

Australias Attorney-General Christian Porter is seeking aggravated damages against the ABCAustralias state-owned broadcasterover a story written by journalist Louise Milligan.

It starts as follows: Australian Federal Police have been notified of a letter sent to Prime Minister Scott Morrison detailing an alleged historical rape by a cabinet minister in the federal government.

The story refers to what may have happened as an allegation only. It does not affirm that it certainly happened and it does not name Porter.

And yet, the attorney-general came forward in a press conference held on March 3, as the cabinet minister accused of rape, saying the things that are being claimed did not happen.

Porter explained that he was deeply sorry the media had made these horrible accusationsthat 33 years ago, when he was a 17-old student, he allegedly raped a female colleague while attending a debating competition. The attorney-general above all strenuously denied that such an alleged event ever happened.

Attorney-General Christian Porter speaks during a media conference in Perth, Australia, on March 3, 2021. (Paul Kane/Getty Images)

To initiate this lawsuit, Porter is funding a powerhouse legal team: barristers Sue Chrysanthou SC, Bret Walker SC (considered one of Australias top court advocates and legal strategists), and solicitor Rebekah Giles.

Their statement of claim lodged in the Federal Court in Sydney contends that Porters character and reputation was gravely injured. He is seeking aggravated damages, costs, and removal of the article and related material on the web.

The statement of claim is designed to force the defendantsMilligan and the ABCto give up and settle, or take on the challenge of running an expensive rape case on the balance of probabilities.

The ABC clearly wants to have a fight and it is engaging Justin Gleeson SC to lead its defence. This is not the first time Gleeson is involved in a dispute with an attorney-general. In 2016, he quit as federal solicitor-general after a disagreement with Porters predecessor, George Brandis.

Melbourne defamation barrister Renee Enborm QC and Sydney barrister Clarrisa Amato will also act for the ABC.

The defamation action promises to be a challenging case. It will rest primarily on whether a casual reader, and not a highly politicised person, would know beyond any doubt that the unnamed cabinet minister was actually the attorney-general.

In other words, Porters lawyers will have to demonstrate that he was easily identifiable to many Australians as the subject of the allegations.

If the case ends up before court, it will be heard by Federal Justice Jayne Jagot. She was allocated to the case by Chief Justice James Allsop in consultation with the courts principal registrar, the national operations registrar, and its national consulting team of judges.

The outside of the Supreme Court of New South Wales building is seen in Sydney, Australia, on Oct. 9, 2013. (William West/AFP via Getty Images)

Jagot was appointed to the federal court by the Rudd government in 2008 and passed over for promotion to the High Court by Porter, to the surprise and disappointment of many around the Sydney courts. She recently dismissed a high-profile defamation case brought by Chrysanthou and Giles on behalf of two doctors from Sydneys notorious Chelmsford psychiatric hospital.

There is a serious risk that Porter will actually lose his defamation case. He is suing for defamation and so the matter is not criminal. That being so, his case is quite similar to the one involving Father John Fleming, a Catholic priest living in retirement in South Australia.

One may argue that after the Fleming case, the burden of proof relating to evidence can no longer be called when a judge simply prefers the uncorroborated narrative offered by the accuser, often in the face of evidence that powerfully contradicts his or her version of events.

John Fleming is a retired Catholic priest living in South Australia. He has been an eminent, widely published scholar with an international reputation in the field of bioethics. He was the inaugural president of Campion College, Australias highly regarded liberal arts institution located in Western Sydney.

However, Flemings career, reputation, financial security, and family life were all but destroyed when, in 2008, the local Adelaide paper, The Sunday Mail, ran a series of allegations made by journalist Nigel Hunt against Fleming related to the historic sexual abuse of a minor.

These allegations were previously examined and dismissed by police in South Australia, casting extreme doubt on their veracity.

Fleming subsequently sued The Sunday Mail for defamation, and the case was heard in 2014. The newspaper fought the action on the basis that the allegations it had published were true.

When Judge Grays judgement finally appeared in early 2016, Flemings defamation case was dismissed, the judge having accepted as truthful the stories published by The Sunday Mail against him.

Perhaps the judge in that case was swept up in the emerging ideology of always believe the victim. Of course, this does not exonerate him of the charge that he failed to give proper consideration to all the evidence and all the witnesses before coming to a judgement.

Fleming then appealed the decision, unsuccessfully, to the full South Australian Supreme Court and finally, also unsuccessfully, to the High Court of Australiathe highest court in the country.

Where does this travesty of justice leave a possible outcome in Christian Porters defamation lawsuit?

The outstanding legal issues surrounding the Fleming case constitute a dangerous precedent.

It is a notorious case concerning the overturning of the presumption of innocence and the standard of proof in civil cases. Even though it was Fleming who initiated the civil action here, it turns out that he was the one really in the dock.

Until the new standard in lawwhere the onus of proof now rests on the accused in historical sex abuse casesis changed, no one accused of such crimes will stand a chance.

After all, it is extremely difficult to prove a person did nothing wrong in the distant past, where exculpatory evidence is hard to come by, where witnesses may be no longer available, and where written records that otherwise might prove valuable to the case may no longer be at hand.

Regardless of the outcome of Porters case, there will be no final vindication, no reversal of the calumnies nor of the pain.

As noted by law professor Gabriel A. Moens AM, a former colleague of Porter at Curtin School of Law, The long term consequences of this ongoing saga are predictable: a saga without winners and with many losers, especially if it results in the further erosion and demeaning of the rule of law.

I certainly agree with him.

Dr. Augusto Zimmermann is professor and head of law at Sheridan Institute of Higher Education in Perth. He is also president of the Western Australian Legal Theory Association, editor-in-chief of the Western Australian Jurist law journal, and a former law reform commissioner in Western Australia.

Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.
Cruinniu na nOg 2021 - the national day of creativity for children and young people - will take place on Saturday 12th June this year. The model is similar to Culture Night except that events are held during the day, and focused on providing children and young people with opportunities to explore their creativity.

This year as well as inviting individual organisations that are interested in developing events to submit applications, Leitrim County Council is also welcoming collectives or combinations of childrens groups, youth organisations, arts centres, heritage, environmental or educational organizations etc. to coordinate together to allow for wider accessibility and access and to minimize duplication and clashing of events. This could happen in number of ways; perhaps you could create a collaborative project together, or have a programme of different events in your area that take place in several venues. It does not mean that one organization must run all of the events, its about working and linking together to provide the best range of opportunities for young people of all ages in your community.

So if you work with children and young people in a youth club, creche or school, this is a great opportunity to develop something really special. Have a chat with them and see what theyre interested in and develop a plan together ...maybe theyve always wanted to make a film, do some incredible science experiments, or explore their own community in a creative way. If youve got an idea, we can help make it happen. Or if youre a theatre company, arts centre or involved in culture and creativity in some other way and are looking to engage a new young audience, this is a great opportunity to make that happen.

The guiding principle of Cruinniu na nOg is to empower children and young people to develop their creative expression by providing opportunities for them to participate in creative activities in their local area. Events can take all shapes and sizes from visual and performing arts to workshops and adventures in heritage, culture, science or technology. The emphasis though should be on doing, making, creating and to get the best results, children themselves should be consulted and included in creating the programme. All events should be focussed on children and young people (up to 18), and we particularly welcome applications that gives access to groups of children who havent had such opportunities before.

Covid-19

Throughout 2020 the Creative Ireland programme proved to be an invaluable means through which groups and individuals across the county developed innovative approaches to how communities could engage with each other in creative ways. Projects demonstrated how creativity could be a vital lifeline and even an opportunity when faced with unprecedented challenges to try radically new and different things.

For Cruinniu na nOg this year we are likely to be experiencing some level of restrictions to movement and contact. As such projects in this call should take this into consideration and outline how they plan to implement their project in those circumstances. In many instances, projects will be designed specifically to mitigate that isolation felt by young people missing the strong social connections with their peers, and communities that were already experiencing isolation because of a variety of physical, social, cultural, economic or geographic reasons, that have become more acute because of Covid-19.

If you are interested in organising an event we would like to hear from you. Leitrim County Council can provide financial support towards the costs  particularly the costs of hiring artists or other practitioners and the costs of materials, including technology required for working online or additional costs brought on as a consequence of Covid-19. Grants will typically be in the region of 500 to 2,500. While there is no fixed number of awards, there will generally be a larger number of lesser value awards and a small number of higher value ones. Depending on the number of applications received, it may not be possible to fund all applicants and in that case available funding will be allocated to those which best meet the objectives of Leitrim County Councils Culture and Creativity Strategy. While the focus of most events will be on Saturday 12th, some events can also be held the day before for those groups, especially schools, that meet during the week.

CLOSING DATE FOR RECEIPT OF APPLICATIONS: FRIDAY 23rd APRIL

DOWNLOAD EXPRESSION OF INTEREST FORM from this page

Completed application forms must be marked Cruinniu na nOg 2021 and returned before midnight on FRIDAY 23rd APRIL using the file transfer platform www.wetransfer.com to creativeleitrim@gmail.com or by post to Leitrim County Council, Aras an Chontae, Carrick on Shannon, Co. Leitrim.

For further information contact Alice Dixon, Creative Ireland Projects Manager on 071 96 2169
Source: Xinhua| 2021-03-22 19:02:19|Editor: huaxia

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BEIJING, March 22 (Xinhua) -- Xi Jinping, general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, has said that China is willing to work with the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) and other related parties to uphold the political settlement of the Korean Peninsula issue and preserve peace and stability on the peninsula, so as to make new contributions to regional peace, stability, development and prosperity.

Xi made the remarks in an exchange of verbal messages with Kim Jong Un, general secretary of the Workers' Party of Korea of the DPRK. The messages were delivered by Song Tao, minister of the International Department of the CPC Central Committee, and Lee Longnan, DPRK ambassador to China, during their meeting on Monday in Beijing. Enditem
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, March 22)  President Rodrigo Duterte on Monday said the national government cannot be held responsible for whatever adverse effects that may occur from COVID-19 vaccines procured by the private sector.

"Ang gusto ng mga manufacturers...ang private sector ang magbili, ang gobyerno ang mag-assume ng liability. 'Di pwede 'yung ganun. May ano diyan, may malaking butas diyan, actually," Duterte said in a televised meeting with government officials handling the country's COVID-19 response.

[Translation: What the manufacturers want is for the government to assume liability for vaccines bought by the private sector. But it's not possible. There's a huge flaw in that, actually.]

The President said even if they wanted to give businesses that freedom, he does not think such a provision would be legal. He argued that only Congress has that legislative power.

In a separate briefing, Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque said Duterte's remark must not be taken in the wrong context, as the government cannot really be liable if serious side effects were seen due to "willful neglect and gross negligence."

Nakasaad po sa batas natin na bagamat gobyerno ang magbabayad sa [severe] side effects, may exceptions po rito  kung nagkaroon ng willful neglect or gross negligence, Roque said.

[Translation: It is stated in the law that the government cannot pay for indemnity because of willful neglect or gross negligence.]

Less than a month ago, the President signed the COVID-19 Vaccination Program Act of 2021, which allocates 500 million for the indemnification fund to compensate vaccinees who may experience serious side effects or die after inoculation.

The bill he signed in February also offers COVID-19 vaccine manufacturers immunity from lawsuits for claims arising from the inoculation.

Duterte argued the government loses control over the handling of the vaccines once they allow the private sector to take over. He added that the government will not have oversight if the delicate vaccines are mishandled.

"When you assume a liability, you incur something which is beyond your control in the first place," he explained. "Sila ang mag-transport [They will be transporting the vaccines]. Eh kung masira 'yan, apektado [What if problems arise, then the vaccines are affected], mishandling, whatever, there's a host of reasons there."

Vaccine czar Carlito Galvez Jr. reiterated that private sectors and the local government units can only procure their own vaccines for their employees and constituents, respectively, if they enter into a tripartite agreement with the government. He pointed out that some manufacturers will only agree to sell vaccines to the private sector if there is such a provision in the supply deal.

"Nanghihingi po sila ng indemnification in case magkaroon po ng adverse effect," Galvez said. "'Yung responsibility po na 'yun, hindi po natin pwedeng mai-delegate sa private sector or sa LGU (local government unit)."

[Translation: They're requiring indemnification in case there are adverse effects. We cannot delegate that responsibility to the private sector or the LGUs.]

Food and Drug Administration Director General Eric Domingo previously said a tripartite deal is necessary because vaccine manufacturers require that indemnification be covered by the national government before finalizing any procurement deals with any other sector.

It is not yet clear how this will affect already signed supply agreements involving the private sector and local government units. Galvez said around 40 million vaccine doses have so far been purchased under tripartite deals with the national government.Meanwhile, Federation of Filipino Chinese Chambers of Commerce and Industry vice president Cecilio Pedro emphasized that engaging in tripartite agreements with the government is the only way for the private sector to procure COVID-19 vaccines for their workers.

Meanwhile, Federation of Filipino Chinese Chambers of Commerce and Industry vice president Cecilio Pedro emphasized that engaging in tripartite agreements with the government is the only way for the private sector to procure COVID-19 vaccines for their workers.

Pedro explained the Emergency Use Authorization granted to vaccine manufacturers by the Philippine FDA shows the government's innate role in the procurement of vaccines.

"Our role here is to help the government, nothing else. We are not here to challenge the government in procuring these vaccines, but to extend an additional line or avenue for us to help procure vaccines for our employees and people in this country," Pedro told CNN Philippines The Final Word on Tuesday.

Pedro, who owns Lamoiyan Corporation which makes oral care and household products, appealed to the national government to hasten the process in signing the tripartite deals and giving authority to businesses to get a hold of vaccines.

"We are talking to various hospitals and clinics so that just in case the contracts are signed, we are ready to vaccinate our employees immediately, he said.
An epidemic of tax fraud

As President Biden prepares to introduce more government spending plans, the price tag is rising. Economists are busy devising ways to pay for it all  and The Timess editorial board is backing a novel approach that could capture huge amounts of uncollected taxes.

There are hundreds of billions in unreported taxes. A 2019 I.R.S. analysis estimated that Americans reported less than half of all income that wasnt subject to verification like a W-2, meaning that lots of business profits, rent and royalties go untaxed. Thats the largest reason that unpaid federal income taxes may amount to more than $600 billion this year, and more than $7.5 trillion over the next decade.

A new research paper estimates that the top 1 percent of households fail to report about 21 percent of their income, hidden in offshore businesses, partnerships and pass-throughs. There is more revenue than you might have thought at the very top, Daniel Reck of the London School of Economics, the papers lead nongovernment author, told The Wall Street Journal.

Heres a way to capture that unreported income, proposed by Charles Rossotti, a former I.R.S. chief: a new form, drawn from bank account data, that reports inflows and outflows like a 1099 statement. Filers would need to reconcile that information with their individual tax returns. It would have the immediate benefit of scaring people into probity, The Timess editorial board asserts. The proposal wouldnt increase how much anyone owes in taxes, just how much people end up paying.

The White House is already planning to collect more taxes, which may include raising rates on income and capital gains taxes for those earning more than $400,000, as well as levies on companies and expanding the estate tax. Charles Rettig, the commissioner of the I.R.S., also backed calls for more funding for enforcement: It is not just a body count of how many people we have in enforcement. We need to have specialized agents.

Mr. Rossotti, with the economist Larry Summers and the law professor Natasha Sarin, argued in an analysis in November that a $100 billion investment in the I.R.S. over the next decade, for personnel and technology, would allow it to rake in more than $1 trillion in taxes that would otherwise go uncollected.

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HERES WHATS HAPPENING

AstraZenecas vaccine is 79 percent effective, according to new data. The results from a U.S. clinical trial, which also suggest complete protection against severe disease and death and no serious side effects, could bolster the shots appeal. The E.U. is reportedly poised to withhold doses of the vaccine from Britain, escalating a dispute over supplies.
Police in New York City are looking for a man who urinated on a young Asian-American woman inside a Queen-bound F train over the weekend.

The 25-year-old victim was riding the northbound train at around 1.30pm on Saturday when a masked man dressed in all black approached the bench where she was sitting and stood uncomfortably close to her.

'So I scooted to my right and noticed that his penis was pointed at me and that there was urine on my bag and jacket,' the victim told the blog AsianFeed. 'We made eye contact but he didnt say anything.'

The vile incident took place a day after an elderly Sri Lankan man was punched in the face while riding the 1 train in Manhattan.

A 25-year-old Asian-American woman was riding the Queens-bound F train at 1.30pm on Saturday when she said this man in his 60s urinated on her

The woman said that none of the passengers around her said or did anything to come to her defense.

As her assailant, whom she described as a white male in his 60s, was about to get off the train at the 75th Avenue station, the woman managed to take a photo of him with her cellphone.

The suspect was last seen wearing a ski mask on his head revealing a pair of grey bushy eyebrows, and a black jacket with an American flag patch on his chest.

The victim told the blog she considered getting off the train right away and reporting the incident to the police, but she said she was 'alone and afraid,' so she continued on her way.

The 25-year-old has since filed a harassment report with the police. So far, no arrests have been announced.

The woman said he stood uncomfortably close to her, pulled out his penis and directed his urine stream at her, leaving her jacket and bag drenched

A photo shows a subway bench wet with urine following the incident on the northbound F train on Saturday

In a separate incident, Narayange Bodhi, originally from Sri Lanka, was commuting to his job as a security guard at 2.40pm on Friday when the attacker viciously punched him on a 1 Train in Lower Manhattan

This incident comes amid a dramatic increase in attacks targeting Asian-Americans since the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic.

On Sunday, 36-year-old Marc Mathieu was arrested on a charge of assault as a hate crime for allegedly beating a 68-year-old man from Sri Lanka while yelling anti-Asian slurs on board the 1 train in Manhattan on Friday.

In a separate attack that took place on Saturday, a 66-year-old Asian man was punched in the face by a homeless man in Manhattan's Chinatown.

Last week, the NYPD revealed that it had recorded a 1,300 per cent increase in anti-Asian hate crimes during the pandemic.

On Sunday, thousands marched in Atlanta, New York and Washington DC, among other cities, following the mass shooting last week at Asian-owned spas in Georgia, which claimed the lives of eight people, including six Asian women.

The shooter, 21-year-old Robert Aaron Long, admitted to the murders but denied that the attacks were racially motivated.
Residents who have suffered home damage or severe injuries in the devastating floods sweeping across New South Wales (NSW) are being granted immediate access to disaster relief payments.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison on Sunday announced the activation of the Australian Government Disaster Recovery Payment and Disaster Recovery Allowance for 18 NSW local government areas.

Under the AGDRP, eligible residents caught up in the storms and floods can apply for a one-off payment of $1000 for adults and $400 for children.

Those who have lost their livelihoods can also now get a short-term income payment through the DRA for up to 13 weeks.

Emergency Management Minister David Littleproud said the disaster package would help people who had suffered significant loss.

Our first concern is for the safety and needs of those directly affected, particularly those whose homes have been inundated by floodwaters, he said in a statement.

By making these payments available to the affected residents, the Australian government will ensure that those who have lost or sustained damage to their homes or lost their livelihoods as a result of the floods will have the additional assistance they need.

In a social media video on Sunday, the prime minister advised flood-impacted residents to claim the relief payments by calling Services Australia on 180 22 66.

It can be processed over the phone, you just need to provide your details and explain your circumstances to them, and we can arrange those payments to you as quickly as possible, Morrison said.

The package has initially been extended to Armidale, Bellingen, Central Coast, Cessnock City, Clarence Valley, Coffs Harbour, Dungog, Hawkesbury, Kempsey, Lake Macquarie, Maitland City, Mid-Coast, Nambucca Valley, Newcastle City, Port Macquarie-Hastings, Penrith, Port Stephens, and Tenterfield.

More LGAs will be added to the list in consultation with the NSW government, while job seekers mutual obligation requirements in the 18 regions have been lifted from March 19 until April 6.

The prime minister has been in contact with NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian on Sunday to offer the Australian Defence Forces support.

Morrison acknowledged the need for a big clean-up operation on the other side of the floods, the worst to hit metropolitan Sydney in 50 years and the Mid-North Coast in a century.

But he indicated the recovery effort was a problem for another day, urging people to stay safe and listen to authorities.

They trained for this, they prepare for this, and theyre there to help you right now, Morrison said.

I wish you every safety in these very trying times.

Greens Leader Adam Bandt described the tragic weather event as a grim look into an Australian future with bigger fires and worse floods, calling on the federal government to declare a climate emergency.

Unprecedented fires one year, once in a 50 year floods the next. This is not normal, Bandt said in a statement.
(@FahadShabbir)

Chinese vessels gathered near a disputed reef in the South China Sea are "fishing boats" sheltering from poor weather, the foreign ministry said Monday, a day after the Philippines described their presence as an incursion

Beijing, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 22nd Mar, 2021 ) :Chinese vessels gathered near a disputed reef in the South China Sea are "fishing boats" sheltering from poor weather, the foreign ministry said Monday, a day after the Philippines described their presence as an incursion.

China claims almost the entirety of the resource-rich sea, and has been accused by the United States of efforts to "intimidate, coerce and threaten other nations" to control it.

The Philippines on Sunday said more than 200 militia boats were spotted "in line formation" at the boomerang-shaped Whitsun Reef around 320 kilometres (175 nautical miles) west of Palawan Island on March 7.

Manila called on China to "immediately recall these boats violating our maritime rights and encroaching into our sovereign territory".

But Beijing disputed the claim, saying that "for a long time, Chinese fishing boats have been fishing in waters near the reef", which it said was a part of the contested Spratly Islands.

"Recently, due to conditions at sea, some Chinese fishing boats have been sheltering from the wind near the Whitsun Reef," foreign ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying told reporters.

"We believe this is very normal, and hope all parties can consider it rationally." The Philippines' Foreign Secretary Teodoro Locsin said on Twitter he had lodged a diplomatic protest over the vessels.

An aerial patrol of the reef on Monday detected "around 183" vessels, the Armed Forces of the Philippines chief Lieutenant General Cirilito Sobejana said in a statement.

Beijing often invokes the so-called nine-dash line to justify its apparent historic rights over most of the South China Sea, parts of which are also claimed by Taiwan, Malaysia, the Philippines and Brunei.

China has ignored a 2016 international tribunal decision that declared its assertion as without basis.
Two North Carolina men visiting South Beach have been arrested and accused of drugging and raping a woman who later died in her hotel room, police say.

The men, Evoire Collier, 21, and Dorian Taylor, 24, are also accused of stealing the womans credit cards to spend money on their trip in South Beach. Investigators are trying to determine whether the woman died of an overdose, possibly from a pill the men supplied. The Miami-Dade Medical Examiners Office said Monday it is conducting further tests, and no cause of death has been determined.

The arrests come as Miami Beach police and city officials have been grappling with the overwhelming spring break crowds, instituting an 8 p.m. curfew aimed at cracking down on rowdy revelers on the streets. In recent weeks, South Beach has seen brawls, crowd stampedes and police confrontations involving the use of pepper balls.

Miami Beach police have made over 1,000 arrests since February and at least five officers have been hurt on the job, according to the department. Interim City Manager Raul Aguila, on Saturday, called for the curfew to contain the overwhelming crowd of visitors and the potential for violence, disruption and damage to property during what has at times been a chaotic spring break period.

The charges Collier and Taylor face are far more serious: burglary with battery, sexual battery, petty theft and the fraudulent use of a credit card. If the drug they gave her is proven to have played a role in her death, the men could potentially face a manslaughter or murder charge.

The victim, a 24-year-old woman visiting from Pennsylvania, was staying at the Albion Hotel, 1650 James Ave.

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Both men, who hail from Greensboro, North Carolina, were booked into a Miami-Dade jail on Sunday, records show.

On Monday afternoon, prosecutor Ayana Harris said the men should be held in jail before trial because they could face even more serious charges depending on the results of the death investigation. Both are from out of state, Harris said. There is the potential they could otherwise abscond.

Story continues

Miami-Dade Circuit Judge Mindy Glazer agreed  and also expressed alarm about the accusations. He couldnt even pick up the phone to call police or 911 after they did whatever it is they did to her, Glazer said.

A Miami-Dade assistant public defender, during Mondays hearing, did not address details of the allegations. Collier and Taylor will face an arraignment in about three weeks.

According to a Miami Beach arrest report, this is what happened:

Paramedics and officers were called to the hotel after the woman was discovered semi nude and dead in the rooms bed on Thursday. Detectives immediately obtained video surveillance footage of two men entering with the woman, and then leaving less than one hour later.

Collier fit the description of one of the men, and was found Saturday on Ocean Drive at Eighth Street  an area that has been jam-packed with partiers in recent weeks. He was wearing the same pants seen in the video, according to the report.

He confessed to police that he and Taylor met the woman at a local restaurant. Collier claimed that Taylor gave the girl a green pill as they walked on Ocean Drive. It was unclear from the arrest report whether she took the pill willingly, or if she was given it surreptitiously.

Collier told police that he believed the drug was Percocet, a powerful pain reliever, a Miami Beach detective testified during Mondays bond hearing.

Obviously, we sent it to the lab, Miami Beach Detective Luis Alsina told the judge. We dont know if it was fentanyl or some other narcotic.

Collier said that he went along with [Taylor] as they planned to have sex with the victim, according to the report.

Walking into the hotel, the detective testified, the woman was staggering enough that Taylor had to hold her up as they walked into the elevator. The defendant was holding her from behind, holding her by the neck so she could stand, Alsina said.

At the hotel, Collier claimed, they each had sex with the woman, and at one point, Taylor forced himself on her as she appeared to be unconscious, the report said.

The fact that the victim was under the influence of alcohol and narcotics, she could not have consented to sex with the defendants, according to the police report.

When it became clear the woman was unconscious, the men stole cash, credit cards and her phone and left her in the room without any concern for her welfare or safety.

The men used the stolen credit cards at various locations in Miami Beach, according to the report. Police said Taylor was captured on video surveillance using the womans credit card at South Beach Liquors. When he was arrested, police found the womans phone and green pills, the report said.
Congress leader Vadra on Monday alleged the ruling BJP in Assam was functioning like a mafia and running syndicates.

Addressing a rally here, the Congress general secretary said, the saffron party in the state has two "factions", both of which have betrayed people.

The Congress leader compared Assam's BJP leadership with 'Dritarashtra' and 'Shakuni', characters in the epic Mahabharata, without naming whom she meant.

Dhritarashtra was known to be a blind ruler while Shakuni was a political manipulator.

"...in the Assam government, there is a Shakuni Mama- like leader and a Dritarashtra. Both of them and the BJP have betrayed the people of Assam."



"The 'Dritarashtra' who was at one time called 'Jatiya Nayak' (people's leader) betrayed the six ethnic communities whom he had promised to get included in the Scheduled Tribes list. But did not do so," she said.

She alleged that the other leader is like "Shakuni Mama who runs a corrupt government that only cheats people".

Continuing her attack on the ruling party, she claimed, "BJP has not been able to decide who will be their chief ministerial candidate. They are not able to respect their own chief minister and spell out the name.


Location: Chicago - Illinois

Location: Parsippany - New Jersey Job Description Develops a regional strategy aligned with the global industry strategy and geographic sales organization.

Identifies and communicates the Definition of Winning for appropriate industry ecosystem and associated execution priorities in order to achieve.

Key stakeholder in the Business Strategy Review (BSR) process and development for specific industry ecosystem.

Delivers the strategic execution for the specific industry ecosystem plan

Facilitates the industry ecosystem community within Rockwell by leading industry affinity teams

Provides industry thought leadership

Stays abreast of industry activities, network through seminars, conferences, memberships in industry societies, etc. Conveys trends through informal and formal sessions.

Gives input to industry ecosystem playbook

Ensures sales enablement/competency building framework in place in alignment with industry/segment needs

Identifies, develops, and nurtures industry/segment talent within the industry/segment

Works collaboratively with Regional Industry Sales Managers, Strategic Account Managers and other resources within Rockwell to implement key strategic growth and initiative priorities for Rockwell within industry accounts

In targeted segments within the industry, contributes during the sales process through: Provision of application knowledge Provision of knowledge of the customer Provision of knowledge of processes involved in pursuit of complex orders

Works collaboratively with geographic sales. Develops a cadence of regular scheduled communication, opportunity/account planning and joint sales development activities impacting industry strategy

Works with global marketing to understand best opportunities for Rockwell and works with region/territory management to align for success.

Ensures through familiarity with company policies and procedures. Appropriately applies policies and procedures in compliance with government laws. Policies and procedures include, but not limited to: Standards of Business Conduct, Intellectual Property, Control Environment, Information Protection, ISO 9000 & 14000, government regulations (e.g. health, safety, quality and environmental). Basic Qualifications: Bachelor's degree or equivalent experience

Valid driver's license.

Ability to travel greater than 50% of time.

Legal authorization to work in the US is required. We will not sponsor individuals for employment visas, now or in the future, for this job opening. Preferred Qualifications: Typically requires a minimum of 12 years of related experience

Software industry experience

8 or more years' experience in sales, marketing or operations in the automation field

5 or more years in the industry of multi-billion dollar, global customer or services provider

Previous global sales experience is preferred

Knowledge of technology, solutions and services in the industrial automation market

Strong understanding of various channels to market and how each one operates

Ability to work with and gain confidence of senior level personnel (internal and external) in a highly collaborative, matrixed stakeholder organization

Strong strategy focus with continuous improvement mind-set

Resolve complex issues in creative and effective ways

Proven track record of: strategy development and execution exhibiting highest level of integrity, exceptional judgment and bias for action aligning and influencing critical stakeholders creativity and innovation

This is a summary of the position's responsibilities and does not reflect the entire scope of work expectations. We are an Equal Opportunity Employer including disability and veterans. If you are an individual with a disability and you need assistance or a reasonable accommodation during the application process, please contact our services team at +1 (see application details).


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The National Democratic Congress (NDC) Member of Parliament (MP) for Yapei/Kasawgu, Mr John Jinapor says the Minority Members of Parliament should not be blamed for failing to get Parliament to reject the government's Budget Statement and Economic Policy for the 2021 fiscal year as they had earlier touted.



He said the public should not forget that they just didn't have the numbers and people should not also forget that they [NDC MPs] are not in the "majority" side of Parliament.



According to him, three MPs from the Minority side were absent in the House for various reasons and that, one was down with COVID-19 and battling to survive.



Another, Mr Kpodo has lost the mother and was burying her today [Friday] and the other one was unable to make it to the House on time for the vote.



Explaining why it was 134 MPs instead of the 137 from the Minority NDC side in Parliament on Friday [March 19, 2021] in a radio interview with Accra based Citi FM monitored by Graphic Online, Mr Jinapor said the minority side should not be accused of failing in their decision to reject the budget.



He said majority of them [from the Minority side] contracted COVID-19 because of how they interacted on the night [January 6, 2021] they elected the Speaker of Parliament.



He said many of them contracted the deadly disease because of the "push and pull" on that night in their attempt to ensure that they got their favourite candidate elected as Speaker.



He cited himself as an example of one of them who contracted COVID-19 and has recovered.



Read also: Parliament approves 2021 Budget



Pre Order Ghana Year Book 2021

Parliament on Friday approved the Budget Statement and Economic Policy for the 2021 fiscal year, after heated arguments from both sides of the House.



The Minister of Parliamentary Affairs and leader of Government Business in Parliament, Mr Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu on Friday, March 12, 2021, presented the 2021 budget detailing the governments programmes and policies for the year.



He did that in his capacity as an Interim Minister of Finance after President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo last week assigned him that additional responsibility.



Heated debate



There was a heated debate between the two sides before the budget was approved Friday afternoon.



The minority side had declared vehemently that the budget ought to be rejected.



But after the debate and the Speaker put the motion to a voice vote, the Majority side won with 137 votes against 134 votes from the Minority side.



Jinapor's explanation



Explaining in the Citi FM interview, Mr Jinapor said: "I don't think we can be held so much liable and create the impression that every vote in the chamber, the NDC minority must necessarily win. We wish we had everybody, but at least everybody present voted in line with the party's position because this time unlike the secret ballot, the Chief Whip and the Minority Leader whipped everybody in line, and ensured that you vote for everybody to see the direction you voted."



Clarifying the absentees he said he know that at least for Mr Kpodo, "he has lost his mother, and he was burying the mother today. I know that a colleague of mine, who is on the minority side is currently in hospital battling to survive."



"I do know that both sides, I contracted COVID, let me say that I contracted COVID and I have recovered, it doesn't mean that everybody has recovered, but I'm saying that out of the three that we couldn't account for or couldn't vote, one is not well, one is lost the mum and burying the mother, the other was supposed to be joining us just like the Fomena MP but both of them lost out in terms of the timing, so the Fomena MP for the NPP side couldn't join us and then one of our colleagues was also struggling to come and join us but he had an issue on the way and couldn't also join us, so that is what happened.



But assuming everybody was present, and we were all available both NPP and NDC, we still might not have carried the day because this is not the secret ballot and normally everybody ensures that they whip their members in line."



The substance of Minority's rejection



Mr Jinapor insisted that the treatment of the figures in the budget, especially above the line and below the line figures, "we disagree with the way they were treated. I do recall that the Majority Leader, Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu agreed with our position and stated that, that will be corrected in the 2020 budget going forward, the Ranking Member and the Minority Leader, Haruna Iddrisu insisted that, that should be corrected this year. The Majority Leader gave his word but at committee level."



"I think one other thing has to do with some taxes that he also mentioned, so those were the issues but it was a collective decision by the Minority but normally when we take a position, all of us try to vote for our position, canvass for the various positions and you saw the results at the end of the day."

Source: Graphiconline.com









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COLUMBUS, Ohio  Gov. Mike DeWine, who won the 2018 gubernatorial race in part with a strong 88-county campaign organization, denied Monday that his plan ensuring equity in vaccine allotments to rural areas came at the expense of urban areas.

Thats not what we do, said DeWine, a Republican, during a Monday coronavirus briefing.

Yet, there is ample evidence that many urban residents are taking long car rides to rural parts of Ohio to get shots. Then on Monday, DeWine announced that if a pharmacy, clinic or other vaccine provider was having trouble filling slots, they could let any Ohioan age 16 or older get shots. Opening vaccines to the general population wasnt supposed to occur until next week.

This indicates some vaccine providers are seeing high rejection rates among members of their communities.

Are rejection rates higher in rural Ohio counties?

When you look at the top 10 counties that are getting the most vaccinations out by population, youll see a number of rural counties in there, DeWine said.

A spokesman for DeWine sent a list later Monday showing the top 10 counties by the percent of their populations with vaccinations started, as of Sunday. All of them were rural or suburban counties.

Ottawa: 28.4%

Henry: 28%

Delaware: 27.5%

Erie: 27.1%

Geauga: 26.7%

Putnam: 26.3%

Lake: 26.2%

Mahoning: 26.1%

Clark: 26.1%

Greene: 26%

On average, 24.14% of Ohioans have received a first dose. While some rural counties are standouts in their vaccination rate, some of the lowest rates are also rural counties: Holmes, at 9.69%; Ashland, 15.27%; Brown, at 15.25%; and Adams, at 14.27%.

DeWine in 2018 beat Democrat Richard Cordray 50.4% to 46.7%, largely by sweeping rural and suburban areas. But DeWine maintained that politics were separate from his approach to vaccines.

DeWine said that he wanted equitable access to the vaccine -- not just by race, not just by income but equity based upon geographical location as well. So we tried to be fair to every county.

DeWine has allotted vaccines to each county using an equity formula that considered population and rates of poverty. Specifically, DeWine said the formula was a result of inputting 80% of a countys population and 20% of its poverty to come up with a figure that guides the number of doses each county receives each week.

Nevertheless, DeWine acknowledged on Monday that some people are driving 30 or more minutes to get a shot.

I wish it was closer to home, but I dont blame them for going to where they can get it, he said. Because getting it quick is the right thing to do.

More coverage:

As expected, Ohio surpasses 1 million coronavirus cases: Monday update

Gov. Mike DeWine to expand coronavirus vaccine eligibility during briefing: Watch live

Gov. Mike DeWine to authorize health departments to give extra coronavirus vaccine doses to all Ohioans 16 and up

AstraZeneca: US data shows vaccine effective for all ages

Ohio to reach 1 million mark for coronavirus cases on Monday
Party above individual: LDFs message by not giving Shailaja another shot

As social media debates Shailajas exclusion, CPI(M) comes out in defence of decision

Nomination forms of three NDA candidates rejected in Kerala

India

oi-Vicky Nanjappa

Thiruvananthapuram, Mar 22: The election nominations of three NDA candidates in Kerala were rejected by the retiring officers.

In Thalassery, the nomination form of BJP candidate, N Haridas was rejected. The returning officer reportedly rejected the nomination citing that the form submitted did not carry the signature of BJP president, J P Nadda.

In the Guruvayur constituency, the nomination of Nivedida Subramaniam was rejected on similar grounds. In Devikulam, the niomination of Dhanalekshmi was rejected due to an incomplete form.

Meanwhile the Kerala High Court has sought the response of the Election Commission on pleas by two BJP candidates who had challenged the returning officer's decision rejecting their nominations for the April 6 assembly poll. At a special sitting on Sunday, Justice N Nagaresh directed the EC to submit its counter-affidavit.

Anil Deshmukh Corruption row: NCP says 'no need for resignation'| Oneindia News
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Longford Variety Group has performed annually at Backstage Theatre for the past 23 years, raising vital funds for local charities in the process.

Some of the charities that have benefited from the variety show productions down through the years include Longford Hospice Homecare, St Christophers Services, Bethany House, CASA, Longford Alzheimer's Society, St Vincent de Paul and many more.

Charlie Murray explained, Like so many other organisations, Covid-19 put an end to our annual fundraising show, so we decided to fight back. We organised a GoFundMe page for St Christophers Services in December to raise much needed funds and the response was fantastic as we raised 3.000.

On behalf of Longford Variety Group, Charlie expressed thanks to the the business people of Longford for their generous support and to everyone who donated. Thank you so much for your kind generosity.
LEXINGTON, Ky., March 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Lexmark, a global imaging solutions leader, today announced it has been honored with a 2021 CIO 100 Award by IDG Communications for the second consecutive year, and a Manufacturing Leadership Award by the Manufacturing Leadership Council for the 10th year in a row.

"Our strong submissions this year demonstrate the power of our innovative IoT platform and the exciting ways in which it can produce compelling outcomes for the manufacturing industry, as well as retail and healthcare," said Vishal Gupta, Lexmark senior vice president and chief information and technology officer. "The benefits of our end-to-end platform, which combines IoT, AI and cloud technologies to drive business transformation and optimization, continue to grow."

"The power of our data-driven approach is evident in these projects," said Tonya Jackson, Lexmark senior vice president and chief product delivery officer. "We've seen this in Lexmark's ability to perform closed-loop data analysis across our value chain and meaningfully advance our operational performance and improve the customer experience."

Lexmark was honored with a CIO 100 Award for its Lexmark Product Digital Thread (PDT), which merges streaming IoT data from connected devices in the field with transactional data from legacy enterprise business systems. Creating a live, integrated repository of data across products' end-to-end lifecycle, it provides a single source of truth for business analysis and insight. The annual CIO 100 Awards celebrate 100 organizations and the teams within them that are using IT in innovative ways to deliver business value, whether by creating competitive advantage, optimizing business processes, enabling growth or improving relationships with customers.

The company won a Manufacturing Leadership Award for its outstanding achievement in engineering and production technology for work in chemical toner manufacturing that was enabled by the Lexmark IoT platform. By applying advanced modeling and statistical process control (SPC) methodology, Lexmark was able to make significant improvements to the manufacturing of its chemically produced toner (CPT) for use in electrophotographic printers. Awarded annually, the Manufacturing Leadership Awards honor companies and individual leaders that are shaping the future of global manufacturing.

Lexmark will be recognized at the CIO 100 Symposium and Awards on Aug. 17-19, 2021, and at the Manufacturing Leadership Awards Gala on May 19, 2021.

Suggested Resources

About Lexmark

Lexmark creates innovative IoT- and cloud-enabled imaging technologies that help customers worldwide achieve their vision of print simplicity, security, savings and sustainability.

About CIO

CIO focuses on attracting the highest concentration of enterprise CIOs and business technology executives with unparalleled peer insight and expertise on business strategy, innovation, and leadership. As organizations grow with digital transformation, CIO provides its readers with key insights on career development, including certifications, hiring practices and skills development. The award-winning CIO portfolio provides business technology leaders with analysis and insight on information technology trends and a keen understanding of IT's role in achieving business goals. CIO is published by IDG Communications, Inc. Company information is available at http://www.idg.com.

About the Manufacturing Leadership Awards

The Manufacturing Leadership Awards honor manufacturing companies and individual manufacturing leaders that are shaping the future of global manufacturing. Winning projects and individual manufacturing leaders have demonstrated achievement in one of a wide range of categories, and are chosen by a panel of expert judges for results that have delivered clear and compelling value, return on investment, and other tangible outcomes. There will be several winners in each category, including one High Achiever's Award in each project category, as well as a 2021 Manufacturer of the Year for both small and large enterprises. Also unveiled at the gala will be the ML Awards Manufacturing Leader of the Year and Lifetime Achievement Award winners. For more information on the Manufacturing Leadership Awards, please go to https://mlawards.manufacturingleadershipcouncil.com.

About the National Association of Manufacturers

The National Association of Manufacturers (NAM) is the largest manufacturing association in the United States, representing small and large manufacturers in every industrial sector and in all 50 states. Manufacturing employs more than 12 million men and women, contributes $2.25 trillion to the U.S. economy annually, has the largest economic impact of any major sector and accounts for more than three-quarters of all private-sector research and development in the nation. The NAM is the powerful voice of the manufacturing community and the leading advocate for a policy agenda that helps manufacturers compete in the global economy and create jobs across the United States.

The NAM's world-class staff of policy experts provide unmatched access and information on the key issues affecting your business and bottom line. We are on the front lines of a wide range of policy battles, from immigration reform and labor relations, to energy and the environment, to trade policy and taxes. At every turn, we are working on behalf of manufacturers in America to advance policies that help manufacturers do what they do best: create economic strength and jobs. www.nam.org

Lexmark and the Lexmark logo are trademarks of Lexmark International Inc., registered in the U.S. and/or other countries. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

SOURCE Lexmark

Related Links

http://www.lexmark.com


KALAMAZOO, MI  The announcement of plans for a Hard Rock-brand hotel in Kalamazoo, on a former guitar manufacturing site that helped shape the course of music history, has created excitement for the future as well as the communitys past.

Hard Rock Cafe is part of a partnership bringing the new REVERB hotel to the onetime Gibson Guitars factory in Kalamazoo.

The announcement of the project has stirred up some excitement in Kalamazoo since it was announced on March 1, by people excited about the cultural, historical and economic impact it could have.

Related: Hard Rock-brand hotel coming to Kalamazoos historic Gibson guitar manufacturing site

Hank Perdok, 81, worked for Gibson in Kalamazoo in the mid-1960s as a technician at an amplifier building facility on Fulford Street and Reed Avenue. Upstairs, they made guitar strings.

Down the road at the main Parsons factory, they made Gibson guitars and other instruments, he said. He visited the Gibson building at 225 Parsons when he began working for the company, he said.

Perdok said he is happy to hear a new development planned there will aim to honor the history of the company. Perdok would like to see string instruments and amplifiers on display.

The Gibson guitar brand that originated in Kalamazoo more than a century ago remains one of the most well-known guitar brands today. Orville Gibson began making stringed instruments in Kalamazoo in the late 1800s, and formed the Gibson Mandolin and Guitar company in 1902.

Gibson went on to create products that are sought after by professional rock stars and musicians, as well as serious non-professional players.

Perdok remembers the quality of Gibsons products during the time he worked there, and that they made things in-house.

You didnt even think of farming it out back then, he said.

Related: Look back at Gibson Guitars rich Kalamazoo history as Hard Rock plans new hotel

Three or four production lines ran at once for the different sizes of amplifiers. Everything was hardwired and used vacuum tubes, Perdok said.

I just kept the line going, he said. He tested to be sure the work done was working before it was moved to the next station.

Workmanship and knowledge was passed from generation to generation, Perdok said. He talked about some other shifts in the industry that he has seen since he left, but he thinks the idea of making quality products is worthwhile.

I think theres demand for that quality, he said.

Western Michigan University Regional History Curator Lynn Houghton confirmed the company had a reputation for quality. She remembers stories of when members of the Rolling Stones, Ronnie Woods and Keith Richards, came to see where their guitars were built.

She once helped a man who visited Kalamazoo from out of state, on a pilgrimage to Kalamazoo to find any sites he could related to Gibson history, including the factory on Parsons Street.

He wanted to come see where it all began, Houghton said.

She pulled some historical documents from the archives for the man to look at, she said, and his face lit up to see some of the historical documents such as architectural drawings she had.

The legacy of Gibson, even though the company has been gone from Kalamazoo now for years ... it still stays, Houghton said.

Les Paul, whose name graces one of Gibsons best-known guitar models, would come to the facilities in town to see how the guitars and amplifiers were being built, Perdok said.

The company later left Kalamazoo for Nashville, where it is headquartered today.

Heritage Guitars, created by local luthiers and former Gibson employees after the company departed for Tennessee, remains with a facility operating at the site today. Heritage is operating in a location adjacent to the new development.

Plazacorp spokesman Andy Wenzel said more information on the Hard Rock development will be released in the future. The project will include rebuilding the Gibson smokestack at the site, Wenzel said.

Related: Saving the Gibson smokestack effort continues

The project will also include other historical aspects, according to a news release announcing the redevelopment, such as a museum and signing room where many historic artists signed contracts with Gibson.

Houghton talked about the pride that a product such as Gibson brings to the area. She said it is important people learn about what Kalamazoo makes today, but that it is also important to learn about what the city made in the past.

Because what we made here helps sort of lay the foundation and gives you an idea of what were making here now, Houghton said.

The Parsons Street site that will be redeveloped could be a new stop for Gibson fans to celebrate the music brand and its roots. It will be a conversion of the original Gibson manufacturing building and plans include amenities for guests such as a Body Rock Fitness gym, a bar, brewery/restaurant, banquet facility and an intimate auditorium, according to a news release from developers.

Related: Hotel with Hard Rock brand planned for Gibson Guitars site a win for Kalamazoo, local leaders say

The partnership includes REVERB by Hard Rock, Kalamazoo developer PlazaCorp Realty Advisors and Dora Hotel Company of Fishers, Indiana. The development has an anticipated completion date of fall 2023, according to a news release from Dora Hotel Company.

Rolling Stones guitarists Ronnie Wood, center, and Keith Richards are pictured at the Gibson factory in Kalamazoo in July 1975. Wood and Richards toured the factory at 225 Parsons St. and tested some of the new designs. (Photo courtesy of the Ward Morgan Collection, WMU Archives and Regional History Collections)

Hard Rock, which operates hotels, casinos, cafes and more across 69 countries, also owns a massive collection of music memorabilia totaling more than 86,000 pieces, displayed at its locations around the globe, the company said.

The new hotel in Kalamazoo will be branded as REVERB by Hard Rock, and is described by developers as a new select service hotel designed for the modern music lover; a sanctuary for the eclectic, a place where fans meet and experience a melting pot of music culture. The hotel will feature a modern, urban design, traveler-friendly integrated technology and programming focused on local music, food and lifestyle.

Read more:

Michigan adults with underlying health conditions now eligible for COVID-19 vaccine

Ohio, Louisiana argue against Line 5 shutdown in federal court

Krispy Kreme giving free donuts to those who get vaccinated

A visual history of the Gibson and Heritage Guitars legacy in Kalamazoo
Workplace Safety and Health Association (WSHA) together with the Chamber Academy conducted a webinar on Workplace, COVID Vaccine and the Future.

The Workplace Safety and Health Association (WSHA), in collaboration with the Chamber Academy of the Ceylon Chamber of Commerce, recently conducted a webinar on insights and awareness on the future of COVID-19 in the workplace.

The panel comprised of Dr. Susie Perera, Consultant Community Physician, Deputy Director General Public Health Services of Ministry of Health; Professor Ewan Macdonald OBE, Consultant Occupational Physician, Head of the Healthy Working Lives Group, University of Glasgow; Professor Anne Harris, President of Society of Occupational Medicine, U.K.; Ms. Louise Burt, Hygiene & Containment Manager for GlaxoSmithKline (Asia Pacific region); Dr. Changa Kurukularatne, Specialist in Infectious Diseases, Internal Medicine and Outbreak Management; and Mr. Artha Salgado, Associate Director EHS and Risk Management (APAC), Ansell. The program was moderated by Dr. Aseni Wickramatillake, Advisor in Occupational Health and Hygiene.

Professor Ewan Macdonald

In her opening remarks, Dr. Perera noted that Sri Lanka has reached the protracted phase of COVID-19 transmission, and that it is important to have control measures specifically to industry needs. We have been good at containing and have been successful in controlling the spread, yet we must be proactive to identify possibilities of spread Dr. Perera noted. She further stated workplaces are expected to adopt the guidelines and provide assurance to local health and administrative authorities to be compliant with preventative measures.

Professor Anne Harriss explained how the process of hazard and risk control may be achieved through identification of hazards, and evaluation and implementation of the hierarchy of controls. She stated that periodic review of hazards, risks, and the control measures are necessary due to the constant change in knowledge and circumstances. She further specified that people over the age of 70 years, those with underlying health conditions, those who are significantly overweight, and those with suppressed immune systems are at greater risk of developing severe COVID-19.

Addressing the issue of Long Covid, Professor Ewan Macdonald, defined the condition as symptoms persisting for more than 12 weeks after the initial infection. In the UK, it is estimated that 10% of all cases have symptoms of Long Covid, severely impacting the workforce and the economy. Employees with Long Covid may not be able to return to work as swiftly, or return to their prior full workload, due to limitations caused by Long Covid symptoms.

Dr. Changa Kurukularatne explained how a personis contagious prior to the onset of symptoms in COVID-19. The proper use offacemasks, maintaining safe distance, hand hygiene and good ventilation within enclosed spaces were therefore necessary even in the absence of symptoms. Dr. Kurukularatne emphasized that the vaccine is primarily geared to prevent severe disease, hospitalization and deaths rather than to prevent transmission, underscoring the importance of preventative measures even in vaccinerecipients. Dr. Kurukularatne concluded by sharing eight practices necessary to maintain a strong and healthy immune system.

Ms. Louise Burt highlighted the fact that COVID-19 is a biological hazard, and therefore, risk mitigation methods should be similar to any other biological workplace hazard. She explained that surgical masks prevent the wearers from expelling droplets into the environment, and that respirator masks filter the inhaled air to keep the wearer safe from airborne agents. Ms. Burt pointed out that masks with exhalation valves should not be used in the workplace, as it does not effectively prevent the wearer from contaminating the environment.

Mr. Artha Salgado strongly advised organizations to master the basics, which includes employee screening, the correct use of facemasks, physical distancing, hand hygiene, and surface sanitization. Failure in these control measures can result in COVID-19spread within an organization. The critical nature of these control measure should be well communicated within the organization and its community, and theireffectiveness monitored through an integrated auditing process. Mr. Salgado also emphasized the need to work collaboratively in cross-functional teams so that HR and Safety personnel are not overwhelmed, and run the risk of burn-out.

Both Professor Harris and Mr. Salgado spoke on the importance of protecting the mental health of employees and providing suitable guidance to prevent Pandemic Fatigue. Poor mental health can adversely affect a persons physical well being, leading to poor immune function and increased susceptibility to infection. A work force affected by depression, anxiety and fatigue can have long-term impacts on the productivity of an organization and the country as a whole, and add to an already over-burdened healthcare system, if not addressed early on.

The Workplace Safety & Health Association (WSHA) has been established by a team of qualified and competent Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) professionals in the private sector to act as the main representative body for OSH professionals in Sri Lanka. WSHA is a non-profit organization, and represents Sri Lanka in the Asia-Pacific Occupational Safety and Health Organization (APOSHO).

A recording of this webinar may be accessed through the Academy of the Chamber of Commerces YouTube Page.
BISHOP'S STORTFORD, United Kingdom and SAN DIEGO, March 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Insightful Science, a leading software provider serving the global life sciences community, announced today that it has entered into a transaction to acquire Dotmatics, an industry leading cloud-based scientific R&D data management platform.

By integrating Insightful Science's software applications into Dotmatics cloud-first enterprise data management solution, the company will provide an end-to-end scientific research platform. This combination further improves laboratory efficiency and accelerates the pace of scientific innovation by facilitating more rapid data access, analysis and exchange between scientists around the world.

Insightful Science is a software company with purpose-built data analysis and bioinformatics applications for life sciences. The company portfolio serves a diverse set of one million scientists in academic, corporate, and government institutions around the world. Examples of products within the Insightful Science portfolio include GraphPad Prism, Geneious DNA data analysis solutions, SnapGene, and other leading R&D solutions.

Dotmatics is an enterprise scientific informatics SaaS provider that is driving the digitalization of laboratory data workflows for scientific discovery and innovation across the life sciences, chemicals and materials industries.

"This announcement signals a significant transformation in the future of software and data management in research labs," said Thomas Swalla, CEO of Insightful Science. "Together our complementary businesses create an end-to-end cloud-first scientific research platform that stands apart in our collective ability to support data-driven research. We are beyond enthusiastic about the impact we can have on increasing the speed of scientific innovation, and ultimately helping to make the world a healthier, cleaner, and better place to live."

"The number one challenge for pharmaceutical, biotech and chemical innovation companies today is how to manage the enormous volume  and promise  of data generated in labs," said Dr Steve Gallagher, Co-founder and CEO of Dotmatics. "This combination allows us to expand investments in our Dotmatics platform and strengthen our brand as a leading enterprise informatics solution provider. We will bring Insightful Science's leading biologics applications to our customers, further accelerating their discovery processes. In addition, we have the opportunity to bring the Dotmatics cloud and collaboration capabilities to the diverse community of over one million scientists already using Insightful Science tools."

Digital Transformation to Chart the Course for the Lab of the Future

Scientific research and innovation R&D is in the midst of a pivotal transformation. Scientific knowledge and growth in pharmaceutical drug discovery and chemicals and materials innovation is increasing at a faster pace than ever before. The research process has been transformed from transactional and process driven, to data driven. As a result, scientists require increasingly powerful and integrated informatics tools to analyze ever-more diverse sets of data; and laboratories and companies need better workflow and data management solutions to help scientists harness the power of these insights. Companies that own the cleanest, best annotated data to power their AI analytics and decision making, will be the best placed to be successful in this new paradigm.

Transaction Details

Insightful Science is a privately held portfolio company of Insight Partners, the leading global venture capital and private equity firm investing in high-growth technology and software ScaleUp companies.

"The combination of these two entities brings an exciting new solution to market," said Jeff Lieberman, Managing Director at Insight Partners. "This announcement and collaboration is a significant opportunity for the life sciences, chemicals and materials industries. We are incredibly optimistic about the future of the company and its clear path to doing for life sciences and chemical innovation what other market-leading platforms have done in engineering, design, and later-stage drug development."

Alastair Hill, Co-founder and CIO of Dotmatics added, "Since initial growth equity investment by Scottish Equity Partners (SEP), we have been supported to make incredible progress in scaling our business and driving product innovation. We would like to thank them for their support as we enter the next exciting stage in Dotmatics' development, and Jefferies for advising on the transaction."

Evercore served as financial advisor and Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP served as legal advisor to Insightful Science on the transaction. Jefferies International Ltd served as advisor to Dotmatics.

Scottish Equity Partners (SEP) is a leading European growth equity firm, investing in enterprise and consumer-focused software and technology companies.

Keith Davidson, Partner at SEP said, "We are pleased to have helped Dotmatics grow into a leading cloud-first scientific R&D data platform. We are excited by the opportunity that lies ahead for the team and wish them every success in the future."

Subject to the attainment of regulatory clearances, the transaction is expected to close in Q2 of 2021. Until closing, the companies will continue to operate independently.

For more information, visit www.dotmatics.com and www.insightfulscience.com .

About Insightful Science

Insightful Science is a life sciences software company that digitally connects researchers to their ideas and data, advancing the discovery process. From developing new personalized and preventive patient treatment solutions to reversing climate change  more than two million researchers at leading life science and biopharma enterprises trust Insightful Science products to make the world a healthier, cleaner, and better place to live. Products within the Insightful Science portfolio were built by prominent scientists, and include GraphPad Prism, Geneious Prime and Geneious Biologics, SnapGene, nQuery, Cytapex, and more.

Visit www.insightfulscience.com for more information about the company and its products.

About Dotmatics Ltd. www.dotmatics.com

Dotmatics is a scientific informatics software and services company that is driving the automation of laboratory workflows for discovery and innovation research - accelerating the journey towards full digitalization and the Lab of the Future.

With a mission to give scientists access to all of their data, all of the time, Dotmatics provides a portfolio of tools for fully automated, end-to-end workflows including data acquisition, knowledge management, data storage, and enterprise querying and reporting. Through these comprehensive solutions, the Company is helping its customers to increase lab efficiency and make better informed decisions driven by all data.

Dotmatics' customers include many of the world's leading pharmaceutical, biotechnology, contract research, chemicals and materials companies. Insight into the challenges faced by these organizations enables Dotmatics to focus on delivering versatile and intuitive products and services that have potential to turn around the productivity deficit in research and accelerate development of novel drug candidates or products.

Dotmatics was founded in 2005 by two scientists from Merck Pharmaceuticals (MSD). Since then it has built a strong and profitable business with an expert team of over 300 scientists, software developers and engineers, and project managers. The Company is headquartered in the UK with offices in USA, Korea and Japan.

SOURCE Insightful Science

Related Links

https://www.insightfulscience.com


Prince Harry is currently married to Meghan, Duchess of Sussex. The couple tied the knot in 2018, welcomed a son, and is now expecting a daughter.

Occasionally, fans also like to look back on Harrys past relationships. Two of his most well-known girlfriends were Chelsy Davy and Cressida Bonas. After ending their relationships with Harry, did Davy and Bonas get married to other people?

Chelsy Day and Cressida Bonas | David M. Benett/Getty Images

Davy and Harry began dating in 2004 when she was still a boarding school student. The couple had an on-and-off relationship for several years. During that time, Davy studied at the University of Cape Town and the University of Leeds, while Harry enlisted in the army. However, they ended things in 2010.

In 2012, Harry dated Bonas, who was a dancer/actor that he met through his cousin Princess Eugenie. This relationship only lasted for two years.

Chelsy Davy and Cressida Bonas broke up with Prince Harry for similar reasons

RELATED: Royal Biographer Says Prince Harry Could Not Get a Date Before Meghan Markle

Davy and Bonas dated Harry at different times, but their reasons for breaking up with Harry are surprisingly similar. According to various sources, both ladies found the life of a royal girlfriend too much to handle.

Davy recalled this experience in an interview with the Daily Mail in 2016, saying, It was so full-on: crazy and scary and uncomfortable. I found it very difficult when it was bad. I couldnt cope I was trying to be a normal kid and it was horrible.

Bonas has not publicly spoken about her relationship with Harry. However, royal author Robert Lacey wrote in the book Battle of Brothers that she realized how little privacy she would have as a royal after seeing what Prince William and Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge went through.

In 2014, she was said to have been completely spooked after watching the TV coverage of William and Kate touring New Zealand with baby George in tow, Lacey said, according to the Daily Star. That was not the way she would want to enjoy her eight-month-old son, she regretfully explained to Harry.

Are Chelsy Davy and Cressida Bonas married?

RELATED: Chelsy Davy Made Prince Harry Take an Embarrassing Remark About Kate Middleton Out of His Best Man Speech

Davy and Bonas seem to have both moved on from their relationships with Harry.

Bonas, in fact, is now married. In late 2020, she tied the knot with property developer Harry Wentworth-Stanley. According to Tatler, Wentworth-Stanley and Bonas actually dated when they were both university students. However, they parted ways and remained friends. Years after Bonas broke up with Prince Harry, she and Wentworth-Stanley got back together.

Meanwhile, Davy is not married. In 2020, she told Tatler that she was seeing someone new, though it is not sure if Davy is still with that person or not. In any case, Davy has other things going on in her life. She has her own company called AYA, which sells ethically-sourced gemstones from Africa. It also has a travel division that offers luxury tours of the continent.
The impact of the hires can be seen in the progressive tilt of the $1.9 trillion economic relief law, which dismissed concerns about deficits and focused heavily on poverty reduction. Ms. Warren and her allies hope that having strong advocates for progressive views within the administration will help those ideas find purchase in a White House that thus far has been more open to tacking to the left than previous Democratic administrations.

But it remains to be seen how far the Biden White House is willing to go, particularly with regard to tax increases, which is an area where the two former candidates disagreed.

Although she has been off the campaign trail for more than a year, Ms. Warren has been reviving proposals that she promoted in Iowa and New Hampshire.

This month, Ms. Warren and two House Democrats introduced legislation for an ultra-millionaire tax that is modeled after what she proposed as a candidate. The 2 percent annual wealth tax on the net worth of households and trusts valued at $50 million to $1 billion was unveiled with polling data to back up its popularity and letters supporting its constitutionality.

This week, Ms. Warren plans to pitch new legislation to increase taxes on big companies. Her real corporate profits tax, which was also part of her campaign platform, would require the most profitable companies to pay a 7 percent tax on their annual book value  the earnings that they report to their investors but not the Internal Revenue Service  above $100 million. The idea, which is similar to a proposal that Mr. Biden put forward during his campaign, is intended to stop companies from using accounting loopholes to lower their tax bills.

When it appeared that Democrats were likely to lose the Senate after the 2020 election, some industry groups were relieved that Ms. Warren would not become the Treasury secretary. These days, however, they acknowledge that they are watching her moves closely.

Senator Warren is certainly well positioned to have an outsized influence in the Senate and the administration, said James Maloney, a managing partner of Tiger Hill Partners, a public affairs firm focused on financial services. Every item that shes focused on should be a focus area for the industries whose policies can potentially be impacted.
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Source: Xinhua| 2021-03-22 09:55:02|Editor: huaxia

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TRIPOLI, March 21 (Xinhua) -- Libya's Minister of Health of the new Government of National Unity, Ali Zanati, on Sunday met with the head of the World Health Organization (WHO) for Libya, Elizabeth Hoff, and discussed providing anti-COVID-19 vaccines to Libya.

"The meeting touched on the problems facing southern Libya in light of the COVID-19 pandemic, including the closed isolation centers, most-infected areas, and the severe shortage of medical oxygen," the Ministry of Health said in a statement.

The two sides agreed on a cooperation mechanism to provide COVID-19 vaccines as soon as possible, the statement added.

It was also agreed to establish an emergency operation chamber comprising the western, the eastern, and the southern regions of Libya to exchange information and experience, and to enhance cooperation between all concerned parties, the statement said.

There have been 151,605 confirmed COVID-19 cases in Libya so far, including 138,312 recoveries and 10,787 deaths, according to the National Center for Disease Control. Enditem
Hidden in the firmament of clouds, Ta Xua tea forest in recent years has helped H'mong people escape poverty.

The fanciful land is situated at an altitude of 1,500-3,000 meters and covered in 140,000 hectares of ancient Snow Shan tea trees. Thanks to the essence of heaven, the cool year-round climate and being clothed in sunlight and clouds, tea trees produce a signature flavor, becoming the indigenous precious product. More importantly, cooperation with businesses has contributed to the Hmongs success and stable output of their harvests.

Young millionaire Mua A Kenh (Ta Xua village, Bac Yen) currently owns three hectares of Snow Shan tea plant, and two hectares allocated by the State for protection and exploitation.

Back in 2018, he transformed 1 hectare of land for low-yield short-term food crops into one for tea cultivation. He revealed that the product has sold at high prices. Last year, hid profit was around 300 million VND from tea sales.

Mr. Kenh also shared that Ta Xua tea is sold for its natural, subtle and pleasant acrid savor, long-lasting sweetness, and aftertaste that lingers on the tip of your tongue.

Dried tea sale was not very profitable. Representatives from enterprises after observing the tea processing being manually done. Lest it did not meet food safety requirements, they decided to offer us a linking production and guarantee higher-yielding crops. We the poor immediately accepted," Mua A Lu (Mong Vang village, Ta Xua commune), recalled.



A Lus life before 2017 was challenging since tea was only priced at 20,000 VND/kg by traders. However, since joining production, the selling price has been stable at 50,000-60,000 VND/kg of fresh tea buds, which is 2-3 times higher than the previous selling price.

With 60 old tea roots, each year, minus additional expenses, his family earns tens of millions, creating the main source of income.

Revitalization of old Shan tea

Five years ago, Ms. Pham Thi Viet Ha's tea company was trusted by the leaders of Bac Yen district. She began participating in the tea production association with Hmong people in Ta Xua.

They are in the process of planning the cultivation areas and underwriting raw products collected by villagers from their crops for the project "Revitalizing and developing Ta Xua Snow Shan tea zone".

According to Ms. Ha, the enterprise has standardized the old traditional tea fermentation method by the Hmong into processing of fermented tea instead. Green tea after picking will be completely fermented before drying. Black tea is fermented using industrial methods, and will be 100% fermented after only two hours.

Bach Tra May and Hoang Tra May go through a slow fermentation process allowing the internal substances to magically change, creating a special taste, aroma and sweetness. All these processes will take a minimum of six months.

Mineral content in the tea such as amino acids and vitamins becomes thicker and richer over time. After customers purchase the tea, it continues to ferment, lasting for decades.

This solid piece was pressed from 8kg of dry tea, equivalent to 40kg of fresh tea, 100 years later it would still last. It only gets better with time. You could literally use it for the rest of your life.

Tea pressing in the past was only done in China (Puer tea) due to its complexity. But it has become viable today in Vietnam.

Ta Xua has witnessed a massive transformation since the cooperation among local authorities, farmers and enterprises, forming a strong bond throughout the past 5 years.

According to information from Ta Xua Tea Cooperative, there are 300 out of the total 500 households here planting and exploiting tea, with about 178 hectares of Snow Shan tea in a closed production chain.

The freshly harvested tea buds will be put into a tea processing line with modern technical processes applied in combination with the locals mastery to create high quality finished products. The unbranded Shan tea has become a national 4-star item.

Ta Xua is dubbed the paradise of cloud.

Hidden in the "paradise of cloud", is H'mong peoples tea forest.

Tea buds were priced too low before. Engaging in cooperation has reshaped the fate of Ta Xua Shan tea.







Most Ta Xua households that plant tea participate in an association with tea processing enterprises. After harvesting, the tea is sold to an associated enterprise.







Ta Xua tea can be pressed into solid pieces for storing up to hundreds of years. The more ancient tea trees one owns, the richer one can get.



Chu Khoi
Credit: Unsplash/CC0 Public Domain

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said Monday he was "reassured" EU leaders do not want blockades on vaccine exports, while Ireland's leader warned a threatened ban would be "very retrograde".

Britain has urged the European Union not to halt exports of AstraZeneca's COVID-19 vaccine in response to a shortfall in deliveries to the bloc from the Anglo-Swedish firm.

"I'm reassured by talking to EU partners over the last few months that they don't want to see blockades, I think that's very, very important," Johnson told reporters.

"I've talked to our friends repeatedly. We're all facing the same pandemic, we all have the same problems," he added.

"Developing vaccines, rolling them out, these are international projects and they require international cooperation."

EU chief Ursula von der Leyen on Saturday again threatened to impose an export ban on the AstraZeneca vaccine unless the company delivers more of the 90 million doses it agreed to supply in the first quarter of 2021.

Irish prime minister Micheal Martin urged Brussels not to carry out its threat.

"I'm very much against it, I think it would be a very retrograde step," he told local broadcaster RTE.

"It's absolutely vital that we keep supply chains open. (If) you start putting up barriers, other countries may follow suit in terms of some of those vital raw materials that are required.

"If we start that we are in trouble," he added, saying he had told EU leaders of his concerns last week.

'No illusions'

The cross-Channel row is increasingly focused on a factory in the Netherlands set to produce future supplies of the AstraZeneca jab but still awaiting official approval, according to EU and UK sources.

Both Brussels and London are laying claim to the doses, they say.

EU commission spokesman Eric Mamer said Monday that the bloc was in discussions with British authorities, "and as ever the European Commission is open and constructive in trying to find solutions".

While Europe's vaccine drive has laggedand some parts of the continent are now seeing a fresh surge in infectionsBritain has vaccinated more than half of its adult population with at least one dose.

It plans to have gradually eased all lockdown restrictions by June 21 as a result.

Despite the export row and supply issues already forecast for next month, Johnson said his government would "just bash on with the roadmap that we've set out".

However, he warned the wave of new cases currently affecting continental Europe would likely hit Britain as well.

"People in this country should be under no illusions that previous experience has taught us that when a wave hits our friends it, I'm afraid, washes up on our shores as well," he said.

Britain has been one of the hardest hit countries in the pandemic, with more than 126,000 deaths.

But infections, hospitalisations and deaths have plummeted in recent weeks as the vaccination roll out takes effect.

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

 2021 AFP
As World Water Day is observed around the globe, new research from UBC Okanagan suggests a systematic approach to forest and water supply research may yield an improved assessment and understanding of connections between the two.

Healthy forests play a vital role in providing a clean, stable water supply, says eco-hydrologist Dr. Adam Wei.

Acting as natural reservoirs, forests in watersheds release and purify water by slowing erosion and delaying its release into streams. But forests are changing--in part because of human activity--and that's having an impact on forests' interaction with hydrological processes.

Dr. Wei, Forest Renewal BC's chair of watershed research and management, is a professor of earth, environmental and geographic sciences in the Irving K. Barber Faculty of Science, and study co-author.

He says activities like logging, deforestation, creating new forests on previously bare land, agriculture and urbanization are changing the landscape of forests worldwide.

"The notion that humans have left enormous, often negative, footprints on the natural world isn't new," he says. "It's why the term Anthropocene was created, to describe these phenomena. But now we need to acknowledge where we're at and figure out a way to fix what's broken."

While humans bear much of the blame, they aren't the only culprits.

Natural disturbances like insect infestations and wildfires are also contributing to the swift transformation of forests, leading Dr. Wei to examine current forest-water research and management practices. His goal is to identify the gaps and propose a new approach that reflects numerous variables and their interactions that may be at play at any given watershed.

He points to an example in the study to illustrate the need for a new perspective.

"We were looking at the impacts of deforestation on annual streamflow--and though we were able to draw the conclusion that deforestation increased it, the variations between studies were large, with increases between less than one per cent to nearly 600 per cent," he explains.

Dr. Wei saw similar variations when he researched the 'why.'

"We concluded this was due to when water in the soil and on plants evaporates due to a loss of forest cover," explains Wei. "But the amount lost ranged from less than two per cent to 100 per cent--that's a huge difference that can be attributed to scale, type and severity of forest disturbance, as well as climate and location of watershed properties. There are so many variables that need to be taken into account, and not doing so can result in contradictory research conclusions."

To limit disparities, Dr. Wei says future research and watershed management approaches need to be systematic, include key contributing factors and a broad spectrum of response variables related to hydrological services.

He also suggests new tools like machine learning and climatic eco-hydrological modelling should be utilized.

"Implementing a systematic approach to all forest-water research will reduce the likelihood of procuring misleading assessment, which in turn will give us a better chance to solve some of the problems we've created," says Dr. Wei.

###

This study, published in Science, was conducted by Dr. Wei, and his then-graduate student Dr. Mingfang Zhang, with support from the China National Science Foundation.
With Ericsson's 5G Smart Factory in Lewisville Texas having produced its first 5G base stations earlier this month, it has been bee recognised by the World Economic Forum as a "Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) pioneer".

Ericsson. Along with Nokia, Huawei and select others, it is powering the world's 5G revolution, with its 5G Smart Factory in Lewisville, Texas, USA having been recognised by the World Economic Forum as "a global front runner in the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR)."

The Forum has awarded the site with its prestigious Global Lighthouse designation in recognition of Ericssons deployment "of next-generation technology at the site and its subsequent impact  including an impressive 2.2 times improved output per employee when compared to a similar site without the automation and 4IR improvements."

So, what does the "Global Lighthouse" designation mean to the World Economic Forum?

The definition comes from the fact lighthouses "emit powerful light that pierces fog and darkness", and are thus "key to maritime navigation."

The World Economic Forum says it "identifies top-performing factories and explores insights from these lighthouses- of the worlds most advanced sites implementing technologies of the Fourth Industrial Revolution. The lighthouses are the factories that have taken Fourth Industrial Revolution technology from pilots to integration at scale, thus realising significant financial and operational benefits."

So, with this the first Ericsson factory to receive this recognition by the Forum for adoption of 4IR technologies at scale with demonstrated benefits to date, it's clearly an impressive award.

Even more so is the fact that, since commencing operations in early 2020, Ericsson's, USA 5G Smart Factory team "has developed 25 different use cases, to be deployed at scale in less than 12 months."

Indeed, When compared to a similar site without its automation and 4IR improvements, we're told "the 5G automated factory with connected robots has delivered 120% improved output per employee and 65% reduction in manual material handling."

Naturally, that's not all, with integrated environmental systems having been designed "to reduce energy consumption by 24%, indoor water usage by 75% when compared to a similar building and the factory is powered by 100% renewable electricity."

Ericsson explains that it "is also pursuing LEED Gold and LEED Zero Carbon certifications for the smart factory, which will make it the first Ericsson factory globally to achieve this distinction."

LEED stands for "Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design", and it is "the most widely used green building rating system in the world."

Fredrik Jejdling, Executive VP and Head of Networks at Ericsson said: Running fully automated factories using the latest technologies is part of our strategy for a more resilient and sustainable global supply chain.

"It shows our commitment to continue working close to our customers, ultimately enabling us to reduce emissions. This World Economic Forum designation highlights the transformative impact of 5G technology in general  and on our factories in particular  to benefit business and society at large.

Francisco Betti, Head of Shaping the Advanced Manufacturing and Production at the World Economic Forum said: This is a time of unparalleled industry transformation. The future belongs to those companies willing to embrace disruption and capture new opportunities.

"Todays disruptions, despite their challenges, are a powerful invitation to re-envision growth. The lighthouses are illuminating the future of manufacturing and the future of the industry.

Ericsson reminds us that it "has invested in the next generation of supply chains to create a customised, sustainable, and end-to-end connected supply chain across the globe" with its US 5G Smart Factory receiving more than US $100m in investment, with this factory primarily serving Ericsson's 5G customers in North America.

Ericsson tells us that it is "also fast-tracking next-generation smart manufacturing through a modular and flexible production setup in its factories in Estonia, China, and Brazil. This will ensure close working with customers through Ericssons European, Asian and American operations."

And in what is the usual green, eco-friendly stance that any company of note subscribes to these days, which includes Nokia, Ericsson states that it "supports the 1.5 C ambition set up by the Paris Agreement."

The faster the world arrives in the future promised by sci-fi imagineers of zero point energy, anti-gravity, effortless electric propulsion, batteries that last months instead of hours or days, and more, the better.

In the meantime, Ericsson says "the world needs to halve global emissions by 2030 and reach net-zero emissions before 2050", and that "digital technologies such as 5G and IoT deployed across a range of industries, such as manufacturing, can help reduce global carbon emissions by up to 15% by 2030", so we hope that the countries which manufacture all of these technologies are also full, non-exempted participants in making these goals a reality.

Here's to many more global smart factories around the world, and hopefully, in Australia, too!
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Osei Kyei Mensah Bonsu is all joy on social media to see the Finance Minister-Designate, Mr Ken Ofori-Atta back home from a sick break.



Describing him as his brother  the Majority Leader is very optimistic Ken Ofori-Atta will be stronger enough to save Ghanas economy from sinking.



Ken, my brother. Welcome back!! God has always been in control and his grace will continue to be sufficient. He posted on Facebook



Adding that, Mr Sharp brain, the nation awaits your input to still the waters!! Welcome home.



The Finance Minister-designate returned back to the country after seeking medical attention in the United State of America.



The earlier statement suggested that the former minister was battling some post-COVID-19 complications  hence, the need for him to seek emergency medical attention outside the country



Ken Ofori-Atta is yet to be vetted and approved as a minister.

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: Union Home Minister Amit Shah is scheduled to hold three public rallies in Assam on Monday ahead of the state Assembly elections.

Through a post on Twitter, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) announced that the Home Minister will address rallies in Dhemaji, Majuli and Udalguri.

His first address will be at the HS School ground in Dhemaji at 12 pm after which he will next be seen at Majuli at 1:45 pm. His final rally at Udalguri will happen at 3:50 pm.

Meanwhile, the manifesto for the West Bengal Assembly Elections was released by Union Minister Amit Shah on Sunday (March 21). He said the core of BJP's manifesto is based on 'Sonar Bangla' and if voted to power the party will ensure a state free of violence.

BJPs manifesto for the high stake election in West Bengal promises to provide 33 per cent reservation for women in all state government jobs if voted to power.

Apart from this, the home minister emphasised infra development, health, industry and promised that every household in Bengal will get at least one job in the next five years.

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Past Drilling at La Gitana Includes Discovery Hole of 133.5 Meters (438 Feet) of 1.78 g/t Gold and 100.7 g/t Silver

Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - March 22, 2021) -Inomin Mines Inc. (TSXV: MINE) ("Inomin" or the "Company") is pleased to announce the closing of the acquisition of the La Gitana and Pena Blanca gold-silver properties (see Company news releases dated August 4, 2020 and October 7, 2020) (the "Acquisition"). The Acquisition was completed pursuant to a mineral claims purchase agreement dated July 31, 2020 among Inomin, Gunpoint Exploration Ltd. ("Gunpoint") (TSXV: GUN), and Minera CJ Gold S.A. DE C.V., a wholly owned subsidiary of Gunpoint ("Gunpoint MX"), as amended by an amendment agreement dated February 28, 2021 (the "Purchase Agreement"), whereby Inomin would acquire a 100% interest in the La Gitana and Pena Blanca gold-silver properties located in Oaxaca, Mexico.

Highlights

La Gitana hosts a well-defined gold and silver mineral system confirmed by 38 drill holes

Drilling at La Gitana includes 133.5 meters (438 Feet) of 1.78 g/t gold and 100.7 g/t silver

Pena Blanca has extensive gold and silver mineralization within a 9 square kilometre alteration system

Properties prospective for near-surface, bulk-tonnage, gold-silver deposits

NI 43-101 technical report completed by Inomin on the La Gitana property

Inomin acquired a 100% interest in the La Gitana and Pena Blanca properties in exchange for 1,000,000 common shares of the Company, $25,000 cash, and the grant of a 1.5% NSR payable to Gunpoint on the Pena Blanca property (with an option for Inomin to purchase 0.5% of the NSR at any time for $1,000,000). La Gitana is subject to an existing 3% NSR to a third-party which will be assumed by Inomin.

John Gomez, President & CEO of Inomin Mines, says, "La Gitana and Pena Blanca provide us with two highly prospective gold-silver properties in a prolific mineral belt. We look forward to completing drilling to delineate resources at La Gitana and expand the mineral footprint. Pena Blanca is a large, gold-silver mineral system with several exploration targets. We expect these transformational acquisitions and our future exploration work will create significant value for all stakeholders."

Project Location

The properties are located in the Oaxaca Gold-Silver Belt, a major northwest trending regional structure hosting several operating precious metals mines and prospects including Gold Resource's Arista and Mirador gold-silver mines, and Fortuna Silver's San Jose gold-silver mine.

La Gitana is an advanced, gold-silver exploration project where initial core drilling by Chesapeake Gold Corp. (TSXV: CKG) has outlined a substantial near-surface, gold-silver epithermal system. Pena Blanca, approximately 15 kilometres northwest of La Gitana, is a large, bulk-tonnage, epithermal gold-silver prospect, discovered during a regional-scale stream sediment sampling program.

La Gitana Property

La Gitana hosts a significant low-sulphidation, epithermal, gold-silver mineral system. Gold and silver mineralization at La Gitana is found in high-grade shoots in northwest trending, sub-vertical structures, and as low-grade disseminations within broad zones of quartz stockworks and breccias.

During 2004-2006, Chesapeake Gold conducted exploration at La Gitana including surface mapping, sampling, IP-resistivity geophysics, as well as core drilling. Drilling of 38 holes defined a gold-silver mineralized zone measuring 500 metres long, 300 metres wide and 50 to 300 metres deep. A step-out drill-hole (DH-30) also discovered gold-silver mineralization approximately 300 metres south along strike.

Chesapeake's drilling at La Gitana indicates the gold-silver zone is open along strike and at depth. Mineralization also appears open laterally: to the East surface veins have not been drilled; to the West is an untested overburden covered area.

The 2004-2006 La Gitana exploration program is described in Chesapeake's NI 43-101 technical report available on SEDAR (www.sedar.com). Inomin has completed an updated NI 43-101 technical report on La Gitana which will be published in the near future.

Disclosure Note: All technical results on the La Gitana and Pena Blanca properties reported herein is information completed and disclosed publically by Chesapeake Gold Corp. and/or Gunpoint Exploration Ltd. The reliability of historical results is uncertain but considered to be relevant by Company management, however, there is a risk that any future confirmation work and exploration may produce results that substantially differ from the historical results.

Notable Gold Mineralized Drillhole Intersections - La Gitana Property

Hole From (metres) To (metres) Interval (metres) Gold (g/t) Silver (g/t) DH-01 21.0 154.5 133.5 1.78 100.7 DH-03 39.0 72.0 33.0 0.64 39.2 DH-04 0.0 33.0 33.0 0.65 1.6 DH-06 0.0 124.5 124.5 0.75 24.0 DH-07 0.0 64.5 64.5 0.72 22.2 DH-08 67.5 213.0 145.5 0.40 32.8 DH-09 12.0 105.0 93.0 0.99 19.4 DH-10 1.5 64.5 63.0 1.27 70.0 DH-11 0.0 90.0 90.0 0.51 15.7 DH-12 1.5 94.5 93.0 0.56 20.0 DH-13 150.0 163.5 13.5 1.30 60.2 DH-14 3.0 63.0 60.0 1.20 31.2 DH-15 0.0 10.5 10.5 0.62 41.3 DH-18 30.0 102 72.0 0.75 34.7 DH-20 36.0 43.5 7.5 6.00 281.6 DH-22 6.0 87.0 81.0 0.31 19.8 DH-24 103.5 132.0 28.5 1.55 83.8 DH-38 126.0 177.0 51.0 0.81 19.9

Note all grade intersections reported in above table are core interval lengths and not true thicknesses. All drill core was HQ and NQ sized. Core sampling was completed on half core segments over 1.5 to 3.0 metre (m) intervals. All drill core samples were sent for preparation to ALS Chemex laboratory in Guadalajara, Mexico; prepared samples sent to ALS Chemex laboratory in Vancouver, Canada for analyses for gold by fire assay and for multi-element by 4-acid digestion ICP.

Pena Blanca Property

Pena Blanca, located 15 kilometres northwest of the La Gitana gold-silver project, is a large, bulk-tonnage, epithermal gold-silver prospect discovered in 2005 by Chesapeake during a regional-scale stream sediment sampling program. Sediment anomalies ranging between 276 ppb to 2,200 ppb gold have been discovered from a 2.5 kilometre by 3.5 kilometre area surrounding the Pena Blanca ridge

Mineralization is associated with a swarm of northwest trending, sub-parallel quartz veins, 1 metre to 5 metres in width, partially exposed for more than 500 metres along strike. Numerous other mineralized zones marked by stream sediment, soil and rock chip anomalies have been found at Pena Blanca.

Pena Blanca covers 9 square kilometres of hydrothermal alteration of which less than 1 square kilometre has been systematically mapped and sampled. Another zone, located about 1 kilometre east-northeast of the Pena Blanca zone, returned rock ship assay results of up to 4.8 g/t gold. The style of the alteration and mineralization, together with the orientation and size of structures, suggests Pena Blanca hosts a widespread, epithermal gold-silver mineralized system.

Project Information

Further information about the La Gitana and Pena Blanca properties including maps and photos is available on Inomin's website www.inominmines.com.

Purchase Agreement

Under the terms of the Purchase Agreement, legal title to the La Gitana property was to be transferred from an affiliate of Gunpoint to Gunpoint MX prior to the completion of the sale of the property to Inomin's Mexican subsidiary. However due to delays, including COVID-19, this transfer could not be completed in the time provided under terms of the Purchase Agreement. As a result, an amending agreement was entered into with Gunpoint to provide for the La Gitana property to be transferred directly from Gunpoint's affiliate to Inomin's Mexican subsidiary.

Private Placement

In connection with the closing of the Acquisition, Inomin also reports it is releasing common shares from trust from its October 7, 2020 non-brokered private placement. The private placement was closed in trust pending final acceptance of the Acquisition by the TSX Venture Exchange. Inomin issued 5,340,000 common shares for gross proceeds of $400,500 under the private placement.

About Inomin Mines

Inomin Mines is engaged in the identification, acquisition and exploration of mineral properties, especially gold and nickel projects that display strong potential to host significant mineral resources. Inomin holds the La Gitana and Pena Blanca gold-silver properties in Mexico. The company owns a 100% interest in the Beaver-Lynx sulphide nickel project in south-central British Columbia, and the Fleetwood zinc-copper-gold-silver VMS project in south-west British Columbia. Inomin also owns 100% of the King's Point gold-copper-zinc project in Newfoundland under option to Maritime Resources Corp.. Inomin trades on the TSX Venture Exchange under the symbol MINE. For more information visit www.inominmines.com and follow us on Twitter @InominMines.

Inomin Director, L. John Peters P.Geo, a qualified person as defined by NI 43-101, has reviewed and approved the technical information in this news release.

On behalf of the board of Inomin Mines:

Inomin Mines Inc.

Per: "John Gomez"

President and CEO

For more information please contact:

John Gomez

Tel. 604.566.8703

info@inominmines.com

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

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/77989
There is so much in the Greensill-Gupta scandal that is familiar. Gullible politicians including former prime minister David Cameron and Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon were naively drawn towards business hooligans without carrying out proper due diligence on the people or enterprises with whom they were doing deals.

Cameron misused the status of the great office he once held to curry favour from civil servants and Chancellor Rishi Sunak.

Admirers of Lex Greensill, founder of Greensill Capital, believed the Australian financier had broken the mould with a techversion of invoice financing otherwise known as factoring.

No action: Former City minister Lord Myners offered early warning of dodgy Greensill practices in June 2019

Greensill borrowed from the financial crisis of the noughties, packaging up dodgy credits of mixed quality and parcelling out to investors via Credit Suisse and others. The customer base included respectable players such as Vodafone but was dominated by Sanjeev Gupta's GFG Alliance, owner of valuable steel and metal assets in the UK.

A further common thread is audit. In Britain the main operating company of the complex empire, Greensill Capital, was audited by lower-tier firm Saffery Champness.

A recurring name in the saga is Grant Thornton, which is running the Greensill insolvency but also happens to be audit adviser to several Gupta enterprises. Grant Thornton is not a clean skin when it comes to audit debacles. What is most disturbing about the Greensill affair is how it slipped through the regulatory net. Sweeping changes driven by Mark Carney, as chairman of the Financial Stability Board in the wake of the financial crisis, were intended to prevent the rise of rogue finance and bring shadow banking within the purview of regulators. Greensill evaded the cracks.

This in spite of Greensill owning a regulated German bank, working closely with Credit Suisse and the fact that its biggest client, Gupta, was allowed to take control of a UK regulated bank, Wyelands.

Former City minister Lord Myners offered early warning of dodgy Greensill practices in June 2019, but no one at the Bank of England, the Financial Conduct Authority or other UK agencies appears to have taken any notice.

It is an embarrassing example of regulatory culpability. The concern must be that enforcers chose to give the debacle a wide berth because of friends Lex Greensill and Sanjeev Gupta had in high places. It is only due to the diligence of the Financial Times, The Sunday Times and the Mail titles that the disgrace has not been allowed to rest.

The only politicians to make a fuss so far are Myners and Labour's Anneliese Dodds. When the Lonrho imbroglio erupted in the 1970s then prime minister Ted Heath declared it to be 'the unacceptable face of capitalism' and sent in Department of Trade inspectors. Such inquiries are unfashionable because of a lack of speed and the use of 'Maxwellisation'  endless legal rights of reply.

There is an alternate solution used to get to the bottom of the swindle at London Capital and Finance and abusive working practices at clothing company Boohoo. That is the judge or QC-led inquiry.

Both Dame Elizabeth Gloster at LCF and Alison Levitt QC at Boohoo produced sharp reports in record time. Boris Johnson should ask Sunak or Business Secretary Kwasi Kwarteng to set up a similar rapid probe above politics straight away.
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Three areas - Targets A9, A9 North, and A6 and A5 - have returned encouraging gold results in the weathering zone, which Kingwest believe may be indicative of more extensive primary gold mineralisation in the underlying bedrock.

( ) has identified extensive gold anomalism and mineralisation in aircore drilling over more than 1,000 metres in strike length at Target A9 within the Goongarrie Gold Project (GGP) in Western Australia.

Deep aircore drilling tested aero-magnetically defined litho-structural targets in five areas with three of those areas (Target A9, A9 North, A6 and A5) returning encouraging results in the weathering zone, which Kingwest believe may be indicative of more extensive primary gold mineralisation in the underlying bedrock.

At Target A9 drilling on five 200 metre-spaced lines has defined a 1,200-metre-long by 300-metre-wide zone of strongly anomalous gold geochemistry and gold mineralisation that is open along strike to the north and south.

Results indicate prospectivity

Chief executive officer Ed Turner said: Our exploration programs at Goongarrie continue to indicate how prospective the project is for major gold deposits.

We look forward to following up these results with more detailed drilling at Target A9 as well as initial drilling of targets A1, A2, A3 and A10 which lie under the salt lakes in the north of the project.

The Target A9 gold discovery has strong gold depletion in the upper part of the weathering zone and is progressively covered by up to 50 metres of alluvial lake clay sediments as it heads south.

Where exposed in the north, it has been drilled to the base of weathering with a best intersection of 6 metres at 17.2 g/t gold from 94 metres in KGA038.

South of there, drilling intersected broad intervals of lower-level gold in the gold-depleted weathering zone and beneath the alluvial lake cover.

This zone now requires deeper, closely spaced drilling to investigate the extent and grade of gold mineralisation in the underlying fresh bedrock.

Lake exploration update

Kingwest has significantly progressed exploration of the previously inaccessible major part of the Goongarrie project that lies beneath the Goongarrie Salt Lake.

A high-resolution aeromagnetic study has been completed over the western half of Lake Goongarrie and a few of the resulting litho-structural targets have been tested by a program of deep geochemical pitting.

This deep pitting program was limited in extent, but it has successfully located several strongly gold anomalous drilling targets under previously unexplored areas of Lake Goongarrie.

The most promising of these targets to date is the A10 target, which lies at the intersection of a 500-metre-wide northwest-trending D4 shear zone with a thick Black Flag Group conglomerate unit.

A track-mounted drilling rig is scheduled to test Target A10 along with Targets A1, A2 and A3 in the second quarter of 2021.

Follow-up Lake pitting program

Kingwest has researched a number of previously successful salt-lake gold exploration studies, notably by Western Mining Corporation at Lake Lefroy.

They have concluded that a deep pitting program to sample the interface between the Lake Goongarrie equivalents of the Lake Lefroy Pliocene Roysalt Evaporite unit and underlying Lake Lefroy Miocene Revenge Shale is most likely to detect geochemical evidence of any gold mineralisation in the underlying bedrock.

Although a statistically very small number of interface samples have been taken at this stage, these have returned some surprisingly high gold values.

It is apparent from these results that whilst some gold values are close to the expected <10ppb gold background level of soil interface geochemical surveys, there are several others in excess of 50ppb gold and eight that are in excess of 100ppb gold.

These gold levels would be regarded as highly anomalous in a conventional surface soil geochemical survey.

Kingwest conclude from the above results that, whilst there are low level background gold values in some places, there are also unusually high levels of gold values in others, notably over some of Kingwests most promising magnetically defined litho-structural targets, and that these may relate to underlying gold mineralisation.

These targets, and other similar ones that have yet to be pit sampled, are therefore considered to be high priority drilling targets.
Sadiq Khan said the incident was an attack on the freedom and values our country holds dear (Victoria Jones/PA)

The Mayor of London has condemned the cowardly terror attack at Westminster Bridge, in which five people lost their lives, on the fourth anniversary of the incident.

Sadiq Khan said the capital would continue to honour the victims by focusing on the uniting values of decency, openness and mutual respect.

Monday marks the fourth anniversary of the attack on March 22 2017, in which Khalid Masood drove a hire car into pedestrians on Westminster Bridge, before crashing into railings outside the Palace of Westminster.

Those killed in the atrocity were US tourist Kurt Cochran, Romanian tourist Andreea Cristea, 31, and Britons Aysha Frade, 44, and 75-year-old Leslie Rhodes.

Expand Close A commemorative plaque to remember the victims of the Westminster Bridge attack will be installed, if approved, once Covid regulations are lifted (Westminster Council/PA) PA / Facebook

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Whatsapp A commemorative plaque to remember the victims of the Westminster Bridge attack will be installed, if approved, once Covid regulations are lifted (Westminster Council/PA)

Masood then stabbed Pc Keith Palmer, 48, to death before he was shot dead by police.

A commemorative plaque to remember the victims will be installed, if approved, on the bridge in the summer once Covid regulations are lifted.

A memorial to Pc Palmer already stands outside the Houses of Parliament.

An online event dedicated to the victims and their families also took place on Sunday March 21.

Mr Khan said: On the fourth anniversary of the Westminster terror attack, we come together to reflect and to remember the innocent victims who lost their lives or were seriously injured in this cowardly attack.

Like all Londoners, my thoughts and prayers are with the families and friends of Leslie Rhodes, Andreea Cristea, Aysha Frade, Kurt Cochran and courageous police officer Pc Keith Palmer.

The awful events of that day were not only an attack on London, but an attack on the freedom and values our country holds dear.

Our diversity is one of Londons greatest strengths and we will continue to honour those who lost their lives by focusing on the values of decency, openness and mutual respect that unite us.

Expand Close A memorial to Pc Palmer already stands outside the Houses of Parliament (Yui Mok/PA) PA / Facebook

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Whatsapp A memorial to Pc Palmer already stands outside the Houses of Parliament (Yui Mok/PA)

Councillor Rachael Robathan, leader of Westminster City Council, said: Today our thoughts are with the family and friends who suffered loss following the terrorist attack at Westminster Bridge and New Palace Yard four years ago.

Our communities cant come together at the moment but in time, as Covid restrictions ease, we will meet to mark this tragic day.

The aftermath of the terrorist attacks demonstrated that those who live and work in Westminster will not be cowed by terrorism, from whatever quarter it comes.

We take the proper security measures with police, but as home to Parliament, Westminster is committed to being an open city and we refuse to have that tradition undermined by violence.

Ms Robathan said the council had submitted an application to put up the plaque, as the bridge is a Grade II* structure and planning permission is needed.

If approved, the memorial will be installed once Covid restrictions are lifted and will be placed on the top edge of the south parapet in the middle of Westminster Bridge.
The past twelve months have showcased the importance of medical developments like never before. Innovation in the life sciences sector has been headline news around the globe and all aspects of the healthcare system have been under the microscope. Not only the direct response to the global pandemic, with vaccinations and treatments, but also the importance of mental health, the care home profession, screening programs and telemedicine, have had the spotlight shone on them.

Like never before, the superheroes in the medical profession have been applauded and profiled. In the UK, we have taken great pride in the development of treatments and vaccines, which have highlighted how the UK continues to be a great home for innovation across the life sciences spectrum.

So, how does that impact the world of financial services? The short answer lies in the investment opportunities. Investors are more interested in holding Big Pharma stocks than they were perhaps a decade ago, making the likes of AstraZeneca and Pfizer the new BP and Shell in being the backbone of a portfolio. However, the real long-term opportunities for appropriate investors are in the early-stage opportunities, particularly when they qualify for the Enterprise Investment Scheme and the generous potential tax reliefs those investments afford. Such early-stage companies are inspiring healthcare efficiency savings and focus on solving real issues, which may directly or indirectly be exaggerated during a global pandemic.

With world leading academia and clinicians, great ideas are abundant across all regions of the UK. It is, therefore, important that advisers and investors work with managers that are experts in the sector and to ensure innovators have practical and financial support from those that truly understand the unique field. Specific expertise is critically important in this sector which is diverse and potentially unique in the way it behaves. For example, a drug-discovery company may well never earn commercial revenues, but could be amassing value through its research. Understanding this process and the stages involved is important, in order to understand value, strategy and lifecycle to achieve the best outcomes for investors. Equally, an investment manager with focused sector experience, whether that be drug discovery, medtech, or digital healthcare will likely be able to provide investee companies with distribution contacts and support with the empirical trials process.

Investments in life sciences can be appealing to many investors. They might be experienced in the medical sector themselves and have a personal interest. They may wish to invest in life sciences from a moral perspective and wish to support such projects. Or, there may be the simple recognition of the opportunities available in the sector  particularly in the current climate.

Early-stage investments are by their very nature illiquid and high risk, but for those clients with the appropriate attitude for risk and capacity for loss, then such investments should be considered as part of a diversified portfolio in order to target the potentially significant growth that, ultimately, investors crave. The UK life sciences sector has never been more appealing to investors, but utilizing sector specialist investment managers is a must. Meanwhile, the all-important question is, if investors are considering this arena then why would advisers and managers not use the Enterprise Investment Scheme and the generous tax reliefs on offer?

By utilizing the UK Governments Enterprise Investment Scheme (EIS), investors could benefit from 30% income tax relief, capital gains tax deferral, capital gain tax free growth, inheritance tax exemption and loss relief. EIS, which is now over a quarter of century in existence, is designed to encourage UK taxpaying investors to support early-stage UK companies, via the provision of patient capital, and, to a degree, mitigate the risk via the aforementioned tax reliefs. However, financial advisers and investors should not solely be using the EIS for tax planning purposes, they should understand the types of growth orientated companies they could be investing in and consider such investments as part of a diversified portfolio. The Enterprise Investment Scheme is more than just a tax tool.
BEIJING - A second Canadian citizen held for more than two years on spying charges in apparent retaliation for Canadas arrest of a senior executive of Chinese telecoms giant Huawei went on trial in Beijing on Monday.

Jim Nickel, the deputy chief of mission for the Canadian Embassy in China, and foreign diplomats gather outside the No. 2 Intermediate People's Court to attend former diplomat Michael Kovrig's trial in Beijing, Monday, Sept 22, 2021. The Beijing court was expected to put on trial second Canadian citizen Michael Kovrig held for more than two years on spying charges in apparent retaliation for Canada's arrest of a senior executive of the telecoms giant Huawei. (AP Photo/Andy Wong)

BEIJING - A second Canadian citizen held for more than two years on spying charges in apparent retaliation for Canadas arrest of a senior executive of Chinese telecoms giant Huawei went on trial in Beijing on Monday.

The trial of analyst and former diplomat Michael Kovrig in Beijing follows an initial hearing in the case of entrepreneur Michael Spavor in the northeastern city of Dandong on Friday.

Canadian diplomats have been refused access to the trials and been told hearings would be held behind closed doors because of alleged national security concerns. Diplomats and journalists have shown up nonetheless to seek information and show support.

Outside Beijing's No. 2 Intermediate Court, Jim Nickel, the Canadian Embassys deputy chief of mission, told journalists he had been told the trial had begun, but was barred from entry in what he said was a violation of China's international and bilateral treaty obligations. Nickel remained outside the courthouse until after dark, despite the lack of information.

Michael Kovrig has been detained for more than two years now. He's been arbitrarily detained and now we see that the court process itself is not transparent," Nickel told reporters earlier in the day. We're very troubled by this but we thank those who have come out from the embassies here in Beijing and the international support that we've had for Michael, for Canada and the call that many of us are making for their immediate release."

Nickel said 26 countries had sent representatives to show their support, including the U.S., the U.K, Australia and many European nations. It wasn't clear how long the trial would last or when a verdict would be announced.

Photographers take pictures of a vehicle carrying Jim Nickel, the deputy chief of mission for the Canadian Embassy in China moves past the No. 2 Intermediate People's Court in Beijing, Monday, March 22, 2021. A second Canadian citizen held for more than two years on spying charges in apparent retaliation for Canada's arrest of a senior executive of Chinese telecoms giant Huawei went on trial in Beijing on Monday. (AP Photo)

At a daily afternoon news briefing, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying said, The Canadian side made irresponsible remarks on Chinas law-based handling of the cases of Canadian citizens with some other countries diplomats in China, which is a gross interference in Chinas judicial sovereignty."

China's handling of the cases is beyond reproach," Hua said, while calling Canada hypocritical because it also reserves the right to try cases involving state secrets behind closed doors.

The Chinese government has provided almost no information about the accusations against the two, but a newspaper run by the ruling Communist Party alleges they collaborated in stealing state secrets and sending them abroad. No verdict has been announced in Spavor's case and it wasn't clear if additional hearings would be held.

However, such cases are almost always predetermined in China, and Beijing is seen as using Kovrig and Spavor as leverage to obtain the release of Huawei executive Meng Wanzhou, who was arrested at the request of the U.S. at the airport in Vancouver, British Columbia, in December 2019. The two Canadians were detained in China just days later.

Meng is sought by the U.S. on fraud charges related to the telecom giants dealings with Iran, which is under American financial sanctions.

The two Canadians have been held ever since, while Meng has been released on bail. They were charged in June 2020 under Chinas broadly defined national security laws.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau blasted Beijing for holding the trial in secret without access for consular officials.

Their arbitrary detention is completely unacceptable, as is the lack of transparency around these court proceedings, Trudeau said in Ottawa.

China needs to understand that it is not just about two Canadians. Its about respect for the rule of law and relationships with a broad range of Western countries that are at play with the arbitrary detention and the coercive diplomacy that theyve engaged in.

Mengs case has deeply angered Chinas government, which has promoted Huawei as a global leader in mobile communications technology, and sees her detention as a deliberate attempt to malign Chinese companies and impede the nation's growing economic and political clout. Beijing has demanded her immediate and unconditional release and has also restricted various Canadian exports, including canola oil seed, and handed death sentences to another four Canadians convicted of drug smuggling.

The U.S. and Canada have pledged to work together with China to seek the release of Kovrig and Spavor, but meetings between top U.S. and Chinese diplomats last week  the first since President Joe Biden took office  seemed to offer little hope.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Chinese human rights abuses threaten the rules-based order that maintains global stability, while senior Chinese foreign policy adviser Yang Jiechi said China will not accept unwarranted accusations from the U.S. side, and that relations had fallen into a period of unprecedented difficulty."

President and head of the Chinese Communist Party Xi Jinping is driving the assertive approach to foreign relations, alongside bold domestic policies to eliminate poverty and restore rapid economic growth following the coronavirus pandemic, said Steve Tsang, director of the SOAS China Institute at the University of London.

Xi is extremely ambitious, and he compares himself ... to Mao Zedong and the first Emperor of China," Tsang wrote in an email to The Associated Press.

Associated Press writers Rob Gillies in Toronto and Jim Morris in Vancouver, British Columbia, contributed to this report.
Comedy legend Chevy Chase is at home recuperating after a five-week stay at the hospital due to a heart issue.

The 77-year-old Saturday Night Live alum is currently recovering at his home in Westchester, New York following the medical complication.

He told iconic Page Six gossip columnist Cindy Adams on Monday: 'These are my first few days home. I can only say how happy I am to now be back with my family. Im feeling good.

'I was in the hospital five weeks. A heart issue. So, for now, Im around the house. Not going anywhere.'

'I'm feeling good': Comedy legend Chevy Chase (seen in July 2010) is at home recuperating after a five-week stay at the hospital due to a heart issue he told iconic Page Six gossip columnist Cindy Adams on Monday

Chase has done comedy for over 50 years but has no itch to get back on stage or in front of the camera anytime soon.

He explained: 'I used to go out and do anything. Id do slapstick in front of 3,000 people. But at this moment I have no need to go out and meet COVID.'

The star of classic 1983 comedy National Lampoon's Vacation revealed that he spends his time reading and watching the news but is no fan of what he has been seeing.

'I have no need to go out and meet COVID': Chase (seen in 2019) has done comedy for over 50 years but has no itch to get back on stage or in front of the camera anytime soon

Chase told Adams: 'I read. Turn on TV. Watch the news. All drek. I see actors, comedians, producers, screenwriters working and, God bless them, but I dont see anything great on television.

'It all became a generation of s**theads laughing at the world. The humor todays giving the next generation worse stuff than they already have in their own lives. It drives me nuts.'

Chase is one of the biggest names there has ever been in American comedy as he became a key cast member in the very first season on Saturday Night Live in 1975.

Trailblazer: Chase (seen February 2015) is one of the biggest names there has ever been in American comedy as he became a key cast member in the very first season on Saturday Night Live in 1975

His Weekend Update segment became a staple of the show and is performed weekly to this day,

He left the show in the middle of the second season in late 1976 but was definitely recognized for his work on the program as he has earned three Primetime Emmy Awards out of five nominations.

Chase later found success on the big screen as he portrayed Clark W. Griswold in the series of National Lampoon's Vacation films beginning in 1983 and continuing with European Vacation (1985), Christmas Vacation (1989), and Vegas Vacation (1997).

He also reprised the role in the 2015 film Vacation starring Ed Helms and Christina Applegate.

Signature role: Chase later found success on the big screen as he portrayed Clark W. Griswold in the series of National Lampoon's Vacation films beginning in 1983 (pictured) and continuing with European Vacation (1985), Christmas Vacation (1989), and Vegas Vacation (1997)

He's back: He also reprised the role in the 2015 film Vacation starring Ed Helms and Christina Applegate

He also made the role of Irwin 'Fletch' Fletcher famous in 1985's Fletch and 1989 sequel Fletch Lives.

Chase also starred in Caddyshack (1980), Modern Problems (1981), Spies Like Us (1985), Three Amigos (1986), Man of the House (1995), and Hot Tub Time Machine (2010).

His last recurring television role came on NBC comedy series Community as he starred alongside Donald Glover, Alison Brie, Joel McHale, Yvette Nicole Brown, Dani Pudi, Gillian Jacobs, and John Oliver from 2009 to 2014.

Most recently he made a cameo appearance in The Very Excellent Mr. Dundee starring Paul Hogan which was released in December.
YEREVAN. - Contact with two contract servicemen was lost Sunday, in the conditions of a severe snowstorm, and while they were heading from one outpost to another outpost of a military unit. The Ministry of Defense of Armenia noted this in a statement.

It added that the incessant snowstorm hinders the search and rescue operations that started Sunday.

All the necessary measures are taken to find these soldiers.

Earlier, the Telegram channel had Mediaport reported that at 3pm on Sunday, two soldiers had gone missing from the military unit of Jermuk town. According to the source, these servicemen are Karen Shahnazaryan and Aghasi Hovhannisyan, who were from a military unit in the Karvachar (Kelbajar) region of Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh), but were currently serving in the Jermuk military unit.
Piercing headaches that last months. Frantic efforts to write succession plans and check life insurance policies. FaceTime goodbyes with loved ones who didn't make it.

Business owners are still grappling with the fear, confusion, and human destruction wreaked by the Covid pandemic. For many of those who struggled firsthand with the virus, they say the experience has left lasting effects. So-called long-haul survivors say they still haven't fully regained their health, even as they must continue to keep their businesses running. Others say what remains are the psychological effects--the realization of how quickly something completely out of their control can turn their world upside down.

Inc. recently spoke with four entrepreneurs about their experiences and how Covid has changed them as leaders. For some, the illness forced a much-needed pause for rest and reflection and produced a newfound sense of gratitude and empathy for those around them. For others, Covid inspired a new desire to make bold business moves. While each person has a unique story, one theme underlines them all: They're not the same as they were going into this crisis.

Embracing Empathy

As a leader, Cate Luzio knows she had a reputation for asking a lot of her people. "I'm super demanding, very fast-paced. People used to say, 'We can't keep up with you,' " says the founder of Luminary, a community and 15,000-square-foot co-working space for women in New York City. That's one reason why coming down with Covid in March 2020 was so difficult. She didn't want to disconnect--but her symptoms forced her to step away.

She dealt with fatigue, loss of taste and smell, and a deep cough that it made it hard to catch her breath. Nearly a year later, searing headaches at the base of her skull still regularly interrupt her workdays. She manages the pain with ibuprofen and ice packs, but it never goes away entirely.

To survive, her business had to transform itself. Luminary had to shut its doors between March 22 and June 22, losing 80 percent of its revenue during those months as New Yorkers shifted to working from home. The company moved its eventsprogramming online and offered digital-only memberships. The 20-person team all took pay cuts so Luminary could avoid layoffs.

Luzio says the experience has given her a much deeper sense of empathy. The team pulled together to keep the business intact. Now, she has embraced giving her employees the flexibility they need. For example, her chief impact officer came to her to say she didn't want to quit but couldn't juggle the work with the demands of kids at home. They came up with a part-time solution. "You need non-moms advocating for working moms. I'm using my voice in that regard as loudly as I can," Luzio says.

Dialing It Down a Notch

In mid-March of last year, Ryan Kovach figured there was no time like the present to start his own company. Losing his corporate marketing job in a layoff gave him the much-needed motivation to control his destiny. "[Starting a business] was terrifying, but [the idea] just blew up--the timing was right," he says. By October, he says his Fort Worth, Texas-based company RKCMO, which handles outsourced marketing services for staffing and recruiting firms, hit its first $1 million in total revenue. To fuel the growth, he hired three employees. While he considered himself an empathetic leader, he says at times he probably wasn't so understanding about employee absences and work interruptions. And then in November, Kovach contracted Covid.

Twice he went to the hospital because his oxygen levels had dropped so low that his lips turned blue. X-rays revealed ground-glass opacities in his lungs, a honeycomb-like pattern that blocked oxygen from entering his system. On his darkest day, he recorded a video with his cell phone in which he said good-bye to his four children.

After about a month, he started to recover. "Number one, it really shed light on how fragile we really are," he says. "As a business owner, I tend to be pretty on fire, and this caused me to relax a bit and see that things aren't that serious." Being so sick also helped him realize that the company needed better tools in place to take the pressure off if someone does need to step away. Kovach invested in conversational A.I. chat-bots, the social media scheduling tool Social Pilot, and project-management software Hive to make sure tasks don't fall through the cracks.

He also instituted unlimited paid time off. "You don't even need a reason," he says. "Just let me know you're not going to be there."

Finding a New Purpose

In late February 2020, digital marketing agency Sweb Development lost its office building in San Antonio, Texas, to a fire. "I thought, 'Oh, my god. What's going to happen? Where are we going to go?" says founder and CEO Magaly Chocano. Two weeks later, Covid shut down every office building. Like many other companies, the Sweb team had to figure out on the fly how to work well together remotely and continue to give its clients personalized service. The change was hard for Chocano, who thrives on being able to walk over to her team to brainstorm.

Chocano was also on the verge of flying overseas to visit her mother, who was struggling with Covid in a hospital in London, when she and her husband also tested positive for the virus. Chocano had few symptoms, while her husband suffered from relentless headaches, fatigue, and reduced lung capacity. On top of it all, Chocano had to say good-bye to her mother via FaceTime before she passed away in February. "I hadn't seen her in a year, and I couldn't go visit," she says. "Even now it feels like it's not real."

Chocano was one of the lucky ones in that her business didn't suffer during the pandemic. Even so, seeing how quickly the circumstances of others changed profoundly shook her. "People have lost their livelihoods overnight due to something they can't control, and what do you do?"

For her, the answer was to jump into action. She formed the nonprofit In This Together, which facilitated gift-card buying to support both local businesses and organizations serving people in need. In eight weeks, In This Together raised $140,000. She also launched Safewell, a for-profit venture that developed re-opening plans in English and Spanish for businesses across 13 different industries summarizing local, state, and federal regulations. Soon, Safewell will begin selling Covid safety certifications for businesses. "I went into activator mode. That's where my head went--new ways to help people," Chocano says.

Going Bigger and Bolder

Jim Small's bout with Covid last September was nothing if not clarifying. His Phoenix private-equity firm, Sante Realty Investments, long focused on investing in apartments, offices, and retail buildings, targeting accredited investors putting about $100,000 into deals. But, he admits, he had always been slow to take bigger risks.

After testing positive for Covid, he spent two and a half weeks mostly bedridden with cold sweats, fever, and low oxygen levels. On the verge of going to the hospital, he double-checked his life insurance plan and identified someone on his team to take over check-signing privileges should the worst happen.

"One thing I thought about when my blood-oxygen levels were lower was: Is this how I want my company to be? Is this what I want to be doing?" he says.

The short answer: No. Small decided the time was right to be bold. He wanted to move into ground leases, in which his company would own the land under skyscrapers and other buildings. Doing so would mean targeting family offices, pension funds, and endowments looking to invest a minimum of $2 million.

Small says he had always wanted to go bigger but let the company coast. As part of his plan to shift his company "from good to great," in late 2020 he rolled out daily, weekly, and monthly metrics for every team member.

"I thought we had done a disservice to our team. Daily or weekly, you didn't know if you won the day," he says. Now, he says, everyone has their own personal scoreboard. While some employees find comfort in the clarity the new metrics provide, others have decided to move on.
By Promit Mukherjee

JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) - A South African business lobby group called on Monday for the government to shift the emphasis on its vaccine programme to target the elderly and vulnerable sooner, to prevent hospitals being overrun in a third wave of COVID-19 infections.

South Africa is behind schedule in the first phase of its vaccination programme, aimed at inoculating health care workers. Those over 60 or with co-morbidities are not meant to be vaccinated until a later second phase, along with other essential workers and people who work in crowded settings.

Stavros Nicolaou, an executive of Aspen Pharmacare which has a contract to make Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccines in South Africa, and who also serves as chairman of the Public Health Workgroup at business lobby Business for South Africa (B4SA), said the group had called for changes in light of the slow rollout.

The lobby group had written to the government this month, recommending elderly and vulnerable people be moved higher up the priority list, he said.

"In the absence of having sufficient vaccines in quarter two, it makes more sense to start vaccinating people who are in the mortality curve, and not overwhelm the healthcare services," Nicolaou told Reuters on Monday.

South Africa's vaccination campaign was slowed after it cancelled the use of AstraZeneca vaccines, found in a small study to be less effective against a variant of the coronavirus dominant in the country.

So far only 160,000 health workers have been vaccinated with Johnson & Johnson's COVID-19 vaccine, just 13% of the target to vaccinate 1.25 million people by the end of first quarter.

An email sent to the government was not immediately answered. March 22 is a public holiday in South Africa.

(Reporting by Promit Mukherjee; Editing by Peter Graff)
Violent scenes which marred a Kill the Bill protest in Bristol that saw a police station attacked, officers injured and vehicles set alight have been widely condemned.

Home Secretary Priti Patel branded the scenes unacceptable and said thuggery and disorder would never be tolerated.

Bristol mayor Marvin Rees, who said he had major concerns about the Governments Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill, condemned the thuggery but said the disorder would be used to justify the legislation.

Mass gatherings are currently banned under coronavirus legislation and anyone breaching the regulations could be fined.

Many who attended the protest on College Green were wearing face masks and carried placards, saying: Say no to UK police state and Freedom to protest is fundamental to democracy and Kill the Bill.

What started as a non-violent demonstration on Sunday afternoon turned violent after hundreds of protesters descended on the New Bridewell police station.

Two police officers were injured, suffering broken ribs and an arm, and taken to hospital during violent skirmishes with masked thugs.

Police horses are deployed as they hold back people outside Bridewell police station in Bristol (Andrew Matthews/PA)

Later, protesters attempted to smash the windows of the glass-fronted police station.

They also tried to set fire to one of the marked police vans parked outside the station but the small flames were quickly extinguished by riot officers.

Other protesters set fire to a police van parked on Bridewell Street, near to the police station.

Protesters set fire to a vandalised police van outside the police station (Andrew Matthews/PA)

Rioters smashed the windows of the police station and also destroyed Avon and Somerset Police vehicles parked nearby, setting fire to a car and a van.

Cars parked in a multi-storey car park adjacent to the police station were also damaged by protesters.

Avon and Somerset Police said its officers had missiles and fireworks thrown at them and used mounted officers and dogs to disperse the mob.

The mindless violence was condemned by the Home Secretary, police federation representatives and local leaders.

A protester kicks a smashed Bridewell police station window in Bristol (Andrew Matthews/PA)

Home Secretary Priti Patel tweeted: Unacceptable scenes in Bristol tonight.

Thuggery and disorder by a minority will never be tolerated.

Our police officers put themselves in harms way to protect us all.

My thoughts this evening are with those police officers injured.

Bristol mayor Marvin Rees said: I have major concerns about the Bill myself, which is poorly thought out and could impose disproportionate controls on free expression and the right to peaceful protest.

Smashing buildings in our city centre, vandalising vehicles, attacking our police will do nothing to lessen the likelihood of the Bill going through.

On the contrary, the lawlessness on show will be used as evidence and promote the need for the Bill.

This is a shameful day in an incredible year for Bristol.

We have faced times of great confrontation particularly surrounding Black Lives Matter and the events that followed.

We have had numerous protests.

Our police, city representatives and I have been able to point out with pride that we have faced these moments of conflict without the physical conflict that others have experienced.

Those who decided to turn the protest into a physical confrontation and smash our city have robbed us of this.

Police outside Bridewell police station in Bristol (Andrew Matthews/PA)

Andy Roebuck, chairman of the Avon and Somerset Police Federation, said: Disgusting scenes in Bristol by a mob of animals who are injuring police officers, members of the public and damaging property.

We have officers with suspected broken arms and ribs.

This is so wrong.

John Apter, national chairman of the Police Federation of England and Wales, said: This is not about protecting the right to protest, its violent criminality from a hardcore minority who will hijack any situation for their own aims.

Riot police, with police horses behind them, move down Rupert Street in Bristol (Andrew Matthews/PA)

Darren Jones, Labour MP for Bristol North West, said: The scenes in Bristol this evening are completely unacceptable.

You dont campaign for the right to peaceful protest by setting police vans on fire or graffitiing buildings.

The Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill would give the police in England and Wales more power to impose conditions on non-violent protests, including those deemed too noisy or a nuisance.

Those convicted under the proposed legislation could face a fine or jail.

People take part in the Kill the Bill protest in Bristol (Andrew Matthews/PA)

Chief Superintendent Will White, of Avon and Somerset Police, said: These scenes are absolutely disgraceful and they will be widely condemned by people across the city.

There can never be any excuse for wanton disorder.

All those involved in his criminal behaviour will be identified and brought to justice.

There will be significant consequences for behaviour such as this.
When Blanca Lozano headed for her first ultrasound, she had high hopes the image would reveal twins.

Lozano loves being a twin sister herself. She had one son, Jorge Adrian, during her first pregnancy, and thought maybe the second time would be the charm.

My husband was like, Please dont get excited, Lozano said.

But when the ultrasound revealed exactly what she wanted, I was super, super, super excited, Lozano said.

Her second ultrasound, however, raised cause for concern: One of the babies had a smaller heart than the other.

But the twins were so tiny, they needed time to pass to see if they could outgrow it, Lozano said.

A few weeks later, doctors delivered more bad news.

They dropped the bomb, Lozano said. One of the babies did not have the left half of his heart.

On HoustonChronicle.com: A rare COVID side effect caused his tongue to swell, forcing a Houston surgeon to step in

Pediatric cardiologist Dr. Donna Goff explained that one of the twins, Santiago, has hypoplastic left heart syndrome, a birth defect that impedes blood flow since the left half of the heart does not form correctly.

Lozano was beyond scared. Could he live like that? she asked. I couldnt imagine it was possible to live with half a heart. That day was probably the worst day in my life.

After receiving the news in the spring of 2019, Lozano and her husband, Jorge Gomez, went to the doctor every two weeks for check-ups.

Goff, with UTHealth and the heart program at Childrens Memorial Hermanns Fetal Center, explained that with identical twins, it was unusual that only one would have a defect. For the course of Lozanos pregnancy, both babies remained under watch. And everything else was normal for the duration.

Lozano went in for a cesarean section on Sept. 10, 2019, and her husband held her hand through the procedure.

But Lozano only saw her babies for a few minutes before they were whisked to the NICU.

Marcello, the twin with the unaffected heart, was able to return to her quickly. But Lozano had to wait until the next day to see Santiago. He was not allowed to nurse because doctors did not want him to strain his heart. He had to remain in the hospital until his surgery.

I went home with only one baby, Lozano recalled. After that, I had to come back for his surgery. That was my second worst day.

Still, Lozano felt fortunate that Santiago would be in the hands of Dr. Jorge Salazar, co-director of the Childrens Heart Center at Childrens Memorial Hermann Hospital and professor and chief of the Division of Pediatric Cardiovascular Surgery for UTHealth.

For me, hes an angel, she said. He called us and explained, Ill do whatever I need to do.

While hypoplastic left heart syndrome is not that common, almost one in 100 babies are born with a heart defect. And we specialize in taking care of the most challenging cases, Salazar explained.

Surgeries to repair hypoplastic left heart syndrome are actually one of Salazars specialties.

It is a lethal heart defect if nothing is done, he said. But there is a solution, and this is what we do every single day.

The key, according to Salazar, is maximizing the heart function existing when an infant is born. I take what the baby has and rearrange it so it works well, he said.

On HoustonChronicle.com: Baby Kate of Magnolia becomes the first child in Texas to undergo new skull surgery

Normally, the hearts left ventricle pumps red, oxygenated blood to the body, and the right ventricle pumps blood to the lungs. The left ventricle plays the most important role, Salazar explained. Since Santiago was born without one, the surgeons rearranged the right ventricle to pump blood to the body.

There are three open-heart surgeries required to correct hypoplastic left heart syndrome. The first is the Norwood procedure, which can be completed when a baby is 1 or 2 weeks old. This operation redirects the right ventricle to take over for the left.

Lozano and Gomez spent the day in the hospital waiting, while Santiago underwent the surgery. During the weeks spent waiting for her son to recover, Lozano was at first consumed with worry. Then, Santiago inspired her.

You see your baby fighting so hard to recover  and that gives you strength, she said. That really strengthened my faith.

Finally, Lozano was able to take Santiago home.

Her goal was to help him grow larger and stronger in time for his next surgery, scheduled for January 2020.

The second operation, called the Glenn procedure, is typically completed when infants are 4 to 6 months old. With the Glenn procedure, the superior vena cava vein is disconnected from the heart and reconnected to the pulmonary artery. This allows blood to flow directly to the lungs and relieves the right ventricle from doing its work.

That was probably the third most scary day in my life, Lozano said

Still, the surgery was quick, as was Santiagos recovery.

Salazar explained that the Glenn procedure basically jump-starts the engine for babies. They pick up speed or gain momentum and get stronger and stronger, he said.

Since his last surgery, Santiagos development have taken off. He had a full schedule with occupational, physical and speech therapy. For example, he spent so much time in treatments that his muscles in his cheeks were not able to respond to the bottle or food.

Santiagos hands and feet also did not develop due to his lack of movement. With therapy, he was able to surmount these challenges.

I lived in the hospital a lot the past year, and the nurses were amazing, Lozano said. They really care about the babies. The doctors, theyre fathers, too. They have become my family.

Now, Santiago is 18 months old and walking. Hes not as fast as Marcello, Lozano said. Hes still a little behind, but hes amazing.

Simply looking at him, you would never know about his tumultuous first year of life, she added.

You can barely tell he had surgery, Salazar said.

Santiago will return for his final surgery when he is 3 years old. The Fontan procedure is the final step to redirect blood flow.

The first surgery is the big one, and the Glenn and Fontan are much lower risk, Salazar said.

Lozano said each day with Santiago feels like a miracle. She wants to remind other parents of children born with heart defects to have hope.

Every day is a new day, and its just one day at a time, she said. Every step these kids make is a victory. And each victory is a lesson to us.

The diagnosis is a challenge for any family, said Goff.

This is a hard journey, she said. Its hard enough to have this problem alone, but then add to it that theres a twin at home and a 2-year-old.

Goff saw Santiago for a checkup on Feb. 26. I was like, Wow, she recalled. He looked great.

Walking with Lozano and Gomez, providing the care they needed, was rewarding.

Its a privilege really to go through these journeys with families and then to see the babies thriving and doing well, Goff said.

Lindsay Peyton is a Houston-based freelance writer.
New Delhi: Former Mumbai Police Commissioner Param Bir Singh filed a petition before the Supreme court demanding a CBI inquiry against Maharashtra Home Minister Anil Deshmukh. The petition he filed was also about his transfer to Home Guard Department.

Earlier in the day, Singh reached the Home Guard office in south Mumbai around noon but avoided speaking to media persons.

Under flak for the handling of the recent bomb scare, the Maharashtra government on March 17 transferred Singh from the post and appointed senior IPS officer Hemant Nagrale, who was holding additional charge of Maharashtra DGP, as the new commissioner of Mumbai Police.

Days after he was shunted out, Singh wrote a letter to Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray alleging that state Home Minister Anil Deshmukh had asked Sachin Waze, currently in custody of the National Investigation Agency (NIA), and other police officers to collect Rs 100 crore monthly, including Rs 50 crore to Rs 60 crore from bars and restaurants in Mumbai.

Deshmukh had denied these allegations. The NIA is probing Waze's alleged role in placing an explosives-laden SUV on February 25.

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Research has found that experiencing a traumatic event at close quarters changes people's political attitudes. However, in the case of the 2017 terrorist attack in Stockholm, proximity to the attack had no additional political significance. Research from the University of Gothenburg shows that Swedes' attitudes toward terrorism-related questions were affected equally, regardless of whether they happened to be close to the attack.

On 7 April 2017, Rakhmat Akilov stole a truck and ran down multiple people on Drottninggatan, a street in central Stockholm. Five people died, fifteen were injured and many people witnessed the events. Akilov - a sympathiser of the terrorist organisation Islamic State (IS) - was later arrested and subsequently sentenced to life imprisonment for his actions.

In the case of terrorist attacks, it is common for a population to react by becoming more patriotic, more negative toward out-groups (such as immigrants), and stronger proponents of various types of security measures. There has been a consensus in the research literature that these types of changes in political attitudes are reinforced when people experience a terrorist attack personally - they hear screams and experience things that are assumed to also have an impact on their political attitudes.

Researchers refer to this reinforcement as "vividness". This assumption has gained widespread acceptance among researchers, but it has not been fully tested empirically until now.

"We need before and after surveys from a sufficient number of people who were caught up in a truly dramatic event to be able to measure this. This is not something that can be done experimentally," says Jacob Sohlberg, a researcher in political science.

Together with his political scientist colleague Mattias Agerberg, he has investigated whether people who were either on or in the vicinity of Drottninggatan during the attack and who saw, heard or in some other way experienced the events of that day changed their political attitudes more than people who were elsewhere in Sweden.

The study is based on data from the Swedish Citizen Panel. The researchers looked into several different questions related to terrorism and politics, such as national identification, confidence in the Riksdag (the Swedish parliament) and the Swedish Government, whether Swedes believe that Muslims are a threat, attitudes toward immigrants and views on questions related to security and surveillance.

When the attack occurred in 2017, there was a previous survey wave available. Since a number of the respondents included in the Swedish Citizen Panel were in the vicinity of Drottninggatan during the terrorist attack, it was also possible to carry out a survey right after the events. The results of the study indicate that previous theoretical explanations linking the experience of a traumatic event with changes in political views have been exaggerated.

"Although people who were in the vicinity of Drottninggatan were much more affected, they did not change their views on terrorism-related questions any more than Swedesin general. Just because you experience trauma does not mean you change your fundamental attitudes or worldview," says Mattias Agerberg.

The study therefore challenges the vividness assumption and makes an important theoretical contribution to research on terrorist attacks. At the same time, the study confirms that Swedes - regardless of where they happened to be - reacted in more or less the same way as people in other countries during similar events. For example, Swedes subsequently became more patriotic in their outlook.

###

Further information

Contact:

Jacob Sohlberg,

Researcher,

mail: jacob.sohlberg@gu.se,

telephone: +46 070-594 1318.

Mattias Agerberg,

Postdoctor,

mail: mattias.agerberg@gu.se,

telephone: +46 073-955 9196.

The study has been published in the journal Comparative Political Studies: Personal Proximity and Reactions to Terrorism,

https:/ / journals. sagepub. com/ doi/ 10. 1177/ 0010414021997162 .

The data were collected by the Laboratory of Opinion Research (LORE) at the University of Gothenburg via the Swedish Citizen Panel. Immediately following the attack, follow-up surveys were carried out with people who had previously responded to surveys that included terrorism-related questions. The researchers also asked questions several months after the events in order to examine whether any delayed effects would emerge. Additional statistical procedures allowed the researchers to confirm the reliability of the results. The Swedish Citizen Panel has more than 75,000 active respondents and carries out a number of data collections each year. It belongs to the SOM Institute at the University of Gothenburg.
The Gandhi Peace Prize for the year 2020 is being conferred on Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, the culture ministry said on Monday.

The prestigious prize for the year 2019 is being conferred on late Sultan Qaboos bin Said Al Said of Oman in recognition of his vision to strengthen relations with India, and his efforts to promote peace and non-violence in the Gulf region, the ministry said.

The Gandhi Peace Prize is an annual award instituted by government of India since 1995, the 125th birth anniversary commemoration year of Mahatma Gandhi. The award is open to all people regardless of nationality, race, language, caste, creed or sex.

The jury for Gandhi Peace Prize is chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and comprises of two ex-officio members, namely the chief justice of India and leader of the single largest opposition party in the Lok Sabha.

Two eminent members are also part of the jury -- Om Birla, Speaker of the Lok Sabha, and Bindeshwar Pathak, Founder of Sulabh International Social Service Organisation.

The jury met on March 19, 2021 and after due deliberations, unanimously decided to select Bangladesh's father of the nation, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, and Oman's longtime ruler Sultan Qaboos for the prize, an official statement said.

Modi said Bangabandhu was a champion of human rights and freedom, and a hero to Indians as well.

He also said that the legacy and inspiration of Bangabandhu has made the heritage of both countries more comprehensive and deep-rooted, and that the path shown by Bangabandhu has laid a strong foundation for the partnership, progress and prosperity of both countries over the last decade.

As Bangladesh celebrates Mujib Borsho, India is honoured to be commemorating his legacy jointly with the government of Bangladesh and its people, the statement said.

The ministry said, late Sultan Qaboos, the longest-serving leader in the Middle East and Arab world at the time of his death in 2020, received the prize, in "recognition of his outstanding contributions for social, economic and political transformation through non-violent and other Gandhian methods.

The award carries an amount of Rs 1 crore, a citation, plaque and an exquisite traditional handicraft/ handloom item.

"His Majesty Sultan Qaboos was a visionary leader whose twin policy of moderation and mediation in addressing international issues won him praise and respect across the globe. He played an important role in supporting peace efforts in various regional disputes and conflicts, the statement said.

Sultan Qaboos was the architect of the special ties between India and Oman. He had studied in India and always maintained a special relationship with India. Under his leadership, India and Oman became strategic partners and our mutually beneficial, comprehensive partnership strengthened and scaled newer heights," it added.

According to the statement, Modi had recalled the contribution of Sultan Qaboos to India-Oman ties when he passed away by saying that he was a true friend of India and provided strong leadership for developing a strategic partnership between India and Oman.

The prime minister had also remembered him as a visionary leader and statesman and beacon of peace for our region and the world.

"Gandhi Peace Prize recognizes the unparalleled vision and leadership of the late Sultan Qaboos Bin Said in strengthening relations between India and Oman, and his efforts to promote peace and non-violence in the Gulf region," the statement said.

Recent awardees of the Gandhi Peace Prize include include Vivekananda Kendra, India (2015); Akshaya Patra Foundation, India and Sulabh International (jointly, for 2016); Ekal Abhiyan Trust, India (2017) and Yohei Sasakawa, Japan (2018).
The first batch of the AstraZeneca/Oxford coronavirus vaccine distributed through the World Health Organization-led COVAX facility has arrived in Bolivia, according to the Ministry of Health

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 22nd March, 2021) The first batch of the AstraZeneca/Oxford coronavirus vaccine distributed through the World Health Organization-led COVAX facility has arrived in Bolivia, according to the Ministry of Health.

In total, the Latin American country is set to receive 672,000 coronavirus vaccine doses free of charge via the international mechanism.

"Bolivia has received 228,000 vaccine [doses] through the COVAX mechanism to enhance the fight against the coronavirus," the ministry said on Sunday.

The second shipment is expected in April, the ministry added.

The Latin American nation rolled out its mass inoculation campaign in late January. Apart from the AstraZeneca vaccine, Bolivia has secured coronavirus vaccine doses from China's Sinopharm company, as well as ordered Russia's Sputnik V.

Since the outbreak of the pandemic, Bolivia has confirmed more than 264,000 cases of the coronavirus, including over 12,000 fatalities.
Various state courts continue to look into the election irregularities that paved the way for Joe Biden to surpass former President Donald Trump's votes.

It's been five months since the 2020 Presidential Elections of the United States and courts across several states are continuing the investigation of voter fraud claims from former President Donald Trump.

Such election irregularities include the changing state laws in response to the COVID pandemic in key battleground states where absentee ballots suspiciously grew exponentially. New findings report that these absentee ballots may have failed to comply with existing voting laws and procedures.

According to One America News Network, Michigan's very own secretary of state Jocelyn Benson, a Democrat, was discovered to have violated state law concerning her signature verification instructions for the absentee ballot program. Judge Christopher Murray, the chief of the Michigan Court of Claims was on the case and found that Benson mishandled the ballots and did not comply with state law regarding the need for signature verification.

Judge Murray wrote, "An agency must utilize formal APA rulemaking procedure when establishing policies that 'do not merely interpret or explain the statute or rules from which the agency derives its authority' but rather 'establish the substantive standards implementing the program'"

The guidance that Secretary Benson issued on October 6, 2020 regarding her signature-matching standards was in fact issued "in violation of the Administrative Procedures Act," Judge Murray discovered.

In Michigan, according to WILX, there was a record-setting turnout of over 5.5 million citizens casting ballots in the elections, with as much as 3.3 million casting their ballots absentee, and nearly 30,000 eligible citizens registering and voting on Election Day.

Benson said that "polls closed far more quickly than expected" and promised that "all valid ballots had been counted" within just 24 hours, a feat that may sound suspicious to some.

The state secretary also revealed that there were only 17 ballots that were out of balance and that the reason why the counting boards were not balanced at the end of the county canvas was that there was just not enough time for canvassers to balance the boards.

Benson insisted that "in each and every one of the more than 250 audits conducted is that Michigan's election was the most secure in our state's history and the results accurately reflect the will of the voters."

Meanwhile, in Wisconsin, the state's Supreme Court ruled that election officials in charge during the 2020 Elections, including their Democratic Governor Tony Evers, was also guilty of violating state law when he allowed more than 200,000 voters to declare themselves "permanently confined" due to the COVID pandemic restrictions. Such a declaration of being "permanently confined" can only be done if the voter had suffered physical illness, are of significant age, or have an impairment.

More 2020 election irregularities are expected to be uncovered as soon as the Amistad Project of the Thomas More Society expands its litigation in states such as Michigan, Georgia, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, and Arizona. Poll results in these states were allegedly influenced by what they call Mark Zuckerberg's "interference" in the elections by funding election contractors and infrastructure.
Hazleton, PA (18201)

Today

Rain showers in the morning with thunderstorms developing for the afternoon. A few storms may be severe. High 71F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 90%..

Tonight

Showers this evening then scattered thunderstorms developing overnight. Low 59F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 60%.
For a century, oil and gas producers have been challenged by the complexities of coaxing oil and natural gas from Permian Basin rocks.

But they have never faced a challenge like the one they encountered last March as the novel coronavirus began to tear through the nation. As the virus spread, businesses of all kinds sent employees home and shut down, forcing them to figure out how to continue operating in this new environment.

Companies across the energy spectrum told the Reporter-Telegram that as the pandemic took hold, safety became a top consideration.

Chevron reacted by announcing a capital reduction of nearly $2 billion the Permian in order to balance short-term cash flow with preserving long-term value, Catie Matthews, public and government affairs advisor, told the Reporter-Telegram by email. She said the company reduced its operated rig count from17 to four over three months. Production was curtailed in the second quarter but returned to levels seen in early 2020 during the second half of the year.

Matthews said Chevron also rushed to support the communities where it operates by contributing over $700,000, including in-kind donations, to partners and programs across the Permian to support food security, education and frontline operations.

A year later, she said, Every decision we make starts with the core belief that people always come first. The health and safety of our workforce, their families and communities where we do business are Chevrons primary concerns. We continue to take precautionary measures to reduce the risk of exposure, including referring symptomatic workers for testing and screening workers and visitors at company facilities. Business continuity measures, including alternative work arrangements, are being implemented as needed.

Our thoughts continue to be with those affected by COVID-19 and the healthcare workers on the front lines.

Occidental Petroleum implemented a work-from-home policy for those employees able to work from home. For those performing essential duties at the companys worksite, best practices for safety and health were implemented, including social distancing, wearing face coverings and other personal protective equipment. Company officials and internal health and safety experts continue to monitor guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the World Health Organization and local health officials where Occidental operates.

Vicki Hollub, chief executive officer, commented during recent earnings calls that No matter how favorable or challenging the environment in which we operate, we never take our eye off safety. Many of our teams tied or set new safety records last year, while our company-wide performance was our best ever as we simultaneously work to minimize the risk from COVID. The capability of our outstanding employees to consistently deliver remarkable results safely was key to our ability to navigate the challenges of the last year as well as the challenges presented by the winter storm.

She continued, While much has changed during this pandemic for our company and our industry, the quality of our asset base and the skills of our teams will support success in 2021 and beyond. Well continue to apply and build our knowledge and continuously improve our track record of operational excellence. Our teams worked diligently to advance our development technologies and technical operations to ensure we emerge from this challenge stronger than before. The innovation and ingenuity of our workforce, combined with our differentiated low-carbon strategy, will drive our success and sustainability long into the future.

Coping with the pandemic could be more challenging for those unable to work from home, like drilling companies, service companies and midstream companies.

Reflecting on how Patterson-UTI reacted, Diana Dotolo, senior vice president of human resources, told the Reporter-Telegram by email, In a word, collaboration.

She went on to comment that, When things first started, our immediate priority was to establish a representative cross section of leaders across all aspects of our company to collaborate on putting together a COVID-19 risk mitigation plan. That plan was the driver for all other actions and activities. The team we pulled together included Legal, HR Marketing, Operations, IT, and Supply Chain (full company representation)  all the major functions and internal stakeholders. We assessed where we were against what we knew about the virus and its trajectory and then overlaid that information with what we needed to consider doing  in priority order overall, as well as to meet needs at individual locations. Given all the uncertainties for each state where we operate and changing dynamics with CDC guidance, we had to (and still do) revisit the plan periodically as the situation developed and changed.

Because it was classified as an essential business, she said the company remained open and operational but had to develop guidelines and protocols for office workers versus on-site teams. That included allowing individuals the option of working remotely and providing computers if needed. Visitors to company facilities were limited and Patterson worked with leaning companies at its offices to establish protocols and standards and engaged with sanitizing companies to dispatch them were exposures occurred.

What we discovered is how hard it is for managers to check in and manage teams remotely, so we had to develop protocols and trainings to ensure teams were running effectively, she said.

The last year has probably been the most challenging year in my 30+ year career as an HR professional -- especially when considering we were managing a people health pandemic alongside a market health pandemic. However, it also came with some very gratifying moments watching people step up and work together to tackle the challenges that were in front of us. When I look back on the past year, I am stunned at all we accomplished. The major changes we made would have been challenging in a normal year, but the addition of the pandemic dimension, makes what we were able to do truly amazing. We leaned heavily on our team and as things kept changing rapidly, we were able to adjust and manage on the fly.

What Patterson has learned from its experiences is that people can be very effective working remotely, she said, though many missed the personal interaction. Another lesson was the need to manage people differently remotely than onsite. Managers must be more intentional and individualized in their outreach, she said, which is critical when it comes to bringing new people onboard.

For Warrior Technologies, the pandemic resulted in the shutdown of an entire division that cleaned only large storage tanks, Tripp Wommack, chief executive officer and president, told the Reporter-Telegram by email. He said this was in response to midstream budgets being cut to near-zero.

Thankfully, all the equipment needed for the division was paid for and is back in operation now, he reported.

The company made large general and administration expenditure cuts as revenues fell by half, he added. Recovery began in November and has trended nicely since. We are profitable and just exceeded year-over-year revenue in January.

As a result, he said the company has learned that safety, especially regarding COVID-19 protocols, matters. The company had zero lost team hours due to the pandemic and only a few cases. And, he said, watching costs is a never-ending focus.

EagleClaw Midstream leadership sensed the pandemic could cause significant disruptions as early as January and February 2020, Jim Schwartz, senior director of corporate communications and sustainability, told the Reporter-Telegram by email. By last February, he said, non-essential travel was restricted, changes to cleaning and sanitizing offices had been made and employees showing any symptoms were urged to stay home and self-quarantine.

On March 19, the company implemented its remote work plan and largely remains in place today, he said. Company leadership also began regular communications with employees about how EagleClaw was navigating the pandemic.

Because of the tighter cash flow situation, the chief executive officer and president decided to forego 100 percent of his salary and bonuses and executive leadership took short-term salary reductions, ensuring none of the employees had to be furloughed.

Schwartz said employees joined those of other companies in stepping up to donate to healthcare workers, first responders, school children and educators.

Overall, its been challenging but were seeing increasing confidence in our customers to invest in new oil and gas developments and projects, he said. The rebuilding may take some time but were patient and we are confident in the skills and insights of our customers who include most of the major oil and gas producers in the Permian.

Asked what lessons have been learned, he said the pandemic and last months winter storm brought several important things to light.

First, there is no substitute for open, transparent and frequent communications. Our CEO increased his communication to everyone  employees, suppliers, customers, lenders, investors and government officials. The payoff was everyone understood what we were doing, and why, and supported our actions.

Second, relationships matter. We are proud to have built strong, trusting relationships with our employees, customers, suppliers and others we depend on. We called upon those relationships to help us get through some tough times, and we will continue to build and deepen relationships.

Third, tough times dont last but tough people do. We saw that our people showed a toughness and grittiness to get the job done, and were grateful for their extraordinary efforts. We believe that we came out of the pandemic even stronger, more aligned and more excited about our future together. We are a family and the true bonds of this family have strengthened immeasurably from the experiences of the past 12 + months.
After much discussion during a hearing earlier this month, 406th District Court Judge Oscar J. Hale published sealed orders on two motions filed by both defense attorneys and prosecutors in the capital murder case of the Laredo man accused of killing a family of four in April 2020.

Samuel Enrique Lopez, 20, is accused of fatally stabbing Zayra Marlen Fuentes, 33; Lesly Sarahy Hernandez, 18; and Pedro Cruz, 12. He also allegedly sexually assaulted Julian Saracho, 2, with a blunt object according to the indictment filed in early May. Records state Lopez also punched, hit and suffocated the child by covering his mouth and nose with duct tape.

The Webb County District Attorneys Office is seeking the death penalty.

During a hearing on March 4, prosecutors argued that defense attorneys published their motion for exculpatory evidence with incomplete information between Webb County Jail Commander Shane Sowell and prosecutors.

In early February, defense attorneys filed a motion to request exculpatory and/or inconsistent evidence after an October hearing where Sowell produced documented communications between himself and the DAs office.

In short, the duty to disclose is not limited to prosecutors but embraces all members of the prosecution team, which includes all law enforcement officers who have worked on the case and thereby contributed to the prosecutorial effort, the defense motion states.

Prosecutors filed a motion to quash but it was denied by Hale. Prosecutors added that the defenses subpoena was filed with incomplete information simply to create the appearance of impropriety adding that it was an incomplete and one-sided reflection of a conversation.

Before the March 4 hearing, prosecutors filed a motion to quash the defenses subpoena of documents from Sowell.

Their motion states that the defenses subpoena is broad, it would require production of work product and the time given to comply was unreasonable.

District Attorney Isidro Alaniz told the court that defense attorneys have not provided a basis or justified why they want to see the complete communication between Sowell and the DAs office.

They should not be allowed to create the appearance of impropriety for down the road by using one-sided communication of a work product, Alaniz said.

Defense attorneys argued that the documents attached to the communication published in their motion was reviewed by the court.

All we did was attach the documents that this court looked at and said they didnt see a problem with the documents and overruled (prosecutors) objections and made it part of the record, Defense Attorney Sid Arismendez said.

Prosecutors requested the court make the communication ex parte and keep it under seal because they consider the communications privileged under a work product rule in Texas law.

According to online court records, there are three sealed orders signed by Hale on two sealed motions filed by attorneys. It is unclear what the orders state.

There is a pre-trial hearing scheduled for June 3 in the 406th District Court.
Jonai: Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Monday warned that the infiltration will rise in Assam since Congress has now aligned with Badruddin Ajmals AIUDF to win the upcoming assembly election in the BJP-ruled state.

We worked for the development whereas Congress is forging an alliance with Badruddin Ajmal. If they come to power, infiltration in the state will surge. Do you want to stop infiltration? Congress party should be ashamed for coming together with Ajmal, Union Home Minister Amit Shah said.

We worked for the development whereas Congress is forging an alliance with Badruddin Ajmal. If they come to power infiltration in the state will surge. Do you want to stop infiltration? Congress party should be ashamed for coming together with Ajmal: Union Home Minister Amit Shah pic.twitter.com/S03jMFY89Y  ANI (@ANI) March 22, 2021

Amit Shah on Monday said BJP has ensured peace and development in Assam during the last five years and alleged that this was in contrast to violence and instability during the Congress rule.

Addressing the first of three election rallies in Assam during the day, Shah alleged that five years ago when Congress was in power, there was agitation, violence, bomb blasts, deaths and curfews were common.

"Aatankwad ka nanga naach charo aur chal rahi thi (there was the naked dance of insurgency was going on all around). "Rahul Gandhi talks of protecting Assam's 'asmita' (pride and identity), but today I want to ask him publicly - will Congress do it with AIUDF Chief Badruddin Ajmal on his lap?" he said.

If by chance Ajmal comes to power, "will Assam be safe from infiltrators? Do people want more infiltrators to come into the state?" he asked. He also accused the Congress of a policy of divide and rule, while stating that BJP's policy is 'Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas and Sabka Vishwas'.

The Congress has created a rift between Assamese and Bengalis, plains and hills and Upper and Lower Assam, while the "BJP has taken all smaller communities together and bonded them through development," Shah claimed.

"This is an election for people to decide whether they want peace and development....This is an election for not electing MLAs or a Chief Minister but to ensure that development continues and Assam's pride and glory is further enhanced," he said.

Amit Shah further asserted that it was evident from the enthusiasm of the people that the BJP was going to form the government for a second consecutive term in Assam.

Besides Jonai, Shah will also address an election rally at Majuli from where Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal is contesting for a second consecutive term, and at Udalguri.

He is also scheduled to attend a meeting of party workers at Guwahati in the evening.

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A second Canadian citizen held for more than two years on spying charges in apparent retaliation for Canada's arrest of a senior executive of the telecoms giant went on trial in Beijing on Monday.

The trial Monday of analyst and former diplomat Michael Kovrig in Beijing follows an initial hearing in the case of entrepreneur Michael Spavor in the northeastern city of Dandong on Friday.

Canadian diplomats have been refused access to trials and been told hearings would be held behind closed doors because of alleged national security concerns. Diplomats and journalists have showed up nonetheless to seek information and show support.

Outside Beijing's No. 2 Intermediate Court, Jim Nickel, the Canadian Embassy's deputy chief of mission, told journalists he had been told the trial had begun, but was barred from entry in what he said was a violation of China's and bilateral treaty obligations.

Michael Kovrig has been detained for more than two years now. He's been arbitrarily detained and now we see that the court process itself is not transparent," Nickel told reporters. We're very troubled by this but we thank those who have come out from the embassies here in Beijing and the support that we've had for Michael, for and the call that many of us are making for their immediate release."



Nickel said 26 countries had sent representatives to show their support, including the US, the UK, Australia and many European nations. It wasn't clear how long the trial would last or when a verdict would be announced.

The government has provided almost no information about the accusations against the two, but a newspaper run by the ruling Communist Party alleges they collaborated in stealing state secrets and sending them abroad. No verdict has been announced in Spavor's case and it wasn't clear if additional hearings would be held.

However, such cases are almost always predetermined in China, and Beijing is seen as using Kovrig and Spavor as leverage to obtain the release of executive Meng Wanzhou, who was arrested at the request of the U.S. at the airport in Vancouver, British Columbia, in December 2019. The two Canadians were detained in just days later.

Meng is sought by the US on fraud charges related to the telecom giant's dealings with Iran, which is under American financial sanctions.

The two Canadians have been held ever since, while Meng has been released on bail. They were charged in June 2020 under China's broadly defined national security laws.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau blasted Beijing for holding the trial in secret without access for consular officials.

Their arbitrary detention is completely unacceptable, as is the lack of transparency around these court proceedings, Trudeau said in Ottawa.

needs to understand that it is not just about two Canadians. It's about respect for the rule of law and relationships with a broad range of Western countries that are at play with the arbitrary detention and the coercive diplomacy that they've engaged in.

Meng's case has deeply angered China's government, which has promoted as a global leader in mobile communications technology, and sees her detention as a deliberate attempt to malign Chinese companies and impede the nation's growing economic and political clout. Beijing has demanded her immediate and unconditional release and has also restricted various Canadian exports, including canola oil seed, and handed death sentences to another four Canadians convicted of drug smuggling.

(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.)
European Union flags flutter outside the European Commission headquarters in Brussels, Belgium, on Aug. 21, 2020. (Yves Herman/Reuters)

EU Sanctions 4 Chinese Officials Over Uyghur Abuses

The European Union has imposed sanctions on four Chinese officials over their alleged roles in the human rights abuses against Uyghur Muslims in northwest China.

The EU sanctions, announced on March 22, are targeted at the large-scale arbitrary detentions of, in particular, Uyghurs in Xinjiang in China, said the European Council, an EU body that comprises the heads of state of the EU member countries.

EU  sanctions 11 people over the military coup and ensuing repression in  Myanmar/Burma

 https://t.co/wLzuSNkSRY AND 11 people & 4 entities responsible for serious #humanrights violations in China, DPRK, Libya, Russia, South Sudan and Eritrea

 https://t.co/Tg3X56YjcE pic.twitter.com/RTihe06WYY  EU Council Press (@EUCouncilPress) March 22, 2021

The listed individuals will have their assets in the EU frozen and will be banned from travelling to the bloc. EU citizens and businesses will not be allowed to provide any financial assistance to them.

This is the first time the EU has imposed targeted sanctions on Chinese officials under the new EU Global Human Rights Sanctions Regime, which was adopted on Dec. 7, 2020.

In response, Chinas Foreign Ministry announced on March 22 that it will sanction 10 individuals and four entities from the EU who severely harm Chinas sovereignty and interests and maliciously spread lies and disinformation.

Workers walk by the perimeter fence of what is officially known as a vocational skills education centre in Dabancheng in Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, China, on Sept. 4, 2018. (Thomas Peter/Reuters/File Photo)

The sanctioned Chinese individuals are all former or current officials in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region (XUAR).

Zhu Hailun, former secretary of Xinjiangs Political and Legal Affairs Committee, has been described as the architect of the large-scale surveillance, detention, and indoctrination programme targeting Uyghurs and people from other Muslim ethnic minorities, the EU said in its Official Journal published on March 22.

The sanctions list also includes Wang Junzheng, Communist Party chief of the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps (XPCC), described as a state-owned economic and paramilitary organisation.

In addition to implementing the mass detention programme in the XUAR, the EU said Wang is also responsible for the XPCCs systematic use of Uyghurs and people from other Muslim ethnic minorities as a forced workforce, in particular in cotton fields.

Farmers picking cotton in the fields during the harvest season in Hami, in northwest Chinas Xinjiang region on Sept. 20, 2015. (STR/AFP via Getty Images)

The two other sanctioned individuals are Wang Mingshan, secretary of the Political and Legal Affairs Committee, who used to serve as Xinjiangs police chief; and Chen Mingguo, the current police chief.

Apart from being directly responsible for the mass detentions, they have been linked to Xinjiang polices Integrated Joint Operations Platform, a data programme used to track millions of Uyghurs in the region and flag those deemed potentially threatening to be sent to detention camps, the EU said.

The EU Global Human Rights Sanctions Regime, modelled on the U.S. global Magnitsky sanctions regime, enables the bloc to target individuals and entities responsible for human rights abuses.

The newly announced sanctions target 11 individuals and four entities, which also include human rights abusers in North Korea, Libya, Russia, South Sudan, and Eritrea.
Hurricane season 2021 is here: How do storms get their names?
Dublin, March 01, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The "Manufacture of Dairy Products in South Africa 2021" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.



This report focuses on the manufacture of dairy products in South Africa and includes information on the volume of products sold and market share per product, developments, trends and corporate actions, regulation and other influencing factors.

Manufacture of Dairy Products:

There has been considerable consolidation in the dairy industry at production level over the last 20 years, and large farms account for 80% of South Africa's total milk production. Rising production costs, imports, less producers, drought, changing consumer preferences, regulation and competition from international companies have created challenges, especially for small producers.

While the number of milk producers has continued to decline, milk production has increased, indicating fewer commercial farms with larger herds. Large farms producing more than 5,000 litres per day supply 80% of South Africa's total milk production.



Changes in Consumption:

Some consumers are shifting to dairy products with low levels of lactose and sugar due to rising health concerns, and there is increasing demand for plant-based products. Consumers are driving innovation in dairy products such as protein and extended shelf life beverages, gut-health innovation using probiotics and fermented dairy drinks and new flavours and texture-enhanced products.

Coronavirus:

As fresh milk is highly perishable, the dairy industry was hard hit by the crisis. There was a sharp decline in demand for certain dairy products such as cheese as the initial lockdown included the closure of restaurants and hotels. The decline was partly offset by increased household sales of dairy products with a longer shelf-life, such as UHT milk. Disruptions in the milk supply chain prevented some smaller dairy farmers from getting their milk to market.



There are profiles of 33 companies including dominant companies such as Clover, Woodlands and Lactalis and relatively small dairy processors that distribute regionally such as Douglasdale and Coega Dairy.



Key Topics Covered:



1. INTRODUCTION



2. DESCRIPTION OF THE INDUSTRY

2.1. Industry Value Chain

2.2. Geographic Position



3. SIZE OF THE INDUSTRY



4. STATE OF THE INDUSTRY

4.1. Local

4.1.1. Trends

4.1.2. Developments

4.1.3. Corporate Actions

4.1.4. Regulations

4.1.5. Enterprise Development and Social Economic Development

4.2. Continental

4.3. International



5. INFLUENCING FACTORS

5.1. Coronavirus

5.2. Government Intervention

5.3. Economic Environment

5.4. Rising Operating Costs

5.5. Utilisation

5.6. Labour

5.7. Technology, Research and Development (R&D) and Innovation

5.8. Cyclicality

5.9. Environmental Concerns



6. COMPETITION

6.1. Barriers to Entry



7. SWOT ANALYSIS



8. OUTLOOK



9. INDUSTRY ASSOCIATIONS



10. REFERENCES

Summary of Notable Players

Bandini Cheese (Pty) Ltd

Clover Sa (Pty) Ltd

Coega Dairy (Pty) Ltd

Danone Southern Africa (Pty) Ltd

Darling Romery (Pty) Ltd

Denmar Estates (Pty) Ltd

Dewfresh (Pty) Ltd

Douglasdale Dairy (Pty) Ltd

Dwr Hertzog

Fair Cape Dairies (Pty) Ltd

Fairfield Dairy (Pty) Ltd

Far End Dairy (Pty) Ltd

Farmgate Dairy (Pty) Ltd

Froneri South Africa (Pty) Ltd

Gattis Ice Cream (Pty) Ltd

La Montanara Melkery (Pty) Ltd

Lactalis South Africa (Pty) Ltd

Ladismith Cheese Company (Pty) Ltd

Libstar Operations (Pty) Ltd

Mooivallei Suiwel (Pty) Ltd

Mountainview Dairy Cc

Nestle (South Africa) (Pty) Ltd

Orange Grove Dairy (Pty) Ltd

Polar Ice Cream Company (Pty) Ltd

Rhodes Food Group (Pty) Ltd

Sundale Free Range Dairy (Pty) Ltd

Trademodel Seven (Pty) Ltd

Transem (Pty) Ltd

Unilever South Africa (Pty) Ltd

Unique Dairy Products (Pty) Ltd

Wj Khourie

Woodlands Dairy (Pty) Ltd

Wynn-With Milk Farm (Pty) Ltd

For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/zhfug






Magnolia Trust Company announces Rebecca McNabb, JD, has joined the firm as an advisor to support the areas of complex estate planning and trust administration issues. Ms. McNabb, a recent graduate of the University of Tennessee College of Law who is pursuing her Master of Laws degree in Taxation from the University of Alabama, brings fresh perspectives and steadfast dedication to finding personalized solutions for Magnolia clients, said officials.

Rebecca is a knowledgeable, committed, and principled addition to our Chattanooga team, said Eric Ratliff, Magnolias president and CEO. Her values seamlessly align with our mission of providing diligent, attentive, and thoughtful services to our clients and their families.

Ms. McNabb, a Chattanooga native, previously served as a law clerk at Elder Law of East Tennessee and Legal Aid of East Tennessee, where she drafted estate planning documents and deeds, assisted with consumer protection issues and records requests, as well as conducted case research. Her internships include Hamilton County Chancery Court, the offices of Senator Bob Corker and Senator Lamar Alexander, as well as an established trust company in the region.

While obtaining her Doctor of Jurisprudence degree at UT, Ms. McNabb served as a student attorney in Wills Clinic, a Volunteer Income Tax Assistance site coordinator for the College of Law, UTs Pro Bono club fundraising chair, and the treasurer of the Animal Law Society. She was awarded The CALI Excellence for the Future Award in both Wills & Trusts and Contract Drafting by The Center for Computer-Assisted Legal Instruction, a nonprofit organization that conducts applied research and development in the area of computer-mediated legal education and creates tools that increase access to justice.

It is a deeply rewarding opportunity to join the Magnolia team and combine my legal background and trust administration interest for the benefit of our valued clients, said Ms. McNabb. I remain impressed by Magnolias dedication to ensuring family goals are achieved and legacies are fulfilled. I look forward to working alongside the Magnolia team to offer superior trust administration services.
Dublin, March 22, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The "Connected Consumer Survey 2020: Mobile Devices and Distribution Channels in Africa" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.

This report focuses on aspects of the Connected Consumer Survey that relate to the behaviour, preferences and plans of smartphone users in Africa. In particular, it focuses on the adoption of mobile devices and distribution channels. The survey was conducted in association with On Device Research.

This report provides:

Insight into operators' performance as smartphone sales channels, and how their performance relates to consumers' choice of tariffs

An analysis of consumers' choice of, and spend, on handsets

An assessment of the adoption of smart devices in Africa and the opportunities for operators to generate new revenue sources.

Survey data coverage

The research was conducted between August and September 2020. The survey groups were chosen to be representative of the mobile-internet-using population in the region. We set quotas on age, gender and geographical spread to that effect. There was a minimum of 1000 respondents per country, and 4000 respondents in the region.

Key Questions Answered in this Report

How well do operators perform as smartphone sales channels, and how important are digital sales channels?

How long are consumers keeping their smartphones for and how much are they spending on them when they replace them?

What smart devices are smartphone users most interested in and how can operators capitalise on this demand to derive additional revenue and improve their consumer propositions?

Who Should Read this Report

Operator-based strategy executives and marketing managers who are interested in understanding consumer market trends, the role of operators as smartphone distribution channels and the impact of differing approaches to pricing in the market.

Equipment/device manufacturers and software providers that want to identify end-user trends in device usage and help their operator customers to improve their ability to address market opportunities.

Telecoms operators that are searching for new revenue sources and/or are interested in partnering with smart devices producers or in launching their own smart device propositions.

Countries Covered

Egypt

Kenya

Nigeria

South Africa

For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/tlx093






A research boat (L) and Filipino fishing boat (back R) anchored near Thitu island in the disputed Spratly islands of the South China Sea on April 21, 2017. (TED ALJIBE/AFP via Getty Images)

Chinas State-of-the-Art Destroyer Sails Near Japan, Philippines Reports Chinese Flotillas Incursion

Japan said that China maneuvered its largest destroyer into the Sea of Japan on March 18 and 19. Although the ship didnt enter Japanese territorial waters, it is the first time that Beijing has made its presence known in the Sea of Japan.

Japans defense ministry said on March 19 that it was monitoring the vessels route to analyze the purpose of the cruise.

Then, on March 21, the Philippines demanded that around 220 Chinese fishing boats, which have moored for two weeks, leave a South China Sea reef claimed by Manila.

A Filipino fisherman sailing off at sunset from the coast of Bacnotan, La Union, Province, in northwestern Philippines facing the South China Sea on Feb. 14, 2020. (ROMEO GACAD/AFP via Getty Images)

We call on the Chinese to stop this incursion and immediately recall these boats violating our maritime rights and encroaching into our sovereign territory, Filipino Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana said in a statement on Sunday. He added that the presence of the flotilla was a provocative action of militarizing the area.

U.S.-based China Affairs commentator Tang Jingyuan said of the two incidents on March 21, I think the Chinese regime is showing muscle in the Sea of Japan and trying to occupy the reef in the South China Sea.

The Philippines sees the Chinese vessels as maritime militia vessels.

Chinese Fleet

A Filipino government task force said late March 20 that the 220 Chinese boats have been seen on the disputed Whitsun Reef of the Spratly Islands since March 7, and that they believed the fishermen on these boats are Chinese maritime militia personnels.

The same day, Filipino media Manila Bulletin posted a series of photos on Twitter showing the Chinese fishing boats moored side by side.

The Whitsun reef is located in one of the most hotly contested areas, and is surrounded by Philippines, Vietnam, Brunei, Malaysia, and China.

On March 21, Filipino Foreign Minister Teodoro Locsin posted on Twitter: Diplomatic protest fired off tonight; cant wait for first light.

Locsin also posted: So recommended by General Esperon this noon by WhatsApp. I got the coordinates, so to speak. And relayed to my legal artillery, Fire at will. Shell should be flying at first light. I dont usually announce maneuvers but it seems everybody is baring his chest.

Chinas foreign ministry has not responded to questions about the exchange with the Philippines.

In recent years, Taiwan, Indonesia, Vietnam, and Philippines have reported on Chinese fishing boats moored around disputed islands in the South China Sea. In some cases, such as the Scarborough Shoal standoff, China started a land reclamation project, taking control of the island after sending its fishing boats.

Tang told The Epoch Times that the Chinese regime could be planning to use the same strategy to occupy Whitsun Reef.

Its clear that there is a force behind the fishing boats. Otherwise, the fishermen wouldnt moor there side by side without fishing for two weeks, Tang said. From the experiences in recent years, the backing force of this action is Chinese government. This is for sure. Its purpose is occupying the reef and changing the South China Sea from the current open ocean to Chinas inland seas.

Three Warships

Chinas Type 055 missile destroyer Nanchang participates in a naval parade in the sea near Qingdao, eastern Chinas Shandong Province on April 23, 2019. (MARK SCHIEFELBEIN/AFP via Getty Images)

The Chinese Navys state-of-the-art warship that entered the Sea of Japan is the Renhai-class cruiser or Type 055 missile destroyer Nanchang. It was accompanied by two vessels, the Type 052D destroyer Chengdu and the Type 054A frigate Daqing.

Chinese state-run Xinhua-affiliated media Cankao Xiaoxi, translated as Reference News, reported that the U.S.-Japan meeting during which China was discussed could have been a possible reason why the destroyer group passed the Tsushima Strait between Korea and Japan and navigated northward just days later.

Japan and the United States held security talks in Tokyo on March 16 in response to Chinas coercion in Indo-Pacific regionU.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin first overseas trip for the Biden administration.

The Type 055 destroyer is the worlds largest surface combatant vessel in service. It is 180 meters long with a beam of 20 meters, and a draft of 6.6 meters, according to Naval News. The full load displacement of a Type 055 destroyer is 12,000 to 13,000 metric tons, which is heavier than the U.S. Navys Ticonderoga-class cruiser and Arleigh Burke-class destroyerboth of which stand at about 9,800 metric tons.

China claims that the Type 055 destroyer has anti-aircraft, anti-missile, anti-ship, and anti-submarine combat capabilities. China has two Type 055 destroyers in serviceNanchang and Lhasa. Six more are being manufactured, and eight others are in the pipeline to be built.
BJP president



J P Nadda on Monday accused the of practising " of opportunism" and said Assam will head into days of "darkness" if the opposition party is voted to power.

Addressing an election rally at Tingkhong in Dibrugarh district, he said the BJP has always been at the forefront to protect and serve the people of Assam.

"The Congress' only aim is of opportunism. They are with the Muslim League and fighting against the CPI(M) in Kerala, but joined hands with it in West Bengal and Assam," Nadda said.

Like a tusker, the has "two teeth" -- one to show off and another to chew, he said.

"The says something and always does the opposite... It is dividing the society," the senior BJP leader said.

Repeatedly attacking the Congress, he said the opposition party "means darkness" while the BJP stands for development.

"If you need darkness, then go with the Congress. But if you need development, hold the hands of Prime Minister Narendra Modi," Nadda said at the rally.

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
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(Natural News) The Danish Medicines Agency (DKMA) said a patient who died of a blood clot after getting the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine exhibited unusual symptoms. Aside from bleeding, the 60-year-old woman had a low number of blood platelets and clots in small and large vessels. Denmarks drug regulator added that a few similar cases were found in Norway and in the side effects database of the European Medicines Agency (EMA).

In a March 14 statement, the DKMA said: It was an unusual course of illness around the death that made [the agency] react.

Danish Minister of Health and Elderly Affairs Magnus Heunicke confirmed the presence of these symptoms in a tweet. His tweet mentioned a signal of a possible serious side effect in the form of fatal blood clots. Heunicke remarked that while there is currently no way to see if the symptoms are linked to the jab, the effects merit a more thorough investigation.

Meanwhile, Denmarks northern neighbor Norway said on March 13 that three people were being treated after getting the AstraZeneca vaccine. Norwegian health authorities added that the three patients, all under 50 years old, received treatment for bleeding, blood clots and a low blood platelet count. Health authorities in the country dubbed these effects as unusual symptoms.

The incidents in Denmark and Norway came amid vaccination programs in Europe that use the AstraZeneca jab hitting a roadblock. The two countries joined Iceland in halting the introduction of the British drug manufacturers jab after some who got it suffered from blood clots. Other European countries soon followed the Nordic nations move to suspend use of the AstraZeneca vaccine.

On the other hand, the EMA said there was no evidence that the AstraZeneca vaccine triggered blood clots and other observed symptoms  which the World Health Organization seconded on March 12. The pharmaceutical firm also defended the safety of its vaccine on March 14, saying that a review of safety data involving vaccinated individuals has shown no evidence that their risk of blood clots increased.

Other countries have suspended the use of the AstraZeneca coronavirus vaccine

Some cases of blood clots in patients vaccinated with the AstraZeneca jab were observed in Austria. One patient died of a condition attributed to blood coagulation disorders, while a second patient died after a blood clot blocked their lung arteries. Because of these deaths, Austria suspended its vaccination program as a precautionary measure. (Related: 20+ countries suspend use of AstraZeneca vaccine, but regulators insist benefits outweigh risks.)

Austrian news outlet The Local reported on March 16 that the country will continue using the jab. Austrian Health Minister Rudolf Anschober said that the country will wait for EMAs guidance before deciding if it will discontinue the jab entirely. All information about side effects comes together at the EMA, he said. Anschober also emphasized that Austria will continue to comply with European Union authorities.

Although Austrias National Vaccination Committee believes that the country should continue using the vaccine, the EMA is expected to make a decision on the matter. Austria will then plan its next moves based on the agencys guidance.

On March 15, German Health Minister Jens Spahn said that the country had recorded seven cases of brain thrombosis in those who recently got the AstraZeneca vaccine. However, his Austrian counterpart remarked that there was no evidence linking the blood clots to the vaccine. Anschober commented that these side effects can also occur in unvaccinated people.

Countries outside Europe who used the AstraZeneca vaccine also suspended their immunization programs, with Thailand being the first Asian country to do so. Health authorities in the kingdom halted the vaccine rollout after some people exhibited side effects or adverse symptoms after getting the jab. Thailand ordered about 61 million doses from the British pharmaceutical firm as part of its core response to the pandemic.

Thai Deputy Prime Minister and Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul said in a Facebook post: To slow down or to pause vaccinations to investigate is [a] common medical practice. He added that Thailands vaccine management committee had taken action to ensure the maximum safety of the public. But the kingdom later reversed this decision, with Thai Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha and members of his cabinet getting the first doses. (Related: Physicians to EU regulators: Address safety concerns or stop rollout of coronavirus vaccine.)

Visit VaccineInjuryNews.com to read more about the risks of vaccines against COVID-19.

Sources include:

TheEpochTimes.com

ZeroHedge.com

TheLocal.at

FT.com

APNews.com
As reported in this Daily Beast piece,"dozens of young White House staffers have been suspended, asked to resign, or placed in a remote work program due to past marijuana use, frustrating staffers who were pleased by initial indications from the Biden administration that recreational use of cannabis would not be immediately disqualifying for would-be personnel, according to three people familiar with the situation." Here is more:

The policy has even affected staffers whose marijuana use was exclusive to one of the 14 states  and the District of Columbia  where cannabis is legal. Sources familiar with the matter also said a number of young staffers were either put on probation or canned because they revealed past marijuana use in an official document they filled out as part of the lengthy background check for a position in the Biden White House.

In some cases, staffers were informally told by transition higher-ups ahead of formally joining the administration that they would likely overlook some past marijuana use, only to be asked later to resign. There were one-on-one calls with individual affected staffers  rather, ex-staffers, one former White House staffer affected by the policy told The Daily Beast. I was asked to resign....

In response to this news story, White House press secretary Jen Psaki tweeted out on Friday an NBC News report from February stating that the Biden administration wouldnt automatically disqualify applicants if they admitted to past marijuana use. Psaki said of the hundreds of people hired in the administration, only five who had started working at the White House are no longer employed as a result of this policy.

Psaki didnt note how many had been disqualified for a White House job before actually starting, nor did she note how many were suspended or relegated to remote work, but she did send an additional statement to The Daily Beast on Friday. In an effort to ensure that more people have an opportunity to serve the public, we worked in coordination with the security service to ensure that more people have the opportunity to serve than would not have in the past with the same level of recent drug use. While we will not get into individual cases, there were additional factors at play in many instances for the small number of individuals who were terminated, Psaki said.

The White House said in February it intended  for some candidates  to waive the requirement that all potential appointees in the Executive Office of the President be able to obtain a top secret clearance. The rules about past marijuana use and eligibility for the clearance vary, depending on the agency: For the FBI, an applicant cant have used marijuana in the past three years; at the NSA, its only one. The White House, however, largely calls its own shots, and officials at the time told NBC News that as long as past use was limited and the candidate wasnt pursuing a position that required a security clearance, past use may be excused.

Asked about the policy and its effect on the administrations staffing Thursday night, a White House spokesperson disputed the number of affected staff, but said the Biden administration is committed to bringing the best people into government  especially the young people whose commitment to public service can deepen in these positions, and noted that the White Houses approach to past marijuana use is much more flexible than previous administrations....

Some of these dismissals, probations and remote work appointments could have potentially been a result of inconsistencies that came up during the background-check process, where a staffer could have, for example, misstated the last time they used marijuana. The effect of the policy, however, would be the same: The Biden White House would be punishing various staffers for violating thresholds of past cannabis use that would-be staffers didnt know about....

The Biden administration has attempted to modernize the White Houses personnel policy as it relates to past marijuana use, which has disproportionately affected younger appointees and those from states where marijuana has been decriminalized or legalized. (Marijuana, of course, remains illegal in the eyes of the federal government.) The number of allowable instances of past marijuana use was increased from the Trump and Obama administrations  a reflection of the drugs widespread use  and the White House approved limited exemptions for candidates whose positions dont require security clearances. Those employees, like all those at the White House, must commit to not using marijuana while serving in the federal government and must submit to random drug testing.

The president, however, remains the final authority on who can receive a clearance, and the chief executive can overrule agency judgments on eligibility, as President Donald Trump did when he granted his son-in-law Jared Kushner a top-secret clearance over the objections of the intelligence community and his own counsel.
On the day an American man murdered six Asian women in Atlanta, someone close to me disclosed they were being sexually harassed by a male colleague at work. Hes been exclusively targeting the Asian women in this workplace with unwelcome comments, some particularly explicit and bordering on threats. Predictably, theyre all much younger and less senior than him.

Both incidents are shocking, but unsurprising for women of Asian descent like myself.

Protestors outside a massage parlour where four people were killed in Atlanta last week. Credit:Atlanta Journal-Constitution/AP

They cant be blamed solely on the coronavirus fear-mongering thats ramping up anti-Asian sentiment. Western culture has a long history of hypersexualising Asian women to the point of dehumanising them and making them prime targets for predators.

Since the late 1800s weve been portrayed in media and pop culture as one of two tropes: the tiny, silent and breakable China doll, or the mysterious temptress. Both paint Asian women as subservient, existing solely to entertain the needs of others.
The two remaining Bi-Lo supermarkets in the Charleston area are set to close April 18 after an effort to find a buyer for them was unsuccessful.

Liquidation sales are expected to start March 24 at the grocery stores at 860 Folly Road on James Island and at 1200 Sam Rittenberg Blvd. in West Ashley, according to workers at both locations.

Starting discount amounts were not immediately available, but they generally begin in low percentages at grocery stores with closing sales and gradually increase until the shelves are empty.

Parent company Southeastern Grocers is phasing out Bi-Lo, which got its start in the South Carolina Upstate in the early 1960s. The Jacksonville-based firm plans to concentrate on its other supermarket brands, namely Winn-Dixie.

A Southeastern spokesman did not respond to a request for comment March 22.

All of the remaining Bi-Lo stores in the state are expected to go away in April, with many of them sold to competitors and undergoing changeovers to new brands.

Food Lion announced last June it was buying 38 Bi-Lo stores in South Carolina.

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Five are in the Charleston area: two stores in Summerville and one each in Edisto Beach, St. George and Walterboro.

One of the Summerville stores, at 1625 N. Main St., is changing over this month while the other, at 975 Bacons Bridge Road, recently made the switch to Food Lion. The other stores have already adopted the new grocery banner.

Southeastern Grocers also struck deals last September to sell 18 other Bi-Lo stores in South Carolina and four in Georgia, along with a Harveys supermarket in Ridgeland. The parent of Lowes Foods bought most of them.

Two stores, at 1000 Tanner Ford Blvd. in Hanahan and at 3125 Bees Ferry Road in West Ashley, became Lowes Foods supermarkets.

Two others, at 110 S. U.S. Highway 52 in Moncks Corner and 3575 Maybank Highway on Johns Island, are now KJs Market IGA stores.

Bi-Lo got its start 60 years ago after Frank Outlaw, a former Winn-Dixie executive, bought four grocery stores near Greenville in 1961. The brand originated in 1963 after his secretary won a store-naming contest.
RIYADH, Saudi Arabia, March 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Banque Saudi Fransi, a bank based in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, has gone live with the latest version of Fusion Kondor, Finastra's treasury management solution. The move will enhance, automate and standardize the bank's treasury and trading operations, including the possibility of introducing new pricing models, trader activity monitoring and risk management features. This will enable the bank to strengthen its product offering, and improve its user experience, all while keeping pace with market changes.

Zuhair Mardam, Head of Treasury at Banque Saudi Fransi, said, "As banks focus on improving returns on capital and meeting new regulatory obligations, the treasury occupies a unique position at the very center of a bank's operations and its revenue stream. Automating this part of the business means that we can manage global treasury trading operations with high levels of efficiency and compliance, yet still manage risk effectively and avoid expensive system costs. Ultimately, this will help us provide an excellent customer experience and help us grow our market share."

Thamer Yousef, Chief Operations Officer at Banque Saudi Fransi, said, "We are on a journey towards transforming and digitizing our business by bringing in more innovative nimble services that have a competitive advantage, to make sure that we extend our business capabilities to provide the best experience for all our customers, whether retail or corporate. Treasury is at the heart of this key initiative."

Fusion Kondor will enable Banque Saudi Fransi to trade high volumes of treasury while offering the flexibility to support more complex derivatives, options, and structured trades. The solution comes with functionality that can easily be integrated with existing systems and applications and, as it is designed as an open platform, it is also easily customizable.

Serge Tohme, Managing Director MEA and Turkey at Finastra, said, "Finastra has invested significantly in its solutions to introduce new trading and regulatory features, which have resulted in tangible business benefits for customers who have chosen to upgrade. With the latest version of Fusion Kondor in place, Banque Saudi Fransi will have a comprehensive trading, risk management and regulatory compliance solution that will help it to meet today's challenges head on. Further down the line, the bank can explore opportunities to enhance its products and services by using the solution's open APIs and connecting to Finastra's platform for open innovation, FusionFabric.cloud - which is in line with SAMA's Open Banking initiative."

Since 2018, Finastra has been strengthening its activities in the Middle East through the growth of its Saudi Arabia office, in Riyadh, which contributes to supporting technological and financial innovation in line with the Kingdom's Vision 2030.

For further information please contact:

Caroline Duff

Global Head of PR

T +44 (0)7917 613 586

E [email protected]

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About Finastra

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Australia's iconic breakfast brand Nutri-Grain has delighted fans with the launch of a new flavoured cereal to start the day.

Kellogg's has teamed up with Oak milk in a food collaboration like no other to unveil an epic vanilla malt flavoured milk breakfast cereal.

In the latest mash-up, the $6.75 product combines the taste of the classic malty flavour and crunch families love with the creaminess of Oak Plus vanilla milk.

Australia's iconic breakfast brand Nutri-Grain has delighted fans with the launch of a new flavoured cereal to start the day

'Aussies love it when their favourite brands mash up,' Dan Bitti, Kellogg's senior marketing lead breakfast, said.

'Nutri-Grain joining forces with another Aussie icon in Oak Plus brings families another new way to experience their favourite breakfast like they've never had before.'

The Nutri-Grain OAK Plus Vanilla Malt will only be available at Woolworths stores across the country for a limited time only - so you'll need to be quick.

The new product comes just weeks after Coco Pops and Golden Gaytime teamed up to create the ultimate range of breakfast cereal and ice cream.

Coco Pops and Golden Gaytime have joined forces in a sweet collaboration like no other to launch a new breakfast cereal (left) and

The Golden Gaytime flavoured cereal with the classic Coco Pops has been described as a 'mix made in heaven' while the ice cream consists of biscuit crumbs.

'Australia's most iconic ice cream is beyond excited to partner with Kellogg's to bring together two Aussie favourites for the biggest collab ever to exist,' Streets' brand manager Samantha Jarmul said.

'We know it's hard to have a Gaytime on your own, so we've paired together the crumbly-goodness of our Gaytime, with Coco Pops flavour, to create both a cereal and ice cream you can have on your own, with a mate, or with the whole gang.'
Credit: CC0 Public Domain

"You have to win the battle against depression," "what counts is not surrendering" and "this is not a short road" are examples of conceptual metaphors typically used to describe experiences and issues associated with disorders like depression. Such expressions allude to abstract concepts but do so using familiar terms that enable better understanding of the experience. This kind of metaphor is often used unconsciously, going unnoticed by both speaker and listener. However, the study of metaphors can help access and understand the thinking, beliefs and feelings of individuals with mental disorders.

The conceptual metaphors of depression found in 23 blogs written by people with major depressive disorders were analyzed by a multidisciplinary UOC team composed of Marta Coll-Florit and Salvador Climent Rocaprofessors from the Faculty of Arts and Humanities, both members of the GRIAL-UOC groupand Eulalia Hernandez, a professor from the Faculty of Psychology and Education Sciences and researcher in the PSiNET group. Recently published open-access in Metaphor and Symbol, the article is the first of its kind to analyze Catalan texts and is also one of the few studies that focuses on content written spontaneously online. In relation to the experience of depression, the results signal the importance of social factors, the surroundings and especially medical practice; they also point to the usefulness of blogs as an outlet for expressing and understanding the experiences of people with depression.

The research is part of the MOMENT project on mental disorder metaphors, in which linguists, psychologists, medical anthropologists, social educators and engineers are working together to study conceptual metaphors from the mental health field. As explained by the researchers: "The mental disorder experience is difficult to communicate given the associated abstractness, but studying cognitive metaphors can enhance understanding of mental health, contribute to more accurate and respectful public discourses and facilitate communication between professionals and patients."

Metaphors do not depend on specific languages

The research involved an exhaustive and quantified analysis of the main types of metaphors used by people affected by depression. Findings were then compared with previous studies with a view to identifying differences in expression in a new textual genre and a different language. The research not only analyzed the metaphors of depression, but also metaphors related to the experience of living with a severe mental disorder, specifically in terms of symptoms, medication, communication and emotions.

The results confirm those of studies carried out in other languagesmainly Englishshowing, according to the researchers, "that, significantly, the metaphors are conceptual and intercultural, that is, they do not depend on a specific language." Among the more common expressions used to speak of depression and the associated emotions, the authors highlight the notions of fall, containment and darkness, of life with depression as a fight against obstacles and of the disorder itself as a malignant agent.

"In general, the metaphors reveal that affected individuals have positive perceptions of situations that allow them agency, that is, control over their lives and emotions, and negative perceptions of situations that deny them that agency. The metaphors of struggle are thus not always negative," continued the researchers, "as they are positive if they reinforce agency. Also positive are metaphors that perceive life with a disorder as a journey to a better situation; however, the journey metaphor can be negative if the affected person feels they have no control over the journey."

Medical practice as the enemy

The researchers have identified metaphors not featuring in previous studies, mostly corresponding to social, communicational and medical factors. They say that expressions referring to being 'locked' in a diagnosis, describing prejudice as a 'stone slab' and the appointment with the psychiatrist as an 'interrogation' point to key factors that worsen the experience of living with depression. They further underlined how "these metaphors reflect a rejection of various social and environmental conditions, such as those associated with stigma, non-communication and medical professionals, often considered more an enemy than an ally."

Most metaphors regarding medical aspects are highly critical of psychiatry and the medical system in terms of limiting the patient's capacity for agency. "The results are not exactly flattering for the professional," according to the authors, who suggest that "the therapy relationship between the patient and the professional is clearly something that needs working on."

According to the researchers, a plausible explanation for this negative perception is that the bloggers analyzed have gone through a healthcare system that is more focused on the problem than on the person. Patients consequently "seek more empathy and understanding of their suffering from medical staff." Professionals working in any communication field related to mental health disorders need to be aware of and understand the expressive power of conceptual metaphors and the importance of social and contextual factors in the lives of patients.

A textual genre that allows for free expression

The researchers have linked the discovery of the new types of metaphors to blogging, because expressing oneself online is more spontaneous than in clinical settings. "Blogs, being a kind of first-person non-mediated text," they underlined, "allow people to explain what is more intimate and more critical for them and what most deeply affects them."

This openness can also be a tool to raise awareness of mental disorders, according to the authors, as it can help "society better understand what it means for people with diagnoses of mental disorder to live with depression, what their experience of the disorder is beyond 'feeling sad' and so contribute to the fight against stigma."

Reflecting on how we talk about mental disorders

As well as depression, the MOMENT project has been exploring other major disorders such as schizophrenia, obsessive compulsive disorder and bipolar disorder, as well as other media, such as Twitter. To help improve understanding of mental disorders, the researchers have been analyzing the discourse not only of patients but also of mental health professionals. They summed it up saying "The idea is to detect and systematize the predominant ideas and assumptions about severe mental disorders, to encourage reflections on how disorders are talked about and how they should be talked about and, ultimately, to promote change in relation to metaphors that can create stigma."

Explore further Key metaphors in the most popular love songs speak of proximity and possession

More information: Marta Coll-Florit et al, Metaphors of Depression. Studying First Person Accounts of Life with Depression Published in Blogs, Metaphor and Symbol (2021). Marta Coll-Florit et al, Metaphors of Depression. Studying First Person Accounts of Life with Depression Published in Blogs,(2021). DOI: 10.1080/10926488.2020.1845096

Provided by Universitat Oberta de Catalunya (UOC)
Hazleton, PA (18201)

Today

Rain showers in the morning with thunderstorms developing for the afternoon. A few storms may be severe. High 71F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 90%..

Tonight

Showers this evening then scattered thunderstorms developing overnight. Low 59F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 60%.
People who are new to the workforce often get stuck in a painful loop: cant get a job without experience; cant get experience without a job.

Editorial

People who are new to the workforce often get stuck in a painful loop: cant get a job without experience; cant get experience without a job.

Its not unlike the cycle in which Winnipeg Transit has found itself inexorably caught: cant improve the system until ridership increases; cant increase ridership without improving the system.

Thats why the arrival of Winnipegs new 25-year Transit Master Plan is as welcome as a warm bus pulling up to a stop when its -30 C outside. Its a long overdue reimagining of an old, slow and unreliable system that no longer serves the needs of its community.

The public engagement process revealed what many regular Transit users already knew: Winnipegs current public-transit system has more bugs than features. This is largely the result of a growing city and the creation of sprawling new neighbourhoods that focus on the car; many new subdivisions dont even have sidewalks, let alone bus service. Existing bus routes have become long and winding, often stretching what is a 15-minute commute by car to four times that. Some places are not accessible by bus at all.

In Winnipeg, taking a bus is not an attractive  or even satisfactory  alternative to driving a car, and we have the dismal transit-use rates to show for it. Even before a global pandemic wiped out workday commutes, ridership was starting to dwindle; in 2017, figures from Statistics Canada revealed that out of eight major Canadian cities, Winnipeg was the only one to see ridership drop between 1996 and 2016.

Still, many people in this city rely on the bus as their primary mode of transportation, and those people deserve a better transit system  one thats affordable, easy to navigate, fast and convenient. But its not just current riders who would benefit from this rethink: what if we had a transit system that convinced more people to leave their cars at home more often? What if we had a transit system that allowed more people to go car-free? What if we had a transit system that was a point of civic pride?

The proposed plan could go a long way in helping make Winnipeg Transit become all of those things. The plan would see the system build on two service classifications: a primary network of rapid, frequent and direct lines, and a more easily adaptable feeder network of connector, community, on-request and accessible lines. Main Streets Union Station would become a rapid-transit hub. The goal is to simplify the routes for efficient and direct service, so people can use the bus for things other than commuting to downtown office jobs.

Other cities that have implemented high-frequency transit models, similar to what Winnipeg is considering, have seen significant ridership growth. As Free Press columnist Brent Bellamy noted last week: "Portland, Oregon, implemented the system in 2014 and has seen ridership grow by 45 per cent. Auckland, New Zealand, doubled ridership in less than a decade, and Houston, Texas, saw a four per cent increase only two months after introducing the system."

Its a build-it-and-they-will-come proposition, one that will take decades and a billion-dollar budget to realize. There are no diamond lanes here, but the journey should begin immediately. The plan itself isnt the only thing thats encouraging; it symbolizes a change in thinking that focuses on the user and reinforces that transit is a public good.

Its time to put the "public" back in public transit.

FLINT, MI -- Mayor Sheldon Neeley is asking the City Council to join him in requesting an expert, independent review and analysis of a request for more than $200 million in attorney fees from the Flint water crisis settlement fund.

The council is scheduled to consider a resolution on Monday, March 22, that makes the request of U.S. District Court Judge Judith E. Levy, who has given the settlement preliminary approval and still must rule on the motion for fees and expenses from lawyers for Flint residents.

Council members are scheduled to discuss the resolution at its Special Affairs Committee meeting, which starts at 4:30 p.m. and is broadcast here.

Neeleys resolution is the latest in a growing list of challenges to the request for attorney fees in the $641-million settlement. It notes that the city, which is a settling defendant in the agreement, is taking no position on the outcome of the request, but says the council and mayor believe the public would benefit from a review given the complex and voluminous motion and its supporting documentation.

Attorneys representing Flint residents would receive roughly $202 million in attorney fees plus more than $7 million in expenses, according to a proposal filed March 8 in federal court.

Last week, Flint area members of the Michigan House of Representative introduced a resolution urging Levy to limit attorney fees, and state Rep. John Cherry Jr. called for attorney fees be limited to 10 percent of the settlement rather than the more than 30 percent the lawyers are seeking.

State Rep. Cynthia Neeley, D-Flint, wife of Sheldon Neeley, has called the requested fees offensive and immoral and less than 24 hours after the fees were requested, an online petition launched asking Levy to reject the proposal and negotiate a lower amount.

Read more on MLive:

State House resolution asks judge to limit attorney fees in Flint water crisis settlement

State Rep. Neeley calls for judge to give Flint water attorneys half of what they want

Online petition asks judge to reject $202 million in attorney fees from Flint water settlement
Los Angeles, March 22 : An unidentified man broke inside the home of actor Johnny Depp in Hollywood Hills. Local cops got a call from a neighbour who spotted a homeless man hanging out in the backyard near the pool.

The neighbour told police the man took off when confronted and hopped a gate, which actually got him closer to the 57-year-old star's house, according to a report in TMZ.

When the cops arrived, the accused was taking a shower, and refused to open the door, when he was asked to do so by the cops. The report states that the intruder also made a drink from himself from the actor's collection.

He is being booked for felony vandalism for a broken door.

Back in January, an unidentified woman had broken into the actor's house.

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
Two victims killed in a carbon monoxide leak in Massachusetts over the weekend have been identified as a retired police officer, described as the father of his department, and his wife, according to authorities.

The couple who died in the leak Saturday was identified by officials as retired Methuen police Officer William E. Rayno and his wife, Matilda Rayno, Deputy Fire Chief Scott Sullivan told MassLive.

The pair was found dead around noon at a single-family home on Holly Street in Methuen, according Sullivan.

The victims son and a neighbor were the ones who discovered the couple, Sullivan said.

It is with deep sadness and regret the Men and Women of the Methuen Police Department announce the passing of Retired... Posted by Methuen Police Department on Sunday, March 21, 2021

The Methuen Police Department announced the couples deaths in a statement Sunday. The retired officer was known as the father of the department and P1. William Rayno served 32 years in the department.

He was very well respected throughout the community. He was truly one of the best and his legacy will live on, the department said. Our hearts and prayers go out to the Rayno family.

Got a news tip or want to contact MassLive about this story? Email newstips@masslive.com or message us on Facebook or Twitter. You can also call our news tips line at 413-776-1364.
With 823 new Covid-19 cases reported on Sunday, the total tally in the national capital has gone up to 647,984 while the death toll has reached to 10,955 as two more succumbed to the deadly virus, according to the data of the Delhi government.

The positivity rate was reported to be 1.03 per cent on Sunday, as compared to 1.07 percent on Saturday and 0.93 per cent on Friday, while the cumulative positivity rate went up to 4.69 per cent. As per the report, a total of 613 patients recovered from the infection taking the total recovery to 633,410 and the active cases were reported to be 3,618.coronavirus affected people get recovered or discharged with one death report on Saturday.

A total of 75,888 new samples were tested in the last 24 hours, taking the total number of tests conducted in the city to 1,37,42,763.
By John Burton





A trifecta once meant a winning horse racing bet in which the first-, second- and third-place finishers were chosen in the correct order. But in the case of North Korea, it has meant a losing streak over the past year as the country has suffered triple blows from COVID-19 restrictions, natural disasters and the continued impact of international sanctions.



North Korea was one of the first countries in the world to go into self-quarantine against COVID-19 when it closed its borders in January 2020 and imposed travel restrictions within the country. Trade with China, North Korea's biggest trading partner, fell by 80 percent last year, including rice supplies and other food imports. Pyongyang believed that such strict controls were necessary since the spread of COVID-19 would overwhelm its fragile healthcare system.



Meanwhile, several severe typhoons last summer flooded farmland, reducing crop output. This has exacerbated persistent food shortages. The U.S. and the U.N. have estimated that at least 40 percent of the population is malnourished.



As a result, North Korea's already dire humanitarian situation has grown even worse. Pyongyang's stringent measures against COVID-19 have impeded efforts to deliver humanitarian aid. The U.N. World Food Programme, for example, has warned that COVID-19-related restrictions may soon put a stop to its operations there as most international aid workers have been forced to leave the country.



How can North Korea deal with these problems? The first step would be the delivery of COVID-19 vaccines that would inoculate enough of the population to allow an easing of border and travel restrictions and allow humanitarian aid to flow once again into the country.



The good news is that North Korea is scheduled to receive 1.7 million doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine from the World Health Organization's COVAX program. This is likely to be supplemented by supplies of the Sputnik V vaccine from Russia and the Sinopharm vaccine from China.



All three vaccines have one advantage over the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines popular in the West because they can be stored at standard refrigeration temperatures. Thanks to efforts by the WHO a decade ago, North Korea has the proper cold chain system in place to distribute these vaccines around the country. It still lacks the more advanced cold storage facilities necessary for the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines, which require ultra-cold temperatures for storage.



The spearheading of the vaccine program by the WHO also means that the U.N. Sanctions Committee will likely quickly approve exemptions for the delivery of syringes, which are subject to the sanctions on North Korea along with other metal-based medical equipment.



Vaccine distribution still faces another problem. Unstable electricity supplies mean that cold chain systems can fail in some cases. One solution would be the supply of cold-chain refrigeration powered by solar energy. This has proved useful in underdeveloped countries such as those in Africa. But the international sanctions on North Korea prevent the import of solar panels into the country. The U.N. Sanctions Committee should allow their availability along with transportation storage boxes and vehicles, which are also subject to sanctions, to carry the vaccines to remote regions.



The impact of COVID-19 on North Korea should result in a broader reprisal of international sanctions to allow the delivery of more humanitarian and food assistance.



Reflecting his concerns over looming food shortages, Tomas Ojea Quintera, the U.N. Special Rapporteur on Human Rights in North Korea, for example, urged the U.N. Security Council last June "to reconsider sanctions, in light of the impact on the livelihood of people and the government's capacity to respond."



He added, however, that North Korea needed to lift COVID-19 restrictions that prevented the presence of representatives from international humanitarian organizations to supervise the distribution of food aid. The provision of vaccines will help achieve this goal.



The Biden administration has also offered humanitarian aid to North Korea, although it must meet a congressional requirement that independent monitors should be in place to oversee its delivery to those most in need.



The international community appears ready to help North Korea. The U.N. Sanctions Committee gave swift exemptions last year to proposed aid shipments, although their delivery has been delayed due to North Korea's COVID-19 border closures.



The possibility that North Korea is willing to reopen its borders to humanitarian aid should also encourage countries to contribute to U.N. aid programs for North Korea. The U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs reported recently that only $1.3 billion has been pledged as humanitarian assistance, mostly for food programs, to North Korea this year, a decline of 83 percent from a year ago.



The supply of vaccines to North Korea cannot come soon enough.





John Burton (johnburtonft@yahoo.com), a former Korea correspondent for the Financial Times, is a Washington, D.C.-based journalist and consultant.






By Joseph Sipalan

KUALA LUMPUR (Reuters) - Malaysia on Monday announced it had established a $2.4 million compensation fund to provide cash assistance for any COVID-19 vaccine recipients who suffer severe reactions due to inoculations.

The Southeast Asian country has inoculated nearly 430,000 frontline workers, with the majority having received the first of two jabs of the vaccine jointly developed by U.S. company Pfizer and German partner BioNTech.

Under the new fund, individuals requiring extended hospitalisation due to a vaccine reaction will be eligible for 50,000 ringgit ($12,171), or if this results in permanent disability or death 500,000 ringgit, Health Minister Adham Baba said.

Adham said health authorities had recorded 20 instances of adverse reactions to vaccination as of March 18, with symptoms ranging from itching to shortness of breath and palpitations.

"There have not been any deaths linked to the vaccine," Adham told a news conference, without specifying the type of vaccine he was referring to.

Malaysia's vaccination drive began on Feb. 23 using the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine with authorities only starting to administer the vaccine developed by China's Sinovac Biotech on March 18.

Malaysia will also scrap a plan to reserve a second shot of the Pfizer vaccine for those who had already received their first dose, in a bid to speed up its vaccination drive.

Malaysia has reported just over 330,000 coronavirus cases and 1,233 deaths after keeping infection rates relatively low for much of last year until a spike of infections from October that peaked in early February.

Science Minister Khairy Jamaluddin said the government is confident that Pfizer will be able to provide the 32 million doses secured by Malaysia.

Last week, Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin said the government will almost double its COVID-19 immunisation budget to 5 billion ringgit to speed up its target of vaccinating 80% of its 32 million population by December, instead of February 2022.

($1 = 4.1080 ringgit)

(Reporting by Joseph Sipalan; Editing by Ed Davies)
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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.
Saudi Aramco will ensure China's energy security remains its highest priority for the next 50 years and beyond as new and existing energy sources run in parallel for some time, CEO Amin Nasser told the China Development Forum on Sunday. Saudi Arabia, the world's biggest oil exporter, retained its position as China's top supplier in the first two months this year, with volumes up 2.1% to 1.86 million barrels per day (bpd), China customs data showed on Saturday.

The kingdom beat Russia to keep its ranking as China's top crude supplier in 2020 despite unprecedented production cuts in a pact between the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries and its allies to balance global markets after demand plunged during the COVID-19 pandemic.

"Ensuring the continuing security of China's energy needs remains our highest priority - not just for the next five years but for the next 50 and beyond," Nasser said in a video speech. "We appreciate that sustainable energy solutions are crucial to a faster and smoother global energy transition ... But, realistically, this will take some time since there are few alternatives to oil in many areas."

Nasser told an earnings call earlier on Sunday that Chinese demand was very close to pre-pandemic levels while Asia, East Asia in particular, had seen a strong pickup. Besides being a top supplier of China's energy needs, Nasser said Aramco is also well-placed to help China achieve its second centennial goal in energy transition.

Chinese President Xi Jinping announced in September that China will bring its carbon emissions to a peak before 2030 and reach carbon neutrality by 2060, a pledge that is expected to create a tectonic shift in its energy and manufacturing sectors. The state oil giant also expects opportunities for further investment in downstream projects to help to meet China's needs for heavy transport and chemicals, as well as lubricants and non-metallic materials, Nasser said.

He added that Aramco is working with Chinese universities and companies in cleaner engine fuel systems and technologies to convert crude to chemicals and to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from existing energy sources. "In fact, we have even bolder ambitions to expand and intensify our research collaboration with China," Nasser said, adding that additional collaboration is likely on so-called blue hydrogen, ammonia and carbon-capture technologies among others.

Experts from China National Petroleum Corp's (CNPC) research institute have forecast that China's oil demand will be capped at 730 million tonnes by around 2025 under Xi's climate pledge.

Also read: Saudi Aramco reports 44.4% slump in 2020 net profit over low crude oil prices
Srinagar: Fool-proof security arrangements, including round-the-clock monitoring using CCTV cameras and drones, will be in place for the Amarnath Yatra this year to ensure an incident-free pilgrimage, police said on Monday.

Addressing a press conference here, Inspector General (IG), Kashmir, Vijay Kumar said the security grid will be enhanced with 24-hour patrolling on the yatra routes.

"We are fully ready for the summer months. We have devised a plan and checkpoints will be increased, some camps will be shifted, and as we will get additional force after elections (in some states of the country), we will plug all the gaps... Pilgrims will not face any problems," Kumar said.

The 56-day yatra to the 3,880-meter-high cave shrine of Amarnath in the South Kashmir Himalayas is scheduled to start from the twin routes of Pahalgam and Baltal on June 28 and culminate on August 22.

"Our officers go on the ground to physically check for chances of security lapses and to see whether additional forces are required or where drones can be used and equipment be placed and also for the placement of 24-hour nakas. We are fully alert, and there will be fool-proof security arrangements," Kumar added.

On the threat of sticky bombs and IEDs, the IG said yatra routes would be fully sanitised, and there would be 24-hour patrolling and nakas.

"This time the (yatra) routes will not be left unsecured even during the night. There will be deployment, mobile bunker vehicle patrolling and NVD (night vision devices), and drones will also be used 24 hours," he said.

Describing sticky bombs as a problem but "not a big worry", Kumar said security vehicles will be fitted with 360-degree cameras and distance will be maintained with civilian vehicles.

"I am sure the public will support us fully. There will be a time factor also a time frame for the yatra vehicles. They will not be allowed in a mix-way," he said, adding the Amarnath Yatra will be monitored through CCTV cameras and drones round-the-clock.

Asked if there are any specific inputs about militant attacks on the yatra or the security forces during the pilgrimage, the IG said that expecting the militants not to attack was not right.

"Pakistan would always want to continue infiltration, there is no doubt about that. If not through the Line of Control, then through the International Border or Nepal. But, we are fully alert," he said.

"As far as attacks on nakas are concerned, there are still about 200 terrorists in Kashmir and expecting that there will not be any action by them is not right. They will try and most of them we will stop through preventive intelligence, but when there is an attempt, we will neutralise that," Kumar said.

The IG said the Army, CRPF and the police are all on alert.

Live TV
Source: Xinhua| 2021-03-22 21:11:13|Editor: huaxia

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BEIJING, March 22 (Xinhua) -- Xi Jinping, general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, has said that China is willing to work with the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) and other related parties to uphold the political settlement of the Korean Peninsula issue and preserve peace and stability on the peninsula, so as to make new contributions to regional peace, stability, development and prosperity.

Xi made the remarks in an exchange of verbal messages with Kim Jong Un, general secretary of the Workers' Party of Korea (WPK) of the DPRK. The messages were delivered by Song Tao, minister of the International Department of the CPC Central Committee, and Ri Ryong Nam, DPRK ambassador to China, during their meeting on Monday in Beijing.

Ri conveyed a verbal message from Kim to Xi, gave a comprehensive briefing on the eighth Congress of the WPK, and spoke highly of the fact that under Xi's leadership, the CPC and the Chinese people have succeeded in combating the global public health crisis and made remarkable achievements in completing the building of a moderately prosperous society in all respects and in the struggle for the complete eradication of poverty.

Kim said in the message that it is the unswerving position of his, the WPK and the DPRK's people to strengthen and develop DPRK-China relations into an envy of the world, and push forward the socialist cause with friendship and solidarity, adding that the DPRK side firmly believes that DPRK-China friendly relations will be lifted and developed in accordance with the requirements of the times as well as the aspirations, wishes and fundamental interests of the two peoples.

Song conveyed the verbal message of Xi to Kim, in which Xi once again congratulated on the successful holding of the eighth Congress of the WPK. Xi said that the traditional friendship between China and the DPRK is a precious treasure shared by the two parties, two countries and two peoples.

Under the new situation, the Chinese side stands ready to work with the DPRK comrades to maintain, consolidate and develop China-DPRK relations, and strive to achieve new outcomes in the socialist causes of both countries, so as to bring more benefits to both peoples, Xi said in his message.

Noting that the world is now undergoing transformations rarely seen in a century, which is overlapped by the once-in-a-century pandemic, while the international and regional situation is witnessing profound changes, Xi said the Chinese side is willing to work with the DPRK side and other related parties to stick to the direction of political settlement of the Korean Peninsula issue and preserve peace and stability on the peninsula, so as to make new and positive contributions to regional peace, stability, development and prosperity. Enditem
La Paz (Bolivia) [US] March 22 (ANI): Bolivia on Monday received India-made COVID-19 vaccines under the 'Vaccine Maitri' initiative.

"A friendship reaching greater heights. Made in India vaccines arrive in La Paz, Bolivia," S Jaishankar, External Affairs Ministry of India said in a tweet today.

La Paz is the administrative capital of Bolivia and is the third-most populous city in Bolivia.

Under the 'Vaccine Maitri' initiative, India has been providing coronavirus vaccines to its neighbouring countries. 72 countries have received vaccines from India under this program. Countries that have received Made-in-India COVID-19 vaccines include Maldives, Bhutan, Bangladesh, Nepal, Srilanka, Myanmar, and other Gulf nations.

"India has provided medical supplies to 150 nations during the COVID-19 pandemic, out of which 82 were given as a grant," Jaishankar has said in a tweet. (ANI)

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
The Kremlin towers in front of the Russian Foreign Ministry headquarters on March 18, 2021. (Dimitar Dilkoff/AFP via Getty Images)

Russian Envoy to US Back in Moscow After Biden Calls Putin a Killer: TASS

MOSCOWRussias ambassador to the United States arrived in Moscow on Sunday for discussions on how to address sliding U.S.-Russia relations after U.S. President Joe Biden said he thought Vladimir Putin was a killer, the TASS news agency reported.

The Russian Foreign Ministry announced on Wednesday it was recalling its ambassador, Anatoly Antonov, for urgent talks after Biden said in an ABC interview he thought President Putin was a killer who would pay a price for alleged U.S. election meddlingan accusation that Moscow denies.

Putin responded to Biden by citing a Russian childrens playground chant that he who said it, did it, and offered to hold live online talks with the U.S. president, a proposal Biden has not so far taken up.

The Russian embassy in Washingtons social media accounts posted a picture of Antonov in the early hours of Sunday morning at a U.S. airport, with an Aeroflot plane idling on the runway.

Russian Ambassador Anatoly Antonov is on his way to Moscow to participate in consultations on rectifying Russia-U.S. relations, the embassy said.

Both countries have said they will only cooperate when it is in their national interest to do so.

State TVs First Channel said Antonov told reporters before boarding his plane that there a was a lot of work for the Russian foreign ministry and others to do, but that he had no doubt that keeping lines of communication open was in the interests of the American people.

The channel then read out what it said were excerpts of letters sent to Antonov by Americans before his departure, apologising for Bidens comments about Putin.

TASS said a plane carrying Antonov had touched down at Moscows Sheremtyevo airport on Sunday morning.

By Andrew Osborn
New basalt type discovered beneath the ocean

A new type of rock created during large and exceptionally hot volcanic eruptions has been discovered beneath the Pacific Ocean.

An international team of researchers including the University of Leeds unearthed the previously unknown form of basalt after drilling through the Pacific ocean floor.

The discovery suggests that ocean floor eruptions sourced in the Earth's mantle were even hotter and more voluminous than previously thought. Report co-author is Dr Ivan Savov, of Leeds' Institute of Geophysics and Tectonics, in the university's School of Earth and Environment.

He said: "In an era when we rightly admire discoveries made through space exploration, our findings show there are still many discoveries still to make on our own planet.

"The rocks that we recovered are distinctly different to rocks of this type that we already know about. In fact, they may be as different to Earth's known ocean floor basalts as Earth's basalts are to the Moon's basalts.

"Now that we know where and how this rock type is formed, we anticipate that many other rocks that we know were originally formed by ocean floor eruptions will be re-examined and potentially alter our wider understanding of the basalt formation."

The newly-discovered basalt is distinct from known rocks in both its chemical and mineral makeup.

Its existence was previously not known because no new examples have been formed in millions of years. As a result, the new basalt type lay buried deep beneath sediment at the bottom of the ocean.

To find the new rock, the research team, aboard the Research Vessel (RV) JOIDES "Resolution", sank their drilling equipment 6km down to the ocean floor of the Amami Sankaku Basin - about 1,000km southwest of Japan's Mount Fuji volcano.

They then drilled a further 1.5km into the ocean floor, extracting samples that had never before been examined by scientists.

The research area was part of the birth of the "Ring of Fire" - a horseshoe-shaped belt known for regular volcanic eruptions and earthquakes. It stretches about 40,000 km around the Pacific, and is thought to have begun forming at least 50 million years ago.

Dr Savov explained: "This was one of the deepest waters ever to be considered for drilling, using a research vessel specifically designed for such challenging deep sea environments.

"Basalt is among the most common type of rock on earth. We were looking for basalt that was formed during early Ring of Fire volcanic eruptions.".

The eruptions that created the newly-discovered basalt were very widespread (covering areas the size of western Europe) and occurred in a relatively short geological timescale of between 1-2 million years.

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The research team's findings have been published in Nature Communications. The team included scientists from Australia, Japan, USA, Germany, UK, China, and Switzerland.

Further information

Basalt derived from highly refractory mantle sources during early Izu-Bonin-Mariana arc development is published by Nature Communications. DOI: 10.1038/s41467-021-21980-0

The research was part of the International Ocean Discovery Program (IODP).

Dr Savov was funded by the Natural Environment Research Council.

The research team also included: Center of Deep Sea Research, Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Qingdao, China; Laboratory for Marine Mineral Resources, Qingdao National Laboratory for Marine Science and Technology, Qingdao, China; Center for Ocean Mega-Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Qingdao, China; Research School of Earth Sciences, Australian National University, Canberra, Australia; Geological Survey of Japan/AIST, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, Japan; Department of Earth & Environment, AHC5-394, Florida International University, Miami, USA; Department of Earth & Ocean Sciences, University of South Carolina, Columbia, USA; Institute of Earth Sciences, University of Lausanne, Switzerland; School of Earth Sciences, University of Bristol, UK; GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel, Germany; College of Earth, Ocean, and Atmospheric Sciences, Oregon State University, USA.

Picture credit: Exp. 351 Science Team

For further details, contact Ian Rosser in the University of Leeds press office on i.rosser@leeds.ac.uk

This story has been published on: 2021-03-22. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
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Cadets in the Defence Forces are to be paid an allowance for their work in the fight against the Covid pandemic  despite the opposition of a Government department.

The claim for payment was made on behalf of 79 members of the 96th cadet class, who will be commissioned on Thursday.

It was brought by RACO, the representative association for officers in the Army, Air Corps and Naval Service, which argued they should receive the military service allowance (MSA) for the time they were employed as contact tracers for the HSE in response to the pandemic.

It is understood that the Department of Defence had initially indicated that it was in favour of the payment but then did not support the claim when it was turned down by the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform.

RACO then fought the case for the cadets before a third-party adjudicator, Daniel Murphy, under the conciliation and arbitration scheme for the Defence Forces.

Mr Murphy ruled that the cadets should be awarded 800 each, despite the Government opposition.

RACO stated that the cadets had been ordered to carry out extraordinary additional duties and should be remunerated as active-duty personnel by being paid the MSA for the period of their suspended cadetship and the extra work.

The adjudicator heard that the cadets were among the lowest paid personnel in the Defence Forces and had been taken advantage of during the pandemic.

As well as being contact tracers, they were power users and instructors while deployed in this operational capacity.

RACO also produced evidence that its position had been endorsed strongly by the General Staff (top management) of the Defence Forces.

Mr Murphy described a letter from the General Staff as being expressed in remarkably forthright terms and said that, in his time as adjudicator for the Defence Forces, he had not seen a comparable view from the General Staff on any matter, which had come before him, and had attached considerable weight to it in coming to his conclusions.

The official side said it was their strongly held opinion that the issue was debarred from adjudication by their parties due to the ban on cost increasing claims under the provisions of the Financial Emergency Measure in the Public Interest (FEMPI) legislation and the Public Service Stability Agreement.

But Mr Murphy ruled that he could not follow the logic of this argument, describing it as entirely contradictory.

He said the issue was not a claim for a new allowance or an increase in such an allowance but, rather, whether the cadets should come within the scope of an existing allowance.

The official side said the MSA was not paid for operational deployments but in recognition of the disadvantages of military service, relative to employment generally.

But Mr Murphy said it was clear that the cadets were employed in the same way as fully trained personnel of the Defence Forces while they were on Covid duties in support of the civil authorities.

He said the effect of the deployment of the cadets was to cease their training and increase the number of the ordinary military temporarily, which meant they were entitled to a similar allowance.

The decision was welcomed last night by RACO general secretary, Comdt Conor King, who said: We are delighted to have been able to deliver for our cadet members and that their sacrifice has been recognised.

This was a simple natural justice case. The cadets were deployed on military service and, therefore, deserving of the associated allowance.

In the week of their commissioning as officers, a momentous occasion, which their families and friends will be sadly unable to attend due to Covid, we hope that this will at least soften that blow, he added.




Panel 4: The Challenge of Famine and Pandemics: The Coincidence of Opposites Or Mass Extinction

March 21 , 2021 (EIRNS)The fourth panel of the conferencetitled as in the headline, was moderated by Dennis Speed, and opened by Dr. Joycelyn Elders, former Surgeon General of the U.S., and co-leader with Helga Zepp-LaRouche of the Committee for the Coincidence of Opposites, formed in 2020. Elders struck many themes, especially the priority of involving youth in work and hope for the future. She noted at the outset that the U.S. Public Health Commission should be a vanguard for what should be the activities of 80 to 90% of U.S. military forces, given todays crises.

In her closing remarks to the two-day conference, of four panels, each three hours, Helga Zepp-LaRouche described how the event has provided a

richness of knowledge about what are the problems; but also, its good, because where do you find a platform, where you can look at the problems in the totality? Because the oligarchy likes us to think in terms of segments, in terms of compartmentalization, and that way, we are manipulable.... But we have a very powerful message to go out with.

Following Dr. Elders, Marcia Merry Baker, Co-Editor of EIR, presented an overview of the famine, the necessity to double world food production, and the work of the Committee for the Coincidence of Opposites, followed by alternating presentations by four medical specialists and five agricultural leaders.

The speakers: Dr. Kadijah Lang, President of the Golden State Medical Association and Chairman, National Medical Association (NMA) Council on International Affairs; Dr. Walter Faggett, former Chief Medical Officer, Washington D.C. Department of Health, Co-Chair D.C. Ward 8 Health Council; Dr. Shirley Evers-Manley, Interim Dean of Alcorn State University Nursing School and Chairman, Global Health Committee of the National Black Nurses Association; Mike Callicrate, Kansas/Colorado cattleman, founder of Ranch Foods Direct and Mikes No Bull Blog; Nicole Pfrang, Kansas cattle rancher, and Secretary-Treasurer of the Kansas Cattlemens Association; Bill Bullard, President of R-CALF USA; James Benham, President of the Indiana Farmers Union and National Board Member of the National Farmers Union; Bob Baker, Agriculture Liaison, Schiller Institute.

A special feature was a video clip of a January 1988 address to a Food for Peace conference by Fred Wills. At the 1988 conference in Andover, Massachusetts, not far from Bretton Woods, New Hampshire, Wills described how in 1976, as Guyanas then Foreign Minister, he proposed to the UN General Assembly to create an International Development Bank and for a debt moratorium, as had been put forward by Lyndon LaRouche, to replace the IMF and World Bank. Wills spoke of the necessity of reason and sovereignty in foreign relations, and the need for a new world economic system.

Zepp-LaRouche gave very strong remarks during the discussion that we face a crisis of indifference. The population is numb. They are uninformed, and also people are concerned only with their issue. We must take the totality of the situation into account. We are sitting on a powder keg of the blowout of the financial system, and social explosion. She stressed that the degree of mobilization we can effect is critical.

In the course of reports by the physicians and farm leaders, on the health care and food supply crises, one aspect jumped out. Over this past year, a federal waiverNo. 1135was declared by the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services for hospitals, during the pandemic state of emergency, to selectively deny treatment to designated patients, without penalties on the care facility, if they determined the patient had little chance of responding to treatment, and treatment resources were limited. Dr. Lang described several incidents of this kind of what she called rationalized care at facilities in Los Angeles, where hospital authorities denied care to people, showing bias toward dementia, the elderly, and even cases without conditions. Dr. Faggett and Dr. Evers-Manley also reported on the waiver, and other reflections of the same selective treatment.

Zepp-LaRouche warned that the circumstances for this happening are not an accident. The holes in the system that have shown up during the pandemic are not an accident. It is a policy of the City of London, Wall Street and Silicon Valley, as they exert their consolidated power. Beware any indifference to this. Remember what jurist Leo Alexander said at the Nuremberg trials, warning about small beginnings. Any slight change in respect for the sacredness of life is a slippery slope that leads to the Nazi horrors. These changes are going on right now, but we warned of them 30 and 40 years ago. We have to activate to the maximum.

Two initiatives were described from the Committee for the Coincidence of Opposites. Dr. Faggett reported on a program in Washington, D.C. for training and deploying youth as community health care workers, doing various functions, especially related to COVID-19 vaccination. He said that this has worked well in Buffalo, New York, and they see it as using Dr. Elders model for youth brigades. The focus is on Ward 8, where at present only 4% of its 80,000 residents are vaccinated, the lowest in the District of Columbia, and typical of the disparities of all kinds.

Dr. Lang reported on a collaborative effort to send a representative aid shipment to Mozambique, where the NMA, until the 2020 pandemic, has had ongoing work to combat malnutrition, malaria, and other problems. She gave a thorough briefing on Mozambique, including reporting on the locust devastation to crops, and the increasing numberexceeding 530,000of internally displaced people, from the terrorism in the north. Malaria and cholera are worsening. She gave some specifics on baseline measures, such as what can be done with water tablets, staple foods (corn meal, rice), and other matters. Mozambique has 950,000 people who are food insecure.

Dr. Evers-Manley reported on many problems and recommendations on the vaccination drive. She reported that by 2030, globally, the world will be short of 7 million nurses. Zepp-LaRouche reported in the discussion that one-third of the nurses in Germany are now potentially quitting, burned out in the pandemic.

Mike Callicrate titled his talk, Will Humanity Prosper or Perish, and reported on the necessity to stop exploiting people and resources, especially soil, which is happening under the current world cartel system, but to set up local and regional-based systems to serve communities and nations. This was further filled out by Bill Bullard and Nicole Pfrang in terms of cattle raising, and what the Big Beef cartels are doing.

Bob Baker addressed the way the cartels are moving in on farmers with their green financial dictates. Jim Benham likewise echoed Callicrates points on soils and the need for regionalized agriculture. He said, know your farmer, know your food, which means break up the cartels. Sure, city dwellers cant get local food directly. But it can be good food, if you break up the cartels. He also stressed the need to make way for the young to be able to get in farming. Zepp-LaRouche reported on how the German farmers are having to go on the streets with their tractors, in an existential crisis, but the media black them out completely. She commissioned a video on the farmers situation.
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New Delhi, March 22 : Congress MP Manish Tewari has given adjournment notice on the sealing of India-Myanmar border.

"India has sealed all entry points along the border with Myanmar amidst the ongoing military crackdown following the February coup," Tewari said in his notice.

"The Government is preventing any Myanmar nationals from entering the country. Myanmar area bordering Mizoram is inhabited by people of Chin community, who are ethnically our brethren and India cannot turn a blind eye on them." The Congress MP said India is a signatory to International Covenant of Civil & Political Rights (ICCPR) encapsulating the principle of non-refoulement and sending back refugees to Myanmar violates ICCPR & UN Conventionagainst Torture.

Mizoram Chief Minister Zoramthanga has also urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to provide asylum, food and shelter to those refugees who have arrived in the state since the military seized power in Myanmar last month.

Zoramthanga, who is the leader of the Mizo National Front, in a letter to Modi sought his intervention so that the refugees from Myanmar are given asylum, food and shelter in India. The Mizo National Front and the Congress have alternated power in the state since 1972.

Referring to Union Home Ministry's advisories to the Chief Secretaries of the four Northeastern states bordering Myanmar and also to the Assam Rifles and Border Security Force for taking action to prevent illegal influx from Myanmar into India, Zoramthanga said, "This is not acceptable to Mizoram." "I understand there are certain foreign policy issues where India needs to proceed cautiously. However, we cannot ignore this humanitarian crisis," the Chief Minister said in his letter.

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
AS Boris Johnson instigated the first national lockdown, people were already thinking about how the restrictions would hit the most vulnerable in society.

With elderly people needing to shield, their neighbours and volunteers became a vital part of their everyday life.

Henley Mutual Aid had more than 300 people registered at the height of the pandemic.

Emma Taylor, 46, a co-ordinator for the group, said: It felt like the whole town was pulling together. There is something very special about a community that will hear a call and everybody steps up.

Wed never been through anything like this before and there was the potential for some people to feel quite isolated but there were all these people working away desperately helping each other.

Residents were assigned patches to co-ordinate the volunteers, who would then do shopping, collect prescriptions or drive people to doctors appointments.

Mrs Taylor, who lives in Western Avenue with her husband Andy, a telecommunications manager, and their children Lilia, 11, and Gabriel, six, said that after the initial demand, the helpers and the helped settled into a routine.

She said: People were organising things through their neighbours and didnt need to come through us.

People are still being helped now but it is because those communities and networks are now in place when they werent before. That is one of the only positives to come out of it.

All of those connections were built in the early months when everyone was a bit shell-shocked. With enough time distance, I think people will be able to look back on it fondly, in the same way that when the older generation look back on the war theres a real sense of pride.

When shops and other non-essential businesses were forced to close, Henley tailors Collier & Robinson stepped up to help with the shortage of personal protective equipment.

Kristie Shemilt, who founded the business with her husband Mark in 2002, raised 8,500 in three days to help fund materials that would be made into surgical scrubs for staff at the Royal Berkshire Hospital in Reading.

This allowed her and a team of volunteers to make 700 sets of scrubs, using medical grade fabric. She said: Friends and friends of family who were working for the NHS were contacting me saying they couldnt get scrubs. I thought it was ridiculous that it was coming up so much.

I was dealing directly with the Royal Berks with the covid-19 procurement team and they were absolutely desperate.

I had a workshop sitting empty and so I started the crowdfunding page. People in Henley were absolutely amazing and we went way over the 8,500 and actually made double the amount of sets.

Two months later, the operation had expanded to a team of 100 volunteers making surgical gowns in the riverside pavilion at Phyllis Court Club in Henley.

Mrs Shemilt received a 27,000 contribution from the Royal Berks League of Friends group to help pay for the materials. She said: I was contacted again because the Royal Berks was desperate for these gowns. I thought How on earth am I going to do this? and the only way was to set up a production line. It became a military operation.

We ended up making over 5,000 gowns, which is enough for six months supply. One of the surgeons on quality control said they were the best gowns hed ever seen.

Some of the ladies were out of work and what came out of it was the huge community aspect. We were working together for this common goal and a couple of them said they didnt know how they would have got through it mentally if theyd been unable to help.

It was quite amazing really and it showed what the community can do when you pull together.

The pandemic has been a particularly challenging time for children, with home-schooling replacing normal lessons and summer exams being cancelled.

At Shiplake College, staff and pupils were busy making face shields when supplies of PPE were running low nationally.

The independent schools design technology laboratory was able to produce more than 100 shields a day, while surplus supplies of masks were also donated.

Teachers Mike Whitfield, Tom Bayley and Sally Satch made hundreds of visors with the help of student volunteers and these were sent to local care homes, hospitals, funeral homes and schools.

Headmaster Tyrone Howe said: I can remember the last day before we went into lockdown very clearly and there were pupils in tears saying goodbye to each other.

At the time it felt slightly surreal and nobody knew what lay ahead. Thank goodness we didnt know it was going to last as long as it has done because I think that would have been very difficult to process.

We are blessed with very good facilities and we had a stock of surplus medical equipment.

It was a way of keeping our school community together. It felt like a good thing to do and the right thing to do.

We are duty bound to do what we can and youd always love to do more but you do as much as you can within your control.

Rugby player George Primett, 28, would normally be working at the Nuffield Orthopaedic Centre in Oxford as a physiotherapist but he spent several weeks working in the intensive care unit at the John Radcliffe Hospital instead.

Mr Primett, who has played for Henley for the last six years, was part of a team that helped to turn patients on to their fronts to alleviate the build-up of fluid in the lungs, a process known as proning.

This was particularly important as patients on a ventilator could not move themselves and it required a team of six or seven people to do.

Mr Primett said: My work as a physio came to a halt and we were looking for things to do. It was a case of all hands on deck and I just put my hand up straight away.

It was a bit daunting, but we all came together and that was really nice. Obviously, we saw some people pass after treating them for days and weeks. It was traumatic from that point of view and it was quite a thing to go through with the number of deaths.

It was not all doom and gloom and the team camaraderie was very positive and we were always optimistic. We never had a shortage of PPE either, so we were well prepared. I felt a duty of care  everybody who works in the NHS is there for the patients and we just did everything we could to get the best outcomes. I do look back with pride. Im fortunate to be young and healthy and privileged to have been able to help.

The impact on the hospitality industry was huge. Being closed for the best part of a year, many pubs and restaurants offered takeaways or became community shops, especially during the first lockdown when essential food supplies were short and panic buying set in.

Dan Redfern, who runs the Cherry Tree in Stoke Row, helped by cooking and distributing 1,450 free two-course meals to families in need. He said: One of my regulars came to me and asked about free school meals during the half-term when we were in the second lockdown. There wasnt much uptake because people might have been a bit embarrassed and this is quite an affluent area.

We gave it another go and pledged to provide as many two-course meals as possible during the November lockdown. The Cherry Tree paid half and my regular did the rest.

We had an amazing uptake and heard stories about strong people struggling so it was a very positive thing to do. We had a team of chefs who were furloughed so we did something that was not about making profit and helped people going through a tough time.

The only way to ease restrictions and eventually return to a more normal life was the approval of a vaccination, which the UK was the first to do with the development of the Pfizer vaccine.

The first jab was given at the beginning of December and the Oxford/AstraZeneca version was approved just before the new year.

The experience of flu jab clinics helped but the logistical challenge of delivering thousands of vaccinations every week required more help from the community. Volunteers signed up to help marshal car parks and help with administrative duties at local surgeries, relieving the workload on the healthcare workers who they had clapped for months earlier.

Dr Will Hearsey, a partner at the Hart Surgery in Henley, said: We have been inundated with offers of help, so everyone has pulled together under difficult circumstances. The extra help at different stages of the pandemic has helped us hugely.

The vaccination take-up has been very impressive. There has been criticism of the Government but the number that we have already vaccinated speaks for itself. Despite the success of the vaccination programme so far, Dr Hearsey says the impact of the pandemic will continue to be felt.

He said: One of our biggest concerns is that people have not been contacting us when they should be for things like chest pains and signs of cancer. We were seeing early signs of that last year, with fewer people getting in touch.

The impact on mental health is also quite an important thing to remember. A lot more people are struggling now and a lot of what we are dealing with as GPs is a spike in depression and anxiety.

Covid will be with us for the long-term now  much like the flu  so I suspect we will be rolling out vaccinations every year for the foreseeable future.
VCG International (VCGI) was a Platinum Sponsor at the virtual Windstorm Insurance (WIND) Conference, held Feb. 1 - 4. WIND provides educational training, continuing education, professional development, credential programs, and networking opportunities to enhance the restoration industry.

Its an honor to have VCG International as a Platinum sponsor at our Windstorm Insurance Conference, said Marty Streeper, executive director, Windstorm Insurance Network.

The WIND Conference provides property and insurance claims professionals an opportunity to engage, learn, and discuss the latest developments in property and windstorm insurance claim issues. WINDs mission is to bring together defense and policyholder representatives to better connect, learn, and engage for the betterment of the industry and consumers.

The annual Windstorm Insurance Conference is one of the best events that industry professionals can and should attend each year. This conference is a fantastic way to continue your education, to meet and network with insurance industry professionals, and stay up to date on the latest trends in the industry, said Stephen Shanton, CEO and president of VCG International (VCGI), Venture Construction Group (VCG), Venture Construction Group of Florida (VCGFL).

VCGI is a global leader in commercial and industrial construction, restoration, and storm damage repairs, and 24/7 emergency services through the Bahamas and the Caribbean, North America, Australia, Asia, and Africa.

VCGI will be a Platinum and Settlement Suite Sponsor at the upcoming WIND Symposium, held May 24 - 26 at the Renaissance SeaWorld located at 6677 Sea Harbor Dr., Orlando, Fla. To view a full roster of the events held during WIND 2021, visit https://windnetwork.com/.

About VCG International

VCG International (VCGI) is a global leader in commercial and industrial construction, restoration, storm damage repairs, and 24/7 emergency services throughout the Bahamas and the Caribbean, North America, Europe, Australia, Asia, and Africa. With over 30 years of experience and the worlds leading industry accreditations, VCGI leads the way in best practices throughout the globe. Learn more at http://www.VCGInternational.com.

About Windstorm Insurance Network

The Windstorm Insurance Network, Inc. is a non-profit, 501(c)3 organization dedicated to providing education and training, and to promoting a cooperative dialogue among professionals concerned with property and windstorm insurance claims issues. The Windstorm Insurance Network is dedicated to promoting awareness of property and windstorm insurance claims issues through the application of educational initiatives, shared member resources, and technology designed to support and improve the professional delivery of property and windstorm-related insurance claims services. To learn more, visit http://www.WindNetwork.com.

Media Inquiries:

Alexis Bott

Elev8 Consulting Group

Ph: 386-243-5388

Web: http://www.elev8cg.com

###
Mumbai, March 22 : In view of the cash balance situation, the Centre has decided to cancel the auction of G-Sec which was scheduled to have been held on March 26.

As per the revised issuance calendar for 'Government of India Dated Securities', the next auction was scheduled to have been held on March 26.

"On review of position of cash balance, the Government of India has decided to cancel the above scheduled auction," the Reserve Bank of India said on Monday.

The auction was expected to have fetched Rs 20,000 crore from the G-sec auction.

Traditionally, G-Secs are issued through auctions conducted by the RBI.

These auctions are conducted on the electronic platform called the 'E-Kuber, the Core Banking Solution' (CBS) platform of RBI.

The RBI conducts these auctions usually on every Wednesday.
New Delhi, March 22 : Caesar Sengupta, Vice President and General Manager, Payments and Next Billion Users initiative at Google, is leaving the company after a 15-year stint.

Announcing his resignation in a LinkedIn post, Sengupta said that he was leaving Google to start a "new mission." During his tenure at Google, Sengupta led the company's payments plans, including Google Pay.

His last day at Google will be April 30.

"I know that my decision may come as a shock to many of you, and I apologize for any pain or disappointment this might cause. But you've often heard me say that our time on earth is our most precious resource, and it's time for me to find a new way to make my impact on it," Sengupta said in a letter to his team and colleagues.

"I leave, my heart full of gratitude and joy, celebrating the many many beautiful moments Google and all of you have given me." Sengupta also thanked Google CEO Sundar Pichai for taking a "bet" on him.

A Google spokesperson said that Sengupta has made a personal decision to leave the company and start something entrepreneurial outside of Google.

"Through his time at Google, Caesar has played a key role in starting, building and leading initiatives such as ChromeOS, Next Billion Users and Google Pay. We are excited to see what he builds next and wish him the best in his new journey," said the spokesperson.
DENVER, March 22, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- COVID-19 has presented a number of challenges for Denver school teachers as they struggle to find a quiet place to teach virtually during the pandemic. To make it easier for teachers to get work done, Firmspace , a private office space for discerning, achievement-driven professionals and executives, today announces that it has teamed up with Teach For America (TFA) Colorado, one of the countrys largest sources of black teachers and teachers of color to high-need schools and communities in America, to provide day offices for Denver Public School (DPS) teachers.



Firmspace Denver provides a day office at no cost to DPS teachers who arent satisfied working from home. By providing privacy, concierge services, advanced sound-masking technology and more, Firmspace offers a dedicated space to engage in the deep, distraction-free work that teachers need to ensure Denver students continue to receive quality education in the midst of a pandemic.

"Nearly 80,000 Denver public school students rely on the DPS system to help them excel in their education, said Anish Michael, CEO of Firmspace. Were happy to provide private offices for DPS teachers so that they can have a private space to work, away from all of the distractions that you can get at home.

With a Firmspace day office, DPS teachers get access to everything they need to be productive and successful in a professional work space, including private offices with floor-to-ceiling walls and privacy glass, lighting-fast fiber internet, adjustable height desks, ergonomic office chairs, and complimentary parking, printing services and beverages.

In addition, Firmspace Denver is fully equipped to address the demands of COVID-19. Private offices ensure members work in solitude and with adequate social distance, common areas are regularly sanitized using CDC-recommended cleaning products, and for the time-being, Firmspace requires members to wear face masks in common areas to protect themselves and others.

COVID-19 has presented many challenges for Denver public schools this year, especially when it comes to educating students from a distance, said Cheryl Precious, senior managing director, external affairs (Colorado Region) of Teach For America. Firmspace gives our teachers the space they need to be productive and provide the undivided attention that students need as they learn remotely.

Firmspace Denver day offices are available Monday through Friday on a first-come, first-serve basis at no cost to Denver Public School teachers. Day offices will be available through the end of the Spring semester.

About Firmspace

Firmspace is the only private office space that offers everything that achievement-oriented professionals need to be productive, including secure and sound-masking offices, white-glove client service, five-star amenities, upscale technology, and professionally trained staff. Executives in law, finance, real estate, consulting, and other industries trust Firmspace to provide an environment that helps them perform their best and excel in their careers. With locations in Denver, Houston, Austin, and Atlanta, Firmspace members spend less time worrying about distractions and more time growing their businesses. For more information, visit www.firmspace.com .

About Teach For America

Teach For America works in partnership with 350 urban and rural communities across the country to expand educational opportunity for children. Founded in 1990, Teach For America recruits and develops a diverse corps of outstanding leaders who make an initial two-year commitment to teach in high-need schools and become lifelong leaders in the effort to end educational inequity. Today, Teach For America is a force of over 64,000 alumni and corps members working in over 9,000 schools nationwide in pursuit of profound systemic change. From classrooms to districts to state houses across America, they are reimagining education to realize the day when every child has an equal opportunity to learn, lead, thrive, and co-create a future filled with possibility. Teach For America is a proud member of the AmeriCorps national service network. For more information, visit www.teachforamerica.org and follow us on Facebook and Twitter .
Editors Note: This is the second story in a series about the anniversary of the border closure.

The partial border closure caused by the COVID-19 pandemic has had serious economic consequences for a city that saw sales go down, billions of dollars lost, businesses closed and tourism slashed in comparison to previous years.

The border closure did impact businesses negatively in Laredo, without a doubt. You can see for yourself how businesses are struggling, said Telco Garcia, the City of Laredos economic development director.

But in spite of the economic ramifications, the decision to close the border to Mexicans who hold a tourist visa was ultimately necessary, Garcia notes; health experts warned of even higher COVID-19 cases and deaths if such drastic measures had not been taken.

The economic impact of these closures to Texas is more than $19 billion, according to Laredos U.S. Rep. Henry Cuellar

A lot of the downtown businesses have been hit hard as the last shutdown caused a majority of businesses to close down, Cuellar said. All in all, we have lost a lot of money on the border.

Garcia notes that pedestrian traffic decreased between about 60% to 80% in just the past year, and passenger vehicle traffic along the bridges was down between 50% to 70% in the last year due to these restrictions on nonessential travel. This dearth of people who usually travel from Mexico represent millions of dollars lost to the City of Laredo, he said.

Another group that suffered during this year of restrictions are the American citizens who are employed in the U.S. and live in Mexico. Many of their employers told them to wait out the pandemic or leave their posts permanently.

Although there were a lot of people who were able to continue back and forth, there were some who were not able to do this, Garcia said.

Gene Lindgren, president and CEO of the Laredo Economic Development Corporation, noted that even though many Laredo families didnt travel last year and spent their money locally instead, they didnt make up for the losses brought by the lack of tourism from Nuevo Laredo.

The numbers show that we lost 4% of the local retail sales for 2020, which is amazing considering everything, Lindgren said.

He believes the pandemic accelerated a national trend that has been going on for several years as peoples shopping habits change. But the hidden damage is to the many small businesses that were forced to close their doors.

Although people from places like Monterrey, Guadalajara and other places from around Mexico continue to come into the U.S. via air travel, Garcia states that the limits on terrestrial traffic has blocked many families from taking trips into the U.S. This has likewise impacted local hotels, restaurants and local retailers.

The city is working hard to develop various campaigns to attract people from other parts of Mexico to Laredo once the border reopens, Garcia said.

Tourism was also affected by the fact that many huge events like concerts and the Sister City Festival could not be held. Lindgren notes that the Washingtons Birthday Celebration is the most important time of year for tourism in Laredo. Postponing these events was a low point, he said, but necessary.

It will be back bigger and better than ever and we have some very exciting things in the works as well to drive even more tourism to Laredo, he said.

The most impacted and often forgotten industry, Garcia said, is the local restaurants that catered to Mexican shoppers when they come to visit the city.

That is where national numbers, at least, show there was more impact on lower paying service jobs than any other industry in the country, Garcia said.

One of the few industries that has been doing well amid the border closure is commercial trade, which never stopped. There was a slowdown in the first months of the pandemic as many factories in Mexico and other places shut down, but the industry recovered.

The good news is that our international trade industry has not only recovered, but is thriving as commercial crossings are now exceeding pre-pandemic levels, Lindgren said.

Garcia states that it is now time for the federal government to hear the people at the border and understand that it is time to allow the economies of border cities to thrive once again.

We are in a better shape now and to open the bridges and get things going, he said.

jorge.vela@lmtonline.com
Power cuts, corruption and tensions within the ruling ANC party usually dominate the headlines in South Africa.

But today, they have been sidelined by one question: who will be the monarch of the Zulus now that their longest-serving ruler is gone?

King Goodwill Zwelithini passed away on March 12 at 72 after half a century on the throne, following a battle with diabetes-related illness.

With six wives and 28 children, he leaves behind a mighty question about succession.

The royal family has been tight-lipped about the issue since the king was laid to rest -- or "planted" -- last week in an intimate ceremony in the eastern town of Nongoma where he was born.

On Sunday however Prince Mangosuthu Buthelezi, 92, issued an update saying influential members of the royal family had gathered the previous day to discuss who should ascend the throne.

"It was decided that a meeting will be held on Wednesday morning with His Majestys lawyers," said a statement from Buthelezi, former leader of the powerful Zulu nationalist party Inkhata.

"This is where the matter stands at present. Further updates will be provided after Wednesdays meeting."

No deadline has been announced but Sihawu Ngubane of the University of KwaZulu-Natal says a new king should be designated as soon as possible to lead South Africa's largest ethnic group, which numbers more than 11 million people.

The transition period, says the African languages expert, "must be short, but the word short is relative".

- 'The inside knows' -

Experts in Zulu customs say the king's will, which was read immediately following his funeral would have designated the third of Zwelithini's six wives, Queen Mantfombi Dlamini, 65, as ruler until a future king can be named, although the royal palace has not officially confirmed this.

Although she was Zwelithini's third wife, Dlamani holds the title of "great queen" -- a status determined by her dowery or "lobolo", says Ngubane.

Story continues

While the king would have paid directly the doweries of his other wives -- mainly in the form of livestock -- Dlamini's would have been financed by the Zulu people through their village chiefs.

She "is now the caretaker king, she has got the powers of a king, she can stay on the throne until such a time a king is appointed," says Ngubane.

"It might take months, or it can take a year."

Pitika Ntuli, an expert in African traditions, reckons there can be little doubt within the royal family as to who their heir is.

"The inside would know," he says.

With Dlamini named regent, some speculate her eldest son, Prince Misuzulu Zulu, 46 -- whose name can be loosely translated as "strengthening the Zulus" -- could be the one.

But Ntuli emphasises that the nature of succession in the tradition of historic Zulu Nguni kingdoms is "intricate" and nothing is automatic.

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Since the COVID-19 pandemic began, the disease has killed approximately one of every 1,000 Black Americansabout twice the rate of death among white Americans killed by the disease.

Black men have been especially affected. Early research shows that COVID-19 kills men at nearly twice the rate of women, earning it a reputation as a "global mankiller." Communities across America are reporting a devastating numberof Black men struck down by the disease, men who played important roles as husbands, fathers, community leaders and parental caretakers.

Facebook groups for Black widows have seen an influx of new members since the start of the pandemic. In addition to grappling with grief, widows are shouldering increased responsibilities. They're now parenting children as single mothers, assuming the role of sole breadwinner and assisting elderly relatives without male support.

Even for those whose partner did not succumb to the disease, many Black women face years of caring for a family member who might suffer from the long-term complications. Such disruption, and the increased burden on Black women, connects to a long history of separation and disruption within the Black American family.

From plow to prison

During nearly 250 years of slavery in the United States, enslaved persons were frequently torn from their family members. Women were separated from their children on the auction block. Men and women could be sold from one plantation to another.

"The entire structure of slavery supported the separation and the ongoing fragility of the Black family," says Alaina Morgan, assistant professor of history at the USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences. After slavery ended, plantation-owners turned to "convict-leasing" to fill the gap in cheap labor. Black Codes, laws that severely restricted the rights of Black Americans, made it easy for the state to imprison them for petty offenses and then lease prisoners to plantation owners for a fee.

"After slavery, you see Black men and women taken away from their families, oftentimes for really minor, nonviolent crimes. It could be something as simple as not having a work pass," says Morgan.

Although convict-leasing has been mostly phased out, prison labor is still alive and well, with everything from artisanal goat cheese to party balloons produced by incarcerated people. Black Americans, especially Black men, continue to be imprisoned at much higher rates than other Americans and serve longer sentences than white Americans.

A 2016 study found that one in four Black children have a parent that is or has been incarcerated, which increases their likelihood of dropping out of school, developing learning disabilities and exhibiting disruptive behavior in class.

When a family member is jailed, women are frequently the one to provide financial support to the incarcerated, paying on average some $13,000 in fines and fees to the court system. This makes paying regular bills, rent and childcare expenses nearly impossible for women supporting a family on their own.

Plague times

Now, disease is ravaging the Black family. Black men are experiencing a drop in life expectancy not seen since World War II. A complex layering of risk factors, exacerbated by institutionalized inequality, seem the likely cause.

Black men are often employed as essential workers in factories, retail stores and public transit, exposing them to the virus. Many live in multi-generational housing where physical distancing can be difficult. They have high rates of obesity, diabetes and heart disease that worsen COVID-19. Then, there's the pent-up toll on the body from facing daily racism.

Research by April Thames, associate professor of psychology and director of the Social Neuroscience in Health Psychology Lab, found that racist experiences are associated with genes that increase inflammation in the body, making people more susceptible to illness.

Incarceration and COVID-19 have also collided, says Morgan, to devastating effect. In mid-August, correctional facilities accounted for the top 10 outbreak cluster sites for COVID-19.

"We already have a crisis in which Black men [are sent to prison] and removed from Black communities, causing a host of developmental issues and depriving Black communities of income. Now we have an epidemiological crisis where Black men are dying and leaving women alone forever because they're never coming back from prison," says Morgan.

Women whose partner survived a bout of COVID-19 may still find themselves with extra duties. COVID-19 seems to cause long-term damage for some, including respiratory and heart issues. Some effects may be mental, adding another challenge to caregiving.

"Colleagues of mine have noticed that people who have pre-existing mental health conditions, like post-traumatic stress disorder, which we know is very prominent in the Black community, coupled with COVID-19 have worse mental health outcomes," says Thames.

This woman's work

With these deaths, Black women must once again step up to the plate, acting as single mothers and sole income-earners, and filling in gaps in the community left behind by the dead. Some of this female leadership is routine for the Black community, says Morgan, and part of a long tradition of matriarchal culture.

"The vast majority of enslaved persons were transported from West and West Central Africa, where there are quite a few matrilineal societies where property and kinship were passed through women," says Morgan. "We see women in positions of leadership, including acting as rulers and advisors in the region."

However, positioning Black women as especially strong can be a troublesome stereotype with origins in slaveholding.

"Black women were working and doing hard labor in the fields while pregnant or immediately after having babies. This was seen as both a lack of care for their children and also a superhuman ability that justifies continuing to abuse Black women," says Morgan. This dynamic is still present today in perceptions of Black women as less devoted mothers, she adds.

"While the ability to be resilient is a strength of Black women, it also sometimes leads to delayed handling of trauma and coping with losses," says Donna Benton, research associate professor of gerontology and director of the USC Family Caregiver Support Center at the USC Leonard Davis School of Gerontology, and a member of the USC Center for the Changing Family, headquartered at USC Dornsife.

Justice and healing for all

Local and federal governments should play a role in assisting the women who will be coping with widowhood and caregiving in the coming years, says Benton. Providing funds for funeral costs, arranging paid leave for bereavement and allowing the time a person acts as a caregiver to serve as credit for social security working hours could help ease the financial burden for Black women.

Thames believes that extending access to health care, especially telehealth, is necessary to prevent deaths in the Black family. In June, Thames' father died of a heart attack in rural Mississippi, unable to find care. Many hospitals in small-town America have closed in recent decades, leaving those that remained overwhelmed and understaffed, especially during the pandemic.

"If you have a lot of resources you can get in. If you don't, and you're living in a very rural area and you're a Black man, good luck being seen," says Thames.

Morgan foresees the matrilineal kinship network once again playing a role, as widowed women turn to aunties, grandmothers and sisters to help them carry the burden. Black women will continue to soldier on together, despite their grief.

"Black women have kept on going because we have to keep on goingwe don't really have a choice," says Morgan.

Explore further Black women with PCOS have higher risk factors for heart disease, diabetes and stroke
Tom Reed, the U.S. Congressman from Corning who had been seen as a potential challenger to Gov. Andrew Cuomo in the next gubernatorial election, said he will not run for any office in 2022. The announcement came days after he had been accused of sexual misconduct by a former lobbyist.

As I go forward, I will strive to be a better human being, continue to fight for what I believe in, and to make peoples lives better in any way I can, he said in a statement released on his Twitter account.

The tweet announced that he will not run for governor or for another term in Congress.

Nicolette Davis told The Washington Post on Friday that Reed groped her in an Irish pub in Minneapolis when she was 25 and he was 45. Davis said she grew uncomfortable while out with other lobbyists.

Davis alleges Reed had his hand outside her blouse, unhooked her bra and then moved his hand to her thigh, inching upward. Davis asked a person sitting on the other side of her to help, and he pulled the GOP lawmaker from the table and out of the restaurant.

First, I apologize to Nicolette Davis. Even though I am only hearing of this matter as stated by Ms. Davis in the article now, I hear her voice and will not dismiss her, he wrote. ...Second, I want to share that this occurred at a time in my life in which I was struggling. Upon entering treatment in 2017, I recognized that I am powerless over alcohol.

When he was first elected in 2010, he said he would only serve six terms. Hes been an outspoken critic of Cuomo, a Democrat, and said he was considering running for governor in 2022 as Cuomo faces multiple sexual harassment allegations.

Charlie Miller is a journalist for syracuse.com and The Post-Standard. Contact him at 315-382-1984, or by email at cmiller@syracuse.com. You can also find him on Twitter @HoosierCuse.
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A pair of bears demonstrated their frightening power as they playfully fought one another beneath a waterfall in Alaska.

Photographer Glen R Alsworth, Jr, 43, was visiting Brooks Falls in Katmai National Park and Reserve when he captured the two bears exchanging playful blows.

Glen says that although the bears look aggressive in some shots that this only lasted 30 seconds before they continued to play fight for 15 minutes.

The duo can be seen locking jaws and trying to push one another over with their giant paws.

A pair of bears demonstrated their frightening power as they playfully fought one another beneath a waterfall in Alaska

Photographer Glen R Alsworth, Jr, 43, was visiting Brooks Falls in Katmai National Park and Reserve when he captured the two bears exchanging playful blows

Glen says that although the bears look aggressive in some shots that this only lasted 30 seconds before they continued to play fight for 15 minutes, before sharing a tender nose rub

The two Alaska brown bears had been munching away on salmon before they had erupted into a mock fight.

Glen said: 'They encountered each other in the river while searching for more fish and began to interact.

'The play turned more aggressive and turned into a legitimate fight, most likely due to one bear getting carried away and biting too hard while playing.

'The wrestling and play lasted for about 15 minutes, the actual fight for about 30 seconds. Both bears calmed back into a more playful mode after the 30 seconds of aggressive fighting.'

The duelling bears are seen sloshing around in the waist-deep Alaskan waters as they playfully pushed and shoved each other

For 15 minutes, the two brown bears engaged in a fierce play fight, sending huge splashes of water flying into the air as they crashed around in the water

On more than one occasion the bears were seen to even lock their jaws together as they battled for mock supremacy

The photographer said he had been sat just 10 metres away from the bears when he captured them with his camera.

He said: 'This is one of the only locations I shoot from where there is actually a structure to stand on while shooting. The bears knew we were there but paid no attention to us.

'The bears at Brooks River are conditioned to the presence of people. In other areas you have to be much more strategic in your positioning and behaviour in order not to disturb the bears and not to put yourself in danger.

'I love to photograph bears because each animal has its own personality. Brown bears are an entertaining mix of brute strength, curiosity, and comical behaviour all wrapped up in fur, claws, and teeth.'

Both bears gave as good as they got as they duelled it out in the freezing Alaskan waters. The fight was witnessed just moments after the pair had met while hunting for salmon

Not afraid to get wet, one bear adopts a lower stance to avoid a powerful lunge from their opponent and ducks their head to the side
By Andrea Shalal and David Lawder

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - New U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai pledged to rebuild alliances and actively engage on international trade on Monday in her first calls as the top U.S. trade negotiator with key partners and the World Trade Organization.

Starting her first full week on the job, Tai told WTO Director-General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala that the Biden administration was committed to ensuring widespread access to COVID-19 vaccines, which the new WTO chief has made a priority.

"The two exchanged views on the future of trade and their shared commitment to economic empowerment through a worker-centered trade policy," USTR said in a statement, adding that they also discussed reform of the organization and its upcoming 12th Ministerial Meeting.

Tai, who was sworn in on Thursday, emphasized in calls to trade ministers the need to address climate change and racial equity in trade, and to work together to address concerns about forced labor and other issues related to China, her office said in a statement.

U.S. allies have been anxious to start talks with Tai after years of tariffs and tensions during the previous administration of former President Donald Trump. The White House has said it will put new trade deals on hold until it completes a review of all of Trump's trade policies.

Tai agreed with Canada's trade minister, Mary Ng, to pursue a ministerial-level meeting of the U.S.-Mexico-Canada trade agreement's (USMCA) governing body, including Mexico's trade minister, the USTR office said.

Both officials also discussed the importance of fully implementing the pact, which went into effect last year, and building a partnership that supports underserved communities, USTR said.

China was a key topic in calls with British trade minister Liz Truss and EU trade commissioner Valdis Dombrovskis.

USTR said Tai and Truss agreed to "work constructively to address unfair trade practices of non-market economies, such as China," including looking at issues such as use of forced labor.

Story continues

Britain said they resolved to collaborate on shared concerns at the Group of Seven and WTO.

They also agreed to work together on the pandemic and the longstanding dispute over aircraft subsidies, USTR said.

Tai discussed her review of U.S.-UK free trade agreement talks conducted under the Trump administration and those talks would continue at the G7 ministerial meeting in March, it said.

Prospects for reaching a U.S.-UK deal are slim ahead of the expiration of congressional "trade promotion authority" this summer, sources said, but the two sides hope to work on other priorities, including global digital taxation talks.

In her talks with Dombrovskis, Tai highlighted the importance of transatlantic trade and investment, and "emphasized her strong desire to build on a positive and productive relationship with the European Union," USTR said.

They also discussed their interest in resolving the aircraft subsidy dispute and addressing global steel and aluminum overcapacity.

(Reporting by Andrea Shalal; editing by Jonathan Oatis and Sonya Hepinstall)
Fox News is reporting:

A federal appeals court judge has offered a blistering dissent in an obscure libel case that takes the measure of the mainstream media's bias.

The case centers on a 2018 report from Global Witness Publishing that accused Liberian government officials Christiana Tah and Randolph McClain of accepting bribes from Exxon. Tah and McClain sued Global Witness alleging defamation and their claims were dismissed in Friday's ruling.

However, in the course of his partial dissent, D.C. Circuit Court Judge Laurence Silberman went on an unprecedented written tirade against the press, in which he argued that the Supreme Court should revisit the landmark 1964 New York Times v. Sullivan ruling that granted the media broad First Amendment protections from being sued by public officials.

"[N]ew considerations have arisen over the last 50 years that make the New York Times decision (which I believe I have faithfully applied in my dissent) a threat to American Democracy," he write. "It must go."

"The increased power of the press is so dangerous today because we are very close to one-party control of these institutions," said Silberman, who was nominated to the federal bench by Ronald Reagan and has been a senior judge on the D.C. Circuit Court since 2000.

"Although the bias against the Republican Partynot just controversial individualsis rather shocking today, this is not new; it is a long-term, secular trend going back at least to the 70s," Silberman wrote. "Two of the three most influential papers (at least historically), The New York Times and The Washington Post, are virtually Democratic Party broadsheets. And the news section of The Wall Street Journal leans in the same direction. The orientation of these three papers is followed by The Associated Press and most large papers across the country (such as the Los Angeles Times, Miami Herald, and Boston Globe). Nearly all televisionnetwork and cableis a Democratic Party trumpet. Even the government-supported National Public Radio follows along."

The Reagan-appointed judge accused Silicon Valley of filtering news "in ways favorable to the Democratic Party" and fueling censorship, citing the suppression of the New York Post's bombshell reporting on Hunter Biden in the final weeks of the 2020 presidential election.

"It is well-accepted that viewpoint discrimination 'raises the specter that the Government may effectively drive certain ideas or viewpoints from the marketplace,'" Silberman said. "But ideological homogeneity in the mediaor in the channels of information distributionrisks repressing certain ideas from the public consciousness just as surely as if access were restricted by the government."

Silberman also sounded the alarm about the "serious efforts to muzzle" outlets like Fox News that aren't under "Democratic Party ideological control."

"It should be borne in mind that the first step taken by any potential authoritarian or dictatorial regime is to gain control of communications, particularly the delivery of news. It is fair to conclude, therefore, that one-party control of the press and media is a threat to a viable democracy," the judge continued. "It may even give rise to countervailing extremism.

"The First Amendment guarantees a free press to foster a vibrant trade in ideas. But a biased press can distort the marketplace. And when the media has proven its willingnessif not eagernessto so distort, it is a profound mistake to stand by unjustified legal rules that serve only to enhance the press power."

Hat tip to Steven Rader for sending us this link.
But it is becoming increasingly clear that the aid alone will not be enough to counter the blow delivered by the pandemic.

Almost 40 percent of the M.T.A.s operating revenue comes from fares. Ridership is up to only about a third of its usual levels, and it could take years to recover to something close to prepandemic levels.

With likely long-term changes in office patterns and more remote work, public transit in New York might never look the same.

[Commuter culture is going to change, said Kathryn S. Wylde, the president of the Partnership for New York City, an influential business group.]
Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Wednesday asked the local leaders in the poll-bound state of West Bengal to get their act together, in a meeting on the intervening night of March 15 and 16, and bid that the party intensify its battle to win 'Sonar Bangla'. As per sources, Shah has asked the party leaders to start working on ending any unrest within the party cadre, whether genuine or sponsored.

A senior party leader said, "Part of these protests are being sponsored by Trinamool Congress (TMC). We are trying to talk to the workers and these are small issues which will be sorted out soon."

"As the party has given tickets on the parameter of winnability, there are quite a few who joined BJP just days or months before the tickets were announced. The workers have been fighting against them for a long. But such things happen in every election. We will work this out among ourselves," stated the source to ANI.

The BJP office in Kolkata saw some protests as supporters of those who did not get tickets expressed their disappointment. The protestors came from various constituencies like Diamond Harbour, Bagnan, and Panchla to name a few. The dissidents were called in a group of five inside the office to understand their objections.

West Bengal elections 2021

The West Bengal Assembly with 294 seats will also go to the polls from May 2, 2021. CM Mamata Banerjee's Trinamool Congress holds 222 seats at present. However, BJP has made major inroads in the state in the Lok Sabha elections winning 18 seats out of 42 and establishing itself as the major opposition force in the state. The BJP is using its booth-level strategy and has regularly dispatched its top leaders including Amit Shah and JP Nadda in the state for winning the upcoming elections, with the Prime Minister also addressing mega-rallies there in recent weeks. The party has also been inducting a number of major TMC leaders on a regular basis and plans to hold at least 1500 rallies and assorted road-shows in total.

Elections in West Bengal will be held in 8 phases across 1,01,916 polling stations, announced the EC. The counting of votes will take place on May 2.

1st phase- 30 constituencies. Date of polling- March 27

2nd phase- 30 constituencies. Date of polling- April 1

3rd phase- 31 constituencies. Date of polling- April 6

4th phase- 44 constituencies. Date of polling- April 10

5th phase- 45 constituencies. Date of polling- April 17

6th phase- 43 constituencies. Date of polling- April 22

7th phase- 36 constituencies. Date of polling- April 26

8th phase- 35 constituencies. Date of polling- April 29

(With ANI Inputs)
In another gaffe within fortnight after assuming office, Chief Minister Tirath Singh Rawat said the "United States ruled for 200 years".

It was the third comment in a week for which Rawat has been trolled.

Earlier, Rawat was trolled for his comment on ripped jeans and equating Prime Minister Narendra Modi with Lord Ram.

"Who knows what would have happened to had anyone else been the Prime Minister instead of Narendra Modi during this time. We would have been in a bad state. But the Prime Minister has gave relief," Rawat said.

Chief Minister said: "As compared to other countries, is managing Covid 19 crisis better. America, who ruled for 200 years and ruled the world, is struggling during pandemic. Over 3,75 lakh people died in USA. In Italy, having best health facility in world, lost over 50 lakh people lives and heading for another lock down."

Rawat further stated that Prime Minister Modi worked to save and people also followed his (Modi) instructions of wearing masks, sanitising, washing hands and following social distancing.

"Just another BJP leader reminding us about the value of quality education," Congress party office tweeted.

Samajwadi Party leader Juhie Singh asked, "America colonised India for 200 years ?When?".

Rawat, who assumed office on March 10, faced criticism for his ripped jeans comment and was badly trolled on social media. Girls and women from all age groups flooded social media with pictures of them wearing ripped jeans.

--IANS

ssb/rt

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
ALBANY  The attorney for one of at least seven women who have accused Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo of sexual harassment is urging state Attorney General Letitia James to denounce a separate investigation being conducted by the governor's administration of another woman's allegations that Cuomo had groped her late last year at the Executive Mansion.

The separate investigation was reported by the Times Union last week. Beth Garvey, the governor's acting counsel, issued a statement after that story was published on Wednesday clarifying that the matter had been referred to the Governor's Office of Employee Relations.

"We fully informed the (attorney general's) office of the required process with this type of allegation and they said to follow it," Garvey said. "The matter was referred to GOER (Governor's Office of Employee Relations) and (we) informed local law enforcement and that is the full extent of the action."

Days earlier, a senior administration official confirmed the governor's administration would be conducting an investigation of the matter despite an ongoing inquiry by the attorney general's office. The attorney general's probe was authorized under Executive Law in a referral letter from Garvey to James on March 1.

"We have our own inquiries ongoing," a senior aide to the governor told the Times Union on March 13. "We have an obligation to investigate any claim of sexual harassment. And we, after reporting (the female aide's allegations) to the (attorney general), were directed to continue our own inquiry.  So there are multiple inquiries."

A source in the attorney general's office with knowledge of the matter last week denied that anyone from their office had "directed" the governor's office to conduct a parallel inquiry.

Debra Katz, an attorney for Charlotte Bennett, a former Cuomo aide who last year complained to administration officials that the governor appeared to be grooming her for a sexual relationship, said James should condemn any parallel investigation by the administration. Katz characterized it as a "deliberate attempt" to interfere in the independent probe and also questioned the administration's decision to provide private counsel to any staff members interviewed by the attorney general's inquiry team.

The Executive Chambers decision to provide staffers with in-house attorneys to advise them and accompany them to interviews will have a chilling effect on potential witnesses or other accusers who wish to come forward, but fear job-related retaliation if they tell the investigators about the governors sexual harassing behavior and the misconduct of those around him, Katz wrote in the letter released Monday. Witnesses with whom I have spoken fear retaliation if they refuse to cooperate with the Executive Chambers lawyers and feel constrained from sharing information about the governors misconduct and the toxic and sexually hostile work environment in which they have been forced to work with the governors lawyers present."

The attorney for the woman who alleged Cuomo had groped her also criticized the decision by the governor's office to refer the matter to GOER. The woman has not filed a formal complaint and her allegations were revealed when she disclosed the matter to two co-workers earlier this month after Cuomo spoke at a news conference saying he had never touched women "inappropriately."

"It's absurd. Why would you be doing that?" said the attorney for the woman who has accused Cuomo of groping her. "It's not appropriate, and obviously we're concerned with the ramifications and the effect on witnesses and the quest for the truth."

He characterized it as a "shadow investigation."

Previously, the governor's administration has distanced itself from GOER, contending it is a separate office that conducts sexual harassment and other employee investigations without involvement from the Executive Chamber. Last June, the governor's office handled Bennett's allegations without referring the matter to GOER.

The attorneys enlisted by the attorney general to conduct the ongoing investigation of multiple sexual harassment allegations against Cuomo are Joon H. Kim, a former acting U.S. attorney in Manhattan, and Anne L. Clark, who has extensive experience in sexual harassment cases.

The governor's staffers were recently informed that an attorney could be made available to accompany them if they are interviewed by the attorney general's investigators. The Executive Chamber staffers also were instructed that an attorney would be available to meet with them ahead of those interviews, according to a person with knowledge of the matter.

Pool/Getty

Another senior administration official, speaking on condition of anonymity, last week defended that decision, saying: "It was also explicitly said that you can hire your own attorney if you dont want to use" the attorneys retained by the governor's office.

On March 10, in response to questions from the Times Union about the woman's groping allegations, Cuomo issued a statement to the newspaper: "As I said yesterday, I have never done anything like this. The details of this report are gut-wrenching. I am not going to speak to the specifics of this or any other allegation given the ongoing review, but I am confident in the result of the attorney generals report.

blyons@timesunion.com
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As President Biden evolves into the new mouthpiece for trans-affirming abortion-loving progressive Christianity, some Americans are looking to the Catholic Church to weigh-in on his position to help churchgoers discern which version of Christianity should be deemed the correct one. While evangelicalism has a long history of refuting pro-choice policies and shedding light on the incompatiability between same-sex unions and a Biblical worldview, recent happenings such as the January 6th attack on the Capitol and highly publicized scandals among prominent Christian pastors, such as Hillsongs Carl Lentz and apologist Ravi Zacharias, have arguably somewhat diminished (temporarily) evangelicals credibility in the eyes of the masses.

Wherein non-Catholic Christians have often been critical of the Vatican over doctrinal issues, now all eyes are on Rome to see if the papacy will uphold Biblical orthodoxy or cower in fear to cancel culture by giving into the demands of the Christian Left. (For more on Progressive Christianity, see Lucas Miles new book, The Christian Left: How Liberal Thought Has Hijacked the Church) Surprisingly, despite past evidence to the contrary from Pope Francis, this past week the Vatican took a firm stance on Biblical orthodoxy after announcing its impossible for God to bless same-sex unions, because God cannot bless sin.

Their decision was immediately met with criticism from far left activists, like CNNs Don Lemon, who accused the church of needing to reexamine themselves and their teachings, as well as pop icon Elton John who declared the Catholic Churchs position hypocrisy, after revealing that the Vatican allegedly invested millions into Johns biopic Rocketman.

With the Vatican at least offering lipservice to traditional Christian values, other prominent Catholic authorities are actually doing something to maintain the churchs historical stance on sexuality and simultaneously criticize the Biden administrations support of abortion rights. Archbishop Joseph Naumann of Kansas City, Kansas is one such church official who rebuked President Biden by clarifying that while he may be president, he cannot define what it is to be a Catholic and what Catholic moral teaching is.

The question though remains if leaders like Archbishop Naumann, as well as other conservative Catholics clergy, (Remember Fr. Robert Morey who made headlines in 2019 for refusing then former Vice President Biden the Eucharist) carry enough influence to steer the 2,000 year old Catholic Church, which has become infiltrated by progressive Bishops, back to its first century roots.

Ultimately though, they might not have to.

In recent years, outspoken Catholic voices have risen up calling for a return to orthodox teachings and conservative politics. Former Planned Parenthood director turned conversative Catholic pro-life advocate Abby Johnson, as well as author and Catholic Youtube commentator Dr. Taylor Marshall, have each spoken out against progressive ideology within both the church and state. Individuals such as these are joined by everyday conservative Catholic laypeople urging Christians to remain true to Biblical values and a traditional understanding of gender and sexuality. A perfect example of this is TikTokker Aaron Lange, who regularly posts videos promoting pro-life teachings and warning of the dangers of pornography.

As radical democrats work to dismantle the framework of the American way, its likely going to take more than tweets and Tiktoks though to transform Americas religious psyche back to anything that resembles our nations Judeo-Christian foundings. Yet to be seen is if the Vatican can keep their own internal radicals from negatively swaying the church long enough for the remaining traditional clergy to effectively denounce the Catholic facade veiling the Biden administrations anti-God underpinnings.

A WOMAN has lost her High Court bid to overturn a notice terminating her tenancy of 15 years in a Dublin 4 flat.

Aldona Stulpinaite, a childminder, had lived since September 2005 in a flat at 34 Elgin Road, Ballsbridge, under what Mr Justice Anthony Barr described as an oral tenancy from week to week.

She was not given a rent book and payment of rent  which is currently 155 weekly  was in a somewhat unusual manner as she had to put the rent into a box cemented to the wall of the property.

She challenged a December 2019 decision of a tenancy tribunal of the Residential Tenancies Board that a termination notice served on her in March 2019, by solicitors for her landlord Michael Whelan, requiring her to leave in November 2019, was valid.

The stated reason for termination was the landlord intended to sell his interest in the building within three months of termination of the tenancy.

Mr Whelan did not give evidence to the tribunal of his intention to sell the property at the date of service of that notice, but his letting agent gave evidence to establish Mr Whelan had such intention.

A previous termination notice of March 2018, which stated Mr Whelan intended to carry out refurbishment works, was successfully challenged by Ms Stulpinaite before an adjudicator who declared that notice invalid.

In her High Court challenge to the March 2019 notice, Ms Stulpinaite argued that the tribunal ought to have secured the attendance of Mr Whelan before it and she was deprived of the right to cross-examine him.

She argued that there was no evidence before the tribunal which would have allowed it to find Mr Whelan had intent to sell in March 2019.

In his judgment, Mr Justice Barr noted Mr Whelan owns two large properties at Elgin Road  numbers 32 and 34  which housed about 30 tenants in 2018.

As a result of the first termination notice, about 25 tenants had left.

The key issue before the tribunal concerning the March 2019 notice was whether the stated intention of Mr Whelan to sell was in fact bona fide held by him on that date.

Ms Stulpinaite argued it was reasonable to infer the stated intention was not bona fide, while Mr Whelans letting agent gave evidence of being instructed concerning a sale and of steps taken in that regard.

The agent provided supporting documents, including sale advertisements in media property sections and an email advising that both properties had gone sale agreed subject to vacant possession.

There was overwhelming evidence before the tribunal of intention by Mr Whelan to sell within the requisite period, and in the months thereafter, the judge found.

Ms Stulpinaite had not contested that evidence, he added.

He had sympathy with the tenants as it seemed incongruous, where the sole issue before the tribunal was whether the landlord intended to sell, he did not give evidence himself but rather through his letting agent and documents.

The tribunal had said, because it had no issue with the evidence put before it concerning intent to sell, it had not called Mr Whelan to give evidence.

Ms Stulpinaite had not sought a subpoena from the tribunal to ensure his attendance, nor had she asked it to call him as a witness. Had she done this, she could have cross-examined him, the judge said.

He could not find that her right to cross-examine was refused because she had not sought the right.

He was satisfied the tribunal acted within the law and did not breach the requirements of natural and constitutional justice in how it conducted its hearing.

Based on those and other findings, he dismissed the challenge.
Taiwan gives health workers islands 1st AstraZeneca doses View Photo

TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP)  Health care workers received the first shots in Taiwans COVID-19 vaccination drive Monday, beginning a campaign that wont use supplies from China amid uneven distribution of the vaccines globally.

Taiwan has on hand 117,000 doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine, which it is distributing to healthcare workers across 57 hospitals.

Taiwanese premier Su Tseng-chang launched the drive by receiving the first shot at National Taiwan University Hospital in the capital Taipei. After 30 minutes of rest, theres no signs of any discomfort, he said.

The rest period is for monitoring recipients for any adverse reactions.

Last week, more than a dozen nations suspended use of the AstraZeneca vaccine after a few dozen people among the millions whove received the vaccine developed blood clots. The European Unions drug regulatory agency concluded after a review it couldnt rule out a direct link but the benefits of using the vaccine outweigh the possible risks.

Taiwan has signed contracts securing 10 million doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine, 5.05 million doses of the Moderna vaccine, and 4.76 million doses of vaccines through COVAX.

Currently, Taiwan has recorded 1,006 confirmed cases of COVID-19, most of those from visitors coming from abroad. It has been one of the most successful places in the world in the battle against the pandemic, owing to strict public health and border control measures.

The island is planning to administer its full initial supply to 117,000 individuals to ensure the broadest protection. The first dose provides an efficacy rate of 71% and the second dose  meant to be given eight weeks later  boosts its effectiveness to 81%, authorities have said previously.

Taiwan has yet to announce a vaccination campaign for the public.

Countries around the world are scrambling for vaccines, which have been distributed unevenly with rich countries buying up a majority of the doses. China has stepped in to offer hundreds of millions of doses of its own vaccines across the developing world, but Taiwan has refrained from buying them.

Taiwanese law bans import of Chinese vaccines made for human use. The islands health minister had said in February there were no considerations to amending the law and no experts have made a special recommendation for Chinese vaccines.

By HUIZHONG WU

Associated Press
Study taken throughout the pandemic shows those who feel government should be less controlling believe COVID-19 poses less risk, which in turn was associated with the adoption of fewer protective behaviours

Study taken throughout the pandemic shows those who feel government should be less controlling believe COVID-19 poses less risk, which in turn was associated with the adoption of fewer protective behaviours

"A fearful population is not necessarily desirable... people may be underestimating or overestimating the actual risk at different times."

People's politics and values are exerting a bigger influence on how much of a threat they feel from COVID-19 compared to objective indicators such as the number of confirmed cases.

That's the finding of a new University of Cambridge survey which measured how attitudes to the coronavirus have varied over the course of 10 months of the pandemic for more than 6,000 UK residents.

Published today in the peer-reviewed Journal of Risk Research, the results show that throughout 2020, UK inhabitants' perception of the risk from COVID-19 moved up and down as the pandemic waxed and waned.

However, what remained consistent was that beliefs and other psychological factors - rather than numbers of cases - had the greatest effect on the perceived risk, which in turn was associated with people's willingness to adopt protective health behaviours.

People with a lower perception of the risk of the virus included:

more politically right-wing or conservative individuals

those who thought the government should interfere less.

However, people with a higher trust in government and greater confidence in the country's actions to limit its spread, also had a lower risk perception of COVID-19.

People with a higher risk perception of the virus included:

those who place greater importance on doing things for the benefit of others and society

people who have greater confidence in how an individual's actions can limit the spread

citizens who have higher trust in scientists and medical professionals

On average, women were more concerned. Naturally, those who reported to have had an experience with the virus were also more worried about its risks too.

Of these factors, the three most important determinants were the extent to which people thought the government should intervene in society, their feelings of personal ability to stop the spread, and their tendencies to do things for the benefits of others. Trust in science ranked fourth and gender fifth.

Lead researchers, Dr Claudia R. Schneider and Professor Sander van der Linden state the findings should impact upon how the UK public is communicated to about the risk of the coronavirus.

"Although risk communicators may be tempted to try to increase perception of the risk of COVID-19 as a means of ramping up greater protective behaviour in the population, we caution that a fearful population is not necessarily a desirable endpoint. Risk is a feeling and changes over time - public perception may be underestimating or overestimating the actual risk at different times," Dr Schneider, from the Winton Centre for Risk and Evidence Communication, explains.

"Risk communicators can benefit from these insights about the key factors that drive people's psychological reactions to the pandemic in their development of risk communication strategies."

The team at Cambridge surveyed UK occupants about their risk perception of the virus and the health protective measures they adopted, such as wearing face masks or social distancing.

The samples, taken in March, May, July and September 2020, and January 2021, were balanced for age, gender and ethnicity.

The researchers found that although risk perception varied over time, it was consistently and positively correlated with the adoption of health protective behaviours.

Such behaviours increased between March 2020 and January 2021, and the association between risk perception and behaviour was stronger in January 2021 than in March and May 2020.

Professor van der Linden, Director of the Cambridge Social Decision-Making Lab, says: "Our results suggest that people's values, worldviews and sense of personal efficacy, play a larger role for risk perception compared to more 'objective' and cognitive factors, such as personal knowledge and COVID-19 case reports. Importantly, these conclusions remain robust over time for the UK."

Limitations of the research includes not being able to assess whether risk perception drives behaviour or vice versa (or both) due to the correlational nature of the studies, and the team did not repeatedly survey the same individuals.

The authors stress the importance for future research to paint a more complete picture of why some people take up public health advice and others don't to help devise evidence-based communication strategies.

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NEW YORK  Authorities are still investigating claims made by a man charged in a New Jersey slaying who has said he killed a total of 16 people in multiple states, though a law enforcement official confirmed Sunday that he is the primary suspect in the killing of his ex-wife and three others found in a car in New Mexico.

Local law enforcement officials in New Mexico and in New Jersey are working with federal agents on the veracity of claims by Sean Lannon, including that he killed 11 other people, the official said. The official, who had direct knowledge of the probe, could not discuss the investigation publicly and spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity.

Authorities said in court documents that Lannon, 47, made the admission in a phone call to a relative, who told investigators he expressed remorse.

Investigators are searching missing persons records and other police reports to try to identify any potential victims and determine if he was telling the truth during the confession, according to the official. The investigators are still reviewing electronic records, communications, surveillance video and financial documents as part of the investigation and are working to try to track down additional witnesses in the case, the official said.

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Law enforcement officials are also still trying to compile additional information to better understand why he was in St. Louis, where he was arrested March 10.

The case began on March 5, when the bodies of Lannons ex-wife and three other people were found in a vehicle in a parking garage at Albuquerque International Sunport. Its not clear how they were killed. Police say three of them were reported missing in January from Grants. The victims were identified as Jennifer Lannon, 39; Matthew Miller, 21; Jesten Mata, 40; and Randal Apostalon, 60.

Albuquerque police spokesman Gilbert Gallegos Jr. said Sunday that of the four bodies found at the airport, it appeared one was killed in Albuquerque and that is what our detectives are focused on while the other three appeared to have been killed in the Grants area of Cibola County.

Shortly after Mr. Lannon was arrested, our detectives went to St. Louis and interviewed him about the case, he said. Right now, we are still looking for evidence, doing search warrants and talking to a lot of people but nobody has been charged yet.

On March 8, three days after the remains were found in New Mexico, the body of Michael Dabkowski was discovered in his New Jersey home, just south of Philadelphia, after a welfare check. Lannon is accused of breaking in and beating the 66-year-old to death with a hammer, according to an affidavit. Gloucester County prosecutors announced March 10 that Lannon was charged with multiple counts of murder, robbery, burglary, motor vehicle theft and weapons counts.

Prosecutors said during a detention hearing Friday that he said he killed the four whose remains were found in a vehicle and 11 other individuals, NJ.com reported. Lannon has been charged only with the death in New Jersey.

Chris Whitman, Jennifer Lannons brother, said that Sean Lannon told the family in January that Jennifer had run off with some friends, possibly to Arizona, and Whitman told the AP on Saturday that the story didnt sound right because she was a great mom and, just, it would be uncharacteristic of her to not be with her children.

Lannon told investigators that Dabkowski had sexually abused him as a child and that he had gone to the home to retrieve sexually explicit photos. Dabkowski mentored Lannon and his twin brother through a Big Brothers program in the 1980s, NJ.com reported.

Whitman said the family did not know of the alleged abuse. In fact, he said he met Dabkowski at the birthday party of one of the Lannon children a couple of years ago, and all seemed fine.

I knew he was a close, just a close friend to Sean, and that he was a father figure, Whitman said. But outside of that, we knew nothing else.
Prince Andrew was seen enjoying a morning ride at Windsor Castle today amid new claims made in a documentary that the Queen is more 'affectionate' towards him than Prince Charles.

Royal expert Clive Irving, author of the new biography The Last Queen, made the claims that the Queen, 94, is more drawn to Prince Andrew, 61, than his older brother.

During the Channel 4 documentary Queen Elizabeth: Love, Honour and Crown, which aired last night, Irving claimed that the Queen has 'never really understood' her eldest son Charles, 72, - heir to the throne - and is 'puzzled by him.'

He told viewers: 'To this day, she's more openly affectionate to Andrew and more forgiving toward Andrew than she is towards Charles.'

Prince Andrew pictured wearing a face mask as he arrived out for an early morning ride at Windsor today

Discussing the different characters of the siblings, Ingrid Seward, editor-in-chief of Majesty magazine, called Charles 'the polar opposite to younger brother Andrew'

Irving also claimed that Her Majesty is 'constantly frustrated with Prince Charles' who will 'never live up to her sense of duty'.

Ingrid Seward, editor-in-chief of Majesty magazine, also featured in the documentary discussing the different characters of the siblings. She called Charles 'the polar opposite to younger brother Andrew'.

She said: 'He's [Andrew] noisy, bumptious, very charming, when he wants to be. He can be arrogant and rude; he has some characteristics of his own father.'

Seward added that Andrew's active service in the Navy, following Prince Philip, including piloting helicopters on missions during the Falklands War ensured he had returned 'like a war hero, his mother was proud'.

Prince Andrew donned a helmet and padded blue jacket as she headed out in the brisk weather conditions this morning

The Duke of York could be seen heading out horse-riding with two others at Windsor this morning

Prince Andrew pictured out for an early morning ride at Windsor this morning

She said that as first and second in line to the throne at that time, Charles and Andrew represented 'everything the monarchy could be'.

Irving went on to argue that no members of the royal family have 'measured up' to Her Majesty's enduring sense of duty.

He also claims that Prince William is the only royal who fully appreciates the Monarch's 'very dedicated sense of duty', saying: 'All those around the Queen never measure up to that at any point. Her own family has not measured up to that. Charles never measures up to that.'

The documentary claims to be an 'in-depth examination of several dramatic conflicts between Crown and Family during the Queen's long reign' and begins with looking at the Queen and Prince Philip's early romance in the mid Forties.

Clive Irving, filmed during a recent interview about his latest book, The Last Queen, is one of many royal commentators who appeared in the Channel 4 documentary

Irving also said the Queen was more drawn to being 'openly affectionate' with Prince Andrew (Pictured: Prince Charles, Prince Andrew and the Queen at Buckingham Palace in 2019)

This week, a source close to the royal family claimed Prince William does not believe he is 'trapped' inside the system of the British monarchy, something claimed by Prince Harry during his interview with Oprah Winfrey earlier this month.

Instead, the Duke of Cambridge, who is second in line to the throne behind his father, has 'accepted' his role and 'the path set for him', royal sources say.

'He is very much his grandmother's grandson in that respect of duty and service,' the source, who is close to both brothers, told the Sunday Times.
It certainly would be no news for a musician to top the charts in his or her country, especially so if the song - whether single or album - is catchy, compelling, well crafted and causes its audience to react.



But to do so by virtue of highlighting a substance which provides no calories or organic nutrients, even though considered as vital for all known forms of life, viewed as the main constituent of the Earth's hydrosphere and the fluids of all known living organisms; makes it more profound.



And that is exactly what Togolese musician Manu Koraman has done. He is topping the country's music chart and that possibility was achieved after he showcased a Ghanaian product in his music video.



Manu Koraman is currently making turning heads in Togo with his song titled ''X Eau naturelle'' which features Ghana's X natural mineral water.



By reason of the fact that X natural mineral water was shown in the musician's video clip, it's become an instant hit song in Togo. The concept of the entire video, and creativity of the director in capturing certain angle shots, coupled with the dexterity of the dancers in the clip, has earned rave reviews in Ghana's neighbouring country.



X natural mineral water is 100% natural mineral water purified and bottled at source using advanced technology.



The mineral water is a member of the Ghana's International Chamber of Commerce.



It must be noted that this unique mineral water played a significant role in Koraman's music achievements which therefore goes to say that X natural mineral water is simply natural!



Watch video clip below:





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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Getting the Nvidia RTX 3080 is a difficult task due to its high demand from gamers and crypto miners in the market looking to upgrade their PCs. Locating the GPU remains a frustrating pursuit when the stock is basically all sold out that people are having to settle what is available in the market today. Also, sometimes, there is no official word of when the restocks will be available.

With that said, buying Nvidia's graphics cards is nearly impossible. However, to help gamers and crypto miners alike, this article gathers all the retailers offering the Nvidia RTX 3080 for sale. It is highly recommended that customers sign up for any alerts for the chipset's restocking and getting ahead of the competition.

Nvidia RTX 3080 Latest Stock Updates

According to Tom's guide, there are no stocks available for Nvidia RTX 3080 as of March 19. the publication noted that raw material shortage and the Chinese New Year are to be blamed for the chipset's stock shortage.

However, interested buyers would want to head on to online retailers and sign up for an alert notification when the GPU will be available or go on to Twitter for any news about the Nvidia RTX 3080 restock. Chances are customers will get lucky and score a chipset offer they cannot refuse.

Also Read: Nvidia RTX 3080 Replacement: Intel Xe HPG Release Date, Specs and Features

Where to Buy Nvidia RTX 3080 Restock Online?

Here are top retailer sites selling the Nvidia RTX 3080. However, it is worth notinng that the chipset is still sold out and the Nvidia RTX 3080 restocks are still unofficial. However, customers can sign up for a notification when the chipset is available for purchasing.

Nvidia RTX 3080 Tracker

Besides that, interested buyers may also want to follow UK RTX3080 Stock Check on Twitter for the latest restock updates for the Nvidia RTX 3080. The Twitter account said that there will be a major restock of the chipset on the Currys retailer soon.

The Nvidia RTX 3080 is one of the most amazing high-performance chipsets, with its 1440 MHz frequency that can be boosted up to 1710 MHz and 68 raytracing acceleration cores. The chipset also features a standard memory configuration of 10GB GDDR6X, 320-Bit of memory interface width, has a 2.1 HDMI port and DisplayPort 1.4a, and 8704 CUDA Cores.

Related Article: Nvidia GeForce RTX 3080 Restock Update: Amazon, Best Buy and Other Online Stores to Follow to Purchase GPU
A whopping 88% of dog owners say that their furry friends have helped them emotionally or mentally during the Covid-19 pandemic, new data has found.

Research from The Kennel Club indicates that thousands of pet owners have found their canine companions to be a huge comfort over lockdown.

More people than ever have enjoyed the company of a pandemic pup with a 400% increase in Google searches for the term "buying a puppy" over the last year.

Three-quarters of dog owners agreed that they spent more time with their four-legged friends during the pandemic and shared that their pups kept them active, provided them with a routine, and alleviated anxiety.

Bill Lambert, spokesperson for The Kennel Club, said: Dogs continue to be an important source of emotional support for their owners during the pandemic, reducing loneliness during lockdown and helping us cope mentally during the crisis.

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Dogs Trust Irelands Corina Fitzsimons says that dogs have been the heroes of lockdown and a source of joy and comfort for many people.

However, while we are spending more quality time with our furry friends during lockdown, this may cause separation anxiety for them down the line when people return to work.

Corina said that she fears that dogs will be pushed to the sidelines when normality resumes.

She told sundayworld.com: What we fear is that dogs are going to be pushed to the sidelines when people return to their normal lives. We are really quite concerned about the volumes of unwanted dogs by the end of this year.

Its really really worrying because dogs can get separation anxiety and if their human suddenly disappears, they think their world is ending. They dont know youve gone to the shops for five minutes.

Corina added that the best way to prepare pups for being left at home when people return to work is to ease them into it by leaving them for shorter periods at a time.

What we say to people is over the course of the next few months is to leave for five minutes then ten minutes so that your dog knows that youre coming back.

Lots of puppies havent been left alone over the pandemic and can then develop separation anxiety from this. You can start it really gradually by being in a different room while theyre downstairs with something to chew on, she continued.

If at all possible, you should exercise your dog before you go to work.

"Generally, when they exercise they get relaxed and gets rid of all that pent-up energy so theyre not waiting for you to come back.
New Delhi, March 22 : Navneet Rana, a Parliamentarian from Amravati in Maharashtra, has accused Shiv Sena MP Arvind Sawant of threatening her.

Rana said that since she raised questions about the Sachin Vaze case in the Lok Sabha on Monday, Sena MP Sawant threatened to put her in jail.

Complaining about this to Lok Sabha speaker Om Birla, the woman MP has sought strict action.

In her complaint to Birla, Rana said: "I raised some questions on the Mansukh Hiran murder and Sachin Vaze case in the Lok Sabha. I raised these questions about the deteriorating law and order situation in Maharashtra as a woman MP. Reacting to this, the Shiv Sena MP threatened me in the Lok Sabha lobby and said: 'Let me see how you move around in Maharashtra, we will put you in jail, too,'" accused Rana.

She said she has received life threats and threats of acid attacks even before this.

Rana further said: "The way Arvind Sawant threatened me is an insult not just for me, but for every woman in the country. Strict action must be taken against him," she said in a letter that she has also sent to Home Minister Amit Shah and Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
One might have thought that after 17 major announcements since lockdown, Rishi Sunak has said everything there is to say about the economy.

Not a bit of it. Today sees the launch of Tax Policy & Consultations Day, or TPAC as the accountants call it.

The idea is to bring together in one co-ordinated package up to 30 current tax reform plans cooked up in Whitehall.

Chancellor Rishi Sunaks decision to raise corporation tax from 19 per cent to 25 per cent in 2023 shows how even the best navigation can end up in a swamp

Tax day will offer a road map to future revenue reforms rather than have them drift out willy-nilly with the budget.

The tax muddle loomed ever larger in the pandemic. That most hated of High Street levies, business rates, has been suspended.

VAT has temporarily been reduced for hard-hit hospitality industries and most self-employed have been able to convert past self-assessment returns into rights for furlough style payments.

Logically, one might expect the self-employed to be part of the package. The Uber court ruling blurs the lines between the gig economy and being employed.

Under IR35, agency and contract workers would be regarded as employees and required to pay higher national insurance contributions.

All of this may end up equalising terms and conditions for the employed and self-employed, but it could also endanger entrepreneurship.

A record number of 84,758 businesses were founded on kitchen tables and garages in the pandemic. Extending the income tax and national insurance system in a way which penalises enterprise and flexibility would be a mistake.

After Boris Johnsons ten-point plan for climate change, and with the Cop26 summit in November, Sunak will want to be on the front foot on the environment.

The International Monetary Fund has suggested that a charge of $35-a-tonne on CO2 might be enough for some countries to meet the Paris objectives, but to be really effective a higher price of $100 or more might be necessary.

Knowing the capacity of energy taxes to bring riots on the streets, from Paris to Chile, this is tricky territory. One possibility talked about for the UK is a super-super investment break for green projects.

The Chancellors decision to raise corporation tax from 19 per cent to 25 per cent in 2023 shows how even the best navigation can end up in a swamp.

George Osbornes cut in corporation tax to 19 per cent was partly paid for by taking away deductions such as the ability to carry forward all losses. The result is that is a double business tax whammy and will make the UK less competitive.

Tax geeks can expect a field day with everything from wealth taxes, to pensions and to online charges likely to get a mention. But be warned: consistent tax planning is not the UKs strong suit.

Home making

My trainer and her partner spent much of lockdown fitting a new kitchen and are now getting around to painting.

As the full-year results from B&Q and Castorama owner Kingfisher show, they were by no means alone. Pre-tax profits jumped by 634 per cent to 756million, although the scale of the leap exaggerates because last year was blighted by exceptional items.

Covid lockdown and homeworking ramped up digital and has turned a group which struggled in recent times into a roaring success, with 18 to 34-year-olds among those enthused.

Screwfixs online enterprise and trade counters, until Covid, were regarded as Kingfishers rawlplug in the hole. But there is a different look to the latest results with same store sales at B&Q in Britain and Ireland climbing by 13 per cent, twice the rate at Screwfix.

Big sales jumps were recorded everywhere from France to Poland, with Spain the only laggard.

The big question for chief executive Thierry Garnier is can he build on the gains? He seems confident that new trends in digital, working from home, click and collect have turned the tide.

Its quite a journey back for shares, which dipped to 152p exactly a year ago, and now stand at 324p.

Book worm

The Random House takeover of Penguin proved painful enough for authors and editors, crushed in the rush for scale.

So going a step further by adding Barack Obamas publishers Simon & Schuster to the group through a 1.45million takeover would be horrendous for all stakeholders.

The theory that books and reading would be crushed by Kindle and Amazon, one and the same, has been walloped by the pandemic. The Competition & Markets Authority should show no mercy and block this unwanted deal.
Traffic Police on Monday said that certain routes have been diverted from Lal Jain Mandir to Fatehpuri Mosque for carrying out the redevelopment of Chandni Chowk in the capital.

In a notice, Traffic Police informed, "Public Works Department (PWD) carrying out development work of scramble X-ing at Red Fort (From Digambar Lal Jain Mandir to Old Lajpat Rai Market) under SRDC Project of Redevelopment of Chandni Chowk from Lal Jain Mandir to Fatehpuri Mosque, Half carriageway width, in direction from Darya Ganj to Kashmere Gate, would be closed for all vehicular traffic for approximately 30 days upto April 20, 2021 in first phase."

The following routes will be operational for motorists/public as alternative roads in this area:

From Darya Ganj to Old Delhi Railway Station/Kashmere Gate, when the carriageway of N.S Marg from Darya Ganj to Kashmere Gate is to be closed, then all buses will be diverted from Delhi Gate to Rajghat to Ring Road to Shantivan to Hanuman Setu to ISBT to Tis Hazari to Morigate to Pull Dufferin to ODRS. The remaining vehicles will be diverted from Subhash Park T-Point to Nishad Raj Marg to Ring Road Shantivan to Hanuman Setu to their respective destination.

From Jama Masjid side: The traffic coming from Jama Masjid side and intending to go ODRS/Kashmere Gate side etc. will either take service road from parade ground parking towards Kabootar Market then N.S Marg to Nishad Raj Marg and proceed accordingly or may go from Jama Masjid to Brijmohan Chowk Daryaganj to Subhash Park T. Point to Nishad Raj Marg and proceed accordingly.

"Adequate traffic signages at appropriate locations have been placed for the guidance of the motorist and adequate traffic staff has been deployed to ensure a smooth and uninterrupted flow of traffic. Motorists are advised to follow the diversions and obey the instructions of the traffic police," read the notice.

(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.)
 Flash

Chinese President Xi Jinping on Monday exchanged congratulations with Emir of Kuwait Sheikh Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah on the 50th anniversary of the establishment of the two countries' diplomatic relations.

In his congratulatory message, Xi said he attaches great importance to the development of China-Kuwait relations, and is willing to work with the Kuwaiti emir to take the 50th anniversary as an opportunity to carry forward the traditional friendship and deepen cooperation in various fields within the framework of the Belt and Road Initiative, so as to bring benefits to the two countries and peoples.

Xi said the traditional friendship between the two countries has withstood the test of time and grown even stronger since the establishment of diplomatic ties 50 years ago.

In recent years, the two countries have formed a strategic partnership, continuously deepened mutual political trust and achieved fruitful results in cooperation in various fields, Xi said, adding that both sides understand and support each other on issues of the other's core interests and major concerns, and have closely coordinated in international and regional affairs.

Since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, Xi said, the two sides have worked together to fight the disease, which demonstrates the high level of China-Kuwait relations.

For his part, the Kuwaiti emir said that Kuwait-China relations are strong and continuing to develop and deepen.

The two sides have cooperated on major projects within the framework of their strategic partnership, maintained communication and coordination on international and regional issues and jointly safeguarded world peace and security, he said.

The two countries have carried out active coordination and close cooperation in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic, he said, adding that he is looking forward to further strengthening the bilateral relations and enhancing their cooperation in various fields.

On the same day, Chinese Premier Li Keqiang also exchanged congratulatory messages with Kuwaiti Prime Minister Sheikh Sabah Khaled Al-Hamad Al-Sabah.

In his message, Li said that since China and Kuwait established diplomatic ties 50 years ago, bilateral relations have developed smoothly with both sides increasingly deepening their mutual political trust and steadily advancing the Belt and Road cooperation.

The two countries have also gained fruitful results in cooperation in such fields as energy, infrastructure, finance and people-to-people exchanges, with mutual understanding and friendship between the two peoples continuing to grow, Li added.

China is ready to work with the Kuwaiti side to push forward their strategic partnership to achieve greater development, Li added.

The Kuwaiti prime minister said in his message that friendly ties between Kuwait and China are sound and close, and bilateral cooperation has achieved fruitful results.

The Kuwaiti side highly values the friendly relations with China, and hopes to continue to work with China to promote their strategic relations in all aspects and meet the expectations of their friendly countries and peoples, he said.
Bone marrow aspirate showing acute myeloid leukemia. Several blasts have Auer rods. Credit: Wikipedia

Myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) is a disease of the stem cells in the bone marrow, which disturbs the maturing and differentiation of blood cells. Annually, some 200 Finns are diagnosed with MDS, which can develop into acute leukemia. Globally, the incidence of MDS is 4 cases per 100,000 person years.

To diagnose MDS, a bone marrow sample is needed to also investigate genetic changes in bone marrow cells. The syndrome is classified into groups to determine the nature of the disorder in more detail.

In the study conducted at the University of Helsinki, microscopic images of MDS patients' bone marrow samples were examined utilizing an image analysis technique based on machine learning. The samples were stained with haematoxylin and eosin (H&E staining), a procedure that is part of the routine diagnostics for the disease. The slides were digitized and analyzed with the help of computational deep learning models.

The study was published in the Blood Cancer Discovery, a journal of the American Association for Cancer Research, and the results can also be explored with an interactive tool: hruh-20.it.helsinki.fi/mds_visualization/ .

By employing machine learning, the digital image dataset could be analyzed to accurately identify the most common genetic mutations affecting the progression of the syndrome, such as acquired mutations and chromosomal aberrations. The higher the number of aberrant cells in the samples, the higher the reliability of the results generated by the prognostic models.

Diagnosis supported by data analysis

One of the greatest challenges of utilizing neural network models is understanding the criteria on which they base their conclusions drawn from data, such as information contained in images. The recently released study succeeded in determining what deep learning models see in tissue samples when they have been taught to look for, for example, genetic mutations related to MDS. The technique provides new information on the effects of complex diseases on bone marrow cells and the surrounding tissues.

"The study confirms that computational analysis helps to identify features that elude the human eye. Moreover, data analysis helps to collect quantitative data on cellular changes and their relevance to the patient's prognosis," says Professor Satu Mustjoki.

Part of the analytics carried out in the study was implemented using the Helsinki University Hospital (HUS) data lake environment, which enables the efficient collection and analysis of extensive clinical datasets.

"We've developed solutions to structure and analyze data stored in the HUS data lake. Image analysis helps us analyze large quantities of biopsies and rapidly produce diverse information on disease progression. The techniques developed in the project are suited to other projects as well, and they are perfect examples of the digitalizing medical science," says doctoral student Oscar Bruck.

"[This] study provides new insights into the pathobiology of MDS and paves the way for increased use of artificial intelligence for the assessment and diagnosis of hematological malignancies," says Ph.D. Olivier Elemento from the Caryl and Israel Englander Institute for Precision Medicine in his commentary to the article in Blood Cancer Discovery, a journal of the American Association for Cancer Research.

Explore further Researchers identify two drugs that delay bone marrow cancer development

More information: Oscar Bruck et al, Machine Learning of Bone Marrow Histopathology Identifies Genetic and Clinical Determinants in MDS Patients, Blood Cancer Discovery (2021). Oscar Bruck et al, Machine Learning of Bone Marrow Histopathology Identifies Genetic and Clinical Determinants in MDS Patients,(2021). DOI: 10.1158/2643-3230.BCD-20-0162
BAY CITY  Michigan Sugar Company has concluded its 2020-2021 sugarbeet slicing campaign at its factories in Bay City, Caro, Croswell, and Sebewaing.

This years campaign started in mid-August and wrapped up the week of March 14. Over the course of the campaign, Michigan Sugar sliced 4,277,351 tons of sugarbeets and produced more than 1.17 billion pounds of sugar from beets. Each year, after all the sugarbeets are sliced, the Bay City, Croswell and Sebewaing factories continue to produce sugar from juice and extract stored during the campaign. From juice and extract, Michigan Sugar Company expects to produce an additional 100 million pounds of sugar this year, which will bring the total sugar production to more than 1.27 billion pounds.

Additionally, the company produced more than 160,000 tons of molasses and 122,000 tons of dry pulp products and sold more than 423,000 tons of pressed pulp. All these products are sold as livestock feed.

This years campaign was a huge success, said Mark Flegenheimer, president and CEO at Michigan Sugar Company. Our employees did an amazing job getting our sugarbeets processed and our sugar packaged and shipped, despite some unique challenges, especially in terms of staffing, that were perpetuated by the COVID-19 pandemic. We appreciate and thank our employees for the tremendous effort they put forth over the past seven months.

Flegenheimer said the Bay City and Caro factories finished slicing beets on Saturday, March 13; the Croswell factory finished Sunday, March 14; and Sebewaing finished Tuesday, March 16.

Michigan Sugar Company Executive Vice President Jim Ruhlman praised the cooperatives nearly 900 grower-owners, who planted and harvested about 162,000 acres of sugarbeets this campaign.

We were blessed this year with a beautiful crop of sugarbeets harvested by our grower-owners, who are among the most talented in the industry, Ruhlman said. Mother Nature not only dealt us a good hand during harvest, but she continued smiling on us throughout the campaign with weather very favorable for piling and storing sugarbeets. We had a great year for storage and as a result our factories were slicing quality beets right up to the end of campaign.

And we all know that the higher the quality of the beets, the more sugar we can extract.

Here is a breakdown of sugarbeet slicing production at each factory:

Bay City

Tons sliced: 1,594,881

Sugar produced: 461.36 million lbs.

Molasses produced: 56,623 tons

Dry pulp products: 64,155 tons

Caro

Tons sliced: 688,452

Sugar produced: 193.71 million lbs.

Molasses produced: 30,152 tons

Dry pulp products: 32,462 tons

Croswell

Tons sliced: 906,323

Sugar produced: 232.77 million lbs.

Molasses produced: 34,593 tons

Dry pulp products: 7,354 tons

Sebewaing

Tons sliced: 1,087,695

Sugar produced: 288.45 million lbs.

Molasses produced: 39,488 tons

Dry pulp products: 18,350 tons

Company total

Tons sliced: 4,277,351

Sugar produced: 1.176 billion lbs.

Molasses produced:160,856 tons

Dry pulp products: 122,321 tons

Michigan Sugar Companys Vice President of Operations Jason Lowry highlighted a handful of new records achieved during the campaign at the facilities in Sebewaing and Croswell.

In Sebewaing, a new record was set for daily sugar production with 1.37 million pounds per day, besting the previous record of 1.28 million pounds per day set during the 2012-2013 campaign.

In Croswell, new records were set for tons of sugarbeets sliced (previous record was 855,834 tons in 2015-2016), total sugar produced (previous record was 229.18 million pounds in 2015-2016), and average daily slice. During this years campaign, the factory averaged slicing 4,275 tons per day, which beat the previous record of 4,128 tons per day set during the 2016-2017 campaign.

This shows us that our recent investments at the Croswell factory are beginning to pay off, said Lowry, noting a multi-year, $70 million capital upgrade project that aims to increase slicing capacity at the Croswell factory by 50 percent.

Lowry said the final year of that project is slated to be completed during the upcoming inter-campaign  the time between the end of one sugarbeet slicing campaign and the beginning of another.

We have several significant projects planned this year in Croswell, including the construction of a new gas-fired lime kiln and installation of a new evaporator and a new mud filter press station, Lowry said, noting total investment in the factory this year will exceed $20 million. When all is said and done, we believe the improvements made in Croswell over the past six years will put us on track to eventually slice as many as 6,000 tons of sugarbeets per day.

Michigan Sugar Company also plans to construct a new covered and ventilated sugarbeet storage structure in Croswell during the upcoming inter-campaign. Commonly referred to as a hoop building, the $5 million facility will store up to 70,000 tons of sugarbeets beginning with the 2021 crop. Michigan Sugar Company also has a hoop building in Sebewaing that was constructed about six years ago and has proven valuable in helping preserve high-quality sugarbeets for slicing right up until the end of campaigns.

Elsewhere, Michigan Sugar Company is investing $2.5 million to add a third consumer brown sugar packaging line in Bay City that will increase production by 50%. To make room for that line, the companys industrial brown sugar packaging line is being relocated to the Sebewaing factory, which will begin packaging brown sugar for the first time. In Caro, work will be done to upgrade the sites electrical distribution system.

Michigan Sugar Company also is purchasing three new pilers at a cost of about $5 million. The pilers will be placed in Bay City, Croswell, and Sebewaing to facilitate more efficient unloading of sugarbeet trucks beginning with the 2021 harvest.

Inter-campaign is always a busy time of the year in our factories as we prepare for another sugarbeet slicing campaign, Lowry said.

Just as one season ends, another begins at Michigan Sugar Company, where grower-owners are preparing to return to their fields in the coming weeks to plant this years crop. The first seeds already were planted on March 15 in Ontario, Canada. where the company grows about 10,000 of its acres. This year, the company expects to plant about 160,000 acres.

About Michigan Sugar

Michigan Sugar Company was founded in 1906 when six smaller sugar companies merged their operations. In 2002, Michigan Sugar Company became a grower-owned cooperative and in 2004, it merged with Monitor Sugar Company to form the company that exists today.

Michigan Sugar Company is headquartered in Bay City and has sugarbeet processing facilities in Bay City, Caro, Croswell and Sebewaing, Michigan. The companys nearly 900 grower-owners plant and harvest about 160,000 acres of sugarbeets each year in 20 Michigan counties, as well as Ontario, Canada. Those beets are sliced at the factories and the sugar produced is sold to industrial, commercial, and retail customers under the Pioneer and Big Chief brands.

Michigan Sugar Company has 930 year-round employees and an additional 1,100 seasonal workers. It is the No. 1 employer in Huron County, the No. 2 employer in Bay and Sanilac counties and the No. 3 employer in Tuscola County. The companys annual payroll is more than $65 million and its annual local economic impact is about $500 million.

Michigan Sugar Company is the third largest of nine sugarbeet processing companies in the United States and Michigan is one of 11 states where sugarbeets are grown in the country.
Source: Xinhua| 2021-03-22 14:33:31|Editor: huaxia

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Chinese Vice Premier Han Zheng, also a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, addresses the opening ceremony of the China Development Forum 2021 in Beijing, capital of China, March 21, 2021. (Xinhua/Xie Huanchi)

BEIJING, March 22 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Vice Premier Han Zheng on Sunday called for efforts to ensure a good start for the country to achieve socialist modernization.

Han, also a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, made the remarks while addressing the opening ceremony of the China Development Forum 2021.

To achieve modernization, China must unswervingly follow the path of high-quality development that is green, low-carbon and gives priority to ecology, Han said.

The country will take effective measures to accomplish its goal of peaking carbon emissions by 2030 and achieving carbon neutrality by 2060, Han said.

China will continue to open its door wider, strengthen macro-policy coordination with other countries, maintain the smooth and stable global industrial and supply chains, and move the world economy out of the shadow of crisis at the earliest, Han said.

He also stressed efforts to push forward the joint building of the Belt and Road with high quality, increase imports of quality products and services, further shorten the negative list for foreign investment, and foster a business environment that is based on market principles, governed by law and adheres to international standards.

China will continue to participate in international anti-pandemic cooperation and advance international scientific and technological cooperation with a more open-minded approach and additional measures, Han added. Enditem
When Ellen DeGeneres returned from a summer hiatus to open the 18th season of her daytime talk show in September, she came armed with an apology. I learned that things happen here that never should have happened, she said. I take that very seriously. And I want to say I am so sorry to the people who were affected. Those remarks came in the wake of reports of workplace misconduct at The Ellen DeGeneres Show.

Viewers tuned in for the apology: This years season opener had the highest ratings for an Ellen premiere in four years. And then they tuned out. Ellen has lost more than 1 million viewers since September, according to the research firm Nielsen, averaging 1.5 million viewers over the last six months, down from 2.6 million in the same period last year.

The decline has come at a time when workplace behavior, in Hollywood and elsewhere, has come under intense scrutiny against a backdrop of protest and social change. It is a startling setback for one of daytime televisions most successful franchises and for DeGeneres, who was at the forefront of an earlier cultural shift when, as the star of a prime-time network sitcom in the 1990s, she announced that she is gay.

The shows loss of more than 1 million viewers translates to a 43% decline, representing a steeper drop than any of its competitors. This TV season, Ellen, the winner of dozens of Emmys since its start in 2003, is no longer in the same league as traditional rivals like Dr. Phil (3.1 million) and Live: With Kelly and Ryan (2.7 million). Now it finds itself uncomfortably close to shows hosted by Maury Povich (1.4 million), Kelly Clarkson (1.3 million), Rachael Ray (1.2 million), Tamron Hall (1.1 million) and Jerry Springers former security guard Steve Wilkos (1.1 million).

The loss of viewers includes a 38% decline in her core audience, adult women under 54, according to Nielsen. And it appears to have put a dent in the shows ad revenue. From September to January of the 2019-20 season, Ellen brought in $131 million from advertisers, according to the research firm Kantar. That has fallen to $105 million for the same period in 2020-21, a drop of about 20%.

DeGeneres, 63, has publicly mused on the possibility of leaving her daytime show in recent years, and the spotlight on her workplace troubles has added to the questions about her future. Her talk-show contract runs through next year. Warner Bros., the division of AT&Ts WarnerMedia that produces Ellen, confirmed that the show would return for a 19th season in September, after her usual summer hiatus. A spokeswoman for DeGeneres declined to comment when asked if the 2021-2022 television season would be her last.

The Ellen DeGeneres Show remains one of the top 3 highest rated syndicated talk shows this season, David McGuire, an executive vice president of programming at Telepictures, a Warner Bros. subsidiary, said in a statement. He suggested other reasons for the decline, like changing viewing habits during the pandemic.

While broadcast is down across the board and COVID has been challenging for production, we are looking forward to bringing back our live audiences and a 19th season filled with all of the hilarious and heartwarming moments that have made Ellen one of the longest running and most successful talk shows in history, he added.

Whether or not the next season of Ellen is its last, WarnerMedia and DeGeneres are in it for the long haul. In 2019, the company made a deal with her to produce four programs for its HBO Max streaming platform, including a home-design challenge series; a dating show; an animated show, Little Ellen; and a documentary series on inventors made in conjunction with the Albert Einstein estate. (In an another deal, she recently signed a multiyear pact with Discovery to produce natural history documentaries and series.)

Public perception of DeGeneres started to change in July, when BuzzFeed reported that several of the shows former and current staff members said they had confronted racism, fear and intimidation on the set. Several staff members also said producers had sexually harassed them. Warner Bros. investigated the workplace and found deficiencies. Three high level producers were fired, including Ed Glavin, an executive producer; Jonathan Norman, a co-executive producer; and Kevin Leman, the head writer. DeGeneres apologized to her staff before addressing her viewers in September.

Some observers believe the accusations may have weakened DeGeneres relationship with her audience. The host built her show as an oasis from the outside world, a place of goofy dancing, light jokes, cash giveaways to surprised audience members and high-wattage celebrity guests. Several years ago, she adopted be kind as her motto, in response to the suicide of Tyler Clementi, a gay college student who took his own life after being bullied.

Her brand is not just being fairly nice  it is Be Kind, said Stephen Galloway, the dean of Chapman Universitys Dodge College of film and media arts. Shes chosen two words to stamp herself. You cannot have hypocrisy better defined than when youve chosen those two words to define yourself and everyone is seeing the opposite is true inside your show.

The reason the incident with the producers was such a difficult and perilous moment is its the first time where something surfaced to indicate that a family  Ellens own professional family  was dysfunctional, he continued.

DeGeneres referred to her motto in her on-air apology. Being known as the Be Kind Lady is a tricky position to be in, she said. So let me give you some advice. If anyone is thinking of changing their title or giving yourself a nickname, do not go with the Be Kind Lady. She added that she was indeed the cheerful person she appeared to be on television, but was also someone who experienced moments of sadness, anxiety and impatience.

In addition to her daytime show, DeGeneres is also a prime-time star for NBC  and her show for that network, Ellens Game of Games, also a Warner production, has lost 32% of its viewers this season, as well as 35% in the adult demographic important to advertisers.

Even with the complications affecting all talk shows during the pandemic, Ellen, with its loss of 43% of its audience, has suffered a steeper decline than its rivals. Dr. Phil is down 22%, and The Kelly Clarkson show has lost 26% of its viewers. Kelly Ripa and Ryan Seacrests show has just lost 3%, and Tamron Hall is down 9%.

DeGeneres beat the odds to make her show a success. There is a television graveyard filled with the comics, actors, anchors and reality stars who have taken a crack at syndicated talk shows only to be yanked off the air because of low ratings. And when Ellen premiered, she also had to overcome the hesitancy of affiliate managers who thought an openly gay person could not connect with the women viewers who make up most of the daytime audience. Her quick wit and approachable manner earned her millions of fans and ultimately a plum late afternoon slot in most markets. As recently as a few years ago, the show was drawing roughly 3 million viewers an episode.

As DeGeneres fights through a loss in popularity, she has turned to celebrity friends to help her make the case that there is not much difference between the on-camera Ellen and the real Ellen. When Michelle Obama was a virtual guest last week, she spoke warmly about the time she went to DeGeneres house and they played a piano duet together. A video clip of the pair at the piano was shown.

Another recent guest, Jennifer Garner, also appearing remotely, raced to her hotel room balcony at the hosts request to tell passersby how much she adored DeGeneres. I love her! Garner shouted. Shes kind! Shes a humanitarian! She loves animals!

This article originally appeared in The New York Times.
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A federal Liberal staffer sacked over a video of himself performing a lewd act on the desk of a female MP in Parliament House also took another video of himself performing a sex act on someone else in what he said was his boss office.

In a video seen by The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age, the man performs a sex act on another man in an office. The green carpet visible behind him in the video matches the carpet from the floor of the House of Representatives wing of Parliament.

The man in the video later claimed it was filmed in his boss office.

Signs in the crowd at the March 4 Justice at Parliament House in Canberra on March 15. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen

Ten News on Monday night reported a group of Coalition government staffers exchanged pictures and videos among themselves of sex acts performed in Parliament House.
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Before cities start planning for the Hyperloop , eying landing sites for air taxis or even plotting out autonomous shuttle routes , urbanists say, "fix the sidewalks."

This back-to-basics message was the way this years Urbanism Next conference opened last week, with David Zipper, a visiting fellow at the Harvard Kennedy School's Taubman Center for State and Local Government, and expert in urbanism and transportation, framing the conversation around mundane mobility.Speaking against the backdrop of buzz phrases like mobility as a service (MaaS) and other tech-centered mobility concepts, Zipper stressed the need by cities to think seriously about high-level goals like climate change, equity or reducing traffic congestion, and then how to best achieve these.

I dont think its an either-or, Zipper remarked in his comments. I dont think that a city needs to decide, 'Am I going to really focus on the new technologies, or am I going to focus on getting the basics right?' Because Ill argue, getting the basics right is a necessary precondition for actually having the technologies work, in the sense of having people use them consistently.

Well-maintained sidewalks that connect to other transportation systems, he argued, could rise to high priority for any number of reasons  like improving safety for pedestrians or reducing car trips.

How are you going to take the bus, or reach that shared mobility service if you dont have a safe place to walk, said Zipper. But a better sidewalk can achieve a bunch of those goals.

And what about bike lanes? A protected bike lane is often not very expensive to produce. Its just putting some paint down with some dividers, said Zipper, pointing out protected lanes have shown to consistently reduce collisions between bikes and cars by more than 50 percent.

The moonshot mobility tech solutions that we think about  especially the shared ones  they really rely on cities first getting the basics right, said Zipper.

A re-examination of city priorities, and how to best realize them, comes at one of the most consequential times in the history of cities, say conference organizers, pointing to the events of the last year. In only a few months, COVID-19 has reshaped the world of work, with 23 percent of the U.S. workforce now doing their jobs from home. This shift has affected the realms of transportation, real estate, equity and other factors, said Nico Larco, Urbanism Next director and University of Oregon architecture professor.

As work from home continues, the ability to get to walkable, pedestrian-friendly, amenity-rich neighborhood centers is growing even stronger, said Larco. Thats a shift weve been seeing for a number of decades, and my sense is that will continue to happen throughout this time.

The decline of brick-and-mortar retail, the rise of e-commerce, the concerns around climate change or rising inequity are not new trends this year, said Larco, but there is a sense that these concerns have been sped up, and cities need to respond to this urgency as well.

We were seeing a lot of these disruptions before the pandemic  If anything, the pandemic has simply shown us that that is accelerating, said Larco.

It would be wrong to conclude Zipper was advocating for a retreat from technology in the face of such rapid change. But instead, cities should more enthusiastically embrace the use of pilot projects as a way to test ideas against their ability to truly achieve some of those high-level goals, and rethink the project when it doesnt.

This gets back to going small before you go big, said Zipper, who cautioned against the idea of a pilot being simply a phased-in implementation. Its not a screwup if you run a pilot and you learn, 'OK, theres actually bad stuff that comes from this deployment.'"

You can either correct it or say that technology doesnt have a role here, he added.
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Moro Hub (Data Hub Integrated Solutions LLC), a subsidiary of Digital Dewa, the digital arm of Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (Dewa), has deployed Google Clouds Anthos, from its first solar-powered Green Data Centre in the region.

Google Anthos is a hybrid and multi-cloud platform designed to enable cloud migration, application modernisation, multi-cloud, and hybrid cloud management.

Moro Hubs adoption of Anthos will make it available locally in Moro Hubs Data Centre. Anthos provides a fast and simple way to move to a container-based platform managed and orchestrated by Kubernetes.

Anthos will enable Moro Hub to build and deploy apps fast and scale effectively without compromising security or increasing complexity.

Commenting on this collaboration, Eng. Marwan Bin Haidar, Vice Chairman of Moro Hub, said: Our engagement with Google Cloud to deploy the phenomenal benefits of Anthos marks a milestone for Moro Hub. Anthos is well-aligned with our vision to be the digital transformation hub of choice for our customers and partners. Anthos gives us an innovative multi-cloud and hybrid cloud app modernization platform to build and deliver new services for our customers.

As a Dubai 10X enabler, Moro Hubs mission from its inception has been to support the UAEs digital goals and stay ahead of the competition. Moro Hub is playing a significant role in enabling regional customers to achieve their digital transformation objectives. The digital data hub has strengthened its offerings through several ISO certifications and accreditations such as the recent security certification from Dubai Electronic Security Center (DESC), continuously reinforcing its commitment to deliver secure digital solutions and services to regional customers.

As a strong player in the market with unique digital capabilities and local facilities such as its Smart Cities Command and Control Centre with 24/7 support, Moro Hub is an ideal partner of choice for business in the region. Moro Hub aims to continue to empower customers digital journey and business continuity plans with ground-breaking technologies and services.

We are pleased to see Moro Hub deploy Anthos as their hybrid and multi-cloud platform of choice, said Tarek Khalil, country manager for Google Cloud Middle East and North Africa. Anthos offers Moro Hub flexibility to upscale its business and experience this journey of modernization and digital transformation.

Certified since 2019 to run Anthos for multi and hybrid cloud, Atos is providing its Anthos certified servers to enable a smooth deployment of the Google Cloud solution. The Atos servers are the most scalable and open platform on the market that combines exceptional performance with unparalleled agility and generates energy efficiencies at every level.

We are delighted to leverage our global partnership with Google Cloud and our large capabilities on Anthos to support the digital transformation in the region from the first solar-powered Green Data Centre of Moro Hub and advance our shared vision of a decarbonised cloud, said Nourdine Bihmane, Head of Atos Growing Markets and Decarbonisation Business Line.-- Tradearabia News Service
The photo shows the interior of a Samsung Electronics chip plant in Hwaseong, Gyeonggi Province. / Courtesy of Samsung Electronics



By Kim Bo-eun



Japan's export curbs imposed in 2019 on key materials for semiconductor production in Korea seem to be backfiring, as local chipmakers have largely replaced Japanese suppliers with local firms.



Leading media in Japan are sounding alarm bells over the situation, under which the export restrictions that were intended to pressure Korea's top industry have ended up benefiting Korean suppliers. The Nikkei published an article recently about Korean players in the chip industry cutting their reliance on the Japanese material makers that they had depended on earlier based on the lack of homegrown technology.



Japan removed South Korea from its list of preferred trading partners for components crucial to Korea's manufacturing industries asking Cheong Wa Dae to reverse the Korean Supreme Court's ruling that ordered Japanese companies to compensate surviving South Korean victims of wartime forced labor. President Moon Jae-in didn't accept Japan's requests, with the government announcing various financial assistance plans to back up homegrown component makers in order to cut Korea's reliance on Japan for industrial materials.



Recent data from the Korea International Trade Association (KITA) shows imports of hydrogen fluoride, one of the three key materials for which the restriction was imposed, came to $9.38 million in 2020, plunging 74.2 percent from a year earlier.



Samsung Electronics, which used to source silicon wafers mostly from Japan's Sumco, now gets them from local company SK Siltron. Sumco is among the top players in the market. SK Siltron is Korea's only producer of silicon wafers and is the world's fifth-largest wafer manufacturer.



Samsung Electronics has also switched to Soulbrain for much of its sourcing of hydrogen fluoride, which is used as an etching gas in making chips. Up until 2019, the semiconductor powerhouse had been supplied by Dongwoo Fine-chem, which is a wholly owned subsidiary of Japan's Sumitomo.



Specifically, Japan's exports of three key chemicals for the production of semiconductors  hydrogen fluoride, fluorinate polyimide and photoresists  were restricted, in what was seen as a move to deal a blow to Korea's semiconductor industry that drives the local export market.



The three chemicals were produced mostly by Japanese firms up until then. But backed by government support including R&D subsidies at a time when Seoul-Tokyo relations were sagging, local companies rushed to develop their own technologies. This push resulted in Korean firms making a great leap in competitiveness.



"We are sourcing their supplies as their technologies and quality have been proven," an official of a major chipmaker said of the local producers.



At the same time he noted, "We wouldn't source from Korean suppliers just because they are Korean. If there are competitive local vendors in certain materials we would choose to source from them, but if not, we would seek overseas-based suppliers."



An official of another semiconductor manufacturer said, "We have replaced many Japanese vendors will local ones and we do not see a great difference in quality. The competitiveness of Korean materials makers have been enhanced to a considerable extent."



He also noted, "This is not a matter of the nationality of vendors, though. Japan's export restrictions exposed the risks of reliance on a sole vendor. We now source more from local suppliers, but also from others around the world. Pursuing a multi-vendor system is key for companies like us."


In the waning days of Donald Trump's presidency, U.S. Sen. Tim Scott secured a pardon for a pastor he applauded for becoming a model citizen after being convicted in a cocaine bust in the 1990s.

Less widely known: the man is Scott's cousin.

Securing a presidential pardon is a rare feat. Some 143 pardons were issued by the Trump administration. Yet through leveraging his close relationship with Trump, Scott secured one of at least six forgiveness actions issued to people with South Carolina ties before Trump left the White House on Jan. 20.

The pastor, Otis Gordon, has focused on helping young men avoid the same traps he once fell in", Scott said.

The Trump administration agreed, issuing a pardon to Gordon on Dec. 22.

While the White House internally knew about their biological connection, Scott's office said, the Republican senator did not publicly acknowledge or announce Gordon was his blood kin or that he had been a longtime paid staffer with Scott's political campaigns.

On March 22, Scott's spokesman said the senator would not be available for comment and declined to answer questions from The Post and Courier.

The genesis for the pardon dates to at least Dec. 3, based on an email from Scott to the White House that Scott's office shared with the newspaper.

The note shows Scott emailing Trump chief of staff Mark Meadows. It read:

"Hello Mark!

"I would like to ask the President to pardon Otis Gordon. Otis was convicted in 1991 of conspiracy to distribute drugs. His first conviction. He served a total of 6 years and has been a model citizen since. He was released in 1997 and is now a pastor focused on helping young men avoid the same traps he once fell in. I personally believe that he is an excellent candidate for a pardon. Happy to provide d/o/b and social security if you need it.

Tim Scott"

The federal Office of the Pardon Attorney pulled Gordons criminal records Dec. 16. Six days later, Trump issued the pardon.

It is common for most pardons to come in the final days of an exiting administration. Most previous White House occupants have done so in decisions that benefitted supporters, donors, politically like-minded individuals, people they felt were wrongly prosecuted, those who turned their lives around and even long-deceased historical figures.

But the deference bestowed to the president has drawn scrutiny from those who say the system is set up to promote the well-connected over others who may be less known but still arguably deserving of forgiveness.

Craig Holman, a government affairs lobbyist with Public Citizen, a nonprofit watchdog advocacy organization, said the act of seeking a pardon for a family member, while not illegal, should widely be condemned.

That's highly unethical, Holman said. Thats just like a person from Congress pushing for some financial gain for a family member. Its not necessarily illegal or violates a congressional rule, but it is self-dealing.

Others see it differently. Margaret Love, a former federal pardon attorney who served in the government from 1990 to 1997, during the George H.W. Bush and Bill Clinton administrations, said it should not raise eyebrows that a politician tried to support a pardon for someone they are deeply connected to. She mentioned, as an example, when Clinton pardoned his half-brother for previous drug charges.

As long as the president knew (it was Scott's cousin), I dont see anything wrong with this, Love said. Its normal for members of Congress to support pardons for their constituents.

Ken Farnaso, spokesman in Scott's Washington, D.C., office, said Gordon also worked as a part of Scott's security.

"Otis Gordon, a member of the senators campaign team, acts as an advance and security staffer that ensures every event the senator attends in the state  from church functions to political rallies  is safe and secure," Farnaso said in a statement provided to The Post and Courier.

Gordon, 49, is a pastor at Life Changers International Ministries in North Charleston. He has not responded to several inquiries from The Post and Courier since January. He was convicted in 1991 on a nonviolent federal charge of selling, distributing or dispensing a controlled substance  the case involved about 4 kilos of cocaine  and has been out of prison for more than 20 years.

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While the relationship between pastor and senator was not detailed in the pardon message, the family connection has been publicly noted in the past. A 2016 obituary in The Post and Courier for Artis Ware Sr., Scotts grandfather, listed the senator and Gordon as Wares grandchildren. Scotts mother, Frances, and Gordons father, Otis Ware, are siblings.

Additionally, in Scotts 2020 book Opportunity Knocks: How Hard Work, Community, and Business Can Improve Lives and End Poverty, the senator mentions Otis in the acknowledgments and also recalls him while reminiscing about his childhood friends.

A pardon does not erase or expunge a conviction, but it does restore basic civil rights such as the ability to vote in elections and removes federal firearms restrictions imposed because of a sentence.

Issuing pardons is a right granted to the president by the U.S. Constitution to forgive a person for a crime, or to excuse a person convicted of a crime from punishment. Throughout history, the courts have interpreted the law as giving the president virtually unlimited power to issue pardons to individuals or groups no matter their ties to the administration. This leads to extensive lobbying by special-interest groups, political allies and friends in an effort to secure one.

Frank Bowman III, a University of Missouri law professor and former criminal attorney in Washington, said he didn't find it particularly unethical for a political figure such as Scott to seek a pardon for someone he believes to be genuinely deserving. However, Bowman said he does believe favoritism can be seen as a frequent flaw of the system.

"You're going to subject yourself to criticism," Bowman said. "When these things happen, I think it's a kind of regrettable feature of our pardon system and there's a strong argument to be made for it being a lot more regularized."

Gordon was arrested after an undercover officer purchased cocaine from him and his brother in Charleston during the summer of 1990. He delivered the 4 kilograms and took the money after his brother sent the officer across the street to meet him, according to court documents.

The brothers were tried in federal court together and found guilty. Gordon entered prison in 1993.

Mark Osler, a law professor at the University of St. Thomas in Minnesota who runs a clinic representing inmates seeking clemency, said a large number of young Black men were arrested in the 1990s because of a federal crackdown on drug offenses.

Osler said perhaps the biggest issue with Scott's push to pardon his cousin is that it sends a message that the only way to clear your name as a Black man is to have special political connections.

"What is unethical is to not have a principle besides favoritism," Osler said. "And, particularly when you look at race, the remarkable underrepresentation of Black men who got clemency from Trump is really striking. And (Gordon) is one of the few Black men who did receive it that wasn't a celebrity. And then we find out how he was connected to Tim Scott. It took someone on the inside to vouch for him."

Around the same time Gordon entered prison, Scott was at the start of his political career, winning a seat on Charleston County Council and beginning his arc that would lead to the Senate.

Later in his life, Gordon would become part of Scott's campaigns. From 2010 until 2020, Gordon has been paid nearly $285,000 from Scotts Senate and U.S. House campaign committees, according to Federal Election Commission disclosures.

Gordon's role has not only been in security. The White House statement announcing Gordons pardon noted he'd also led a prayer session at the U.S. Capitol following the 2015 slaying of nine parishioners at Emanuel AME Church in Charleston. Scotts office organized the event as part of the senators seventh annual prayer breakfast.

Scott's assistance for his cousin comes as the senator has made various legislative pushes aimed at reforming criminal justice measures while increasing police accountability.

In 2018, Scott introduced an amendment to the First Step Act, which would require states receiving federal law enforcement funding to keep track of a number of data points for each officer-involved shooting.

Following the deaths of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor last year, Scott introduced a 106-page bill dubbed the Just and Unifying Solutions to Invigorate Communities Everywhere (JUSTICE) Act, which would encourage police departments to ban chokeholds by threatening to withhold federal grants and require officers to report use of force and no-knock warrants.

Scott is up for reelection in 2022. He has said it will be his last time running for that office. Trump endorsed him earlier this month.
Eight Hong Kong democracy activists, jailed in China last year after being captured at sea, arrived back in the city and were immediately detained on Monday in a case that has drawn international attention and concern over their treatment.



They were among 12 activists facing charges in Hong Kong over pro-democracy protests, who were intercepted by mainland authorities in August 2020 on a boat allegedly en route to Taiwan.



They were sent home to Hong Kong on Monday after serving a sentence in China for illegally crossing the border, only to be detained on arrival on the previous Hong Kong charges.



Activist and barrister Chow Hang-tung, speaking on behalf of a concern group for the defendants, said she was unhappy with the handover arrangements for them.



"(Authorities) never communicated with the family about the whole arrangement so the family members are forced to come here and wait all day until now," Chow said at a press briefing outside a Hong Kong police station close to the mainland border.



"Just for the very thin hope of seeing their families, waving to them, shouting to them, even till now, they still havent had any chance to meet their sons."



Johnny Patterson, policy director for rights group Hong Kong Watch, said the "appalling ordeal" the group faced "shines a spotlight on the draconian new normal in Hong Kong."



"It's a case of out of the frying pan, into the fire."



Among the eight is Andy Li, arrested under a sweeping national security law Beijing imposed on the Asian financial hub in June 2020 that critics say is aimed at crushing dissent.



In December, a Chinese court sentenced 10 of the 12 to between seven months and three years in jail. Defendants Tang Kai-yin and Quinn Moon, who were sentenced to three and two years, respectively, are still in southern Guangdong province.



Two minors who were among the 12 pleaded guilty to illegally crossing the border and were returned to Hong Kong in December.



During the detention of the 12 in the southern Chinese city of Shenzhen, mainland authorities denied their families and lawyers access, insisting they be represented by officially appointed lawyers, provoking criticism from rights groups.



Pro-democracy activists began fleeing Hong Kong for Taiwan from the early months of the protests in 2019, most legally by air, but some by boat, activists in Taipei have told Reuters.



Hong Kong, a former British colony, returned to Chinese rule in 1997 with the guarantee of freedoms not seen on the mainland, including freedom of speech and assembly. Democracy activists complain that Communist Party rulers in Beijing are whittling away at those freedoms, a charge China rejects.



Since Beijing imposed the national security law on Hong Kong, scores of democracy campaigners have been arrested, some elected legislators have been disqualified and others have fled overseas.
Mar. 22Cheng Rui Emma Zhu, 14, of East Lyme said she wasn't surprised when she heard about the shootings at three Atlanta-area spas that left six women of Asian descent dead last week.

As an Asian American, she says she's experienced "microaggressions" in her own community her entire life, from comments about the shape of her eyes to jokes about the food she brings to school for lunch.

"It's upsetting to say that I wasn't surprised," Zhu said. "It wasn't surprising that people could be so hateful based on race."

The ninth grader at East Lyme High School said she expected racism toward Asian Americans to spike amid the coronavirus pandemic, following rhetoric about the virus's origins in Wuhan, China.

And she was right.

According to police data gathered by the Center for Hate and Extremism at California State University, anti-Asian hate crimes surged 149% in the U.S. in 2020 and 883% in New York City. The reporting database Stop AAPI Hate  AAPI stands for Asian American and Pacific Islanders  was created in 2020 due to the rise of anti-Asian violence during the pandemic and it reported 3,759 incidents of anti-Asian hate crimes nationwide between March 2020 and February 2021.

State leaders and local Asian Americans have been speaking out in the wake of last week's attacks, calling for more conversations about racism and action against hate crimes.

"I want every Asian American in Connecticut to know that we hear you, you are not a virus. And that you should feel safe in your home and we are all Americans," Alan Tan said Friday during a forum on anti-Asian violence. Tan, co-chair of the state legislature's Commission on Women, Children, Seniors, Equity and Opportunity, joined state leaders who offered support to Asian Americans statewide and condemned surges in anti-Asian hate crimes during the pandemic.

Southeastern Connecticut residents speak out

Two Asian Americans from Waterford, Bo Du and Armi Rowe, say that although they haven't experienced racism in their community, they share the pain of fellow Asian Americans across the country who feel afraid, angry and targeted.

Story continues

Du said he thinks racism of all kinds is its own kind of pandemic. "In my opinion, racism and violence are viruses  even worse than the COVID-19 virus  and we need to confront them with the same urgency and commitment," he said.

As a Chinese-American, Du said he was alarmed and concerned about the rise in anti-Asian violence and thinks many throughout AAPI communities are, as well.

"Recent incidents across the country bring a lot of worry to our community," he said. "These recent acts of violence and intolerance stand in direct opposition to our values."

Rowe said she was lying awake Friday night thinking about the targeted attacks against Asian Americans. She said she thinks these attacks are part of a larger, systemic issue.

"It's almost like an autoimmune disorder our country has with racism," she said. "In a sense we're attacking ourselves and that's what needs to be addressed."

Rowe said she has been in the U.S. since the mid-1970s and doesn't remember anti-Asian aggression being as prominent in decades past. She thinks the aggression and violence is part of a larger fabric of racism in America that she thinks is getting worse.

"We're not just another group that's being targeted, this is part of a problem that has been growing in America. The Black community has dealt with this the longest, but it's all a part of the same problem  what is it that's turning Americans against other Americans? What happened that they no longer accept the colorful fabric of our society that we were raised to embrace?"

Rowe said she hopes people responsible for racism can realize that they are attacking people who, just like them, deserve to live, work and thrive in the United States. "Maybe it's reframing and saying, 'Look you're only attacking fellow Americans,'" she said.

"We have just as much right to be here, we've been here, we contribute to the economy. These are innocent people who are just going to work and walking down the street," she added.

Data shows growing number of attacks

The shootings in Atlanta followed reports of violent attacks on Asian Americans across the nation in recent months, including an attack on a New York subway and another on a sidewalk in San Francisco.

Mui Mui Hin-McCormick, vice chair of the Asian Pacific American Coalition of Connecticut, said during Friday's forum that the rise in hate crimes could likely be attributed to rhetoric surrounding the virus that causes COVID-19. Calling the virus "the China virus" or "the Wuhan virus" has had a "direct negative impact" on AAPI communities, she said.

According to Stop AAPI Hate, hate crimes reported in 2020 and 2021 have occurred in all 50 states and the District of Columbia, with reports ranging from Asian Americans being physically assaulted to verbally harassed and coughed on.

According to Stop AAPI Hate, 42.2% of reported hate crimes target people who are Chinese. People of Korean, Vietnamese and Filipino descent also are commonly targeted. Data show that hate crimes are most commonly committed inside businesses or on the street.

The database ranked the top 10 states most likely to experience anti-Asian hate crimes. Connecticut was not among them.

According to the FBI, law enforcement agencies reported that there were 4,784 reports of single-bias hate crimes  targeted at someone solely because of their race, ethnicity or ancestry  in 2019. Of those, 4.3% were the result of anti-Asian bias, the FBI said.

At least 215 people reported being victims of an anti-Asian hate crime, and another 26 people were victims of attacks on Pacific Asian Islanders in 2019, the FBI reported. Of all reported hate crimes motivated by race, religion, gender or sexual orientation that year, 76 incidents were reported in Connecticut.

FBI data on hate crimes in 2020 is not yet available but shortly after taking office, President Joe Biden signed an executive order recognizing that anti-Asian hate crimes had spiked in 2020 and were still on the rise in 2021.

"During the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, inflammatory and xenophobic rhetoric has put Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) persons, families, communities, and businesses at risk," the president wrote in his order, which called for increased support and protection for Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders and action to condemn and combat racism.

Time for silence to end

Rowe, who immigrated from the Philippines, has lived in Waterford for 19 years. She grew up in Queens, N.Y., and attended a school that she called a "melting pot" where "the more unique your name was, the more you fit in."

Rowe, now 52, attended school with actress Lucy Liu, who was interviewed on CNN last week about the attacks in Georgia. Rowe said the actress' statements really struck a chord with her.

"What really resonated with me was the fact that it's in the nature of Asian Americans to not be as vocal about bias or any sort of racist or anti-Asian sentiments," Rowe said. She said it's time for that silence to be over and it's "critical" for people in the Asian American community to speak out about hate crimes and violence.

Zhu, the 14-year-old from East Lyme, connected with that sentiment. For years, she said she has resisted telling anyone about comments that have hurt her  comments that she said made her ashamed to bring Chinese food to school, made her embarrassed to speak Mandarin with her parents in public or even to be called by her first name.

For years, Zhu has chosen to be called by her middle name, "Emma," to avoid students making fun of her name. She recently told some friends she wanted to be called by her first name again, and was mocked.

She said that she had been made fun of for the shape of her eyes about 20 times, a number she said was extremely low compared to friends who'd heard thousands of comments.

Zhu said the Georgia shootings stood out to her the most because Asian women were targeted and as an Asian, she has already, at 14, begun to see herself sexually fetishized by classmates because of her race.

"This hate crime in Atlanta hurt a lot for me," she said. "There have been a lot of hate crimes over the past year, but this specifically really hurt. It's scary."

She said she hopes to speak up more about microaggressions and racist comments that she experiences, to help promote change.

"As Chinese Americans, we've always been kind of the 'model minority' and stayed quiet," Zhu said. "But this year just disproved the idea that if you just stay quiet, this country will be good to you."

The need to work together

Rowe, unlike Zhu, said she hasn't experienced any racism while living in southeastern Connecticut, but thinks it's a problem that is spreading across the country. "This is a growing problem, there's a lack of tolerance and acceptance in society today and it's just disheartening."

She said she's been encouraged by the way the southeastern Connecticut community has responded to other widely reported instances of hate crimes, like the deadly attack on a Pittsburgh synagogue and killings of Black people by police. "I think everybody who is a target of hate needs to come to the table and work together and ask, 'What can we do about this?'"

She hopes people continue to speak up and speak out against hate.

"The more people are exposed within their own community to others who are from different backgrounds, the more there are conversations between those cultures and the more we're rolling up our sleeves and doing the work together, the less likely it is that we will see that hatred," she said.

Du, who immigrated to the U.S. from China in 1999 for graduate school, has lived in Waterford since 2008. He is the principal of the Southeastern Connecticut Chinese School, an educational weekend program that offers Chinese language classes, along with culture, history, art and sports lessons, out of East Lyme High School.

Du said he has always felt welcome and respected in southeastern Connecticut, and hopes that will continue. He said he thinks it's important to acknowledge the anti-Asian racism that is being demonstrated in cities across the country.

"I'm hoping everybody can join us in continuing to treat others with respect, standing up against this targeted hatred and ignorance and having the kind of courageous conversation that can effect real change," he said. "We need to get our voice heard and tell people this is not acceptable."

Gov. Ned Lamont on March 18 announced that flags in Connecticut would be flown at half-staff until sunset Monday in memory of the victims of the Georgia shootings, in accordance with a proclamation from President Biden.

Connecticut's Attorney General William Tong, the first Asian Pacific American to serve in that role, released a statement last week regarding violence against Asian Americans in the wake of the shootings.

"Words matter. Vile and racist hate speech puts Americans and families like mine at risk and it has to stop. The politicians and leaders perpetuating the scapegoating of Asian-Americans must be held accountable. Blood is on their hands today," Tong said.

New London-based social worker Janelle Posey-Green will host a forum on anti-Asian racism and violence on Monday, March 29 at 6 p.m. through her group CT BIPOC Mental Health & Wellness Initiative. Posey-Green will be joined by therapist Moses Farrow, Waterford resident Susan Duong and Norwich social worker Malyna Kettavong.

Duong, 58, said she was motivated to participate in the forum after the attacks in Georgia. She said the racism she's experienced in her life has been subtle, but throughout the pandemic she'd seen an increase in the number of people who stare at her, give her dirty looks or cross to the other side of a hiking path to distance themselves from her. She said she has to be careful not to cough or sneeze in public and feels as though she is always on high alert. That feeling has only gotten worse since the shootings.

"It really struck a nerve, I think everything that I've been trying to suppress for all these years kind of bubbled to the surface," she said. She hopes the forum will open the door for dialogue in the community.

"We'd just like to get the word out there that we're not bad, we don't carry the virus, it's not our fault. We just want to live in peace like everyone else," she said.

Authorities last week identified the eight victims of the Georgia shootings as Delaina Ashley Yaun Gonzalez, 33; Paul Andre Michels, 54; Xiaojie Tan, 49; Daoyou Feng, 44; Hyun Jung Grant, 51; Soon Chung Park, 74; Suncha Kim, 69; and Yong Ae Yue, 63.

A 21-year-old white man named Robert Aaron Long was charged with eight counts of murder in the shootings. Authorities' statements that the shooter was not motivated by race but by sex addiction have drawn widespread criticism.

t.hartz@theday.com
Ethiopias dam over the Nile risks war with Egypt By Col. (ret.) Dr. Jacques Neriah

For more than ten years, Egypt, Sudan, and Ethiopia have been holding periodic negotiations aimed at reaching a water arrangement that will govern the flow of the Blue Nile into Sudan and Egypt, in the wake of the planned 2022 inauguration of the mammoth Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD), the biggest hydroelectric power facility in Africa and seventh-largest in the world.

The Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam nears completion The massive dam is being built 20 km from the Sudanese-Ethiopian border on the Blue Nile that provides 85 percent of the water to Egypt downstream (the White Nile provides 15 percent). Initially, the 6,450-megawatt dam hydroelectric power project was intended to be inaugurated in 2018, but because of budgetary constraints and mismanagement, 2022 is now projected as the likely date for the inauguration of the dams operation. With the prospect of a stalemate in the negotiations, barely four months before the second filling of the dams reservoir in July 2021, tensions steadily mount between Egypt and Sudan on one side and Ethiopia on the other. Egypt sees the hydroelectric dam as an existential threat to millions of Egyptians. Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, warned on March 27, 2021, We reject the policy of imposing a fait accompli and extending control over the Blue Nile through unilateral measures without taking Sudans and Egypts interests into account. The specter of military confrontation has been openly presented as a last resort option by Egypt and Sudan to stop Ethiopia from going forward with its scheme to fill the reservoir and inaugurate the massive power station. The new energy source is essential for Ethiopia, where, according to the World Bank, only 44 percent of Ethiopians have access to electricity. Once the dam is operational, Ethiopia expects to export energy to the neighboring states of Kenya, Sudan, and Djibouti. Laying the foundation and construction work on the six billion dollar dam began in 2011 when Egypts attention was focused on domestic unrest of the Arab Spring. It took a ground-breaking ceremony in Ethiopia to signal to the Egyptians that the Ethiopian government had serious intentions to build the dam. The first reactions were a mixture of panic and incredulity because of the magnitude of the project: six times the output of energy of the Aswan Dam; the equivalent of six 1000-megawatt nuclear power plants; and a threatened water shortage problem that never existed in 7,000 years of Egyptian history. Since the beginning of the construction, Egypt has unsuccessfully tried to negotiate with the Ethiopians to slow the pace of filling the mammoth reservoir behind the dam, which, once full, will contain between 74 to 100 billion cubic meters of water. The Egyptians ask that the reservoir-filling process be carried out over a minimum of 10 years and that Ethiopia would control the Nile water flow so that the impact on Egypt would be minimal. The Ethiopians, on the other hand, plan a three-year reservoir-filling process. A three-year rhythm of filling the reservoir would deprive Egypt of 33 billion cubic meters out of the 55.5 allowed each year according to assorted agreements signed in the past (1929 and 1959) between Ethiopia and the 11 Nile downstream countries. Such a deficit would mean, for instance, that each Egyptian would receive 600 cubic meters annually instead of 2,500 and would transform Egypt into a water-poverty-stricken area. The United Nations has decreed that water sustenance should stand at 1,000 cubic meters per year per individual. Moreover, Egypt argues that each loss of two percent of its water share would result in the desertification of almost 80,000 hectares. Finally, with the beginning of the filling of the reservoir, the Aswan Dam water level would probably drop  in the best case  to 170 meters (eight meters less than today), and in a worst-case scenario, the level would drop to 168 meters, although not enough to jeopardize the production of electricity by the dam turbines. Anticipating the coming crisis, in April 2018, the Egyptian parliament enacted a law forbidding the growth of water-intensive plants such as rice. As a result, for the second consecutive year, the area dedicated to rice growth has been reduced from 1.8 million feddans to 724,000 feddans (1 feddan = 1.037 acres). In all nine Egyptian governorates, farmers were encouraged to grow three alternative rice species that demand less water. In 2014, the Egyptian government embarked on a water desalination project to provide alternative potable water sources. Through December 2018, 47 such installations had been built with a total output of 254,000 cubic meters daily (compared to 1.75 million cubic meters per day in Israel in five installations as of 2018). The plan aims to double the quantity of water desalination installations by the end of 2020 to reach one million cubic meters daily. However, to compensate for the loss of water due to the Ethiopian dam, Egypt should desalinate 90 million cubic meters of water per day  an impossible task. Finally, the Egyptian government plans to build additional dams on the Nile and to erect a series of small dams meant to capture floods and rainfall, but this will not make up for the loss Egypt will sustain with the beginning of the filling of the Renaissance Dam reservoir. Diplomatic Efforts In the meantime, Egypt and Sudan are pressing for a diplomatic outcome. Both countries have suggested convening a commission comprising representatives of the UN, the United States, the EU, and headed by the chairman of the African Union, President Felix Tshisekedi from the Democratic Republic of Congo. The commission would guide the parties in reaching an agreement before the beginning of the second filling of the reservoir. Ethiopia is opposed to the idea, asking to limit the negotiations only to the parties involved. Tshisekedi recently sent a delegation to Ethiopia, Sudan, and Egypt to try to reach an agreement on the Renaissance Dam. The frustration of the Egyptians with the Ethiopians is growing, with some commentators, such as the former minister of irrigation and water resources, Mohamed Nasr el-Din Allam, charging Ethiopia with bullying amid an international silence. He claims Ethiopias position represents foreign entities who aim to diminish Egypts regional influence by reducing its water resources. If Diplomacy Fails With this background, Egypt has been contemplating the possibility of waging military action against the Ethiopian dam. Under President Morsi, the Egyptian national security councils secret discussions in June 2013 were accidentally televised, including the proposal for commando attacks against the Ethiopian dam. The Egyptian government apologized, and Morsis cabinet declared that the two countries relationship was based on good neighborliness, mutual respect, and the pursuit of joint interests without either party harming the other. However, on March 2, 2021, Egypt and Sudan signed an agreement on military cooperation, which was a result of an intense series of visits of high-ranking officials from both sides in the two countries. The agreement was signed at the conclusion of the visit of the Egyptian military chief, Lt. Gen. Mohammed Farid, to Sudan and includes definite hints that the Ethiopian issue was the issue discussed by the two sides, including ways to secure the borders. Quite unusual in such an agreement signed by military men, was the prerequisite condition to secure an agreement on the Nile waters before the beginning of the second filling of the Renaissance dams reservoir due in July 2021. Understood was a threat towards Ethiopia that if it chose to continue its path without reaching an agreement, this would be considered by Cairo and Khartoum as a direct threat to the water security of both countries. Sudans Prime Minister Abdullah Hamdouk argued in February that the Ethiopian dam poses a threat to the safety and security of more than 20 million of his countrys citizens. Nearby Military Developments It is noteworthy that in recent years, Egypt has been building and refurbishing a mega-air and naval basis in Ras Banas on the Red Sea shore, almost adjacent to the border between Sudan and Egypt and opposite Saudi Arabias Medina on the other side of the Red Sea. The base, located on the approach to the southern entrance to the Suez Canal, is presented as a forward base for the projection of Egyptian air and naval power to protect its allies, Saudi Arabia and the Gulf States, to counter Iranian, Turkish (and Israeli) power in the Red Sea. However, due to its location, one cannot ignore that the proximity of such a military complex is within reach of the Eritrean and Ethiopian territories and could eventually be the departing point of military actions in the military conflict with Ethiopia. In the meantime, events on the ground have accelerated the crisis between Ethiopia and the Egypt-Sudan alliance. When the war in Tigray started on November 4, 2020, some Ethiopian army garrisons stationed in the Al Fashaqah triangle abandoned their bases and joined the Ethiopian war effort in Tigray. The triangle is a 250 square kilometer area of fertile land claimed by both Sudan and Ethiopia as part of their respective territory in a 100 year dispute but occupied for more than 25 years by Ethiopians (Amhari) and protected by federal Ethiopian troops and local Amhari militias, west of the Tigray territory. By deserting their bases, the soldiers left the area empty of Ethiopian army units and allowed the Sudanese army to move in. The attempt to retake the area by the Amhara militias failed after clashes occurred with the Sudanese army, which reinforced its positions in the area. Since then, intermittent violent and deadly incidents have erupted between Ethiopian and Sudanese troops, with Ethiopia claiming that that the Sudanese side (backed by Egypt) is stirring the situation on the ground. [For more information, see AlJazeera Inside Story.] In fact, the Al-Fashagah issue has given both Sudan and Egypt an important bargaining chip in the stand-off on the Renaissance Dam. This fact allows Egypt, for the time being, to refrain from direct military action against Ethiopia. As a result, a military confrontation at this point seems unlikely, even though both Egypt and Sudan are interested in weighing their military options. The most plausible course of action would be to secure international support and try to convince the Ethiopians to accept a compromise. In the meantime, until the deadline of July 2021, consultations may try to reroute the Blue Nile River to alternative channels that would cause only minor damage to Egypt and Sudan rather than the catastrophe presaged by the opponents of the project. Reaching July 2021 and the beginning of the second filling of the reservoir without an agreement would be tantamount to a declaration of war by Ethiopia to Egypt and Sudan. This is a scenario that the three parties would like to avoid despite the fact that it is underplayed at this stage. Inevitably, it will be necessary to mobilize international opinion and allow room for diplomacy. Col. (ret.) Dr. Jacques Neriah, a special analyst for the Middle East at the Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs, was formerly Foreign Policy Advisor to Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin and Deputy Head for Assessment of Israeli Military Intelligence. Home
BOSTON (AP)  The U.S.S. Constitution named one of its cannons in honor of the first woman to serve as a chief petty officer in the Navy.

The 24-pound long gun was named Perfectus after Loretta Perfectus Walsh during a ceremony in Boston on Sunday marking Womens History Month, the Navy said in a statement.

Walsh was sworn in as the Navys first chief petty officer on March 21, 1917.

Loretta Perfectus Walsh has made it possible for all women to serve in the military, Command Senior Chief Angela Collins said. I get to be here because of the women who have gone before me, and I get the honor to serve with amazing women every single day.

Four of the warships female crew members gave a presentation on the significance of Walshs service.

To talk about Loretta Perfectus Walshs life holds great meaning for me and everyone around us, Seaman Katrina Mastrolia said. It gives me hope and determination to face the boundaries that I have in my life today.

This 1917 photo released by the U.S. Navy shows the Navy's first female Chief Petty Officer Loretta Perfectus Walsh, who enlisted in 1917. On Sunday, March 21, 2021, one of the cannons aboard the USS Constitution, the world's oldest commissioned warship still afloat, was named "Perfectus" in honor of Walsh. (U.S. Navy via AP)AP

The U.S.S Constitution, also known as Old Ironsides, is the worlds oldest commissioned warship afloat, and played a crucial role in the Barbary Wars and the War of 1812, actively defending sea lanes from 1797 until 1855. The ship was undefeated in battle and destroyed or captured 33 enemy vessels.

It earned its nickname during the War of 1812 when British cannonballs were seen bouncing off its wooden hull.

Early sailors frequently named the guns on their ships.

And although there are no records for the original names of the U.S.S. Constitutions guns, some have been given names based on records from her sister ships. These include Brother Jonathan, True Blue, Yankee Protection, Putnam, Raging Eagle, Viper, General Warren, Mad Anthony, America, Washington, Liberty for Ever, Defiance, and Liberty or Death.

The U.S.S. Constitutions modern cannons are replicas dating to 1920.
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The global Flexible Epoxy Resin Market is segmented by type, application, end-use industry, and region.

Various types of flexible are available in the market such as urethane modified, rubber modified, dimer acid, and others. The urethane modified epoxy resins segment is leading the market due to its high flexibility, good tensile strength, and chemical resistance. These epoxy resins are highly used for offshore applications where gas and sea water resistance is required.

The application segment includes primer, composites, adhesives, semiconductors, electrical laminates, and others. The primer segment is extensively used due to high demand from the paints & coatings industry. It is also used in decorative flooring applications for its chemical and abrasion resistance. The composites are extensively used in military & defense due to weight reduction, corrosion resistance, and part consolidation in military vehicles, military shelters and pallets, and in lightweight helmets & body armor. The adhesive application is used where reduced mechanical stress within the bond line is required, which is caused by the thermal mismatch of the bonded substrates.

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The end-use industry segment consists of paints & coatings, construction, automotive, electrical & electronics, and others. The paints & coatings segment is likely to dominate the market owing to their properties such as chemical resistance, durability, abrasion resistance, and others. The product is used in construction of cladding & facades, roofing, doors & windows, and others. Various automotive parts such as mud flaps, impact panels, underbody guards, bumpers, ducting & sheeting, and others are manufactured with the help of these resins. Moreover, silicone-free thermally conductive foils, flexible printed circuit boards, and pressure sensitive electronic devices are manufactured using flexible epoxy resin.

Regional Analysis

The global flexible epoxy resin market is spanned across five regions namely Asia Pacific, North America, Europe, Latin America, and the Middle East & Africa.

Asia Pacific dominated the global flexible epoxy resin market in 2016 on account of the high demand from the major end-use industries such as construction, paints & coatings, and automotive industries in the region.

The high demand for these resins from the military & defense and automotive industry coupled with the rebound in construction activities in North America is projected to drive the market growth over the forecast period.

The high product demand for the manufacturing of various automotive parts in Western European countries is likely to influence the market growth.

The Latin American region is expected to grow significantly due to the growing automotive industry in the region.

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The infrastructural hub present in the GCC countries is likely to drive the growth of the Middle East & Africa market.

Competitive Analysis

Some of the manufacturers operating in the global flexible epoxy resin market are Olin Corporation (US), Hexion (US), Kukdo Chemical Co., Ltd. (South Korea), Aditya Birla Chemicals (India), Huntsman International LLC (US), DIC CORPORATION (Japan), Emerald Performance Materials (US), EPOXONIC (Germany), Spolchemie (Czech Republic), Cardolite (US), Atul Ltd. (India), INTERTRONICS (Oxfordshire), Conren Ltd. (UK), Mereco Technologies (US), and Resoltech (France).
NORMAN TOWNSHIP, MI  A Michigan woman is facing multiple charges in the violent deaths of a 56-year-old man and his two dogs that were found dead last week, according to a news release from Michigan State Police.

William Joseph Johnson, 56, of Wellson, and his dogs sustained violent wounds and significant trauma before their deaths, which police believe occurred late on Tuesday, March 16, or in the early hours of Wednesday, March 17, at a residence on Aspen Road in Wellston, Manistee County.

RELATED: Northern Michigan man, 56, found dead, police suspect homicide

Angelee Noel Ross, 40, of Cadillac is charged with one count of open murder, two counts of third-degree killing/torturing an animal and three counts of felony firearms related to the incident, police said.

Johnson sustained multiple violent wounds to his head and body, resulting in his death, police said. His dogs both had signs of trauma caused by multiple stab wounds to their bodies.

Johnson and Ross had previously dated and remained acquaintances, police said.

Ross was arraigned on Friday, March 19, in the 85th District Court of Manistee County. She is being held without bond at Manistee County Jail. Her news court appearance is on Tuesday, April 6.

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Myanmar military messed with the wrong generation. Its military coup is like the beast!

by Anwar A. Khan

Myanmar, also known as Burma, is in South East Asia. Its neighbours are Thailand, Laos, Bangladesh, China and India.

Protest against Myanmar Military Coup

It has a population of about 54 million, most of whom are Burmese speakers, although other languages are also spoken. The biggest city is Yangon (Rangoon), but the capital is Nay Pyi Taw.

The main religion is Buddhism. There are many ethnic groups in the country, including Rohingya Muslims.

The country gained independence from Britain in 1948. It was ruled by the armed forces from 1962 until 2011, when a new government began ushering in a return to civilian rule.

The military is again back in charge and has declared a year-long state of emergency.

It seized control on 1 February last following a general election which Suu Kyi's NLD party won by a landslide.

But mass protests have been taking place across Myanmar since the military seized control on Myanmar.

Military commander-in-chief Min Aung Hlaing has taken power. He has long wielded significant political influence, successfully maintaining the power of the Tatmadaw - Myanmar's military - even as the country moved towards democracy.

Protesters include teachers, lawyers, students, bank officers and government workers. The military has imposed restrictions, including curfews and limits to gatherings. Security forces have used water cannon, rubber bullets and live ammunition to try to disperse protesters.

But every day demonstrators in Myanmars big cities come out for their mass protests in defiance of an 8 pm curfew imposed on them by Myanmars military junta.

Numerous countries have condemned the military takeover. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said it was a "serious blow to democratic reforms.

The US and UK have responded with sanctions on military officials.

However, China blocked a UN Security Council statement condemning the coup. Beijing, which has previously opposed international intervention in Myanmar, urged all sides to "resolve differences".

But unjust to hurt and kill unarmed innocent people. Shameful action.

Myanmar military messed with the wrong generation. Its military coup is like the beast!

Shame on you Myanmar Military. You all violated all the books of law. You need to accept and respect peoples vote. Be kind because these are all your people.

South Asian countries have become a center of protest. Peaceful atmosphere is necessary to become more developed and to achieve higher success. Many European and other countries are most peaceful countries in the world. Like Sweden, Norway, Finland, Denmark etc.

Protesters should give up calling for release of Suu kyi, instead fight for change in constitution. She is irrelevant now. It is time newer generation leaders with newer ideas. She brought this on herself by trying to please the army.

Military of Myanmar must be realized the interests of nation and the meaning of democracy or else they are welcomed to get down from their jobs totally and replaced by the new army league from the interest of people.

We hope soon Military will collapse when realisation of the Myanmar army soldier hit them that they are killing their own people.

There is more to life than technology, politics, and philosophy. Life is meant to be lived fully, not to be fragmented by bands of mad people. Life is not simple enough for one technology. Life is not dull enough for one political party. Life is not boring enough for one philosophy. Life is a mystery that is not meant to be solved by a person. Life is a mystery that must be lived to be understood.

Myanmar army needs to respect the citizens sentiment and hand-over power to civilian democratic government immediately before the situation go beyond control.

Because of new military rule and mass protests against the military rulers, many businesses were closed across Yangon after an alliance of nine trade unions launched a general strike in an attempt to back the anti-coup movement and pressure members of the military junta.

They have said, "To continue economic and business activities as usual  will only benefit the military as they repress the energy of the Myanmar people," they said in a joint statement. "The time to take action in defense of our democracy is now.

Strikes by civil servants, including those operating trains in the country, have taken place for weeks.

The calls to shut down the economy came after another bloody day between the protesters and the police and military, who are occupying hospitals in the main city of Yangon.

The United Nations said Monday that the occupation of hospitals by security forces is completely unacceptable. A U.N. team in Myanmar said, hospitals are, and must remain, places of sanctuary and unequivocal neutrality  to ensure that patients undergoing medical care are safe, according to U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric.

An official from ousted de facto leader Aung San Suu Kyis National League for Democracy party died in police custody, a party official confirmed to VOAs Burmese service.

NLD member KhinMaungLatt was arrested during overnight raids in Yangon and died while in detention, party lawmaker SithuMaung said. A cause of death was not released.

Tun Kyi, spokesperson of the Association Assistance for Political Prisoners (AAPP), Burma told VOA Burmese that he accompanied the bereaved family to claim KhinMaungLatts body and witnessed blood on his head, his fingers blackened, and wounds on his back.

Police have not commented on the matter.

The AAPP advocacy group said that more than 1,700 people had been detained under the junta.

"Detainees were punched and kicked with military boots, beaten with police batons, and then dragged into police vehicles," AAPP said in a statement. "Security forces entered residential areas and tried to arrest further protesters and shot at the homes."

Myanmar has been consumed by chaos and violence since February 1, when the military overthrew the civilian government and detained Suu Kyi and other high-ranking NLD officials. Military officials say widespread fraud occurred in last Novembers election, which the NLD won in a landslide. Election officials have denied any significant irregularities.

Foreign ministers from Southeast Asian countries have held talks with Myanmar's military junta in an attempt to tackle the crisis in the country. Meanwhile, protesters continue to flood the streets to protest against the military coup.

A civil disobedience campaign has also since choked many government operations, as well as businesses and banks, and the junta late Sunday gave its most ominous signal yet that its patience was nearing an end.

Protesters are now inciting the people, especially emotional teenagers and youths, to a confrontation path where they will suffer the loss of life," said a statement on state-run broadcaster MRTV.

The statement, read out in Burmese with text of the English version on the screen, cautioned protesters against inciting "riot and anarchy".

Protesters were undeterred by the warning, with tens of thousands rallying in Yangon, Myanmar's biggest city and commercial hub.

Stay strong Myanmars mass people!

Myanmar Military... You are killing your own people because of your Selfish Military General. Indeed, it is so Sad!

Continued repression of the people of Myanmar's basic liberties and human rights must end immediately.

We also reiterated that those in the chain of command, regardless of rank, can be held liable for any atrocities committed against the people of Myanmar, and that they must disobey orders to attack.

Of course, we cannot rely on the Myanmar military to avoid bloodshed out of a moral or legal obligation alone. We underscore that is why it is so imperative that all those with influence demand that the junta restrain itself from further violence and arbitrary arrests.

Protesters in Yangon have in recent days gathered near the imposing red doors of the Chinese embassy in the city, denouncing China for what they say is its support of this months military coup in Myanmar. Conspiracy theories have swirled about the arrival of Chinese technicians to help Myanmars new junta build its own firewall to control the internet.

Rumors abound about what is being transported on nightly flights between Yangon and the southern Chinese city of Kunming. Online, amateur sleuths have pored over photos of the protests, looking for Chinese military insignia on uniforms and even fair-skinned soldiers among the armed forces that have been deployed to the streets.

So, if China is a really good neighbour of Myanmar, now is the time to prove it.

Power to the people in Myanmar. I stand with you and pray for your freedom. The truth will prevail.

The End 

The writer is an independent political analyst based in Dhaka, Bangladesh who writes on politics, political and human-centred figures, current and international affairs.
As of today, the state of Alabama has made the COVID-19 vaccine available to more than half of the states adult population, and could open the floodgates to offer the vaccine to all adults in the coming weeks.

Alabama State Health Officer Dr. Scott Harris on Friday said that probably between half and two thirds, of the states adult population would be eligible for the vaccine as of today.

We think thats going to more than double the number of eligible people in our state, Harris said Friday. Probably between half and two thirds of all the adults in the state are going to be covered at that point, so that will be a significant increase in demand.

The following groups of people are now eligible for the vaccine statewide:

Any Alabamian age 55 and older

Several categories of essential workers (health care, first responders, educators and childcare workers, food workers, legal, energy, media, others)

Also eligible are Alabamians over age 16 with certain health conditions that put them at a higher risk from COVID-19. Those conditions include:

Cancer

Chronic kidney disease

COPD

Heart conditions such as heart failure, coronary artery disease or cardiomyopathies; immunocompromised state

Solid organ transplant

Obesity, BMI greater than 30

Pregnancy

Sickle cell disease

Smoking

Type 1 and 2 diabetes

Other medical conditions as determined by your medical provider

In addition, Alabama veterans of any age can receive the vaccine through some VA hospitals.

All the groups identified as a priority under Alabamas vaccine allocation plan are now officially eligible to receive the vaccine. The next phase of the plan will open it up to all Alabamians age 16 and older.

Harris said Friday that Alabama would offer the vaccine to the general population before a May 1 deadline set by President Joe Biden, and it could be much earlier.

Mississippi and Alaska already offer the vaccine to all adults, and other states including Nevada, Connecticut, Ohio, Utah and North Dakota have already announced plans to do so in the coming weeks.

According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control, Alabama has given more than 1.4 million doses of vaccine as of Monday morning. The CDC reported more than 967,000 Alabamians -- 25.4 percent of the states adult population -- have received at least one dose of vaccine. More than 566,000 Alabamians have received their full course of vaccination.

There are currently three COVID vaccine options that have been granted emergency use authorization by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, made by Pfizer, Moderna, and Johnson & Johnson. The Pfizer and Moderna vaccines require a second dose, administered weeks after the first, but reported better overall efficacy results in clinical trials than the one-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine.

The vaccine has not yet been approved for children, so only those 16 and older are eligible. Studies are ongoing to determine the vaccines safety and efficacy in people younger than 16.

All three vaccines were highly effective at preventing severe cases of COVID-19, including hospitalizations and deaths.

COVID-19 has killed more than 10,400 Alabamians and more than 539,000 people in the United States.
When Michael Morris and Nolan Edge showed proficiency in a chemistry class, University of North Georgia (UNG) senior lecturer Tashia Caughran asked them if they wanted to do research. Morris and Edge took her up on the offer and now are working on a product with the potential to make rust removal for cars and tools easier.

The freshmen from Monroe, Georgia, shared their passion for their "E-Z Rust" innovation at the third annual innovateUNG Pitch Challenge on March 16 and emerged with the $2,000 first prize.

"Now we know going forward we have a product that can be put in the market," said Morris, who is pursuing a degree in biology. "And we have a relatively solid pitch for it."

They were encouraged by the positive feedback they received from the five business professionals who judged the contest. The pair expressed gratitude to Dr. Jim Konzelman, professor of chemistry, for his inspiration of their work.

"His leadership and his direction have helped us get here," said Edge, who is pursuing a degree in chemistry. "And it means a lot to be able to present and win."

The Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation in UNG's Mike Cottrell College of Business hosted the event, which had teams in person at the Library Technology Center and judges and spectators participating through Zoom. Morris and Edge made up one of six UNG student teams who competed at innovateUNG.

"I'm very happy with our third offering of the innovateUNG Pitch Challenge," said Dr. Ruben Boling, director of the Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation. "The students did an excellent job and showed strong presentation skills. Their ideas were outstanding, new and invigorating to hear."

Presley Sutton, a senior from Chatsworth, Georgia, pursuing a degree in management with a concentration in entrepreneurship, took second place and a $1,000 prize for her idea to provide cost-effective feed delivery for smaller farms. It is a business model she aims to pursue upon graduation this spring.

"It kind of kicked me into gear and made me think about stuff that I wouldn't have thought of before," Sutton said. "Dr. Boling was awesome in helping me figure out my business plan, money and logistics. It was good to get some feedback on the business and see that other people are interested in my idea as well."

Rafaella Jean Villanueva, a junior from Manila, Philippines, pursuing a degree in finance, earned the $500 crowd favorite prize for her app to cut down on excessive commission fees for currency exchange.

"This experience was really enriching as I was able to share my idea that I've been working on since last summer and get some feedback on it," Villanueva said. "It was also nice to see my fellow students have some really good pitches. Overall, it was such a great experience. It was nice to make some new connections."

The other competitors were:

Tristan Andrew Acosta and Calista Abercrombie: Their innovation seeks to increase crop yields using a smaller plot of land through a combination of hydroponics, which is growing plants without soil, and aquafarming, which is the farming of seafood.

Jack Orion Harden: His innovation helps clean hair out of razors and store a razor safely.

Katherine Schwind: Her innovation is a nonprofit app to help fund overseas missionaries worldwide.

The judges were:
Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain

A spike in verbal and physical violence against Asian Americans has garnered increased coverage, highlighted by anti-Asian sentiments dating back to the beginning of the pandemic early last year.

University of Michigan assistant history professor Ian Shin, whose teaching focuses on Asian American history, said the verbal assaults and physical attacks against Asian Americans and their businesses being vandalized are not new, but often not given as much attention as assaults on other minority groups.

Why is the violence against Asian Americans getting more attention and media coverage now?

Violence against Asian Americans across the U.S. is getting more attention and media coverage now because these incidents are increasing in both number and severity. The Stop AAPI Hate Project estimates that there have been roughly 3,800 anti-Asian bias incidents since March 2020, and this number is almost certainly an undercount. These incidents include everything from shunning (i.e., the deliberate avoidance of Asians and Asian Americans) to verbal harassment to, in their most tragic and horrifying forms, physical attacks. The shootings at three Atlanta-area spas that resulted in the deaths of eight peoplesix of whom were Asian womenare only the tip of a very big and very ugly iceberg.

Celebrities, politicians and others have been promoting the Stop the Hate campaign through social media. As compared to similar efforts for other minority groups, can this support make a difference?

I am a believer that every little bit helpswhether it's celebrities and politicians promoting the Stop the Hate campaign through social media, or individual users posting messages of support for their friends in the Asian American community. Part of what has caused this spike in anti-Asian bias incidents is bigoted and hateful rhetoric that blamed China and, by association, Chinese Americans for the COVID-19 pandemic, and I see people of all backgrounds now challenging and condemning this discourse.

It's important, however, to make sure that what we say does not reinforce harmful narratives and stereotypeslike the myth of Asian Americans as a "model minority" in contrast to other communities of color in the United States. Expressions of support are most effective when they don't just look after the interests of the Asian American community, but rather build bridges to address the white supremacy and xenophobia that affect all of us.

Violence and hatred against minority groups have been part of U.S. history for centuries. What has been the reason(s) why Asian Americans have been targeted?

People of Asian descent have been targets of violence in the U.S. since their first arrival here in the mid-19th century. Between 1850 and 1906, Chinese were driven out of almost 200 cities and towns on the West Coast because they were seen as economic competitors, and as socially and culturally inassimilable to U.S. society. Japanese, South Asian and Filipino immigrants were similarly affected by racist violence when they began to arrive around the early 20th century. These attacks have spiked especially in times of national crisis: those of us who call Michigan home may know about the case of Vincent Chin, a 27-year-old Chinese American man who was beaten to death in 1982 because his attackers associated him with Japan, which was challenging U.S. domination in auto manufacturing.

The reason why Asian Americans have been targeted more recently is twofold. First, against the guidance of the World Health Organization and the Centers for Disease Control, the incendiary rhetoric of President Trump and other public figures blamed China for the COVID-19 pandemic. Second, escalating geopolitical tensions between the U.S. and China in general have cast Chinese and other Asian Americans as potential enemies. These reasons are founded on perceptions of Asian Americans as, on one hand, "forever foreigners" who never truly belong in the U.S. and, on the other hand, a "model minority" that is high-achieving but submissive. Asian American activists have worked against these stereotypes for decades.

Several Asian American/Pacific Islander organizations and scholars have been tracking the rise in attacks, but some police departments and city officials resist labeling them as hate crimes. What impact does that have?

The legal definition of a hate crime cannot fully account for the contextual factors that have contributed to anti-Asian bias and violence over the past 12 months. Even though a perpetrator may not explicitly state that their attack was motivated by racial animus, it's clear that, in many instances, their reasons are rooted in racialized perceptions of Asian and Asian American people. In the case of the Atlanta spa shootings, for example, where the attacker attributed his actions to his sex addiction, we can trace the association of Asian women with sex work back to the history of U.S. wars in Asia where GIs often regarded local women as sex objects. Portrayals in popular culture, especially Hollywood movies, have also fostered an image of Asian women as sexually available and submissive. Considering this deeper context matters enormously in how we understand the root causes of these bias incidentsregardless of how law enforcement may classify them.

It is also important to acknowledge that many Asian American activists and leaders reject law enforcement as the appropriate solution to the issue of anti-Asian violence and hate. They understand that involving law enforcement can exacerbate the disproportionate impact of the criminal justice system on Black and Latinx communities, and advocate instead for a restorative justice approach. The Asian American community has faced its own challenges with law enforcement, from the deadly use of force by police against Asian Americans suffering from mental illness to the deportation of Southeast Asian immigrants.

What can Asian Americans, as well as their supporters, do during these difficult times to prevent these attacks, as well as cope with their fears and anxiety?

One reason why these attacks have generated such strong feelings of anxiety within the Asian American community is that they appear to occur randomly and even in areas with large Asian American populations, so that it's very hard to know where you can turn for safety.

In the short term, Asian Americans and their supporters can seek out bystander intervention training so that they know how to effectively and safely step in if they witness a bias incident. There have also been many examples of communities banding together to support and protect Asian Americans without involving law enforcementfor example, by forming community patrol groups that not only keep a neighborhood safe, but that also provide help for those in need. In the long term, Asian Americans and their allies can advocate for better support for ethnic studies curriculum at the K-12 level that will give students a more inclusive understanding of the history of this country.

Finally, gathering accurate data about these incidents is vital to securing the resources and support that the Asian American community needs right now. Many who experience these bias incidents may be afraid to report them or may not know how to do so. Organizations and government agencies should make it easier and safer for Asian Americans to come forward. For example, the Stop AAPI Hate Project now allows users to report incidents in 12 different Asian languages. We have the opportunity now to treat both the COVID-19 virus and the virus of intolerance that has plagued the U.S. for far too long.
The National Vice Chair, South-south, of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Dan Orbih, said the delay in constituting the cabinet by the Edo State Government is not a sign of a divided party in the state.

Mr Orbih said this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Sunday in Benin.

Not forming an executive cabinet cannot be a product of a divided house, that is purely a decision that lies within the powers of the governor, he said.

He noted that the delay in constituting the cabinet by the Edo Government might not be unconnected with reforms the government was carrying out in the state, especially in the civil service.

And if the ongoing reforms are affecting the constitution of the cabinet, I think they have gone very far in the exercise.

And we are looking forward to hearing from him very soon. So there is nothing like division in the house, the house is quite united.

Mr Orbih also said the quiet in the state was because people felt that the governor should be given time to fulfil his promise to the people.

If there are things people have detected, if there are things not being done right, let the APC that God has put in the opposition in Edo rise up and say these things.

Edo people are happy with what the governor is doing, so they are quiet, he said.

The PDP national vice chair called on Edo residents and Nigerians to continue to support the PDP.

Nigerians have seen a PDP government in the past and they have experienced the government of APC. They can now see the difference.

I can assure you that when voted back to power, PDP will be able to address all these problems that are beyond the APC leadership.

And we will be able to put smiles on the faces of Nigerians again.

There is hardship in the land, Mr Orbih added.

Governor Godwin Obaseki and his deputy, Philip Shaibu, were inaugurated for a second term in office on November 12, 2020, following their victory in the September 19 governorship election under the platform of the PDP.

The governor had shortly after his inauguration re-appointed Osarodion Ogie as the Secretary to the State Government. No other appointment has been made since then.

The All Progressives Congress and some residents of the state have criticised Mr Obasekis delay in forming the cabinet.

Unfortunately Mr Obaseki has denied the Edo people the benefit of the collective wisdom of ideas. So, he is running the state like a sole administrator not like a democratic governor and this portends great danger for the democratic processes in the state, one resident said.

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(NAN)
The Royal Marines are to be transformed into a new Future Commando Force (FCF) to be deployed around the world on an "enduring basis" in a major overhaul of the armed forces.

The Ministry of Defence said the FCF will take on many of the traditional tasks of the SAS and SBS, alongside a new Army Ranger Regiment.

The changes are to be set out in a Defence command paper, as forces are braced to lose some "industrial age" capabilities with older tanks, ships and warplanes to be axed or phased out early.

The biggest loser is expected to be the Army amid reports around 10,000 troops are to be cut, reducing its overall strength to around 72,500.

Following the publication last week of a review of foreign and defence policy, ministers say the changes are necessary to create a more agile military capable of countering evolving threats.

It will mean forces spending more time deployed overseas, either on operations or training, to support allies and to pre-empt and deter hostile powers such as Russia, identified in the review as the "most acute threat" to the UK.

The FCF will see the Royal Marines evolve from an "amphibious infantry" held at readiness in the UK to a versatile, special operations-capable force "persistently forward deployed".

It will receive over 200m of direct investment over the next decade to carry out maritime security operations and to "pre-empt and deter sub-threshold activity, and counter state threats".

The head of the Army General Sir Mark Carleton-Smith indicated at the weekend that the creation of the Rangers alongside the FCF would free up the Special Forces to focus on the "most persistent and lethal threats" associated with "hostile state actors".

Ahead of the publication of the command paper, Defence Secretary Ben Wallace said: "From striking Daesh terrorists in Iraq, disrupting drug shipments and deterring Russian aggression in the Baltics, our armed forces already reach where others cannot.

"In the coming years, we will broaden the spectrum of this worldwide engagement even further.

"Across a vast global footprint, we will be constantly operating to deter our adversaries and reassure our friends, integrating with our allies, and ready to fight should it be necessary."




HONG KONG, Mar 20, 2021 - (ACN Newswire) - From poverty alleviation to COVID-19 response work, Jicheng Lyu has been, is, and will continue to be on the front lines of serving communities. Nominated for the 2020 China Philanthropy Award, he leads a team of 300 staff and volunteers. Above all, Lyu believes in individuals making a difference.Jicheng Lyu opens on his lifetime of service, saying: "I have always believed that local and grassroots organizations are the catalyst to change."Following this belief, he started the SINIC Foundation. "The SINIC initiative supports over 400 civil society organizations with over 1.49 million dollars of funding to carry out poverty alleviation projects in 516 villages and for 74,334 impoverished households."His continuous work in supporting villages and individuals has raised awareness and money. The recognition gained and donations have aided the continuation of service work, exponentially.In fact, because of his work towards starting the SINIC Foundation and the good it has resulted in, Lyu and his team are now candidates for the 2020 China Philanthropy Award. This recognition is the most prestigious for social responsibility and accountability.Going deeper into what Jicheng Lyu and his team accomplished that led to the Philanthropy Award nomination, the journey includes aid for different branches of relief. COVID-19 assistance, Save the Children project management and Johnson & Johnson service all highlight the road to Lyu's philanthropy success.The beginning of 2020 marked the start of a very stressful year in China. Hardship and distress were around every corner due to COVID-19. Many individuals did not know what to do. Fortunately, Jicheng Lyu knew he had to step up and provide help in every way he knew how.This led to the "Promotion for Public Welfare," a project that delivered meals and supplies to doctors and nurses in Wuhan. Between January and April of 2020, over 137,000 supplies were delivered to 6 different hospitals.When asked about the supplies being delivered to members of the Jiangxi medical team, Jicheng Lyu responded: "The medical team lacked daily necessities, so we provided them with those basic daily necessities such as paper, soap, hangers, and washbasins."Hospitals in Wuhan were grateful that they had the essentials that were previously unavailable to them until Lyu assisted. This is only the latest of what Jicheng Lyu has accomplished as a practitioner of philanthropy.Jicheng Lyu ran a forum with Save the Children that was considered "vocational education" and funded by Accenture. Migrant youth empowerment was emphasized, with workshops that taught skills and encouraged large companies to provide jobs.As he describes, "in these workshops, migrant youth commented on policies and expressed what they needed in employment procedure. This became the input of topics discussed in the forum." This beneficially impacted both marginalized people and companies who attended the workshops.Through soft skills and education, over 10,000 youths were taught valuable lessons on career development. By teaching the attendees about workflow and the companies how to train and hire, it breaks the cycle of vulnerability.After learning these valuable skills, each young person involved is able to maneuver through the challenges of the fast-changing world. Specifically, migrant youths aged 16-25 learned how to explore their strengths, build positive attitudes, effectively find jobs, make impactful decisions, be efficient, manage money, and understand health practices.This was the first time that Save the Children had developed a program geared towards young people developing soft skills necessary for success. In the long term, the kids had the kickstart they needed to continue their lifetime of knowledge.As the youngest manager in Save the Children China, Lyu headed a team of 5 staff members. He leant them a hand and led them through projects that impacted the lives of everyone involved. Through building a training model, the most effective tools were implemented for the highest level of student success.The path towards building confidence and marketable strengths is taught through a process including lectures, participatory classes, and training sessions. From career conversations led by professionals to organized classes set to systemically elaborate upon lessons, the young adults discussed and brainstormed as a group.This led to widespread success, as groups were able to learn and then perform that knowledge with each other. Because of their lessons, they are able to use the skills they learned with Jicheng Lyu and perform it in real life settings. Ultimately they may even use these skills to impact the world in a big way.Before his work with Save the Children, Lyu worked with Johnson & Johnson, developing a volunteer manual that expressed opportunity and facilitation within the company. This manual resulted in a large number of J&J staff, supply chain members, and doctors serving many different vulnerable groups within their community.Within the year of working on this project with J&J, 119 volunteers created 21 activities for the public to take part in. When numbers skyrocketed and over 1,000 citizens had benefited, J&J made the decision to create a fund of $20,000. For the first time, the fund created was to be allocated to support local grassroot, non-governmental organizations.With his experience in philanthropy, Jicheng Lyu sees very different ways in which both people and companies decide to donate. In some cases, proving to have a good heart is more important than actually accomplishing a good deed.Performance activism is enacted everywhere. When social capital becomes more important than the people who you stand to help, it no longer becomes charity. No company or person should wish to gain anything but delight and compassion when helping someone.Lyu describes it perfectly when he says: "such is human nature that people are willing to donate money as much as possible for the privilege of becoming a lifesaver in the eyes of the government." It is his hope that individuals as well as companies are able to see the difference between helping for the benefit of others and helping for purposes of self-gratification.Through seeing the selfless actions of others, will sponsors be able to make altruistic decisions in the future? Jicheng Lyu hopes so and plans to have a positive effect on those who wish to do good for the benefit of others.Media contactSINIC FoundationJicheng Lyuhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/jichenglyu/Source: SINIC FoundationCopyright 2021 ACN Newswire . All rights reserved.
Source: Xinhua| 2021-03-22 22:07:40|Editor: huaxia

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NAIROBI, March 22 (Xinhua) -- Kenya plans to undertake a number of legal and policy reforms in order to boost the country's water security, a senior government official said on Monday.

Sicily Kariuki, cabinet secretary, Ministry of Water, Sanitation and Irrigation said in a statement issued in Nairobi the annual water per capita is less than 500 cubic meters, making Kenya a severe water stress nation, according to the United Nations (UN) global scale on water security which stipulates a minimum of 1,000 cubic meters per person per year.

"To address this situation, the government is undertaking major water, sanitation and irrigation projects, including policy governance and legal interventions to increase water storage and improve sanitation and food security in the country," said Kariuki as Kenya joined the rest of the world to celebrate the 28th edition of the World Water Day.

This is an annual United Nations observance that advocates for sustainable management and development of freshwater resources.

Kariuki said that the current level of water access in Kenya is estimated at a national average of 64 percent for water and 26 percent for sanitation in urban areas.

The ministry said that it targets to achieve 80 percent access to safe water and 40 percent for sanitation services by the end of 2022.

Kariuki added that Kenya will also increase the area under irrigation to 700,000 hectares from the current 510,000 hectares by the end of next year.

She said that as the country endeavors to boost access to clean and safe water in adequate quantities, there is a need to recognize that water resources in Kenya are not evenly distributed.

"Inter-basin transfer of water is therefore very important, and it can be achieved through effective public participation and prudent sharing of water resources to equally benefit all while addressing conflicts that inevitably arise from competing users," she revealed. Enditem
Although primarily focussed on Telugu films so far, Rana has also made significant impact in Hindi and Tamil film industries from early on in his career. Grandson of Dadasaheb Phalke Award-recipient late producer D. Ramanaidu, he firmly believes the art of cinema ultimately unites across languages.

"It is always the audience. They always want new stuff. When you buy a ticket and get into the theatre, you don't really care where the filmmaker is coming from. You just care about the film. I think the internet and the press has also broken language barriers in a big way. The audience won't care whether "Avengers" is in Hindi, in Telugu films or in any other language," he tells IANS.

The actor adds: "I know a little bit for history because of my grandfather. There was a time when all films, be it Hindi, Telugu or Tamil, were shot out of Chennai. The industries there never had a difference except for talent changing. There was not much difference. Art really unites. Whether you are a director or an actor, you don't really have a language for this craft. It's ultimately the art of filmmaking."

Rana's role as the antagonist Bhallal Dev in the "Baahubali" franchise was lauded all over. While many remember him as the beefed-up ruthless king from the "Baahubali" films, Rana will soon be seen playing Bandev in "Haathi Mere Saathi". Bandev is a man who lives in the jungle and has dedicated his life to protecting the eco-system.

"Haathi Mere Saathi" releases as "Kaadan" in Tamil and "Aranya" in Telugu. Talking about the Prabu Solomon directorial, the actor says he underwent drastic transformation physically and psychologically to play the character, who is cut off from regular human interaction.

"When this film was offered to me, I had just done 'Baahubali'. Prabu was very clear that is not how a jungle man looks (refers to his Bhallal Dev physique). From shedding weight to growing beard, I kept doing that for three to four months. Then for the next 10 to 15 days we spend time on sets, defining how Bandev was and how he behaved," says Rana.

"We started creating grammar for him, which was very different from what society would have. He didn't speak to people for a long time. He is a very knowledgeable man but when you have disconnect with people you behave differently. Prabu detailed that out for me. The first schedule I shot was only with the animals in the wild. So, it took me almost 20 to 25 days to get into the mode. So, that really defined and designed who I was and how I looked in the film," he sums up.

For more stories click here: Kollywood l Malayalam l Bollywood l Telugu
Dr. Harsh Vardhan inaugurates various facilities at PGIMER, Chandigarh

Dr. Harsh Vardhan, Union Minister of Health and Family Welfare inaugurated various facilities at Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education & Research (PGIMER), Chandigarh.

The Minister inaugurated National Resource Centre for Oral Health Care of Children & Elderly (OHSC-PGIMER), Advanced PET CT Facility, Advanced Vascular Interventional Lab, 384 Slice Dual Source CT Scan and Refractive Surgery Suite (SMILE) facilities at various departments in the institute.

Speaking on the occasion, Dr. Harsh Vardhan said PGIMER is one of the premier medical Institutes of India, providing specialized medical services to all the five northern states of the country. He congratulated medical professionals and the scientific community for rising to the challenge and diligently fighting Covid-19 and also bringing out a vaccine in such a short time. The Minister said that PGI should create a successful model for the world to move towards' Health for All' and it should mentor other institutions.

The Union Minister also said that PGI should develop a new journey, new vision for the scientific community. This would make the institution to become bigger.

Talking about the OHSC-PGIMER, he said that the sole purpose of this Resource Centre is to embark upon a model of oral health care delivery to children and the elderly in Chandigarh and thereafter support the National Oral Health Program in replicating this model across the nation.

Dr. Harsh Vardhan said the newly installed state-of-the-art robotic arm-assisted PET/CT guided intervention device at Advance PET-CT Facility provides real-time 3D visualization of lesions for biopsies; less needle manipulations, repeat punctures and repeat scans during complex procedures. Regarding the Advanced Vascular Intervention Lab, the minister informed that Cath lab in PGIMER is the first of its kind with hi-tech artificial intelligence software transforming the management of stroke patients.

The Minister said that PGI has acquired 384 Slice, Dual Source which is one of the world's most powerful and fastest state-of-the-art C.T. Scan Machine. This will be extremely beneficial to patients who are critically ill, trauma cases, or children who have difficulty in breath-holding.

The Minister further said that the recently procured state-of-the-art femto-second laser VISUMAX for removal of glasses through SMILE (Small Incision Lenticular Extraction) procedure ensures minimum side effects and best visual outcome for the patients with glasses.
Former senior police officer Jim Gamble has clashed with Line of Duty creator Jed Mercurio over the programme's treatment of a character with Down's Syndrome.

The show returned for its long-awaited sixth series on Sunday evening and featured an appearance by the character Terry Boyle, played by Tommy Jessop.

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The character first appeared during the show's first series, portrayed by actor Elliot Rosen, when a body was stored in his charater's freezer by an organised crime group. Jessop took over the role in series five.

During last night's premiere Terry was identified as a suspect the death of journalist Gail Vella, which is being investigated by AC-12.

Enniskillen actor Adrian Dunbar's character Ted Hastings remarked that another suspect - Carl Banks - was "much more likely to be the gunman than the local oddball, thats for sure".

Mr Gamble and a number of other people criticised the remark, noting that it also fell on World Down Syndrome Day.

However, others pointed it it was fitting the show featured an actor with Down's Syndrome.

Former RUC and PSNI officer Mr Gamble wrote on Twitter "especially on the day that it is but also on any day, the script writer of Line of Duty needs to reflect on the line referring to a suspect with special needs being referred to as the local odd ball".

Especially on the day that it is but also on any day, the script writer of #LineOfDuty needs to reflect on the line referring to a suspect with special needs being referred to as the local odd ball.  Jim Gamble (@JimGamble_INEQE) March 21, 2021

Mr Mercurio responded to the criticism, highlighting the case of Barry George, wrongly convicted of killing television presenter Jill Dando, who said he felt police considered him to be a "local oddball".

Firing back Mr Gamble said that Mr Mercurio was "wrong on this and would be best just to admit that". He pointed out that in the show it was an officer speaking about a suspect, not a suspect speaking about themselves.

"If you want your lead to be seen as crass and offensive this is the way to go. Youd an appropriate adult in the interview for a reason," the now internet security expert said.

The debate continued with Mr Mercurio saying the term oddball "has no connotation for learning difficulties. It describes a loner, an eccentric".

Mr Gamble advised the writer and director to speak those involved in policing vulnerable people, while Mr Mercurio said the show worked with numerous police advisers and that some officers would say "much, much worse".

The Line of Duty creator said his show portrayed "policing with some of its failings", but Mr Gamble said the line "was foolish to say the least and shows an utter lack of understanding".

Mr Mercurio then ended the conversation and referred to recent events, saying "Ok, Jim, you keep up your rose-tinted view of policing. The events of the last week was clearly just a mass delusion. Bye".

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Former Coronation Street actor Charlie Lawson also entered the debate, defending the programme.

The Enniskillen man, a close friend of Mr Dunbar, said "writing must be totally real with no rules applied" and compared it to censoring offensive language in the Shakespearean play 'Othello' or film 'Mississippi Burning'.

Mr Gamble said the points raised by Mr Lawson were "totally different" and that while Line Of Duty is a "good show, but it's not Othello".

"We cant subject writing to our own principles and views and beliefs. If the drama is good, etc. Weve all had to watch great portrayals of people we hate," Mr Lawson said.
India is racing to contain a second wave of the coronavirus, but its vaccination campaign is running into doubters like Akbar Mohamed Patel.

A resident of Mumbais densely populated slum area of Dharavi, Patel survived a severe bout of the coronavirus in May. The first wave prompted Mumbai officials to seal off his housing complex, confining thousands of people for nearly two months.

Still, the current campaign has been marred by a slow initial government rollout as well as skepticism and apathy from people like Patel and his neighbors. On social media we come to know this is all a big game to make money, Patel said. Of the vaccine, he said, many things have been hidden.

The coronavirus, once seemingly in retreat, is again rippling across India. Confirmed infections have risen to about 31,600 daily from a low of about 9,800 in February. In a recent two-week period, deaths shot up 82%.

Read: Maharashtra reports over 30,000 new Covid-19 cases

The outbreak is centered on the state of Maharashtra, home to Mumbai, the countrys financial hub. Entire districts of the state have gone back into lockdown. Scientists are investigating whether a new strain found there is more virulent, like variants found in Britain, South Africa and Brazil.

Officials are under pressure from Prime Minister Narendra Modi to aggressively ramp up testing and vaccination, especially in Mumbai, to avoid disruptions like last years dramatic nationwide lockdown and resulting economic recession.

I am very categorical that we should stop it, contain it, just here, said Dr. Rahul Pandit, a critical care physician at a private hospital in Mumbai and a member of the Maharashtra Covid-19 task force.

Indias vaccination campaign could have global consequences.

Read: Karnataka's second wave of Covid-19 has begun, says Sudhakar

Last week, Prime Minister Boris Johnson said that an expected drop in Britains Covid-19 vaccine supplies stemmed from a nearly monthlong delay in delivery of 5 million doses of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine being manufactured in India. The reasons for the delay are not clear, but the manufacturer, Serum Institute of India, has said shipments will depend in part on domestic Indian needs.

India is a crucial link in the vaccination supply chain. Amid hoarding by the United States and other wealthy countries, India has given away or sold tens of millions of doses to other countries, even as it struggles to vaccinate its own people. Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, the foreign minister, has said that the availability of vaccines in India will determine how many doses go overseas.

While vaccinations were initially available only in public hospitals, India is now giving jabs in private clinics and enormous makeshift vaccination centers, and it is considering making them available in pharmacies, too. Vaccination hours have been extended, and those eligible can register in person and receive a shot the same day, bypassing an online scheduling system.

The Indian government is playing catch-up. Since it launched a nationwide vaccination drive two months ago, uptake has been disappointing. Less than 3% of the population has received a jab, including about half of health care workers. At the current rate, it will take India about a decade to vaccinate 70% of its people, according to one estimate. By comparison, roughly one-quarter of the population of the United States has had at least one jab.

Read: Health Ministry flags Kumbh Mela as potential Covid-19 superspreader event

Not everybody in India has the internet access needed to register for a shot online. But the campaign has also been plagued by public skepticism. The government approved a domestically developed vaccine, called Covaxin, before its safety and efficacy trials were even over, though preliminary findings since then have suggested it works.

The other jab available in India is the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine, which was suspended in some countries after a number of patients reported blood clots and strokes, though scientists have not found a link between the shots and the afflictions.

Some of the tepid response may come down to apathy. A nationwide study released in February found that 1 in 5 Indian people were likely to have already had Covid-19. Surveys in cities show even higher prevalence rates. The disease is just one among many that people in India worry about, joining tuberculosis, dengue fever and bird flu. Many people are struggling to recover from the huge financial hit of Indias lockdown last year and cannot afford to take time off work to stand in line for a shot.

These are hand-to-mouth people. Bread, butter depends on their daily work. They cant sit back and relax and wait for the wave to go, said Kiran Dighavkar, assistant commissioner of the Mumbai ward that includes Dharavi. They cant afford quarantine, so the only option is to vaccinate these people as early as possible.

Health experts are prodding Modi to do more, including making the vaccine available to more people. Older adults, health care and front-line workers, and some people with medical conditions are currently eligible for shots.

Read: Five states account for over 83% of new Covid-19 cases: Govt

I would try to put the injection in the arm of every Indian that is 18 years and above, and I would do it now, said Dr. N.K. Ganguly, president of a medical research institute in New Delhi.

Persuading the 800,000 residents of Dharavi, Asias largest slum, to get vaccinated is seen as critical. Residents travel for work to every corner of the city of 20 million. Officials are reintroducing what earlier in the pandemic they called the Dharavi model: If the disease can be contained there, transmission can be curbed citywide and even further afield.

It will not be easy, even though just 3 miles away, a jumbo vaccination center is administering about 15,000 shots a day, free of charge.

Day and night, Dharavi is teeming with life. People overflow from thin, corrugated metal houses, stacked on top of each other like matchboxes, onto crowded, mostly unpaved lanes strung with loose electrical wire. Animals skitter between parked motorcycles and piles of debris. Shops, tanneries and factories are squeezed next to houses of worship and community toilets.

We have been OK all this while, Abdul Razad Rakim, a 61-year-old diabetic, said from a foldout chair in front of the tiny apartment he shares with his wife, Shamim. Why do we have to go?

A short walk away, Janabai Shinde, a former janitor for the city health department, was squatting on her front step, rising every few minutes to spit red tobacco juice into a drain.

I take walks in this lane. I sit here for fresh air. I have not stepped out much since the lockdown, Shinde said. Her son, who works for the city, has already registered her for a turn at a vaccination center. She said she hoped her neighbors would join her.

Its for our good, she said.

The Mumbai government has enlisted aid groups to set up help desks in Dharavi, where residents can ask questions and complete online registration to make an appointment for a free shot.

Plans are underway to set up a vaccination center within the confines of the slum and to reopen an institutional quarantine center with thousands of beds, according to Dighavkar, the assistant commissioner.

Last week, as Maharashtra recorded its highest new case numbers since September, the chief executive of a disaster relief group delivered a pep talk at Gold Filled Heights, an apartment complex largely occupied by members of the Jain religious group, who run many of the jewelry businesses in Dharavi.

We cant let the virus spread again, said the chief executive, Shantilal Muttha. If it spreads in Dharavi, it becomes a threat for the entire Mumbai and Maharashtra.
RTHK: Canberra debates motion on 'rights abuses' in China

Australia's parliament debated on Monday a motion to condemn "systematic breaches" of human rights by China, saying other legislatures had described as genocide its actions towards Uighurs in the far western region of Xinjiang.

Parliaments in Canada and the Netherlands drew rebukes from Beijing after they passed non-binding motions in February that said the treatment of China's Uighur Muslim minority constituted genocide.

"The most egregious, systematic abuse of human rights in the world is occurring in Xinjiang," said Kevin Andrews, a lawmaker of Australia's ruling Liberal party, moving a private member's motion that drew support from members of all major parties.

The Chinese embassy did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

China denies any human rights abuses in Xinjiang.

Andrews cited large-scale internment camps and accusations of forced labour among the reasons for the condemnation from the Dutch and Canadian parliaments, as well as Britain's upper house and US Secretaries of State Mike Pompeo and Antony Blinken.

Many have said, or questioned if, the ruling Chinese Communist Party's programme contravened the United Nations' genocide convention of 1948, he added.

Andrews' motion urges Australia to enforce laws against modern slavery and identify supply chains that use forced labour.

It was not immediately clear when it would be put to a vote.

A Labor MP said many of the 3,000 Uighurs in Australia lived in her electorate, and were desperate and anxious.

"Most Australian Uighurs know someone who has disappeared or not been heard of for many years," Anne Stanley, who represents Werriwa in western Sydney, told parliament.

"Those here don't know whether they are alive or dead."

China initially denied the camps existed, but has since said they are vocational centers and are designed to combat extremism.

Late in 2019, it said all people in the camps had "graduated". (Reuters)

This story has been published on: 2021-03-22. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
What you need to know about Pa.'s UC system going offline Thursday
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Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty ImagesBy ROSA SANCHEZ, ABC News

(WASHINGTON) -- Rep. Tom Reed, R-N.Y., on Sunday apologized to the woman who accused him of sexual misconduct last week and said that he will not seek to get elected for any office once his term ends.



Nicolette Davis, who is currently an Army officer but was working as a lobbyist at the time of the alleged incident in 2017, accused Reed of rubbing her back and unhooking her bra without consent during a networking trip that year. The allegations were published by the Washington Post Friday.



Reed initially told the publication, "This account of my actions is not accurate," but in another statement, published on Twitter Sunday, he apologized.



"First, I apologize to Nicolette Davis. Even though I am only hearing of this matter as stated by Ms. Davis in the article now, I hear her voice and will not dismiss her. In reflection, my personal depiction of this event is irrelevant," he wrote.



"Simply put, my behavior caused her pain, showed her disrespect and was unprofessional. I was wrong, I am sorry, and I take full responsibility," he added.

He also apologized to his wife, kids, family members, colleagues, supporters and "the people of the 23rd District" who were affected by his actions.



He said the incident occurred when he was struggling with alcoholism, and he has been recovering from his addiction for four years.



Reed -- who said this February that he was considering running for New York governor against Andrew Cuomo -- also announced Sunday that he will not run for any elected office in 2022 and will be retiring from public service entirely on Jan. 2, 2023.

Copyright  2021, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.
Craig Murray, who served as the UKs ambassador to Uzbekistan, was charged last April over articles he published online that would allegedly allow readers to learn the identity of complainants in the former First Ministers case by means of jigsaw identification'

A former British diplomat has instructed his lawyers to begin preparations for an appeal as he believes has been found guilty of contempt of court over blog posts he published during Alex Salmonds sexual assault trial last year.

Craig Murray, who served as the UKs ambassador to Uzbekistan, was charged last April over articles he published online that would allegedly allow readers to learn the identity of complainants in the former First Ministers case by means of jigsaw identification.

Mr Murray, who is expected to stand as a candidate for Action for Independence (AFI) on the Lothians list in Mays Holyrood election, is also accused of publishing material that risked causing substantial prejudice to Mr Salmonds trial, held in March last year, at which the former SNP leader was cleared of all 13 sex assault charges.

He faced a virtual hearing in January, where he denied any wrongdoing, and it is understood that a session for judgment will be held at the High Court in Edinburgh on Thursday.

In an article shared on Mr Murrays Twitter page, sources close to Mr Murray have indicated that he was advised by court staff and his legal team that if he won the case, the judgment would simply be published.

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However, it is understood that if he lost the case - and particularly if a custodial sentence was probable - then there would be a new hearing of the court, which it is believed has now been called.

If convicted, Mr Murray could face up to two years in jail and an unlimited fine. If sentenced to a year or more in jail, he will also be disqualified from standing as a Holyrood candidate.

At Mr Salmonds trial, orders were passed which prevented the media from reporting on information that could lead to the identity of complainers - a common occurrence in hearings concerning alleged offences of a sexual nature.

An ambassador between 2002 and 2004, Mr Murray has been vocal in his belief that Mr Salmond was the victim of a conspiracy. A supporter of Scottish independence, he also stood for the position of SNP President at the partys conference in November and received 20 per cent of votes in a three-way contest.

His defence, led by John Scott QC, argued that Murray had known the identity of all the complainants for months and had taken care not to give them away.

Writing on his blog, Mr Murray said he expects he may have to spend some time as a political prisoner.
Fields on the edge of Tollymore Forest park at the foot of the Mourne mountains (Brian Lawless/PA)

A bid to introduce climate change legislation in Northern Ireland has commenced its legislative journey at the Stormont Assembly.

Green Party NI leader Clare Bailey tabled the Private Members Bill that proposes that Northern Ireland commit to achieving net zero carbon emissions by 2045.

The Bill, which also envisages to the establishment of a Northern Ireland Climate Office, is supported by Sinn Fein, the SDLP, UUP, Alliance Party, People Before Profit and a number of independent MLAs.

It was developed by the Climate Coalition NI, which is made up of a range of scientists, academics, lawyers and environmental organisations.

Northern Ireland is the only part of the UK without a climate change act.

The DUP has not signed up to support the Private Members Bill.

DUP Environment Minister Edwin Poots is developing his own climate change legislation.

Proposals put out for public consultation at the end of last year contain less ambitious carbon reduction targets.

The first stage of the passage of Ms Baileys Bill was procedural and did not involve a debate on the proposed legislation.

That will happen at its second stage.

If the Bill is backed by a majority of MLAs at that stage it will be referred to an Assembly committee for scrutiny.

Ms Bailey said: Climate breakdown is the defining issue of our time and something that successive Northern Ireland governments and administrations have failed to get to grips with.

Todays first stage reading is an important step in creating the framework for the just transition to a low carbon economy which leaves no citizen behind.

By Elvira Pollina

MILAN (Reuters) - Amazon workers in Italy went on a 24-hour strike on Monday in the first such action by the U.S. company's entire logistics operation in the country, including third-party delivery service providers.

Trade unions estimate Amazon's delivery systems rely on 40,000 workers in Italy including staff at its logistics arm, which employs most of Amazon's 9,500 long-term staff in the country.

Italy's FILT-CGIL, FIT-CISL and Uiltrasporti unions called the 24-hour strike after failing to reach common ground at two meetings in January with Amazon and the collapse of negotiations with employers association Assoespressi, which represents delivery firms.

Marco Odone of Uiltrasporti said protests were widespread across Amazon sites and preliminary estimates found 70% to 75% of workers did not report to their jobs.

A spokeswoman for Amazon, which has over 40 logistics centres in Italy, said fewer than 10% of its employees and around 20% of third-party workers had joined the strike.

"We're not asking for pay rises right now, but for a more humane working schedule," FIT-CISL Secretary Generale Salvatore Pellecchia told Reuters.

The Italian protest comes after an e-commerce surge, with goods sold online in 2020 rising by a record 31% to 23.4 billion euros, data from Milan's Politecnico University shows.

"Sometime you can't find parking or people aren't home, to make sure you meet your schedule, you drive fast risking fines or worse," Bruno Gambardella, who has worked since 2017 for an Amazon supplier, said.

Mariangela Marseglia, country manager for Amazon in Italy, said in a letter to customers that the company put workers first, whether its own or contractors, and offered a safe and inclusive work environment, competitive pay as well as benefits.

Unions had called on Amazon to enter talks regarding workers for the company's contractors, but the company refused.

Story continues

Workers at Amazon's fulfilment centre in Bessemer, Alabama, are voting on whether to become the first unionized Amazon facility in the United States

Last week, Amazon said it would invest 120 million euros ($143 million) in a new distribution centre near the northern city of Bergamo, hiring 900 staff with a permanent contract within three years.

Amazon, whose turnover in Italy was 4.5 billion euros in 2019, has invested 5.8 billion euros in the country since 2010.

"We don't want to stop Amazon's growth in Italy, we just want to make it more sustainable for workers," Odone said.

($1 = 0.8384 euros)

(Reporting by Elvira Pollina; Writing by Valentina Za; Editing by Alexander Smith and Cynthia Osterman)
California stepped up its take on racial issues as the state adopts ethnic studies in its curriculum. The California State Board of Education has approved the ethnic studies that will be implemented statewide and will be included in the high school curriculum of their students.

Highlighting the importance of teaching discrimination and oppression, the curriculum was approved by board members with unanimous votes of 11-0, according to an Associated Press report. The board members are hoping that their movement will become the basis of other states to follow.

ALSO READ: Latino Leaders Acknowledge Racism Exists Within their Ranks

Ethnic Studies in California

Ethnic Studies that will be included in the high school curriculum had three years, three public vetting periods, and 10,000 comments in the making before it was approved to be adopted, according to an EdSource report.

Events like white supremacy, police killing Blacks, and violent attacks on Asian Americans have highlighted the need for ethnic studies courses. The draft document of the course also noted that ethnic studies would "address the causes of racism and other forms of bigotry," which can be found within the American culture and government policies.

"We are reminded daily that racism is not only a legacy of the past," said Linda Darling-Hammond, Board of Direction President. Darling-Hammond also noted that people must understand the history of racism is sought to be ended. Darling-Hammond also led President Joe Biden's education transition team.

The Department of Education Officials in California noted that the course would be the first statewide ethnic studies model curriculum in the United States.

"We need to learn the authentic history of what is going on in our country," said Lori Meyers, a first-grade teacher. Meyers emphasized that understanding each other is essential and that authentic history is not being taught at the moment.

It can be remembered that the California Education Department also proposed a curriculum that includes chanting of the Aztec God's name. The proposal is also aiming to build unity among students and eliminate racial discrimination.

The California Department of Education and the Instructional Quality Commission might have a chance to better refine what and how ethnic studies should have been taught to schools if they were given more time.

California Ethnic Studies Inclusion

The ethnic studies model curriculum has 900 pages and has garnered critics and revisions. The said course will tackle the struggles and contributions of "historically marginalized people" who are not usually taught or mentioned in the history courses existing in the United States. The model focused on four groups such as African American, Latinos, Asian Americans, and Native Americans.

The Preface of the Model Curriculum from the California Department of Education noted that the model curriculum was written to encompass information regarding the foundational disciplines in ethnic studies. In addition, the model will allow local educational agencies to be flexible and adapt the curriculum to the demographics and diversity of the classroom. Moreover, the course material is composed of 33 lesson plans.

RELATED ARTICLE: Ways to Reject Racism Without Resorting to Violence

WATCH: California adopts ethnic studies curriculum for schools - from KCRA News


The Serbian national carrier plans to reintroduce six destinations to its network in April, although this is subject to change due to ongoing travel restrictions and entry requirements. The Serbian airline expects to reinstate services from Belgrade to Brussels, Bucharest, Prague, Thessaloniki, Sofia and Tel Aviv next month, albeit with reduced frequencies. Operations between Belgrade and Brussels are set to be restored on April 1 and will run just once per week, while services to the remaining five cities are expected to resume on April 12. With exception to Bucharest, Sofia and Prague, which were served for a limited time over the Christmas and New Year period, flights to Thessaloniki have been suspended since November, while Tel Aviv was last operated a year ago. The Serbian national carrier plans to reintroduce six destinations to its network in April, although this is subject to change due to ongoing travel restrictions and entry requirements. The Serbian airline expects to reinstate services from Belgrade to Brussels, Bucharest, Prague, Thessaloniki, Sofia and Tel Aviv next month, albeit with reduced frequencies. Operations between Belgrade and Brussels are set to be restored on April 1 and will run just once per week, while services to the remaining five cities are expected to resume on April 12. With exception to Bucharest, Sofia and Prague, which were served for a limited time over the Christmas and New Year period, flights to Thessaloniki have been suspended since November, while Tel Aviv was last operated a year ago.





Based on its existing schedule, Air Serbia will run four weekly flights to Bucharest, three weekly to Sofia and Thessaloniki, two weekly to Tel Aviv and Prague and one weekly to Brussels. Towards the end of the month, the Serbian carrier will increase frequencies to Paris, from seven to nine per week, while it is expected to also boost its Moscow operations from three to four per week. In April, Air Serbia will begin trialling the IATA digital passport on services between Belgrade and Zurich, while the airlines newly acquired Airbus A330-200 aircraft, featuring a new business class product, is also expected to enter service, replacing its existing jet of the same type.





Due to current restriction resulting from the coronavirus pandemic, Air Serbia has enabled its passengers to change the dates of their tickets until the end of the year free of charge for an unlimited number of times. This will be available to all who purchase their tickets by December 31, 2021. The promotional campaign includes all destinations in airlines network, with exception to New York, for travel up to December 31. The situation is still very prone to change regarding travel restrictions, which is why flexibility is one of the key elements when booking a flight. Putting the needs of our passengers first, we have decided to extend this campaign and enable them to approach travel planning in a more relaxed way during the upcoming season as well. Additionally, in the coming period, we will begin testing the IATA Travel Pass, a mobile app which will help passengers organise their travels simply and safely in accordance with the regulations of countries pertaining to Covid-19 testing or vaccination, Jiri Marek, Air Serbias General Manager for Commercial and Strategy, said.












Greeces health minister is requisitioning the services of private sector doctors from certain specialities in the wider Athens region to help fight a renewed surge in coronavirus infections that is straining hospitals to their limits.

Vassilis Kikilias said on Monday that, despite repeated appeals to private sector doctors to volunteer to help in the public sector, very few have come forward.

Therefore, he said, he is ordering those from pathology, pneumonology and general medicine to help.

The requisition order is for one month for 206 doctors, health authorities said.

Greece has been experiencing a renewed surge of Covid-19 despite lockdown-related measures being in force since early November, with dozens of daily deaths recorded, as well as increasing numbers of patients in intensive care units.

About 500 people are admitted to hospital each day across the country with coronavirus, health authorities say, 200 of those in the wider Athens region.

On Sunday, Greece announced 1,514 new Covid-19 cases and 41 new daily deaths, taking the total confirmed cases since the start of the pandemic to 237,125, with 7,462 deaths in the country that has a population of around 11 million.

Despite the surging numbers, authorities have announced a slight relaxation of lockdown measures, with hairdressers, nail salons and open-air archaeological sites reopening as of Monday morning.

Amateur fishing, which had also been banned, is also being allowed for those living in coastal areas, as access to the sea is allowed only on foot or by bicycle.
FRANKFORT CENTER, N.Y. ---A Frankfort-Center man is lucky to be in good health after being rescued from a ravine near his home in Frankfort Center.

On Sunday fire crews were called to Center Road for reports of a man being stuck in a Ravine about 200 yards off of the roadway. Using his cellphone, the man was able to call 911.

Because of the man's location, crews divided up into two groups to try and get to the man from different sides of the ravine. Frankfort-Center Fire Chief Fred Distefano said the ravine was about 100 feet deep. Ilion Fire Department's Technical Rescue team was then called to the scene as well as New York State fire to help.

Fire crews were able to continue talking to the man over the phone, guiding them to his location. Once crews located the man, Distefano said crews were able to rappel down to him and lift him out of the ravine using a harness.

Distefano said the man was in the water in the ravine for about two hours, but was able to walk himself to a nearby ambulance for treatment once rescued.

He was taken to the hospital with minor injuries. It's unclear how the man ended up in the ravine.
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US Data Shows New Vaccine Effective for All Ages

By The Associated Press

LONDON - AstraZenecas COVID-19 vaccine provided strong protection against sickness and eliminated hospitalizations and deaths from the disease across all age groups in a late-stage study in the United States, the company announced Monday.

AstraZeneca said its experts did not identify any safety concerns related to the vaccine, including finding no increased risk of rare blood clots identified in Europe.

Although AstraZeneca's vaccine has been authorized in more than 50 countries, it has not yet been given the green light in the U.S.  and has struggled to gain public trust amid a troubled rollout. The study comprised more than 30,000 volunteers, of whom two-thirds were given the vaccine while the rest got dummy shots.

In a statement, AstraZeneca said its COVID-19 vaccine was 79% effective at preventing symptomatic COVID-19 and was 100% effective in stopping severe disease and hospitalization, though it has not yet published full data. Investigators said the vaccine worked across all ages, including older people  something experts wanted better data on. Two doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine were given to people four weeks apart.

These findings reconfirm previous results observed, said Ann Falsey, of the University of Rochester School of Medicine, who helped lead the trial. Its exciting to see similar efficacy results in people over 65 for the first time.

The AstraZeneca shot is a pillar of a U.N.-backed project known as COVAX that aims to get COVID-19 vaccines to poorer countries, and it has also become a key tool in European countries efforts to boost their sluggish vaccine rollouts.

Dr. Paul Hunter, a professor of medicine at the University of East Anglia, said the results were reassuring but that more details were needed to back up AstraZeneca's claim that the vaccine was completely effective at preventing severe disease and hospitalization.

It would be good to know how many severe cases occurred in the control group and so what the confidence intervals are for this 100% figure," said Hunter, who was not connected to the study. But this should add confidence that the vaccine is doing what it is most needed for.

The early findings from the U.S. study are just one set of information AstraZeneca must submit to the Food and Drug Administration. An FDA advisory committee will publicly debate the evidence behind the shots before the agency decides whether to allow emergency use of the vaccine. In the past, the time between a company revealing efficacy data and a shot being authorized in the U.S. has been about a month.

Stephen Evans, of the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, said the new data is important for two reasons: The findings will reassure the FDA, which is reluctant to rely on data obtained outside the United States, but they could also boost confidence more broadly in the shot.

The benefits of these results will mainly be for the rest of the world where confidence in the AZ (AstraZeneca) vaccine has been eroded, largely by political and media comment, he said.

Scientists had hoped the U.S. study would clear up some of the confusion about just how well the shots really work, particularly in older people. Previous research suggested the vaccine was effective in younger populations, but there was no solid data proving its efficacy in those over 65, often those most vulnerable to COVID-19.

Britain first authorized the vaccine based on partial results from testing in the United Kingdom, Brazil and South Africa 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 shot  an error the researchers didnt immediately acknowledge.

Then came more questions, about how well the vaccine protected older adults and how long to wait before the second dose. Some European countries including Germany, France and Belgium initially withheld the shot from older adults and only reversed their decisions after new data suggested it was offering seniors protection.

AstraZenecas vaccine development was rocky in the U.S., too. Last fall, the FDA suspended the companys study for an unusual six weeks, as frustrated regulators sought information about some neurologic complaints reported in Britain; ultimately, there was no evidence the vaccine was to blame.

Last week, more than a dozen countries, mostly in Europe, temporarily suspended their use of the AstraZeneca shot after reports it was linked to rare blood clots  even as international health agencies insisted the benefits of the vaccine outweighed the risks. On Thursday, the European Medicines Agency concluded after an investigation that the vaccine did not raise the overall risk of blood clots, but could not rule out that it was connected to two very rare types of clots. It recommended adding a warning about these cases to the vaccine's leaflet.

It's not unheard of for such rare problems to crop up as vaccines are rolled out since trials typically look at tens of thousands of people, and some issues are only seen once the shot is used in millions of people.

France, Germany, Italy and other countries subsequently resumed their use of the shot on Friday, with senior politicians rolling up their sleeves to show the vaccine was safe.

AstraZeneca said it would continue to analyze the U.S. data before submitting it to the FDA in the coming weeks. It said the data would also soon be published in a peer-reviewed journal.

The AstraZeneca shot is what scientists call a viral vector vaccine. The shots are made with a harmless virus, a cold virus that normally infects chimpanzees. It acts like a Trojan horse to carry the coronavirus's spike proteins genetic material into the body that in turn produces some harmless protein. That primes the immune system to fight if the real virus comes along.

Two other companies, Johnson & Johnson and Chinas CanSino Biologics, make COVID-19 vaccines using the same technology but using different cold viruses.
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP)  Tennessee's Republican-led Statehouse gave final legislative approval Monday to a measure to ban transgender athletes from participating in girls sports, a measure many critics warn would likely result in costly legal challenges and be harmful to transgender youth.

House lawmakers voted 71-16 for the bill after little debate. The measure now goes to Republican Gov. Bill Lee's desk. Lee has not explicitly promised he would sign the bill, but has said transgender athletes would destroy womens sports and remarked that transgender athletes would put a glass ceiling back over women that hasnt been there in some time.

Republicans in at least 20 state legislatures have been pushing for similar bans this year. Arkansas lawmakers also sent a similar prohibition to GOP Gov. Asa Hutchinson earlier Monday. Mississippis governor signed a prohibition into law earlier this month. In South Dakota, Gov. Kristi Noem has signaled support for such actions but has pushed to applying it to college sports.

According to Tennessee's bill, student athletes would be required to prove that their sex matches that listed on the students original birth certificate in order to participate in public school sports in middle and high schools. If a birth certificate is unavailable, then the parents must provide another form of evidence indicating the students sex at the time of birth.

Words do mean things. They are very important. This bill that I'm sponsoring maintains the competitive balance, the safety and the opportunity for scholarships and advancement for our female athletes, said GOP Rep. Scott Cepicky, who refused to stray from that response when questioned by Democrats.

None of the supporters of the Tennessee measure could cite a single instance of transgender girls or boys having caused problems. A review by The Associated Press found only a few instances in which it has been an issue among the hundreds of thousands of American teenagers who play high school sports.

Story continues

Backers of the bill argue that transgender girls, because they were identified as male at birth, naturally are stronger, faster and bigger than those identified as female at birth and therefore have an unfair advantage in sports.

Opponents counter that such proposals violate Title IX of federal education law prohibiting sex discrimination, as well as rulings by the U.S. Supreme Court and 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. Furthermore, others point to an executive order signed by Democratic President Joe Biden that prohibited discrimination based on gender identity in school sports and elsewhere.

To date, only Idaho has successfully enacted such legislation. However, it's never been implemented after it was blocked by a federal judge amid a lawsuit making its way in court.

"This is about discrimination, plain and simple. This is not about fairness said Rep. John Ray Clemmons, a Democrat from Nashville.

The American Civil Liberties Union of Tennessee swiftly decried the bill as shameful" after House passage, arguing that transgender girls do not threaten womens sports.

We urge Gov. Lee to reverse course and veto this bill or - should any transgender student be excluded because of this new law - we will see him in court, said Executive Director Hedy Weinberg.
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DAKAR (Reuters) - China donated 400,000 doses of the COVID-19 vaccine developed by Sinopharm to Niger on Sunday, the first vaccines the West African nation has received, Niger's presidency said.

Vaccinations have been slow to get started in many African countries, which are primarily relying on free vaccines from COVAX, a programme backed by the World Health Organization and other international organisations.

China has donated vaccines to several other African countries as it aims to cultivate goodwill through so-called vaccine diplomacy.

Niger President Mahamadou Issoufou received the vaccines at a ceremony in the capital Niamey that was also attended by the Chinese ambassador.

"Starting next Saturday, March 27, 2021, we are going to start to vaccinate the Nigerien population with this vaccine," Issoufou said.

Niger has reported 4,911 infections and 185 coronavirus-related deaths.

(Reporting by Bate Felix; Writing by Aaron Ross; Editing by Daniel Wallis)
In Ukraine, among the cases of coronavirus (COVID-19) disease, the largest proportion is people over the age of 50, Deputy Minister of Health, Chief State Sanitary Doctor Viktor Liashko told Interfax-Ukraine on Monday.

"The elderly are still in the red zone of risk. Most of the sick people are in the age groups of 50-59 years, as well as 60 years and older," he said.

Liashko said that in Ukraine the structure of the incidence by age has practically not changed since 2020.

"Recently, there was a lot of information that young people began to get sick more frequently, in contrast to 2020, when people aged 60 and over were mostly sick. We analyzed the monthly age proportion of patients from August 2020 to March 2021. The same analysis was made by the age proportion of deaths diagnosed with coronavirus disease. And we saw that in Ukraine the structure of the incidence by age has hardly changed," he said.

The deputy minister said that over the past three months, there has been an increase in the incidence in the age group of 60 and over, this group is also the most critical course of the disease.

"Some 75-80% of all deaths are registered in this age group. That is why this group is a priority for vaccination, and their vaccination will begin immediately after the doctors," he said.

According to Liashko, The Lancet journal published data that the likelihood of re-infection with COVID-19 is higher in the age group of 65 and older, in 47.1% of cases the suffered disease protected from re-infection. At the same time, for people under 65, this figure was 80.5%.

"Recently, the results of the third phase of the clinical trial of the AZD1222 [AstraZeneca] vaccine, which was completed in the U.S., were also released. In the age group of 65 and older, the vaccine is 80% effective. Overall, the vaccine has been shown to be 79% effective against symptomatic COVID-19 and 100% against difficult course and hospitalization," he said.
Brattleboro, VT (05301)

Today

Rain showers this morning with isolated thunderstorms developing during the afternoon hours. High near 75F. Winds S at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 60%..

Tonight

Rain early...then remaining cloudy with showers overnight. Low 61F. Winds SSW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 70%.
Source: Xinhua| 2021-03-23 01:04:44|Editor: huaxia

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NOUAKCHOTT, March 22 (Xinhua) -- Mauritania and Qatar have decided to re-establish their diplomatic relations, the Mauritanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Cooperation and Mauritanians Abroad announced in a statement released on Sunday night.

"After intensive contacts during the last weeks and with the blessing of the brother Sultanate of Oman who should be thanked, the Islamic Republic of Mauritania and the State of Qatar have decided to resume the diplomatic relations", the Mauritanian ministry said in a press release.

According to the ministry, the head of Mauritanian diplomacy Ismail Ould Cheikh was received Sunday in Doha by his Qatari counterpart Sheikh Mohamed Ben Abderrahmane Al-Thani.

"The two ministers agreed, on the basis of the discussions which took place during two meetings, the resumption of diplomatic relations between the Islamic Republic of Mauritania and the State of Qatar and the opening of the two embassies as soon as possible," the Mauritanian ministry said.

In 2017, Mauritania severed diplomatic relations with Qatar. Enditem
A refund is not a match, commented Schabers attorney Rebekah Bailey of Nichols Kaster. The term match has a very specific meaning in the retirement investment space, and this was not it.

Deputy Sheriff Allison Schaber, represented by Nichols Kaster, PLLP, filed a class action lawsuit on behalf of Ramsey County employees on March 18th against Ramsey County, the Minnesota State Retirement System (MSRS), and the executive director of its board of directors. Schaber alleges Ramsey County failed to provide its employer-matching contribution to its employees retirement accounts under the Minnesota Deferred Compensation Plan, and that MSRS did not work on behalf of participating employees to correct the problem. This practice has gone on for years, according to Schaber, and it has resulted in under funding of employees retirement accounts.

As further explained in the Complaint, the Minnesota Deferred Compensation Plan allows participating employees to invest pretax compensation in an investment account for retirement. The Plan allows participating employers to match its employees contributions to the retirement accounts as a means of further encouraging savings. Ramsey Countys specific employment policies make clear that participating employees are entitled to a match, but the County does not send any match dollars to employees retirement accounts. Instead, according to the complaint, the County pays out the monies in employees paycheck and subjects it to income taxation and where it is unable to contribute to any growth to employees retirement accounts.

A refund is not a match, commented Schabers attorney Rebekah Bailey of Nichols Kaster. The term match has a very specific meaning in the retirement investment space, and this was not it. The failure to provide the promised match has caused compounding damage to participating employees retirement savings, resulting is millions in lost investment gains for current and former employees.

Employees of Ramsey County have complained about this practice for years to both the County and to MSRS, but neither has fixed the problem according to the complaint. Schaber brings her lawsuit as a class action and seeks to recover lost investment gains for all Ramsey County employees, current or former, who have participated in the Plan over the last six years.

The complaint alleges that Ramseys practices violated its employment contracts and breached the fiduciary duty it owed to employees. MSRS and its executive director also breached their fiduciary duties owed to Ramsey County employees because they did not intervene to effectuate the match. Schaber is represented by Rebekah L. Bailey, Anna P. Prakash, and Melanie Johnson. The case is Schaber v. Ramsey County, case number 62-CV-21-1228 and is filed in Minnesotas Second Judicial District Court.
Venus Flytraps Have Magnetic Fields Like the Human Brain Vice (original).

Tennessee man loses $1 million lottery ticket  but finds it again in parking lot NBC

Multi-CBDC arrangements and the future of cross-border payments (PDF) Bank of International Settlements. CBDC = Central Bank Digital Currency.

#COVID19

China?

Myanmar

Olympics Barring of Foreign Fans Seen Worth Economic Hit Bloomberg

Japan car makers scramble to assess impact of Renesas auto chip plant fire Channel News Asia

India

Secret India-Pakistan Peace Roadmap Brokered by Top UAE Royals Bloomberg

UK/EU

Syraqistan

Genocide. Brasilwire

New Cold War

RussiaGate

Biden Administration

Our Famously Free Press

Teenage Mistake My New Band Is. Teen Vogue idpol debacle. Project Veritas Wins Victory Against New York Times In Defamation Action Jonathan Turley. The unspeakable in pursuit of the uneatable.

Shifting attention to accuracy can reduce misinformation online Nature. Our results challenge the popular claim that people value partisanship over accuracy, and provide evidence for scalable attention-based interventions that social media platforms could easily implement to counter misinformation online. Certainly it would be better to do this than appoint a Reality Czar.

Public Records Access

Health Care

Black Injustice Tipping Point

Fighting systemic racism: 56 companies form global coalition to bring racial justice to the workplace World Economic Forum

Imperial Collapse Watch

Guillotine Watch

Already showered with awards & media adulation, Dr. Fauci scores a new honor: Childrens book proclaiming him AMERICAS DOCTOR RT (KW). Yves: I might have to claw out my eyeballs. Joseph Goebbels was weak, a mere patzer.

Class Warfare

Scientists want to build a doomsday vault on the moon CNN. Can we lock Elon Musk inside?

Antidote du jour (via):

Bonus antidote, the unreleasable bobcat:

This bobcat is not bright. I cannot overstate how not bright he is. An apex predator in his natural ecosystem, meant to patrol a range of multiple square miles and terrorize smaller wildlife, in captivity he has taken up sunbathing and eating vegetables. pic.twitter.com/s8NZZlBy2P  Yell in a War (@jelenawoehr) March 18, 2021

See yesterdays Links and Antidote du Jour here.
Senators ask if Einstein, CDM can combat advanced attacks

In an effort to protect the government from incidents like the SolarWinds attack, Sen. Gary Peters (D-Mich.), chairman of the Homeland Security and Government Affairs Committee, suggested the $6 billion Einstein program, should be scrutinized when it comes up for re-authorization in December 2022.

Brandon Wales, acting director of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security agency, defended the program during the March 18 hearing saying that Einstein has successfully protected against the threats it was designed to combat and that stopping the next attack would mean retaining elements of the intrusion detection program that remain valuable and supplementing it with new tools. Previously, Wales publicly acknowledged that Einstein was not designed to combat an incident such as SolarWinds.

"FireEye did not use an intrusion detection system to detect this threat and they could not. It just would not work that way We need to supplement what Einstein does looking at the perimeter of networks with what's happening inside the network," Wales said.

The acting CISA director recently told a House panel that his agency is actively looking at new tools for end-point detection as a way to stop a future supply chain attack.

Wales acknowledged certain weaknesses to Einstein such as an inability to monitor activity moving to and from the cloud as well as the general proliferation of cloud technology in the federal government.

Sen. Maggie Hassan (D-N.H.) asked Wales about the agency's implementation of the Continuous Diagnostics and Mitigation program, noting that some federal agencies have struggled to utilize the tools it provides.

Wales said most agencies have managed to deploy the tools and that CISA is working with those that still require assistance. He also noted that when CDM was created, agencies had visibility into individual devices in their networks, but CISA did not.

"I think we are now seeing that limitation that that poses on our ability to have a comprehensive understanding of the cyber risk picture of the dot-gov," he said. Wales also said he is hopeful the new administration will issue guidance soon that will help CISA posture itself to have "the right level of visibility" to defend federal networks.

Wales said CISA has provided federal agencies with detailed guidance on how to evict hostile actors from their networks as well as a forensic scanning tool to be deployed on any device that was running a compromised version of SolarWinds Orion.

This article was first posted to FCW, a sibling site to GCN.
Source: Xinhua| 2021-03-22 19:58:31|Editor: huaxia

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Ebogo Barbara, 57, mother of five, babysits her young granddaughter as she fetches water from a borehole in Ekie-South, a peri-urban neighbourhood in Cameroon's capital city Yaounde, March 19, 2021. (Photo by Jean Pierre Kepseu/Xinhua)

by Arison Tamfu

YAOUNDE, March 22 (Xinhua) -- In the shade of an imposing pear tree, over a dozen women and children gathered on a dusty road to fill buckets with water from a borehole in Ekie-South, a peri-urban neighborhood in Cameroon's capital city Yaounde.

Seventeen years ago, a group of Chinese engineers in collaboration with the Cameroon government came to the neighborhood and created a narrow, deep hole in the ground that started generating water, traditional leader of the community Alain Charles Mbida told Xinhua.

He said the borehole came as a big relief for the population that has been suffering from water shortage for decades, but it was not until the advent of COVID-19 last year that the residents understood how important water is to a healthy lifestyle.

Acutely aware of the dangers of the highly contagious virus that has infected over 42,000 people and killed more than 630 in Cameroon, residents of Ekie-South began taking pains to maintain good hygiene.

"Now we're using more water than we used to be. This borehole helps us a lot," Mbida said.

"We have been able to remain hygienic and in good health during COVID-19 thanks to this borehole," local resident Bengono Nkama Giovanni told Xinhua.

"I trekked for over one kilometer to fetch water here. The water is potable. We no longer buy water," said Agnes Ondoa, 42, mother of four.

"People come from everywhere to fetch water here," 57-year-old Ebogo Barbara told Xinhua. A mother of five, Barbara was babysitting her young granddaughter as she filled a bucket with water.

"We ensure that the surroundings of the borehole are neat, we avoid dirty buckets from coming here...we ask everyone to wash the buckets and wash hands before fetching the water," said Barbara.

Not a single person in Ekie-South has been infected by COVID-19 since the first case was detected in Cameroon in March 2020, she added.

But not every neighborhood in the Central African nation has been that lucky.

Dealing with the largest public health crisis in contemporary times, Cameroonian health authorities battling to stem a jump in novel coronavirus infections have made the phrase "Wash Your Hands" their mantra.

"But how and where?" said 25-year-old Jones Micheal, a resident of Damas neighborhood of Yaounde where the water crisis is rampant.

In most of Cameroon's urban areas, water has become a scarce resource in poor settlements. Yaounde, with a population of over three million, suffers a water supply-demand gap of 250,000 cubic meters daily, according to a study in 2018.

Without access to tap water, residents rely on wells, which usually dry up during the dry season. Others rely on rainfall. However, rainy seasons are shorter than they were 30 years ago, according to weather experts.

So dire is the situation that many people are now drinking water from unsafe sources.

Faced with water challenges, the COVID-19 pandemic has spurred the government to dispatch water tankers, drill boreholes, and repair taps in most localities.

The government has also equipped schools and hospitals with buckets that are regularly filled with water in a bid to allow school children and hospital staff, patients, and visitors to wash their hands at all times.

But as authorities scramble to boost immediate water supplies, experts and residents of thirsty slums and villages say the solutions must last long after the pandemic has passed.

"These (solutions) should be sustainable and cost-effective. As COVID-19 cases continue to surge, it is more critical than ever before to ensure that every Cameroonian has access to safe water and sanitation now and forever," Jude Jumbam, a researcher with a non-profit local water management NGO told Xinhua by phone.

"We need to use COVID-19 pandemic to look for both short-term and long-term water solutions," he added. Enditem
March 22 is the birthday of the iconic writer Louis LAmour, a man whose name became synonymous with the American frontier and whose novels promoted old-fashioned patriotism and morality. America sorely misses his kind.

LAmour was born in Jamestown, North Dakota, a farm town, in 1908. He was largely self-educated. As a youth, LAmour spent many hours at the town library studying history and science and imbibing the fiction of Robert Louis Stevenson, Jack London, and Edgar Rice Burroughs. This inculcated in him a love of reading. He read 100 to 120 books a year and accumulated a personal library of over 10,000 titles. This included not only Western lore and American fiction but classics from Dostoevsky to Nietzsche.

LAmour said that he wanted to write almost from the time I could talk. Starting in the 1930s he began writing poetry, then frontier and adventure stories for pulp fiction magazines. His breakthrough came in 1953 with the publication of his full-length novel Hondo, which became a bestseller and a major film with John Wayne.

In all, he wrote more than 100 titles, including The Lonesome Gods, The Walking Drum, Jubal Sackett, and The Haunted Mesa. With sales of over 200 million worldwide, L'Amour is one of the best-selling authors in modern literary history. Beginning with Hondo, some 25 works by LAmour have inspired film and TV adaptations.

In his book The Louis LAmour Companion, author Robert Weinberg wrote that LAmour took American ideals and gave them life in his characters. His men are strong individualists, who believe in freedom, equality, and independence. Although most of the characters in his stories are men, when he wrote about women, they were strong and interesting as well.

LAmours writing was refreshingly pre-modern. He did not write about sex, he said, because it was only a leisure activity. He had more important things to write about:

I am writing about men and women who were settling a new country, finding their way through a maze of difficulties, and learning to survive despite them.

One of LAmours last books was Last of the Breed, a Cold War novel, written in the Western motif, with a heavy dose of masculine survivalism that largely reflected his own values. LAmour admired the French novelist Victor Hugo and claimed that Last of the Breed was modeled after Les Miserables, a novel about a pursuer and a pursued.

The novel tells the story of Joe Makatozi, an Air Force major whose aircraft is forced down in the Soviet Union. Makatozi is three-fourths Indian, part Sioux and part Cherokee.

Told that he is an Indian, his Soviet interrogator says, Ah? Then you are one of those from whom your country was taken?

As we had taken it from others, Joe replies, refusing to accept Native American victim status.

In his autobiography, The Education of a Wandering Man, LAmour states that, A mistake constantly made by those who should know better is to judge people of the past by our standards rather than their own. The only way men and women can be judged is against the canvas of their own time. LAmours insight stands a profound condemnation of todays cancel culture.

Joe was partly an Indian, LAmour says, but the world in which he lived was that of all men, having nothing to do with race or color -- a powerfully anti-racist message, though not one that would resonate with todays cultural Marxists obsessed with identity politics.

Joe soon escapes from the prison camp and heads toward America by following the same route that his Indian ancestors did when passing over the land bridge across the Bering Strait into Alaska. In order to escape, however, he needs to fend off his Soviet pursuers and survive the harsh Siberian terrain.

In one wonderfully prescient moment, Joe tells one of the Soviet dissidents helping him escape that if Russia would tear down the Berlin Wall, and build some more good hotels, we Americans would be all over your country spending money. A year after the book was released, President Reagan made his famous speech in West Berlin, calling on Gorbachev to tear down this wall. Just two years later it came down. LAmour, unfortunately, would not live to see that day.

In assessing L'Amour's work, National Review writer John J. Miller cited Mark Twain's aphorism that a classic is a book that people praise but dont read. Miller observed that a novel by LAmour is almost the opposite: a book that people read but dont praise, at least not in the company of sophisticates because it invites their scorn. It didn't help that L'Amour was Ronald Reagan's favorite writer. Reagan awarded him a Congressional Gold Medal in 1983 and the Medal of Freedom the following year.

George Will dismissed LAmour as a pale writer (an allusion to the western movie Pale Rider). However, Miller noted, pale writers sometimes obtain faddish commercial success, but rarely secure a lasting place in the culture. LAmours lasting popularity, he wrote, is best understood as an expression of American folk wisdom, and the abiding appeal of the authors standard themes of patriotism, freedom, moral uprightness, and hard work.

LAmours books make excellent reading for boys. That alone makes his work especially valuable today. But, as Miller reminds us, his books reveal mature themes as well: the notion that there is less distance between civilization and barbarism than meets the eye. To keep them apart, men and women must strive to make homes, families, and communities In short, those who would destroy are forever with us, and they cant be wished away.

Image: Bantam Books
President Donald Trump before boarding Marine One on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington on May 29, 2018. (Samira Bouaou/The Epoch Times)

Trump: Biden Border Agenda Has Turned A National Triumph Into a National Disaster

Former President Donald Trump has again criticized the Biden administrations handling of the crisis at the U.S. southern border after Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas spent Sunday morning defending his handling of the situation in a slew of television interviews.

Mayorkas appeared on multiple programs across major news networks on Sunday to address questions about the burgeoning crisis that saw an influx of unaccompanied children with numbers reaching new highs not seen since the last crisis in 2019. He sought to shift the blame of the crisis on the Trump administration, saying that the previous government had dismantled the orderly, humane, and efficient way of allowing children to make their claims under United States law in their own country, according to his interview with NBC.

Trump appeared to respond to Mayorkass comments in a statement sent via email later on Sunday, where he reiterated his criticism that the Biden administration had transformed national triumph into a national disaster in a span of a few weeks of taking office.

We proudly handed the Biden Administration the most secure border in history. All they had to do was keep this smooth-running system on autopilot. Instead, in the span of a just few weeks, the Biden Administration has turned a national triumph into a national disaster. They are in way over their heads and taking on water fast, Trump said in his statement.

Trump also characterized Mayorkass remarks on Sunday as pathetic, clueless, and a national disgrace, while raising concerns over the administrations decision to revive the catch-and-release policy by overturning most of Trumps immigration policies, including the former presidents Migrant Protection Protocols, or more commonly known as Remain in Mexico. Under the catch-and-release policy, asylum seekers are released into the interior of the country as they await a court hearing, often never to be seen again.

Even someone of Mayorkas limited abilities should understand that if you provide Catch-and-Release to the worlds illegal aliens then the whole world will come, Trump wrote.

The former president, who is known for his hardline stance on immigration and his support for border agents and ICE officers, also called for an immediate congressional investigation over reports that the Biden administration is limiting the amount of information of what border patrol agents can share with the media about the ongoing crisis, which has been unofficially dubbed a gag order.

The Mayorkas Gag Order on our Nations heroic border agents and ICE officers should be the subject of an immediate congressional investigation. But its clear they are engaged in a huge cover-up to hide just how bad things truly are. The only way to end the Biden Border Crisis is for them to admit their total failure and adopt the profoundly effective, proven Trump policies, Trump wrote.

Mayorkas on Sunday denied allegations that a gag order is in place after he was pressed by NBCs Meet the Press host Chuck Todd to address the issue.

Right now, we have no access to, or photos of, the conditions in the facilities. There have been no ride alongs with agents, all inquiries are routed through Washington, there have been strict controls on sharing data, local border patrol folks feel like they cant even talk to our folks down there. Is there a gag order? Todd asked.

There is not. That is unequivocally false, Chuck. Lets be clear here. We are in the midst of a pandemic. We are, because of the extraordinary leadership of the president, climbing out of it more rapidly than ever before. But we are still in the midst of the pandemic, Mayorkas responded.

Biden, who vowed to reverse his predecessors immigration policies during his campaign, has refused to call the influx of migrants at the border a crisis. But the White House has acknowledged the spike as being a big problem and an enormous challenge for the administration.

Mayorkas reiterated Bidens plea to Central American migrants telling them to dont come over.

The message is quite clear, do not come. The border is closed, the border is secure, Mayorkas said during an ABC interview on Sunday.

The number of encounters at the southwest border has been rising steadily over the last few months. Between October 2020 and January 2021, the number of enforcement encounters was 296,259a 79.6 percent increase from 164,932 for the same period a year earlier, according to CBP data.

The number of family units (19,246) and unaccompanied minors (9,457) crossing illegally rose significantly in February, compared to 7,294 family units and 5,585 unaccompanied minors in January, and 4,404 family units and 4,993 unaccompanied minors in December 2020.

The Biden administration said on March 13 that it had directed the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to assist at the U.S. southwest border in response to the arrival of record numbers of illegal immigrants, including unaccompanied minors.

The emergency management agency will support the government effort over the next 90 days to receive, shelter, and transfer unaccompanied children who cross the border illegally, the DHS said. FEMA is an agency of the department.
Irene Jiang/Business Insider

Krispy Kreme is giving out free doughnut to people with vaccine cards.

Employees will get four paid hours to get vaccinated if they choose.

Other retailers like Target and Dollar General are offering similar perks.

See more stories on Insider's business page.

Krispy Kreme will give away a free glazed doughnut to anyone who comes in with a COVID-19 vaccination card through the end of 2021, the company announced Monday.

"Whatever little things brands can do to help make it past the pandemic are good things," Chief Marketing Office Dave Skena told Insider in a phone call. There are no limits on the free donuts, so a vaccinated person could potentially go every day.

The chain will also give employees up to four hours of paid time off to get both vaccine doses. "I hope that other brands will see and choose to do something similar," Skena said.

While employees have the time to get vaccinated, Krispy Kreme will not require vaccinations. Getting vaccinated is a "personal choice," Skena says that they "want to encourage and make sure nothing is standing in the way."

Krispy Kreme isn't the only company offering accommodations to help employees get vaccinated. Target and Dollar General are two of many offering vacation time for vaccine appointments. Kroger, Petco, and Publix are all offering cash or gift cards to employees who show proof of vaccinations.

Krispy Kreme says it will also support workers and volunteers at vaccination sites with free doughnuts at certain centers across the country in the next few weeks.

Read the original article on Business Insider
The University of Birmingham Dubai has appointed Pacific Computing to supply and install audio-visual systems across its iconic new Dubai campus.

As per the contract, the company will provide a range of equipment across all teaching spaces and meeting rooms in the state-of the-art building, which is due to open this September.

Pacific said it has worked closely with University of Birmingham Dubai staff to design systems so that the user experience for students, visitors and staff will be comparable to that of the Universitys Birmingham campus.

The Teaching and Learning Innovation Zone on campus will be equipped with AVoIP (Audio-Video over Internet Protocol) technology giving students and staff great flexibility  allowing live streaming of lectures and events throughout the Innovation Zone, which includes an interactive lecture theatre, an enhanced IT cluster and large flexible seminar rooms

University of Birmingham Dubai Provost, Professor David Sadler, said: Our new building has been designed as an Intelligent Campus - embedded with flexible, cutting-edge technology allowing innovative, multidisciplinary teaching and learning."

Pacific will help us to deliver a flexible and powerful teaching environment in Dubai that students and staff will enjoy. Colleagues coming from our Birmingham campus to teach in Dubai will feel immediately at home in our teaching spaces," said Sadler.

Everyone  students and staff alike  is eagerly looking forward to moving into our brand-new, bespoke campus building later this year. We believe that, in our new academic home, we will deliver an educational experience like no other in Dubai, he added.-TradeArabia News Service
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Appointment

22 March 2021

Five-star Kempinski Hotel Muscat has hired Mohammed Al Harrasi as its director of finance, an Omani national with more than 25 years of experience.

Al Harrasi has been with the property since 2017 when he stepped in as the director of purchasing, having been assisting the hotel's finance and operational departments since he first joined. Throughout his time at the property, he has been instrumental in monitoring, reporting and controlling cost of sales for the hotel, as well as its audit and control, financial analysis, reporting, budgeting and forecasting.

According to Kempinski, his promotion makes him the Sultanate's first Omani director of finance, having previously worked as a purchasing manager for IHG Hotels & Resorts and Shangri-La Hotels and Resorts.
White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki speaks during the daily press briefing at the White House in Washington on March 15, 2021. (Drew Angerer/Getty Images)

White House Responds to Leaked Border Patrol Photos: Not Places Made for Children

White House press secretary Jen Psaki responded to photos that were leaked from Border Patrol facilities that appear to show throngs of unaccompanied children being held in crowded conditions.

These photos show what we have long been saying, which is these Border Patrol facilities are not places made for children, she told reporters at the White House on Monday. They are not places we want children to be staying for an extended period of time. Our alternative is to send children back on this treacherous journey. That is not in our view the right choice to make.

Rep. Henry Cuellar (D-Texas) released several photos to the media from a facility in Donna, Texas, showing children being kept in wall-to-wall conditions. Watchdog group Project Veritas also released photos from the same facility.

Cuellar, whose office first shared the photos with Axios, told the news outlet that one pod held more than 400 unaccompanied male minors. The pods are supposed to hold a maximum of 260 people, he said, and now provide terrible conditions for the children, while saying these children should be moved to be housed and cared for by the Department of Health and Human Services.

They are separated by age or physical size depending on [the] room, the source of the images told Project Veritas. Fifty were COVID positive in these cells over the last few days. There have been multiple sexual assaults, normal assaults, and daily medical emergencies.

An overflow facility in Donna, Texas, in an undated photo (Courtesy of Rep. Henry Cuellars office)

Over the weekend, Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas visited areas along the border, but his office restricted media access. A number of news outlets have said that their journalists and photographers have been denied access, putting more pressure on the Biden administration to address the situation as a crisis.

Psaki on Monday pushed back against using the crisis term.

Children presenting themselves at our border who are fleeing violence, who are fleeing prosecution, terrible situations, is not a crisis, she told reporters. We feel it is our responsibility to humanely approach this circumstance.

In recent days, President Biden, Mayorkas, and other officials called on would-be illegal immigrants to stay put as the border is not open.

Psaki repeated that assertion, telling reporters that the majority of people who show up at the border are being turned away.

Meanwhile, Mayorkas gave interviews to several news outlets Sunday and laid the blame at the feet of the previous administration for the surge at the border. But Republican lawmakers have said it is Bidens policies and rhetoric that triggered it.